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Fans are honoring Carrie Fisher by opening up about their mental health issues on Twitter, and we think she would have been so proud

Its hard to know just how to celebrate the lives of the celebrities we held so dear. As we continue mourning Carrie Fisher, some fans are sharing their mental health struggles with the world to honor her legacy of mental health destigmatization. Its exactly as incredible and important as it sounds.

At the end of the day, Carrie Fisher was a HUGE feminist icon, and a big part of that was talking about mental health openly and challenging the stigma surrounding mental illness. While there are many reasons to love her, her incredible mental health advocacy is arguably the highest on the list.

As the New York Times reports, the hashtag #InHonorOfCarrie was created by MTV senior political correspondent Ana Marie Cox, who decided to honor Carrie by being honest about her own struggles with mental health.

Im pretty open about being in recovery; Ive been more circumspect about mental illness. In honor of Carrie Fisher: Im bipolar, too.  Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) December 27, 2016

From there, the hashtag was born.

We need a hashtag. #InHonorOfCarrie I've been in treatment for depression since my 20s.  Julie DiCaro (@JulieDiCaro) December 27, 2016

People from all over shared their thoughts and experiences.

Carrie Fisher inspired people like me who are also #bipolar. Its a battle but you can win. @ThisIsMyBrave @BipolarMomLife #InHonorOfCarrie  Steve Mason (@VeniceMase) December 28, 2016

Some of the strongest, wisest, kindest & intelligent people struggle with mental illness. Carrie Fisher was proof of that. #InHonorOfCarrie  Harry Cook (@HarryCook) December 28, 2016

#InHonorOfCarrie: I suffer from anxiety. It has affected-if not destroyed-every relationship I've held dear. But I am not my mental illness.  Lisa Marie (@xLiserx) December 28, 2016

Its seriously *so* incredible, and we think Ms. Fisher would have been so proud. May Carrie Fishers memory continue to inspire others struggling with mental illness to be proud of who they are and to never, ever think they are any less because of it.

H/T Vulture

The post Fans are honoring Carrie Fisher by opening up about their mental health issues on Twitter, and we think she would have been so proud appeared first on HelloGiggles.
louis marinelli

The California separatist group Yes California set up a makeshift embassy in Moscow earlier this month in partnership with far-right Russian nationalists who enjoy Kremlin support while promoting secessionist movements in Europe and the United States.

The Embassy of the Independent Republic of California"is part of Yes California's outreach to countries that are likely to recognize and support California's independence from the United States, the group's leader, 30-year-old Louis Marinelli, said in a Skype interview from Russia last week.

Marinelli is organizing the California independence referendum from Russia's fourth-largest city, Yekaterinburg, where he has lived with his wife Anastasia since September.

"We don't expect that the US' staunchest allies will recognize a state's independence movement," Marinelli said. "That would be a slap in the face to the US."

So Marinelli said he is looking specifically to countries with veto power on the UN Security Council (UNSC)  Russia and China  to support his movement and recognize the results of an independence referendum in the event that the US and its UNSC allies reject its legitimacy.

"We don't think that Russia needs to be an enemy of California, or that it even is one to begin with," Marinelli said. "The idea that Russia is an enemy of the US  that's a Cold War mentality."

putin obama

Marinelli's decision to align Yes California so publicly with Russia has alienated him from the other, albeit smaller, California separatist movement known as the California Nationalist Party. Both of the efforts have gained more mainstream traction in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump's surprising electoral victory in November.

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Marinelli didn't seem phased by the disavowal.

"Theyre trying to hijack our campaign for their own growth," Marinelli said of the CNP. "Theyre focused on trying to tiptoe and color within the lines. We want to rock the boat and ruffle feathers."

And, under Marinelli's leadership, they seem to have done just that. In an interview with the state-sponsored news agency Russia Today, Marinelli said he "could no longer live under an American flag" and said he and his supporters want to leave the US "in a similar way" to how Crimea left Ukraine as it was annexed by Russia.

He has also aligned Yes California with the controversial Anti-Globalization Movement, a pro-Kremlin nationalist movement that has ties to Russia's far-right Rodina (Motherland) party and enjoys funding from the Russian government.

The Anti-Globalization Movement, which Marinelli described as a "partner," aims to promote "traditional moral values" and "supports countries and peoples who are ... seeking an alternative agenda" to the "monopolization of the world system of relations and governance"by the United States, according to its website.

The movement's first Dialogue of Nations conference, held in Moscow in 2015, was attended by separatist leaders from Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the Uhuru black nationalist movement. Its second conference, partially funded by a Kremlin grant of $54,000, brought together "representatives of national liberation movements from all over the world."

Marinelli attended the conference this year, along with representatives from the Texas Nationalist Movement, and partnered with its organizers shortly after to establish the Moscow embassy.

Couple shots from today's opening of the "Embassy of California" in Moscow. (Prominent logo of @YesCalifornia featured.) pic.twitter.com/DruRTCkXb2  Casey Michel (@cjcmichel) December 18, 2016

"Obviously we have our differences," Marinelli said of the Anti-Globalization Movement, which lists Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as honorable members. "But we still want to have a dialogue and lay the groundwork for diplomatic relations."

Where the far-left meets the alt-right

Marinelli, who campaigned for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders but said he ultimately voted for Trump, described Yes California as a progressive initiative aimed at establishing a "liberal republic" independent of the United States.

But his belief that the US works to stifle nationalism and self-determination, while Russia actively encourages it, is shared by a movement that appears to lie on the opposite end of the political spectrum: the American alt-right.

The far-right, white-nationalist movement  the resurgence of which as a crusade against establishment politics coincided with the rise of Trump  has found a natural ally in Russia's current zeitgeist, which perceives the US as a globalist, imperialist power working on behalf of liberal elites.

I really believe that Russia is the leader of the free world right now," self-described white nationalist Matthew Heimbach, who founded the Traditionalist Workers' Party and identifies as a member of the alt-right, told Business Insider in a recent interview.

heimbach

"Putin is supporting nationalists around the world and building an anti-globalist alliance," he said, "while promoting traditional values and self-determination."

For far-right parties in Europe and the US, support from Russia has come through figures like Aleksandr Dugin, a far-right, ultra-nationalist politician, as well as institutions like the World Congress of Families (WCF). For "progressive" secessionist movements, it has come through figures like Alexander Ionov, the head of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia.

Peter Pomerantsev  author of "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: the Surreal Heart of the New Russia"  and Interpreter editor in chief Michael Weiss explained the cognitive dissonance as a "fluid approach to ideology" that "now allows the Kremlin to simultaneously back far-left and far-right movements, greens, anti-globalists and financial elites."

"The aim," they wrote in a 2014 report, "is to exacerbate divides and create an echo chamber of Kremlin support."

Indeed, the US Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein dined with Putin in Moscow last December. She was described by leading Russian environmental activists Yevgenia Chirikova and Nadezhda Kutepova as an "accomplice" to the Russian president.

The Kremlin's active support for the nationalist backlash against a US-led global order is therefore not partisan in the traditional sense  it is strategic. As Pomerantsev and Weiss wrote, "Putin is many things, but he is no fool."

"Rather than seeing globalization as a chance for all to rise together," they wrote, "the Kremlin sees it as a mechanism for enabling aggression and an opportunity to divide and rule ... where the Soviets once co-opted and repurposed concepts such as 'democracy,' 'human rights' and 'sovereignty' to mask their opposites, the Putinists use them playfully to suggest that not even the West really believes in them."

putin russia

In an interview with NBC prior to the Anti-Globalization Movement's second annual gathering, Ionov said the EU and the US do not espouse democracy's "true meaning." And in a subsequent interview with journalist Casey Michel, he said he admires and supports Western secession movements because they "exist as an opposition to US imperialism, violence and hatred."

Ionov does not support independence movements from within Russia, however, because he thinks they have been orchestrated by US intelligence agencies to "destabilize" the country.

"The so-called secession movements within Russia have never existed in reality," Ionov said in July. '"Nowadays the so called Russian secession movements were artificially created by US intelligence in order to destabilize [the] political situation."

Marinelli, meanwhile, said he felt that the US has "been more actively involved around the world with its military than Russia has."

When asked about the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia had tried to influence the US presidential election by hacking Democratic politicians and organizations, Marinelli said the intelligence agencies had "led people astray in the past."

"They've given us wrong information before," he said, citing a 2002 intelligence report produced by the CIA about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "It's not impossible for that to have happened again."

NOW WATCH: Trump slams Alec Baldwin: 'His imitation of me is really mean-spirited and not very good'





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A federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ruled that police can shoot a dog while entering a home if the animal moves or barks in the officers presence.

The decision is the final step in a case brought to court by Mark and Cheryl Brown of Battle Creek, whose pit bull was killed while officers were executing a search warrant on their home in 2013.

The couple claimed that officers unlawfully seized their property in violation of the Fourth Amendment when officers shot and killed two dogs while executing a search warrant.

An officer testified that he shot the first dog when it appeared to move a few inches and lunged at him. The dog fled to the basement, where the officer shot and killed it. Court documents reveal that another officer killed the second dog after it too ran to the basement and barked at the officers.

Judge Eric Clays decision ruled that the Browns failed to provide evidence that the first dog did not lunge at police and that the second dog did not bark.

Given the totality of the circumstances and viewed from the perspective of an objectively reasonable officer, the dog poses an imminent threat to the officers safety, the ruling reads. The standard we set out today is that a police officers use of deadly force against a dog while executing a search warrant to search a home for illegal drug activity is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment when  the dog poses an imminent threat to the officers safety.

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Fighting and ruckus broke out in the food court of a mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 27, resulting in mall security chasing several youths on foot. This is the latest in a spate of mall disturbances around the country.

Earlier in the evening, four people were arrested after nearly 200 youths showed up at Philadelphia Mills Mall, formerly known as Franklin Mills Mall, and created a disturbance outside, according to reports citing police.

Mall disturbances have been reported in at least fifteen malls across the United States in the past several days. Reports said that these mall incidents may have been promulgated via social media, SnapChat in particular.

This video shows security guards and police attempting to break up a fight and restrain several people. One of the people breaks away, takes off on foot and is chased by police. Credit: Facebook/Javier Melodico via Storyful
There was panic at Trump Tower Tuesday when a suspicious package forced an evacuation, but once the all-clear was given, a social media war of words broke out between aides of the president-elect and New York City's mayor.

Read: Chaos at Malls Across America Leads to Arrests, Injuries and Stampedes

Cameras captured a scene of pandemonium as people rushed to leave the Fifth Avenue building that is home to Donald and Melania Trump.

It turned out to be a false alarm, as the package found at nearby Niketown was just a backpack filled with children's toys.

What followed was a bizarre Twitter war between Trump's people and city hall.

Read: Obama Says He Would've Beaten Trump If He'd Been Able to Run Again

Trumps spokesman, Sean Spicer, tweeted: Back to work at Trump Tower after false alarm. Thanks NYPD."

Back to work here at Trump Tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD  Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) December 27, 2016

That prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio's press secretary Eric Phillips to fire back: No problem. We'll send you the bill.

No problem. We'll send you the bill. https://t.co/mxbUqzgHds  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 27, 2016

Trump social media director Dan Scavino then responded to Phillips: You are an embarrassment to the @nycmayorsoffice & the amazing #nypd.

Phillips also included a link to a Wall Street Journal article which discussed how much it is costing New York City to help protect Trumps abode.

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That's not very nice, Dan. But about that bill...work on it with us? https://t.co/mrN6vio9tp https://t.co/42znPvj7m2  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 28, 2016

Watch: Passenger Removed From JetBlue Flight for Berating Ivanka Trump: 'Your Father Is Ruining the Country'

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Heres your first look at Bella Hadids upcoming fashion line

The Christmas gifts just keep on coming! On Instagram this week, Bella Hadid teased her upcoming fashion line with Chrome Hearts, the blingy, Los Angeles-based jewelry brand, and now were definitely excited to see the fruits of this collaboration.

Posting two photos to IG, Bella showed off a white patent leather cop-style hat, complete with the Chrome Hearts logo and a silver chain around the brim. No word yet on when the collection will be released, but we can see this cute cap landing in the closets of many of Bellas fans  its versatile enough to wear with jeans and a sweater or, as seen on Bella, with a fluffy AF fur coat.

@chromeheartsxbella A photo posted by Bella Hadid (@bellahadid) on Dec 27, 2016 at 6:44pm PST

Super chic.

CH x bella hat patent white red black soon A photo posted by Bella Hadid (@bellahadid) on Dec 27, 2016 at 6:01pm PST

Bella was spotted wearing a very similar Chrome Hearts hat earlier this year while visiting her brother, Anwar, and other friends in Paris. That hat was black with a woven trim around the brim, but the overall newsboy vibe is the same.

Were loving what were seeing so far!

Bella first announced her Chrome Hearts collab on Instagram about two weeks ago, writing, So damn excited! You have no idea whats coming! My new collection with @chromeheartsofficial designed by me, shot by my angel mother @laurielynnstark. I CANT wait for you all to see what weve made!

A photo posted by Bella Hadid (@bellahadid) on Dec 13, 2016 at 8:37pm PST

Over at the official @chromeheartsxbella IG page, a snap of the model in a 90s-style baby tee was captioned, fuck you baby teesoon

A photo posted by CHROMEHEARTS+BELLA (@chromeheartsxbella) on Dec 19, 2016 at 2:25pm PST

Were so ready for whatever Bella and Chrome Hearts have in store.

The post Heres your first look at Bella Hadids upcoming fashion line appeared first on HelloGiggles.
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Flooding this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo port city of Boma killed at least 50 people and left another 10,000 homeless, authorities told Reuters on Wednesday. Torrential rain on Monday night caused the Kalamu River to overflow, flooding two districts of the southwestern city, said Therese-Louise Mambu, health minister for Kongo Central province. "The damage is very serious," she said. "We continue to look for other bodies." Resident Jeanne Nzita told Reuters: "Everything was taken away  the windows and the doors. All that remains of our house is the walls and the roof." Scientific models predict that climate change will bring increased rainfall to central Africa over the course of this century. Central and western parts of the Congo Basin are expected to be worst hit. Dozens died late last year in the capital Kinshasa as it recorded unusually heavy rains during the rainy season. (Reporting By Amedee Mwarabu Kiboko; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Patients in Florida suffering from a variety of ailments will technically be eligible to use legal medical marijuana as a form of treatment on Tuesday. However, the state still has months to go before dispensary rules and regulations must be officially implemented, which could potentially leave patients without access to medical cannabis for quite some time.

On Election Day, 71 percent of voters approved Floridas Amendment 2, a measure legalizing medical pot for people diagnosed with HIV, cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, PTSD, ALS and a slew of other illnesses under a doctors prescription.

The state formerly passed legislation allowing low THC dosages of non-smokeable medical marijuana in 2014, but Floridas Department of Health still has six months to update current dispensing rules to satisfy the new laws along with another nine months the department has to implement the new regulations. Only seven dispensaries are authorized to provide marijuana across the state under the former law, and only five weed nurseries are licensed to grow the plant in the state so far, so many Floridians could be without a place to purchase their legal medical marijuana until the end of 2017 or even 2018.

Along with the Department of Health dragging their feet to implement a new dispensing structure, local cities and counties throughout Florida are still fighting to keep dispensaries from popping up in their communities. Pasco and Manatee Counties have both requested bans on the drug in their communities, according to Sunshine State News, while Panama City Beach has suggested putting an all-out ban on growing, cultivation and dispensing for at least eight months while city and county officials study the plant and watch how it affects communities in other areas of Florida. Hillsborough County has already instituted a ban on medical marijuana, which will be in place until April.

"I suggest that we consider a moratorium on this until (the) state settles down on what their (laws) will be and the county does the same so we don't do something and have to undo it three or four times," Panama City Beach Councilman John Reichard said during a City Council meeting in early December.

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Carrie Fisher reprised her iconic role as Princess Leia Organa in last year's The Force Awakens, yet her screen time was much less than what moviegoers saw of her in the original trilogy. Though featured in a number of key scenes, Fisher's Leia was far from the focal point of the film.

What was left on the cutting room floor, however, may be the best Leia moment of the film. A brief scene features vintage Fisher characterization - the strong, assertive, no-nonsene princess-turned-general beloved by fans for decades.

Read more: Carrie Fisher's Fan-Created Walk of Fame Star Draws Crowds Day After Actress' Death

In the clip, General Organa with her signature sardonic wit tells a young Resistance soldier to contact the Galactic Senate. "Not all the senators think I'm insane. Or maybe they do. I don't care," she quips.

The scene has been circulating as fans mourn Fisher, who died Tuesday following a heart attack suffered on an international flight from London to Los Angeles days earlier. Fisher's Leia is said to be more heavily featured in Star Wars: Episode VIII, which she had finished filming prior to her death.

Watch the clip below.
Foreign-policy wonks like Beyonce and Rihanna as much as the rest of us, but they also deserve a year-end songs of 2016 list of their own  something to honor the tunes that never made it to commercial radio this year but claimed a different type of power over the past 12 months than the latest Radiohead or David Bowie album. These are songs that helped elect presidents, radicalize extremists, and reignite diplomatic disputes. They symbolized, and fueled, everything from nationalism in India to the uncertainty Thailand faces under a new monarch to the election of the next U.S. president.

Freddie Aguilar, Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago

Freddie Aguilar has long been one of the Philippiness biggest stars  a folk-rock artist often labeled the countrys Bob Dylan. But that comparison seems less apt when you listen to his most recent hit: a theme song for the presidential campaign of hard-line strongman Rodrigo Duterte. Look around you / Crimes everywhere, he bluntly sings at one point in Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago (For Real Reform). Rape, drugs, and robbery / Should be stopped. The chorus gets straight to the point: Come Philippines / Come and change. You and I / We are all Rodrigo.

The song was played at most of Dutertes campaign events, and Aguilar even performed it at Dutertes inauguration. It is still apparently getting regular airings, giving an inappropriately gentle soundtrack to Dutertes rule and his administrations unlawful killing of thousands of suspected drug addicts and criminals.

The Islamic State, Les Eternelles

The Islamic State may have lost some propaganda experts to drone strikes this year, but its team dedicated to producing jihadi chants, many whose purpose is to inspire attacks, seems to have survived. That team is still demonstrating its global ambitions by producing songs in multiple languages. The groups latest effort came out in November and is a French song called Les Eternelles (The Eternals), a reference to the virgins promised to martyrs in paradise. If I fight on burnt land / Its because Im ready to be assassinated, it begins.

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YouTube has taken down multiple clips of the song, but it is still on other sites like Soundcloud, and it wouldnt be a surprise if French fighters in Iraq and Syria have been listening to it on their phones as they head into battle.

Rabindranath Tagore, Jana Gana Mana

If you want to witness the full extent of nationalism in Narendra Modis India, just go to a cinema. At the end of November, the countrys Supreme Court ruled that all cinemas must play Jana Gana Mana, the Indian national anthem, before screenings; that everyone must stand for it; and that doors must be shut so the spectacle goes ahead uninterrupted. A few days later, the court clarified its ruling so that disabled people were exempt and cinemas did not bolt their doors shut and create a fire risk. At least 19 people have since been arrested for remaining seated, suggesting the law could soon have the opposite of its stated effect, by making Indias national anthem a song that accentuates the countrys divides rather than healing them.

The Rolling Stones, You Cant Always Get What You Want

Donald Trumps campaign rallies featured many strange musical choices, songs apparently picked solely because Trump likes them rather than because they have a political message. Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, a song about a groupie in Los Angeles, was a favorite, for instance. But the one song most associated with the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign was You Cant Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones. It was played at rallies, after Trumps speech at the Republican National Convention, and after his victory speech  and each time it came across like one of his classic trolling tweets, an incitement to his detractors to shout, No, youre not what I want! (The Rolling Stones, who asked him not to play the song, seemed to count among them.) Many Democrats may no doubt have preferred it if YG and Nipsey Hussles FDT (Fuck Donald Trump) had actually turned out to be the song of the election.

Jamala, 1944

The Eurovision Song Contest is meant to be a nonpolitical celebration of musics power to unite and an opportunity to gawk at some extravagant costumes and campy dance numbers. But this years event was different thanks to Ukraines winning entry, 1944.

Jamala, who represented Ukraine in the contest, insisted it was a song about Joseph Stalins deportation of Tartars from Crimea for allegedly collaborating with the Nazis. But to anyone watching, it sounded more like a devastating personal critique of Russias ongoing occupation of the region. (Most of Jamalas family lives in Crimea, and she told journalists that she had been too scared to visit them.) The strangers are coming / They come to your house / They kill you all, and say, Were not guilty, the songs starts. You think youre a God / But everyone dies / Dont swallow my soul / Our souls.

Russian politicians were not amused by Jamalas victory, threatening to boycott next years event. NATO, in contrast, publicly congratulated her. It did not help that Russias own entry had been the pre-contest favorite and came third.

Sergei Roldugin, The Cello Side

In April, cellist Sergei Roldugin found himself hitting levels of fame that few musicians  and even fewer cellists  can dream of. He was on the front pages of newspapers worldwide. Unfortunately for him, it was not due to his music, but for being one of the most prominent tax dodgers revealed in the Panama Papers leak, with apparently more than $100 million in assets. Thats an unusual fortune for a classical musician to have earned but makes more sense in the context of Roldugins widely known status as Russian President Vladimir Putins best friend.

But the scandal did actually give several boosts to Roldugins music career. Just after the papers were released, a German record label put out an album of Roldugin playing works by Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi, called The Cello Side. Putin also ensured Roldugin played at Russias concert in the Palmyra ruins after they were liberated from the Islamic State. Given those ruins are now back in the militant groups hands, Roldugin may soon get a chance to play there again if Russia recaptures them  assuming, of course, that Putin still believes classical music is a useful way to promote Russias reputation as the defender of Western civilization.

Beethoven, Ode to Joy

This isnt a song of the year so much as a performance. Back in May, as the U.K.s Brexit vote loomed, one British politician decided to bravely stage an abbreviated public rendition of the European Unions anthem, Ode to Joy, from Beethovens Ninth Symphony. Unfortunately for the EU, it was Boris Johnson, the man many blame for the U.K.s successful Leave vote. He sang it at a press conference to prove that he wasnt a small-minded xenophobe, although it seemed more an attempt to turn one of the EUs symbols into a comedy routine. It was clearly a tactic that worked.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Candlelight Blues

In October, the world lost both its longest-serving and its most musical leader: Thailands king, Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Bhumibol was an accomplished saxophonist and clarinetist who wrote almost 50 songs, played concerts on live radio, and once jammed with jazz greats like Stan Getz on a visit to New York. His songs were as inoffensive and popular as his reign. The countrys new king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, does not appear to have inherited his fathers musical talent  which is a shame, as writing jazz hits could be an easy way to increase his popularity and allay fears that his rule will be a source of instability in the country.

King Bhumibols death means the worlds most musical leader is now, arguably, Kazakhstans Nursultan Nazarbayev. He helped write the countrys national anthem and has written pop hits for Kazakh boy bands. But before Nazarbayev joins the short list for 2017 songs of the year, its worth enjoying King Bhumibols first ever song, from 1946, Candlelight Blues, a late-night number that sounds more like it was written by a drink-soaked jazz band than a monarch. (He was apparently not responsible for the romantic lyrics.

Photo credit: CARLOS MULLER/Getty Images
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Versace is being accused of racial profiling. (Photo: Getty Images)

Versace is coming under fire for a racist practice that one former employee claims he was taught to abide by when he was hired at a Versace retail store in Pleasanton, Calif.

The former clerk is suing Versace over racial profiling, according to Womens Wear Daily. In a confidential moment while being trained for his new role, Christopher Sampiro, 23, was told about the D410 Code. The code is meant to be used while ringing up black clothing at the register, but Versace allegedly also asks its workers to speak the code aloud in a casual manner to warn colleagues that a black person has entered the store.

It just so happens that Sampiro is a quarter African-American, a detail his employers did not know until he made them aware of it. And soon after he did, he was fired. Now the former employee has filed a 30-page lawsuit against Versace, according to the Huffington Post. In it, he claims he was told he was fired because he didnt understand luxury and didnt know the luxury life, according to the New York Daily News. But the timing was too coincidental: just weeks after he was hired in September and his revelation that he was biracial shortly thereafter.

Sampiro says that once he told his employers he was partially black, he was treated differently and that he did not receive legitimate training.' The plaintiff is seeking class-action status for the complaint, according to WWD, and alleges wrongful termination and failure to prevent discrimination along with seven other counts. According to the publication, the suit alleges he did not receive all the pay he was owed and was denied breaks. According to the Daily News, The suit was filed on the workers own behalf as well as others similarly situated and the general public.'

Versace courted controversy recently with an ad that depicted model Gigi Hadid as the wife of an African-American man and the mother of two biracial children, one of whom looks about 5 or 6 years old. This time, though, the kerfuffle was not over race but instead about the perceived glamorizing of teen pregnancy, as Hadid, 21, would have had to have given birth to the child at high school age.

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The most recent controversy, though, is a prime example of a phenomenon that has come to be known as shopping while black, also known as racial profiling. According to International Business Times, A recent Gallup poll suggests that African-Americans are more likely to feel discrimination at a store than when going to a restaurant, or dealing with police during a traffic incident. The article details incidents of profiling in retail stores across the country, in which innocent shoppers who happen to be black are followed, harassed, and inappropriately accused of stealing even though they havent even left the store.

Some specific incidents the story highlights include a lawsuit filed by former store detectives against CVS, alleging that loss prevention managers in New York City instructed them to track the movements of blacks and Hispanics more closely than other customers and routinely used racial slurs to describe shoppers. The article states that, similar to Versace, employees at a Zara store used a code word to identify and track black customers. False arrests of customers of color were made at popular retailers like Hollister, Walgreens, Macys, and Barneys New York.

A 2013 Pew Research Center poll, revealed that 46 percent of black people reported unfair treatment in stores and restaurants, compared with only 16 percent of whites. According to the ACLU, racial profiling violates the U.S. Constitutions core promises of equal protection under the law to all and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. In short, its not only sickening; its also illegal.

Though many companies convicted of racial profiling have been made to pay hefty fines, Versace is hoping to avoid such a fate. The luxury brand has asked Alameda County Superior Court to dismiss the case, and a case status conference is scheduled for March 21, according to the Daily News.

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Paris (AFP) - A woman who killed her abusive husband and became a symbol of the suffering of France's domestic violence victims walked free from prison on Wednesday after receiving a presidential pardon.

President Francois Hollande granted the pardon because he "considered that (Jacqueline) Sauvage's place was no longer in prison but with her family," the president's office said in a statement earlier.

Sauvage, 69, was serving a 10-year sentence at a jail southeast of Paris for shooting her husband Norbert Marot dead a day after their son hanged himself in 2012.

A police source said a car seen leaving the prison was carrying Sauvage and three family members. Hordes of journalists were on hand, but the car did not stop.

Sauvage's daughter Carole Marot told French radio earlier that she was on her way to the prison. "I'm crying, it's wonderful," she said. "Endless thanks to the president."

One of her lawyers, Nathalie Tomasini, said Wednesday she was "overcome by joy and emotion" over the pardon.

The case, a cause celebre in France, has seen many twists and turns since Sauvage shot her husband three times in the back.

Sauvage testified that she endured 47 years of violence including sexual assault at the hands of Marot.

Her three daughters testified against their father, saying they too were beaten and raped.

Feminist groups, celebrities and politicians rallied behind her, with a petition gathering nearly 436,000 signatures.

Hollande accorded Sauvage a partial pardon in January this year for killing Marot, a violent alcoholic who she said raped her and her daughters.

The gesture allowed Sauvage to seek provisional release through the courts, but these efforts failed, with an appeal court saying she had not shown sufficient remorse.

Sauvage was found guilty of murder in 2012, a verdict that was upheld on appeal in 2015.

The French president's power to commute or suspend prison terms was enshrined in the constitution in 1958.

Under a 2008 reform, the president may no longer decree blanket pardons, just individual ones.
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
PARIS (Reuters) - Police in south west France have arrested a man suspected of having planned an attack on New Year's eve, a police source said on Wednesday. Two other people, one of whom is suspected of having planned an attack on police, were arrested in another police raid in south west France, in Toulouse, the police source said. In France, Britain and Germany, which have all been targets of Islamist militant attacks, police have increased their presence at tourist spots in major cities and other densely populated areas after an attack on a Berlin Christmas market earlier this month. The man arrested in Cugnaux, west of Toulouse, "is known to (police) services, he is suspected of wanting to carry out an attack on Dec 31," the police source said. A judicial source also confirmed the arrests and said they had taken place on Tuesday and concerned two separate cases. (Reporting by Simon Carraud; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
PARIS (AP)  A French woman who was convicted of shooting and killing her allegedly violent husband was granted a presidential pardon on Wednesday in a case that drew public attention to the issue of domestic abuse.

Two hours after President Francois Hollande pardoned her, 69-year-old Jacqueline Sauvage was seen leaving a prison southeast of Paris in a dark gray sedan after spending more than three years behind bars.

Two different juries sentenced Sauvage to 10 years in prison for fatally shooting her husband, Norbert Marot, three times in the back with a hunting rifle in 2012.

During the trials in 2014 and 2015, Sauvage said her late husband had beaten her for 47 years. The couple's adult daughters also claimed Marot had abused them. Neither Sauvage nor the daughters ever filed a complaint against him.

The three women said they were too humiliated to seek help and instead suffered violence that included sexual abuse silently behind closed doors.

In a statement, the Elysee Palace said Hollande decided that "the place of Ms. Sauvage was no longer in prison, but with her family."

Women's rights advocates, politicians and sympathizers around France had mobilized to support Sauvage, with a petition calling for her to be pardoned signed by hundreds of thousands.

Nathalie Tomasini, one of Sauvage's lawyers, told RTL radio the pardon was a "very strong message sent by Francois Hollande to all women victims of domestic violence."

Actress Eva Darlan, who chairs a support committee that advocated for Sauvage, said on BFM television that the presidential pardon is a "strong gesture toward men who hit (women)."

In January, Hollande granted a partial pardon to Sauvage, allowing her to seek parole. But two more courts made up of professional magistrates refused to free her.

The president of the main union of French magistrates said Hollande made a "deplorable" decision "to please the public and to respond to a media request."

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"It is a political decision... that challenges the functioning of our institutions," Virginie Duval said on BFM.

The French Constitution allows a president to pardon convicts and to reduce prison sentences.

The Associated Press doesn't typically name victims of extremely severe abuse, but the victims in this case have told their stories publicly.
(Adds details, quotes, Netanyahu remarks)

By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that Israel's building of settlements was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the long-time American ally.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shot back at Kerry and accused him of showing bias against the Jewish state.

In a 70-minute speech just weeks before the Obama administration hands over to President-elect Donald Trump, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.

His remarks added to strain in the U.S.-Israeli relationship -- characterized by personal acrimony between President Barack Obama and Netanyahu -- after the United States cleared the way for a U.N. resolution last week that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

"The truth is that trends on the ground - violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation - are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want."

Kerry condemned Palestinian violence which he said included "hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year."

His parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts.

In a statement, Netanyahu said Kerry's speech "was skewed against Israel." The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements" and barely touched on "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

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The Israelis are looking past Obama and expect they will receive more favorable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. The Republican used his Twitter account on Wednesday to denounce the Obama administration, including its U.N. vote and the nuclear accord it reached with Iran last year.

"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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Trump had openly lobbied against the U.N. resolution and would be expected to veto any further ones deemed anti-Israel.

He has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement, has cast doubt on the idea of a two-state solution and even advocated for Israel's annexation of the West Bank, a notion even further to the right than Netanyahu's own stance.

IMPASSIONED SPEECH

Kerry's speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his years as secretary of state.

He defended the U.S. decision to allow the passage of a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, saying it was intended to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

The United States abstained in the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by Obama who had an acrimonious relationship with Netanyahu.

Kerry vigorously defended the U.N. resolution and rejected criticism "that this vote abandons Israel".

"It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible."

In a pointed reply to Netanyahu who said last week that "Friends don't take friends to the Security Council", and who has insisted the Obama administration had orchestrated the resolution, Kerry hit back, saying: "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect."

Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed a $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade.

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alistair Bell)
By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Israel's building of settlements on occupied land was jeopardizing Middle East peace, voicing unusually frank frustration with America's longtime ally weeks before he is due to leave office. In a swiftly issued statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kerry of bias. He said Israel did not need to be lectured to by foreign leaders and looked forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies. In a 70-minute speech, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states. Kerry's remarks, and Netanyahu's reply, marked the closing chapter of a bitter U.S.-Israeli relationship during President Barack Obama's administration over differences on settlement-building and the Iran nuclear deal signed last year. Ties reached a low point last Friday when Washington cleared the way for a U.N. resolution that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building, prompting Israeli government officials to direct harsh attacks against Obama and Kerry. "Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away." The United States had appealed to Israel in public and private to stop the march of settlements countless times, Kerry said. "In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two-state solution," he said. "We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state." His parting words were unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts. Netanyahu said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements" and barely touched on "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries". In a statement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was convinced peace with Israel was achievable, but stood by his demand that Israel halt settlements before talks restart. Netanyahu, for whom settlers are a key constituency, has said his government has been their greatest ally since Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a 1967 war. Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians. POST-OBAMA ERA Israel expects to receive more favourable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. But Israelis fear Kerry's remarks will put them on the defensive, prompting other countries to apply pressure, including by adding fuel to the boycott, divestiture and sanctions movement against Israel, especially in Europe. Trump denounced the Obama administration's treatment of Israel before Kerry's speech. "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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!" Trump has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upset many countries, and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement. Kerry's speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his nearly four years as secretary of state. Peace talks have been stalled since 2014. The United States abstained rather than veto the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many saw as a parting shot by Obama. Kerry vigorously defended the resolution. It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible." In a pointed reply to Netanyahu who said last week that "Friends don't take friends to the Security Council", and who has insisted the Obama administration had orchestrated the resolution, Kerry hit back, saying: "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect." Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade. In Jerusalem on Wednesday, Israel approved construction of a multistory building for settlers in annexed East Jerusalem, an NGO said, after postponing authorization of hundreds of other homes. Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate and most countries view it as an obstacle to peace. Israel cites a biblical, historical and political connection to the land - which the Palestinians also claim - as well as security interests. PARAMETERS FOR PEACE DEAL Emphasizing that Washington could not impose an outcome, Kerry outlined principles for a two-state solution which envisioned secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine - based on the 1967 lines before it seized the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The two sides would agree to land swaps. Netanyahu has described the 1967 lines as indefensible and has said Israel would never return to them. Kerry also called for an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the "internationally recognized capital of the two states." Kerry's speech drew praise from pro-liberal U.S. Jewish group J Street but was rejected by AIPAC, an influential pro-Israel lobby group, which called the speech "a failed attempt to defend the indefensible". We salute the clear, courageous and committed speech of John Kerry in favour of peace in the Middle East and the solution for the two States, Israel and Palestine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said. France will convene some 70 countries on Jan. 15 for a Middle East peace conference in Paris. Kerrys proposals did not depart from longstanding U.S. views on the building blocks of a future deal, and echoed elements of a speech former President Bill Clinton gave in 2001 as he prepared to hand over power to George W. Bush. But back then "the parties were closer, and the United States and Israel were not at such sharp odds," said David Makovsky, a former senior adviser at the State Department on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. (Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington, Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem and Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alistair Bell and Howard Goller)
Photo illustration: Yahoo News, photos: U.S. Census Bureau, AP

The Garcias are keeping up with the Joneses.

U.S. Census data released earlier this month shows that Garcia has gone from the 18th most common name in the country in 1990 to the sixth most popular in 2010, falling right behind Jones and ahead of Miller and Davis on the list of the nations 10 most common surnames. Rodriguez and Martinez also climbed into the top 10, with the 20 most popular surnames in the U.S. now including six names of Hispanic origin, compared to just two in 1990 and four in 2000.

The steady rise in Hispanic surnames over the past 20 years largely reflects the recent growth in the countrys Hispanic population. A 2011 report on the Hispanic population from the U.S. Census Bureau noted that the terms Hispanic or Latino are used to describe any person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

According to U.S. Census data, the Hispanic population in the United States expanded by 43 percent between 2000 and 2010, with residents of Hispanic or Latino origin making up more than half the countrys total population growth over that 10-year period. As of 2010, 50.5 million Hispanic or Latino people resided in the U.S., about 16 percent of the total population.

Along with overall population growth, the rising popularity of surnames like Garcia and Rodriguez is also related to the number of surnames in various demographic groups.



Photo illustration: Yahoo News, photos: U.S. Census Bureau, AP

The Census report on changing surnames found that 26 of the most popular were used by 25 percent of Hispanic-Americans, while less than 1 percent of the white population identified by one of the top 26 surnames.

Despite the shifts, there was little change among the top five surnames between 2000 and 2010. Smith remained the most popular, followed by Johnson, Williams, Brown and Jones. But as names like Garcia continue to rise along with the countrys rapidly changing demographics, its unclear how much longer the Smiths and Johnsons will stay at the top.

Though three of the top 15 fastest-growing surnames  Vazquez, Bautista and Velazquez  were also Hispanic, the majority of surnames seen rapidly climbing the ranks in 2000 as well as 2010 were of Asian origin. The popularity of the name Zhang has increased by 111 percent since 2000, Li by 93 percent, and Ali by 93 percent. Liu and Khan also topped the list, having grown by 64 and 63 percent, respectively, over the past decade.
Defense behemoth General Dynamics Corp.s GD business division, Electric Boat Corp., secured a modification contract worth $34.7 million from the U.S. Navy to acquire on-board repair parts for Virginia-class submarines, SSN 792 and SSN 793. The contract was awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.



Details of the Deal



Per the terms of the agreement, Electric Boat will exercise options to procure whole Block IV Virginia-class submarines mechanical and electronic repair parts that will be stored on the ship while at sea.



Work related to this deal is scheduled to be completed by Jun 2019 for SSN 792 and by Nov 2019 for SSN 793. It will be executed in Groton, CT. The company will utilize fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds.



A Brief Note on Virginia-Class Submarines



The Virginia-class program comprises nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines serving the Navy. These submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions. Virginia-class submarines are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations as well as mine warfare.



Current Scenario



Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships. Currently the Navy has three classes of nuclear-powered attack submarines  Virginia-class, Ohio-class and Los Angeles-class. These submarines will be operational through 2070.



Our Take



As one of the only two contractors in the world equipped to build nuclear-powered submarines, General Dynamics enjoys a dominant position as a Navy contractor. The company continues to be a prime contractor for the development of Virginia-class submarines, with Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. HII acting as the subcontractor.



The fiscal year 2017 budget proposal calls for $582.7 billion in funding for the Pentagon, which includes $71.4 billion for R&D and $8.1 billion for submarines (with over $40 billion in the next five years). Going forward, this will definitely drive growth at General Dynamics nuclear submarines division.



General Dynamics revenue exposure is spread over a broad portfolio of products and services that will keep the overall growth momentum steady. Electric Boat is a unit of Marine Systems. Marine Systems is a leading U.S. shipbuilder, designing, building and supporting a diverse portfolio of ships for the Navy and commercial customers. In partnership with the Navy, Electric Boat has been successfully pursuing its goal to reduce ship costs while focusing on improving overall efficiency.



Price Movement



General Dynamics gained 25.6% over the past one year, outperforming the Zacks categorized Aerospace-Defense industrys gain of 10.9%. This could be because General Dynamics consistently maintains a strategic alliance with the U.S. Department of Defense, which allows it to enjoy a steady flow of contracts. Consistent deal wins also allow its peers like Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT and Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC keep up their industry-leading performance.

Story continues





Zacks Rank



General Dynamics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



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As the world continues to mourn the tragic loss of George Michael, one photographer shares what the music icon was like at the very start of his singing career.

When Chris Craymer met Michael and his childhood friend, Wham! bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley, on a U.K. television show in the early 80s, Craymer was absolutely blown away by the duos performance. The next day he reached out to their record company, and asked if he could shoot some pictures of Michael and Ridgeley.

It was set up, Craymer tells PEOPLE in this weeks cover story. They came to a tiny little studio in London.

Craymer, who was also in the early stages of his career, didnt have an assistant or anything so the afternoon shoot was really basic, he says.

To watch the full PEOPLE cover story on George Michael, go to www.people.com/georgemichaelcoverstory or download the PEN app on your favorite devices. To read more, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

In fact, since Michael was just starting out he didnt come with many clothes to the shoot, reveals Craymer. He recalls: So I looked around the studio and I thought: Well, maybe George can wear my leather jacket.'

So he actually wore my leather jacket, Craymer tells PEOPLE. Andrew had a leather jacket. But George couldnt afford one at the time, I dont think, so he wore mine.

In the end, it all worked out because that combination was on the first album.

He was wearing my leather jacket on the album Fantastic, says Craymer. Thats how I got to know them.

RELATED STORY: See George Michaels Life in Photos

Along with Craymers picture being used for the record cover, the photo shoot also forged a new relationship between Craymer and Michael.

 George must have liked what I did, shares Craymer, Because I then did many, many pictures of them for about 18 months while their career exploded onto the scene.

He adds: It was a very exciting time. I listened to many of the songs before they were released and we had a very good relationship. Very trusting relationship. It was fun to be a part of this band that literally exploded onto the scene as it were. I will always remember it with great pleasure.




George R. R. Martin has paid his respects Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher and Watership Down author Richard Adams, both of whom died in recent days.

In a blog post titled A Bad Year Gets Worse, Martin wrote, Death, death, and more death this year just keeps getting worse and worse.

The author of the Song of Ice and Fire novels, which serve as the basis of TVs Game of Thrones, continued, There is not much I can say about the death of Carrie Fisher that a thousand other people have not said already. She was way too young. A bright, beautiful, talented actress, and a strong, witty, outspoken woman. Princess Leia will live as long as STAR WARS does probably forever

Regarding Adams, Martin wrote that the world lost one of its great fantasists today, and he went on to rank Watership Down as one of the great fantasy novels of the 20th century, alongside J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings and T. H. Whites The Once and Future King.

Adams died in his sleep at age 96 on Christmas Eve, and Fisher died Tuesday at age 60 after suffering a heart attack Friday.

A wonderful actress, a great writer, Martin wrote. The world is poorer tonight.
By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities have detained a Tunisian man they suspect of involvement in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market last week that killed 12 people, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which some critics say was made easier by Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migrant policy. Investigators found the mobile phone number of the 40-year-old Tunisian stored in the phone of Anis Amri, the man believed to have hijacked the truck filled with steel rods and plowed it into crowds at a Christmas market in the capital on Monday last week. The Sueddeutsche daily said the truck's automatic brakes had brought the vehicle to a standstill after about 80 meters, preventing even more deaths. Officials raided the home and business premises of the new suspect in Berlin. They did not name him. "Further investigations indicated that he could have been involved in the attack," said prosecutors. They will decide on Thursday whether to issue a formal arrest warrant for the man, now under temporary detention. Amri, a failed asylum seeker also from Tunisia, was shot dead in Italy on Dec. 23. The Sueddeutsche said German authorities in Berlin had discussed his case at least seven times between February and November. The newspaper said documents it was shown by the authorities show Amri looked for Internet instructions on how to build pipe bombs and how to make explosive materials. It added that he had sought contact with Islamic State in February and offered to be a suicide bomber. Terrorism prevention experts discussed at least twice whether Amri was planning a specific attack in Germany, but both times decided it was unlikely, the paper reported. Investigators across Europe are trying to establish whether Amri had accomplices. Germany's Focus magazine cited Berlin security sources as saying that a phone found in the truck contained voice messages and photos sent by Amri to Islamists 10 minutes before he steered the vehicle into the Berlin market. Another priority is to piece together how he fled, undetected, from Berlin to Milan, taking advantage of Europe's open-border Schengen agreement. In Milan, police killed him after he pulled a gun on them during a routine check. A spokesman for the Dutch National Prosecutor's Office said authorities were pursuing signs that the 24-year-old had passed through the Netherlands. Dutch prosecutor Jirko Patist said investigators were studying images of a man they believe to be Amri taken by surveillance cameras at the train station in Nijmegen, near the Dutch border. They were also investigating how Amri acquired a Dutch telephone SIM card he had with him at the time of his death. "There is a possibility he got it at Nijmegen station," Patist said. A French judicial source said on Tuesday that Amri appeared to have passed through Lyon in France. The attack has intensified controversy about Merkel's migration policy less than a year before a federal election, and triggered calls for increased security measures. However, a Forsa poll on Wednesday indicated that support for Merkel's conservatives had risen 2 points in the previous week to 38 percent, while backing for the Social Democrats (SPD), her junior coalition partner, fell by the same amount to 20 percent. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) was up a point at 12 percent. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; Editing by Andrew Roche/Ruth Pitchford)
BERLIN (AP)  A German hospital is using a graphic picture of a mangled hand to warn people against buying or using illegal firecrackers.

Klinikum Dortmund posted the photo on social media Wednesday, ahead of New Year's celebrations when Germans traditionally set off large quantities of fireworks.

Hospital spokesman Marc Raschke says the image shows a patient whose thumb and two fingers were blown off by a powerful firecracker two years ago.

Raschke says the Dortmund hospital typically treats two to four such injuries each year, and the picture was "one of the more harmless ones."

Germans spend an estimated 100 million euros ($104 million) on New Year's fireworks annually.

Illegal imported fireworks and improper use are blamed for the majority of serious injuries and deaths.
Berlin (AFP) - German police Wednesday detained a Tunisian they believe "could have been involved" in the Berlin Christmas market attack, with alleged links to Anis Amri, the suspected assailant shot dead in Italy last week.

The arrest was the first in Germany by investigators seeking to discover if Amri had accomplices in the December 19 attack when he allegedly hijacked a truck and drove it into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people.

"The deceased suspect Anis Amri had saved the number of this 40-year-old Tunisian national in his phone. The investigations indicate that he could have been involved in the attack," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The suspect was taken into custody early Wednesday after federal police officers searched his Berlin home and work premises.

"The extent to which the suspicions against the detained person can be confirmed remains subject to further investigation," the statement added.

Amri, 24, went on the run and was the focus of a four-day manhunt before being shot dead by police in Milan, northern Italy, after opening fire first.

German police said they found his fingerprints and his temporary residence permit in the cab of the truck used in the Berlin attack, next to the body of its registered Polish driver, who was killed with a gunshot to the head.

The Berlin rampage was claimed by the Islamic State group, which released a video last Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

- By bus and train -

More than a week after the attack, investigators were still battling to find out if Amri had help before and after the assault.

Three other men, including Amri's nephew, were arrested by Tunisian authorities last Friday.

On Wednesday, a spokesman at the anti-terrorism unit told AFP that their probe was ongoing, declining to give further details.

Separately, investigators came closer to tracing Amri's escape route to Milan.

Story continues

The Tunisian had boarded an overnight bus at the Dutch city of Nijmegen, near the German border, that took him to Lyon in central France, sources close to the investigation said.

Wim de Bruin, spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service told AFP: "We believe he was in Nijmegen, most likely last Wednesday."

"There are video images and it's very likely him," De Bruin said, adding that "it's most likely here where he received a SIM card," which Italian police later found on his body.

Amri got off the bus at the Lyon-Part-Dieu rail station, one of the sources said.

Surveillance cameras filmed Amri at the station last Thursday.

From there, he took a train to the French Alpine town of Chambery before heading to Milan.

A train ticket from Lyon to Milan via Turin was also found on Amri's body.

- Accomplices? -

But investigators are still trying to determine how Amri was able to leave Berlin and cross most of Germany to reach the Netherlands, and whether he received assistance.

German magazine Focus quoted unnamed security sources as saying Amri had been texting messages and sending photos to "Islamist friends" only 10 minutes before the attack.

Several German media also quoted government sources as saying the truck came to an automatic stop thanks to the activation of an emergency braking system.

Amri was known to Tunisian police as a juvenile delinquent who drank and took drugs.

In 2011, he left his home country for Italy. There he spent four years in prison for starting a fire in a refugee centre, during which time he was apparently radicalised.

Italian police on Wednesday raided two houses in the town of Aprilia near Rome that Amri had lived in before moving to Germany, police said.

After serving his sentence he made his way to Germany in 2015, taking advantage of Europe's Schengen system of open borders -- as he did on his return to Italy last week.

German security agencies began monitoring Amri in March, suspecting he was planning break-ins to raise cash for automatic weapons to carry out an attack.

But the surveillance was halted in September because Amri, who was supposed to have been deported months earlier, was seen primarily as a small-time drug dealer.
BERLIN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Germany's finance ministry expressed concern on Wednesday about Italian plans to rescue the country's third biggest lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena , saying Rome must stick to European rules.

"The European Central Bank and European Commission must check and make sure that Italian authorities stick to the European rules," a ministry spokesman told Reuters when asked about Monte dei Paschi.

He also said a precautionary state recapitalisation of banks can only be part of a solution in exceptional cases and under strict conditions and that owners and creditors must be among the first to suffer losses. The bank must be solvent, he added and state money must not be used to cover losses.

"These rules must not be circumvented," the spokesman said.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Madeline Chambers)
Sydney (AFP) - New Zealand's Giacomo won the handicap honours Thursday in the record-breaking Sydney-Hobart yacht race after rivals were becalmed on Hobart's breathless River Derwent.

The Volvo 70 came in second fastest in line honours early Wednesday, just two hours behind triumphant Australian supermaxi Perpetual Loyal.

Both yachts sped into Hobart and easily broke the old record by hours with a time of 1 day 15hr 27min 5sec for Giacomo.

But soon after third-placed and Hong Kong-owned Scallywag finished the race rain began to fall and the wind dropped on the fickle Derwent river leading to Hobart.

With other leading handicap contenders tied up in the doldrums for much of Wednesday, Giacomo sat pretty on corrected time.

"Congratulations to the overall winners of the 72nd #RolexSydneyHobart - Giacomo, made up of a father, his 2 sons & a talented crew!," the race organisers tweeted Thursday afternoon.

New Zealand winemaker and Giacomo owner Jim Delegat described the win as "beyond belief".

"We're feeling wonderful, we're ecstatic and excited... The impressive, hard work of the crew was tireless. It was a race of opportunity," he said.

"I would be dishonest if I didn't say we put thought to overall victory 20 hours into the race. We identified our competitors."

Giacomo was awarded the Tattersall's Cup, handicap honours for the vessel that performs best according to size, whereas line honours are for the fastest boats.

Delegat earlier admitted the downwind conditions suited his 70-footer, allowing it to split the 100-foot Perpetual Loyal and Scallywag.

"Still, we're pretty surprised, it's not often that a 70-footer can do this, get second over the line," he said.

- 'No wind' -

Giacomo was a family affair for the Delegats, with Jim's two sons -- Nikolas, 20, and James 18 -- joining him on the yacht.

It was James Delegat's first Sydney to Hobart race and he was also the gruelling contest's youngest sailor.

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The lack of wind on the last leg took care of Giacomo's rival 70-footers and the smaller boats.

Last year's overall winner Balance, a 52-footer owned by Australian Paul Clitheroe, had been running close for a second successive handicap crown before falling into the wind trap for much of Wednesday.

When Scallywag docked before dawn at Hobart's Constitution Dock, the first three home were well inside the 2012 record of one day 18hr 23min 12sec for the 628-nautical-mile (1,163-kilometre) event.

At one stage on Tuesday morning 24 yachts were running ahead of the record. But the change from the fastest times to a virtual standstill came suddenly.

The race organisers, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, described the Derwent shutdown as "a tortuous 11 miles of drifting and clawing to the finish line".

The breeze picked up Thursday, with a flurry of yachts crossing the finish line.

KLC Bengal 7's Japanese crew said the current and the lack of wind proved challenging.

"It was very difficult current, we had to really manage how strong it was in the river," navigator Yutaka Takagi said.

"There were three times where we sat in no wind, for at least one hour each. It was such a long time."
Some of the girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from a boarding school in Nigeria in April 2014 were prevented by government officials from spending Christmas at home with their families, according to relatives and a lawyer Tuesday.

A number of the 276 girls abducted from a government boarding school by the Islamic extremist group had been reportedly held in government custody in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja for trauma therapy and rehabilitation since the incident. But some of those girls demanded government officials take them to their hometown of Chibok in the northeastern part of the country to be with their families on Christmas Day.

When many of the girls rejected efforts from Nigerian government authorities to fly their parents to Abuja, they were flown to Chibok on Christmas Eve and housed at the residence of a Nigerian legislator. But the girls never ended up seeing their families on Christmas Day, according to human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe. Rather, the girls were forced to wait until Dec. 26 to see their families when Borno state Gov. Kashim Shettima arrived at the home they had been staying at to take pictures of them officially being brought to their parents.

Human rights lawyers have raised questions over the Nigerian government's treatment of the girls since 21 of them had been freed in October by negotiations overseen by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

RTX2PL9S

Photo: Reuters

"In terms of a Christmas family reunion, this has got to rank amongst the world's most spectacular failed parties," Ogebe told The Associated Press. "The Grinch  or in this case, the government  stole their Christmas this time. Not the terrorists."

One of the girls mother and the father of another told the Associated Press that their daughter had wanted to attend Christmas mass with their families at their local churches but was told from Nigerian government officials to stay at the legislators house. Some human rights lawyers are wondering if the girls escaped one form of captivity only to find themselves in another.

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The girls between the ages of 18 and 18 suffered two years of captivity after being kidnapped while taking science exams at a government boarding school by Boko Haram militants in the Christian enclave of Chibok. The incident triggered international outrage, with First Lady Michelle Obama joining in spreading the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. While dozens escaped hours after being captured, there are approximately 200 girls who are still captive.

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Following the death of Carrie Fisher on Tuesday (Dec. 27), her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford released a statement about the late actress.

"Carrie was one-of-a-kind brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely," Ford said. "My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her."

Fisher, who was 60, was flying from London to Los Angeles on Friday (Dec. 23) when she went into cardiac arrest. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for her heart attack. Her daughter, actress Billie Lourd, issued a statement via a family spokesperson on the morning of Dec. 27 to confirm that her mother had sadly passed away.

Fellow Star Wars co-stars also sent their condolences upon hearing of Fisher's death. Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian in the film franchise) tweeted, "I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!"

Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) also released a kind statement on Twitter, writing, "There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly."
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP)  A herd of elephants attacked a village in southwest Nepal on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding two others, officials said.

Government official Dilli Ram Acharya said the elephants attacked Praseni village at dawn, when there was not much light and poor visibility due to winter fog.

Acharya said the villagers did not see the elephants coming and did not have a chance to run.

Security forces were sent to the area to chase the elephants back to the forest. The injured people were taken to a nearby town for treatment.

Acharya says the village is close to Bardia National Park, home to many elephants, but it was rare for people to be killed by the animals.

The park is protected by government soldiers and is home to endangered tigers, one-horned rhinos and many other animals.
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A herd of elk died after falling through thin ice while crossing a reservoir in northeastern Oregon, a state wildlife official said on Wednesday. Forty-one elk were feeding in an area near the 58-mile-long (93-km-long) Brownlee Reservoir, a body of water formed by a dam on the Snake River, and ventured out across a sheet of ice possibly to take a drink of water as they moved to other feeding or bedding areas, said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Phillip Perrine. But part of the ice shelf on the north side of the reservoir had been weakened by the steady flow of creek water and some of the elk broke through the ice, Perrine said. Perrine described the frustration and sadness he and other wildlife officials felt when they arrived at the reservoir but were unable to rescue the animals because of the unstable ice. He said he watched as four elk failed to swim to safety some 200 to 300 yards (meters) offshore. "It was a very sad, tough situation," Perrine said by telephone, "The worst feeling." Elk are enormous but surprisingly graceful mammals who often venture down from higher elevations in search of food during the winter. Elk are prized by hunters for their size and lean meat - an adult bull can weigh several hundred pounds (kg) with antlers stretching several feet wide. People on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Facebook page expressed sadness over the incident and that the meat was not donated to charity. Perrine said in response that the carcasses would be feasted on by birds and other scavengers, and it was unsafe to try to collect the meat. He also said the herd's tracks did not suggest they were escaping predators, such as wolves, and that decomposing animals would not threaten water quality in the reservoir, given its size. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Sandra Maler)
The gold slave bikini that Princess Leia wore in Return of the Jedi is the stuff of legend. (Photo: Courtesy of fully_poseable via Instagram)

On Tuesday, Carrie Fisher passed away following a heart attack she suffered aboard a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday. Fisher was an actress, author, mental health advocate, writer and mother, but to many, she will be most fondly remembered as Princess Leia, the iconic heroine she played in the Star Wars trilogy.

One of the most prominent images of Fisher as Leia involved that legendary gold bikini  a metal two-piece the character was forced to wear after she was captured and imprisoned by sluglike supervillain Jabba the Hutt, chained to the evil creature, and made to be his slave. Leia, a member of the Rebel Alliance and all-around kick-ass female, managed to make her way out of the shackles and [spoiler alert] strangle Hutt to death with his own chain.

The sexualized portrayal of the warrior princess in the metallic bikini is an image that has been etched into the collective consciousness  and it helped cement Fishers status as a science-fiction sex symbol. There is even an episode of Friends in which Ross famously asks Rachel to role-play in the bikini to fulfill his childhood fantasy  and she did, hair buns and all.

The gold bikini itself was an elaborate number that wrapped around Fishers upper arms and bore an interwoven snake detail. According to Fisher, it was pretty uncomfortable to wear. She once called the costume what supermodels will eventually wear in the seventh ring of hell, according to Movie Pilot. I had to sit very straight because I couldnt have lines on my sides, like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight, she told NPR. But it was also uncomfortable for what it represented: conquering and objectifying a powerful woman and attempting to render her helpless.

When [director George Lucas] showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made me very nervous, she once told People, adding that she was nearly naked, which is not a style choice for me. It wasnt my choice. Lucas actually helped design the metal garment, according to Movie Pilot. The scene was planned to cause a stir in the audience, shifting focus away from Leias image as the contentious rebel leader and towards her allure as a woman, the site explains.

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Lucas even requested that Fisher lose weight to wear the bikini, according to Fishers audio commentary for Return of the Jedi. He showed me to frighten me into exercise, I think. He succeeded, she joked, though in reality, she was actually instructed to work on tightening her abs so there would be no folds or wrinkles when she sat in front of Jabba.

A vocal feminist, Fisher went along with the humiliating scene in spite of her hesitation. After all, she would eventually break out of the shackles and kill her tormentor, which made for sweet revenge. What redeems it is I get to kill him, which was so enjoyable  I sawed his neck off with that chain that I killed him with. I really relished that because I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldnt wait to kill him, she told People.

If she had to do it all over again, though, Fisher  who said she never identified as a sex symbol and was not interested in being one, according to People  might have decided against wearing the skimpy outfit. In fact, she told Interview magazine that her advice to young actress Daisy Ridley, who stars in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was not to settle for simply being a sex symbol. You should fight for your outfit. Dont be a slave like I was.

And co-star Harrison Ford agrees. According to Movie Pilot, when asked his opinion on Leias slave bikini, he replied, I didnt even think it was going to be in the movie. Shes a princess. What the hell is she doing walking around in a bikini?

So where is the infamous bikini these days? In the possession of an anonymous buyer, who purchased the costume in a Profiles of History online auction in May 2015, according to Movie Pilot. The unknown buyer paid a stately $96,000 to own the garment from a galaxy far, far away. But that will be the last time a profit will be made off the image of the enslaved princess. According to the site, Disney and Lucasfilm recently made the decision to stop manufacturing Slave Leia merchandise.

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woman on laptop

If you had a MySpace profile back in 2006, you know that customizing it was key. Having a unique background, profile picture and song choice was important.

But in order to really stand out, you needed to be able to do more than change the color of your profile. To do anything more advanced, it helped to know HTML and CSS.

For many teenage girls, MySpace provided an entry point into technology, NPR's Latinos USA reported.

Latinos USA reporter Antonia Cereijido joined the Slack channel Techqueria, a large group message for Latinos in technology. She asked the women in the group what sparked their interest in technology and found, "a surprising number of women said MySpace."

While she didn't mention the exact number of women who responded, she was able to interview one on her podcast.

MySpace Edit Page

One female student, who is hoping to be a user experience designer in Silicon Valley, mentioned in the interview, "I started to see a lot of the HTML and CSS that I had learned before and then from there I started picking up JavaScript. It gave me a lot more confidence in being about to pick up coding."

Today, teenage girls are exposed to technology much more than they were a decade ago, when MySpace reigned. However, with so many advancements in technology and website design, teens can update and customize their profiles without ever needing to write a single line of code.

Probably without even knowing it, by forcing teens to code their own designs, MySpace was inspiring some of the future coders of America.

NOW WATCH: This machine solves the most time-consuming things about doing laundry





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Octavia Spencer calls the three NASA mathematicians chronicled in her new movie, Hidden Figures, unsung heroes, and cant believe the story of their contribution to the space program has been so overlooked.

Honestly, I thought it was historical fiction because I had grown up with the narrative of what happened in the space race and weve seen so much archival footage, I thought the fact that we never heard of these women, it had to be fiction, Spencer said. And then I felt compelled to be part of the story because I feel like these women are unsung heroes.

In an episode of the Close Up With TheWrap video series shot at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., Spencer sat down with NASA astrophysicist Andrea Razzaghi to discuss what it was like being a woman working for NASA.

Also Read: Octavia Spencer Explains Why Her New Movie About Black Women at '60s NASA Is Seriously Overdue

We are talking about NASA, and they were more progressive than regular society, Spencer began. What was it like working at NASA?

I was the only woman in a group of 50 engineers, revealed Razzaghi, adding that the restroom she used was labeled woman while the mens bathroom was labeled men.

And being a minority woman, she said, made people treat her with skepticism.

The white males were given the benefit of the doubt. I often had to get through that hurdle, Razzaghi said. When I was working on a design and I was calling a company about getting a specialized ball bearing made for my project, he asked me very impatiently, would you please put the engineer on the phone? I said, Well, I am the engineer so can we continue our discussion about how your company might be able to provide what I need for my project?'

Also Read: 'Hidden Figures' to Receive Ensemble Performance Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival

In Ted Melfis Hidden Figures, Spencer plays Dorothy Vaughan, one of the so-called human computers employed by NASA in the early 60s to do rapid-fire math to support the effort to launch a manned rocket into space.

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Her colleagues, equally little-known by history, included Katherine Johnson (played by Taraji P. Henson), a numbers prodigy who helped calculate key trajectories for John Glenns orbit around Earth in 1962, and Mary Jackson (played by Janelle Monae), who became the first African-American female aerospace engineer.

Hidden Figures is now in limited release and will open nationwide on January 6, 2017.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Taraji P Henson on 'Duty' She Felt to Make Historic Drama 'Hidden Figures' (Video)

OscarWrap 2017: Hidden Figures

How 'Hidden Figures' Fought to Uncover NASA's Lost African-American Heroines

'Hidden Figures' Stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae Portraits (Photos)
My grandmother was a woman of closely held secrets. Her jewelry collection was kept under lock and key. The serums that preserved her smooth skin were shared only with her medicine cabinet. But the mystery she protected more than any other was a recipe for a family favorite: her strawberry-frosted layer cake.

By the time I was in my late 20s, I was a dedicated home baker and had tried repeatedly to duplicate my grandmothers fabled dessert without much success. Occasionally, Id complain to her (Nanny, my cake turns out too dense; Nanny, my batter sticks to the pan), hoping shed offer assistance or inadvertently reveal a clue. But she remained reticent, the door to her kitchen forever closed while she created her confections.

As far back as I can remember, shed show up on my parents suburban New Jersey doorstep on holidays and birthdays with a giant pastel cake balanced in her delicate hands. Everyone dipped a finger in the thick swirls of pink frosting, creating sugary familial hieroglyphics that multiplied until the dinner plates were cleared. After supper, we watched my mothers serrated knife slide down to create the first slice, revealing moist layers of a cake as simple and classic as my grandmothers pearls.

Nanny rarely ate cake herself, blaming her waistline or her medications. Instead, she sat back and watched the scene unfold: her great-granddaughter tucked in a high chair squeezing bits of frosting through her tiny fingers like clay; her full-grown grandkids savoring each bite; her son-in-law sneaking a second, then a third piece. Laughing and talking, we ate slice after slice until all that remained was crumbs.

Five years ago, at the start of Easter week, my 87-year-old grandmother was admitted to the hospital. What seemed at first to be a bad stomachache turned out to be an intestinal injury caused by an inadequate blood supply. For a woman of her age, the doctors informed us, surgery was not an option: The damage was past repair.

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We spent the week shuffling through hospital corridors, where the nurses stations were decked out with garlands and colored paper eggs. My grandmother lay in bed, a labyrinth of plastic tubes and a thin cotton gown where one of her chic blouses should be. On Wednesday, when my mother suggested that we cancel Easter, my grandmother swatted her hand, bruised from IVs, in my mothers direction. Cancel the holiday? Pfft.

But who will make your cake? I asked.

My grandmother and mother exchanged a smile. Without a word, it became clear: The task had been bequeathed to me.

But Ive never baked your cake, I said.

Trust me, my mother said. Youll be fine. Nanny patted my hand and told me to save her a slice.

In spite of the circumstances, the prospect of learning the recipe thrilled me. I envisioned my mother carefully handing over my grandmothers tattered recipe card. Perhaps Id learn that the secret to the airy batter was an artisanal cream cheese. Or that an expensive organic vanilla extract was what gave it that magical aroma.

Instead, the next day, when my mother and I went to Nannys home to retrieve her slippers, something entirely undramatic occurred. My mother unceremoniously swung open the pantry doors. And there, occupying two shelves, were rows of Betty Crocker SuperMoist Yellow cake mix. (Later I learned that if there was a sale at the supermarket, she would settle for Pillsbury.) Nearby were tubs of frostingthe same brand, in a flavor called Whipped Strawberry.

My mother smiled, noting my confusion. What? You didnt think she baked all those cakes from scratch, did you?

But, of course, I did. My Nanny had always made such a fuss about her baking efforts. Id always pictured a mess of sugar and eggshells, streaks of flour across her rouged cheeks. But that scene only existed in my head.

Im certain she didnt just rely on boxed mixes, I said, still in denial as I rummaged through the shelves for other ingredients. She must have added something.

Youre right, my mother said with a laugh, pointing to a plastic bottle filled with pale yellow vegetable oil. She added this.

Turns out, the rest of my family had always known the source of our favorite dessert. After all, the signs had always been there: picture-perfect punch-colored layers, too-good-to-be-true consistency every year. No one else was fazed, but the revelation left me with a sense of disappointment and moral conflict. I bake my own bread. I can my own jams. I pride myself on my weekly visits to a nearby organic farm stand. How could I make a cake from a box?

A few days later, I sat in my kitchen staring at glass jars full of whole-wheat flours and flaxseed and contemplated ways to make the cake less manufactured. Perhaps I could swap applesauce for the vegetable oil. Or mix up some homemade berry frosting.

I continued to brainstorm clever ways to manipulate my grandmothers method. However, I couldnt ignore the iconic red cake box that rested before me. I studied it and thought about my Nanny whisking together her signature store-bought mix for all the celebrations of my life. As I did, I began to accept that my healthful modifications were beside the point. What mattered was honoring the decades of memories my grandmothers cakes had inspired for our family.

So I swallowed my pride. I peeled apart the thin cardboard, cut open the plastic bag, and poured the dry mix into a large bowl. I added the required ingredientseggs, some water, a bit of oiland waited while my kitchen filled with the familiar scent. Although we had never baked together, in that moment it felt as though my grandmother were right there beside me.

On Easter, our family gathered around my mothers table. After dinner, I plated the cake. The room was quiet, the only sound fork tines on china. Everyone expressed enthusiasm for my efforts. But their faces revealed the truth: Something was off. Technically, my cake tasted like my grandmothers, but it still lacked something. I thought that maybe I hadnt used the right amount of frosting between the layers. Or maybe I didnt sprinkle in enough coconut or jelly beans. Soon enough, I realized this sense of lack had nothing to do with ingredients or ratios; what was just missing from the cake was my grandmother.

Before the last piece was gone, the phone rang. My grandmother had taken a turn for the worse. We left the plates on the table and hurried to the hospital. In Nannys room, we gathered close, held hands, and said a prayer. One by one, we each said our good-byes to Nanny. When my turn came, I kissed my Nanny and whispered that I had made her cake. It was good, I said. But it wasnt the same.

About the author: Angela Brown is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Saveur and the New York Times. She lives in New Jersey with her family and is at work on her first novel.

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-magazine/life-lessons/angela-brown-secret-cake-recipe
TOKYO (Reuters) - Hitachi Ltd said on Wednesday it was considering selling Hitachi Koki Co , after a media report that it was in talks to offload the power tools unit to KKR & Co (KKR.N) for more than 150 billion yen ($1.3 billion).

A sale would enable Hitachi to focus further on its main business segments like infrastructure, after shedding several noncore operations in recent years to bolster its profitability.

The Japanese conglomerate said in a statement that it was considering various options to strengthen its business, including the sale of Hitachi Koki, but that nothing had been decided. It did not name any prospective buyers.

The Nikkei business daily reported that negotiations between Hitachi and U.S. private equity firm KKR were in the final stages and that an official agreement could be reached next month.

KKR plans to buy all of Hitachi Koki's outstanding shares through a tender offer, and the company will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei said without citing sources.

At 0023 GMT shares of Hitachi Koki were untraded amid heavy buy orders, indicated up 5 percent from Tuesday's close.

Hitachi shares had gained 1.1 percent.

($1 = 117.4900 yen)

(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Photography by Roy Beeson

Styling by Derek Nguyen

Hair and makeup by Samantha Lau

Creatives and entrepreneurs are determined to break into the new year with positive mentalities and strong intentions to grow their businesses. Seeing as New York City is the hub of unique entrepreneurship, these five creatives are in the right place to continue expanding their companies. Check out some talent that will definitely make an impact in 2017.

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Jen Rubio & Steph Korey, Away (awaytravel.com) founders

Rubio and Korey launched Away to provide users with affordable yet high-quality luggage that will allow them to travel seamlessly. Although the company just launched earlier this year, Rubio and Korey are opening their third office next fall and are planning for major growth in 2017.

How did you come up with the idea for Away?

Jen: My bag broke at an airport, and I was looking for something to replace it. I asked all of my friends what bag they recommended and there wasnt one single consensus on a bag that was well designed and attractive, but also affordable.

Stephanie: Everyone told her, dont get what I have.

Did your upbringing influence how youve shaped your company?

Jen: Growing up, the love for travel was instilled in me from a really young age. I have family all over the world; weve always traveled. Ever since my seventh birthday, its been instilled in me that experiences are better than things.

Stephanie: Same thing for me  my dad grew up in the Middle East and my mom grew up in Europe. We have family all over the world. My whole childhood there was a lot of travel to see family, and we loved it.

How would you both describe your style? Do you have any go-to work pieces that you throw on every day?

Jen: We tend to wear a lot of neutral colors. I think its a very New York thing to wear all black, and I do a shoe change at night. Were always going from interviews to meetings to press to events, so just something that can work for everything.

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Stephanie: Were running around all day, so you will normally find me in sneakers!

On Olivier Palazzo: 3.1 Phillip Lim Fur-Collar Bomber Jacket, $1,950, 31philliplim.com, Thomas Pink Freddie Plain Super Slim Fit Button Cuff, $195, thomaspink.com, Prada Slim-Fit Super 120s Wool Trousers, $720, mrporter.com, To Boot New York Bancroft, $200, toboot.com

Oliver Palazzo, executive chef of Loosies Kitchen

Palazzo, who hails from Ivory Coast and studied in France, brings his unique upbringing into the kitchen. As head chef at Loosies Kitchen, Palazzo, who loves to create, designed the menu for the Southern-style restaurant.

Do you have a favorite menu item or type of food to make?

French food. I have a background in French. I used to work in an amazing establishment in Paris, so I have all this French technique.

How do you bring your background  being from Ivory Coast and going to school in the south of France  to launching a successful career in the U.S.?

Well, its just the beginning, and I need to work more on my stuff to be more successful. I want to make the best restaurant in New York one day. I want to make a cookbook.

How would you describe your style?

I would say natural style  very easy. Sophisticated when you have to be. I love the Brooklyn style. I love the French style, so it depends. My style is simple, easy, and sophisticated.

On Jennifer Chun: Jennifer Chun Plaid Shirtdress, Price Upon Request, Jennifer-chun.com, Jennifer Chun Skirt, Price Upon Request, Jennifer-chun.com, Giuseppe Zanotti Darsey, $348, giuseppezanottidesign.com, Fallon Monarch Graduated Skinny Choker, $170, fallonjewelry.com

Jennifer Chun, designer

Chun is a designer who worked for Michael Kors and Derek Lam among other prestigious names before launching her namesake brand, Jennifer Chun, in 2009. Her N.Y.-based womenswear brand cleverly mixes menswear-inspired pieces with more feminine, uniform styles.

Where are you from?

I was born in Daegu in South Korea. I moved around a lot. I was in South Korea for about a year, and we lived in L.A., Chicago, Detroit, and then we settled in Ohio.

Do you think living in so many different places has shaped and influenced your brand and how you create?

Absolutely. I think the most thats influenced me was actually growing up in Ohio. Fashion doesnt have a really big presence in Troy, Ohio. I grew up in a small town, farm community. But my parents had beautiful clothes that they brought back from Korea, and they were all custom-made and tailor made to them  fabrics chosen by their parents or by my mom. Growing up I was always influenced by that, and I would always shrink my dads sweaters or wear his shirts, or wear my moms skirts. But I would cut them shorter, so that had a huge influence.

How would you describe your style?

I would say its very uniform  more of a tomboy uniform. Very 90s.

Do you have any go-to work pieces that you throw on every day?

Definitely. Its always one of my T-shirts with a denim jacket, one of my pleated skirts, and oxfords. Its easy.

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Melanese Reed, designer

Reed is one half of I Waited for You, an eclectic, Brooklyn-based womenswear brand that was launched in 2011. Along with Charleston Pacius, Reed designs progressive pieces with understated feminist notes.

Where are you from originally?

Barbados.

Do you think that your background has shaped how youve built your brand?

Not necessarily. The thing that shaped it is actually the fact that I moved here, and I was around so many different facets of New York life. My sister is a sculptor, but she was also a makeup artist. She always brought me down to the garment district to get her clothing made, or she was teaching me how to sculpt. So doing things like that kind of helped me to build my brand.

What were some challenges you faced when you were starting out your career?

Money, which is still a challenge now, but also your network. Only because people dont realize that even if you have the money, if you dont have the network  thats really what takes it to the next level. Someone has to say, OK, I really see where youre going with this brand. Let me introduce you to someone.

How would you describe your style?

I want to say its eclectic, but theres always some sort of classicism to it with some sort of twist  something unexpected like cowboy boots but paired with a suit. Right now Im into pinstripes. We had a lot of that in our last collection. Also, anything that screams feminism but also isnt too literal.
The doors of the church are open to all; I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Praiselyson Praise Lyngskor was running late. The latest star of 101Indias Hip Homeland series is deeply religious, and Sundays are particularly tricky for him to find time. The best time to meet, he told us, was after mass. Hed be able to spare an hour or two. I wasnt sure that would be enough time, so I suggested that we attend with him. OK, he said, but the mass is in Khasi.

Noted.

Attending a Catholic mass in Khasi with Hip hop band Symphonic Movement

People in India often ask me about my religion and I never have a satisfactory answer. I have neither a faith nor belief in an omnipotent being, but I never made a choice to become an atheist. Religion was never an option for me.

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Raised in a Western secular household by loving parents, I spent my Sundays at the beach or playing with friends. We celebrated Christmas as a humanist holiday, exchanging presents and gathering with family, but never considering its Christian origins. When I was 13, my Jewish friends were called to the Torah as Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. I dutifully recited the prayers at the services, feeling a slight sense of incredulity that this ritual still persisted. Ive attended Hindu pujas, visited Buddhist temples, and celebrated Muslim holidays - call it hedging on Pascals Wager - but felt nothing spiritual stir inside me. So when I arrived outside the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians on a beautiful Sunday morning in Shillong, Meghalaya, I was very conscious of my status as an outsider.

Atheist or not, this church is beautiful!

The building was gorgeous. Its light blue walls climbed up towards the impossibly blue sky. Surrounded by the wonderfully deep green of Shillongs hills it was hard to believe that Id been in sweaty Mumbai just the day before. Id traded endless honking, dust, and grime for clean air and open space and I allowed myself a momentary pat on the back for somehow finagling this trip. But as people began to arrive, I realized that Id also left behind something important: formal clothes. Everyone was wearing their Sunday best - men in dapper three piece suits, women wearing their best dresses, children and babies unhappily following suit - except me. A brown Patagonia button down and blue jeans simply werent up to the task. Ears red with embarrassment, I meandered around the complex, taking in nativity scenes, a local school, and even a museum devoted to Mary Help of Christians history. But what really struck me was the strength of the Khasi community as they gathered on the Sabbath.

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The museum devoted to Mary Help of Christians history

Families greeted one another with wide smiles and pinches for babies cheeks. Kids hugged, running around with abandon. It occurred to me that I wasnt sticking out because of my outfit, or even my foreignness, but simply because I was an outsider at this cathedral. Suddenly uncomfortable and feeling like an intruder rather than a guest, I was relieved to see Praise heading my way.

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Immaculately dressed, he gave me a quick fist bump and a bro hug, oddly out of place in this reverential space. We hurried into the cathedral and I found myself on a pew in between Praise, his sister and Iarilang Iari Shanpru, the 13-year old star who sings the chorus of 101Indias latest Hip Hop Homeland track.

Symphonic Movement in their Sunday best

The interior was just as beautiful, albeit with a different color palette. Outside was all soft blues and whites - natural and artificial; inside, light yellow paint coated the walls and ceilings, illuminated by orange and green stained glass. Pastels of biblical scenes lined the high ceilings, and reliefs depicting the crucifixion, resurrection, and benediction adorned the walls.

The service started suddenly with a hymn. 200+ people beautifully harmonizing with the hip hop star next to me. Praise was a conscientious host, letting me know when it was time to stand and leaning over to whisper information about whats happening into my ear. Its odd, I suddenly realized, that my first ever attendance of a Catholic service would be on my first trip to the Northeast of India. Nonetheless it followed a similar pattern to what I remember from various television shows and movies: singing and sermons standing and sitting in turn.

And standing and sitting. And singing and sermons. And standing and sitting. And singing and sermons. The pastors voice grew excited and reverential in turn. I did my best to follow along, but to no avail. Praise and his sister knew all the words.

My first Catholic mass was in North East India

I do confess that I started to flag about halfway through. Theres only so much of a foreign language one can listen to without growing a little fatigued. A baby was in the pew in front of me, looking back at me over her fathers shoulder. To pass the time, we had a staring contest (and, for the record, I won). More babies throughout the congregation began to cry and their parents quickly rushed them out. I watched them go with a slight twinge of jealousy.

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But the hymns buoyed me, as the community gave full voice to song after song. Meghalaya has a complicated history of violence and discord, yet those problems seemed unimaginably distant as they sang together, as women and children poured out of the pews to donate money to needy children, as altar boys brimmed with pride. I was reminded, as I often am, that the power of religion is its ability to foster a sense of community and goodwill. The flip side of that coin is persecution, but in Mary Help of Christians I was welcomed in good faith.

The service ended as suddenly as it began. Praise and I stepped out into the light, blinking. The conversation with God was over; now it was time to talk hip hop.

Anthem For The North East (Uncensored) | Music Video | Episode 9 | Hip Hop Homeland North East

Watch Hip Hop Homeland North East on 101India.com



Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101India.com.

By William Gansa

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Born to two of the most famous people in the world, Carrie Fisher had a childhood that was anything but normal.

The actress, who died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack, is best remembered as Princess Leia  but before Star Wars, she was better known as Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fishers only daughter.

Reynolds, one of the most iconic stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, at times had a fraught relationship with her daughter, although the two were close in the years before their death.

Their complicated bond was memorably documented in Postcards from the Edge, the 1990 movie based on Fishers 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. Meryl Streep portrayed a Fisher-like character who returns home to her famous mothers house after a stint in rehab.

In recent years, Fisher wryly but lovingly documented their relationship in Wishful Drinking, the Broadway show, book and HBO special that offered her unvarnished take on her unusual childhood and later struggles with addiction.

Reynolds herself once told PEOPLE that her children were raised in movies. As kids, Reynolds said Carrie and her brother Todds birthday parties were always on MGMs back lot  We were always playing there.

But for Fisher, being the child of celebrities was not always easy.

The family is organized the parents, normally the family is organized around raising the child, Fisher said on The Oprah Winfrey Show of being raised by famous parents in 2011.

Debbie Reynolds (L) and Carrie Fisher at age 2 1/2. (Getty Images)

With her famous pedigree, it didnt take long before Fisher began exploring the L.A. party scene. She started smoking marijuana at 13, and by her early 20s her drug use had spiraled out of control, as she abused everything from cocaine and heroin to painkillers and acid. At age 28 she made her first trip to rehab.

She was doing a film. She had collapsed on the set and they had to take her to Cedars Sinai, Reynolds remembered during their joint interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2011. First of all, it was a terrifying night. It was just pouring rain, so you can picture youre in the car with the rain smashing against the windshield and youre crying like mad and you dont know if your daughter is going to be alive when you get there.

Story continues

She added, There have been a few times when I thought I was going to lose Carrie. Ive had to walk through a lot of my tears. but shes worth it.

Fisher survived rehab, but in her late 20s she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and struggled to come to terms with it. My lowest point in Carrie and my relationship was probably when we discovered that she was ill, or that she had this mental health problem, and that it was going to be with her forever, Reynolds told Winfrey. That was very hard. How is she going to get along in life? How can I help her in life? All I could do is love her, and always shall.

Desperately seeking her own identity, Fisher became distanced from Reynolds. The two barely spoke for almost ten years. We had a fairly volatile relationship earlier on in my 20s, Fisher told Winfrey. I didnt want to be around her. I did not want to be Debbie Reynolds daughter.

Its very hard when your child doesnt want to talk to you and you want to talk to them, and you want to touch them, you want to hold them, said Reynolds. It was a total estrangement. She didnt talk to me for probably 10 years. So that was the most difficult time of all. Very painful, very heartbreaking.

Earlier, the pair warily bonded when Reynolds second marriage to Harry Karl was falling apart after she discovered the businessman had secretly gambled away both of their fortunes. For Reynolds, Fisher became a somewhat reluctant confidant. I wanted my own life. And her life was crazy at that time, and I was in it, and I was confidant. I did know what was going on in there and it was chaos and it was hard for all of us.

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher (Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Ultimately, time began to heal their relationship. It took like 30 years for Carrie to be really happy with me, Reynolds told PEOPLE. I dont know what the problem ever was. Ive had to work at it. Ive always been a good mother, but Ive always been in show business, and Ive been on stage and I dont bake cookies and I dont stay home, she added.

During their joint sitdown with Winfrey, Reynolds said, I would say that Carrie and I have finally found happiness. I admire her strength and survival. I admire that she is alive, that she has chosen to make it. It would have been easy to give up and give in and to keep doing drugs. I always feel, as a mother does, that I protect her. I want happiness for my daughter  I want Carrie to be happy.

Fisher responded, What I say about being happy is that I am also happy. Im happy among other things. Happy is one of the many feelings or experiences that I will have throughout a day. I think happy has been sort of made into this Hallmark card of a word, and I dont know what that means. So I will just say that I enjoy my life, I make choices, I do what I want to do. I am a strong person, Im not afraid of almost anything, and thats a lot because of your example.

For more celebrity videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.
By Zeba Siddiqui

HYDERABAD (Reuters) - Vasudeva Prakash left his job as a mechanic in Hyderabad three years ago for what he calls a more lucrative career: taking part in clinical trials on generic drugs.

For two years, Prakash participated in trials of drugs being tested to treat HIV/AIDS and other diseases for contract research organizations (CROs) hired by global pharmaceutical companies. The drugs tested at Indian CROs have been key in getting several hundred medicines approved for sale around the world.

Yet, Prakash did not follow international guidelines for testing  and the CROs that hired him didnt require him to. He says that to earn more money he would participate in back-to-back trials on different drugs with gaps of only a few weeks or even a few days, instead of waiting the 90 days that the World Health Organization recommends.

Half of more than a dozen volunteers interviewed by Reuters across four cities - Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and New Delhi - also said they waited much less than 90 days between trials. In the past three-to-four years, they said they spent several months at a time in different cities so that they could participate in as many studies as possible.

Prakash provided documentation proving he underwent trials with short gaps at Apotex Research Pvt Ltd, owned by Canadian drugmaker Apotex Inc; Lotus Labs, owned by U.S. generics giant Actavis; Ethics Bio Lab, owned since last year by U.S. drugmaker Par Pharmaceutical Inc; and Indias Semler Research Center Pvt Ltd, among others. Ethics Bio and Apotex did not respond to requests for comment. Lotus Labs and Semler said they had systems in place to check for cross-participation by trial volunteers.

The guidelines of the WHO, which decides on approvals for drugs sold in several countries dependent on United Nations programs for basic medicines, are not legally-binding for the CROs. While India has guidelines on clinical trials, they dont specify the length of time participants should take between trials.

Story continues

Still, the serial testing of some volunteers is raising new questions about the level of oversight of Indias generic drug trials industry, after some CROs came under recent international regulatory scrutiny. Last year, the European Medicines Agency banned about 700 medicines across Europe after an investigation revealed data tampering in some trials of generic drugs in India.

International medical experts said that undergoing back-to-back trials endangers the health of patients participating. It can also compromise clinical data gathered through these trials, on the basis of which drugmakers seek approval to sell generic medicines around the world.

The time gap between participation in two different trials should be 90 days minimum, said Stephanie Croft, a lead inspector at the WHO. When [data] is incomplete or incorrect it could pose a serious risk to patients.

Gyanendra Nath Singh, head of Indias national drug watchdog, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), said that it has been trying to inspect more CROs in the past two years. The watchdog is also considering the introduction of a track-and-trace system through which patients can be tracked across CROs, he told Reuters.

We are emphasizing on good regulatory practices  some reports have shown that the CROs have deviated from (the) system, said Singh.

India's Health Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

GLOBAL REACH

Several large international drugmakers, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) and Mylan NV (MYL.O), rely on CROs in India to carry out tests on cheaper versions of branded drugs. The aim of these so-called bioequivalence studies is to gauge whether non-branded drugs are equally safe and effective. The faster the trials are undertaken, the faster the drugs can come to market.

In some major markets, such as the United States, being the first to launch a generic guarantees market exclusivity for a period of time, which can reap millions more in sales.

International and local regulators have struggled to keep its oversight in line with the growth of an industry that expanded rapidly in the 2000s, as drugmakers shipped clinical trial work to India to save money. The market is estimated to have crossed $1 billion in 2016, according to consultants Frost and Sullivan.

Over the past two years, international regulators have suspended or banned medicines tested by four major Indian CROs after finding manipulation of clinical trial data and other violations.

Issues found at Indian CROs are "a big problem that is gaining more and more attention from all sorts of agencies," said Anders Fuglsang, a consultant and former regulator long involved in audits and inspections of CROs around the world on behalf of international regulatory agencies and companies.

Last year, the European Union banned about 700 medicines that had been approved based on clinical trial data provided by GVK Biosciences, then Indias largest CRO. European regulators said they found GVK had manipulated data concerning the heart readings of patients taking part in the study. GVK denied any violation, but several large drugmakers that had won drug approvals based on GVKs data were asked to re-apply for approval with fresh evidence.

Such re-testing is a headache for drugmakers, as it is expensive, and delays lead to a loss in sales, said Nilesh Gupta, managing director of Indias Lupin Ltd (LUPN.NS), which was one of the companies to be affected by a U.S. ban on trials by Semler earlier this year.

GVK, part of the Indian conglomerate GVK Group, has since limited its business interests in the generic drugs testing business, said Shankar Chelluri, a spokesman for the company. Overall, sentiment towards the generic drug trials business is weak, Chelluri said.

Another CRO, Quest Life Sciences, was found last year to have manipulated clinical data on certain trials, according to inspection reports from the WHO and the UKs medicines authority. The Spanish and German regulators had also found problems with Quests trials, and the WHO said it found Quest had falsified data on drugs including the antibiotic doxycycline hyclate and HIV/AIDS drugs lamivudine, zidovudine and nevirapine.

Quest managing director T.S. Jaishankar said his CRO, which has conducted dozens of generic drug trials for companies including India's top drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (SUN.NS), has since invested heavily in improving its systems and been cleared by all international regulators. In a response to Reuters, a spokeswoman for the European Medicines Agency said they were closely monitoring the involvement of Quest in the drug approval applications they receive.

India, like other countries, has ethics committees - groups of independent experts - meant to approve the design and conduct of clinical trials. Their stamp of approval is required by foreign regulators considering allowing a generic drug to be sold. However, these committees depend on the CROs for reimbursement in exchange for reviewing trials. Three members of different committees Reuters spoke to said national guidelines did not clearly define their roles and responsibilities.

In the wake of trial data manipulation scandals at CROs in the past three years, many large drugmakers including Swiss firm Novartis (NOVN.VX), have been shifting more critical trials back to the United States and Europe, according to consultants and industry executives.

Novartis is also ramping up its own checks of Indian CROs, said Bodo Lutz, a data integrity officer at the Swiss firm. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Hyderabad in July, he said: "We can't rely on the regulators ... we're increasing our own audits."

VOLUNTEERING "LIKE AN ADDICTION"

Prakash, the former mechanic, said he was never asked by CROs, and their agents who approached him for studies, about whether he had recently taken part in another trial.

"Everybody does it. Once you start getting the money, it's very hard to quit. It's like an addiction," said Prakash.

He said after the first study, he began to regularly receive messages on his phone and Facebook, often from agents working on behalf of CROs, informing him about ongoing clinical trials where volunteers were required. Such messages included three key things: the city where the trial was being conducted, the total pay offered, and the blood loss, or the amount of blood the volunteer will need to provide.

Venkatesh, from the southern city of Tirupathi, described travelling from Chennai to Hyderabad and then to Bangalore and Mangaluru for different trials.

"I know of several people who participate in three or four trials in the same month," said Venkatesh, who stopped volunteering two months ago and has since married. He did not want to be referred to by his full name.

Prakash said he was paid 10,000-30,000 rupees ($147-$441) per trial, depending on the duration and type. He stopped participating after his health began to deteriorate last year at age 25.

He now works at a call centre earning 20,000 rupees a month, but, despite knowing the risks, entered two more trials recently to raise cash.

"I needed some money desperately so I did it, but I won't do it again," he said.

($1 = 68.005 Indian rupees)

(Additional reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Martin Howell)
Photo credit: Instagram

From Cosmopolitan

According to Canadas CityNews, Toronto-based Instagrammers Kiran and Jyonti Matharoo have been detained in Lagos since Monday and are accused of extorting and cyberbullying 274 wealthy African men, most of whom are based in Nigeria. The women have a combined 51,000 followers.



PoliticsNigeria reports the sisters allegedly ran the site naijagistlive through which they met and accused high-ranking men of cheating on their wives and hiring prostitutes. The women allegedly told the men theyd tell their wives about the affairs if they werent paid off.

They approached certain people who they knew were wealthy, publisher of PoliticsNigeria Dumebi Ifeanyi told CityNews. The site specifically names Femi Otedola, an energy-sector businessman worth $1.8 billion, as one of the sisters alleged victims. They were arrested following a private investigation after he was targeted.

Global Affairs Canada confirmed to the Star the women have been provided consular services during their detainment. Its unclear what they were doing in Nigeria at the time of their arrest.

Follow Tess on Twitter.

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The internet has joined forces to protect Betty White from 2016

Its safe to say 2016 has had its fair share of dumpster fire moments. Its also been a devastating year for losing many celebrity icons. Weve lost Alan Rickman, Prince, David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, George Michael and now, Carrie Fisher  all in 2016.

With so much heartbreak happening just days apart, many feel like the year is cursed. So, the internet has joined forces to protect Betty White, to make sure the beloved 94-year-old actress makes it through the final few days of 2016 unharmed.

A Help protect Betty White from 2016 GoFundMe has been set up to protect the multigenerational comedic actress from 2016s shadow of death. Now, as far as we know Betty White is completely healthy, but this seems to be an entirely preemptive move.

The fund was set up by GoFundMe user Demtrios Hrysikos on December 27th after news of Fishers death shocked and saddened many. Hrysikos wrote in his funds description, Help 2016 catch these hands if it goes anywhere near Betty White! If shes okay with it I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1 , 2017.

This is something we can get behind.

Hrysikos adds,

Now, assuming she doesnt want a strange Greek standing guard outside her door all monies will be donated to the Spartanburg little theater to help craft new stars of stage and screen to carry mantle of the legends that have left is this year.

This is still something we can get behind.

Hrysikos set a goal of $2,000, and that sum has already been met and exceeded. 217 donors have raised $2,376 in just 20 hours, and many others have shared the GoFunMe on Facebook. The campaign itself has been liked by over 650 GoFundMe users and is currently trending on the site.

If you want to help keep Betty White safe from 2016, you can donate to the cause here. Theres only a matter of days until were out of the woods. But until then, we must do what we have to in order to keep the gem of the comedy world out of harms way.

The post The internet has joined forces to protect Betty White from 2016 appeared first on HelloGiggles.
As health care insurance companies have shifted from dealing with brokers and employers to a direct-to-consumer model, many within the industry are looking towards digital distributive technology to help orchestrate this transition.

"2017 will be the year we see the mass market adopt a more consumeristic approach to health care," says Michael Rea, CEO of Rx Savings Solutions in Overland Park, Kansas. "We leverage technology in every area of our lives to make buying decisions."

According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, nearly 87 percent of office-based physicians had adopted some form of electronic health record as of 2015, and 64 percent of physicians were using it to exchange secure messages with patients.

[See: 7 of the Best Health Care Stocks to Buy for 2017.]

New disruptive technologies for the business-to-consumer space. Protecting health care information is going to become more vital as traditional players find new technologies to minimize costs while shifting their focus from businesses to consumers.

One example of this digital disruption is on-demand health care, which is making physicians more accessible to patients, says Kaveh Safavi, Accenture's senior managing director for health industry in Chicago. According to Accenture research, funding for on-demand health care services will quadruple from more than $200 million in 2014 to nearly $1 billion by the end of 2017.

"Investment in on-demand health care and collaboration between industries will ultimately precipitate a shift away from a goods-and-services model to a life-care model that gives patients personalized services that address a multitude of daily needs," Safavi says.

As a result, Safavi says large payers are now reimbursing virtual doctor's appointments, with government backing as the number of states with telehealth parity laws is on the rise. At the same time, on-demand virtual visits are less expensive for consumers, up to 40 percent less expensive for primary care, 28 percent less expensive for urgent care, and 3 to 7 percent less expensive for emergency-room visits, Safavi says.

Story continues

This is helped by the large number -- roughly 190 million in the U.S. that own smartphones -- as payers want to create "best-in-class" benefit packages with new products and services that will attract and retain members, Safavi says, as approximately 57 percent of seniors have become interested in digital health options.

"Accenture research suggests that 86 percent of health care executives agree that organizations are increasingly pressed to reinvent themselves and evolve their businesses because of outside disruption," says Safavi.

Safavi says many of these organizations are turning to corporate venture capital to invest in external startup companies that can develop new products and services that they need, but can't develop on their own. "The number of CVC investments by traditional health care organizations has more than doubled in the past four years," Safavi says. "And Accenture predicts that health care-focused CVC investments will reach $7.5 billion annually by 2020."

A growing importance on health care data, analytics and algorithms. Like all industries, there is a strong focus on the collection of data via the Internet of Things, the nebulous network that connects anything digital.

"The importance of collecting remote data from digital health devices and providing connected care will change the way health care is delivered and how patients are managed," says Michael "Mick" Farrell, CEO of ResMed in San Diego. "If we can truly understand all of the points in which patients interact with their therapies and the steps along the way in which physicians, payers and providers need to intervene, data analytics can improve the quality of care and increase efficiency so that patients receive the optimal treatment at the precise moment of need."

This is "well beyond the overused term of big data," Farrell says. "It is really about algorithms that can discern actionable information that can improve patient outcomes," he says.

Cybersecurity will continue to be a growing issue. The Brookings Institute estimates 25 percent of data breaches happens in health care. "We have seen an alarming rise in cyberattacks across the industry in 2016," Safavi says. "This will continue into 2017 and beyond as attacks become both more sophisticated and commonplace."

[See: 12 Tech Stocks Investors Should Watch.]

The impact of data breaches will be massive problem for health care organizations and patients that will require proactive efforts such as embracing the cloud to boost IT agility and to reach customers faster, Safavi says.

"Accenture predicts over the next five years cybersecurity breaches will stand to put $305 billion of cumulative lifetime patient revenue at risk for health care providers," Safavi says. "These breaches will likely impact 25 million people (1 in 13 patients) with 25 percent of those patients subsequently becoming victims of medical identity theft and suffering personal financial loss."

Look for health care companies to incorporate technologies to improve data integrity in areas for secure electronic health care records, he says.

More telehealth and value-based care. As the wearable technology trends continue to grow and Internet connections get faster, many hospital facilities and doctors are using mobile and web-based devices to connect with patients virtually.

Nick Vennaro, executive vice president and co-founder of Capto Consulting, a management consulting firm in Denver, says many hospital and medical providers are building facilities in remote areas where patients have to go for the satellite system or they are wearing a portable device where data gets sent and they can video chat in their home with a physician. In more urban areas, he says this can even be used for a physician to see what type of triage setup needs to be created as a patient is being transported via ambulance to a hospital.

At the same time, the health care system is becoming more focused around the quality of the outcomes, not just the actual procedures that are being done, Vennaro says. That means financial incentives are being given around performance of the health care providers based on patient outcomes as the industry gravitates away from a business-to-business model towards a business-to-consumer model.

"In the fee-for-service model your doctors had an incentive to bill more," Vennaro says. "Incentives are now being paid for the quality of the outcomes in the value-based system. "You are no longer paying for each individual service, but you are paying for the overall result."

Investing considerations. Some health tech experts suggest looking at health care technology stocks, including software company Simulations Plus (ticker: SLP), which conducts toxicity modeling and simulations for companies developing new drugs; Veeva Systems ( VEEV), a cloud computing company that works with pharmaceuticals; data analytics company Medidata Solutions ( MDSO); HMS Holding Corp. ( HMSY), which specializes in cost containment, payment accuracy programs and fraud prevention; and Cerner Corp. ( CERN), a health record systems provider.

"Investors and innovators in our industries -- therapies, biopharma and medtech -- need to fully embrace digital health in order to support the future of connected health care," Farrell says. Investors should consider companies that truly "complete the circuit of providing care and data" for the best possible outcomes, Farrell says. "Investors should select companies that bring software engineers and informatics scientists to the table alongside the medical and technological teams," he says.

Rea says investors need to make sure any companies they invest in can demonstrate return on investment and establish themselves as long-term players in the health care arena.

[See: 7 Best Tech Stocks to Buy for 2017.]

"Investors should avoid ideas or companies without proof of concept," Rea says. "The complexity of the health care environment is unlike any under industry. ... Putting money to work should be done via technologies and companies who understand this and have been successful working in it."





More From US News & World Report


MATTOON -- With recently awarded state grant money, Hawthorne School has been able to get more preschool opportunities off the ground, bringing in more preschoolers.

The school was awarded funds from the State Board of Education facilitated preschool expansion grant to offer two additional 20-person classes, both of which are full-time programs, to at-risk children.

Lisa Jaco, Hawthorne principal, said this grants purpose is to bring in more students, who might be considered at risk, into these preschool programs.

This grant allowed the school district to bring on full-day classes to students for the first time in the district, even though it is selective as to who can participate in the program.

Only children of families in poverty, experiencing homelessness or involved with the Department of Children and Family Services, as well as those who have a disability and are on an individualized education plan, can participate in the full-day program.

Jaco said for these students, some of whom could be considered at risk, this is just extra time to be kindergarten ready.

To get the grant, the district had to prove a need for this preschool expansion to these select groups, and according to Jaco, the need was evident. For the semester, Jaco said numerous people sought to enroll their children in the program, leaving both 20-person-classes filled up with additional youth on a waiting list.

These classes helped free up spaces in their roughly two-hour programs, though.

Until Jan. 5 when preschool kicks off this upcoming semester, there have only been two-hour preschool program classes. Jaco said the additional classes allowed more youngsters to come into the other preschool offerings at the school.

It is great just to expand our preschool program and expand the number of children we can serve, Jaco said.

Beyond this semester, the staying power of this expansion is not currently clear. Jaco said the grant only lasts through the semester and the school will have to re-apply for grant money in January. However, this grant will be a five-year award instead.

Jaco said she is unsure whether the district will get this grant money as it is a competitive grant, however, she is generally excited for what potential doors are now open to the district.

We are really excited to implement the classrooms a full day, Jaco said. I think it will open up the doors for expanding preschool opportunities for the district in the future. I think there are a lot of ways that can happen.

Jaco said the transition into kindergarten is important for students.

It is just as important as transitioning into high school, she said.
As health care insurance companies have shifted from dealing with brokers and employers to a direct-to-consumer model, many within the industry are looking towards digital distributive technology to help orchestrate this transition.

"2017 will be the year we see the mass market adopt a more consumeristic approach to health care," says Michael Rea, CEO of Rx Savings Solutions in Overland Park, Kansas. "We leverage technology in every area of our lives to make buying decisions."

According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, nearly 87 percent of office-based physicians had adopted some form of electronic health record as of 2015, and 64 percent of physicians were using it to exchange secure messages with patients.

[See: 7 of the Best Health Care Stocks to Buy for 2017.]

New disruptive technologies for the business-to-consumer space. Protecting health care information is going to become more vital as traditional players find new technologies to minimize costs while shifting their focus from businesses to consumers.

One example of this digital disruption is on-demand health care, which is making physicians more accessible to patients, says Kaveh Safavi, Accenture's senior managing director for health industry in Chicago. According to Accenture research, funding for on-demand health care services will quadruple from more than $200 million in 2014 to nearly $1 billion by the end of 2017.

"Investment in on-demand health care and collaboration between industries will ultimately precipitate a shift away from a goods-and-services model to a life-care model that gives patients personalized services that address a multitude of daily needs," Safavi says.

As a result, Safavi says large payers are now reimbursing virtual doctor's appointments, with government backing as the number of states with telehealth parity laws is on the rise. At the same time, on-demand virtual visits are less expensive for consumers, up to 40 percent less expensive for primary care, 28 percent less expensive for urgent care, and 3 to 7 percent less expensive for emergency-room visits, Safavi says.

Story continues

This is helped by the large number -- roughly 190 million in the U.S. that own smartphones -- as payers want to create "best-in-class" benefit packages with new products and services that will attract and retain members, Safavi says, as approximately 57 percent of seniors have become interested in digital health options.

"Accenture research suggests that 86 percent of health care executives agree that organizations are increasingly pressed to reinvent themselves and evolve their businesses because of outside disruption," says Safavi.

Safavi says many of these organizations are turning to corporate venture capital to invest in external startup companies that can develop new products and services that they need, but can't develop on their own. "The number of CVC investments by traditional health care organizations has more than doubled in the past four years," Safavi says. "And Accenture predicts that health care-focused CVC investments will reach $7.5 billion annually by 2020."

A growing importance on health care data, analytics and algorithms. Like all industries, there is a strong focus on the collection of data via the Internet of Things, the nebulous network that connects anything digital.

"The importance of collecting remote data from digital health devices and providing connected care will change the way health care is delivered and how patients are managed," says Michael "Mick" Farrell, CEO of ResMed in San Diego. "If we can truly understand all of the points in which patients interact with their therapies and the steps along the way in which physicians, payers and providers need to intervene, data analytics can improve the quality of care and increase efficiency so that patients receive the optimal treatment at the precise moment of need."

This is "well beyond the overused term of big data," Farrell says. "It is really about algorithms that can discern actionable information that can improve patient outcomes," he says.

Cybersecurity will continue to be a growing issue. The Brookings Institute estimates 25 percent of data breaches happens in health care. "We have seen an alarming rise in cyberattacks across the industry in 2016," Safavi says. "This will continue into 2017 and beyond as attacks become both more sophisticated and commonplace."

[See: 12 Tech Stocks Investors Should Watch.]

The impact of data breaches will be massive problem for health care organizations and patients that will require proactive efforts such as embracing the cloud to boost IT agility and to reach customers faster, Safavi says.

"Accenture predicts over the next five years cybersecurity breaches will stand to put $305 billion of cumulative lifetime patient revenue at risk for health care providers," Safavi says. "These breaches will likely impact 25 million people (1 in 13 patients) with 25 percent of those patients subsequently becoming victims of medical identity theft and suffering personal financial loss."

Look for health care companies to incorporate technologies to improve data integrity in areas for secure electronic health care records, he says.

More telehealth and value-based care. As the wearable technology trends continue to grow and Internet connections get faster, many hospital facilities and doctors are using mobile and web-based devices to connect with patients virtually.

Nick Vennaro, executive vice president and co-founder of Capto Consulting, a management consulting firm in Denver, says many hospital and medical providers are building facilities in remote areas where patients have to go for the satellite system or they are wearing a portable device where data gets sent and they can video chat in their home with a physician. In more urban areas, he says this can even be used for a physician to see what type of triage setup needs to be created as a patient is being transported via ambulance to a hospital.

At the same time, the health care system is becoming more focused around the quality of the outcomes, not just the actual procedures that are being done, Vennaro says. That means financial incentives are being given around performance of the health care providers based on patient outcomes as the industry gravitates away from a business-to-business model towards a business-to-consumer model.

"In the fee-for-service model your doctors had an incentive to bill more," Vennaro says. "Incentives are now being paid for the quality of the outcomes in the value-based system. "You are no longer paying for each individual service, but you are paying for the overall result."

Investing considerations. Some health tech experts suggest looking at health care technology stocks, including software company Simulations Plus (ticker: SLP), which conducts toxicity modeling and simulations for companies developing new drugs; Veeva Systems ( VEEV), a cloud computing company that works with pharmaceuticals; data analytics company Medidata Solutions ( MDSO); HMS Holding Corp. ( HMSY), which specializes in cost containment, payment accuracy programs and fraud prevention; and Cerner Corp. ( CERN), a health record systems provider.

"Investors and innovators in our industries -- therapies, biopharma and medtech -- need to fully embrace digital health in order to support the future of connected health care," Farrell says. Investors should consider companies that truly "complete the circuit of providing care and data" for the best possible outcomes, Farrell says. "Investors should select companies that bring software engineers and informatics scientists to the table alongside the medical and technological teams," he says.

Rea says investors need to make sure any companies they invest in can demonstrate return on investment and establish themselves as long-term players in the health care arena.

[See: 7 Best Tech Stocks to Buy for 2017.]

"Investors should avoid ideas or companies without proof of concept," Rea says. "The complexity of the health care environment is unlike any under industry. ... Putting money to work should be done via technologies and companies who understand this and have been successful working in it."

Dawn Reiss is an award-winning journalist in Chicago who has written for TIME, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic and Travel + Leisure and many other publications. Follow her on Twitter, Google+ and Instagram @dawnreiss.
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 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
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel has declassified reams of documents related to a decades-old mystery of young children who disappeared in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Some 200,000 documents were released online Wednesday from past government inquiries into the disappearance of about 1,000 children, mostly Jewish immigrants from Yemen and other Arab countries.

Immigrant families allege the Israeli establishment abducted the children for adoption by Israelis of European descent, believing they could give the children a better life.

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said the documents contained no "smoking guns" indicating an organized kidnapping.

Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, who oversaw the declassification, encouraged Israelis who think they were adopted in the affair to participate in an activist initiative to collect DNA samples to try to match them with their biological families.
(JERUSALEM)  Doubling down on its public break with the Obama administration, a furious Israeli government on Tuesday said it had received ironclad information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft last weeks U.N. resolution declaring Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal.

The allegation, which was denied by the State Department, further poisoned a toxic atmosphere between Israel and the outgoing administration in the wake of Fridays vote, raising questions about whether the White House might take further action against settlements in President Barack Obamas final weeks in office.

With the U.S. expected to participate in an international peace conference in France next month and Secretary of State John Kerry planning a final policy speech Wednesday, the Palestinians hope to capitalize on the momentum. Israels nationalist government is banking on the incoming Trump administration to undo the damage with redoubled support.

Although the U.S. has long opposed the settlements, it has generally used its Security Council veto to protect its ally from censure. On Friday, it abstained from a resolution calling settlements a flagrant violation of international law, allowing it to pass by a 14-0 margin.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a cool relationship with Obama, called the resolution shameful and accused the U.S. of playing an active role in its passage.

On Tuesday, his spokesman went even further.

We have ironclad information that emanates from sources in the Arab world and that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage, David Keyes said. Were not just going to be a punching bag and go quietly into the night.

He did not identify the Arab sources or say how Israel obtained the information. Israel has close security ties with Egypt, the original sponsor of last weeks resolution who, as the lone Arab member of the Security Council, was presenting it at the Palestinians request. Under heavy Israeli pressure, Egypt delayed the resolution indefinitely  but other members presented it for a vote a day later. Egypt ended up voting in favor of the measure.

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In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry would lay out his vision for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the speech Wednesday. He feels its his duty in his waning weeks and days as secretary of state to lay out what he believes is a way to a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East, Toner said.

Toner also rejected Israeli allegations of conspiring against it, saying Egypt and the Palestinians drafted the resolution and the U.S. worked with them on the language only after the intention to go forward was clear. The idea this was pre-cooked in advance is not accurate, he said.

The Obama administration has acknowledged that it considered the possibility of abstaining on a settlements resolution over the past year as various drafts were circulated by different countries. In announcing the abstention, U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power referred to continued Israeli settlement construction and a recent effort to retroactively legalize dozens of illegally built settlement outposts.

A White House official said the U.S. was approached repeatedly by countries urging it to let the resolution pass, yet only replied by saying the U.S. would feel forced to veto any resolution that didnt also criticize the Palestinians for inciting violence. The official wasnt authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

The Palestinians, with strong international backing, seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967, as part of an independent state. They say continued Israeli settlement undermines that goal, since already some 600,000 Israelis live in these areas.

Israel is livid that the resolution does not appear to recognize its claim to any part of the occupied areas, including Jewish holy sites in Jerusalems Old City, though the resolution leaves the door open to agreed land swaps. The Palestinians did not embrace several past peace offers that would have left them with a state on the vast majority of the land, with a foothold in Jerusalem.

Past Security Council resolutions on the issue have been more vague. Critics of Israel argue that by insisting on the settlements, Netanyahu has earned the global impatience.

Netanyahu has made no secret that he is counting on President-elect Donald Trump to contain the damage. Trump has indicated he will be far more sympathetic, and has appointed an ambassador with deep ties to the settler movement.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, a close Netanyahu ally, dismissed Obama. He is history, she told Channel 2 TV. We have Trump.

The resolution seems largely symbolic, lacking any enforcement mechanism.

But Palestinians believe it will strengthen their position as they push on with a campaign to pressure Israel on the international stage.

President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday he hopes an upcoming Mideast conference in France will lead to concrete measures. We hope this conference comes up with a mechanism and timetable to end the occupation, Abbas told a meeting of his Fatah party. The (resolution) proves that the world rejects the settlements, as they are illegal.

Husam Zumlot, an adviser to Abbas, told The Associated Press the Palestinians want the resolution to serve as a foundation for any future peace talks. He also said the Palestinians would use the text to bolster their case at the International Criminal Court, where they are trying to push a war crimes case against Israel over settlement policies.

French officials expect some 70 nations to participate in the Jan. 15 conference. Israel and the Palestinians are not expected to be invited, though officials are considering inviting the Israeli and Palestinian leaders for follow-up talks. Abbas seems open to this, while Netanyahu has chafed, saying international dictates undermine negotiations.

Netanyahu has instead called off a number of diplomatic meetings and visits with countries that supported the resolution.

On Wednesday, a Jerusalem municipal council is expected to grant building permits for roughly 600 new homes in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem.

Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Meir Turgeman, who heads the zoning committee, also said this week he will push plans for some 5,600 additional housing units in the eastern part.

A municipal official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said those projects are only in their preliminary phases.

___

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman in Honolulu contributed to this report.
An Israeli group that documents human rights abuses by Israeli forces against Palestinians shared video on December 28 that shows masked men, said to be Israeli soldiers, detaining a child amid clashes with protesters in the West Bank on December 23.

The group, BTselem, said protesters from the village of Kafr Qadum were staging a weekly protest march against the nearby Kedumim settlement when the incident occurred. Weekly protests began in 2011, eight years after the 2003 expansion of Kedumim cut off the main route from Kafr Qadum to Nablus.

BTselem cited the seven-year-old boy who was briefly detained as saying a group of children was walking ahead of the main crowd of protesters when one of the children threw a stone towards a dirt mound that had a tin sheet on it. A group of masked, armed men then appeared from under the sheet, ambushing the march.

The boy said the other children ran away, but that he could not because he was afraid. I cried and screamed because of how they looked. The soldiers detained me for about 10 minutes. They shot at the protesters with me next to them, the boy was cited as saying.

The video here, edited by BTSelem, shows masked men holding a boy as a violent standoff takes place with protesters. Stones are seen landing near the masked men, one of whom is seen firing into the air. The Palestinian International Solidarity Movement and the Palestinian Maan News Agency reported that three Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets.

Later in the video, masked men are seen removing what appear to be camouflaged sheets from either side of the road. The boy is seen being released back to the protesters, after what was said to be 10 minutes.

Storyful could not confirm if the masked men were members of the Israel Defense Forces as Israeli officials had not commented on the incident at the the time of writing, and Israeli media had not reported on the incident. Credit: YouTube/btselem via Storyful
Italys coast guard released footage on December 28 described as showing the rescue of 48 people from a small vessel off the coast of Chios, Greece.

The footage shows coast guard personnel helping the people, described as migrants, from their vessel into the Guardia Costiera vessel CP 289. Credit: YouTube/Guardia Costiera via Storyful
Rome (AFP) - Another 900 migrants have been rescued from stricken boats off Libya, Italy's coastguard said Wednesday, three days before the end of what is already a record year for arrivals at the country's southern ports.

Most of the latest batch of migrants were picked up overnight from two wooden boats travelling together and around 40 people were rescued from another boat at dawn.

Around 400 were rescued by the Aquarius, a rescue boat operated by charity SOS Mediterranee, which said the migrants it had taken on board included Eritreans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Somalians and Syrians.

According to the Italian Interior Ministry, some 180,300 migrants had been registered this year at Italian ports prior to the latest rescues. This compares with a previous annual record of 170,100, recorded in 2014.

UN bodies say more than 5,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route. The Libyan Red Cross said Wednesday that 11 drowned bodies had been found on beaches near Tripoli in the West of the country.
As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Hawaii to pay his respects at Pearl Harbor, questions remain over the future of Japan's ties with the United States when Donald Trump assumes the presidency.

While the trip is billed as the first visit to Pearl Harbor by a sitting Japanese prime minister with a U.S. president, it could be the fourth visit to the site by a prime minister of Japan. The New York Times reports that former prime ministers who have paid a visit to the site include Shigeru Yoshida and Nobusuke Kishi, the grandfather of Abe.

The visit by Abe is expected to be an opportunity for Japan to express reconciliation and more importantly, reinforce the strength of its ties with the U.S. "Prime Minister Abe is consuming a lot of his political assets to ... further build the stable base of U.S.-Japan relations," Kotaro Tamura, Asia fellow at the Milken Institute, told CNBC's " Squawkbox ."

However, it might be a case of too little too late for Prime Minister Abe. "(The visit) is very important but that's not enough because (there will be) a new president in a few weeks and his policy is quite unpredictable," Tamura said.

U.S.-China relations are expected to take center stage in the global arena and this could result in greater geopolitical risks for Japan, one of the staunchest U.S. allies in the region. President-elect Trump's "contentious" approach towards China has done no favors either as this has only increased concerns in Japan about geopolitical risks stemming from U.S.-China fallout, Tamura said.

"If Trump keeps escalating the situation,  (the) worst case scenario might be  something happening in the South China Sea," Tamura added.

Even before assuming office, Trump has already succeeded in ruffling Beijing's feathers by questioning the long-held "one China" policy , proposing steep tariffs on Chinese imports and appointing vocal China critics to his administration. In response, China has seized a U.S. navy drone (which it has since returned ) and most recently, sailed its only aircraft carrier into the disputed South China Sea for the first time as part of a "routine" naval drill.

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"(For) Japan, we don't have other options other than hedging more towards the U.S. because we are late on the bus. And our general public, the media and the politicians will not allow hedging towards China," Tamura said, adding that China is unlikely to reciprocate such a move from Japan.

"Our (only) option is to try to convince Mr. Trump, lecturing and educating him on the importance of the region, and the complexity behind the relations otherwise, we'll be in trouble," Tamura said.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.


State media said it is the first time that the Liaoning has headed to distant sea waters. The statement said a navy formation including the Liaoning set off Saturday for training in distant sea waters, without giving details, as part of an annual training plan, Joinfo.com reports with reference to the South China Morning Post.

The Western Pacific region stretches from China to New Zealand and encompasses countries in the Pacific, Oceania and parts of Asia.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said it spotted the Liaoning as part of a fleet of eight Chinese warships that included destroyers and frigates, in the central part of the East China Sea for the first time. It said there was no incursion into Japanese waters.

The Western Pacific exercise comes amid new tension over self-ruled Taiwan, following US President-elect Donald Trumps telephone call with the islands president that upset Beijing.

According to CNN, Taiwan sounded a note of alarm, with its defense minister emphasizing the need for vigilance.

The threat of our enemy is growing day by day. We should always be maintaining our combat alertness, said Taiwan Defense Minister Feng Shih-Kuan.

On Tuesday, the carrier sailed through the disputed South China Sea and arrived at a naval base in the southern Chinese province of Hainan, according to the report.

Read also: China announced big plans to land on Mars by 2020.

Chinas air force conducted long-range drills this month above the East and South China Seas, that rattled Japan and Taiwan. China said those exercises were also routine.

The Liaoning carried out its first live-fire exercise last week, with the military releasing video footage that showed Chinese J-15 fighters launching missiles and hitting targets.

The Liaoning, built from an incomplete hull bought from Ukraine in 1998, first sailed to the South China Sea in 2013.

Beijing has said the carrier would be used mostly for training and research as it prepares to deploy its first home-grown carrier, but it is widely viewed by analysts as a strategic piece in Chinas increasingly assertive claims in the South China Sea.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a historic visit to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor along with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, December 27, making him the first Japanese leader to do so.

The visit follows three weeks after the 75th anniversary of the devastating attack in Pearl Harbor which killed around 2,300 US servicemen and propelled the US into the Second World War. In their last bilateral meeting together, Obama and Abe laid wreaths and tossed flower petals aboard the memorial. The world leaders later made statements in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam where Abe said, We must never repeat the horrors of war again, this is the solemn vow the people of Japan have taken. Credit: YouTube/White House via Storyful
Its a boy for Jesse and Ann Csincsak!

The Bachelorette winner and former Bachelor contestant welcomed their third child via cesarean section on Tuesday, Dec. 27, the father of three confirms to PEOPLE. Born at 9:44 a.m. in Scottsdale, Arizona, Carter James Csincsak weighed in at 8 lbs., 4 oz., and measured 20 inches long.

Baby Carter  who joins big sister Charlotte Jean, 2, and brother Noah Theodore, 5  has an extra-special name. It honors Anns father, who died in December 2015.

My father-in-law Brian Carter Lueders was a huge part of our lives. Not only was he a grandfather father, but he was a part of our daily routines, Jesse, 34, tells PEOPLE. He was always there when we needed help for something. Two years ago, he flew to Colorado and stayed with us for a couple of months to help us during our second pregnancy with Charlotte.

Adds Jesse, He always had a smile on his face, and I never once heard him complain! If Carter has just half the amazing traits my father-in-law did, he will turn out to be an amazing man. He was one of the greatest men I have ever had the chance to know personally, and he is dearly missed.

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter.

Jesse Csincsak Jesse Csincsak

The older Csincsak kids are already on sibling duty, according to their dad.

Our oldest Noah is such the protector of Carter already, Jesse says. He is gonna be a great big brother, always making sure whoever is holding him is being very gentle with his baby brother!

He continues, And Charlotte is like a second mother  its heartwarming. Hi baby! Love you baby! Are you hungry, baby? Maybe he wants some pancakes? 

Jesse Csincsak Jesse Csincsak

The days of man-to-man defense are over! dad of three Jesse tells PEOPLE of the couple being outnumbered by kids, joking, I have always told Ann she has the kids for the first four years, then they go into Daddy boot camp after that!

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Carter is a good reminder of how precious life is and how simple life really is. Eat , sleep, poop, he says. We are truly blessed!

Jesse Csincsak Jesse Csincsak

The Csincsaks confirmed the news of their third baby on the way to PEOPLE in June. They met in 2010 at a Bachelor reunion hosted by Jesse, becoming engaged that year and marrying in Las Vegas less than a month later.

We thought, Hey, lets just take the hit all at once,  Csincsak told PEOPLE in 2010 about getting married and having a baby all within a few months. So, you get all the puking, vomiting and peeing on the carpet out of the way all at once, and then buy new furniture, all at once!

Reporting by SARAH MICHAUD


UFC fans are burning over a report that outspoken sportstalk radio host Jim Rome is in talks to replace Mike Goldberg as the mixed-martial-arts leagues lead broadcaster.

FloSports managing editor and former Bleacher Report MMA writer Jeremy Botter said on Twitter that hes confirmed talks with the former Rome is Burning host, which were originally mentioned by former fighter Chael Sonnen on a podcast. Heres Botters tweet:

Ive been able to confirm the rumors re: Jim Rome to UFC as Goldberg replacement. Its not done yet, but talks are ongoing.  Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) December 28, 2016

Also Read: 16 Biggest Sports Tear-Jerkers of 2016, From the Chicago Cubs to Muhammad Ali (Photos)

Company president Dana White told reporters Wednesday that Goldbergs final fight call will be at pay-per-view UFC 207, which takes place on Friday. The UFC did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for comment on the possibilty of a Rome hire.

Wednesday afternoon, many of the combat sports fans attempted to beat the Rome talks into submission. Heres some of the finest Twitter haymakers thrown in the unsupportive 140-character octagon:

If Jim Rome gets the job, Joe Rogan will break his arm by the second show  Dominican23 (@Rammel_23) December 28, 2016

Saw Jim Rome trending. Unfortunately not for the reason you hope.  Franklin Harris (@FranklinH3000) December 28, 2016

If the Jim Rome becoming lead UFC broadcaster rumors are true I'll honestly need to start watching fights muted  Ryan Wintle (@RyanWintle) December 28, 2016

Jim Rome calling UFC fights is comedy.  John (@JGor492) December 28, 2016

The last person I want to hear during @UFC is Jim Rome please no..  Easton Johnson (@Easton_Johnson2) December 28, 2016

Someone start a petition against Jim Rome commentating for the UFC.  Flyin' Brian J ???? (@FlyinBrianJ) December 28, 2016

And I hear he could be replaced by Jim Romewell, it was fun watching UFC while it lasted https://t.co/Lhe22tedHE  Jonathan E. Kohut (@TheRealKohut) December 28, 2016

Related stories from TheWrap:

Brock Lesnar Suspended for 1 Year Over Failed UFC 200 Drug Tests

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CBS Sports Radio Host Jim Rome Calls College Marching Band Members 'Dorks' on Twitter, Apologizes
In a speech at the State Department on Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry defended the U.S. abstention from voting on a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli-built settlements. He said, "We cannot properly defend and protect Israel if we allow a viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our own eyes." The decision by the Obama administration on the resolution had been criticized by President-elect Donald Trump and the Israeli government.
(WASHINGTON)  Stepping into a raging diplomatic argument, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday staunchly defended the Obama administrations decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal and warned that Israels very future as a democracy is at stake.

Kerry, pushing back on Israels fury at the U.S. abstention of the United Nations vote, questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus true commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years. Though Netanyahu says he believes in the two-state solution, Kerry said, hes at the helm of the most right-wing (government) in Israels history.

If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it wont ever really be at peace, Kerry said.

Kerrys speech marked the latest escalation in a vicious, drama-filled row between the U.S. and Israel that has erupted in the last days of Obamas administration. The extraordinary display of discord between allies  with U.S. and Israeli officials openly disparaging each other  has also pitted President Barack Obama against President-elect Donald Trump, who has firmly taken Netanyahus side.

Israels government was enraged after the U.S. abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Netanyahu accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians and helping draft the resolution, charges the U.S. has denied.

The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done, Kerry said in a farewell speech at the State Department. The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. Thats what we were standing up for.

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Kerry reiterated that the Obama administrations commitment to Israel was as strong as that of previous presidents, but he also noted that previous U.S. administrations had also abstained on certain resolutions critical of Israel. He emphasized the record levels of military assistance the U.S. has provided Israel under Obama, codified by a 10-year aid deal recently struck worth $38 billion.

No American administration has done more for Israels security than Barack Obamas, Kerry said.

Obama, who is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, hasnt commented publicly on the resolution or the resulting spat.

Seeking to show he wasnt focusing exclusively on Israels failings, Kerry in the same sentence bemoaned Israels seemingly endless occupation of Palestinian land and Palestinian leaders incitement of violence. He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a democratic crisis for Israel unless theres a separate Palestinian state.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Trump to change U.S. policy, and Trump assured them hours before Kerrys speech that they just needed to hang on til Jan. 20, when he would be sworn in as president. While Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signaled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem over Palestinian and others objections.

President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel, Netanyahu said on Twitter before Kerrys speech.

A senior Israeli Cabinet minister, Gilad Erdan, on Wednesday called Kerrys speech a pathetic step, before Kerry even began speaking.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. The Palestinians, and most of the world, see settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as an obstacle to peace.
Joyce Bonelli is confidently taking on the challenges of motherhood.

The celebrity makeup artist -- most known for working with Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian as well as Kylie Jenner -- took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a snap of herself breastfeeding her twin boys at the same time.

"Pulling that inner most deepest strength while you feel as though you have none left to give," Bonelli, 35, wrote. "Weak and tired, pain unknown, exhaustion unreal, and you still stand up."

PICS: Celebrity Moms Share Breastfeeding Pics

"TWINS. This is no joke!" she adds. "I surprise myself in my own ability to adjust and rise to the occasion while being still in my chaos I love so much and pull through for my babies. I as a mother will do anything to provide for my babies. No Matter My Fear. Never give up, Keep the strength. Dig even deeper if you must."

Bonelli announced the arrival of her twin boys on Monday with a cute photo of her husband snuggling with them.

"MY HUSBAND & I, ALONG WITH THE BONELLI & TAVERNITI FAMILY & FRIENDS, WELCOME OUR PRECIOUS LIL TWIN BOYS INTO THIS WORLD," she excitedly wrote.

Bonelli also has an adorable son named Zeplin.

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"TRULY THE BEST BIG BROTHER RIGHT HERE," Bonelli captioned a pic of Zeplin holding both of his baby brothers. "Zeplin says his name isn't 'big brother,' it's ZEPLIN! Hence the t-shirt we made him screaming who he is. MYYYYY BABIEEESSSS I REALLY CANT TAKE IT! I'm SO THANKFUL TRULY BLESSED."

Bonelli is just the latest celebrity mom to proudly share her breastfeeding pics. Earlier this month, Victoria's Secret supermodel Candice Swanepoel spoke out against being publicly shamed for feeding her son, Anaca, in public.

"Many women today are shamed for breastfeeding in public, or even kicked out of public places for feeding their children," Swanepoel wrote. "I have been made to feel the need to cover up and somewhat shy to feed my baby in public places but strangely feel nothing for the topless editorials I've done in the name of art..?"

"The world has been desensitized to the sexualization of the breast and to violence on TV...why should it be different when it comes to breastfeeding?" she continued. "Breastfeeding is not sexual, it's natural. Those who feel it is wrong to feed your child in public need to get educated on the benefits breastfeeding has on mother and child and intern on society as a whole."

WATCH: Chrissy Teigen Snaps Video of Her Breastfeeding Baby Luna Topless

In October, Olivia Wilde Instagrammed a pic of herself breastfeeding her newborn daughter, Daisy.

"My drinking buddy," she joked.

Watch below:

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On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
United States Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a speech Wednesday addressing the United States somewhat controversial decision to abstain from a United Nations vote last week that condemned Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. It was considered controversial by critics who felt the U.S. had the obligation to support its ally Israel.

The speech Wednesday from Kerry was long and wide-ranging, touching on the policy of President Barack Obama's administration, while placing it in context with past presidential administrations. Kerry discussed at length the so-called two-state solution, which he promoted as the real path toward peace in the conflict-torn region.

Listed below are five key quotes from Kerry's speech:

1. On the one-state solution

"If Israel goes down the one state path, they will never have true peace with the rest of the Arab world. I can say that with certainty."

2. On the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

"The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but his current coalition is the most right wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by its most extreme elements... The result is that policies of this government  which the prime minister himself just described as 'more committed to settlements than any in Israels history'  are leading in the opposite direction, towards one state."

3. On the U.S. abstaining from the vote on the settler movement

"In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two-state solution. We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interest to help anyone on either side create a unitary state."

4. On the U.S.' relationship with Israel

"Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect."

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5. On claims that the U.S. was behind the U.N. vote condemning the settlements

"The Egyptians and Palestinians have long made clear their intention to bring this resolution to vote before end of year. The U.S. did not draft or introduce this legislation."

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kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that the US "could not, in good conscience, stand in the way" of last week's UN Security Council vote to bar Israel from expanding settlements onto Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

"The two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Kerry said in an impassioned speech billed as an outline of the Obama administration's vision for peace in the Middle East.

"My job, above all, is to defend the United States of America," he said. "If we were to stand idly by and know that in doing so we were allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold, which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities."

Kerry added that the US's friendship with Israel does not mean that it should accept any policy Israel espouses.

"Friends need to tell each other the hard truths," he said, insisting that the US had acted "in accordance with our values" when it chose not to veto the UN resolution. "And friendships require mutual respect."

The resolution  which passed 14-0 with only the US abstaining  infuriated Israel and prompted President-elect Donald Trump to promise that "things will be different" at the UN after he takes office on January 20.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. "They used to have a great friend in the US, but ... not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

The vote has also worsened the already chilly relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, stemming most prominently from the US-led nuclear negotiations with Iran and Obama's longstanding opposition to Israel's settlement policy.

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map of palestine

Kerry's speech came less than a month before Trump's inauguration and is unlikely to change anything on the ground between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Netanyahu fired back shortly after Kerry finished speaking, calling the Secretary's remarks "a great disappointment."

"Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders, Netanyahu said in a speech from Jerusalem. "We hope that the outgoing Obama administration will, in its waning days, prevent any more damage being done to Israel by the UN."

Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump" and lawmakers from both parties "to mitigate the damage this resolution has done, and ultimately, to repeal it," the Prime Minister added.

Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Meir Turgeman, the committee chairman responsible for planning settlement expansions into East Jerusalem, said on Monday that Israel will "remain unfazed by the UN vote, or by any other entity that tries to dictate what we do in Jerusalem."

Turgeman said he plans to move forward with the construction of nearly 6,000 new homes in the predominantly Palestinian eastern Jerusalem and anticipated that 600 new settlements would be approved on Wednesday alone.

"I hope the Israeli government and the new US administration will support us," Turgeman said, "so we can make up for the lack [of support] during the eight years of the Obama administration."

Kerry rejected the assertion that the Obama administration had not been supportive of Israel.

"No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's," Kerry said. He insisted, however, that settlement expansion placed a security burden on Israel's defense forces and was an impediment to peace with the rest of the Arab world.

"Trends on the ground  violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion, and the seemingly endless occupation  they are combining to destroy hopes for peace on both sides, and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want," Kerry said, noting that "the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy."

"Here is a fundamental reality: If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic; it cannot be both," he said.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was "reducing" working ties with 12 of the UN Security Council countries that voted to pass the resolution, and Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting Sunday that he had "no doubt" the Obama administration colluded with the Palestinians behind Israel's back.

trump netanyahu

The White House has vehemently denied those allegations, and Kerry condemned the Palestinians' "incitement to violence" against Israelis through rocket, car, and knife attacks. But he said that he didn't think Israelis, or the world, realized "how broad and systematic" the process of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian West Bank had become.

"The settler population in the West Bank alone, not including East Jerusalem, has increased by nearly 270,000 since Oslo," Kerry said, referring to Oslo Accords, the set of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed in 1994 that established Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.

"What does that say to Palestinians in particular, but also to the United States, and the world, about Israel's intentions?" Kerry said.

"There's no point in pretending that these are just enlarged settlement blocs ... in the middle of what, by any reasonable definition, would be the future Palestinian state," he added. "A settlement is not just the land that it's on  it is also what the location does to the movement of people, what it does to the ability of a road to connect people, one community to another, what it does to the sense of statehood that is chipped away with each new construction."

Kerry said, moreover, that much of the West Bank is "essentially off-limits to Palestinian development," and that "the settler agenda is defining the future of Israel."

When that agenda succeeds, he said, "you would have millions of Palestinians permanently living in segregated enclaves" on the West Bank, living "separate and unequal" under Israeli occupation.

Kerry added that the US can't live up to its own democratic ideals and ignore Palestinian calls for self-determination.

"How does Israel reconcile a permanent occupation with its democratic ideals?" he said. "How does the US continue to defend that and still live up to our own democratic ideals?"

Watch Kerry's remarks:

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In a scorching speech Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry launched a last-ditch but improbable plea for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestinian authorities, which he said is in high peril due to ever-growing Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Progress on peace in the generations-long dispute has slid during the Obama administration, despite Kerrys personal but fruitless efforts to revive it. His address, which ran almost 75 minutes, is not expected to lead to any new initiatives. Rather, it served to mark exactly where the Obama administration stands on the faltered peace accord before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

Kerry said a two-state solution is the only way to ensure Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state. However, he said it is now in serious jeopardy.

Kerrys speech, at the State Department, was a direct response to an Israeli backlash to Washingtons refusal last week to veto a U.N. Security Council demand for Israel to halt settlement construction. He rebuked Israeli claims that, in abstaining from the U.N. vote, the United States had betrayed Israels friendship.

Some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means that the U.S. must accept any policy  even after urging again and again that the policy must change, Kerry said. But friends need to tell each other the hard truths.

He said the U.S. has done more to support Israel than any other country, and noted the Obama administration has made unprecedented contributions in both military intelligence and financial aid to Israel. But Kerry said Washington would have betrayed its own values if it did not try to revive a two-state solution.

An hour after Kerry finished talking, Netanyahu lashed out at the American diplomat, accusing him of advancing the Security Council resolution and giving a skewed speech against Israel.

For over an hour, Kerry dealt obsessively with the settlements and almost didnt touch on the root of the conflict  the Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries, Netanyahu said in a statement.

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In a counter-speech delivered at 9 p.m. in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he has no doubt the alliance between the U.S. and Israel will endure the profound disagreement we have had with the Obama administration. But he said Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders, and adding that peace would only come about through direct negotiations.

He also demanded that the United States prevent additional resolutions against Israel from being discussed at the Security Council.

The dueling speeches laid bare the ever-straining relationship the Obama administration has had with Netanyahu. Obama and Netanyahu have never been close; tensions peaked with the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, struck between world powers and Tehran. Israel maintains the historic deal is a threat to the Jewish state.

As he prepares to take office, Trump has offered a far friendlier tone toward Israel. He has pledged to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem  which would infuriate Palestinians who contest Israeli claims on the holy city.

We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect, Trump tweeted hours before Kerrys speech. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but.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!

Responding, Netanyahu tweeted, President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel. He also, for reasons that are not immediately clear, tagged Trumps two eldest children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka.

A day earlier, Israeli officials pledged to reveal proof that the United States was behind the Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. Kerrys speech came just hours after Israel, reportedly under Netanyahus instruction, delayed approving hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem. Netanyahu has been criticized by Israeli opposition leaders for the deteriorating foreign relations and his reaction to the Security Council resolution.

Kerry repeated Washingtons denials that it drove the U.N. vote, and rejected the notion that the U.S. abstention that isolated Israel. That, he said, is Israeli policys doing.

In his defiant speech, Kerry said that while the two-state solution was supported in theory, it has not been embraced. And if it is jettisoned, Israel can either be Jewish, or democratic  it cannot be both  and it wont ever really be at peace, he said.

Kerry also had harsh words for unrest begun by Palestinians, noting the Obama administration criticized their leaders for failing to condemn violence and terrorism.

But this was cold comfort to Netanyahu, who said in his speech that terrorist acts are not throwaway lines in a speech. And, indeed, the focus of the speech was undoubtedly to rap Israel for deterring a two-state solution. Kerry characterized the current Israeli government as the most right-wing in the countrys history, held hostage by the most extreme elements of Israeli politics. Many members of Netanyahus coalition, he noted, publicly reject a Palestinian state.

He said rapidly increasing settlements  including 90,000 located east of a separation border that Israel itself established  may not be the main driver of Israeli-Palestinian tension. But he accused Israel of continuing to build for ideological, not security, purposes. Doing so, Kerry said, only serve only to maintain the one-state status quo  said that appears to be precisely their point.

Settlement expansions have nothing to do with Israels security, Kerry said, adding that the outposts in the West Bank may in fact, endanger Israel.

How does that help Israels security? How does it help the region? The answer is: It doesnt, Kerry said. Instead, he said, only a two-state solution will bring peace and long-term security for Israel.

Meanwhile, he said, Arab leaders are committed to changing their policy toward Israel if a two-state solution becomes a reality. Its waiting, he said. Its right there.

He repeated calls on both sides to commit to practical, tangible steps toward a two-state solution, and to do so without waiting for the other side to act. Kerry also outlined principles that might present a path for peace, many of which were merely a reiteration of U.S. policy and international law.

Kerry made Middle East peace a cornerstone of his time as the nations top diplomat. When he arrived in Foggy Bottom in 2013, he launched a nine-month effort to reach a final status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the summer of 2014.

His efforts never got off the ground, despite multiple meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Kerry said Wednesday he did not believe his lack of progress was because the differences between the two sides were too wide, but because the level of trust was too low.

Though his words were fiery, Kerry is not alone in outlining a way toward a potential peace. France plans to convene talks on Jan. 15 to establish a roadmap for an improved situation between Palestinians and Israel. Israel, however, has repeatedly said that it will not attend.

Condemnation from Israeli officials came before Kerry was finished talking. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, a senior Israeli Cabinet minister, called the secretary of states comments a pathetic step that would heighten tensions.

It is an anti-democratic step because its clear that the administration and Kerrys intention is to chain President-elect Trump, Erdan told Israel Army Radio.

But the real tension, said Jessica Rosenblum, vice president of communications at the self-described pro-Israel, pro-peace J Street nonprofit, is between those who support decades of policy for a two-state solution, and the administrations of Netanyahu and, soon, Trump. Both, she said, appear to be moving away from that plan for peace.

Update, Dec. 28 2016, 2:20 p.m: This piece was updated to include sentiment from Benjamin Netanyahus speech.

Photo credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
By Lesley Wroughton and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a speech on Wednesday, days after the United States cleared the way for a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is expected to be the administration's last word on a decades-old dispute that Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America's top diplomat.

It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Obama since they both took office in 2009.

The United States on Friday broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favor and none against.

Kerry will discuss the abstention when he speaks at the State Department at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT), a senior State Department official told reporters.

"We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides' bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years," the official said.

The speech will also address what the official called "misleading" accusations by Israeli officials that the Obama administration drafted and forced the resolution to a vote.

Undeterred by the U.N. resolution, Israel's Jerusalem municipality is due to consider on Wednesday requests for construction permits for hundreds of new homes for Israelis in areas captured in 1967 and annexed to the city.

'SHAMEFUL' DECISION, ISRAEL SAYS

Israeli officials described the abstention as a "shameful" decision. President-elect Donald Trump, who urged the White House to veto the resolution, chided the world body as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time."

Story continues

State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday said the United States hoped the U.N. vote would serve as a "wake-up call" that settlements are a detriment to a two-state solution.

Israel for decades has pursued a policy of building Jewish settlements on territory it captured in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbors, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Most countries view the settlements as an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land, as well as security interests. Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate.

Since learning last week of Kerry's planned speech, Israeli officials have been concerned he might use the address to lay out parameters for a Middle East peace deal.

Netanyahu's aides are confident the Trump administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the U.N. resolution, but they fear Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure.

Kerry previously failed to bring about a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in talks that froze in 2014. U.S. officials left little doubt they put much of the blame on Netanyahu's stance on settlements.

Some 570,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among more than 2.6 million Palestinians.

(Writing by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Howard Goller)
Washington (AFP) - In a stern parting shot, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel on Wednesday that building settlements on Palestinian land threatens the country's very future as a democracy.

Less than four weeks before President Barack Obama leaves office, Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of allowing Israel to slide towards a "perpetual occupation."

With President-elect Donald Trump taking office on January 20, and already urging Israel to "stand strong" in the face of international pressure, it was not clear what impact Kerry hopes to have on the peace process.

But his comprehensive and at times angry speech laid down parameters for a peace deal -- two states within their pre-1967 frontiers and with a shared capital in Jerusalem -- that he hopes will outlast Obama.

Washington officials have refused to say what they might do next, but Israel fears the administration could attempt to codify these principles in a UN resolution or statement by the Middle East diplomatic quartet.

And they were quick to reject Kerry's rebuke, which Netanyahu said showed that Washington's chief diplomat was biased towards the Palestinian cause.

"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries," he complained.

- Time to choose -

Kerry's speech did not depart from US policy of many years, nor from his warnings in recent months, but critical and supportive observers alike noted his detailed breakdown of the problem as he sees it.

"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats.

"They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states.

"But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic - it cannot be both - and it won't ever really be at peace," he argued.

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Kerry was speaking against the backdrop of a diplomatic firestorm that was triggered last week when, on Obama's instruction, US diplomats opted not to veto a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israel, instead abstaining.

The resolution, backed unanimously by the rest of the 15 powers on the council, effectively declared Israel's settlements in areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank beyond its 1967 border illegal.

Kerry said that the resolution was allowed to pass as a warning that Israeli settlements are harming efforts to revive peace talks, not in an effort to prejudge the final status of territory.

But, in welcoming Kerry's speech, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas made it clear that he regards the resolution, UNSC 2334, as an element of international law that would underpin future negotiations.

In a statement, Abbas said the Palestinians are ready to resume talks "the minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... on the basis of international law... including UNSC 2334."

Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition is backed by the settler movement and who has insisted the home building is no threat to peace, was furious and accused Obama and Kerry of orchestrating the Security Council vote.

- Disdain and disrespect -

Trump, who has picked a future US ambassador to Israel who strongly supports settlement building, was also angered, tweeting: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect."

But Kerry was undeterred, insisting the US could not "in good conscience" have vetoed a resolution it broadly agrees with, and piling on more criticism of Israel in his landmark speech.

"The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution," he declared.

"That's what we were standing up for: Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors," Kerry said, warning that such a solution is now in "serious jeopardy."

Kerry warned the "settler agenda" was leading Israeli policy and imperiling prospects for peace.

"Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there," he said.

And Kerry added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."

- Curious timing -

Already, last week's decision to allow the UN resolution to pass has angered Israel's many supporters in Washington, including both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and major Jewish American lobby groups.

The speech did nothing to appease their concern, and some observers questioned its "curious" timing.

"A speech of this gravity really should have been delivered before such a permanent move as the Security Council resolution, rather than after," scholar Jonathan Schanzer told AFP.

Schanzer, vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Israel should have been given time to respond to Kerry's complaints before being ambushed at the United Nations.

Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security was more supportive of Kerry's goals in the speech, but he also noted: "It would have been better two years ago."

Kerry, he suggested, was attempting to lay down the framework for a peace process that might bear fruit before Trump arrives in office and radically changes the US position.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East speech on Wednesday was biased against Israel.

In a statement in English issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said: "Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the U.N., his speech tonight was skewed against Israel."

The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements", which the United States strongly opposes, in the speech. Netanyahu accused Kerry of barely touching upon "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".
Jerusalem (AFP) - The latest diplomatic spat between Israel and Washington over the United States abstaining in a UN Security Council resolution on settlements is not the first crisis between the two allies.

US President Barack Obama's frosty relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit new lows last week after the UN vote calling for an end to Israeli settlement building passed 14-0.

And on Wednesday, in a parting shot from the Obama administration before US President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on January 20, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that building settlements on Palestinian land threatens Israel's very future as a democracy.

- 1975: The Sinai crisis -

Perhaps the most significant crisis was in 1975, when Washington pressed Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, which it had seized during the 1967 Six-Day War.

But Israel refused to do so without a full peace deal with Egypt, prompting US president Gerald Ford to inform Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin that Washington would conduct a "reassessment" of bilateral ties.

Between March and August of 1975, US arms shipments to Israel were suspended -- a major step given Washington's position as Israel's biggest provider of financial and military aid.

The standoff was resolved when Israel and Egypt signed an interim peace agreement in September 1975, a key step towards their 1979 peace treaty.

- 1985: The Pollard affair -

Washington's arrest in 1985 of American intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard, who passed classified US information to Israel, marked a "major low" in the relationship, according to Israeli historian Jonathan Rynhold. It was a regular source of tension for three decades until his eventual release in November 2015.

Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the affair sparking a crisis in ties that only ended when Israel promised to end all espionage activities on US soil.

- 1990: White House phone number -

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In a shaky start to cooperation between George Bush's administration and that of Israeli premier Yitzhak Shamir, the US secretary of state very publicly rebuked Israel over conditions it sought to impose on the Palestinians in peace talks.

Secretary of state James Baker directed the following remarks to Shamir at a meeting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee:

"I have to tell you that everybody over there should know that the telephone number is 1-202-456-1414... When you're serious about peace, call us."

- 2015: Netanyahu Congress address -

Two weeks before the March 17 general election in Israel, Netanyahu travelled to Washington to give a speech to the US Congress at the invitation of Republican House of Representatives speaker John Boehner, bypassing diplomatic protocol by not running it through the White House.

Incensed, Obama and dozens of Democrats boycotted the speech, in which Netanyahu railed against an emerging world deal with Iran over its nuclear programme.

- 2016: UN vote on settlements -

Less than four weeks before Obama leaves office, Kerry accused Netanyahu's government of allowing Israel to slide towards a "perpetual occupation".

Netanyahu responded by saying Kerry was biased towards the Palestinian cause.

It was not clear what impact Kerry hopes to have on the peace process.

For his part, Trump has urged Israel to "stand strong" in the face of international pressure.

The UN resolution that sparked the latest crisis, backed unanimously by the rest of the 15 powers on the Security Council, effectively declared Israel's settlements in areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank beyond its 1967 border to be illegal.

A furious Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition is backed by the settler movement and who has insisted the home building is no threat to peace, accused Obama and Kerry of orchestrating the Security Council vote.
It has been eight months since the body of a 45-year-old Texas fitness instructor was found mysteriously punctured to death inside a church during the early morning hours.

Without any new information in the death of Terri Missy Bevers, police have increased the reward to $50,000 for anything that leads to an arrest. Two anonymous donors contributed $15,000 each to the original $20,000 reward, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Despite the concerted efforts of many talented investigative personnel, much remains unknown about exactly what happened that morning on April 18th, or why, Kevin Johnson, assistant chief of the Midlothian Police Department, said in October.

Investigators do know this: Early that April day, Bevers entered the Creekside Church in Midlothian, Texas, to prepare for her Camp Gladiator fitness class. At about 4:15 a.m., surveillance video shows an unidentified suspect covered in tactical gear and carrying a hammer inside the church. When students began arriving at 5 a.m., they found Bevers lifeless body.

Authorities have not confirmed if the suspect is male or female. But Bevers husband, Brandon, believes his wife knew her killer.

I still think whoever this person was knew my wife and had a motive, Brandon told PEOPLE in May. Theres no doubt about it.

 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.

No arrests have been made  which has been frustrating for Marsha Tucker, Missys mother-in-law.

I thought for sure that in the first three weeks, they were just waiting to get some testing back, Tucker told PEOPLE in July. I was very disappointed when I realized they have no clue. I absolutely fell apart. I was furious, more or less.

Police previously said the investigation had slowed, but was ongoing. If we need to spend the time on it for months to come, we have the people to work on it for months to come, Assistant Chief Johnson told PEOPLE in July.

Story continues

 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.

During their investigation, police discovered through search warrants that Missy was dealing with an ongoing financial and marital struggle, and that shed sent flirtatious and familiar messages to someone else. But after looking into that revelation as a possible motive, the love-triangle thing is not really panning out so far, Johnson said this summer.

This means investigators were exploring the option that the crime was an untargeted type of hit, which greatly opens up the field of suspects. And while Johnson said in July he would not officially eliminate anyone as a suspect, Missys family was not a focus of the investigation. (Midlothian police did not immediately provide a comment Wednesday.)

Tucker said she is still focused on the truth. In November, Missys friends and family celebrated her with an inaugural 5K in her memory, according to the Morning News.

This changed our lives forever, so its too big to be closed, Tucker said. But all I want to get out of it is some peace. And some justice.

Anyone with information on Missys death is asked to call Midlothian police at 972-775-7624.




From Town & Country

For the past eight years, FOX News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle has hosted the channel's New Year's Eve coverage, and this time around will be no different. Guilfoyle will brave the always-packed Times Square for All-American New Year on the evening of December 31. It's literally Guilfoyle's job to help millions of viewers usher in 2017, so here she submits herself to T&C's hot seat to answer questions about her own resolutions, traditions, and favorite ways to celebrate.

Describe your perfect New Year's Eve if you weren't working.

Eating and drinking the night away with friends at a restaurant in NYC. A dance floor is a must. One of my favorites is Catch in the Meatpacking district-the rooftop club is so much fun!

What is your favorite NYE tradition?

I hold a mini-New Year's Eve party each year with my son Ronan and we make pigs in a blanket. They are delicious! I'll even put them in my coat pockets if they're being served at a party just so I can save them for later. I simply cannot get enough!

What New Year's Resolution have you made and broken?

Eating healthy. I can never resist the good stuff: salami, pepperoni, you name it. I love it all.

What New Year's Resolution are you making for 2017?

Make life easier!

Champagne is the traditional beverage to toast with, but what's your go-to drink?

Vodka soda with a slice of orange. Ketel One is usually my go-to.

It's a night for show-stopping outfits. What do you reach for when you want to feel glamorous?

Something from my favorite designer Zang Toi. This NYE I'll be wearing his rogue Italian double faced wool cocktail dress accompanied by a beautiful couture silk satin trench coat. Can't wait!

Twitter or Instagram for keeping up with the festivities?

Instagram for sure. Can't miss out on any party pics.

Who are your must-follows on the platform for NYE?

I'd definitely want to see what the President-elect is up to but I'll also be following Kate Hudson, Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Lopez. I'm sure they will all look amazing and be up to something really fun.

Story continues

What's for breakfast after a big night out?

Eggs Benedict with country bacon and a side of grits. And don't forget the mimosa.

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South Korea's state-run pension fund chief was detained Wednesday in a widening probe to determine whether President Park Geun-Hye forced companies including Samsung to offer bribes, a spokesman said.

As part of an ongoing corruption scandal, Park is accused of colluding with long-time confidant Choi Soon-Sil to strong-arm companies like Samsung into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi controlled.

During investigations, former health minister Moon Hyung-Pyo -- now National Pension Service (NPS) chief -- has been accused of pressuring the state pension fund to back a controversial merger of two Samsung units when he served in the health ministry.

He has denied all allegations but was detained after a key NPS official told investigators he was pressured by the health ministry to vote for the merger, Yonhap news agency said.

"Moon was taken into emergency detention early this morning", the spokesman of the Special Prosecutor's Office told journalists.

Investigators now have to decide whether to formally arrest Moon before the emergency detention period expires in 48 hours.

Parliament voted to impeach Park Geun-Hye on December 9, accusing her of constitutional and criminal violations ranging from a failure to protect people's lives to bribery and abuse of power.

The case is now being considered by the Constitutional Court which was given 180 days to rule on the validity of the impeachment.

The merger of Samsung units Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T was seen as a crucial step to ensure a smooth father-to-son power transfer to Lee Jae-Yong, scion of Samsung's founding family.

Critics said it undervalued Samsung C&T stock but the NPS -- the world's third largest public pension fund and a major Samsung shareholder -- voted in favour of the deal, allegedly incurring hundreds of millions of dollars of loss for NPS subscribers.

During the impeachment hearing, the court also ordered Park's attorneys to clarify the president's whereabouts after the disastrous Sewol ferry sinking in 2014 before her first appearance at an official meeting to discuss the government's response.

Story continues

She was taken to task for her alleged failure to respond promptly to the tragedy that claimed 304 lives, mostly students.

Unconfirmed media reports have suggested a range of theories about her activities, including cosmetic surgery and a haircut.

Investigators on Wednesday raided the Seoul National University Hospital, a plastic surgery clinic and another hospital suspected of carrying out cosmetic surgery treatments on Park.
SEJONG, South Korea, Dec 28 (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it fined U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc 1.03 trillion won ($854 million), a record for the country, ruling its business practices of patent licensing and smartphone modem chip sales hindered competition.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Qualcomm abused its dominant market position and forced handset makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips.

The U.S. firm also hindered competition by refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents for modem chips to rival chipmakers, the regulator said.

Qualcomm in February 2015 agreed to pay a $975 million fine in China following an antitrust probe, while the European Union in late 2015 charged the firm with anticompetitive behaviour. Regulators in other jurisdictions, including the United States and Taiwan, are also investigating the chipmaker. ($1 = 1,206.4700 won) (Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korea's opposition politicians on Wednesday called for nullifying a settlement reached between Seoul and Tokyo on compensation for South Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military in World War II.

Their statements on the anniversary of the deal came amid growing efforts to erase some of the key policies of impeached President Park Geun-hye. Facing political and public pressure, the Education Ministry on Tuesday backtracked from a much-criticized plan to require middle and high schools to use only state-issued history textbooks from next year.

Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said the party will work to invalidate the sex slave agreement if it wins the presidential elections that could take place in just months, echoing similar promises made by the party's potential candidates.

Kim Gyeong-rok, spokesman of the People's Party, criticized the Park administration for "selling away" the victims' honor and dignity, and said the issue couldn't be resolved without Japan offering a sincere apology and admitting legal responsibility.

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to give 1 billion yen ($8.5 million) to a foundation to help support the former sex slaves. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue. The deal was widely criticized in South Korea, where many thought the government settled for far too less.

Hundreds of protesters gathered around a statute of a girl symbolizing South Korean sexual slavery victims near a street in Seoul where Japan has been reconstructing its embassy building, calling for the agreement to be scrapped and the foundation to be dissolved.

It's unclear whether South Korea could reverse an agreement both governments described as "irreversible." Park's conservative ruling party criticized Woo, accusing him of attacking the deal without proposing alternatives and acting like his party already won the presidential race.

Story continues

Park, who was impeached by the country's opposition-controlled parliament over a corruption scandal on Dec. 9, had endorsed the state history textbooks, saying it would inspire patriotism in students. Her critics saw the books at an attempt to whitewash the brutal dictatorships that preceded the country's bloody transition toward democracy in the 1980s.

Park is the daughter of slain military dictator Park Chung-hee, whose legacy as a successful economic strategist is marred by records of violent civilian oppression.

Education Minister Lee Joon-sik said schools could keep using history textbooks made by private publishers next year, although they can also choose to use state textbooks on a trial basis.

South Korea's Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should permanently step down or be reinstated. If she is formally removed from office, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.
MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday it could not comment on a report by Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency which said Turkey and Russia had agreed on a proposal toward a general ceasefire in Syria.

"I cannot answer that question right now," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. "I don't have sufficient information."

"We are constantly in touch with our Turkish colleagues to discuss various details about the possible talks that are planned for Astana," he said, referring to potential Syrian peace talks Russia wants to organise in Kazakhstan.

"This is all being done to search for a political resolution for Syria." (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
The Israeli governments settlement policy puts it on the wrong side of history, justice, demography, the law, its own interests  and therefore the interests of its friends and allies. For each of these reasons, Israel should neither be surprised nor outraged at the recent U.N. Security Council resolution condemning those settlements. Nor should they be offended by the U.S. governments policy with respect to that vote, a policy that was well-articulated and defended by Secretary of State John Kerry in an address Wednesday.

The Obama administrations abstention, which enabled that resolution to pass, should for the same reasons not be seen as a betrayal. Indeed, as a friend of Israel, the United States should have gone further and actively supported Resolution 2334, which passed with 14 votes in favor and just Washington abstaining. The settlements are hurting Israel, and true friends have the courage to tell each other what they need to hear, even when they dont want to hear it.

I have regularly criticized the Obama administration for what I have seen as weak, vacillating, or strategically unsound behavior in the Middle East. A regular point of that critique has been that we have not recognized who our friends are and in so doing have failed to support our traditional allies in the way that we should. I was deeply skeptical of the Iran nuclear deal (although in the end, I accepted it as better than not having any deal at all), so I am no reflexive defender of Obama-era policies. Yet what the administration did with regard to Resolution 2334 was sound and good policy.

Indeed, if the Obama team should be subjected to any criticism at all for its stance on the settlements, it is not, as the Israelis have subsequently hissed, that the administration may have helped orchestrate the vote  a position refuted by Kerry. Rather, it is that it did not take a stronger position on this issue sooner. We are almost at the end of President Barack Obamas time in office. The United States should not have tolerated Israels settlement policy for one single day. It should have fought against it, even as it was continuing to fund Israeli arms purchases at record levels and work for a peace deal without the notable cooperation of the Israelis (or, to be fair, the Palestinians).

Some Israelis, seeking to defend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus handling of this issue, note that he has supported a settlement policy that is not as extreme as that of the far-right wing of his party. This is an absurd defense. Committing a hundred wrongs is not forgiven merely because you could have committed 200 but chose not to.

Bibis spluttering outrage on this deal is not only unproductive; it is revealing in the worst ways. He speaks of betrayal and seeks to shutter relations with friends who supported the vote  but he betrayed both Israels interests and its best values when he instructed his emissary not to vote for an inquiry into war crimes in Syria a week earlier, as a craven sop to Vladimir Putin. That he could curry favor with a serial violator of international law and norms like Putin, fail to seek justice in Syria, and thus exacerbate tensions throughout the region, which will only increase risks for Israel, is a sign that for Bibi everything is about political tactics, not strategy or principles. He has succeeded at being prime minister largely by doing things that were good for his base in the short term and bad for his country in the long term.

The settlements are the prime example. Supporting the colonization of land on which Israel has no legitimate claim may make the hard right in Israel happy and may, their defenders argue, give the country (dubious) advantages from a security perspective. But those settlements will not stem the tides that will ultimately subsume Netanyahus vision of Israel. The Palestinian population continues to grow so that very soon Israel faces the fateful choice of whether it wishes to be a democracy (in which the majority Palestinians living within the states claimed borders would have real rights they currently do not have) or a Jewish state (which would depend on the adoption of policies that permanently disenfranchise the majority population). Further, the security threats against Israel are increasingly missiles, drones, cyberwarfare, and other tools that settlements do little to protect against. While Bibi and his minions argue that the U.N. resolution will empower terrorists, nothing does that more effectively than building settlements or aligning with ruthless killers of Muslims like the Russians.

If the settlements inflame risks to Israel, undermine its legitimacy, and hollow out international support, they are clearly not in the Israeli interest. Further, they weaken the support of those who might otherwise support Israel, including American Jews. It is increasingly difficult to embrace American ideals of justice, respect for the rule of law, and respect for human rights while supporting the current government of Israel  whether because of settlements or because of a policy of disproportionate response to localized, small-scale attacks as occurred during the last Gaza conflict.

There is also a generational shift taking place among American Jews. Virtually all who are under the age of 55 simply do not remember the Israel of the Six-Day War, the little country that could, the David that stood up to the Goliaths of the Arab world. For the new majority among American Jews, Israel is the nuclear superpower of the Middle East, the regional bully behind the outrages that began in the Sabra and Shatila camps, the peace-loving hypocrite of settlement construction and Gaza destruction.

That the response of Israelis is condescension and a suggestion that simple, coddled, soft American Jews could never understand their situation is hardly helpful. The lack of outrage among many moderate and liberal American Jews at the recent vote indicates just how much Israels hard-right has done to undercut the countrys most important relationships over the past couple of decades.

Now, of course, Bibi and his loud-mouthed bully boy of an ambassador here in the United States, Ron Dermer, are feeling empowered by the recent election of Donald Trump (who attacked the Obama-Kerry position from his Twitter-based Oval Office waiting room). Quite apart from the obvious notion that you must be in deep trouble when a foreign-policy neophyte and shoot-from-the-lip buffoon becomes your champion, Netanyahu and Co. are making a big mistake. Trump and his world-class awful choice of an ambassador to Israel, a far-right fringe character named David Friedman, may offer some succor to Netanyahu for a while. They may even enlist the help of Putin, friend to Bibi and the Donald. But this will only alienate the rest of the world  and massive portions of the base within the United States upon which the Israelis will depend for their long-term support. Further, there is a hard reality that has seemingly been tough to grasp for Israeli hard-liners: The only alternative to a two-state solution is a one-state solution  which cannot be a Jewish state if it is to be secure, sustainable, or just.

Bibi, Trump, and Putin are part of a dying breed, the last politicians of the 20th century. They seek to preserve realities that are founded in the post-World War II and Cold War realities in which their views were shaped. But the world has moved on from them, and future generations of leaders will see a radically different picture  one in which Israel not only has no better claim on its land than the Palestinians but one in which the memories of the Palestine Liberation Organization and much of Palestinian terrorism lie in the foggy past; in which Palestinians without a nation outnumber Israelis; in which Palestinians lack rights because Israelis deny them those rights; in which Russia is a failing state with a faltering economy; in which Russia is seen as a supporter of oppressors and not of the people (always a lousy long-term strategy); in which China and other powers are much more important; and one in which new technologies will empower new leaders in new ways, creating new threats and shifting the regional balance of power in the Middle East and elsewhere. Meanwhile, Trump will seek to bully a world he does not understand, one in which Americas leverage on trade has been diminished and in which his chosen tactics for doing so long ago proved to be ineffective and damaging to U.S. interests.

Indeed, the reason this settlements vote has so many in the Israeli leadership so outraged is not because they didnt want it to happen. It is because it is only the latest proof that their preferred narrative about Israel has been overtaken by reality  and that the days of their ability to defend Israel as the regions lone democracy are numbered as their demographic clock keeps ticking and their policies keep undercutting the legitimate rights of Palestinians. The vote was infuriating to them because it showed that the countries of the Security Council were unanimously opposed to their policies. It was scary to them because it underscored that their policies and diplomacy were failing them and that the time has come for a new generation of leaders with new ideas for Israel  just as it has come for the aging, failed leadership of the Palestinians, and just as it is coming for the political dinosaurs of our era, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Photo credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  The Latest on the federal death penalty trial of Dylann Roof, accused of killing nine black people during a South Carolina church Bible study (all times local):

10:50 a.m.

Dylann Roof has told a judge he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence to try to convince a jury to spare his life for killing nine black Charleston church worshippers in a hate crime.

Roof told U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel at a hearing Wednesday he still plans to act as his own lawyer when the penalty phase of his federal death penalty trial begins next Tuesday.

Gergel told Roof to talk to his grandfather, who is a lawyer, and other family members one last time. He says Roof can change his mind and bring back his attorneys up until opening statements next week.

There also was argument from Roof about mystery evidence, like a photograph prosecutors want to show and video from jailhouse visits. Specifics were not given in court.

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5:20 a.m.

Dylann Roof may soon show how hard he intends to fight to save his life as prosecutors seek the death penalty for killing nine black worshippers in a hate crime at a Charleston church.

A judge scheduled a hearing Wednesday in federal court to hear motions before the penalty phase in Roof's trial starts next week.

Roof is now acting as his own lawyer after letting go of his defense attorneys after a jury convicted him of 33 counts of hate crimes and obstruction of justice earlier this month.

Roof's lawyers say they think he got rid of them because they wanted to present what Roof thought was embarrassing evidence seeking to get the same jury to spare his life.
BERLIN (AP)  The Latest on Europe's response to the inflow of asylum seekers and migrants to the continent (all times local):

3:40 p.m.

A group of 198 refugees has arrived in Madrid from Greece as part of the European Union relocation program set up to deal with the humanitarian crisis stemming from the war in Syria.

An Interior Ministry statement said the refugees who arrived in Spain on Wednesday included 144 Syrians, 52 Iraqis, one Eritrean and an Iranian. They included 65 men, 49 women and 84 minors from 83 family groups.

Their arrival brings to 898 the number of asylum seekers resettled or relocated in Spain since last year.

Spain has agreed to take in more than 17,000 by late 2017.

Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said last week that Spain intends to fulfill the agreement.

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3:15 p.m.

Greece's migration minister says the government plans to build detention camps on islands facing Turkey's coastline, as overcrowding at existing facilities for migrants continues to rise.

Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said Wednesday that detention sites with capacity for up to 200 people would be erected to speed up the asylum claims process and reduce crime.

Nearly a quarter of the 62,700 migrants stranded in Greece are on the islands and are not allowed to leave because of a deportation agreement Turkey and the European Union reached in March.

The agreement was aimed at limiting refugee and migrant travel to Europe after more than a million people crossed Turkey to reach the EU.

Mouzalas says all migrant camps in Greece are now equipped with winter facilities after weeks of delays.

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1:42 p.m.

German authorities say more than 54,000 migrants, including failed asylum-seekers, received approval for government funding to return to their homeland this year, paving the way for a significant increase in voluntary departures.

Germany is keen to increase the number of rejected would-be refugees leaving the country after last year's influx of 890,000 migrants.

Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns said Wednesday that the total funding approved for returnees this year was 21.5 million euros ($22.5 million). He said about 35,500 people obliged to leave Germany did so voluntarily in 2015, but noted that the two figures can't immediately be compared because the number of people who actually departed in 2016 isn't yet clear.

Neymanns stressed that Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere "has always said voluntary returns are always preferable to deportation."
A redevelopment plan proposed for two buildings at 11th and P streets would include a boutique hotel.

The $7-8 million project involves the Commercial Club building at 200 N. 11th St. and the building next door to the north at 216 N. 11th St.

According to documents filed last week with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department, developers would add three floors to the top of the four-story building at 216 N. 11th. The first floor would house a restaurant/lounge, and the upper six would be home to a high-end boutique hotel with 34 to 38 rooms.

Plans for the Commercial Club building would include hotel rooms and condos on the fourth floor and a potential remodel of the ballroom space on the third floor. The second floor would continue to have office space, and Misty's would continue to occupy the first floor.

The documents also say a fifth floor could potentially be added for additional residential units.

The plans also call for exterior improvements to both buildings, connections between the two buildings and a skywalk from the 216 N. 11th building to the Que Place parking garage next door.

The project would use tax-increment financing, which allows developers to use the tax dollars paid on the new value of the property for construction issues related to the public good, generally using a bond that is repaid over 15 years.

At the estimated $7 million to $8 million cost, the project would generate $1 million to $1.4 million in TIF.

David Schmidt, president of Concorde Management & Development, which manages the Commercial Club building and is a part owner, said redevelopment plans are very tentative at this point. He declined further comment.

Arizona residents Nick and Brooke Castaneda bought the building at 216 N. 11th earlier this year for $700,000. Nick Castaneda declined to comment on the couple's plans for the buildings.

If the project moves forward as described, it would be the third involving a boutique hotel downtown.

The Downtown Holiday Inn closed earlier this month to undergo renovation to transform it into a boutique hotel under the Graduate Hotels brand. It's expected to open in the summer.

Down the street to the east, a 15- to 17-story hotel and condominium complex planned at Ninth and O streets is to include both a Holiday Inn Express and a small boutique hotel.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on United States-Israeli relations (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Democratic lawmakers are offering mixed reactions to Secretary of State John Kerry's speech deploring Israeli settlement-building and defending the U.S. move not to veto a controversial U.N. resolution.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York says his former Senate colleague "seems to have forgotten the history off settlements in Gaza" and warns Kerry's speech may have "emboldened extremists on both sides."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says Kerry reaffirmed America's commitment to Israel. But she also says she opposes U.N. efforts, a reference to the Obama administration's decision on the resolution.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer is also avoiding direct criticism of Kerry. But he says the resolution "will not bring peace closer."

All three Democrats are members of congressional leadership.

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8:45 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump says Israel is being treated "very, very unfairly," maintaining that countries that are "horrible places" never get reprimanded.

Trump talked to reporters Wednesday in what became his longest question-and-answer session since the election.

He refused to directly answer a question about whether Israel should stop building settlements, saying he is "very, very strong on Israel."

Trump says Israel is "up for 20 reprimands" at the United Nations, whereas nations that are "horrible places, that treat people horribly, haven't even been reprimanded."

Trump's comments follow a decision last week by the United Nations condemning the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Trump tweeted earlier Wednesday that Israel should "stay strong," saying Jan. 20, inauguration day, "is fast approaching!"

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4:45 p.m.

Israel's U.N. ambassador says a Security Council resolution passed last week was an act against Israel, despite Secretary of State John Kerry's claims to the contrary.

Story continues

Ambassador Danny Danon, in a statement Wednesday, again made the claim that the U.S. worked with Palestinian officials to advance a one-sided resolution against Israel  a claim the Obama administration denies.

Kerry says in a speech Wednesday the U.S. was standing up for a two-state solution when it abstained on the resolution, which declares the settlements on the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. He criticized Israel for settlement building, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy.

Danon says speeches won't bring a resolution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

He says: "The only way forward is for the Palestinians to understand that they must condemn terror, end incitement and return to the negotiating table."

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3:25 p.m.

France's foreign minister is hailing Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on Middle East peace.

Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (zhawn mahrk eh-ROH') called Kerry's speech "clear, courageous and committed" and said France shares Kerry's belief in a two-state solution that envisions Israel and the new nation of Palestine "living side by side in peace and security."

Ayrault says Kerry's speech reinforced "the necessity and the urgency to implement this two-state solution."

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3 p.m.

A senior Israeli Cabinet minister and ally of the West Bank settler movement says John Kerry's Mideast speech was "divorced from reality."

Education Minister Naftali Bennett said the Obama administration's Mideast policy has left the region "in flames." He noted the "genocide" in Syria, said Iran is "racing" toward a nuclear bomb and accused the U.S. of "abandoning" its ally Israel.

He says Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 had created a Palestinian "terror state."

Bennett says: "We're not prepared to allow a second terror state in the heart of Israel."

Bennett heads the Jewish Home Party, which is affiliated with the West Bank settler movement. He's a key coalition partner for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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2:45 p.m.

Israel's prime minister says he will not be swayed by a "mistaken policy" outlined by Secretary of State John Kerry.

In a late night news conference, Benjamin Netanyahu said in English Wednesday Kerry's vision could cause "big, big damage" to his country.

Netanyahu says Israelis "do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders."

He says Israel is committed to resolving issues with the Palestinians, but only through direct talks.

He also said Kerry's speech was almost as unbalanced as last week's Security Council resolution that declared Israeli settlements illegal. Netanyahu said it "effectively" calls the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, occupied Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu said he was "looking forward" to working with incoming President Donald Trump to mitigate the damage of the Security Council resolution.

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2:30 p.m.

The Palestinian president says he is ready to resume peace talks with Israel if it halts settlement construction.

In his first response to Secretary of State John Kerry's Mideast policy speech, President Mahmoud Abbas (mahk-MOOD' ah-BAHS') said Wednesday that he is ready to resume talks "within a specific time frame and on the basis of international law." He said that would include a reference to the U.N. Security Council resolution passed last week, over Israel's objections, that declared settlement construction illegal.

Abbas' comments reiterated longstanding Palestinian positions and did not address the six principles for peace Kerry outlined in his speech.

The Palestinians object to calls to recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jews, saying it would undermine the rights of Israel's Arab minority and the claims of Palestinian refugees whose families lost properties in what is now Israel.

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2:10 p.m.

Israel's prime minister is calling Secretary of State John Kerry's Mideast policy speech a "great disappointment."

In live broadcast on Israeli TV, Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Kerry for a speech highly critical of Israel at a time when he said the region is "going up in flames."

Netanyahu in Hebrew says: "For a full hour, the secretary of state attacked the only democracy in the Middle East.".

He accused Kerry of focusing heavily on Israeli settlements, while paying little attention to Palestinian incitement and violence.

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1:35 p.m.

A top official in the West Bank settler movement has dismissed John Kerry's Mideast speech as a "eulogy to the two-state solution."

Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy of the Yesha (YEH'-shah) settlers' council, says Kerry's address had no new ideas and was a "self-serving legacy speech" that ignored Israeli security needs.

Revivi says: "There is no moral equivalence between Israeli building and Arab bombing. Israeli homes do not pose a threat to peace, Palestinian terror does."

He says Israel cannot allow a "potential terror state" to be established on its front step.

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1:25 p.m.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is denouncing Secretary of State John Kerry's Mideast policy speech, saying it was "skewed against Israel" and "obsessively" focuses on Israeli settlements.

In a statement, Netanyahu's office says the speech "barely touched upon the root of the conflict  Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries."

In his speech, Kerry warned that Israel's continued construction of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are undermining hopes for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Netanyahu is to make a televised statement later Wednesday.

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1:15 p.m.

A prominent Israeli opposition politician has given a warm reception to John Kerry's Mideast policy speech.

Yaakov Peri, a former chief of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, on Wednesday praised what he called Kerry's "balanced speech, based on reality and facts."

Peri says the secretary of state drew attention to the "harsh and dramatic consequences" of a single binational state.

Peri is a member of the centrist Yesh Atid (yesh ah-TIHD') party, which sits in the opposition. But his words carry significant weight given his experience battling Palestinian militants.

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12:55 p.m.

Secretary of State John Kerry has outlined a series of principles he says could form the basis of a future peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, with the likely participation of the United States.

Kerry says that there must be a two-state solution that includes a "secure and recognized border" between Israel and the new nation of Palestine. He also says an agreement must help Palestinian refugees, designate Jerusalem as a capital for both states and satisfy Israel's security needs.

Kerry is leaving office next month along with President Barack Obama and made the proposals as part of a farewell speech at the State Department on Wednesday.

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12:15 p.m.

Secretary of State John Kerry is rejecting criticism that the recent U.S. vote in the United Nations Security Council abandons Israel, as some Israeli leaders have charged. Kerry says Israel's policy allowing permanent construction of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem that risks isolating Israel from other nations.

Kerry also says the United States "did not draft or originate" the UN resolution condemning the settlements, "nor did we put it forward" in the UN.

His comments came in a policy speech on Wednesday at the State Department.

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11:55 a.m.

Secretary of State John Kerry says expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are leading to an "irreversible one-state reality."

Kerry says this is happening despite polls showing that most Israelis support the creation of a separate Palestinian state.

Kerry is delivering a speech Wednesday that outlines his proposals for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. His speech comes days after the U.S. declined to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution that called Israeli settlements a violation of international law.

Kerry says most people in Israel don't know how systematic the settlement process has become in recent years, with tens of thousands of Israelis moving into the middle of Palestinian territories.

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11:45 a.m.

Secretary of State John Kerry says that if Israel rejects a two-state solution for peace with the Palestinian people, "it can be Jewish or it can be democratic."

Kerry was responding to withering Israeli criticism of the United States' abstention from a vote condemning Israeli settlement construction. He reiterated the American position that a two-state solution giving both Israelis and Palestinians a home state is the best roadmap to peace. He also made it clear that despite recent differences in policy, the United States continues to be Israel's closest ally.

Israel has been furious at the United States since the UN vote late last week. But Kerry said in a farewell speech at the State Department on Wednesday that the vote was "in keeping with" American values for democracy.

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10:50 a.m.

Secretary of State John Kerry is delivering a farewell speech to outline his proposals for a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Kerry's speech comes days after the U.S. refused to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has slammed the resolution and accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians in drawing it up.

A senior Israeli Cabinet minister, Gilad Erdan (gih-LAD' EHR'-dahn), on Wednesday called Kerry's speech a "pathetic step," further heightening tensions between the two close allies as President Barack Obama prepares to leave office.

Israeli leaders have made no secret they are counting on President-elect Donald Trump to change U.S. policy.
A protester carries an upside down American flag in a protest against Donald Trump in New York on Nov. 9. (Photo: Julie Jacobson/AP)

As progressives search for the next step in a world where Republicans will control the White House, both chambers of Congress and the majority of statehouses and governors mansions, the nascent anti-Trump resistance movement has been doing civil disobedience outside Trump Tower, pushing for bipartisan congressional investigations into Russian election meddling and itching to expose his Cabinet nominees conflicts of interest with the hope of sinking one  or perhaps even two or three  of them. Green Party-led recount pushes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin drew national attention but in the end had little impact, other than to recertify Trumps win, and Democratic efforts to urge Republican electors to vote their conscience, not their party, similarly sputtered.

Still, the liberal resistance to Trumpism has only started to gear up for what will probably be a series of epic battles around touchstone issues of race, immigration, health care and authoritarianism itself. Trump is weighted down by a 43 percent approval rating, making him the least popular newly elected president in the past half century. As the liberal-left works to organize in this environment, it confronts a set of opportunities, as well as tough questions about the path forward: Who should be the leaders of this resistance? Which strategies and tactics should they employ? What organizations and institutions could prove to be the savviest and most influential in curbing Trumps authoritarian tendencies?

Jo Walter of Bremerton, Wash., wears a large Donald Trump head as she protests Electoral College voting on Dec. 19 in Olympia, Wash. (Photo: Elaine Thompson/AP)

The answers will have implications not just for politics but also for the entire country during the coming Trump era. And the paths forward are in part illustrated by Americas rich history of political resistance on the left and the right  a legacy thats both fraught and inspiring, filled with blinking yellow lights and solid-green guideposts. The resistance leaders will have at least four modes of viable dissent as they seek to launch a robust movement that can block some of the most feared aspects of Trumps agenda.

Direct action. Though conservatives typically decry antiwar and other street demonstrations as emblems of a time defined by left-wing excesses that contravened political norms and moral behavior, the nonviolent mass protests of the 1960s, 1970s and even 1980s offer clues to potent models of political and cultural dissent. Nonviolent marches helped pressure elected leaders to overturn segregation in the South and expand legal rights and social protections for women. Anti-Vietnam War demonstrations made it harder for policymakers to prosecute the war with the free hand they sought. President Ronald Reagans refusal to recognize the threat of HIV/AIDS as a public health crisis provoked mass protests, which pricked the countrys conscience and ultimately led to more funding for research and better treatments.

The biggest demonstration in Bostons history happened on Vietnam Moratorium Day in 1969 as an estimated 100,000 people shouted that they wanted the Vietnam War ended Now! (Photo: Paul Connell/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Trump continues to court ideas that could trigger a new wave of mass nonviolent protests. Asked for his reaction to the terrorist truck attack in Berlin last week, Trump told reporters that he has been proven to be right yet again, implying that his suspicion of Muslims was, essentially, justified all along. If Trump ultimately followed through with his campaign pledge to bar Muslims from entering the United States, if he opted to create a government registry to track Muslim-Americans in the United States, nonviolent protests could easily erupt. Policies that are widely seen as assaulting civil liberties and infringing on civil rights would probably trigger demonstrations that could hinder Trumps agenda and consume his presidency. The womens march the day after the inauguration could be just the start.

Lawsuits. Democrats and progressives can also take some solace in Larry Klaymans use of lawsuits to inflict political damage on President Bill Clintons administration. Klayman led the well-funded right-wing Judicial Watch organization during the 1990s. Armed with a stable of lawyers and a bald partisan agenda, Judicial Watch filed more than 18 lawsuits against members of the administration.

Larry Klayman speaks in 2001 about a Judicial Watch suit against Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton over campaign contributions. (Photo: Shawn Thew/Getty Images)

Klayman forced Clinton aides to sit for depositions, forced the release of documents, generated news stories that depicted the Clintons in an unflattering light and tarred the administration with a taint of scandal. Although progressives lack an obvious candidate who can become Trumps Klayman, they can take a page from Klaymans strategy of using the courts as a tool that can paint Trump as a president with dubious ties to Russia, business interests around the world and a questionable commitment to constitutional principles.

Legislative obstruction. During Barack Obamas presidency, Mitch McConnells stated goal was to make him a one-term president. By opposing virtually every major legislative item or executive initiative undertaken by Obama, McConnell adopted a just say no approach to resisting a White House at odds with his ideology.

Ten Democrats are facing reelection in red states won by Trump, and some of them will surely want to show that they are siding with a president who is popular in their home states. McConnells strategy is going to be hard for Democrats to ape.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, surrounded by other Republican senators, meets reporters on Capitol Hill in December 2010. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

But if incoming Minority Leader Chuck Schumer cant count on his own party on every issue, he can seek to peel off votes on key issues from a handful of Republicans who remain skeptical of Trumps agenda. On some of Trumps more extreme plans and nominations  David Friedman as ambassador to Israel, for instance  congressional Democrats can unite around a single message, galvanizing partisans in hopes of achieving the occasional legislative victory. And with the GOP fractured by those who view Trump as a con artist scornful of conservative principles, Democrats may win support from senators such as John McCain, Jeff Flake or Marco Rubio on an issue like Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Electoral mobilization. Lastly, progressives have a usable model in the right-wing tea party. Birthed in reaction to Obamas first-term policies and bent on toppling Republicans who dared to negotiate with the president on almost any matter, the tea party succeeded in unseating House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Speaker John Boehner  and, most relevant to the anti-Trump movement, it energized conservatives around the electoral process. A tea party movement of the liberal-left, whatever form it ultimately takes, could inject a dose of momentum to a dispirited party and mobilize Trumps foes to take their country back.

There are risks aplenty facing any anti-Trump resistance. One is that factions will emerge that mar any effort at unity, giving way to a sectarian, scattershot effort that scorns electoral politics and puts expressive protest ahead of strategic action.

The warning lights include the experience of Occupy Wall Street, the short-lived movement that protested the excesses of Americas financial titans. The movement never settled on a clear set of goals or a legislative or political strategy that could prove successful and sustain the change-making efforts. Artistic and propagandistic efforts, such as filmmaker Michael Moores 2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary, have other risks, even as they can gain widespread notice and acclaim. That movie at times dabbled in conspiracy theories and did not move opinion on George W. Bush enough to keep him  an incumbent wartime president working with a team of sophisticated electoral strategists  from winning a second term.

Protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement lock arms in New Yorks Financial District in November 2011. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Other resistance efforts proved more destructive. During the late 1960s and early 70s, the Weather Underground, a radical offshoot of Students for a Democratic Society, used violence in a vain, repellant attempt to topple the nations governing institutions.

But these are detours from the usable pathways for forging a cohesive resistance to Trump-era politics and policies: traditions left and right of mass mobilization and elite legal strategies, electoral politics and congressional tactics. In taking these known avenues, dissenters might just defy their reputation as soft and ineffectual  and stop some of their worst nightmares from being realized.

_____

Matthew Dallek, associate professor at George Washingtons Graduate School of Political Management, is author of Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security.
As some of you may know, I live down in San Diego and, when Im not getting bossed around by James or Terry, Im the Public Relations Officer for the South Bay Raiders Booster Club. For the second year in a row, we teamed up with the Original Raiders Fan Club of San Diego to welcome Raider Nation to San Diego when the Oakland Raiders came down to take on the Chargers.

Now, this Black Out San Diego event has been taking place for more than a decade down here, but its really only been the last two years that the two clubs have teamed up in order to keep Raider Nation together.

As all of Raider Nation knows, the running joke is that the San Diego game is the ninth home game but this season, it really stopped being a joke. Everyone is still talking about how Raider Nation rolled into San Diego and just took it over. It was truly an epic and memorable weekend!

Last season, when the clubs had first teamed up for the Black Out San Diego party at the Handlery Hotel, we had a feeling it would be big but conservatively estimated an attendance of maybe 200-300 people just based off of past attendance at our separate parties the years before. Raider Nation blew us away and the final headcount was over 800. Not to mention the fact that, when I called to thank the hotel and the catering manager, they let me know that Raider Nation drank all the beer in the hotel.

Well, I take that back, there was still some craft beers from Ballast Point leftover

For this season, we estimated maybe 1200-1500 would attend and the final headcount for 2016 was over 1600 and again, Raider Nation drank all the beer. Raider Legends Lincoln Kennedy and Cliff Branch were on hand signing autographs. There were a multitude of vendors with all kinds of Raiders items and the clubs had raffles going as well. The clubs added food to the event this year and, in addition to having 4Dub perform, live band Tierra Chicana performed. DJs Beto Perez and Raymond T from local radio station Magic 92.5 were also on hand in between 4Dubs sets.

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On behalf of the South Bay Raiders Booster Club, I was able to bring the Raider Nation Princess up onstage to present her with the donation that we were able to raise through our fundraisers. She wanted to ride her bicycle from Los Angeles to San Diego in order to raise money for the cancer program at the Childrens Hospital of LA. Being that shes only 11, it probably wasnt the safest idea but she still set herself a goal to raise $5K before the year is out.

Hopefully, the Chargers will stay put. I would hate for Raider Nation to miss out on their ninth home game. Its always such a blast and we all get the pleasure of meeting so many other Raiders fans!

So much time and effort went into pulling this off and now that its over, Im relieved and yet want to do it all over again. Special thanks to every single one of the board members on the party planning committee and to all the vendors who showed up with a ton of hustle to take care of Raider Nation. A very special thanks to Raiders legends Kennedy and Branch and to Lincoln, Id just like to say, Yes!!! The flash is on!

The post A look at how Raider Nation took over San Diego appeared first on Cover32.
Lucifer Season 2, episode 12 will see Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) potentially finding out another secret about his past.

In one of the photos released by FOX for Love Handles, Lucifer holds a photograph in his hand. The snap shows an image of a woman wearing a red dress. Lucifer has a confused look on his face as he asks his mom, Charlotte (Tricia Helfer), who the woman in the photo is. Charlotte, on the other hand, looks like shes finally ready to come clean.

As of late, the synopsis for Love Handles hasnt been released yet, but another set of photos confirmed that Charlotte and Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) will be working with each other. In the previous episode, Charlotte told Maze the truth about Chloe (Lauren German). The former has also tried to ask the latter to help her get Lucifer back to Hell. In order for them to do so, Charlotte and Maze decided that they have to use Chloe as a pawn. Unfortunately, it seems that the two female characters plan will backfire.

Meanwhile, Lucifer will also be spending some time with a group of women. However, before he could do anything, Chloe arrives at the venue to stop the party. Lucifer will most likely be disappointed with her move, but Chloe is known for wanting to get things done as soon as possible. Another photo shows Chloe interviewing one of the party attendees. By the looks of it, the crime that she would have to solve may be related to the gathering.

Lucifer Season 2 is still on a short hiatus at the moment. When the hit FOX series returns, episode 11, titled Stewardess Interrupts, will kickstart the second half of Season 2. Lucifer Season 2, episode 12 will air on FOX on Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. EST.

Lucifer

Photo: FOX

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As we close out the year let's toss in a few more holidays commemorating our favorite foods and drinks and must-have ingredients. Here is to the final four days of 2016:

Dec. 28: National Chocolate Candy Day -- True we have celebrated chocolate many times in the past 352 days, but why not once more with chocolate candy? Did you know the biggest bar of chocolate ever was created in Turin, Italy, in 2000? It weighed more than 5,000 pounds. And heres another bit of chocolate trivia -- every Russian and American space voyage has included a supply of chocolate bars.

Dec. 29: National Pepper Pot Day -- Its also National Get on the Scales Day, but that seems like an awful way to bid adieu to 2016. So lets talk Pepper Pot, the soup that is credited with winning the American Revolution. As the story goes, the winter of 1777-78 was brutal. On Dec. 29, 1777, the Continental Army was camped at Valley Forge. Gen. George Washington asked the cook to prepare a meal that would boost soldier morale -- as well as warm them up. The cook rounded up small bits of beef tripe and other ingredients, including pepper, and created what is known as Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup. The meal was so well received that it was dubbed the soup that won the war, according to NationalDayCalendar.com.

Dec. 30: National Bicarbonate of Soda Day (i.e. Baking Soda Day) -- Although they are essentially the same thing, they are not necessarily interchangeable. Bicarbonate of soda is a pure leavening agent that must be mixed with moisture and an acidic ingredient for the chemical reaction to occur. Baking soda contains bicarbonate of soda premixed with the acidic ingredient -- all you add is moisture. More information than you needed? We just wanted to help you start 2017 a wee bit smarter.

Dec. 31: National Champagne Day and National Vinegar Day -- While vinegar is considered one of the worlds oldest of ingredients (10,000 years) with a vast array of miraculous uses, we would rather toast the end of the year with some bubbly. Long before champagne was a sparkling wine it was a region in France. Much of the credit for the celebratory drink goes to Dom Perignon, the French man who devoted 47 years in the wine trade trying to get the bubbles out of champagne, and in the meantime setting the basic principles for champagne-making that are still in use today, according to IntoWine.com.
MADRID (AP)  Madrid's town hall hopes to sharply reduce pollution levels by limiting vehicle circulation for the first time, based on registration plate numbers.

Deputy Mayor Marta Higueras said that barring some exceptions, vehicles with plates ending in even numbers would not be allowed to circulate between 6.30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday.

Other measures including a ban on street parking for non-residents and reduced speed limits were already in force Wednesday.

The town hall said it was applying the restrictions because of excess levels of nitrogen dioxide. It will review the restrictions Thursday.
Donald Trump has declared that things will be different on the international stage when he is in the Oval Office, promising among other things that he will mend relations with Russia, achieve peace in the Middle East, and get tough on Iran. But the complicated foreign policy world that the President-elect is inheriting may not bend itself to his will quite as easily as he appears to expect.

On Tuesday, two powerful Republican members of the Senate made it clear that they have no intention of allowing the U.S. Intelligence Communitys assessment that Russian-backed computer hackers interfered in the U.S. presidential election to be swept under the rug, even though the incoming president from their own party says he doesnt believe it really happened.

Related: Trump Doubles Down on the Threat of a Nuclear Arms Race

Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) gave an interview to CNN during a trip to the Baltic nation of Estonia and promised that there would be a full investigation of Russian involvement in the presidential election, which U.S. intelligence agencies believe was given the green light by Russian President Vladimir Putin -- whether President-elect Trump likes it or not.

There are 100 United States senators...I would say that 99 of us believe the Russians did this, and were going to do something about it, Graham told CNNs Jim Sciutto. Were going to put sanctions together that hit Putin as an individual and his inner circle for interfering in our election, and they're doing it all over the world -- not just in the United States.

McCain continued to express his worries about Trumps pick for secretary of state, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, saying that that the oilmans close ties to Russia concern him. McCains worries echo those of many in Congress who are dubious about Trumps professed desire to bring the U.S. and Russia closer together at a time when the Kremlins military adventures in Ukraine and Syria are attracting international censure.

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But Trumps willingness to embrace Russia, and Tillersons business ties to the country and a reportedly warm personal relationship with Putin, will only go so far in a world where Russian and American interests are sharply diverging, warns James Dobbins, a senior fellow and distinguished chair in diplomacy and security at the Rand Corporation.

Related: Trumps Nuclear Tweet: A Response to Putin?

[A]ssuming he is confirmed as secretary of state, [Tillerson] will immediately face an unusually broad array of challenges, Dobbins writes. Some of these derive from the unusually disordered state of the world, others from the unusually wide uncertainty about the new American president's intentions.

Among the biggest jobs Tillerson will face, Dobbins says, will be balancing Trumps promises about getting tough on Iran with the reality that the Islamic Republic is a de facto partner of Russias in the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Trump seems inclined to accommodate Russia while confronting Iran, Dobbins writes. In Syria, where the two are effectively allied, this does not seem feasible. Neither does Russia seem likely to join in abrogating the five power nuclear accord with Iran, or in re-imposing international sanctions. Neither will it be possible to both push back Iran and reduce American exposure in this volatile region. Choices will need to be made.

And Russia doesnt appear inclined to do much in the way of making things less complicated for Trump in the Middle East.

Related: Trumps Nuke Talk Could Break the Budget or Much, Much Worse

Last week, for example, Trump took the unusual step, for a president-elect, of calling for the current administration to take specific action on an upcoming vote in the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council was about to vote on a resolution censuring Israel for its construction of settlements on both disputed territory and on territory that belongs to Palestinians.

The rumor circulating was that the U.S., in a departure from normal practice, would abstain from voting on the resolution rather than exercise its Security Council veto power.

In a Facebook post, Trump declared, The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed. As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations. This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis.

Having made his position abundantly clear, Trump was handing his ostensible future ally, Putin, an opportunity to show some good faith.

Related: How Team Trump Is Changing the Rules of the Media Game

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly made a last-minute phone call to Putin on the day of the vote, urging the Russian President, who controls his countrys Security Council veto, to block the resolution. The result wasnt exactly an endorsement of the Israeli position.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations made a pro forma effort to at least delay the vote last week, complaining that there had not been enough time to debate the resolution. But when it came to a vote, the Russian ambassador not only allowed the measure to proceed without a veto but voted in favor of it.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Gina Cherelus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man has been arrested and charged with murdering his former New York City high school teacher and the son he had with her, authorities said on Wednesday, five years after a scandal over their relationship made headlines.

Isaac Infante, 23, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with two counts of first and second degree murder in the deaths of Felicia Barahona, 36, and their 4-year-old boy Miguel Barahona.

Police responding to an emergency call at a Manhattan apartment on Monday found Barahona on the living room floor with an electrical cord round her neck and her son unresponsive in a bathtub, authorities said in a statement.

The motive behind the murders remains unclear, police said. Infante, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has not yet been scheduled for arraignment, and it was not clear if he had an attorney.

Infante and Barahona's sexual relationship began in 2011 when Barahona was a 32-year-old science teacher at Dewitt Clinton High School in New York City's Bronx borough.

Infante was still a minor and Barahona was fired from the school when their relationship became public. She later gave birth to Miguel.

They had planned to marry, but split up after arguing about Infante's alleged underage drinking and other issues, according to a memorandum written in 2012 by New York City school officials who investigated the relationship.

According to The New York Times, Infante subsequently paid child support and sometimes visited Barahona's home, but otherwise kept a distance.

(Reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Frances Kerry; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Preliminary findings from the autopsy on a toddler in foster care who suffered a brain injury and died Tuesday are inconclusive, Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said Wednesday.

No arrests have been made in the investigation into the death of the 14-month-old boy, and police would not identify him.

Bliemeister said more medical testing will be done to determine the cause of the death. The baby boy also suffered internal bleeding, he said.

"I can't say if it is or is not a criminal act," Bliemeister said Wednesday morning. "I can say a 14-month-old died, and that is tragic."

Lincoln Fire and Rescue was called to a home near Southwest 40 and A streets just before 11 p.m. on Dec. 22 on a report a baby was in cardiac distress and not breathing, according to police and dispatch records.

A caregiver performed CPR before medics arrived and took the baby to a local hospital, Lincoln Police Officer Katie Flood said.

Doctors determined he had retinal bleeding and brain swelling, and he was taken to a hospital in Omaha, police said.

A police report indicates investigators are looking into possible physical abuse.

Bliemeister said investigators have been working with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. He has also been in contact with Gov. Pete Ricketts' office because the child was in the state's care.

The residents of the home in southwest Lincoln have been licensed foster care providers since January 2014 and have had no disciplinary reports filed against them, HHS spokesman Russ Reno said. He said HHS is monitoring the police investigation.

The boy's 2-year-old sister, who also lived in the foster home, was examined and no indication of child abuse was found, police said. Because of the ongoing investigation, HHS removed the girl from the home, Bliemeister said.

The foster parents have cared for nine state wards since getting their license, Reno said. There has been no indication of abuse in the home, Bliemeister said.

"This is a very tragic situation, and our hearts go out to the family," said Reno. "DHHS and our provider responsible for foster parent recruitment will continue to cooperate with law enforcements investigation."

The boy and his sister were among 3,516 state wards placed outside of their homes in Nebraska as of Dec. 5, according to HHS.

Reno couldn't say Wednesday how many children have died in Nebraska foster homes.
With the number of homicides in Chicago approaching a two-decade high, the statistics are skewing the murder rate nationally.

Nationally, the murder rate rose 14 percent nationally last year, with Chicago accounting for 43.7 percent of the rise, the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York law and policy institute, reported earlier this month. The increase is being blamed on falling police numbers, poverty and other forms of socioeconomic disadvantage, and gang violence.

President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly cited Chicagos violence during the campaign but the Brennan Center report cautioned against talking about crime being out of control. Trump recommended Chicago police get tougher.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 785 homicides so far in 2016 in Chicago, 705 of them gun-related, heyjackass.com tallied. Christmas weekend was especially deadly with 11 slayings, two fewer than last year. Police were involved in 11 of the shooting deaths this year.

By comparison, Los Angeles has recorded 274 homicides and New York, 320.

chicago murders 2

Photo: Jim Young/Reuters

The total number of people shot in Chicago this year so far is 4,334, 215 of them hit in the buttocks.

Heyjackass calculates a person has been shot every 2 hours this year and a person has died from a gunshot wound every 11 hours, 3 minutes. The deadliest neighborhoods were on the citys South and West sides, with Austin, which borders suburban Oak Park, the worst.

The police departments homicide clearance rate stood at just 18.4 percent, with no suspect charged in 576 of this years homicides.

Chicago saw 481 killings last year, a number surpassed during the Labor Day weekend this year. Police blame repeat offenders using illegal guns and a falling clearance rate, with 90 percent of shootings attributed to gang violence.

Chicago last saw more than 700 homicides in a year in 1998 when 704 people were slain. In 1996, there were 796. The highest number of homicides were recorded in 1974 when 970 people were slain.

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chicago murders

Photo: Jim Young/Reuters

As bad as the Chicago numbers are, the city doesnt even make the list of the 30 most dangerous cities. Neighborhood Scout ranks East St. Louis, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, is ranked as the most dangerous city in the country, followed by Camden, New Jersey; Detroit; Alexandria, Louisiana, and Wilmington, Delaware.

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DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2016 / An American city of Austin has been the nation's fastest growing destination of choice for tech startups for several consecutive years, and up today it holds a reputation of go-to spots for those who wish to launch a new business in the IT industry. As of now, Austin is home to more than 147 companies securing almost $1 billion in funding just in 2015. Along with fresh entrepreneurs, giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook have also opened offices in town. Meeting the increased demand for housing in the area is real estate developer Marcus Hiles, whose vision of upscale, ecologically-minded, yet affordable, homes for the burgeoning new professional class is being realized through more than 15,000 residential units that his company, Western Rim Property Services, has built throughout Texas, including Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth.

"It's really an ideal combination of factors behind the tech boom," said Marcus Hiles. "Texas, of course, is a very business friendly state with zero personal income and corporate taxes. Besides economic incentives, Austin is also renowned for its culture and art, relaxed healthy lifestyle and great weather. Additionally, the University of Texas at Austin brings in many talented young people from all over the world who make the city their home." Along with these elements, Austin is simply much more affordable with a much lower cost of living than other tech hot spots such as Silicon Valley and New York.

Austin is overall proving to be a city of innovators and risk-takers. The Kauffman Index, produced by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is a key measurement of entrepreneurship on the national, state and metropolitan levels. By factoring three metrics - the rate of new businesspersons, the number of those who started their companies when unemployed, and the number of startups per capita - they develop an annual gauge. According to the data released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, roughly 555 out of every 100,000 adults in the Austin region became entrepreneurs in any given month during the past five years, on average. They have placed the startup rate at 180 new businesses - less than a year old and employing at least one other person besides the owner - per 100,000 residents.

Marcus Hiles, Fort Worth founder of Western Rim Property Services, has worked steadily to become a leader in Texas real estate. With a dedication to building quality residences that include advanced eco-friendly technology and natural landscaping techniques to create high value, yet still affordable, homes throughout the greater areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Austin, and San Antonio. Always seeking to give back to the community, Hiles has spearheaded a number of charitable ventures around the Dallas area including school support, children's hospitals and a number of low-income meal programs.

Marcus Hiles - Chairman & CEO of Western Rim Property Services: http://www.MarcusHiles-News.com

Western Rim Property Services- Marcus Hiles - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Western-Rim-Property-Services-Marcus-Hiles-1013270532051763/

Marcus Hiles (@marcus_hiles) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcus_hiles

Marcus Hiles - New Luxury Apartments in Frisco, TX - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmsJNbfOh-g

Contact Information

MarcusHiles-News.com

www.MarcusHiles-News.com

marcus@marcushiles-news.com

SOURCE: Marcus Hiles
The last few months havent been easy for Jennifer Walters, the superhero formerly known as She-Hulk.

The events of Civil War II saw the powerful hero suffer near-fatal injuries and fall into a coma. And when she woke, she learned that her beloved cousin, Bruce Banner, was killed at the hands of one of his friends.

In her new solo series Hulk  which sees her drop the gendered pronoun in her superhero moniker  Jennifer returns to her law practice and begins to pick up the pieces of her life. When we see her at the beginning of the story, shes about to go back into the world because shes been recovering, explains writer Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer). Shes doing her best to put her best foot forward and go back to the workplace.

EW spoke to Tamaki and editor Mark Paniccia about what readers can expect from the series, which debuts Wednesday, and readers can get an exclusive first look at one of the covers from the first issue.

How is Jen dealing with everything thats happened to her post-Civil War II?

MARIKO TAMAKI: Shes not doing so good. Jen is a very capable person. Shes a lawyer and a superhero, and up until this point in her story, shes been Hulk in both things. So since shes become She-Hulk, she (at least more recently) has been in Hulk form when she was in the regular human world doing lawyer work. Now shes not. Shes in human form. On the one hand, shes someone whos very capably going back to work. On the other, shes someone whos falling apart and having a really hard time dealing with the loss of her cousin, and is doing her best to put a band aid over that and just go about her day, but its proving really difficult.

MARK PANICCIA: She lives in this world of super beings, so for Jen to be trying to hold this monster back is unnatural for her, because she embraced her Hulk alter-ego. Theres some really clever stuff in the opening scene of the first issue. Mariko and Nico Leo talked about her apartment and some of the things like the mirror being higher, and everything set up for this larger-than-life character. Its all just a reminder to Jen of this superhuman creature thats inside of her that she now is afraid to let out. So theres this constant struggle throughout the whole series about this other side of her that shes not ready to let out just yet.

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What made you decide to take her out of her Hulk form and show her human side?

TAMAKI: When I was originally contacted by Marvel with this project, that was the way that they saw this starting. I really liked the idea of having somebody who has been comfortable in their skin, suddenly not . Especially someone whos been through a traumatic thing. All these things you take for granted about yourself mentally and physically that are no longer true. So I thought it was a really great starting point for a story about trauma, to put her in this position of literally holding this really big thing which is this thing that she is.

PANICCIA: The other thing, too, is this is one of the results of Civil War II. These are all really heavy things that we wanted to explore in this character whos been this fan-favorite superhero whos going through this terrible trauma and tragedy. Part of Marvels stories are that world outside your window. Theres a lot of people that deal with this on a daily basis, and thats all part of the human condition and in Marvel, the human condition is part of the superhuman condition.

What does Jen consider her relationship with her Hulk side? What does turning into the Hulk mean for her now?

TAMAKI: In the past when she is the Hulk, theres no part of her that goes away. Shes fully conscious when shes in her Hulk form, and shes worked as a lawyer in her Hulk form, and shes gone about her life. So for now, its become this thing that used to make her feel powerful that has now become this more alien thing and become connected to trauma. So now, thinking about the things that have happened to her is connected to changing into the Hulk. Like Mark said, its a scary, terrible thing, because Hulk is who she is. In a way, its a metaphor for trying to suppress your feelings. You can try to ignore the feelings that you have, but ultimately, theres no way around it. If you have had a traumatic event, that thing is just going to keep surfacing inside you until you face it. Right now, at the beginning of the story, Jen is in a place where as much as it feels horrible and unnatural, shes trying to be just in her human form. But it is a part of her, and to ignore all this Hulk stuff is to ignore the past, and you cant really do that.

PANICCIA: In many ways, this is a classic Hulk story. Woman versus monster.

TAMAKI: All stories are woman versus monster.

PANICCIA: We do deal with a lot of the internal, but youre gonna see some smashing.

TAMAKI: Yeah. Hulk will smash. Its absolutely happening One thing that a lot of people have commented to me is that this is a character that they feel really personally connected to. That was definitely something that I wanted to honor. A lot of people like the fact that she is this very human person and shes very relatable. People really love Jennifer Walters for her personality, and thats definitely something I loved too. I wanted to take time to really embrace that.

Marvel

Jen was on Patsy Walkers book up until recently. Will we see her or any other Marvel characters stop by and help her?

TAMAKI: Well, its the Marvel world, so theyre all there. I really hope that people pay attention and find the things that are there. Its definitely something worth paying attention as you read through the issues in terms of the presence of other characters. I would say Patsy is her best friend, or one of her best friends, and the Hulks relationships havent changed in terms of where she is now.  Its interesting because she lives in New York City, so she lives in a place where shes constantly surrounded by people. The great thing, and maybe the scary thing about New York, is that you can be in a very busy place and be very isolated at the same time, so I liked having that, but also having a chance to show her having connections with other people, and other people who are around her who will see whats going on with her and reach out.

Who will she be facing in terms of villains?

TAMAKI: a new foe. The thing that I got really interested in, in writing this story, was the idea of how people deal with feeling traumatized, or with trauma, and definitely one of the things that came up was this idea of people who cant leave their house or dont leave their house. And so I spent a lot of time thinking what kind of villain would be associated with that situation.

What about professionally? What is returning to work as a lawyer like for her?

TAMAKI: When I first realized that she was a lawyer, I thought of what kind of things would be meaningful to you after experiencing what shes experienced. So shes not really doing grand courtroom events. Its more about helping the people who come to her for help. This series focuses on a specific case where shes helping somebody with their legal trouble.

Marvel

Mark mentioned some of the artistic considerations Nico Leon made in terms of Jens current situation. How has it been collaborating with him and colorist Matt Milla?

TAMAKI: and I have had a lot of really interesting conversations because he really can see how to tell the story about the character visually and what details add up. Hes incredibly creative when it comes to things like that. One of the first things we talked about was Jens apartment and what it would mean for Jen to have been in Hulk form, and now being in human form. What an apartment would look like for a superhero and how that would look if a person is human. There are all those details in there, and he has a really great sense of physical comedy. Some of these questions hes come up with have definitely impacted the storyline, things that would be part of her physical world that weve incorporated into her storyline. Its a give and take, and I really appreciate that part of the process.

PANICCIA: Nico really thinks about the script. He reads through it and looks at all the environments and spends a lot of time building those. Hes thinking about that on a storytelling level. the whole thing with Jens apartment, and subtle stuff in the cityscapes, and the backgrounds. Its not just in the figures and the expressions and the body language. Its about how theyre set up in relationship to the environment that theyre in as well.

TAMAKI: Matt and Nico have been working very closely, and the impact of that part of the collaboration is such a huge part of setting the tone. All the details are part of the atmosphere, but one of the things that Ive really noticed about this comic is how much coloring makes it atmospheric. It really just makes it cold. And thats coming from me, in California! This is about winter obviously, so its been really amazing to see how Nico and Matt have really worked together to really give you a sense of a cold New York night. Its an emotional story thats so much about mood and tone.

Marvels Hulk is currently available for purchase online and in comic book stores. Read more preview pages below.

Marvel Marvel Marvel
Mark Cuban

Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban told Business Insider on Tuesday that he embarked on a recent Twitter campaign, in which he argued that his tweets were copyrighted and therefore could not be posted elsewhere without permission, because he "knew it would drive people crazy."

It evidently worked.

Earlier in December, Cuban made his Twitter account private for a short time, seeking to cut down on his followers. But he also posted a tweet that caught the attention of the Twitterverse.

"Notice: For as long as my Twitter feed is private all original tweets are copyrighted and can't be posted elsewhere without my permission," he wrote.

Cuban has since made his account public, doing so after publishing a blog post regarding his suggestions to President-elect Donald Trump on infrastructure spending.

But on Monday night, Gizmodo published a story with the headline "Tech Billionaire Mark Cuban Still Has No Idea How Tweets Work." Gizmodo wrote that Cuban's tweet was like "the rich cousin of those bulls--- Facebook copyright statuses you see your most gullible friends post every couple years."

As fair-use doctrine relating to copyright law allows, Cuban's tweets could be quoted elsewhere, such as in news stories, without any permission needed because the user could prove the newsworthiness of a post from an influential public figure with millions of social media followers.

After the Gizmodo story was tweeted at him on Tuesday, Cuban engaged with several users on the subject, most of whom were curious about the meaning of his mid-December tweet. Business Insider also reached out to him for comment, seeking some clarification on what he meant by his initial posting.

In an email, Cuban said his tweet had "nothing to do with quotes" from outlets, adding that he "never had a problem with anyone quoting me."

"My tweet was very clear," he said. "It only applied to when my feed was private and to using my tweets off of Twitter. You can't reuse copyrighted material that you find on Twitter, elsewhere (i.e., off of Twitter)."

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Asked if he was having problems with users taking photos or videos from his tweets, or reposting them as their own words on individual accounts, he said he was not.

"Just knew it would drive people crazy and it would be entertaining," he said.

NOW WATCH: Donald Trumps connection with Vince McMahon and WWE spans decades





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In the wake of Carrie Fisher's death on Tuesday, her longtime friend and Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill opened up about the "heartbreaking" loss.

"It's never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking. Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all- whether she liked it or not," Hamill said in a statement his rep released to ET on Tuesday night.

WATCH: 'Star Wars' Star Daisy Ridley Mourns 'Monumental Loss' of Carrie Fisher

"She was OUR Princess, damn it, & the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent & ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away," the 65-year-old star continued. "Determined & tough, but with a vulnerability that made you root for her & want her to succeed & be happy."

"She played such a crucial role in my professional & personal life, & both would have been far emptier without her," he added.

PHOTOS: Stars We've Lost In Recent Years

Hamill and Fisher first shared the screen in the original Star Wars in 1977, playing Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in roles that would forever make and define their careers. After appearing together in all three episodes of the original Star Wars trilogy, they reprised their iconic characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.

"I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness & even the bratty, self-indulgent crap my beloved space-twin gave me through the years," Hamill concluded. "Thanks Carrie. I love you."

Earlier in the day, Hamill took to Twitter to share his emotional reaction to the news of Fisher's death. The actor posted a black-and-white throwback photo of the pair in character as Luke and Leia in 1977, writing, "no words #Devastated."

WATCH: Carrie Fisher Dies at 60: Friends, Family and Co-Stars React to Actress' Death

Fisher died on Tuesday after going into cardiac arrest last week during a flight from London to Los Angeles International Airport. After receiving advanced life support from the paramedics, Fisher was relocated to a nearby hospital where she later died.

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Many of Fisher's closest friends, co-stars and admirers took to social media after her death to share heartfelt tributes celebrating the beloved star's life and legacy. Watch the video below for a look at how some celebs honored the late actress.

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Mark Hamill joined the ranks of celebrities paying tribute to the late Carrie Fisher on Tuesday, writing a heartfelt tribute to the woman who played his sister in both the original Star Wars series and in last years The Force Awakens.

Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker to Fishers Princess Leia, originally wrote that he had no words in the wake of Fishers death, but later shared his remembrance of his friend and colleague on Twitter.

Its never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking, he wrote. Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us allwhether she liked it or not. She was OUR princess, damn it, & the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent & ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away. Determined & tough, but with a vulnerability that made you root for her & want her to succeed & be happy. She played such a crucial role in my professional & personal life, & both would have been far emptier without her. I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness & even the bratty, self-indulgent crap my beloved space-twin gave me through the years. Thanks Carrie. I love you, mh.
Mexico wants to keep an open agenda in its upcoming discussion with Donald Trump next month, aiming to discuss everything from trade, border security, illegal immigration and curbing the heroine epidemic.

The goal for the Mexican government is to have a bargaining chip when the two nations meet to map out a future relationship under the next White House administration. A meeting date has not been set ahead of Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

Trump has stroked uncertainty in the bordering countries stable relationship, promising to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and claiming Mexico sends its drug smugglers, rapists and criminals. But if Mexico maintains an open-mind when listening to the president-elects concerns, a senior Mexican government official said the government could further bolster its own economic interests, Reuters reported Wednesday.

"It can't just be about one issue, as that would put us at a disadvantage," Mexican Congressman Victor Giorgana told Reuters.

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Photo: Reuters

Mexico could be planning to deepen its commitment to curbing drug trafficking along its northern border, as well as preventing illegal immigration along its southern border, where thousands of Latin Americans make the voyage each year through Mexico to the states.

"These people are trying to enter U.S. territory. So it's a shared issue. At some point these things must be put on the table, and they have to open their eyes," Enrique Jackson, deputy leader of the PRI in the lower house of Congress, told Reuters.

When it comes to Trumps wall, Mexico has already vowed to take no part in funding or constructing the border security pledge that became synonymous with the president-elects successful presidential campaign. Despite Trump saying he never discussed who would pay for the wall during his August meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, the president later tweeted, "At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall."

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ABOUT THAT HIP OPERATION

I guess I shouldve said something when I started getting prayers and well wishes from friends and colleagues alike  including some of the biggest names in the business. I have definitely mentioned that I needed a hip replacement, definitely mentioned that I intended to get one sometime early in 2017, but never actually set a date. I have this little tiny problem in that I dont actually have health insurance.

I had health insurance for 26 years, but the last four years have been tough  with companies sending out letters telling me they will no longer be insuring families, and that I needed to find alternate insurance. By 2016 health insurance was particularly confusing, and after missing one payment, I found myself no longer insured. I am doing my best to be insured in 2017, but nothing is guaranteed, and I have no idea how this new insurance company will feel about replacing a hip that clearly shouldve been replaced many years ago.

For those wondering why the general manager of Raw needs to procure his own health insurance: well, Im on a handshake deal. I do the job as long as I enjoy it and feel like I am making a difference, and I do it as long as WWE is happy with me and thinks Im the best person for the role. No contract involved at all, except for the legends deal, which is strictly about merchandise. For those wondering why I just dont pay out-of-pocket, well its a $60,000 operation, and I am going to look at some other options before I shell out 60K for an operation. Maybe I will concentrate on landing a couple of TV or film roles and get the far superior AFTRA insurance to take care of the operation. I probably should not be talking about it at all  but the word is out there, and I feel like I owe people an explanation.

Luckily, I am used to the constant pain  and its not like I wasnt warned by almost every guy in the wrestling business that the moves I was doing as a younger man were going to come back to haunt me. Well, theyre haunting me! The weight-loss has helped considerably; without it, and the DDP yoga, I dont believe I could even get through airports. But the constant travel means constant pain. I love being the Raw GM, and I will miss it when its gone. But my quality of life will probably improve when Stephanie and WWE decide to go in a new direction.

Thank you for your prayers and concern. I am coming off an amazing December, during which I created some memories that I know I will hold onto for a lifetime. I know a lot of people dont get my whole Santa thing. I can only tell you that when that red suit goes on, the very best part of me comes out, and I do some things I am very proud of each December. I had wanted most of December off, but I had made a commitment to the Pittsburgh Childrens Hospital, and it meant a lot to me to fulfill that commitment. Then Mr. McMahon said something to me about a shark cage in question with Chris Jericho suspended above it, and I knew I had to be at that Raw. I missed Mondays raw. I should be back for almost every episode until that moment comes when/if the company decides to go in a different direction. If they do, I will simply be grateful for every single day I had a chance to go out and try to make a difference. Some nights I was more successful than others. But deep down I think the superstars in the back know I was doing my best to look out for them  and they know that has not always the case when it comes to the people who fill these roles.

With or without a new hip Im going to lead a good life. The medical sciences out there to help me lead a life with far less pain. I hope that I am given the opportunity to take advantage of the new technology. Maybe some enterprising orthopedic specialist can think outside the box and look at me as a potential poster-boy for their services. If The Rock can sell tires, then I have to believe I can sell hip replacements.

Have a nice day.
EW Radio hosts Julia Cunningham and Kyle Anderson sat down with a few members of the cast of Foxs upcoming comedy The Mick at EW PopFest to discuss the shows out-of-the-box approach to network TV.

From Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia writers Dave and John Chernin, The Mick stars fellow Sunny actress Kaitlin Olson as Mackenzie Murphy, a hard-living, foul-mouthed woman forced to take care of her wealthy sisters spoiled kids after their mother and father are arrested for fraud and subsequently flee the country.

Also from the world outside ritzy Greenwich is Jimmy, played by Scott MacArthur. Hes her tagalong, MacArthur explained during an interview at EW PopFest. We dont call him the boyfriend, but hes her dude. While not exactly a love interest, he brings additional heat to Mackenzies plate while she worries more about her nephews, Chip and Ben, and niece, Sabrina.

MacArthur applauds the shows unique approach to network comedy. Its a network comedy, but we wanted to bring a stylistic approach that the Chernin brothers and Kaitlin had learned and honed on Sunny, he said.

I love the pacing, I think its what keeps it funny and fresh, said Carla Jimenez, who plays housekeeper Alba.

The actors also revealed their reverence for the entire process of getting onto the series. Its the most amazing audition scene I think Ive ever done in my history of acting and it made me want it even more to be here, said Jimenez, keeping tight what the actual audition requirement was.

Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of my favorite shows of all time and I always dreamed to have a part on that show. Then when I got the script and I knew everyone from that show was behind it, it was the coolest thing in the world, said Thomas Barbusca, who plays Chip. So I thought it was really cool and I just set that out there and tried to get it.

Much like the show itself, the interview takes an unexpected turn for the hilarious. Tommy was actually at a Tony Robbins seminar when he got the sides, so he set the intention to get the role and then he crushed it, said MacArthur over Barbuscas enthusiasm.

The Mick premieres New Years Day, Jan. 1, 2017, at 8 p.m. on Fox.
ET has everything you need to know about Hollywood's latest beauty obsession -- eyebrow microblading.

This new trend for achieving the perfect eyebrows has been adopted by some of Hollywood's most elite stars, from Bella Thorne to Oprah Winfrey, and beauty entrepreneur Anastasia Soare let ET in on the process.

WATCH: Kelly Clarkson Gets Eyebrows Waxed as Daughter River Hilariously Watches in Amazement

"It's almost like a light tattoo on the surface that creates strokes of hair," Soare explained to ET's Carly Steel at her Beverly Hills salon last week.

The $2,000 technique is done with a hand-held tool containing tiny needles that put semi-permanent pigment into the skin without going as deep as a normal tattoo. Customers can typically expect their microbladed brows to last for a year.

While there are a number of businesses offering microblading, Soare noted that not every salon will give you red-carpet worthy brows.

PIC: Hailey Baldwin Bleaches Her Eyebrows for London Fashion Week

"Everybody can do strokes, but you need to understand what is the best shape for your face according to your bone structure," she said.

Jasmine Kim has been working with Soare for 16 years and she demonstrated the technique on Steel.

"Once the skin has opened up in the areas that I want, I'm rubbing the ink on it and let it sit, so that way the ink kind of goes right into the isolated areas that I just scraped," Kim said as she worked her magic with Steel's brows.

WATCH: Zachary Quinto Says Shaved 'Star Trek' Eyebrows Are a 'Badge of Honor'

"They literally look like hairs!" Steel said when she saw the finished product. "I cannot believe this is me with no makeup on. This is insane."

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- Mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey will seek to reclaim the bantamweight title when she steps into the octagon for the first time in more than a year to battle Amanda Nunes in Las Vegas. The 29-year-old from Los Angeles has not fought since she was pummelled to an upset defeat by Holly Holm in 2015. Following the loss, Rousey went into seclusion and kept a low profile in the build up to the Nunes fight by declining to do interviews. "I am very focussed and I know how I am going to stop her. I can't wait," Nunes, of Brazil, told the Los Angeles Times however.

AFP
By Eric M. Johnson and Keith Coffman

(Reuters) - Top Montana Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday warned neo-Nazis they would find "no safe haven" for a rally that could include guns planned for next month in a mountain town where white nationalists have threatened Jewish residents.

The lawmakers include both Democrats and U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, recently picked by Republican President-elect Donald Trump to be interior secretary.

"We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here," Zinke wrote in an open letter also signed by Democratic Montana Governor Steve Bullock, U.S. senators Republican Steve Daines and Democrat Jon Tester, and Republican Attorney General Tim Fox.

Neo-Nazis plan to march in January in the mountain ski town of Whitefish in Montana's remote and rugged northwestern reaches. The march is to support the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer. Sherry Spencer is facing pressure from community members to sell a building she owns in Whitefish because of its ties to her son and disavow her son's beliefs.

The building has been the subject of protests in the community.

As pressure mounted against the building, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist website "Daily Stormer" urged its readers in an article to "take action" against Jews in the Whitefish area.

In its article, the "Daily Stormer" called for an "old fashioned Troll Storm" against community members and published their names and phone numbers along with yellow Jewish stars superimposed over their photographs. It also said that because of gun laws in Montana, "we can easily march through the center of the town carrying high-powered rifles."

The website contains many anti-Semitic descriptions and images of Jews, but said it does not endorse violence.

Spencer is the president of the National Policy Institute, a think tank within the alt-right movement, which includes neo-Nazis and white supremacists. In a video posted online by the Atlantic Monthly magazine, some institute members could be seen hailing Trump's election victory with Nazi-era salutes after Spencer addressed the group at its conference last month in Washington, D.C.

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Spencer has said on Twitter he might pursue Zinke's House of Representatives seat if Zinke is confirmed as Trump's interior secretary.

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial told Reuters in a phone interview last week that his department had assigned extra patrols to the homes and businesses of the residents identified in the article. However, Dial said there had been no reports of harassment or intimidation of the Jewish community that rose to the level of a crime.

Dial also said Federal Bureau of Investigation officials told him they interviewed Spencer and that he denounced the "Daily Stormer" postings.

In a statement to Reuters, Spencer's father said he and his wife "love our son, but do not agree with his polemics, societal desires or his extreme political leanings."

(This version of the story has been refiled to say, in the fifth paragraph, that the building has been the subject of multiple protests, not that there was a single protest in front of the building)

(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Writing and additional reporting by Eric M. Johnson from Seattle; Editing by Ben Klayman and Lisa Shumaker)
MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist blasted Bill de Blasio on Wednesday, saying its pathetic that New York City mayors staff would politicize a bomb scare at Trump Tower.

Trump Tower was partially evacuated in a potential bomb scare on Tuesday afternoon but the suspicious package was just an unattended bag of toys and posed no threat. A member of de Blasios staff tweeted that he would send Trumps transition team the bill for the cost to evacuate the building.

Its just pathetic. Its just sad, Geist said. That weve reached that point where theres a bomb scare in the lobby and you tweet something cute about it.

Also Read: Rockette Speaks Out About Trump Inauguration Gig

Co-host Mike Barnicle chimed in, Its embarrassing for the de Blasio administration.

According to the Washington Post, the lobby of Trump Tower is accessible to the public from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. under the terms of an agreement with the city, making securing the building a headache for both NYPD and the Secret Service. De Blasio has repeatedly complained about the cost of protecting the building.

Trump Tower, a 58-floor skyscraper in midtown Manhattan, serves as the residence of President-elect Donald Trump, as well as the offices for both his business and transition teams as Trump prepares for his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Also Read: Trump Tower Evacuation Highlights Tough Job Faced by Secret Service in New York

Trump was not in Trump Tower at the time of the evacuation. The president-elect has been spending the holidays at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort called Mar-a-Lago.

The joke that didnt land well with the Morning Joe team came after Trumps press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted, Back to work here at Trump tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD.

No problem. We'll send you the bill. https://t.co/mxbUqzgHds  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 27, 2016

Watch the Morning Joe video above.

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'Morning Joe' Rips President Obama Over 'Holocaust' in Syria: 'He Did Absolutely Nothing' (Video)
At least three people, including a member of parliament, Fakuri Beheshti, were injured in explosion in Kabuls Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood, near the Al Zahra mosque, on the morning of December 28.

Afghan television station 1TV, citing Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, reported that Beheshti and his son were injured in the blast.

TOLO News cited an eyewitness as saying one of the MPs bodyguards had been killed, though this report had not been confirmed.

This footage shows the aftermath of the blast. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful
By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A man suspected of murdering a Washington yoga instructor and actress told police she hanged herself after they had sex and he then drove around with the body in her car, a court document filed on Wednesday said.

Tricia McAuley, 46, a stage actress who also appeared in the 2006 Channing Tatum movie "Step Up," was found strangled and beaten in her car early on Tuesday. Police said she had been expected at a friend's Christmas party but never showed up.

Adrian Duane Johnson, 29, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is charged with first-degree murder in her death, police said. During an initial appearance in District of Columbia Superior Court on Wednesday, a judge ordered Johnson, identified in a charging document as Duane A. Johnson, held without bond.

Police arrested Johnson in a Washington drugstore, with McAuley's car parked outside, the document said. He told officers that McAuley had given him a lift on Christmas Day and they had had sex "on a curb somewhere."

McAuley became despondent and hanged herself in the vehicle after telling the suspect that he could have her money, credit cards and car, the filing quoted Johnson as saying.

He then drove around the Washington area with the body concealed in the back seat, even after he picked up a prostitute, the document said.

Johnson was also arrested for a drugstore robbery on Monday during which he attacked store employees.

A yoga instructor and actor, McAuley had stood in for lead Jenna Dewan in "Step Up" and also appeared in two short films, according to the Internet Movie Database.

Johnson faces a theft charge and a Washington judge had ordered him to wear a GPS monitoring device after he was released on Dec. 20. But police spokeswoman Aquita Brown said he was not wearing the monitor when he was arrested.

Friends held a candlelight vigil on late on Tuesday outside the yoga studio where McAuley worked. They described her as a vibrant personality who juggled a variety of jobs and interests, including preparing herbal remedies and acting with a theater troupe in the U.S. capital.

Deborah Randall, a longtime friend, told ABC affiliate WJLA she was angry about the death. "Because it was so violent and unnecessary. And then it just keeps making me think of our conversations, about always looking for the positive," she said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)
The Myanmar navy opened fire on fishing boats this week, injuring at least four Bangladeshi fishermen who were in their countrys waters, according to Bangladeshi border guards. The allegation Wednesday came amid heightened tensions over a refugee crisis that has seen a Muslim minority fleeing from Myanmar fearing their lives.

The fishermen, fishing within Bangladesh's body of water on the Bay of Bengal Cherrha Dwip, were shot by a Myanmar navy vessel, Mohammad Saiful Absar, the contingent commander of the Bangladeshi border guard in St. Martin, said, according to Reuters.

The shooting, which Absar said took place Tuesday, highlights heightened tensions between the two countries as Myanmars government faces international criticism that it hasnt done enough to help the Rohingyas, a Muslim minority community in the southern Myanmar state Rakhine.

There have been at least 130 people killed in Rakhine in recent months following an army crackdown triggered by Rohingya attacks on police posts near the Bangladesh border that killed nine officers. The anti-insurgency efforts undertaken recently by the Myanmar army led to silence between Myanmar and Bangaldesh officials, who have been upset with the flood of Rohingyas fleeing across the border into their country.

Rohingyas have fled Myanmar since at least the 1970s but the violence that followed the October killings has led more people to try and flee the country. The 34,000 or so refugees who have fled in recent months have seen Bangladesh deploy extra border agents to push back against the influx.

The Rohingyas are an ethnic Muslim minority group in the country who practice a variation of Sunni Islam. There are an estimated one million of them living in Myanmar and they make up about a third of the population of the state where they live. They have not been granted official citizenship with the Myanmar government, a situation that has created a large population without legal documentation who are effectively stateless, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Because of their lack of legal status, many Rohingyas have fled the country over restrictions on marriage, employment, education, religious choice and family planning. Rakhine state is the least developed of all states in Myanmar and suffers a poverty rate that inflicts more than 78 percent of households.

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Legislators in Myanmar are hoping to pass a law that would send men to jail if they get a woman pregnant and dont marry them afterward, according to a senior government official Wednesday. Those in violation of the potential bill could face up to seven-year behind bars.

The prospective legislation, aimed at strengthening womens rights in the Southeast Asian country of roughly 53 million people, would reportedly be the first of its kind. It would additionally make gang rape a capital offense, according to Naw Tha Wah, director of the countrys social welfare department. Naw Tha Wah said the bill is in its final draft.

"We are now drafting a bill to protect women and prevent violence against them," Naw Tha Wah told Agence France-Presse. "Women can complain if they are bullied into not getting married after living together. We will give them protection under the law."

The bill is pending approval from a vote in Myanmar Parliament, but if passed, perpetrators could be jailed up to five years for declining to marry a woman after living with her, and seven years if doing so while she is pregnant.

Myanmar had a history of human rights abuses while being subjugated to military rule from 1962 until 2011. Its current government, headed by Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, was recently rewarded by President Barack Obama when he announced in September that the United States would lift its economic sanctions on Myanmar because of its progress on human rights.

Social reforms instilled by the current government included the allowance of international news websites and YouTube into the country. Before 2012, only government selected and privately funded newspapers were permitted to publish information.

Myanmar is widely regarded as a socially conservative country where women are treated as second-class citizens, which is accentuated by the fact that the Burmese language doesnt have a word for female genitalia and womens clothes are mandated to be washed separately from those of men because the lower half of female body is tabooed to be unclean.

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The country's parliament passed a law in July 2015 preventing Burmese women from marrying any man who wasn't Buddhist without receiving prior consent from the government.

"It's very frustrating because the government says we are going to be a democracy...but this kind of law, which restricts rights of women goes against international norms and standards," Wai Wai Nu, an activist for the country's heavily persecuted Muslim minority group the Rohingya, told Al Jazeera at the time.

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Neo-Nazis planning an armed rally next month in Montana were warned by state lawmakers Tuesday that they would find no safe haven here.

The founder of white Supremacist website The Daily Stormer wrote a post last week encouraging a march through the remote mountain town of Whitefish, the home of the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer. A building owned by Sherry Spencer has been a target of protests because of her sons beliefs and actions, which included giving a Nazi salute during a conference last month.

In his post, Andrew Anglin encouraged followers to take advantage of Montanas extremely liberal open carry laws to arm themselves with high-powered rifles. The march, he said, would be against Jews, Jewish businesses and everyone who supports either.

But both Democratic and Republican officials in the state condemned such views. The message came in an open letter that was signed by various local leaders, including Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, U.S. Sens. Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines, Republican Attorney General Tim Fox and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who has been picked by President-elect Donald Trump to be interior secretary.

We condemn attacks on our religious freedom manifesting in a group of anti-Semites, read the letter, reported local CBS affiliate KXLH. We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation. We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.

The Daily Stormer has called for a troll storm against community leaders, publishing their photos and contact information, along with tags like super-Jew. Anglin refers to Jews as a vicious, evil race of hate-filled psychopaths. He also urges against using violence.

Richard Spencer

Photo: Reuters/Spencer Selvidge

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Spencer came to prominence after a video posted by The Atlantic showed him giving a speech celebrating the election victory of Trump in November. Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory, Spencer said to more than 200 people at a conference in Washington D.C.

His mother has since faced pressure to sell the building she owns in Whitefish, with a vigil and protest held in front of the building earlier this month.

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Nick Cannon isn't letting his recent hospital stay get him down.

The 36-year-old America's Got Talent host spent Christmas at Cedars-Sinai Hospital due to complications with lupus, though on Wednesday, he let all his fans know that he's planning to tackle 2017 stronger than ever. In a video update from the hospital, Cannon thanked everyone for their support.

"I'm still in the hospital but I'm about to get out of here, for real, and I'm letting you know we're about to take it to a whole new level," Cannon says. "I've just been sitting here, reflecting, and I can't sit here dormant no more. I'm about to take it to the new level, a different stratosphere, a different mesosphere. I'm sitting here just getting stronger, just, like, Iron Man strong, Incredible Hulk type strong."

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE -- Nick Cannon Talks 'Outstanding' Feeling Expecting Another Child

"Nietzsche said, 'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger,'" he adds. "We all are stronger because we made it through 2016, and we're gonna keep going. One love."

On Monday, Cannon got a visit from his good friend, Kevin Hart, as well as comedian Dick Gregory. "So happy to see my brother @nickcannon getting back to himself," Hart Instagrammed. "Nothing but love for you man..... #GetWellNick #Ncredible."

So happy to see my brother @nickcannon getting back to himself. Nothing but love for you man..... #GetWellNick #Ncredible A photo posted by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Dec 26, 2016 at 11:04am PST

WATCH: Nick Cannon Reveals How Mariah Carey Reacted to His Baby News -- 'She Was Funny With It'

Last week, the father of two shared that his doctors said he would be "back to normal" before the New Year.

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Watch the video below for more on Cannon's recent health scare.

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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - More than 3,000 people in northeast Nigeria who were forced to flee the seven-year insurgency waged by Islamist militants have returned to their hometown following the reopening of major roads in the area, the army said on Tuesday. Damasak - in the northwest of Borno, the state worst hit by the militants - was taken over by Boko Haram in late 2014, when it controlled an area the size of Belgium in northeast Nigeria. The insurgents were pushed out of the town by the army in July. President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday that the army had taken back Boko Haram's main camp in the Sambisa forest. On Sunday, the government said it was reopening two roads between Borno's capital, Maiduguri, and the northern towns of Damasak and Baga. Army spokesman Sani Usman said more than 3,000 people used one of the roads to return to Damasak on Monday. Reuters was unable to independently verify his statement. "They were residents of Damasak displaced by the insurgency staying as refugees in the neighbouring Niger Republic and internally displaced people in Maiduguri," he said. Usman said the returnees went through military security checks when they arrived and were met by local government officials and community leaders. More than two million people have been displaced during the insurgency as Boko Haram tries to establish an Islamic state, run using a strict interpretation of sharia, in the northeast. About 15,000 people have been killed. After the announcement that the Sambisa camp had been taken, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, said the former game reserve would be used as a military training base to prevent the insurgents returning. Security analysts say Boko Haram split this year with one faction led by Abubakar Shekau operating from the Sambisa forest and the other, allied to Islamic State and led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, based in the Lake Chad region. Despite having been pushed back by a military offensive in the last few months, Boko Haram still stages suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria and in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon. (Reporting by Lanre Ola; Additional reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja and Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - A group of 21 Nigerian Chibok girls brought home for Christmas after almost three years in captivity were prevented from celebrating at home with their families, several sources told AFP on Wednesday.

The 21 were among more than 200 mostly Christian schoolgirls released in October after being snatched by jihadist Boko Haram gunmen in April 2014 in a kidnapping that sent shockwaves across the world.

The group had been brought back to Chibok on Friday under heavy escort to spend Christmas at home but family and relatives said that instead they had been kept inside the house of a local parliamentarian for several days.

"What is the point of bringing them home if we as their parents can't see them?" said one of the fathers, who asked not to be identified.

A mother accused the government of "deliberately breaking our hearts in this festive period".

The girls were not given permission either to attend Christmas mass, angering Chibok residents as well as their relatives.

"We are a community and we take these girls as ours whether they are related to us or not," said local resident Ayuba Alamson.

A spokesman for the presidency Garba Shehu said in a statement late Tuesday that the officers in charge of protecting the girls had misinterpreted their instructions.

"There were some hitches arising from a lack of understanding of the objective of the trip on the part of some security operatives," he said, adding that instructions have "been given from headquarters for access by the parents to be eased".

Several dozen girls are still in captivity and those freed are watched over. Their capture had sparked a global Twitter campaign under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has no meeting planned with Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou, a Trump spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Sassou's spokesman, Thierry Moungalla, earlier had said Sassou, a member of the African Union's High Level Committee on Libya, and Trump were scheduled for a U.S. meeting on Tuesday to discuss the political turmoil in Libya and other African issues. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said there had never been a meeting scheduled and would not be one before Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump has been holding a series of meetings at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Trump Tower in New York City as he prepares to assume the White House from Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama on Jan. 20. Most of the meetings have centered on possible candidates to serve in his administration, including his Cabinet. Trump aides have said he is scheduled to meet this week with Elsa Murano, who served as undersecretary of agriculture for food safety under President George W. Bush and is a possible contender for agriculture secretary, although no date was given. (Reporting by Richard Cowan in Palm Beach, Florida; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Bill Trott)
The director of a West Virginia nonprofit who called first lady Michelle Obama an ape in heels was fired, state officials said Tuesday.

Pamela Taylor, who headed the Clay County Development Corp., was removed from her position as the result of an agreement between the state and the nonprofits board of directors, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

Taylors racist Facebook post was not mentioned as a reason for her firing. Instead, Robert Roswall, state commissioner for senior services, said the Clay County agency had not been following nonprofit law, including violations of the open meetings act, the boards structure and refusal to respond to public records requests.

This was the best opportunity to make things right for people here, Roswall told MetroNews, adding Taylors comment prompted people to start calling state officials to lodge complaints about how the agency was run.

After the Nov. 8 election, Taylor expressed satisfaction on her Facebook page that Obama would no longer be first lady.

"It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady back in the White House. I'm tired of seeing an ape in heels," she wrote.

The comment prompted strong reactions, comparing Taylor to an ape as well as various farm animals. She was suspended for six weeks and had been scheduled to return to work last Friday when the state and the nonprofits board reached agreement on the future of the agency.

Beverly Whaling, the mayor of Clay, the community about 20 miles northeast of Charleston where the nonprofit has its offices, resigned after replying to Taylors comment: Just made my day Pam. Whaling later tried to explain her comment to the Washington Post: My comment was not intended to be racist at all. I was referring to my day being made for change in the White House! I am truly sorry for any hard feeling this may have caused! Those who know me know that Im not in any way racist!

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In addition, to Taylors firing, two of her sisters, who also worked for the agency, were fired, MetroNews reported.

The state initiated an investigation of the Clay County Development Corp.s finances. The agency, the second largest employer in the county with 192 workers in 2014, provides financial support to elderly and low-income residents as well as services to the elderly, and received $1.5 million in federal funding and $363,000 in state funding in 2014, the Gazette-Mail reported.

The 2014 census estimated 25 percent of county residents live below the poverty line.

The nonprofits functions were to be administered for the next six months by the Appalachian Area Agency on Aging while the staff is retrained.

"Following the state's request for specific assurances that the CCDC is following anti-discrimination policies, we have been assured that Pamela Taylor has been removed from her position as CCDC director," Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said in a statement.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to take advantage of the political situation in the U.S. and South Korea to complete its nuclear development by 2017, a former North Korean diplomat said Tuesday.

Due to domestic political procedures, North Korea calculates that South Korea and the U.S. will not be able to take physical or military actions to deter North Korea's nuclear development, Thae Yong Ho, who defected to South Korea in July, said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The isolated nation may attempt to open dialogue with the new governments in the U.S. and South Korea, Thae said. Until then, the Kim Jong Un-led country will go ahead with nuclear tests in defiance to sanctions imposed by the two countries, he added.

North Korea believes that relentless provocations must shift new [South Korean and U.S.] governments' policy lines into more stability-focused ones, said Thae, who formerly served as the Norths deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The North will not give up on its nuclear ambitions at any cost, the former diplomat said.

As long as [Kim is in power] North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons ... the North will not give them up even if the country is offered $1 trillion or $10 trillion in return, Thae reportedly said. Its not a matter of [economic] incentives.

Last Friday, Thae said that North Korea is likely to carry out a nuclear test during the South Korean presidential election early next year. The country seeks to be recognized as a nuclear country  similar to India or Pakistan  a status rejected by both the U.S. and South Korea, he added. Pyongyang reportedly sees the prime time for getting such recognition during the early stages of the new U.S. administration, which means late 2017 or early 2018.

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A prominent defector from North Korea described the conditions under Kim Jong Un as akin to slavery, the BBC reported last week.

Thae Yong-ho, a former deputy envoy to London, left North Korea after seeing life for its citizens grow increasingly harsh under Kim. South Korean politician Lee Cheol-Woo told the BBC that Thae grew disillusioned working with the leaders of the North Korea.

"There are many ranking North Korean officials suffering from depression over concerns they will have to live like slaves for a long time if the North's young leader rules the country for decades," Lee said Thae told him, according to the BBC.

Thae, who has been protected by the South Korean government since he defected in August this year, reportedly added that there was a "tyrannical reign of terror" in Pyongyang, according to Sky News. The Sunday Express reported that another reason the former diplomat defected was that he was charged with the "impossible" task of bribing a British official to obtain nuclear secrets. After he defected, Thae was reportedly labeled as "human scum" by North Korean state media.

Life under Kim's repressive regime can prove incredibly difficult. The isolated country regularly deals with deadly food shortages and has an economy that is largely shut off from the rest of the world. Kim, however, leads a life of luxury as the country's supreme leader. This week he told people to stop whining and having a "defeatist" attitude.

"[There] are some units which memorize the party's policies only by word and carry out works by pulling the wool over peoples eyes and taking shortcuts," Kim said during a conference for the Workers Party of Korea, according to NK News.

"The parties of some countries who previously established socialist systems collapsed as they were abandoned by their people and drove socialism to ruin, and it's significantly related to the prevalence of the 'administrative bureaucratic tendencies'," Kim added.

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Norway is asking for a divorce from its biggest, most important church. The Church of Norway and the Norwegian government will formally become separated on Jan. 1 after nearly 500 years.

Norway seeks to formalize a separation of church and state ordered by parliament eight years ago. Under the new law, Norway's 1,250 priests and bishops will no longer serve as government officials appointed by the king. That means the Church of Norway will become an independent business, and it's a big deal in a nation that has been grappling with an influx of Muslims and how to ensure other religions have equal protection.

We are facing the biggest organizational change of the church since the Reformation, Jens-Petter Johnsen, the head of the Churchs National Council, said. The changes will create a clear separation between church and state.

The bill that passed parliament nearly a decade ago overhauled Norway's Constitution by erasing the phrase, "The Evangelical-Lutheran religion will remain the states public religion. Instead, lawmakers came up with this language: "The Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran Church, will remain Norway's national church and will be supported as such by the state."

But for proponents of separating church and state, that's not enough of a distinction.

As long as the Constitution says that the Church of Norway is Norway's national church, and that it should be supported by the state, we still have a state church, said Kristin Mile, secretary general of the Norwegian Humanist Association, according to local media reports.

Mille and others want to continue to fight for a full separation between the Church of Norway and the government.

Apparently the time is not yet ripe. The major political parties seem to have enormous majority anxiety in regard to this issue. But I cannot imagine that the current solution will survive 20 years, she said.

Norway has become less of a conservative Christian nation in recent years. The Open Peoples Church (Apen Folkekirke) won a huge victory last year that saw LGBT people given the right to marry within the church. And membership in religious communities outside the Church of Norway has grown by 11 percent in recent years.

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Roughly 80 percent of Norway identifies as Protestant Christian, but only a small number of people attend church services. But Norway's religious beliefs could be changing.

The head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) told a Swedish security conference in January that a wave of Muslim migrants in Europe could see "a growth of parallel societies, radicalization and extremist environments."

A strong increase in immigration, particularly from Muslim countries, can cause other long-term challenges. When a large number of asylum seekers come to a local community, it can have unfortunate consequences, Marie Benedicte Bjrnland said at the time.

Meanwhile, Norways integration minister, Sylvi Listhaug, from the anti-immigrant Progress Party, caused an uproar in October when she suggested Muslim migrants learn how to eat pork and drink alcohol.

"You must abide by the values, laws and regulations that are in Norway when you come here," she said at the time.

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By Abhirup Roy and Rafael Nam

MUMBAI (Reuters) - National Stock Exchange said an independent agency had found potential instances that some brokers were given unfair access to its servers, as India's largest bourse applied for its long-awaited initial public offering on Wednesday.

The NSE said the agency had found certain employees may have been involved in providing that access, though it could not determine whether it constituted collusion.

The exchange also said its trading systems may have been "prone to manipulation," while noting that a lack of protocols on data retention meant that emails and information for some former employees were unavailable.

The findings threaten to cast a shadow over the NSE's IPO. Bankers had said the exchange could raise as much as $1 billion, making it potentially India's biggest since Coal India raised $3.5 billion in 2010.

The NSE said it had sent the report to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which has to approve listing.

The exchange said it had set aside all revenue from links between co-location facilities, which refers to placing algorithmic brokers' servers next to that of an exchange to speed up trading, for the past 2-1/2 years amounting to 13.1 billion rupees ($192.05 million), or close to 30 percent of its total revenues during that period.

"We cannot guarantee that our company will have access to such revenues in the future," the NSE said.

The exchange added any action by SEBI "may materially adversely affect our business, in particular our co-location business, our reputation and results of operations."

In India, algorithmic trading, like elsewhere around the world, is becoming a bigger part of daily trading, prompting regulators to question whether investors with no access to this rapid form of trading are being disadvantaged.

The findings of the probe had been awaited after NSE was ordered by SEBI to set up an independent panel to look into claims it had given unfair access to some brokers.

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In its prospectus, the exchange pointed to a specific broker that was "almost consistently" given preferential access to its servers during 1-1/2 years, which "may not have been possible without the knowledge of certain employees."

The NSE did not identify the parties involved.

"For the IPO to sail through smoothly, NSE has to assure investors that they are concerned about preserving the integrity of the stock exchange and all investors/traders on the exchange will have equal access to the exchange," said Shriram Subramanian, founder of proxy advisory firm InGovern.

NSE has faced a convoluted listing process. Some stakeholders had accused it of moving too slowly, and it has faced accusations of corporate governance lapses, including purging dissenting views from minutes of meetings.

The latest jolt came after NSE chief executive Chitra Ramkrishna unexpectedly resigned last month, citing personal reasons, leaving the exchange to quickly search for a new CEO to lead the IPO process.

NSE was established in 1992 as a start-up challenging BSE Ltd, formerly Bombay Stock Exchange, which filed its IPO application in September.

NSE grew aggressively, largely by being quicker in adopting technology. It is now the largest exchange in the country with an average daily turnover of more than 225 billionn rupees ($3.30 billion).

Some 27 investors will sell all or part of their shares in the IPO, including investment firm Tiger Global and top lender State Bank of India.

Some shareholders said they were hopeful the IPO would proceed smoothly.

"I don't think that this disclosure per se impacts the prospects of the IPO," said a selling shareholder who declined to be identified.

"The management may have to answer to prospective investors is if there will be similar lapses going forward and what their mechanism is to ring fence it."

Eight banks led by Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Indian investment banks Kotak and JM Financial will manage the IPO.

($1 = 68.2301 Indian rupees)

(Additional reporting by Devidutta Tripathy and Suvashree Choudhury; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Louise Heavens)
By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Nearly 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were likely to be denied asylum left Germany voluntarily in 2016, up by 20,000 from the number who left of their own volition in 2015, the government said on Wednesday. "That's a considerable increase from last year," Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns told a news conference, saying the 2016 figure had climbed to 54,123 through Dec. 27. "The increase is welcome. It's always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported." A Finance Ministry spokesman said the government would boost funding slightly to 150 million euros in 2017 to support efforts to encourage people to leave Germany. Germany has toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015. Last week a failed asylum seeker who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State militant group killed 12 people when he rammed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, fuelling growing criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy. Most of those leaving in 2016 returned to their homes in Albania, Serbia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iran, Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said earlier. Those leaving are eligible for one-off support of up to 3,000 euros that is supposed to help support finding employment at home. Separately, German security officials told Reuters the number of those deported after their asylum requests were rejected rose to almost 23,800 from January to November - up from almost 20,900 in all of 2015. There has also been a rise in the number of refugees turned away at the borders. A report by the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung daily said police had turned back 19,720 refugees through the first 11 months of 2016 - up from 8,913 in all of 2015. Most were from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. They had been registered in other EU countries. As public support for her pro-refugee policies wanes ahead of September's federal election, Merkel has said it is vital to focus resources on those fleeing war, and to keep public support up by deporting foreigners to countries where there is no persecution. Attacks and security alerts involving refugees and migrants have boosted the popularity of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose rise above 10 percent in opinion polls could complicate Merkel's re-election hopes. On Tuesday, seven refugees from Syria and Iraq aged 15 to 21 were detained in Berlin on charges of attempted murder for trying to set fire to a homeless man in an underground station. (Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Janet Lawrence)
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday designated over 1.6 million acres of land in Utah and Nevada as national monuments, protecting two areas rich in Native American artifacts from mining, oil and gas drilling in one of his final moves to protect the environment. "Todays actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes," Obama said in a statement. Obama used the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect 1.35 million acres of federal land at Bears Ears in Utah and 300,000 acres at Gold Butte outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The move will be difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to reverse. Utah's governor and congressional delegation opposed the designation as a national monument, saying it went against the wishes of Utah citizens. "I am deeply disturbed by what has resulted from a troubling process," Utah Governor Gary Herbert said in a statement. "The president has misused his authority." He said the state will "aggressively" challenge the action through administrative, legal and legislative means. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said he would have preferred a more collaborative approach involving the state's Congressional delegation, ranchers, environmentalists and community members. However, he recognized the "inevitability" of the designation and worked with federal officials on the proposed boundary and to ensure state water laws were followed. My priority was to mitigate any disruption a potential designation may cause the surrounding private land owners, communities and recreationists," he said in a statement. Obama has used the Antiquities Act and other measures to protect more land and water than any administration in history, the White House said in a statement. Various tribes and lawmakers have been trying for years to protect the Bears Ears region, home to a wealth of Native American sacred sites, rock art, ancient cliff dwellings and other areas of cultural significance. Bears Ears has been home to Hopi, Navajo, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute and Zuni, whose leaders welcomed the announcement. The designation will allow them continued access to tribal ceremonies, firewood and herb collection, hunting, grazing and outdoor recreation. As a coalition of five sovereign Native American tribes in the region, we are confident that todays announcement of collaborative management will protect a cultural landscape that we have known since time immemorial, said Alfred Lomahquahu, vice chairman of Hopi Tribe. Lomahquahu will serve as a co-chair of the new Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, which will administer the use of the land with federal and state government partners. Gold Butte in Nevada is home to both Indian artifacts and American pioneer sites. "The splendor of Gold Butte will now be protected for all of us. It will be enjoyed for generations to come," said Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid. U.S. Representatives Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz, both Republicans, had proposed a land-use bill called the Public Lands Initiative that would have created two national conservation areas for some of Bears Ears but enabled development on other areas. The House of Representatives did not vote on the bill before recess. Chaffetz on Wednesday called the designation a "midnight monument," accusing Obama of a last-minute designation that "cherry picked" parts of his bill "and disregarded the economic development and multi-use provisions necessary for a balanced compromise." "We will work to repeal this top-down decision and replace it with one that garners local support and creates a balanced, win-win solution, he said. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici, additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit and Jim Christie in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP)  The leaders of Japan and the United States sought to remind the world that even the most bitter enemies can become allies, during a historic pilgrimage to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan "must never repeat the horrors of war again."

Seventy-five years after Japan's surprise attack, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down Tuesday at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water. In a show of respect for the war dead, Obama and Abe dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence.

More than 1,000 U.S. war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship, which Japan struck as part of the devastating attack that killed more than 2,300 Americans and sent America marching into World War II.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

That was the closest Abe would get to an apology for the attack. And it was enough for Obama, who also declined to apologize seven months ago when he became America's first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived the attack. The 96-year-old said he had no hard feelings and added, "War is war."

"They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do," Rodrigues said before the visit.

Abe, who became Japan's first leader to visit Pearl Harbor with a U.S. president, said the visit "brought utter silence to me." His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the U.S. and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

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Obama and Abe started Tuesday's activities here with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was probably Obama's last with a foreign leader before leaving office in January. It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Yet despite the display of unity, there was a point of disagreement the day after about what had happened in the meeting.

Japanese officials said that in their talks, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor the movements of China's first and sole aircraft carrier, which has sailed into the western Pacific for the first time. But the Americans on Wednesday said that was inaccurate and no agreement was reached, although they said Obama and Abe did speak briefly about "regional security issues."

Obama, speaking after he and Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called Pearl Harbor a sacred place and said that "even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace." It's a notion Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Myanmar and Cuba.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of U.S. troops killed in the Japanese attack.

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbor syndrome,' that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. He said he believes Abe's visit would "absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have."

In the years after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the U.S. and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties. Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will fray under President-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Obama nor Abe addressed.

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Associated Press writers Brian Skoloff in Kailua, Hawaii, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
By Jeff Mason PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined U.S. President Barack Obama for a symbolic joint visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, commemorating World War Two dead and pledging that Japan would never wage war again. The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance in the face of a rising China and amid concerns that Trump would have a more complicated relationship with Tokyo. Abe and Obama commemorated the dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship. Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial, a centrepiece of the historic site. We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken, Abe said. To the souls of the servicemen who lie in eternal rest aboard the USS Arizona, to the American people, and to all the peoples around the world, I pledge that unwavering vow here as the prime minister of Japan, he said. Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, pounding the U.S. fleet moored there in the hope of destroying U.S. power in the Pacific. Abe did not apologise for the attack. Obama, who earlier this year became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, called Abe's visit a "historic gesture" that was "a reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace." The two leaders stood solemnly in front of a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the 1941 attack and they took part in a brief wreath-laying ceremony, followed by a moment of silence. "In Remembrance, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan" was written on one wreath and "In Remembrance, Barack Obama, President of the United States" on the other. They then threw flower petals into the water. After their remarks, both leaders greeted U.S. veterans who survived the attack. Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability. The leaders' meeting was also meant to reinforce the U.S.-Japan partnership ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of Trump, whose opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and campaign threat to force allied countries to pay more to host U.S. forces raised concerns among allies such as Japan. Abe met with Trump in New York in November and called him a "trustworthy leader." Obama called for a world without nuclear arms during his visit to Hiroshima. Trump last week called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capability and reportedly welcomed an international arms race. (Reporting by Jeff Mason in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Linda Sieg in Tokyo; additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)
Chicago (AFP) - In a survey released Wednesday, US President Barack Obama beat out Donald Trump as the man most admired by Americans in 2016.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed by Gallup chose Obama, followed by 15 percent who chose Donald Trump. Pope Francis was a distant third with four percent.

Hillary Clinton topped the list of the most admired women in 2016, with 12 percent of Americans choosing her.

She and Obama have been at the top of the poll every year since 2008.

The survey, which tends to favor current and past presidents and first ladies, was released at an especially sensitive time.

Tensions between Trump and the current White House have been growing for weeks over US foreign and domestic policies.

Over the weekend, Obama suggested he may have won a third term were he not constitutionally barred, to which Trump tweeted, in part: "NO WAY!"

Tensions flared again early Wednesday, when in an unprecedented personal condemnation of his soon-to-be predecessor, Trump tweeted: "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks."

"Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"

Trump might take solace in the fact that he has been in the top 10 rankings of the most admired men in America before  five times, in fact, with the most recent being in 2015. He first appeared among the top 10 in 1988.

Among women, Hillary Clinton has now earned the most admired spot 21 times. She first led the poll in 1993 when she was first lady.

The current First Lady Michelle Obama was the second most admired woman in 2016, with eight percent of Americans choosing her.

Also among the top five women, though far behind Obama and Clinton, were German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former and current talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the site of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor showed the power of reconciliation. "This historic gesture speaks to the power of reconciliation. ... A reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace," Obama said in a ceremony standing next to Abe. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Eric Beech)
What do the Westboro Baptist Church, Justin Beiber and the Muslim Brotherhood have in common? All three were among the most popular subjects of petitions written by U.S. citizens and addressed to President Barack Obama, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center released Wednesday on the president's online petition system We The People.

Obama established the website in 2011 as part of his Open Government Initiative. The original support threshold that necessitated an executive branch response was set at 5,000 signatures. It was raised to 100,000 by 2013 after receiving an unexpected volume of user input, something the White House called "a good problem to have." The Pew Research Center's comprehensive study took into account the 4,799 publicly available petitions and 227 White House responses throughout the site's five-year history.

The most popular petition of all, which gathered 367,180 signatures, called for the Westboro Baptist Church to be labeled a "hate group." The church is known for its demonstrations that often intentionally target and offend groups such as the LGBT communities, Muslims and the families of soldiers killed in action. Closely following this petition was a massive plea for Obama to "establish justice and prevent a great catastrophe" by mediating in the territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that gathered 331,916 signatures.

RTSE5VI

Photo: Reuters

In third place was a petition asking that charges be filed against 47 senators who the author accused of breaking the law by trying to sabotage the Iranian nuclear treaty that was ultimately signed last year, lifting economic sanctions against Tehran in exchange for Iran limiting its nuclear program. The petition gathered 322,177 signatures.

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While other requests based on major sociopolitical issues, such as one to label the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization made the shortlist, others targeted individuals made famous or infamous in pop culture. The fifth most popular petition demanded that the U.S. deport Canadian pop star Justin Beiber and the seventh most signed wanted authorities to extradite and charge Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer, who boasted on social media about killing an iconic lion named Cecil on a Zimbabwe hunting trip.

The analysis also documented four times that citizens' petitions seemed to result in actual White House action. The instances identified included a January 2013 petition that was "instrumental" in the White House's decision to draft legislation that made it illegal for phone companies to "lock" their phones and prevent consumers from using the device with another carrier, a January 2015 petition that reportedly inspired Obama to support state laws that banned LGBT "conversion therapy," a May 2015 petition that led iconic Yankee hall-of-famer Yogi Berra to be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a January 2016 petition - the fourth most popular on the site - that apparently convinced Obama to accept an invitation to appear on political pundit Bill Maher's late-night HBO talk show.

Obama, who leaves office Jan. 20, was a public advocate of greater transparency in government, however, his administration has been criticized for maintaining a shroud of secrecy over foreign military operations including drone strikes in the Middle East and for taking punitive action against whistleblowers such as Chelsea Manning.







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By David Gaffen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude oil prices edged up for a fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, close to their highest levels since mid-2015, ahead of U.S. oil inventory figures and as the market awaits evidence of OPEC supply reductions in the new year.

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures (CLc1) were up 30 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $54.20 per barrel by 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT), not far from the year's high of $54.51 reached on Dec. 12.

Brent crude futures (LCOc1) were up 30 cents at $56.39 a barrel. The international benchmark hit $57.89 on Dec. 12, its highest since July 2015.

Oil prices have gained 25 percent since mid-November, helped by expectations for OPEC's supply cut and solid U.S. economic figures that have also bolstered equity prices.

Trading was thin, with just 238,000 front-month futures contracts changing hands in WTI by 1:29 p.m. EST, compared with a daily average of 525,000 over the last 200 days. It is expected to remain quiet for the balance of the week.

Five analysts polled ahead of weekly inventory reports from industry group the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated, on average, that crude stocks declined by 1.5 million barrels in the week to Dec. 23. [EIA/S]

The API data will be released on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT), while the EIA report has been rescheduled to Thursday at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT), following the federal holiday on Monday because of the Christmas holiday.

The market is taking a wait-and-see approach to the official start of the landmark deal reached by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and several non-OPEC members to reduce their output. The deal is set to kick in from Jan. 1.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers are expected to lower production by almost 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), with Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest producer, agreeing to bear the lion's share of the cuts.

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Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi said on Wednesday his country, which has seen fast production growth in the past two years, would cut supply by 200,000-210,000 bpd from January.

Luaibi said on a visit to fellow OPEC member Kuwait that he saw oil prices rising to $60 per barrel as the cuts would help ease the global glut of the past three years, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh also said on Tuesday he expected OPEC to abide by the deal. "While competing, we do have engagement," Iranian news agency Shana quoted him as saying.

OPEC member Venezuela also said it will cut 95,000 bpd of oil production in the new year.

Statements from various officials "holds market expectations at a high level, but also entails some risk of disappointment if actual January production data shows output only ramping gradually toward the lower target levels," wrote Tim Evans, analyst at Citi Futures.

(Additional reporting by Jane Chung in Seoul and Dmitry Zhdannikov in London; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Bill Trott)
Investors in Iridium Communications Inc. IRDM need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the January 20th, 2017 $5 Put 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 suggest 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 may 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 Iridium Communications shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently Iridium Communicationsis a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in the Satellite and Communication industry that ranks in the Top 37% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, one analyst has increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while no analyst has revised their estimates downward. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 20 cents per share to 21 cents in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about Iridium Communications 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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Vienna (AFP) - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an international election and war monitor, said Wednesday it had become the latest global institution to suffer a "major" cyber attack.

The Vienna-based OSCE has its origins in the Cold War but after 1991 it expanded and now has 57 member states including the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

It currently has 700 monitors focused on the conflict in eastern Ukraine and is also active in observing elections and tracking media freedom.

OSCE spokeswoman Mersiha Causevic Podzic told AFP in an email that it "became aware of a major information security incident" in early November.

The attack "compromised the confidentiality" of the organisation's IT network and put "its integrity at risk", although it was still able to operate, she said.

According to French daily Le Monde, which first reported the incident, a Western intelligence agency believes that Russian hackers group APT28 was behind the attack.

This group, also known as Pawn Storm, Sofacy and Fancy Bears, is believed to be behind other high-profile cyber attacks and to be linked to Russia's security services.

The OSCE said "the way in which the attacker accessed the OSCE was identified, as have some of the external communication destinations".

France's ambassador to the OSCE played down the dangers from the attack, saying officials in Vienna -- long seen as a hotbed of espionage -- are trained to be aware to the risks.

"Diplomats at the OSCE are warned that attempted spying, in whatever form, are part and parcel of this organisation," Veronique Roger-Lacan told AFP.

- The cyber frontier -

But cyber attacks by criminals and governments are on the rise, with states and firms spending billions of dollars to defend and arm themselves.

The issue has become contentious between the United States and Russia, with the latter alleged to have hacked party computers and leaked documents during the US election campaign.

Story continues

The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved and President Barack Obama has vowed Washington will retaliate "at a time and place of our own choosing".

The Kremlin has rejected the accusations, demanding America presents proof. US President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed the claims as "ridiculous".

In Europe, with Germany holding elections late next year, Chancellor Angela Merkel and other top officials have warned that the country could be the target of Russian cyber attacks.

France announced its first cyber-warfare army unit this month, mirroring plans drawn up by Britain, which launched a cyber-defence plan backed by 2.1 billion euros ($2.2 billion) of funding.

It is not just Russia that is seen as a threat in the West.

North Korea has already proved it is a player with a damaging attack on South Korean banks and broadcasters in 2013. The US also blamed Pyongyang for an audacious hack on Sony Pictures the following year.

Russia too has been a victim. Earlier this month its telecom operator said that it had blocked a series of cyber attacks on the country's leading banks.

And in the Middle East, the United States and Israel are thought to have been behind the Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran's nuclear infrastructure in 2010.

Firms in the West have also been targeted. In Germany, almost a million Deutsche Telekom customers were knocked offline in late November after the firm was hit by hackers.

In September US internet giant Yahoo revealed that it had been the victim of one of biggest thefts of online users' personal information ever, affecting some 500 million accounts.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday he was ready to resume peace efforts with Israel if it stopped settlement building, reacting to a major speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"The minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... and agrees to implement the signed agreements on the basis of mutual reciprocity, the Palestinian leadership stands ready to resume permanent status negotiations on the basis of international law and relevant international legality resolutions... under a specified timeframe," he said in a statement.

Kerry's speech included sharp criticism of Israeli settlement building and came after last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to such activity.

The United States abstained at the Security Council, allowing the resolution to pass 14-0.

Washington and others say continued settlement building is steadily eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Kerry's speech as biased against Israel, and accused the outgoing secretary of state of paying only "lip service" to Palestinian violence.
Panama City (AFP) - Panama's government on Tuesday said it was barring the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht from future public tenders after the US Justice Department accused the company of bribes to secure business in Latin America.

In a statement read by the minister of the presidency, Alvaro Aleman, the government said it has decided to "adopt the actions necessary to prohibit the Odebrecht Group being awarded and attributed any future contract from public bidding processes."

The announcement came the same day Panamanian prosecutors flew to the United States seeking information about alleged Odebrecht bribes to officials of the Central American country.

The US Justice Department recently reported that Odebrecht had paid bribes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to obtain contracts in nine Latin American countries.

It said the construction company paid more than $59 million in bribes to Panama between 2010 and 2014 to obtain contracts valued at $175 million.

Two sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli have denied Brazilian newspaper reports that they had received $6 million intended as a bribe from Odebrecht for their father.

Martinelli lives in voluntary exile in Miami. The Panamanian government has requested his extradition on allegations of espionage and corruption.
Panama City (AFP) - Panama's government is barring the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht from future public tenders after the US Justice Department accused the company of using bribes to secure business in Latin America.

In a statement read by the minister of the presidency, Alvaro Aleman, the government said it has decided to "take the steps necessary to prohibit the Odebrecht Group being awarded... any future contract from public bidding processes."

The contract ban will last until Odebrecht demonstrates full cooperation with an investigation by prosecutors, and pays Panama for damages, he added.

Aleman also warned that Panama will take measures to ensure Odebrecht leaves bidding processes for which it had already been cleared. They include a new line of the Panama City metro and a fourth bridge over the Panama Canal.

Panama also will scrap "at no cost to the state" a hydroelectric dam project that would have had the company and government work together, he added.

The announcement came the same day Panamanian prosecutors flew to the United States seeking information about alleged Odebrecht bribes to officials of the Central American country.

The US Justice Department recently reported that Odebrecht had paid bribes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to obtain contracts in nine Latin American countries.

It said the construction company paid more than $59 million in bribes to Panama between 2010 and 2014 to obtain contracts valued at $175 million.

Panama's auditing office said it is investigating Carlos Ho Gonzalez, a former public works official. And people still on the job who have seen potentially suspicious income surges may also be investigated, according to the government.

Two sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli have denied Brazilian newspaper reports that they had received $6 million intended as a bribe from Odebrecht for their father.

Martinelli lives in voluntary exile in Miami. The Panamanian government has requested his extradition on allegations of espionage and corruption.

In Brazil, Odebrecht -- a home-grown giant turned massive multinational -- has figured prominently in the graft allegations and investigations that helped bring down the last president, Dilma Rousseff, and plague the current government.

Dozens of Brazilian politicians have been accused of taking bribes from Odebrecht and other construction companies to line their own pockets and boost party campaign funds in exchange for facilitating inflated contracts for the companies with Petrobras.
Panama City (AFP) - Panama's state prosecutor's office on Wednesday announced it was setting up a special office to investigate alleged bribery of officials by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht as it bid to secure public projects.

Part of the 11-person team chosen for the task has experience in corruption probes against officials in the government of former president Ricardo Martinelli, a statement said.

Panama on Tuesday said it was barring Odebrecht from bidding for future public tenders, and was seeking to remove the company from projects it was already involved in.

They include a new line of Panama City's metro system, a fourth bridge over the Panama Canal and plan for a hydroelectric dam that would now be scrapped.

Three Panamanian prosecutors are in the United States this week seeking information about the alleged Odebrecht bribes.

The US Justice Department recently reported that Odebrecht had paid bribes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to obtain contracts in nine Latin American countries.

It said the construction company paid more than $59 million in bribes to Panama between 2010 and 2014 to obtain contracts valued at $175 million.

Two sons of Martinelli have denied Brazilian newspaper reports that they had received $6 million intended as a bribe from Odebrecht for their father.

Martinelli lives in voluntary exile in Miami. The Panamanian government has requested his extradition on allegations of espionage and corruption.
Brooklyn Rouse, 21, was on a scheduled Papa Johns Pizza delivery when she was shot in the head; just a week after another employee was shot in the same area in Georgia while on the job.

Rouse had only been working for the Papa Johns in Eisenhower Crossing for two weeks when, on the day after Christmas, she was called in on her day off, according to reports.

Read: 'Rot in Hell': Mom of Slain Pregnant Woman Speaks Out Against Her Daughter's Ex and Suspected Killer

Rouse was bringing two pizzas to Macons Bloomfield neighborhood and was at the front door of 2443 Vivian Drive when she was shot in the left cheek, her neck and head just after 8 p.m., according to police.

Police are still looking for the assailant who was reportedly unmasked. But, another employee, 23-year-old Duncan Siror, was also shot in the shoulder by an unknown gunman just a mile and a half away from Rouses destination the week prior.

Emergency responders found Rouse lying on the ground in pain and she was transported to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition.

Police said Rouse told them someone had approached her and asked for money before the shooting.

Latavia Coleman, Rouses aunt, said Rouse is now in recovery.

Shes just in for a long fight, Coleman told Macon.com.

Regional store manager, Frank Hurley, told InsideEdition.com that the crime is particularly unusual.

Read: Pregnant Mother of 2 Shot and Killed by Ex-Boyfriend as She Opened Front Door: Police

Nothing crazy has ever happened like this, Hurley said. Its where most of our business comes from.

The location, however, has decided to stop delivering to the area due to safety concerns.

Hurley said Siror is still working at the location and doing okay, but nine delivery drivers have quit since the shootings.

Watch: Teen Learning to Walk Again After Being Shot in the Head 3 Times and Stabbed

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The French parliament has approved plans for an express train between central Paris and France's largest airport, with investment in the new line estimated at roughly 1.69 billion (US$1.77 billion).

While the "Charles De Gaulle Express" train line -- which will cut travel time to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport to just 20 minutes -- will likely come as a welcome relief for both local and international travellers, they will have to be patient for now, as completion is scheduled for the year 2023.

SNCF, France's national state-owned railway company, and Aeroports de Paris, the country's airport authority, will reportedly oversee construction, with the line planned to run from Paris's Gare de l'Est, which is in the 10th arrondissement, to Charles de Gaulle airport (via CNT).

Tickets are expected to be priced around 24 (about US$25) one-way.






(Adds AIPAC comment)

* Most extreme settlers would destroy two-state solution, he says

* Netanyahu hits back, says he looks forward to Trump presidency

By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Israel's building of settlements on occupied land was jeopardizing Middle East peace, voicing unusually frank frustration with America's longtime ally weeks before he is due to leave office.

In a swiftly issued statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kerry of bias. He said Israel did not need to be lectured to by foreign leaders and looked forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies.

In a 70-minute speech, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.

Kerry's remarks, and Netanyahu's reply, marked the closing chapter of a bitter U.S.-Israeli relationship during President Barack Obama's administration over differences on settlement-building and the Iran nuclear deal signed last year.

Ties reached a low point last Friday when Washington cleared the way for a U.N. resolution that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building, prompting Israeli government officials to direct harsh attacks against Obama and Kerry.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

The United States had appealed to Israel in public and private to stop the march of settlements countless times, Kerry said.

"In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two-state solution," he said. "We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state."

Story continues

His parting words were unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts.

Netanyahu said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements" and barely touched on "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

In a statement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was convinced peace with Israel was achievable, but stood by his demand that Israel halt settlements before talks restart.

Netanyahu, for whom settlers are a key constituency, has said his government has been their greatest ally since Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a 1967 war. Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians.

POST-OBAMA ERA

Israel expects to receive more favorable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. But Israelis fear Kerry's remarks will put them on the defensive, prompting other countries to apply pressure, including by adding fuel to the boycott, divestiture and sanctions movement against Israel, especially in Europe.

Trump denounced the Obama administration's treatment of Israel before Kerry's speech.

"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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Trump has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upset many countries, and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement.

Kerry's speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his nearly four years as secretary of state. Peace talks have been stalled since 2014.

The United States abstained rather than veto the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many saw as a parting shot by Obama.

Kerry vigorously defended the resolution. "It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible."

In a pointed reply to Netanyahu who said last week that "Friends don't take friends to the Security Council", and who has insisted the Obama administration had orchestrated the resolution, Kerry hit back, saying: "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect."

Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade.

In Jerusalem on Wednesday, Israel approved construction of a multistory building for settlers in annexed East Jerusalem, an NGO said, after postponing authorization of hundreds of other homes.

Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate and most countries view it as an obstacle to peace. Israel cites a biblical, historical and political connection to the land - which the Palestinians also claim - as well as security interests.

PARAMETERS FOR PEACE DEAL

Emphasizing that Washington could not impose an outcome, Kerry outlined principles for a two-state solution which envisioned secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine - based on the 1967 lines before it seized the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The two sides would agree to land swaps.

Netanyahu has described the 1967 lines as indefensible and has said Israel would never return to them.

Kerry also called for an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the "internationally recognized capital of the two states."

Kerry's speech drew praise from pro-liberal U.S. Jewish group J Street but was rejected by AIPAC, an influential pro-Israel lobby group, which called the speech "a failed attempt to defend the indefensible".

"We salute the clear, courageous and committed speech of John Kerry in favor of peace in the Middle East and the solution for the two States, Israel and Palestine," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

France will convene some 70 countries on Jan. 15 for a Middle East peace conference in Paris.

Kerry's proposals did not depart from longstanding U.S. views on the building blocks of a future deal, and echoed elements of a speech former President Bill Clinton gave in 2001 as he prepared to hand over power to George W. Bush.

But back then "the parties were closer, and the United States and Israel were not at such sharp odds," said David Makovsky, a former senior adviser at the State Department on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington, Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem and Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alistair Bell and Howard Goller)
One of the nation's most prominent preachers said the Virgin Mary may not have been a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus Christ. The Rev. Andy Stanley, lead pastor of North Point Community Church in Georgia and the son of a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has sparked a national debate over Jesus' origins after a speech earlier this month, according to recent media reports.

Stanley said during his Dec. 4 remarks that it doesn't matter whether Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. His North Point Community Church attracts 36,000 attendees across six locations in suburban Atlanta.

Some Evangelicals claimed Stanley was picking the wrong side on the so-called war on Christmas. Stanley is the son of famed TV evangelist Charles Stanley.

A lot of people just dont believe it. And I understand that. Maybe the thought is, Hey, maybe they had to come up with some myth about Jesus to give him street cred, you know, later on. Maybe thats where that came from. Its interesting, because Matthew gives us a version of the birth of Christ, Luke does, but Mark and John  they dont even mention it. A lot has been made of that," he said. Youve heard me say some version of this a million times, so this will be old if youve been around for a while. But see, if somebody can predict their own death and then their own resurrection, Im not all that concerned about how they got into the world.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, said Stanley had challenged the Bible's "central truth claim of Christmas."

Just in recent days, one Christian leader was quoted as saying that if Jesus predicted his death and then was raised from the dead, it doesnt matter how he came into the world, Mohler said in a Dec. 16 podcast. But the Bible insists it really does matter and the answer given from Scripture very clear in the gospel of Matthew and in the gospel of Luke is that Jesus was born to a virgin.

Story continues

The Rev. Tim Kellerof New York told the New York Times Friday that the virgin birth is a key Christian teaching that explains how Jesus is both human and God. If it were simply a legend that could be dismissed, it would damage the fabric of the Christian message, he said.

But Stanley has said he has nothing to apologize for despite the controversy around his remarks.

The real story is the handful of Southern Baptist professors and writers (not so much preachers) who seem to have nothing else to do but listen to bits and pieces of my messages, Stanley said in a statement to The Washington Post. Anyone who listens to all three [sermons in the series] will know that I stand firmly within the orthodox Christian tradition regarding the incarnation of Jesus  including the birth narratives as presented [in] Matthew and Luke.

Stanley's church defends the Bible as the true message of God. "We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit of God to write the very words of Scripture. Therefore, we believe the Bible is without error," the website reads.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe Jesus was born to a virgin in a manger, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey. Roughly 80 percent of Christians believe the Bible story.

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The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune.

In the annals of breathtaking scientific advances, its hard to top this recent news headline: Paralyzed Monkeys Can Walk Again With Wireless Brain-Spine Connection.

This is legit? Yes. How so? Scientists implant a chip in a monkeys brain that sends wireless signals through a computer to electrodes in the lower back. The system stimulates a neural pathway that controls the muscles involved in walking.

Voila, the paralyzed primate walks.

The research, reported by a team of scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is the latest thrillingly innovative step in the quest to help people overcome paralysis and regain something approaching full movement, not only in legs but also potentially in hands and arms.

With this latest primate triumph, its a short leap to the obvious question: When will paralyzed people be able to take advantage of this development to walk again? Answer: not immediately  maybe in a decade? But this is a promising step toward that landmark goal. The same scientists behind the monkey advance have already enrolled two human patients with spinal cord injuries in clinical trials in Switzerland.

Yes, there are caveats and provisos: The signals that come from the human brain to enable us to walk may be more complicated than those in monkeys. The research so far helps monkeys, who walk on all fours. But walking on two legs as humans do is trickier, requiring a complex balancing act. Coordinating gait, allowing a person to change direction, is a significant challenge. Each human leg has to carry half the full body weight, unlike a monkey, which can distribute its weight on four legs. Theres going to be a lot more research, and better equipment.

But is this exciting? Yes, and astonishing. The whole team was screaming in the room as we watched the paralyzed monkey walk, reports lead scientist Gregoire Courtine.

In a video you can see how scientists were able to switch the monkeys ability to walk on and off, as the wireless transmitter was activated and deactivated. (That does lead to some questions about what would happen to a similarly assisted human if an implanted wireless transmitter failed, but well leave that for future research to solve.)

For the first time, I can imagine a completely paralyzed patient able to move their legs through this brain-spine interface, Swiss neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, a colleague of Courtines, enthused.

One intriguing note on the spinal cord research: These scientists arent trying to repair or stimulate the site of the actual injury. Theyre essentially doing a workaround. The implant sends information wirelessly from sensors in the brain to a part of the spinal cord below the injury. So if doctors cant repair a spinal injury, they could still help patients regain some or all of their ability to move.

Courtine says he hopes that the system he and his colleagues have developed can be transferred for human therapy within the next decade. Other scientists are making progress on systems that help the paralyzed reach for and grab items, so they can give themselves a drink or even play a video game.

Miniaturized wearable computer technology is not just promising to help paralyzed people move. Scientists also are working on a completely internal artificial heart that could last decades, all without being tethered to bulky equipment. Theyre also working on implantable systems that would help the blind see and even a chip that can help people with severe memory loss from Alzheimers, stroke or brain injury.

Theres a lot of excitement about this work, Lee Miller, a neuroscience and biomedical engineering professor at Northwesterns Feinberg School of Medicine, tells us. A decade is not unreasonable, he says, to have similar spinal-stimulation systems implanted in human patients to help them walk.

Sounds like science fiction. But if this sci-fi turns true, the result promises to be spectacular.
Carrie Fishers death left a lot of people heartbroken, including her former husband Paul Simon. The esteemed musician was only briefly married to Fisher, but the pair are said to have been in a complex relationship for more than a decade.

Simon expressed his sadness over the loss of his ex-wife on Twitter, as many others did. On Wednesday, he shared with followers his belief that Fishers death had come too soon, adding that Tuesday was a horrible day. The musician recalled his former spouse fondly, but kept his message of grief brief.

Fisher and Simon were married for just one year from 1983 to 1984. In his biography, titled Homeward Bound, author Peter Ames Carlin shared many details of both the marriage and the turbulent relationship that followed. According to the book, the pair met in the 80s and moved into a New York City apartment together almost immediately. Simon is said to have taken issue with Fishers wild nature, but neither wanted to breakup. They married, ultimately splitting because of Fishers heavy drug use. Although their marriage ended, Carlin wrote that they continued dating off and on for a number of years afterward.

Although Fisher, 60, was only married once, she had many love interests during her lifetime. Among them, her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford. In November, Fisher opened up about having had an affair with Ford during filming during an appearance on the Graham Norton Show. At the time, he was married to Mary Marquardt. While the intense affair only lasted a number of months, Fisher and Ford remained close over the years. Ford even paid tribute to Fisher, calling her brilliant, original, Funny and emotionally fearless.

She lived her life, bravely...my thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her, he said (via LA Times).

Other male suitors in Fishers life included Bryan Lourd, with whom she shares a daughter, and Dan Aykroyd. Lourd, who left Fisher in the mid-90s, has not spoken out about her death at this time. Aykroyd recalled Fisher  whom he starred alongside in Blues Brothers  as being beautiful brilliant funny wise kind and generous.

Story continues

Carrie Fisher

Photo: Getty Images

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By Jeff Mason PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a symbolic visit to Pearl Harbor with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, commemorating the victims of Japan's World War Two attack and promising that his country would never wage war again. The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance amid concerns that Trump could forge a more complicated relationship with Tokyo. "I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said. "We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken." Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, pounding the U.S. fleet moored there in the hope of destroying U.S. power in the Pacific. Abe did not apologize for the attack, a step that would have irked his conservative supporters, many of whom say U.S. economic sanctions forced Japan to open hostilities. "This visit to Pearl Harbor was to console the souls of the war dead, not to apologize," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo, adding the trip had showed that the allies would contribute to world peace and prosperity. Obama, who earlier this year became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, called Abe's visit a "historic gesture" that was "a reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace." Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, although three others including his grandfather had made quiet stops in Pearl Harbor in the 1950s. The two leaders stood solemnly in front of a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the 1941 attack and took part in a brief wreath-laying ceremony, followed by a moment of silence. "In Remembrance, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan" was written on one wreath and "In Remembrance, Barack Obama, President of the United States" on the other. They then threw flower petals into the water. After their remarks, both leaders greeted and Abe embraced U.S. veterans who survived the Pearl Harbor attack. In China, which has repeatedly urged Japan to show greater repentance for World War Two and Japan's invasion of China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said real reflection was needed, not show. "Reconciliation between inflictor and victim must and can only be established on the basis of sincere and deep reflection by the inflictor," Hua told a daily news briefing. DISPLAY OF ALLIANCE STRENGTH Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability. During a meeting ahead of the Pearl Harbor visit, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor moves by China's aircraft carrier, recently spotted on a routine drill in the Western Pacific for the first time, and to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported. The leaders' get-together was also meant to reinforce the U.S.-Japan partnership ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of Trump, whose opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and campaign threat to force allied countries to pay more to host U.S. forces raised concerns among allies such as Japan. Obama has sought to provide a smooth transition for Trump, but he made his opposition to the Republican's policies, including his proposal to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States, clear during the 2016 campaign. "It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward," Obama said at Pearl Harbor. "We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different." Abe met with Trump in New York in November and called him a "trustworthy leader." Obama called for a world without nuclear arms during his visit to Hiroshima. Trump last week called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capability and reportedly welcomed an international arms race. Some Abe critics noted the Japanese leader's visit, and the reconciliation with the United States that it symbolized, underscored the stark contrast in its relationship with China and South Korea, where the bitter wartime legacy still plagues ties with Tokyo. Abe's cabinet minister for reconstruction of disaster-hit regions, Masahiro Imamura, paid his respects later in the day (Wednesday, Tokyo time) at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead, seen in China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, Kyodo news agency said. Abe angered Beijing and Seoul and upset Washington with his own visit to the shrine three years ago this month. "A symbolic gesture of contrition to your closest ally is easy," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Japan campus in Tokyo. "If he (Abe) really is sincere about reconciliation diplomacy and overcoming lingering enmities he needs to visit similar symbolic sights (in China and Korea) ... and make similar remarks of remorse that are more specific about Japan's responsibility." (Reporting by Jeff Mason in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell, Lisa Shumaker and Nick Macfie)
Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder have given thanks in a huge way this holiday season.

All five of the band members joined forces to donate $70,000 to Keith Baxter, a Hawaiian waterman who once saved Vedders life after the musician and two friends were involved in a boating accident. After Baxter suffered his own gruesome injury last year, the rockers doubled his GoFundMe campaign, which had raised $70,000 before Pearl Jam wrote a check. The page now shows five donations of $14,000  four anonymous donors, one from guitarist Stone Gossard.

Yes, its all true, Baxters wife Karen wrote The Inertia in an email. Pearl Jam (Eddie, Stone, Jeff, Mike, and Matt) matched what was originally raised ($70K) through Gofundme.com.

More than a decade ago, Baxter saved Vedder and friends when they were out paddling on a canoe and eventually overturned in the ocean. Baxter and his daughter Ashley were out boating and heard voices in the water, she told Maui Now. Baxter told her to listen and look out for anyone in the water. They found Vedders party, who was stranded for two hours.

Last year, Baxter was injured in his own boating accident and sustained a serious infection. Karen ran into Kacky Ovrom Chamberlain  whom Baxter saved the same night as Vedder  and explained her fathers situation. Chamberlain took it upon herself to create the GoFundMe page.

Keith is the true personification of all that is good in Hawaii  Aloha to all, respect for the land, humility, loyalty and service, Chamberlain wrote on the page. Please help us get Keith the care he needs and back on the water where he belongs.

In 2013, Vedder told the story during a concert but didnt reveal his involvement until the end. The reason I know this story is, and I know it well: I was one of those three people, Vedder said before bringing Ashley on stage.

Vedder has been in the giving mood this holiday season. He donated $10,000 to a Maryland family after a Craigslist ad went viral.
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's Perpetual Loyal won the 72nd edition of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in a record time of one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds on Wednesday. The super maxi, owned and skippered by Anthony Bell, crossed the finish line in Hobart in the early hours of the morning to take four hours, 51 minutes, 52 seconds off the previous mark set by Wild Oats XI four years ago. Wild Oats XI, which had been chasing a record ninth line honors victory, suffered a broken hydraulic ram and dropped out of the race while leading on Tuesday, leaving Perpetual Loyal clear to sail across the Bass Strait to victory. Bell said he thought his boat would have had a shot at winning even if Wild Oats XI had not broken down. "This is one for the true believers," he told reporters in Hobart. "I don't think anyone expected us to do well in this race, the bookies certainly didn't ... we came out of the blocks and we raced one hell of a race. We were brave and stuck to the course." New Zealand's Volvo 70 Giacomo, owned and skippered by Jim Delegat whose two teenage sons were among the crew, finished second some two hours after Perpetual Loyal, just ahead of Hong Kong's Scallywag in third place. Bell won line honors on Scallywag, then known as Investec Loyal, in 2011 but failed to finish on Perpetual Loyal in 2014 and 2015. The multi-millionaire accountant to a string of Australian celebrities said he had no intention of defending the title on the boat next year, however. "With all my heart, no," Bell said before being thrown into the harbor at Constitution Dock by his crew. "This boat is a great boat and it needs the next owner, someone to pick it up and jump into it with passion and enthusiasm "We've got some detailed plans about something new and hot that I'm going to do in sailing." Covering approximately 630 nautical miles (1170 km) of the Tasman Sea and notoriously treacherous Bass Strait, the annual race is Australia's premier yachting event and among the world's most grueling. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Ian Ransom)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Following a year of deadly confrontations between police and citizens across the U.S., police in Alaska's capital city are spearheading a campaign to turn 2017 into a community-wide year of kindness.

Juneau police will kick off the campaign with public potlucks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.

Groups, businesses, government agencies and others also are choosing a different week of the year for their employees to conduct "kindness surges," with correctional officers at the local prison taking the first week.

Ideas being considered include visiting local senior homes, distributing care packages and paying for a stranger's meal.

The goal is to measure the impact of kindness on such areas as crimes, suicides and emergency calls at the end of 2017, according to Lt. Kris Sell, who hatched the idea in a partnership with the global kindness advocate, Random Acts, and others.

"Can you change the quality of life in a community and prove that you have done so?" Sell said.

Jennifer Willis-Rivera, development manager for the nonprofit Random Acts, knows of no similar endeavors by a police department or city anywhere. She plans to visit Juneau in January and again a year after that.

To her, the excitement will come in seeing the results after an entire year focused on kindness. "It's something that everybody talks about all the time, but usually we're really only focused on it around the holidays, when there's a tragedy," she said.

Sell said the idea emerged several months ago as she contemplated what direction Juneau police could take in 2017.

She said some "really hateful things" had just happened nationally, including the ambush killings of five law enforcement officers in Dallas who had been working to keep the peace at a protest over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

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Juneau has had its own share of violence, including the nonfatal shooting of a man Dec. 3, months after police first announced plans for the kindness project. No charges have been filed. Police have released few details, saying the shooting is under investigation.

That was the first police-involved shooting since August 2007, when police fatally shot a sword-wielding man. Juneau police also shot at a fleeing suspect's vehicle in 2008, but nobody was hit.

Some locals, including students, already are exercising their kindness muscles.

Last week, special education students from Juneau-Douglas High School traveled across town to hand out candy canes at Thunder Mountain High School. A 17-year-old Thunder Mountain senior died in September after accidentally shooting himself.

Special education teacher Janette Gagnon said students wanted to offer some cross-town support.

Thunder Mountain principal Dan Larson got one of the candy canes from student Mitchell Henderson, who wore a festive Santa hat. Larson said it's been a tough year for the school. "We need this," he said of the holiday cheer spread by the visiting students.

"This is a good time of year for goosebumps," he said.

At the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, corrections officers are planning individual projects to carry out during kindness surge the first week of the new year. One officer plans to make care bags with snacks, bus tokens and other items to pass around town.

Ernestine Hayes, a Juneau-based Tlingit author, said she hadn't heard of the kindness campaign, but praised Juneau police for the effort. Hayes, who was recently named as the 2017 state writer laureate, said once she hears more about the campaign, she might see some opportunity to formally participate.

"I think it's very good to be on the lookout for someone you can hand something to  give them something like, 'Here's a bus token'  if we also remember that kindness can be a smile, a hello and a hug." she said, "That will advance it even further."

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Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.

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Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  When a New Hampshire woman disappeared 35 years ago, her family assumed she and her boyfriend left town to avoid money troubles. But on Tuesday, authorities said they consider her a missing person and have begun a criminal investigation based on new information.

The state attorney general's office said Denise Beaudin's family last saw her on Thanksgiving 1981, when she was 23, with her boyfriend, Robert "Bob" Evans, and her infant daughter. When relatives went to visit her Manchester home a few days later, the couple and baby were gone. The family did not contact police at the time, said Jeffery Strelzin, senior assistant attorney general and chief of the homicide unit.

"It was a different time, you had no cellphones, no social media, so it was different," he said.

Investigators have been in touch with Beaudin's daughter, Strelzin said.

"We know where she is, we've identified her, she's alive and well," he said of the daughter. "She doesn't want her identity released at this time, but she's OK."

Evans, who was 37 at the time, is now 72, and authorities know where he is, Strelzin said. He declined to provide more information about Evans, or what led authorities to begin investigating. Beaudin's name has been added to the National Crime Information Center's missing persons database, which includes records of people missing under circumstances indicating they may be in physical danger or their disappearance may not have been voluntary.

Strelzin said authorities will provide more details in a few weeks, but they wanted to get the word out this week, when those who knew Beaudin might be back in the area for the holidays.

Police want to hear from anyone who knew Beaudin or Evans between 1976 and 1981, including her high school classmates or neighbors in the area around Hayward Street in Manchester.

Beaudin graduated from Goffstown High School in 1976 and later worked at General Cable and the Demers Nursing Home in Manchester.
Dec 28 (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

** The federal government is looking to boost the amount it contracts out to startups as part of its attempt to spur on Canada's emerging technology sector and create economic growth. https://tgam.ca/2hnO33S

** A British Columbia judge has ordered correctional officials to amend a program that allows prison staff to isolate inmates whose behaviour they deem problematic, saying the program deprives inmates of procedural fairness. https://tgam.ca/2hnLChV

** British Columbia Deputy Premier Rich Coleman believes in the long-term prospects for exporting liquefied natural gas from British Columbia, saying patience is a virtue during an industry slump. https://tgam.ca/2hnJLcY

NATIONAL POST

** BlackBerry Ltd may not be focused on smartphones anymore, but that doesn't mean the marketplace will stop seeing new devices with its brand. TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd announced it will unveil its new BlackBerry branded smartphones at the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January. http://bit.ly/2hnKWca

** While the Canadian oilpatch is fixating on crude oil pipelines, natural gas player Seven Generations Energy Ltd is eager to see some movement on natural gas pipelines to tap the Asian market. http://bit.ly/2hnMkeW

** President-elect Donald Trump's attacks during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign were directed toward Mexico and China, and not his country's largest bilateral trading partner, Canada, yet they could still present a challenge for Canadian business if he acts on them. http://bit.ly/2hnNyqt (Compiled by Shalini Nagarajan in Bengaluru)
The numbers are in  and Prince Harry is the royal familys resident globetrotter this year!

The annual survey of the royal familys many public engagements, compiled every year by Tim ODonovan, was published today by the U.K.s The Times paper. And this year, Prince Harry is granted the coveted title of most traveled royal of 2016 after racking up 61,800 miles of overseas engagements.

He earned those miles from visits to the Caribbean, Nepal and Florida for the Invictus Games. Of course, he did some personal traveling, too: Harry flew to Toronto to visit girlfriend Meghan Markle, though those personal visits dont count toward the 61,800 miles flown for official duties.

Though Harry may be the familys most traveled, its Prince Charles who is the familys most active. In 2016, he attended 530 engagements both at home and abroad.

His sister, Princess Anne, who was the most active royal in 2015, follows just behind him with 509. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, didnt do quite as many as her husband, but still racked up an impressive 221 engagements throughout the year.

The familys eldest members arent using age as an excuse to be much less active: The Queen, who turned 90 this year, and Prince Philip, who turned 95, made 332 and 219 appearances at various engagements throughout the year, respectively.

However, that number is smaller for both than it was in 2015  understandable, considering theyre both in their 90s! Both have been lessening their workload recently, with the Queen handing off patronage of 25 charities to various younger members of her family at the end of the year.

Prince William and Princess Kate both significantly increased the number of engagements they took on this year in comparison to last. William undertook 188 in 2016, while in 2015 he did 122. Kate did 140 in 2016, compared to just 62 last year  a number that is explained by Princess Charlottes birth.




In the last three years, there have been 36 reports of sexual abuse in state licensed facilities and the child welfare system, a chilling accumulation that has rightfully prompted an investigation by the state inspector general for child welfare.

That investigation, according to inspector general Julie Rogers, will determine whether adequate steps are being taken by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to prevent and respond to abuse of youth in the states care, including children placed in state-licensed facilities and group homes, youth in foster homes and adopted from the child welfare system.

The abuse cases have been reported to law enforcement and investigated, leading to prosecutions of foster parents and state facility workers for sexual assault or failing to protect a child in their care.

Now Rogers office will investigate the system and how the state protects the chiildren and youth under its care.

"These are horrific, or can be very horrific, situations, and there are numbers to show it's not just once in a great while," she said ."What we're doing right now is looking to see if the system has gaps or if the system can improve to further protect these kids from sexual victimization."

Rogers investigation will focus on better understanding when and why youth under the protection of the state are being sexually abused and victimized and whether the state has enough safeguards in selecting its caregivers. The investigation, which will include interviews and data analysis, will look at whether the state has enough safeguards in selecting its caregivers.

It has the support of Gov. Pete Ricketts key legislators and, critically, HHS, which has pledged to cooperate with the inquiry and has already been working on improving the system.

Those improvements have included reducing out-of-home placements of children with a new service aimed at keeping children in their homes to be introduced in 2016 and an intensive family placement program.

Rogers investigation will, it is hoped, identify further areas for improvement and make specific recommendations to HHS and, if necessary, the Legislature. The recommendations will be made public in September as part of the inspector generals annual report. They should be taken seriously, as there can be no higher priority for the state than protecting children in its care.
Princess Charlotte wore dark cherry red tights and now we want to wear dark cherry tights

Who says you have to be a grown woman to be a style icon? Princess Charlotte donned a pair of cherry red tights to Christmas morning church service over the weekend, and now were racking our brains to think up as many ways as possible to wear red tights with our winter outfits.

Paired with a black, knee-length wool coat, Charlottes warm tights were just right for the service at St. Marks, located in the village of Englefield near where Kate Middleton grew up, in Buckleberry, Berkshire. Coordinating with her daughter, Kate wore a slightly more rust-colored coat from British brand Hobbs and a pair of matching, chunky-heeled pumps.

The Royal Family Attend Church On Christmas Day

Breaking with tradition, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with their children, opted not to partake in the usual royal Christmas at Sandringham, Queen Elizabeths winter estate, instead spending the holiday with the Middletons.

The queen, meanwhile, was recovering from a heavy cold and and was forced to miss Christmas morning church service for the first time in three decades; there is no sense of undue concern about her health, though, according to the BBC.

But back to Charlottes tights: We know wooly stockings are a popular option for keeping young girls warm during the winter months, but honestly, theyre great for grown-up ladies, too. Pull them on under a favorite spring, summer, or fall dress, slip into your favorite ankle boots, and voila  the coziest winter outfit.

Dying to rock a pair of red tights like Charlottes? Try one of the options below!

Hue Cable Knit Sweater Tights

tights

Get them here for $16.

Pact Super-soft Organic Womens Tights

tights

Get them here for $17.99.

Forever 21 Cable Knit Tights

tights

Get them here for $6.90.

And now were all on our way to becoming as chic as an 18-month-old princess!

The post Princess Charlotte wore dark cherry red tights and now we want to wear dark cherry tights appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Carrie Fisher was in bed when I arrived at her Beverly Hills home on November 11. Not because she was sick  although she had flown in from London the night before and was weathering a truly nasty cold  but because her bed offered her something of an oasis. Its where she often wrote (always in longhand), slept and vied for blanket space with her beloved dog, Gary Fisher, who rarely left her side.

I was buzzed through her front gate, which was emblazoned with playful metal signs, among them Beware of Crabs, No Swimsuits in Lobby and Ask Me About Medication Side Effects. Then after wending through the interconnected rooms of her Spanish-style hillside home, I settled in at the foot of her bed, cross-legged.

Jim Spellman/WireImage

I was there to talk about her latest book, The Princess Diarist, in which she revealed a three-month affair with Harrison Ford while the two filmed the first Star Wars movie, in 1976, when she was just 19 and he was a 34-year-old married father of two. Having come across old, angst-ridden journals shed kept at the time, Carrie felt it was time to cop to the whirlwind romance about which rabid Star Wars fans could only dream. Its been FORTY years, Carrie said of why shed decided to go public. How much longer could I wait?

Sipping Coke over ice and sitting among pillows in a dark sweater and casual slacks, Carrie was her usual forthright, whip-smart and hilarious self. Asked how the famously private and taciturn Ford reacted when she gave him a heads up about her plan to reveal their romance, Carrie imitated Fords single-word response. He went, Lawyer!, she said with an amused half-smile, lifting her hand high in the air as if summoning a waiter or taxi. When she gestured dramatically from the bed, Gary sleepily raised his head.

Truth be told, Carrie likely would not have published The Princess Diarist had Ford strongly objected (she said she sent him an early manuscript and offered to make changes; she did not hear back). An inherently decent person with little interest in embarrassing anyone (other than herself), Carrie simply saw value in sharing her life experience  one marked by humor as well as personal struggle  along the way.

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As riveted as I was by Carries account of her intense affair with Harrison Ford (as her fans would be the following week when PEOPLE excerpted Carries book), it was her relationship with daughter Billie Lourd that stayed with me most from our chat.

I came into the interview well-schooled in Carries demons  her struggles with addiction and bipolar disorder  and fluent in her extraordinary career. But it was her rather ordinary, and beautiful, love for Billie that made Carrie come even more alive for me. She was such a proud mom, and so happy that Billie was having a ball on Scream Queens. She was truly tickled that Billie jumped at the chance to record the young Carrie voice for the audio version of The Princess Diarist.

Before I left Carries bedroom, I gave her a hug and thanked her for always being so honest. I would be the last journalist she entertained in her home. As I snaked my way back through her rambling, whimsically-decorated home, I walked past her Christmas tree, which was lit up even in the early afternoon, and noticed an array of family photos and a life-size Princess Leia character emerging from an old-time phone booth on her porch. Before getting into my car, I spotted a salvaged parking meter in the driveway designating a special spot. The parking sign read: Only Hookers. Naturally, it made me laugh.




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2016 / Prophecy Development Corp. ("Prophecy" or the "Company") (TSX: PCY, OTC PINK: PRPCF, Frankfurt: 1P2N) is pleased to announce that it has signed two coal sales and purchase agreements (the "SPAs") to sell a total of 16,000 tonnes of coal sourced from its 100%-owned Ulaan Ovoo mine ("Ulaan Ovoo") in Mongolia.

The two purchasers were Erdenet Mining Corporation ("GOK") (for 10,000 tonnes) and Selenge Energo Heat Plant ("Selenge Energo") (for 6,000 tonnes). Coal deliveries sourced from the Company's existing Ulaan Ovoo coal stockpiles began in December 2016. Delivery of the 16,000 tonnes is expected to complete by February 2017.

GOK has been a major Prophecy customer and (excluding the current 10,000 tonnes) has purchased a total of 77,334 tonnes of coal since 2013. The Company expects to generate positive cash flow from the two SPAs.

In recent months, Prophecy has received multiple, unsolicited written expressions of interest from parties in Russia, China, and India, relating to possible transactions involving sales from, or joint venture of, Ulaan Ovoo.

While Prophecy considers Ulaan Ovoo to be one of its core company assets, the Company is responding to those expressions of interest and intends to evaluate any potential proposals received with a view to maximizing shareholder value.

To date in 2016, the benchmark thermal coal price (i.e. Australian thermal coal, 12,000 Btu/lb, FOB Newcastle) has nearly doubled to over US$100/tonne from US$53/tonne in January. Prophecy is surveying existing and prospective customers with a view to possibly restarting Ulaan Ovoo in 2017.

About Ulaan Ovoo:

Ulaan Ovoo is located in northern Mongolia, 17km from the Zelter border to Russia by dirt road, and 120km by road from Mongolia's Sukhbaatar railway station (which connects to the Trans-Siberian railway network). The mine has been on standby since 2014.

During 2012 to 2015, Prophecy successfully delivered approximately 500,000 tonnes of Ulaan Ovoo coal to 28 Mongolian and Russian customers, with a track record of timely delivery and meeting or exceeding the required coal quality specifications.

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Prophecy received a mining permit for Ulaan Ovoo in 2011, and has invested approximately $60 million into the project since then. The coal is marketed specifically to power plants, heat/boiler plants, cement factories, metallurgical plants, direct reduced iron plants, and railway companies. Ulaan Ovoo coal (5,000 kcal/kg GCV, < 1% Sulphur, < 8% Ash, < 3% rock) is well-suited for all of these customers' applications.

Qualified Persons

The technical content of this news release was reviewed and approved by Christopher M. Kravits, CPG, LPG, who is a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Mr. Kravits is a consultant to the Company and serves as its Qualified Person and General Mining Manager.

About Prophecy

Prophecy Development Corp. is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange that is engaged in developing mining and energy projects in Mongolia, Bolivia and Canada. Further information on Prophecy can be found at www.prophecydev.com.

PROPHECY DEVELOPMENT CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"JOHN LEE"

Executive Chairman

For more information about Prophecy, please contact Investor Relations:

+1.888.513.6286

ir@prophecydev.com

www.prophecydev.com

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding Prophecy's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Prophecy's forward-looking statements. Prophecy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although Prophecy 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. Prophecy undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE: Prophecy Development Corp.
Roland Collins, better known as the rapper Troy Ave, left the hospital on Monday, The New York Daily News reports. He was shot twice on Sunday afternoon while driving with his girlfriend in East Flatbush, New York.

According to Collins' lawyer, John Stella, the 34-year-old rapper still has two bullets lodged in his body. "He is very sore," Stella said. "The doctors told the family that he came dangerously close to having a spinal cord injury, but it looks like there's no lasting damage from the wound track." Stella suggested that Collins plans to have surgery to remove the bullets at a later date.

In a video posted on Instagram, Collins walked out of the hospital under his own power  arm in a sling, bandage on his head  with a small police escort. In the clip's caption, he thanked his supporters. "Shot in my head, shot in my back, God is Great," he wrote. "Ya boi is back from the bottom of my heart thank y'all 4 all the prayers."

The MC's lawyer told The New York Daily News that Collins was unable to catch a glimpse of his assailant, and speculated that the attack might be related to a shooting at New York's Irving Plaza in May that resulted in the wounding of Collins and the death of his bodyguard, Ronald McPhatter. "[Collins] didn't sense anyone following him at all," Stella noted. "Was it someone who had an opportunity or a designated interest? We don't know."

In August, Collins filed a suit against Irving Plaza and its owner Live Nation, accusing the organizations of failing to provide proper security. He is currently out of jail on $500,000 bail.



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KERRY: Happy Hanukkah. And to everybody here, I know its the middle of the holiday week. I understand, but I wish you all a very, very productive and happy new year.

Today, I want to share candid thoughts about an issue which for decades has animated the foreign policy dialogue here and around the world  the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Throughout his administration, President Obama has been deeply committed to Israel and its security. And that commitment has guided his pursuit of peace in the Middle East.

This is an issue which all of you know I have worked on intensively during my time as secretary of state, for one simple reason, because the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the only way to ensure Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors.

It is the only way to ensure a future of freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people, and it is an important way of advancing United States interests in the region.

Now, Id like to explain why that future is now in jeopardy and provide some context for why we could not in good conscience stand in the way of a resolution at the United Nations that makes clear that both sides must act now to preserve the possibility of peace.

Im also here to share my conviction that there is still a way forward if the responsible parties are willing to act. And I want to share practical suggestions for how to preserve and advance the prospects for the just and lasting peace that both sides deserve.

So it is vital that we have an honest, clear-eyed conversation about the uncomfortable truths and difficult choices. Because the alternative that is fast becoming the reality on the ground is in nobodys interest  not the Israelis, not the Palestinians, not the region, and not the United States.

Now, I want to stress that there is an important point here. My job above all is to defend the United States of America, to stand up for and defend our values and our interests in the world. And if we were to stand idly by know that in doing so we are allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold, which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities. Regrettably, some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means the U.S. must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles, even after urging again and again that the policy must change. Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

Israels permanent representative to the United Nations, who does not support a two-state solution, said after the vote last week, quote, It was to be expected that Israels greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share, and veto this resolution. I am compelled to respond today that the United States did, in fact, vote in accordance with our values, just as previous U.S. administrations have done at the Security Council before us.

They fail to recognize that this friend, the United States of America, that has done more to support Israel than any other country, this friend that has blocked countless efforts to delegitimize Israel, cannot be true to our own values or even the stated democratic values of Israel. And we cannot properly defend and protect Israel if we allow a viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our own eyes. And thats the bottom line.

The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. Thats what we were standing up for.

Israels future is a Jewish and democratic state living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. Thats what we are trying to preserve for our sake and for theirs.

In fact, this administration has been Israels greatest friend and supporter with an absolutely unwavering commitment to advancing Israels security and protecting its legitimacy.

On this point, I want to be very clear; no American administration has done more for Israels security than Barack Obamas. The Israeli prime minister himself has noted our quote unprecedented military intelligence cooperation.

Our military exercises are more advanced than ever. Our assistance for Iron Dome has saved countless Israeli lives. We have consistently supported Israels right to defend itself by itself, including during actions Gaza that sparked great controversy.

Time and again we have demonstrated that we have Israels back. We have strongly apposed (ph) boycotts, investment campaigns, and sanctions targeting Israel in international for a (ph).

Whenever and wherever its legitimacy was attacked, and we have fought for its inclusion across the U.N. system.

In the midst of our own financial crisis and budget deficits, we repeatedly increased funding to support Israel. In fact, more than 1/2 of our entire global foreign military financing goes to Israel. And this fall we concluded an historic $38 billion memorandum of understanding that exceeds any military assistance package the United States has provided to any country at any time.

And that will invest in cutting-edge missile defense and sustain Israels qualitative military edge for years to come. Thats the measure of our support. This commitment to Israels security is actually very personal for me. On my first trip to Israel as a young senator in 1986, I was captivated by a special country, one that I immediately admired and soon grew to love.

Over the years, like so many others who are drawn to this extraordinary place, I have climbed Masada, swum in the Dead Sea, driven from one biblical city to another. Ive also seen the dark side of Hezbollahs rocket storage facilities just across the border in Lebanon, walked through the exhibits of the hell of the holocaust at Yad Vashem, stood on the Golan Heights, and piloted an Israeli jet over the tiny airspace of Israel which would make anyone understand the importance of security to Israelis.

Out of those experiences came a steadfast commitment to Israels security that has never wavered for a single minute in my 28 years in the Senate or my four years as Secretary. Ive also often visited West Bank communities where I met Palestinians struggling for basic freedom and dignity amidst the occupation, passed by military check points that can make even the most routine daily trips to work or school an ordeal, and heard from business leaders who could not get the permits that they needed to get their products to the market and families who have struggled to secure permission just to travel for needed medical care.

And I have witnessed firsthand the ravages of a conflict that has gone on for far too long. Ive seen Israeli children in Sderot whose playgrounds had been hit by Katyusha rockets. I visited shelters next to schools who carry out Shmona (ph). The kids had 15 seconds to get to after a warning siren went off.

Ive also seen the devastation of war in the Gaza strip where Palestinian girls and (inaudible) of that (ph) rubble (ph) played in the rubble of a bombed-out building. No children, Israeli or Palestinian, should have to live like that.

KERRY: So despite the obvious difficulties that I understood when I became Secretary of State, I knew that I had to do everything in my power to help end this conflict. And I was grateful to be working for President Obama who was prepared to take risks for peace and was deeply committed to that effort.

Like previous U.S. administrations, we have committed our influence and our resources to trying to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict because yes, it would serve American interests to stabilize a volatile region, and fulfill Americas commitment to the survival, security and well-being of an Israel, at peace with its Arab neighbors.

Despite our best efforts, over the years, the two state solution are now in serious jeopardy. The truth is that trends on the ground, violence, terrorism, incitement (ph), settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, they are combining to destroy hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one state reality that most people do not actually want.

Today, there are a number  there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state or they can separate into two states. But here is a fundamental reality, if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic, it cannot be both. And it wont ever really be at peace.

Moreover, the Palestinians will never fully realize their vast potential in a homeland of their own with a one state solution. Now most, on both sides, understand this basic choice and that is why it is important that polls of Israelis and Palestinians show there is still strong support for the two state solution in theory. They just dont believe it can happen.

After decades of conflict, many no longer see the other side as people, only as threats and enemies. Both sides continue to push a narrative that plays to peoples fears and reinforces the worst stereotypes, rather than working to change perceptions and buildup belief in the possibility of peace. And the truth is, the extraordinary polarization in this conflict extends beyond Israelis and Palestinians. Allies of both sides are content to reinforce this with a with  and us  youre with us or against us mentality, where too often anyone questioning Palestinian actions is an apologist for the occupation, and anyone who disagrees with Israel policy is cast as anti-Israel, or even anti-Semitic. Thats one of the most striking realities about the current situation. This critical decision about the future, one state or two states, is effectively being made on the ground every single day despite the expressed opinion of the majority of the people. The status quo is leaning towards one state and perpetual occupation. But most of the public either ignores it or has given up hope that anything can be done to change it.

And with this passive resignation, the problem only gets worse, the risks get greater and the choices are narrower. This sense of hopelessness among Israelis is exacerbated by the continuing violence, terrorist attacks against civilians and incitements which are destroying belief in the possibility of peace. Let me say it again, there is absolutely no justification for terrorism and there never will be. And the most recent wave of Palestinian violence has included hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year including stabbings, shootings, vehicular attacks and bombings. Many by individuals who have been radicalized by social media. Yet the murders of innocence are still glorified on (inaudible) websites, including showing attackers next to Palestinian leaders following attacks.

KERRY: And despite statements by President Abbas and his partys leaders, making clear their opposition of violence, too often they send a different message by failing to condemn specific terrorist attacks and naming public square, streets and schools after terrorists.

President Obama and I have made it clear to the Palestinian leadership countless times, publicly and privately, that all incitements to violence must stop. We have consistently condemned violence and terrorism and even condemned the Palestinian leadership for not condemning it. Far too often the Palestinians have pursued efforts to delegitimize Israel in international forum. We have strongly opposed these initiatives, including the recent holy unbalanced and inflammatory UNESCO resolution regarding Jerusalem.

And we have made clear our strong opposition to Palestinian efforts against Israel at the ICC, which only sets back the prospects for peace. And we all understand that the Palestinian authority has a lot more to do to strengthen its institutions and improve governance. Most troubling of all, Hamas continues to pursue an extremist agenda. They refuse to accept Israels very right to exist. They have a one state vision of their own. All of the land is Palestine.

Hamas and other radical factions are responsible for the most explicit forms of incitement to violence. And many of the images they use are truly appalling and they are willing to kill innocents in Israel and put the people of Gaza at risk in order to advance that agenda. Compounding this, the humanitarian situation in Gaza exacerbated by the closings of the crossings is dire.

Gaza is home to one of the world densest concentrations of people. Enduring extreme hardships with few opportunities, 1.3 million people out of Gazas population of 1.8 million are in need of daily assistance, food and shelter. Most have electricity less than half the time and only five percent of the water is safe to drink. And yet, despite the urgency of these needs, Hamas and other militant groups continue to rearm and to vert reconstruction materials to build tunnels, threatening more attacks on Israeli civilians that no government can tolerate.

Now at the same time, we have to be clear about what is happening in the west bank. The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two- state solution. But his current coalition is the most right-wing in Israel history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements. The result is that policies of this government, which the prime minister himself just described, as more committed to settlements than any in Israels history are leading in the opposite direction. They are leading towards one-state.

In fact, Israel has increasingly consolidated control over much of the west bank for its own purposes. Effectively reversing the transitions to greater Palestinian civil authority that was called for by the Oslo Accords. I dont think most people in Israel and certainly in the world, have any idea how broad and systematic the process has become, but the facts speak for themselves.

The number of settlers in the roughly 130 Israeli settlements east of the 1967 lines has steadily grown. The settler population in the west bank alone, not including East Jerusalem, has increased by nearly 270,000 since Oslo. Including 100,000 just since 2009 when President Obamas term began.

Theres no point in pretending that these are just in-large settlement blocs. Nearly 90,000 settlers are living east of the separation barrier that was created by Israel itself. In the middle of what, by any reasonable definition, would be the future Palestinian state. And the population of these distant settlements has grown by 20,000 just since 2009.

KERRY: In fact just recently, the government approved a significant new settlement well east of the barrier, closer to Jordan than Israel. What does that say to Palestinians in particular, but also to the United States and the world about Israels intentions? Let me emphasize, this is not to say that the settlements or the hole or even the primary cause of this conflict, of course they are not. Nor can you say that if the settlements were suddenly removed, youd have peace without a broader agreement. You would not. And we understand that in a final status agreement, certain settlements would become part of Israel to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 49 years.

We understand that. Including the new democratic demographic realities that exist in the ground; they would have to be factored in. But if more and more settlers are moving into the middle of Palestinian areas, its going to be just that much harder to separate, that much harder to imagine transferring sovereignty. And that is exactly the outcome that some are purposefully accelerating.

Lets be clear. Settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israels security. Many settlements actually increase the security burden on the Israeli defense forces and leaders of the settler movement are motivated by ideological imperatives that entirely ignore legitimate Palestinian aspirations. Among the most troubling illustrations of this point has been the proliferation of settler outposts that are illegal under Israels own laws.

Theyre often located on private Palestinian land and strategically placed in locations that make two states impossible. There are over 100 of these outposts and since 2011, nearly 1/3 of them have been or are being legalized despite pledges by past Israeli governments to dismantle many of them. Now leaders of the settler movement have advanced unprecedented new legislation that would legalize most of those outposts.

For the first time, it would apply Israeli domestic law to the West Bank rather than military law which is a major step towards the process of annexation. When the law passed first reading in the Israeli Parliament in the Knesset, one of the chief proponents said proudly, and I quote, Today, the Israeli Knesset moved from heading towards establishing a Palestinian state towards Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

Even the Israeli attorney general has said that the draft law is unconstitutional and a violation of international law. Now, you may hear from advocates that the settlements are not an obstacle to peace because the settlers that dont want to leave can just stay in Palestine like the Arab Israelis who live in Israel. But that misses a critical point, my friends; the Arab Israelis are citizens of Israel, subject to Israels law.

Does anyone here really believe that the settlers will agree to submit to Palestinian law in Palestine? Likewise, some supporters of the settlements argue that the settlers could just stay in their settlements  settlements and remain as Israeli citizens in their separate enclaves in the middle of Palestine, protected by the IDF. Well, there are over 80 settlements east of the separation barrier, many located in places that would make the continuous  a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.

Does anyone seriously think that if they just stay where they are, you could still have a viable Palestinian state? Now, some have asked why cant we build in the blocks which everyone knows will eventually be part of Israel? Well, the reason building there or anywhere else in the West Bank now results in such pushback is that the decision of what constitutes a block is being made unilaterally by the Israeli government without consultation, without the consent of the Palestinians, and without granting the Palestinians a reciprocal right to build in what will be, by most accounts, part of Palestine.

KERRY: Bottom line, without agreement or mutuality, the unilateral choices become a major point of contention and that is part of why we are here where we are. Now, you may hear that these remote settlements arent a problem because they only take up a very small percentage of the land. Well, again and again we have made it clear its not just a question of the overall amount of land available in the West Bank; its whether the land can be connected or is broken up into small parcels like Swiss cheese that could never constitute a real state. The more outposts that are built, the more the settlements expand, the less possible it is to create a contiguous state.

So in the end, a settlement is not just the land that its on, its also what the location does to the movement of people; what it does to the ability of a road to connect people, one community to another; what it does to the sense of statehood that is chipped away with each new construction.

No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of what the settlements pose to that peace. But the problem obviously goes well beyond settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take the West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there. Today, the 60 percent of the West Bank known as Area C, much of which was supposed to be transferred to Palestinian control long ago under the Oslo accords, much of it is effectively off limits to Palestinian development.

Most today has essentially been taken for exclusive use by Israel simply by unilaterally designating it as state land or including it within the jurisdiction of regional settlement councils. Israeli farms flourish in the Jordan River valley, and Israeli resorts line the shores of the Dead Sea. A lot of people dont realize this. They line the shore of the Dead Sea where Palestinian development is not allowed.

In fact, almost no private Palestinian building is approved in Area C at all. Only one permit was issued by Israel in all of 2014 and 2015, while approvals for hundreds of settlement units were advanced during that same period.

Moreover, Palestinian structures in Area C that do not have a permit from the Israeli military are potentially subject to demolition, and they are currently being demolished at an historically high rate. Over 1,300 Palestinians including over 600 children have been displaced by demolitions in 2016 alone  more than any previous year. So the settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear. They believe in one state  greater Israel. In fact, one prominent minister who heads a pro-settler party declared just after the U.S. election, and I quote, The era of the two-state solution is over, end quote. And many other coalition ministers publicly reject a Palestinian state, and they are increasingly getting their way, with plans for hundreds of new units in East Jerusalem recently announced and talk of a major new settlement building effort in the West Bank to follow.

So why are we so concerned? Why does this matter? Well, ask yourselves these questions. What happens if that agenda succeeds? Where does that lead? There are currently about 2.75 million Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank, most of them in Areas A and B; 40 percent in the West Bank, where they have limited autonomy. They are restricted in their daily movements by a web of checkpoints and unable to travel into or out of the West Bank without a permit from the Israelis.

So if there is only one state, you would have millions of Palestinians permanently living in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank with no real political rights, separate legal education and transportation systems, vast income disparities, under a permanent military occupation that deprives them of the most basic freedoms. Separate and unequal is what you would have, and nobody can explain how that works.

Would an Israeli accept living that way? Would an American accept living that way? Will the world accept it? If the occupation becomes permanent over the time, the Palestinian Authority could simply dissolve, turn over all the administrative and security responsibilities to the Israelis. What would happen then? Who would administer the schools and hospitals, and on what basis? Does Israel want to pay for the billions of dollars of lost international assistance that the Palestinian Authority now receives?

Would the Israeli defense force police the streets of every single Palestinian city and town? How would Israel respond to a growing civil rights movement from Palestinians demanding a right to vote? Or widespread protests and unrest across the West Bank? How does Israel reconcile a permanent occupation with its democratic ideals? How does the U.S. continue to defend that and still live up to our own democratic ideals?

Nobody has ever provided good answers for those questions because there arent any. And there would be an increasing risk of more intense violence between Palestinians and settlers and complete despair among Palestinians that would create very fertile ground for extremists. With all the external threats that Israel faces today, which we are very cognizant of and working with them to deal with, does it really want an intensifying conflict in the West Bank? How does that help Israels security? How does that help the region? The answer is it doesnt, which is precisely why so many senior Israeli military and intelligence leaders, past and present, believe the two state solution is the only real answer for Israels long-term security. Now one thing we do know, if Israel goes down the one state path, it will never have true peace with the rest of the Arab world, and I can say that with certainty. The Arab countries have made clear that they will not make peace with Israel without resolving the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Thats not where their loyalties lie, thats not where their politics are. But there is something new here. Common interests in countering Irans destabilizing activities, in fighting extremists, as well as diversifying their economies, have created real possibilities for something different if Israel takes advantage of the opportunities for peace.

I have spent a great deal of time with key Arab leaders exploring this. And there is no doubt that they are prepared to have a fundamentally different relationship with Israel. That was stated in the Arab peace initiative years ago. And in all my recent conversations, Arab leaders have confirmed their readiness in the context of Israeli-Palestinian peace, not just on normalize relations, but to work openly on securing that piece with significant regional security cooperation. I

It is waiting, its right there. Many have shown a willingness to support serious Israel-Palestinian negotiations, and to take steps on the path to normalization to relations, including public meetings, providing there is meaningful progress towards the two state solution. My friends that is a real opportunity that we should not allow to be missed.

And that raises one final question. Is ours the generation that gives up on the dream of a Jewish-Democratic state of Israel, living in peace and security with its neighbors? Because that is really what is at stake. Now that is what informed our vote at the Security Council last week. The need to preserve the two state solution and both sides in this conflict must make response ability to do that. We have repeatedly and emphatically stressed to the Palestinians that all incitement to violence must stop.

We have consistently condemned all violence and terrorism, and we have strongly opposed unilateral efforts to delegitimize Israel in the international forum. We have made countless public and private exhortations to the Israelis to stop the march of settlements. I mean literally hundreds of conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu; I have made clear that continued settlement activity would only increase pressure for international response.

We have all known for some time that the Palestinians were intent on moving forward in the U.N. With a settlements resolution and I advised the prime minister repeatedly that further settlement activity only invited U.N. action.

Yet the settlement activity just increased, including advancing the unprecedented legislation to legalize settler outposts that the prime minister himself reportedly warned could expose Israels action at the Security Council and international prosecution before deciding to support it.

KERRY: In the end, we could not, in good conscience, protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two state solution. We could not, in good conscious turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fanned hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state. And we may not be able to stop them, but we cannot be expected to defend them. And it is certainly not the role of any country to vote against its own policies.

That is why we decided not to block the U.N. resolution that makes clear, both sides have to take steps to save the two-state solution while there is still time. And we did not take this decision lightly. The Obama administration has always defended Israel against any effort at the U.N. and any international fora or biased and one- sided resolutions that seek to undermine legitimacy or security and that has not changed, didnt change with this vote.

But remember, its important to note that every United States administration, Republican and Democratic, has opposed settlements as contrary to the prospects for peace. And action at the U.N. Security Council is far from unprecedented. In fact, previous administrations of both political parties have allowed resolutions that were critical of Israel to pass, including on settlements.

On dozens of occasions under George W. Bush alone, the council passed six resolutions that Israel opposed, including one that endorsed a plan calling for a complete freeze on settlements, including natural growth. Let me read you the lead paragraph from a New York Times story dated December 23rd. I quote, With the United States abstaining, the Security Council adopted a resolution today strongly deploring Israels handling of the disturbances in the occupied territories, which the resolution defines as including Jerusalem. All of the 14 other Security Council members voted in favor.

My friends, that story was not written last week. It was written December 23rd, 1987, 26 years to the day that we voted last week when Ronald Reagan was president. Yet despite growing pressure, the Obama administration held a strong line against U.N. action  any U.N. action. We were the only administration since 1967 that had not allowed any resolution to pass that Israel opposed.

In fact, the only time in eight years the Obama administration exercised its veto at the United Nation was against a one-sided settlements resolution in 2011. And that resolution did not mention incitement or violence. Now, lets look at whats happened since then. Since then there have been over 30,000 settlement units advanced through some stage of the planning process. Thats right, over 30,000 settlement units advance notwithstanding the positions in the United States and other countries. And if we had vetoed this resolution just the other day, the United States would have been giving license to further unfettered settlement construction that we fundamentally oppose. So we reject the criticism that this vote abandons Israel.

On the contrary, it is not this resolution that is isolating Israel, it is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible. And virtually every country in the world other than Israel opposes settlements. That includes many of the friends of Israel, including the United Kingdom, France, Russia, all of whom voted in favor of the settlements resolution in 2011 that we vetoed, and again this year along with any other member of the council.

KERRY: In fact, this resolution simply reaffirms statements made by the Security Council on the legality of settlements over several decades. It does not break new ground. In 1978 the State Department legal advisor, advised the Congress of his conclusion, that Israels government program establishing civilian settlements in the occupied territory is inconsistent with international law. And we see no change since then to affect that fundamental conclusion.

Now you have heard that some criticize this resolution for calling East Jerusalem occupied territory. But to be clear, there was absolutely nothing new in last weeks resolution on that issue. It was one of a long line of Security Council resolutions that included east Jerusalem as part of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, and that includes resolutions passed by the Security Council under President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush.

And remember that every U.S. administration since 1967, along with the entire international community, has recognized east Jerusalem as among the territories that Israel occupied in the Six-Day War.

Now, I want to stress this point. We fully respect Israels profound historic and religious ties to the city and to its holy sites. Weve never questioned that. This resolution in no manner prejudges the outcome of permanent status negotiations on east Jerusalem, which must, of course, reflect those historic ties and the realities on the ground. Thats our position. We still support it.

We also strongly reject the notion that somehow the United States was the driving force behind this resolution. The Egyptians and Palestinians had long made clear to all of us, to all of the international community, their intention to bring a resolution to a vote before the end of the year. And we communicated that to the Israelis and they knew it anyway. The United States did not draft or originate this resolution, nor did we put it forward. It was drafted by Egypt  it was drafted and I think introduced by Egypt, which is one of Israels closest friends in the region, in coordination with the Palestinians and others.

And during the time of the process, as it went out, we made clear to others including those on the Security Council that it was possible that if the resolution were to be balanced and it were to include references to incitement and to terrorism, that it was possible the United States would then not block it, that  if it was balanced and fair. Thats a standard practice with resolutions at the Security Council. The Egyptians and the Palestinians and many others understood that if the text were more balanced, it was possible we wouldnt block it.

But we also made crystal clear that the president of the United States would not make a final decision about our own position until we saw the final text. In the end, we did not agree with every word in this resolution. There are important issues that are not sufficiently addressed or even addressed at all. But we could not, in good conscience, veto a resolution that condemns violence and incitement and reiterates what has been for a long time the overwhelming consensus and international view on settlements and calls for the parties to start taking constructive steps to advance the two-state solution on the ground.

Ultimately, it will be up to the Israeli people to decide whether the unusually heated attacks that Israeli officials have directed towards this administration best serve Israels national interests and its relationship with an ally that has been steadfast in its support, as I described. Those attacks, alongside allegations of a U.S.-led conspiracy and other manufactured claims, distract attention from what the substance of this vote was really all about.

And we all understand that Israel faces very serious threats in a very tough neighborhood. Israelis are rightfully concerned about making sure that there is not a new terrorist haven right next door to them, often referencing whats happened with Gaza, and we understand that and we believe there are ways to meet those needs of security. And Israelis are fully justified in decrying (ph) attempts to legitimize their state question the right of a Jewish state to exist.

KERRY: But this vote was not about that, it was about actions that Israelis and Palestinians are taking that are increasingly rendering a two-state solution impossible. It was not about making peace with the Palestinians now, it was about making sure that peace with the Palestinians will be possible in the future. Now, we all understand that Israel faces extraordinarily serious threats in a very tough neighborhood and the Israelis are very correct in making sure that there is not a terrorist haven right on their border.

But this vote, I cant emphasize it enough, is not about the possibility of arriving at an agreement that is going to resolve that overnight, or in one year or two years. This is about a longer process. This is about how we make peace with the Palestinians in the future, but preserve the capacity to do so.

So, how do we get there? How do we get there to that peace? Since the parties have not yet been able to resume talks, the U.S. and the Middle East quartet have repeatedly called on both sides to independently demonstrate a genuine commitment to the two state solution, not just with words but with real policies.

To create the conditions for meaningful negotiations. We called for both sides to take significant steps on the ground to reverse current trends and send a different message, a clear message that they are prepared to fundamentally change the equation without waiting for the other side to act.

We have pushed them to comply with their basic commitments under their own prior agreements in order to advance a two state reality on the ground. We have called for the Palestinians to do everything in their power to stop violence and incitement, including publicly and consistently condemning acts of terrorism and stopping the glorification of violence.

And we have called on them to continue efforts to strengthen their own institutions and to improve governance, transparency, and accountability. And we have stressed that the Hamas arms build up and militant activities in Gaza must stop. Along with our quartet partners, we have called on Israel to end the policy of settlement construction and expansion, of taking land for exclusive Israeli use and denying Palestinian development.

To reverse the current process, the U.S. and our partners have encouraged Israel to resume the transfer of greater civil authority, the Palestinians in Area C, consistent with the transition that was called for by Oslo. And we have made clear that significant progress across a range of sectors, including housing, agriculture, and natural resources can be made without negatively impacting Israels legitimate security needs.

And weve called for significantly easing the movement and access restrictions to and from Gaza with due consideration for Israels need to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks. So, let me stress here, again, none of the steps that I just talked about would negatively impact Israels security.

Let me also emphasize this is not about offering limited economic measures that perpetuate the status quo. Were talking about significant steps that would signal real progress towards creating two states. Thats the bottom line. If were serious about the two state solution, its time to start implementing it right now.

Advancing the process of separation now in a serious way could make a significant difference in saving the two state solution and in building confidence in the citizens of both sides that peace is indeed possible. And much progress can be made in advance of negotiations that can lay the foundation for negotiations as contemplated by the Oslo process.

In fact, these steps will help create the conditions for successful talks. Now, in the end, we all understand that the final status agreement can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties. Weve said that again and again. We cannot impose the peace.

There are other countries in the U.N. who believe it is our job to dictate the terms of the solution in the Security Council. Others want us to simply recognize a Palestinian state absent an agreement. But I want to make clear today, these are not the choices that we will make.

We choose instead to draw on the experiences of the last eight years, to provide a way forward, when the parties are ready for serious negotiations. In a place where the narratives from the past powerfully inform and mold the present, its important to understand the history. We mark this year and next a series of milestones that I believe both illustrate the two sides of the conflict and form the basis for its resolution. Its worth touching on them briefly.

One-hundred-and-twenty years ago, the first Zionist congress was convened in Basel by a group of Jewish visionaries who decided that the only effective response to the waves of anti-Semitic horrors sweeping across Europe was to create a state in the historic home of the Jewish people, where their ties to the land went back centuries; a state that could defend its borders, protect its people and live in peace with its neighbors. That was the vision. That was the modern beginning. And it remains the dream of Israel today.

Nearly 70 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 finally paved the way to making the state of Israel a reality. The concept was simple  to create two states for two peoples, one Jewish, one Arab; to realize the national aspirations of both Jews and Palestinians. And both Israel and the PLO referenced Resolution 181 in their respective declarations of independence.

The United States recognized Israel seven minutes after its creation. But the Palestinians and the Arab world did not. And from its birth, Israel had to fight for its life. Palestinians also suffered terribly in the 1948 war, including many who had lived for generations in a land that had long been their home, too. When Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018, the Palestinians will mark a very different anniversary  70 years since what they call the Nakba, or catastrophe.

Next year will also mark 50 years since the end of the Six-Day War, when Israel again fought for its survival, and Palestinians will again mark just the opposite  50 years of military occupation. Both sides have accepted U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which called for the withdrawal of Israel from territory that it occupied in 1967 in return for peace and secure borders as the basis for ending the conflict.

It has been more than 20 years since Israel and the PLO signed their first agreement, the Oslo accords, and the PLO formally recognized Israel. Both sides committed to a plan to transition much of the West Bank and Gaza to Palestinian control during permanent status negotiations that would put an end to their conflict. Unfortunately, neither the transition nor the final agreement came about. And both sides bear responsibility for that.

Finally, some 15 years ago, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia came out with a historic Arab peace initiative which offered fully normalized relations with Israel when it made peace  an enormous opportunity then and now which has never been fully embraced. That history was critical to our approach to trying to find a way to resolve the conflict. And based on my experience with both sides over the last four years, including the nine months of formal negotiations, the core issues can be resolved if there is leadership on both sides committed to finding a solution.

In the end, I believe the negotiations did not fail because the gaps were too wide, but because the level of trust was too low. Both sides were concerned that any concessions would not be reciprocated and would come at too great a political cost. And the deep public skepticism only made it more difficult for them to be able to take risks.

In the countless hours that we spent working on a detailed framework, we worked through numerous formulations and developed specific bridging proposals. And we came away with a clear understanding of the fundamental needs of both sides. In the past two-and-a-half years, I have tested ideas with regional and international stakeholders, including our quartet partners. And I believe what has emerged from all of that is a broad consensus on balanced principles that would satisfy the core needs of both sides.

President Clinton deserves great credit for laying out extensive parameters designed to bridge gaps in advanced final status negotiations 16 years ago. Today, with mistrust too high to even start talks, were at the opposite end of the spectrum. Neither side is willing to even risk acknowledging the others bottom line and more negotiations that do not produce progress will only reinforce the worst fears. Everyone understands that negotiations would be complex and difficult and nobody can be expected to agree on the final results in advance. But if the parties could at least demonstrate that they understand the other sides most basic needs and are potentially willing to meet them if theirs are also met at the comprehensive negotiations, perhaps then enough trust could be established to enable a meaningful progress to begin.

It is in that spirit that we offer the following principles. Not to prejudge or impose an outcome, but to provide a possible basis for serious negotiations when the parties are ready. Individual countries may have more detailed policies on these issues as we do, by the way, but I believe there is a broad consensus that a final status agreement that could meet the needs of both sides would do the following.

Principle number one; provide for secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine negotiated based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed equivalent swaps. Resolution 242, which has been enshrined in international law for 50 years, provides for the withdrawal of Israel from territory it occupied in 1967 in return for peace with its neighbors and secure and recognized borders. It has long been accepted by both sides and it remains the basis for an agreement today.

As secretary, one of the first issues that I worked out with the Arab League was their agreement that the reference in the Arab peace initiative to the 1957 lines would from now on include the concept of land swaps, which the Palestinians have acknowledged. This is necessary to reflect practical realities on the ground and mutually agreed equivalent swaps that will insure that the agreement is fair to both sides.

There is also broad recognition of Israels need to ensure that the borders are secure and defensible and that the territory of Palestine is viable and contiguous. Virtually everyone that I have spoken to has been clear on this principle as well; no changes by Israel to the 1967 lines will be recognized by the international community unless agreed to by both sides.

Principle two; fulfill the vision of the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181 of two states for two peoples, one Jewish and one Arab, with mutual recognition and full equal rights for all their respective citizens. This has been the fundamental  foundations principle of the two-state solution from the beginning, creating a state for the Jewish people and a state for the Palestinian people where each can achieve their national aspirations. And Resolution 181 is incorporated into the foundational documents of both the Israelis and Palestinians.

Recognition of Israel as a Jewish state has been the U.S. position for years, and based on my conversations in these last months, I am absolutely convinced that many others are now prepared to accept it as well, provided the need for a Palestinian state is also addressed.

KERRY: We also know that there is some 1.7 million Arab citizens who call Israel their home and must now and always be able to live as equal citizens, which makes this a difficult issue for Palestinians and others in the Arab world. Thats why it is so important that in recognizing each others homeland, Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people, both sides reaffirm their commitment to upholding full equal rights for all of their respective citizens.

Principle number three; provide for a just, agreed, fair and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee issue. With international assistance that includes compensation, options and assistance in finding permanent homes, acknowledgment of suffering another measures necessary for comprehensive resolution consistent with two states for two peoples. The plight of many Palestinian refugees is heartbreaking, and all agree that their needs have to be addressed.

As part of a comprehensive resolution, they must be provided with compensation; their suffering must be acknowledged and there must be the need to have options and assistance in finding permanent homes. The international community can provide significant support and assistance. I know we are prepared to do that, including and raising money to help ensure the compensation and other needs of the refugees are met. And many have expressed willingness to contribute to that effort, particularly if it brings peace. But there is a general recognition that the solution must be consistent with two states for two peoples, and cannot affect the fundamental character of Israel.

Principal four, provide an agreed solution for Jerusalem as the internationally recognized capital of the two states and protect and ensure freedom of access to the holy sites consistent with the established status quo. Now Jerusalem is the most sensitive issue for both sides. And the solution will have to meet the needs, not only of the parties but of all three monotheistic faiths. That is why the holy sites that are sacred to billions of people around the world must be protected and remain accessible, and the established status unmaintained.

Most acknowledge that Jerusalem should not be divided again like it was in 1967, and we believe that. At the same time there is broad recognition that there will be no peace agreement without reconciling the basic aspirations of both sides to have capitals there.

Principle 5, satisfy Israels security needs and bring a full end, ultimately, to the occupation. While ensuring Israel can defend itself effectively and that Palestine can provide security for its people in a sovereign and non-militarized state. Security is the fundamental issue for Israel, together with a couple of others mentioned. But security is critical.

Everyone understands that no Israeli government can ever accept an agreement that does not satisfy it security needs or risk creating an enduring threadlike Gaza transferred to the West Bank. And Israel must be able to defend itself effectively, including against terrorism and other regional threats. In fact, there is a real willingness with Egypt, Jordan and others to work together with Israel on meeting key security challenges. And I believe that those collective efforts, including close coordination on border security, intelligence sharing, joint cooperation, joint operation, can all play a critical role in securing the peace.

At the same time, fully ending the occupation is the fundamental issue for the Palestinians. They need to know that the military occupation itself will really and after an agreed transitional process. They need to know they can live with freedom and dignity in sovereign state while providing security to their population even without a military of their own.

This is widely accepted as well. And it is important to understand there are many different ways without occupation for Israel and Palestine and Jordan and Egypt and the United States and others to cooperate in providing that security. Now balancing those requirements was among the most important challenges that we faced in the negotiations. But it was one where the United States has the ability to provide the most assistance.

And that is why a team that was led by General John Allen who was here, to whom I am very grateful for his many hours of effort, along with he is one of our foremost military minds and dozens of experts who the Department of Defense and other agencies, all of them engaged extensively with the Israeli defense force in trying to find solutions that could help Israel address its legitimate security needs.

They developed innovative approaches to creating unprecedented multilayered border security, enhancing Palestinian capacity, enabling Israel to maintain the ability to address threats by itself, even when the occupation had ended. General Allen and his team were not suggesting one particular outcome or one particular timeline, nor were they suggesting that work technology alone would resolve these problems, they were simply working on ways to support whatever the negotiators agreed to.

And they did some very impressive work that gives me total confidence that Israel security requirements can be met. Principle six, end the conflict and all outstanding claims, enabling normalized relations and enhanced regional security for all as envisioned by the Arab peace initiative. It is essential for both sides that the final status agreement resolves all the outstanding issues and finally brings closure to this conflict. So that everyone can move ahead to a new era of peaceful coexistence and cooperation.

For Israel, this must also bring broader peace with all of its Arab neighbors. That is the fundamental promise of the Arab peace initiative, which key Arab leaders have affirmed in these most recent days. The Arab peace initiative also envisions enhanced security for all of the region. It envisages Israel being a partner in those efforts when peace is made. This is the area where Israel and the Arab world are looking at perhaps the greatest moment of potential transformation in the Middle East since Israels creation in 1948.

The Arab world faces its own set of security challenges. With Israel-Palestinian peace, Israel, the United States, Jordan, Egypt, together with the GCC countries, would be ready and willing to define a new security partnerships for the region that would be absolutely ground breaking.

So, ladies and gentlemen, thats why it is vital that we all work to keep open the possibility of peace, that we not lose hope in the two-state solution matter how difficult it may seem. Because there really is no viable alternative. Now, we all know that a speech alone wont produce peace, but based on over 30 years of experience and the lessons from the past four years, I have suggested, I believe, and President Obama has signed on to and believes it, a path that the parties could take.

Realistic steps on the ground now, consistent with the parties own prior commitments that will begin the process of separating into two-states. A political horizon to work towards to create the conditions for a successful final status talk and a basis for negotiations that the parties could accept to demonstrate that they are serious about making peace.

We can only encourage them to take this path. We cannot walk down it for them. But if they take these steps, peace would bring extraordinary benefits in enhancing the security and stability and prosperity of Israelis, Palestinians, all of the nations of the region. The Palestinian economy has amazing potential in the context of independence, with major private sector investment possibilities. And are talented, hungry, eager to work  a young work force.

Israels economy could enjoy unprecedented growth as it becomes a regional economic powerhouse, taking advantage of unparallel culture of innovation and trading opportunities with new Arab partners. Meanwhile, security challenges could be addressed by an entirely new security arrangement, in which Israel cooperates openly with key Arab states.

That is the future that everybody should be working for. President Obama and I know that the incoming administration has signaled that they may take a different path. And even suggested breaking from the long-standing U.S. policies on settlements  Jerusalem and the possibility of a two-state solution.

That is for them to decide, thats how we work. But we cannot, in good conscience, do nothing and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away. This is a time to stand up for what is right. We have long known what two-states, living side by side and peace and security looks like. We should not afraid to say so. Now, I really began to reflect on what we have learned and the way ahead when I recently joined President Obama in Jerusalem fro the state funeral for Shimon Peres. Shimon was one of the founding fathers of Israel and became one of the worlds great elder statesmen  a beautiful man. I was proud to call him my friend. And I know that President Obama was as well.

And I remember the first time that I saw Shimon in person, standing on the White House lawn for the signing of the historic Oslo accords. And I thought about the last time at an intimate, one-on-one Shabbat dinner just a few months before he died when we toasted together to the future of Israel and to the peace that he still so passionately believed in for his people.

He summed it up simply and eloquently, as only Shimon could, quote, The original mandate gave the Palestinians 48 percent; now its down to 22 percent. I think 78 percent is enough for us. As we laid Shimon to rest that day, many of us couldnt help but wonder if peace between Israelis and Palestinians might also be buried along with one of its most eloquent champions. We cannot let that happen.

There is simply too much at stake for future generations of Israelis and Palestinians to give in to pessimism, especially when peace is in fact still possible. We must not lose hope in the possibility of peace. We must not give in to those who say what is now must always be; that there is no chance for a better future.

It is up to Israelis and Palestinians to make the difficult choices for peace, but we can all help. And for the sake of future generations of Israelis and Palestinians, for all the people of the region, for the United States, for all those around the world who have prayed for and worked for peace for generations, lets hope that we are all prepared, and particularly Israelis and Palestinians, to make those choices now.

Thank you very much.
As the controversy mounts over the Obama administrations abstention on the U.N. vote to condemn Israels settlements on the West Bank, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) weighed in on the potential fallout for U.S. relations with Israel and the future of the United Nations.

When asked whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a right to criticize the Obama administration over the U.N. resolution, King responded, Yes, he really does. And Im always reluctant to criticize the president of my own country, but on this issue I believe the Israelis are clearly right and the United States is wrong.

King continued, If anything, this looks as if it is payback by President Obama to Prime Minister Netanyahu for the speech he gave in the Congress against the Iran deal.

King then raised concerns over the legitimacy of the United Nations.

At best its a debating society, its dominated by anti-Western countries. Its basically just a forum, in many cases, for anti-Americanism, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, anti-West.

As Trumps inauguration approaches, King hopes the Obama administration will not do anything else to harm Israels future or its relationship with the U.S.

I would wish that they would do the right thing here and allow the Trump administration to take over on January 20, rather than just tying the hands of the Israelis as theyre going out the door, which is Im afraid what John Kerry might be planning on doing today.

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Some animals in dire need of medical attention got exactly what they needed this year, thanks to a boost from science to help them  in some cases, literally  get back on their feet.

Read: Hippo 1, Car 0: See This Motorist's Moment of Panic as Hippo Slams Into His Car on Highway

InsideEdition.com has rounded up the most notable moments where science met nature and helped these animals get back into the swing of things in 2016.

In February, a paralyzed baby bunny at a New York State farm was able to move around again, thanks to the owners of Overlook Acres. The farm proprietors crafted a wheelchair out of a miniature skateboard and a sock.

Thanks to modern advances in technology, a tortoise was able to get a 3D-printed shell in March after the reptile was injured in a fire. Veterinarians, 3D designers, and artists in Brazil all banded together to help Freddy the tortoise get a new built-in house.

That same month, there was a baby goat in Colorado who lost his back legs to frostbite has learned to walk again with the help of prosthetics and a loving owner.

Read: Video Shows Shelter Dog's Joy as Adoptive Family Returns  but They Want Another Pooch

In August, a dog in Thailand was given prosthetic legs after they were savagely cut off by a man with a sword. The Soi Dog Foundation was notified of the cruel attack, immediately taking Cola the dog to a veterinary clinic. They even covered all of the dog's expenses.

For more ways on how science aided animals, check out our video above.

Watch: Partially-Blind Dog Gets a New Lease on Life After Being Adopted: 'He Seems Real Content'

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By Eric Auchard

HAMBURG, Dec 28 (Reuters) - German fintech company N26, which made its name mocking traditional banks, has found itself on the receiving end of criticism after a security researcher proved its smartphone apps exposed users to potential account hijacking.

N26, previously known as Number26, has expanded rapidly since it launched in early 2015 as a smartphone-only bank with no local branches, with the backing of major global investors including Silicon Valley's Peter Thiel.

Vincent Haupert, a research fellow and PhD student in the computer science department of the University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, told the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg how he and two colleagues found N26 security defences riddled with holes that could have been used to defraud thousands of users.

"They say you can open a bank account in just eight minutes," Haupert said. "As it turns out, you can lose it even faster."

In a statement, N26 thanked Haupert for alerting the company to "a theoretical security vulnerability" and advising it on fixes, which N26 said it completed this month.

N26 offers a range of online banking and other financial services to 200,000 customers in 17 European countries through a banking licence granted earlier this year by German financial regulator Bafin.

N26 executives have been the most outspoken among new fintech players in arguing traditional banks are failing to serve customers more directly by relying on antiquated local branch relationships instead of modern, phone-based services.

"I don't see banks at all as my competitors. They just can't move fast enough," N26 Chief Executive Valentin Stalf told Reuters last year.

Haupert told the Chaos conference, Europe's biggest annual gathering of hackers, how his team had found numerous ways to attack N26 banking apps to hijack individual customer accounts.

"With such a strategy, fintechs squander the trust that banks established over years," he said.

For example, Haupert said he compared data from a leak of 68 million account credentials from online file sharing company Dropbox with information on N26 users he was able to request from the company's own software feed to identify 33,000 N26 user credentials - without being thwarted by N26 anti-fraud systems.

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From there, he said it would have been simple to send a phishing email to these N26 customers that could potentially have allowed him to break into their accounts.

"Don't worry, we didn't do this," Haupert said. "My professor had legal concerns."

Instead, Haupert disclosed his research findings to N26 on Sept. 25.

In response, N26 said in a statement it had made customer accounts more secure by reducing and encrypting data transfers, by blocking brute-force attacks in which hackers can quickly guess user credentials, and fixing voice-recognition security weaknesses in its app for the newest Apple mobile devices.

"At no time during these scenarios was personal data of our customers available to third parties," the statement said. "No N26 customer was impacted by the demonstrated vulnerabilities."

It added: "We have fully addressed and closed all vulnerabilities promptly and completely" and quoted Haupert as saying earlier this month that all vulnerabilities he had uncovered appeared to have been fixed.

Still, Haupert said regulators needed to take a closer look at the security of banks. "It was Bafin that granted a banking license to N26 only six months ago," he said, adding that security weaknesses at that time were rampant.

A spokesman for the financial regulator declined to comment.

(Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Mark Potter)
The law creating so-called Obamacare was passed in March 2010. Instead of attempting to correct problems in the legislation, the Congressional Republicans have symbolically sent a bill to the president to repeal the law more than 50 times. It was symbolic, because President Barack Obama was certain to veto the bill.

Now, with the GOP controlling both houses of Congress, they tell us they will repeal it but some parts will be left in effect because they don't yet have a new plan to present. In fact, they now say it may be three years or more before they have a replacement to send to the president's desk. So, six years were spent complaining and sending fruitless repeal bills to Obama in excess of 50 times. Wouldn't that time have been better spent correcting the Affordable Care Act or devising a replacement act or, even if nothing else, simply legislating?

It's obvious to me at least, they just didn't want to ever support anything from President Obama but spent no time developing a new plan. Why is Congress at a standstill? Because the GOP spent eight years saying "no" and passing legislation that was guaranteed to be vetoed.

What about all the hundreds of thousands of Americans who will lose health care if it is repealed? It seems obvious to me to say they simply don't care about those people, but only oppose anything from Mr. Obama.

Fred Hall, Lincoln
From the "Stairway to Heaven" trial to the ongoing litigation surrounding pre-1972 recordings, 2016 was a big year for music law - but 2017 is shaping up to be even bigger.

The music industry's battle against stream-ripping, changes to consent decrees and a potential Supreme Court case involving DMCA exemptions are all on the docket. So The Hollywood Reporter asked Steve Marks, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America, what's at stake in the year ahead and which cases he'll be watching most closely.

What do you feel were the biggest developments in music law in 2016?

The past year included a number of decisions where courts wrestled with whether certain online services using music must obtain a license. The online services invoked the DMCA as a liability shield for the widespread use of music on their platform, and the decisions demonstrate that the DMCA continues to litter the marketplace with outcomes that place competitors in different positions. In October, the Second Circuit emphasized in EMI v. MP3Tunes that a service cannot adopt policies to "willfully blind" itself of infringement by users of the service and recognized that the Defendants could have knowledge based on "red flags" given the facts in the record. This decision differed from a June decision by the Second Circuit in Capitol v. Vimeo, where the court applied a very stringent view of "red flag knowledge" and "willful blindness," saying categorically that each must be based on knowledge of specific infringements. This reading of the DMCA effectively reads "red flag knowledge" out of the statute; after all, the definition of a "red flag" is that it provides a person enough information that the person should take some steps to address a problem. If this reasoning were to prevail, it would provide perverse incentives for services to profit from the music drawing users to their service without paying creators and undermine the balance that Congress thought it struck when enacting the DMCA.

The Vimeo case also highlighted another big issue for the music industry - the protection of pre-72 recordings. In that case the issue was whether the DMCA - a federal law that provides limitations and exceptions to copyright law - applies to pre-72 recordings, which are otherwise covered by state law. Curiously the court made the leap that this federal law of limitations and exceptions applies to pre-72 recordings, even though federal law provides no protection for pre-72 recordings. For example, the owner of a pre-72 recording cannot avail itself of statutory damages under federal law or receive royalties under the statutory license.

This issue is playing out more generally in cases where pre-72 owners such as The Turtles are seeking royalties from services such as Pandora and SiriusXM. On Dec. 20, the highest court in New York ruled that SiriusXM does not need a license for a public performance even though it has many channels that primarily use pre-72 recordings, though other state law claims such as unfair competition may be available. Keep in mind that SiriusXM is a $22 BILLION dollar company that by its own projections is slated to rake in a record $5 billion in revenues in 2016.

Which lawsuits will you be watching most closely in the coming year?

2017 is shaping up to be a critical year for music law. The Copyright Royalty Tribunal will set the rates that SiriusXM will pay sound recording copyright owners during the years 2018-22. To date, SiriusXM has benefited from below market rates set by the CRB under the so-called 801(b) standard. This rate standard does not require a marketplace rate, and the cost to artists and labels over the last 10 years is in the hundreds of millions if not billions. The result: a subsidy for SiriusXM as it has built an enormously profitable business. SoundExchange, representing artists and labels, is trying to restore some balance so that SiriusXM pays rates more in line with those that would be negotiated in the market. SiriusXM is asking for rates to be reduced. The decision is due by December 2017.

As the music marketplace has transitioned to streaming, the industry is seeing a rise in services that enable "stream-ripping," which essentially copy and download music from a service intended only for streaming music or music videos. Stream-ripping undermines both streaming and download services. After all, why bother subscribing to Spotify if you can download all the music from YouTube? The industry has taken action against the largest stream-ripping site in the world, youtube-mp3.org. The case should be underway in earnest next year.

Next year the Second Circuit will hear the Department of Justice's appeal of the court decision that the BMI consent decree does not require 100 percent licensing. This ruling will have a significant impact on performance licenses for compositions because a 100 percent licensing rule could result in a race to the bottom that reduces rates for songwriters. Also, the CRB will set mechanical rates for on-demand streaming and other digital services. The decision is critical to ensure fair royalties to songwriters and continued growth in the streaming marketplace.

What legislative issues should the music industry be watching in 2017?

Earlier this month, House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers began the first phase of implementing the two-year process Congress has undertaken to federal copyright law - a proposal to modernize the Copyright Office. Going forward, we expect music licensing issues to follow. Proposals that could be on the table include: (1) ensuring that SiriusXM and others pay market-based rates; (2) ensuring that all services pay for recordings made before 1972; (3) having broadcasters pay artists and labels when they use their music, as they do songwriters and music publishers; and (4) ensuring that songwriters and music publishers are not stymied by outdated consent decrees.

What changes do you foresee in the landscape of music law over the next five years?

Issues like the "value gap" and obligations of intermediaries will continue to dominate the legal landscape. Ideally, the Byzantine legal structure today would give way to a system where creators are fairly compensated and competitors are on equal footing. Those who have an interest in music could come together to figure out solutions. While litigation can be an important tool, it often takes a long time and the results are unclear. Solutions between business and industry partners can clear a path through thorny legal issues. The combination of partnership and technology can go a long way to ensuring a healthy music ecosystem.

Read more: Supreme Court Asked If DMCA Safe Harbors Apply to Pre-1972 Sound Recordings
By Roli Srivastava MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An increase in baby trafficking in India is reducing the number of children available for adoption and fuelling the lucrative trade as more couples wait to adopt, government officials said on Wednesday. Government figures show currently 1,700 children are available for adoption in India, the world's second most populous country with 1.25 billion people, while some 12,400 families want to adopt. About 3,010 babies were adopted in 2015/16. Government officials overseeing adoptions said an increasingly long wait to adopt was closely linked to a rise in human trafficking in the country, with two baby selling rackets busted in India over the past two months. "There are more such rackets (of baby trafficking)," said Deepak Kumar, chief of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), India's main body to monitor and regulate adoptions. "In India, we expect the pool of children available for adoption should outnumber the number of waitlisted parents, but there are touts and in some cases even agencies that sell children to childless couples." Under Indian laws children who have been surrendered by their birth parents or brought in by the police are declared legally free for adoption after various legal processes are completed. This includes giving birth parents up to 60 days to reconsider their decision. To ensure transparency, the adoption process in India went online last year with waitlisted families and the children available for adoption featured on a website. But Kumar said traffickers often tried to get hold of these babies before the parents - often unwed mothers - made it to the government department to surrender the child. Last week, police in Mumbai arrested a gang that was convincing single mothers - who can face social stigma or ostracization in India - to part with their babies then selling them to childless couples in various states across the country. In West Bengal, police found babies were being stolen from women who delivered at clinics, with medial staff telling them their child was stillborn. Some were even given the bodies of stillborn babies preserved by the clinics to dupe them. Officials said monitoring the waiting list for adoptions was one way to try to identify and track down the traffickers but they were aware that "bypass mechanisms" were taking root. One adoption agency owner, who did not wish to be identified, said he often received calls from waitlisted families saying they had been offered a child from an unwed mother at a price and wonder if they should go ahead. Two agencies in the western state of Maharashtra were recently shut down for selling babies for amounts ranging between 200,000 and 600,000 rupees ($3,000-$9,000), Kumar said. Adoption experts suggested that problem areas of the country should be identified. "It would help check the malaise if low adoption figures in certain states of India are analyzed," said Sunil Arora, president of the Federation of Adoptive Agencies. (Reporting by Roli Srivastava; Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, trafficking and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to round up corrupt officials and toss them from his helicopter midflight  and it wouldnt be the first time hes done it, he says.

In a speech at Camarines Sur in the northern Philippines on Tuesday, Duterte reportedly recounted throwing an alleged kidnapper to his death  furnishing details about how high the pilot had to fly  while he was mayor of Davao City, according to local newspaper the Philippine Star.

If you are corrupt, I will fetch you with a helicopter and I will throw you out on the way to Manila, the newspaper quoted him as saying in Tagalog during the speech. I have done that before, why should I not do it again?

Duterte was in Camarines Sur after touring provinces ravaged by Typhoon Nock-Ten, which made landfall on Christmas Day. But after he announced financial assistance packages for disaster-stricken areas, talk swung to the anticorruption drive he stressed would be a main focus of his six-year term  alongside his antidrug campaign, which has seen over 6000 people killed in brutal, extrajudicial fashion.

Duterte is notorious for his outbursts. He once said he should have been first in the gang rape of an Australian missionary in a prison riot in 1989. He also said he would kill his own children if they used drugs. Earlier this month, Duterte admitted to personally killing three people.

Members of Dutertes Cabinet habitually dial back on such utterances, claiming that they are jokes or hyperbole. However, the U.N. human-rights commission has urged the Philippines to launch a murder investigation into Dutertes claims.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday rejected the prime ministerial candidature of Sevil Shhaideh, who was picked by the center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD). Iohannis declined the nomination of Shhaideh, who is a Muslim, without providing any reasons.

I have properly analyzed the arguments for and against and I have decided not to accept this proposal, Iohannis said in a televised statement. I call on the PSD coalition to make another proposal.

Shhaideh, 52-year-old politician of Turkish origin, has drawn criticism for lack of political experience. She served as the development minister for six months before the PSD-led government stepped down in late 2015. Throughout her career, she has been an economist and a civil servant. Shhaideh would have been the first woman and the first Muslim to hold the office had she been selected.

She is considered PSD leader Liviu Dragneas close friend leading to accusations that Shhaideh may become his puppet if she becomes the prime minister. Dragnea withdrew his prime ministerial candidature because of his criminal record.

Dragnea said his party may consider impeachment of Iohannis for declining Shhaidehs nomination. He said there was no constitutional reason for rejecting her and said the president was looking "to start a political crisis."

While Iohannis did not give any specific reason to reject Shhaideh's candidature, experts are of the opinion that her Syrian husband Akram Shhaidehs background may have prompted the president to take such a step. There have been speculations that Akram is likely to be seen as a security risk. A group of Romanian investigative journalists, the Rise Project, had recently said Akram posted messages on social media supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, BBC reported.

Earlier this month, PSD, which had promised higher wages and pensions during its election campaign, won the parliamentary election.

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Istanbul (AFP) - Russia and Turkey are seeking a nationwide truce plan for Syria, but there was no confirmation of a deal Thursday, as the incoming UN chief warned the conflict had become a global "cancer".

The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said Wednesday that Moscow and Ankara had agreed to expand a ceasefire in second city Aleppo to the whole country, but none of the key players have confirmed the report.

The Aleppo truce was brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians and was hailed as a major turning point in the nearly six-year war.

The incoming UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told Portuguese TV the conflict had become "a cancer on a global scale", urging Washington and Moscow to overcome their differences to end the crisis.

Anadolu said that if successful the latest proposal would form the basis of political negotiations between Damascus and the opposition overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Ankara has hosted a series of closed-door talks between Russia and Syrian opposition rebels in recent weeks.

The Al-Jazeera news channel said a new meeting was planned on Thursday in Ankara, this time between Syrian rebels, Turkey and Russia.

Ankara and Moscow have been on opposing sides in Syria's war, with Turkey seeking the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran.

But they have recently started to cooperate more closely on Syria, especially after a deal to normalise ties battered by Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.

Turkey remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, took control last week of Aleppo in the biggest rebel defeat so far.

- 'Ongoing discussions' -

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no reference to the ceasefire plan in a speech on Wednesday, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have enough information to comment.

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A Syrian rebel official confirmed to AFP that talks for a possible ceasefire were under way, but said obstacles remained.

Labib Nahhas, foreign relations head for the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group, said the faction was "aware of ongoing discussions between Russia and Turkey about a nationwide ceasefire".

He said rebel factions had not been presented with any official proposal.

"Russia wants to exclude Eastern Ghouta from the ceasefire, which is not acceptable," he said, referring to a rebel-held area outside Damascus.

Syria's army has been advancing in Eastern Ghouta in recent months, and securing the area around the capital would be another major government gain after recapturing Aleppo.

An official from the High Negotiations Committee -- which represents the rebels in talks -- said there was no information about a ceasefire so far. There was also no reaction from the Syrian regime.

No date has yet been set for the Astana talks and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting was still at the planning stage.

But the direct involvement of Turkey and Russia comes as Erdogan is increasingly expressing impatience at the role of the United States in Syria.

Previous ceasefire plans brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov failed to stem the violence.

Syria's conflict began with a 2011 uprising against Assad but quickly morphed into a complicated civil war that has now killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions more from their homes.

Erdogan on Tuesday launched one of his most bitter attacks on US and Western policy in Syria.

He accused the West of not just supporting a Kurdish militia that Ankara regards as a "terror group" but even backing Islamic State group jihadists.

In an angry statement, the US embassy in Ankara said: "Assertions the United States government is supporting (IS) are not true."

Meanwhile, air strikes carried out by unidentified aircraft killed at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, in an IS-held village in the eastern Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Ankara and Moscow brokered a nationwide ceasefire deal for war-torn Syria, expected to come into force at midnight Wednesday, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday citing an anonymous Turkish official.

The ceasefire will be imposed in all areas where fighting between pro-government troops and rebel forces is underway. The source added that terrorist organizations were not included in the deal.

The report also said political negotiations between the warring parties would begin in Kazakhstan, if the ceasefire is a success. Negotiations would occur under the guidance of Russia and Turkey.

Meanwhile, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov condemned the draft resolution by the United Nations Security Council, co-authored by France and the U.K., seeking to impose sanctions against Syria for alleged chemical attacks.

The draft resolution, obtained by the Russian news agency Tass, would also introduce a ban on supplies, sales or transfer of helicopters and their spare parts to armed forces, administrative bodies and agencies linked to the Syrian government.

Their draft resolution envisages sanctions and it is categorically unacceptable to us. We warn them against attempts to fan tensions in the U.N. Security Council, because nothing will come of it, Ryabkov told Tass on Wednesday.

Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, said Moscow was ready to help end the conflict, which began as a peaceful protest in 2011 but quickly spiraled into a civil war. The war, which is fast approaching its sixth year, has left thousands dead and millions displaced.

Syrian forces have achieved success in allowing the Syrian people to lead their ordinary lives and return to their homes, next step is an agreement about stopping all the fighting, all the shooting, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Japan during an official visit earlier in December.

Pro-Assad troops backed by Russian airstrikes recaptured eastern Aleppo from rebel forces in December. Civilians and rebel fighters were evacuated from the once rebel-held city, under a ceasefire deal brokered by Ankara and Moscow. The Russian foreign ministry said Tuesday the Syrian government was holding talks with opposition groups ahead of the Kazakhstan peace talks but did not specify which opposition groups were involved.

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian plane maker Sukhoi will repair defects in its Superjet 100 aircraft by late January, the company said after problems detected by airlines including Russia's Aeroflot and Mexico's Interjet caused the grounding of 18 planes. Having announced last week that the Russian aviation authority had discovered a defect in the tail section of its Superjet 100, Sukhoi said it has completed its fleet inspection and aircraft that passed its checks have resumed flying. The replacement of the defective parts will be completed by late January, Sukhoi said in a statement late on Tuesday, adding that the problem is not of a critical nature and that the parts in question feature "a multi-level redundant structure" with "a safety margin that is more than twice the operational loads". Interjet said this week that it had detected "potential anomalies" in 11 Superjet 100s and industry sources said that Aeroflot grounded six planes. Another Superjet 100 operated by Russian carrier Iraero was also grounded. Sukhoi, which is part of state-owned United Aircraft Corp, has been dogged by safety concerns over the Superjet line. In 2012 45 people were killed when a Superjet crashed in Indonesia during a promotional flight, causing Aeroflot to ground four planes. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by David Goodman)
Perus Ingemmet agency has issued a warning to residents living in the vicinity of the Sabancaya Volcano after a new explosion was detected from the Andean stratovolcano on December 26.

A column of ash and steam rose 2.1 miles above the volcano, which is located around 60 miles north of the southern Peruvian city of Arequipa, following Mondays explosion, according to a report from Ingemmet. This video shows the eruption of ash and steam from the volcano. Credit: YouTube/Ingemmet AQP via Storyful
Nebraskans will have four new ways to celebrate the state's 150th anniversary in 2017.

First lady Susanne Shore and Gov. Pete Ricketts unveiled four websites Wednesday aimed at sharing Nebraska history and stories, and boosting fitness and volunteerism as part of the state's sesquicentennial festivities.

"We've got the best place in the world," Ricketts said. "This is a great opportunity for us to celebrate it and really share that with the rest of the world."

Shore is helping the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission coordinate statewide activities for the year.

"We looked at coming up with projects that would bridge communities, connect Nebraskans and enhance state pride," she said.

More efforts will be announced later. The four unveiled Wednesday include these.

* Nebraska Impact, which encourages each Nebraskan to volunteer 150 hours or more in 2017. The website allows people to sign up for volunteer teams, compete against other teams and find volunteering opportunities across the state.

"Nebraskans have a long history of service, and really take great pride in volunteering," Shore said. "Whether that's in the church or their school, or helping the neighbor next door, we're always there for each other."

The state regularly ranks among the highest nationally for volunteerism, she said. "And I think for our sesquicentennial, we should try to be No. 1."

Nebraska Impact is organized by ServeNebraska and sponsored by TD Ameritrade.

* NE150 Challenge, a partnership with the Nebraska Sports Council that asks people to complete 150 miles or more of physical activity next year. People can register online, log their miles, convert miles for non-distance activities such as yoga or weight-lifting, form teams and compete with other teams.

"I did my 18 on my bike today, just so you know," Ricketts joked.

* Now You Know Nebraska, which will feature 150 short videos with random facts about the state and its history. Five videos will be released each Sunday beginning Jan. 8, allowing teachers to incorporate them into lesson plans.

Shore called the project a personal favorite of hers.

One video, which you can view on JournalStar.com, features the governor describing how one of Abraham Lincoln's last acts as president was related to Nebraska. Right before his assassination, Lincoln signed a document reinstating Alvin Saunders as Nebraska's territorial governor.

The document, which was found on Lincoln's desk after he died, is on display at the Nebraska History Museum.

The videos were created by Lincoln firm V2 Content. The series is funded in part by Nebraska Humanities.

* I Am Nebraska, an oral history project that will solicit people's stories about the state and will include videos of select stories. People can also submit their own videos.

Stories can include family histories, memories from trips across the state, observations about how the state has changed through the years, or other topics.

"You just tell us what Nebraska means to you," Shore said.

I Am Nebraska is a partnership with the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Nebraska Tourism Commission, and is also funded with help from Nebraska Humanities.

All four projects announced Wednesday are paid for primarily through private contributions, and organizers hope they will continue beyond 2017.
Several Scream Queens stars have sent their love to their fellow cast member Billie Lourd following the death of her mom, Carrie Fisher.

Taylor Lautner wrote on Instagram that Lourd is one of the strongest and most fearless individuals he has ever met in his life. The Twilight alum  who played Dr. Cassidy Cascade, love interest of Lourds Chanel #3 in Season 2 of Scream Queens also tried to bring up his rumored girlfriends spirits by letting the world know that shes beautiful inside and out and that hes lucky to know her.

Jamie Lee Curtis also expressed her support to Lourd. In the caption for an Instagram photo of the young actress, Curtis  who played Dean Cathy Munsch on the FOX series  wrote that Fishers spirit and talent lives on in Lourd.

Glen Powell, who played Chad Radwell on the comedy-horror series, also paid tribute to the late Star Wars actress by highlighting her great relationship with Lourd.

Other Scream Queens cast members who sent their love to Lourd via social media were Lea Michele (Hester), Ariana Grande (Chanel #2), Kirstie Alley (Nurse Hoffel) and Niecy Nash (Denise Hemphill). See their posts below:

Fisher, who had a massive heart attack during a flight right before Christmas, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 27. She was 60.

It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning, family spokesman Simon Halls told Just Jared Jr. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.

Fisher is best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars film series. Before her death, Fisher was able to shoot all her scenes in Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is set for release on Dec. 15, 2017.

Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd

Photo: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

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REUTERS - Indian shares gave up early gains to close little changed on Wednesday as investors booked profits, though gains in some recently battered stocks helped support markets.

They had posted their biggest gains in nearly three weeks in the previous session.

The BSE Sensex fell 0.01 percent to 26,210.68 on Wednesday, while the broader NSE Nifty rose 0.02 percent to 8,034.85.

(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday that Israel's settlement building in the West Bank threatens both hope for peace with the Palestinians and the country's own future as a democracy.

In a major speech setting out his vision of a solution to the long-simmering conflict, Kerry sternly warned that Israel was on a course leading to a "perpetual occupation" of Palestinian-owned land.

"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats in Washington.

"They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states," he said.

"But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic - it cannot be both -and it won't ever really be at peace."

In the final days of President Barack Obama's administration, and with Israel's government openly hostile to outside pressure, Kerry wants to leave his mark.

Obama and Kerry are clearly not ready to give up on the region yet, hoping a UN resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory and the secretary of state's speech will save a moribund process.

Before Kerry took the podium, Israel delayed a vote on permits for hundreds of settler homes at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to avoid further conflict with Washington.

- 'Serious jeopardy' -

Friday's UN Security Council resolution passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining. By declining to use its veto, Washington enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

Netanyahu reacted furiously, accusing US President Barack Obama's administration of being behind the resolution and vowing not to abide by it.

Explaining the US decision, Kerry -- who denied the US was the "driving force" behind the measure -- said: "The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution.

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"That's what we were standing up for: Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors," he said.

"The two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Kerry said, warning that such a solution was now in "serious jeopardy."

Kerry warned the "settler agenda" was leading Israeli policy in the West Bank and imperiling prospects for peace.

"No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace," Kerry said in a major speech on Middle East peace efforts.

"But the problem goes well beyond just settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there."

Kerry added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2016 / The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP:

To: All persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired American Depositary Shares of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (EDU) between September 27, 2016 and December 1, 2016 . You are hereby notified that a securities class action lawsuit has been commenced in the USDC for the District of New Jersey. To get more information go to: http://www.zlk.com/pslra/new-oriental-education-edu or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@zlk.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972. There is no cost or obligation to you.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period the Company made false and/or 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 Oriental's 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 doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, and Washington D.C. The firm's attorneys have extensive expertise and experience representing investors in securities litigation, and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

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CONTACT:

Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

Joseph E. Levi, Esq.

30 Broad Street - 24th Floor

New York, NY 10004

Tel: (212) 363-7500

Toll Free: (877) 363-5972

Fax: (212) 363-7171

www.zlk.com

SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
The Australian artist Sidney Nolan was born on April 22, 1917 and was one of the country's leading 20th-century painters. This year, exhibitions in the UK, where he lived, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The Sidney Nolan Trust is behind plans to recognize the artist with a year-long program of events that kicks off January 26 -- on Australia Day -- with the launch of Nolan 100, an online selection of Nolan's works chosen by friends, family, curators, critics, collectors and fellow artists.

The works will be viewable via the website of the Sidney Nolan Trust and on Instagram.

Festivities kick off with an exhibition at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, in February. "Transferences: Sidney Nolan in Britain" will bring together some of the artist's iconic works, including those inspired by the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, and his set and costumes for a 1962 Royal Ballet production of "The Rite of Spring."

Australia House in London will open an exhibition on April 21, a day before the artist's birthday, centered on his final major works, four large-scale spray-painted abstracts. The exhibition will also feature other work by the artist, including many paintings that have never been shown in public.

Nolan's birthday week will also be marked with a symposium at the Royal Academy of Arts and a talk at Highgate Cemetery in London.

During the week of May 22, Sidney Nolan's studio in The Rodd, his home in Herefordshire, will open to the public for the first time. Coinciding with the studio's opening, the nearby Hay Festival will host a film screening, talk and discussion about the artist, with a shuttle bus linking the venues. From August 24-29, an exhibition at The Rodd will present rarely-seen paintings.

A collection of spray-painted portraits will be presented at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham in July.

In October, the British Museum in London will host an exhibition of Nolan's "Back of Beyond" drawings, depicting a devastating drought in Australia in the 1950s.



Find out more about the year's events at sidneynolantrust.org/centenary-2017.



A list including Australian events that will be updated as details are revealed can be found at nolancentenary.com.au/centenaryevents.
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters) - Dhananjaya de Silva enhanced his rapidly-growing reputation with an unbeaten 43 as he kept South Africas strike bowlers at bay to see Sri Lanka to 181 for seven in their first innings at the end of the second day of the first test on Tuesday. The 25-year-old, who hit a six with his first scoring shot when he made his test debut against Australia in July, brought Sri Lanka within 105 runs of South Africa's first innings total of 286 before bad light stopped play for the day. Sri Lanka had been in serious trouble at 21 for three as their top order was decimated but De Silvas knock and 39 from captain Angelo Matthews stemmed a possible collapse. Eleven wickets fell on a day when a bowler-friendly track proved something of a nightmare for batsmen. Suranga Lakmal claimed career-best figures to help dismiss South Africa in the first hour, completing his first test match five-wicket haul and finishing with 5-63 as the home side added just 19 runs to their overnight total of 267-6. South Africa's hopes of significantly adding to their score quickly faded as Vernon Philander was dismissed and followed back to the pavilion by Keshav Maharaj and Kyle Abbott, who each faced only three balls and failed to score. Quintin De Kock was the last South African wicket to fall, out for 37. South Africa then made quick inroads through the pace duo of Abbott and Philander to wrestle back control of the contest. Dimuth Karunaratne was the first Sri Lankan dismissed, getting an inside edge to Abbott and playing onto his stumps to depart for five. Kusal Perera went next for seven, caught behind by De Kock off Philander, and Kusal Mendis followed soon after without scoring as the wicketkeeper took another diving catch, this time off Abbotts bowling. Sri Lanka lost Matthews and opener Kaushal Silva, who had seen three wickets go down before him, in the second session and after tea Dinesh Chandimal (28) was given out leg before wicket off a Philander delivery and Rangana Herath (24) similarly trapped by Maharaj. Play will start 28 minutes earlier on Wednesday but rain is predicted for some part of the day. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Brian Homewood)
Will Hutson and Chris Harris are attorneys by trade, but use their shared love of music to deliver sage advice to anyone who cares to listen. Their latest is a medley of parodies set to the tune of many popular Christmas carols.

Highlights include: Christmas weed, its still a crime in Texas and have yourself and un-indicted Christmas. Credit: YouTube/Hutson & Harris via Storyful, Attorneys
Hack back. The White House is attempting to wrap up deliberations over how to respond to Russias alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to a scoop from the Washington Posts Ellen Nakashima. The response will reportedly include sanctions as well as covert cyber operations that wont be made public (at least until someone leaks the details).

White House officials say theyre trying to craft their response to the hacking in a way that would make it hard for the incoming Trump administration to walk them back. Part of the trick is finding the authorities for imposing new sanctions  President Obama may have to declare election systems a piece of critical infrastructure in order to sanction Russia under a 2015 executive order allowing penalties against hackers who attack American critical infrastructure.

According to the story, one of the worries from inside the Obama administration is that the Trump transition team has not yet had extensive briefings with the White House on cybersecurity issues, including the potential use of the cyber sanctions order. The slow pace has caused consternation among officials, who fear that the administrations accomplishments in cybersecurity could languish if the next administration fails to understand their value.

One more time. The Obama administration will deliver what is expected to be its final word on the eternally frustrating peace process in the Middle East on Wednesday, when Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a highly anticipated speech at 11:00 a.m. The speech, coming less than a month before president Obama leaves office, will also address Fridays vote at the U.N. where the United States broke with longstanding diplomatic practice of shielding Israel from international condemnation by abstaining on a resolution that called Israels practice of building new settlements in occupied territories illegal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus aides are confident the Trump administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the U.N. resolution, Reuters notes, but they fear Kerrys remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure. Netanyahu called the resolution shameful and accused Washington in being an active partner in shaping the document. On Tuesday, his spokesman went further, claiming to have ironclad information that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage, David Keyes said. Were not just going to be a punching bag and go quietly into the night.

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Washington to Raqqa. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again accused Washington and its allies in the anti-Islamic State coalition of providing support for the terrorist group, as well as Kurdish militants fighting the Turkish government in southern Turkey. Speaking on Tuesday, Erdogan said Washington is giving support to terrorist groups including Daesh, and the Kurdish YPG and the PYD. Its very clear, he said. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos.

Thats just ludicrous, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday. I dont know where that comes from. Moscow and Ankara have agreed on a proposal that would establish a new ceasefire in Syria, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency said Wednesday, and are trying to get it in place by midnight Wednesday. The United States wont be a part of their ongoing discussions on a broader ceasefire, officials said.

Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

Hacking

Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against three Chinese financial traders whom they accuse of making $4 million off hacking into big-name American law firms, according to the Wall Street Journal. The indictment claims that Iat Hong, Bo Zheng and Hung Chin used their access to the firms email accounts in order to get a heads up on companies about to announce big acquisitions. The men then allegedly purchased shares in the publicly traded firms and profited off their insider knowledge. The U.S. is seeking the extradition of one of the accused, Iat Hong, from Hong Kong. China, however, has been historically reluctant to extradite its citizens to the United States.

North Korea

A senior North Korean diplomat at the countrys embassy in London shocked the world when he jumped ship and defected earlier this year. Now, Thae Yong-ho is talking to the press. Yonhap News Agency reports that Thae said he believes Kim Jong Un wants his nuclear program completed by the end of next year. He said the North now feels the wind at its back with the departure of leaders it disliked in the United States and South Korea and may try to negotiate with the new administrations in both countries. Nonetheless, Thae said that North Korea wont ever give up its nuclear weapons and will seek recognition of its status as a legitimate nuclear weapons state.

Estonia

John McCain is urging the Defense Department to permanently station American troops in Estonia in order to reassure the Baltic country of U.S. support. At the moment, U.S. troops are only in the country on a rotational basis. The call comes amid doubts about U.S. security guarantees to allies under the incoming Trump administration. During the presidential campaign, Trump suggested he might not honor Americas treaty obligations under NATO to come to Estonias defense in the event of a Russian invasion.

Syria

Russia is reacting strongly to the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, lashing out at a provision inserted by Congressional Syria hawks giving the president the authority to transfer man-portable air defense systems to Syrian rebels if hes so inclined. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighting ISIS tell Reuters theyd sure appreciate getting some of the weapons The Obama administration, however, has consistently opposed sending the shoulder-fire anti-aircraft systems to rebels. Nonetheless, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labeled the passage of the bill a hostile act and a threat to Russian aircraft.

Afghanistan

Some of Afghanistans neighbors are meeting in Moscow and sounding the alarm about the growth of the Islamic State in the country. Reuters reports that China and Pakistan, along with Russia, issued a statement that expressed particular concern about the jihadist and the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan and recommended taking some Taliban figures off the sanctions list. The U.S. and Afghanistan have accused Russia of cozying up to Taliban.

Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says his country should have the Islamic State defeated in about three months. The optimistic statement comes as Iraqi forces are currently bogged down in house-to-house fighting in Mosul attempting to clear the city of fighters from the group  an assault thats proven costly in Iraqi casualties. Islamic State fighters have also been carrying out diversionary attacks in areas outside of Mosul, launching raids in Kirkuk and Gogjali.

Photo Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images
Getty Image

Its hardly a secret that we lost so many beloved entertainers and celebrities this year, and as 2016 draws to a close it seems to be upping the carnage factor by taking away first George Michael on Christmas day and then Carrie Fisher two days later, at just 53 and 60 years old, respectively. When will all this end? Well, 2017, ostensibly, unless time really is just a arbitrary, man made concept that the grim reaper has zero respect for.

With news of the passing of Fisher yesterday, Betty White ludicrously began trending on Twitter, as many speculated at 94-years-old the last of the remaining Golden Girls  already the subject of frequent death hoaxes  would naturally be 2016s next casualty.

If 2016 takes Betty White. You guys know what we have to do, right?!? pic.twitter.com/KN3kTRlUn8  youtube/Alonzo (@alonzolerone) December 27, 2016

David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Prince, Leonard Cohen, George Michael and Now Carrie Fisher. Can Betty White just move into a hospital to be safe  Zendaya's ShoesRule (@myfeetonfleek) December 28, 2016

honestly tho have we checked on Betty White, Maggie Smith, Elton John, or John Waters recently?  Will Shepherd (@shep689) December 28, 2016

2016,

Don't you touch her! DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH HER! DO NOT TOUCH BETTY WHITE!  #RadFinch21 (@RadFinch) December 27, 2016

When you hear that Carrie Fisher died and then you also see Betty White trending pic.twitter.com/MZshIs5F7N  Rachel Ellis (@_rachel_ellis) December 27, 2016

2016 TOOK EVERYBODY. WE GOT TO PROTECT TINA TURNER, MORGAN FREEMAN, BETTY WHITE, CICELY TYSON, AND JAMES EARL JONES AT ALL COSTS.  Ashley Banks (@123itsmeMary) December 27, 2016

The rumors grew so out of control, that a South Carolina man named Demetrios Hrysikos even went so far to set up a GoFundMe to help protect Betty White from 2016. Now, now. Hear the man out before you start judging him.

Help 2016 catch these hands if it goes anywhere near Betty White! If shes okay with it I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1 , 2017. Now, assuming she doesnt want a strange Greek standing [guard] outside her door all monies will be donated to the Spartanburg little theater to help craft new stars of stage and screen to carry mantle of the legends that have left is this year.

So basically, the fundraiser is to benefit Hrysikos local theater, and he tacked Whites name on it to help it go viral. A little crass, maybe, but I guess we can excuse that since its for a good cause. And his ploy is working, too! In just 16 hours, at the time of this writing, Hrysikos has met $1,809 of his $2,000 goal. Seriously though, Betty White isnt going anywhere in the next four days, right?

(Via KETV 7)
Business

South Korea fines U.S. chipmaker $854 million

South Koreas antitrust regulator has fined Qualcomm 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what it calls unfair business practices. The countrys Fair Trade Commission ruled on Wednesday that the U.S. chipmaker abused its dominant market position and forced handset makers to pay royalties for a broad set of patents. The regulator also ordered Qualcomm to negotiate with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and to renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset makers if requested. If upheld, the measures will affect the U.S. firms dealings with major tech companies including Apple, Intel and Samsung.

How can they force you to license to a competitor? Thats what I never understood. I guarantee Qualcomm wont want to do that. Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with AB Bernstein

The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomms most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing headwinds from a cooling smartphone market. Qualcomm said it will challenge the decision in court.
OMAHA  Bail has been set at $5 million for an Iowa woman accused of killing a romantic rival last seen alive more than four years ago in Omaha.

Shanna Golyar of Persia was charged with first-degree murder, and bail was set during a hearing Tuesday in the Douglas County jail. Prosecutors said Golyar, 41, killed Cari Farver of Macedonia, Iowa, who was 37 when she was reported missing in 2012.

Golyar's attorney denied the allegations, saying there's no evidence Farver is even dead.

"There's no confessions, no admissions, there's no body, there's no murder weapon, there's no sufficient showing of blood that there was a death that even took place," said James Martin Davis. "You can't presume somebody died just because she's missing. All you have is a theory that because this lady is missing, that somehow my client was involved in her disappearance."

But investigators believe Farver was killed at an apartment within 24 hours after she was last seen on Nov. 13, 2012.

Prosecutor David Wear said Golyar and Farver had dated the same man, and that Golyar posed online as Farver "to conceal the fact that she was no longer alive."

Wear said the victim's blood was found in the man's apartment. Prosecutors also noted that Golyar's fingerprints were found in Farver's vehicle, which was found at the same apartment by authorities in Omaha about two months after Farver disappeared.

Davis said his client barely knows Farver and has lost touch with the man she was dating at the time.

"She only saw this lady one time just for a few seconds," he said. "There wasn't any argument."

Golyar's next hearing is set for Jan. 18.
By Se Young Lee and Stephen Nellis

SEJONG, South Korea/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what it called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the U.S. chipmaker said it will challenge in court.

The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomm's most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing headwinds from a cooling smartphone market. Shares in Qualcomm fell 1.7 percent on Nasdaq.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled on Wednesday Qualcomm abused its dominant market position and forced handset makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips.

Qualcomm also restricted competition by refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents related to modem chips to rival chipmakers such as Intel Corp (INTC.O), Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and MediaTek Inc (2454.TW), the regulator said, hindering their sales and leaving their products vulnerable to lawsuits.

The regulator ordered Qualcomm to negotiate in good faith with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset makers if requested -- measures that would affect the U.S. firm's dealings with major tech companies including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Intel, Samsung and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] if upheld.

The KFTC said it began its investigations into Qualcomm's practices in 2014 following complaints from industry participants, but did not name specific companies.

Foreign companies including Apple, Intel, MediaTek and Huawei expressed their views during the regulator's deliberation process, KFTC Secretary General Shin Young-son told a media briefing in the country's administrative capital.

"We investigated and decided on these actions because Qualcomm's actions limit overall competition," Shin said, adding that the ruling was not about protecting domestic companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics Inc .

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Qualcomm said it will file for an immediate stay of the corrective order and appeal the decision to the Seoul High Court. The firm will also appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.

"Qualcomm strongly disagrees with the KFTCs announced decision," it said in a statement.

The decision in Seoul could mean lower costs for mobile phone makers and others in the tech supply chain who source Qualcomm chips, said a Taiwanese industry executive, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

IN REGULATORY CROSSHAIRS

The fine is the latest in a series of antitrust rulings and investigations faced by Qualcomm from regulators across the globe. In February 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China following a 14-month probe, while the European Union in December 2015 accused it of abusing its market power to thwart rivals.

Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with AB Bernstein, said the fine itself was large but also said the KFTC's orders for Qualcomm to alter its business practices have bigger future implications for the chipmaker.

A major challenge for Qualcomm, he said, would emerge if the ruling forces the company to license patents for some of its chips to rivals such as Intel, which has been competing hard to land its modem chips in mobile phones.

The dispute could take years to play out in South Korean courts, he said.

The KFTC fined Qualcomm 273 billion won in 2009 for abusing its dominant position in CDMA modem chips, which were then used in handsets made by Samsung and LG.

Regulators in other jurisdictions, including the United States and Taiwan, are also investigating Qualcomm. The KFTC move could serve as a benchmark for some of them.

"Koreas decision will serve as an important reference point for us, Chiu Yung-ho, vice chairman and spokesman for Taiwans Fair Trade Commission, told Reuters. He gave no timeline on when Taiwans own year-long investigation would be concluded.

Even if the Korean decision sets a precedent for regulatory proceedings in other countries, Qualcomm's move to purchase chipmaker NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O) for $38 billion cuts its reliance on mobile phones, said Bill Kreher, an analyst with Edward Jones. NXP takes Qualcomm into the fast-growing market for automotive chips and puts it into the chip manufacturing business.

"The strategy of diversifying the company's business lines may prove to be the most prudent strategy of all," Kreher said. "Since Qualcomm has moved its dependence from royalties, further decisions from other countries such as the U.S. in the future would not impact the company much, relative to in the past."

Shares of Qualcomm were down $1.16 to $66.09 in early afternoon trade.

(Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in SEOUL, J.R. Wu in TAIPEI, Stephen Nellis in SAN FRANCISCO and Rishika Sadam in BENGALURU)
2017 will be marked by Nokia's grand return to the smartphone market. According to DigiTimes, Finnish company HMD Global, which is now in charge of mobile devices for the brand, is preparing to launch half a dozen models.

In December 2016, HMD launched a basic phone for emerging markets, the Nokia 150, which has all the trappings of a vintage cellphone, right down to the famous 'Snake' game. But it is on the smartphone market that Nokia is expected to make the biggest splash in 2017.

The five smartphones in the range, which extends from basic to high-end, are due for release between now and the third quarter of 2017. The first model could be unveiled as soon as the next Mobile World Congress, which is to be held in Barcelona from February 27 to March 2, 2017. As you might expect, all of the future models will run on Android.

According to DigiTimes, the models coming in 2017 will measure between 5 inches and 5.7 inches. The model that is expected for launch at the Mobile World Congress is a relatively standard device that will be available in 5-inch and 5.5-inch versions, featuring two or three GB of RAM and retailing for under US$200.

Nokia's return to the mobile device market was announced following the signature of an agreement with HMD Global for the sale of its products in May 2016.

Nokia had built a reputation for the quality and solidity of its phones and it remains a trusted name for the general public. For many years, the brand was the world's best-selling mobile phone producer, with such legendary models as the 3310, and the 8110, until it was overtaken by the wave of smartphones introduced by Apple and Samsung.


Carrie Fisher passed away after suffering from a heart attack.

28 Dec  After recent news of actress Carrie Fisher suffering a heart attack while on a plane, it was reported that the "Star Wars" star has passed away in Los Angeles.



"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," Simon Halls, a spokesperson representing Fisher's daughter stated, according to NBC News.



Fisher was en route from London to Los Angeles via a United Airlines flight on Friday when she suffered the cardiac arrest and was later hospitalised in Los Angeles.



The actress is best known and loved for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" saga. She was last seen playing the iconic role in last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".



Carrie Fisher in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".

She would be seen in her posthumous role as Princess Leia once again in "Star Wars: Episode VIII", which she had finished filming recently.



Fisher most recently had been promoting her eighth book, "The Princess Diarist".



The actress is survived by her daughter Billie Lourd, her mother Debbie Reynolds and her brother Todd Fisher.



She was 60.
Starline Tours of Hollywood is facing new allegations that it has systematically shortchanged its employees.

The celebrity tour company is already facing a class action lawsuit on behalf of its bus drivers. That case alleges that drivers were not paid for the hours they worked, were not paid overtime, and had wages deducted for violations of company policies, among other labor law violations.

The new lawsuit  filed last week in L.A. Superior Court  alleges that Starline is also failing to properly compensate its bus washers, tree cutters, mechanics and maintenance workers. The suit names two Starline employees, Nezhdik Keshishyan and Delon Moore, as plaintiffs. The suit claims that they were not paid minimum wage, were forced to work off the clock, and had wages deducted for meal breaks that they were not allowed to take.

The earlier wage-and-hour lawsuit contributed to the split between Starline and TMZ, which had partnered with the tour company to offer its Hollywood tours. TMZ alleged that Starline failed to live up to its obligation to cover the costs of defending TMZ in the suit. After winning a $201,000 judgment, TMZ called in sheriffs deputies to raid the tour companies offices. Starline has alleged that TMZ is now offering a competing tour without permission from the state Public Utilities Commission.

Reached by phone, Starline owner Kami Farhadi said he had not received the new lawsuit yet. Louis Benowitz, the plaintiffs attorney, declined to comment.

Starline is the largest operator of Hollywood tour buses, with 120 buses and nearly 200 employees. At least 20 companies offer similar tours along Hollywood Boulevard. The industry has generated complaints from residents and calls for stricter regulation.

In August, NBC4 investigated the industry, raising concerns about customer safety and bad information dispensed by some tour operators. Earlier this month, a jury awarded $26 million to the family of Mason Zisette, a Manhattan Beach teenager who was struck in the head and killed while riding on the second deck of a Starline bus in 2014. Starline provided the double-decker bus for a private party, and the plaintiffs alleged the company failed to take adequate security precautions.

Story continues

Update: Mohammed Ghods, an attorney for Starline, said the suit is a garden variety wage-and-hour claim.

They use a legitimate payroll service. They keep track of benefits and hours properly, Ghods said. Theyre not running a sweatshop or some underground operation.
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese lawmakers voted Wednesday to bring back the post of prime minister, a position abolished after President Omar al-Bashir came to power in a 1989 Islamist-backed coup.

The move to delegate limited powers to a prime minister fits with reforms proposed by a national dialogue between Bashir's government and some opposition groups.

Bashir scrapped the post after leading a bloodless coup against then-premier Sadiq al-Mahdi with the help of Mahdi's brother-in-law, Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi.

In October, after a quarter-century in power, Bashir concluded a year-long national dialogue aimed at resolving the insurgencies in Sudan's border regions and healing the country's crisis-wracked economy.

The talks, launched in October 2015, were boycotted by most mainstream opposition and armed groups.

On October 10, Bashir submitted a "national document" to serve as a framework for a new Sudanese constitution.

That led to Wednesday's amendment, approved by all 387 MPs present out of a total of 425.

While it gives the prime minister responsibility for "executive power in the country", it still allows the president to form a government or sack ministers.

Sudan currently has a transitional constitution adopted in 2005, ahead of the country's north-south split in 2011 following two decades of civil war.
Police say a St. Augustine, Florida, woman killed herself with her boyfriends gun six years ago  but her relatives say they have proof she was murdered. Subscribe to PEOPLE now or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands Friday, for more on this case.

For six years, Michelle OConnells family has sought what they say is their only chance at justice in her mysterious death.

Authorities say the once-vivacious young mother fatally shot herself on Sept. 2, 2010, but her relatives disagree. Instead, they allege, she was killed by her boyfriend, Jeremy Banks, a local sheriffs deputy  which he denies and for which investigators say there is no probable cause.

Now OConnells family is pushing a last-ditch effort for a state inquest into her death, following a second autopsy of her remains.

Our family is not going to be quiet, OConnells mother, Patty OConnell, tells PEOPLE in this weeks issue.

It was Banks who, at 11:20 p.m. that September day, called 911 from the St. Augustine, Florida, home he shared with Michelle. He told the operator, My girlfriend  I think she just shot herself.

Responders found Michelle, 24, lying on a bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to the back of her throat. Banks service weapon was at her side.

Two days after Michelle died, St. Johns County Medical Examiner Dr. Frederick Hobin ruled her manner of death a suicide, though he later reclassified it as a homicide. A special prosecutors investigator found no evidence of homicide, however, and the case was closed in March 2012 as a suicide.

Then, earlier this year, Orlando pathologist Dr. William Anderson was asked by Michelles family to perform a post-exhumation autopsy on her body  and he found she had a broken lower jaw bone never mentioned in Hobins reports.

The most reasonable explanation is that a hit in the jaw with a fist created the mandible fracture, Anderson tells PEOPLE.

 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.

Michelles relatives say she had no history of depression and would never have left her young daughter, Alexis. Michelles friends say she was planning to leave Banks before she died, though his attorney points to the same conclusion drawn by three separate state attorneys: Michelle killed herself.

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Authorities also stand firm in that finding. The information presented is nothing new and all was reviewed during the initial autopsy, St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said in a statement, dismissing the continuing controversy as a few family members who will go to any lengths to maintain their moment in the spotlight.

However unlikely, Michelles family wants the case reopened and a grand jury convened.

This is not going to go away, Patty OConnell says.




OMAHA -- Nebraskans could be saving more on their electric bills, according to a new study paid for by groups seeking to open the state to competition from private electric companies.

But Nebraska's public power advocates say the numbers don't add up and questioned claims made in the study done by Goss & Associates Economic Solutions, which is headed by Creighton University Professor Ernie Goss.

The study says potential savings are being stunted as cheap electricity generated by natural gas and wind in other states undercuts sales of less cost-effective power made by Nebraska coal-fired and nuclear plants.

The study focuses on the Nebraska and Omaha public power districts. The groups that paid for it are calling for the Legislature to let customers choose who they buy electricity from, as well as mandating more transparent billing that shows separate charges for energy, demand, transmission and distribution.

The study was paid for by the Wind is Water Foundation, which has a close relationship with Americans for Electricity Choice, a nonprofit led by Gary Aksamit. The Nebraska native has spent three years pushing to open the state to competition from for-profit electric producers.

Wind is Water Director Michael Matheson said the groups are working with state senators to introduce legislation to reform Nebraskas power landscape, but would not say which senators.

Increased competition will lead to lower electric bills, and more transparent bills will let consumers know what drives changes in their rates, Goss said Tuesday at one of a series of news conferences being held across the state to promote the study.

More than a dozen states including Texas already allow customers to choose electric providers in a system known as retail choice.

That would also let consumers decide whether they want to buy from companies that focus on renewable sources or simply pick the cheapest option, Goss said.

Shelley Sahling-Zart, vice president and general counsel for Lincoln Electric System, said the study seems like a solution in search of a problem.

Nebraska's electric rates are some of the lowest in the U.S. Last year, the state had the 15th lowest statewide average electric rate in the nation, a fact to which public power companies point to.

"On residential rates, Nebraska is lower than all the retail choice states, about 31 percent lower than the retail choice states' average," Sahling-Zart said.

Nebraska is the only state to be entirely served by public electric utilities.

Nebraskas utilities already buy electricity from a regional market, Goss said; consumer choice would cut out the middle man.

The three largest -- Nebraska Public Power District, Omaha Public Power District and Lincoln Electric System -- joined a regional power system in 2009 known as the Southwest Power Pool based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 2014, the pool launched a wholesale marketplace for electric sales, coordination of next-day power generation and improvement of regional balancing of electric supply and demand.

The basic idea is that all power generators bid their electricity into the pool, then buy out what they need for resale to customers. So the cheapest electricity gets used first and more expensive electricity might not get generated at all if its not needed.

Southwest Power Pool said its marketplace has saved members $1 billion since going online by making cheap electricity available throughout the region.

Goss' study says Nebraska's power districts are struggling to produce power cheap enough to be viable on the market, leaving the state's less efficient plants idle and districts less able to recover fixed costs.

He pointed to the shuttering of OPPDs Fort Calhoun Station and the idling of NPPDs Sheldon Station in September, both because Southwest Power Pool's wholesale market prices were lower than the plants cost of production.

NPPD's spokesman Mark Becker refuted the claim, saying the district's power plants, including Sheldon Station, are being called on by the pool to produce power.

Goss did not have information on the cost of producing electricity for each of the states individual power plants, but he said the market price is below the aggregate price at which NPPD or OPPD can generate it.

NPPDs average generation cost in 2015 was $28.21 per megawatt hour and OPPD's was $32.11 per mwh, while the average Southwest Power Pool day-ahead market price was $22.84 per mwh and real-time market price was $21.68 per mwh, according to the study.

Nebraska long has benefited from the Wyoming Powder River Basins coal, but cheap natural gas from the fracking boom and wind generation is undercutting some of Nebraskas coal-burning generators, the study says.

NPPD generates nearly 52 percent of its power from coal, 30 percent from nuclear, 6.5 percent from wind, 5.5 percent from purchases, 5.3 percent from hydroelectric sources and 1 percent from natural gas or oil.

NPPD has not raised its residential rates for four consecutive years. The district plans to increase wholesale rates, what it charges other utilities, by an average of 0.6 percent in 2017.

The study does not address LES, which for 2017 has proposed raising its systemwide electric rates an average of 3 percent.

LES said it has the 13th lowest rates this year among 100 cities surveyed nationwide. Compared to seven other Midwestern cities -- including Omaha, Minneapolis and Des Moines -- LES rates are the lowest in six of 12 categories, including residential rates.

Earlier this year, Aksamit sued the states four largest public power entities seeking to get detailed information of generation costs. The case is still in the courts.

On Tuesday, he called for relegating Nebraskas public power companies to managing infrastructure like electric lines and power poles, then allow for-profit companies to provide the power.

What Im advocating for is a separation of the power generation business from the lines and the wires business in Nebraska, Aksamit said. Set the generation assets aside in a trust and allow them to wind themselves down. Whichever ones are economically viable will remain. Whichever ones arent economically viable will be flushed out through the marketplace.
Scientists across the world have already raised alarm over the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and the associated rise in drug-resistant bacteria. Now, a new study, published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Biology, has unearthed a further complicating factor insofar as antibiotic resistance in bacteria is concerned.

The study revealed that bacteria that are susceptible to antibiotics can survive longer when in the company of their drug-resistant counterparts.

We know that antibiotic usage results in selection for resistance, lead author Robin Sorg, a microbiologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, said in a statement. However, we do not fully understand the processes, nor why antibiotic resistance can develop so fast. Single cell studies like ours help to fill in some of these details.

For the purpose of their study, the researchers infected mice with a cocktail containing both  Staphylococci bacteria resistant to the antibiotic chloramphenicol and non-resistant Streptococci. They found that not only did the chloramphenicol-sensitive bacteria survive, they also began dividing  eventually outgrowing their resistant companions.

129848_web

Photo: Sorgt et al. / University of Groningen

We show that bacteria expressing the resistance factor chloramphenicol (Cm) acetyltransferase (CAT) can potently deactivate Cm in their immediate environment. The reduced Cm concentration then allows for the outgrowth of genetically susceptible bacteria in the same environment, the researchers wrote in the study. Our results highlight the importance of the microbial context during infectious disease as a potential complicating factor to antibiotic therapy.

Story continues

A similar phenomenon has been previously seen in bacteria resistant to penicillin, which secrete beta-lactamase enzymes to break down the antibiotic.

But in our case, the antibiotic is deactivated inside the resistant cells, Sorg said.

The worrying findings come at a time when indiscriminate and improper use of antibiotics has surged, and the rise of superbugs has become a serious global health concern. The World Health Organization, for instance, terms antimicrobial resistance an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society.

According to a recent British government-commissioned review, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which already kills roughly 700,000 people every year, may, by 2050, lead to a staggering 10 million deaths annually.

Even at current rates, it is fair to assume that over one million people will have died from AMR since I started this review in the summer of 2014, economist Jim O'Neill  who was appointed by British Prime Minister David Cameron to head the review  said in the report.

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Melissa Benoist and husband Blake Jenner are reportedly ending their marriage.

The Supergirl star, 28, recently filed divorce papers from The Edge of Seventeen actor, 24, citing irreconcilable differences and is not seeking either party to give spousal support, according to documents obtained by TMZ. The actress also requested to change her legal name back to Melissa Benoist.

Benoist and Jenner, who have no children together, wed in spring 2015 after getting engaged in July 2013. They were last spotted together at Septembers Toronto International Film Festival.

The former couple met while playing love interests on Ryan Murphys musical TV series Glee in 2012.

I thought she was the bomb the second I saw her, so it was just super cool to be working together, Jenner told PEOPLE in 2014 about working with Benoist. Thankfully, weve had some scenes together. Because if we didnt, I dont think we would have had the time to get to know each other.

On their engagement, Jenner said: It was fun, it was real low-key. It was private. I did sing, I sang Will you marry me? It was funny, it was a lot like us.

Jenner guest starred on two episodes of CWs Supergirl earlier this year.

I love working with him, Benoist told PEOPLE Now in March. We only have fun working together. Hes my person to act with. Hes my favorite scene partner, always.

With reporting by PATRICK GOMEZ
Anis Amri, the Berlin attack suspect, had used one of eight aliases to apply for asylum in Germany, Deutsche Welle reported Wednesday, citing public broadcaster WDRs Aktuelle Stunde TV program. Amri was killed last Friday in a police shootout in Milan following a Europe-wide manhunt.

According to the report, Amri was located mostly in Berlin in February even though he was barred from leaving the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where he sought asylum. He was classified as a threat by the state criminal investigation office in the state capital Dusseldorf on May 10.

The Aktuelle Stunde program cited a profile of Amri stating that his behavior became suspicious when he was in Berlin and was in constant touch with people who had connections to the radical Salafist-Islamist scene. The report added that, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Amri was in contact with people having ties to the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.

Amri also visited 15 mosques in Germany  12 of the mosques were in the western Ruhr region, the report added.

Last Mondays attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, which killed 12 people, was claimed by ISIS. The militant group had called Amri a soldier of the Islamic State.

On Friday, he was shot dead by a local police officer in Milan. Italian authorities reportedly found a railway ticket on the 24-year-old Tunisians body indicating that he traveled by a high-speed train from France to the northern Italian city of Turin. He then traveled in a regional train to the Milan suburbs.

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* Kurdish groups, allies announced federal plan in March

* Blueprint set to be ratified at meeting in Rmeilan

* Russia, Turkey seek to revive diplomacy to end wider war

* Syrian Kurdish groups control wide areas of north (Adds comment from two other attendees)

By Tom Perry

BEIRUT, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies are expected to approve a blueprint for a system of federal government in northern Syria this week, Kurdish officials said, reaffirming their plans for autonomy as Russia and Turkey seek to revive diplomacy.

The aim is to cement the autonomy of areas of northern Syria where Kurdish groups have already carved out self-governing regions since the start of the war in 2011, though Kurdish leaders say an independent state is not the goal.

Increasing Kurdish influence in northern Syria has alarmed neighbouring Turkey, while the United States also opposed the federal plan first announced in March. President Bashar al-Assad also opposes federalism.

The blueprint amounts to a constitution, known as the social contract, and is expected to be approved on Wednesday or Thursday at a meeting of a 151-member council in the city of Rmeilan, according to Hadiya Yousef, who chairs the council.

"I expect ratification because we have discussed the content with all groups and political sides repeatedly, and the draft was worded with consensus," she said in a written message to Reuters.

"We will clarify through the contract ... the means for starting the formation of our institutions and administrative system, and we will start preparations for elections," she added. The first elections would be to regional administrations, to be followed by an election to a central body.

The council, a constituent assembly which officials say includes members of all the main political, ethnic and religious groups in the area, began meeting on Tuesday.

Unilateral moves by Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies have taken place against a backdrop of international failure to promote a political settlement to a Syrian war nearing its sixth anniversary.

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Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week were they were ready to help broker a peace deal in Syria after meeting in Moscow, where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

Arrangements for the talks, which would not include the United States and be distinct from separate, intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations, remain hazy, but Moscow has said they would take place in Kazakhstan, a close ally.

Iran and Russia have given Assad crucial military backing in the war against rebel groups fighting him in western Syria. Turkey has been a major backer of the rebels.

The effort to revive the diplomatic track follows the defeat of Syrian rebels in eastern Aleppo - Assad's biggest victory of the war. The main Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, has mostly avoided conflict with Assad, while serving as the military backbone of the autonomous Kurdish regions.

The YPG is the dominant force in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance that has seized swathes of territory from Islamic State in a U.S.-backed campaign in Syria.

KURDS READY TO TAKE PART IN TALKS

Another Kurdish politician said groups signing up to the new constitution were not ruling out involvement in future peace talks, but they had not been invited to a meeting in Kazakhstan.

"We are ready to negotiate in any regional or international meeting, to propose our plans and our vision for a solution in Syria," said Fawza Ahmad, a member of the constituent council, speaking to Reuters from the meeting. She noted that Kurdish groups were excluded from previous U.N.-backed talks on Syria.

Turkey views the main Syrian Kurdish party, the PYD, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey.

Turkey launched a military incursion into northern Syria in August in large part to prevent the YPG from gaining further ground and linking Kurdish regions in northeastern Syria with a pocket of Kurdish-controlled territory in northwestern Syria.

Some 30 million Kurds are estimated to live in Iran, Turkey, Iraq and in Syria. Kurdish groups have enjoyed autonomy in northern Iraq since the 1990s.

The Kurdish name for northern Syria, "Rojava", was dropped from the name of the proposed system of government, said Nasreddin Ibrahim, another Kurdish politician at the meeting. He said that had led 12 Kurdish parties to express reservations, but would not obstruct ratification of the document.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Francis in Beirut; Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Giles Elgood)
AMMAN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Syria's main rebel groups were discussing with Turkey a ceasefire proposal being negotiated with Russia and rejected Moscow's demand to exclude a key rebel stronghold near the capital, a senior rebel official said on Wednesday.

However, Munir al Sayal, the head of the political wing of Ahrar al Sham, whose group is involved in the talks with Turkey, said it was premature to talk about any chances of success over the proposed agreement.

"Discussions are ongoing with Turkish sponsorship but the Russian enemy is trying to exclude the Eastern Ghouta (suburb) of Damascus from any attempt towards a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria that would be accepted by the revolution's factions," he told Reuters.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alison Williams)
TAIPEI (Reuters) - China's sole aircraft carrier has arrived at a naval base on the southern Chinese province of Hainan, a senior Taiwanese military officer said on Wednesday, after drills that took it around self-ruled Taiwan, an island China claims as its own. Taiwan warned on Tuesday that "the threat of our enemies is growing day by day", as Chinese warships led by the carrier sailed towards Hainan through the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese drill comes amid renewed tension over Taiwan, which China says is ineligible for state-to-state relations, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen that upset Beijing. China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, suspecting she wants to push for the island's formal independence, a red line for Beijing which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Tsai says she wants to maintain peace with China. China has given few details of what the Soviet-built Liaoning is up to, save that it is on a routine exercise and complying with international law. Taiwan has said the aircraft carrier skirted waters outside its air defense identification zone to the east and south and then headed across the top of the South China Sea to Hainan, home to a large Chinese naval base. "The Liaoning aircraft carrier has reached the Hainan military base. We will continue to monitor its developments," a senior Taiwanese military official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. China had been testing the carrier's systems and coordination with other military equipment, the officer said, and its arrival in Hainan did not mean its mission was over. Chinese state media says the carrier's likely home base was the northeastern port city of Qingdao. Speaking at a regular news briefing, An Fengshan, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said China would exert all its efforts to achieve "peaceful reunification". "At the same time, our position on maintaining the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity is unswerving, and we will never permit Taiwan independence separatist forces to split Taiwan from China in any way or in any name," he said. China's air force conducted long-range drills this month above the East and South China Seas that rattled Japan and Taiwan. China said those exercises were also routine. China claims most of the South China Sea. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. The Liaoning has taken part in previous exercises, including in the South China Sea, but China is years away from perfecting carrier operations similar to those the United States has practiced for decades. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie)
New York (AFP) - Takata is close to settling a US criminal probe into the exploding airbag scandal, two people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The Japanese auto parts supplier could reach a final agreement with the US Department of Justice before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office January 20, the sources told AFP, broadly confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Officials want Takata to recognize its wrongdoing and pay a financial penalty that could exceed $1 billion, one source said.

Prosecutors are hoping to have an agreement by January, as part of the outgoing Obama administration's efforts to close the book on outstanding cases before Trump's inauguration, the Wall Street Journal said.

Some 100 million Takata airbags have been recalled worldwide over a defect that can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an airbag is deployed.

The defect has been linked to 11 US fatalities and 15 worldwide. US regulators have said the problem is more dangerous in southern parts of the United States with warmer and more humid climates.

Nearly every major carmaker has been forced to recall cars because of the defect, including General Motors, Honda, BMW and Tesla.

In November 2015, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration imposed a record $200 million civil fine against Takata for providing inadequate and inaccurate information to regulators about the defect.
Beirut (AFP) - Turkey and Russia are discussing a possible nationwide ceasefire in Syria, but obstacles remain to any deal, a rebel official said on Wednesday.

Earlier, Turkey's Anadolu agency reported that Ankara and Moscow had reached a ceasefire deal that would go into effect at midnight, but neither capital nor the parties to the conflict confirmed the report.

Labib Nahhas, foreign relations head for the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group, confirmed to AFP that the faction was "aware of ongoing discussions between Russia and Turkey about a nationwide ceasefire".

But he reiterated that rebel factions had not been presented with any official proposal and said there were still obstacles to a deal.

"Russia wants to exclude Eastern Ghouta from the ceasefire, which is not acceptable," he said, referring to a rebel-held area outside Damascus.

Syria's army has been advancing in Eastern Ghouta in recent months, and securing the area around the capital would be another major government gain after recapturing Aleppo.

Russia is a key ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and began a military intervention to bolster his government last year.

Turkey, meanwhile, has backed the uprising against the government in Damascus that began in March 2011.

Despite their opposing stances, and the souring of relations after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last year, the two countries have started to cooperate more closely on Syria.

Turkey remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, retook control last week of Aleppo in the biggest defeat so far for the rebels in the civil war.

And the two countries brokered a deal that saw the last rebels and civilians in opposition-held parts of Aleppo leave the city.

State-run Anadolu had reported the deal would expand the ceasefire agreed for Aleppo during the rebel evacuation to the whole country.

If successful, the plan would form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between Damascus and the opposition, overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

Story continues

But the deal was not confirmed by officials from either Turkey or Russia, and Syrian state media made no mention of it.

An official from the political opposition High Negotiations Committee also said he had no information about the agreement.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 310,000 people since it began, and displaced over half the population, including millions who have been forced to flee abroad as refugees.
Photo credit: Robert Frye/Twitter

From Cosmopolitan

Photo credit: Robert Frye/Twitter

Taylor Swift has a history of surprising fans when they least expect it, but the recipient of her most recent fan encounter was somewhat outside her usual demographic. The day after Christmas, Taylor surprised 96-year-old World War II veteran Cyrus Porter at his home in Missouri. After entering the house to a chorus of completely understandable screams, Taylor led Cyrus and his relatives (nearly 60 in number) in an acoustic singalong of Shake It Off.

okay this is the last thing i'm posting. @taylorswift13 I still can't believe it!! pic.twitter.com/G5pfUpYaH6 - Landon (@Landon_Poore) December 26, 2016

@taylorswift13 puts the finishing touches on her Christmas visit to the Bootheel. pic.twitter.com/5nkZVejPw2 - Chris Porter (@chipmofodawg) December 26, 2016

Cyrus recently told a local news station about his love for Taylor Swift, and said that hed been to two of her concerts. Look what she does, he said. She puts on shows nobody else puts on! He also likes Taylor because her music brings him closer to some of his more than 20 grandchildren, but based on his collection of T-Swift memorabilia, its clear hes a fan on his own.



"My Popo was ecstatic! He was grinning from ear to ear and even had tears in his eyes," Caroline Fowler, one of Cyruss relatives, told E! News. "It was the best day ever and our family is thankful for this.



Taking selfies, holding babies, hugging grandpas and leaving lipstick marks. Taylor Swift does it all. Awsome day for my Popo!! pic.twitter.com/SaNwRK4DoL - robert frye (@bert_frye) December 27, 2016

Follow Eliza on Twitter.



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Tesla Motors, Inc. TSLA has signed an agreement with Panasonic Corp PCRFY to produce photovoltaic cells and modules in Buffalo, NY, from the summer of 2017. The companies signed a non-binding letter of intent for the same in October.

Per the agreement, Panasonic will bear the capital expenses needed for the plant in return for a long term purchase commitment by Tesla. The companies plan to increase the production volume of photovoltaic modules at the plant to 1 Gigawatt by 2019. Additionally, the companies will collaborate to develop the next generation of photovoltaic technology at the Fremont, CA plant of Teslas subsidiary SolarCity.

Tesla will use the cells and modules produced in the Buffalo plant to make solar panels for its non-solar roof products. The company will also use these cells in various kinds of solar glass tile roofs, when their production starts.

Price Movement

Tesla has been underperforming the Zacks categorized Auto Manufacturers-Domestic industry for most of the year. Year to date, the share price of Tesla lost 11.1% while the industry witnessed a 2.9% gain.

Tesla has been facing production-related issues for a long time, as a result of which it has failed to meet delivery targets in the first two quarters of 2016. This, along with the losses incurred by the company, pulled down its share price. Teslas stock was also affected by the announcement of the SolarCity acquisition due to concerns related to the losses of the latter, debts and cash outflow. However, now that the acquisition is completed, investors are expected to shift their focus on Teslas growth plans.

TESLA MOTORS Price

TESLA MOTORS Price | TESLA MOTORS Quote

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Tesla currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked auto stocks include Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. ALSN and America's Car-Mart Inc. CRMT.

America's Car-Mart has a long-term expected growth rate of 45.5%. It is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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Allison Transmission has a long-term growth rate projection of 11%. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



AMERICAS CAR-MT (CRMT): Free Stock Analysis Report



TESLA MOTORS (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report



ALLISON TRANSMN (ALSN): Free Stock Analysis Report



PANASONIC CORP (PCRFY): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



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Photo: CBS

Joe Maldonado, 8, joined Cub Scout Pack 87 in Secaucus, New Jersey because, in his own words, all of my favorite friends were there.

But after Joes mother, Kristie, enrolled her son in the troop, she was then told by the Boy Scouts of America that her son was banned from membership because of his gender identity, as the child is transgender, and was born with physical female sexual organs.

In a statement given to CBS News, the Boy Scouts of America clarified its decision, specifying, No youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation. Gender identity isnt related to sexual orientation.

Joe had been a member of Pack 87 for a month before his membership was rescinded.

While the Boy Scouts of America have changed their policies in regards to the sexual orientation of its members and troop leaders in 2015, the organization has no official, written policies pertaining to gender identity.

A spokesperson for the Boy Scouts of America has stated, however, that the group uses the classification on the participants birth certificate to confirm legal status. In other words, unless a young transgender individual has had their government documents changed to reflect their gender identity, their expressed gender identity is not seemingly recognized by the scouting group. In New Jersey, a surgery or other medical procedure is required for a transgender individual to have their gender changed on their birth certificate.

Generally, it seems like the Boy Scouts is behind its sister organization, the Girls Scouts, which already has extended membership to all girls regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, Adaku Onyeka-Crawford, Counsel at the National Womens Law Center, tells Yahoo Beauty.

Onyeka-Crawford explains that there are a couple of laws at play when it comes to claims of discrimination that Maldonado and their family might make against the scouting organization.

Unfortunately, Title IX is only at play if the troop is using a federally-funded facility, like a school, to hold their meetings. And if the troop were to meet at a school, Title IX would just ensure that the school would have to otherwise make activities available for those being excluded because of their gender identity.

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However, Onyeka-Crawford continues, New Jersey itself has a wide-ranging blanket anti-discrimination law on the books, saying that a person cannot be denied access to public accommodations  a term that can encompass any organization that holds itself out to the public and takes advantage of public resources, including advertising its open membership to the public and holding meetings in public places  for a number of characteristics, including gender identity and expression.

In 1999, the New Jersey Supreme Court declared that the Boy Scouts met the definition of a public accommodation in the case of Dale v. Boy Scouts of America, meaning they could not deny employment to a scout leader based on his sexual orientation.

However, Onyeka-Crawford adds, in 2000, the U. S. Supreme Court reversed the decision saying that interpreting the New Jersey law in this way violated the First Amendments right of expressive association.

At the time, the Boy Scouts had a practice of excluding membership on the basis of homosexuality dating back to 1978, she says. As a result, the Boy Scouts continued to deny membership and employment to gay scouts and troop leaders until 2015, when it changed its policies. So, if the Boy Scouts of America has a similar precedent of denying membership based on gender identity, they may be able to present a similar argument in this case.

There could be a case for Joe and his family to seek public accommodations because hes been discriminated against because of his gender identity. This is untested, but it could be a way forward for him, Onyeka-Crawford emphasizes.

She adds, I think that what Joe and his family is doing is the right way, getting other folks and especially transgender and gender advocates to see that youth groups have a powerful role to play in promoting inclusivity and tolerance. Pushing the Boy Scouts to be more inclusive and to be more progressive and accepting  the Girl Scouts have been doing this for years and theres been no uproar. If anything, more folks are now enrolling in the Girl Scouts because theyve been so open and inclusive. Hopefully, the Boy Scouts will also be more open and affirming to all youth and individuals, regardless of their gender identity.

Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts of America said it would allow transgender youth to participate in its co-ed programs, but not single-sex organizations like the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Concludes Onyeka-Crawford, Hopefully it doesnt take any litigation and 15 years for the Boy Scouts to do whats right and extend membership to all boys regardless of gender identity, and live up to the values of friendliness, kindness, and bravery they supposedly promote.

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Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia wearing her iconic buns. (Photo credit: LucasFilm)

As Carrie Fisher fans are still in shock at her passing Tuesday, people have been showing their love for the late actress by sending their condolences to the family and even posting photos wearing the Princess Leia hairstyle that Fisher made famous in her Star Wars role.

Fishers mother, Debbie Reynolds, once warned her to be careful of roles that required any weird hairdo. Luckily for us, Fisher ignored that advice. But where did the idea for the unique do come from? George Lucas borrowed from the past, telling Time magazine in 2002, that he was working very hard to create something different that wasnt fashion, so I went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look.  The buns are basically from turn-of-the-century Mexico.

Prior to Fishers death, one of the Princess Leia wigs worn by the star was sold through the Hollywood Legends auction at Juliens Auctions Gallery in March 2012.

Carrie Fishers worn Princess Leia wig on display at at Juliens Auctions Gallery. (Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

The wig sold for $1,152, which is somewhat surprising considering the slave bikini costume sold for a whopping $96,000 in October 2015. The gold bikini, another standout style favorite, was worn by Fisher in a scene at Jabba the Hutts palace on the desert planet of Tatooine. Both collectors items may be worth double, if not triple the amount they originally sold for now as Fisher fans would love to hold memories of her legacy close. Only time will tell.

RIP beautiful Princess ???? Thank you for portraying and for being such a powerful, iconic woman. You are now one with the force, forever. ???? A photo posted by Cindy Paola (@snow.fox_) on Dec 27, 2016 at 5:42pm PST

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Havana (AFP) - In the Hernandez family, every generation has its own perspective on the Cuban revolution.

Luis Hernandez was one of Fidel Castro's comrades-in-arms as he fought to overthrow the US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

His son Juan Luis waged a different kind of battle during the "special period" of near-starvation that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's key ally during the Cold War.

Now his granddaughter Yeli is coming of age against the backdrop of a historic reconciliation with the United States.

Castro, who died on November 25 at age 90, was the 20th century's longest-ruling leader.

It is a measure of his enduring hold on Cuba that all the Hernandez family's lives have been profoundly marked by the man they call "father" or "grandfather."

- Luis -

Luis is 88 years old and blind. But his face still lights up when he recalls Castro's triumphant arrival in Havana on January 8, 1959.

He remembers "El Comandante" riding into the capital on a Jeep at the head of his rebel army, which had pulled off the seemingly impossible by ousting Batista.

"To me, that meant something big," he says. "It meant my life could change."

Luis is Afro-Cuban, a group that once faced rampant discrimination on the Caribbean island.

But with Castro's arrival, "social circles opened up to black people," he says.

Luis, who went to work at 10 years old as a cook, joined Castro's July 26 movement as a young man.

After Castro came to power, he was given a maintenance job at the powerful Council of State -- where posts were reserved for the new regime's most trusted people.

Castro was often there, as was his younger brother Raul, the current president.

Luis says he got an education thanks to Fidel.

He proudly ticks off the young revolution's accomplishments: literacy for all, land reform, ration books, nationalized companies.

But he also remembers the upheaval as the country became a central piece on the Cold War chess board.

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"We used to see the American planes flying overhead," he recalls of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1962.

Through it all, however, he has held fast to his communist ideals.

- Juan Luis -

Luis's son Juan Luis has a different memory of the revolution.

"I lived through the era of the Russians and the period after the fall of the USSR," the 52-year-old father of two says.

Deprived of its key backer, the communist island descended into economic chaos.

"It was one loaf of bread per person, a little piece of fish. There was no milk and no one to help us," Juan Luis says.

"I was so angry, I felt like laying into the Americans" who maintained their embargo on Cuba throughout the crisis.

Opposition to the regime grew during those years, when record numbers of Cubans fled the island for Florida.

Juan Luis says he was never tempted to leave, then or now. But he wishes the government would improve the economy.

"We go to the doctor and there's no medicine. There's no aspirin," he says.

"We can't get by on our salaries anymore."

Like most islanders, Juan Luis is paid in Cuban pesos, whose value is plummeting. A parallel economy for tourists and the Cuban elite operates in "convertible pesos," which are equal to the US dollar.

Eliminating that double currency remains one of Raul Castro's unfulfilled promises for reforming the stagnant economy.

Between his salary and his father's pension, Juan Luis has 700 Cuban pesos a month -- about $29 -- to support the entire family of five in the run-down but tidy home they share in a working-class Havana neighborhood.

"Workers' salaries are out of sync with the prices of products," he says.

The ration books his father remembers so fondly barely feed the family for one week a month today, he adds.

It has all given him a complex attitude toward the revolution.

"More than a revolutionary or a communist," he says, "I am a 'Fidelista'"

- Yeli -

At 16 years old, Yeli has already seen something her father and grandfather never imagined possible: in March, an American president traveled to Cuba for the first time in 88 years.

Barack Obama's visit boosted Cubans' hopes that real change could emerge from their country's rapprochement with its old Cold War enemy.

Many Cubans have worried about the island's future since Fidel's death.

But Yeli has other things on her mind.

She wants Disney to build a theme park in Cuba, and "more places to dance."

She is part of a generation perched between the revolution and whatever comes next.

On the family home's purple-painted walls hangs a giant picture of Yeli as a baby. Her parents like to show off the photo album of her 15th birthday party, a lavish coming-of-age ritual across Latin America.

In the elaborately staged pictures, Yeli looks anything but revolutionary. She poses as a businesswoman, a rapper and wearing a ball gown.

The family spent $350 -- more than a year's income -- on the photo shoot.

Yeli's generation is much more connected to the outside world than their parents' and grandparents', even if internet access remains limited.

To the young, Fidel was an old man who appeared on TV once in a while, no longer dressed in his trademark army uniform but the more relaxed-looking tracksuits he preferred in retirement.

Still, Yeli was deeply saddened by his death.

"Fidel is a grandfather," she says. "He was my grandfather."


The Los Angeles Lakers gave Timofey Mozgov a whole lot of money this offseason  the former Cavs big man got a four year, $64 million deal from the organization which raised a lot of eyebrows. Whether or not hes earned that payday is certainly up for debate, but this dunk was not something youd like to see out of a guy who is making that much cash.

Mozgov looked like he was going to put Rudy Gobert on a poster during the Lakers game against Utah on Tuesday night. The Stifle Tower didnt seem like he was in a position to block Mozgovs shot, so all that the massive Russian had to do was throw down. Hes done this countless times in his life, so this seemed like it would be nothing too difficult.

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Instead, the ball looked like it slipped out of his hands a little and he bricked the dunk. Mozgovs arm seemed like it went a little too fast and the ball wasnt able to stay in his palm, so instead of an unforgettable dunk on one of the leagues premier shot blockers, were discussing a pretty nasty miss.

The good news for Mozgov is that even though this happened, he still has way more money in his bank account than most of us. And, you know, hes dunked on Gobert in the past, so at least he can take solace in that.
One of the leading ladies in the Star Wars universe is honoring the pioneering Carrie Fisher.

Tiya Sircar, who voices Sabine Wren in the animated series Star Wars Rebels, shared a picture of herself on Instagram dressed in the gold bikini Princess Leia wore in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The bikini has become almost as iconic as Leias circular buns  and synonymous with Fishers legacy as one of fictions most beloved characters.

It is not lost on me, the fact that without #CarrieFishers portrayal of #PrincessLeia, my #StarWarsRebels character #Sabine may very well never have come into being, Sircar captioned the shot of her in the iconic gold two-piece. The same could be said for Ahsoka, Hera, Jyn, Rey, etc. 

Referencing the other ladies that came after Fishers Leia, Sircar added that Fisher was a pioneer of sorts and that her life certainly wouldnt be the same now if it werent for her.

Though she may have hated this costume (from first-hand experience, I can see totally why! So, SO tiny), no one has ever or will ever pull it off like she did, the actress concluded.

Sircar also honored the original Star Wars icon in an earlier post featuring Fisher dressed in the costume while posing in the ocean and laughing as a wave overtakes her. She captioned it the all-time greatest photo of #CarrieFisher.

The Universe can and will never be the same without you. Sending love to your family, your legion of fans, and Gary, who I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a couple of years ago, Sircar captioned the lively snap.

Fisher died at 60 on Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles four days earlier. Since her death, numerous members of the Star Wars universe  as well as Hollywood colleagues  have lovingly paid tribute to the late actress.




After 832 days in foster care with three different families, a 3-year-old Arizona boy had his biggest wish fulfilled just before Christmas and the results are going viral.

A photo on Twitter of Michael Brown triumphantly pumping his fist in the air after he was adopted by Tara Montgomery, a single mother from Peoria, Arizona, has thus far been retweeted more than 57,000 times and has received 143,000 likes.

Hes won everyones hearts because hes a good, happy kid whos been through more than any child should have to go through, Montgomery, 42, a high school secretary with three biological children, tells PEOPLE. He deserves to finally have a forever family. 

When plans to reunite Michael with his biological mom fell through recently, Montgomery, who had been Michaels foster parent since he was 18 months old, knew what she had to do.

I just couldnt bear for him to go through any more disappointments, she says.

She filed immediately to adopt Michael, and on December 20th, her request was made legal.

Michael Brown and Tara MontgomeryCourtesy Tara Montgomery

After one of Michaels new sisters, Dezhianna, 17, snapped a picture for Twitter of the jubilant preschooler holding a Some Things Are Worth The Wait sign and pumping his fist, Montgomery awoke the next morning to find her inbox deluged with happy emails.

I had no idea this would blow up the way it did, but Im thrilled that it happened, she says, because it helps prove what Ive always believed: You dont have to be a married couple with a big house or a big income to take in a child who needs you. You just need to love children and have a big heart.

Montgomery certainly fits both of those requirements. Single since her husband was murdered in Seattle in 2001 by an acquaintance while their three daughters were small, she decided to become a foster parent almost three years ago to make a difference in somebodys life.

Working at a high school, Ive seen kids who dont have anyone, she tells PEOPLE. After I lost my husband, administrators started seeking me out to talk to teenagers who had lost a parent. Ive always had a heart for kids and their circumstances. So one day, I thought, Ill become a foster parent and help as many as Im able, one child at a time.'

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Michael BrownTara Montgomery

Montgomery fostered six children, with Michael being the most recent. He came into her life on Valentines Day 2015, when his biological mother could no longer care for him.

He spent the first months of his life in two different homes before coming to us, she says, and we quickly became attached to him. When plans for his mother to adopt him didnt go through, I talked to the other kids and we just knew: he was already part of the family. He belonged here.

Dezhianna, Adrianna, 23, and Tianna, 16, are delighted to have a younger brother, says Montgomery, especially just in time for the holidays.

On Christmas morning, Michael was excited to find several Thomas the Tank Engine trains, a toy box and a new bicycle beneath the tree, but most of all, he smiled because he knows he is loved and wanted and cared for, she tells PEOPLE. Every morning, when he comes in to wake me, he touches my heart. Mama, he says, Im happy.'




For a decade now Ive written about the year in single images. Its an annual tradition that started on a whim  certain shots from No Country for Old Men and The Bourne Ultimatum spurred a desire to seek out other potent imagery and chew on it  and it has developed into my own little way of adding to the usual year-in-review cavalcade.

The rise of press screeners has certainly helped me to be thorough. Re-watching the years movies and scrubbing them for stand-out shots I might have missed has become its own unique form of absorbing movies. Other outlets have come along and taken similar approaches, which is great, because this is as subjective as anything else. But many have bailed after giving it a go, too, which I understand: this can be sort of taxing.

But Ive cherished it. Ive delighted, and continue to delight, in the conversations I have with cinematographers, examining the nuts and bolts of visual storytelling. Whether its the most weathered of veterans or the freshest talent on the scene, these are the people who speak the language of cinema most fluently, and theyre eager to talk about it and share the details of their decision making. Ive even observed some of them climb to the industrys top shelf. Thats been a gift, and I thank each and every lenser who has hopped on the phone with me to discuss along the way.

So lets dive in. For the 10th year running, the top 10 shots of the year

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#10



Silence



SILENCE

Director of Photography: Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC

We werent very clear in general about how he was going to see these faces of Christ that are described in the book and the script. Here, it ended up being this painting from Goya. This shot was an important moment where you would think Rodriguez is starting to lose his mind in his confusion of where Christ is and the silence of not answering his prayers. Jesuits try to mold their way of life and spirituality in Christ himself, and I think this moment speaks to that, as well as that confusion of, How would Christ behave in this situation?' Rodrigo Prieto

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Silence is arguably Martin Scorseses most personal film yet, making it a very specific thing that either resonates with you or it doesnt. Rodrigo Prietos celluloid photography is jaw-dropping throughout, certainly aesthetically speaking. Here, an on-the-nose image, heavy with thematic context, contrasts with the films otherwise reserved and meditative approach. Its the kind of flourish that permeates The Last Temptation of Christ yet isnt really utilized in Kundun, the other two films in this spiritual trilogy of sorts from Scorsese. But in Silence, it makes for bold juxtaposition.

#9



Krisha



KRISHA

Director of Photography: Drew Daniels

Every shot in the movie was supposed to suggest Krishas point of view. This was one of our Altman kind of shots. Instead of cutting into coverage  because obviously you want to end this scene in a close-up  we start zooming once the conversation begins taking a turn for the worst. First we push in on a dolly to elevate the intensity of the conversation, and the zoom, thats when were just going totally subconscious. Krisha has zoned out and you can tell its not going to go right. The zoom pushes past her guard and into her psychology, where basically she feels isolated and theres this total disconnect from her son. Drew Daniels

Trey Edward Shults Krisha was one of the years most exemplary directorial debuts, signaling an unmistakable voice and the confidence to convey it. The film is most effective in its assemblage, as Shults uses active picture editing to establish a state of mind. But there are also a number of moments that allow things to breathe, and this climactic conversation between the eponymous family black sheep and her son is one of them. It crystalizes the depth of actress Krisha Fairchilds performance and visually tells a story with aplomb.

#8



Moonlight



MOONLIGHT

Director of Photography: James Laxton

This was in the script, so we knew we were building to this moment. We wanted an image that would be everlasting in the audiences minds, something that evokes some strong emotional consequences. I think its almost like asking the audience to be contemplative and have a moment to think to yourself about what you just watched. I think its just asking us all to think about each other and think about these characters to try and find some humanity within us all that connects us. We all have these very similar experiences in our lives on some level and we can all relate to each other. James Laxton

James Laxtons Moonlight photography is singular, but he and director Barry Jenkins still had their touchstones. The collaborations of French cinematographer Agnes Godard and director Claire Denis were an influence, as were Ping Bin Lee and Malik Sayeeds respective lensing of Hsiao-Hsien Hous 2005 romance omnibus Three Times and Spike Lees 1995 crime thriller Clockers. For the movies final image, the Florida State film school colleagues captured the very spirit of the films protagonist, the childlike inner soul of a man longing for a connection.

#7



Jackie



JACKIE

Director of Photography: Stephane Fontaine, AFC

We wanted a very strong texture and a great deal of saturation. The best way to mimic it was to use film stock, as opposed to trying to find the right plugin in post after using a digital camera. In this shot, were almost seeing things from Jackies perspective. It adds to the intimate feeling that we looked for. Most of the time shes centered in the frame, which helps translate the fact that shes part of a bigger picture and shes always overwhelmed. At one point we were even tempted to shoot in 4:3, which would have been quite extreme, but we ultimately settled on the 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Stephane Fontaine

There are many arresting frames in Pablo Larrains Jackie, which is less a biopic than a refined character study. Its a delicate portrait of grief, strength and dignity, and theres a wonderful blend of iconography and humanity to be found in DP Stephane Fontaines imagery. This shot fills the frame with Jacqueline Kennedys blood-spattered, weeping visage to start, the intimacy palpable. It closes with her smearing the mirror shes been peering into  a bit of a reveal  as she struggles to put her internal world back together. Its a simple choice but hugely effective.

#6



Arrival



ARRIVAL

Director of Photography: Bradford Young, ASC

That shot was a total gift: All that fog appeared out of nowhere. We took off early in the morning to shoot the valley before the sun came up. To the right was the St. Lawrence River and to the left was just these mountains and rolling hills. And then we cleared a ridge line and there it was, that fog rolling off the St. Lawrence. It was like, Hold on, is this really happening? Thats all in camera. Its one of those happy accidents where the movie gods are looking out for you. An aerial shot that was just going to be the most mundane shot in the history of cinema turns into something really special. Bradford Young

Marketing people know what theyre doing, so sometimes the defining image from a film makes it onto this list. Such is the case with Arrival, but its worth pointing out that Bradford Youngs gorgeous helicopter shot  mostly free of a CGI assist, as he shockingly reveals above  is helped quite a bit by the way director Denis Villeneuve underscores it with composer Johann Johannssons creepy contributions. Its the stand-out example from a film that reminds, yet again, that Villeneuve is a bold stylist capable of elevating material off the page with his choices.

#5



Don't Breathe



DONT BREATHE

Director of Photography: Pedro Luque

Its a great way of introducing the geography and making the house credible. But also its a symbol for the whole movie, because you see all of the things that will come into play later. Theres a sense of a bigger order of things. We talked a lot about Panic Room. Its very elegant and beautiful, but the cinematography we did in this movie was a little more expressive in a way, where colors are stronger and shadows are more pronounced. But this was like a mini-Panic Room. We had a stage, but it was small compared to Fincher! Pedro Luque

Just as the action really begins in director Fede Alvarezs horror house chamber piece Dont Breathe, a three-minute, CG-stitched take provides something of a table of contents for the films narrative beats. Numerous elements that will come into play  a skylight, a workbench hammer, a curious bell, an eerie crawlspace, a strategically-placed firearm  are scattered throughout as lenser Pedro Luque establishes the environment. Its a fun choice, one that obviously owes a debt, but its not arbitrary. And its part and parcel of Luques overall underrated work on the film.

#4



Lemonade



LEMONADE

Director of Photography: Chayse Irvin, CSC

There was a compositional arc throughout the whole collaboration with Khalil [Joseph], a desire to conceal a lot of information in the frame, or at least the most important information. This shot is a great example of that, because were concealing her face with that coat shes wearing. It was this kind of beast or this mythical creature starting to transform. And what Khalil did with the sound was captivating and interesting. His form of editing is beautiful. Hes constantly stitching together the most contrasting of images to give some sort of metaphor or meaning that resonates on a subjective level. Chayse Irvin

Lemonade  Beyonces Knowles-Carters visual album that hit like a lightning bolt in the spring  has popped up on a few assessments of the years best films. Whatever parameters you might have for what makes something a proper movie, the project was absolutely a work of cinema, the compendium of an artist working through many levels of expression. Its identifying image stood out in particular, leading off the proceedings and serving as the albums key art. Theres an eerily metamorphic quality to it, like something stirring from a slumber to unleash a pent-up energy.

#3



Snowden



SNOWDEN

Director of Photography: Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF

In this scene, I wanted to allow for potential innovative dialogue or improvisation. We linked the two shooting sets for recording both characters simultaneously, through high-quality projection of Corbin onto the screen at the set where Snowden stands to face him. I also wanted to seize this one opportunity in the last meeting between these two characters, to underline, visually, the degree of power and influence bestowed on a superior officer, and to give Rhys [Ifans] the necessary tools to visually enhance this theme by using the space in the frame I allotted to him. Anthony Dod Mantle

Anthony Dod Mantle may have won a prize at this years Camerimage cinematography festival for Oliver Stones Snowden, but his sterling work on the biopic has mostly hovered below the radar. He consistently brings an innovative signature to the films he tackles, and this was no different. The most striking frame of the movie really hammers home a well-worn dystopian image; its Orwells big brother brought into the modern context, Edward Snowden dwarfed beneath the imposing, watchful eye of his CIA recruiter Corbin OBrian.

#2



The Birth of a Nation



THE BIRTH OF A NATION

Director of Photography: Elliot Davis

I was trained as an architect and there are many structural visual elements that were incorporated in an architectural way. This is one of them. The whole film is really encapsulated in this frame. Its a very stark reading of a complex idea. Its about the polarization of a system and of a people liberating themselves from an oppressor. But theres no pretense of friendly fascism and slavery. The role of religion is delineated between the two conflicting sides, the slaves on one side, and the dying system on the other. Elliot Davis

Nate Parkers embattled Birth of a Nation was oddly divisive, a passionate explosion from an artists soul to some, a pedestrian exercise in historical drama to others. The photography was nevertheless filled with iconic frames and none more so than this paradoxically beautiful tableau. As Elliot Davis explains above, its the film in one image. In part, The Birth of a Nation is a movie about righteousness and the myriad perspectives it beckons. This shot crystallizes both that thematic DNA and of course the films surface narrative conflict.

#1



La La Land



LA LA LAND

Director of Photography: Linus Sandgren, FSF

When we found the location, we had to adapt. The sun was limiting in that the desired camera move would not be possible in one long take without shadowing the actors. It was multiple levels of synchronization between drivers and crane operators, and also precision drivers in the cars that would fill in the traffic. There were hidden tricks on this shot, but its fairly analog. Damien [Chazelle] wanted the camera to be like a character in the film. He wanted to give the sense of being there and watching it breathe and not doing any cuts, and then hopefully you would appreciate the numbers better because you were involved. Linus Sandgren

Long takes are all the rage, so they often pop up on lists like this for their technical prowess. And indeed, for Damien Chazelles indie-hearted Los Angeles musical, the opening tracking shot (which is really a trio of shots brought together via whip-pan edits and other post-production stitching) is impressive for its ambition, just like any other. But it sets one heck of a tone for a film that is, at heart, about being audacious in the face of practicality. Its also indicative of Chazelles confidence behind the camera, and it makes for a dazzling preview of DP Linus Sandgrens camera movement signature throughout. For me, it is the best shot of the year.

***

The Top 10 Shots of 2015

The Top 10 Shots of 2014

The Top 10 Shots of 2013

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Tokyo (AFP) - Toshiba shares dived more than 20 percent Wednesday in their second straight double-digit plunge, as the company said it may book a one-time loss of several billion dollars over its US nuclear business.

The stock price dropped by 20.42 percent to 311.60 yen, the largest fall allowed for a single day, about 30 minutes after the opening bell, as the company failed to ease investor worries over the potential risk. It finished the session at that level.

The Tokyo-based conglomerate said Tuesday in a statement that costs linked to the acquisition last year by its US subsidiary of a nuclear service company would possibly amount to "several billion US dollars, resulting in a negative impact on Toshiba's financial results".

The exact figure of the potential write-down is still being worked out, Toshiba president Satoshi Tsunakawa told reporters after the announcement, apologising for "causing concern".

The company statement suggested the figure would be released soon, citing an end-of-year deadline for settling the valuation of the nuclear deal.

The announcement came after Toshiba shares closed nearly 12 percent lower on Tuesday on media reports about the potential loss.

After the market closed Wednesday, Standard & Poor's cut two of Toshiba's credit and debt ratings by one notch each in response to the company's announcement. S&P also placed the ratings on watch, suggesting they could be downgraded further.

Analysts said uncertainty was fuelling investor anxiety.

"Concerns have yet to be cleared away as they said they didn't know the figure," Yukihiko Shimada, senior analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities, told AFP.

SMBC Nikko credit analysts Yutaka Ban and Kentaro Harada said in a report that investors "can't be optimistic about the situation" even though the total write-down may not end up as big as the 500 billion yen ($4.3 billion) reported by local media.

Nomura Securities analyst Masaya Yamasaki said in a report issued late Tuesday that the expected loss "is negative for the company as its financial standing is fragile".

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- 'Seek support' -

Tsunakawa at the press conference answered in the affirmative when asked if Toshiba is considering boosting capital.

Chief financial officer Masayoshi Hirata said that after the figure is confirmed the company will "explain and seek support" from financial institutions.

Toshiba said the possible loss was related to the valuation of the purchase by subsidiary Westinghouse Electric of the nuclear construction and services business of Chicago Bridge & Iron.

Westinghouse and Chicago Bridge & Iron have turned to an independent accountant to resolve a dispute over differences in asset valuations, Toshiba said earlier this year.

Toshiba said Tuesday the potential write-down would "far exceed" the $87 million first expected, resulting in a "far lower asset value than originally determined".

Toshiba's latest full-year forecast is for annual net profit of 145 billion yen ($1.24 billion), up 45 percent from an earlier estimate, on sales of 5.4 trillion yen.

But Tuesday it said it would release a revised earnings forecast as soon as possible to reflect the coming write-down.

Toshiba's nuclear woes are the latest blow to the once-proud pillar of corporate Japan.

It has been besieged by problems, most notably a profit-padding scandal in which bosses for years systematically pushed subordinates to cover up weak financial results.

In an intensive overhaul, the company has been shedding businesses and announced the sale of its medical devices unit to camera and office equipment maker Canon.

Investors had welcomed the makeover, with Toshiba shares having climbed 77.3 percent this year through Monday. But after this week's declines they are only up 24.7 percent
London (AFP) - Former England star Paul Gascoigne was hospitalised after an alcohol-fuelled altercation at a London hotel, British media reported on Wednesday.

Gascoigne, 49, was accused of "racially abusing" fellow customers, groping women and throwing money around, witnesses said.

London's Metropolitan Police said officers were called to a disturbance at the Ace Hotel in east London on Tuesday evening and a 49-year-old man was taken to hospital with a head injury.

Gascoigne's spokesman Terry Baker told the Daily Mirror: "He hasn't been arrested. He's about to be released and sent home."

Police said the former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder was in a "stable condition" in hospital and inquiries were ongoing.

Witness Alvin Carpio wrote on Twitter that Gascoigne appeared "very drunk" and had been "kicked down the stairs" by someone.

Gascoigne, popularly known as 'Gazza', was fined 1,000 ($1,220, 1,170 euros) in September for making a racist joke about a bodyguard during his one-man show.

Regarded as one of England's most talented players, he won 57 caps for his country, but has battled alcoholism since retiring in 2004.
President-Elect Donald Trumps inaugural committee has chosen six notable clergy figures to pray during the 2017 inauguration on Jan. 20, including some who have been particularly outspoken about his proposed immigration policy. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Pastor Paula White, the Rev. Franklin Graham, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson and the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez are all set to give readings during the inaugural ceremony, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Jackson, pastor of Great Faith Ministries International Church in Detroit, and White, who leads a ministry in Florida, both lent their support to Trump during his campaign. Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham who now heads Samaritans Purse, has also advocated for Trump over the past year. But the three remaining clergy members havent necessarily been supporters of Trump during his campaign, but have still agreed to pray and spread hope for the future of the U.S. and its new leader.

Rodriguez, who runs the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, spoke out against Trumps stance on immigration and proposal to build a wall across the U.S./Mexican border, along with several other issues that could negatively impact Hispanic Christians. While speaking about Trump during an NHCLC event in May, Rodriguez said he was actually very opposed to [Trumps] rhetoric on most issues specifically his rhetoric on immigrants and immigration.

"The NHCLC agrees with Donald Trump that the safety of the American people is a priority, but we are also very disappointed that his speech did not include practical solutions for the 11 million undocumented immigrations who call the United States their home  the people following our laws who are here to provide a better life for their families, Rodriguez said at the time.

However, Rodriguez has seemingly changed in tune in regards to the incoming president following Trumps interview with Time magazine, during which Trump said he was going to work something out for the Dreamers, or children of undocumented immigrants whose status have been temporarily blocked from deportation under President Barak Obama. Following an early December call with Trump, Rodriguez released a statement saying he was impressed and maybe astonished by the accessibility and responsiveness of the president-elect and his senior team to our leaders within the Hispanic, Christian community."

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Dolan, the archbishop of New York and the most notable Catholic member in the U.S., has also disapproved of Trumps plans for immigration, using Trumps proposal as an example of nativism in a Washington Post op-ed in July 2015.

Following Trumps comment to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S., Heir, who founded human rights group Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, expressed his disdain for Trumps stance on immigrants.

Mr. Trump, by lumping all Muslims in the crosshairs of the terrorism crisis only hurts the legitimate campaigning against Islamist Fundamentalism and demeans law abiding American citizens. Such a policy would only serve to strengthen Isis recruitment around the world, Heir wrote in a statement at the time.

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President-elect Donald Trump lashed out at President Obama on Wednesday, tweeting that he is doing his best to disregard the many inflammatory statements and roadblocks coming from his soon-to-be predecessor.

Thought it was going to be a smooth transition, Trump tweeted, tacking on NOT!

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

But on a daily conference call with reporters, Trumps incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, said Obamas team has been very helpful and generous. Spicer also said Obama and Trump continue to talk and will remain in contact through the inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.

Trump didnt directly say which Obama comments he found especially inflammatory, but he took exception to the current administrations approach to Israel.

Additionally, in an Obama speech during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes historic visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, the president appeared to criticize Trump for stirring up xenophobia during the divisive U.S. presidential election.

It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward, Obama said. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.

And in an interview that aired earlier this week, Obama told David Axelrod, his former chief adviser, that he would have defeated Trump if he had been able to run for a third term.

Obama argued that the Hillary Clinton campaign became complacent, given her lead in the national polls, and failed to articulate how his administrations policies have actually helped the white working class. Obama also criticized the media for holding Clinton to an unfair double standard.

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I think the issue was less that Democrats have somehow abandoned the white working class. I think thats nonsense, Obama said. Look, the Affordable Care Act benefits a huge number of Trump voters. There are a lot of folks in places like West Virginia or Kentucky who didnt vote for Hillary, didnt vote for me, but are being helped by this.  The problem is, is that were not there on the ground communicating not only the dry policy aspects of this, but that we care about these communities, that were bleeding for these communities.

I am confident in this vision because Im confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could have mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it, the president said.

Trump fired back on Twitter.

President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me, Trump tweeted Monday. He should say that but I say NO WAY!  jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.

President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me. He should say that but I say NO WAY!  jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2016

President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in the very important swing states, and lost. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in the very important swing states, and lost.The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2016

Trump continued his flurry of tweets on Wednesday by criticizing the Obama administration for its refusal to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem a violation of international law.

We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect, the president-elect tweeted. They used to have a great friend in the U.S.  but 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!

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

Following his stunning victory in the Nov. 8 presidential election, Trump met with Obama at the White House, where the sitting president said he would work with the president-elect to ensure a smooth transition.

My No. 1 priority in the coming two months is to try to facilitate a transition that ensures our president-elect is successful, Obama said after their Nov. 10 meeting. I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, that we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed  because if you succeed, then the country succeeds.

Trump  who once called Obama the worst president in history and led the so-called birther movement, which questionedthe legitimacy of Obamas birth certificate  said he has great respect for Obama and would lean on him during the transition.

I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel, Trump said.

During his campaign-like rallies following the election, Trump went out of his way to praise Obama. At a Dec. 9 rally, his fans even booed the president-elect for offering kind words about the president.

No, no, no, hes really doing great, Trump told supporters. Hes been so nice.

Donald Trump and President Obama address reporters at the White House on Nov. 10. (Photo: AP)

On Wednesday afternoon, Trump was asked by reporters huddled outside his Mar-a-Lago estate if he felt the transition was still going smoothly.

Oh, I think very, very smoothly, Trump replied. Very good. You dont think so?

Later Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he spoke to President Obama earlier in the day.

He called me, Trump said. We had a very nice conversation.

The president-elect added: We had a general conversation. Very, very nice.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  President-elect Donald Trump accused President Obama on Wednesday of preventing a smooth transition with inflammatory statements and roadblocks.

But not long after he tweeted the jab, Trumps incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, said Obamas team has been very helpful and generous. Speaking on his daily conference call with reporters, Spicer also said Obama and Trump continue to talk and will remain in contact through the inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.

Spicer initially said the tweets clearly speak for themselves when he was asked if Trump believes that Obama was trying to sabotage the transition.

Trumps tweet did not specify which Obama statements he was referring to, and Spicer did not respond to a text message from Yahoo News asking what Trump sees as roadblocks by Obama. However, the tweet came as Trump has clashed with the White House over its decision to abstain from a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution condemning Israeli settlements. The U.S. abstention allowed the resolution to pass last Friday.

Trump also spoke out after Obama claimed in a recent interview that he could have won a third term. I say NO WAY, the president-elect countered on Monday.

Since the U.N. vote, Trump has sent a series of tweets criticizing the Obama administrations Israel policy and promising a different approach when he takes office. The tweets were a break with longstanding precedent in which presidents-elect do not comment on foreign policy before taking office. The remarks prompted top White House adviser Ben Rhodes to stress on Dec. 23 that there is only one president at a time.

Ben Rhodes on Trump tweet on UN vote: There is only one president for the US till January 20. This is a long bipartisan US policy.  Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) December 23, 2016

Spicer addressed Rhodes criticism in his call on Wednesday.

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With respect to the White House, the comments on Friday, I think the president-elect is very clear that Israel  should be treated better by the United States. Its our closest friend in the Middle East, the only democracy there, he said.

Spicer went on to say that Trump intends to have a much stronger relationship with Israel going forward.

Obama and Trump have spoken regularly since the election. Following their first meeting on Nov. 10, the Wall Street Journal reported that Obama planned to spend more time with his successor than presidents typically do. And in spite of the recent clashes, Spicer said, Obama and Trump will keep speaking with each other in the coming weeks.

They continue to talk. I dont know when the last time they did [was.]  As the inauguration comes closer, both the current president and his administration have been very helpful and generous with their time as far as the actual transition, the mechanics of the transition, Spicer said.

Trumps press secretary Sean Spicer at Trump Tower. (Photo: Reuters/Carlo Allegri)

Spicer added that he expects Trump and Obama to continue to speak regularly. At the end of the conference call, Spicer was asked if he expects the Obama administration to make more moves like the U.N. abstention that might contradict Trumps plans.

The president-elect understands and respects that theres one president at a time, and for the next 23 days, President Obama is still president and he can do what he wants, he responded.

Nevertheless, Spicer said, Trump has been very clear that he will do many things differently both domestically and internationally.

Hes going to bring real change to this country starting on day one, Spicer said.

.
Trump Tower was briefly evacuated on Tuesday after the discovery of a suspicious package, triggering a spat between aides for both New York Citys Democratic mayor and the buildings most famous resident.

President-elect Donald Trumps incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, tweeted his appreciation for the New York City Police Departments swift work in determining that an unattended backpack was harmless.

Back to work here at Trump Tower after a false alarm, Spicer wrote on Twitter. Thanks NYPD.

Back to work here at Trump Tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD  Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) December 27, 2016

No problem, Eric Phillips, New York Mayor Bill de Blasios press secretary, replied. Well send you the bill.

No problem. We'll send you the bill. https://t.co/mxbUqzgHds  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 27, 2016

Dan Scavino Jr., Trumps social media director and the senior adviser to his transition, fired back, calling Phillips an embarrassment to both the mayors office and the NYPD.

Thats not very nice, Dan, Phillips replied. But about that bill  work on it with us?

That's not very nice, Dan. But about that billwork on it with us? https://t.co/mrN6vio9tp https://t.co/42znPvj7m2  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 28, 2016

Trump, who spent the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was not at home at the time of the bomb scare.

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But when he is, New York City officials say, protecting the president-elect and his family at Trump Tower costs more than $1 million a day.

Earlier this month, House Republicans passed a short-term resolution that set aside $7 million to help pay for the security of Trump Tower during the transition. De Blasio, who wanted $35 million, refused to admit defeat.

Not happy with a Round 1, but its only Round 1, de Blasio said on WNYC. This aint over yet.

Reimbursing a city for the postelection cost of protecting a presidents home is not unprecedented. After Barack Obama was elected in 2008, the Chicago Police Department was reimbursed more than $1.5 million for the cost of securing Obamas Windy City home between his election and inauguration.

But the additional cost of securing Trump Tower is likely to continue well beyond Jan. 20. Trumps wife Melania and their 10-year-old son Barron are expected to stay at Trump Tower at least until the end of the school year. And Trump has said he plans to return home from Washington regularly.
A state legislator said he plans to hold a hearing to find out why employees of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) received more than $11 million in combined bonuses last year when the main fund they manage ended 2015 with a negative return, and their five-year results lagged those of most of their peers.

The investment board manages money for the Wisconsin Retirement System. As of Dec. 31, 2015, SWIB managed $99.1 billion. The vast majority of that consists of the Wisconsin Retirement Systems main Core Fund and the smaller Variable Fund, which provide benefits to more than 600,000 public employees.

A report by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, released last week, pointed to the Core Funds 2015 negative return of -0.4 percent and its five-year return that exceeded SWIBs goals but ranked ninth among 10 large, public pension funds.

Meanwhile, SWIBs expenses from 2011 through 2015 rose 25 percent as the agency added 48 full-time-equivalent positions and installed new computer systems.

Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, co-chairman of the Legislatures Joint Audit Committee, said the Core Funds negative return should have triggered a policy deferring bonuses for SWIB staff. But it did not.

The investment board waived the deferral policy, and agency staff members received a combined $11.1 million in bonuses last year.

They overrode the policy, Cowles said in an interview. Yeah, Im concerned ... I think they need to defend the bonuses.

Cowles said he expects the Joint Audit Committee to hold a hearing on the results of the audit, possibly in January.

Questions will be pointed, he said.

SWIB executive director Michael Williamson said the 2015 results reflect changes in investment strategy after the Great Recession, such as investing less in the stock market.

2008 taught some painful lessons to investors in the marketplace. We listened to those lessons and we have adjusted our strategy, Williamson said.

He said SWIB also invests for the long term. We try to look for stocks that are undervalued in the market, and when they go up, we sell those stocks.

Williamson said hiring and expenses increased because SWIB has taken on more of the money management tasks itself rather than contracting out to private firms. The agency now manages 65 percent of the assets in-house, up from 21 percent in 2007, he said.

We do it at about one-fifth the cost of hiring external managers ... We are a low-cost provider, relative to what we invest, Williamson said.

He said the Wisconsin Retirement System is one of only three public pension funds that are fully funded.

Williamson said while the 2015 Core Fund return was slightly negative, the five-year average annual investment returns were very strong, at 6.7 percent for the Core Fund and 9.1 percent for the Variable Fund, beating their benchmarks of 6.2 percent for the Core Fund and 8.9 percent for the Variable Fund.

Benchmarks are based largely on stock market index returns.

As a result, the board decided to distribute the incentive awards, Williamson said. We are in a war for talent. In order for us to effectively manage assets of the pension fund, we need skilled investors, he said.

SWIBs operations are not paid through state general purpose revenue. The agency charges certain investment expenses against investment earnings and operating expenses to the funds it manages.

Cowles said SWIB has more budget and hiring control than other state agencies.

As a result, I expect SWIB to use this authority to achieve strong investment performance and effectively manage its resources, he said.

The audit recommends developing language to consider when the bonus deferral policy should be waived and providing more information to the board of trustees on operating costs and portfolio results.

We actually agree with their constructive recommendations, Williamson said.

Cowles said the audit shows the agency should be watched carefully.

When you get the big money, youve got to be ready to answer some tough questions. Its that simple, Cowles said.
On Tuesday night, President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter to thank himself for one of the most positive economic readings weve seen in 15 years.

And hes absolutely right.

The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index for December surged nearly four points to 113.7, THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN MORE THAN 15 YEARS! Trump tweeted.

Adding, Thanks Donald! in an apparent riff on the long-running Thanks Obama internet meme.

Trumps tweet followed a Tuesday morning report from The Conference Board, which showed the consumer confidence index in December did rise to 113.7, a 4.3-point increase from November and the highest August 2001.

Source: Twitter/@realDonaldTrump

This jump was due to an increase in consumer expectations, which hit a 13-year high in December.

The post-election surge in optimism for the economy, jobs and income prospects, as well as for stock prices which reached a 13-year high, was most pronounced among older consumers, said Lynn Franco, director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board.

Consumers assessment of current conditions, which declined, still suggests that economic growth continued through the final months of 2016. Looking ahead to 2017, consumers continued optimism will depend on whether or not their expectations are realized.

This report adds to the growing body of evidence that the biggest post-election economic story  the surge in consumer and business expectations  has indeed been all about Donald Trump.

In a tweet on Tuesday, economists at Renaissance Macro noted that the recent surge in consumer confidence is consistent with a 4% increase in consumer spending. Consumer spending accounts for about 70% of GDP and is currently rising about 3% annually.

Would be meaningful if it materializes or a big head-fake, the firm wrote. The firm added in a note to clients that, Given the euphoria after the election, we will await actual consumption data before passing final judgment.

Consumer confidence surveys look set to send consumer spending higher.

Last week, we learned that consumer sentiment according to the University of Michigans bi-monthly survey rose to a 13-year high. That report did, however, note that while 18% of respondents spontaneously mentioned positive economic impacts from the Trump administration, 16% also mentioned economic changes unfavorably.

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The increase in certain surveys following Trumps win, then, has not been met by unabashed optimism. Sort of like his election win.

But Trumps Tuesday evening tweet about the economy  and its accuracy  is a bit of a departure from past proclamations Trump has made about the economy. Even within a day or two.

On Monday, Trump tweeted that the stock market is up about 10% since his election and that holiday spending (Christmas spending, according to Trump) is over a trillion dollars. Now, depending on which months you lump into that period, Trump might be right in time, but November-December retail spending this year is tracking closer to $550 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

In the past, Trump has also called the Bureau of Labor Statistics official unemployment rate phony and touted other numbers that ran as high as 42%. The current unemployment rate is officially 4.6%.

And no doubt the economy has a long way to go before realizing any potential benefits from this post-election surge in both stock prices and optimism among some consumer and business leaders.

As Bloomberg View columnist Conor Sen noted on Tuesday, the recent uptick in optimism in older consumers came amid a decline among younger consumers.

People who own their home, are no longer raising children, and are living on a fixed retirement income are less likely to create a euphoric spending boom that propels the economy in the coming years than would younger, household-forming consumers.

But facts are facts: consumer confidence in the US is at its highest level since 2001, and Donald Trump isnt wrong to attribute that rise to his election win.



Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland

Read more from Myles:
(Adds comments by Sayal, Kurdish federal plan)

* Turkey still opposed to Assad staying in power

* Doubt over whether rebels will agree ceasefire terms

* Peace talks in Kazakhstan proposed

* Russian embassy in Damascus shelled

By Orhan Coskun and Ellen Francis

ANKARA/BEIRUT, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara would not give up its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad staying on as leader.

The five-year-old Syrian civil war raged on, with heavy casualties reported in the siege of a town held by Islamic State, and the Russian embassy in Damascus shelled.

Turkish minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's comments appeared to signal tentative progress in talks aimed at reaching a truce. While the insistence on Assad's departure could complicate negotiations with his biggest backer, Russia, another Turkish official did not rule out a transitional role for the Syrian president.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after adopting a declaration in Moscow setting out principles that any agreement should adhere to. Russia has said the next talks are set for Astana, the Kazakh capital.

"There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time," Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. He said Syria's opposition would never back Assad.

"The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad."

The Kremlin said it could not comment on reports of an agreement.

Last week, Russia's foreign minister said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed the priority in Syria was to fight terrorism and not to remove Assad's government - comments that suggested a shift by Turkey, which has long pushed for Assad to go.

Story continues

ZONES OF INFLUENCE

Sources told Reuters that, under an outline deal between the three countries, Syria could be divided into informal zones of regional power and Assad would remain president for at least a few years.

A senior Turkish government official said on Wednesday that future discussions would likely hash out Assad's role.

"We put importance on the establishment of a transitional government and that it would be one that meets the demands of the Syrian people," the official said. "Whether or not Assad will take place in the government will be discussed in the coming period."

Assad will not be attending the talks in Astana, which are likely to be held at undersecretary level "at most", the official added.

A senior rebel official said Moscow wanted a key rebel stronghold near the capital to be excluded from the ceasefire, a demand unacceptable to the rebels.

"Discussions are ongoing, with Turkish sponsorship, but the Russian enemy is trying to exclude the Eastern Ghouta (suburb) of Damascus from any attempt towards a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria that would be accepted by the revolution's factions," said Munir al Sayal of Ahrar al-Sham.

"It's premature to talk about chances of success. The Russian enemy still has no clear position and repeats the regime's demands."

Sayal said it would be futile to hold talks unless the ultimate objective was to end Assad's rule.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

WASHINGTON EXCLUDED

Russian officials have said invitations to participants for the Astana talks have not been sent out and the time has yet to be decided.

The talks would not include the United States and would be distinct from separate, intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura had spoken by phone with Lavrov and supported the efforts to establish a ceasefire and new peace talks.

The Syrian opposition's main political body on Tuesday urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal but said it had not been invited to any conference.

The Turkish military said on Wednesday it had "neutralised" 44 Islamic State militants and wounded 117 as part of its operation in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab.

Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to al-Bab for weeks under an operation to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border.

Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies are set to approve a blueprint for a system of federal government in northern Syria this week, Kurdish officials said, reaffirming their plans for autonomy.

Kurdish groups have carved out self-governing regions since the start of the war in 2011, though Kurdish leaders say an independent state is not their goal.

The trend has alarmed neighbouring Turkey, fearful of separatism among its own large Kurdish population. The United States opposed the federal plan, first announced in March. President Assad also opposes federalism.

(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul, Denis Pinchuk in Moscow and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; writing by David Dolan; editing by Andrew Roche and Kevin Liffey)
By Orhan Coskun and Ellen Francis ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara would not give up its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad staying on as leader. The five-year-old Syrian civil war raged on, with heavy casualties reported in the siege of a town held by Islamic State, and the Russian embassy in Damascus shelled. Turkish minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's comments appeared to signal tentative progress in talks aimed at reaching a truce. While the insistence on Assad's departure could complicate negotiations with his biggest backer, Russia, another Turkish official did not rule out a transitional role for the Syrian president. Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after adopting a declaration in Moscow setting out principles that any agreement should adhere to. Russia has said the next talks are set for Astana, the Kazakh capital. "There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time," Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. He said Syria's opposition would never back Assad. "The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad." The Kremlin said it could not comment on reports of an agreement. Last week, Russia's foreign minister said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed the priority in Syria was to fight terrorism and not to remove Assad's government - comments that suggested a shift by Turkey, which has long pushed for Assad to go. ZONES OF INFLUENCE Sources told Reuters that, under an outline deal between the three countries, Syria could be divided into informal zones of regional power and Assad would remain president for at least a few years. A senior Turkish government official said on Wednesday that future discussions would likely hash out Assad's role. "We put importance on the establishment of a transitional government and that it would be one that meets the demands of the Syrian people," the official said. "Whether or not Assad will take place in the government will be discussed in the coming period." Assad will not be attending the talks in Astana, which are likely to be held at undersecretary level "at most", the official added. A senior rebel official said Moscow wanted a key rebel stronghold near the capital to be excluded from the ceasefire, a demand unacceptable to the rebels. "Discussions are ongoing, with Turkish sponsorship, but the Russian enemy is trying to exclude the Eastern Ghouta (suburb) of Damascus from any attempt towards a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria that would be accepted by the revolution's factions," said Munir al Sayal of Ahrar al-Sham. "It's premature to talk about chances of success. The Russian enemy still has no clear position and repeats the regime's demands." Sayal said it would be futile to hold talks unless the ultimate objective was to end Assad's rule. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire. WASHINGTON EXCLUDED Russian officials have said invitations to participants for the Astana talks have not been sent out and the time has yet to be decided. The talks would not include the United States and would be distinct from separate, intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations. Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura had spoken by phone with Lavrov and supported the efforts to establish a ceasefire and new peace talks. The Syrian opposition's main political body on Tuesday urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal but said it had not been invited to any conference. The Turkish military said on Wednesday it had "neutralised" 44 Islamic State militants and wounded 117 as part of its operation in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab. Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to al-Bab for weeks under an operation to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border. Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies are set to approve a blueprint for a system of federal government in northern Syria this week, Kurdish officials said, reaffirming their plans for autonomy. Kurdish groups have carved out self-governing regions since the start of the war in 2011, though Kurdish leaders say an independent state is not their goal. The trend has alarmed neighbouring Turkey, fearful of separatism among its own large Kurdish population. The United States opposed the federal plan, first announced in March. President Assad also opposes federalism. (Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul, Denis Pinchuk in Moscow and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; writing by David Dolan; editing by Andrew Roche and Kevin Liffey)
By Nate Raymond

Dec 28 (Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court has ruled that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house administrative judges are not constitutionally appointed, raising the prospect that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to address the issue.

The ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver in the case of Colorado businessman David Bandimere marked a major setback for the SEC amid attacks by defendants who question the fairness of its administrative court system.

The holding on Tuesday marked a departure from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which in August upheld the SEC's use of in-house judges. The Supreme Court often reviews matters where circuit courts are split.

David Zisser, Bandimere's lawyer, on Wednesday said he was "delighted" by the ruling. The SEC said it was reviewing the decision.

Administrative law judges are independent from the agencies where they work. Their employing agency can seek their removal, but the Merit Systems Protection Board must review such a move.

Following the 2010 Dodd-Frank law's passage, the SEC relied increasingly on its own judges to oversee cases. Critics call the fast-tracked in-house court unfair to defendants, some of whom have challenged the system in court.

In Bandimere's case, the SEC accused him of acting as an unregistered broker from 2006 to 2010 in making sales of securities in two entities that enabled Ponzi schemes. He denied wrongdoing.

Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot in 2013 found Bandimere liable for violating securities laws, barred him from associating with any broker, dealer or investment adviser and ordered him to pay nearly $1.03 million.

But in Tuesday's ruling, U.S. Circuit Judge Scott Matheson said Elliot and the SEC's other four in-house judges held their offices in violation of the U.S. Constitution's appointments clause.

Writing for the 2-1 majority, Matheson said the SEC's in-house judges were not employees but "inferior officers" who had not as required been appointed by the president, a court or a department head.

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The SEC's commissioners, who heard the initial appeal of Elliot's 2013 ruling, previously held the in-house judges were not inferior officers because they issued non-final decisions subject to commission review.

But Matheson said that fact "does not transform them into lesser functionaries."

In a dissent, U.S. Circuit Judge Monroe McKay expressed concern the "sweeping" holding had "effectively rendered invalid thousands of administrative actions" through its potential impact on in-house judges at agencies beyond the SEC.

The case is Bandimere v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-9586.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court has ruled that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house administrative judges are not constitutionally appointed, raising the prospect that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to address the issue.

The ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver in the case of Colorado businessman David Bandimere marked a major setback for the SEC amid attacks by defendants who question the fairness of its administrative court system.

The holding on Tuesday marked a departure from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which in August upheld the SEC's use of in-house judges. The Supreme Court often reviews matters where circuit courts are split.

David Zisser, Bandimere's lawyer, on Wednesday said he was "delighted" by the ruling. The SEC said it was reviewing the decision.

Administrative law judges are independent from the agencies where they work. Their employing agency can seek their removal, but the Merit Systems Protection Board must review such a move.

Following the 2010 Dodd-Frank law's passage, the SEC relied increasingly on its own judges to oversee cases. Critics call the fast-tracked in-house court unfair to defendants, some of whom have challenged the system in court.

In Bandimere's case, the SEC accused him of acting as an unregistered broker from 2006 to 2010 in making sales of securities in two entities that enabled Ponzi schemes. He denied wrongdoing.

Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot in 2013 found Bandimere liable for violating securities laws, barred him from associating with any broker, dealer or investment adviser and ordered him to pay nearly $1.03 million.

But in Tuesday's ruling, U.S. Circuit Judge Scott Matheson said Elliot and the SEC's other four in-house judges held their offices in violation of the U.S. Constitution's appointments clause.

Writing for the 2-1 majority, Matheson said the SEC's in-house judges were not employees but "inferior officers" who had not as required been appointed by the president, a court or a department head.

Story continues

The SEC's commissioners, who heard the initial appeal of Elliot's 2013 ruling, previously held the in-house judges were not inferior officers because they issued non-final decisions subject to commission review.

But Matheson said that fact "does not transform them into lesser functionaries."

In a dissent, U.S. Circuit Judge Monroe McKay expressed concern the "sweeping" holding had "effectively rendered invalid thousands of administrative actions" through its potential impact on in-house judges at agencies beyond the SEC.

The case is Bandimere v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-9586.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
(Adds details on FTC announcement and background on EU)

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to divest five types of animal health products to settle charges that a proposed asset swap with Sanofi would harm competition, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday.

The proposed asset swap involved Boehringer Ingelheim's acquisition of Sanofi's $13.5 billion animal care subsidiary and Sanofi's obtaining the Germany company's consumer health care business unit, valued at nearly $8 billion, plus $5.5 billion in cash, the FTC said in a statement.

Without the divestitures, the proposed swap "would harm competition in the U.S. markets for various vaccines for companion animals (pets) and certain parasite control products for cattle and sheep," the commission said.

Spokespeople for Sanofi and Boehringer were not immediately available for comments.

The FTC said that without the divestitures the proposed transaction would reduce the number of suppliers of canine and feline vaccines from four to three. It would combine the two top rabies vaccine suppliers.

It would also reduce competition among suppliers of products to prevent parasites in cattle and sheep, the FTC said.

In November the companies agreed to divestitures to allay European Commission concerns that the deal would harm competition and possibly result in price hikes.

"The two companies offered to divest a number of Merial's marketed and pipeline products, including its existing vaccines Circovac, Progressis, Parvovax, Parvovurax and Mucossifa and pharmaceuticals Ketofen, Wellicox, Allevinix, Genixine, Equioxx Injectable and Equioxx Paste," the EU said at the time.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
(Adds quotes by Lindsey Graham, Estonian defence minister)

RIGA/TALLINN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Russia and its president Vladimir Putin should expect tough sanctions after cyber attacks during the presidential election won by Donald Trump, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Republican and Democratic senators including Graham called for a bipartisan panel to investigate cyber attacks against the United States by foreign countries, with a focus on Russia's alleged efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

"There will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual," Graham said in the Latvian capital.

NATO members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, all ruled by Moscow in communist times, have been alarmed by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

"It is now time for Russia to understand - enough is enough," Graham said.

He did not elaborate further on what the sanctions could entail.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to influence the Nov. 8 election by hacking individuals and institutions, including Democratic Party bodies.

Russian officials have denied accusations of interference in the election.

"Here's what you can expect in 2017 in the United States - a bipartisan effort in Congress to push back against the Russian interference in our election," Graham said at a stop on a three-day visit to the Baltics with fellow Republican senator John McCain, seen as a bid to soothe concerns over the policy of President-elect Trump.

Separately, the Estonian defence minister said the country was increasing its efforts to defend itself against cyber attacks after NATO recognised cyber attacks as an element of warfare, alongside land, sea and air.

In what Estonian officials say was a wake-up call, the country was hit by cyber attacks on extensive private and government Internet sites in 2007. State websites were brought to a crawl and an online banking site was closed.

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Lithuania also said last week the Kremlin was responsible for cyber attacks that have hit government computers there over the past two years. Putin's spokesman dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated.

Lithuanian intelligence services, in their annual report, say cyber attacks have moved from being mainly targeted at financial crimes to more political spying on state institutions.

"We have almost finished the submission for the government to create the new cyber command and it should be up and running within two years", Estonia's Defence Minister Margus Tsahkna told Reuters on Wednesday.

NATO leaders agreed earlier this year to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland for the first time and increase air and sea patrols to reassure allies on its eastern border.

Estonia is due to host around 1,000 British, French and Danish troops in 2017.

(Reporting by Gederts Gelzis in Riga and David Mardiste in Tallinn; Writing by Daniel Dickson; Editing by Alison Williams)
By Dustin Volz and Joel Schectman

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration plans to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

Both officials declined to specify what actions President Barack Obama has approved, but said targeted economic sanctions, indictments, leaking information to embarrass Russian officials or oligarchs, and restrictions on Russian diplomats in the United States are among steps that have been discussed.

One decision that has been made, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, is to avoid any moves that exceed the Russian election hacking and risk an escalating cyber conflict that could spiral out of control. One example of an excessive step might be interfering with Russian internet messaging.

The FBI, CIA and Office of Director of National Intelligence agree that Russia was behind hacks into Democratic Party organizations and operatives ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. There is also agreement, according to U.S. officials, that Russia sought to intervene in the election to help Trump, a Republican, defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Russia has repeatedly denied hacking accusations. Trump has dismissed the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community.

Obama, in an interview earlier this month with NPR, said, "We need to take action and we will" against Russia for interfering in the U.S. election.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, promised retaliation on Wednesday against Washington in the event of new economic sanctions.

Jim Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said further sanctions may be an effective U.S. tool in part because they would be difficult for Trump to roll back and because Russia "hates" dealing with them.

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"For the rest of the world, its like having 'scumball' stamped on your forehead," Lewis said.

How to respond to the growing problem of cyber attacks carried out or sponsored by foreign powers has bedeviled Obama, whose eight years in office witnessed a torrent of major hacks against the U.S. government and private organizations that were attributed to China, North Korea, Iran and Russia.

In past cases, administration officials have decided to publicly blame North Korea and indict members of Chinas military for hacking because they decided the net benefit of public shaming  and increased awareness brought to cyber security  outweighed potential risks.

But determining an appropriate response to Russia's actions has proven more complicated in part because Russia's cyber capabilities are more advanced and due to fears about disrupting other geopolitical issues, such as the civil war in Syria.

Obama may choose to invoke an April 2015 executive order that empowered him to levy sanctions in response to cyber attacks perpetrated by foreign groups targeting infrastructure, such as transportation, or done for economic purposes.

One option, said a U.S. government official who has participated in discussions on possible retaliation, would be leaking material on Russian officials or actions that the United States already has obtained in a way that would parallel what the Russians did, but be impossible to prove.

The official compared that option to Russian military and civilian intelligence agencies providing hacked material to the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks and trying  unsuccessfully, the official said  to cover their tracks.

Another option would be further economic sanctions against Russia. Washington has already sanctioned Russia over the past two years to punish Moscow for its role in annexing Crimea. But former U.S. officials say the existing measures leave Washington plenty of room to slap new, tougher sanction on Russia in response to cyber intrusions.

The Ukraine sanctions were narrowly tailored to hurt specific sectors of Russian industry, such as the energy sector, without causing the nation's economy to tank, said Juan Zarate, a former assistant secretary of the Treasury for terrorist financing and financial crimes.

The United States took a more measured approach, in part, to reserve tougher measures in case the situation worsened, said Zarate, chairman of the Financial Integrity Network, a private consulting firm that advises on financial threats.

The United States is still unlikely to impose blanket embargoes against Russia because of the danger it could harm the economies of Western Europe, said Peter Harrell, a former senior State Department official who worked on sanctions policy.

Instead, the United States may target specific Russian intelligence officials or military divisions believed to be involved in the cyber intrusions. The Russian defense sector would be fair game, Harrell said.

Looming over any action the Obama administration takes against Russia is whether Trump will seek to reverse course once he takes office on Jan. 20.

In addition to casting doubt on the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community about the hacks, Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and nominated people seen as friendly toward Moscow to senior administration posts.

(Reporting by Dustin Volz and Joel Schectman in Washington; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Leslie Adler)
By Swetha Gopinath

Dec 28 (Reuters) - U.S. shale drillers are set to ramp up spending on exploration and production next year as recovering oil prices prompt banks to extend credit lines for the first time in two years.

The credit increase is small, but with major oil producers worldwide aiming to hold down production in 2017, U.S.-based shale drillers are looking to boost market share to take advantage of higher prices, and greater availability of capital will make that easier.

North America-focused oil and gas producers are expected to increase capital investments by 30 percent in 2017, according to analysts at Raymond James.

A number of shale producers including Pioneer Natural Resources Co, Diamondback Energy Inc and RSP Permian Inc have forecast bigger budgets and increased output for next year.

Every six months, oil and gas producers negotiate credit with banks based on the value of reserves in the ground. Through the latest round of talks in the fall, 34 companies had their available credit lines raised an average of about 5 percent, or more than $1.3 billion, according to data compiled by Reuters.

The combined bank credit for the companies stood at $30.3 billion, compared with $28.9 billion at the end of spring 2016.

The industry's available credit had been cut by 40 percent over the past three reviews as it contended with a two-year price rout.

"The 'animal spirits,' seem to be coming back to the exploration and production market, albeit slowly," said Reorg Research analyst Kyle Owusu, referring to the human emotion that drives confidence.

Of the 34 companies, 12 saw increases of 5 to 90 percent, while 10 companies had their borrowing bases cut in the latest round, and 12 companies' credit limits were left unchanged.

In addition to the increased borrowing base, lenders have extended maturities on loans.

Oil prices have risen by more than 45 percent this year, increasing the value of oil and gas reserves against which loans are decided. And a number of companies have seen their eligible proved reserves rise, in part due to acquisitions.

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Overall U.S. crude oil production is forecast to fall to 8.8 million barrels per day in 2017 from 8.9 million bpd this year, according to the U.S. Energy Department. But shale output could increase from 200,000 to 500,000 bpd in the coming year, analysts said.

Shale companies generally use revolving credit to finance day-to-day operations. But with tight credit over the past two years, they have relied on asset sales and stock issuance to fund routine operations, leaving less money for exploration and production.

With borrowing bases raised, companies do not have to turn to capital markets to finance routine operations.

They are expanding reserves with acreage purchases, particularly in prolific fields such as the Permian Basin in Texas. That in turn helps them negotiate higher borrowing bases with their lenders.

Rice Energy Inc's borrowing base was increased to $1.45 billion from $1 billion last week after the company added to its reserves through the $2.7 billion purchase of Vantage Energy Inc.

With expanded credit lines, companies can fund acquisitions and new exploration. Diamondback's borrowing base rose to $1 billion from $700 billion. Its Viper Energy Partners LP unit had its credit limit boosted to $275 million from $175 million.

"I think we (will) continue to use that borrowing base as a way to fund acquisitions," Kaes Van't Hof, a Diamondback executive, said on a November earnings call.

Some companies are going another route, selling more shares. Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc kept its current credit line at $600 million and sold $225 million in stock in October to fund more land purchases.

Other companies are struggling to make up for so-called borrowing base "deficiencies," which arise when their outstanding loans exceed its borrowing base.

After the round of borrowing base redeterminations last spring at least six companies had overdrawn borrowing bases. Four of them have since filed for bankruptcy.

(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
City of Racine Health Department

IMMUNIZATION CLINIC: Childhood and adult immunizations are offered by appointment only on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 1:30 to 4 p.m. For an appointment, call 262-636-9431. A $20 fee is requested for all those receiving childhood immunization, however, the fee may be waived. Adult immunizations prices vary by vaccine, call 262-636-9431 for more information.

TB SKIN TEST: TB Skin Tests are offered by appointment only on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at City Hall, 730 Washington Ave. Those receiving a TB Skin Test must return to have the skin test read on the Thursday afternoon of the clinic week between 1:30 and 4 p.m. For an appointment, call 262-636-9431. A $15 fee is required for all clients and cannot be waived.

STD CLINIC: STD & HIV screenings with a nurse are offered on a walk-in basis during clinic hours at City Hall, 730 Washington Ave. A person having symptoms should call 262-636-9431 for an appointment to see a nurse. If a person is are unsure whether they need an appointment they should call the office. Clinic hours are 2 to 5:30 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. A $20 fee is requested, however, no one will be turned away for inability to pay.

Central Racine County Health Department

IMMUNIZATIONS & TB SKIN TESTS: The health department offers childhood and adult vaccinations and TB skin tests.

Childhood vaccines include DTaP, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Hib, HPV, MMR, meningococcal, pneumococcal, polio, rotavirus, Tdap and varicella. Childhood vaccine fees are $10 for one immunization; $15 for two; $20 for three or more; Badgercare/Medicare recipients are fee exempt. Adult vaccines include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Td and Tdap. Adult prices vary by vaccine.

All vaccinations are by appointment, call 262-898-4460.

TB skin tests are also available for $15. Call for eligibility requirements or to schedule an appointment.

All appointments are held at the Central Racine County Health Department, 10005 Northwestern Ave. (second floor of the U.S. Bank building), Caledonia.

In 2012, federal and state agencies instituted vaccine policies that may affect your ability to receive immunizations from any local health department. You will receive eligibility requirement information when you call for an appointment. Pertussis vaccines (DTaP, Tdap) are not subject to the new policy requirements and may be given to any child or adult for $10.

For more information on clinics, eligibility requirements or to schedule an appointment call 262-898-4460 or go to www.crchd.com.

City of Racine

ZUMBA FITNESS CLASSES: The Racine Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department offers sessions of Zumba Fitness at Racines five community centers. These ongoing classes, created by Colombian dancer/choreographer Alberto Perez, incorporates hip hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo dance to create an aerobic workout. Participants of all levels of fitness and dance experience are welcome. The schedule:

Tuesdays and Thursdays  Dr. John Bryant Community Center, 601 21st St., 3:30-4:30 p.m., 262-636-9235. Free.

Wednesdays  Cesar Chavez Community Center, 2221 Douglas Ave., 6:30-7:30 p.m., 262-636-9221. A $2 donation is requested per class; Humble Park Community Center, 2200 Blaine Ave., 10-11 a.m., 262-636-9226. A $3 donation per class is requested.

Wednesdays & Saturdays  Dr. Martin Luther King Center, 1134 Martin Luther King Drive, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays, 10-11 a.m. Saturdays, 262-636-9237. A $1 donation is requested.

For more information, call the community center or 262-636-9131.

Racine Public Library

EATING TO BUILD UP YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM PRESENTATION: A presentation on nutritional information for all ages that will help build the immune system will be offered. 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3. Free. Advance registration is required by emailing sharontenuta@gmail.com.

Aurora Wellness Center

INFANT CPR AND SAFETY FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS: This non-certification course class is recommended for expectant parents, parents who are adopting and grandparents. Topics include safe sleep and SIDS reduction strategies, infant and child safety tips, prevention of accidents and/or injuries, safety tips to prevent child drowning and how to perform CPR. 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4. Aurora Wellness Center, 300 McCanna Parkway, Burlington. Fee: $20. To register, go to https://ahc.aurorahealthcare.org/events/_hidden/search.asp?ID=12138.
LONDON (AP)  British immigration officials say they have arrested almost 100 people suspected of immigration offenses in a crackdown on illegal labor in nail salons.

Most of those arrested were Vietnamese nationals, but there were also others from Mongolia, Ghana, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and India.

Of the total, 14 people were referred to authorities who help potential victims of slavery and human trafficking. The Home Office says it will remove anyone without the right to be in Britain.

The operation took place from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, when authorities visited more than 280 nail bars across Britain.

Officers issued warnings to 68 businesses, saying they could face fines of up to 20,000 pounds (US$24,500) per unauthorized worker.
Lisbon (AFP) - Incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he wants to meet Donald Trump "as soon as possible" and is "determined to establish a constructive dialogue with the new US administration".

Guterres, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of last month, said he hoped for a similar outcome with the American President-elect.

The former Portuguese prime minister takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 amid ongoing bloodshed in Syria and questions over the US role in the world under a Trump presidency.

"I had an excellent working meeting with President Putin and I hope this will also be the case with Donald Trump," he told Portuguese television channel SIC in an interview Wednesday.

"It is certainly in my interest to visit him as soon as possible," he said. "The United States is not only the main donor of the United Nations but a fundamental element in its actions."

Trump on Friday said Washington's policies at the UN will be different after he takes office.

"As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20th," he said on Twitter, referring to the date of his inauguration.

The tweet came after the United States refrained from vetoing the adoption of a Security Council measure calling on Israel -- its closest Middle East ally -- to halt settlement activities in Palestinian territory.

Guterres said he was "determined to establish a constructive dialogue with the future American administration".

Trump has not hidden his scepticism about the fight against global warming but has modified that position since his November 8 election win saying he may support global accords on climate change, and that he had "an open mind".

Asked about this, Guterres said the "new (US) government will certainly adopt a different position" than that of Barack Obama's administration.
The U.S. denied Wednesday reports that it supports the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, rejecting comments made Tuesday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In an online statement addressed "to those interested in the truths," the U.S. Embassy in Ankara warned of "considerable misinformation circulating in Turkish media" regarding Washington and its allies' role in the conflict in Syria. The embassy rebuffed claims it provided assistance to ISIS or Kurdish militant groups such as the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), both of which are labeled terrorist organizations by Turkey and are active in northern Syria.

"The United States government is not supporting DAESH. The [United States government] did not create or support DAESH in the past. Assertions the United States government is supporting DAESH are not true," the embassy wrote, using the Arabic-language acronym for ISIS. "The United States government has not provided weapons or explosives to the YPG or the PKK  period. We repeatedly have condemned PKK terrorist attacks and the groups reprehensible violence in Turkey."

The U.S. and Turkey have both supported various opposition forces against Syrian President Bashar Assad and his allies, including Russia and Iran, in Syria's five-year civil war. Syrian rebels made territorial gains early on in the conflict, but a decline in U.S. support, Russian intervention and fractures across ideological lines have led to a series of major defeats within the past year. While ISIS has clashed with rebels, major opposition groups such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly the Nusra Front, have been linked to Al Qaeda.

Although the U.S. condemns ISIS and has labeled it a terrorist organization, ISIS has received U.S. weapons through Washington-backed Syrian rebels either by warfare or surrender. The CIA is believed to have overseen a limited arming program of opposition forces deemed moderate and supplied through Turkey. The U.S. has also supported Kurdish militants such as the YPG against ISIS-sieged areas in northern Syria.

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U.S. support for Kurds as well as Washington's decision not to include Turkey in the operation to defeat ISIS in the group's Iraqi stronghold of Mosul has been a source of contention between the U.S. and Turkey, which is currently in talks with Russia and Iran in an attempt to resolve the conflict that has killed over 400,000 Syrians and displaced millions more.

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Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama's administration is poised to announce a series of retaliatory measures against Russia over its cyber-meddling in the US election, reports said Wednesday.

Obama has all but accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering an audacious cyber hack that many Democrats believe damaged Hillary Clinton's chances in November's closely fought election with Republican foe Donald Trump.

The US intelligence community has concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails was designed to put Trump -- a political neophyte who has praised Putin -- into the Oval Office.

The Washington Post cited officials as saying the steps set to be announced as early as this week include economic sanctions, diplomatic censure and covert action -- likely including cyber operations.

People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton's campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN.

Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham called for an even tougher US response to Russian interference in the American election.

The US Congress should "increase the sanctions on Russia for this misbehavior," McCain told Fox News, pressing for a permanent American military presence in the Baltic states, as well as arming Ukraine with weapons.

"You need to hit Russia in a sustained fashion," Graham added, saying that for Obama to act now just before he leaves office on January 20 would "send the wrong signal."

While suggesting that the Russian action did not ultimately change the election results, McCain said: "Look, if you're able to change the results of an election, then you have undermined the very fundamentals of democracy."

US officials said a key goal of the future steps to be taken against Russia was not just to punish, but to deter.

"As much as I am concerned about what happened to us in the election, I am also concerned about what will happen to us in the future," an administration official told the Post.

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"I am firmly convinced that the Russians and others will say, 'That worked pretty well in 2016, so let's keep going.' We have elections every two years in this country."

Prior to November's election, the Obama administration warned Russia via diplomatic channels, according to the Post. Obama also spoke with Putin at a G20 summit in China earlier this year.

And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems.

Russia apparently complied, according to US officials.

CNN cited Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that Moscow will respond to any "hostile steps" from Washington.
By Andreina Aponte CARACAS (Reuters) - Roughly one person is being lynched in crisis-ridden Venezuela every three days as frustrated residents take revenge on suspected criminals, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. The Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), which monitors crime, said mob killings have become a generalized phenomenon across the country, with 126 deaths reported in 2016 versus 20 last year. "Due to being repeated victims of crime for more than a decade, and the feeling of not being protected, many people have decided to take justice into their own hands," the OVV said in its latest annual report. In the past, it said, lynchings of suspected murderers and rapists were relatively uncommon, but this year angry crowds have increasingly attacked petty criminals too, with police often turning a blind eye. Venezuelans have long suffered alarming levels of violent crime, in part because of the widespread availability of guns, inadequate policing and a bribe-riddled justice system. A crushing economic crisis has compounded crime. The OVV, a group of academics who compile data from police sources and the media, said Venezuela, with an estimated 28,479 homicides this year - or more than three killings per hour - was the world's second most murderous nation after El Salvador That would represent 91.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants this year, up from 90 in 2015, it said. The OVV put the homicide rate at more 140 per 100,000 people in Caracas, making it one of the murder capitals of the world. El Salvador had a rate of 116 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016, according to the Institute of Legal Medicine in El Salvador. President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government rejects the OVV figures as inflated for political reasons. The last official murder rate it gave was 58 per 100,000 inhabitants for 2015. Another researcher has also disagreed with the widely cited OVV data, criticizing its methodology and putting the 2015 figure at 70 murders per 100,000 people. (https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2016/07/01/our-dead/) Whatever the right statistics, crime remains an all-pervasive worry for Venezuelans, especially in poor slums that are run by gangs and rife with guns. Numerous state security plans and disarmament drives have failed to curb the problem. "Violence is killing the future of our country," opposition leader Henrique Capriles said during a visit on Wednesday to rescue services in the Miranda state, which he governs. "The government has spent 17 years without resolving the problem," he added, referring to Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez's rule since 1999. (Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
PUERTO CABELLO, Venezuela (AP)  When hunger drew tens of thousands of Venezuelans to the streets last summer in protest, President Nicolas Maduro turned to the military to manage the country's diminished food supply, putting generals in charge of everything from butter to rice.

But instead of fighting hunger, the military is making money from it, an Associated Press investigation shows. That's what grocer Jose Campos found when he ran out of pantry staples this year. In the middle of the night, he would travel to an illegal market run by the military to buy corn flour  at 100 times the government-set price.

"The military would be watching over whole bags of money," Campos said. "They always had what I needed."

With much of the oil country on the verge of starvation and malnourished children dying in pediatric wards, food trafficking has become big business in Venezuela. And the military is at the heart of the graft, according to documents and interviews with more than 60 officials, company owners and workers, including five former generals.

As a result, food is not reaching those who most need it.

The U.S. government has taken notice. Prosecutors have opened investigations against senior Venezuelan officials for laundering riches from food contracts through the U.S. financial system, according to several people with direct knowledge of the probes. No charges have been brought.

"Lately, food is a better business than drugs," said retired Gen. Cliver Alcala, who helped oversee border security.

The late President Hugo Chavez created a Food Ministry in 2004. His socialist government nationalized and then neglected farms and factories, and domestic production dried up. When the price of oil collapsed in 2014, the government no longer could afford to import all the country needed.

Hungry Venezuelans began rioting, and so Maduro handed the generals complete power over food. The government now imports nearly all the country's food, and corruption drives prices sky-high, said Werner Gutierrez, agronomy professor at the University of Zulia.

Story continues

"If Venezuela paid market prices, we'd be able to double our imports," Gutierrez said. "Instead, people are starving."

In large part due to concerns of graft, the three largest global food traders, all based in the U.S., have stopped selling directly to the Venezuelan government.

One South American businessman says he paid millions in kickbacks to Venezuelan officials as the hunger crisis worsened, including $8 million to people who work for the food minister, Gen. Rodolfo Marco Torres. The businessman insisted on speaking anonymously because he did not want to acknowledge participating in corruption.

He explained that vendors like him can afford to pay off officials because they build large profit margins into what they bill the state. A single $52 million contract of his to import yellow corn last year, seen by AP, included a potential overpayment of more than $20 million, compared with market prices at the time.

Marco Torres did not respond to requests for comment by phone, email and hand-delivered letter. In the past, he has said he will not be lured into fights with an unpatriotic opposition.

Some contracts go to companies that have no experience dealing in food or seem to exist only on paper. Financial documents obtained by AP show that Marco Torres did business with Panama-registered Atlas Systems International, which has all the hallmarks of a shell company. Another government food supplier, J.A. Comercio de Generos Alimenticios, lists on its website a nonexistent address in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The two companies transferred more than $5.5 million in 2012 and 2013 to a Geneva account controlled by the brothers-in-law of the then-food minister, Gen. Carlos Osorio, according to bank and internal company documents seen by AP.

Osorio, recently appointed to oversee transparency in the military, did not respond to requests for comment, but in the past dismissed charges of corruption as personal attacks from the opposition.

The socialist administration says it takes graft seriously.

"The state has an obligation to root out corruption in all levels of public administration," the defense minister, Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, said this fall.

And yet dirty dealing persists from the port to the markets, according to dozens of people working in Puerto Cabello, which handles the majority of imported food. Officials sometimes keep ships waiting at sea until they are paid off, according to a stevedore who spoke anonymously because he feared losing his job.

After the cargo is unloaded, customs officials take their cut, refusing to even start the process of nationalizing goods without a payment, four customs workers said, .

"It's an unbroken chain of bribery from when your ship comes in until the food is driven out in trucks," said Luis Pena, a director at the Caracas-based importer Premier Foods.

If importers try to get through the process without greasing the wheels, food sits and spoils, Pena said. Rotting food is a problem even as 90 percent of Venezuelans say they can't afford enough to eat. The demands for bribes delay shipments, and state officials sometimes neglect to distribute what they import.

Puerto Cabello crane operator Daniel Arteaga watched last winter as state workers buried hundreds of containers of spoiled chicken, meat and beans.

"All these refrigerated containers, and meanwhile people are waiting in food lines each week just to buy a single chicken," Arteaga said.

The corruption doesn't stop once cargo leaves the port, according to truck drivers. The military has set up checkpoints along highways to catch food traffickers, and truck drivers say they have to pay bribes at about half of them.

At the end of the food chain, some soldiers partake in selling food directly to citizens, according to business owners. Bakery owner Jose Ferreira cuts two checks for each purchase of sugar: one for the official price of 2 cents a pound and one for the kickback of 60 cents a pound. He keeps copies of both checks in his books, seen by the AP, in case he is ever audited.

"We have no other option," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report.

___

EXTRA: AP correspondent Hannah Dreier has been living through chaos this year as Venezuela edges toward collapse. This interactive collects her tweets to show daily happenings around the country.

___

Hannah Dreier is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hannahdreier . Joshua Goodman is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APjoshgoodman . More of AP's reporting on Venezuela's problems can be found at https://www.ap.org/explore/venezuela-undone .
Versace is denying allegations in a lawsuit filed by a former employee in the San Francisco area, accusing the company of employing a code word to alert workers a black person had entered the store.

Christopher Sampino, who is 23 and one quarter African-American, filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court earlier this month, alleging his training included being advised to hold up a black shirt and say D410 to let co-workers know a black person had entered the store. D140 is the designation used for black clothing.

You know that Im African-American? the man said he told his manager at the Pleasanton, California, store. He was fired two weeks later.

The suit seeks unpaid wages and damages.

We do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin and any other characteristic protected by our civil rights laws, Versace told TMZ. The company said it would try to have the suit dismissed.

The manager instructed the plaintiff to say D410 in a casual manner when a black person entered the store. The manager informed plaintiff this code is used to alert co-workers that a black person is in the store,  the suit alleges.

After Sampino identified himself as black, the suit alleges he was treated differently.

donatella versace

Photo: Neil Hall/Reuters

Plaintiff observed that training no longer seemed legitimate after he announced that he is African-American.  Plaintiff did not receive proper training with regard to rest breaks and did not take rest breaks. Plaintiff further did not receive login information needed to access an online database where employees retrieve printouts of pay stubs, the suit says.

Sampino claims he met or exceeded expectations with regard to job performance. However, he was fired Oct. 1. The reason given was that he didnt understand luxury and didnt know the luxury life. The suit says he was asked to quit to make the paperwork easier.

Story continues

Versace is a luxury fashion design house founded in 1978 in Milan. The company operates 200 boutiques and more than 1,500 wholesalers worldwide.

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Victoria Beckham is about to be an OBE recipient. (Photo: Getty Images)

Victoria Beckham is poised to get her biggest honor yet. According to The Daily Mail, the designer, fashion icon, and activist is reportedly in line to get an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II.

The OBE  which stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire  is an honor doled out by the Queen for great local work, and Beckham will receive hers for her efforts both as a UNAIDS International Goodwill ambassador and her success in the fashion industry. Beckham, 42, has been a UNAIDS ambassador since September 2014 and has done quite a bit of work raising awareness as part of an initiative looking to stop new HIV infections in children. As a woman and a mother, I have a responsibility to support other women, she said of her involvement with UNAIDS.

Beyond her philanthropic endeavors, Beckhams namesake label won her the coveted Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards, and again in 2014.

Now shell have another honor to put on her mantle  right next to her husband David Beckhams OBE, which he received in 2003.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.


By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel pulled back from approving hundreds of new homes for Israelis in annexed East Jerusalem on Wednesday before a speech in which the U.S. Secretary of State was to give further voice to international opposition to settlement building. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who had joined Israeli leaders in attacking the Obama administration's decision to abstain and make possible passage on Friday of an anti-settlement resolution in the U.N. Security Council, promised in a new Twitter posting better days ahead for Israel. "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 not anymore," Trump, a Republican, wrote on Twitter. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!, Trump said, citing the day he takes office. The housing projects, in areas Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians seek as part of a future state, are part of building activity the Security Council, by a vote of 14-0, demanded be halted. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss Washington's withholding of its veto when he delivers a speech at the State Department at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) laying out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. With applications for 492 building permits in the urban settlements of Ramot and Ramat Shlomo on its agenda, members of Jerusalem city hall's Planning and Building committee said a planned vote was cancelled at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request. The panel's chairman, Meir Turgeman, said at the session that Netanyahu was concerned approval would have given Kerry "ammunition before the speech". A spokesman for the Israeli leader declined immediate comment. Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, called on Israel "to take the high ground and declare a cessation of settlement activities, including East Jerusalem, so we can give the peace process the chance it deserves by the resumption of meaningful negotiations". "SHAMEFUL" Washington's move at the United Nations broke a longstanding policy of diplomatic shielding of Israel by the United States. Condemned by Israel as "shameful", it was widely seen as a parting shot by President Barack Obama against Netanyahu and his pro-settlement policies. The two leaders have had a rocky relationship, divided over the decades-old Israeli policy of building Jewish settlements in occupied territory as well as on how to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate and most countries view it as an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land - which the Palestinians also claim - as well as security interests. Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem amid mounting international concern that a two-state solution to the dispute is in jeopardy, with peace talks stalled since 2014. "The prime minister said that while he supports construction in Jerusalem, we don't have to inflame the situation any further," Hanan Rubin, a member of the Jerusalem municipal committee told Reuters, citing Kerry's upcoming speech. The panel meets regularly and the building projects could come up for a vote at a future session. Since learning last week of Kerry's planned speech, Israeli officials have been concerned he might use the address to lay out parameters for a Middle East peace deal. Netanyahu's aides are confident Trump's incoming administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the U.N. resolution. But they fear Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure. Trump has pledged to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its capital - a status that is not recognised internationally. And he has appointed his lawyer, who has raised funds for a major Jewish settlement in the West Bank, as the new ambassador. "Who's Obama? He's history," Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev said on Army Radio on Wednesday. (Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; editing by John Stonestreet)
Secretary Kerry to Address UN Resolution on Israel

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the United States of interfering after the U.S. decided to abstain from a United Nations Resolution on Friday that requires Israel to terminate settlements in Palestinian territory. On an interview with Fox News, Israeli Ambassador, Ron Dermer says they have evidence to back up their accusations, which they plan to share with the Trump administration.

Secretary John Kerry will address the UN resolution on Israel, and the Obama Administrations vision for Middle East peace later today. Dont miss Varney & Co. to hear the speech live, and for expert insight and analysis.

Dow 20K Watch

Is today the day? The Dow continues to linger near the 20000 historic mark, and Fox Business will have all the latest updates on Wall Street throughout the day!

Hawaiian Restaurant Bans Trump fans

A cafe in Hawaii is refusing to serve Trump supporters, posting a large yellow sign on their front glass door that reads, If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here! No Nazis.

Tune in to The Intelligence Report with Trish Regan, today at 2pm ET for her reaction on the controversial sign!

Crime Fighting Amazon Echo?

According to the Information, police are asking Alexa to help solve a murder case. Authorities seized an Amazon Echo from the home of the alleged murderer, and are hoping to find recordings on the device.

Lou Dobbs Tonight breaks down the implications of this bizarre case, and how Alexa is always listening, today at 7pm ET!

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While it's always difficult to choose just one best landing site on Mars, NASA officials say they have made progress on picking a location for the Mars 2020 rover.

In August 2015, NASA reduced the next Red Planet rover's landing zone from an initial list of 54 locations to eight high-priority sites, said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, in a statement from the agency. Another workshop will take place in February, and as with other Mars landing site workshops.

NASA is also holding workshops for a possible future human landing site mission, which would take place in the 2030s, if the agency's current schedule holds. [NASA's 2020 Mars Rover in Pictures]

Making the choice

Many missions have landed on Mars, and each one has required a precise landing zone that is selected beforehand; typically, those landing zones are chosen because they support each mission's specific objectives. In the case of Mars 2020, scientists are looking for a spot that could have supported life in the ancient past, according to the statement. Specifically, they are looking for a spot that hosted water, such as along an ancient shoreline.

Once the potential mission landing sites for Mars 2020 are narrowed further, NASA will use high-resolution imagery from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to do some scouting of the potential landing sites. This is being done today for potential human missions to Mars, even though that will be decades away.

In the statement, Meyer also paid tribute to the "spectacular" involvement of the broader science community, which helps decide which sites are best for Mars landings. Last week, he gave an update on the site selection process at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in San Francisco, along with Alex Longo (a high school student who has proposed landing sites) and Bethany Ehlmann (a scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who works on both the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Curiosity rover).

Story continues

A workshop in 2015 focused on landing sites for a human Mars mission brought up 47 potential landing sites where NASA would set up a semipermanent base. Crews would then perform exploration in a 60-mile (100-kilometer) radius from that zone. The location will be narrowed with future workshops and reconnaissance, according to the statement.

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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NEW YORK (AP)  If you're cleaning out your closets for the new year, or need some spare cash after the holidays, your old stuff can help fill up your wallet.

A number of websites and apps make it easier to sell used smartphones, furniture and clothes. Here's where to go to sell your unwanted stuff and earn some extra bucks:

GADGETS

If you got the latest tablet or smartphone during the holidays, don't let the old ones go to the forgotten junk drawer. Gazelle and NextWorth will buy your unwanted electronics depending on its condition. Recently, Gazelle was offering $215 for an iPhone 6s in good condition on Verizon's cellphone network.

Other options include Apple, which will pay you in Apple Store gift cards for some products. And retailers Target and Best Buy will take your electronics online or at some of its stores in exchange for gift cards. You can also try selling unwanted electronics on eBay, which may charge listing fees, or Facebook's recently launched marketplace, which is free, and found within the social media company's app.

CLOTHING

For women's, men's or children's clothing, there's Poshmark. The company charges $2.95 for items sold for under $15 and takes 20 percent for items sold for more than $15.

With ThredUP, the website will send you a box to fill with brand-name women's or children's clothing that it tries to sell for you if. You can keep 5 percent to as much as 80 percent of the amount an item is sold for, depending on the sell price. At Tradesy, you can list designer bags, shoes and clothing, with Tradesy taking as much as 17.8 percent of the sale price.

You can also selling used clothing on eBay, which may charge some listing fees.

FURNITURE

For couches, mirrors and other household items, try Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. Some good photos in the listing, and measurements of the items, can help them better attract a buyer. But with those options, only accept cash or online payments such as PayPal, since requests to pay by check can be a sign of a scam.

Story continues

If you live in New York, Washington or northern New Jersey, AptDeco lets you list used furniture and can arrange for shipping and delivery, but charges sellers 23 percent of the price an item is sold for.

GIFT CARDS

If you got a gift card over the holidays you know you won't use, you can sell them at a number of sites including CardCash, Cardpool and Giftcard Zen. How much money you get depends on a number of factors, including how likely someone else will want to buy it from the gift card seller. Recently, CardCash was offering $87 for a $100 gift card from Target, a $13 loss. You can also trying selling it on your own through eBay.

TOYS

For unopened toys such as Lego sets or American Doll dresses, try the Brian's Toys website. It will quote you the price it will pay on its site, or download the Brian's Toys app, which lets you scan the toy's barcode for a quote. You can also try eBay, Craigslist or Amazon to sell unwanted toys.

_____

This story has been corrected to show the gift-card loss was $13.

_____

Contact Joseph Pisani at http://twitter.com/josephpisani .

_____
Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly relocating their family to Kensington Palace. The royal couple currently lives in Anmer Hall in Norfolk with their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

According to E! News, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are planning to move to London because their 3-year-old son is set to start school next year. A source told the news website that Prince George will most likely go to the Wetherby School, an all-boys private institution that both Prince William and Prince Harry attended as children.

Another source reportedly said that William and Middleton are also considering other school options for George.

Currently, George attends nursery school at Westacre Montessori School in Norfolk, located 10 miles from his family home on the Sandringham Estate.

The house in Norfolk was gifted to the royal couple by Queen Elizabeth II when her grandson and Middleton got married in 2011. William moved to the house in Norfolk to preserve their privacy, according to Vanity Fair.

"It's no secret that William doesn't like the media intrusion into his life, and in the country he can escape," a source told the magazine. "The Queen and the Prince of Wales have given their blessing for William to live this life, and William is very grateful. It's enabling him and Kate to raise their family in a way that's as close to ordinary as they can get."

Meanwhile, both William and Middleton are set to take up additional royal duties in 2017 after the queen's decision to step down as patron of several organizations.

This year, William and Middleton skipped the royal family's annual church service at Sandringham to visit the latter's parents in Berkshire. This is the royal couple's first Christmas away from Sandringham since George, 3, and Charlotte, 19 months, were born.

Middleton's parents and brother, James, as well as her sister, Pippa Middleton, along with her fiance James Matthews, were also present for the morning services. Pippa and Matthews are reportedly getting married in the same church in Englefield, Berkshire, in May 2017.

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UPDATE: 5:42 a.m. EST  The Russian defense ministry reportedly said Wednesday that a second flight recorder from Tu-154 military plane has been recovered. Search teams are currently looking for bodies of the victims and plane debris in the Black Sea.

UPDATE: 5:27 a.m. EST  Russia's defense ministry said Wednesday that large pieces of debris belonging to the crashed Tu-154 and personal belongings of passengers on board the jet have been recovered from the Black Sea. Authorities said the items will be handed over to investigators probing the crash, according to Interfax.

Original story:

The last words of Russian Tu-154 plane's pilot hint at a wing flap fault as the possible cause of the crash, local media reported late Tuesday. The military plane, which was en route to Syria with 92 people on board, crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday.

The Life.ru news portal said it had obtained a readout of one of the pilot's last words, indicating a problem with the wing flaps, "Commander, we are going down," the pilot was reported to have said. The pilot was also heard yelling: "the flaps, damn it!" However, there was no official confirmation of the readout so far.

The Interfax news agency reported, citing an unnamed investigative source, that preliminary data showed the wing flaps had not worked in tandem. Due to this, the aging Soviet-era plane had not been able to gather enough speed and plunged into the sea, breaking up on impact.

After a massive search operation on Monday and Tuesday, divers found three black box flight recorders from the aircraft. Fifteen bodies of victims and several body fragments have also been recovered from the sea floor. Fragments of the plane were also retrieved from the Black Sea.

Interfax reported Wednesday that the fragments of the plane will be sent to Taganrog plant in the Rostov region for examination to establish the cause of the crash.

"Tu-154 wreckage will be taken to the Taganrog aircraft plant for examination; it is being gathered," a plant representative told Interfax Wednesday, adding that currently plane fragments are being amassed in hangars of the old Sochi airport.

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The plane, which disappeared from radar screens two minutes after taking off Sunday from Sochi in southern Russia, had last been serviced in September and underwent major repairs in December 2014.

Local media reports said Tuesday that Russian authorities have grounded all Tu-154 planes until the cause of Sunday's crash became clear.

After retrieving fragments of the military planes wreckage, authorities determined an explosion or on-board fire was not responsible for the crash. Authorities also ruled out terrorism in the downing of the Russian military jet, but said that they are probing other theories.

"The four main versions are an engine being hit by a foreign object, substandard fuel that caused the loss of thrust on and eventually stopped the engines, the pilots mistake and the planes technical failure," Russias Federal Security Service said in a statement.

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Photo credit: AP

From Popular Mechanics

Amid population declines for many wildlife species in Africa, conservationists are sounding alarm bells for the cheetah, the fastest animal on land.

An estimated 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild across Africa and in a small area of Iran, and human encroachment has pushed the wide-ranging predator out of 91 percent of its historic habitat, according to a study published on Monday.

Consequently, the cheetah should be defined as "endangered" instead of the less serious "vulnerable" on an official watch list of threatened species worldwide, the study said.

"This period is really crunch time for species like cheetah that need these big areas," said Sarah Durant, acheetah specialist at the Zoological Society of London and the lead author of the report published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

About 77 percent of cheetah habitats fall outside wildlife reserves and other protected areas, the study said, requiring outreach to governments and villages to promote tolerance for a carnivore that sometimes hunts livestock.

Besides habitat loss, cheetahs face attacks from villagers, loss of antelope and other prey that are killed by people for their meat, an illegal trade in cheetah cubs, the trafficking of cheetah skins and the threat of getting hit by speeding vehicles.

A cheetah has been recorded running at a speed of 29 meters (95 feet) per second. The species may move more slowly while hunting and it can only maintain top speeds for a few hundred meters.

More than half of the world's cheetahs live in southern Africa, including in Namibia and Botswana, which have relatively sparse human populations. Cheetahs have been virtually wiped out in Asia, save for fewer than 50 in Iran, according to the study, whose contributors included the Panthera group and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Durant said there was uncertainty over the 7,100 number, which was based on data from experts in areas wherecheetahs live and estimates for other areas. Cheetahs are difficult to find because they move over vast regions, she said.

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Durant also led a previous assessment of nearly 6,700 cheetahs published last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps a watch list of threatened species. Since then, experts have provided new information and refined counting methods, contrasting with rough estimates in the 10,000-range in recent decades.

The cheetah population in Zimbabwe declined from an estimated 1,500 in 1999 to between 150 and 170, according to a survey conducted between 2013 and 2015 by a group called Cheetah Conservation Project Zimbabwe. The group solicited cheetah photographs and reports of sightings from tourists, safari guides and others and interviewed more than 1,000 people, including village heads and cattle managers.

Cheetah experts note that Angola is developing a plan to protect cheetahs and African wild dogs. That could yield better data on cheetah numbers in a country where information has been thin, said Rosemary Groom, a conservationist who participated in an October workshop on the subject in Angola's Quicama National Park.

[contentlinks align="left" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="More%20bad%20news" customtitles="One%20of%20Earth's%20Most%20Unusual%20Animals%20Is%20Endangered" customimages="" content="article.24205"]

Despite habitat loss across the continent, the Mara area in southwest Kenya and in the adjacent Serengeti National Park in Tanzania still offers a refuge, said Femke Broekhuis, head of the Mara Cheetah Project. Recent data from a GPS collar on one Mara cheetah showed that it traveled 19 kilometers (12 miles) overnight, she said.

Cheetahs often roam alone, though on Monday morning Broekhuis saw a rare sight: five male cheetahs, together.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese online bank backed by smartphones and home appliances maker Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL] is set to launch services soon, after being officially established and rebranded recently, according to one of the venture's investors.

New Hope Group Co Ltd said in a statement on Tuesday shareholders and regulators had approved the name Sichuan XW Bank for the lender.

"This is an important step in the process, marking (the bank's) the official establishment," said the statement, citing an unnamed person in charge at the new bank.

"(The bank) will be officially open to users in the near future."

It is the latest in a string of new online banks backed by Chinese tech companies, who are hoping to tap the country's underserved market of small enterprises and consumers.

WeBank, backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd, became China's first operational online-only bank in 2015, followed by MYBank, a venture controlled by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd affiliate Ant Financial Services Group.

The new venture comes as Xiaomi has seen its smartphone sales shrink, raising doubts about the worth of the company, which was valued at $46 billion in its last fund-raising in 2014. It is now pinning profit growth hopes on sales from smart home devices as well as revenue from its software eco-system.

On Tuesday, Xiaomi CEO and Chairman Lei Jun revealed the rebranding with a picture of the new bank's logo posted on Twitter-like social media site Weibo.

A Xiaomi spokeswoman confirmed the company's official English name but declined to comment on a potential launch date.

China's traditional banks are overwhelmingly state-owned and largely serve state enterprises, making financing difficult for small private enterprises.

The government has sought to remedy the issue by releasing batches of private banking licenses, beginning in 2014. The latest batch, released on Wednesday by the China Banking Regulatory Commission, includes new banks in China's northeast industrial rust belt.

Story continues

Sichuan XW Bank, originally approved by banking regulators in June under the provisional name Sichuan Hope Bank, is a joint venture of several investors including Xiaomi subsidiary Sichuan Yinmi Technology Co Ltd, New Hope Group and Chengdu Hongqi Chain Co Ltd.

Xiaomi's subsidiary holds just under 30 percent of the venture, while Chengdu Hongqi Chain and New Hope Group own 15 and 30 percent, respectively. The bank has a registered capital of 3 billion yuan ($431.38 million).

(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
DailyFX.com -

Talking Points

Japanese industrial production rebounded in November, albeit not quite as far as the markets had hoped

Retail sales also showed some welcome pep

The Yen ticked up after this data, but with markets still in holiday mood it couldnt build momentum

The Yen initially strengthened a little against the US Dollar early in Wednesdays Asian session after some stronger Japanese data from both the industrial and retail sectors.

Novembers industrial production rose 4.6% on-year according to official figures. This was actually a tick below market expectations but still a strong rebound from both the previous months 1.4% fall, and the gradual deceleration seen before that. Indeed, the figures may affirm that the production and inventory cycles have at last bottomed out and that the weaker Yen  down 9% through the month  is having a beneficial effect on industrial and manufacturing exports.

Over in the retail sector, trade was revealed to have expanded by 1.7% on-year in November, well above the 0.8% rise the markets were looking for. This data will be a welcome sign of consumer demand for the authorities in Tokyo which have for years been doing all they can to stoke just that. However the numbers contrast with those released on Tuesday which showed a sharp fall in household spending in the same month, so cheers will probably be muted.

On a different measure, large retailers sales fell 0.3% in November, which was better than expected but still hardly a barnstormer.

Still, the Yen got a bit of pep from the data package. USD/JPY slipped to 117.41 in the aftermath of the data, from 117.52 just before the release. However, the stronger-Dollar trend remains very much in play, and likely to remain so until we see what President Trump has planned for his first few months in office. He will be inaugurated on January 20. At the time of writing the greenback had already started to climb once again.

Down, then back again? USD/JPY

Story continues

Yen Gains Briefly On Japanese Retail Sales, Production

Chart compiled using TradingView

Take a look at DailyFX analysts newly released first-quarter forecasts

--- Written by David Cottle, DailyFX Research



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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attends a news conference at City Hall in New York, December 9, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

A spokesman for the mayor of New York City took a sarcastic shot at Donald Trump on Tuesday after an emergency evacuation took place at Trump Tower.

The skyscraper in Manhattan was partially cleared out after a "suspicious package"  which turned out to be a bag of children's toys  was found in the lobby.

"Back to work here at Trump Tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD," said Sean Spicer, Trump's incoming press secretary and communications director, on Twitter.

"No problem. We'll send you the bill," Eric Phillips, spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio  quickly fired back.

De Blasio sought federal funding last month to help New York pay for Trump's security detail, which reportedly costs the city $1 million per day. Protection services will continue after Trump is inaugurated in January, as Melania Trump said she and her son, Barron, will remain in Manhattan until Barron finishes his school year.

Since Election Day, increased security around Trump Tower has brought Midtown Manhattan's already-clogged streets and sidewalks to a near-standstill.

NOW WATCH: Here's how Jesus Christ is depicted in Islam





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By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator on Wednesday issued a revised proposal for the nation's first cyber security rules for banks and insurers, loosening some security requirements and delaying implementation by two months to March 1. The rules from the New York State Department of Financial Services are being closely because they lay out unprecedented requirements on steps that financial firms must take to protect their networks and customer data from hackers and disclose cyber events to state regulators. "Many organizations are going to have a lot of work to do to come into compliance with these revised regulations," said Jed Davis, a partner with law firm Day Pitney and former U.S. federal cyber crimes prosecutor. The state revised the rules in response to more than 150 comments on its initial proposed regulations. The New York Insurance Association in one letter called the regulation "too much of a 'one size fits all' rule" that was overly specific and too broad. A New York Bankers Association letter warned of unintended consequences that would "hamper efforts to protect the public and may defy its purpose of preventing cyber attacks." The revised regulations include easing some timelines and requirements, including standards for encrypting data and authenticating access to networks. They also provide more time for compliance, expanding the transition from six months to as long as two years. The agency said it would finalize the rules after a 30-day comment period. "This updated proposal allows an appropriate period of time for regulated entities to review the rule before it becomes final and make certain that their systems can effectively and efficiently meet the risks associated with cyber threats," Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo said in a statement. The American Bankers Association, a critic of the original draft, praised the revisions. "Some good work has been done," association Senior Vice President Doug Johnson said in a phone call. "Once we have in-depth conversations with our membership, there may still be some operational concerns we will want to express." Reuters first reported on the agency's plan to delay the regulations last week. (Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Editing by Richard Chang and Lisa Shumaker)
New York (AFP) - The mother of Juana and Ines Alejandro took a deep breath, put on a brave face and handed her toddlers over to strangers at the Mexican border to be smuggled into the United States.

That was 17 years ago. For the mother, going back to the poverty of her village in Oaxaca in Mexico was out of the question. Smugglers helped her cross the border herself a few days later.

She collected her daughters in Arizona and traveled to New York to reunite with her husband, whom she had not seen in two years.

Today, those daughters are 19 and 20 years old, study at a community college in New York and are scared to death that they might be deported after Donald Trump takes power next month.

"Being deported is something that does keep me awake at night," Ines says. "How are we going to do it back home? It would mean starting all over again."

- In never-never land -

The Alejandro family has lived in fear of being found out for years. That has meant going to the doctor only in emergencies, skipping school field trips and never returning to Mexico.

Juana and Ines have three siblings who were born in America and are therefore US citizens. But the older daughters and their parents remain in the country illegally.

The mother cooks Mexican food that an aunt sells outside a train station. The father helps, and washes dishes at a restaurant or works construction. They declined to be named for this story.

But Juana and Ines's luck changed in 2013 when the United States started implementing a program to give young people like them renewable two-year residence and work permits.

It is called DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, for people who were brought to the United States as children and do not have papers. The idea is that they should not be punished with deportation for something in which they had no say.

"DACA has opened a lot of doors for me. I feel more secure about saying I am undocumented," says Juana, who studies business administration. "It has removed many worries."

Story continues

During his presidential campaign, Trump insulted Mexicans by saying some Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug dealers. He also pledged to end the DACA program immediately.

But he has changed his tune since then.

"They got brought here at a very young age. They've worked here. They've gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs," Trump told Time magazine after his election. "And they're in never-never land because they don't know what's going to happen."

"We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud," he added without providing details.

A group of Democratic and Republican senators this month presented a bill that would protect such young people from deportation for three years and allow them to work if Trump scraps the DACA program.

- A cherished dream -

An estimated 1.8 million young people in the United States face the same dilemma as Juana and Ines. Brought into the country by their parents illegally as children, they grew up here, speak perfect English and went to elementary school here.

Some 65,000 graduate from high school each year. Most want to go on to university, but only five to 10 percent can afford it. Some 741,000 have applied for protection under DACA.

They have been living in legal limbo for years, waiting for a miracle. It even has a name: a bill called the "Dream Act," which would grant such people permanent residency and a work permit. However, the bill has been languishing in Congress for 15 years.

Young people like the Alejandro daughters are called "dreamers."

"Most of the people like my parents pay their taxes and give as much as they can back to this country," Ines says. "I am here just for my education. The US is full of opportunities I wouldn't have in Mexico."

"My parents do work a lot," Juana adds. "They barely sleep at night just to help us pay tuition, and we have to work as well."

If DACA ends, however, it will be hard for the two girls to stay in school even if they are not deported, she says.

Still, despite the fear and uncertainty, the two sisters have stepped forward and made their status known, and are helping other undocumented students like them.

They formed a "Dream Team" at Hostos Community College -- where they study -- a group the school supports.

"I'd tell the president-elect," Ines says, "that we are not all horrible people."
After delivering his Jeffery project in 2016, Young Thug still manages to find himself in trouble. According to TMZ, Thugger is reportedly being sued by Hollywood Stars Limousines for refusing to pay his outstanding balance of $18,676.

The limo company allegedly claims that they drove him and his entourage 11 times, and the rapper allegedly skipped out on the bill every time. The outlet also reports that Hollywood Stars Limousines provided Young Thug ample time to resolve the situation in hopes that he would pay the balance in full.

The lawsuit follows a rocky month for the rap star. Last week, he was arrested in Atlanta's Lenox Square Mall for missing a previous court date. At the time, Young Thug was given a slap on the wrist for having excessively tinted windows on his vehicle. Prior to that, he shared a video (that has since been deleted) of him berating several airport employees. In the controversial video, he offered them money to quit their jobs right on the spot. Thug's mother caught wind of the video and forced him to apologize to the employees afterwards.

Billboard has reached out to Hollywood Stars Limousines and Young Thug's rep for comment.
LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia's President Edgar Lungu ordered the air force on Wednesday to join other government agencies in an emergency operation to contain the spread of pests that have invaded maize fields in many parts of the country. The armyworms, which feast on young maize plants and are capable of wiping out entire fields, have been spotted in about six of Zambia's 10 provinces, Agriculture Permanent Secretary Julius Shawa said. On Wednesday the Zambia Air Force began airlifting pesticides to the four worst affected provinces and will team up with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in responding to the crisis, presidential spokesman Amos Chanda said in a statement. The air force will not carry out aerial spraying of the insecticide, however. Zambia's maize production rose to 2.87 million tonnes in the 2015/2016 crop season from 2.60 million tonnes the previous season due to better than anticipated rainfall and early delivery of fertilizer and seed to farmers. "The president is concerned that if the outbreak of the worms is not controlled speedily, the crop yield for 2016/2017 may be negatively affected," Chanda said. The DMMU and the Ministry of Agriculture will conduct random checks starting on Thursday to ensure the emergency spraying operation was going well, Chanda said. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Sad news for the von Anhalt family.

The late Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband Frederic Prinz von Anhalt's adopted son, Oliver Prinz von Anhalt, has died, ET can confirm. Oliver was involved in a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles on Dec. 10, and died on Christmas Day -- exactly a week after Gabor died on Dec. 18.

"I found out everything from the coroner actually," Frederic tells ET.

WATCH: The Many Loves of Zsa Zsa Gabor: From Prince von Anhalt to John F. Kennedy

Oliver was riding a motorcycle when he got involved in a traffic collision on Mulholland Drive with another vehicle, according to California Highway Patrol officials.

"The motorcycle was traveling westbound at an unknown speed around the corner," authorities tell ET. "The other vehicle was traveling westbound at approximately 10 miles-per-hour preparing to make a U-turn on to the dirt shoulder on the other side of the street. The report says that either the motorcycle was going too fast for the roadway conditions, or the other vehicle was making an unsafe U-turn, but the officer on scene could not determine which was the cause."

"The motorcycle made an abrupt braking maneuver causing the rear wheel to lift up into the air and then he was ejected from the motorcycle," authorities continue. "[Oliver] was sliding on the ground for some distance and both bike and rider continued westbound sliding into the left side of the other vehicle."

Oliver "was conscious on scene but he was not able to answer any questions from the officer on scene," officials add.

Oliver stands furthest left in the photo below:

Getty Images

The late socialite was one of several men who bought their royal titles from Frederic through adoption when they were adults. Frederic himself got his title of Prince Frederic von Anhalt of Munich when he was adopted by Princess Marie Auguste of Anhalt as an adult, he told the Associated Press in 2007.

Frederic admitted he then made millions of dollars by passing the family title to at least 10 other people.

Story continues

"If someone offers you $2 million, you do it," he told the AP.

One of Oliver's brothers through adoption, Marcus Prinz von Anhalt, mourned Oliver on Instagram with a video of the two together.

For ever !!! A video posted by Prinz Marcus von Anhalt (@prinzmarcus) on Dec 26, 2016 at 1:39am PST

"Live the Afterlife in the fullest like you did before!" he also captioned a picture of Oliver in his royalwear.

Ich werde dich immer lieben -Forever Brothers!!! Live the Afterlife in the fullest like you did before! A photo posted by Prinz Marcus von Anhalt (@prinzmarcus) on Dec 25, 2016 at 10:56pm PST

NEWS: Looking Back at the Intriguing Life of Actress and Socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor

The pair's adopted mother, Zsa Zsa, died of a heart attack, according to her death certificate. Frederic, 73, told ET that his wife was home with him at the time, and "her heart just stopped."

The iconic actress was 99 years old.

Watch below:

-- Additional reporting by Steve Wilks

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Photo credit: undefined

From Good Housekeeping

What do your dog Buddy and Barack Obama have in common? Two things, actually: They're stressed a lot, and they're going prematurely gray.

Camille King, an animal behaviorist and owner of the Canine Education Center in Denver, Colorado, told CNN that, over the years, she noticed a correlation between anxiety and premature grayness in the dogs with whom she worked.

"The first thing I thought of when she told me that was the presidents and how they age and get prematurely gray," Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and co-author of the study, told CNN. It's true - photographs before and after presidency reveal startling results and, Grandin said, were the inspiration for the study.

Photo credit: undefined

Conducted at Northern Illinois University, the study, published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, tracking 400 dogs, ages 4 years or younger, who have darker hair (to accurately show grayness). Researchers took photographs of the dogs and asked their owners to answer a 21-question survey, which measured their pets' anxiety levels.

The next phase of the study included comparing the survey results with the dogs' levels of grayness. Using a scoring system, the researchers found that dogs with anxious behaviors (as determined by the survey) were 40% to 65% more likely to have muzzle grayness.

The study is a good reminder to check in with your pets. Behaviors that indicate stress, according to the study, include whining or barking when left home alone, cowering in the corner around a large group of people and jumping on visitors or regularly pulling on the leash when on walks.

And if your dog is often left home alone, says Grandin, that may be at the foundation of their stress. "Some people take their dogs to doggy day care," she suggests. If that's out of your budget, she suggests possibly "making arrangements to drop [your dog] off at the next door neighbor's on your way to work."

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Photo credit: undefined

These are all things to keep in mind, but Matt Kaeberlein, a professor and co-director of the University of Washington's Dog Aging Project, wants you to know that premature grayness doesn't always mean your pup is stressed.

"While hair graying is a useful 'biomarker' of aging and experienced stress, it is not particularly precise," Kaeberlein told CNN. "Many dogs and people get gray hair for reasons unrelated to their perception of stress or anxiety."

If your dog does fall into the stressed category, however, there are things you can do. King advises making an appointment with a vet or animal behaviorist for a full medical workup. Treatments like behavior modification programming, medication and pressure wraps are all options.

[h/t CNN]

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1 dead, 26 hurt As bus falls on Trishuli riverbank

A passenger was killed and 26 others were injured when a bus swerved off the road and fell several metres down on the Trishuli riverbank at Kalikhola area along the Muglin-Narayangadh road in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
Sneaker shopping is a relatively risk-free activity, but a Longview, Texas mother made a grim discovery while her son was trying on shoes at a local Walmart.

The Longview News-Journal first reported that Candi Mace and her 11-year-old son were shopping at Walmarts Estes Parkway location in Longview, Texas on Monday when the boy found exposed razor blades inside of several pairs of sneakers.

He had one pair and was untying them and pulling out the paper and stuff out of it. He came up with a razor blade. He said Mom, look, and he didnt know what it was at first, Mace said. The paper was holding it up, so if you didnt realize there was paper in it and tried to put your foot in it, then obviously you would get cut because the blade was up.

According to the Longview News-Journal, Mace found a total of four blades within the shoes her son had tried on and a pair that was already in their shopping cart. Mace said employees told her that someone may have taken the razor blades from the stores hardware section and hid them inside of the shoes.

In a statement released via its corporate channels, Walmart confirmed that it had investigated the situation and swept the surrounding area to ensure there were no additional risks.

Were appalled someone would do this in our store, and were thankful no one was injured. We checked the surrounding area and found no issues, said Charles Crowson, Walmart senior manager for corporate communications.

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Over the years, the dynamics of the software industry, the way organizations conduct their businesses and people connect with each other have changed, thanks to technological progress and innovation.

As technology continues its rapid invasion into every corner of human existence, the need for improved software has increased manifold. The last few years witnessed breakthroughs in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, chip shrinking technology, self-driving cars, personal assistants, high-speed Internet and home automation, thus setting the stage for strong growth in the software industry.

With the U.S. economy rebounding, as evident from the recently released improved economic data for GDP, the Consumer Confidence Index, unemployment rate and factory activity data, we believe that there are tremendous growth opportunities for software stocks in 2017.

Notably, as per Gartner Inc. IT, worldwide spending on software is expected to increase 6% year over year and reach $333 billion in 2016. The independent research firm also predicts that next year the industry will witness even higher growth of 7.2% to reach $357 billion. This is much higher than the projected growth rate of 2.9% for entire tech industry spending, which is likely to touch $3.5 trillion in 2017.

As software promises a bright future for 2017, we believe adding some of these stocks to your portfolio will help boost your returns.

4 Software Stocks with Solid Potential

With the help of our style score system, we have picked four software stocks that have performed well so far this year and have the potential to keep the momentum going in the next year. They also have a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy), a VGM Style Score of A or B, and low P/E multiple than the industry average. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

F5 Networks Inc. FFIV is a leading provider of integrated Internet traffic and content management solutions designed to improve the availability and performance of mission-critical Internet-based servers and applications. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Style Score of B. Moreover, F5 Networks currently trades at a forward P/E multiple of 22.3x, which is lower than the industry average of 35.7x. Year-to-date, the company has gained 50% compared with the Zacks categorized Computer-Software Services industrys average return of just 4.3%.

Story continues

Forget the gym, finding great stocks should be your New Year's resolution! Don't miss out on our new Top 10 Stocks for 2017 list, which has been hand-picked from 4,400 stocks covered by the Zacks Rank. Be one of the first to see this year's list here>>

VMware Inc. VMW provides virtualization solutions from the desktop to the data center. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Style Score of B. Moreover, VMware currently trades at a forward P/E multiple of 25.3x, which is significantly lower than the industry average of 35.7x. Year-to-date, the company has gained 41.6% compared with the Computer-Software Services industrys average return of just 4.3%.

NIC Inc. EGOV is a provider of Internet-based, electronic government services that help governments use the Internet to reduce costs and provide a higher level of service to businesses and citizens. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Style Score of B. Moreover, NIC currently trades at a forward P/E multiple of 31.5x, which is significantly lower than the industry average of 35.7x. Year-to-date, the company has gained 23.7% compared with the Computer-Software Services industrys average return of just 4.3%.

Amaya, Inc. AYA offers technology-based products and services in the gaming industry. It operates through business-to-consumer and business-to-business segments. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Style Score of B. Moreover, Amaya currently trades at a forward P/E multiple of 8.1x, which is significantly lower than the industry average of 35.7x. Year-to-date, the company has gained 11.6% compared with the Computer-Software Services industrys average return of just 4.3%.

Software companies will continue to transform our world with each passing year. So, if you dont want to be left behind, make sure youre investing in quality software stocks.



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If you picked up a coffee this morning on your way to work you were driving in the same condition that Joseph Schwab was when he was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence. Schwab, a California man who was pulled over by an agent of the states Alcoholic Beverage Control department, is now fighting back.

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Guardian reports that Schwab was initially placed in custody after the Alcoholic Beverage Control agent claimed he was driving erratically. The 36-year-old blew a 0.00% on a breathalyzer but was taken to the country jail anyway. There he had his blood drawn, but that test came up negative for every illicit drug on the list as well as alcohol. Not satisfied that Schwab had already passed both tests, law enforcement sent his blood off to a lab in Pennsylvania for another scan. That test showed that the only thing in Schwabs veins other than blood was caffeine.

Despite all of this, Schwab was eventually charged  a full 10 months after he was initially pulled over and arrested  with a DUI. Now, Schwabs lawyer, Stacey Barrett, is demanding that the case be thrown out. If the court decides to proceed, Schwab wants to see how a jury feels about the whole situation.

The chief deputy district attorney for the county said the DUI charge was not due to the caffeine in his system, but as every other test has shown that Schwab was clean as a whistle, his lawyer insists thats all it possibly could be. The deputy noted that the office was conducting further investigation, though failed to explain what that actually means.

Its hard to tell how this one will pan out, but if Schwab gets pinned with a DUI charge for having his morning coffee, you better hide those Starbucks receipts the next time you get pulled over.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top cybersecurity body reaffirmed its commitment to heightened cybersecurity surveillance on Tuesday, calling for increased scrutiny of local and foreign technology used in industries deemed critical to the national interest. A strategy document, released by the Cybersecurity Administration of China (CAC), laid out the framework for a controversial cybersecurity law released in November, which foreign business groups say could bar overseas firms from competing in the market. The CAC has previously countered these claims, saying the measures are not designed to target foreign enterprises, but to counter rising threats of terrorism and cyber-theft. The paper said key Chinese industries must "carry out a security review" of technology to prevent providers and other groups from "implementing unfair competition" and "harming the interests" of users. Critics say vague wording in the November law raises red flags and could potentially legalize requirements to hand over intellectual property. The latest strategy document also renewed calls for foreign countries to respect China's cyber-sovereignty, an idea that permits states to individually police internet services within their own borders. China has employed a handful of other measures alongside the law, including plans to launch a specialized college within the Chinese Academy of Sciences to train professionals for national cybersecurity projects. (Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Samsung is betting big on its AI assistant on the Galaxy S8 by having it baked in most of its preinstalled apps.

Earlier this year, Samsung acquired Viv, an artificial intelligence assistant from the creators of Siri. Now its been discovered that Samsungs Bixby will be powered by Vivs tech and will be supported in almost all of the Galaxy S8s native apps.

Bixby is said to work system wide on the Galaxy S8. This means that most of the apps that are already preinstalled on Samsungs smartphone will support the AI assistant, according to SamMobile. For example, a user will be able to ask Bixby to show photos taken at a particular date in the Gallery app.

Since Bixby will be running system wide on the Galaxy S8, Samsung will also be changing all the user interface of all its first party apps. All the preinstalled apps will carry a consistent look to give the Galaxy S8s software a more unified look. Another change coming to Samsungs software is that the status bar will always be visible, so that users wont have to swipe twice to see notifications and quick settings.

Samsungs Bixby will be replacing the South Korean companys S Voice software on the Galaxy S8. Bixby will also be able to function much like Google Assistant and Apples Siri by being able to answer a users queries and perform tasks based on context.

With the Galaxy S8 running the Android operating system, it remains to be seen how Google will react to Bixby. Samsung will be directly competing with Google Assistant, a core feature on the Android operating system, as pointed out by BGR.

On the hardware side, the highly anticipated smartphone is rumored to come with 5-inch and 6-inch models with a 2K Super AMOLED dual-curved display. The handset is believed to have a screen-to-body ratio of around 90 percent, according to Phone Arena. Units in the United States might possibly be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 835 chipset and might be accompanied by 8GB of RAM.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to be announced in April 2017, two months later than Samsungs usual release cycle.

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HMD Global acquired the Nokia brand this year and its promising to revive the brand in 2017 by debuting new phones. A new report has surfaced claiming that HMD is planning to release at least four more Android smartphones during the 2Q and 3Q of 2017 after the first model is announced in February.

The four new Android-powered Nokia smartphones will have display sizes ranging from 5 inches up to 5.7 inches with WQHD (1440p) and full HD (1080p) resolution, industry sources told DigiTimes. The displays will be provided by several manufacturers including the likes of LG Century technology and Innolux. If DigiTimess report is accurate, HMD will be releasing a total of five Nokia Android smartphones in 2017.

The first model will be announced in February 2017 during the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. This is believed to be the rumored Nokia DIC (D1C) which is said to arrive in two variants: one with a 5-inch display with 2GB of RAM and the another with a 5.5-inch display with 3GB of RAM. The 5-inch Nokia DIC will sell for $150, while the larger 5.5-inch model will cost $200.

Earlier this week, an alleged photo of the Nokia D1C was leaked online showing that the device will come with a fingerprint sensor up front. The fingerprint sensor has been absent on the previously leaked sketches of the smartphone, as pointed out Tech Times.

Nokia

Photo: Android Headlines

However, the leaked photo has also been reported as being the Nokia E1 and not the Nokia D1C. This could explain the inclusion of the fingerprint sensor. This is also why its important to take these leaked photos with a healthy dose of skepticism.

As for other hardware specifications, the Nokia D1C is expected to be a mid-range device rumored to be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 600 chipset. The handset is also said to come with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera.

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4G may not be available for Apple right away

Apple iPhone and iPad owners may not be able to use Nepal Telecoms (NT) fourth generation (4G) service when it launches on Sunday as it is yet to synchronise its network with these US-manufactured smartphones.
In this Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 photo, Ricardas Savukynas, the 43-year-old business consultant and blogger works on his computer in Vilnius, Lithuania. Savukynas is one of the Lithuanian volunteers whove dubbed themselves elves patrol social media to expose fake accounts they accuse of spreading pro-Russia propaganda. Its part of a wider effort by the tiny Baltic country to defend itself from what it says is an onslaught of Russian propaganda. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP)  Elves against trolls  it sounds like something out of "The Lord of the Rings." But to Ricardas Savukynas, the battle he's fighting is no fantasy.

The 43-year-old business consultant and blogger is part of an informal internet army of Lithuanians trying to counter what they describe as hate speech and pro-Russia propaganda.

"I am just a regular guy from Lithuania, a citizen, who once noticed that Russian propaganda is being spread in this country by huge numbers of groups on Facebook," he told The Associated Press over tea at a restaurant in Vilnius' old town. "Seeing this I thought that it cannot be a natural thing."

Savukynas' fellow volunteers  who've dubbed themselves "elves"  patrol social media, coordinating their actions through Facebook or Skype to expose fake accounts. On a busy day, Savukynas said that fellow elves report as many as 10 or 20 to get them removed. He himself focuses on writing, maintaining a personal blog devoted to, among other things, deconstructing Soviet nostalgia or pulling apart conspiracy theories.

The elves do a decent job of "pinpointing some manipulation and some social networking sites," said Nerijus Maliukevicius, a researcher at Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations, who studies the role of media during times of conflict. But in a telephone interview, Maliukevicius said that Lithuania needs a complex counterstrategy to beat what he describes as Kremlin propaganda.

"Elves are just one bit of this," he said.

Talk of Russian interference is bubbling on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the recent U.S. election, which propelled Russia-friendly candidate Donald Trump to power amid allegations of Kremlin interference. Earlier this month, Germany's intelligence agency accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the country with propaganda and cyberattacks before its general election planned for next year.

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Lithuania, which like other Baltic nations was long subject to Moscow's rule, feels those concerns more keenly than most  all the more so after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

And the elf versus troll war on Facebook is just one battlefield. News websites and broadcasters have also been drawn into the mix.

"We recognized, especially recently, that we have a pretty huge and long lasting disinformation campaign against our society," said Tomas Ceponis, an analyst for the Lithuanian military. He said the power of propaganda was harder to quantify than tanks or planes, but it was clearly aimed at "really a very huge variety of targets."

Delfi, one of the main news sites in Lithuania, was one of them. It found its comment sections filling up with pro-Russia posts in the lead up to the Ukrainian confrontation, said Monika Garbaciauskaite, the editor-in-chief, and now has full-time staff deleting the most extreme messages.

The hostile propaganda has led to more aggressive action from both sides.

Lithuania's leading commercial news channel TV3 has been repeatedly targeted by hackers who compromised the group's networks three times, according to Sigitas Babilius, TV3's head of news. Last month, Lithuania banned Russia's RTR Planeta channel until February after a Russian politician made anti-U.S. comments deemed as "incitement to war, discord and hatred." Similar three-month bans on Russian state-owned channels have been ordered in previous years.

Lithuania, meanwhile, has launched a campaign on television urging citizens to report any suspicious activity  on the street or on the web.

The moves rankle Moscow's representative to the tiny NATO nation.

"I do not think that sticking a propaganda label on another's point of view is right," Russian Ambassador Alexander Udaltsov told the AP. "It's always better to use counterarguments to prove your truth, but unfortunately our Western partners lack these arguments and continue with bans of Russian TV stations."

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius makes no apology for the bans.

"A lie is not an alternative point of view," Linkevicius said. "One can say 'it's freedom of speech, everyone can say whatever he wants.' Of course, I agree. But if it's (a) resourced propaganda machine brainwashing people, it's not just an alternative point of view. It's a weapon."

___

AP Cybersecurity Writer Raphael Satter in Paris contributed to this report.
A crowdsourced study has revealed the extent of abuse that women face online (AFP Photo/LEON NEAL) (AFP/File)

Vienna (AFP) - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an international election and war monitor, said Wednesday it had become the latest global institution to suffer a "major" cyber attack.

The Vienna-based OSCE has its origins in the Cold War but after 1991 it expanded and now has 57 member states including the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

It currently has 700 monitors focused on the conflict in eastern Ukraine and is also active in observing elections and tracking media freedom.

OSCE spokeswoman Mersiha Causevic Podzic told AFP in an email that it "became aware of a major information security incident" in early November.

The attack "compromised the confidentiality" of the organisation's IT network and put "its integrity at risk", although it was still able to operate, she said.

According to French daily Le Monde, which first reported the incident, a Western intelligence agency believes that Russian hackers group APT28 was behind the attack.

This group, also known as Pawn Storm, Sofacy and Fancy Bears, is believed to be behind other high-profile cyber attacks and to be linked to Russia's security services.

The OSCE said "the way in which the attacker accessed the OSCE was identified, as have some of the external communication destinations".

France's ambassador to the OSCE played down the dangers from the attack, saying officials in Vienna -- long seen as a hotbed of espionage -- are trained to be aware to the risks.

"Diplomats at the OSCE are warned that attempted spying, in whatever form, are part and parcel of this organisation," Veronique Roger-Lacan told AFP.

- The cyber frontier -

But cyber attacks by criminals and governments are on the rise, with states and firms spending billions of dollars to defend and arm themselves.

The issue has become contentious between the United States and Russia, with the latter alleged to have hacked party computers and leaked documents during the US election campaign.

Story continues

The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved and President Barack Obama has vowed Washington will retaliate "at a time and place of our own choosing".

The Kremlin has rejected the accusations, demanding America presents proof. US President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed the claims as "ridiculous".

In Europe, with Germany holding elections late next year, Chancellor Angela Merkel and other top officials have warned that the country could be the target of Russian cyber attacks.

France announced its first cyber-warfare army unit this month, mirroring plans drawn up by Britain, which launched a cyber-defence plan backed by 2.1 billion euros ($2.2 billion) of funding.

It is not just Russia that is seen as a threat in the West.

North Korea has already proved it is a player with a damaging attack on South Korean banks and broadcasters in 2013. The US also blamed Pyongyang for an audacious hack on Sony Pictures the following year.

Russia too has been a victim. Earlier this month its telecom operator said that it had blocked a series of cyber attacks on the country's leading banks.

And in the Middle East, the United States and Israel are thought to have been behind the Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran's nuclear infrastructure in 2010.

Firms in the West have also been targeted. In Germany, almost a million Deutsche Telekom customers were knocked offline in late November after the firm was hit by hackers.

In September US internet giant Yahoo revealed that it had been the victim of one of biggest thefts of online users' personal information ever, affecting some 500 million accounts.
From Popular Mechanics

Hod Lipson's laboratory at Columbia University is a place designed to nurture the human instinct to tinker. The space itself is pretty basic: linoleum floor, white walls, natural wood tables. Wires, markers, textbooks, and glue bottles cover most surfaces-the detritus of students designing, making, refining, and tweaking. Robotic models line the shelves: a robot with foot-long plastic wings that look like a housefly's, miniature machines with exposed silver gears, geometric robotic skeletons. There are laser cutters and microscopes and welding masks hung on hooks. Pushed up against a wall, a robotic arm bears a paper sign: "DANGER. Robot moves without warning. KEEP AWAY."

Lipson became a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia in 2015, after fourteen years as a professor at Cornell University. He is a pioneer in the field of three-dimensional printing, and one of the first to experiment with substituting the usual raw materials-plastics, metals-with edible food products. It was in Lipson's lab about ten years ago that a few of his students had the idea to mess around with it. Somebody tried filling a printer syringe with frosting. Then cheese, chocolate, and other foods. "In the beginning we thought it was frivolous," Lipson says. "We'd say 'Look, we printed with chocolate, but let's get serious and do our battery work.' "

But when writers at The New York Times and the BBC started inquiring about the technology, Lipson saw public interest that he hadn't anticipated. People who "couldn't care less about batteries or robotics" suddenly cared about 3D printing when food got involved, he says. Everybody cares about food. A new branch of 3D printing began.

"DANGER. Robot moves without warning. KEEP AWAY."

This is what humans do: We tinker. We improvise. We have weird ideas and mess around with them. It leads to things like the discovery of electricity, and sailboats, and machine guns, and food that comes out of a printer. Lipson is like the rest of us in that sense, it's just that his reflex to act on his curiosity is more acute, more insatiable. We-the more insatiable among us-have now devised technology that influences the way we communicate, travel, work out, sleep, and entertain. Lipson sees these printers as the future of food preparation. There are a handful of startups already building up the industry, but experiments with the technology have also been backed by more venerable organizations-such as Columbia University, NASA, and the European Union.

Story continues

The term "3D printing," of course, is odd. It's desktop manufacturing, and making food this way is no different from making toys or machine parts or anything else 3D printed. Once you place the raw material, in this case an edible paste, into a 3D printer, a robotic arm deposits or spreads the paste in precise layers, forming whatever shape you've programmed into the machine. The better equipped the machine, the more advanced the recipes it can make.

Lipson and his students agree that 3D-printed food will never completely replace our current food system. A printer is unlikely to print a filet mignon and salad anytime soon. But it is likely to become a regular appliance you use-as soon as the next ten years, Lipson says. A machine with multiple material canisters lets you print different flavors or colors into the layers, like a rainbow-striped cake or kale-filled chocolate bars. A laser or infrared light on the nozzle serves as a cooking element, so ingredients cook as they're deposited out of the machine.

Photo credit: James Provost

Of the few 3D-food printers sold right now, most emphasize novel shapes. The Magic Candy Factory prints big gummy candies in the shapes of octopuses, butterflies, a child's name. The PancakeBot prints two-toned pictures onto a griddle. 3D Systems prints beautiful sugar sculptures, precise geometric shapes that the human hand could never do as perfectly.

"People shrug off this technology and say it's just fun," says Kjeld van Bommel, a research scientist who has worked on candy-printing technology. "But fun is a huge part of food." And all over the world, universities and corporations are experimenting with applications for 3D-printing food beyond amusement. As a senior consultant at the Netherlands Organisation (TNO) for applied scientific research, van Bommel looked into the possibility of using 3D-food printers in nursing homes. For elderly patients who have difficulty chewing, printers would fashion purees into more appealing shapes-carrot puree shaped like real carrots or salmon puree shaped like a real block of fish. The printers could also personalize nutrition in the printed meals, adding things like sunflower oil, whey protein, and minerals. They could produce about twenty personalized meals per hour, and label each individual meal with the exact name and address of nursing-home residents. TNO is now talking to companies interested in taking the experimental technology to commercial production.

NASA also experimented with the technology for Mars missions, since food loses nutritional value over time-even more so in the radiation of space. In 2013 it awarded a Small Business Innovation Research contract to Systems & Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) to develop a 3D-printed food system for astronauts. SMRC successfully printed a pizza, though the project was later abandoned after a senator called it "wasteful government spending." But SMRC is looking into other applications. SMRC president Malcolm Prouty says the Army has shown interest in using the technology to bring customized nutrition to soldiers.

BeeHex, a spin-off of the NASA project, is attempting to turn pizza printers into a franchise to be used at stadiums and other large venues. Chief marketing officer Jordan French says its product could make line cooking faster, cheaper, and less stressful. Lynette Kucsma, cofounder of the Foodini commercial food printer, wants to make foods that people would typically buy in processed form more wholesome. Instead of restaurants serving you flash-frozen burger patties that are full of preservatives, they could efficiently print their own. It's fast and convenient, and your burger wouldn't be full of manufacturing chemicals.

Dozens of other potential uses have been proposed-some imaginative, some outlandish, some brilliant. We could print delicious food out of cheap, sustainable, otherwise unpalatable ingredients, like algae or insect flour. We could develop nutrition trackers and print personalized breakfast bars tailored to our exact nutrition needs. We can take these printers anywhere that's hard to get fresh food to, one of Lipson's students said-into space or submarines, across the world to deserts.

There are limitations to overcome. Right now, printers are slow, use a lot of energy, and require some knowledge to program. Chef Herve Malivert, director of culinary technology and chef coordinator at the International Culinary Center in New York City, thinks they'll be a hard sell for chefs, who value a variety of textures in their dishes. But we are, by nature, progressive creatures. Ten years after those experiments with frosting and chocolate, new students in Lipson's lab are still experimenting with 3D-printed food, now as serious work. The once frivolous hobby is now the focus of graduate work and theses.

Whether humans decide we want to eat the food paste that comes out of these machines remains to be seen. In a way, that's not the point. This is a moment in the continuum, an early stage in the evolution of whatever this is. People-the more insatiable among us-keep experimenting with what we've got. We keep tinkering. Because that's what we do.

This story appears in the December 2016 / January 2017 issue of Popular Mechanics

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By Dustin Volz and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration plans to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Both officials declined to specify what actions President Barack Obama has approved, but said targeted economic sanctions, indictments, leaking information to embarrass Russian officials or oligarchs, and restrictions on Russian diplomats in the United States are among steps that have been discussed. One decision that has been made, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, is to avoid any moves that exceed the Russian election hacking and risk an escalating cyber conflict that could spiral out of control. One example of an excessive step might be interfering with Russian internet messaging. The FBI, CIA and Office of Director of National Intelligence agree that Russia was behind hacks into Democratic Party organizations and operatives ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. There is also agreement, according to U.S. officials, that Russia sought to intervene in the election to help Trump, a Republican, defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Russia has repeatedly denied hacking accusations. Trump has dismissed the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community. Obama, in an interview earlier this month with NPR, said, "We need to take action and we will" against Russia for interfering in the U.S. election. Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, promised retaliation on Wednesday against Washington in the event of new economic sanctions. Jim Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said further sanctions may be an effective U.S. tool in part because they would be difficult for Trump to roll back and because Russia "hates" dealing with them. "For the rest of the world, its like having 'scumball' stamped on your forehead," Lewis said. How to respond to the growing problem of cyber attacks carried out or sponsored by foreign powers has bedeviled Obama, whose eight years in office witnessed a torrent of major hacks against the U.S. government and private organizations that were attributed to China, North Korea, Iran and Russia. In past cases, administration officials have decided to publicly blame North Korea and indict members of Chinas military for hacking because they decided the net benefit of public shaming  and increased awareness brought to cyber security  outweighed potential risks. But determining an appropriate response to Russia's actions has proven more complicated in part because Russia's cyber capabilities are more advanced and due to fears about disrupting other geopolitical issues, such as the civil war in Syria. Obama may choose to invoke an April 2015 executive order that empowered him to levy sanctions in response to cyber attacks perpetrated by foreign groups targeting infrastructure, such as transportation, or done for economic purposes. One option, said a U.S. government official who has participated in discussions on possible retaliation, would be leaking material on Russian officials or actions that the United States already has obtained in a way that would parallel what the Russians did, but be impossible to prove. The official compared that option to Russian military and civilian intelligence agencies providing hacked material to the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks and trying  unsuccessfully, the official said  to cover their tracks. Another option would be further economic sanctions against Russia. Washington has already sanctioned Russia over the past two years to punish Moscow for its role in annexing Crimea. But former U.S. officials say the existing measures leave Washington plenty of room to slap new, tougher sanction on Russia in response to cyber intrusions. The Ukraine sanctions were narrowly tailored to hurt specific sectors of Russian industry, such as the energy sector, without causing the nation's economy to tank, said Juan Zarate, a former assistant secretary of the Treasury for terrorist financing and financial crimes. The United States took a more measured approach, in part, to reserve tougher measures in case the situation worsened, said Zarate, chairman of the Financial Integrity Network, a private consulting firm that advises on financial threats. The United States is still unlikely to impose blanket embargoes against Russia because of the danger it could harm the economies of Western Europe, said Peter Harrell, a former senior State Department official who worked on sanctions policy. Instead, the United States may target specific Russian intelligence officials or military divisions believed to be involved in the cyber intrusions. The Russian defense sector would be fair game, Harrell said. Looming over any action the Obama administration takes against Russia is whether Trump will seek to reverse course once he takes office on Jan. 20. In addition to casting doubt on the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community about the hacks, Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and nominated people seen as friendly toward Moscow to senior administration posts. (Reporting by Dustin Volz and Joel Schectman in Washington; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Leslie Adler)
Menlo Park, Calif.  Scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a way to use diamondoids  the smallest possible bits of diamond  to assemble atoms into the thinnest possible electrical wires, just three atoms wide.

By grabbing various types of atoms and putting them together LEGO-style, the new technique could potentially be used to build tiny wires for a wide range of applications, including fabrics that generate electricity, optoelectronic devices that employ both electricity and light, and superconducting materials that conduct electricity without any loss. The scientists reported their results today in Nature Materials.

What we have shown here is that we can make tiny, conductive wires of the smallest possible size that essentially assemble themselves, said Hao Yan, a Stanford postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the paper. The process is a simple, one-pot synthesis. You dump the ingredients together and you can get results in half an hour. Its almost as if the diamondoids know where they want to go.

This animation shows molecular building blocks joining the tip of a growing nanowire. Each block consists of a diamondoid  the smallest possible bit of diamond  attached to sulfur and copper atoms (yellow and brown spheres). Like LEGO blocks, they only fit together in certain ways that are determined by their size and shape. The copper and sulfur atoms form a conductive wire in the middle, and the diamondoids form an insulating outer shell. (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

The Smaller the Better

Although there are other ways to get materials to self-assemble, this is the first one shown to make a nanowire with a solid, crystalline core that has good electronic properties, said study co-author Nicholas Melosh, an associate professor at SLAC and Stanford and investigator with SIMES, the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences at SLAC.

The needle-like wires have a semiconducting core  a combination of copper and sulfur known as a chalcogenide  surrounded by the attached diamondoids, which form an insulating shell.

Their minuscule size is important, Melosh said, because a material that exists in just one or two dimensions  as atomic-scale dots, wires or sheets  can have very different, extraordinary properties compared to the same material made in bulk. The new method allows researchers to assemble those materials with atom-by-atom precision and control.

The diamondoids they used as assembly tools are tiny, interlocking cages of carbon and hydrogen. Found naturally in petroleum fluids, they are extracted and separated by size and geometry in a SLAC laboratory. Over the past decade, a SIMES research program led by Melosh and SLAC/Stanford Professor Zhi-Xun Shen has found a number of potential uses for the little diamonds, including improving electron microscope images and making tiny electronic gadgets.

Constructive Attraction

For this study, the research team took advantage of the fact that diamondoids are strongly attracted to each other, through what are known as van der Waals forces. (This attraction is what makes the microscopic diamondoids clump together into sugar-like crystals, which is the only reason you can see them with the naked eye.)

They started with the smallest possible diamondoids  single cages that contain just 10 carbon atoms  and attached a sulfur atom to each. Floating in a solution, each sulfur atom bonded with a single copper ion. This created the basic nanowire building block.

The building blocks then drifted toward each other, drawn by the van der Waals attraction between the diamondoids, and attached to the growing tip of the nanowire.

Much like LEGO blocks, they only fit together in certain ways that are determined by their size and shape, said Stanford graduate student Fei Hua Li, who played a critical role in synthesizing the tiny wires and figuring out how they grew. The copper and sulfur atoms of each building block wound up in the middle, forming the conductive core of the wire, and the bulkier diamondoids wound up on the outside, forming the insulating shell.

A Versatile Toolkit for Creating Novel Materials

The team has already used diamondoids to make one-dimensional nanowires based on cadmium, zinc, iron and silver, including some that grew long enough to see without a microscope, and they have experimented with carrying out the reactions in different solvents and with other types of rigid, cage-like molecules, such as carboranes.

The cadmium-based wires are similar to materials used in optoelectronics, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and the zinc-based ones are like those used in solar applications and in piezoelectric energy generators, which convert motion into electricity.

You can imagine weaving those into fabrics to generate energy, Melosh said. This method gives us a versatile toolkit where we can tinker with a number of ingredients and experimental conditions to create new materials with finely tuned electronic properties and interesting physics.

Theorists led by SIMES Director Thomas Devereaux modeled and predicted the electronic properties of the nanowires, which were examined with X-rays at SLACs Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, to determine their structure and other characteristics.

The team also included researchers from the Stanford Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and Justus-Liebig University in Germany. Parts of the research were carried out at Berkeley Labs Advanced Light Source (ALS) and National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), both DOE Office of Science User Facilities. The work was funded by the DOE Office of Science and the German Research Foundation.

Citation: Yan et al., Nature Materials, 26 December 2016 (10.1038/nmat4823)

Press Office Contact: Andrew Gordon, agordon@slac.stanford.edu, (650) 926-2282

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. To learn more, please visit www.slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC National Accelerator 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.
Caan calls Icao mission to audit corrective measures

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Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
His Highness the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi the second is expected to meet with Baganda who live in Diaspora today.

This years organizing committee Chairman, Buganda Government Minister of Health, Owekitiibwa Dr. Ben Kiwanuka says they will have an opportunity to personally meet the Kabaka (okulanya) at the Twekobe house in the Kabakas palace, in Mengo Lubiri.

Doctor Kiwanuka adds that this years event will be of fun and experience with identifying a youngster/youth (8-17 years) rose in the Diaspora and can recite or read a simple Luganda poem.

The poem will be composed and written by the Luganda Association.
By Samuel Ssebuliba.

In a move meant to boost export trade, the Ministry of Trade plans to introduce contract farming in Uganda.

In the national the road map to attain middle income status by 2020, export trade has been singled out as the ultimate game changer that will help the country achieve this target.

Speaking to KFM, Ambassador Julius Onen the Permanent Secretary ministry of trade said under this program, government will coordinate with farmers to produce certain goods that have market abroad and pay them in advance.

He adds that many local producers and farmers still lack the will to engage in export trade, which prompted government to stimulate them by contracting them.
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However defense team asked court to set free one of the accused person Joseph Ernest Matte, whom they claim is a mentally ill.

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The U.S government has contributed 40 M $ to help Uganda support the increasing refugee population.

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The U.S. contribution will help assist WFPs protracted relief and recovery operations in affected areas.

The U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, Deborah Malac, said this support highlights the U.S. Governments commitment to addressing the humanitarian food and nutrition needs among refugees in Uganda, adding that it will also benefit Ugandan farmers, as part of this contribution will be used to purchase food from local markets.

The Ambassador also encourage international donors to provide more humanitarian support to ensure these most vulnerable populations receive much-needed food and nutrition assistance.

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In the new year, some Marines will be using off-the-shelf smartphones to call for fire support from the air, ground and sea. An upgrade to the Marines' current Target Handoff System, to be fielded in 2o17, will load key elements of the system onto the compact tablets, cutting the system's weight in half, from 20 to 10 pounds, and cutting the cost in half as well, according to a news release from Marine Corps Systems Command.

The Target Handoff System Version 2 will work with the Samsung Tab 2, an 8-inch tablet that retails for about $400, Capt. Jesse Hume, project officer for the system, told Military.com. Roughly 900 Marines will receive the systems this spring, including joint fires observers, joint terminal attack controllers, forward air controllers, and air officers throughout all Marine Corps ground units, he said.

The phones will work in coordination with a laser range finder, video downlink receiver and combat net radio to enable Marines to call for fire support.

"Our current THS, though capable, needed to be smaller and lighter to better support dismounted operations, Hume said in a statement. With the new version, Marines will obtain a lightweight device equipped to provide immediate situational awareness on where friendly and enemy locations are, and the ability to hand off target data to fire support to get quick effects on the battlefield.

This upgrade is also designed to be more precise and intuitive, making it easier to use and minimizing collateral damage from strikes called in.

According to the release, the version allows Marines on the ground to rapidly pinpoint the location of a target, then send that data to supporting arms elements--either air, artillery or naval fire support. A map application on the smartphone receives target coordinates automatically generated by the system, dispensing with manual inputs and limiting the margin for error. The digitized information is then send to the relevant fire support coordination center, which determines how to make the attack.

THS V.2 provides embedded, real-time tactical information with ground combat element units down to the squad or platoon level, Gunnery Sgt. Nicholas Tock, the system's operations chief, said in a statement. If we are on patrol and we take contact from machine guns in a tree line, a satellite that passes over once every few hours is not going to help an infantry unit kill that target. THS V.2 is for that close combat.

Soon, more Marines may have this sophisticated smartphone technology at their fingertips.

"Currently we are working with other Program Offices within Systems Command to build upon the initial fielding of the Target Handoff System," Hume said. "The next use case we are currently working on is to get this capability down to every squad leader across the Marine Corps."
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ALBION  Town residents may see a rate increase in their monthly utility bills in the not-too-distant future.

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the Albion Town Council heard the results of a rate study performed by its financial advisor, H.J. Umbaugh and Associates.

According to Umbaugh, the Water Department is in good fiscal shape, but the towns Wastewater Department will need to raise funds to cover state-mandated improvements and other capital projects during the next five years.

The council took no action following Umbaughs presentation. No timetable for addressing the needs expressed in the presentation was discussed.

To meet Indiana Department of Environmental Management standards for ammonia released from the towns sewage ponds, extensive  and expensive  work is needed. In providing information to Umbaugh, the town estimated the work could cost as much as $1.5 million for that project alone.

The town projects it will need to spend $2.485 million over the next five years on infrastructure, including $750,000 to upside its sewer line near York Street in 2021.

Currently, the Wastewater Department has a cash-on-hand balance of $169,531. Its a figure well above Umbaugh recommended minimum of $87,201 to be held in reserve, but not enough to fund work that needs to be done.

The average residential monthly bill is currently $25.16, based on 5,000 gallons of usage.

Even without factoring in the capital projects, the town will need to raise its rates 12.23 percent to $28.24 to maintain a minimum cash balance, Umbaugh reported.

Funding the projects outlined on Dec. 13, the town would need to raise its rates 80.1 percent to $45.31 monthly to make 20-year bond payments if the town chooses that method to pay for all of the projects.

In a third scenario outlined by Umbaugh, the town could pay for the projects in five years by raising rates to $65.32 per month for the next five years. Rates could be adjusted down once the projects are paid off.

The towns last sewer rate increase came in 2011.

Even if the town eventually decided to increase its rate to $45.31 monthly to cover bond payments, residents would still be paying less per month than those in Avilla ($49.92), Butler ($69.35) or Waterloo ($83.04).

The towns Water Department has a much stronger cash position.

Umbaugh said it should have at least $373,701 on hand in cash reserves. The town currently has $1,618,293 in cash.

The town projects it will need to spend $1.34 million over the next five years, including $250,000 in water plant upgrades in 2018.

Umbaugh said the town could fund these upgrades by raising its monthly water rates from $30.25 for the average consumer to $37.20, an increase of $6.95 or 22.93 percent.

With the proposed increase, Albion residents would still be paying less per month than those in Butler ($36.75) or Waterloo ($37.55).

By state law, the town cannot use its cash surplus in the Water Department to pay for Wastewater Department projects.

We cant loan money back and forth, town attorney Bill Eberhard said.
HUNTERTOWN  With one last chance to speak as a member of the Huntertown Utility Service Board, John Widmann addressed the Huntertown Town Council at its meeting on Dec. 19, asking the council to consider some changes.

Changes that would require more employees.

Notably, Widmann would like to see the town introduce permit fees for commercial buildings, new homes, apartments and duplexes as well as any additions to those items.

In the next 10 years, we are going to have about 1,000 new houses built that we are going to have to maintain the water and sewer for. There will be people adding on to houses and right now, we dont get anything for it. We should. Everyone else issues permits. Why doesnt Huntertown? There is a revenue there. All that money is going out the door, Widmann said.

According to Widmann, currently any new home or business or anyone looking to add on to their home or business only needs to get a permit from Allen County.

Town Council President Pat Freck said that the town doesnt have employees qualified to properly inspect those new structures or add-ons.

We need to have at least two people trained in all these things to see and know if there is a problem, Widmann said.

To that points, Widmann recommended that the town increase its hydrant fee from $2.25 to $5. The extra revenue, which he estimated to be $115,500 a year, would be used to pay two new employees.

We have a sewage treatment plant that will be online and running in 13 months. Bringing in two employees after the first of the year (is important). They will have to be acclimated to what they are doing in the future. We have to get these guys acclimated to working environment in Huntertown. We have to teach them the water process, the sewer process, they need to learn maintenance, learn snow plowing, learn hydrants and valves, they need to learn it all, Widmann said.

According to the proposed fee schedule, new commercial building would have a minimum fee of $165 and a maximum fee of $800. A new home, apartment or duplex would have a minimum fee of $135. Out buildings  garages, barns, sheds  would cost $60. Decks, porches and pools would have a fee of $30. Other fees were assigned for fences ($15), signs ($15), electrical ($30), plumbing ($30), gas ($30) and structure remodel ($60).

Widmann also said the two new employees would be responsible for valve exercising and maintenance throughout town. He also wants to outfit a truck with the parts necessary for these projects. According to a document provided by Widmann, the town has over $1.9 million in valves and hydrants throughout the corporate limits of Huntertown. He notes that the town has six different brands of hydrants and four different brands of valves.

When the new employees would not be exercising valves. the employees would take on other tasks as directed by Superintendent of Utilities Don Papai.

When you do not annually turn your valves, you can have problems with opening and closing them. You run the risk of safety to the people of Huntertown when you do not have a valve that works properly, Widmann said.

The council took no action.

In other news:

 The Council approved the 2017 attorney services agreement with Hawk, Haynie, Kammeyer & Smith. The fee schedule is $750 a month as a retainer and $215 an hour.

The agreement covers attendance at regularly scheduled town council meeting, reviewing contracts and rendering opinions on items that come before the council, representation of the town, the town council, the clerk-treasurer and town employees in court actions or litigation in relation to the enforcement to town ordinances, drafting resolutions and ordinances, matters of economic development, bond issues and annexation.

 The council approved the 2017 engineering services agreement with Engineering Resources Inc. The fee is based on an hourly basis and is not to exceed $25,000. The hourly cost of service ranges from $130 an hour to $50 an hour, depending on the service being provided.

The agreement covers general services which are listed as planning, roadways, storm sewer utility, attendance at monthly council meetings, constriction inspection and special projects. Projects that require a larger amount of time are subject to an amendment.
Mike Krogman is doing some long-distance apartment hunting.

Hell be leaving the lakeshore house he rents in Pardeeville and heading to Iowa, probably sometime this spring.

Krogman, 48, has worked for Oscar Mayer in Madison since April 1990, first on the sanitation crew and now as union secretary/treasurer and chief steward.

But the plant is scheduled to close by the end of March 2017, so Krogman plans to transfer to Oscar Mayers factory in Davenport so he can put in the three more years he needs to earn a pension. He doesnt know what job hell get in Iowa or how much it will pay.

Id rather not go down there, but its a part of life, I guess. You have to do what you have to do, Krogman said.

Madison city officials also are trying to prepare for the unknown.

Mayor Paul Soglin said planning for the future of the longtime Oscar Mayer site at 910 Mayer Ave.  at the intersection of Packers and Commercial avenues  will get serious in 2017.

We are planning a meeting ... sitting down with some business leaders here in the city, just discussing the future of the site and what may be done with it, from a technical standpoint, Soglin said.

Thats our highest priority  to start doing some planning, he said. But the mayor said it could be 10 years before the site comes alive again, with a new identity.

Just a few months before Madisons near-century of meat production at Oscar Mayer will end, many questions remain unanswered: Questions about the hundreds of remaining workers whose jobs will disappear; questions about the fate of the 72-acre site and the 1.7 million square feet of offices and factory it houses  the place where hot dogs and processed meats began production in 1919 and where, at its peak, more than 4,000 people once worked.

One thing is certain: With the impending closing of Oscar Mayer, 2017 will see a big shake-up in the citys economic base and in the rhythm of the North Side neighborhood that is not likely to be resolved anytime soon.

Dwindling jobs

When parent company Kraft Heinz announced in November 2015 it would close Oscar Mayer operations in Madison as part of a restructuring that will shutter seven plants in the U.S. and Canada, about 1,000 people worked in the local factory and offices, including 650 union members at the plant.

Today, there are 450 employees left  fewer than half  company spokesman Michael Mullen said. Of those, 420 are union members, said Doug Leikness, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 538.

They wont be there much longer. Leikness said hes been told 42 plant workers jobs will end Saturday, and at least 44 more at the end of January.

Another 240 jobs will disappear in February when the round and square products  lunch meats such as bologna, ham and turkey  will cease production, Leikness said.

I believe some of these product lines that we have are going to start up in January in Kirksville, Missouri, he said.

Kraft Heinz officials are not offering details, but Mullen gave this emailed statement:

Kraft Heinz will end production at the Madison factory in the first quarter of 2017, and we are in the process of transitioning production to other facilities within the United States, Mullen wrote.

We continue to work with local officials and potential buyers on the sale of our Madison facility. We remain committed to keeping the community apprised of our progress. For now, the process remains ongoing. Once a decision has been reached, our employees will be the first to know.

We sincerely thank our employees for their hard work and commitment to the facility. As always, we remain committed to treating our people with the utmost respect and dignity, Mullen wrote.

Headed to Iowa

Krogman is among about 50 of Madisons Oscar Mayer workers who intend to transfer to Davenport, Leikness estimated. When they do, they will have bumping rights over the Iowa employees.

Under a clause in the unions contract, if Madisons Oscar Mayer plant closes, its employees have the right to take over a job thats held by a worker with the least seniority at the Davenport factory.

Quite a few employees, though, are choosing to retire instead, Leikness said, and some are drawing pensions of $2,000 a month or more.

Employees who are at least 50 years old and have worked for the company at least 20 years can get a double-pension, Leikness said. Some even qualify for a $750 bonus on top of that.

Those who are not eligible to receive a pension will get a separation agreement with smaller payments.

Leikness said newer Oscar Mayer employees have a 401(k) retirement account instead of a pension and wont get company-paid health insurance when they eventually retire.

Krogman, who grew up in Eau Claire and went to high school in DeForest, wound up at Oscar Mayer by accident. He had earned an associate degree in police science at Madison Area Technical College but was not able to land a law enforcement job right away. When the Oscar Mayer job emerged, he took it.

The pay at Oscar Mayer at the time was more than most police jobs, Krogman said.

Oscar Mayers been a good place to work. You can work a lot of hours and earn extra money. Ive been able to buy houses, he said.

The Davenport operation also is undergoing a big change. Kraft Heinz will close Davenports current plant and is building a new one  with the help of at least $15 million in state and local incentives  that will provide jobs for several hundred fewer employees.

Whats next

When Oscar Mayer ceases operations here, it will affect more than just the employees.

Local utilities will take a big hit:

Madison Gas and Electric Co. has told state regulators Oscar Mayer is the source of more than $3 million in revenue each year.

Oscar Mayer has long been the largest customer of the Madison Water Utility, typically using 400 million to 450 million gallons of water a year and providing the water utility with more than $1 million a year in revenue, or 2.8 percent of its total annual revenue, spokeswoman Amy Barrilleaux said.

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District says Oscar Mayer is the No. 2 contributor of wastewater  after only UW-Madison  and treating that wastewater has generated more than $500,000 a year in revenue for the sewerage district, on average, over the past 10 years.

Soglin said the citys 2017 budget includes $100,000 to hire a private planning consultant to help city staff develop a strategy for the soon-to-be-vacant property.

Most people agree we want a solid employment base at the site. Were not interested in housing, not interested in retail sales  which isnt to say none of that will be there. But the key has to be something that creates employment, good jobs, Soglin said.

He said the city has been in contact with Oscar Mayer officials at Krafts base in Chicago on a monthly basis.

So far, no word has been forwarded about any serious interest in buying the buildings, and no developer has approached the city, Soglin said.

They will notify us when they have a buyer. When the property was listed in the summer, I know that there was interest, said Soglin.

The citys main objective now is to get the site cleared for new development, he said. Soglin said he has told Kraft Heinz that if a developer comes forward, the city will apply for federal brownfield cleanup funds, which cannot be awarded to private companies.

Conversely, if there are no takers, we have told Oscar Mayer that if the site were cleaned up, we would take it for a dollar. But it cant come with any liabilities, Soglin said.

He estimated it would cost $10 million to $12 million to demolish the buildings, remove the materials and prepare for a grounds cleanup.

With no other business waiting in the wings to move into the location, it could take up to a decade before anything happens, Soglin said.

Impact on local businesses

In the meantime, things will slow down for area businesses that have catered to the Oscar Mayer crowd  the groceries, hardware stores, restaurants.

Those crowds already have diminished in recent years, said John Kavanaugh, whose family has owned Kavanaughs Esquire Club, 1025 N. Sherman Ave., since 1947.

With only an open field separating the businesses, Oscar Mayer workers used to congregate at the old-fashioned supper club for lunch, bowling banquets and Christmas parties. Even members of the Mayer family would come by.

When the meat processing plant traditionally closed for a holiday break at noon on Christmas Eve day, workers would stop in and hold an impromptu cocktail party at the Esquire Club, he said. That was always a very festive day for us, Kavanaugh said.

He said the closing is a concern for other members of the North Side Business Association, as well. When people dont have the money to spend, (and there are fewer) people working, it makes a difference to everyone.

Kavanaugh said at least a couple of people have suggested that Epic Systems Corp., the huge electronic health records software company in Verona, might be interested in taking over the Oscar Mayer site.

What a wonderful thing that would be  if (Epic founder) Judy Faulkner would want to put a training center in the area, close to the airport and close to the Interstate (highway), Kavanaugh said.

An Epic presence would likely draw a major hotel to the area as well, he speculated.

She certainly has the wherewithal, the funding to do that. What a great thing that would be for the North Side, Kavanaugh said.

An Epic spokesman said, though, thats not in the plan for the company, whose campus continues to grow in Verona. We are not interested in the Oscar Mayer property, Epic spokesman Eric Helsher said Wednesday.
From the public files at the La Crescent Police Department.

Friday, Dec. 16

5:33 a.m. Vehicle stalled in the lane of travel, Hwy. 14/61. Officers pushed the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway.

7:15 a.m. Burglar alarm at local business, N. Chestnut St. False alarm.

8:59 a.m. One-vehicle rollover crash reported on Hwy. 14/16/61. No injuries. La Crescent PD investigated.

10:19 a.m. Opened Shore Acres bypass for an oversized vehicle delivery,

1:28 p.m. Civil matter involving a utilities company, Redwood West. Officer referred the resident to the Minnesota Attorney Generals Office and to the state of Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

8:22 p.m. Emergency medical, S. Second St.

9:27 p.m. Three La Crescent juveniles were caught burglarizing a local business, N. Chestnut St. As a result of the investigation, a total of six juveniles were arrested with an additional three juveniles facing related criminal charges.

9:07 p.m. Report of someone going through an unlocked vehicle, McIntosh East. No items were stolen.

Saturday, Dec. 17

10:01 a.m. Mailbox reported to have been knocked down related to snow removal activities, S. Second St. (The city of La Crescent encourages homeowner to maintain mailboxes located at curbside. If a residential mailbox is struck by a plow truck, they will be replaced. However, if the damage is a result of snow being pushed off the roadway, repairs are the responsibility of the owner.)

10:08 a.m. Emergency medical, Spruce Dr.

10:26 a.m. Two-vehicle crash reported, S. Third St. Officer investigated.

2:50 p.m. Resident on S. Fourth St. reported a sickly coyote in city limits.

3:00 p.m. Concern reported for children digging snow tunnels off on N. Elm St. Gone upon arrival.

4:56 p.m. Harassment reported, Moore Dr.

5:16 p.m. Emergency medical, Cornforth Rd.

9:22 p.m. Emergency medical, N. Walnut St.

Sunday, Dec. 18

6:51 a.m. Traffic stop on vehicle driving with a flat tire, S. Elm St.

3:17 p.m. Resident locked keys in running vehicle, N. Oak St. Officer responded and unlock vehicle.

6:15 p.m. Motorist assist, Hwy. 16.

8:57 p.m. Emergency medical, S. Second St.

9:04 p.m. Found dog, Main St. The dog was returned to the owner.

Monday, Dec. 19

Theft reported, Red Apple Dr.

6:48 a.m. Hit-and-run property damage crash reported, S. Seventh St.

7:57 a.m. Overtime parking complaint regarding a vehicle displaying no registration, S. First St.

9:21 a.m. Emergency medical, Hwy. 14/61.

11:02 a.m. Keys found on street, N. Fourth St. Later returned to owner.

3:54 p.m. Vehicle unlock requested, Lancer Blvd. Officer unlocked vehicle.

6:02 p.m. Trouble with juvenile, Valley Ln.

Tuesday, Dec. 20

Shore Acres bypass opened for oversize vehicle.

1:39 a.m. Parking ordinance enforced city-wide to assist with snow removal.

7:13 a.m. School bus stop arm violation reported, Hokah.

9:26 a.m. Property damage motor vehicle crash reported, Hwy. 14/16/61.

1:13 p.m. Officers responded to a verbal domestic dispute, S. 16th St. Parties separated.

1:52 p.m. Opened Shore Acres bypass for an oversize vehicle related to construction activity.

2:04 p.m. Opened Shore Acres bypass for an oversize vehicle.

4:48 p.m. 911 hang-up call, Cedar Dr. Party believed a third-subject needed assistance, but hung up prior to giving information to Houston County dispatcher.

6:31 p.m. Welfare check requested, S. Fourth St.

Wednesday, Dec. 21

8:27 a.m. Opened Shore Acres bypass for an oversize vehicle.

9:10 a.m. Parking permit issued for residential construction activity, McIntosh East.

11:31 a.m. Extra patrol request, Cornforth Rd.

2:46 p.m. Assisted Houston County Sheriffs Office with issuing a car vs. deer possession permit, CTH 25.

4:26 p.m. La Crescent resident requested use of a live trap, S. First St.

4:54 p.m. Assisted Monroe County with investigating a hit-and-run crash reported in their jurisdiction, S. Second St.

11:22 p.m. Burglary alarm, Main St. Alarm determined to be false.

11:43 p.m. Cat running at large was taken to La Crescent Animal Rescue, McIntosh East.

Thursday, Dec. 22

11:15 a.m. Assisted in unlocking vehicle with keys locked inside, CTH 6.

4:34 p.m. Concern for welfare, Larch Ave.

5:32 p.m. Assisted other agency with injury motor vehicle crash and caring for a dog that was passenger in the crash, Hwy. 26.
People might want to keep a closer eye on their parking habits in Black River Falls as the common council approved an ordinance to raise the fees for parking violations.

In what was only supposed to be a first reading, the common council voted to push forward with the ordinance and passed it that same night to allow the police station to order new ticket books with the updated fees.

Police Chief Scot Eisenhauer said this update was mainly to bring Black River Falls up to the area average since the city was already lower than usual with tickets for parking violations at $10 compared to $20 in other municipalities in Jackson County.

Parking rules themselves will not change, simply how the fees are assessed and structured overall.

The hope is that with higher fees, people will be more attentive to where they park and for how long. Some have complained that cars left parked on side streets overnight can cause a problem for plows as they try to clear the roads.

Others also feel with higher fees and better enforcement, shopping traffic downtown will increase by keeping cars rotating in and out as opposed to taking up spaces all day.

Officials dont anticipate much changing, however, It was more about bringing us in line with everyone else, Eisenhauer said, We really dont write a lot of tickets, I think we only wrote about 20 all last year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a new conservation effort to boost the monarch butterfly population through habitat improvements.

The program will allow landowners to enroll up to 50,000 acres of farmland in the Conservation Reserve Program, through which the government pays farmers to remove environmentally sensitive land from production.

This is a huge win for conservation in Wisconsin, said Patty Edelburg, state executive director of the Farm Service Agency. While participation in CRP programs is down, Edelburg said the agency in recent years has had to turn away farmers looking to put their lands into conservation.

In order to qualify, land must have been planted with crops for at least four of the past six years. If accepted into the program, landowners agree to follow a conservation plan that calls for a mix of grasses and flowering plants  including milkweed  that monarchs, bees and other pollinators feed on.

These insects are critical to the production of dozens of common foods, from apples to vanilla.

Pollinators are the lifeline between us and the foods we eat, said Brandon Soldner, a conservation program specialist with the FSA.

Bright orange with black and white markings, monarch butterflies are found throughout North America, mostly east of the Rocky Mountains. During the summer they are found as far north as Canada. Beginning in August, they make a two-month journey south to a handful of sites in Mexico, where they spend the winter before returning to mate in the spring.

Two decades ago, about a billion monarchs occupied a winter habitat of 44.5 acres, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By 2013-14, that had fallen to about 37 million butterflies.

More than 90 percent of those butterflies feed on common milkweed, much of which has been eradicated by modern farming and landscape practices, said Kurt Waterstradt, Wisconsin private lands coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Planting 50,000 acres of Wisconsin in milkweed could boost the population by 750,000 butterflies, Waterstradt said.

Its imperiled, he said. We dont want to put it on the Endangered Species List.

Available to landowners in the southern two-thirds of the state, the monarch program is modeled on an existing one that was aimed at improving habitat for the endangered Karner blue butterfly in Jackson and Eau Claire counties.

With about 350 acres enrolled, the Karner blue program in Jackson County is full. Julie Dokkestul, executive director for the FSA in Jackson and Trempealeau counties, said there are landowners who couldnt get into that program will likely flock to the monarch program.

Dokkestul notes that seeds for the monarch program will be more affordable than those for Karners.

CRP rents vary based on location, land quality and other factors. In 2015, Wisconsins average rents ranged from $25 an acre in Florence County to $148 in Grant, with an overall average of about $80 an acre, according to FSA data.

Standard cropland rents for an average of $109 an acre in Wisconsin, and about $200 an acre for irrigated land, according to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The FSA expects to begin accepting applications this winter. Planting would begin in spring of 2018.

Participation in CRP programs plummeted over the past decade, largely driven by rising commodity prices that had farmers looking to plant more corn.

Between 2005 and 2015, Wisconsin lost 61 percent of its conservation acres. Minnesota lost 35 percent. Thats nearly 988,000 acres of land in the two states combined that was taken out of conservation. Farmers in parts of Wisconsins hilly Driftless area  including Jackson, Trempealeau and Vernon counties  took more 3/4 of conservation acres out of the program.

When crop prices are really really good people dont want to put land into conservation cover, said Kim Iczkowski, a spokeswoman for the agency. When prices fall conservation becomes more of a viable option.
The turn of the calendar to 2017 brings us hope for better prospects in our public affairs. I am particularly inspired this season for the many who wrote with solutions to problems facing our state.

The many letters from readers gives me optimism for a coming bloom of civic mindedness. Certainly your notes and letters bring a fresh approach to lingering problems.

I do see signs on the horizon that our state may be stumbling.

Deep budget cuts have affected the forward progress of our University of Wisconsin System. Faculty have left UW and taken their research dollars with them. For the first time in 45 years UW Madison does not rank in the top five universities in research spending according to the National Science Foundation.

A second trouble spot is the low number of start-up businesses in Wisconsin. For the second year in a row, Wisconsin ranked last in the nation in start-up business activity according to a Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation report.

Investment in research at the UW spurs start-up businesses. Growth in new companies translates to growth in our economy. According to a report released earlier this year by the UW Center for Community and Economic Development, new businesses are the source of over a quarter of new jobs in Wisconsin.

Our economy is sputtering. Wisconsin lagged compared to the national economy in recovering from the 2008-09 recession. Our state took six years to gain back all the jobs lost in the Great Recession  a whole year after the nation recovered and two years after Minnesota recovered.

Another trouble spot is the lack of teachers and students going into education. Schools of education are reporting fewer graduates and local districts are reporting fewer applicants for open teaching positions. Future budgets must invest in K-12, technical college and the UW to assure us of our needed talented and trained workforce.

Competing with education funding in coming budget debates will be transportation needs. Our road fund is basically bankrupt. Spending has outpaced revenue for several years. Now, nearly a quarter of every dollar must be used to pay off debt.

Even the General Fund (used to pay mostly for schools and colleges, health care, local government, and corrections) has financial struggles. Earlier this year the governor refinanced debt  kicking the can down the road  to free up cash for the new budget.

Other signs of trouble include late, altered and missing financial reports. Most recently the state missed the mid-December deadline for the release of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

Troubles on the horizon will, fortunately, be met with insights gained from new knowledge. Soon the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) will release an audit of the Department of Transportation. Later this spring a report from the LAB on the operations of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will help us understand the agency responsible for state efforts to create jobs.

The best solutions for our problems come from the ingenuity of the people of our great state. Thanks to people who wrote with ideas for new legislation. Many of you wrote with ideas for fixing roads and funding schools.

Several people wrote me asking to limit state money going to private schools. Kathleen of Arcadia suggested new money for private schools be only from new funds and never taken out of public schools. Mary wanted to use monies going to private schools to pay for road construction.

Others wrote of improving broadband, lowering health insurance costs, protecting water resources and restoring local control.

Still others wrote about fixing our political system including the drawing of new nonpartisan legislative districts, more civic education, and a brighter light shown on who is writing new legislation.

I support these ideas. I am also hopeful nonpartisan redistricting may happen as part of a pending court case.

The New Year will bring new faces to the Legislature. But a familiar face wont be seen in the Assembly Chambers. Our Senate District sends a big thank-you to Representative Chris Danou. My heart is filled with profound appreciation for the tireless advocacy Rep. Danou provided us in western Wisconsin.

Wishing a happy and prosperous New Year to you, dear reader. Dont forget to write.
 III  2022         ,            8      ,    - 2,2  .
PIGEON FALLS, Wis.  Oliver L. Leer, 91, of Pigeon Falls died Monday, Dec. 26, 2016, at Pigeon Falls Health Care Center. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at New Hope Lutheran Church, with burial with military honors to follow in Pigeon Creek Center Cemetery, both in Northfield, Wis. Visitation from 11 a.m. to time of the service. Jensen-Modjeski Funeral Home of Hixton, is assisting the family with arrangements.
A day after announcing plans to streamline water quality regulation, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources emphatically denied that it will allow large dairy producers to write their own pollution permits.

But DNR leaders do want animal feedlot operators to take more responsibility for drafting pollution discharge permits, the legal documents that spell out standards and techniques aimed at keeping millions of gallons of manure they produce annually out of the states lakes, streams and drinking water.

Conservationists say the change is loaded with pitfalls that threaten water quality, while industry representatives say it doesnt go far enough.

A key to their arguments is something that hasnt been highlighted: Much of what goes into the permits under current practices is already written by the industry, subject to DNR oversight.

The DNR wants to start a program under which it would review the credentials of the private consultants who are hired by large dairies to write lengthy proposals that eventually form the basis for the permit, then create a list of those the DNR and the dairy operators can be assured would do good work that could be approved quickly with less review and revision.

A Dairy Business Association representative praised the DNR plan to give more cursory review to proposals from approved consultants but added that it would be a relatively small additional step to what the industry sees as an even better arrangement involving concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) writing the whole permit.

That would speed permitting and create more efficiently designed CAFOs by giving the consultants who are experts in their fields greater control, while still allowing DNR the last word, association lobbyist John Holevoet said.

Its important to remember that the consultants cant risk doing poor work that would make their insurance premiums go up, Holevoet said.

Sometimes the public thinks theyll just do whatever the farmer wants, he said. Thats not true because they have to have fairly expensive insurance policies, and if something goes wrong the farmer will sue the engineering firm and the insurance company will pay out.

But conservationists pointed to problems that have surfaced even with the existing level of DNR scrutiny.

With DNR staff stretched thin and under pressure to issue permits quickly, the agency has approved CAFOs whose manure lagoons have overflowed into trout streams and where animal waste was spread on farm fields with thin soil and porous bedrock that allowed drinking water to be tainted, said Sarah Geers of Midwest Environmental Advocates.

It would be one thing if the process were already working really well, but from what we know about the CAFO program I dont see how less DNR review will result in better permits, Geers said.

Assured consultants

DNR secretary Cathy Stepp announced plans to change water permitting as part of a broad reorganization aimed at recognizing that the agencys responsibilities have grown in recent years at the same time that elected officials have cut its staff.

Stepp said she wants to reduce time staff members spend reviewing and seeking revisions in permit applications so they can talk with CAFO operators about best practices and conduct inspections to ensure they are complying with their permits.

Critics say inspections wont mean much if the DNR isnt ensuring that the standards written into permits are adequate. Revising a faulty permit is a legal process that takes many months.

But Stepp said a similar assurance program reduced staff responsibilities without lowering standards about 10 years ago when the DNR used it to give the private sector more responsibility for mapping sensitive wetlands.

So this isnt about producers writing their own permit, its not about them writing their own regulations or standards, Stepp said in a recent Wisconsin Public Television interview. This is just about some of the more heavy-duty technical paperwork side of things getting done by professionals who are very well educated and credentialed to do that.

Water pollution discharge permits include operating conditions. Some, such as required ground water monitoring or leak detection devices in production areas, may be taken from the plans and specifications submitted by the CAFO.

But the bulk of the permit document is hundreds or even thousands of pages describing how, where and under what conditions the CAFO will dispose of manure it produces. The so-called nutrient management plan is incorporated into the permit.

The DNR said the best case is that a CAFO submits spotless plans that dont require the department to request additional information or revisions.

But conservationists who have challenged DNR-approved permits say the agency too often allows CAFOs to operate with inadequate permit restrictions.

State oversight of the waste water discharge permits have become a hot topic as regulatory shortcomings have come to light.

Stepp wants to create lists of approved consultants for the two major portions of a CAFO application  the plans and specifications for structures in milk production areas, and the plans for manure disposal.

Both involve mapping, soil tests and highly technical calculations aimed at ensuring that rain wont flush manure into the aquifer or surface water.

Its not entirely clear how closely DNR staff members would review applications from assured consultants, but the idea is that they would spend less time on them so they could spend more time elsewhere.

Well be doing spot audits and regular check-ins to make sure that those calculations are being done correctly, Stepp said in the television interview.

Its possible that spot checks would be done on an annual basis to ensure consultants were using the same methodology that DNR staff would insist upon, but details will be worked out in meetings with stakeholders, DNR director of business support and science Mark Aquino told the State Journal.

State law already requires that nutrient management plans be prepared by consultants who have been certified by professional organizations.

The plans describe how manure may be spread over hundreds of acres sometimes involving multiple landowners.

Meanwhile, at least one lawmaker is considering legislation to break up the DNR and divide its functions among three existing and two new agencies. Gov. Scott Walker said the idea should get consideration, while critics raise questions about how the plan would affect environmental protection.

Experience level varies

Engineering companies that design CAFO production areas have varying levels of experience, so a DNR list of assured firms would be useful, said Jennifer Keuning, Green Bay project manager for the international engineering and construction services company GHD.

The company specializes in construction projects involving environmental regulations, and it has handled hundreds of CAFO projects and expansions in Wisconsin, Keuning said. Like Holevoet, she said the industry could write the entire permit if the DNR wanted that.

Even if the assurance program works well, its difficult to imagine improvement in the DNRs performance in protecting water quality unless elected officials stop cutting and start restoring the agency, Midwest Environmental Advocates Geers and others have said.
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii  In a historic pilgrimage, the leaders of Japan and the United States took to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday to prove that even the bitterest enemies can become allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan must never repeat the horrors of war again.

Seventy-five years after Japans surprise attack sent America marching into World War II, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water. More than 1,000 U.S. war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship, and in a show of respect, Obama and Abe dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence.

As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place, Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

That was the closest Abe would get to an apology for the attack. And it was enough for Obama, who also declined to apologize seven months ago when he became Americas first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived the attack. The 96-year-old said he had no hard feelings and added, War is war.

They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do, Rodrigues said before the visit.

Abe, who became Japans first leader to visit Pearl Harbor with a U.S. president, said the visit brought utter silence to me. His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the U.S. and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

They started with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was likely Obamas last meeting with a foreign leader before leaving office in January. It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abes predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Obama, speaking after he and Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called the harbor a sacred place and said that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace. Its a notion Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Myanmar and Cuba.

As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heavens rails for all eternity, Obama said.

Then the two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd. They shook hands and hugged some of the men who fought in the Dec. 7, 1941, battle that President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a date which will live in infamy.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of U.S. troops killed in the Japanese attack.

For Abe, it was an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming seven months after Obama and Abe visited Hiroshima together and renewed their calls for a nuclear-free future. Still, both governments maintain that the visits were separate and not contingent upon one another.

The visit was not without political risk for Abe, given the Japanese peoples long, emotional reckoning with their nations aggression in the war. Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbor a surprise attack, Japans government still insists it had intended to give prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of bureaucratic bungling.

Theres this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this Pearl Harbor syndrome, that we did something very unfair, said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. He said he believes Abes visit would absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have.

In the years after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the U.S. and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obamas tenure, including strengthened military ties. Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will degenerate under President-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Obama nor Abe addressed.
Republican state legislators, led by Rep. Dave Murphy, Greenville, and Sen. Steve Nass, Whitewater, are threatening to withhold funding from the University of Wisconsin-Madison if it doesnt kill the course The Problem of Whiteness and dismiss the professor who teaches it (Dec. 21 Tribune). Im not surprised by this news, but I am, sadly, reminded again how little these lawmakers seem to understand about what makes a university work.

I grew up outside of Chaseburg, did all my learning in the states public schools, and am a three-time product of UW-Madison (bachelors degree in 2005, masters degree in 2010, and doctorate degree in 2015). Ive moved away from Wisconsin three times: once after college when I was too young to know better; once when I temporarily left for doctoral research; and once when I took my current job as a history professor at Ball State University in Indiana.

I always used to dream of teaching at UW-Madison. Its an incredible institution, and Im not ashamed to be in a deep kind of love with my home state. I literally have the state outline tattooed on my arm. I return for vacation every chance I get. My dad still lives at the dead-end drive at the end of the valley where I grew up; its the only childhood home I ever knew. My primary complaint about Indianapolis, where I live now, is that there isnt a decent Packer bar. When Wisconsin politicians talk about wanting to retain their homegrown talent and avoid the dreaded brain drain, Id like to think that Im a fair to middling example of said talent.

But by working consciously to intimidate faculty members with whom they have ideological disagreements, Nass, Murphy and their colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle are turning UW-Madison into a punishingly unappealing place to work. Their record of accomplishment when it comes to the University of Wisconsin System is dominated by budget cuts, faculty flight and sliding (inter)national rankings. When they single out particular courses and professors, and threaten to tether the universitys funding to jettisoning both, it has a chilling effect that ripples outward. That chill is deepened by comments like Murphys that he will be looking at the humanities for further courses to scrutinize and perhaps kill, if he doesnt think that they pass intellectual (or, more likely, ideological) muster. Though he and his staff will not be looking at business curriculum, which is apparently assumed to be ideologically neutral.

Alongside preparing people for life in the post-collegiate world, one of the most valuable aspects of a college education is cultivating an ability to reckon with challenging ideas  especially ones that dont accord with your own preconceptions and worldview. By trying to kill classes to which they are prematurely ideologically opposed, Nass, Murphy and others hope to silence leftist professors and crush ideas that challenge their vision of the proper status quo.

But the collateral damage is two-fold. For one, they deeply undermine students experiences, and the core goals of a university education. And second, they create a climate in which faculty at UW-Madison, and those considering a job there, have to think twice about taking or continuing employment with the university if they have other options.

I know that I would have to think twice, and Im a Badger to my core. Anyone whos ever wondered how great institutions die, keep watching as the Legislature works to kill one.
Gov. Scott Walker will travel to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday "to personally thank Wisconsin Army National Guard personnel for their service," his office has announced.

A release from Walker's office said the governor will visit soldiers from the Milwaukee-based 32nd Military Police Company.

Earlier this year, about 120 soldiers from the company deployed to Guantanamo Bay to conduct detention operations.

The 32nd Miltary Police Company "is providing operational support for Joint Task Force Guantanamo and the Joint Detention Group," according to the release. The Guantanamo Bay naval base includes a military prison that houses terror suspects.

Walker will be accompanied on the visit by Wisconsins Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar. The state Department of Military Affairs is providing transport.
Israel claims ironclad information White House behind UN rebuke: JERUSALEM  Doubling down on its public break with the Obama administration, a furious Israeli government on Tuesday said it had received ironclad information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft last weeks U.N. resolution declaring Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal. The allegation, which was denied by the State Department, further poisoned a toxic atmosphere between Israel and the outgoing administration in the wake of Fridays vote, raising questions about whether the White House might take further action against settlements in President Barack Obamas final weeks in office.

Cuba sees economy shrink 1 percent despite detente with US: HAVANA  Cuba announced Tuesday that its economy shrank this year for the first time in nearly a quarter century as a plunge in aid from Venezuela overwhelmed a surge in tourism set off by detente with the United States. Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas and President Raul Castro told Parliament that the islands gross domestic product fell nearly 1 percent after seeing average annual growth rate of nearly 3 percent in 2011-2015. Cabrisas blamed the slump on Venezuelas troubles and a decrease in revenue from Cubas few exports, which include sugar, refined gasoline and nickel, whose price has dropped in recent years.

Watership Down author Richard Adams dies at age 96: LONDON  British author Richard Adams, whose 1972 book Watership Down became a classic of childrens literature, has died, according to his daughter. He was 96. Adams lyrical and poignant novel about the plight of rabbits whose home was under threat became an astonishing success after it was published. Popular with both children and adults, it has since sold millions of copies and was made into a film, with a remake scheduled for next year.

UN resolution could sanction Syrians for chemical attacks: UNITED NATIONS  A draft U.N. resolution obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press would impose sanctions on 11 Syrians and 10 Syrian organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks in the war-ravaged country. The proposed Security Council resolution, drafted by Britain and France, would also ban all countries from supplying Syrias government with helicopters, which investigators have determined were used in chemical attacks. The resolution follows a joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog that determined the Syrian government was behind at least three attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State group was responsible for at least one involving mustard gas.

Judge indicts former Argentine president in corruption case: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina  Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez was indicted Tuesday in a corruption case involving public works. Federal Judge Julian Ercolini approved charges of illicit association and fraudulent administration against Fernandez, and two former aides: ex-Planning Minister Julio de Vido and former Public Works Secretary Jose Lopez. The ruling published by official Center of Judicial Information said the defendants are accused of associating to illegally take public fund meant for public works between May 2003 and December 2015, largely in the southern province of Santa Cruz.

Death toll from tainted liquor climbs to 31: MULTAN, Pakistan  At least 31 people have died from drinking tainted liquor over the Christmas holiday in Pakistan, police and doctors said Tuesday, raising an earlier toll. Local police officer Atif Imran Qureshi said dozens of people were transported to hospitals in the eastern Punjab province after they consumed contaminated alcohol. A total of 19 people died Tuesday, and 12 the day before, he said. Alcohol is mostly prohibited in Muslim-majority Pakistan, but non-Muslims can purchase it from licensed shops. Most poor Christians buy homemade liquor  which is more affordable but causes deaths almost every year.
Veterans and their loved ones integrate each of us well! Those who have served, suffered and sacrificed impacts each of us in ways incomprehensible. Past, present and future quality of life goes beyond being inspired but empowered.

John A. Scocos is retiring Jan. 7, 2017, after a brilliant and stellar career as the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. John as Chief Veterans Officer and his department employees have made tremendous impacts in serving the nearly 400,000 veterans and their loved ones.

John served as a Reserve Officer for 31 years in the U.S. Army. He retired as a full-bird colonel, after serving two tours in Iraq and then the Pentagon as the military assistant to the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Defense.

Johns vast experience only intensified his dedication to serve us best. As the chief clerk and Sergeant of Arms for the Wisconsin Assembly, he superbly internalized the complex operation of state government. It is no wonder that he has been and will continue to be highly respected and sought after by all facets of state and federal government leaders.

This was not always an easy task, especially when serving under both Republican and Democrat governors. So often it is our detractors that only make us stronger and more effective. In politics as in life, worst enemies at the next moment, the next issue must be best friends. God bless them all.

Wisconsin has bragging rights as having the best state veterans benefit package of all 50 states. So much so, that John and his predecessor Ray Boland were elected Chairman of the National State Veteran Secretaries Association. Their expertise and dedication was shared with other states, so that their Veterans could model after our sterling example.

Gov. Scott Walker, in consultation with the major veteran and auxiliary groups, now makes the decision for his replacement. Eager and pray-fully are we awaiting this decision  so that we may give utmost support and guidance.

It is our vow to continue the proud legacy of the three veterans homes, the Veterans Museum  considered one of the best of all 50 states, the three cemeteries, the Veterans Service Representative Claims Office. There are so many more programs, initiatives and daily functions that deserve accolades.

Much is in the works, including six more veterans 72-bed long-term care facilities, modeled after the Chippewa Veterans Home. This is considered one of the absolute best built and operated long-term care facilities in the USA.

Target communities include Green Bay, Hayward (targeted for Native Americans  space available for others), La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee. The Chippewa Veterans Home both needs and deserves a second 72-bed facility. All of these six veterans homes require both public and private coalition with state and federal leadership to be successful. Working together works best when such coalitions work behind the scenes, beneath the radar screen and beyond the horizon.

Many veterans and their loved ones consider themselves a Living Legacy Tribute  spiritually transcending the Faithfully Departed! Check out the Wisconsin Veterans Tribute/Citizen Soldier Monument at Cadott, Wis. There are 97 unique characteristics  in the world.

There you will see a Greek flag, perhaps the only one to fly at a major veterans monument, on American soil in the whole USA. It celebrates to a World War II veteran and prisoner of war  John Scocos, Sr.  the Secretarys dad.

All of us have heroes in our midst, not just the Veterans. It is the home-front heroes who deserve our accolades. They support or military and veterans for a lifetime. During military action, they are the families, farmers, factory workers, public servants, prayer warriors and business owners that determine survival.

Thank you, John A. Scocos Jr., veterans, loved ones and the home-front heroes. We are inspired by and emulate your example.

May you have hunger in the heart, fire in the belly and souls absolutely on fie!
When it comes to politics, Americans are famously known for having remarkably short memories.

And so it was again following the Nov. 8 election that Donald Trump supporters began writing letters to their newspaper editors decrying the anti-Trump demonstrations that had broken out in many cities across the country.

You didnt see conservatives acting that way when we were disappointed that Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012, wrote one.

Suck it up and act like adults and accept that the people have spoken, said another. Youre all a bunch of babies.

Oh, really?

How soon they forget the crude characterizations of Americas first black president that blanketed the country following both of Obamas successful elections: an effigy of Obama being burned on a cross in front of a Southern church, protesters rallying around a huge poster of a gallows noose with the caption Hang in there Obama, protesters holding up signs that read A village in Kenya is missing its idiot, deport Obama, and other signs reading Weve got a monkey in our zoo, now we have one in the White House.

Yup, these conservatives accepted the election of Barack Obama with utmost grace. Even before he was sworn into office Jan. 20, 2009, the birther movement went into full swing, flooding the internet with fake news stories that the newly elected president was here illegally  he wasnt born in the United States but in Kenya. Besides, he was a Muslim and was secretly plotting the takeover of the U.S. government. A black church was set afire in Massachusetts and property was destroyed in Pennsylvania, Texas and North Carolina.

And there at the forefront of those malicious lies about Obamas birth was the man who now bristles when people suggest hes a poor excuse to be president of the worlds most powerful country: Donald Trump himself.

Aside from just plain racial bigotry, there was no excuse to ridicule Obama. He had made no brash or untrue statements, he hadnt threatened to deport whole classes of people, he didnt claim he was going to put blacks ahead of whites or threaten to crack down on certain religions. There was no reason to fear Obama except one, of course. He is black.

Quite different from the man were about to put in the White House in a matter of weeks. Mexicans, Muslims, gays and many others who were pilloried during Trumps campaign have every reason to be afraid of whats ahead and to voice their concerns with demonstrations, which the U.S. Constitution protects.

And while many Trump supporters are complaining about the demonstrations, there have been several incidents of violence directed at the groups of people Trump denigrated during the campaign.

There hasnt been such a rash of hate crimes in the U.S. since Barack Obama was elected Americas first black president, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported. Muslim women report having their hijabs ripped from their heads, school kids have been ridiculed and told to go back to their own countries, reported incidents of bullying are increasing.

Right here at home a diverse Fitchburg family was told it wasnt welcome. In Monona someone painted swastikas on park playground equipment to celebrate the Trump victory.

Its why nationally syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., a leading African-American political columnist, insists he isnt interested in coming together with Trump to give him room to be president.

Understand: If this were just about politics, Id never say something like that, he wrote recently. No, Id do what youre supposed to when the candidate you favored is defeated. Suck it up.

But my anger is not about any given policy of the new president. No, it is about him, about the election of a fundamentally unsound, unserious and unfit man, a misogynist who brags about sexual assault, a bigot cheered to victory by the Ku Klux Klan. I have no idea how to heal woman hating and no desire to come together with the Klan.

I am similarly impatient with those who say we must give the new president a chance to lead and hope for his success.

Is that what Republicans did for Barack Obama when they gathered on the night of his inauguration and plotted a conspiracy of obstructionism to cripple his presidency? Is it what Donald Trump did when he spent years questioning the veracity of an ordinary birth certificate?

My sentiments, exactly.
Post-Truth. The Oxford English Dictionary named this its word of the year for 2016.

This was a year when campaign lies  most, though not all, coming out of the Donalds mouth  were so numerous that fact checking became nearly impossible.

Yes, each individual statement could be fact checked. But there were so many rapid-fire falsehoods that it was impossible to debunk them one by one on TV without devoting entire shows to just that.

And, far too often, nobody even cared if their preferred candidate was untruthful. The internet was awash with fake news that was more popular than the real news.

One fake news story told Trump supporters that the pope had endorsed Trump, while another one told Clinton supporters that hed denounced Trump. In reality, he did neither.

Things have hardly gotten better since the election, with Trump making false claims about millions of illegal voters and denying intelligence assessments that Russia intervened on his behalf.

This is a difficult time to teach social sciences, because students often cannot distinguish between fact and opinion.

A sociology professor I know posted on Facebook a line from a students final paper: If colored people would just follow the law, they wouldnt get shot by the police. A real student actually wrote that and turned it in.

As a professor, you have to grade students with political views different from your own fairly. But in addition to the offensive racial term, this students statement makes a claim that can be proven true or false with evidence.

As the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

Research can determine whether police shootings of people of color are due to law breaking by people of color or not. In this case, the evidence doesnt support the students conclusion.

The professor failed the student  not for his or her opinions, but for failing to do the assignment well. What do you want to bet the student will respond by calling the professor biased?

Im only a lowly teaching assistant, but I grapple with the current environment in my classroom too.

This semester, I led students in a discussion of same-sex marriage. We wrote each argument for and against legalizing same-sex marriage on the board. I asked students to determine which ones were opinions, and which made empirical claims that could be proven true or false with evidence.

Sociology cant really evaluate opinions, like the claim gay marriage is unnatural, or the competing one that same-sex couples deserve the dignity of marriage.

It can, on the other hand, scientifically evaluate whether children of same-sex couples turn out OK (they do) or whether humans use marriage only for heterosexual procreation (they dont).

By the end of class, I had a list of claims made by the anti-same sex marriage camp listed on the board, all of which were demonstrably false. Not one was true.

Was I biased?

I must say, even though I personally support marriage equality  as do the majority of Americans nowadays  I felt uneasy teaching this lesson. I do my best to keep my personal political views out of the classroom, even on subjects I care strongly about.

Instead, I wanted my students to distinguish between facts and opinions, and apply their knowledge from the semester to evaluate the accuracy of empirical claims. But I knew itd be easy to accuse me of bias.

A disgruntled student could even submit me to the Professor Watchlist  a right-wing website taking aim at professors conservatives disagree with.

In this post-truth world, it no longer matters whether a statement is factual. If you dont like someones facts, you can accuse them of bias and counter their truth with a story you got from a fake news site.

Especially when youve got the president-elect cheering you on.
The Westby Senior Dining Center is moving to a new location effective Jan. 3, 2017. After several years at Borgens Cafe in downtown Westby, the senior dining program is relocating to Westby Middle School where patrons will still receive a nutritious meal with all the fixings, but will enjoy the cuisine in a new setting.

Pat Peterson, the Unit on Aging Director said the decision to relocate was made due to Borgens Cafe business growing to the point that the space currently used as a dining center is needed for restaurant use. Everyone has truly appreciated the kindness shown by Borgens Cafe owner, Blane and Mary Charles in hosting the senior dining center during its long run in downtown Westby.

Peterson has been working closely with Westby Area School District Administrator, Charles Norton, to ensure a smooth transition to the new location. After receiving the Board of Education approval to move forward with the relocation of the community based program, the duo have been working out any of the kinks that might be worrisome to dining, such as parking and accessibility. They have also been working side-by-side with the school district kitchen staff to ensure that the additional meals being prepared at the facility do not adversely impact the staffs ability to serve the hundreds of meals they already prepare daily for students and staff in the school district.

The Westby Senior Dining Program has been in operation for the past 40 years for decades in the Westby Community Center and then at Borgens Cafe when the business reopened. Current Westby Dining Center Manager, Lynette Johnson will continue in her managerial role when the program relocates to Westby Middle School and will work closely with school staff to assure that meals are served timely.

In December, the school district hired Ann Shreier to work part-time with Johnson and the senior dining center program. Her duties will include preparing food, serving food and cleanup. It was clearly noted that all costs, including the additional labor needed to house the program, will be paid for through reimbursements from Vernon County, not the school district budget. Norton said that the school district is simply providing the facility year round to house the program including some days that classes are not in session, but is not funding the operation of the program.

No district taxpayer dollars will be used to operate this program. In fact, we expect this program to actually strengthen our food service program that is now self-sustaining and growing, Norton said.

Meals will be served to Senior Citizens at 11:30 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning January 3, 2017 at the Westby Middle School Cafeteria, which Norton said is currently not in service, but will be a fine way to put this facility back on-line where the public can benefit from it.

All equipment required is already there and we are happy that it will once again be put to use, Norton said.

In 2016 an average of 16 in-house diners and 28 Meals on Wheels diners have been served through the Vernon County Senior Nutrition program in Westby. Diners will enter through the Westby Fieldhouse doors (Door #5) located at the intersection of West Avenue South and Maple Streets. Patrons will be allowed to park along the front of the building, which is currently marked as no parking during school hours, but will be converted to parking for seniors during the meal time (11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)

An open house was held at the Westby Middle School on Tuesday, Dec. 21 for community members wishing to see the new location, having questions and concerns about the relocation answered and share ideas to consider to help make this move successful. Approximately 25 community members attended the open house. They were welcomed by Charles Norton, Jennifer Buros, Ann Shreier and Norm Davis from the school district and Pat Peterson, Laura Groom, Lynette Johnson and Tricia Clements from vernon County.

The Older Americans Act, federal law authorizing funding for the senior dining program began in Wisconsin in 1972. The overall program is funded through a variety of federal and state sources, county levy and the donations each diner provides when they participate in the program. Meals are served to individuals age 60 and older on a donation basis. Peterson said that it is rewarding to know that the nutrition needs of so many are being met through this program, but theres a lot more to do. Currently approximately 60 volunteers are actively assisting at Vernon Countys eight senior dining centers in Westby, Viroqua, Readstown, Ontario, La Farge, Hillsboro, DeSoto and Coon Valley.

Funding is always a concern so we continue to look at ways to improve our services with volunteers. The volunteers keep this program successful. There are opportunities to volunteer daily, weekly, monthly or whenever they find the time for the nutrition program, transportation program, caregiver program and special events the Unit on Aging coordinates. Peterson said.

Vernon County began its first dining center program in 1978 and the meals on wheels program in 1980. The county nutrition program has an approximately $500,000 annual budget. Daily an average of 115 people eat in-house at the senior dining centers and an additional 130 receive meals on wheels across the county. The suggested donation to participate is $3.50 for dining centers and $3.75 for home delivered meals.

The Vernon County Unit on Aging offers a variety of other senior-related services including: transportation, caregiver, health promotion, benefits counseling and focuses on helping those age 60 and older access and participate in all areas of community life to the greatest extent possible. In January 2017 this division of county government will integrate with the Aging and Disability Resource Center under the leadership of the Human Services Department. For more information call 608 637-5201.
A La Crosse man is accused of extorting money from another man in order to keep secret a photograph of the victim in womens underwear.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has held that two prosecutor training videos may be shielded from public disclosure.

The majority opinion is authored by Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley reversing the Court of Appeals

Wisconsin and this court are firmly committed to open and transparent government. The denial of public access occurs only in exceptional cases. This case presents one of those exceptional situations. The two videos requested here do not contain any evidence of official misconduct. The circuit court, the court of appeals, this court, and the Democratic Party all agree on this point. Both the 2009 and 2013 videos arise from confidential prosecutors' training sessions, and both videos contain instruction on prosecutorial strategies and law enforcement tactics. The 2013 recording is an accounting of a single case and the functional equivalent of a prosecutor's case file, which is exempt from disclosure under Foust. Further, it contains information, which, if released, would harm the public interest by re-traumatizing the victims and violating their privacy rights, contrary to the policies enshrined in our state constitution, statutes, and case law. In applying the balancing test required by Wis. Stat.  19.35(1)(a), the DOJ record custodian gave specific reasons for nondisclosure, and our review independently demonstrates that the reasons proffered are sufficient and supported by the facts in this case. We reverse the decision of the court of appeals and deny the writ of mandamus.

Justice Abrahamson dissented

Our "Sunshine Law," Wisconsin's public records law, is a core principle of democracy: "[T]he people must be informed about the inner workings of their government and . . . openness in government is essential to maintain the strength of our democratic society."

The majority opinion eclipses the "Sunshine Law." It dims the lights on persons seeking information about Wisconsin government operations andin the instant caseshuts the lights off on two records that show how district attorneys, charged with prosecuting all criminal actions within their prosecutorial units, fulfill their duties.

The majority opinion completely bars release of then Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel's video presentations at two different educational conferences...

The Department of Justice has presented no evidence that the two videos reveal any investigation and prosecution practices not already known or knowable in the public sphere. The Department of Justice has presented no evidence that information in the videos would hinder the state's ability to prosecute sex offenders. The Department of Justice has presented no evidence that the videos disclose personally identifiable information about the crime victims...

The Department of Justice has not fulfilled its burden to show that the public interests favoring disclosure are outweighed by the public interests favoring secrecy in the instant case justifying barring release of the 2013 video in its entirety.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley joined the dissent. (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2016/12/wisconsin-and-this-court-are-firmly-committed-to-open-and-transparent-government-the-denial-of-public-access-occurs-only-in.html
Aid agencies and rights groups say about 25,000 members of the ethnic group known as Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since October. They are fleeing violence as the government fights rebels in Rakhine state.

Many of the new arrivals are saying that Myanmar's security forces are attacking civilians. Some rights groups say satellite pictures support claims that whole villages have been burned to the ground.

For Gul Jahar, there is nothing left to go home to. Her three sons disappeared during an attack in November.

She describes how soldiers came to her village and carried out violence.

"The soldiers burnt down all the houses and everything we had in our village. The rice that we kept in a barn  they burnt it all. We had nothing left," she said.

Abu Tha Heck, who traveled to Bangladesh with his wife and four of his six children, tells of witnessing Myanmar security forces committing rape.

The shop owner and farmer left his house and land behind. He still does not know where two of his sons are.

Government response

The government denies that abuses have taken place.

A statement posted to the Ministry of Information's website on December 19 criticizes the international community for putting pressure on Myanmar's government.

Kyaw Moe Tun, the director general of the Myanmar Ministry of Foregin Affairs, says accusations of abuse are not helpful.

But he said that the government is ready to work with those who provide evidence of suspected crimes.

"Whoever has [that] kind of information, please bring [it] forward and give use the concrete evidence. Then, the government is ready to look into the matter," he said.

In an interview with IRIN news, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aye Aye Soe said, "The things they are accusing us of didn't happen at all." She added "I am sure there are people going over the border, I accept that, but I don't know if it could be 20 or 30 thousand. It's blown out of proportion."

NGOs Dispute the Government's Claims

However, human rights groups dispute the government's statements. They say that evidence shows Myanmar's military is committing rights abuses.

In a report published in mid-December, Amnesty International says that satellite pictures show that about 1,200 Rohingya homes have been burned.

The government says that Rohingya militants have burned the homes. But, Amnesty says, eyewitness reports and satellite pictures show that the burning patterns are "consistent with targeted and systematic attacks by the military."

Another human rights group, Human Rights Watch, says other satellite imagery shows the government is behind the burnings.

The images show a military post next to the village of Wa Peik, where around 300 buildings have been burned.

Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch said, Its difficult to believe that militants burned down over 300 buildings in Wa Peik over a one-month period while Burmese security forces stood there and watched.

Foreign reporters and humanitarian groups have been banned from going to the northern parts of the Rakhine state, making it difficult to document violence in the area.

Several journalists will be permitted into the area this week, but it is not clear how freely they will be able to travel.

Im John Russell.

Steve Sanford wrote this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it for Learning English with additional sources of information. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

commit  v. to do (something that is illegal or harmful)

concrete  adj. relating to or involving specific people, things, or actions rather than general ideas or qualities

systematic  adj. using a careful system or method

blow out of proportion  expression. to think of or describe something as larger or greater than it really is
Imagine sitting in a classroom and not being able to see a picture that your teacher is showing. Imagine driving a car, not knowing that your vision is so bad, that driving is dangerous to you and others.

For millions of people, that condition is normal.

That is because there are not enough eye specialists, known as optometrists, to diagnose and treat eyesight problems in many poor nations. In some developing countries, there is only one optometrist for every eight million people.

That estimate comes from J. Kevin White. He started the group Global Vision 2020. He also is its executive director. Global Vision 2020 is a charity based in Maryland that is working to bring eye tests and low-cost eyeglasses to people in developing nations. Glasses allow people with bad vision to see normally.

Even if you knew you needed eyeglasses, which most people dont, the opportunity to get help is really, really limited and even the cost is just cost prohibitive.

A person can expect to pay $100 for an eye test and glasses, White said. That is too much for most people in many developing nations where many earn $2 a day or less, he said.

White has developed a low-cost tool that teachers, nurses, and almost anyone can be trained to use and quickly learn if children or adults need glasses.

White demonstrated his system at a coffee shop near Global Visions office in Easton, Maryland. In less than five minutes, he tested the eyesight of a woman who could not see things well a short distance away. He then picked out the correct lenses for her, and placed them into a frame.

She could then see normally. This meant she could see a group of letters about six meters away. That is what a person with normal vision is expected to see without glasses.

Some people need glasses because they cannot see things that are close to them, such as a book when they are reading.

White says he uses glasses that cost as little as $1.

He uses a tool he calls a USee. It is a frame with a dial on each side. Turning the dial changes the focus of the lenses. When the people being tested say their vision has become clear, the USee shows what lenses are needed to correct their vision.

The lenses then are placed into a frame, and soon students who had trouble can now see what their teacher wrote or a driver can read a roadside sign.

According to the World Health Organization, about 285 million people have eyesight problems. About 90 percent of those with vision problems live in areas where incomes are low, according to the WHO.

Of course, it is helpful to be able to see clearly. For example, White said, studies show that people with vision problems drop out of school at higher rates than those with normal vision. He believes many car accidents are caused by people who need but do not have glasses.

Almost everything that we do is affected by our vision, so whether were driving, your economic output. We kind of live in a visual world.

White noted how many people had vision problems in poor nations, especially in Africa, during his days on active duty with the United States Marines. During that time, he helped provide glasses to people who needed them.

After leaving the Marines, White worked to find a low-cost system that would help the many millions of people who do not see well. That search led him to develop USee.

White recently traveled to Mozambique. He is seeking grants that will help pay for a supply of USee lenses and frames that teachers and health officials can use in Mozambique and other countries.

During his trip, White said, he gave an eye test to a regional health care official and found he needed glasses. After the official put on his new glasses, he was surprised at what he could see.

Wearing the new glasses, the official saw for the first time that under the picture of the countrys president, his name is written.

Everyone laughed, White said. They told the health official that all public photos of the president include his name.

White said that the first glass frames he produced were not a success because they did not look good.

Now, he has produced modern-looking, colorful frames. White said people are now excited to wear them.

The people wearing them, he said, look good and see well.

Im Bruce Alpert. And I'm Anna Mateo.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

vision - n. the ability to see

diagnose - v. to recognize a disease or eye problem by examining someone

charity n. an organization that works to help people in need

opportunity - n. the chance to get something done

prohibitive - adj. so costly that people are prevented from using or buying something

lenses - n. a clear curved piece of glass or plastic that is used in eyeglasses

frame - n. the plastic or metal structure that holds the lenses of eyeglasses

dial - n. a round part on a piece of equipment that you turn to operate something

focus - n. a state in which something such as glasses produces a clear picture or image

grant n. an amount of money given to a person or group that is to be used for a specific purpose
This week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a historic visit to Pearl Harbor in the American state of Hawaii.

Abe went there on Tuesday with President Barack Obama.

The two leaders placed great importance on the idea of reconciliation. Obama said: Wars can end, the most bitter of adversaries can become the strongest of allies.

The prime minister offered sympathy for the Americans who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years-ago. He expressed sincere and everlasting condolences for the deaths of more than 2,400 American servicemen.

Abe joined Obama in placing wreaths at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. The memorial is built over the wreckage of the battleship that was destroyed in the attack on December 7, 1941. The visit brought added attention to the modern-day alliance between two nations that fought each other fiercely in World War II.

In his speech at Pearl Harbor, Abe called the relationship between Japan and the United States, an alliance of hope. Obama called the alliance the cornerstone of the Asia-Pacific area and a force bringing progress around the world.

This was not the first visit to Pearl Harbor by a Japanese Prime minister. However, it was marked with symbolism, coming 75 years after the surprise attack that led to U.S. involvement in World War II.

It also comes seven months after Obama became the first U.S. president to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb used in war.

A historic visit timed to current politics

Jeffery Hornung is a researcher with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Washington, D.C. He says the visit has historical importance. But it also shows the depth of the alliance. Japanese-American ties were an issue during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.

"It sends a symbolic message to, not only the incoming president-elect, but also to the region, that the U.S.-Japan alliance is stronger than ever, that we are able to confront past problems between us and still be stronger as allies."

Abe did not offer an apology for the Pearl Harbor attack. But he is the first Japanese leader to visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.

China, Asias largest economy, criticized Abes trip to Pearl Harbor. Before the visit, Chinas foreign ministry said Japan cannot turn over a new page of history without reaching an understanding with its Asian neighbors.

China called Abes effort wishful thinking.

Japanese officials have been concerned that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may not value the alliance with Japan as other presidents have.

U.S.-Japan economic ties remain very deep. However, the inability to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement has hurt Abe at home, says Hornung.

The failure of the TPP even under the Obama administration has been concerning because Prime Minister Abe put a lot of political capital into this. He had to confront some agricultural cooperatives within his own country and really confront opposition with his own party with this to really push it through his country.

The Japanese leader noted in his speech the part the U.S. played in rebuilding Japan after the war into the economically strong democracy it is today.

Im Mario Ritter.

Mario Ritter adapted this story from reports by Kenneth Schwartz, Reuters and other materials. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

adversaries  n. opponents

condolences  n. expressions of sympathy and sadness for the loss of another

cornerstone  n. the most important part of a foundation

symbolism  n. to use symbols or actions to represent an idea or quality

political capital  n. goodwill or influence that can be used by a politician to get something done, but that can be used up easily

wreath  n. a ring or circle of flowers, leaves or other plantlife.
2016 was an exciting year for science and space exploration.

Scientists reported earlier this year that Albert Einstein was right: there really are such things as gravitational waves that move through space.

The discovery of a nearby planet has many people wondering if conditions there could be just right to hold life.

Two other planets, Jupiter and Mars, also made the news. And, what is the possibility that planet nine really does exist far out in our solar system?

Lets look back on 2016.

Gravitational Waves: Einstein was right!

It took nearly a century, but scientists finally proved Albert Einsteins theory that gravitational waves exist.

The waves were predicted as part of Einsteins General Theory of Relativity. It is the theory of the physical workings of our world and the universe.

The idea was that gravitational waves are like ripples in space, caused by some violent and energetic processes, such as two black holes crashing into each other.

A group of scientists, including ones from the California Institute of Technology and Ligo Scientific Collaboration, confirmed the presence of the waves.

What exactly are gravitational waves? Well, imagine throwing a stone into a lake. When the stone hits the water, it creates ripples in the lake. Spacetime is like the surface of the water. That means gravitational waves are like the ripples moving out from where the stone lands.

Is There an Earth-like Planet Next-Door?

In August 2016, scientists reported the discovery of an Earth-like planet just 4.2 light years away from us. In space terms, that is like having a next-door neighbor. The planet is an exoplanet, meaning one outside our solar system. It is orbiting the star that is closest to Earth, outside of our solar system.

This makes it the closest planet ever found outside our solar system that could support life as we know it.

An international team of astronomers said the exoplanet is orbiting the star Proxima Centauri. Scientists named the planet Proxima b. It is a little larger than Earth.

Breakthrough Starshot

Space scientists think an unmanned spacecraft might reach Proxima b before the end of the century  in time for people alive today to see it.

Back in April, before the discovery, an international team launched a project they hope will answer the age-old question of whether or not we are alone in the universe.

The group includes British physicist Stephen Hawking, Russian-born billionaire Yuri Milner and American Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook.

Called Breakthrough Starshot, the project now will work on how to get to Proxima b.

The team is proposing deployment of thousands of very small spacecraft, called StarChips. Each one will be about the size of a postage stamp.

Team members say the spacecraft could reach Proxima b in about 20 years. They say the first step will require about 20 years of research.

Juno to Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth  and largest  planet in our solar system. On July 4, 2016, the American space agencys Juno spacecraft entered Jupiters orbit. Scientists want to find out about the planets beginnings, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Juno is busy taking pictures, and collecting data on Jupiter. Scientists also will study its auroras  the northern and southern lights and the very strong winds on the planet.

The spacecraft was expected to make a total of 37 orbits, or trips, around Jupiter before the mission ends in 2018.

Making the Trip to Mars

Other scientists continue work on getting people to the planet Mars.

In September, American businessman Elon Musk announced plans to build a colony for up to a million people on Mars. He says his company, SpaceX, is building a powerful reusable rocket and spaceship. He wants to get people to the red planet by the early 2020s.

NASA, the American space agency, has its own program for sending astronauts to Mars. It plans to use its own equipment, some of which is still being developed.

NASA officials are hoping to send humans to Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, in the 2030s.

Is there a Planet Nine?

Scientists say they have found evidence of a ninth planet in the outer edges of our solar system.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology said this planet travels in a strange highly elongated orbit in the distant solar system.

So far, there have not been any direct observations of the mysterious object.

The scientists said it would take this planet 10,000 to 20,000 years just to make one full orbit around the sun. The new planet, called Planet Nine, has a mass about 10 times the size of Earth.

Actual confirmation of a ninth planet would be very big news. Maybe that will be one story making science news in 2017.

Im Anne Ball.

Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

spacecraft  n. a vehicle that travels in space

magnetosphere - n. an area of space surrounding an object in space that is dominated by the objects magnetic field

erupt  v. to send out rocks, ash, lava etc in a sudden explosion

elongated  adj. something that is long

mission  n. a task or job that someone is given to do
This is Whats Trending Today

Rubi Ibarra just celebrated a birthday she will never forget

Rubi is a teenager. She lives in the small community of La Joya in northern Mexico.

She turned 15 years old. So, her family planned a traditional quinceanera for her. A quinceanera is an important coming-of-age party for girls turning 15.

Her family created a Facebook event page for the party. The invitation was listed as public. That means anyone using Facebook could see it.

A few weeks before the party, a photographer placed a video to the page. The video showed Rubis father describing what his daughters party would be like. Crescendio Ibarra said there would be local musicians, food, prizes and horse races. He said everyone is cordially invited. By everyone, the Ibarra family later explained, he simply meant everyone in nearby towns.

But the public invitation quickly went viral. As a result, everyone who saw it thought they were invited. More than 1 million people said on Facebook that they planned to attend the quinceanera.

The original video was seen millions of times on YouTube. Mexican music stars and personalities joked about attending the party.

Even a Mexican airline company offered low prices on flights to a city near Rubis hometown. Its advertisements for the offer said, Are you going to Rubis party?

The party was held on Monday, December 26. And, while 1 million people did not actually attend, Univision reported that more than 30,000 people showed up to help Rubi celebrate her 15th birthday.

Photographers and reporters from around the world were present. The Associated Press described the Mexican teenager as looking a bit overwhelmed by the attention, but resplendent in her dress.

Jose Antonio Sosa is an expert on social media at the Iberoamericana University. He said that Mexicos great interest in Rubi's party showed a desire for lighter, happier stories in the news.

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Bob Doughty.

Ashley Thompson adapted this story from an Associated Press report. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cordially - adv. politely pleasant and friendly

viral - adj. spreading very quickly to many people especially through the Internet

overwhelmed - v. have a strong emotional effect on.

resplendent - adj. very bright and attractive

dress - n. a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs
That glittering ball in Times Square may be the best-known object dropping on New Year's Eve, but it's by no means the weirdest. There's stiff
The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice.
COZADRecent fires in Cozad serve as a reminder of how to minimize the likelihood of starting a fire and how to keep a fire from spreading.

The Cozad Fire and Rescue Department responded to a house fire at 302 Ave. B on Dec. 17.

The homes resident, Christina Marshall, wasnt home when the fire was reported around 4 p.m. and a daughter and two grandchildren had exited the home about a half hour earlier due to the loss of power, said Cozad Fire Chief Dan Niles.

Niles said the fire was detected by someone who came to the home to explore the electrical outage and discovered smoke.

It took 13 firefighters about 30 minutes to contain the fire, but five hours to get it cleaned up, said Niles.

It kind of was an ice castle when we were

done that night, said Niles, referring to the below freezing temperature.

Niles said the cause of the fire was deemed to be an overloaded electrical system in the home.

He said the fire started in the attic and worked its way into the roof system. Although the fire was mainly confined to a back porch and the homes roof, there was extensive damage from smoke and water. Firefighters had to tear down the ceiling to get to the fire.

He said firefighters were assisted by the City of Cozad, who kept icy streets salted; the Cozad Police Department, who opened a nearby shop for firefighters to warm up and by Pump and Pantry, who provided workers hot chocolate and coffee.

Niles said the family was assisted by American Red Cross.

Last week, on Wednesday, two dryers at a laundromat at 204 E. U.S. Hwy. 30 caught on fire.

Niles said there was not a state investigation of the incident, but he estimated a dirty lint trap in the bottom dryer was likely the cause of the fire.

He said good choices and fortunate circumstances led to a minimal amount of damage.

When the fire was discovered, the dryer door was immediately closed and the two occupants of the laundromat exited the building, closing the door behind them, said Niles.

It helped, said Niles.

He also said members of the Cozad Fire and Rescue Department happened to be assembled nearby that night for a board meeting, so they were able to respond quickly.

Niles said the fire was under control within five minutes and completely out in a relatively short amount of time.

It could have been a big deal, but it wasnt, said Niles.

Between those fire calls the Cozad Fire and Rescue Department also had a couple of dumpster fires, said Niles.

He offered some fire prevention tips.

If you do have a wood burning stove, make sure the ashes are completely extinguished before you dispose of them, said Niles. Preferably, dont put them in a city dumpster.

Niles said space heaters should be used with caution, according to the manufacturers specifications, and should not be plugged into an extension cord.

There are proper ways to effectively heat and not overload circuits, Niles said.
If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales. Albert Einstein
There are no two ways about this  Carrie Fisher's legacy is and was Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars. To be honest, I had no idea about Leias last name and I must confess, I haven't seen Star Wars. I have, however, seen parodies and representations of Leia on television shows, including 'The One With the Princess Leia Fantasy' on Friends and the more than 200 references made on The Simpsons.

But let's look beyond the hair buns, shall we? Even as the patriarchy (and the Ross Gellers of the world) tried to reduce her to just a pretty face in a gold bikini, she made sure you knew she really hated it. She told Daisy Ridley (who was cast in the Star Wars sequel, The Force Awakens) to "fight for your outfit": "Listen! I am not a sex symbol, so that's an opinion of someone. I don't share that... Don't be a slave like I was".

Fisher struggled to break against the mould that nerd boys had carved of her for ages. Nevertheless, she also defended the costume and fought against banning it.

The father who flipped out about it, "What am I going to tell my kid about why she's in that outfit?" Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didn't like it. And then I took it off, backstage.

She might have been Princess Leia on film, but off it she was a real queen.

Unlike many others, I didn't get my introduction to Carrie Fisher through Star Wars; it was rather through the Star Wars of rom-coms, When Harry Met Sally. Fisher played Sally's single, acerbic, heavy Rolodex-carrying friend Marie, a role that no one really talks about. Fisher, an established superstar in her own right, plays second fiddle to Meg Ryan, which is not easy. Needless to say, she stole all the scenes, quote after quote, with this one proving to be the icing on the cake.

Fisher's Marie paved the way for the single woman I wanted to be  confident on double dates, powering through one date after another and finally, being comfortable enough to discuss even divorce with the person I end up with.

The Carrie Fisher I remember and admired was all about empowering feminism and witty one-liners. Like this, "Screw beauty, its superficial anyway, and my other attributes matter way more than my appearance, or the very inspiring, "Stay afraid, but do it anyway. Whats important is the action. You dont have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow."

The impossibly high standards that Hollywood and society set, the one-directional reducing of Fisher to a "sex symbol" and a collective wet dream of adults and teenagers alike, was something she fought against constantly. Yet, it was back to haunt us on the day she died. While NYT's obit featured a reclining Princess Leia in her slave outfit, which angered a LOT of feminists, actor Steve Martin's now-deleted tweet was just the sort of characterisation that Fisher fought against.

Its important to remember that there was so much more to Fisher than Leia: she was an excellent script doctor, an outspoken mascot for better mental health, a kickass feminist and, more importantly, a writer of her own obituary: Leia might have lived in a galaxy far, far away, but Fisher ended up being strangled by her own bra on Earth.

... So I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.

The one representation of Leia that I did love was Liz Lemon portraying her in 30 Rock: once, to escape jury duty, and again, dressing up as a "princess" to her wedding to Criss Chros. For Lemon, and I suspect Tina Fey, their version of princess was Leia.

I know enough people will pay tribute to Fisher as Leia, and having successfully sidestepped that temptation, I must say I'll always remember her as the ageing feminist comedy writer Rosemary Howard in an episode of 30 Rock, giving rise to one of the series' best episodes. Like every 30 Rock episode that aims to make fun of everything and also delivers on its promise, S02E04 (Rosemary's Baby) is perhaps the best tribute to Fisher.

Liz Lemon, the head writer for TGS, invites her comedy heroine Howard as a guest writer for the show. Howards ideas that push the boundaries too much on television and her devil-may-care-attitude attract Lemon initially and the latter quits her job and follows Howard to her apartment. Which she ultimately realises is a mistake and soon runs away to TGS, giving rise to a classic Jack Donaghy zinger, "Never go with a hippie to a second location."

The episode is delightfully meta! In fact, when Lemon meets Howard she opens with, "I don't want to sound like a weirdo fan, but I am obsessed with everything you've ever done"  a reference to Fisher's crazy fans. Fisher's Howard also carries a bit of baggage like Fisher does in real life: In a different sense, it's like Alan Rickman and Snape  a generation of us grew up on him and to mourn Rickman is to mourn Snape, as I wrote earlier for The Hindu here. Similarly, Fisher and Leia are inseparable for a lot of fans.

This particular dialogue of Lemon, "Rosemary says that women become obsolete in this business when there's no one left that wants to see them naked," is brilliantly veiled reference to how Hollywood treated Fisher, making fun of her age, her weight and eventually body shaming her. Fisher then shut trolls down with a comeback: "Blow us". Donaghy then gives her the answer that applies to all women, in showbiz or out of it: "You make enough money, you can pay people to look at you naked." True. Accumulate enough power and money, you don't have to live up to society's standards, and Carrie Fisher did that.

The force was always with her.
As the year 2016 comes to a close, the Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA), the apex planning body for the power sector in India, has created a buzz with its draft National Electricity Plan, 2016 (NEP). This document primarily highlights the demand side projections, and presents a perspective on electricity supply sources till 2027. A key highlight of this draft plan is  no coal-based capacity addition is required to meet the countrys power demand by 2027 as 50,025 MW of coal capacity (presently under construction) will suffice for the overall demand. It is also expected that the share of non-fossil (hydro, nuclear, and renewable energy sources) based capacity will reach 46.8 percent by 2021-22, and will further increase to 56.5 percent by the end of 2026-27; as compared to 30 percent at present.

However, all of the ambitious projections come on the back of heavyweight assumptions that a committed capacity addition of 115,326 MW from renewable energy sources (RES), 4,340 MW from natural gas-fired stations, 15,330 MW from hydro, and, 2800 MW from nuclear; will materialise by the end of 2022.

From a climate change perspective, it resonates with India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets pledged at the UN Climate Change Conference held in Paris (COP 21, December 2015). We need to be ambitious to foresee a low-carbon future, but we should also understand the complexity associated with such aggressive planning with regards to deployment of RES. The existing 46.7 GW (as of November 2016) of renewable-based capacity is still far away from the mammoth target of achieving 175 GW by 2022. Practically, to achieve this target within a time frame of five years is a herculean task for any government. By bringing all the four portfolios i.e. power, coal, new and renewable energy, and mines under the control of one minister, there has been a clear intent for swift planning and quick decision making. Yet, the implementation of this plan will come across the following challenges, and there is a need to set out effective plans for the same:

Availability of finance for renewable energy

Reaching 175 GW RE by 2022 would require an investment of more than $200 billion. Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) estimates suggest that if we include the costs associated with grid integration and energy balancing, achieving 100 GW of solar alone would require investments ranging between $120 billion to $147 billion. Despite gaining a big jump of 22 percent from the previous year, Indias total RE investments adds up to only $10.2 billion for 2015. Achieving targets in another five years call for massive inflow of money considering all the perceived risks (honouring the contracts, financial health of distribution company, construction and clearance risk, delays and challenges in land acquisition, etc.) in this sector.

Availability/Acquisition of land for solar projects

One of the major constraints behind rapid expansion of renewable energy projects is availability of land and associated delays. Considering solar projects alone, as per the Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE), 60 GW is likely to come in the form of utility-scale solar projects, while grid-connected rooftop is expected to constitute the remaining 40 GW share. As a simple rule of thumb, each MW of solar requires 4 acres of land. Such a massive scale of land acquisition within a short time frame, especially in India's development context, could pose significant problems. We have some examples demonstrating novel ways to minimise the use of land, such as canal-top projects, hybrid solar-wind farms, co-locating solar installations and agriculture, etc. But, such ideas also have specific challenges and limited viability.

Intermittency with renewables and grid integration

Solar and wind does not generate electricity round the clock, and hence are intermittent in nature. To integrate an intermittent source of power with the grid is a challenging task. It requires lots of planning, such as a day ahead time scheduling. Assimilation of a humongous amount of renewable power (175 GW) will require at least 53.56 mmscmd of natural gas to meet the grid balancing requirements (as per the draft plan). Alternatively, grid storage is another option. In any case, resultant tariff after balancing adjustment could be uncompetitive with prevailing coal prices. This could prove to be a major deterrent. Anyhow, a significant boost to the 24 GW of natural gas fired power generation capacity is essentially required. This shall be driven either by cheaper imported gas prices, or through subsidy/incentive linked mechanisms. From a long-term perspective, focus on R&D in storage technologies could be a game changer for India.

Low PLF of thermal power plants

Implementation of NEP means a drastic fall in capacity utilisation of coal based thermal power plants, which can go to as low as 48 percent. That said many of them could turn into non-performing assets due to technical unviability.

While, all three scenarios presented in the draft NEP are highly aggressive in terms of meeting RE targets, a business-as-usual scenario would also be useful to make clear the kind of efforts required by all the stakeholders. The draft NEP reaffirms Indias climate commitments and aggressive renewable energy goals. However, it requires a strategic road map and strict implementation of policies to drive Indias low carbon growth.

(The writer is a Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water - a policy research organisation based in New Delhi. He can be reached at vaibhav.gupta@ceew.in)
The government on Wednesday announced the appointment of Viral Acharya as a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has cleared the appointment for three years. The RBI had a vacancy for deputy governor after Urjit Patel was promoted to Governor earlier this year. He is taking over at a time when the central bank is facing criticism for repeated changes in the rules related to deposit and withdrawal of money, post demonetisation.

However, there is no clarity yet on which portfolio Acharya would be assigned. In an interview with The Economic Times in 2013, Viral also spoke about being a co-author with former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan in a paper on sovereign bonds.

An alumnus of IIT, Mumbai, with a degree of Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering in 1995 and PhD in Finance from NYU-Stern in 2001, Acharya was with London Business School (2001-08) and served as the Academic Director of the Coller Institute of Private Equity at LBS (2007-09) and a Senior Houblon-Normal Research Fellow at the Bank of England (Summer 2008).

Acharya is known for his research in theoretical and empirical analysis of systemic risks of the financial sector, its regulation and genesis in government-induced distortions, according to the profile on the NYU website.

Acharya is also the C V Starr Professor of Economics in the Department of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business (NYU-Stern).

Acharya also received several awards for his research work. In 2010, he received the Best Paper Award in Corporate Finance from the Journal of Financial Economics and in 2003 f0r Best Paper Award in Equity Trading at the Western Finance Association Meetings.

Besides, this the 42-year old has also been a member of advisory scientific committee of European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), economic advisory committee of the Financial Industry Regulation Authority (FINRA), advisory committee of Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) of India, International Advisory Board of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, or Sebi, the Mint report said.

Lending his support for a bad bank, Acharya in an interview with Bloomberg Quint said India needs to stop the bad loan wound from festering further.

"I am absolutely proposing, either explicitly or implicitly, that we separate the unhealthy parts of the troubled banks from the healthy parts," Acharya said in the interview.

He also said the passage of the GST Bill in the parliament is a big positive to the world, but turned cautious by citing global headwinds as a serious challenge to growth.
New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said his scam-tained predecessor SP Tyagi was like a "family member" but if corruption charges in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal were proven against him the force would have no sympathy for its former chief.

Addressing a press conference days before he is scheduled to retire as the IAF chief and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Raha said the law of the land must be followed in the scam that has rattled the force with Tyagi's arrest on 9 December for allegedly accepting bribes in clearing the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland.

Tyagi  the first chief of any wing of the armed forces to be arrested in the country  was given bail by a court in Delhi on Monday. "Such issues have come up from time to time. Be it Bofors or be it some other acquisitions, there have been problems," Raha said. He, however, admitted that if the corruption charges were proved it would be "bad for the armed forces, or whoever is involved".

"It is not only the armed forces that are involved in procurement. There are so many agencies involved. Can't pin the blame on one particular organisation or service. To my mind many of the issues that have sprung up in the recent times have their origin some time back, a decade back. These are being investigated. It is premature for me to say anything," he said.

Raha said he didn't know about the evidence the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), which is probing the case, has against Tyagi. "The Air Force believes the law of the land has to be followed... Let the investigation be complete. Whatever the decision of the court, we will abide by that."

He said Tyagi, as long as not convicted, should be given his due credit being a former IAF chief. "A former Air Chief is like an extended family. If anyone in my family goes through a rough patch I think we should stand by them... If charges are proved, then of course we have no sympathy."

The CBI has alleged that Tyagi and other accused had received bribes from AgustaWestland for helping the manufacturer win the $556.262 million contract to purchase the helicopters for the Communication Squadron of the Indian Air Force to carry the President, Prime Minister and other VVIPs.

The accused had allegedly hatched a conspiracy to reduce the service ceiling of the helicopters from 6,000 meters to 4,500 meters to make AgustaWestland eligible for the contract.

The CBI claimed that Tyagi and his brothers received 126,000 euros after May 2004 and 200,000 euros after February 2005 in the form of consultancy fee from Gordian Services.

It added that Tyagi also received some amount in cash from Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Valentino Ferdinando Gerosa, who were linked with Gordian Services.

Tyagi, the Indian Air Force chief from 2004 to 2007, has denied the charges saying the deal was executed after his tenure.
Just a day after Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad poked fun at Rahul Gandhi for his lack of maturity, the Congress vice-president hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central stating how the BJP has formed a rigid view of everything, and that Prime Minister Narendra is spreading anger across India.

'The Congress is the idea that it is not only my view that will prevail,I must seek out your views.' At the #CongressFoundationDay @INCIndia pic.twitter.com/6q0UBbeEhi  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 28, 2016

Juxtaposing BJP's ideology with that of Congress, Gandhi, speaking to Congress party workers on the 132nd foundation day of the Indian National Congress, alleged the BJP of following a rigid stance similar to its ideological head, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Gandhi said: "Congress is not just a party, it's an idea. Congress means being open to a second viewpoint. It means listening to you. It means listening to others. It doesn't have a single rigid point of view."

Gandhi also alleged that the Modi-led government is following on the footpath of RSS and is spreading anger in the country, and called on his party workers to fight against this politics of anger. "Congress has to stand with the poor, the middle class, the labourers and the small traders. We have to go to the people. I am sure you will do this. And fight against this RSS ideology of spreading anger," he said.

Gandhi also mocked the Modi government's decision to demonetise the old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 on 8 November. He said that the government has sacrificed the people. "The prime minister said he is performing a yagya against black money and corruption. The yagya of demonetisation is being performed for the one percent super rich. And just like a sacrifice made in a yagya, the prime minister has sacrificed the common people," he said.

With the 50-day deadline that Modi had asked for on 8 November, nearing an end, the Congress vice-president also raised five questions and released a charter of demands to the government in a press conference after addressing the Congress party workers.

Gandhi asked the government to release information on the black money has been recovered due to demonetisation. He also demanded that the government should release the names of the people consulted by the prime minister and the number of people who lost their lives due to demonetisation along with the amount of compensation given to them.

Gandhi also asked the prime minister to release the names of people who deposited more than Rs 25 lakh in their accounts before demonetisation, along with the names of those who have deposited money in Swiss banks. "The Swiss government has given all the names to the government. When will he present the names in the Parliament. Why is he trying to save these people," Gandhi said.

The Congress vice-president also demanded that the government should compensate those affected by demonetisaiton and to remove the withdrawal restriction of Rs 24,000 and return the financial freedom of the people. "The farmers have been hit the most. The prime minister should waive off their loans and give a bonus at 20 percent MSP. He should also give Rs 25,000 to each women from BPL families," Gandhi said.

He also demanded that the government should double the wages of daily workers under MNREGA and offer 50 percent discount in income tax and sales tax to small shop owners.
Mumbai: The BJP-led Maharashtra government has chosen acting Advocate General Rohit Deo as its next Advocate General, nine months after his predecessor Sreehari Aney quit the post following a huge row triggered by his espousal of statehood for the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

A meeting of the state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, recommended elevation of Deo to the AG's post to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, a senior official said.

Aney had courted controversy by advocating statehood for Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, which was vehemently opposed by the ruling partner Shiv Sena.

The Sena had then seized on the issue to target the BJP, which, as matter of policy, favoured smaller states, despite Fadnavis asserting that bifurcation of Maharashtra was not on his government's agenda.

The government had recently filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court, saying the post will be filled by the end of this month.

The Division Bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai was hearing a petition filed by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt, urging the court to direct the state to appoint an A-G under Article 165 of the Constitution.

The court had criticised the state for not complying with the deadline of 23 December and had adjourned the matter to 9 January.

It had earlier observed that constitutional and statutory functions were suffering due to the non-appointment of the AG and has hurt the cause of justice.

On 18 November, 2014, Sunil Manohar was appointed as the AG, but he resigned on 9 June, 2015. On 11 June, 2015, additional Solicitor General Anil Singh was given the additional post of acting A-G. On 14 October, 2015, Aney was appointed as the AG, and he resigned on 22 March, 2016.

Reacting to the decision, Dutt claimed that the government was compelled to take a decision on the matter after he moved the high court.

In a tweet, Dutt said, "The government has conceded my demand and finally appointed Acting AG as AG."

"However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis needs to answer why he waited for nine months to appoint Acting AG as the new AG," said Dutt.

Even as Maha Govt concedes my demand & finally appoints AG, CM @Dev_Fadnavis needs2 answer why he waited for 9months 2 appt Acting AG as AG!  Sanjay Dutt (@MpccSanjay) December 27, 2016

"Maharashtra Chief Minister speaks of good governance but his indecisiveness reflects lack of governance! If acting AG Rohit Deo only was to be made the AG, why the government had waited for 280 days?" he asked in another tweet.
AIADMK cadres on Wednesday attacked and injured the husband of expelled MP Sasikala Pushpa, who was accused of trying to create a law-and-order problem ahead of Thursday's General Council meeting to elect a new General Secretary.

Pushpa has filed a complaint with the Chennai in this matter, according to ANI.

Chennai: Expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa files complaint with police against AIADMK cadres for assaulting her husband at the party HQ  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

Sasikala Pushpa's husband Lingeswara Thilagan got hurt in the scuffle and the clashes were contained only after the Chennai police intervened and escorted Thilagan, also an AIADMK member for treatment at a nearby hospital, according to NDTV. Thilagan, along with a team of four lawyers had went to the AIADMK office to file her candidature for the post of party general secretary.

While initial reports suggested that the attacked man, who was seen bleeding profusely, was Pushpa's lawyer, police later clarified he was her husband, who has been detained for interrogation. Police said no other person was injured.

#WATCH: Suspended AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer attacked outside party office by AIADMK workers in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/u10t63TmzX  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

AIADMK supporters rained blows on Thilagan, who had stayed put there despite being asked to leave, resulting in bleeding injuries on his nose. He was rescued by police who removed him from the vicinity for first aid, even as angry men and women were seen swearing at him.

AIADMK workers started gathering at the party headquarters following information that Pushpa, earlier expelled by Jayalalithaa for anti-party activities, could come there ahead of the General Council, possibly to seek an invitation to attend it.

A good number of policemen were deployed already outside the AIADMK office in the morning, anticipating her arrival. However, her supporters and lawyers turned up at the party office shouting slogans and angering the party cadres which in turn resulted in a clash.

The party meeting scheduled for Thursday is likely to see the formal election of Jayalaithaa's close confidante Sasikala Natarajan as the next general secretary of the party. However, chaos brewed outside the office as reportedly, a team of lawyers representing Pushpa reached the office and demanded that Pushpa be allowed to attend the Thursday's meet.

Party spokesperson C R Saraswathy charged Pushpa with trying to create a law-and-order problem ahead of the General Council. She alleged that Pushpa's injured husband had deliberately stayed put at the party headquarters despite being asked to leave and it had been done to "create a problem".

There is huge animosity against Pushpa in the ranks of the AIADMK after she made several comments against the late party chief Jayalalithaa and later also against her namesake and Jayalalithaa's likely successor Sasikala Natarajan.

Pushpa was nominated a Rajya Sabha MP on an AIADMK ticket by Jayalalithaa. However, later Pushpa made statements against the late leader alleging that Jayalalithaa had hit her and her life was at threat. Following these statements, Pushpa was immediately expelled from the party, however, she continued as an MP.

Later, Pushpa also challenged the elevation of Natarajan as her successor, questioning her role in the party and alleging that Natarajan had a hand in Jayalalithaa's death. She has also demanded a judicial inquiry into death of Jayalalithaa.

Pushpa had announced that she would contest for the party's top post of general secretary which fell vacant following the death of the former chief minister.

Party spokesperson C R Saraswathy charged Pushpa with trying to create a law-and-order problem ahead of the General Council. "Sasikala Pushpa wants to create a law-and-order problem ahead of the General Council tomorrow. Let her resign first as MP as it was Amma who made her a Rajya Sabha Member," she said.

The AIADMK spokesperson, speaking to Times Now, even questioned her right to request entry into the party meeting, stating that she was no longer a party member. Pointing out that her status of an MP was given to her by the late Jayalalithaa, Saraswathi dared Pushpa to fight elections and prove her support base before interfering in the party's "internal matter."

"It is none of her business. It is our party, and our cadres who will decide who leads our party, who is she. She is just an MP and that post was also given by our Hon'bl Amma," Saraswathi said.

On the violence, another Spokesperson C Ponnayan said "If someone enters your house and creates problems, there is a consequence  an action has got a reaction."

"However, we do not justify the violence as this movement, launched by MGR (MG Ramachandran) and taken forward by Amma (Jayalalithaa), does not condone violence," Ponnaiyan added.

Meanwhile, Pushpa, reacting on the incident, told India Today that the attack on her lawyer was "condemnable" and that she was being denied an opportunity. Claiming that she is still a member of the AIADMK, she said that she also wants to contest for the post of party general secretary against Natarajan.

Citing the laws in party constitution, Pushpa said that anybody who holds the party's primary membership for more than five years can contest the elections. Reiterating that she is still a party member, she also said that no formal notice or written communication was conveyed to her with respect to her expulsion from the party. She also pointed out that by the same law, Natarajan was not eligible to contest the elections.

"There is a rule in Class-30 sub clause-5 that a person being a primary member for five consecutive years can contest the elections. However, if this is implied, then, Sasikala is not fit to be the general secretary."

The AIADMK has however blamed her of creating a ruckus ahead of the party meeting alleging that she has been giving unwarranted interviews and making false allegations in an attempt to malign the party leaders. The AIADMK has also said that Natarajan will succeed Jayalalithaa as next party chief and the relevant laws will be amended to accommodate her appointment.

Meanwhile, actor Anandraj quit the party, in an apparent fallout with Sasikala. He said he has sent his resignation letter to the party. "I do not have any personal enmity with anyone. I was not

invited for tomorrow's General Council. Let anybody be elected as general secretary. I have sent my resignation letter, hope they accept it," he told reporters.

Anandraj had also been making some comments of late on the issue of Jayalalithaa's successor to the top post. Without naming anyone, he said nobody should be compared with Jayalalithaa.

"In the present situation, even a government officer is using Amma's name," he said, in an apparent reference to former Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, who is under the Income Tax scanner, and had repeatedly invoked her name on Wednesday while defending himself during a press meet.

"Do not demean the soul of Amma by invoking her name. Do not misuse her name. Anybody is able to use her name. Please respect her," he said.

With inputs from agencies
One of the many articulated (and oft changing) aims of demonetisation has been to curb the use of black money in poll funding. In an interview to Doordarshan News, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said, "There is only one political repercussion I want to see with this (demonetisation) and that is that politics and the process of elections will also get cleaned So far in our country, there has been a practice of invisible political funding; that will also have to be visible in a democracy."

This raises two questions:

Fiirst, why is the use of black money so rampant in the Indian electoral system?

Second, can we expect demonetisation have any significant impact on this phenomenon?

The laws that govern the financing of elections in India are the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. While many amendments have been made to both these acts over the years, presently, the expenditure incurred by a candidate during a political campaign can range between Rs 54 lakh and Rs 70 lakh. However, there exists no cap on the expenditure for propagating the partys programme during an election.

There is no direct state funding of elections in India, hence the funds for footing such expenditure can be raised primarily in two ways: (a) Individual contributions (these have no limit on them); (b) corporate contributions (capped at five percent of the companys average net profits during the three immediately preceding financial years and are also tax exempt). To ensure transparency, each party is required to submit an account of contributions exceeding Rs 20,000 (from an individual or a company) to the Income Tax authority and all candidates have to file an affidavit with the Election Commission, disclosing their assets and liabilities. Such a framework aims to serve the dual purpose of (a) ensuring equality of opportunity by reducing the candidates dependence on wealthy donors as not all citizens have access to such avenues and (b) monitoring of disproportionate donors.

However, the inadequacy of the above guidelines in regulating "money power" in the elections is best summed up by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee  "every legislator starts his career with the lie of the false election return he files". The per candidate campaign expenditure ceilings, instead of limiting costs, only result in evasion through under reporting. This is so because the ceilings dont reflect the competitive cost of an election as a candidate is likely to spend 50 to 100 times more money than that, if he/she hopes to win. Furthermore, the lack of public financing in conjunction with the limit imposed on corporate donations means that candidates have to raise money on their own for each election.

To make things worse, there exists no limit on party spending. Hence, effectively, there is no upper limit on how much a party can spend on a campaign  as long as party propaganda doesnt favour any particular candidate, any expenditure so incurred is not counted as part of a candidates campaign expenditure. The exploitation of this loophole results in warped scenarios in Indian elections  on one hand, a candidates jeep can be stopped for using two loudspeakers instead of one, while on the other hand a national party may sponsor front-page ads on every newspaper on the day of the polls.

Hence, as a result of the prevailing electoral finance laws, the following scenarios have become commonplace in Indian elections:

In one scenario, a party may simply favour 'crorepati candidates' ie rich candidates who are capable of funding their own campaigns, a phenomenon that may result in greater participation of criminals in electoral politics.

An alternate scenario is that of the creation of a powerful nexus between corporates and candidates. Corporates, unable to contribute more than the five percent ceiling, donate to political parties/candidates using undisclosed black money, in exchange for regulatory kickbacks if the candidate in need of these funds is elected to power. Another interesting trend is that corporates (and individuals) display risk-averse behaviour as they are averse to making disclosed donations despite the tax exemption offered. This is so because the anonymity offered by undisclosed donations (made by breaking up a large donation into packages of less than Rs 20,000) protects them from reprisal from a political party to which they are not donating or if they are contributing to two opposing parties simultaneously in order to hedge their bets.

This means that black money runs rampant in elections. In fact, as of May 2014, 93.8 percent of the income reported by the Congress and 91.3 percent of the BJPs income came from unlisted sources. Furthermore, campaign donations are tax deductible only if they are made to political parties, and not to individual candidates.

Combined with the lack of transparency and accountability in the internal democracy of a party, this means that there exists no guarantee that the political party in question will allocate the contributions to the donors preferred candidates.

The political business cycle also shows evidence of the aforementioned nexus. For instance, Devesh Kapur and Milan Vishnav show a nexus between real estate sector and election funding by showing a strong statistical association between election season and the price of cement. Sandip Sukhtankar, professor at University of Virginia, has found that during election years there exists evidence of embezzlement in politically controlled mills, a fact reflected in lower prices paid to farmers for cane. Several corporate agglomerations that were perceived to be close to Narendra Modi saw a 30 percent increase in their valuation in 2014, on the expectation that Modi would form the coming government.

Cumulatively, these factors have a perverse impact on political equality. Individuals with poorer socio-economic backgrounds or individuals who refuse to indulge in dirty politics are priced out of the system, thus hindering an equitable 'right to public office'. Election finance reform needs to be rooted in removing/reducing corruption, reducing campaign costs and ensuring equal opportunity for political participation. Given this context, demonetisation will only affect black money in poll finance to the extent that it affects the current stock of black money. The impact on the current stock also may be limited as (a) given that a cash deposit is taxed only if it exceeds Rs 2.5 lakh, a deposit of Rs two lakh can be broken up into about 12 packages of Rs 20,000, thereby perpetuating the cycle of "invisible political funding" and (b) the newly minted Rs 2,000 notes make it easier to transport black money in a less suspicious fashion.

Changing the prevalent framework requires sustainable reform in election finance. Such reform can be instituted by adopting alternative models of campaign financing such as public financing, grassroot funding or a hybrid of both (for instance public funding of parties in proportion to the amounts they raise openly from identified small-sum private donor). However, any attempt at mobilising grassroot finance in India may be frustrated by the lack complete financial inclusion in the country. John Stuart Mill once said that a political party is most likely to cater to the electorate that forms its votebank. If such a votebank also becomes the primary source of funding for the candidates, perhaps the goal of financial inclusion will be pursued more proactively.

Individuals are likely to give money to a political party if they believe that the concerned party will provide them with commensurate deliverables  this holds true for both grassroots and public finance (a major component of which would be tax revenue). Furthermore, party and campaign finance should be brought under the purview of the RTI to prevent small donations from being used cumulatively by donors to make large donations. Thus, both systems have potential for increasing accountability and therefore controlling the magnitude of campaign expenditure and the amount of black money flowing through the system.

The 2016 US presidential election saw the candidates use campaign funding as a rallying point. However, campaign finance is an issue that is seldom raised by political parties in India. Perhaps the renewed focus on black money due to demonetisation will help bringing this issue into popular political discourse.

The author is senior research assistant at the Department of Economics at Monk Prayogshala, a not-for-profit academic research institute based in Mumbai.
The Union Cabinet meeting today is likely to take up an ordinance to end the legal tender of the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, media reports say. The ordinance will also likely specify the date when the notes will become illegal, which is widely speculated to be 30 December.

There have also been reports saying the ordinance is likely to impose penalties on anyone possessing the junked notes beyond 30 December when the deadline to deposit them in banks expires.

However, there has not been any official word on the move.

The ordinance will formalise the demonetisation, which was an executive decision announced on 8 November. According to a report in The Indian Express, which quotes a government official, this is a requirement as otherwise the demonetised notes will continue as a legal tender.

"If we do not put an end date on the legal character of the old notes, then they can be infinitely valid as a legal tender," the official has been quoted as saying in the report. Explaining the rationale, he also said ending the legal tender of all notes on 30 December is important as it will clear the uncertainty for the government on how much money has flown into the system.

The ordinance will extinguish the liability of the government and RBI towards the promise to pay the bearer of these notes their value because of a statutory requirement.

In 1978 a similar ordinance was issued to end the government's liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were demonetised by the Janata Party government under Morarji Desai.

According to the official cited in the IE report, the deposit of old notes will be allowed after 30 only in cases of exigencies. A Times of India report notes that the depositor of old notes will have to give reasons for doing so. The report also says possession of old notes will be allowed for research and numismatics purposes.

However, if the government decides the cut-off date as 30 December that will be another breach of promise by the government and the RBI. Prime minister Narendra Modi had on 8 November said the RBI window to deposit these notes will remain open beyond 30 December until 31 March. An ordinance that seeks to end the deposits on 30 December would mean the government and the RBI are going back on another promise they made to the common man.

The government had while announcing the demonetisation of the old currency allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts. While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time until Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts at the bank branches.

Media reports earlier said there could be a cap of holding no more than 10 notes of each after 30 December and violation of the rule could draw a fine of a minimum of Rs 50,000 or 5 times the amount in question  whichever is higher. However, there was no confirmation on this.

For those depositing any accounted funds, or black money, it has offered them an amnesty provided they paid 50 percent of it as tax and penalties and parked a quarter of it in a zero-interest bearing deposit for four years.

Out of the Rs 15.44 lakh crore worth of 500 and 1000 rupee notes in circulation on November 8, close to Rs 13 lakh crore have been deposited in accounts or exchanged for valid currency.

With PTI
New Delhi: Seeking a white paper on demonetisation, Congress on Wednesday posed several questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi including how much black money has come in and put forth a charter of demands including lifting all restrictions on money withdrawal and compensation to farmers, traders and the poor who have "suffered" due to note ban.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi also demanded that Modi should double the MNREGA wages and the number of days each labourer can work, besides giving 50 percent rebate in Income Tax and Sales Tax to shopkeepers and 20 percent bonus on MSP for Rabi crops to farmers and waiving their loans. Coming out with the 'Charter of Demands' before the media, he sought a list of all those who have deposited above Rs 25 lakh before demonetisation was announced and sought relief to those badly affected including provision of Rs 25,000 to at least one woman of each BPL family.

"The prime minister should explain some things to the country. After 8 November, how much black money has come out and how much economic loss has the country suffered due to demonetisation. How many people lost their lives and whether any compensation has been paid to them. Modi should also tell whom he consulted before taking the decision and spell out the names of experts consulted. Modi should also provide a list of all those people who have deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in their accounts before demonetisation," he told reporters.

As part of the demands, Rahul said all restrictions on withdrawal of money be lifted with immediate effect and till the time these restrictions are in place, a special interest at the rate of 18 percent per annum be given to all. He also sought that all charges on digital transactions should be abolished forthwith, adding that the charter of demands was "on behalf of the people of India".

Rahul said the price of of ration distributed under the PDS system should be halved for the period of a year under the provisions of the Food Security Act and a special one-time bonus of 20 percent should be provided over and above the MSP of all Rabi crops.

"That Rs 25,000 should be deposited in the account of at least one woman belonging to each BPL family as compensation for the immense suffering caused to women due to demonetisation," the demands charter said.

Rahul also said that an income tax and sales tax rebate of 50 percent should be given to small shopkeepers and businesses. The central government should compensate state governments for loss of revenue incurred on account of this exemption,he said.

The Congress vice-president also demanded that the number of guaranteed work days and the wage rate under MGNREGA should be doubled for a period of one year. He also demanded that government should organise a special drive to identify and register those who lost their jobs since 8 November and provide them compensation at the applicable minimum wage rate for a period up to 31 March.

Lashing out at Modi, the Congress leader alleged that the prime minister did this demonetisation 'yagya' for only 50 families while the poor and small shopkeepers have suffered and government should provide compensation to these people. He said the money deposited in banks is that of the people of the country and the limit imposed by him on bank accounts should be withdrawn immediately to help restore their financial independence.

"The farmers have been hit hard. He should waive their loans and provide 20 percent bonus in MSP to farmers," he said, adding that small shopkeepers be also compensated by providing 50 percent rebate on sales tax and income tax.

"Modi has to tell the country why he caused pain to the poor people and snatched their financial independence. He should answer when he will present the list of all Swiss bank holders before the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the list that has been provided to him by the Swiss government. We want to know who are these thieves and why is Modi saving them," he said.

In the questions posed to the prime minister, Gandhi asked, "What was the process of consultation and preparedness followed prior to the implementation of demonetisation? Why were experts, economists or the RBI not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?." He also asked the government to place the names of all persons, institutions and entities that deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in bank accounts in six months preceding 8 November.
OUAGADOUGOU Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore replaced army chief of staff Pingrenoma Zagre on Wednesday, the government said in a statement, after a string of deadly militant attacks, including against the security forces.The statement did not provide a reason for Zagre's replacement by Sadou Oumarou, formerly the inspector general of the armed forces, but military sources said the decision was prompted by the incidents.Attacks in Burkina Faso were relatively rare before an attack by al Qaeda-linked fighters on a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, that killed 29 people in January.Since then, the country has been hit by several attacks near its northern border with Mali, including one this month in which unidentified gunmen killed a dozen members of the army's special anti-terrorist group.

Islamist militants are active in Mali, and Burkinabe authorities are concerned the long desert border between the two countries could become a transit point.

Burkina Faso's army is also dealing with the fallout from a failed coup attempt by elite presidential guard soldiers in September of last year. The government said in October that it had foiled a new coup attempt by ex-members of the same unit, a pillar of former president Blaise Campaore's rule before he was ousted by demonstrators in 2014 over his attempts to change the constitution to prolong his 27 years in office.

(Reporting by Mathieu Bonkoungou; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
West Palm Beach: President-elect Donald Trump tapped an experienced hand from the George W Bush era and a longtime Trump Organisation official to become members of his inner circle when he assumes office next month.

Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism.

A statement from Trump's transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counter-terrorism and cyber security, and coordinate the Cabinet's process for making and executing policy in those areas. The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on US-Israel relations during the campaign and transition as special representative for international negotiations.

Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organisation for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice-president and chief legal officer.

The homeland security position notably "is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser," the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.

Bossert will work closely with Trump's pick for national security adviser, retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

Donald Trump's West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as "equal partners," according to Trump, and counsellor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy.

Trump's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will have a direct line to the president as well.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and during his presidential campaign. But some critics fear doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making.

Discussing the appointment of Greenblatt, Trump said he "has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf," and has the expertise to "bring

parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics."

Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for US ambassador to Israel.

The billionaire-turned-president-elect is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, where he's held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his administration remain; his transition team says he will fill those positions in the coming days.
By Ezra Acayan

| MANILA

MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte completes six months in charge on Friday, with the rising death toll from his war on drugs showing no sign of easing.More than 6,000 people have been killed in the anti-narcotics drive since he took power, about a third in police operations with the rest still being investigated. Many are believed to be vigilante murders, which Duterte has refused to condemn.The former crime-busting mayor of the southern city of Davao had said that the war on drugs would be over within six months but has since pushed back the deadline. Last month he said that he will continue "until the last pusher drops dead".His hardline measures have been criticised by many, including the United States and the United Nations, but Duterte retains a "very good" opinion poll rating at home, the Philippine Social Weather Stations survey group said this month. On the streets of Manila, residents from a variety of professions gave their thoughts.Felicidad Magdayao, 59, owner of a fast-food restaurant."Our business has really suffered. People are afraid to go out. At dawn we only have few customers. At least, there are fewer drug addicts and drug pushers."Ronaldo David, 49, police officer."My load in filing cases in the office has been reduced. I am now more focused on educating people and in prevention."Cristine Angelie Garcia, 24, call centre agent."Maybe there is another way where people do not need to die," she said, adding she felt safer walking the streets at night."I'm on Duterte's side. Maybe he's just misunderstood because he grew up on the streets."

Rosalina Perez, 41, from Tondo district. Perez is the sister of Benjamin Visda, who was killed by police during a drug investigation."At first, we liked what he (Duterte) was doing. But as it went on I started to question what he was doing. Everyone who wants to change are just killed. They are not even given a chance to explain themselves to the authorities."Weng Ruda, 36, mother of three. Lives in a slum at the foot of Payatas dumpsite in Quezon city."I like that he is very tough. There are no children loitering around now. They also avoid picking up bad habits."Zainab Omar, 41, teacher, from Taguig city."The children are safer now. Parents used to accompany their children to school before Duterte sat as president. Now they let their children go to school by themselves."

Graciano De Leon, 19, parking attendant, from Paranaque city."What he is doing is good. He gave jobs to many people and many are happy with him. I just dont know about the families (of those killed) if that is good for them."Marianito Navarra, 54, village watchman in Pasay city."I pity the families of those who are killed, especially those who really had nothing to do with crime. There have been a lot of people who were killed that werent really involved with drugs. They should just arrest them."Bobby Dela Cruz, 54, Catholic priest and former drug addict.

"These people (drug addicts) are fighting for their lives. They need our help. We must help these people."Jose Cecilia Jr., 51, owns a trucking company, from Santa Rosa town in Laguna province."I give one hundred percent for Duterte. He's the only president who is fighting the drug lords and other syndicates in our country."Kimee Enciso, 21, student, from Quezon city."When it comes to him being too tough, I think it is just right. Hes our leader and hes only doing it for our sake."Orly Fernandez, 64, operational manager at Eusebio Funeral Services in Navotas city. Fernandez lives in the funeral parlour."Before maybe we pick up one body per day, now we get around two or three bodies a day."Sandro Gabriel Jr, 34, grave digger at Pasay Public Cemetery."A lot of people who have been shot have been buried here. More than 40 people have recently been buried here," he said."...I am not saying Duterte should keep killing people. But for us, we will keep working as long as there is work." (Editing by Patrick Johnston and Nick Macfie)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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A court in Cambodia yesterday sentenced the countrys exiled opposition leader to five years in prison after finding him guilty of conspiring to incite chaos by posting misleading documents on his Facebook page.

The conviction by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court is the latest legal problem for Sam Rainsy, head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party. The several cases against him are generally considered part of Prime Minister Hun Sens strategy to weaken his opponents ahead of local elections next year.

Sam Rainsy was found guilty in absentia of conspiracy to incite chaos and using and falsifying public documents. His Facebook page had reposted from a fellow party member several poorly translated documents suggesting that Hun Sens government had signed a treaty ceding territory to neighboring Vietnam, Cambodias traditional enemy.

Two opposition party members who maintained the Facebook page for Sam Rainsy were found guilty of the same charges, and also given five-year prison sentences, but with two years suspended. The two are also in exile.

The original poster of the erroneous material, opposition Sen. Hong Sok Hour, was sentenced last month to seven years in prison.

Defense lawyers in Sam Rainsys trial had argued that the case hinged on a mistranslated document found on the internet for which the defendants were not responsible.

They also said that Sam Rainsy had nothing to do with posting the false information, and routinely allowed his staff to post any interesting material. AP
China vowed yesterday to speed up the development of its space industry as it set out its plans to become the first country to soft land a probe on the far side of the moon, by around 2018, and launch its first Mars probe by 2020.

To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly, read a white paper setting out the countrys space strategy for the next five years. It says China aims to use space for peaceful purposes and to guarantee national security, and to carry out cutting-edge scientific research.

The white paper, released by the information office of Chinas Cabinet, points to the growing ambitions of Chinas already rapidly advancing space program. China places great emphasis on the development of its space industry, seen as a symbol of national prestige that will raise the countrys standing in the world. Although the white paper doesnt mention it, Chinas eventual goal is to land an astronaut on the moon.

While Russia and the United States have more experience in manned space travel, Chinas military-backed program has made steady progress in a comparatively short time.

Since China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, it has staged a spacewalk and landed a rover on the moon in 2013  the first time humans had soft landed anything on the moon since the 1970s.

Last month, two astronauts returned from a month-long stay aboard Chinas Tiangong 2 experimental space station, the countrys sixth and longest crewed mission. A fully functioning, permanently crewed space station is on course to begin operations six years from now and is slated to run for at least a decade.

The white paper reiterated Chinas plans to launch its first Mars probe by 2020, saying it would explore and bring back samples from the red planet, explore the Jupiter system and conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life.

The paper says the Change-4 lunar probe will help shed light on the formation and evolution of the moon.

He Qisong, a space security expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said that achieving mankinds first soft landing on the far side of the moon is a newly stated goal. It indicates that China has mastered the underlying technology needed to land on a specific area of the lunar surface, he added.

China never talks big and says something its unable to achieve, he said. AP
Legislator Pereira Coutinho clarified that the recent outcome of a case related to drug trafficking that involves his two sons will not affect his work and duties as lawmaker and president of The Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM).

The statement came during a crowded press conference held yesterday afternoon at the ATFPM headquarters.

My behavior will not change in any way regarding the functions that Im holding and that I will continue to hold for one more year as lawmaker at the Legislative Assembly [AL]. Ill continue to be the same person and to execute my duties. Do not expect any slowdown from my side as I have a commitment with Macau citizens, he said.

Questioned by the press if the case that involves both his sons, aged 31 and 27, would affect in any way his political career, possibly even jeopardizing the 2017 AL election run, Coutinho said: Personally Im not worried about any outcome from next years elections I believe that in a democratic system we must be able to live with what people think of those that are working to serve Macau, adding I believe that people in Macau know how to distinguish between what I do personally, and the responsibilities that I assume [in office]. Equally, members of my family will have to assume their own responsibilities.

Coutinho suggested that he was confident of his position due to the large number of supportive messages he received during the last few days, saying also that one of the primary goals of his press conference was to express his gratitude for this support. He noted: Im psychologically and emotionally in shape to face the future challenges.

Regarding the question of whether he still plans to be a candidate for the AL, Coutinho replied, Yes, Im interested in running [for a new mandate] because I have a dream which is that the six standing committees of the AL have their doors open and allow journalists to have full access to the meetings and discussions of the laws that affect the citizens of Macau, adding thats my mission for the time being and Ill strive for that On the day that the six standing committees start to have their doors open to the press and that I see that there are more people that would identify with our way of acting in the AL I could consider to change my role.

Coutinho did not make many comments regarding the case that involves his two sons. He didnt disclose any details about the case, claiming it is subject to legal confidentiality. The case is still under investigation and so there isnt a formal accusation as of yet, he added.

According to Coutinho the older son (31) is currently subjected to preventive custody measures, while the younger one (27) was eventually released on bail.

In a statement issued by the lawmaker and distributed to the press on site, Coutinho also pointed out that he has been serving the community and solving their problems that might have prevented me from paying enough attention to my own sons.

According to previous media reports, the two sons of Coutinho were arrested on December 15 while picking up drugs claimed to be cannabis. The combined weight of the seized items was 1 kilogram and the drugs had an expected market value of about MOP500,000.

The case was later (on December 22) disclosed by the Judiciary Police (PJ) who claimed the brothers were the masterminds of a criminal group that was aiming to sell the drugs in night clubs across the territory.

Lawmakers freedom of speech threatened

During the press conference held yesterday, legislator Pereira Coutinho still had time to point the finger at what he called the censorship and the cut of the freedom of speech from legislators.

Coutinho was referring to the case involving his stand partner Leong Veng Chai that saw the agenda of spoken enquiry of December 15 amended by the AL to exclude the names of Secretary Sonia Chan and former Public Prosecutor General Ho Chio Meng.

According to Coutinho, the case is particularly dangerous when it involves a legislator [Leong Veng Chai] that was elected by the people of Macau, adding my colleague had his text censored by the president of the AL and this cannot be unchallenged. The lawmaker remarked that the reply of the president of the AL, in which he blamed a staff member for the amendment, is unsatisfactory.
Guangdong is looking to attract a number of well-known international human resources companies to enter the province in the coming five years, according to a report by Macao Daily News.

In order to achieve this goal, the province is looking to add 15 to 20 working bases in Guangdong, in particular, focusing on importing human resources from beyond China.

The aforementioned plans are written in Guangdongs most recent five-year plan in regard to the provinces human resource and social welfare development. Topics covered relate to key aspects of this area while outlaying the priority for a series of measures to achieve these goals, which Guangdong will implement soon.

The province also expects to award individuals and organizations that recruit the talented people in demand in China.

Aside from the recruitment drive, Guangdong will also implement additional policies to improve the provinces quality of scientific and technological human resources. In particular, the province will renew some of its scientific projects relating to new materials, sea, and biological technology.
Approximately 500 tourists from Macau and Hong Kong were stranded at the New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido over the Christmas weekend because of the heavy snow that hit northern Japan last week.

According to Chinese reports the tourists were kept in the airport for three consecutive nights from last Thursday as a consequence of the heaviest snowfall over Hokkaido in the last 50 years.

Until Christmas Eve, hundreds of flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers at the airport.

According to Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT), over 50 local residents stranded at the airport sought assistance from the department until 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Moreover, according to a report by CCTV13, the Consulate-General of the Peoples Republic of China brought food and water to the Macau and Hong Kong residents after it received requests for help from Hong Kong residents.

The Deputy Consul General of the Consulate-General of China in Sapporo, Zhang Yuping, said all our Hong Kong and Macau fellow citizens have expressed their thanks to our timely assistance. They said, from the bottom of their hearts, that after all China is good [at taking care of us], that the motherland is good [at taking care of us].

According to Chinese reports, approximately 100 mainland tourists caused chaos at the New Chitose Airport last Friday night, after their flights were cancelled.

A number of mainland tourists were in the boarding area and became involved in physical clashes with the Japanese police on duty at the airport.

The chaos remained until Christmas morning, although nobody was arrested. The incident did not cause any injuries but two people were sent to the hospital for feeling unwell.
An Indonesian court ruled yesterday that the blasphemy trial of the minority Christian governor of the countrys capital will proceed.

Gov. Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama is charged with insulting Islam and desecrating the Quran by using one of its verses to boost his chances of winning re-election. Ahok, 50, is seeking a second term as governor in elections due in February.

The blasphemy controversy erupted when a video circulated online in which Ahok lightheartedly said that people were being deceived if they believed his detractors who asserted that the Quran prohibits Muslims from having a non-Muslim leader.

The five-judge panel overruled defense arguments that the indictment submitted by prosecutors had inaccuracies and should be annulled.

Hearings will resume next week at the North Jakarta District Court, which will be moved to southern Jakarta after the Supreme Court approved the prosecutors request for a bigger courtroom.

Several hundred members of anti- and pro-Ahok groups have gathered outside the court for every hearing, but have been kept apart by police.

Protests against Ahok, led by conservative Muslims and which drew hundreds of thousands of people, have kept Jakarta, the capital, on edge for weeks. A Nov. 4 protest there turned violent, with one death and dozens of police and protesters injured.

Ahok, an ally of President Joko Jokowi Widodo, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. He is the first ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta and the first Christian governor in more than half a century.

In his defense plea, Ahok said that his comments were not an interpretation of the Quran and that he was only referring to certain politicians who exploited the verses incorrectly because they do not want to compete fairly in the election.

His blasphemy trial has shaken the government and exposed religious and racial fault lines in the worlds most populous Muslim nation. AP
Putting 75 years of resentment behind them, the leaders of the United States and Japan are coming together at Pearl Harbor for a historic pilgrimage to the site where the bloodshed of surprise attacks thrust America into World War II.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abes visit yesterday with President Barack Obama is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war, Japans government has said. Although Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, Abe will be the first to visit the memorial that now rests on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona.

For Obama, its likely the last time he will meet with a foreign leader as president, White House aides said. Its a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abes predecessor to be the first leader that Obama hosted at the White House.

For Abe, its an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war.

This visit, and the presidents visit to Hiroshima earlier this year, would not have been possible eight years ago, said Daniel Kritenbrink, Obamas top Asia adviser in the White House. That we are here today is the result of years of efforts at all levels of our government and societies, which has allowed us to jointly and directly deal with even the most sensitive aspects of our shared history.

More than 2,300 Americans died on Dec. 7, 1941, when more than 300 Japanese fighter planes and bombers attacked. More than 1,000 others were wounded. In the ensuing years, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Abe will not apologize for Pearl Harbor, his government has said. Nor did Obama apologize at Hiroshima in May, a visit that he and Abe used to emphasize their elusive aspirations for a nuclear-free future.

No apology needed, said 96-year-old Alfred Rodrigues, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a date which will live in infamy.

War is war, Rodrigues said as he looked at old photos of his military service. They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do.

After a formal meeting in the morning, Obama and Abe planned to lay a wreath aboard the USS Arizona Memorial, which is accessible only by boat. Then theyll go to nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where both leaders will speak.

Obama and Abe signed off on the visit last month when they met in Peru on the sidelines of an economic summit. Though the parallels with Obamas Hiroshima visit are palpable, both governments said that one visit wasnt contingent on the other.

Meanwhile, China criticized Abes visit as an insincere attempt to absolve Japan of its wartime aggression. Trying to liquidate the history of World War II by paying a visit to Pearl Harbor and consoling the dead is just wishful thinking on Japans part, said Hua Chunying,

a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman in Beijing, at a regular briefing.

Japan can never turn this page over without reconciliation from China and other victimized countries in Asia, she said. Japanese leaders should stop being so evasive and dodging, and instead take a responsible attitude toward history and future, deeply and sincerely reflect upon the history of aggressive war, and draw a clear break with the past.

Abes visit is not without political risk given the Japanese peoples long, emotional reckoning with their nations aggression in the war. Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbor a surprise attack, Japans government insisted as recently as this month that it had intended to give the U.S. prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of bureaucratic bungling.

Theres this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this Pearl Harbor syndrome, that we did something very unfair, said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. I think the prime ministers visit will in a sense absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have.

Since the war, the U.S. and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown stronger during Obamas tenure. There are questions about what the relationship will look like under President-elect Donald Trump.

During the campaign, Trump suggested that Japan and South Korea should obtain nuclear weapons so the U.S. would no longer be burdened with costs of defending them, a disquieting notion in many Asian capitals. But after Trumps election, Abe became the first foreign leader to meet with him, sitting down in Trump Tower with the business mogul and Trumps daughter, Ivanka.

Though no Japanese prime minister has visited the USS Arizona Memorial, former Japanese leader leader Shigeru Yoshida visited Pearl Harbor in 1951, six years after Japan surrendered. He stopped there on his way home from signing the San Francisco peace treaty with the U.S. and others, and paid a courtesy visit to the office of Adm. Arthur W.R. Radford.

Other prime ministers have since visited Pearl Harbor and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as Punchbowl. Josh Lederman, Honolulu, AP
Indias biggest oil and gas producer will pay as much as USD1.2 billion to buy a majority stake in a gas field off the countrys east coast, aiming to boost production as the country seeks to cut energy imports.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd.s board approved the purchase of an 80 percent stake in Gujarat State Petroleum Corp.s deepwater block in the Krishna Godavari basin, it said in a statement last week. The New Delhi-based company will pay $995.26 million for the Deen Dayal West Field, the largest discovery in the KG-OSN-2001/3 block, with estimated natural gas reserves of 1.1 trillion cubic feet.

It will pay another $200 million for six other discoveries in the block located in the Bay of Bengal. The block has likely total reserves of at least 11.2 trillion cubic feet, according to GSPCs annual report for the year ended March 31.

The acquisition fits well with the strategy of ONGC to enhance natural gas production from domestic fields on a faster pace, the company said, adding that trial gas production from Deen Dayal West Field has already started.

The deal will help expedite production of gas from the block critical to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modis goal of reducing import dependency of hydrocarbons by 10 percent by 2022.

The companies will share infrastructure and reduce costs in an area where both have spent or plan to spend at least $3 billion each. The deal is critical for GSPC, a company owned by the government of the western state of Gujarat, as it is at least four years behind schedule in starting commercial gas production despite having completed construction of a processing platform, gas pipeline and an onshore terminal.

ONGC said the acquisition will help it develop faster its discoveries in the Yanam and Godavari areas as well as gas discoveries in its KG-DWN-98/2 block. Saket Sundria, Bloomberg

Oil extends gains ahead of OPEC cuts

Oil extended the longest winning streak in more than four months before OPEC and other producing nations start reducing output to stabilize the market.

Futures advanced 0.4 percent in New York, climbing for a seventh session. Prices are set to recover next year as production cuts help to re-balance an oversupplied market, Saudi Arabias Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said last week. OPEC and 11 nations from outside of the group including Russia have agreed to trim about 1.8 million barrels a day next year.

Oil has traded near or above USD50 a barrel since the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed last month to curb production for the first time in eight years. Iraq, the second-biggest OPEC producer, is fully committed to the accord, Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said last week in Cairo at a meeting of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Current oil prices reflect positive factors weve been seeing recently, including expectations about output cuts by OPEC and non- OPEC nations, said Will Yun, a Seoul-based commodities analyst at Hyundai Futures Corp. Questions remain on whether the rally will continue because unless there are new bullish items, the market may see more uncertainties in the long term.
The Philippine Consulate in Macau has heeded the demands of overseas Filipino workers in the region, and confirmed it will regularly operate on Sundays starting from next year.

The consular service which represents Manilas government informed the public yesterday that together with all its associated agencies, it would continue to provide regular consular services from Sunday to Thursday.

December 18 was supposed to be the last Sunday that the Consulate was open on a weekend as the office was only operating on a three-month trial phase.

The Philippines Consul General in Macau, Lilybeth Deapera, briefly replied to the Times to note that the request to operate more regularly was approved by the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The reply implied that the embassy initiated operations on Sundays due to public demand.

Basically, the Home Office approved our recommendation, she messaged.

Back in August a Filipino migrant group, Migrante Macau, urged the consulate to open on Sundays citing that it was the day on which most migrant workers were able to visit the Consulate due to their work schedules.

The Consulate opened its doors on Sundays a few years ago, but only a few Filipino migrants requested services over the weekend.

A representative from Migrante Macau told the Times yesterday that the group was pleased with the announcement. Were extremely happy because we won this petition. There were some [Filipino] organizations who didnt support us but we are thankful for the 2,832 signatures that weve gathered, said the associations chairperson, Emerlina de Lina.

Earlier this year, the migrant group association amassed the signatures from Filipino citizens residing in the MSAR to be filed in a petition letter that was then handed to the Consulate.

The last time we held dialogues with them, they asked us to just wait but we did not have a definite answer on whether they will regularly open on Sundays, she said.

According to de Lina, Filipino migrant workers indicated that the service was indeed required on weekends. The consulate is full of Filipino workers on Sundays. On December 11, they did not know how to accommodate the overflowing number of Filipinos requesting services, she added.

When questioned about their next move, de Lina noted that the association is currently waiting for the results of the document they sent to Manila via the Consulate requesting a government-run shelter for Filipino migrants.
Philippine authorities said yesterday that anti-narcotics operations have led to the arrest of 10 suspects, including three Chinese nationals, and the seizure of nearly 1 metric ton of methamphetamine, the countrys biggest drug haul ever.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the 890 kilograms (1,962 pounds) of methamphetamine seized in raids this month has a street value of around 6 billion pesos (USD120 million).

The National Bureau of Investigation filed criminal complaints before the Justice Department yesterday against three Chinese and three Filipino suspects arrested Friday in almost simultaneous raids in San Juan city in eastern metropolitan Manila in which 600 kilograms of methamphetamine was seized from a car and a nearby house.

This is the biggest bust by any enforcement agency, Aguirre said.

The bureau said the series of raids followed months of surveillance after receiving intelligence information in September on a Chinese group involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs in metropolitan Manila.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been waging a brutal crackdown against illegal drugs since he took office in June. More than 6,000 suspected drug users and dealers have been killed, alarming U.S. and U.N. officials and human rights advocates.

Duterte said in a speech yesterday that he would work until the last drug dealer is off the streets and the last drug lord is killed. I will really kill you, you sons of bitches, he said.

He said the suspects arrested Friday in San Juan were lucky that he was not in Manila at the time, because if the [methamphetamine] is that much in a house, I will really kill you, lets not resort to any drama, I will shoot you myself if theres no one else to do the shooting. AP
Porsche Automobil Holding SE won a key legal victory in its effort to end years of litigation stemming from a failed attempt to take full control of Volkswagen AG in 2008.

Germanys highest civil court dismissed an appeal by hedge funds including Viking Global Equities LP and Glenhill Capital LP, Porsche Holding said in a statement. The investors were seeking around 1.2 billion euros (USD1.25 billion) in damages from alleged market manipulation triggered by short-selling transactions, swaps and options related to VW voting stock.

Porsche Holding has faced a barrage of claims for a total of about 6.7 billion euros since disclosing in October 2008 that it controlled 74.1 percent of Volkswagen, partly through options, and was seeking to acquire 75 percent as part of a takeover. The announcement caused VW to soar as short sellers raced to cover bets that the stock would fall. While the Stuttgart, Germany-based companys effort ultimately failed, it still owns a majority of Volkswagens voting shares.

This is the next important step for our company, Manfred Doess, Porsche Holdings legal chief, said in the statement. The still pending cases will confirm our legal position.

The Regional Court of Stuttgart had dismissed the action in 2014. The plaintiffs appealed but the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart rejected their challenge in March last year. The Federal Court of Justice now also rejected their bid to overturn these rulings. The decision by Germanys highest civil court, which is final and cant be appealed, is the seventh consecutive ruling that backs Porsches view that it properly informed investors, the company said.

The ruling cuts the pending claims to about 5.5 billion euros and is a setback for investors still hoping for redress. Most suits are now being bundled in joint litigation pending at the Higher Regional Court in Celle, in VWs home state of Lower Saxony. That court centralized the evidence phase and has scheduled 22 days of hearings starting in July.

Porsche Holding has been seeking to overcome the allegations ever since its 2008 disclosure. German financial regulator Bafin initially reviewed the issue, and prosecutors raided the company in 2009. Charges were brought in 2012, but a Stuttgart criminal court acquitted Porsche and two of its former executives in April this year. While prosecutors initially said they would appeal, they later abandoned the effort. Bloomberg
For most of the past decade, Egypt has been a quiet partner with Israel in a blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that has stifled the economy and largely blocked its 2 million people from moving in and out of the territory. But after a three-year crackdown, there are signs that Egypt is easing the pressure in a step to repair its shattered ties with the Islamic militant group.

In recent months, Cairo has increased the number of people allowed to exit through the Rafah border crossing, Gazas main gateway to the outside world. It also has begun to allow Gaza to import commercial goods through Rafah for the first time since 2013 and sent public signals that it is interested in improving relations.

There is a ball of hope that was thrown by Egypt, said Ashraf Jomaa, a Gaza community leader who has taken part in recent meetings with Egyptian officials to discuss the changing ties. The question is how we, the Palestinians, shall catch that ball and develop the hope.

The changes, while still in their infancy, mark a significant departure from what has been a tough Egyptian crackdown since the military ousted its then-president, Mohammed Morsi, in 2013. Hamas, an offshoot of Morsis Muslim Brotherhood, enjoyed close relations with him and quickly fell into disfavor with the new government.

Under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who ousted Morsi, Egypt all but destroyed a once-thriving network of cross-border smuggling tunnels used by Hamas  robbing the group of its main economic lifeline and a key source of weapons.

Targeting Islamic militant groups in Egypts northern Sinai Desert, it also destroyed hundreds of homes in the volatile border area to create a sterile zone. Egypts state-run media have repeatedly accused Hamas of collaborating with militants in Egypt, a charge the group denies.

The crackdown has had a devastating effect on both sides of the border.

The olive and palm trees that once lined the 40-kilometer road from Rafah to El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai, have been razed and even small bushes have withered.

The road is littered with checkpoints, tanks and mobile artillery units, manned by anxious young soldiers. In the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, where travelers used to stop to buy Egyptian mobile phone cards and snacks, stores were gutted, their doors bombed out. The bullet-riddled houses above them were turned into military positions, with sandbags covering the windows and snipers stationed on the roofs. The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch estimates that thousands of people have been displaced  most of whom moved either elsewhere in town or to El-Arish.

In Gaza, years of Egyptian restrictions, coupled with an Israeli blockade and three wars between Hamas and Israel, have devastated the economy and weakened Hamas.

The U.N. and other international bodies estimate unemployment to be 43 percent, and Hamas has struggled to pay the salaries of the 40,000 police and civil servants it hired after seizing Gaza in 2007.

An Israeli naval blockade, which Israel says is needed to prevent arms smuggling, means that most goods enter Gaza through Israeli-controlled cargo crossings. While most consumer goods are freely available, prices of fuel, cigarettes and other items have spiked because of limited supplies. Construction materials, badly needed to rebuild damage from a 2014 war, remain in short supply.

But Egypts recent turnaround has begun to bring some relief. In the past six months alone, Rafah crossing has been opened more than 40 days, compared to just 26 in all of 2015, allowing thousands of people to leave for jobs, medical care, family visits and studies abroad.

Last month, it allowed a top Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, to travel abroad for the first time since Morsi was toppled. In addition, it allowed a Malaysian official to enter Gaza to meet with Hamas officials. In another first, it allowed cargo to be shipped into Gaza through Rafah, including 40 new cars, painting materials and tar.

In recent months, Egypt has invited three delegations of businessmen, academics, community leaders and journalists from Gaza for semiofficial conferences in Cairo. Participants said the issue of creating a trade zone between Gaza and Egypt was raised. Hamas has begun paving a patch of land on the Palestinian side of the crossing for what local media say will be an area to contain more imports from Egypt.

At a recent meeting, Egyptian officials said they were interested in opening a new chapter with Gaza, said one official, who was not allowed to be identified under the briefing guidelines. We are still evaluating the situation, and this is a long dialogue until we reach better relations.

Hamas has welcomed the moves, saying it is ready to shutter the tunnels if commercial activities increase above-ground. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said, If the [Rafah] crossing opened commercially, whats the need for the tunnels?

But Hamas, an armed group sworn to Israels destruction, has repeatedly seen its hopes dashed as it tries to emerge from isolation. It remains unclear how far Egypt is willing to help the group, especially if it continues using tunnels to bring in arms.

If the tunnels are used by the Palestinian resistance, then this is something else that doesnt harm the Egyptian security, Zahar said.

Beverly Milton-Edwards, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, said any Egyptian moves toward Gaza are to promote its own national security interests. With Egypt still locked in battle against Islamic extremists in Sinai, any change will likely be slow and cautious, and could depend greatly on Hamas own actions.

Egypt still fears Sinai militants will use the tunnels to escape or to bring in explosives from hard-liners within Hamas armed wing.

The signaling of intent is carefully calibrated to remind the Gaza government of the levels of control and power that Egypt can exert positively or negatively, Milton-Edwards said. If there is not enough evidence of compliance by the Hamas government then Cairo will not hesitate to halt all alleviating measures. Fares Akram, Rafah, AP
TWIN FALLS  A judged accepted the guilty plea of a Twin Falls chiropractor Wednesday and sentenced him to four months in jail for sexually exploiting five women late last year and early this year.

Robert Max Johnson, 54, pleaded guilty in November to five misdemeanor counts of sexual exploitation by a medical care provider, while prosecutors dismissed four other counts. A prosecutor on Wednesday said more than nine women came forward to report abuse at the hands of Johnson, but the statute of limitations had passed for some of the victims.

Johnson faced a maximum of five years in county jail and a fine up to $5,000. Twin Falls City Deputy Prosecutor Shayne Nope asked that he be sentenced to a year in jail followed by a lengthy probation, while Laurel McCord, a court-appointed public defender, asked that her client spend just 10 days in jail.

Instead, 5th District Magistrate Judge Thomas Kershaw imposed a one year jail sentence on each count, but ordered the sentences to be served concurrently rather than consecutively. He also suspended eight months of each jail term, meaning Johnson will spend four months in jail followed by two years of supervised probation.

The repeat nature of the crime demanded some penalty beyond probation and fines, Kershaw said, and the jail term was at least in part put in place to deter other medical professionals.

The judge also ordered Johnson to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and seek treatment based on the findings of that evaluation. And Johnson must register as a sex offender.

Twin Falls County Sheriffs Staff Sgt. Doug Sugden explained registering as a sex offender means checking in with the local sheriffs office once a year, keeping all contact and personal information up-to-date, and submitting fingerprints and a mug shot yearly. Failure to comply with the registry is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Its a sad situation for everyone concerned, Mr. Johnson, for you certainly, but for the victims, even more so, Kershaw said before imposing his sentence. They are indeed innocent victims, and you are not  It is a fairly egregious crime and appears to have been repeated over and over again.

One of those victims spoke in court Wednesday, delivering a powerful and eloquent victim impact statement in which she spoke of the consequences of being assaulted by Johnson.

His name was on the door and he had the title doctor, so I mistakenly thought that I could trust him, the woman said in a loud, clear voice. Instead, over the next hour, I was inappropriately touched and violated and my life was, in some ways, changed forever.

All nine women who accused Johnson told similar stories of him spending inordinate amounts of time massaging their inner thighs, brushing up against their genitals and fondling their breasts, court documents said. Most of the women said the massages lasted much longer than the time theyd paid for and that Johnsons hands would shake and his breathing would become heavy when he was touching near their inner thighs, breasts or genitals.

After the hearing, the victim who spoke in court told the Times-News she was happy with the sentence.

My main wish was for him to have to register as a sex offender, the woman said. I dont want him to have the opportunity to hurt any more people. This has been a long time pattern of his that was only recently discovered. Im glad to see that he has been stopped and that there are long term consequences.

In court, the victim said shed heard that Johnson has been telling friends and family he didnt kiss or penetrate the people complaining, so he doesnt know why this is such a big deal.

McCord, the defense attorney, denied those claims and said Johnson was taking the matter seriously. The victim went on to talk about the guilt she felt for not being able to stand up to Johnson, and the guilt her husband felt for having paid for the massage as a present.

What started out as such a lovely thought and gift ended up being such a sadness and event full of such guilt, the victim said. It took months for me to stop apologizing.

Johnson also spoke to the court, telling Kershaw in a low and at times inaudible voice that he was sorry to the victims Ive harmed in any way. But he spent most of his statement talking about himself: his life, trying to get help and figuring out why he did what he did.

I was not at a good point in my life, emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially, Johnson said.

His attorney said Johnson has lost everything since his arrest, including his wife, his home, his business and his chiropractors license. His wife filed for a divorce the week after he was charged, and the states board of chiropractors suspended his license.

But Kershaw, who heard the case on late notice after Magistrate Judge Roger Harris recused himself because he knew one of the victims, reminded Johnson that while he might have lost everything, he was the perpetrator, not a victim.

The victim who spoke to the court said she could go on forever about the way her life has changed.

(No), Max did not kiss or penetrate me, but his actions affected me  and violated my body and my trust all the same, the woman said. I paid this man as a medical provider to give me a service, and in the end I wound up paying for him to violate me and then later have him shrug it off as no big deal.

His name was on the door and he had the title doctor, so I mistakenly thought that I could trust him. Instead, over the next hour, I was inappropriately touched and violated and my life was, in some ways, changed forever. Woman who testified at sentencing
What do they do? The organization, founded in 2005, provides shelter in Rupert to victims of domestic violence, as well as food and clothing. It provides support groups for men, women and Spanish speaking individuals, a 24/7 crisis hotline, court advocacy and safety planning.

It assists women who are transitioning into independent living with the first months deposit, furniture and food. The organization also has a food pantry thats open once a month to those suffering hardship.

Whats changing? The organization has seen an increase in clients, especially around the holidays. In addition, grants, which help fund the shelter, are increasingly more difficult to come by, forcing the shelter to rely more on the generosity of the community.

How can people help? Donations of food, cash, clothing, toiletries and other necessities of living are welcome.

Whats the biggest difference the organization made in 2016? The organization increased awareness of its services through media, brochures and community events. The shelter also became a member of the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce, which increased its visibility.

What are their hopes for 2017? The organization wants to create even more community awareness by offering more education presentations to various organizations about the services it provides and the red flags that people need to look for.

We want to say: Are you paying attention? Do you know whats going on in your neighbors house? said Lynda Brennen, the organizations executive director. We had one client who had been victimized for 10 years, and the situation was only discovered when a neighbor knocked on the door and witnessed what was happening.

We are here and we want to help, she added.

Contact: 208-436-0987. Crisis hotline is 208-436-0332. Mailing address is P.O. Box 334, Rupert, Idaho 83350.
Casey Justin Hafla

August 10, 1990 - December 23, 2016

Casey Justin Hafla passed away peacefully while wrapped in his loving mother's arms on December 23, 2016.

Justin was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Casey and Joselyn Hafla on August 10, 1990. He attended school at Osgood Elementary, Eagle Rock Jr. High, and Skyline High School where he graduated in 2008.

He went on to attend Boise State University from fall 2008 to spring 2009. However, Justin quickly realized his dream was to become a pilot. He then moved to Logan, Utah, the fall of 2009, to continue his studies at Utah State University.

During this time, he was a member of a Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. This experience provided unforgettable memories and life-long friendships with his 'Brothers.'

For leisure, Justin's favorite activity was fly-fishing. He could catch fish in almost any situation, and always looked forward to out-fishing his dad. Some of his favorite areas to fish were the South Fork, Henry's, and 'Notellum Creek.'

Moreover, Justin loved hunting and adventuring with his younger brother, Cade. He cherished the close friendship that they maintained. Justin never missed an opportunity to spend quality time with his family.

Justin began dating the love of his life, Taylor Hanzalik, in October of 2011. They simply adored one another and could hardly be separated. Together they studied abroad in the Netherlands, making weekend trips all over Europe. When not overseas, you could find them fishing, hiking, or simply enjoying each other's company. They are truly soulmates.

Additionally, Justin was an accomplished Flight and Ground School Instructor at Utah State. He gained a vast variety of skills, knowledge, and more valuable friendships while in these positions.

After completing that darn calculus class, Justin graduated from Utah State in May of 2014. He earned two Bachelor's degrees; one in Aviation Technology and the other in Business.

Justin continued his exciting career in aviation by working as a bush pilot in Alaska. When off-duty, himself and Taylor lived near San Luis Obispo, California. They stayed with her family and he treasured the opportunity to grow close to them.

This area provided another opportunity to fly. He began working again as a flight instructor; enjoying many gorgeous flights over the sunny-California coast line.

Most recently, Justin was offered one of his dream-jobs of flying a Pilatus-PC12 for Boutique Air. He began this next quest in Colorado in February of 2016. He was close to upgrading to Captain at the time of his diagnosis.

Regardless of his location or health, Justin made it a priority to maintain meaningful relationships with friends and family. He never lost his positive attitude, charisma, or quick-wit. These are just a few of the qualities that make Justin loved by so many.

To return home to Idaho Falls, Justin took his final flight. Surrounded by his wonderful family, Justin proposed to Taylor as they soared over the Grand Teton Mountains. Without a doubt, she accepted his proposal. It was a beautiful occasion for all.

Justin is survived by his parents Casey Hafla and Joselyn Martincic Hafla. He is also survived by his younger brother Cade Hafla.

On his Father's side, Justin is survived by aunts and uncles: Tony (Roxanne) Hafla, Jolynne (Alan) Cavener, Lorrie Laflin, Kelly (Russell) Kagehiro. Also surviving is his paternal grandmother Betty Hafla.

On his mother's side, Justin is survived by aunts and uncles: Jackie (Ted) Harder, Joe (LuAnn) Martincic, Dan Martincic, and Alex (Leah) Reed. His surviving maternal grandparents are Joseph and Jude Martincic. Justin is also survived by many other loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and his only nephew, Caden.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother Arlene Olson and his paternal grandfather Richard Hafla.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local animal shelter on Justin's behalf.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 29, 2016, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 South Ammon. The family will visit with friends Wednesday evening from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to services, both times at the funeral home. Burial will be in New Sweden Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.woodfuneralhome.com
Kyle Calvin Woods

March 17, 1954 - December 22, 2016

BUHL - Kyle Calvin Woods, 62, of Buhl passed away on December 22, 2016 at St Luke's Hospital in Boise, due to complications from a stroke. Kyle was born March 17, 1954 to Marvin Bud and Anna Louise Woods in Cottonwood Idaho. He graduated in 1972 from Kamiah High School, Kamiah ID and began college at Lewis Clark State College in 1973. Kyle married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Donna Perry in 1974.

While in college he studied theatre and in the process met his friends and mentors Dr. John Nydegger and John A.K. Barker. While there he made many lifelong friends. In 1976 he began working at Burl Langs Logging in Weippe ID and in 1978 he and Donna moved back to Kamiah where they began their family, being blessed with two beautiful daughters.

In 1980 he followed his father to Battle Mountain, NV to pursue work hauling ore from the mines as a partner in The Woods Trucking Co.

1983 found them back in Kamiah with a new edition to their family, a beautiful baby boy. They remained there until 1985 when he decided to return to school to finish his degree in education at Lewis Clark State College. He and Donna graduated in 1989 and moved the family to Buhl ID where he began his teaching career. He taught theatre, speech, history, and debate for the next six years.

He began teaching in Gooding in 1995 until he left education in 2001 to pursue other interests.

This led him to finding work at Schwan's Food Company in 2003. He thoroughly enjoyed his job, co-workers, and clients for the next eleven years before ill health forced him to retire.

Kyle had a passion and love for music and playing the guitar. He has had the opportunity to meet some of his musical idols and play great music with great friends. His family has many fond memories of listening to him sing and play his guitars.

Kyle's greatest joy in life were his children and grandchildren whom he loved to spend time with. He loved to travel and got the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime to Stockholm Sweden in 2011, where he got to meet his daughter-in-law Linda's family and witness the christening of his grandson.

Kyle is preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, and numerous aunts and uncles. He is survived by his wife of 42 years Donna Woods, his daughters Danielle (Jeff) Drown, of Salt Lake City and their children Kylynn and Samten; Aubree (Eric) Flanery of Genesee, his son GySgt Casey (Linda) Woods USMC/Stockholm and their children Ryan, Jason, and Olivia; his siblings Bob (Tina) Woods of Moscow ID, Brenda Mayer of Kennewick WA, and numerous family, extended family, friends and former students.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Duckworth and Dr. Reger and the tremendous nurses of the Surgical ICU for their wonderful and compassionate care of Kyle and his family. As well as the family and friends who provided daily support through that difficult time.

In lieu of flowers our family asks you to consider making a donation to the charity of your choice in Kyle's name.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 30, 2016 at the Orpheum Theatre in Twin Falls, Idaho. Arrangements will be under the care and direction of Farmer Funeral Chapel of Buhl, Idaho.
Patricia Ann Jarolimek

March 31, 1941 - December 18, 2016

FILER  The legacy of Patricia Ann Jarolimek will be love for family, faith in God, silliness, and sincere consideration for others. She shared with everyone a glowing smile, which will never be forgotten.

On the morning of Sunday, December 18, 2016, Patty went to heaven at the age of 75 after passing away from cancer. Her favorite time of the year was Christmas.

On March 31, 1941, Patty was born in Twin Falls, Idaho; her parents were Leo and Josephine Malberg. Her parents and two brothers, Corky Malberg and Joe Malberg, preceded her in death.

Patty dearly loved her family. When her family was young, she was a devoted stay-at-home Mom. In 1975, she started working as a checker at the local grocery store in Filer where she worked for 36 years. Mom loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchild. Patty was a devoted Catholic.

Dennis, her Hunk and lifelong husband of 56 years, cherished their times together. They enjoyed going to their kids' and grandkids' school sporting events, camping, roasting hot dogs around a campfire, and riding motorcycles in the mountains. If you ever visit the Jarolimek residence, you will notice bears, including pictures and figurines. Story be told, Mom and Dad were riding up North on a trail and a big black bear decided to stop in front of Mom. The bear stood up on its hind legs, took a look at her, and then Dennis quickly scared off the bear. Ever since, Dennis gave her a special bear gift each year.

She is survived by Dennis, her husband; her four children, ten grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Carrie Lammers (Mike) of Twin Falls, Idaho, their sons Justin, Garret, daughter Amy, and great grandchild, Ryanne Lammers (Garret & Natalie); Tammy Schwartz (Thomas) of Meridian, Idaho, their son Teigon; Greg Jarolimek (Terrie) of Filer, Idaho, their daughters Jenna, Kelsie, and son Austin; Pattie Hamilton (Logan) of Vale, Oregon, their daughters Tessa, Abby, and son Tanner.

A memorial mass will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 03, at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Twin Falls. Family and friends are invited to attend. A luncheon and special slide show will follow at St. Edward's parish hall.

All services and arrangements are under the direction of Parke's Magic Valley Funeral Home & Crematory of Twin Falls, Idaho. Those wishing to share memories and condolences may do so on Patricia's memorial webpage at www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com
Joseph R. Whiteley

OAKLEY  Joseph R. Whiteley of Oakley, graveside service at 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 28, at the Oakley Cemetery.Visitation is prior to the graveside service from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Oakley LDS Stake Center, 355 N. Center Ave, Oakley, Idaho. Arrangements under the care of Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley.

Dona Fenton

BURLEY  Dona Fenton of Burley, funeral at 11 a.m. Thursday, December 29, at the Springdale LDS Church, 519 E. 200 S., of Burley. Visitation is from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, December 28, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., Burley and 10 until 10:45 a.m. Thursday, prior to the service at the church.

Eldon Smith

KIMBERLY  Eldon Smith of Kimberly, funeral services at 12 p.m. Thursday, December 29, 2016, at the LDS church located at 3857 N 3500 E, Kimberly, Idaho. Visitation is from 10-11:45 a.m. at the church prior to the service.

Tracie OGorman

TWIN FALLS  Tracie OGorman of Twin Falls, memorial services at 2 p.m. Friday, December 30 at Rosenau Funeral Home, Twin Falls.

John C. Merrill

BURLEY  John Churchill Merrill of Burley, funeral at 11 a.m. Friday, December 30, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E, 16th St., in Burley. Military honors will be provided by the Mini-Cassia Veterans Organization.

Helen J. MacDonald

BURLEY  Helen J. MacDonald of Burley, funeral at 2 p.m. Friday, December 30, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where family and friends may call from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, December 29, and one hour prior to the service on Friday.

Verna Carrico

TWIN FALLS  Verna Carrico of Twin Falls, graveside service at 1:30 p.m. Friday, December 30, at the Elmwood Cemetery in Gooding. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.

Vinnie Standley

TWIN FALLS  Vinnie Pearl Standley of Twin Falls, Celebration of Life from 2-6 pm Sunday, January 8, 2016 at the Turf Club in Twin Falls. Funeral Arrangements are under the direction of White Mortuary Chapel by the Park.

Hyrum Weighall

SODA SPRINGS  Hyrum Theodore Weighall of Soda Springs, services at 11 a.m. Monday, January 2, 2017. at the Hooper LDS Chapel in Soda Springs. Viewing at the Sims Funeral Home on Sunday evening from 6-8 p.m. and Monday 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Church prior to services.
Amanda Byrd wore black the day Kurt Vonnegut died. A University of Oregon student that year, 2007, she also stayed home from school.

Books were central to Byrds life then, and have been since, along with a motivation for altruism.

Byrd teaches English to Eagle Rock Middle School eighth-graders, everything from comma usage to adjective recognition.

In leisure she reads F. Scott Fitzgerald and Kate Chopin.

A book club she started has led to longstanding friendships in Idaho Falls. The clubs annual book sale, meanwhile, funds humanitarian trips Byrd takes during school vacations and time away from her second job counseling people with substance abuse problems.

Far from being overwhelmed by her community involvement, domestic and abroad, Byrd only wishes for more hours in the day.

If I could have a 36-hour day or not sleep, I would love that, she said. I think theres so much selfishness in this world; I really just want to help as many people as I can.

Expanding horizons

Byrds students read quietly at their desks a few weeks ago. A pile of Edgar Allan Poe paperbacks sat in a corner.

Byrd moved from student to student, checking progress on their self-chosen reading books.

Student choices varied. One kid had a Tom Clancy novel; another was reading The Vampire Diaries.

Byrd knelt by a student.

If you want to continue to grow, youll need to read harder books, she said. Ill bring you something next month.

The class reviewed a worksheet later in the period. Byrd stood by the overhead projector at the front of the room and read comma-heavy sentences from Alice in Wonderland and Fahrenheit 451.

This is Byrds third year at Eagle Rock. She spent four years prior at Hillcrest High School.

Byrd has two boys, ages 5 and 9. The older boy will attend Eagle Rock in three years, and she wanted to teach in the same district.

She also enjoys instructing middle-schoolers.

The middle-school kids are still kind of adorable and moldable, Byrd said. I love being a teacher because Im at the forefront of a lot of kids who need help, love and support.

Shes teaching Shakespeare this year. Through their reading assignments Byrds students will also learn about the Vietnam War  an effort to diversify their knowledge.

I grew up in Wyoming, where I was isolated, naive and immature, Byrd said. I would have appreciated someone opening up my world a little bit about whats really going on out there.

A second job

At Hillcrest, Byrd had a different set of challenges. Students talked to her about their drinking problems, or their parents methamphetamine use. She didnt know how to respond.

Inspired by a friend who pursued a degree while teaching at Hillcrest, Byrd earned a masters in drug and alcohol counseling online. She sees clients after school.

We all have our own addictions, whether its coffee, drugs, alcohol or shopping. Im so fascinated with how the brain works, how we have these addictions and overcome them, Byrd said. I look forward to both jobs. I cant sit still very well. I have to do a million things at once, so I dont think teaching alone really filled my cup.

Eagle Rock counselor Addie Priest, one of Byrds close friends, has seen her relentless nature firsthand.

I think it all comes down to passion, her passion is helping people. As an educator you help and shape peoples lives; as a counselor you do the same thing, Priest said. She takes more time to give back than anyone Ive ever met. She motivates me to be a better person.

Making a difference in the world

Byrd travels often.

As a teenager she visited El Salvador, where her sister lived, to volunteer at orphanages.

Her first visit, at age 16, followed a large earthquake and mudslides. Byrd and her sister spent a week delivering water to people.

I arrived in in the airport and my sister threw my bags in the car and said Were going to go help people and I was like, I just traveled for 10 hours; I want to see my sister and go to the beach, Byrd said. Thinking of the big picture, giving one person a glass of water wont save their life. But maybe it helped them that day. That inspired me to do more projects later on.

During her time at Hillcrest, Byrd routinely took groups of seniors to Ecuador to teach orphans English.

On Christmas Day, she drove with Priest to Rosarito, Mexico, where the pair will build houses and volunteer at orphanages.

Part of the motivation, Priest said, is to show Eagle Rock students how they can make a difference in the world.

To encourage them and show them that you can go on these trips to see different cultures and help people, she said. Mandie wants to be an inspiration for them to do that as well.

A book club branches out

The Mexico trip will be funded, in part, by a used book sale held in early December by Byrds book club.

She started the book club in 2009. After moving with her husband to Idaho Falls, where he found a teaching job, Byrd became lonely and depressed. It was something she struggled with throughout her life.

On a whim, Byrd posted a Craigslist ad for a book club barbecue at her house.

Which made my husband insane. He said You actually invited people to our house? And I said Sure, why not? Byrd said.

About 15 women showed up. Most were eastern Idaho transplants who loved books and lacked friends.

These amazing women showed up at my house and have kind of stayed with me the last eight years, Byrd said. It saved my life.

The clubs members  past and present  number about 100.

The book club contains a wide cross section of eastern Idaho women who read everything from classics to historical fiction.

Members are young and old, single and married. One woman is from Germany, others are from Texas and South Carolina. Some are religious, some are atheist.

Pilar Saslow, born in Peru, moved to Idaho from the East Coast. She attended the original barbecue.

I thought Mandie was a very sweet person. A little naive maybe; I would never have opened my house to people for a book club, Saslow said.

Various side groups have grown out of the book club since it began, including a scrapbooking club, card-making club, trivia group and game night group.

The value of the original club, and its offshoots, is in their diversity, Saslow said.

When you have a group of women with different perspectives and experiences you can teach each other without trying; you can enrich lives with different backgrounds. Some women get together to sew, others to cook. she said. And Mandie was the vessel for that. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own little worlds; Mandie is one of those people who inspires you to see beyond yours.
This appeared in the Lewiston Tribune:

For the sake of argument, lets say you have a group of people who need some medical attention.

But they cant afford it.

The state can spend a little money now to help them.

Or it can wait for problems  and the costs of dealing with those problems  to multiply.

So it goes with the estimated 7,400 people who have been paroled from Idahos prison system. Mental health issues and substance abuse landed most of them in the criminal justice system.

While in prison, they got treatment.

Left to fend for themselves once theyre back in society, about a third of them end up back in prison within three years  at a cost of more than $20,000 per inmate per year.

So Idaho lawmakers seem poised to make a small investment. For about $11.2 million, theyre prepared to provide parolees with mental health and substance abuse counseling. If it helps keep even 560 former inmates out of trouble, the state will recoup its costs.

Some would call that enlightened.

Others might attribute the idea to clear-eyed pragmaticism.

But only to a point.

For just another $1 million, Idaho could have extended not just mental health and substance abuse programs  but the full array of medical treatment. And not simply to this relatively small group of former prison inmates but to another 70,000 low-income Idahoans who are not at any immediate risk of being sent to the state penitentiary.

Thats right. For $12.2 million, Idaho could have expanded Medicaid coverage to adults who earn too little to qualify for subsidized health insurance. Under Obamacare, the federal government was prepared to cover the entire costs for the first three years but never less than 90 percent thereafter.

Doing so would have saved as many as 368 Idahoans from premature death each year. Some of those might be the same former prison inmates who succumb to diabetes or heart disease  which of course falls outside the scope of mental health and substance abuse treatment.

If compassion doesnt compel politicians to act, youd think that same clear-eyed pragmatism might. Because of a declining federal match, expanding Medicaid next year would cost Idaho about $21.5 million. But once you factor how much Idaho would spend on everything from prison costs to covering the medical bills incurred by indigents, Medicaid expansion would save the state about $18.9 million.

None of which is news to House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona. He was the first to sponsor a Medicaid expansion bill. He also co-chaired an interim legislative panel that pledged to do something about the so-called Medicaid gap population.

But in a recent debate with Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center intensivist Ken Krell, Loertscher had to admit doing something is a misnomer  especially when the newly elected Trump administration wants to repeal Obamacare.

The dilemma that I have is that the Legislature at large has never ever been willing to look at the numbers, Loertscher said. After all, its that evil Obamacare. ... Thats whats driven the discussion too much.

As long as legislators can say they tried to do something, its good enough for them.
Moroccos foreign ministry has hailed as historical last Fridays UN resolution which condemned Israels unlawful settlement policy in Palestinian territories and called for freezing the settlements construction.

Morocco, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has over history condemned Israels occupation and Palestinian land usurpation.

The foreign ministry in a statement welcomed the vote (14-0) which took Israel by surprise. The US, iron-clad supporter of the Jewish state, abstained allowing the resolution to be voted.

Washingtons abstention sparked fury in Israel. Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu summoned envoys of countries which voted for the resolution to clarify their positions. Tel Aviv went at great lengths to suspend investment projects in some countries that backed the resolution.

The resolution widened the rift between President Barack Obama and Netanyahu. Israel claimed it has strong evidences that Washington helped craft the resolution.

The Moroccan foreign ministry described Israels settlement policy as a blatant violation of dispositions of the international law and UN resolutions and a threat to all chances of peace in the region.

Rabat underlined its attachment to the two-state solution based on June 1967 border limits, with Eastern Jerusalem as capital of the Palestinian state.

In November this year, during the UN Climate Conference COP22, Rabat rejected calls to remove the Israeli flag among other participating nations flags. The Kingdom indicated that the event was a global event which required contribution of all global stake-holders.
A week after Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition, stated that victory against the Islamic State in Mosul could take up to two years and that forces need to rest assess how things are going because they are not going as fast as we thought, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi responded on Wednesday that such remarks are very pessimistic.

The Iraqi Prime Minister had stated that offensive against the extremist group would end before 2017 when the operations began in October but that seem very unlikely.

I foresee that in Iraq it will take three months to end the war against the Islamic State, he said after stating that Americans used to talk about a really long period but the remarkable successes achieved by our brave and heroic fighters reduced that. Government forces are fighting alongside Shia and Kurdish militia groups while the US-led coalition provides aerial support with its warplanes. The offensive operation progressed quickly, beyond expectations, when it was launched but has stalled significantly since last month. Around 2,000 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed across the country in November, almost three times the figure for October, according to the UN.

Mosul is the Islamic States de facto capital and its fall is expected to mark the end of its self-declared caliphate even though it still has control over other big towns such as Tel Afar, Qaim and Hawija. Taking over Mosul is expected to be one of the biggest battles because the extremist group conquered it in June 2014 and had fortified it to resist ground offensives while the presence of civilians continues to limit airstrikes on the town.

About 25% of Mosul is believed to have been retaken by government forces and on Tuesday, the bridge linking eastern and western Mosul was bombed as part of efforts to reduce enemy freedom of movement, according to a spokesman. The bombing could be seen as a strategic move following Lieutenant Colonel Stuart James remarks on Monday that they are right now, positioning forces and positioning men and equipment into the interior of east Mosul as he hinted that hostilities will be renewed in the next several days.
A revised deal that was earlier on proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry would be backed by President Hadi-led government, according to sources in his government.

The initial proposal was rejected as a redemption for the Houthis and ex-president Salah as it requested that Hadi transfers his authority to a Vice-President to be appointed on consensus with the Houthi Movement.

However, the latest version to be presented by UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has already been accepted, in principle, by the government, according to reports. Details of the deal are yet to emerge.

Sources stated that the amended document provides for a political solution to the war in Yemen which involves the withdrawal of the Houthi Movement and their allies from the occupied territories and the surrendering of their weapons. The new document seems to reflect the decisions of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the UN Security Council.

It is unclear if the rebels will welcome the new deal because a similar agreement presented by special envoy Ismail was turned down during the Kuwait talks held earlier this year. The rebels have been demanding a comprehensive agreement and calling for a transitional unity government.

President Hadi had stressed that he would neither surrender Yemen to Iran and its tools nor will he allow the sectarians and terrorists to mess up with the present and future of our Yemeni people.

The Houthi Movement and their allies are believed to be backed by Iran and that has contributed to the war in Yemen being considered as a proxy war between Riyadh, with its coalition of international forces, and Tehran or as a war between Sunnis and Shias.

Meanwhile, financial experts have signaled that banks in the rebel-controlled area are on the verge of bankruptcy and that could lead to significant economic and financial ramifications in one of the poorest countries in the region already ridden by drought and war.
Russia has hinted that it supports Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar of the Libya National Army, loyal to the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR), saying he has a fundamental role in the formation of the new Libyan leadership.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Haftar is a leading political and military figure in the war torn country and hailed him as a unifying figure because he is doing a lot to fight Islamic State terrorists and help the government restore control of oil production.

Libya has been engulfed in a five year war and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has failed to make an impact due to its limited authority and influence in the country.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister told Bloomberg News he believes that Libyans have to find a compromise on his (Hafatrs) participation in the new Libyan leadership as his forces control a significant territory in the country.

The tobruk-based house of representatives (HOR) does not recognize the GNA and has refused to approve the Libyan Political Agreement which will legitimize the UN-backed government. According to Gatilov, the lack of interest of the Tobruk-based government is due to the UN Special envoy Martin Kobler who tries to strike deals with part of the Libyan political establishment behind the back of other influential players. He lamented that such a situation doesnt help to advance the political process in Libya.

Kobler had earlier on called on Moscow to support the GNA because the consensus of the international community is important to end the war. Although the GNA, led by prime minister-designate Fayez Serraj, enjoys support from Western countries, Gatilov said its control extends to only very limited territory and is not considered as a truly national government body.

Field Marshall Haftar has visited Moscow twice over the past six months and the statements by Gatilov are the strongest endorsement message to come from Moscow. Haftars Libya National Army is also supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
King Mohammed VI has renewed Moroccos attachment to the secular friendship ties and good neighborly relations existing with sisterly Mauritania.

In a telephone conversation with President Mohammed Ould Abdelaziz, the Moroccan sovereign renewed his unwavering support and friendship, as well as his attachment to the neighborliness and solidarity relation between the two countries, based on the long-standing and family relations which have always existed between the two peoples, said a statement released by the royal office.

King Mohammed VI also reassured President Mohammed Ould Adelaziz that the North African Kingdom recognizes the territorial integrity of Mauritania in conformity with international law.

During the phone talk, the two Heads of State voiced their determination to preserve this relation against any attempt seeking to undermine it, added statement of the royal office.

The Moroccan monarch made the phone call to the Mauritanian president following the irresponsible remarks by Istiqlal partys Secretary General, Hamid Chabat, regarding the borders and territorial integrity of Mauritania.

Last weekend, Chabat had said at a meeting that Mauritania is a Moroccan territory and that the historical borders of Morocco stretch from Ceuta to the Senegal River.

These imprudent and unwise remarks have irked both the Moroccan and the Mauritanian political class. In a bid to make things crystal-clear and to avoid any diplomatic row, Head of Moroccan government Abdelilah Benkirane and minister delegate to foreign affairs Nasser Bourita flew to Mauritania to dispel any misunderstanding, that could affect the excellent relations between the two neighbors.

The Moroccan Foreign ministry as well as several senior members of the Istiqlal Party have all slammed the politically incorrect remarks made by Chabat.
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 foreign ministers of China and Sao Tome and Principe signed a statement on Monday to resume diplomatic relations between the two nations after they severed these ties 20 years ago.

According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the two countries officially resume ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations after 20 years and have agreed on fundamental issues, which China highly appreciates.

We agreed that the one China principle should be the foundation of bilateral relations at any time, and should be upheld all the time without wavering. We both agreed on mutual understanding and support in regards of each others core interests and major concerns as well as firmly safeguarding the common interests of the developing countries, the Chinese Foreign Minister said.

The Foreign minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Urbino Botelho, said the resumption of diplomatic ties is of historic significance for bilateral relations.

Above all, we should admit the increasingly important role played by the Peoples Republic of China in the world, as a champion for development and restless defender of the rights for people to decide their own path and destiny he said.

We want to redeem our mistakes in the past. He said he hoped that more Chinese businesses would invest in his country and more Chinese tourists would visit.

China established diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe in 1975, but cut the ties when the latter established diplomatic relations with Chinas Taiwan.

Most of the world does not formally recognize Taiwan as a condition of maintaining relations with China. Sao Tome and Taiwan broke ties last week, leaving only 21 countries and governments, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, that have official ties with Taiwan.
President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou NGuesso was expected to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing political turmoil crisis in Libya and other African issues.

A statement twitted Monday by President Sassous spokesman Thierry Moungalla said the two men were meeting to discuss ways to the end the Libyan crisis as well other broader issues affecting the continent.

According to Reuters, representatives for Trumps team did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking to confirm the meeting with the incoming Republican president, who is actually spending holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Earlier this year, the United States has said it was profoundly disappointed by the flawed presidential electoral process in Congo where the veteran leader Sassou NGuesso was re-elected.

Sassou NGuesso first served as president from 1979 to 1992, returning to power in 1997 following a civil war.

He won two successive terms in elections in 2002 and 2009, both of which were disputed by opposition parties.

The central African nation has about 5 million inhabitants and is the fourth largest African oil producer. President NGuesso contested for a third term, courtesy of a referendum passed last year removing limits on the number of terms a president can serve in the country.
Russian deputy foreign minister has called for recognition for east-based Libyan military commander Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar in the Libyan political process in standoff since the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has entered capital Tripoli.

For Gennady Gatilov, Haftar is a leading political figure who must not be sidelined.

We believe that the Libyans have to find a compromise on his participation in the new Libyan leadership, Gatilov said in written answers to US Bloomberg.

Haftar has rejected the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) signed in December. The Libyan military commander and his ally, the east-based internationally recognized parliament, the House of Representatives, have opposed the article of the LPA conferring supremacy over the military to the Presidency Council (PC) and its head; Faiez Serraj. The HoR and Haftar have challenged the article.

Haftar has refused to pledge alliance to Serraj accusing the PC and the GNA for being puppets for the west.

In September, he snatched Libyan oil fields from the GNA and placed them under the authority of the Libyan National Oil Corporation.

The Libyan military commander, 73, was received twice in Moscow over the past six months, the latest being early this month. He met with Russian military officials to seek support.

Russia is trying to re-assert its influence in the North African country after losing one of its key allies; Muammar Gaddafi killed in 2011 in a NATO-backed revolution.

After changing the course of events in Syria, President Putin and his administration are setting eyes on Libya to help flash out the Islamic State group (IS).

Haftar has been battling the terrorist group in Benghazi and its surroundings.

Gatilov also lambasted UNSMIL Head; Martin Kobler for favoring one side over other Libyans in the political settlement process of the crisis. For the Russian official, the UN bodys mandate has proven ineffective.

Kobler repeatedly said that Haftar is welcome to play a role in the political process but only under the supervision of the Presidency Council.

Gatilov however pledged Russias alignment with the UN arm embargo on Libya in place since 2011. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have been accused of supplying the Libyan commander with weapons.
Forty one MPs elected to senatorial seats in the Upper House and the 242 deputies of the Lower House have taken their oaths of office on Tuesday to represent the people of Somalia in the countrys tenth Parliament.

Elections for the two houses are not over after an increase in the number of seats in the Upper House of parliament from 54 to 72 by Somalias National Leadership Forum in contravention with the countrys constitution.

The United Nations, African Union, European Union and international partners have expressed concern over the move.

Any further expansion of the Upper House should only be contemplated after the presidential vote has been held in the new federal parliament and implemented through a proper constitutional process, they advised in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The international bodies also decried the statement by the NLF revoking all disqualifications of candidates made by the countrys electoral bodies for allegedly committing abuses and malpractices.

Somalias presidential election scheduled for December 28 has once again been delayed and according to the electoral commission on Tuesday, a total of 293 MPs had been elected so far.

Among the presidential candidates are the incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Fadumo Dayib, one of the two females to ever run for president in the East African country that has faced threats from the Islamist al-Shabaab group.
This March 2016 photo provided by the City of Hope hospital shows patient Richard Grady in Duarte, Calif. Suffering from a deadly brain cancer that had spread to his spine, a novel therapy, which helped his immune system attack his disease, shrank his tumors. Grady was the first person to get cells that were genetically modified to seek and kill cancer dripped through a tube into a space in the brain where spinal fluid is made, sending the cells down the path the cancer traveled to his spine. (City of Hope via AP)

A man with deadly brain cancer that had spread to his spine saw his tumors shrink and, for a time, completely vanish after a novel treatment to help his immune system attack his diseaseanother first in this promising field.

The type of immunotherapy that 50-year-old Richard Grady received already has helped some people with blood cancers such as leukemia. But the way he was given it is new, and may allow its use not just for brain tumors but also other cancers that can spread, such as breast and lung.

Grady was the first person to get the treatment dripped through a tube into a space in the brain where spinal fluid is made, sending it down the path the cancer traveled to his spine.

He had "a remarkable response" that opens the door to wider testing, said Dr. Behnam Badie, neurosurgery chief at City of Hope, a cancer center in Duarte, California, where Grady was treated.

The case is reported in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

Each year in the United States, about 20,000 people are diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called glioblastoma. Grady, who lives in Seattle, had the usual surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but the cancer came back.

He enrolled in a clinical trial at City of Hope and had some of his own blood cells, called T cells, removed and genetically modified in the lab to turn them into specialized soldiers to seek and destroy cancer.

The treatment, called CAR-T cell therapy, has been used for blood cancers, but its value for solid tumors is unknown. City of Hope has been testing injecting the cells directly into the brain.

First, Grady had more surgery to remove three of his largest tumors. Then he got six weekly infusions of the cells through a tube into his brain, where the biggest one had been. No cancer recurred there, but the remaining tumors continued to grow, new ones appeared, and cancer spread to his spine.

Doctors decided on a bold step: placing a second tube in his brain, into a cavity where spinal fluid is made, and putting the cells there.

"The idea was to have the flow of the spinal fluid carry the T cells to different locations," along the route the cancer had taken, Badie said.

After three treatments, all tumors had shrunk dramatically. After the 10th treatment, "we saw all the tumors disappear," and Grady was able to cut back on other medicines and return to work, Badie said.

New tumors, though, have now emerged in different spots in his brain and spine, and he is getting radiation treatment. But his response to immunotherapy lasted more than seven months, and "for him to live more than a year and half" after starting it is amazing for a situation where survival often is measured in weeks, Badie said.

Side effects of the treatment were manageable, including headaches, fatigue and muscle aches, and some may have been due to other medicines Grady needed, doctors reported.

It's early research, but it's an advance for the field "that they showed this is safe, at least in this patient," said Dr. Donald O'Rourke, a neurosurgeon heading a similar study at the University of Pennsylvania.

O'Rourke treated 10 brain tumor patients with CAR-T cells but used a single IV dose. A paper detailing results is in the works, but "it's pretty striking what we've found," he said.

At City of Hope, nine patients have been treated so far, but only three with infusions into the spinal fluid brain cavity. Two of the nine have not responded to treatment, Badie said.

His study is supported by the nonprofit Gateway for Cancer Research, the Food and Drug Administration, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Some authors get royalties from pending patents or money from Mustang Bio, Inc., which has licensed some of the technology.

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
A Scripps researcher is using the TherOx system to test the effectiveness of supersaturated oxygen therapy on heart attack patients. Credit: TherOx Inc.

A physician at Scripps Health's Prebys Cardiovascular Institute has become the first in the Western United States to treat heart attack patients with a new supersaturated oxygen (SSO2) system in an attempt to reduce permanent damage to their heart muscle.

The recent treatments of two San Diego men were part of an ongoing clinical trial examining the effectiveness of the experimental SSO2 system and technique in combination with angioplasty, stenting and medication. Scripps is the only site in California participating in the nationwide study called IC-HOT (Evaluation of Intracoronary Hyperoxemic Oxygen Therapy).

"A heart attack is like a house fire, the longer it takes to put it out, the more structural damage that is done," said John C. Harrington, M.D., the interventional cardiologist who is leading the study at Scripps. "By infusing higher concentrations of oxygen into the artery responsible for the heart attack, we can decrease the size of the area of heart muscle that is damaged because it is deprived of oxygen."

Every year nearly 1 million people in the United States have a heart attack, typically caused when the blood flow carrying oxygen to the heart is reduced or blocked. Although the standard for heart attack care is angioplasty and stenting, for many patients those treatments aren't enough to salvage dead or damaged heart tissue that was starved of oxygen.

During SSO2 therapy developed by the Irvine, Calif., biotechnology company TherOx Inc., saline is drawn into a chamber in a disposable cartridge inserted into the treatment system. Supersaturated oxygen is sprayed into a second chamber and mixed with the saline. The patient's blood is circulated through a third chamber where it mixes with the SSO2 saline. The blood-oxygen-saline solution is then directed by catheter into the patient's coronary artery where it infuses the capillary bed and surrounding heart tissue. The procedure takes about one hour.

The IC-HOT study seeks to enroll 100 patients who suffer their first heart attack and receive SSO2 treatment within six hours of first experiencing symptoms. The study's primary aim is to validate the safety and effectiveness of the therapy system. Enrollment is expected to be completed by February 2017.

In a previous trial of an earlier generation of the TherOx system which didn't involve Scripps, heart attack patients experienced a median reduction of 26 percent in the size of the damaged area of their heart muscle tissue compared to angioplasty and stenting alone.

The treatment of heart attacks has advanced greatly over the past few decades, leading to improvements in mortality rates and decreased hospital stays. Minimally invasive catheter procedures, which deliver stents, angioplasty balloons and other treatments to the heart through veins and arteries, have greatly reduced the need for open heart surgeries.

Still, more needs to be done.

Patients with nearly identical characteristics - age, risk factors and cardiovascular muscle damage from the same type of heart attackcan receive the same treatment but experience very different outcomes.

"One patient may have preserved heart function while the other may have a large area of heart tissue death," Dr. Harrington said. "Clearly there are additional factors that need to be explored to reduce heart muscle damage.

"The hope is that people receiving SSO2 treatment will leave the hospital with a less damaged heart," he said.
Canada, Turkey and Russia  top trading partners

Georgias external trade has grown 22 percent in the first 11 months of the year to reach $10.83 billion, shows latest preliminary data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).Between January and November 2016, the value of Georgias exports dropped five percent to $1.92 billion, while the value of imports increased 29 percent to $8.91 billion, said Geostat.Georgias trade deficit equalled $6.99 billion in the first 11 months of 2016, which was a 65 percent share of the country's total trade turnover, showed the latest data by Geostat.Trade deficit is an economic measure of a negative balance of trade in which a country's imports exceeds its exports.Imports excluding Hepatitis C medicine were worth $6.51 billion - one percent less compared to the same period of 2015.What are Georgia's main exports?Georgia's top exported items in January-November were:Copper ores and concentrates (worth $285 million or 15 percent of total exports)Nuts (worth $168 million or nine percent of total exports)Ferro-alloys (worth $154 million or eight percent of total exports)What are Georgia's main imports?Georgia's top imported items were:Medicines (worth $2.64 billion or 30 percent of total imports)Petroleum and petroleum oils (worth $529 million or six percent of total imports)Motor cars (worth $414 million or five percent of total imports)From the medicine imports, $2.39 billion of medicine was specifically Hepatitis C treatment for the country's Hepatitis C Elimination Program.Georgias top trading partners in January-November 2016Georgias top 10 trading partners in the first 11 months of 2016 made up 68 percent of Georgias total trade turnover, said the statistics agency.In January-November, Georgias top three trading partners were:Canada ($1.83 billion)Turkey ($1.40 billion)Russia ($781 million)Trade with EU countriesIn the first 11 months of 2016 the external trade turnover of Georgia with European Union (EU) countries increased by 11 percent y/y and amounted to $3.08 billion.Exports were worth $513 million (14 percent lower), while imports reached $2.57 billion (17 percent higher).Trade with CIS countriesIn January-November 2016 the external trade turnover of Georgia with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries totalled $2.42 million  a four percent reduction y/y.Exports were worth $659 million (14 percent lower) while imports equalled $1.76 billion (one percent higher).
The News in Brief

President: Terrorism is a disease that can be defeated by joint efforts



President Giorgi Margvelashvili expressed his condolences over the terrorist attacks that took place in Ankara and Berlin, as well as in Zurich, Presidential Spokesperson Eka Mishveladze said at a press conference.



According to the President, attacks on innocent people and diplomats are unacceptable, and should be unilaterally condemned by the civilized world.



"First of all, we would like to respond to the shocking incidents around the world. The President expresses his condolences over the terrorist attacks in Ankara and Berlin, as well as the Zurich incident. Terrorism is a disease that can be defeated by joint efforts. The President expresses condolences to the families of the victims," said Mishveladze. (IPN)







Central Bank Sells USD 40 Million



The National Bank of Georgia sold USD 40 million at a foreign currency auction on December 20 to support the lari (GEL), Georgias national currency.



Despite the intervention, the GEL fell again and reached 2.7831 against USD on Tuesday. The GEL was trading at 2.7412 against dollar a day earlier. Exchange kiosks in Tbilisi were selling one dollar for about GEL 2.81-2.82 as of Tuesday.



In a statement released on Tuesday, the National Bank said that the reason for the laris recent depreciation against the U.S. dollar is the combination of fundamental factors (the current strength of the USD and depreciation of the Turkish Lira) and expectations. It also noted that despite the fundamental factors, the current exchange rate depreciated by more than what rational expectations would suggest.



The National Bank last intervened on the currency market on October 12. Since then, the Georgian currency has lost 19% of its value against dollar.



Since the start of 2016, the NBG sold a total of USD 280 million and bought USD 278.35 million in 24 currency market interventions.



Gross international reserves stood at USD 2.779 billion as of November, up from USD 2.760 billion a month earlier and from USD 2.479 billion a year earlier. (Civil.ge)







18th and 19th Century books stolen from Georgias National Library



Police in Georgia arrested a man on Wednesday for stealing two historical books from the National Library the day before.



The 64-year-old person is accused of stealing books date back to the 18th and 19th Century, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) wrote in a statement.



MIA did not specify which books were stolen or describe the detainee in more detail, but stated that in order to cover up his crime, the man left behind two other books in the library.



The accused pleaded guilty during questioning by police.



He may be jailed from six to nine years for violation of the Criminal Code, article 183. (DF watch)







Alpine skier Iason Abramashvili wins gold in FIS race



Georgian skier Iason Abramashvili finished first among nearly 40 international athletes in an International Ski Federation (FIS) race in Turkey's top winter resort on Monday.



Abramashvili won first place in two men's slalom races at Erzurum-Palandoken resort at the December 18 and 19 competition.



The Georgian skier finished ahead of local favourite Serdar Deniz on both days of racing.



Results of the December 18 race were eligible for FIS points, which meant Abramashvili collected 55 points for his win. In the December 19 slalom the Georgian skier finished nearly six seconds ahead of second-placed Deniz.



The slalom race featured 37 athletes for each of the two days of competition, including three from Georgia.



Lasha Kurtanidze finished 18th on Sunday, improving to 6th on December 19.



The third member of the Georgian ski team, Giorgi Kurtanidze, finished 15th in the first race but did not finish his first run on the second day.



The slalom course started at an altitude of 2,352 metres above sea level and finished at 2,172 metres.



For Abramashvili, the Erzurum-Palandoken resort has been a fruitful course; there the Georgian skier claimed three victories in another race earlier this year. (Agenda.ge)




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.
@amysherman1

Uber hit the road with self-driving cars in San Francisco in December, but California regulators quickly hit the brakes.

In Florida, state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, saw an opening for the Sunshine state.

"Hey @Uber, unlike California we in Florida welcome driverless cars - no permit required. #OpenForBusiness #FlaPol," Brandes tweeted Dec. 22.

Brandes, who has been advocating for laws to allow driverless cars, is correct that Florida does not require a permit to operate or test a driverless car. But that doesnt mean people should expect to hitch an automated ride any time soon.

Keep reading from PolitiFact Florida.

(Photo: Anthony Ruvalo checks out the driverless car, Plan B, being demonstrated and on display at the Miami-Dade Government Center lobby on March 31, 2016. Al Diaz/Miami Herald)
How might the arts be in any way connected to the idea of a colon cleanse ? With difficulty, I think! C/cleanses dont appear to be the...
Controversy surrounding the Willard Wire's "Free the Nipple" January edition led to the issue being pulled, public outcry both for and against the issue, debate over student freedom of speech and censorship, and eventually, the retirement of the school's principal.

The issue of the student newspaper at Willard Alternative High School Program explored the Free the Nipple movement, which calls for gender equality and an end to the sexualization of female breasts. The issue included articles, editorials, a Q&A with a breastfeeding mother, and photos of topless men and women (nipples censored on the cover, but uncensored inside the paper).

The school district originally cited Policy 3221  Publications and Distribution or Posting of Materials  in recalling the issue, saying that the paper violated the policy by including photographs of "partially nude women perceived to be students" and by using "lewd and vulgar language."

In February, principal Jane Bennett was suspended for three days without pay. Her appeal of that discipline was upheld by the school board at a March meeting that packed the board room with her supporters. The discussion, however, focused more on the language than the photos. In the end, Bennett's suspension was upheld 8-1. Trustee Michael Beers was the sole dissenting vote.

A month later, Bennett announced that she would retire from the school district at the end of the school year  something she wasn't considering before the controversy surrounding the student newspaper.

She always stood behind her student journalists.

"Their work on this issue of the paper was so sincere," she told the Missoulian in April. "To have their work thrown in the dumpster, literally thrown into dumpsters  to me thats just wrong.

The issue being pulled essentially proved the students' point, they said, calling it a knee-jerk reaction to bare female breasts.

Bennett's original letter of reprimand said Bennett was at fault because she didn't verify that the photo releases were accurate or have them reviewed by the district. But it was the vulgar language that dominated the discussion at Bennett's appeal hearing, with trustee Korbin Bragstad saying that if the vulgar language hadn't been used and they were only dealing with topless photos, "I would be on a completely different side of this."

It launched a debate about the language, some of which described oral sex. Did it qualify as obscenity? Was recalling the issue a form of censorship or a violation of students' First Amendment rights? The community, and outsiders, weighed in on the issue, including other newspapers, the Montana Kaimin, the Student Press Law Center and the University of Montana School of Journalism.

A student in Maryland even contacted Bennett, saying her class was putting on a mock trial version of the appeal hearing.

Student Press Law Center Executive Director Frank LoMonte said he'd never heard of a principal being "disciplined for inadequately censoring her students."

Trustee Diane Lorenzen said the language distracted from the point the students were trying to make.

"It took away the power from the people who wrote the article, and gave it to the people that wrote the profanity," she said. "There was an opportunity there for the teacher to teach the kids that you can say the same thing using different words. That was a teachable moment that was lost."

But after Bennett announced her departure, the district fell silent on the issue.

There have been no policy changes since, and no discussion at school board meetings about student newspapers, the principal's role or policies and procedures.

Willard principal Kevin Ritchlin couldn't be reached for comment last week. Willard Wire adviser Lisa Waller was out of state and unavailable for comment.
Harlan Wells knows he didnt influence much practical change during his time on Missoula City Council. But he did do some important work.

"Kept the boat from drifting too fast, too far if nothing else, he said. It doesnt matter if its left or right of the aisle, if everyone in the room has the same opinion.

Leaving a city council seat and a bid for mayor of Missoula, Harlan Wells will go to work for incoming Secretary of State Corey Stapleton in January as the director of business services, managing a 17-person staff with simple orders: cut red tape to allow Montana businesses, ranchers and farmers to get more done.

Its still very surreal, Wells said Wednesday, the day after Stapleton announced his staff. I dont know if its sunk in yet, the magnitude of the opportunity Ive been given.

Hes leaving midway through his first term on city council, representing Ward 2, which extends from the old railroad tracks to the west boundary of the city.

Hes also leaving his position as a property development coordinator at the Missoula Housing Authority, and confirmed last week that his run for mayor is officially over.

Wells ran for council on a platform of fiscal conservancy, and made questioning budget decisions and financial issues a key part of his council service.

He was the only council member who consistently voted against city council decisions related to acquiring Mountain Water and held the sole dissenting vote against councils approved 2017 city budget, also running into friction with other council members, especially Ward 3 representative Emily Bentley, for his constant questioning.

During discussions around funding the citys new storm water utility in September, Wells took issue with the proposed rate structure and asked city attorney Jim Nugent a question on the legality of the new utility during a Monday night meeting.

Bentley pointed out if he had been at committee meetings, he wouldnt have to stall the Monday meeting with questions that had already been answered.

Weve had this in committee for several weeks, Bentley said. I dont think its worth sending it back to committee, especially by someone who doesnt attend committee meetings.

When he announced his resignation last Monday, most of the council, including Bentley, wished him well at his new position.

Thank you all ... I know there was political friction, but as people I do have great respect for each of you, Wells wrote in an email sent to council and the mayor on Dec. 17.

Council Chair Marilyn Marler thought Wells brought a diverse voice, but didnt participate in a level that left her feeling like there had been proper discourse.

If is fine to disagree, she said, but better to be engaged.

The Missoulian reported in March that Wells had the lowest participation of any council member, largely due to his absence from committee meetings.

Its not very influential to just show up and vote no," Marler said. You got to bring it to the table and talk about it."

Marler hopes the council gets a lot of applicants  shes been through the last two appointments after Caitlin Copple resigned in 2015 and Roy Houseman resigned in 2011, and she said they only received two applications to fill the seat one of those times.

Applicants shouldnt assume they wont get appointed because of their political leanings, Marler said.

The most important traits in a council representative are a commitment to the ward and city interests, and openness to discourse on every topic  not whether a person leans left or right, she said.

City council representatives run nonpartisan campaigns.

I am not opposed to appointing a conservative person as long as they can demonstrate theyre interested in debate and discussion," Marler said. I think we need more diversity on council."

Wells wont be able to take part in choosing his successor  his job starts Jan.2 and the council wont interview applicants until the next week  but he hoped his values would be carried on.

That seat will come up for reelection next November, possibly leaving the appointee with a very short term.

But the appointee's voice and vote could make a difference in this spring and summers all-important budgeting discussions, which last year saw an almost 4 percent tax increase. Wells voted against the 2017 budget.

The new council member also will weigh in on several decisions coming down the line, including a check-in with the tourist home ordinance, and Mountain Water utility rate and construction decisions.

Wells fellow Ward 2 representative Jordan Hess said their ward is a challenging one to represent, because of the extreme diversity of people who live in it.

Ward 2 really encompasses three distinct areas, Hess said, including the North and West Side neighborhoods, Grant Creek and the far west end of the city, including the Pleasant View neighborhood, which is currently grappling with the potential construction of a new Costco store.

Elections in Ward 2 have been historically close between conservative and liberal-leaning council candidates, with recent winners Adam Hertz and Wells winning by slim margins.

An ideal representative for such a diverse ward then, is someone who is a good listener and communicator and who can bring different perspectives together in a codified opinion, Hess said.

And with expanding development in the ward, both on the North Side and the far West end, Hess thought another skill would come into play.

Id like to see someone who understands land use and planning, he said. Someone who helps steer that development in a positive manner.

Hess encouraged applications from people who felt they fit those criteria, also mentioning affordable housing as a key policy hed like to work on in the ward.

Wells and his wife Kari are putting their house up for sale, with plans to move to Helena in a few months, after the legislative session.

With experience in both the public and private sectors, along with a masters degree in business administration from the University of Montana, Wells thought he was a good fit for the business services office.

Its going to be a huge learning curve, he acknowledged, thankful some of his staff had been in the office for over two decades and could show him the ropes.

I definitely got into politics to make a difference at the local level, Wells said. Only time will tell if I did.

Now I have a chance to do that at the state level.
The 25-year-old woman accused of leading sheriffs deputies on a wrong-way chase on Interstate 90 at the start of December pleaded not guilty to a litany of felony charges Tuesday in Missoula County District Court.

On Dec. 1, deputies attempted to stop Amy Sondra Johnson, who was driving an allegedly stolen car on North Reserve Street. Instead, deputies were led on a chase on I-90 that went out to Huson, according to court affidavits.

For more than half of the chase, the motorist drove in the oncoming lanes of traffic, and was only stopped when Montana Department of Transportation snowplows blocked the road, forcing the driver back into the westbound lanes, where the car crashed and Johnson was arrested.

Court documents said that when she was taken into custody, Johnson had a syringe stuck in her arm, and allegedly said she had been injecting herself with methamphetamine during the chase. More meth was found in the car, according to the affidavit.

Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges of felony drug possession, criminal endangerment and evidence tampering, as well as theft, fleeing and possession of drug paraphernalia Tuesday before District Court Judge Robert Dusty Deschamps.

She also pleaded not guilty to three felony charges of drug possession and a misdemeanor for drug paraphernalia from a separate incident in early November when she allegedly had drugs in a Missoula motel room.

Deschamps questioned the requested bail amount. Johnson was being held on a combined bail of $400,000 in the two cases.

Four-hundred thousand seems like a lot of money. Why are you asking for that much? he said.

Deputy county attorney James McCubbin explained the circumstances of Johnsons chase and arrest, saying she was a flight risk and a danger to the community.

He said a third criminal case, including a count of conspiracy to distribute drugs and another misdemeanor paraphernalia charge against Johnson, was filed in mid-December. Those charges stem from allegations that Johnson conspired with two other men to distribute heroin and meth in Missoula. Johnson has not entered pleas on those charges.

Deschamps kept the $400,000 bail amount, and set Johnsons next court appearance for Feb. 7.
On Monday, the Missoulian Opinion page featured a commentary noting that "prominent Republicans in Congress  led by Sen. John McCain of Arizona  are refusing to join President-elect Donald Trump in dismissing concerns about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign." We asked our readers on Facebook, "Should President-elect Donald Trump support an investigation into Russian election 'hacking?'"

***

Bob Stover: Russia did not do the hacking, so there is no reason for the investigation. The emails were released from Hillary's own. LOL Even they are sick of her ways.

***

Alecia Davis: It would take an investigation to know if Russia did, or did not. Can you reveal your source for such a crucial determination.

***

Roy N Hazel Sheets: well Loretta Lynch said that Russia had not intervened. Now I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe in her. RS

***

Michael Belville: Trump has not been wrong yet so I will believe in him!!!

***

Allan Clark: thats because you never know what he is saying. Doesn't make sense or is factually correct, his opinion changes every time he speaks!

***

Timothy Fister: I am quite sure that foreign nations are always trying to hack our stuff just as we are trying to hack theirs. I am also quite sure it is being actively looked at all the time. The real puzzle to me is why the media is so concerned about this and not concerned about the unethical behavior of Hillary and the DNC revealed in the e-mails.

***

Adrian Jawort: If he cares about the future of our national security, yes.

***

Tim Allen: The evidence seems pretty clear that it happened, so for him to ignore it makes him look incompetent. Even if it is shown that they did it, he's still going to be president, so doing it is a win for him regardless of what it shows.

***

Josh Simpson: Absolutely he should. Will he though, absolutely not. He is a joke

***

Bob Salsbury: Of course but King Baby Hands won't because his master, Putin, won't permit it.

***

Rob Reimann: We all lost!!

***

Joan Lajoie: No there is absolutely no proof they did it. It is entirely to divert the attention from the contents of the emails.

***

Serena Holmes Floch: Exactly,why outrage over this and not what was actually in emails, or the fact that they were not protected as they should have been. Anyone could've hacked an insecure server. No one is above the law including her.

***

Jay Fyant: Nope, but he should look into outlawing patchouli smoking lemmings who support people who support Iran.
Montana's governor and attorney general, its congressional delegation, the mayor of Whitefish, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, more than 50 religious leaders and the Council on American Islamic Relations all asserted  Montana is not and will not become a place that tolerates threats and intimidation by white nationalists.

Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, Gov. Steve Bullock and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox sent a joint letter decrying the recent anti-Semitic language and actions targeting some residents and groups in Whitefish.

Rest assured, any demonstration or threat of intimidation against any Montanans religious liberty will not be tolerated, the letter said. We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.

The letter, which called the white supremacist views an extreme ideology, offered full support to the Jewish community. It was echoed hours later with a release from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Another letter, published Thursday in the Missoulian and signed by 50 religious leaders across the state, asked Montanans to put a lighted menorah in their window, whether real or printed from the Missoulians website, and asked for laws to be enacted across the state that prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, ethnicity, race and gender.

We urge law enforcement to closely monitor bias incidents and act swiftly to protect our citizens, the letter, drafted by Rev. Tyler Amundson of Missoula, said. We encourage our schools to teach tolerance and uphold state and district anti-bullying policies.

***

In recent weeks, Flathead residents Jessica Laferriere and her friend Dominica Cleveras have been feeling discouraged-discouraged about the attention to a white supremacist website that published names and contact information of businesses, nonprofits and politicians in Whitefish, urging an internet "troll storm" for their support of ethnic and religious diversity.

The Daily Stormer site targeted several people, most of them Jewish, after prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer, a part-time Whitefish resident, claimed their protests of his activities has hurt the business interests of his mother, Sherry. In addition to the internet harassment, the Stormer also urged an armed march in Whitefish next month.

So Laferriere, of Whitefish, and Cleveras, of Bigfork, decided to put on a block party promoting another side of Flathead County.

We thought we needed to pull the community together in a show of love, of acceptance, said Laferriere, an elementary school teacher. We are about acceptance.

Love Lives Here, a group that fights discrimination in the Flathead and the Montana Human Rights Network are co-sponsoring the Love Not Hate party, which will be held at Jan. 7 at Depot Park.

The event will have multiple speakers, including Whitefish city council representative and Deputy Mayor Richard Hildner, a performance from Blackfeet musician Jack Gladstone, and dancing from the Halau Ka Waikahe Lani Malie hula school in Kalispell.

Laferriere didnt want to comment on the Stormer's troll storm still underway, or the possible armed march by white supremacists.

She wanted to represent the side of the Flathead shes familiar with  one thats inclusive, not threatening.

Hildner said his message as a representative of the city will be just that: inclusiveness and openness.

He said the event isnt in response to Anglins posts and attacks on Whitefish residents, saying he doesnt think many people in town agree with the white supremacists' beliefs.

My sense is that, no  theres no community support, he said Tuesday.

***

Andrew Anglin, who runs The Daily Stormer website, posted on the site that the planned armed march would take some time in January, if conditions are not met.

Anglin proposed the march after he wrote that Love Lives Here harassed Sherry Spencer, pushing her to sell her building in Whitefish that houses businesses and apartments, and donate some of the profits to anti-hate groups.

In a Friday post, he wrote Weve had a monumental breakthrough, saying Love Lives Here had denied talking with Spencers mother, Sherry.

He said hed be willing to cancel the march, which would involve only pre-vetted skinhead groups, if Love Lives Here met some conditions, which included issuing a public apology and a promise to leave Sherry Spencer alone.

In another post on Tuesday, Anglin reiterated that all he wants is for Jewish groups to agree to stop harassing Richard Spencers mother and trying to interfere with her business as revenge against her son.

Thats all we want. Period.

He posted earlier this month about 200 people would show up to the march, but that would require "busing in skinheads from the Bay Area." His site contains a disclaimer opposing violence.

Anglin, whose site is based out of Worthington, Ohio, claims he doesnt know Richard Spencer, saying he talked to him on the phone like one time.

***

Whitefish Chief of Police Bill Dial said if the march were to happen, its perfectly legal as long as its peaceful.

Hes working with state and federal agencies on gathering information on the march and the people who are calling or emailing harassing messages to locals.

They have a plan if the march goes through, Dial said, and his main goal is to keep the community and marchers safe, no matter what.

We will provide security and protection, he said, adding he took Anglins promise of 200 marchers as a tongue-in-cheek reply to a proposed protest outside Sherry Spencers building that promised 200 people.

As for harassment of Whitefish residents, Dial said most of it is either from the internet or out-of-state and out-of-country phone calls. He tells business owners or individuals to just hang up and ignore any messages.

If we can identify who they are, which is difficult, we will take any action we can, he said.

Representatives for Love Lives Here and the Montana Human Rights Network did not respond to multiple voicemails left Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld signed a proclamation that declared, among other things, "The City of Whitefish repudiates the ideas and ideology of the white nationalist and so called alt-right as a direct affront to our community's core values and principles."
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Montana's term-limit law didn't keep Jim Keane and Edie McClafferty from continuing to represent Butte's interests in the coming session of the Legislature. The two Democrats just had to switch seats  and legislative bodies  to get it done.

For the past eight years, Keane was a state senator from District 38, which encompasses part of Silver Bow and Jefferson counties. McClafferty was a state representative from District 73, which takes in the southwest corner of Butte and Silver Bow County.

For the session that begins Jan. 2, 2017, that'll be Senator McClafferty, thank you, and  once again  Representative Keane.

Keane is returning to the House, where he previously served for two terms before moving to the Senate. The term-limit law means you can serve only eight years (two terms) out of every 16 years. So since Keane is term-limited out of the Senate, he was able to head back to the House.

And McClafferty is lined up for her first experience in the Senate.

"It's really a thrill for me," said the fifth-grade teacher from Hillcrest Elementary. "I'm so excited to serve in the Senate."

The way seniority rules work, Keane is the most senior House member, as he's starting his third term  albeit with the eight-year Senate hiatus.

That means he will be the senior Democrat on the crucial Appropriations Committee, where the primary work of this legislative session will originate.

"Last session," Keane said, "We had other big issues like Medicaid and the water compact. This year, it's really about the budget."

And a challenging budget it will be, with revenues down dramatically.

"I remember we had no money in the '01 and '03 sessions," he said. "It kind of simplifies things in a way. New programs that don't have dollars attached are going to be difficult."

With a solid Republican majority in both Houses, a Democratic governor, and a tough budget, things could get pretty contentious. But both Keane and McClafferty stress that progress will occur with cooperation, not partisan antagonism.

"Relationships matter," said Keane, who is going into his ninth session in the Legislature. "Individuals do make a difference."

McClafferty agreed. "It's a tough year, but that's why we have to go up there and be willing to work with each other right off the bat. We have to be able to work across the aisle."

McClafferty will serve on three Senate committees  education, naturally close to her heart; tax; and Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

She expects that Tax Committee to encounter efforts to raise the gas tax  something she says she could support with a big "if."

"I could support a gas tax increase if it went directly to infrastructure, to highways and bridges," she said. "I don't want to see any of that gas-tax money funneled elsewhere."

On education, she supports Gov. Steve Bullock's early-education initiative, saying that studies show correlation between early childhood education and positive outcomes.

"As a grade school teacher, I see it in the classroom," she said. "The sooner children get started, the more they are ready to learn."

While she said she's still on "a learning curve" about Fish, Wildlife and Parks, McClafferty emphasized her support for "keeping public lands public." She said one of the bills she is interested in carrying deals with keeping access to roads from being closed off by private landowners.

"We have a great group of sportsmen here in southwest Montana, and I'm looking forward to being their voice" in the House, she said.

Keane said he remembers the "rocket start" the House has to have because the budget starts there. And he says the Appropriations Committee will be starting out "$100 million down on Day One."

One of Keane's major points of emphasis will be trying to keep Colstrip Units 1 and 2 open for as long as possible.

"We use one-half of the output of one of those plants every day in Butte," he pointed out. "We need that cheap power for jobs."

Does he feel he will be as effective in the House as he was in the Senate?

Keane laughed at the question.

"Check with me in April," he responded.
DEER LODGE  The 45th Annual Livestock Seminar will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Community Center, 416 Cottonwood Ave., in Deer Lodge.

The free seminar, hosted by the Deer Lodge Valley Conservation District, will feature sessions dealing with critter control and basics of soil health from cover crops to grazing. Registration is from 12:301 p.m.

At 1:10 p.m. on Jan. 14, Stephen Vantassel, vertebrate pest specialist with the Montana Department of Agriculture, will talk about how to control pocket gophers, Columbian ground squirrels, skunks, raccoons and other pesky varmints. Vantassel has more than 20 years of experience with Wildlife Removal Service, Inc., a vertebrate pest control company in Springfield, Massachusetts.

At 3:30, Race King, La Cense Montana Ranch manager, and Ben Montgomery of the Natural Resource Conservation Service will talk about the basics of soil health from cover crops to grazing.

King was raised on a cow-calf and row-crop operation in eastern Utah. After receiving degrees in animal science and beef production management, his professional background began with internships at Deseret Land & Livestock and Gardiner Angus Ranch. Race has served as herd manager for Sitz Angus, manager for Legacy Land & Livestock and vice president of operations for Riverbend Ranch and, since 2006, he has served as ranch manager for La Cense Montana LLC.

La Cense Montana grazes yearlings and cow-calf pairs on 88,000 acres of native and improved pastures near Dillon. It specializes in raising and developing Angus and Angus-cross feeder cattle entirely on grass and forage. They are strong proponents of grazing management strategies that use high stocking densities for short durations.

Ben Montgomery is the supervisory district conservationist for the Ronan and Plains field offices. He holds a bachelor's degree from Montana State University in Bozeman and a master's in soil and water conservation from the University of Wisconsin. Montgomery worked for the NRCS in Idaho and Malta, before settling with his family in the Ronan area.

The new no-till drill the Deer Lodge Conservation District purchased for the use of landowners will be available at the community center.
In the (Dec. 18) Sunday issue of the Missoulian, we read with dismay about the degrading racial comments made by a substitute teacher at Big Sky High School. The comments were directed at two students, Cipriano Gutierrez and Manny Hernandez, and reflect a troubling element of racial hatred that is growing across the country, the state and here in Missoula.

Every one of us has a duty to stand up to such unacceptable comments and defend the individuals they are directed against. Every one of us deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

We agree with Ciprianos mother, Mary Peters, who called for the Missoula County Public Schools to investigate how the district screens and hires substitute teachers. She wants the MCPS to ban the particular teacher who made the comments, so he doesnt teach in Montana again. She wants the MCPS director of Human Resources and Labor relations to clearly communicate what the district will do to prevent racism in the future.

Mary Peters suggested that teachers do more to address racism in their classrooms and show students how destructive it is. We know teachers are overwhelmed with work as it is, and many already do a great job teaching kids to respect each other. Perhaps the rest of us need to work harder on this.

-- Anne and Erick Greene, Missoula
We write in our capacity as members of the Montana Public Defender Commission.

We are an all-volunteer commission, formed pursuant to the 2005 Montana Public Defender Act. We are charged with administering and managing a statewide agency that consists of 247.44 FTE attorneys and staff, and 252 contract attorneys as of the end of fiscal year 2016. The agency had a budget of over $35 million (about 2 percent of the states total budget) in FY 2016.

In recent weeks, statewide news outlets have reported on certain struggles and challenges facing the Office of the State Public Defender. Specifically, media sources have noted that, due to unprecedented increased caseloads, the system faces an anticipated budget shortfall. Public defenders, it is claimed, have failed to collect fees from their clients. Further, three members of the governors commission, and the recently hired chief administrator, have resigned.

We wish to assure the public that we are taking fiscally responsive steps to address the challenges the system faces, while recognizing the legal responsibilities associated with effective representation.

The staggering caseloads that public defenders take on illuminates the problems inherent in our justice system. Last year state public defenders were appointed to more than 36,000 cases. Since 2012, OPDs caseload in homicide and other felony cases has increased by approximately 32 percent. Similarly, caseload for misdemeanors has increased by approximately 11 percent and the dependent and neglect caseload has increased by approximately 53 percent.

These increases in workload are not addressed through corresponding increases in funding, staff or attorneys. Thus, all of our attorneys are working extraordinarily high caseloads  in many regions, their caseloads exceed the amount they can ethically take on and maintain effective representation. Public defenders cannot legally refuse to take a case when assigned by the courts, which creates unique ethical dilemmas for these attorneys.

Pursuant to state law, the OPD commission has developed a mitigation plan that addresses many of these challenges. We have enacted a hiring freeze on certain positions, and discontinued the use of contract investigators in certain regions. We have begun hiring modified, part-time attorneys to replace contract attorneys as a more cost effective means of providing required representation.

The plan directs that all 11 regional public defender offices work to reduce expenditures wherever possible. Offices are striving to reduce requests for investigators, psychiatric evaluations and chemical dependency screenings, all in an effort to save money. We have noted the significant ethical challenges and associated expenses involved in collecting fees from public defender clients, and have recommended that this effort be taken on by the Department of Revenue  a recommendation adopted by the task force that is now the subject of specific legislation.

We are committed to working with the Governors Office and the Legislature during the upcoming session to assure that the public defender system continues to function efficiently, and admirably to fulfill this legal representation obligation. Despite the staggering caseloads, public defenders work with great dedication and dignity. They believe wholeheartedly in the constitutional and statutory provisions that guarantee all clients deserve effective legal representation. Many public defenders work in excess of a 40-hour week. They work against great odds, without complaint.

Montanas public defenders are among the finest attorneys that can be found anywhere. They deserve our appreciation, our respect and our support.

-- Mark Parker is chair of the Commission on the Office of the Public Defender. This opinion is also signed by Vice-Chair Ann Sherwood and members Roy Brown, Larry Mansch, Michael Metzger, Margaret Novak and Maylinn Smith.
MISSOULA  Sheila Stearns was part of a candidate interview last year at the University of Montana, and she remembers one of her colleagues asking a question.

The candidate was already making more money out of state. Why did he apply for the job at UM?

As she recalls, the candidate was incredulous: "Because you're the University of Montana."

Stearns, who has taken over for outgoing President Royce Engstrom, understood exactly what he meant.

"That says a lot, and frankly, it means a lot to a lot of people, and I just want to get that spirit right back toward the front of mind for all of us," Stearns said.

To lead UM that way, Stearns aims to celebrate and broadcast UM's academic excellence; govern collaboratively, with clear communication and shared responsibility; and make real connections with students.

"What are we doing to interact with every single student to ensure that they are learning and getting the best out of the experience for which they have signed up and paid good money for?" Stearns said.

On Dec. 1, Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian announced Engstrom would depart by the end of the month, and Stearns would take the interim post while a search takes place for UM's next permanent president.

The transition in the president's office took place more quickly than originally anticipated; Stearns' official start date will likely be Dec. 12, according to the Commissioner's Office.

Last week, Stearns said she will not be applying for the permanent position, but she is prepared to lead her alma mater through the following semester  or longer, if necessary.

Stearns, former commissioner of higher education in Montana, takes pride in the academic excellence at UM. She's already familiar with it, having earned all her degrees at UM: a bachelor's in English and history, a master's in history, and a doctorate in educational administration and supervision.

Even so, she's still surprised as she steps into the president's role to meet so many people on campus who are leaders in their fields. She just recently met a faculty member in biology who is recognized nationally and internationally.

"I think to myself, 'There we go again,'" Stearns said. "There is star power all over the place, and I just cannot wait to discover even more and find and meet even more people."

Sometimes, people see universities as centers of rabble-rousing students, or places with budget issues, Stearns said. As a former provost and chancellor of UM Western and former president of Wayne State College in Nebraska, she sees something different at institutions of higher learning.

"I've always thought universities are just such centers of creativity," she said.

As such, she finds joy in her work at UM, and she'd like to ensure that sense is prevalent for others on the flagship campus.

"Unlike so many organizations, we are helping to create futures, and when you're doing that, what could be more joyful?" Stearns said.

"But everything we do is hard work, so people can get down if they're thinking about the challenge of the day and not so much what a student has just learned or accomplished."

She's excited to reconnect people with the joy of what a university can accomplish for students and for society.

Enrollment has been an ongoing challenge for UM despite the campus having appeal in areas students and parents consider important: strong academics, a beautiful setting, and relatively affordable tuition.

"I think enrollment's biggest challenge is to market credibly again in a world which has over-simplified the old definition of STEM," said Stearns.

STEM traditionally stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. However, to illustrate the new model, Stearns pointed to a poster created in part by director of communications Paula Short. In it, E stands for different possibilities  Ecology, Education, Entrepreneurship, Expression.

"The biggest challenge is to shine a light even more effectively on ourselves as to the science-related fields, the technology-related fields in which we have nationally respected majors, or in mathematics," Stearns said.

UM has the chance to remind people in Montana not to overlook it just because of some recent negative publicity, she said. UM's main campus enrollment has plunged 20 percent since 2010, and a sexual assault scandal rocked the school in 2012.

"Our opportunity is to remind people that not all universities that they might even be considering would have nearly our depth, breadth or history of excellence," Stearns said. "I think that's both a challenge and an opportunity."

Faculty, staff and students have all called for a continuation of shared governance on campus, and Stearns said the phrase has been ridiculed in other sectors.

"Frankly, other industries are learning from us that if they are more collaborative in terms of their governance ... they are more successful," Stearns said. "I'm not saying we in the academy have always practiced shared governance well, but where it works well, it is really honest. I'm a real believer in it."

It means good communication about important decisions, she said. It means the group has identified priorities for the institution, and it can move ahead together, possibly without consensus, but with a shared sense of mission, she said.

"Shared governance is shared wisdom. It means you are gathering collective wisdom, and therefore, as many other sectors are finding out gradually, it's much better than just top down decrees because you get more effective participation," Stearns said.

The shared governance plays out in nuances, she said.

Recently, for example, faculty and student leaders called for UM to proceed with its provost search, but UM opted to postpone the search.

However, communications director Short said because of the input from faculty and students, the search wasn't canceled altogether. Rather, it was placed on hold. And Stearns said UM had serious conversations with all of the candidates about remaining in the pool as a direct result of the feedback from faculty and students.

"They may disagree, but at least they're not alienated," Stearns said of the model of shared governance.

A few weeks ago, the Commissioner's Office noted UM still needs to get closer to an average 18-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, since it's hovering at a 16-to-1 ratio.

Stearns said UM will work collectively to reach that goal. She said she believes the budget plans UM made last year move the university toward a ratio that's closer to the benchmark for a public institution, and UM will continue to make credible progress toward its goals.

She believes the university should be open as it develops its budget and that it should make decisions that value people. For example, take advantage of attrition to make the budget pencil out, she said.

"You have to balance the budget. We don't have (adequate) reserves. That's not how university fund balances are created in our university system," Stearns said. "I do believe in creating more reserves. If I were a long-term president, I would urge that."

Stearns, former head of University Relations and the Alumni Association at UM, also wants students to have connections on campus. She praised the people who advise students, and she said she wants to learn how to advise and take on one or two students herself.

"That's a pet interest of mine, and I want to give a lot of pats on the back to those who are doing it really well," Stearns said.

She'd like students and families to have help every step of the way at UM, from their application to their career path, and she believes that connection is important.

"If all of us do that, each and every student, no matter where they came from  Alaska or an eastern European country or Corvallis  (will) feel valued ... and connected," Stearns said.

Stearns wore a maroon and black polka dot jacket that day last week, and she's a Grizzlies fan who wants people on campus to remember not only UM's tagline, "We are Montana," but more.

"We are the University of Montana. To me, that's huge," Stearns said.
Civil #: 16-002537

Special Execution

Fidelity Bank & Trust, F/K/A The First National Bank, Oelwein

VS.

Randy L. Smith And Renee M. Courtois-Smith

As a result of the judgment rendered in the above referenced court case, an execution was issued by the court to the Sheriff of this county. The execution ordered the sale of defendant(s) Real Estate Described Below. To satisfy the judgment. The property to be sold is

Lot 8 and the East Half of Lot 7, of Kemper's Third Subdivision, an addition to the City of Muscatine, in Muscatine County, Iowa

Property Address: 2104 Wallace St., Muscatine, Iowa 52761

The described property will be offered for sale at public auction for cash only as follows:

Sale Date: 02/07/2017

Sale Time: 9:30 am

Place of Sale: Muscatine County Jail Lobby, 400 Walnut Street, Muscatine, IA 52761

Homestead: Defendant is advised that if the described real estate includes the homestead (which must not exceed 1/2 Acre if within a city or town plat, or, if rural, must not exceed 40 Acres), defendant must file a homestead plat with the Sheriff within ten (10) days after service of this notice, or the Sheriff will have it platted and charge the costs to this case.

This sale not subject to redemption.

Property exemption: Certain money or property may be exempt. Contact your attorney promptly to review specific provisions of the law and file appropriate notice, if applicable.

Judgment Amount: $96,999.45

Costs: $5,190.88

Accruing Costs: Plus

Interest: $4,917.61

Sheriffs Fees: Pending

Date: 12/20/2016

Attorney:

Wesley B. Huisinga

115 3rd St., SE, Ste. 500

PO Box 2107

Cedar Rapids, IA 52406

(319)365-9461

C.J. Ryan

Muscatine County Sheriff

Melissa Hurlbut

Civil Deputy
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MUSCATINE, Iowa  Ryan Townsend, 17, is about to isolate DNA from split peas in his kitchen. But first, he will have to conquer a key piece of equipment in his makeshift lab: the blender.

Im going to find out how to use the blender today, he said.

I dont think thats part of the lab, said his mom, Barb Townsend with a tinge of humor in her voice.

Ryan checked his textbook, reading the steps the way you would a recipe. He measures a half a cup dried split peas, one cups of water and a quarter teaspoon salt into the blender.

A moment later, having mastered the fine points of blender usage, Ryan ended up with what he dubbed Primordial pea soupa yellowish gruel-like mush.

Options abound

Ryan is one of approximately two million home schooled children nationwide. It is hard to know exactly how many families choose to home school because some states  like the state of Iowa  allow parents to home school their children without registering them to a particular school district. But parents do have a choice of enrolling their kids to the district either part-time  dual enrollment. And theres another option.

Families can open-enroll to Muscatine into our home school assistance program, said Jessi Freer of the Muscatine Community School District, adding that upwards of 90 students are enrolled in the program.

Freer said families opt to home school for different reasons.

[There are] a lot of families who public education does not seem to be the right fit for their family, so they moved to home school, she said. On the same token a lot of families will end up going back to public education, so they find that what they thought they were going to get from home school didnt fit their needs and so they move back.

And the Townsends experienced that shift from public education to homeschooling and back again. In fourth grade, Ryan got bored with school.

He was starting to tell me he hated school and it wasnt his teachers. He had phenomenal teachers, Barb said.

But homeschooling a fifth grader was a demanding task, and Barb, who worked full-time, felt she couldnt do it right.

He was just too young to do the independent study, she said, adding that he needed more support than she or her family could give him.

So Ryan went back to public school until last year, when he again told her he was bored in class.

It was frustrating that we couldnt get him in a class that would challenge him, she said.

So Barb decided to home school Ryan again.

I will say, it was a lot easier than I thought it was, she said.

Barb began her journey at the district home school office, where she chatted with officials about curriculum and options. She looked through curriculum online and selected several classes for Ryan. In all, she estimates she spent approximately $900, but the cost varies depending on the classes and curriculum.

Ryans older sister, Reagan, 17, is also home schooled, but her curriculum cost approximately $200. And Barb says she can reuse some of the curriculum with both children.

If you have more than one kid your costs are going to go way down, she said.

Barb said she enjoys selecting curriculum that suits her childrens needs.

I can look at it and say this is what I want Ryan to learn and that was one of the reasons for pulling the kids out of school is having more choice in curriculum content and the pace, she said.

At home, she can structure the teaching to help Ryan better organize himself. She noticed, for example, that Ryan needed more attention in math to address some gaps, so she took the time to work with him. And now, she said, he is more independent and does a lot of his reading and homework on his own. They still do activities together, like the DNA extraction experiment.

Back at the kitchen, Ryan had advanced to the extraction phase. He placed his pea soup in a bowl and mixed in meat tenderizer that will separate the protein from the DNA. And in a final step, he added hand soap to isolate the DNA.

He shines a flashlight on the mixture and it is thereDNA.

It kind of look like snot, his mom said.

He nodded, poking the mixture with a toothpick. There at the edge of the toothpick was a white, clumpy massthe DNA.

Ryan consults his book to see whats next. The last step instructs him to clean up the mess. And he does.
WAPELLO, Iowa - There should not be any medical examiner (ME) confusion this year in Louisa County, following a decision Tuesday by a short-handed board of supervisors to appoint Dr. Paul Towner, Washington, as the countys new ME effective Jan. 1.

Towner will replace current ME Dr. Robin Plattenberger, who announced almost one year ago that she would be stepping down. Both Plattenberger and Towner operate medical practices in Washington County, which now shares the medical examiner position with Louisa County under a 2015 agreement. That agreement also allows each countys medical examiner investigators to operate in either county.

Plattenberger was originally appointed to the position in January 2015, but before her appointment became official, there were a series of deaths in the county that caused some jurisdictional confusion.

Although Towner was appointed earlier this year to be an Assistant Louisa County ME, supervisors Chris Ball and Paula Buckman agreed to approve his appointment as the ME to remove any doubt about the transfer of authority. Supervisor Randy Griffin was unable to attend the meeting because of illness.

In a related decision, the board also approved the appointment of Assistant Louisa County Attorney Julian West to the position of county zoning administrator. That appointment is also effective Jan. 1. West will replace current zoning administrator Greg Johnson, who announced several months ago that he was retiring from the zoning administrator and also as the county assessor.

The Louisa County Conference Board appointed Cathy Smith, Wapello, as the new county assessor a few weeks ago.

At Tuesdays meeting the supervisors approved an $18,576 retirement payout for Johnson. The payout included unused sick leave and accrued vacation Johnson had not used during his county service.

The board also met held its monthly department head meeting, but because of the holidays and other conflicts, only six office heads attended. Recorder Leanne Black said her office had been busy with year-end property transfers and the sale of hunting and fishing license.

Technology director Chuck Borschel said a glitch in the new courthouse telephone service had disrupted calls for a short time earlier in the month, but had now been repaired. He also reported E911 signs were continuing to be picked up by rural residents.

With the recent warming conditions, county engineer Larry Roehl said his secondary roads crew was busy with routine road and other maintenance.

Building and grounds director Tracy Lott said the cold snap that hit the area earlier in the month had left him without any large equipment to remove snow, after the courthouse tractor failed to start. He and Roehl said they would meet to see if there was any room at the county shed to house the tractor. Lott also said he would check on installing a block heater.

With the holiday season coming to a close, general assistance director Cyndi Mears reported activity at the Wapello Food Pantry and other holiday services had mostly shown an increase this year. She also said the Salvation Army buckets that had been distributed around the county had collected around $300, about the same as previous years.

In final action, the supervisors:

 Approved the one-lot Bare Lane Subdivision;

 Approved the transfer of a small piece of ground along the Muscatine Slough from the Henning family to Louisa County to clear up a previous transfer.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  When temperatures dip, heating bills rise.

Paul Burback, energy service advisor at Muscatine Power and Water, said consumers contact him when they need help lowering those bills. Part of the problem, he said, is that consumers dont always think about utilities when they rent or buy homes.

We buy cars knowing that we have to put gas in them, but a lot of people buy homes not thinking about the energy cost, Burback said, adding that consumers should inquire about the cost of heating and cooling their home or apartment.

Burback said the energy audit begins with a phone chat, where he talks to consumers about goals. Then, he meets customers at their home, where he looks for air leaks.

Sealing out any leaks is going to make your home stay warmer longer, which in turn reduces the need for more heating and more cooling, he said.

Curtain movement and spider webs are typical telltale signs of leaksspiders tend to cast their webs near holes. He tells consumers to caulk or holes. When windows themselves are the problem, he suggests they use plastic sheets.

And insulation, which tends to be more costly isnt the first thing consumers should try.

Always stop air infiltration first before you add insulation, so if you have electrical wires going through the ceiling, you know, [or] if youve got holes in the boards of walls, seal those up, he said, adding that insulation alone will not prevent heat from escaping the room.

He also suggests consumers turn down their heat when they are not home.

The general rule of thumb is that if youre going to be away during the day, youre going to adjust your thermostat accordingly so that space stays a little cooler than what you want it to be when youre in it, he said, adding that homeowners might consider installing a programmable thermostat.

The energy audit is free for Muscatine Power and Water electric customers and also involves free items such as a low-flow shower head. To schedule an appointment with Burback, customers can call 262-3423.
As people celebrate the holidays in different ways across the country, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance is celebrating Festivus. The holiday created by the television show Seinfeld challenges all the normal rules of gift giving and decorations and is essentially a day of telling people why youre upset with them about the choices theyve made over the last year.

Airing of Grievances

The first tradition of Festivus is the airing of grievances. This part of Festivus expresses the ways that taxpayers have been disappointed over the last year. While there could have been an entire book written on taxpayer grievances, here are just a few grievances that taxpayers have with bureaucrats and lawmakers.

Federal Communications Commission: The FCC has been a disaster for taxpayers and consumers in 2016. The agency, under the failed leadership of Chairman Tom Wheeler, used taxpayer money to expand their regulatory footprint by implementing new privacy rules and trying to ban free data services (seriously, the FCC doesnt want consumers to have free data).

But, one of the most notable policy failures of Wheeler was his attempt to push through a controversial Set-Top Box plan. The proposal would have put the FCC in charge of content distribution and shifted copyright authority to the agency and away from the Copyright Office. The proposal stalled after criticism from both sides of the political aisle, including his fellow commissioners. Wheeler is stepping down in January, so it is hoped this will be the final year of grievances from the FCC.

Nuclear Bailouts: A pair of taxpayer and ratepayer-funded nuclear bailouts mark the next grievances for Festivus. In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is gifting to taxpayers and ratepayers an increase in electricity costs and a multi-billion dollar bailout that didnt even get a vote in the state legislature. Cuomo increased the states renewable standard and included nuclear power as a renewable power source. In Illinois, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill that expands the states Renewable Portfolio Standard and also includes a multi-billion dollar bailout for select nuclear plants. The worst part of this bailout is that just one company in New York and Illinois will benefit from the bailouts. Taxpayers dont deserve this nonsense from governors during the holidays, or at any other time during the year.

D.C. Streetcar: The final grievance is the D.C. Streetcar. To date, the 2.4-mile project has cost $200 million, or $83 million per mile. This is an obscene and insulting waste of taxpayer money for what is nothing more than a vanity project for the city.

Taxpayers Protection Alliance filed a FOIA request for all marketing costs associated with the project. That request led to the discovery of more than $2 million spent on marketing, including an overprice website that cost taxpayers $174,000. In return for all this money spent, taxpayers have received nothing but trouble. There are constant mechanical problems with the streetcar and there is no revenue being generated because the streetcar is free to ride. In 2017, the D.C. Streetcar should ride off into the sunset, never to return.

Feats of Strength

The other Festivus tradition is the feats of strength. This is when challenging acts are performed by those able to make it through the airing of grievances. Its always difficult to get things done in Washington, but even more so during an election year. Heres part of what Congress did manage to get at least something accomplished:

Catfish Inspection: The first of the 2016 feats of strength centers on the Department of Agricultures Catfish Inspection Program. There have been widespread calls to repeal the wasteful and duplicative multi-million dollar taxpayer-funded program. The Government Accountability Office has targeted the program a record 10 times for elimination. Congress has taken several votes and thankfully the Senate voted to repeal it earlier this year. The program has not yet been eliminated because the House of Representatives has not held a vote to repeal the program. It is time for the full Congress, or President-elect Trump, to finally throw this fish back in the water for good in 2017.

Continuing Resolution: Congress showed a rare feat of strength during the most recent showdown over government funding when it passed a Continuing Resolution that keeps the government funded through April 2017. The deal maintains the fiscal year 2017 spending cap of $1.07 trillion. While it was not a perfect bill as it did include continued funding of the Overseas Contingency Operations Account, which is just a budget gimmick, the Continuing Resolution was passed by both chambers of Congress in time to avoid any last-minute shutdowns that may have ruined the holiday season for taxpayers.

Lame Duck: In a stunning show of strength, Congress managed to keep the lame-duck session relatively quiet. The November election was a pretty clear message to Washington that voters were tired seeing the same old end-of-the-year mad dash for massive spending bills as each December would come and go. This year, many observers were expecting potential problems for taxpayers in a lame-duck session including an earmark-laden Omnibus as well as possible last-minute legislation on internet taxation, an internet-gambling ban, and the Export-Import Bank.

Thankfully, lawmakers left town after an uneventful lame-duck session. There is still much work to be done once the new Congress gets back in January. And, it will be interesting to see if they can accomplish even more feats of strength next year.

Well that does it for the 2016 Festivus message. It is hoped that with a new Congress and a new administration coming to Washington, therell be a lot less grievances and more feats of strength when the bare aluminum pole goes up again next year.

David Williams is president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
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 []
Like any newspaper editor, I get a lot of anonymous mail. Some of it is angry and negative, attacking the newspaper, its reporters and staff. Some of it is crazy, warning us of sinister plots or impending doom. Some is mocking, cutting out items from the paper with annotations to point out errors or omissions.

Mostly I take anonymous correspondence for what its worth (Not a lot, in my estimation). But one unsigned letter arrived a few weeks ago and it has been sitting on my desk. Its begun to fascinate me.

The letter, on a small piece of paper, says only, Yesterday  who to give these pictures. Thanks.

In the envelope were a number of old black-and-white photographs, an old postcard of Calistoga showing a photo taken in 1913, and a brochure from the long-defunct Lokoya Mountain Lodge off Mt. Veeder Road.

I left them on my desk mostly because I couldnt figure out what to do with them. I dont know who would take them but the historian in me couldnt stand to stick them in some dark corner, or worse yet, discard them.

After a while the pictures began to speak to me.

The postcard of Calistoga shows a photo probably taken from one of the small hills on the east side of town, grandly named Mount Lincoln, showing a field dotted with the little cottages built by Sam Brannan at the founding of the town in the mid-19th century. Today only a handful of cottages remain in the city and the site shown in the photo is occupied by the Indian Springs resort and the abandoned Gliderport airport.

Even more interesting were the photos and the brochure for Lokoya Mountain Lodge. One picture shows the main lodge building, which burned down in the late 1950s, and two others show broad sweeping vistas of the valley, very possibly taken from the resort property. The valley floor is still heavily wooded but large swaths are already divided up for agriculture, though there is no obvious sign of grapes in the fields, so the photos clearly predate the wine boom starting in the 1960s. The brochure shows a lovely, rustic resort, with a crowded swimming pool, charming cottages and a grand dining room with a sweeping view across the valley. It describes the resort as Secluded and Exclusive.

Located 55 miles north of San Francisco in the Redwood Empire of Napa County, nestled among the Redwoods and Firs in a clear dry atmosphere, elevated about 2000 feet in the Coast Range Mountains, the brochure reads. This elevation commands an ever-changing panorama of the beautiful Napa Valley. Five mountain ranges can be seen from our Dining Room.

The Pine Room cocktail bar promises quality liquors combined with the knowledge of an experienced mixologist, but makes no mention of wine, an unimaginable omission for any resort in the Valley today.

The drive from San Francisco is described as not too long or tiresome for a delightful week and visit. The resort offered free rides for the 12 mile drive up the mountain from Napa bus depot, for those who arrange their schedule to arrive in the morning.

What, I wondered, happened to such an inviting resort? A little research, including in the archives of the Napa Valley Register, tells a sad story.

Fire broke out in the main lodge on Dec. 29, 1959, putting an end to the resort business, but leaving about 50 cabins scattered on the 90-acre property.

The owner, the late Robert Jones, converted the cabins to affordable housing units and gradually added camping trailers and mobile homes.Various accounts say the resort became a haven for the counter-culture during the 1960s, including playing host to Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie on their tours through the region. By the late 1990s, however, it had fallen into disrepair and neighbors and county officials were pressing the owner to close it down. The residents, as best I can tell, were evicted in 2001 after years of legal battles with the county and little remains of the old resort.

The more I learned, the more poignant the brochure and pictures became. They point to a charming chapter in Napa Countys history, so similar and yet so different. Clearly, the county was the playground of the well off in San Francisco and beyond over the last century.

Tourism was well established even in the early years of white settlement, and yet just half a century ago, Napa County was far from becoming what it is today.

So thanks to whoever sent me those items. It is a link to a past that is now largely lost.

Like my anonymous correspondent, I wonder who to give these pictures?
American Canyon has extended its temporary ban on outdoor cultivation and other activities related to recreational marijuana, giving city planners  and possibly others in Napa County  time to decide on a collective way to address the issue.

The city council last month approved a 45-day emergency moratorium following the passage of Prop. 64, which legalized recreational use of marijuana in California. Prop. 64 wont take effect until Jan. 1, 2018.

With that short-term ban set to expire at the end of December, the council approved a longer, 10-month moratorium on outdoor cultivation, processing, manufacture, distribution, testing and sale of marijuana.

The action was approved, council members said, so City Hall has more time to fully study how best to limit recreational marijuana, and to see if other leaders in the Napa Valley want to sit down and talk about working together on this matter.

Belia Ramos, who is stepping down from the council to join the Board of Supervisors next month, said she foresees the issue coming up at the county level.

My caution will be to allow these discussions to take place at a regional level, Ramos told her colleagues at her last council meeting on Thursday. Having a 10-month ban would allow time for that to happen, she said.

Its a discussion that should be explored with other cities in the valley, said Ramos, to consider collective zoning to address some of these ordinance issues.

Councilmember Mark Joseph concurred with Ramos, saying a countywide approach might make sense.

The council heard both support and opposition to banning recreational marijuana during the public comment period.

James Hinton, an activist who has run for Congress and the Board of Supervisors, urged the council not to go against the will of residents who voted for Prop. 64.

We have an opportunity to end the war on drugs, said Hinton. Quit banning, thats draconian. He added that the federal government was insane for continuing to oppose marijuana and related products.

Resident Lisa Lindsey, who represents American Canyon on the Napa County Board of Education, said she considers herself very liberal, but didnt vote for Prop. 64 because of concerns over how marijuana can impact youth.

She raised the issue of THC levels, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical in marijuana that generates the high in people, after attending a presentation on the drug at the NCOE.

This is not your grandmothers marijuana, said Lindsey. The THC levels in the current marijuana is much higher and is very detrimental to the education of minors and interferes with their learning ability.

Mayor Leon Garcia said the moratorium made sense, given how new the issue of recreational marijuana is in light of Prop. 64 being passed only last month.

He likened the challenge of regulating the drug and figuring out the complexities behind the issue to building an airplane while trying to fly it.

The new moratorium on recreational marijuana will last 10 months and 15 days, unless a permanent ordinance is adopted sooner.

It does not stop individuals from growing up to six plants within their homes, a provision allowed under Prop. 64.
The Napa Fire Department is warning the public of the dangers of propane heaters that are inappropriately used indoors following the death Monday of a 60-year-old man who was found non-responsive in his bedroom.

The man, who lived in a home at 1029 Foster Road in south Napa, was identified Tuesday by the Napa County Coroners Office as Stephen Covey. He was sleeping in a bedroom warmed by a propane heater that was not certified for indoor use, Fire Capt. Ty Becerra said Tuesday morning.

Covey apparently went to bed at 10 p.m. Sunday, but was not discovered until shortly after 1 p.m. Monday  15 hours later  Becerra said.

Napa Police said Stephen Covey was found unresponsive by his brother Michael Covey, who called out to his brothers friend who was in a nearby outbuilding. This friend called 911, while Michael Covey attempted CPR on Stephen Covey, but was overcome by the carbon monoxide, police said.

The house reeked of the smell of propane, Becerra said. Firefighters went into the home wearing breathing apparatus and dragged Stephen Covey out onto the front yard where CPR was performed until he was declared dead at 1:47 p.m.

The deceased mans brother was discovered in a severely incoherent state in a chair in the living room, said firefighter Jeff Hunter.

We werent too far away from two fatalities, Hunter said.

Carbon monoxide is commonly described as an invisible killer. It is odorless, colorless and tasteless, the product of incomplete combustion from such devices as heaters and generators. High levels can kill a person in minutes.

According to federal statistics, about 150 people die annually in the U.S. from non-fire-related carbon monoxide poisoning associated with consumer products. Becerra said Coveys death is likely the first of its kind in Napa since he joined the department 14 years ago.

Stephen Covey apparently went to bed and closed his bedroom door on a night when the temperature was expected to drop to freezing. The propane heater in his bedroom was not designed for indoor use, Becerra said.

Firefighters said they did not know if the homes regular heating system was working.

Someone using the heater would have no way of knowing if it was efficiently burning the propane or whether there was a high level of carbon monoxide escaping from incomplete combustion, Becerra said.

Carbon monoxide, which is slightly lighter than air, had traveled throughout the Foster Road house. We were getting levels of carbon monoxide far beyond what a person could survive in, Becerra said.

The house was saturated. It had gone into the attic and the crawl space, Becerra said. The whole house had pockets.

Since 2011, California law has required carbon monoxide detectors in homes with a garage or a fossil fuel source. No carbon monoxide detector was found in the Foster Road house, Hunter said.

People should heed warnings on outdoor heaters, Hunter said. Outdoor devices carry a manufacturers warning not to use them indoors, he said.

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to the flu, including nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness and lightheadedness.

Napa Police are investigating the incident, but cautioned in a news release that there are no signs of foul play.

Anyone with information beneficial to the investigation is asked to call Det. Pete Piersig at 707-257-9514.

The Coroners Office said it would be conducting an investigation to confirm the cause of death this week.
Napa Humane to offer free spay and neuter surgeries in January

Napa Humane will offer free spay and neuter surgeries for cats starting in January for a limited time.

The organization announced Tuesday that surgeries will be free of charge with a donation of any size, which will go toward additional procedures for animals at Humanes clinic in Napa.

Wendi Piscia, executive director of Napa Humane, said the aim is to make it easy to be responsible cat caretakers, whether the animal is owned or a stray. By offering free surgeries, Piscia said, we hope to inspire more people to bring cats in for the procedure.

According to the organization, one un-spayed female cat is capable of producing more than 11,000 kittens in a five-year span. A nationwide estimate places the populations of neighborhood cats in the tens of millions. Surgery is the best way to cull the booms that come with kitten season, the organization said.

Jim Brandt, president of Napa Wildlife Rescue, lauded the groups effort as having a great impact on lessening the free-roaming cat population, which is good for the environment, wildlife, and the community as a whole.

For information about Napa Humanes spay and neuter surgeries for cats, please call 707-252-7442, or drop by the clinic located at 3265 California Blvd. in Napa.
Napa County supervisors said lingering goodbyes to Supervisors Mark Luce and Keith Caldwell and District Attorney Gary Lieberstein.

Luce lost his bid for a sixth term in November to challenger Ryan Gregory. On Tuesday, for the last time in his 20-year Board of Supervisors career, he voted on county decisions.

But first, the Board thanked the former Chevron environmental engineer for his public service.

Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, who on election night had sat talking with Luce after a hoped-for victory party turned into a wake, delivered a heartfelt tribute. The 18-year supervisor struggled at times to get his words out.

Legacy, Wagenknecht said repeatedly as he talked about not only Luce the supervisor, but Luce his friend. He touched on how Luce is shaped by faith and family.

Jesus usually isnt mentioned in the secular world, Wagenknecht said. But the inclusive love of Jesus Christ is the center of Marks being.

He described Luce as epitomizing the Napa Way. He illustrated the point with what he called chapters in Luces storymeeting with all comers, avoiding squabbling, focusing on his vision during campaigns, taking the long view, budgeting conservatively, doing his share of the job, disagreeing agreeably, achieving non-gloating victories.

And one more chapter just written  be gracious in defeat, Wagenknecht said.

Supervisors Alfredo Pedroza, Diane Dillon and Caldwell and state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, endorsed Gregory in his successful election challenge of Luce. But each had kind words for Luce on Tuesday.

Dodd recalled a period around 2000 when some supervisors would scream across the dais at each other. Luce was on the short end of four-to-one votes and took a verbal pummeling that made Dodd wonder if hed share the same fate if he ran for supervisor.

In the face of that, (Luce) was able to stay true to his constituents, he was able to stay true to his values and did the best job he could possibly do, said Dodd, who served on the Board from 2000 through 2014.

Comments also included references to a program Luce championed and never tires of promoting, to the point that supervisors often smile when he slyly injects the topic into a Board discussion. Thats the countys workforce proximity housing program that has helped 100 families buy local houses.

Caldwell, the former American Canyon fire chief, chose not to run for reelection after two four-year terms. His colleagues praised him for helping to bring recycled water to the Coombsville area and resolving wastewater system challenges in rural Lake Berryessa communities.

In his response to the tribute, Caldwell described a Board today that is far different than the one Dodd observed with trepidation more than 15 years ago. The strength of Napa County is having a Board and staff that work together so well, he said.

This is not the norm in the state of California, Caldwell said. The norm is you end up with a Board of Supervisors that cant get along with one another and cant get along with some of the other elected officials.

Caldwell later gave a power point presentation on his Board career as his family watched. He talked about pet projects ranging from the push for a successful Measure T road repair half-cent sales tax to the ongoing Devlin Road extension.

One of the things a lot of people ask me is, Arent you going to be bored? and Why are you not running?  Caldwell said.

He showed a slide saying Caldwell County, population six plus one dog, a place with 1.5 miles of roads. Caldwell County is actually a ranch in neighboring Solano County where Caldwell will live with his family.

Caldwell talked about sad times over the past eight years, such as the deaths of his mother, brother and only uncle. He talked about happy times, such as the birth of two grandchildren. He talked of revealing some of his personal life in his public life.

Were human also, he told the audience. We have a life outside of here.

Lieberstein in October announced his resignation after an 18-year run effective at the end of the year. The Board later that month appointed Chief Deputy District Attorney Allison Haley, his hand-picked successor, to fill the remaining two years of his term.

Lieberstein described the next stage of his life as an intermission. Act I has ended and hes uncertain what will come in Act II.

My definition of retirement is to put on a new set of tires and see where they take you, Lieberstein said.

Luce, Caldwell and Lieberstein received Napa County plaques and certificates presented by Dodd on behalf of himself and former Sen. Lois Wolk and from Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.
In 2016, St. Helenas Crocker & Starr celebrated its 20th anniversary and in September, the winery held a retrospective tasting with leading wine writers and media.

Winemaker Pam Starr said, Theres something incredibly special about experiencing what goes into a memorable and delicious bottle of wine thats made from a single vineyard like this one.

When people come to Crocker & Starr they taste our wine, see the vineyard in a historic district, and they leave with a sense of being part of our history and of this beautiful place in St. Helena, she said.

That history began with James Dowdell, who was an early wine leader in St. Helena. His legacy continues with his winery and brandy house buildings that are on the Crocker estate and the grapes grown on his land at Crocker & Starr.

Charlie Crocker and Pam Starr of Crocker & Starr continue to evoke the exceptional characteristics of Dowdells unique land in their award-winning cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc.

Dowdell moves

to St. Helena

James Dowdell was born in Northern Ireland in 1845 with a wanderlust that spurred him out of his small town at the age of 18. In the following year Dowdell traveled the world, from New Zealand to Tahiti, and ultimately landed in San Francisco where he planned to settle with his wife Elizabeth, but fate had other plans.

Through his travels, Dowdell had learned a bit about farming and a job listing for a foreman to Edge Hill Winery caught his eye. In 1868, James and Elizabeth moved to St. Helena and Dowdell unknowingly began his career in wine. The estate, owned by retired General E. D. Keyes, lay on the hillside south of Sulphur Springs Avenue. Given his skills with stone masonry, Dowdells primary task was to oversee the construction of the cellar however, over time, he found himself gravitating to working with the wine itself. At 100,000-gallon capacity, the winery was the largest in Napa Valley, and it was there that Dowdell learned the art of winemaking.

After several seasons under Keyes wing, Dowdell was eager to branch out on his own and so he purchased 60 acres along the street that now bears his name. Nestled between the river and the Vaca range, the vines thrived in the rich soils of the Valleys alluvial plain and by 1880 Dowdell had 20 acres of robust zinfandel and riesling as well as hops.

Though he began merely as a wine grower, by 1886 Dowdell had built a winery and brandy house on his estate and between his own harvest and that of his neighbors, he produced 50,000 gallons of wine in his first year.

Dowdell & Son established

Given the estates remarkable soil and climate, James Dowdell and his son Arthur wanted a wine label of their own, and in 1891 they established Dowdell & Son.

The Cloverdale Wine Company bought 320,000 gallons of Dowdells wine in the winerys inaugural year, prompting Dowdell & Son to lease the Greystone Winery, largest in the state at the time, in 1892. As James business and repute grew, Dowdell & Son became a major asset to the local winegrowing and winemaking community.

When grape prices fell to $8 to $10 per ton in 1892, it was Dowdell & Son that vineyardists turned to for support. James agreed to an unparalleled price of $15 per ton. That same year, the Italian Swiss Colony at Asti in Sonoma acquired 300,000 gallons of wine but didnt have enough space to store it. Once again Dowdell came to the rescue, renting the company cooperage.

Despite James role in this close knit and collaborative wine community, it was a legal dispute with the Bank of Saint Helena and wine buyers that ended his career in wine.

A loan that Dowdell had taken to keep pace with his booming business (with wine as his insurance) devolved into a battle over price and a forced sale that put the winery out of business in 1895. It was not until four years later that the Supreme Court ruled in Dowdells favor. Sadly, Dowdell never made wine again though he continued to grow wine on his estate and became one of the most renowned hop growers of the region.

After Dowdells sudden death in 1902, his son Arthur maintained the vineyards and later, was employed by the California Winegrowers Association at Greystone. James Dowdell is buried at the family plot in the St. Helena cemetery.
The soft opening of the Las Alcobas hotel has been pushed back from spring 2016 to Feb. 1, 2017  and Samuel Leizorek hopes this time the date will stick.

Weve already changed the date like five times and this is the sixth time, said Leizorek, co-developer and managing partner of Las Alcobas Hotel Group. Hopefully there are no more changes. We have guests coming February 1.

Were at the point where were just tweaking things  its that final gold stitching so that everything looks beautifully done. All of the buildings are pretty much finished. Its just the landscaping and the pathways around the exterior that were still connecting.

Leizorek has been flying back and forth from his home in Mexico City, where the original Las Alcobas hotel is located, to oversee the construction of the 68-room St. Helena hotel, which his group owns in partnership with Presidio Companies. Starwood/Marriott operates the hotels reservation system under its Luxury Collection brand.

Las Alcobas is expected to generate $1 million a year in hotel taxes for St. Helena in its first full year. Leizorek said it should take about a year and a half for the hotel to reach full strength.

Leizorek said the St. Helena Las Alcobas will share the same DNA as its swank namesake in Mexico City, but will have an entirely different aesthetic thats tailored to its location.

This is distinctively St. Helena, he said. I wont even say distinctively Napa Valley because thats such a large area.

The centerpiece of each room is the view  including vineyards or Beringers Rhine House, depending on the room  but Leizorek said the interiors were meticulously designed, with furniture and woodwork manufactured in Italy and carved stone sinks.

Its a very friendly room, he said.

The hotels restaurant in the Acacia House, run by chef Chris Cosentino, will initially serve guests only, but it will soon open to the public. Leizorek said the restaurants concept hasnt been announced in detail, but people can expect some similarities to Incanto, Cosentinos old restaurant in San Francisco, which is known for unusual meat dishes.

Our chef is a very talented individual, and hes known for food thats heavy on protein, he said. Many chefs cook from the heart; this is a chef that will actually make you a heart.
The voices of Irish immigrants ring clearly through the information wanted advertisements they placed in the Boston Pilot. Catherine (Burns) Doyle, originally from Mucklow, County Wicklow who with her husband immigrated to St. Andrews, New Brunswick, sought great comfort in learning what happened to her brother Matthew Burns because she had not received a letter from him for years.[1] Others, like Bridget Galvin of Danielsonville, Connecticut, used the advertisement to find her husband and father of her two children, Thomas Galvin of Killbegnet near Creegs, Paris, County Galway, who deserted them in July 1863.[2] For 89 years, the Boston Pilot served as a voice for many Irish men, women, and families who sought to find a piece of home and stability in an unfamiliar world.

The Irish came to the United States in the millions during the 19th and early 20th century. Famine, economic and social conditions, and religious persectuion would have a deep impact on the citizens of Ireland. The Great Famine migration in particular, tore through families and a chaotic migration overseas left many family members separated from one another. The result of this migration, along with family dynamics and personal motivations put family members thousands of miles from another, such as the Waughans from the parish of Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland. Daniel lived in Ansonia, New Haven County, Connecticut and was looking for his son Thomas who was last seen in New Orleans. Other Waughans mentioned were Michael of the townland Twanies, Clonakilty parish, County Cork and John of Waverly, Morgan County, Illinois.[3] It was probably Daniels intention to include more family members in the advertisement to increase the likelihood someone could establish a connection and write to one of them.

With a collection of 40,594 advertisements from 1831-1920, the data only represents a small fraction of the Irish diaspora that included some four and a half million people. However, this collection is very useful to descendants of Irish working on their genealogy. The Boston Pilot column gained international recognition and includes Irish living all across the United States, Canada, and Ireland, so its far from limited to the city of Boston.

The value in these records is the immense amount of information they provide on Irish origins. In particular, they often mention the townland of origin for each ancestor and his/her family. Identifying the townland is the ultimate prize for any Irish researcher. Townlands are smaller divisions that exist within the civil registration districts and parishes of Ireland that go back over a thousand years. They range greatly in size, but are essentially a place name inhabitants used to identify the land they lived on. The more specific detail you have on someones origin or location, the easier it is for you to identify the family. While it is possible to identify an ancestor from Ireland with just the county or parish, it can be more difficult.

There are of course other valuable nuggets of information in these records, such as approximate time of emigration, addresses, names of parents, and other facts that can be added to your Irish familys story. All the information helps in confirming their identity when you search in records made in Ireland. An ancestor can elude our research and some types of genealogical records dont go beyond saying they are simply from the country of Ireland. Often these advertisements will list there last known whereabouts and migratory patterns, presenting researchers with invaluable clues. James Coughlan noted that his five Coughlan relatives, James, John, Margaret, William, and Ellen of Kilworth, County Cork, Ireland, were known to be in Great Barrington, Massachusetts fourteen years ago and believed to have moved to Wisconsin.[4]

There are several websites which allow you to search the advertisements, originally transcribed and published in 8 volumes.[5] Ancestry.com, AmericanAncestors.org, and Boston College have versions of this database. You can sort the information with different parameters including point of origin and address within the United States. When Im researching an Irish family, I always curious about the origins of other families living nearby and want to see if any patterns exist. I could filter results by just county or city, to see if multiple families are originating from a particular parish or townland. When I filter all advertisements with addresses in Berskhire County, I receive 226 results on Ancestrys version and notice the people represent many of the counties. Flipping this concept, I can restrict to one point of origin in Ireland, and see how inhabitants of that townland may be spread throughout the United States. This is a good example of how to use databases to support your research without typing in any names.

One other publication is Voices of the Irish Immigrant: Information Wanted In The Truth Teller New York City, 1825-1844. This is still in print, with the exception that the Hathitrust Library allows users to search within the text for names and keywords for pages that include a matching word or phrase. Many other newspapers would host these types of advertisements where people requested information on relatives, so you never know where a find like this will appear.

Even if your Irish ancestor is not mentioned in the Boston Pilot advertisement, consider how this database could help provide evidence to support your conclusion about your ancestors point of origin in Ireland.

Need help getting start with your Irish research? Watch Legacy Family Tree's 6-part Foundations of Irish Genealogy series by Irish scholar John Grenham .

[1] Searching for Missing Friends: Immigrant Advertisements Placed in 1831-1920, online database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), Vol.1 (1831-1850), p. 386.

[2] Ibid., Vol.5, p.206.

[3] Ibid., Vol 6, p. 291.

[4] Ibid., Vol 6, p. 291.

[5] The Search for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in the Boston Pilot (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1989-1993), edited by Ruth-Ann M. Harris, Donald M. Jacobs, Dominique M. Pickett, and B. Emer OKeeffe.

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Jake Fletcher is a professional genealogist, educator and blogger from Massachusetts. He currently volunteers as a research assistant at the National Archives in Waltham, Massachusetts and is Vice President of the New England Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG).
Posted by Mark Williams | December 28, 2016

In anticipation of falling 2017 sales numbers, several automakers are taking measures to decrease their pickup truck inventories. Many sales projection experts have been warning the auto industry that 2017 auto sales will be significantly lower than 2016 totals.

According to Automotive News (subscription required), Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri will sit idle Monday through Jan. 9, giving more than 7,000 workers some extra time off and providing the company time to perform extra maintenance on the facility.

Both GM and Ram also will be adjusting production schedules on select models to lower the number of vehicle reserves, with Ram cutting pickup production down to one shift between Christmas and New Year's Day, then conducting maintenance for part of the first week of January.

Manufacturer image
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi again and demanded a "white paper" on demonetisation to bring out the truth about the note ban. Daring Modi to disclose the actual amount of cash recovered since the announcement to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, "Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered since November 8." He also sought to know when Modi would unveil in Parliament the list of names of Swiss bank account holders that the Switzerland government provided. "We want to know who is the thief? Modiji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country," Gandhi told reporters here at the party headquarters on the Congress' Foundation Day. "Many people, including the poor, small traders, farmers, and the youth have suffered the most due to demonetisation and the government should give them compensation," Gandhi said. He questioned Modi on the "economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation", and pulled out a list of five questions. "How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?" Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to answer these questions in a "white paper". Rahul Gandhi, who has strongly opposed the Centre's demonetisation move, asked, "What was the process of consultation and preparedness followed prior to the implementation of demonetisation?" "Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?" He also said, "Will it place the names of all persons, institutions, and entities that deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in their bank accounts in the six months preceding November 8, 2016?" Gandhi demanded an explanation from Modi as to what was the reason behind "snatching away people's financial independence". The Congress party also put forward a charter of demands for the Modi government. They include all restrictions on withdrawal of money be lifted with immediate effect; till the time these restrictions are in place, a special interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum should be given to all bank account holders. All charges on digital transactions be abolished forthwith; the rate of rations distributed under the PDS system be halved for the period of a year under the provisions of the Food Security Act. In addition, a special one-time bonus of 20 per cent be provided over and above the MSP of all Rabi crops, the charter of demands read. One of the demands said that Rs 25,000 be deposited in the account of at least one woman belonging to each BPL family as compensation for the immense suffering caused to women due to demonetisation. The Congress also demanded that the number of guaranteed work days and the wage rate under the MGNREGA should be doubled for a period of one year. "The government should organise a special drive to identify and register all those who have lost their jobs since November 8, and provide them compensation at the applicable minimum wage rate for a time period extending up to March 31, 2017," the charter of demands added. It also said an income tax and sales tax rebate of 50 per cent be given to small shopkeepers and businesses. "The central government should compensate the state governments for the loss of revenue incurred on account of this exemption," it read. --IANS sid/in/vt ( 606 Words) 2016-12-28-15:52:07 (IANS)
New Delhi [India], Dec 28 (ANI-BusinessWireIndia): Fortune Magazine's latest issue on India's largest 500 corporations has ranked Ruchi Soya as the number one company in the Food and Agri product sector in India. Ruchi Soya which recorded revenue of over Rs. 27,000 crore in FY 2015-16 was ranked 83rd overall among 'India's 500 Largest Corporations' by Fortune India. It is the only food and agri company in the Top 100 of the Fortune India 500 list. Dinesh Shahra, Managing Director, Ruchi Soya Industries stated, "We are delighted to be ranked as India's number one Food and Agri products company by a reputed global brand like Fortune. The latest Fortune 500 report reaffirms the leadership position of Ruchi Soya in the country's food and agri sector." "Despite challenging times, we are committed to setting a path of high growth in our branded portfolio in 2017 along with an overall consolidation theme in the edible oil business. The increasing traction of Ruchi Soya's brands like Nutrela, Sunrich, Mahakosh, Ruchi Gold and Ruchi Star; will also bolster our revenues in the next 2-3 years," added Shahra. The Fortune India 500 is a ranking of the top corporations in India compiled on the basis of latest sales and gross revenue figures. The list is published annually by Fortune magazine. The Fortune India 500 list ranks publicly traded companies by their annual audited total income for the financial year ending on or before June 30. The list has been published in its current form since 2010, and also includes financial corporations and service providers, leading by revenue. (ANI-BusinessWireIndia)
Fifty days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, he continued to be in the firing line of the opposition on Wednesday. If the Congress demanded a White Paper on the November 8 note ban, the CPI-M said Modi had a lot to hide. On the 50th day of the dramatic announcement on demonetisation, the government on Wednesday approved an ordinance to make possession of demonetised notes beyond March 31, 2017, a criminal offence. The move attracted flak from the opposition. Daring Modi to disclose the quantum of black money seized after demonetisation, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi put forth a charter of demands and sought a White Paper on the currency ban. "Modi ji should reveal how much black money has been recovered since November 8," he said. He questioned Modi on the economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation and put forth a list of posers. "How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?" The Congress leader sought to know when Modi will reveal in Parliament the list of names of Swiss bank account holders that the Switzerland government had provided. "Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?" he said. "We want to know who is the thief? Modi ji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super-rich people of the country," Gandhi said. On Tuesday, Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken the Prime Minister to task on the issue. Banerjee had wondered if Modi will quit if the cash crunch persisted even after the end of the 50-day deadline he himself set. Banerjee's Trinamool Congress will undertake a protest campaign 'Modi hatao, desh bachao' campaign in West Bengal from January 1. On Wednesday, saw Bihar's ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal also held sit-ins in state capital Patna and district headquarters against demonetisation, with party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav accusing Modi of cheating the country's people. "Modi has derailed the economy through demonetisation, which had led to increased job losses," Lalu Prasad said in Patna and urged the people to remove Modi to save the country. Assailing Modi over demonetisation, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Prime Minister "has a lot to hide". "Modi doesn't face Parliament where people's representatives can question him on behalf of the masses. He doesn't take any questions from the media... he doesn't answer any serious questions from the public which come through the RTI (Right to Information Act). "Why is Modi so scared of questions? One, he clearly doesn't have answers. Two, he has a lot to hide," said the Left leader. Yechury also slammed the Centre for its "ordinance raj". "The government has no option but take the ordinance route because unless the law is changed, demonetisation is not legal. Ideally, this law should have been brought in Parliament in the winter session. "The government is increasingly relying on ordinance because it doesn't want to be answerable. We are opposed to this ordinance raj," he said. Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called Modi "anti-people" and asked him to take responsibility for the people's hardships. AAP leader Ashutosh said over 100 people had lost their lives and hundreds of thousands lost their livelihoods over the last 50 days since demonetisation. "Fifty days have passed since the note ban. Farmers are still facing hardships; labourers have lost jobs; businesses have collapsed; and more than 100 people have lost lives. Who is responsible for all this?" he asked. --IANS and/tsb/vm ( 646 Words) 2016-12-28-20:46:11 (IANS)
Christmas is right around the corner and the spirit of the festival is immensely high throughout the country! This festive season, for all the shopaholics, DLF Mall of India has organised 'First Christmas musical play in the country, CHOCOLATE WONDERLAND in the central atrium. The marvellous musical production set to be staged in the mall on December 24, 25, 27, 29, and 30, 2016 - one run each day. 'Chocolate Wonderland' is a musical production, scripted and directed by eminent theatre personalities, Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal from Kids World. With collaborative performances by school kids belonging to the age group of eight to 13 years, the play offered a unique experience alongside a glimpse into the world full of fantasies and surrealism, especially conceptualised for children of all age groups. There was a designated seating zone for kids to watch the play, for the parents who register their kids for the event, by shopping for worth INR 15,000 and above at DLF Mall of India. 70 to 100 lucky kids enjoyed the musical play in the seated zone. Pushpa Bector, executive vice president and head DLF Premium Malls said, "It is the first destination mall of the country, so we are celebrating our first Christmas in a spectacular fashion. We have created a wonderland with a Lego Christmas tree, including high calibre curated Christmas musical for kids and a chocolaty decor in sync with the musical. The mall will offer the best Christmas experience in Delhi-NCR." DLF Mall of India has also got North India's 1st Lego tree installed in the central atrium which is 20-feet tall and it is constructed by over 500 kids between the age of five to13 years. (ANI)
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said the Pathankot terror attack earlier in January this year was the first setback, adding that they are now better prepared having learnt lessons from the same. "Pathankot was the first setback. We have learnt lessons and are better prepared now. The second setback was the missing of the AN-32. Even after efforts, we could not trace the aircraft. We are helping their families. It is one of the worst memories in my career. AN-32s don't have Underwater Locater Beacons. We have taken up the case with the government," the Air Chief said. The Air Chief said on operational preparedness, they are dwindling with the fighters. "We paid attention to latest acquisitions and upgrades of the aircrafts we have. On Rafael, we have invited LCA. Three are flying and we will accept 123 in next 10 years. The second squadron of C130 will come soon. It will be based at the Arjangadh base. Large numbers of radars which are indigenous have been inducted. The Air Force is well on its way to have network centric capabilities. We have done reasonably well in looking after the sub-conventional threat like terrorism and other conventional threat," he added. He asserted that the revenue cases languishing since long have been signed due the proactiveness of the government and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. "The average flying we did was more than the average flying of last 10 years. We have flown in the fighter fleet 40,000 hrs, more than last 10 years due to better serviceability. We have done an average night flying of 27 percent which was less earlier. There has been a large improvement in the professional capabilities. We have been involved deeply in the operations against Naxalism, logistics support, flying by night," he added. The Air Chief also said that they have upgraded the Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in northeast. "The government has given approval of 27 flights of Garuns, with each having 45 Grains. 23 more Garun Flights will be raised later. (Garun is the special force under the Indian Air Force). We have been able to sign various cases in the last two and a half years including Rafale which will be in India. It will be operational within next three years to five and a half years," he added. (ANI)
Taking her fight against the Modi government vis-a-vis federal structure to newer heights, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal government have instructed state civil servants and police top brass not to provide any information to the Centre on matters related to law and order situation or even terror violence. Sources said the Chief Minister's office in Kolkata has passed an instruction to this effect, directing officials that in case of "urgency", they will have to pass the information strictly through Ms Banerjee's office or the office of the Chief Secretary. "This is not the first time such an instruction has been passed by West Bengal Chief Minister. In 2013 also, during UPA regime, such an order was passed in the state and the exercise had prevented passing of basic data about district wise crime records to the Ministry of Home Affairs," a source told UNI. Ostensibly, the Centre had sought those statistics for compiling the National Crime Bureau Records and subsequently the Union Home Ministry had to face some hurdles to collect the necessary data. According to established norms, the Centre or more precisely the Home Ministry seeks detailed information from the state police department "directly" and till hitherto the figures used to be provided unhesitatingly by the state governments. The federal structure bogey is, however, an issue held closer to heart by regional parties in recenttimes especially after alleged attempts made by the Modi government to "encroach upon the state'sautonomy". From time to time, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has denied the charge. "Generally, the Centre seeks those information, data and statistics on law and order situationand crime-related incidents on receipt of questions from Members of Parliament and the central government is obliged to answer them," the source said. By convention, no state governments have raised any major objection nor directed the police officials and civil servants not to provide such data to the Centre. "In the past, once or twice in mid-eighties the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao had reportedly raised objections to the Centre, directly seeking the information from state police," the source said.More UNI DEVN SV 1231 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0445-1083870.Xml
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday expressed his grief over the demise of his predecessor Sunder Lal Patwa, saying he was the one who changed state politics. "The one who changed the politics of Madhya Pradesh, the one without whom one cannot imagine the politics of Madhya Pradesh, the one who was respected by all parties, Patwa ji is not with us anymore. He was absolutely fine at night but when he did not wake up till late in the morning, he was rushed to the hospital. The doctors there told us that he had passed away," Chouhan told ANI. The former chief minister's last rites will be performed today at 4 p.m. The state will also be observing three days of mourning. Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh took to his Twitter handle to express his grief to the bereaved family. "Extremely sad by the news of demise of Sunderlal ji Patwa. He was an arduous politician of MP. The state has suffered an irreparable loss," he tweeted. "I pay my tributes to him. May God provide rest to his soul and his family the strength to deal with this crisis," he wrote further. Patwa died at the age of 92 after suffering a heart attack. Patwa was the chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh twice, from January 20, 1980 to February 17, 1980 as member of Janata Party, and from March 5, 1990 to December 15, 1992 as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He began his political career with Jana Sangh, which merged with Janata Party in 1977. Later, members owing allegiance to Jana Sangh's Hindutva ideology broke away from Janata Party in 1980 to form Bharatiya Janata Party. (ANI)
Name of the ordinance is 'The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance', according to sources.

This ordinance makes possesing huge amount of scraped Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 notes a criminal offence, thereby attract a jail term and a monetary penalty of five times the amount of old cash one is caught with.

Possession of the old notes will only be permitted for the purpose of research and numismatics and the measure is intended to end any prospect of a "parallel currency" continuing after the deadline.

The ordinance will, however, have a clause allowing the people to deposit scrapped notes at the RBI branches, as promised by the government, after giving reasons for doing so.

The ordinance is expected to be replaced by a law in the Budget Session of Parliament.

The provision on providing a reason for exchanging old currency at the RBI branches is intended to facilitate submission of scrapped currency.

The ordinance is needed to end the liability of RBI Governor Urjit Patel to pay the bearer of the scrapped notes the value promised. Similar laws were enacted in the past after demonetisation of Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes in 1978. (ANI)
The incident took place when four lawyers of Pushpa's team had gone to the AIADMK headquarters to submit a letter.

Pushpa who filed a petition in Supreme Court, demanding a probe into the death of J. Jayalalithaa, had earlier said that proper inquiry should be done as the people of the state want to know the actual reason behind the death of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Pushpa filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court earlier on Sunday urging it to order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death. (ANI)
The buffaloes were owned by milk vendor Suresh (38) and its cost was Rs two lakh.

Police sources said Suresh usually leave the two buffaloesin an open field at Vengambakkam for grazing before taking them back home in the evening.

Similarly, he left the buffaloes for grazing on December 26and when he came in the evening, he found them missing in thefield.

After frantic searches, he lodged a complaint with the police station, who registered a case and started investigations.

When the probe was on in and around Vengambakkam, a police team, which was carrying out vehicle checks, stopped a load vehicle this morning and questioned the driver and other person, who was sitting next to him.

As they gave contradictory replies, police checked the vehicleand found two buffaloes which were owned by Suresh.

Police seized the vehicle and arrested Kamalakannan (40) andSangu (35), both residents of Vengambakkam.

During interrogation, the duo confessed that they had stolen the two buffaloes and took them to a secluded place.

They were caught when they were taking the two buffaloes for selling them.

They also admitted that they had stolen several cows andbuffaloes in the area and sold them.

Both Kamalakannan and Sangu were produced before a court and remanded them in judicial custody.

They were later lodged in Puzhal Central prison.UNI GV CS 1613

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in the Madhya Pradesh capital today to pay tributes to former Union Minister and ex-Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa, who passed away here. Sources told UNI that the Prime Minister would arrive at the Raja Bhoj International Airport here during afternoon, from where he would head straight to the state BJP office, to pay his last respects. Patwa (92), who served two terms as the State Chief Minister, breathed his last this morning after suffering a heart attack. The last rites would be performed with full state honours at his native town Kukdeshwar in Neemuch district tomorrow.UNI PKJ-PS RJ SNU 1639 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1084235.Xml
Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of customs, seized Rs 69-lakh, in two separate cases, arresting four persons. An official sources said here today that in first case, AIU of the customs had intercepted three persons in the wee hours today at International Airport and seized currency worth Rs 43-lakh from their possession. They were identified as Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha, hailing from Hyderabad. During the thorough examination of their belongings, custom official recovered of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars from Ali's baggage. In another case, one Arif Koyante, who was departing to Dubai, was arrested after Rs 25-lakh, in denominations of Rs 2000, was seized from him. After a search 1,250 notes were found which were kept in52 different envelopes made of white paper. "These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 card boards on which ready made garments were neatly wrapped," said the official adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that an attempt was being made to smuggle the money out of India. A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif, sources added. UNI ST NV AW VS SNU 1644 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1084303.Xml
Former Home Secretary Anil Baijal is likely to be the next Lieutenant Governor of Delhi with the Home Ministry recommending his name to President Pranab Mukherjee, sources said today. The sources said the President today accepted the resignation of Mr Jung as Delhi Lt Governor. They said the Home Ministry has recommended the name of Mr Baijal as the new administrator of the National Capital Territory.More UNI MKS-AR AE SNU 1727 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-1084587.Xml
Udupi Ruchi, a flagship brand of Sri Family Group today entered into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with the launch of around 100 easy-to cook product varities manufacturing with first-of-its kind advanced dry blend technology. Talking to newspersons here after the launch, Sri Family Group Director S R Rao Sabhib said the specialised and nutritional food products will be made available to consumers through retail, institutional business and restaurant formats. He said Udupi Ruchi offers a wide range of breakfast (rava idli, multigrain dosa), rice & meal mixes, spice mixes and health drink varieties. Gulab Jamun, Kesari Bhath, Semia Kheer, Badam Halwa, and Pasta Pista Kheer mixes, are on its delicacies list. The company through its other brands temptas and nutramine offers Soups, pastas, milkshakes, and fruit drinks mixes and nutritional food supplements, respectively. "Udupi Ruchi foods are processed and packed with cutting-edge Dry Blend Technology for preserving the goodness of ingredients and authentic taste. The shelf life of the packs is between 9 and 24 months. The products do not contain preservatives, artificial flavor or any colours, they are 100 per cent natural and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) certified. The quality, food safety and reasonable pricing have made our products a big hit in the processed food items segment. We hope we will enjoy the same kind of patronage in the new market also," he added. Mr Rao said the company is targeting a turnover of Rs 100 crore over the next three years.UNI VV RJ 1824 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1084726.Xml
Considering on the assurance of the Government of Manipur and the request of the Government of India, the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) has temporarily suspended its total blockade on all Manipur-bound vehicles for the time being. In a statement, NSF president Subenthung Kithan and assistant general secretary Kesosul Christopher Ltu said the decision to suspend the blockade was taken in view of the communiqu received from the Manipur chief secretary through the office of the Nagaland chief secretary with assurance to provide for the safety and security of the Nagas in Manipur and considering the repeated requests and appeal from the Government of India through RN Ravi, the interlocutor for Indo-Naga peace talks to lift the total blockade. The NSF also asserted to always protect and safeguard the interest of the Nagas residing anywhere and warned that it will not hesitate to initiate any course of action deemed fit as per the situation. UNI AS AKM 1755 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1084683.Xml
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie released the party's manifesto with 17-point objectives for the February 2017 election to Municipal Councils and Town Councils at the Congress Bhawan in Dimapur. Releasing the manifesto last evening, Mr Therie said the party welcomed 33 per cent women reservation in civic polls as the 'vibrant women councilors' participation in the process of planning is expected to balance and also contribute new dimensions in the approach to administration. Mr Therie attacked the BJP-led Government in the Center over demonetisation saying plastic money endorsed by the Central Government made no sense in Nagaland where 80 per cent of the population had neither bank account nor the infrastructure for cashless transaction. "We intend to send a strong message to GoI that we do not approve demonetisation," Mr Therie stated. He said NPCC stood against demonetisation and corruption. "We stand for clean council, secular, decentralisation of power, and safeguard of constitutional rights," he asserted. According to Mr Therie, anyone voting for BJP and NPF was voting for demonetisation and he was hopeful that the voters would send a strong signal to the state government and central government through this municipal and town councils election. Further, he said NPCC would be fielding as many candidates as possible in the civic polls. Meanwhile, NPCC in its manifesto alleged that civic polls was deliberately delayed where the powers and benefits were misused and mismanaged by NPF-BJP Government by nominating NPF workers as members of Municipals and Town Councils for the past seven years. Among other things, environmental concern, proper planning or management of urban areas and sanitation figured in the NPCC election manifesto. UNI AS BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1084702.Xml
Although Ms Banerjee stated that she had not read the details of the Ordinance, she felt that such decisions should not be imposed on the people.

"The common people should not be made to suffer," the chief minister said.

Ms Banerjee felt that the Modi government was only seeking vengeance on the TMC when asked about the recent notices by the CBI to TMC MP's Sudip Bandhopadhya and Tapas Pal in connection with the ponzi firm enquiry.

"The TMC cannot be put deterred by such acts and will continue to fight for the common people," the TMC supremo added.UNI XC-BM

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The Government of Assam is in consultation with the Union Ministry of Highways, Road Transport and Shipping to draw up a roadmap for construction of an international highway connecting India with Bhutan through Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD). Two rounds of talks have been held between GoA officials and the Union Ministry for strengthening road connectivity between the two nations. Revealing this in a meeting held today at Bharola river front in Udalguri under BTAD, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the proposed highway would improve trade and commerce between the two nations. The chief minister said this while laying the foundation stone for a RCC Bridge over Bharola River on Tamulpur-Udalguri Road under Udalguri LAC. The bridge is part of a road project 'Improvement and up-gradation of Road section of Tamulpur to Paneri and Paneri to Udalguri in Assam under North Eastern States Road Investment Project (NESRIP)'. Central Government has accorded Administrative Approval for an amount of Rs. 319.29 Cr towards execution of the Trance-II Project. Mr Sonowal said the Prime Minister lays utmost importance in improving surface communication in the State for ushering development in the region. Union Ministry of Highways has also approved projects worth Rs 1 lac crore for reinforcing road connectivity in the State in a meeting held recently in New Delhi, the Chief Minister added. Stating that the State Government will soon take up construction works of six bridges in Udalguri LAC, the chief minister said already Rs 2 crore has been released by the Government for repairing of roads in each LAC area. Mr Sonowal further informed the gathering that the State Cabinet has recently approved Mukhyamantir Path Nirman Achoni under which Rs. 2,000 cr. will be released to the districts within March 31, 2017. The Chief Minister lauded the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Hagrama Mahilary for his leadership in ushering overall development and peace in the region and stated that the Government of Assam will soon set up Skill Development Centre in the BTC for harnessing the rich potential of the youth. He reiterated his Government's commitment to provide home to every homeless of the BTAD under Prime Minister's Awas Yojana. BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary, State PHE Minister Rihon Daimary, MPs Ramen Deka and Biswajit Daimary were also present in the meeting. The chief minister laid the foundation stone of Suklai River Bridge and Kala-Nanoi River Bridge under Paneri LAC on Tamulpur-Paneri Road and Bornadi River Bridge under Tamulpur LAC today as part of the NESRIP Trance-II Project. On the sidelines of the foundation stone laying ceremony at Suklai and Kala-Nanoi River Bridge, Mr Sonowal visited the Barangajuli Srimanta Sankardev Satra and interacted with the Satradhikar.UNI SG BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1084735.Xml
All pending issues related to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) will be addressed soon, Aurangabad Central MLA Imtiaz Jaleel said here today. A high-level meeting, presided over by state Health Minister Deepak Sawant, was held in Mantralaya in Mumbai today to discuss the issues of city's government-run hospital. Besides Dr Sawant, Minister for Medical Education & Health Girish Mahajan, Environment & Aurangabad Guardian Minister Ramdas Kadam, Mr Jaleel and GMCH dean Dr Chandrakant Mhaske were also present at the meeting. During this meeting, Mr Mahajan gave an assurance to Mr Jaleel that a special meeting to discuss the problems afflicting the GMCH, civil hospital, government-run dental and cancer hospitals will be held in Aurangabad next month, Mr Jaleel said in a statement here. The meeting also discussed about recruitment of staff for its newly-built superspeciality urology building, which has not been in use since 2011, development of internal roads in the hospital and inauguration of civil hospital near airport. Dr Sawant informed that the government has okayed a proposal to recruit doctors and staff for the new civil hospital and the process for the same has already been started. Mr Mahajan also said the government was in talks with a big private hospital for running a dialysis and kidney transplant centre at the urology building and an agreement would be signed soon, he informed. When Mr Jaleel brought to the notice of the ministers about poor patients being asked to purchase medicines from pharmacies outside the government hospitals in Aurangabad and demanded to treat this act as a crime, the minister assured the MLA that the budget for medicines for Aurangabad government hospital would be doubled,the statement added.UNI VKB SS RJ 1824 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-1084617.Xml
The teams, which included delegates from Egypt, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Jordan, Uganda, Myanmar, Cuba, Tajikistan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and other countries, were welcomed by Mysore Industries Association Vice President Umesh K. Shenoy and Secretary Suresh Kumar Jain.

The teams, which arrived in two batches, visited JK Tyres and they were taken on a tour to get a glimpse of manufacturing and other units. Later, team held a discussions at the Mysore Industries Association (MIA) premises at Metagalli which was presided by MLA and MIA President Vasu.

The study tour was organised by National Institute of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NI-MSME) as a part of industrial exchange programme.UNI BSP MSP AK1725

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The Finance Department has given its approval for the grant of Rs. 5.65 crore towards release of ex-gratia to senior Rangayana artistes and employees, Department of Kannada and Culture Director and Rangayana in-Charge Director K A Dayanand said today. Addressing the mediapersons after releasing the posters for Bahuroopi International Theatre Festival-2017 at Rangayana here, he said that State Finance Department had given its nod for the sanction of amount for the release of ex-gratia (onetime settlement) for senior Rangayana artistes and employees, who have either passed away while in service or have retired. He said that the concerned file would be sent for the approval from Department of Kannada and Culture and the same will be forwarded to Ranga Samaja, the governing body of Rangayana, for the final approval after which the ex-gratia will be released. Speaking about this year's Bahuroopi, Dayanand said that the festival which will be held from Jan. 13 to 18 will be inaugurated by renowned Film actor Om Puri on Jan 13 and the valedictory will be held on Jan 18 during which noted theater personality Dr. Purushothama Bilimale will deliver the valedictory address. Rangayana has invited four international teams from Sri Lanka, Poland, Bangladesh and England which will be staging plays during the festival. The Bahuroopi will feature a total of 17 plays including six Kannada plays and rest from across the country. The plays will be staged at Bhoomigeetha, Vanaranga, Kalamandira and Mini Theatre (Kalamandira premises). Theatre groups from across the country will present Rangageethe. A two-day seminar titled 'Democracy and Theatre' will be held at the Mini Theatre in memory of senior Rangayana artiste Manjunath Belakere.UNI BSP MSP AK1840 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0285-1084804.Xml
The Punjab unit of Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to kick-start its poll campaign for the state Assembly elections with state party Chief Vijay Sampla launching a 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' from Hussainiwala tomorrow. The eight-day long Yatra will traverse all the 23 assembly constituencies from where the party has fielded its candidates and will culminate in Amritsar on January 8. Addressing the mediapersons at the party headquarters here, State Party Secretary, Vineet Joshi, showcased the Rath (chariot) especially designed for the purpose and announced details of the Yatra. Giving out details, Mr Joshi said, ''The Vijay Sankalp Yatra will start from Hussainiwala tomorrow after paying tributes at the Shaheed Smarak (Martyr's Memorial). It will cover all the assembly constituencies where the party fields its candidates and will end in Amritsar on January 8. On the first day of the Yatra, the Rath will start from Hussainwala and travel through cities and villages of Ferozepur and Fazilka and will reach Rajpura on December 30.'' He said the second phase of the Yatra will be undertaken from January 3 from Shri Anandpur Sahib and Yatra to travel to Phagwara. On January 4, the Rath will pass through Ludhiana (Central), Ludhiana (North) and Ludhiana (East) constituencies. On January 5, the Yatra will reach Hoshiarpur, Dasua and Mukerian. On January 6, the Yatra will traverse via Pathankot, Sujanpur and will enter Bhoga. On January 7, Dinanagar, Jalandhar (Central), Jalandhar (North) and Jalandhar (East) constituencies would be covered. On the final day, i.e. January 8, the Yatra, after showing up in Amritsar (Central), Amritsar (East), Amritsar (West) and Amritsar (North), will culminate in Amritsar. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will address a huge public rally there, said Mr Joshi. Presenting the party's hi-tech rath before the media, Mr Joshi said it would allow the party to connect more with the masses. Equipped with modern, state-of-the-art facilities, the Rath is actually a stage from which State Party President, Mr Sampla and other senior party leaders will address the public. "We will be having four-five stopovers at different places like 'chowks' and 'nukkars' within each city and interact with the people. We will tell them about policies of Union and State governments and get their feedback," Mr Joshi added. ''The Rath is equipped with a hydraulic system that allows the roof to open as and when needed and provides a podium. The vehicle is fitted with LED TVs, Laptops, printers, etc, to monitor news and execute IT activities. Also, an ultra-modern light and sound system has been fixed so that the leaders can address people at any time of the day. The Rath has a meeting and resting space for five to six people on board and also an attached toilet. Another Rath will also accompany the Yatra which would be used by the Social media cell,'' he said. UNI VJ AE SNU 1717 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1084240.Xml
One of the two 600 mw units of Independent Power Producer(IPP) Jindal India Thermal power plant Limited (JITPL) at Kaniha has been shut down for the last one week due to shortage of coal. The IPP is among the four power producers out of the 27 power companies who have signed memorandum with state government and has begun power generation. It supplies power to Odisha and other state as per the power purchase agreement. The power plant located near NTPC-Kaniha has two 600Mw units. According to a plant official, It requires about 15000 tonne of coal per day to run the plant on full load. It takes coal from nearby Kaniha coalmines and also from Talcher. While the supply from Talcher is continuing, coal from nearby Kaniha mines has stopped for last some days. It draws coal from 5000 tonne to 10000 tonne on auction basis per day from kaniha mine besides taking about 5000to 6000 tonne from Talcher to run the plant. Now Kaniha mines is in problem as there is no land to operate and its daily production has come down from normal 40000 tonne to barely 15000 now. The 15 MT annual capacity mine is likely to be closed within few months due to want of land to operate. All high level meetings even at chief secretary level fell flat to bail out the coalmine. "Whatever is produced we give to NTPC-kaniha .There is no coal left for auction. So JITPL suffers like other consumers. The auction will resume once the coal output picks up," said an official. JITPL official source said they cannot draw coal from Talcher 30 to 35 Km away for economic and logistic reasons. The official said that now they get only 5000 to 6000 tonne from Talcher that is less than the requirement to operate one unit.UNI XC BD BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1084961.Xml
Former Union Minister, Ex-Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa, who was best known for raising problems of the common public, breathed his last after suffering a heart attack in the state capital today. He was 92. As a pall of gloom descended on Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Bhopal to pay tribute to the departed leader and laid a floral wreath on his body, which was kept at the state BJP office for enabling paying of last respects by people. A three-day mourning was announced in the state and Chhattisgarh. The last rites would be performed with Full State Honours at his native town Kukdeshwar in Neemuch district tomorrow. He is survived by his wife Phoolkunwar Patwa and nephew Surendra Patwa, who is Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture, Tourism, Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development. When the former Chief Minister did not wake up this morning, he was rushed to a private hospital. However, he had passed away by that time. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also reached the hospital. Condoling his demise, BJP and Congress leaders paid homage to the veteran leader. Governor OP Kohli, the Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker Sitasaran Sharma, his deputy Rajendra Kumar Singh, former Chief Minister Kailash Joshi, State Cabinet Ministers Bhoopendra Singh, Narottam Mishra and Maya Singh paid expressed grief over the demise. State BJP President Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan, his Congress counterpart Arun Yadav, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, ex-Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Suresh Pachauri also paid tributes. (Eds: Pl pick suitably from earlier series)UNI PKJ-PS SHS SNU 1934 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1084880.Xml
With Samajwadi Party and BSP already declaring their candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) seems to be in no hurry and will announce its candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections after January 15. A senior leader in the party said here today that party leadership is already busy with the party programmes and different rallies. "In fact we are not in a hurry to declare candidates. State president has already announced programmes till mid of next month. So, I can safely say that party will announce candidates after January 15," he said. He said that party's main focus is on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Lucknow on January 2 in which over 5 lakh people across UP are expected to take part. Then we will have Kisan goshtis (meetings) and in between the party is having backward leaders meetings. So, it is hectic schedule for us, he said. In fact it would be BJP's strategy to delay the process of ticket distribution because of new leaders and sitting legislators from other parties joining BJP. Though BJP leaders claim that there is no assurance given to these leaders, still it is believed that all sitting legislators will contest elections on BJP tickets. Meanwhile, BJP leaders along with students union leaders of different colleges held meetings with people asking them to attend PM's proposed rally. Stress is given to invite members of trading community, who are blind supporters of BJP, but have faced the demonetisation brunt. "The response of the people is very good. We expect over 5 lakh people will attend the rally," general secretary of the party Vidyasagar Sonkar said.UNI MB VS SHS VN2047 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1085057.Xml
Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, which met here under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today approved appointment of Dr S P Vaid, Special DG (Coordination & Law and Order) as new Director General of Police, J&K upon the completion of extended term of service of K Rajendra Kumar on December 31. Dr Vaid, a 1986 batch IPS officer, who was holding the charge of Director General of Prisons, has been appointed as Director General in-charge of Coordination and Law and order. Born in 1959, Dr Vaid grew up in the Kathua district in Jammu and graduated in Veterinary Science (BV.Sc) from Madras Veterinary College. He qualified for the Civil Services and was allotted the Indian Police Service (IPS) on August 25, 1986 with Jammu and Kashmir cadre. From 1988 to 1990, he was the Additional Superintendent of Police in Badgam and was promoted as Superintendent in the same district in 1990, the year when he faced maximum militant attacks. He also topped the International Commanders' programme at Police staff College at UK. Vaid at Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Los Angeles, USA during a seminar organised by Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India. He also served as Deputy Inspector General of Police of Jammu, and after being promoted in 2003, he was appointed as Inspector General (Crime), IGP (Home Guards and Civil Defence), as Inspector General Modernisation Police Headquarters and for nearly three and a half years as Inspector General of Police of Jammu eventually. Thereafter in 2008, Dr Vaid was posted as IGP Crime and Railways and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Traffic Jammu & Kashmir in 2009 when he was sent on deputation to BPR&D in New Delhi where he was initially posted as Director of Special Policing then Director of Training and during the last months of his deputations as the Director of Administration. As of February 23, 2010 Dr Vaid was also appointed as the new Secretary of Central Indian Police Service Association (CIPSA) as an additional central charge besides his assignment in Bureau of Police Research & Development. On June 17, 2011, the Jammu and Kashmir Government ordered the J&K Home Department for the promotion of Dr Vaid and two other 1986 Batch J&K Cadre IPS officers to the senior Indian police rank of Additional Director General of Police. Due to promotion, Dr Vaid was repatriated by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Govt. of India and he returned to his parent cadre on September 15, 2011. On November 24, 2011, the J&K State Cabinet ordered the posting of Dr Vaid as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Headquarters (PHQ). On March 3, 2016, Dr Vaid was promoted to the grade of Director General (DG).UNI VBH SHS VN2358 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0136-1085236.Xml
The British government said on Tuesday that it would begin rolling out mandatory identity checks for voters in what seems to be the biggest ever shake-up in the way that Britons vote at elections. This move will pave the way for more than 40 million voters who will have to show ID before they can vote in local, national and European elections, Xinhua news agency reported. Currently British people arrive at polling stations without showing any documentation, using a simple pencil to make their choice on a simple paper ballot form. It is a system that has remained unchanged since the masses won the right to vote in the 1800s. The British government says its plans to demand proof of identity before voting are aimed at combating electoral fraud. The scheme is to be piloted in a number of areas in local elections due to take place in 2018, ahead of being rolled out nationally. The Electoral Reform Society, an elections campaign organisation, described the plan to move to ID voting was a "blunt instrument" that could deter people from voting. "While we should take all instances of voter fraud very seriously where they occur, mandatory voter ID is a sledgehammer to crack a nut," said Electoral Reform Society CEO Katie Ghose. Minister for the Constitution Chris Skidmore defended the plans saying that electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level. "That is why the new measures we are announcing today will protect anyone who is at risk of being bullied, undermined or tricked out of their vote, and their democratic right," Skidmore said. --IANS vgu/ ( 276 Words) 2016-12-28-07:24:07 (IANS)
President Barack Obama pointed to the strength of US-Japan ties during a visit to Pearl Harbor with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who offered condolences for the more than 2,300 people killed in Tokyo's December 7, 1941, attack on the US Navy base in Hawaii. "The United States and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace," Obama said on Tuesday after he and Abe laid wreaths during a ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial, which marks the final resting place of more than 1,000 US service members. "Our alliance has never been stronger. In good times and in bad we're there for each other," Efe news agency quoted the President as saying before a gathering that included survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack. Though previous Japanese Premiers have visited Pearl Harbor, Abe is the first to step aboard the USS Arizona Memorial. "As the Prime Minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said. Just as Obama did not apologise for the dropping of the atomic bomb when he visited Hiroshima in May, Abe offered no apology for the attack on Pearl Harbor. --IANS vgu/ ( 235 Words) 2016-12-28-07:56:07 (IANS)
According to The News, the aim of the visit was to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Both Abe and Obama commemorated the dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona. Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial.

The two leaders stood solemnly in front of a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the 1941 attack and took part in a brief wreath-laying ceremony, followed by a moment of silence.

"In Remembrance, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan" was written on one wreath and "In Remembrance, Barack Obama, President of the United States" on the other.

They then threw flower petals into the water.

Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of December 7, 1941, pounding the U.S. fleet moored there in the hope of destroying U.S. power in the Pacific.

Obama, who is on vacation in Hawaii, and Abe met ahead of the visit to discuss ties between the two former World War Two foes before heading to the site.

Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability.

The Japanese leader's visit to Pearl Harbor comes months after Obama became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945. Obama had then called for a world without nuclear arms. (ANI with inputs)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a symbolic visit to Pearl Harbor with President Barack Obama, commemorating the victims of Japan's World War Two attack and promising that his country would never wage war again.The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the US-Japan alliance amid concerns that Trump could forge a more complicated relationship with Tokyo."I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said yesterday."We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken."Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of December 7, 1941, pounding the US fleet moored there in the hope of destroying US power in the Pacific.Abe did not apologize for the attack.Obama, who earlier this year became the first incumbent US president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, called Abe's visit a "historic gesture" that was "a reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace."Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona.The two leaders stood solemnly in front of a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the 1941 attack and took part in a brief wreath-laying ceremony, followed by a moment of silence."In Remembrance, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan" was written on one wreath and "In Remembrance, Barack Obama, President of the United States" on the other.They then threw flower petals into the water.After their remarks, both leaders greeted and Abe embraced US veterans who survived the Pearl Harbor attack.Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability.During a meeting ahead of the Pearl Harbor visit, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor moves by China's aircraft carrier, recently spotted on a routine drill in the Western Pacific for the first time, and to strengthen the US-Japan alliance, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.The leaders' get-together was also meant to reinforce the US-Japan partnership ahead of the January 20 inauguration of Trump, whose opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and campaign threat to force allied countries to pay more to host US forces raised concerns among allies such as Japan.Obama has sought to provide a smooth transition for Trump, but he made his opposition to the Republican's policies, including his proposal to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States, clear during the 2016 campaign."It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward," Obama said at Pearl Harbor. "We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different."Abe met with Trump in New York in November and called him a "trustworthy leader."Obama called for a world without nuclear arms during his visit to Hiroshima. Trump last week called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capability and reportedly welcomed an international arms race.One analyst noted the Japanese leader's visit and the reconciliation with the United States that it symbolized underscored the stark contrast in its relationship with China and South Korea, where the bitter wartime legacy still plagues ties with Tokyo."A symbolic gesture of contrition to your closest ally is easy," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Japan campus in Tokyo."If he really is sincere about reconciliation diplomacy and overcoming lingering enmities he needs to visit similar symbolic sights (in China and Korea) and make similar remarks of remorse that are more specific about Japan's responsibility," he said.REUTERS SDR RK0920 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1083757.Xml
A closed court in Mongolia has convicted three men of the 1998 murder of Sanjaasuren Zorig, a politician remembered for leading the East Asian country's peaceful transition to democracy.Nicknamed the "Golden Swallow of Democracy", Zorig was credited with saving lives during anti-government protests in Mongolia in 1990. His murder has been likened to the assassination of US President John F Kennedy and sparked a manhunt that involved authorities in Britain and Germany.Zorig was Mongolia's minister of infrastructure and was widely expected to become prime minister of the fledgling democracy in 1998 when he was assassinated in his home at the age of 36.Mongolian media identified the three suspects as B. Sodnomdarjaa, Ts. Amgalanbaatar and T Chimgee, and said they had been found guilty of murder by a panel of judges yesterday after a hearing held behind closed doors since October. They were each given prison sentences of between 24 and 25 years.Reuters was unable to reach the courts responsible for the verdict. The Ministry of Justice also did not respond to requests for comment.It was not known how the three men had answered the charges, how they were represented in the court, or when they were arrested.Mongolian deputy prime minister Tsend Nyamdorj questioned the decision to hold the trial behind closed doors."This is very a dangerous practice, in which a court reaches a verdict of murder in secret," he told parliament yesterday. "To me, it looks as if you are trying to hide the fact that you are being repressive."Zorig's sister, Oyun, who heads the pro-democratic Zorig Foundation and is a former government minister, said in a statement sent to Reuters she and her family did not think justice had been done."We also requested that the case is de-classified and the court is open," she said. "Unfortunately, the request was not accepted."Dale Choi, an analyst with Mongolian Metals and Mining, likened Zorig's murder to Kennedy's 1963 assassination."There are a lot of unanswered questions," he said yesterday. "I think today's court ruling did not answer all these questions."Police detained several people for questioning during the investigation, including Zorig's widow, Bulgan, who is alleged to have witnessed the murder.Zorig's murder, though not widely known outside Mongolia, was central to the arrest of intelligence official Bat Khurts in London in 2010 after a warrant was issued by German authorities.Khurts was detained for his involvement in the 2003 abduction and forced repatriation of Mongolian dissident Enkhbat Damiran, said by Mongolian authorities to be a suspect in Zorig's murder. Enkhbat eventually died in police custody.Khurts was released by Germany in 2011 shortly before a visit to Mongolia by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and is now the head of Mongolia's General Intelligence Agency. REUTERS SDR RAI1020 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1083816.Xml
China's sole aircraft carrier the Liaoning has arrived at a naval base on the southern Chinese province of Hainan, a senior Taiwanese military officer said today, after drills that took it around the island China claims as its own.China has given few details of what the Soviet-built Liaoning is up to, save that it is on a routine exercise.Taiwan has said the aircraft carrier skirted waters outside its air defence identification zone to its east and south and then headed across the top of the South China Sea to Hainan, home to a large Chinese naval base."The Liaoning aircraft carrier has reached the Hainan military base. We will continue to monitor its developments," a senior Taiwanese military official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.China has been testing the aircraft carrier's systems and coordination with other military equipment, the officer said, and its arrival in Hainan did not mean its mission was over."Once you go out, don't you need to go home?" the officer said.The drill, which included accompanying warships, comes amid renewed tension over Taiwan, which China claims as its own and says is ineligible for state-to-state relations, following US President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with the island's president that upset Beijing.China's air force conducted long-range drills this month above the East and South China Seas that rattled Japan and Taiwan. China said those exercises were also routine.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which about 5 trillion dollars in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.The Liaoning has taken part in previous exercises, including in the South China Sea, but China is years away from perfecting carrier operations similar to those the United States has practised for decades.Last December, the defence ministry confirmed China was building a second aircraft carrier but its launch date is unclear. The aircraft carrier programme is a state secret.REUTERS RSD 0711 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-1083738.Xml
Top Montana Democratic and Republican lawmakers warned neo-Nazis they would find "no safe haven" for a rally that could include guns planned for next month in a mountain town where white nationalists have threatened Jewish residents.The lawmakers include both Democrats and US Representative Ryan Zinke, recently picked by Republican President-elect Donald Trump to be interior secretary."We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here," Zinke wrote yesterday in an open letter also signed by Democratic Montana Governor Steve Bullock, US senators Republican Steve Daines and Democrat Jon Tester, and Republican Attorney General Tim Fox.Neo-Nazis plan to march in January in the mountain ski town of Whitefish in Montana's remote and rugged northwestern reaches. The march is to support the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer. Sherry Spencer is facing pressure from community members to sell a building she owns in Whitefish because of its ties to her son and disavow her son's beliefs.Community members held a vigil and a protest earlier this month in front of the building.As pressure mounted against the building, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist website "Daily Stormer" urged its readers in an article to "take action" against Jews in the Whitefish area.In its article, the "Daily Stormer" called for an "old fashioned Troll Storm" against community members and published their names and phone numbers along with yellow Jewish stars superimposed over their photographs. It also said that because of gun laws in Montana, "we can easily march through the center of the town carrying high-powered rifles."The website contains many anti-Semitic descriptions and images of Jews, but said it does not endorse violence.Spencer is the president of the National Policy Institute, a think tank within the alt-right movement, which includes neo-Nazis and white supremacists. In a video posted online by the Atlantic Monthly magazine, some institute members could be seen hailing Trump's election victory with Nazi-era salutes after Spencer addressed the group at its conference last month in Washington, D.C.Spencer has said on Twitter he might pursue Zinke's House of Representatives seat if Zinke is confirmed as Trump's interior secretary.Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial told Reuters in a phone interview last week that his department had assigned extra patrols to the homes and businesses of the residents identified in the article. However, Dial said there had been no reports of harassment or intimidation of the Jewish community that rose to the level of a crime.Dial also said Federal Bureau of Investigation officials told him they interviewed Spencer and that he denounced the "Daily Stormer" postings.In a statement to Reuters, Spencer's father said he and his wife "love our son, but do not agree with his polemics, societal desires or his extreme political leanings." REUTERS RSD 0741 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-1083742.Xml
Around 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were refused asylum left Germany voluntarily between January and November 2016, up by 20,000 from the total number who left voluntarily in 2015, a newspaper reported today.Germany has toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015.Last week a failed asylum seeker who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State militant group killed 12 people when he rammed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, fuelling growing criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy.The Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted government data showing the number who returned to their homes in the first 11 months of the year. Most returned to Albania, Serbia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iran, the newspaper said. Those leaving are eligible for one-off support of up to 3,000 euros.German security officials previously told Reuters that the number of those deported after their asylum requests were rejected rose to almost 23,800 from January to November -- up from almost 20,900 in all of 2015.There has also been a rise in the number of refugees turned away at the borders. A report by the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung daily said police had turned back 19,720 refugees through the first 11 months -- up from 8,913 in all of 2015. Most were from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. They had been registered in other EU countries.As public support for her pro-refugee policies wane ahead of September's federal election, Merkel has said it is vital to focus resources on those fleeing war, and to keep public support by deporting foreigners to countries where there is no persecution.A string of attacks and security alerts involving refugees and migrants this year has boosted support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, which could complicate Merkel's re-election hopes.Late on Tuesday, seven refugees from Syria and Iraq aged 15 to 21 were detained in Berlin on charges of attempted murder for trying to set fire to a homeless man in an underground station. REUTERS VS BL1601 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1084386.Xml
Lavrov held a telephone conversation with his US counterpart yesterday.

The two officials exchanged opinions on developments in and around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict settlement.

Lavrov underscored the necessity of conditions for direct talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

He spotlighted harmful attempts to use these platforms for the Democrats' and Republicans' bickering.

They also discussed Syria settlement prospects in the light of the meetings of the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defence ministers in Moscow on December 20 and their understanding on the progress towards an all-Syrian ceasefire and stepping up anti-terrorist efforts.

As Lavrov stressed, the authorisation of deliveries of man-portable air-defence systems and other weapons to anti-government units, which is included in the law on the US defence budget signed by President Barack Obama on December 23, may lead to further escalation of tensions and to more victims.

The situation in Libya and Yemen was also discussed.

When the conversation concerned bilateral relations, Lavrov stressed again that the outgoing Obama administration was out to further undermine the basis of normal Russia-US cooperation, and that this policy was inadmissible. (ANI)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a telephone conversation with the outgoing UN chief yesterday.

Lavrov thanked the UN Secretary-General for his messages of gratitude for cooperation to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Ban Ki-moon also offered condolences over the tragic death of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov and the Tu-154 plane crash near Sochi.

The foreign minister expressed general satisfaction with the level of cooperation with the UN Secretary-General, who will leave his post on January 1, next year, despite all the difficulties and contradictions in world politics during his term in office and the pressure put on him.

The two officials discussed current issues on the international agenda, including the situation in Syria and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa and the settlement of the internal Ukrainian crisis based on the Minsk Agreements approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2202. (ANI)
Security officers seized weapons and equipment of the insurgents during the clash.

Tolo News cited officials, as saying that the clash took place in Karimdad area of Narkh district of Wardak province.

There were no civilian casualties in the clash, however, one policemen was injured. (ANI)
Dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister said, days after the Islamist group suffered key losses over the border in Nigeria."Thirty-one young people from Diffa, who were enrolled a few years ago in Boko Haram, decided to surrender," minister Mohamed Bazoum wrote on Twitter yesterday, above pictures of him touring the area near Nigeria's northeast border. The fighters arrived in the remote desert town of Diffa in groups and were being held by local authorities."I learned that the first who surrendered were not arrested, and I surrendered," a former Boko Haram combatant told national television."We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma."In June, tens of thousands of people fled Diffa as Boko Haram swept the region. Five Niger soldiers were killed by the militants near Diffa in September.It was not clear what will become of the ex-Boko Haram fighters, but authorities said there was the possibility of reintegrating them back into society. A security source said a meeting was planned for today in Diffa to discuss "the conditions of surrender", without providing further details.Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. In recent years its attacks have spilled into neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad.Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters surrendered in Chad in October and November as the group ceded territory.The group controlled an area about the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has since been pushed back by international forces including troops from Niger. Nigeria's army captured its last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday. REUTERS VS PR1715 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1084512.Xml
Nearly 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were likely to be denied asylum left Germany voluntarily in 2016, up by 20,000 from the number who left of their own volition in 2015, the government said today."That's a considerable increase from last year," Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns told a news conference, saying the 2016 figure had climbed to 54,123 through Dec. 27. "The increase is welcome. It's always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported."A Finance Ministry spokesman said the government would boost funding slightly to 150 million euros in 2017 to support efforts to encourage people to leave Germany.Germany has toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015.Last week a failed asylum seeker who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State militant group killed 12 people when he rammed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, fuelling growing criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy.Most of those leaving in 2016 returned to their homes in Albania, Serbia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iran, Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said earlier. Those leaving are eligible for one-off support of up to 3,000 euros that is supposed to help support finding employment at home.Separately, German security officials told Reuters the number of those deported after their asylum requests were rejected rose to almost 23,800 from January to November - up from almost 20,900 in all of 2015.There has also been a rise in the number of refugees turned away at the borders. A report by the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung daily said police had turned back 19,720 refugees through the first 11 months of 2016 - up from 8,913 in all of 2015. Most were from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. They had been registered in other EU countries.As public support for her pro-refugee policies wanes ahead of September's federal election, Merkel has said it is vital to focus resources on those fleeing war, and to keep public support up by deporting foreigners to countries where there is no persecution.Attacks and security alerts involving refugees and migrants have boosted the popularity of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose rise above 10 percent in opinion polls could complicate Merkel's re-election hopes.Yesterday, seven refugees from Syria and Iraq aged 15 to 21 were detained in Berlin on charges of attempted murder for trying to set fire to a homeless man in an underground station.REUTERS VS BL1720 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1084582.Xml
Iran said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should not be part of the peace talks on Syria, Tasnim news agency reported. "They (Saudi Arabia) are seeking to topple the existing regime in Syria. No talks should be allowed with those who are eager to do it. We must give them a decisive answer," Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan was quoted as saying. Dehqan also said the western coalition has no real intention to fight terrorists either in Syria or in Iraq. "We don't see any readiness on their part to play a truly useful and meaningful role in fighting Daesh (IS militants), because it's them who have raised terrorists and they are interested in keeping them there," Dehqan was quoted as saying. "Maybe the coalition forces would like to see terrorists weakened, but certainly not destroyed, because those terrorists are their tool for destabilizing this region and some other parts of the world," he added. Russia, Turkey and Iran are in talks to resume peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan. Russia has proposed Saudi Arabia to join the negotiations. --IANS ahm/vm ( 199 Words) 2016-12-28-22:20:07 (IANS)
US Secretary of State John Kerry laid out a proposal for peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, less than a month before the Trump administration takes office and at a low point in US-Israeli relations. Kerry's speech was widely seen as an attempt to set the Obama administration's Middle East policy in stone before the January 20 changeover. President-elect Donald Trump has been vocally supportive of Israel and vowed a change of policy after his inauguration. "Two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians," Kerry said emphasizing that it was the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Washington of conspiring against his country by not blocking the Egyptian resolution condemning Israeli settlements at the UN Security Council last week. The State Department dismissed the accusation as "just not true". "The US did in fact vote in accordance with our values," Kerry said. "No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's." Kerry reminded of the amount of military aid Israel has received from the US from Iron Dome to intelligence. "More than half of our entire global foreign military financing goes to Israel," Kerry said. Kerry said that two-state solution was in danger despite popular support. "Polls of Israelis and Palestinians show there is still strong support for a 2-state solution in theory. They just don't believe it can happen," Kerry said. --IANS ahm/vm ( 262 Words) 2016-12-28-22:24:07 (IANS)
A Malian state prosecutor said today that the Islamist militant group al Mourabitoun is suspected of kidnapping a French-Swiss aid worker from the city of Gao in northern Mali. Sophie Petronin has not been seen publicly since Saturday, when men snatched her and drove off in a pickup truck. She ran a charity for malnourished children and had lived in Gao for 15 years, authorities said."The first indications show that she was certainly taken hostage by a terrorist group, al Mourabitoun," prosecutor Boubacar Sidiki Samake told Reuters.Al Mourabitoun has not claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. The group is led by Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who has been a prominent figure in insurgencies across North Africa and the Saharan border region.Mourabitoun, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Ansar Dine have all conducted attacks in Mali this year from bases in the desert north.Samake said he would start proceedings next week for high-profile attacks last year on the Radisson hotel in Bamako, the Byblos hotel in Sevare and La Terrasse restaurant in the capital. In all, about 38 people were killed.Two Malians and a Mauritanian suspected of carrying out or planning the attacks would appear before a judge, Samake said.A rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs in 2012 that sought to create a new state called Azawad was hijacked by militants linked to al Qaeda who seized northern towns and established sharia law.French troops drove them out a year later but they still launch attacks and have spread to areas once considered safe, despite efforts by a 13,000-strong UN force to keep them at bay.The separatist group, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), this week suspended its participation in a committee charged with implementing a 2015 peace accord.REUTERS SHS VN2218 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1085195.Xml
After trudging for 40 days through the bitter cold and sometimes difficult terrain of northern Iraq, Ahmet Ali Bekir reached Turkey, one of 1,500 Turkmens to arrive in the last two days after fleeing deadly fighting near home."We came here after walking day and night for 40 days with our children. We came to Turkey by walking under rain and snow," Bekir told Reuters at a migrant camp in the southern Hatay province, where Turkish authorities had settled the Turkmens.Ethnic kin of the Turks, the Turkmens were fleeing clashes between Islamic State and Shi'ite militias near the Islamic State-controlled town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq.Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary forces have launched an offensive to capture Tal Afar and cut supply routes to Mosul, the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq.But Islamic State remains in control of the 60-km road between Mosul and Tal Afar, hindering the forces battling the jihadists from completing the encirclement of Mosul from the west.Another 2,000 Turkmens are waiting in Syria's Azaz province to cross into Turkey, a senior government official told Reuters on Wednesday, adding they would be taken in "gradually".Tal Afar's pre-war population of about 150,000 to 200,000 was a mix of Sunni and Shi'ite ethnic Turkmens until Shi'ites fled the town after Islamic State's ultra-hardline Sunni militants took over the region in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" over swathes of Iraq and Syria."We came from Tal Afar. We are Turkmens," said Mahmut Bekir, another resident of the camp, as a group of women and children ate lunch nearby."Turkey was the only one to take us in. No other country took us in."REUTERS SHS VN2217 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1085206.Xml
The United States on Wednesday announced it was adding the student wing of the Pakistan-based militant organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, to its list of "foreign terrorist organizations."Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, is an anti-Indian militant group with historical ties to Pakistan's top spy agencies. It has been accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including a 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people, six of them Americans.The State Department move against the student group, Al-Muhammadia Students, came as the Treasury Department added two Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders to the US list of "specially designated global terrorists," subjecting them to US sanctions.LeT was banned by the Pakistani government in 2002 but it has continued operating through front organizations, according to US officials, and their leaders conduct public rallies and interviews.The State Department announced that it amended the designation of LeT as a "foreign terrorist organization" to include what it called the group's student wing."Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organizations in an effort to avoid sanctions," the State Department said, adding that the student group aided senior LeT leaders in recruiting and other activities.The State Department action subjected the student group to sanctions, including a ban on Americans providing or attempting to provide it with material support.The Treasury Department said it was adding Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood to the U.S. list of "specially designated global terrorists," freezing any US property or other assets they hold and banning Americans from doing business with them. Both are involved in fund-raising activities, it said.Sarwar, the department said, is the LeT leader in Lahore and Mahmood is a senior LeT leader in Karachi and has routinely traveled outside Pakistan on the group's behalf. REUTERS SHS AN2256 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1085220.Xml
Boko Haram fighters fleeing an attack on their base last week may have used some of the girls kidnapped in 2014 from northeast Nigeria's Chibok as human shields to prevent being fired upon by fighter jets, a military commander said today.Major General Lucky Irabor, theatre commander of Nigeria's military campaign against the group, showed a news conference aerial footage he said was filmed during the operation in the Sambisa forest that showed Boko Haram fighters moving with women and children."The haggard fighters were just using them as a shield," Irabor told reporters in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. "That is why we did not engage them from the air.""We had always believed and hoped that going into the Sambisa would afford us the opportunity to get the remaining Chibok girls. What we can't tell is whether those women we can see were the Chibok girls," he said.Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 200 girls from their school dormitories in the town of Chibok in April 2014. The first of the girls to be found said most of them were being held in the Sambisa forest, where she was discovered in May.The group has kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children during its seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, some of whom may also be held in the forest.The abduction of the Chibok girls, 21 of whom were released in October, brought worldwide notoriety.President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday the Islamist militants' last enclave in the forest, the vast former game reserve in northeast Nigeria that was their stronghold, had been captured.Reuters has been unable to independently verify that the area has been captured, but the comments from the general were the first reference by a military official to the suspected whereabouts of the girls since Buhari's announcement.The president said the capture of Camp Zero in the forest marked the "final crushing of Boko Haram" but security analysts say the group's ability to carry out attacks in neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad suggests it has multiple bases.They also say the group split this year with one faction led by Abubakar Shekau operating from the Sambisa forest and the other, allied to Islamic State and led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, based in the Lake Chad region.Irabor said the military was pursuing those who fled, adding that 1,240 people suspected of being militants, their relatives or sympathisers had been arrested between December 21 and 28.Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during its insurgency. It controlled an area the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has been pushed back by troops from Nigeria and neighbouring countries since then.Separately, dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister there said. REUTERS SHS AN2346 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1085228.Xml
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top Internet regulator released a cyberspace security strategy on Tuesday, advocating peace, security, openness, cooperation and order.

The government will guarantee cyberspace sovereignty and national security, protect information infrastructure and act against cyber terror and crimes, according to the 15-page strategy released by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

Rules and their imposition will be improved and international cooperation expanded.

SOVEREIGNTY

Cyberspace is a new frontier as important as any other. "Cyberspace sovereignty is an important part of state sovereignty," the strategy reads.

All countries should be respected in their Internet development and management, playing equal parts in a cyberspace governance without hegemony or double standards.

China will use whatever means necessary -- scientific, technological, legal, diplomatic or military -- to ensure cyberspace sovereignty. No attempt to use the Internet to undermine or overturn China's national regime or sabotage sovereignty will be tolerated.

OPEN MARKET

China is home to the world's largest online population. About 700 million people in China use the Internet to study, make purchases, work and access public services.

In this context, protecting critical information infrastructure and important data is crucial. Products, services and companies used by government institutions will be subject to security checks and vetting.

Service producers and other organizations will not be allowed to take advantage of privileged information or technology to compete unfairly or harm users' interests.

"This does not mean that we will refuse foreign products or services," said Zhao Zeliang, director of the CAC cybersecurity coordination bureau.

"Our requirements of security and controllability are not meant to raise barriers to foreign enterprises," he told a press conference at the release of the strategy.

"The market will be open and transparent."

INT'L COOPERATION

China will participate in dialogues and exchanges in cybersecurity; help establish international norms and anti-terror pacts; and improve judicial collaboration. International cooperation will be enshrined in policy, law, technology, standards, emergency response and security infrastructure.

Every assistance will be extended to developing countries as they build information infrastructure.

Lu Jianwen, in charge of cybersecurity at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said priority will be given to building Africa's information highway and cooperation in communication technology.

China will be pleased to provide training in developing countries, he said.
Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun attends the ministerial meeting of the fifth anniversary of Mekong River law enforcement and security cooperation mechanism in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials from the six countries along the Mekong River gathered in Beijing Tuesday for a ministerial meeting, vowing to strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation.

The gathering came at the fifth anniversary of the Mekong River law enforcement and security cooperation partnership.

The partnership, which was launched in 2011 after the "Oct. 5 massacre" where 13 Chinese sailors were murdered by a drug ring, aims to crack down on transnational crimes along the Mekong and safeguard regional security and stability.

Lauding the partnership as "a successful paradigm of regional law enforcement and security cooperation," Guo Shengkun, China's public security minister, said China is ready to deepen cooperation with all sides in joint patrols along the river, anti-terrorism, drug-control and border management.

He also suggested a center for law enforcement and security cooperation along the Mekong River be set up to share information and coordinate actions.

The partnership involves China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, with Cambodia and Vietnam acting as observing states.

Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with delegates attending the meeting.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang in the Chinese stretch, runs through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and is an important waterway for transnational shipping.
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's banking regulator on Tuesday gave approval to five new private banks, bringing the total number of private lenders to 16.

The five banks will be in Beijing, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning and Shandong, according to the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC)website.

Each of the banks will be co-sponsored by at least two private capital providers.

Notably, two of them will be headquartered in China's northeast rustbelt region -- Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces -- a traditional industrial base bearing the brunt of the country's economic slow down.

A document issued by the State Council last month to rejuvenate the northeast and stabilize its economy said at least one private bank should be set up in the region by the end of next June.

The bank in Liaoning's capital city of Shenyang will complete preparation in six months and then file an operation application to CBRC's Liaoning office.

The bank will provide financial services mainly to private enterprises and high-tech industries.

In 2014, China approved a pilot scheme setting up five private banks to give private capital a bigger role in the country's financial system.

The new private lenders are expected to boost financial support for smaller firms, as the state-owned lenders usually favor state-owned enterprises.

Small-and medium-sized enterprises account for around 60 percent of China's gross domestic product and some 80 percent of new jobs, but they are struggling to cope with weaker global demand and tight credit.

Data from CBRC showed that total assets of the first batch of five private lenders reached 132.93 billion yuan (around 19 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of September. The non-performing loan ratio rose slightly to 0.54 percent.
MOSCOW, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Preparations for a possible meeting between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana are currently underway, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

According to the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the meeting would not happen in the next few days or coming weeks.

"The date, format and participants in the expected intra-Syrian talks have yet to be determined," she told reporters. "Experts are talking about medium-term prospects, as this process cannot be kept on ice for long."

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed such a meeting in Astana in a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The proposal has been supported by both Erdogan and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed preparations of the talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone talks.

Zakharova said the proposed talks would not mean to substitute the meetings in Geneva, although they would have a "different platform, a different format, and different aims and targets," which have yet to be detailed.

"The global aim remains the same, which is a comprehensive settlement of the situation in Syria, but nuances of what is going to happen on the Astana platform will be different," she said.

The spokeswoman also expressed Moscow's concerns over a U.S. decision to ease some restrictions on arming Syrian rebels, saying it would be "counterproductive" and a "threat to Russian forces in Syria," and dangerous for the region.

Earlier this month, outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama ordered a waiver of restrictions on military aid for foreign forces in Syria in the Arms Export Control Act.
ISTANBUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-nine former Turkish police officers went on trial in Istanbul on Tuesday over their alleged roles in a failed coup in July, local media reported.

It is the first trial of the alleged plotters since the coup bid on July 15, in which 248 people were killed.

The former police officers are accused of attempting to persuade their colleagues and the citizens not to join the anti-coup resistance, the state-owned Anadolu Agency said.

Among the defendants, three are helicopter pilots who were ordered to go to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Huber Palace in Istanbul to provide security on the coup attempt night. CNNTurk said the pilots rejected the accusations at the open hearing.

Press reports said the indictment demands three aggravated life sentences for each of the 21 defendants for attempting the coup and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the other eight for being members of a terror organization.

Of the 29 suspects, 25 have been remanded in custody for not obeying the orders to resist the coup attempt, Anadolu said.

Ankara believes the coup attempt by some in the military was orchestrated by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in the United State and leader of the so-called Gulen movement now branded as a terror group.

According to press reports, over 36,000 people have been arrested and more than 100,000 state employees dismissed in Turkey in the ongoing crackdown launched soon after the coup bid.
ROME, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), Italy's third largest lender, will need to raise 8.8 billion euros (9.2 billion U.S. dollars) to fill its capital gap, the lender said Tuesday citing a request by the European Central Bank (ECB).

The new figure largely exceeds the amount of 5 billion euros (5.2 billion U.S. dollars) previously estimated by the bank as necessary to solve its financial troubles.

The ECB considered the Italian lender solvent, MPS said in a statement late on Monday. Yet, it deemed the bank's liquidity position to be critical due to a rapid deterioration between Nov. 30 and Dec. 21.

As such, "the shortfall would results -- according to ECB - in a capital requirement of 8.8 billion euros," MPS said in the statement.

The new figure was based on the result of the stress test carried out on the continent's major banks by the European Banking Authority in the first half of 2016, and published in late July. Out of 51 institutions put under test, MPS was the weakest one. It was also the only Italian bank to perform poorly in the adverse scenario.

"The bank has promptly launched talks with the competent authorities in order to understand the methodologies underlying to calculations made by ECB, and give course to the measures for a precautionary recapitalization," MPS also said.

Last week, the Italian parliament backed a government's plan that would provide a bailout of MPS, after the bank failed to raise 5 billion euros from private investors for a capital increase.

Overall, the government's scheme allowed the use of up to 20 billion euros (20.9 billion U.S. dollars) in public funds to support the most fragile institutions within the banking sector.

However, under new EU bail-in provisions that came into force in Jan. 2016, any intervention by the state cannot take place unless a "burden-share" mechanism is implemented, with private shareholders and bondholders taking losses first.

According to Italy's main business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, the cabinet's plan would see MPS non-privileged bondholders change their bonds into shares, which would in turn be purchased by the Treasury for new, privileged, MPS bonds.

The bailout plan, however, has come under criticism by some European high-ranking officials, and especially in Berlin, local media reported on Tuesday.

"The bailout should be weighed carefully," Ansa news agency cited president of the German central bank Jens Weidmann as saying.

"The European rules aim at protecting taxpayers and giving responsibility to investors. The public funds are intended as a last resort," Weidmann added, according to Ansa.

MPS is Italy's third largest by assets. It is burdened by a large amount of bad debts, many of which rooted in the long economic crisis that has recently hit the country.

Gross non-performing loans amounted to 46.9 billion euros, and net non-performing loans to 24.2 billion euros at the end of 2015, according to the bank's official data. (1 euro = 1.05 U.S. dollars)
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan (2nd L, front) holds a welcoming ceremony for his Bolivian counterpart Reymi Ferreira before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Fang)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan Tuesday said that China is willing to take military relations with Bolivia to a new level.

Chang made the remarks while meeting with his Bolivian counterpart Reymi Ferreira.

Chang spoke about the sound military exchanges between the two armies in recent years, with the joint efforts of leaders from both countries.

Ferreira thanked China's various support and assistance to the armed forces of Bolivia and hoped to strengthen cooperation and boost relations between the two armies.
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to hold constructive dialogue with Vatican on the basis of related principles to bridge differences, expand consensus and improve bilateral relations, a senior Chinese religious affairs official said Tuesday.

Wang Zuo'an, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, made the remarks at a national conference of the Catholic Church in China.

"The stance of the Chinese government on China-Vatican relations is consistent and clear," he said.

Wang expressed hope that Vatican can adopt a flexible and pragmatic attitude as well as take concrete actions to create favorable conditions for improving relations.
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Donald Duck, which tops Sweden TV watch list of 2016, attracted over one third of Swedish population on Christmas Eve this year, Swedish Television's (SVT) figures showed on Tuesday.

A 1950s compilation of Disney cartoons shown on Christmas Eve, called "From All of Us to All of You" and referred in Sweden as Donald Duck, was seen by 3.73 million people when it was broadcast at 3 p.m. on Dec. 24, according to SVT.

"It's very pleasing that broadcasting continues to attract such big audiences and to bring so many people together," Christer Mellstrand, SVT's acting marketing manager, was quoted as saying.

With a population of about 10 million, Swedes watch Donald Duck as a tradition since 1959. The hour-long show, features Disney cartoons such as Donald Duck, Snow White, Mickey Mouse, etc. was dubbed in Swedish.
by Valentini Anagnostopoulou

LAMIA, Greece, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- In Lamia, a city 210 km north of Athens, three young people decided to go "Homeless for a day" last week, spending 24 hours on a cold bench instead of the coziness of their homes.

Their aim? To raise awareness of the issue of homelessness and poverty and gather necessity goods for the less fortunate ahead of Christmas.

A Xinhua reporter visited Lamia and spent a day with Christos Solopoulos, Thanassis Theodorou and Yannis Koutsikos who are together in this mission.

"The original idea was not ours. At first it was launched by some students in the U.S. We saw it on the internet and thought that we should do it too," carpenter Solopoulos told Xinhua.

"We decided to do it during the Christmas holidays, when people feel more solidary," he added.

Thus, for the fourth consecutive year, from 6 a.m. on Dec. 23 to 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve, the three friends occupied a bench on Parkou Square, where they welcomed their fellow citizens who responded enthusiastically to their call.

"We want to show that although in Greece there are lots of things we miss, we still have solidarity. And we see this every year we come here: we get overloaded with bags," Solopoulos stressed.

People's contributions included long-term food which is going to be donated to Lamia's Social Grocery Store, and clothes, shoes and medicines that will be sent to the City of Athens Reception and Solidarity Center. The center currently supports approximately 25,000 homeless and destitute people.

"(Such actions) are important because the ongoing crisis of the last five to six years has intensified the problems faced by a lot of our fellow-people. Only through our support we will be able to make their lives easier and their pain duller," Koutsikos highlighted, also representing the local Trahina Running Club that sponsors the action "Homeless for a day".

Unlike real-life homeless people who have to deal on a daily basis with the cold, but also with hunger, criminality, unhygienic living conditions, solitude and bad physical and mental health, Solopoulos, Theodorou and Koutsikos spent these 24 hours surrounded by their friends and families, overwhelmed by the donations of their fellow-citizens.

However, the cold and the fatigue they encounter makes their mission challenging, that they describe the experience as life-changing. Getting in those people's shoes even for 24 hours makes you see things differently, as they told Xinhua.

Despite the biting cold, all through the day, Parkou Square was lively with people: some had gone Christmas shopping, some were strolling around the lit-up city and others had taken their kids to the merry-go-round that was set up on the square for the holidays.

Dozens of them stopped to discuss with the three "homeless", ask them about their campaign, leave only to return with a bag or two. Without even realizing how, in only a few hours the bags had multiplied exceeding the organizers' expectations and setting a four-year record.

Varvara, a woman in her early 30s, came with her three-year-old son. She is a regular donator to Lamia's Social Grocery Store. "I left some of my son's clothes, so that children who need them more can wear them," she said.

"I come here every year. I believe there is nothing more important these days for everyone that has even a small thing to offer than helping people who are in need," explained Eleni who brought three large bags, full of long-term food and clothes.
by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cairo University's Confucius Institute no longer targets only university students of Chinese language, but it started to attract students from different faculties and will soon open branches in more universities and schools nationwide in Egypt, the institute manager told Xinhua in an interview Tuesday.

"Over the past two years, we started to receive students of irrelevant faculties such as engineering, antiquities, science, law and commerce, besides tour guides who would like to learn Chinese language for career development," said Professor Rehab Mahmoud, manager of Confucius Institute and head of Chinese Language Department at Cairo University.

The professor explained that Confucius Institute has opened branches in many places outside Cairo University, including Pharos University in Alexandria province, Benha University in Qalyoubiya province and Fayoum University in Fayoum province, besides other branches in several high, preparatory and elementary schools across the country.

"From the next semester, we will open a branch in Misr University for Science and Technology in Cairo and another in Aswan University in Upper Egypt's Aswan province," Professor Mahmoud told Xinhua, noting the institute hosts in 2016 about 1,200 students besides some 600 students in its various branches.

Becoming a bridge for Egyptian-Chinese cultural interaction, Confucius Institute was founded in Cairo University in 2007 as per an agreement with Peking University, and the institute is scheduled to hold a ceremony to mark its 10th anniversary in 2017.

"To be honest, Confucius Institute is so much cared for by Cairo University, Peking University as well as the Chinese embassy in Cairo and they all swiftly respond to resolve any obstacles facing the institute," said the institute chief.

Mahmoud added that Chinese companies in Egypt ask Confucius Institute to recommend Egyptian Chinese-speaking employees for them. "We have recently recommended some for Chinese contractors working in the construction of Egypt's new administrative capital city."

Earlier in December, the institute in Cairo was awarded as a "Model Confucius Institute" during the 11th Confucius Institute Conference held in Kunming city of southwest Yunnan Province in China and attended by some 2,200 representatives from 140 countries and regions.

"We are so proud of the award. It was really the result of massive efforts as we held a lot of activities to mark 2016 as the Egyptian-Chinese Cultural Year," she said.

The professor, also awarded as one of the best Confucius Institute managers last year, said that the institute was also selected by Hanban, Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing, to be the development center for Chinese-teaching professors in the Arab region.

As for cooperation with Peking University, Professor Mahmoud illustrated that Cairo University has recently held a high-level forum in cooperation with Peking University that was attended by 26 professors and its second version will soon be held in Cairo University in 2017.

"We also held many activities attended by Chinese professors from various universities including week-long forums on Chinese sports, music, arts, etc, during which a music band from Peking University staged performances in the Opera House and Cairo University," the professor told Xinhua.

Egyptian higher education top officials refer to China's educational experience as inspiring and the exchanging academic visits and cooperation with Chinese universities as necessary interaction for both countries that enjoy growing bilateral relations.

"Among the key events joined by Confucius Institute was Egypt-China University Presidents Forum held in Cairo University in March and was attended by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong," said the Confucius Institute manager, noting the institute had at least six cultural activities per month throughout 2016.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. authorities said social media may have contributed to multiple incidents of mall violence in at least nine states.

Groups of people, mostly teens, were arrested after carrying out fights in packed malls, causing several to close down on Monday, and local police departments said many incidents were the result of quarrels on social media.

In Manchester, Connecticut, seven people were arrested Monday after a fight broke out in a mall that drew hundreds of spectators. Manchester police said a series of social media posts may have led to the fight.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a fight Monday described by police as "organized on social media" involving a large group of teens brought a local mall to a lockdown. Police arrested one juvenile.

In Aurora, Illinois, fights broke out Monday at a mall in the suburbs of Chicago, and police evacuated more than 1,000 patrons at the mall and arrested seven people. Local police said they were investigating on social media to see whether the fight was preplanned.

In Aurora, Colorado, a post online announcing a fight in a mall drew more than 500 people Monday and created large disturbances. One off-duty officer was surrounded by an unruly crowd as he tried to escort one person involved in the fight. The mall was closed subsequently.

Police in Fort Worth, Texas, said they were alerted that a post online may be staging fights at a local mall.

Similar incidents also took place in the states of New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee.
A woman walks past a shopwindow in New York, the United States, Nov. 22, 2010. The shopwindows in Manhattan were dressed as the Christmas shopping season approaches. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. authorities said social media may have contributed to multiple incidents of mall violence in at least nine states.

Groups of people, mostly teens, were arrested after carrying out fights in packed malls, causing several to close down on Monday, and local police departments said many incidents were the result of quarrels on social media.

In Manchester, Connecticut, seven people were arrested Monday after a fight broke out in a mall that drew hundreds of spectators. Manchester police said a series of social media posts may have led to the fight.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a fight Monday described by police as "organized on social media" involving a large group of teens brought a local mall to a lockdown. Police arrested one juvenile.

In Aurora, Illinois, fights broke out Monday at a mall in the suburbs of Chicago, and police evacuated more than 1,000 patrons at the mall and arrested seven people. Local police said they were investigating on social media to see whether the fight was preplanned.

In Aurora, Colorado, a post online announcing a fight in a mall drew more than 500 people Monday and created large disturbances. One off-duty officer was surrounded by an unruly crowd as he tried to escort one person involved in the fight. The mall was closed subsequently.

Police in Fort Worth, Texas, said they were alerted that a post online may be staging fights at a local mall.

Similar incidents also took place in the states of New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tesla Motors, an American automaker and energy storage company, said Tuesday it has finalized an agreement with Panasonic Corporation, a Japanese electronics manufacturer, to begin the manufacturing of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules at a U.S. factory.

Known for making passenger vehicles powered by batteries for years and acquiring SolarCity, the largest solar energy services provider in the United States, earlier in the year, Tesla said high-efficiency PV cells and modules from the factory in Buffalo, New York state, will be used to produce solar panels in the non-solar roof products.

"When production of the solar roof begins, Tesla will also incorporate Panasonic's cells into the many kinds of solar glass tile roofs that Tesla will be manufacturing," said the company co-founded by Elon Musk and headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

"All of these solar products will work seamlessly with Tesla's energy storage products, Powerwall and Powerpack. Production of the first PV modules will begin in summer 2017, and will ramp to 1 Gigawatt of module production by 2019," it added in a statement.

By reaffirming commitment by SolarCity, headquartered in San Mateo, California, to create over 1,400 jobs in Buffalo, including more than 500 manufacturing jobs, Tesla promised that when it works with Panasonic to begin production, Buffalo, an industrial capital in the early 20th century, "will continue to expand Tesla's American manufacturing base and create thousands of new jobs in the coming years."

As part of the agreement, Panasonic will cover required capital costs in Buffalo and Tesla is making a long-term purchase commitment from Panasonic.

And, Panasonic, with its technological and manufacturing expertise in PV production, will also work with Tesla on developing PV next generation technology at SolarCity's facility in Fremont, California.

Tesla said the collaboration extends its established relationship with Panasonic, which includes the production of electric vehicle and grid storage battery cells at the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Oregon State University (OSU) has received 40 million U.S. dollars award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build what its calls the world's premier wave energy test facility.

With the U.S. federal government funding, OSU, in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, plans to have its Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site, or PMEC-SETS, operational by 2020 at its Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC).

The facility is designed to test wave energy "converters" that harness the energy of ocean waves and turn it into electricity.

"We anticipate this will be the world's most advanced wave energy test facility," Belinda Batten, the director of NNMREC and a professor in the OSU College of Engineering, said in a statement. "It will play an integral role in moving forward on the testing and refinement of wave energy technologies."

The DOE award will be used to design, permit, and construct an open-water, grid-connected national wave energy testing facility, which will include four grid-connected test berths.

The technologies are complex and expensive, Batten said in a news release. "These devices have to perform in hostile ocean conditions; stand up to a 100-year storm; be energy efficient, durable, environmentally benign; and perhaps most important, cost-competitive with other energy sources."

"This facility will help answer all of those questions, and is literally the last step before commercialization," she added.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday offered no apology during his visit to Pearl Harbor for a sneak attack in World War II that claimed more than 2,400 American lives.

Though the Japanese government billed Abe's visit as a tour of reconciliation, the no-apology tour also served no more than a political show from Abe that aims to strengthen Japanese-U.S. alliance amid uncertainty in the upcoming Donald Trump administration.

Calling himself "entire speechless" when standing at the Pearl Harbor memorial constructed on the sunken USS Arizona, Abe acknowledged that the United States and Japan fought a fierce war "that will go down in the annuls of human history."

However, except from offering his "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the souls of the Americans killed by troops of the Japanese Imperial Empire, no apology from Abe was issued.

As many as 2,403 Americans were killed, about 20 U.S. vessels were sunk or damaged and over 300 U.S. aircraft were damaged or destroyed when more than 350 Japanese warplanes launched stealth attacks.

"I think he should apologize. It was a raid that they bombed us and they should apologize. They already surrendered but they should apologize further," said Grace Sandoval, a teenager visiting Washington, D.C. from the U.S. State of Connecticut.

The attack came as a shock to the Americans and directly led to U.S. entry into World War II.

Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, after the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Abe's decision to visit Pearl Harbor came about six months after Obama visited Hiroshima.

Apart from reciprocating Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Abe's trip to Pearl Harbor was believed to be the latest step by the Japanese government to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance before Trump's inauguration next January.

During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly ripped U.S. defense of Japan as one-sided and expensive deal.

Japan's Kyodo News quoted a senior Japanese official as saying that since the election of Trump, Japan had been forced to think how best to show Trump that Japan was a trustworthy partner.

Related:

China on Abe's Pearl Harbor visit: sincere reflection "only key" to reconciliation

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday responded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Pearl Harbor visit by urging him to sincerely reflect on the country's history of aggression rather than offering diplomatic displays.

"It is only a one-sided wish that he wants to put an end to the history of World War II by just visiting Pearl Harbor," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at a daily press briefing. Full Story

News Analysis: Abe's duplicitous visit to Pearl Harbor more about forgetting than reconciling

TOKYO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor which will culminate with a final summit with outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday will see the Japanese leader take part in a remembrance ceremony at the USS Arizona monument where thousands of U.S. sailors and marines were killed in a surprise attack by Japan on Dec. 7, 1941.

It was this sneak attack that was a catalyst for the United States to join World War II and emerge victors with the eventual nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan that forced Japan's unconditional surrender, a historical fact that to this day does not sit well with some rightist factions with significant political sway here and wholesale revisionist intentions. Full story

Commentary: Abe should show more sincerity, play less tricks during visit to Pearl Harbor

TOKYO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe starts a two-day visit to Pearl Harbor on Monday, where he is slated to attend a ceremony with U.S. President Barack Obama to remember the thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan there on Dec. 7, 1941.
by Xinhua Writer Li Rong

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A reconciliation gesture from an old foe, especially from a certain country once bringing a nightmare for nearly all of its neighbors, is always welcomed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making a visit to Pearl Harbor, which is dubbed by Tokyo a "tour of reconciliation."

Japan launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, in which 2,400 American nationals lost their lives. The raid drew Washington into the Second World War and its eventual nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Japan's unconditional surrender.

But in the case the "reconciliation tour" tag is no more than a ruse that is easily to be seen through.

Japan-U.S. alliance has lasted for several decades in the postwar era. Tokyo is a key ally of Washington for most of the Obama years as the U.S. president pushes his "pivot to Asia" strategy aimed at interfering in Asian affairs and countering a rising China. So why the need for reconciliation at Pearl Harbor?

Japan's efforts at reconciliation are misplaced. If Abe wishes to make amends, he should begin closer to home, to show his sincerity to the Chinese, the Koreans, or other Asians his country once afflicted.

It is true that the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in loss of thousands of American lives. But a horrifying event had taken place in China a few years earlier and little known to the outside world.

If Abe truly wants reconciliation, he should begin with a tour to Nanking, where more than 300,000 civilians and war prisoners lost their lives at the hands of the Japanese military in this single Chinese city in 1937.

The Nanking Massacre has been called a mere "incident" in Japanese textbooks, and Japan has never seriously apologized for writing one of the most appalling chapters of 20th century history.

According to statistics, Chinese military and civilian casualties totaled approximately 35 million, accounting for one-third of the total casualties suffered by all countries during WWII.

In addition, let's also not forget the Chinese and Korean "comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military and Japan's ravage of the region during World War II.

Diplomatic show will never gain trust and reconciliation, factors so important and in urgent need for co-existence and co-development in the region.

Just as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has warned that "Japan can never turn the page without reconciliation with the victim countries in Asia, including China."

"Sincere reflection is the only key to the reconciliation."
By Yoo Seungki

SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Students and civic group activists advocating South Korean "comfort women" victims gathered once again in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul at 11 a.m. on Wednesday for their weekly rally.

This time around, the regular gathering was moved up one hour to hold a memorial ceremony for seven women who passed away earlier this year.

They are the victims called "comfort women," a euphemism for women who were lured or forced into sex enslavement for Japanese military brothels during World War Two.

Among 238 South Korean women, who identified themselves as former sex slaves, only 39 are alive. Historians say as many as 200,000 women, mostly from the Korean Peninsula as well as from China and Southeast Asian nations, were coerced into sexual slavery during the devastating war.

An advocate for the victims explained the deceitful and forcible recruitment of teenage girls, who died of old age over seven decades later with their lifelong physical and emotional scars unhealed.

Japan's cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has refused to sincerely apologize for past brutalities and acknowledge its legal responsibility for the wartime crime against humanity.

"It is heart-breaking for me to be reminded of the grandmothers who passed away without receiving any public apology (from the Japanese government) for the wartime crime and atrocious state violence," said Oh Kyung-hee who laid flowers to the deceased during the memorial service.

The 40-year-old woman, who often participates in the so-called "Wednesday rally" together with her two primary school daughters, said the starting point for normal relations between South Korea and Japan should be Japan's heartfelt apology and repentance over what it did during the 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

The Wednesday rally, the world's single longest-held demonstration, has been opened at noon every Wednesday since Jan. 8, 1992. What people have demanded is simple: sincere apology and repentance.

This Wednesday's event drew more protesters than usual as it marks the first anniversary of what both politicians and ordinary people branded as the "humiliating" and "disgraceful" agreement.

On Dec. 28, 2015, the Park Geun-hye administration announced the "final and irreversible" agreement with Japan on the comfort women issue, in exchange for receiving 1 billion yen (about 8.3 million U.S. dollars) to build a new foundation here for the victims.

After the end of the official function, protesters marched to the foreign ministry building, about a kilometer away from the Japanese embassy, shouting for an immediate annulment of the agreement.

"(South Korean) people also want normalized ties with Japan. But, the development in Korea-Japan relations was hampered by the agreement as it creates a negative public awareness toward Japan," said Rep. Lee Jae Jung of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party who joined the march and the rally.

Lee, who had worked as a human rights lawyer before becoming the first-term lawmaker, noted that the unilateral agreement only added pain to the already scarred victims.

The agreement further enraged the surviving victims, who had decried the unrepentant Abe cabinet. Suspicions were raised that the Park government might have clandestinely agreed to remove a "girl statue" in return for the money offered by Japan.

The statue, which symbolizes teenage girls forcibly conscripted and raped by Japanese soldiers during the Pacific War, was erected in December 2011 with funds donated by ordinary people. Since then, it has stood in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul.

For fear of possible attempts by either of the South Korean or Japanese sides to tear down the symbolic statue, college students have voluntarily taken turns in standing watch around the statue for almost a year, rain or shine.

"The government has promised or guaranteed nothing about the girl statue, so young students have been on their guard for a year with fears that it can be dismantled secretly," said Rep. Pyo Chang-won of the Minjoo Party who also participated in the Wednesday demonstration.

The Minjoo Party has adopted the annulment of the agreement as its party line. The party's floor leader said that if the presidential power is transferred to the opposition bloc, his party will nullify it.
File photo taken on Nov. 21, 2014 shows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bite his lips during a press conference at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Stringer)

TOKYO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should also visit Nanjing and other places victimized by Japan during WWII, other than the Pearl Harbor, said a Japanese civic group dedicated to upholding and developing the well-known Murayama Statement.

Abe should apologize for Japan's invasion of Asian countries during the war, the group went on to say in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

"The Japanese Imperial Army killed far more civilians in the Nanjing Massacre, the germ warfare in Harbin and in some other places in Asia, and it is intolerable just to memorize the dead of the U.S., while ignoring the victims in Asian countries," said Takakage Fujita, director general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement.

"Japan should face up to history, and only by doing that canJapan reconcile with its Asian neighbors and make an important step towards coexistence and co-development," he said.

The Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement was founded in 2013, aiming to uphold the 1995 Murayama Statement, and to reflect upon Japan's wartime history and promote peace.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the then Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama issued a statement on Aug. 15, 1995, apologizing for the tremendous damage and sufferingJapan had caused, through its colonial rule and aggression, to the people of many countries.

In China, Japanese forces attacked the barracks of Chinese troops in Shenyang, northeastern province of Liaoning on Sept. 18, 1931, marking the beginning of a Japanese invasion and occupation that lasted 14 years.

As the nadir of an era in which China was bullied and humiliated by the Japanese invaders, the Nanjing Massacre left a deep psychological scar on the Chinese for generations to come.

On Dec. 13, 1937, Nanjing, the Chinese capital for six dynasties, fell to Japanese invaders who went on to slaughter civilians for more than a month. About 300,000 Chinese were killed, and 20,000 women raped.

Shinzo Abe, the incumbent Prime Minister of Japan, left for Pearl Harbor on Monday where he is slated to attend a ceremony with U.S. President Barack Obama to remember the thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan there on Dec. 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his top spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, made it clear that during Abe's visit that "no apology would be offered" for the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Abe's no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the U.S. while constituting no reflection upon the war.

Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016 shows the scene of state memorial ceremony for China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims at the memorial hall for the massacre victims in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Han Yuqing)
Zhang Zhongqiang presents a Lord Rabbit figurine. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

By Xinhua writers Ma Xiaoran, Xu Zeyu

Zhang Zhongqiang has had three identities: brush pen maker, clay craftsman and art teacher, but he loves the last one best.

His first two identities intermingled for many years when the Beijinger, who worked at a brush pen workshop, had to moonlight selling clay toys and figurines to foreigners, to earn a better living.

Zhang made a small fortune in the mid 1990s and bought his first home -- a 10 sq meter room in an ancient hutong, or narrow alley. Now his wealth has snowballed to two separate rooms in a hutong, and an apartment, due to compensation he received for the demolition of his first room.

Along a well-preserved old street, Zhang Zhongqiang's store stands out with shelves of Lord Rabbit figurines of different sizes displayed behind its glass gate. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

He has rented two stores in the hustle and bustle of downtown Beijing, selling Lord Rabbit, a clay figurine which used to be essential to Beijingers' traditions during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but has now become an all-season tourist souvenir.

Zhang is also called Lord Rabbit, or "tu-er-ye" in pinyin, after the figurine he makes and sells.

However, he now spends most of his time at a studio in a school where he teaches children clay craft, leaving his two stores under the care of his wife and sister.

Zhang has given lessons on clay sculpturing at Daxing Experimental School, a branch of Beijing No.2 Experimental School, since 2015. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

The teaching job is both a source of income and pride. In the old days, handicrafters earned a living on the street and were discriminated, but now Zhang has been honored as a teacher, largely thanks to increasing concerns about cultural protection from both the public and government.

Schools in Beijing and other major cities have launched intangible cultural heritage programs over the past decade, inviting craftsmen and performers into classrooms, presenting their art and skills to inspire the younger generation's interest in tradition.

Zhang began teaching at Daxing Experimental School, a branch of Beijing No.2 Experimental School, in 2015, giving lessons on clay sculpturing three days a week.

Lord Rabbit is believed to be a god on the moon in charge of health and medicine. In the iconic image of Lord Rabbit, the god usually has a pestle in hand, a tool for pounding medicine.

This enamel work of Zhang Zhongqiang's master represents the classic look of Lord Rabbit with dignity and sobriety. Zhang exhibits the work on a noticeable shelve in his store. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

The craft of making Lord Rabbit clay figurines was nominated as an intangible cultural heritage by the Beijing Municipal Government in 2009, and was inscribed on the national list in 2014. Zhang became a disciple of Shuang Yan, a national-level representative of the craft, in 2015.

Zhang is reluctant to say that his job is to teach children how to play with mud. "There is culture in my class," he says.

It takes him only a few minutes to show the children how to make a clay toy, and he spends more time telling children traditional stories, teaching them his childhood rhymes or letting them compete to remember Chinese idioms about animals of the zodiac.

The teaching payment of 3,000 yuan per week now contributes to Zhang's steady stream of earnings. His two stores do not earn much more than what makes ends meet after paying the rents.

Zhang says he never expected handicrafts to be a very profitable profession. Though, there have been opportunities to make more money.

Zhang Zhongqiang in class at Daxing Experimental School. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

The souvenir development team of the Palace Museum recently invited Zhang to design a Lord Rabbit set based on ancient clay figurines discovered in the Forbidden City. He has finished the work, but rejected an attractive offer to design animated images of Lord Rabbit for other souvenirs such as gadgets, including key rings and handset covers.

In the Forbidden City, 500 or even 1,000 items per day could be sold, more than 30 times his stores' peak sales of Lord Rabbit figurines, but he is not moved.

Zhang has also refused a businessman's bid to use Zhang's Lord Rabbit image on his products. "It is not the question of money," Zhang says. "I will never agree, no matter how much money he offers."

Zhang demonstrates how to make a Lord Rabbit figurine in his store. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

Zhang shakes his head when asked whether he would open an online shop to boost sales.

"Lord Rabbit is not an ordinary commodity but a kind of culture and tradition you have to experience in a certain environment. Online purchases do not give you that experience," Zhang says.

Zhang offers DIY services at his store in Dashilar, a bustling commercial zone in Beijing and a popular tourist destination.

This narrow, low-ceiling store occupied by shelves of Lord Rabbit figurines can seat four to six people, who can make or paint clay toys or Lord Rabbit, Zhang says.

Zhang Zhongqiang's store in Dashilar. (Xinhua/Ma Xiaoran)

Zhang grew up in one of Beijing's landmark traditional hutong communities, Liulichang, once a favorite haunt for scholars, painters and calligraphers.

He received no special training in clay sculpture, and prefers to attribute his later passion for the craft to a childhood pastime of playing with mud.

"At that time, I made anything I saw with mud, be it a cat or a dog," he says.

This childhood interest developed into a way of survival in the early 1990s when he found business opportunities with the influx of foreign tourists. Then, as a worker of a brush pen workshop, he began to make Lord Rabbit and other clay figurines and toys in his spare time and sell them near downtown hotels.

In 2000 he opened his first store in Liulichang and another in Dashilar in 2013. The stores target both local buyers and tourists.

In recent years, Zhang says he has witnessed an emerging revival of people's interest and passion for tradition, with more young people coming to his stores.

Zhang Zhongqiang demonstrates how to make a Lord Rabbit figurine to a group of French tourists at No. 93 Courtyard. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

In addition, there have been other platforms where traditional craftsmen present their art to broader audiences, such as No. 93 Courtyard, a mini museum in downtown Beijing dedicated to the exploration, protection and spread of intangible cultural heritage.

Zhang is regularly invited by the museum to teach children and tourists to make clay toys or paint Lord Rabbit figurines.

The poster is a gift for Zhang Zhongqiang from students of the China Communication University in Beijing, where he delivered a lecture in October, 2016. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

Schools have also stepped up their efforts in cultural heritage education, with governmental funding. Besides clay craft, children in the Daxing school where Zhang teaches also learn straw weaving, shadow puppet, folk dance and Kung Fu, according to deputy principal Guo Hongwei.

"Such classes help children understand cultural traditions, and they have begun to like the things that we adults may have forgotten," Guo says.

Guo says the clay sculpting lessons offer joy to both the students and Zhang himself. "He enjoys the teaching very much as, I think, he feels happy to see that his craft is being loved in the classroom."

Children cheer after they finish a clay toy in Zhang's class. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

The craft of making Lord Rabbit has been in danger of disappearance with the loss of tradition amid China's modernization drive. Media reports say that currently there are no more than 20 craftsmen who are making Lord Rabbit in Beijing. Zhang estimates that there might be fewer than that, maybe around 10.

However, he does not expect a radical change in the situation.

"It has to depend on the market. When there are not so many buyers of Lord Rabbit, there will also not be so many sculptors," Zhang says.

"In another sense, too many Lord Rabbits on the market might not be a good thing for us craftsmen, as they might be products of tools and even machines instead of being hand-made. If so, the craft will be in real danger."

Zhang admits that innovation and creativity in Lord Rabbit design might help attract more young fans, but he says that it is not his duty. His major duty as an inheritor of the trade is to carry on the tradition, Zhang says.

A painted Lord Rabbit stands among lines of semi-finished figurines for air dry. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

"After all, young people should know what Lord Rabbit their ancestors worshiped," he says.

However, he has made some changes in the facial expression of Lord Rabbit to make it look more amiable, but he says that is all he can do now. "I cannot go further, otherwise it will not be the Lord Rabbit of our tradition."

Zhang is now 53 years old. He has thought of finding someone to inherit the craft. He once asked his daughter, but she told him that she does not want to do it, particularly when she sees her father's coarse hands weathered by mud.

Zhang says his hope lies in the children and young people at schools. In addition to regular classes in the Daxing school, he is also invited to other primary and middle schools and universities to give lectures and presentations about clay sculpting.

A boy modifies his clay work in Zhang Zhongqiang's class. (Xinhua/Xu Zeyu)

Deng Boge, an 8-year-old in the Daxing school, says he enjoys Zhang's class as it is a time he can play. Deng is able to quickly finish a clay rooster or anything Zhang teaches him to make.

The boy has a secret to his speed: he keeps a small piece of extra clay to make a toy of his own, such as the Pea Pod Bomb in the Plants VS Zombies computer game.

Zhang is not sure whether his pupils will one day take up his trade. "They face multiple choices when they grow up, but it is good as long as they can learn something about our traditional culture and keep what they have learned in their heart," he says.
YINCHUAN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more efforts to propel technological progress in coal processing industry and other energy sectors as the country is stepping up a revolution in energy production and consumption.

Xi made the remarks when congratulating Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group on start of its new coal-to-liquids facility, which is the largest in the world.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in the United States are looking to send out messages to aliens despite warnings that such efforts might lead to unthinkable consequences.

METI, standing for Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence and a startup in San Francisco, is scheduling its first message for some time in the next two years.

The group plans to raise 1 million U.S. dollars for the project, with some of the money going toward building or borrowing a powerful transmitter. The initial message is likely to use basic mathematical and scientific concepts, according to The Independent.

However, it has been warned that sending out such signals could be dangerous, and even a threat to the existence of humanity. One of the most prominent scientists that have spoken against such efforts is Stephen Hawking.

We should be "wary" of responding to any messages from aliens, for whom we are perhaps no more developed than bacteria, warned Hawking in September.

Contacts between humans and aliens would be like when Native Americans first met Christopher Columbus, as in both cases things "didn't turn out so well" for the people being visited, he said.

However, there are no regulations as to whether or not, and what kind of messages can be sent into space.
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A speech given by President Xi Jinping when meeting attendees at a conference to honor model families across the nation has been published by the People's Publishing House.

The book is available at Xinhua Bookstore outlets nationwide, the publisher said Wednesday.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at the conference called for efforts to enhance virtue and civility in Chinese families, and make them "an important foundation" for national development, progress and social harmony.

The conference was held on Dec. 12.
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A mainland spokesman Wednesday said the Taiwan issue is a domestic affair, and the United States should carefully handle it by abiding with the one-China policy.

An Fengshan, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the Taiwan issue is a matter concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.

It is the "most sensitive and complicated issue in China-U.S. relations," he said at a press conference.

He was asked to comment on the United States 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision on military cooperation with Taiwan.

"We hope the United States will abide by the one-China policy and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and carefully handle issues related to Taiwan," the spokesman said.

China firmly opposes official and military relations between the United States and Taiwan in any form, he said.

An reaffirmed China's clear and consistent opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

In response to another question, An said that a Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, headed toward the West Pacific on Dec. 24 for scheduled blue water training was carried out in accordance with the navy's annual plan.

"We always handle Taiwan-related issues based on the one-China principle, and any attempt to create 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan' is doomed to failure. The historical trend is irresistible," An said.

Since May 20 this year, the Democratic Progressive Party refused to accept the 1992 Consensus that upholds both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, which has affected the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

"The impact can be felt in many fields," An said. "We uphold the one-China principle and oppose 'Taiwan independence,' and our stance is supported by the international community."
A test train in seen on the Guizhou West section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway, Dec. 17, 2016. China on Wednesday put into operation one of the world's longest high-speed railways, linking the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwest. The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, according to China Railway Corporation. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

More photos >>

KUNMING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday put one of the world's longest high-speed railways into operation, linking the country's prosperous eastern coast with the less-developed southwest.

The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses five provinces, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and cuts the travel time from Shanghai to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, from 34 to 11 hours, according to China Railway Corporation.

The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, said Wang Jingda, a train driver.

The line is also the longest east to west high-speed railway in China. The north to south 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line is even longer and started in 2012.

China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines. The mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030. The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland.

On Wednesday another high-speed rail line, linking Kunming and Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was launched.

Yunnan is home to 25 indigenous ethnic minorities. Attendants on the Shanghai-Kunming line are trained to be multilingual. One of the attendants Yang Yanzhu, for example, speaks eight local languages.

The Shanghai-Kunming line has been touted by some as the most beautiful high-speed railway route in China as many of the train stops are tourist sites. Yunnan, itself, is a big draw for Chinese tourists as the region boasts snow-capped mountains, canyons, tropical forests, and ethnic villages.

The annual growth of the city's tourist arrivals will double after the operation of the high-speed train line, Kunming Municipal Tourism Development Commission said.

"Yunnan tourism will get a boost. People can reach their destinations faster and spend more time relaxing," said Ming Qingzhong with Yunnan University of Finance and Economics.

But it is not all about scenery. The rail line connects Yunnan with one of the country's most vibrant economic powerhouses -- the Shanghai-centered Yangtze River Delta economic zone.

The size of the Yunnan economy was about half that of Shanghai in 2015. Local governments and business people expect the connection may help the land-locked provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou to develop.

With the high-speed train, travel time between the two provincial capitals is reduced from seven hours to only two.

Yunnan's border trade with Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam is also expected to get a lift.

"It will be faster for us to travel on high-speed trains," said Chandara, a Laotian businessman. "I am so excited."
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ordinary South Koreans and politicians of the opposition bloc clamored in unison to nullify the agreement with Japan on "comfort women" victims on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the "humiliating" agreement.

On Dec. 28 last year, the Park Geun-hye administration announced the "final and irreversible" agreement with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe-led cabinet on an issue of comfort women, a euphemism for Korean women who were lured or forced into sex enslavement for Japanese military brothels during World War Two.

Hundreds of students and civic group activists as well as ordinary people held their "Wednesday rally" in front of the Japanese embassy in central Seoul to protest against what they claimed was the unilateral, disgraceful deal.

They marched to the South Korean foreign ministry building, about a kilometer away from the embassy, shouting for an immediate annulment of the agreement and resignations of Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and impeached President Park Geun-hye.

Most of South Koreans oppose the agreement, unilaterally pushed by the Park government with no parliamentary approval. The Japanese leader has yet to offer a sincere apology for past brutalities and acknowledge his cabinet's legal responsibility for the wartime crime against humanity.

In 2016 alone, seven aged victims passed away, reducing the number of survivors to 39 among 238 South Korean women who had identified themselves as former sex slaves.

Politicians in the opposition camp participated in the march and the demonstration, including Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party, as well as several Minjoo Party legislators.

Choo said it was very deplorable for South Korea's government and foreign ministry to agree on such a ridiculous deal and force people to accept it, urging the deal to be scrapped immediately.

The Minjoo Party has adopted the annulment of the agreement as its party line. The party's floor leader said that if the presidential power is transferred to the opposition bloc, his party will nullify it.

Spokesman of the minor opposition People's Party told a press briefing that the final and irreversible agreement cannot be reached with Japan which has denied its legal responsibility and heartfelt apology for historical crimes.

Protest rallies were held in other major cities across the country to demand the nullification or withdrawal of the agreement.

In the southeastern port city of Busan, civic group activists sought to erect a so-called "girl statue," a symbol of teenage girls forcibly conscripted and raped by Japanese soldiers during the Pacific War, in front of the Japanese consulate in the city.

The statue was dismantled just four hours after the erection, according to local media reports. The advocates for the comfort women victims, who had attempted the erection for almost a year, were hauled in by police officers.

In Daegu city, North Gyeongsang province, a former political home turf for President Park and her Saenuri Party, advocacy group members held a demonstration and announced the ongoing plan to erect the symbolic statue in the city.
A test train in seen on the Guizhou West section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway, Dec. 17, 2016. China on Wednesday put into operation one of the world's longest high-speed railways, linking the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwest. The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, according to China Railway Corporation. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

KUNMING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday put one of the world's longest high-speed railways into operation, linking the country's prosperous eastern coast with the less-developed southwest.

The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses five provinces, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and cuts the travel time from Shanghai to Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province, from 34 to 11 hours, according to China Railway Corporation.

The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, said Wang Jingda, a train driver.

"Look son, the train is travelling at 160, 200, 300 km per hour. It is so fast," said a father on the train.

A girl at Kunming railway station told Xinhua she is excited because she can now join her husband every day, with a short 40 minute ride. The two live in different cities 235 km apart.

The Shanghai-Kunming line is the longest east to west high-speed railway in China. The north to south 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line is even longer and started in 2012.

China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines. The mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030. The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland.

On Wednesday another high-speed rail line, linking Kunming and Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was launched.

Yunnan is home to 25 indigenous ethnic minorities. Attendants on the Shanghai-Kunming line are trained to be multilingual. One of the attendants Yang Yanzhu, for example, speaks eight local languages.

TOURISM DRIVE

The Shanghai-Kunming line has been touted by some as the most beautiful high-speed railway route in China as many of the train stops are tourist sites. Yunnan, itself, is a big draw for Chinese tourists as the region boasts snow-capped mountains, canyons, tropical forests, and ethnic villages.

Trains have contributed to a tourist boom in several southwest cities in the past few years.

Last year, about 75 percent of visitors to Guilin, a tourist city in Guangxi region, arrived by train, said Vice Mayor Zhang Xiaowu. The inland city has been linked to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, since 2013.

Huang Zhihao, an official in Guangzhou's neighboring city of Foshan, said local travelers to Guizhou increased seven-fold, while those to Guangxi rose 67 percent in 2015.

After the launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line, the annual growth of Kunming's tourist arrivals is expected to double, according to Kunming Municipal Tourism Development Commission.

"Yunnan tourism will get a boost. People can reach their destinations faster and spend more time relaxing," said Ming Qingzhong with Yunnan University of Finance and Economics.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Besides tourism, the rail line connects Yunnan with one of the country's most vibrant economic powerhouses -- the Shanghai-centered Yangtze River Delta economic zone.

The size of the Yunnan economy was about half that of Shanghai in 2015. Local governments and business people expect the connection may help the land-locked provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou to develop.

Yunnan's border trade with Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam is also expected to get a lift.

"It will be faster for us to travel on high-speed trains," said Chandara, a Laotian businessman. "I am so excited."

The developed regions have advantages in capital, technology and talent, while Guangxi and Guizhou are rich in resources.

With rail lines improving connectivity, the southwest cities eye increasing investment and migration for jobs.

In Guizhou's city of Duyun, over 100 furniture factories from Guangzhou opened stores there after the train service was launched three years ago.

And the government has since ramped up training to help young locals to seek jobs in the Pearl River Delta, the country's manufacturing hub.
TOKYO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Masahiro Imamura, Japan's reconstruction minister for disaster-hit region, visited the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Wednesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a memorial at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Imamura claimed that his visit to the shrine right after Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama met in the Pearl Harbor was just a "coincidence," saying that he made the decision a week ago.

Renho, leader of Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party, however, said the visit showed that "Abe administration does not appear to be united."

Imamura also visited the shrine on Aug. 11, several days before the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II (WWII).

Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from WWII and is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and South Korea, which both fell victims to Japanese invasion in WWII.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for a visit to Hawaii on Monday and attended a ceremony there with Obama to remember the thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan there on Dec. 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the U.S. while constituting no reflection upon the war.
YINCHUAN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more technological progress in coal processing as the country is pushing forward a revolution in energy production and consumption.

Xi made the remarks when congratulating Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group on start of its new coal-to-liquid facility, the largest in the world.

The project is capable of turning out 4 million tonnes of refined oil products each year.

Xi described it as a "useful exploration" for secure, effective, clean and low-carbon energy development and a major result of the country's innovation strategy.

It will help promote clean and effective use of coal, improve China's ability to guarantee energy security, and boost regional development, Xi said.

Xi urged safe, stable and clean operation of the Shenhua project, and hoped China will continue to improve its technological and industrial strength in coal processing.

The world's major energy producer and consumer, China is greening its coal-denominated energy mix. New energy technology, including electric vehicles and solar panels, is being vigorously promoted by the government.

China must strive to promote technological innovation and more rapidly translate scientific results into real productivity to facilitate economic transformation and reform, Xi said.
Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran, Iran, September 22. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Wednesday successfully test-fired its long-range surface-to-air S-200 missile system in the ongoing military exercise in southern Persian Gulf region, Press TV reported.

Besides, various other medium-range missile systems, including Mersad (Ambush), were deployed to annihilate mock aggressive aircraft.

On Wednesday, the Iranian forces carried out the first operational test of Sayyad-3 (Hunter-3) missiles by Talash (Struggle) homegrown system to hit high-altitude targets, Tasnim news agency reported.

Capable of intercepting targets within a range of 150 km in high altitudes, Sayyad-3 has been paired with Talash missile system which also launches Sayyad-2 missiles against targets at medium altitudes.

The paired air defense system is also equipped with locally-manufactured fire control radar, dubbed Ofoq (Horizon), Tasnim said.

It was also announced here on Wednesday that since Monday when the drills began, the Iranian air defense warned several fighter jets and drones belonging to the U.S. navy not to approach the airspace of the military exercise.

Over the past three days, the air defense has given warnings to 12 aircraft of trans-regional countries to stay away from the country's airspace, Gen. Abbas Farajpour, the spokesman for the war game, was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

Iran launched a large-scale air defense exercise in the country's southern regions on Monday.

Code-named "Defenders of Velayat Skies 7," the war game covers the Persian Gulf provinces of Hormozgan and Bushehr along with the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
People wave Turkish and Free Syrian Army flags during a gathering before the departure of a Syria-bound aid convoy, carrying humanitarian supplies, in Istanbul, Turkey, December 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- About 44 Islamic State (IS) militants have been "neutralized" in northern Syria's al-Bab city, stated Turkish General Staff on Wednesday, adding that 117 others were wounded.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" to denote captured or killed militants.

Authorities added that a bomb-laden vehicle belonging to the militants was also destroyed.

Furthermore, about 154 IS targets were destroyed in the operation, including sanctuaries, defense posts, command centers, weapons and vehicles used by the militants.

Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters have been battling to recapture al-Bab from IS for over a month, with clashes intensifying last week.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he has evidence that the U.S.-led coalition supports the terrorist groups, including the IS and the Syrian Kurdish forces.

"The anti-IS coalition forces accused us of supporting Daesh," Erdogan told a press conference in Ankara on Dec. 27, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

"Now they've all vanished and they're supporting terrorist groups including Daesh, the YPG and the PYD. It's very clear. We have solid evidence, in pictures and videos," he said.

Turkey launched its Euphrates Shield Operation on Aug. 24 to free its border of terrorist groups, not just the IS but also the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey considers the PYD and the YPG as terrorist groups due to their alleged ties with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has praised a group of middle school students for their efforts in satellite design and said he was pleased with their passion and bravery in scientific exploration.

Xi made the remarks in a letter written to the students from Beijing's Bayi School on Saturday. A small satellite designed and developed by them was launched Wednesday.

The president said he was very pleased to know that the satellite designed by the students would be launched and called on them to become pillars of the country.

Xi hoped that the students would stay hungry for knowledge, keep their interest in scientific exploration and foster their scientific spirit.

He urged the students to inspire more youngsters to embrace science in a bid to contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The president also wished the teachers and students in Bayi School a happy new year.

On Sept. 9, Xi returned to Bayi School, his alma mater, to visit a laboratory and talk to teachers and students designing the small satellite. He asked them to tell him when the satellite was about to be launched.

The design group told Xi about the satellite launch in a letter and received the reply from him.

The small satellite is the first of its kind designed by China's middle school students. It was launched at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and sent into orbit.

The satellite is designed to operate in orbit for 180 days.
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China said on Wednesday that reconciliation "must and can only be reached upon sincere and deep reflection in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Pearl Harbor visit.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Abe's Tuesday visit to Pearl Harbor, which has been dubbed by Tokyo a "tour of reconciliation."

"Reconciliation between the assailants and the victims must and can only be reached upon the assailants' sincere and deep reflection. Only such a reconciliation can be trustworthy and everlasting," Hua said.

She said she has noticed that many international media have used the word "smart" rather than "sincere" when reporting and commenting on Abe's visit, "which is very telling."

"For Asian victim countries, smart displays can never be as good as a sincere and deep reflection," she said.

Hua said China is firmly opposed to the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by Masahiro Imamura, Abe's cabinet minister for reconstruction of disaster-hit regions.

The notorious Tokyo war shrine, which not only honors Class-A convicted criminals of World War II but also whitewashes the war, is seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

"We once again seriously urge Japan to squarely face and deeply reflect upon the history of invasion and deal with the issue with a responsible attitude to win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete acts," Hua said.
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period has had a strong start and is poised to fulfill all key targets set by the central government for economic development.

The latest sign of a warming economy came on Tuesday as the National Bureau of Statistics said industrial profits expanded 9.4 percent year on year in the first 11 months, faster than the 8.6-percent rise for the first 10 months.

Although full-year statistics have yet to be released, all indicators suggest China will reach its main targets this year, including a GDP growth rate of 6.5 to 7 percent, creation of over 10 million new urban jobs, and a 3.4-percent decline of energy consumption per unit of GDP.

The GDP grew by 6.7 percent in the first three quarters. Experts expect the full-year growth rate to be near the same level as the first nine months.

As an important barometer of the overall economy, China's manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 51.7 in November from the previous month's 51.2, marking its strongest pace in more than two years.

The stronger-than-expected PMI data added to evidence that China's economy has been stabilizing and is on track to meet the government's annual growth target.

Per-capita disposable income of residents rose 6.3 percent in the first three quarters, slightly lower than the average annual target of more than 6.5 percent in 2016-2020.

With 55.75 million people still living under the poverty line at the end of 2015, China aims to lift all its poor population out of poverty by 2020 as one of the major tasks to build an "all-round moderately prosperous society."

Central and local government spending on poverty relief exceeded 100 billion yuan (14.4 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time, and China will fulfill this year's target of bringing 10 million people out of poverty ahead of schedule, according to a national meeting earlier this month.

Liu Yongfu, head of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said the country will work on several fronts in 2017: promoting industrial development in poor regions; giving the poor easier access to employment services, health care and education; and improving infrastructure facilities in poor regions.

China has also met this year's targets in advance for reducing outdated capacity in the coal and steel sector, which will help improve corporate profitability, optimize structure and balance market supply with demand.

Driven by intensified efforts to protect the environment, China's energy use per unit of GDP dropped 5.2 percent in the first three quarters and total coal consumption dropped by 2 percent, resulting in better air quality.

And the list of encouraging signs goes on.

However, a complicated external and domestic economic environment has left China little room for complacency.

Weak growth momentum in major economies, flagging international trade, some backsliding on globalization and rising trade protectionism added to uncertainties for global economic recovery.

Global trade growth has been slower than world economic growth for five consecutive years and the trend is likely to continue.

At home, daunting challenges, including debt overhangs, excess capacity and a highly leveraged property market should not be taken lightly either.

Wang Yiming, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said China should be sober-minded about the risks by taking active measures to avoid further accumulation and spread of risks.

China has made "seeking progress while maintaining stability" the main theme for economic work in 2017, pledging to push for substantial progress in supply-side structural reform, according to the Central Economic Work Conference.

By doing so, China will consolidate a foundation for steady economic growth and attain major targets in realizing an all-round moderately prosperous society.
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's "Interchange Association," responsible for maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan, is to be named "Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association" as of Jan. 1, drawing criticism from China.

"We firmly oppose any attempt to create 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan', and express strong dissatisfaction with the Japanese side's negative move," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing Wednesday.

Hua urged Japan to adhere to the principles set in the 1972Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and its commitments to China, sticking to the one-China principle and handling the Taiwan-related issues prudently.

According to the joint statement, the Japanese government fully understands and respects the Chinese government's position on Taiwan as an inalienable part of the territory of China.

"Japan should refrain from sending the wrong messages to the Taiwan authorities and the international community or cause new disturbances to China-Japan relations," Hua added.

China has repeatedly said the one-China principle is the foundation of its relations with foreign countries and that no country should maintain official ties with Taiwan.

China resumed diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe in Beijing on Monday, after the African nation cut "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan region last week.
ANKARA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that a permanent ceasefire and a political solution to the Syrian crisis is close, local media reported.

Cavusoglu's comments came after reports of an agreement between Turkey and Moscow for a general ceasefire deal in Syria.

"Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a cease-fire in Syria," the minister was quoted by broadcaster NTV a saying.

"There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a cease-fire," he added.

Cavusoglu also said that the ceasefire in Syria could come into force at any moment.

The terror organizations will be excluded from the ceasefire, he noted.

Earlier on Wednesday, state-run Anadolu Agency reported that Turkey and Russia had agreed on a cease-fire deal in Syria, citing diplomat sources.

The private broadcaster CNN Turk also said that Moscow, Ankara and Tehran had agreed on a proposal toward a nationwide cease-fire.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said it could not comment on the cease-fire report.
DUBAI, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A global survey revealed that 70 percent of Saudi youth want their government spending on renewable energy to increase, according Masdar company's e-mailed statement on Wednesday.

Masdar is a United Arab Emirates (UAE) government-controlled renewable energy company in Abu Dhabi.

Masdar's Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey involved around 5,000 youths aged between 18 and 25-years-old in 20 countries.

The survey also revealed that an additional 71 percent believe that both the public and private sectors are equally responsible for accelerating the adoption of clean technologies.

Saudi Arabia harbors the world's second biggest known oil reserves, after Venezuela, according to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Masdar's survey corresponds with Saudi's announcement this year of an initial instalment of 9.5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy according to its Vision 2030 roadmap, as well as a 3.45GW target in the country's 2020 National Transformation Program (NTP).

The NTP also outlined steps encouraging close collaboration between the public and private sectors so renewable energy could contribute to the national energy mix.

Saudi Arabia is expected to deliver around 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy projects in the first quarter of 2017, adding to the Kingdom's installed 25 MW capacity.

In addition, the country's first environmentally-friendly metro public transportation network is currently being constructed in the capital Riyadh, expected to be operational by 2019.

The Riyadh Metro is also anticipated to serve as a national model for other cities.

Earlier in 2016, deputy crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al-Saud presented the government's "Saudi Vision 2030" strategic plan, targeting the country's elimination of oil export dependence.

The plan focused instead on investments in innovation and high-tech sectors such as green and clean technology in order to reach this goal.

Masdar's Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey was conducted by the international polling Penn Schoen Berland firm.

The survey focused on what youth worldwide aged between 18 and 25-years-old think concerning the environment, climate change, as well as sustainable and renewable energy.
Students hold a Cuban national flag while waiting to pay tributes to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro at the Revolution Square in Havana, capital of Cuba, on Nov. 28, 2016. (Xinhua/David de la Paz)

by Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- President Raul Castro on Tuesday said the Cuban economy is expected to improve in 2017 after a 0.9 percent contraction this year due to shrinking exports and economic troubles affecting the nation's top trading partners, especially Venezuela.

"The Cuban economy will resume its upward path in 2017 and grow moderately by around 2 percent, with strong growth in the sugar industry and tourism," Castro told a plenary session of Cuba's unicameral parliament.

"The Cuban economy didn't collapse as many international media outlets predicted earlier in the year," said Castro during his traditional end-of-year speech in parliament.

However, Castro admitted that the economy was hit hard as there were drastic cuts in imports and investment in the second half of the year.

The tense economic situation is compounding the severe financial and infrastructure losses caused by Hurricane Matthew, which hit the eastern tip of the island in October, Castro said.

More than 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and schools, warehouses, hotels and other institutions were affected by the most powerful hurricane in a decade.

The "harmful effects" of the U.S.-led trade embargo continued to hamstring the economy, despite numerous measures taken by the White House to relax the sanctions and restrictions.

Even though U.S. President Barack Obama in March lifted a ban on Cuba using the U.S. dollar in its international transactions, Havana has not been able to make a single payment or cash deposit in that currency, said Castro.

Still, dynamic sectors in Cuba are expected to help modestly boost economic growth next year.

Women work in a tobacco factory at San Antonio de los Banos, La Havana, Cuba, Feb. 28, 2012. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

Castro urged government officials to "energize" foreign investment, which so far accounts for only 6.5 percent of the nation's spending next year.

He called for speedy reform to allow greater foreign investment and overcome the "obsolete and prejudiced mentality" against foreign capital.

Since passing a law more than two years ago to bolster foreign investment, Cuba has approved foreign-financed projects worth only 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, missing the target of 2 billion dollars a year.

"We are not heading toward a market economy or a capitalist system, but we must not block what we can do within the framework of existing laws," he said.

Regarding the recent death of his brother and predecessor Fidel Castro, Raul said the best tribute to Fidel would be to apply the revolutionary ideals he championed.

Despite financial constraints, Cuba's 2017 budget allocates funds to maintain social services at the same level as in 2016, which will ensure free health and education services as well as other social benefits for the people, according to Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas.
A refugee girl reacts at a new hosting camp at the outskirts of Chalkida, 80 kilometres north of Athens, Greece, Nov. 22, 2016. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Greek government pledged on Wednesday to improve living conditions for refugees stranded in the debt-ridden country in 2017.

During a press briefing in Athens, Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas elaborated on the progress achieved in recent months and the plans for the new year regarding the management of the refugee crisis.

The Greek official acknowledged shortages and mistakes and underlined the solidarity Greek society has demonstrated to the more than one million people who fled war and poverty and landed on Greek shores since 2015.

Mouzalas promised efforts from the Greek side to provide more aid to the 62,000 refugees and migrants trapped in Greece after the closure of the Balkan route to central Europe last winter, urging other European countries to offer more support and share the burden with the countries at the frontline of the crisis.

With a few exceptions, most refugees and migrants will spend this winter in decent accommodation centers with heated containers, prefabricated houses or hotel rooms and apartments under a UNHCR program, he stressed.

Last winter, thousands of people stayed in tents in makeshift camps or organized facilities with no sufficient food or medical care.

Currently the refugees and migrants are accommodated in 36 organized sites nationwide with average capacity of 600-900, the minister noted, recognizing that the situation remains difficult for those trapped on the northern Aegean Sea islands in overcrowded hot spots.

Under the European Union-Turkey agreement reached in March to stem the refugee influx, all new arrivals remain on the islands until the asylum bids are assessed. Those who were not eligible for asylum were returned to Turkey.

Although the number of arrivals has dramatically declined in recent months compared to 2015, due to delays in the asylum procedures, the hotspots on Lesvos, Chios and other islands are currently hosting 15,500 people, almost doubling their capacity.

Mouzalas promised on Wednesday that in early 2017 the understaffed Asylum Service will be strengthened and new small detention centers will be created on the islands to decongest the existing facilities and ease tensions in the hotspots.

In addition, in springtime the Greek government plans to replace the free meals offered to refugees with a 400 euros (415.65 U.S. dollars) per family monthly allowance. Electronic identification cards will be issued for all migrants and refugees living in Greece, the minister announced.

Speaking to reporters, the Greek official put emphasis on the issue of the unaccompanied minors, vowing more hard work to create more special facilities for this vulnerable group of refugees and migrants and tackle the challenge.

Out of the some 20,000 underage refugees and migrants currently stranded in Greece, approximately 2,200 minors are unaccompanied. Due to the lack of adequate special facilities in several cases, they are accommodated in closed areas within hot spots or in police custody for their own protection.

"The facilities for unaccompanied minors are special facilities. There should be 20-30 minors hosted in each one. They receive special support. Old tools are insufficient. We are trying to create new tools, such as the safe zones inside the existing camps," Mouzalas said.

"We believe that as long as the EU-Turkey agreement is still valid by Easter time, perhaps a little later, we will have addressed also this issue of the unaccompanied minors in Greece," the minister said, reiterating Athens' commitment to the deal.
Mitch Parkinson of Australia competes during the semifinal round in the International Siargao Surfing Cup in Siargao Island, the Philippines, Sept. 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Oregon State University (OSU) has received 40 million U.S. dollars award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build what its calls the world's premier wave energy test facility.

With the U.S. federal government funding, OSU, in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, plans to have its Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site, or PMEC-SETS, operational by 2020 at its Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC).

The facility is designed to test wave energy "converters" that harness the energy of ocean waves and turn it into electricity.

"We anticipate this will be the world's most advanced wave energy test facility," Belinda Batten, the director of NNMREC and a professor in the OSU College of Engineering, said in a statement. "It will play an integral role in moving forward on the testing and refinement of wave energy technologies."

The DOE award will be used to design, permit, and construct an open-water, grid-connected national wave energy testing facility, which will include four grid-connected test berths.

The technologies are complex and expensive, Batten said in a news release. "These devices have to perform in hostile ocean conditions; stand up to a 100-year storm; be energy efficient, durable, environmentally benign; and perhaps most important, cost-competitive with other energy sources."

"This facility will help answer all of those questions, and is literally the last step before commercialization," she added.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 28, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday only two-state solution can achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday only two-state solution can achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

By describing his thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "candid," Kerry issued one of the Obama administration's most outspoken criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu five days after the United States in a rare move let pass a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlement on occupied Palestinian territory.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," said Kerry here at a press conference. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 28, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday only two-state solution can achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

Though the 70-minute speech covered a sweeping range of elements of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the incitement of violence, Kerry made it clear that his focus was the Israeli settlement.

"The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but his current coalition is the most right-wing in Israel history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements," said Kerry.

"The result is that policies of this government, which the prime minister himself just described, as more committed to settlements than any in Israel's history are leading in the opposite direction. They are leading towards one-state," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 28, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday only two-state solution can achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

In a sharp jab at Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition, Kerry pointedly pushed back the Israeli rational behind settlement activity that settlement expansion was important for Israel's security.

"Leaders of the settler movement are motivated by ideological imperatives that entirely ignore legitimate Palestinian aspirations," said Kerry.
A file photo taken on Sept. 4, 2016 shows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at Hangzhou International Expo Center to attend the G20 summit in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, in which he offered no apology for Japan's sneak attack on Americans in World War II, serves no more than a political show that aims to strengthen Japanese-U.S. alliance.

Calling himself "entire speechless" when standing at the Pearl Harbor memorial constructed on the sunken USS Arizona, Abe acknowledged that the United States and Japan fought a fierce war "that will go down in the annuls of human history."

"Each and every one of those servicemen had a mother and a father anxious about his safety. Many had wives and girlfriends they loved. And many must have had children they would have loved to watch grow up. All of that was brought to an end," said Abe.

The Japanese government billed Abe's visit as a tour of reconciliation.

However, except from offering his "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the souls of the Americans killed by troops of the Japanese imperial empire, no apology from Abe was issued.

As many as 2,403 Americans were killed, about 20 U.S. vessels were sunk or damaged and over 300 U.S. aircraft were damaged or destroyed when more than 350 Japanese warplanes launched stealth attacks to Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

"I think he should apologize. It was a raid that they bombed us and they should apologize. They already surrendered but they should apologize further," said Grace Sandoval, a teenager visiting Washington, D.C. from the U.S. State of Connecticut.

The attack came as a shock to the Americans and directly led to U.S. entry into World War II.

Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

For years, Abe and his cohorts had refused to reckon with Japanese aggression during World War II and the stealthy attack at Pearl Harbor had for long been described as an inevitable incident caused by U.S.-led oil embargo that wreaked havoc on the Japanese imperial empire.

By whitewashing the Japanese wartime history and highlighting the historic devastation caused by U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, right-wing Japanese politicians, including Abe, helped to implant a distorted historical narrative in some Japanese, who till now still believe that the Imperial Japan was the victim, rather than the initiator of the war.

"It's incredibly important (to know about the war) because I strongly feel that if we don't know history then we are at risk of repeating the dangers of what happened in history," said Cruick Shank, a visitor from U.S. State of Massachusetts.

Abe's decision to visit Pearl Harbor came about six months after Obama visited Hiroshima.

Apart from reciprocating Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Abe's trip to Pearl Harbor was believed to be the latest step by the Japanese government to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance before Trump's inauguration next January.

During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly ripped U.S. defense of Japan as a one-sided and expensive deal.

Japan's Kyodo News quoted a senior Japanese official as saying that since the election of Trump, Japan had been forced to think how best to show Trump that Japan was a trustworthy partner.
HARARE, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A rare frog species native to Zimbabwe, the Artholeptis troglodytes (cave or sinkhole squeaker), has been rediscovered after 54 years of fears that it had become extinct.

The small frog, with a maximum 27mm length and is a direct breeder, meaning it does not have a tadpole phase, had been last sighted in 1962.

Its only confirmed habitat is Chimanimani, eastern Zimbabwe.

It was re-sighted on Dec. 2 by a team led by Robert Hopkins, a research assistant with the Natural History Museum in Bulawayo, after an eight-year search.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said Wednesday 16 specimens of the frog collected before the last sighting are housed in museums in Bulawayo, South Africa and Britain.

In his report after finding the frog species, Hopkins said they located three male and one female specimens, whose photographs are the only ones of such frogs in the world.

"A great deal of data was gathered, and most interesting of all, is that I am able to state that this species is alive and well on the summit of Chimanimani, and is breeding well. There seems to be a very viable population," he said.

He said his greatest concern, however, was that the scientific world would flood in to capture and illegally export specimens from Chimanimani.

Washaya-Moyo encouraged tourists to not only look out for the big five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) during their visits to Zimbabwe, but also take time to appreciate other wildlife species.
Retiring UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon waves at an oath of office ceremony of UN Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres (not seen in the picture) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 12, 2016.(Xinhua/Li Muzi)

by William M. Reilly

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, after racking up the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been lavished with praise in the last days of his 10-year tenure although he has been also criticized on other fronts.

The 72-year old former foreign minister of South Korea steps down Dec. 31, after serving the maximum two terms of five years each. He will be replaced by a former prime minister of Portugal, Antonio Guterres, 67, who headed the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) for 10 years, ending last year.

Ban's departure does not necessarily mean his disappearance.

It is widely speculated he may be the next president of South Korea and only the other day Ban indicated he will consider upon retirement involvement in South Korea politics which he described as in "turmoil" after impeachment of scandal-wracked President Park Geun-hye earlier this month.

The 193-member UN General Assembly and the 15-nation UN Security Council recently passed resolutions honoring his work. Representatives of regional organizations and member states lauded his tenure.

Ambassador Maythong Thammavongsa of Laos, speaking on behalf of Asian and Pacific countries in the Assembly, praised Ban as a "secretary-general who has displayed such great professional and personal qualities and who has contributed, through many initiatives that have been welcomed by all, to helping the Organization to make progress towards modernization and democratization."

The praise also was extensive outside UN Headquarters, with personal congratulations ringing from leaders such as U.S. President Barack Obama to Mayor Bill De Blasio of the City of New York, UN Headquarters host city, who proclaimed Dec. 13, 2016 as "Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Day."

The UN chief was widely praised more inside UN headquarters than he was afield where his ratings were mixed.

"The recent outpouring of praise for Ban is well intentioned but rather excessive," Richard Gowan, UN expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Xinhua News Agency last week. "Ban certainly deserves credit for his hard work, and his commitment to fighting climate change in particular."

The Paris accord calls for limiting the global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Also, the 17 SDGs that nations agreed to in 2015, under Ban's stewardship, seek to "leave no one behind" in sustainable development by 2030.

Gowan said Ban "struggled with significant parts of his portfolio, and was especially weak when it came to crisis management."

One such scandal was sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers, particularly in the Central African Republic (CAR).

However, Gowan said the secretary-general has been "commendably frank about some of his own errors," particularly the UN failure "to respond effectively to the mass killings that took place during the end of the Sri Lankan war in 2009," and the Haiti Cholera crisis where Ban "only just apologized for the UN's role in mismanaging the Haiti cholera outbreak" in 2010 that killed some 10,000 people.

The world organization blamed the outbreak on poor sanitary conditions at a Nepalese camp of UN peacekeepers. Victims were helped and programs initiated to prevent new cases but Ban didn't admit responsibility until only last August.

The sticking-to-his guns trait surfaced again after he said, during a visit to a camp in Western Sahara, that it appeared under "occupation."

That upset Morocco which annexed the region after the colonial power Spain surrendered it in 1975.

While he expressed regret through spokesman Stephen Dujarric at the "misunderstanding," there was no retraction.

Jonathan Tepperman, managing editor of Foreign Affairs, writing in a New York Times opinion piece during Ban's seventh year in office said, "The U.N. under Ban's stewardship has managed to get some things right: (generally) providing effective relief to refugees, (generally) doing a decent job on peacekeeping."

But criticism continued to come down on the world organization over Syria.

Ban did assign three personal envoys to handle the crisis -- the first two resigned in hopelessness.

The Security Council, divided over the Syrian conflict, has been ineffectual.

In his speech during the high-profile annual General Debate in the UN General Assembly this past September, Ban lamented an even longer-running problem, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Ten years lost to illegal settlement expansion," said the UN chief. "Ten years lost to intra-Palestinian divide, growing polarization and hopelessness. This is madness. Replacing a two-state solution with a one-state construct would spell doom: denying Palestinians their freedom and rightful future, and pushing Israel further from its vision of a Jewish democracy towards greater global isolation."

He immediately met vociferous Israeli opposition to that statement.

Citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Ban has been a champion of equality, regardless of gender and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer and intersexual orientation.

He oversaw the establishment of UN Women, putting UN agencies affecting women under one umbrella for women's empowerment, appointed the first envoy for youth, focused more on prevention of natural and man-made disasters, advocated stopping the flow of illegal arms as the world faced mass migration.

"Ban has at least been willing to criticize his own performance, and he has improved as secretary-general over time," Gowan told Xinhua.

Antonio Guterres (R) is greeted by retiring UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after an oath of office ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

Ban, a South Korean national who loves Chinese classic philosophy and calligraphy, visited China for 11 times as the UN chief, and met on various occasions with Chinese leaders, who lauded his active role in enhancing the cooperation between the United Nations and China over the past decade.

Ban is leaving, not unusually, a host of unsolved issues for his successor. In addition to the aforementioned, they range through conflicts, mostly in Africa, and most recently the bloodshed in South Sudan, to terrorism, xenophobia, the seemingly endless quest for UN reform, demanded by the membership, which sometimes thwarts its progress because of special interests.

Asked at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York earlier this month what his biggest problem was, Ban replied, "The lack of empathy and lack of compassion of the world leaders," blaming them for "focusing on their very narrow personal or regional interests."

People express their grievances and leaders react by using "military and police forces," he said.

For Antonio Guterres, Ban has published a briefing book, for his new role. It's 345-pages long.
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- One November afternoon three years ago, Xi Jinping met an elderly woman while visiting a poor mountain village in central China's Hunan Province.

A ballad about their brief tete-a-tete, titled "Don't Know How Should I Address You?" after the question the farmer asked Xi when she first saw him, was a hit earlier this year.

Since taking the helm of China's ruling party four years ago, Xi has collected a string of new titles.

He is head of an array of "leading groups" overseeing areas such as China's economic development and national defense. He is commander-in-chief of a newly installed joint battle command center under the Central Military Commission. He is "Xi Dada" or "Papa Xi" on Chinese social networks.

But none carries the weight of his latest title: the "core" of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its Central Committee.

The endorsement of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as the core leader at the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in late October was perhaps the most attention-grabbing event of China's political calendar this year.

In a communique released after the October meeting that brought together high-ranking CPC officials in Beijing, the Party called on all its members to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core."

Being the core does not confer Xi any extra power. Still, analysts point out that the new position is key for China to keep itself and the Party on the right track of development, and it marks the turning of a new chapter in the long march toward achieving the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

THE NEED FOR A CORE

The CPC, which turned 95 this year, has been the sole ruling party of New China since its founding in 1949.

In the nearly seven decades since, the country has managed to turn itself from a nation scarred by foreign aggression and civil war into the world's second-largest economy and a major player on the world stage.

The CPC's leadership proved pivotal in this epic transformation.

For any country or political party, having a core figure at the center of leadership is of vital importance to both state and party governance.

This is especially true for China, which boasts a population of over 1.3 billion, and for the CPC whose membership exceeds 88 million.

Without an authoritative, influential and experienced Party chief at its very core, the country and Party could fall flat in uniting the people and pooling wisdom to formulate and implement suitable policies.

As China enters the home stretch in building a "moderately prosperous society," identifying a core leader is more relevant than ever.

China has committed to the "two centenary goals," pegged to the 100th anniversaries of the CPC and the People's Republic of China.

By 2020, China's GDP and per-capita income should double from 2010 levels and the building of a moderately prosperous society should be completed. By the middle of this century, China should become a modern socialist country that is "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious."

By drawing up an overall plan for promoting all-round socialist economic, political, cultural, social and ecological development, Xi is determined to lead his country toward the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation at a time when sustaining a fast rate of growth is becoming increasingly difficult.

While at it, he has also proposed the strategic layout of the "Four Comprehensives" and the philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development as engines of growth.

Today, China is one of the world's fastest growing major economies and a top trading body. It boasts a strong military of over 2 million and is the biggest contributor to international peacekeeping personnel among permanent members of the UN Security Council.

With inclusive programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative -- proposed by Xi and launched in 2013 -- and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China has also shown that it is committed to connecting regions and countries while creating development opportunities for all.

The Chinese president's vision and ventures toward a fairer global governance system have also helped China create an open, inclusive and responsible image on the international stage.

Never before have the Chinese people been so close to realizing their dreams.

In an editorial published in late October, the CPC mouthpiece People's Daily hailed Xi's core status as of great importance to China and the CPC.

"China and the CPC ... need a core for the Party and its Central Committee, to bond the Party, to unite the people, to tide over the challenges and to continue to forge ahead," it read.
Life, family, death, shake-up

Former Prime Minister Patrick Manning passed away. The firing of Marlene Mc- Donald as a Cabinet minister.

These are some of the political stories which were in the spotlight in 2016.

Newsday looks back at the political stories of 2016 which remain in the spotlight going into 2017.

I dont have cancer Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, at a post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, declared he does not have prostate cancer nor any ailment that is likely to affect his job performance, but otherwise he regards his medical records as confidential.

Im pleased to announce that my doctors have pronounced me to be in good health, he said. I have no ailment or symptoms that can prevent me conducting my duties. His disclosure came as he sought to dismiss speculation arising out of a visit to California, USA for a medical check-up.

He said for decades he has practised a normal arrangement of vacations and health checksups, cognisant of the high-rate of prostate cancer among men in this country, especially those of African descent.

An initial Prostate- Specific Antigen (PSA) blood-test for prostate cancer done in TT had revealed something of interest to his local doctors, which led him to go to California for further tests, which had ruled out prostate cancer.

He hit those commentators who had pronounced on his condition even before the US test results were known. Rowley at length urged TT men not to be too macho to do a prostate exam.

There were also health concerns for other government ministers in 2016. Energy Minister Franklin Khan fell ill in Thailand where he and his wife Laura are on vacation in December.

Reassurances about Khans health were given by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Stuart Young at the final post-Cabinet news conference for 2016 at the OPM in St Clair, Port-of-Spain. Declaring that certain media reports which claimed Khan suffered a heart attack were incorrect, Young explained, It is a complication to do with his heart and brought on by a viral infection. Young said Khan was receiving quality medical care and would return home as soon as he was able to travel.

Earlier in the year, Khan underwent some non-invasive medical procedures to deal with some heart-related issues.Finance Minister Colm Imbert underwent surgery earlier this year at the St Clair Medical Centre to remove an inflamed gall bladder. Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon had an emergency appendectomy.

We are family Photos from an Emancipation Dinner at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns in August introduced the public to Rowleys second son and his fourth child, Christopher Barthol.

Prior to that photo, the public knew about Rowleys daughters Tonya and Sonelle (from his marriage to his wife Sharon) and his son Garth from a previous relationship.

Asked at a post-Cabinet briefing, how big his family is, and how many sons he has, Rowley replied, Two (sons). Asked if he has any more daughters that the country may be introduced to at some time (in addition to Tonya and Sonnelle Rowley), a smiling Rowley replied, Well, you never know. All present giggled. No. Interestingly enough, again, that too is an area of interest to people. Ive had a long life before I came into public life. I had two children before I was married and then I had two after I was married. The second two were born after I came into public life. Rowley came into public life in 1986 and his first daughter was born a year later.

The nation was plunged into mourning on July 2, when former Prime Minister Patrick Manning died. Manning died at about 8.15 am at the San Fernando General Hospital after battling Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

A post on his Facebook page said, Former Prime Minister Manning was surrounded by his family and loved ones. The Manning family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support during this trying time. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course. Manning was admitted to hospital on June 27 for an aberration in his blood count. Mannings wife, Hazel disclosed via his Facebook page that he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and was being prepared to undergo treatment.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley told the population on June 9 to pray for Manning. As he concluded his address at the opening of the Education Tower on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, Rowley said, I want to recognise former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who at this moment, is not doing as well as he would like. The Prime Minister continued, I would like you...in your thoughts and in your prayers...

to keep him in mind...because this is part of his vision...for the city of Port-of-Spain.

An official funeral for Manning took place at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain on July 9, after his body lay in state at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. At the funeral, Mannings son Brian hailed his father as his hero.

Brian also asked that his father be honoured either with the reformation of the Divine Echoes Orchestra (formed under Manning when he was prime minister) or a fund for low cost housing through the International Financial Centre.

Government and Mannings family continued discussions about how to honour him but no decision has been made to date. An offer for Manning to be awarded the Order of the Republic of TT posthumously, was declined by his family.

On March 17, Portof- Spain South Member of Parliament Marlene McDonald was fired as Minister of Housing by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley during a meeting at 6.30 pm, at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.

A press release, stated: Please be informed that His Excellency Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister under subsection (3) of section 76, subsection (1)of section 79, subsection (9) of section 3 and subsection (3) (c) of section 77 of the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has revoked the appointment of Ms Marlene McDonald as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.

The Prime Minister has also advised His Excellency on the following: to reassign Mr Randall Mitchell from Minister with responsibility for Public Administration to Minister with responsibility for Housing and Urban Development; to reassign Mr Maxie Cuffie from Minister with responsibility for Communication to Minister with responsibility for Public Administration and Communication and; to assign Mr Stuart Young as Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.

McDonalds firing from the Cabinet followed media revelations earlier she had employed her common-law husband Michael Carew in her Port-of- Spain South Constituency office.

A report from Fixin T&T head Kirk Waithe stated he received information from Parliament which showed that Carew and a director of the Calabar Foundation were employed at Mc- Donalds Port-of- Spain South constituency office for five years, while Carews brother Lennox Carew still worked at the MPs office.

Michael, who worked at the office from June 1, 2010 to September 7, 2015, had earned the second highest salary of $13,400 on the constituency payroll for the full parliamentary term while Lennox began working in the office on March 1, 2011 and has been in receipt of the highest salary of $14,000 out of 13 people working in the office.

Rowley in an interview said he could not ignore these new revelations which had surfaced in the media. (Focus continues in tomorrows Newsday.)
Release 'white paper' on demonetisation: Rahul dares Modi

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi again and demanded the release of a "white paper" on demonetisation to bring out the truth about the note ban.

Daring Modi to reveal the actual amount of cash recovered since the announcement to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, "Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered post November 8?"

"Modiji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country," Gandhi told reporters here at the party headquarters on the Congress' Foundation Day.

"Many people have suffered and for this loss, the government should give compensation," Gandhi said.

He asked Modi to answer about the "economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation", and pulled out a list of demands.

"How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?"

Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to answer these questions in the "white paper".

Rahul Gandhi who has strongly opposed the Centre's demonetisation move asked, "What was the process of consultation and preparedness followed prior to the implementation of demonetisation?

"Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?".

He also said, "Will it place the names of all persons, institutions, and entities that deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in their bank accounts in the six months preceding November 8, 2016?"

--IANS

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Tyagi like family member, but no sympathy if proven guilty: IAF chief

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Defence/Security, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said his scam-tained predecessor S.P. Tyagi was like a "family member" but if corruption charges in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal were proven against him the force would have no sympathy for its former chief.

Addressing a press conference days before he is scheduled to retire as the IAF chief and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Raha said the law of the land must be followed in the scam that has rattled the force with Tyagi's arrest on December 9 for allegedly accepting bribes in clearing the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland.

Tyagi -- the first chief of any wing of the armed forces to be arrested in the country -- was given bail by a court here on Monday.

"Such issues have come up from time to time. Be it Bofors or be it some other acquisitions, there have been problems," Raha said.

He, however, admitted that if the corruption charges were proved it would be "bad for the armed forces, or whoever is involved".

"It is not only the armed forces that are involved in procurement. There are so many agencies involved. Can't pin the blame on one particular organisation or service. To my mind many of the issues that have sprung up in the recent times have their origin some time back, a decade back. These are being investigated. It is premature for me to say anything," he said.

Raha said he didn't know about the evidence the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), which is probing the case, has against Tyagi.

"The Air Force believes the law of the land has to be followed... Let the investigation be complete. Whatever the decision of the court, we will abide by that."

He said Tyagi, as long as not convicted, should be given his due credit being a former IAF chief.

"A former Air Chief is like an extended family. If anyone in my family goes through a rough patch I think we should stand by them... If charges are proved, then of course we have no sympathy."

The CBI has alleged that Tyagi and other accused had received bribes from AgustaWestland for helping the manufacturer win the $556.262 million contract to purchase the helicopters for the Communication Squadron of the Indian Air Force to carry the President, Prime Minister and other VVIPs.

The accused had allegedly hatched a conspiracy to reduce the service ceiling of the helicopters from 6,000 meters to 4,500 meters to make AgustaWestland eligible for the contract.

The CBI claimed that Tyagi and his brothers received 126,000 euros after May 2004 and 200,000 euros after February 2005 in the form of consultancy fee from Gordian Services.

It added that Tyagi also received some amount in cash from Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Valentino Ferdinando Gerosa, who were linked with Gordian Services.

Tyagi, the Indian Air Force chief from 2004 to 2007, has denied the charges saying the deal was executed after his tenure.

--IANS

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Banned group's five militants arrested in Bangladesh

Bangladesh,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Dhaka, Dec 28 (IANS) Five members of a banned militant outfit have been arrested here and explosives and bomb-making materials seized from them, an official said on Wednesday.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Bangladesh Police arrested the militants from the banned Neo-Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh on Tuesday night from Mirpur area, Xinhua news agency quoted a Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson as saying.

Religiously inciting books, explosives and bomb-making materials were also seized from the arrested men, he said.

Neo-JMB, an offshoot of the banned militant Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, is blamed for the deadly July 1 Dhaka cafe attack in which 22 people, including 19 foreigners, were killed.

Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists have been already rounded up and its six top leaders, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007.

--IANS

py/vt
JICA to assist in traffic management in Andhra capital region

Delhi,National,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi/Vijayawada, Dec 28 (IANS) Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will implement a technical cooperation project for traffic and transportation in the new capital region of Andhra Pradesh.

JICA on Wednesday signed the Record of Discussions (R/D) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Government of India for implementing the project titled 'Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Study for Andhra Pradesh Capital Region'.

The study will be implemented in coordination with Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA).

The record was signed in the national capital in the presence of Sreedhar Cherukuri, Commissioner, APCRDA; Ajay Jain, Principal Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Takayoshi Tange, Senior Representative, JICA India office.

The APCRDA was enacted through the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act 2014 with an area of 8,603.32 square km to establish the new capital of Andhra Pradesh and for planning, coordination, execution, supervision, financing, promoting and securing the planned development of the capital region.

As existing large urban centres such as Vijayawada and Guntur are expected to grow rapidly along with the new capital, APCRDA requested technical cooperation from the Government of Japan to develop the comprehensive traffic and transportation study for the APCR.

"The main objective of our support is to contribute to social and economic development of the state of Andhra Pradesh by formulating a Comprehensive Smart Transport Master Plan for the APCR, which may lead ideal transportation, and also by enhancing the capacity of APCRDA officials and concerned stakeholders in the transportation planning sector through the experience of the development of the master plans," Takema Sakamoto, Chief Representative, JICA India Office, said.

--IANS

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Platform to help LGBT members find career path, discover identity

West Bengal,National,Human Interest/Society, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Dec 28 (IANS) Established members of the LGBT community here have taken it upon themselves to provide a platform for the marginalised to discover their identity.

They say many in the community are talented but are often deprived of opportunities.

Christened 'Troyee', the platform aims to help members of the community find a career path, offer a safety net and bring them back from the brink of failure and destitution.

"In our community, talented members lose their way following deprivation of opportunities and discrimination. We want to ensure they don't lose sight of what they want to be. We will try to aid them to discover what they would like to do with their life," Shree Ghatak Muhury, one of the first transwomen who legally got married earlier this year, told IANS.

Shree and her peers, including actress-model Tista Das, are the founding members of the forum. They hope the initiative will also benefit anyone who has faced rejection and despair.

"It is an inclusive platform," she said, adding the initiative will be formally launched in February next year.

The founding members plan to approach West Bengal's transgender development board for assistance.

--IANS

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Britain unveils plans on mandatory voters ID checks

United Kingdom,Politics, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

London, Dec 28 (IANS) The British government said on Tuesday that it would begin rolling out mandatory identity checks for voters in what seems to be the biggest ever shake-up in the way that Britons vote at elections.

This move will pave the way for more than 40 million voters who will have to show ID before they can vote in local, national and European elections, Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently British people arrive at polling stations without showing any documentation, using a simple pencil to make their choice on a simple paper ballot form.

It is a system that has remained unchanged since the masses won the right to vote in the 1800s.

The British government says its plans to demand proof of identity before voting are aimed at combating electoral fraud.

The scheme is to be piloted in a number of areas in local elections due to take place in 2018, ahead of being rolled out nationally.

The Electoral Reform Society, an elections campaign organisation, described the plan to move to ID voting was a "blunt instrument" that could deter people from voting.

"While we should take all instances of voter fraud very seriously where they occur, mandatory voter ID is a sledgehammer to crack a nut," said Electoral Reform Society CEO Katie Ghose.

Minister for the Constitution Chris Skidmore defended the plans saying that electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level.

"That is why the new measures we are announcing today will protect anyone who is at risk of being bullied, undermined or tricked out of their vote, and their democratic right," Skidmore said.

--IANS

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Russia FM concerned over US attempt to arm Syrian rebels

Russian Federation,Terrorism,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Moscow, Dec 28 (IANS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov voiced his concerns over possible US arms deliveries to Syrian rebels in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Lavrov told his US counterpart on Tuesday that the US decision to ease some restrictions on arming Syrian rebels may further escalate tensions and lead to more causalities in the war-torn country, Xinhua news agency cited a statement by the ministry.

Last week, the outgoing US President Barack Obama signed an annual defence spending bill into law, which allows providing "man-portable air defence systems to the vetted Syrian opposition."

Earlier this December, Obama lifted restrictions on military aid to foreign forces in Syria in the Arms Export Control Act.

Lavrov said the moves by the Obama administration were aimed at undermining the foundation for the normalization of Moscow's ties with the upcoming US administration under Donald Trump.

--IANS

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Obama, Abe hail reconciliation in Pearl Harbor visit

United States,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 28 (IANS) President Barack Obama pointed to the strength of US-Japan ties during a visit to Pearl Harbor with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who offered condolences for the more than 2,300 people killed in Tokyo's December 7, 1941, attack on the US Navy base in Hawaii.

"The United States and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace," Obama said on Tuesday after he and Abe laid wreaths during a ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial, which marks the final resting place of more than 1,000 US service members.

"Our alliance has never been stronger. In good times and in bad we're there for each other," Efe news agency quoted the President as saying before a gathering that included survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Though previous Japanese Premiers have visited Pearl Harbor, Abe is the first to step aboard the USS Arizona Memorial.

"As the Prime Minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said.

Just as Obama did not apologise for the dropping of the atomic bomb when he visited Hiroshima in May, Abe offered no apology for the attack on Pearl Harbor.

--IANS

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Release 'white paper' on demonetisation: Rahul dares Modi

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi again and demanded a "white paper" on demonetisation to bring out the truth about the note ban.

Daring Modi to disclose the actual amount of cash recovered since the announcement to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, "Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered since November 8."

He also sought to know when Modi would unveil in Parliament the list of names of Swiss bank account holders that the Switzerland government provided.

"We want to know who is the thief? Modiji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country," Gandhi told reporters here at the party headquarters on the Congress' Foundation Day.

"Many people, including the poor, small traders, farmers, and the youth have suffered the most due to demonetisation and the government should give them compensation," Gandhi said.

He questioned Modi on the "economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation", and pulled out a list of five questions.

"How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?"

Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to answer these questions in a "white paper".

Rahul Gandhi, who has strongly opposed the Centre's demonetisation move, asked, "What was the process of consultation and preparedness followed prior to the implementation of demonetisation?"

"Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?"

He also said, "Will it place the names of all persons, institutions, and entities that deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in their bank accounts in the six months preceding November 8, 2016?"

Gandhi demanded an explanation from Modi as to what was the reason behind "snatching away people's financial independence".

The Congress party also put forward a charter of demands for the Modi government.

They include all restrictions on withdrawal of money be lifted with immediate effect; till the time these restrictions are in place, a special interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum should be given to all bank account holders.

All charges on digital transactions be abolished forthwith; the rate of rations distributed under the PDS system be halved for the period of a year under the provisions of the Food Security Act.

In addition, a special one-time bonus of 20 per cent be provided over and above the MSP of all Rabi crops, the charter of demands read.

One of the demands said that Rs 25,000 be deposited in the account of at least one woman belonging to each BPL family as compensation for the immense suffering caused to women due to demonetisation.

The Congress also demanded that the number of guaranteed work days and the wage rate under the MGNREGA should be doubled for a period of one year.

"The government should organise a special drive to identify and register all those who have lost their jobs since November 8, and provide them compensation at the applicable minimum wage rate for a time period extending up to March 31, 2017," the charter of demands added.

It also said an income tax and sales tax rebate of 50 per cent be given to small shopkeepers and businesses. "The central government should compensate the state governments for the loss of revenue incurred on account of this exemption," it read.

--IANS

sid/in/vt
Dalai Lama offers prayers in Patna

Bihar,National,Religion, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Patna, Dec 28 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered a special prayer at Budha Smriti park here after participating in a tree plantation drive on Wednesday, officials said.

"The Dalai Lama visited Budha Smriti park along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and offered a special prayer after participating in a function to plant saplings of Bodhi tree," a district official said.

It was the Dalai Lama who inaugurated the 22-acre Buddha Smriti park in the heart of Patna in 2010.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar received the spiritual guru at Patna airport and thanked him for visiting the state capital.

According to officials, he has left for Bodh Gaya in a state government airplane to participate in 34th Kalchakra puja, beginning on Thursday.

The Dalai Lama will stay in Bodh Gaya, about 110 km from here, till January 10 for the puja. "Tight security arrangements have been made for his stay in Bodh Gaya in view of threat perception to him."

The Dalai Lama has been living in India in self-imposed exile since 1959 when he fled his homeland after Chinese Communist troops took over Tibet.

--IANS

ik/lok/vt
Lawmaker among five hurt in Kabul bombing

Israel,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kabul, Dec 28 (IANS) A member of the Afghan parliament was among five persons injured in an explosion on a busy road in Kabul on Wednesday, police said.

"The roadside bombing hit the vehicle of Sayyed Jamaluddin Fakuri Behishti near a Shia mosque in Dasht-e-Barchi area. Behishti, his son, his brother and two passersby were injured by the blast," Xinhua news agency quoted a police official as saying.

According to unofficial sources, Behishti's brother later succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.

Behishti is the representative of central Bamyan province in the Lower House of the Afghan parliament.

--IANS

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SP announces 325 assembly candidates, Akhilesh aides dropped

Uttar Pradesh,National,Politics, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Lucknow, Dec 28 (IANS) In a swift development, the ruling Samajwadi Party on Wednesday made public a list of 325 candidates for in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections early next year, saying the remaining 78 candidates would be announced later.

Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav announced the list at a press conference at the party office in the presence of brother and party leader Shivpal Yadav. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was not present in the press conference.

What is likely to trigger a fresh round of feud in the party is the fact that 53 sitting legislators have been denied tickets. They include senior minister and close Akhilesh Yadav aide Arvind Singh 'Gop', whose ticket has been given to Rakesh Verma, son of senior party leader Beni Prasad Verma.

Ayodhya legislator and a close aide of Akhilesh Yadav, Pawan Pandey, has also also been denied a ticket, while 176 incumbent legislators have been re-nominated. Party leaders informed that a staggering 4,200 persons had applied for party tickets.Mulayam Singh Yadav did not speak of a prospective alliance for the polls.

The Samajwadi Party has 224 seats in the present assembly.

--IANS

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Over 200 more fighter jets needed in next 10 years: IAF chief

Delhi,National,Defence/Security, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) The Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said 200 to 250 more fighter aircraft were required to be inducted in the next 10 years to meet the air force's operational requirement.

India has sufficient number of aircraft in the heavy category in Sukhoi-30s, whereas gaps in the medium and lightweight categories needed to be filled, he told the media here.

The IAF chief said that 36 Rafale jets being bought by India from France were not enough.

"We are still inducting Sukhoi-30s; it will last us for another 40 years. The Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) will fill some void in the lightweight category... Rafale is an excellent aircraft. But we have just 36 aircraft; we require more aircraft in the medium-weight category," Raha said.

"To fill the gap, one more line of production is needed in India," he said, adding that a decision on the matter is likely soon, and the file is at present lying with the Defence Ministry.

On September 23, India signed a 7.87 billion ruro (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France to buy the 36 Rafale fighter jets to meet IAF's critical operational requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft and enhance its strategic reach, especially in the context of arch rival Pakistan.

The IAF chief, set to retire on December 31, pointed out that the IAF's sanctioned sqadron strength is 42, and said: "This is just a numeral; there has to be a capability mix of heavy, medium and light aircraft."

Raha also emphasised the need for inducting more midair refuelers since its present fleet of Ilyushin IL-78 tanker fleet faced maintenance problems.

--IANS

ao/tsb/vt
RJD protests against demonetisation across Bihar

Bihar,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Patna, Dec 28 (IANS) Bihar's ruling alliance partner RJD on Wednesday organised sit-ins at Patna and all district headquarters against the demonetisation, with party chief Lalu Prasad accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of cheating the country's people.

"Modi has derailed the economy through demonetisation, which had led to increased job losses," Lalu Prasad said while participating in the 'maha dharna' held at Gardanibagh here.

The former Bihar Chief Minister urged the people to remove Modi to save the country.

"People across the country are facing problems and are forced to struggle for their own white money and for survival of small businesses to farming after demonnetisation. Modi has cheaated the country," Lalu said in his address at the protest venue.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal is part of the 'Maha Gathbandhan' or state-level Grand Alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United and the Congress.

The RJD chief dubbed demonetisationn as "anti-poor, anti-worker and anti-farmer".

"The Modi-led NDA government at the Centre is against the poor, labourers and farmers," the former Union minister added.

Lalu Prasad said a large number of migrant workers from Bihar were returning to their native villages following the shutdown of factories after the Centre scapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

"More than anyone, the poorest of the poor have been badly hit by demonetisation. The poor are in deep trouble and battling for survival," he said.

Lalu Prasad said his party planned to hold a massive rally here early next year.

Thousands of RJD leaders and workers staged sit-ins at all district headquarters.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has supported demonetisation, while the RJD chief has opposed it.

Earlier, Lalu Prasad had said he hoped Nitish Kumar will join his party's protest programme.

--IANS

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Japan's Abe ends visit to Pearl Harbour, offers no apology

United States,Politics,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 28 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, during which he offered no apology for Japan's sneak attack on the US in World War II, serves no more than a political show that aims to strengthen Japanese-US alliance.

Saying he was "speechless" when standing at the Pearl Harbour memorial constructed on the sunken USS Arizona, Abe on Tuesday acknowledged that the US and Japan fought a fierce war "that will go down in the annuls of human history", Xinhua news agency reported.

"Each and every one of those servicemen had a mother and a father anxious about his safety. Many had wives and girlfriends they loved. And many must have had children they would have loved to watch grow up. All of that was brought to an end," said Abe.

He said the Japanese had taken a "solemn vow" to never again wage war, CNN reported.

The Japanese government billed Abe's visit as a tour of reconciliation.

However, except from offering his "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the souls of the 2,400 Americans killed by troops of the Japanese imperial forces, no apology from Abe was issued.

About 20 US vessels were sunk or damaged and over 300 US aircraft were damaged or destroyed when more than 350 Japanese warplanes launched a stealth attack on Pearl Harbour on the morning of December 7, 1941.

"I think he should apologise. It was a raid that they bombed us and they should apologise. They already surrendered but they should apologise further," said Grace Sandoval, a teenager visiting Washington from the US state of Connecticut.

The attack came as a shock to the Americans and directly led to the US joining the World War II.

Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, after the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively on August 6 and August 9.

For years, Abe and his cohorts had refused to reckon with Japanese aggression during World War II and the stealthy attack at Pearl Harbour had for long been described as an inevitable incident caused by US-led oil embargo that wreaked havoc on the imperial Japan.

By whitewashing the Japanese wartime history and highlighting the historic devastation caused by US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, right-wing Japanese politicians, including Abe, helped to implant a distorted historical narrative in some Japanese, who till now believe that the Imperial Japan was the victim, rather than the initiator of the war.

"It's incredibly important (to know about the war) because I strongly feel that if we don't know histor,y then we are at risk of repeating the dangers of what happened in history," said Cruick Shank, a visitor from Massachusetts.

Abe's decision to visit Pearl Harbour came seven months after Obama visited Hiroshima.

In his speech on Tuesday, Obama reflected on the events at Pearl Harbour 75 years ago while also paying tribute to the restored relations between Japan and the US.

He said "our alliance has never been stronger".

"The US and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace. Over the decades, our alliances have made the nations more successful," Obama said.

"It is here that we remember that, even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different," Obama said in a reference to Trump.

Apart from reciprocating Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Abe's trip to Pearl Harbour was believed to be the latest step by the Japanese government to strengthen the Japan-US alliance before Trump's inauguration in January.

During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly ripped US defence of Japan as a one-sided and expensive deal.

Abe and Obama also held their last bilateral meeting together on Tuesday.

Both leaders discussed security, economic and global challenges, according to the White House.

The meeting was one of Obama's final meetings with a world leader.

Japan's Kyodo News quoted a senior Japanese official as saying that since the election of Trump, Japan had been forced to think how best to show the President-elect that Japan was a trustworthy partner.

--IANS

py/vt
DigiDhan Abhiyan enrols 1 crore rural citizens for digital payments

Delhi,National,Technology,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Giving its digital economy drive a shot in the arm, the government through its outreach campaign 'DigiDhan Abhiyan' has enrolled over 1 crore rural citizens for digital methods of payment since its launch earlier this month, an official statement said here on Wednesday.

Over 3 lakh merchants have started offering digital payment options to rural customers across many districts and blocks in rural India, the statement said.

"The rapid pace at which rural citizens are adopting digital methods of payment demonstrates their support and enthusiasm to be a part of the digital transformation story of our country. It is very encouraging to see our Prime Minister's dream of honest and transparent digital governance turn into reality," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Electronics & Information Technology.

On November 8, the Modi government demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes across the country. Since then the government has been planning to convert the country's economy into a more digital one.

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have recorded the highest number of enrolments with citizen enrolment crossing 15 lakh and 12.5 lakh respectively, the statement said.

Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have recorded the highest number of merchant enrolments crossing 60,000 merchants each, it added.

The common service centres (CSC) and the village-level entrepreneurs have reached out to citizens innovatively to impart digital literacy.

The DigiDhan Abhiyan aims to cover 2 lakh CSC across the rural areas and enable them to become Digital Financial Education centres.

The CSCs will train people about the various digital financial solutions and also enable them to use various modes of electronic payment systems (EPS). The campaign also aims to sensitise merchants and vendors on the use of EPS.

"The DigiDhan Abhiyan outreach in rural India through the common service centres reflects citizen's willingness to go digital and the acceptance of new methods of digital transactions which are convenient and easy to access or use," said Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

"We will continue to leverage newer technologies to build smart digital tools for easy use to enable this massive digital transformation," she added.

--IANS

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NSUI protests against JNU students suspension

Delhi,National,Politics,Education, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) The National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Human Resource Development Ministry office here against the suspension of at least eight students by the JNU administration a day earlier.

The students wing of Congress party mounted the protest led by its President Amrita Dhawan, accusing the Centre of filling prominent academic posts with proxies, where RSS sympathisers are appointed to spread their propaganda.

"The constant attack on the student community by the government, directly and through their proxies shall not be tolerated. The NSUI will fight against the anti-student forces. The government is scared of the students because they are raising questions that the BJP is unable to answer," a statement quoted Dhawan as saying to media.

"In JNU, they have deliberately suspended students belonging to deprived sections of the society in furtherance of their 'divide and rule' agenda. We demand that the suspensions be revoked immediately," she added.

In the statement, Dhawan also alleged that the protesters were brutally beaten up by the police at the site of the agitation.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Tuesday suspended at least eight students for disrupting the 142nd Academic Council proceedings which was held on Monday.

The suspension has been contested by the faculty members present at the meeting then and the JNU Students Union, who said that the meeting was already over when the group of students came inside the hall and shouted slogans.

The students, as told to IANS by a former General Secretary of JNUSU, belonged to Birsa-Ambedkar-Phule Students Association (BAPSA), Democratic Students Union (DSU) and Students for Swaraj (SFS) -- all student groups active in the campus.

The slogans were shouted against the decision taken during the Academic Council's session held on last Friday, which stipulated a weightier say for viva-voce for the admission of the students, instead of the written exam.

The council adopted the guideline which was laid down by the University Grant Commission (UGC) in May this year in spite of a strong opposition by the students.

The students fear that giving more weightage to interview will entail rigging of admissions, which may then be done on the basis of prejudices.

--IANS

vn/lok/vt
Status report on Indian fisheries sector submitted National

Kerala,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Environment/Wildlife, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kochi, Dec 28 (IANS) The largest fisheries research body in the country, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), has submitted the Country Status Report (CSR) on the impact of climate change on coastal fisheries and aquaculture sector in India.

Speaking to IANS, a CMFRI official said the report was presented at a meeting between Saarc Agriculture Centre (SAC) and representatives from the Saarc nations during a video conference convened by the SAC, which took place last week.

The three-member team was headed by CMFRI Director A. Gopalakrishnan, which represented India at the video conference.

"The representatives from the fisheries sector of all Saarc nations except Sri Lanka attended the video conference," he said.

The CMFRI functions under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The video conference was part of the Dhaka-headquartered SAC's initiative to assess the impact of climate change in the agricultural sector of the Saarc member countries, said the official.

The status report included the details of issues and challenges arising from climate change in the coastal fisheries and aquaculture sector in India.

"During the conference through Skype, the members representing fisheries and aquaculture sector of the Saarc member countries reviewed the remedial steps to be taken to mitigate the impact of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture and finalised a set of recommendations to be followed by the member countries in future.

"In the recommendations, the meeting prioritised developing collaborative and comprehensive efforts to address climate vulnerabilities and commissioning of a Saarc-level task force to formulate strategies to mitigate climate change impact," added the official.

The recommendations included conducting awareness programmes on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expansion of open sea-cage farming and pen culture in the coastal water bodies.

--IANS

sg/nir/bg
Enemy property ordinance undemocratic, says Muslim body

Delhi,National,Politics,Religion, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Prominent Muslim organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Wednesday termed the governments latest move to bring an ordinance to amend the 50-year-old Enemy Property Act as "undemocratic and infringing the fundamental rights of citizens".

JIH General Secretary Muhammad Salim Engineer said: "Legislation via ordinance should be adopted only under special circumstances and the government's anxiety to push for amendment to the enemy property law in such a hurried manner raises serious doubts over its real intentions. Moreover, the President of India has expressed his reservations over its repeated re-promulgation."

The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, was referred to a Select Committee after encountering opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

"The bill violates basic principles of natural justice, human rights and settled principles of law, and many MPs too have said as much. It adversely affects and results in punishing Indian citizens and will have no effect on any enemy nation," Salim said.

He said the ordinance is meant to harass minorities and should be condemned.

"The law of succession and inheritance will also be impacted, and hence the fundamental rights of citizens will be infringed. It will also affect their personal laws, and is therefore unacceptable," he said.

Salim said the proposed law can be "subverted in a subtle way to create enmity against the Muslim community by terming their legally inherited property as enemy property".

"The government should pass such amendments in a democratic manner through Parliament and which do not cause any injustice to anyone," he demanded.

--IANS

mak/tsb/vt
Centre to resume revised industrial policy for northeast: Assam minister

Assam,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Guwahati, Dec 28 (IANS) The Centre has decided to resume the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) 2007 till March 31 next year with some revisions, Assam Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowari said on Wednesday.

Although NEIIPP, which came into existence in 2007, was supposed to continue for 10 years, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government suspended it in December 2014 due to some alleged shortcomings.

There were sharp reactions from different trade bodies, which have since been urging the governments in Delhi and Dispur to either resume NEIIPP or announce a new industrial policy for the landlocked region.

"The Centre will resume the registration of industrial units under the revised NEIIPP, Patowari said. The state government had received information in this regard from the Centre.

He said the Assam government hoped the Centre will announce a new policy to promote industrialisation in Assam and the rest of the northeast region from the next fiscal starting April 1.

The minister said all industrial units that commenced commercial production on or after December 1, 2014, and on or before March 31, 2017, as well as existing units which go in for substantial expansion and commence commercial production on or before March 31, 2017, will be eligible for incentives as per the revised subsidy norms.

He said more than 25 big industries are in the pipeline and many will be commissioned within a year.

"Taking together all proposals in the pipeline, the total investment will be around Rs 5,000 crore," he said adding that close to 44,000 people will get direct or indirect employment through these industries.

Patowari said the government proposed to create a land bank of about 5,000 acres so that investment from big multinational companies could be solicited.

"While our government has already taken steps for setting up a bamboo park, plastic park and a mega food park in Kamrup, Tinsukia and Barpeta districts, plans are afoot to set up tea and pharma parks, micro industries park and textiles park in different parts of the state," Patowari said.

The minister said the Assam government has decided to modernise all Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) for skilling youths.

"We are also going to introduce new trades in the ITIs so that our youth can skill up and find employment opportunities," he added.

--IANS

ah/tsb/bg
Telangana assembly passes land acquisition bill

Andhra Pradesh,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Hyderabad, Dec 28 (IANS) Telangana assembly on Wednesday passed a new bill for land acquisition by tweaking the central government's Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

"The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment) Act, 2016" was passed amid protest by main opposition Congress.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said the state legislation was better than "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013". He said the central Act was brought in an irresponsible fashion.

He said Gujarat, Rajasthan and some other states had already enacted their own land acquisition Acts to speed up land acquisition for completing the projects.

The Chief Minister dismissed the Congress's argument that the state has no right to amend a central Act, pointing out that under Article 254 of the Constitution, the state had a right to pass its own legislation on a subject which is in concurrent list.

He also told the House that the bill was passed on the advice of the Prime Minister and after getting the nod from the central government.

Rao alleged that the opposition parties were creating hurdles in the irrigation projects by provoking people going to be displaced. He said the opposition parties provoked evacuees of Mallannasagar project being built across Godavari river.

The Chief Minister said his government issued two orders to speed up land acquisition and pay fair compensation to the evacuees but some people deliberately created problems.

The state government was of the view that the central Act would delay the land acquisition process and execution of various projects and had issued two separate orders. However, it had to face strong opposition from all quarters and there were also legal hurdles in their implementation.

Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy argued that the state has no right to amend a central legislation. He criticised the government for going ahead with the bill without addressing the people's concerns.

--IANS

ms/vd
Abe's cabinet member visits Yasukuni Shrine

Japan,Politics, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Tokyo, Dec 28 (IANS) Masahiro Imamura, Japan's Reconstruction Minister for disaster-hit region, visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine here on Wednesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a memorial at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Imamura said his visit to the shrine right after Abe and US President Barack Obama met in the Pearl Harbor was just a "coincidence", saying that he made the decision a week ago, Xinhua news agency reported.

Renho, leader of Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party, however, said the visit showed that "Abe administration does not appear to be united".

Imamura also visited the shrine on August 11, several days before the August 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in the World War II.

Yasukuni Shrine honours 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from World War II and is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and South Korea, which both fell victims to Japanese invasion in WWII.

Abe on Tuesday attended a ceremony in Hawaii with Obama to remember 2,403 US soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the US while constituting no reflection upon the war.

--IANS

py/vt
'Mohalla Assi' gone out of CBFC's hands: Pahlaj Nihalani

Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Dec 28 (IANS) Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani has shrugged off all responsibility for the certification of "Mohalla Assi", after the Delhi High Court sought the censor body's response on a plea by the makers of the banned Bollywood film.

The plea challenged a denial of a certificate for public screening of the Chandraprakash Dwivedi movie, which features actor Sunny Deol. The movie is around the commercialisation of the pilgrimage city of Varanasi.

Talking about the issue, Nihalani said: "Both the Examining Committee and Revising Committee have denied the film a certification. The film has now gone to the Tribunal (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal). I am not aware of what is happening to the film there. But as far as the CBFC is concerned, the film you've mentioned has gone out of our hands."

The complete film "Mohalla Assi" was leaked online last year. The profane verbal content of the movie -- with dialogues delivered by Sunny and actress Sakshi Tanwar -- shocked many.

--IANS

skj/rb/bg
Modi scared of questions, has lot to hide: Yechury

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation and corruption charges, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said he "has a lot to hide".

The Marxist leader also slammed the Centre for its "ordinance raj" after the cabinet approved an ordinance criminalising possession of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes beyond March 31, 2017.

"The government has no option but take the ordinance route because unless the law is changed, demonetisation is not legal. Ideally this law should have been brought in parliament in the winter session," Yechury told the media.

"The government is increasingly relying on ordinance because it doesn't want to be answerable We are opposed to this Ordinance Raj," he said.

Questioning Modi's silence over demonetisation in parliament and not ordering a probe into the Sahara-Birla diaries, Yechury said Prime Minister to be "running scared of questions".

"There are questions in every Indian's mind which remain unanswered. These questions pertain to their suffering, their livelihoods, their well-being and their future. But no answers are forthcoming.

"This is the essential characteristic of Modi as PM. He runs scared from answering any questions," Yechury said later on Facebook.

"Modi doesn't face parliament where representatives of the people can question him on behalf of the vast masses. He doesn't take any questions from the media... He doesn't answer any serious questions from the public which come through the RTI.

"Why is Modi so scared of questions? One, he clearly doesn't have answers. And two, he has a lot to hide," said the Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran.

He also questioned why Modi was not seeking an impartial probe into the Sahara-Birla diaries wherein he has been alleged to have received kickbacks as the Gujarat Chief Minister.

"Why wouldn't a PM answer questions about CAG's indictment of his Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPC) deals as the CM," asked Yechury referring to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) questioning the GSPC's investment of Rs 19,576 crore in its Krishna Godavari (KG) block project.

"Why does he not answer questions about Rs 1.12 lakh crore of bank loans he has written off for rich corporates in past two years? Why does he not answer questions about top businessmen accompanying him on his foreign jaunts?" he asked.

"The basic foundation of a democratic dispensation is accountability based on questioning. Modi's evasion of answering any questions goes against that fundamental principle and needs to be reversed.

On the 50th day of his self-imposed deadline, will Modi at least answer as to what was the fault of 105 honest, hardworking people who died standing in bank queues while trying to access their own legitimate money," added Yechury.

--IANS

and/vd
Lebanon's government wins confidence vote

Lebanon,Politics, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Beirut, Dec 28 (IANS) Lebanon's government headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri won the parliamentary vote of confidence on Wednesday after it secured the approval of 87 out of 92 lawmakers who attended the vote session.

"We thank the Lebanese Army and security forces for the sacrifices they made. I hereby vow that the government will follow-up on the issue of the detained servicemen until they return safely to their homes," Xinhua news agency quoted Hariri as saying during a debate on his government's policy statement.

"I confirm that there were some contentious issues similar to the arms issue" he said referring to Hezbollah's arms without directly mentioning it.

"We want a new electoral law. Each one of us has a role in that regard," he added.

Hariri also talked about women's parliamentary quota and expressed the hope that no one would object to it.

He also stressed on his commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and said it was primarily established to achieve justice.

Hariri was tasked with forming the first government of President Michel Aoun's term, who was elected Lebanon's 13th President on October 31.

--IANS

soni/bg
Nepal's major parties agree on local polls, but issues remain

Nepal,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kathmandu, Dec 28 (IANS) Amid strong reservations from Madhes-based political parties, Nepal's three major parties -- the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) -- have agreed to announce the date for local government polls within a week.

At a luncheon meeting called by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Wednesday, the three parties agreed to hold the elections at the local government level but remained silent over the proposed Constitution amendment.

None of the Madhes-based parties was invited by the Prime Minister for the meeting.

Though the major parties have agreed on to hold the local polls, on what basis these should be held has yet to be ascertained.

The new Constitution has envisioned new templates at local level but due to time constraints and disputes in several districts over the demarcation of the proposed local government units, parties could not agree on fixing the modality of the local polls.

If the parties agree on new templates, which is also the demand of Madhes-based parties, the entire old demarcation of the local units would ned to be restructured as per geography and population ratio.

Some parties like the Nepali Congress have been calling for holding the local elections on the basis of the old templates due to time constraints, dispute in several districts over the number of local units, and need to provide resources to the new units, among others.

In a bid to address the demands of Madhes-based parties, the Nepal government had registered a Bill incorporating these issues, but the proposal has remained in limbo in Parliament because of opposition by the main opposition CPN-UML since November 29.

The Madhes-based political parties have been urging the government to amend the Constitution first in order to address their demands and grievances related to citizenship, federal boundaries, making the Constitution more inclusive and issue of language. The proposal to hold local elections without consent of Madhes based parties, therefore, is likely to spark new confrontation in Nepal.

Any elections without statutory amendment will not be acceptable to Madhesis, said one prominent Madhes-based leader, Upendra Yadav.

"Congress, UML and Maoist are pushing the country to another edge of confrontation," he said.

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the major parties held intensive discussionsover the local elections issue and agreed to fix their date within a week after consulting the Madhesi Front.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi said the main opposition party rejected the request for allowing Parliament to resume its business.

"Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the UML to remove the Parliament obstruction for moving ahead as per the due process, but the UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli said that was not possible," Nidhi stated.

During the meeting the UML leaders, while agreeing on the local elections, took the stance that the Parliament obstruction could not be removed unless the amendment proposal was withdrawn.

UML vice-chairman Bhim Rawal said after the meeting: "The government should make it clear as to how it wanted to go ahead in this regard, on our part we are ready to move forward by forging consensus."

--IANS

giri/pgh/vt
50 days of demonetisation: Modi continues to face opposition fire (Roundup)

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Fifty days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, he continued to be in the firing line of the opposition on Wednesday. If the Congress demanded a White Paper on the November 8 note ban, the CPI-M said Modi had a lot to hide.

On the 50th day of the dramatic announcement on demonetisation, the government on Wednesday approved an ordinance to make possession of demonetised notes beyond March 31, 2017, a criminal offence. The move attracted flak from the opposition.

Daring Modi to disclose the quantum of black money seized after demonetisation, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi put forth a charter of demands and sought a White Paper on the currency ban.

"Modi ji should reveal how much black money has been recovered since November 8," he said.

He questioned Modi on the economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation and put forth a list of posers.

"How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?"

The Congress leader sought to know when Modi will reveal in Parliament the list of names of Swiss bank account holders that the Switzerland government had provided.

"Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?" he said.

"We want to know who is the thief? Modi ji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super-rich people of the country," Gandhi said.

On Tuesday, Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken the Prime Minister to task on the issue.

Banerjee had wondered if Modi will quit if the cash crunch persisted even after the end of the 50-day deadline he himself set.

Banerjee's Trinamool Congress will undertake a protest campaign 'Modi hatao, desh bachao' campaign in West Bengal from January 1.

On Wednesday, saw Bihar's ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal also held sit-ins in state capital Patna and district headquarters against demonetisation, with party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav accusing Modi of cheating the country's people.

"Modi has derailed the economy through demonetisation, which had led to increased job losses," Lalu Prasad said in Patna and urged the people to remove Modi to save the country.

Assailing Modi over demonetisation, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Prime Minister "has a lot to hide".

"Modi doesn't face Parliament where people's representatives can question him on behalf of the masses. He doesn't take any questions from the media... he doesn't answer any serious questions from the public which come through the RTI (Right to Information Act).

"Why is Modi so scared of questions? One, he clearly doesn't have answers. Two, he has a lot to hide," said the Left leader.

Yechury also slammed the Centre for its "ordinance raj".

"The government has no option but take the ordinance route because unless the law is changed, demonetisation is not legal. Ideally, this law should have been brought in Parliament in the winter session.

"The government is increasingly relying on ordinance because it doesn't want to be answerable. We are opposed to this ordinance raj," he said.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called Modi "anti-people" and asked him to take responsibility for the people's hardships.

AAP leader Ashutosh said over 100 people had lost their lives and hundreds of thousands lost their livelihoods over the last 50 days since demonetisation.

"Fifty days have passed since the note ban. Farmers are still facing hardships; labourers have lost jobs; businesses have collapsed; and more than 100 people have lost lives. Who is responsible for all this?" he asked.

--IANS

and/tsb/vm
Exclude Saudi Arabia from Syria peace talks: Iran

Turkey,Defence/Security,Terrorism,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Tehran, Dec 28 (IANS) Iran said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should not be part of the peace talks on Syria, Tasnim news agency reported.

"They (Saudi Arabia) are seeking to topple the existing regime in Syria. No talks should be allowed with those who are eager to do it. We must give them a decisive answer," Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan was quoted as saying.

Dehqan also said the western coalition has no real intention to fight terrorists either in Syria or in Iraq.

"We don't see any readiness on their part to play a truly useful and meaningful role in fighting Daesh (IS militants), because it's them who have raised terrorists and they are interested in keeping them there," Dehqan was quoted as saying.

"Maybe the coalition forces would like to see terrorists weakened, but certainly not destroyed, because those terrorists are their tool for destabilizing this region and some other parts of the world," he added.

Russia, Turkey and Iran are in talks to resume peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan. Russia has proposed Saudi Arabia to join the negotiations.

--IANS

ahm/vm
Workers at Bengal currency printing press now not to work overtime

West Bengal,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Dec 28 (IANS) The employees of the currency printing press at Salboni in West Bengal's West Midnapore district have decided not to work overtime any more, saying they stick to their normal nine-hour-shifts.

Until a few days ago, the employees, at the request of the management, had agreed to work in 12-hour-shifts for the "interest of the country".

The employees union, the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL) Employees Association, has connections to Trinamool Congress with party MP Sisir Adhikari being its president.

"The workers were working in a 12-hour-long shift but they could not take the pressure any longer. It is not possible physically to work 12 hours at a stretch. They have told management that they will work for nine hours only," Adhikary said.

A worker also said they had decided to stop overtime work.

"Since December 14, the workers were working in 12 hour shifts. When the management wanted us to work longer we agreed for the interest of the nation. But it cannot go on," he said. A

Around 700 employees of the 1,200 staff (including officers) working at the Salboni facility are affiliated to BRBNMPL Employees' Association.

The management of BRBNMPL-Salboni facility will now have three shifts, the first starting from 6 a.m. to 2.45 p.m., second from 2.45 p.m.to 11 p.m. and the last night shift of seven hours from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

--IANS

dm-bdc/vd
Illegal arms seized in Bengal

West Bengal,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Dec 28 (IANS) Two illegal guns, ammunition and explosives were seized from a group of persons in West Bengal's Burdwan district on Wednesday, police said.

"Two guns, around seven bullets and 60 bombs were seized by the police near Katwa on Wednesday afternoon," said Superintendent of Police Kunal Agarwal.

Acting on a tip-off about the gathering of a group of miscreants near Katwa, the local police conducted a raid and successfully seized the weapons, he said, adding however no arrests have been made.

--IANS

mgr/bdc/vd
Six held for duping 700 people of Rs 2 cr

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Delhi Police busted an interstate gang of cheaters and arrested six persons for around 700 people of Rs 2 crore.

The victims were duped on the pretext of sanctioning loans, police said on Wednesday.

The accused persons who ran a fake loan company have been identified as Deepak Sharma, Rajesh Kumar, Raj Kumar, Anuj Kumar Baliyan, Vikas and Neeraj Sharma, police said.

"The arrest was made on Tuesday night after police teams examined their call details and bank accounts. Since all the IDs they used were found fake, their social media profiles and CCTV footage of different location were also scrutinised," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Omvir Singh.

Police also raided their hideouts in Rohini and other parts of Delhi and arrested them, Singh said.

"All the gang members during questioning told police they ran a fake loan company in the name of Manipuram Finance and Aditya Birlas Finance and others," he added.

The incident came to light on March 3 this year when Sushma, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase-I had complained to police that she was cheated in connection with sanctioning of a loan against mark sheets and degrees by a finance company, police said.

--IANS

sp/pgh/vd
ED arrests Kotak Mahindra Bank manager

Delhi,National,Business/Economy,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday morning arrested a manager of the Kotak Mahindra Bank for his alleged links with hawala trader Parasmal Lodha and Delhi-based lawyer Rohit Tandon.

Sources in the ED said that the branch manager, Aakash, was arrested for allegedly converting over Rs 25 crore in demonetised notes linked to industrialist J. Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon.

On December 23, the Income Tax department also carried out raids at the bank branch here.

Akash, a resident of Haryana, would be produced in a Delhi court on Wednesday afternoon.

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, was intercepted at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

--IANS

aks/rak/in/vm
Khushbu returns to Telugu filmdom after nine years

Tamil Nadu,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Chennai, Dec 28 (IANS) Last seen on screen in the 2006 Telugu actioner "Stalin", actress Khushbu Sundar will return to the industry in a "powerful character" in actor Pawan Kalyan's yet-untitled next outing, to be directed by Trivikram.

"I officially announce I'm doing a Telugu project. I will be part of Trivikram and Pawan Kalyan's prestigious project. It's a brilliant script by Trivikram and I play a very powerful character. My last Telugu film was with Chiranjeevi and now back with his brother," Khushbu tweeted on Wednesday.

Although Khushbu featured in a cameo in 2007 Telugu film "Yama Donga", she considers "Stalin" as her last film.

"'Yamadonga' with Rajamouli was just a special appearance. Just three days of shoot. I'm sure it cannot be counted as a full-length role," she said.

Although it has taken her a long time to decide to do a film again, Khushbu said: "I hope to do justice and not disappoint my fans."

--IANS

hp/rb/vt
Crude politicians, refined leaders both important: Mahabharata scholar Bhaduri

West Bengal,National,Politics,Art/Culture/Books, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

null

Kolkata, Dec 28 (IANS) Harking to the Indian epic Mahabharata to unravel intricacies of society and politics, Sahitya Akademi winner Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri says "crude politicians" are as important as their refined counterparts in the rough and tumble of 21st century politics.

"If you see all the political parties today, they have refined politicians and at the same time, at a lower level, there are counterparts who are what you would call crude and raw. They all have their importance and roles," Bhaduri told IANS in an interview.

Drawing parallels with the Mahabharata, Bhaduri pointed out that these intricacies are engendered in the longest-known epic poem.

"You see Arjuna, a polished and mature politico, and then you have the raw Bheem," the Kolkata-based Bhaduri explained, without naming any specific politician.

The Indologist and expert on Indian epics and the Puranas was recently named a Sahitya Akademi awardee for his essay "Mahabharater Astadashi" in Bengali.

Acclaimed for his simple interpretations of the tales in the Mahabharata and Ramayana, Bhaduri has over 20 books to his credit. Notable among them are "Balmikir Ram O Ramayan", "Arjun o Draupadi", "Krishna" and "Kunti Ebong Kaunteyo".

As a researcher and interpreter, the 66-year-old Bhaduri has delved deep into the multiple dimensions of the epics -- be it politics, society, women's empowerment or sexuality.

Based on his understanding of the ancient texts, he underscored the significance of a complex structure.

"The complexity of relationship between society and politics is very important, as seen in the Mahabharata. This complexity and conflict have to be there... if everybody was a sage, there would be no spice.

"If all the moves initiated by the central government elicited a positive response, then where is the complexity?" he asked quoting a Mahabharata sloka in Sanskrit.

Parsing and correlating, the scholar observed that good and bad are never constant and the ultimate idea is how we seek out peace amid the throes of war.

"The Mahabharata shows the quest for peace in the war and that is what we still have to do today," he said.

Another take-away from the epic is the changing form of secularism and necessity of assimilation.

"The face of secularism has changed over the centuries. Now, we have seen at times, there have been lapses in maintaining a secular society. We have to remember we are a country of diversity," he said.

For example, he said the Muslims have been here for long.

"They have become part and parcel of Indian society and so the integration needs to be stronger. We have to think about everyone," he noted.

Debunking myths about hierarchy and caste, Bhaduri said that while in certain parts of the epic, Shudras are viewed as lowly, in other sections, equality of all classes is enshrined.

"If the character associated with Brahmins, i.e., sacrifice and others, are seen in Shudras then they too can be called Brahmins and this benchmark of humanity should be applied in society," Bhaduri signed off.

(Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in)

--IANS

sgh/ssp/vm/sac/ky/tb

null
Actor-comedian Ricky Harris dies at 54

United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Los Angeles, Dec 28 (IANS) Actor-comedian Ricky Harris has died of a heart attack, according to his manager Cindy Ambers. He was 54.

Harris passed away on Monday, reports variety.com.

His film and TV credits include "Murder Was The Case", "Heat", "Poetic Justice", "Bones", "Moesha", "Everyone Hates Chris" and "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story".

He most recently starred in Thomas J. Churchill's "Check Point", which will be released on January 20, 2017.

A native of Long Beach, Harris was also involved in the 1990s West Coast rap scene and contributed to many hip-hop records. He notably collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre and lent his voice to popular hip-hop songs such as Ice Cube's "Turn off the radio" and Snoop Dogg's "W-Balls".

Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Warren G and Cedric the Entertainer are among the many hip-hop artists who expressed their condolences and paid tribute to Harris.

--IANS

sas/rb/vt
PM Modi Paves a Convenient Way to the Char Dham with Inauguration of a Huge Highway Project

Dehradun, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 NI Wire

Prime Minister Paves a Convenient Way to the Char Dham with Inauguration of a Huge Highway Project, Slams Opponents and Hails BJP Government

To facilitate the transportation of the pilgrims of the Char Dhaam Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation of the all-weather roadway. Named as the Char Dham Highway Development Programme, the project boasts of 900 km stretch of roads for easy connectivity to the four major shrines of the Hindus.

The Char Dham highway development programme will facilitate the construction of 900 km of highways connecting holy shrines of Uttarakhand, the PMO had tweeted in the morning. It was further tweeted, The project includes 10 meter minimum widening of existing National Highways & constructing 13 bypasses, 2 tunnels, 25 major bridges.

The Char Dham Yatra refers to the annual religious trip to four major shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri which is said to cleanse ones sins. The construction amounting to Rs. 2000 Crores has already been started under the plan which would supposedly render ease of travelling round the year to these four sites, as well as, to Sikh shrine Hemkund Saheb.

The PM arrived in the capital of Uttarakhand in the morning amid high security and was welcomed on the airport by Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Governor K.K. Paul and other dignitaries. After launching the project, he went in to address a Parivartan Rally at Dehraduns Parade Ground which saw a huge turnout.

Dedicating the infrastructure programme to the Kedarnath victims who lost their lives during the flash floods in 2014, the PM said it is for the Hindus who have to arrive on the bank of the holy Ganga one day or the other. It is for those who want to bring their ageing parents to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Yamunotri and Gangotri to fulfill their wishes. He said that along with spiritual happiness, the connectivity would help in creating employment opportunities and thereby improving the economy and reducing the migration of the mountain people to the urban lands to earn their bread. He emphasized that people travelling to the four shrines needed to keep at least three extra days in their trip for the fear of landslides. With this enormous Rs. 12000 project, people would not have to compromise with their purpose by being tensed about dealing with future uncertainties. He ensured that the resources of the hilly region would get utilised to the fullest once the execution takes place.

The PM took a dig at other party leaders and said that laying stones without budget do not bring real development. While citing wisdom and non-political ambition as the reason for delay of this scheme, he showered praises on Nitin Gadkari for the conceptualisation of the huge project drawing ideas from many foreign roads which run through rugged, steep hills and taking help of many consulting agencies, to shape a solid pathway that do not suffer damage for at least a 100 year. He also boasted that people using the highway would remember Mr. Gadkari and would compare him to Shravan, who according to a Hindu legend became a carrier of his blind and deaf parents in the way to forty pilgrimage sites.

It was announced that two new schemes were in pipeline aimed at encouraging traders and consumers for using digital payments method. Also, an earnest promise of making availability of electricity, gas connections and numerous jobs in villages was made to the public during the rally.

Mr. Narendra Modi did not leave this opportunity to glorify his party and lambast his opponents. He said that the move of demonetisation is a Safai Abhiyan for cleaning the existing black money from the system and the entire black money will return to economy after the success of this cleanliness drive. He slammed the earlier government at every possible juncture of his speech saying it only neglected the needs of the common people.

The topic of flood scam was also raised to criticise the opposition party. His oration included that unlike people who shout to save the corrupt, his duty as a watchman is to protect the Indians.

Conveying his gratefulness to the citizens for their support in his note ban move, PM added that the countrymen need to get rid of the evil intentions (Kala Mann) too along with black money (Kala Dhan) and that his sudden strike helped in dealing with counterfeiting, terrorism, drug mafia and human trafficking at one go. He clarified that his rise to power, which happened due to the trust of people, is only for lighting lamps and cutting ribbons at inaugural events.

Bringing the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, he assaulted the longest ruling Congress Government for not listening to the demands of the Army Jawans made since last forty years. He told the followers that the disbursement of Rs. 6600 has been done under the scheme and more will be rolled out soon.
What are Bollywood stars planning to do on New Year's Eve?

Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Dec 28 (IANS) As 2016 is coming to an end and people are gearing to welcome 2017, popular Bollywood celebrities like Aamir Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan are planning to ring in the New Year with their family members.

Here's what some of the celebrities are planning:

Aamir Khan: The actor, who is basking in the appreciation coming his way for "Dangal", will travel to Panchgani with his family to bring in his wedding anniversary and the New Year. He married Kiran Rao on December 28, 2005.

Sanjay Dutt: Bollywood's 'Sanju baba', who stepped out of Pune's Yerwada Central Jail as a free man, earlier this year, will travel out of India to celebrate the New Year with his wife, Manyata and their children.

Saif Ali Khan: The actor, who was recently blessed with a baby boy, will be at home with his newborn along with wife Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Jacqueline Fernandez: The Sri Lankan beauty will celebrate the New Year with her family in Colombo.

Radhika Apte: She is currently in London, and will bring in the New Year with her musician husband Benedict Taylor.

Yami Gautam: The actress, who hails from Chandigarh, will be busy shooting for films.

Honey Singh: The rapper, who is coping with bipolar disorder, is planning to work on new music and will celebrate the New Year with his family and friends.

Prabhas: The "Baahubali" actor will probably be working his way into the New Year as he is busy shooting for "Baahubali: The Conclusion".

--IANS

sas/rb/vt
BJP rakes up AgustaWestland to counter Rahul

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy,Defence/Security, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Raking up the AgustaWestland scam, the BJP on Wednesday countered Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's demands on note ban crisis and asked him to first answer who benefited in the 2012-13 VVIP chopper deal.

Bharatiya Janata Party National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said that Gandhi's frustration was understood as he was helping those who earlier looted the country.

"We understand your frustration, Rahul Gandhiji, because you have been helping those who tried to destroy the nation with their black money," Sharma said.

"Since the allegations against you in the VVIP chopper scam reached your doorstep, you should first answer who benefited from the 'mota maal' (hefty amount)," he said.

He also warned the Congress against doing politics over the deaths caused in the past 48 days after demonetisation was announced.

"We are pained whenever there's any death. But do not do politics over it, Rahulji, and do not forget about the thousands of farmers who committed suicides in your tenure," Sharma said.

--IANS

ruwa/in/vt
In no hurry to set up Baloch 'government in exile': Naela Quadri

Maharashtra,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Kannur (Kerala), Dec 28 (IANS) As part of drumming up support for setting up a 'government in exile', Baloch International Women's Forum leader Naela Quadri Baloch has said they were in no hurry for it.

Baloch, who arrived here on Tuesday night as part of her effort at garnering support across the country, will speak on Wednesday at a public meeting in Thalassery near here.

The meeting is being organised under the aegis of 'Brennen Vibrant', an organisation of the old activists of the RSS's students wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Brennen College in Thalassery.

"Our goal is to set up a government in exile and we are in no hurry for that. We all know that it's a long way ahead and we are now laying the foundation for it," she said.

"What has come as a joy for us is that the people of Varanasi have extended their support to us and we wish to set it up there. We are also seeking the support of the Indian government for it," said Baloch.

Baloch has been travelling across India and by now she has already addressed meetings in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Chandigarh and Bengluru.

"I should say that at all these places the response was overwhelming, especially from the youths. What we are basically doing now is to garner support for our movement. As Balochis, we are now also connecting to our people who are settled across the world. In all we are about 40 million," she said.

Several Baloch leaders from Pakistan and from other countries have begun visiting New Delhi since Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15 highlighted the Baloch issue.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province in terms of area, has witnessed a long-running insurgency for which Islamabad blames New Delhi.

Baloch, however, downplayed some reactions from her own people about her own role.

"I do not claim to be the leader. Our aim is to work together and at the moment we should not be wasting time on such things," she said.

--IANS

sg/py/vt
US trashes as 'ludicrous' claim of its support to IS

United States,Defence/Security,Terrorism,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 28 (IANS) The US has described as "ludicrous" a claim by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it supported Islamic State militant group in Syria.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said there was no basis for such an accusation, BBC reported.

The Turkish leader earlier said he had evidence that the US supported the Kurdish YPG and PYD groups.

Turkish troops have been fighting to push the IS out of northern Syria.

"They were accusing us of supporting Daesh (IS)," Erdogan said in Ankara.

"Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos."

At least 37 Turkish troops have been killed during an operation launched in August to push IS militants and Kurdish fighters out of the area around al-Bab, a strategic town about 20 km from the Turkish border.

The US has been working with the Kurdish groups in Syria but Turkey said they were linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been waging a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Meanwhile, the umbrella group representing Syria's political and armed opposition factions has urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal.

But Riad Hijab, general coordinator for the High Negotiations Committee, said the body had not been invited to take part in a conference proposed by Russia to take place in Kazakhstan.

Hijab said confidence-building measures were needed to create an atmosphere for political transition talks which he said should be held in Geneva and sponsored by the UN.

--IANS

py/vt
ED arrests Kotak Mahindra Bank manager

Delhi,National,Business/Economy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday morning arrested a manager of the Kotak Mahindra Bank for his alleged links with hawala trader Parasmal Lodha and Delhi-based lawyer Rohit Tandon.

Sources in the ED said that branch manager Ashish Kumar was arrested for allegedly converting over Rs 25 crore in demonetised notes linked to industrialist J. Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon.

On December 23, the Income Tax Department also carried out raids at the bank branch here.

Ashish, a resident of Haryana, would be presented before a Delhi court on Wednesday afternoon.

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, was intercepted at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

Kotak Mahindra Bank on Wednesday said, "With reference to the ongoing investigation of the said accounts, Kotak Mahindra Bank had proactively informed Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the bank has already suspended the services of its employee, Ashish Kumar."

"The bank has zero tolerance towards employees not adhering to its code of conduct, and takes strict measures against them. The bank confirms that it has a robust system of regularly and proactively filing necessary reports with the FIU for all large transactions," Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a statement here.

The bank said it has on record all necessary KYC documents, including PAN card numbers.

On observing the nature of transactions in these accounts, Kotak Mahindra Bank had filed a report with the FIU for further investigations.

On subsequent investigation by the authorities, the bank, as per their instructions, has deposited the entire amount that was credited in these accounts with the Income Tax Dpartment, the statement said.

"As can be seen from the bank's actions, it has fully cooperated and communicated with the relevant authorities, and has demonstrated the highest standards of compliance, and it will continue to do so," Kotak Mahindra Bank spokesperson Rohit Rao said.

--IANS

aks-mm/in/vt
China launches remote sensing satellites

China,Technology, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Beijing, Dec 28 (IANS) China launched a pair of 0.5-metre high-resolution remote sensing satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province on Wednesday.

The satellites, SuperView-1 01/02, blasted off at 11.23 a.m. on the back of a Long March 2D rocket, Xinhua news agency cited the centre as saying.

They are able to provide commercial images at 0.5 metre resolution.

--IANS

py/vt
2016: 5 reasons for India to feel more (and less) secure (Special to IANS)

Delhi,National,Opinion/Commentary,Defence/Security, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

A worsening of the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the signing of a $8.9-billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal for French Rafale fighter jets and new deals for artillery were among the top five determinants of Indias uncertain security situation in 2016. India made many high-profile defence purchases in 2016 and carried out much-publicised surgical strikes against Pakistan-based terrorists, but an IndiaSpend examination of defence data revealed gaping security holes.

India became the world's fourth-largest defence spender in 2016 with a military budget of $50.7 billion (Rs 3.4 lakh crore) -- nine times the health budget for the same year -- an increase of 8 per cent over 2015 ($46.6 billion or Rs 3.2 lakh crore), according to the 2016 Jane's Defence Budgets Report, released by the UK-based research firm IHS Markit.

India's 2016 military budget was around a quarter of China's $191 billion or Rs. 13 lakh crore.

Here are the five top reasons that made India feel more (and less) secure in 2016:

1. J&K security situation deteriorates after surgical strikes

The Indian Army conducted surgical strikes -- as the government called them -- against terrorists within Pakistan-administered Kashmir on September 30, 2016. Since then, at least 33 Indian security-personnel have been killed in J&K, according to data collated by IndiaSpend from various news sources.

As many as 71 Indian security forces personnel were killed this year by terrorists in J&K, as of November 27, 2016, up 82 per cent since 2015, when 39 soldiers were killed, according to data tabled by the Home Ministry in the Lok Sabha.

Injuries among security personnel doubled since last year to 208. Incidents of terrorist violence in J&K increased 47 per cent to 305 in 2016, from 208 in 2015.

The data indicates that terrorist activities increased over 2016 in J&K compared to 2015, IndiaSpend reported on November 25, 2016.

2. 36 new Rafale, 120 Tejas jets cleared; Indian Air Force currently short of 200 aircraft

India signed a $8.9 billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal with France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter planes, forming two squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF is down to 32 fighter squadrons, the lowest in a decade, NDTV reported on February 26, 2016. It should have 42 squadrons or around 670 to 750 aircraft.

The IAF also inducted two indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and hopes to add on six squadrons (120 aircraft) of the Tejas by 2022.

The government is reportedly looking to buy up to an additional 200 single-engined fighter aircraft (10 to 11 squadrons) of foreign origin to be produced in India.

3. India buys 250+ artillery guns, needs at least 3,000

The Defence Ministry approved the production of 114 Dhanush howitzers in June 2016, the first artillery system purchased by India since the Swedish Bofors gun in the mid-1980s, a deal that was embroiled in much controversey and lost then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi the1989 general elections. The Dhanush is based on the Bofors gun.

India also signed a deal to purchase 145 ultra-light M777 howitzers from the US for $737 million (Rs 5,000 crore). The M777 is, in fact the successor to the Bofors gun.

The Indian Army requires 3,000-3,200 howitzers of various calibres, as envisaged under a 17-year-old plan.

4. Missiles: A major hit and a major miss

India successfully tested the 5,000-km range Agni V (Fire) on December 26, 2016, bringing it one step closer towards being formally deployed by the Strategic Forces Command.

The nuclear-capable Agni V is an intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of reaching all parts of Pakistan and China, IndiaSpend reported in May, 2015.

However, on December 21, 2016, a test of the 1,000-km ranged subsonic nuclear-capable Nirbhay (fearless) land-attack cruise missile failed. Out of four Nirbhay tests, three failed.

India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime -- an international agreement which will allow New Delhi to trade in high technology -- in June helped pave way for India and Russia to extend the range of the jointly developed supersonic BrahMos missile beyond 300 km.

5. Submarine modernisation inches forward, Indian Navy requires 20 more

The much delayed INS Kalvari, the first of the six French Scorpene-class submarines being manufactured in India, is undergoing sea trials and might be commissioned early in 2017. India now has 14 operational submarines, according to Indian Navy data, and requires 20 more, as IndiaSpend reported in July 20, 2015.

The Scorpene project suffered a setback after nearly 22,000 classified pages explaining the submarines' combat and performance capabilities were leaked by an Australian newspaper in August. The Navy said the leak was not critical.

India reportedly attained a nuclear triad -- the capability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air and sea -- by quietly commissioning the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant in October.

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Chennai, the third and last of the Kolkata class destroyers. India also signed a deal with Russia to purchase four guided-missile stealth frigates.

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Abheet Singh Sethi is a Mumbai-based freelance writer and defence analyst. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)

--IANS/IndiaSpend

abheet/vm
Ningbo city's Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology reported its latest excavation findings of a site named Shangshui'ao, a Yue ware kiln site along Dongqian Lake, on Dec 22.

Yue Kiln, or Yue ware kilns, originated in the counties of Zhejiang province that were part of Yue Prefecture in ancient times.

This celadon flourished for more than 1,000 years, from the Eastern Han (AD 25-220) to the Song (960-1279) dynasties, longer than other famous Chinese kilns, giving it a very important place in historic pottery development.

Ningbo's Dongqian Lake has been found home to some 50 scattered porcelain sites dating back to the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The findings of this site highlight celadon for daily use, including bowls, plates, jars, incense burners and utensils for making the celadon. Rare vessel shapes were also discovered during this excavation, including flower-mouthed Zun (a type of Chinese wine vessels) imitating bronze sacrificial vessels, and incense burners with hollow engravings of phoenix and dragon patterns.



The majority of these ceramics date back to the middle North Song Dynasty (960-1129), and a few can be traced back to the late 10th century.

This excavation will provide crucial support for studies on the ceramic level of Yue Kiln sites during the middle North Song Dynasty, the development of celadon in ancient times and the history of the pottery trade in ancient China, especially for research on the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

A lotus-mouthed celadon Zun (a type of wine vessels) excavated from the Shangshui'ao Yue Kiln site in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/nb.zjol.com.cn]

The lid of a celadon incense burner with and engraved phoenix pattern, excavated from the Shangshui'ao Yue Kiln site in Ningbo. [Photo/nb.zjol.com.cn]
The Daily News publishes death notices and obituaries on a daily basis for Norfolkans, area residents and former residents.

Death notices, which include information about when and where a person died, funeral services, burial and visitation for the deceased and memorial information, are published free of charge.

If families of the deceased desire to have an obituary printed, there is a fee charged for doing so. Because of that, families of the deceased can decide what information they want included in the obituary, as well as if they desire to have a photograph of the deceased published along with it. The Daily News reserves the right to edit.

Norfolk and area funeral homes have detailed information about placing an obituary in the Daily News. If individuals want to submit obituary information themselves, it can be emailed to funerals@norfolkdailynews.com or faxed to (402) 644-2080.

People needing additional information about death notices and obituaries can call the Daily News at 371-1020 or (877) 371-1020 and ask for the newsroom.
The Algerian ministry of justice has revealed that around 55,000 people have been charged for terrorism related crimes since the 90s, including the era of the civil war, which broke out in 1992.

The actual number of people has been put at 54,457 as of December 21.

Justice Minister Tayeb Louh told French AFP that the country established in 2014 a data bank of all files related terrorism.

The people inserted in the data bank include those who are still waiting for their trials, those sentenced in abstensia, people pardoned by President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika as part of reconciliation process, Louh told the French news agency.

Some of the convicted have been killed by security forces.

The North African country experienced its darkest years during the civil war, which sparked in 1992 after authorities robbed off Islamist of their electoral win at the 1991 legislative elections. Some 200,000 people were killed during the decade-long war.

Thousands of Islamists have been pardoned after accepting to lay down their arms.
The Polisario Front has been warned by one of its continental backers that there are odds that its seat as member of the African Union is at risk as several countries aligned with Morocco are set to vote for the eviction of the separatist front and its self-proclaimed pseudo Sahrawi Republic (SADR) from the Union.

A team led by Legal Affairs Adviser of the outgoing chairperson of the African Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has travelled to Tindouf camp in Algeria to inform members of the separatist movement of the future loss of their seat within the pan-African organization, Moroccan daily Assabah reports this Wednesday.

According to Zumas predictions, the SADR will loss its membership as a full-fledged member and will be only granted an observer status.

Several AU members that voiced backing to Moroccos application to integrate the African Union are set to vote out the Algeria-backed pseudo SADR.

In July 17, King Mohammed VI had sent a message to the 27th summit of the African Union held in the Rwandan capital Kigali wherein he officially requested his countrys return to the pan-African organization after 32 years of an empty seat policy.

Today, Morocco wishes resolutely and unequivocally to regain its place within its institutional family and to continue to live up to its responsibilities, with even more resolve and enthusiasm, the King had said in his message.

The following day, 28 member states of the AU welcomed in a motion Moroccos decision and pledged to work so that this legitimate return be effective as soon as possible.

Several other African Heads of State later on applauded Moroccos decision to reintegrate the AU and stressed that the Kingdoms place is within the African Union.
Russia has called on the UN to give Libyas strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is in conflict with the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, a larger say in resolving the conflict in the country.

We believe that the Libyans have to find a compromise on Haftars participation in the new Libyan leadership, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told Bloomberg News.

Gatilovs statements voice the strong Russian endorsement for Haftar, whose forces control most oil installations in Libya and contest the UN-recognized government in Tripoli.

Haftar paid two visits to Moscow in the past half year in a bid to secure arms supply despite a UN arms embargo in place since 2011 prohibiting the sale of weapons to Libyan factions, to the exception of the government in Tripoli, which can import weapons upon the approval of the UN Security Council.

On this issue, Gatilov was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that Moscow will observe the arms embargo that prevents supplies other than to the UN-mandated government.

In addition to Russia, Haftar has received public support from Egypt, the UAE and recently Algeria.

Haftars forces have gained ground by capturing four main ports of Libyas Oil Crescent from the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) headed by his opponent.

Many experts deem that Haftar gained popularity by his advance against terrorist groups and his capturing of oil installations. He also boosted his political leverage by allowing oil to flow and providing stable security at the ports.

Recently, Haftars Libyan National Army (LNA) announced its intention to liberate Tripoli from what they deem as Islamist control. Such an action will signal a return to an outright civil war in Libya and the collapse of the Skhirate agreement and the UN-recognized government.

The turmoil in Libya has taken a toll on its oil production, which is currently about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd), a fraction of the 1.6 million bpd the OPEC member was producing before the 2011 uprising that toppled Gaddafi.
Not a toy. Photo: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

A few misplaced Christmas presents threw Trump Towers lobby into a panic on Tuesday afternoon. Following the discovery of an unattended backpack, police partially evacuated the building, with some chaos ensuing as people ran toward the exits.



we were evacuated very quickly. It was hysteria. Police were shouting and telling people to leave.  Andrew Martin (@andyman0007) December 27, 2016

By 5 p.m., the bomb squad had concluded that the bag was harmless, and people began trickling back into the building that houses the president-elect. Authorities have since confirmed that the backpack  abandoned near the entrance of Trump Towers Niketown shop  was full of toys.

The towers namesake was not in residence during the scare  Trump spent the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida  but many of his staff were. Soon after the all clear was given, Trumps press secretary, Sean Spicer, tweeted that officials were back to work.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the evacuation, but the incident did give many quite a scare. On the upside, it provided a welcome opportunity for journalists to make war on Christmas jokes.
Donald Trump and friend. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spent much of the summer debasing himself for Donald Trumps pleasure in an apparent attempt to ensure his place in a Trump administration, should such a thing exist. But now, with Inauguration Day less than a month away, Christie remains on the outside. After a summer as Trumps whipping boy, his constituents despise him and his political future looks less promising than it has in years.

But Christie is undeterred, according to a report in the New York Times. The governor still believes he will make it into Trumps administration, even if it doesnt happen right away. And once he gets there, hell save the day.

Christies path to the White House, which the Times says his friends have been telling people about, begins with Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, and Reince Priebus, three of Trumps most trusted deputies, completely failing. Rudderless and desperate, Trump, in this scenario, will then call on Christie to saunter on down to D.C. and rescue his presidency from certain disaster. The role Christie is imagining is something like David Gergens in 1993, when he swooped in to steady Bill Clintons administration after a raucous first year, the Times says.

But more likely, of course, is him swooping in with a Quarter Pounder.
Photo: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

By the time Donald Trump becomes president in a few, desperately shortening weeks, he will already have made falsehood a U.S. goal. Trump does not lie to cover up the truth; he lies to deny the possibility that such a thing even exists. His feints and reversals are the essence of his belief system; he espouses a philosophy of bullshit. Until now, those habitual falsehoods have been the idiosyncrasies of a private citizen with no real responsibility toward anyone but himself. Once he takes the oath, his style becomes policy. We will have to get used to a president who dismisses the intelligence apparatus he commands, who denies events that took place on live television, who does not care whether he is caught in an obvious contradiction. We will have to learn to read a leader who treats truth as one option among many. When he issues a howler from the Oval Office, and his minions faithfully repeat it, that wont be propaganda, but showbiz.

The term propaganda comes from the Latin phrase denoting a 17-century committee of cardinals charged with spreading  propagating  the faith. The word has an overtone of menace: This is what to believe; accept it, or else. It also implies the existence of an overarching philosophy, a consistent way of accounting for (or willfully distorting) facts. The authoritarian rulers to whom Trump-haters reflexively compare him, primarily Mussolini and Hitler, caged their people within a rigid version of the world. Those who expressed unsanctioned opinions chose to dash themselves against those ideological bars, usually with lethal consequences.

Trump, on the other hand, has stripped his public utterances of coherence, let alone ideology. His rhetoric is shot through with the language of coercion, but he always seems to be winking while he makes his flamboyant threats. (His more unhinged followers may act on them, however.) Instead of riling up crowds by preaching faith, or nationalist zeal, or dialectical materialism, he relies on his instincts as an entertainer. His highest value is not fanaticism, but sheer excitement and suspense. He fears only that we look away  and by getting elected president, he has ensured that we cant.

In his collection of essays from the early 1950s, The Captive Mind, Czeslaw Milosz describes the mind games that citizens of the Soviet sphere played to insulate themselves against an all-consuming ideology. The friction between official policy and personal experience produced a population of actors, people who, even amongst themselves, recited lines they knew to be false and masked their thoughts, which were by definition dangerous. We Americans of 2016, instead of becoming actors and reading ideologically prescribed lines, have elected as president a performance artist who has no script at all. Trumps mendacity is improvisational, insubstantial. He tosses out a daily spectacle of sparkling untruths that dazzle like fireworks and are replaced by others before they have a chance to flare out.

Trumps lies can seem like ploys to divert us from some underlying, unspeakable truth. But in the spray of distractions, he seems to have forgotten what, if anything, hes supposed to be hiding. Are his Twitter blasts a diversion from a plan to use the presidency as leverage in his business dealings? Is his overt corruption really a cover for a program of white supremacy? Or does it all mean nothing?

The soon-to-be presidents hostility toward fact threatens Americas stability and the worlds. The nations debt has value because the world believes its treasury to be sound. Official documents certify the truth of their contents  an Americans place of birth, for instance  and allow its citizens to travel freely around the world. The democracy stands because its people assume their votes will be tabulated using objective math. This system has endured abuses, hypocrisies, violence, and co-optation precisely because it sits on the bedrock of hard, verifiable evidence.

Youd think that a public inoculated by Photoshop, CGI, and Stephen Colbert would be savvy about the difference between truth and truthiness. Instead, Trumps election and leadership style suggests that voters dont care. Americans love to elect entertainers  viz. the political careers of P.T. Barnum (who served as a representative in the Connecticut legislature and as mayor of Bridgeport), Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Franken, Jesse Ventura, and Clint Eastwood. But while those men used their showbiz skills to political ends, Trump goes much further: He has replaced politics with greasepaint and colored lights.

Where does that leave us, the presidents captive audience? To challenge Trump on the facts is to play his game and lose, because it promotes nonsense to the level of reason. Newspapers and experts find themselves in the impossible position of having to take seriously the utterances of a deeply unserious leader. The Washington Post has produced a Google Chrome extension that displays instant fact-checking commentary along with each of Trumps oracular tweets. The Times tries to divine the positions behind the rants. But there is no position, no ideology, no strategy. There is only Donald Trump, an invented character honed over years of public exposure. That persona has no use for offstage realities. Trump doesnt oppose climate science because it contradicts his short-term interests, but because it is science. He sows suspicion because he breathes it, and lards his rhetoric with expressions of extravagant doubt: I dont know and you dont know, We have to find out, We have no idea. His only answer to uncertainty is the assurance Believe me  the very advice he makes it impossible to take.

Trumps deployment of fiction as a tool of governance can only make artists despair. He has turned outlandish plot twists into wan imitation, and made every imagined grotesquerie seem soft. In the HBO show Westworld, Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) is the creator and CEO of an alternate reality that well-heeled guests visit to discover who they really are. In the final episode, he paraphrases Picassos (apocryphal, but who cares?) statement: Art is a lie that tells the truth. Ford is an evil yet somehow sympathetic genius, an artist who has taken his creative urges to their lunatic extreme. Back in the real world, a fabulist has acquired awesome powers, including the legal license to kill on a mass scale. This leaves the rest of us feeling like characters in a John le Carre novel or the bits of humanoid machinery in Fords manufactured universe, possessed of the consciousness to understand a suicidal system but not the tools to change it.
In what may have been his last big speech, Kerry appeals to a future Israeli government to return to negotiations. Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

In a long (and long-planned) speech in Washington, outgoing secretary of State John Kerry provided a vision for peace in the Middle East. But the only thing likely to get much attention were his comments defending the decades-old linchpin of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the two-state solution. Deploying a directness unusual for diplomats (and this could be the final big speech of a long career), Kerry warned the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu not to abandon the two-state solution at the behest of extremist elements in his electoral coalition who favor an annexation of occupied territories:

The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but his current coalition is the most right wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by its most extreme elements, Kerry said. The result is that policies of this government  which the prime minister himself just described as more committed to settlements than any in Israels history  are leading in the opposite direction, towards one state.

But you have to figure he knew that abandonment is all but a fait accompli, partly because the Trump administration is likely to give it international cover. Otherwise Kerrys speech itself, along with the U.S. abstention last week on a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements as illegal, might precipitate the move if it were not already happening.

Kerrys  and, for that matter, the Obama administrations  motives in directly taking on Netanyahu, and indirectly Trump, were probably mixed. His pleas for the continuation of the two-state solution seem to be addressed to some future Israeli government that will be willing to return to the negotiating table (indeed, Israeli opposition leaders praised Kerrys speech even as Netanyahu and his allies assailed it as skewed and pathetic). But beyond that, the Obama administration, particularly in the wake of the furor over the U.N. vote, needed to make a highly visible argument that it is Israel, not the U.S., that has abandoned the status quo ante.

Kerrys speech makes the basic point that Israels current posture is inherently incompatible with the two-state solution: The status quo is leading towards one state and perpetual occupation. But as one of Kerrys former negotiators (and former U.S. ambassador to Israel) Martin Indyk noted at Politico today, theres a tangible step that Israel is on the brink of taking that could make a two-state solution even more impracticable:

[T]he settler movement, encouraged by the prospect of a Trump administration they believe will be sympathetic to their aspirations, is pushing the current Netanyahu government to pass legislation that will legalize all these outposts. The Knesset has already passed the first reading of the bill and Netanyahu has pledged to support it.



This, not the false charge of hostility to Israel, is why the Obama administration abstained on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which challenged the legal validity of all the settlements. For the past year, the Obama administration has warned the Israeli government, and criticized and condemned new settlement activity, including a new settlement established in the northern West Bank the day after Obama attended the funeral of Shimon Peres, a towering statesman and peacemaker. Those objections were systematically ignored.

While Netanyahu and Trump and their mouthpieces will continue to claim that Obama and Kerry suddenly and vindictively stabbed Israel in the back as they left the world scene, the real effect of Kerrys speech may be to give Israelis (and supporters of Israel in the U.S. and elsewhere) who still believe in a two-state solution something they can agree with even if they thought the U.N. abstention was not a good idea. Its hardly the breakthrough Kerry long hoped for, but it may be the best he can manage now.
Richard Spencer. Photo: Linda Davidson/The Washington Post/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Montanas top political officials released a statement [condemning] attacks on our religious freedom by a group of anti-Semites. We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation, read an open letter signed by Democratic senator Jon Tester, Republican senator Steve Daines, Republican representative (and Donald Trumps secretary of the Interior nominee) Ryan Zinke, Democratic governor Steve Bullock, and Republican attorney general Tim Fox. We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they should find no safe haven here. The men were responding to plans for an armed neo-Nazi march in Whitefish, a small resort town whose Jewish residents have recently been harassed and threatened by white supremacists.

Whitefish is home to Rand and Sherry Spencer, whose extremely racist, heiling son Richard has become the face of the alt-right movement. (Richard lives in the area part-time.) Two weeks ago, Sherry claimed that local activists had pressured her to publicly disavow her sons beliefs and sell a building she owns in downtown Whitefish, with some of the proceeds from the sale going to Love Lives Here, an affiliate of the Montana Human Rights Network. (The Spencers have since said that while they deeply love Richard, they unequivocally do not agree with [his] extreme positions.) Neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer picked up the story, instructing its readers to troll the Jews targeting Richard Spencers mother for harassment and extortion. The site also posted the names, photos, and contact information of three Jewish women involved with Love Lives Here, as well as information about some of their family members. Since then, the women and people associated with them have been inundated with hate-filled message and death threats, with the harassment spreading to Whitefish business owners and city council members.

Meanwhile, according to Missoulian, the Daily Stormers Andrew Anglin wrote:

For the next phase of our plan  we are planning an armed protest in Whitefish. Montana has extremely liberal open carry laws, so my lawyer is telling me we can easily march through the center of the town carrying high-powered rifles. Anglin estimated he could attract 200 followers from his march, which will be against Jews, Jewish businesses and everyone who supports either. We will be busing in skinheads from the Bay Area. As for a date, he said only that the march would be held in the second week in January.

Over the weekend, Anglin suggested that he might cancel the event if various demands were met, including a promise that any protest actions you take in the future against Richard Spencer will not involve his family members. He then wrote that he and his followers were reasonable people  just a few paragraphs above a digital flier featuring the faces of Jewish Whitefish residents pasted onto a photo of the gates of Auschwitz. Spencer, for his part, claimed that he wasnt involved in Anglins plan, though he said, I think its important to call people out.
Donald Trump, proof that the rich are always honest. Photo: Albin Lohr-Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trumps government has not yet taken power, but its epitaph may have already been written. The author, Lawrence Kudlow, is a noted voodoo economist and the reported leading candidate to head the administrations Council of Economic Advisors. In a column touting the brilliance of Trumps appointments  Trumps transition continues to go smoothly. Better than smoothly. Confidently. More than confidently. Transcendently  and naturally omitting any mention of his own prospective candidacy, Kudlow dismisses any concerns of the conflicts of interest that are already rife. In a National Review column, Kudlow makes the case not only that Trump and his administration are not corrupt, but also that they cannot be corrupt, by virtue of their wealth. Why shouldnt the president surround himself with successful people? reasons Kudlow, Wealthy folks have no need to steal or engage in corruption.

In point of fact, it does not take much effort to find wealthy folks who steal and engage in corruption. Look at, oh, imprisoned coal baron Don Blankenship, who indirectly murdered 29 of his employees by blatantly flouting safety regulations and who tried to purchase his states legal and political system to protect himself. (Blankenship endorsed Trump.) Or look at Vladimir Putin, a leader whose methods Trump has repeatedly praised and who has leveraged his power into billions of dollars of personal wealth. Or look at Donald Trump himself, who was born into massive wealth, had no need to steal or engage in corruption, yet cheated hundreds of contractors of their money, defrauded thousands through scams, and frequently boasted of his success at corrupting politicians. Clearly, it is not impossible for already-wealthy people to steal and to engage in corruption.

Kudlows argument is important not only for its absurdity but for what it reveals about the coming age in Washington. Trump was able to prevail in part by positioning himself to Hillary Clintons left on economic issues. Trump won 38 percent of voters who desire more liberal policies than President Obama delivered (and nearly a fifth of white voters without a college degree who approve of Obamas performance as president). It was Trumps image as an outsider  a dangerous man, perhaps, but an avowed enemy of a failed and corrupt political establishment and large corporations.

In reality, Trumps administration is a rebuke to the very notion that the public interest diverges in any way from private ones. The Labor Department will be run by a man whose interest in the field is dominated by a mania for cheap labor; the Environmental Protection Agency will be run by a virtual pass-through for fossil-fuel interests. Trumps government will make policy by and for the rich and well-connected. As Politico reports, the extent to which donors are stocking Trumps administration is unparalleled in modern presidential history. As Kudlow makes clear, Trumpism regards the fear that government might favor capital over labor or some other public interest as inherently nonsensical.

What has been exposed is not only the lie at the heart of Trumps campaign, but a delusion embedded in conservatism itself. Conservatives like to imagine that their policy represents a challenge to the power structure, which they see as crony capitalism, a form of corruption threatened by their free-market ideas. The failures of the Bush administration (which, in fact, followed the tax-cutting, deregulatory agenda that conservatives had promised would usher in prosperity) were dismissed as the byproduct of the administrations departures from market purism. Bush and the Washington Republicans allowed power and wealth to corrupt them, the argument went. As Bushs popularity plunged, conservatives lacerated their party with polemics like Matthew Continettis The K Street Gang, which depicted the GOP as a self-enriching elite.

The conceptual distinction between the good kind of wealth, earned through the free market, and the bad kind, earned through political favoritism, is an absolutely vital one for right-wing intellectuals. And yet Trump is showing how easily it collapses in practice. Conservatives have treated a first family using the powers of office to enrich itself  not theoretically or in the future but right now, on an ongoing basis  as, at worst, a distraction or a problem of optics. In practice, conservatives share Kudlows belief that a government of and by the rich is necessarily virtuous.

Kudlow touts another pro-Trump column, this one written by Wall Street titan Ray Dalio. In the course of touting Trumps agenda, Dalio makes the key point that Trump is driven by veneration of the rich and contempt for the poor:

[I]f 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.

Again, a strict Randian would draw a distinction between rich people who succeeded through pure capitalism and those who succeeded through political favoritism. But Dalio glides over the distinction, as one must when venerating a government led by the ultimate crony capitalist. Likewise, Continetti has a new column reframing Trumps differences with (or ignorance of) conservative doctrine as a virtue. Trumps relation to the intellectual community of both parties is fraught because his visceral, dispositional conservatism leads him to judgments based on specific details, depending on changing circumstances, relative to who is gaining and who is losing in a given moment, he writes.

We can be pretty sure that Trump, his family, and his friends will be among the people who gain from his policies. Conservatives appear distinctly unalarmed by the prospect.
Former California lieutenant governor Abel Maldonado is being considered for secretary of Agriculture. He is an actual farmer. Photo: Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images

Donald Trump is running out of time and positions if he wants a Latino cabinet member. But now he is scheduled to interview as a possible secretary of Agriculture a semi-retired Republican pol whose name should be familiar to Californians: former Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado.

On the positive side, Maldonado is an actual farmer, having turned his familys Santa Barbara County strawberry farm into a prosperous enterprise before he went into full-time politics. He also studied crop science at Cal PolySan Luis Obispo, though he never earned a degree (perhaps another positive to Trump given his base of support).

Maldonado as a Trump cabinet member will raise some eyebrows among California conservatives who view him as the ultimate RINO. He won his fame in 2009 by being the first GOP state legislator to cross the aisle and vote for a state budget with a tax increase (which under the state constitution could have been blocked by a unified GOP opposition). While this gambit infuriated conservatives, it worked out well for Maldonado personally since he parlayed it into a 2010 appointment for a vacant lieutenant governors position (he was perhaps the only Republican who could be confirmed by a Democratic-controlled legislature). He also managed to extort for his budget vote a bipartisan agreement to place on the ballot an initiative creating Californias current Top Two primary system, which replaced party primaries with a nonpartisan free for all with the top two finishers, regardless of party, proceeding to the general election.

Its this last dubious contribution to California politics for which Maldonado will long be known even if Trump doesnt pick him for a cabinet gig. The jury is still out as to whether Top Two has succeeded in empowering moderates in both parties who can reach beyond the base for primary voters. But it has definitely produced some funky two-Democrat and two-Republican general-election contests, including an all-Democratic U.S. Senate field this very year. Indeed, the absence of a Republican U.S. Senate may have contributed to Hillary Clintons massive winning margin in California this November.

Even if Team Trump doesnt hold that or his RINO rep against Maldonado, it is certain they are aware of an open letter to Trump from Latino Republicans he signed onto shortly after the mogul announced his presidential candidacy:

America, the letter states, more than ever needs a president who will unite us  with both words and deeds  not further divide us. You fail on all accounts. As such, not only have you lost our respect and our buying power, but you have lost our vote. We will never support you, your candidacy or your enterprises. Without the Hispanic vote you will not be the Republican nominee, much less the president of our great nation.

So much for that show of force. Its also worth noting that, despite his notoriety, Maldonado has never been elected to a position higher than the state Senate, having lost his reelection as lieutenant governor in 2010 and a primary for state controller in 2006. He also entered the governors race in 2014 but withdrew before the primary.

But Maldonado does have one ace in the hole: a common interest in reality TV. Earlier this year, he actually tried to secure a show of his own, as the Sacramento Bee reported:

A video compilation that has rocketed around the Internet recently opens with an apparent working title: Meet the Maldonados. In it, the former state legislator and unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate can be seen drinking wine with his daughter, asking his son about having a condom and laughing after his wife informs their daughter that we watched porn when you were conceived.

At one point, a horse starts relieving itself in Maldonados house. Yeah, Sacramentos better than this, a flustered Maldonado mutters as he cleans up.

Yeah, sounds like Maldonado could get along just fine with Trump, style-wise.
Donald Trump emerged from his Mar-a-Lago resort Wednesday to make an announcement teased earlier in the day as very positive for American workers. The news? Sprint will be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States from other countries, Trump said.

He credited the return of the jobs both to whats happening because of the spirit and the hope and Japanese businessman Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank. Son, whose company has a controlling stake in Sprint, previously told Trump that he would bring 50,000 total jobs to the U.S., something Trump took personal credit for. In his announcement, Trump also said a new company called OneWeb would be creating 3,000 jobs in the U.S.

The 8,000 jobs that Trump is so proud of himself for bringing back to the U.S. leaves him only 170,000 shy of the total number of jobs created in November.
Photo: Ty Wright/Getty Images

In the days following the election, Donald Trump said that once he became president he would be very restrained on Twitter. That claim has gone from dubious to totally impossible to believe as weve watched the president-elect recklessly tweet about topics as diverse as China, Vanity Fair, nuclear weapons, and Alec Baldwin. In an interview with Rhode Islands WPRI, incoming press secretary Sean Spicer seemed to confirm that Trump doesnt actually plan to curtail his Twitter use. I think that his use of social media in particular  is gonna be something thats never been seen before, said Spicer. I mean, he does communicate in a much bigger way than theres ever been before, and I think thats gonna be just a really exciting part of the job. Spicer went on to praise Twitter as a direct pipeline in the American people, where [Trump] can talk back and forth. As one of Trumps recent posts demonstrates, he can also use it to talk to himself.
Last year, Kate and Emily were a couple who wanted a baby. To improve their odds, they both tried  and, to their surprise, they both became pregnant. In My Wife and I Are (Both) Pregnant, they talked about going through pregnancy together, giving birth four days apart, and bonding with their two newborn sons, Reid and Eddie.

The Cut revisited the family a few days after the boys first birthday party.

Kate: Whenever somebody asks me what the first year was like  I mean, it was incredibly exhausting, but it became really seamless. We just sort of fell into being parents, and the routine became the routine.

Emily: People with one baby are like, I dont know how you do it. A lot of people have said to me, Oh, its much easier for you because youre two women. I think thats partly true, for sure  But I also think its harder in some ways.

Kate: The boys are really good kids. We got lucky, because theyre not difficult by any stretch of the imagination.

When we first spoke, I think I said that Reid was a frat boy and Eddie was a gentle soul, or something like that. Theyve kind of switched roles. Reid is very affectionate, loving, and observant, whereas the supposedly super-chill Eddie is constantly laughing and giggling. Hes kinda mischievous.

Emily: I just love watching them  its fascinating  and the way Kate interacts with them, which is very different from the way I do. Neither is better than the other. When shes with them, shes on  the whole time. Shes doing flash cards, reading and singing, and theres music  its all-encompassing. And when Im with them, I let them lead a little bit more.

Kate: I dress them like twins. Being an art director, I just love seeing that doubleness. In the morning I pick out their clothes and Emilys like, Oh my God, theyre so art-directed. But the hard part is that Reid is bigger; hes growing out of clothes faster. And then I have to think: Do I buy three of each so that when he grows out he can still match?

Emily: Her focus is on making sure everythings scheduled and everythings put away and everythings clean and orderly. My focus is on making sure everyones fed and all the errands are done. Kate cant drive, so I do all the driving and a lot of the heavy lifting  there are things that only I can do, and so thats just how it works. Its sort of automatic.

Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

Kate: Emily  God bless her  is still nursing. Shes seriously a cow.

Emily: I wanted to breastfeed for a year, and I have been doing it for a year. I think we calculated that Ive spent, like, 17 and a half days pumping over the past year.

Kate: Very early on, maybe at three months, Eddie didnt want to nurse anymore. Emily produces a lot of milk; it was never hard for her other than the commitment of having to go pump. Whatever she pumps, we give to Eddie, and then she nurses Reid.

Emily: Im sad not to nurse anymore, but its time, you know?

Kate: She read somewhere that she should start to wind down, and so shes been doing less pumping in hopes that her boobs will go back to normal. Shes like, Ive been wearing these damn nursing bras. Theyre so not-sexy. I got those go-back-to-normal bras very quickly, so its not a thing for me. For Christmas Ill probably buy her some sexy ones.

Emily: At the beginning, I bought the little machine that steams and purees the food. Kate was like, This is ridiculous, youre never gonna do it   And I did it, this whole time. I have successfully made 98 percent of their food. Its important to me that Im feeding our family. And thats sort of been the theme of our year: that I have fed everybody.

Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

Kate: The next step is to let them eat by themselves  but Im so scared of them making a mess. Emilys like, Kate, you cant choose what we feed our babies based on, like, the cleanup. And Im like, Why? You dont give a klutz red wine, do you? Thats just common sense, right? Why would I give a baby spaghetti?

One time I walked in and Emily had put meatballs on their trays, and I almost had a heart attack. They havent figured out how to throw their food yet, thank God.

Heres the thing: Its very easy for me to be obsessive and controlling right now, but I know that theres gonna be a time in the very near future where I have to let them do that kind of thing.

Emily: We have very different strengths and skills, and so we divide work equally. But then most of our disagreements are about the things that we prioritize over the other person. So if Im not as tidy as Kate wants to be, then thats her issue with me, you know? Although its the reason we work as well as we do as a team, its also the root of most of our issues.

Kate: I just like order, and I want to have that for the kids. I like to think that order brings some happiness to them. They know they have a routine. They sleep at a certain time; they nap at a certain time; they eat at a certain time. Every parent probably figures that out.

Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

Emily: Reid is up at five each day  I dont know how he does it. Hes got Kates internal clock, I think, or her schedule.

Kate: Eddie doesnt wake up until around six. Theyre super chatty and were still sleepy, so we get them and bring them into our bed. We give them a bottle or Emily nurses Reid, and they sort of hang out with us until around 6:30.

Emily: We have family time really early in the morning. Its really nice just to be together in bed. After Ive nursed Reid, we take turns taking them down and hanging out with them downstairs. And Kate has taken that opportunity to spend a little more time with Reid, because she doesnt get a whole lot of one-on-one time with him.

Kate: When were down there, we take the flash cards out. Reid sits there with me and learns his letters. I dont do it when hes not interested. But the way to make Reid stop crying when he cries  which is very rare  is to sing the alphabet. He really likes it.

Emily: I think its great that thats happening, and I think that its great that she gets into that, but there are times  like their first birthday party  where I was like, Can you give the kid a break? She was, like, doing flash cards in the middle of a birthday party. I was like, Kate, enough, Tiger Mom.

Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

Kate: Emily leaves for work around 8:15. And I could, too, but I want that time with the boys. So we read books in the morning, and then I get them dressed and put them down for their nap. Our nanny comes around 8:30, and thats when I get ready and go to work. By the time I get there Im like, Oh my God, Ive been up since five. And Im sure they all think, Her life is so easy  she comes in around eleven oclock.

I still have the same amount of work that I did beforehand; I just figure out pockets of time. I know I get at least 20 minutes in the morning when theyre entertained by themselves and I can send work emails, and I have 40 minutes on the train when Im commuting. As a parent, the first thing you learn is priorities: What really needs to be done during your workday is what you do. Both Emily and I are home by six oclock every night.

Emily: Theyre both so excited when they see us. We have these French doors that separate the kitchen from the living room, and we come in through the back, the kitchen door, and we come up to the glass doors and kind of knock, and they see us and they just light up and run over. Its just so cute. Its the best part of my day.

Kate: I think that makes us feel better  were gone all day, and it is tough to be working moms even though we both love our jobs. We have a nanny who we love; that makes it much easier.

Emily: We get home about the same time, and we have a good hour of play. We always have a little family dance party and we sing, and thats another one of my favorite times. We bathe them together every night, but we take turns bathing each of them; we switch off.

Kate: Reid is definitely more drawn to Emily, and Eddie is definitely more partial to me. Its weird; I dont know how to explain it. They love both of us, theyre comfortable with both of us, but theres a preference for sure. If I walk in the door, Reid is happy to see me and he runs to me. But if Emily walks in the door, he literally squeals. Hes so excited to hug her, to be in her arms. Eddie is similar, even though hes not super into hugging: He runs to me; he doesnt go to Emily unless Emily really calls to him or goes over and picks him up.

Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

Emily: Im sure that there is a strong biological tie  you cant deny that at all. When were home and Kates here, Eddies always looking for her. I mean, when Im trying to give him a bottle and hes screaming, its terrible. You can rationalize it, sure. I know he doesnt hate me, but it is very painful. It can make me emotional. But, you know, when I try to pick up Reid and he pushes away, I get that same feeling of rejection. Whether its in small or big ways, its just hard to take. I probably blame myself for too much of this stuff. But it can be heartbreaking.

Kate: We love both children equally, but when one of them is crying, I still have this weird thing  I dont know what it is  but when I hear the one cry, you know, Oh, thats Eddie. I know Eddies cry.

Emily: I guess we dont talk about it to each other much because we dont really have to talk about it. She knows it makes me sad. I know that we can fix it and theyre young and its a stage. We tell ourselves that all the time: Everythings a phase. The good stuff is a phase; the bad stuff is a phase; everything comes and goes in waves.

I hope that we are giving them equal time with both of us. I want them to think of us in the same way. One of them may gravitate towards Kate for a period  a phase, whatever it is, but I want them to think about us equally.

Kate: We definitely try to correct it. You know, Today Im gonna spend more time with Reid. He has a preference for Emily, so, for example, if Emily is playing with Eddie, Reid walks over there and tries to hang on her and get her attention. If someones going to be in her lap, he wants it to be him. He doesnt push Eddie or anything yet; he just wants to pile on and be part of it. With Eddie its more challenging, because he cries  neither of them are super finicky, but he has more meltdowns with Emily.

Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

Emily: Eddie is having a really hard time with me putting him to bed. He really wants Kate to rock him to sleep, and he lets me know it. He does not want to be held by me. He screams; he tries to get away; he doesnt want to drink his bottle  which is hard. If it wasnt a biological tie, then I think we might feel differently about it, but because were so conscious of making sure we are giving an equal amount of mothering to both kids, its even harder on us. Well just keep dealing with some screaming babies at night. Spending individual time with each kid is really important, too. You do notice that they react to you differently when its just the two of you  like, Im going to take Eddie to the library by myself, were actually leaving the house together and doing something fun.

Kate: We have a Filipino nanny  that was something that I really wanted. She speaks Tagalog to both boys, and they know some of the words already. My parents are from the Philippines, but I just didnt pick up the language: I dont speak it; I understand it a little bit. I knew that I felt sad not knowing it and I wanted it to feel very seamless for the boys.

And I especially want Reid  who obviously doesnt have any Filipino blood  to really know that culture, so that it will help bond him more to me or to my family or to his grandparents from the Philippines. I really want our bond to be strong  Im actively looking for ways to make sure he doesnt feel so different than me.

Emily: Eddie and Kate look a lot alike. Theres no denying that. I dont know how thats going to play out. And Reid and I look way more alike, too. Were going to have to think about how to talk to them about race, and I dont have the answers right now.

I think people are going to be surprised that theyre brothers. Its easy for us to understand as adults  like, Oh, you have a donor whos half Asian and half white, and you have a biological mom whos all white. But as a kid I think thats really complicated. We dont have to think about that issue quite yet, but the town we live in is  and this is the reason we chose it  super diverse. I feel like theyre going to be in good company and its not going to be as much of a thing by the time they get to school. But they have a lot to explain. They have different birthdays. They look very different. Theyre different sizes. They have two moms. Weve thrown these kids a whole lot of weird things to explain to their peers, and I always hope and pray that that doesnt become a negative. Im sure they will have struggles with it in their lives, but Im hoping its a positive, cool thing rather than something that theyre bullied about or made fun of.

Kate: We entered into this knowing that it would be a challenge, because we really wanted to be parents and we really wanted to have a family. I was certainly surprised and delighted that people did come forward and say, Oh my gosh, I cried when I read your story  it was so honest. And it did make me think, Why do mothers not want to talk like this?

Were never thinking, This is so weird, what were doing. Were two people who love each other and wanted a family. I dont know if this is naive or not, but there was just nothing about that that was weird. We did what we had to do to make our family.



See More Photos Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz

*A version of this article appears in the December 26, 2016, issue of New York Magazine.
Chris Corley.

Chris Corley, a South Carolina Republican state representative, was arrested Tuesday and faces charges of domestic violence and pointing and presenting a firearm, The Post and Courier reports.

On Monday night, his wife reported that, after she accused him of cheating, Corley punched her in the face in front of their children, who are 2 and 8 years old. Per The Post and Courier, she also told deputies Corley only stopped hitting her when he heard the children screaming and saw blood coming from her head. He allegedly went on to retrieve a handgun, point it at his wife, then said he was going to kill himself. When he went into a bedroom, she ran off to her mothers house, located across the street.

Corley, for his part, told deputies that his wife tried to punch him in the face after they argued.

During his time as state representative, Corley is most notable for staunchly defending the Confederate flag. Following the murder of nine black churchgoers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina passed a bill in July 2015 that called for the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds. During the debate over the bill, Corley said that if the Confederate flag were to be removed, it should be replaced with a white flag of surrender. Then, in December 2015, Corley sent Confederate flag Christmas cards to fellow Republican lawmakers, writing, May you have a blessed and happy Christmas, and may you take this joyous time as an opportunity to ask for forgiveness of all your sins such as betrayal.

He also firmly supports gun rights, though, according to The Post and Courier, Corley did vote to support of the states sweeping domestic violence law that passed in 2015, which included a partial gun ban.



Corley was released from jail on Tuesday after posting a $20,000 bond, and hes currently prohibited from contacting his wife and possessing a gun. If indicted, he will be suspended from the House.
Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

I wish I had known I was a sex symbol, Carrie Fisher said during her excellent press tour for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in which she returned alongside Harrison Ford to play General Leia Organa. Thats so odd, because I dont look at myself even remotely that way.

Of course, sex symbol is a one-dimensional reading of her character, who was a brilliant tactician, a strong rebel leader, and an ace shot with a blaster. And yet, with the launch of George Lucass Star Wars trilogy in 1977  and especially thanks to her infamous metal-and-leather bikini in 1983s Return of the Jedi  thats exactly what Fisher became on an international scale.

Princess Leias status as the catalyst of male sexual awakening has been alluded to countless times in pop culture. On Friends, when Ross confesses to Rachel that he had a sexual fantasy about bikini-clad Leia, Phoebe assures her its a rite of passage. Every guy our age loved that, she says. Its huge. Thats the moment when she stopped being a princess and she became, like, a woman. As the Washington Posts Alyssa Rosenberg points out, one of the most glaring signs that Leia is seen as sexy rather than complex is the Philadelphia dad who complained about a scantily clad Leia action figure. And on Tuesday, Steve Martin helpfully reminded us of this fact in a now-deleted tweet when he said that for him as a young man, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

But that characterization of Leia  as a wet dream for prepubescent men  is something Fisher spoke out against her whole career. She addressed Leias role as a sex object in a 1983 interview with Rolling Stone. Lets not forget that these movies are basically boys fantasies, she said. So the other way they made her more female in this one was to have her take off her clothes. And she was even more explicit in a recent interview with new Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley:

FISHER: Listen! I am not a sex symbol, so thats an opinion of someone. I dont share that.



RIDLEY: I dont think thats the right



FISHER: Word for it? Well, you should fight for your outfit. Dont be a slave like I was.



RIDLEY: All right, Ill fight.



FISHER: You keep fighting against that slave outfit.

So remember Fisher for her immense talent, her outspoken feminism, and her moving commentary on mental health  not for the way she looked onscreen.
Sportsgambler.com - The Ultimate Sports Betting Guide

Sportsgambler.com is a leading sports betting information website brought to you by a team of industry professionals. Our mission statement has always been simple. To provide you with all the information you need to place informed bets across a wide range of sports and hopefully make a good return on your investment.

The website specialises in free betting tips, predictions, match previews, odds, stats, team news, lineups, injuries, bonus and free bet information. Weve been shortlisted twice for an EGR Operator Award and more recognition is sure to come considering that we provide readers with a first-class service.

Sportsgambler.com has the most popular sports and leagues covered irrespective of where you are based. This includes Premier League and Champions League football, Indian Premier League cricket, while we showcase ATP and WTA tennis all year round. We also focus on American sports including NFL, NBA basketball, NHL ice hockey and MLB Baseball.

Responsible Gambling is Very Important

It nearly goes without saying that Sportsgambler.com is committed to responsible gambling. Several of our team have worked for various bookmakers and understand that sportsbook customers should only bet with money that they can afford to lose. Readers should also know that when the fun stops, they should stop betting.

Every online bookie is now obliged to give bettors the chance to set deposit limits when they open an account. Existing customers can also log into their account and set these limits at any stage, with daily, weekly or monthly limits available and we recommend everyone doing so.

We believe that online gambling should be a fun and entertaining experience. No bettor is going to win with every bet they place, although by following the advice on this website and using the various information and tools at your disposal, you will give yourself a stronger chance of doing well with your online bets.

As youll see from the bottom of our website, we are Gamble Aware and encourage anyone experiencing gambling problems to seek immediate help and ensure that they become self-excluded with any betting site where they hold an account.
i miss rachel gatina

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yes and god no.

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People that can't behave in flights, buses or restaurants are the worst

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omg ew how is he allowed to do this

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lmao WTF.

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I was just reading this. Why the fuck wasn't he kicked off for "making passengers uncomfortable"? People can't crack open a book written in the wrong language or with the word "Syria" on the cover and this asshole is sitting around in his underwear.



Edited at 2016-12-28 08:06 pm (UTC)

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But airlines have done that is the thing.

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The tweets suggest he was talking about taking his pants off at the gate.

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I mean if he did it once they were already in the air it's not like they can pop open a door and push him out.



why not?

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Idk why people are being so obtuse, passengers on a flight would be beyond pissed if they landed a plane to kick someone off because he had his pants off.

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Grounding a flight is not always the effort. That said, the FAA can impart fines for failure to follow a flight attendant's instructions. They also have the power to have someone like this arrested as soon as the plane lands. But both of those options require the flight crew to report these incidents.

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Seriously.



And people making excuses for why he wasn't kicked off are being obtuse.

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mens' entitlement will never cease to astound me

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How obnoxious

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haven't flown first class but once did accidentally upgrade our family to economy plus (something like that, like one level up) for the flight from LA to London. thought my dad would rage but we all appreciated the extra legroom and comfort for 11 hours of a 24 hour journey lmao

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this is so gross

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I want to know how people aren't embarrassed by behavior like this. How does their mind work in ways most of ours don't

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they're delusional and think they're God's gift to earth and anything they do is correct.

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Mte. I get embarrassed by the smallest, most innocuous things that I know I shouldn't even feel embarrassed about and yet people like this just carry on with absolutely zero shame???? HOW.

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I was upgraded to business on my flight home from Budapest this summer and I was semi embarrassed for being underdressed for wearing shorts. like how is taking your pants off not mortifying????

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You can't fly while being a black doctor without having your credentials and expertise questioned but flying as a white guy with no pants? Come on down!

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I mean sis the FAA regulations clearly only apply to PoC y'know?

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dickhead behaviour aside



if you wanna be comfy, why the fuck would you put your feet up against a wall?

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lmao good point, this actually look sf uncomfortable

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I mean, you can go for a quick walk for that.

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haha i find it comfy, it's just stretching your legs

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it's probably the same reason why people put their feet up on the seat in the movie theater. because they get to stretch their legs out somehow.

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maybe he sprained his ankles and had to elevate them



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I actually sit like that when I'm on my laptop sitting in bed, lol. It's comfortable.

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I actually get restless legs when I don't put them up haha so sometimes in the plane I put my feet(with socks) in the seat-pocket.

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pantless guy should be put on a no-fly list tbh

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He should def be banned by that airline. And castrated.

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Ba dum tss

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Donald Trump in the White House and Theresa May in 10 Downing Street. They will open the door to more nuclear spending, no doubt. Prime minister May has already given a green light to Britains most expensive energy project, a heavily subsidized nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Based on the most recent federal budgeting approvals, we expect that no U.S. nuclear weapons programs will want for funds. But, despite all the post-election industry euphoria, should we anticipate a full renaissance for U.S. commercial nuclear power? Is that just a bridge too far, so to speak? Let's look at the what will go into some of these decisions.

1.Need for the product. With no growth in the market for electricity, the industry needs new power plants only to replace old ones and to decarbonize output in order to mitigate global warming. The Trump administration has declared an end to the so-called war on coal, which makes it less likely that the electric industry will have to close old coal fired generating stations soon and it has categorized global warming as a hoax, which removes an excuse to build non-carbon producing nuclear units. The nuclear industry will need another rationalization for expansion.

2.Economics. Nuclear power looks like an expensive means of producing base load electricity with significant known risks and ongoing waste storage/disposal issues. A new 1,000 MW nuclear plant ordered today for 2025 in service would cost about $10 billion. New renewables can produce power at no higher a cost per kwh, without the same long construction schedule and need to build so large a unit. A new base load gas fired unit of the same size capacity could be completed in a few years and cost one fifth as much per MW and produce at a lower cost per kwh. Producing a commodity like electricity at a relatively high price in a competitive market is not a winning business strategy. Nuclear has to offer something else.

3. Base load generation. Nuclear plants run as base load units, something renewables cannot do -- at least not until economical energy storage comes into the picture-- because of the intermittency of their output. Still, renewables, particularly wind in the U.S. midwest and Texas, will temporarily displace more large central station power generation, forcing more units to cycle. Nuclear plants are less well suited for this duty. Flexibility and load following may become more highly valued than base load. This also reflects a change in the electric industry itself. The former command and control or paternalistic relationship between utility and consumer is changing. At a minimum consumers are dictating how their energy is produced, agreeing for example to pay premiums for greener forms of electricity. In other words, nuclear has something to sell in the base load market, but that market may be in decline. Related: Are Abandonded Mines A Solution For This Energy Dilemma?

4. Power markets. Neither U.S. nor UK power markets will support unsubsidized or non-mandated new generation. To the extent that the U.S. wholesale power markets remain both deregulated and regulated in parts, this is also a negative for new nuclear capacity. Deregulated power markets, both here and in the UK, arent permitting wholesale prices high enough to finance new gas fired capacity much less new nukes. Regulators will want a cost benefit analysis before approving a new nuclear facility. Basically, this means that a new nuclear project in order to proceed will need a subsidy of one sort or another. A carbon tax would do the job even better. But what GOP politician would vote for that tax, especially if some of their constituents view the issue of global warning as a hoax?

5. Nuclear as infrastructure. As currently built, nuclear projects require a large contingent of well paid labor and massive amounts of steel and concrete. A handful of qualified engineering firms, the usual suspects, also build other infrastructure and one can only think that these politically connected firms can lobby for nuclear projects as hard as they lobby for new bridges or highways. Nuclear construction then could play a role as a component of the as part of the infrastructure program needed to boost the economy. The problem, however, is that nuclear infrastructure has some drawbacks.

6. Resilience needed. Infrastructure should be resilient and anti-fragile. In battle, would we rather attack our enemy in a swarm formation as part of a horde of thousands or ponderously approach the fields of honor as a monolithic death star. The former is anti-fragile. The latter, as we all know from the movies (no spoiler intended), is powerful but most definitely fragile. The enemy here approaches from two sides: technological obsolescence (which is slowly confronting all central station power generators) and simple obsolescence from a harsher operating environment. In plain terms, stuff just wears out faster. Its a riskier business thats for sure.

7. Investor-owned operators needed. The two major U.S. electric utilities with an outsized presence in nuclear power, Entergy and Exelon, could be characterized as the Dogs of the UTY, thanks to their less than stellar stock performances. EDF, the builder of the new British station, almost didnt get to a positive decision on the new plant due to a revolt on the part of concerned directors. Do investors want more nuclear power? Probably not without subsidies or guarantees.

8. Coastal locations needed. One problem with commercial nuclear power is not that it produces expensive electricity via fission, but that its voracious need for cooling water requires mostly coastal or riparian sites. Ignore the technology for a moment. Rising seas, hurricanes, storm surges and the like could render an ever broader swath of coastline unsuitable for infrastructure of any sort. Even if the Trump administration sees no issues, property and casualty insurors as well as and bond investors might.

9. Using nuclear subsidies as corporate welfare. New York and Illinois both launched

programs best described as Welfare for the Nuclear Elderly. Its heart-warming to see such generosity just prior to the holiday season aimed at aging, uneconomic nuclear plants. This sounds to us like a job creation/preservation program for rural areas (where high paying jobs are scarce) masquerading as an environmentally beneficial, carbon mitigating proposal. There is nothing inherently evil about subsidizing private sector jobs in the electric utility industry. We just wish theyd drop the low carbon fig leaf as a rationale or change the market so it pays for the supposed virtues of nuclearinstead of making this a political handout. But note that handouts to old nukes do not encourage the building of new ones. Related: Oil Price Roulette: Investors Bet On $100 Oil

10. Nuclear for defense. Defense spending may crowd out civilian needs.Themilitary already plans to modernize its nuclear warfare capability over comingdecades. In fact, if we think about where nuclear power as an energy source has worked best, it is in military-maritime applications, things like submarines and arctic icebreakers. If a nuclear accident on a naval vessel at sea occurs resulting in all hands lost--that is clearly a tragedy. If Indian Point goes full metal Fukushima, rendering significant parts of Westchester County, NY uninhabitable, we dont even have the adjectives much less the liability coverage. We also doubt that military applications will take a back seat in the new administration. Beyond that, there are two big nuclear related projects in the U.S.: completion of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada and construction of a vitrification facility at the Hanford, WA site now holding significant amounts of highly radioactive materials in less than perfect circumstances. More than likely, the military, Yucca and Hanford will absorb the lions share of new nuclear-related infrastructure monies.

Without a rationale rooted in decarbonization or in shortage of alternative fuels or energy sources, the new administration in the U.S. can only make a weak case for commercial nuclear power. If it will not embrace direct subsidies (which the incoming Congress may be reluctant to do as a matter of principle), the administration may have a hard time finding private partners for nuclear projects. But it can, and probably will, make a strong case for completing the huge nuclear tasks already on the governments plate. That spending could boost the economy just as much as putting up new nuclear power stations,

By Leonard Hyman and Bill Tilles for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
This fall, I had the good fortune to ride along with a few travel writers who took a guided tour of Cream City with representatives from Visit Milwaukee. Part of the tour involved visits to area restaurants whose chefs have been James Beard Award semi-finalists, nominees or award winners.

Over the course of three days, we packed in visits to eight such restaurants, indulging in stellar dishes made by chefs whose creativity and innovation has allowed them to rise to the top of the heap. It was an indulgence, for sure. But, more than anything, it was a clear reminder of the talent we harbor in our lovely city.

On some visits, we sampled a dish or two. During others, we worked our way through chefs tasting menus. But, regardless of when we visited or what dishes we enjoyed, it reminded me that  whether its just for an appetizer or dessert  its incredibly worthwhile to take the time to revisit restaurants that often become relegated as destinations only fit for special occasions.

If youre a food lover who wants to get to know our city better, put a visit to each of these restaurants on your list of things to do during 2017. Restaurants are not ranked, but listed in alphabetical order.

1. Ardent

Chef: Justin Carlisle, James Beard nominee for Best Chef Midwest 2015 and 2016, semi-finalist in 2011

Carlisles dishes  which range from artfully prepared vegetables like this Morroccan-inspired dish featuring carrots, apricots and mint to robust dishes made with beef raised on his fathers farm in Sparta  are thoughtful, innovative and delicious. And each one bears a story. Since Carlisle and his crew personally wait the tables at the restaurant, youre privy to those intimate tales, as well as answers to any questions you might ask. If you can, this is a great spot to splurge on the chefs tasting menu.

2. Braise

Chef: Dave Swanson, James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016

A great way to experience the spirit of Braise is to sign up for one of their cooking classes. Many are taught by Swanson himself and include choices like sausage or pasta making, during which youll produce dishes like the pictured pasta puttanesca. Youll not only receive hands-on training, but youll enjoy clever stories and insider tips that just might take your cooking to the next level. Of course, eating in the restaurant is great too. If you can, take a seat at the counter near the kitchen where you can experience the bustle as staff turn out rustic internationally inspired fare that makes the most of seasonal produce as well as items preserved from the previous seasons harvest.

3. Cafe Calatrava

Chef: Jason Gorman, James Beard semi-finalist 2008, Best Chef Midwest

I cant over-emphasize the delight of a meal at Cafe Calatrava at the Milwaukee Art Museum now that Chef Jason Gorman is at the helm. At lunch, youll find Italian comfort food staples like pasta e fagioli and hand-rolled gnocchi alongside internationally inspired dishes like harissa chicken. And it will all be absolutely beautiful. Better yet, head to the museum for Sunday brunch where you can enjoy an a la carte menu of delicious items like this buffalo mozzarella panna cotta with nectarines and cured tomatoes.

4. c.1880

Chef: Thomas Hauck, James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2016

Expect a bit of the unexpected at c.1880, where youll find seasonal ingredients prepared with the specific goal of making them taste the best they can. If theres himachi on the menu, be sure to give it a try. And when you see a dish like bone-in boar chops with salsify, pickled plums and savoy cabbage, you might want to order it. Be sure to save room for dessert, because it will be stunning. Take for instance this end of season delight featuring fresh berries, balsamic vinegar and an airy mousse-like foam caressed from little more than the strawberrys juices.

5. Crazy Water

Chef: Peggy Magister, James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2010

Give yourself a comforting pat on the back at Crazy Water, where youll find a core menu with tried and true California-inspired classics like pan-seared diver scallops with orange vinaigrette. But, take my advice and order at least one of the daily specials. Theyre the best place to see Magisters ever-evolving creativity is at its finest.

6. Dandan

Chef: Dan Van Rite, James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2011 and 2010

When Van Rite made the James Beard semi-finals, he was cooking up elegantly rustic dishes featuring seasonal vegetables, wild game and some of the most spectacular offal in the city at Hinterland. But Dandan, his joint venture with fellow chef Dan Jacobs is a not-to-miss. Youll find dishes like Japanese okonomiyaki, General Tsos cauliflower and spicy cumin lamb along with beautiful pillowy shrimp shumai. If youre yearning for a glimpse of both chefs creativity outside of the Asian realm, be sure to pay a visit to EsterEv, the restaurant-within-a-restaurant that offers up creative, affordable tasting menus on Thursday through Saturday evenings.

7. Lake Park Bistro

Chef: Adam Siegel, James Beard Best Chef Midwest in 2008, nominee in 2007

Theres something beautiful about a lunch or dinner in Lake Park. At Lake Park, Id recommend going classic. Order up a bowl of the delicious French onion soup or a dish of seared foie gras. Then dig into roasted duck served with green lentils, Swiss chard and red wine sauce. Be sure to save a bit of room for an after-dinner cheese plate or a chocolat gateaux. If youre lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of Siegel, who has moved on to a role as partner and corporate chef for the Bartolotta Restaurants.

8. Sanford

Chef: Justin Aprahamian, James Beard Best Chef Midwest in 2014, nominee in 2011 and 2012, semi-finalist for Rising Chef of the Year Award in 2010 and 2011

Sanford, which is quickly approaching its 30-year mark, is a relative dinosaur in comparison to most restaurants on this list. But, its longevity is a testament to both the standards laid down by founding Chef Sanford DAmato and now-owner Chef Justin Aprahamians dedication to preparing some of the citys best cuisine. You cant go wrong with most dishes at Sanford. Even salads, including this one featuring house-cured goat sec (dried sausage), Barneveld blue cheese, fig compote and grilled heirloom apples with beer gastrique, are a testament to the thoughtful creativity evident in every dish on the menu.
Last year, Madison365 published its first Black Power list, naming 28 of the most influential African Americans in Wisconsin. I intended this list to highlight the beauty of the diversity in our community. I wanted kids here in Wisconsin to see role models of people who are succeeding, to know that its possible for African Americans to achieve great things here.

Thats exactly what last years list accomplished  and what we hope to continue with this years list.

Here is part three of 2016's five-part list. Click here for part one and here for part two.

Ray Allen

Ray Allen is the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and an unabashed Republican in mostly-liberal Dane County. The Secretary is highly respected in the black community. Allen leads the states talent development agency, DWD connects employers with a robust pool of skilled workers; assists job seekers with disabilities in achieving their employment outcomes; and oversees the states Unemployment Insurance, Equal Rights and Workers Compensation programs. Secretary Allen has deep ties to the Madison community as well. He is the former publisher and owner of The Madison Times, a partner and vice president of Madtown Paradies  which operates retail stores in Dane County Regional Airport  and a former Madison School board member, as well as a 2007 candidate for Madison mayor.

Sheri Edison

Sheri Edison is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at packaging giant Bemis, one of the largest employers in the Fox Valley. Her responsibilities include the oversight of all of the legal and compliance affairs of the company, including enterprise risk management and trade compliance, responsibility for other critical business functions, including information technology and safety and regulatory affairs, and supporting the Board of Directors on governance and related matters. She also serves on the board of directors of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton.

Percy Brown, Jr.

Percy Brown, Jr. is one of the great leaders to arise from the south side of Madison and a true Madisonian who graduated from West High School. He followed his grandfathers footsteps into a career in education, beginning in his hometown school district before moving on to become Director of Equity and Student Achievement in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District. Brown is a difference-maker in the lives of numerous youth and was named a Rising Star, one of five Presidents Award presented by the Urban League of Greater Madison, at its annual Urban Cabaret at the Monona Terrace. He helped to create the curriculum and also taught a special course on African American History for the Justified Anger Coalition, with about 100 people in attendance. The achievement gaps in Madison are real. Mr. Brown overcame the odds and stayed home to make a difference. From one Madisonian to another: Youre inspiring! Or as Jay-Z says, we "love it just to see one of us make it!"

Khalif Rainey

Khalif Rainey represents Milwaukees Seventh District on the Common Council and the Second District on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Born and raised in the 53206, Rainey was a leading voice during the riots in August, which took place in his district following the police killing of a young African-American man. He is also a board member of African World Festival, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukees historic Community Brainstorming Conference, Black Male Achievement (BMA) Advisory Council, Milwaukee County Federated Library System (MCFLS) and the East Wisconsin Counties Railroad Consortium.

Chris Rowland

Chris Rowland is the Global Diversity Officer for ManpowerGroup. In his role there, he potentially could be the most influential black person in the state. With Manpowers resources, research and (no pun intended) literal manpower, Rowland could have a huge impact on the state, which has two of the worst cities to live for blacks in America. With great power comes great responsibility!

Sonia Summers, Ranell Washington and Crystal Morgan

Sonia Summers, Ranell Washington and Crystal Morgan are three of the four people who founded Social X four years ago to give young professionals  especially young professionals of color  a network for social and professional engagement (the fourth is still involved, but lives in Washington, DC). What began as a small group of friends gathering at happy hours has become a network of more than 1,000 young professionals who attend regular events and performances together. Understanding the need for Milwaukee businesses, and the local Milwaukee business community more broadly, to recruit and retain young and diverse talent, Social X is making a real play for the future of the local economy.

Nia Trammell

Nia Trammell is an Administrative Law Judge for the State of Wisconsin where she presides over formal proceedings on a wide range of challenging cases involving Wisconsins Workers Compensation law. Trammel is also the current Board Chair of the Board of Directors of the Urban League of Greater Madison, and she co-founded the Urban League of Greater Madison Young Professionals and served as its president from 2012 to 2015.

Trammell is also a former board member of Dane County Court Appointed Special Advocates. Through Dane County CASA, she has worked with the court to monitor compliance with judicial orders impacting abused and neglected children and their families. Trammell has also been active with Girls on the Run of Dane County, a program that teaches self-esteem and healthy life choices to elementary school age girls. She also mentors a student through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Angela Russell

Angela Russell is CUNA Mutuals Manager for Diversity and Inclusion, a role seemingly created just for her. She has more than 15 years of professional experience involving diversity and inclusion, external relations and outreach, communications, policy development, and research and evaluation. Russell is responsible for leading the development, direction and implementation of short and long-term strategies and programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion at CUNA.

Prior to joining CUNA Mutual, Russell worked in various roles in public health including serving as a Health Equity Coordinator for Public Health Madison Dane County and serving as the Community Engagement Lead for the national County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Russell started a popular Facebook page called "Equity Rocks" that tackles tough issues on race and equality in Madison.
Living in Milwaukee, you hear about urban legends all the time. Every city has them -- rumors and gossip that seem just too good to be true. Fortunately, the Milwaukee experts at OnMilwaukee.com took the time to track down the scoop on a bunch of these tall tales, but the list is too long for just one article. Here's part one of a series on the real, fake and unconfirmed Milwaukee urban legends debunked.

The Witch House: False

The infamous "witch house" on Beach Drive in Fox Point has been a source of wicked curiosity for Milwaukeeans since the 1950s. Although our "witch," the late Mary Nohl, was really just a painter, sculptor and silversmith who chose to convert her yard into a gallery, the somewhat creepy concrete sculptures of people and animals she created lead many to view her as dark and sinister. The fact that she was an aging woman who lived alone and lined her yard with barbed wire didn't abate that reputation, but what else are you going to do when teenagers keep ripping off your life's work?

The "legend" has it that Nohl's husband and son had drowned in Lake Michigan, making her a very sad and bitter woman who never wished to be bothered. The believers say that the sculptures in the yard were actually kids who were caught trespassing by the witch and subsequently turned to stone.

The not-nearly-as-exciting truth is that Nohl never married, nor had children, thus obliterating even the most believable aspect of the myth. Nohl was many things, including prolific artist and teacher, but not a witch. Since her death at the age of 87 in 2001, the Kohler Foundation, Inc. has been preserving her work and her home, which was originally built by her parents in 1925. According to Nancy Moulton, preservation coordinator for the Foundation, Nohl's property is not yet open to the public.

Pabst Brewery employees could drink on the job: True

Back in the day, you could do almost anything you wanted at the old Pabst Brewery, according to a career brewery employee (who, for obvious reasons, didn't want us to use his name). The rumor about abundant drinking on the job is quite true, at least up until 1983, when management cracked down on this dicey practice.

In addition to free beer in the lunchrooms, brewery employees used to take their cups to the cellars and literally tap the fresh kegs of Pabst. In the filter cellars, they even rigged holding tanks to bubblers in the hallways using plastic tubing. That's right, the bubblers at Pabst dispensed beer - at least until the foreman would catch them about a day later. According to our brewery source, who worked at Pabst from 1968 to 1997, and at Miller from 1999 to 2005, guys certainly got drunk at work and they certainly stole a lot of beer - he remembers watching a foreman loading 20 cases of beer into his trunk. But, he says, it rarely got too out of hand.

If it sounds like working at Pabst was a big frat party, get this: Employees actually used to go under the building and shoot guns, as well as crossbows. The complex was enormous, with tunnels leading all over downtown, a church, restaurant and more inside this original "Pabst City." Homeless people used the caverns for shelter, and our source even walked in on a naked man named Ray, giving himself a sponge bath in the sink.

Most of the time, management would never hear a peep. Other times, it wasn't so well concealed. This ex-employee says he even saw a co-worker testing out his new chainsaw in the lunch room, cutting a wooden bench in half.

None of this goes on anymore at Miller, however, though he's heard crazy stories about how it used to be there, too. "You get caught drinking on the job, you get fired," he says. Ah, those were the days.

Milwaukee has an underground clothing-optional spa: True

For more than 25 years, the Riverwest neighborhood has housed a clothing-alternative spa known as "The Tubs." Sources would not disclose the exact location, but said the underground spa has roughly 100 members who pay monthly dues, and that the space includes a hot tub, sauna, cold water tank and sensory deprivation tank.

Stringent rules, weekly cleaning sessions and a tight member selection process ensure that The Tubs are about relaxation and rejuvenation, and nothing else.

"Even though most of the people hang out at The Tubs naked, there is absolutely nothing sexual about it," says a member who wished to remain anonymous. "This is not like the old bath houses."

Milwaukee is the fattest city: False

In an episode of "The Simpsons," the Duff Book of Records reveals that Springfield is now the fattest city in the U.S., to which Homer replies, "In your face, Milwaukee!"

Who knows if that is where the myth started, or if it was assumed Milwaukee was chubbiest because of our large consumption of beer and cheese. Either way, Homer was wrong. Milwaukee is not the fattest city.

Each year Men's Fitness magazine does a survey and ranks the top 25 fattest cities, along with the 25 fittest. The rankings are based on many different factors of each city such as healthy habits, risk factors, environment and urban attributes.

This year, Milwaukee was actually the 15th fittest, up from last year's 21st fittest. Our fine city was not always fit and trim though. In 2003, we were ranked 21st fattest while in 2002, Milwaukee was ranked 22nd fattest. Not the fattest. Houston was branded fattest this year and in 2003; Detroit got the fat award last year.

Brew City (not Chubby City) is shaping up nicely. Areas that still need improvement are alcohol consumption and nutritional habits. But being the top beer-drinking city, the first one may not change too much. Be proud, Milwaukeeans, as we are definitely not the fattest city!

UWM students dissected corpses in the Kenilworth Building: False

For a number of years during the 1980s rumors circulated at UW-Milwaukee that biology students dissected corpses for research in the university's Kenilworth Building, which is now being renovated into student housing and retail space.

Art professor Leslie Vansen, who long had a studio space in the building doesn't remember hearing the rumors.

"I've never heard of the human dissections done by students at the Kenilworth building," she told OnMilwaukee.com. " We did have a life drawing instructor who took her students to Lapham Hall's biology labs to study anatomy but that is as close as I can get to the Kenilworth legend. There was a grad student in the mid 1980s who built her installation structures in Kenilworth using skeletal remains from the meat packing companies in the industrial valley."

Meanwhile, Andrew J. Petto, who arrived in the Department of Biological Sciences in August 2004, said that these kinds of rumors are not uncommon on campuses.

"This sort of urban legend is pretty common around any university or research facility," he wrote in an e-mail. "I heard stories like it as long as 30 years ago in Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Alberta and so on --- in other words, wherever a university conducted research."

As best as we can tell, this one's false. Sorry, folks.
This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.





Mainstream media coverage of a recent pro-terrorism rally in Hamilton Ontario demonstrates the media's continuing efforts to hide fundamental truths behind fake veneers of "objectivity" or "neutrality".

It is known and documented, and has been for years, that Canada supports all of the terrorists in Syria, and has from the beginning of this regime change/dirty war on Syria, and yet the media messaging would have us believe that Canada and Canadians want peace. No. The Canadian government wants illegal regime-change operations and terrorism in Syria. It does not seek peace in Syria. This is the fundamental lie of omission that the MSM tries to conceal beneath its fake veneer.

In fact, the MSM seeks to normalize terrorism in Syria by concealing and suppressing this well-documented truth.

The timing of the aforementioned rally was priceless. It coincided with the joyous liberation of Aleppo, and narratives from formerly captive citizens who recounted the horrors of living under terrorist-occupied areas. But this was omitted from MSM coverage that prefers to rely on fraudulent sources for its stories, far removed from the on-the-ground realities of life in Aleppo as covered by independent writers such as Eva Bartlett and Vanessa Beeley.

The well-orchestrated rally featured kids dressed as victims -- reminiscent of White Helmets stage-craft -- professionally-made signs, and of course pleas to stop the killing, all consistent with imperial-propaganda strategies that project the crimes of the invaders/terrorists on the victims.

Alshawaf, a speaker at the rally, demanded "First, to stop the killing in Syria; second, for the murderers responsible to be tried and held accountable for their crimes; and lastly, for the restoration and unification of my beloved homeland." But he also exclaimed, Down with Bashar and Down with Putin.

Absent from the speech were the well-documented facts that both Putin and Bashar seek an end to the killing, accountability for the murderers, and restoration of the Syrian homeland. But Bashar and Putin are seeking these goals within the framework of international law; whereas the NATO terrorists are violating international law as they seek the opposite: to destroy and balkanize Syria.

Again, the media made no note of these fundamental inconsistencies. And it was easy for the media to ignore the well-documented facts because it refused to even acknowledge the presence of members of the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War -- the real messengers of peace -- at the rally.

In a December 23 Facebook commentary, professor Tim Anderson explained:

It was never too difficult to understand. The Syrian people, through their government and army, and with the support of Syria's allies, just took back their second major city, from foreign-funded and -armed terrorist groups. This proxy war was another step in Washington's 15-year series of wars designed to dominate the entire ME region. The aggression and terrorism was always in clear violation of international law, sovereignty and the foundational human right of self-determination. But the big powers tried to create an 'exception', with the imperial doctrine of a 'responsibility to protect', by constant lies about a 'brutal dictator killing civilians', etc. The western media and embedded NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, using Washington's preferred jihadist sources, backed them up. The UN remained paralysed and most western peoples, in their vanity and arrogance, went along for the ride. However, most formerly colonised peoples saw exactly what was going on.

The truth is straightforward, and not that hard to understand, but North American MSM is an appendage of the war-mongering apparatus of deception -- it furthers an agenda of war, terrorism, and hatred, not peace and goodwill.

North Americans should understand that in this festive season where we proclaim a desire for peace and goodwill, our governments, and the establishment in the shadows making the decisions, are determined to deliver the opposite, beneath the lies and distortions of their accomplices in the mainstream media.

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It was Christmas Day this past Sunday and amidst all of the turmoil in the world, Christians stopped to pray and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We are Roman Catholics and it is our belief that Jesus is the Son of God made Man in fulfillment of the scriptures of the Old Testament. His birth represents not only His covenant with mankind but the miracle of birth itself.

Just as a birth represents a new life filled with the opportunities to better mankind, the recurring celebration of the Birth of Jesus represents the renewed opportunities of man to improve our world  both physically and spiritually. Somewhere during this ensuing year a man or woman could be born that can provide the key to curing cancer, finding peace in the Middle East, increasing food production to feed the poor, or binding the wounds of those aggrieved by war, poverty or prejudice. And if not this year, then the next, or the next after that.

The future of mankind is based upon just that kind of hope and faith. It is looking backward that provides evidence of the progress of that hope and gives us faith that looking forward we can be confident of further progress.

So in these times of turmoil, both foreign and domestic, draw your family tighter, give thanks for what you have accomplished to date, and trust that things will continue to improve  and pray a little to the Creator who has made all of this possible.

God bless you and yours.
Fifty-two kilometres north-east of Tamil Nadu's second largest city Coimbatore is Tiruppur, India's 'knitwear' capital. The Noyyal, a big tributary of the Kaveri river, flows through the city. The Noyyal's mineral laden water was what old-timers insist gave Tiruppur town an edge - it apparently bleached cloth the whitest - in its early days. The younger folk, though, insist that the town's success has had more to do with the hard working culture of its inhabitants.

Shanmuga Sundaram, who started MS Dyeing in 1984 and continues to run it, says he has seen the town emerge as the knitwear capital from next to nothing. Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA), the apex lobby group of the knitwear sector, points out that in 1986, exports were Rs 37.48 crore. Three decades later, Raja Shanmugam (not related to Sundaram), President of TEA, says hosiery and knitwear exports from Tiruppur would be Rs 24,000 crore this year, and they would sell an additional Rs 12,000 crore worth goods in India. Today, the industry directly employs about 600,000 people, with indirect employment a multiple of that.

This progress was not smooth. Towards the early part of the 21st century, a major negative began to haunt the industry. The process of making colourful garments and knitwear meant dyeing. In the early days, water used to dye fabrics - containing some harsh chemicals - would be just let out. After this became a problem and the state pollution board cracked down on it, the industry started treating the water in a rudimentary fashion to remove colour and unpleasant smell before letting it out.

Even then, the soft river water had become harsh, salty, hard water because brine (salt) is used to dye fabric. The initial response of some of the textile units was to try and use the water to grow casuarinas, an evergreen shrub that grows in any kind of water. But as the town grew and land became expensive, textile mills increasingly realised that this was not a solution.

This cycle might have continued but for three factors. One, successive droughts in the early years of the 21st century meant that supply of water from the Noyyal came down drastically. Two, the industry had grown large and required larger quantities of water. And three, farmers protested that the barely-treated water seeped into underground aquifers, destroying water tables, and their bore and open wells.

While the industry and the farmers fought in courts and elsewhere, both the government and the players recognised that a lasting solution had to be found. T.R. Sivaram, Managing Director of Royal Classic Mills (RCM), which sells its garments under the 'Classic Polo' brand and is one of the largest players in Tiruppur, says "a permanent solution had to be found and that too quickly".

RCM, which this year is likely to record revenues of Rs 700 crore, began to invest in setting up a full-fledged effluent treatment plant as early as 2004/05. "We got international consultants but at the end of the first year, all that they had done was burned a hole of Rs 3 crore without much progress," admits Sivaram.

Shanmugam says that while large players like RCM or Eastman Exports could try and have their own units, small and mid-sized players were struggling. What finally triggered action was a 2011 Madras High Court ruling that players in Tiruppur would have to ensure zero liquid discharge, otherwise the pollution control board was told to shutter these units.

Textile mills in the town required 10 million litres of water a day. "Unless something was done, even diverting the whole of Kaveri would not have helped, given the increasing demand for water" says Sivaram.

B.M. Boopathi, CEO, Dyers Association of Tiruppur, says the situation had become dire especially for small and mid-sized players who were the majority in the town. That is when the concept of setting up of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), which were shared, was decided on. "While the players competed fiercely for business, everybody came together to set up CETPs. However, zero discharge technology was not available anywhere. So through a process of experimentation and help of the state government under a PPP model, TN Water Investment Company (TNWIC) came into existence."

He says individual technologies from various private players were sourced to put together a turnkey solution for CETPs, 18 of which were set up at a cumulative cost of Rs 1,070 crore. "The state government gave an interest free loan of Rs 200 crore. The Centre gave a grant of Rs 300 crore and the rest was raised by the industry as term loans, which are being repaid. Also, we have come such a long way that TNWIC today offers its expertise to others." Currently, 95 per cent of the water is treated and re-used in Tiruppur. TEA's Shanmugam says the industry does not face water shortage anymore.

@venkateshababu
Russia,China,Pakistan to include Afghanistan on Afghan conflict

Russia,China,Pakistan to include Afghanistan on Afghan conflictISLAMABAD: Russia, China and Pakistan on Tuesday agreed to expand their tripartite consultations on Afghan conflict and include other countries, including Afghanistan, after Kabul objected to its absence from the regional discussions.



The parties agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan, a joint statement issued after a meeting of the senior officials of the three countries said.



It was the third round of talks between the three countries on deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, particularly the rise of the militant Islamic State (IS) group also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.



The previous two rounds of the tripartite meetings were not publicly disclosed. The third meeting was announced by the participating states in an indication of their growing confidence in their cooperation driven by the fear of IS gaining a foothold in Afghanistan. The announcement of the talks, however, annoyed Kabul, which questioned the effectiveness of a process on Afghanistan without its representation.



A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, while speaking to media in Kabul cautioned that no initiative relating to Afghanistan could succeed without its involvement. Even if such talks are organised with goodwill, [they] cannot yield any substantial results because no one from the Afghan side is there, he said in a diplomatically couched criticism of the trilateral meeting.



The meeting had provoked a storm of protest from Afghan leaders, who saw it as meddling in Afghanistans internal affairs, illegitimate and dubious. Speaker of the lower house of Afghan parliament Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi had asked the government to seek a clarification from Moscow about the meeting.



Meanwhile, Russia is also supporting Irans entry into the relatively new process. Tehran has been Moscows ally in the fight against IS in Syria. In a separate troika formed last week, Russia, Iran and Turkey reaffirmed their determination to jointly fight the IS.



Washington had felt upset over not being included in that anti-IS bloc and is now uncomfortable over being left out from the three-way deliberations on the situation in Afghanistan.



The tripartite meeting on Tuesday expressed concerns over the increased activity of IS in Afghanistan.



Russians believe that protracted conflict in Afghanistan has left ungoverned spaces there, which are being taken up by the IS fighters returning from Iraq and Syria, where the militant group is on the retreat.



According to the Voice of America, Russias ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, told the UN Security Council last week that the deteriorating security situation in the country had encouraged the IS militants fleeing Syria and Iraq to look to Afghanistan for shelter. He said they would eventually pose a threat to Russia through neighbouring central Asian states.



FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria, while sharing Pakistans position at a recent media briefing, said: Afghanistan is infested with most terrorist organisations due to the instability there, which has created space for these terrorist elements. These are the facts which are known to all.



The three countries reiterated their support for reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The participants agreed to continue their efforts towards further facilitating the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan according to the known principles of reintegration of the armed opposition into peaceful life, the joint statement said.



The Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China as the UN Security Council permanent members confirmed their flexible approach to delisting Afghan individuals from the UN sanctions lists as their contribution to the efforts aimed at launching peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban, the statement further noted.



The position on delisting looked to be a snub for Kabul that had last month asked the United Nations to add Talibans new leader, Maulvi Haibatullah, to its sanctions list.
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev Titus Awotwi Pratt has implored Ghanaians to give the President-Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his impending new government the needed support for the development of the nation.



In a Christmas message, Rev Pratt said Ghanaians were looking forward to a peaceful, smooth and transparent transfer of power to the incoming government on January 7.



To Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, we extend our profuse felicitations as we wish him and the new government divine guidance in the discharge of their national duties, he said.



The Methodist Church Ghana wishes all Ghanaians a Merry Christmas and a Happy Peaceful and a Prosperous New Year.

Elections



According to Rev Awotwi, the 2016 Election victory was not a singular preserve of any particular group or persons but for the whole country.



He said the Electoral Commission (EC) deserves commendation for successfully conducting, one of the most credible elections ever since we started our democratic dispensation.



He said in spite of the unnecessary distractions initially, most Ghanaians doubted the capacity of the EC in organising a successful election because of the challenges that characterized the process.



But he said, in spite of the seeming mounting pressure on the EC to announce the election results, prematurely, the Commission remain firm to go through the processes of collation, verification and declaration in that order. Bravo to Mrs. Charlotte Osei and her team.



President Mahama



I laud and appreciate the stewardship of HE President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC government for contributing their quota to the development of the nation, the peace the country is enjoying and for graciously conceding defeat in the 7th December polls in a true spirit of patriotism and fellow-feeling.



May Christmas 2016 invoke the earliest blessings upon all of us and to maintain peace, progress and prosperity in our Homeland Ghana, he said.

Source: Daily Graphic









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This July 29, 2015, file photo shows Amazon's Echo speaker, which responds to voice commands, in New York. A prosecutor investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a hot tub wants to expand the probe to include a potential new kind of evidence: the suspect's Amazon Echo smart speaker. Amazon has called the request "overbroad or otherwise inappropriate." (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Authorities investigating the death of an Arkansas man whose body was found in a hot tub want to expand the probe to include a new kind of evidence: any comments overheard by the suspect's Amazon Echo smart speaker.

Amazon said it objects to "overbroad" requests as a matter of practice, but prosecutors insist their idea is rooted in a legal precedent that's "as old as Methuselah."

The issue emerged in the slaying of Victor Collins, who was found floating face-up last year in the hot tub at a friend's home in Bentonville, about 150 miles northwest of Little Rock. The friend, James Andrew Bates, was later charged with murder.

Prosecutors have asked the court to force Amazon to provide data from the Echo that could reveal more clues about the night of Nov. 22, 2015, when Collins was apparently strangled and drowned.

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said Wednesday that he has no idea if the device recorded anything related to the death. But looking for clues is simply "a question of law enforcement doing their due diligence."

Like any investigation, "law enforcement has an obligation to try to obtain evidence of the crime," Smith said.

The device is a cylinder-shaped speaker with internet-connected microphones that debuted in late 2014. Similar to other gadgets, it listens for a user's voice and responds to commandsto play music, read the morning headlines or add an upcoming event to a calendar, for instance. The Echo can speak back to the user in a female voice known as "Alexa."

The search warrant, signed by a judge in August, requests all "audio recordings, transcribed records, text records and other data" from Bates' Echo speaker.

So far, authorities have obtained only basic subscriber and account information. Smith said Wednesday that his office has had discussions with Amazon, but that the bulk of the request remains unfulfilled.

The prosecution's request was first reported this week by The Information, a news site that covers the technology industry.

Amazon spokeswoman Kinley Pearsall declined to comment specifically on the Arkansas case but said in a statement that the company "will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand." Amazon, Pearsall added, objects to "overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course."

On its website , the company says the Echo streams audio to cloud-based storage after it detects the user's "wake word," and that it stops recording once a question or request has been processed.

Smith compared his request to routine warrants that seek a record of cellphone "pings," which can be used to track a user's location.

"It is a search warrant for a new device, but the legal concept is old as Methuselah," he said.

The Arkansas slaying could be a test case for how evidence rules apply to information from home appliances connected to the internet such as water meters, thermostats and lighting systems, said Nuala O'Connor, president of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a nonprofit group that works on privacy and civil-liberties issues. She previously worked for Amazon.

Law enforcement agencies will have to be careful in drawing conclusions from smart systems, she said. If a case is built on changes in patterns of people's behavior, there's a chance that prosecutors and police "could guess wrong."

"That's where we're going to get into issues of circumstantial evidence," O'Connor said.

The next court hearing for Bates, who has professed his innocence, is set for March 17.

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Credit: Andras Barta

Today energy crowdfunding platforms and investors experience many problems if they want to finance projects that cross the legal boundaries between the EU member states. International experts are striving to harmonise to European regulations in the sector

Renewable energy crowdfunding involves three different parties: the fundraising platform, the investors who generally expect a return, and project developers needing money. They may come from different nations. And that is surely a complication, since there isn't one legislative framework for this business sector, nor one that is so recent and linked to the use of the web.

This challenge has been under the lens of international lawyers, such as Osborn Clarke legal practice, who has produced a lot of relevant material. In the release named Crowdfunding crossing borders, they observe that if a platform aims to expand its business into other EU member states, it will need legal advice in those countries. And an investor wishing to invest in a cross border project listed on a foreign platform, should be aware of how the law differs from his or her home country. The same applies if the investment is related to a project owner abroad.

Thorge Drefke, an Osborne Clarke associate in Koln, Germany, explains that already in late 2014 the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its opinion/advice on investment-based crowdfunding, which clarifies how crowdfunding models fit within existing EU legislation such as MiFID, Prospectus Directive, AIFMD and other financial regulations.

ESMA affirms that, where crowdfunding platforms operate within MiFID (the "Markets in Financial Instruments Directive" has been in force since 2007. It will be updated in 2018 to increase transparency across the EU financial markets), the current EU regime provides a reasonable degree of risk mitigation, due to disclosure requirements and classification of risk profiles of the investors. But for platforms operating outside MiFID, investor protection could be mitigated by measures at local level as national legislation doesn't require compliance with the directive.

Regarding the Prospectus Directive, it stipulates that producing a prospectus is not mandatory if the amount payable for all shares offered over a period of 12 months in aggregate across all Member States, is less than 5 million. But EU countries have chosen different thresholds under national law for the minimum size of offers for which a prospectus must be produced.

ESMA assumes that the strong incentives for project sizes to be kept below the relevant offer size threshold, imposed under national regimes, pose challenges to the viability of the crowdfunding platform business model. Some platforms could limit the type or the number of investors in projects in order to benefit from one of the exemptions set out in the Prospectus Directive (which is currently under review and should increase the size limit to 8 million).

In 2016, for the first time, the European Parliament asked the European Commission to present an initiative to regulate and harmonise crowdfunding practices across the EU. "The main issue for platforms is that they cannot actively market investment opportunities across different member states without complying with each country's requirements", says Oliver Gajda, executive director of the European Crowdfunding Network (ECN).

Alex Raguet, founder of the French crowdfunding platform Lumo, confirms that few players have licenses for crossing borders. "We are only regulated for France. I can't translate my site into English, but we have a lot of English people living in France and we would like them to invest in our platform", he says.

To find solutions to such issues, ECN and Lumo have joined the international network of the European project CrowdFundRES, which aims to unleash the potential of crowdfunding for financing renewable energy projects.

The European Commission published a report on crowdfunding in May 2016. "This report gives a detailed description of the regulatory environment of crowdfunding in the EU", says Drefke, "But the EC states that currently, as crowdfunding remains largely local and the sector is changing rapidly, there is no strong case for a EU level framework. However, the EC will keep developments in the sector under close review, and meet twice per year with regulators and the sector".

Which legislation could be a benchmark for harmonising the regulatory situation? "According to our experience, for example, Austria and the UK have crowdfunding regulations which could be called advanced", Drefke points out.

Austria has a specific Crowdinvesting act, called Alternativfinanzierungsgesetz, providing for a legal framework for crowdfunding platforms. In the UK the specific regulations are left to administrative provisions published by the Financial Conduct Authority  FCA, which allows for a flexible response to economic or social developments of crowdfunding business.

"In France you can't do nothing for two years while you wait for inspections and authorisations. In London small frameworks are required to let business start", Raguet says.

Bearing in mind that 81% of the whole European crowdfunding market volume in 2015 (including any types of crowdfunding such as peer-to-peer, equity or lending or reward donation crowdfunding etc.) is generated in the UK, the liberal British legislation playing a role in this strong market position.
Dr. Paul DeLaune discusses cover crops at a field day at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station south of Chillicothe. Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter

Adoption of cover crops in the Rolling Plains has been slow as questions persist on water use and benefits. But after compiling economic data this past year, one Texas A&M AgriLife researcher is asking producers, "Can you afford not to adopt cover crops?"

Dr. Paul DeLaune, Texas A&M AgriLife Research environmental soil scientist in Vernon, said irrigated producers especially could potentially be reaping more dollars per acre if they include a cover crop on their continuous cotton.

DeLaune has been researching conservation tillage and cover crop effects on soil moisture and soil properties for the past eight years in the semi-arid environment of the Rolling Plains, with much of the data collected during an exceptional drought period.

He will be talking in detail about agronomic and economic impact of cover crops in cotton systems at the Beltwide Cotton Conference in Dallas Jan. 5-7 and the Red River Crops Conference in Childress Jan. 24-25.

"Water is often the limiting factor to crop production, so anything that is perceived to reduce the capability of soils to capture and retain rainfall hinders adoption," he said.

Conservation tillage, which has shown benefits in regard to rainfall retention and storage, has been a hard sell in Texas, DeLaune said, with only about 16 percent adoption. So he expects cover crops to have an even lower adoption rate.

However, there has been much more promotion and excitement for cover crops due to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Health Initiative, he said.

DeLaune said it is true after five years of research, he had hoped to see a buildup of organic carbon  but didn't.

But he did see a reduction in the overall soil compaction and an improvement in water infiltration.

"The stored soil water at the time of termination of a cover crop will be lower, but when the rain does come, the infiltration rate is higher, and prior to the cash crop being planted, it seems to be recharging well," DeLaune said.

Termination date can be important. Too early and the beneficial residue is lost, he said, adding they terminate about a month before planting.

"If you terminate early, the residue goes away quickly," DeLaune said. "So when do you pull the trigger on termination? Let it get a little further along so the residue remains. Our infiltration data shows it will definitely be a benefit."

In continuous cotton systems, he said his research has shown that infiltration did not differ between conventional till and no-till systems.

"But we did see a significant increase in infiltration when a terminated wheat cover crop was added to the system. In a low-residue system such as continuous cotton, no-till alone does not seem to be as beneficial in regard to infiltration, although we have seen alleviation of plow pans with no-till."

The continuous dryland cotton system he has researched included trials of conventional till, no-till and no-till with a mixed species cool-season cover crop, as well as monocultures of crimson clover, hairy vetch, Austrian winter field pea and wheat cover crops.

Over a three-year average, expenses were significantly lower for the no-till system than all other systems except the wheat cover crop system, he said. Seed is a major factor and wheat has a much lower seed cost compared to other evaluated cover crop options.

In less humid regions, it is important to consider reasonable cover-crop seeding rates and not try to emulate high seeding rates that may be seen in cooler or wetter climates, DeLaune said. Within the dryland study, economic returns were not significantly different between cover crop and non-cover crop treatments.

"Although we have seen significant soil moisture use by cover crops, we have maintained lint yields with cover crops," he said.

On irrigated cotton, the lint yield and net return were higher for the mixed cover crop and wheat cover crop systems in the third year of the trial. On the three-year average, per-acre net returns were $355 for no-till, $367 for conventional till, $398 for wheat cover crop and $406 for mixed species cover crop systems.

Added residue, either through crop rotation or cover crops, is a benefit to cotton systems in semi-arid environments, he said. Risks are much greater in dryland systems, but success can be found with educated management decisions.
Credit: Scott Bauer, USDA

New North Carolina State University research delves into the movement and evolution of the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe.

To track the evolution of differing strains of Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen responsible for the Irish potato famine and a major cause of late-blight disease on potato and tomato plants around the world, NC State plant pathologists studied 12 key regions on the genomes of 183 pathogen samples - historic and modern - from across the globe.

The study, published in PLOS ONE, shows that a lineage called FAM-1 caused outbreaks of potato late blight in the United States in 1843 and then two years later in Great Britain and Ireland. It was also found in historic samples from Colombia suggesting a South American origin. FAM-1 caused massive and debilitating late-blight disease outbreaks in Europe, leaving starvation and migration in its wake. Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology and the corresponding author of the study, theorizes that the pathogen arrived in Europe via infected potatoes on South American ships or directly from infected potatoes from the United States.

But FAM-1 wasn't just a one-hit wonder that made its mark and then quickly disappeared.

"FAM-1 was widespread and dominant in the United States in the mid-to-late 19th century and the early 20th century," Ristaino said. "It also was found in Costa Rica and Columbia in the early 20th century."

"FAM-1 survived for about 100 years in the United States but was then displaced by a different strain of the pathogen called US-1. US-1 is not a direct descendant of FAM-1, but rather a sister lineage."

US-1, in turn, has been elbowed out of its eponymous homeland by even more aggressive strains of the pathogen that have originated in Mexico. Our winter vegetable crops, grown there and imported into the U.S., harbor the pathogen, she said.

The pathogen's effects aren't limited to the decimation of Ireland's potato crop 170 years ago. Billions are spent worldwide each year in attempts to control the pathogen, Ristaino said. Potatoes in the developing world are particularly vulnerable as fungicides are less available and expensive.

More information: "Historic late blight outbreaks caused by a widespread dominant lineage of Phytophthora infestans" PLOS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168381 Journal information: PLoS ONE
Anthropologist Samy Alim argues that the relationship between race, language and racism plays such a key role in reflecting and defining the way human societies are structured that it deserves study as a separate field, which he calls "raciolinguistics."

Alim examines the connection between language, race and power in a new book, co-edited with John Rickford and Arnetha Ball. The book, Raciolinguistics: How Language Shapes Our Ideas About Race, compiles recent scholarly research on different societies around the world.

Stanford News Service interviewed Alim, the book's lead editor and director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Language, about the emerging field of raciolinguistics and his research.

You say that today more than ever, American society is hyperracial and hyperracializing. What do you mean by that and why do you think that is so?

When the U.S. elected its first black president eight years ago, some proclaimed the U.S. to be a "postracial" society, where race doesn't matter. But every social indicator, from the income gap to incarceration rates and medical statistics on infant mortality, among others, paints a picture of a nation deeply structured and divided by race.

It is now nearly impossible to ignore social scientific research of all stripes, which demonstrates that, rather than postracial, American society is in fact hyperracial or hyperracializing. That is, we are constantly orienting to race while at the same time denying the overwhelming evidence that shows the myriad ways that American society is fundamentally structured by it.

When racist speech is prevalent in mainstream U.S. political arenas  such as the racializing words of President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans in the 2016 presidential primary  the possibility for violence increases, as we've seen with the recent attacks on U.S. Muslims and Mexicans.

This type of language has breathed new life into white supremacist movements like the so-called "alt-right," the term itself being a perfect example of how language can be used to obscure and sanitize what are overtly racist movements.

Can you give specific examples from your research that highlight this connection between language and identity?

I studied Barack Obama's speech patterns and I've found that his speech changed depending on his audience. Because of prevailing racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic ideas about who he was, he had to speak in such a way that made as many people comfortable with him as possible.

Obama used a "black preacher style" to appeal to the African American community, linking himself to familiar black figures like Martin Luther King Jr. At the same time, he used "standard" English when he talked to more general audiences. But his "black preacher style" was not only important for the black electorate; he also alleviated some white American fears that he was "not American" and "not Christian." He was caught between discriminatory discourses of race, language, citizenship and religion, and he needed to navigate between them in order to not be seen as "the African, Muslim boogeyman" that the far right made him out to be. Language and race work together here in very important ways.

I argue that Obama's ability to switch between different linguistic varieties has been an advantage in his political career. His speech can be seen as an example of transgressive, transracial politics.

What do you believe is the biggest takeaway from the research compiled in this book?

As leading scholars argue in the book, language is often overlooked as one of the most important cultural means that we have for distinguishing ourselves from others. But rather than being fixed and predetermined, we argue that racial identities can shift across contexts and even in moment-to-moment interactions.

We use the knowledge gained from our studies to argue for a new kind of politics  a transgressive, transracial politics  that considers both the powerful ways that race is taken up by people of color in contexts of racial inequality and the ways that we challenge the very process of racial categorization itself. Race is both a social construct and an important social reality. So how do we develop a new politics around that in this current moment?

What is raciolinguistics and why was it important to establish this field?

Raciolinguistics examines how language shapes race and how race shapes language. It's a field that grew out of a need to understand that there is a close relationship between race, racism and language and how these processes impact our lives across domains like politics and education.

Some linguists study language in a vacuum without theorizing race at all. On the other hand, race scholars that do think a lot about race oftentimes neglect the central role that language plays in processes of racialization.

So, in this book, we bring together cutting-edge, innovative scholars interested in explicating the increasingly vexed relationships between race, language and power in our rapidly changing world  from the U.S.-Mexico border to Brazil, Spain, South Africa, Israel and the United Kingdom.

What are your next steps for establishing raciolinguistics as a new field?

I founded the Stanford Center for Race, Ethnicity and Language (CREAL) in 2010 to help grow the field. It was the first and only center of its kind in the world. From there, in 2012, I served as founding director of the program in Race, Inequality and Language in Education (RILE), which now receives the most applications of any program in the Graduate School of Education.

There are several next steps, but the biggest two, for me, are these: I am now editing The Oxford Handbook of Language and Race with other leaders in the field, Jonathan Rosa, Angela Reyes and Mary Bucholtz. This is an explicit effort to build the field. Further, I have just begun editing a book series for Oxford University Press, Oxford Studies in Language and Race. Raciolinguistics is a collective effort, and scholars all over the country and the world are building it with us.
AVATAR can detect changes in physiology and behavior during interviews with travelers. AVATAR can detect changes in physiology and behavior during interviews with travelers. Credit: Aaron Elkins

When you engage in international travel, you may one day find yourself face-to-face with border security that is polite, bilingual and responsiveand robotic.

The Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real Time (AVATAR) is currently being tested in conjunction with the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to help border security agents determine whether travelers coming into Canada may have undisclosed motives for entering the country.

"AVATAR is a kiosk, much like an airport check-in or grocery store self-checkout kiosk," said San Diego State University management information systems professor Aaron Elkins. "However, this kiosk has a face on the screen that asks questions of travelers and can detect changes in physiology and behavior during the interview. The system can detect changes in the eyes, voice, gestures and posture to determine potential risk. It can even tell when you're curling your toes."

Here's how it would work: Passengers would step up to the kiosk and be asked a series of questions such as, "Do you have fruits or vegetables in your luggage?" or "Are you carrying any weapons with you?" Eye-detection software and motion and pressure sensors would monitor the passengers as they answer the questions, looking for tell-tale physiological signs of lying or discomfort. The kiosk would also ask a series of innocuous questions to establish baseline measurements so people are just nervous about flying, for example, wouldn't be unduly singled out.

Once the kiosk detected deception, they would flag those passengers for further scrutiny from human agents.

Elkins began working on AVATAR when he was a Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona. As the deception detection project grew more advanced and more sensors were added, more data about the interviewee was analyzed.

When Elkins became an assistant professor at SDSU in the fall of 2016, his work moved with him. Here, he is in the process in completing construction of his lab where he plans to continue researching and teaching students about artificial intelligence.

"We've come to realize that this can be used not just for border security, but also for law enforcement, job interviews and other human resources applications as well," Elkins said. "We continue to make improvements, such as analyzing the collected data using Big Data analysis techniques that make AVATAR a potentially valuable tool across many industries."

In the meantime, Elkins is looking for a government agency willing to utilize the technology in a real-world application.

"AVATAR has been tested in labs, in airports and at border crossing stations," Elkins noted. "The system is fully ready for implementation to help stem the flow of contraband, thwart fleeing criminals, and detect potential terrorists and many other applications in the effort to secure international borders."
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I went into Anna Karenina pretty blind. I had heard vague positive things, but didn't know what it was about. I bought it at a library sale and then when an online read-along came up, it was the perfect excuse to dive in.

It's slower going than my reading usually is. The writing isn't particularly dense or anything. The reading isn't a labor; it's just slower than my usual.

It took me a little while to get used to that. I started over-thinking my reading a bit, which slowed me down further. But once I got used to it, and just started enjoying the story again, I settled in.

That's when I really started enjoying this book. First of all, I like books that make me think. Secondly, it's interesting to read the thought processes that lead to the Russian Revolution. We learn about the causes in school, but this is the debates they had.

Tolstoy published Anna Karenina in a series of installments from 1873 to 1877. That's shortly after the emancipation of the serfs (a kind of peasant slavery that was common in the European Middle Ages) and about 40 years before the Russian Revolution.

So Tolstoy didn't know that the transition to communism was coming while writing, but we read with that hindsight.

The book includes many debates between politicians, writers and "intelligentsia" about the future of the country. You can clearly see the seeds of the revolution. It's very interesting.

The passage that stuck out to me most, however, was about one character's religious doubts. Konstantin Levin considers himself a "nonbeliever" but most go make confession in order to get married. Going to the church makes him consider his stance.

"He could not believe, yet at the same time he was not firmly convinced that it was all incorrect," Tolstoy wrote.

I can relate to that. I consider myself areligious. I'm not really sure what to believe. I was baptized Catholic but am not confirmed and no longer consider myself a Catholic. I might be a Christian, but I'm not sure.

I cannot say I think it's all false, but I also can't say in believe in any of it. Thus, I'm in the same boat as Levin. I don't consider myself atheist, because that requires a specific belief, or even agnostic. Just areligious.
A New York City man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly using the personal information of Trooper Timothy Pratt after his death to open a credit account at a downstate Home Depot store, police said.

Steven J. Calderon, 31, of the Bronx, was charged with two felony counts of identity theft after an investigation by State Police and New York City Police, authorities said.

He was accused of using Pratts personal information five days after the troopers Oct. 26 death to open a $5,000 credit account at a downstate Home Depot store, police said. He purchased a $900 washing machine before a Home Depot employee, who became suspicious, contacted Pratts family the day of his funeral to verify additional purchases he was trying to make, according to State Police Capt. Robert Patnaude.

She got the call after his funeral when there were about a thousand troopers with her, the captain said.

Patnaude said Calderon told investigators that he did not know Pratt had been a trooper, however.

He told us, If I had known he was a cop, I wouldnt have targeted him, Patnaude said.

Calderon caused Home Depot staff to become suspicious when Calderon tried to charge over $5,000 worth of items, and then subtracted items to try to get to exactly $5,000, Patnaude said.

Police executed search warrants in New York City this week that led to evidence that implicated Calderon in identity theft using Pratts personal information and that of other people.

Among the items that were recovered was a fake Florida drivers license with Pratts name on it, as well as other evidence that investigators believe will allow them to track the source of the personal information.

Someone obtained the information and gives it to these individuals and they just run with it, he said.

With Pratt being deceased when the accounts were opened, it likely would have been months or longer before the identity theft was discovered had Calderon not had troubles with his math, the captain said.

Calderon was arraigned in Moreau Town Court and sent to Saratoga County Jail for lack of bail.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and additional arrests are possible.

Pratt died Oct. 26 when he was hit by a car while on duty in Wilton. His funeral was held Oct. 31.
GREENWICH  A Greenwich woman was taken to Albany Medical Center early Tuesday after she was hit by a pickup truck that had a plow on it while crossing Vanness Avenue, police said.

Shaun Waite, 49, was crossing the road from her house to the nearby YMCA when she was hit by a pickup truck around 6:10 a.m., according to Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell. She suffered two broken legs, internal injuries and arm and shoulder injuries, he said. She was hit by the plow on the front of the pickup.

The truck was operated by Harold Goman, 36, of Greenwich, who told police he did not see Waite, as she was wearing dark clothes.

Waite had earbuds in her ears and apparently did not see or hear the truck.

Her condition was unavailable Wednesday but she was admitted to Albany Med for surgery on Tuesday.

No tickets were issued but the investigation by Cambridge-Greenwich Police was ongoing. Easton-Greenwich Rescue Squad and Greenwich Fire Department assisted at the scene.
QUEENSBURY  The Warren County Sheriffs Office is investigating a Queensbury womans report that a Christmas toy her child received had a razor knife hidden inside it.

The knife bears a strong resemblance to a shank that a jail or prison inmate might have, but police believe there is a less sinister reason it wound up in the package of a Little Ones Laptop that was purchased at a store in Queensbury.

Jessica LeBlanc said the family was unwrapping the present for one of her sons on Christmas Eve when the blade, a sharp piece of metal wrapped with masking tape to form a handle, came out of the box as LeBlanc took out the toy for her 2-1/2-year-old son.

It just fell out of the package as we were opening it, LeBlanc said.

No one was hurt, but LeBlanc said that could have been different if a child had opened the package.

The family later determined that the toy had been purchased at Rite Aid on Upper Glen Street in Queensbury, and notified police. LeBlanc said she also contacted the manufacturer of the toy as well as Rite Aid.

Sheriffs Lt. Steve Stockdale said the Sheriffs Office reached out to the company to try to figure out from where the blade came.

Stockdale said it probably wasnt put there by someone with bad intentions, but likely was used by someone during the manufacturing, packing or shipping process.

LeBlanc said she went to the media about the matter because she wanted parents to be aware of the potential issue.

Parents should check toys before giving it to a child, it could save someone from being hurt, she said.

A call to the store was referred to the corporate media relations department in Pennsylvania. Ashley Flower, senior manager of public relations for the company, said the complaint was being looked into.
FORT EDWARD  Police spent nearly 80 minutes talking to an intoxicated man who was threatening to jump off the Route 197 bridge into the Hudson River early Wednesday, a situation that ended when they convinced him to let them take him for mental health treatment.

Route 197 was closed between 1:39 a.m. and 3 a.m. as officers from four police agencies, two fire departments and a rescue squad worked to deal with the man who said he wanted to kill himself as he swigged from a bottle of whiskey, according to police.

Fort Edward Police Chief Justin Derway said officers found the man sitting on the railing of the bridge, which is 25 to 30 feet above the fast-moving river. They stopped and he crawled over the railing and sat on the edge of the bridge, legs dangling over the river, as police officers from around the region scrambled to the bridge.

Derway said the South Glens Falls Fire Department Dive Team was called in for a possible rescue, as police and firefighters closed the busy road.

The officers, sitting on the bridge with the man on a cold, snowy night, were able to get him conversing about his situation and his options for help.

The officers did a phenomenal job establishing a rapport with him, Derway said.

The man was taken to Glens Falls Hospital, and no charges were filed.

Derway credited Fort Edward Police Sgt. Dean Watkins and Corbet Sullivan and Jason Flynn for their roles and assistance from the Washington County and Saratoga County sheriffs offices and Hudson Falls Police.

Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy said sheriffs Patrol Officer Robert Danko was the main negotiator for his office, days after he was honored by the Sheriffs Office for his actions in a similar situation in Whitehall over the summer, where a man was threatening to jump from a bridge in the Champlain Canal.

The officers were out there for a long time in the cold, sitting right on the bridge with him, and they were able to talk with him and get a rapport to convince him to go to the hospital, Murphy said.
WHITE CREEK  A total of 56 treatment systems have been installed in Washington County to address the PFOA contamination in homeowners water supply.

A total of 252 wells were sampled in Cambridge and White Creek for the contaminant, which is known formally as perfluorooctanoic acid and was used in nonstick coatings such as Teflon.

State Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Kevin Frazier said 29 wells had concentrations of PFOA at or higher than the federal Environmental Protection Agencys threshold of 70 parts per trillion.

DEC officials have offered to install point-of-entry treatment systems to all homeowners in the affected area. Forty-eight homeowners in White Creek and eight in Cambridge took the state up on its offer, according to Frazier.

The point-of-entry-treatment system, or POET for short, uses carbon to remove the PFOA from the water supply.

The communities of Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh have been grappling with PFOA contamination from the Saint-Gobain and Honeywell companies.

The DEC has been investigating how the PFOA contamination spread into Washington County.

The department completed sampling of surface water and sediment from the Hoosic River, according to Frazier. Groundwater samples were collected in November from the Cambridge landfill and Cambridge yard waste facility.

The state Department of Health is continuing to conduct well sampling.

White Creek Town Supervisor Robert Shay said the bulk of the water sampling was done at homes on River Road along the Hoosic River. Then they branched out from there and into the village of Cambridge.

Residents had expressed concern at a forum in September about the quality of their water. Shay said there was a follow-up conference call where state officials agreed to install the point-of-entry treatment systems at the request of homeowners in the affected area.

They were really responsive to us, he said.

DEC officials are very knowledgeable and have helped the town tremendously, he added.

Shay said he continues to believe that the contamination was spread from Rensselaer County through the Hoosic River, which flows north. Large rain storms such as Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 spread the contamination to homeowners wells, he added.

The village of Hoosick Falls is hammering out an agreement with Saint-Gobain and Honeywell International that calls for the companies to pay $850,000 to cover costs associated with the PFOA contamination, including monitoring, flushing village water lines, repairing fire hydrants, engineering and other fees, according to a notice on the village website.

The agreement was set to be approved Wednesday by the Village Board. However, Hoosick Falls Mayor David Borge said the meeting was postponed because it was difficult to get all the sign-offs from lawyers during the holiday season. It will be rescheduled.

Im still very optimistic that well get it done, he said.

The DEC has been working on its own agreement between Petersburgh and Taconic Plastics. The state would install private well filtration systems and seek to recover the costs from the company, according to the towns website.
Carl Paladino should be deported.

Not from the United States, but from the human race, but I doubt another planet would take him.

If you were too busy opening presents this weekend to read about Paladinos remarks about President Obama and the first lady, consider yourself lucky.

When asked by the weekly publication ArtVoice what he would most like to see happen in 2017, Paladino said the following:

Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford. He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarrett, who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cellmate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her.

And then when he was asked what he would like to see go away in 2017, he said the following:

Michelle Obama. Id like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.

Remember, this is the same guy who ran for governor of New York in 2010 and received more than 1.5 million votes. Granted, that was only a third of those who voted, but it was still 1.5 million votes.

The same guy who currently sits on the Buffalo School Board making decisions about the education of children.

The same guy who was co-chair of Donald Trumps New York campaign and recently had an audience with the president-elect.

The same guy who threatened Republican members of Congress  including Elise Stefanik  if they didnt back Donald Trump.

Yeah, he is ultimate example of a bully.

To its credit, the Trump transition team denounced Paladinos remarks.

So did his son as he tried to distance Paladinos business  Ellicott Development  from its founder.

Hey, its just business dad.

Over the weekend, Paladino doubled and then tripled down on his statements, describing them to one Buffalo radio station as I wanted someone to wake up so I did a little funny type article to get their attention.

Mission accomplished on the attention, but it was not funny.

He finally admitted it was inappropirate on Tuesday. It was more than that.

It was hateful, bigoted and contributed nothing to the national discourse on politics.

By Tuesday, 20,000 people had signed at least three online petitions to have Paladino removed from the Buffalo School Board.

Id sign that.

I thought about calling the former gubernatorial candidate a buffoon, but there was nothing funny about what he said.

It was vile, disgusting, offensive, repugnant, loathsome, vicious, wretched, evil, wicked, abhorrent, foul and objectionable.

While there have always been people like Paladino, what is frightening is they are becoming more comfortable making their hatred public.

They are comfortable shouting it and defending it.

Paladino says he wants to run for governor again in 2018.

Each and every citizen of New York needs to make it clear there is no place for Carl Paladino as a leader in our state, in our country or on our planet.

He should take the next rocket to Mars and stay there.
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How cool can he be? He is one Catholic Archbishop whose influence transcends other denominations.

READ ALSO : Rashida Black Beauty vrs A Confused Society

As a national figure he is seen as a unifier and has consistently made the headlines for the right reason

Rev. Palmer-Buckle who is the head of all Catholic Churches in Accra is seen as a repository of wisdom. He believes Ghanaians are one people regardless of their religious background.

READ ALSO :Fan throws egg at Mzbel on stage in Belgium

Now at the end of year get together for priests in the Archdiocese he showed yet another side of him the public has not seen.

He dressed up like a Rastafarian and gosh he rocked it.

Many had to resort to google to look for other photos of the priest to actually confirm whether he is a Rastafarian or not.
This year has been successful for most mainstream and some emerging Ghanaian musicians as their news, songs and videos releases have been heavily searched on the world's most popular search engine, Google.

Dancehall musician, Shatta Wale, who has been consistent since January 1, topped Google's most searched Ghanaian musicians list followed by rap artiste, Sarkodie. Shatta Wale broke his own record this year by releasing 107 songs. He dropped a few hits as well.

E.L, Kofi Kinaata, Edem, M.anifest, Efya, Becca and Okyeame Kwame also grabbed a spot.

However, there was something intriguing about this year's list. Kumawood actor, Agya Koo, placed 10 on the list even though he is not a full-time musician. Maybe it could be an error or wrong entries by Google users.

See below the full list of winners.

1. Shatta Wale

2. Sarkodie

3. E.L

4. Kofi Kinaata

5. Becca

6. Okyeame Kwame

7. Edem

8. M.anifest

9. Efya
READ ALSO: Police officer shot dead in Wa

"I have reported to the police, the CID has come here several times they wont stop. I was bathing then they came here to attack us and they even wounded this boy so I have shot. The gun is licensed and I have been trained to use it," she told Accra-based Starr FM.

A leader of the congregation, Elder Yakubu Iddrisu told Daily Graphic, members of the church went over to the house to enquire about a strange substance (which they suspected to be tear gas) that had been sprayed into the church.

The ambassador told the police it was pepper spray and not tear gas like the church members had suggested.

Background

The Ambassador is reported to have complained on several occasions about noise levels from the church which adjoins her house. A boy had earlier been sent by the Ambassador to ask the church members to tone down the noise from the Christmas Day service but they reportedly manhandled him.
Investigations has started. We have officially invited the two people involved. They will be here tomorrow (Wednesday, December 28) so we question both of them for their side of the story.

He also added that they have asked the Spring of Life Assembly Church to reduce the noise as the case is being investigated.

Ghanas Deputy Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hajia Boya Gariba on Christmas day fired gunshots at a church near her Tamale based residence.

The Ambassador is reported to have taken the action after the Spring of Life Assembly Church had refused a warning for them to tone down with noise on Christmas Day.

A boy had earlier been sent by the Ambassador to ask the church members to minimise the noise from the church but they reportedly manhandled him.

Hajia Gariba, who confirmed the incident justified her actions arguing that she gave the warning shots only as a self-defence mechanism.

They came here to attack me so I had to call the regional commander, and I told them to stop, you wont stop because its not a church. I did the shooting because they gave it (gun) to us for self-protection."
GJA Congratulates President-Elect Nana Akufo-Addo The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) wishes to congratulate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his election as the President of Ghana. The Association considers his election to the highest office of the land a credit to his perseverance and tenacity in the service of Ghanaian politics, the defense of human rights and loyalty to democracy. We note with admiration, his determination never to give up on his dreams of becoming President by contesting the position this year despite losing on two pervious occasions as flag-bearer of his party, the New Patriotic Party. The Association is confident that his rise through the fight for democracy and political development in Ghanas recent history, especially as a human rights activist through the Movement for Freedom and Justice, the Kumipreko demonstrations and his role in setting up the Ghana Committee for Peoples and Human Rights, a non-governmental organization in defence and education on human rights in Ghana would continue to shape his plans and programmes concerning the development of the country. The GJA recalls the critical role the First Gentleman of the land in-waiting played when he was Attorney-General and Minister of Justice under the Kufuor Administration in the repeal of the Criminal Libel and Sedition Law in August 2001. His experience and expertise can therefore not be in doubt and we hope that he will bring them to bear, to enhance good governance and democratic development of Ghana. We are confident that the President-elect when he takes office would apply that same zeal in ensuring the enactment of a Broadcasting Law and the Right to Information Law, which was under wrangling in the out-going Parliament. Both laws will be crucial not only in promoting excellence in journalism but also improving the general information flow. The GJA has taken note of the President-elects accusation of the state-owned media of bias in their reportage. We on their behalf take the criticism in good faith. Although we do not wish to hold brief for them, we at the same time request that under Nana Akufo-Addos administration, the necessary reforms would be carried out to strengthen freedom and independence of the state-owned media in particular. We have already cited the importance of the passage of a Broadcasting Law and Right to Information Law. The Association also proposes a system under which state-owned media houses which receive government subventions do not take them directly from any ministry but instead from the National Media Commission and with Parliamentary oversight. Such reforms are necessary to free state-owned media in particular from subtle governmental intimidation.The GJA pledges to collaborate and support the continued promotion of press freedom and media accountability in Ghana, which we know the President-elect has always stood for. Although he has openly expressed his misgivings about excesses in the Ghanaian media, we hope he will remain a strong protagonist of freedom and independence of the media. It is our hope that under his presidency Ghana will undertake policies and programmes that inspire excellence in the Ghanaian media. The Association wishes the president-elect Gods guidance in his new position and assures him of the GJAs cooperation in the enhancement of functional democracy. SIGNED Affail Monney
The Head of Communications at the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) Kwame Kodua Atuahene in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM said this increase is particularly worrying even though it is an election year.

This year has been particularly challenging, you look at the figures against the targets we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year and its been one of a worrying report. We set out that by the end of the year, traffic-related death will not exceed 1,440 but as at November we are almost at 2,000.

READ ALSO: Black Stars defender Gyimah sustains injury in road accident

We did not anticipate that we will get here. When you look at the data for the last three years, every year we have recorded a decline in all the indicators. The trends have been that in every election year we have new kinds of challenges which could be addressed.

In 2015 the NRSC recorded 10852 accidents.

The Commission said they were working tirelessly with the Police Service to increase visibility and ensure road safety.

The Police have been asked to increase their visibility for the next few till the end of the year.

READ ALSO: NDC Director of elections killed in road accident

In a related development, forty-four people died in road accidents in the three-day period between December 7 and December 10, 2016.

The period saw the election and declaration of Ghanas much awaited general elections.

According to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), 100 accidents were recorded during the said period involving over 157 vehicles.
Uche Jombo-Rodriguez was born in Abia state. She has two degrees; Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calabar and Computer Programming from the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

She started acting in 1999 when she appeared in the movie . Since her debut she has appeared in over 60 movies.

Uche Jombo got married to Kenny Rodriguez in 2012. They have a son together, Matthew Rodriguez.

Today is also the birthday of top Yoruba actress Tayo Sobola. She broke into the big scene in 2011 when she released her self-produced movie titled ''. Since then the graduate of Public Administration from Olabisi Onabanjo University hasnt looked back since.

Nigerian pop singer May D is a year older today.

May D whose real names are Mayokun Awodumila was born in Lagos, Nigeria to a family of 5 boys. He comes from Ekiti State Nigeria.

The University of Lagos Mass Communication graduate, attended King's College where he mimed songs of popular artistes.

After featuring on a few notable singles May D was signed to Square Records in the year 2012 and released a few hit tracks such as Ile Ijo, and Soundtrack.

The relationship with Square Records did not last long as he left the label shortly after.
This years edition had popular stage icons like Hafiz Oyetoro a.k.a Saka, Yinka Davies, Efe Mayford- Orhorha, Lara Akinsola, Nissi George, Paul Adams, Kunle Dada, Henry Arnold entertain guests with there talents.

ITAN the story is a total theatre production with rich drama, music and a blend of cultural and contemporary dance. The play also brings to the fore, the tension and misunderstanding that often exists between different age-generations.

ITAN, written by Ayo Jaiyesimi founder of THESPIAN Family Theatre & Productions, showcases Asiko (Time personified) who intervenes in a feud between hotheaded village elder and his newly discovered city, roller-coaster grandson.

Both strongly rooted in their beliefs, refuse to shift their grounds in their battle for generational supremacy. Asiko takes them on a journey into the past and the future and they both discover dark secrets that make them come to terms with the fact that they need each other to survive.

If you missed the show at the Muson not to worry the play comes back on stage at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos from the 1st to 3rd of January 2017

Time: 3:00pm & 6:00pm daily

Tickets: Regular Plus N1,000
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Vanguard News reported that the accident occurred around the Kawo railway crossing in Kaduna.

It also said that the truck was split into two due to impact.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander for Kaduna state, Francis Udoma, confirmed the incident on Wednesday, December 28, 2016.

Udoma said the railway vehicle crashed into a truck carrying sugarcane which belonged to W.A Group of Companies.

The commander believes the truck driver might have had a hearing impairment as he ignored the obvious sound of the train's horn.

It could be that the driver had problem hearing, because train normally will blare, but this driver, even with the horn decided to cross.

This is abnormal. Nobody with normal hearing sense would take such a risk."
The sisters are said to have evidence of Femi Otedola cheating on his wife. Kiran and Jyoti who are from Toronto have also been reportedly accused of blackmailing up to 200 people in Africa. Femi Otedola is the father of popular Nigerian disc jockey, DJ Cuppy.

According to a statement sent via e-mail from Global AffairsCanada to CTV News consular services are being provided to the sisters.

After appearing in court on Friday, December 23, 2016, Kiran and Jyoti are scheduled to be in court on Friday, January 26, 2017.

This is not the first time the Matharoo sisters are popping up in Nigeria's societal scene. Jyoti Matharoo was rumoured to be the mistress of Nigerian billionaire Musa Danjuma.

In 2015, actress Caroline Danjuma who is married to Musa Danjuma got into a nasty fight with Jyoti Matharoo on Instagram.

Caroline Danjuma made a post on Instagram which seemed to take shots at Jyoti.

"This is a direct message to all the mother fuckers #preferred mistresses #sluts #agents of hellpaying their useless bloggers to write shit about my husband and i.i am titanium, u cant break my home, not even the devil with its powers can. My marriage is ordained by God. N for your info I am fully behind my man #team musa.. she wrote.

The fight started when someone tagged Jyoti Matharoo on the picture. The alleged mistress commented on the picture with a kiss print smiley which enraged Caroline Danjuma.

In January 2016, Jyoti got into another Instagram fight. Social media maven Bizzle Osikoya shared a picture on his Instagram page which said Im see a lot of imported girls posting first class flights and Lagos pictures. Una still get market?

Somebody commented and mentioned Jyoti Matharoo and her sister Kiran as runs girls who are taking clients away from Lagos runs girls.

Jyoti saw the mention and decided to reply. Soon enough the back and forth was quick with several shots taken.
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The woman is being held at Kamwangi Police Station in Kiambu County after she allegedly led a five-member gang to commit a crime at a bar in Kiria Village, Kenya.

According to Gatundu North OCPD Reuben Muli, police on patrol nabbed the gang at 3am while attempting to break into Wachege Bar located in Kirai Centre using crude weapons such as pangas, an axe, metal rod and fork jembes. E daily Kenya reported.

When the police arrived, four of the five-member gang escaped into the darkness, unlucky wamboo fell off the motorbike while trying to escape.

She has been arrested and she would be charged to court soon.
In her ruling, Magistrate Adebayo Alebiose, asked Shorunke, who allegedly burgled a shop and stole a plasma television and other valuables worth N200, 000 to provide two sureties as part of the bail condition.

The magistrate added that the sureties must reside within the courts jurisdiction and be gainfully employed.

Alebiose said the sureties should swear to an affidavit of means and must show evidence of tax payment to Ogun Government.

She said the sureties should submit four recent passport sized photographs to the court and their addresses verified by the police.

Shorunke, who lives at No. 42, Aderemi Street, Iyana-Iyesi, Ota, is facing a three-count charge of stealing, conspiracy and burglary.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Col. Tsav Dominic, told the court that the accused and some others still at large, committed the offences on Nov. 2 at Shop 205, GanganSpot, John Junction, Ota, Ogun.

Dominic said that the accused broke into the shop of one Olayiwola Sodiq to steal the plasma television and some other valuable items.

The offences contravened sections 390(1), 412,413 of the Criminal Law of Ogun, 2006.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The controversial issue became a trending discussion on the social network because of the high presence of policemen and soldiers in Eastern Nigeria who were allegedly harassing Igbo people who were going back home for the holidays.

The discussion quickly became emotional with tribalistic tweets appearing on several timelines.

There were tweets that said that Igbo people always loved to play the victim which naturally incensed Nigerians from the South East. The ugliness did not stop there as Yoruba people were bashed for being cowards and Northerners for being freeloaders.

It was disheartening to see young Nigerians tweet tribalistic opinions and statements. The ugly words said on this day just reminded me that our generation is a product of other generations that saw life along tribal lines.

We might think we are better than our parents' generation but the truth is that we are just like them, tribalistic and close minded. Our parents, aunties and uncles told us tales of how this person from another part of the country is bad and we should not associate with them.

Many Nigerians from the previous generation have tribalistic sentiments embedded in them which were instilled in them by the colonial and pre-colonial generation.

The founding fathers of Nigeria were tribalists who thought along ethnic lines. This faulty political system also reflected in our socio-cultural way of life.

With the Biafran civil war things became worse in terms of tribalism. The Igbos felt like outcasts in their own country. The Northerners were seen as dictators and Yoruba people as traitors.

ALSO READ: IG denies claims of tribalism, nepotism in officers transfer

These tribalistic sentiments have moved on from one generation to another. What might seem like bants on the TL is tribalism.

When someone says "Yoruba people are dirty" that's tribalism. When a Yoruba landlord refuses to rent his house to an Igbo man that's tribalism. When we Southerners call Northerners aboki and mallam, that's tribalism because these words are now derogatory words in the South.

We are as tribalistic as the generation before us. Let's not deceive ourselves. If we are serious about making Nigeria a great country we have to do away with tribal sentiments. All tribes are equal and no tribe is better than the other.
Christopher Sampino who used to work in the Versace store located in Bay Area, California filed a lawsuit against his former employers.

The lawsuit alleges that the managers of the shop told staff to say a special code 'D410' in an easy-going manner when black people walked into the store.

This code was used to let other staff members know that a black person was in the store.

Sampino claims that when he had to say the code he was advised to hold a black shirt so that the black customers wouldn't be aware.

After he was told to use the code, Sampino replied: "You know that Im African-American?"

The former employee is now suing the Versace store for promoting discriminatory antics amongst other things such as the withholding of his login information which he needed to obtain printouts of his payslips.

Versace hasn't responded to these claims.

In December 2015, Donatella Versace, the Italian fashion designer, chief designer and current Vice-President of the Versace Groupjoined Instagram.
Maj. -Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed this while giving update to newsmen on Operation Rescue Final at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.

Irabor said that 413 of the suspects were adults; 323 were female adults; 251 male children, while 253 were female children.

We are interrogating them to know whether they are Boko Haram members, because there is no way somebody that is not their member would live inside Sambisa forest.

We are still on the trail of the terrorists and I want to assure you that all escape routes have been blocked.

Within this period, also, about 30 fleeing suspected Boko Haram members have surrendered to the Niger Multinational Troops on the shores of the lake Chad and we learnt that they were taken to Difa in the Niger Republic.

The suspects include; 24 male and six females.

We would like to use this opportunity to encourage the terrorists to give up the fight because the window is still open, the commander said.

ALSO READ:Army has arrested 40 foreigners in Sambisa Forest operation
The arrested foreigners are currently being profiled to determine their connection with the sect, The Nation reports.

In the last one week since we launched massive operations in Sambisa Forest, we have arrested over 40 foreigners, the source said.

We will come up with the details later after the profiling of these suspects. They are all being debriefed. But we discovered that there were so many foreigners in the midst of Boko Haram. We have also rescued a lot of people who are being screened too.

As for the operations in Sambisa Forest, our gallant troops have successfully taken over Camp Zero and Camp S (Shape) which are the headquarters of Boko Haram.

The success of the operations is significant because there is no habitation beyond these areas in Sambisa Forest. The area is about 66,000 sq kilometres and there are so many parts uninhabited.

Many insurgents, including their leaders, were killed and many were captured. Many insurgents are now fleeing. The situation now is that Boko Haram insurgents have been dispersed and dislocated," the source added.
The terrorist, identified as Usman, was arrested on Tuesday, December 27, while preaching at the Utako market.

The arrest was made by members of private security agency, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Marshall Guards, according to Daily Trust.

AMAC spokesman, Kingsley Madaki said, via a statement, that the suspect was arrested with Quran and a chaplet on his neck while trying to lobby people in the market.

Madaki said further that the suspect confessed to being a member of the sect was handed over to soldiers.
According to a military source, the Frenchman is providing useful information to Army investigators.

The source also said He was arrested along the Bama axis of the Sambisa forest and agreed to give vital information provided he would be spared. I learnt that he is from France but authorities do not want to make his real identity known for diplomatic reasonsThey dont want to jeopardize the success recorded.

The military source also revealed to Daily Trust how troops captured the den of the Boko Haram sect.

He said The Bama axis was led by a Colonel who viciously decimated many Boko Haram fighters. Together with his troops, he captured Alafa 1, 11 and 111 in the Sambisa Forest and freed over 1,000 people. He also captured nearly 500 suspects, mostly men who are being interrogated for having links with the Boko Haram.

Some of the suspects are claiming that they were forcefully conscripted into the violent group while others have admitted that they belong to the group. The Konduga/Aulari axis of the Sambisa Forest was captured by a daring army Major.

This Major is one of the heroes in the Nigerian Army. He was very close to the late Lieutenant Colonel Abu Ali of blessed memory. He knows the Sambisa Forest very well and was therefore directed to approach the forest through the infamous Gate One.

The Ngurosoye axis of the Sambisa Forest was led by a Lieutenant Colonel who is also a fearless and versatile officer. His 151 Battalion is known as Blocking Force. His troops recovered many AK47 rifles of fleeing Boko Haram insurgents and they also freed many women and children.
The President gave the assurance when he received the Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, Umaro El-Mukhtar Sissoco-Embola, at the State House, Abuja.

The President expressed satisfaction with the gradual return of normalcy to the West African country.

While assuring the visiting Prime Minister of Nigerias continued support for political stability in Guinea Bissau, Buhari urged the leaders to work hard to reach a lasting solution to the political crisis in the country.

The President congratulated the new Prime Minister on his appointment and urged him to put the interest of the country and its people ahead of everything else.

Sissoco-Embalo described President Buhari as his role model, adding that his country would continue to thank the government and people of Nigeria for standing by them in their moment of crisis.

He also pledged his countrys commitment to improved ties with Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Guinea-Bissau has been in the throes of a power struggle since August 2015, following the removal of Prime Minister Domingos Pereira by the countrys President Jose Vaz.

Vaz replaced Pereira with 44-year old Embalo, retired general who had served in previous administrations.

NAN also recalls that ECOWAS leaders at their just concluded 50th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, held in Abuja, took note of the political misunderstanding in Guinea-Bissau.
Ibori was released from a UK prison on Wednesday, December 21, after spending four and a half years in prison for money laundering.

For those going to London to see Chief James Ibori and posting pictures and making comments, please stop it, Uduaghan said via Facebook.

We appreciate your love for him but you can go quietly without the unnecessary publicity. You are creating more problems for him than you can ever imagine.

Nigeria is a complex country and you must understand and respect peoples sensibilities, he added.

One of Iboris supporters, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi attracted outrage after a video of him praising the ex-governor surfaced online.
We wish to assure Mr. President that the Niger Delta militants and the people are 100 per cent ready for dialogue. We have no personal grudge against him and his government and we promise to work together to make Nigeria better, the group said via a statement.
The Director of Public Prosecutions and Secretary to the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Mr Pomade Adeniji, announced the amnesty in a statement in Osogbo.

The statement said the governors gesture was in commemoration of the New Year celebrations.

Pursuant to the advice and recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, in exercise of his powers, has granted amnesty to the prison inmates, the statement said.

It said the inmates were serving their jail terms at federal prisons in Ilesha, Ibara and Abeokuta as well as the Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri in Lagos.

It also listed the inmates as Kolawole Adediji and Madelon Adediji, both on the death row and now set free.

The statement also said that Ekanade Muyiwa and Adewole Olusoji, who were also on the death row, had their sentences commuted from death to 20 years of imprisonment each.

This is in commemoration of the New Year 2017 celebrations, the statement read.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor did a similar gesture last September by pardoning six inmates.
The next unkempt, hungry looking person you see on the streets begging for food and water, may just be a Boko Haram fighter looking for a place to lay his head in order to plan the next round of attacks.

Be a good citizen and report the individual instead of offering them food and water. You've just been warned!!

We can't even stress this enough.

There were reports that a top commander of the Boko Haram sect was caught in Lagos. This much was disclosed by Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai.

A handful of Boko Haram fighters have just surrendered in Niger Republic.

According to the Interior Minister of that tiny West African country, Mohamed Bazoum, dozens of Boko Haram fighters gave themselves up to authorities in Southern Niger on Wednesday.

Bazoum said 31 young people who enlisted into Boko Haram have chosen to surrender.

One Boko Haram commander told journalists that he's looking forward to a pardon: I learned that the first persons who surrendered were not arrested, so I surrendered.

We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma".

In November, hundreds of Boko Haram fighters surrendered in Chad.

ALSO READ:

Major General Lucky Irabor who is the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, said Boko Haram Kingpin, Abubakar Shekau, escaped from the Sambisa Forest when the Nigerian troops recaptured the terrorist stronghold before Christmas morning.

Sambisa is an area twice the size of Belgium. The forest sits on 60,000 square kilometers. To put it all in perspective, Nigeria's commercial capital city of Lagos occupies 3,577 Square kilometers of land.

Irabor also said some 1,240 suspected Boko Haram terrorists were arrested during the mop-up operation by troops inside the dreaded forest.

We are interrogating them to know whether they are Boko Haram members, because there is no way somebody that is not their member would live inside Sambisa forest.

We are still on the trail of the terrorists and I want to assure you that all escape routes have been blocked

Within this period, also, about 30 fleeing suspected Boko Haram members have surrendered to the Niger Multinational Troops on the shores of the lake Chad and we learnt that they were taken to in the Niger Republic.

The suspects include 24 males and six females.

We would like to use this opportunity to encourage the terrorists to give up the fight because the window is still open, the commander warned.

Boko Haram has killed more than 30,000 persons and displaced millions more since 2009.
It should be recalled that there have been insinuations that some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are seeking to form an alliance in order to birth this new party, which is set out to contest for the reins of power with the current major parties. However, Tinubu, who is a former governor of Lagos State has denied the allegations and has made it known that he would not abandon the APC.

Whilst speaking on the survival of the proposed mega party, Odigie-Oyegun made reference to the fact that the party was awaiting the arrival of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In his words, we are waiting for the arrival of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu so that we can also meet with him and have meaningful discussion because he is a well-respected leader of this party.

We do not feel threatened at all. No mega party will survive the APC. I dont know where the name mega party suddenly came from in the lexicon of politics in this country.

We will, in fact, encourage a mega party, because, with the gradual collapse of PDP, we want a party that can make us sit upright and be on our toes in terms of delivery of services to our people.

Parties that will make us feel challenged, that will make democracy real and offer the people a real choice. We are not threatened at all. We are focused on our mission made difficult by the current economic situation worldwide, which of course is compounded by the collapse of the oil market.

We are reforming this country, reforming it ethically, morally and economically by building a fresh economic base which will no longer depend on the extractive industry which does not involve the people, he said.
Forms of rehabilitation ranges from vocational skills to even academic skills.

A good example of the academic training is the partnership of the National Open University Of Nigeria with the Prisons Service.

All inmates of the prisons who are qualified enough can enroll to become a University student from prison, under the Prisons Special Study Centre of the National Open University.

In a recent event regarding this program, the Prison PRO, FCT Command, Chukwudo Humphrey, said (referring to Kuje Prison in Abuja);

In the first year, only 10 inmates enrolled for the program."

Apparently, inmates were made to sort out tuition through means not disclosed at the event.

He added:

"During the second year, the prisoners were given half rebate on fees and 15 students registered. But when there was total rebate, 33 inmates registered. This has made it 58 inmates of Kuje prisons studying different courses ranging from Law to Mass Communication, Peace and Conflict Resolution to Religious studies among many others.

Why is this important?

Its hard enough making a living with no criminal record in Nigeria. Imagine how harder it would get for an ex-convict. But what if the effort they put into getting these qualifications from behind bars could serve as an advantage to them, and perhaps give them a strong edge over their fellow inmates?
Ijaiya gave the advice on Wednesday at the orientation programme organised for the students, saying, the registration for the first batch of students has already closed.

She also advised those in batches 'B' and 'C' to utilise the opportunity given them judiciously to avoid losing their precious admission.

The deputy VC also urged the students to prove to the university authorities that they deserve the admission, because many candidates applied, but only few were chosen.

This, you can do by being worthy in character, and by striving very hard to attain excellence in your various disciplines, she said.

Ijaiya said that the serene environment in the campus would make learning easy for them.

She urged them to make good use of the universitys library, the e-library and many available reading rooms stocked with useful learning materials.

The deputy VC said that the university was one of the few universities in Nigeria that gives its students all they required to make learning easy.

She also advised the students to stop behaving like secondary school students, but should see themselves as undergraduates and behave in a matured manner.

According to her, once you are given your course outlines, as undergraduates, you should learn to read on your own, saying that lecturers were there to guide them.

You must inculcate the habit of reading ahead of the class and be punctual in the classroom at all times, she said.

Ijaiya also told the students that their admission does not make them to be the best.

Thousands of equally brilliant students are still outside and will sacrifice everything to be members of this noble institution.

But, you are chosen by God through the management of the institution to fulfill certain things in life and in the Nigerian society.

You have been given a rare opportunity to be successful in life, please work very hard to keep the hope alive, she advised them.

Ijaiya urged the students against any invitation to the Students Disciplinary Committee (SDC), urging them to be well behaved.

Those who had been there will tell you that it is not a pleasant experience.
The company cited Thai media reports of a man threatening to attack Government House with explosives on Tuesday for triggering the Safety Check, where users mark themselves as safe to reassure friends and family.

There was no false alarm, the event happened and Safety Check worked as it should, a Facebook representative told newsmen.

However users only reported receiving the notification from approximately 9 pm onward before it was turned off about an hour later.

Facebook denied reports in the Thai media that the Safety Check was triggered due to a BBC article posted in 2015 on a Bangkok bombing that was picked up by MSN news bot.

The BBC article was published on Aug. 17, 2015, and reported on a real bombing that killed 20 people at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.

On Tuesday, a 44-year-old contractor climbed on top of the main building of Government House and threatened to activate ping pong bombs if the government refused to give him financial compensation for a failed construction project.

The man managed to throw firecrackers off the roof, but they did not cause any injuries.

The officials convinced the man to climb down from the roof after several hours of negotiation.
Government figures show currently 1,700 children are available for adoption in India, the worlds second most populous country with 1.25 billion people, while some 12,400 families want to adopt.

It said that about 3,010 babies were adopted in 2015 and 2016.

Government officials overseeing adoptions said an increasingly long wait to adopt was closely linked to a rise in human trafficking in the country, with two babies selling rackets busted in India over the past two months.

Deepak Kumar, chief of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), Indias main body to monitor and regulate adoptions, said there were more such rackets of baby trafficking.

In India, we expect the pool of children available for adoption should outnumber the number of waitlisted parents.

But there are touts and in some cases even agencies that sell children to childless couples, Kumar said.

Under Indian laws, children who have been surrendered by their birth parents or brought in by the police are declared legally free for adoption after various legal processes are completed.

This includes giving birth parents up to 60 days to reconsider their decision.

To ensure transparency, the adoption process in India went online in 2015 with waitlisted families and the children available for adoption featured on a website.

However Kumar said traffickers often tried to get hold of these babies before the parents, often unwed mothers, made it to the government department to surrender the child.

Recently, police in Mumbai arrested a gang that was convincing single mothers, who can face social stigma or ostracisation in India, to part with their babies then selling them to childless couples in various states across the country.

In West Bengal, police found babies were being stolen from women who delivered at clinics, with medical staff telling them their child was stillborn.

Some were even given the bodies of stillborn babies preserved by the clinics to dupe them.

Officials said monitoring the waiting list for adoptions was one way to try to identify and track down the traffickers but they were aware that bypass mechanisms were taking root.

One adoption agency owner, who did not wish to be identified, said he often received calls from waitlisted families.

The agency owner added that said waitlisted families had been offered a child from an unwed mother at a price and wonder if they should go ahead.

Two agencies in the western state of Maharashtra were recently shut down for selling babies for amounts ranging between 200,000 and 600,000 rupees (3,000 to 9,000dollars), Kumar said.

Adoption experts suggested that problem areas of the country should be identified.
The UN, AU, EU, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and the U.S., in a joint statement issued on Tuesday described the decision as contravening the Rule of Law.

Currently, Somalis Provisional Constitution allows for 54 seats in the Upper House of its parliament.

Elections have already been held, but according to a communique issued on Dec. 24, the NLF has decided to add seats.

While Tuesdays inauguration of the Federal Parliament is a positive step in the electoral process, any further expansion of the Upper House should only be contemplated after the presidential vote has been held in the new federal parliament and implemented through a proper constitutional process.

The statement also pointed to a number of egregious cases of abuse, including men who have taken parliamentary seats reserved for women and the NLFs decision to invalidate all disqualifications for candidates who have allegedly committed abuse and malpractice.

It contravenes the Federal Governments solemn commitment to respect the rule of law.

If these candidates are allowed to take their seats in Somalias 10th parliament, it will bring into question the NLFs expressed commitment to the principles of accountability and credibility that underpin the entire process, the statement said.

The international community is also concerned that such steps would thwart attempts to level the playing field and to safeguard a credible process.

International partners are calling for a re-run for those parliamentary seats whose outcomes were influenced by violence, corruption, intimidation, an unauthorised substitution of electoral college delegates, or a failure to set aside one in three seats for women.

The international community is thus urging the Somali federal parliament to create a timeline to ensure thatspeakers and Deputy Speakers of the new federal parliament and the Federal President are elected as soon as possible, particularly given the fact that the electoral process was supposed to have been completed earlier this year.

The statement emphasised that a swift timeline was necessary in light of the UN Security Council meeting on Somalia scheduled for Jan. 19, 2017.

The Council established the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) on June 3, 2013 to provide policy advice to the Federal Government and the AU Mission in Somalia in the areas of governance, security sector reform and rule of law, and development of a federal system, including preparations for elections in 2016.

International partners believe that the integrity of the 2016 electoral process hangs in the balance.
That was 17 years ago. For the mother, going back to the poverty of her village in Oaxaca in Mexico was out of the question. Smugglers helped her cross the border herself a few days later.

Today, those daughters are 19 and 20 years old, study at a community college in New York and are scared to death that they might be deported after Donald Trump takes power next month.

"Being deported is something that does keep me awake at night," Ines says. "How are we going to do it back home? It would mean starting all over again."

In never-never land

The Alejandro family has lived in fear of being found out for years. That has meant going to the doctor only in emergencies, skipping school field trips and never returning to Mexico.

Juana and Ines have three siblings who were born in America and are therefore US citizens. But the older daughters and their parents remain in the country illegally.

The mother cooks Mexican food that an aunt sells outside a train station. The father helps, and washes dishes at a restaurant or works construction. They declined to be named for this story.

But Juana and Ines's luck changed in 2013 when the United States started implementing a program to give young people like them renewable two-year residence and work permits.

It is called DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, for people who were brought to the United States as children and do not have papers. The idea is that they should not be punished with deportation for something in which they had no say.

"DACA has opened a lot of doors for me. I feel more secure about saying I am undocumented," says Juana, who studies business administration. "It has removed many worries."

During his presidential campaign, Trump insulted Mexicans by saying some Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug dealers. He also pledged to end the DACA program immediately.

But he has changed his tune since then.

"They got brought here at a very young age. They've worked here. They've gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs," Trump told Time magazine after his election. "And they're in never-never land because they don't know what's going to happen."

"We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud," he added without providing details.

A group of Democratic and Republican senators this month presented a bill that would protect such young people from deportation for three years and allow them to work if Trump scraps the DACA program.

A cherished dream

An estimated 1.8 million young people in the United States face the same dilemma as Juana and Ines. Brought into the country by their parents illegally as children, they grew up here, speak perfect English and went to elementary school here.

Some 65,000 graduate from high school each year. Most want to go on to university, but only five to 10 percent can afford it. Some 741,000 have applied for protection under DACA.

They have been living in legal limbo for years, waiting for a miracle. It even has a name: a bill called the "Dream Act," which would grant such people permanent residency and a work permit. However, the bill has been languishing in Congress for 15 years.

Young people like the Alejandro daughters are called "dreamers."

"Most of the people like my parents pay their taxes and give as much as they can back to this country," Ines says. "I am here just for my education. The US is full of opportunities I wouldn't have in Mexico."

"My parents do work a lot," Juana adds. "They barely sleep at night just to help us pay tuition, and we have to work as well."

If DACA ends, however, it will be hard for the two girls to stay in school even if they are not deported, she says.

Still, despite the fear and uncertainty, the two sisters have stepped forward and made their status known, and are helping other undocumented students like them.

They formed a "Dream Team" at Hostos Community College -- where they study -- a group the school supports.
Less than four weeks before President Barack Obama leaves office, Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of allowing Israel to slide towards a "perpetual occupation."

With President-elect Donald Trump taking office on January 20, and already urging Israel to "stand strong" in the face of international pressure, it was not clear what impact Kerry hopes to have on the peace process.

But his comprehensive and at times angry speech laid down parameters for a peace deal -- two states within their pre-1967 frontiers and with a shared capital in Jerusalem -- that he hopes will outlast Obama.

Washington officials have refused to say what they might do next, but Israel fears the administration could attempt to codify these principles in a UN resolution or statement by the Middle East diplomatic quartet.

And they were quick to reject Kerry's rebuke, which Netanyahu said showed that Washington's chief diplomat was biased towards the Palestinian cause.

"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries," he complained.

Time to choose

Kerry's speech did not depart from US policy of many years, nor from his warnings in recent months, but critical and supportive observers alike noted his detailed breakdown of the problem as he sees it.

"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats.

"They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states.

"But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic - it cannot be both - and it won't ever really be at peace," he argued.

Kerry was speaking against the backdrop of a diplomatic firestorm that was triggered last week when, on Obama's instruction, US diplomats opted not to veto a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israel, instead abstaining.

The resolution, backed unanimously by the rest of the 15 powers on the council, effectively declared Israel's settlements in areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank beyond its 1967 border illegal.

Kerry said that the resolution was allowed to pass as a warning that Israeli settlements are harming efforts to revive peace talks, not in an effort to prejudge the final status of territory.

But, in welcoming Kerry's speech, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas made it clear that he regards the resolution, UNSC 2334, as an element of international law that would underpin future negotiations.

In a statement, Abbas said the Palestinians are ready to resume talks "the minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... on the basis of international law... including UNSC 2334."

Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition is backed by the settler movement and who has insisted the home building is no threat to peace, was furious and accused Obama and Kerry of orchestrating the Security Council vote.

Disdain and disrespect

Trump, who has picked a future US ambassador to Israel who strongly supports settlement building, was also angered, tweeting: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect."

But Kerry was undeterred, insisting the US could not "in good conscience" have vetoed a resolution it broadly agrees with, and piling on more criticism of Israel in his landmark speech.

"The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution," he declared.

"That's what we were standing up for: Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors," Kerry said, warning that such a solution is now in "serious jeopardy."

Kerry warned the "settler agenda" was leading Israeli policy and imperiling prospects for peace.

"Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there," he said.

And Kerry added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."

Curious timing

Already, last week's decision to allow the UN resolution to pass has angered Israel's many supporters in Washington, including both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and major Jewish American lobby groups.

The speech did nothing to appease their concern, and some observers questioned its "curious" timing.

"A speech of this gravity really should have been delivered before such a permanent move as the Security Council resolution, rather than after," scholar Jonathan Schanzer told AFP.

Schanzer, vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Israel should have been given time to respond to Kerry's complaints before being ambushed at the United Nations.

Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security was more supportive of Kerry's goals in the speech, but he also noted: "It would have been better two years ago."
Davenport police have responded to 150 confirmed reports of shots fired since Jan. 1, down from 168 in 2015, according to data obtained by the Quad-City Times.

Although the number of incidents has gone down slightly, 4th Ward Alderman Ray Ambrose said that even one shooting is too much.

Its terribly sad, he said. I started off my New Years with a guy shot where I live across from (the former) Riefes. Its just been a mess all year.

Capt. Brent Biggs, public information officer for the Davenport Police Department, said it is difficult to make a meaningful comparison from 2015 to 2016 based solely on the numbers.

Its certainly important for us to track those numbers as we do, he said. We track the numbers, but its about the locations and the information that we can develop with each of the individual incidents that is really helpful for us in moving forward.

He added, Were always encouraged to see that numbers are down, but that certainly doesnt mean that its not still a major concern of ours. We will continue to aggressively work these.

By the numbers

Looking at data released by the police department, the Times found that the highest number of incidents  20  occurred in January.

That month, at least six people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. There also were several instances of damage to homes and vehicles by gunfire.

Biggs said he could not speculate why there were more incidents in January but said one thing police have seen is that the incidents involved people who know each other or stemmed from some type of altercation or dispute.

These are not just random, he said. Thats the consistent information that were seeing between last year and this year.

According to the data, there were 14 incidents reported in February; 11 in March; 10 in April; six in May; eight in June; 11 in July; 17 in August; 10 in September; 17 in October; 15 in November; and 11 as of Tuesday.

Of the six homicides reported in Davenport in 2016, three were the result of gun violence.

The first was 15-year-old Ayana V. Culbreath during a large backyard party in the 4200 block of Warren Street on June 26. Police say Culbreath was shot when two teens, Trevor Demjaleek Owens and Kamario Corleone Hill, fired into a crowd during the gathering.

Owens, 18, and Hill, 14, are charged with first-degree murder in Culbreaths death. They have not yet been tried.

On Oct. 5, police were called to a home in the 1100 block of West 59th Street where they found Kevin and Donna Freese dead. The couples son, Sean M. Freese, 20, has been charged in their deaths.

Biggs said the department tracks the location of the incidents for investigative purposes but said that some of the incidents are unpredictable as to where they occur.

Some of them in these areas are isolated, he said. Just the area that it occurred really didnt have relevance to the incident.

Police response

One way the Davenport Police Department is trying to address gun violence is through the allocation of staff, on both the enforcement and community engagement sides, Biggs said.

For example, when a gun or other serious incident occurs that affects a neighborhood, officers not only canvas the area the day of the incident but return the next day to follow up, Biggs said.

Were not just putting officers out in a particular area to patrol, he said. We put officers in areas that may have been affected by an incident to not only follow up with the investigation but also to let the area or neighborhood know that were here and that we are aggressively going after each of these incidents no matter where it occurs.

The department also is continuously sharing information on a daily basis to determine which incidents, if any, are connected, Biggs said.

Biggs said the police department also has maintained a good working relationship with the U.S. Attorneys Office and Scott County Attorneys Office.

Community involvement

Ambrose, whose ward has seen shots-fired incidents this year, said he is frustrated by the lack of legislative and judicial action to keep habitual offenders off the streets.

These are elderly people that live in these neighborhoods, he said. They are on the phone calling me up, and they are extremely worried.

Ambrose said he would like to see legislators make it easier for residents to protect their homes and neighborhood by any means necessary.

He said his goal in 2017 is to make an effort to get as many ladies trained and armed in my ward as I possibly can with an instructor from the National Rifle Association.

I just want people to have a fighting chance, he said.

Daniel Teague, an elder at Grace City Church in Moline and organizer of the Boots on the Ground Coalition, said Tuesday that he wasnt surprised at the number of shots-fired reports in Davenport this year.

I believe we have to come together and focus on the community as a whole and not just in particular segments of the community, because all of the violence is not coming from one particular neighborhood, he said. This is spread out around Davenport, and you can even see it in Rock Island, so we have to come together with people on the Illinois side to bring the Quad-Cities together so we can find some solutions to the problems that were having.

Boots on the Ground formed in September 2015 in response to shootings in the area.

Teague said earlier this year that he personally talked to more than 1,000 residents to get a better understanding of the concerns of the community. Three things that came up consistently, he said, are police and community relations, unemployment and lack of education and opportunities.

Teague said Tuesday that the group will continue its efforts in January by launching a neighborhood organizing campaign to get a good pulse on the concerns of the community.

Boots on the Ground also will mentor students at Thurgood Marshall Learning Center in Rock Island, Teague said.

The ultimate goal is to get the community back involved and part of what a community should be, he said.
Fresh from winning a vacant state Senate seat on Tuesday, Iowa Rep. Jim Lykam said Wednesday he will resign his seat in the House on Monday, which will set the wheels in motion for yet another special election.

Lykam handily won the District 45 Senate seat Tuesday, defeating Republican Mike Gonzales, 73.2 percent to 25.3 percent, with Libertarian Severin Gilbert getting 1.5 percent of the vote, according to unofficial totals from the Scott County Auditor's Office.

The Scott County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to conduct a canvass of the election.

Lykam, who was taking down yard signs early Wednesday, said he had spoken with House Democratic Leader Mark Smith and planned to step down next week.

He will be sworn in as a state senator on Jan. 9, he said.

Lykam's resignation will leave people in the 89th House District without representation in the upcoming session for days, if not a couple weeks or more. State law says that Gov. Terry Branstad must call for a special election at the "earliest practical time" but that there must be at least 18 days notice.

The election also must be held on a Tuesday. The new session will begin Jan. 9.

Ben Hammes, a spokesman for the governor, said Wednesday he is waiting on word of a resignation before setting a date in accordance with the law.

"As soon as we receive the resignation, well set the special election," he said.

Local party leaders, meanwhile, are preparing for yet more special nominating conventions. Democratic Chair Thom Hart and GOP Chair Judy Davidson said their parties had not set dates yet, but they would move quickly. There will be some lag time, however, because there must be 10 days public notice before conventions can be held, they said in separate interviews.

Depending on when a special election date is set, there could be limited time to compete for absentee ballots, which were pivotal in the state Senate race.

Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz said it took eight days to prepare ballots and program machinery for the state Senate race. If it takes that long in the House special election  again, depending on when a special election date it is set  that could limit the amount of time to collect absentee ballots. Absentees made up roughly half of the votes cast in the Senate election, with Lykam gaining a solid 5-1 edge over Gonzales.

Monica Kurth, a longtime activist, has said she will seek the Democratic nomination for the soon-to-be vacant House seat. Gonzales has said it's possible he might run for the Republican nomination, but he has not been definitive yet.

Nominations are taken from the floor of the parties' conventions, so others could run, too.

The 89th District includes parts of Davenport's 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th and 8th wards. Democrats outnumber Republicans, 7,500 to 4,792. In addition, the district voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election by a 51 percent to 40 percent margin over Donald Trump.

Lykam has represented the area since 2003.
Iowa Rep. Jim Lykam won a convincing victory Tuesday in the special election to fill the vacant state Senate seat in District 45.

The longtime Davenport Democrat defeated Republican Mike Gonzales and Libertarian Severin Gilbert in the contest to succeed Joe Seng, who died in September.

With all 20 precincts counted, as well as absentees, the unofficial tally from the Scott County Auditor's Office showed Lykam getting 3,788 votes, or 73.2 percent, while Gonzales got 1,310, or 25.3 percent. Gilbert received 76 votes, or 1.5 percent.

The district covers much of west Davenport, along with the town of Buffalo.

Lykam's win was not unexpected. He's represented half the district in the Iowa House since 2003, and the Senate district has twice the number of Democrats as Republicans.

Lykam campaigned as a pragmatic Democrat working for the middle class who was seeking to carry on Seng's legacy. Gonzales, a LeClaire police officer who lives in west Davenport, said he wanted to shrink government, help small business but also maintain education funding. Gilbert expressed an interest in taking part in fixing Iowa's medicinal marijuana laws.

Lykam and his party vastly outspent their rivals. Lykam estimated their expenditures would hit about $100,000. A chunk of that went toward soliciting absentee ballots.

At Scott County Democratic headquarters Tuesday night, Lykam was appreciative of the victory.

"It was a team effort. We worked hard at it. Im very happy the voters will allow me the privilege of representing them in Des Moines," he said.

Gonzales said Tuesday night he knew what he was up against but was glad it was a positive campaign.

Lykam said that even with the Democratic advantage, he took nothing for granted. "You never know, especially two days after Christmas."

Lykam's victory is a bright spot for the Democrats in the aftermath of a disastrous Nov. 8 election. In fact, Democrats have sought to portray the special election here as the first step back for the party. A number of Democratic senators journeyed to the district to help Lykam solicit and collect absentee ballots.

Lykam's win will give Democrats their 20th seat in the Senate, but Republicans still will hold a solid majority with 29 members. Republicans also control the House.

Now that Lykam will move to the state Senate, a new special election will be needed to fill his 89th House District seat. Local party leaders said last week that they would wait until after Tuesday's election before working on setting a date for nominating conventions. First, Gov. Terry Branstad will need to set a date for the special election.

Since Lykam's vacancy will come within 45 days of the start of the next legislative session, the law says that it should be held "at the earliest practical time."

The governor must give at least 18 days' notice, however. The governor's office last week did not give any indication when a special election might be held.

Gonzales said Tuesday it is possible he will run for Lykams seat. Monica Kurth, a Davenport Democrat, said she intends to run for the seat.

Turnout at Tuesday's special election was light. The auditor's office said 5,178 voters cast ballots, or 11.75 percent of the district's registered voters. Nearly half of those ballots were absentees, where Lykam had a 5-1 advantage.

The date of the special election, coming just two days after Christmas, was a bit of a surprise. Back in September, Branstad had initially sought to hold the election on Nov. 8, saying it would save money and increase turnout. But Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz objected. Her office said that ballots already had been printed and holding the election then would have forced it to miss the deadline for overseas ballots.

The governor settled on Dec. 27, pointing to the required six-week blackout period surrounding the general election. The date prompted objections from Democrats who said that Branstad could have set it earlier in December and that he was trying to depress turnout. But the governor's office said the date was aimed at giving the auditor's office the maximum amount of time to prepare and distribute ballots.
MAQUOKETA, Iowa  Beginning Feb. 1, residents who want to get into the Jackson County Courthouse will have only one door to use.

Tuesday afternoon, Jackson County Supervisors unanimously agreed to shut three of the four entrances to the courthouse. The one door that will remain open to the public is on the east side of the courthouse facing South 2nd Street. The remaining doors will open only for employees who have key fobs to get in the locked doors.

The county's security advisory committee recommended unanimously, during a meeting earlier in December, that supervisors should reduce the number of doors open to the public .

Jackson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Steve Schroeder told the supervisors at an earlier meeting that the committee wanted to minimized the number of public access points to the building. The decision is part of an ongoing list of security items supervisors are examining following a shooting in the courthouse two years ago.

"We are recommending the east door by the engineer's office and treasurer's office because of the number of people who use those offices," Schroeder said. "Ninety percent of the business in the courthouse is there."

The county's security officer will have a raised kiosk at the center of the three halls at the courthouse. He will have a direct view to the east door, Schroeder said. The kiosk has been discussed for several months but has not been installed.

Supervisor Jack Willey said Tuesday he wasn't happy with the proposal but said he would go along with the recommendation.

"We have an awfully large building for just one door. I think we will see a problem with handicapped people. It's a long way from the parking lot to the door," Willey said. "I guess if we don't like it, we can change it back."

Supervisors agreed they will need to do a lot of education of the public and decided to begin with the one door being open on Feb. 1.

"Security is inconvenient for the public," Supervisor Larry "Buck" Koos said.
Blustery weather can be raging outside but one step inside Tropical Smoothie Cafe and you will be transported to an island paradise.

The new business in Rushmore Cross opened Dec. 3 and offers a range fresh smoothies to make you forgot all about South Dakota winters.

The Island Green was first on the tasting menu. What do you taste in it? asked franchise owner Jason McCulley with a mischievous grin.

Green apple? Wrong. Pear? Wrong again. The right answer? Island Green is a blend of spinach, kale, pineapple, mango and banana. It tastes too delicious to be healthy.

Its our most popular smoothie for a reason, said Rob Metcalf  Tropical Smoothie Cafes franchise business consultant for the central U.S.

Island Green is not the only star on the menu. Tropical Smoothie Cafe carries a full line of smoothies, including classics like Rockin Raspberry; superfoods like Acai Berry Boost and Get Up and Goji; supercharged selections like Triple Berry Oat and Lean Machine; and indulgent treats like Peanut Butter Cup and Mocha Madness.

Supplements such as probiotics, extra vitamins, fat burners, whey, soy and immune boosters are also available.

All our smoothies are made fresh to order, using real fruit. We literally have a smoothie for everyonewhether youre refueling after a workout or enjoying a special treat, said McCulley, who moved to Rapid City in July from Las Vegas with his wife, Megan.

In Las Vegas, there are 26 Tropical Smoothie Cafe stores, so thats where I came to know and love their products, explained McCulley.

In addition to smoothies, Tropical Smoothie Cafe sells flatbreads, wraps, sandwiches and salads. Customers can get whole fruit, kale and apple slaw, or chips as sides. Vegetarian and gluten-friendly options are available, as are childrens meals. Breakfast wraps and flatbreads are served all day.

Food prices range from $4.79 to $6.99. Smoothie prices range from $4.49 to $5.49, and they can be added on to any meal for only $3.50.

Our meals are portion-controlled and not cooked with fryers, said McCulley. This is the first Tropical Smoothie Cafe in South Dakota, and Im eager to bring these new and exciting products to Rapid City. I truly believe the cafe will fill a niche market that didnt exist here.

We ultimately hope to inspire a healthier lifestyle in our customers, said Metcalf. The Tropical Smoothie Cafe is still hiring staff and hopes to expand its locations within Rapid City in the future.
SIOUX FALLS | A concrete products manufacturer with a deep history has plans to build a $19 million plant in Sioux Falls.

City documents say Gage Brothers Concrete Products plans to construct a 230,000-square-foot building to house manufacturing operations, a carpentry shop, administrative offices and employee spaces.

Gage Brothers makes precast concrete panels, monuments and other products. The Argus Leader says the company is currently located at the same location it was founded in 1915.
The Christmas blizzard hit Butte County hard Sunday and continuing into Monday.

Butte County Auditor Elaine Jensen said early Tuesday morning that she hadn't yet heard from the governor's office following his disaster declaration, but added that South Dakota Department of Transportation people already had aided in rescue efforts in the county.

She added that a search for a rural Newell man begun Sunday afternoon brought "an absolute Christmas miracle" when he was found about 1:30 p.m. Monday and life-flighted to Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Jensen said a situation report Monday indicated there had been four rescue efforts Christmas night for people stranded in vehicles. Power outages had been reported in Fruitdale, Nisland and Newell areas and power companies were working to restore electric power.

Butte County Sheriff Fred Lamphere said the man rescued Monday had gotten lost in blizzard conditions walking late Christmas afternoon from his parents' home to his home only about 300 yards away.

Lamphere said the heavy blowing and drifting snow disoriented the man who used his cellphone to say he was lost on the prairie northeast of Newell.

Monday when storm winds slightly abated, a rescue effort with a V-plow, four-wheel drive vehicles and snowmobiles from the Vale Volunteer Fire Department did find the man.

He was suffering from hypothermia and was placed first in Lamphere's vehicle and then in the Newell ambulance headed to Newell where the Lifeflight helicopter took him to Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Lamphere said Tuesday morning he had not received an update on the man's condition.

A close call for a rural ranch couple northeast of Newell resulted from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning Monday evening. They were rescued by sheriff's officers and the Newell ambulance.

The sheriff said that along with Butte County Highway workers that continued clearing roads Tuesday, the state's Department of Transportation helped in the rescue of seven people from the four vehicles Jensen mentioned.

Two of the rescues were on U.S. Highway 212 and one on a county road. Lamphere said it appeared others were rescued by private individuals.

He said the storm seemed worse in the eastern and northeastern part of the county, an estimated eight to 10 inches pushed into drifts by high winds that seemed similar to the infamous Atlas storm in 2013.

Newell town was out of power for about an hour and a half Christmas night, he said, in addition to other power outages.

He said it appeared that most people in the county had power restored, although there still could be power outages in some rural areas and some may have been out of power for longer than in town.

As of early Tuesday, Gov. Dennis Daugaard declared a state of emergency for all of South Dakota resulting from the Christmas Day storm that resulted in stranded motorists and electrical power outages.

The governor ordered that state government technical resources be made available to support county governments to restore normal travel conditions and emergency services. Those technical resources will be coordinated by the state Department of Public Safetys Office of Emergency Management.

Every part of South Dakota was impacted in some way by this holiday storm, said Gov. Daugaard. If it was not heavy snow, it was freezing rain and high winds. Many South Dakotans and visitors had to change their Christmas plans because of the storms impact.

Blizzard conditions forced the closure of Interstate 90 from the Wyoming border to Chamberlain from Sunday night through Monday morning. Electrical power outages were reported in many parts of the state.

Also Tuesday, the South Dakota Rural Electric Association reported that electric cooperatives throughout western South Dakota and the northern half of the state continue to experience outages incurred in Christmas Day storms.

On Monday afternoon, thirteen cooperatives were reporting outages to 19,000 South Dakota co-op members homes and businesses.
Working together teaches important lessons

HOT SPRINGS - The Wild Sheep Foundations (WSF) Midwest Chapter earlier this year sent a crew to Arizona to learn how to build a guzzler  a device designed to collect and hold water for wildlife.

Hot Springs Matt Rippentrop, Billy Morrow, Tyler Morrow, Teejay Atwood and Sam Simunek were part of the team, and according to an article by Ryan Brock, in WSFs magazine Wild Sheep, this experience taught everyone involved some larger lessons.

Organizations working together can truly accomplish more work and impact more wildlife, writes Brock, while at the same time having a tremendous impact on young people who are learning about conservation.

In March, a coordinated effort by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, WSFs Midwest Chapter, the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, the Arizona Bureau of Land Management and a little help in funding from the Wild Sheep Foundation along with Cabelas led to another successful year for youth getting involved in building a guzzler.

Eleven students and five chaperones from the Midwest Chapter, including the Hot Springs crew, flew to Nevada to tour Hoover Dam, then they continued on to Fort Mohave, Arizona, where they spent two days building a guzzler with the Silver Peak project.

The build involved shuttling youth and other workers up the steep terrain by helicopter  the guzzler was built on a saddle between two ridges.

It was the best experiences I have ever had in my whole life, said Tyler Morrow.

One of his most memorable things was the flight on to the mountainside where the work was being done. This was Morrows first memorable flight  he flew at a year old, but doesnt remember it  and he recalled how the helicopter said Grand Canyon on it, how he got to sit in passenger seat.

As soon at the crew arrived in their camp, Sam Simunek, Teejay Atwood and Morrow began to explore the area.

Morrow described his chores for the project: As a group, we dug fence holes to keep the wild burros out of the area where the guzzler was, Morrow said. The helicopter brought the materials for everything on to the mountain. We had to measure the height of the horizontal bars on the fence. This will keep the burros out, but still allow the sheep to get in.

When we got there, there was already a hole for the basin that holds the water for the sheep, Morrow said. The watering hole was gravity fed. A few people filled in the spaces between the three storage tanks. When we left the area, the project drain wasnt complete, but some other people stayed behind to finish the drain.

Morrow thanked all of the volunteers on this awesome trip, with a big thank you for Rippentrop, the Arizona Game and Fish, the volunteers on this trip, and the Wild Sheep Foundations Midwest Chapter.

Atwood also had great memories of the trip.

I was very excited to participate in the Arizona guzzler project, Atwood said, recalling the long ride to the Minneapolis airport and the unexpected Hoover Dam tour, the biggest substation I have ever seen covered with power lines.

We stayed in a camp at the work site and I got to meet a lot of interesting people, Atwood continued. I learned guzzlers function through a rain-fed gravity tarp system. My main job was digging fence post holes. I also mixed and poured concrete. The fence is meant to keep the burros out.

His favorite experience was riding in the helicopter to our work site every day, and sitting in the front seat with the pilot.

It was AWESOME! he noted.

Atwood was surprised to learn that wild sheep dig up barrel cactus and eat the white moist pulp out of the middle. He also learned the rams are easy prey for mountain lions because they cant see very well due to their large horns.

I am proud to be part of the efforts to increase the Arizona big horn sheep population, he said.

Brock wrote that the Midwest crew demonstrated a top quality work ethic, despite being in charge of many hard labor tasks, like digging post holes, picking and moving rocks, carrying cement blocks and bags, and hand-mixing cement.

A special treat for all involved was seeing sheep both days of the build.

Much work goes into the planning and execution of such a project, especially when the majority of the crew fly in from other states, Brock wrote. The annual partnerships between these organizations demonstrate how successful conservation education opportunities can become when efforts are combined.

For more information on S.H.E.E.P and upcoming events contact Ryan Brock at Rbrock@wildsheepfoundation.org. Also, those interested in wild sheep might want to mark June 3, 2017 down on their calenders. This is when the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation Banquet/Youth Event will take place in Casper, Wyo., one of the closest Wild Sheep Foundation events.
Retiring after 16 years as a county commissioner, Ortner shares some thoughts

HOT SPRINGS  After 16 years of serving the county as a county commissioner, most recently as president of the commission, Mike Ortner will step down from his duties in January.

Below is a visit with Ortner, and his reflections on the past, present and future of the county.

Ortner bio

Ortner earned his B.A. in Government from the University of South Dakota in 1965, a Masters in Government in 1972, and his Juris Doctorate in 1978. During this time he worked as the Director of the Midwest Office of the Council of State Governments (1967-1969) and Director of the South Dakota Legislative Research Council (1969-1976).

Since 1979, Ortner has been a member of the South Dakota Bar Association with a private law practice in Hot Springs. He served as the City Attorney for Hot Springs, Buffalo Gap and Oelrichs for many years, and from December of 1985 through January of 1987, he served as a member of the state House of Representatives.

Ortner was also a member of the South Dakota Gaming Commission for nearly nine years, is Vice President of the Western South Dakota Juvenile Services Center, a member and past president of Rotary, past chairman of the Fall River County Republican Party, past chairman of the Fall River County and Shannon County Boards of Mental Illness, past member of the Hospital Board of Directors, Past President for both the Black Hills County Commissioners Association and SD County Commissioners Association. Mike organized Fall River County Stands Up for America  September 11, 2002.

Also, for 30 years Ortner was Santa Claus for all foster children in the Southern Black Hills. He is married to Gloria ONeill, retired Deputy Nurse Executive for VA Black Hills Health Care System. Their son, Justin ONeill, is a graduate of Black Hills State University in marketing & management and USD Law School.

Q. Talk about your first election, and to what do you attribute your longevity as a county commissioner?

A. Several people ran in the 2000 primary. I won by a good margin and had no opposition in the general election. For my next three elections, Paul Nabholz was always one of my opponents, but I always managed to come out as victor. I always considered the position of county commissioner to be a non-political party job, at least 99 percent of the time . If you represent the taxpayers to the best of your ability, the name of the political party does not matter. I believe I have been supported just as much by independents and Democrats as by my own Republican party.

Q. What were some of your most memorable experiences as a commissioner?

A. As a commission we have always tried to keep the county part of the tax levy in check. In fact, in 14 of the 16 county budgets adopted during my years we lowered the county mill levy from the prior year. The county gets blamed for high property taxes because we are the entity that has to collect the tax bill through the county treasurer, but in the cities, the county part of the tax billis only about 25 percent of a persons tax bill and outside of the cities, it is about a third of the property tax bill.

I am proud of the fact that I led the effort to get the legislature and the governor to unanimously adopt a state law to have the word Veteran placed on the drivers license of every honorably discharged veteran. This came about as a result of my service as vice chairman of the Veterans and Military Service Task Force of the National Association of Counties (NACO) which represents our nations more than 3,000 counties.

(For three years, Ornter served as Vice Chairman of NACOs Task Force on Veterans and Military Service as well as on the NACO Board of Directors.)

I have also served for eight years on NACOs transportation committee, which this past year was instrumental in getting Congress to pass a comprehensive transportation bill which will result in our state and local governments being able to repair and replace many of our deteriorating roads and bridges.

I have also been proud to served for the past two years as South Dakotas representative on NACOs board of directors as well as vice chairman of programs and services to NACOs membership though programs such as the discount pharmacy program and the discount purchasing programs negotiated with pharmacies and offices suppliers, resulting in savings of hundreds of millions of dollars to our nations citizens and county governments.

I was also active in our state association of counties serving as state president and vice president as well as on its board of directors for the past 10 years, and as chairman of its committee on veterans and military service since its creation several years ago.

Ortner said he was also proud of getting fellow County Commissioner Deb Russell appointed to the board of the state county government association as ex-officio member for West River, giving Fall River County a continued voice in state proceedings.

Ortner was also named 2015 County Commissioner of the Year by that state association.

Q. What, in your opinion, are the challenges facing the commissioners in the days ahead?

A. One of our biggest challenges as commissioners has been the issue of possible renewed uranium mining in the county. The commission took a neutral position on this issue as we are not self-proclaimed experts on this matter. The federal and state laws say this must be resolved by the Nuclear Regulatroy Commission and the state Department of Natural Resources. They have the experts and resources to resolve this very complicated issue. I do not believe this is all a black and white, right or wrong issue and deserves thorough and reasoned decision making.

The other main issue we have faced is trying to meet ever increasing demands for county services with a limited source of funding. We all want to keep more money in our pockets at home while on the other hand we want better roads and bridges as well as protection through law enforcement and getting criminals off our streets. The drug problem and attendant child abuse and neglect costs are increasing at an alarming rate locally and across the nation.

Q. What advice would you give to the commissioners?

A. My advice to the commissioners, as well as Paul Nabholz, is to be patient and civil with each other and the general public.

You all have a tough job and a lot of challenges facing you. I believe the county needs to look seriously at county planning as we are one of the few counties in the state without it. I believe this has seriously hampered county economic development. I believe this can be done without hampering our ability to control our own lives without stepping on our neighbors lives.

Q. Tell us about your future plans

A. I plan on taking some time off from my continuing law practice and doing some more traveling and fishing. One of my priorities will be spending more time with my wife and my grandsons, who are just the best.

Q. Any final thoughts?

A. I would like to thank the people of Fall River County for their support and prayers over the last 16 years. I also wish to thank the many fine employees and officials of Fall River County whom it has been my pleasure to work with this past 16 years. God bless and best wishes to you all.

Ortner open house

HOT SPRINGS  An open house will be held for retiring County Commissioner Mike Ortner on Thursday, Dec. 29, in the basement meeting room from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact Sue Ganje at 745-5130.
It's Christmas Day. A man goes to visit his parents while a blizzard is whipping the snow around. He leaves to return home, on foot, only 300 yards away. But he gets lost.

That was just one of the rescue efforts Butte County officials dealt with Sunday and Monday.

County Auditor Elaine Jensen said Tuesday morning that others involved a total of seven people stranded in four vehicles. Power outages had been reported in the Fruitdale, Nisland and Newell areas and power companies were working to restore electricity.

But the "absolute Christmas miracle" happened Monday afternoon when the lost man, who is from rural Newell, was found around 1:30 p.m.

Butte County Sheriff Fred Lamphere said the fierce winds and drifting snow disoriented the man, whose identity was not released. He used his cellphone to say he was lost on the prairie northeast of Newell.

On Monday, when storm winds slightly abated, a rescue effort with a V-plow, four-wheel-drive vehicles and snowmobiles from the Vale Volunteer Fire Department found him, suffering from hypothermia. He was placed first in Lamphere's vehicle and then in an ambulance headed to Newell, where a Life Flight helicopter took him to Rapid City Regional Hospital.

The man's condition was unavailable Tuesday night.

Another close call involved a rural ranch couple northeast of Newell who suffered from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning Monday evening. They were rescued by sheriff's deputies and the Newell ambulance.

Lamphere said that along with Butte County highway workers who continued clearing roads Tuesday, the state's Department of Transportation helped in the rescue of the seven people from the four vehicles.

Two of the rescues were on U.S. Highway 212 and one on a county road. Lamphere said it appeared others were rescued by private individuals.

He said the storm seemed worse in the eastern and northeastern part of the county, an estimated 8 to 10 inches piled into drifts by high winds reminiscent of the Atlas storm in 2013.

Blizzard conditions forced the closure of Interstate 90 from the Wyoming border to Chamberlain from Sunday night through Monday morning. The area around Newell lost power for about an hour and a half.
The Public Works Committee of the Rapid City Council will continue its deer harvesting program as it approved the taking of about 100 deer within the city.

The harvest will take place in January, and the meat will be donated to Sportsmen Against Hunger to feed needy families through Feeding South Dakota, city officials said.

There are 12 potential bait sites throughout the city, according to Alex DeSmidt of the Parks and Recreation Department. The sites are the same as the ones last year, where bait in the form of grain or food is spread out on the ground to lure the deer so trained and certified sharpshooters can kill them.

The harvest will include mule and white-tail and will take place throughout the city, focusing on areas with the highest deer populations.

The total cost for the project is estimated at about $14,000, according to DeSmidt. The number of deer is the same as last season. The city has been doing this since 1995, and it reached its peak of 300 deer from the 2005-06 season through the 2010-11 season. The numbers began to drop after that, resting at 100 for the last few seasons.

The number to be harvested is determined by the annual deer trend survey conducted by the Rapid City Parks Department. The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department recommends to the survey how many deer to harvest within the city limits.

The Rapid City Urban Wildlife Committee and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board concurred with the recommendation before it was brought to the Public Works Committee on Tuesday.

The recommendation will now go to the full city council for final approval at its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting has been moved because Monday is the legal observance of New Year's Day.

In other news, the committee approved a sidewalk variance for Gray Television Inc., the owner of KOTA-TV and KEVN-LD television stations in Rapid City. The company sought the exception so that it does not have to build a mandated sidewalk when constructing a new building or doing significant additions or renovations.

The letter accompanying the request says the company is planning major building additions and site improvements in 2017 at its property at 2001 Skyline Drive. The city staff recommended approving the variance because of the steep topography of the area, "which would make the installation of a property-line sidewalk problematic and costly," city project engineer Dan Kools said in the agenda item summary.

Alderwoman Darla Drew said although she vowed to be tough on sidewalks earlier this year, that putting one there just "doesn't make sense."
Democrats in South Dakota just lost their most prominent officeholder, Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether, who quit the party last week, complaining about South Dakota Dems' unwillingness to change.

That echoed an earlier comment that Democrat Paula Hawks made shortly after she lost to GOP incumbent Kristi Noem in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives seat.

Hawks was engaging in a public postmortem over the bi-annual pummeling that South Dakota Democrats had just endured again. She told the Argus Leader that "I think what we've seen in the last year is that what we're doing isn't working. We do need a shake-up."

The gist of the piece is that Hawks' view reflects the state party's internal disagreement over how many of its woes should be blamed on current leadership. As a Republican who wishes we had a more vigorous two-party climate in state government, I find myself cheering a lot for Dems that I admire, and I put Paula Hawks in the top tier of that list. But on this issue of leadership, I think Hawks is missing the underlying point. Dems in South Dakota need to re-evaluate their basic assumptions, and they need to do it on three fronts.

First, they have to settle on an identity. Yes, they can be the agents of social change (and I'm with them on just about every aspect of that), but they simply must understand that their essential persona has always sprung from the roots of economic justice. Remember "it's the economy, stupid?"

Next, they need to tailor a coherent statewide message that reflects that party identity.

Yes, there's room for cultural liberalism in their message, but they have to have an overriding economic argument that makes it possible for them to put the conversation into terms like education, health care, infrastructure, wages, tax reform and economic growth.

That's the stuff that affects people's day-to-day lives. For example, though moot now, I was very disheartened by the lack of urgency about Medicaid expansion in the message of Democrats throughout the state. Same goes for tax reform.

Finally, they must find the means to get their message across. I've met Co-party Chairs Ann Tornberg and Joe Lowe and can attest to their abilities and commitments. They accomplish a lot without the mother's milk of politics  money. Fundraising should be a top priority, beginning now. South Dakota has 170,000 registered Democrats. That's a pretty sizeable pool of potential donations.

Even though money is tight, there's no shortage of ideas and issues that South Dakota Dems can put to work. Once they resolve their identity crisis, a lot of other things will fall into place.
As Nebraskas voting machines approach the end of their useful lifespans and replacement funding is likely to be difficult to find in the future, the Legislature is looking at moving the state to all-mail elections.

Wisely, Sen. John Murante, who chairs the special committee on election technology, is seeking much more input before recommending any kind of change in the voting system that is administered by the states 93 counties.

"I'm not hearing any opposition from the counties, but I would want to make sure the people of Nebraska are on board," Murante said. "If we make that drastic a change, we need a lot of public input."

Three states now hold elections entirely by mail  Oregon, which adopted all-mail voting in 2000, Washington (2011) and Colorado (2013). Colorado had a 71 percent turnout in November in its first presidential election with all-mail voting. Oregon had a 68 percent turnout. Those turnouts put those two states behind only Minnesota, New Hampshire and Maine in turnout percentage.

Washington, however, had a 65 percent turnout, just two percent higher than in Nebraska. So an increase in turnout, which is always desirable, isnt a guarantee with all-mail, particularly in large turnout elections, like general elections in a presidential year. Turnouts in small turnout elections, like city elections or primaries with few contests, generally have larger increases with all-mail voting.

There are pluses and minuses for all-mail voting. Its seen as more convenient and voters often say they want the mail system. And it saves some money simply by having no poll workers and Election Day costs.

Mail voting, however, does increase election printing costs and it too requires equipment that can scan the paper ballots, creating a one-time cost that could be quite high for counties.

Some have raised security questions about all-mail balloting as well, that voters may be coerced by family members, friends, acquaintances or even employers.

And then there is the question of eliminating the Election Day tradition of going to polls. Voters surveyed elsewhere tend to favor continuing the process with which they are familiar and moving to all-mail voting would eliminate one of the only remaining civic experiences engaged in by a large percentage of our communities.

Moving to all-mail voting wouldn't be without consequences, but it could have multiple benefits, meriting further study and public input that Murante is seeking before any change is proposed or implemented.
WALL | The world famous Wall Drug Store may attract thousands of visitors to this little town perched on the fringe of the Badlands, but it's the friendly people who persuade others to make it their home.

Just ask the members of any local coffee group sipping a cup of the drug stores nickel coffee, while waiting for the postmaster to finish sorting the daily mail.

We like it here, said Kathy Fremstad, 65.

Kathy, along with her husband, Jim, first visited Wall 45 years ago on their honeymoon. Years later, the Minnesota couple sent their children to work at Wall Drug for the summer.

Now, Wall is where the grandkids live, so the Fremstads left Minnesota to retire to the community almost three years ago.

Were grandma and grandpa daycare, Kathy Fremstad said.

Patty Kjerstad, 70, is a born and raised Wall gal; as is Carla Brucklacher.

Kjerstad married and stayed in the area to raise her children on a ranch with her late husband, Dick. She now lives in town and operates a couple local businesses with her children.

Ive always stayed close by, Kjerstad said.

Brucklacher and her husband, Mark, a Philip boy from down the road, tried living in eastern South Dakota for a while after they married. They stuck it out for nine months.

It wasnt my bag, Brucklacher said. The couple returned to raise their children in the area where their roots were in 1969, she said.

Everything about West River is better -- the weather, especially the humidity, and the people are friendlier -- said Brucklacher, whose father, Lynn Williams, was the towns barber for 63 years. Williams was 90 when he died in May; he had retired from part-time barbering in 2011.

The people are the best assets, said Betty Crown, the fourth member of the morning coffee group.

Crowns son, Byron, died two years ago after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. The community embraced his struggle and rallied to help the family.

It was not a one-time thing, Crown said. They never abandon you. I owe everybody.

Even those who leave have a hard time abandoning Wall.

Marge Pahl, an emergency medical technician, fills a 36-hour volunteer shift for the Wall Ambulance Service when she can. The ambulance service is always short of help, she said.

I feel bad about my ambulance family, said Pahl, who lives in Rapid City.

Pahl and her husband, Jim, moved to Rapid City two years ago when he retired as general manager of Golden West Telecommunications.

After living in Wall for 20 years, leaving was hard, she said.

I miss my friends and the closeness of the community, Pahl said.

And, she clarified one rumor about small town people. Everyone isnt a prying busybody.

Half are just snoopy and the other half are concerned, Pahl said.

Walls population dipped from 818 in 2000 to 776 in 2010, according to Lindsey Hildebrand, director of the Wall Chamber of Commerce.

A Wall native, Hildebrand, 28, and her husband, Haven, are part of the towns younger generation that could grow in the coming years, she said. He operates a concrete construction business; she just completed her MBA at the University of South Dakota.

I wouldnt trade the small town atmosphere for anything, Hildebrand said.

Golden West and West River Electric Cooperative are both significant employers in the town.

So many people are going through retirement, Hildebrand said.

Those retirements make the prospect of young families moving to town exciting, she said.

Things are promising, our preschool classes are larger than theyve ever been, Pahl said.

Wall completed a new school complex in 2005, which should be an added benefit.

Theres more to the community than Wall Drug, Hildebrand said. People are often surprised at the towns infrastructure that includes a clinic, 13 motels, a grocery store, a hardware store, several restaurants and a park, with a pool that offers free swimming. Theres also a community gym.

Badlands National Park is just a few minutes away and Rapid City is only a 40-minute drive.

Most impressive is the recently completed $1.3 million overhaul of Main Street.

Weve got so much to be thankful for, said Mayor Dave Hahn, 72, who just started his 29th year as mayor.

Hahn was hired as the school superintendent 41 years ago. He left education three years later to buy the Gambles Store, which he operated for 22 years. He owned the local Standard Station for the next eight years, before retiring.

Sales tax dollars generated by Wall Drug and the other local businesses is the communitys biggest advantage. The town has a $1.3 million annual budget and real estate taxes support only $200,000 of that budget.

How fortunate we are, Hahn said, adding that sales taxes generate more than $1 million annual.

The city council is working on an agreement to help Dakota Mill and Grain continue to expand its grain handling operation, Hahn said. The company has increased its grain handling capacity from 200,000 bushels to 650,000 bushels in recent years.

The local ag economy is important," Hahn said.

Theres also hope that the Canadian Pacific Railroad will continue with plans to build a railroad line connecting Wall with the Wyoming coal fields.

Its impossible, however, to ignore Wall Drug. Ted and Dorothy Husteads struggling depression-era pharmacy that now spans most of a city block, all because of a simple sign inviting parched travelers to stop for free ice water. During the summer months, the attraction employs 200 people.

Theres plenty to experience for the whole family at the drug store thats more than just a pharmacy. The ice water is still free and the coffee really is only 5 cents.

A visit to Wall Drug is an experience that is educational and entertaining in surroundings enhanced by world class esthetics, which is all part of the plan, according to Wall Drug president Ted Hustead, the grandson of the founding Husteads.

Its the No. 1 attraction in the world, Hustead said.

The community is as much a part of the drug stores success as the ice water, Hustead said.

In a nutshell, our relationship is definitely a two-way street, Hustead said. We are very grateful for the communitys patience in the summer months with all the traffic.

Wall is a perfect place to do business, Hustead said.

Its also a great place to raise children.

I am very pleased with how my children have turned out and wouldnt change Wall for raising a family, Hustead said.
Construction firms ex-manager gets 4 years for embezzlement at Vostochny Cosmodrome

MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  Moscows Meshchansky District Court on Wednesday sentenced former director general of Stroykonstruktsiya S company Anatoly Ryazanov to 4 years in prison for embezzling 1.18 billion rubles ($19.4 million) during the Vostochny Cosmodrome construction, a court representative told RAPSI.

The court also granted civil lawsuits demanding over 770 million rubles ($12.7 million) from the defendant.

Prosecutors earlier demanded 4.5 years in prison for Ryazanov.

According to investigators, in 2012-2013, Ryazanov, head of Spetsstroyservis under Spetsstroy of Russia Andrey Yartsev, Stroykonstruktsia CEO Nikolai Shkadin, his deputy Igor Novikov and another accomplice Vladimir Deniskin conspired to embezzle over 1.1 billion rubles of budget funds by purchase of steel constructions from Stroykonstruktsiya S at artificially high prices for building Vostochny Cosmodrome facilities. Real costs for the said steel constructions amounted to about 600 million rubles ($9.9 million), the Investigative Committee reported.

Ryazanov has pleaded guilty.

A criminal case against Novikov will be considered separately because he had earlier fled from investigation and had been put on the wanted list. He was placed in detention after the arrest. Later, he pleaded guilty, according to investigators.
Russian court upholds sentence for pensioner over VKontakte post

MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul)  The Supreme Court of the Chuvash Republic upheld a two-year suspended sentence handed down to pensioner Nikolay Egorov for reposting extremist content on VKontakte social network, his lawyer Yevgeny Gubin told RAPSI on Wednesday.

Egorov was convicted of inciting ethnic hatred after an article by Russian journalist Boris Stomakhin was placed on his VKontakte page.

Egorov pleaded not guilty.

He claimed that a number of people had access to his account who could post the article.

Stomakhin, an editor of Radikalnaya Politika (Radical Politics) newspaper, was convicted of inciting terrorism and sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2007 and 6.5 years in 2014.
Ukraine shelves decision on investigation into ex-president Yanukovych - report

MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI)  A Ukrainian court has suspended decision-making on a request to launch investigation into former president of the country Viktor Yanukovych suspected of treason, Ukrinform reported Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Ukraines Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko read charges against Yanukovych in a court through videoconference link. Later, Ukraines Prosecutor Generals Office filed a motion to initiate a trial of former president in absentia.

Lutsenko said that he expects the trial of Yanukovych to begin in February 2017. He added that if Yanukovych found guilty his property would be confiscated.

Postponement of proceedings is related to an appeal filed by former presidents defense with a court of appeals against holding this trial in the Pechersky District Court. According to Yanukovychs lawyer Vitaly Serdyuk, trial should be held in another court because the Pechersky District Court is being pressured by Ukraines Prosecutor Generals Office. He added that a court of appeals may rule on the complaint before the New Year.

On Wednesday, the Pechersky District Court dismissed a motion to recuse prosecutors in the case.

The Ukrainian prosecutors suspect Yanukovych of the same crimes allegedly committed by former Berkut officers: using fire arms against protesters in Kiev in late 2013 and early 2014. However, his case is subject to separate criminal proceedings.

The political crisis erupted in Ukraine in late November 2013 after the government announced that it had halted the countrys association with the European Union. Protests, called Euromaidan, swept across the country and led to violent clashes between armed activists and law enforcement officers in late 2013 and early 2014.

Fighting between radical anti-government protesters and police culminated in mass riots on February 18, 2014. On February 20, fire was opened on protestors. Over 100 people died those days on both sides, according to RIA Novosti.

Ukraine's authorities claim "Berkut" officers to be blamed for the shootings.

Russia says that militants of Right Sector, a far-right Ukrainian group banned in Russia, may have been behind the attack.

Ukraine went through a regime change on February 22, 2014, when President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country and Euromaidan activists rose to power in Kiev.

In early 2015, it was reported that the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office brought charges against Yanukovych in absentia and addressed Russia with a request to extradite the former president. Yanukovych is suspected of organizing a criminal group, abuse of power, embezzling state property and other offenses. The Russian Ministry of Justice then claimed he had not received any documents on extraditing Yanukovych to Kiev.

On June 6, Russia declined to extradite Yanukovych, according to the Prosecutor Generals Offices spokesman Alexander Kurennoy.

A motion for provisional arrest and detention of Yanukovych filed by Ukraine was considered and dismissed in accordance with Article 3 (Political offences) of the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, he told journalists. Ukrainian authorities were informed about this decision, Kurennoy added.
Three suspects in theft of Levitan paintings from museum arrested

Context Five Levitan paintings stolen from Central Russian museum

MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov)  Police have arrested three suspects in stealing paintings by famous Russian artist Isaak Levitan from his house-museum in the Ivanovo Region, the Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk told journalists on Wednesday.

In August 2014, five paintings of Levitan including "Roses", "A Quiet Pool", "A Quiet River", "Gully to the fence" and Railway Halt were stolen from the Levitan House-Museum in Plyos, a small town on the Volga. The total value of the stolen paintings is estimated at around 77 million rubles ($1.3 million).

Police have seized the paintings during searches at premises of the suspects. Defendants, who are also suspected of robbery and embezzling 5 million rubles ($82,200) from a bank and armed assault against cash-in-transit couriers and traffic policemen, have been put in detention.

Levitan, one of the most famous Russian landscape artists, completed about 1,000 paintings, studies, drawings and sketches. Most of his masterpieces are at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The Plyos museum is the only Levitan house-museum in Russia. It was opened in 1972. Levitan first visited Plyos in 1888 and completed 23 well known paintings there as well as about 200 drawings, studies and sketches.
Over 90 persons recognized as victims in TU-154 plane crash

MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul)  Over 90 persons were acknowledged as victims in a criminal case launched after the crash of TU-154 military plane over the Black Sea, RAPSI learnt in the Investigative Committees press-service.

The Committee noted that planes crash site was located recently and sea floor is currently being explored using special deep water equipment. Floating crane lifted pieces of the fuselage, engine and flight data recorder. The latter was delivered to Moscow for decoding. Investigators have completed other tasks as well, including examination of discovered elements of clothing, personal items and documents belonging to people who were on board.

The plane, which was carrying out a planned flight to Syria with 8 crew members and 84 passengers on board including journalists, musicians from the famous Alexandrov military ensemble and Elizaveta Glinka, widely known as Doctor Liza, the Fair Aid charity executive director and the inaugural winner of Russia's state prize for achievements in human rights, crashed into the Black Sea on December 25. The aircraft refueled at Adlers airport and shortly after disappeared from radars.

As Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Defense Ministrys spokesman, told journalists, no one survived in the crash.

Searches for the crash site are being conducted by rescue services of the Defense Ministry and Ministry of Emergency Situations. Investigative measures are currently underway.
My interview with Christchurch radio station RDU has gone online . Host James Dann asked me not only about the raid on 'Ata Island but about the wider Pacific slave trade and its links with New Zealand. I mentioned the Dunedin-based steamship, which was connected to the most infamous and misunderstood episode of the entire slave trade.Thecaptain and crew stole men and women from Melanesia and sold them in Queensland or Fiji to the owners of sugar plantations. In August 1870 theapproached Savo, a small island in the Solomon archipelago, and encountered a group of men and women in canoes. The captain of thesteered his ship into the little vessels; their passengers went screaming into the water. The crew of thelowered a whaleboat into the sea, rowed towards the flailing bodies, and pulled them to safety, and into slavery.But thecaptain did not realise that his latest captives included both the wife and daughter of the chief of Savo Island. The people of the island were enraged, and its sole white inhabitant, a beachcomber and small trader, had to barricade himself in his hut.A few weeks after the raid on Savo John Coleridge Patteson, the Anglican Bishop of Melanesia, approached Nukapu, an island in the far south of the Solomons, on the missionary ship the. For sixteen years Patteson had been landing on Pacific beaches. By 1871, he could preach in twenty-three of Melanesia's thousand languages. On island after island, the bishop left Bibles and medicines and sailed away with young men, who learned to read and pray at Anglican schools on Norfolk Island and in Auckland.Patteson was popular in many places, and slavers took to imitating him. They would anchor off islands, don black garments, hold Bibles aloft on the decks of their ships, and wait for locals to paddle or swim towards them. After hearing about his imitators, the Bishop of Melanesia became a meticulous opponent of the slave trade. He collected stories of raids and whippings, and wrote long memoranda to the governments of Australasia and Britain.In the months before thevisit, Nukapu had been repeatedly raided by blackbirders. The people of the island were not happy to see another exotic ship stop outside their reef.Patteson landed on Nukapu in a Melanesian canoe given to him by some of his students. Hours later he drifted back towards theon the same vessel. There were arrows and axe marks in his torso, and the right side of his head had collapsed. The bishop had become Nukapu's message to the white world.Patteson's death created an uproar throughout the British Empire. In New Zealand public meetings denounced the slave trade, and parliament passed a resolution calling on Britain to ban and punish the practice. Captain Jacobs of thepublished an account of Bishop Patteson's death that blamed the event on slave traders. Thehad visited Savo at the beginning of September, and Bishop Patteson had spent some of his time on the island hearing a report about the attack by the. It was the actions of ships like the, Jacobs suggested, that led to the slaying of John Patteson.Despite Jacobs' testimony , the British government sent a warship, the, to punish Nukapu for Patteson's death. Thewas driven by propellers and had eleven guns. On the way to Nukapu the ship stopped in New Zealand, where some of its crew played the first ever rugby union international against a team of Aucklanders.When theanchored off Nukapu in October the local men danced on their beach, then fired a volley of arrows that fell into the sea far short of the warship. Theresponded by bombarding the island. The ship fired its largest guns, and the ship's crew opened up with their rifles. Later a party of marines went ashore, and burned a Nukapuan village.The invasion of Nukapu was condemned by anti-slavery campaigners as an insult to the memory of Bishop Patteson, and was criticised by newspapers in New Zealand and in Britain. Patteson himself became the first Pacific martyr of the Anglican church, and is still remembered by members of the church today. Patteson's certificate of ordination is displayed at Auckland's Anglican cathedral; on a window in church in a Surrey village called Kingswood there is a portrait of Patteson serenely contemplating his Bible while two copper-coloured savages carrying clubs approach him.What is not remembered is the share of responsibility that a steamer from Dunedin bore for both the slaying of Bishop Patteson and the British navy's attack on Nukapu.the original version of this post mistakenly claimed that there was a causal link between the raid of theon Savo and the slaying of Bishop Patteson, by claiming that Savo and Nukapu were neighbours, and that the people of the latter island were enraged by the abduction of the chief of Savo's wife and daughter. I am very grateful to Christine Liava'a for e mailing and pointing out that Savo and Nukapu are hundreds of kilometres apart. ('I know', Christine said, 'I've been to both'.) I've changed my post to make the weaker claim that Captain Jacobs of the Southern Cross saw the raid on Savo by theas an example of the blackbirding that led to Bishop Patteson's death.[Posted by Scott Hamilton]
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
KATHMANDU, Dec 28: Birendra Bahadur Karki, Joint-Secretary at the Legislature-Parliament Secretariat, has been promoted to the post of Secretary.

A meeting of the Legislature-Parliament Management Committee yesterday decided to promote Karki to the post of Secretary that was lying vacant after the retirement of then Secretary Som Bahadur Thapa due to age-limit.

Karki, who originally hails from Deurali of Bhojpur of the eastern Nepal, had joined the parliament services in 2047 BS. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Supreme Court (SC), the apex court of the country has on Wednesday ordered the government not to implement its decision to remove three Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Board members.

Responding to a writ filed by one of the members sacked by the government, Suraj Lamichhane, a single bench of Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut ordered the government not to implement the decision till a final verdict on the case.

Alleging the board members of obstruction the efforts to end load shedding, the government on December 19 had sacked Lamichhane, Manoj Kumar Mishra and Laxman Prasad Agrawal from the Board member.
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Filmmaker Mike Mills remembers a lot of things. His own life is the source material for his films. 2010s Beginners was about his rough relationship with his father; now, 20th Century Women is about him growing up with his mother.

Darkly comic, brutally honest, deliciously awkward, and provocatively other, 20th Century Women casts a literary tranquility all its own. As a late-1970s period piece, its sense of place and time, its careful quotations of other books, songs, and movies, the almost hypnotic, Philip Glass-lite -- in a good way! -- score by Roger Neill is compelling. The lifestyle of all surrounding characters as transient yet not going anywhere, the quality of the tag-team narration by both mother and son Beautiful.

Annette Bening is Dorothea. She was in the Great Depression, her son Jamie would say to explain away certain eccentricities. It's true, as it explains everything and nothing in one fell swoop. Earlier in the film, he paints a more fulfilling, if scattered, verbal portrait of his mid-fifties mom: She writes down her stocks every morning. She smokes Salems because theyre healthier. She wears Birkenstocks because shes contemporary. She read Watership Down and learned how to carve rabbits out of wood. And she never dates a man for very long.

Bening rocks a greying, disheveled head of hair, and does indeed smoke like a chimney. Her character is persistent in enabling her and her sons survival, yet completely at sea in the changing world all around her. Shes open minded, but shell never get punk rock. It will get her, though. (Or at least, her car. See the film.) Shes a proactive woman stuck in a reactionary role. Its a laser-like performance by Bening, one of the year's best.

The punk rock revolution is brought into the house by pink-haired, punky cancer-sufferer Abbie, played exceptionally by Greta Gerwig. Between this and Jackie, Gerwig has effectively shed her Gerwig-iness that, while charming to a point in all those Noah Baumbach films and (ugh) their imitators, has been wearing increasingly thin.

Abbie is a fragile and self-absorbed photographer/artist whos already dismissed her own future. She clings to of-the-moment feminism and feminist theory, although shes not militant about it. Her influence on Jamie is palpable and amusing; who knows how formative it will be.

Shes sleeping with William, a mans man and earth-mother all rolled into one sweaty, lusty, handyman mechanic/hippie. Its Billy Crudup, whos also in Jackie, and also having a great year on screen.

This character, though, could do better for himself if hed learn to trust and commit. And maybe laugh at himself. For obvious reasons, hes not a '20th century woman.' Yet, here he is. Hes got a wandering eye that betrays his soulful qualities, but those are ever undercut by his New Age and clairvoyant-y comments. He gets laughed at, but hes also getting laid. And none of it is getting him anywhere.

William is dismissed as a possible father figure for Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann). As co-narrator and Mills' own surrogate, Jamie is the clear crux of the film. "I know him less every day," Dorothea matter-of-factly tells the viewer.

As an emerging young man in a wildly matriarchal West Coast household, his tendencies toward contemporary feminism and the arty side of punk rock (lots of early Talking Heads music) are also unique qualities among his friends. He soaks it all up and holds his own surprisingly well, particularly amid his hormonal frustrations with Julie, a pretty young broken flower played by Elle Fanning.

She regularly enters Jamie's bedroom through his second story window, spending the night in his bed. It's all purely platonic, much to his libidinous chagrin. She's out there messing around with other guys, then decompressing about her unsatisfactory exploits to him. Trapped forever in a very rigid "friend zone," he wants to both help her and have her. Again, the film gets this tension just right.

The pop culture and societal tapestry that informs the world of 20th Century Women is vital and well woven. Beautiful asides from sources ranging from Judy Blume to Jimmy Carter, with an assist from the great film Koyaaniqatsi, carry weight that makes their resonance in this world relatable. Maybe if Carter's maligned Crisis of Confidence speech bore Roger Neill's score, it would've landed as intended.

Far less unknown is the film Casablanca. The tragic romance for the ages is evoked both in this film and Damien Chazelles La La Land; for different reasons, each. Yet, the film rings as true as ever in these troubled times, as well as the troubled times gone by. Because the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans in this world. Not now, and not then. Except, yes they do.

With 20th Century Women, writer-director Mike Mills has delivered one of the great late surprises of the 2016 movie year. Funny, resonant, universal but specific, the film may not always be comfortable, but that's what makes this coming of age semi-autobiographical piece a worthy read. Do not miss this messed-up, ugly, gloriously intoxicating American beauty. It is to be remembered.

The film opens today in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles via A24 Films before expanding in the coming weeks across the U.S.. It will open in Toronto on January 13 and in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifx and Ottawa on January 20.
 Making the fiscal, anti-government-waste case against excessive incarceration | Main | Former Deputy AG Phil Heymann makes full-throated pitch for Justice Department to address Rubashkin case 

December 27, 2016

New York Times made yet another editorial pitch for judicial abolition of the death penalty

Today's New York Times has this editorial headlined "The Continuing Collapse of the Death Penalty." Here are excerpts:

Piece by piece, the death penalty continues to fall apart. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court invalidated between 150 and 200 death sentences  nearly half of all those in the state  because they were imposed under a law the United States Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional in January. The law, which required judges and not juries to make the factual findings necessary to sentence someone to die, violated the Sixth Amendments guarantee of a jury trial. A jurys mere recommendation is not enough, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for an 8-to-1 majority. The Florida decision is the most recent sign, in a year full of them, that the morally abhorrent practice of capital punishment is sliding into the dustbin of American history  where it should have been long ago. Juries around the country imposed 30 death sentences in 2016, a 40 percent drop from last year and fewer than at any time since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, according to a report by the Death Penalty Information Center, a research group that opposes capital punishment. Twenty people were executed this year, the lowest number in a quarter-century. The practice is not only increasingly rare, it is concentrated in an extremely narrow slice of the country. Only five states carried out executions in 2016, the report found, and only five imposed more than one death sentence. California sentenced nine people to die, the most of any state, but no one has been put to death there since 2006. Public support for the death penalty keeps dropping, too  falling below 50 percent for the first time in more than four decades, according to a Pew Research survey. Support falls even further when respondents are given the alternative of a long prison term like life without parole. Though voters in California, Nebraska and Oklahoma last month preserved the death penalty, the overall trend is toward growing discomfort with state-sanctioned killing. The total abolition of capital punishment, however, will depend on the Supreme Courts reading of the Eighth Amendments ban on cruel and unusual punishments. So far, only one current member of the court, Justice Stephen Breyer, a regular critic of the death penalty, has expressed openness to examining this question.... Justice Breyer is asking the right questions. It is up to a majority of his colleagues to listen closely and bring the only just result: the permanent abolition of capital punishment in America.

December 27, 2016 at 07:26 PM | Permalink

Comments

Kentucky has only executed 5 people since 1953! 2 of the last 3 people executed in Ky. withdrew their appeals and demanded to be put to death. In 2011, a man who had been on Ky.'s death row since 1983 died of cancer. There are only about 35 people on Kentucky's death row. Interestingly, an ABA study revealed that more than half of Kentucky's death sentences are reversed on appeal or via habeas corpus.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Dec 27, 2016 7:30:12 PM

Kentucky has only executed 5 people since 1953! 2 of the last 3 people executed in Ky. withdrew their appeals and demanded to be put to death. In 2011, a man who had been on Ky.'s death row since 1983 died of cancer. There are only about 35 people on Kentucky's death row. Interestingly, an ABA study revealed that more than half of Kentucky's death sentences are reversed on appeal or via habeas corpus.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Dec 27, 2016 7:30:13 PM

"So far, only one current member of the court, Justice Stephen Breyer"

RBG is on the phone ...

The USSC has helped the effort in narrowing the class of people executed. I wonder if there is any more avenues there with some staying power. The federalism argument (if a state doesn't authorize, the federal government cannot apply it in that state) doesn't work for me. And, probably will only affect a handful.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 27, 2016 7:35:39 PM

Oregon hasn't executed anyone since 1997, and that was because the inmates, Harry Charles Moore, and Douglas Wright chose to drop their appeals. The current governor has continued the previous governor's halt to executions. (There are currently 35 folks on Oregon's death row).

Posted by: Michael R. Levine | Dec 27, 2016 7:37:33 PM

The NY Times does not understand, but the readers here do.

The Supreme Court will maintain the multi-$billion death penalty appellate racket for the foreseeable future.

The current state of the death penalty serves no other possible purpose.

Once abolished, hundreds of jobs will be immediately abolished.

Half the violent criminals already die young of murders, of overdoses, accidental and suicidal, of accidents, or of lifestyle based communicable diseases.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 27, 2016 11:56:02 PM

Despite the way this article tries to paint it, the death penalty continues to be supported (at least abstractly). The failed attempts at abolishing it are clear examples of this. This is why this article, in spite of its claims, is calling for a judicial abolition. The problem is, as flawed as the system is (and I think it's horribly flawed), it's extremely difficult to square the text of the Constitution with a per se argument of unconstitutionality.

Posted by: Erik M | Dec 28, 2016 8:54:05 AM

Erik - they've done it once, they can do it again. It's not a big leap.

Posted by: peter | Dec 28, 2016 9:44:41 AM

David Behar, I would like to respectfully remind you that Professor Berman's blog is a very useful resource for professionals in the legal field. We rely on it for much information on current sentencing news around the country.

If you are not the unmasked Supremacy Claus, you are certainly his/her disciple, and we have heard all of the points you make before.

You are certainly entitled to your views about things, but they are not helpful to the difficult work that most of us on the listserve do. Hopefully, you will be considerate of Prof. Berman's effort and the value we gain from his hard work, and take your opinions elsewhere.

Thank you for considering my request.

Bruce Cunningham

Posted by: bruce cunningham | Dec 28, 2016 12:43:51 PM

"it's extremely difficult to square the text of the Constitution with a per se argument of unconstitutionality"

Multiple justices alone have done so and I don't think it's that hard.

The 5A provides a procedure that assumed when ratified that there is a death penalty. One aspect (grand jury) hasn't even been deemed necessary for states. But, it isn't a grant of power. The assumption threats to "limbs" is allowed also didn't stop constitutional arguments against whipping etc. Over time, due process overall could be found to be violated per how the death penalty is being applied. A few people THEN (such as Benjamin Rush) found the death penalty violation of constitutional norms including republican government. Finally, multiple later amendments made the death penalty, including over time, problematic.

Peter's comment seems to refer to Furman. The judgment there to some seemed like a "per se" argument in result but it wasn't. Two or three judges in effect made procedural arguments and the two still on the Court a few years later deemed state laws passed to address them adequate in various ways.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 28, 2016 2:23:55 PM

Bruce. My views are based on history. As mentioned elsewhere, the death penalty was abolished before. The ban resulted in lawyer unemployment. The death penalty returned. It almost never happens. It is very expensive. The number of executions is too small, is too late, is too expensive to have any effect on crime. So, the Supreme Court has perfected it for its real purpose.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 28, 2016 3:53:29 PM

The problem with Furman (which is a case everyone on all side of the spectrum should read) is the fact that it didn't last. It added up all the problems with the death penalty. It found it cruel and unusual in its application, but the overwhelming backlash against the case (always a problem when they look to contemporary usage to determine if something is cruel and unusual) convinced enough judges to allow it back in some form. That form they allowed has steadily eroded to create some of the same issues. If getting struck by lightning is cruel and unusual, our current system is as well. But I do think application arguments work better than per se arguments if we're trying to create an organized framework of Constitutional law and not just substituting personal opinions.

Posted by: Erik M | Dec 28, 2016 4:00:43 PM

Bruce. The Supremacy handed you compelling defense arguments, as well, as criticism. Is there a reason no one on your side has ever tried them?

1) The biggest cruelty of the death penalty is the announced date and time to the minute. How would you like to live for years with that knowledge, and to start a precise countdown to your own death? Nasty.

2) The words, deterrence and message, are unconstitutional. They are used to justify a punishment that prevents crimes by people the defendant has never met, who may not yet be born, over whom he has no control, and who do not care about him. Unfair, and ineffective.

3) Retribution is from religious books, and violates the Establishment Clause.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 28, 2016 4:17:09 PM

After citing what the petitioners were convicted for, the "opinion" of Furman v. Georgia, in full, said this:

"Certiorari was granted limited to the following question:

Does the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in [these cases] constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments?

The Court holds that the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in these cases constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. The judgment in each case is therefore reversed insofar as it leaves undisturbed the death sentence imposed, and the cases are remanded for further proceedings."

Then, each justice separately (four dissenting) wrote opinions. The "backlash" was to the idea that the majority required the end of the death penalty. But, that was not really what it said. Justice White provided the fifth vote. He surely didn't think the death penalty per se was unconstitutional. Justice Douglas retired a few years later and Justice Stewart joined his replacement and Powell (who dissented in Furman) to uphold some of the laws passed in response to Furman that put forth additional safeguards. The mandatory death penalty route -- which satisfied White -- was rejected.

Net, Furman seems to have been beneficial by requiring more safeguards, though those provided were shown not to be enough. At least, so some think.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 29, 2016 1:14:57 PM

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San Francisco Airbnb hosts not playing by the rules now face a new challenge: private investigators out to catch them in the short-term rental act. However, as Bloomberg reports, the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between the San Francisco-based company and regulators wasn't fired by city officials, but rather by ousted tenants seeking revenge  and private dicks are reaping the benefits.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, its a decent living in San Francisco right now being an investigator doing these kind of jobs, because here are so many of them, one such investigator, Michael Joffe, told the paper.

Here's how it works. Say a landlord no-fault evicts a tenant under the guise of an owner move-in, but then instead of actually living in the newly open unit decides to rent it out on Airbnb. What's a displaced resident to do? Well, if you're like Brian Grzybowski, you fight back.

Grzybowski says he and his wife were booted from their Potrero Hill apartment last year after his landlord said the space was needed for a relative. Grzybowski found other housing not too far away, although at $5,500 a month his new place cost $2,550 more per month than his old apartment. He then noticed his previous home for rent on Airbnb  which would be in violation of San Francisco law.

Grzybowski contacted a tenant lawyer and hired Joffe to determine if the place was being used for short-term rentals. Under the watchful eye of attorneys from both sides, Joffe looked over the unit and noted tiny hotel-like soaps and shampoos that suggested the place was indeed being rented out for short-term stays. The case was settled out of court.

Airbnb, for its part, says it opposes the alleged wrongdoing private eyes like Joffe are hired to uncover. We strongly oppose illegal hotels and bad actors who remove housing from the market, company spokesman Nick Papas told Bloomberg. Weve removed thousands of listings from our platform that arent right for our community. We are committed to working with cities to address their specific needs.

It appears that Airbnb now has a little help in that department, courtesy of private investigators and frustrated San Francisco residents who don't back down easy after an eviction.

Related: SF Supes Approve 60-Day Cap On Rentals From Currently Unregistered Airbnb Hosts
If you have a spare moment or two as we careen toward 2017, you may want to relax with one of these events this week, although perhaps you're a bit preoccupied or maybe confined to the fetal position. Fair! We also trust that between our guide to seven New Year's Eve parties locals will enjoy and our picks for 10 New Year's Eve shows to attend, you're booked up on the big night  if not, a few words on how to take in the fireworks, a somewhat-surefire way to enjoy a free show.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27

HAWAIIAN SWING MUSIC AT A TIKI BAR: Escape 2016 early at Pagan Idol, the party-sized tiki bar from some Bourbon and Branch folks who are making use of their real estate this evening with live music. This week, as a special holiday version of their weekly Tiki Tuesdays, you can expect the dulcet tones of the Alcatraz Islanders who bring vibraphone and steel guitar sounds to swing era Hawaiian music.

Pagan Idol, 375 Bush Street, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., no cover

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28



FREE ICE CREAM: Humphry Slocombe celebrates eight years of ice cream with, of course, ice cream: They've got complimentary scoops for us all day at their Mission location, so swing by, and while you're at it, greet their friends at Project Open Hand, a meal delivery organization that's been active in San Francisco since 1985. Ben and Jerry's is corporate.

Humphry Slocombe, 2790 Harrison St, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., free

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

LAST EXPLORATORIUM AFTER DARK OF 2016: In a symbol for entering the new year, why not crawl, blind and frightened, through a pitch-black Tactile dome a the Exploratorium? It's the final After Dark of the year  your last chance to make your own mechanical sculptures at their Cardboard Automata tinkering Workshop, peruse the usual exhibits, or even dissect a cow eye before getting a much-needed drink.

Exploratorium, Pier 15 Embarcadero (at Green Street), 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., $15

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30

PENULTIMATE PARTY OF THE YEAR: X-ing Over with Traver Rains has it all... Go-Go dancers, Ketel One vodka drink specials, DJ stylings from Beats by Juan, and more. Thank your lucky stars, or Rains, the cowboy, fashion designer, photographer and events producer, for this chance at a New Year's Eve dry-run that will be anything but.

Oasis, 298 11th Street, 10 p.m., $10

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31

FIREWORKS AND SUCH: As tradition dictates, explosions in the sky will occur for 15 minutes or so over the Bay after the stroke of midnight, usually in sync with music that's played over the loudspeakers along the promenade of Pier 14. As opposed to the 4th of July fireworks in the summer fog, these ones are typically visible, although we'll have to wait and see. Take care to arrive early if you're hoping for a prime spot on the Pier, and note, as as FunCheap does, that the Ferry Building is not a very good place to see the fireworks, but you might have luck on top of Telegraph Hill. If you've got money to burn, you can also get on board a fireworks cruise with Hornblower.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS: If whatever drugs you took didn't quite wear off by New Year's Day, the Midway has something special just for you. That's Breakfast of Champions, their way to dance into 2017, delaying your hangover somewhat. Expect two indoor stages, a tented outdoor stage, and food trucks. The hosts, the Space Cowboys, are also matching donations top the SF-Marin Food Bank, and you can bring non-perishable food donations, too.

The Midway, 900 Marin Street, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., $30
As the year draws to a close, de Young Director Max Hollein is providing a sneak peek at what lies ahead for the San Francisco art museum. The New York Times reports that the first major show developed since Hollein took charge will open in the fall of 2018 and is tentatively set to be titled The Fashion of Islam."

"There are probably people who dont even think there is fashion in Islam, Mr. Hollein told the paper. But if you look at Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Beirut, the fashion is really vibrant, and it can speak to larger political and social developments, cultural understanding and misunderstandings.

The exhibit will focus on hijabs, and follows in the footsteps of "Faith, Fashion, Fusion  an Australian show dealing with so-called "modest fashion." This is not the first time the de Young has shown fashion, with the 2012 Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit proving the popularity of the topic.

According to Hollein, textiles curators at the museum will put together a group of scholars and experts to develop the project, both in the area of fashion and the history of culture. The exhibit will look at both European interpretations of the hijab, Islamic streetwear, and the history of the garment.

We want to apply the same scholarly rigor here that we would apply to an old masters show, Hollein explained.

Related: Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibit: Designer's Childhood Teddy Bear Wearing First Cone Bra
Castro street memorial to Carrie #princessleia #generalleiaorgana #castrostreet #sanfrancisco #youremyonlyhope A photo posted by rachaelschafer (@rachaelschaferdesigns) on Dec 27, 2016 at 3:15pm PST

The late, great Carrie Fisher  whom some of us remember as a terrific memoirist and Twitter wit who played Meg Ryan's best friend in When Harry Met Sally, and whom others of us only remember as Princess Leia  had to take her leave with all the other greats who left us in 2016. Now tributes, most of them Star Wars-related, are appearing around SF, including one seen above at the traditional memorial corner of 18th and Castro. Apparently a light saber tribute is going up in the neighborhood as well.

ABC 7 went not once but twice Tuesday to the Yoda statue outside LucasFilm headquarters in the Presidio, where fans had left flowers and RIP messages to Fisher throughout the day.

San Franciscan Al Gerona told the station, "Well I mean she was part of my childhood... I went to see Star Wars back in 1977 and it's just a sad day."

On Sunday at 6:30 p.m., the Roxie Theater on 16th Street will be screening the film based on Fisher's semi-autobiographical novel Postcards From the Edge, starring Meryl Streep.

Berkeley Repertory Theater, where Fisher premiered her one-woman show Wishful Drinking in 2008 and then returned with it in 2009, posted a message to Facebook thanking Fisher for "bringing your wit, your strength, and your authenticity to audiences." In a statement, artistic director Tony Taccone wrote, "It's a great loss. Carrie was a comic genius in my opinion. I've never met anyone who could craft a better comic line than she could."



And if you haven't read this fine tribute to Fisher in later life by critic David Edelstein, you should.
iStock/Thinkstock(HONOLULU) -- A 19-year-old college student accused of killing seabirds at a Hawaii nature reserve pleaded not guilty Tuesday to animal cruelty.

Defendant Christian Gutierrez didn't speak with news reporters as he and his attorney left a Honolulu courthouse after the brief arraignment.

He turned himself in to the Hawaii Department of Public Safety last week and was released on $25,000 bail. He made arrangements with prosecutors to surrender while he was home in Honolulu for winter break from school, his defense attorney, Myles Breiner said.

According to a police report, he attends New York University.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources began investigating after three Laysan albatrosses were found dead last year in Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve. There were 12 attending adult albatrosses missing, which was concerning because the birds never leave an egg unattended, the department said. There were also 15 destroyed nests with smashed, dead or missing eggs, the department added.

The Laysan albatross is a federally protected species.

Court documents charging Gutierrez with 14 counts of animal cruelty and other charges say the crimes took place Dec. 27, 2015. He's also accused of the theft of seabird monitoring cameras and sound equipment valued at $3,100.

Breiner said last week that his client was camping at Kaena Point with classmates from Punahou School, a prestigious prep school in Honolulu.

"He was there when this happened but he did not injure any birds," Breiner said. "He didn't do it. He didn't maim or touch the animals, period."

Breiner said there have been two other arrests related to the case that are being handled in juvenile court.

Punahou School said in a statement that it condemned the destruction of the albatross nesting area and was disturbed to hear teens with ties to the school may have been involved.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A top engineer at Facebook-owned virtual reality company Oculus was arrested last week after allegedly offering an undercover police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl $360 to have sex without a condom. King 5 first reported the bust, which went down in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila, and notes that according to the accused perpetrator's LinkedIn page he is the head of Computer Vision at Oculus VR.

Dov Katz has been charged with attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor, and Geek Wire managed to get a hold of the rather damning charging documents (embedded below). The report details the December 21 arrest, which followed Katz allegedly responding to an ad posted by a cop posing as a sex worker. Text messages reportedly exchanged between the two show the officer telling Katz that she was in fact 15 and asking him not to say anything about her age  to which Katz is accused of responding "sure."

The 38-year-old Katz showed up at an Embassy Suites in Tukwila, Washington, with $600 in cash and several condoms. After he was arrested by police, he told officers that he was there to rescue the girl. Officers told him that he should have contacted them first.

Katz is an Israeli citizen who lives in California, and his LinkedIn page says that he has worked at the Oculus VR Menlo Park office for two and a half years. "We believe truly immersive VR will allow people all over the world to have and enjoy experiences that would never otherwise be possible," Katz wrote of his job on LinkedIn.

His bail was set at $125,000, and he is to be arraigned on January 5. Facebook did not respond to Geek Wire's request for comment.

Related: Facebook Employee Arrested For Alleged Rape, Knifepoint Imprisonment
Just after 3 a.m. this morning, North Tahoe Fire engines and a Battalion Chief responded to a structure fire at the south lodge of the Homewood Mountain Resort, which in the light of day appears completely destroyed. The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District reports that there were no known injuries and that the emergency call came from a commercial fire alarm.

Weve progressively fought fire for the last few hours, North Tahoe Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve McNamara said in a statement. Its been a difficult building due to the size and volume and loading inside of structure. An investigation is to follow.

Homewood operations were closed for the day, officials from the mountain said. They'll open the slopes again as soon as possible and the team "is working to get the mountain up and running for tomorrow," representatives wrote.

Before and after (from approx. 11:30 this morning) of the #Homewood South Lodge. pic.twitter.com/F0120tO7oN  Moonshine Ink (@MoonshineInk) December 28, 2016

Homewood, a 1962-founded ski resort, is due for a massive, $400 million redevelopment project which is still expected to break ground this spring despite the fire, the Sacramento Bee reported. That project comes from San Francisco real estate developer JMA ventures, which bought Homewood in 2007. As of now, Homewood's offerings are quite small, with just 64 runs and eight lifts in total. As of yesterday, a mere 400 of its 1,260 acres were open, according to ski conditions website On the Snow

An early morning fire burnt down Homewood Ski Resort's South Lodge, Operations closed for the day. #NTFPD #homewoodmountainresort pic.twitter.com/VRD9u4ffpA  Moonshine Ink (@MoonshineInk) December 28, 2016

Earlier last night, a series of earthquakes struck the Tahoe area, triggering some burglar alarms and shaking up residents.

Related: Northern California, Nevada Rocked By Series Of Earthquakes Wednesday
As they enjoy doing about once every six months, Fox News has done a piece about how San Francisco's "liberal policies" are going to be the city's undoing, and how they're directly to blame for rising property crime rates and mountains of human feces. Fox also points to the city's "perennial budget deficit" (untrue) and somehow manages to blame the Sanctuary City policy along with Willie Brown's mayoral administration twenty years ago, and former District Attorney Terence Hallinan who "taught Marxist seminars and helped run the Communist club at UC Berkeley."

And yet San Francisco is one of the most expensive places in the nation to live, which also seems to make their heads explode  and/or that fact only adds to the schadenfreude on the right and lets them shake their heads about how anyone could want to spend so much to live in this crime-ridden shithole!

Of course, also, they delight in our persistent feces problem, but as most of us here know, that's got more to do with homelessness than anything, and homelessness is not unique to San Francisco despite what some columnists and pundits seem to think. (And New York and Los Angeles have far bigger homeless populations.)

They manage to get State Assemblyman David Chiu on the record to defend San Francisco, and he says, "It's unfair to just say this is a San Francisco thing. These are the same issues across the state and the nation.

And it's true. There are cities as liberal or more liberal than SF, including Portland, Seattle, and Berkeley, and yet San Francisco gets to stand in for all of them on Fox News  just like we did after illegal immigrant Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez allegedly shot Kate Steinle on Pier 14, and Fox News descended to make an example of the city as being so stupidly tolerant of immigrants.

As of April, the FBI released a report showing that SF had the highest per capita property crime rate, which Bill O'Reilly seized upon back then, and now his parent network is right back at it, just to close out the year. Mayor Lee came out swinging against SF's Superior Court judges a month later, blaming them, and not the police or the criminals themselves, for the spike in property crime. And meanwhile, when the mid-year crime figures came in for June 30, they showed year-over-year decreases in larcenies, robberies, and car thefts, so we may in fact be seeing a decrease in crime for the year overall (even though homicides look to be slightly up).

In summation, Fox News remains full of shit, and San Francisco remains their favorite liberal punching bag, and this country has much bigger problems right now than SF's car break-ins and street poop. But, sure, those would be good problems to solve.



Previously: SF's Plummeting Crime Rate (Except For Homicides), By The Numbers

Homelessness Goes Down Nationwide, Rises On West Coast

Photo via Shutterstock
A recent report on San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency conducted by the Controller's Office points to the $42 million cost of absenteeism at the agency and cites a culture of leave-taking and lack of absence management that has recently, as is somewhat typical, resulted in delays and altered routes for Muni riders.

The report, which was fodder for the Examiner, ABC 7, and other news outlets, drew on the accounts of 116 Muni employees and through 132 focus group surveys "found that employees feel a lack of respect and collaborative communication and that the perceived lack of respect and communication decreases accountability and commitment to the organization."

Setting aside a lack of morale, according to SFMTA's Human Resources Division, "the agency lacks a group dedicated to managing absences. Instead, employees leaves are, at times, individually monitored by the employees' supervisors, but this is left to each supervisor's discretion. In some cases, employees leaves are not monitored at all." That's made SFMTA's absenteeism rate second in the city among San Francisco's top ten highest-budgeted departments, with Muni's absenteeism most common among transit operators.

At least under the anonymity granted by the survey, some employees readily admitted that they call in sick when their vacation requests are denied. "If I cant get vacation, dispatchers tell me to hit the sick book," one employee wrote, explaining that it could become a catch-22. "Then I get in trouble for sick abuse," they wrote. According to another employee: "The pattern of sick abuse is ridiculous," and the solution is to "eliminate the sick abuse pattern."

Absenteeism has been a chronic ailment of the department for some time. In 2010, when the Board of Supervisors' budget analyst claimed that Muni could save more than $3 million a year by revising driver-friendly rules and adjusting overtime, as the Chronicle reported at the time. In 2012, the New York Times remarked on a typical instance in which 43 Muni bus runs had been canceled with no explanation, a move the transit agency said was a common daily occurrence to reduce overtime costs. For that article, a union representative spoke to the challenges of drivers' jobs: Were dealing with homeless people and sick people and mentally ill people and children and teenagers while were trying to keep everything on schedule," the representative told the Times. "All this pressure rests squarely on the operator. You've got to be a babysitter, and you've got to drive this 40-foot vehicle through very congested streets. The figures for the high cost of absenteeism are likewise old news. The $42 million in leave pay to employees statistic quoted in the new audit stems from fiscal year 2013-2014.

Beyond keeping actual, centralized track of employee absences, one solution to the issue suggested by the Controller's Office report is to streamline the "return-to-work" process. "When employees take longer than necessary to return to work, SFMTA has to either decrease services or incur costs to cover for absent employees," the report explains. "To mitigate this risk, SFMTA needs to actively monitor the return-to-work process." Meanwhile, ABC 7 points to a new crop of Muni transit operators who might fare better: 70 new drivers are graduating from its training program in the new year.

Related: Why Your Muni Fare Will Be Going Up To $2.50 In January (If You're Paying In Cash)
If you've been maintaining the fantasy of the Left Coast being immune from the gun-toting scariness of the more Trump-friendly regions of the country, you may be surprised to learn that gun sales have boomed this year in California compared to last year, likely following a series of gun control bills signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in July. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that sales of rifles with "bullet buttons" for quicker swapping of ammunition magazines  one type of gun feature that will soon be banned under a new law  have soared 40 percent year over year, as of December. And sales of semi-automatic rifles have more than doubled in the same period, with 364,643 as of December 9 according to the CA Department of Justice, up from 153,931 in 2015.

The six new gun control laws were spurred in part by the mass shooting in San Bernardino last year, and they included a new background check requirement for ammunition sales, and a ban on all high-capacity ammunition magazines, which owners will need to either sell out of state, destroy, or turn over to law enforcement officials within a year of the law taking effect.

The Press-Democrat got a video explainer from Chris Ostrom of Pacific Outfitters in Ukiah, as shown above, in which Ostrom explains the "evil" features that are being banned under the new law, as of 2018, when it comes to assault weapons. As he explains, prospective gun buyers who still want these features, like the "bullet button," have to register the weapon as an assault weapon, and then they are prohibited from willing the gun or selling the gun to anyone else. "The gun dies with you" is how he puts it.

Ostrom explains that such guns can be rendered "featureless" with some modifications which means they would not have to be registered, but he tells the paper he's skeptical about the erosion of Second Amendment rights in general. "They theory is the state is building a list so they can someday take peoples guns away," he says, echoing the theories of many gun advocates.

Detractors of the laws also point to the fact that it's only law-abiding people who are going to be impacted by them, arguing that criminals aren't likely to voluntarily take steps to be compliant. But legislators hope the laws lead to fewer assault-style military weapons on the streets overall.

But the fact that nearly 1 million firearms had been purchased in California as of December 9, compared to 700,000 in all of last year, is a disturbing one, and one that suggests people instinctually try to stock up on things when they fear a shortage  or ahead of a ban, as it were. And why would they do that if they were intending to comply with the laws when they take effect?

Previously: Gov. Brown Signs Six Gun Reform Bills Into Law Ahead Of Holiday
Apparently unaware of the truism "the smeller's the feller," at least 50 San Franciscans contacted officials Wednesday morning complaining about a (new) stinky smell in our city.

According to Pacific Gas and Electric spokesperson J.D. Guidi, calls complaining about an odor akin to rotten eggs or sulfur started rolling in at around 2 a.m. from area residents who feared some sort of gas leak. San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Jonathan Baxter says that they got calls reporting the strong scent too, from folks in neighborhoods as disparate as the Bayview, the Tenderloin, Nob Hill, the Marina, SoMa, the Mission, and the Outer Sunset and Richmond.

The smell drifted away by 7 a.m., leaving behind a mystery. Guidi says it wasn't his company, and that the stink wasn't "related to PG&E facilities." When asked if any PG&E facilities had beans last night, Guidi remained silent.

Baxter also says that SFFD investigators couldn't find an origin of the smell, but said that it doesn't appear to have caused any threat to public safety or health.

Currently the odor has dissipated with NO cause or origin Determined. No threat to Health or Safety. https://t.co/Q2NjmOQEvo  San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) December 28, 2016

(Remember that line the next time someone overreacts when you have gas. "Lighten up, Francis, it's not like my flatulence is causing a threat to public safety or health.")

The Chron reports that the Coast Guard says that they don't believe there were any spills in the area that could have caused the stink, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District says they're equally stumped.

So what was it? Are we smelling, as Fox News appears to believe, the sulfuric stench of hell opening beneath our heathen city? Or did San Francisco just let loose a collective fart, a final rectal gasp befitting this shitshow of a year? According to Guidi, PG&E will keep its eye (nose?) on the air, even as Baxter says the SFFD will keep on seeking the stink's source on the ground.

Related: Fox News Gloats That San Francisco Is Going Down The Toilet With Higher Crime, Etc.
In todays online shopping environment, everything from clothing to books to food items can be purchased and shipped with a click. While there are national companies that deliver groceries to the home, locally owned Brewers Organics, based in Lincoln Warehouse, is an online business delivering bountiful boxes of fresh, certified-organic and organically grown produce right to the home or office.

Brandon and Amanda Ferguson have owned Brewers Organics since Jan. 1, 2014. They purchased it from Lucinda Clark, who started the company in 2012. At that time, Amanda had worked as development director at Hope House Milwaukee, a food pantry and family shelter on the South Side. Clark contacted her with the interest of donating produce to the Hope House. Amanda began helping with additional duties at Brewers Organics and expressed interest in purchasing the business, and it just so happened that Clark wanted to sell.

Brandon emphasizes that Brewers Organics is an organic produce delivery company first and foremost, and customers can add on artisan groceries to produce orders. When it comes to produce, we try to offer as much locally grown produce as we can, but obviously the growing season in Wisconsin is short, so its kind of a fast and furious three months, he said. Thanks to agricultural advances such as hoop houses and aquaponics, they can offer items such as greens, microgreens and herbs from area growers.

Organic items such as bananas, milk and bulk snack mixes are also available from the weekly menus. Because of a more limited local selection during the winter months, the Fergusons began adding products such as meat, cheese, eggs, coffee roasted to order, honey, and tea from Wisconsin vendors.

All Brewers Organics produce is either certified organic or grown through organic methods. Organic certification is a lengthy and expensive process, Brandon notes, and it can be cost prohibitive for smaller farmers that still grow organically. He said that before they choose to partner with a non-certified farm, they tour the farm and talk to the farmers to make sure that theyre growing only through organic methods. If a farm is not certified, it is disclosed on the website.

Brewers Organics uses a sophisticated yet user-friendly online system that allows customers to go to the website and create an account. From their accounts, customers can update delivery schedules and even indicate their likes and dislikes. If we put together a menu of items and were sending out kale that week, and our customer selected in their account that they dislike kale, our system will recognize that and automatically swap out kale for something they do like, Brandon said.

Customers receive emails Friday evenings, informing them that the menu is up and they can start customizing their menus. Customers have through 8 a.m. Monday morning to swap out or customize their deliveries or add food items from the shop. Deliveries are made on Wednesday and Thursday to Southeast Wisconsin, Madison and the Fox Cities.

Customers never get anything they dont want, Brandon emphasizes. We want to deliver stuff theyre going to use and enjoy. The service is not subscription-based, so customers are not locking themselves into a long-term commitment, and there are no cancellation fees.

For more information, visit BrewersOrganics.com.
Natalie Portman can be described as intermittent as Jacqueline Kennedy, but then, the same could be said for the real life Jackie Kennedy. In public, the first lady was a stylish mannequin with a whispery voice. In private, who knows? She endured through her death in 1994 as a mysterious shadow in the hot glare of the public spotlight, a celebrity that revealed nothing. Jackie is about how she cemented her already aloof image through her famous, soon-after-her-husbands-death interview with Life magazines Theodore H. White, a Kennedy confidant.

Billy Crudup fails to invest White with any interesta problem given the amount of screen time he occupiesand one of the screenplays faults is its failure to immediately identify White or the importance this on- and mostly off-the-record conversation had at the time of its publication.

Much of Jackie consists of flashbacks, not always in linear order, as the former first lady dials up memories and decides how to edit them for a history of the Kennedy administration as Camelot. After JFKs death, she seeks out her priest. Jack and I hardly ever spent the night together, she confesses (hardly an image intended for the public) and wonders, Now what am I left with? The answer is two young children and no certain role beyond her responsibility as the widow in black at the state funeral. She drifts through the White House like a ghost as LBJs henchman, Jack Valenti (yes, the guy who later headed the Motion Picture Association of America), tells her its time to pack her bags.

Jackie has many well-mounted scenes, especially the forlorn first lady stripping off the blood-stained pink dress she wore on her ill-fated ride into Dallas, and the pageantry of JFKs full-dress funeral. Chilean director Pablo Larrain, who claims to know little of the Kennedy legend, recreates the famous photograph taken on Air Force One as a hastily recruited judge administers the oath of office to LBJ, and Jackie looks on with abysmal mortification. Portmans face registers devastation after the assassination but settles into cool, aristocratic hauteur for the interview with Life.

And yet, despite several moving scenes, Jackie falls short of being an entirely moving film. Perhaps the continual back-and-forth between a not terribly engaging interviewer and Jackies flashbacks thwarts the storys momentum. And maybe we see too much of the cool and fully collected Jackie at that interview. In flashbacks shes more interesting as self-doubt wrestles with determination to see things through her way.
 Expand UW-Madison Bascom Hall

Just like the Republican legislators who have been thrown into a tizzy, I really know very little about a course being offered at UW-Madison with the intentionally provocative title The Problem of Whiteness.

But as someone who has been white for a long time, I am very familiar with many of the ugly problems whiteness has created throughout our nations history, up to and including the recent presidential election.

I grew up in one of those nearly all-white small towns that responded overwhelmingly to the direct appeals to racial and religious bigotry by Donald Trump. But it wasnt until I went away to college that I learned just how explicitly white superiority had been written into our nations laws from the very beginning.

Indiana University was where professors taught me in the first Article of the U.S. Constitution our Founding Fathers created a novel version of arithmetic to count African American slaves as three-fifths of a human being to give Southern states more representatives and greater political power in Congress.

It was factual, early American history thats still politically relevant today. The very same subterfuge is used to increase the political power of small towns in Wisconsins Legislature and those of most other states.

The disproportionately black and brown inmate populations of state prisons located in small towns throughout Wisconsin are counted to give those mostly white, rural areas more representatives in the Legislature.

Counting minority populations they dont represent increases the political power of small-town Republican legislators like state Rep. Daniel Murphy of Greenville to threaten to continue defunding higher education unless the University of Wisconsin stops teaching courses educating students about anything right-wing legislators dont want them to know.

Like the nations history of legalizing white supremacy. There are plenty more examples throughout American history where that three-fifths-of-a-man chicanery came from.

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Like the Dred Scott decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 that determined an African American slave had no right to sue a white owner for assault for beating him, along with his wife and daughter.

The court ruled Scott had no rights at all because it is too plain for argument that blacks have never been regarded as part of the people or citizens of the state, nor supposed to possess any political rights which the dominant race might not withhold or grant at their pleasure.

Equally ugly was Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Ironically because of later protests over blacks pushed to the back of the bus. Homer Plessy was a black man objecting to blacks being forced to sit in the front railroad car, which filled with soot from the coal-burning engine.

In Plessy, the Supreme Court invented the transparent inequality of separate but equal, ruling that both blacks and whites had access to rail transportation, never mind that African Americans were choking on black smoke and whites rode in clean comfort in all-white cars farther back.

Trumps Appeals to Bigotry

Examples of legalized abuse of people of color by whites continue throughout American history even under some of our most admired presidents.

President Franklin Roosevelt, whose New Deal revolutionized U.S. government to serve the American people, also shamefully permitted more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans to lose their homes and businesses and be imprisoned in concentration camps during the anti-Japanese hysteria following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

President Dwight Eisenhower carried out an inhumane program with the openly racist name Operation Wetback of forcibly deporting more than 1.5 million immigrant Mexican workers, leaving large numbers of them to die in remote Mexican deserts with little food or water.

Both of those ugly stains on American democracy, one by a Democratic president and the other by a Republican, were praised by Trump during his presidential campaign. Trump was justifying his own extreme proposals to ban people from entering the U.S. based on religion or nationality and to round up and forcibly deport more than 11 million mostly Latino immigrants.

The success of such appeals to bigotry gave us a new president whose election is publicly celebrated by the Ku Klux Klan and a recent gathering of neo-Nazis in Washington, D.C., demonstrating their enthusiasm for President Trump with stiff-arm salutes and cries of Hail Trump! and Hail Victory!

The latter phrase is the English translation of Sieg Heil! Who says Trump supporters are poorly educated? Many of them are bilingual.

Trumps election, which shocked much of America and the world, was driven by overwhelming support from racially isolated, mostly white small towns and rural areas.

That would seem to suggest this country needs much more education about the damage racism has done to the American values of equality and equal treatment under the law.

By all means, higher education should be a place where students of every race who want to understand the source of many of our conflicts can learn about The Problem of Whiteness.
 Expand Photo credit: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Although President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Congress are threatening to slash funding for vital programsor terminate some altogethertheres one initiative that may survive thanks to its broad bipartisan support.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), launched during the George W. Bush administration and funded and supported throughout the Barack Obama years, is a multibillion-dollar program thats credited with cleaning up our waterways and restoring endangered wetlands.

In Wisconsin, the GLRI has provided $195 million for 281 projects through fiscal year 2015, according to the Great Lakes Commission.

Youll see its impact on projects ranging from the large-scale cleanup of the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers and Bradford Beach to the nurturing of the natural habitat at the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum at the Urban Ecology Center. The arboretum project received $953,450 in GLRI funding to supplement its state and private contributions.

The work will likely continue, thanks to the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, which the Senate passed on Dec. 10 and has been signed by Obama. The bill authorizes $1.5 billion over five years for Great Lakes restoration projects, as well as provided $170 million for Flint, Mich., to replace its lead pipes.

In an era when people are justifiably worried about what the federal government is going to do to us, the Restoration Initiative is a shining example of what the federal government can do for us, said Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

The $1.5 billion going forward, which provides $300 million annually over five years for Great Lakes projects, complements the $2.2 billion already distributed during the Obama years. In the past, Obama has included funding for the initiative in each of his budgets, so the money for the GLRI was discretionary. Now, however, Congress approved making the GLRI a line item in the federal budget with $300 million annually attached to it for five years.

That said, the funding for GLRI could still be vulnerable. Ambs warned that Congress could fail to appropriate the $300 million annually, but keep the program in the budget. He said Wisconsins congressional delegation is supportive, including tea party Sen. Ron Johnson and his fellow Republicans throughout the region, helping to ensure GLRIs continued success at budget time.

There arent a lot of issues that youll find Gwen Moore and Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble and Mark Pocan all on the same page, but this is one of those, Ambs said.

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Another reason for hope is that the Trump campaign signaled that it supports the GLRI, although the president-elect hasnt committed to a level of funding. Add to it the programs strong support from members of Congress from both parties and its likely that the work begun during the Obama years will continue for at least the next five years.

A Godsend

Ambs said the initiative has had such strong support because of the recognition that the Great Lakes supplies the drinking water for 35 million people in the U.S. and Canada. The initiative targeted five key problems: combatting invasive species such as Asian carp, cleaning up contaminated sediments, controlling polluted runoff and cleaning up beaches, restoring wetlands, and protecting fish and wildlife habitat.

Ambs said the GLRI was able to jumpstart projects that had been needed, but not funded, for years. In fact, the impaired Wisconsin rivers that the initiative targeted had needed to be cleaned up for decades.

In some cases the plan was ready and had been ready for the past 30 years to do the work thats necessary to clean up the contaminated sediment, Ambs said. It was just lacking the money.

Theres an economic connection as well.

A 2007 Brookings Institute study found that a $26 billion investment in the Great Lakes would turn into at least a $50 billion long-term economic boost. In the Milwaukee metro region alone, the increased property values resulting from GLRI projects are estimated to be worth up to $2.3 billion, according to the institutes 2008 analysis.

I think its a huge boon for the economic vitality for the Great Lakes region to keep the GLRI funded, said Keven Shafer, executive director of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District (MMSD), which has received GLRI funds for some of its work. A good economy builds on a clean environment.

Shafer said the concrete removal from the Menomonee River near MillerCoors was mostly funded by the GLRI. In the future, concrete removal projects in the KK River and Underwood Creek could benefit from GLRI funds. As well, Shafer said that a planned project to restore wetlands over the Burnham Canal in Walkers Point, now a Superfund site, could be a candidate for GLRI funds in the future.

The GLRI has had a phenomenally positive impact for the Milwaukee region, Shafer said. Were seeing concrete removed from our waterways, were seeing wetlands being converted. Were starting to see better fish passage up the waterways. Were opening up miles and miles of rivers that before werent open. Its really been a godsend.
 Expand Arthur Fonzarelli wasnat the only greaser in Milwaukee in the mid-1970s.

Outside a doorway at Hamilton High School on Milwaukees southwest side, a clutch of about ten teen boys crowded the stoop. They dressed in leather coats, tight blue jeans, and wore generous amounts of grease in their hair. A leader among the boys announced that the group  they called themselves a gang known as the Sacred Order  was guarding the door to make sure it was only used by fellow greasers. He displayed a chain on a hook and said that it would be used on any freaks or jocks who dared use the exit after the final school bell of the day. A Milwaukee Journal reporter was on hand to observe these greasers, who were causing much consternation among the neighborhoods adults and police.

And, oh-by-the-way, it was December 1975.

The revival of the greaser fad in Milwaukee in the 1970s was both unexpected and unexpectedly alarming. The mob guarding the door at Hamilton did indeed throw punches as some of the exiting students  throwing dukes, as the kids called it  but targeted only their fellow greasers, whom they playfully socked and shoved around. The local alderperson for the district had accused gangs like the Order of rampaging the area, with complaints ranging from drinking beer in the parks to petty theft to assault.

All over the nation, there was a mild revival of 1950s greaser culture in the 1970s. Spurred by popular films like American Graffiti and the hit television show Happy Days, local kids began to imitate the kind of dress and behavior that once caused worry and grief over the character of their parents generation. The alarm expressed over the greasers of the 70s lacked any irony of this sort, as business leaders and local residents called for more police protection against the young hoods.

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The neo-greasers were not, however, anything near model citizens. Complaints of property damage were most common, but some gangs openly boasted about the burglary jobs they had pulled and the fights they had won (mostly with other greaser gangs). The greasers main drag was the business district along South 76th Street. The area offered a nice strip for showing off their cars (the greasers were, the Journal noted, auto-obsessed), and was also with a short jog of West Allis, which allowed the gangs to move quickly into another jurisdiction should the local cops being to hassle them.

 Expand Greasers depicted in the 1973 film American Graffiti.

Meeting with some members of the Order (a rival gang was known as the Male Tramps while another simply wore t-shirts with the word GREASER printed on them), the greasers were open about their illicit activity. They said their chief activities were fighting, vandalism, drinking, cars, and girls, the paper wrote. [However], they were disdainful of smoking marijuana.

One gang leader ticked off a list of the jobs he had pulled, being most proud of chopping down a Welcome to Greenfield sign. Still, he complained about police harassment. They try to bust us for anything and everything, he told the reporter. When asked what he wanted to be when he was done with school, he replied a hit man for the mafia as his fellow gang members burst out laughing. Was he worried about the attention greasers were getting? No, I keep the newspaper articles about it pasted on my bedroom wall.

Classmates and school officials, however, dismissed the greaser fad. Kids at Hamilton seemed to think that the greasers were only putting on a show for their friends, like all kids their age. Teachers also downplayed the trend. The greasers were certainly no angels, but they were not hard-core criminals, only kids causing trouble. One teacher put a fine point on the matter. They imitate Fonzie, the teacher told the paper.

Milwaukees greaser saga takes an ugly turn during the early days of school integration in the city. Read Part #2 here >>

Read past installments of What Made Milwaukee Famous.
The Chinese like to feature whole steamed fish on the menu of their New Year's feasts. Said to signify togetherness, abundance and long life, it's a dish with symbolism that is as important as taste. Indeed, you're supposed to leave the bones, head and tail intact, a way to help ensure that the new year will be a winner from beginning to end.

When buying fish, many of us tend to opt for the ease of fillets. The prospect of buying, prepping and deboning a whole fish might seem not just novel, but also daunting. Ditto for the prospect of steaming a whole fish, a precarious project for even experienced cooks.

So here I propose baking your whole fish rather than steaming it, and wrapping it in foil to keep it moist. It's much easier to cook it this way. It also has the added benefit of creating an instant sauce.

But let's start at the beginning. You're at the store checking out the fish on display. How can you tell if a whole fish is fresh? Its eyes should be clear, not cloudy, and its gills should be brightly colored, red or pink.

Once you've picked your winner, ask the fishmonger to clean it for you. He'll clip off the gills, scrape off the scales and remove the guts. If you don't plan to head home right away, ask for a bag of ice to place next to the fish, which will keep it cold.

You begin prepping your fish by scoring it, slicing deeply into the flesh. This will allow the marinade to penetrate to the core and for the fish to cook evenly. I've called for traditional Chinese flavorings here, but you're welcome to adjust them to your tastes.

If, for example, you're not a fan of chilies, leave them out. If you hate cilantro, swap in another fresh herb. The soy sauce is key because it contributes salt as well as flavor, which helps to season the blandish fish. Then after just 20 minutes in the marinade, the fish is ready for the oven.

How will you know when it is done? Pull the pan out of the oven, open up the foil carefully (it will be steamy inside) and poke the fish with a small, sharp knife. If the knife slides in easily all the way to the bone, the fish is done. If there's some resistance, cook it a little longer. When the fish has indeed finished cooking, you'll be rewarded not only with beautifully fragrant flesh, but also with a store of savory liquid on the bottom of the pan.

Carving the fish isn't a big deal. Begin by gently scraping off the skin from the top of the fish with a knife and discard it. Then, using a spoon and starting at the backbone edge, lift the flesh off in chunks and transfer it to plates. After you have removed the top fillet, you can lift off the bone easily in one piece to expose the bottom fillet. Once cooked, the fillets will come off the bone without a struggle.

After you have filleted the fish, ladle some of the cooking liquid over each portion and dig in. It's a treat any day of the year.

Sara Moulton is host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including "Cooking Live." Her latest cookbook is "Home Cooking 101."
ABOUT THE DONOR: Al Baber started Vis-Vita in 1946. Vis-Vita means "Forces of Life" in Latin. The company is a producer of vitamin and mineral supplements for livestock and poultry. Today, the original Vis-Vita products along with ingredients are mixed and bagged at 607 Floyd Blvd. Products are sold and distributed in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.

DONOR COMMENT: "On behalf of our great Vis-Vita customers past and present, our great employees, and in the name of Al Baber, we are happy to be able to support the Goodfellow fund that will benefit many kids at this time in the holy season of Christmas," said Joseph Karpuk, owner.
SIOUX CITY | Isack Abdinur was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, having just heard a judge pronounce him guilty of first-degree murder.

In the back of the courtroom, Shauna Avery and other family members wrapped their arms around each other, tears of happiness forming in their eyes.

They had just heard District Judge Steven Andreasen say the state had proven, without a reasonable doubt, that Abdinur fatally stabbed Cornelia Stead with malice aforethought and did so willfully and with the specific intent to commit murder.

"It was what we wanted. I'm really glad they read the verdict we were all hoping for," Avery, Stead's niece, said after Wednesday morning's hearing. "(Stead's death) tore our family apart in a lot of different ways. This verdict is helping our family get back together."

Abdinur showed little emotion after hearing Andreasen announce his findings and verdict. He will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. A sentencing date was not set.

His attorney, public defender Jason Dunn, declined to comment.

Abdinur, 36, who was living in Sioux City and is a native of Somalia, was charged in Woodbury County District Court with the June 23, 2015, stabbing death of Stead at her apartment at 521 W. 16th St.

Abdinur eventually waived his right to a jury trial, and Andreasen presided over the three-day trial in November.

A medical examiner said at trial that Stead, 43, was stabbed 23 times, including a fatal wound that sliced her aorta and caused massive internal bleeding. A witness testified that she was in the room when Abdinur punched Stead in the face several times before getting a knife from the kitchen and stabbing her in the chest multiple times.

A blood-covered Abdinur was found in a nearby alley soon after police arrived at the scene. He willingly came out to surrender to police, though he became aggressive while being handcuffed and placed into a police car, officers testified at trial.

The prosecution and defense each called psychologists, both of whom testified that Abdinur is a violent schizophrenic.

The expert called by the defense said Abdinur was not aware of what he was doing at the time of the attack. The prosecution's expert said he believed Abdinur knew he had done something wrong and understood his actions.

Andreasen found that Abdinur was aware of what he was doing while stabbing Stead.

"The defendant failed to prove he was insane at the time he committed the murder of Cornelia Stead," Andreasen said when announcing his ruling.

Assistant Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis, who prosecuted the case, said he would have no comment on the verdict until after sentencing.
SIOUX CITY | A series of armed robberies and break-ins culminated in the shooting of a Sioux City police officer and one of the most talked-about cases of the year.

Isaiah Mothershed, 19, of Sioux City, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in November after a jury found him guilty of two counts of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree robbery for the Feb. 7 shooting of Sioux City Police Officer Ryan Moritz and the crime spree that led up to it.

Police investigating the robberies that occurred from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6 went to an apartment at 2947 Park Ave., where they encountered Mothershed and other suspects. After being taken into custody and while his hands were handcuffed behind his back, Mothershed reached into a couch and pulled out a .40-caliber pistol and shot Moritz, the bullet passing through Moritz's left thigh. As officers struggled with Mothershed, the gun fired again and Mothershed was shot in the leg.

Mothershed had been arrested for a violent crime involving firearms the previous year, but those charges were later dismissed. The decision to drop the charges was debated publicly in the media by police Chief Doug Young and Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings. Their comments led Mothershed's attorney to ask a judge to place a gag order on Jennings and the police department to keep them from discussing the case. Jennings and Young later agreed not to speak publicly about the case.

Mothershed went to trial in Woodbury County District Court in October, and the jury deliberated for six hours before finding him guilty of all charges, including firing a shot at a homeowner who had interrupted one of the break-ins.

Mothershed faced a maximum of 150 years in prison for his crimes.

Mortiz, who recovered from his wound and returned to duty, at sentencing asked District Judge Steven Andreasen to give Mothershed the maximum.

"I have absolutely no doubt that he would have pulled that trigger until the gun was empty if he hadn't shot himself in the leg," Moritz said. "Put him where he belongs before anyone else gets hurt."

Mothershed made no sentencing request.

"I would just like to say that God knows the truth and God will do justice," he said.

Andreasen settled on the 50-year sentence, of which Mothershed must serve at least 35 years before he's eligible for parole.
SIOUX CITY | A bond over a breast cancer patients perseverance has led to a modeling appearance on a retail show for a Sioux City native.

Terri Jo (Wadedo) Schweisthal, now of Denver, will be on the Home Shopping Networks ybf show, hosted by Stacey Schieffelin, Wednesday.

Schweisthal said the offer to come on the show stemmed from a friendship that grew out of a chance conversation between her and the television show host in 2012.

Schweisthal, who has been watching the show for 15 years, called in for the first time in October 2012 to thank Schieffelin for her advocacy of breast cancer awareness.

Originally diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and informed that the cancer had metastasized in March 2012, Schweisthal said she wanted to reach out to the host who has been a voice of empowerment for women across the country.

Shes a womans woman, she said. She supports women and helps them build confidence through the makeup.

Much to Schweisthals surprise, the call went through and she was able to speak with Schieffelin briefly.

I said that that was the primary reason I called in, to thank you, she said. The particular episode where she spoke to Schieffelin aired during breast cancer awareness month. Schweisthal had called to commend her for the special edition compact with the breast cancer logo on top.

The conversation only lasted a couple of minutes on air, but didnt end there. Schweisthal was instructed to give her number to the operator. A couple weeks later, she received a personal call from Schieffelin before she was to meet a friend for dinner.

That conversation lasted half an hour. Theyve continued to talk over the phone and through texts since then. In October, Schweisthal called in, again to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

What happened on that call went beyond Schweisthals wildest dreams.

A show host said, you need to be down here with us, she said.

While Schweisthal was on air over the phone, arrangements were made to fly her to Tampa, Florida, for the next live show, where she would not only meet Schieffelin, but appear on the show as a model.

I was literally on the floor, Schweisthal said.

The experience for Schweisthal was sweetened even more when she was allowed to bring a friend. That choice was a no-brainer. She invited Terri Kennedy Fitzpatrick, also a Sioux City native, who has been cancer free for nine years. The lifelong friends were diagnosed one year apart.

The show will first air at 1 a.m. (Central) Wednesday on HSN. It will then air every four or five hours.

Schweisthal said she cant really put into words what the opportunity means to her. From being able to finally meet an inspiration-turned-friend, to sharing the experience with a best friend, she said she feels blessed beyond words.

Theres so many things you learn on the journey and one is you have to learn to remove yourself or God cant do anything, she said. You cant get in the way of him because hes the one that orchestrates it all.

"I let him do his job and my job is to find something good in every single day, she added.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | South Sioux City homeowners who have been forced to flee due to odor issues connected with the startup of the Big Ox Energy plant drafted a list of demands for the company or the city to approve.

The documents were presented to the City Council at its meeting Tuesday. The nearly one dozen residents created the document in an effort to try to shake any accountability they may have after the potentially toxic hydrogen sulfide gas permeated through their residential sewer system.

The odor has permeated everything the residents own, from their furnishings to their wardrobes, with a horrible hydrogen sulfide or rotten egg smell. The residents have since been put up in hotels, and Big Ox has said they would pay for rooms, meals and mileage, industrial cleaning of homes, and engineering costs for the city.

The document stated that after Jan. 31, 2017, the residents will find temporary housing and pay for it out of their pockets. But in the meantime, Big Ox must pay for the expenses while the house is vacant. On the form, the residents filled out how much their mortgages, insurance and utilities cost a month.

"We have a form; we filled it out. It basically says more or less what our demands are for the next six months. We're giving the city and Big Ox six months to figure out what the hell is going on, because they obviously don't know," Klassen said after the meeting.

Klassen said the purpose of the document is to clarify that if the residents accept money from Big Ox or the city, it does not account for compensation and does not waive their right to sue. He would not answer who drafted the document.

"We are trying to save them money -- to help them budget," he said. "... We were trying to craft (the demands) in such a way we weren't putting a bigger burden on the city."

There are one-on-one meetings planned Wednesday with the residents, Big Ox and city officials to assess the damages, but Klassen said the 10 households that filled out the sheet will not speak with Big Ox.

"We are giving them an out for six months until they figure out what they are putting into our homes," Klassen said. "We are not going to sit down with them and say, 'Hey I need a coat of paint,' when it is something else."

Big Ox and city engineers went into homes earlier this month and conducted pressurized smoke tests on the pipes to identify potential leak points inside the homes.

The residents at previous meetings have expressed concerns that the high-pressure tests could cause further problems to the pipes. If a sewer-related problem should occur, the residents would not be accountable for the costs, the document lays out.

Mayor Rod Koch was not at the meeting, nor could any council member comment per advice from legal counsel, Council President Oscar Gomez said.

Originally on Tuesday's council agenda, Bill Garvey requested that additional measures should be considered to solve the odor problems such as conducting an intense search for experts in forensic plumbing, sheet rock analysis and insulation analysis and hiring a chemical engineer to analyze sewage coming from Dakota Avenue to track down offenders.

Garvey was not at the meeting, so Gomez said those measures will not be discussed since the one-on-one meetings were going to address those issues.

The subsequent agenda item with Garvey's request was for the council to discuss potential litigation, but since no action was taken, they refused to discuss it.

The odors began in October soon after Big Ox started up its Roth Industrial Park plant, which converts various organic waste into methane gas. Originally, the Wisconsin-based company tried to remedy the problem by injecting chemicals into the waste stream. After that effort failed, the city halted flows from the plant into the sewer line until a permanent solution could be found. The city in November appointed Des Moines-based McClure Engineering to propose a plan, which included temporary valves while a separate wastewater main was constructed. But weeks after the proposed fixes by McClure, the council admitted that little progress had been made and the problem was more complex than expected.
The terrorist who hijacked a truck in Berlin and ran over and killed 12 people, maiming and wounding 48 more, in that massacre in the Christmas market, has done more damage than he could imagine.

If the perpetrator is the jihadist from Tunisia who had no right to be in Germany, and had been under surveillance, the bell could begin to toll not only for Angela Merkel but for the European Union.

That German lassitude, and the naivete behind it, allowed this outrage validates the grim verdict of geostrategist James Burnham in "Suicide of the West": "Liberalism is the ideology of Western suicide."

Both the transnational elite and populist right sense the stakes involved here. As news of the barbarous atrocity spread across Europe, the reactions were instantaneous and predictable.

Marine Le Pen of France's National Front, leading candidate for the presidency in 2017, declaimed: "How many more people must die at the hands of Islamic extremists before our governments close our porous borders and stop taking in thousands of illegal immigrants?"

Geert Wilders, the Party for Freedom front-runner for prime minister of Holland, echoed Le Pen: "They hate and kill us. And nobody protects us. Our leaders betray us. We need a political revolution.

"Islamic immigration/Is an invasion," he went on, "An existential problem/That will replace our people/Erase our culture."

"These are Merkel's dead," tweeted Marcus Pretzell of the far-right Alternative for Germany about the victims in the Christmas mart.

Nicholas Farage, who led the campaign for British secession from the EU, called the Christmas massacre "the Merkel legacy."

Europe's populist right is laying this act of Islamist savagery at the feet of Merkel for her having opened Germany in 2015 to a million migrants and refugees from Syria and the Middle East wars.

Before Berlin, she was already on the defensive after mobs of migrants went about molesting and raping German girls in Cologne last New Year's Eve.

Even admirers who share her belief in a Europe of open borders, that welcomes immigrants and refugees from Third World wars and despotisms, sense the gravity of Merkel's crisis.

"Germans should not let the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin undermine liberal values," ran the headline on The Washington Post editorial Dec. 22. Alarmed, the Post went on:

"What Germany cannot and must not do is ... succumb to the siren song of the anti-foreigner right-wing, which has been gaining strength across Europe and moved immediately to exploit the attack ahead of the September 2017 national elections."

The New York Times delivered its customary castigation of the European populist right but, in a note of near-desperation, if not of despair, implored Europe's liberals not to lose faith.

"With each new attack, whether on a Christmas market or a mosque, the challenge to Europe to defend tolerance, inclusion, equality and reason grows more daunting. If Europe is to survive as a beacon of democratic hope in a world rent by violent divisions, it must not cede those values."

But less and less does Europe appear to be listening.

Indeed, as Europe has been picking up its dead and wounded for over a decade, from terrorist attacks in Madrid, London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels, the peoples of Europe seem less interested in hearing recitals of liberal values than in learning what their governments are going to do to keep the Islamist killers out and make them safe.

Salus populi suprema lex.

Liberals may admonish us that all races, creeds and cultures are equal, that anyone from any continent, country or civilization can come to the West and assimilate. That discrimination against one group of immigrants in favor of another -- preferring, say, Lebanese Christians to Syrian Muslims -- is illiberal and undemocratic.

But people don't believe that. Europe and America have moved beyond the verities of 20th-century liberalism.

The cruel experiences of the recent past, and common sense, dictate that open borders are Eurail passes for Islamist terrorists, who are anxious to come and kill us in the West. We have to deal with the world as it is, not as we would wish it to be.

In our time, there has taken place, is taking place, an Islamic awakening. Of 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, hundreds of millions accept strict sharia law about how to deal with apostasy and infidels.

Scores of millions in the Middle East wish to drive the West out of their world. Thousands are willing to depart and come to Europe to terrorize our societies. They see themselves at war with us, as their ancestors were at war with the Christian world for 1,000 years.

Only liberal ideology calls for America and Europe to bring into their home countries endless numbers of migrants, without being overly concerned about who they are, whence they come or what they believe.

Right-wing and anti-immigrant parties are succeeding in Europe for a simple reason. Mainstream parties are failing in the first duty of government -- to protect the safety and security of the people.
Bezos secured a $600 million contract for Amazon from the CIA to build and provide a private cloud for the CIA's data needs. The Washington Post has refused to name a single source in its accusations that Russia hacked into the DNC's and John Podesta's e-mail accounts. The USA has a history of involvement in other countries' elections and a policy of regime change for any country that will not bow down to American business interests or take its orders from NATO. The left and the establishment lost the election and are not very happy about it. Hurling accusations without proof of evidence is dangerous. Where is the honor and sense of morality?
The following companies are subsidiares of Colfax: AS ESAB, Agridzaar Limited, Airgare Limited, Arc Machines GmbH, CAST Limited, CAST Resources Limited, CLFX Sweden CV, Canadian Cylinder Company Ltd., Cefar-Compex Medical AB, Central Mining Finance Limited, Charter Central Finance Limited, Charter Central Services Limited, Charter Consolidated Holdings Limited, Charter Consolidated Limited, Charter Finance S.a.r.l., Charter International Jersey Funding Limited, Charter International Limited, Charter Limited, Charter Overseas Holdings Limited, Charter Pension Trustee Limited, Chattanooga Europe B.V., Cigweld Pty Ltd., Colfax (Wuxi) Pump Company Limited, Colfax Fluid Handling Finance Limited, Colfax Group GmbH, Colfax Group Holdings GmbH, Colfax Jersey Finance Limited, Colfax UK Finance Limited, Colfax UK Holdings Limited, Comercializadora Thermadyne S. de R.L. de C.V., Conarco Alambres y Soldaduras SA, Condor Equipamentos Industriais Ltda, DJ Orthopedics Services SA de CV, DJ Orthopedics de Mexico S.A. de C.V., DJO Asia-Pacific Ltd., DJO BRASIL LTDA., DJO Benelux B.V., DJO Canada Inc., DJO Consumer LLC, DJO FINANCE LLC, DJO France S.A.S., DJO Global, DJO Global Inc., DJO Global India Healthcare Private Limited, DJO Global Pty. Ltd., DJO Global Switzerland SARL, DJO Iberica Productos Ortopedicos S.L., DJO Italia SRL, DJO LLC, DJO Medical Device Trading (Shanghai) Ltd., DJO Motion Ireland Limited, DJO Nordic Aktiebolag, DJO Orthopaedic South Africa (Pty) Ltd, DJO Tunisie SARL, DJO UK Ltd., EMSA Holdings Inc., ESAB AB, ESAB ApS, ESAB Argentina SA, ESAB Asia/Pacific Pte.Ltd., ESAB Bulgaria EAD, ESAB CZ s.r.o. clen koncernu, ESAB CentroAmerica SA, ESAB Comercio e Industria de Soldadura Lda, ESAB Corporation, ESAB Europe GmbH, ESAB France SAS, ESAB GCE Holdings AB, ESAB Gesellschaft m.b.H., ESAB Group (Ireland) Limited, ESAB Group (UK) Limited, ESAB Group Canada Inc., ESAB Group Russia Limited, ESAB Holdings Limited, ESAB Iberica S.A.U., ESAB Industria e Comercio Ltda, ESAB International Holdings LLC, ESAB Kazakhstan LLC, ESAB Kft., ESAB Limited (Thailand), ESAB Limited Liability Company, ESAB Mexico SA de CV, ESAB Mexico Services SA de CV, ESAB Middle East FZE, ESAB Nederland B.V., ESAB Pensions Limited, ESAB Polska Sp. z.o.o., ESAB Romania Trading SRL, ESAB Saldatura SpA, ESAB SeAH Corporation, ESAB SeAH Welding Products (Yantai) Co. Limited, ESAB Service GmbH, ESAB Slovakia sro, ESAB Sp. z.o.o., ESAB Sweden Holdings AB, ESAB Ukraine LLC, ESAB VAMBERK s.r.o. clen koncernu, ESAB Welding & Cutting GmbH, ESAB Welding & Cutting Products (Shanghai) Management Company Limited, ESAB Welding Products (Jiangsu) Co Limited, ESAB-Mor Welding Kft, EWAC Alloys Limited, Elastic Therapy LLC, Empi Inc., Encore Medical GP LLC, Encore Medical L.P., Encore Medical Partners LLC, Evrador Trading Limited, Exelvia (Bermuda) Limited, Exelvia Company, Exelvia Cyprus Limited, Exelvia Group India BV, Exelvia Holding Limitada, Exelvia Holdings BV, Exelvia International Holdings BV, Exelvia Investments Limited, Exelvia Netherlands BV, Exelvia Properties Limited, GCE Gas Control Equipment Co. Ltd., GCE Gas Control Equipment Inc., GCE Gas Control Equipment S.A. de C.V., GCE GmbH, GCE Group AB, GCE Hungaria Kft., GCE India Private Ltd., GCE Krass LLC, GCE Latin America Ltd., GCE Mujelli S.p.A., GCE Norden AB, GCE Portugal Unipessoal LDA, GCE Romania s.r.l., GCE S.A.S., GCE Sp. z.o.o., GCE Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., GCE s.r.o., Gas Control Equipment Iberica S.L., Gas Control Equipment Limited, Gas-Arc Group Limited, H UK Engineering Limited, HE Deutschland Holdings GmbH, HKS-Prozesstechnik GmbH, HTP Beteiligungs AG, Hobart Place Investments Limited, Howden North America Inc., Imo Holdings Inc., Imo Industries Inc., Jinan Red Hawk International Trading Co. Ltd., LT Optoelectronics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Labindia Liteforce Private Limited, LiteCure LLC, Litecure Asia Limited, Litecure Optoelectronics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Limited, MEDSHAPE INC., MT Central Finance SARL, MT FOREIGN HOLDINGS INC., Margarita SA, Mathys (Schweiz) GmbH, Mathys AG Bettlach, Mathys Immobilien GmbH, Mathys KK, Mathys Ltd., Mathys Medical Device Trading Co. Ltd., Mathys Orthopadie GmbH, Mathys Orthopaedics BV, Mathys Orthopaedics Belux, Mathys Orthopaedics Ltd, Mathys Orthopaedics Pty. Ltd., Mathys Orthopedie SAS, Mathys Ortopedia Srl, Medireha GmbH Produkte fur die medizinische Rehabilitation, Motion Parent Inc., NANOSPECTRA BIOSCIENCES INC., NV E.S.A.B., OZAS-ESAB Sp. z o.o., Ormed GmbH, Ortho Pros Express Inc., Orthomed Medizintechnik GmbH, Oxiprof LLC, Oy ESAB, PT Karya Yasantara Cakti, PT Victor Teknologi Indonesia, Quantum Ops Inc., Rikco International LLC, SIAM ESAB Welding & Cutting Limited, Shawebone Holdings Inc., Soldaduras West Arco S.A.S., Soldex Holdings I LLC, Soldex S.A., Speetec Implantate AG, Speetec Implantate GmbH, Surgi-Care Inc., TBI Industries GmbH, TBI Industries s.r.o., TBI Shandong Industries Co. Ltd., The British South Africa Company, The Central Mining & Investment Corporation Limited, The ESAB Group Inc., Thermadyne Brazil Holdings Ltd., Thermadyne South America Holdings Ltd., Thermadyne Victor Ltda., Thermadyne de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermal Dynamics Europe Srl, Trilliant Surgical LLC, Victor Equipment Company, Victor Equipment de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Victor Technologies (UK) Limited, Victor Technologies Asia SDN BHD, Victor Technologies Australia Pty Ltd., Victor Technologies Canada Ltd., Victor Technologies Group Inc., Victor Technologies Holdings Inc., Victor Technologies International Inc., Victor Technologies Partnership LLP, Warren Pumps LLC, Welding & Cutting Products LLC, and Weldnote LDA.

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Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines, and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution and energy transportation activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery facilities; and transmission assets in North America and Europe. The Energy Services segment provides energy marketing services to refiners, producers, and other customers; and physical commodity marketing and logistical services in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
First Data Corporation provides commerce enabled technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through three segments: Global Business Solutions, Global Financial Solutions, and Network & Security Solutions. The Global Business Solutions segment provides solutions to merchants, such as retail point of sale merchant acquiring, e-commerce, and mobile payment services, as well as cloud based point of sale operating system that include a marketplace for proprietary and third party applications. The Global Finance Solutions segment provides technology solutions for bank and non-bank issuers, such as credit, retail private label, commercial card, and loan processing, as well as licensed financial software systems; suite of account services that include card personalization and embossing, customer communications, and professional services; and call center solutions and back office processing. The Network & Security Solutions segment offers EFT network, stored value network, and security and fraud solutions, as well as other value added solutions to its clients in GBS and GFS segments, smaller financial institutions, and other enterprise clients. First Data Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Salzgitter AG, together with its subsidiaries, engages in steel and technology businesses worldwide. It operates through five segments: Strip Steel, Plate/Section Steel, Mannesmann, Trading, and Technology. The Strip Steel segment manufactures branded and special steels, such as hot-rolled strip steel and steel sheets, sections, tailored blanks, and components for the construction industry. The Plate/Section Steel segment produces various high-grade heavy plates for engineering, shipbuilding, and mechanical engineering, as well as trades in scrap. The Mannesmann segment is involved in the manufacture of line pipes, HFI-welded tubes, precision and stainless-steel tubes, and spiral-welded and longitudinal-welded large-diameter pipes; and seamless and welded tubes for the energy, automotive, and mechanical engineering sectors. The Trading segment operates a European sales network, as well as trading companies and agencies worldwide. The Technology segment engages in the provision of machinery and plants for the filling and packaging of beverages, as well as special machinery engineering for shoe manufacturing and elastomer production. The company also provides IT, facility management, logistics, automotive engineering, and research and development services, as well as supplies raw materials. Salzgitter AG was founded in 1858 and is headquartered in Salzgitter, Germany.
Check out the latest news from around the nation!

Will the Suspended Anti-LGBT Alabama Chief Justice End Up in the US Senate?

(EDGE) Suspended anti-LGBT Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore may be gone from the bench, but headed to Washington.

According to WVTM, representatives for Alabama Governor Robert Bentley's office confirmed that the Republican Governor has interviewed Moore to fill the Senate seat currently being held by Jeff Sessions.

Sessions has been nominated to be U.S. Attorney General for the incoming Trump administration. If he survives the blue wall of Democrats suspected to block his nomination, his senate seat will be in play.

As Governor, Bentley has the authority to appoint an interim senator until a special election can be held.

As Chief Justice of the Alabama State Supreme Court, Moore was suspended for multiple ethics code violations, including abuse of authority and interference with federal-level court rulings related to same-sex marriage. Despite being represented in court by the anti-LGBT hate group Liberty Counsel, Moor was found guilty of all charges. He remains suspended without pay for the remainder of his term.

W. Va. City Council Passes Anti-Discrimination LGBT Ordinance

(AP) Wheeling has become West Virginia's 11th city to pass a policy protecting the housing and employment rights for LGBT citizens.

The Wheeling City Council voted 7-0 to establish new anti-discrimination protections in the city's human rights ordinance based on sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status on Tuesday.

The Intelligencer says the ordinance includes exemptions for religious institutions, as well as employers with fewer than 12 employees.

It also gives the city's human rights commission the ability to issue cease-and-desist orders in response to complaints under the new policy if attempts at conciliation fail. The commission can have the courts enforce those orders if they are not obeyed.

Wheeling is the fifth city in the state to approve such a measure this year.

Missouri Court Orders New Trial in HIV-Infection Case

A Missouri appeals court ordered a new trial Tuesday for a former college wrestler sentenced to 30 years in prison for infecting another man with HIV and endangering four other sexual partners.

A panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals' Eastern District overturned the conviction and sentence for Michael Johnson in a case that has drawn the attention of legal reform groups and gay rights activists.

The panel ruled that the St. Charles County trial court last year abused its discretion by admitting excerpted recordings of phone calls Johnson made while jailed. Those recordings weren't disclosed to Johnson's attorneys until the morning of the first day of trial.

The court ruled that the prosecution's violation was "knowing and intentional and was part of a trial-by-ambush strategy," Presiding Judge James M. Dowd wrote.

Messages left with St. Charles County prosecutor Tim Lohmar were not immediately returned.

Johnson was a student-athlete at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, a St. Louis suburb, until his arrest in 2013. He was convicted of one count of recklessly infecting another with HIV, and four counts alleging he exposed or tried to expose others. Prosecutors argued Johnson knew he was HIV positive and lied to sexual partners.

St. Charles police Det. Don Stepp testified during the penalty phase of the trial that more than a dozen other men came forward after news reports of Johnson's arrest, claiming they had sex with him. Stepp said those men didn't want to file formal complaints, with some saying they hadn't told their families they were gay.

Lawrence Lustberg, an attorney for the Center for HIV Law and Policy, which filed a brief in support of Johnson, said he was pleased the conviction and "Draconian" sentence were vacated.

"Statutes like the one used to prosecute Mr. Johnson are inherently problematic, as they promote stigma and animus towards people living with HIV in violation of their legal and constitutional rights," Lustberg said in a statement.
(SS) A statewide prohibition on people younger than 18 buying certain over-the-counter cough suppressants is one of three new laws that will hit the books with the arrival of the New Year.

The other changes to state laws involve insurance policy coverage of opioid medications and how financial institutions may receive summonses and subpoenas.

The three are the last of the bills signed by Gov. Rick Scott from the 2016 legislative session to take effect. Lawmakers sent 272 bills to Scott, who vetoed three and signed the rest.

The majority of the new laws, including the state's annual budget, went into effect July 1, on Oct. 1 or immediately upon receiving Scott's signature.

The Jan. 1 laws are:

Cough medicines: SB 938 prohibits the sale of cough medicines containing the synthetically produced dextromethorphan to people younger than 18 and requires identification from those presumed to be younger than 25.

Dextromethorphan is found in many cough medicines, including Robitussin, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tylenol Cough & Cold and Vicks NyQuil.

The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, and former Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, was proposed after reports of teenagers using cough medicine to get cheap highs. Broxson has since been elected to the Senate.

Side effects of such intoxication, according to a Senate staff analysis, include loss of coordination, slurred speech, sweating, hypertension and involuntary spasmodic movement of the eyeballs.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported six deaths in 2014 related to dextromethorphan use.

The law doesn't require stores to alter placement of the products but prevents local governments from imposing their own restrictions.

Opioid insurance coverage: SB 422 prohibits insurance policies that cover opioid medications, with exceptions, from requiring prior authorization for abuse-deterrent versions of the medications.

Supporters of the measure argued the change is intended, in part, to make it easier for people needing painkillers to access medication less likely to cause addiction.

In committee meetings, proponents also argued that requiring pre-authorization may deter doctors from making the needed initial prescriptions.

Critics countered the measure could be seen as a mandate and drive up insurance costs.

Financial institutions: SB 1104 allows financial institutions to designate locations or registered agents where delivery can be made for documents such as summonses or subpoenas.

The law was crafted in response to a 2010 ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeal.
Gavin Creel is one of the biggest names on Broadway: He won an Olivier Award for his performance in The Book of Mormon on Londons West End and has been nominated for Tonys for his performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Hair on Broadway. He just wrapped up a critically-acclaimed run in She Loves Me at Studio 54, and next March, will star with Bette Midler in the highly-anticipated revival of Hello, Dolly!

This weekend, Creel joins Sirius XM On Broadway host Seth Rudetsky at the Parker Playhouse for an evening of songs and stories about life on the Great White Way.

SFGN spoke with Creel about his career, achievements and aspirations in advance of that Broadway Series appearance.

SFGN: Is there any role that has particularly defined your career?

Creel: Claude in Hair is the one at the top. To be a part of Hair on Broadway and in London was magical, a transcendent experience as a human being. At the same time, we were fighting for marriage equality; we were embracing a moment, using our art to make a little bit of noise here. As an actor, Im always trying to get back into that place of bliss and joy.

Several years ago, you formed Broadway Impact, an organization to advance LGBT issues. Is Broadway Impact still active?

The organization hasnt gone away, but it had one mission at the time and that was to get marriage equality in New York state and then nationally. We wanted to have an action committee to awaken the community of performersI pause to say politicalbut to be activated and at the time it was marriage equality. I wasnt political before, but once in a while something smashes you around and you have to do something. In this uncertain time, I hope our community will continue to stand up for LGBT rights and minorities and the disenfranchised and the scared.

How did you feel about the Hamilton casts onstage statements to Vice President-elect Mike Pence at that performance after the election?

It was a complicated reaction for me. I dont agree with what this man has done in the past and what he has saidespecially against the gay communitybut I guess I was proud of the team. Whether it was the right call or not, I dont know. I wasnt the producer in that position. I did find it disappointing the audience booed the man when he walked in. The theaters should have class. Its one thing to boo a performance but, he sort of asked for it, coming to the biggest show in the world eight days after the elections. Sure, he wanted to go out, but Barack Obama said it, dont boo, vote, engage. I thought the speech was stunning. Whether it was right or not, I dont care, but I was proud. They took a chance and made a decision and thats what makes them all bad asses.

You turned 40 this year. Has that milestone changed your perspective on a career in the theater?

I dont care much about age, but Id be lying if I said I didnt think about it...it does affect me in vain, stupid ways. I look in the mirror and ask whys my skin doing that. Its the same thing that 30 did for me. When I turned 30, I said I deserve to be respected now. If you dont respect me, Im going to engage with someone else. When I turned 35, I realized I didnt know what I was doing. At 40, I decided Im going to work and not spend time doing anything I dont want to be doing, just because I think I should or to make people feel happy. That brings a half-assed Gavin and doesnt produce good work. At 40, I want to wake up and do what I want to do and also be a better citizen. Hopefully, I can be selfish and magnanimous at the same time. Is that possible? Call me at 45 and Ill tell you.

Do you currently have someone special in your life?

I dont talk about the details, but Im very much in love. I have a wonderful boyfriend. That helps at 40. I have a new mantra to not take things so personally this yearto be playful, not personal for 2017. I think its working. Being in love helps that. Im not giving enough credit where credit is due.

Gavin Creel and Seth Rudetsky appear in Mark Cortales Broadway Concert Series on Friday, Dec. 30 at 8:19 p.m. at the Parker Playhouse, Tickets start at $37 at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson floats through a tangle of cables inside the Columbus module aboard the International Space Station. Whitson was operating the Fluids System Servicer to refill coolant loops in multiple modules on the U.S. segment of the station. Credit: NASA. NASA

Today: Fluid Shifts Dilution Measurements: The second of three 49S subjects completed their Flight Day 45 blood draw with assistance from a Crew Medical Officer (CMO) Operator in support of the first part of the Fluid Shift activities  Diultion Measurement.

Upon wakeup the subject collected saliva, blood and urine and insert them into Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) prior to ingesting a Sodium Bromide (NaBr) tracer. Throughout the day, the subject completed additional urine, blood, and saliva collections and inserted the samples into MELFI. Fluid Shifts is divided into three experiment portions  Dilution Measurements, Baseline Imaging, and Baseline Imaging with Chibis (Lower Body Negative Pressure). The experiment investigates the causes for severe and lasting physical changes to astronauts eyes. Because the headward fluid shift is a hypothesized contributor to these changes, reversing this fluid shift with a lower body negative pressure device is investigated as a possible intervention. Results from this study may help to develop preventative measures against lasting changes in vision and eye damage.

Japanese-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-6 (J-SSOD-6) Installation: The crew completed the J-SSOD-6 installation activities on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock (JEMAL) Slide Table. The four deployers, holding six satellites, will be grappled by the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) and deployed in January. The J-SSOD facility provides a reliable, safe and economically viable means of deploying research small satellites into Earth orbit. Atmospheric and surface monitoring, radio communications testing, and small object and sample return to the ground for testing and analysis are all potential candidates for this facility.

Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Troubleshooting: The crew performed investigative troubleshooting steps to aid in the removal of a stuck MDCA from the CIR Combustion Chamber. Using a boroscope and a feeler tool, the crew attempted to locate suspected Foreign Object Debris (FOD) along the guide rails. The crew was unable to locate any debris, and ground controllers are reviewing the video taken from the boroscope. Once removed, the MDCA will be replaced with the next planned experiment, Cool Flames Investigation (CFI). CFI provides new insight into the phenomenon where some types of fuels initially burn very hot, then appear to go out but continue burning at a much lower temperature with no visible flames (cool flames). Understanding cool flame combustion helps scientists develop new engines and fuels that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) 3008 Loop Scrub: Last Friday the crew attempted to perform the EMU 3008 loop scrub which could not be completed due to a leak at the Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Display and Control Module (DCM) interface. Earlier today the crew removed the SCU however during the installation of the new SCU they encountered resistance while mating the SCU connection. The SCU did not receive power upon activation. The crew reported finding damage to the connecter during an inspection of the connectors. Based on ground specialist recommendations the crew used pliers to unbend the SCU connector back shell prior to them remating the SCU to the UIA. The new SCU has been reinstalled and it powered up nominally. The crew will complete the checkout of the new SCU and EMU 3008 Loop Scrub later this week.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Fluid Shifts Blood Collection

Fluid Shifts Refrigerated Centrifuge Configuration

TIMER. Battery Charging

Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Remove and Replace

XF305 Camcorder Setup

JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side

Small Satellite Orbital Deployer Checkout Prep Part 1

Kazbek Fitcheck (Soyuz 732)

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill [Aborted]

Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Activation and Checkout Part 1

JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) Multi  4 Deployers onto Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform Installation Part 2

BIMS. Assistance during the Experiment

BIMS. Experiment Ops.

Meteor Hard Disk Drive and Antivirus Update

ESA PAO Recorded Message SpaceUp France

CARDIOVECTOR. Experiment Ops.

TIMER. Preparation and Video Recording (start) of the Experiment

Photo T/V (P/TV) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Exercise Video Setup

CONTURE-2. Hardware Setup on Panel 418 (hardware location: ???2_?2, bag #423-23 (00064228R))

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check

Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products (CSA-CP) Checkout Part 2

CONTURE-2. Experiment Session Prep and Execution.

Fluid Shifts Refrigerated Centrifuge Configuration

VEG-03 Plant Photo

Small Satellite Orbital Deployer Checkout Cleanup

??? Maintenance

Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Activation and Checkout Part 2 [Deferred]

JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) Multi  4 Deployers onto Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform Installation Part 3

Vacuum Cleaning of B?1 and ??2 Air Ducts in DC1

Countermeasures System (CMS) ???????? Exercise session

Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Activation and Checkout Part 3 [Deferred]

TIMER. Video Recording of the Experiment (end) and Closeout Ops

JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side

Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Troubleshooting Review

Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Open

Hardware Prep for Spacesuits #4 and 6 Functionality Check.

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3

Combustion Integrated Rack Front End Cap Open

Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification

Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Troubleshooting

Activation of Spacesuits #4 and 6.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance  Part 1[Deferred]

Onboard Interface Unit (???) Checkout in DC1.

Joint Separation of the Water System of Spacesuits #4 and 6 and the Onbaord Interface Unit (???) in DC1.

Recording of Human Physiology and Microgravity Message

Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup

PAO Preparation

Water System Scrubbing with ??? Purification and Degassing Unit in ??? Transfer Compartument. [Deferred]

Air Samples Collection with [??-1?] in SM and FGB

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD)  JEM

Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Troubleshooting

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Post Scrub Cooling Loop Water (H2O) Sample[Deferred]

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Reconfiguration[Deferred]

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check Data Record

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge[Deferred]

EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Termination[Deferred]

Combustion Integrated Rack Front End Cap Close

Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Close

Fluid Shifts Dilution Measures Reference Material Review

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill

Completed Task List Items

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) High Calibration [Completed Saturday]

Manufacturing Device Print Removal, Clean and Stow [Completed Saturday]

XF305 Camcorder deploy [Completed Saturday]

Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) Checkout [Completed Saturday]

NanoRacks Platform-1 Module-72 Move [Completed Saturday]

CEVIS Control Panel Time Synch [Completed Saturday]

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) High Calibration Data Record [Completed Sunday]

ESA Active Dosimeter Area Monitoring Mobile Unit Stow [Completed Sunday]

ESA Active Dosimeter PSD Restow [Completed Sunday]

ESA PAO Recorded Message Air France [Completed Sunday]

ESA PAO Recorded Message St.Exupery Writing Contest [Completed Sunday]

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Node 3 Axial Shield Bundle Build [Completed Sunday]

Locate spare SCU for upcoming SCU R&R. [Completed Sunday]

Lighting Effects Numerical Verification Test Packet Trash [Completed Sunday]

Manufacturing Device 1.0 CTB Audit [Completed Sunday]

Photo/TV RED Dragon Camera Assembly [Completed Sunday]

At Home In Space Culture Photo [Completed Monday]

Treadmill 2 System (T2) Monthly Inspection [Completed Monday]

Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products (CSA-CP) Extended Maintenance [Completed Monday]

Recording of Mission X 2017 Closing Message [Completed Monday]

ESA PAO Recorded Message UNICEF Ambassador Message [Completed Monday]

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuration [Completed Monday]

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Inspection [Completed Monday]

Crew Medical Restraint System (CMRS) Swap and Check out [Completed Monday]

Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test [Completed Monday]

OCT Laptop Cable Secure [Completed Monday]

PAO Filming of B-Roll Material for Super Bowl LI [Completed Monday]

USC Galen Center Hidden Figures Screening Message [Completed Monday]

Space Station Research Explorer [Completed Monday]

Veggie 03 Pillow Watering [Completed Monday]

Located Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Waste Water Bags (WWBs) [Completed Monday]

BelAir WAP Deploy  Lab

Columbus MLU8 Lamp Housing Assembly Remove and Replace.

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

PCPA Pumpdown

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Wednesday, 12/28: Fluid Shifts, Body Measures, Skinsuit measurements, EVA procedures review

Thursday, 12/29: Fluid Shifts, CIR bench ops, EVA DOUG review, P/TV safety video survey

Friday, 12/30: Fluid Shifts, Ultrasound/Ocular Health, EVA Equipment Lock prep/on-orbit fit check

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)  Process

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
WCC Mourns the Death of Polynesian Nuclear Fighter John Doom

Contact: World Council of Churches, +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press



GENEVA, Dec. 28, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- John Doom lived in a small place on the planet, but he was committed to big things through his faith, fighting to stem atomic testing in the fragile ecosystem of his homeland French Polynesia.

"Papa John's passionate commitment and dedication to the ecumenical movement and our Lord's call to unity was and continues to be a source of inspiration for the many blessed enough to have known him and to work with him," wrote the World Council of Churches' general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

The general secretary sent a letter on 28 December to the Maohi Protestant Church after Mr John Doom passed away, aged 80, on Christmas Day, in Papeari, Tahiti.

The fifth sibling of 12 children, John Taroanui Doom was born on 6 May 1936, in Papeete, French Polynesia.

Doom became a deacon of the Maohi Protestant Church (French Polynesia) in 1962.

From 1971 to 1988, he served as general secretary of his church. Between 1972 and 1977, he also served as principal of the Hermon Theological School, Tahiti. He was a member of the executive committee of the Pacific Conference of Churches from 1966 to 1989.

Doom was a member of the WCCs Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) from 1983-1989, and of the WCC Central Committee 1976-1983.

In 1989, he was appointed as the WCC's executive secretary for the Pacific region, a position he held until his retirement in 2000.

Between 2006 and 2013, Doom was the WCC President for the Pacific Region.

In his letter, Tveit praised Doom's leadership and vision, stressing that his "life and witness as a faithful disciple of Jesus truly exemplify one who lived in assured hope and in readiness for Christ's coming in his daily walk by faith."

A committed citizen, John Doom was also the co-founder and coordinator of the Nuclear Workers' Association in French Polynesia, Mururoa e Tatou.

Being an eye witness of the first French atomic test in the Pacific, in 1966, he was also known for his strong commitment to anti-nuclear advocacy campaigns.

In the early 1980s, the Evangelical Church in Polynesia officially denounced French atomic tests at Moruroa and Fangataufa, encouraged by the Pacific Conference of Churches, which also firmly opposed the American nuclear tests in Marshall and Kiribati.

When the atomic tests in the region were resumed, in 1995, Doom sent 80,000 postcards of protest to the French government from the Pacific office of the WCC. In 2001, he took part in the founding of the association of victims Moruroa e tatou in Papeete.

In his condolence letter, the WCC general secretary shared his testimony on Doom's crucial role to raise awareness in the world "to address the enormous damage for his peoples and region after the nuclear testing going on in the Pacific."

Tveit's letter ends with words of support to Doom's family and the churches in the Pacific.

"We stand with you in your sorrow and give thanks for a man whose spirit encouraged unity in our faith and participation in God's mission," he wrote.

Doom's funeral service took place on 27 December, in the cemetery of Papeari, where he was buried next to his wife Tetua Tau, who died five years earlier.

Read the full text of the condolence letter of the WCC general secretary.
First Liberty Institute Appeals Historic Military Religious Freedom Case to the Supreme Court

Contact: Chris Scalia, First Liberty Institute, 608-354-3195 cell, 703-683-5004 ext 103, cscalia@crcpublicrelations.com



WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- First Liberty Institute and nationally renowned litigator Paul Clement announce they have filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court, asking the Supreme Court to accept the case of Sterling v. United States. The case centers around the question of how the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) applies to both members of the military and the American public.



Read the brief



The case began when U.S. Marine Lance Corporal (LCpl) Monifa Sterling was court-martialed for refusing an order to remove a Bible verse she had posted in her workplace. Despite invoking RFRA as a defense, Sterling was convicted. Sterling appealed, and in April 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF), the nation's highest military court, heard her case.



In August, the court issued an opinion upholding the conviction on the basis that the order to remove the Bible verse did not "substantially burden" Sterling's religious exercise. The effect of the CAAF's ruling means that RFRA does not fully protect religious freedom for military members. First Liberty Institute, along with Paul Clement, represented LCpl Sterling at her hearing before the CAAF in April.



"This important case warrants the Supreme Court's attention in order to ensure that our service members get the same protection for their religious liberty as civilians in the majority of circuits," says Paul Clement, former Solicitor General of the United States and now a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.



"The CAAF set a terrible and shameful precedent with its opinion, jeopardizing the religious rights of every single man and woman in military service," Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty Institute, says. "We are asking the Supreme Court to hear this historic case and protect the constitutional rights of all of our service members."



"Our service members give up many freedoms to serve, but religious freedom is never one of them," Mike Berry, Senior Counsel and Director of Military Affairs for First Liberty Institute, says. "Their right to free religious expression should be protected. We're asking the Supreme Court to uphold that right."



Read more about the case SterlingFacts.com



About First Liberty Institute

First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
As news of Kate Armands tragic death spread, friends and family were left in shock. Armand, a 2011 Kelso High School graduate and mother to 11-month-old daughter Brynn, was just 24.

Police say Armand was fatally shot late Christmas Day by her estranged husband and the father of her infant daughter, James Tylka, outside a King City home. She was found dead in the street near the home where Tylka appeared to be living with his mother, according to The Oregonian.

All Kate wanted to be was a mom, Armands longtime friend Kelsey Schueller said by phone Tuesday. Ive never seen Kates eyes light up like they did when she first met Brynn.

According to authorities, Oregon State Police trooper Nic Cederberg was shot by Tylka, 30, during a shootout between the two 20 miles south of Portland. Tylka had fled the scene and police gave chase, according to news reports. The couple had been married for several years and were reportedly going through a divorce.

Cederberg, 32, was taken to the hospital, received surgery Monday and remained in critical condition Tuesday morning. Tylka died.

According to Schueller, Armand wasnt the like of person to let obstacles get in her way. Armand was raised by her aunts in Kelso after her mom died (her dad wasnt involved in her life, Schueller said).

Kate just never saw the glass as half empty. She was constantly knocked down and had all these hoops to jump through, Schueller said. Shes just a naturally super strong person. She would never let anyone see her as struggling.

In January 2015, she lost her first daughter, Harlow Wren Tylka, in a miscarriage. She was devastated, Schueller said, but soldiered on  no one it seems expected anything less from the unstoppable Armand.

She committed herself to becoming emotionally and physically healthy enough for a second baby and started a blog to support mothers whod also lost babies to miscarriages. Schueller said shed meet with anyone for coffee who wanted her help, love or support.

Every tear shed and laugh to be had, if she wasnt there, then she heard about it within minutes, close friend Missy Hislop wrote Monday on Facebook. I moved out, guess who was with me when I bought my first household purchase of a noodle strainer, and showed up on a dime to continue our sleepovers we started when we were 6, Kate. I stood with her in all her ventures, failures and heartbreaks, as she did for me. Falling outs would never break our bond, and it was an honest to God sisterhood.

Since the day the two met in high school, Armand and Schueller had an unbreakable bond, too. When Schueller was in college, the two talked every day. When Schueller quit college in 2013, it was Armand who convinced her to go back and get her teaching degree.

Natalie Walsh, whose children were friends with Armand and whom Armand rented her Beaverton house from, said any time Armand wasnt at work, she was with Brynn, who had just started crawling and got a spurt of eight new baby teeth in the last month.

She was a strong single mom, according to Walsh, adding that Armand still tried to keep Tylka in their babys life.

She embraced every moment of being a mom, said Walsh, who set up a GoFundMe account Tuesday to raise money for Brynn. She was very in control of her emotions.

Friends describe her as the archetypal cheerleader  bubbly, outgoing, sweet. For three years she cheered for Kelso High School and was on the schools competitive team until her senior year when she joined the girls wrestling team.

After high school, she traveled to the East Coast but later returned to Portland to study fashion and design at the Portland Art Institute.

After her miscarriage, she decided to study nursing. At the time of her death, Armand was working at a senior living home.

Schueller said Armand and Tylka, who was for a short time a Beaverton Police Department cadet, separated shortly before Brynn was born.

Armands friends declined to talk about Tylka, though Walsh said there were signs of Tylkas aggression before the alleged murder.

Tylka was married previously and had a son with another woman. According to news reports, his ex-wife petitioned in September for immediate temporary custody of their son after Tylka spoke of suicide and began acting aggressively and impulsively.
Ned Piper developed a thick skin in his 24 years of service on the Cowlitz PUD board  dealing with angry customers, a censure and a failed recall attempt and ensuing lawsuit. He jokes that his prior experience in the insurance industry got him used to hearing the word no.

Although his first several years went relatively smooth, his last term was filled with acrimony following the boards decision to fire former Manager Brian Skeahan in January 2013. Fellow commissioners Kurt Anagnostou and Merritt Buz Ketcham (who since has stepped down) censured Piper. A recall attempt, which Piper said Anagnostou and other PUD officials instigated and supported, failed and sparked lawsuits. While the tumult has largely passed, the experience left a bitter taste.

But through it all, Piper has fond memories of working with customers and people in the utility industry. He played an active role in the industry throughout his career, and in 2000, he served as a past president of Washington Public Utility Districts Association. There he helped lead an effort to bring high-speed Internet to farms in Eastern Washington in the early 2000s.

We sat down with Piper as he prepares to step down at the end of the year. (He will be replaced by Commissioner-Elect Dave Quinn.) Below are excerpts from our interview, which have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: What do you think are the biggest issues the PUD faces now?

One of the main issues with PUD rates, for example, is that the PUDs spend millions and millions of dollars a year on salmon survival, salmon recovery. And we are thought of by the environmental community as being anti-environmental. And I always say that we are definitely environmental considering the amount of money that we spend and our ratepayers spend just on salmon survival through Columbia River dams.

About 20 to 25 percent of your PUD bill is for salmon survival, and I think that weve made great headway in that area. Some of the salmon that were (on the) endangered list are coming back really strong, but nobody pays any attention to that it seems. So I dont know if that cost will ever go away, unfortunately.

Q: What do you think the PUDs approach should be in handling the wind farms?

When I-937  the renewables initiative  passed, we wanted to be in control of our destiny so we decided to build a wind farm in Eastern Washington. And that was so that we could own that.

White Creek was the first one, and then Harvest Wind was the second one. We probably should not have built Harvest Wind.  Hindsights 20-20. Weve been losing a lot of money on those wind farms at this point, mainly because California changed their rules. Their legislature passed a law that required all renewable resources come from California, not from outside. So we lost something like $9 million from that.

Until we need it in our system, were overbuying renewable energy, now. The I-937 bill ramps up the renewable resources that we need to have in our system, so eventually we will need it.

Q: How did it get to the point where there were people dissatisfied enough that they actually wanted to recall you?

Well it all started with Brian Skeahans firing (in January 2013). I voted for his firing in the heat of the moment and probably 10 minutes later realized we didnt give him a chance to defend himself. It was the wrong thing to do, the way we did it. We had the executive session down in Kalama. Why, I dont know. The few that were there, we sent them all out of the room.

I regretted it almost instantly.  And I asked to have on the agenda for our next meeting a motion to reconsider. I would have not have been able to do that if I voted no. By putting that on the agenda, I was able to vote no. (The other two commissioners reaffirmed their votes to fire Skeahan.)

So shortly thereafter, they mounted their resolution to censure me. I could never figure out why. They never gave me an opportunity to defend any of the items on the censure resolution. They just pushed it through. It was just crazy. And then shortly after the resolution was passed, it ended up in Kelso barber Bill Ammons mail slot as a recall.

Q: Did you think about quitting during the recall effort?

No. I couldnt do that. Because they would have won. And I was getting so much community support through that period that I felt like Id be letting down the people who were supporting me. And I knew I was right.

It wasnt fun. But  One day I was out at Fred Meyer, standing in line and about a dozen people or so walked by. I knew some of them, I didnt know others. But they all said, Hey man, hang in there, were rooting for you. And pretty soon, the gal behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, Excuse me ... who are you?

Q: How did you develop a thick skin?

Possibly being in the insurance business where people tell you no a lot ... and things were so smooth at the beginning. Our rates were 2.1 cent per a kilowatt hour and now its 7.6 or something like that. And it was a job that not very many people were paying attention, until you either gave a big raise or raise the rates.

I think (people) are paying more attention now. And they are more vocal about their rates and about different things that have happened at the PUD.

Q: Given that the PUD buys so much of its power from Bonneville  which already is the cheapest source of power  how much control will the PUD really have over its rates?

I think there could be three different ways that the utility can affect the rates. Probably the least effective of those three is to cut costs at the PUD. But you dont want to cut costs where youre letting the infrastructure go. Cutting costs sounds easier than it is. There was no debt when I came on board. Most of our debt was incurred when our dam blew out on the Lewis River.

Another way to affect rates is to work closely with Bonneville to try to help them control their costs, which is very difficult to do because theyre a huge organization, but if we become a squeaky wheel and just keep hammering at them, they do listen to us.

And I think Steve Kern is going to be that squeaky wheel. Were the second largest BPA customer. Steve takes that very seriously.

The third way that is fighting (expensive) proposals like Initiative 937, which required utilities of a certain size to use a certain amount of renewable power. Thats why we built the wind farms, because we wanted to own our resources and not lease them or pay fines. And the fines are horrible. It would cost you millions of dollars in just fines to keep up with that. But if we can legislate, keep the legislature under control. The carbon tax thing is an example. It was defeated. I think utilities finally did a good job of convincing our customers to vote against that.

Q: Why are you leaving now after so many years? Did the recall effort contribute to your decision to resign?

Probably ... My first election I won 65 percent of the vote. Second election nobody ran against me; that was wonderful. The third one running against Ken Spring, I won maybe by 20 percent. And the last election was against a man from Castle Rock (Don Curtis). He put up a few signs, he had a couple letters to the editor and came to two or three of our meetings. Never showed up at any of the speaker forums. I beat him by 2 percent.  So I just decided it would be best if I dont run. I want to go out on the top.

Q: Why have you decided to continue to serve for so long?

I really enjoy dealing with the customers and another thing is that I got involved in the Washington PUD Association and in fact, served as president of the PUD association one year. That was in 2000. And I really enjoy all the people. Im going to miss them; all the people in public power around the state. (We) got to be really close.

And our customers too.  I discovered very quickly that my role on the board was to be an advocate for customers. One day, one of the customer service ladies told me that she got a call from an irate ratepayer and he wanted my cell number and she said, Well I cant give that to you. And I say, Oh, please tell everybody in your department that if anybody asks for my number, give it to them. I want to talk to these people. So that became my role.

Q: What was the most rewarding experience about being a commissioner?

One time we gave our manager (Denny Robinson) an 18 percent raise because we hadnt given him one for like five or six years. And boy, that just brought people out of the woodwork. They were picketing us with signs (like) PUD is Screwing Us.  I pulled into the parking lot and I was trying to sneak into the back door and one of picketers saw me and yelled, So did you buy that fancy red car of yours with your big raise? It wasnt fancy. It was like an Oldsmobile or something. And I said, Come here a minute and he walks over to me, belligerent. I said, I didnt get a big raise. I gave the big raise.  because we had labor negotiations that lasted about five years. We didnt think that was the right time to give our manager a raise, so we didnt, and then we felt we needed to so that keep him. We just want him to be in the middle (pay range) of all the PUD managers around the state .

Pretty soon I had about 20 people standing around us. And it was starting to rain, and I was going to be late to the board meeting, and I said look, Why dont you come in, come in to the meeting and make yourself heard. We need to hear this. And they did. Then things starting quieting down.

I really learned something from that. So that when we had our last problem with rates spiking in the winter time, you know, they were picketing. And I told Steve Kern, our manager, that I was planning on being out on the picket line, to talk to the people and he said, Well, Ill join you. And he did and that was great. So giving people a voice.

Its always been frustrating for me, that we make decisions and then after the fact, people get upset about the decision. They dont bother coming to the meeting to see what led up to that decision. And I think if they did, they would understand a lot more about whats going on at the PUD.

(But) I think theyre paying more attention now. And are more vocal about their rates and about different things that have happened at the PUD.
hidden

Three Chinese citizens have been criminally charged in the United States with trading on confidential corporate information obtained by hacking into networks and servers of law firms working on mergers, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Iat Hong of Macau, Bo Zheng of Changsha, China, and Chin Hung of Macau were charged in an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court with conspiracy, insider trading, wire fraud and computer intrusion.

Prosecutors said the men made over $4 million by placing trades in at least five company stocks based on inside information from unnamed law firms, including about deals involving Intel Corp and Pitney Bowes Inc.

The men listed themselves in brokerage records as working at information technology companies, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a related civil lawsuit. Hong, 26, was arrested on Sunday in Hong Kong, while Hung, 50, and Zheng, 30, are not in custody, prosecutors said. Defence lawyers could not be immediately identified.

The case is the latest U.S. insider trading prosecution to involve hacking, and follows warnings by U.S. officials that law firms could become a prime target for hackers. "This case of cyber meets securities fraud should serve as a wake-up call for law firms around the world: you are and will be targets of cyber hacking, because you have information valuable to would-be criminals," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan said.

Prosecutors said that beginning in April 2014, the trio obtained inside information by hacking two U.S. law firms and targeting the email accounts of law firm partners working on mergers and acquisitions. Prosecutors did not identify the two law firms, or five others they said the defendants targeted.

But one matched the description of New York-based Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, which represented Pitney Bowes in its 2015 acquisition of Borderfree Inc, one of the mergers in question. The indictment said that by using a law firm employee's credentials, the defendants installed malware on the firm's servers to access emails from lawyers, including a partner responsible for the Pitney deal.

Cravath declined to comment. In March, Cravath confirmed discovering a "limited breach" of its systems in 2015. Prosecutors also accused the defendants of trading on information stolen from a law firm representing Intel on the chipmaker's acquisition of Altera Inc in 2015. Intel's merger counsel on the deal was New York-based Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. The law firm declined to comment. The case is U.S. v. Hong et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-cr-360.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

On 24 December, Economic Times announced the imminent launch of an Aadhaar Payment App for merchants. No such app showed up on the Play Store and people were wondering whether or not it has launched. Even the name of the application was not clear, it has been referred to as "Aadhaar Payment App" and "Aadhaar Cashless Merchant App". Over the course of the next few days, there has been a lot of interest by users to download and install the application, only to be disappointed.

Well, here is what happened. It is a back-end application, a service that can be implemented by any bank, but was first done by IDFC bank. The application had been launched on 24 December itself in Andhra Pradesh. The application launch at a fair price shop was inaugurated by AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Over the course of the weekend, 100 merchants in Delhi and Bihar started using the app. The name of the application by IDFC is called "IDFC Aadhaar Pay." The application is not the same as IDFC Bank Merchant Services.

https://twitter.com/ncbn/status/812647581226409988

The application is not available for regular consumers and is meant only for merchants. It has not been released on the Play Store. A merchant gets onboard IDFC bank through an e-KYC process and gets a link on a smartphone within the hour. The application can only be downloaded through that link, as of now. The application is connected to an Aadhaar biometric reader certified by the Standardization Testing and Quality Certification (STQC). Shoppers have to input their bank name and Aadhaar card number into the application and authenticate the transaction using the fingerprint scanner.

The application is meant to allow the citizens from remote and rural areas to make cashless transactions. Consumers only need an Aadhaar card linked to a bank account. There is no need for debit cards, credit cards, or even a smartphone. Dr. Rajiv Lall, Founder MD & CEO, IDFC Bank, said "It is, thus far, the simplest way to pay as it does not require a customer to swipe debit cards, remember passwords, or download apps. Importantly, there are no transaction fees for both merchants and customers. IDFC Aadhaar Pay will accelerate the pace of growth for cashless payments, giving wings to the governments efforts towards digitization for inclusive growth."

The merchant has to pay Rs 2,000 for the biometric scanner that works with the application. The amount of transactions per month are not limited. An article in Forbes points to a major flaw in the app though. No biometric scanning system in the world is entirely accurate, and the fraction of inaccuracies can be a major problem in a country with such a large population. Another problem is that a number of people in remote and rural areas without a bank account cannot use the application to make payments.

There are fake applications on the Play Store trying to capitalise on the surge of interest and it is better to not install them at all. Check the name of the publisher and go through other applications released by them. Official applications are by the mGovernance Team, or in the future, will be from the banks that implement the solution for merchants. An app called Aadhaar Aadhaar Pay INDIA GOVT currently shows up on top of searches for "Aadhaar payment app" or "Aadhaar Pay." The application has nothing to do with the description and the name of the app has been changing. We have reached out to the developers for comments.

Again, be wary of fake apps.
tech2 News Staff

Facebook attributed a real bombing to a fake one, triggering an unnecessary panic attack in Bangkok.

On 27 December, Bangkok resident Chalerm Sornnonthee clambered atop a security office near Government House in Bangkok and started tossing ping pong bombs into the Government House compound.

His actions caused panic as people initially thought there was a bombing at Government House. Facebooks algorithms picked up the initial chatter and triggered a Safety Check in the region, prompting users in the area to mark themselves as safe.

No need to panic, there was NO explosion in #Bangkok despite a Facebook safety Check being triggered. No need to mark yourself as safe. pic.twitter.com/bqzCFpO9K0  Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) December 27, 2016

As Wired explains, Safety Check works by monitoring an emergency newswire that aggregates information from various accredited sources. Once it detects an event, it looks to see what Facebook users are saying in that region. Once satisfied, the algorithm will then trigger a safety check.

This is what happened in Bangkok, but something went wrong. Safety Check normally gives you links to reports on the situation. For some reason, Facebook picked up a fake news story on Bangkok Insider (the story has since been pulled and the site is now under maintenance) which stated that there was a bomb explosion at the popular Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.

Understandably, there was widespread panic, (as there have been bomb attacks at Erawan Shrine in 2015) and Facebook only realised its error almost 11 hours later, reports Quartz. The damage however, was done.

The "source" of the @Facebook Safety Check for Bangkok: A fake news site that scrapped stuff from elsewhere! pic.twitter.com/i6Q2k8XBxP  Saksith Saiyasombut (@SaksithCNA) December 27, 2016

The actual bombing at Government House also turned out to be a less serious affair. Reportedly, Sornnonthee was tossing firecrackers into the compound in order to draw attention to a legal dispute that he needed settled. He did show a bomb while on top of the security office, but it turned out to be a fake one.

The fake news menace has been haunting Facebook for many months now, if not years, but came to a head only recently when it was revealed that US President-Elect Donald Trump might have come to power on the strength of fake news.

Mark Zuckerberg has gone on the defensive, insisting that Facebook is not a traditional media company and that its doing all it can to combat fake news.

To be fair to Facebook, when it works, its automated Safety Check feature is actually very good. As Quartz reports, Facebook enabled Safety Check at the time of the mass shooting in Orlando at least 11 minutes before authorities publicly announced the shootings.

Zuckerberg is right in insisting that Facebook is not a media company, but on that note, theres still too much misinformation doing the rounds for Facebook to call its feeds a News Feed.

Sornnonthee has since stepped off the building and returned home after receiving assurances that the matter will be looked into.
tech2 News Staff

Nokia is expected to launch a Qualcomm Snapdragon powered flagship during Mobile World Congress 2017 as reported earlier. 2017 will be significant for the company as it tries to make a comeback in the smartphone market.

According to a recent report in Digitimes, HMD Global will launch four new smartphones in addition to one that will launch during MWC 2017. HMD Global has been making Nokia-branded device since last year and the demand for the devices has crossed any previous estimate.

There are no new details on the upcoming new models in terms of which market these new Nokia-branded smartphones will target. According to the source, these new models will range between 5.0 - 5.7-inches with WQHD or Full HD resolution displays. LG Display, Innolux and Century Technology will be the companies that will supply display panels. In addition, FIH Mobile will be the production partner to increase and keep up with the growing demand.

The flagship device expected to be launched during MWC 2017 is rumoured to be Nokia C1. which appears to be a flagship through and through. The Nokia C1 pictured in leaked images seems to feature a metal design, but with replaceable backs that appear to be made of different materials and textures.

As for the leaked specifications, the slides mention that the Nokia C1 will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chipset (we guess this is an 835) with 4GB RAM. There will be 32GB, 64GB and 128GB internal storage options and the device will draw power from a 3,210 mAh battery. The same slide also points out that the device will feature Android 7.1.1 out of the box.
tech2 News Staff

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who has a BTech degree from IIT Kharagpur, will relive his old days in the campus with teachers and students at a function here next week. "Sundar Pichai, CEO Google and Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, has expressed his desire to visit the campus in the first week of January 2017," IIT-Kgp director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said.

The institute is inviting students to come back to campus on time after the winter break to be able to listen to Pichai. At an open-air theatre in the campus, the Google man will discuss his past, present and future at a function titled 'A journey back to the past to inspire the future' on January 5. Pichai had passed out from the elite institute in 1993 with a BTech in metallurgical and materials engineering.

He then went on to pursue an MS in Engineering and Materials Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School. Later on he joined Google in 2004 as its vice president of product management, where he led the team working on Google's Chrome browser and operating system, before being elevated as its CEO last year.

Pichai is visiting India on a private trip, but is taking time out for some engagements. Apart from meeting the students at IIT-Kgp, Pichai is hosting an event on 4 January where new announcements for small businesses and startups are expected.

PTI
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Cambodia's exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia on Tuesday for posting a fake government pledge to dissolve the Southeast Asian country's border with Vietnam.

The sentence follows months of tension between Cambodia's two main political parties, the Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

Hun Sen has been Cambodia's leader for three decades but his grip on power was shaken in a 2013 general election when the CNRP won 55 seats in the National Assembly, leaving the Cambodian People's Party with 68 seats in the 123-seat assembly.

Members of the opposition have complained of a crackdown by the government and its allies in a bid to intimidate critics before a general election in 2018. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Sam Rainsy and two members of his social media team, Ung Chung Leang and Sathya Sambath, guilty of citing the false 1979 border treaty.

The fake treaty, which they posted on Facebook, purported to show Vietnam and Cambodia agreeing to get rid of their mutual boundary. Presiding Judge Leang Samnath sentenced Sam Rainsy to five years in prison and Ung Chung Leang and Sathya Sambath to three years, all in absentia. "The court orders the arrests of Ung Chung Leang, Sathya Sambath and Sam Rainsy to serve these sentences," Judge Leang Samnath told the court.

Cambodia has fretted for centuries about its much bigger neighbours, Vietnam to the east and Thailand to the northwest, encroaching on its territory. The issue remains emotive and many Cambodians are suspicious of both countries.

Sam Rainsy has been living in France since 2015 to avoid arrest in a separate defamation case. He did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday but said on Twitter the case against him and the two others had been "fabricated" by a "kangaroo court". The CNRP said it had no knowledge of the whereabouts of Ung Chung Leang and Sathya Sambath.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

As part of the investigation of a murder case, police have issued a warrant to gain access to Amazon Echo voice recordings, according to a report in The Information.

The investigation over a suspicious death in Bentonville, Arkansas, US started back in 2015. James Andrew Bates was taken into custody over suspicion of the murder of Victor Parris Collins.

Collins was found dead in Bates' home in a hot tub. Bates told the police that they were drinking late into the night and later went to sleep while Collins continued to drink. A few hours later he found Collins dead in the tub. The police found bruises on the body of Collins, evidence of blood in the tub, and scratch marks on Bates, all of which they found suspicious and inconsistent with the account given by Bates. The police seized an Amazon Echo device belonging to Bates as part of the investigation.

According to a report in TechCrunch, Bates had several IoT devices at home, including a Nest Thermostat and Honeywell home security devices. 5newsonline reports that the police contacted Bentonville Utilities Department to obtain water and electricity usage data. Engadget reports that the water use data was obtained from a smart sensor in Bates' home itself.

Using data obtained from both sources, the police noted an unusual spike in water use late in the night, around the time the murder is suspected to have happened. The extra water use is circumstantial evidence of a cover-up.

The police issued a warrant to Amazon to provide voice recordings from that night. Amazon refused to comply with the request, but provided the law enforcement authorities with account details. This is perhaps the first time that police want to use Amazon Echo voice recordings in a murder investigation, and raises questions on privacy as well as legal use of IoT data against the owners of the products.

https://twitter.com/dannysullivan/status/813873197435097089

If Amazon has provided the login details of the account, police can access the voice data from the Echo application. Police say they have managed to extract some data from the device itself. Echo keeps a log of commands and requests, referred to as "utterings." These are stored in the cloud and can be deleted one by one or all together. Lights on top of the echo indicate when the device is recording audio, but it does passively listen for the trigger "Alexa," all the time. It is possible to turn off the mike on the Echo, when required.

https://twitter.com/reneritchie/status/813803562065072129

In a statement to Engadget, Amazon has said "Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us. Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course."

The Miranda Rights applicable in the United States allow suspects to be silent and avoid providing self-incriminating evidence. Previous recordings is a legal grey area. This is a struggle between privacy and and the process of enforcing the laws, similar to the Apple's standoff with the FBI over the investigation of the San Bernardino mass shootings. Apple refused to create the technology needed to bypass the security on the device and the police found a way to do it on their own.
tech2 News Staff

Qualcomm has been slapped with yet another huge fine for violating fair trade laws, unfair business practices and demanding royalties on an unnecessarily broad set of patents.

This latest fine has been slapped on Qulacomm by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) and amounts to over $854 million, reports Reuters.

The US-based Qualcomm was fined over $200 million in 2009 by the KFTC for Qualcomms abuse of CDMA patents and has recently coughed up $975 million in China following a 14-month probe into its business practices.

Qualcomm is the worlds largest manufacturer and designer of modems and SoCs (System-on-Chip) for mobile devices as well as wearables. The company holds innumerable patents in all fields related to the above products. It also holds a number of standard-essential patents, which, it has been alleged, the company is not willing to properly license to rivals.

A standard-essential patent is a patent defining a technical standard that a product must adhere to. Standards organisations are required to ensure that any manufacturer that manufactures a device that complies with standards defined by the patent will be required to license it.

The KFTC has ruled that Qualcomm has abused its market position by refusing or limiting the licensing of its patents to the likes of Intel, Huawei and others.

Qualcomm is understandably miffed, with a representative stating, "How can they force you to license to a competitor? That's what I never understood. I guarantee Qualcomm wont want to do that."

The investigation is reported to have started in 2014 following complaints from unnamed industry participants.

"We investigated and decided on these actions because Qualcomm's actions limit overall competition," KFTC Secretary General Shin Young-Son in a media briefing.

Chipmakers like Intel have been trying to get into the lucrative modem and mobile SoC market, but havent been able to get a proper toe-hold just yet. Intel did succeed in getting Apple to use Intel modems in certain models of the iPhone 7, but these modems have proven themselves less capable than Qualcomms offerings.

A ruling of this nature has serious implications for Qualcomm.
tech2 News Staff

State Bank of India is said to be in talks with Microsoft to use the TV White Space technology to ensure seamless digital banking in rural areas, where connectivity can be an issue.

According to a report in Economic Times, Dhananjay Tambe, the chief general manager of IT operations at SBI said that SBI is in talks with Microsoft for White Space. SBI deputy managing director and CIO Mrutyunjay Mahapatra has told Business Standard that the White Space is currently under experimentation as security aspects are yet to be established.

Microsoft has been testing the White Space technology feature in Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.

White Space technology makes use of the unutilised space in terrestrial TV spectrum to provide internet connectivity in remote areas. Microsoft says that around 100MHz is required for the roll out of the White Space technology. This will enable a bank, post office, kirana store or a self-help group in a remote area to be be able to provide Wi-Fi in their area by deploying the equipment and charging users a small fee for it.

According to Business Standard, SBI is experimenting with other technologies as well. In the initial phases SBI could use V-sat technology which runs the ATM networks across the country to carry out digital banking. It is also experimenting with RF technologies to enhance connectivity. " In rural areas, there is unhindered visibility, which is required for RF. It cannot work in urban areas as there are large buildings hindering incoming frequencies," said Mahapatra.

In a TV spectrum, the network leaves gaps for buffering purposes, which makes it similar to the wireless spectrum which is used for 4G. White Space broadband can travel distances of up to 10km through buildings, vegetation and other hindrances.

Both Google and Microsoft have invested in White Space technology in African countries. Microsoft is heavily invested in the White Space technology area and has used it in various situations. This Microsoft page enlists how the company has deployed this technology during the Philippines disaster recovery after a typhoon, or in rural South Africa as well as in Kenya.
Kunal Khullar

The year is coming to an end. We saw some great highs in the tech industry and well, some embarrassing lows. Speaking of which, Samsung had a very memorable year or shall I say explosive? The Korean tech giant started off quite well, and it seemed to be all prepared and loaded. However the second half was probably a nightmare for the company.

Samsung lead smartphone sales in India

In the second quarter of 2016, Samsung had already made a stronghold in the Indian market. According to market research firm IDC, Samsung was the top vendor with market share of 25.1 percent. This meant a 10.9 percent sequential growth over previous quarter and 15 percent growth from the same period last year. The reason for its success was not only the flagship products, but also the updated versions of J2, J5 and J7 that were released on that period. The not only put Samsung ahead of local competitor Micromax, but it beat Chinese device makers as well as its biggest rival, Apple.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were well received

Samsung announced the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge in March 2016 and in my opinion they were and are still the best smartphones in the market today. Praised for their beautiful design language, great performance and a worthy camera, they had a huge impact on the company's business.

Getting a beating from Apple and Chinese rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi, Samsung's mobile division didn't do all that well in 2015. Thanks to the new flagship though, Samsung's second-quarter operating profit for 2016 rose 17.4 percent from a year earlier. It was also the highest earnings in more than two years as the Galaxy S7 smartphone sales propelled mobile earnings. According to a report, the company shipped 13.3 million Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge devices and 11.8 million Galaxy S7 devices in the first half of 2016. The numbers clearly made the Galaxy S7 Edge the most popular smartphone of its time.

Before the company could celebrate, it still had a big task ahead of itself. As Apple was preparing to launch the new iPhone 7, Samsung had to start rushing for its flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 7. The Note series has been one of the most popular offerings from Samsung and this year it had to make it big. In fact it did make it big. The Galaxy Note 7 was announced in August, exactly a month before Apple announced its new flagships.

The new Note 7 was quite something. In fact, I had a chance to use the smartphone for a short bit when it was announced in India. It shared a number of elements from the Galaxy S7, including the fully waterproof glass and metal build, a curved Super AMOLED display, a good camera and also the addition of an iris-scanner. The package was worth the money.

The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco

Soon after its announcement, the phablet had started selling in a few markets. It wasn't even a month and about 30 different reports of certain units catching fire started to trickle in. The number of such report started increasing and due to this issue, the first stock for India was delayed. Samsung even issued a statement confirming the battery malfunction issue. Samsung immediately started sending out replacement units to Note 7 consumers. Sadly, the second and even third replacement units were still catching fire. It was a complete disaster. The smartphone was banned from flights and announcements were made advising Galaxy Note 7 users to not use the handset while travelling.

After numerous replacements, the company had no choice but to announce a global recall of the smartphone. One of the biggest in consumer electronics history. It sent out boxes to consumers asking them to return the handset as it was a serious threat. It even announced and rolled out software updates to restrict battery charging, alas the Galaxy Note 7 had to be killed. As for Indian consumers who pre-ordered the device, they were offered a cashback and an option to buy the Galaxy S7 Edge along with the Gear VR headset.

From what I last heard, Samsung managed to recall about 90 percent of Galaxy Note 7 units. As for the remaining, the company is going to release a compulsory software update that will brick the smartphone making it useless. Instead of capitalising, Samsung served an advantage to Apple on a shiny platter. A report suggested that Samsung incurred a loss of $3 billion.

Even the washing machines exploded

Samsung's woes didn't end there. During the whole Note 7 fiasco, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning that certain models of Samsung top-loading washing machines have safety issues. Apparently they were blowing up as well. Samsung issued a statement on the matter saying, In rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items. According to a report, at least 21 Samsung washing machines had blown up.

If you make a graph for Samsung in 2016 it will be pretty straightforward. A big rise and an equally big fall.

The coming year will be crucial for Samsung, as it has lost a lot of credibility. Consumers are now refraining from buying Samsung products because they want to 'blow up' their money. We are anticipating the new Galaxy S8 in early 2017 and hopefully Samsung has done its homework and made sure the batteries are solid.
Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy
Erdogan says he has evidence US supported terror

International Business Times :

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed Tuesday he had evidence that the U.S. supported terrorism in the Middle East by providing funding for the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

Erdogan told reporters at a press conference in Ankara that he allegedly had proof that the U.S. provided assistance to ISIS and Kurdish militant groups. Many of the Kurdish groups have been labeled by Turkey as terrorist organizations, including the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD). Both groups are active in northern Syria, where Turkey has launched a pro-Syrian opposition operation to against ISIS positions.

"They were accusing us of supporting Daesh," Erdogan told members of the media while using the Arabic-language acronym for ISIS. "Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos."

Turkey is considered a strategic NATO ally in the Middle East. However, Erdogan has previously expressed his discontent with Washington's policy. In October, he vowed to fight terrorism at home and abroad in spite of what he perceived as weakness in his Western allies. He also criticized the U.S.' decision not to include Turkey in operations against ISIS in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Throughout Syria's five-year civil war, Turkey and the U.S. have been opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad and have backed various rebel factions against the Syrian army and its allies, which include Russia and Iran. Recent major victories by the Syrian government and its supporters, however, have brought Turkey to the negotiating table.

Since pro-Assad forces expelled opposition militants from their former stronghold of Aleppo, Syria's former commercial capital and largest city, Erdogan has expressed his willingness to work with Damascus, Moscow and Tehran in reaching a solution to the conflict that has killed over 400,000 Syrians and displaced millions more. The Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was assassinated an event in Ankara one day before Turkey, Russia and Iran were scheduled to hold major peace talks in Moscow, an act which both Turkey and Russia labeled as terrorist and an attempt to sabotage negotiations in Syria.
Iraq PM needs only 3 months to eliminate IS

AFP, Baghdad :

Iraq's premier said on Tuesday security forces need another three months to eliminate the Islamic State group from the country after launching their offensive against IS in October.

"The available data indicate that Iraq requires three months to eliminate Daesh," Haider al-Abadi told a televised news conference, referring to the jihadist group by an Arabic acronym.

Previously, he had vowed that the IS-occupied city of Mosul would be retaken "before the end of the year", a goal that is no longer possible.

What began as a rapid push into Mosul, which the jihadists have occupied since June 2014, has turned into a hellish block-by-block war, with IS inflicting high casualty rates on advancing Iraqi forces.

Since the offensive began on October 17, elite Iraqi forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul and are moving closer to the Tigris, the river that divides the city, but IS still occupies the city's west.

High-ranking officials believe that the battle against IS could drag on, and the Sunni extremist group continues to carry out attacks in areas from which it had been dislodged by the government offensive.

Last week, an IS triple car bombing on a market in Gogjali a few kilometres (miles) east of Mosul killed at least 23 people.

The army had retaken Gogjali from the jihadists in early November after more than two years of IS occupation.

The group also claims responsibility for regular attacks elsewhere in Iraq including in Fallujah, the Sunni-majority city east of Baghdad that was retaken in June after being out of government control for two and a half years.

The jihadist group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory originally lost to IS.

"The Americans were very pessimistic. They used to talk about a really long period, but the remarkable successes achieved by our brave and heroic fighters reduced that. I foresee that in Iraq it will take three months."

Overnight the coalition bombed the last remaining bridge connecting the eastern and western parts of Mosul "to reduce enemy freedom of movement", a spokesman said on Tuesday.
One stabbed to death at Hathazari

Chittagong Bureau :

One person was killed when he was trying to stop the altercation among two persons at Nandir Hat area under Hathazari upazila in Chittagong Saturday night. The victim was identified as Jahangir Alam.

Sources said, Helal and Salah Uddin locked in quarrel for only Tk 2,500 at Nandir Hat area under Hathazari upazila in Chittagong at around 10 pm. Jahangir Alam tried to stop them from quarrel at that time. But, Helal and his accomplice Mamun who were locked in quarrel with Salah Uddin stabbed Jahangir Alam causing his severe injury at that time.

Locals sent victim Jahangir Alam to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. But, he died on the way to hospital. As a result, the duty doctors declared Jahangir Alam dead after reaching the hospital.

Officer in -charge of Hathazari thana Belal Uddin Jahangir said, "Helal and Salah Uddin locked in quarrel for only Tk 2500 at Nandir Hat area under Hathazari upazila in Chittagong at around 10 pm.

But, victim Jahangir Alam had gone there to stop them." Meanwhile, police arrested Helal and his accomplice Mamun with arms. A case was filed in this connection.




New train to be added by mid-February

NN Business Desk :

India is planning to further expand connectivity with it closest South Asian neighbour Bangladesh during PM Sheikh Hasina's proposed visit to Delhi mid-February, reports The Economic Times.

In what would add a new feather in the Indo-Bangla partnership in the rail sector, a new train would be launched between the two countries in early 2017.

The frequency of existing Maitree Express was recently increased to four days a week between Kolkata and Dhaka, catering to the growing demand of passengers from both sides.

The new train service between Kolkata and Khulna (Bangladesh) is likely to be launched during Hasinas trip, officials informed.

All ground works have been completed for the launch of the new train connecting Kolkata with Khulna. Freight trains, carrying stones and boulders among other goods, are already running between Khulna and Dhaka.

A joint meeting of officials from Railways, Home Ministry and External Affairs was held recently with Bangladesh to finalise launch of the new train, officials said.

The launch of a new train service between is part of the joint declaration made during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Dhaka in June last year.

But it is not just connectivity, India is also planning to increase quantum of electricity export to Bangladesh.

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), a three-way joint venture of the West Bengal, Jharkhand and Centre, is exploring export of power to Bangladesh, a lucrative market.

"We are looking to sell at least 500MW to Bangladesh. Our team gave this proposal to Bangladesh during a recent visit to Dhaka," said a senior official of DVC. DVC's current surplus stands at 1200MW.

A new DVC unit with an installed capacity of 500 MW at Bokaro in Madhya Pradesh will soon get commissioned as well.

In 2013, when Bangladesh first expressed intent to import power from India, DVC was not in the fray. The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDC) did the bidding.




Construction of Ganges barrage to solve salinity problem stressed

Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud yesterday said the construction of Ganges barrage is necessary for preserving fresh water to solve the acute arsenic and salinity problem in the country.

"The construction of Ganges barrage is necessary for increasing fresh water supply and solving all the water related problems including salinity intrusion in the country ," he said as the chief guest while inaugurating the National Water Convention 2016 at PKSF Bhaban here.

Mahmud said after signing the water treaty with India in 1996, Bangladesh is receiving water from India but 80 per cent of the water has no use as it is flowing down to the Bay of Bengal after submerging a vast area of the country for four months every year.

The storage and re-distribution of the water would bring an overall solution to salinity intrusion in the South-Eastern part of the country, irrigation problem, bio-diversity, arsenic and the acute salinity problem in the Sundarbans, he said.

Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP), Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and NGO Forum for Public Health jointly organized the two-day convention on 'Sustainable Water Regime in Bangladesh: Availability, Management, Access'. PKSF Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad chaired the inaugural session.

PKSF Managing Director Abdul Karim gave the welcome speech while Introductory remarks were made respectively by NGO Forum for Public Health's Executive Director SMA Rashid and BUP Executive Director Dr Nilufar Banu.

The Minister said Bangladesh has ensured the water supply and sanitation for all under the United Nations (UN) sponsored Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "We are hopeful that the sustainable water management like access to water for all would also be achieved under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 under the leadership of the present government,." he said.

In this respect, he stressed upon importance on river management and said, "we are thinking about restoration of all canals, haors and water-bodies across the country for optimum use of water during the dry season from September to December ," said the minister.



In addition to this, he said, we must go for solid waste treatment, pollution control , rain water harvest and sewerage treatment for sustainable water management , otherwise it will create a 'very big problem' for us.'



As many as 13 working sessions on saving rivers, flood management in Bangladesh, arsenic contamination in the ground water, water management in drought prone regions, urban water challenges, climate change induced salinity in coastal areas of Bangladesh and trans-boundary water issues will take place in the two-day seminar.




5 'JMB activists held in city

Five suspected neo-JMB activists were arrested from different areas of Mirpur by CTTC Unit on Wednesday.

UNB, Dhaka :

Members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested five suspected activists of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Mirpur area in the city on Tuesday night. Tipped off, a team of the CTTC unit conducted a drive at Darus Salam in the city's Mirpur area and arrested the five suspected activists of JMB at about 5.55pm on Tuesday. The law enforcers also recovered 30 kg explosives and bomb making equipments from their possession.

The arrestees were identified as Mohammad Riaz alias Engineer alias Rakib, Abu Bin Nayeem alias Bappi alias Apu, Kazi Abdullah Al Osman alias Ahsan, Mohammad Sohag alias Chairman and Mohammad Mamun alias Himel. The arrestees confessed that they are active members of the JMB. They also confessed that Zia, Hayder and Shahidullah are the organisers of Rajshahi zone of JMB, and that the trio directed them to collect explosives for carrying out subversive activities in the capital on the upcoming 31st night.


2 more Biman staffers put on 7-day remand

Court Correspondent :

A Dhaka Court on Wednesday placed two more suspended staff of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on a seven-day remand each in case filed over the emergency landing of a VVIP plane carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Turkmenistan.

Magistrate Zakir Hossain passed the order after Mahbub Alam, Inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, produced engineer Rokonuzzaman and technician Siddiqur Rahman to the court. Mahbub sought 10 days' remand to interrogate the duo.

On December 21, (retired) Wing Commander MM Asaduzzaman, Director of Engineering and Material Management of Biman, filed the case against nine employees under the Special Powers Act with Airport Police Station. Of them, seven were arrested soon after the case was filed. They were placed on remand on December 22. Rokonuzzaman and Siddiqur Rahman surrendered to a Dhaka court, that sent them to the jail on the same day.

On November 27, a plane of Biman, carrying the Prime Minister had to make an emergency landing at the Ashgabat International Airport of Turkmenistan on her way to Budapest as engine-1 of the plane was losing oil pressure. After emergency landing, engineers found a nut loose which was causing oil pressure loss.

Biman authorities formed a technical probe committee the following day to find the reason behind the incident. Based on the findings of the probe committee, Biman authorities first suspended six employees and later three others, and filed the case against them.


AL rebels dominate

Staff Reporter :

In the first-ever Zila Parishad election held in the country's 61 districts, the ruling party- Awami League backed candidates and its rebel contenders have won in most of the districts.

Of them, 22 won without any contest earlier. And in the rest 39 districts, the voting was conducted on Wednesday apparently to elect the AL-backed and AL-rebel candidates in all seats.

Sources said at least 15 rebel candidates to the posts of chairmen came out defeating ruling AL-backed candidates in 38 districts. There were a total of 1,281 posts, including 'chairmen' for election in the 61 district councils.

Of them, the AL-backed candidates elected uncontested in Dhaka, Dinajpur, Naogaon,Kishoreganj, Tangail, Faridpur, Habiganj, Feni, Chittagong, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Thakurgaon, Jaipurhat, Natore, Sirajganj, Jessore, Bagerhat, Jhalakati, Bhola, Netrakona and Munshiganj.

The elections for chairman posts in two districts - Bogra and Kushtia- were postponed

by the Election Commission following the High Court order. Besides, the AL did not nominate any candidates in Chandpur.

On the other hand, the AL-backed candidates were defeated by the rebel candidates in Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rajshahi, Sathkhira, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Narail, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Rajbari, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Sunamganj, Brahmanbaria and Gaibandha.

A total of 3,938 candidates contested the Zila Parishad polls. Of them, 146 fought for 61 chairman posts, while 806 for 305 reserved seats and 2,986 for 915 general member posts in the 61 district councils. No election took place in Feni and Bhola as all 42 candidates for the positions of chairman and member were elected uncontested in the districts.

Besides, 164 council posts and 68 reserved seats exclusively for women have gone uncontested.

The Zila Parishad election was held in non-partisan manner unlike other local bodies, including Union Parishad, Municipality, Upazila Parishad and City Corporation.

The EC arranged the election as the tenure of incumbent unelected predecessors is set to end. However, the three Chittagong Hill Tracts districts --Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban-- saw no election.

With the provision of government-appointed chairmen, the then military dictator HM Ershad introduced the Zila Parishad Law in 1988.

Citizens have only voted once for polls in the district council in 1989 for the three Chittagong Hill Tract districts. The law, however, was repealed by the Awami League government in 2000 allowing elected representatives.

In December 2011, the government appointed district-level Awami League leaders as administrators for 61 district councils.

Though the first election to Zila Parishad was held during HM Ershad's regime, the Jatiya Party chairman no longer seems to think it matters. Besides, the Communist Party of Bangladesh and other left leaning parties also boycotted the polls.

On the other hand, the BNP, which boycotted the last general election, also announced not to participate in the district polls. It opposed the method of the election, claiming it was 'unconstitutional' to elect district representatives without direct polling.

All the public representatives of the local government bodies under a district concerned yesterday voted to elect the 21-member representative of a Zila Parishad that would be comprised of a chairman, 15 general members and five women members from reserved seats.

The mayors, councillors and reserved councillors of City Corporation [if any] and Pourasavas, chairmen and vice chairmen of Upazila Parishads, chairmen, members and reserved members of the union parishads are voters in the elections.

According to the laws, only the elected representatives of different local government bodies -- city corporations, upazila parishads and union parishads -- will vote to elect a chairman, 15 general members and five women members in each district council.
Remittance tumbles despite migrants` rise

Staff Reporter :

The total remittance sent in by Bangladeshi migrant workers declined by 11 per cent in 2016 although Bangladesh witnessed a 35 per cent increase in manpower export during the period, says a report.

The number of Bangladeshi migrants reached 7.5 lakhs this year from 5.55 lakhs in 2015, a report prepared by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) said.

Migrant workers sent $12.65 billion remittance to home this year from $15.31 billion in 2015.

RMMRU's founding Chairman Prof Tasneem Siddiqui disclosed the findings of the report titled "Pattern and Trends of Labour Migration 2016: Achievement and Challenge" at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on Wednesday.

This is the highest figure of overseas employment since 2008 when it peaked at over 8.75 lakh, according to statistics of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET).

"The decline in oil prices in the global market seriously affected the Middle Eastern markets where more than 80 percent of the Bangladeshi migrants are working. This is one of the major reasons behind the decline of remittance this year," Prof Tasneem said. Referring to a recent report of World Bank on remittance-earning countries, she said Bangladesh was in seventh place but the position might slip to 10th by the end of this year.

According to the report, in 2016, the highest amount of remittance came in from Saudi Arabia followed by the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Malaysia.

Oman absorbed the highest number of Bangladeshi workers with 1.82 lakh followed by Saudi Arabia with 1.26 lakh, Qatar with 1.16 lakh, Bahrain with around 69,000, and Singapore with around 53,000.

Prof Tasneem cited the UAE and Malaysian markets as concerns as these are currently not hiring Bangladeshi workers.
JMB planned attacks on 31st night

Staff Reporter :

Police have arrested five suspected Islamist militants believed to be plotting attack on New Year celebrations.

The five are reportedly members of a faction of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bang-ladesh (JMB), which engineered an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July in which 22 people were killed, most of them being foreigners.

The JMB operatives were nabbed from Dhaka's Darus Salam area on Tuesday.

They were planning to attack the New Year's festival," Monirul Islam, Head of the counter-terrorism police unit" told a news conference.

He said police also seized 30kg explosives from the suspected JMB militants.

"In primary interrogation, the militants admitted that they had planned to carry out attacks on the 31st night's programme" said Monirul.

According to him, Md Riaz alias Engineer alias Rakib is the leader of the group, reports Bangla Tribune.

The other accused are Md Abu Bin Sayeem alias Bappi alias Opu, Kazi Abdullah Al Osman alias Ahsan, Md Sohag alias Chairman and Md Mamun alias Himel.
Country

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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and James Horton, director of the US National Memorial of the Pacific, observe a moment of silence on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is on a trip to Pearl Harbor but has no plan to apologize for the World War II surprise attack that killed 2,400 Americans, should sincerely reflect on his country's war crimes rather than just "put on a show", a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"Can a so-called victim-consolation trip to Pearl Harbor completely wipe away World War II history? I am afraid it's just wishful thinking on his part," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Abe was scheduled to visit the site of the 1941 attack in Hawaii, which drew the United States into World War II.

Abe visited several memorials on Monday. He and US President Barack Obama were to lay a wreath at the USS Arizona Memorial before speaking at a military base on Tuesday.

Analysts said that Abe's real purpose is not to reflect on Japan's war crimes, but to enhance its alliance with the US, which could undergo stark changes after Donald Trump becomes president next month. Trump has voiced opposition to the proposed, US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, including Japan as a member. Trump also has threatened to force allied countries to pay more to host US forces.

Pointing out that the main Asian battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War was in China, Hua said that Japan "could not turn the page of history" without reconciliation with Asian victim countries including China.

"Just like people in the US will not forget the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chinese people will not forget the nation's immense sacrifice as well as the compatriots victimized by the Nanjing Massacre," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said this month. More than 300,000 people were killed by Japanese troops from December 1937 to January 1938 during the massacre.

On Sunday, 53 eminent US and Japanese people, including US filmmaker Oliver Stone and University of Tokyo professor Tetsuya Takahashi, sent an open letter to Abe to ask whether he planned to pay tribute to victims of Japan's wartime aggression in other nations.

"Will you also be visiting China, Korea, other Asia-Pacific nations, or the other Allied nations for the purpose of 'mourning' war victims in those countries who number in the tens of millions?" the letter said.

Gao Hong, a senior researcher in Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Abe's trip is meant to gain political interests rather than "mourning the victims, as he is labeling it".

Gao said that through such diplomatic moves, Abe hopes to unload Japan's burden of World War II history and turn the page on Japan's atrocities during the war, he said.

Peter Li, a professor at the University of Houston, said that Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor is meaningless unless he recognizes Japan's war crimes.

Describing Abe's refusal to apologize for the attack on Pearl Harbor as "not surprising", Li said, "this refusal to admit Japanese crimes against humanity has been shown in Tokyo's policy toward Asian countries that were victims of Japanese aggression."

"This refusal to admit crimes was also demonstrated in its denial of the use of Asian women as 'sex slaves' for the Japanese army and its denial of its war crimes in Nanking, China," he said.
Kevin Latiolais

Kevin Latiolais, who joined MidSouth Bank 27 years ago and has been serving as a regional president since early 2012, has been promoted to Louisiana State President, a new position at the bank.

Latiolais will lead all of the banks statewide operations, focusing primarily on business development and commercial relationships, which have been the foundation of his successful banking career.

Kevin has been a steady, effective leader of our Acadiana region over the past five years, living out the banks values of honesty, efficiency, loyalty and personal accountability on a daily basis, MidSouth Bank President and CEO Troy Cloutier said in announcing the promotion. This position was created with him in mind because we are confident every employee throughout our statewide franchise can benefit from his leadership and vast knowledge of banking, particularly the key role banks play in our local communities.

A Breaux Bridge native and resident of Youngsville, Latiolais began his career at Lafayette-based MidSouth Bank in 1989, working for the bank while attending UL Lafayette and serving in the Louisiana National Guard.

Latiolais earned his bachelors degree in finance from UL and is a master graduate of Rapport Leadership International.
Wikimedia

Will Louisiana lawmakers be forced to gather in yet another special session in the New Year?

Thats a question representatives and senators, along with officials from the Edwards Administration, are openly pondering as 2016 transforms into 2017 and a new budget deficit begins to surface.

A current fiscal year shortfall of around $300 million is anticipated, which lawmakers will have to address sooner than later.

The two-month regular session that convenes April 10 is already weighed down by other hefty issues it will be hosting, like the 2017-2018 budget debate, significant tax proposals and criminal justice reform.

As a result, according to sources in the Edwards Administration, a special session held prior to the spring regular session may be inevitable.

That sentiment started to spread during the Legislatures annual Christmas party at the Capitol on Dec. 15. Earlier that day the Joint Budget Committee voted to close a $313 million deficit from last fiscal year, which created some goodwill in a building that has become better known for its conflicts as of late.

If another deficit emerges for the ongoing 2016-2017 fiscal year, it will be the 15th time Louisiana has suffered a midyear budget gap over the past nine years, according to an Associated Press tabulation.

Making the most recent deficit official is tasked to the Revenue Estimating Conference, which computes the states cashflow and decides how much money the government can spend.

The REC meets next in mid-January and state officials, although they know it to be unlikely, would prefer the panel find a huge spike in revenue.

After two special sessions and a regular session that resulted in a slew of temporary tax changes, lawmakers were hopeful that they had solved the challenges facing this fiscal year. But those tax increases passed earlier this year failed to bring in as much money as forecasted.

Legislators were also hopeful that another special wouldnt be needed in 2017  especially following a record-breaking number of continuous days served in session in 2016.
Remembering the beloved figures from Lafayette and Acadianas culture, politics and business worlds who died this year

John St. Julien

John St. Julien

A prominent voice in public education and the campaign to bring city-owned fiber to local homes, businesses and schools, John St. Julien died in January following a sudden, monthlong battle with a rare pulmonary infection. He was 63. John and his wife of 28 years, Layne Darby St. Julien, were a powerful advocacy group unto themselves, organizing and agitating with great effectiveness on behalf of various causes tied to public education. A major entry point in his local activism was the campaign to make LUS Fiber a reality. His commitment and vision about fiber centered on his passion to ensure high speed Internet access was available to low-income and minority students. He was also a hell of a cook and avid hiker.

Bozo Billeaud

Manning Francis Billeaud Jr.  Bozo to family, friends and throughout the local construction business  died at home in January at the age of 88. For 55 years, Bozo worked for JB Mouton & Sons  the general contracting firm founded by his maternal grandfather 100 years ago  serving as its president for 22 years before retiring in 2003. During Bozos career, the now fifth-generation general contracting company completed about 300 building projects, including construction of Chase Tower, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Broussard.

David Egan

David Egan

Graceful, garrulous and divinely gifted, David Egan stitched golden threads into South Louisianas musical tapestry as a band leader, side man and songwriter for Grammy-winning greats like Irma Thomas and Joe Cocker. As an integral part of Lil Band O Gold as piano player and vocalist  and File and A Train before that  the Shreveport native helped reinvigorate swamp pop, and his three jazzy, bluesy and true-to-heart solo records stand tall as enduring, soulful works of art. Egan died in March after a two-year battle with lung cancer. It was his second bout with a disease likely caused by decades of exposure to second-hand smoke as he performed in bars and night clubs  something that activated him late in life to lend his name and face to the Lets Be Totally Clear campaign. Saturday nights at Charley Gs will never be the same. Egan was 61.

Margaret McMillan

Some knew Margaret McMillan, who died in August, for her long association and employment with UL Lafayettes physical education department. Others knew her as the award-winning, glass ceiling-shattering founder of McMillan Offshore Survival Technology. And still many others knew her as the founder and face of McMillan Swim School, where she taught generations of families how to swim. One of a kind among Lafayettes ones of a kind, McMillan was 96 years old.

Robert Sidman

A professor emeritus of mathematics at UL Lafayette and longtime actor in local theater productions, Dr. Robert Sidman died in August doing what he loved: He was backstage between scenes at Cite des Arts during a performance of The Odd Couple. Sidman was 76.

Stanley \"Buckwheat\" Dural Jr.

Buckwheat Zydeco

His mentor, Clifton Chenier, made zydeco music accessible to a national audience. But Stanley Buckwheat Dural Jr. made it an international sensation. His first brush with fame was as Cheniers organist, but with a hot backing band and taste for travel, Buckwheat Zydeco and his piano accordion took zydeco music, infused with the RnB and soul rhythms he loved since childhood, to stratospheric levels as he influenced and inspired a generation of musicians  beginning with the 1987 major-label release of his Grammy-nominated record, On a Night Like This. Dural died in September after a battle with lung cancer. He was 68.

Morgan Goudeau

After a long battle with cancer, former St. Landry Parish District Attorney Morgan J. Goudeau III died in September. He was 87. Goudeau opened his law office in his hometown of Opelousas in 1952 and became active in politics and the Louisiana Democratic Party. In 1955, he was appointed assistant district attorney for St. Landry Parish and elected D.A. in 1973, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 1997.

Raymond Cordova

A longtime senior adviser to former U.S. Sen. John Breaux, Raymond Cordova died at his residence in October at age 75. Cordova worked for Breaux for three decades, serving 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 16 years in the U.S. Senate.

Al Lippman

Slow to anger and quick to forgive, Al Lippman was a dapper dresser who forged lasting relationships with state politicos of all stripes. Lippman died in October at age 78 following a career as a Morgan City-area lawyer, having retired to Lafayette in recent years. An avid antique collector, Lippman was a close personal friend of former Govs. Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco.

Evelina Abdalla

Evelina Abdalla

The last surviving member of a generation of retailers that dominated the market in Lafayette, Iberia and St. Landry parishes throughout the 20th century, Evelina Abdalla died in December at age 99. She and her husband Herbert, who died in 2010, were also among the first to venture beyond Lafayettes traditional Downtown shopping hub into the newly developed Oil Center in the late 1960s, opening a store that outlasted most family-owned department stores across the U.S., including Baton Rouge-based giant Goudchauxs among many others. That store closed in 2005, marking the end of a 110-year run in the industry. Along with her sister-in-law Irma, Evelina was honored by ABiz as the first-ever Trailblazers in 2004 as part of the magazines annual Women Who Mean Business Awards.
The local chapter is asking the state Legislature to craft a constitutional amendment that would allow voters statewide to decide whether historic monuments should be permanently shielded from destruction, dismantling, removal, moving, storage or hiding.

The local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution is asking the state Legislature to craft a constitutional amendment that would allow voters statewide to decide whether historic monuments should be permanently shielded from destruction, dismantling, removal, moving, storage or hiding.

The resolution, sent to local media by SAR Attakapas Chapter representative Tom Angers, is curious in its failure to explicitly mention the U.S. Civil War:

The Attakapas Chapter, Louisiana Society, Sons of the American Revolution does hereby urge and request that the Louisiana Legislature, and each chamber thereof, pass a constitutional amendment for submission to and review and consideration by the citizens of the State of Louisiana prohibiting the destruction, dismantling, removal, moving, storage or hiding of historic monuments, structures, images, plaques and things and any vestiges thereof and forbidding the elimination of historic sites and particularly those monuments, buildings, structures, images, plaques, things and sites pertaining to the American Revolution and its patriots and those who gave aid and comfort to the cause of the American Revolution and those serving in the American Revolution, our Founding Fathers, our nations presidents, supporters of our nations Constitution and the officers and soldiers and sailors of the Wars of the United States of America. This resolution shall be transmitted immediately upon passage to all members of the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives and the leadership of each chamber and forthwith disseminated to the press and major news organizations in Louisiana so that the citizens of Louisiana, and each and all of them may participate in an open and uninhibited debate and final resolution of this most important and vital issue that affects all Louisianians living and yet unborn.

In a follow-up email exchange, Angers initially told The IND the purpose of the proposed constitutional amendment was to protect monuments to Gen. Andrew Jackson and other presidents, repeating the wars of the United States reference in the resolution without mentioning the Civil War and the Confederacy.

Movements are underway to remove monuments and sites honoring for instance, Andrew Jackson, Angers wrote. Jackson fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The amendment would protect monuments and sites etc. honoring Jackson. Some have sought removal of the name of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and other patriots from sites, schools and monuments which is unacceptable to us. All who fought in any war of the United States and have been honored in their time by citizens with monuments and sites of any kind should be protected. The proposed amendment would grant protection to monuments to soldiers, sailors and officers of all wars of the United States without exclusion.

Pressed for a clarification on whether the local SAR chapter wants Confederate monuments protected, Angers confirmed it is the case, using the politically loaded term War Between the States, a preferred term used by many Southerners and groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy who in many cases feel the term Civil War de-legitimizes the Confederacy as a genuine political entity: The War Between the States was a war of the United States fought between factions, Angers wrote. Many Louisianians descend from officers, soldiers and sailors who fought in the War Between the States. Certainly they are included in the proposed protection.

The timing of the SAR resolution is certainly not arbitrary. The New Orleans City Council last year voted to remove several monuments to Confederate figures, Gen. Robert E. Lee chief among them, from places of prominence in the city. While that initiative is tied up in court, it did not include the monument to Andrew Jackson located at New Orleans most-photographed public square, although others in the city have targeted the Jackson statue because Jackson, like Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, owned slaves.

The New Orleans movement against its Confederate monuments also spurred other communities across the former Confederacy to discuss similar legislation, including here in Lafayette. In February dozens of residents squared off before the City-Parish Council during public debate over the Downtown Lafayette monument to Confederate slave-owning Gen. Alfred Mouton.

The hearing tilted overwhelmingly in favor of those who oppose moving the Mouton monument to his familys nearby homestead, now a museum. But those who want to see the Mouton monument moved to a more context-sensitive location  as opposed to a place of public reverence where its now located at the Jefferson Street-Lee Avenue gateway to Downtown Lafayette  have soldiered on, forming a group called Move the Mindset, one of The Independent's 2016 Influencers of the Year. The group plans to launch a public-awareness campaign in 2017 in an effort to help the community see the Confederacy more historically and realistically  as an armed government formed for the express purpose of preserving the institution of slavery.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
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Numerous residents told HUD they didnt want to move. Dont do this. Its wrong, man, one resident told them. You dont know what were going through because you're not from here, said another, noting he has lived in Cairo since the 1950s and doesnt intend to live elsewhere. Stop moving our people out of town. Build something new here.
CARBONDALE  Two student organizations on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus are asking administrators to designate the campus a formal sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, their families, and related community members.

In response, SIU administrators say they are studying their options and the potential implications of such a decision.

In a November letter, leaders of the Graduate and Professional Student Council and the Undergraduate Student Government pleaded with administrators to begin immediately taking steps to protect vulnerable populations on campus following the election of Donald Trump as president.

Brandon Woudenberg, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council, said the student groups concerns are for both undocumented students and international Muslim students studying legally at SIU on student visas who are concerned about losing their legal status or being unable to return to the United States if they visit their home country during their studies.

On the campaign trail, in the aftermath of the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting by self-radicalized Islamic state sympathizers, Trump called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States until the countrys leaders can figure out what is going on. Trump later said that his position had morphed into a call for extreme vetting of people looking to enter the United States from certain areas of the world.

These and other statements from president-elect Trump have left many students on campus concerned about what might happen after his inauguration on Jan. 20, Woudenberg said.

Given the amount of students that could very literally be in fear of their legal status vis-a-vis doctoral students or international students from the Middle East, which we have a fairly decent percentage of at SIU, we wanted to make sure they know we supported them and that they were aware we were advocating on their behalf, said Woudenberg, who is earning his masters degree in public administration. He graduated from the SIU School of Law in May.

He also noted that Trump has called for the elimination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that began under President Barack Obamas administration, created by executive action.

The program, which began in 2012, grants prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action for a period of time for certain people who arrived in the United States prior to their 16th birthday, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It also provides for two-year work permits that can be renewed, and has removed some barriers to higher education for undocumented immigrants, allowing them in-state tuition in their state of residence, for instance.

It has left many people benefiting from DACA  they are often referred to as Dreamers  concerned about their status in America. In an interview with Time magazine, Trump said of the Dreamers: "We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud." He acknowledged to Time that these are people who were brought here "at a very young age" and "they're in never-land because they dont know whats going to happen.

SIU weighs options

SIU has a robust international student population at its Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses. And on the Carbondale campus, there are about 20 students enrolled under the DACA program, according to SIU Carbondale Interim Chancellor Brad Colwell.

The letter from the student groups, which outlines a list of specific requests, is addressed to SIU System President Randy Dunn, Colwell and SIU Carbondale Interim Provost for Academic Affairs Susan Ford.

Dunn addressed the topic briefly following the Dec. 8 meeting of the SIU Board of Trustees, saying that various people within the organization have been charged with studying the pros and cons of such a designation and that no decision had been made.

Whatever the campuses do, its going to be consistent across the system, Dunn said. "Were not going to have one which is and one which isnt. Thats not going to happen. The SIU System also includes the School of Medicine in Springfield.

Colwell also provided the newspaper a letter he wrote this month to the student groups in response to theirs. In it, he wrote that he had appointed a group of people on the Carbondale campus to explore the implications of making SIU a sanctuary campus for undocumented students. That group has already begun meeting, the letter states.

The concept of a sanctuary campus is complex and brings with it a number of legal questions, he wrote. We do not want to go forward in a way that has unintended consequences for the university and all of its students.

Colwell said an example of an unintended consequence is the potential loss of federal student financial aid because of the universitys lack of compliance with federal law. The university is exploring these questions and staying attuned to what is happening at other institutions in Illinois and across the country, his letter reads.

A nationwide discussion

Presidents of a number of public and private universities and colleges across the country have announced plans to become sanctuary campuses since Trumps Nov. 8 victory.

For example, Wim Wiewel, president of Portland State University, in a statement posted on the schools website, cited the schools commitment to the protection and support of all of our students, regardless of immigration status, national origin, religion or similar characteristics in announcing its campus sanctuary status.

Wiewels statement goes on to say the status means such things as campus public safety office will not enforce federal immigration laws and that the university will not facilitate or consent to immigration enforcement activities on campus unless legally compelled to do so and to protect the health or safety of others.

But there is not a uniform definition of what it means to be a sanctuary campus, and the term gives rise to many questions. Campus protests seeking sanctuary status and proposed retaliation from some leaders in states where universities have declared this designation are disconnected from current immigration and student privacy laws, legal analysts say, and from what the Trump administration might do any time soon, writes Sophie Quinton, for The Pew Charitable Trusts Stateline article titled Sanctuary campuses: Controversy Blown out of Perspective?

The ambiguity of what it means to be a sanctuary campus has led other university presidents to reject the status.

University of Vermont President Tom Sullivan, in a letter to his campus community, wrote that while the university has an unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of all of our students he has several issues with the designation.

Although I appreciate and respect the intent behind the term, the label sanctuary campus is ambiguous and subject to misinterpretation, wrote Sullivan, who has a law degree. Moreover, it provides no protection in addition to what UVM currently is doing. Because of that, the term fails to serve well the students for whom the term is meant to provide comfort.

The uncertainty of legal or financial ramifications also have been cited as concerns. A letter signed by University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen and other top officials stated the school cannot declare our campuses as sanctuaries, as the concept is not well specified and may actually jeopardize our institution ... However, we will continue to do everything we can within the law to reassure, support and protect our students, the letter states.

Carbondale students' letter

The student leaders on SIU Carbondales campus say in the letter that their concerns are based on Trumps 100-day plan to deport millions of immigrants, currently documented or otherwise; build a wall that divides the United States from global south; and abolish the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that provides relief from deportation for over 700,000 young people in the United States.

These policy decisions will break up families and tear apart the fabric of our community, it continues. In light of this, we demand an unequivocal public declaration of our universitys support for and protection of DACA students, undocumented students, those students who are at risk of losing their documented states, and their families on our campus.

The letter also outlined several incidences of abuse, as reported by students and their family members, to demonstrate a rising tide of intolerance and hatred that has, as of this letter, reached our campus and necessitated a demand for protection" of vulnerable student populations.

Those incidences that are cited in the letter are as follows: the defacing of an Omega Delta Phi house with pro-Trump graffiti; a male Latino student intimidated by individuals using pro-Trump rhetoric while performing maintenance on his truck; a young woman who was sexually assaulted on her way home; an Afro-Latino family member of a student was the subject of vehicular intimidation.

Such attacks will proliferate in the coming days without a strong response from the university administration, the letter states. The letter does not provide further details about these listed incidents. Woudenberg said they were as reported by members of the Graduate and Professional Student Council or the Undergraduate Student Government, and either happened personally to members or were reported to them. He was not able to say which of these events had been reported to police, and what, if any, legal action had been pursued.

The requests made in the letter by the student groups include that university officials guarantee student privacy by:

 refusing to release information regarding the immigration status of students and community members;

 refusing to comply with immigration authorities regarding deportations or raids;

 collecting all elements of DACA support services into a single office;

 guaranteeing in-state tuition to students previously awarded DACA status;

 and providing training to all staff and faculty in de-escalation intervention techniques.

SIU supports DACA program

Colwell, in his response, thanked the student leaders and others who have reached out for their thoughtful letters expressing concerns for our DACA students.

We share your concerns, he wrote. Our support for these students will continue regardless of the status of the DACA program, although we support its continuation.

He noted in the letter that he and Dunn have joined other college and university leaders by signing a statement in support of continuation of the DACA program, and said that university administrators have reached out to DACA students to identify resources or services we can provide based on their individual needs. He emphasized that the universitys commitment to current DACA students will remain the same regardless of the status of the DACA program or formal sanctuary status.

He additionally called on every member of the campus community to help create a respectful, safe and welcoming environment. He outlined various ways people can help. Student leaders can participate in Safe Zone training, the letter states, and anyone can become familiar with resources available to students by visiting safe.siu.edu. He also encouraged anyone who witnesses or is the focus of threats or intimidation to report them immediately via the campus incident report form that can be found on that landing page.
COBDEN  When Maria Bartolo arrived from Michoacan, Mexico, almost 40 years ago, Cobden was like no place shed ever seen.

There was snow everywhere, the trees were bare, and I had no idea what was going to happen, she said. There were no Hispanics, no Mexican shops.

She was a 23-year-old migrant agricultural laborer, looking for a better life for her two young daughters, whom shed left back home.

I never imagined Id own my own business, one day, she said. Today, her Little House of Tacos, on Appleknocker Drive, is known throughout the region as a source of authentic Mexican tacos and tamales, more than 1,000 miles from the southern border.

The kitchen is a small orange prefabricated shed with two windows. Her youngest son, Esteban, takes orders at one, and the food comes out of the other.

The restaurant is a testament to the hard work of a grandmother who got her start as an undocumented fruit packer, and a symbol of Cobdens diverse and evolving community. Bartolo says her clientele is predominantly caucasian, and the lunch hour line often includes bikers, construction workers and wine trail tourists, together with local Latino agricultural workers.

Bartolo will proudly tell you her cooking is nothing special.

I make these dishes the same way I make them at home, she said, and people like it that way."

The chicken, pork carnitas, and steak are prepared fresh each day. Bartolo works by her mother's recipes; her mother supported the family as a baker back in Mexico.

As one of the first Latina immigrants to the region, Bartolo carries much of the communitys history with her. She remembers the Union-Jackson Farmworkers Housing Association migrant camp, about two miles north of town, which housed migrant families until its closure several years ago.

She remembers the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that occurred there, leading to the deportations of some workers.

Thank god they never bothered us, she said.

Today, Cobdens population is almost 30 percent Latino, according to the most recent U.S. Census.

However, the ingredients that Bartolo needs to make her dishes remain difficult to acquire locally. Every few weeks, her husband travels to St. Louis to purchase products like sangria soft drinks, corn tortillas, and spices like chile de arbol.

The stores in St. Louis, Bartolo says, order their stock from importers based in Chicago, where international commerce with Mexico is big business. Chicagos 26th Street, in the Little Village neighborhood, is the second highest-grossing commercial district in the city, after Michigan Avenues Magnificent Mile. Vendors on 26th Street do some $900 million in sales each year, according to Crains Chicago Business.

The food here is really authentic. Theres a great use of natural flavors, and everything seems really fresh, said Mark Kirk, a longtime Anna resident, while waiting for a carnitas burrito outside Bartolos shop.

But Maria has happily adapted some dishes to the palate of her local clientele.

One of her most requested menu items is the Nacho Salad, invented by a Cobden neighbor. Its a bed of nacho chips, lettuce, tomato, and onion covered with shredded chicken and nacho cheese.

A hybrid meal for a multicultural community, in which nearly 70 percent of voters supported Donald Trump for president. Bartolo says she wouldnt rather live anywhere else.

Sometimes people show up with their Trump hats and T-shirts, she said, laughing and shrugging her shoulders. Doesnt matter who you are, come on over and eat.
Regional Medical Center trustees voted Tuesday to end the hospitals management contract with QHR with little explanation of why the change was made.

RMC Chairman Melvin Seabrooks said he wanted to speak to the boards attorney before commenting on the reasons for the vote.

"At a later date I can address those questions," Seabrooks said. "The purpose of the meeting tonight is that we had to take action."

QHR has been managing the hospital for 23 years. On Tuesday, the board voted 8-6, with one abstention, to issue a 90-day termination notice of the hospital's management contract effective Dec. 31.

Some trustees questioned whether the vote even complied with the hospital's bylaws, which give the hospital's medical staff an opportunity to meet with the board before such a vote.

The vote means the hospital will be under QHR management for 90 days, or until March 31, at which time the hospital's management contract with QHR will end.

During the next 90 days, the hospital will negotiate the details of a new advisory contract with QHR.

Under such a contract, QHR would serve in an advisory and consultative role. Trustees would be able to hire a new CEO outside of QHR.

It is unclear what the change means for longtime RMC Chief Executive Officer Tom Dandridge, who is an employee of QHR. The 67-year old Dandridge has served as the hospital's CEO since 1993. He is only the hospital's second CEO in the past 50 years.

Under the existing contract, the hospital cannot employ the CEO that is placed in the hospital by QHR at the end of the contract.

RMC attorney Bob Horger says QHR has an option to waive that portion of the contract, giving the board the option of rehiring Dandridge. Should QHR not waive the stipulation, Dandridge's tenure with the hospital will be over at the end of the contract.

Following the meeting, Horger said QHR has not made a decision on whether it will waive the contract, leaving Dandridge's status after 90 days uncertain.

Neither Dandridge nor a QHR spokesperson could be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

A reason for the board's decision to send QHR a termination notice was once again not provided or discussed in open session.

Two weeks ago, trustees voted to enter into an advisory arrangement for the remaining two years of RMCs contract with Tennessee-based QHR.

If the trustees failed to send a termination notice to QHR before year's end, the management contract would have automatically renewed for another two years.

Prior to the vote, trustee William Wilson questioned what the board's motion meant.

"It means in 90 days you have a transition period," Horger said. "If you don't agree to a new advisory contract and details of an advisory contract in 90 days, your relationship with Quorum (QHR) ends -- period. The next step is for us to give you an advisory contract to confirm the details of it."

RMC Medical Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Arden Weathers abstained from the vote, questioning if the motion will deny the medical staff a joint conference vote.

Seabrooks told Weathers there will be a meeting with the medical staff about the motion.

"The bylaws state we have a right to joint conference prior to taking the vote," Weathers said. "Is that being denied the medical staff?"

Horger said, "Legally, I think you can. It may not be consistent with bylaws, but legally I think you can do it."

"You think, Bob?" Wilson said. "But you don't know for sure."

Both trustees James Amaker and Dr. Oscar Butler Jr. also questioned the legality of the vote.

Butler requested that the record indicate the vote taken, was not in keeping with bylaws.

"Please let the minutes show that," he said.

Wilson also questioned if the board's decision will have an impact on the hospital's accreditation with the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

"I don't know the degree of impact that will have," Horger said. "They survey a number of issues and this would just be one of them."

Trustee Dr. M.S. Nassri said the board received inadequate legal advice a couple of weeks ago, making its decision Tuesday necessary.

"We have to do what we have to do, because if we don't do anything, the contact will continue against the wishes of the majority of the board," Nassri said.

Trustee Betty Henderson asked for a second opinion to ensure the board has properly carried forth its decision.

A second vote to seek a second legal opinion passed 8-7, with Seabrooks breaking the tie. Trustee Ronald Palmer abstained from the vote.

Wilson and trustee Milton Dufford questioned the purpose and cost of getting a second opinion.

"We are crying about a dive in revenues and now we are talking about spending more money," Wilson said. "I agree with what was said about the kind of advice we got from the attorney."

"But the vote has been taken. What is the point?" Wilson continued. "Whatever the attorney with the second option tells us, is that going to change what happened? If it does not, then we don't need to spend the money."

Horger said he informed trustees last week that he was unsure if QHR would accept the board's request for an advisory contract.

"There was no way to get specificity last week because no contract existed at that time," Horger said.

The hospital is owned by Orangeburg and Calhoun counties.

When told about the hospital boards decision Tuesday evening, Calhoun County Council Chairman David Summers said, I don't have much use for half that board they have over there.

"They should be hung out to dry," Summers said. "We have a wonderfully run hospital and they have done an excellent job. Tom Dandridge has done a great job out there."

"They are not businessmen," Summers continued, referring to some of the trustees. "Until Orangeburg County Council decides they will wake up and put business people on there instead of political hacks, we won't have a good hospital."

Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said, "You always feel like you put competent people on the board to make the best decision for the county and for the hospital.

"You have to rely on them to make those right decisions."

Wright said he trusts the trustees with the autonomy given to them to evaluate the changing health care climate and the needs of the hospital.

"If they evaluate all these situations they are dealing with and they feel like it is time for a change, then we feel like we have to accept that board and move on," Wright said. "We can all look at things from a different perspective."

The boards decision follows a turnaround in the hospitals finances.

Last year, the hospital received about $2 million more than it spent. The hospital system, including Edisto Regional Health Services, lost $3.5 million the year before.

As the new fiscal year begins, however, the hospital system has seen a total loss of about $1.3 million so far this year. Its primarily due to an unrealized loss in its investment portfolio of about $744,000.

This time last year, the hospital was showing a loss of $3.7 million.
As hard as the campaign might have been and the transition is proving to be, Donald Trumps challenges are really just beginning. Governing after a toxic election in which the results awarded him an ambiguous national mandate  his opponent, after all, got more votes  will require finesse, a clear-eyed view of his role in the world, and no small amount of luck.

There is no question that, come January, President Trump and the Republican majority in Congress will be in firm control of the government. They will be able to call the shots on policy, and cooperation between the president and Congress should be far more assured than it has been for the last six years.

He will soon find, even under these circumstances, that the commitments and promises made during the campaign are going to be very hard to carry out. The new presidents No. 1 priority almost certainly is going to be rebuilding U.S. economic power. A great many of the people who voted for him did so because they expect him to produce more good jobs, better incomes and better economic opportunity.

But he faces great difficulties on this front: gross inequalities of income and opportunity, persistent poverty, a decaying infrastructure, a challenging education system, a health care system that even after reform remains expensive and often ineffective, and rapid technological and global changes that make it harder for people without a college education to find work. To say nothing of a slow-moving Congress and an entrenched bureaucracy. Most Americans are not getting ahead and they know it. His supporters may grant him a grace period in which to fix all this, but economic dissatisfaction will persist.

Other domestic issues he addressed in the campaign will prove no easier to pursue. Trump campaigned on replacing Obamacare, a position that President-elect Trump began to moderate within days of winning the election. He has not set out a comprehensive alternative  simply keeping the popular parts and jettisoning the rest, which he suggested he might do, is not an acceptable or workable option.

Which leaves open the question of how to insure the 20 million people who gained coverage under Obamacare. Trump has suggested hed support health savings accounts and allow insurers to sell policies across state lines. He would also like to convert Medicaid from an entitlement program into a block grant. These proposals are certain to arouse fierce opposition.

He has made clear that he wants to enact large tax cuts, especially on businesses  while at the same time spending billions on infrastructure improvements. The path to tax cuts is clear: members of Congress like to vote for tax decreases. However, most evaluations of his policy proposals suggest that deficits will explode under his program. He has talked about offsetting some of that revenue by eliminating or limiting loopholes and tax deductions, but this has been standard rhetoric in Washington for years and never been carried out with any effectiveness. Well see how much stomach Congress and the country have for sending deficits spiraling upward.

Others of the president-elects programs  slashing regulations on financial institutions, on worker protections and on environmental impacts  would create major changes in American policy at home. These, too, will arouse much opposition.

While contemplating this, its also worth remembering the words of Harold Macmillan, who was once asked what he most feared as Britains prime minister. Events, dear boy, events, he replied. Surprises will come along that interrupt even the best-tended plans  and that can buttress or destroy a presidents standing in the blink of an eye. The Senate, in particular, is precariously balanced in his favor, and it wont take much for Democrats to brake or stymie his initiatives.

As a candidate, Trump effectively captured the discontent and anger of many Americans. With his proposals, he has upended the political order with a new brand of politics and policies. He is on a steep learning curve, having underestimated the difficulties and overestimated his capabilities to deal with them. We should all extend the president-elect the benefit of the doubt, be vigilant, and see how his presidency unfolds before becoming judgmental.

This editorial is written by Lee Hamilton, a senior adviser for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a distinguished scholar, IU School of Global and International Studies; and a professor of practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.
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By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

India, the sixth largest economy in the world, is eager to reduce import duties with Azerbaijan, as the current level of trade between the countries is far below the existing potential.

The issue was high on agenda during the meeting between the representatives of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and Indian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sanjay Rana.

GJEPC Chairman Praveenshankar Pandya asked the ambassador to put forward a suggestion on the reduction of import duty for the consideration of the Finance Ministry of Azerbaijan, mentioning that the level of trade between the countries is currently at a negligible level.

Besides, GJEPC representatives intend to invite Azerbaijani jewelers to participate in the Signature IIJS exhibition, which is deemed to be the countrys top-of-the-line jewellery show.

The exhibition is scheduled for February 2017.

The ambassador, in turn, offered to organize an export mission of Indian jewelers to Azerbaijan, and organize a jewellery exhibition in the country.

He mentioned that the best period for the exhibition would be either January-March or September-November.

The trade turnover between the countries stood at $451.13 million, with some $399 million accounting for export to India. India currently ranks the 11th in the list of main trade partners of Azerbaijan.
By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

Baku and Minsk have managed to bolster bilateral ties in 2016, strengthening cooperation in a number of important spheres.

Belarusian Ambassador to Baku Gennady Ahramovich said that the activation of bilateral relations between the two countries became the main outcome of the year.

Speaking at a press conference on December 28, the envoy said that the sides are currently working to ensure a long-term and sustainable character of the relations, adding that the countries intend to further strengthen cooperation in 2017.

Commenting on negative effects of the global crisis on trade relations , Ahramovich said that the volume of trade turnover decreased by almost 50 percent as compared to the figures of 2015 amounting to some $104 million in January-October 2016.

The envoy mentioned that the sides will spare no effort to increase the figure in 2017, adding that a significant increase - nearly threefold - has already been recorded in Azerbaijani exports.

The envoy stressed that the industrial cooperation accounts for some 20 percent of the trade turnover between the countries.

He went on saying that the two countries will work on the expansion of export volumes of vehicles and agricultural machinery, manufactured at the Ganja Automobile Plant, to third countries.

I want to emphasize the activity of Ganja Automobile Plant. The range of Belarusian vehicles assembled at the plant is steadily increasing. The plant has so far manufactured over 8,000 Belarus tractors and more than 3,000 MAZ freight vehicles, he said, mentioning that the plant also implements equipment supplies to third countries.

We have already organized the export of tractors to Georgia and are currently engaged in increasing the supplies to third countries. Besides, the work is underway on the launch of manufacture of units and assemblies for further transfer to Belarus. One of the other perspectives is manufacture of Belarusian busses in Ganja, he added.

In addition, Minsk Tractor Plant and Ganja Plant intend to bring the joint annual level of equipment assembly to the level of 2,000 units by 2020.

As for the cooperation in the agriculture sector, the ambassador said that the first store of Azerbaijani products will be opened in Belarus in 2017, noting that this was the key issue of talks held within a visit of Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev to Belarus.

The talks are underway on the creation of Azerbaijani trade houses in Belarus. Belarus may be interested in the supplies of tobacco, cotton, wine, cognac and other production, he said.

Ahramovich also added that some five stores with Belarusian goods already operate in Baku, while similar sale points are planned to be created in other cities.

More than 270 Belarusian and Azerbaijani companies, which deal hundreds of commodities, are involved in mutual trade. Around 45 Azerbaijani companies are dealers and distributors of the Belarusian enterprises in Azerbaijan.

Ahramovich also touched upon the issue of energy cooperation, saying that his country is interested in the processing of Azerbaijani oil at its refineries.

He mentioned that Azerbaijan earlier supplied some 85,000 tons of oil to Mozyr refinery, providing uninterrupted operation of the plant.

There are two refineries in Belarus (in Mozyr and Navapolatsk) that are able to produce oil products corresponding to Euro  5 and Euro  6 standards. Therefore, it is worthwhile to talk about cooperation. Both sides are interested in the processing of Azerbaijani oil in Belarusian refineries, as well as in further sale of production abroad. As for the forecasted volumes of oil supplies from Azerbaijan to Belarus in 2017, the envoy said that the volume will between determined by the relevant companies of the two countries.

In October, the first oil batch of Azerbaijani oil (84,700 tons) was shipped from the Supsa port to the Odessa port being further and loaded to rail tankers and delivered to Mozyr via Ukraine. The shipment was implemented by SOCAR Trading.
By Trend

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is expected to visit Azerbaijan in the first half of 2017, Kazakh ambassador to Azerbaijan Beibit Isabayev said at a press-conference in Baku Dec. 27.

President Nazarbayev planned to visit Azerbaijan on October 12 but he was forced to cancel the visit due to cold.

The ambassador added that the representatives of the Kazakh state agencies and departments will also visit Azerbaijan in 2017.

He recalled that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations in the future.

Isabayev said that all events planned to be held by the Kazakh embassy in Azerbaijan in 2016 were held.

In particular, the 550th anniversary of the Kazakh Khanate and the 25th anniversary of independence of Kazakhstan were celebrated. A photo exhibition of Kazakh photographers and an event dedicated to People's Artist of Kazakhstan Altynbek Korazbaev were held.

"2016 was eventful and productive," ??Isabayev said.

He recalled that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating in the field of culture.

The contacts between Al Farabi Kazakh National University and Baku State University were established. The Abay center is doing a great job for the development of cultural relations between the two countries.

Isabayev also stressed that for 25 years of independence Kazakhstan, as Azerbaijan, have become recognizable and respected members of the international community.

"We are pleased that Kazakhstans many initiatives are supported by other countries," he said.

The ambassador also added that Kazakhstan is pleased with fraternal Azerbaijans success, in particular, a number of sporting events successfully held in Azerbaijan.

He also stressed that Kazakhstan has always supported Azerbaijan in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
By Trend

From the beginning of 2017 the intensive negotiation on strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the EU will be launched, said Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in his interview with Azerbaijans state news agency AzerTAc.

Azerbaijan remains interested in the further development of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with the EU, he said. For that reason Azerbaijan submitted to the EU a draft Agreement on strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and European Union in the margins of Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, May 21-22, 2015.

Council of European Union has already given a mandate to the EU Commission to launch negotiations with the Republic of Azerbaijan on strategic partnership agreement.

We consider that this new document will provide a legal framework to raise the level of bilateral relations to the strategic partnership and ensure comprehensive development of cooperation with the EU, Mammadyarov said. Currently, the delegations for the negotiations are under the formation. From the beginning of 2017 the intensive negotiation will be launched.

Legal basis of the relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union constitutes the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed on April 22, 1996 and entered into force on July 1, 1999.

Within this agreement large-scale cooperation in the fields of political dialogue, human rights, trade, investment, economy, legislation, cultural and other spheres are envisaged. During the last 20 years since the signing of the agreement Azerbaijan has established close and fruitful cooperation with the EU in many areas of mutual interest.

Azerbaijan is a part of Eastern Partnership initiative of the EU since 2009, he said. Azerbaijan enjoys close economic and trade relations with the EU. Azerbaijan also remains a main trade partner of the EU in the South Caucasus region and the EU member states are major trade partners of us.

They are also among the major investors in Azerbaijan, he said. The strategic partnership ties were established between Azerbaijan and the nine EU member states.

There are ample prospects for the development of cooperation in energy security area as in all other fields between Azerbaijan and the EU, Mammadyarov said. On January 13, 2011, Joint Declaration on Southern Gas Corridor between Azerbaijan and the EU was signed as a result of implementation of Memorandum of Understanding.

Azerbaijan will be able to provide Europe with 10 billion cubic meters gas after 2018, 25-30 billion cubic meters gas per year from 2030 by starting this important project which will transport natural gas to European markets, he said. It means that Azerbaijan will contribute to the diversification of Europe's energy supply sources and energy security of Europe for the long term period.

In a newly adopted Global Strategy European Union has also identified that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, the inviolability of borders are key elements of the European security order, he said. These principles apply to all states, both within and beyond the EUs borders.
The Armenian armed units shattered ceasefire with Azerbaijan a total of 41 times throughout the day using 60-mm mortar launchers and large-caliber machine guns, Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry reported on December 28.

The ceasefire was violated in Ashagi Veyselli, Ashagi Seyidahmadli and Horadiz villages in Fuzuli district, Javahirli, Shuraabad and Merzili villages in Aghdam district, Kuropatkino village in Khojavand district, Goyarkh village in Tartar district, Mehdili village in Jabrayil district as well as nameless hills in Goranboy, Tartar, Fuzuli, Khojavand and Jabrayil districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in the Nagorno-Karabakh 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.

After that, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, as well as OSCE created the Minsk Group to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. However, the lands are still occupied by Armenian armed forces.
UAE-based telecom group du has teamed up with Dubai Taxi Corporation and Roads and Transport Authority, to provide country-wide wi-fi access and smart screens in 500 cars of the Dubai Airport Fleet.



Our pre-eminent cooperation with du to provide internet connectivity and smart screens across our Dubai Airport fleet truly embodies Smart Dubai strategy to bring innovation and smart living to Dubai, said Dr Yousef Mohammed Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation.



The importance of this agreement lies in the consolidation of our partnerships with various parties to improve the quality of services provided to the public  to reach the seven-star level Dubai is renowned for. Smart screens will allow the customers to view promotional advertisements, RTA services, and give visitors and tourist information about Dubais popular tourist destinations. Moreover, this service will offer customers transparency when it comes to the cost of the journey prior to departing.



Dr Al Ali stressed that the project is a part of the RTAs plans to provide innovative and distinguished services for its customers, while meeting the increasing needs of Dubai residents and visitors in time for Expo 2020.



Carlos Domingo, chief new business & innovation officer, du, said: As part of our efforts to adopt and deploy the latest services and smart technologies in line with the vision of the wise leadership of Dubai, to make the city the smartest in the world, du is excited to initiate this one-of-a-kind collaboration with Dubai Taxi Corporation. We see it as our responsibility to cooperate with the various entities in the public and private sectors to implement smart services and interconnected networked technologies throughout the city.



Wi-fi UAE is a country-wide initiative by du to enable wi-fi access to the public, in line with UAE Vision 2021. The smart screens will be provided through dus partnership with Malaysian ICT solutions developer, Gigalink Solutions for Dubai Airport Taxis.  TradeArabia News Service
Dell EMC announced that it has been recognized as one of the top places to work in Saudi Arabia by the Great Place to Work Institute, a global research and management consultancy.



With over 100 companies contending for this honour across the Kingdom, Dell EMC ranked highest in fostering a workplace culture that attracts the very best of the talent in the technology industry.



Dell EMC in Saudi Arabia was applauded for its remarkable integrated employee diversity practices and programs. Dell EMCs rise within the Saudi workplace rankings has been exceeding expectations for the past five years, a statement said.



Building on this momentum, Dell EMC earned the number one position as Great Place to Work in technology and the second position across all industries for making a concerted effort to inspire the kind of high performing work culture that attracts and sustains talent, delights customers and delivers results.



Great Place to Work analysts assess great workplaces based on two assessment tools: The Trust Index Employee Survey and the Culture Audit Management Questionnaire. Through these tools they concisely evaluate the perceptions of employees that accurately underpin their workplace culture.



While two-thirds of the participating companys score is based on the confidential feedback received from employees, the remainder of the score comprises of an audit of management and HR practices, under which Dell EMC topped the Great Place to Work 2016 list in Saudi Arabia.  TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain-based Batelco, a leading telecom group, has announced the appointment of Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa as chairman and board member of the company.



In a statement issued today (December 28), the company stated that the board has accepted the resignation of Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa as chairman with immediate effect. Shaikh Hamad was appointed as chairman back in 2006.



Shaikh Hamad played an integral part during his term in implementing the companys strategic plan further positioning Batelco as a major player within the ICT sector in Bahrain and across its subsidiaries.



The board lauded all the efforts exerted by Shaikh Hamad in enhancing the overall operational and investment aspects of the group. He also adopted an integral plan to develop and provide services aimed at enhancing customer experience across the group to strengthen the groups position as a leading ICT operator. In addition to a unified strategy to drive an ambitious expansion plan aimed at strengthening the groups operation across the globe.



Backed with an extensive background, Shaikh Mohammed served as president of Customs Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, Assistant Undersecretary for Financial, Administrative and Minors Estate Affairs at the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, as well as a previous Board Member of Batelco and Gulf Air. He received a medal from the late Amir of Bahrain, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.  TradeArabia News Service
The UAE-based Jannah Group has announced New Years special offers and exciting programmes in its hotels in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah.

At the Jannah Burj Al Sarab hotel, guests will enjoy a sumptuous display of French and Mediterranean culinary delights in The Dining Room restaurant.

Nehme Imad Darwiche, CEO of Jannah Group, said: The team is thrilled to welcome the guests during the New Year celebrations with an exciting ambience to begin the year in our hotel.

In addition, Jannah Place Abu Dhabi, Jannah Place Dubai Marina and Jannah Marina Bay Suites Dubai will also have exclusive offers, he said.  TradeArabia News Service


In the afterglow of the holiday season, following an increase in coal production at the end of the year, an industry knocked to its knees in 2016 is showing budding optimism.

The story of the year for coal was bankruptcy: falling in and climbing out.

Three of the nations largest coal producers were operating merrily in Wyomings Powder River Basin when coal took a turn for the worse, caught up in a street scrap where low prices, competition with cheap natural gas and tremendous debt each pummeled the industry.

Worries about an aging fleet of coal-fired power plants and impending federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions were buffeting the coal industry as well.

Alpha Natural Resources actually began 2016 in bankruptcy. It was the first company to file for Chapter 11 protection, in August of last year.

In early 2016, Arch Coal, which owns the Black Thunder mine near Wright, and Peabody Energy, an international coal giant that operates the North Antelope Rochelle mine south of Gillette, followed Alphas lead. The two companies laid off hundreds of coal miners from their ranks in the spring.

The heaviest blow came on the morning of March 31, when 235 miners for Peabody and 230 for Arch were let go, gutting the strength of coal communities like Gillette and Wright.

Two of the three companies have emerged from bankruptcy so far.

Alpha exited bankruptcy in July, split into two companies. Alpha retained much of the companys eastern mining operations, while a newly formed company, Contura Energy, acquired the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Campbell County.

As part of its restructuring plan, Alpha promised to replace its controversial self-bonds  money for cleanup backed up by a companys financial strength. The move, which came after significant federal pressure, appeased environmentalists in Wyoming. They hoped Alphas plan would set a precedent for other bankrupt coal producers.

Arch came next, emerging in October. The company also promised to replace its self-bonds. Peabody is set to submit its bankruptcy exit strategy to the courts by January, but has yet to announce how its bonding obligations in Wyoming may change.

But despite companies getting back on their feet, much of 2016 saw money pouring out of the companies pockets.

The turnaround for coal was its third-quarter production numbers. From summer to fall, coal production in the entire Powder River Basin suddenly almost doubled.

The numbers still fell short of 2015, when coal producers dug almost 100 million tons of coal from state soil.

Many doubt that coal will rise to its former heights. Though the debt accrued by companies like Alpha and Peabody is greatly reduced, the competition of natural gas, the decline in coal-fired power plants and the stigma of greenhouse gas emissions still threaten the coal industry.

Those threats led many in Wyoming coal country to pledge their votes to Donald Trump in November. Trump had promised to unleash the nations energy and championed clean coal at his rallies before the election.

Some companies fared better than the big three.

Gillette-based coal producer Cloud Peak Energy started the year free of the burdensome debts of its competitors.

The company announced late in the year that it would return to exporting coal to Asian markets.

The trend of increased coal shipments industrywide is expected to continue as the nation sinks into a cold winter. Natural gas prices, coals menace, have already begun to rise.

Though the future of regulations, politics and production are uncertain, the end of 2016 has been far better than the beginning for coal.
A program that invites students to anonymously report threats or safety concerns has received more than 100 tips in the past two months, exceeding officials expectations.

Launched in late October, Safe2Tell Wyoming funnels tips sent through its mobile app, its website and its phone line to law enforcement and school officials. In November, the program received 81 reports, 13 of which were to report suicide threats.

So far, of the 113 tips received, 76 have come from the Natrona County School District, where the program was initially launched, said spokeswoman Tanya Southerland.

The reports are routed to the Wyoming State Highway Patrol communications center in Cheyenne. Operators then forward tips to the appropriate school or school district, and local law enforcement is also often informed, program manager Bill Morse said.

In Natrona County, Southerland is one of three officials who receive the tips, 24 hours a day. She said the programs rollout has been better than expected and credited the districts principals with emphasizing the program to students. She also said the program, specifically the app component, is easy to use. In November, more than 60 percent of tips were submitted using the app.

When a tip comes in, school resource officers work and consult with principals and school officials to work on next steps and early intervention, Southerland said.

Colorado also has the program. Morse said that a student in Colorado submitted a tip out of concern for a student in Wyoming, and the school was able to address the situation. Citing confidentiality, Morse said he could not provide more details.

Suicide threats were the most common report last month. Drugs and bullying rounded out the top three, with 12 and 10 reports, respectively.

The program officially started in Natrona County on Oct. 26 and will be rolled out to the rest of the state by the end of the school year. Morse said previously that Safe2Tell will respond to any report it receives, even if the tip originated in a district that hasnt officially introduced the program.

So far, the program is in eight districts, Morse said, and hes met with administrators in 63 schools statewide. Hes scheduled to meet with around a dozen more districts in January. Though he acknowledged that the programs use is scattered, he was confident that it would be statewide by the end of the school year.

Morse gave a presentation at Natrona County High School shortly after the program was launched, Southerland said. To educate students and promote the program, hes handed out lanyards and small drawstring bags with the Safe2Tell logo.

Its difficult to track what happens after a report is made because of privacy concerns for both the subject of the tip and the tipster, Morse said. He did not have any access to arrest reports, for instance.

Morse said everything has worked largely as expected so far. Reports in December have dropped to around 30 as of Tuesday morning, he said, which is about what he expects for a monthly total.

The fourth most common reason for reports in November was misapplication of system, meaning students misused the program, Morse said. Eight such reports were placed in November.

Southerland said she wouldnt classify those as pranks or intentional misuse. They are examples of students not fully understanding the purpose of the program, she said, and the district is working with principals and guidance counselors to make sure students are educated fully about the program.

Cyber bullying, sexual assault, depression, self-harm and assault were also reported at least once during November, according to a program report. Both Southerland and Morse said they could not talk about specific reports for confidentiality reasons.
CHEYENNE  The Wyoming Supreme Court has sided with the city of Cheyenne, agreeing it is not required to allow public access to a city-formed team tasked with discussing employee pay.

The courts unanimous opinion, issued Dec. 23 and authored by Justice Kate Fox, concludes a three-year legal battle between the city and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The original lawsuit was filed in November 2013 in an attempt to force public access to meetings of the Employee Investment Study Implementation Team.

The EIS team had been formed earlier in 2013 and was composed of Mayor Rick Kaysen, two City Council members and seven city employees. Its goal was to consider the recommendations of an earlier report about staffing levels and employee pay published by the Mercer Group consulting firm.

But it was decided that the implementation team would meet behind closed doors, spurring this newspapers lawsuit. City officials defended the decision, saying the team was charged only with making recommendations to the City Council, not any sort of formal policy decision, which would have to be made by the full council.

Laramie County District Court Judge Thomas Campbell in March issued an opinion siding with the city, after which the Tribune Eagle filed an appeal. The Supreme Courts new ruling puts an end to that appeals process.

At issue in the case was whether the EIS team comprised an authority, bureau, board, commission, committee or sub agency of the city and, if so, whether such an agency was created pursuant to the Wyoming Constitution, statute or ordinance.

The Wyoming Supreme Court found that the EIS team met the qualifications for a committee. But as to the second part of the question, justices found the team was not created pursuant to any ordinance, and was thus not subject to the Wyoming Public Meetings Act.

Instead, the EIS team was created by a City Council resolution, which differs from an ordinance in that a resolution typically deals with matters of a temporary or special nature. The court further noted that the Wyoming Legislature specifically left the term resolution out of the Public Meetings Act when defining which kinds of bodies were subject to it.

Bruce Moats, the Cheyenne attorney arguing the case for the WTE, said he was unhappy with the outcome of the case, but his spirits were buoyed somewhat in that justices affirmed that cities could not use resolutions as a loophole to deliberately skirt the Public Meetings Act.

It was heartening to have the court say that actions taken with the intent to evade public scrutiny violate the law, Moats said. The problem is proving such a motive can be difficult and, regardless of the intent, the effect is that governments can act in secret if they form committees to conduct part or all of the decision-making process.

The decision also did not sit well with Jim Angell, executive director of the Wyoming Press Association. Angell said he couldnt see how a team of public employees making recommendations on how to spend public funds to pay those same public employees could rightfully be kept from the public.

Im disappointed that a court so known for protecting government transparency  that once said that government must operate in a fishbowl  that the same court again rules against government transparency, Angell said Tuesday. With this ruling, theyre saying if you want to set up a temporary committee to decide how to spend millions of dollars in taxpayer money, you can just do it by resolution.

Wyoming Tribune Eagle managing editor Brian Martin also weighed in on the courts ruling, referencing its previous Nov. 30 split decision that found government agencies may charge the public to view electronic public records.

For the second time in less than a month, the Wyoming Supreme Court has sided with government secrecy, rather than openness, Martin said. I understand Justice Foxs arguments in this decision that the citys committee was formed to make recommendations and had no authority to take final action on city salaries. But we still believe this kind of group should meet in the open, not behind closed doors.

Obviously we hoped the courts would rule this must be done, Martin continued. Instead, the states highest court has ruled that it is up to each government entity to decide whether to be open in its deliberations. That apparently means the public just has to trust its elected and non-elected officials to act in their best interest. We certainly hope they do so, but the more they decide to close the doors, the less confidence the public should have.
On Nov. 8, Wyomingites went to the polls, and two out of three of them voted for Republican Donald Trump for president.

In fact, the share of Wyomingites who voted for Trump  just over 70 percent  was the highest in the country.

Trump won largely because workers in coal, oil and natural gas  the bread and butter of the states economy  were convinced that President Obamas environmental regulations were hurting the extractive industry. While most of America has prospered under Obama, Wyoming felt forgotten.

Wyoming is rural America, said Republican strategist Kristin Walker. And I think that that affected us at the national, the state and the local level, the feeling of being left behind. It shows in our energy industry, where we feel like our coal, oil and gas industries are getting left behind. I think this left-behind applies to our lifestyle, our values.

But Wyomingites didnt just elect a conservative president. They chose Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, for the open U.S. House seat. Cheney broke fundraising records and won a competitive GOP primary in August before defeating Democrat Ryan Greene in November.

Wyoming voters also chose a legislature with more men and Republicans than the previous one.

Perceptions about Democrats in Washington hurt Wyoming Democrats, said Sen. Chris Rothfuss, the Democratic leader in the Wyoming Senate.

A minority voice is essential to the democratic process, he said. And its unfortunate that national-level politics once again leads to these state and local results and a skewing of the caucus and representation, which is vastly disproportionate to state demographics.

Legislature

The Democrats lost one seat in the 90-member Wyoming Legislature, bringing them down to 12.

There will also be two fewer women than the current 12.

While the Democratic Party found 61 people to run for House and Senate seats, an increase over the last two election cycles, the GOP was able to raise more money and spent $150,000 on 17 targeted races.

Some prominent lawmakers were defeated.

Rep. Rosie Berger of Sheridan, the second-ranking Republican in the Wyoming House, was defeated in an aggressive primary in August by political newcomer Bo Biteman. Berger was going to run for the speaker position, and if successful, she would have been the first female speaker of the House in decades.

Rep. Mary Throne, the leader of the Democrats in the House, was also defeated in the general election by Jared Olsen.

Both women were accused of being too liberal.

One exception

Teton County was a notable exception to Wyomings political veer further to the right. The western Wyoming county was the only place where Clinton won the presidential election. The county picked Obama in the last two elections.

Support of Clinton helped other Democrats: An outgoing Republican legislator was replaced by a Democrat. Two new Democrats were elected to the Teton County Commission, resulting in the commission having four Democrats and one Republican. The town of Jackson selected a more left-leaning mayor. Mayoral races are nonpartisan.

Its the first time in years that local and state government in the county heavily weighted to Democrats, said Walker, the GOP strategist, who lives in Jackson.

I think we have more moderate, even liberal Republicans in this part of the state than in anyplace else, she said. In Teton County, we tend to think were more isolated from the energy economy than the rest of the state, even though thats not the case.
Thomas Sowell has just published a revised and enlarged edition of his classic Wealth, Poverty and Politics. At the very beginning, he quotes Alexander Hamilton, who said, The wealth of nations depends upon an infinite variety of causes.

The books 16 chapters apply Hamiltons notion to domestic, as well as international, differences in wealth. In both academic and popular literature, it is implicitly assumed that economic equality is natural, automatic and common. Thus, people see wealth inequality as a mystery that must be explained. The fact of the matter is precisely the opposite.

The ancient Greeks had geometry, philosophy, architecture and literature at a time when Britain was a land of illiterate tribal people living at a primitive level. Of course, by the end of the 19th century, Britain was far ahead of the Greeks and ultimately controlled one-quarter of the planets land. Such historic reversals have occurred elsewhere. The ancient Chinese were far ahead of Europeans, but by the 19th century, the relative positions of the Chinese and Europeans were reversed. Just these two examples prove that the same people are not always on top.

Sowell argues there are many factors that explain wealth differences among nations, as well as people within those nations. One of the more obvious explanations is that some people have greater productive capacity than others. Or they seized more of what others produced or had what they produced taken from them. For example, Spain conquered indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere. Spaniards looted 200 tons of gold and 18,000 tons of silver. But despite that wealth transfer, Spain is one of the poorer countries in western Europe today, surpassed economically by countries  such as Switzerland and Norway  that never had an empire, so there obviously are many factors at play when it comes to wealth differences.

Sowell discusses the impact of a number of these factors. One is geography. Hardly anyone considers its impact on achievement and wealth. For example, because of soil differences, crop yields per acre in Africa are a tiny fraction of what they are in China and the U.S. The absence of navigable waterways and mountain ranges has isolated people and created differences in their skill sets.

Cultural factors, such as education, have an important impact on wealth, too. Natural resources are of little consequence in explaining wealth differences. Even physical capital is of little or no use without the cultural prerequisites to maintain it, repair it and replace it. Evidence for this lies in the fact that the physical wealth of Germany was destroyed in World War II but in just a few years it was again a wealthy nation. Some people attribute Germanys resurgence to the Marshall Plan. But thats not right, because massive foreign aid has been provided to Third World countries and has yet to produce the economic results Germany has had. The human capital in Germany, developed over centuries, has not existed on the same scale in Third World countries.

In later chapters, Sowell discusses the impact of political institutions and the welfare state on inequality. One of the more important contributions of Wealth, Poverty and Politics is Sowells discussion of earnings differences. Weve all heard statements such as the income gap between the richest and the poorest members of our society has been growing rapidly. Studies of actual people over time suggest just the opposite. A University of Michigan study traced people over a 15-year period and found that 95 percent of those in the lowest quintile at the beginning of the study were in a higher quintile by the end. Remarkably, 29 percent had moved to the top quintile. An IRS study of tax filers between 1996 and 2005 found similar results. Sowell says that over time, there are different people in different income categories.

These few snippets here in no way do full justice to Sowells work. To get all the nuts and bolts, youll just have to read it.
PHOENIX  Business interests are making a last-ditch effort to keep hundreds of thousands of Arizonans from getting a big wage hike Sunday.

Attorney Brett Johnson, representing the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other business groups, is telling the state Supreme Court that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Daniel Kiley was legally wrong last week in refusing to block Proposition 206 from taking effect. He hopes to get the justices to eventually overturn that ruling.

But his more immediate aim is to keep the minimum wage from going up to $10 an hour Sunday as voters mandated. So Johnson is asking the justices for what amounts to an emergency order blocking what voters approved until they hear the full arguments.

With just days until the measure takes effect, the justices will need to rule on that by Friday, the last business day of the year.

Foes have an uphill fight. To get an injunction they need to show not only hardship but also both a likelihood of success after a full-blown trial as well as how halting the law would be in the public interest.

Kiley found against the business interests on all counts. But Johnson told Capitol Media Services on Wednesday this is precisely the kind of case where an injunction is appropriate.

While the Supreme Court is dealing with this issue, theres going to be significant ramifications for employees, for employers, he said.

Those all need to be taken into context, Johnson said, because if the justices ultimately conclude the measure is unconstitutional those hardships cant be undone. Anyway, he said, no one is harmed if the law is put on hold until a trial occurs.

A guy whos making minimum wage on Dec. 31 will still make minimum wage on Jan. 1, he said. Thats maintaining the status quo  and the whole reason why you get a preliminary injunction.

But Kiley, in his ruling, saw the issue differently.

In the courts view, delaying the promised pay raise would impose a significant hardship on low-wage workers, he wrote. And he said its irrelevant that they might be able to get a check for the difference months  or years  later if the courts eventually uphold the legality of the pay hike.

The heart of the battle is a state constitutional provision that says any voter-approved measure that mandates the spending of state funds must also have a separate dedicated revenue source to pay for it.

Johnson cited pleadings submitted by two state agencies that claim that boosting the minimum wage will force them to spend more.

In the case of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the states Medicaid program, the issue is the contracts it has with private firms to provide things like nursing home and in-home care, contracts built on the current minimum wage of $8.05 an hour. AHCCCS officials said they are planning to increase payments by close to $50 million to help contractors who say they may go out of business if they have to pay their workers more but the state reimbursement rate remains the same.

The Industrial Commission of Arizona, which polices the states labor laws, contends the change in the wage and the new mandate for paid time off will require, at the very least, new signs. It also claims it will have to hire more workers to enforce the personal leave policy.

But Kiley said nothing in Proposition 206 actually forces either agency to increase its budget. Thats backed up by AHCCCSs own legal filings which conceded that an increase in payments to providers is not automatic but is based on several factors, only one of which is what contractors pay their workers.

But Johnson said its irrelevant that Proposition 206 itself does not tell state agencies to increase funding.

What theyre saying is, We may not have to because of these different workarounds, Johnson said. The reality is that they have no choice, he said, including to comply with federal Medicaid law that requires the state to have an adequate network of outside providers.

Both state agencies being used by Johnson to make his case are run by directors appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey who opposed Proposition 206. But press aide Daniel Scarpinato said the filings are not part of any effort by his boss to undermine the initiative but are merely providing all the information the court asked for in a factual manner.

Hanging in the balance is the take-home pay of about 770,000 Arizonans, the number that Proposition 206 organizer Tomas Robles said are currently making less than $10 an hour under the states current $8.05 minimum. Even more will be affected by 2020 when the initiative mandates a $12 minimum.

But Proposition 206 has something that was not in the original measure.

Beginning July 1, it requires companies with fewer than 15 employees to provide 24 hours of paid sick time per year to each worker. Larger firms have to give workers 40 hours of leave.

Foes of the initiative are not relying solely on that question of whether Proposition 206 actually will result in increased state spending. Attorney Tim LaSota is advancing a separate argument that the pay hike and the sick time are two distinct issues that should have been presented in separate ballot measures to voters.

But Kiley said there are flaws to that argument.

He said any such challenge should have been made before the issue got on the ballot and was approved.

Anyway, the judge said, requirements for separate amendments apply only to constitutional provisions. Proposition 206 only deals with state laws.

And even if none of that were true, Kiley said the two provisions are sufficiently interrelated to be two parts of a single plan.

An increase in the minimum wage and the establishment of mandatory sick leave are topically related to the subject of minimum conditions of employment, he wrote.

Foes of Proposition 206 face more than just initiative supporters.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich interceded with the express goal of defending not only what was approved at the ballot with 58 percent of the vote but also the constitutional provisions that allow voters to make their own laws.
Imagine changing adult diapers in your work, day after day, week after week.

It would be pretty repulsive after the first one and might make you wonder why youre doing this $8.50-an-hour job in the first place.

Now imagine that changing adults dirty diapers is only one of dozens of duties in your just-above-minimum-wage job. You help with feeding, maybe, or stay overnight to take care of any needs your disabled client may have while sleeping, or help your clients family members with the difficulties of managing a disabled loved ones day-to-day life. Its a job that requires you care.

For $8.50? Most people who take the job, leave it.

Thats why the minimum wage increase we Arizona voters passed this year represented both a curse and a blessing to the agencies tasked with helping developmentally disabled and disabled elderly people who need in-home care.

Soon after voters passed the law, the 600-plus agencies in Arizona that provide these services started sounding an alarm. They could not survive over the long term, the agencies said, if they have to pay these increased wages.

The reason: The state was already reimbursing them too little money for the care they provide, since cuts that began in 2009. If they also have to pay more for labor  $10 an hour starting Jan. 1  that would make their organizations financially untenable. The increased costs would sink them.

The agencies were quick to point out that they werent necessarily opposed to paying their employees more, but that their funding comes in the form of reimbursements for services provided from the state and federal government, which were already paying them too little. Thats what forced them to pay their employees so little.

Were certainly supportive of the minimum wage increase, said Robert Bennetti, executive director of the Tucson Residence Foundation. Its just that we have no way to offset the additional labor expense.

A McDonalds can use kiosks and robots instead of people, he pointed out, but agencies providing services for adults with developmental disabilities cannot. People still need to go to the clients homes and serve their needs.

The big-business opponents of the minimum-wage increase saw in this adult-care crisis a legal argument for striking down the minimum-wage initiative. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce didnt bother to put up much of a fight during the campaign, preserving instead its options for fighting in court after the election, which is of course a sorry way to fight. Its first argument in current filings before the Arizona Supreme Court is that this initiative violates the states Revenue Source Rule.

That rule says that initiatives requiring an expenditure by the state must include a source of revenue for that expenditure. If the source of revenue identified in the initiative doesnt pay for the full costs of the initiative, then the Legislature need not pay more than what that revenue source provides. Its a good rule, which keeps us from passing pie-in-the-sky initiatives and forcing the Legislature to deal with the costs.

Since the providers of these services must pay the minimum wage, and since their costs are covered in part by the state, that means the state is being forced to cover a new expenditure without a revenue source, the chamber argues.

A lower court already found, though, that isnt the case. And its an unlikely argument to prevail at the Supreme Court, in my view, because the state actually does not have to increase its spending. It could simply cut services. But of course, no one wants fewer services for adults with developmental disabilities.

I talked Tuesday with Tucsonan Lois Bowen, who cares for her 37-year-old son, Rusty. He has had cerebral palsy from his premature birth and is quadriplegic. You can imagine that caring for him is a full-time job, though it is one Bowen and her husband, now deceased, have done willingly.

Problems arose in October when Bowen fell and broke her hip. Suddenly, she couldnt care for Rusty, and the hospital would not release her until she had someone to care for him.

We had to get the agencies to provide almost around-the-clock coverage for Rusty, so I could recuperate from my broken hip, she said.

Thats what happened. An agency worker stayed overnight, another helped during the day, and eventually Bowen got better. Now she is able to take care of her son again, but she fears what will happen to her or others in crisis if agencies cant afford to stay in business.

The agencies themselves lobbied the Arizona Department of Economic Security for help during the last month. Lo and behold, DES came up with the money to cover these services being paid at a higher rate until the fiscal year ends June 30.

The agency found $25.1 million to pay for services at the higher minimum wage for developmentally disabled clients. Another $20.3 million is going into the care of the elderly and disabled. This legislative session, the trick will be to convince state legislators to increase the reimbursement rates for the social service agencies so that they can continue to provide the same level of service and pay at least $10 per hour.

Those rates were cut in 2009 and again in 2012 and have only been partially restored. The new minimum-wage initiative is proving so far to be the lever needed to increase reimbursements.

Thats a good thing. We should want people doing these demanding jobs to be paid better and to stick around for a while despite the difficulties. Instead of causing a crisis in the social-service agencies, the higher minimum wage could end up being a solution to the problems of low pay, turnover and low reimbursements.
Editor's Note: Information about a previous DUI was incorrect and has been removed.

The woman accused of kicking a sheriffs sergeant in the eye, forcing doctors to remove it, will have her bond lowered from $300,000 to $25,000.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Michael Butler called the initial $300,000 bond for Yesennia Gonzalez, 28, excessive and lowered it at a hearing Tuesday.

Gonzalez was arrested Dec. 10 around midnight on suspicion of DUI in the area of East Drexel Road and South Alvernon Way. When deputies put her in handcuffs and tried to place her in a patrol car, she began kicking at them, according to a department news release.

During the struggle, Gonzalez kicked Sgt. Mark Bustamante in the left eye with the heel of her boot, officials said. Bustamante was taken to a hospital and doctors operated on his eye, but could not save it.

Gonzalez was charged with one count each of aggravated assault that caused serious physical injury, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/dangerous instrument, aggravated assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest, all of which are felonies, according to a Dec. 19 indictment.

She also faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of liquor, drugs, or vapors; DUI of 0.08 blood-alcohol content or more; and driving under the extreme influence of liquor, with a blood-alcohol content between 0.15 and 0.20.

Gonzalez pleaded not guilty to the charges. She appeared in court via a television screen, where she could be seen wearing a jail jumpsuit and handcuffs. Her image was displayed in front of more than two-dozen uniformed sheriffs deputies and a similar number of Gonzalezs family and friends. Only the judge and lawyers spoke at the hearing.

If Gonzalez posts the $25,000 bond, she would be released to the supervision of Pretrial Services, which would prohibit her from drinking alcohol or driving without a license. Butler also forbade Gonzalez from contacting Bustamante or his family.

If convicted, she faces a minimum of 10 years in prison.

Deputy County Attorney Ryan Schmidt said although Gonzalez does not have a criminal history or a record of failing to appear in court, the bond should remain at $300,000.

Schmidt said the potential of spending a decade in prison was an incentive for Gonzalez to flee if she were able to post bond.

Defense lawyer Suzanne Crawford said her client should be released, as Pretrial Services recommended.

She needs to be out there supporting her children, Crawford said.

Butler said he could understand how it would seem unjust for Gonzalez to be released, but he pointed to the conclusion made by Pretrial Services that she was low-risk.
Seven of eight senior executives at the University of Arizona are taking home more money this school year, as is most of the UA workforce, public records show.

President Ann Weaver Hart approved pay raises of 4 to 5 percent for every member of her senior leadership team except for the top earner, the records show.

The highest paid, Joe G.N. Skip Garcia, who recently announced hes about to step down as senior vice president for health sciences, is drawing the same $870,000 salary this school year as last.

University spokesman Chris Sigurdson couldnt immediately say why Garcia didnt get a raise.

This school year marks the first time since 2013 and the second time since 2007 that the UAs overall workforce  Southern Arizonas largest  saw pay raises.

The percentage increases varied and were based on individual merit and market demand, said Sigurdson, who received a 5 percent raise and now earns more than $194,000 a year.

In most cases, faculty members saw raises of 3 to 6 percent while staff members saw increases of 1 to 5 percent, he said.

Allison Vaillancourt, the UAs head of human resources, said some employees  such as those deemed underpaid or in high-demand fields  received raises of more than 10 percent. Each of those cases were reviewed by the schools provost and finance chief, she said.

Kendal Washington White, the UAs dean of students, had one of the highest percentage increases at 20.3 percent, the records show. Her new salary is $180,500, up from $150,000.

The university is a people-intensive business, and we have to have regular salary increases to stay competitive or we lose brilliant people, said Vaillancourt, who received a 4.5 percent raise and now earns more than $258,000 annually.

We also need to recognize the great work by all our employees, which is why President Hart has made compensation increases part of the annual budgeting process for all units, she said.

Harts $665,500 pay package is set separately by her bosses at the Arizona Board of Regents.

Pay raises for the presidents inner circle are as follows:

Andrew Comrie, provost: 5 percent raise. New salary: $434,120.

Jon Dudas, secretary of the university: 5.1 percent raise. New salary: $368,000

Kimberly Espy, senior vice president for research: 4.8 percent raise. New salary: $393,000.

Joe G.N Skip Garcia, senior vice president for health sciences: 0 percent raise. Same salary: $870,000.

Gregg Goldman, senior vice president for business affairs: 4.9 percent raise. New salary: $425,000.

Laura Todd Johnson, general counsel: 5.6 percent raise. New salary: $299,250.

Amy Taczanowsky, director of the presidents office: 4.6 percent raise. New salary: $161, 697.

Melissa Vito, senior vice president for student affairs: raise 3.9 percent. New salary: $327,500.
Eva Mae Ross elementary school resume would be impressive for any kid.

The sixth-grader at the Academy of Math and Science-Prince does cross country and track and field, plays piano, volunteers at her church and has been a winner in the Tucson Festival of Books Young Authors competition.

Stories that Soar also picked up and performed one of her stories.

In third grade, she was Student of the Year. She recently stopped doing gymnastics.

About a month ago, mom Robin Ross Facebook feed inspired her to put together bags of essentials for the homeless people they encounter on street corners. They stuff the bags with socks, snacks, hygiene items and Band-Aids.

Just watching her say, Sir! Sir! Come over to my car. She is just really funny about it, Ross says. They are just so taken aback by her.

Eva Mae, 12, stays busy to stay positive.

The extracurricular activities help me physically and mentally and they kind of keep my mind off of the negative things that might be going on, she says.

And sometimes, theres a lot going on.

Robin Ross adopted Eva Mae from Vietnam at 2 years old. Her daughter had been left at the gates of an orphanage as a newborn, umbilical cord still attached, wrapped in a towel.

She was born with cleft lip/palate, and thats a shame on the family, Ross says, noting that because Eva Mae was born in a southern province near Cambodia, the likelihood of her being trafficked for sex as a young child was high.

We would walk around the streets of Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, and people would come up and say, Shes a lucky girl, and I would think, Im lucky, Ross says. I would see women beggars on the street with cleft/lip palate, so I know what they meant, but Im the one thats blessed in this.

Earlier this year, Ross spouse, LaConda Ross, also adopted Eva Mae.

Since coming to the U.S. with Ross, Eva Mae has had 16 or 17 surgeries and usually has about three medical appointments each month and remains in speech therapy. Eva Mae gets anxious as a result of the surgeries  its one reason she stay so busy, Ross says.

Ive been through a lot of things, so I try to be the best I can, and I try to find the positive in everything, Eva Mae says. I know that even though you might be going through a hard time, youll get through it.

She thinks she might want to become a doctor one day to help others  Im not the best with blood, so maybe a mental doctor, she clarifies. Already, her friends come to her for support, looking to her for some positivity and a good cheer-up. She likes to help others feel better.

Her first 2 years in an orphanage, in a crib on the floor, she never crawled, Ross says. She was malnourished. The fact that she is alive and able to function at all is a miracle to me, and the fact that she tries to overcome her anxiety by excelling in things and giving back is just amazing. Shes not very good at tooting her own horn because its her life. Its just what she does.
PHOENIX  Five child welfare workers fired in the wake of a scandal about uninvestigated abuse complaints will not be getting their jobs back.

In its ruling Tuesday, the state Court of Appeals did not address whether it was fair for the state to dismiss the workers who were linked to marking certain cases as NI, as in not investigated, despite laws requiring all such complaints to be researched.

Their attorney, Terry Woods, said they were scapegoats for decisions made by upper management.

Instead, appellate Judge Andrew Gould, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, said the five were all supervisors.

What that means, he said, is they were at-will employees who, under state law, could be fired for no reason at all.

The appellate judges also rebuffed Woods request they ignore that law and rule that, as a matter of public policy, it was wrong of the state to fire them simply to provide official political cover for the policy that resulted in bad publicity.

But they reserved for another day  and another case  whether the law declaring all employment relationships to be severable at will is unconstitutional.

Woods represents five upper-level managers who were let go: Deborah Harper, Tracey Everitt, Janet Sabol, Michelle Parker and Jana Leineweber. Woods said Tuesday he is weighing whether to seek Supreme Court review.

The case has its roots in the finding in late 2013 that almost one of every 12 child-abuse complaints reported to Child Protective Services that year was not investigated. Clarence Carter, whose agency at the time had purview over CPS, said his top investigator had found there had been an unofficial policy at the agency of marking certain complaints as not investigated even before any further inquiry was done.

Carter said the process started as a way to prioritize cases to deal with limited resources. But he said it had accelerated to a point where nearly half of those 6,000 cases designated NI since 2009 occurred in 2013 despite state law that there be at least some investigation of every complaint that meets certain criteria.

An inquiry by the Department of Public Safety concluded the five were part of a special team charged with handling the backlog of CPS complaints.

Charles Flanagan, head of the newly created Division of Child Safety and Family Services, said they were instrumental in crafting the policy that resulted in ignoring the laws on mandatory investigation.

Flanagan said, though, the DPS report showed no evidence of malicious intent.

It appears what they were trying to do is take some of the workload off the field, he said, with abuse and neglect complaints coming in faster than caseworkers could handle them. And Flanagan said all that was complicated by CPS budget cuts.

The five, who had been put on leave, were subsequently fired.

Woods, in filing suit in 2014, said the report that led to their termination was essentially a predetermined fix.

The conclusion was reached before the investigation was done, he said of the DPS inquiry.

He said once it became clear that many complaints had been marked as not investigated, a decision was made that someone had to be blamed.

I think theres a really good chance that a decision was made somewhere up the chain that some heads had to roll and that was the way this thing was going to end, Woods said.

But the appellate judges said the only thing that matters is what Arizona law says about the rights of workers.

Gould, just appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey to the Arizona Supreme Court, said employees are considered to be at will and can be fired at any time unless there is an actual contract to the contrary. Thats not at issue here.

There are exceptions, he said, like when a firing a state law or runs afoul of public policy as set forth in statute. And Gould said people who are fired for refusing to violate a state law also have legal remedies.

But the judge rejected the claim by the fired workers that it is contrary to public policy to fire them because they were competently performing their jobs. He said all were supervisors who were not covered by state personnel rules then in effect.

The workers separately said they were directed by supervisors to use the NI designation on files.

And they said if they had disobeyed that direction they would have been guilty of the crime of knowingly failing to perform a duty which is required by law.

Gould was unimpressed.

No law required CPS, plaintiffs or their supervisors to designated abuse and neglect reports as NI,  he wrote.

As a result, plaintiffs would not have violated (the law) by refusing to apply the NI designation, because the supervisors orders to use the NI designation did not have the force of law.

Woods did not dispute that conclusion. But he said the appellate judges should have determined that, as a matter of common law, it was wrong for the state to fire people who were basically doing what they were told to do.

He said much of the reason they were dismissed was because of the bad press over that NI designation.

It was nothing new, he said, and had been used off and on for a decade.

And Woods insisted the complaints were not just written off summarily but that they had been subject to a triage screening, with the supervisors deciding that further inquiry by caseworkers was not appropriate.

But what stuck in the public mind, he said, was marking cases as NI.

It read terrible in the newspaper, Woods said.

Also being fired in 2014 was Sharon Sergent, who was their supervisor and who in turn reported to Carter, director of the Department of Economic Security. She never sued.

Flanagan said there was no evidence that Carter knew of the unofficial policy.

Carter submitted his resignation to Gov. Doug Ducey shortly after he took office in January 2015.
Help India!

By Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net

Beed/Parbhani (Maharashtra): Members of the Students Islamic Organisation, the students wing of Jamat-e-Islami Hind submitted their memorandum to the District Collectors of Beed and Parbhani, demanding the inclusion of Urdu for the 2017 National eligibility cum entrance Test (NEET).

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The said exam has been made compulsory by the central government from last year for all aspiring Class XII students who wish to opt the medical field as a career.

As per the announcement, the official declaration by the central minister of Health and family welfare Anupriya Patel showed the induction of eight languages: English, Hindi,Marathi, Assamese, Bengali Gujrati, Tamil and Telugu, which students can choose as a language of answer.

Speaking with Twocircles.net, Mohammed Ali, south Maharashtra Secretary of SIO, said, It is unfortunate that Urdu has not been included in the above list. Just Maharashtra has nearly 168 Junior colleges of science where thousands of Urdu medium students are studying. It is our earnest request to fulfill our demand to Include to NEET-UG-2017 Exam.

The memorandum, addressing JP Shah, Union Health minister was handed over to the local authorities and copies of the same have been forwarded to president of Indian Medical Council, Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Union minister for Human Resources Development.

President of Beed SIO unit Mohammed Shoaib spoke with Twocircles.net and said that this was an extremely important issue for Urdu-medium students. It is the responsibility of the government to take care of the minority issues. There are about 11,000 students in Maharashtra alone who appeared for Higher secondary Exam through medium, and it will have a negative impact on them, he said.

SIO South Maharashtra has also petition on Change.org on the same issue, which can be signed here.
Help India!

By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net

The Samajwadi Party may be busy with its infighting, but it is clear that the BJP is doing all it can to stake a claim in UP. From females to farmers, intellectuals to DalitsBhartiya Janata Party has drawn a roadmap to cater to all segments in the upcoming assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh.

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BJP has planned its election campaign in an organised manner so that its aggressive campaigning reaches every section of the society.

The party has already purchased over 1,500 bikes for the activists and is organising Kamal Mela in each district.

All the programmes will commence after Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposed rally in Lucknow on January 2.

Udaan:

Focussing on females, the programme will be held on January 6. Anchored by

union minister Smriti Irani, the programme will see Irani interact with females through video conferencing. She will be at Subharti University, Meerut. BJPs Video van will be stationed in each assembly seat, with at least 500 females at each van. Then at least one womens college in every district will be tapped. BJP has plans to reach at least 6.50 crore females through the programme.

Maati Se Tilak:

The programme has been conceived for farmers. Farmers will bring soil from their field and apply tilak with it on others. First phase will begin from January 4 where BJP leaders will reach to villages in at least 343 assembly seats. They will propagate PM Narendra Modis farmer benefitting policies. Later in second phase there will Kisan Rallies in every Vidhan Sabha from 13 January where BJP leaders will take pledge for the welfare of farmers by applying tilak from the soil of farmers field.

Intellectual Meet:

In UPs 13 big cities including Varanasi,Allahabad, Sultanpur etc there will be Prabudh Varg sammelan between January 5-15. BJP plans to disseminate information about central governments policy for the welfare and progress of the country.

Scheduled Caste Sammelan:

These will be held between January 5-15 in every assembly segment where BJP leaders will extend their programmes exclusively for Dalit electorate.

Booth Sammelan:

In all the 403 assembly segment, booth-level sammelans will be held between January 10 and February 10.
Help India!

By Abheet Singh Sethi

A worsening of the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the signing of a $8.9-billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal for French Rafale fighter jets and new deals for artillery were among the top five determinants of Indias uncertain security situation in 2016. India made many high-profile defence purchases in 2016 and carried out much-publicised surgical strikes against Pakistan-based terrorists, but an IndiaSpend examination of defence data revealed gaping security holes.

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India became the worlds fourth-largest defence spender in 2016 with a military budget of $50.7 billion (Rs 3.4 lakh crore)  nine times the health budget for the same year  an increase of 8 per cent over 2015 ($46.6 billion or Rs 3.2 lakh crore), according to the 2016 Janes Defence Budgets Report, released by the UK-based research firm IHS Markit.

Indias 2016 military budget was around a quarter of Chinas $191 billion or Rs. 13 lakh crore.

Here are the five top reasons that made India feel more (and less) secure in 2016:

1. J&K security situation deteriorates after surgical strikes

The Indian Army conducted surgical strikes  as the government called them  against terrorists within Pakistan-administered Kashmir on September 30, 2016. Since then, at least 33 Indian security-personnel have been killed in J&K, according to data collated by IndiaSpend from various news sources.

As many as 71 Indian security forces personnel were killed this year by terrorists in J&K, as of November 27, 2016, up 82 per cent since 2015, when 39 soldiers were killed, according to data tabled by the Home Ministry in the Lok Sabha.

Injuries among security personnel doubled since last year to 208. Incidents of terrorist violence in J&K increased 47 per cent to 305 in 2016, from 208 in 2015.

The data indicates that terrorist activities increased over 2016 in J&K compared to 2015, IndiaSpend reported on November 25, 2016.

2. 36 new Rafale, 120 Tejas jets cleared; Indian Air Force currently short of 200 aircraft

India signed a $8.9 billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal with France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter planes, forming two squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF is down to 32 fighter squadrons, the lowest in a decade, NDTV reported on February 26, 2016. It should have 42 squadrons or around 670 to 750 aircraft.

The IAF also inducted two indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and hopes to add on six squadrons (120 aircraft) of the Tejas by 2022.

The government is reportedly looking to buy up to an additional 200 single-engined fighter aircraft (10 to 11 squadrons) of foreign origin to be produced in India.

3. India buys 250+ artillery guns, needs at least 3,000

The Defence Ministry approved the production of 114 Dhanush howitzers in June 2016, the first artillery system purchased by India since the Swedish Bofors gun in the mid-1980s, a deal that was embroiled in much controversey and lost then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi the1989 general elections. The Dhanush is based on the Bofors gun.

India also signed a deal to purchase 145 ultra-light M777 howitzers from the US for $737 million (Rs 5,000 crore). The M777 is, in fact the successor to the Bofors gun.

The Indian Army requires 3,000-3,200 howitzers of various calibres, as envisaged under a 17-year-old plan.

4. Missiles: A major hit and a major miss

India successfully tested the 5,000-km range Agni V (Fire) on December 26, 2016, bringing it one step closer towards being formally deployed by the Strategic Forces Command.

The nuclear-capable Agni V is an intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of reaching all parts of Pakistan and China, IndiaSpend reported in May, 2015.

However, on December 21, 2016, a test of the 1,000-km ranged subsonic nuclear-capable Nirbhay (fearless) land-attack cruise missile failed. Out of four Nirbhay tests, three failed.

Indias entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime  an international agreement which will allow New Delhi to trade in high technology  in June helped pave way for India and Russia to extend the range of the jointly developed supersonic BrahMos missile beyond 300 km.

5. Submarine modernisation inches forward, Indian Navy requires 20 more

The much delayed INS Kalvari, the first of the six French Scorpene-class submarines being manufactured in India, is undergoing sea trials and might be commissioned early in 2017. India now has 14 operational submarines, according to Indian Navy data, and requires 20 more, as IndiaSpend reported in July 20, 2015.

The Scorpene project suffered a setback after nearly 22,000 classified pages explaining the submarines combat and performance capabilities were leaked by an Australian newspaper in August. The Navy said the leak was not critical.

India reportedly attained a nuclear triad  the capability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air and sea  by quietly commissioning the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant in October.

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Chennai, the third and last of the Kolkata class destroyers. India also signed a deal with Russia to purchase four guided-missile stealth frigates.


Help India!

New Delhi : The National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Human Resource Development Ministry office here against the suspension of at least eight students by the JNU administration a day earlier.

The students wing of Congress party mounted the protest led by its President Amrita Dhawan, accusing the Centre of filling prominent academic posts with proxies, where RSS sympathisers are appointed to spread their propaganda.

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The constant attack on the student community by the government, directly and through their proxies shall not be tolerated. The NSUI will fight against the anti-student forces. The government is scared of the students because they are raising questions that the BJP is unable to answer, a statement quoted Dhawan as saying to media.

In JNU, they have deliberately suspended students belonging to deprived sections of the society in furtherance of their divide and rule agenda. We demand that the suspensions be revoked immediately, she added.

In the statement, Dhawan also alleged that the protesters were brutally beaten up by the police at the site of the agitation.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Tuesday suspended at least eight students for disrupting the 142nd Academic Council proceedings which was held on Monday.

The suspension has been contested by the faculty members present at the meeting then and the JNU Students Union, who said that the meeting was already over when the group of students came inside the hall and shouted slogans.

The students, as told to IANS by a former General Secretary of JNUSU, belonged to Birsa-Ambedkar-Phule Students Association (BAPSA), Democratic Students Union (DSU) and Students for Swaraj (SFS)  all student groups active in the campus.

The slogans were shouted against the decision taken during the Academic Councils session held on last Friday, which stipulated a weightier say for viva-voce for the admission of the students, instead of the written exam.

The council adopted the guideline which was laid down by the University Grant Commission (UGC) in May this year in spite of a strong opposition by the students.

The students fear that giving more weightage to interview will entail rigging of admissions, which may then be done on the basis of prejudices.
Chinese astronaut Chen Dong (R) answers questions during a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Dec 7, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Last month, two Chinese astronauts returned from a 30-day stay aboard the Tiangong II space laboratory. It was China's longest manned mission so far, and its success paves the way for the planned launch of a fully functioning, permanently crewed space station in six years.

The progress that has been made is remarkable, given that the country only conducted its first manned space mission in 2003. And the country is willing to shoulder more responsibilities in the use of space for the benefit of all humanity.

For example, as the International Space Station is scheduled to retire in 2024, China's planned space station will likely be the sole one in service by then, making it the only platform for scientists from different countries to conduct research in space. The country is an adamant supporter of international space cooperation, as shown by the 43 space deals it has signed with various countries and space agencies over the past five years.

The fundamental purposes of China's space program are to explore outer space and enhance understanding of the Earth and the cosmos. It contributes to the nation's economic, scientific and technological development, its national security and social progress; and further benefits mankind.

China aims to achieve major discoveries and breakthroughs in the frontier areas of space science. It plans to launch its first Mars probe and a lunar probe to the dark side of the moon by 2020. These are expected to unravel more mysteries surrounding the origin and evolution of the solar system.

It also plans to implement a series of new space science satellite programs in the next five years to further mankind's knowledge of the universe, including seeking evidence for the existence of dark matter. And it will make efforts to improve the space environment monitoring system and to build a disaster early warning and prediction platform.

And as a White Paper released by the government on Tuesday highlights, China's space program continues to become more transparent.

While the military utility of space has long been recognized, China is firmly opposed to its militarization and is leading an initiative to create an international treaty banning all weapons in space. But this has met resistance from the United States, which is unwilling to participate in any negotiations.

Given all this, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that those hyping a threat from China's space program are doing so with ill intentions and an ulterior motive.
Help India!

New Delhi : Prominent Muslim organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Wednesday termed the governments latest move to bring an ordinance to amend the 50-year-old Enemy Property Act as undemocratic and infringing the fundamental rights of citizens.

JIH General Secretary Muhammad Salim Engineer said: Legislation via ordinance should be adopted only under special circumstances and the governments anxiety to push for amendment to the enemy property law in such a hurried manner raises serious doubts over its real intentions. Moreover, the President of India has expressed his reservations over its repeated re-promulgation.

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The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, was referred to a Select Committee after encountering opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

The bill violates basic principles of natural justice, human rights and settled principles of law, and many MPs too have said as much. It adversely affects and results in punishing Indian citizens and will have no effect on any enemy nation, Salim said.

He said the ordinance is meant to harass minorities and should be condemned.

The law of succession and inheritance will also be impacted, and hence the fundamental rights of citizens will be infringed. It will also affect their personal laws, and is therefore unacceptable, he said.

Salim said the proposed law can be subverted in a subtle way to create enmity against the Muslim community by terming their legally inherited property as enemy property.

The government should pass such amendments in a democratic manner through Parliament and which do not cause any injustice to anyone, he demanded.
Help India!

By TCN News

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Verna (Goa): Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Ameer (National President) Maulana Sayed Jalaloddin Umri called upon the Muslim community to provide opportunities to the younger generation of the community to excel in education.

In a televised address at the inaugural function of Taare Zameen Par  Muslim Childrens Festival, Umri said that the Muslims of others states in the country should emulate the TZP event being organized in Goa and take initiatives to impart the Islamic knowledge with new orientations.

The biggest challenge before us is how we nurture our future generation so that they are successful in this life and the hereafter. It is the responsibility of the parents to provide the best upbringing of their children. While they have to provide them the best of contemporary education, they should also be provided with the best of Islamic knowledge, he stated.

Board of Islamic Education (BIE) in association with Hikmah Foundations House of Wisdom is organizing the first ever Muslim Childrens Festival titled Taare Zameen Par (TZP) from 26  30 December at Gulmohar Baug Complex at Verna.

Chief Guest of the function, Dr Taha Mateen who is the National Convenor of the Medical Service Society and Member of JIH Karnataka Advisory Council emphasized on the need to inculcate moral values in the younger generation. He said Victory doesnt come with guns and muscle power but it comes with faith and reliance on the power of the Almighty to provide you victory.

Stating that human being is in an illusion of self power, he said If not for the Almighty then the earth would shake and crack and we all would get submerged.

JIH Goa President Abdul Waheed Khan said that the Muslims in Goa need to overcome the inferiority complex and realize that the community children are equally competent in every field. We need to provide our children the right platforms to prove themselves and we will see that our children are amongst the best of talent in the society, he added.

TZP is being organized with the objectives include grooming and exposing Goan Muslim children towards Moral values and practices, creating awareness amongst Muslim parents of their responsibilities and creating awareness about Muslim culture and heritage in Goa.

The major attraction of TZP is the interactive models being designed, constructed and curated by the children to depict beliefs, culture and philosophy.

The five days event will also include competitions, academic and behavioral counseling, moral stories corner, grand food court, cultural stalls, tour de Muslim Heritage Goa, photo gallery, educative film screening, Hijamah (cupping), book exhibition, Islamic games amongst others.

Children can participate in the competitions in three age group categories of 5-7 years, 8-11 years and 12-14 years. Competitions include Islamic Quiz, Azaan, Qirat, Nasheed, Dua, Elocution, Mono Act, Drawing, Pick-and-Speak, Best Out of Waste, Fancy Dress and Spelling Bee.

The organizers have invited professionals from across the country to conduct counseling sessions for children as well as parents. Children will be able to get the IQs and EQs tested and get help in setting their academic and career goals. Parents on the other hand will also be able to gain benefits from the special sessions to be organized on parenting in the present scenario keeping an eye on the future world and the challenges anticipated.

TZP apart from all the fun filled activities is hosting a grand food court with traditional Muslim cuisines, Arabic foods, Hyderabadi cuisine, biryani, sweets and savouries. And cultural stalls of Islamic memorabilia and artifacts, hijab, abaya, scarves, mehendi, perfumes amongst others
Help India!

By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net

Even after its disastrous defeat in Bihar in 2015, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen is flexing muscle in Uttar Pradesh. In between Bihar 2015 and UP 2017, Assembly elections were held in Assam, West Bengal and Keralathree states with sizeable Muslim population. The percentage of Muslims in all these three states are much higher than Bihar (16.9%) and UP (19.3%). Yet, AIMIM did not contest.

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In Assam and Kerala, the presence of All India United Democratic Front and Indian Union Muslim League respectively may have prevented it from throwing its hat in the ring. But it remained a mystery as to why not the party contested in Bengal, where one-fourth of the voters are Muslims.

A close analysis of the AIMIMs strategy would reveal that it jumps into the fray in states where the Bharatiya Janata Party is a major player and where Muslims have a sizeable population. Both these conditions have to be met; else the Owaisi brothers do not contest.

For example, it fielded candidates in 25 seats in Maharashtra Assembly election of 2014, at a time when the BJP and Shiv Sena appeared strong and the Congress and NCP were fighting separately.

Though AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi strongly rubbished allegations that he was anyway instrumental in indirectly helping the BJP, many independent analysts do feel that in several constituencies, the presence of its candidates damaged the prospects of Congress and NCP.

A year later, the AIMIM contested in six seats in Bihar but was completely routed.

However, it came as a big surprise when the party decided not to contest Bengal election though it always claims that it espouses the cause of Muslims. If Muslims really need a party of their own communityas it is being argued by themBengal provided AIMIM the best opportunity as unlike UP, there is no such party in the state. By 2016 elections, the Welfare Party of India was virtually nowhere in the picture. Yet it did not exploit the situation.

The above examples of Maharashtra, Bihar and now UP compel one to draw the conclusion that the Owaisi brothers are more keen to expand the base of AIMIM in the states where the BJP is a strong contender.

The polarisation of votes help it consolidate AIMIMs position in these states. At the same time, it indirectly helps the saffron brigade.

Why cannot it be suspected that AIMIM skipped Bengal because it knew that the BJP would not be benefited in that state as it is too weak a party there?

In Maharashtra, the Owaisis might have a point as the track record of the Congress and NCPespecially so far Muslims are concernedwas not very good. But in Bihar, no one bought into their argument due to the presence secular alternatives like RJD and JD(U).

Similarly, there are SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Like in Bihar, here too the Congress is a minor player.

So, it is upto the Owaisi brothers to explain their position. Are they merely opposed to Congress or do they have an issue against all secular parties? If this is the case, then why not put up candidates against Trinamool Congress?

Most political observers feel that they would have contested in Bengal too, had the BJP been a player.

Owaisis need to clear this before UP election. If not AIMIM would again be branded by many in the community as the party clandestinely helping the BJP.
Kyiv's Court of Appeals has nixed the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) request on pretrial confinement for head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission Mykhailo Okhendovsky.

"The court has refused SAPO's request," the court's press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday, saying the earlier decision remains in force.

Kyiv's Solomiansky district court earlier ruled Okhendovsky should be released on his own recognizance until February 13, 2017: the CEC head can leave Ukraine only after receiving permission from prosecutors.

On December 13 Okhendovsky was served with an indictment at Kyiv's Boryspil airport involving the so-called "black ledger" of the Party of Regions. He is suspected of committing crimes defined in Parts 3 and of Article 36 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (receiving bribes in excessive amounts while occupying a high-ranking position).

The total value of the bribes Okhendovsky allegedly has taken mounts to around $161,700, or UAH 1.29 million.

SAPO had urged stricter pretrial confinement measures for Okhendovsky.
Politics is no longer an elitist activity. A large part of the whole political system comprises of the Youth who are nowadays more aware while some are disillusioned with the current state and are upbeat to make themselves heard.

Professor Daniel DeHanas, a lecturer at Kings College London on politics and religion in his new book London Youth, Religion, and Politics: Engagement and Activism from Brixton to Brick Lane, has delved deep into the issue of identity, religion, and politics in two particular communities- Muslim and Jamaican youths.

Religion influencing politics

Mr. DeHanas interviewed relevant people from both the communities as a part of gathering real time information on the subject. One of the biggest question which the book tries to answer is that how does religion influence political participation of the youth.

The book also dealt with the fact as to how both the above communities identify themselves and in turn how that affects their political participation. The conference was held at London Metropolitan University on the 13th of December with students and teachers attending the venue.

One of the pivotal aspects of the book deals with is the term Elastic Orthodoxy, which means the way a community uses their identity in flexible or in other words elastic ways to reach their goal.

In this case, the Bengali Muslim community who identified Muslim, their religion as their first identity rather than British. On the other hand, the Jamaican youths identity seemed to change with situations and more hybrid.

Fake news?

Another aspect which the book deals with is the fact as to how news and information affects the decision making of communities.

Both the Muslim and Jamaican communities have been analysed in terms of what brands they have boycotted and for what reason. Many have cited reasons without any rational reasoning behind the decision.

The role of identity in politics is a discourse which has been highly debated upon for a long time and this book tries to lend an interesting perspective into the notion.
Whether midurethral sling (MUS) procedures are as effective in obese women as they are in women of normal weight is still a matter of controversy. The objective of this study was to determine if body mass index (BMI) influences the outcome of MUS procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

We searched electronic databases including EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science and Ovid evidence-based medicine reviews to identify studies that explored the association between BMI and outcomes of MUS procedures. The studies were rated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale; the meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 software.

This review included 11 studies, 6 prospective cohort studies and 5 retrospective studies, with a total of 2,846 patients. The objective success rates of MUS in patients with BMI >25 kg/m(2) (overweight and obese) were lower than in patients with BMI 18.5 - <25 kg/m(2) (normal weight; RR = 0.93, 95 % CI 0.89 - 0.97; P = 0.002). The objective success rates were not significantly different between the overweight group (BMI 25 - <30 kg/m(2)) and the obese group (BMI 30 kg/m(2); RR = 0.95, 95 % CI 0.89 - 1.01; P = 0.08). There were no significant differences in subjective outcomes among the different BMI groups: BMI 25 kg/m(2) versus 18.5 - <25 kg/m(2) (RR = 1.03, 95 % CI 0.97 - 1.10; P = 0.29), and BMI 30 kg/m(2) versus 25 - <30 kg/m(2) (RR = 0.98, 95 % CI 0.92 - 1.04; P = 0.55).

The objective success rates of MUS were lower in overweight and obese patients; however, the subjective outcomes of MUS were not significantly different among normal weight, overweight and obese patients. The MUS procedure is as effective in obese women as in women of normal weight, and therefore surgeons should not consider BMI >25 kg/m(2) as a risk factor when discussing the suitability of the MUS procedure in a patient with SUI.

International urogynecology journal. 2016 Nov 07 [Epub ahead of print]

Ziyuan Xia, Jialei Qian, Yuntian Chen, Banghua Liao, Deyi Luo

College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China., Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China., Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China. .

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27822886
Urinary incontinence is common amongst Chinese immigrants. These women are a rapidly growing population in the USA who require unique assessment tools due to language barriers. Presently, there are no Chinese language surveys to assess knowledge of urinary incontinence. Our goal was to translate and validate a urinary incontinence knowledge survey from English into Chinese.

The English language Urinary Incontinence Quiz (UIQ) developed and validated by Branch et al. for the Educational Demonstration of Urinary Continence Assessment and Treatment for the Elderly program assesses general knowledge of urinary incontinence as a disease entity. We translated it into Chinese using the forward translation/back translation technique. The Chinese and English versions were then administered to bilingual volunteers in a nonrandomized order during a single encounter. Their responses were analyzed using Cohen's kappa coefficient to establish the validity of the translated knowledge survey.

Minimal reconciliation was needed in construction of the Chinese survey. Minor English grammatical corrections were made to the back-translated English survey. One question testing two knowledge concepts was separated into two questions to allow clear testing of both concepts individually. Twenty-one bilingual participants performed the validity testing. Over 50% (8 out of 15) of the questions showed nearly perfect agreement with a kappa coefficient >0.80, 5 out of the 15 questions showed substantial agreement with kappa coefficients between 0.61 and 0.8 and two questions showed moderate agreement with kappa coefficients between 0.4 and 0.6.

We validated a translation of the UIQ for assessment of urinary incontinence knowledge in Chinese-speaking immigrants to the USA.

International urogynecology journal. 2016 Dec 06 [Epub ahead of print]

Rujin Ju, Nazema Siddiqui, Joanne Garrett, Liping Feng, Michael Heit

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Indiana University, 1633 North Capitol Avenue Suite 436, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. ., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Women's Primary Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Indiana University, 1633 North Capitol Avenue Suite 436, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27924375
What are the words to the New Year's song? If you want to sing along to "Auld Lang Syne" when the Times Square ball drops on New Year's Eve, we've got your covered with a video and the lyrics to the famous Scottish tune so you can actually sing the whole song when we ring in 2017.

Most people only know the first line  "Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind"  and resort to saying, "blah, blah, blah" for the rest of the tune. Factor in the possibility of having a few too many glasses of champagne on New Year's Eve, and you may not even remember the first word.

However, if you start practicing now you may impress your friends who don't even have a clue what "Auld Lang Syne" means. If they ask, let them know that the words, roughly translated from Scottish to English, mean "old long since" or "time gone by."

New Year's eve song lyrics

Written by Robert Burns in 1788, the iconic tune was first played as a New Year's Eve song in 1929 during a midnight performance by Guy Lombardo and his band at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. Since then, it's become a song that is heard around the world when the clock strikes 12 midnight and we ring in the new year.

Worried about remebering the words to Auld Lang Syne? User cut-out-and-keep-emergency-lyrics #hogmanay pic.twitter.com/Myzmo8CXJD"  Marion Barrowman (@almar1955) December 31, 2013

If you can't memorize the words to the song in the graphic above, perhaps listening to Lea Michelle's amazing rendition of the holiday classic over and over again will help.

Sing along with the video below  no one will judge you if you don't sound quite as good as Lea does.

Watch the ball drop in New York's Time Square

According to Dick Clark Productions, Mariah Carey is the featured performer on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017" on Saturday night. She will perform live on stage in Times Square right before the ball drops and we say "goodbye" to 2016.

Prior to Carey's performance and in the hours leading up to the countdown, DNCE, Gloria Estafan, and Thomas Rett will also perform on the show

Watch "Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest" starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, December 31.
A man in Ronald McDonald costume performs at an McDonald's outlet in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. [Photo/China Daily]

McDonald's Corp is reported to have narrowed the potential buyers of its China franchise to State-owned CITIC Group Corp and US-based private equity firm Carlyle Group LP, and an analyst said he is bullish on the potential transaction.

"The potential purchase by CITIC and Carlyle is a positive incentive for McDonald's, as this would boost the expansion of its stores and its business scale, and stimulate the capital market," said Zhu Danpeng, a researcher at the China Brand Research Institute.

"The acquisition would greatly assist McDonald's expansion in third- and fourth-tier cities in China, and boost its localization strategies."

But McDonald's China refused to comment on the details of the deal.

McDonald's plans to sell its stores in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, with a reported transaction value of $2 billion. The fast-food chain said there isn't any detailed schedule on the deal, and it will announce the details once they have been confirmed.

Since the announcement that McDonald's would introduce strategic investors to its China franchise in March, many Chinese enterprises, including Beijing Tourism Group and Sanpower Group, have shown their interest in making an investment.

Since entering the Chinese mainland in 1990, McDonald's now operates more than 2,200 stores in the mainland. Yet, with an emerging middle class and their rising income, some local catering chains and foreign cafe chains are taking customers away from fast-food operators.

McDonald's is upgrading its hardware and the overall customer experience to attract more diners. In early December, McDonald's upgraded its first restaurant in Shenzhen with improvements to its digital hardware and offering more personalized products.

The upgrading includes the launch of a separate ordering and pickup areas, a touch-screen ordering machine with a personal touch for customers to fine-tune their orders, such as "no ice" for drinks or "no sauce" for burgers. In addition, McDonald's changed its menus to live screens with a combination of pictures, videos and words, and stores can change their preferred menus.

By the first half of 2017, the fast-food chain said it is estimated that approximately 1,000 restaurants in 13 cities nationwide will complete their hardware upgrade, accounting for 40 percent of its outlets in the Chinese mainland.

"With the rise of digitalization and O2O development, the lifestyle of Chinese consumers has been changing constantly. We plan to deliver better experiences at our restaurants, and put more choice and control in the hands of our customers," said Phyllis Cheung, CEO of McDonald's China.

McDonald's archrival Kentucky Fried Chicken launched its first artificial intelligence-enabled store in Beijing last week, and the company said it planned to further expand its layout of smart restaurants.
Sanxiang Bank has opened for business in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, becoming the seventh privately owned bank to open in China since new guidelines were introduced supporting private capital in the banking industry.

With a registered capital of 3 billion yuan ($432 million), Sanxiang Bank was jointly founded by equipment manufacturer Sany Group, Hunan Hansen Pharmaceutical and eight other private companies based in Hunan province.

Liang Zaizhong, 32, senior vice president of Sany Group and son of the group's founder Liang Wengen, was appointed chairman of the bank.

"Privately owned banks have to develop characteristic business strategies that are different from State-owned banks since it is impossible for them to grow into the same size as State-owned commercial lenders," he said. "The strength of Sanxiang Bank is to plow deep into industry chain finance."

Sany Group holds an 18 percent share, Hansen Pharmaceutical 15 percent, and Hunan Sany Intelligent Control Equipment has 12 percent.

The bank aims to be an innovative private lender specializing in serving the State Council's Made in China 2025 initiative, focusing on high-end manufacturing, medical treatment, renewable energy and new materials.

Relying on the resources and networks of its shareholders, the bank is looking to start with core enterprises and provide comprehensive financial services to various companies along the entire industry chain.

The China Banking Regulatory Commission stepped up the effort to approve the establishment of privately owned banks.

The regulator has given the green light to 16 private banks to date, and seven of them are now open for business.
A file picture dated 22 January 2014 shows former Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner delivering a speech to supporters during her first appearance in a public act inside Casa Rosada presidential house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [Photo/IC]

BUENOS AIRES - Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez was indicted on Tuesday on charges she ran a corruption scheme with a public works secretary who was arrested in June while trying to stash millions of dollars in a convent.

A federal judge accused them and other officials of the Fernandez administration of crimes "including the deliberate seizure of funds principally meant for public road works."

Corruption charges have long swirled around Fernandez and her husband and predecessor, the late Nestor Kirchner. She denies wrongdoing and accuses Argentina's current leader, Mauricio Macri, of using the courts to persecute her.

The country was riveted in June when Fernandez's former public works secretary, Jose Lopez, was arrested while tossing bags stuffed with millions of dollars over the walls of a Catholic convent on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

A gun-toting Lopez started hurling the money into the Our Lady of Fatima convent when the elderly nuns inside were slow to answer the door in the early morning hours of June 14, according to a neighbor who witnessed what happened and called 911.

A surveillance video shows the nuns finally welcoming Lopez and accepting the cash while paying little attention to the automatic rifle he had placed by the convent door.

Lopez and his direct boss, former Planning Minister Julio De Vido, were indicted along with Fernandez on Tuesday.

The alleged skimming of road projects took place in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, where Fernandez lives.

The ruling said the offenses took place until Dec 9, 2015, Fernandez's last day as president after eight years in office. No arrest warrant has been issued for Fernandez, and Lopez is already in jail on money laundering charges.

In May Fernandez was indicted for "unfaithful administration to the detriment of public administration." During her administration, according to the charges, the central bank took money-losing positions in the futures market just before a widely expected devaluation of the peso currency.

Fernandez, head of the leftist faction of the Peronism party umbrella, is revered by millions of Argentines for her generous welfare programs. She is reviled by others, who accuse her of wrecking Argentina's economy, Latin America's third biggest, with profligate state spending and heavy-handed trade and currency controls.
KABUL - An explosion ripped through a busy road in western part of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Wednesday, leaving casualties, witnesses said.

"The blast occurred near a Shiite mosque in Dasht-e-Barchi locality at around 09:00 a.m. local time. A thick black smoke was seen rise above the site," Mohammad Fahim, a witness, told Xinhua.

The apparent target of the blast was an Afghan parliament member's convoy passing-by the area, he said.

"At least one person was killed and four others injured by the blast. It is the initial information and more details would be made public later as investigation is going on into the incident," a police source told Xinhua near the site.

Security forces sealed off the scene, while ambulances and civilian cars evacuated the victims to the nearby hospitals, the witness said.

Local TV channels showed the damaged buildings and cars on the blast site.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) and US President Barack Obama (L) bow their heads during a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Tuesday. CAROLYN KASTER/AP

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed condolences and talked about reconciliation and the growing post-war alliance between Japan and the US on Tuesday during his visit to Pearl Harbor, but did not offer an apology for the attack 75 years ago.

The Japanese surprise attack on Dec 7, 1941, killed 2,400 Americans, and pulled a previous reluctant US into World War II, a war that ended shortly after the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said, with US President Barack Obama, in a speech at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, after the two leaders visited the USS Arizona Memorial where they closed their eyes and observed a moment of silence.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war again," Abe said.

Earlier this month Abe told his close associates that "if I go to Pearl Harbor, the 'postwar era' will come to a complete end for Japan and the United States," according to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. "President Obama did not offer an apology when he visited Hiroshima in May. That means I also do not have to apologize at Pearl Harbor," Abe said, according to Asahi.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has described Abe's trip as "putting on a show."

"Can a so-called victim-consolation trip to Pearl Harbor completely wipe away World War II history? I am afraid it's just wishful thinking on his part," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told the daily briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Pointing out that the main Asian battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War was in China, Hua said that Japan "could not turn the page of history" without reconciliation with China and other victimized countries in Asia.

"Just like people in the US will not forget the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chinese people will not forget the nation's immense sacrifice as well as the compatriots victimized by the Nanjing Massacre," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said this month. More than 300,000 people were killed by Japanese troops from December 1937 to January 1938 during the massacre.

Obama also emphasized reconciliation and the US-Japan alliance in his remarks. "The United States and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace. Over the decades, our alliances have made the nations more successful," Obama, who is leaving the White House in about three weeks, told the audience, which included some Pearl Harbor veterans and survivors.

Analysts said that Abe's real purpose is not to reflect on Japan's war crimes, but to enhance its alliance with the US, which could undergo stark changes after Donald Trump becomes president next month.

Trump has voiced opposition to the proposed US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which Japan is a member of. Trump also has threatened to force allied countries to pay more to host US forces.

On Sunday, 53 eminent US and Japanese people, including US filmmaker Oliver Stone and University of Tokyo Professor Tetsuya Takahashi, sent an open letter to Abe to ask whether he planned to pay tribute to victims of Japan's wartime aggression in other nations.

"Will you also be visiting China, Korea, other Asia-Pacific nations, or the other Allied nations for the purpose of 'mourning' war victims in those countries who number in the tens of millions?" the letter said.

An open letter was sent in May 2015 by more than 200 Western historians, including Americans such as Ezra Vogel, a scholar on China and Japan at Harvard University, demanding Abe to face up squarely to World War II history and the Japanese atrocities in Asia.

US State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday did not answer a question from China Daily if the US would continue to seek an apology from future Japanese leaders over the attack on Pearl Harbor, or has the historical issue come to a close, as Abe claimed.

Toner only talked about how the US-Japan alliance has helped keep peace and prosperity in the Pacific region. "We do so in the spirit of looking forward, with a mind of what happened certainly, we remember what happened. But we want to look forward in this relationship," Toner said.

Gao Hong, a senior researcher in Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Abe's trip is meant to gain political points rather than "mourning the victims, as he is labeling it".
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.
As per a new report published by a realty price tracking portal, a downfall in the new home rates has trapped over 10 million American homeowners. The report estimates that about 18.8% of mortgaged homeowners were trapped in homes that they would sell at a considerable amount of loss in the first quarter of 2014. Though it marked an improvement over the final figure of 19.4% as recorded during the last quarter of 2013, and a major improvement from the all-time high of 31.4% home mortgages underwater in 2012, there are still over 10 million homeowners dealing with negative equity.

Bank of America

As per the most recent mortgage charts released by the Charlotte based lender Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), the standard long term 30 year fixed rate mortgage deals are coming out at an interest rate of 4.000% and are carrying an annual percentage rate of 4.159%. The relatively shorter 15 year fixed rate mortgage home loan deals are being traded at an interest rate of 3.375% and are accompanied by an APR yield of 3.530% today. For potential home buyers who are looking forward to having more flexible home loans, the bank offers its ideal 5 year adjustable rate mortgage home loans at an interest rate of 2.875% and an APR yield of 2.875% to start with.

In the refinancing arena, the popular 30 year fixed rate mortgage home loan options are being quoted at an interest rate of 4.250% and an APR yield of 4.328% this Tuesday. The short term 15 year refinancing fixed rate mortgage home loan options are up for grabs at an interest rate of 3.375% today and an annual return rate of 3.602%. Mortgage shoppers with flexible home refinancing needs can opt for the best 5 year adjustable rate mortgage packages, which are now advertised at an interest rate of 3.000% and an APR yield of 2.929% today.

Wells Fargo

This Tuesday at the major U.S. based mortgage provider Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), borrowers interested in standard long term home loans will have to pay an interest cost of 4.375% and deal with an annual percentage rate of 4.575% to secure the 30 year fixed rate mortgage deals. In the short term home loan division, 15 year fixed rate mortgage home loans are highlighted at an interest rate of 3.500% and an APR yield of 3.783%.

When it comes to refinancing home loan options, the popular 30 year fixed rate home loan packages are traded at an interest rate of 4.250% and an APR yield of 4.335% today. For the seekers of short term home loans, 15 year refinancing fixed rate mortgage home loans are ideal options at an interest rate of 3.500% and an APR yield of 3.6475 today.

SunTrust

As per the new mortgage charts released by SunTrust Bank (NYSE: STI) on May 20, 2014, the standard long term 30 year fixed rate mortgage home loans are still traded at an interest rate of 4.375% and are carrying an annual percentage rate of 4.4853%. In the short term lending section, the 15 year fixed rate home loans are quoted at an interest rate of 3.300% and an APR yield of 3.5109% this Tuesday.

When it comes to flexible mortgage home loans, mortgage shoppers can spot the 5 year adjustable rate mortgage packages being listed at an interest rate of 3.200% and an APR yield of 3.0908%. The more flexible 7 year adjustable rate mortgage options can be secured at an interest rate of 3.750% and an APR yield of 3.3954% today.

Disclaimer: The rates quoted above are basically the average advertised by a particular lending company. No guarantee of taken from the lender aspect whether the borrower will qualify for the mortgage rates mentioned in the article. The lenders dole out interest depending upon various facets, some of which may be unique to the borrower. This website does not engage in the sale or promotion of financial products and makes no claims as to the accuracy of the quotation of interest rates.
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HCM CITY  After more than one month of considering her vacation, Nguyen Thu Phuong, a young girl from District 3 of HCM City, has decided to choose Taiwan (China) as her travelling destination during the coming Lunar New Year.

Phuong said that she considered other places but found that Taiwan was the best for her thanks to low cost and easy immigration procedures.

The cost for a Taiwan tour is around VN10 million (US$430) for four days. I have read a lot of information and found that the food is very good and the landscape is as beautiful as Europe, Phuong said, adding that it is not too difficult to get a visa.

In recent months, Taiwan has become an ideal destination for many Vietnamese travellers. Some go to this destination through organised tour operators and some go by themselves.

Everyday, pictures of young people travelling to Taiwan are on Facebook and other social media. In online tourism groups, many travellers shared experiences about how to travel to Taiwan the best way with the lowest cost. Advertising on Taiwan tours can be easily seen in many places in HCM City.

The situation was totally different one year ago.

A report from Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper said that last year only 11 tourism operators were permitted to open visa free tours to Taiwan.

At the time, only 181 tourists travelled to Taiwan through these 11 companies.

This year, however, the number of tourists who want to travel to Taiwan has doubled from last year, tour operators said, adding that the list of 11 companies has now increased to 70 companies in the whole country.

A tour operator said that this Lunar New Year customers using their tour to Taiwan have risen by 60 per cent over the same time last year.

Another company, Ben Thanh Tourist, affirmed that the volume of tourists coming to Taiwan is up by 50 per cent year-on-year.

Tour operators attributed the increase to easier immigration procedures.

Three months ago, Taiwan began a new policy for Vietnamese citizens who have already had visas to the US, Canada, Japan or South Korea within the last 10 years. These persons are able to get a free visa to Taiwan for three months.

Another reason making Taiwan an attractive destination comes from air carriers, tourism companies said.

Many airlines including budget airlines have opened routes to Taiwan, such as Vietjet Air, Vanilla Air, China Airlines, Eva Air and Vietnam Airlines.

Normally, a two-way ticket from HCM City to Taiwan runs from VN2.8 million. The price is even cheaper at promotion time.

Thanks to low flight costs, tour fares have also become much cheaper than in the past.

Currently, a tour from HCM City to four different places in Taiwan during four or five days costs from VN10 million ($430) to around VN20 million ($870).  VNS
Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said start-up entrepreneurship would promote the sectors development, especially when restructuring it had become a priority.  Photo songmoi.vn

HA NOI  Developing a fertile ground for agriculture start-ups will be crucial for the sectors much-needed transformation, experts said at an online forum yesterday.

Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) which co-organised the forum with Dien an Doanh Nghiep (Business Forum), said Viet Nam had special advantages in agriculture and start-up entrepreneurship would promote the sectors development, especially when restructuring it had become a priority.

He said there was increasing interest in investing in agriculture, and believed start-ups would take the lead, provided an ecosystem was developed to make it happen.

The ecosystem should enable start-ups to access markets, supply human resource of high quality and have a financial structure to provide capital for start-ups, venture capital or angel investment, Loc said.

The Government is paying special attention to promoting start-ups, seeing them as a driver for economic restructuring, especially in the agriculture sector, said Pham Quang Hien, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments Enterprise Management Department.

Hien said the proportion of firms operating in agriculture and rural development remained modest, at around one per cent of the total. Agricultural production was also happening mainly on a small and scattered scale, he added.

He said that it was important to formulate detailed policies to attract private and foreign investments in agriculture and improve the business climate following the Governments Resolution 19/NQ-CP.

Feasible agriculture production and land use plans were needed, Hien said.

Nguyen Chi Ngoc, Deputy Chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Government played an important role in encouraging investments in agriculture  a sector with a lot of risk and slow capital recovery.

Application of modern technology would be key to the success of firms in this sector, Ngoc added.

Vu Ngoc Huyen from the Viet Nam National University of Agriculture proposed a start-up consultancy service for the sector.

According to Pham Hong Quat, Director of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation Development, promoting co-ordination between the Government, universities, scientist and firms is of significant importance in encouraging start-ups.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is preparing a project to establish a start-up ecosystem in Viet Nam by 2025. - VNS
ONG THAP  The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of ong Thap will organise its first ever Tourism Week in Sa ec City on January 7-14.

Called A Place Where Four Seasons Blossom, it will be part of Sa ecs annual spring flower festival to welcome Tet (Lunar New Year), which falls on January 28 next year.

The week will seek to popularise images of local landscapes and people, traditional flower villages and craft villages, historical and cultural relics, particular tourism products and local cuisine.

Vo Thanh Tung, chairman of the province Peoples Committee, said the week would highlight the roles and contributions of local residents, horticulturists, floriculturists, chefs and others.

It will be held mainly at three places  Sa ec Park, Tan Quy ong Flower Village and Tan Phu ong Flour Village.

Visitors can admire more than 2,000 types of flowers, visit the Sa Nhien-Ca Dao Flower Street and try many kinds of cakes and buy products made from flour.

The week will feature a number of interesting activities like street festivals, an ornamental tree contest, an artistic photo exhibition, a street food fair, a cuisine contest for dishes made from flour, a on ca tai tu music festival, and a beauty contest.

There will also be a trade exhibition and seminars on ong Thap tourism  opportunities and challenges and Potential and developing trends in products made from rice.

The city plans to set a national record for the biggest waterfall made of fresh flowers in Viet Nam at the tourism week.

The simulation of a waterfall will cost around VN500 million (US$21,000) and be 12 metres tall and require 2,500 baskets of fresh flowers from Sa ec Flower Village.

It will have four streamlines symbolising the four seasons and a red rose at the peak.

It will be set up next to the statue of President Ho Chi Minh at Sa ec Park.

Sa ec, one of the deltas largest and oldest flower villages, is a leading tourism city and a major flower exporter.  VNS
Nguyen ang Phu is a veteran illustrator. He is a contributor to dozens of newspapers and magazines, such as Van Nghe Cong An (Police Literature and Art); Ha Noi Moi Cuoi Tuan (Weekend New Ha Noi) and Van Nghe Quan oi (Army Literature and Art). He has won many Vietnamese and International awards including Bronze Medal at the International Graphic Exhibition in Brno, Czech Republic in 1986; a prize at a poster contest held by Polish Lapolone magazine and many prizes at national poster competitions. Four posters by Phu are kept in the Viet Nam National Fine Arts Museums collection.

His works are displayed at an exhibition which opened last week at Exhibition House at No16 Ngo Quyen Street in Ha Noi. The exhibition is being held by Van Nghe Quan oi (Army Literature and Art) magazine to celebrate its 60th birthday.

Artist Phu talks about his work as one of the permanent illustrators at the magazine.

What led you to illustrate for works of literature and forged your strong attachment to the work?

I began to illustrate in 1974 when I was working at Hai Phong Newspaper. It provided me with a little knowledge of newspaper layout. My work involved sketching and drawing posters. My colleagues from Viet Nam Fine Arts Associations graphic branch and I organised two exhibitions displaying our artworks. I became known thanks to those exhibitions.

I have made about 3,000 illustrations so far.

Could you explain the difference between an illustrator and a painter?

Its quite different. A painter depends on nothing and he feels free to create artworks with his own inspiration and emotion. On the contrary an illustrator has to read a work of literature before he can depict the content. He absolutely depends on the writing before the art.

The illustrator needs to understand the story and then he can express what is the most striking to him through his drawing. In my personal opinion it will not be interesting if the illustration and the story do not match. At present, there are a number of ways to think about illustration. For example some people think that illustration and the story need not match because illustration is only decoration for magazines. However, the main idea is to match the illustration and story.

Illustration means to interpret or provide a visual explanation of a story. I know that authors like illustrations because they make their story more eye-catching on the page. The author thinks of the illustrator as one of his special readers. If the illustrator is famous in his own right the author will be more proud of the art and his work will be more valuable.

I know that some people are keen on collecting illustrations or some others buy magazines because of the nice illustrations. My friend surprised me when he showed me his collection of my illustrations.

Have you ever illustrated without reading the story? Have you had to draft many times?

Yes. I was asked to illustrate for an editorial office. It was very urgent and they told me the plot of the story.

Whether I had to draft many times or not, it depends on different periods. At the beginning, I had to draft many times but now Im more skilful. One important thing is that it is important to know about the style of each newspaper and magazine. Sometimes authors such as Chu Lai, o Bich Thuy and Nguyen Huu Quy like my illustrations and they ask me for the original to hang in their house.

Are you sad when people said that they rarely remember the illustrator?

I think only people who have not experienced the work have said that. It is not correct. When master Bui Xuan Phai was alive he was not a best-selling painter. But as an illustrator he works hard and he is known by his illustrations. His paintings later became popular artworks. Illustration provides a stable income for many artists. I have a passion for illustration.

Do you have any illustrations that became independent artworks?

Yes, some illustrations become paintings. Certainly there is difference between illustration and painting. When I develop an illustration into a painting it requires professional technique such as layout. An illustration is simpler.

Which prize do you remember most during your career?

My award at the poster contest held in Poland was a package sent to me through the post office. I still remember that it was package measuring one-metre in length and was not too heavy. It was very precious at that time. About 20 people in my family dressed in neat clothes and awaited my return with the award. My oldest uncle took great care to open the package with the agreement of all family members.

When the package was opened it was an axe in a Polish royal style which dumbfounded all of us. This axe award was a milestone to me.  VNS
HCM CITY  The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will present a melange of ballroom dances like waltz, tango, mambo, and polka and Hungarian dance with music by well-known composers at the HCM City Opera House on December 29 to celebrate the New Year.

At Dancing with Classical, there will be The Skaters Waltz by French composer Emilie Waldteufel, Hungarian Dance No 6 by Johannes Brahm, and Blue Tango by 20th century American composer Leroy Anderson.

Three famous works by Johann Strauss that will be among the highlights are Egyptian March, which was written to mark the completion of the Suez Canal, Thunder and Lightning with fast rhythms for polka, and waltz melody The Blue Danube.

The programme will also include Overture from Strauss operetta Die Fledemaus, Slavonic Dance No 2 from Antonin Dvoraks opera Carmen, and Sabre Dance from Aram Khachaturians ballet Gayane.

Excerpts Mambo from Broadway musical West Side Story by American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, and Can Can from Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach will be presented.

The HBSO Symphony Orchestra led by veteran conductor Le Phi Phi will perform through the show.

The event will begin at 8pm at the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1. Tickets are available at the venue. VNS
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday urged the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) to become a trustworthy organisation in addressing and resolving social concerns.  VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat

HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday urged the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) to become a trustworthy organisation in addressing and resolving social concerns.

Speaking at a conference held in Ha Noi yesterday to set the academys tasks for 2017, he said the Party and State had always prioritised resources for VASSs research activities for the past 63 years.

He praised the academy for conducting a number of important studies and making policy recommendations to the Party and Government, especially in socio-economic, cultural and political areas, as also national defence and security.

As an autonomous social science consultant to the Party and government, the VASS is tasked with promoting the development of Viet Nams social sciences sector and bringing Viet Nams capabilities up to par with other foreign countries, he said.

The PM asked the academy to release highly reliable estimates and use scientific research results in addressing the wealth gap, family issues and ethics in a market economy, among others.

The academy should also streamline its apparatus, adopt advanced governance mechanisms to attract talent and expand international co-operation, he said.

Consideration should be given to the economic and geographical characteristics of each locality to build proper policies, thus contributing more effectively to poverty reduction and national development, he said, adding that amidst the ongoing globalisation process, it was necessary to collect highly persuasive scientific evidence that would ensure legal foundations for safeguarding national sovereignty.

As 2016 is the first year that Viet Nam has recorded more than 100,000 newly-established firms, the PM asked the VASS to propose effective mechanisms and policies to facilitate the start-up movement, towards the goal of having 1 million start-ups by 2020.

He also advised closer liaison between VASS and the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology.  VNS
HA NOI  The fifth defence policy dialogue between Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) took place in Ha Noi yesterday.

Both sides exchanged views on regional and global security affairs and issues of mutual concern.

They reviewed outcomes of bilateral engagements since their last dialogue in April 2015 as well as set out new tasks and orientations to make defence ties more effective.

Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh welcomed the RoK delegation led by Vice Minister of National Defence Hwang In-moo and affirmed that Viet Nam always paid heed to co-operation with the RoK in multiple fields, particularly in defence.

The countries signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation in 2010 and held a defence strategy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level in 2012.  VNS
HCM City has recently been suffering from constant traffic jams even during non-peak hours.  Photo kienthuc.net

HCM CITY  HCM City has recently been suffering from constant traffic jams even during non-peak hours.

This has been happening despite the Department of Transports series of measures to ease traffic.

Major streets running from the outskirts to downtown like Truong Chinh, Cong Hoa, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, those around large markets like An ong, Tan Binh, Binh Tay, and the downtown area have been the worst affected.

This is the time to prepare for Tet (the Lunar New Year) and many dealers from Mekong Delta provinces are coming to the wholesale markets like An ong, Tan Binh and Binh Tay to buy goods, a transport department employee explained.

The constant traffic jams are also blamed on trucks being banned on many roads around Tan Son Nhat airport, the mushrooming of transport and environmental works around the city, and the encroachment of pavements and roads by small businesses.

The citys master plan is poor with a very low ratio of space for transport in comparison with other modern cities in the world, Dr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen of the HCM City Social Society and Humanity Universitys National Strategy and Policy Research Institute was quoted as saying by Nguoi Lao ong (The Labourer) newspaper.

The downtown area with its decrepit infrastructure is suffering because of a sharp increase in population due to the mushrooming of high-rise buildings, and traffic congestion is inevitable.

He called for banning trucks in all the most congested places.

The transport department should study and prohibit all automobiles on certain roads during specific hours.

The department should work with  the traffic police and local authorities to mitigate the situation.  VNS
Climate change and abnormal weather conditions have strongly impacted peoples health, triggering disease outbreaks including recurrence of new epidemics, the Ministry of Health (MoH) says.  Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

HA NOI  Climate change and abnormal weather conditions have strongly impacted peoples health, triggering disease outbreaks including recurrence of new epidemics, the Ministry of Health (MoH) says.

According to Tran ac Phu, director of the ministrys Preventive Health Department, the recurrence of epidemics can be attributed to several factors including climate change, environmental pollution, emergence of new virus strains, increasing population and changing lifestyles.

Emerging diseases include malnutrition, stress, insomnia, loss of appetite, dizziness, headaches and infectious diseases, which become prominent when the temperature increases.

According to studies presented at a recent conference on climate change and environmental health during the integration period, elderly and children are more vulnerable to changes in the weather.

For example, in the Mekong Delta region, the number of children hospitalized with digestion and respiratory infections increases by around 3.4 per cent when the temperature goes up by one degree Celsius.

In Thai Nguyen, people suffering from cardiovascular problems are at high risk of being hospitalized when the temperature falls by one degree Celsius.

Cases of diarrhoea also increase with changes in the weather, the studies found.

In Viet Nam, rising seawater levels, temperature increases and changes in rainfall all are favorable conditions for mosquitoes to reproduce and transmit diseases, according to the Environmental Management Department under the MoH.

Dengue is a seasonal disease which is seen mostly in the Mekong Delta in the south of Viet Nam. However, recent surveys found that dengue fever tends to appear year round and in northern provinces as well. Some tropical diseases have disappeared in many countries around the world, but are growing in Viet Nam, like tuberculosis, dengue and malaria.

In an alarming projection, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that a population of 1.5 billion to 3.5 billion people could face the risk of being afflicted by dengue by 2080 as a result of global warming.

According to the WHO, climate change has a close relationship with the development of infectious diseases. As a rule, after natural calamities, the environment suffers major disturbances. Heavily contaminated water sources are one of the main causes of the outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness and other diseases spread by water sources.

It says that heat waves, occurring with increasing frequency and with higher intensity, will increase the risk of thermal shock, stroke and myocardial infarction, and increase morbidity and mortality, especially among the poor, elderly and children. The impact on human health caused by heat waves should be a major concern of the countrys health care sector.

Viet Nam is working hard with the international community to implement an action plan to respond to climate change.

Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, director of the MoHs Environmental Management Department, said solutions to deal with climate change should be continuously implemented by building an early warning system for disease outbreaks.

In addition, the building and implementation of models that provide health services in response to natural disasters caused by climate change should be improved, especially in affected regions, she said. - VNS
Local mass organisations should work closely with each other and advise the Government on policies to ensure the rights of Overseas Vietnamese and encourage them to contribute more to Viet Nams development.  VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan

HA NOI  Local mass organisations should work closely with each other and advise the Government on policies to ensure the rights of Overseas Vietnamese and encourage them to contribute more to Viet Nams development, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said yesterday.

Minh was speaking at a conference held in Ha Noi to review co-operation between the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs from 2010 to 2016 and to identify measures to foster ties over the next five years.

The Deputy PM noted that the majority of Vietnamese people abroad were highly qualified and successful in their careers, forming a great source of brainpower for the home country.

He said that the Vietnamese diaspora, especially younger generations, should be encouraged to return and serve the development process in their homeland. Effective communication and stronger co-operation between the VFF and the State Committee for OV Affairs had an important role in this regard, he added.

Minh also pointed out some shortcomings in co-operation between the two agencies, including limitations in popularising the policies of the Party and State, information exchange and dissemination of information about guidelines relating to Overseas Vietnamese affairs.

He said that in the coming five years, the two agencies should continue implementing agreements reached on co-ordination, work together on revising legal documents and policies related to Overseas Vietnamese so as to propose timely amendments and supplements.

VFF Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan suggested that a meeting with the Overseas Vietnamese community be organised during the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival to collect their feedback on all relevant issues.

He also affirmed that from 2017 onwards, the VFF will organise regular meetings with OV experts, scientists, scholars and intellectuals to get their advice and opinions.

He echoed the Deputy PMs call to encourage members of the OV community to return to the homeland to establish startups.

Nhan also called for the organisation of more art performances and contests to boost the preservation and promotion of Vietnamese culture among OV communities.

He affirmed that the 4.5 million OV are an inseparable part of the nation and authorities must adopt measures to help them lead better lives and encourage them to return to the homeland.  VNS
HCM CITY  Young people from around the world can apply to attend the third Global Youth Agriculture Summit from October 9 to 13, 2017, in Brussels, Belgium.

The summit, a global youth conference to inspire and connect the next generation of young leaders in agriculture and related disciplines, is organised by Bayer and two Belgian young farmers associations, Groene Kring and Federation des Jeunes Agriculteurs.

It comes amid an increasing disconnect between young people and farming even as the world population is forecast to soar to 10 billion by 2050.

About 100 selected young delegates from around the world will share ideas, develop solutions and engage in an open discussion on one of the worlds most challenging questions: how do we feed a hungry planet sustainably?

Bernd Naaf, head of business affairs & communications and labour director at Bayer, said: Bayer is committed to encouraging young people to learn about agriculture and inspiring the next generation of agricultural visionaries. With initiatives like the 2017 Youth Ag-Summit, agricultural scholarships and experimental learning at our student labs and online, we want to encourage young people to learn more about sustainable agriculture and food supply whereby the vital role of science and innovation is highlighted.

In order to create more opportunities for young people to exchange knowledge and learn from each other, besides the main contest to select the best delegate to join the Global Youth Agriculture Summit in Brussels next October, Bayer Vietnam will extend additional awards to more candidates who submit outstanding essays and ideas.

Winners of the awards in Viet Nam will have the opportunity to participate in networking events with local experts in agriculture and visit key agricultural areas in the country to acquire practical knowledge about modern farming. -- VN
HA NOI  The health ministry has recommended that people avoid buying and eating poultry meat that does not have clear origins, to prevent an outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) and A(H5N6).

The advisory has been issued as over the past few years there have been outbreaks close to Tet (the Lunar New Year) as during this occasion, the consumption of poultry meat is higher than usual.

The ministry has also warned people not to slaughter and transport poultry without clear origins. Breeders have been asked to alert authorities if there are unexplained poultry deaths.

If people suffer from symptoms such as high fever and difficulty in breathing, they should go to the nearest health centre without delay, the ministry said.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), avian influenza has been recorded in many countries this year. Since June, wild birds and poultry have been found with A(H5N8) in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, India and Russia. Scientists have also confirmed a connection between dead wild birds and bird flu found in poultry farms in these countries.

The World Health Organization has recorded cases of A(H5N1) and A(H5N6) infections among the Chinese and Egyptians in 2016.  VNS
Bac Kan General Hospital, with the capacity of 500 beds, was officially put into operation yesterday, the provincial Peoples Committee has said.  Photo Thuy Giang

BAC KAN  Bac Kan General Hospital, with the capacity of 500 beds, was officially put into operation yesterday, the provincial Peoples Committee has said.

Pham Duy Hung, deputy chairman of the committee said that the hospital was built on an area of nearly 24 hectares on the position of the old hospital and had the ability to treat 800 patients. Of which, nearly 70,000 square metres were used for the construction of a high-tech centre, emergency departments, check-up and treatment departments, and inpatient departments.

The hospital completed its construction in May after six years of construction, with total investment capital of VN982 billion (US$43.1 million). Of which, VN245 billion ($10.7 million) was spent on medical equipment.

The hospital is a satellite hospital on cardiology and oncology for Ha Noi-based Heart Hospital and Cancer Hospital. The province has proposed to turn the hospital into a satellite hospital for Viet Nam-Germany Hospital and Bach Mai Hospital.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the hospital has helped increase the average number of hospital beds from 25.9 to 31.5 per 10,000 people in the province. She affirmed that the ministry would allocate VN10 billion ($439,300) to support the hospital to purchase modern equipment.

Previously, the old General Hospital was always overloaded with only 300 beds.  VNS
HCM CITY  Nguyen uc Huynh, a 32-year-old patient from HCM City who suffers from chronic kidney failure, is no longer worried about travelling a long distance to the district hospital early in the morning to receive hemodialysis, a treatment for the disease.

Local patients like Huynh can now enjoy high-quality health check-ups at Binh Chieu Ward medical station, thanks to a pilot project to strengthen communal-level medical facilities launched by the citys Thu uc Hospital in July.

"I often had to get up as early as 4:30am so that I could arrive at Thu uc Hospital in time for treatment" he said, adding that he went there three times a week.

" The service helped save time and money travelling to the district hospital," he said, having been diagnosed with the disease in 2008.

Quach Thi Hoai, a resident from Thu uc District, said she felt secure with the service at Hiep Binh Chanh Ward medical station as it was equipped with advanced equipment and medical staff from the district hospital.

Nguyen Minh Quan, director of Thu uc Hospital, said the hospital has decided to expand the service at local levels in a bid to reduce traveling and treatment costs for patients as well as ease the load at the hospital.

"Most patients suffering from chronic kidney failure are poor people who have difficulties travelling due to their poor health. Thus, the district has installed two kidney dialysis machines in June to make it convenient for them," he said.

Every day the hospital receives 5,000 patients, much more than the hospitals capacity, he said.

It plans to turn all 12 health centres in the district into satellite ones in 2017, Quan said.

Nguyen Van Phuc, head of Binh Chieu Ward medical station, said more and more people are visiting the station after its innovation.

"About 150 patients come to the centre for health checks ups and treatment every day, compared with 20 in the past," he said, adding that over 400 patients with chronic kidney failure were being treated at the station a month.

"Thanks to the installation of modern facilities, we could perform advanced techniques on patients instead of transferring them to the central hospital like we did," he said.

He also said the centre was capable of check-ups and treatment in various major fields, from internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics to ear-nose-throat and teeth.

Besides Thu uc District, the strengthened communal-level medical facilities project is also being applied at HCM Citys District 2.

At present, the satellite health service has been deployed to medical stations at Thach My Loi, Binh Khanh and Thao ien, aiming at helping the number of patients who use local medical facilities.

Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of HCM City Health Department said while general and specialised hospitals in the city were overburdened with patients because the high number of people being admitted from other provinces, grassroots-level hospitals didnt operate at full capacity.

As such, the City health department has decided to equip communal-level health stations with modern facilities and high-skilled doctors to reduce the load for hospitals at higher levels.

Hundreds of doctors have been sent to communal-level health stations in Thu uc District and District 2.

About 1,000 doctors would be dispatched from district-level to grassroots-level by the end of 2018 and the number would rise to 2,000 by 2020, Thuong said.

The department has also set up treatment plans for various fields with the help of doctors with professional qualifications from district-level hospitals to ensure the feasibility of the project.

In addition to upgrading key health centres at highly-populated areas and those far away from the city centre, HCM City authorities plan to invite private investors to pour their money into these facilities.

Nguyen Tan Binh, director of HCM Citys Health Department said a number of investors wanted to open general health clinics at six health stations in District 3.

"The fact that most health stations in the citys central districts implement health prevention and vaccinations causes waste in both facilities and human resources. The Department will pilot the lending of health stations to enterprises to take advantage of existing facilities and help improve health workers income," he said.

He also said local residents would benefit from the pilot project as they would have to pay lower costs in comparison with other clinics.

The project would be implemented at district 3 first. Once it brought about positive results, the departments would expand the model to other districts, he said.  VNS
HA NOI  The lack of knowledge about organ donation is one of the main reasons leading to the shortage of organ donation sources, according to medical experts.

Public awareness of organ donation remained limited, even amongst medical workers, said Deputy Director of the National Co-ordination Centre for Organ Transplant ong Van He.

A survey on medical workers knowledge about brain-dead patients carried out in 2015 at some hospitals in the northern mountainous localities found that more than 70 per cent of medical workers said brain-dead patients could recover.

Particularly, 44 per cent of students of the Ha Noi Medical University also said that brain-dead patients could be saved.

This misunderstanding of brain-dead patients would have a great impact on encouraging and raising public awareness of organ donation from brain-dead patients, He told Suc khoe va oi song (Health and Life) Newspaper.

Brain-dead patients cannot be saved, he said.

The Ministry of Health recently held a media campaign to raise awareness amongst both people and medical workers about organ donation, stating that donations from brain-dead patients are a valuable source.

Doctor Ly Van Lien from Bao Yen Hospital in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai said he himself was not well aware of organ donation and brain-death.

After attending the campaign ceremony, I was updated with a lot of knowledge. I will register to donate organs after death. In the worst case, a part of my body could help save others. This is the most meaningful thing that I can feel, he told the newspaper.

I am from Dao ethnic group and people in my locality are very afraid of donating organs. Now I understand and will explain and encourage people in my locality to register to donate their organs after death, he said.

Organ donation from a brain-dead patient could save the lives of many people who need organ transplants and in many cases, organ transplant was the only cure, according to He.

Paradoxically, the number of brain-dead patients due to traffic accidents amounted to tens of thousands each year but the number of donors was limited, he said.

Ha Noi-based Viet uc hospital, one of the 17 facilites qualified to perform transplants, reported around 1,000 brain dead patients every year. However, only 26 donated their organs between 2011 and 2015.

If one person agrees to donate his or her organs, four or five lives can be saved. However, few families of brain-dead individuals agree to make the donation, often for spiritual reasons.

Organ donation is an urgent need to meet increasing demand in the current context. Over 16,000 patients suffer from heart, kidney, liver and lung diseases and more than 6,000 blind people await eye donations, according to the health ministry.

Doctors here have conducted 1,281 kidney transplants, 54 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants and eight bone marrow transplants since 1992, according to the latest figures.  VNS
By Khanh Van

Like tattoos?

Fancy a particular brand of perfume?

If you do, be warned.

If you are part of the civil service sector in the capital city, you might soon end up on the wrong side of the etiquette newly drawn up for public servants.

The use of improper perfumes and sporting tattoos are just a few of the donts in a draft list of dos and donts released by municipal authorities recently.

The list also tells Hanoians not to spit, urinate, use bad language or dress indecently.

The draft etiquette compiled by the municipal Department of Culture and Tourism will take effect on January 1, if approved. It means there are just a few days more for some public servants to change their dress and make-up habits, among other things.

Department Director To Van ong said the rules are just guidelines for behaviour expected of public servants, aimed at improving the public service sectors image.

That this image can do with some refurbishing cannot be questioned.

A recent survey carried out by the Ha Noi National University and the citys culture department showed 95 per cent of respondents saying public servants do not behave properly.

However, the draft etiquette almost immediately sparked an outraged public response, and civil servants were at the forefront in expressing the outrage.

The heart of the objection is this: such rules violate citizens rights, and public servants are citizens, too. As long as they dont break the law, public servants have the same rights, more so when it comes to sartorial preferences and what they do with their bodies, whether it is piercing, yes, piercing, or tattoos.

We boast, with some justification, about our nations cultural diversity. Can we look down on the dress habits or rituals of ethnic minorities? No. We actually find them beautiful and want to promote them.

It was not so long ago that Vietnamese society as whole looked down at tattoos as something belonging to the criminal class. Those impressions have gone out the window now, havent they?

Like many women, I love to make up and use fragrance. It makes me feel more beautiful and attractive, and confident. And I have every right to do it for myself. There is a saying: "There is no such thing as an ugly woman - there are only the ones who do not know how to make themselves attractive."

So why do I have to limit making up or using fragrance to make me beautiful just because I am a public servant?

Nguyen Thu Huong (not her real name), who works for the Bach Khoa Ward Peoples Committee in Hai Ba Trung District, said shes had a tattoo on her shoulder for two years, and it has not had any impact on her work.

I love tattoos. Having a tattoo is just something among many things you like to do. It does not define your personality or limit you competency, she said.

I only show the tattoo when I am at home or going out with my friends. I always cover it at work so it does not matter if I have a tattoo or not.

And what matters the most when I am a public servant is how I work and I how I behave, not how I look.

Associate Professor Trinh Hoa Binh from the Institute of Sociology also felt this new code was not needed.

Public servants are regulated by other laws, including regulations set by agencies that employ them, Binh said.

Coming back to the survey, it cannot be denied that when some public servant is rude and insufferable, or corrupt, people think of it as soon as they are asked a question about public servants behaviour. And several instances add up to create a negative image, whether it is a Government car driving rashly through the streets or cases of massive corruption.

In October this year, an official of the Ha Nois Transport Department shocked and angered the public when he hit a female airline employee on her head at the Noi Bai International Airport. He was banned from flying by the Civil Authority of Viet Nam and disciplined by his employer.

Such punishments are tough enough to deter similar behaviour.

By itself, a code for public servants can help improve the image of public servants. But it has to be one that is relevant, reasonable and feasible.

It is difficult to go into details of what to wear or not, whether a skirt is too short or long, and so on, and from there on to supervising the implementation of such conditions.

The public and public servants will be better served if measures are taken to improve the latters professional skills and capacities. Judging how they dress or make-up is not just a waste of time and public resources, it is an unacceptable infringement of personal space.  VNS
WATERLOO  The Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs Commissions first-ever Adopt a Veteran Christmas event reached out to enough veterans that commission executive director Kevin Dill wants to make it an annual event.

It was designed to help veterans and veteran families with economic or personal difficulties, or veterans spending the holidays alone. The commission took applications from veterans and veteran families.

Dill said the commission was trying to get more of the community involved in helping veterans  and accomplished its mission. The community gave a good accounting of itself for the first-time program.

We assisted nearly 55 veterans and their spouses and kids who live at home, Dill said, as well as veterans in homeless shelters. Then we gave gifts to about 143 veterans living in nursing homes. Gestures ranged from gift cards to adopting families.

There were nearly 70 people, companies, organizations who came forward to adopt a veteran, Dill said. The Cedar Falls AMVETS riders adopted two families and held a craft sale that generated money in the form of gift cards to families.

We received monetary donations from (Waterloo) AMVETS Post 19, the local Disabled American Veterans, DENSO (Waterloo engineering and service center), Black Hawk County bake sale, Waterloo Womans Club, Dill said. The Cedar Falls AMVETS donated some socks as gifts. The Cedar Falls VFW Post 3896 adopted a family as well.

All in all we probably sent out over 700 gifts and provided Christmas dinners to veterans with families, Dill said. Corthinan (Baptist) Church (in east Waterloo) assisted in the wrapping of gifts, and several of the commissioners for Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs delivered the gifts to the nursing homes.

Dill plans to continue the program next year. Hopefully in 2017 we will assist 300 veterans at Christmastime, he said.

The Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs Commission assists veterans throughout the year in a variety of ways, including securing benefits to which they are entitled. The office is in the Pinecrest county office building, also known to many longtime residents as the old St. Francis Hospital building, 1407 Independence Ave., and can be reached at 291-2512.
AMVETS to host

bingo on Sunday

EVANSDALE -- The Evansdale AMVETS will have bingo Sunday.

The doors open at noon, with early bird play at 1 p.m.

Church to host

community meal

WATERLOO -- The Apostolic Pentecostal Church will host a free community supper from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday.

The church is at 1645 Downing Ave. Call 234-2920 for more information.

Book signing

in Cedar Falls

CEDAR FALLS -- STAM Chocolaterie will be hosting a book signing for first-time author Janice VanLoon-Ephraim from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at 122 Main St.

VanLoon-Ephraim's book is titled "Gleaning from Glenna -- The Dolls of Kewanee," a true story of the author and her husband's travels across America and one very eccentric person they met along the way: Glenna.

The book is meant for all ages. Holiday treats will be available for purchase.
Court records say Nathan Jacobson, of Boone, is charged with felony child endangerment causing serious injury. He remained in custody Wednesday. Jacobson's arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 3.

The records say he was arrested earlier this month following an investigation of an Oct. 17 incident in Charles City. Authorities say Jacobson was taking care of the infant when the infant suffered face and head injuries. The authorities say the injuries likely were caused by the baby being dropped, shaken and slapped.
NORA SPRINGS  The Pole Barn Theater, a juice bar with exotic dancers, was open for less than five weeks across from City Hall in Nora Springs.

The business aggravated many local residents, sparked several protests and led to city zoning changes regarding adult-oriented businesses.

The City Council held several well-attended council meetings and eventually declared the building a nuisance.

Pole Barn owner Dale Peterson told the Globe Gazette in March the business had a good run, though he thought his business was targeted and treated unfairly by officials.

Nora Springs Police logs showed an increase in calls to the property after the Pole Barns Feb. 19 opening, including for public intoxication, public urination, open containers and public consumption of alcohol.

Complaints from citizens led to a state fire marshal inspection of the property.

The Globe Gazette received a copy of the fire marshals report for 14 N. Hawkeye Ave., which included an electrical inspection report and compliance inspection, through an open records request.

The report showed 36 code violations in the former juice bar, the two upstairs apartments and a corridor shared with an adjacent property.

The cost to fix the electrical issues, increase fire safety and install a sprinkler system were too much for Peterson, who closed the business the weekend of March 24.

The bar portion of the building remains vacant.

In Nora Springs, residents questioned why the council didnt take action sooner or have the proper zoning in place. Nora Springs councilman Brian Hanft said they didnt think it could happen in their town.

I dont want other communities to be caught in a situation in the way it happened in our town, Hanft told the Globe Gazette in April. I want people to know that it can happen to you.

The zoning issues in Nora Springs caused several other small cities in North Iowa to make moves toward zoning changes, including Riceville, Marble Rock and Greene.

Hanft said he learned a lot from researching the effects of adult businesses and encourages other towns to do the same.

I really had my head in the sand on this, Hanft said. My eyes have opened up.

Peterson did not rule out the possibility of opening another establishment in Iowa.

If some town opens up their arms and says Dale, we need something like that to liven up our town, yes, Peterson said. But I wont hold my breath.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo cabinet manufacturers plan to send its workforce on a Caribbean cruise is receiving international attention.

Gary and Becky Bertch of Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing announced plans two weeks ago to take several hundred workers on a weeks vacation for meeting production and income goals. They leave Jan. 8 on charters from the Waterloo Regional Airport.

That trip is getting attention in media outlets across the U.S. and in The Daily Mail in London. The newspapers New York office notified The Courier with plans to post the story, also picked up by The Associated Press, on its website.

Since The Courier broke the story on page A1 Dec. 19, the Bertches received inquiries from all sorts of media outlets.

Its pretty crazy, Gary Bertch said Tuesday. I just a did a phone interview with the Today show on NBC. I got one from a station in Toronto last Friday, and just got a request for an interview from CNN this morning.

Its good for the company, Bertch said. I want them (media outlets) to understand, this is about our associates.

I think its nice. Our people will enjoy knowing theyre getting attention around the country and beyond. But thats humbling, too, he said.

The company began offering trips in 1989. The first was to Acapulco, another to Hawaii. But the perk lapsed in 2005 after a downturn in the economy. The companys situation has improved in recent years.

With all the trips weve done in the past, weve gotten some local coverage, but this has caught like wildfire, Bertch said. Its surprising.

Other media outlets carrying the story include The Washington Times, MSN.com, Yahoo News and the Omaha World-Herald. The Courier received an inquiry from a Portland, Ore. radio talk show Tuesday. Bertch said he also spoke with a Tampa, Fla., television station.

All I can say is it must be social media, Bertch said. ... Were getting calls just from random people, calling us and congratulating us and the associates  just that its nice to hear some positive news.

The Bertches offered the cruise to more than 800 employees. More than 600 have signed up for the trip, the balance taking a cash option.

Bertch said he has had calls from other employers interested in offering a similar incentive. He said he absolutely would consider offering the trip again, depending on company fortunes.

Companies are trying to get outside of the norm, trying to find something different and creative ways to engage people, Bertch said. This has been one that has worked pretty well for us.
One might expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to take a victory lap after a lucky 2016. But at his traditional end-of-year press conference Friday, Putin looked more tired than triumphant. He also appeared eager to steer attention away from geopolitics  an area in which he has seemingly excelled this year  to the minutiae of running Russia. That was wise: Putin knows hes received some advances, but he hasnt cashed them in.

If not person of the year, Putin is surely troll of the year. If stories about Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential campaign are true, he has successfully mocked U.S. democracy and rubbed its nose in its imperfections. If they are not true, thats an even better outcome for Putin. In that case he made himself look like a major threat without lifting a finger. Asked about the election at the press conference, he trolled the Democrats as sore losers who blame external factors for their failures, throwing back an accusation U.S. Russia-watchers have hurled at him.

Putins purported role in Donald Trumps victory also has helped him look fearsome to Europe. The German government believes he might try to disrupt next years election there. Austrian nationalists made a pilgrimage to Moscow to sign a cooperation agreement with Putins party, United Russia. Both front-runners in the French presidential election are Putin fans. And the ego boost Putin has achieved came cheap.

Ukraine is securely locked in a frozen conflict and its political system appears to be imploding as President Petro Poroshenko and his team are revealed as the same kind of venal post-Soviet rulers as their predecessors. At the press conference, Putin trolled Ukraine, saying a bridge hed ordered built to annexed Crimea would be good for Ukraine after a normalization of relations with Moscow. He trolled Europes attempts to bring Ukraine into the fold, too, saying he welcomed visa-free travel for Ukrainians to Europe  scheduled to begin next year  but the European Union should allow Ukrainians to work there because thats what theyll come to do.

In Syria, Putin helped President Bashar al-Assad to victory in Aleppo, redrawing the balance of forces and minimizing U.S. influence. As a result, Middle Eastern powers, including U.S. allies, have come to see him as an important player in the region for the first time since the Soviet Unions demise. Saudi Arabia has done a deal with Russia on oil output cuts  something that would have seemed impossible just three years ago.

And Putin didnt have to pay much for his new clout. Russia only has lost 25 people in Syria and spent between $2.5 million and $4 million a day, a manageable amount compared to Russias $51 billion defense budget for this year. In fact, despite much that is said about Russian war crimes and brutality, data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights show the Russian intervention has not increased the Syrian wars death toll this year. In the 11 months through November, 46,442 people were killed, as against 55,219 in 2015 and 73,447 in 2014.

So why at the end of the year did Putin seem reluctant to celebrate? Even his seemingly boastful statement Thursday, today we are stronger than any potential aggressor, was apparently a bit of trolling rather than self-aggrandizement. It provoked U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby to respond with high praise for the U.S. military, enabling a smirking Putin to stress at the press conference he was only talking about aggressors.

One reason could be Putin is yet to reap any tangible rewards from his seeming successes.

Putin, unlike many of his supporters, hasnt acted overjoyed at Trumps victory. Its unclear how the mercurial billionaire will behave toward Russia and how much hell be constrained by a hostile Republican and Democratic establishment. Trumps potentially Russia-friendly pick for secretary of state, Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson, faces skeptical vetting by the Senate. Putins intentions concerning Ukraine-related sanctions are unclear  he hasnt spoken on the issue since a non-committal response to a reporters question in July. In 2017, Putin could build an amicable relationship with Trump or have a monumental falling-out.

The EU just extended sanctions against Russia through July. The buoyancy of Putins nationalist, euroskeptic allies in the West is still an unrealized threat to the establishment. In Austria, the Freedom Party, whose leaders recently came to Moscow to kowtow, just suffered a painful electoral defeat, losing a bid for the presidency. Brexit hasnt produced a Putin-friendly government in the U.K. Theres a chance in 2017, nationalist parties will fail in the Netherlands, France and Germany, destroying any post-Trump magic. And French front-runner Francois Fillon may not be as pro-Russian a president as in his opposition years: His immediate goal is likely be to keep the EU together, and unanimity on Russian sanctions has become a litmus test of unity.

Putin has tried to prove the sanctions are all but dead by selling off a stake in state-owned oil behemoth Rosneft to a consortium of U.S. ally Qatar and Swiss-based commodity trader Glencore, funded by Italian bank Intesa. But the bank appears to be having some last-minute doubts about jumping into this politically fraught deal, and Russia is unlikely to receive the foreign investors money this year. The deal looked great for Putin, but it could fail in 2017.

Ukraines desire to get away from Russias orbit is still as strong as during the 2014 revolution. Though the government is unpopular, its hard to imagine the next one being pro-Russian. It might even be more staunchly nationalist than Poroshenkos. So far, Putin has managed to destabilize its neighbor but hasnt improved his chances of establishing control.

The Syrian success also is tenuous. Putins hope, as he told the press conference, is to establish a ceasefire so Russia, Turkey and Iran could broker a deal among the warring sides. That, however, would be conditional on defeating the Islamic State, a tough job if there ever was one, and on getting all the belligerents to the table  an achievement that would seal Putins reputation as a foreign policy wizard, but one that seems as far off today as intergalactic travel. Putin has strengthened his ally Assads hand in negotiations that may not even take place in the foreseeable future  or turn out to be as ineffective as previous attempts to pacify Syria.

To top all that, Russias economic situation is precarious. The 2017 budget is based on $40-per-barrel Russian oil, and if OPEC cant deliver promised production cuts or if U.S. frackers start pumping at the first sign of falling inventories, Russia may face another year of recession and spending cuts. Russians have been patient throughout the last two years economic woes, but one more year with little good news could even undermine Putins seemingly unassailable advantage in the 2018 presidential election. Putin has done his best to manage Russias finances prudently, and 2016 has been easy on the countrys currency reserves, but that has been a holding action rather than a brilliant anti-crisis strategy.

That may be why Putin wants to talk about micromanaging Russias problems  roads, the environment, a spike in the consumption of cheap, life-endangering alcohol  and not Russias geopolitical achievements. He is at pains to demonstrate his grasp of the most minute budget and macroeconomic numbers. Hes telling Russians hes thinking of them, not global hegemony. The geopolitics have mostly helped Putin consolidate his domestic support, and if next year the favorable narratives start to fall apart, Putin needs to make sure peoples everyday lives show some improvement. That would require at least as much luck as Putin has had this year.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the saying goes.

And a small Waterloo church has taken a very big step to help a longtime east Waterloo community center stabilize its financial situation.

Saviour Missionary Baptist Church, 1220 Roosevelt St., has contributed $25,000 to establish an endowment fund for the Jesse Cosby Neighborhood Center, at 1112 Mobile St., to help support the centers ongoing programming for seniors and youths.

What were trying to do is build momentum for others to match it, said center executive director Jesse Henderson.

It is the first step toward establishing a $100,000 endowment fund with additional contributions. Once fundraising hits $90,000, the Community Foundation will contribute $10,000.

The endowment would provide stable funding for the centers tight-but-improving financial situation. Weve been able to pay our bills, Henderson said. Right now, our major concern is building our client base for our programs, getting more people to utilize the services.

The center relies on other agencies and volunteers for various programs, including meals through the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging. It also provides anti-poverty, summer youth mentoring and work experience programs.

Its going to be a forever stream of support to the Jesse Cosby Center and their mission, said Elizabeth Hackbarth, director of development with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. As the fund is invested and donors contribute, the fund is going to grow and dollars will be available for Jesse Cosby Center for their mission and their programming and the people they serve. Its a permanent investment.

Four percent of the fund balance each year is available to the agency for operation and programs.

Saviour Missionary Baptist pastor Rudy Jones said, We prayed about it, we talked about it and we thought it would be a good opportunity to join with them, Jones said of the Cosby Center. They do a lot for the community. Theyve earned the right to be given special attention.

The church cant provide programming by itself, Jones said, but can assist entities that can, like the Cosby Center. While his congregation is comparatively small, Jones said, God never used big armies.

The Black Hawk County Gaming Association this past year awarded a $41,800 building improvement grant for the center.

Jesse Cosby was a musician, entertainer and square dance caller who attracted black and white audiences together after World War II, making a dent in de facto segregation in the Cedar Valley.

His namesake agency, established in 1966 in what was St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, provides a number of services to people of all ethnic backgrounds throughout Black Hawk County, including senior programs, meals and crisis services. Director Jesse Henderson is Jesse Cosbys great nephew.

Think about how many individuals and families this organization has supported over the past 50 years, Hackbarth said. As the need is growing, and theres always more to do, and good to be done, thats going to propel us into the next 50 years. Were excited to grow the fund and grow support of it. Were considering the church the lead donor, but were really challenging the community to get behind it.

Ive seen what happens when folks decide they want to do something. It gets done, Jones said.

This is a cause everyone in Waterloo and the Cedar Valley can and should support because it benefits some of the most vulnerable of our society. The centers senior programming allows people to remain in their homes longer, and todays youth programming may provide a hand-up to young people and steer them away from crime.

Donation checks may be made to the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, with a memo to the Jesse Cosby Neighborhood Center Fund. Contributions also may be made online at CFNEIA.org/jessecosby. Checks may be mailed or dropped off at the Cosby Center or at foundation offices, 3117 Greenhill Circle, Cedar Falls, 50613.
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Tvorog is most likely the most important food in Russia. It is better known as cottage cheese and this morning, I am eating a bowl full of this most wonderful substance

For me a morning is not complete unless I eat cottage cheese and have a cup of coffee. Russian cottage cheese is very dry and I usually pour milk on it and or hot water. This morning I used hot steaming water, salt, pepper and stirred it well. What a meal

I am eating it now as I write this and sipping a cup of coffee

* * * * *

I broke out the snowshoes yesterday; it snowed about one and a half feet. Needless to say, we are snowed in and will not be able to leave the village for about two months now. Well, we can get out on foot if necessary. But, not worth it and Boza and I have lots of food to eat. We are prepared

I am cooking chicken breasts this morning and Boza is guarding the hot plate as it simmers the chicken. I will cook it about three to four hours at a low temperature and Boza and I will have three days of delicious chicken to munch on

Svetochka and I also found some precooked hamburger patties at the store. They were on sale and ran four patties for about a hundred rubles. That puts them at 25 rubles a patty and that equates to .40 cents each. They are huge patties and Boza and I ate a few the other day. They are good and make great sandwiches. As always they are spiced like a cutlet that Russians love so much, but I am accustomed to the flavor now, they taste just right What kind of meat are they? Who knows? I just love them and they are good Probably a little of this and a little of that. Who knows?

Lots of dill and other spices are mixed in them. I just love dill in the food now in Russia. It is all in what you get use to. Dill is easy to grow and considered an important vitamin source in Russia

I have learned to accept that labels are not accurate and you smile and eat happily at what is cheap and actually very good, if you give it a chance. Russian food may be Who Knows but it is healthy and always tasty

* * * * *

Speaking of food!

Svetochka bought unsalted salo and today I will put some out for the chickadees. They need the salo to stay healthy, wealthy and wise

* * * * *

Last night was one of those bad nights and Boza had to go walk at midnight. It was hard on me, but we always make it. The snow was flying and drifting very deep and this morning it was impossible to tell where we had even been

* * * * *

I am taking Flemolav Solutab

My ear infection is starting to clear up and I feel better with that aspect

I want to thank several people for donations, these donations went to these pills that I am taking for the next few weeks. So thank you very much

* * * * *

I have to work on the upper well. Someone broke off the plug in the fill pipe and it is stuck fast inside. I have to cut the pipe off and reset the fill line back in place. Always something

Nina the Babushka living near the monastery church, has told Svetochka, If I need medicine, she will walk to the buss stop three kilometers away and go to the Big Village to get it for me!

That is what I mean about Russians, They will do anything for you, if you need them to!

An 80 year old babushka would go twenty kilometers to help me. Friends like that are what makes the world a better place

* * * * *

I have lots of thoughts on my mind, but actually they are too grouchy

I will say one thing though (It is getting out of hand and will come to you sooner than later!)

I will simply ask, Why? and then I will ask, Why we accept this?

Have a nice day

WtR
ATHENS - Greek government pledged on Wednesday to improve living conditions for refugees stranded in the debt-ridden country in 2017.

During a press briefing in Athens, Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas elaborated on the progress achieved in recent months and the plans for the new year regarding the management of the refugee crisis.

The Greek official acknowledged shortages and mistakes and underlined the solidarity Greek society has demonstrated to the more than one million people who fled war and poverty and landed on Greek shores since 2015.

Mouzalas promised efforts from the Greek side to provide more aid to the 62,000 refugees and migrants trapped in Greece after the closure of the Balkan route to central Europe last winter, urging other European countries to offer more support and share the burden with the countries at the frontline of the crisis.

With a few exceptions, most refugees and migrants will spend this winter in decent accommodation centers with heated containers, prefabricated houses or hotel rooms and apartments under a UNHCR program, he stressed.

Last winter, thousands of people stayed in tents in makeshift camps or organized facilities with no sufficient food or medical care.

Currently the refugees and migrants are accommodated in 36 organized sites nationwide with average capacity of 600-900, the minister noted, recognizing that the situation remains difficult for those trapped on the northern Aegean Sea islands in overcrowded hot spots.

Under the European Union-Turkey agreement reached in March to stem the refugee influx, all new arrivals remain on the islands until the asylum bids are assessed. Those who were not eligible for asylum were returned to Turkey.

Although the number of arrivals has dramatically declined in recent months compared to 2015, due to delays in the asylum procedures, the hotspots on Lesvos, Chios and other islands are currently hosting 15,500 people, almost doubling their capacity.

Mouzalas promised on Wednesday that in early 2017 the understaffed Asylum Service will be strengthened and new small detention centers will be created on the islands to decongest the existing facilities and ease tensions in the hotspots.

In addition, in springtime the Greek government plans to replace the free meals offered to refugees with a 400 euros ($415.65) per family monthly allowance. Electronic identification cards will be issued for all migrants and refugees living in Greece, the minister announced.

Speaking to reporters, the Greek official put emphasis on the issue of the unaccompanied minors, vowing more hard work to create more special facilities for this vulnerable group of refugees and migrants and tackle the challenge.

Out of the some 20,000 underage refugees and migrants currently stranded in Greece, approximately 2,200 minors are unaccompanied. Due to the lack of adequate special facilities in several cases, they are accommodated in closed areas within hot spots or in police custody for their own protection.

"The facilities for unaccompanied minors are special facilities. There should be 20-30 minors hosted in each one. They receive special support. Old tools are insufficient. We are trying to create new tools, such as the safe zones inside the existing camps," Mouzalas said.

"We believe that as long as the EU-Turkey agreement is still valid by Easter time, perhaps a little later, we will have addressed also this issue of the unaccompanied minors in Greece," the minister said, reiterating Athens' commitment to the deal.
Dec 28, 2016 | By Tess

Estonian 3D scanning startup Wolfprint 3D, the maker of these innovative 3D scanning pods, has just announced that it has successfully raised $500,000 through a successful Seedinvest crowdfunding investment campaign. The half-a-million in funding will help Wolfprint 3D to push forward its mission of making 3D scanning and personalized virtual reality more accessible than ever.

Founded in 2014 by Timmu Toke, Wolfprint 3D recently unveiled its compact 3D scanning pods called Luna 3D, which are capable of capturing detailed 3D scans of people's faces. Resembling an elongated egg, the pods are designed to be placed almost anywhere, such as shopping malls, airports, or other public spaces, and can capture scans and generate 3D digital models of its users at only a fraction of the cost of studio 3D scanning.

The 3D scanning pods, which could be used to generate 3D printable models, are primarily geared towards generating personalized virtual reality content. In other words, Wolfprint 3D is hoping to bring the user into virtual reality environments in a simple and cost-effective way. According to the Estonian startup, it has already 3D scanned more than 5,000 people, whose avatars are already being used in VR environments.

One of the main appeals of the 3D scanning pods is their cost. As Toke explained about his companys product: Previously, if you wanted to get a high-quality scan of yourself, youd have to go to a special 3D scanning studioWe can do those same $400 scans, but at almost zero cost. Equipped with six high-definition cameras, the 3D scanning pod can capture high-quality 3D scans of peoples faces and generate digital models of them in under 90 seconds.

Using the Wolfprint 3D API, VR and gaming companies can then access the database of 3D scans and integrate the personalized digital characters into virtual reality environments. The idea is that the user will be able to sign in to the companys online platform and use their own 3D scan as an avatar in multiple VR applications and games.

The 3D scanning booths reportedly cost $8,000 to purchase and install, though they are expected to bring in yearly revenues as high as $50,000. So far, Wolfprint 3D has built four 3D scanners and has installed three of them at various locations. Future prospects include potential licensing deals with companies as high profile as Paramount and Nike. According to the startups Seedinvest page, it has also signed an agreement with a U.S. photo booth company.

Wolfprint 3D estimates that the global 3D scanning and virtual reality market will grow to $120 billion by 2020. And while they still have a long way to go before their 3D scanning pods are available in your local shopping mall, the new investment will surely help to boost their efforts.

Posted in 3D Scanning

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David Edelstein in Vulture:

Carrie Fisher had the flukiest life, but ye gods, she made it her own. Relatively early, she realized that her fame and money had little to do with her. She had, she wrote in her final memoir, The Princess Diarist, associative fame. By-product fame. First, she had celebrity daughter fame, having been born to Americas Sweethearts, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, a year-and-a-half before Fisher became Americas cad by running away with Reynoldss recently widowed pal, Elizabeth Taylor. Later, shed have celebrity wife fame as the spouse of Paul Simon. In between, she had happened-to-have-played-an-iconic-character fame. The character was, of course, Prince Leia Organa of Alderaan, the leader of the rebellion against the Empire and an improbable figure even for a galaxy far, far away. There would be no way for Fisher to reconcile herself to a life of so many disparate parts, even with booze and pills and powders. It took courage and imagination and a big dose of exhibitionism to reinvent herself as a comic autobiographer and brassy Hollywood eccentric.

She began, of course, by telling us all about the ways in which she wasnt Princess Leia. Before she arrived in London in 1976 to shoot Star Wars (now called, tiresomely, Episode IV: A New Hope), shed spent a month at a fat farm in Texas to lose some of the baby-fat in her cheeks. Then came the application of the hairy earphones that she also dubbed, the buns of Navarone. As the only girl in a boys fantasy universe, she had to declaim terrible lines while trying to maintain her poise. As her recently published diaries (with bonus poems) make clear, her days were largely spent trying to figure out why the inhumanly gorgeous but married Harrison Ford  with whom she was having an affair  wasnt falling in love with her the way she was with him. She walked away with a lot of confusion, a semi-broken heart, and (in lieu of a salary) a quarter of a percentage of what would turn out to be one of the most profitable movies ever made.

More here.
Jason Daley in Smithsonian:

Plenty of animals communicate with one another, at least in a general waywolves howl to each other, birds sing and dance to attract mates and big cats mark their territory with urine. But researchers at Tel Aviv University recently discovered that when at least one species communicates, it gets very specific. Egyptian fruit bats, it turns out, arent just making high pitched squeals when they gather together in their roosts. Theyre communicating specific problems, reports Bob Yirka at Phys.org. According to Ramin Skibba at Nature, neuroecologist Yossi Yovel and his colleagues recorded a group of 22 Egyptian fruit bats, Rousettus aegyptiacus, for 75 days. Using a modified machine learning algorithm originally designed for recognizing human voices, they fed 15,000 calls into the software. They then analyzed the corresponding video to see if they could match the calls to certain activities.
Inge Oosterhoff in The Correspondent:

The Dutch are pretty proud of founding New York. In 2009, the Netherlands and New York celebrated their 400-year history with myriad events, festivals, and parties.

Wherever possible, organizers emphasized shared values like freedom, tolerance, and equal opportunity  values the Netherlands is often given credit for coming up with.

But the story has a dark side thats often overlooked. In the colony called New Amsterdam, the Dutch kept slaves from day one.

Its a fact that merits remembering. Each July 1, the Netherlands celebrates Keti Koti, a day honoring the abolition of slavery in the former Caribbean colonies. But what about slavery here, in New York City? Join me on a tour of modern-day New York as I look for traces of the citys buried past.

More here.
WesBurger Hangover Helper New Year's Day Brunch

WesBurger is throwing an epic New Year's day brunch to cure the angriest of hangovers. The three-course menu includes chips with queso and salsa, cevichaladas, breakfast tacos, fried chicken and Texas waffles with honey-chile pequin butter, and a smoked goat birria. There'll also be micheladas and low-abv Greyhounds as your hair of the dog. The menu will be served family style, but items will also be available a-la carte. // January 1, 11:30am-3pm, 2240 Mission St (Mission), wesburgernmore.com









Humphry Slocombe Turns 8, Celebrated With Free Ice Cream

Humphry Slocombe turns 8 years old today and the scoop shop is celebrating in the best possible way, by giving out FREE ice cream scoops from 1pm-11pm at their Mission location. Project Open Hand, a non-profit that provides meals to the sick and elderly, will also be on deck. // December 28, 1pm-11pm, 2790 Harrison St (Mission), facebook.com/events





Coi Chef de Cuisine's Seafood Dinner Pop-up

Two-Michelin-starred Coi's Chef de Cuisine, Justin Mauz, is hosting a seven-course modern seafood dinner. On the menu will be Dungeness crab en bouquet with watermelon radish and osetra caviar, Half Moon Bay sea urchin with broccoli mousseline and blood orange, abalone pastrami with foie gras and black pepper jus, and more. The address will be released to ticket holders on the day of the event. // January 5, 6pm-9pm, location TBA, Get tickets here









Kronnerburger Special Tuesdays

Chef Christopher Kronner is introducing a special Tuesday night dinner menu in 2017. The once-a-week menu will change monthly to reflect different international cuisines. First up is Vietnam; Expect bo kho with dry aged beef broth, raw squid salads, bun cha, and more. Future menus are still being discussed, but according to Christopher, we can expect cuisines such as Mangalitsa Korean BBQ, Lebanese, Ethiopian, Lyonnaise, and more. He's enlisting the help of Santito Salvoni (Slow Club), Kevin Cimino (ABV, Creamco Meats), and Ian Marks (Beast and Hare) to collaborate on the menus. // Tuesdays, 4063 Piedmont Ave (Oakland), kronnerburger.com





The Modern Salad Book Signing at Omnivore

If you need help eating salads in the new year, check out The Modern Salad: Innovative New American and International Recipes Inspired by Burma's Iconic Tea Leaf Salad. Author Elizabeth Howes will be at Omnivore next week signing books and answering your most pressing salad questions. If you're trying to keep it healthy and delicious in 2017, this book and event is sure to help. // January 4, 3:00-4pm, 3885a Cesar Chavez St. (Noe Valley), omnivorebooks.com/events








Central, Herreid-Selby, Warner just 1 win away from state title games

Aberdeen Central, Warner, Herreid-Selby and Hitchcock-Tulare are all just one win away from high school football championship games.


SpeedCast to Provide Cellular Backhauling Support in Afghanistan

Sydney, Dec 28, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - SpeedCast International Limited ( ASX:SDA ), a leading global satellite communications and network service provider, today announced that it has been awarded a multi-year service agreement by Roshan, Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, to upgrade its cellular backhaul network to support 3G services over satellite in Zabul province in southwestern Afghanistan. Roshan has more than 6.5 million active subscribers across over 287 districts and cities in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.



"With the upgraded network, operators like Roshan can provide new and better service offerings to end users by providing reliable and scalable connectivity. Once customers have access to better connectivity, it inevitably leads to a rapid increase in bandwidth demand. The new backhaul network over satellite also allows operators to explore and and develop new business opportunities and revenue streams, such as offering broadband and managed network solutions to banks, governments and home users using VSAT", said PJ Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast.



"This is our first 3G backhaul service deployment in Afghanistan" Mr. Beylier commented. "This win provides us a strong foothold in the growing cellular backhaul market in the Middle East, as mobile operators and service providers are upgrading their service capacity to meet the surging data adoption in both the enterprise and consumer markets. SpeedCast sees cellular backhaul as an important growth driver for us as telecommunication providers continue to expand coverage into remote areas", he added.



SpeedCast's cellular backhaul suite of solutions, under the CelCast(TM) name, are designed to optimize satellite traffic in telecommunication environments, lowering the Total Cost of Ownership and bringing unrivalled quality of service to its customers' networks.



About Roshan



Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Corp) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with over 6.5 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 287 districts and cities in all the country's 34 provinces.



Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country's long-term development. Since its inception in 2003, Roshan has invested approximately $700 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately six percent of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs around 900 people, 20 percent of whom are women, and provides indirect employment to more than 35,000 people.



Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and Telia, Roshan brings international expertise to the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.





About Speedcast International Ltd





Speedcast International Ltd (ASX:SDA) is the world's most trusted communications and IT services provider, delivering critical communications solutions to the Maritime, Energy, Mining, Media, Telecom, Cruise, NGO, Government, and Enterprise sectors. With more satellite capacity than any other provider, Speedcast enables faster, seamless pole-to-pole coverage from a global hybrid satellite, fiber, cellular, microwave, MPLS, and IP transport network with direct access to public cloud platforms. The company also integrates differentiated technology offerings that provide smarter ways to communicate and distribute content, manage network and remote operations, protect and secure investments, and improve the crew and guest experience. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 3,200 customers in over 140 countries. Learn more at www.speedcast.com.


Final Head Office Building Refund Received

Sydney, Dec 28, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Traditional Therapy Clinics Limited ( ASX:TTC ) is pleased to advise that it has received the fourth and final instalment of the head office building refund of RMB51.2 million from the building developer. Since cancellation of the original head office development contract, the Company has structured a four-instalment repayment programme with the developer for the refund of RMB128 million previously paid by the Company. The Company can now confirm all of the RMB128 million has been received.





About Traditional Therapy Clinics Ltd





Traditional Therapy Clinics Limited (ASX:TTC) is a franchisor and the owner of one of the largest chains (by number of clinics) of traditional therapeutic health and wellness clinics in China. It currently has 343 franchised clinics and 35 owned clinics in operation. It is a well established business with a strong growth profile, employing a repeatable and scalable business model.

TTC has a highly recognised and respected brand, having received the prestigious Chinese Well-Known Trademark designation from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. It operates within a strongly regulated industry sector of significant scale, which offers opportunity for further growth.

TTC is an ASX listed company employing around 1,000 staff across 27 of the 33 administrative divisions in China. More information is available at https://www.ttc-ltd.com/
By Brandon Turbeville

After a lengthy battle it appears that the people of Florida have managed to pull out a victory against Oxitec and its plan to release millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in Key Haven, Florida.

Typically, the FDA approved the release without adequate testing for potential impacts to humans, animals or the environment. Oxitec had planned to go ahead with the plans of their release against the objections of most of the Florida community and a coalition of groups who had come together to oppose the release.

However, during the November 2016 election, local citizens turned out to vote against the GE mosquito release and, as a result, Oxitec will not be allowed to conduct their GE mosquito trial in Key Haven.

Zika Mosquitoes Same As GM Mosquitoes Released Off The Coast Of Florida

As Friends of the Earth writes:

In a letter to CFS attorneys, counsel from the FDA noted, per the public referendums which took place on November 8, 2016, and the subsequent board meeting of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) on November 19, 2016, the proposed field trial is no longer moving forward in Key Haven, FL. Because residents of Key Haven voted against the trial, FKMCD commissioners agreed that the trial will not be conducted there.

Unfortunately, however, Oxitec will be allowed to resubmit applications for a trial release elsewhere in Monroe County. This time, at least, it will need to conduct an environmental assessment and indicate Findings Of No Significant Impact for any new site.

Jaydee Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Food Safety spoke to FOE of the initial FDA approval and said:

FDA knew it was reckless to approve the release of a novel species without first assessing the potential impacts. The agency didnt do its homework so the local community spoke up and they had the law on their side.

Dana Perls, senior food and technology campaigner with Friends of the Earth U.S. added:

This is a victory that protects local communities from reckless experiments. The FDA should never let people and ecosystems be treated as laboratories. We need long-term and sustainable solutions to prevent mosquito breeding grounds.

Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food & Water Watch stated:

We are glad the FDA finally recognized that it should not allow a company to release experimental GE mosquitoes into a community without their consent. The FDA needs an entirely new approach to evaluating the potential risks form GE insects.

Barry Wray, Executive Director, Florida Keys Environmental Coalition added:





We expect Oxitec will reapply for a permit to include all of Monroe County. FDA must push Oxitec to answer questions the company has avoided, like why have the mosquitos not been tested for pre-existing disease, especially when Zika transfers to eggs; and what is the likelihood of antibiotic-resistant bacteria promotion. Finally, FDA must require a full Environmental Impact Statement on the long term effects of the GE Mosquito DNA entering the sustainable wild populations.

This article (GE Mosquitoes Will Not Be Released in Florida  For Now) can be republished under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Brandon Turbeville, source and Natural Blaze.com, keeping links and bio intact. Image: Naturalblaze, pixabay

Get a nifty FREE eBook  Like at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Brandon Turbeville  article archive here  is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius  The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 850 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbevilles podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.
By Brandon Turbeville

Researchers affiliated with Frances National Institute for Agricultural Research recently announced the results of their study regarding potential conflicts of interest and published studies on GM crops.

The study was published by the journal PLOS One and determined that a large portion of studies on genetically modified crops were rife with conflicts of interest.

Most of these studies were tainted because someone working on the study was also an employee of a GM-producing company either as an author or having received funds directly from the company.

Explore: Scientist Group Slams GMO-Pushing Nobel Laureates In Damning Letter

Out of 579 published studies that were analyzed, around 40% showed a conflict of interest. We found that ties between researchers and the GM crop industry were common, with 40% of the articles considered displaying conflicts of interest, said the authors of the study.

The researchers also noted that studies with conflict of interest had a much higher likelihood of presenting a favorable outcome for GMOs when compared to those without.

The authors stated,

In particular, we found that, compared to the absence of COI (conflict of interest), the presence of a COI was associated with a 50% higher frequency of outcomes favorable to the interests of the GM crop company.

The majority of these studies were American  404 in total  and 83 Chinese.

The most important point was how we also showed there is a statistical link between the presence of conflicts of interest and a study that comes to a favorable conclusion for GMO crops, said Thomas Guillemaud, Director of Research at Francis National Institute for Agricultural Research. We thought we would find conflicts of interest, but we did not think we would find so many.

See: GMO Propagandist Who Said Trust Science Got Funds From Monsanto

It should also be noted that the study itself was limited because it only investigated direct financial conflict of interest. It did not include conflicts of interest such as authors being members of advisory boards, co-holders of patents, or consultants to GM companies.

This study, thus, shows the incredible level of corruption, politicization, and deceit now present in the scientific community, particularly in the Western world. If academics and scientists want to know why more and more people distrust their claims, this is a perfect example.

This article (Hundreds of GMO Studies BUSTED By Discovery of Major Conflicts of Interest) can be republished under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Brandon Turbeville, source and Natural Blaze.com, keeping links and bio intact. Image: GM Watch

Get a nifty FREE eBook  Like at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Brandon Turbeville  article archive here  is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius  The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies,Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria,and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 850 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbevilles podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.
As part of this partnership, Housing.com will implement a wide gamut of solutions that include interactive tools like Virtual Reality, creation of exclusive content through Housing.com design studio, leveraging Housing News, IREF platforms as well as Housing.coms events and brand platform. The partnership will also entail working jointly with Tata Housing to develop new and innovative solutions to manage the home buyer experience across online and offline channels.

This platform will offer users on Housing.com an unparalleled and seamless access to an inventory of properties across all major cities in India on a single integrated platform across premium and affordable segments. As part of this agreement, Tata Housing would also be deploying some of these solutions and technologies on their digital platforms. From Tata Housings perspective, the brand will get exclusive access to users of Housing.com that will augment their reach which would be further enhanced through Housing.coms call centre and channel partners including broker ecosystem.

Speaking about the partnership, Mani Rangarajan, Chief Business Officer, Housing.com said, Tata Housing is one of Indias most trusted names in the real estate sector and has been on the forefront of leveraging technology in the space. Technology and trust are also two of the most crucial pillars on which Housing.com was founded which makes this partnership all the more special for us. The deployment of a solution of this nature and scale is unprecedented in India and we are certain that it will change the way we buy homes. We have had a long standing association with Tata Housing and look forward to strengthening the relationship in the years to come.
LimeRoad, the social commerce platform that has revolutionized style discovery online, today announced that it has gone live with an exclusive range of handicrafts and apparel from the Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Nigam.

The fashion commerce platform that creates millions of styling ideas for the style conscious man and woman, has signed an MoU with the Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Nigam. The MoU was signed during the National Vendor Development Programme and MSME Convention 2016 hosted by the Ministry of MSME - Government of India and the Department of MSME  Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Honble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh commended LimeRoad via his Tweeter saying Platform provided by LimeRoadcom to our artisans will help spreading the old customs & traditions of rural Madhya Pradesh across the world.

Ms. Suchi Mukherjee, Founder and CEO LimeRoad, said, We are proud to announce that the Mrignayani products are live on LimeRoad. We have always wanted Limeroad to be the most extensive platform for the discovery of delightful products made by small-scale entrepreneurs across India. We are honored to partner with the Madhya Pradesh Govt. and we welcome the talented artisans of MP on to our platform. These gorgeous Chanderi & Maheshwari fabrics and saris have been around for years! The LimeRoad Mobile App will now take these unique assets of India to millions of customers, and make these products from TRaditional to TRending!

LimeRoad will be working with the talented artisans of Madhya Pradesh to blend these wonderful traditional weaves with modern day design, thus taking these fabrics right into the wardrobes of the millennials.
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Snapdeal, Indias largest online marketplace, today announced its annual digital buying trends highlighting the consumer preferences and habits recorded on its platform for the year 2016.

As India leaped into a digital lifestyle, the sales recorded on Snapdeal for the year 2016 revealed that Delhi-NCR topped the charts as the most online shopping-savvy metro city in India, followed by Bangalore and Mumbai. Pune emerged as a leader amongst all Tier I city shoppers. Demand continued to be robust from across India  nearly 60% of the sales came from Tier II cities and beyond. Metros and Tier I cities accounted for 40% of the sales during the year. Mirroring the rising penetration of smartphones, 82% of the traffic came from the mobile platforms (app and m-site).

Commenting on the trends, Vishal Chadha, Senior Vice President (Business) Snapdeal, said, 2016 was an important growth year for the Indian online shopper - be it in terms of new customer segments adopting online commerce or increased acceptance of digital transaction methods. The delivery of functional benefits like speed, convenience and value also resulted in massive growth from non-metros cities in India. We are rapidly expanding our assortment in line with the needs and expectations of our existing users and also to cater to the next 100 million online shoppers from across India.

Snapdeal offers the widest range of products across 1000+ categories fulfilling all kind of consumers needs. As consumers increasingly opted for the convenience that e-commerce offers, 2016witnessed a surge in growth across new categories including Daily Needs (Detergents and Fabric Care, Tea Coffee and Beverages); Living Room Furniture, Gaming, Academic and Professional Books, Mobile Enhancements and Gift Cards.

Interestingly, Personal Care & Grooming stood out as a popular category among men, witnessing a 58% increase mostly in metro regions. Amongst women, make-up category is extremely popular online, seeing a whopping overall growth of 345% YoY. Women from the North region bought 32% of Make-up and Delhi became the highest contributor accounting for 12% of sales. In 2016, the sale of Skin Care category grew by 77% with Kolkata contributing 125% to the sales followed by Bangalore.

From an overall perspective, popular categories included Mobiles & Tablets, Womens Ethnic Wear, Mens Apparel, Computer & Peripherals and Mobile Accessories.
Team Pumpkin, a leading Digital Marketing and PR Agency based out of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore has won the digital marketing mandate of the worlds leading casual dining and delivery restaurant chain, Pizza Hut (voted as most trusted brand for 11 years in a row). The digital marketing responsibilities will include Social media management, online reputation management and digital creative services for Pizza Huts Indian business.

As Team Pumpkin progresses towards winning more global clients, bagging the Pizza Hut mandate is another feather in their cap. All the digital media activities for Pizza Hut will be handled from Team Pumpkins office in New Delhi and an active assistance will be provided from its offices in Mumbai and Bangalore.

On winning the mandate, Ms. Puja Nathani, Creative Head, Team Pumpkin said, Pizza Hut is a global brand and identified as one the most trusted names in F&B industry. Our aim will be to make sure that this trust is maintained and Pizza Hut continues to engage with young audience on digital space. Our digital strategy and execution will carry forward the brand ethos and same will be reflected in the digital content for Pizza hut.

Team Pumpkins Co-Founder, Ranjeet Kumar says, We are delighted to partner with Pizza Hut and our strategy for the mandate revolves around capturing micro-moments for the youth and expressing them through our digital assets. Its a great feeling to be working on a renowned brand like Pizza Hut and we are all set to deliver our best for the brand.

Team Pumpkin lives and breathes by their motto - We are the artists using science to grow businesses and the same should be continuing for Pizza Hut as well. Their current list of clientele includes Aditya Birla Group, Big Bazaar, fbb, IndiaFirst Life Insurance, ZopNow, Jashn, @Home, Nilkamal, Muvizz.com among many others.
ZUG, Switzerland, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Teleios Capital Partners LLC ("Teleios") welcomes the decision by Fenner plc (the "Company") to support the proposed appointment of Michael E. Ducey to the Board as a non-executive director at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on the 11 January 2017. Teleios is grateful for the constructive and cooperative approach of the Company in reaching this decision.

Teleios believes that the appointment of Mr. Ducey will be of significant benefit to the Company and its shareholders, and is pleased that Vanda Murray OBE, Fenner Chairman, also recognises on behalf of the Company the important contribution that Mr. Ducey stands to make as a member of the Board.

As well as supporting the appointment of Mr. Ducey, Teleios will be voting for the re-election of all incumbent members of the Board at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. Teleios looks forward to an ongoing productive dialogue with the Company, including Mark Abrahams, in his current tenure as CEO. Teleios is confident that Mr. Abrahams will ensure a smooth transition as he oversees the introduction of a new chief executive, and wishes to recognise the considerable value he has brought to the Company in his decades of service.

About Teleios Capital Partners

Teleios Capital Partners LLC is a Switzerland-based investment manager focused on European mid-market companies where it seeks to create value through constructive engagement. Teleios manages capital for leading European and US foundations, family offices and institutions.

Media contacts:

Andrew Honnor or Robert White

Greenbrook Communications

+44(0)20-7952-2000


Berlin market attack suspect Anis Amiri was killed on Friday morning by police in Milan, according to Italys Ministry of Interior.

The ministry held a press conference on Friday morning, during which it confirmed that during a routine traffic stop in northern Milan at approximately 3 A.M, police stopped Amiri and asked him to show his ID.

In response, Amiri reportedly pulled a gun from his backpack and shot an officer in the shoulder. Another on-site officer then opened fire and shot Amiri dead, Interior Minister Marco Minniti told the Italian news agency ANSA.
Air strikes have killed at least 22 people, including 10 children, in an ISIL-held village in eastern Syria, a monitor has said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that the raids hit the village of Hajna in Deir Az Zor province, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were among the dead.

Local activists quoted online said the air strikes happened on Tuesday.

Located in the northern countryside of Deir Az Zor, Hajna is held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The UK-based Observatory had no immediate word on who carried out the strikes but it was likely to have been either the Syrian government or its ally Russia.

Russian fighter jets have been carrying out air raids over Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

As news of the deaths in Deir Az Zor emerged, the Turkish state news agency reported that Turkey and Russia had reached an agreement on a plan for a ceasefire comprising the whole of Syria.

Under the plan, Ankara and Moscow would work for the ceasefire to come into force at midnight on Wednesday, Anadolu reported, adding that terrorist groups, such as ISIL, would be excluded.

If the ceasefire succeeds, political negotiations will start in the Kazakh capital under Turkey and Russias guidance.
The Cabinet approved promulgation of an ordinance to impose a penalty, including a jail term, for possession of the scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes beyond a cut-off.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved an ordinance to amend the Reserve Bank of India Act to extinguish the liability of the government and the central bank on the demonetised high-denomination notes to prevent future litigations.

Official sources said the ordinance has been cleared, but did not say if the penal provisions would apply for holding the junked currency after the 50-day window to deposit them in banks ends as of December 30 or after March 31, till which time deposit of old currency notes at specified branches of the Reserve Bank after submitting a declaration form is open.

The penalty for holding old currency in excess of 10 notes may include financial fines and a jail term of up to four years in certain cases.

While announcing the demonetisation of the old currency on November 8, the government had allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts. While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Central Government has passed an ordinance that if somebody possesses more than 10 demonetised notes then it will be considered as a criminal offence. This ordinance or executive order has been cleared by the cabinet and will be sent to the President for his approval and signature. Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denomination notes were declared illegal by the central government on November 8 in an anti-corruption move. Old notes can be deposited in banks only till December 30. After that, deposits will be allowed till March 31 at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) but with stringent conditions. Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance in this regard.

This shows that the government does not understand the relationship between them and the free citizens. Currency notes are just like IOUs (I owe you) backed by the guarantee of the government. Now, demonetization means that one had to exchange older IOUs for newer ones with great inconvenience, which of course would not have been tolerated in any country that understood the meaning of liberty and rights of the people. Now, even holding old IOUs are illegal. How foolish the decision is, when a debtor will not only refuse to honour the IOU but also claim that merely holding it will be a criminal offence, this is a ludicrous ordinance. Should I be penalised if Ive kept the old notes as memento, or if my family members piggy-banks hold it? What if I find a few old notes in my house after the deadline? There are people in villages that have stored the old notes but yet not received an opportunity to exchange or deposit it because of long queue in the banks, what the government is trying to achieve from this ordinance? I dont understand why the government wants to punish people holding mere raddi paper?

Instead of coming up with such thoughtless ordinance, government should impose limit on cash holding for every family. Anything beyond that would land possessor five years jail terms. Make gold transactions and real estate transactions only through digital medium with mandatory details of PAN, bank account and Aadhar card. Make salary payments  even for labourers  mandatory through digital modes. Spare charging the law abiding businessmen for digital transactions. They are charged 2.5% transactions taxes on every electronic/card payment. Also make payment by aadhar as much as possible, which will free people from hefty charges on card based transactions of Visa and Master cards. In every manner, ensure cashless transactions become mandatory, from school fees to hotels bill. Ask companies should make bar code based sales mandatory. Remove toll/entry and other taxes collection from roads. These are the biggest breeding ground of illegal money collection. Make sure they also go digital for payment. Ask every vehicle to get digital chip, so toll can be automatically deducted from their account if they passed the point. Not just illegal collection will stop but the traffic congestion at the toll nakas will also be abolished. There are many such efficient ways and points to go digital and transform India. Always being harsh and rude on poor people will not help. Government should be thoughtful and it should realise that 70 per cent population of India is still underprivileged.

While announcing the demonetisation, the government had allowed people to either exchange demonetised notes or deposit them in bank and post office accounts. While the facility to exchange the banned notes has been withdrawn, depositors have time till 30th December to deposit money. RBI frequently changed rules. They did not even give space to people to even secure their hard earned money. People had undergone immense trouble due to the invalidation of the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes.

In spite of all the high drama of note ban, Narendra Modis government has failed to check corruption and black money in the country. However, it added up to the woes of the poor. Despite, a new type of corruption created to exchange the demonetised notes. Demonetisation was a direct attack on the countrys financial institutions and the poor. A new market for the conversion of money has been set up. Anyway, I hope that people will not suffer after this. Nevertheless, there are few questions the opposition and common public would like to ask BJP and its Prime Minister and they should answer them without any prejudice. The questions are, what are the collections of the old notes after November 8? What is the loss incurred by the economy? How many people have died after November 8, have they been given compensation? Who were the experts the PM consulted before the notes ban?

Anyway, the world of terrorism, drug mafia, human trafficking and underworld will come back once sufficient money is made available to the common man. These things will not pause for long, and now also they have not been affected much as we have seen new denomination notes recovered from terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. However, people are keen to know what changes come after this decision?

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Ending speculations about a possible Mahagathbandhan, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday announced that it will not form any pre-poll alliance for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh Yadav, SP chief also declared party candidates for 325 constituencies.

With the announcement, Netaji put to rest on any rumours of a tie-up with the Congress or a grand alliance, like the one in Bihar.

He said that out of the 325 seats, 176 have been handed out to the sitting MLAs. On December 26, there were reports that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, allegedly unhappy with the candidates fielded by the party, had submitted his own list of candidates to Mulayam Singh. Addressing the press conference on Wednesday, Mulayam Singh said, So many people, including Akhilesh, have given me their suggested names. I have adjusted as many as I could, however the final list is my choice.

He also claimed that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be held before February 28. Jo UP jeet ta hai vo Dilli jeet ta hai, ye chunaav aapka hai aur 28 February se pehle hoga, Mulayam said.

As per the list, senior SP leader Beni Prasad Vermas son Rakesh will contest from Ramnagar in Barabanki while Shivpal Yadav will contest from Jaswant Nagar.

Notably, Akhilesh had earlier said a combine of SP and Congress can win over 300 seats in the 403-member House, but firmly ruled out any tie-up with BSP.

Yadavs statement came just days after BSP supremo Mayawati claimed that BJP was exerting pressure on SP chief and his family through Enforcement Directorate, I-T department and CBI through disproportionate assets cases, and other weaknesses to join hands with Congress to divide Muslim votes and stop BSP from coming to power.
Shiv Sena Ulhasnagar city president Rajendra Chowdhary, party corporator Ramesh Chavan and two others were booked for allegedly ransacking the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) office in Dombivli here, police said today.

The incident took place on December 26 when the delegation of Sena workers, led by MLA Balaji Kinnikar visited the office of MIDC executive engineer, Sanjay Nanavare to discuss the issue of water shortage being faced by residents of Ulhasnagar, Thane Police said in an official note.

While the discussion was on, four people, including Chowdhary and Chavan, allegedly ransacked the office and misbehaved with the officer by banging his mobile phone on the table and also hurled chairs at him, the complaint lodged by Nanavare said.

He said the delegation submitted a memorandum to him but also warned that they would visit him again with a morcha on December 29. However, there were attempts made to pacify them.

An offence has been registered with the Manpada police against four persons, including Chowdhary and Chavan, under sections 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 427 (mischief), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and also under relevant secions of Criminal Law Amendment Act and Damage to Property Act.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident so far, police added.
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SCE&G employees gave baskets of food and toys to 925 families in South Carolina and North Carolina as part of the annual Good Neighbor Fund Christmas Project.
Kazakhstan took delivery of a new batch of, the press service of the Kazakh Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 27, 2016. These are the 5th and 6th Su-30SM fighter jets delivered to the Kazakh Air Force, after the country ordered an undiclosed number of aircraft in February 2015.





A first batch of four



The Su-30SM is considered as 4+ gen jet fighter. The new version has been upgraded based on Russian military requirements for radar, radio communications systems, friend-or-foe identification system, ejection seats, weapons, and other aircraft systems. The aircraft is equipped with the Bars-R radar and the wide-angle HUD. One needs to have deep knowledge and constant self-improvement to operate the jet. In a year and a half, our pilots have successfully mastered this type of aircraft and participated in a number of drills. The supply of a new aviation vehicle will enable us to enhance security of flights and defense potential of Kazakhstan Armed Forces in whole, stated Deputy Commander of the Aviation Base for Educational and Ideological Activity, Lieutenant-Colonel Temirtas Ibrayev.A first batch of four Su-30SM jets was delivered to Kazakhstan in May 2015 as part of agreements reached earlier between Kazakh and Russian defense ministries. The aircraft appeared during a parade in Astana commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II.The Su-30SM is considered as 4+ gen jet fighter. The new version has been upgraded based on Russian military requirements for radar, radio communications systems, friend-or-foe identification system, ejection seats, weapons, and other aircraft systems. The aircraft is equipped with the Bars-R radar and the wide-angle HUD.
December 28, 2016

CAIRO  It's clear that Egyptian-Saudi relations have moved past mere tension, and the growing animosity could affect the balance of power in the Middle East.

A Dec. 16 high-level Saudi delegation's visit to the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia angered Cairo officials and worsened the Egyptian-Saudi status, which has been strained for months.

The visiting delegation  which was led by Ahmed al-Katib, a special adviser to the Saudi monarch  agreed to form a joint committee with Ethiopia to examine the possibility of generating renewable energy. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn called on Saudi Arabia to support the dam financially and invest in his country.

Former Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasreddin Allam said Dec. 17 the visit was a political plot between Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. He said Riyadh was irresponsible to imply it would cooperate with Ethiopia, as Cairo believes the Renaissance Dam poses a threat to Egypts water supply.

Allam sees the visit as part of Riyadhs pressure on Cairo regarding two particular subjects: Egypt's stance on the civil war in Syria and controversy over ownership of two Red Sea islands.

An Egyptian court is blocking the government's agreement earlier this year to cede ownership of the strategically located islands of Sanafir and Tiran to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis want the government to do more to get the deal back on track. Riyadh also wants Cairo to back down on its stance toward Syria. Saudi Arabia supports rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Cairo has backed Russia's efforts to support Assad by bombing the rebels.

After Cairo backed Russia's position on a resolution on Syria at the UN Security Council in October, state-owned Saudi Aramco halted shipments of petroleum products to Egypt. Aramco had a $23 billion agreement to export 700,000 tons per month to Egypt.

The recent Saudi moves toward cooperating with Ethiopia to generate power through the dam differ from the kingdom's previous position. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had said in April that Saudi Arabia would not invest in the dam.

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Ati told Al-Monitor that negotiations on the dam among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are ongoing, but need to speed up.

Allam, however, told Al-Monitor that no talks on the dam are currently underway between Egypt and Ethiopia. He said talks have been halted since September, when Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed to entrust French consulting firms to examine the impact of the dam and its potential damage to Egypt and Sudan.

Allam added that the consulting firms have not embarked on their work as required, and that there are pending routine complications. He noted that the Ethiopian government has not completed the first construction phase of the Renaissance Dam on time. He also said, It is clear that Ethiopia is facing a problem when it comes to the provision of funds for the completion of the dam.

Hatem Bachat, the chairman of the Egyptian parliament's African Affairs Committee, told Al-Monitor the Egyptian media has overblown the significance of the Saudi delegations visit to the dam, and he refused to characterize it as political plot. He said the visit probably signaled no bad intention toward Egyptians, though its timing was bad, given the tense situation.

However, Samir Ghattas, a member of Egypt's parliament and head of the Middle East Forum for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, It was not a simple, ordinary visit. He called the trip part of the proceedings of a political divorce that has recently begun between Cairo and Riyadh.

Ghattas added that the visit was dangerous because it was related to the very sensitive subject of Egypt's water security. He said all of the Gulf countries (with the exception of the United Arab Emirates) are disturbed by Egypt's actions after the deadly Dec. 11 explosion inside St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo, as evidenced by the Gulf Cooperation Council's Dec. 15 statement denouncing Egypt for implying Qatar was involved in the blast.

Al-Monitor interviewed a number of citizens to get the pulse of the Egyptian street. Those interviewed said they do not believe that Saudi Arabia would harm the Egyptian people. Mohamed Abdel-Rahman said, I do not believe that the people of the holy land [Saudi Arabia] would support a project that would cause the Egyptian people to be thirsty.

Citizen Alaa Khalaf said, Even though the Saudi leaders approve of the [potential] injustice caused to the Egyptian people, the [Saudi] people will not.

Masoum Marzouk, a former deputy foreign minister, told Al-Monitor the Saudi visit to the Renaissance Dam will not affect the dam's construction, which should be complete next year. Yet the visit did not really serve the interest of the Saudis as much as it annoyed Egypt, he said.

He added, Saudi pressure will not alter the Egyptian position toward Syria  because the head of state cannot send a single soldier abroad without the consent of the people and parliament.
December 27, 2016

On Dec. 22, the same day the Syrian government announced that Aleppo was under its control, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari was in Damascus to meet President Bashar al-Assad. Ansari was in fact in the Syrian capital to congratulate his countrys prime regional ally for retaking Syrias largest city and one of the main strongholds of the armed opposition. But Aleppo isnt only a military target for Assad and the coalition fighting on his side, and retaking it isnt an ordinary victory in the long route of the crisis. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, just a few hours after meeting Ansari in Beirut Dec. 23, said the triumph is a milestone to be invested in, representative of a tough war that foiled all attempts to topple the Syrian government.

Over four years of fighting in Aleppo depleted the Iranian-led axis more than clashes in any other area in Syria. Without any accurate count, it is enough to say that hundreds of pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the battles; among those who died were high-ranking officers in both Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. Iranian Gen. Hussein Hamadani and Hezbollah Cmdr. Ali Fayyad  aka Alaa of Bosnia  were both killed near the Athrya-Khanaser road. Hamadani was killed Oct. 9, 2015, and Fayyad on Feb. 26 of this year while executing the plan for the retaking of Aleppo.

An officer who asked to only be identified as a senior military commander from the forces allied with the Syrian government told Al-Monitor, Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, the armed groups dreamed of taking control of Aleppo due to its strategic importance. According to the commander, when the battle started, There was a solid strategy: first, opening the road to Aleppo [Athrya-Khanaser and al-Sfira], then retaking the southern countryside and part of the northern countryside, and finally fighting the battle for the city. This strategy was set from the beginning, and without it there would have been no victory.

The Iranian-led axis strategy involved nibbling forward from outside the city toward areas of opposition groups dominance; this meant separating opposition areas with several corridors. The corridors, when finally connected with each other, constituted a complete siege. The armed opposition groups attempted during the last few weeks to reconnect eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo to areas they controlled in the outskirts of the city, but found this wasnt possible. These attempts were confronted by tightening the siege, which entailed tough battles. The two sides saw the international and regional political moment as critical and decisive: The perceived vacuum was damaging to the opposition and an opportunity for those siding with the Syrian government.

To the coalition fighting on the side of Assad, there were no concerns about game-changing decisions with respect to the international community. The United States is busy with the presidential transition and about all it could do was issue statements of condemnation. Turkey is on bad terms with the West and has started investing in new relationships with Russia and Iran; this brought about the possibility of involving Ankara in the final solution to the Aleppo dilemma and later in efforts to reach a nationwide cease-fire that could help stabilize the situation. On the opposition side, the same givens clearly mean that a defeat in Aleppo will have dire implications on the status and morale of Syrians opposed to the regime. Regional countries backing the opposition kept their distance while waiting to see what the new administration in Washington was going to do in terms of the Syrian crisis. This doesnt mean a total withdrawal from the scene, but rather that there is a moment to reassess and later decide whether to be part of an overall strategy or to start a separate strategy.

The recapture of Aleppo will have a long-term strategic impact on the war in Syria, the military source told Al-Monitor. He said, Taking back Aleppo means to allies of Syria what it means to the Syrian government itself. First, it thwarts all political plans by powers backing the [anti-government] militants to take the city as a capital for the opposition. Second, there will be no autonomous region in northern Syria similar to the Benghazi model in Libya. Third, Syria is going to stay unified and plans to divide it are going to fail. Fourth, it will add a major city to the main cities in Syria away from militant control.

The fall of Aleppo doesnt mean the end of the war in Syria for Assad and his allies  but thats not a matter of debate, as there are still other battles to be fought. The regime controls Damascus and Aleppo, the two largest cities in Syria, with the largest populations, along with Homs, Hama, Latakia, Tartus and Suwayda. This regime is strong and active and cant be ignored or no one can claim it's fallen or finished, Nasrallah said Dec. 23. This doesnt mean the project to destroy Syria is over and the war on Syria is over. Its still on, but we are heading to a new chapter  our front is advancing but the responsibility is bigger; our duty now is to secure the city of Aleppo and the areas around it, because the armed groups are going to [launch another] attempt on the city and its surroundings.

The military source said that the new chapter Nasrallah was referring to will involve the war on takfiri terrorism to the last breath, continuing the support to the Syrian government and backing its decisions, supporting the Syrian people until they fulfill their ambitions, confronting all attempts to divide Syria, helping Syria get out of this crisis stronger and preserving it as a state of resistance, and finally, helping using all means to rebuild the country.

Despite the above statements, it is not clear what the next military step the forces allied with Assad will take. Some analysts suggested the opposition-held city of Idlib could be next, but this doesnt appear to be realistic. It seems more likely, with Turkey, Iran and Russia unifying efforts, that the new chapter might involve more words and fewer bullets, where politics will be the tool to transform the anti-Assad struggle into a much weaker insurgency. Assad perhaps should thank his adversaries  inside and outside Syria  for having been so divided in a battle that seemed, at the beginning, to have been a rare opportunity to unite all those against him.

The only element that shouldnt be ignored is the Islamic State (IS). IS isnt weak, as many might think, and its surprises in Syria still might be coming. Its battle to the north of Aleppo for the city of al-Bab with Turkish forces, who have been badly bruised, tells a lot. So does IS retaking of the historic city of Palmyra, which should be an alarm for all parties involved in the Syrian war.
December 27, 2016

On Dec. 26, Mehdi Karroubi, one of the candidates in the disputed 2009 presidential election who later emerged as a leader of the Green Movement, resigned from his post as secretary-general of his political party. Karroubi, a former parliament speaker, has been on house arrest along with fellow Green Movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi since 2011. Karroubi founded the Reformist National Trust Party in 2005 following his defeat in the presidential election that year.

In his letter to party members, Karroubi wrote, As you know, the circumstances of the house arrest have prevented the possibility of pursuing matters such as the issues of the party, and my information and news about this is limited.  I urge all friends to strictly avoid any kind of disagreement and differences that can lead to expulsions or tension among the dear members of the party.

He added, The central council [of the party]  should have a session, and with attention to my situation [house arrest], which started in 2011, and [how] its end is unclear and no time has been set for it [to end], I request my resignation from the post of secretary-general of the party, and I urge friends to accept and approve this request without the interference of emotions and feelings and for the greater interests of the party. [You should] choose the new secretary-general with the management of Mr. [Rasoul] Montajebnia, the respected deputy of the secretary-general, and be sure that after the change of the situation and lifting of the house arrest, I will spare no effort [for the party] as a founding member.

Karroubi continued, This Reformist party should maintain its independence while having interaction and cooperation with other Reformist groups and figures. We should learn from the victories and defeats. You should profit from the sweet experiences of [the parliamentary and presidential elections in] 1997, 2000, 2001 [in which some tried to divide the Reformists vote by greatly barring candidates]. However, it is necessary [for you] to have interaction and collaborate [with other Reformist groups], while being careful not to get caught in artificial situations [created by some groups]. A believer is not bitten twice from the same hole.

Of note, Montajebnia, the deputy of the secretary-general, resigned Dec. 24, apparently over some internal disagreements within the party.

Explaining the reason behind Karroubis resignation, his son told the Reformist Shargh daily on Dec. 27, A series of disagreements has  come to emerge among the members of the central council [of the party]. In my meetings with my father, I relayed these disputes. During this period, we tried to build unity among the members of the central council, but unfortunately, as we came forward, the disagreements over a series of issues intensified. For this reason, my father decided to maintain the internal unity within the party and prevent division by resigning and giving over the authority to choose a new secretary-general.

In response to the letter, Esmail Gerami Moghaddam, the spokesman for the National Trust Party, told ILNA news agency on Dec. 26, The resignation of Mr. Karroubi surprised the members of the party and has caused dissatisfaction among all of its members, committees and various branches." He also said that the party will discuss the matter on Dec. 30.

Moreover, Rahmatollah Bigdeli, a member of the central council of the National Trust Party, told Shargh daily on Dec. 27, In my opinion, the central council will definitely oppose Mr. Karroubis request. Mentioning Montajebnias resignation, Bigdeli added, The issue of Mr. Montajebnias resignation has been annulled.  In a letter to Mr. Karroubi, Mr. Montajebnia had presented suggestions and announced that in case of fulfillment of these proposals, he would continue his work. The letter was confidential, and Mr. Montajebnia had asked for greater unity within the party and [had demanded] that its members operate within the framework of the statutes, manifesto and ideals of the party.
December 23, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  In 1984, the TV movie "The Burning Bed" opened Americans' eyes to the long-cloaked reality of domestic violence. It helped establish in American minds the validity of desperation as an extenuating circumstance in certain criminal cases.

More than 30 years later, in a statement issued Dec. 18, an alliance of Palestinian nongovernmental organizations is calling on the Palestinian judiciary to consider the effects of domestic violence as a woman appeals her death sentence in the slaying of her husband.

The case is the first in which the death penalty has been issued against a Palestinian woman since the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994. The Al Muntada alliance, which comprises 14 women's and human rights organizations, fears that carrying out the sentence would pave the way for more death penalties against Palestinian women, including those reeling from the growing phenomenon of domestic and social violence.

On Oct. 5, the First Instance Court of Khan Yunis issued a judgment convicting Nahla Abu Anzeh, 26, of murdering her husband in January and sentenced her to death by hanging.

Anzeh's husband beat her, according to Zeinab al-Ghonaimi, director of the Center for Women's Legal Research and Consulting in the Gaza Strip (CWLRC).

Media outlets, such as France 24 on Dec. 13, noted that Gaza public prosecutor Ismail Jaber was quoted by AFP as saying, On the day he was killed, [Anzeh] had asked her husband out for some fresh air near their small home in a poor district of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. They traveled a short distance by donkey cart before her husband wanted to relieve himself. She then pulled out the knife she bought several days earlier and stabbed him in the back several times.

Lawyer Bakr al-Turkmani, coordinator of investigations and complaints in the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) in Gaza, denounced the judgment and demanded its re-examination, arguing that the death penalty is not a deterring sanction and is inconsistent with the modern philosophy of punishment, based on doing no harm to neutral third parties. He told Al-Monitor that Anzeh "has a 2-year-old child who already lost his father  who was murdered, and now he may also lose his mother as well. This would jeopardize his future in the absence of any official child-care institutions in Gaza. A reduced sentence would help mitigate the problem, he noted.

He said that the ICHR is highly concerned about this case as this judgment sets a historical precedent in the Palestinian territories.

"We are closely following up on this case to make sure [Anzeh] gets a fair [hearing] and to try to ease the verdict. The death penalty was issued by the Court of First Instance and is being challenged before the Court of Appeals, which is scheduled to hold a hearing in January 2017 to examine the case, Turkmani said.

Ghonaimi told Al-Monitor that Anzeh is being neglected by her own family, who did not hire a lawyer to defend her.

She continued, This forced the court to appoint a lawyer who failed to properly follow up on her case. This is evidenced by the fast indictment issued by the court against her. This shows that [Anzeh] has not received a fair trial.

Ghonaimi told Al-Monitor tha under tribal court traditions, Anzeh's family had the opportunity to settle the case by compensating her husband's family with money, but her family refused. Ghonaimi alleged this was because Anzeh is a woman.

If the perpetrator was a man, his family would have paid the [settlement] to the victims family as an alternative for punishment and death sentence. This shows the discrimination of families between women and men, she said.

This is why the CWLRC decided to help [Anzeh] and to appoint a lawyer for her case in an attempt to have the sentence reduced, Ghonaimi said. Even though Anzeh confessed to the crime, the CWLRC is striving to reopen the proceedings, charging that the court did not examine the cases extenuating circumstances, she said.

The accused was abused by the victim, her husband, who used to beat her, Ghonaimi said.

She also said the CWLRC will be taking several steps to have the sentence reduced, either by requesting the Court of Appeals to take into consideration the motives or by pressuring Anzeh's family to reach a settlement with the victims family to have the charges dropped.

Amal Siyam, director of Women's Affairs Center in Gaza, said a lack of laws that protect women against domestic violence could have pushed Anzeh to commit the crime.

Women in Gaza are marginalized and battered at home. Yet we are not claiming that [Anzeh] did not do something wrong. We are seeking that the courts take into account the harsh conditions she was living under, which could lead to a reduced sentence, Siyam said.

A 2012 study by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics found that 37% of Palestinian women have been subjected to domestic violence at the hands of their husbands. About 51% of these women live in the Gaza Strip.

Nafez al-Madhoun, chairman of the Higher Judicial Institute in the Ministry of Justice and secretary-general of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), stressed that the death penalty is provided for in the Penal Code of 1936.

He told Al-Monitor, We, as a Palestinian society, do not distinguish between a man and a woman in terms of sanctions, which apply to everyone. It does not make sense for human rights and womens organizations to demand equality between men and women and then demand a reduced sentence for [Anzeh].

Madhoun said it is very unlikely that the PLC will abolish the death penalty, as Palestinian society is a tribal community, where people still commit acts of vengeance. If local authorities do not achieve justice and properly punish murderers, the security situation would be undermined, he said.

Anzeh is pinning her hopes on the help of human rights and womens organizations to save her from the gallows. Ghonaimi said that if the family of the victim, Rabie Abu Anzeh, decides to relinquish its legal right, Anzeh's sentence could be reduced to five years in prison. This, however, is still a long shot.
December 27, 2016

ERBIL, Iraq  The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the United States recently reiterated their opposition to the continued presence of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the Sinjar region.

On Dec. 15, US State Department spokesman John Kirby was asked by a local Kurdish news agency about the US stance on this issue. We continue to believe that the PKK, which is a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, should have no role in Sinjar, and we regard their presence there as a major obstacle to a reconciliation and to the return of internally displaced people, Kirby said.

He added, We urge all groups, including the KRG, to facilitate political reconciliation so that these internally displaced people can return and the traumatized communities in that region can rebuild."

At a conference in the city of Dahuk on Dec. 15, Iraqi Kurdistan's Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said, One of the main reasons that has deterred the rebuilding of Sinjar is the PKK, and that is a fact.

The people of that region, Barzani said, are uncertain about their future there given the PKK presence, which is why they do not reconstruct the city.

He added, The PKK should understand that, and for the good of the people, they have to leave the region. The people of Sinjar have to run their city and decide on their future.

Islamic State (IS) militants infamously assaulted the Sinjar region in August 2014 in an attempt to destroy the Yazidi community there. Thousands of Yazidi civilians were killed by IS, and an estimated 3,500 Yazidi women and girls remain in IS captivity as sex slaves. Hundreds of thousands are still displaced.

In August 2014, the PKK established an armed presence in the city of Sinjar, and the Kurdish peshmerga forced IS from the entire city in November 2015. The PKK have not left, and their continued presence is causing tensions with the peshmerga.

The KRG is already trying to put pressure on the PKK by reportedly limiting access to Sinjar, Aliza Marcus, the author of "Blood and Belief: The PKK and the Kurdish Fight for Independence," told Al Monitor. But the policy doesn't appear to be enough to push the PKK out, or to build enough local support to push the PKK out.

She said, As for the United States, I don't see this as a priority at all. Iraq has a lot of issues the United States is dealing with. The PKK presence in Sinjar really isn't one of the big issues for the United States, or for Baghdad it seems.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Ankara would intervene against the PKK in Sinjar if they attempted to establish a permanent presence there.

We will go on this campaign [Operation Euphrates Shield] in Syria and Iraq, and now in Kirkuk, Mosul, Tal Afar and Sinjar. Why? Sinjar is about to be the new Qandil [for the PKK], Erdogan said Oct. 27. Thus, we cannot allow it to happen in Sinjar, because the PKK is there.

Erdogan was referring to the Qandil Mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the PKK has long maintained bases throughout its wars with Turkey.

In November, during negotiations between Baghdad and Ankara  over the latters contentious troop presence in Bashiqa near Mosul  Iraqs ambassador to Turkey, Hisham al-Alawi, mentioned the PKK presence in Sinjar.

The PKK presence in northern Iraq  in Sinjar  happened without permission from the Iraqi government, Alawi said Nov. 11. He added that Baghdad is also not particularly happy with the PKK presence in Sinjar.

In 2013, when the Turkish government had a deal with the PKK leaders  facilitated by the Kurdistan Regional Government  we were not happy with the encouragement that PKK members would go to Iraqi territory, he said, referring to the cease-fire agreement reached between Turkey and the PKK in early 2013, which saw many of the PKK fighters evacuate southeast Turkey to their Qandil Mountains stronghold. The Iraqi central government was not involved in that particular agreement, Alawi added.

In a recent interview with Al-Monitor, Barzani also said that the KRG is in continuous talks with Baghdad over the PKK withdrawal from Sinjar. So far they havent taken any serious steps to help [with the withdrawal of the PKK], and I personally cannot confirm that they have cut the YBS salaries even though they told us they had.

Barzani was referring to Baghdads reported salary payments to the Sinjar Resistance Units, the PKK-affiliated Yazidi force, which controls part of the region.

He also warned, If matters come to a head and Ankara and Baghdad and other players get drawn in, we too, as the KRG, are players and hold certain cards in our hands.

He clarified that this meant Erbil could possibly resort to using military force to reclaim territory in Sinjar from the PKK. Having said that, he said, I dont think it would be in anybodys interest to reach that point.

One thing these statements do make clear is that, to varying degrees, the PKK's presence in Sinjar is opposed by Ankara, Baghdad, Erbil and Washington. What they might do about it remains to be seen.
December 27, 2016

It's long been said that government has no business in people's bedrooms. Government, however, hasn't always agreed.

But this time, at least, it appears to be blushing.

On Dec. 15, Turkish parliamentarian Fatma Kaplan Hurriyet, from the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), brought a thick book to parliament. The books title was Marriage and Family Life. Hurriyet explained to her colleagues that this book is handed out as a gift to all newlyweds in Kutahya province. In Turkey, all legal marriages are conducted in civil ceremonies by the municipality.

As the legislator highlighted, the book is filled with rather extraordinary sexual scenarios, so much so that it rocked Turkish social media.

Here are some of the more graphic arguments from this intriguing book.

The book was written mostly for men, addressing them directly and advising what to do about their wives. For example, it advises against talking during sex, because a child born as a result of such intercourse will stutter or, even worse, be mute. If simply talking can have such devastating results, one cheeky Twitter user wanted to know, "What if we scream when we get down?"

The book also says that if a couple does not obey the sexual intercourse rules and if the wife is not passionate during sex, then their child will be stupid  prompting another social commentator to write, Friends, lets pray during intercourse so the child will be a scholar.

Men are advised to marry fertile and cute women, but they should be virgins. It also says women should not be frigid and nonresponsive in bed; rather, they should be warm and active. A womans moves should encourage her man to be proud and strong in bed.

A woman is required to dress sexy for her men, even if he doesn't treat her well. Indeed, if a woman fails to appear attractive at home for her husband and does not obey his wishes, the book says the man should hit her. Men are the shepherds, and beating a woman reminds her who the ruler of the house is. It's almost like administering medicine, the book counsels. It's good for them.

After a beating, the wife is advised to serve her husband coffee in a sexy outfit in order to end the conflict with make-up sex. In any case, wives best not complain.

If a husband is angry, his wife should keep quiet but apologize and seek forgiveness. It is best that women refrain from angering their husbands.

The book not only encourages domestic violence but also polygamy. It employs an intriguing logic here, as well: If your wife is grumpy, why divorce her and let her become another man's burden? Better to get another wife, which the book suggests would generate competition between the wives and ease their temperaments. Polygamy is illegal in Turkey, but its popularity is on the rise.

Continuing to dispense advice that goes against medical science, the book blames birth defects on lackluster sexual drive.

The "family life" part of the book provides detailed advice on womens employment. It suggests it's best if a wife does not seek a job outside the house, because 50% of women in the workplace are sexually harassed and their sexual interest toward their husbands will decline. The author raises a red flag for all husbands whose wives are employed: If a woman sees a man more handsome than her own, her mind will wander toward that more attractive man. As this would lead to a crisis in the household, to be safe, women should be housewives.

There is wise advice about parenting also, particularly about when your children should be married. The author warns that if marriage is delayed, the consequences will be dire. Men should marry between the ages 22 and 24 and girls are ripe between 16 and 18. Individuals who are physically and mentally advanced for their ages can marry younger.

The author, Hasan Caliskan, has worked for the Religious Affairs Directorate, although after a public uproar Dec. 19, the directorate announced that if municipalities are to distribute such books, they should first consult the directorate. The announcement also said the book is based upon wrong traditions and cannot be considered compatible with Islamic values. Yet, Kutahya municipal officials told the press they have not received any complaints from the public.

And this is not the only such book in circulation. On Dec. 16, Hurriyet held a press conference, this time holding Pamukkale municipalitys booklet titled Marriage and Its Sanctity, which can be viewed, at best, as even more humiliating for women than the Kutahya publication. This one suggests that women are mentally incomplete, so they should not be consulted on any matter. The more a man beats his wife, it says, the more she will desire him sexually. Women should not go to parks or gyms. Ballet and theater are devils' nests. Women should not go out of the house without the permission of their husbands, and if the wives are Christians or Jews, husbands have a right to ban them from going to their temples.

Al-Monitor spoke with Gulsum Kav, chairwoman of a group called We Will Stop the Murder of Women Platform, about these booklets and their impact on society. Kav said, We were aware of the fact that AKP [the ruling Justice and Development Party] municipalities wanted to convince women that they have no rights, but with this booklet we learn more details."

Kav said government authorities should not be giving civil marriage participants a book representing any one religions beliefs. Kav also raised another issue: The Kutahya mayor justifies the book as a way of curbing the divorce rate. The AKP has been discouraging women from divorce, even in abusive marriages.

Lawyer and activist Diren Cevahir Sen told Al-Monitor these booklets are another sign of how the government uses every layer of the state as a tool to spread misogyny and strengthen patriarchy.

Emergency law has only made matters worse for women in Turkey. For example, a young female author, Seray Sahiner, on a business trip in Bursa became a victim. Two policemen entered her hotel room in the middle of the night without permission and took her into custody, allegedly for sarcastically referring to one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogans sons as a genius in her writings. She was promptly released. Was this sort of forced entry necessary for a nonviolent alleged crime? Plus, is it really appropriate, let alone acceptable, by Islamist standards for male officers to barge into the bedroom of a sleeping woman? According to the booklet, why not? Isn't it normal for women in the workforce to be sexually harassed and abused?

Violence against women is spreading even faster under the guise of the emergency law in Turkey. Sen emphasized that the streets are increasingly unsafe for females of all ages. Kav concurs with her, adding that the number of womens murders, sexual abuse and harassment cases, and attacks on our rights from all angles [have] increased."

"But the intriguing part is that the number of women joining in the struggle to peacefully resist also [has] increased, she added.

Still, the publics main focus has been on the sexual scenarios of the books. Hundreds of comments poured in on social media as to why the AKP is against dirty talking and about other bogus advice published as Islamic guidelines. During the times of Islamists in Turkey, sex has become a less-censured topic and public commentary on it has increased significantly. However, the way the subject is treated seems reminiscent of the 16th and 17th centuries  and that is scary for women and minors.
December 28, 2016

Turkey and Russia have reached an agreement for a countrywide cease-fire plan to end the conflict in Syria, Turkish and international news outlets reported Dec. 28. The plan, which would come into effect at midnight Dec. 29, imposes a cessation of hostilities on the armed opposition as well as forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to Turkeys semi-official Anadolu Agency, groups that both Ankara and Moscow consider terrorist  meaning Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) and the Islamic State  will not be included in the cease-fire.

The Turkish-Russian agreement comes in the wake of a more limited deal between Ankara and Moscow that enabled the withdrawal of civilians trapped in the rebel-held districts in northwestern Syria's Aleppo. If the comprehensive cease-fire plan holds, the multilateral peace talks that are likely to be held in the Kazakh capital, Astana, next month will have a better chance of ending Syrias tragic civil war.

To be sure, the cease-fire deal and the Astana talks may not resolve other outstanding issues between Turkey and Russia. As Al-Monitor's Fehim Tastekin wrote Dec. 26, it is unlikely for Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept a Turkish-backed opposition-held buffer zone in northern Syria. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlovs Dec. 19 murder in Ankara puts Ankara into a vulnerable position vis-a-vis Moscow.

The Turkish-Russian cease-fire deal almost eclipsed an equally sensational story. On Dec. 28, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused his Western partners in the anti-IS coalition of supporting the fanatical group along with the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Unity Party (PYD). Erdogan went so far as to claim that he had evidence that US-led coalition forces in Syria had given support to both IS and the PYD. Ankara considers the PYD an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting the Turkish government for independence and autonomy since 1984. Turkey, the United States and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist group.

The American response was anything but low key. At the daily press briefing Dec. 27, US State Departments deputy spokesman Mark Toner characterized Erdogans claims as ludicrous" with "no basis for truth. As can be expected, while pro-government media outlets in Turkey gave serious coverage to Erdogans claims, the leading opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet underscored Toners response.

Although the episode represents another rift between Turkey and its most important international partner, the United States, and though Russia backed Turkish claims, it is unlikely to lead to a breakdown in US-Turkish relations or a Turkish pivot toward Russia. After all, this is not the first time that Ankara and Washington publicly bickered over which side is at fault for the Syrian mess, the rise of IS and a host of other problems.
December 27, 2016

Two recent bombing attacks that killed 60 people in Turkey were part of a long chain of violence. In 2016, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its affiliate, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), carried out 20 bombing attacks in 12 towns, killing 225 people and seriously wounding 1,022. Clashes by the Kurds in Turkey were only one side of the coin. According to official figures, 9,500 PKK militants have been killed since July 20, 2015. In the same period, more than 10,500 Kurds were detained, while 843 security personnel and 335 civilians were killed in PKK attacks.

In the 26 years of PKK operations, from 1984 to 2010, security forces have killed about 30,000 PKK militants. Turkeys Kurds have seen the bloodiest phase of clashes in the last 1 years. This period has also been the most pressure the PKK has come under within Turkeys borders. In addition to the serious casualties it suffered, the organization lost its domination of towns in the southeast, while the state targeted and eliminated PKK camps and bases it had not been able to reach in rural terrain for many years. Parallel to the military pressure, the government has severely restricted the Kurdish movements political and democratic spheres. Any kind of civilian and political contact with the Kurdish movement has been instantly criminalized.

Part of the conflict policy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is concealed in Turkeys Syria policy. Through its Operation Euphrates Shield, which was originally declared to be against the Islamic State (IS), Turkey is making military moves to cut contact between the Kurdish cantons in Syria and to limit the Kurdish political sphere, which is deemed to be a threat to Turkeys interests.

In addition to moves on the ground, Ankara has taken diplomatic steps, such as the recent Russia-Iran-Turkey agreement on Syria. Turkeys intentions are far-reaching. Al-Monitors Fehim Tastekin, in his interview with the daily Cumhuriyet, analyzed the prevailing mood in Ankara as follows: The state is envisaging a major war against Rojava [Kurdish Syria]. You should not distinguish between the martial-law-like measures inside Turkey with the new plans made for south of the border. Turkeys strategy is to create a buffer zone there with the jihadi organizations pushed against its border and to use this potential against the YPG [Kurdish People's Protection Units].

Now the question is: What is the Kurdish movements position in face of these moves and Ankaras plans? What is the Kurds' political strategy? And is that strategy sustainable in Turkey and Syria?

Since 2011, the PKK has been operating in two strategic centers: Turkeys southeast and northern Syria. The PKKs main goal was to achieve organizational and political dominance of these two centers, which it defined as a unified sovereignty sphere. This ambition was based on democratic autonomy for Turkey and federalism for Syria.

This was the basis of the Kurdish approach to the solution process. The Kurdish movement set up its own judiciary, law and order, and finance bodies parallel to the state authority. It declared autonomous cantons in northern Syria.

Following Kobanis siege by IS in 2014, the YPG succeeded in securing a standing in the international coalition that was combating radical Islamists. This gave the Kurdish movement significant advantages. When the Kurdish political existence in northern Syria was recognized at international levels, it gained allies and legitimacy.

But critical steps by the Kurdish movement in Turkey were derailed by events in northern Syria. The developments in Syria created major fears on the Turkish side, which couldnt adapt itself to new conditions; hence, its abandoning of the peace process.

This was the background to the beginning of the most recent phase of the war between Turkey and the Kurdish movement that began in July 2015.

The Kurdish movement launched urban warfare by declaring armed autonomy. Their idea was to implement the Syrian canton model in Turkey. In an interview on Sept. 28, 2015, senior PKK leader Murat Karayilan said, To transform the democratic autonomous Kurdistan to a reality is a historic step we are pursuing. Eighty percent of Hakkari province is under total control of the guerrillas. The Turkish state cannot enter those lands.

But this grandiose ambition ended with failure and military defeat in the summer of 2016. Recoiling from the defeat and to show it was still potent, the PKK reverted to hit-and-run actions, especially in metropolitan cities in western Turkey.

Despite its military defeat and the anger of the Kurdish middle class over the destruction caused by urban warfare, the PKK still has a strong social base. In 2015, the Peoples' Democratic Party won more than 10% of the votes nationwide and more than 50% in Kurdish areas.

As well-known experts Vahap Coskun and Cuma Cicek pointed out regarding the PKKs Turkey strategy, Unlike Iraq and Syria, Turkeys central state is not in an existential crisis. There is no nationwide political instability and uprising. There is no likelihood for international forces to intervene. In a NATO member such as Turkey, the Kurdish movement has no rational choice other than to seek a political solution.

As to the status and policies of the Kurdish movement in northern Syria, day by day Rojava is becoming more vital for the PKK. According to Karayilan, Turkey cannot succeed with a policy of denying Kurds their status and rights. Today, Kurds control 29% of the Syrian territory at Rojava. Now an assault against Raqqa is on the agenda. If the Kurds capture Raqqa, their territorial holding will reach 40%. Nobody can ignore that.

Nevertheless, alliances in the region are extremely fluid and constantly changing. The Kurdish movement is looking for its proper place by moving between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey, the United States, Iran and Russia. Although regional winds may favor the Kurds, they still cannot anchor themselves to a robust position.

Speaking on Dec. 19 just before the Russia-Iran-Turkey summit, Karayilan said every party is trying to formulate a policy by trying to predict developments in two major issues. First is what US President-elect Donald Trumps policy will be on Syria and the Middle East as a whole. Second is what the effects of the Moscow summit will be.

Turkeys goal with the Moscow agreements is to narrow the Kurdish operational space and to rule out autonomy. Whether this is realistic and how political equations will develop in the coming days are not yet clear. What is clear is that the Kurdish movement doesnt have its earlier freedom of movement. We will have to watch the reshuffling of the cards.
December 27, 2016

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides have been claiming that US President Barack Obama is an Israel basher. To prove this, they argued that not since Jimmy Carter occupied the Oval Office has the United States lent a hand to such an anti-Israel move as Resolution 2334 adopted Dec. 23 by the UN Security Council condemning the West Bank settlements. They are referring to Resolution 465 of March 1980 determining that Israeli construction across the Green Line that delineated its borders until 1967 constitutes a violation of international law. According to Netanyahu, Carter, the sponsor of the Camp David agreement and peace treaty with Egypt, is nothing short of a supporter of the Hamas terror organization. American Friends of Peace Now looked into it and found that since June 1967, the United States voted 69 times in the UN Security Council against Israels position on the Israeli-Arab conflict, including on the annexation of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. All US presidents, except Obama, did so more than once.

Right-wing officials have been regurgitating ad nauseam the claim that the United Nations is persecuting the settlements while displaying helplessness vis-a-vis other bloody conflicts around the world. "At a time when the Security Council does nothing to stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western Wall 'occupied territory,' Netanyahu said. Several days earlier, Israels UN Ambassador Danny Danon said that over the past decade the UN passed 223 resolutions condemning Israel, with only eight resolutions condemning the Syrian regime as it massacred its citizens. The fact is that the 223 resolutions relating to Israel were as insignificant as the eight against Syria.

In regard to the Israeli occupation, the UN and other international organizations have for years been stumbling between sterile debates and hollow declarations. Israel, meanwhile, has been acting in accordance with a policy that its first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion described as it doesnt matter what the non-Jews say, what matters is what the Jews will do.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled in 1971 that countries cannot ignore a Security Council resolution declaring a certain situation illegal. So what. The European Community declared in 1980 in Venice that Israeli settlements were illegal. So what. In an opinion issued this past July the Quartet for Mideast Peace (the United States, Russia, the UN and the European Union) called on Israel to stop construction in the settlements and its gradual takeover of the West Banks Area C (under Israeli control). So what. Security Council Resolution 1515 initiated by US President George W. Bush in 2003 adopted the Road Map to Mideast peace that included a total ban on Israeli construction in the occupied territories. So what.

And now for the facts. When the UN Security Council decided 35 years ago that the settlement enterprise in the territories that Israel captured in 1967 was illegal, the Jewish settlers in those territories (which included the Gaza Strip but not East Jerusalem) numbered 12,500. Today, according to Peace Now data culled from the Central Bureau of Statistics, their number is nearing 400,000. In March 1980, there were 47 settlements in those territories. The vast majority were in the Jordan Valley and adjacent to the Green Line. Today, according to human rights organization BTselem, there are 247 settlements and outposts scattered throughout the West Bank.

UN resolutions did not prevent successive Israeli governments from expanding the settlements and nurturing the outposts even in the golden days of the peace process. In 1993, the year the Oslo Accord was signed with the Palestinians, the number of settlers was about one-quarter their number today. Upon entering the White House, Obama managed to extract from Netanyahu a promise to rein in the unbridled Israeli desire for real estate in the West Bank. In his famous June 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University, Netanyahu pledged that the territorial question will be discussed as part of the final peace agreement. In the meantime, we have no intention of building new settlements or of expropriating additional land for existing settlements.

And what does the proposed regularization law that retroactively legalizes wildcat Israeli outposts in the West Bank say? With a person proving that he is the rightful owner of land, or registered as having rights over land, his rights and the use of the plot would be expropriated and transferred to the authorities. Expropriation would be maintained until such time as a diplomatic determination is made on the status of the region and the Israeli settlement there.

A US veto of the most recent Security Council resolution regarding the settlements would have meant not only a de facto authorization of Israeli land theft from Palestinians and the violation of a public pledge by the prime minister of Israel, but a vote against a resolution that determines that the settlements are illegal would have pulled the already shaky ground from under the glass house of US Mideast policy.

For eight years, Obama explained his refusal to propose Security Council resolutions against the settlements by saying that the place to discuss the issue is around the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating table. Israels presentation of the draft regularization law for Knesset approval turns this argument into a sad joke. Ministers and Knesset members from the ruling parties are demanding publicly that West Bank lands be annexed, silencing the faint voices of the believers in a two-state solution.

In his farewell speech, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon conceded that decades of political maneuverings generated a plethora of resolutions, reports and conferences critical of Israel. In many cases, instead of helping the Palestinian issue, this reality has foiled the ability of the UN to fulfill its role effectively," he added. Does Resolution 2334 augur a change? Can one deduce from it that those paying lip service to Middle East peace are starting to grow teeth, or will this resolution, too, fall prey to political maneuvering and gather dust in the archives?

The international commotion stirred up by Netanyahu over Resolution 2334 has turned it into a test case of the UNs relevance and prestige. This coming year will mark the 50th anniversary of Israels occupation of the territories. The organization that declared the establishment of a state for the Jewish people in 1949 is not allowed to evade its current responsibility to try to free millions of people from occupation and to recognize the state of the Palestinian people.
Two Atlanta women were indicted today on federal charges of fraud for a credit card scheme that stretched across state lines.

U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Williams announced the charges against Nenita Chiffon Barnes and Alicia Shante Stewart in a five-count indictment.

Records show the women were involved in a conspiracy to defraud Regions Bank by using stolen credit card numbers to create counterfeit cards. They then used those counterfeit cards for purchases and cash advances between October 2015, and April 2016, records stated.

Barnes, 40, and Stewart, 34, are both charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of possessing more than 15 counterfeit credit cards. They are also charged with one count each of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, the two women worked together at multiple Regions Bank branches in north Alabama. There, they made cash withdraws using the counterfeit cards they made.

Barnes is charged with aggravated identity theft for using names and debit/credit card numbers of four individuals. Stewart did the same with the names and numbers of three other individuals, the indictment said.

The conspiracy and bank fraud charges have a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison each and a $1 million fine. The charge of possession of counterfeit credit/debit cards has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Aggravated identity theft has a mandatory minimum prison sentence of two years, and must be served after completion of any other sentence for an associated crime. The fine for that charge is a maximum of $250,000.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Jacksonville Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Beardsley Mark is prosecuting the case.
BPD is trying to identify the man in the burgundy hoodie for questioning in Dec. 27, 2016 homicide.

Authorities have now released the name of man shot to death at a Birmingham gas station Tuesday.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office on Wednesday identified the victim as Reginald Stephon Smith. He was 20.

The shooting happened about 8 p.m. at the Sunoco gas station near the intersection of First Avenue North and 68th Street North. Multiple shell casings were found near a gas pump.

Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Bryan Shelton said Smith died at the scene at 8:12 p.m. Authorities said Smith lived not far from where the shooting took place.

Shelton said Wednesday the preliminary investigation showed the suspect parked his vehicle at the gas pump and entered the store. While in the store, the suspect looked outside and saw Smith getting into his car.

The suspect ran out of the store, confronted Smith and shots were fired. The victim exited the suspect's vehicle and began to run. The suspect then fled the location in his vehicle.

"We are looking to identify the suspect in an effort to piece together parts of the story,'' Shelton said. "One thing that needs to be answered is just why the victim got into the suspect's vehicle."

Smith is Birmingham's 104th homicide this year. Of those, at least eight have been ruled justifiable and two others were officer-involved shootings by outside law enforcement agencies - the Irondale Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office - and therefore aren't deemed criminal by the police department.

Birmingham ended 2015 with 92 homicides, a 55 percent increase over 2014, making 2015 the city's deadliest year since 2008 until 2016. Of the 92 Birmingham deaths ruled homicides by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office last year, two were considered accidental by Birmingham police and 10 others were ruled justifiable.

Countywide, there have been 150 homicides, including the 104 in Birmingham. There were 143 countywide in 2015, up from 88 in 2014.

Anyone with information in Smith's death is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764.
Takeru Kobayashi is known for his hot dog eating prowess. The Japanese competitive eater gained world-wide notoriety for his success in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which he won every year from 2001 through 2006.

In his 2006 win, Kobayashi scarfed down 53 and three-quarters hot dogs in 12 minutes.

But sometimes, you just want to eat a little slower, and enjoy a good hot dog.

Kobayashi stopped by Birmingham's Hot Diggity Dogs for a bite to eat on Tuesday night, and posted a photo of his visit in front of the Avondale eatery's mural.

Kobayashi said he tried a Birmingham Dog -- owner Tom Bagby's take on the Birmingham classic -- with kraut, mustard, onion and special sauce. The champion eater gave a thumbs-up emoji ([?] ) to his hot dog.

Bagby said Kobayashi then went on to The Marble Ring, a speakeasy-style bar accessed through Hot Diggity Dogs.

What's it like having a champion hot dog eater enjoy your hot dog?

"It's a trip," Bagby said. "Totally unexpected."

"My doors are open to anyone," Bagby said. "Interesting folks are bound to walk in."

An e-mail to Kobayashi Wednesday for more information was not immediately returned.
Lawyers for former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard probably won't file his appeal with the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals until at least February.

The appeals court has granted additional time, until Jan. 25, for completion of the court reporter's transcript of Hubbard's trial.

Hubbard's lawyers will have 28 days after the transcript is filed with the appeals court to submit Hubbard's appeal brief.

Court of Criminal Appeals Clerk Scott Mitchell said it is commonplace for the trial judge and appeals court to grant additional time for completion of a transcript.

The transcript will include the numerous pretrial hearings in the case as well as the two-and-a-half week trial, Hubbard attorney Bill Baxley said.

In June, a Lee County jury convicted Hubbard of 12 felony ethics violations, removing the speaker from his legislative seat. In July, Circuit Judge Jacob Walker sentenced Hubbard to four years in prison.

Hubbard remains out on bond pending his appeal.

The former speaker has maintained his innocence and his lawyers said from the time of the conviction that he would appeal.

"I don't remember having a case when I felt like there were more grounds for appeal than this one," Baxley said.

The attorney general's office, which prosecuted Hubbard after an indictment by a special grand jury in October 2014, declined further comment on the case.

Hubbard was convicted of soliciting and receiving a total of $600,000 in business investments from four business executives who employ lobbyists, of lobbying state agencies and using state personnel to benefit a business client, of receiving money through consulting contracts from companies that employ lobbyists and of voting on legislation with a conflict of interest.

Hubbard's lawyers have claimed that the transactions for which he was convicted were legal and that the jury heard improper expert testimony about the ethics law, among other claims.

The jury acquitted Hubbard on 11 of the 23 charges in the indictment.
A north Alabama woman is accused of embezzling more than $10,000 from her former employer, a propane company in Athens.

Ashley Baxley

Ashley Reanda Baxley, 38, of Athens is accused of stealing the money while she worked as an office manager for United Propane from May- September, according to the Limestone County Sheriff's Office.

Representatives from the company reported that Baxley would pocket cash when delivery drivers turned in customer payments, sheriff's spokesman Stephen Young said.

Baxley apologized to the company in an email, stating that she was struggling with a drug habit, according to reports.

Baxley did not offer repayment and was charged with first-degree theft after an interview with investigators, Young said.

Baxley is held in the Limestone County Jail with bail set at $5,000. If convicted of the Class B felony, she faces up to 20 years imprisonment.
When Huntsville police responded to a call about a crash on the north side of town this morning, they found a shooting victim inside one of the vehicles.

File photo

The victim was pronounced dead after being taken to Huntsville Hospital, Lt. Stacy Bates said.

The victim was a passenger in a Chevy Tahoe that caused the five-vehicle accident. No other injuries were reported.

The intersection of Blue Springs and Mastin Lake roads was temporarily shut down but since has reopened.

Around the same time as the accident, shots reportedly were fired a little over a mile away on the 4600 block of Blue Haven Drive.

"We can't confirm 100 percent that the victim is from the shots fired on Blue Haven," Bates said.

No suspects were in custody, but police were looking for a black male who might be driving a silver or gold Cadillac.

Further details were not immediately available.
Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

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Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski, left, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle speak at a press conference in 2012. Only one of them ended 2016 in the same position he had when the year began.

Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

Change was the theme of 2016 in Huntsville -- changes in where we shop, changes in school administration, changes in the city council, change in our parks and even change in our internet access.

And thats not to mention change in the White House and how Huntsvilles next door neighbors in Madison played a small role in that change.

We put our heads together at our downtown Huntsville office and came up with the top 10 stories of the year in Huntsville. Some you may agree with; some you may disagree with. As usual, we would love to hear your comments and opinions.

But agree or disagree, there is no disputing that change was a defining trait of 2016.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

1. Donald Trump visits Madison, gets Jeff Sessions endorsement

One of the seminal moments of Donald Trumps successful campaign for president took place in Madison on Feb. 28. Not only did the future president-elect draw as many as 15,000 supporters to his rally at Madison City Stadium, Trump received the public endorsement of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions.

"We need to make America great again," Sessions said at the rally, repeating Trump's campaign slogan. "I am pleased to endorse Donald Trump for president of the United States. I believe we are on a movement that must not fade away.

"This is a campaign; this is a movement. The American people are not happy with their government."

Sessions, of course, went on to become one of Trumps closest advisers during the campaign and has now been nominated to be U.S. attorney general.

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Casey Wardynski speaks at a press conference announcing his resignation as superintendent of Huntsville City Schools. (Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com)

Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

2. Casey Wardynski abruptly resigns as school superintendent

Wardynski, who had been superintendent of Huntsville City Schools since 2011, suddenly walked away from the job  announcing on Sept. 14 that he was leaving the next day.

There had been no indications that Wardynski was planning to leave but it soon became apparent that his newly-revealed romantic relationship with Karen Lee, CEO of Pinnacle Schools, was the prime motivation. The school system was due to renew its contract with Lees company.

Once Wardynski left, the school board opted not to renew the contract. After Pinnacle filed a lawsuit against the school system, the board reached an out-of-court settlement for $170,000.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

3. New development set as demise of Madison Square Mall is completed

Though it has been withering for years, Madison Square Mall had its final demise spelled out in 2016. Once the top shopping destination in north Alabama, bustling with shoppers and merchants, the mall has essentially been deserted in recent years.

The Huntsville city council voted on May 26 to enter into a partnership with MidCity Huntsville to redevelop the mall property with a mixed-use development to include retail, residential and recreation. Part of the agreement is that the city promised to spend $10-12 million on infrastructure needs for the development.

The malls remaining anchor stores, Sears and JCPenney, also announced plans to close in January.

An economic impact study on the project indicates the city expects to generate more than $250 million on taxes at the development over the next 20 years. Construction on MidCity is expected to begin in 2017.

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Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon presides over the House during a special session earlier this year. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser)

Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

4. Mac McCutcheon voted Speaker of the House

State Rep. Mac McCutcheon, whose district includes part of west Huntsville, was voted Speaker of the House on Aug. 2 by colleagues in the House. The role bestows upon the retired Huntsville police officer the unofficial title of the most powerful politician in the state.

McCutcheon ascended to the position after former Speaker Mike Hubbard was found guilty on state ethics charges in June. The conviction automatically removed Hubbard from office.

McCutcheon became the first Speaker from the Huntsville area since at least the 1800s, shifting the balance of power from the central and southern parts of the state to the northern part.

Huntsville-area officials also expect there will be benefits with one of their own now with his hands on the gavel in the House.

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FBI Director James Comey, left, and Sen. Richard Shelby speak with reporters following the TEDAC ribbon cutting at Redstone Arsenal. (Paul Gattis/pgattis@al.com)

Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

5. FBI Director James Comey visits Redstone Arsenal, eyes expansion in Huntsville

Before FBI Director James Comey became one of the giant personalities of the presidential campaign (closing the investigation on Hillary Clintons emails, then re-opening it, then closing it again), he visited Huntsville.

The visit itself was to participate in a Feb. 16 ribbon cutting for the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center  where more than two dozen U.S. intelligence outlets come together in a single organization to collect, catalog, analyze, exploit and store terrorist improvised explosive devices (IEDs) -- at Redstone Arsenal.

Speaking after the ceremony, Comey said he saw the "opportunity to have a center of gravity for the FBI" at Redstone. The FBI has land at Redstone Arsenal to create a sprawling campus. Sen. Richard Shelby, who attended the ribbon cutting, said his office was working to bring more FBI projects to Huntsville.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

6. Google Fiber announces plans to come to Huntsville

Ultra-fast internet service came to Huntsville in 2016, sparked by the Feb. 22 announcement by Mayor Tommy Battle that Google would be bringing its fiber network to the Rocket City.

At the time of the announcement, Huntsville was hailed as the 10th center scheduled to receive Google Fiber. To land Google Fiber, Huntsville Utilities announced a plan to build a "smart utility grid" that can reroute power faster to fix outages, among other things, and add extra fiber capacity to that grid and lease it to Google.

Google Fiber is expected to be available to homes and businesses as early as March 2017 and expand across the city over the next four years.

In October, though, Google Fiber halted some expansion plans but those did not include Huntsville.

With Google Fiber's announcement of expanding into Huntsville, other fiber networks have jumped into the Rocket City marketplace, too. AT&T Fiber was among Google competitors to announce plans to provide ultra-fast internet in Huntsville and the service is already available to some customers.

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Bob Gathany

7. Cop who slammed "Indian grandfather" to ground goes back to work

After two federal juries failed to reach a verdict in Eric Parker's civil rights violation trial in 2015 and the judge acquitted him and the state subsequently dropped an assault charge, the Madison police officer returned to work in September.

Parker was the police officer at the center of an international controversy when he slammed an Indian man visiting his newborn grandchild in Madison after police were called to investigate a suspicious person walking a suburban sidewalk.

Jim Cooke, acting police chief in Madison, put Parker back to work after determining that he did not violate department policy.

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Richard Showers served 28 years on the Huntsville city council. (AL.com file photo)

Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

8. Big changes in Huntsville-area elections

The names and faces typically change following an election but one of the pillars of Huntsville government lost in his re-election bid.

Richard Showers, who had served District 1 on the city council for 28 years and was seeking a ninth term, lost to political newcomer Devyn Keith in a municipal election runoff on Oct. 4.

Showers' north Huntsville district also voted in a new leader on the Huntsville City school board as Laurie McCaulley lost her re-election bid to Michelle Watkins.

In Madison, former mayor Paul Finley made a late jump into the race and defeated incumbent Troy Trulock to win the post for the second time. Finley previously served from 2006-2010 but opted not to run for re-election.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle also won a third term, collecting more than 80 percent of the vote.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

9. New high school opens in north Huntsville

A resplendent new high school opened in north Huntsville as the successor to J.O. Johnson High School.

On Aug. 2, Mae Jemison -- a Decatur native who became the first African American woman to fly in space on a 1992 space shuttle mission  cut the ribbon the school that now bears her name at 5000 Pulaski Pike.

The school was built at a price tag of $65 million and was the first new Huntsville City Schools high school since Lee High School opened on Meridian Street in 2012.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

10. Big Spring Park undergoes massive renovation

Big Spring Park, the scenic hub around which downtown Huntsville was built, is undergoing a massive renovation that is scheduled to be finished by April 1.

The work in the park, which is located between Monroe and Church streets next to the Von Braun Center, was to make repairs in the seawalls of the pond and to re-shape the ponds to ensure better water flow.

The ponds have been reduced in size and the park now has more hardscape  or expanded concrete areas  to better accommodate events taking place in the park.
Jason Ender West

Jason Ender West

(Facebook)

The victim of a suspect drug-deal-gone-bad killing at a Sonic Drive-In in Madison has been identified as a senior at James Clemens High School.

Jason Ender West, 18, was fatally shot during a robbery at the restaurant on County Line Road. The teen later died at Huntsville Hospital.

West was a senior who graduated early from James Clemens.

"He had just finished all of his credits to graduate mid-year," said interim Madison City School Superintendent Ed Nichols. "He would have walked at graduation in May.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Nichols continued. "When school resumes in January, we will have extra counselors to support our students and our faculty."

The shooting happened around 3 p.m. Monday at the restaurant, which is located next to the high school in a residential area. School is not in session because of the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Police have said the suspects in the killing, Huntsville residents Dacedric Deshun Ward and Trevor Davis Cantrell, may have robbed West during a sale of illegal drugs. The duo is charged with capital murder and first-degree robbery. The capital murder charge has been filed because the suspects allegedly killed West during a robbery.

Ward, 22, has a history of contact with law enforcement across north Alabama. He has been indicted on theft and burglary charges in three counties, according to court records.

In Madison County, Ward is scheduled for a court appearance in January on a third-degree burglary charge. A month later, he is scheduled for a trial in Colbert County on a second-degree theft charge. A trial date in Morgan County has been set for March in connection with a second-degree theft charge.

Court records do not reflect a criminal history for 19-year-old Cantrell or West.

"This was a senseless, brutal crime," the West family said in a statement, according to AL.com's news partner WHNT-19 News. "Jason was our firstborn, our baby, our heart. He had just graduated and was headed to college to begin the rest of his life. That has been taken away from him, and from us.

"We are grateful to the Madison police for their diligence and speed in catching the individuals who murdered our son in cold blood," the statement reads. "We are heartbroken and ask for privacy as we begin to pick up the shattered pieces of our lives."

Ward and Cantrell each are held in the Limestone County Jail without bail. If convicted of capital murder, the suspects face either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Because the Sonic Drive-In is located in Madison-annexed Limestone County, the case will be prosecuted in that court system, rather than in Madison County.
The clock is ticking on common-law marriages in Alabama.

Starting Jan. 1, 2017, the state of Alabama will no longer recognize any new common-law marriages. The unions entered into before Jan. 1, 2017 will still be valid.

The change comes after the Alabama Legislature passed a bill last summer abolishing common-law marriages - unions that are legally recognized despite the absence of an official license - in the state. The current Alabama law requires both parties in a common-law marriage to have the mental capacity to enter in to the union; show they intend to be married to each other; and present themselves as married to family, friends and the community.

Contrary to popular rumor, there is no set number of years a couple must live together - the most commonly cited figure is seven years - to be considered part of a common-law marriage.

Once established, the marriage is just as legally valid as a traditional one and requires a divorce to end the union.

The problem, according to lawmakers, comes when a union ends and one party contends they were in a common-law marriage while the other says they were not. Judges can look to things such as joint bank accounts or purchasing a home together, but questions regarding alimony and palimony often arise.

"Disputes over the existence of the marriage can become "he said/she said" contests, and court decisions focus on small details, such as whether the parties wore rings, whether they kept their finances separate, and whether their partner's relatives addressed them as "in-laws," Bari Z. Weinberger wrote in the New Jersey Law Journal. "If one partner dies without a will, leaving the other to testify without rebuttal in a claim for intestate rights, the potential for abuse is compounded."

The Alabama change leaves only Colorado, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington, D.C. as recognizing new common-law marriages. New Hampshire recognizes common-law marriages for the purpose of inheritance only while Georgia, Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania recognize any unions created before specific dates (1997, 1996, 1991, 1998 and 2005, respectively.)

The legal definition for common-law marriage differs from state to state but usually includes requirements related to age and proof of relationship, such as using the same last name or a joint bank account.
Navajo the chosen language for new 'Star Wars' dub

This publicity film image provided by 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation shows, from left, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa and Mark Hamill as Luke (AP Photo/20th Century-Fox Film Corporation)

(Anonymous)

I wanted to be Princess Leia Organa when I grew up. I think all of us slightly nerdy girls with ambition, a strong sense of right and wrong, and a flair for fashion did. To me she was the real hero of the original "Star Wars" trilogy: decisive, bold and seemingly unafraid, she was everything her twin brother wasn't.

When he whined, she leapt into action. When she, Han Solo and Luke were pinned in a hallway by stormtrooper fire and her "rescue" seemed destined to fail, it was she who saved their skins and found an escape route. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, she obstinately lifts her chin to Darth freaking Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin even after they torture her and destroy her planet. Heck, she was even the one who saved her frozen-in-carbonite love interest.

A tactician and politician in the movies, the character of Leia has continued to inspire me as I've pursued a career in a field largely dominated by older men. While I've never had the weight of my home planet on my shoulders, there have been plenty of times when I have followed her example, summoned my courage and obstinately lifted my own chin when asked lovely questions like, "Does it bother your husband that you work so hard?"

Being elected senator in the Galactic Republic at the young age of 19, and later a general in the Resistance, Princess Leia's exploits and rise to power are only alluded to, never really fleshed out in the movies.

Carrie Fisher, on the other hand, had very few secrets. Living in the limelight from a very early age, she openly struggled with drug addiction, mental illness and even the weighty ramifications of being an international sex symbol. Sure, she had fewer secrets, but juggling it all while having the eyes of millions of young girls on her at all times wasn't easy.

"Carrie Fisher easily could have fit a really predictable mold -- a pretty girl who played a princess in a movie once. But she always insisted on being more than that," wrote Sady Doyle in her book "Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock and Fear."

Sometimes she was Princess Leia, sometimes she was the flamethrower-wielding mystery girl of "The Blues Brothers," but she was always raw and honest.

She later became a bestselling author, feminist icon and persona behind witty Twitter repartees that could have rivaled any of Princess Leia's.

In a year that has been exceptionally difficult for me personally, news of Carrie Fisher's death on Tuesday hit especially hard.

Even today there are so few truly strong female role models in the media. Sure there are plenty of traditional princesses, love stories and behind-the-scenes heroines, but too many of them are relegated to the background in stories by, about, and for boys.

For most young women there are pretty much Leia, Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen and Elsa.

But more than just a fictional leading lady, Fisher became a real life heroine for men and women dealing with drug addiction and mental illness, spinning her own struggles into a hilarious and harrowing book and one woman show.

Similarly, she became a strong voice against objectification and sexualization of other young female celebrities, famously telling Daisy Ridley (who played Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) to "keep fighting against that slave outfit."

We'll get one more look at Carrie Fisher and the character for which she is most famous in the upcoming new "Star Wars" movie. But her legacy of strength, wit and humor will live on, for, to quote Jedi Master Yoda, "luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."
Although new version is more inclusive than controversial older map, it erases the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.

Jerusalem  Running a finger over a new tourist map of Jerusalems Old City, Husam Jubran counted a number of cultural and holy sites and compared them with an old version of the map, both issued by Israels tourism ministry.

Side by side, the maps are starkly different. The old version, released earlier this year, was heavily criticised for promoting an Israeli-settler narrative of the Old City and its environs.

It featured a crowded design and a key listing 57 sites across the Old City and surrounding neighbourhoods. Most of the labelled sites were of little interest to tourists, including yeshivas, or centres for the study of the Torah, and buildings managed by radical Jewish settler organisations. At the same time, the key failed to locate important holy sites for Christian and Muslim visitors, including al-Aqsa Mosque and the Stations of the Cross.

The new version, recently released by Israels tourism ministry, is slicker and enlarges some of the key holy sites that draw millions of visitors to Jerusalem each year.

You have all the Christian sites, all the Muslim sites  they are even avoiding the controversial words like Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, which I think is good, said Jubran, a tour guide who has worked in Israel and the Palestinian territories since 1999.

Examining the old map beside the new one, Jubran noted that the new map was a huge improvement.

It is more inclusive  I doubt any Palestinian guide would willingly give the old map to tourists, he added. It lists sites that Palestinians consider settlements.

The updated map highlights Al-Aqsa, the route of the Stations of the Cross and the Church of St Anne, while removing sites associated with right-wing settler organisations such as Ateret Cohanim, which aims to replace Palestinian residents of the city with Jewish settlers.

Without acknowledging a problem with the old version, Israels tourism ministry told Al Jazeera that it had run out of stock of the old map and began to distribute the new one instead.

However, spokeswoman Lydia Weitzman said that the map highlighting al-Aqsa and removing some settler sites was only a temporary version, noting: The tourism ministry is currently working on a new version for printing and distributing to tourists and visitors to the Old City.

Weitzman declined to respond to further queries on the matter, including whether the next version of the map would be closer to the older, more controversial version.

Although the version currently being distributed is more inclusive than the old one, the representation of the City of David Park is still problematic, said Ir Amim, the Israeli human rights NGO which gives tours of occupied East Jerusalem.

While the park is part of Israels national parks network, the daily management of the site has been contracted out to Elad, a private organisation that works to buy and take over Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and to settle Jewish families in their place.

The park is located in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, but this community is not represented at all on the map. Instead, the City of David Park appears to be surrounded by open green space.

It literally obscures the fact that the park is located in a Palestinian neighbourhood. It not only erases their narrative, but obscures their very existence. by Betty Herschman, director of international relations and advocacy at Ir Amim

What is most egregious is the omission of Silwan, because there is just empty space where Silwan is. It makes it look as though they have eradicated the neighbourhood, supplanting it with City of David, which is a settler-run tourist site, Betty Herschman, the director of international relations and advocacy at Ir Amim, told Al Jazeera.

It literally obscures the fact that the park is located in a Palestinian neighbourhood. It not only erases their narrative, but obscures their very existence.

In October, UNESCO, the UNs world heritage agency, adopted a resolution that criticised Israeli policies in Jerusalem, including Israels failure to stop excavation works in and around the Old City.

UNESCO also criticised Israel for approving a number of East Jerusalem tourist projects run by settler organisations, including the Kedem Centre, a controversial plan advanced by Elad to build a massive visitor centre in Silwan across the street from the City of David Park. Herschman warned that this plan was designed to entrench the presence of settlers within Silwan, while marginalising Palestinian residents.

You have City of David on one side of the street and then youre going to have another massive Elad-run operation  the Kedem Compound  on the other, functioning like a gatepost to Silwan, she said. Visitors wont go past there, they wont see Silwan, they wont see the grievous condition which the neighbourhood is in; poverty rate near 80 percent, no schools, no sidewalks, leaving children to walk on the street. They wont see all of that.
More than two years after the 2014 war, displaced citizens are still struggling to survive.

Al-Zanah, Gaza  Samia Qudaih and her husband, Mohammed Baraka, have been struggling to survive with their son and five daughters in the al-Zanah area of Gaza, east of Khan Younis, for the past two years. In preparation for winter, they covered their caravan with nylon.

Were set to receive a new hardship, Baraka told Al Jazeera. We are facing the worst of times. We do not know if we are going to wake up safe, or just become a news headline after we die.

Hundreds of families in Gaza still live in caravans, a temporary solution to the mass displacement that followed the 2014 war. Many have no idea when they will be able to leave the caravans and rebuild their destroyed homes  a situation for which they blame Israel and Egypt, who have blockaded Gaza for the past decade, and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

According to the United Nations, the war killed more than 2,000 Palestinians, destroyed thousands of homes in Gaza and ravaged more than 70 percent of the territorys infrastructure.

The World Bank, which has been monitoring international pledges made at the Cairo conference towards the reconstruction of Gaza, says that two years after the war, less than half of Gazas completely destroyed homes have been totally or partially reconstructed. Thousands of families have yet to receive reconstruction funds.

Reconstruction in Gaza has stumbled, acknowledged Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Unfortunately, the countries who pledged billions to rebuilding the Gaza Strip have not made good on their promises.

OPINION: Apparently no one cares about Gaza

In total, international donors pledged $3.5bn towards rebuilding Gaza at the 2014 Cairo conference. As of this summer, just 46 percent of that support had been disbursed.

If donors were to fulfil all of their pledges immediately, Gaza could be rebuilt within the next year, said Abu Hasna. But pledges have been difficult to secure, with donor attention diverted by a variety of regional conflicts in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq.

Delay in reconstruction has not only affected peoples lives, but it is also affecting [the economy], he said.

UNRWA has spent $4m to temporarily house nearly 9,000 families who lost their homes in the 2014 war. If we invested this money, we would have rebuilt 800 homes, Abu Hasna said. We are worried to see more money, millions of dollars, going for rent instead [of reconstruction] if the situation persists.

The Israeli siege of Gaza has been a significant factor in the delayed reconstruction, as Israel monitors and controls all building materials entering the territory, citing a need to ensure these materials are not diverted to Hamas fighters. Civilians must obtain a series of permissions in order to rebuild their homes, dragging the process out for years. In some cases, Israel has refused to approve the rebuilding of homes, UNRWA said.

Internal divisions between the Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah have also negatively affected reconstruction.

Any solution for the reconstruction will depend on reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and when the Palestinian Authority reassumes control of Gaza, Basel Nasser, a Gaza-based official with the UN Development Programme, told Al Jazeera. The best way to bring stability to their lives is by resolving the political situation.

The convoluted political situation has also frustrated donors, who are wary to liaise with a divided Palestinian leadership, observers say.

INTERACTIVE: 24 Hours in Gaza

In the meantime, residents of Gaza remain on the precipice, staring at an uncertain future.

Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza were rendered permanently disabled as a result of the war, and their suffering over the past two years has been unique. Many of the rebuilt structures lack facilities for disabled people, making it difficult for them to resume their daily lives, according to the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees.

Mohammed Bardaa, who lost a leg, an arm and an eye to Israeli shelling years before the 2014 war, has been waiting with his family for funds to rebuild their home in the devastated Shujayea neighbourhood. So far, he has received just enough money to rebuild the exterior walls. In the meantime, he has been living in cramped quarters with his parents.

Unfortunately, the UNDP did not look into my special case, Bardaa told Al Jazeera, and they have left me waiting a long time.
Tattoos bring a certain permanence in one of the worlds most uncertain places.

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo  Tucked off a side road in Lubugi, a rough neighbourhood in the capital Kinshasa, barber Kris Bitenda puts the final touches on a clients haircut.

I consider myself an artist, and I am attracted to beautiful images, he explains. My tattoos express who I am.

Since he got his first tattoo in 2012, the 35-year-old has covered his body in ink designs. Modern tattoo art is still not fully accepted in Congolese society; the markings are still seen as an imitation of Western influences, rather than remnants of the traditional African practice of body art dating back millennia.

Still, for their bearers, the designs are a way to share their past experiences visually.

According to anthropologist Lars Krutak, a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution who has spent more than two decades studying tattoos and indigenous tattooing practices, unlike the instability of the turbulent Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with its continuously shifting political, economic and social climates  tattoos provide a sense of permanency and stability, forever imprinted on the skin.

Krutak views tattoos as a form of emotional healing, particularly after a traumatic experience, a necessary therapy for citizens of a country that has suffered millions of deaths since the onset of conflict that has lasted for decades.

As permanent marks, [tattoos] can never be taken away, and the meanings they carry will remain with that person for the rest of their lives, Krutak says.

Bitenda says he has lost count of how many tattoos he has, but the large imprint of a cat on his back, he says, best represents his story.

I respect cats. A cat is clean; a cat is stable. A cat is smart in everything it does, he says. This is the type of life I try to live.

A permanent mark

As the end of Congolese President Joseph Kabilas mandate looms over the country, the political situation remains tense in Kinshasa and beyond.

Still, life in Bitendas barbershop inches forward. A fan hums in the background, battling the humidity. Clients rotate through his barbers chair.

In my neighbourhood, tattoos are normal. If somebody judges me because of my tattoos, I will prove they are wrong about me, Bitenda says.

In spite of the taboos surrounding body art, Bitenda made no attempt to hide his tattoos, and his markings are quite visible  even on his face. Others, however, prefer to hide their ink.

Such is the case right across town, where street kid-turned-radio broadcaster Cedrick Mukemwanga says he regrets his decision to mark his body a couple of years earlier. At just 13, Mukemwanga got his first tattoo at a roadside stand for just $2.

I dont like tattoos any more because I got them when I was homeless, surrounded by a bad group of friends who all had tattoos, he explains.

He has since left that life in the streets behind him and is now a part of a community that generally disapproves of body markings out of deep religious convictions. As a result, Mukemwanga says he sometimes feels ostracised in his new community.

WATCH: Guatemala body art  Tattoos on the rise

When people see me with a tattoo, they dont respect me. Even in Saint Josephs Church  where I pray  many Christians tell me that I should have it removed, he says, looking at his feet. I would get rid of them if I could.

While the church doesnt oppose tattoos in principle, Abbot Donatien Nshole Babula, the first assistant secretary of the DRCs National Episcopal Conference, notes that this is more about the prevalence of Western influences among young Congolese.

In a traditional context, tattoos are part of the culture, Babula tells Al Jazeera. However, in todays society, the people who have them, like musicians or athletes, shouldnt be role models.

Despite the negative connotations associated with body art, modern tattoo art in the DRC stems from a long tradition of body modification in Africa. The earliest examples of the practice emerged from ancient Egypt.

We first find artistic evidence of tattoos in Egypt on small clay female figurines that show images on their torsos, hips, and abdomens as early as 4000BC, Joann Fletcher of the University of York, a professor specialising in mummified remains and ancient forms of body adornment, tells Al Jazeera.

Across the Congo Basin, tattoos have played an important role in the culture of indigenous groups such as the Baka, who adorn their faces with intricate tattoos. For them, such markings balance their features and enhance certain physical traits.

For Baka women, markings on the face, arms, and abdomen are considered fashionable. While men also have similar decorative tattoos, they also have smaller ones placed on particular points along their bodies  such as hands, wrists, and even between their eyes. They are believed to help them in hunting.

But today, though the tattooing has remained mainly an aesthetic practice, some younger people dont consider their attraction to tattoos to be related to the ancient tradition.

I am from the city. We dont see many people with [tribal] tattoos, even in the villages, says Bitenda. Its not modern, so I wouldnt want to get one.

A longer history

Herve Kinfumu, a tattoo artist, prepares his kit for his next session. He lays out his tools on the table: sewing needles, a homemade motor, ink and a spool of string.

I go wherever the client asks  my house or theirs. I always have all the tools ready so I can leave at a moments notice, says the tall and lanky 25-year-old, dressed in a green T-shirt and skinny jeans.

After studying at Kinshasas Fine Arts Academy, Kinfumu wanted to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. With limited job prospects in the field, he decided to tattoo others, using human canvasses to display his creations.

READ MORE: Removing gang stigma from Japans tattoo culture

There are no official tattoo schools in DR Congo. Its the school of the streets, he tells Al Jazeera. Despite his lack of formal training, he claims to have tattooed thousands of people since joining the profession in 2006. The price for a design ranges from $5 to $50, depending on the size and colours.

Unlike his clients, however, Kinfumus skin is bare.

I tattoo for the money. I personally dont want one, he says.

Most of Kinfumus clients are younger people who hear about his work through word of mouth. He believes his work means a lot to them as it commemorates past experiences, including trauma connected to the decades of instability.

Commemoration tattoos are a popular way to remember a loved one who has passed away in the DRC, and the art student recalls the story of a man who requested a portrait of his younger brother, who had been killed during a violent outbreak, to be tattooed on to his chest. The man struggled to hold back tears when he saw the final image.

It was hard for me to see him like that, but I am glad that I was able to help him remember his brother, he explains. Their tattoos tell their story to the world.

Fletcher agrees there is a connection between lifes uncertainties, such as death by disease or conflict, and a desire for something permanent.

Whether in ancient times or now, in a world where we dont know whats going to happen tomorrow, there is an idea that [a tattoo] exists for as long as I live, she explains.

Child soldiers therapy

In his living room in Goma, Blaise Kasereka Kihambu sketches the next addition to his tattoo collection.

I have 11 tattoos, he tells Al Jazeera. I got the first one in 2003.

The 28-year-old became addicted to self-tattooing after an armed group recruited him.

I ask my brother to hide my tools. Otherwise, Ill spend the whole day tattooing myself, Kihambu jokes.





Chinese characters line the front of his forearm. Inspired by his love of Chinese-made weapons, the former child soldier translated the words into Chinese before tattooing himself. He is reluctant to provide details about his past that inspired his tattoos. He covers up his arm, saying, My tattoos represent challenges I have overcome.

But, he explains: Life in an armed group isnt easy  not everyone could survive that. When I read this tattoo, I remember everything that I went through without anyone else understanding, he says. Its a secret message to myself.

Since being demobilised, Kihambu has been unable to find steady work. He supports himself by tattooing others whenever possible.

Trendsetters

At a luxury hotel across town, 25-year-old rap artist Olivier Fantastiko Bayongwa searches for his fame, using body art to advance his career in a competitive music scene.

As a musician, I am concerned about my public image, he explains. I got tattoos so that when people see me, they think it reflects my music.

Bayongwa translated his Spanish-inspired stage name into Chinese characters in an attempt to be unique.

I want to be seen as an international trendsetter. I believe that artists and musicians are guides in our society, he says. When someone sees that I have a tattoo, they will want to get one, too.

Indeed, tattoos also have been regarded as a marker of status in millennia-old traditions, says Fletcher, visually demonstrating a persons status within a community to others. In different ethnic groups, only certain genders or social classes were tattooed  such as the wealthy, who were marked as a sign of privilege.

There has always been a desire to use body markings to express status within a particular community, she explains.

But not everyone is a fan of Bayongwas body art. His parents and older brother were disappointed by his decision.

My family was shocked when I got a tattoo. I am the only person in my family with one, he says.

But for me, I am the only one who has to like my tattoos. I have to live with them  not anyone else.

Photogallery

Kait Bolongaro and Francesca Volpi are 2016 fellows with the International Womens Media Foundations Africa Great Lakes Reporting Initiative.
The conflict between the West and the Arab and Islamic worlds is at its core political.

It is always debatable whether the Crusades remain relevant in Arab political rhetoric. Islamists in general believe that the Crusades are relevant because they resemble  in their minds  current Western and Israeli wars in our region.

Many Islamists still label Western governments, and even Christians as a whole, as Crusaders. As offensive as that sounds, it reflects a historical continuity on their part in analysing the West. Bernard Lewis thought that Muslims are too obsessed with the Crusades; Orientalists often complain that Arabs are too historical-minded.

Historical hostility

Yet the discussion about the Crusades is not irrelevant. It has been made relevant by virtue of the consistently anti-Islamic rhetoric of people and governments in the West.

When the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, calls for an official ban on the entry of all Muslims to the country, when various cities and governments in the West innovate various restrictive and repressive laws tailored against Islam and Muslims, and when a major US minister, Franklin Graham (who gave the inaugural prayers for George W Bush upon taking the oath of office), gains followers as he insults Islam and its Prophet, Muslims see a link.

It is not irrational for Muslims to see parallels between the modern forms of Islamophobia and the historical Christian animosities towards Islam and Muslims. Even the last Pope, Benedict XVI, spoke about Islam, in the pseudo-academic Orientalist language of yesteryears, in the same manner that Christian polemicists spoke about Islam in Latin in medieval times.

Islamists, and even Muslims and Arabs, see that there is a powerful Western (religious and secular) ideology of hostility stretching from the times of the Crusades to the 21st century.

The Crusades were not a passing event in world history. It was an official, divinely argued attempt to eradicate a religion and a civilisation due to religious bigotry  and also for economic reasons that were disguised behind religious rhetoric.

They were also an occupation project that intended to subjugate the natives through colonial-settler communities and kingdoms. Westerners rarely took note of the cruelties of the Crusades not only against local Muslims but also against local Christians and Jews.

The Crusades  in their various phases and campaigns  stretched over several centuries and it is doubtful that Western governments and people realise the catastrophic impact of those campaigns.

Western governments always want Arabs and Muslims to forget and forgive Western wars and military campaigns against Arabs and Muslims, regardless of whether they were from the 11th century or from 2003. It is all too convenient for Western governments and commentators to wish that Arabs would erase their memories.

Centuries-long impact

The Crusades were terrible events in the history of Islam and the Middle East region. They reveal to Arabs and Muslims that their very presence in their own lands and countries is subject to Western rejection and forcible eviction.

Islamists may exaggerate the role of religion as an impulse for the Crusades  historians often point to other political and economic factors  but what is unmistakable is that the language of Western conquest has not improved.

Western bombing and occupation of Arab and Muslim lands still adheres to the bigoted rhetoric of the Crusades; and sovereignty of Arabs in their own countries is of little significance to Western governments.

Ironically, the Crusades in Western imagination  in literature and arts  are still romanticised and portrayed heroically. Even Ridley Scotts 2005 movie Kingdom of Heaven missed the mark on many of the facts and presented the Arabs inaccurately and insensitively.

Sometimes it seems that the Westerners are more obsessed with the Crusades than the Arabs. But the Arabs notice, and will continue to notice, the resemblance between current Western political rhetoric and vulgar hostility and hatred of Muslims with the papal rhetoric of the Crusades.

Denying responsibility

The conflict between the West  a short-cut reference to Western governments  and the Arab and Islamic worlds is at its core political. It does not revolve around religious issues, although the language of hostility and conflict draws upon religious terms and jargon.

The fact that the underlying causes of Arab and Muslim antipathy to Western governments are political in nature refutes the classical Orientalist assumptions about the centrality of religion in Arab political behaviour and thought.

The notion that the basis of Arab resentment against the West is purely religious is a deliberate attempt by Western governments to deny responsibility for their wars and actions in the region.

Historical events last or vanish depending on their relations to modern realities. No Arabs today hold grudges against the Mongols, for example. The political salience of the Crusades is related to the ability of average Muslims to see resonance from the times of the Crusades in the rhetoric and behaviour of Western governments.

To be sure, the notion that all current behaviour in the West is driven by a deep religious factor misses the point. But secular and religious movements in the West often attribute similar hostile tendencies to Islam and Muslims: some Western atheists today are as dedicated to agitating against Islam and Muslims as American evangelical Christians.

Ultimately, understanding between people and religions is not settled by changes in words or even by historical apologies  rarely offered in the case of Muslims despite the perfunctory apology by Pope John II for the Crusades.

Muslims and Arabs are not holding a grudge against the West for the Crusades but for the current injustices and wars imposed by Western governments on Arabs and Muslims.

The fact that the ideology of hostility against Islam and Muslims continues to prevail in Western societies allows Islamists and others to draw  rarely useful and politically unfair  religious analogies between the past and the present. But it is up to Western governments  and not to Islamist demagogues  to make the Crusades a relic of the forgotten past.

Asad AbuKhalil is a professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. He owns and writes at the Angry Arab News Service blog.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The year 2016 does not have the best track record in nascent and mature democracies across the world.

Its panic time in Punditville.

Democracy itself is stumbling. Up against the ropes. Americans had to select between two candidates they despised and picked the psychopath over the sold-out establishment hack.

In Europe, popular sentiment is turning away from open, inclusive, liberal values back towards tribalism, with far-right parties on the rise. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is imprisoning journalists and cracking down on the voices of dissent. The Arab Springs dream of democracy barely hangs on in a single country, Tunisia.

Everywhere else, it has ended with the return of an autocrat, chaos, and civil war. Russia shuffles steadily deeper into Putinism, best described as Stalinism Lite, with western consumer goods and billionaires. The more authoritarian he gets, the more he is admired and seen as a model.

The Philippines elected a developing world version of Donald Trump, which is to say, that much cruder, and leading a campaign of extrajudicial killings.

Democracy v liberal democracy

Theres democracy. And theres liberal democracy.

Democracy is about voting and majority rule.

The ancient Greeks, who invented democracy, or at least the label, feared the system. The mass of the people  the mob  were uneducated, emotional, and easily swayed. They would vote for hysterical, disastrous wars. They would vote themselves out of democracy into tyrannies. The poor were many, the rich were few, so if the poor had any sense, they would vote to rob the rich.

Americas founding fathers, who are among the inventors of modern democracy, had the same fears. John Adams, the second president, said, Democracy has never been and never can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy  It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.

Part of the reason that systems fail is that people learn how to game them. The more successful a system is, and the less opposition there is, the more likely this is to happen. by

So, instead, they put together a system with voting for representatives who would then, in turn, make the actual laws, with checks and balances to slow things down, rights reserved for individuals, and especially for property.

They used the word republic to distinguish it from everyone-gets-to-vote-on-everything democracy. We no longer do so. If we wish to make a distinction between the voting per se, and voting within a system that has the rule of law, certain guaranteed freedoms and protections, and the rest, we call it liberal democracy.

Embracing total ignorance

This American version turned out to be the longest-standing government in the world and the model, sometimes in reality, sometimes rhetorically, for most others.

In the early 1990s, its last, serious rival, communism, gave up and died. Democracy  together with capitalism  was the last system standing, the end of history, the final solution to organising nations.

At that point, three other fundamental principles of human behaviour began to take over: the ignorance of the arrogant, success is failure, and gaming the system, each best defined with an example.

OPINION: US election  What happened?

The underlying flaws of the second Gulf War, all came from the arrogant assumption that democracy and capitalism were not merely preferable; they were so wonderful that they were the default systems, which humans would automatically adopt.

All that had to be done was remove the obstacles in the way. With Saddam Hussain and his cronies gone, Iraq would instantly become a successful capitalist democracy.

It was as if there had been a fervent embrace of total ignorance. Mind you, it was quite widespread. Virtually no one was shouting that there are a multitude of elements required  a history, a substructure, a set of cultural understandings, a legacy of attempts, failures, and learning  to make any system work, let alone ones such as democracy and capitalism that require such great degrees of individual compliance and acceptance to function.

Virtually no one said, slow down, you better look to the history, to Americas Civil War, its small internal rebellions, its crashes and failures.

Actually, it was a worldwide delusion. From Russia to Libya, people everywhere believed that, if they held an election and privatised their state industries, it was almost as sure a ticket to a national paradise as dying as a martyr for your God was to a private one.

Entire nations lunged forward as if it were true. In Russia, it unleashed gangster capitalism. In Central Asia, the former Soviet nations elected leaders who immediately became presidents for life.

In the Middle East, the autocrats held on, or it ended in civil war, or both. Only those territories physically close to Western Europe, with traditions of democracies and capitalism that had been interrupted by communism, made the transition with relative success.

The need to re-invent democracy

In the meantime, systems contain the seeds of their own demise. For half a century, General Motors was the largest, most successful car maker in the world. Naturally, such a triumphal track record made them reluctant to change. But the world did, and as it did, the same ideas and methods led them to bankruptcy.

In the case of the car industry, the issue was the refusal to change in the face of new competition. With democracy and capitalism, it was the loss of competition that created the problem. Without the Soviet challenge to unite all players against a common enemy, democracy in America became free to indulge in ever increasing partisanship.

They didnt even have to fear becoming completely dysfunctional. Without a competing example, the US turned away from the welfare state that had balanced against the excesses of capitalism.

Part of the reason that systems fail is that people learn how to game them. The more successful a system is, and the less opposition there is, the more likely this is to happen.

OPINION: The hidden force of current international uneasiness

By 2000, it was fair to say of the USs two political parties, that one represented money and the other sold-out to money. As congressman Alan Grayson put it, one of the last debates left to us, is the debate between those who think that America is an oligarchy and those who think its a plutocracy.

This year, voters all over did what the early Greeks and Americas founders feared. They engaged in democracy. They voted. The mob voted against what the elites wanted. Those votes had all the qualities that Plato or John Adams would have expected, they were emotional, intellectually unsophisticated, even ultimately undemocratic.

Command systems  whether monarchies, dictatorships, dictatorships of the proletariat, or theocracies  can only decline and keep declining, or end in violence.

Democracies, so long as they stay democracies, can re-invent themselves. Endlessly. In spite of the failures, the absurdities and the excesses, ultimately, I still vote for democracy.

Larry Beinhart is a novelist, best known for Wag the Dog. Hes also been a journalist, political consultant, a commercial producer and director.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Court orders release, but prosecutor rules it out, citing other charges pending against the Bahraini activist.

Bahrains public prosecutor has decided not to release Nabeel Rajab, a prominent activist, after a court ordered his release hours earlier.

The public prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday that Rajab would not be released pending other charges related to a case where he had been questioned about spreading false rumours about the countrys internal situation.

The statement did not specify the charges, but it is believed that opinion pieces he wrote for The New York Times and Frances Le Monde newspapers while in custody or earlier statements he made to an outside TV network, are being used as justification for the new charges against him.

Jalila Sayed, the defence lawyer, confirmed that Rajab, 51, who has been in jail since June, would continue to be held after earlier saying he suffered from poor health.

READ MORE: Bahrain  The stories that arent being covered

Nabeel is overall weak because of so many health problems he started facing, including heart problems and other physical issues, Sayed told Associated Press news agency.

Hes under tremendous stress because of this length of detention.

Rajab was arrested over a series of messages posted to his Twitter account about the ongoing conflict in Yemen, as well as allegations of torture by authorities at a local prison.

In Wednesdays hearing, Sayed said she believed the court initially granted bail because a witness for the prosecution could not specifically prove that Rajab had control of the Twitter account in his name, nor show he sent the tweets in question.

We hope this will end with an acquittal because the case has no evidence, the lawyer said.
Monitor says 22 civilians killed by unidentified air raids on ISIL-held village in Deir Az Zor province.

Air strikes have killed at least 22 people, including 10 children, in an ISIL-held village in eastern Syria, a monitor has said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that the raids hit the village of Hajna in Deir Az Zor province, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were among the dead.





Local activists quoted online said the air strikes happened on Tuesday.

Located in the northern countryside of Deir Az Zor, Hajna is held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The UK-based Observatory had no immediate word on who carried out the strikes but it was likely to have been either the Syrian government or its ally Russia.

Russian fighter jets have been carrying out air raids over Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

As news of the deaths in Deir Az Zor emerged, the Turkish state news agency reported that Turkey and Russia had reached an agreement on a plan for a ceasefire comprising the whole of Syria.

Under the plan, Ankara and Moscow would work for the ceasefire to come into force at midnight on Wednesday, Anadolu reported, adding that terrorist groups, such as ISIL, would be excluded.

If the ceasefire succeeds, political negotiations will start in the Kazakh capital under Turkey and Russias guidance.
Commander tells Al Jazeera the missing Chibok girls have not been located after Boko Harams stronghold was captured.

After the Nigerian army claimed victory over Boko Haram in the armed groups forest stronghold, a commander at the forefront of the battle says the search is still on for the missing Chibok girls.

The army captured the Sambisa Forest in the countrys east over the weekend.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, the army commander, said that while his soldiers had made significant gains, they had not been able to track down the missing girls who were captured by Boko Haram in April 2014.

About 200 of the 276 Chibok girls who were taken remain missing. Some were believed to be in the Sambisa Forest.

We are still searching for our dear daughters, Ezugwu said. As I speak to you now, weve not been able to make contact with them because the insurgents are running away with the girls. We are still trailing them.

He added that so far, we have rescued over 1,900 Nigerian citizens [from captivity].

He said the operation against Boko Haram is ongoing.

Its not finished business. Its a work in progress. At the end of the day its a bright light at the end of the tunnel, he said.

READ MORE: Boko Harams decline raises hopes of the displaced

While Nigerian authorities say they are working hard to find the missing girls, there are concerns over how those who have been freed are treated.

Kidnapped girls freed from more than two years of captivity were prevented by Nigerian officials from spending Christmas at home with their families and relatives, a lawyer said on Tuesday.

Parents said they were taken to see their daughters, but the girls who were not allowed to go home or go to a church service.

The news raised questions about Nigerias handling of the 21 girls freed in October by negotiation with the group.





Boko Harams insurgency began in Maiduguri, though it has since spread beyond Nigerias borders to Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

Nearly 15,000 civilians have been killed since 1999, when Boko Haram launched a campaign to establish an Islamic state.

We are on top of the situation, all hands are still on deck, Ezugwu said. This defeat is final and it [Boko Haram] will not spread to other parts of West Africa.

His comments echoed those of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who on Saturday announced the final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in a message posted to his Twitter feed.

Army officials told Al Jazeera that it took around 40 minutes to breach Boko Haram defences in Sambisa Forest.

OPINION: Is another Boko Haram in the making?

Now the biggest task of retaking Sambisa is over, the problem is how to secure the location, said Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, who is embedded with the army in Sambisa. This whole area is booby trapped and mined.

Elsewhere, 31 Boko Haram fighters surrendered to authorities in Nigers southeast region, the West African countrys Interior Minister Bazoum Mohamed announced on Tuesday.

Boko Haram has been carrying out attacks in Niger since February 2015.

They came one by one and are currently held in a secure centre, a security source based in Diffa told the AFP news agency, adding that they would return to their families after undergoing a de-radicalisation programme.
Thai users alerted to Bangkok explosion that caused no damage or injuries as social media giant triggers safety check.

Facebook set off fear and anger among Thailands social media users after its safety check feature warned of a bomb alert in Bangkok.

The check-in feature, which allows users to signal to friends and family that they are safe after an attack or natural disaster, was triggered at around 9pm local time on Tuesday, reporting an explosion in the Thai capital.

Facebook said the alert was activated by an algorithm after reports that a protester had thrown small explosives near Government House, the prime ministers office, earlier in the day.





Local media had reported the incident, which caused no injuries or damage.

The safety check feature provided a link to the Bangkok Informers news story that referenced a breaking news story by the BBC about the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing.

After several people marked themselves as safe, the alert was deactivated less than an hour after it had been triggered at 10pm, leaving city residents relieved but also frustrated over the false alarm.

Safety Check was activated yesterday in Thailand following an explosion, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to the AFP news agency, adding that a trusted third party had confirmed the incident.

The "source" of the @Facebook Safety Check for Bangkok: A fake news site that scrapped stuff from elsewhere! pic.twitter.com/i6Q2k8XBxP  Saksith Saiyasombut (@SaksithCNA) December 27, 2016

Facebook issued false news that has destroyed Thailands image, wrote Thai user Prasit Silhanisong.

Its close to the New Year and now tourists might not come, he added, calling on the social media giant to apologise.

It is not the first time Facebooks check-in feature has drawn anger.

Critics have accused the San Francisco-based company of valuing the lives of Western victims more than those in other regions after it activated the feature following attacks in Europe, but not the Middle East.

Last month, Facebook said it would no longer manually trigger its safety check tool, instead, the feature would be triggered by an algorithm that monitors posts by community members.

READ MORE: Facebook finally gets serious about fighting fake news

The latest gaffe comes as the company also faces criticism over its fake news problem.

Facebook has been hit by a series of claims that both during and after the US election, its newsfeed algorithm helped spread misinformation about presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Earlier this year, the tech website Gizmodo reported that Facebook had routinely manipulated the platforms trending topics in order to suppress conservative agendas.

And in September, editors from two Palestinian news publications told Al Jazeera that Facebook had suspended their accounts because of an agreement between the company and the Israeli government aimed at tackling incitement.
Union leaders among 30 held over walkout by thousands of workers of factories that supply clothes to top Western brands.

Police in Bangladesh say garment manufacturers have dismissed at least 1,500 workers after protests over pay led to a week-long shutdown at dozens of factories, which supply clothes to top Western brands.

Police described the protests as illegal and said that they had arrested 30 workers, including seven union leaders, as well as a television reporter covering the unrest, the AFP news agency reported on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of workers walked out of factories in the manufacturing centre of Ashulia, a suburb of the capital Dhaka, that make clothing for brands such as GAP, Zara and H&M earlier this month, prompting concerns over supply during the holiday season.

All the factories have resumed their operations. Some 90 percent of the workers have joined work, said Nur Nabi, assistant superintendent of police.

OPINION: Reflecting on Bangladesh factory disaster and corporate terror

Around 1,500 workers have been sacked [by the owners]. The owners have filed five cases against the unruly workers.

However, the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation put the number of dismissed workers at 3,500, adding that dozens of protest organisers had been forced into hiding.

Babul Akhter, head of the federation, accused authorities of using a controversial military-era law to shut down the protests.

They used [the] Special Powers Act to detain union leaders and workers, he told AFP. Up to 3,500 workers have been sacked and 50 leaders have gone into hiding.

Blow to industry

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has rejected the workers demand for their pay to be trebled from the current minimum monthly wage of 5,300 taka ($67).

The police chief of Ashulia said only those involved in violent protest had been arrested.

The protests were the latest blow to the countrys $30bn garment industry, which provides employment to millions of people in this Asian nation of nearly 160 million.

READ MORE: Strong labour market institutions vital for prosperity

Garment manufacturing makes up 80 percent of Bangladeshs exports and a prolonged interruption would have a major impact on the economy.

Bangladeshs 4,500 garment factories have a woeful history of poor pay and conditions for their four million workers, and protests occur frequently.

They gained intensity after the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in which 1,130 workers were crushed to death.

The tragedy prompted international outrage, forcing US and European clothing brands to improve deplorable safety conditions at their supplier factories.
Minority at a crossroads as community members threaten to continue protests against mixed marriages at gurdwaras.

Wolverhampton, England  For decades, Sikh temples in the United Kingdom have hosted mixed-faith weddings.

But the practice is causing serious tension in some communities. There have been protests forcing couples to cancel or postpone their ceremonies.

There are around 500,000 Sikhs in Britain.

At one gurdwara, or temple, in the English midlands, 55 protesting Sikh men were determined to stop a wedding between a Sikh and a Hindu in September.

WATCH: Inside the little-known kitchen of Afghanistans Sikhs

Armed police surrounded the temple and arrested the group; two have since been charged. There have been many similar incidents across England in recent years.

Were not against any interfaith, out-of-faith wedding, people can go to register offices, said Deepa Singh, who was among the 55 arrested. In a religious building, you have to understand the religious buildings and the guidelines.

He said he will continue disrupting weddings at temples which allow mixed-faith couples to perform the Sikh marriage ceremony, or Anand Karaj.

The Sikh Council, the largest body of British Sikhs, has ruled that temples should not stage mixed-faith weddings, but its advice is vague and calls for an end to protests.

At a time when people associate, or some people associate, beards and turbans with religious fundamentalism, this isnt the correct way of protesting, said Nav Sawhney, a Sikh man engaged to be married to Robin, who is not Sikh. What would be good would be an open dialogue, take off your balaclavas, and lets all find common ground.

Follow Barnaby Philips on Twitter: @BarnabyPhillips
US secretary of state outlines vision for peace between Israel and Palestine weeks ahead of Donald Trumps inauguration.

Israels settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank threatens both hope for peace with the Palestinians and Israels own future as a democracy, John Kerry has said in a speech.

The US secretary of state sounded the warning on Wednesday in a final plea outlining the outgoing Obama administrations vision for peace between Israel and Palestine.

The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: Greater Israel, Kerry said.

If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it wont ever really be at peace, he added.

The speech in Washington, DC comes days after the US abstained from a UN vote to halt all Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

By declining to use its veto at the Security Council, the US enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlements policy.

Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said: Many question the timing of the US actions with just three weeks until the swearing in of President-elect Donald Trump. Supporters believe it is tough talk that should have come years earlier. Critics argue it shouldnt have come at all.

Trump, who had called on the US to veto the UN vote, told reporters that Israel is being treated very, very unfairly, maintaining that countries that are horrible places never get reprimanded at the Security Council.

He refused to directly answer a question about whether Israel should stop building settlements, saying he is very, very strong on Israel.

OPINION: UN settlement resolution is too little and too late

Settlements built on Palestinian land are considered illegal under international law.

There are close to 600,000 Israeli citizens living in Jewish-only housing settlements across the West Bank, and at least 200,000 in East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli human rights watchdog Btselem.

Kerry defended the US decision to abstain from the UN vote, saying they voted in accordance with our [US] values and conscience.

No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace, Kerry said. The problem goes well beyond just settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there.

Middle East reactions

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to resume peace talks if Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said: Abbas is fully convinced that just, comprehensive and lasting peace can be achieved, and its doable in all core issues on the basis on the Arab Peace Initiative.

Specific terms of the Saudi-brokered initiative include ending the Israeli occupation, establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders, and solving issues such as refugees and prisoners on the basis of the relevant international legality resolutions, said Erekat.

In his response to the speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Kerrys words were a great disappointment.

If the US is true to its word, it should now come out and say we will not allow any more resolutions in the Security Council on Israel, period, he added.

The conflict was not about settlements but about Israels very right to exist, he said.

INTERACTIVE: Palestine Remix

In his speech, Kerry insisted that Israel and a future Palestinian state should exist on the territory they held before the 1967 war, which could be achieved through equivalent swaps of land only by mutual consent.

Kerry said a fair and realistic solution must be found for the Palestinian refugee issue with international assistance that includes compensation and options in assistance in finding permanent homes and acknowledgment of suffering.

There are approximately five million registered Palestinian refugees, many living in camps across the occupied Palestinian territories as well as the neighbouring Arab countries, according to the UN refugee agency.

INTERACTIVE: The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, today

Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, said Kerry.

They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states.

Al Jazeeras Andrew Simmons, reporting from Jerusalem, said Kerrys speech was more of a massive defence of the US administrations actions in not vetoing the UN resolution than a blueprint for the future.

Kerry has made it clear to all where he and Obama stand on the dangers of the two-state solution falling apart, he said.
Numbers of voluntary deportations are on rise, but so are the numbers of refugees stopping at German borders.

Nearly 55,000 migrants and refugees who were not eligible for or were likely to be denied asylum left Germany voluntarily in 2016, up by 20,000 from the number who left of their own volition in 2015, according to government officials.

Germany has toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015.

Thats a considerable increase from last year, Harald Neymanns, interior ministry spokesman, announced on Wednesday, adding that the 2016 figure had climbed to 54,123 through December 27.

The increase is welcome. Its always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported.

READ MORE: Mediterranean migrant deaths in 2016 pass 5,000

A finance ministry spokesman said the government would boost funding slightly to 150 million euros ($157m) in 2017 to support efforts to encourage people to leave Germany.

Last week a failed asylum seeker who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group killed 12 people when he drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, prompting criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkels immigration policy.

Most of those leaving in 2016 returned to their homes in Albania, Serbia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iran, Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said earlier.

Those leaving are eligible for one-off support of up to 3,000 euros ($3,135) that is supposed to help support finding employment at home.

INTERACTIVE: The refugee crisis beyond Europe

Separately, German security officials told Reuters news agency the number of those deported after their asylum requests were rejected rose to almost 23,800 from January to November  up from almost 20,900 in all of 2015.

There has also been a rise in the number of refugees turned away at the borders.

A report by the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung daily said police had turned back 19,720 refugees through the first 11 months of 2016  up from 8,913 in all of 2015.

Most were from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. They had been registered in other EU countries.





As public support for her pro-refugee policies wanes ahead of Septembers federal election, Merkel has said it is vital to focus resources on those fleeing war, and to keep up public support by deporting foreigners to countries where there is no persecution.

Attacks and security alerts involving refugees and migrants have boosted the popularity of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, whose rise above 10 percent in opinion polls could complicate Merkels re-election hopes.

On Tuesday, seven refugees from Syria and Iraq aged 15 to 21 were detained in Berlin on charges of attempted murder for trying to set fire to a homeless man in an underground station.
Israeli minister criticises US secretary of state in new salvo since US refusal to veto UN vote on settlement activity.

A senior member of Israels government has called John Kerrys final Middle East policy speech pathetic, further heightening tensions between the two allies as President Barack Obama prepares to leave office.

The comments by Gilad Erdan, Israeli public security minister, came in advance of Kerrys speech on Wednesday at the Department of State in Washington DC to lay out a vision for how peace can be achieved in the region.

The remarks are the latest in a bitter exchange following the US refusal to veto a UN Security Council resolution last week that called on Israel to halt all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Plans by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference on January 15 are another point of worry for Israel.

INTERACTIVE: The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, today

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Erdan said Kerrys speech was part of a broader effort to hinder the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has indicated he will have much warmer relations with Israel.

This step is a pathetic step. It is an anti-democratic step because its clear that the administration and Kerrys intention is to chain President-elect Trump, Erdan told Israel Army Radio.

Erdan, a member of Benjamin Netanyahus Likud Party and inner security cabinet, said Obama administration officials are pro-Palestinian and dont understand whats happening in the Middle East.

By declining to use its veto at the Security Council, the US enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlements policy.

Netanyahu reacted angrily, accusing the Obama administration of being behind the resolution and pledging not to abide by it.

High expectations

Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington DC, said there were high expectations for Kerry to defend the US position on the UN vote.

Weve seen how Kerry has been a serial negotiator throughout his term, but of course his efforts to negotiate some sort of peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014, she said.

We believe there will be a bit of a defence in terms of the critiques of the US position.

Kerry mediated a nine-month round of peace talks that broke down in early 2014 with little progress.

The timing of his speech, in the last 23 days of the Obama administration, has also raised questions about its impact.

One wonders what is the point of an administration that has had eight years to get it right and has chosen to do absolutely nothing except systematically indulge Israeli aggression and expansionism, Mouin Rabbani, a senior fellow at the Institute of Palestine Studies, a non-profit think-tank based in The Hague, told Al Jazeera.

My only concern is that Kerry will use his speech to try to water down some of the very clear statements made in the Security Council resolution.

Settlement vote

Against this backdrop of diplomatic tension, an Israeli committee delayed a vote on Wednesday on permits for Jewish settler homes in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories at Netanyahus request, reportedly to avoid more conflict with the US.

Hanan Rubin, a Jerusalem city councillor and a member of the planning committee that was to discuss the permits, told AFP news agency its members had been informed of Netanyahus request by the committee chairman.

We were told by the chairman  that it was pulled at the request of the prime minister so we can avoid a conflict with the US government just before Kerrys speech tonight, Rubin said.

OPINION: UN settlement resolution is too little and too late

Obamas administration has long expressed frustration with settlement building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967.

Israel later annexed East Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law, built on Palestinian land that some see as part of a future state with East Jerusalem as the capital.





Trump, who had called for the US to veto the resolution, chided the Obama administration again on Wednesday for its stance toward Israel.

We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the US, but  not anymore, Trump wrote on Twitter.

The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! he added, referring to the date of his inauguration as president.

The Israeli government has welcomed Trumps election, with key members of Netanyahus coalition calling for an end to the idea of a Palestinian state, the basis of years of negotiations.
Turkish president lashes out at US-led forces as Russia says new Washington defence policy would empower jihadists.

Turkey and Russia have separately accused the United States of backing what they call terrorist groups in Syria, on the same day they agreed to push for talks in Kazakhstan next month over the conflict.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that he had evidence that US-led coalition forces give support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and Kurdish groups, namely the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

They were accusing us of supporting Daesh, he told a press conference in Ankara, using the Arabic abbreviation for ISIL.

Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It is very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos, he said, without elaborating further about the evidence in question.

Ludicrous comments

The US state department dismissed Erdogans claims as ludicrous. Spokesman Mark Toner said there was no basis for such an accusation.

Galip Dalay, a columnist and analyst on Turkish and Kurdish affairs, said the sharp statement by Erdogan is an expression of disappointment in President Barack Obamas Syria policy.

Turkey believes that the Obama administration does not have the capability to hurt Turkey at this point, he told Al Jazeera.

So, [Erdogan] is taking the liberty to use sharp rhetoric. Ankara has been expressing its expectations for the mutual relations to get better under the incoming Donald Trump administration, he said.

Dalay said he did not have any information on Washingtons alleged support for ISIL, but added that both the US and Russia have been supporting Syrian Kurdish forces against ISIL.

He said Washington was doing this mainly through the Syrian Democratic Forces, a multi-ethnic rebel group mainly active in the north of Syria.

Kurdish fighters are the backbone of the group, he said.

Dalay also stressed that Syrian Kurds, widely represented by the PYD, opened a representative office in Russia in 2016 and the two side have been in close cooperation.

READ MORE: Idlib overwhelmed by influx of Aleppos wounded

Separately, Russia said on Tuesday that a US decision to ease restrictions on arming Syrian rebels paves the way for deliveries of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, a move it said would directly threaten Russian forces in the country.

Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said that the policy change  set out in the annual defence policy bill and signed into law by US President Barack Obama on December 23  would lead to weapons ending up in the hands of jihadists with whom the sham moderate opposition have long acted jointly.

Such a decision is a direct threat to the Russian air force, to other Russian military personnel, and to our embassy in Syria, which has come under fire more than once. We therefore view the step as a hostile one, Zakharova said in a statement.

A provision in the National Defense Authorisation Act, Washingtons defence policy bill, bars the US Defense Department from spending funds on anti-aircraft missiles for Syrian rebel groups until the secretaries of state and defence submit a report to congressional committees explaining the decision to do so.

The report would have to include which groups would receive the weapons, intelligence analyses on the groups and the kinds and numbers of anti-aircraft missiles to be supplied.

Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeeras Natasha Ghoneim said Russia was lashing out at the US in the final days of Obamas administration.

The [Russian] foreign ministry is saying that the Obama administration is trying to complicate the global situation ahead of Donald Trump, the president-elect, taking office, she said.

Campaign of air strikes

Throughout the Syrian civil war, the US has funded several Syrian rebel groups and provided them with logistical support and weapons.

Russia, on the other hand, launched a campaign of air strikes last year in support of President Bashar al-Assad and his forces to battle opposition groups, some of which are supported by the US.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey agreed in a telephone conversation on Tuesday to push for a ceasefire in Syria and to prepare for peace talks planned in the Kazakh capital of Astana next month.

Iran will also take part in the Astana gathering, Russias foreign ministry said, as Turkey called on its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to join the talks.

READ MORE: East Aleppo  Our memories are buried

The Syrian oppositions main political body on Tuesday urged rebel groups to cooperate with sincere regional efforts to reach a ceasefire, but said it had not been invited to any conference, referring to the Kazakhstan meeting.

We support the shifts in positions of some international powers and the positive, sincere efforts that could represent a starting point for realising the Syrian peoples aspirations by reaching an agreement that brings security and stability, Riad Hijab, general coordinator for the High Negotiations Committee, said in a written statement distributed to the press.
Miners in rural Sudan use mercury and cyanide to separate gold, which leads to health issues.

Khartoum, Sudan  Toxic chemicals used to extract gold from Sudans mines are not only harming the health of miners, but also those who live nearby.

Mine workers in rural Sudan use mercury and cyanide to separate gold.

Mustafa Abdulgadir, a gold miner, is aware that mercury could kill him.

I would have taken another job, but this is the only one Ive got, Abdulgadir told Al Jazeera. While burning the gold, the smoke affects me. Thats why I use the scarf, but still it affects me.

INTERACTIVE: Sudans forsaken Blue Nile

Basheer Elkhazim, a local doctor in Ebeidiya, said that he diagnoses patients with poisoning daily. On average, he sees three mercury poisoning cases a day; three lead poisoning cases, and up to eight patients with chest infections.

Sudan cannot afford to halt or lower production of gold, since it would hurt the already struggling economy.

Officials said they are aware of the health hazards and are working on eliminating the use of mercury by 2020.

We have approved a plan to get rid of mercury, and we signed the Minamata agreement in Japan which aims to put an end to its use, said Ahmed al-Karory, the minister of minerals.
Turkish state media says if truce succeeds, political talks will start in Kazakhstan under Turkey and Russias guidance.

Turkey and Russia have agreed on a countrywide ceasefire plan for Syria, except for areas where government forces are battling armed groups declared terrorist organisations by the United Nations.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday that a ceasefire plan had been submitted to Syrias rival parties and could come into force as soon as midnight (22:00 GMT).

Citing a source who requested anonymity, Anadolu said terrorist organisations would be excluded from the deal.

This would most certainly exclude the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front.





The source also said that if the ceasefire succeeded, political negotiations would start in the Kazakh capital, Astana, under Turkey and Russias guidance.

Samir Nashar, a Syrian opposition figure, said that there were tremendous efforts being exerted by the Turkish government to implement such a ceasefire with the help of an Arab country before a proposed meeting takes place in Kazakhstan.

Labib Nahhas, foreign relations head for another rebel group, Ahrar al-Sham, confirmed to AFP news agency that the faction was aware of ongoing discussions between Russia and Turkey.

But he said that rebel factions had not been presented with any official proposal and said there were still obstacles to the deal.

Russia wants to exclude Eastern Ghouta from the ceasefire, which is not acceptable, he said, referring to a rebel-held area outside Damascus.

Syrias army has been advancing in Eastern Ghouta in recent months, and securing the area around the Syrian capital would be another major government gain after recapturing Aleppo.

Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep, in Turkey, near the Syria border, said the deal amounts to a major breakthrough and could pave the way for a final political settlement.

Many rebel groups were instrumental during the deal. They were present during the talks between the Russian and Turks and principally agree with the terms, he said.

But the political umbrella of the opposition is sceptical and says that armed groups should not have a say on major deals; the highest political organs should.

OPINION: A ceasefire in Syria is pure fantasy

Having said that, this will just be phase one of the deal. Phase two will be the stitching together of a political settlement.

But at the moment we still have two opposing views. The Turks say President Bashar al-Assad should have no rule in a future Syria, a condition which has been repeatedly dismissed by Russia in the past.

So it still remains to be seen whether these two can overcome their differences and pave the way for a final political settlement.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran met last week in Moscow where they agreed to act as guarantor powers for a peace accord between the Assad government and the opposition.

Children killed

Amid the diplomatic developments, air strikes have killed at least 22 people, including 10 children, in a village in eastern Syria, according to a UK-based monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that the raids hit the village of Hajna in Deir Az Zor province, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were among the dead.

Local activists quoted online said the air strikes happened on Tuesday. Located in the northern countryside of Deir Az Zor, Hajna is held by ISIL, also known as ISIS.





The Syrian Observatory had no immediate word on who carried out the raids but it was likely to have been either the Assad government or its ally Russia.

The Syrian civil war started as a largely unarmed uprising against Assad in March 2011, but quickly developed into a full-on armed conflict.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy to Syria, estimated in April that more than 400,000 Syrians had been killed since 2011.

Calculating a precise death toll is difficult, partially owing to the forced disappearances of tens of thousands of Syrians whose fates remain unknown.

Almost 11 million Syrians  half the countrys prewar population  have been displaced from their homes.










English News Bengaluru, India: Petition should be filed in J&K HC to counter petition in Delhi HC about Article 370

Alwihda Info | Par Hem Raj Jain - 28 Decembre 2016







Sub:- when India has not restored the territorial integrity of J&K in 70 years, the people of J&K has every constitutional right to revoke the Instrument of Accession.







---- As per media report  [Non-applicability of any Constitutional amendment in Jammu and Kashmir, without a Presidential Order under Article 370 of the Constitution, has been challenged in the Delhi High Court which has decided to hear a PIL in this regard on January 2. This petition challenges the Constitution Order 1954 that adds a proviso to Article 368 of the Constitution].



It does not need further elaboration that this matter of special status of J&K under Article 370 is a question of life & death for the people of J&K. Hence by citing this petition in Delhi HC as cause of action the people of J&K should file a writ petition in J&K HC. The people of J&K will succeed in this petition at J&K HC [which will ultimately be transferred to Supreme Court of India (SCI) along with said petition in Delhi HC] only when they say the following in this petition:-



(1)- The people of J&K should say that there is nothing sacred about claim that entire J&K (including PoK) is an integral part of India. Territories are not decided on paper but by military strength. Hence mere mention of J&K being an integral part of India is not worth the paper (howsoever important like Indian Constitution) it is written on especially when about half the territory of J&K (as it was in August 1947) is with Pakistan for the last 70 years (even some with China through Pakistan).



(2)- The people of J&K should say that theocratic Pakistan much smaller than India tried to take Muslim J&K militarily in 1947, 1948, 1965, 1971, during Kargil etc but so-called secular Hindu majority India never tried to retrieve Muslim PoK militarily from Pakistan. Therefore as per adverse possession Pakistan has better claim on J&K than India.



(3)- The people of J&K should say that on the contrary (instead of taking on Pakistan military for the retrieve of PoK) the Indian military is showing its bravery by training guns at the civilians of J&K under the protection of AFSPA, SPA etc with the result gross human rights violation by security forces of India have taken place in J&K and which has even recently resulted in over 5 months of shut down in Kashmir valley (due to killing, injuring, damaging eyes mostly of youth at huge scale by pellet guns).



(4)- The people of J&K should say that J&K acceded to India in order to protect its territorial integrity (which was threatened by Pakistan). That is the main reason that Instrument of Accession granted martial (mainly defense) jurisdiction to Union of India. But when India has not restored the territorial integrity of J&K in 70 years (~ half of territory of J&K is still with Pakistan and China) that means Union of India has deliberately reneged on its obligation as per Instrument of Accession. Hence the people of J&K not only have every constitutional right to revoke the Instrument of Accession signed in 1947 end but also to approach various international forums in order to restore the territorial integrity of J&K.



(5)- The people of J&K should say that the people of India and Indian State should be grateful to the people of J&K that so far the people of J&K have not moved the Court to revoke the Instrument of Accession and are satisfied only with the Constitutional provisions which give special rights to the people of J&K [including those which are related to the citizenship (permanent residency) of J&K and right to immovable properties to only natives of J&K]



(6)- The people of J&K should say that in view of the above mentioned the Court should declare that there is no illegality or unconstitutionality in - [Non-applicability of any Constitutional amendment in Jammu and Kashmir, without a Presidential Order under Article 370 of the Constitution or in the Constitution Order 1954 that adds a proviso to Article 368 of the Constitution]



Here it is important to mention that the people of J&K will succeed in this petition in J&K HC and ultimately in SCI only when some leaders of various fields in J&K and other (who have unquestioned loyalty to the cause of J&K) will be present in Court on hearing day to provide on-the-spot guidance to their advocate, whenever necessary, to fight this writ petition properly & effectively.



Regards



Hem Raj Jain



(Author of Betrayal of Americanism)



Bengaluru, India





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 One-China principle an irreversible trend

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 28 Decembre 2016



It is a right choice for Sao Tome and Principe to end relations with Taiwan. In addition, the excuses given by Taiwan further proved its unconsciousness of current situation. Whats more, given the rich natural and human resources, Africa's priority is to develop. It is expected that international community could offer assistance to the economic and sustainable development of the continent. In other words, what Africa needs most is self-restoration ability rather than pure assistance.

Source : People's Daily One-China principle an irreversible trend



The resumption of diplomatic ties between China and Sao Tome and Principe reflects that the one-China principle has become an irreversible trend of times, the People's Daily said in a commentary published on Tuesday, one day after the two countries declared to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.



Following is the translation of the article:



China and Sao Tome and Principe signed a Joint Communique on Resumption of Diplomatic Relations on Monday after the latter declared to cut ties with Taiwan six days ago. The two governments have decided to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level as of the date of the signing of this Joint Communique.



Sao Tome and Principe acknowledged the one-China principle in the Joint Communique, admitting that the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, and Taiwan is an integrated part of the Chinese territory.



China's Foreign Ministry welcomed Sao Tome and Principes return to the correct track of one-China principle immediately after it cut ties with Taiwan. On December 26, the two countries solemnly declared in respective capitals to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.



The resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which is an irreversible trend of times, not only reflects the acceptance of the one-China principle, but also serves the fundamental and long-term interest of the two countries and their people.



It is well known that Resolution 2758 passed by the 26th session of United Nations General Assembly in October 1971 has recognized the People's Republic of China as "the only legitimate representative of China to the UN." Since then, the one-China principle reflected in the resolution has become an internationally recognized consensus and an accepted norm of international relations.



Based on the principle, Sao Tome and Principe chose to cut the so-called diplomatic ties with Taiwan and resume ties with the Peoples Republic of China, which has maintained international justice and the norms of international relations.



Concerning the core interest of China and national sentiment of Chinese people, one-China principle is the premise and political basis for any country to keep a friendly partnership with China. China will never compromise on this issue. Any people or forces who try to challenge or barter it away will be resolutely opposed by China and by international community as well.



China and Africa have always been a community of shared interest and destiny. The Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in 2015 has ushered them into a new era of win-win cooperation and common development.



The 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans for the coming three years announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit has been well accepted by African countries, bringing new hope of cooperation to the continent.



Now, China has become Africa's largest trading partner and source of investment. Many African countries have expressed their willingness to realize economic independence and sustainable development through cooperation with China. China has become a reliable partner of Africa in pursuit of sustainable development.



It is a right choice for Sao Tome and Principe to end relations with Taiwan. In addition, the excuses given by Taiwan further proved its unconsciousness of current situation.



Whats more, given the rich natural and human resources, Africa's priority is to develop. It is expected that international community could offer assistance to the economic and sustainable development of the continent. In other words, what Africa needs most is self-restoration ability rather than pure assistance.



The world has witnessed and will see more profound and complex changes. China's surging growth of comprehensive national power and influence has substantially altered the balance in cross-Straits relations. The mainland is now superior to Taiwan in terms of both strength and influence.



To acknowledge the 1992 Consensus and admit one-China principle is the prerequisite of and basis for the peaceful development of cross-straits relations. Taiwan authority should be aware of the big picture and stop its self-deception.



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)
Get out of the red six months from now.

That is Fred Viaud's goal for Glen Rock Savings Bank in New Jersey, which on Tuesday said he would be promoted to president and CEO next week. Viaud, who has been the chief operating and chief financial officer, will succeed Henry Ingrassia, who is retiring.

The $247 million-asset Glen Rock reported losses of $292,000 in the first nine months of 2016, more than double its losses in the same period in 2015, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s website. Viaud attributed the losses to the bank's purchase of Llewellyn-Edison Savings Bank last year. Glen Rock expects to turn a profit for the 12 months that ended June 30, the close of its fiscal year.

The outgoing chief, Ingrassia, is "leaving the bank in an advantageous spot for us to continue growing," Viaud was quoted as saying in news release about the leadership change. Despite Glen Rock's red ink lately, Viaud explained in a follow-up interview, "the merger basically tripled our capital from $11 million to approximately $33 million."

"We're well over 13% capital, which gives us the opportunity to grow our balance sheet without risking any capital," Viaud said. "What we hope to do is just to keep a slow and steady growth going forward."

He added that the bank will renovate two branches it acquired last year and move its headquarters from its current building, which dates to the bank's founding in 1922, to a facility with more parking. Glen Rock has five branches.

Viaud has worked for Glen Rock since 1992, according to his LinkedIn profile. His promotion takes effect Jan. 3.
Jaxport CEO Eric Green said the $23.5 million grant marks a milestone in our initiatives to build the port of the future and move cargo in the most efficient and eco-friendly way possible.
It is sad to learn the truth about anti-Semitism being exhibited at British universities these days. This prejudice of course was always present among some British intellectuals, if expressed in discreet and prudent form. Isaiah Berlin referred to J.M. Keynes critical view of Jews as a kind of club anti-Semitism, but it was not deep, as it was in the case of Hilaire Belloc or G.K. Chesterton. Now however anti-Semitic utterances and behavior have become both trendy and poisonously noxious.

We already know the persistent dismal sort of anti-Semitism in the British Labour party and the lack of action of the leader of the party, Jeremy Corbyn, in dealing with it. After a weak and useless appraisal, indeed a whitewash, of the problem in the Labour party by Shami Chakrabarti, a cross-party parliamentary committee inquiry in October 2016 reported that the Labour party was demonstrably incompetent in dealing with incidents of anti-Jewish abuse by its members. The leader lacked backbone to confront the issue. No real punishment had been given even to the most egregious offender. Certainly, the party leadership had refused to denounce its former leader Ken Livingstone for his absurd remark that Hitler was supporting Zionism before he went mad, and ended up killing six million Jews.

It is therefore welcome that Lady (Ruth) Deech, alumna of Oxford University, Crossbench member of the House of Lords since 2005, law professor, and the first person appointed as Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, indicated the problem. She spoke of some of the main universities in the UK are no go zones for Jewish students. She mentioned, in particular, Manchester, Southampton, Exeter, and SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) in London.

Her main point was that universities, like the British Labour party, turn a blind eye to the issue of hostility towards Jews on campus. She realizes that it was trendy on the British political left to be anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism merged with anti-Israel rhetoric and activity. Deech and others have identified the crucial problem. What is it about Israel that provokes such passion and animosity of a kind not exhibited towards other countries and non-Jews?

Deech also was concerned that there was no official investigation of specific complaints and allegations of anti-Semitism at Oxford, though officials had been given a dossier with a catalogue of incidents of harassment of Jewish students. The disillusioned and disgusted cochair of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) resigned in 2016 as a result of these incidents. OULC members, he said, had "problems with Jews." Those problems included their use of the word zios to refer to Jews, and their statements that Auschwitz was a cash cow, for Jews. Some dismissed concerns about anti-Semitism as just Zionists crying wolf. Members of the OULC expressed support for the Palestinian-led Israel Apartheid Week, and expressed solidarity with Hamas.

Why had British universities failed to curb the hatred of Jews expressed and illustrated within their halls? One significant reason given was that heads of British colleges were afraid of offending potential investors, including those, such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, countries, who gave very large donations. In 2005 the late Saudi Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, gave two million pounds to the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Exeter University received more than eight million pounds from Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, one of the UAE emirates.

The British story is disquieting. The Community Security Trust recorded 27 anti-Semitic incidents on British campuses in first six months of 2016. It is worth mentioning a few of the incidents at the universities, in addition to the problem at Oxford.

At Kings College, London on January 19, 2016 protestors, mainly the KCL Action Palestine, prevented a talk by Ami Ayalon, former head of Israels Shin Bet and head of the Navy, and now a peace activist. The meeting was stopped when the protestors threw chairs, smashed windows, and set off fire alarms.

At University College, London on October 27, 2016 a violent protest, barricading Jewish students, prevented a talk by Hen Mazzig, former Israeli IDF Commander. Ironically, he was due to speak about his humanitarian work in the West Bank concerning medical facilities, schools, roads, and water infrastructure.

At SOAS on November 2016, the Palestine Society hosted a speaker who spoke of Israel as racist and fascist state and linked the cult of Zionism to Nazis. At Manchester, student motions endorsed BDS. At Exeter students wore T-shirts featuring AS slogans.

The most troubling manifestation was a conference titled Legitimacy, Responsibility, Exceptionalism, to held in 2015 at Southampton University, that was intended to question the legal and moral right of the state of Israel to exist. The organizers were all well-known critics, even haters, of Israel, and advocates of boycott of Israel, as were almost all the expected participants.

The main organizers were Oren Ben-Dor (Southampton University law school) a constant anti-Israeli critic, and George Bisharat (U of California , Hastings School of Law) who favors a one-state solution and compares Israel presence to a rapist. Ben Dor, former Israeli, has criticized the Israeli actions in Lebanon in 2006 and in Gaza in winter 2009. He has supported boycotts of Israel, written about alleged apartheid of Israel, and the bias in the Israeli educational system. In a barely comprehensible article published in 2012, Ben-Dor referred to pathologies pertaining to Jewish thinking and being.

Although 929 academics supported a petition for the conference to be held at Southampton, as the result of strong protests the university cancelled it on the grounds that it gave legitimacy to anti-Semitism. However, the conference with the same cast of characters is now to be held in March and April 2017 at University College, Cork, Ireland, part of the National University of Ireland.

The list of speakers, including diehard critics of Israel, speaks for itself. The presence as speakers of individuals such as Richard Falk, Ilan Pappe, Azmi Bishara, and Hatem Bazian suggests the objective of the conference. It is not to discuss the problems of the Middle East in any objective ashion; it is to emphasize the illegitimacy of the state of Israel. It is to link the alleged suffering of Palestinians to the foundation and nature of Israel, and in essence to argue for the nullification of Israels existence.

It is ironic that Southampton University, where the biased conference was to be held, houses the Parkes Institute for Jewish/non Jewish relations based on the work of Rev. Dr. James Parkes. Parkes was an Oxford scholar, Anglican clergyman, and historian, who understood the evil of anti-Semitism, and the pain and victimization that Jews suffered from anti-Semitism, and devoted his life to end persecution of Jews. All British universities as well as the Labour party should learn from Parkes courageous life story and end the travesty of the misuse of both the campus and the political arena.
President Obama is clearly not yet finished destroying what remains of the U.S.-led international order. By allowing a harmful UN Security Council resolution to pass declaring Israeli settlements to be a flagrant violation under International Law, he reverses decades of U.S. policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and makes a future negotiated settlement even more difficult for the parties to achieve. More importantly, the move strikes a devastating blow to the credibility of the UN and international law.

Eight years of Obamas foreign policy have left the world on fire. Now, with his final foray into geopolitics, he has attacked the last remaining vestiges of a rules-based order.

For a president who prides himself on the long-game, this was an incredibly short-sighted and selfish move.

While the bi-partisan backlash has so far focused on the damage to Israel and the peace process, the longer-term casualty will be the international legal order itself. Why? Because going forward, the three major global powers  the U.S., Russia, and China  will concurrently disregard international law as they pursue their own interests. While we expect this from Russia and China, President Obama just all but guaranteed that the Trump Administration will follow suit.

International law only functions properly and effectively when the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council  the U.S., Russia, China, France and the U.K  unanimously agree to uphold its sanctity. Since World War II, international law progressed slowly and unevenly because the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China each exercised their veto powers in pursuit of geopolitical interests. Nevertheless, the United States unswervingly lent its power and legitimacy to the United Nations because we believed that it enshrined our values. We accepted the short-term limitations imposed by international law because of the long-term benefits offered by a rules-based liberal order.

Today, however, the international order is neither rules-based nor liberal.

Russia and China are revisionist powers who seek to reshape the global order in their image. They have consistently violated international law to promote their own interests, while using their Security Council vetoes to hamstring the United States from taking actions that would uphold the global order. In just the past 4 years, Russia has annexed Crimea, sold advanced missiles to Iran, and bombed civilians in Syria on behalf of Bashir al-Assad. China has similarly waged covert cyber war against the U.S., constructed fake islands to claim new exclusive economic zone rights, and continued their ethnic cleansing of Tibet. At the same time, the two countries have systematically prevented the U.N. from taking any action regarding Syria, including the referral of Bashir al-Assad to the ICC for his use of chemical weapons against civilians.

For his part, President Obama has fecklessly used the UN Security Council to circumvent our own system of checks-and-balances. In 2011, President Obama justified his military intervention in Libya through the U.N. Security Council without seeking approval from Congress. In 2015, he again used the Security Council to ratify the Iran Nuclear Deal without submitting the treaty for approval to the Senate. Now, President Obama has used the Security Council to punish Israel, despite the protests of the incoming president and both parties in Congress. Never before has a lame-duck president attempted to tie the hands of his successor in such a dramatic fashion.

The American people will have to decide going forward whether the UN is still an institution that enshrines our values. This latest vote suggests otherwise. The resolution was sponsored by Venezuela, a failed socialist state in the midst of an economic crisis. Votes in favor were cast by Egypt, which has had two coups in five years and ethnically cleansed its Coptic populations; Russia which recently annexed Crimea and continues its covert war against Ukraine; and China, which currently occupies Tibet and has ethnically cleansed its population. Lastly, the resolution targets Israel, the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and among the U.S. most loyal friends.

President-elect Trump has already made clear where he stands. After slamming the vote, he tweeted: As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th. Members of Congress and leaders from both parties immediately started calling for reprisals against the international body. At least on this issue, Mr. Trump will almost certainly disregard the recent U.N. resolution by working with Israel to negate its consequences. Mr. Trump lobbied fiercely against the resolution, calling it an obstacle to peace. David Friedman, his newly selected Ambassador to Israel, is also an unabashed supporter of settlements.

The question is  will a President Trump ignore the U.N. more broadly? He has excoriated the U.N. in the past for not being a friend of freedom. His America First doctrine also places him at odds with many UN members and institutions. But it has been an open question whether a President Trump would try to work with the U.N. in the future. With this vindictive last act, President Obama has all but guaranteed that Mr. Trump will be at odds with the organization from the beginning.

The international legal order cannot survive without U.S. support, since U.S. military power and moral authority undergird its legitimacy. It also cannot function if the three global powers  the U.S., China, and Russia  each ignore its structures in pursuit of their own world views and geopolitical interests. Obamas foreign policy has left us with a world in which Russia and China already do so.

Now, with this act, President Obama has driven a knife into the heart of the international legal order by poisoning the well for the incoming Trump Administration. This is a tragedy for the U.S., for Israel, and most importantly, for people all over the world longing for liberty and security.

Its deeply ironic that a man who came into office so committed to the integrity of international law has now caused its downfall.

The author is a former Marine Corp Infantry Officer and counter-terror policy advisor. He is currently a JD-MBA candidate at Yale Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Recently, we see the pivot as a mechanism of foreign policy that is growing in significance. The pivot has become the swift adjustment of foreign policy priorities and alignments by individual countries within the context of the dominant multilateral approach of the post-WWII world. Pivots are not intended to be changes in foreign policy per se, but on the ground shifts that are merely adjustments to certain changes in circumstances. It seems that they are part of an ever-growing repertoire of intrigue and duplicity being used by world powers.

We have seen a tsunami of pivots during recent years. The U.S. pivoted towards Bashar Assad by accepting a Russian-brokered deal involving Assads chemical weapons. Nonetheless, our policy remains anti-Assad. Sometime later, we pivoted towards our longtime foe, Iran, by hammering out an agreement with the ayatollahs allowing the removal of commercial and financial sanctions against Iran, the restoration of $150 billion in Iranian funds without any quid pro quo by the Iranians, and the continued operation of Iranian nuclear reactors. Despite the agreement, we continued to claim that our deal with Iran was only a pivot, and did not represent a change in policy towards Israel which strongly objected to the deal. To our administration, the Israelis mistook a pivot for a change in policy.

The pivot has thus become the hallmark of flexibility in international relations. How did we get to this point? International relations have evolved through three stages: (1) the 19th century/pre-WWI alliance system based on political and military commitments between and among two or more nation-states; (2) the post-WWI and post-WWII dependence upon multilateral global and regional economic, legal, and political decision-making to promote prosperity and avert war; and (3) the increasing use of the pivot to make adjustments away from policy commitments towards practical, cooperative survival strategies.

The 19th century  as a post-Napoleonic phenomenon -- saw configurations of nation-state alliances being developed to counter the growing power of other nation-state alliances. The alliances were relatively stable. There were behind the scenes deceptions and betrayals, but no pivoting. The head of one state in an alliance would not suddenly make an open agreement with the head of another state in a different alliance. Pivoting was weakness; commitment was strength. Those alliances were structural contributors to World War I where we see the Allies (Britain, France, and the U.S. eventually) against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). Who knows? If Great Britain had pivoted towards Germany instead of defending the territorial integrity of Belgium against Germanys crossing of Belgian territory, WWI might have been avoided. But commitment required that Great Britain enter the war against Germany for violating Belgiums neutrality.

After WWI, we see the first attempts at multilateralism as a way of solving problems. The Washington Naval Conference reached an agreement about naval growth that was international in scope involving the WWI allies as well as Japan. However, Japan was a rogue nation in the 1920s just as North Korea and Iran are today. They went ahead building as many naval warships as they pleased, and simply ignored the agreement reached at the conference. And of course, the other major attempt at multilateral problem solving was Woodrow Wilsons wet dream, the League of Nations, although it came into existence without U.S. membership. Further, as events heated up on the world stage, Germany, Japan, and Italy eventually resigned from the League. So, it may be fair to say that these early excursions into multilateralism were pathetic failures.

Then, after WWII, the globalists, who undoubtedly fancied themselves as visionaries of a new world order imagined that war and poverty could be eliminated by further reining in nation-state sovereignty and putting more teeth and more commitment into the multilateral concept. The United Nations was established. Unlike with the League of Nations, the most militarily powerful countries each had veto power in the Security Council, and the UN had the authority to send in an international force to enforce its judgment that this or that country had aggressed on another country. North Koreas aggression against So. Korea was one such action, and, since the USSR was not seated at the time of the vote, the UN sent in an international force (mostly U.S. servicemen) under the leadership of Gen. Douglas MacArthur to drive the North Koreans out of South Korea.

In todays world, multilateralism rules as a world network of trade regulations controls the details of international commerce to an incredible degree through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). These have been supplemented by other regional trade policies such as those of the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Although our new president is quite offended about the lack of fairness to U.S. interests in these agreements, they have grown over many decades and untying the Gordian Knot that they represent is considerably more complex than untying a shoelace on a large L.L. Bean boot. Militarily, the U.S. is deeply tied into United Nations commitments and into NATO, typically looking for multilateral support before taking military action.

This brings us to the third and latest phase in international strategies, the pivot. It remains to be seen if Donald Trump will pivot away from the Barack Obama pivot towards Iran. This would, of course, put Trump foursquare on the side of the Middle Eastern Sunni Arab potentates such as the royal familes that run Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, and the UAE, who are concerned about Iranian (read, Shiite) political and economic domination in the Middle East. Yet, president-elect Trump says his policy will be even greater support for Israel than his predecessor, even to the point of moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Such an action is likely to be quite upsetting to both Shiites and Sunnis. At that point, pivot would come into direct conflict with policy. Lets wait and see. It could get ugly.
President Barack Obama, the Democratic leader who presided over the decimation of his party, now claims that he would have beaten Donald Trump if he had a chance to run for a third term. The problem is that Hillary Clinton ran as Obamas third term, with the presidents active support and was rejected. That fact has yet to dawn on our narcissist-in-chief, who proclaimed, as the Los Angeles Times reported:

Obama spoke in a wide-ranging interview with former senior advisor and now CNN commentator David Axelrod for the Democratic political operative's Axe Files podcast. The interview was released by CNN on Monday. "You know, I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that if I -- if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've 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 you're winning, then you have a tendency, just like in sports, maybe to play it safer," Obama said.

Did Hillary Clinton face a double standard as a woman when you beat her in 2008, or was she just a bad candidate who would have never made it to the national stage except for the fact that her last name was Clinton? The irony is that Trumps winning campaign was run by a woman, Kellyanne Conway.

Add the gender excuse to the list of excuses which include Russian hackers, FBI director James Comey, and the Electoral College. Racism and xenophobia? How does Obama explain that despite a personal appeal to black voters that if they didnt turn out for Hilary it would be a personal insult to him, black voters stayed home in significant numbers? As NBC reported, Obama pleaded with black voters:

"There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter. It all matters," Obama told the crowd at the Phoenix Awards dinner, hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. "I will consider it a personal insult, an insult to my legacy, if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election," the president said.

Yet the act is that racist and xenophobic Trump did better among blacks and Hispanics than Mitt Romney did in 2012 with a message of real hope and real change:

Trump claimed 29 percent of the Hispanic vote on Tuesday compared to Romney's 27 percent in 2012. With blacks, exit polls show Trump claimed 8 percent of the vote to the previous Republican nominee's 6 percent.Clinton underperformed in efforts to match the historic levels of support that Obama achieved. The first African American president carried 93 percent of the black vote against Romney. Clinton came in five points below him against Trump. With Hispanics, Obama garnered 71 percent support in 2012. Clinton on Tuesday claimed 65 percent.

Was it black and Hispanic males, Mr. President, who could not bring themselves to vote for a woman? Or was it Trumps appeal to black voters trapped in cities ruled by liberal Democrats for decades that they had nothing to lose? Obama would argue that if he had run again, the numbers among minorities would have been different, yet the fact remains that in every election he wasnt on the ballot, but told voters his policies were, Democrats lost badly  in 2010, 2014, and 2016. Blacks in particular ignored his personal appeal to them and voters in general rejected his policies which Hillary said she would protect and build upon.

The New York Post has documented Barack Obamas destruction of the Democratic Party, suggesting tongue-in-cheek that perhaps Obama was a GOP plant:

As President Obama concludes his reign of error, his party is smaller, weaker and ricketier than it has been since at least the 1940s. Behold the tremendous power that Democrats have frittered away -- from January 2009 through the aftermath of Election Day -- thanks to Obama and his ideas: Democrats surrendered the White House to political neophyte Donald J. Trump. US Senate seats slipped from 55 to 46, down 16 percent. US House seats fell from 256 to 194, down 24 percent. Democrats ran the Senate and House in 2009. Next year, they will control neither. Governorships slid from 28 to 16, down 43 percent. State legislatures (both chambers) plunged from 27 to 14, down 48 percent Trifectas (states with Democrat governors and both legislative chambers) cratered from 17 to 6, down 65 percent.

Obama is right that perhaps Team Clinton was complacent and overconfident and didnt practice the retail politics he was so good at, and might have done better by just showing up in more places, not visiting Wisconsin at all, for example. Yet the fact remains that Donald Trump made inroads into key parts of the Democratic constituency, while reassembling the Reagan Democrats, building a groundswell among the bitter clingers Obama despised and the deplorable Hillary Clinton mocked. Yes, there were angry white males, as Bill Clinton suggests, but there were also angry blacks and Hispanics angry at being treated as voting blocs, not individuals in need of jobs and hope for a better life for their children.

Michelle Obama says she has lost hope, but not as much as the citizens of Chicago, Obamas hometown, plagued with drugs, crime, decaying schools and over 700 murders this year. More than Hillarys emails and her selling her office to fund the Clinton Foundation, voters rejected the soaring premiums and deductibles and declining quality of health care under ObamaCare. In states like Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, they rejected your war on energy. While you and your party talked about climate change and transgendered restrooms, Trump and the GOP talked about jobs and secure borders.

They rejected your policies and the fruits thereof, Mr. President. They rejected you, and embraced Trumps message of real hope and change. They wanted jobs, not taxes and regulations. Donald Trump would have beaten you too, Mr. President, perhaps by a bigger margin than he beat your legacy and Hillary Clinton.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
President Trump and the Republican Congress are going to do a lot and will likely act quickly and decisively to help the economy become strong, make the borders secure and the immigration laws effective, protect us from terrorists and rogue nations, and improve our education system.

It is vitally important, however, to grasp at the outset that Washington cannot work. Federal solutions always fail. The best thing federal politicians can do is to get Washington out of the lives of ordinary Americans, their businesses, and their communities.

This must happen fast, because Washington is crawling with folks who will work nonstop to pander the egos of federal politicians and to tell them they, through the wise use of federal power, can solve problems. Their whole careers, indeed their whole lives, are wrapped up in this foolish and destructive belief.

The counties around Washington are by far the richest in our nation because there is no gravy train in finance or oil or software remotely as rich as the federal gravy train, with its vast populace of nongovernmental folks who make their living by issuing reports or arguing lawsuits or writing stories about our capital.

The best and surest solution to our problems is to return as much governmental power as possible to states, and to devolve back to citizens all the rights to which they are entitled under our constitutional system.

As I have written before, a great deal could be done by simply having all bureaucracies needed to enforce federal laws be state bureaucracies and not federal ones. Allow federal employees in affected agencies to become employees of the states, with the federal government to pick up their salaries for a few years, or to have their jobs eliminated.

This would require the movement of hundreds of thousands of federal bureaucrats out of Washington to South Dakota or Mississippi or New Mexico, which would help the economies of these states of "Flyover Country" and would also make those enforcing federal laws much more understanding of the problems affecting their new homes.

There is also no reason not to devolve federal jurisdiction back to state court systems and to strip all lower federal courts of their power, leaving lower federal courts with only diversity of citizenship cases. This is how our judicial system used to work, when our judicial system used to work. Creating a new federal court, physically situated far from Washington, to replace the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia would be part of this reform as well.

Republicans ought to consider actually moving where Congress meets. Every two years, for example, the meeting place of Congress could move from one part of the nation to another. This would be done quite deliberately to give that vast part of America not on the shores of the Potomac River practical influence on Congress.

The president, of course, can live where he chooses and ought to have half a dozen "homes" so he will remain in close touch with at least the local leaders of states and communities, rather than learning virtually everything from the mouths of Washington insiders.

These changes would become institutional fairly quickly, because states and regions would acquire vested interests in the dispersal of power. Washington could become a pseudo-capital, more of a museum, really, while the real power is exercised much closer to the people and in dozens or hundreds of different places in our land.

There is one final and vital change that these other changes would produce. The Beltway media would find no justifiable reason for their existence as a Washington press corps or national media. As Donald Trump found in his election campaign, state and local media behave with much more journalistic seriousness than the national media. These local media folks are, of course, integral parts of the cities and states where they live. These newsmen and journalists are, by and large, sensible and serious individuals.

Washington can't work, and the first politicians who figure that out and do something about it will become new "Founding Fathers" of a genuinely revived American republic.
The Muslim world jumped on President George W. Bush's use of the word "crusade" as proof that America wants to wage war against Islam, not merely apprehend international terrorists. While indeed the word does refer to unsuccessful Christian attempts to recapture the Holy Land centuries ago, the word also means a remedial enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm. As an example, Dwight Eisenhower called the war against Nazi Germany the "Crusade in Europe." It is interesting to note that while Nazi Germany was non-Muslim, many Muslim leaders and nations, such as the grand mufti of Jerusalem and Iraq, openly supported the Nazi regime.

Today's Islamists claim there is an age-old conspiracy against their religion and that Christianity and Judaism have always tried to stifle their faith by force of arms.

History reveals and entirely different story.

When the Prophet Mohammed died in A.D. 632, the Holy Land was Christian-controlled and had been for centuries, as were what are now modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. The Byzantine Empire, which ruled the territory, became Christian shortly after the conversion of Emperor Constantine I in 324.

Jerusalem, sacred to Jews as the site of the Temple and to Christians as the place of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, is not even mentioned in the Quran.

From its very beginning, Islam set about spreading its faith at swordpoint. It conquered the nearby pagan territory, including Mecca, and then turned on the Byzantines in the west and north and the Persians in the east. The armies of Allah poured into Syria and the Holy Land, taking Jerusalem in 638, a full six years after Mohammed's death.

While maintaining a constant pressure on the Byzantines and swallowing the Persian Empire, they pushed across North Africa, subjugating all of it by the end of the seventh century. Not content with these conquests, Islamic armies then swept north from Africa into Europe, the heart of Christianity. They landed in southern Spain in 711 and rapidly subdued the entire Iberian peninsula under the banner of the crescent. Still not satisfied, their armies poured across the Pyrenees into France, where a Christian army under Charles Martel finally stopped them at the Battle of Tours in 732.

It took just 21 years for Islamic armies to sweep from Africa to the heart of France. It would be 781 years before they were finally driven out, when Granada fell in 1492 to Spanish armies.

While Christianity was fighting for its spiritual and political life in Western Europe, Islam kept up the pressure in the east. Europe gradually realized the true scope of the Islamic threat to Europe. Pope Urban II called for action at the Council of Clermont in late November 1095. He called on Christians to help support the beleaguered Byzantine Empire and for a crusade to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslim invaders.

At first, the efforts succeeded. Jerusalem came under Crusader control in 1099. But Christian control of the Holy Land was short-lived. The Saracen armies of Saladin recaptured the city in 1187. Muslim rulers later ceded the city back to Christian control in 1229, and the city changed hands several times after that. The Crusader presence in the Holy Land finally ended in 1244.

This victory was not enough for the Muslim world. Islamic armies pressed against Europe. A series of campaigns against the Byzantines finally succeeded when Constantinople fell to the invaders in 1453, bringing to an end a civilization that traced its roots back to the founding of Rome 2,000 years prior. Greece, the Balkans, and parts of Central Europe soon fell. The year 1529 saw the armies of Suleiman the Magnificent at the gates of Vienna. The Muslims were finally defeated following a long siege of that Austrian city. The Muslims tried again in 1683 and again were defeated.

Gradually, the tide of time turned against militant Islam. By the end of the First World War, only European Turkey remained, and Jerusalem was under English control.

Today, Muslims live throughout the Christian world. In most places, including Israel, they are free to worship and participate in government as they choose.

The same cannot be said of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, or others in the Muslim world, to which the concept of religious freedom is anathema.

There may well be a religious crusade being waged today, but it is by Islamists against all other faiths.
Over the holidays, I saw one of the many reviews out there about the Obama years, this one from Lisa Lerer of AP:

In boasting about his tenure in the White House, President Barack Obama often cites numbers like these: 15 million new jobs, a 4.9 percent unemployment rate and 74 months of consecutive job growth. There's one number you will almost never hear: More than 1,030 seats. That's the number of spots in state legislatures, governor's mansions and Congress lost by Democrats during Obama's presidency. It's a statistic that reveals an unexpected twist of the Obama years: The leadership of the one-time community organizer and champion of ground-up politics was rough on the grassroots of his own party. When Obama exits the White House, he'll leave behind a Democratic Party that languished in his shadow for years and is searching for itself... When Obama won the presidency, his election was heralded as a moment of Democratic dominance  the crashing of a conservative wave that had swept the country since the dawn of the Reagan era. Democrats believed that the coalition of young, minority and female voters who swept Obama into the White House would usher in something new: an ascendant Democratic majority that would ensure party gains for decades to come. The coalition, it turns out, was Obama's alone.

Well, let's say a couple of things.

Why did the voters want to talk about Mr. Obama rather than state issues, as the state legislator from South Carolina laments? Let me come up with an couple of answers: Obamacare and a U.S. economy that did not create high-paying jobs.

The article also mentioned that President Obama accomplished his policy goals. Really? Did I watch the wrong movie? Obamacare is a disaster and will likely collapse of its own weight. Illegal immigration is chaotic with cities choosing to ignore federal law. And did we mention terrorism or the sense that we feel less safe today than with President Bush? Did the writer of the review check out the Middle East? What did President Obama accomplish there?

Yes, President Obama hurt his party a lot. However, it was not because he was too busy to build it or uncomfortable with legislating and negotiation. He destroyed the party by going too far to the left on social issues and being rather divisive, such as in issues of race.

Overall, President Obama never lived up to the hype. He was the articulate man who never articulated a message that brought us together. He was the thoughtful man who never thought through the consequences of Obamacare or pulling troops out of Iraq without a plan.

Again, overall a C-minus, and that's probably a bit charitable. It's amazing how much better President Bush looks eight years after he handed the presidency to Mr. Obama,

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
If you are sick and tired of laughing at leftists (and not a few conservative NeverTrumps) making asses of themselves, then this post is not for you. Twice.

First, I invite you to spend seven minutes watching a scathing collection of priceless video moments via the Trump Fan Network (hat tip: Big Fur Hat).

Once you are done laughing, then prepare yourself a festival of derisiveness via Taki Magazines Jim Goad. He has done extensive research in deciding on the 16 most annoying people of 2016. I have to admit that hes done a pretty good job, diverse both politically and geographically. A sample that is appropriate for a family publication (many are not):
Our legal system has long recognized the fundamental differences between children and adults. All 50 states and Washington, D.C. offer underage offenders alternatives to adult criminal courts. However, the state-by-state boundary distinctions between adults and youths are inconsistent for juvenile courts. At this moment, 37 states and Washington, D.C. place the upper boundary of the courts jurisdiction at 17 years. American citizens must therefore ask themselves whether it is appropriate for our justice system to throw in 17-year-olds with hardened criminals.

Due to differences in development of the prefrontal cortex, children respond to rehabilitation efforts far more effectively than adults. Further, 17-year-olds are typically nonviolent offenders who are unlikely to threaten the safety of communities. Are we really willing to say that these 17-year-olds, who are often first-time offenders, belong in the same crowd with much older, and sometimes much more violent, career criminals?

Opponents to raising the upper boundary of the courts age distinction between adult and juvenile offenders have voiced concerns over public safety. Further, they fear that this might lead to a weakened element of deterrence. Compared with adult justice, juvenile justice typically places more focus on rehabilitation than punishment. With this difference in mind, the concern is that the absence of harsh punitive measures would fail to deter crime among 17-year-old offenders. However, as seen in Texas through a process known as certification, juvenile offenders who commit especially reprehensible acts can still be tried in an adult court.

Moreover, past experience tells us that the juvenile court is more effective in preventing recidivism. A study of over 2,000 juvenile offenders across New York and New Jersey highlighted the difference in the likelihood of juvenile recidivism based on the court in which they were tried. Remarkably, youths tried before an adult court were 85 percent more likely to be re-arrested for violent crimes and 44 percent more likely to be re-arrested for felony property crimes in comparison to those tried before a juvenile court.

Juveniles placed in adult correctional facilities also face the threat of victimization. It is estimated that juveniles held in adult facilities have a 50-percent higher likelihood of being assaulted by an inmate using a weapon. Juveniles, while constituting less than one percent of jail inmates, represent 21 percent of sexual victimizations. It is clear that adult correctional facilities pose a greater danger to juveniles than juvenile facilities, which can directly cater to their needs.

Additionally, juveniles in adult correctional facilities are typically denied the opportunity to continue their education. The impact of separating a teenager from society and denying him access to education is tremendous. Trying 17-year-olds in juvenile courts, as opposed to adult courts, helps alleviate the denial of access to education. And by raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction, we can more effectively cater to the needs of our youth while keeping communities safe and secure.

Brian Bensimon is a student at the University of Texas at Austin. Brian is a frequent contributor to The College Fix and serves as the Southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry.
In 1979, then-U.N. ambassador Andrew Young was fired by President Carter for meeting on the sideliness of the U.N. with a representative of the PLO. The U.S. had promised Israel that it would not meet with the PLO until the terrorists acknowledged Israel's right to exist.

Flash forward to 2016, where the Israelis say they have "ironclad proof" that U.S. officials conspired with the Palestinians to pass the most anti-Israel resolution in the U.N.'s history.

Associated Press:

Doubling down on its public break with the Obama administration, a furious Israeli government on Tuesday said it had received "ironclad" information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft last week's U.N. resolution declaring Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal. The allegations further poisoned a toxic atmosphere between Israel and the outgoing administration in the wake of Friday's vote, raising questions about whether the White House might take further action against settlements in President Barack Obama's final weeks in office. With the U.S. expected to participate in an international peace conference in France next month and Secretary of State John Kerry planning a final policy speech, the Palestinians hope to capitalize on the momentum. Israel's nationalist government is banking on the incoming Trump administration to undo the damage with redoubled support. Although the U.S. has long opposed the settlements, it has generally used its Security Council veto to protect its ally from censure. On Friday, it abstained from a resolution calling settlements a "flagrant violation" of international law, allowing it to pass by a 14-0 margin. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a cool relationship with Obama, called the resolution "shameful" and accused the U.S. of playing an active role in its passage. On Tuesday, his spokesman went even further. "We have ironclad information that emanates from sources in the Arab world and that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage," David Keyes said. "We're not just going to be a punching bag and go quietly into the night." He did not identify the Arab sources or say how Israel obtained the information. Israel has close security ties with Egypt, the original sponsor of last week's resolution who, as the lone Arab member of the Security Council, was presenting it at the Palestinians' request. Under heavy Israeli pressure, Egypt delayed the resolution indefinitely  but other members presented it for a vote a day later. Egypt ended up voting in favor of the measure. The Obama administration has vehemently denied Israel's allegations. "We did not draft, advance, promote, or even tell any other country how we would vote on this resolution in advance of the Egyptians putting it in blue last week," said White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.

Is Rhodes lying? The Times of Israel has published a transcript of meetings between the U.S. and Palestinians that appeared in an Egyptian newspaper ("Arab sources?") that show just how far the U.S. conspired with terrorists against their allies:

In a meeting in early December with top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Palestinians that the US was prepared to cooperate with the Palestinians at the Security council, Israels Channel 1 TV said, quoting the Egyptian Al-Youm Al-Sabea newspaper. Also present at the meeting according to the report were US National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and Majed Faraj, director of the Palestinian Authoritys General Intelligence Service. White House national security council spokesman Ned Price on Wednesday told the Times of Israel that no such meeting took place. The transcript is a total fabrication, he said. While the State Department confirmed meetings that Erekat and a Palestinian delegation had with Kerry and separately with Rice, no tripartite between all of them took place, according to Price. Kerry is quoted as saying that he could present his ideas for a final status solution if the Palestinians pledge they will support the proposed framework. The US officials advised the Palestinians to travel to Riyadh to present the plan to Saudi leaders. Israel fears that Kerry, who is slated to give a speech Wednesday on the subject, will then lay out his comprehensive vision for two-state solution at a Paris peace conference planned for January. Israel has refused to attend. Israel further fears that this Kerry framework could be enshrined in another UN Security Council resolution.

From what we know of the administration's attitude toward Israel, the transcript rings true, although any information originating from a source in the Middle East must be accepted with some skepticism. Still, to think it was possible that two of the top foreign policy representatives of the United States would actively conspire with terrorist-supporting Palestinians against one of our closest allies is remarkable in a historical context.

Great Britain is also singled out for working to pass the anti-Israel resolution, reportedly urging New Zealand to introduce the measure at the Security Council:

According to Haaretz, in an article titled Britain Pulled the Strings and Netanyahu Warned New Zealand It Was Declaring War: New Details on Israels Battle Against the UN Vote According to Haaretz: The British secretly worked the Palestinians and urged New Zealand to move ahead with the resolution, and a call from Netanyahu to Putin triggered a real drama at the UN HQ just one hour before the vote. Last Friday, a few hours before the UN Security Council vote on the settlements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned New Zealands foreign minister, Murray McCully. New Zealand, together with Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela, was leading the move to resubmit for a vote the resolution from which Egypt had backed down the day before. A few hours earlier, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem called New Zealands ambassador to Israel, Jonathan Curr, and warned that if New Zealands move came to a vote, Israel might close its embassy in Wellington in protest. Ambassador Curr noted this and reported it to his government, but when dawn came in New York Israel understood that things were still moving ahead. Netanyahus phone call to McCully was almost his last attempt to prevent the vote, or at least to postpone it and buy a little time. Western diplomats say the conversation was harsh and very tense and Netanyahu let loose with sharp threats, perhaps unprecedented in relations between Israel and another Western country. This is a scandalous decision. Im asking that you not support it and not promote it, Netanyahu told McCully, according to the Western diplomats, who asked to remain unnamed due to the sensitivity of the matter. If you continue to promote this resolution from our point of view it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations and there will be consequences. Well recall our ambassador to Jerusalem. McCully refused to back down from the vote. This resolution conforms to our policy and we will move it forward, he told Netanyahu.

The idea that New Zealand would introduce a resolution chastising Israel for "occupying" land not its own is absurd, when you consider that country's colonialist history:

New Zealanders are no strangers to settlementsor to the cavalier denial of the rights of an indigenous people in their historic homeland. Coincidentally or not, this December marks the 153rd anniversary of The New Zealand Settlements Act, which shows that the denial of indigenous rights, and the deliberate destruction of a two-state solution in favor of an illegal land grab, are the bedrock on which the modern state of New Zealand was founded. Given that history, and the current realities of New Zealands treatment of its indigenous Maori population, the countrys steering of a UN Security Council resolution pronouncing the Jewish connection to our historic homeland to be illegal passes well into the territory of historical denialism. The story of New Zealands continuing illegal occupation of Maori land is best told by numbers: in 1831, there were fewer than 1,000 Europeans living in New Zealand, a population dwarfed by that of the local Maori tribes. By 1881, that number had mushroomed to 500,000, largely the result of British policy that shipped off settlers to the new continent and encouraged them to stay. It goes without saying that these Europeans had neither historical attachment nor any legal claim to the land. While the Maoris were happy at first to trade with the newcomers, they eventually realized that the Pakeha, their name for the white settlers, would not be satisfied until they seized all of the land and eliminated the Maori way of life. Wars broke out, and treaties were signed, which finally divided sovereignty in the land between the European colonialists and the aboriginal inhabitants. But dividing the land in half between the Maori and the European colonialists wasnt enough to satisfy the ancestors of todays New Zealanders. In 1863, the colonial government ordered all Maori to lay down their arms. Those who did not, according to the newly passed land confiscation clauses contained in the New Zealand Settlements Act, would forfeit the right to possession of their lands. Four million acres of Maori lands were subsequently seized by the government in Wellington without the slightest pretense of due process and handed out as prizes to European colonialists, and Maori sovereignty in their ancestral homeland was effectively eliminated.

Perhaps it is fitting that one of the Obama administration's last acts would be to attempt to undermine Israel's security. Ironically, for a president who prides himself and his legacy for all the "firsts" he has been able to accomplish, it's probably safe to say that his administration's cynical absention at the U.N. will be a "last."
Chinas new aircraft carrier battle group has entered the South China Sea, destination unknown. The Liaoying and her five escorting warships cleared the 90-mile strait between Taiwan and the Philippines on Monday night.

Is the battle group "on routine patrol"?

On a training mission?

Showing the flag?

Or is it going to screen a ChiCom deployment of troops, warplanes, missiles, and equipment to the three new, fortified, man-made islands China has built in international waters of the South China Sea? Defense thinker Robert D. Kaplan labeled the South China Sea Asias cauldron in his 2014 book of that title.

That strategic body of water seems destined to be the testing ground for whether China wishes to be part of the existing world order.

On the evidence so far, theres considerable room for doubt. Chinas actions in the South China Sea are Exhibit A. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in July that China's building of man-made islands on uninhabitable shoals and rocks in the South China Sea violates international law.

So far, Beijing has ignored the ruling and kept right on building.

The Georgetown University Center for Strategic and International Studies broke the news just before Christmas that three of the man-made islands China has constructed now have defensive fortifications, airstrips, and barracks. One has a deep harbor the size of Pearl Harbor (where President Obama and Japanese P.M. Shinzo Abe are meeting today).

Is the Liaoyang headed there?

China has now plainly broken out of the so-called nine-dash line  and also penetrated the U.S.'s 56-year-old defense perimeter in East Asia.

The short-term question posed by the carrier groups deployment is whether, as Russia has done in Syria, the Chinese are trying to "run the board" before Mr. Trump takes office on January 20. Well know soon enough.

Heres the long-term challenge.

If China mans those three fortified islands in the South China Sea (and especially if it also declares the area an Air Defense Identification Zone, as it did in the East China Sea at the beginning of this year), China will have overturned the balance of power, which has existed in East Asia since the end of WWII. It will also present the incoming Trump administration with its first major foreign policy crisis.

Meanwhile, at the other end of what geographer Halford Makinder called "the World Island," the Russians have taken effective control of the eastern Mediterranean. And the Russian carrier strike group remains deployed off Syria.

Now for the 64,000-Dollar Question.

Where are the American carriers? Where are the capital ships of the United States Navy?

Nowhere to be seen.

According to gonavy.jp, the U.S. Navy's nine supercarrier strike groups are all in their home ports, except for one, which is returning to Norfolk from the Persian Gulf. It's in the mid-Atlantic.

In other words, the Obama administration has withdrawn the U.S. Navy from the oceans of the world. No one is policing the global commons. The American cop has walked off the beat.

China admitted last December that it is building a second aircraft carrier. Its believed to be beginning construction of a third. An editorial in the Global Times, China's government-controlled leading English-language newspaper, predicted that China will soon have naval basing rights in South America. It said: "The Chinese fleet will cruise to the Eastern Pacific sooner or later. When China's aircraft carrier fleet appears in offshore areas of the U.S. one day, it will trigger intense thinking about maritime rules."

Interesting times. But at least Mr. Obama  who, by pulling the U.S. Navy back to the mainland, ended the forward deployment that began after WWII  will be gone. He and Secretary of State Kerry have successfully gone a significant distance toward taking the United States down as the sole global superpower.

That was their goal, and they have done it.

And now? Who knows? Maybe the next American president will again be willing to be the Leader of the Free World.

The whole world will be watching for the answer to that question.
Happy New Year, Hillary Clinton. I hope you enjoy being the subject of a probe by A.G.-designate Jeff Sessions, and whatever grand jury probes and subpoenas he sees fit to use in seeking recovery of all those emails you deleted and BleachBitted in an effort to eradicate any evidence of their contents.

You can now plan out your 2017 calendar with time left for grand jury testimony, thanks to a ruling from D.C. Court of Appeals judge Stephen Williams. His ruling reversed a lower court decision that halted FOIA lawsuits by Judicial Watch and Cause of Action that had sought Justice Department probes into the possible existence of records of the deleted emails. A Reuters dispatch explains:

While the State Department and National Archives took steps to recover the emails from Clinton's tenure, they did not ask the U.S. attorney general to take enforcement action. Two conservative groups filed lawsuits to force their hand. A district judge in January ruled the suits brought by Judicial Watch and Cause of Action moot, saying State and the National Archives made a "sustained effort" to recover and preserve Clinton's records. But Williams said the two agencies should have done more, according to the ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Since the agencies neither asked the attorney general for help nor showed such enforcement action could not uncover new emails, the case was not moot. "The Department has not explained why shaking the tree harder - e.g., by following the statutory mandate to seek action by the Attorney General - might not bear more still," Williams wrote. "Absent a showing that the requested enforcement action could not shake loose a few more emails, the case is not moot."

This formal action of declaring the case not moot thus opens the door, just in time for the Trump administration Justice Department, to formal law enforcement investigation of the hiding of Hillarys email.

Happy New Year! You can look forward to a busy and exciting time ahead. And there is still time to binge-watch Orange is the New Black. You lucky girl.
The Merriam-Webster 2016 word of the year (WOTY) is "surreal." The Oxford English Dictionary 2016 WOTY is "post-truth." "Xenophobia" is the top word on dictionary.com.

If these words are recognized because they're meant to capture important trends in our society, or reflect central themes in in our cultural zeitgeist, then the word of the year should be "shellacking."

There's some quantitative analysis involved in choosing a WOTY, such as how often the words are looked up, but there's also discretion applied by elitist sociolinguists who can design filters and artifice to accommodate their political predilections. For example, Oxford Dictionaries states: "After much discussion, debate, and research, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2016 is post-truth  an adjective defined as 'relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief."

As for their "research," having occasionally used web analytics to monitor website performance, I discovered that applying the correct server- versus client-side tools can at times be more art than science. But let's presume that their metrics are accurate, that they correctly distinguish between hits and views, pdf versus html downloads, between bots and humans...still, I suspect that their choice is embedded in post-truth absurdism, hinging more on their subjective discussions than proper research.

Dictionary.com aims to "pick a Word of the Year that embodies a major theme resonating deeply in the cultural consciousness[.]" Politics pervaded every aspect of our culture in 2016. Obama's legacy was unraveling; Hillary was supposed to be anointed the first female president; Democrats were projected to take control of Congress. Yet, taking into account federal, state, and local offices, Democrats were shellacked up one side of the ballot and down the other. If there was a WOTY during the last time the Democrats were in worse electoral shape, it would likely be "Reconstruction."

Despite their senses being besieged with the obvious evidence of a political upheaval, the best they can conjure up is "xenophobia." The connotations betray their prejudice  it's not necessarily xenophobic to put America first or to expect immigrants or refugees to be thoroughly vetted. I came to America, eventually serving in the military, because I love the place; unfortunately, many today would come to wreak havoc because they hate us. If the wordsmiths must choose a phobia, then Trump-phobia, as enmeshed in our brainwashed cultural and intellectual elites, is more pervasive and palpable than exaggerated xenophobia.

"Shellacking" may be too severe for their linguistic sensibilities, but it deserves to be the WOTY just for the indelible imprint it has left on the psyches of disoriented Democrats in 2016. Going back farther, it also deserves special recognition for its utter persistence in expressing the ignominy of Democrats' electoral performances in 2010, 2014, and 2016.

Perhaps the liberal lexicographers will consider a word of the decade for 2010-2019. "Shellacking" ought to make that list even in a "post-truth" milieu; after all, Democrats are poised to lose more Senate seats in red states in 2018. Now, that would be surreal.
The perfidy of President Obama's actions thru the United Nations last week admits of a deed that would foreclose the possibility of such actions ever being repeated: an Israel-America Relations Treaty.

With the exception of the FRIENDSHIP, COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION Treaty, with Protocol and Exchange of Notes, between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ISRAEL, there does not appear (aside from numerous agreements, etc.) to be any formal treaty between the parties that spells out the status of Israel, per se, or that deals with the relations of the two countries between each other or with how each deals with other entities or countries vis-a-vis that status.

Ira Stoll, who once was vice president and managing editor of The (now defunct) New York Sun newspaper, has written, definitively in my opinion, of the need for such a treaty at the Sun website:

Jewish national self-determination has found itself so often at the mercy of gentiles[.] ... [Not] a single ... [nation] other than Israel itself could be dependably relied on for Jewish security or even survival. If America does want to try to turn this around, the U.S. Constitution provides a path forward for both the Congress and President-elect Trump.

Mr. Stoll recounts how, thru the ages  and especially during the past 70 years  Israel has benefited from the goodwill of many peoples only to see the benefits of such good will shattered by subsequent betrayals and reversals by those same peoples.

This sickening cycle, Stoll argues, and I agree, has brought us to this present situation, wherein Israel and every Israeli lies subject to persecution, retribution, and harm at the fickle will of anyone and everyone in the world. And that is not rash hyperbole.

The contemptible Resolution 2334 passed last week guts the tenuous Resolution 242 (passed in 1967) that has provided Israel paths to dealing with friends and foes alike in a somewhat civilized manner. But now, Israel has lost its position in Jerusalems Jewish Quarter and has been branded as a criminal with respect to its position elsewhere on its borders, particularly those with the West Bank.

Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer spelled out the actions that can be taken against Israel and Israelis in a remarkable series of appearances recently. Some of those actions are prosecution of soldiers, officers, and officials for any military doings in the specified areas; expansion of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement; exclusion of access by Israelis to the Wailing Wall and the tombs of Abraham and Rachel; limits on travel of all Israelis; and diplomatic and economic isolation of Israel.

Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, writes:

The Palestinians have completed the hijacking of every major UN institution ... nineteen resolutions condemning Israel and nine critical of all other UN states combined ... one resolution (on Women's Rights) condemning Israel and zero on any other state ... ten years of adopting more [Human Rights] resolutions and decisions condemning Israel than any other place on earth. And now ... [the] Security Council ... Obamas failure to veto the resolution is at odds with long-standing American foreign policy that has insisted on peace through negotiations, and not UN-fiat, as the only way to ensure genuine and long-lasting recognition and cooperation[.] ... [T]his UN move is a head-on assault on American democracy. President Obama knew full well he did not have Congressional support for the Iran deal, so he went straight to the Security Council first[.] ... Doing nothing is not an option for our new President and our incoming Congress.

More from Mr. Stoll:

... the assistance of foreign powers, while crucial, has also proven erratic[.] ... [Absent] such a treaty, the U.S.-Israel relationship will rest on tenuous legal ground no matter how deep it is in other ways ... [and] other agreements ... memoranda of understanding ... countless other documents governing the relationship ... were undercut by Fridays vote[.] ... [The] treaty [would] make it clear that neither America nor Israel recognize the validity of or will be bound in any way by ... [Resolution 2334 and] that the two nations are united in their dedication to pursuing peace and security in the face of the threat of extremist Islamist terrorism[.]

In my opinion, implicit in such a treaty would be the recognition that the two-nation myth is just that, and that the two parties would work together on all status issues with Palestinians and other nations and entities.

Now, there will be howls from all directions and uncountable diplomatic repercussions at even the suggestion of such a treaty, but movement on the proposed treaty would follow congressional and administration measures after January 20 next regarding funding of the U.N., sanctions on BDS proponents, and other matters.

Im confident that Mr. Trump will deal with the problems following the immediate steps that he and Congress will be taking, and I surely hope that he will heed Mr. Stolls suggestion.

The author is retired, his profile may be found on LinkedIn, and he may be argued with at bilschan@hotmail.com.
Word has it that if soon-president Trump does indeed shift the embassy from Tel Aviv to [OMG!] Jerusalem, all heck will break loose:

All Arab states would force the US to withdraw all current ambassadors;

All agreements heretofore agreed upon by the Arabs/Fakestinians and the state of Israel would be abrogated unilaterally;

The Arabs would erupt into Ferguson-like craziness, fomented by the reliably ugly fulminations of the clerics or imams or whoever has the parchment for preachment;

Relations between the Arab states and the US would be less holy; relations between the renounced Israeli state (following the US embassy move) would go from brrrisk to deep Celsius -273, colder than your annual legally mandated get-together with your ex-;

Rescission of the recognition of Israel as a state [as if];

Further BDS, presumably

In my analysis, these "threats" are toothless  more trial balloons than actionable policy recommendations to ignite the street shebab to think about hysterics a la Ferguson and analogous American cities currently under Democrat mayoral misconduct.

The so-called "recognition of Israel" is a long-running joke, as there is never a time when they can articulate this recognition without going into DEFCON 5 choking and gagging.

And as for rescinding all agreements with Israel, name one that has been observed without weekly incursions and defalcations of terms, rains of missiles, abuse in their local media, antipathies on their radio and TV  i.e., they are all fictional, save for the Egyptian cold peace and the Jordanian stasis.

Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would indicate a real veering of the U.S. toward Israel in the face of the still bloody gash in the back delivered with antiseptic gloves and grim smiles by the soon to be ex-president and self-described genocide chick Samantha Power along with the dandy Kerry.

The other pacts are observed only by Israel...so in practical terms, what can we say would be altered?

The ambassadors having to go home from the U.S. embassies and outposts would still be paid, could carouse better in D.C., and the locals would be scorched for exit visas to the U.S. with no one there to guard the store.

I was not in favor of riling the natives before the Security Council backstabbing occurred this past week. But now that the lame squatter in the W.H. has indicated his maximal disdain for Bibi and all things Israeli, why not a riposte to his unprecedented viciousness to the greatest U.S. ally?

It seems a jolly idea, in fact. Keep the Fakestinians in hysterical malaise and frothing impotence  a great notion. The more they congregate on the protest floor, the less they propagate. N.B.: There are those who favor meaningful employ for such people, rather than clash action, throwing things, and burning buildings.

We all know there are no friends beyond the fingers of one hand for the democratic, feisty toothpick state. If so, why pay lip service to the corruptocrats and observe their niceties and furbelows? In the immortal phraseology of my great second cousin, Captain Ruben Rabinowitz, commander of a tank division in WWII and serving under the esteemed George S. Patton: "Screw 'em." We can't lose friends when we apparently have none to lose, correct?

Net-net, the scenario would include a mordant nosegay of fomented malcontents getting hauled off to the local pokeys or being sprayed with water cannons or rubber bullets in crowd control efforts. No great loss to the world. The grumbling would after a period stop, and the situation would normalize, much to the consternation of the disloyal opposition in the U.S., for whom nothing less than conflagration and destruction of their hated idols of egregiousness is acceptable.

As with the Chinese facts of the ground neo-isles of attack bases, the world would shrug to a point, and go on to condemn Israel. So what else is new?
Amazon recently received a warrant to hand over recordings of an Echo speaker connected to a 2015 murder case in Bentonville, Arkansas. The smart speaker belongs to one James Andrew Bates, a man accused of first-degree murder of Victor Collins in November of last year. Bates murder trial is scheduled to start in 2017, and Amazon was ordered to provide police with all audio and other records originating from the device owned by the defendant. Recently leaked court documents reveal how the Seattle-based tech giant refused to comply with the warrant on two occasions and has only agreed to deliver Bates Amazon account information and purchase history. The Bentonville authorities are yet to comment on Amazons unwillingness to fully comply with the warrant, while the company itself is currently declining requests for comments on this case.

In the meantime, investigators from Arkansas have allegedly managed to extract some data from the Echo unit in question. No details on the type and scope of this data were given, but detectives in charge of the murder case were reportedly after anything that Bates Echo recorded during the fatal night in Bentonville in late 2015. The authorities are apparently aware of the fact that Amazons connected speaker stores a rather small amount of information locally and instead uploads all relevant data to Amazons servers. Theyre also familiar with the basic workings of the device, i.e. the fact its designed to record audio thats immediately preceded by one of its trigger words and nothing else. With that said, the investigators are reportedly hoping that the Echo unit in question recorded some significant piece of evidence on accident, as the speaker can occasionally turn on when it hears a phrase that sounds similar to one of its trigger words. Bates also owned several other IoT devices, some of which have already been used against him in court, including a water meter attached to his hot tub in which Collins body was found last year. Investigators already argued how the meter shows Bates used 140 gallons of water during the night Collins was murdered, implying he used the water to wash away incriminating evidence from the crime scene.

This case also raises a number of more general concerns about IoT devices and privacy, which also happens to be one of the main arguments currently employed by Bates defense attorney Kimberly Weber. In a recent statement, Weber asserted that law enforcement shouldnt use technology which people buy to improve their quality of life against them, adding that all individuals have an expectation of privacy in their homes.
Nielsen collects and aggregates a simply staggering amount of data to make its lists of the Tops of 2016 each year, and their Digital charts showing off the most often used mobile apps and operating systems, is now available, showing Facebook as the top app across all platforms. Being the top app for the year, it experienced year on year growth of about 14%, among the lowest on the chart. Facebooks total victory on the charts should come as no big surprise to anybody, nor should the fact that Android was the most used smartphone platform at 53%, followed somewhat closely by Apples iOS at 45%, with Windows Phone and BlackBerry barely charting.

While Facebook ruled the roost with its official app, and Facebook Messenger placed close behind it, missing the mark by less than 20 million users. The year on year change in user count, however, is 28%, double that of the base Facebook app and among the top growth figures on the entire chart. Facebook-owned Instagram was near the bottom of the chart, placing 8th out of 10 apps and putting up a pretty impressive 36% user growth, highlighting Instagrams recent efforts to catch more users. The third place app, YouTube, boasts a 20% change. The next few places are all Googles own apps, interestingly, with no interruption until Instagram snatches up 8th place. Apple Music and the Amazon App round things out on the app charts.

The way that the year on year percentages jump around through the charts does a great job of showing who the behemoths are and who the new blood underdogs are, though some established apps make fairly big jumps, like Facebook Messenger and its billion-plus total user base across mobile and desktop getting a 28% boost for this years count. Amazon had to work hard to get their app on the charts, as evidenced by the nearly 50% year on year growth that got it to where it was for the year. The counts run from January to October of a given year, meaning that any growth the apps may have experienced with people getting new devices for the Holiday season wont be reflected until next years count.
A complaint from Fitbit to the United States branch of the International Trade Commission over patent infringement from rival Jawbone has officially been dropped by Fitbit. The dropping of the suit means that the trial that had been set for March of 2017, with a sales and import ban on the line, wont be happening. Jawbones sales and import operations in the United States are now under no threat from legal action on Fitbits part. Fitbit stated that their reason for doing this is that Jawbone is now a different company than the one that they originally sought action against, pointing to recent estimates that put the value of their stocks at zero or below. Jawbone, for their part, maintains that the patents in question had been proven invalid long ago, and Fitbit should have already dropped the lawsuit.

Jawbone and Fitbit have been fighting one another in court for a while now, but their battles have recently taken a bit of a turn in light of Jawbones misfortunes. It was revealed not too long ago that the company has been having some trouble keeping its business running efficiently, with stock continuously falling short of ever-dwindling demand. This indication that the companys assets are scant and burning away was essentially confirmed, though they did refute rumors of bankruptcy and default that had been put forth by Fitbit. Jawbone losing one of many suits against Fitbit, being a spat over the leakage of trade secrets between the two companies, was a fairly serious blow in the fight against Fitbit in the courtroom, and now it seems that Fitbit is content to sit back and let things take course.

Jawbones decline has not been a pretty one, with rumors of the company looking to sell itself, among other such talk, punctuating a slow and steady downward slope in their profits. Long before this, their feud with Fitbit, both in and out of court, painted a pretty clear picture of Jawbones place in the modern wearable market. Where Jawbone once ruled the roost in the area of fitness wearables, with no small stake in the world of Bluetooth headsets to boot, Fitbit has swept up the arena in recent years.
Android security patches normally start rolling out to the first few devices to get them, like Nexus and Pixel phones, pretty early on in the month, and this one should be no exception, with indications that it will be hitting the streets on January 3rd. To be precise, these updates normally go out on the first Monday of a given month. With New Years Day having been the day before that in this case, however, its understandable that Verizons support page for the Pixel and Pixel XL shows the update as being pushed out until the third of the month, with that day being a Tuesday. Since Verizons Pixel models get their updates straight from Google, all Pixel variants around the world will likely see similar timing for their updates to roll out, and then Nexus devices will start to see the update a little bit later on.

For Verizon Pixel users, the update will raise your software version to NMF26U. According to Verizons documentation, youll get the latest Android security patch, and nothing else. Verizons documentation on their web site does not include the size that users can expect the download to be, but it should be smaller than the December update; that one had a security patch, an update to Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and a good amount of miscellaneous fixes on board, contributing to a pretty substantial file size.

The new security update should bring about the usual number of fixes and vulnerability patches to the table, perhaps even a little less due to Android 7.1.1 having just rolled out; this means that white hat hackers and malware makers alike havent had much time to tinker with it and find things that Google will need to patch just yet. That isnt to say both camps dont have their engines running, of course, and itll be a race against time to see how it plays out. Since this is just a security patch, users who have supported devices shouldnt expect any large files to be sent over-the-air, but as always its good practice to download the software while connected to Wi-Fi instead of the cellular network if youre worried about your amount of 4G LTE data.
A leaked image has surfaced of a possible new Sony Xperia phone, showcasing a similar design and style to what can be seen on all of Sonys currently available handsets. The image shown below while blurry, which does cause it to be more challenging to make out exact details of the phone, does seem to evoke Sonys previous designs, and you can make out the Sony logo just above the top bezel. You can also see both the front-facing camera, as well an ambient light sensor while the earpiece seems to be at the very top edge of the device just as it was on the Xperia Z5. This would also be a bit of a departure from some of Sonys more recent smartphones, as the Xperia XZ, Xperia X Performance, and Xperia X all have the earpiece a little bit lower and slightly away from the top edge, although it is worth mentioning that the Xperia XA and Xperi XA Ultra utilize the particular placement show in todays leak.

While there is no way to know what the specs are, it does look like Sony will be using Gold for one of the colors of this phone, whatever device it may be, and since Sony usually launches each of their devices in multiple color options, chances are that Gold is merely one choice that consumers will have when the phone launches.

Although CES 2017 is in the beginning of January which is just around the corner, earlier this year Sony unveiled their latest phones at Mobile World Congress, and there is nothing to suggest that they wont stick to this event for a new phone announcement. Having said that, it could still be a little while before more details pop up about this device, at least in an official capacity. That said, its entirely possible that this could be a leaked image of the device render for an unannounced Sony phone that surfaced back on December 15th as the earpiece is in the same spot and it seems to have similarly sized areas for the top and bottom of the phone, although it could also be a variant of that device. Its also recently been rumored that Sonys upcoming devices could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU.
Woolim, a locked down and severely restricted North Korean Android tablet was recently showcased by a couple of researchers attending this years Chaos Communication Congress which took place in Hamburg, Germany on Tuesday. The tablet was manufactured by the Chinese company Hoozo circa 2015, but the North Korean authorities apparently removed a lot of its internal hardware, including the tablets Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters. As researchers Florian Grunow, Manuel Lubetzki, and Niklaus Schiess explained on Tuesday, Woolim was primarily designed to track its users and serve as a propaganda platform for the North Korean government. In addition to lacking a lot of conventional internal components, Woolim comes with a preinstalled build of some proprietary North Korean software. While the tablet is apparently running some version of Android, its completely locked down and only usable in a limited number of scenarios.

Woolim comes packed with several PDF manuals detailing how to use the device. Apart from featuring several apps containing North Korean propaganda, the tablet also boasts several educational apps including Chinese, French, and Russian dictionaries, and some slightly modified mobile games like Angry Birds. Finally, the device is technically capable of connecting to the North Korean Internet and television. While the tablet features a micro USB port and a file browser, it only allows users to load a small number of files. Namely, Grunow explained how the tablets software is programmed to check a cryptographic signature of every file a user attempts to open, including APKs, pictures, audio files, and even HTML documents. If this signature doesnt match that generated by the North Korean government or the tablet itself, Woolim wont open the file. This crippling feature was demonstrated by Grunow in Hamburg as the researcher unsuccessfully tried to install a third-party app on the tablet. Finally, the device also takes a picture of its user every time they open an app. While these photos are available for viewing inside another app, they cant be deleted by users.

Grunow and his colleagues werent sure for whom is Woolim made for, but seeing how the hardware itself would cost up to $210 in China, theyve guessed that this tablet is definitely aimed at North Korean nationals with a lot of money, so its target audience is probably more limited than its features.
Its no secret that Xiaomi is deep into development of its 2017 flagship and successor to the Mi 5, the Xiaomi Mi 6. According to two different rumors, though, Xiaomi could either be set to release the device in February or April. With it being nearly a year since the release of Xioamis Mi 5 back in February of last year, talk of a successor is no surprise, even if the company did only recently launch an upgraded version of the Mi 5, known as the Mi 5S. A short while ago it was rumored that the company would release its next flagship in March, though now the rumors point to an event on February 14th. This is not the only rumor, though, with another one pointing towards an event in April, though no specific date is stated. The reasoning behind this later date is likely due to the production of Qualcomms new Snapdragon 835 processor (which is actually manufactured by Samsung), as it appears the company will not be able to produce enough of the chips in time for an earlier February launch.

The low production of the Snapdragon chips will not only affect Xiaomi, though, with Samsung itself and most likely manufacturers such as LG and HTC being affected by this unless they opt for a different processor in their next flagship devices. Either way, there is also the possibility that Xiaomi has opted to push back the release date in order to perfect the device and possibly the software that will come pre-installed, something that would allow them to better compete with others, as well as keep their customers happy.

Either way, Xiaomi is still expected to include all the latest hardware in its next flagship, namely the Snapdragon 835 processor, a bump in RAM, most likely 6GB, a new dual-camera setup and a new narrow frame which should help reduce the side bezels of the device. For now it remains unknown what Xiaomi will decide to do in regards to device hardware as well in regards to the announcement and release of the Mi 6, though they are sure to impress customers when the time comes. The only thing that will be left to see is if they can compete with the likes of Samsung, as well as their Chinese competitors Meizu and Vivo.
(ANSA) - Padua, December 28 - Police on Wednesday seized assets totalling over 1.8 million euros from two former mayors who have plea-bargained prison sentences for graft.

Luca Claudio, the former mayor of northern spa town Abano Terme, and Massimo Bordin, former mayor of neighboring spa town Montegrotto Terme, were arrested in June and pled out last week.

The first got four years in prison and the second got three years, two months for taking bribes in exchange for steering city contracts. Charges included corruption, extortion, and inducement to embezzlement.

Among the assets seized Wednesday were nine properties belonging to two companies that were traced back to Claudio, as well as a Rome apartment in Claudio's wife's name.

Police also seized cash allegedly from bribes, cash whose origin Claudio was unable to explain, and all assets he accumulated over the past 10 years, the value of which was inconsistent with his paycheck.

Claudio served as mayor of Montegrotto Terme from 2001-2011 before he was elected in 2011 as mayor of Abano Terme.


BEIRUT - Turkey and Russia are working on an agreement that could bring a ceasefire in Syria already in the coming days, government sources in Ankara were quoted as saying Wednesday. However, Moscow was more cautious and the government in Damascus and the oppositions did not comment.



Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted by the BBC as saying that an agreement was reached for a ceasefire across Syria as well as for a solution to the conflict.



Conditions, however, must be reportedly examined by the sides at war and could take time. Ankara is reportedly pushing for a ceasefire at the beginning of 2017.



In the morning, Turkish news agency Anadolu had gone as far as forecasting a ceasefire at midnight today. Kremlin spokesman Dmitru Peskov said he knew nothing about it, stressing that Russian negotiators remained in contact with Turkish counterparts ahead of possible talks between government and oppositions in Astana, in Kazakhstan. Neither Russia nor Turkey, which had sponsored an evacuation of rebels and civilians from Aleppo, are forecasting anything.
ROME - Russia and Turkey have reached an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria starting from midnight, which will be submitted for approval by Damascus and Syrian opposition groups, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported Wednesday.



On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke by phone about preparations for a meeting in Astana between the Syrian government and the opposition, as well as the terms of the ceasefire in Syria.



Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also on the call, according to Iranian media reports.



The ministers highlighted the need to agree as soon as possible upon "practical parameters to put an end to combat operations, to separate the moderate opposition from terrorist groups, and to prepare for the meeting in Astana on the invitation of the leadership in Kazakistan to launch a political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254", an official statement said.

Syria: Russia-Turkey ceasefire accord to start at midnight. Across the country, 'excluding terrorist groups'

ROME - The agreement reached by Turkey and Russia for a ceasefire in Syria applies to the entire country, and "Ankara and Moscow will work for the ceasefire to come into force at midnight on Wednesday", Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported on Wednesday, citing a confidential

Turkish source.

The ceasefire is "expected to be carried out in all areas where the Assad regime and the opposition are fighting", the source said, adding that "terrorist organizations will be excluded from the deal".
ROME - Anis Amri, the mother of the Tunisian Berlin market attacker, told Rainews24 on Wednesday that her son was indoctrinated.



''How can you film a video with head-phones? It looks like someone is filming him while someone else suggests what to say through the earphones'', the mother said of her son, who was killed by police in Sesto San Giovanni near Milan and had filmed a video released by the Amaq agency close to ISIS.



In the video, Amri urged to kill ''pig crusaders across Europe'' and swore allegiance to the ''caliph'' al Baghdadi.



''My son was not at ease while he was talking - said his mother - he was at times hesitant, look at the film again''.



She also asked to see him and to have his body back.



''He has died and truth has died with him'', she said.



''I have disowned him along with all his family - she added - but I am sure he didn't do it of his own free will: he was young, someone pushed him to carry out the massacre. I don't know how they were able to indoctrinate him''.



In the exclusive report by Rainews24, some of Amri's acquaintances were interviewed. A friend said he was a normal young man, with no jihadist preferences who drank alcohol and sometimes ended up at the police station because of brawls with other youths.



Another friend described him as having no problems and as a''solitary'' man who was attracted by unscrupulous preachers who ''exploit the loneliness of youths'', buying them cigarettes and drinks.



''He was infected by the virus of ISIS after he left Tunisia'', said his brother Mohamed, noting his speech in the video was in ''classic Arabic'', which he said proved that it was written by others and repeated by him ''like a parrot''.



While expressing solidarity with the victims, the brother blamed authorities in Europe, where Anis had arrived as an illegal migrant.



''The West should also take responsibility'' for his brother's change, he said.
Jordan: police clash with suspected islamists, one dead Searches of wanted elements with ties to ISIS continue

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, DECEMBER 28 - Jordanian security on Wednesday clashed with suspected Islamists wanted for questioning, killing one and injuring another, security sources said.



The clashes took place near town of Shubak( 230 km south Amman), as security continues to try capturing wanted elements with ties to the Islamic State(IS). Official source told ANSA that a joint force from police and antiterrorism unit took part in the fight. Meanwhile, sources from south Jordan said security has been beefed up in south the kingdom after recent clashes and attacks by IS in Kerak, where 10 people where killed and 39 injured.



(ANSAmed).




ROME - Italian police on Wednesday carried out raids in connection with contacts Berlin Christmas market terror killer Anis Amri had while in jail for four years in Italy, sources said.

One search took place near Latina south of Rome, they said.



Police said the searches were carried out against persons in radical Islamist circles. Amr, 24, who killed 12 people in Berlin on December 19 and was shot dead by Italian police near Milan December 23, is believed to have been radicalised while in an Italian jail.

He reportedly arrived in Italy in 2011 and was incarcerated at Palermo's Ucciardone Prison after a conviction for arson, bodily harm, threats, and damages. Italy then issued a deportation order, but this was not carried out because Tunisian authorities failed to recognize him as a national in time. He then fled to Germany, where it turns out he used several different identities and where police stopped him at least once with fake Italian ID.

Tunisian on Amri's phone arrested in Berlin . Man in touch with Berlin killer, perhaps involved in attack

BERLIN - A 40-year-old Tunisian man was arrested in Berlin Wednesday in connection with the attack on the city's Christmas market in which slain terror suspect Anis Amri killed 12 people, German prosecutors said. The man is suspected of being a "presumed contact" of Amri, since his phone number was on Amri's smartphone. He "may have been involved in the attack" on the Christmas market that killed 12, German prosecutors said Wednesday. They said they would decide by tomorrow whether to charge him. Der Spiegel online said the 40-year-old had been picked up in the southern Tempelhof district.
Tunisian on Amri's phone arrested in Berlin Man in touch with Berlin killer, perhaps involved in attack

(ANSAmed) - BERLIN, DECEMBER 28 - A 40-year-old Tunisian man was arrested in Berlin Wednesday in connection with the attack on the city's Christmas market in which slain terror suspect Anis Amri killed 12 people, German prosecutors said. The man is suspected of being a "presumed contact" of Amri, since his phone number was on Amri's smartphone. He "may have been involved in the attack" on the Christmas market that killed 12, German prosecutors said Wednesday. They said they would decide by tomorrow whether to charge him.



Der Spiegel online said the 40-year-old had been picked up in the southern Tempelhof district. (ANSAmed).




Lebanese Hariri government gets confidence vote Wide majority, but only 92 of 127 MPs present

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, DECEMBER 28 - The new Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday obtained a confidence vote in Parliament by a wide margin, with 87 votes 'for', four votes 'against', and one abstention.



However, only 92 of the 127 MPs participated in the vote.



The Hariri government, appointed by new President Michel Aoun, was formed on December 18, after a month and a half of talks.



The majority of the country's political-confessional forces are part of the new executive, including Christian, Sunni and Shiite groups, among whom is Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian Party of God, with two ministers.



The 46-year-old Hariri previously served as prime minister in 2009 and again in 2011, and is the son of former premier Rafiq Hariri, who was killed in a 2005 attack.(ANSAmed).




Obama with Israel, two States only solution for peace, Kerry Towards perpetual occupation, settlers decide Israel's future

(ANSAmed) - NEW YORK, DECEMBER 28 - US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that President Barack Obama is deeply engaged for Israel and its security and that the two-State solution is the only road to lasting peace in the Middle East in what was defined by many as the most important speech of his career, three weeks from the end of the Obama presidency.



Kerry also said that friendship doesn't mean that the US should accept any policy and that friends should tell the truth and respect one another.



Talking about a recent UN vote on Jewish settlements on which the US abstained, Kerry said the US voted in line with their values and that it was coherent with a two-State solution.



As far as the status quo in Jerusalem is concerned, Kerry said the city should not be separated and called for a resolution recognizing it at an international level as capital of the two States, guaranteeing that access to the holy sites is protected.



He also said the two-State solution was ''in danger'', stressing how Israelis and Palestinians are moving towards a one-State solution that many don't want, in spite of the fact that the majority of the public opinion is against this and that the status quo goes towards one State, a perpetual occupation, he said. If the solution is one State, Israel can be either Jewish or democratic, it can't be both, said Kerry.



Kerry also said the expansion of Jewish settlements was unrelated to Israel's security and that the agenda of settlers was defining Israel's future. The coalition led by Premier Benyamin Netanyahu is the most right-wing in Israeli history, with an agenda defined by the most extremist elements, he said ,warning against the threat posed by settlements to peace.



The two-State solution gives a ''real opportunity'' to peace, said Kerry, rejecting allegations that Washington was the force behind the UN resolution and that it drafted the original proposal, calling Israel's accusations a diversion and saying there is ''nothing new'' in the document. (ANSAmed)
Syria: Russia and Turkey reach ceasefire agreement Will be put to approval of Damascus and opposition, say media

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 28 - Russia and Turkey have reached an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, which will be submitted for approval by Damascus and Syrian opposition groups, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported Wednesday.



On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke by phone about preparations for a meeting in Astana between the Syrian government and the opposition, as well as the terms of the ceasefire in Syria.



Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also on the call, according to Iranian media reports.



The ministers highlighted the need to agree as soon as possible upon "practical parameters to put an end to combat operations, to separate the moderate opposition from terrorist groups, and to prepare for the meeting in Astana on the invitation of the leadership in Kazakistan to launch a political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254", an official statement said.(ANSAmed).




Syria: Russia and Turkey work on ceasefire Ankara: 'hope for beginning of year'. Moscow cautious

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, DECEMBER 28 - Turkey and Russia are working on an agreement that could bring a ceasefire in Syria already in the coming days, government sources in Ankara were quoted as saying Wednesday. However, Moscow was more cautious and the government in Damascus and the oppositions did not comment.



Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted by the BBC as saying that an agreement was reached for a ceasefire across Syria as well as for a solution to the conflict.



Conditions, however, must be reportedly examined by the sides at war and could take time. Ankara is reportedly pushing for a ceasefire at the beginning of 2017.



In the morning, Turkish news agency Anadolu had gone as far as forecasting a ceasefire at midnight today. Kremlin spokesman Dmitru Peskov said he knew nothing about it, stressing that Russian negotiators remained in contact with Turkish counterparts ahead of possible talks between government and oppositions in Astana, in Kazakhstan. Neither Russia nor Turkey, which had sponsored an evacuation of rebels and civilians from Aleppo, are forecasting anything.



(ANSAmed)
U.S. agreed with Palestinians on UN vote, Israeli media Documents from Egyptian website. Meeting 10 days before vote

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, DECEMBER 28 - Documents published by the Egyptian website Al-Youm Al-Sabaa and quoted by Israeli media on Wednesday allege that US State Secretary John Kerry coordinated with Palestinians 10 days before the UN Security Council on the document to be presented for a vote on Jewish settlements in the West Bank.



The report was highlighted by Israeli media stressing that, if true, the news would confirm accusations made by Premier Benyamin Netanyahu against the administration of Barack Obama.



According to the five-page document , Kerry and his national security advisor, Susan Rice, met in Washington with a Palestinian delegation and said the US would not veto the Resolution on Jewish settlements if it was drafted in a correct manner.



Yesterday - rejecting Israeli criticism over the past few days and the report published by the website - State department spokesman Mark Toner stressed that the US worked with the Egyptians and Palestinians on the language of the Resolution only when it was clear a vote would take place. (ANSAmed)


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The aircraft joins the rest of the leisure specialist's fleet of three A340-200s, dry-leased from EgyptAir and one MD-83 (currently on repair in N'Djamena, Chad).
During the ceremony, employees were honoured and recognised for the completion of different durations that varied from 10,15,20,25 & 30 service years with the organisation; where 20 employees were recognised for completing 10 years, 13 employees for 15 years,4 employees for 20 years, 1 employee for 25 years and 1 employee for 30 years.

The awarded employees hold various operational, managerial or technical positions and work across various departments such as air traffic engineering, procurement, training & development as well as air traffic control where they completed their tenure. The long term service awards are held on annual basis as Dans has been providing air traffic management services since the 1960s.

Mohammed A.Ahli, the Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the CEO of Dubai Air Navigation said: As we continue to grow as an organisation,it is with great pleasure that we recognise and honour the employees who through their dedication and loyalty continuously demonstrate our corporate values of Show your heart, Think ahead and Grow together. We highly value and appreciate the level of experience and long term skills they possess and contribute, as they continue to set an example and inspire on all levels across Dans.
Located inside the Etihad Airways Engineering facility adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport, the new Lantal laboratory will provide test services that include flammability tests, seat cushion tests, heat release and smoke tests.

The laboratory will conform to ISO 17025 quality management standards, and all testing will be conducted in accordance with the Airworthiness Regulations FAR / CS 25.853.

Jeff Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways Engineering, said: We offer industry leading aircraft maintenance and engineering solutions to customers from all over the world for all major commercial aircraft types. Through our partnership with Lantal, it is now easier and faster for aviation customers in the region to access world-class flammability testing at our facility in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Urs Rickenbacher, chief executive officer of Lantal said: "The Lantal flammability test lab in Switzerland is well-known for its high quality standards and short lead times. We have a significant market share in Europe and our new lab in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Etihad Airways Engineering, will now bring our service closer to customers in the Middle East.
The helicopter industry is having a torrid time with sales and deliveries down, mainly because of the low oil price stifling demand from the energy sector.

There has also been a spate of crashes, with three major manufacturers all affected.

But, despite the issues, helicopter original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are all pushing ahead with new products, determined to be in good shape for when the upturn comes.

The latest figures released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) showed a 16% drop in shipments over the first six months of this year compared with 2015. Worse, the value of those shipments is down 32%, from $2.1 billion to $1.4 billion.

Lets get the bad news over quickly. The most recent crash was a devastating blow for Bell Helicopter, when its 525 Relentless flight-test aircraft crashed in late June, killing the two test pilots. Bell has suspended further flight-testing for now but remains committed to the highly innovative 20-seat 525. The crash appears to have been caused by a technical issue, according to the US accident investigators.

Leonardo, the new name for Finmeccanica, is back on track with flight tests of its AgustaWestland AW609, the first civilian tiltrotor aircraft, at its site in Philadelphia, USA.

The involvement of the Philadelphia site in the AW609 programme represents the anticipated progression towards assembly and certification with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the certification authority, said Leonardo. Facilities in Italy, the UK and Poland continue to play critical production roles.

The AW609 project was derailed in 2015 when a flight-test prototype crashed at high speed in Italy, killing both test pilots and putting an immediate stop to all test flying. The interim report from Italian investigators suggested poor understanding of the AW609s high-speed handling and flawed logic in the flight controls.

Leonardo admits the flight-test hiatus has put back type certification of the AW609 to at least 2018. Thats a blow for the operators, who have signed 60 orders for the AW609. They include the Joint Aviation Command (JAC) of the United Arab Emirates, which became the launch customer for the search and rescue (SAR) version in early 2016 when it ordered three AW609s, with another three aircraft as options.

The JAC, already operating 11 AW139 helicopters, said: The AW609s unique speed and range characteristics, combined with its ability to hover, will dramatically increase SAR mission capabilities.

The third crash may well have lasting implications for the H225 Super Puma heavy twin from Airbus Helicopters.

On April 29 this year, an H225 operated by CHC, crashed in Turoy, Norway, killing 13 people on board. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) grounded the H225 (formerly EC225) and AS332 L2 Super Puma helicopters, further damaging their reputation following two ditchings in the UKs North Sea.

CHC has said it will not operate the type again and, with at least 80% of the worlds Super Puma fleet grounded, other operators may follow. Gearbox problems are at the heart of the issue.

That said, Kuwait recently announced a huge order for 30 of the military version, the H225 Caracal, for a wide variety of missions, such as combat search-and-rescue, naval operations, medical evacuation and military transportation.

Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said: I would like to personally thank the Kuwait Air Force, which placed its trust in our products to renew its helicopter fleet.

Thats the first of the good news. Airbus Helicopters is also busy revitalising its fleet. Its newest helicopters, the H145 and H175, both entered in service in 2014 and are now available in several configurations.

The H160 light twin, the first clean sheet design since Eurocopter rebranded as Airbus Helicopters, is also making good progress. In July, the European manufacturer confirmed the aeromechanical design had been validated and frozen.

Thanks to more than 200 hours accumulated in flight-testing, we have been able to confirm several key design assumptions and even exceed some of them, said Bernard Fujarski, vice president in charge of the H160.

Vibration levels have been a key objective since the launch of programme, and observed results give us confidence that the H160 will set new comfort standards for all missions segments, from medevac to passenger transport or private and business aviation, continued Fujarski.

The H160 flight-tests concentrated on hot weather trials over last summer, followed by continued performance testing of the Turbomeca Arrano engines. Cold weather testing is about to begin and a third prototype will join the flight-test programme next year. The 12-seat H160s entry into service is planned for 2018.

One of the first operators will be Abu Dhabis Falcon Aviation, which has ordered a VIP version. The H160 is a natural choice as it embodies our companys standards of high quality, safety and innovation, said Falcon COO, Captain Raman Oberoi.

For Bell Helicopter, the loss of its test 525 Relentless is a huge blow. The 525 is the biggest of Bells current range and the plan was to have it certified in 2017 with first deliveries soon after. Thats now on indefinite hold.

Weve suspended flight-test activities on the [Bell 525] programme until we determine the cause of the accident, said Textron chief executive Scott Donnelly. We remain committed to the 525 programme and will work to ensure the aircraft will be a safe, reliable and high-performance helicopter.

Meanwhile, Bell is continuing to focus on the 429 light twin, the 407GX workhorse and the all-new 505 JetRanger X light single, which was awarded its type certification earlier this month.

Bell recently announced it was moving the JetRanger X to its Quebec, Canada site as it ramps up production to meet orders for more than 380 aircraft worldwide. The 505 JetRanger X is a replacement for the much-loved original JetRanger, with sales appeal across training, tourism, law enforcement, surveillance and private sectors.

Turkey has been a successful country for Bell and the US company has won a 50% market share over the past five years. No fewer than 26 Bell 429s are in operation in Turkey and Bell recently announced an operational availability rate of 95% with Turkeys police and forest services.

I am proud that the Turkish National Police have achieved such excellence. They are superior aviators, and the Bell 429 is a fantastic helicopter, said Clay Bridges, regional manager for Bell in Turkey.

The 429 was originally developed for medevac services, with a large flat-floor cabin, clamshell rear doors, and single pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) capability. Then police air services realised it suited them and Bell has now delivered law enforcement versions to Sweden, Slovakia and New York City, as well as Turkey.

The 429 has a fully integrated glass cockpit, can seat seven passengers plus one pilot, and there is now a VIP version with the Mecaer MAGnificent luxury interior.

Sikorsky has been going through a getting to know you stage with new owner, Lockheed Martin, but is now about to open a regional office in Abu Dhabi, with a view to expanding sales and support.

The American helicopter maker already has a partnership with Mubadala in the UAE, and around 400 helicopters in the region. Modernisation [of existing fleets] is going to drive that number in the region, said Anand Stanley, Sikorskys vice-president for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

Sikorskys two main civilian helicopters are the S-92 heavy twin  the preferred alternative to Airbus Helicopters Super Pumas  and the long-running medium-size S-76.

The latest version is the S-76D, which is almost a brand new helicopter, with special attention paid to lower noise inside and out, better performance, increased range, ability to fly into known icing conditions, dual full authority digital engine control (FADEC) on upgraded Pratt & Whitney engines, and flaw tolerant composite rotor blades.

A second phase of validations and expanded performance envelope was recently certified for the S-76D. These include the silencer wall panel system for the eight-passenger deluxe VIP/executive interior, and air conditioning.

The Thales TopDeck avionics received an upgrade, which adds wide area augmentation system localiser performance with vertical guidance (WAAS-LPV) approaches, single pilot instrument flight rules (IFR), flight following and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) out.

This expanded validation gives commercial operators a wide range of desirable features in the S-76D VIP aircraft and allows operations in various conditions, said Sikorskys Nathalie Previte.


Oman Air was chosen based on its achievements including growth, sales performance, international recognition and service excellence.

CEO of Oman Air Paul Gregorowitsch said: Oman Air is undertaking a very ambitious expansion programme and it is gratifying to have our achievements and contribution to the industry recognised by KLIA. We continue to grow in all markets including South East Asia and our success is based on our consistently excellent product and on-board experience. Oman Air is always striving to be the best and testament to this, is our ever growing list of industry accolades and awards.
Having become one of the leaders of the sector in a short period following a rapid growth through the projects it realized in Turkey and in the countries within the region, TAV Construction secured its place as the worlds largest company in airport construction sector. One of the respectable publications of the construction sector, Engineering News Record (ENR) has announced the world's largest construction companies based on the projects they undertook in 2016. Being the only Turkish company listed in "Transportation" category amongst the top 30 companies, TAV hit the top in "airport" category in 2016, following 2014 and 2015.

TAV Group President & CEO Sani Sener said: We are glad and proud to maintain our top ranking in ENR list for three years and successfully represent the achievements of our country in engineering and contracting fields. Starting its journey with Istanbul Ataturk Airport, TAV Construction has been focused on design and construction of airports. The goal was to specialize in these business fields and become one of the world's highly-preferred brands. Including the New Terminal Building Project of Bahrein Airport which TAV Construction was awarded in 2016, the company will have built a total of 16 airports in the Middle East and North Africa region -seven of them are the gateways of the capital cities of their respective countries. The expertise and know-how of more than 30,000 employees lie behind this success. We will continue to be a true representative of our country as a global brand preferred throughout the world."

Whilst the total contract value of the projects the company has undertaken so far has exceeded $18.5 bln, TAV Construction completed Istanbul Ataturk, Ankara Esenboga, Izmir Adnan Menderes and Gazipasa-Alanya airports projects in Turkey.

TAV Construction's overseas projects are Doha Airport in Qatar, Tbilisi and Batumi airports in Georgia, Enfidha-Hammamet Airport in Tunisia, Skopje and Ohrid airports in Macedonia, and also Cairo Airport Terminal 3 Project in Egypt, Madinah Airport and Riyadh Airport Terminal 5 Project in Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, the Abu Dhabi Airport Midfield Terminal Complex in United Arab Emirates, Bahrain Airport New Terminal Building, Jeddah Airport SAEI Aircraft Maintenance Hangars, and Runway and Infrastructure Works at Muscat Airport in Oman are some of the ongoing projects undertaken by TAV Construction.
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The best collection of Western modern art outside of Europe and North America will not travel to Germany. The head of the Berlin museum authority says that as far as he knew, Irans culture minister and foreign minister both backed the exhibition. All that was required was the signature of the president, Hassan Rouhani, for the export licenses to be granted, and that signature never came.
Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens.
Indonesia: Foreign ownership in digital payment companies reduced

Indonesias central bank, Bank Indonesia, has reduced foreign ownership in local companies that offer electronic payment services. As per Regulation No. 18/40/PBI/2016, effective on November 9, foreign ownership in such companies has been reduced to a 20 percent stake on the Operation of Payment Transaction Processing. This applies to companies that operate as card providers or offer switching, clearing, or settlement services for electronic payments.

The regulation does not retroactively apply to existing companies. Rather, companies in the digital payments sector, existing companies that expand into the sector, and existing companies in the sector that change ownership will have to abide by the new rules. Apart from this, other rules apply, such as e-wallet service providers that have 300,000 users will need to obtain a Service Provider license from Bank Indonesia.

RELATED: Pre Investment and Market Entry Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates

Philippines: Internet speeds lag

The Akamai State of the Internet Report stated that fixed broadband connection in the country remains the second slowest in the Asia Pacific region. This is despite network expansion done by the telecom companies. The results showed that out of 15 countries, the Philippines ranked 14, with a speed of 4.2 Mbps  a little faster than Indias average of 4.1. Nevertheless, the Department of Information and Communication Technology is pushing for faster connectivity with the deployment of fiber and wireless technology throughout the country.

The report also noted that this is the first time that all the countries surveyed have speeds above 4 Mbps, while seven exceeded the 10 Mbps limit. Still, the Philippines saw the biggest drop of 13 percent for broadband adoption in the last quarter. In order to boost internet connectivity, the government has warned the two telecom companies PLDT and Globe Telecom to improve speeds and reduce costs or else risk opening up the country to foreign players by changing the 60/40 foreign ownership in the telecom sector. If this happens, the move will be welcomed by foreign investors and may ultimately benefit consumers.

RELATED: Understanding Taxation of 13th Month Pay and Christmas Bonuses in the Philippines

Thailand: Manufacturing slows in November

Manufacturing in Thailand further slowed in November, in part due to the passing of the countrys king. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), which measures the manufacturing sector, recorded a new low of 48.2 in November. A PMI reading of below 50 indicates a contraction. In Thailands case, this has been happening for the past seven months. The decline was further exacerbated by a sharp fall in output and new orders. Manufacturers also continued to cut jobs over the past 11 months.

Business is expected to normalize next year, particularly after the mourning period following the kings death is over. Nevertheless, domestic and international demand remain slow. The only silver lining is the governments plan to fast track infrastructure project initiatives next year, which may help the manufacturing sector.



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 asean@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. 

Annual Audit and Compliance in ASEAN

For the first issue of our ASEAN Briefing Magazine, we look at the different audit and compliance regulations of five of the main economies in ASEAN. We firstly focus on the accounting standards, filing processes, and requirements for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. We then provide similar information on Singapore, and offer a closer examination of the city-states generous audit exemptions for small-and-medium sized enterprises.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership and its Impact on Asian Markets

The United States backed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) includes six Asian economies  Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, while Indonesia has expressed a keen willingness to join. However, the agreements potential impact will affect many others, not least of all China. In this issue of Asia Briefing magazine, we examine where the TPP agreement stands right now, look at the potential impact of the participating nations, as well as examine how it will affect Asian economies that have not been included.

An Introduction to Tax Treaties Throughout Asia

In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we take a look at the various types of trade and tax treaties that exist between Asian nations. These include bilateral investment treaties, double tax treaties and free trade agreements  all of which directly affect businesses operating in Asia.
He has taken to social media to warn his fans of the cons of drunken driving, propagating a safe party time.

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan's success story in the film industry is one of the reasons why his fans look up to him as an inspiration.

With so many people looking up to him, Shah Rukh knows that if he says something, people would listen to him.

The actor, who'll be seen as the antagonistic bootlegger locking horns with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Rahul Dholakia's highly anticipated 'Raees,' know his words hold credence and influence the nation as a whole.

But not one to let go of his quirk and wit, the actor, in his inimitable 'Raees' persona, has taken to social media to warn his fans of the cons of drunken driving, propagating a safe party time during the fast approaching New Year's eve, albeit in his own inimitable style.

The film, set in '80s Gujarat, is headed for a titanic clash with Hrithik Roshan's 'Kaabil' at the box-office on December 24, 2017, already has a chartbuster in Sunny Leone's 'Laila' revamp.

Though the clash has been much publicised, both camps have maintained that though it is unfortunate, they only wish well for the other, and they'll all remain friends irrespective of box-office results.

Watch the video here:
2016 among other things, wasnt a great year for relationships  here are some that fell through on telly.

The year 2016 saw many telly relationships breaking up unceremoniously. What remained common to each of these break ups is the uncertain ending. Heres a round up of the love affairs that went kaput.

Divyanka Tripathy-Ssharad Malhotra:

The relationship may have survived the famous seven-year itch but the very much in love couple decided to call it quits earlier this year. Ssharads growing closeness to his Maharana Pratap co-star, Rachna Parulekar was becoming increasingly obvious since two made their affection for each other known. The estranged couple issued a joint statement about their break-up. Divyanka soon found comfort in the arms of her Ye Hai Mohabbatein co-star Vivek Dahiya.

Sushant Singh Rajput-Ankita Lokhande:

Sushant and Ankita fell in love on the sets of their show Pavitra Rishta. Then Sushant became a successful movie star. What followed was an all too familiar scenario with the insecure girlfriend. Sushants closeness with co-star Kriti Sanon made matters worse, and the couple announced their split. However, fans of the couple are still hoping for reconciliation between the two lovers.

Vivian DSena-Vahhbiz Dorabjee:

Vivian and Vahhbiz were considered the ideal couple in television. Though reserved by nature Vivian adapted himself to Vahhbizs outgoing party hearty ways. The steady marriage was disturbed by Vahhbizs alleged proximity with Vipul Roy. As the news spread, Vahhbiz took to Twitter to deny the claims. The couple later cited compatibility issues to call off their marriage.

Gauahar Khan-Kushal Tandon:

They met in a reality show and fell head over heels in love with each other. The couple dated for one year, until Kushal broke the news on Twitter. The split came as a shock to many. Kushal in a fit of rage gave murky details of the breakup to the media insisting Gauahar would not be an ideal match considering his illustrious lineage (his grandfather Lalji Tandon was a distinguished BJP member). He later had to render a public apology to Gauahar and her fans.

Aashka Goradia-Rohit Bakshi:

Though Aashka went about town accepting the on-off affair, Rohit never admitted to the relationship. The couple broke up after Rohit was in no mood to commit to the affair. Earlier this year, Aashka found love far off in America in the form of Brent Gable, who moved to India to be with his ladylove. In fact, Aashka announced her engagement to Brent on Wednesday.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. At the initiative of the Diocese of Tavush, 43 Christian education schools were established during 2016 within the framework of the 1 community 1 school program, with approximately 2100 school children, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Primate of the Tavush Diocese said, expressing gratitude to all organizations and individuals who supported the process.

Praise our Lord, who helped us to summarize this year in such a gifted way. Beginning December 21, we celebrated with festivities the year with children in each regional center (Noyemberyan, Dilijan, Berd-Noyemberyan) and nearby communities, during which we gave childrens bibles to the kids, along with other presents, in order for their spiritual education to be more complete. Today, 2100 students of the Tavush Diocese have their Bibles. By the Will of God, we must reach everyone. The Bishop said.

Bishop Bagrat Galastanyan officially assumed the leadership of the Diocese of Tavush in September 7, 2015, and ever since the regions of Tavush, namely the bordering regions, are under his unconditional attention.

On New Years Eve, the Diocese organizes visits to border military posts, blessing the soldiers who are defending the borders of the Fatherland.
Mr Gautam, a 1995 batch IRS officer (customs and central excise), has now been sent back to his parent department.

New Delhi: A month after DIG Sanjeev Gautam was removed from the team probing a corruption case against former director-general of corporate affairs B.K. Bansal, the CBI has now removed him from the team probing the high-profile 2G scam. Mr Gautam, a 1995 batch IRS officer (customs and central excise), has now been sent back to his parent department.

Mr Bansal allegedly hanged himself, along with his son, at their residence in east Delhi on September 27 with a purported suicide note claiming harassment by CBI officials, including Mr Gautam, barely two months after his wife and daughter ended their lives following his arrest in the corruption case.

In the suicide note purportedly signed by Mr Bansal, it is alleged that his wife and daughter had shared the details of torture with friends and neighbours before taking the extreme step. He alleged that the CBI DIG also claimed that he was close to a politician of the ruling party and dared Mr Bansal to do whatever he wanted.

An additional secretary-rank officer in the ministry of corporate affairs, Mr Bansal was arrested by the CBI on July 16 for allegedly accepting a bribe from a prominent pharmaceutical company.

On September 28, a day after Mr Bansals suicide, the CBI initiated an internal inquiry to probe the allegations of torture made by him.

The Central investigating agency has already completed an internal probe looking into allegations of torture against Gautam. The probe report has been sent to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also as the commission had expressed deep anguish and shock over the incident and issued notice to the agency, sources said. Earlier, Mr Gautam was removed from the team probing the case against Mr Bansal, and now he has been removed from the 2G scam probe also after seeking mandatory permission from the competent court to relieve him.
A list of such merchants who had approached Lodha to convert their old notes has also been prepared, sources revealed.

Kolkata: A special Enforcement Directorate (ED) team from New Delhi raided and searched arrested businessman Parasmal Lodhas residence and firm in south Kolkata on Tuesday. The team led by an assistant director level officer arrived in Kolkata on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, 15 ED officers, divided in two teams, launched the raid at Mr Lodhas residence in Queens Park in Ballygunge and his firm, The Peerless Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd, on S.N. Roy Road in Behala.

During the raid, they questioned the security guards and caretaker at the residence of the suspect and employees at his firm. Some financial documents were also seized from the firm.

The raid came after the ED found out that Mr Lodha used to charge a hefty commission of 15 to 20 per cent from merchants and traders to convert their demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, according to sources adding that the conversion of old currency notes took place at his firm.

A list of such merchants who had approached Mr Lodha to convert their old notes has also been prepared, sources revealed.

The ED had on December 22 arrested Lodha, 62, after the recovery of a large amount of cash in new currency notes from a company that belonged to a Delhi-based advocate, Rohit Tandon, of T&T law firm, and J. Shekhar Reddy of Chennai. Delhi police officials seized Rs 14 crore, of which over Rs 2.2 crore was in new Rs 2,000 notes, from the law firm owned by Tandon.
Between 2008 and 2015, India purchased defence equipments worth USD 34 billion.

Washington: As India embarks on a massive modernisation plan for its defence forces, it has emerged as the second largest purchaser of arms among developing nations after Saudi Arabia, a latest Congressional report has said.

Between 2008 and 2015, India purchased defence equipments worth USD 34 billion, which is a distant second after Saudi Arabia's USD 93.5 billion, said the report 'Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations 2008-2015' released by Congressional Research Service (CRS).

As the name reflects, CRS is an independent bipartisan research wing of the US Congress. It prepares reports on a wide range of issues for lawmakers to make informed decisions. CRS reports are not considered official reports of the US Congress.

"Saudi Arabia was the leading developing world arms purchaser from 2008-2015, with agreements totalling USD 93.5 billion. India was the second largest developing world arms purchaser from 2008 to 2015, making arms transfer agreements totalling USD 34 billion during these years (in current dollars)," it said, adding these increases reflect the military modernisation efforts by India.

In its report, CRS highlights recent Indian efforts to diversify its procurement of arms, of which the US has been a major beneficiary.

"It is notable that India, while the principal Russian arms customer, during recent years has sought to diversify its weapons supplier base, purchasing the Phalcon early warning defense system aircraft in 2004 from Israel and numerous items from France in 2005, in particular six Scorpene diesel attack submarines. In 2008, India purchased six C130J cargo aircraft from the United States," CRS said.

In 2010, the UK sold India 57 Hawk jet trainers for USD 1 billion. In 2010, Italy also sold India 12 AW101 helicopters.

In 2011, France secured a USD 2.4 billion contract with India to upgrade 51 of its Mirage-2000 combat fighters, and the US agreed to sell India 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for USD 4.1 billion, it said.

"This pattern of Indian arms purchases indicates that Russia will likely face strong new competition from other major weapons suppliers for the India arms market, and it can no longer be assured that India will consistently purchase its major combat systems," CRS said.

Indeed, India in 2011 had eliminated Russia from the international competition to supply a new-generation combat fighter aircraft, a competition won by France.

In 2015, Russia and India agreed to a contract in which India would procure at least 200 Ka-226T helicopter, the report said.

With India reducing its reliance on Russia on arms purchase, Moscow is looking for other options, it added.
The two aircraft reportedly came face-to-face barely 40 metres away on airport taxiway but pilots of both planes alerted ATC.

New Delhi: A disaster was averted at the New Delhi IGI airport on Tuesday when two aircraft  one of IndiGo and the other of SpiceJet  came face to face on the same taxiway due to an error of an air traffic controller (ATC) who has now been derostered, sources confirmed. The two aircraft reportedly came face-to-face barely 40 metres away on the airport taxiway but the pilots of both the planes alerted the air traffic control and switched off their engines. However, top government sources said there was no threat of collision since the two aircraft were moving at very slow speed in the taxiway and also because the pilots of the two aircraft had spotted the other aircraft visually and had stopped immediately. Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered a probe.

The SpiceJet aircraft was scheduled to take-off for Hyderabad but sought to return to the parking bay from the taxiway to refuel, with sources saying this was because ATC clearance for takeoff was awaited for about 90 minutes. But ATC sources said that the SpiceJet aircraft did not take off on time due to the low visibility conditions since the runway visual range had dropped to below minima. At the same time, the IndiGo flight with 176 passengers on board landed at Delhi from Lucknow. According to sources, the ATC initially asked the IndiGo pilot to hold on and not enter the taxiway but later the Air Traffic Controller granted permission for the IndiGo aircraft to enter the same taxiway on which the SpiceJet aircraft was already stationed. Government sources ruled out any pilot error.

In a statement, SpiceJet said, SpiceJet flight SG 123 operating Delhi-Hyderabad was following ATC instructions at all times at the Delhi airport. While taxiing, the SpiceJet crew observed another aircraft on the same taxiway in the opposite direction. Acting promptly, the SpiceJet crew immediately stopped the aircraft and intimated the ATC. Safety is of utmost and primary concern at SpiceJet. At no stage the safety of passengers, crew and aircraft was compromised. All concerned authorities were immediately informed. The Hyderabad-bound SpiceJet aircraft was reportedly carrying 187 passengers when the incident took place.

In a statement, IndiGo said, The IndiGo flight 6E-769 (LucknowDelhi) while taxing in at Delhi airport on Tuesday morning, observed another aircraft in front of it. Following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the caption-in-command took the decision of switching off the engine and reported the incident to ATC. ... All 176 passengers and crew are safe. IndiGo flight was observing ATC instructions all the time at Delhi airport. IndiGo has voluntarily informed the DGCA. This matter is being investigated by the IndiGo safety department and the regulator. As an airline we rely upon the ATCs traffic advisory and ensure to comply with their instructions.
It was feared that PMSA might have captured some more fishermen and seized their boats during the operation, he added.

Pakistan apprehended 36 fishermen and seized six boats in the Arabian Sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI/File)

Ahmedabad: Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) apprehended 36 fishermen and seized six boats in the Arabian Sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat on Wednesday, National Fisherworkers' Forum (NFF) said.

PMSA apprehended the fishermen near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), NFF secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI.

"We have learnt that 36 fishermen on six fishing boats were apprehended by Pakistani agency near Jakhau coast on Wednesday. Three of these boats had set out from Porbandar while other three are registered in Okha," Lodhari said.

It was feared that PMSA might have captured some more fishermen and seized their boats during the operation, he added.

The development comes just days after Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat, arrested about a year ago for allegedly entering Pakistani waters.
Ten rapid response teams have been mobilised for the operation in the area, officials said.

The process for culling of chickens in the village within a radius of one-km was initiated after four dead crows and three dead poultry tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus aka bird flu virus. (Representational image)

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday launched culling of chickens to curb spreading of bird flu virus in Keranga village in Khurda district. As many as 500 chickens were culled till the evening.

A compensation of Rs 90 from the state government and Rs 25 from Red Cross is being provided for culling of each fowl, informed state fisheries and animal resources development minister Pradeep Maharathy.

The minister said the situation would be under control within 4-5 days. In order to convince the villagers to part with their birds, Khurda collector Niranjan Sahoo and other officials of the district administration had on Tuesday evening held a meeting with the villagers and promised them of better compensation from Red Cross following which they agreed to cooperate in the culling process.

The process for culling of chickens in the village within a radius of one-km was initiated after four dead crows and three dead poultry tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus aka bird flu virus. Ten rapid response teams have been mobilised for the operation in the area, officials said.

Keranga village is the epicentre of bird flu. We have directed culling of poultry within the radius of one kilometre, fisheries and animal resources development secretary Bishnupada Sethi said.

The H5N1 is considered highly pathogenic. It can also transmit to animals and humans. The health department is monitoring the situation, he added.

A similar outbreak was reported in the region in 2012. A control room has been set up at the Directorate of Animal Husbandry to monitor the situation and to disseminate information.
The 226-page court ruling mentioned names of several Congress leaders, primarily in communication between the middlemen.

It is reliably learnt that the CBI may soon start questioning, including senior Congress leaders who held important portfolios during the UPA-2 regime. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Equipped with crucial information from Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, the CBI is now preparing to start a fresh round of questioning in the multi-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal case.

Now, the agency has sufficient evidence to proceed further in this case as its all pending judicial requests have been recently executed by the foreign agencies, including authorities concerned in the UAE and Singapore, top sources in the CBI said. It is reliably learnt that the CBI may soon start questioning, including senior Congress leaders who held important portfolios during the UPA-2 regime.

Sources said, Information provided by both countries  UAE and Singapore  are crucial for the CBI. Both the countries were recently approached through diplomatic channels for execution of the CBIs letters rogatory (LRs) or judicial requests at the earliest. Now the agency has received responses to the LRs it sent to eight countries for establishing money trail in the Rs 3767-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal case, they added. Sources said the agency has received responses from Mauritius, Singapore, the UAE, Tunisia, Italy, British Virgin Island, the UK and Switzerland.

The role of a senior Congress leader is being probed on the basis of the ruling given by the Milan court of appeals  equivalent to an Indian high court  on April 8 and information provided by the foreign agencies, sources said.

The 226-page court ruling mentioned names of several Congress leaders, primarily in communication between the middlemen. The judgment also mentioned statements given by the middleman Guido Haschke, documents recovered from his suitcase and his conversations with his business partner Carlo Gerosa and the London-based alleged middleman Christian Michel, among other witnesses.

As part of its investigations, the agency is focusing on the money trail of suspected kickbacks of over 50 million Euros (about Rs 369 crore at present exchange rates) believed to have been moved across eight countries. The case is being probed by specially constituted a SIT headed by Additional Director Rakesh Asthana, who is at present in-charge of the CBI.
Akhilesh Yadav can contest election from whichever seat he selects, the SP supremo said.

Lucknow: Categorically stating that his party would not enter into an alliance for next year's assembly polls, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday trained his guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the people of Uttar Pradesh would give a befitting reply courtesy demonetisation.

Mulayam hit out at the BJP government for scrapping Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes; however, he praised Narendra Modi for fighting all odds to become the Prime Minister. "PM is from an ordinary family and he has struggled to become the Prime Minister. But BJP has not fulfilled its promises," Mulayam said.

"The people will very soon give a befitting response to demonetisation. There is no need for us to voice concerns on the same," he told the media in Lucknow.

Mulayam also took a jibe at the BJP for failing miserably in fulfilling the promises made to the nation in the run up to the 2014 general election.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said that the party, which emerges victorious in the politically crucial state, finally goes on to conquer the throne of Delhi.

Mulayam also announced the first list of candidates for next year's polls.

"We have declared list of 325 candidates for the 2017 assembly polls. 78 seats still remain. Name of candidates for rest of the 78 seats will be announced soon," he said.

This election is yours and will happen before 28 February, the party chief told his party workers.

The Samajwadi Party boss announced the first list in the absence of his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is at loggerheads with his uncle and bete noire Shivpal Yadav over distribution of tickets.

Mulayam announced the name of his brother Shivpal from Jaswant Nagar Assembly seat.

Akhilesh's name did not figure in the first list. Mulayam, however, said that his son being the Chief Minister can contest from any assembly seat he wishes to.

The Chief Minister had earlier last week sent the list of candidates for 403 assembly seats to the party chief.

However, this had irked Shivpal forcing him to state that no indiscipline will be tolerated in the party and the tickets will be confirmed with Mulayam's consent.

As per the list announced by Mulayam, Azam Khan will contest from Rampur, Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi, Ram Shankar Katheria from Kaimganj, Pinki Yadav from Asmoli, Harish Lodhi from Dibai, Tejvir Singh from Chhara, Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh from Bah, Mohd Rehan from Lucknow West, Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow central, Mahendra Singh Patel from Rohanya and Durga Prasad Yadav from Azamgarh.
BSP supremo Mayawati has said an alliance would be struck between the SP and the Congress only if it benefits the BJP.

New Delhi: With rumours growing about a tie-up between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has chosen to keep his cards close to his chest. It is a strategic issue. I cannot say anything about it in a press conference. If you come to me personally, I can whisper in your ear, Mr Gandhi said at a joint press conference of eight Opposition parties in New Delhi on Tuesday.

In the last couple of days, several reports have emerged about a proposed alliance between the Samajwadi party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Sources have said that back channel talks are on, but have officially denied any discussion is going on. The final call on the proposed alliance will be taken post assessing the impact of demonetisation on the upcoming elections.

The Grand Alliance in Bihar, comprising Nitish Kumars JD-U and Lalu Prasad Yadavs RJD, along with the Congress, had helped defeat the BJP in the 2015 Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati has said an alliance would be struck between the SP and the Congress only if it benefits the BJP. SP and Congress alliance in UP will come into being only if BJP gives its approval, and if it (BJP) feels it will gain from it. The green signal will be given by BJP after evaluating its gains and losses from such an alliance, she said in Lucknow.
The trip by Bertch includes a cruise and a free stay at a five star hotel in Miami.

Waterloo: Employees around the world talk about their bosses and while some are all praises for their superiors, there are many who dont have a really pleasant relationship with the ones they are working for.

Different employers have different ways of rewarding their employees for the hard work and dedication they put in for their firm, but what an employer did in Waterloo makes him one of the best bosses ever, along with people like Surat based businessman who gave away cars and flats to his employees for Diwali.

Gary Bertch, founder of Bertch cabinets, decided to take all 800 of his employees on an all expenses paid vacation, which includes a Caribbean cruise and free stay at a five star hotel in Miami.

The boss was impressed with his employees for achieving goals set for the company a year back and the way he chose to reward them will make everyone join the team.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of transportation, communication and information technologies says as of December 28, 09:30, the Saravan and Vardenyats Passes are partly covered in clear ice. Highway supervision agencies are carrying out clearing operations.

The ministry told ARMENPRESS all highways of republican and interstate significance are open.
The body was not decomposed, hence, police suspect it might have been dumped a few hours before it was found.

Body of an infant girl was found at Juhu beach in Mumbai, a senior police official said on Wednesday. (Photo: AFP/Representational)

Mumbai: Body of an infant girl was found at Juhu beach in Mumbai, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

The body of the new-born was found at the beach around 11:30 pm. As per preliminary investigation the baby was about 15-days-old, police said.

The matter came to light when a person spotted the body and brought it to the notice of police, they said.

The body was not decomposed, hence, police suspect it might have been dumped a few hours before it was found.

A case under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12-years, by parent or person having care of it), has been registered against unidentified person, the official said.

The body has been sent for post-mortem and police are probing if the mother had dumped the new-born.
The Shiv Sena said, that those claiming ownership over Shivaji Maharaj would be ruined.

The Sena also pointed out that there was no need to tell Maharashtras citizens about Shivaji.

Mumbai: Days after the BJPs laid the foundation stone of the Shivaji memorial in an extravagant manner, the Shiv Sena has warned the party against playing politics by using the Maratha warrior kings name. The Sena, in its mouthpiece Saamana, said that those claiming ownership over Shivaji Maharaj would be ruined.

While appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying tribute to Shivaji Maharaj last week, the Sena also pointed out that there was no need to tell Maharashtras citizens about Shivaji. Taking a dig at the BJP, the Sena said, Was it the Shivaji memorial ceremony or BJPs election campaign? The memorial should not get stuck in selfish politics.

The party voiced its displeasure at BJP supporters chanting Modi, Modi when Shiv Sainiks were chanting Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji during the public meeting addressed by the PM, which was also attended by Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. While Sainiks and Shivaji fans were chanting slogans hailing the Chhatrapati, BJP workers were shouting slogans in the name of Modi. Can anyone compare himself to Shivaji? Modi himself will not approve of this, the Sena said.

In a thinly-veiled attack on the PM for wishing his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday amidst the chill in relations between the two countries, the Sena invoked Chhatrapati Shivaji saying that the Maratha king never extended such greetings to enemies of the nation.
According to the rules, donations above Rs 20,000 have to be declared with the Election Commission.

Mumbai: National political parties observed an 84-per cent dip in their donations during the year 2015-16, compared to 2014-15  the year when the general elections were held. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) witnessed the highest decrease in funds  98 per cent. Experts, who have said that this is an obvious trend, have demanded more transparency from the political parties when it comes to receiving donations.

The data for donations submitted by various political parties to the Election Commission of India has been analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW). It has also been observed that the Satya Electoral Trust has emerged as the highest donor for the BJP and one of the top donors for Congress  it donated a total of `47 crore to the former and `2 crore to the latter.

A total of Rs 76.85 crore was declared by the BJP from 613 donations while Congress declared receiving Rs 20.42 crore from 918 donations. According to the rules, donations above Rs 20,000 have to be declared with the Election Commission. The total donations of national parties during FY 2015-16 decreased by Rs 528.67 crores, a decrease of 84 per cent, from the previous financial year. NCP declared the highest decrease of 98 per cent, from Rs 38.82 crore in FY 2014-15 to Rs 71 lakh in FY 2015- 16, the ADR/NEW report said.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, In the (last) five to six Parliament sessions, the NCP was with all the opposition parties.

Mumbai: Rahul Gandhi may have been accompanied by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi, but the Congresss main partner in the opposition, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was conspicuous by its absence. The NCP had earlier said that it would boycott the meeting called by the Congress in the national capital to ramp up its attack on the Narendra Modi-led government over demonetisation.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, In the (last) five to six Parliament sessions, the NCP was with all the opposition parties. But Congress (leaders) recently went to meet the PM by themselves. A question has been raised on the unity among opposition parties. Mr Malik was referring to the meeting between the Gandhi-led delegation and PM Modi.

We believe that all opposition parties should be together and, for that, a definite plan of action should be prepared, which isnt there right now and, hence, we did not participate, said Mr Malik.

Pawar-PM bond:

Meanwhile, the bonhomie between PM Modi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar over the past few days has been the talk of town. The two shared the dais as well during the Pune Metro inauguration. There has been talk about their friendship in political circles, with BJP ally Shiv Sena having criticised it on several occasions.
Phanse claimed that the Sena has no control over the time taken to bring proposals for clearance before the standing committee.

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMCs) ruling party, the Shiv Sena, has been exerting extra caution regarding its reputation in the civic body ahead of the BMC polls of 2017. Irked by allegations that the Sena timed the passing of project proposals worth Rs 1,013 crore to coincide with the run-up to the BMC elections, BMC standing committee chairman Yashodhar Phanse has blamed the state administration for the delay in bringing the projects before the committee.

Mr Phanse claimed that the Sena has no control over the time taken to bring proposals for clearance before the standing committee. He added that the Sena has not been manipulating the timing of the projects being passed in order to earn brownie points for the party, what with the civic elections just a little over a month away.

Mr Phanse said, The Sena has not deliberately delayed certain projects thus far, only to pass them now before elections. We do not control what projects come to the standing committee at what time  that is the administrations prerogative. Some projects have been ready since August and September, but have come to the standing committee in December due to administrative delays.

Proposals worth Rs 1,000 crores were passed at last weeks standing committee meeting, whereas this week, 71 proposals amounting to Rs 1,013 crore have been tabled before the committee. The election code of conduct will become applicable after January, and no new money would then be released for projects. Payments can be made only for projects previously sanctioned by the BMCs standing committee.

Mr Phanse said, There is miscommunication that the Sena is getting important projects passed just before the elections. It is true that a large number of projects have come before the committee for approval, but that is only because during the elections, the committee will not be working.
As the airport is run by the Navy, Naval personnel rushed for the rescue and evacuation process.

Mumbai: A Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight with 154 passengers and seven crewmembers aboard skid off the runway at Dabolim airport in Goa early on Tuesday morning. While no passenger was injured as a result of the skidding, around a dozen sustained injuries while jumping off the inflated escape chutes used in emergency evacuations.

According to sources from Goa airport, till 9 pm Tuesday, seven of the 12 injured passengers had been discharged after administration of first-aid. The remaining five injured passengers were receiving medical attention. Flight 9W 2374, from Goa-Mumbai of today, with 154 guests and seven crew, veered off the runway while aligning for takeoff, a Jet Airways official said. Sources said the mishap took place at about 5.04 am Tuesday.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, which will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Jet Airways technical team. The Indian Navy is providing all assistance in the investigation. The Dabolim airport is located in Indian Navys facility, INS Hansa in Vasco town, and is run by the Indian Navy.

According to the Goa airport sources, the process of shifting the skidded aircraft will commence post clearance by AAIB. In addition, some salvage material has arrived in Goa and the rest will be arriving by road. The damage to the runway was also assessed by a team of Indian Navy and Airport Authority of India officials, the sources said. According to sources from Jet Airways, both pilots of 9W 2374 flight were de-rostered till the probe into the incident is completed. In addition, the pilots concerned were also directed to remain present for enquiries.

Meanwhile, insider sources from the airline informed that fatigue could be the reason behind the skidding of the aircraft. An official spokesperson of Jet Airways said, The airline deployed one of its 346-seater B777-300 ER, to clear the backlog of passengers. The airline later announced it would deploy its wide-body B777 aircraft with a capacity to seat 346 guests, to facilitate the travel of its guests between Mumbai and Goa.

As the airport is run by the Navy, Naval personnel rushed for the rescue and evacuation process. The Navy spokesperson, captain D.K. Sharma said, There are minor injuries, bruises or fractures to 15 passengers. According to Mr Sharma, the runway was made available for flight operations at 9 AM and at about 12.20 pm, the operations at Goa airport returned to normal.

Bound for Mumbai, the aircraft had arrived in Goa from Dubai after completing its first leg. The official spokesperson of Jet Airways said ATC duty personnel on the runway reported the aircraft leaving the runway and subsequently receiving a distress call from the aircraft. The aircraft came to a halt about 250-300m from the runway. An emergency crew of the Navy was immediately dispatched in rescue vehicles to the site.

According to Navy officials, the aircraft was taking off from HANSA runway 26 around 5 am. Immediately after the incident Navy responded within 15-20 minutes and all the passengers were evacuated safely out of the aircraft. Only 15 have received minor injuries/ fractures during the evacuation process. All were evacuated to the Passenger terminal and the injured being managed further in a local hospital, said Mr Sharma.

Passengers who were booked on the flight took to the social media to share their experience. One such passenger tweeted, Media makes it look like its nothing, bt it was terrible; Engine exploded, couldve died. Tanesh Kumar Surana, another passenger, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, said, There was a pregnant lady too, and she had fallen down, also there were kids who were crying badly for help. Rajiv Kumar of Patna said, Our aircraft was taxiing on the runway but then it couldnt take off and started skidding on the soil adjoining the runway. After that suddenly smoke started coming out. Some passengers also claimed they were finding it difficult to get their luggage after the mishap.
They allegedly committed the crime in order to teach the woman a lesson.

Mumbai: Acting on the complaint of a 45-year-old woman, the Kalyan police on Tuesday registered an FIR against four lawyers for allegedly subjecting her to a gang-rape, twice, on September 19, purportedly in a bid to teach her a lesson. The FIR also named two women, who are related to three of the accused men, for abetting the crime.

The police has arrested one of the accused, Satish More (29), while the five others are absconding. More denied all the allegations made by the complainant. As part of its probe, the police are verifying the truth in the complainants allegations against the accused persons, as mentioned in the FIR, to establish the facts and to rule out any foul play, police inspector Chandrakant Khuspe of Vithalwadi police station told The Asian Age. The police on Wednesday sent the survivor for a medical examination.

The survivor, who is a domestic help, alleged that her female employer had asked three of the accused men to teach her a lesson. This was after the complainant had informed her female employer that she saw one of her close female relatives and a houseguest in an inappropriate position during a family function on September 19, which infuriated the employer, according to police sources. A police officer told The Asian Age, According to the complainant, the female employer became incensed and accused her of defaming the female relative and then asked her son, the son-in-law and the houseguest to teach her a lesson.

The survivor said that she was allegedly shut in a room where the three accused men took turns to rape her, said the source. The source added, Later, the female employers second son volunteered to drop the complainant to her residence, where, however, he raped her. He did that on finding that the complainants house was empty as her family was away. Later, two of the other accused too came there and raped her.

According to the survivors complaint, she and her family delayed registering a complaint with the police since the accused persons had threatened her of dire consequences if she did that. The survivor allegedly told her brother about the incident, but he too advised her to keep mum. The victim then quit her job at the employers house, but the arrested accused allegedly still visited her a few times. The arrested accused often visited her and raped her each time after threatening her. She decided to record the incident on her phone during such a visit and this footage is being examined, said Mr Khuspe. More was arrested on the basis of the footage, he added.

He also said: We visited the house of the accused, but found it locked. We are also looking for the guest who has been named in the FIR, but they are all absconding at present.
The reports suggested that the IS, on its official media channel Khilafah News, declared Tandel dead.

Mumbai: Reports have surfaced again that Kalyan-based youngster Aman Tandel, who had joined Islamic State (ISIS), had died while on one of ISISs operations. However, security agencies in the state have offered no confirmation or denial.

The reports suggested that the IS, on its official media channel Khilafah News, declared Tandel dead. It allegedly carried a picture of Tandel with his Arabic name  Abu Umar al Hindi  declaring him a martyr.

In November this year, Tandels family had received an anonymous call informing them that he had died. At that time, the Anti-Terrorism Squad had said that they had received no such confirmation and would need verification.

In May 2014,Tandel had left the country with three of his friends, Fahad Sheikh, Areeb Majeed and Saheem Tanki, to join ISIS. Majeed returned last year following a six-month stint with the terror group. He is currently confined at Arthur Road jail and is facing trial.
According to sources, the money was tightly wrapped in newspapers inside the trios check-in baggage.

All the four accused have been booked under sections of the Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs, in two separate incidents, seized foreign currency worth Rs 43.9 lakh and Rs 25 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes on Wednesday. The officials have arrested four people in all. The AIU carried out the foreign currency seizure early on Wednesday morning, wherein the bags of three passengers were checked. The passengers were later identified as Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha, and they had arrived here from Hyderabad. We checked Alis bag and recovered 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars, said a customs official.

According to sources, the money was tightly wrapped in newspapers inside the trios check-in baggage. When questioned, the accused said that he had visited Saudi Arabia last week and brought the foreign currency from there. They said they had come to Mumbai to convert the currency, expecting good returns, said the source.

In the second case, a passenger identified as Arif Koyante, who was headed to Dubai from Mumbai, was found to be in possession of Rs 25 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes. Officials who were involved in the seizure said 1,250 such notes were kept in 52 white envelopes in his bag. These envelopes were placed between 13 cardboard layers all of which were wrapped with readymade garments, said the officer. He added that prima facie investigation showed that the currency was to be smuggled out of India.

All the four accused have been booked under sections of the Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act.
According to sources, the villagers will sit on dharna from 4 pm to 12 am midnight everyday till December 31.

The Sunburn festival, known for its electronic music dance, will be held in Kesnand village at the outscirts of Pune between December 28 and December 31 (Photo: Facebook)

Pune: Fifteen protestors who sat on dharna outside the entrance of the Sunburn festival venue at Kesnand village near Pune were arrested by the police on Wednesday. Over 100 people from four nearby villages gathered at the venue just before the festival was about to begin on Wednesday, asserting that festivals like Sunburn can spoil youth in the villages and can drive them towards the wrong way.

The Sunburn festival, known for its electronic music dance, will be held in Kesnand village at the outscirts of Pune between December 28 and December 31. According to sources, the villagers will sit on dharna from 4 pm to 12 am midnight everyday till December 31.

On Wednesday, over 100 villagers from Kesnand, Tulapur, Lonikand and Avalwadi sat on protest demanding the festival should not be held near their villages. Sandip Bhondave, head of the protest, said,  The festival will conclude. Over 200-400 villagers from nearby villages will protest at the entrance of the festival venue every day. 

Shilpa Tune, one of the protestors, said, If the westernised and modern crowd in short clothes start roaming around in our villages, the youth will get spoilt. The youth might be driven to wrong ways, consuming drugs and alcohol. We want the government to understand that they should not allow the festival to be held here forever. We also fear that like Goa hosted the festival for nine years, they might come here every year.

However, Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn, said, We have all necessary permissions from the concerned departments. We will leave the venue like we got it, after cleaning it and planting trees. People come to attend it for the sake of music. Why will they travel so far to consume drugs or alcohol?
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The year of 2016 will be recorded in Turkey's history as one of the bloodiest and the most eventful years.

The May 4 palace coup d'etat, over two dozens of terror attacks, the military coup attempt, the regress recorded in the human rights field are the small part of the developments that occurred in Turkey in 2016.

Armenpress identified the most important and remarkable events in Turkey for 2016.

Turkey in target of terror attacks

The year was tragic for Turkey in terms of the number of terror attacks. Over 22 terror attacks occurred in various cities of Turkey, 2 of them occurred in Ankara, 5 in Istanbul, 7 in Diyarbakir. 361 people were killed and more than 1500 wounded in those terror attacks. The Islamic State terrorist group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for majority of terror attacks. Although Turkeys President, Prime Minister and other officials repeatedly announced about conducting anti-terror large-scale operations, the measures taken, however, are not sufficient to prevent the possible tragedies. The recent attack in Kayseri on December 17 is a proof of this which killed 14 people.

Change of Prime Minister

On May 4, Turkeys 26th Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu officially resigned from the posts of Prime Minister and Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development (JDP) party. The reason was his disagreements with President Erdogan. During the partys meeting on May 22, Binali Yildirim was elected as Chairman of the party and also assumed the PMs post.

The failed military coup attempt and its consequences

A military coup attempt was conducted in Turkey on July 15, 2016. The militaries managed to have control on a number of important structures of the country within few hours.

After a short period of time President Erdogan managed to broadcast live through Facetime app calling his citizens to come out to the streets and not allow the implementation of military coup. His call gave the desirable result. The coup attempt was failed due to the mediation of ordinary citizens as well. The Turkish leadership blamed the US-based Muslim Cleric Fethullah Gulen for the coup attempt and starting a fight against his supporters. However, Fethullah Gulen rejected his involvement in the coup attempt. He announced that what had happened is Erdogans scenario who wanted to strengthen his power through such measures in the country.

104 soldiers supporting the coup, as well as 246 people who were against it were killed as a result of the coup attempt. Nearly 2000 people were wounded. At least 40.000 people, including militaries, judges and prosecutors, workers of various ministries and state structures, were arrested after the failed military coup attempt. Tens of thousands of people were dismissed from their posts, including also teachers of universities, schools, professors and lecturers. An emergency situation was declared in the country which was extended by three months on October 19.

Pro-Kurdish party MPs are persecuted

After the failed military coup attempt in Turkey, the representatives of pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic party were persecuted. After adopting the decision on MPs immunity in the Parliament, over a dozen members of the party, including Co-Chairmen Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were arrested on October 4. Currently 12 out of 59 MPs of the party are arrested. The court also made decisions on detaining certain MPs. They are accused of being members of the armed terrorist group and conducting propaganda of the terrorist group.

Turkey  The biggest prison of journalists

During 2016 Turkey recorded a strictly negative rating in terms of freedom of speech. The Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) organizations declared Turkey as the country that exerted the maximum pressure on media in 2016. In 2016 Turkey again was declared as the biggest prison for journalists. 148 journalists are jailed in Turkey, over 170 media, including newspapers, TV networks, news agencies were closed during this year.

One of the key events was the arrests of the workers of Cumhuriyet newspaper. Till now 10 workers and editor-in-chief of the newspaper are under custody.

Turkey and Israel restore diplomatic relations

Six years later Turkey and Israel reached an agreement to normalize the relations and restore the diplomatic ties. After long-lasting talks Israel paid 20 million USD in compensation for the incident when Israeli marines stormed an activist ship in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and killed 10 Turks on board. On October 13 Israels Energy Minister visited Turkey which was the first Ministerial visit after the incident. The countries announced on restoring the relations which was followed by bilateral appointments of ambassadors.

Russia-Turkish relations ice melted

The relations between Russia and Turkey became tense on November 25, 2015 when the Turkish forces downed the Russian jet. However, the normalization process of the relations started when President Erdogan sent a letter to official Kremlin where he extended condolences to the family of the killed pilot. Within the framework of normalization of relations, Russia to some extent eliminated the economic sanctions against Turkey.

However, the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey by the Turkish killer on December 19, 2016 was a new blow to the Russian-Turkish relations. Although the reason is still unknown, both Ankara and Kremlin announced that this incident aimed at damaging Russia-Turkey relations.

Araks Kasyan
UN and other international bodies estimate unemployment to be 43 per cent.

A Palestinian woman waits to cross the border to the Egyptian side of Rafah crossing with Egypt, in Rafah, Gaza Strip. (Photo: AP)

For most of the past decade, Egypt has been a quiet partner with Israel in a blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that has stifled the economy and largely blocked its two million people from moving in and out of the territory. But after a three-year crackdown, there are signs that Egypt is easing the pressure in a step to repair its shattered ties with the Islamic militant group.

In recent months, Cairo has increased the number of people allowed to exit through the Rafah border crossing, Gazas main gateway to the outside world. It also has begun to allow Gaza to import commercial goods through Rafah for the first time since 2013 and sent public signals that it is interested in improving relations.

There is a ball of hope that was thrown by Egypt, said Ashraf Jomaa, a Gaza community leader who has taken part in recent meetings with Egyptian officials to discuss the changing ties. The question is how we, the Palestinians, shall catch that ball and develop the hope.

The changes, while still in their infancy, mark a significant departure from what has been a tough Egyptian crackdown since the military ousted its then-President, Mohammed Morsi, in 2013. Hamas, an offshoot of Morsis Muslim Brotherhood, enjoyed close relations with him and quickly fell into disfavor with the new government.

Under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who ousted Morsi, Egypt all but destroyed a once-thriving network of cross-border smuggling tunnels used by Hamas  robbing the group of its main economic lifeline and a key source of weapons.

Targeting Islamic militant groups in Egypts northern Sinai Desert, it also destroyed hundreds of homes in the volatile border area to create a sterile zone. Egypts state-run media have repeatedly accused Hamas of collaborating with militants in Egypt, a charge the group denies. The crackdown has had a devastating effect on both sides of the border.

The olive and palm trees that once lined the 40-kilometre (25-mile) road from Rafah to El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai, have been razed and even small bushes have withered.

The road is littered with checkpoints, tanks and mobile artillery units, manned by anxious young soldiers. In the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, where travellers used to stop to buy Egyptian mobile phone cards and snacks, stores were gutted, their doors bombed out. The bullet-riddled houses above them were turned into military positions, with sandbags covering the windows and snipers stationed on the roofs. The US-based Human Rights Watch estimates that thousands of people have been displaced  most of whom moved either elsewhere in town or to El-Arish.

In Gaza, years of Egyptian restrictions, coupled with an Israeli blockade and three wars between Hamas and Israel, have devastated the economy and weakened Hamas.

The UN and other international bodies estimate unemployment to be 43 per cent, and Hamas has struggled to pay the salaries of the 40,000 police and civil servants it hired after seizing Gaza in 2007.

An Israeli naval blockade, which Israel says is needed to prevent arms smuggling, means that most goods enter Gaza through Israeli-controlled cargo crossings. While most consumer goods are freely available, prices of fuel, cigarettes and other items have spiked because of limited supplies. Construction materials, badly needed to rebuild damage from a 2014 war, remain in short supply.

But Egypts recent turnaround has begun to bring some relief. In the past six months alone, Rafah crossing has been opened more than 40 days, compared to just 26 in all of 2015, allowing thousands of people to leave for jobs, medical care, family visits and studies abroad.

Last month, it allowed a top Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, to travel abroad for the first time since Morsi was toppled. In addition, it allowed a Malaysian official to enter Gaza to meet with Hamas officials. In another first, it allowed cargo to be shipped into Gaza through Rafah, including 40 new cars, painting materials and tar.

In recent months, Egypt has invited three delegations of businessmen, academics, community leaders and journalists from Gaza for semi-official conferences in Cairo. Participants said the issue of creating a trade zone between Gaza and Egypt was raised. Hamas has begun paving a patch of land on the Palestinian side of the crossing for what local media say will be an area to contain more imports from Egypt.

At a recent meeting, Egyptian officials said they were interested in opening a new chapter with Gaza, said one official, who was not allowed to be identified under the briefing guidelines. We are still evaluating the situation, and this is a long dialogue until we reach better relations.

Hamas has welcomed the moves, saying it is ready to shutter the tunnels if commercial activities increase above-ground. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said, If the (Rafah) crossing opened commercially, whats the need for the tunnels?

But Hamas, an armed group sworn to Israels destruction, has repeatedly seen its hopes dashed as it tries to emerge from isolation. It remains unclear how far Egypt is willing to help the group, specially if it continues using tunnels to bring in arms.

If the tunnels are used by the Palestinian resistance, then this is something else that doesnt harm the Egyptian security, Zahar said.

Beverly Milton-Edwards, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre, said any Egyptian moves toward Gaza are to promote its own national security interests. With Egypt still locked in battle against Islamic extremists in Sinai, any change will likely be slow and cautious, and could depend greatly on Hamas own actions.

Egypt still fears Sinai militants will use the tunnels to escape or to bring in explosives from hard-liners within Hamas armed wing.

The signalling of intent is carefully calibrated to remind the Gaza government of the levels of control and power that Egypt can exert positively or negatively, Milton-Edwards said. If there is not enough evidence of compliance by the Hamas government then Cairo will not hesitate to halt all alleviating measures.
Cheetahs are becoming extinct due to habitat loss and other forms of human impact.

Study estimated that just 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild, occupying just nine percent of the territory they once lived in.

London: Cheetahs are sprinting to extinction due to habitat loss and other forms of human impact, according to a new study, calling for urgent action to save the worlds fasted land animals.

Cheetah numbers in Zimbabwe have plunged by more than 85 percent in 16 years and fewer than 50 individuals survive in Iran, the Zoological Society of London and Wildlife Conservation Society warned.

The reports authors said cheetahs should be listed as Endangered instead of Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Natures Red List of Threatened Species. Study estimated that just 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild, occupying just nine percent of the territory they once lived in.

The cheetah is sprinting towards the edge of extinction and could soon be lost forever unless urgent, landscape-wide conservation action is taken, ZSL said. Cheetahs travel in search of prey and study says that 77 percent of the animals habitat falls outside protected areas. The main risks are humans hunting their prey, habitat loss, illegal trafficking of cheetah parts.

Dipping numbers:
Mrs. Obama set the stage for her broad-based fashion choices with her first inauguration

Mrs. Obamas powerfully delivered speech had attracted much attention  but these phone calls were about her dress. (Photo: AP)

Washington: The morning after Michelle Obamas big speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012, in which she argued passionately for a second term for her husband, designer Tracy Reeses phone was ringing. And ringing.

Mrs. Obamas powerfully delivered speech had attracted much attention  but these phone calls were about her dress. A shimmering sleeveless sheath in rose and silvery gray, it was pretty universally considered a fashion slam dunk. And customers wanted it.

There was only one problem, Reese recalls: We didnt have inventory  we had made that dress custom. And so the label went into production. And people waited, Reese says. You know, so many people admire Mrs. Obama and they want to dress like her. We sold quite a few of those dresses. She estimates the number at over 2,000.

Reese, who hails from Detroit, is one of the first ladys favoured designers  Mrs. Obama has been photographed in her clothes some 20 to 30 times. But unlike some past first ladies who favoured one or two big-name designers, Mrs. Obama has spread her fashion choices among a huge stable of them  often promoting lesser-known names, and taking care to promote American designers at such high-profile events as inaugurations, conventions and state dinners.

Which is why so many designers and industry watchers will miss her when she steps away from her post after eight fashion-conscious years, and why they consider her one of the most influential first ladies in fashion, perhaps even more so than Jacqueline Kennedy, because of her broad appeal.

Michelle Obama embraced everyone, says Andre Leon Talley, a fashion editor at Vogue magazine. She embraced black designers, Asian designers, European designers. ... She was very democratic in her choice of clothes.

And that includes wearing fashion that ordinary women could potentially afford  like cardigans from the retailer J. Crew.

Shes made an effort to wear accessible fashion, Reese says. I think Jackie (Kennedy) was a great role model but she wore a lot of couture, and things that most Americans could not afford. Mrs. Obama, she says, has worn both high-end and moderately priced fashion.

Reese, who is African-American, is particularly proud that one of her designs  a black dress printed with bright red flowers  is on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The first lady wore it to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Mrs. Obama set the stage for her broad-based fashion choices with her first inauguration. Previous first ladies had often gone with established luxury designers like Oscar de la Renta. Mrs. Obama wore a two-piece lemongrass-hued ensemble by Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo for day, and a one-shouldered white gown by New York-based, Taiwanese-Canadian designer Jason Wu at night.

For her husbands second inauguration, she wore a sleek coat and dress by American designer Thom Browne, known for his eclectic talents, and in the evening Jason Wu again.

It was an honour to have the opportunity to dress Mrs. Obama, Browne said in an email message. She is such a stylish individual because of her confidence and intelligence.

For Browne, Toledo, Reese and others, it was never clear until the moment Mrs. Obama actually appeared whether she would be wearing their designs.

We would get calls periodically from her team, says Reese. But we never knew exactly what things were for and when she would be wearing them. And I think that thats just necessary, because you dont know when plans will change.

However it unfolded, it certainly could change a designers career. Weve been brought to the attention of millions more people than we ever would have reached, Reese says.

David Yermack, a professor of corporate finance at New York University, studied the financial impact of Mrs. Obamas fashion choices in her first year as first lady. He says he found an immediate spike in stock prices of companies whose apparel she wore (he only examined publicly traded companies).

There was a very strong and immediate reaction in the stock prices of the design firms and also the retailers, Yermack says. For major appearances, this could run into the tens of millions of dollars: Thats happened many times with her.

And the public, Yermack says, remembers what Mrs. Obama wears.

Do you remember what Pat Nixon or Laura Bush wore? She has the ability to hold the interest of the consumer in a way that almost no one else does. Ive looked far and wide  Kate Middleton, Carla Bruni. Nobody begins to approach Mrs. Obama on this.

Yermack thinks whats different about Mrs. Obama is that first ladies have traditionally tried to be nondescript in the way they dressed  they didnt want to overshadow their spouses ... or be seen as spending a lot on clothing. But she had no inhibitions in that sense.

She really had an impact on how professional women dressed, and how you could have fun with fashion, in a way that you couldnt imagine Rosalynn Carter or Barbara Bush ever doing, he says. Its a very short list of first ladies who are going to leave that kind of legacy.
Thousands attend Mexican girls birthday as online invite goes viral, one dead.

San Luis Potosi, Mexico: A huge crowd turned out on Monday to celebrate the 15th birthday of Rubi Ibarra, a small-town Mexican girl  though it was fewer than the 1.3 million people who said they were coming after the invitation went viral online.

Girls 15th birthday parties are often a huge affair in Latin America, when families pull out all the stops to welcome them to womanhood. But Rubis quinceanera party took the phenomenon to a whole new level, after the invite became an offbeat Internet sensation. We found out through social media and we said Lets go. Everyone is invited? Lets go, said Tania Rodriguez, who travelled five hours by car to attend the party held in a large field in Villa de Guadalupe, in San Luis Potosi state. With all the coverage on her, Rubi felt like part of the family, added her husband Gonzalo Torres, before heading off in search of more beer.

About 10,000 partygoers of all ages came to see Rubi, who danced the night away in a bejewelled floral princess gown with a dramatic red skirt. The teen was the centre of attention on a rock concert-style stage set up in the field, as journalists jostled to capture her every move. Evening featured fireworks, a banquet sponsored by a food company and a concert broadcast on a giant screen.

Rubi danced with friends, as well as the men of her family, receiving a rose from each, in keeping with tradition. Hi, hows it going? We would like to invite you this December 26 to our daughter Rubi Ibarra Garcias 15th birthday party in La Joya, her dad, Crescencio, said in a video invitation that went viral.

Dressed in a cowboy hat typical of northern Mexico, he ticked off the names of the bands that would play at the party and announced a horse race with a 10,000-peso prize (about $500), as his wife and the now-famous Rubi stood at his side. Everyone is invited, he said. About 1.3 million Facebook users replied that they would attend the party originally set to be in La Joya, a village of 200 people near the city of San Luis Potosi. This all got out of control, Crescencio said in one of the many media interviews he has since been asked to give. That doesnt mean we didnt want to invite everyone, of course, but here our parties are regional... This is something we werent expecting.

Rubi fielded numerous interviews herself, becoming a national sensation with her dark hair, cute smile and braces. An airline turned the commotion into free publicity, offering discount tickets to get to the party. And a video game has emerged in which a teenage girl runs down a red carpet, tossing invitations to all and sundry.

The family said they were originally expecting around 800 people for the party. Local authorities moved it to the large field and sent a security detail for what Mexican media were calling the party of the year. Tragedy marred the horse race that took place earlier in the day. Two people entered the track and were hit by the horses... One of them died and the other was hospitalised with a broken leg, the state of San Luis de Potosi in a statement.
William, Harry match up to grandmothers record of number of days spent on royal duties.

London: Britains young royals, William and Harry, have matched up to grandmother Queen Elizabeth IIs record of the number of days spent on royal duties in a year for the first time in 2016.

As the 90-year-old monarch began reducing her workload this year, analysis of the Daily Court Circular says that Prince William  Duke of Cambridge  equalled his grandmother by spending 80 days on royal engagements this year. His younger brother, Prince Harry, was just ahead with 86 days of appointments.

The younger royal was also the most-travelled senior member of the royal family in 2016, clocking up around 61,800 miles on overseas public engagements. Between them the princess and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, put in 480 official appearances this year, according to The Times. This is more than twice as many as the 198 engagements they attended last year, when the Queens husband, Duke of Edinburgh, outdid the three of them altogether.

The monarch herself, having cut out long haul travel, increased her workload in Britain by attending 332 functions, up from 306 the previous year. Her heir, Prince Charles, is now the busiest family member having surpassed his sister, the Princess Royal  Princess Anne. As well as touring Ireland, Belgium, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and US, he carried out 432 engagements in Britain.
French government warned parents to stop posting images of their children on social media networks.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat  the list of social networking platforms appear to be growing longer every day and so do the alarming headlines about cyber-bullying, sexting and other forms of online harassments. The ever-increasing presence of kids on social media is certainly a topic of concern. However, did you know that even sharenting is among the 21st century challenges that parents need to be aware of? Sharenting is a new term that describes parents sharing information, pictures and videos of their kids online.

While you might think that a cute snap of your toddler running around in a playground may hardly be of any harm, the French government thinks otherwise. Under France s online privacy laws, parents can face penalties of up to a year in prison and a fine of 45,000 ($46,456) if convicted of publicising intimate details of their children without their consent.

A new study by Nominet revealed that average parent posts over 200 photos of their children every year, although the majority dont check privacy settings regularly. The research conducted by the Parent Zone on behalf of Nominet, polled 2,000 parents on the ways in which they share images of children online, as well as testing them on their knowledge of the information that is captured when taking pictures on different devices. Despite 70 per cent of parents claiming their main gadget for taking photos was a smartphone, fewer than half were aware that location data showing where photos were taken could be stored.

We all love to share those precious moments in our childrens lives with friends and family and sites like Facebook have made it easier than ever, commented Nominet CEO, Russell Haworth.

While the web helps relatives to keep in touch and participate in our everyday lives, it also has the potential to lead to accidental over-sharing. It is important to ensure that the correct privacy settings are in place to safeguard our personal information and content. Parents are creating a large digital footprint for their child from a young age, and the right settings are important if you want to stay in control, he added.

This way, many children will have a powerful digital identity created by someone else. The same research even goes on to suggest that parents often neglect the feels of others while posting photos online. A quarter (25 per cent) confess to never asking the permission of the people in photos before posting them and over half (53 per cent) have uploaded a photos of a child that wasnt their own.

University of Michigan recently conducted a survey with 249 parent-children pairs in US to investigate family technology rules and perceptions of those rules from both parents and childrens perspectives. The results indicated that families in US struggle with common challenges around technology use. Children find it difficult to comply with requests to disconnect, parents share more information online than their children are comfortable with and the most salient concern among both parents and children is the desire for all family members, regardless of age, to pay attention to one another when in one anothers company.

Asking your childs consent is believed to be a part of the issue and also a part of the solution. This approach makes it easier for the kids to understand digital etiquette.
Following Obamas peace visit to Hiroshima in May, Japanese Prime Minister paid his tributes at the Pearl Harbour on Tuesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and U.S. President Barack Obama, second from right, toss flower petals into the Wishing Well at the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor. (Photo: AP)

Pearl harbour: The leaders of war-time enemies America and Japan made a poignant joint pilgrimage to Pearl Harbour on Tuesday, issuing symbolic declarations about the power of reconciliation and warning against conflict.

Seventy-five years after Japanese fighter pilots brought the fires of war to idyllic Hawaii and dragged the United States into World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his "sincere and everlasting condolences."

The duo paid homage to the more than 2,400 Americans who were killed on December 7, 1941, delivering a wreath of peace lilies and standing in silence before a shrine to those lost on the USS Arizona -- roughly half of all those killed.

Abe's visit is a high-profile mark of contrition by a leader for whom Japan's wartime past is often a sensitive domestic issue.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war," he said. "What has bonded us together is the power of reconciliation, made possible through the spirit of tolerance."

Obama -- who last May made his own solemn pilgrimage to Hiroshima, the target of a US nuclear bomb that effectively ended the war -- issued his own remarks that rang with history and America's current hypercharged politics.

"I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship," he told Abe. "I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution."

"Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward," Obama said against the backdrop of the USS Arizona.

He further added, "We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different."

Changing of the guard

The meeting between the two leaders comes as Obama prepares to leave office with Abe leading Japan into uncharted waters after remarks by incoming US president Donald Trump clouded US-Japanese relations.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, appeared during his campaign to suggest Japan break a taboo and develop its own nuclear weapons.

He caused consternation again last week when he blithely threatened to revive the global nuclear arms race.

The US president-elect has also declared his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, effectively killing a major trade deal that Obama championed and Abe put at the heart of his economic strategy.

And -- on the campaign trail at least -- Trump has also called into question the US security guarantees that shielded Japan through the Cold War and later the rise of an increasingly confident China.

What he will do in office is unknown.

Healing old wounds

However, Abe's visit to Pearl Harbour was not the first by a Japanese prime minister. Shigeru Yoshida made a stop-over in Hawaii in 1951 and visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or Punchbowl, during his visit. But there is no record showing that he paid his respects to the victims at the harbour.

In 1956, then-prime minister Ichiro Hatoyama visited the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command in Honolulu, which fronts Pearl Harbour.

And Abe's grandfather, Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, did the same in 1957.

But Abe's visit -- the first by a sitting prime minister to the USS Arizona Memorial, built in the early 1960s -- may prove the most significant.

In an emotive speech on the waterfront, he imagined the long-silent voices of American victims chatting about their futures and their dreams, praying for as-yet unborn children before the carnage.

"All of that was brought to an end," he said in his native Japanese. "When I contemplate that solemn reality, I am rendered entirely speechless."

In 1941, the legendary Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto maneuvered six aircraft carriers to within 240 miles (385 kilometers) of Oahu and unleashed two waves of dive bombers.

The US Pacific fleet, formerly Japan's main rival in the region, lost 21 warships and 328 planes.

Hundreds of sailors drowned when the USS Oklahoma, still lashed to the quay, pitched onto its side and trapped them.

Before the attack, the US isolationist campaign's cry of "America first!" -- now revived as Trump's slogan -- found a ready ear among voters wary of embroilment in Europe.

But after Pearl Harbour, the US Congress declared war on Japan. Three days later, Japan's European ally Nazi Germany declared war on the United States in turn.

The "America first!" slogan was quickly replaced on posters, in political speeches and song by recruiters' refrain: "Remember Pearl Harbour!"

No ill will

"Here at Pearl Harbour, America's first battle of the Second World War roused a nation," Obama said. "Here in so many ways, America came of age."

Three quarters of a century on, he added, the alliance between the United States and Japan "has never been stronger."

"It has helped underwrite an international order that has prevented another world war and that has lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty."

Only five of the Arizona's crewmen are still alive and, while the memorial remains a tourist draw, in Hawaii, Obama's home state, the divisions of war have given way to a shared present.

"Hawaii has a very multi-ethnic population with a very large Japanese population," Stanley Chang, a 34-year-old Democratic member of the Hawaii state senate, told AFP.

"I don't think there is any feeling of antipathy toward the Japanese 75 years after the attack."
Abe and Obama will speak at Pearl Harbor to mark the historic occasion.

Honolulu: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe travels Tuesday to Hawaiis Pearl Harbor, the site of a sneak attack by his country that provoked America into entering World War II, to reinforce what the leader calls the power of reconciliation.

Mr Abe, who will be hosted by US President Barack Obama, would be the first Japanese premier to visit the wreckage of USS Arizona, which lost 1,177 crew members to the Japanese attack 75 years ago.

Mr Abe and Mr Obama will speak at Pearl Harbor to mark the historic occasion. Mr Abe will lay a wreath at the USS Arizona Memorial in a ceremony scheduled for 2110 GMT, and, in his speech, will stress the alliance of hope between the two countries. There will be no apology.

Mr Abe is the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit the memorial that honours sailors and marines killed in the 1941 attack, and the first to offer formal condolences.

Mr Obama paid a similar visit earlier this year to Hiroshima, where the US dropped the atomic bomb that ended World War II in 1945.

Previous Japanese Prime Ministers have visited the site, but the two leaders visit will showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies, the White House said in a statement this month.

Japans former leader Shigeru Yoshida went to Pearl Harbor six years after the countrys surrender, but that was before the USS Arizona Memorial was built.

The meeting between the two leaders comes as Mr Abe prepares to lead Japan into uncharted waters, after incoming US President Donald Trump clouded the guiding stars of US-Japanese relations.

In eight years, Mr Obama  Americas Hawaiian-born first Pacific President  never made the headway he wanted in his vaunted rebalance to Asia diplomatic strategy.

But he and Mr Abe chose a telling spot to celebrate US-Japanese partnership, three-quarters of a century after the day of infamy, December 7, 1941.

The leaders will head by boat to the white-walled memorial positioned over the sunken vessel, still lying in the clear blue waters of the harbour.
Under the Talibans strict interpretation of Islam, women are banned from leaving their houses unless accompanied by a close male relative.

Kabul: A 30-year-old woman was beheaded in the Taliban-controlled village of Latti in Sar-e-pul province of Afghanistan for entering the area without her husband.

Speaking to The Nation, the Provincial Governors spokesman Zabiullah Amani said the woman faced the punishment for not being accompanied by her husband, who is currently in Iran.

Reportedly, she had come to the village market to shop.

Under the Talibans strict interpretation of Islam, women are banned from leaving their houses unless accompanied by a close male relative (mahram), besides being banned from formal education or employment, and are forced to wear the burqa.

However, the Taliban has refused involvement in the incident.

Earlier in December, 5 female security personnel were shot down by unidentified gunmen, while they were on their way to work.

Hired by a private security agency, the 5 female security guards who were slaughtered were in charge of searching for female travellers at the Kandahar airport, Samim Khpulwak, spokesman for the Governor of Kandahar told Daily Mail.

"Two gunmen on motorbike followed their van and opened fire on them, killing the five and their driver," said Samim.

Even though the struggle for women's rights, especially on education and employment has found some success since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, the reversal of the situation is an imminent threat.

The extremist Taliban group had banned girls from attending school, and women from working between 1996 and 2001. Most of the international community in Afghanistan, post-Taliban regime, has been focused on the restoration of the women's rights.
Klaus Iohanniss decision to block appointment of Sevil Shhaideh may be linked to her Syrian husbands background.

The party's pick to lead the new government was Sevil Shhaideh, a close associate of PSD power broker Liviu Dragnea who was ruled out of the job due to a criminal conviction over a 2012 referendum rigging case. (Photo: AP)

Bucharest: Romania's president rejected the Social Democrat Party's nominee for prime minister on Tuesday, infuriating the leftist PSD which won a general election two weeks ago.

The party's pick to lead the new government was Sevil Shhaideh, a close associate of PSD power broker Liviu Dragnea who was ruled out of the job due to a criminal conviction over a 2012 referendum rigging case.

Dragnea's PSD won the Dec. 11 election by a wide margin and, with coalition partner and long-time ally ALDE, has 250 members in the 465-seat, two-house parliament, meaning it would easily get parliamentary approval for its government.

Shhaideh, a 52-year-old woman from Romania's 65,000-strong Muslim community, is close to Dragnea who was a witness at her 2011 wedding to a Syrian-born former agriculture ministry consultant.

"I have carefully weighed the pro and con arguments and I have decided not to appoint Mrs Sevil Shhaideh," President Klaus Iohannis told reporters, without elaborating on his reasoning.

"As a result, I am asking the PSD and ALDE to make a new proposal."

Dragnea said he had watched the president's decision with "stupefaction".

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest ... we will need to make a decision," Dragnea told a news conference. "I want to weigh up very carefully what is good and what is bad for Romania."

"If, after analysis, we reach the conclusion that it is best to suspend the president, I will not hesitate. But we don't want to jump head-first and plunge the country into crisis."

Parliament can initiate a presidential impeachment procedure, but it is complex, lengthy and would require a consequent consultative ruling by the Constitutional Court and a national referendum.

Speculating on the president's motive for rejecting Shhaideh, political commentator Mircea Marian said: "Either there were national security reasons to reject her, as she is married to a Syrian citizen which may put security at risk, or there were purely political reasons."

"The PSD has lost a lot by making this proposal, which came as a surprise to their hard core electorate."

Rise Project, a member of the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project of investigative journalists, said this month that Shhaideh's husband had posted messages on his Facebook account in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The PSD, which promised higher wages and pensions during the election campaign, had hoped Dragnea would stand for prime minister but Iohannis made clear he would refuse any candidate with a criminal record.

Dragnea has kept his post as party chief despite being convicted this year for abusing his influence in a referendum to impeach former president Traian Basescu, for which he received a suspended two-year jail sentence. He is also on trial in a separate case.
Galas de la Sol

Artist and community organizer Izabelle Fernandez Williams stood before a blank wall in Las Cruces with a team of volunteer artists, all of whom had come to a standstill as they gazed upward at their work-in-progress. Williams wanted to be sure that the image of a New Mexican woman was incorporated into the large-scale mural they were working onbut not a single person among them could think of who they should paint into history. There were all these brilliant, educated artists around me, Williams described the scene, and no one knew who we should honorthey didn't know one single woman from New Mexico that would be worthy to put on that wall. And to Williams, that's indicative of a larger problemthat in New Mexico, and even across the whole of the country, we are rarely given the opportunity to learn about the women who have shaped our history, especially women of color. For me, that experience was an eye opener, Williams explained, and since then, she has been working to change all that. A few years ago after relocating to Albuquerque, Williams established Galas de la Sol, a fledgling coalition of female muralists who are putting up public art that emphasizes the work and lives of women of color from the Southwest.

Galas de la Sol, with direction from Williams, just completed their first mural in Barelas (at Casa Barelas, 1024 Fourth Street SW). The mural was designed and painted into life by local artists Colleen Gorman and Al Nair Lara and was done in collaboration with Young Women United, who helped find a space for the design. The whole process took about three years for Williams, who ran into roadblocks when it came to approval from the city and local businesses. Where the problem came from was [the question,] who should we honor? Who are we going to offend if we honor them? And why? Resistance came mostly from the choice to include las soldaderasfemale fighters of the Mexican Revolutionin the painting. [They] were very challenging to put up, Williams explained. For some reasons there's a weird translation of if they are heroes or not, if they are warriors or not. And again, Williams found little information about the soldaderas locallyin fact, there is only one book in our entire library system about them. That's the kind of stuff I'm interested in bringing to light for students, Williams reiterated. For people to actually have some women warriors in their everyday vocabulary. Especially women of color, who have done big things to bring us to where we are now.

Included in the mural along with the soldaderas are portraits of artist Pablita Velarde and Navajo women who undertook The Long Walka forcible removal of Navajo people by the United States government from their home in Arizona to what is now eastern New Mexico. In total, there are some 15 New Mexican and Mexican women depicted in the vast mural. Subjects like New Mexican historians, humanitarians, artists and fighters of various points in history have all found a space of their own on the wall. Williams believes that if young women, especially young women of color, can see themselves reflected in the public art around them, and if the community as a whole can gain greater knowledge of these women, everyone benefits. Take for example Pablita Velarde and her daughter and granddaughter, who comprised a dynasty of distinct and legendary figures in the art world. They were very honest about everything that ever happened to them in their lives, Williams described. [Their biographies] offer very raw material. They've been through abuse and really, really hard times. I think it would be great for women to learn and read these things.  Once you've talked about what's happened to you, you're no longer a victim, you're helping someone else.

To further Galas de la Sol's mission of providing a complete picture of the community on the city's walls, the group is hosting a series of discussions to gain insights into what and who the people of Albuquerque hold dear. The best art comes from long conversations about art, Williams affirmed. And also people talking about what inspires them, what styles, showing picturesthat's where good art comes from: collaboration. Galas de la Sol is actively looking not just for community members to contribute to the discussion, but also muralistas. To become involved, you can visit the group's CrowdRise page or contact Williams via email. You can also take a moment to visit the group's first mural, as I did under the thin sun of late December. The mural rose several feet above my head, and I gazed upward at all the history, talent and wisdom contained in each of the faces painted there. Every passerby also paused to regard these women towering above us. I then understood exactly why Galas de la Sol's mission is so importantthese women, now prominent against the cityscape, are impossible to ignore.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The remaining 8 families who were residing in the 4th degree damaged building in Yerevans Tigran Mets Avenue received new apartments in new-built residential buildings. Keys from the apartments and the Mayors decree were bestowed to the families by Vahe Nikoyan, deputy Mayor of Yerevan, the City Hall told ARMENPRESS.

Deputy Mayor Nikoyan congratulated the families on their new apartments.

The citizens expressed gratitude to the City Hall for solving the issue on New Years eve and providing them with new and equipped apartments.
Abadi had previously pledged the northern city would be retaken by the end of this year.

Baghdad: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday it would take three months to remove ISIS from Iraq, as US-backed forces battle to dislodge the militants from Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

Abadi had previously pledged the northern city would be retaken by the end of this year. But the operation has been slowed by concern to avoid casualties among civilians, who have mostly stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as was initially expected.

Asked to respond to comments by the commander of a U.S.-led coalition supporting Iraqi forces that it would take as long as two years to eliminate ISIS and its cells in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, Abadi said:

"The Americans were very pessimistic. They used to talk about a really long period, but the remarkable successes achieved by our brave and heroic fighters reduced that. I foresee that in Iraq it will take three months."

Overnight the coalition bombed the last remaining bridge connecting the eastern and western parts of Mosul "to reduce enemy freedom of movement", a spokesman said on Tuesday.

A statement published by Amaq, a news agency supporting ISIS, said the bridge was now completely out of service, and an unconfirmed video circulated online showed a segment of the span had fallen into the river.

The United Nations has previously expressed concern that the destruction of Mosul's bridges could obstruct the evacuation of civilians. Up to 1.5 million are thought to remain inside.

More than two months into the Mosul operation, elite Iraqi soldiers have retaken a quarter of the city, but entered a planned "operational refit" this month.

A U.S. battlefield commander told Reuters on Monday that Iraqi forces would resume their offensive in the coming days, in a new phase of the operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line inside the city.

Mosul, the largest city seized by ISIS anywhere across the once vast territory it controlled in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the U.S.-trained army out in June 2014.

Besides Mosul, Islamic State still controls the towns of Tel Afar and Qaim as well as Hawija and the surrounding area.

The city's fall would probably end ISIS's ambition to create a self-styled caliphate, but the fighters could still mount a more traditional insurgency in Iraq, and plot or inspire attacks on the West.
The Senate proposed eliminating the banknote to stem the circulation of illegal money. The Finance Ministry stopped the move. Indias failure prompted the government to focus on digital banking instead of abolishing cash.

Islamabad (AsiaNews)  The Pakistani government has rejected a proposal to scrap the 5,000-rupee banknote (about US$ 50).

The Pakistani Senate had recommended the change in an attempt to stem the circulation of illegal money and reduce the shadow economy.

However, given the disastrous results of a similar proposal in India  where the surprise elimination of the 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes had a devastating impact on the population  the Pakistani Finance Ministry ruled out demonetisation.

"Given the continuing use of cash in transactions, the government believes that discontinuation of the 5,000-rupee note would adversely affect the efficiency of exchange in business," the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan's Senate passed a nonbinding resolution this month calling for the government to follow India to "reduce illicit money flow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of the undocumented economy."

But the finance ministry ruled out such a demonetisation, saying it would hurt business.

The controversial banknotes are the most used (as are 500- to 1,000-rupee banknotes in India).

During the last financial year, 17 percent of currency notes printed were of the 5,000 denomination.

Like India, Pakistan has a huge agricultural sector, and transactions are often handled in cash, partly because much of the population does not have bank accounts.

The government frequently offers tax amnesties to encourage people with hidden wealth to declare assets and enter the banking system, hoping to expand an extremely narrow tax base.

But after Delhis failed to move to a cashless economy, Pakistans Finance Ministry plans to encourage digital banking to "reduce the dependence on currency without cancelling any existing denomination.
by Loula Lahham

Jamal al-Din al-Laban, a Justice Ministry official, is arrested after large sums of cash in local and foreign currency as well as jewels and title deeds are found at his home. Irony and outrage prevail on the web with most users believing that "They are all corrupt."

Cairo (AsiaNews)  Egypts Administrative Control Authority, which is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations within state bodies, announced the arrest yesterday in Cairo of Jamal al-Din al-Laban, head or procurement department at the Egyptian Justice Ministry.

Large sums of money were found at his house. According to investigators, the cash comes from bribes he received from individual entrepreneurs to sign purchase contracts and supplies to the ministry.

Early reports indicate that 24 million Egyptian pounds (US$ 1.2 million) were seized, along with US$ 4 million,  2 million and a million Saudi riyals (pictured).

Police also found jewels and title deeds to private homes, cars, farmland in Labans name or assigned to members of his family.

Pictures of the suitcases and cardboard boxes crammed with bundles of local and foreign cash quickly hit social medias, sparking comments ranging from the ironic to the indignant among millions of Egyptian internet users.

Such a scandal is that more disconcerting that the country is in a deep economic crisis and ordinary Egyptians have to cut back on family budgets after the Egyptian pound was sharply devalued against the US dollar.

On Facebook and Twitter, a sense of mistrust and suspicion towards the ruling classes prevails.

"What about the other leaders! What have they accumulated in their homes?" wrote one blogger. "Give us a bribe too," said another. For others, "In this country, they are all corrupt.

According to the 2016 report of Transparency International, Egypt ranks 88th most corrupt nation in the world out of 168 countries.
by Santosh Digal

This is part of its 2017 Lent campaign. Each year, the social arm of the Catholic Church in India pursues programmes to improve people's living conditions. In over 50 years of activity, it has funded nearly 23,000 projects worth US$ 205 million.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  Caritas India, the social arm of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), has decided to boost its campaign against cancer during next years Lent period.

Caritas India annually campaigns on social issues affecting society in order to advocate change, said Fr Frederick D'Souza, Caritas executive director, speaking to AsiaNews.

Rooted in the belief of the fullness of life and mandated to advocate for protecting and nurturing life, this year's Lenten campaign against hunger and disease is about fighting the burden of cancer  Say yes to life, no to cancer, he explained.

About 2.5 million people have cancer in India with over 700,000 new cases registered each year. In all, 556,400 cancer-related deaths are reported, this according to the National Cancer Registry Programme of the India Council of Medical Research.

The five leading types of cancer are mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, and colorectal for men, and breast, cervical, colorectal, ovarian and mouth for women. They account for 47.2 per cent of all cancers, and are preventable and curable if screened, detected and treated at an early stage.

Caritas India launched the Ashakiranam-Cancer Care Campaign on 8 March 2014 in Kerala, southern India, a state with more than 35,000 new cancer cases each year.

Rapidly, the campaign proved extremely successful attracting about 900 volunteers  including students, cancer survivors, health care professionals and organisations, artists and ordinary people  who donated time and money to help the sick.

Following the example of Kerala, the campaign was extended in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

For Fr D'Souza, the Caritas campaign against cancer "shows the power of love."

"Through a network of more than 200 member organisations across the country, the 2017 campaign is aimed at promoting awareness of the disease, the importance of early detection, and a change in lifestyle."

These organisations will encourage the consumption of healthy food and help the poorest financially but also with psychosocial support and palliative care.

The campaign against cancer "wants to bring a message of life. It is an attitude and action in faith."

Founded in 1962, Caritas India allocates 95 per cent of the funds earmarked for Lent to health issues, emergency aid and rehabilitation, education, food security and sustainable agriculture.

Ever since it was set up, the charity has provided immediate responses to emergency situations both at national and international level (such as floods, earthquakes, refugees).

Its work is guided by the principles of love and compassion found in the Gospel, promoting inalienable human rights and social justice.

In over 50 years of activity it has funded nearly 23,000 projects worth 14 billion rupees (US$ 205 million).
The target was the Holy Spirit parish in the Banani neighborhood. The officers arrest members of the "New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh". For months, the terrorist group was rebuilding the leadership decimated by successive arrests after Dhaka massacre.

Dhaka (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The anti-terrorism forces have foiled an attack on a Catholic church in the capital, planned for Christmas Day. This was revealed by a police officer, who reports the arrest of members of the extremist group "New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh" (Neo-JMB) who planned to plant suicide bombers in the Holy Spirit Church, in the Banani neighborhood.

In view of Christmas, the government increased controls and security measures around 62 churches in Dhaka. The arrest of the militants took place on December 24 in a house in Ashkona, but details of the operation were leaked yesterday. The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) group arrested the new leader of the terrorist group, Moinul Islam alias Abu Musa, along with other accomplices.

CTTC chief Monirul Islam, told the Dhaka Tribune that the apartment was used as a refuge by the bombers. Inside documents and papers were found that delineate the attack mode, which would have included a woman.

The agents reveal that the group was reorganizing its leadership, after its leaders were gradually decimated in raids following the massacre of foreigners on July 1 last at the Holey Artisan Bakery Cafe in Dhaka. Now investigations are concentrated on tracking down sources of funding and other likely supporters.
Marking the birthday of the late leader, offers of incense, fruit, paper money to the statues of Mao, decorated like a Buddhist or Taoist deity. 40 thousand attend December 26 vigil in Shaoshan, birthplace of the Great Helmsman.

Shaoshan (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Mao Zedong, who tried to destroy religion in his lifetime, is now worshiped like a god. Especially in Hunan, the province where he came from, Buddhist and Taoist temples often have a statue of the Great Helmsman, covered with yellow cloth (the color of the emperor and the Buddha), where incense, fruit, paper money (false) are offered as if to a god or the spirit of an ancestor.

According to Radio Free Asia there some wealthy people have even turned one room of their home into "private chapel", occupied by a statue of Mao.

This veneration of the statues of Mao and his mausoleum in Tiananmen Square in Beijing are much more evident on his birthday, December 26, the date on which he was born in 1893.

In Shaoshan, his place of birth, at least 40 thousand people came from various parts of the country to take part in a vigil remembering the late president.

The Chinese government maintains an ambivalent position towards Mao's memory. On the one hand it praises the late leader for having "raised" China to the forefront of all the nations; on the other it has judged at least "30%" of his ideology to be in error, especially with the experience of the Great Leap Forward  under which between 30 and 50 million inhabitants died of hunger - and the Cultural Revolution, when China was wrought by a civil war with purges, executions, battles that have affected millions of people.

In recent decades, before the great gap opened up between rich and poor and rampant corruption in the party, many proletarians extolled Mao and the Maoist period as the golden age of communism, where the current problems were absent, taking advantage of praise for Mao to criticize the current leadership.

In an effort to avoid "the end of the Soviet Union", Xi Jinping has vetoed any criticism of the past and present of the Communist Party, promoting the revival of "red songs", the songs of Mao's time, which extoll the great Helmsman and shining successes of China.
South Carolina Man Sets Up GoFundMe To Help Protect Betty White From 2016

Trending News: Some Guy Is Crowdfunding To Protect Betty White From 2016

Long Story Short

Some guy set up a crowdfunding page to help protect 94-year-old Betty White until the new year, as 2016 has been so awful in terms of celebrity deaths.

Long Story

Following the sad news that Carrie Fisher became yet another casualty to the wretched year that was 2016, Betty White's name started trending on Twitter.

When you hear that Carrie Fisher died and then you also see Betty White trending pic.twitter.com/MZshIs5F7N  Rachel Ellis (@_rachel_ellis) December 27, 2016



Thankfully, the last remaining Golden Girls actress is doing just fine  but Twitter wants to keep it that way.

Y'all, we gotta find Betty White and put her in a secure storage facility with 24/7 maximum protection security. 2016 will NOT take her too. pic.twitter.com/h45tHsL44d  Jordan (@jordansdiamonds) December 27, 2016

Betty White hit the dab earlier this year. She definitely gonna make it to 2017.pic.twitter.com/0TS7If1T5n  Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) December 27, 2016



Demetrios Hrysikos from South Carolina went so far as to put up a GoFundMe page "to help protect Betty White from 2016." He set a $2,000 goal so he could fly to Betty White's side and keep her safe until the new year.

In the likely case that White doesn't want some strange guy around her, the money will go to a local youth theater company.

So yeah, this seems like a ploy to get funding for the theater, but desperate times come for desperate measures and apparently the campaign is working. At the time of writing, Hrysikos is just $45 away from his goal.

So now that we can hopefully say White is safe, what about other elderly celebs? Anyone over 50 needs 24/7 protection from the Grim Reaper.

2016 TOOK EVERYBODY. WE GOT TO PROTECT TINA TURNER, MORGAN FREEMAN, BETTY WHITE, CICELY TYSON, AND JAMES EARL JONES AT ALL COSTS.  Ashley Banks (@123itsmeMary) December 27, 2016

honestly tho have we checked on Betty White, Maggie Smith, Elton John, or John Waters recently?  Will Shepherd (@shep689) December 28, 2016

Come on people, the time to step up is now!

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Where is Betty White? I'm getting worried!

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White recently revealed that her Hollywood crush is Robert Redford and she'd "faint" if she met him. Aww what a sweet old lady.
Method-2, World's First Manned Bipedal Robot, Takes First Steps

Trending News: Is This Terrifying Giant Robot The Weapon Of The Future?

Long Story Short

South Korea has unveiled a giant 13-foot robot, which can be controlled by a human from inside the cockpit.

Long Story

From swords and armor, to muskets, to tanks, to drones, warfare has evolved leaps and bounds over the last several centuries, but sci-fi writers have long prophesized a future when robots become the killing machines. Well, it looks like that future is finally here with the Method-2, a 1.5-ton manned robot developed in South Korea.

Giant #Robot. World's largest manned two-legged walking robot Vitaly Bulgarov pic.twitter.com/vqY91zRxEm  Alexander Hansen (@AlexanderXV) December 18, 2016

With a human in the cockpit controlling the giant robot's movements, the Method-2 took its first thunderous steps last week in South Korea and it literally shook the ground, according to The Telegraph.

If the robot looks like something you've seen out of a movie, then that has a lot to do with Method-2's concept designer Vitaly Bulgarov, who contributed to Terminator 4, Ghost in the Shell, Robocop and Transformers 4.

The robot is still relatively early in its development, but the plan is to sell it for around $8.3 million in 2017.

But here's the scariest part.

You know how in comics how some rich billionaire buys some dangerous technology and uses it for evil (like in Spider-Man and Antman, for instance)? That could very well happen here as the engineers haven't specifically designed the robot for anything in particular.

All Yang Jin-Ho, the chairman of the company that makes Method-2, said to The Telegraph is that it's "built to work in extreme hazardous areas where humans cannot go (unprotected)." But that leaves the door open to pretty much anything.

Does it mean peaceful missions like deep-sea or space exploration (as long as no one builds a Death Star)? Or does it mean going into war zones and taking off the heads of enemy combatants (and inevitably civilians)? Judging by humanity's record, gotta say the latter is more likely.

Getty Images

And like with all potentially dangerous technology, it's pretty hard to hit the breaks and go in reverse no matter how much damage is could do. If it isn't this company, somebody else is going to be making giant manned robots, so we're screwed anyway.

But what do we do in the meantime? We could start building super-reinforced metal bunkers and hope to hell the future Method-2 doesn't find us. But by the looks of this thing (doesn't the photo above look like he's taunting?) I doubt that'll work.

I guess curling up in the fetal position for the rest of our lives it is then.

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When (not if) will we see these in the arsenal of the U.S./Russian/Chinese military?

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The Method-2 designer is also working with Boston Dynamics on its Atlas humanoid robot.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of Red Cross has launched a new project in Barekamavan village of Tavush Province which provided an opportunity for the village residents to be engaged in beekeeping and livestock, Armenpress reports citing the ICRC official website.

Security issues continue to affect farming activities of people in Tavush Province living in communities along the border with Azerbaijan. As an alternative to field cultivation, the ICRC piloted a new project in Barekamavan village, the Committee said, stating that through a special survey, the most vulnerable households were identified and were offered the options that matched their needs and capacities.

As a result, 20 families in Barekamavan village received beekeeping supplies and livestock to start income-generating activities. The ICRC informs that next year similar projects will be conducted in other villages of Tavush Province.

Talking about the project, ICRC Armenia representative Armen Karamyan said the residents of bordering regions are in more vulnerable situation since they are unable to work on the territories near the border due to security reasons.

Village resident Yuri Harutyunyan, who is included in the project, says the effectiveness of being engaged in livestock depends on the number of animals. We faced difficulties to increase their number, thats why the assistance was provided on the right time, he said.
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With the launch of the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) at the end of 2015, the Australian government reiterated its commitment to innovation and science. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says that the NISA recognises that the talent and skills of our people is the engine behind Australias innovative capacity.

However, the latest Professional Scientists Employment and Remuneration Report (http://tinyurl.com/hopb4e8) suggests that recognition and reward issues underpin a range of serious systemic issues in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

While 46.5% of scientists surveyed by Professionals Australia were satisfied with their current level of remuneration, more than one-third were dissatisfied with their current level of remuneration and over one-third were considering leaving their current job. Of the 8.5% who had changed jobs in the previous 12 months, 27.3% did so for a pay rise  more than one-third of respondents in both the public and private sectors had received no pay increase at all in the previous year. Many were concerned that their remuneration was falling behind market rates for those undertaking similar work, and that their package did not reflect the level of responsibility they undertook in their day-to-day work.

Some 61%...
The surprise finding that giant galaxies may grow from cold gas that condenses as stars rather than forming in hot, violent mergers has been made with CSIRO and US radio telescopes by an international team including four CSIRO researchers.

The biggest galaxies are found at the hearts of clusters among huge swarms of galaxies. Until now we thought these giants formed by small galaxies falling together and merging, said Prof Ray Norris of CSIRO and Western Sydney University.

But Dr Bjorn Emonts team from the Centro de Astrobiologia in Spain saw something very different when they looked at an embryonic cluster 10 billion light years away. This protocluster was known to have a giant galaxy called the Spiderweb forming at its centre. They found that the Spiderweb is wallowing in a huge cloud of very cold gas that could be up to 100 billion times the mass of our Sun. Most of this gas must be hydrogen, the basic material from which stars and galaxies form.

Earlier work by another team had revealed young stars all across the protocluster. The new finding suggests that rather than forming from infalling galaxies, the Spiderweb may be condensing directly out of the gas. The astronomers didnt see the hydrogen gas directly but located it by detecting a tracer gas, carbon monoxide (CO), which is easier to find.

The Very Large Array telescope in the USA...
Australias oldest-known piece of indigenous jewellery has been unearthed in the Kimberley region of northern Australia. The ornament, a pointed kangaroo bone worn through the nose, has been dated at more than 46,000 years old and debunks a theory that bone tools were not used in Australia for thousands of years.

Dr Michelle Langley of the Australian National University said this was the earliest hard evidence that Australias first inhabitants were using bone to make tools and ornaments. We know people had bone tools in Africa at least 75,000 years ago. People were leaving Africa around the same time and arrived in Australia some 60,000 years ago, Langley said.

Until very recently the earliest bone tools we had found in Australia dated to about 20,000 years ago, so there has been a 40,000-year gap.

Some people believed that the knowledge of bone toolmaking was lost on the journey between Africa and Australia. With this find, we now know they were making bone tools soon after arriving in Australia.

The bone was dug up at Carpenters Gap, a large rock shelter in Windjana Gorge National Park. Its a shaped point made on kangaroo leg bone, and at each end we can see traces of red ochre, Langley said. This artefact was found below a deposit dated to 46,000 years ago, so it is older than that date.

Indigenous Australians have used...
Old tyres can be completely recycled into lower-emission diesel engine oil instead of being dumped in highly flammable stockpiles that become breeding grounds for malaria and dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Globally, 1.5 billion tonnes of tyres are discarded each year, said Prof Richard Brown of Queensland University of Technology. Australia alone will generate 55 million disused tyres a year by 2020.

Getting rid of old tyres in an environmentally friendly way is a universal nightmare. Stockpiles of used tyres around the world are a health hazard, as demonstrated by the recent Broadmeadows fire in Victoria, which was difficult to put out and generated huge amounts of toxic smoke.

Browns team has tested the oil extracted from old tyres in a process developed by Australian company Green Distillation Technologies (GDT). When the oil was blended with diesel it produced a fuel with reduced emissions and no loss of engine performance.

We tested the oil which GDT produces from both recycled natural and synthetic rubber tyres in 10% and 20% diesel blends, explained PhD student Farhad Hossain. We found a 30% reduction in nitrogen oxide, which contributes to photochemical smog, and lower particle mass, which means fewer problems for emissions-treatment systems.

GDTs chief operating officer, Trevor Bayley, said the oil could also be used as a...
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Suren Karayan, minister of economic development and investments of Armenia, briefed on the governments actions which are aimed at eliminating the problems of Armenian product exports to Eurasian Economic Union markets.

During a briefing on December 28, the minister said in order to solve the abovementioned problem, a working group has been formed by officials of the Upper Lars checkpoint (Russia), Armenias state revenue committee and the ministry of economic development and investments, as well as corresponding colleagues in Russia. The working groups purpose is to solve all problems which may arise in the Upper Lars checkpoint.

We held joint discussions with the defense ministry and already have some agreements as to in all those cases when Upper Lars might get shut down for some reasons, we will design an air freight forwarding system, and we will enable our business operators  who are exporting nondurable goods, to transport those goods with very affordable prices by air, the minister said.

At the same time, in a three-month period the Armenian government has designed and presented to the EEC standards of special products of Armenia, which will enable those products to enter the EEU markets easier and without obstacles. Such products include mineral water, distilled spirits, Armenian brandy, yogurt, basturma, sujukh etc.

The Government is carrying out discussions with Armenian logistics companies operating in EEU member states, and has already reached agreements that it is possible to grow exports of companies having small volumes of production to EEU markets within the framework of public-private cooperation.

We must create possibilities for our producers who have small volumes of production to also be able to grow their exports to EEU member state markets, Karayan said.

The minister stressed that works are underway to increase the exports of Armenian products to EU markets. In this context, the minister pointed out one important recent step. The National Agency of Accreditation of Armenia SNCO has become an associate member of the European co-operation for Accreditation, and a membership deal has been signed.
Last September this column discussed a report that science graduates were having difficulty finding employment related to their studies. The Grattan Institutes bleak conclusion was that employment directly related to science expertise is unlikely to increase substantially in the near future. One would hope, then, that those who had managed to storm the gates of employment in science would find their careers rewarding.

Apparently not. A survey by Professional Scientists Australia, discussed in this edition by its CEO Chris Walton (p.41), has found that working scientists are disgruntled about several aspects of their careers. More than a third of respondents reported being dissatisfied with their current level of remuneration and over a third said they were considering leaving their current employer, the report said. Many were concerned that their remuneration package was falling behind market rates for those undertaking similar work, and that their package did not reflect the level of responsibility they undertook in their day-to-day work.

The report also found broad concern about science skills with around seven in ten respondents saying cost-cutting was impacting science capability in their organisation, while over half said deprofessionalisation in their organisation was a major concern. Its not surprising, then, that 61% reported that worker...
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued an enforcement policy statement requiring the marketers of homeopathic products to effectively communicate the lack of scientific evidence on product labels (http://tinyurl.com/h8yzsla). This is the first time in the USA that homeopathic products will legally require a label stating that they dont work.

Numerous submissions to the FTC report cited the National Health and Medical Research Councils 2015 Statement on Homeopathy (http://tinyurl.com/zztzm4q), which concluded there is no reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health conditions.

At the time, the NHMRC review copped some flak from both sides. Some evidence-based proponents argued that spending a couple of million dollars to confirm what we already knew was a waste, while homeopathy advocates argued that the reports conclusion was, well, just wrong. This concrete outcome  regulating the worlds most profitable homeopathy market  must now provide a fillip to the hard-working NHMRC reviewers.

Although the evidence overwhelmingly supports the new FTC policy, much of their report deals with legal issues, possibly pre-empting industry arguments that regulating advertising...
Hi,



I have posted previously but not specifically about this...



I am currently on the second stage of of 820 visa of which my marriage has now ended and I have sent form 1194 to cancel the visa to the DIBP.



Am I able to submit an EOI for state nomination (of which my profession is listed) whilst in Australia?



What would happen when the visa is cancelled, would I qualify for a bridging visa whilst awaiting an invitation?



Thank you
Tata Motors to set up 5D-like test drive experiences at key metro showrooms

In a country that is increasingly embracing technology, it may pay to talk the language of technology. Tata Motors, which is on a comeback drive in the passenger vehicle market, plans to do just that, not only in its cars but also in a set of new showrooms. The company plans to set up virtual showrooms in the key metros, to begin with.

These showrooms, the first of which could come up during the second half of 2017, will offer customers a 5D-like experience. The brief was to develop a system like the ones in some Disneyland parks where visitors/viewers can feel the ocean water or smell the ocean through virtual reality. "It is a technology platform where you can almost have a 3D experience of the car and try various permutations and combinations. With augmented or virtual reality you can also get a drive experience of the car. You can actually sense the car, you can feel the car, you can smell the car," Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors, told our sister publication, Autocar Professional, earlier. Considering the pace of technology development, the virtual reality showroom platform is being designed to be scalable. These showrooms will be self-operated, manned maybe only by an executive to receive customers and collect their data.

The new set of technology led showrooms will aim to excite the customer enough for him/her to go for a test drive. When that happens, half the battle is won, as Pareek believes that the prospective customer will then definitely buy the product if it is good.

With the new initiative, Tata Motors also wants to tackle the problem of high, and sometimes exorbitant, real estate costs to set up conventional showrooms in certain parts of cities like Mumbai and Delhi.

Simultaneously, Tata Motors is also expanding its network of conventional dealerships and workshops in various parts of the country. From a count of around 255 two years ago, the number of touch points for Tata Motors passenger vehicle division has reached a level of 540 and the plan is to take it up to 1,500 in the next three years. Pareek wants to compete with some FMCG companies in terms of reach. "You need to go as near as possible to the customer. The times are gone when you expect the customer to come to the showroom and buy a vehicle, or any product," he says. With the enhanced network and the all-new model, Tiago, Tata Motors has managed to earn a spot in the top 10 best-selling cars in November. It is betting on its next model, Hexa, scheduled to be launched on January 18, for that added push to its market performance.

For the April-November 2016 period, Tata Motors saw its sales grow 12 percent to touch 1.14 lakh passenger vehicles. That translates to six percent of the passenger vehicle industry sales (wholesale) during the period.
With BMW owning Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen Group having secured Bentley in its portfolio, the two are just as much German as they are British these days. But in spite of the so-called globalization, both manage to maintain that feel of a car made by people who still stop to have their tea at five o'clock.Of course, becoming part of such an exclusive club as that of Bentley or Rolls-Royce owners comes with a price - one with a lot of figures. If you think Mercedes-Benz cars are expensive, you now know how a Mercedes-Benz owner feels about these two.But having the money to buy them has never meant you actually should do it, or that you're ready to be entrusted with such a responsibility. Sure, the car is insured and they weigh almost as much as a tank, so unless you come across an armored vehicle, it's unlikely that you'll get hurt, but your ego isn't as safe.Being expensive and exclusive, these cars attract viewers everywhere they go. That means you're likely to have at least a pair of eyes on you at any time, so every move you make will be closely monitored. And any mistake you make will be dearly savored by that envy you for your financial wealth.Well, after this episode, we doubt anyone would have wanted to trade places with the lady in question. Probably not used to doing things herself, she passes the parking lot ticket dispenser. Instead of backing up - we all know reversing is tricky for some - she gets out of the car to walk back to the machine.Big mistake, as it turns out. The (at least) $250,000 Bentley Flying Spur does what every other car left in Neutral would do, and starts rolling away. The woman and all her 100 pounds of muscle, attempt to stop the car by acting as an external ground friction brake.Her plan fails, but not before she's sent rolling on the parking garage's floor. She does get to have those terrible few moments when you're left contemplating the inevitable as the Bentley rushes toward the wall. Luckily, the building did not fall, even though the woman might have wished it did at that time.
We're glad this isn't yet another battle that adds to the street racing toll affecting the reputation of the entire car-loving community. The JDM hero and the factory-supercharged Corvette duked it out at a drag race located in Buddscreek, Maryland.The preparations for the race saw the 'Vette delivering the usual burnout and while the Godzilla we have here has gone past its factory stock state, we can't talk about a level of aftermarket attention that involves a rear-wheel-drive switch, so the Nissan's rear tires don't receive any extra heat. Speaking of which, notice the driver of the GT-R is well prepared for the battle, having replaced the rear tires with drag strip-friendly rubber.The conclusion mentioned above also applies when it comes to the starting phase of the race, which sees the two drivers being at the opposite ends of the stopwatch scale.Even so, since the go-fast numbers delivered at the end of the fight don't take the reaction time into account, you can trust them when it comes to finding out which supercar was quicker (and faster, for that matter).We don't have any info on the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's tech status, but, judging by the time the American beast delivers for the 1,320 feet sprint, this Chevy has kept the numbers GM engineers intended for it.When it comes to the aural side of the brawl, the mix between the voices of the supercars can be labeled as intoxicating. You'd expect the blown Corvette to fully dominate the GT-R as far as the decibel fest is concerned, but we're not sure this was the case.
An important part of the country's sideways community revolves around the Lada brand, with the affordable nature of these rear-wheel-drive machines making the choice obvious.Even so, seeing dozens of Ladas drifting at the same time feels like a trip back in time - many of the models seen in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page aren't too far from the 1970 VAZ 21-01 - the first Lada ever saw Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ borrowing the Fiat 124 blueprints (no 2017 Fiat 124 Spider pun intended) and this is how we end up talking about a car that entered production five decades ago.With outputs kicking off at around 60 hp, it's almost impossible to achieve proper drifting moves on dry surfaces. However, the winter wonderland seen in the clip below means these drivers could easily play the tail-out games that keep their cars under the spotlights.While many of those who have never set foot outside the modern car realm could label these Ladas as agricultural-grade machines, there are certain assets offered by the Russian drift machines.The non-assisted steering offers interesting handling characteristics - for instance, when one is fully sideways and willing to swiftly initiate the countersteering maneuver, in order to keep the car on the course, a swift flick of the steering wheel could see the wheels instantly reaching the other side of the steering rack travel when sliding on snow.You can check out such spicy slip angle moves behind the "play" button below - those of you who want to skip the tuning-related bits, which make up an important part of the footage and jump straight to the powersliding action can head over to the 12:30 point.
Google calls these statistics Year in Search, and they show the most popular categories of items for specific countries, but also on a global scale. While browsing through the rankings is free, and so is embedding them, Google is skimpy on details.The United States of America is the only country were car brands got their separate category in Year in Search, from what we have determined through viewing several countries.The U.S. is the worlds second-largest car market after China, which does not appear at all in Googles Year in Search, so it makes sense for this country to have big numbers when it comes to people inquiring about car brands when they were presumably shopping for a new vehicle.Unlike previous years, Googles most popular searches on the car brands category did not include Audi and BMW in the top 10. Instead, Honda was the most popular automaker that was searched in the U.S.It was followed by Mercedes-Benz Lamborghini , and Volvo . The list was completed by Ford, Jaguar, Bentley, Maserati, and Rolls-Royce.As you can observe from the list, Ford and Tesla are the only American carmakers that are in the Top 10 most searched car brands in the USA, so they are doing a good job in terms of stirring consumer interest.Volvos recent car launches have awarded the Swedish automaker a high position on the list, just above the only representative of Detroits Big Three.British car brands seem to be hugely popular with American consumers, with four carmakers on the list. Italy has two brands in the top ten, while Germany has a single representative - Mercedes-Benz. The same applies to Japan, which has Honda in the first place.Unfortunately, we cannot see what were the most searched on a worldwide scale, but we created a few charts using Googles tools to show you how the top five most-popular brands in the U.S. have evolved in Google search over this year, and their evolution since 2004. You can also see the interest by region for each of the top five makers.
SUV

PHEV

On this occasion, a report alleges that the Urusis slated to be brand's first and only plug-in hybrid. Autocar spoke to research & development boss Maurizio Reggiani about this matter and, as per the publication, theversion of the Urus will be the only hybrid in the Lamborghini lineup and be offered alongside a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 Urus.In other words, this report alleges that two powertrain options are in the pipeline. It should be noted, however, that this isnt the first time the R&D boss hinted about the possibility of a plug-in hybrid variant. Around this time last year, the same publication had another talk with Reggiani.This is what he had to say back then: In the Urus there will be a bigger luggage compartment [than those of the Huracan and Aventador], so you have the space where you can install batteries in a position that is good in principle for an SUV. The question is, will the alleged plug-in hybrid Urus use Porsches 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 or, God forbid, a six-cylinder powerplant?Porsche made it clear, soon after it launched the new Panamera, that two performance hybrids are coming, though the automaker refused to go into further detail. The truth of the matter is, both the V6 and V8 in the second-generation Panamera are compatible with plug-in hybrid technology. Those who dont really care about CO2 emissions and pure-electric cruising, a non-hybrid Urus will offer northwards of 600 hp from its twin-turbocharged V8 Expected to go on sale in 2018, the Lamborghini Urus isnt likely to use the twin-clutch automatic the Volkswagen Group is so famous for. An automatic with a torque converter will have to do, probably the 8-speeder currently available in the second-generation Audi Q7. These being said, all we can do now is wait for the raging bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese to do its thing.
While Volkswagen 's wrongdoings haven't caused any direct casualties, Takata's have sadly been a lot more dangerous. In case you haven't heard already, the airbag defect is essentially turning the air cushion that's supposed to keep you safe into an in-car shrapnel projecting device.The total number of Takata airbag inflators victims in the US now sits at 11, but with such a massive recall underway consisting of millions of vehicles, any minor bump that leads to the deployment of the airbag can add to that tally. If you know your vehicle to be on the recall list, don't take any chances and have the repairs done as quickly as possible.In the meantime, the Japanese company is expected to reach a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that will see it pay anywhere near $1 billion dollars in compensation for its products' wrongdoings. The criminal fine has not been set yet, but according to The Wall Street Journal , it's likely in the high hundreds of millions.Part of the deal might see Takata plead guilty to criminal misconduct as well, but we'll have to wait until January the earliest to know the exact terms of the settlement.Besides the 11 US deaths, there were also 184 cases of injuries, plus five more fatalities worldwide. These malfunctions have led to the industry's biggest recall to date , and it looks highly unlikely that such a scale will ever be repeated.As for the culprit, Takata is now attempting to find a buyer for the company, something that might prove quite difficult considering the tarnished reputation and the uneasy financial state . The fine imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice will be paid partly up-front, with several other instalments over the next few years.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has all possibilities for increasing the volumes of electricity production and exports, deputy minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources Hayk Harutyunyan told an online press conference, briefing on the works carried out in the energy sector. According to Harutyunyan, a number of legislative changes were carried out in 2016 for regulating the micro-power plant field in the solar energy sector.

The purpose of that reforms is for the businesses and also the citizens to be able to install a device and produce electricity using solar resources. An opportunity has been created so that the surplus production can be sold to the ENA. By the way, we lifted all taxes from the transaction with the ENA, we liberalized the market, there is no need to acquire a license for it, he said.

By the way, I also have a station. Its already three months since I installed it, I produce electricity and I am very satisfied. I would advise everyone to install the devices and produce power, Harutyunyan said.

The ministry had requested the Public Services Regulatory Commission to define a tariff for solar stations up to 1 MW. Harutyunyan says companies can address the commission, receive a tariff and build a solar station.

The state is obliged to buy energy produced by those stations. As you can see, all conditions are created for investments. Next year, the tender for construction of a 50MW station will be announced. We have presented that investment program to the Government, Harutyunyan said.
Photo via Lyft

General Motors' Maven and Lyft have signed up 350 drivers in metro Detroit for their Express Drive program, according to a report by the Detroit Free Press. The program allows Lyft drivers to rent used vehicles by the week rather than use their own vehicles on the job.

Launched in Detroit in late September, Express Drive is now available in 18 cities, including Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Elliot Darvick, general manager of Lyft Detroit, told the Detroit Free Press.

Drivers can choose how long they want to stay in the program and can return their Lyft vehicle any time after giving 24 hours of notice, according to the report. Lyft drivers who complete at least 30 rides will only pay a weekly fee. But drivers with less than 30 rides per week will be charged 25 cents per mile, plus the weekly fee.



GM Spokesman Stefan Cross told the Detroit Free Press that an estimated 25% of Lyft rides in metro Detroit are provided by Express Drive vehicles.

Maven and Uber are offering a program similar to Express Drive only in San Francisco, says the report. Under the new Maven-Uber program in San Francisco, Uber drivers can rent the GM vehicles starting at $179 per week, plus taxes and fees. There are no extra fees for personal use of the vehicles.

Click here for the full Detroit Free Press report.
Enterprise's Cultural Compass is a planning and goal-setting tool that helps managers fully integrate best practices into the way they run their day-to-day businesses. Image courtesy of Enterprise Holdings

Enterprise Holdings Inc. has recognized 21 of its regional subsidiaries with the annual Jack Taylor Founding Values Award.

This competition, named after my father, challenges senior managers and their teams to reach new levels of corporate citizenship and inspires them to carry on a legacy of exceptional service year after year, said Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Enterprise Holdings. I can think of no better way to honor my fathers memory than to celebrate those who exemplify his Founding Values.

These independent regional subsidiaries employ more than 97,000 worldwide. They not only work with local vendors and small businesses, but they also make key operational decisions at the grassroots level, with a strong entrepreneurial focus as well as a clear sense of local accountability and autonomy, according to Enterprise.

Every year, all of Enterprise Holdings subsidiaries submit entries that outline their respective goals, action plans, and results around the six points of Enterprises Cultural Compass, a planning and goal-setting tool that helps managers fully integrate best practices into the way they run their day-to-day business.

The following Enterprise Holdings regional subsidiaries received the Founding Values Award in 2016: Central Canada, Dallas, Hartford, Conn., Kansas City, mid-Pennsylvania, New York, South Texas, Southeast England, New York, Southwest Florida, Hawaii, Orlando, Tennessee, Houston, Philadelphia, Upstate New York, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Utah/S. Idaho, Jacksonville, South Florida, and West Virginia.

The Jack Taylor Founding Values Award, which began in 2003, honors top regional subsidiaries for their commitment to integrating the companys core values into their daily operations. That means not only achieving operational excellence during the fiscal year, but also focusing on key priority areas such as philanthropy, diversity, and business ethics.

The Enterprise Holdings Foundation then provides each winning subsidiary a $20,000 grant that can be awarded to nonprofit organizations in its local community, according to the company.
2016 has been a great year for spy photographers, and thanks to them, we have managed to get a sneak peek of the important car models that will reach the market next year. Let's take a look back at some of the spotted cars reported here in AutoWorldNews.

BMW is once again one of the brands that has been spotted with the most models in development. Before the year ends, spy photographers managed to hunt down some of the most important upcoming launches that the German firm will make in the next few months. One of them has been the 2017 BMW X2, the new BMW SUV that will debut in the U.S. at the Detroit Auto Show. It has been seen on the streets of Munich, Germany, as well as in Sweden.

The expected 2018 BMW X7 was also spotted for the first time with its final body. It will be the maximum exponent of the luxury, comfort and exclusivity of the BMW X family. It's a seven-seater SUV that will be in dealerships sometime in the year 2018. And since we are talking about the BMW SUV range, we also have reported spy photos of the BMW X3 2017 and the BMW X5 2018 .

Following the models of the German firm, we also published some interesting spy photos of the 2018 BMW 2 Series Coupe as well as the BMW 5 Series Touring 2017 and the new BMW 6 Series GT. As you will see, important innovations are coming from BMW. We will follow them closely in the coming months.

Future Toyota cars also participated in spy photos. The 2018 Toyota Supra was spotted with long hoods, muscular lines, interesting volumes in the sides and a large airfoil molded directly onto the trunk lid, accompanied by horizontally-designed lanterns on the rear. Anticipated by the concept FT-1 Concept, the new generation of the Supra will be equipped with a hybrid powertrain to live up to the sporty look.

The 2018 Toyota Camry had also been spotted with a sleeker and sportier look, complete with a quad exhaust system that signals a more powerful performance.

Mercedes has also been busy this year, and spy photographers did not miss out on it. One of its vehicles is the next generation of the Mercedes G Class. As we know, the engineers of the German brand are working on the new generation of its iconic off-road vehicle. We were able to catch both the 2018 Mercedes G Class and the 2018 Mercedes G63 AMG, its sportier version. Another of the most exciting developments that have left the spy photos of Mercedes has been the mysterious Mercedes C - Class.

And to conclude this compilation of spy photos are some interesting vehicles such as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the 2018 Porsche 911. We are all excited to see all these vehicles debut and arrive in dealerships next year.
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz A Class is already on its way and will be introduced to North America, China and other global markets. The new compact sedan, defying expectations, will slot between the CLA and C-Class sedans in the German automakers lineup.

The 2018 Mercedes-Benz A Class is arriving in a manner unexpected by the world market. It was first thought to be the German brand's entry-level sedan to its luxury segment, but according to MotorAuthority, it will be above the next CLA, which will gain a second generation around 2018, and below the current Class C.

The change of position of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz A Class, which was expected to be a sedan smaller and cheaper than the CLA, makes it a direct rival of the Audi A3, Acura ILX and the BMW 1 Series.

The 2018 Mercedes-Benz A Class will now be larger and more expensive than the four-door coupe, and everything points to the same space inside for passengers and luggage. As it is known, the current Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series measures around 4.45 m with axes ranging from 2.63 to 2.67 m, respectively. With this, the 2018 Mercedes-Benz A Class should be above the 4.63 m and 2.70 m of CLA's current axles and below the 4.68 m and 2.84 m of the Class C base.

The new Class sedan will come with front- and all-wheel drive 4Matic, and for the Chinese market, there will be a long wheelbase version made by Mercedes with the Mercedes Class C and Class E. In the engines, one will find a turbocharged range of three and four cylinders petrol and diesel; the top end is a 2.0-liter with 400 hp, which will power the Mercedes 4Matic sedan A45.

There will also be a hybrid variant, according to InsideEVs, and it will incorporate a gasoline block and a small electric motor with a lithium-ion battery, although it is not yet known its autonomy range will be.

The range of Access versions will be equipped with an engine (1.5 diesel and 1.6 petrol) borrowed from the Renault-Nissan alliance, but with an update. Depending on the engine chosen, the 2018 Mercedes A Class sedan will be available with six-speed manual transmission and a nine-speed automatic dual clutch transmission.
Suhkois Superjet RRJ95, a regional airliner, has been grounded by aviation authorities in Russia and Mexico after inspectors found metal fatigue near the tail in one of the planes. The fleet is fairly new, having entered service in 2011. All of the airplanes must be inspected, and records made including photographs of the suspect parts. If any cracks are found, the aircraft operation must be terminated, according to the Russian Federations air transport agency. The order doesnt seem to include any instructions for repair or return to service. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft authorities said on Tuesday they had completed the inspections, but the company didnt say how many airplanes were found with anomalies. Even if there is a problem, the company said, the issue is not a critical situation. The jet features a multi-level redundant structure and has a safety margin which is more than twice the operational loads, according to Sukhoi.

The announcement disrupted air travel in Russia. Aeroflot canceled 21 flights on Saturday, according to The New York Times. In 2012, a Superjet crashed into a mountain in Indonesia during a demo flight, killing everyone on board  37 aviation executives and journalists, and eight crew. An investigation cited pilot error. The mid-range Superjet, which entered service in April 2011, is the first completely new passenger jet produced in Russia in the post-Soviet era. It carries up to 98 passengers for flights up to 2,800 miles. The project is a joint venture between Sukhoi, of Russia, and Italys Alenia Aeronautica.
image: Orlando News6

An Epic LT turboprop crashed about 6 p.m. on Tuesday into a front yard of a home near the runway at Spruce Creek, a fly-in community in Port Orange, on Floridas east coast. Two people in the airplane were killed, but nobody on the ground was hurt. A witness told police he saw the airplane fly into the fog, and when it emerged it was in an inverted flat spin. The airplane was on approach to Runway 5, according to the FAA. An automated weather observation from Spruce Creek at 5:55 p.m. indicated visibility of 2.5 miles, with no wind and 100 percent humidity, the National Weather Service in Melbourne told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. News video from the crash site shows low fog in the area.

The airplane is believed to have been flown by a resident of the air park who was returning from a holiday trip to the Midwest, according to the News-Journal. One witness said the airplane had tried to land multiple times before the final approach. The FAA is investigating.
There are no companies in Armenia enjoying an artificial monopoly on lucrative forms of business, Minister for Economic Development and Investments Suren Karayan claimed on Wednesday.

There are only natural monopolies in Armenia, Karayan said in a clear reference to utility firms. In other areas, there may only be companies holding dominant positions. That is the result of the small size of Armenias economy.

I can state for certain that the market is open, he told a news conference.

Some types of business in the country, notably imports of fuel and basic foodstuffs, have long been controlled by a handful of companies belonging to influential businesspeople close to the government. Local and foreign economists say the resulting lack of competition in those sectors hampers faster economic growth.

A World Bank survey released in 2013 said that oligopolies control 68 percent of economic activity in Armenia, making it the most monopolized economy in the former Soviet Union.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetian seemed to acknowledge the problem after he took over Armenias government in September. He declared that every citizen of Armenia can import any product without a hurdle.

The State Revenue Committee (SRC), which comprises the national tax and customs services, said last month that new economic entities emerged in the area of imports. In particular, at least two new companies are known to have started importing fuel and bananas of late. The SRC said it has stepped in after the banana importer claimed other individuals, not named by the government agency, tried to obstruct its cargo shipments.

Karayan did not list anti-trust measures among concrete actions which the government plans to take for the purpose of improving the domestic business environment. He said the government will specifically strive to further improve Armenias position in another World Bank survey that gauges the ease of doing business around the world.

Armenia ranked 38th out of 190 nations that were covered by the 2017 Doing Business survey released this fall. The bank found improvements in two of its ten categories used for evaluating investment climates: Getting credit and Enforcing contracts.

In Karayans words, the government will target four other World Bank categories where Armenia continues to score poorly: Paying taxes, Resolving insolvency, Dealing with construction permits, and Getting electricity.

We have planned measure that will be taken in these four areas so that doing business in Armenia becomes more simple and easier, said the minister, who was appointed in early October.

Armenias position in the World Bank ranks has already improved considerably in the last several years. However, economic growth in the country has been slow ever since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.
28 December 2016 10:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

25 years have passed since the complete occupation of Khankendi city in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenian invaders occupied Nagorno-Karabakhs center Khankendi and its Kerkijahan settlement, which had significant strategic importance for surrounding areas, in 1991. By the capture of the Kerkijahan settlement on December 28, occupation of Khankendi completed.

Defense of Kerkijahan was organized by self-defense units formed from villagers, the newly established group of military police and the National Army of Azerbaijan.

As a result of Armenians' attack with military vehicles and heavy weapons, those who defended Kerkijahan had to retreat. Azerbaijani families who had suffered Armenia's attacks left Khankendi and took refuge in Aghdam, Shusha, Khojaly, and other neighboring regions of the country.

As a result of the occupation of Kerkijahan by the Armenian armed groups, 34 of 1796 habitants of the village, including 3 women and 2 babies, were killed and more than 150 people were wounded. Two high schools, a kindergarten, library, club, ATC, 10 shops, a clinic, 15 manufacturing plants and other objects of everyday life were destroyed in Kerkijahan.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, more than 4,000 are reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS The annual press conference of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan took place on December 28.

As Armenpress was informed from the pres service of NKR MFA, Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the activities of the Foreign Ministry during the year and noted that in 2016, too, the priorities of the NKR foreign policy agenda were the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh and the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

The Foreign Minister noted that during the year, the most serious challenges facing the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in general and the Foreign Ministry in particular were the large-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan on April 2 and the elimination of its consequences. In this context, the Foreign Ministry has taken consistent steps to inform the international community about the causes and consequences of the April aggression, to reach the condemnation of the aggression, blatant violations of international humanitarian law, and the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces during that period. In particular, the NKR MFA circulated relevant notes in different international organizations, as well as contributed to the dissemination of the information provided by other state agencies and institutions of the NKR. Thanks to the work carried out with the mass media, the situation on the ground caused by the aggression and the stance of Artsakh on the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict were presented to the international audience.

Touching upon the process of the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, Karen Mirzoyan noted that, first of all, the efforts should be focused on ensuring stability and predictability on the Line of Contact, as well as creating necessary conditions for resuming the negotiations. Realization of the agreements, reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg, will become a serious step in this direction.

The NKR Foreign Minister reiterated that real progress in the process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement can only be reached if the trilateral format of the negotiations is restored and the NKR, as a full-fledged party, directly participates in all its stages. Karen Mirzoyan also noted that against the background of the April aggression it had become especially evident that any proposal, which can pose even a minimal threat to the independence and security of the country, is unacceptable for the NKR people and authorities.

Karen Mirzoyan also noted that the international recognition of Artsakh is the dictate of time as an efficient means of preventing another aggression by Azerbaijan. The Foreign Minister expressed confidence that the international recognition of the NKR would also positively impact the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, ensuring its irreversibility, and allow focusing on the development of necessary mechanisms and conditions for the peaceful coexistence of two independent and sovereign states.

Karen Mirzoyan assured that in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to work consistently for the international recognition of Artsakh and expansion of international cooperation on different levels.
28 December 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Howard Davies

The concrete consequences of this enthusiasm were the creation of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), born out of the ashes of the Financial Stability Forum, at the G20s London summit in April 2009, and inclusion of representatives of all G20 members among the key rule makers in Basel and elsewhere. The G7s domination gave way to the hope that broader membership would produce more comprehensive buy-in and stronger political support for increasing the banking systems capital.The financial crisis of 2008 gave a big boost to the global standard-setters. Suddenly, the Basel Committee (which sets the standards for international banking supervision) was leading the financial news. Dinner parties in Manhattan and Kensington were consumed with the finer points of Basel II and the evils of procyclical capital requirements. Governments that had been suspicious of international interference were eager for tougher global rules to prevent banking crises from spilling across borders and infecting others, like bouts of Asian flu.

All this change has worked, up to a point. The Basel III regulations, for example, more than doubled the capital an individual bank should hold, and enhanced the quality of that capital. The system looks somewhat safer as a result. But now there are dangerous signs that the commitment to stronger global standards  indeed, to any common standards  may be on the wane.

Many predicted this trend, but for the wrong reason. Skeptics warned that it would be far harder to reach agreement among 20 or more countries than it had been among the dozen pre-crisis Basel Committee members (mainly European countries, with only the US, Canada, and Japan representing the world beyond). In practice, that has not turned out to be a major problem. Basel III was agreed far more quickly than Basel II was. Political pressure from finance ministers, expressed through the FSB, proved effective.

In fact, recent tensions have been more old-fashioned, pitting the US against the eurozone, with the UK and others stuck in between. The US has been pressing for tighter controls on banks internal models, and for a limit on how much a banks models can reduce its assets on a risk-weighted basis. Agreement on these so-called output floors has so far proved impossible. The Europeans argue that their banks corporate lending is inherently less risky. After all, EU banks lend more to higher-rated large companies, which access US capital markets, rather than borrowing from banks. They also hold more low-risk mortgages on their balance sheets, in the absence of a European equivalent of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Americas two quasi-public mortgage banks), which hoovered up securitized US mortgages.

At its meeting in Santiago, Chile, in November, the Basel Committee conspicuously failed to agree on a solution, and kicked the issue upstairs to the committee of Governors and Heads of Supervision, which will try again in January.

They will probably find a way to thread this particular needle. But the future for global standards looks more uncertain than it has for some time. Since the 2008 crisis, many countries, while ostensibly supporting the development of tighter global rules, have been taking other measures to protect their own financial systems.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers and others showed, in former Bank of England Governor Mervyn Kings memorable phrase, that big banks are global in life, but national in death. In other words, when a global bank crashes, the host-country regulators must pick up the local pieces. Thats why requirements to establish local subsidiaries, with local capital, have been adopted. Gone are the days when banks could set up branches all over the planet, with support from the parents balance sheet. Subsidiarization is now the rule.

And, looking ahead, we can see that the two biggest players in the FSB and Basel have other preoccupations. Donald Trumps incoming US administration has already signaled its suspicion of foreign entanglements and international commitments. Making America great again is not likely to involve new enthusiasm for more intrusive rules made in Basel. Those who advocate rolling back much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial-reform legislation, in favor of a higher leverage ratio, as promoted in a bill advanced by Representative Jeb Hensarling, envisage a Made in the USA version of banking regulation. But, while the idea has some merit, it would not sit easily within the current Basel framework.

Europe faces other worries. Regulators there are now keenly focused on the implications of Brexit, which will require complex arrangements to manage a new relationship between London and the eurozone. The top priority for the European Central Bank must be to preserve the integrity of the EU banking union, which is under pressure from both Brexit and the crisis gripping Italys banks.

Against this background, it will be a challenge to retain the primacy of global standards and to secure continued buy-in to the Basel process. The Bank for International Settlements new general manager, Agustin Carstens, a former governor of Mexicos central bank, will have a key role to play, as will whoever replaces Mark Carney (the current Governor of the Bank of England) next year as Chairman of the FSB. It is likely, too, that there will soon be a new Chair of the Basel Committee itself. Stefan Ingves of Sweden is due to step down next June.

These three new leaders will need all of their diplomatic skills to navigate treacherous political waters. The stakes are high. If the commitment to global standards wanes, everyone will suffer in the long run. Countries will impose incompatible local requirements, which will reduce the efficiency of capital utilization and make the system less robust in the event of renewed financial instability.

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Copyright: Project Syndicate: The threat to global banking standards

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28 December 2016 18:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Marcel Fratzscher

The United Kingdoms Brexit vote, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzis referendum defeat and subsequent resignation, and Donald Trumps election as President of the United States have created a power vacuum in the West, and in Europe. At a time when Europe needs to make important collective economic and foreign-policy decisions, domestic issues are preoccupying larger European Union member states such as France, the UK, Spain, and Italy. Consequently, there is growing pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government to step up and lead.

But while Germany wants to show leadership, it needs European partners who are willing to engage and compromise. Germanys critics are right to say that it could be more open to other member states policy proposals, but many of the complaints leveled against Germany have been unfair  and often self-serving.

For example, the German government has been accused of shunning European solidarity in response to the 2008 financial crisis. But, while German measures have sometimes come too late, or been ill-conceived  such as its temporary Grexit proposal  Germanys government has also agreed to numerous bailout programs, the creation of the European Stability Mechanism, and an EU banking union. Whats more, Germany has borne the largest financial burden.

Germany has also been criticized for not agreeing to underwrite Eurobonds, and for opposing a transfer union. But these arguments have not always been made in good faith: member states such as France want to share risk without ceding sufficient sovereignty over economic policymaking. Germanys government and citizens are more open than most to the deeper integration required to make the euro sustainable, including fiscal union. But, to achieve that, all partners need to move forward, in terms of sharing policy sovereignty and risk.

A third complaint made against Germany is that it engages in beggar-thy-neighbor behavior, by pursuing restrictive fiscal policies that have created an excessive current-account surplus of close to 9% of GDP. This has indeed been a mistake. But it is Germanys problem, first and foremost. While Germany has a large investment gap that hurts domestic productivity and growth, it is not the main culprit behind tepid growth, high unemployment, low competitiveness, and other economic ills elsewhere in Europe.

Admittedly, many German policymakers have been misguided in their obsession with fiscal austerity, and with their criticism of the European Central Banks monetary-policy approach. But they are justifiably frustrated with the slow pace of economic reform across the EU. Overall, Germans are deeply pro-European, and the German government has done more for Europe than it is given credit for.

Leadership mistakes are easy to identify and criticize in retrospect. A more constructive exercise is to judge decisions in the context of the information that was available at the time they were made, and to apply past lessons to future choices. With the benefit of hindsight, the German government  indeed, any government  would have acted differently with respect to the Greek debt crisis, fiscal policy, the Brexit referendum, and so forth. So, a fairer benchmark for German leadership is other large European governments own track records. Would Europe really be better off today if Germanys government had followed the paths taken by its French, British, or Italian counterparts in recent years?

Even if Merkel was late in responding to the crises in Italy and Greece, she has also shown extraordinary tolerance, open-mindedness, and foresight. In two key areas  addressing the refugee crisis and confronting Russian aggression  her government has shown more European solidarity than most other member states.

Moreover, Merkel demonstrated sound leadership in her response to Trumps victory. She congratulated him, and offered him a close working relationship, but only on the basis of common values such as democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity of each and every person. She is also the most important, and the most sympathetic, partner for the UK government in the upcoming Brexit negotiations.

Merkels approval rating remains the envy of other European leaders, and she could be the last well-grounded, non-populist head of government among the larger Western countries. Italys December 4 constitutional-reform referendum may have been the final wake-up call for Europe to get its act together in order to address social divisions, political extremism, and deepening economic and political crises.

The German government should learn from its past mistakes, while continuing to step up as a leader for Europe. But it cant do it alone. Other EU governments should stop bashing Germany as a way to deflect attention from their own failings. In recent years, their attacks have gone too far, and have been counterproductive. Germany needs its partners to come to the table, and to engage in a constructive dialogue about concrete solutions to Europes deepening crisis.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Will Europe let Germany lead?

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28 December 2016 11:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

An export mission of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs to Germany will be organized in January 2017.

The mission, which is scheduled for January 23-26, will represent such local products as fruit and vegetables, mineral water, fruit juices, pastry, wine and other alcoholic beverages, honey, tea, and others.

Organizing export missions to foreign countries to explore the markets and marketing activities stands among the promotional mechanisms required for increasing awareness about the local production.

Participants of the mission will be defined on the basis of a competition to be held on December 29, 2016 at the office of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO).

The criteria, which will be taken as a basis in the selection process include production potential of goods (10 points), export potential of goods (10 points), experience in goods export (by indicating the export volume for 2015) (5 points) . Minimum passing score is 20 points.

Azerbaijan is sending trade missions to various countries since November 2016 to increase its exports. Missions have already been organized to China and the UAE.

Only 10 export missions may be held within a year, while exporters participating in missions are freely provided with accommodation, transport and translation services.

A total of 3 million manats ($1.84 million) has been allocated out of the Azerbaijani Presidents Reserve Fund in the 2016 State Budget to finance the export support measures.

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28 December 2016 12:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) may open its representative office in Baku.

The department head at Azerbaijans Economy Ministry, Ruslan Rustamli, told Trend that the authority is ready to discuss the issue after expansion of the Banks activity in the country.

He mentioned that such cooperation practice is analogous to that established with other international financial institutions as the World Bank (WB) or the Asian Development Bank (SDB).

As for the cooperation with the AIIB, Rustamli said the Bank is involved in the implementation of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), but no discussion is currently on track on the realization of other projects.

He mentioned that the government of Azerbaijan is also interested in the direct cooperation between AIIB and private sector of the country, mentioning that the institution may issue credits for banks and real sector, large and small scale enterprises.

Rustamli said that the Bank is a relatively new institution, while it aims at the expansion of regional cooperation, integration processes, strengthening of the economy, resistance to external shocks and financial crisis, improvement of living conditions in member countries.

In this regard, we are interested in cooperation with the Bank within the implementation of our state programs, strategies, priorities and new strategic road maps, he added.

The AIIB earlier approved the allocation of a loan worth $600 million for the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project. The bank announced that the loan will be allocated for the Southern Gas Corridor CJSC.

Azerbaijan is one of the founders of the AIIB that was created in June 2015. The countrys share in the banks share capital is 0.2851 percent ($254.1 million).

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28 December 2016 15:01 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

India, the sixth largest economy in the world, is eager to reduce import duties with Azerbaijan, as the current level of trade between the countries is far below the existing potential.

The issue was high on agenda during the meeting between the representatives of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and Indian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sanjay Rana.

GJEPC Chairman Praveenshankar Pandya asked the ambassador to put forward a suggestion on the reduction of import duty for the consideration of the Finance Ministry of Azerbaijan, mentioning that the level of trade between the countries is currently at a negligible level.

Besides, GJEPC representatives intend to invite Azerbaijani jewelers to participate in the Signature IIJS exhibition, which is deemed to be the countrys top-of-the-line jewellery show.

The exhibition is scheduled for February 2017.

The ambassador, in turn, offered to organize an export mission of Indian jewelers to Azerbaijan, and organize a jewellery exhibition in the country.

He mentioned that the best period for the exhibition would be either January-March or September-November.

The trade turnover between the countries stood at $451.13 million, with some $399 million accounting for export to India. India currently ranks the 11th in the list of main trade partners of Azerbaijan.

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28 December 2016 16:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Baku and Minsk have managed to bolster bilateral ties in 2016, strengthening cooperation in a number of important spheres.

Belarusian Ambassador to Baku Gennady Ahramovich said that the activation of bilateral relations between the two countries became the main outcome of the year.

Speaking at a press conference on December 28, the envoy said that the sides are currently working to ensure a long-term and sustainable character of the relations, adding that the countries intend to further strengthen cooperation in 2017.

Commenting on negative effects of the global crisis on trade relations , Ahramovich said that the volume of trade turnover decreased by almost 50 percent as compared to the figures of 2015 amounting to some $104 million in January-October 2016.

The envoy mentioned that the sides will spare no effort to increase the figure in 2017, adding that a significant increase - nearly threefold - has already been recorded in Azerbaijani exports.

The envoy stressed that the industrial cooperation accounts for some 20 percent of the trade turnover between the countries.

He went on saying that the two countries will work on the expansion of export volumes of vehicles and agricultural machinery, manufactured at the Ganja Automobile Plant, to third countries.

I want to emphasize the activity of Ganja Automobile Plant. The range of Belarusian vehicles assembled at the plant is steadily increasing. The plant has so far manufactured over 8,000 Belarus tractors and more than 3,000 MAZ freight vehicles, he said, mentioning that the plant also implements equipment supplies to third countries.

We have already organized the export of tractors to Georgia and are currently engaged in increasing the supplies to third countries. Besides, the work is underway on the launch of manufacture of units and assemblies for further transfer to Belarus. One of the other perspectives is manufacture of Belarusian busses in Ganja, he added.

In addition, Minsk Tractor Plant and Ganja Plant intend to bring the joint annual level of equipment assembly to the level of 2,000 units by 2020.

As for the cooperation in the agriculture sector, the ambassador said that the first store of Azerbaijani products will be opened in Belarus in 2017, noting that this was the key issue of talks held within a visit of Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev to Belarus.

The talks are underway on the creation of Azerbaijani trade houses in Belarus. Belarus may be interested in the supplies of tobacco, cotton, wine, cognac and other production, he said.

Ahramovich also added that some five stores with Belarusian goods already operate in Baku, while similar sale points are planned to be created in other cities.

More than 270 Belarusian and Azerbaijani companies, which deal hundreds of commodities, are involved in mutual trade. Around 45 Azerbaijani companies are dealers and distributors of the Belarusian enterprises in Azerbaijan.

Ahramovich also touched upon the issue of energy cooperation, saying that his country is interested in the processing of Azerbaijani oil at its refineries.

He mentioned that Azerbaijan earlier supplied some 85,000 tons of oil to Mozyr refinery, providing uninterrupted operation of the plant.

There are two refineries in Belarus (in Mozyr and Navapolatsk) that are able to produce oil products corresponding to Euro  5 and Euro  6 standards. Therefore, it is worthwhile to talk about cooperation. Both sides are interested in the processing of Azerbaijani oil in Belarusian refineries, as well as in further sale of production abroad. As for the forecasted volumes of oil supplies from Azerbaijan to Belarus in 2017, the envoy said that the volume will between determined by the relevant companies of the two countries.

In October, the first oil batch of Azerbaijani oil (84,700 tons) was shipped from the Supsa port to the Odessa port being further and loaded to rail tankers and delivered to Mozyr via Ukraine. The shipment was implemented by SOCAR Trading.

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28 December 2016 16:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) has so far paid compensations worth over 721.5 million manats ($409.4 million) to depositors of the recently closed Dekabank, Kredobank, Zaminbank, Parabank, Caucasus Development Bank, AtraBank, Bank of Azerbaijan, Ganjabank, Texnikabank and Bank Standard.

Banks Volume of paid compensations (million manats/ million USD) Volume of the insured deposits (million manats/ million USD) Bank Standard 433.84 ($246.19 ) 460 ($261.03) Zaminbank 52.46 ($29.76) 60 ($34.04) Dekabank 3.02 ($1.71) 5.59 ($3.17) Kredobank 27.77 ($15.75) 30.21 ($ 17.14) Caucasus Development Bank 1.97 ($1.11) 2 ($1.13) Atrabank 14.27 ($ 8.09) 14.55 ($8.25) Bank of Azerbaijan 24.15 ($13.70) 24.2 ($13.73) Gandjabank 0.98 ($ 0.55) 1($0.56) Texnikabank 120.08 ($68.14) 122.6 ($69.57) Parabank 42.91 ($24.35) 43.79 ($24.84)

Acceptance of applications from insured depositors of DekaBank, KredoBank, Zaminbank and Parabank began on August 1, 2016 and the payment of compensations has been carried out since that day.

Compensations to the depositors of Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank are being paid starting from August 23. Payments are being carried out at the branches the banks.

Depositors of Caucasus Development Bank receive compensations at the banks main office. Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan has been carried out since January 29, 2016 at branches of Muganbank and Rabitabank, and since September 8 at ADIFs office.

Clients of Ganjabank receive compensations since February 4 at the branches of Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank.

ADIF launched payment of compensations to depositors of Texnikabank on February 12.

Payment of compensations to the insured depositors of Bank Standard started October 11, 2016 at the banks main office and its branches in the regions of Azerbaijan and will continue for one year.

The licenses of all the banks were revoked in 2016, as their assets were not classified in line with the law, and they didnt create adequate reserves and their aggregate capital did not meet the minimum requirements.

Some 32 banks are currently implementing their activities in the country.

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28 December 2016 14:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Although the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still unresolved, Russia's increased efforts for finding a solution to the long-lasting problem caught eyes in the passing year.

In 2016 Russia was a very active mediator to move towards a fair settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Russia was the initiator of the ceasefire during the April clashes between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Following that, in June, the Russian President Vladimir Putin invited his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts to St. Petersburg to mull the future development of the negotiations over the conflict.

"Russia will continue to engage in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and the country is doing everything in its power as a co-chair country in the OSCE Minsk Group to help advance this process," said Russian Foreign Ministrys spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova at a briefing on December 27.

Everything that depends on us will be carried out, so that the settlement process does not stop, but rather intensifies, she said.

The mediation of Russia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been reflected in the main foreign policy outcome of the 2016 which was published on December 27 by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Thanks to the vigorous actions of Russia during the meeting in Moscow of the chiefs of General staffs of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia, the cessation of large-scale hostilities that broke out in early April 2016 in Nagorno-Karabakh was achieved, the statement reads.

Work was made to de-escalate the situation and create conditions for continuation of talks during the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in May in Vienna with the participation of the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, as well as during the trilateral meeting in St. Petersburg, the document says.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan confirmed in a joint statement on June 20 after the meeting in St. Petersburg the agreements reached at the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Vienna, which were aimed at stabilizing the situation in the conflict zone and the creation of an atmosphere conducive to advancing the peace process.

To this end, they agreed, in particular, to increase the number of international observers in the conflict zone.

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. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

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28 December 2016 15:26 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Some international organizations are trying to freeze the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but the Azerbaijani state will never allow it.

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, Ali Hasanov made the remark during the Multiculturalism and human rights: equality, cooperation and development conference in Baku on December 28.

The head of the committee noted that Azerbaijan will constantly keep the Nagorno-Karabakh issue under control until it is resolved, until the Armenian army leaves Azerbaijan's occupied territory, and the expelled people return to their native lands.

Hasanov reminded that the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan since 1988 resulted in violent displacement of more than one million Azerbaijanis, who turned into refugees and IDPs.

Today their number exceeds 1.2 million people. The rights of our compatriots were violated, and these rights have not been restored for more than 25 years, said Hasanov.

The official further mentioned that as a result of aggression of Armenia, the damage inflicted on the Azerbaijani economy exceeds $600 billion.

Noting that the UN and other international organizations adopted decisions and resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hasanov voiced regret that the conflict remains unresolved so far.

Azerbaijan has always respected the decisions of international organizations, but our country is treated in a completely different attitude. Such injustice is not acceptable. The end will come, the world will not tolerate such injustice. What did Armenia achieve by occupying Azerbaijani lands? asked Hasanov.

Azerbaijan has become a leading state in the region. In contrast to Azerbaijan, no representatives of other nations live in Armenia today. The country is isolated from all projects because of its aggressive policy. If there was not the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia would also economically develop. But Armenia, keeping Azerbaijani territories under occupation, still loses.

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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28 December 2016 10:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The number of religious communities registered in the country reached 749 in 2016, Head of Azerbaijans State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli said at a press conference on December 27.

Some 721 of them are Islamic, while 28 are non-Islamic communities. The latter include 17 Christian, eight Jewish, two Baha'i and one Krishna community.

There is no official Salafi, Nursi or other non-traditional religious communities among the religious communities operating in Azerbaijan, Gurbanli said.

He stressed that the Committee verifies the religious communities that apply for registration to comply with the principles of traditional Islam. Only after that a religious community passes the registration process.

"Azerbaijan is a multicultural state, and representatives of different religions and confessions peacefully coexist in the country. We must preserve this tradition, he said, adding that different countries want to learn Azerbaijan's experience in this field.

He further noted that it is planned to open about eight new madrasas in Baku and regions of the country

They will be opened one by one. The founder of the madrasas will be the Caucasian Muslims Office. The curriculum will be developed jointly with the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, he added.

The official further emphasized that today the primary task is the struggle against religious radicalism. This fight must be conducted by society and all government agencies. Media also plays crucial role in the fight against radicalism, Gurbanli said.

He noted that the struggle against religious radicalism must be consistent and long lasting.

The head of Committee noted that about 60,000 terrorist attacks were committed in the world in recent years, which killed hundreds of thousands of people. "Religious factor is used in these events. It is necessary to conduct propaganda and education work for their prevention, he added.

Gurbanli noted that joint struggle of all countries is very important in the fight against religious radicalism.

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan attended on December 28 the reception at the Foreign Ministry of Armenia on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, Serzh Sargsyan congratulated and extended warm wishes to the staff of the Ministry and all the diplomats, as well the Ambassadors accredited in Armenia on the occasion of the coming holidays. In his speech the President spoke about Armenias main foreign policy achievements in the passing 2016 year, the still existing problems and challenges, the works done thank to Armenias active involvement in integration processes and international organizations, Armenias diplomatic efforts for Nagorno Karabakh conflicts settlement.

The passing year was symbolic for us. Armenia marked the 25th anniversary of independence. 25 years ago our diplomacy was just starting to make its first steps like our newly independent state.

Today Armenia presents itself to the world with a constructive, balanced, reliable and principled diplomacy.

Whoever is familiar with our diplomatic handwriting should know that Armenia is guided by the principle for the sake of, but not against, President Sargsyan said in his speech pointing our t a number of examples of Armenias constructive involvement in various international activities, such as peace keeping missions or participation of integration processes.

Armenias positions and opinions are rather clear and comprehensive for the international community due to our consistent and principled foreign policy, due to your principled foreign policy.

The results of the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits following the April aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan prove my words. The statement issued by the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair states in Hamburg at the end of the year evidently demonstrated to what extent the Azerbaijani rhetoric over Nagorno Karabakh conflict have nothing to do with the reality President of Armenia said, adding that at the same time the statement showed how much our approaches in harmony with those of the international community.

Speaking about the options for Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, President Sargsyan once again reaffirmed that there is no other document on the negotiation table apart from the Madrid principles. I am not an experienced diplomat, but most probably diplomacy is the art of reaching reciprocal concessions, he stressed.

Referring to the issue why they do not share all the details on the talks with the public, Serzh Sargsyan pointed out two main reasons, When preparing for negotiations one cannot expose his tools, tactics or strategies, because in the contemporary world when you say something in Yerevan, it immediately becomes a public knowledge in Baku, Washington, Moscow, Paris. This is first. Everybody knows that there is a well-known principle  nothing is agreed if everything is not agreed, Serzh Sargsyan said. He added that the fact is that since 2007, the adoption of Madrid principles as the basis of the negotiations, Armenia has pursued only one goal, which is defining the final status of Nagorno Karabakh by the people of Nagorno Karabakh and we will never abandon this principle.





Our diplomacy introduced to the international community the April aggression against Artsakh by Azerbaijan and the gross violations of international obligations and humanitarian law. The Republic of Armenia, together with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries continues to make efforts for establishing peace. Armenia is a peace campaigner. We comprehend well enough the value of peace, the Armenian President stressed.

President Sargsyan also touched upon the issue efficient governance. In this context he highlighted the parliamentary elections in 2017 as a key point for bringing into life efficient governance. I am glad we witnessed in the passing year an example of political maturity, when the parliamentary political forces were able to reach a consensus over the control mechanisms aimed at ensuring legitimacy to electoral processes, he said, expressing gratitude to international donors for financial and advisory assistance. Serzh Sargsyan assured that the leadership of Armenia is determined to hold elections in line with the legislation and international standards, hoping that they will become the best elections of the 25 year history of Armenias independence.

The President of Armenia once again congratulated all the present and extended warm wishes to them asking the foreign Ambassadors accredited in Armenia to convene his warm wishes to the leaderships and peoples of their countries.
A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on December 28.

The new edition includes articles about: Azerbaijani, Iranian businesses determine priorities; SOCAR, BP extend "Contract of Century" till 2050; New flights to open to Baku next year; Baku hosts show of Turkic states national clothes, etc

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.
28 December 2016 10:16 (UTC+04:00)

Art Doll exhibition has been launched at Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva viewed the exhibition, Azertac reported.

Director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov, addressing the event, said the center had hosted numerous events in 2016, including conferences, symposiums, workshops, concerts and exhibitions.

He said works featured at Art Doll exhibition were collected for 10 years, further adding that the exhibition featured works by 60 artists and sculptors from 16 countries, including Azerbaijan.

He thanked Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva for their role in organizing the exhibition.

Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts Aleksandra Khudyakova hailed excellent organization of the event.

I thank the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and its Vice President Leyla Aliyeva for organizing such an amazing event. This is for the first time that I see such a fantastic exhibition, she said.

Member of Azerbaijan Union of Artists Elmira Abbasli said the exhibition reflected rich culture and history of Azerbaijan.

Rector of Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts Omar Eldarov described the exhibition as a truly interesting and unique event.

Participants of the ceremony then viewed the exhibition.

The 230 dolls displayed at the Art Doll Exhibition hosted by the Heydar Aliyev Center are just a part of a rich private collection boasting of more than 400 unique artifacts.

The exhibits include handworks by renowned Azerbaijani doll-makers along with pieces by artists from the US, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Russia, Northern Cyprus, Indonesia, Ukraine, and Japan.

Awarded at a number of international festivals and biannual exhibitions, these artworks compose a very specific collection the Heydar Aliyev Center ever hosted so far. Most pieces are one-off and are therefore of a tremendous artistic value.

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28 December 2016 17:27 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of "ASAN Kommunal" Center No 1 and viewed ASAN Qatar" (train) at Bilajari station in Baku on December 28, Azertac reported. The head of state commissioned the center.

The head of the Presidential Administration`s Department for Work with Law Enforcement Bodies, Fuad Alasgarov, and the chairman of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Inam Karimov, informed the head of state about the conditions created in the center.

Azerishig, Azersu and Azerigaz companies will offer a total of 45 services at the center, which will also provide banking and insurance services.

The center, which will serve 653,600 citizens in Nasimi, Narimanov and Binagadi districts, will employ a 85-man staff and 20 volunteers.

President Aliyev was informed of ASAN Pay mobile application, a multifunctional payment system that enables the electronic delivery of administrative penalty decisions to citizens and electronic payment of administrative fines and those required by the enforcement of court decisions.

Through ASAN Visa portal applicants can receive visas within three working days. The system will play a key role in boosting tourist flow to Azerbaijan.

The head of state was informed of the activity of ASAN Radio, which is the first and only radio channel dedicated to government services sector.

The President was also informed of the activity of ASAN Volunteers organization. Founded four years ago as a 10-man team under instructions of President Aliyev, ASAN volunteer movement today includes more than 10,000 young people.

President Aliyev then was informed of ASAN Kommunal centers No 2 and No 3 which will be built in Baku.

The head of state then met with staff of the center, and addressed them.

Later, President Aliyev familiarized himself with "ASAN Qatar".

Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Javid Gurbanov informed the head of state of the works done under the project.

The traveling "ASAN Qatars" will provide services to citizens in the country`s districts through using extensive railway network, current infrastructure, communication lines and advanced technologies.

The head of state pressed the key to launch ASAN Qatar project.

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28 December 2016 13:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

A conference kicked off in Baku on December 28 to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Ombudsman institution in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugee and IDP Affairs Ali Hasanov, President of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Akif Alizade, First Deputy Chair of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov, Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev, Azerbaijan`s Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Elmira Suleymanova, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children`s Affairs Hijran Huseynova, chairman of Copyright Agency Kamran Imanov, chairman of the State Statistics Committee Tahir Budagov, Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova, rector of Baku State University Abel Maharramov, president of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Fund Gunay Efendiyeva, foreign ambassadors in Azerbaijan, parliamentarians, and heads of religious communities take part in the event.

In her remarks, Elmira Suleymanova highlighted what has been done in Azerbaijan to protect human rights and freedoms over the past years.

Ali Hasanov, in turn, stressed that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the protection of human rights.

He said the Azerbaijani government`s policy towards ethnic and religious minorities is recognized by international organizations.



"The Azerbaijani model of multiculturalism is set as an example to other countries, Hasanov added.

He further mentioned that creating Ombudsman institution, Azerbaijan has demonstrated to the world what great importance it attaches to human rights.

Hasanov stressed that the Ombudsman did a great job in Azerbaijan in the sphere of protection of human rights, adequately represents the country in the international arena, adding that Azerbaijan is an example to the world in the area of multiculturalism.

In turn, Ziyafet Asgarov emphasized that in Azerbaijan multiculturalism is a way of life, which is not acquired from others: it is an internal need of the people, and at the same time, the state policy of Azerbaijan.



Asgarov said that the cohabitation of different cultures, religions, ethnic groups in Azerbaijan has created a very interesting type of society.



The principles of multiculturalism are enshrined in our Constitution and laws. The Azerbaijani Constitution states that all citizens of Azerbaijan enjoy equal rights, regardless of religion, gender, and race. Thus, today multiculturalism in Azerbaijan is a well-established phenomenon, formed in the country for centuries. Multicultural Azerbaijan is an example model in the world," he emphasized.

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28 December 2016 13:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee (SCC) for several days has been working in emergency mode to prevent import of smuggled goods into the country, said Aydin Aliyev, Committee Chairman.

The customs authorities of Azerbaijan vigilantly work to prevent import of smuggled goods into the country, he told APA.

On the basis of the received information, we have also implemented inspection of several sites and confiscated the goods that were brought and released into circulation through smuggling, Aliyev added.

The State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan created in 1992 is a governmental agency in charge of customs clearance for imports and exports, and regulation of all customs activities within Azerbaijan.

Establishment of the Committee helped accelerate the commodity turnover in the country and eased the import-export procedures.

The Azerbaijani customs legislation consists of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, this Code, Law of Azerbaijan on Customs Tariff and other normative legal act and international agreements adopted in accordance with them, of which Azerbaijan is the participant.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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28 December 2016 14:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Serbia will initiate abolishing visa regime with Azerbaijan.

The issue was discussed at the meeting considering the visa policy of Serbia attended by country's First Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic.

The participants agreed to continue the policy of simplification of the visa regime with as many countries as possible in order to improve bilateral political relations, attract foreign investment and intensify economic and tourist cooperation, according to the Serbian government .



In this regard, it was decided to initiate the procedure for abolishing visas with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia for ordinary passport holders, and to initiate the abolition of visas with a certain group of countries for holders of diplomatic and official passports.

Recently Azerbaijan included Serbia to the list of 81 countries, whose citizens will be able to take advantage of ASAN Visa system, aiming to make life of many foreigners easier.

The presidential order signed in June 2016 aimed at simplification of e-visas issuance procedure for foreigners and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan, as a result of which, they will be able to obtain visas within three days.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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28 December 2016 11:53 (UTC+04:00)

Turkey and Russia have agreed on a plan for the warring parties in Syria to declare a nationwide cease-fire, Anadolu Agency reported citing a confidential Turkish source on December 28.

The plan is expected to be carried out in all areas where the Assad regime and the opposition are fighting, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The source said that under the plan, Ankara and Moscow will work for the cease-fire to come into force at midnight on Wednesday.

It added that terrorist organizations will be excluded from the deal.

The source also said that if the cease-fire succeeds, political negotiations will start in the capital of Kazakhstan under Turkey and Russias guidance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia and Turkey had agreed to an earlier proposal to bring together representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition in Kazakhstan.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has expressed his "readiness" to provide a platform for talks in Astana to solve the long-standing crisis.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011. Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-torn country, according to the UN.

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28 December 2016 15:03 (UTC+04:00)

Iran sent warnings to U.S. fighters and drones during a massive military drill ongoing in the south of the country,said Brigadier General Abbas Farajpour, the spokesman of the drill.

The Iranian air defense base, Khatam al-Anbiya, warned the US fighters and drones to stay away from the aerial zone of the drill 12 times in last three days, Farajpour said, Tasnim news agency reported on December 28.

He further said the aircraft belonging to trans-regional forces try to collect information from the drill area.

Irans Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base launched a massive drill named Modafean-e Aseman-e Velayat 7 (Defenders of Velayat Skies 7) on Dec. 26.

The base has employed a broad range of equipment, including tactical radars, mobile watch posts, and ground-based and air-based eavesdropping systems in the drill which covers an area of 496,000 square kilometers in Irans southern provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr and Khuzestan.

The Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base holds routine military exercises throughout the year. Irans integrated air defense network protects 3,700 sensitive sites across the country, including nuclear facilities.

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28 December 2016 16:31 (UTC+04:00)

Tajikistan supports the abolition of visa regime with Uzbekistan, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said.

He made the remarks at a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov, the press service of the Tajik president reported.

The official delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Azimov arrived in Tajikistan to participate in the next meeting of the Uzbek-Tajik Intergovernmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation.

During the meeting, President Rahmon noted that Tajikistan positively assesses the initiative of the Uzbek side to restore air traffic between the two countries.

He added that Tajikistan supports the further improvement of relations in the issues of restoration of the railway sections, reduction of tariffs for railway transportation, re-establishment of the import and export of electricity, expansion of cooperation in the agricultural sphere, abolition and facilitation of the visa system and settlement of border issues.

The two sides exchanged views on the current situation and prospects for development of bilateral cooperation in spheres of economy, trade, transport and communications, water, energy, culture, protection of the border, as well as made constructive proposals to eliminate the obstacles to the development of cooperation in these areas.

It was emphasized that the contractual basis of the intergovernmental relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan includes more than a hundred documents.

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28 December 2016 17:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven will visit Iran in February, heading a high-ranking economic delegation, according to Swedish Ambassador to Iran Helena Sangeland.

She said the trip is due to the high level of significance Sweden attaches to economic relations with Iran, Mehr news agency reported December 28.

The ambassador also said that if the Swedish Trade Council in Iran is opened, it will pave the ground for Swedish businesses to enter Iran.

Sangeland also said that the Swedish government would benefit from a swift end to Irans banking problems.

Head of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture Mohsen Jalalpour said on June 1 that five memoranda of understanding had been signed between the Chamber and Sweden Trade Council and added that STC is intended to open a bureau in Tehran.

Meanwhile, representatives from 70 Swedish companies gathered in Hotel Sheraton in Stockholm to meet with Iran's 60-member economic delegation and discuss issues of mutual interests including industry, mines, energy, agriculture, information and communication technology, banking, investment and tourism.

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Some Georgian media outlets have spread information about continuation of Georgia-Gazprom talks on transit price of gas supplied by Russia to Armenia. Armenpress reports Georgia online quotes Georgian Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze as saying that the talks will go on, while Georgias position remains unchanged.

Russia wishes to pay a specific amount of money for the transit, while Georgia wants to preserve the previous agreement receiving 10% of the transited gas, the agency writes.

The talks are held in Vienna. The day of the next stage of the talks is still not known. The validity of the current agreement expires on December 31 of this year.
28 December 2016 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan and Russia, the two neighbors and friends, will cooperate more closely in the field of tourism henceforth.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a draft agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan and Russia on cooperation in the field of tourism.

The Culture Ministry in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry was tasked to negotiate with Azerbaijan and after reaching an understating to sign an agreement on behalf of the Cabinet of Ministers of Russia.

Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) earlier reported that Azerbaijan took the 15th place in the number of foreign trips of Russian in 2016, thus leaving behind countries such as Greece, Turkey, the UAE, Bulgaria and France.

Deputy Head of the Tourism Department of the Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Ministry Rauf Pashayev previously said that Russia and Azerbaijan consider creation of joint tourism packages to attract tourists from China.

Azerbaijans tourism industry is growing rapidly year after year, and today Russian tourists make up more than 32 percent of the total number of tourists visiting the country.

Russians choose Azerbaijan as their travel destination for many reasons. First of all the Land of Fire does not require visa for Russian tourists to enjoy the country.

Azerbaijan is also a perfect destination for Russian tourists, because of its peoples very friendly attitude towards Russia. Here Russian-speaking tourists have no problem with communication, as Azerbaijanis speak Russian well enough to help with any difficulties.

The rising tourist flow from Russia is also linked with major events, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe and Music Festival "Jara" (Heat) held in summer 2015, active promotion of the countrys tourism in the Russian market and new flights launched between the Russian and Azerbaijani cities. The national travel offices have been opened in Russia.

Moreover, the countries plan to expand the number of direct flights, which today is carried out in six directions between the two countries.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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Azerbaijan continues to persecute people who visit Artsakh, especially famous people, adding them in the "black list.

December 28, 2016, 15:43 Azerbaijani authorities have turned their country into a dungeon long ago. NKR Foreign Minister

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: The NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan told the abovesaid at a press conference today.

We perceive it as highly reprehensible step. Its alarming not only in the sense that it is violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms and violation of right to freedom of movement, but also for the reason that the Azerbaijani authorities have turned their country into a dungeon.





Azerbaijan still tries to expand its medieval traditions beyond the borders of his country. Unfortunately, there are still people who support them in the process. But I think that the attempts of prosecution of Azerbaijan very often have opposite effect, said the Foreign Minister of NKR.
The state teachers union is urging the state Education Department to remove Carl Paladino from the Buffalo Board of Education for "despicable comments" he made about President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

"He is unfit to hold a position of responsibility affecting students and their well-being," said Karen Magee, president of New York State United Teachers.

Magee's statement was released one day after Paladino, a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump and one-time Republican candidate for governor, apologized to the "minority community" for his remarks, which were published in Artvoice, a weekly newspaper in Buffalo.

Paladino sent his responses to questions posed by Artvoice for the publication's "What do we want for 2017?" feature.

In his first answer, the Buffalo businessman said he hoped "(President Obama) catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford (sic). He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarret (sic), who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady (sic) cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her."

Paladino's second answer targeted Michelle Obama.

"I'd like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla," he wrote.

The comments have led to growing calls for Paladino either to resign or be removed from his seat. He's said that he won't step down.

A school board member may be removed from their seat if they have violated the law, neglected their duty or disobeyed an order from the state education commissioner.

The Buffalo Board of Education is scheduled to hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss the controversy involving Paladino, who was first elected to the board in 2013.

NYSUT said a rally organized by the Buffalo Parent-Teachers Organization will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Niagara Square.

Emily DeSantis, a spokesperson for the state Education Department, said the agency "will closely watch the actions taken by the Buffalo Board of Education at tomorrow's meeting." She also said that the department is reviewing its options.
Some days you learn more than others. I learned a lot on Dec. 10, 1956, when I was inducted into the United States Army.

I got up earlier than usual and had breakfast. My father drove me to the American Legion post in Hempstead. He left me off, and I entered a wooden building where some motherly older ladies had prepared coffee and doughnuts. I wasnt hungry but some of the other young men there were happy to dig in. My son, a dogface, my fathers farewell lament, still rang in my ears.

Around 8:30 we got on a bus for Manhattan. We took the Sunrise Highway and I dozed off. Bright sunlight woke me up as we were crossing the Manhattan Bridge. Soon we were downtown, where we stopped outside a large building on Livingston Street. For the next few hours about 200 of us stood in long lines in our shorts undergoing various inspections. Would I have time to read, I wondered. The answer was, not in basic training.

Many of my college classmates had entered the service. Some had volunteered for the Marines right after graduation. They would have been drafted anyway, and this way they would have USMC on their resumes. A good career move! That would never have occurred to me.

After a Fulbright year in France, I had hoped to remain in the country teaching English in a French high school. My draft board didnt agree.

It got a little noisy. A sergeant looked up. Quiet down! he growled, and gave us a hard stare. F*** you, muttered the guy next to me. You aint got us yet. We had not yet taken the oath. I wondered what would have happened if I had gotten into a shouting match with the sergeant. Would they have thrown me out as a potential troublemaker with a 4-F classification? That would have been too easy. Finally we were fingerprinted, and took the oath.

Around 4 p.m. we got on a bus for Fort Dix. The day had begun sunny, but now it clouded up. We went through the Holland Tunnel. I looked back and saw the towers of Manhattan disappear into the gloom.

We had heard stories about basic: They made you climb a palm tree, and sit on top flapping your arms shouting, I am a S*** bird, I am a S*** bird. But there were no palm trees at Fort Dix.

We were issued GI clothing  about $250 worth and were told we should be grateful. As it wore out, we would have to buy our own. An Army barber made short work of my wave.

In one formation a sergeant pointed out that some of us may have been important people where we had been, but here, by God, HE was. And we were privates, NOT privates first class, he added, a distinction new to me.

Planes were landing and taking off at McGuire Air Force Base next door. There were taxis  Plymouths with enormous tail fins  on the muddy streets. Fort Dix was huge! And the taxis were expensive. I saw a sergeant with his wife and kid, who consulted with a driver, and decided that they couldnt afford the ride, and I dont know what they did.

In a large hall a captain promised to throw the book at you in basic training. Then a huge sergeant with slicked back hair explained, with great earnestness, that we were here to defend our country  although as far as I knew the country was not under attack  and if captured we were to give our name, rank and serial number, and that was all.

We had our first Army meal. I dont remember what we ate, but Army food was the last thing to complain about. One recruit felt rushed. I want to enjoy my meal, he protested. The sergeant, incredulous, looked at him. It isnt a banquet! he said.

You should see what the Brits eat, someone interjected.

We went to a barracks where there were double-bunk beds. I got an upper. I was more dazed than anything else. Soon it would be lights out, the sergeant informed us; Reveille would be around 4:30 a.m., so Get some sleep, he advised. And if I catch anybody playing with himself, he added, look out! Our first day in the United States Army was over.
Dateline: Sweden

Furniture superstore IKEA is pleading with teenagers to stop holding unauthorized sleepovers by hiding out in stores after closing. The company said it had confirmed about 10 incidents of young people hiding out in stores after an online video went viral in August. The video showed two teenage boys hiding out in a wardrobe until everyone else left and then treating the store like their own personal playground. Most recently, two 14-year-old girls were caught spending the night in an IKEA in Jonkoping, Sweden. The girls were not charged due to their ages. However, two 15-year-olds in Malmo, Sweden, are facing trespassing charges for doing the same thing in October. We appreciate that people are interested in IKEA and want to create fun experiences. However, the safety and security of our coworkers and customers is our highest priority and thats why we do not allow sleepovers in our stores, a spokesperson for IKEA told the BBC.

Dateline: Tennessee

Well, at least he had a little bit of the Christmas spirit. According to police in Memphis, a man in a Santa Claus mask walked into the Memphis City Employees Credit Union on Wednesday, Dec. 21, around 10am. The ersatz elf handed out candy canes and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. Then he handed the bank teller a note demanding cash. According to The Commercial Appeal newspaper, video surveillance footage shows the man in the bearded mask talking to people in the bank before approaching the teller window. After receiving the demand notice, the teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, and the masked man left the bank. A second video, recorded outside the bank, showed the man removing the mask, but did not reveal his face. The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Dateline: Alabama

A professional Santa Claus got his wish this Christmas and retained his right to own a vanity license plate. David Reid of Montgomery told WSFA-TV he owns a 1999 4Runner and has had a special wildlife license plate that says HO HO on it for the past six years. Recently, however, he tried to renew his tags, but was denied by the Alabama Department of Revenue. Reid was forced to take home a standard issue plate after his original was deemed offensive. In addition to the HO HO license plate, Reid also has a sticker on his back window that reads, My other ride is a sleigh. How offensive is that? Reid asked WSFA-TV. People drive by me on the interstate so everyone can wave and take a picture. Who is offended by that? Its ridiculous. Reid inquired about the tag, but never heard back from the Department of Revenue. After his story went viral on the local news, however, the substitute Santa got a call saying he could come pick up a temporary HO HO tag and would receive his regular one in 10 to 12 days. Despite not getting the permanent tag before Christmas, Reid said he was thrilled with the outcome.

Dateline: Florida

Wildlife officials (in Florida, mind you) have ruled that a woman can keep her costume-wearing, ATV-riding pet alligator. Mary Thorn of Lakeland was told by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission back in March that she could no longer keep her 15-year-old pet alligator, Rambo. Mary told UPI that Rambowho is allegedly house broken, understands sign language and loves to dress in costumeshas never been a normal gator. Thorn said she obtained a license to keep Rambo as a house pet in 2012, but the Fish and Wildlife Commission moved to seize the animal after it grew past 6 feet long, the maximum size allowed for someone living on less than 2.5 acres. The FWC notified Thorn earlier this month that it had accepted her request for an exception to the gator-keeping rules due to Rambos unique situation. The ruling came with strict conditions, however, including a ban on showcasing the alligator in public. Previously, Thorn had taken Rambo to educational and charity events to teach children about animalsanimals who wear Santa costumes and pose on top of ATVs. Hes like my son. Hes my family, Thorn told reporters.
As the West Onondaga County Journal marks its 10th anniversary in 2016, we take a look at the people, places and events that made headlines around the community over the past decade.

With the help of the Skaneateles Historical Society, we have compiled a list of the biggest stories of the past 10 years for this week in history:

Dec. 27, 2006

 A civil engineer consulting on the Old Seneca Heights project, explains the details to the Skaneateles Town Board of extending a water district and creating a sewer district for the proposed subdivision.

 Skaneateles Village Trustee Alan Dolmatch tells the village board that contractors have poured and formed 40 percent of the footers for the new fire station, which is slated to take 11 months to complete.

 The Skaneateles Board of Education hears a 14-page presentation outlining and project financing options for proposed renovation projects within the district that are estimated to cost $8.7 million.

Dec. 26, 2007

 Three Elbridge teenagers are charged with burglary, criminal mischief and petit larceny in connection with a string of 11 residential burglaries in Skaneateles throughout November and December.

 The Skaneateles Town Board votes to subsidize the Mottiville Fire Co.'s Skaneateles Community Center membership costs after a discussion over whether the town or the fire district should pay.

 Native Canadian Kathy Mosher officially begins her duties as the first director in the history of the Skaneateles Library, while De Ann Porter, longtime head librarian, becomes the library manager.

Dec. 23, 2008

 The Skaneateles Central School District is facing a 13-percent reduction in the state funding on top of smaller cuts in other budget areas through Gov. David Paterson's proposed system of school cuts.

 The Skaneateles town and village boards agree to extend a fire service arrangement until the end of February but will wait to meet with the Skaneateles fire department before approving the contract.

 SubCat Music Studios, which opened in 2001 at 3922 Fennell St., Skaneateles, organizes a triple celebration as three bands play a concert to celebrate their releasing albums recorded at SubCat.

Dec. 30, 2009

 After the John D. Barrow Gallery in Skaneateles received 34 of the artist's paintings from the Onondaga County Public Library, West Lake Conservators is repairing and restoring the works of art.

 Skaneateles Village Trustee Sue Jones volunteers to chair a committee that will examine a petition signed by several village and town residents to create a dog park in Austin Park for pets and owners.

 Onondaga County Legislator Jim Rhinehart, of Skaneateles, offers certificates to outgoing Town Councilors Dave Laxton and Ellen Kulik and outgoing Supervisor Phil Tierney in their last meeting.

Dec. 29, 2010

 Sal Strods and Michael Harvey are among the 24 people honored for their heroic deeds by the American Red Cross of Central New York after the two saved a man from a burning truck that crashed.

 The Skaneateles village board approves bid specifications for an ultraviolet light treatment system after a decree from the Environmental Protection Agency for municipalities with unfiltered water.

 After Skaneateles resident Jason Slottje bought the Old Stone Mill, the new owners intend to retain the work by the former developer and put five condominiums and three commercial spaces on the market.

Dec. 28, 2011

 Skaneateles Assistant Superintendent Dale Bates presents the 2012-13 school budget to the board and discusses some of the challenges the school district will face during a time of national fiscal instability.

 Skaneateles farmers can join others in the industry located within the 25th Congressional District in an a task force headed by U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle to confront issues that impede food production.

 Most of the speakers during a public hearing support the Skaneateles Town Board in its efforts to keep a hydrofracking moratorium in place while working toward banning the industry from town borders.

Dec. 26, 2012

 The Skaneateles Recreational Charitable Trust, the YMCA and the town of Skaneateles reached an agreement that allows town residents to use the facility once a month regardless of membership status.

The village of Skaneateles learns that it received a $546,493 Greenhouse Gas Reduction grant that will help make its future offices energy-efficient on top of two other energy grants that total $60,000.

 A divided Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission approves a skylight for the design of Rick Moscarito's building with the condition that materials, colors and model numbers are provided.

Dec. 24, 2013

 The Skaneateles Education Foundation and the Elsa and Peter Soderberg Charitable Foundation commit to investing a combined total of $250,000 toward STEM education in Skaneateles schools.

 Parents voice concerns to the Skaneateles Board of Education that eighth-graders might have to choose between enrolling in a new Earth Science XL course or staying in band, orchestra or chorus.

 Skaneateles Town Councilor Jim Greenfield presents retiring Highway Superintendent Jim Card with a toy dump truck with a beach shovel attached when the board salutes Card and others for their service.

Dec. 31, 2014

 Skaneateles Village Trustee Jim Lanning alleges the village board violated open meetings laws by conducting a vote via email on a village hall restroom use and on other matters in the past.

 Ahead of its final meeting of the year, the Skaneateles Town Board hosts a work session to assess its plans and priorities for the coming year, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan and other topics.

 Skaneateles Village Police Department Chief Lloyd Perkins suggests the village board purchase body cameras and stun guns for the department in light of national incidents involving police officers.

Dec. 30, 2015

 The Skaneateles village board adopts a local law that regulates short-term rentals during a special meeting in which public comments urge the board to take more time to review the rules and get it right.

 After the 22nd annual Dickens Christmas festival concludes on an unseasonably warm Christmas Eve, Jim Greene, who portrays Dickens, calls the weather comfortable but not beautiful for the four weeks.

 Erin McCormack, a 1992 Skaneateles High School graduate, offers current students an easy path to failure, putting a twist on an event in which alumni talk to juniors and seniors about their careers.

Extra, extra: Still more This Week in History to end the year

Editor's Note: It turns out 2008 actually had 53 Wednesdays  with the year starting on Wednesday, Jan. 1 and ending on Wednesday, Dec. 31  meaning the Journal published 53 times that year as a result, though the first edition of the year actually came out Thursday, Jan. 2.

The Journal also ended up publishing 53 times in 2013 as well, with the last two editions of the year coming out on Tuesday, Dec. 24 and Tuesday, Dec. 31. So, that means we have two extra weeks of This Week in History to present as we close out this 10th anniversary celebration.

Dec. 31, 2008

 After working closely together since the 1970s to promote a quality economic climate, the Skaneateles Merchants Association will become an official part of the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce.

 The Skaneateles village board endorses a revision to the Skaneateles fire department's bylaws to reduce the number of officers since it has too many leaders and not enough volunteers in lower ranks.

 A committee appointed by the Skaneateles Town Board to look at the obstacles that prevent growth in affordable homes within the town's borders submits an incentive program for review by the board.

Dec. 31, 2013

 Steve Condie, of Roland's, and Lisa Twombly, of Skaneateles Artisans, report that their stores saw successful traffic and sales during Dickens Christmas, which they say gets bigger and better every year.

 CNY Reads will present one of its One Community, One Book events at Creekside Books & Coffee, hosting a discussion on The Namesake by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri.

 Skaneateles High School Principal Gregory Santoro dresses up in a Santa Claus suit and greets parents and students with candy canes and holiday wishes as a way to thank them for their generosity.
PHOENIX  Five child welfare workers fired in the wake of a scandal about uninvestigated abuse complaints will not be getting their jobs back.

In its ruling Tuesday, the state Court of Appeals did not address whether it was fair for the state to dismiss the workers who were linked to marking certain cases as NI, as in "not investigated,'' despite statutes requiring all such complaints to be researched. Their attorney, Terry Woods, said they were "scapegoats'' for decisions made by upper management.

Instead, appellate Judge Andrew Gould, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, said the five were all supervisors. What that means, he said, is they were "at-will'' employees who, under state law, could be fired for no reason at all.

The appellate judges also rebuffed Woods' request that they ignore that law and rule that, as a matter of public policy, it was wrong of the state to fire them simply to provide "official political cover'' for the policy that resulted in bad publicity.

But they reserved for another day  and another case  whether the law declaring all employment relationships to be severable "at will'' is unconstitutional.

Woods represents five upper-level managers who were let go: Deborah Harper, Tracey Everitt, Janet Sabol, Michelle Parker and Jana Leineweber. Woods said Tuesday he is weighing whether to seek Supreme Court review.

The case has its roots in the finding in late 2013 that almost one of every 12 child-abuse complaints reported to Child Protective Services that year was not investigated. Clarence Carter, whose Department of Economic Security at the time had purview over CPS, said his top investigator had found there had been an unofficial policy at the agency of marking certain complaints as "not investigated'' even before any further inquiry was done.

Carter said the process started as a way to prioritize cases to deal with limited resources. But he said it had accelerated to a point where nearly half of those 6,000 cases designated "NI'' since 2009 occurred in 2013 despite state law that there be at least some investigation of every complaint that meets certain criteria.

An inquiry by the Department of Public Safety concluded the five were part of a special team charged with handling the backlog of CPS complaints. More to the point, Charles Flanagan, head of the newly created Division of Child Safety and Family Services, said they were instrumental in crafting the policy that resulted in ignoring the laws on mandatory investigation.

Flanagan said, though, the DPS report showed no evidence of malicious intent.

"It appears what they were trying to do is take some of the workload off the field,'' he said, with abuse and neglect complaints coming in faster than caseworkers could handle them. And Flanagan said all that was complicated by cuts in the CPS budget.

The five, who had been put on leave, were subsequently fired.

Woods, in filing suit in 2014, said the report which led to their termination was essentially a pre-determined fix.

"The conclusion was reached before the investigation was done,'' he said of the DPS inquiry. He said once it became clear that many complaints had been marked as not investigated, a decision was made that someone had to be blamed.

"I think there's a really good chance that a decision was made somewhere up the chain that some heads had to roll and that was the way this thing was going to end,'' Woods said.

But the appellate judges said the only thing that matters is what Arizona law says about the rights of workers.

Gould, just appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey to the Arizona Supreme Court, said employees are considered to be "at will'' and can be fired at any time unless there is an actual contract to the contrary. That's not at issue here.

There are exceptions, he said, like when a firing runs afoul of public policy as set forth in statute. And Gould said people who are fired for refusing to violate a state law also have legal remedies.

But the judge rejected the claim by the fired workers that it is contrary to public policy to fire them because they were competently performing their jobs. He said all were supervisors who were not covered by state personnel rules then in effect.

The workers separately said they were directed by supervisors to use the "NI'' designation on files. And they said if they had disobeyed that direction they would have been guilty of the crime of knowingly failing to perform a duty "which is required by law.''

Gould was unimpressed.

"No law required CPS, plaintiffs or their supervisors to designated abuse and neglect reports as 'NI,' '' he wrote. "As a result, plaintiffs would not have violated (the law) by refusing to apply the 'NI' designation, because the supervisor's orders to use the 'NI' designation did not have the force of law.''

Woods did not dispute that conclusion. But he said the appellate judges should have determined that, as a matter of common law, it was wrong for the state to fire people who were basically doing what they were told to do.

He said much of the reason they were dismissed was because of the bad press over that "NI'' designation.

"It was nothing new,'' he said, and had been used off and on for a decade. And Woods insisted that the complaints were not just written off summarily but that they had been subject to a "triage'' screening, with the supervisors deciding that further inquiry by caseworkers was not appropriate.

But what stuck in the public mind, he said, was marking cases as "NI.''

"It read terrible in the newspaper,'' Woods said.

Also getting the ax in 2014 was Sharon Sergent who was their supervisor and who in turn reported to Carter, director of the Department of Economic Security. She never sued.

Flanagan said there was no evidence that Carter knew of the unofficial policy. He would not answer, though, whether he thought Carter should have been aware of what was going on at the agency.

The five, who had been put on leave, were subsequently fired.

Carter submitted his resignation to Gov. Doug Ducey shortly after he took office in January 2015. His resignation letter made no mention of the scandal.

A month later Ducey fired Flanagan, saying he wanted a change in the "broken'' child-welfare system.
Oregon Coast Science: New Whale Tech, Wave Energy Test Facility

Published 12/27/2016 at 5:53 PM PDT - Updated 12/27/2016 at 6:03 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Newport, Oregon)  A lot of new and eye-opening developments are coming out of the Hatfield Marine Science Center and its parent institution, Oregon State University (OSU). Announcements this week include a massive wave energy test facility that will be built off the central Oregon coast and some new technology is providing engaging discoveries about whales. (Above: new whale tag tech, photo courtesy OSU).

This week, OSU's Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center was awarded up to $40 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, to create the worlds largest wave energy test facility off the central Oregon coast, near Newport. The Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS) is planned to be operational by 2020.

The offshore facility will test wave energy converters that harness the energy of ocean waves and turn it into electricity. Companies around the world are already anticipating construction of the new installation to test their own technologies in what is anticipated to be the most sophisticated and advanced of its kind.

Belinda Batten, the director of NNMREC and a professor in the OSU College of Engineering, said this kind of facility is complex and expensive. It has to continue working in extremely hostile conditions, including the kind of storm event that could only come around every 100 years. It will include four test berths connected to energy grids, all on the open water.

When it announced the award, the DOE noted that more than 50 percent of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of coastlines, offering America the potential to develop a domestic wave energy industry that could help provide reliable power to these coastal regions. This work in marine and hydrokinetic energy technology is expected to increase domestic manufacturing and thus create jobs in those industries as well as in the burgeoning wave energy industry itself.

The new cutting-edge facility already has the enthusiastic support from various Oregon political figures, including Gov. Kate Brown, Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici.

Scientists from the Oregon coast are using new and very cutting-edge technology to study whales  a type of tag that can record data for weeks and provide deeper insights into whale behavior. Researchers from OSU and its coastal facility the Hatfield Marine Science Center (in Newport) are touting its use in a new study on the Advanced Dive Behavior, or ADB tag, which is able to track whales at deeper depths than before and over thousands of miles of travel.

The tag can hold fast to the creature as long as seven weeks, eventually detaching from the whale, at which point researchers retrieve it.

Among those utilizing the device is Bruce Mate, professor and director of OSUs Marine Mammal Institute in the College of Agricultural Sciences, headquartered at Newport's Hatfield. Among the new discoveries are:

Sperm whales are diving all the way to the sea floor, more than 1000 meters deep, and being submerged for up to 75 minutes. It showed baleen whales lunging after their food. It also provided some better understand of whales' reactions to undersea noises such as sonar or seismic exploration.

The ABD is even giving some new insight into water temperature changes and climate change.

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Police say a man dissolved his 26-year-old Tinder date in acid after she didn't have sex with him, according to multiple reports.

According to Attorney General Carlos Zamarripa Aguirre, Emmanuel Delani Valdez Bocangegra, 26, was arrested in Mexico City after human bones were discovered in garbage bags beside caustic soda and hydrochloric acid on his apartment balcony, a local news outlet reports.
The Boy Scouts of America Three Rivers Council will donate more than $3,000 to the Officer Bryan Hebert Memorial Scholarship Foundation at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday as the BSA office, 4650 W. Cardinal Drive.

Eagle Scout Harris McGrade will make the presentation to the foundation.
A Port Arthur police officer's soon to be ex-wife and her boyfriend were arrested Monday in connection with a Thursday night stabbing that sent the officer to the hospital, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

Officer Jerry Daws, a nine-year veteran of the Port Arthur Police Department, was off-duty at his apartment, 2555 95th Street, the night of the incident. The affidavit said Joal Riley, wielding a large hunting knife, sliced at Daws' arm several times.
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Famed Houston rapper Paul Wall and several others have been accused of working together to profit from "weed parties" by selling large amounts of THC.

Wall, whose legal name is Paul Michael Slayton, appeared Tuesday in a Harris County courtroom on charges of organized crime, accused of working with three other men to sell Tetrahydrocannabinol, the waxy extract from marijuana.

Slayton told the judge he likely would test positive for marijuana, marijuana oil, codeine, hydrocodone, the muscle relaxer Soma and Ativan, which is similar to Xanax.

Slayton was arrested last week with nine other people at a "smoke session" at a Heights-area smoke shop. On Tuesday, he was given his legal warnings by state District Judge Denise Bradley, who outlined conditions of his bond, which include refraining from using drugs or alcohol.

Slayton, 35, and three others were charged with felony intent to distribute between 4 and 400 grams of the controlled substance, THC.

It was a charge vehemently denied by Slayton's attorney.

"Everything they think they know is just not there," said Jolanda Jones, after the hearing. In court, she said Slayton has a back problem and may have prescriptions for several of the drugs.

Slayton, who was escorted out of the courtroom through a crush of reporters by several supporters, declined comment.

Prosecutors said Houston police, who have been monitoring social media for illegal behavior, were watching the Facebook and Instagram accounts for Slayton and several others since the summer months.

They said two undercover police officers infiltrated a party at a smoke shop in the Heights to collect evidence and document illegal behavior. To get in, they each paid $10 cover, prosecutors said.

After police broke up the party and arrested the people they believe are the organizers Thursday night, police found a laundry list of illegal drugs including marijuana, THC, codeine (which is often mixed in soda), the prescription drug OxyContin, a powerful pain medication.

Also arrested on the same charge was fellow rapper Ronald Ray Bryant, known as Baby Bash, who declined to comment as he left the court.

"My client hasn't committed any crime that's been charged against him," said his attorney, Carl Moore. "And we plan to fight this vigorously."

Supporters of the two rappers have said the gathering, with a reported 150 people, was supposed to be a private party for the cannabis community. Slayton apparently spent the earlier part of the day collecting gifts for a holiday toy drive, according to his Instagram page.

After the arrest, Bryant tweeted a message to his followers stating, "Got caught up with a lil Weed yall.. no biggie. Lol #cannabiscommunity."

Both rappers are free on $20,000 bail. The other people are also free on bail and also have to abstain from drugs and alcohol while their cases are pending.
When the ball drops on midnight and 2017 arrives, these four administrators have their sights set on specific goals as they kick off the New Year.

Bruce Kupper, President and CEO of Medarva Healthcare (Richmond, Va.): My New Years Resolution is to find more creative ways to collaborate in healthcare, and, of course, world peace.

Keith Smith, Administrator of Surgery Center of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City): Our New Years Resolution is to continue to recruit as many physicians and facilities to the wisdom of free market medical care delivery models as possible, including any full service hospitals that wish to jettison their price-gouging ways.



Dennis Gyor, Administrator of Knightsbridge Surgery Center (Columbus, Ohio): My New Year's resolutions including meeting all of my 2017 goals, making the Knightsbridge Surgery Center number one in reputation throughout the Columbus, Ohio area and providing future job security for all managers and employees.

Judy Harless, Administrator of University Ambulatory Surgery Center, San Diego: My resolution is to resolve to be devastated when Game of Thrones concludes.
Controversy surrounded many of the top criminal justice stories of 2016.

Three civilians were killed in officer-involved shootings in the Flagstaff area this year. The first was in May, when Coconino County Sheriffs Office deputies shot and killed an armed, suicidal man named Mark Nelson, 31, following a two-hour standoff in Doney Park.

Just two days later, Flagstaff Police Department and Northern Arizona University Police Department officers fatally shot Verl Bedonie, 25, of Kaibeto in the Plaza Vieja neighborhood. Bedonie had attempted to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint and pointed a gun at police officers just prior to his death.

In July, an FPD officer fatally shot Donald S. Myers, 32, after he pulled out a gun and ran away from two other police officers who were trying to arrest him on a warrant outside a Flagstaff motel. The officer who shot Myers in a nearby neighborhood said the man appeared to be reaching for the gun in his waistband. Police later learned Myers had already dropped the gun while he was fleeing.

Deputy Sheriff Jim Driscoll won the November election to become the next sheriff of Coconino County. He will succeed Sheriff Bill Pribil, who is retiring after 12 years in office. Voters also elected Bill Ring to be the next Coconino County attorney during the August Democratic primary.

More than 25 Flagstaff-area residents wanted in connection with a statewide crime ring were arrested on felony charges in a multi-agency sting dubbed Operation Nightfall in October. Law enforcement officers conducted 38 arrests and executed search warrants in Flagstaff, Glendale, Winslow and Page in a single night. It is believed to be the largest single arrest operation ever conducted in Flagstaff.

Controversy erupted over a Facebook Live video that showed a Flagstaff police officer punching a local woman in the face. The officer believed there was a warrant for the womans arrest but later discovered it had already been served. The officer is on administrative leave with pay pending the results of an investigation.

A Coconino County Superior Court Judge sentenced Susan Joy Jacobson, 44, to natural life in prison without the possibility of parole this October after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder for shooting her common-law husband, 54-year-old Marvin Neal James, in their Doney Park home in February 2015.

In August, a tourist on his way to the Grand Canyon put the Arizona Department of Safety in the spotlight after he wrote on Facebook that a highway trooper had pointed a gun at him and his 7-year-old daughter during a traffic stop in Williams. According to DPS, the rental car company had reported the vehicles front license plate stolen at an earlier date but never replaced the back plate, so the trooper thought the man was driving a stolen car.

A Coconino County Superior Court judge sentenced former Sunnyside resident George Azar, 56, to more than 22 years in prison in February. A jury had convicted Azar of second-degree murder and other crimes in the April 2014 shooting death of 38-year-old Larry Hernandez.

In October, the Cold Case Unit at the Coconino County Sheriffs Office solved a 22-year-old missing person case from Flagstaff by finally identifying a John Doe pedestrian struck and killed by a car about 2 miles north of Winslow. Brian Nez, a 19-year-old Native American man from Flagstaff, was last seen by his family July 11, 1994.
The Federal Trade Commission approved Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories' proposed acquisition of Little Canada, Minn.-based St. Jude Medical for $25 billion.

Here's what you should know.

1. Abbott will divest two medical devices business used in cardiovascular work to gain FTC approval.

2. The FTC argued the two businesses would've harmed competition in United States markets for vascular closure devices.

3. Tokyo-based Terumo Corp. is acquiring St. Jude Medical's and Abbott's vascular closure device businesses. Terumo has dealt in a similar business in the U.S. for more than 30 years.

4. The FTC is requiring Abbott to notify the commission if it intends to acquire Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics' lesion-assessing ablation catheter business. If it does, the FTC believes Abbott would have a monopoly in the arena.
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems acquired an 80 percent ownership interest in a joint venture entity with Indianapolis-based IU Health in March, which included essentially all of the assets of 227-bed IU Health La Porte (Ind.) Hospital and 50-bed IU Health Stark Hospital in Knox, Ind. Now, LaPorte County officials are concerned about CHS' finances, according to The Northwest Indiana Times.

In November, LaPorte County commissioners asked CHS to publicly disclose the terms of the IU Health transaction. They specifically wanted to know if IU Health could buy back the majority stake in La Porte Hospital that CHS purchased earlier this year.

In a Dec. 12 letter to the county commissioners, Joyanna Kleinmaier, chairman of the board for La Porte Health System, which includes La Porte Hospital, an outpatient surgery center and a multispecialty medical group, said IU Health would have the first right to purchase back La Porte Hospital if CHS decided to sell the facility. However, she gave no indication in her letter that CHS intended to do so, according to the report.

"We value our relationship with the good people of LaPorte County and its elected leadership," Ms. Kleinmaier wrote in the letter, according to the report. "We look forward to continuing that relationship and creating a caring and healing environment that provides the highest quality of care possible."

Shaw Friedman, LaPorte County attorney, told The Northwest Indiana Times he was not satisfied with the response, as there is still a lot of uncertainty around the CHS-IU Health transaction. "This was a start but I think communication needs to continue," he said. "Hopefully, there will be a continued effort made by members of the community to press for answers from CHS."

More articles on healthcare finance:

UMass Memorial points to Epic implementation for drop in operating income

How CHS, Tenet, UHS, LifePoint and HCA fared financially in 2016

Iowa hospital files for bankruptcy
Springfield, Mo.-based CoxHealth has expanded DirectConnect, its telemedicine program, across the state, the News-Leader reports.

The nonprofit health system is now offering its telemedicine program for a flat fee of $49 per visit, even to uninsured residents of Missouri, according to the report. Costs may be lower for patients with insurance.

Through DirectConnect, patients are able to consult a provider through a live, confidential video chat on their computer or mobile device. CoxHealth is offering consultations on basic illnesses and injuries such as strep throat, minor burns and pink eye, according to its website.

Read more here.

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New Hampshire psychiatric patient accused of breach affecting 15k

$15k in electronic, computer items stolen from Pennsylvania outpatient hospital

How to protect your organization from the biggest cybersecurity threats of 2017
A former patient at New Hampshire Hospital, a state psychiatric facility in Concord, used a hospital library computer in October 2015 to access information on up to 15,000 people who received services from the state health department. Hospital security staff found the confidential information posted on social media more than a year later.

State officials said the information  including names, addresses, Medicaid identification numbers and Social Security numbers  was removed within 24 hours of its discovery, according to a New Hampshire Union Leader report. State officials believe the personal information was posted only once, on Nov. 4, 2016.

Information pertained to clients of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services who received state services before November 2015, including welfare, Medicaid and child protective services.

State HHS Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers said a criminal investigation is underway. Officials declined comment to the New Hampshire Union Leader on why a criminal arrest has not yet been made.

Although Mr. Meyers said there is no evidence of misuse of the exposed information, he encouraged at-risk individuals  those who received DHHS services prior to November 2015  to take steps to monitor their credit and bank statements.
It often seems like news of tragedies, scandals and strife account for the majority of major headlines. But 2016 contained plenty of positive and inspiring stories too.

Here, Becker's Hospital Review pulled some of our favorite feel-good stories from the year. In some way or another, these stories brought our attention to human decency, generosity, perseverance, progress and gratitude. Some made national headlines while others were local in scale. They are presented in no particular order.

1. Former La Rabida Children's Hospital patient donates first paycheck, toys to current patients

After starting a job at his father's automobile repair business during the holidays, Lawrence Clark Jr. on Dec. 20 donated $500  all of the earnings from his first paycheck  along with two bags of toys to the patients of La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago. Mr. Clark, 20, who has cerebral palsy, received care at the hospital on an inpatient and outpatient basis for most of his childhood.

2. Why 2016 was a good year for humanity: 38 gains in health and well-being

News headlines and the general media are saturated with heartbreaking stories of death, disease, war and crime. When reflecting on the past year in news, it's easy to think 2016 brought more conflict than progress. But this mindset overlooks the many beautiful and inspiring things that have happened in the past year. Here are 38 positive stories and events from 2016 related to healthcare, charitable giving and overall well-being.

3. Michael Dowling: Giving thanks to family, friends and for the privilege of working in healthcare

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Michael Dowling, president and CEO of New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, writes about the importance of expressing authentic gratitude and acknowledging the privilege that is working in healthcare  despite the many frustrations and stress that often characterize the industry.

4. 11 largest gifts from individuals to healthcare organizations in 2016

Here are the top 11 gifts, pledges and bequests from individuals to hospitals or health organizations within the past year and the causes they will go toward.

5. This mother and son are attending the same medical school at the same time

Terresa Miller, a 46-year-old mother of three, always dreamed of becoming a physician. However, she didn't want to attend medical school while raising children. Now that her kids are grown, Ms. Miller took the plunge and enrolled at Tulsa-based Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences with a focus in pediatrics. Among her younger classmates is her son, 23-year-old Cody.

6. Last medical school to use live animals for training quits the practice

For years, the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga had been a holdout. Although every other medical school has stopped using animals to teach students, it hadn't  until July, reports The Washington Post.

7. Why this physician still loves medicine after 68 years of practice

Ninety-year-old Walter Lawrence Jr., MD, who went to medical school during World War II, has a message to potential medical school applicants: medicine is worth it, despite fears of burnout, administrative burden and a constantly changing industry.

8. Legally blind man prepares to graduate from medical school

Like his classmates at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Jeffrey Gazzara has overcome various challenges on his journey to his upcoming graduation. But he overcame one challenge that his classmates haven't: retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disorder that left him legally blind.

9. Why this patient tattooed a hospital's slogan and physician's initials on his chest

Because 56-year-old Brian Andrianos has heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure, he's more than used to being in Syracuse, N.Y.-based Crouse Hospital's emergency room, according to Syracuse.com. When his physician of 25 years, Mark Erlebacher, MD, jokingly suggested he get a hospital-related tattoo because of his frequent visits, Mr. Andrianos took his words to heart and did just that.

10. Kids collect donations for patients at Children's Mercy Hospital

"We want [the patients] to feel OK and safe because sometimes they're scared." With these words, 7-year-old Kenzie Segreto describes her inspiration for collecting books and stuffed animals for patients at Kansas City, Mo.-based Children's Mercy Hospital.

11. Dreamgirls cast performs for VCU Medical Center patients

Desiree Roots is a cast member in Dreamgirls, which ran at Richmond-based Virginia Repertory Theatre in August. On Aug. 3, she made a longtime friend's dreams come true.

12. The story behind the viral photo of a dad asleep under his son's hospital crib

A father was photographed sleeping under his 1-year-old son's hospital crib after he worked the overnight shift at a nearby container company from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The photo, which Mr. Palmer's wife Amy posted on Facebook July 5, gained more than 10,000 likes.

13. Maimonides physicians play music at cancer survivor celebration

Hundreds of local survivors who have battled cancer at Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Maimonides Medical Center were recognized during the hospital's cancer survivors day celebration. Patrick Borgen, MD, a physician and chairman of the department of surgery and head of MaimonidesBreastCenter, entertained with his band, Mazel Tov Cocktail  comprised of other physicians and survivors.

14. Physician donates kidney to save her patient's son

Ester Kwok, MD  a Stanford (Calif.) Medicine affiliated physician through University HealthCare Alliance at Kwok Pediatrics and Internal Medicine  didn't believe in organ donation due to her cultural and religious convictions. But after learning her patient's son and one of her staff members needed new kidneys, she reconsidered and joined the National Kidney Registry.

15. Why Harvard and a Hong Kong oyster sauce company want healthcare to focus on happiness

Known for their international Chinese-style sauce and condiment business, the Lee Kum Kee family donated $21 million to the Boston-based Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to establish a center for happiness research. The center, called the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, is dedicated to finding the psychological, social and emotional strengths that protect against disease. It opened in April.

16. Orlando hospitals waive medical bills for victims of Pulse nightclub shooting

On June 12, a gunman entered Pulse, an Orlando, Fla.-based LGBT nightclub, and shot 49 dead and left 53 injured. Orlando Health's Orlando Regional Medical Center treated 44 of the victims and Florida Hospital treated 12. Neither hospital billed survivors of the shooting for out-of-pocket medical costs, sparing them a combined $5.5 million.

17. Chris Van Gorder runs a $3B health system  and he'll never miss your email

When it comes down to it, superior leaders are experts at connecting with and inspiring people. Integral to this is the ability to communicate effectively and meaningfully  to show that beyond disseminating information, the leader is genuinely interested in hearing from his or her employees. That's why Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health, pledges to always respond to all emails in a timely fashion.

18. John Oliver forgives $15M in medical debt

On his HBO program in June, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver demonstrated how easy it is to get into the debt buying business and gain access to the personal information of thousands of people. After spending $50 in April to incorporate a debt acquisition company in Mississippi, Mr. Oliver's company was offered nearly $15 million in medical debt from Texas for about $60,000. Instead of trying to collect from the 9,000 affected people, Mr. Oliver forgave the old bills, thereby making the largest one-time giveaway in television history.
The Ohio Hospital Association and several other healthcare trade groups have filed a lawsuit against the state of Ohio to block a new healthcare price transparency law, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Under the law, championed by Rep. Jim Butler (R-Oakwood), hospitals would be required to provide several price estimates to patients before rendering nonemergency care, including estimates of how much their insurer will be billed, how much their insurers will pay and how much the patient's out-of-pocket costs will be, according to the report.

Opponents of the law argue it will lead to delays in patient care, as patients may have to wait hours or days for the estimates before they would be able to receive any treatment a physician orders.

Rep. Butler argues the law will reduce Medicaid spending by causing patients to be more cost conscious when deciding where to receive medical care, according to the report.

The price disclosure law was slated to take effect Jan. 1. However, Williams County Common Pleas Court Judge J.T. Stelzer issued a 30-day restraining order last week, which temporarily halted the law. The judge scheduled a hearing in the case for Jan. 20.

More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits:

5 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements

Ousted CEO sues Broward Health

2 ex-pharmaceutical executives charged with price fixing generic drugs
Becker's Hospital Review has named the following organizations to the 2016 edition of its annual list of 100 hospitals and health systems with great women's health programs.

These hospitals offer award-winning care to women in a variety of specialties, including gynecology, obstetrics, women-focused heart care and women-focused cancer care.

To develop this list, the Becker's Hospital Review editorial team selected hospitals based on national rankings and awards received from several institutions, including U.S. News & World Report national and regional rankings for gynecology, CareChex rankings for women's healthcare, women's health Healthgrades awards, Women's Choice Award's Best Breast Centers list and Baby-Friendly designation from Baby-Friendly USA, the accrediting body for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in the U.S.

Note: Hospitals cannot pay for inclusion on this list. This list is not a ranking. Organizations are presented in alphabetical order.

Abbott Northwestern Hospital (Minneapolis). Part of Minneapolis-based Allina Health, Abbott Northwestern Hospital heralds a 125-year history of treating women with ailments spanning from gynecologic cancer to pelvic floor disorders. [READ MORE]

Advocate Christ Medical Center (Oak Lawn, Ill.). Operating under Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care, AdvocateChristMedicalCenter boasts a spectrum of comprehensive women's care programs and works in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago to treat gynecological cancer. [READ MORE]

Anne Arundel Medical Center (Annapolis, Md.). Fellowship-trained urogynecologists, nurse practitioners and physical therapists staff the Women's Center for Pelvic Health at AnneArundelMedicalCenter, focused on pelvic organ and floor conditions. [READ MORE]

Aspirus Wausau (Wis.) Hospital. The 325-bed AspirusWausauHospital is the flagship hospital of Wausau-based Aspirus network and houses a neonatal intensive care unit with a private care room model for critically ill babies. [READ MORE]

Aultman Hospital (Canton, Ohio). Physicians of Aultman's BreastCareCenter diagnose and treat almost 250 breast cancer cases annually. [READ MORE]

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Avera McKennan, the flagship hospital of Sioux Falls-based Avera Health, treats women-specific conditions including fertility issues, gynecological cancer and breast cancer. [READ MORE]

Banner Desert Medical Center (Mesa, Ariz.). Gynecological care at BannerDesertMedicalCenter includes procedures for permanent birth control, urinary incontinence, infertility and cancers. [READ MORE]

Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville (Fla.). U.S. News & World Report named BaptistMedicalCenter among the top 50 hospitals in the U.S. for gynecology for 2016-17. [READ MORE]

Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University (St. Louis). Women receive a full line of medical services at the Washington University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, one of the largest OB-GYN centers in the Midwest. [READ MORE]

Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas). Baylor Scott & White Health was created in 2013 through the merger of Baylor Health Care System and Scott & White Healthcare. [READ MORE]

Bayshore Medical Center (Pasadena, Texas). Certified nurse midwives at the Women's CareCenter at BayshoreMedicalCenter began providing gynecological care at the center in 2007. [READ MORE]

Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak (Mich.). A part of Beaumont Health System, BeaumontHospital was named to Women's Choice Award's best breast centers for 2016. [READ MORE]

Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston). Brigham and Women's Hospital  a teaching hospital for Boston-based HarvardMedicalSchool  has served women's health needs for more than 180 years. [READ MORE]

Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy (Charlotte, N.C.). Physicians at the Women's Center for Pelvic Health at Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy  part of Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare System  treat conditions including urinary incontinence, pelvic floor disorders and vulvar-vaginal disorders. [READ MORE]

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ranked No. 15 on U.S. News & World Report'stop 50 hospitals in the nation for gynecology for 2016-17. [READ MORE]

The Christ Hospital (Cincinnati). The ChristHospitalBirthing Center opened more than 120 years ago and Women's Choice Award has named The Christ Hospital a best hospital for patient experience in obstetrics for the past three years. [READ MORE]

Cleveland Clinic. The OB-GYN & Women's Health Institute at the hospital houses centers spanning conditions like menstrual disorders, fertility issues and gynecologic infectious diseases. [READ MORE]

Duke University Hospital (Durham, N.C.). This 957-bed teaching hospital houses several programs designated for comprehensive women's healthcare, including family planning services, maternal-fetal medicine, minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and urogynecology. [READ MORE]

Emory University Hospital (Atlanta). Emory's gynecologic oncologists are members of its Winship Cancer Institute  the first and only National Cancer Institute-recognized cancer center in Georgia. [READ MORE]

Englewood (N.J.) Hospital and Medical Center. CareChex ranked EnglewoodHospital and MedicalCenter among its top 25 hospitals in the nation and No. 1 in New Jersey for women's health for 2017.[READ MORE]

Flagler Hospital (St. Augustine, Fla.). The Breast Health program at FlaglerHospital earned National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers recognition from the AmericanCollege of Surgeons for its patient-centered and comprehensive breast care. [READ MORE]

Florida Hospital Orlando. A part of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital Orlando opened the 12-story, 410-bed FloridaHospital for Women this year with specialty care including maternal-fetal medicine, cardiology and pelvic health. [READ MORE]

Flushing (N.Y.) Hospital Medical Center. Clinicians at FlushingHospital delivered more than 2,800 babies last year, offering amenities to improve the birthing experience like rooming-in for mothers who want their baby by their bedside and boarding for fathers. [READ MORE]

Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati). A part of Cincinnati-based TriHealth, the 650-bed GoodSamaritanHospital is the oldest and biggest private teaching and specialty healthcare center in Cincinnati and houses the Good Samaritan Hospital Breast Center, a Breast Center of Excellence, as recognized by the AmericanCollege of Radiology. [READ MORE]

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center (West Islip, N.Y.). CareChex ranked GoodSamaritanHospital  part of Rockville Centre, N.Y.-based Catholic Health Services of Long Island  the No. 1 hospital in New York state for women's health for 2017. [READ MORE]

Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center (Davenport, Fla.). The Center for Women's Health at Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center is approximately 31,000 square feet and housed on the entire fifth floor of the hospital. [READ MORE]

Hialeah (Fla.) Hospital. The Women's HealthCenter at HialeahHospital includes a Level II NICU and its physicians provide care for conditions like menopause care, bone density issues and breast cancer. [READ MORE]

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). Part of Penn Medicine, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's obstetricians deliver more than 5,000 babies annually, and the hospital touts Baby-Friendly designation from Baby-Friendly USA. [READ MORE]

Huntington Memorial Hospital (Pasadena, Calif.). U.S. News & World Report ranked HuntingtonMemorialHospital among the nation's top 50 hospitals for gynecology for 2016-17, and CareChex named the hospital among the top 10 in the nation for women's health for 2017. [READ MORE]

Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, Va.). The Inova Women's Hospital at InovaFairfaxHospital houses one of the largest obstetrics programs in the Washington, D.C., metro area. [READ MORE]

Jersey Shore University Medical Center (Neptune, N.J.). The 646-bed hospital specializes in advanced women's healthcare, earning a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for BreastCenters and Baby-Friendly designation from Baby-Friendly USA. [READ MORE]

John Muir Medical Center (Walnut Creek, Calif.).JohnMuirMedicalCenter is one of four institutions in the nation that the National Consortium of Breast Cancers recognizes as a Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence. [READ MORE]

The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). The JohnsHopkinsHospital established its department of gynecology and obstetrics in 1889, and today houses the Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service in partnership with Johns Hopkins' SidneyKimmelComprehensiveCancerCenter to treat ovarian and uterine cancers. [READ MORE]

Las Palmas Medical Center (El Paso, Texas). The 327-bed Las PalmasMedicalCenter, part of El Paso-based Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, houses a NICU and programs for breast care. [READ MORE]

Long Island Jewish Medical Center (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). The Katz Women's Hospital at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center  part of Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health  includes several specialized women's services. [READ MORE]

Lutheran Medical Center (Wheat Ridge, Colo). Patients at LutheranMedicalCenter have access to a host of specialized services and facilities, including private labor and birthing suites, as well as the medical center's comprehensive cancer center. [READ MORE]

Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC (Pittsburgh). Magee-Women's Hospital of UPMC combines a wealth of specialty services, including centers for bladder and pelvic health and fertility and reproductive endocrinology, with a traditional focus on gynecologic and obstetric services. [READ MORE]

Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston). The Women's Health Associates provider team at Massachusetts GeneralHospital provides comprehensive primary care, routine gynecologic care and behavioral health services. [READ MORE]

Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). Clinicians at each of Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Minnesota and Florida offer care for women with specific health concerns, including breast and gynecological cancers, heart disease, infertility and sexual health. [READ MORE]

MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center (Baltimore). MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center provides female patients with access to services such as a nurse navigator, educational classes and a hospitalwide breastfeeding initiative. [READ MORE]

Medical City Dallas Hospital (Dallas).MedicalCityDallasHospital offers a complete range of services to accommodate the medical needs of women, including gynecological and breast cancer treatment, family planning and menopause management. [READ MORE]

Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center (Charleston). The MUSCHollingsCancerCenter program contains a staff of male and female gynecologic oncologists, ovarian cancer specialists, radiation oncologists and gynecologic pathologists. [READ MORE]

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (Houston).MemorialHermann-TexasMedicalCenter offers a comprehensive array of gynecological, obstetric, urologic and neonatal services to female patients. [READ MORE]

Memorial Hospital West (Pembroke Pines, Fla.).MemorialHospital West offers female patients breast imaging, lactation services, bone density testing and education classes. [READ MORE]

Memorial Mission Hospital (Asheville, N.C.).MemorialMissionHospital has received a Baby-Friendly designation from Baby-Friendly USA and was named one of the top facilities in the state for women's health in 2017 by CareChex. [READ MORE]

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York). Multidisciplinary disease management teams provide comprehensive breast cancer care to patients at the hospital's Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center. [READ MORE]

Mercy Hospital St. Louis. Clinicians at Mercy Hospital St. Louis' birthing center deliver more than 8,500 babies each year. [READ MORE]

Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center.MorristownMedicalCenter's 56-bed maternity center offers expectant mothers exceptional care before, during and after delivery. [READ MORE]

Munroe Regional Medical Center (Ocala, Fla.).MunroeRegionalMedicalCenter offers a broad range of women's health services, including childbirth education, lactation classes and a newborn nursery. [READ MORE]

NewYork-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. NewYork-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell offers general gynecological care, reproductive assistance and services for high-risk pregnancies. [READ MORE]

Northwest Medical Center (Margate, Fla.). The medical center maintains resources counseling services for women, pregnancy testing, obstetric and gynecological care and prenatal and postpartum care. [READ MORE]

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago). NorthwesternMemorialHospital's gynecologic cancer team consists of oncologists, surgeons, advanced practice nurses and a comprehensive support team exclusively focused on treating female cancers. [READ MORE]

Orlando (Fla.) Regional Medical Center. Providers at the UF Health Cancer Center  Orlando Health specialize in treating several types of breast cancer, including ductal and lobular carcinoma. [READ MORE]

Plantation (Fla.) General Hospital. The hospital's maternity center features an in-house neonatology physician and an in-house obstetric anesthesia physician available 24 hours per day. [READ MORE]

Providence Healthcare Network (Waco, Texas). The Providence Healthcare Network boasts three separate facilities in Waco, Texas, dedicated to women's health: the ProvidenceWomen & NewbornsCenter, the ProvidenceBreastHealthCenter and the WacoCenter for Women's Health. [READ MORE]

Providence Portland (Ore.) Medical Center. The Providence Portland Medical Center offers a variety of services and programs to its female patients, including newborn care, a NICU, a breast cancer center and health and wellness classes. [READ MORE]

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank, Calif.).Providence SaintJosephMedicalCenter contains a Level III NICU where clinicians use advanced equipment and strategies of care to diagnose and treat critically ill newborns. [READ MORE]

Queen's Medical Center (Honolulu). Queen's MedicalCenter's women's health center offers a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services, including digital mammography and stereotactic biopsy. [READ MORE]

RWJBarnabas Health-Monmouth Medical Center (Long Branch, N.J). Since opening in December 2014, The Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center has achieved status as a certified quality breast center of excellence, the highest certification level offered by the National Quality Measures for BreastCenter. [READ MORE]

Richmond University Medical Center (Staten Island, N.Y.). Clinicians at RichmondUniversityMedicalCenter's birthing center deliver about 3,000 babies every year. [READ MORE]

Riverside Methodist Hospital (Columbus, Ohio).RiversideMethodistHospital features a Breast Cancer Second Opinion Clinic where a multispecialty team of clinical experts examines patients and conducts extensive case reviews before providing final treatment recommendations. [READ MORE]

Rush University Medical Center (Chicago).RushUniversityMedicalCenter is home to the first women's heart program in Chicago. [READ MORE]

Saint Anthony Hospital (Chicago). The MaternityCenter at Saint Anthony's Hospital offers labor and delivery rooms to promote patient and newborn safety. [READ MORE]

Salem (Ore.) Hospital.SalemHospital hosts a number of programs and services dedicated to providing high-quality, cost-effective care to women. [READ MORE]

Scripps La Jolla (Calif.) Hospitals and Clinics. Scripps La Jolla Hospitals and Clinics  which comprises Scripps Green Hospital and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla  ranked No. 21 among the top 50 best gynecology programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2016-17. [READ MORE]

Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego). Clinicians at SharpMemorialHospital's BreastHealthCenter focus on the prevention, early detection and advanced treatment of all breast conditions. [READ MORE]

Silver Cross Hospital (New Lenox, Ill.). Silver Cross Hospital's birthing center contains 12 birthing suites designed for labor, delivery and recovery, along with 30 private mother-baby suites. [READ MORE]

South Nassau Communities Hospital (Oceanside, N.Y.). SouthNassauCommunitiesHospital contains the Center for New Beginnings, which provides comprehensive maternity services for women, including care for advanced high-risk pregnancies. [READ MORE]

Southside Hospital (Bay Shore, N.Y.). SouthsideHospital, part of Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, contains a women's health center of excellence, offering extensive obstetrics and gynecological services for women. [READ MORE]

St. David's Medical Center (Austin, Texas). The hospital offers a Level III NICU, and a neonatal transport team and maternal transport team on call 24/7 for safe transfers when necessary. [READ MORE]

St. John's Riverside Hospital (Yonkers, N.Y.). The maternity department at St. John'sRiversideHospital contains newly updated private post-partum birthing suites, along with a Level II NICU. [READ MORE]

St. Luke's Hospital (Kansas City, Mo.). St. Luke's opened the Muriel I. Kauffman Women's HeartCenter in 1994 as the first center in the country to focus solely on women's heart health. [READ MORE]

Stanford (Calif.) Health Care-Stanford Hospital. The Stanford Women's CancerCenter provides comprehensive care for women with breast and gynecologic cancers. [READ MORE]

Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth. The AmericanCollege of Radiology-accreditedDorisKupferleBreastCenter at Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth offers breast ultrasound, breast MRI, stereotactic breast biopsy and 3-D mammography for breast cancer diagnosis.[READ MORE]

UC San Diego Medical Center. Pregnant women at UC San Diego Medical Center can choose between two different healthcare settings: a holistic BirthCenter or a traditional labor and delivery unit. [READ MORE]

UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles). The IrisCantorCenter for Breast Imaging at UCLA provides state-of-the-art subsidized and regular mammography screenings.[READ MORE]

UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco).UCSFMedicalCenter offers extensive women's health services through more than 20 different specialized treatment centers, including its PrenatalDiagnosticCenter and ChronicPelvicPainCenter. [READ MORE]

UF Health Shands Hospital (Gainesville, Fla.). Women's health clinicians at UF Health Shands Hospital see more than 50,000 patients and deliver more than 3,000 babies every year.[READ MORE]

United Hospital (St. Paul, Minn.) United Hospital's Mother Baby Center offers various maternity services, including reproductive medicine, high-risk pregnancy care and neonatal care. [READ MORE]

University Hospital (San Antonio). UniversityHospital is one of four hospitals in Texas designated as a Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program. [READ MORE]

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. UH ClevelandMedicalCenter provides obstetrics and gynecology services at UH MacDonald Woman's Hospital, also in Cleveland. [READ MORE]

University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham. Physicians and neonatologists at the UAB Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. [READ MORE]

UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento). UC Davis Medical Center contains a 22,738-square-foot birthing center with large, private birthing suites where patients stay throughout the entire labor, delivery and recovery process. [READ MORE]

University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora). University of Colorado Hospital's Diane O'Connor Thompson Breast Center is the only multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic in Colorado, and it offers 3-D mammography. [READ MORE]

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Iowa City). University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is the first and only hospital in the U.S. to offer a multidisciplinary approach to treat patients with uterine fibroids. [READ MORE]

University of Kansas Hospital (Kansas City). Clinicians at the University of Kansas Hospital specialize in complex gynecological and reproductive healthcare, including advanced diagnostic and surgical procedures, high-risk pregnancies and adolescent obstetrical care. [READ MORE]

University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (Ann Arbor). The health system offers extensive services for women through the Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital, including breast care, treatment for gynecological cancers and pregnancy and childbirth services. [READ MORE]

University of North Carolina Hospitals (Chapel Hill). UNC Hospitals is the first and only health system in the country to maintain a freestanding inpatient care unit for women with postpartum depression or other perinatal mood disorders. [READ MORE]

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston). MD Anderson's Nellie B. Connally Breast Center is one of the largest in the nation, as clinicians there treat 40,000 patients every year. [READ MORE]

University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals (Galveston). Clinicians at the UTMB Breast Health and ImagingCenter hold bi-weekly multidisciplinary breast tumor conferences to evaluate newly diagnosed breast cancer patient cases and create an individualized treatment plan for each patient. [READ MORE]

University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle). UW Medical Center's team of reproductive care specialists, obstetrician-gynecologists, nurse midwives and maternal-fetal medicine specialists provide care for high-risk pregnancies. [READ MORE]

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (Madison). Clinicians at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics treat more than 600 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 3,000 survivors annually.[READ MORE]

Valley Baptist Health System-Brownsville, Harlingen (Texas). Valley Baptist Health System's breast center, located on both hospital campuses, offers 3-D mammography, breast ultrasounds and bone density testing.[READ MORE]

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.). Vanderbilt University Medical Center provides healthcare services for women at every stage of life and treatment for gynecologic cancers and pelvic disorders. [READ MORE]

Washington Hospital (Fremont, Calif.). WashingtonHospital offers various educational programs for its female patients, including birthing classes for pregnant women, a breast self-examination class and a series of class sessions for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. [READ MORE]

Western Pennsylvania Hospital (Pittsburgh). WestPennHospital contains a Level III NICU, a lactation center and a center for women's pelvic health. [READ MORE]

Wheaton Franciscan Saint Francis Campus (Milwaukee). Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare's SaintFrancisHospital earned the Labor and Delivery Excellence Award and the Gynecology Excellence Award from Healthgrades this year. [READ MORE]READ MORE]

Winthrop-University Hospital (Mineola, N.Y.).Winthrop-UniversityHospital offers comprehensive women's health services. [READ MORE]

Woman's Hospital (Baton Rouge, La.). Woman's Hospital is a 168-bed obstetrics and gynecology hospital. [READ MORE]

Yale New Haven Hospital (Conn.).YaleNew HavenHospital is a 1,541-bed hospital that offers comprehensive women's services to treat the specialized healthcare needs of female patients, including a Women's Heart Program, maternity services and the Gynecologic Cancers Program at SmilowCancerHospital. [READ MORE]
The Belfast Telegraph reveals that George Best Belfast City Airport is to be sold to 3i Infrastructure Fund by its owners of eight years, EISER, in a deal which also includes assets in Italy, Spain and England.

BELFAST Telegraph Business Awards take place, with Brian McConville, head of MJM Group, honoured as Businessperson of the Year. Henderson Group - the name behind the Spar franchise - is named Overall Business of the Year.

DELTA Air Lines places an order for Bombardier CSeries narrow passenger jets, a moment of hope in a pretty dismal year for the manufacturer. The Canadian-owned firm secured a deal to sell 75 of its CS100 aircraft to Delta, with the potential for another 50 orders. The deal is valued at nearly 4bn.

ACCOUNTS for Kilmona Investments, run by property developer Paddy Kearney, reveal he had 250m worth of debt written off by US vulture fund Cerberus.

Cerberus purchased debts from Mr Kearney's business group from Nama, as part of Northern Ireland's biggest ever loan sale, named Project Eagle.

WIREFOX pays close to the 5.75m asking price for Oxford and Gloucester House on Belfast's Chichester Street.

JOB losses at Bombardier and tobacco giant JTI Gallaher start to take effect. Around 300 workers leave the aerospace giant. JTI had announced the gradual closure of its Ballymena factory in 2014, with the site to shut completely by 2017.

DEPARTMENT store BHS goes into administration, one year after retail tycoon Sir Philip Green sold the chain for 1 to Dominic Chappell. Four stores in Northern Ireland employing nearly 200 people - at the Abbeycentre, in Lisburn and at Holywood Exchange and Castle Place in Belfast, are all affected.
Industry recognition: Claire with Caroline Brealey, who is one of the judges at the UK Dating Awards 2016

After a high-flying career in banking, mum-of-two Claire Hughes set up matchmaking service Soiree Society and says that interest in her services is proving remarkable.

Happily married mum of two and former bank manager Claire Hughes may seem an unlikely Cupid but her uncanny matchmaking skills have just won her UK-wide recognition.

Claire's bespoke dating company Soiree Society recently scooped Best Upcoming Matchmaker in the UK at the annual European and UK Dating Awards 2016 in the company of TV hit show First Dates which also picked up a top gong.

Soiree Society was the only Northern Ireland entrant to be recognised at the glittering London ceremony which is dubbed the Oscars of the dating industry and attracts competition from companies all over the UK.

Claire, from Castlecaulfield, had no plans to become a matchmaker but felt compelled to give it a go after discovering how difficult it was for singletons to find new partners.

She found that people over 40 in particular - and especially men - were uncomfortable trying to meet new people in bars and were disillusioned by online dating websites.

Claire takes a fresh approach to helping people find their soulmates.

Initially she set up her business as an events company for unattached men and women but realising that people needed extra help she set up her matchmaking service in April 2015.

Claire's clients are typically over the age of 30 and she has had many successful matches since she launched her venture - a success rate that was recognised at the dating awards.

She says: "I am absolutely over the moon to win such a prestigious award within our industry. Northern Ireland is such a small place and when I started my business I had a few raised eyebrows as to why a happily married person would want to get involved in the dating industry.

"I soon realised there was a real stigma here associated with dating, mostly due to the perception that dating agencies were synonymous with one night stands, false profiles, people purporting to be younger or slimmer than they really were and married men pretending they were single.

"I couldn't get over how people were reluctant to like our Facebook page in case people would see them liking it and think they were looking for a relationship.

"So I set out to build an ethical, professional and reputable service to meet the needs of those discerning clients who desire a highly customised and discreet dating service.

"Over the past 18 months, I have uncovered that there is such a demand in Northern Ireland for people wanting a genuine loving relationship."

Claire (57) is married to Derek (61), a paramedic, and has two children Andrea (32), a chartered accountant, and Paul (29), a musician who plays with the McPeake band and his own band Top Floor.

Most of her career was spent in banking and before leaving she was in charge of four branches and specialised in business lending.

She left to start her own consultancy as a business mentor for small companies working through Dungannon Enterprise Centre. Setting up her own matchmaking agency was never a consideration.

"I had no notion of it at all and it happened quite by chance," she says.

"I had a 35-year-old friend whose five year relationship had ended abruptly. She is a good-looking girl with a great career and was finding it hard to meet someone new and I couldn't understand why.

"She said she was too old for bars and felt her job was too high profile for online dating and her friends were all in relationships and going out in couples.

"I kept hearing this over and over again with other people and found that men in particular had little confidence. I also have many professional people on my books - teachers, solicitors, doctors - who felt the dating scene is tacky.

"Everywhere I went I was meeting people telling me the same stories - that they had no one to go out with and nowhere to go to meet a new partner.

"The more I came across it the more I realised there was an absolute demand for a new type of service to help people to meet new partners."

Claire began to conduct research and also found that many people who had come through the difficulties of separation, divorce or bereavement were completely daunted and outside their comfort zones with the modern dating process.

Her approach is confidential and tailor-made to each client to find the person who suits them best.

She describes it as a "bit like the work a recruitment company does to find the perfect candidate for a job vacancy".

"The only difference is that in this case the employer is our full paying member who wants us to help them fill a vacancy in their social lives," she says. "We personally interview each full paying member on our books and only take on people who we truly believe we can match. They have the assurance that anyone we introduce them to has also been interviewed and authenticated.

"We also fully understand the challenges that single people may face as life takes them into a fresh situation, out of comfort zones and often with a bit of reluctance, and that is why we guide and advise our clients each step of the way.

"A lot of our clients are simply time-poor, juggling demanding careers and/or family commitments with the search for love and companionship.

"While no one can guarantee love and chemistry, what we aim to do is take the stress out of finding a new partner and to make it more of a positive experience as we endeavour to find our clients the perfect match.

"A lot of it is down to my intuition and I have had a lot of success. It is a good feeling to help people find happiness, their success is my success and I share in that happiness.

"At the same time I am not a magician and I can't promise love and chemistry, I can only facilitate the meeting between two like-minded people.

"I've had clients say that it just felt good to have a reason to get dressed up again and go out and meet someone new and one elderly gentleman who said he put aftershave on for the first time in years.

"It is particularly hard for some people on their own at this time of the year as they can feel really lonely over the Christmas and New Year period when they have no partner to share it with."

Claire meets all of her potential clients for coffee so that she can carry out her own screening process as well as get a feel for the type of person they are and the type of partner they would like to meet.

There are a number of membership options available. "Pool clients" sign up for 100 and have their details put on her database in the hope that they will match a "paying client".

Paying clients have a choice of Gold membership which costs 795 and guarantees four introductions while Platinum membership at 1,395, comes with eight introductions. There is also a Diamond membership package where the fee is negotiated on an individual basis, and this service involves "headhunting specifically to meet a client's personal requirements".

Claire has turned down people for membership for a variety of reasons and ultimately because she feels she won't be able to find them a match.

She also insists "it is not a numbers game" and to provide the quality of service she wants she will restrict numbers to a manageable size.

She says: "I started with about 30 dates a week but found that was too much so I decided to keep it down and it now averages about 20 to 25 couples a week.

"It is about the quality of the service rather than how many people I have on my books. In my first 18 months I had 370 matches and my longest couple are dating 18 months now and I have many more in relationships.

"It means a lot when you get a text which I did recently from a couple saying they were in Portugal on the beach having the best time they ever had or the one I got last Christmas from a divorcee who said it was her best Christmas ever."

Claire has discovered that men are more reluctant than women to come forward.

Having worked mostly with men on a one-to-one basis through her job as a business advisor in the bank, she understands more than most about why that might be and she urges lonely men to get in touch.

She says: "Men do find the dating scene a lot more difficult than women as they find it more difficult to talk about their feelings.

"Yet the men who come on my books are usually very quickly successfully matched as I have so many lovely, genuine women looking for a real relationship.

"I really would encourage more men to get in touch with me as I may already have the partner they are looking for."

Commenting on Claire's success at the awards, Caroline Brealey, head judge said: "I'm delighted that Claire's hard work and success has been recognised by the UK Dating Awards.

"Claire has worked tirelessly to create Soiree Society which has been hugely successful in bringing people together.

"There are few people who have a genuine knack for personal matchmaking and Claire is one them - she has an eye for a great match and the determination to make sure her clients leave her happy and in love."

Caroline concluded: "Claire is flying the flag for Northern Ireland in the dating industry and long may it continue."
A Co Down man was remanded in custody today accused of assault and threats to kill offences.

Terence McManus was arrested by police over an alleged incident on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old, of Bridge Street in Downpatrick, appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court to face a total of five charges.

He is accused of assaulting a man and woman, and making threats to three people.

No details were disclosed about the alleged incidents.

A defence solicitor confirmed no bail application was being made at this stage.

McManus was instead remanded into custody until Friday, when he is expected to seek release from custody. ends
Bomb hoax

Flagstaff Police responded to a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax, Friday afternoon at the Walmart on Woodlands Village Blvd.

According to the police report, two Walmart employees told officers they heard a bomb threat transmission sent over the employee radio at about 3:45 p.m. Friday.

The transmission said in part,"Hey Walmart, you're all going to explode in 15 minutes," and used the store's code word for a bomb threat, according to the police report.

Records show the store's general manager made the decision to have employees and customers evacuate the store.

No bomb or explosive devices were found in the building, and according to the police report officers had no leads on who called in the bomb threat, but suspect it was an employee or ex-employee because the person in the radio transmission used the store's code for a bomb threat.

Park arson

Flagstaff police are investigating a fire at Bushmaster Park after a woman reported seeing "teenagers" lighting wood chips on fire near the playground last week, according to a police report.

Records show three areas on the playground had been damaged by fire, including a "Saw Fun" rocker with two benches damaged by fire.

Charged with DUI

 Flagstaff police arrested Gary Yazzie, 43, of Houck, AZ at 1:59 a.m Friday on suspicion of DUI.

 Flagstaff police arrested Ignacio C. Griego, 49, of Bellemont, AZ at at 11:28 p.m. Friday on suspicion of DUI.

City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
The historic Gobbins path may not reopen to tourists for another six months, it has emerged.

The spectacular Victorian cliffside walkway has already been closed over most of its first 18 months of operation since being reconstructed, because of the danger of rockfalls.

The path was first opened in 1902, but shut in 1954 after falling into a state of disrepair.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said it is hoping the attraction will be back on track in time for the summer.

A statement said the council "is working towards reopening The Gobbins prior to the peak visitor season in 2017. However, there is no date fixed for this at this point".

A group of 30 major tour operators have been shown the problem-hit pathway - even though it remains closed.

Instead, they were able to view the mile-long cliff walk from a boat.

Tourism Ireland invited the group of UK tour operators for a familiarisation visit to Northern Ireland.

The visit, organised by UKinbound, a trade association for inbound tour operators, was based in Galgorm Resort and Spa near Ballymena, and as well as The Gobbins, took in Belfast and the Causeway Coast.

David Boyce of Tourism Ireland's said: "We are delighted that these influential tour operators have taken the time to come to Northern Ireland to meet with our tourism industry partners and to experience for themselves what a great destination this is.

"The majority of our overseas visitors come from the core markets of Great Britain, North America and mainland Europe.

"And while this will continue, it is important that we expand our focus beyond these markets.

"We are looking to the long-term opportunities presented by new tourism markets, which we believe will play an increasing role in the future of the travel and tourism industry. It is therefore crucial that influential operators working in these markets get to experience Northern Ireland, and the high standard of our tourism offering at first-hand."

Mid and East Antrim Council has voiced its disappointment over the lengthy closure.

But it insists interest in the unique walkway continues to be high despite the current lack of access.

Mayor Audrey Wales said: "We remain extremely encouraged by the initial popularity of the attraction and in particular the high number of international visitors we welcomed during our first year of operation.

"Around 55% of people visiting came from overseas.

"The feedback on TripAdvisor and through our visitor centre was exceptional.

"And so we are very much looking forward to reopening during 2017."

A council statement to the Belfast Telegraph said the attraction had been on course to meet visitor target numbers.

"Our year one target was 37,500 visitors, and although only open for seven months of uninterrupted business, the attraction was set to exceed this target," it said.

Business was first disrupted between January and April of this year due to storm damage.

And then its reopening was shortlived when it was shut again on June 20 because of increased levels of rockfall on the cliffs.

Later in the year a full scaling of the cliff face by specialist geologists involved forcing any loose rocks and debris to fall, rather than waiting for them to dislodge naturally.

A report for the council said: "The path should not be opened to the public until remedial measures for the areas abutting the bridges have been put in place, as our focus remains the safety of the public."
Michaella McCollum, right, and Melissa Reid, left, were jailed in Peru last year after they admitted trying to smuggle cocaine worth 1.5 million pounds from Peru to Spain (AP)

Belfast solicitor Peter Madden said Michaella McCollum and co-accused Melissa Reid have been well treated by the authorities

Lawyer Peter Madden, who represents Michaella McCollum, has claimed his client has suffered from a lack of food.

Michaella McCollum, centre, and Melissa Reid leave the court after being sentenced in Peru.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Michaella and Melissa caught on CCTV loading bags into a car in Peru

SECRET STASH: The drugs found in food packs in the girls luggage

Michaella McCollum Connolly with rugby star Tommy Bowe while doing promotional work at an official Ulster Rugby event

Michaella McCollum Connolly (left) and friend Melissa Reid in the airport after they were arrested

Police escort Michaella McCollum Connolly and Melissa Reid from the National Police anti-drug headquarters in Peru (AP)

Michaella McCollum, left, and Melissa Reid listen to a translator during a hearing at court in Callao, Peru (AP)

Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum, both handcuffed, arrive for a court hearing in Lima, Peru (AP Photo/Karel Navarro)

Michaella McCollum Connolly arrives to court for her sentencing in Callao, Peru (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Michaella McCollum Connolly, handcuffed, arrives for a court hearing in Lima, Peru, clutching the book 'Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know: Ten principles for spiritual and emotional fulfillment' (AP Photo/Karel Navarro)

Michaella McCollum Connolly pictured during an interview with RTE in 2016 after being released on parole from a Peruvian prison

Michaella McCollum Connolly in one of her club hostess outfits

Michaella McCollum Connolly in one of the Ibiza clubs where she worked as a dancer

In August, convicted drug smuggler Michaella McCollum arrived back in Ireland after being released from prison in Peru.

The 23-year-old, from Dungannon, had spent less than three years behind bars with Scot Melissa Reid (22).

The pair, known as the Peru Two, were arrested in August 2013 at Lima airport after they were found with 1.5m worth of cocaine hidden in packets of food.

McCollum was ordered to spend the next six years of her sentence on parole in the city.

But after reports that she made a secret deal with Peruvian authorities, she was given permission to fly home.

The drugs mule apparently spent her first night at home partying and celebrating her release with family and friends.

But not everyone was so thrilled about her arrival here.

DUP MLA Lord Morrow said: "This is the return of a convicted criminal, yet a great deal of the publicity which appears to surround her currently resembles a minor celebrity.

"The harm caused by the drugs that she attempted to smuggle affects communities everywhere, and that should not be forgotten.

"A question which remains is whether her return will be followed by attempts to remain in the public eye, or even to profit from the notoriety she achieved with her crimes."
In June, the UK voted to leave the EU  a result that sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland, where 56% of the electorate backed Remain.

Following the result, Raymond McCord, the father of a loyalist paramilitary victim, and a cross-party group of MLAs mounted separate cases aimed at having the Brexit process declared unlawful.

But Mr Justice Maguire rejected claims the Government could not use royal prerogative powers to begin withdrawal without an Act of Parliament.

Throwing out all grounds of challenge, he said: The court is not persuaded, for the purpose with which this judicial review is concerned, prerogative power has been chased from the field.

Undeterred, Mr McCord took his challenge to the Supreme Court in December, with a ruling expected in the new year.

Three groups of citizens also brought a case before the High Court of England and Wales to challenge the Governments interpretation of the law.

On November 3, the court ruled that the UK required a vote in Parliament before formally starting the process to leave the EU. A Supreme Court ruling is expected in early January.

Prime Minister Theresa May is set to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty  the formal process for withdrawing from the EU  by the end of March 2017.
Deputy manager Andrew Doherty with Baby, one of cats needing new home

An adorable kitten would melt anyone's heart, but a Northern Ireland animal charity has appealed to would-be pet owners to consider adopting an older cat.

Cats Protection's Belfast centre is a temporary home to approximately 150 cats and kittens - all of whom are patiently waiting for new homes.

Staff say advances in veterinary care mean cats are now living longer, healthier lives.

But when it comes to finding a new home they are frequently overlooked in favour of fluffy, cute kittens.

The average lifespan of a cat is thought to be 16 years, however they can live into their 20s.

Bel Livingstone, manager of the charity's Belfast Adoption Centre, said: "While 10 years ago the household moggy could have been expected to live to around 13, today's life expectancy is much higher and we have seen many cats surviving to their late teens and early 20s in remarkably good health.

"Cats and kittens in the Belfast Adoption Centre come from a variety of different backgrounds including strays, welfare and mistreated cases and cats whose previous families can no longer look after them due to a change in circumstances.

"However, their longer existence places the Belfast Adoption Centre under strain because older cats can block up pen spaces for many months, which means we are unable to help other needy cats or kittens until the older ones are found new homes.

"It is a shame because older cats have a lot to offer, as they tend to be lap cats and have much more settled personalities.

"Though the Belfast Adoption Centre does its very best to care for all the cats in its care, life in a pen is no substitute for a permanent home so I would urge people to consider adopting an older cat."

According to Cats Protection, many adult felines end up in shelters due to no fault of their own.

Separated from their loved ones, surrounded by other strange cats, confined, confused, and sometimes frightened, many are emotionally devastated by their misfortune.

Sadly for too many adult cats, most people favour the adorable, bouncy, big-eyed kittens.

The charity said: "Older cats sit by and watch as one loving family after another passes them over for a cute kitten from this season's litter.

"Kittens will always be popular, and most have no trouble attracting admirers.

"But for the abandoned, forgotten and heartbroken adult cats, you just might be their last chance to have the love and warmth of a home where they can live out their years in comfort."
In September permission was given for Orange Order lodges to march past the Ardoyne shops in north Belfast - ending a long-running dispute

In September permission was given for Orange Order lodges to march past the Ardoyne shops in north Belfast - ending a long-running dispute.

It was granted after an historic deal between the Order and nationalists from the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents' Association (CARA).

The Parades Commission - a Government-appointed adjudication body - ruled Orangemen from three lodges could march along the contested stretch of Crumlin Road under strict conditions from 8.30am.

The deal ended a three-year stand-off and led to the dismantling of the loyalist protest camp at Twaddell Avenue set up in 2013. The three-year Twaddell protest has cost more than 22 million to police.

The accord between the Orange Order and CARA was struck after protracted negotiations.

They were mediated by cleric the Rev Harold Good and businessman Jim Roddy.

It allowed Orangemen and two bands to complete the outstanding leg of their 2013 Twelfth of July commemorations.

Deputy grand master of the Orange Order in Belfast, Spencer Beattie, said: "Today there is a sense of relief that our civil and religious liberties have been restored."
Facebook collect showing Conall Mc Cavitt who was struck by a car in a hit-and-run incident in Cop Armagh

Facebook collect showing Conall McCavitt who was struck by a car in a hit and run incident in Crossmagleen

A world handball star aged in his 20s is fighting for his life in a Northern Ireland hospital following a hit-and-run in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh.

Conall McCavitt was struck by a car on Cardinal O'Fiaich Square in the centre of the Co Armagh town shortly before 6.20am.

He was taken to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital for treatment for injuries that were described as serious.

Conall is part of the Eugene Quinn club in Armagh.

The GAA Handball community have expressed their shock at the news involving one of their "brightest young stars".

The vehicle did not stop, but police confirmed that a blue coloured Volkswagen Passat believed to have been involved in the incident had been recovered from the market area of the town.

The scene of the incident was subsequently closed and motorists were advised to seek alternative routes while police conducted an investigation into the incident. It only re-opened yesterday afternoon.

A 20-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of a number of motoring offences. He has been interviewed and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

National GAA Handball manager John Kelly said the community's thoughts are with Conall and his family.

He said in a statement: "The GAA Handball community were shocked to hear the news concerning one of our brightest young stars Conall McCavitt and our immediate thoughts at this time are with Conall and his family.

"Conall is one of the up and coming young stars in GAA Handball. As a former World Champion in 2012 at 17&Under level and having represented Ireland in 2012 and 2013 at World Games in Holland and Colombia he has a very bright future in the game particularly in the One Wall code.

"While he is a fierce competitor on the court, off the court Conall is a gentleman who is always available to help out and is a very popular figure in the Handball community.

"Our thoughts and prayers for a full recovery and those of the wider association both in Ireland and abroad are with Conall and his family at this time."

Slieve Gullion councillor Pete Byrne expressed his sympathy to the hit-and-run victim and his family.

"First of all, my thoughts are with the young fellow and his family, and I really hope he pulls through," he said.

The SDLP councillor told the Belfast Telegraph the area was an accident waiting to happen.

He said the square, which has numerous roads leading onto it, had been a major problem for the town.

"The speed that people drive around the square has been and continues to be a problem," he explained. "People drive like it's a race track at times.

"It was only a matter of time before something like this happened."

Mr Byrne said that councillors had met with police on numerous occasions about cars "rallying round the town" and to discuss the absence of officers at night-time.

"We raised the issue time and time again," councillor Byrne said.

"At night-time, this square can be a free-for-all because there is no police presence. It's a small rural town and the police station is not manned at night.

"It takes the police an hour or an hour-and-a-half to come. It's a nightmare."

"The speed at which people drive around the square, which has pubs and a hotel beside it, means that an accident was inevitable. The police say they are doing their best but they are stretched."

Police continue to appeal for anyone who was in the centre of Crossmaglen early yesterday morning and who witnessed the collision, or anyone with any information about the movements of the offending car or its occupants following the collision to contact officers in Newry on 101 quoting reference number 488 of 27/12/16. Information can also be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Border areas have emerged as major blackspots for the Garda in issuing summonses to speeding motorists, it has emerged.

The Irish Independent reports today that the scale of the problem is so big that Garda management has been forced to set up a group to examine the issue.

The force says several factors, including inaccurate address information, contribute to the problem.

Irish Courts Service data shows that of 66,800 speeding cases listed in the courts between January 2015 and October 2016, some 30,600 - or 45.8% - were struck out as summonses were never served on the defendants.

The problem was most acute in the Manorhamilton area of Co Leitrim, close to the border with Fermanagh, where 84 out of 99 summonses - some 85% - were not served.

Another summons service 'blackspot' is Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan - just a few miles from Co Armagh.

Co Monaghan had the highest percentage of incidents of cases being struck out (61%) - 876 speeding cases between January 2015 to October 2016, of which 535 summonses were not served. Donegal had a strike out rate of 50% and Cavan of 48%.

Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said her officials were seeking clarification on the "significant percentage" of cases being struck out for non-service.

She revealed a working group had been set up in An Garda Siochana to examine how the service rate can be improved and to monitor the level of service around the country. Ms Fitzgerald said there were challenges to serving summonses in certain circumstances.

These included situations where there was "inaccurate address data, persons moving address, or living in multi-occupancy dwellings or other settings which make service difficult".

"In addition, certain persons will take steps to evade service.

"Similar difficulties are experienced by many other police forces," she added.

The PARC Road Safety Group, which has carried out an analysis of the data, said urgent action was needed as the non-service rate was inexplicably high.

Other Irish Courts Service data released by Ms Fitzgerald indicated many motorists who were convicted of speeding offences may have avoided penalty points by not producing their licence in court.

Although it is an offence in the Republic not to produce your licence, it has not been regularly enforced, and there have been difficulties securing prosecutions.
Tesco customers have taken to the firm's Facebook page to complain about 'glowing green' turkey meat.

Shoppers posted photographs of crowns of turkey meat cut open to reveal a fluorescent green colour.

It is believed to be caused by a degenerative muscle condition known as Green Muscle Disease.

Rachael James, 33, said she grabbed a turkey for her Christmas Day festive meal from a store in Whitchurch, Shropshire.

"When I got it out of the packaging it seemed to be okay but once I had cooked it and started to carve it in front of everyone I noticed that there was something wrong with the centre of the turkey," she said.

"It put everyone off their meal and ruined the meal, none of us felt like we could eat any of the turkey and ended up having the whole meal with no turkey.

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"It ruined the meal completely, this was a meal that we had all been looking forward to for months as we have a had a stressful year."

Customers are said to have paid as much as 30 for the glowing birds. Tesco said it had offered a refund to the customers affected.

A Tesco spokesperson said: "There's nothing more important than the quality of the food we sell so we were concerned to hear this has happened.

"We've offered a refund to the customers affected and will inform our supplier."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told New Zealand's foreign minister that his country's sponsoring of the UN anti-settlement resolution was a "declaration of war".

Mr Netanyahu has also lashed out at President Barack Obama after Friday's Security Council vote, on which the United States' abstention marked a break with tradition, and called the action a "shameful ambush".

The Security Council voted to condemn settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation of international law" and demanded Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, pointing out that the international community views any Israeli construction over the agreed 1967 Green Line as illegal.

According to Haaretz, in a personal phone call Mr Netanyahu told New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully: "This is a scandalous decision. I'm asking that you not support it and not promote it.

"If you continue to promote this resolution from our point of view it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations and there will be consequences."

Mr McCully reportedly refused to back down and said the resolution was consistent with New Zealand policy.

Israel has recalled its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, and cancelled aid to the latter country.

The resolution was put forward by New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela, taking place just a day after Egypt withdrew it following significant pressure from both Israel and President-elect Donald Trump.

Mr Netanyahu has said Israel will not abide by the ruling.

He added: "At a time when the Security Council does nothing to stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western Wall occupied territory."

Expand Close Construction on land owned by a Palestinian in east Jerusalem (AP/Mahmoud Illean) / Facebook

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Defending New Zealands vote on Saturday, Mr McCully said: "We have been very open about our view that the [UN Security Council] should be doing more to support the Middle East peace process and the position we adopted today is totally in line with our long established policy on the Palestinian question.

"The vote should not come as a surprise to anyone and we look forward to continuing to engage constructively with all parties on this issue."

The vote was welcomed by Palestinian representatives. A spokesperson from Palestinan Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office called it a "big blow to Israeli policy, a unanimous international condemnation of settlements, and a strong support for the two-state solution".

The building of illegal settlements  which has accelerated year-on-year under current right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu  is viewed as one of the major stumbling blocks to a lasting peace deal.

The Jerusalem Local Planning and Construction Committee is expected to approve permits to build 618 new homes in Jewish neighbourhoods across the Green Line today - and at the same time US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is likely to be the administration's last word on a decades-old dispute that Mr Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America's top diplomat.

It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Mr Obama since they both took office in 2009.

A State Department official said: "We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides' bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years."

The Israeli embassy in London has been contacted for comment.
Iraqis who have been displaced from Mosul wait to be transferred to various camps (AP)

The last functioning bridge in Iraq's Islamic State-held city of Mosul has been disabled by an air strike, according to residents.

They said the attack happened at dawn on Monday, forcing residents to cross the river in boats and further disrupting IS's movements.

Iraqi and US-led international coalition officials were not available to comment.

Activists from inside Mosul published pictures on Tuesday night of the metal bridge, known as the Old Bridge, showing its twisted girders sinking into the water as boats were seen ferrying the residents from both banks.

The bridge, which was built during the reign of King Ghazi in the 1930s, is one of the city's best-known landmarks.

The northern city of Mosul had five bridges spanning the River Tigris, which runs through the centre of the city. Four of them have now been bombed in air strikes since the massive government military operation began on October 17, while one was disabled weeks before the operation began.

The Tigris runs through the centre of Mosul, and until now most of the fighting has been on the eastern bank. Iraqi forces are expected to use pontoon bridges when they reach the river as they have done in previous military operations in other areas.

Fighting on all fronts, but focused mainly on Mosul's eastern edge, has slowed recently as suicide car bombings, snipers and concern over the safety of civilians have hampered the Iraqi troops' advance toward the city centre.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said IS militants have launched more than 900 car bombs against Iraqi troops so far during the Mosul operations, but did not give details on how many were driven by suicide bombers or were blown up before reaching their targets.

Mr al-Abadi added that the offensive "is continuing ... God willing, there will be good news in the coming days".

Mosul, about 225 miles (360km) north-west of Baghdad, is Iraq's second-largest city and the last major IS urban bastion of their self-styled caliphate in the country.

It fell into the hands of IS militants during their June 2014 onslaught which left the group in control of large swathes of northern and western Iraq.

AP
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has said he is ready to resume Middle East peace talks if Israel freezes its construction of illegal settlements.

President Abbas made the comments following a statement by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"The minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... and agrees to implement the signed agreements on the basis of mutual reciprocity, the Palestinian leadership stands ready to resume permanent status negotiations on the basis of international law and relevant international legality resolutions... under a specified time frame," Abbas said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denounced John Kerry's speech on the Middle East, saying it was "skewed against Israel" and "obsessively" focused on the illegal settlements.

Mr Netanyahu's office said the speech "barely touched upon the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

In his speech, Mr Kerry warned that Israel's continued construction of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are undermining hopes for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Mr Kerry defended the Obama administration's decision to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal - and warned that Israel's very future as a democracy is at stake.

Responding to Israel's fury over the US abstention of the United Nations vote, Mr Kerry questioned Mr Netanyahu's true commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years.

Though Mr Netanyahu said he believes in the two-state solution, Mr Kerry said that under his leadership, Israel's government is "the most right-wing in Israel's history".

Mr Kerry said in a farewell speech: "If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both - and it won't ever really be at peace."

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The speech is a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

It marks the latest escalation in a vicious row between the US and Israel which has erupted in the last days of Barack Obama's administration.

The extraordinary display of discord between allies - with US and Israeli officials openly disparaging each other - has also pitted Mr Obama against president-elect Donald Trump, who has firmly taken the side of Mr Netanyahu.

Israel's government was enraged after the US abstained from voting on the UN Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law.

Mr Netanyahu accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians and helping draft the resolution.

The US has vehemently denied those charges. Mr Kerry insisted the US "did not draft or originate" the resolution, introduce by Egypt and later by a handful of other nations.

"The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done," Mr Kerry said at the state department.

"The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for."

For years, Mr Obama has been deeply frustrated by the continuing growth of Israeli settlements despite his pleas to Mr Netanyahu to rein them in. Israel's government argues previous settlement freezes have failed to spur progress toward a peace deal and that stopping or removing them must not be a precondition for future talks.

Point-by-point, Mr Kerry tried to rebut the arguments Israel has used to defend the settlements, declaring that "the settler agenda is defining the future of Israel".

He warned that Israel is at risk of a permanent occupation of Palestinian territory, drawing a pointed reference to America's own history of racial segregation.

"Separate and unequal is what you would have, and nobody can explain how that works," Mr Kerry said.

He reiterated that the Obama administration's commitment to Israel is as strong as that of previous presidents, but he also noted that previous American administrations had also abstained on certain resolutions critical of Israel.

He emphasised the record levels of military assistance the US has provided Israel under Mr Obama, codified by a 10-year aid deal recently struck worth 38 billion dollars (31 billion).

"No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's," Mr Kerry said.

Mr Obama, who is on holiday with his family in Hawaii, has not commented publicly on the resolution or the resulting spat.

Seeking to show he is not focusing exclusively on Israel's failings, Mr Kerry in the same sentence bemoaned Israel's "seemingly endless occupation" of Palestinian land and Palestinian leaders' "incitement" of violence.

He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a democratic crisis for Israel unless there is a separate Palestinian state.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Mr Trump to change US policy, and the president-elect assured them hours before Mr Kerry's speech that they just needed to "hang on" until January 20, when he would be sworn in as president.

While Mr Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signalled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem over Palestinian objections.

"President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel," Mr Netanyahu said on Twitter, before Mr Kerry's speech.

A senior Israeli Cabinet minister, Gilad Erdan, called Mr Kerry's speech a "pathetic step" before the US secretary of state even began speaking.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state.

The Palestinians, and most of the world, see the settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Turkey and Russia have reached an agreement over a plan for a ceasefire covering the whole of Syria, according to reports.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said the two countries are working to ensure that the ceasefire comes into effect after midnight.

Terror organisations would be kept outside the ceasefire agreement, the agency said, without outlining which insurgent groups this would apply to.

A peace process will go ahead in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana under Russia and Turkey's leadership if the ceasefire holds.

Anadolu added that the two countries would act as "guarantors" of the peace process.

The ceasefire reports came as Syrian activists said at least 20 civilians were killed in an air strike on an Islamic State-held village in Deir el-Zour province in eastern Syria.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said that several unknown warplanes bombed the village of Hajna, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were killed.

The activist group Deir Ezzor 24 said no-one in the two families survived.
More explanations of Islam and terrorism. Some gentle persuasion among all the accusations is welcome. Unfortunately, laudable as the intent of these letters appears, on closer inspection both flatter to deceive.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Quotob claims (Write Back, December 23) that terrorism besmirches Islam. Not the case. In fact violence and terror are the reasons for the spread of Islam for centuries.

Far from a latter-day departure from the underlying Islamic ethic, the pattern was set by the Prophet Mohammad himself in AD 630 when he gave the Byzantines the choice of death, conversion or paying protection money to survive. As lately as 1683 the Islamic Ottoman Empire was still besieging Vienna.

The explicitly and repeatedly stated aim of Isis is carrying on the armed struggle to achieve a worldwide Islamic Caliphate.

"Whatabouters" point out - accurately - that neither was Christianity innocent.

Fortunately, for quite a while now Christianity has given up proselytising by violence and slaughter. A significant part of Islam, demonstrably, has not.

You have to wonder if Dr Kevin McCarthy (Write Back, December 26) really wants to support Dr Qutob, or just to have a wee dig at the Brits.

Of course, the National Front's 'Paddy' theory (dictating that every Irish person was either a covert IRA operative or a sympathiser) is rubbish. What he ignores is that, because violence and killings continue, even if not all Irish, or in this case Muslims, are terrorists, surely some clearly must be?

Now with jihadis possibly hidden among the influx of Muslim immigrants the problem grows.

If things are not to get worse we do need to be tolerant of each other. Willing to understand, to compromise, to integrate. All of us.

The hard part of this is that we have to confront our own prejudice. We cannot achieve this if we wilfully ignore or naively give unsustainable excuses for the real root causes of terrorism.

DISSENTER

Carrickfergus, Co Antrim
The Opposition in Stormont has been blooded and it has by all standards performed well over the past three weeks. Both the UUP and the SDLP have shown themselves individually and collectively to be a fighting force to be feared by the governing duopoly of DUP and Sinn Fein.

Their spokespersons in and out of the Assembly and in the media have been fluent, energetic and damaging. People like Nichola Mallon and Steve Aiken have been sure-footed and scorpion-like in their ability to sting their opponents.

Simon Hamilton's characteristic coolness is no longer reassuring and Conor Murphy's staid performances to camera are dull and ineffective. Martin McGuinness appears burnt-out and too old in contrast to Nesbitt and Eastwood. Arlene is under siege and will remain in that position for the foreseeable future.

The Opposition have not yet reached the stage where one could truthfully say that they threaten the hegemony of the governing parties. But, if you were either Arlene or Martin, you might be worried about the medium-term.

Colum Eastwood and Mike Nesbitt went into the recess satisfied Arlene was under siege for the rest of her term of office and Martin has little room for manoeuvre, save threatening to press the nuclear button by resigning and having fresh elections. An unlikely and self-defeating scenario.

The Opposition can - and will - make further serious trouble for Arlene and widen the wedge between her and Martin.

The dramatic political events around the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scandal would not have been nearly so dramatic and damaging to Arlene Foster and the DUP if there had not been an Opposition.

This says a lot in favour of the brave decision by Mike Nesbitt and then Colum Eastwood to forgo a place in the Executive and to form a cross-community Opposition to the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Anybody (including myself) who had been previously sceptical of an Opposition need only review the past three weeks of political debate and see the obvious added value of an Opposition in the middle of this crisis.

Apart from a vigilant Press - especially the BBC - it has been the pressure from both Opposition parties that has done much to hurt and punish Arlene.

Sinn Fein, by contrast with the Opposition, were at first reluctant to make life difficult for their Executive colleagues in the DUP and virtually ignored what was going on around them.

They accused Opposition parties of publicity stunts, seeking headlines and blatant political opportunism.

Since the crisis emerged three weeks ago, Sinn Fein has been playing catch-up with the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists on two fronts: first, on the substantive issue of the RHI, which has scandalised public opinion and created a huge well of public anger.

Foster's brazen attempt to ride out the storm was seen by the public as an arrogant exercise in political irresponsibility. Sinn Fein simply did not grasp the rising public anger at the apparent extravagant waste of 400m of public money due to governmental incompetence.

They were outmanoeuvred by the SDLP/UUP motion of no confidence in Arlene and the call for her exclusion from office for six months.

Sinn Fein could not support it without risking the break-up of the Executive. And their ham-fisted attempt at amending the exclusion motion and its rejection, ironically by the Speaker, left them with only one option and that was to abstain. In fact, they did not technically abstain, but simply absented themselves from the Assembly chamber for the vote.

They then scrambled about looking for an alternative course of action and decided to force Arlene by way of a new motion that she should step aside temporarily as First Minister. But their threat to Arlene remains idle, as it is a threat to themselves and the institutions.

Second, despite the hapless and institutionally damaging performance of the Speaker, Sinn Fein failed to call for his resignation. It was only after Mike Nesbitt and Colum Eastwood called on the Speaker to resign that Sinn Fein (after a two to three-day delay) decided that his position was untenable. Again, a case of catch-up by a previously sure-footed Sinn Fein. Again, a case of following the Opposition.

The fate of the likeable and genuinely decent (but procedurally overwhelmed) Robin Newton will be decided by the Opposition.

Unlike a minister, the Speaker's position, in a very practical sense, requires the support of the full Assembly, not just one large party in the Assembly. His fate is virtually sealed if the Opposition continue to express their lack of confidence in him.

In practical terms, he cannot survive if four parties in the Assembly do not support him in the daily running of Assembly business. He is a victim of circumstance.

Happy New Year, everybody.
This is the shamed former housing chief convicted of carrying out a lewd act in front of shocked young woman at a luxury Northern Ireland hotel.

Ex-company director Dermot Leonard pleaded guilty last week to outraging public decency after an incident at the four-star Slieve Donard Hotel in Co. Down last year.

Leonard was chief executive of Apex Procurement NI which is linked to Apex, one the provinces largest housing providers, until he resigned in September last year - nine months after the flashing incident.

At Newtownards Crown Court on Thursday the 55-year-old, of Ailesbury Crescent in south Belfast, admitted performing a sex act in the spa of the high class Newcastle hotel on January 26 last year.

Exposed

A prosecution lawyer told the court how a woman in her 20s was using the spa when she spotted a man in the sauna with his shorts pulled down and she could see his penis was exposed.

The spa was busy with guests, including many children, but Leonard continued to perform a sex act on himself for a few seconds and continued to stare at her while she moved to a different part of the spa.

The police were called and it transpired that earlier the same day, Leonard had approached a middle-aged woman and made personal comments to her which she found offensive, although there was no suggestion of any physical approach.

Leonard was arrested after cops checked CCTV footage but when he was interviewed he denied doing anything wrong.

He told police he had been lying down but jumped up when he saw an elderly woman struggling with the sauna door but his shorts became snagged.

Denying that he was performing a sex act or exposing himself at any stage, Leonard instead claimed the woman must have seen him putting his hands to his shorts to adjust himself.

The prosecution lawyer revealed that Leonard had a relevant conviction for a similar matter from 20 years ago.

Judge Piers Grant adjourned the case for a medical report into the consequences for the victim who was deeply affected by the incident and felt that she needed counselling.

Judge Grant released Leonard on continuing bail and is due to appear in court again tomorrow.
WASHINGTON  Charles Heller embraces President-elect Donald Trumps proposal to eliminate gun-free zones on school campuses, a move he sees as really restoring a freedom, not eliminating anything.

I dont support disarming those who defend children and students and I support rights to keep and bear arms, said Heller, the co-founder for the Arizona Citizens Defense League.

But Heller acknowledges that legal and political realities will likely keep Arizona schools gun-free for the foreseeable future.

The problem is the Republican Arizona Legislature, which refuses to budge on the problem, Heller said.

Its not just the Legislature: Because of overlapping federal, state and local laws on gun-free zones, it would not be legally possible for a president to dismantle all gun-free zones with the stroke of a pen, said George Washington University law professor Robert Cottrol.

Trump promised that he would sign an executive order doing away with guns on military bases  my first day it gets signed, OK?  and said he wanted to do away with such zones entirely. But in later interviews, Trump conceded that he would have to work with states to make it happen elsewhere.

There are some places where a president could, by executive order, end a gun-free zone, Cottrol said. On military bases, for example. However, school gun-free zones would have to be changed by an act of Congress.

Trump conceded in one interview that he would have to work with states to make it happen.

The two federal laws limiting firearms on school property are the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which prohibits anyone from knowingly bringing a firearm on or within 1,000 feet of a school, and the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, which requires at least a years expulsion for students who bring firearms to school.

Cottrol said the school zones act does give states some ability to authorize individuals to possess firearms on school grounds. So while the president cant directly do anything he could encourage states to change their laws.

Arizona law requires that school districts enact policy requiring specific permission from a school administrator to bring a gun on campus. This lets schools have armed school resource officers, security guards, rifle clubs or educational programs about firearms and firearm safety.

The Arizona Department of Education does not have an official stance on firearms in schools, said spokesman Charles Tack. He said in an email that Superintendent Diane Douglas is a firm believer in local control and would support allowing schools to make their own decisions on how best to ensure the safety of their students and staff.

Personally, the superintendent believes that allowing properly trained school staff members to possess firearms on campus could help them protect themselves and their students in the event of an emergency, he wrote.

But that cannot happen without an OK from a local school administrator, a restriction that Heller said infringes on Arizonans right to keep and bear arms, particularly those with concealed-carry permits.

Our group, Citizens Defense League, and the NRA has brought forward bills to the legislature before, he said. But those measures have failed, which is why Heller does not predict Arizona laws will change in the near future.

Heller said he worries gun-free zones put students in danger in an attack, because law enforcement cant be the first responders, the first responders are those at the event  like teachers or parents.

Anyone, I mean anyone, who opposes the lawfully armed defense of children is promoting evil  I repeat that: evil, Heller said.

Trump made a similar argument in a May interview with CNN.

The problem with gun-free zones is its like offering up candy to bad people, he said. They hear gun-free zones and they go in there with their guns blazing.

Experts disagree.

There is just no evidence to show that repealing those laws or requiring that guns be allowed into schools keeps people safer, said Hannah Shearer, a staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, citing a John Hopkins University study that concluded allowing firearms on college campuses will lead to more violence, not less.

The Second Amendment is not threatened by sensible laws, Shearer said. And the U.S. Supreme Court held in D.C. v Heller that laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings are constitutional.

An official with the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers said allowing  or encouraging  guns in schools could really scare some students.

Its different when a school resource officer or a police officer has a gun on campus because theyre in uniform and students understand that, said Misty Arthur, executive director of AFT Arizona. But allowing anyone to have a gun? I dont see that there could be any good.

And Im a Republican, I believe strongly in the Second Amendment, Arthur added. But I believe it would bring more chaos, not protect the children.

In a post-election update of what he plans to do in his first 100 days, Trump did not mention gun-free zones.

Even with a Republican-held Senate and House in Washington, it would certainly be a fight, Cottrol said. And the question for any president would be: Where do you place your priorities?
An English newspaper in Indian Kashmir on Wednesday hit the stands nearly three months after local authorities banned it on grounds of inciting violence in the insurgency-torn region.

On Tuesday the government of Jammu and Kashmir state officially revoked the ban it had imposed on the Kashmir Reader on Oct. 2, the newspapers staff said.

The gag on the Srinagar-based daily came amid unrest that followed the killing of a separatist leader in July. Since then, about 100 people have been killed and more than 10,000 injured in clashes between anti-India protesters and security forces across the state.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, has grappled with a separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 70,000 lives since the late 1980s. Incidents of violence, however, have diminished substantially over the past few weeks.

Refuting the state governments charge that the paper fueled violence or disturbed the peace, Kashmir Reader Editor Hilal Mir said the ban had strengthened his staffs resolve to disseminate truthful information and in an ethical manner.

We never indulged in sensationalism, which is unethical. We just put forth the truth. It is an irony that hard facts are impalpable to this government due to the mass uprising in Kashmir, Mir told BenarNews, adding that the government of the worlds largest democracy had done itself a favor by lifting the unjust ban.

On Oct. 2, Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmad Lone issued the ban through a two-page order that accused the Kashmir Reader of publishing material and content which tend to incite acts of violence and disturb public peace and tranquility. The order did not specify any content published by the paper to substantiate these allegations.

The newspaper had made a representation before the government seeking permission to resume its publication. The case was examined and the government was satisfied that there is no further need to disallow its publication, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, the states information director, told The Indian Express.

Unshackled

The ban drew criticism from Indian journalists and press freedom advocates, who accused the government of using strong-arm tactics by ordering the closure of the newspaper without giving management a chance to respond to the allegations.

A front-page editorial Wednesday in the under-10,000 circulation Reader declared Unshackled  we are back.

The time away from our readers has been a time of meditation, deep reflection on the practice and arduous evolution of English language journalism in Kashmir as well as the challenges journalists reporting [in] Kashmir often face, the editorial said.

As Kashmir Reader hits the stands again in service of our readers, it is with the hope the worst is over and the best is yet to come. Let the space for debate, dialogue and accountability come about and be nurtured.

The newspapers readers welcomed the news.

Im really glad Kashmir Reader is back. It was doing a commendable job covering the recent unrest until it was gagged. I just hope the three-month ban has not broken its staffs spirit, Ayaz Ahmad, a 19-year-old university student in Srinagar, told BenarNews.

Ishfaq Ahmad, 28, a software engineer from Baramulla district, echoed Ayazs views.

Only time will tell if the newspaper continues presenting facts fearlessly the same way as it was before the ban, Ahmad told BenarNews. I hope it doesnt, but Im sure the recent gag will play on their minds when theyre publishing stories the government may not appreciate.
A bid from Pulte Homes to rezone and add 465 residences and possibly a school near Sandy Run Creek on Jedburg Road wasn't met with open arms at a Oct. 26 community meeting on the part of local homeowners seeking to preserve the area's rural characteristics. Read moreJedburg Road residents tell Pulte Homes: 'Keep it rural'
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The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday, Dec. 22:

President-elect Donald Trump has every right to select whomever he wants for his Cabinet and chief advisory positions. Some of his choices, however, make it harder to distinguish between the reality of our 45th president and the parodies of him on "Saturday Night Live."

Sometimes it seems as if Trump is playing jokes. How else to interpret his selection of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as secretary of energy? This department is, after all, the only one Perry couldn't remember when asked in a 2012 debate to name the three federal departments he wanted to eliminate.

Except for 14 years as Texas governor, Perry has been an expert at working himself out of a job, having done so in two presidential campaigns and his disastrous stint this year on "Dancing With the Stars." Perhaps Trump wants to dismantle the Energy Department and believes Perry is the best person to do it. Perry's demonstrated ability on live national television to wipe the department from his own memory certainly counts for something.

Petroleum revenues play a major role in the economic health of Texas. As governor, however, Perry had little to no direct responsibility over that sector. Petroleum production is regulated by the independently elected Texas Railroad Commission. Royalties from oil production on state land are managed by the independently elected state Land Commissioner (currently George P. Bush, son of Trump's primary opponent, Jeb Bush).

Nothing in Perry's academic background points to an expertise in energy. And if his mission truly is to dismantle the department, there's nothing in his resume to suggest particular experience in dissolving agencies with $28 billion annual budgets. Nor does Perry offer much expertise in managing nuclear security, which accounts for more than a third of the Energy Department's annual budget.

Perry did, however, work hard to assist one of his principal campaign donors, Harold Simmons, establish a major depository for radioactive and hazardous waste in West Texas. Simmons, a deceased Dallas billionaire who bankrolled the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth smear campaign against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, donated $3 million to Perry's various electoral endeavors.

That's just a taste of the sweetheart, mutual back-scratching society that characterized Perry's three-plus terms in office. Imagine the miracles he can work at the federal level.

Equally troubling was the 74-point questionnaire that the Trump transition team sent to Energy Department staffers asking them to account for any attendance at conferences where global climate change was discussed.

Both Perry and Trump reject the overwhelming body of scientific evidence that humans contribute to global warming. We shudder to imagine future McCarthy-like hearings in which employees are challenged, "Are you now, or have you ever been, a climate-change believer?"
Whirlpool layoffs in Fort Smith total 850 11/23/2010 Whirlpool Corp. has confirmed that two rounds of recent layoffs have resulted in 850...




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 27, 2016 Contact: Jared Margolis, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org

Ryan Talbott, (503) 329-9162, rdtalbott@gmail.com

Jen Miller, (614) 461-0734 X 300, jen.miller@sierraclub.org Oil, Gas Companies Seek Permission to Kill, Harm Imperiled Bats for 50 Years Proposal Would Allow Increased Habitat Degradation From Extraction, Pipeline Construction PORTLAND, Ore. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering an application from nine oil and gas companies that would allow them to avoid liability under the Endangered Species Act for killing and harming protected bats in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia over the next 50 years. The proposal would cover not only exploration and well development through fracking, but also pipeline construction. Oil and gas companies are trying to pull a fast one here by getting a 50-year free pass to kill bats, said Jared Margolis, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed comments opposing the proposal on behalf of several national and local environmental groups. As these bat species continue to decline, more must be done to protect their habitat, yet this proposal would authorize companies to do no more than the minimum to mitigate the extremely harmful impacts of their fossil fuel extraction activities. The bats at issue include the endangered Indiana bat, the threatened northern long-eared bat and three species that have been proposed for Endangered Species Act protections  the little brown bat, the eastern small-footed bat and the tri-colored bat. These species have been decimated in recent years by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has spread rapidly across the eastern half of the United States, and is estimated to have killed more than 6 million bats in the Northeast and Canada. Bat populations are plummeting, and any additional stress or harm to these species and their habitat only exacerbates the risk that they will be lost forever, said Ryan Talbott, attorney for Allegheny Defense Project. Its simply not possible to develop a plan that adequately predicts what management actions may be necessary to protect these species and their habitats over the course of 50 years of oil and gas exploitation. The companies have not specified where oil and gas activities and pipeline construction would occur, making it impossible to accurately estimate the harm to the imperiled bat species and the mitigation necessary to avoid cumulative impacts to them, including the effects of climate change. This proposal is biologically indefensible and poses significant risk of harm to bat species, said Jen Miller, Director of the Sierra Club Ohio Chapter. These oil and gas activities will pollute the waterways that imperiled bats rely on and exacerbate climate change, pushing these species even closer to the brink of extinction. Background

In recent years populations of North American bats, particularly in the eastern, southern and midwestern United States, have suffered steep declines. Millions of bat fatalities have been attributed to white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease first identified in 2006. The fatal disease affecting hibernating bats is named for a white fungus that appears on the muzzle and other parts of bats. This has resulted in increasingly isolated local populations, which may elevate the risk of the remaining individuals to additional stress. Oil and gas activities threaten bats habitat by reducing and fragmenting areas for foraging and roosting; they risk degradation of streams from spills and contamination. Bats rely on intact, densely vegetated forest for foraging and roosting activities. The removal of trees from forested lands, either by clearcutting or other techniques, and the fragmentation of habitat, whether by logging, road-building, construction of pipeline corridors, or other oil and gas related activities, creates a real threat to the recovery and survival of these vulnerable species. 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.
MAPUTO: The internet is a key enabler of social development and education. While internet services have shown phenomenal success in other parts of the world, access to the internet remains low in Africa, especially in the rural communities. According to the Internet World Stats for Africa 2016 , only 9.3% of people across the African continent are internet users.

Mozambican technology startup company Kamaleon has developed an innovative way of promoting digital literacy through a shared platform called the 'Community Tablet' (Tablet Comunitario). The Community Tablet is a solar-powered mobile computer with touch screen displays and virtual keyboards built in on a trailer to provide internet access to remote areas. In order to facilitate interaction with the virtual world, Kamaleon also offers training on how to use the internet and its features to members of the community and the local workforce.

A few years ago anyone who could not read and write was considered illiterate, but today this concept goes further, encompassing people who do not know how to use information and communication technologies. Health organisations and schools in Africa often face a unique set of obstacles, including a lack of access to much-needed health education and counselling platforms. The Community Tablet was created to help solve these problems, says Dayn Amade, founder and CEO of Kamaleon.

Launched in November 2016 in Mozambique, the Community Tablet ultimately aims to promote digital inclusion and a knowledge-based society in Africa. Beginning in Mozambique with 24 million people with no internet connection, the Community Tablet will be used to support campaigns on various health and education initiatives in partnership with governmental and private organisations, spreading up-to-date messages and interactive lessons that showcase symptoms, prevention and treatment options  replacing the need for leaflet distributions to convey life saving information.

The startup says it is on a mission to close the digital divide and empower more people in Africa to engage in the digital economy and its educational benefits.

I believe technology and digital literacy can contribute to greater effectiveness of civic education campaigns in various communities, says Amade.
As future custodians of the health of South Africa's people, the over 500 graduands of the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences carry a huge responsibility to their country.

This is according to Professor William Pick, emeritus professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, who addressed about 500 graduands of the Wits health sciences faculty. He said as doctors, they can help people to be healthier, and therefore reduce the triggers into poverty.

Source: Public Health Association of South Africa

As we celebrate best and brightest in society today, I ask the custodians and future custodians of healthy populations to look at the societal context in which you practice your craft. In the context of the world population  50% cannot afford housing and healthcare, 25% dont have enough food to eat.

People are triggered into poverty through illness, injury and death. Yet we know that as healthcare practitioners our intervention can make a difference, he said.

Pick who is also the former head of the school of public health, and retired interim president of the Medical Research Council, added that the improved health of a country results in higher GDP of countries.

Health is no longer confined to provide cure, care or encouragement. It has a far more profound contribution to make to improving the human condition. Our job is to ensure that the craft that we practice is to promote, sustain and contribute to a bigger social endeavour, he said.

You are the leaders of tomorrow and the problems you face have many challenges. But as a graduate of this great African university, you can to rise to the challenge, armed with the commitment to improve the human condition, you will find real fulfilment every day.

The ceremony saw over 500 students graduating with degrees in health sciences, including in dentistry, medicine, medical and health sciences, clinical medical practice, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and pharmacy. The faculty also conferred 134 masters degrees in science and medicine and 31 PhDs.
After seven years at the helm of Dora Nginza Hospital's paediatrics department, cardiologist Dr Lungile Pepeta has left the public sector to become dean of health sciences at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

"I think, looking back, I have gained clinical, research and management experience at Dora Nginza," he said.

"What I enjoyed most was building and working with teams at various levels of healthcare, working with teams that wanted to improve the health of the Eastern Cape population.

Source: Herald

"Although it was challenging to work with the Eastern Cape department of health, I often met leaders and managers who shared the same goal and vision.

"My new role is exciting but also makes me a little anxious. I guess that's normal.

"I'll be joining an established faculty of health sciences and will be setting up new programmes like the medical degree.

"It is the vision of the university, and mine. to train health practitioners who are socially accountable. This we aim to achieve through a transdisciplinary training platform.

"Health practitioners trained this way will be better equipped for South African healthcare needs.

Pepeta was the only paediatric cardiologist in the province's state hospitals for a long time.

He trained several specialists during his tenure and introduced a non-invasive procedure to fix heart defects in children.

Obstetrics and gynaecology head Dr Mfundo Mabenge said Pepeta had always displayed wisdom and dedication.

"We will miss his leadership and good sense of humour.

"His appointment at NMMU is a step in the right direction for the province."

Dr Johani Vermeulen, who established a dedicated paediatric oncology unit under Pepeta's guidance, said his courage as a leader was contagious.

"He always made me believe I could move mountains.

"He is a brilliant doctor and one of the most intelligent people I know, but also a humble family man, a true friend and just an awesome guy."

Eastern Cape department of health spokesman, Sizwe Kupelo, thanked Pepeta for serving the province with humility and integrity.

Pepeta will still have his private practice at Netcare Greenacres Hospital.
A new local blend of tequila, Dia Noche Tequila, has been produced in the heart of the Karoo, the only other place where the Agave plant can grow besides Mexico.

Available in various flavours, including Gold, LemonMint and GingerBread, the Dia Noche range is a proudly South African brand originating from the Agave fields in the Karoo, also known as the land of thirst.

Tequila is often associated with shot glasses, lemon slices and salt; with partying and morning hangovers. But tequila shouldnt hurt you. We created Dia Noche with the belief that tequila should be enjoyed. It should be sipped and savoured  neat, on the rocks, as a mixer or in a seasonal, trendy cocktail  to truly appreciate the Agave notes and African flare, says Brett Rory Lipman, co-founder and chief executive at Dia Noche. Of course, if you want to drink it as a shot, you totally should. The 100% Blue Agave plants used to make Dia Noche tequila are roasted for three days with lava rocks, giving it a unique flavour profile.

South Africa is the fourth-largest tequila market in the world, after Mexico, the USA and Russia. In 2012, sales of the spirit topped 3.2 million litres  200,000 litres more than Germany.

The mystery still remains as to how the Agave plant came to grow in the Karoo. Some say it arrived with Portuguese sailors in the mid-19th Century. Others say a young Victorian girl travelling from Grahamstown planted three imported plants near where the Agave fields stand today. However it got here, it thrives in African soil and has opened up the opportunity to create an African tequila mix.

Dia Noche is now available at selected restaurants and at most bottle stores.

For more information, visit http://www.dianoche.co.za/.
Kusile power station's Unit 1 was connected to the national grid for the first time on Monday, adding an extra 800MW to the country's power system.

The green-fields, coal-fired power plant, located near the Kendal power station in Witbank, Mpumalanga, comprises six units, each capable of an 800mw installed capacity. It is due for completion in 2022.

The plant is the first in Africa to implement clean fuel technology such as flue-gas desulphurisation, a state-of-the-art technology that removes oxides of sulphur, such as sulphur dioxide, from exhaust flue gases.

According to a statement from Eskom: "The connection of Unit 1 of Kusile comes at a time when Eskom has incrementally been building excess capacity to ensure security of power supply."

Eskoms interim group chief executive, Matshela Koko, said: Eskom has focused on lessons learnt from its past history of new build projects and this has led to this early synchronisation. Our build programme is now delivering ahead of our re-baseline schedule, our operations have stabilised and as a result, we are in a position of surplus capacity. I therefore invite business to invest in the economy because the availability of electricity is no longer a constraint to the growth of the economy.

"Excess capacity has enabled Eskom to increase its electrification target to over 200,000 households by end of March 2017, against the target of 169,722 that has been set for it by the department of energy."

Meanwhile, energy expert, Chris Yellend told EWN that "at present, the current (cost) estimates for Kusile is about R200bn, which is about 100% over budget".

In addition to Unit 6 of the Medupi power station which been operating for over a year now, Eskoms new build programme has also added 1,332MW from all four units of the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme, as well as the sychronisation of Medupi Unit 5.

At the same time, Eskom has also increased its electricity exports to neighbouring states, many of which have had their hydro scheme adversely affected by the drought. Eskoms electricity sales to Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe rose 31,6% in the six months to 30 September 2016.
Old Mutual was recently awarded a five-star Green Star SA Existing Building Performance rating for its Mutualpark offices in Pinelands, Cape Town. This rating by the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) is said to make it the largest existing building to achieve this rating in the southern hemisphere.

Old Mutual Galleria, Mutual Park, Pinelands, Cape Town. Image source: www.loudonperryanderson.com

Old Mutual also unveiled its Mutualpark solar installation, which is claimed the largest corporate solar carport in South Africa. It consists of 3,600 solar panels over about 14,500m2. With output just over 1MWp (mega watt peak) and covering 565 carports, the solar photovoltaic system will produce enough electricity to cut up to 8% of Mutualparks consumption. This equates to one free month of Mutualparks electricity per year or about R4.5m per year.

Finding solutions to the challenges of our time

Speaking at the handover of the Green Star SA certification and the official opening of the Mutualpark solar project, Rose Keanly, COO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, said that the certification and solar installation underscore Old Mutuals commitment to making a positive impact on broader socio-economic and environmental issues in the country. It proves that big corporates are able to make a meaningful difference by being resourceful and thinking creatively to find solutions for the challenges of our time.

Given rising electricity tariffs and the current constraints on South Africas electricity supply, energy efficiency is critical to economic growth and stability. Responsible environmental management is one of the five pillars that define our responsible business approach. As Mutualpark is home to 7,000 employees, the building is one of the largest consumers of electricity in the Western Cape and this project now enables us to free up a significant amount of electricity on the City of Cape Town grid.

True green building

Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA, said that Mutualpark represents what a true green building should aspire to be  energy efficient, resource efficient and environmentally responsible. A five-star Green Star SA performance certification in a complex of this size is truly remarkable. What is even more remarkable is that some of the buildings at Mutualpark date back to 1954, debunking the myth that green building performance is only possible in new buildings. This is, by far, the largest green building in South Africa and it is fitting that Old Mutual, who we all know as the big green, has demonstrated its leadership by achieving this certification.

The GBCSAs Green Star SA certification system regards five stars as South African Excellence and for Old Mutual to demonstrate its commitment to environmental responsibility in such a significant way shows true leadership, he said. Old Mutual now joins the league of what we like to call Planet Shapers, demonstrating to all stakeholders that operating premises in an environmentally responsible way is both achievable and makes business sense  doing well by doing good, said Wilkinson.

Group Climate Change Strategy

In addition to its Green Star SA rating achievement, Mutualpark was also commended by the City of Cape Town at the recent 2016 Energy Efficiency Forum Awards for its efforts to reduce energy consumption.

Keanly said Old Mutual will continue to monitor, manage and reduce its direct and indirect environmental impact. This is in line with our Group Climate Change Strategy, which aims to improve the completeness and accuracy of our emissions data.

She added that in Johannesburg construction is on track to complete Old Mutuals new 12-storey 30,000m head office in Sandton by end 2017. The new building will also target a five-star Green Star SA rating from the GBCSA for office design.

Keanly concluded that Old Mutual will continue to seek ways to become progressively more resource efficient while supporting a healthier local environment for people to live and work in.
This photo didn't make the cut in my Africa recap (link in profile) but it did deserve its own insta moment imo. #sundowner #botswanasafari  @wyatt_earp

A photo posted by FreshMeetsFierce Blog (@celseajenkins) on Nov 29, 2016 at 1:20pm PST
The Institute for Timber Construction South Africa (ITC-SA) has advised that all structural wood used in the construction sector must comply with local legislation and regulation.

The SA construction market is currently experiencing a shortage of structural timber which has led to an increase in the essential import of the building material.

National building regulations require that all structural timber comply with SANS 1783, which covers sawn softwood timber, and both national and international manufacturers of structural timber supplied to the SA market are expected to be certified by a South African-based ISO 17065-accredited certification body. This also applies to neighbouring countries like Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Non-compliant wood in the SA market

Even so, it is not uncommon for non-compliant structural timber to be imported and supplied to the local market, including to formal roof truss manufacturers, without there being any knowledge of the integrity of the finger joints, adhesive used, or the grading of the timber, remarks Abe Stears, managing director of the South African Technical Auditing Services (SATAS).

Worse so, when a batch of non-compliant imported timber is rejected by a buyer, it is commonplace for that timber to simply be sold on to another unsuspecting buyer. In this way, non-compliant imported timber for structural applications may still find its way into the South African market, he says.

Presently, only SATAS and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) are accredited to certify manufacturers of products in compliance with SANS 1783.

Ensuring compliance

It is both unfair and unacceptable to expect local manufacturers to comply at a cost with the requirements to ensure that a quality product is supplied to the end user, while non-compliant imported timber is allowed to be used in structural components. Even though South Africa is experiencing a shortage of structural timber that necessitates the use of imports, we have to ensure that the same rules apply to this timber, and that all timber coming into the South African structural timber market is in compliance with SANS 1783, says Stears.

All industry professionals who make use of structural timber are urged not only to be aware of national legislation around the use of structural timber, but to not make use of any imported, or locally produced, for that matter, timber that does not comply with South African standards and requirements, he concludes.
New Year's Eve is shaping up to be Airbnb's biggest night ever with nearly two million guests projected to ring in 2017 while staying in an Airbnb - nearly doubling up in the number of guests who ushered in 2016 staying in an Airbnb and marking an increasing of 1,400x since 2009.

The projected two million guests this year will come from over 200 countries and territories and are traveling to nearly 200 countries and territories globally. The top countries travellers are staying in are the United States, followed by France, Australia, Spain and Great Britain.

New York City is once again the most popular destination among New Years Eve revellers staying in Airbnb homes, with a total of 55,000 guests projected this year. The most popular cities include London, Paris, Tokyo and Rome, in addition to the Big Apple.

The global median price of listings booked for New Years Eve reservations is $95 per night. And New York City hosts with reservations spanning New Years Eve are projected to earn around $32 million, and in London, theyll earn nearly $21 million. Among the top five cities for New Years eve travel, hosts are expected to earn more than $90 million combined.

While classic holiday spots like New York City and Paris arent diminishing in popularity, cities in Cuba, New Zealand, Japan, Spain, and Mexico are emerging as New Years Eve travel-trending destinations on Airbnb. Cities that have seen the most growth in New Years Eve bookings since 2015 include Havana, Queenstown, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Fukuoka-shi and Cancun.
The department of basic education in South Africa has reacted to pupils' exceedingly low attainment rates in maths education in a controversial fashion. It has issued an urgent circular to its heads of departments, principals, managers, directors and exam and curriculum heads outlining a "special condonation dispensation". This applies to pupils completing grades 7, 8 and 9 in the 2016 academic year which has just ended.

Pupils who did not meet the 40% criteria in mathematics will now be able to progress to the next grade provided they met all other pass requirements and obtained more than 20% in mathematics. Only those who passed Grade 9 maths with 30% or more will be allowed to continue with the subject.

Those who achieved in the 20% band will have to take mathematical literacy in the last years of their school careers. This is a somewhat different and far less demanding subject.

The move has been widely condemned from most quarters. For instance, the education department in the Western Cape province, warned that if no drastic action is taken, we will be sitting in the same position next year. Indeed. The national department claims that its directive constitutes an interim measure. But how does it hope to address the crisis in maths education in future years? What can be done to instil pupils with the valuable, relevant skills developed through good maths teaching?

Building critical thinking skills

South African pupils chronic under-performance in maths is not a one-off event. It has become entrenched. An earlier study shows that pupils basic maths abilities  calculating fractions, simple number sense, analysis and probability  have steadily declined.

All of this illustrates the debilitating burden that generations of South African children have had to endure, from the apartheid era until the present day: an education system that has failed them. It has not inducted pupils into the custom of thinking and reasoning on logical, rational and critical terms. Critical thinking is a vital skill.

Research has shown that a well-cultivated critical thinker raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely. They are able to gather and assess relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively. They can reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards.

The relationship between mathematics education and more complex thinking is typically symbiotic and mutually inclusive. Good, productive mathematics education can positively raise pupils skills in diagnostic, methodical thinking.

Defective teaching and learning could consign them to a school life steeped in frustration, fear and failure. This is precisely the fate of those perpetually struggling in this crucial area of learning.

Primary school pupils gross underachievement in maths education suggests they may not have been equipped, at their relevant levels, with the skills needed to think and reason effectively and meaningfully. This is why the subject occupies such an eminent place in global schooling assessment criteria  not only because of its content, but for the skills that are transferred and developed alongside it.

The education department argues that some students are more inclined towards the arts while others are better with technical subjects. This is not well founded. David Pearson, a scholar of cognitive psychology, refers in his writing to the domain of neuroscience which has confirmed that everyone uses both sides of the brain when performing any task. Pearson argues that while certain impulses of brain activity have occasionally been associated with creative or cogent thinking,

it doesnt really explain who is good at what  and why. Studies have actually revealed considerable overlap in the cognitive processes supporting both scientific and artistic creativity.

Heres another, fairly widespread fable about maths: The ability to factorise quadratic functions is not a prerequisite for an educated child. Such standpoints devalue the subjects more authentic meaning. Instead its important to ponder what happens when an education system continually fails to equip its students with the aptitudes required by so many positions or professions, even if those aptitudes are not explicitly mathematical.

Employers have long recognised that applicants with maths credits are more inclined to succeed at jobs that call for logical reasoning, precise enquiry and careful deduction. Not only this, but a wide and protracted variety of job descriptions and professional occupations  in both the sciences and humanities  call for maths education to a lesser or greater degree.

A dangerous precedent

South Africas maths dilemma should not be perceived purely on narrow, technical grounds. The domain of mathematics education must be seen instead in its full complexity and for its potency to endow pupils to meet some of lifes most vital challenges. Childrens dismal failure at maths is a reflection of an education system that has continually quelled their capacities to arrive at sound answers based on accurate reasoning.

Drastically lowering standards  such as condoning a 20% mark  sets a dangerous precedent from which the country may not recover for years. The education departments directive essentially diminishes the great and important role of maths in childrens general educational as well as their broader human development. Such a course, regrettably, will assuredly exacerbate an already dire situation.

Maths education can only really flourish and generate more fruitful outcomes within the context of a well-functioning national education system. It is here, arguably, that the real problem lies. South Africas education system is merely a reflection of its broader social system. This is generally characterised by high levels of economic and social inequality, poverty, violence and abuse, and dysfunctionality.

It stands to reason, then, that positive educational change is incumbent upon profound social change. In the absence of social change, however, what is the fate of the overwhelming majority of South Africas 12 million and more school-going children today? My own field studies show the importance and usefulness of gaining a deeper understanding of how certain poor, isolated schooling communities have endeavoured to overcome the odds.

Such an approach presents a prospective framework  broadly defined  for others to emulate or, at the very least, to contemplate while real social change remains obscure and elusive.


BANGKOK: Facebook sparked fear -- and anger -- among Thailand's social media users after its Safety Check feature triggered a false bomb alert in Bangkok.

The check-in feature allows users to signal to friends that they are safe after an event in their area such as a terror attack or natural disaster.

But it appeared to misfire late Tuesday, creating an alert called "The Explosion in Bangkok" that said a blast in the capital had been confirmed by "multiple sources".

The page gave no other details about the incident but linked to articles about a bombing in Bangkok in August 2015 which killed 20 people.

After numerous city residents marked themselves as safe, the alert was deactivated around an hour later at 10pm, leaving netizens relieved but also frustrated over the false alarm.

"Facebook issued false news that has destroyed Thailand's image," wrote Thai user Prasit Silhanisong.

"It's close to the New Year and now tourists might not come," he added, calling on the social media giant to apologise.

Facebook swiftly defended the algorithm, saying the alert was activated by reports of small explosives that a protester had thrown near Government House earlier on Tuesday.

The incident, which caused no injuries or damage, was covered in the local press.

"Safety Check was activated yesterday in Thailand following an explosion," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to AFP, adding that a "trusted third party" had confirmed the incident.

It is not the first time the check-in feature has caused controversy.

In March the company apologised after a bug sent a Safety Check notification to users around the world following a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan.

The social network also faced criticism in November 2015 for selectively activating the feature after attacks in Paris but not in Beirut.

Source: AFP
According to Bolaji Edu, Broll Nigeria CEO, while there is appetite to invest in the listed property sector on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the regulation is very tax inefficient and the sector remains underdeveloped.

Atlantic House in Nigeria

Currently, there are four listed property companies on the NSE with a combined market capitalisation of over 45bn. These include Skye Shelter Fund PLC, Union Homes Real Estate Investment Trust, UPDC and UACN Property Development Company.

The listed sector in Nigeria has remained fairly illiquid over the years and while demand is there from pension funds and other institutional investors, the regulation is still very tax inefficient which has reduced their attractiveness, says Edu.

Shares held by handful of investors

He explains that most of the shares in listed property companies and real estate investment trusts (REITs) are held by a handful of investors, including the sponsor and initial investors and the volume and size of transactions are still relatively low.

Edu says of the property companies listed, UACN Property Development Company and the UPDC REIT have the most diversified investment portfolio which include hospitality, office, residential, retail and hospitality assets. Skye Shelter Fund PLC and Union Homes Real Estate Investment Trust are predominantly focused on residential property assets.

The existing regulatory framework with regards to tax structures and the reliability of the valuations have withheld the emergence of more REITs on the capital market. However, we are starting to see a number of private equity funds considering the creation and set up of REITs as a vehicle to provide an exit to their developments.

Private equity investors

Edu notes that private equity investors have been the main source of funds in the office and retail sectors. The likes of Actis, RMB Westport and local funds such as Africa Capital Alliance and Landmark have been at the forefront of allocating capital to real estate developments across different sectors and locations in Nigeria.

These investors have helped to meet appetite from both African and international institutional investors and by divesting into a range of asset classes and countries, they in turn can diversify risks for their investors.

Furthermore, he says private equity investors have helped to drive growth in particular, of A-grade office properties and modern shopping centres especially in Abuja and Lagos.

Given the current market uncertainty and shortage of forex, private equity investors have either put their investments on hold and/or are scaling back the size of the investments.

Historically, private equity has flowed in the office and retail sectors, however, with the current market condition which has impacted corporate profits and consumer spending, interest has shifted to warehousing, manufacturing and logistics sector.

Ongoing interest

Overall, there is still interest in investing in Nigeria and we are now starting to see rentals and capitalisation rates adjusting towards more affordable and sustainable levels which will provide exciting investment opportunities in the future, says Edu.

There is increased level of interest in naira-denominated assets especially from high net worth Nigerians in diaspora who are taking advantage of the 60% fall in value of the assets in US$ terms, adds Edu.
The third dam in Ethiopia's hydro-power plant complex, Gilgel Gibe III, which will provide 1,870MW of clean energy, came on line last week.

The Gilgel Gibe III dam is a 243m high roller-compacted concrete dam with an associated hydroelectric power plant on the Omo River in Ethiopia. It is located about 62km west of Sodo in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, and was built at a cost of 1,5bn Euro - of which 40% was financed by the government and the remaining in loan from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Source: Ethiopian Tribune

It is the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa and will more than double total installed capacity in Ethiopia from its 2007 level of 814MW.

The Gibe III dam is part of the Gibe cascade, a series of dams including the existing Gibe I dam (184MW) and Gibe II power station (420MW) as well as the planned Gibe IV (1,472MW) and Gibe V (560MW) dams.

Inaugurating the dam, the tallest in the world, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn indicated apart from feeding the growing energy need of the country, it would also boost hard currency earning exporting energy to neighbouring countries.

He also said the dam project is eco-friendly and allows downstream regulated flow all the year round. In addition, inhabitants would benefit from fishery and the accompanying infrastructural facilities undertaken in the area.

Ethiopian Electric Power CEO and Gibe III managing engineer Azeb Asnake, said the project will boost regional economic integration. It is also a manifestation of the country's tangible commitment to attain green development endeavour, she pointed out.
Dont Wait Incorporate

Our legal system can offer enormous protections to entrepreneurs. The genius is in limited liability that shields our personal assets from business failure, enabling us to dust ourselves off and try again. Incorporation is the first step. It also can offer tax advantages, depending on the individual situation. Whether youre forming an LLC, S-Corp or NPO, building a sound corporate foundation is the first thing an entrepreneur should do. Before launching your enterprise, you should ask a lawyer: Is incorporation right for me? And then go from there, said Charley Moore, Founder & CEO, Rocket Lawyer.

Get it in Writing

Whether its a new employee or a repeat client, never assume anything is binding unless its in a contract, said Moore. Year-over-year Rocket Lawyers small business index finds the biggest legal issues SMB face are contract negotiations (24%) and failing to collect payments (18%), both of which could be helped by getting agreements in writing. Contracts provide both parties with their obligations, rights, and responsibilities and while they dont guarantee the other party will make good on the agreement it does guarantee that a court will look kindly on you if they dont.

Refresh or Create Your Business Will

When creating an estate plan know youre your business model (Sole Proprietor, Partnership, LLC or S-Corp) as there are different legalities and tax implications for each. If you are in a partnership then you should create a Buy-Sell Agreement commonly referred to as a business Will. This document details what happens should one party leave the business either by through active means (alive) or circumstance (death). If you already have a Buy-Sell Agreement or an estate plan in it is always good practice to review it annually especially if you have a change in life circumstances such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, disability among other reasons, said Moore. This will ensure your interests in the business are secure and that your designated successor will be able to legally retain control of their portion of the company.

Keep Good Counsel

Year after year small businesses say complying with government regulations is their top concern, and this year there are sure to be many changes as a new administration takes office. So, its good to consult with a business attorney more than once a year rather than wait until a big issue arises. Its better to pay a little up front than a lot down the road, especially when dealing with federal regulations, said Moore.
Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller gained national notoriety late in the election cycle for a tweet in which the "c-word" was used to described Hillary Clinton, but the shortlisted ag secretary contender may have a different "c-word" problem.

At Politico, Ian Kullgren reports in Trump team sees flurry of activity on Ag secretary spot:

Former Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano and former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado are traveling to Florida to discuss the position with Trump in person on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is scheduled to travel to Mar-a-Lago on Friday to meet with incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon, POLITICO has learned. . . . Miller carries heavy baggage for someone whos been in statewide office just two years. A few days before the election this year, Miller called Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton the c-word on Twitter. He later blamed a staff member for the post. . . .

Given the revolt of the potty mouths this year, Bluestem gravely doubts that c-word could cause trouble for the incorrect Commissioner Miller. Rather, we think another four-letter c-word allegedly in Miller's lexicon could generate consternation among Midwest senators: corn.

On June 7, 2014, a Texas Republican working on energy transportation issues tweeted:

Ag Comm Cand Sid Miller on ethanol, "It's wrong to pour good corn whiskey in your gas tank". Thanks @MillerForTexas for standing up for TX!  James Beauchamp (@JBeauchampTX) June 7, 2014

We've contacted Mr. Beauchamp for more information on the context of the tweet, since rural Minnesota prairie bloggers aren't exactly in the inner circle of Texas energy and ag politics.

Why corn matters

A flurry of conflicting reports suggest that as Trump surrounds himself with oil-industry figures from Texas, his campaign pledge to support the ethanol industry and the renewable fuel standard (RFS) it loves might be left behind in the tycoon rapture that his cabinet is shaping up to be.

Witness a few articles published in the past few days. In a Capitol Chatter blog item, Forum News report Don Davis wrote Tuesday under the subhead "Branstad: Trump likes ethanol":

Many Midwestern corn farmers, who voted big-time for Donald Trump, worried the next president may be picking key aides who would cut ethanol requirements. Not to worry, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said. Branstad, Trumps pick for ambassador to China, said that Trump himself reassured him that the likely next Environmental Protection Agency chief will support ethanol. Trumps EPA pick is Scott Pruitt, a strong oil backer, but Politico reports that on a Des Moines, Iowa, visit Trump assured the governor that hes gonna be for ethanol. Branstad said: I think that was a condition that he basically laid out when he appointed him. Trump is a pretty blunt, direct guy and that was reassuring to me.

On the same day, Mario Parker reported in Trump adviser is RFS skeptic; Business mogul Carl Icahn says others on 'Trump Team' more skeptical on ethanol law:

Billionaire Carl Icahn, a special adviser to Donald Trump and a skeptic of the U.S. ethanol mandate, said there are others on the president-elects team who have even deeper criticisms the program. Icahn repeated criticism of the credit trading program that regulators and refiners use to track compliance with federal biofuel consumption quotas. While he hasnt expressed opposition to renewable fuel use, there are people on the Trump team that believe ethanol itself does very little in helping the environment, Icahn said Tuesday in a telephone interview, while declining to provide further details. Its a black cesspool of trading if there ever was one, Icahn said. . . .

Read the rest at The Farmer. Last week, an ag market analyst was even more harsh in a column published in the Spencer (IA) Daily Reporter:

The Wall Street Journal headline read, "Trumps sends mixed signals on ethanol. I don't know why they made Trump plural in that headline but they did. I also don't see where the signals are being mixed when everyone he has nominated for domestic posts in his administration so far are anti-Renewable Fuel Standard and anti-ethanol. Scott Pruitt (Environmental Protection Agency), Rick Perry (Department of Energy), Ryan Zinke (Department of Interior), Rex Tillerson (Department of State) and Carl Icahn (in the background) ... do you mean to tell me that big oil got all these guys into the Trump administration and he didn't owe them anything!? If you wanted to screw the RFS and ethanol over wouldn't this be your A-team to do that? Trump claims to support ethanol and the RFS but then appointed all these guys who have spent most of their adult lives working for big oil interests trying to undermine biofuels to positions of power. These are the guys behind the miss-information campaign to discredit ethanol that I have spent a lot of effort fighting against. . . .

This tension may not make for great energy or ag policy, but calf-roping Sid Miller has "the look" and caustic personality to be cast in a role in the Trump administration. Lovely for Texas--but perhaps Minnesota's corn growers may be forced to plant something else if the rug is pulled out from the idea of corn as fuel.

Screengrab: The 2014 tweet.

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As the Sunland prepares to welcome in 2017 this week, the mayor of Beatrice discussed the previous year and some of the high points for the city.

Mayor Stan Wirth said 2016 was a positive year for Beatrice, largely due to economic development efforts that are bringing new businesses to town.

I think economic development really took center stage with what has happened in the community over the past year, he said. There were a number of individuals wanting to invest in Beatrice and Gage County. Theres quite a list form retail to industrial to manufacturing that I think has really kind of put southeast Nebraska and Gage County on the map.

The DaVita dialysis center, future Cornerstone Church, Tall Tree Tastings, Rare Earth Salts and Scooters Coffee are all companies that either located to or announced plans to grow in Beatrice this year.

Wirth also said a major get for the area was an announcement that Hybrid Turkeys is building a location north of the industrial park, despite no initial plans by the company to locate here.

Specifically, Hybrid Turkeys is one we worked on almost a year now, a company that Beatrice was not even on their radar, he said. Through perseverance we were not only on their radar screen, but it all came to fruition for our industrial park and thats a company that will open and be in operation sometime next year.

Real estate was sold to Hendrix Genetics, the company that will build and operate Hybrid Turkeys LLC, in November. The 30,000-square-feet site is expected to add 10-15 jobs.

While Wirth is excited about the new business prospects in the area, he was quick to point out that taking care of existing businesses and supporting their needs has also been a top priority.

We dont want to overlook those companies that are already here, he explained. Those are integral parts of our economy.

Wirth also commended Landmark Snacks of Beatrice for being a winner in the 2016 Third District Excellence in Economic Development Awards after the company far exceeded its employment expectations.

In addition to new and expanding business in Beatrice, Wirth said a major step taken in 2016 was the completion of a housing study that identified the need for 446 housing units, including 283 owner and 163 rental units. A downtown Beatrice housing initiative included in the report targets up to 22 new housing units in the downtown area.

The 145-page study also includes goals, action steps and a five-year housing action plan identifying specific housing development initiatives.

The housing study was completed and we have developers interested in exploring housing opportunities in this area, Wirth said.

The study included examination of population, income and economic data and a housing stock analysis, among other factors.

Wirth added that several individuals and groups, including Main Street Beatrice, the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce and the NGage economic development group, have played crucial roles in enhancing Beatrice this year.

Weve had an inordinate amount of people working together, Wirth said. it isnt just one person, its not a small group of people, its a large group of people working together every day to make this community, make Gage County better. Its with that help and knowledge that all of this is possible.


An internet imagery.

BENGALURU (PTI): ISRO on Tuesday said it would launch a record 83 satellites in one go using its workhorse PSLV-C37 toward the end of January.



"We are working for a January launch. It will be toward the end of January. The date has to be fixed," Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman A S Kiran Kumar told reporters here.



Of the 83 satellites, 80 belong to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the US. They weigh about 500 kg.



The three Indian satellites are Cartosat-2 series, weighing 730 kg as primary payload, and INS-IA and INS-1B, weighing 30 kg.



Setting a record in its space programme, ISRO in June had successfully launched 20 satellites, including its earth observation Cartosat-2 series, in a single mission on board PSLV-C34 from the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.



The space agency had earlier sent 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission in 2008.



Calling 2016 a "good" year, Kumar said ISRO would launch at least five communication satellites in 2017.



"It (launches) will be more next year, we are actually looking at almost something like five communication satellites, then many more others. Some earth observation also," he said in response to a question on the number of launches that can be expected in 2017.



"In the year we are primarily trying to do our GSLV Mark III, then Mark II... one more launch we are trying to do," Kumar said.



The first three months should see three launches, beyond which ISRO was targeting almost one a month, he said on the sidelines of the 21st convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) here.



Stating that 2016 was a good year because ISRO was able to improve on what they were doing the previous year, Kumar said the main emphasis now was on building capacity.



"We need more and more capacity, launch capacity. We are working toward that. Our effort is to continuously increase," he added.



On transponder augmentation that ISRO is looking for, he said, "GSAT-17 is having another 48 transponders, then there is a SAARC satellite which will have about 12 transponders, then we are getting into the next generation GSAT-11 and GSAT-19. We are trying to do something like 14 gigabyte and 90 gigabyte type of thing- multi beam satellites."



Noting that ISRO is conducting tests for hazard avoidance for Chandrayaan 2 as it lands, he said, "We are verifying the performance of the system as designed."



"Chandrayaan 2, we are preparing for hazard avoidance, as it lands then it has to avoid boulders and things. We are verifying the performance of the system as designed, so there are some craters created and as it comes down how it negotiates. We are evaluating the performance of the system," he added.



ISRO has been conducting these tests at its facility in Challakere in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.




The amphibious variant of Surion. A KAI photo

SEOUL (BNS): The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has signed a deal worth 632.8 billion won (US$ 525 million) with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of South Korea to produce and deliver about 30 new amphibious helicopters to the country's Marine Corps.



The Marine Corps will deploy the rotorcraft by 2023 to bolster South Korea's maritime defence capabilities, the official Yonhap news agency reported.



The new amphibious helicopter would be based on the KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter, which has also been developed by the KAI with help from the government and private experts.



The KAI has also inked another deal worth 1.559 trillion won to build about 70 Surion helicopters by 2022 for the South Korean Army, the Yonhap report said quoting a statement from the company.



KAI has already delivered about 100 Surions to the military and government agencies in the past three years.



It also aims to export the Surion choppers in the international market.




WASHINGTON (PTI): The US ranked first in global weapons sales in 2015, selling around USD 40 billion worth armaments or half of all agreements in the worldwide arms bazaar and more than double of nearest rival France, according to a new congressional study.



Developing nations, including Pakistan, continued to be the largest buyers of arms in 2015, with Qatar signing deals for more than USD 17 billion in weapons last year, followed by Egypt, which agreed to buy almost USD 12 billion in arms, and Saudi Arabia, with over USD 8 billion in weapons purchases.



The report titled "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2008-2015" and prepared by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress, was delivered to legislators last week. The annual review is considered the most comprehensive assessment of global arms sales available in an unclassified form.



The US and France increased their overseas weapons sales in 2015, as purchases of American weapons grew by around USD 4 billion and France's deals increased by well over USD 9 billion. The US, however, remained far ahead of France in terms of global weapon sales, more than double of the latter's USD 15 billion.



Although global tensions and terror threats have shown few signs of diminishing, the total size of the global arms trade dropped to around USD 80 billion in 2015 from the 2014 total of USD 89 billion, The New York Times reported, citing the study.



Developing nations bought USD 65 billion in weapons in 2015, substantially lower than the previous year's total of USD 79 billion, it said.



Catherine A Theohary, a national security policy specialist at the Congressional Research Service and author of the study, said constraints on the expansion of foreign weapons sales are "due, in part, to the weakened state of the global economy".



"Concerns over their domestic budget problems have led many purchasing nations to defer or limit the purchase of new major weapon systems," she added. "Some nations have chosen to limit their purchasing to upgrades of existing systems and to training and support services."



Russia, another dominant power in the global arms market, saw a modest decline in orders for its weapons, dropping to USD 11.1 billion in sales from the USD 11.2 billion total in 2014. Latin American nations, in particular Venezuela, have become a focus of marketing for Russian arms, the study found.



China reached USD 6 billion in weapons sales, up from its 2014 total of over USD 3 billion.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Smack dab in the middle of this Christmas seasons snowstorm was the Westman and Area Traditional Christmas dinner at Brandons Victoria Inn.

Heavy snowfall resulted in their attendance dropping by about 500 people compared with recent years efforts, longtime board member Gladden Smith reported on Tuesday.

There werent as many rides coming in, so I guess the storm kept people indoors, he shrugged.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Minjia Cheng, 9, picks up her free Christmas gift, alongside her father Minglei Cheng and mother Xiao Jing Tang, at the Westman and Area Traditional Christmas Dinner at the Victoria Inns Grand Salon on Sunday.

As such, around 3,000 meals were served at Victoria Inn during the afternoon of Christmas Day.

In addition, about 1,100 meals were delivered throughout the city.

Surprisingly, there were very few instances of volunteer delivery drivers getting stuck in the white stuff, Smith relayed.

A bus also made its rounds throughout the city during the afternoon to bring people into the community dinner, which as always was open to anyone interested in spending the afternoon with a community of friendly people.

Smith has been with the organization for 30 years and has watched the annual effort grow from its initial scope of serving about 30 people.

This years 4,100 meals, both served and delivered, saw 125 turkeys donated by Westoba Credit Union, 500 pounds of ham donated by Maple Leaf, 1,000 pounds of potatoes delivered by Superstore and 50 gallons of gravy donated by Joe Beeverz Bar and Grill.

Many other businesses, organizations and individuals helped out, Smith said, thanking the community for their ongoing efforts to brighten up their neighbours Christmas season.

The local sponsors  businesses in Brandon  every year help out so much, so Im hoping people do realize that and give back to the sponsors that gave to us, Smith said.

Leftover food went to the Helping Hands Centre and Samaritan House  two charitable organizations that provide food to the areas less financially fortunate during their times of need.

A team of volunteers have already started work at next years Christmas Dinner, Smith said, noting that a group met on Monday to reflect on this years event and look forward to the next one.

Given recent years level of community support, Smith said that he doesnt have any worries looking forward.

Aside from streamlining some components, next years 33rd annual Westman and Area Traditional Christmas Dinner should consist of more of the same that people have come to expect.

For more information on the annual event, visit their website, christmasdinner.ca.

As with every year, Smith notes that their success in helping those who might otherwise be alone for Christmas is entirely dependent on the generosity of others.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Dear Annie: I live with four other people in a big old house outside Boston. Two of the roommates are a couple, "Jeremy" and "Rachel." Rachel is a very close friend of mine and has been for about 10 years, ever since we met in college. She and Jeremy live downstairs, while the other three of us live upstairs.

Jeremy and Rachel have been together for three years, and I liked Jeremy fine -- until we moved in together. The past year has been a war. He and I started butting heads pretty much immediately. He kept using my condiments and leaving my TV on. (I keep it in the living room downstairs.) I had to tell him to stop several times before he finally did.

Well, things really came to a head yesterday. I was about a month late paying him my portion of the heating bill, and he texted me to ask for it. I told him I would have it to him when I get paid this week. He said, "What about the money Rachel lent you last month?"

I lost my cool and told him it wasn't his money or his business. He immediately wrote back, "Whoa, whoa, OK, Friday is fine. Pay me back whenever." But it was too late for him to try to backtrack, and I let him have a piece of my mind. I told him to go to hell or at the very least get out of our house. I may have used even more colorful language than that. I was just so floored by his rudeness.

Now Rachel says she's angry with both of us for handling ourselves the way we did. She says she knows that Jeremy can be annoying, but she's hurt that I would act so hatefully toward her boyfriend. He's trying to find a place to stay temporarily because I told him I don't want him living here.

I am not apologizing. I am the one who has been wronged here. Right? -- Mad in Massachusetts

Dear Mad: No matter how bad you think Jeremy is, cursing him out just made you worse.

Let's review Morality 101: Two wrongs don't make a right; they just make a mess. And your friend, by the way, is in the middle of that mess. Apologize to Jeremy for the outburst, but let him know that you do have some valid concerns about living with him. Find a way to tolerate each other, at least until the lease is up. There is enough drama in the world without friends tearing each other apart over condiments and heating bills.

Dear Annie: Usually, I agree with and appreciate your advice. I'm sure you have to edit a lot of the letters you receive and we don't get all the information. This time, though, based on the information we got, I don't understand your advice.

When a couple are having a heart-to-heart conversation about a problem in their marriage, why would you encourage them to be anything less than honest with each other? You want "Mumma" to tell "Bill" to stop calling her names. It sounds to us as if he was honestly answering a yes-or-no question when she asked him whether the reason for his wandering eye is that she is fat. She knew it. He acknowledged it. They got to the root of the problem. Are you advocating that he lie to her?

Overall, good job. I enjoy your column. But sometimes you are too quick to side with your readers.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As I read the Rivers Banner, Dec. 23, Public Points To Ponder For Pigs and the letter by Ruth Pryzner regarding the denial of the hog factory application in the RM of Oakview, I have come to the ultimate conclusion that the Technical Review Committee (TRC) has very little interest in the protection of our waters, the environment or the health and social aspects of The People.

Digging a hole in the ground now, with two cells, to contain hog feces may be their version of the cutting edge of technology to help promote the hog industry but how can that be justified when a made-in Manitoba study by Manitoba Conservation determined that earthen storages do in fact seep and eventually leak, contaminating surface and ground water sources.

Large-scale corporate hog production is one of the most contentious issues to confront rural North America in recent history.

The social fabric of many communities has been ripped apart in the past by controversy between opposing views of these large-scale corporate hog operations.

Hog factories can no longer be considered farming or agriculture, or even agri-business.

This is industry, pure and simple. We must remember that this is not a natural or inevitable evolution of agriculture. This is a deliberate plan by a handful of investors and corporations to profit from consolidation, and ultimately control the hog industry to their advantage, (ie. Maple Leaf and HyLife Foods).

Disease is very commonplace in these operations, and now with a new superbug to deal with in the U.S. ( which doctors have been dreading ) one might think, there would be a move to alter how hogs are raised! Sadly, I doubt that will happen.

You see, the history of the hog industry in Manitoba, as in most other provinces, has largely been one of weak or inadequate regulation, with little credible provincial oversight and enforcement. Actually, regulators and government bureaucrats are more attuned to promote economic expansion than to protect the public interest or the health issues of the animals themselves. Thats what was evidently shown at the Oakview conditional use hearing. Its all about investor economic gain at a cost to environment, water and rural peoples health.

As citizens of this country, we need to decide what kind of a country we want to live in. A healthy, vibrant, rural economy with family farms? We need to restore public confidence in the food system which is currently very low. We need to develop a food supply system that does not destroy community here in Manitoba, Canada or in other countries. Real farmers must be valued for the contribution they make to our society.

Sadly, this is not taking place in Manitoba. Its fortunate that the public good, concerns for our health, the environment and protection to our water sources was given priority by the Oakview Council. It is obvious provincial officials and the engineer of record did not.

JOHN FEFCHAK

Virden
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Say thanks for the help

To all the people out there that use their own snowplows, snowblowers, own fuel, own time, to make getting around the side streets after a huge snowstorm more convenient, thank you! To the people that complain, try saying thank you.

Thanks a lot

A huge, heartfelt thank you to those kind neighbours in my Second Street area who consistently clear the front sidewalks with their snowblowers for their neighbours! To the wonderful soul who went even above and beyond by slicing a nice pathway through that daunting mountain of white right up to my doorstep, bless you. I had been busy digging out my back driveway with the aid of yet another neighbour and was about to tackle the front of the house only to then realize that the chore had already been accomplished! Its folks like you that give one hope for the future of mankind amidst all the unspeakable cruelty. Thanks for making our city a community.

Thanks but no thanks

Just got my last invite to the Trump Thank You Tour. Apparently its my last chance to buy my thank you merchandise. Im tempted but part of me wonders how sincere a thank you buying a bunch of made-in-China souvenirs is. Guess Ill pass. Thanks anyway, Don.

Those city plows were a tad late

Why in the blue blazes cant we get city snowplows out clearing streets by 3 a.m. instead of waiting until 7 a.m.? They should be out bright and early, when they know there is a snowstorm and working 24 hours a day until all city streets are clear. Come on, city administrators and council, do the job you were hired to do.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/12/2016 (2142 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The woman responsible for bringing the Killarney arts community together says shes no artist.

And Eunice Buhler insists she isnt being modest when she says so.

Not yet, I might be someday when I dont have to work on all of this, she said, chuckling. Im a numbers person.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Eunice Buhler stands in front of the demonstration farmhouse the Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council is remodeling into their centre for the arts.

Buhler understands why that impression is held, though. Shes become, essentially, an advocate for local artists.

When she noticed talented artists living in Killarney and area had no place locally to showcase their handiwork, she pledged to do something about it. Thus, the Killarney-Turtle Mountain Arts Council was launched last year, supported by a committee of volunteers.

But they would still need a place to flaunt local artistry, and they dreamt up an ambitious project: Remodeling a historic four-square farmhouse, built in 1915, into a vibrant centre for the arts.

It will host workshops, a studio and three separate gallery spaces to finally highlight that artwork, made locally and farther afield.

Our local paper would, every once in while, showcase an artist and youd think, We never see their work? Buhler explains.

My idea was that we form a hub, as an arts centre, and promote arts in the community in general.

Buhler points to other influencers. She recalls visiting her daughter in Dawson City and witnessing the ubiquity of local art, in the shops and the market. She notices the interest in Killarney when the recreation department invites instructors for small classes.

In mid-2015, she first went before Killarney-Turtle Mountain council to pitch her idea, with council asking her to gauge public interest. By August that year, the arts council was struck. They became a registered non-profit by years end.

Meanwhile, they convinced others their project is worthwhile. The Killarney Foundation promised $60,000, the provinces Community Places grant and the Thomas Sill Foundation each pledged $20,000 and Manitoba Heritage committed more than $13,000.

The four-square farmhouse, with its prominent dormers and wraparound verandah, was originally home to the manager of an experimental farming facility.

Once the experimental farm shuttered operations after three decades in 1946, the house was outfitted for various uses, including a Royal Canadian Mounted Police barracks, a private school and museum.

Most recently, the Turtle Mountain Flywheel Club served as caretakers, opening the farmhouses doors, usually for a weekend during Prairie Pioneer Days. Antique furniture would be displayed.

In 1992, the house was designated a municipal heritage site. It is located amidst the agricultural grounds, on 44 Water Avenue.

Somebody at that point thought that this property was worth saving and salvaging and they took an interest in it, Buhler said. Were just being good stewards of a property that people in the past have looked after.

She has high hopes for what they can accomplish, bringing artists of different disciplines under one roof. They may run a kids camp and bring in instructors.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Buhler walks through the home that will be largely gutted for the project.

It will have character, she said of the home, people will want to come.

Some rehabilitation work is already underway. The exterior has been refurbished. They scraped and repainted the sides, replaced windows, installed new fascia and repointed the foundation stone. A new exit will be installed to meet code requirements.

Inside, the homes seen better days. It looks aged. They will gut parts of the interior to install new insulation, wiring and plumbing. A heating system is a must.

The renovation is budgeted at $250,000.

Buhler hopes the arts centre will be open to all next October.

Barry Danard, a retired teacher who once taught science to Buhler, said the demonstration farmhouse which was generally seen as a drag on the town, can be revitalized.

It would be nice to have a place where art could be centralized as an encourager to people and possibly a tourist attraction, Danard, who sits on the arts council, said. Were lucky to have this place sort of sitting there and lucky that Eunice took action when she did.

To create a thriving centre, it will require the artists of town  modest as they are  to celebrate their creations.

When we asked them for pieces to auction off, they said, Oh, its not good enough, Buhler said, referencing an art auction they hosted. But I think if more people put their art out there, youd see more people attempting.

Opportunities to sponsor the arts centre are available. You may contact Eunice Buhler at 204-523-8540 or Tim Lawson at 204-523-7110 for more information.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
Shoppers spent roughly 30m less in Dublin this Christmas.

While traders in the capital are expected to take as much as 1bn by January 4, business group Dublin Town has blamed big political events for denting consumer confidence.

Dublin Town CEO Richard Guiney told the Irish Independent: "While footfall has been up, spending has been lower than previous years.

"Retail hasn't been great, there's been a dip in consumer confidence.

"There's been a great deal of online shopping as we would expect but there's a bigger issue of consumer confidence here.

"There's a degree of uncertainty with the election of Donald Trump and what that will mean for Ireland, and how Brexit will affect us.

"Britain is our biggest trade partner. These are clearly issues weighing on shoppers' minds this year as they go into 2017 with some uncertainty."
Businesses were more upbeat about their prospects in December.

The latest Economic Pulse from Bank of Ireland, which measures the economic mood of the country, reveals that the initial shock associated with Brexit and the US election appears to have worn off.

Firms are now more positive about their activity and hiring than they were in November, although they are slightly less optimistic than they were last January.

Dr Loretta O'Sullivan, Bank of Ireland Group Chief Economist, said: "So firms are feeling more positive this month compared to what they felt last month and what the results are telling us is that more firms are looking towards the next three months and seeing the opportunities there.

"And likewise in terms of hiring, firms are looking towards the next three months and seeing that there are opportunities to create jobs as well."
The CEO of Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan, has questioned the motive of some of those supporting the Apollo House occupation.

The 'Home Sweet Home' group has vowed to continue its campaign against homelessness and to take it nationwide.
Sinn Fein has demanded that the Government get to grips with the health crisis.

The call comes as the HSE launched a three-day recruitment drives for nurses and midwives at Dr Steevens' Hospital in Dublin.
A sugar tax for Ireland could be back on the agenda in the New Year.

It comes as health experts study a new UK survey that shows 8 out of 10 people aged between 40 and 60 are overweight, drink too much, or don't exercise enough.
Hollywood superstar Harrison Ford has led tributes to Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who has died at the age of 60.

Ford, who appeared as Han Solo opposite Fisher's Princess Leia in four Star Wars movies, hailed his co-star, saying: "We will all miss her."

The Indiana Jones actor, 74, said in a statement: "Carrie was one-of-a-kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely."

Fisher, who became an international screen star and sex symbol when she appeared in the first Star Wars blockbuster in 1977, died in California on Tuesday morning, a family spokesman said.

She had been in hospital since suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on December 23.

In a statement released on behalf of Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd, spokesman Simon Halls said: "It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8.55 this morning.

"She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."

Fisher captured the hearts of a generation of young men as the blaster-toting, bikini-wearing princess and tough resistance leader in the three original Star Wars films.

Her character had a simmering romance with Ford's Solo throughout the films - 1977's A New Hope, 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return Of The Jedi - and was revealed to be the twin sister of the main character Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill.

Hamill tweeted a picture of himself with Fisher from the set alongside the caption: "No words #Devastated."

Filmmaker George Lucas, who created the Star Wars franchise, said: "Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colourful personality that everyone loved.

"In Star Wars she was our great and powerful princess - feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people might think."

Off screen, Fisher battled with drink, drugs and mental illness.

In 1987 she published her semi-autobiographical novel Postcards From The Edge about a recovering drug addict film star. It became a bestseller and was turned into a 1990 film starring an Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine and Dennis Quaid.

She wrote and performed in an autobiographical one-woman show, Wishful Drinking, which went to Broadway and was turned into a book.

There were more books, including this year's autobiography The Princess Diarist in which she revealed she had an "intense" affair with Ford during the making of Star Wars.

She claimed she had a three-month romance with Ford - a married father-of-two at the time - which she kept secret for 40 years.

She told People magazine: ''It was so intense. It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend.''

Fisher was 19 at the time of the alleged affair in 1976, 14 years younger than 33-year-old Ford.

The actress was born in Beverly Hills, California, to actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, who also found fame hosting his own television show.

On Facebook, Reynolds said: "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carrie's Mother."

Fisher made her acting debut in 1975 in Shampoo, starring alongside household names such as Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn.

Hawn tweeted: "Carrie Fisher has left us. I am devastated. My condolences and love to the family. My darling brilliant girl RIP."

Carrie Fisher has left us. I am devastated. My condolences and love to the family. My darling brilliant girl RIP.  Goldie Hawn (@goldiehawn) December 27, 2016

Anthony Daniels, who played the android C3PO on Star Wars, said: "I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn't. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many. I am very, very sad."

Billy Dee Williams, who played buccaneer turned resistance general Lando Calrissian alongside Fisher in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, said: "I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!"

Peter Mayhew, who was the wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, paid tribute to Fisher, saying: "There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly."

Warwick Davis, who played an ewok in Return Of The Jedi, said: "Princess Leia, @CarrieFisher - now one with the Force. Your kindness & sharp wit will be missed. #RIP PS: Thanks for the milk & cookies. xx."

Princess Leia, @carrieffisher now one with the Force. Your kindness & sharp wit will be missed. #RIP PS: Thanks for the milk & cookies. xx pic.twitter.com/sFSy9UmvYY  Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis) December 27, 2016

David Prowse, who portrayed Darth Vader on screen, with the voice provided by James Earl Jones, added: "I am extremely sad to learn of Carrie's passing. She was wonderful to work with. Condolences to her friends, family & fans around the world."

Whoopi Goldberg tweeted: "Carrie Fisher has passed, she was funnier&smarter than anyone had the right to be. Sail On Silver Girl. Condolences Debbie & Billie."

Carrie Fisher has passed, she was funnier&smarter than anyone had the right to be. Sail On Silver Girl. Condolences Debbie & Billie

R.I.P.  Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) December 27, 2016

Fisher reprised her role alongside Ford in 2015's seventh film in the franchise, The Force Awakens, where her character had matured into a seasoned and respected resistance general who shared a son with Solo.

English actress Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in The Force Awakens, said she was "devastated at this monumental loss", adding: "How lucky we all are to have known her, and how awful that we have to say goodbye."

She had been due to appear in Star Wars VIII, which is scheduled for release in December 2017.
The president of top Japanese advertising company Dentsu will step down following the apparent suicide of a worker who had clocked massive overtime.

Tadashi Ishii said at a Tokyo news conference he will tender his resignation at a board meeting in January, although he will stay in the position until March as a courtesy to shareholders.
A Tunisian man has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in last week's truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

German federal prosecutors said the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business.
Japan's prime minister has offered "sincere and everlasting condolences" for the US service members who died when his country attacked Pearl Harbour, catapulting America into the Second World War.

Shinzo Abe paid a historic visit to the Hawaii site with Barack Obama, becoming the first Japanese leader to visit the USS Arizona Memorial and the first to visit Pearl Harbour with an American president.

The former enemies came together on Tuesday to acknowledge the tremendous loss from the Japanese attack on US military installations in Hawaii in 1941.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Mr Abe said.

After a formal meeting, Mr Abe and Mr Obama placed a pair of green and peach wreaths made of lilies aboard the USS Arizona Memorial and tossed purple flower petals into the water.

The rusting wreckage of the sunken ship where more than 1,000 American service members are entombed can be seen just under the water's surface.

Mr Obama and Mr Abe closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments before concluding their visit to the memorial and heading to nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, where both leaders spoke.

Mr Obama said Mr Abe's visit was a "historic gesture" that showed the power of reconciliation.

He said Mr Abe's presence was a reminder of what was possible between nations and peoples and that wars could end and enemies could become allies.

Mr Obama said it showed "the fruits of peace always outweigh the plunder of war" and the US-Japan relationship was now a cornerstone of peace in the world.

The president singled out Pearl Harbour survivors in the audience, saying the nation saluted them.

The visit is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war, Japan's government has said.

Although Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before, Mr Abe was the first to visit the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona.

For Mr Obama, it is probably the last time he will meet a foreign leader as president, White House aides said. It is a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Mr Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

And for Mr Abe, it is an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Mr Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the US dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war.

"This visit, and the president's visit to Hiroshima earlier this year, would not have been possible eight years ago," said Daniel Kritenbrink, Mr Obama's top Asia adviser in the White House.

"That we are here today is the result of years of efforts at all levels of our government and societies, which has allowed us to jointly and directly deal with even the most sensitive aspects of our shared history."

More than 2,300 Americans died on December 7 1941, when more than 300 Japanese fighter planes and bombers attacked. More than 1,000 others were wounded.

In the ensuing years, the US incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Mr Abe will not apologise for Pearl Harbour, his government has said. Nor did Obama apologise at Hiroshima in May, a visit that he and Mr Abe used to emphasise their elusive aspirations for a nuclear-free future.

But Alfred Rodrigues, 96, a US Navy veteran who survived what President Franklin D Roosevelt called a "date which will live in infamy", said there was no apology needed.

"War is war," Mr Rodrigues said as he looked at old photos of his military service. "They were doing what they were supposed to do and we were doing what we were supposed to do."

Mr Abe's visit is not without political risk given the Japanese people's long, emotional reckoning with their nation's aggression in the war.

Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbour a surprise attack, Japan's government insisted as recently as this month that it had intended to give the US prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of "bureaucratic bungling".

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbour syndrome' that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Japanese embassy in Washington.

"I think the prime minister's visit will in a sense absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have."

Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Mr Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties. Both Mr Obama and Mr Abe were driving forces behind the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sweeping free trade deal now on hold due to staunch opposition by Congress and US president-elect Donald Trump.

Moving beyond the painful legacy of the war has been easier for Japan and the US than for Japan and its other former foes, such as South Korea and China. As Mr Abe arrived in Hawaii, Beijing dismissed as "wishful thinking" the notion that Japan could "liquidate the history of World War II" by visiting Pearl Harbour.

"Japan can never turn this page over without reconciliation from China and other victimised countries in Asia," said Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman.

AP
It's flattering when the executive editor of the News & Observer calls to ask if he could meet me to discuss a column I'd written. But when John Drescher came to my office, he wanted to share much more than pleasantries. He was upset that my November media column, " Connecting the wrong dots ," had taken the newspaper to task for what I called sloppy reporting in a 2010 series critical of the State Bureau of Investigation's evidence-gathering procedures.The reporting in one installment from the series resulted in a libel lawsuit against the N&O by former SBI special investigator Beth Desmond, whose attorney convinced a jury that the paper's coverage defamed Desmond. She claims to have developed post-traumatic stress syndrome after the series ran. As a result, she was reassigned within the agency. Shethe paper stated.The jury awarded a total of $7.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages - an amount that exceeds the statutory limit for damages in such cases. Even if the newspaper loses its appeal of the verdict, it won't have to pay the full amount.But that wasn't the reason for Drescher's visit. He took issue with some of the statements I made about testimony from the trial, but they were taken from his own newspaper's reporting on the case. See his letter to me here.Drescher, along with the rest of the newspaper's management, say the jury came to the wrong conclusion based on the judge's interpretation of the law. One of the attorneys representing the N&O, John Bussian, argued that the judge prevented the paper from defending itself by limiting the amount of relevant evidence and testimony the jury could consider, making the burden of proof far too easy to meet when this case is compared with the standards in place for libel lawsuits.Bussian - along with the N&O's brass and other media analysts - worry that if the verdict stands, it could set a precedent that makes it much easier for parties who are upset with their treatment in the media to sue and win even when the embarrassing stories are completely truthful.I agree. It's a troubling outcome, particularly with an environment in which the president-elect has been eager to use lawsuits to harass critics and has made it clear he'll treat "unfriendly" media - not only opinion writers who disagree with him but also watchdog journalists who want to make sure the administration is obeying the law - with contempt.And Drescher credits Desmond's attorney for using a populist, "stick it to the man" strategy with the jury, convincing them to make the big, bad media giant pay - an unorthodox way to pursue a libel case.Even so, I stand by what I wrote. A little more care in presentation and reporting would have made this David versus Goliath approach impossible to attempt. Here's hoping that mistake won't cost all of us who are trying to keep government accountable to the people.
A senior leader of a Jewish settlement council has called US secretary of state John Kerry "a stain on American foreign policy" and "ignorant of the issues".

Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council, made the remarks ahead of Mr Kerry's final policy speech on peace in the Middle East on Wednesday.
Update 7.36pm: Palestine's president Mahmoud Abbas has said he is ready to resume Middle East peace talks if Israel freezes its construction of settlements.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offic denounced US secretary of state John Kerry's speech on the Middle East, saying it was "skewed against Israel" and "obsessively" focused on Israeli settlements.

Mr Netanyahu's office said the speech "barely touched upon the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

Earlier:

US secretary of state John Kerry has said that if Israel rejects a two-state solution for peace with the Palestinian people, "it can be Jewish, or it can be democratic".

Mr Kerry spoke in response to Israeli criticism of America's abstention from a UN vote condemning Israeli settlement construction.

He reiterated the American position that a two-state solution giving both Israelis and Palestinians a home state provides the best roadmap to peace.

Mr Kerry also made it clear that despite recent differences in policy, the US continues to be Israel's closest ally.

Israel has been furious at the US since the UN vote late last week.

In his farewell speech at the US state department, Mr Kerry that the vote was "in keeping with" American values for democracy.

Mr Kerry said expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are leading to an "irreversible one-state reality".

This is happening despite polls showing that most Israelis support the creation of a separate Palestinian state, he added.

Mr Kerry's farewell speech comes days after the US declined to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution which called Israeli settlements a violation of international law.

He said most people in Israel do not know how systematic the settlement process has become in recent years, with tens of thousands of Israelis moving into the middle of Palestinian territories.
Scores of people were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences in the UK during a crackdown on alleged illegal working in nail bars.

A total of 97 people were held during the week-long operation launched at the end of last month.

It also saw dozens of businesses warned they could face fines and 14 people identified as potentially being at risk of modern slavery.

The activity was part of Operation Magnify, a cross-government drive to clamp down on illegal working by targeting specific "risk" industries.

Britian's Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said: "This operation sends a strong message to those employers who ruthlessly seek to exploit vulnerable people and wilfully abuse our immigration laws.

"Modern slavery is a barbaric crime which destroys the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

"This Government has taken world-leading action to tackle it by introducing the Modern Slavery Act, giving law enforcement agencies the tools they need and increasing support and protection for victims.

"At the same time, we have also introduced strong measures through the Immigration Act to tackle illegal working, including making it easier to prosecute employers who repeatedly break the rules and creating the power to temporarily close businesses that do not comply with the law."

The operation, led by Immigration Enforcement, took place from November 27 to December 3 and saw officers visit more than 280 businesses across the UK.

The majority of the 97 people arrested were Vietnamese nationals, but the number also included suspected immigration offenders from Mongolia, Ghana, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and India.

Those who are potential victims of trafficking will be offered support, while those who have no right to be in the UK will be removed, the Home Office said.

Officers also issued notices to 68 businesses warning them they may be liable for financial penalties of up to 20,000 per illegal worker found if they cannot provide evidence that appropriate right to work document checks were carried out.

Fourteen people were referred to the National Referral Mechanism hub, which supports those identified as possible victims of slavery and human trafficking.

Operation Magnify is an initiative aiming to tackle exploitative employers who provide low-paid jobs to illegal migrants.

It focused on the construction, care, cleaning, catering, taxi and car wash industries during 2016, with further activity in similar sectors planned for 2017.
Police in Cologne have banned a far-right demonstration on New Year's Eve as they work to prevent a repeat of last year's disorder.

Officers added they will also put obstacles in place to prevent anyone driving into crowds.
A woman has died following a pile-up involving around 20 vehicles on a major road in England.

The A40 has been closed in both directions following the multi-vehicle crash, which stretched for more than half a mile (1km) on the A40 near Witney in Oxfordshire, the ambulance service said.

The woman driver was declared dead at the scene, while another person was taken to the major trauma unit at the nearby John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

A further 10 to 15 casualties were treated at the scene following several collisions at around 8.25am, South Central Ambulance Service spokesman David Gallagher said.

Images showed the mangled wreckage of several of the cars involved, with debris strewn across the road.

Six vehicles were said to be badly damaged, while a further 10 to 15 were also involved, with the most serious injuries happening in the middle of the pile-up.

The incident is likely to cause major disruption for many people travelling across the country following the Christmas break, as the road connects London to Wales.

Mr Gallagher said: "There was a collision towards the front of the queue and the more serious one about half-way down."

He added three ambulances, three rapid response vehicles and two ambulance officers and an air ambulance car had attended the scene.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "Thames Valley Police officers were called today at about 8.25am following reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles on the A40, Witney.

"Officers are at the scene along with the fire and rescue services. A number of people are believed to have been injured.

"Road closures are currently in place, and drivers are advised to avoid the area."

Pregnant mother-of-two Ami Gaston, from Carterton, was in the car with her partner when she saw the first vehicle crash. She said the accident happened about half a mile from the Witney exit, blocking the right lane.

"A man on his own had skidded and crashed into middle barrier. My partner was driving - we had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid hitting him. His door was open and air bags were released," Miss Gaston said.

"I phoned an ambulance but couldn't stop. My partner wouldn't stop because I am 20 weeks pregnant and didn't want to put us in danger."

She added that the heavy fog meant the situation was "really dangerous", as it was difficult to see any other car until you were "on top of it".

Another eyewitness arrived at the scene later and described the "carnage" as multiple cars swerved and crashed on the busy road.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she "luckily" saw hazard warning lights ahead as she approached on the slip road from Carterton, and moved on to a grass verge before witnessing the pile-up.

"I saw cars going zooming past me and trying to swerve out the way of the stationary cars but crashing into them," she said.

"I saw one car try swerve in between a Mini and another car, ending up crashing into the Mini and (flying) up in the air.

"I saw two cars swerve as they braked so hard and go flying into the barrier in the middle of the road ... it was carnage," she added.
US president-elect Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of creating "inflammatory" roadblocks during the transition of power in America.

Mr Trump also accused the outgoing administration of treating Israel with "total disdain", further straining the veneer of civility between the incoming and outgoing leaders.

Although Mr Trump did not detail his complaints in a series of broadsides on Twitter, he made it clear that Mr Obama's recent claim that he would have won the election had he been running did not sit well with the president-elect.

Mr Trump's largely respectful tone about the current president since the election evaporated in his latest tweets.

He tweeted: "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.

"Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"

Mr Trump also took direct issue with the Obama administration's decision to let a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel pass.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," he said in a two-part tweet.

"They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but ... 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!"

Mr Trump and his team have until now been largely complimentary of the way Barack Obama and his team have handled the transition.

The US president-elect's complaints about the treatment of Israel came a few hours before John Kerry was due to make his final speech about peace in the Middle East as secretary of state - remarks which some Israeli officials panned in advance.

The administration's decision not to veto the UN resolution has aggravated an already strained US-Israel relationship.

A dispute erupted between Mr Obama and Mr Trump, spurred by Mr Obama's hypothetical musings that, had he run again, he would have been victorious.

Mr Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters who elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again.

Mr Trump's response to that was: "NO WAY!"

The president-elect tweeted: "President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in very important swing states, and lost. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Mr Obama swept most key swing states in his two bids for the White House, but Hillary Clinton fell short in her battle with Mr Trump in the autumn.

Mr Trump also thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that the Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December.

Mr Trump noted that is the highest the index has climbed in more than 15 years, then added: "Thanks Donald!"
NEW YORK: Taylor Swift on Tuesday announced she was returning to touring, getting back on the road for the first...
Link to these Training videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmBJjZkSbkIf you are like me and have small caliber handguns to carry with your new permit and your retired consultant police officer does not like pocket carry holsters, I see no reason to pay for a Sneaky Pete holster when $7 options are available. Camera and cell phone belt bags or tool belt bags are useful.More than likely, the criminal gang will ambush your group and one will search you for weapons but in the unlikely hood that you are able to pull your weapon, these are holster options. I also have an ankle holster.I carry in condition 3 -safety on; no round chambered. This is a safe but slow response but I live in the suburbs...lots of things to think about.Six police officers were shot in six days in Georgia. They are the experts so we civilians need to know our limitations but this is not Mayberry and a man must have a plan. So, if I carry I must choose a holster and the condition of readiness. Good luck with your plan.Your Police Department is the best place for advice.
GENEVA: The largest pear-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond ever put up for auction could sell for up to $35 million at...
With the Midterm Elections less than one week away: What do you consider the top issues that you will be voting on to be corrected by your better representation?

Education Crime Big Government getting Bigger Biden /Democrat controlled Spike in Energy Cost Inflation created by Legislation of Majority in Power Gender Reassignment Corrupted Bureaucratic /Service (DOJ, FBI, etc.) Institutions Abortion Discredited Legacy Media Ending the Corruption of Dishonest Politicians Corruptive Influence of Social Media Wide Open Southern Border
PARIS: People with monkeypox can spread the virus up to four days before symptoms appear, with more than half of...
Stigmatising nuclear weapons will result in loss of funding. Many companies (including, shamefully, Australia's Future Fund, the CBA, Westpac, ANZ and Macquarie Group ) will be forced to no longer profit from illegal trade in these the worst weapons of mass destruction. Along with massive divestment there will be identification and verification of stockpiles, and then a decade or more dismantling weapons systems.

We have bans for biological and chemical weapons, cluster munitions and land mines. For these, prohibition was the essential first step leading towards their elimination. Many said the relatively recent landmines treaty would make no difference, but it has had a huge impact.

In a historic vote just before Christmas, the United Nations overwhelmingly passed a resolution to start negotiations on an internationally binding treaty to ban nuclear weapons. This is a momentous step. It comes at a time when the world faces a choice: do we get rid of these weapons, or do we let them multiply in the US, Russia, the Middle East, South Korea and Japan?

Despite Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's posturing on nuclear weapons, we are suddenly as close as we have ever been to making these weapons of mass destruction illegal.

President-elect Donald Trump might call for a greater arsenal, but the world already has more than 15,000 nuclear weapons. Credit:AP

The first and biggest hurdle for this treaty has been mobilising nations to stand up to the nuclear bullies. Putin and Trump may both call for greater arsenals (an endless world of "mine is bigger than yours"), but there are already more than 15,000 nuclear weapons in the world, with more than 14,000 controlled by Russia and the US. There are clear risks from these existing stockpiles. For example in southern Turkey there are 50 nuclear weapons only 110 kilometres from Syria. And of course Trump can, on his own, order a nuclear weapons strike.

Many civil society organisations have worked long and hard for the UN vote to come about. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons was launched in Melbourne in 2007, and has worked internationally to bring together more than 400 organisations in more than 100 countries. For example, the International Red Cross Movement has declared there is no possible humanitarian response to a nuclear explosion. In an attack, doctors, nurses and hospitals are destroyed. As a result the Red Cross actively advocates for the only possible approach, elimination of all nuclear weapons.

In 2013 and 2014 three international governmental conferences were held, outlining the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons. Detailed modelling has shown that even a limited nuclear exchange, say between India and Pakistan, would not only cause terrible death and destruction in those countries, but also create vast amounts of atmospheric particulate matter, resulting in a decade long nuclear winter. This in turn would reduce rice, maize and wheat crop yields by 10-15 per cent, creating a global famine that would put up to two billion lives at risk. As a result of these conferences, 127 countries signed the Humanitarian Pledge, supporting a ban treaty.

So where does Australia sit in all this? It would be nice to say we were one of the 127 pledge countries, but instead Australia has been acting as a proxy for the US, actively undermining the process. This is despite a 2014 Nielsen poll, which found 84 per cent of Australians support nuclear disarmament. Both the ALP and the Greens support a ban treaty.
Faysal Ishak Ahmed was told there was no bed for him at Manus Island detention centre's medical clinic just five days before he died after collapsing, hitting his head and suffering a seizure.

The company contracted to provide health services, International Health and Medical Services, told Mr Ahmed firmly that the clinic was not an "accommodation area" and, as such, a bed in the clinic would not be provided.

Faysal Ishak Ahmed (in green T-shirt), who died on Christmas Eve after being flown from the Manus Island detention centre.

In correspondence obtained by Fairfax Media, the IHMS health services manager told Mr Ahmed that if he wished to request a room in the area for those suffering mental health issues, he could contact another contractor.

More than 200 detainees at the centre have signed an open letter calling for a royal commission to investigate the circumstances of Mr Ahmed's death on Christmas Eve.
He followed her everywhere. And she loved to talk about him.

He would be Gary, the French bulldog, and she his owner, actress Carrie Fisher, who died Tuesday morning in Los Angeles after suffering an in-flight heart attack Friday.

Carrie Fisher and her dog Gary Fisher sign copies of her new book The Princess Diarist in Los Angeles on November 28. Credit:Araya Diaz

Gary, a striking ball of brindle-coloured fur with pointy ears and white chest markings, is a petite but sturdy dog who strutted with Fisher down many red carpets. He was with her at this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April.

He was also at a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December 2015. The actress, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, described the experience: "It was very loud, so he couldn't go to sleep and he watched it, panting. So I think that's a good review. The animal world will like it."
A close friend of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will face court on 10 criminal charges after an alleged politically motivated vandalism spree on the morning of the federal election.

Andrew Landeryou and two other factional allies of Mr Shorten will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 15 on five charges of theft and five of criminal damage.

Mr Landeryou, an ex-bankrupt and notorious former blogger, is the son of a former state Labor MP and is married to new Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching.
Good morning.

The really hot day is upon us. It is expected to reach 37 degrees in the city today and 42 in Penrith. And it will only be a little cooler on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

NSW Health has advised anyone showing signs of heat-related illness should attend their GP or emergency department. The signs include: confusion, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, weakness, headaches and loss of sweating.

Sydney will register its hottest year in more than a century-and-a-half of records.

No camping out
A Queensland police officer has been stood down after being accused of using her gun while off-duty and affected by alcohol.

The 51-year-old female senior constable from the northern region is being investigated for allegedly attending rostered duties while affected by alcohol and failing to properly store and secure "accoutrements".

A senior constable has been stood down over allegations she used a gun while affected by alcohol. Credit:Queensland Police Service

It is not known exactly which accoutrements were involved, but it could include items on a police officer's belt, such as handcuffs or capsicum spray.

The officer is also being investigated by the ethical standards command over allegations that while off-duty she used a Queensland Police Service firearm while affected by alcohol, failed to treat people with respect and dignity and posted personal Facebook comments resulting in a "conflict of interest with her position as a member of the Queensland Police Service".
Two Brisbane men have been arrested over the savage rape of a 20-year-old woman near the Brisbane Sky Needle in Manning Street, South Brisbane, more than five years ago.

Detectives on Wednesday charged a 24-year-old man from Auchenflower with three charges of rape, two charges of sexual assault and deprivation of liberty. A 32-year-old man from Ashgrove was also arrested in northern New South Wales and was expected to be charged with three charges of rape, two charges of sexual assault and deprivation of liberty.

Brisbane's Sky Needle at South Brisbane near where a rape occurred in April 2011. Two men have today been charged with the rape. Credit:Tony Moore

The arrests follow a recent review by Queensland's Sex Crimes Unit of the rape.

Police said the 32-year-old Ashgrove man was arrested in northern New South Wales earlier on Wednesday morning and would be extradited back to Queensland to face charges.
A woman has been airlifted to hospital, after being stung by a suspected irukandji jellyfish on Fraser Island.

The RACQ LifeFlight rescue helicopter winched a woman in her early 20s off the beach at Fraser Island after she suffered a marine sting.

A woman has been airlifted to hospital after suffering a marine sting. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue

The Sydney woman was taken to Hervey Bay hospital in a stable condition.
Natural history museums, like the American Museum, constitute one decisive means for power to de-privatize and re-publicize, if only ever so slightly, the realms of death by putting dead remains into public service as social tokens of collective life, rereading dead fossils as chronicles of life's everlasting quest for survival, and canonizing now dead individuals as nomological emblems of still living collectives in Nature and History. An anatomo-politics of human and non-human bodies is sustained by accumulating and classifying such necroliths in the museum's observational/expositional performances.

My academic field, American Studies, is the interdisciplinary study of American cultures, past and present. Once it was a vibrant and useful discipline. Today, I'm sad to report, it is a regular source for "What wacky stuff are they up to on campus?" articles and blogs.These days, when American Studies captures any attention, it's usually for unfortunate reasons.Sometimes, a jargon-y article wins an ironic bad writing award. Consider, for example this excerpt from a paper in the Australasian Journal of American Studies:Sometimes a pop culture class becomes an extramural joke, such as the "Zombie Studies" courses that were all the rage a few years ago. And sometimes an American Studies professor decides to use the classroom for "social activism" where the idea is to substitute studying with protesting.I might chuckle if I weren't employed and mentally invested in the field, and if I did not have residual respect for the open-minded, pragmatic approaches which marked American Studies for the first decades of its existence. But sadly, for the last generation, American Studies-beset by a nagging awareness that making interdisciplinarity the norm when studying culture became mission accomplished at least 20 years ago-has scooted pell-mell towards politicization in a misbegotten effort to remain relevant.The result today is an academic sub-specialty wedded to a tightly-corseted belief that the United States represents the locus of sin (racism, sexism, colonialism, and the like) in the modern world, and that any study of America should restrict itself to call-outs and condemnations. American Studies now serves chiefly as validation system for academicians who know their findings in advance: racism, sexism, and imperialism.Increasingly, the field is hostile to scholars who don't want to use it just to berate American traditions and signal their imagined virtue.That trend reached a new low in 2013. At its national conference, the American Studies Association voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions. Wrapped in rhetoric about replying to calls from "Palestinian civil society," the boycott's cynical core was revealed when president Curtis Marez, asked why Israel was singled out, flippantly replied, "One has to start somewhere." Out of 200 or so nations, precisely one was hereafter infra dig at the ASA.Several in attendance spoke up in opposition, but they were outnumbered on the speakers roster by about 10 to 1. I was among them, and am a plaintiff in a lawsuit claiming that the boycott violates the association's mission and voids its tax exemption. Two of my co-plaintiffs explain the suit in this piece . (The case has yet to be heard.)It was not always thus. American Studies used to revel in wide-open exploration of the nation and cultures that constitute its subject. A look at the field's precipitous decline from bright beginnings to its current state reveals that American Studies has journeyed from inquiry to inquisition, from multiplicity to uniformity.Pioneers like Vernon Parrington, who won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for his book Main Currents in American Thought, and Perry Miller, who sought the wellspring of American identity in Puritan New England, drove the thematic, interdisciplinary approach that was the initial American Studies hallmark.The first doctorate in "American Civilization" went to Harvard's Henry Nash Smith in 1940. His dissertation became Virgin Land: The American West as Symbol and Myth (1950), which merrily relied upon dime novels to locate a mistaken but powerful belief among settlers that North America was empty, supine, and fertile, awaiting their ploughs.Smith's approach-often summed up as "Symbol and Myth"-gave rise to the field's early reputation as "history with novels." A host of interpretive books such as John William Ward's Andrew Jackson: Symbol for an Age (1953) continued the vogue for all-encompassing accounts of why the United States was the way it was. Theirs was a search for knowledge, not for villains to blame.Things began changing at a 1967 conference, when rising scholar Bruce Kuklick rang the tocsin when he delivered a paper challenging the supremacy of Symbol and Myth. A host of fresh scholars put their own mark upon the rapidly growing field. Popular culture studies arose, folklore studies too.The major alteration, however, was an opening up to sources and scholars hitherto left out. Women scholars asked why female-authored texts were so sparse on syllabi; African-American scholars reminded everyone of the centrality of the black experience, including but not limited to slavery, to the entire American enterprise. Other groups inspired American Studies students of all descriptions to work towards what might be best remembered as The Great Opening Up.John Hope Franklin became the first black president in 1967, Mary Helen Washington the first black female president in 1997. Still, the field's goal was a deeper understanding of American cultural underpinnings.But this was also the time when deconstructionism, having washed up on American shores in the late 1960s, went mainstream. That led to questioning of the field's name and mission. "American" sounded nationalistic. American Studies power-brokers tried to convince themselves that the United States was disintegrating on the wrong side of history. But since world events didn't unfold that way, they decided they could at least use their field for the purpose of perpetual indictment.The acme of this phase came at the 2012 ASA meeting in Puerto Rico. There, at the Caribe Hilton-birthplace of the pina colada, for those interested in old-fashioned American Studies subjects-president Matthew Jacobson delivered his address entitled "Where We Stand: U.S. Empire at Street Level and in the Archive." His message was clear: American Studies was now about finding fault with America, not understanding its culture.In the movie Z, the 1969 thriller by Greco-French director Costa Gavras, a character advises,Today, the dominant approach of American Studies is as simple as that.Politician Francois Fillon recently spoke of his own country when he said,I think that holds for the United States as well, but don't expect the ASA to heed this French thinker. If the United States cannot be ignored or redefined out of existence, then it must be denounced, again and again. That's dreary, pointless, and a path to academic oblivion.
A climber who fell 10 metres down a cliff at Mount Arapiles in western Victoria on Wednesday has been rescued.

It took emergency services more than five hours to extract the 27-year-old man, who tumbled down the rock face about 3pm on Wednesday.

Mount Arapiles, in Victoria's west, is a popular destination for climbers. Credit:Tourism Victoria

Windy weather conditions and the difficult area in which the man fell made the rescue operation difficult, an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said.

The rock climber was stranded some 45 metres above ground, police said, which made his extraction particularly difficult.
Police are using paw patrols to sniff out party animals selling or using drugs on boats.

Police announced Wednesday they had launched their first joint operation of the Water Police and Dog Squad to patrol drug use and possession on party boats.

And  judging by the results  it's unlikely to be the last.

"On one boat alone we seized numerous bags of powder and tablets suspected to be both for personal use and for sale," said Acting Inspector Alistair Nisbet of Monday night's operation.
Paris: Rocked by terror attacks and wracked by national gloom over mass unemployment and economic stagnation, France is going through an identity crisis with just four months to go before presidential elections

Yet salvation could come from an unlikely quarter, it has been claimed: the return of politeness and courtesy.

In the land of notoriously surly waiters, a new wave of politeness has arrived.

That is according to Frederic Rouvillois, a Gallic author who has charted the history of politeness in France from the Revolution to the present day.

"There is undoubtedly a link between the economic and social crisis, the rise of unemployment and the rising awareness of the importance of being polite," Rouvillois said.
"Some seem to believe that the US friendship means the US must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles - even after urging again and again that the policy must change," he said. "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect," Kerry said in sharp contrast to his usually measured speeches. With only 23 days left as secretary of state, Kerry, the former presidential candidate who made the search for peace in the Middle East one of the driving missions of his four years as secretary, spoke with clear frustration about Netanyahu's continued support of settlements "strategically placed in locations that make two states impossible". US Secretary of State John Kerry staunchly defended the Obama administration's decision to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal. Credit:AP But he spoke knowing that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump may well abandon the key principles that the United States has used for decades of Middle East negotiations. "The status quo is leading toward one state, or perpetual occupation," Kerry said, his voice animated. He argued that Israel, with a growing Arab population, could not survive as both a Jewish state and a democratic state unless it embraced the two-state approach that a succession of US presidents have advocated.

Rivals and partners: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home party. Credit:AP The speech came at a moment of tension between the United States and Israel, on a scale rarely seen since president Harry Truman recognised the fragile Israeli state in May 1948. In a direct response to Netanyahu's barb over the weekend that "friends don't take friends to the Security Council," a reference to the Obama administration's decision to abstain from a resolution condemning the building of new settlements in occupied territory, Kerry said the US acted out of a deeper understanding of the alliance. Kerry usually speaks in the careful words of diplomacy, being careful not to publicly name names, or put choices in the harshest terms. He dropped most of those niceties on Wednesday, especially about Netanyahu's government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, centre, arrives for a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Christmas Day. Credit:AP "The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but his current coalition is the most right-wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by its most extreme elements," he said. "The result is that policies of this government - which the prime minister himself just described as 'more committed to settlements than any in Israel's history' - are leading in the opposite direction, towards one state."

Netanyahu reacted by delivering an angry statement at a late-night press conference where he said "Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders", the Associated Press reported. John Kerry speaking at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday. Credit:AP "We are not about to be swayed by a mistaken policy that could cause big, big damage," he added vowing to work with the incoming Trump administration to contain the fallout from the UN resolution. It was a remarkable moment in the US-Israeli relationship, and it was a remarkable moment for Kerry. US Secretary of State John Kerry with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna earlier this year. Credit:AP

With his presidential hopes dashed after his loss to George W. Bush in the 2004 election, Kerry saw his time as secretary of state as a chance to make a true change in the Middle East. In three weeks, his near-constant travels around the world will end and his energetic diplomacy will suddenly terminate. He has one major accomplishment under his belt - the Iran nuclear deal - but he could not achieve his goals on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, or in the Syrian conflict. Kerry cast himself as one of Israel's greatest friends, and cited a lifelong commitment to the country. But he said he had to "save the two-state solution while there was still time". "We did not take this decision lightly," he said of the UN vote. Netanyahu, who personally rang Security Council chair New Zealand with dire warnings to try to stop the vote, has accused the US of "orchestrating" the vote, and his aides have said that Kerry and Obama effectively stabbed Israel in the back. Israeli officials have said they have evidence that the United States organised the resolution, which the State Department denies. Netanyahu has lashed out at Security Council members by curbing diplomatic contacts, recalling envoys, cutting off aid and summoning the US ambassador for a scolding. Netanyahu has publicly called it a "shameful anti-Israel resolution".

Kerry wanted to deliver Wednesday's speech more than two years ago, current and former aides say. But he was blocked from doing so by the White House, which saw little value in further angering Netanyahu, who has opposed any speech that might limit Israel's negotiating room or become the basis for a UN Security Council resolution to guide the terms of a "final status" deal. In Washington, congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle distanced themselves from the speech. In Europe, however, Kerry's speech was greeted warmly, with officials calling it a courageous and thoughtful effort to salvage the idea of a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians. Across the Arab world, it was met with a collective shrug. Nathalie Goulet, vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the French Senate, said Kerry "is right, he is absolutely right". "The more there are settlements," she said, "the less it is likely there will be a two-state solution. But nobody ever dares condemn Israel. There is a double standard that nourishes the propaganda of the terrorists."

In a statement, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised Kerry's speech as a "passionate and deeply convincing" defence of "the only credible way" to solve the issue: a two-state solution. British officials said they regarded Kerry's speech as a thoughtful summary of long-standing British and European concerns about the direction of Israeli politics. In the Arab world, analysts said the Obama administration should have spoken out sooner. Loading "At the last five minutes of the hour, apparently Kerry and Obama are showing some courage to stand up to Israel, but it is coming too late in the game," said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science in the United Arab Emirates. "They should have shown this amount of political courage four years ago, if not eight years ago."
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68th Precinct

Bay RidgeDyker Heights

Caught

An intruder was caught red-handed in a womans 89th Street kitchen on Dec. 20, said police.

The woman told police that she heard a noise coming from the kitchen of her apartment between Third and Fourth avenues and when she went to investigate she found a man in her kitchen. The weasel fled when the woman screamed, according to a police report.

The would-be burglar left empty-handed, authorities said.

Ransacked

A burglar plundered a mans apartment on Ridge Boulevard on Dec. 19, said police.

The man told police that when he returned to his apartment between 92nd and 93rd streets at 7 am his kitchen window was wide open and his apartment was tossed. The crook swiped an Apple MacBook Pro and $1,000 in Polish currency, officials said.

Big score

A safecracker broke into a Tabor Court homes safe on Dec. 17 and stole $41,500 worth of treasury bonds, said police.

The man told police that an unknown person entered the apartment between 12th and 13th avenues at 10 am. The thief made off with the bonds without a trace, said police.

Rear window

A thief broke into a mans 81st Street apartment on Dec. 21 by shattering the rear fire escape window, officials said.

The man told police that he discovered the broken window in his apartment between Third and Fourth avenues at 6:30 pm. The baddie fled with $150 and a Bank of America check book, said police.

 Caroline Spivack
The exodus of gray whales heading south along the Oregon Coast is about to begin.

Each year, from mid-December to mid-January, around 20,000 whales swim from the cold Alaskan seas to the warm lagoons of Baja Mexico.

The mass migration creates the potential for one of natures most dramatic views.

On the right day, and at the right location, you can see up to 40 whales per hour, said Luke Parsons, park ranger at the Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center. Its pretty amazing when that happens.

The height of migrations coincides with Whale Watch Week on the Oregon Coast. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Dec. 27 to 31, trained volunteers will help visitors spot the 36-ton mammal at 24 locations.

While much of the success in whale watching is patience  the willingness to keep your binoculars focused on the ocean  there are a few places and tips that can help improve odds, Parsons said.

In winter, the whales are swimming a bit farther from shore. That makes the best locations those higher in elevation, where you can see farther out into the ocean.

A few places with the highest success rates include Cape Meares (near Tillamook), Neahkahnie Mountain (Tillamook), The Inn at Spanish Head (Lincoln City), Cape Foulweather (Depoe Bay) and Shore Acres (Coos Bay).

The whales stay farther out in winter because its a little easier for them to navigate in the deeper water, Parsons said. Theyre in a hurry. Theyre headed down to Baja to either breed or give birth, and dont want to miss the party.

The second major factor in spotting whales is weather. A clear and sunny morning with low winds is best, Parsons said.

The number of whales that people see really spikes on clear days, he said. But in the end, its just about having binoculars and staying with it. Patience is often rewarded.
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78th Precinct

Park Slope

No shelter

Police arrested a woman for allegedly attacking workers at an Eighth Avenue homeless shelter on Dec. 12.

The victim told police she and her partner were working security at the refuge between 14th and 15th streets at 1:30 pm when the suspect entered seeking a bed, but refused to allow guards there to search her and check her stuff.

The suspect became irate and then allegedly attacked the staffers, spitting in their faces and catching one of the guards with a right hook to the ear, cops said.

Clothing crooks

Cops busted two men who they say stole clothing and other goods from a Flatbush Avenue department store on Dec. 15.

An employee told police that the suspects were inside the big-box retailer near Atlantic Avenue at 9 pm, when they were spotted grabbing clothes and other loot off the shelves, before making a beeline for the exit.

A frickin laser

Detectives have given up the hunt for a crook wanted for stealing a microchip platform from a laser machine inside a Second Avenue textile store sometime over the last few weeks.

An employee told authorities that the last time anyone saw the shops laser stuff was Nov. 15, but it wasnt discovered missing until more than month later on Dec. 16.

No arrests have been made in the case of the missing laser components, and the case has since been closed, cops said.

Boxed in

Investigators have thrown up their hands in the search for a package thief that nabbed a womans new laptop from the lobby of her Fourth Avenue apartment building on Dec. 12.

The victim says her new computer was delivered to her building between Prospect Place and Blatic Avenue at 3 pm, but when she returned home from a trip a few days later it was gone, according to a report.

No arrests have been made in connection to the parcel perp, and police have since closed the case.

 Colin Mixson
Grab a taste of South Asian ice cream at these Bucks County shops

Heritage Kulfi, a South Asian ice cream business in Princeton, first launched in 2021. Their pints are now available in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is offering a reward for information about a white-tailed buck that was illegally killed along Billings' Alkali Creek on Monday, then left to waste.

Game warden Courtney Tyree said someone shot the buck with an arrow next to Alkali Creek, just west of its intersection with Aronson Avenue, on Monday. The poacher removed the head and antlers, but left the rest of the animal to waste. No deer hunting seasons are open in the area.

Anyone with information about the illegal kill is encouraged to call Tyree at 247-2940 or 860-7841. A person also can call FWPs 24-hour tip line at 1-800-TIP-MONT (800-847-6668) and qualify for a cash reward of as much as $1,000 for information leading to a conviction of the people responsible for the illegal poaching.
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...
Suspects in two recent car thefts, in which the vehicles were left idling, were charged in court on Tuesday.

State law prohibits owners from leaving cars running and unattended. However, in 17 of the 67 car thefts investigated by the Billings Police Department in November, the vehicles were left running with the keys inside.

On Nov. 26, a woman reported her car was stolen when she left it warming up outside her home. A DVD player and a Samsung tablet were inside the vehicle. A man contacted the woman and reported he had seen Taylor Madison Graves, 18, with the tablet and DVD player.

Graves appeared Tuesday in Yellowstone County Justice Court to be charged with felony theft for stealing the woman's 1999 Ford Expedition. She was being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on a $15,000 bond.

On Dec. 24, a car was stolen from in front of the Northern Hotel. A witness said a man and a woman walked up to a Toyota Highlander and the man got in and drove off. The witness followed the man to Albertsons, 611 N. 27th St. Police then arrived and arrested the man.

John D. Hobson, 34, was charged with stealing the Highlander.

Hobson told police he had taken the car at the direction of the owner in order to commit insurance fraud. The owner of the Highlander told Hobson he would leave the car running outside the Northern sometime between 1 to 2 p.m. Hobson was to steal the car and take it to Albertsons where the car owner would give Hobson the car and $5,000.

Hobson was charged with felony theft and misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer. Yellowstone Justice of the Peace David Carter ordered Hobson held at the jail on a $10,000 bond.

Increase in cases

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito has seen a recent increase in the number of felony thefts. Twito doesn't see cases involving car thefts unless charges are filed, and the increase in cases could also indicate more cars are being recovered by Billings Police.

Vehicle thefts have a tendency to increase during the winter months, said Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder. During the year to mid-December, Linder said his office has had 82 confirmed motor vehicle thefts. For the whole of 2015, Yellowstone County reported 119 felony car thefts, according to the Montana Board of Crime Control.

When people leave their cars unlocked and running, Linder said, vehicle thefts become crimes of opportunity. It is not clear if there is an organized group looking for these easy thefts.

Linder said people should remove valuables from cars and remain with the vehicle when it's warming up.

A major concern for law enforcement are the guns left in peoples vehicles, Linder said.

When the cars are recovered, many have some type of damage, whether to the body or to the engine, Linder said. Cars stolen out of the city are being recovered in the county and vice versa. Because of the weather, Linder said many vehicle pursuits have to be called off. It is not clear how many of the cars reported stolen are being recovered.

In November, BPD got reports of 67 stolen vehicles, Billings Police Lt. Neil Lawrence said. The majority of people reporting cars stolen said theyd left the cars running and unlocked. The city has not seen a lot of break-ins, similar to the county, and also advises people stop leaving their cars unlocked and running.

Still, the number of thefts in November was lower than the monthly average of car thefts in 2016, Lawrence said. Its only two higher than the 2015 monthly car theft average, which was 65, according to the Montana Board of Crime Control.
FBI has 'credible information' about 'broad threat' to NJ synagogues

Law enforcement agencies as well as synagogues across the state increased security and patrols Thursday, after alerts from the FBI.
The Billings Ethics Board voted itself out of existence Tuesday, but itll be up to the City Council next month to decide how it wants ethics complaints to be handled and whether that will require an ethics board.

Meeting with City Attorney Brent Brooks and City Administrator Tina Volek, the Ethics Board voted 3-0 to eliminate most of whats written in the Billings City Code about ethics because similar language exists in state statute.

During a January work session, the City Council directed Brooks to find out how other Montana cities handle ethics complaints. Brooks did that as well as eliminating, at the council's request, most of the language contained in city code regarding ethics, while leaving some items intact.

The eliminated material concerning ethics is found in state statute, Brooks told the board.

If the City Council approves the boards recommendation, Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito  rather than the Ethics Board  will investigate ethics complaints lodged against Billings elected or appointed officials or city employees.

Few ethics complaints have occurred since Ive been here, Brooks told the board. Theres something to be said for having an outside consultant.

The City Council is scheduled to take up the boards recommendation during its Jan. 23, 2017, meeting.

Should the council adopt these strike-throughs and repeals, the Ethics Board would necessarily be repealed," Brooks said. "Ultimately its up to the mayor and council to make that decision.

In February 2015, the Ethics Board dismissed an ethics complaint against former Councilwoman Becky Bird and declined to pursue complaints against Volek and Councilman Al Swanson. Each vote was 4-0.

On Tuesday, Brooks walked the board through the recommended changes.

One section that defers to state statute is the definition of a gift of substantial value, defined as a gift worth $50 or more. The term does not include situations that Volek, department heads and elected officials sometimes find themselves in, such as addressing a service club and being offered lunch as part of the event.

That, the recommendation states, would not be considered a gift of substantial value because the official or employee is in attendance in an official capacity.

Ethics Board members said they appreciated the work done by the city council and by Brooks.

Having gone through some of the complaints we had, I see this as a very positive thing, said Herb Schiefelbein, who added that after hearing the complaint against Bird, I apologized to Councilwoman Bird, because it cost her emotionally and financially.

There was no training for us, and no provision in city code for training, said Tom Binon. We were hamstrung before we got to the chute.

The revisions are much clearer and more straightforward by having the ethics complaint process go through the county attorney, said the boards chairwoman, Sandra McKee.

At the meetings conclusion, Brooks distributed certificates of appreciation to the three board members present.

I would say unequivocally you folks earned these, Brooks said. I felt badly for you for a lot of reasons, but you took the challenge and really did a tremendous job.
In a galaxy far, far away, Rey, the heroine of the latest movie, asserts her position as an independent woman. Shes not overly sexualised like so many leading women, nor is she a woman playing the role of a man. Instead, she is a standalone woman leading a fight. She does not need to be protected or saved by a man  the standard trope of a Hollywood blockbuster.
I Am a Troll:

Inside the Secret World of the BJPs

Digital Army

Swati Chaturvedi

Juggernaut Books; Rs 250; 192 pages



Heres what we know about online trolls. We know that trolls tend to be lonely or socially dysfunctional men whose own sexual inadequacies lead them to be (often violently) misogynistic. We know that all trolls like to escape the sad and solitary nature of their everyday existence by attacking (or abusing or even threatening) famous people. And we know that the anonymity provided by such social media handles as Twitter (a laboratory-grade petri-dish for the breeding of sleazy abusers) tends to embolden even the most diffident and timorous of men.
Review 2016: This has been a year most of humanity would like to forget with war, disasters, racism, sexism and, especially in arts and culture, the deaths of revered icons. But it is also in the arts and culture where people look for and find hope. The Conversation Africa has asked a number of our contributors to give us five books, records, buildings, works of art and so on in their field that made a difference to them in 2016. Here is University of the Witwatersrand English lecturer Simon van Schalkwyk with five that influenced his year.
The demerged undertaking, together with the existing EPC team of RIL, will create a focused EPC undertaking to cater to the needs of the group
When the Indian Space Research Organisation started to look at private technology providers to make satellites, it chose a consortium of small and medium over larger players such as Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Electronic Systems.
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Fighting fit



For decades, Nusli Wadia, 72, Chairman of the Wadia group of companies, kept a close watch on the Tata group as an independent director on the boards of Tata Chemicals, Tata Steel and Tata Motors. And thats because J R D Tata asked him to look after the groups interests just before he left for Europe on his last journey. In fact, J R D wanted a more binding relationship. Six months before his death in 1993, he asked Wadia to take over as group vice-chairman. Wadia refused as he did not want to come in the way of his close friend Ratan.
For a sector seeing double-digit revenue growth over recent years, FY16 marked a reversal. At Rs 2 lakh crore, the sector grew by six% ; it was nearly double this in FY11-15. Revenue growth for the September was only 4.3% over the year-ago period.
When World War II broke out, Stewart Miller was living in Pennsylvania, working in the shipyards of Bethlehem Steel.

"He was upset that he wasn't part of the war effort and felt he should have enlisted," said Fran Snyder, who lives in Laurel.

So Miller enlisted in the U.S. Navy, leaving behind his wife and a young daughter.

Many of his letters home were sent to reassure his parents, who were terrified that he would not make it back from the war.

In a way, Miller came to Montana because of World War II. As he traveled across country, he was mesmerized by the Rocky Mountains. A Navy buddy was from Billings and asked him to visit after the war. He fell in love with Montana, and moved his young family to this area.

Snyder's uncle, Francis Crilley  Miller's brother-in-law  was killed in the Battle of Okinawa during the Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill. His story will be featured in the next installment of "World at War."

It was only after her father died that Snyder came across the letters he had sent. No one in the family knew about them.

"I got to know him in a way that I never knew him," Snyder said.



Dear Mom and Pop,

... I have a few darn nice suits to wear so you and Pop can strut your stuff cause when I come back I'll strut my stuff right with you, past a few of those goddamn Republicans who think it's so darn bad to have their sons drafted. Don't forget to remind them that your boy enlisted and isn't afraid to face the music.

... It's about time to shove off to bed. It's 8:45. So Long, Stewart.



Jan. 25, 1944

"Hello Folks:

"... By all indications, you took my leaving quite hard  well, I can't blame you. It was rather a surprise for me, too. I was counting quite a bit on coming home for a few days and then it really didn't make any difference to me where I went for I joined the Navy to see some of the world and they certainly gave me a chance so far.

"Now that I am over 3,000 miles from home and don't expect to come back till it's all over, let's try and make the best of things and everybody will be more happier when I return. I have quite a bit of faith in the saying, 'Everything happens for the best.' How about you?

"... I hope you don't get seasick from just reading this. I wonder how Pop would feel riding this (Laugh). Well, I love it. That's why I joined the Navy. Now a word or two about my traveling the country.

"I can't remember much of our trip South but I can assure you that you haven't seen anything until you see the West. If I were you two, I'd pack up and take a trip west. I know that you would marvel and wonder at just the very few things and places I saw so far. That's why I am anxious for Doris and Joan to come out.

"When I look east I can see the foothills of the Rockies about 40 miles out and on the tops the snow has the ground and rocks covered that it makes a very beautiful picture."



April 27, 1944

"Hello Folks:

"...There are two things that I have to contend with and they are what they are.

"First, the censor and secondly, what is there to write about?

"Now the censor doesn't want me to tell where I am, why and how long we are going to stay here. After that's out, you may know the rest.

"...I'll try to give you as much dope as possible I feel you might be interested in."

"...We are having a very nice time and making the best of everything but naturally everyone is waiting for that day when we will all be hitting the States again and as we hear they are trying to get it over with in a hurry. We had a nice trip across, only I and the rest of the gang were as sick as dogs for the first two days and spit over the rail more than once. They say, 'You're no sailor till you spit over the rail,' so at that rate, I am one. It really is swell being a sailor and the living conditions are very nice and plenty to eat and good."

---

February 16, 1945

"Howdy:

"I have a little news that I think you all and maybe pop will be interested in. We are repainting our ship so I was one of the fellows who didn't have to help. They painted (sprayed) all morning so this afternoon I asked if I could help. The officer was quite shocked when I volunteered (something that doesn't happen every day in the Navy), so he gave me the go sign. I tore into it and enjoyed every minute of it. It really was just swell to handle a gun again and do the work I was brought up to do. I sure enough will have a full day tomorrow again. We intend to complete it by four tomorrow. Just for Pop's information mostly  two of us used up 20 gallons of paint in just about four hours so you can figure we covered quite a bit of surface. After I was through this evening, I had just about a gallon of paint on myself and my mouth tastes as though I had s--- in it."



August 17, 1944

"Hi there:

"Everything is just about the same. I figure you know about as much as I do especially with the election coming on this fall. You'll all be quite busy. Although I don't think "our" man will have any trouble. What I hear from all these fellows with me seems as though they're all for him.

"... The way I hear these days and read in the papers, the boys over there are making a mess of Hitler's boys. Here's hoping they keep it up and get it over with so we can all get back and start where we left off."



April 16, 1945

"Hello folks:

"Just a short note to let you know I'm still very much on the go, although we received the shocking news of our President's sudden death, which needless to say was quite a blow for all of us. I feel quite certain that personally it won't interfere with us as individuals or slow down our efforts to bring this darn thing to an end but I can think of a few that could have very easily taken his place and we would not have given a second thought to it. I feel sure that our final victory is near at hand."



November 23, 1945

"Just a short word this evening to give you as much information as I can about the next few weeks.

"Tomorrow morning we are leaving here (Manila) for San Francisco. We are expected to arrive there sometime on the 12th of December. If things turn out the way I expect them to, I will give you a call on or around the 15th.

"... This is one helluva job to make plans and arrangements when things are as uncertain as they have been for me for the past few weeks.
Despite the added uncertainty in the realty market after demonetisation, Group, one of the largest non-listed in the segment in the north, has managed to raise close to Rs 1,700 crore in less than 10 days from various investors.
The year 2016 has been an action-packed one for Indias two-wheeler market. From the Royal Enfield Himalayan, which the makers claim is Indias first all-terrain motorbike, to the Bajaj V12, made from the steel of the iconic INS Vikrant naval ship  there have been several interesting two-wheeler launches for the domestic market.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted search operations in hawala trader Paras Mal Lodha's office and house here, an official said.

"A team from our Delhi office has raided Parasmal Lodha's house at Queens Park and his office in south Kolkata," the official said.

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, was intercepted by a team of ED sleuths at the Mumbai airport in last week while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

The city-based businessman was arrested for allegedly converting over Rs 25 crore demonetised notes linked to industrialist J. Shekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon into new currency.

The ED booked Lodha under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at the premises of arrested Kolkata-based businessman in connection with a money laundering case probe and said it seized some documents related to a purported Swiss bank account.

ED is investigating Lodha after it booked him on criminal charges for his alleged involvement in two high-profile black money cases of illegal conversion of old notes in the wake of demonetisation.

Officials said the agency began the searches late in the afternoon here and covered two of his premises here at S N Roy road and Queens Park even as one of his locations in Delhi's elite Lutyens Zone area was brought under the same operation a few days back.

They said that the agency, apart from seizing some computer peripherals and other hardware, has also recovered some documents, purported to be of a Swiss bank account in the name of a woman, who could be associated to Lodha.

The agency, they said, will soon issue summons to some people associated to Lodha and involved in the case.

Lodha (62), at present, is in ED custody in Delhi after he was arrested by the agency last week.

ED is understood to have confronted Lodha with advocate Rohit Tandon of T and T law firm (in Delhi), who has been questioned in the same case more than once by the investigating officer (IO) of the case in Delhi.

Lodha was arrested by the agency in "connection with the recovery of large amount in new currency notes from a company belonging to Tandon and J Shekhar Reddy of Chennai".

The agency had earlier claimed that he was involved in a "deep-rooted conspiracy" in this case and that he was charging a commission "at the rate of 15-20 per cent" to convert old notes into new ones of several people.

It had said Lodha admitted that "post demonetisation he and his associates had converted old currency of at least Rs 25 crore into new currency notes".

While Tandon's case pertains to an operation of Delhi Police and the Income Tax department earlier this month when the agencies had allegedly seized Rs 13.6 crore from a law firm he is associated with, that of mining baron Reddy relates to Chennai where the I-T department has made the biggest detection of alleged unaccounted income of over Rs 142 crore.

Both the cases pertain to the ED's anti-black money operations post the currency ban.

These two cases, involving Tandon and Reddy, are being probed by at least four agencies-- the ED, the Income Tax department, the CBI and Delhi Police.
Robbers tied up an naval engineer and his wife in their own home in the state's Vasco town on Tuesday before fleeing with Rs 6 lakh worth of cash, gold and electronic items, police said.

The seven robbers barged in the house of naval aircraft engineer Avdesh Sharma in Rangavi Estate in Vasco, 40 km from here, tied him and his wife up before ransacking the house for the valuables.

"A case of dacoity and assault has been registered at the Vasco Police station. The whole incident has been captured on CCTV. We have started our investigation," a police spokesman told reporters here.
A worsening of the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the signing of a $8.9-billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal for French Rafale fighter jets, and new deals for artillery were among the top five determinants of Indias uncertain security situation in 2016. India made many high-profile defence purchases in 2016 and carried out a much-publicised surgical strike against Pakistan-based terrorists, but an IndiaSpend examination of defence data revealed gaping security holes.

India became the worlds fourth-largest defence spender in 2016 with a military budget of $50.7 billion (Rs 3.4 lakh crore)nine times the health budget for the same yearan increase of 8% over 2015 ($46.6 billion or Rs 3.2 lakh crore), according to the 2016 Janes Defence Budgets Report, released by the UK-based research firm IHS Markit.

Indias 2016 military budget was around a quarter of Chinas $191 billion or Rs. 13 lakh crore.
The Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said 200 to 250 more fighter aircraft were required to be inducted in the next 10 years to meet the air force's operational requirement.

India has sufficient number of aircraft in the heavy category in Sukhoi-30s, whereas gaps in the medium and lightweight categories needed to be filled, he said.

The chief said that 36 Rafale jets being bought by India from France were not enough.

"We are still inducting Sukhoi-30s; it will last us for another 40 years. The Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) will fill some void in the lightweight category... Rafale is an excellent aircraft. But we have just 36 aircraft; we require more aircraft in the medium-weight category," Raha said.

"To fill the gap, one more line of production is needed in India," he said, adding that a decision on the matter is likely soon, and the file is at present lying with the Defence Ministry.

On September 23, India signed a 7.87 billion ruro (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France to buy the 36 Rafale fighter jets to meet IAF's critical operational requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft and enhance its strategic reach, especially in the context of arch rival Pakistan.

The chief, set to retire on December 31, pointed out that the IAF's sanctioned sqadron strength is 42, and said: "This is just a numeral; there has to be a capability mix of heavy, medium and light aircraft."

Raha also emphasised the need for inducting more mid-air refuelers since its present fleet of Ilyushin IL-78 tanker fleet faced maintenance problems.
Several opposition parties on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister over the demonetisation woes of the common man, asking him to own responsibility for the chaos and demanding his resignation if the cash crunch persisted even after the 50-day deadline.

While Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi held Modi responsible for the continuing hardships of the common people, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said he will have to resign if the cash crunch woes continued even after the December 30 deadline he himself set.

Banerjee said the demonetisation decision was "illegal and unconstitutional" and that the Indian economy had been set 20 years back in these nearly 50 days.

Modi will have to resign if the chaos continues beyond December 30, she said.

Both leaders addressed a joint press conference at the Constitution Club here, along with leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Janata Dal-Secular, Indian Union Muslim League and All India United Democratic Front.

Several important partners in the anti-demonetisation campaign -- Janata Dal-United, the Left parties, Nationalist Congress Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party -- were, however, conspicuous by their absence.

Calling the November 8 note ban the "biggest scam after Independence", Banerjee asked if Modi will resign at the end of 50 days if the cash situation did not improve.

"Modi ji, you asked for 50 days; people were losing their livlihood, dying due to starvation but yet they gave you that time. Now 47 days are over and only three days are left," the Chief Minister said.

"We will wait for the next three days. But Modi ji, if things remain unsolved, will you take responsibility and resign as the Prime Minister?" she asked.

Rahul Gandhi said Modi should accept responsibility since the latter's assurance of normalcy after 50 days seems to be failing and people are still facing hardships due to cash crunch.

"December 30 is near, but the situation is still the same. The Prime Minister needs to answer who is responsible for the people's hardships... It is the Prime Minister who is responsible," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said demonitasation had failed to reduce corruption and arrest black money laundering, and was instead an attack on the country's poor.

"Demonetisation has had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged -- to convert black money into white," Gandhi said.

Countering the government's stance that demonetisation will curb terror funding, Gandhi said 2,000-rupee notes were found in possession of terrorists killed days after the November 8 scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

He asked Modi to tell the nation what he dubbed was the "real motive" behind the move.

The West Bengal Chief Minister mocked the cashless economy argument of the Centre.

"While an advanced economy like the United States has around 40 per cent cash transactions, he (Modi) talks about cashless economy. In the name of cashless economy, the Modi government has gone baseless; it has gone faceless," she quipped.

Banerjee claimed a "hidden agenda" behind the demonetisation.

"If the government is weak, the country becomes weak. Demonetisation has made the whole country unstable. This government must go; otherwise, the people will throw it out," added the TMC leader.

The DMK and the RJD dubbed the demonetisation move "ill-conceived and anti-people".

DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said the country is facing a financial crisis due to note ban.

He said only six per cent of the black money was in hard cash and for this six per cent, the Prime Minister has put then entire people across the country in trouble.

"No results have come so far. It has been an ill-conceived and poorly implemented move," Siva said.

"There is no assurance that no black money will be generated in future. There is no actual figure as to how much black money was deposited or recovered," Siva added.

Jai Prakash Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal said his party had been opposing the demonetisation move since the very beginning and party President and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad planned to hold district-level protests in Bihar.

"Cashless is baseless. Note ban is anti-poor and anti-people," Yadav said.

Meanwhile, speaking in Dehradun in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, Prime Minister strongly defended demonetisation and said the move is aimed at weeding out corruption from the country.

He said the move had broken the backs of terrorism, drug and fake currency smuggling as well as human trafficking.
Bhutan seeks investments from India in different sectors such as infrastructure, power, education, healthcare, IT and financial services to further enhance economic ties between the two countries.

"We are keen to attract more investments from India. We provide huge opportunities. India is permitted to invest in Indian currency. Our foreign direct investment policy is friendly for them," Bhutan's Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay today said here while addressing Indian industry chambers - CII, Ficci and Assocham - during a luncheon meeting.

Tobgay said India continues to be the largest trading partner of Bhutan.

"Hydro power has emerged as a major industry. Today, we have a number of mineral based industries like cement. Other sectors for cooperation include education, healthcare, tourism, IT and financial services," he added.

The newly-elected Prime Minister was on his maiden visit to India since assuming office last month.

He said already several Indian companies, including Tata Power, Punjab National Bank and General Insurance Corporation, have invested in Bhutan.

Tobgay said infrastructure development holds tremendous opportunity and that includes setting up of special economic zones, dry ports and industrial townships in Public-Private-Partnership mode.

I would urge Ficci, CII and Assocham to engage with Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and explore more business opportunities," he said.

Speaking at the occasion, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said the bilateral trade between the countries is well below potential.

"Huge business opportunities are there in Bhutan for Indians. Huge potential is there in hydro power sector. Other areas where India has expertise include IT and telecom besides skill training and human resource development," Sharma said.

The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at a meagre $397.22 million in 2012-13 as against $432.4 million in the previous fiscal.

India's main exports to Bhutan include petroleum products, automobiles, machinery and agri products while imports include power, minerals, wooden products and fresh fruits.
The government will explore the option of strategic sale in Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (BCPL), Indias first pharma company, and Hindustan Antibiotics after selling their surplus land. It will close down two other ailing pharma firms  Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals (IDPL) and Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (RDPL).
Expressing their support for the November 8 of high-value currency that has resulted in a major cash crunch, a group of experts on Tuesday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the move help to strengthen the process of formalising the Indian economy, the major part of which is organised informally.

" was discussed as a move towards formal economy," NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya said, briefing reporters following Modi's interaction here with a set of noted economists at a session on "Economic Policy - The Road Ahead" organised by the think-tank.

"All the speakers stressed the need to bring workers and activity into the formal sector," Panagariya said in reference to the stated aims of the November 8 announcement for curbing corruption, black money, counterfeit currency and terror financing.

Complementing the demonetisation process is the government's drive to promote digital transactions and a less cash economy so as to move from the informal to greater formalisation of the economic system.

"The speakers pointed out that 90 per cent of the labour force in the country is still in the informal sector," Panagariya added.

Besides Niti Aayog and Finance Ministry officials, the session was attended by economists and experts, including Pravin Krishna, Sukhpal Singh, Vijay Paul Sharma, Neelkanth Mishra, Surjit Bhalla, Pulak Ghosh, Govinda Rao, Madhav Chavan, N.K. Singh, Vivek Dehejia, Pramath Sinha, Sumit Bose and T.N. Ninan.

The meeting with experts to take stock of the economy assumes significance against the backdrop of the cash crunch after the government last month scrapped the Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes.

Economists and various state governments have voiced concerns that demonetisation will disrupt the economy and drag down the GDP growth rate for this fiscal by up to two percentage points.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested the manager of a Kotak Mahindra Bank branch in connection with its money laundering probe upon detection of nine alleged fake accounts with deposits worth Rs 34 crore post .
As India embarks on a massive modernisation plan for its forces, it has emerged as the second largest purchaser of arms among developing nations after Saudi Arabia, a latest Congressional report has said.

Between 2008 and 2015, India purchased equipment worth $34 billion, which is a distant second after Saudi Arabia's USD 93.5 billion, said the report 'Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations 2008-2015' released by Congressional Research Service (CRS).

As the name reflects, CRS is an independent bipartisan research wing of the US Congress. It prepares reports on a wide range of issues for lawmakers to make informed decisions. CRS reports are not considered official reports of the US Congress.

"Saudi Arabia was the leading developing world arms purchaser from 2008-2015, with agreements totalling USD 93.5 billion. India was the second largest developing world arms purchaser from 2008 to 2015, making arms transfer agreements totalling USD 34 billion during these years (in current dollars)," it said, adding these increases reflect the military modernisation efforts by India.

In its report, CRS highlights recent Indian efforts to diversify its procurement of arms, of which the US has been a major beneficiary.

"It is notable that India, while the principal Russian arms customer, during recent years has sought to diversify its weapons supplier base, purchasing the Phalcon early warning defense system aircraft in 2004 from Israel and numerous items from France in 2005, in particular six Scorpene diesel attack submarines. In 2008, India purchased six C130J cargo aircraft from the United States," CRS said.

In 2010, the UK sold India 57 Hawk jet trainers for USD 1 billion. In 2010, Italy also sold India 12 AW101 helicopters.

In 2011, France secured a USD 2.4 billion contract with India to upgrade 51 of its Mirage-2000 combat fighters, and the US agreed to sell India 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for USD 4.1 billion, it said.

"This pattern of Indian arms purchases indicates that Russia will likely face strong new competition from other major weapons suppliers for the India arms market, and it can no longer be assured that India will consistently purchase its major combat systems," CRS said.

Indeed, India in 2011 had eliminated Russia from the international competition to supply a new-generation combat fighter aircraft, a competition won by France.

In 2015, Russia and India agreed to a contract in which India would procure at least 200 Ka-226T helicopter, the report said.

With India reducing its reliance on Russia on arms purchase, Moscow is looking for other options, it added.
The ordinance passed by the cabinet on Wednesday to make possession of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes illegal post March 2017, is extremely significant since it gives legal validity to the exercise.
If after March 31 next year, you still have a lot of the old series Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, you might have to pay a hefty fine.
The Union Cabinet is likely on Wednesday to take up an ordinance to extinguish the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes not returned to banks by Friday, December 30.
Comments/suggestions invited from the members of public on the Report of the Committee on Digital Payments within 15 days of hosting the Report on the website

After approval of the Cabinet, the Guidelines for the promotion of payments through cards and digital means were issued on February 29, 2016. Among the steps to be taken was the constitution of the Committee by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance with key industry stakeholders, RBI and concerned Government Departments to review medium term measures necessary to promote the digital payment system in the Country. Accordingly, a Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Ratan P. Watal, Former Finance Secretary and Principal Advisor, NITI Ayog on August 23, 2016. The Committee has submitted its Report, which is uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Finance at http://finmin.nic.in.

Comments/suggestions from the members of public are requested within 15 days of hosting the Report on the website of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. Decision on the Report will be taken after considering the comments/suggestions received on the Report.

Feedback/comments on the said Report may be sent to the Coin and Currency Division of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance at currency-dea@gov.in within 15 days from the date of uploading of the said Report.

The Report of the Committee is also attached herewith for information and reference of public at large.

Click here to see Watal Committee Report .Pdf
Government invites comments of stakeholders and public on the Report of the Financial Redressal Agency by 31st January 2017. .

In his Budget Speech of 2015-16, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley had announced the creation a sector-neutral Financial Redressal Agency (FRA) to address the grievances of retail consumers against all Financial Service Providers (FSPs). This follows from the recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC), which had, in 2013, recommended FRA as part of the Regulatory Framework designed to foster customer protection and independence and accountability of Regulators. The Task Force, constituted in June, 2015 as part of the preparatory work for FRA, had submitted its Report on June 30, 2016. The Central Government now invites the comments of stakeholders and public on the Report of the Financial Redressal Agency by 31st January 2017.

Report of the Task Force

The Task Force found that the current framework offers only sub-optimal outcomes for consumers, for reasons which include the following:

 Varying approach, processes, capacity, service levels and powers to redress complaints. The average consumer is put under unnecessary stress when required to approach different redress agencies based on the nature of the product. This stress is further amplified due to varying levels of consumer protection across regulators.

 Inadequacy in powers to handle all categories of complaints. In some instances, regulated FSPs are not covered within the scope of the concerned regulators redress functions. Further, there is a lack of powers to award compensation in some cases, pushing consumers to courts/ consumer forums.

 Little room for specialisation as present systems do not have a specialised cadre of redress professionals.

 Possible conflict in role. A large number of complaints on a particular issue could reflect regulatory and supervisory gaps. It would help if feedback from complaints flows to the regulator through an independent mechanism. In addition, tasking regulators with resolving individual retail complaints takes away their resources for discharging core supervisory functions.

of the FRA DesignoftheFRA

 FRA design offers a simplified resolution process, allowing retail consumers in distant and remote locations to pursue effective remedies against FSP, without imposing significant costs on them. It will try to resolve all complaints through mediation. Cases where the parties are unable to reach a settlement would be resolved through a light-touch adjudication process. It will discourage court-like processes. The FRA will establish a front-end presence in diverse locations for consumers to submit complaints.

 The remedies awarded by the FRA may include (i) directions to the FSP to take remedial steps; and (ii) payment of compensation.

 The accountability of FRA will be ensured through robust requirements on disclosure and performance review. FRA will provide an independent feedback loop to regulators on complaints, including information on complaints received against unregulated FSPs, with a view to assisting them in strengthening consumer protection regulation and supervision.

 Consumers will be able to appeal against the orders of FRA at Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). This would standardise the availability of such an independent mechanism across the financial sector.

Organisational Design

FRA would be managed by a Board to the appointed by the financial regulators, in consultation with the Government of India (GOI). It would also have an Independent Assessment Officer to consider complaints against the FRAs redress function arising out of issues related to its standard of service. It would run an efficient process to manage vacancies.

Financial Consumer Protection Redress Law NewFinancialConsumerProtectionRedress

The Task Force has stressed that for the FRA, which represents the curative aspects of the consumer protection, to be effective  the preventive aspects, to be implemented by the regulators, need to be simultaneously strengthened. It highlighted the need for basic protections (articulated by FSLRC) to be provided for in law through a new financial consumer protection and redress legislation to (i) empower FRA to provide redress; and (ii) strengthen preventive regulatory framework on consumer protection for implementation by the regulators. This law should be created by adopting the relevant consumer protection provisions from the Indian Financial Code (IFC) 1.1.

Funding Requirement Business Model andBusiness

The Task Force has recommended an initial budget of about Rs.100 crore to operationalise the FRA.

The Task Force expects the proposed FRA to be largely cost neutral. The expected additional expenses over current cost would largely flow towards improved access, effectiveness and speed of redress to the retail consumers.

The Task Force has recommended that the regulators in consultation with the FRA should devise a model to levy fees on the FSPs. These levies should be collected by the regulators as part of its existing mechanisms on behalf of the FRA. The fee model should comprise of (i) a base flat fee, (ii) a variable fee based on the size of the entity and (iii) Number of complaints against the entity and the stages at which the complaints are resolved. No fee should be charged to the consumer.

Implementation Steps

1. Set-up a shell FRA through an executive order. Recruit the leadership and make the requisite budgets available.

2. Procure a Primary Consultant to assist in scaling-up the shell FRA.

3. Empower a statutory FRA through a financial consumer protection and redress legislation. The Task Force has recommended the following transition plan:

i. Phase I - 3 months: Empower the FRA to redress complaints being handled by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Insurance Ombudsman, and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

ii. Phase II - 1 year : Empower FRA to redress complaints by retail consumers against FSPs regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as well as retail complaints that are handled by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Banking Ombudsman
High wind and deep snow put Montana emergency workers to the test in the past couple of weeks. They were out in the icy, zero-visibility clearing roads and helping those stranded and wrecked. Among those public servants are the Montana Highway Patrol officers. They are on duty 24/7 to make travel safer in our great big state.

We ask lawmakers to keep those facts in mind when they consider Senate Bill 57, which proposes to update a critical source of funding for Montana Highway Patrol operations. With Sen. Mark Blasdel, R-Kalispell, as chief sponsor, co-sponsors include Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Fallls; Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, D-Butte; Rep. Kim Dudik, D-Missoula; Rep. Ron Ehli, R-Hamilton; and Rep. Vince Ricci, R-Laurel.

SB57 would raise an annual vehicle registration fee from the present $5 per vehicle to $10.

This fee was instituted by the 2005 Legislature in response to the MHP's continual loss of officers to other Montana law enforcement agencies that paid much better. The fee is deposited in a special account to be used on for MHP salaries and operations. The law requires that MHP salaries be set every biennium based on the average of sheriff's deputy salaries in Silver Bow, Cascade, Yellowstone, Missoula, Lewis and Clark, Dawson and Flathead counties.

The fund worked well for years, but a dozen years later, it is not keeping up with costs. A major factor is that the Legislature subsequently exempted many vehicles from annual registration. For example, RVs, motorcycles and many older vehicles now can be permanently registered, so there is no $5 annual fee being collected.

Last year, the fee raised $5 million, according to the Department of Justice. If the increase is approved as SB57 proposes, additional money must be used to maintain salaries that help recruit and retain excellent MHP officers.

MHP Col. Tom Butler talked to lawmakers about the predicament and convinced Blasdel that SB57 is a way to maintain the fund's viability. The bill is one of Attorney General Tim Fox's top legislative priorities, according to Eric Sell, DOJ spokesman.

"This fund's been a success," Blasdel told The Gazette by phone last week. "Citizens hope they can get Highway Patrol there when they need help.

"I'm usually one that votes against fee increases, but this is one I can get behind."

All our lawmakers who are concerned about travel safety should get behind this bipartisan bill to update a good, 12-year-old solution. The state budget is tight, but SB57 offers a common-sense way for road users to support the patrol officers they depend on 24/7.
Practical approach to the possibility of a South Asian Union would be to make haste slowly: Vice President Releases book August Voices authored by Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Haid Ansari has said that the practical approach to the possibility of a South Asian Union would be to make haste slowly, to be accommodative rather than exclusionary so that negative perceptions are allowed to fade away. He was addressing the gathering after releasing the book August Voices: What they said on 14-15 August 1947 authored by Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni, in Mumbai today. The Minister of Education, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Vinod S. Tawde and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Following is the text of Vice Presidents address : I confess I have read, but infrequently, some of the writings of Sudheendra Kulkarni ji. Some years back he was gracious enough to send me a copy of his very interesting collection of writings on what Mahatma Gandhi would have done with the internet. It is tempting to type caste. Could he be called an archeologist, or dubbed a futurologist? Neither would do justice to his work. To me, it is evident that Kulkarni ji has the mind of an explorer, a visionary, in quest of new worlds. The book before us is one such endeavour, to build a new edifice on the ruins of the past. And yet, because this is not a green field venture, it is essential to understand the nature of ruins on which rebuilding is to commence. The task of the historian, as Ibn Khuldun put it, is to lift the veil from conditions of the past. The present case is also a matter of living memory and therefore not immune from subjectivity of greater intensity. The post-truth, in this case, arrived seven decades earlier! The challenge for us, therefore, is three fold:  To understand what happened in 1947?  To examine the role and limitations of the principal actors?  To explore realistically the options for the future. The happening of 1947 has rightly been describes as a tragedy to which the Two Nation theory contributed. The British role, and their anxiety to leave India on terms most advantageous to them, is well known. Was this sufficient to bring about the division of the country? Some of the iconic personalities cited in the book, and others not mentioned, played a role in articulating and shaping perceptions for over two decades. Their final statements, if such a term can be used for what they said on August 14-15, have therefore to be seen in a wider context of their role in the developments that led to the final decisions. The critical question is simply put: why was the Partition Plan, put forth by the British, accepted? Much has been written about the experience of the functioning of the Interim Government of 1946-47. In the discussions preceding and during the crucial AICC meeting of June 14-15, 1947 opinion was divided but both Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel supported Partition. Their line of reasoning, as per public record, was not identical. Nehru felt a compromise with the Muslim League would result in a weak India, that is, a federal India with far too much power in the federating units, adding that partition would be temporary, that Pakistan was bound to come back to us. Patel felt, as he put it, that in spite of my previous strong opposition to partition, I agreed to it because I am convinced that in order to keep India united it must be divided. He added, in a speech in Bombay on October 30, 1948, that we accepted partition willingly and after a full weightment of its consequences. Ten years after the event, Maulana Azad attributed the decision of his principal colleagues to anger or despair (that) had clouded their vision adding that the verdict (of history) would be that India was not divided by the Muslim League but by the Congress. It is therefore difficult to disagree with Shri Kulkarnis conclusion that historys verdict casts the responsibility for Indias Partition on both the parties although the Muslim leagues guilt is decidedly greater because it anchored its demand on the Two Nation Theory. And yet, the thought did persist with some of the decision-makers that the impending happening was somewhat unreal, not altogether desirable, and hopefully transitory. The latter aspect, however, was not investigated or spelt out.

Even more glaring was the apparent absence, on all sides, of reflection and articulation of the economic implications of the division of what had hitherto been one economic unit for over a century with its own imperatives and socio-economic consequences.

The theme of the book before us is to project a scenario of the possibility of a South Asian Union with the India-Pakistan-Bangladesh Confederation at the core. Its underlying assumption is the possibility and desirability of an India-Pakistan Rapprochement.

Our focus is on three nation-states of recent origin, of different sizes and capacities, differing versions of the past, conflicting ideologies and national security perceptions, but sharing geography, ecology and wider human security challenges.

Our author seeks a solution by plunging headlong into the core of differences. He suggests a cultural and spiritual confederation that would subdue and overcome extremist perceptions of those whom he is not disinclined to name, reverts to what was said by some political and spiritual personalities, and cites with approval Maharishi Aurobindos words that the desired change will come by an increasing recognition of the necessity not only of peace and concord but of common action, by the practice of common action and the creation of means for that purpose.

Idealism, however lofty, has to be tempered with realism. Common action is easier done on areas of convergence than of divergence. This convergence is to be sought by moving beyond the traditional paradigm of conventional security into those of human security and human wrong. Both are ignored by the governments and societies in our region; there is a crying need for the recognition and implementation of both. Only then would we develop the perception and capacity for correctives.

A beginning therefore has to be made in regional cooperation with a focus on human security problems, on movement of people and on trade without unreasonable restrictions. The common traits in cultural traditions and historical narratives needs to be transmitted to a younger generation through conscious promotion rather than studied prevention of cultural exchanges, films, and other cultural activities.

The experience of SAARC has not been encouraging and therefore alternate strategies need to be explored. The proposed new structure would have to be voluntary and devoid of overt or covert coercion. There may be lessons to be learnt from other regional organizations.

The practical approach would be to make haste slowly, to be accommodative rather than exclusionary so that negative perceptions are allowed to fade away. Political commitment and modalities have to surface to resolve outstanding areas of disagreement. Foremost amongst these is what the Simla Agreement of 1972 called a final settlement of Jammu and Kashmir. Its domestic dimensions, as well as the trans-LOC incursions, have been in the of late. The State is doing all that is necessary to confront and repel terrorism. The State also has a duty to ensure that the rights and dignity of our citizens in the State are respected and ensured and shortcomings effectively addressed. Alienation of any segment of the citizen body within our land does not contribute to the overall health of the Republic.

Chale chalo ke who manzil abhi nahin aaii.

Jai Hind.
Cuba's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a law prohibiting the use of Fidel Castro's name to designate public sites or using his image for monuments, according to the wishes of the former president, who died on November 25.

At the session, headed by President Raul Castro, the more than 600 Cuban lawmakers unanimously approved the bill adhering to the desire of the late leader "to avoid any appearance of a personality cult", Efe news agency reported.

The wishes of the Cuban Revolutionary leader, who died in Havana at age 90, were made public by his brother Raul on December 3 during a huge farewell ceremony in Santiago de Cuba, where the next day Fidel's ashes were interred.

According to the law, "as an expression of the will and the political ethics that always accompanied Fidel, it is prohibited to use his name to name institutions, plazas, parks, avenues, streets and other public places, as well as for any kind of decoration, recognition or honorific title".

The law also "prevents using his image to erect monuments, busts, statues, commemorative plaques and other similar forms of tribute."

The prohibition also includes the use of Castro's image referring to him "as a brand name for commercial or advertising ends".

However, the law establishes exceptions involving the study and dissemination of the knowledge and work of the former President.

On March 20, 1959, less than three months after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution headed by Castro, the new Council of Ministers approved Law No. 174 prohibiting the creation of any monuments, statues or busts to living national personalities.
South Koreas antitrust regulator fined 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what it called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the US chipmaker said it will challenge in court.



The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomms most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing headwinds from a cooling smartphone market.



The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled on Wednesday abused its dominant market position and forced handset makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips.



also restricted competition by refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents related to modem chips to rival chipmakers such as Intel Corp, Samsung Electronics Co and MediaTek Inc, the regulator said, hindering their sales and leaving their products vulnerable to lawsuits.



The regulator ordered Qualcomm to negotiate in good faith with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset makers if requested - measures that would affect the US firms dealings with major tech including Apple, Intel, Samsung and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd if upheld.



The KFTC said it began its investigations into Qualcomms practices in 2014 following complaints from industry participants, but did not name specific .



Foreign including Apple, Intel, MediaTek and Huawei expressed their views during the regulators deliberation process, KFTC Secretary General Shin Young-son told a media briefing in the countrys administrative capital.



We investigated and decided on these actions because Qualcomms actions limit overall competition, Shin said, adding that the ruling was not about protecting domestic companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics but about improving market competition for all players.



Qualcomm said it will file for an immediate stay of the corrective order and appeal the decision to the Seoul High Court. The firm will also appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.



Qualcomm strongly disagrees with the KFTCs announced decision, it said in a statement.



The decision in Seoul could mean lower costs for mobile phone makers and others in the tech supply chain who source Qualcomm chips, said a Taiwanese industry executive, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.



The fine is the latest in a series of antitrust rulings and investigations faced by Qualcomm from regulators across the globe. In February 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China following a 14-month probe, while the European Union in December 2015 accused it of abusing its market power to thwart rivals.



Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with AB Bernstein, said the fine itself was large but also said the KFTCs orders for Qualcomm to alter its business practices have bigger future implications for the chipmaker.



A major challenge for Qualcomm, he said, would emerge if the ruling forces the company to license patents for some of its chips to rivals such as Intel, which has been competing hard to land its modem chips in mobile phones.



How can they force you to license to a competitor? Thats what I never understood. I guarantee Qualcomm wont want to do that, he said, adding that the dispute could take years to play out in South Korean courts.



The KFTC fined Qualcomm 273 billion won in 2009 for abusing its dominant position in CDMA modem chips, which were then used in handsets made by Samsung and LG.



Regulators in other jurisdictions, including the United States and Taiwan, are also investigating Qualcomm. The KFTC move could serve as a benchmark for some of them.



Koreas decision will serve as an important reference point for us, Chiu Yung-ho, vice chairman and spokesman for Taiwans Fair Trade Commission, told Reuters. He gave no timeline on when Taiwans own year-long investigation would be concluded.


Behind a tall perimeter wall, studded with surveillance cameras and guarded by Moroccan soldiers, a sprawling new palace for King Salman of rose on the Atlantic coast here last summer.
Donald Trump accused President Barack Obama of hobbling the transition to the Republicans administration with unspecified inflammatory statements and roadblocks, as tensions between the two men spilled into the open less than a month before Inauguration Day. Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks, the president-elect tweeted on Wednesday. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition  NOT! Trumps Twitter eruption was the culmination of a growing set of grievances ...
As the country's largest dairy organisation, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) plans to launch merchandise featuring its unique mascot, the girl, experts feel that it is likely to be a tight-rope-walk for the federation. This is because the world of merchandising is entirely different from publishing popular topical advertisements.
While cotton and groundnut exporters are facing difficulties in sourcing their produce for fulfilling commitments in the peak of season due to a demonetisation-driven cash crunch, (cumin) exporters have been relatively unaffected.

According to exporters, while the new season is likely to start in March, farmers have gradually begun accepting payment digitally, and have therefore been able to ensure steady supply.
Oil traded near the highest since July last year amid optimism the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec's) and 11 other producing nations will cut output as promised, helping eliminate a global supply glut. Futures rose as much as 0.7 % in New York, advancing for an eighth day in the longest winning streak in almost seven years. Crude inventories should return to equilibrium and prices stabilise, as the agreed cuts go into effect, Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said Tuesday on state television. A monitoring committee consisting of some Opec nations and ...
is locked in upper circuit of 5% at Rs 12.40 on the BSE after the company said it has been awarded an order worth Rs 434 crore in the state of Arunachal Pradesh for National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited on engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) of road project.
This past year was a rough one for the coal industry. In 2016 we saw President Barack Obamas final push to kill coal before the end of his term. The result was a significant drop in production due to closure of power plants the state had supplied, the loss of hundreds of Montana coal jobs, and a $7.3 million dollar reduction in state coal tax revenues.

But the worst seems to be over. Already our coal industry is recovering and 2017 looks to be a strong year.

President-elect Donald Trumps electoral upset has brought hope to many whose livelihoods depend on coal. Trump promised economic growth and job creation in the form of bolstering American coal production, and thus far his actions have followed his campaign promises.

His selection of Montanas Rep. Ryan Zinke as secretary of the Interior and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as chief of the Environmental Protection Agency indicates that Americas energy future will look vastly different than it has in the past.

Throughout the Obama administration the Department of Interior and the EPA were used to implement activist policies of extreme environmental groups, and Montana has been among the states most impacted by the administrations anti-coal agenda.

But that may all soon change. With Zinke and Pruitt at the helm of the Department of Interior and the EPA, energy producers may be looking forward to a more stable regulatory environment and new opportunities for growth.

While the incoming administration has their work cut out for them in terms of rolling back the wave of regulations pushed by the Obama administration, there are a few initiatives that should take priority to put U.S. energy production back on track.

Approve West Coast terminals. Asian demand for coal is skyrocketingbut the only way for the U.S. to meet this growing demand has been cut off with the politically-motivated rejection by the Obama administration of several proposed export facilities on the Pacific Coast. By failing to implement a fair, unbiased, and timely review process, the Army Corp of Engineers has made it next to impossible to obtain the permits for construction, even when all permit requirements are fulfilled. President Trump could create thousands of jobs in Montana and the Pacific Northwest by approving new export terminals.

Lift coal leasing moratorium. Under the Obama administration, Interior implemented a moratorium on federal coal leases. This moratorium has serious implications for Montana, which is home to over one-third of U.S. coal reserves and where approximately half of coal production occurs on federal land. If the unjustified moratorium remains in place, Montana will lose between $40 million and $50 million per biennium in royalty revenue, in addition to losing thousands of jobs.

Roll back regulations. Obamas anti-coal regulations were estimated to reduce carbon emissions by a meager 1 percent at a cost of billions to our Montana economy and thousands of jobs.

Invest in technology. In order to make a meaningful impact on emissions, we must invest in the technology that can reduce emissions without killing jobs or damaging our economy. Solutions such as carbon capture and sequestration and super-critical boilers are viable options for reducing emissions, but they require regulatory certainty to accomplish.

Investors need to know that if they meet the environmental standards that have been set, theyre going to get a permit. If that happens, we could see new power plants with state-of-the-art technology being built in the coming yearssomething not possible under Obama.

Things are looking up for coal in 2017. Global demand for coal remains strong, and Montana miners are well positioned to meet that demand. And with new leadership in Washington that will balance climate change concerns with economic vitality, all Montanans should be bullish on the future.
Noted stalwarts from the biz world announced the successful culmination of the World Conclave 2016 (Hong Kong) at a Press Meet organized in New Delhi.

The World Conclave 2016 Hong Kong celebrating Asia-Pacific's Success Story (APSS), was in collaboration with The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and TiE Hong Kong as Associate Partners, Dun and Bradstreet (D and B) as Knowledge Partner, Asia Pacific Research Committee (APRC) as Strategic Partner, Unirich Jewellery Limited as Luxury Partner, Buttar and Associates as Financial Partner and Sarjan Group as Country Partner.

The conclave was a coveted rostrum for knowledge sharing and ideation of business culture. The event excluded no industry from its purview and amassed conglomerates from diversified sectors to join the crusade that spoke for business competence and excellence.

The event itself was an engaging platform that suggested innovative business solutions to changing business needs. The latest in driverless cars and artificial intelligence inventions were the talk of the conclave as the 11th largest company in the world, Baidu, revealed about its latest robotics and machine-learning techniques.

The same platform was also witness to Baidu's biggest competition Microsoft, represented by Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman Microsoft India; Karuna Gopal, President, Foundation of Futuristic Cities; Yogesh Kochhar, Ex-Director, Strategic Engagements Microsoft India Vikas Mehta, Group CMO and President, Mullen Lowe Lintas Group; NSN Murthy, Executive Director and Leader, Smart Cities PwC and digital evangelist Mahesh Murthy.

Giving an insight into what transpired during the epic discussion on 'Connectivity in Smart Cities,' Sanjay Kaul, MD, Service Provider Business, Cisco India, who was also present at the event in Hong Kong, reiterated the use of new technology to make better cities and improving lives.

The MD of Stimulus Research Services, Sanjana Mohan shared at the event, "The World Business Conclave is our effort towards furthering international business solutions and innovations. By giving a platform to issues likes 'Make in India' and 'demonetisation,' we, at Stimulus Research Services have tried to underline and talk about stimulating business conditions."

Pertinent issues like demonetisation were also discussed in the wake of changing social political scenario of the country which have had an effect on programs like 'Make in India' and the problems faced by entrepreneurs hereon. Participants like Manisha Sood, Country GM, Fitbit, India; Jeenanath Shetty, Director, Unitop Chemicals Pvt. Ltd; Manish Tewari, Former I&B Minister and spokesperson, Congress and famous ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakar discussed business solutions that could drive the 'Make in India' programme.

At the event, the MD of Stimulus Research Services, Sanjana Mohan also gave an insight into her ambitious initiative in Dubai next year Globe Luxurie Decode. 'Globe Luxurie Decode' is aimed at defining the luxury market in Dubai an experience that will define the timeline of luxury events in Dubai. A never-before-seen initiative, 'Globe Luxurie Decode' will be a unique platform showcasing the biggest luxury brands a never-witnessed-before auction featuring 20 premium brands, a business conclave and an awards ceremony honoring 101 international luxury brands and an extravagant expo featuring more than 150 international luxury brands. The event will be witnessed by more than 600 corporate over a period of two days, all under one roof.

'Globe Luxurie Decode' will be chronicling luxury and its experience in the days to come.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Suspended All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer was on Wednesday attacked by the party cadres.

The incident took place when four lawyers of Pushpa's team had gone to the AIADMK headquarters to submit a letter.

Pushpa who filed a petition in Supreme Court, demanding a probe into the death of J. Jayalalithaa, had earlier said that proper inquiry should be done as the people of the state want to know the actual reason behind the death of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Pushpa filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court earlier on Sunday urging it to order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Chief Ministers' Committee on demonetisation, which is headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu, will meet in the capital today.

The panel was set up by the Niti Aayog on November 26. While Naidu was made convenor, the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Puducherry were made members of the committee.

Attempts were also made to include Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, but they declined.

Some recent flip-flops by Naidu on the issue have added to the confusion.

Naidu has repeatedly appealed to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and local bankers to adopt a humanitarian approach to prevent inconvenience to the people by delivering more number of small currency notes to rural areas.

Stating that cashless and digital banking transaction is the only alternative to end the crisis, Naidu, who is spending more than three to four hours a day monitoring the cash distribution system, has asked officials to think innovatively to address the crisis and to encourage urban people to switch over to mobile banking transactions and distribute the available small currency to farmers in rural areas to carry out agricultural operations for the current Rabi season.

He said that cashless transactions were successfully implemented in all 29,000 fair price shops in the state and the dealers of FP shops were appointed as banking correspondents to solve currency problem in rural areas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav has backed Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's assertion that the present situation in the country after the Centre's demonetisation drive is a "super emergency."

Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, "The situation in the entire nation is very bad post this demonetisation drive. There is no solution to the problems being faced by the people as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

"The situation is worse in downtrodden areas which are not well connected with the cities, do not have the facilities of ATMs and other modern techniques. Several people have lost their lives due to demonetisation. However, the Prime Minister has said nothing over this. So, I think the statements made by Mamata Banerjee that is a super emergency is absolutely correct," he added.

The TMC chief yesterday led the attack on the Centre over their demonetisation move alleging that the government had completely destroyed the federal structure.

"It is not emergency; it's super emergency. Just that it has not been officially declared," said Banerjee addressing the media after an anti-demonetisation meeting which was attended by all the opposition parties except the Left, Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

"Demonetisation is a mega scam, biggest one after independence. The government is looting money of the poor and giving it to rich in the form of loans," she added.

The West Bengal Chief Minister further questioned Prime Minister Modi whether he would resign if things don't get back to normal even after 50 days.

"Even if after 50 days, things will not change. Will the Prime Minister resign?" she said.

The TMC chief also accused the Modi government of pushing the country 20 years back.

"In push for cashless economy, Modi government has become baseless. It's a total loss of face for them," she said while describing the situation prevailing in the country as "super emergency".

The West Bengal Chief Minister also insisted that all the opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda program.

"Modi ji said we will have 'acche din'. Is this what he meant by acche din? People are troubled. The country has been robbed in the name of acche din. In the name of cashless, Modi Government has gone baseless. It has become totally faceless," she said.

"This is a fearless government. They do not care about anything."

Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also escalated his attack on Prime Minister Modi, saying the goal of his ambitious demonetisation drive has completely failed as people are continuing to suffer.

"Demonetisation has done absolutely nothing against corruption. What it has done instead is to leave people without any money," said Gandhi.

"December 30th is about to come and the situation is still the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely. The Prime Minister should answer the nation as to what was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it," he added.

The Congress vice-president further said that demonetisation was an attack on the country's poor and had only increased unemployment.

Claiming that a new black market was created to exchange the demonetised notes, Gandhi said that demonetisation was a direct attack on the country's financial institutions and the poor.

"A new market for conversion of money has been set up which has resulted in an attack on financial institutions and poor," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Recruiting consultants can now stay ahead of employers and take informed association decisions with RecruitCircle.

Democratizing the recruitment ecosystem, the circle will hold growing database of all employer ratings and reviews with whom they would want to work. Officially launched in October 24th 2016, RecruitCircle can be briefly described as an online community for and by recruitment community.

"Our aim is to bring the recruitment industry together to form a community. Thus, sharing one another's experience is the key to it and we want to enable recruitment consultants to be able to do that with ease," said Head of Development RecruitCircle, Agastya Saptarshi.

Aimed at providing the entire recruitment community with information on hiring process of employers, recruiters may have an upper hand. It gives recruitment firms a platform to share their experiences about difficult profiles employers give, timelines for such recruitments, quality of hiring commercials, timely payments and on time feedback of candidate's.

The circle will have transparent review system in place, where recruiters can review their experience of working with a particular employer and alleviate some shared industry issues like delay in candidate feedback, payment delays, mismatch between employer mandates and market standards.

The online community also empowers recruiter to voice their opinion about the employers and aid other recruiters to make informed decision about employers they want to work with.

RecruitCircle is on a mission to help recruitment firms make decisions that will enhance their and share their experiences of their dealings with the clients to the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday expressed his grief over the demise of his BJP veteran Sunderlal Patwa, saying he was the one who changed the state politics.

"The one who changed the politics of Madhya Pradesh, the one without whom one cannot imagine the politics of Madhya Pradesh, the one who was respected by all parties, Patwa ji is not with us anymore. He was absolutely fine at night but when he did not wake up till late in the morning, he was rushed to the hospital. The doctors there told us that he had passed away," Chouhan told ANI.

The former chief minister's last rites will be performed today at 4 p.m. The state will also be observing three days of mourning.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh took to his Twitter handle to express his grief to the bereaved family.

"Extremely sad by the news of demise of Sunderlal ji Patwa. He was an arduous politician of MP. The state has suffered an irreparable loss," he tweeted.

"I pay my tributes to him. May God provide rest to his soul and his family the strength to deal with this crisis," he wrote further.

Patwa died at the age of 92 after suffering a heart attack.

Patwa was the chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh twice, from January 20, 1980 to February 17, 1980 as member of Janata Party, and from March 5, 1990 to December 15, 1992 as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He began his political career with Jana Sangh, which merged with Janata Party in 1977.

Later, members owing allegiance to Jana Sangh's Hindutva ideology broke away from Janata Party in 1980 to form Bharatiya Janata Party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned US Secretary of State John Kerry against the impact of Washington's domestic agenda on the Middle East Quartet and the UN Security Council.

Lavrov held a telephone conversation with his US counterpart yesterday.

The two officials exchanged opinions on developments in and around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict settlement.

Lavrov underscored the necessity of conditions for direct talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

He spotlighted harmful attempts to use these platforms for the Democrats' and Republicans' bickering.

They also discussed Syria settlement prospects in the light of the meetings of the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defence ministers in Moscow on December 20 and their understanding on the progress towards an all-Syrian ceasefire and stepping up anti-terrorist efforts.

As Lavrov stressed, the authorisation of deliveries of man-portable air-defence systems and other weapons to anti-government units, which is included in the law on the US defence budget signed by President Barack Obama on December 23, may lead to further escalation of tensions and to more victims.

The situation in Libya and Yemen was also discussed.

When the conversation concerned bilateral relations, Lavrov stressed again that the outgoing Obama administration was out to further undermine the basis of normal Russia-US cooperation, and that this policy was inadmissible.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It's the last week of 2016 and the New Year is knocking the door. The whole world is gearing up to welcome 2017 in their own way.

Let's find out what are the plans of B-Town biggies:

Aamir Khan, who is basking in the tremendous applauds for his recently released 'Dangal,' is all set to take off to Panchgani with family to bring in his wedding anniversary and the New Year. It's certainly a time for celebration for the actor who has multiple reasons to do so!

Sanjay Dutt will be celebrating his first Christmas and New Year's with his family after being released from the Yerawada Jail, and will be ringing in 2017 with his wife Manyata and twins out of the country.

Saif Ali Khan, who was recently blessed with a baby boy, will be at home with his new born and wife Kareena.

Jacqueline Fernandez, who has had a great year with multiple releases, will round of 2016 with a chat show and a flight to hometown Colombo to spend time with family!

Tiger Shroff is yet to cement his New Year plans, but has already had the traditional family Christmas lunch.

Radhika Apte, who too had a phenomenal year with critical acclaimed films like 'Phobia,' 'Parched' and 'Kabali,' has also had a slew of short films which were loved immensely! The actress who is away in London, a second home is all set to bring in the festivities with her family.

Yami Gautam, who hails from Chandigarh, will very much be in Mumbai working. The actress who is busy with 'Kaabil' and 'Sarkar 3' will be giving festivities a skip.

Honey Singh, who is coping with bipolar disorder, plans to work on new music and celebrate with family and friends.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Describing Jammu and Kashmir High Court's decision to grant bail to Masrat Alam as failure of the prosecution, veteran filmmaker and social activist Ashok Pandit on Wednesday urged the state government to hire best lawyer to send the separatist leader back to jail.

"It is failure of the prosecution. The state missionary has failed to prove a terrorist as terrorist in the courts of law. If such a known terrorist gets out of jail on bail then nothing can be tragic than this," Pandit told ANI.

He further termed the release of Alam as a sad news for the security forces who fight every day and lose their lives.

"I appeal the state government and state missionary to hire best possible legal luminary, the lawyer and see to it that the terrorist goes back to jail otherwise the confidence of common man will go down," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party (JKNPP) leader Harsh Dev Singh alleged that the government has not contested the case with all seriousness.

"The government never wanted to arrest him. It was the media and public because of which he was arrested. This decision is in pursuance of the soft separatism of the government," Singh told ANI.

Singh further said that if elements like Alam are given open space and the government does not take stern action against them then the situation would continue to deteriorate in the valley.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court earlier in the day directed Mehbooba Mufti-led government to immediately release Alam from preventive custody.

A bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar quashed Alam's detention after hearing his counsel Mian Abdul Qayoom and the state counsel.

Alam, who has been languishing in jail for the past six years on charges of fomenting trouble and posing a threat to public safety in the Valley, was booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) following the 2010 violent unrest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Categorically stating that his party would not enter into an alliance for next year's assembly polls, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday trained his guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the people of Uttar Pradesh would give a befitting reply courtesy demonetisation.

"The people will very soon give a befitting response to demonetisation. There is no need for us to voice concerns on the same," he told the media here.

Mulayam also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is facing a lot of problems as the BJP has miserably failed in fulfilling the promises made to the nation in the run up to the 2014 general election.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief also said that the party, which emerges victorious in the politically crucial state, finally goes on to conquer the throne of Delhi.

Meanwhile, Mulayam also announced the first list of candidates for next year's polls.

"We have declared list of 325 candidates for the 2017 assembly polls. 78 seats still remain. Name of candidates for rest of the 78 seats will be announced soon," he said.

The Samajwadi Party boss announced the first list in the absence of his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is at loggerheads with his uncle and bete noire Shivpal Yadav over distribution of tickets.

Mulayam announced the name of his brother Shivpal from Jaswant Nagar Assembly seat.

Akhilesh's name did not figure in the first list. Mulayam, however, said that his son being the Chief Minister can contest from any assembly seat he wishes to.

The Chief Minister had earlier last week sent the list of candidates for 403 assembly seats to the party chief.

However, this had irked Shivpal forcing him to state that no indiscipline will be tolerated in the party and the tickets will be confirmed with Mulayam's consent.

As per the list announced by Mulayam, Azam Khan will contest from Rampur, Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi, Ram Shankar Katheria from Kaimganj, Pinki Yadav from Asmoli, Harish Lodhi from Dibai, Tejvir Singh from Chhara, Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh from Bah, Mohd Rehan from Lucknow West, Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow central, Mahendra Singh Patel from Rohanya and Durga Prasad Yadav from Azamgarh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BISMARCK, N.D.  Bismarck is on track to beat the seasonal snowfall record.

Rick Krolak, observing program leader at the Bismarck office of the National Weather Service, said the average seasonal total is 51.2 inches. The city had received 43.5 inches of snow as of Tuesday.

National Weather Service data show the year-to-date record was set in 2008, with 45.8 inches of snow falling between July and December. The city currently trails the year-to-date record by 2.3 inches.

The Christmas Day blizzard brought 7-foot-tall snow drifts and blockaded streets.

But it also brought out the best of neighbors and strangers in the region.

When Lory Hellman woke up on Monday morning, her neighborhood in Burleigh County, just east of Buckstop Junction, was stacked 6 feet high with snow.

I didnt know how long it would take them to plow our street, she said Tuesday morning.

Then a man in her neighborhood, whom she'd met once or twice and knew just as Norbert, came by with his Bobcat. He worked until 10 p.m. to plow everyone out and clear a way to the main road for about 12 neighbors.

"He kind of saved us, said Hellman, a mother of two.

Hellman said her husband managed to hand the helpful neighbor a gift card, but "thats all he would take."

Norbert Guthmiller, of ProBuilders Inc., reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, said he "just did it to help them out."

"They're nice neighbors," he said.

With nearly all of the roads in the region impassable to cars on Monday, a fleet of volunteer snowmobile drivers ferried doctors and nurses to local hospitals for work.

"With the holiday, they were down to skeleton crews  plus with the weather," said Jim Hulm, a lieutenant with the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department and vice president of the Rough Riders Snowmobile Association.

He said a team of seven snowmobilers picked up about 30 to 40 hospital workers at their homes. They brought the staffers to main emergency routes, where four-wheel drive vehicles or squad cars were waiting to carry them to the medical centers.

The team also brought necessary medication to several people stuck at home, including one diabetic who had gone without insulin for a day or two, said Hulm, who acted as a snowmobile dispatcher on Monday.

The snowmobilers are part of the club's Citizen Emergency Response Team, which assists the local emergency managers during major snow storms.

Brad Erickson, safety director at Sanford Health, said he was "sure grateful" the snowmobilers could help. Nine babies were born at the hospital from Dec. 24-26, and one person needed open-heart surgery.

"The flow of patients was coming," Erickson said. "The only way those staff were accessible was by snowmobile."

Kate Brovold was stuck at her parents' house in south Bismarck from Christmas Eve through Tuesday morning. But Monday night she got a great text from her neighbors: Her garage was clear for her when she got home.

"She told me she was stuck there, and, I dont know, she asked me if I could go over there and plow her out," said her neighbor, Bob Seams.

Once he got started with the snowblower, a neighbor from across the street came over to help. Then another neighbor from up the street.

"It was a whole group of us," Seams said.

Brovold said that's not uncommon for her neighborhood.

"We all just band together when we can and try to help each other out," she said.
The Pakistan government is searching for a replacement for the Sindh governor as retired Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui health is not 'significantly' improving.

The longest-serving governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, was replaced by Justice Siddiqui in the second week of November but due to health problems he was shifted to a hospital and did not stay at Governor House for long, reports the Dawn.

Justice Siddiqui was admitted to hospital for the treatment of chest congestion and related disorders.

The governor, after his release from the hospital, is currently under a constant care of a medical team at the Governor House.

According to officials, a technocrat or a former judge is being looked at by the government for the governor's post.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Sunder Lal Patwa in the state capital.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter to express his grief over the demise of the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

"Saddened on the passing away of Shri Sunder Lal Patwa. He was a hardworking & dedicated leader whose good work as MP CM will be remembered," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

"Shri Sunder Lal Patwa strengthened the BJP & was always admired by Karyakartas. My thoughts are with his family. May his soul rest in peace," he added.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also expressed his grief over the demise of Patwa, saying he was the one who changed the state politics.

"The one who changed the politics of Madhya Pradesh, the one without whom one cannot imagine the politics of Madhya Pradesh, the one who was respected by all parties, Patwa ji is not with us anymore. He was absolutely fine at night but when he did not wake up till late in the morning, he was rushed to the hospital. The doctors there told us that he had passed away," Chouhan told ANI.

The Madhya Pradesh Government has announced a three-day state mourning after the demise of the former chief minister.

The veteran BJP leader and two-times Madhya Pradesh chief minister passed away this morning after suffering a heart attack.

Patwa, who was born on November 11, 1924, in Kukreshwar, also served as the cabinet minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government from 1999 to 2001.

He began his political career with Jana Sangh, which merged with the Janata Party in 1977.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Upping the ante on the government's demonetisation drive, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sacrificed the common man in 'yagna' against black money.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is performing a yagna against black money and corruption. As animals are slaughtered in yagnas, similarly Prime Minister Modi has sacrificed the common man in yagna against black money," said Gandhi.

He further said that demonetisation 'yagna' is aimed at benefitting the rich.

Gandhi, who was speaking at the 132nd foundation day of the Indian Congress, also threw light on the grand old party's achievements and commitment towards the nation.

"What is the Congress? It means listening to you, understanding others. It made us understand the meaning of freedom," he said.

The Congress vice-president's fresh outburst against the ruling dispensation came a day after the anti-demonetisation meeting, which was attended by all opposition parties except the Left, Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Taking on the opposition for raising objections to the demonetisation drive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday described the move as a 'safayi abhiyan' aimed to curb black money and corruption.

Addressing a parivartan rally in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister said that the country has suffered in the past not just because of black money but also due to leadership with 'malicious heart.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting black money hoarders and demanded that the names of Swiss account holders be revealed to the nation.

"He (Modi) said he is going to reveal the names of those who hold Swiss accounts. The Swiss Government has given the list to Narendra Modi ji. When is he going to bring the list in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha? We want to know who the corrupt are. He should also tell why he is trying to protect these defaulters," said Gandhi.

Gandhi also continued his outburst against the government's demonetisation move and demanded answers from the Prime Minister.

"Since November 8, how much black money has been recovered? How much economic loss has the nation faced? How many people became unemployed? How many people lost their lives due to demonetisation and if the government has provided compensation to them and if not then why. When the PM took this decision whom did he ask, name the experts whose advice did he take? PM should give the names of those who deposited more than Rs. 25 lakhs two months before November 8," he said.

Terming the decision to ban high-denomination currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 as a yagna, Gandhi demanded proper compensation for those affected post this decision.

"The PM has performed the yagna of demonetisation for 50 families. The Congress is demanding the way compensation should be made. The limit of Rs. 24,000 should be withdrawn. By putting this limit, you are snatching away the financial independence of the people. Secondly, loans of the farmers should be waived off and bonus on 20 percent MSP should be given. Every women of the BPL family must be given Rs. 25,000. The daily wages of the MNREGA workers should be doubled," he said.

Gandhi's fresh outburst against the ruling dispensation came a day after the anti-demonetisation meeting, which was attended by all opposition parties except the Left, Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Taking on the opposition for raising objections to the demonetisation drive, Prime Minister Modi yesterday described the move as a 'safayi abhiyan' aimed at curbing black money and corruption.

Addressing a parivartan rally in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister said that the country has suffered in the past not just because of black money but also due to leadership with 'malicious heart.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Wednesday said that suspended MP is not a member of their party and has no right to enter its office.

"She (Sasikala Pushpa) is no more in AIADMK. What right does she have to come to the party office?" said AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi.

Earlier in the day, Pushpa's lawyer was attacked by party cadre.

The incident took place when four lawyers of Pushpa's team had gone to the AIADMK headquarters to submit a letter.

Pushpa who filed a petition in Supreme Court, demanding a probe into the death of J Jayalalithaa, had earlier said that a proper inquiry should be done as the people of the state want to know the actual reason behind the death of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister.

Pushpa filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court earlier on Sunday, urging it to order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death.
Another flight recorder of the Russian military plane Tu-154 that crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people on board has been recovered.

"The second flight recorder of the Tupolev-154 plane was spotted and recovered less than 30 minutes ago," Tass news agency cited the Defense Ministry, as saying.

Earlier, cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the plane was sent to the Russian Aerospace Force's research center in Lubertsy, near Moscow for deciphering.

Primary analysis of the data retrieved from the first recorder that was found yesterday has allowed for narrowing the range of likely causes of the plane's crash.

According to the Defense Ministry, rescuers have recovered a total of 15 bodies and 239 body parts at the crash site in the Black Sea.

13 bodies and 168 body parts have been sent to Moscow's Bureau of Forensic Medicine for identification procedures and DNA tests.

The ministry said biological samples have been collected from 105 relatives of the plane crash victims for the analysis.

According to the Defense Ministry, the main flight data recorder was found 1,600 meters away from the coast at the depth of 17 meters by the Falcon search apparatus.

Tu-154 had crashed on December 25 shortly after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry and the Russian Defence Ministry had confirmed the crash of Tu-154, saying the debris of the aircraft and alleged personal belongings of the passengers were discovered in the Black Sea.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to inaugurate the 340 MW extension unit of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASNUPP), titled C-3 on Wednesday.

A Radio Pakistan report said that the plant, completed with support from China, will be connected to the national grid.

The project was executed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission under the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Another unit of the same capacity, titled C-4, is expected to be connected to the national grid in the future, the Dawn reports.

CHASNUPP Unit-1 and CHASNUPP Unit-2 are already functional.

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The Sindh High Court on Wednesday stopped the provincial government from sending Inspector General of Police (IGP) A D Khawaja on "forced leave".

A bench headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah issued a stay order against the top cop's removal during the hearing of a petition.

The court, according to the Dawn, issued notices to Khawaja and the Sindh government directing them to file their responses by the next hearing. The hearing has been adjourned till January 12.

Last week, the Sindh government sent the provincial police chief on "forced leave" due to his reported differences with the Murad Ali Shah administration primarily over postings and transfers in the police department.

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The Sri Lankan government has declared December 30 as the national day of mourning for the death of former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. Earlier, the day of mourning was fixed for December 31.

According to the Colombo Post, the funeral of Wickremanayake, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 83, will be held in Horana on December 31 with full state honors on the instructions of President Maithripala Sirisena.

His mortal remains will be kept in the Sri Lanka Parliament complex from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. for parliamentarians to pay their respects.

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The Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that five-year-old child Jayawardhan tumbled into a vat filled to the brim with hot sambar at the time of serving the mid-day meal in a primary school at Nalgonda in Telangana on December 24 and died with 80 percent burns at Hyderabad's Osmania Hospital that night.

It has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks along with the steps taken by the State Government to avoid reoccurrence of such tragic incidents in future.

The commission has observed that the incident is all about the state of safety of young innocent children dropped in custody of government run schools by their parents.

There is an urgent need at government level to sensitize the school teachers and the assisting staff to be vigilant and more careful while dealing with young children who require extra care and protection.

There is a need to fix responsibility of teachers or the staff to control and manage the situation while the food is served to the children in the school.

It has also observed that though, reportedly, the state government has announced compensation for the death of the child, yet it can foresee similar incidents with very young children in other primary schools in the state.

The incident calls for a review by the state education authorities to ensure that kitchen and the cooking area are not accessible or near to the place where the children are made to wait. The systemic changes in infrastructure are to be initiated and necessary guidelines issued.

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With its 3,300 crescent-shaped, aquamarine, yellow and green pools spread across a large mountain valley, its no wonder that Huanglong National Scenic Area in Sichuan, China, was named a World Heritage Site in 1992.

While visiting the park last September as a tourist, well-known Montana State University professor Gary Strobel had another of what has been a lifetime of aha moments.

Scientists had long wondered how the many travertine dams at Huanglong park had formed. They are similar to the travertine structures found at Yellowstone National Parks Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, except in China the water pouring from underground is cold, not hot.

Its a gorgeous place, said the 78-year-old Strobel, who after 53 years is now a professor emeritus in the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology in Bozeman. And its probably the only place on the planet that uses fungi as an architect.

Fungi are Strobels bailiwick. Hes hiked through rainforests around the world in search of fungi specific to plants that have resulted in 70 patents dating back to 1979 for everything from a method to prevent Dutch elm disease to production of a cancer-fighting drug.

Ive spent the last 30 years in every rainforest in the world  looking for antibiotics, antimycotics, antioxidants and anti-cancer agents, among others, he said.

His detailed attention to plants and fungi are what prompted his discovery in Huanglong. The region is dense with rhododenrons, a woody plant from the heath family with thick leaves. When the leaves drop into the cold water, other fungi present in the water attach themselves to the leaves. When Strobel picked up a leaf from a pool at Huanglong, he noticed filaments hanging off and knew immediately they had a role in creating the travertine dams.

His theory was proven by other researchers in the lab  including Jie Xie and her colleagues from Southwest University in Chongqing, and Brad Geary at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. As an interesting aside, Jie Xies photo on the Southwest University website shows her standing in front of Yellowstones Lower Falls.

When the fungi samples were examined under an electron microscope each filament had a crystal growing on it. When the fungi died, the crystals were left behind with a distinct hole in each one where the filament had been attached. Eventually the crystals fuse and build the travertine dams where the leaves pile up in the pools, a process that may date back about 126,000 years.

The leaves hit the dam surface and the crystals begin to grow, Strobel said. Because the crystals grow on the hyphae (filaments), it has to be the fungi that starts the crystallization.

In comparison, the travertine formed at Mammoth Hot Springs comes from the calcite carried by the hot water that is deposited as the water cools.

Its totally in contrast to Yellowstone and Mammoth, Strobel said.

Strobel co-authored a paper with Jie Xie and others on the topic that was recently published online and will be in the January edition of Microbial Ecology.

In the past scientists had thought maybe algae in the water had created the Huanglong dams. But the algae are silicate, like chalk, Strobel explained, while the dams are made of calcium carbonate carried in the water from limestone buried deep underground.

The dams are dependent on the leaves and the fungi are dependent on the leaves for their life cycle, Strobel said.

Its a lovely thing and few people know about it.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday asserted that One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme of the government is reasonably good and said that one should accept it.

"The OROP by the government is reasonably good. We should accept it. The anomalies are being resolved by one-judge committee. Some of the anomalies and the discrepancies which cropped up from the transition from the sixth to seventh pay commission have been resolved... others will also be resolved," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday accused the Congress Party of betraying the jawans by not fulfilling the long-pending OROP demand in the last 40 years.

Addressing a parivartan rally in Dehradun, Prime Minister Modi said, "My Army jawans were demanding OROP for the last 40 years, the party that ruled the country then never thought of their demands."

"In reality, the budget for OROP is over Rs. 10,000 crore. Why did they (Congress) betray the Jawans by allocating 500 crore for this," he added.

He said the Centre was always clear that from day one that the Jawans must get their due and therefore, his government always stated that OROP will be a reality.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar earlier last month said 95 percent of veterans have already got the benefits of the OROP scheme and they are happy with it.

The scheme, announced in September 2015, is meant to ensure equal pension to servicemen who retired on the same rank and after the same duration of service, regardless of the year of retirement.

However, retired soldiers have been alleging that the government has not addressed their concerns fully about disparity in pension payments.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leadership has announced that Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would contest the election and take part in parliamentary politics together.

Addressing a large number of party workers who had gathered to mark the ninth death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that he would contest elections from his sister's constituency in Nawabshah, whereas his son Bilawal would contest from his constituency in Larkana.

"We have rendered so much sacrifices for democracy. We will not spare this Mughal emperor [Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif]," he said.

"We have fought the country's dictators but never raised a voice against the army. I am not coming to parliament to topple your government. My intention is to teach the government a few lessons and to talk to the prime minister on national issues," the Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.

He also called for the Supreme Court decision on Panamagate be brought to the floor of parliament and be vetted by all political parties.

Bilawal Bhutto urged PPP supporters to get ready for a possible long march against the Nawaz Sharif government.

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At meeting held on 28 December 2016

JK Tyre & Industries announced that the Board of Directors of the company at its meeting held on 28 December 2016 approved raising of funds upto an amount of Rs 1000 crore in one or more tranches by way of issue of securities, convertible/ non-convertible, with warrants or without warrants with exercisable by the warrant holder to convert or subscribe to equity shares, by way of public/ private offering and/or QIP, including GDRs, ADRs, FCCBs or any combination thereof.

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AMRUT Action Plan of Delhi for 2016-17 approved

Ministry of Urban Development has approved the Annual Action Plan of Delhi for 2016-17 under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) with a project investment of Rs.266 cr for improving water supply and sewerage networks. Similar Action Plan for 2015-16 of Delhi with an investment of Rs. 223 cr was approved earlier in January this year. With this, the total investment approved for Delhi under Atal Mission for improving basic urban infrastructure is Rs.489 cr.

The entire project costs of Rs.489 cr will be provided as central assistance to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi under Atal Mission Guidelines. Of this, Rs.215 cr will be invested in improving water supply, Rs.254 cr for improving sewerage networks and septage management, Rs.8.00 cr for drainage networks and Rs.12 cr for developing open and green spaces.

Under the AMRUT Actin Plan approved for 2016-17 for Delhi; Delhi Jal Board will take up five water supply projects in East Municipal Corporation of Delhi area at a total cost of Rs.102 cr, one sewerage project in North MCD area at a cost of Rs.95 cr and another sewerage project in South MCD area at a cost of Rs.55 cr. in addition, South MCD will take up a storm water drainage project with an investment of Rs.8.00 cr, East MCD will take up one park development at a cost of Rs.4.00 cr while New Delhi Municipal Council will take up one park development at a cost of Rs. 2.70 cr.

Under AMRUT Action Plan approved for 2015-16, one water supply project is to be taken up at a cost of Rs.113 cr in South MCD area and a sewerage project with an investment of Rs.104 cr in North MCD area.

As per AMRUT Guidelines, a total allocation of central assistance of Rs.804 cr has been made for the mission period based on total urban population in the four municipal areas of NDMC and North, South and East MCDs.

Delhi Government is now required AMRUT Action Plan for the remaining three years in one go for advance approval. Ministry of Urban Development has already approved such three year plans for 14 States.

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The World Bank has approved a US$ 235 million credit for the Bihar Rural Roads Project to improve and effectively manage the state's rural road network.

The project will support the construction of about 2,500 km of rural roads under the Mukhiya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana (MMGSY). The roads will be constructed using cost-effective designs and will incorporate engineering measures that ensure road safety. The project will also suggest better contract management practices to avoid time and cost over-runs. This will gradually help transform the Rural Works Department (RWD) into a modern and high-performing road agency capable of building and maintaining its road assets on a sound technical and financial footing.

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 percent of the people who are to benefit live below the poverty line and about 48 percent of them are women). The project will generate direct employment of about 20 million person days for local laborers through a rural road construction and maintenance program. The Government of Bihar has made "road connectivity to each habitation" among its top seven priorities.

In addition, its aim is to bring all parts of the state within five hours of travel time from the capital city of Patna. While Bihar has constructed about 60,000 km of rural roads in the last decade, nearly 49 percent of its people still lack access to an all-weather road.

"Catalyzing connectivity and enhancing mobility is a critical plank for transforming rural India, said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India. "By investing in Bihar's rural roads, this project is in fact tapping into the vast potential of the state's agriculture and agro-based industries - a sector critical for higher non-farm employment opportunities and increases in rural wages."

An important aspect of the project will be the use of climate resilient and cost-effective engineering designs using local materials and industrial by-products. The project will also use the alluvial sand that accumulates on large tracts of arable land after floods. "This is expected to save more than 25 percent in construction costs for rural roads," said Ashok Kumar, Highways Engineer and World Bank's Task Team Leader for the project. The state Rural Works Department will also undertake a climate vulnerability assessment of the existing rural road network, with a focus on floods, and incorporate suitable remedial measures in its road design, construction, and maintenance program.

The RWD will prepare a road safety action plan for rural roads. Road safety engineering measures such as improved lane markings, protection structures, and road signs will be provided for. The project will also undertake simple road safety audits during the design and construction stage as well as consult with local communities to identify their requirements for any road safety enhancements.

"In addition to providing all-weather roads, the project will help the Rural Works Department to preserve and upgrade existing road assets and strengthen its institutional effectiveness. This will facilitate inclusive growth, economic development and access to markets for rural Bihar, " added Ashok Kumar.

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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With effect from 02 January 2017

Ramchandra Leasing and Finance announced that Asmita Sanjaykumar Purohithas resigned as Company Secretary & Compliance Officer of the Company with effect from 02 January 2017 (after closure of the office hours).

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Sunil Hitech Engineers was locked at 5% upper circuit at Rs 12.40 at 9:29 IST on BSE after the company said it has secured a road engineering, procurement & construction project worth Rs 434 crore in Arunachal Pradesh.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 37.62 points or 0.14% at 26,251.06.

On the BSE, 1.85 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 8.05 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock opened with an upward gap surging by the maximum level of 5% and remained locked at that level at Rs 12.40 so far during the day.

The stock had hit a record high of Rs 23.43 on 20 October 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 7.75 on 24 June 2016. It had outperformed the market over the past one month till 27 December 2016, advancing 35.13% compared with the Sensex's 0.39% fall. The scrip had, however, underperformed the market in the past one quarter, declining 14.36% as against the Sensex's 7.12% fall.

The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 37.80 crore. Face value per share is Rs 1.

Sunil Hitech Engineers said it has been awarded an order worth Rs 434 crore in Arunachal Pradesh for National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation on engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) of road project. This project is in joint venture with PCL-Eagle Infra India.

Sunil Gutte, Managing Director of the company, commented that with the receipt of latest order, the company is continuing its strategy to diversify its order book which will improve its profitability. Its total order book on road segment is now about Rs 1352 crore comprising of 6 projects, in Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh. With these orders, company is having strong foothold in the road sector, he said.

Gutte added that the company proposes to bid for the projects worth Rs 6000 crore in the remaining period of this financial year. He further added that the company has boosted its order book in buildings sector which is surely going to be a major sector to contribute in the infrastructure development projects coming up in the country.

Sunil Hitech Engineers' net profit rose 39.7% to Rs 14.84 crore on 19.6% growth in net sales to Rs 496.91 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015.

Sunil Hitech Engineers is a well established player in EPC and construction of road, bridges, building works of institutions, hospitals and housing projects, cross country pipeline, civil & mechanical works of power and steel plants, cooling towers, chimneys, etc, also in renewable sector.

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Posing as CBI officials, five unidentified persons looted 40 kg gold from a Muthoot Finance officer here on Wednesday, the city police said.

The con men escaped with gold ornaments valued at about Rs 10 crore after first gaining access through the CBI pretence and then threatening the staff with weapons at the Ramachandrapuram office of the company on the outskirts of the city.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said they also looted Rs 1 lakh cash.

Initially police had stated that 46 kg gold was looted.

According to police, five persons came to Muthoot Finance branch in the morning and told the staff that they were Central Bureau of Investigation officials and wanted to check records and gold in the lockers as they were investigating a case of theft.

When the branch manager said he was not in a position to show the lockers without permission from top officials, the unidentified men threatened action against him for disobeying orders of CBI officials.

When the lockers were opened, the intruders started collecting the golden ornaments in their bags. As the employees raised objection, one of the men whipped out a gun, threatened the branch manager and other employees and locked them in a bathroom.

The robbers also took away the hard disk of CCTV cameras with them.

Police have launched a massive hunt for the robbers, who escaped in a black coloured Scorpio.

The police commissioner said 16 teams have been formed to track down the culprits. Police were trying to identify the con men by analysing the footage from CCTV cameras around Muthoot Finance branch.

The policemen were searching vehicles along Hyderabad-Mumbai highway from Ramachandrapuram to Zaheerabad town in Sangareddy district.

Meanwhile, dozens of account holders who had kept their gold in Muthoot Finance branch gathered outside and wanted to know from the officials as to when will they get back their gold.

The officials told the people that their gold was completely insured. They said nobody should be worried as Muthoot Finance has 160 tonnes of gold at 4,500 branches spread across the country.

--IANS

ms/vd

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Posing as CBI officials, four unidentified persons looted 45 kg gold from Muthoot Finance in Hyderabad on Wednesday, the city police said.

The con men escaped with gold ornaments valued at about Rs 12 crore after threatening the staff with weapons at the Ramachandrapuram office of the company on the outskirts here.

According to the police, four persons came to Muthoot Finance branch in the morning and told the staff that they were CBI officials and wanted to check records and gold in the lockers.

When the employees said they were not in a position to show the lockers without permission from top officials, the unidentified men threatened action against the staff for disobeying orders of CBI officials.

When the lockers were opened, the intruders started collecting the golden ornaments in their bags. As the employees raised objection, one of the men whipped out a gun, threatened the employees and locked them in a bathroom.

The robbers also took away the hard disk of CCTV cameras with them.

The police have launched a massive hunt for the robbers, who escaped in a car.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said five teams have been formed to track down the culprits.

The policemen were searching vehicles along Hyderabad-Mumbai highway from Ramachandrapuram to Zaheerabad town in Sangareddy district.

--IANS

ms/in/vt

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, during which he offered no apology for Japan's sneak attack on the US in 1941, was on Wednesday deplored by China, which said "it is more in the interest of the future to make one sincere apology than to put on dozens of smart shows".

Abe on Tuesday acknowledged that the US and Japan fought a fierce war "that will go down in the annuls of human history", Xinhua news agency reported.

"Each and every one of those servicemen had a mother and a father anxious about his safety. Many had wives and girlfriends they loved. And many must have had children they would have loved to watch grow up. All of that was brought to an end," said Abe.

China, however, poured cold water on Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, saying what "Japan waged against China and other Asian neighbours was a war of aggression. Reconciliation between the inflicters and victims must and can only be based upon sincere reflection and apology from the inflicters".

Adding that the only way that a genuine and lasting reconciliation can be realised only by "one sincere apology than to put on dozens of smart shows."

The Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the reports and commentaries carried by the western media like the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal that label this trip as "smart", not "sincere".

Prime Minister Abe said that the Japanese had taken a "solemn vow" to never again wage war, CNN reported.

The Japanese government billed Abe's visit as a tour of reconciliation.

However, except for offering his "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the souls of the 2,400 Americans killed by troops of the Japanese imperial forces, no apology from Abe was issued.

About 20 US vessels were sunk or damaged and over 300 US aircraft were damaged or destroyed when more than 350 Japanese warplanes launched a stealth attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941.

The attack came as a shock to the Americans and directly led to the US joining the World War II.

Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, after the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively on August 6 and August 9.

Abe's decision to visit Pearl Harbour came seven months after Obama visited Hiroshima.

In his speech on Tuesday, Obama reflected on the events at Pearl Harbour 75 years ago while also paying tribute to the restored relations between Japan and the US.

He said "our alliance has never been stronger".

"The US and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace. Over the decades, our alliances have made the nations more successful," Obama said.

"It is here that we remember that, even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different," Obama said in a reference to Trump.

Apart from reciprocating Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Abe's trip to Pearl Harbour was believed to be the latest step by the Japanese government to strengthen the Japan-US alliance before Trump's inauguration in January.

During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly ripped US defence of Japan as a one-sided and expensive deal.

Abe and Obama also held their last bilateral meeting together on Tuesday.

Both leaders discussed security, economic and global challenges, according to the White House.

--IANS

ahm/vt

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MISSOULA - Sheila Stearns was part of a candidate interview last year at the University of Montana, and she remembers one of her colleagues asking a question.

The candidate was already making more money out of state. Why did he apply for the job at UM?

As she recalls, the candidate was incredulous: "Because you're the University of Montana."

Stearns, 70, who has taken over for outgoing President Royce Engstrom, understood exactly what he meant.

"That says a lot, and frankly, it means a lot to a lot of people, and I just want to get that spirit right back toward the front of mind for all of us," Stearns said.

To lead UM that way, Stearns aims to celebrate and broadcast UM's academic excellence; govern collaboratively, with clear communication and shared responsibility and connect with students.

"What are we doing to interact with every single student to ensure that they are learning and getting the best out of the experience for which they have signed up and paid good money for?" Stearns said.

On Dec. 1, Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian announced Engstrom would leave by the end of the month, and Stearns would take the interim post while a search takes place for UM's next permanent president.

Stearns has said she will not apply for the permanent position but is prepared to lead through the following semester  or longer, if necessary.

'Star power'

Stearns, former commissioner of higher education in Montana, takes pride in the academic excellence at UM. She's already familiar with it, having earned all her degrees at UM: a bachelor's in English and history, a master's in history, and a doctorate in educational administration and supervision.

Even so, she's still surprised as she steps into the president's role to meet so many people on campus who are leaders in their fields. She just recently met a faculty member in biology who is recognized nationally and internationally.

"I think to myself, 'There we go again,'" Stearns said. "There is star power all over the place, and I just cannot wait to discover even more and find and meet even more people."

Sometimes, people see universities as centers of rabble-rousing students, or places with budget issues, Stearns said. As a former provost and chancellor of UM Western and former president of Wayne State College in Nebraska, she sees something different at institutions of higher learning.

"I've always thought universities are just such centers of creativity," she said.

As such, she finds joy in her work at UM, and she'd like to ensure that sense is prevalent for others on the flagship campus.

"Unlike so many organizations, we are helping to create futures, and when you're doing that, what could be more joyful?" Stearns said.

"But everything we do is hard work, so people can get down if they're thinking about the challenge of the day and not so much what a student has just learned or accomplished."

She's excited to reconnect people with the joy of what a university can accomplish for students and for society.

Boosting enrollment

Enrollment has been an ongoing challenge for UM, despite the campus having appeal in areas students and parents consider important: strong academics, a beautiful setting and relatively affordable tuition.

"I think enrollment's biggest challenge is to market credibly again in a world which has over-simplified the old definition of STEM," said Stearns.

STEM traditionally stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. However, to illustrate the new model, Stearns pointed to a poster created in part by director of communications Paula Short. In it, E stands for different possibilities  Ecology, Education, Entrepreneurship, Expression.

"The biggest challenge is to shine a light even more effectively on ourselves as to the science-related fields, the technology-related fields in which we have nationally respected majors, or in mathematics," Stearns said.

UM has the chance to remind people in Montana not to overlook it just because of some recent negative publicity, she said. UM's main campus enrollment has plunged 20 percent since 2010, and a sexual assault scandal rocked the school in 2012.

"Our opportunity is to remind people that not all universities that they might even be considering would have nearly our depth, breadth or history of excellence," Stearns said. "I think that's both a challenge and an opportunity."

Shared governance

Faculty, staff and students have all called for a continuation of shared governance on campus, and Stearns said the phrase has been ridiculed in other sectors.

"Frankly, other industries are learning from us that if they are more collaborative in terms of their governance ... they are more successful," Stearns said. "I'm not saying we in the academy have always practiced shared governance well, but where it works well, it is really honest. I'm a real believer in it."

It means good communication about important decisions, she said. It means the group has identified priorities for the institution, and it can move ahead together, possibly without consensus, but with a shared sense of mission, she said.

"Shared governance is shared wisdom. It means you are gathering collective wisdom, and therefore, as many other sectors are finding out gradually, it's much better than just top down decrees because you get more effective participation," Stearns said.

The shared governance plays out in nuances, she said.

Recently, for example, faculty and student leaders called for UM to proceed with its provost search, but UM opted to postpone the search.

However, communications director Short said because of the input from faculty and students, the search wasn't canceled altogether. Rather, it was placed on hold. And Stearns said UM had serious conversations with all of the candidates about remaining in the pool as a direct result of the feedback from faculty and students.

"They may disagree, but at least they're not alienated," Stearns said of the model of shared governance.

A few weeks ago, the Commissioner's Office noted UM still needs to get closer to an average 18-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, since it's hovering at a 16-to-1 ratio.

Stearns said UM will work collectively to reach that goal. She said she believes the budget plans UM made last year move the university toward a ratio that's closer to the benchmark for a public institution, and UM will continue to make credible progress toward its goals.

She believes the university should be open as it develops its budget and that it should make decisions that value people. For example, take advantage of attrition to make the budget pencil out, she said.

"You have to balance the budget. We don't have (adequate) reserves. That's not how university fund balances are created in our University System," Stearns said. "I do believe in creating more reserves. If I were a long-term president, I would urge that."

Getting connected

Stearns, former head of UM University Relations and the Alumni Association, also wants students to have connections on campus. She praised the people who advise students, and she said she wants to learn how to advise and take on one or two students herself.

"That's a pet interest of mine, and I want to give a lot of pats on the back to those who are doing it really well," Stearns said.

She'd like students and families to have help every step of the way at UM, from their application to their career path, and she believes that connection is important.

"If all of us do that, each and every student, no matter where they came from  Alaska or an eastern European country or Corvallis  (will) feel valued ... and connected," Stearns said.

Stearns wore a maroon and black polka dot jacket that day last week, and she's a Grizzlies fan who wants people on campus to remember not only UM's tagline, "We are Montana," but more.

"We are the University of Montana. To me, that's huge," Stearns said.
Masahiro Imamura, Japan's Reconstruction Minister for disaster-hit region, visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine here on Wednesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a memorial at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Imamura said his visit to the shrine right after Abe and US President Barack Obama met in the Pearl Harbor was just a "coincidence", saying that he made the decision a week ago, Xinhua news agency reported.

Renho, leader of Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party, however, said the visit showed that "Abe administration does not appear to be united".

Imamura also visited the shrine on August 11, several days before the August 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in the World War II.

Yasukuni Shrine honours 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from World War II and is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and South Korea, which both fell victims to Japanese invasion in WWII.

Abe on Tuesday attended a ceremony in Hawaii with Obama to remember 2,403 US soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the US while constituting no reflection upon the war.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Afghan national was injured and nine others were arrested in Khyber Agency after Khasadar police opened fire on a group trying to enter Pakistan without legal travel document.

Khasadar force patrol in Landi Kotal area on Monday night signalled 10 Afghans to stop as they were trying to cross into Pakistan about a kilometre north of the main border crossing.

The patrol resorted to fire after the Afghans tried to escape from near a security checkpost, Dawn online reported.

According to officials, Jan Agha, a resident of Nangrahar province in Afghanistan, was injured when a bullet hit him in a leg while the others were arrested.

The injured was shifted to a local hospital while the arrested were held in prison for further investigations.

Pakistani side has intensified border patrolling in order to curb entry of Afghans into the country without legal travel documents.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Choi Soon-sil, the 'South Korean Rasputin' paid for her close friend and former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to go under the knife was revealed by a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.

The committee was investigating the former President's corruption scandal.

Choi allegedly paid $936,360 to an anti-aging treatment clinic in Seoul between 2011 and 2014 for 27 services provided to Park Geun-hye, committee member Hwang Young-cheul said, Efe news reported.

These transactions provide new evidence into the relationship between Park and Choi, a bizarre plot of extortion and influence peddling that led Parliament to remove Park from office, Hwang told South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The bills received by the parliamentary committee include a total of 29 treatments paid for by Choi and her sister, Choi Soon-deuk.

They signed the bills with pseudonyms such as "VIP," "President Park" and "Blue," an allusion to the Blue House -- a name given to the South Korean presidential office.

Among these bills are 27 prescribed services for Park herself, such as blood tests and personalised anti-aging treatments, according to the committee.

It also noted that Choi's sister paid another $911,000 of their total cost.

"The prescription by proxy to help Park receive shots, and having Choi pay for them could be problematic," said Hwang, one of the ruling party's former deputies who was critical of the President.

Choi was currently in prison, accused of meddling in state affairs despite not holding any official position, besides extorting large sums of money from Korean companies and appropriating part of it for personal use.

--IANS

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Several persons were injured in a clash between AIADMK workers and supporters of Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa outside the ruling party's office here.

Pushpa was expelled from the AIADMK sometime back but she did not resign from the upper house.

The general council meeting of AIADMK is slated to be held near here on Thursday.

Pushpa had announced that she would contest for the party's top post of General Secretary which fell vacant following the death of former Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa.

Several party officials had pleaded with Jayalalithaa's close aide V.K. Sasikala to take over as the party's General Secretary which was opposed by Pushpa.

A good number of policemen were deployed outside the AIADMK office in the morning, anticipating the arrival of Pushpa to get the form to contest for the top party post.

However, her supporters and lawyers turned up at the party office shouting slogans and angering the party cadres which in turn resulted in a clash.

Police escorted one person with a bloodied face.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered a special prayer at Budha Smriti park here after participating in a tree plantation drive on Wednesday, officials said.

"The Dalai Lama visited Budha Smriti park along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and offered a special prayer after participating in a function to plant saplings of Bodhi tree," a district official said.

It was the Dalai Lama who inaugurated the 22-acre Buddha Smriti park in the heart of Patna in 2010.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar received the spiritual guru at Patna airport and thanked him for visiting the state capital.

According to officials, he has left for Bodh Gaya in a state government airplane to participate in 34th Kalchakra puja, beginning on Thursday.

The Dalai Lama will stay in Bodh Gaya, about 110 km from here, till January 10 for the puja. "Tight security arrangements have been made for his stay in Bodh Gaya in view of threat perception to him."

The Dalai Lama has been living in India in self-imposed exile since 1959 when he fled his homeland after Chinese Communist troops took over Tibet.

--IANS

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South Korea's former Welfare Minister was arrested on Wednesday for his suspected pressure on the national pension fund to approve last year's merger of two affiliates of Samsung Group.

A South Korean independent counsel team probing the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye arrested Moon Hyung-pyo, who was summoned on Tuesday as a reference witness, Xinhua news agency reported.

He has been under an emergency arrest since early Wednesday, the special prosecutor team said.

He was detained as his testimony was inconsistent with evidences and other testimonies the team had secured, raising possibility for his intentional destruction of another evidence he owns.

It was the first detention of a person suspected of being involved in the scandal since the team officially kicked off its investigation a week earlier.

The detention indicated the independent probe was being centered on bribery allegations between Samsung, Park and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Moon is suspected of having pressured the National Pension Service into voting for the merger in July last year between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries despite strong opposition from foreign investors on an unfair merger ratio.

The NPS, which is estimated to have suffered hundreds of millions of US dollars in loss from its investment into the Samsung affiliate, was the largest Samsung C&T shareholder at the time.

The deal was extremely crucial to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong to inherit the management control of Samsung Group, South Korea's largest family-run conglomerate, from his father, Chairman Lee Kun-hee who has been hospitalised for over two and a half years.

Samsung is suspected of having provided financial assistance to Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Soon-sil, for her equestrian training.

If it proves that Park ordered Moon to support the Samsung merger, the impeached President will face bribery charges that can lead to the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Samsung's Vice Chairman Lee has been prohibited from leaving South Korea for his possible involvement in the bribery.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday inaugurated the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Tuting in the state's Upper Siang District for Indian Air Force's operations, an official said.

The event took place in the presence of Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command (EAC) and Air Vice Marshal Manavendra Singh, Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration, Eastern Air Command and other senior Army and Air Force officers, said an IAF release.

After the Cabinet Committee on Security's approval in June 2008, Air Force embarked on an ambitious reconstruction plan to upgrade Tuting ALG along with other landing grounds in the eastern command.

The ALG has been upgraded with a full-fledged runway and all the associated facilities. The strategic location of Tuting makes it a launching pad for the air operations and the management of border area, release added.

The ALGs for upgradation include Tuting, Mechuka, Along, Tawang, Ziro, Pasighat, Walong and Vijaynagar in Arunachal Pradesh. The project is expected to cost Rs 1,000 crore.

In March this year, two ALGs at Ziro and Along was re-launched. The ALG at Walong was inaugurated in October last year.

In addition to the military use these airfields will gives additional capability in maintaining the vital supplies by fixed wing aircraft and helicopters besides meeting challenges during natural calamities.

Director General Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India have proposed civilian flights from Tuting.

--IANS

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As part of drumming up support for setting up a 'government in exile', Baloch International Women's Forum leader Naela Quadri Baloch has said they were in no hurry for it.

Baloch, who arrived here on Tuesday night as part of her effort at garnering support across the country, will speak on Wednesday at a public meeting in Thalassery near here.

The meeting is being organised under the aegis of 'Brennen Vibrant', an organisation of the old activists of the RSS's students wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Brennen College in Thalassery.

"Our goal is to set up a government in exile and we are in no hurry for that. We all know that it's a long way ahead and we are now laying the foundation for it," she said.

"What has come as a joy for us is that the people of Varanasi have extended their support to us and we wish to set it up there. We are also seeking the support of the Indian government for it," said Baloch.

Baloch has been travelling across India and by now she has already addressed meetings in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Chandigarh and Bengluru.

"I should say that at all these places the response was overwhelming, especially from the youths. What we are basically doing now is to garner support for our movement. As Balochis, we are now also connecting to our people who are settled across the world. In all we are about 40 million," she said.

Several Baloch leaders from Pakistan and from other countries have begun visiting New Delhi since Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15 highlighted the Baloch issue.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province in terms of area, has witnessed a long-running insurgency for which Islamabad blames New Delhi.

Baloch, however, downplayed some reactions from her own people about her own role.

"I do not claim to be the leader. Our aim is to work together and at the moment we should not be wasting time on such things," she said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian-origin man was found guilty of bribing Mexican officials to secure contracts, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell has said.

Kamta Ramnarine, 69, the co-owner of an aircraft maintenance company was found guilty in the $2 million-bribery case involving the Mexican officials, Caldwell said on Tuesday.

The conviction of Ramnarine of Brownsville, Texas, followed his admission before Federal Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa in McAllen, Texas, that he had conspired to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that makes bribing foreign officials a crime prosecutable in the US.

He and three others, who either co-owned or were associated with the aircraft maintenance companies, and two Mexican state government officials were all found guilty in the $2 million-bribery scheme, officials said.

"The six convictions announced today demonstrate the (Justice) department's commitment to holding accountable those who further official corruption through bribery," Caldwell said.

"The individuals involved in this scheme paid millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials in exchange for aviation contracts that placed legitimate businesses at a significant competitive disadvantage," said Rick Goss, the Special Agent in charge of Internal Revenue Service criminal investigations.

Prosecutors said that Ramnarine admitted to bribing and conspiring to bribe several foreign official to ensure that his Brownsville-based company won aircraft parts and services contracts with Mexican government-owned customers and a public university.

--IANS

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Last seen on screen in the 2006 Telugu actioner "Stalin", actress Khushbu Sundar will return to the industry in a "powerful character" in actor Pawan Kalyan's yet-untitled next outing, to be directed by Trivikram.

"I officially announce I'm doing a Telugu project. I will be part of Trivikram and Pawan Kalyan's prestigious project. It's a brilliant script by Trivikram and I play a very powerful character. My last Telugu film was with Chiranjeevi and now back with his brother," Khushbu tweeted on Wednesday.

Although Khushbu featured in a cameo in 2007 Telugu film "Yama Donga", she considers "Stalin" as her last film.

"'Yamadonga' with Rajamouli was just a special appearance. Just three days of shoot. I'm sure it cannot be counted as a full-length role," she said.

Although it has taken her a long time to decide to do a film again, Khushbu said: "I hope to do justice and not disappoint my fans."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
FARGO, N.D.  The Diocese of Fargo and a group representing Catholic employers have filed a lawsuit in federal district court in North Dakota opposing federal health care coverage requirements that include gender transition surgery and abortion, the employers' group said Wednesday.

The Catholic Benefits Association, which represents employers such as Catholic parishes and hospitals, said the rules contradict Catholic values.

"We ask only for the freedom to serve consistent with our conscience and our Catholic faith," Bishop John Folda of the Diocese of Fargo said in a statement. "While we do not discriminate against individuals because of their orientation, our Catholic values will not permit us to pay for or facilitate actions that are contrary to our faith."

The Catholic Benefits Association said the federal rules require Catholic hospitals and health care providers to perform gender transition surgery and abortions. They also require Catholic employers to cover such surgery and their group insurers to cover abortions.

The association said Pope Francis has reiterated Catholic teachings opposed to abortion and theories that gender is mutable or fluid.
A member of the Afghan parliament was among five persons injured in an explosion on a busy road in Kabul on Wednesday, police said.

"The roadside bombing hit the vehicle of Sayyed Jamaluddin Fakuri Behishti near a Shia mosque in Dasht-e-Barchi area. Behishti, his son, his brother and two passersby were injured by the blast," Xinhua news agency quoted a police official as saying.

According to unofficial sources, Behishti's brother later succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.

Behishti is the representative of central Bamyan province in the Lower House of the Afghan parliament.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian government should delicense two more radar frequencies so that advanced driver assistance systems could be introduced in cars, said a top official of Mercedes-Benz India.

He also welcomed the government's decision to enforce stringent crash test norms and making them mandatory for all new cars from October 2017.

"Mercedes-Benz products globally are available with radar-based driver assistance systems like Collision prevention assist, Blind spot assist, Distronic Plus, among others, which enhance road safety and benefit the customers," Mercedes-Benz India's Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told IANS, recently.

He, however, said that the company was unable to introduce such technologies in its cars in India, since the requisite frequency bands were not delicensed.

"We had requested government for delicensing of 24 GHz, 76 GHz and 79 GHz radar frequencies considering our immediate and future requirements. The Ministry of Communications and IT last year delicensed only 76 GHz frequency band," Folger said.

While welcoming the one delicensing Folger said the delicensing of other two radar frequencies would enable Mercedes-Benz India to introduce advanced driver assistance systems in its products.

"We believe that the delicensing of all requisite radar frequency bands will be a significant milestone for the Indian automotive industry," Folger said.

On the new crash test norms to be implemented from 2017 onwards Folger termed it as a landmark step towards making vehicles safer for occupants as well as drivers.

"The Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme (BNVSAP), on lines of New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) in other countries, is likely to judge cars in line with developed market parameters," Folger added.

He said Mercedes-Benz India was ready to switch to BS VI emission norms by 2018 if compatible fuel was available.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior IPS officer Amitabh Thakur has been provided security on the direction of the government of India in the wake of an alleged telephonic threat by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, an official said on Wednesday.

Ever since the alleged phone threat, Amitabh and his activist wife Nutan Thakur had been continuously asking for security.

In the past, the couple also wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government officers several times seeking proper protection, but the state government has so far refrained from providing them security.

Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Ajay Ramesh Sule then wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, directing him to provide adequate security to Amitabh and his family members.

In compliance of the order, the IG-Lucknow Zone has gave orders on December 24 for providing the required security, after which one security person has already been deployed with an assurance that the rest of security men shall be provided soon.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation and corruption charges, CPI-M General Secretary on Wednesday said he "has a lot to hide".

The Marxist leader also slammed the Centre for its "ordinance raj" after the cabinet approved an ordinance criminalising possession of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes beyond March 31, 2017.

"The government has no option but take the ordinance route because unless the law is changed, demonetisation is not legal. Ideally this law should have been brought in parliament in the winter session," Yechury told the media.

"The government is increasingly relying on ordinance because it doesn't want to be answerable We are opposed to this Ordinance Raj," he said.

Questioning Modi's silence over demonetisation in parliament and not ordering a probe into the Sahara-Birla diaries, Yechury said Prime Minister to be "running scared of questions".



"There are questions in every Indian's mind which remain unanswered. These questions pertain to their suffering, their livelihoods, their well-being and their future. But no answers are forthcoming.

"This is the essential characteristic of Modi as PM. He runs scared from answering any questions," Yechury said later on Facebook.

"Modi doesn't face parliament where representatives of the people can question him on behalf of the vast masses. He doesn't take any questions from the media... He doesn't answer any serious questions from the public which come through the RTI.

"Why is Modi so scared of questions? One, he clearly doesn't have answers. And two, he has a lot to hide," said the Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran.

He also questioned why Modi was not seeking an impartial probe into the Sahara-Birla diaries wherein he has been alleged to have received kickbacks as the Gujarat Chief Minister.

"Why wouldn't a PM answer questions about CAG's indictment of his Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPC) deals as the CM," asked Yechury referring to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) questioning the GSPC's investment of Rs 19,576 crore in its Krishna Godavari (KG) block project.

"Why does he not answer questions about Rs 1.12 lakh crore of bank loans he has written off for rich corporates in past two years? Why does he not answer questions about top businessmen accompanying him on his foreign jaunts?" he asked.

"The basic foundation of a democratic dispensation is accountability based on questioning. Modi's evasion of answering any questions goes against that fundamental principle and needs to be reversed.

On the 50th day of his self-imposed deadline, will Modi at least answer as to what was the fault of 105 honest, hardworking people who died standing in bank queues while trying to access their own legitimate money," added Yechury.
A day after China complained against the test-firing of the Agni-V missile, the outgoing Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said no one should have problem if India is indigenously developing a technology.

Addressing a press conference at the end of his tenure Raha was responding to a question on China's objection to the testing of the intercontinental ballistic missile.

He said that posturing like these were part of the international diplomacy, and transfer of technology in the field of nuclear proliferation was taking place in the region. However, he did not name any country.

"In international diplomacy, these posturing and signalling will always be there. We should go by our own tasks, meet our own requirements specifically challenges."

"I would not like to comment on what someone else has said," Raha said in his response to a question on China's objection.

He added that in the field of nuclear proliferation, it was "common knowledge" what was "happening in the region in terms of conclusiveness, transfer of technology".

"This is common knowledge, I am not saying anything new. But if we are legitimately developing our capability indigenously, I don't think anybody should have problem," Raha said.

China was accused of handing over nuclear technology to Pakistan. Pakistan has, meanwhile, been accused of handing over nuclear weapon technology to countries like North Korea and Libya.

China raked up an 18-year-old UN Security Council resolution that called on India and Pakistan to abandon their ballistic missiles programme after India test-fired the nuclear capable missile with a range of over 5,000 km -- a range to reach China.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a surprise development, Ratan Tata, the Interim Chairman of Tata Sons, on Wednesday arrived here to meet Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat.

According to a prominent person accompanying the Mumbai-based industrialist on his 79th birthday on Wednesday to the RSS national headquarters, said it was more of a "courtesy call" and to discuss the various initiatives of the Tata Trusts in the region.

"Tata and Bhagwat held discussions on the various social initiatives of the Tata Trusts and in turn, the RSS chief enlightened him about its own social projects in different areas," said the source, not willing to be named.

"It was more of a 'learning visit' though we wonder why so much is being read into the hour-long meeting," the source added, claiming no other issues were discussed by the two.

The Tata Sons is currently locked in a bitter corporate-cum-legal battle with its former chairman, Cyrus Mistry who was sacked from the post on October 24.

Earlier this morning, BJP spokesperson Shaina N.C., who accompanied Tata, tweeted: "On way to Nagpur with Ratan Tata to wish him all health and happiness on his birthday. Onwards with Ratan Tata to meet RSS chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat at RSS headquarters."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least one persons was killed and four others were injured as an explosion ripped through a busy road in Afghanistan capital Kabul on Wednesday, the police said.

According to initial information, the person was killed in the blast near a Shia mosque in Dasht-e-Barchi area, Xinhua news agency quoted a police official as saying.

An investigation has been initiated into the incident, the police said.

The apparent target of the blast was an Afghan Parliament member's convoy passing by in the area, a witness said.

Ambulances and civilian cars evacuated the victims to the nearby hospitals, the witness said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An ordinance was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday to term as illegal the possession of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes beyond March 31, 2017, and hold as criminal offence people contravening its provisions.

The ordinance, approved by the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also seeks to extinguish the liability of the government towards bearers of such notes. People can deposit in banks up to December 30 and with the Reserve Bank of India up to March 31 next year.

Official sources said the ordinance -- called "The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance" -- will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, currently in Hyderabad, for approval before notification.
A Pakistani man was arrested by the police for murdering an Indian shopkeeper in Sharjah, in less than 12 hours after the incident, police said on Wednesday.

The Sharjah police arrested the 42-year-old Pakistani man from an undisclosed location and said he killed Mohammed Ali over a financial dispute, Khaleej Times reported.

Ali, who was from the Indian state of Kerala, was found in a pool of blood with multiple wounds in Majestic Supermarket in Maysaloon area on Tuesday.

The police immediately launched a manhunt for the murderer. He was arrested after a thorough search.

Based on the "culprit's confession," the case was referred to the public prosecution.

--IANS

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CHEYENNE, Wyo.  A federal judge has ruled a lawsuit filed after a Cheyenne teacher was sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a young student can go to trial.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl did grant a motion late last month to dismiss some parts of the claim brought by the boy's guardian, but allowed claims that Freedom Elementary Principal Chad Delbridge and Laramie County School District officials failed to protect the boy.

The lawsuit argues other teachers complained to Delbridge about Anna Andersen's inappropriate relationship with the 12-year-old boy beginning in the fall of 2012. Delbridge reportedly spoke with Andersen several times, but did not contact the boy's guardian.

Andersen pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and was sentenced in August 2015 to eight to 12 years in prison.
Its not been a great year for wildlife. More tigers and leopards were poached in 2016 than in any year of the previous decade, pangolins were killed in the hundreds while thousands of marine animals perished -- this, due to the debiliating effect of climate change. Yet, the good news is that the number of tigers still rose.

"Tigers have increased but in the sphere of protection, this year has been worse for animals, including pangolins," Shekhar Niraj, Head of TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network in alliance with the WWF, told IANS.

Interestingly, an RTI application revealed that the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has no information of poachers arrested or shot, the weapons used by them, or the numbers poached.

However, IANS managed to piece together information from different independent sources. The records of the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) show that at least 129 tigers and 419 leopards died in 2016 as compared to 91 tigers and 397 leopards in 2015. Of these, at least 50 tigers and 127 leopards were poached, a record in the last 10 years.

"These numbers are not accurate, these are only those reported or caught. The actual figures would be higher," WPSI programme manager Tito Joseph told IANS.

Over 20 elephants, 18 rhinos, multiple bears (sloth, Asiatic brown and black), two snow leopards and several sea-cucumber, which are highly sought-after in Southeast Asia, were either caught being poached or their harvest such as skin and claws was seized till November 2016.

"Fifty leopards, mostly from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and at least eight elephants died in road or train accidents alone," Joseph said. He added that a large number of animals had died not just because of poaching but due to negligence in the absence of proper management plans.

Also, nature's wrath, inspired by man-induced climate change, played its part, killing at least 1,800 endangered aquatic and marine animals in first three months alone.

The year, in fact, had begun with the washing ashore of the carcasses of 74 short-finned pilot whales in the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, a Bryde's whale in Mumbai, hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles in Odisha and several Gangetic and ocean dolphins. This apart, over 250 animals, including 20 rhinos, perished in Assam's Kaziranga National Park due to floods in August.

Ironically, all this happened in the year when India hosted "Third Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation", where Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to protect the country's feline population. The good news here is that India is now home to 2,226 tigers -- 70 per cent of those in the wild in Asia. Prakash Javadekar, then the Environment and Forest Minister, was quoted at the conference as saying that the number could be as high as 2,500.

Meanwhile, the "17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CoP17 CITES)" held in South Africa in September barred tiger farming (or breeding) and listed pangolins in CITES Appendix I for their protection, considering that the species is now threatened with extinction.

For the pangolin, a nocturnal animal hunted for its expensive scales used in Chinese medicine, the year was ugly. Over 20 instances of the seizure of several kilos of its scales were reported across the country. In New Delhi alone, the CBI, in October, seized 86 kg of pangolin scales.

An adult pangolin produces 2-3 kgs of scales a year while the young produce about 500 gms.

Thus, it's little wonder that WWF's Living Planet Report released in October said the world may lose 68 percent of its wildlife by 2020 -- the possible prelude to "the sixth mass extinction".

The report says that about 41 per cent of mammals, 46 per cent reptiles, 57 per cent amphibians and 70 per cent freshwater fish are "threatened with extinction" in India. Four of the 385 species of mammals are already extinct in India.

The United Nations Environment Programme and Interpol in June reported that the environmental crime industry -- worth $258 billion -- was the fastest-growing among crime syndicates.

(Kushagra Dixit can be contacted at kushagra.d@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Berlin Police detained a Tunisian national on suspicion of having been in contact with the alleged perpetrator of the truck attack on a Christmas market in which 12 people died, federal officials said.

Investigators tracked down the 40-year-old man after discovering his phone number on the Tunisian Anis Amri's cellphone, which police found in the truck involved in the market attack, Efe news agency reports.

"Subsequent investigations indicated that he could have been involved in the attack," the prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Amri was shot dead by police outside a Milan metro station on Friday, four days after the attack.

Amri had opened fire and injured one of the two Italian officers involved in a routine check where they had asked him for his identity papers.

German security forces said they were continuing their investigation into Amri's past in the country after his arrival in July 2015, when he applied for asylum.

On December 5, a 12-year-old boy was arrested in Ludwigshafen, about 60 km north of Karlsruhe, after he was caught trying to plant a homemade explosive at a Christmas market.

--IANS

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In a surprise development, interim Chairman of Tata Sons on Wednesday arrived in Nagpur to meet Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Details of the closed-door private Tata-Bhagwat meeting at the RSS headquarters were not immediately available.

Tata Sons is currently locked in a bitter corporate-cum-legal battle with its former chairman, Cyrus Mistry who was sacked from the post two months ago.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi again and demanded a "white paper" on demonetisation to bring out the truth about the note ban.

Daring Modi to disclose the actual amount of cash recovered since the announcement to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, "Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered since November 8."

He also sought to know when Modi would unveil in Parliament the list of names of Swiss bank account holders that the Switzerland government provided.

"We want to know who is the thief? Modiji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country," Gandhi told reporters here at the party headquarters on the Congress' Foundation Day.

"Many people, including the poor, small traders, farmers, and the youth have suffered the most due to demonetisation and the government should give them compensation," Gandhi said.

He questioned Modi on the "economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation", and pulled out a list of five questions.

"How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?"

Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to answer these questions in a "white paper".

Rahul Gandhi, who has strongly opposed the Centre's demonetisation move, asked, "What was the process of consultation and preparedness followed prior to the implementation of demonetisation?"

"Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?"

He also said, "Will it place the names of all persons, institutions, and entities that deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in their bank accounts in the six months preceding November 8, 2016?"

Gandhi demanded an explanation from Modi as to what was the reason behind "snatching away people's financial independence".

The Congress party also put forward a charter of demands for the Modi government.

They include all restrictions on withdrawal of money be lifted with immediate effect; till the time these restrictions are in place, a special interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum should be given to all bank account holders.

All charges on digital transactions be abolished forthwith; the rate of rations distributed under the PDS system be halved for the period of a year under the provisions of the Food Security Act.

In addition, a special one-time bonus of 20 per cent be provided over and above the MSP of all Rabi crops, the charter of demands read.

One of the demands said that Rs 25,000 be deposited in the account of at least one woman belonging to each BPL family as compensation for the immense suffering caused to women due to demonetisation.

The Congress also demanded that the number of guaranteed work days and the wage rate under the MGNREGA should be doubled for a period of one year.

"The government should organise a special drive to identify and register all those who have lost their jobs since November 8, and provide them compensation at the applicable minimum wage rate for a time period extending up to March 31, 2017," the charter of demands added.

It also said an income tax and sales tax rebate of 50 per cent be given to small shopkeepers and businesses. "The central government should compensate the state governments for the loss of revenue incurred on account of this exemption," it read.
Bihar's ruling alliance partner RJD on Wednesday organised sit-ins at Patna and all district headquarters against the demonetisation, with party chief Lalu Prasad accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of cheating the country's people.

"Modi has derailed the economy through demonetisation, which had led to increased job losses," Lalu Prasad said while participating in the 'maha dharna' held at Gardanibagh here.

The former Bihar Chief Minister urged the people to remove Modi to save the country.

"People across the country are facing problems and are forced to struggle for their own white money and for survival of small businesses to farming after demonnetisation. Modi has cheaated the country," Lalu said in his address at the protest venue.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal is part of the 'Maha Gathbandhan' or state-level Grand Alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United and the Congress.

The RJD chief dubbed demonetisationn as "anti-poor, anti-worker and anti-farmer".

"The Modi-led NDA government at the Centre is against the poor, labourers and farmers," the former Union minister added.

Lalu Prasad said a large number of migrant workers from Bihar were returning to their native villages following the shutdown of factories after the Centre scapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

"More than anyone, the poorest of the poor have been badly hit by demonetisation. The poor are in deep trouble and battling for survival," he said.

Lalu Prasad said his party planned to hold a massive rally here early next year.

Thousands of RJD leaders and workers staged sit-ins at all district headquarters.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has supported demonetisation, while the RJD chief has opposed it.

Earlier, Lalu Prasad had said he hoped Nitish Kumar will join his party's protest programme.

--IANS

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American DJ, record producer and musician Niles Hollowell-Dhar, popularly known as DJ KSHMR, is one of the performers at the tenth edition of Electronic Dance Music festival Sunburn in Pune. He says he is interested in Bollywood music and finds Priyanka Chopra's voice quite amazing.

"I have serious interest in working on some Bollywood soundtracks. The talks have begun and we will see how they develop," DJ KSHMR told IANS in an email interview.

Asked if he has any favourites in Bollywood, he said: "I just found out Priyanka Chopra has an amazing voice. Priyanka if you're reading this, I'm ready."

The artiste, who is a Kashmiri descendant and currently stays in California, US, is very proud of his India connect. He celebrated that through some of his tracks like "Delhi", "JAMMU", "Kashmir", "Bazaar", "Dharma" and his "Paradesi EP".

DJ KSHMR has also composed the anthem of Sunburn 2016, which is for the first time happening in Pune. Past editions were held in Goa.

"The Sunburn Festival is special because of my Indian heritage and last year, I was able to fly my grandpa in from Delhi and bring him on stage with me -- a moment I will never forget.

"My live show has always been a mixture of storytelling and music. For me, that marriage is a critical piece of the KSHMR puzzle. I've created something special that I will be debuting at Sunburn 2016," he said.

Born and brought up in California, DJ KSHMR is quite influenced by Indian music -- whether it is instrumental or vocal, and loves to amalgamate it in his music.

"The world of Indian instruments and style has been an astonishing well to draw from, when I create music. My use of them is not so much an agenda but rather a desire to incorporate sounds people don't hear elsewhere," said DJ KSHMR, who ranked No. 12 in a list of the world's top 100 DJs, as released by DJ Mag earlier this year.

With a goal to help "displaced people of Kashmir", DJ KSHMR is planning to "return to India in 2017 with a tour".

The four-day EDM festival started on Wednesday at Kesnand, Pune.

The fest will be headlined by international artists like Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, Axwell Ingrosso, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike and Krewella.

--IANS

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Russia, China and Pakistan agreed to expand their tripartite consultations on the Afghan conflict and include other countries, including Afghanistan, after Kabul objected to its absence from the regional discussions.

"The parties agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan," a joint statement issued after a meeting of the senior officials of the three countries said here.

It was the third round of talks between the three countries on the "deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", particularly the rise of the Islamic State.

The previous two rounds of the tripartite meetings were not publicly disclosed. The third meeting was announced by the participating states in an indication of their growing confidence in their cooperation driven by the fear of IS gaining a foothold in Afghanistan.

The announcement of the talks, however, annoyed Kabul, which questioned the effectiveness of a process on Afghanistan without its representation.

A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, while speaking to media in Kabul on Tuesday cautioned that no initiative relating to Afghanistan could succeed without its involvement.

"Even if such talks are organised with goodwill, (they) cannot yield any substantial results because no one from the Afghan side is there," he said in diplomatically couched criticism of the trilateral meeting.

Meanwhile, Russia is also supporting Iran's entry into the relatively new process. Tehran has been Moscow's ally in the fight against IS in Syria. In a separate troika formed last week, Russia, Iran and Turkey reaffirmed "their determination to jointly fight the IS".

--IANS

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US President-elect Donald Trump tapped Thomas Bossert as his Assistant for Homeland Security and Executive Vice President of Trump Organisation Jason Greenblatt as his "special representative for international negotiations", Trump's transition team said on Tuesday.

"Bossert has a handle on the complexity of homeland security, counterterrorism, and cyber security challenges. He will be an invaluable asset to our Administration," Xinhua news agency cited an oline statement by Trump.

Bossert, who has served as the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, will advise Trump on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism, and cyber security, the statement said.

"I am looking forward to working closely with General Flynn as we together help the President-elect advance the interests of the United States and its allies," Bossert said.

Talking about Greenblatt, who has also been Trump Organization's Chief Legal Officer, Trump said: "He has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions, as well as the expertise to build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics."

It was not clear whether Greenblatt's new position would clash with the United States Trade Representative (USTR), a Cabinet-level position that has traditionally served as the President's principal trade advisor and negotiator.

--IANS

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Police ordered Trump Tower to be evacuated on Tuesday after the discovery of a suspicious package, but the "all clear" was issued shortly thereafter, when the package was found to contain children's toys, media reports said.

President-elect Donald Trump, whose residence and business offices are located in the building, is spending the holidays in Florida.

Unofficial reports indicate that the fire department received a tip about a "suspicious package" in the building, located on 5th Avenue near 56th Street in Manhattan, Efe news agency reports.

The New York Police Department announced shortly after 5 p.m. that the "all clear" had been given after the package was found to be a bag containing children's toys.

A police spokesperson had confirmed on Twitter that the fire department had responded to the report of a suspicious package in the foyer of Trump Tower.

Minutes later, however, the same official said that the "all clear" had been issued after the package had been inspected by the bomb squad.

Images posted on the social networks show people running through the foyer of the building, which has become a tourist attraction since Trump won the November 8 election.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said his scam-tainted predecessor was like a "family member" but if corruption charges in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal were proven against him the force would have no sympathy for its former chief.

Addressing a press conference days before he is scheduled to retire as the IAF chief and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Raha said the law of the land must be followed in the scam that has rattled the force with Tyagi's arrest on December 9 for allegedly accepting bribes in clearing the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland.

Tyagi  the first chief of any wing of the armed forces to be arrested in the country  was given bail by a court here on Monday.

"Such issues have come up from time to time. Be it Bofors or be it some other acquisitions, there have been problems," Raha said.

He, however, admitted that if the corruption charges were proved it would be "bad for the armed forces, or whoever is involved".

"It is not only the armed forces that are involved in procurement. There are so many agencies involved. Can't pin the blame on one particular organisation or service. To my mind many of the issues that have sprung up in the recent times have their origin some time back, a decade back. These are being investigated. It is premature for me to say anything," he said.

Raha said he didn't know about the evidence the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), which is probing the case, has against Tyagi.

"The Air Force believes the law of the land has to be followed... Let the investigation be complete. Whatever the decision of the court, we will abide by that."

He said Tyagi, as long as not convicted, should be given his due credit being a former IAF chief.

"A former Air Chief is like an extended family. If anyone in my family goes through a rough patch I think we should stand by them... If charges are proved, then of course we have no sympathy."

The CBI has alleged that Tyagi and other accused had received bribes from AgustaWestland for helping the manufacturer win the $556.262 million contract to purchase the helicopters for the Communication Squadron of the Indian Air Force to carry the President, Prime Minister and other VVIPs.

The accused had allegedly hatched a conspiracy to reduce the service ceiling of the helicopters from 6,000 meters to 4,500 meters to make AgustaWestland eligible for the contract.

The CBI claimed that Tyagi and his brothers received 126,000 euros after May 2004 and 200,000 euros after February 2005 in the form of consultancy fee from Gordian Services.

It added that Tyagi also received some amount in cash from Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Valentino Ferdinando Gerosa, who were linked with Gordian Services.

Tyagi, the Indian Air Force chief from 2004 to 2007, has denied the charges saying the deal was executed after his tenure.
JACKSON, Wyo.  Teton County Search and Rescue has narrowed its search for a missing snowboarder to an avalanche-prone snowfield behind Grand Targhee Resort.

The search area for Lee Kidd of Driggs, Idaho, was narrowed after talking with witnesses who may have seen Kidd, 34, on Friday before he went missing, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports.

"Our deputies conducted extensive interviews and investigations and the conclusion is that we are looking for him in the Grand Targhee area," sheriff's Sgt. Matt Carr said.

Kidd's season pass was last scanned at 10:45 a.m. Friday when he boarded a lift. He had mentioned to friends that he wanted to explore the backcountry, but he left his transceiver, shovel and other backcountry equipment at home, along with his cellphone, Carr said.

He was reported missing Friday afternoon when he failed to show up for work at one of the resort's kitchens.

The search has been challenging and expansive, officials said.

"This is truly a needle in a haystack scenario," Carr said. "There is a ton of area back there."

A foot of snow and high winds have covered any tracks, and stormy weather limited a helicopter search to about an hour Saturday. The snowfield rescuers are focusing on has a large cornice prone to avalanche and a 500-foot cliff. Teams were unable to search the area thoroughly Monday.

Teams planned to search again Tuesday, Carr said.

"We have dogs available," Carr said. "They would be our first line of use (on the ground) if we could bring them in safely."
All universities in Haryana under the Department of Higher Education will have a Common Admission Entrance Examination from the 2017-18 academic session onwards, a state government spokesman said here on Wednesday.

The universities included in this are Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra; Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak; Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa; Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Khanpur Kalan; Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University, Jind and Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, Bhiwani.

MDU-Rohtak will hold the entrance examination in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Life Sciences including Botany, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Environmental Science and Zoology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.

Kurukshetra University will hold the entrance examination for Commerce, Economics, Management, Social Work, Journalism, Law, Political Science and Public Administration, English, Hindi, History, Geography, Physical Education and Psychology.

"The admission would be done purely on the basis of marks obtained in the entrance examination. A high-level coordination committee has also been constituted to monitor the admission process," the spokesman said.

"Students who fail to take the entrance examination would not be eligible for admission in any of these universities. Admission for the rest of the subjects would be carried out by respective universities at their own level," he added.

--IANS

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The US has described as "ludicrous" a claim by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it supported Islamic State militant group in Syria.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said there was no basis for such an accusation, BBC reported.

The Turkish leader earlier said he had evidence that the US supported the Kurdish YPG and PYD groups.

Turkish troops have been fighting to push the IS out of northern Syria.

"They were accusing us of supporting Daesh (IS)," Erdogan said in Ankara.

"Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos."

At least 37 Turkish troops have been killed during an operation launched in August to push IS militants and Kurdish fighters out of the area around al-Bab, a strategic town about 20 km from the Turkish border.

The US has been working with the Kurdish groups in Syria but Turkey said they were linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been waging a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Meanwhile, the umbrella group representing Syria's political and armed opposition factions has urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal.

But Riad Hijab, general coordinator for the High Negotiations Committee, said the body had not been invited to take part in a conference proposed by Russia to take place in Kazakhstan.

Hijab said confidence-building measures were needed to create an atmosphere for political transition talks which he said should be held in Geneva and sponsored by the UN.

--IANS

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Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the Islamic State trying to weave its terror network in India kept the National Investigation Agency (NIA) busy throughout 2016.

The year began with one of the most audacious terror attacks on India when four Pakistani terrorists stormed the India Air Force (IAF) base in Pathankot on January 2 and killed seven soldiers.

The NIA, formed in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, quickly sprang into action and traced links of the attack to Pakistan, blaming Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar for masterminding the strike that brought the improving New Delhi-Islamabad ties back to square-one.

Within months, the anti-terror probe agency filed a detailed chargesheet nailing Azhar and three of his accomplices for their detailed and meticulous planning of the attack.

But the agency drew flak when the government allowed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which included an ISI officer, from Pakistan to visit the sensitive Pathankot military base to probe the incident.

Days after it took over the Pathankot probe, the NIA laid its hands on evidence of the Islamic State trying to expand its presence in India by radicalising youth as potential terrorists.

On January 22 and 23, over two dozen raids were conducted across the country. Eighteen Islamic State suspects were arrested. Nine more, including a foreigner, were later held in separate raids in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The agency filed a charge sheet in June alleging that Islamic State sympathisers were seeking to establish an Islamist caliphate in India -- Junoodul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind -- and recruit Muslim youth to terrorism at the behest of Syria-based Shafi Armar alias Yusuf-Al-Hindi.

According to the NIA, Armar, a resident of Karnataka's Bhatkal district and a senior Islamic State leader managing India recruitment, was in touch with the accused through social media networks.

He trained them how to prepare IEDs, identify training venues and provide logistics support for terror strikes.

However, the agency found itself in the midst of a controversy for going soft on alleged right-wing Hindu terror. On May 13, it submitted the second and final report in the September 29, 2008, Malegaon bomb blast that killed six persons. The bombing was earlier blamed on the Abhinav Bharat group led by Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad, which was earlier probing the bombing, had filed charges against the two main accused in the attack. The NIA took over the case in 2011. And its chargesheet this year gave a clean chit to Thakur and watered down the case against Purohit.

The agency got one of its major successes when a Bengaluru court convicted 13 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in a 2012 conspiracy to kill prominent leaders, journalists and police officers in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Another success came when a special court awarded the death sentence to five Indian Mujahideen operatives for their role in the February 21, 2013, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, twin-blast case that claimed 18 lives.

In all, the NIA registered 33 cases in 2016. Twelve of them were related to Islamic State sympathisers, three against JeM, two of regarding counterfeit currency notes, two of Maoists and two more on terror incidents in northeastern India.

The agency also registered a case against controversial preacher and Islamic Research Foundation founder Zakir Naik on charges of misusing donations to radicalise youth.

The year also witnessed an unprecedented second extension given to NIA chief Sharad Kumar, making him the first Director General of the agency to be re-employed twice after his superannuation in 2015.

(This is a part of a series of articles from IANS that look back at the year that was. Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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For young designers Ankit Kajla, Kavya Doultani, Apoorva Wadhwa and Miloni Kothari, winning the Wool Runway competition has given them an "enriching experience" that will help in uplifting the awareness of Merino Wool in India.

The Woolmark Company recently announced four winners of its inaugural Wool Runway design competition, aimed at giving tertiary students a kick-start with their fashion career. The final four names not only won financial support, but also internships with brands like Raymond and Madura Fashion & Lifestyle.

The platform not only raises awareness but also educates the next generation of consumers and inspires emerging fashion designers to work with Merino wool.

Kajla, the winner of Wool Runway and also a student at NIFT Bangalore, told IANS: "Wool Runway provided us with an enriching experience. The technique that went into producing an 80 percent merino wool inspired outfit was extremely challenging and that proved to be a great lesson."

"It was a big learning experience right from making the garment to enjoying the journey of it. It showed me the criteria needed to be the designer that I aspire to be," he added.

For first runner up Doultani, also a Pearl Academy of fashion, Jaipur student, doing something very innovative with wool was the best thing that has happened to her.

"It introduced me to my style and design philosophy that is inspired by tapestry weaving. I was amazed by the practicality of merino wool because it can be used across seasons and is such a breathable fibre," she told IANS.

Wadhwa, the second runner up and again a Pearl Academy of Fashion, Noida, student, says that it was a different feeling for her to work with wool.

Kothari, another second runner up and also a student of NIFT, Mumbai, said that the biggest learning she got was to put consumers at the forefront while designing but at the same time being creative and offering something unique on the platter.

"The fact that merino wool has so many qualities like it's bio-degradable, renewable, breathable means that is has high potential to take over the market in the next few years in pret fashion," she told IANS.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Carrie Fisher's death has shocked Hollywood celebrities who remember the actress as the "brightest light" and a "wonderful talent".

Fisher, 60, died four days after she suffered a cardiac arrest on a flight.

Her daughter Billie Lourd said the actress passed away on Tuesday morning after taken ill travelling from London to Los Angeles, reports telegraph.co.uk.

After the news of her death broke, the celebrities took to social media to express their grief. Here is what they shared.

Steven Spielberg: I have always stood in awe of Carrie. Her observations always made me laugh and gasp at the same time. She didn't need The Force. She was a force of nature, of loyalty and of friendship. I will miss her very much.

Peter Mayhew: There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly.

William Shatner: I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent and light has been extinguished.

Seth MacFarlane: Carrie Fisher was smart, funny, talented, surprising, and always a hell of a fun time to be around. Family Guy will miss her immensely.

Stephen Fry: She was the brightest, funniest, bravest, kindest, cleverest and sweetest person I ever knew. A crushing blow to lose Carrie Fisher.

Jordan Fisher: She was a walking masterclass. Remained so upbeat throughout her life and career. Unapologetically Carrie Fisher. Always.

Mia Farrow: Carrie was brilliant, funny and talented. Sending huge love be to her mom, her daughter, Billie and her many friends.

Ellen DeGeneres: Carrie Fisher was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend. She was so much fun. I can't believe she's gone.

Elizabeth Banks: Carrie Fisher was so witty and provocative and unrelentingly interesting. Goddamn, I loved her. Everyone did.

Zach Braff: Carrie Fisher. RIP. What a talent. What a year.

Ryan Seacrest: Thoughts and prayers to Carrie Fisher's family

Rita Wilson: God bless Carrie Fisher. This woman and her friendship will be deeply missed.

Jon Favreau: Such a sad day for her family, friends and millions of fans. Carrie Fisher is deeply missed.

The Academy: Thank you Carrie Fisher for all that you've given us. You'll be missed.

Billy Eichner: If I heard Carrie Fisher was going to make an appearance I wanted to see it. U know ur special when Meryl Streep plays You in a movie. RIP.

Grant Gustin: It's been overstated, but it's been a difficult, heavy year. Learning Carrie Fisher has passed away breaks my heart as it does so many others.

Paul Scheer: Watch. It was this energy and wit that made her amazing from Blues Brothers to Catastrophe.

Piers Morgan: RIP Carrie Fisher, 60. Very sad news.

Margaret Cho: We just lost a great ally for mental health and addiction. Be strong, be as strong as she'd want you to be. Rest in paradise Carrie Fisher

Justin Trudeau: We'll never forget you, Carrie. May the Force be with you always.

Chris Evans: So so so sad. Thank you, Carrie Fisher. What a loss.

Bette Midler: Carrie Fisher didn't make it. I am so terribly sorry, and send my sincere condolences to her family, friends and fans all around the world.

Samuel L. Jackson: The light in The Galaxy is dimmed by the loss of our Princess Leia. May The Force Be With Her!! RIP

--IANS

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Europe has just endured two more difficult tests. While Austrian voters rejected the possibility of the European Union getting its first far-right head of state, Italians delivered a stinging rebuke to their government. Add to that a Brexit that has yet to unfold and the eurozones still-lacklustre economic performance, and the survival of the common currency is far from guaranteed.
It is intriguing that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income-tax department have singled out for probe a bank account of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and another belonging to Mayawatis brother Anand Kumar. The move comes barely a month and a half before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
With reference to the editorial, Not a level playing field (December 28), if ordinary people were bearing the pain of standing in long queues to withdraw their money from banks without complaining much, it was because they believed Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pictured) meant business and would take the country into a positive era. But when there is a huge difference between his talk and his deeds, the same people feel cheated.
What is the maximum income exemption available in a joint home loan? Will it be split equally between the joint borrowers?



The Income Act, provides deduction in relation to interest as well repayment of principal amount of loan to the owners of the property. Under Section 24 of the Act, interest on a home loan taken for the purpose of purchase or construction of house property is allowed as deduction without any limit in case of let out property. However, interest deduction is restricted to Rs 2 lakh in a self-occupied property but the said property should have been acquired or constructed within five years from the end of the financial year in which the loan is taken. Else, deduction will get restricted to Rs 30,000. Further, any principal repayment of housing loan is eligible for deduction under section 80C within the overall limit of Rs 1.5 lakh. First-time home buyers are also eligible for an additional deduction under Section 80EE up to maximum of Rs 50,000 in respect of interest on loan taken for purchase of a residential house property, subject to certain conditions.
After demanding the prime minister's resignation over demonetisation, Congress vice-president has directed a number of party seniors to press the topic at 28 press conference across the country on Thursday.
Eight opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, on Tuesday held a meeting to discuss a Common Minimum Agenda and also the demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resignation on kickbacks charge.

Two more meetings on the lines of one held before the joint press conference of these parties will be held in January for further discussion on the Common Minimum Agenda, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said after the press briefing held at the Constitution Club here.

Other parties that attended were the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the DMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Janata Dal-Secular, Indian Union Muslim League and All India United Democratic Front.

"The Common Minimum Agenda will be finalised in due course of time. This was discussed in the (Tuesday) meeting and also the Prime Minister's resignation. It was decided that it will be raised in the press briefing," said a leader who attended the meeting.

Addresing the press briefing, Banerjee asked whether the Prime Minister will resign if the cash crunch situation doesn't normalise in the next three days, that is, by December 30, the deadline fixed by Modi for the situation to normalise following the November 8 .

"The Common Minimum Agenda that we spoke about -- there will be a meeting on this matter. How we organise the programme, there should be consultations with all political parties. We must take everyone into confidence," Banerjee said.

"Some are busy with elections; some are busy with internal party programmes. But we are all together. There is no problem. But, they have their own system, their policy decisions; we cannot interfere in their business," she added.

The Chief Minister said: "On demonetisation, all political parties have expressed their views and we are together. One may differ with me. That is their political policy. Sometimes for bigger interest, we can work out these things."

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said: "We are not like the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, where every single person has to say the same thing. So, what we are designing is a broad agreement for this Common Minimum Programme or a series of things that we agree on."
Having already settled the succession battle in his Samajwadi Party in favour of his son and current Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, party chief reached out to his younger brother, state party chief, Shivpal Yadav, by announcing a list of 325 candidates on Wednesday for the coming assembly polls. The list has most of the names recommended by Shivpal, including some facing criminal cases.
Congress Vice-President on Wednesday once again trained guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and narrated a list of Congress' charter of demands on demonetization and asked for all restrictions on withdrawal of money to be lifted immediately.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said all opposition parties -- even those who did not attend a joint press conference in Delhi -- were united on and Prime Minister Narandra Modi's alleged corruption.

The opposition is united on and Modi's corruption, though every party has some local compulsions and he respects it, the Congress leader said at the joint press conference here.

Out of 16 opposition parties that opposed the government on in the winter session of Parliament, only eight attended the joint presss conference, including the Congress, Trnamool Congress, DMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal-Secular, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Indian Union Muslim League and All India United Democratic Front.

"Every day, during Parliament's winter session, all parties were together on the issue of demonetisation. Not even one party was away.

"Every party said they are together on demonetisation and Modi's corruption. But parties also have local compulsions and we respect those compulsions," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said: "Opposition unity is a process and it is going forward. You can ask all opposition parties -- they will tell you uniformly that they agree on the stand we are taking on demonetisation and on the Prime Minister's corruption."

"There are slight differences in the perspective of these parties. We are happy to embrace them. We see all opposition parties as assets, as people who represent people in this country.

"Every party have some differences, but broadly, everyone will say that demonetisation is a failed experiment. All opposition parties believe in the democratic principles," the Congress Vice-President added.

On meeting the Prime Minister on December 16, the last day of Parliament session, which may have irked some political parties, Gandhi said: "I did a 30-day campaign where I committed to the people of Uttar Pradesh that I'll take two crore of their forms they had filled up and submit to the Prime Minister. I only fulfilled that commitment."

"I told them I'll take these personally to the PM. It was a commitment to the farmers," he added.
A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sniffed out more than Rs 104 crore deposited in her party's account after demonetisation, BSP supremo on Tuesday said a "Dalit's daughter" was being barred from political power in Uttar Pradesh through the "misuse" of official machinery.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back, saying championing the cause of the Dalits does not entitle anyone to indulge in corruption.

Addressing a press conference in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, said: "The anti-Dalit BJP and all those having a casteist mentality do not want that a 'Dalit ki beti' (Dalit's daughter) should get the master key of power in Uttar Pradesh."

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using the official machinery to malign the BSP ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Mayawati, a former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, said the money deposited in her party's account was not black money and was collected by her party workers over the last few months.

She said the said money was collected by party workers as donations and then converted into big denomination notes as it is "convenient" to carry such currency.

"The money belongs to the party, which has been deposited following due procedures. Every penny of this money is accounted for," she said.

"The party workers collected the money through membership drive across the country and deposited the same in the party office. Should we have thrown this money after demonetisation? We deposited it in the bank account with full transparency," she said.

Alleging that "facts are being distorted" to malign her party's image, challenged the BJP to make public the details of its accounts 10 months before demonetisation till date.

"If they (BJP) have an iota of integrity or honesty, they should make public the details of their accounts," she said.

Taking strong exception to Mayawati's remarks, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he could not understand Mayawati's agitation at a legal process.

"The ED has detected the money and asked for explanation as to where did this money come from. She owes an explanation within the legal framework. Why is she so agitated?" Prasad said.

"Now, it is becoming clear why Mayawati has been opposing the demonetisation move tooth and nail," he added.

Hitting back at Mayawati's "Dalit ki beti" remark, Prasad said being a champion of the Dalit cause does not allow one to indulge in corruption.

"We are all for Dalits' empowerment and development. But the issue of Dalit development should not become a symbol of corruption or hijacked by anyone," Prasad said.

In a separate media briefing, Dalit leader and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan slammed Mayawati's comments, saying being a Dalit's daughter is not a "licence to corruption".

"My party works for the Dalits. The total money in (my) Lok Janshakti Party's bank account is Rs 1,03,198. Being a daughter of a Dalit does not give you the licence to indulge in corruption," Paswan said.
A man was killed and two others were injured today when a herd of elephants attacked a village in Nepal's southwestern Bardiya district, police said.

The elephants from the Bardiya National Park, the country's largest national park, attacked Praseni village at 7 AM, the Himalayan Times reported.

The elephants struck when the area was engulfed in winter fog amid poor visibility.

A local resident was killed while two others injured in the elephant attack. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police officials have been deployed in the area to control and send the wild elephants back to the forest, the report said.

Bardiya national park is the habitat for the wild Asian elephant and the greater one-horned rhinoceros.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Thane police today claimed to have solved an 11-year-old murder case with the arrest of the accused from Purulia district in West Bengal.

On July 23, 2005, Munir Sharif Shah (then aged 22), was allegedly killed by an unidentified man at Katrap road in Badlapur township of Thane district, Senior Police Inspector, Thane Crime Branch unit-I, Niteen Thackeray said today.

The police had then registered an offence under IPC section 302 (murder) and launched an investigation.

In the course of the probe, it came to light that a person, Duriyadan Karali Mahato (then aged around 30), from Banjora village under Barabazar police station limits in Purulia district of WB had allegedly killed the victim.

A search was carried out for him, but in vain, and a charge sheet was filed at a Thane court in March 2006.

However, recently, after nearly 11 years of the crime, police got a tip-off that the accused was spotted at the village in Purulia.

Subsequently, a team of Thane Crime Branch sleuths went there and with the assistance of their WB counterparts, they nabbed the accused on December 24, he said.

According to police, the interrogation of the accused revealed that there was a dispute between the victim and him over payment for a painting work undertaken by them.

Following the dispute, the accused had allegedly attacked the victim on his head with an iron rod and also slit his throat, police said.

Meanwhile, the accused was brought from WB to Thane and yesterday produced before a court which remanded him police custody, they added.

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Normal life was partially disrupted during a dawn-to-dusk bandh in Dhalai district of Tripura called today by BJP in protest against the recent murder of a party activist.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained open and attendances in government offices, banks and financial institutions were normal, official sources said.

Movement of vehicles was almost normal, but in some areas it came down to a trickle, the sources said.

Shops kept open their shutters, but markets in a few places in remote areas were closed, the sources said.

Ruling CPI-M has opposed the bandh.

The BJP has claimed that their party activist Chanmohan Tripura, also a member of village committee of Dalapatipara, a remote tribal hamlet in Gandacherra sub-division of Dhalai district, was murdered on Monday afternoon, allegedly by one Biswada Tripura, a CPI-M member.

However, officer-in-charge of Gandacherra police station, Babul Das said that Chanmohan Tripura was a priest who practiced witchcraft, and was hit by a heavy object, allegedly by Biswada, when he went to his house to treat him.

Biswada was arrested next day.

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Residents of the Hay Creek Pines subdivision, 6 miles northeast of Bismarck, have indicated possible approval of $800,000 in special assessments to address groundwater issues and road repair.

Groundwater is eroding the road beds, threatening to flood basements and causing standing water problems at the subdivision near 97th Avenue Northeast.

"There are residential home impacts," said Michael Gunsch, advisory engineer for the South Central Regional Water District in Bismarck. Sump pumps are running for extended periods of time. There are flood risks for the basements, as well as security because of power outages."

The 25-year-old road will need to be replaced regardless, said Gunsch and County Engineer Marcus Hall, but both advise dealing with groundwater problems before laying new pavement.

A majority of the 35 landowners signed a petition to do the feasibility study for both problems before the project could move to a special assessment district vote.

Residents speaking at an informational meeting last week characterized the projects as an investment in their property values, despite the high cost.

"The Realtors know that there is a water issue out there. For the value of the homes, this should move forward," one homeowner said during that meeting.

"This is something that is needed," said another.

The residents would decide whether they want to move forward with two separate special assessment to pay for the projects: $300,000 for the road project under the Burleigh County Highway Department and $490,000 for groundwater removal.

Cost estimates from Braun Intertec were $14,000 per lot owner for groundwater removal and $8,000 each for the pavement replacement portion.

Rick Detwiller, a member of the water district, said the proposal would involve using drain tile to divert water from the area, lowering groundwater risks to homes and better securing road beds.

"Now that we've got some indication that we can alleviate the problems, stabilize the road bed out there, the next step is to get residents information about what those costs are," said Rodney Beck, a member of the water resource district board.

The aim is to get the project started at the end of summer 2017 and have a majority completed by freeze-up, said Beck. Detwiller said no definite timeline has been set for the vote, and completion could hinge on obtaining easements and availability of contractors.

He said they will let the affected residents mull the numbers and decide whether they wish to proceed. Property owners against the steep special assessments could protest in a public hearing process following the vote. A state Water Commission permit also is required for the project because the watershed involves more than 80 acres.
The Income Tax department has initiated action against 14 cooperative banks in Karnataka for holding back information amounting to abetting tax evasion in respect of deposits as it came across Rs 7,636 crore of amount in 80 banks in searches during this year.

I-T Director (Intelligence and Criminal Investigation) Ravichandran Ramaswamy told reporters here that the department during 14 searches conducted on banks, especially cooperative banks, during the year so far, found an amount of (deposits) Rs 7,636 crore.

"We have, as of today, found out an amount of Rs 7,636 crore in 14 searches conducted on banks, especially cooperative banks in current year across Karnataka... We have taken action against 14 cooperative banks as they have been exposed to prosecution for holding back information, which amounts to aiding and abetting tax evasion," he said.

Replying to a query, Ramaswamy said out of the 285 banks in Karnataka, 80 banks have not been providing information by way of annual returns.

"They will have to face penalty of Rs 500 every day," he said.

He further said the department had also issued as many as 2,300 letters to the depositors, asking them to pay up taxes on their deposits.

"We have already got 800 people coming forward to declare their income and paying up taxes and penalty," he said.

Ramaswamy said the department has also intimated the Reserve Bank of India to conduct inspections on banks which were not disclosing information (about deposits).

"We have also written to Registrar of Karnataka Cooperative to take action," he added.

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Two more people today died after consuming illegally-brewed toxic liquor in a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, taking the overall death toll to 34.

The incident took place in a Christian colony in Toba Tek Singh city on December 24 when residents consumed home-made liquor, police said.

The toxic liquor killed at least 34 people, mostly Christians, and seriously affected 50 others, Geo reported.

Dozens are still under treatment at different hospitals, a police spokesperson said.

Police have arrested four suspects for brewing and selling toxic liquor during the event. A case has been registered against the suspects.

Dozens were hospitalised after consuming toxic liquor on Christmas in Muhalla Mubarakabad and Christian Colony areas of Toba Tek Singh, police said.

Around 36 other are still receiving treatment at DHQ Toba Tek Singh and Allied Hospital Faisalabad.

Police officer Mohammad Nadeem said that 25 people were still being treated in hospitals in Toba Tek Singh and Faisalabad to have their stomachs pumped.

"The men who belong to the Christian community drank liquor on the night of December 25 and went home. Tragedy struck the next morning when many did not rise from their beds, while others got sick," he said.

Meanwhile, authorities have formed an inquiry committee to probe the tragedy.

Though Pakistan has allowed some breweries to function, alcohol sales and consumption are strictly prohibited for Muslims and tightly regulated for minority communities and foreigners.

In March, 45 people, including 35 Hindus, had died after consuming spurious liquor during Holi celebrations in Sindh province.

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Twenty-seven children and senior citizens who were "forcibly being held", and made to work long hours at an illegal 'drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre' in sector-55 here were freed after a raid today, police said.

A team of Health Department and Gurgaon Police raided the centre at 11 AM after a complaint by Human Rights Commission to the Department that some children and senior citizens were being allegedly held and brutally beaten up by the management of the centre, police said.

"The children and senior citizens who were rescued by our teams have complained they were brutally beaten up and forced to work more than 16 hours. They also alleged that the management gave them each kind of drugs and alcohol including 'Gutka', and Cannabis pills instead of help them in deaddiction," a senior police officer said.

The children and senior citizens are from different states. They were not given any course of medication to help them in de-addiction, he said.

"Some of them when deny to work for the management, were beaten up," he added.

"We had received a complaint that some senior citizens and children were beaten up by the Rehabilitation Centre staff. A secret raid was conducted with the help of local police. During the course of investigation, we have found that the centre was being run by without any authentic license.

"We have handed over this case to police and urged them to take strict action against the staff members and owner of the centre," Pushpa Bishnoi, Chief Medical Officer of Gurgaon told PTI.

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Five suspected operatives of Bangladesh's banned terror group JMB, whose new faction was blamed for the deadly cafe attack in July, have been arrested over plotting attacks on the New Year's Eve and 30 kgs explosives seized from them, police said today.

The five Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) 'operatives' were arrested from Darus Salam in Mirpur area here during a raid by the counterterrorism unit yesterday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Masudur Rahman said.

"In primary interrogation, the militants told us that they had planned to carry out attacks on the 31st night, during New Year celebrations," police's counterterrorism unit chief Monirul Islam said.

"We also seized 30 kg explosives from the militants," he told a media briefing.

Neo-JMB was behind the July 1 terror attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in the country's worst terror attack.

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Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain, who was at loggerheads with Najeeb Jung over a host of issues including the foreign visits by AAP ministers, met the outgoing Lt Governor here this evening.

Their meeting began at 6.30 PM and lasted for an hour during which Jung is believed to have discussed with Jain the "personal reasons" that led to his resignation on December 22.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Labour Minister Gopal Rai, have already met Jung after he stepped down from the top post.

Jung and Jain have been at loggerheads over a range of issues, including outbreak of chikungunya and foreign visits by AAP ministers, during the former's tenure as Delhi's Lt Governor.

In September, Jain had hit out at Jung for seeking details of foreign tours by AAP ministers, saying the visits were comparatively fewer than their counterparts in other parts of the country.

A day after his resignation, Jung's office had said "he would be returning to academics" but did not cite any reason for his sudden decision to exit administration.

Jung has had a bitter-sweet relationship with Delhi's AAP government over matters of jurisdiction. But his decision to quit was said to have no connection to that relationship.

Jung had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after resigning.

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The acreage of Malwi (durum) wheat crop has increased to 9.10 lakh hectares, registering a growth by 3 per cent during the ongoing Rabi season.

"According to our estimates Malwi wheat, popular for its nutritious values, has been sown on about 9.10 lakh hectares of agricultural land during the ongoing Rabi crop season. This acreage was about 8.85 lakh hectares during last year's season," Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Head, SV Sai Prasad told PTI today.

He said that the climate so far has been favourable for the sowing of Malawi wheat and it was expected that this would result in good production.

Prasad informed that the durum wheat is called 'Malwi' or 'Kathiya' in colloquial language. This wheat is considered ideal for making the food items like Suji (Semolina), Dalia (porridge) or Pasta. Malawi wheat is rich in nutrition like iron, zinc, fiber, yellow pigment and beta keratin.

Malwi wheat is sown on 15 per cent of total agricultural spread of the state. The Agriculture Department has set the target of the wheat sowing in state on 63 lakh hectares during the ongoing Rabi season.

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Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today inaugurated the newly constructed Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district.

The Tuting ALG is under the control of Air Force station, Jorhat and it is the sixth ALG to be operationalised in the state, an official communique informed.

In 2009, the Centre and the state government had agreed to upgrade all landing grounds in the state. Decision was also taken then for the dual use of ALGs to be used for defence and civilian purposes, Khandu said addressing the gathering at the Air Traffic Control building.

Khandu informed that Pasighat ALG would be the first to have civilian terminal with the commencement of Air India flights soon.

With ALGs being operationalised at Mechuka, Tuting, Aalo, Pasighat, Ziro and Vijoynagar, he said it would boost regional connectivity in the state and provide further impetus to tourism and contribute to the local economy.

The seventh ALG in Tawang is, however, yet to reach completion, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal Hari Kumar appreciated the cooperation of local people and the state government in early completion of the ALG.

Khandu during his visit also inspected the new ATC control room, office complex and officer's mess, the communique added.

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An officer of a cooperative bank in Rajasthan allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at a guesthouse in Govardhan here, police said today.

Jhummanlal, a resident of Dholdhara in Rajasthan and posted as Assistant Recovery Officer in Alwar's urban cooperative bank, was found dead in his room in the guesthouse last morning, Additional SP (Rural) Arun Kumar Singh said.

He reached Govardhan on Monday and was staying in Somvanshiya dharamshala here, the officer said, adding when his room did not open till late yesterday, the guesthouse staff informed police who broke open his room's door and found him lying on floor.

A water bottle and empty packet of sulphas tablets were recovered from near the body, he said.

A case of misappropriation of Rs 15 crore was pending against Jhummanlal, Singh said, adding his son told police that his father left on Monday saying he is going to Jaipur.

Jhummanlal was tensed since the embezzlement case was lodged against him, his son said and claimed he was "innocent".

A diary was also recovered from Jhummanlal's belonging in which details of transactions with over 70 people were mentioned, Singh said.

The body was handed over to his family following the postmortem, the ASP added.

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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked state Congress chief Amarinder Singh to stop "misleading" people with his "imaginative nine-point agenda".

"There is not a single reminiscence of Amarinder's regime that was not marked by his inaccessibility and epicurean nature," he alleged at a Sangat Darshan programme here.

Punjab had reached its "lowest ebb" during Amarinder's rule and now he is trying to "befool" people by such gimmicks, he said.

"People are wise and they can see that the Congress and the AAP are empty vessels against Punjab's unprecedented development in the past decade under SAD-BJP rule," Badal said.

The Chief Minister also asked Amarinder to stop making frivolous complaints to the Election Commission by "distorting facts".

"The false complaints being made by the state Congress chief reflects his mounting frustration due to massive support for the alliance government," he claimed



Hitting out at the AAP, Badal said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal before seeking support for his party in Punjab must explain why his government took a stand against the state's interests on the Sutlej-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal issue in the Supreme Court.

"In SYL, Kejriwal was making every effort to benefit his native state, Haryana, at the cost of Punjab's interest," he said, alleging that the AAP is anti-Punjab and anti-people.

Challenging AAP to field its top gun against him from Lambi Assembly segment, Badal said, "Anybody is welcome to test the waters from this segment. But one thing is sure, people will trounce every candidate pitted against the SAD-BJP alliance not only in Lambi but across the state."



Accusing the Congress and AAP for promoting "politics of opportunism by encouraging defections", he said if these parties form government then it will be disastrous for Punjab.

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AMU Students' Union today demanded a CBI inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who has remained untraced for 74 days.

In a memorandum sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, the union alleged that instead of trying to trace Ahmed, police was harassing the family of the missing student and shielding criminals.

Ahmed, an MSc Biotechnology student, went missing on October 15 after a scuffle, allegedly with ABVP affiliated students at his hostel inside the JNU campus.

His mother Fatima Nafees and sister Sadaf were detained by police when they along with scores of agitating students tried to take out a protest march to India Gate in New Delhi on November 6. Fatima was virtually dragged into a bus by police along with other students.

The memorandum said the same forces which had compelled Dalit student Rohit Vemula to commit suicide in Hyderabad earlier this year were behind Ahmed's disappearance.

AMU students led by their union president Faizul Hasan held a demonstration here yesterday and threatened to intensify their stir if government did not fulfil their demand.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) has also asserted that they will continue with their protest on the issue.

Delhi Police has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about Ahmed, while the Crime Branch is trying to trace him without any success so far.

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President Barack 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 CIA 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.

McCrory went so far using his levers that a federal appeals court unanimously slapped him back. It threw out legislation he had signed to restrict voting access, saying it targeted African-Americans with almost surgical precision and discriminatory intent. Still, McCrory and his allies managed to take steps to make voting harder for many Democrats.

The mischief didnt keep him from losing narrowly, and in the second act, McCrory initially refused to accept the outcome. He invented stories of massive voter fraud and spent weeks refusing to concede.

Meanwhile, Obama  despite Russias interference and Hillarys Clintons popular-vote win  immediately congratulated Trump and announced we are now all rooting for his success.

The third act is happening now. Obama has instructed his staff to help Trumps staff. McCrory has signed two bills that strip his successor, Roy Cooper, of some powers.

The justification  a much smaller, long-ago power grab by state Democrats  is laughable. The Charlotte Observer called the changes breathtaking and arrogant. The News & Observer, of Raleigh, compared them to a coup.

In sum: McCrory tried to change the elections rules to help himself; pretended he did not lose afterward; and is ultimately overturning some of the elections consequences.

If he were merely a rogue politician, this story would be a local one. But too many Republicans elsewhere have begun to ignore political traditions, and even laws, to exert power. While Democrats continue to play by more genteel rules, Republicans have subscribed to the Capone school of politics (as Sean Connery fans can recite): They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.

In several states, Republicans have changed laws to reduce Democratic voter turnout. After Obamas election, Mitch McConnell rallied Senate Republicans to oppose his policies  even if Republicans agreed with them!  to make Obama a failed president. This year, Republicans refused to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.

Calling out this behavior is difficult for anybody whos not a partisan Democrat, because doing so makes you sound like a partisan. We in the media, for example, have sometimes framed the events in North Carolina as a case of partisan polarization.

Thats akin to reporting Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait under a headline of Tensions Between Iraq, Kuwait Escalate. Its ... not false.

Hard as it is, no one should be putting a thumb on the scale to pretend the Republicans anti-democratic behavior is normal. I agree with Republicans on some issues, like the value of competition in education and the benefits of two-parent families. But I wont cheer any ill-gotten gains on those issues.

The most important thing now would be for sober Republicans to stand up to their partys radicalization, even if it meant leaving the party. Absent that, the big decisions fall to Democrats.

They need to understand that their opponents are changing the rules  and often benefiting. No, Democrats should not simply mimic the cynicism. For both moral and political reasons, they should defend small-d democratic values, which are, after all, American values.

But the party does need to get tougher.

In Congress, the Democrats threshold for working with Republicans should be higher than in the Bush years. The alternative would signal to voters, wrongly, that the GOP was the less partisan party, because it could pass bipartisan bills. Around the country, Democrats should fight every restriction of voting rights and build grass-roots organizations in all 50 states focused on little-guy economic arguments. Dreaming wishfully of demographic destiny wont cut it.

Anybody tempted to fantasize about inevitable Democratic victories should think ahead to 2020  when the McCrory playbook may well be used not just in a state election but a national one.
Army today celebrated 45th Nagi day in the memory of soldiers, who laid down their lives during the famous Battle of Nagi on December 27-28, 1971, in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district.

A wreath laying ceremony was held at the war memorial in Nagi village followed by a victory rally in Karanpur. Later Army officers interacted with residents of Karanpur and Nagi village who were present during the war, a defence spokesperson said.

Nagi is a small village in Sri Karanpur tehsil, located close to the Indo-Pak border.

The victory rally conducted by Amogh division witnessed participation of military personnel and government officials, students and locals.

The battle was fought 10 days after announcement of the ceasefire of Indo-Pak war wherein brave action by Indian soldiers at Nagi thwarted the nefarious designs of Pakistan Army to capture Indian territory in Nagi village.

In the ensuing battle, a total of 21 Indian soldiers including three officers made the supreme sacrifice.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag today visited Northern Command Headquarters at Udhampur and forward areas of White Knight Corps and interacted with the troops and addressed officers.

He was accorded a warm farewell by officers and men during his visit to all the locations, a defence spokesman said.

The Army Chief in his address complimented the soldiers of Northern Command for their professionalism, selfless commitment and dedication to the nation.

He also appreciated their role during the recent unrest, ceasefire violations and in counter-terrorist operations.

He exhorted the troops to continue to work with zeal and dedication to overcome the numerous challenges.

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Andhra University (AU) will organise an international symposium on subject, Social Business for Sustainable Development next month from January 5 to 7.

Vice-chancellor G Nageswara Rao told a media conference said that the symposium is aimed at sensitising rural communities, teachers, lecturers and students at different levels such as schools, colleges on social business concepts.

It is being organised by Andhra university as part of its 90th foundation year in association with resource centre, Yunus Centre, Dhaka.

Rao said nearly 1,000 delegates from all over India besides foreign delegates will attend the conference, while 200 of them will present papers on varied subjects.

The symposium envisages a scholarly dialogue on all encompassing facets of social business while place focus on the concepts such as curriculum and Pedagogy for 21 century, education, green economy and clean environment and ethics of energy, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A major terror attack in Bangladesh on the New Year's eve has been foiled with the arrest of five operatives of the banned terror group JMB along with guns and 30 kgs of explosives, police said today.

The five suspected Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives were arrested from Darus Salam in Mirpur area here during a raid by the counterterrorism unit last night, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said in a statement.

"We raided their den on the basis of our intelligence reports and arrested the five operatives of the (old) JMB," a DMP spokesman told PTI.

30 kgs of chemicals in liquid and powder forms, which were the main ingredients to prepare explosives, and electronic equipment meant to make bombs alongside some extremist literatures were recovered from the scene, the spokesman said.

"During preliminary interrogation, the militants told us that they had planned to carry out attacks on the (December) 31st night, during New Year celebrations," police's counterterrorism unit chief Monirul Islam told a media briefing.

Guns and bombs were also seized from their possession in the overnight raid, local media reported, adding that Md Riaz alias Engineer alias Rakib is the leader of the group.

Another official familiar with the anti-terrorism campaign said old JMB has a stronger hold in the country's northwest. The five operatives arrested were working on the directives of their three leaders based in northwestern Rajshahi district, the official said.

A breakaway faction of JMB constituted the Neo-JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the dreaded ISIS and carried out the July 1 terror attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed.

An Indian girl was among those killed in the country's worst terror attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Dhaka court today remanded two suspended Biman Bangladesh Airlines staffers for a week in a case filed over the technical glitch that forced a plane carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Hungary to make an emergency landing in Turkmenistan.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain Tipu passed the remand order after Mahbub Alam, inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, produced the duo -- engineer Rokonuzzaman and junior technician Siddiqur Rahman -- before the court.

A Boeing-777 aircraft carrying Prime Minister Hasina to Hungary on November 27 made emergency landing at Turkmenistan's Ashgabat airport after a drop in fuel pressure was detected in one of the engines.

After the emergency landing, engineers found that a nut was loose causing the oil pressure loss and officials say a 'human error' caused the glitch.

Biman authorities formed a technical probe committee the following day to find the reason behind the incident. Based on the findings of the probe committee, Biman first suspended six employees and later three others and filed the case against them, The Daily Star reported.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) had separately investigated the incident and have already reported their findings.

According to the FIR, proof has been found that the nine suspects "would collude in schemes that involved negligence towards machinery... To take part in sabotage", bdnews24.Com reported.

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Kerala BJP today asked the Centre to order a NIA probe into the functioning of Sathya Sarani, an Islamic centre in Malappuram, to unearth its alleged anti-national activities.

BJP State President Kummanom Rajasekharan made the request in a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was here to attend the 27th meeting of Southern Zonal Council.

"A probe by NIA should be ordered to unearth the anti- national activities of the organisation," he said.

He pointed out that Sathya Sarani was controlled by Popular Front of India, which the saffron party charged was the new form of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

He alleged that nearly 500 persons from Hindu and Christian religions were converted into Islam by Sarani and many of them had joined terror outfit IS in Syria.

BJP also requested Singh to order a CBI probe into the murder of T P Chandrasekharan, who formed a party RMP after quitting CPI(M) in the Communist stronghold Kannur district.

The BJP leader alleged that top CPI-M leaders were behind the killing of Chandrasekharan, who was hacked to death by a gang in 2012.

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BJP in Kerala today attacked Jnanpith award winning Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair for his comments over the impact of demonetisation, questioning his motive and expertise to speak on the issue.

A day after the writer said common manfaced a lot of problems on account of the Centre'sdemonetisation drive, BJP state General Secretary A N Radhakrishnan hit out at him saying on what basis he made the remark.

BJP's attack drew a sharp response from state Finance Minister Thomas Issac who likened it to a kind of threatening. "It is like only the BJP will decide on who is to speak and what to speak in the state. It is a kind of threatening," he told reporters here.

Earlier, addressing a press meet here, Radhakrishnan sought to know on what basis Nair made a comment on an economic policy adopted by the Centre.

"He is no economist to react to the growing need for a cashless currency in the country. It could be understood if A Sethumadhavan, another writer who is a retired bank man, had given his opinion about demonetisation", he said.

He also said the writer 'kept mum' when when CPI(M) dissident leader T P Chandrasekharan was hacked todeath and when 'triple talaq' was a raging issue.

Nair commented on demonetisation during the release of a book authored by Isaac at a function in Tirur in Malappuram district yesterday.

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An Afghan MP was among at least three people wounded when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in Kabul today, officials said, in the latest in a series of attacks on lawmakers.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast targeting Fakuri Behishti, an MP from central Bamiyan province, who was on his way to parliament.

"The bomb was placed under a bridge and it detonated when the MP's vehicle was passing through," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

"Three people including the MP were wounded."



But parliament speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi told lawmakers that a relative of the MP had also been killed.

"I heard a big explosion that shook nearby shops. I saw rescuers pulling out several wounded people from the destroyed vehicle," said Abdul Manan, a a bakery shop owner near the scene of the attack.

The attack comes as Taliban insurgents are pressing ahead with a nationwide offensive despite the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.

The militants have recently stepped up attacks on Afghan lawmakers.

Last Wednesday at least eight people were killed when Taliban suicide bombers stormed the residence of an Afghan lawmaker in Kabul, an attack that lasted nearly 10 hours.

Helmand MP Mir Wali survived the assault with injuries, but two of his grandsons and bodyguards were among those killed.

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Two days before the deadline for depositing old 500- and 1,000-rupee notes expires, the Cabinet on Wednesday approved promulgation of an Ordinance to make possession of a large number of scrapped banknotes a penal offence that will attract monetary fine.

The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance makes holding of old 1,000- and 500-rupee notes after March 31 beyond a threshold amount a criminal offence that will attract a monetary fine of Rs 10,000 or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

Furnishing wrong information while depositing the old currency between January 1 and March 31 will attract a fine of Rs 5,000 or five times the amount.

Official sources said the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Ordinance, but did not say if the penal provisions will apply to holding the junked currency after the 50-day window to deposit them at banks ends on December 30 or after March 31, till which time deposit of old currency notes at specified branches of the Reserve Bank after submitting a declaration form is open.

The Ordinance also provides for amending the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act to provide legislative support for extinguishing the demonetised banknotes that are not returned.

While the high-denomination currency ceased to be a legal tender from midnight of November 8, 2016, a mere notification was thought to be not enough to end the central bank's liability and avoiding future litigations.

Currency notes carry RBI's promise to pay the bearer the amount of the value of the note, a pledge that can be nullified only by legislation after giving due opportunity to everyone to return old notes.

Sources said the proposal put to the Cabinet was for a four-year jail term for anyone possessing a number of demonetised currency after March 31, 2017, but it was not immediately clear if it was approved.

The Ordinance will have to sent to the President and after his assent will come into force.

The Ordinance, which will have to be converted into a proper legislation by passing of a law by Parliament within six months, makes possession, transfer or receiving an amount of over Rs 10,000 in the now-demonetised 500 and 1,000-rupee notes a punishable offence.

A maximum of 10 banned notes may be allowed to be held by any person.

Sources said while the deadline for the deposit of old currency in bank or post office accounts expires on Friday, time till March 31 is available for doing so with RBI with stiff conditions by people who were abroad, armed forces personnel posted in remote areas or others who can give valid reasons for not being able to deposit the cancelled notes at banks.

While announcing the of the old currency on November 8, the government had allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts. While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts.

Deposit with specified branches of RBI is allowed till March 31, but only for exigencies.

In 1978, a similar Ordinance was issued to end the government's liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were demonetised by the Morarji Desai-led government.

Sources said the legal amendments are needed every time the government decides to scrap any legal tender to put an end to its promissory note.

Of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore worth of currency that was scrapped, about Rs 14 lakh crore has been deposited in banks or exchanged.
In the second strategic sale approval in over 12 years, the today cleared the sale of India's first pharma company Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd as well as Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd after selling their surplus land.

The headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved closure of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL) and Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (RDPL).

The strategic sale approval is just the second in over 12 years. In September, the had cleared strategic sale of Bharat Pumps and Compressors Ltd.

These will be the first privatisation since sale of Jessop and Co in 2003-04 under the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

BCPL and HAL are among the public sector units that NITI Aayog has identified for sale of government's majority stake to private companies in order to bring in greater efficiency and professionalism in their functioning.

At today's meeting, Cabinet "approved the sale of surplus land of HAL, IDPL, RDPL and BCPL, as would be required, to meet their outstanding liabilities," an official statement said.

Proceeds from sale of land, which would be done through open tender, will go towards meeting liabilities of the companies, including paying for VRS for employees.

Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Works Ltd, the previous avatar of BCPL, was set up in April 1901 by eminent scientist and entrepreneur Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.

The government of India took over the management of the company in December 1977 and nationalised it in 1981, renaming it Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BCPL).

From its factory at Panihati, near Kolkata, BCPL makes anti-malaria tablets Chloroquine and Paracetamol, among a host of other drugs and industrial chemicals.

HAL was the first drug manufacturing company to be set up in the public sector by Government of India with active co- operation of WHO and UNICEF.

The statement said sale of surplus land before sale or



closure would help utilise the assets in the best interest.

"The sale would be through open competitive bidding to government agencies and the outstanding liabilities will be met from the sale proceeds," it said.

Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) / Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) will also be implemented in the four loss-making units.

"After meeting the liabilities, steps will be taken to close IDPL and RDPL. The option of strategic sale will be explored for HAL and BCPL. The Department of Pharmaceuticals, the administrative department for these undertakings, will take time bound follow-up action," it added.

After sale of surplus land, the remaining part of the land will be managed in accordance with the guidelines of the Department of Investment and Public Assets Management (DIPAM) and Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).

The government is targeting Rs 56,500 crore in disinvestment proceeds this fiscal. Of this, Rs 36,000 crore is to come from minority stake sale in PSUs and another Rs 20,500 crore from strategic stake sale.

The fiscal target continues to remain far off with total collections of about Rs 24,000 crore in the nine months of the financial year so far.

The last strategic sale took place in Jessop and Co in 2003-04 under the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when 72 per cent of government stake was sold to Indo Wagon Engineering for Rs 18.18 crore.

Incidentally, the first strategic sale in a PSU also happened under the NDA rule in 1999-2000 when the government sold 74 per cent equity in Modern Food Industries to Hindustan Lever for Rs 105.45 crore.
While Christians across America were preparing for the Christmas holiday, the Obama administration threw its sympathies and support to those who oppress Christians in the cradle of Christianity  Bethlehem and elsewhere.

The move by the Obama administration to abstain and not veto an anti-Israel United Nations Security Council resolution, unprecedented in American Israeli relations, provides a strong hint of why Americans voted for change in November.

Why?

Because, despite President Obama's relatively high approval ratings, there has been a deep sense that something is fundamentally wrong in the country and that the ship of state needs to be pointed in a new direction.

This dissatisfaction, I think, starts with a loss of clarity of what our country is about. This flows directly from our leadership, which starts with the person who sits in the Oval Office.

The United States is supposed to be a beacon of freedom, shining inward across our land and outward across the world. This light has been flickering, as the Obama administration's passion has been to extol the left-wing values of secular humanism, rather than the principles of a free nation under God.

Israel is the only free nation in the Middle East and is one of the freest nations in the world.

This isn't just a matter of opinion. Freedom House in Washington, D.C., issues an annual Freedom in the World Report that rates every nation according to political and civil rights.

Nations are given a quantitative rating and then ranked Free, Partly Free, or Not Free.

Israel is the only nation in the Middle East categorized as "free" in this report. Its neighbor, only a few miles away, the Palestinian Authority, is ranked Not Free, with a cumulative score, on a scale of 1-100, with 100 being totally free, of 30.

The U.N. Security Council voted 14-0, with the 15th member of the council, the United States, abstaining, to condemn Israeli settlement activity in disputed territories captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967.

If the U.S. exercised its veto power, the resolution would have been nullified. But it didn't.

Why did the Obama administration turn its back on our longtime friend, the only nation in this highly troubled region that shares America's political, religious and cultural traditions, and instead cast its sympathies with those who point a finger at their Israeli neighbor while they oppress their own people?

In fact, by the Freedom House rating, Israel is freer than eight of the 14 Security Council member nations that voted to censure it.

Support for Israel is not a vote for oppression against Palestinians. Rather, it shows those in the world who live under oppression that the principled leadership of the United States understands what freedom is about and that these principles will not be compromised under any circumstances. This can only help the Palestinian people.

This perverse move by the Obama administration was particularly bizarre in the middle of our holiday season.

The beauty of freedom is the possibility for change.

Despite veering off course, Americans can enter the new year, with a new administration, resolved to get our nation back in the right direction  the direction of economic freedom, of religious freedom, of political freedom. This can only be good news for our own citizens, and for our friends around the world, like Israel.
The Odisha Police today filed a chargesheet against AQIS suspect Abdul Rehman who was arrested by the Delhi Police from the outskirts of Cuttack on December 15, 2015.

Four months ago, the Delhi Police had chargesheeted Rehman and 16 other members of the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Sources said the special task force of the Odisha Police's crime branch filed the chargesheet against Rehman in a court at Salepur.

Rehman and some other AQIS members were chargesheeted by the Delhi police in August under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly conspiring, establishing bases and recruiting Indian youths for the terror outfit.

Rehman was running a madrasa here at an isolated place where young children from neighbouring Jharkhand were put in a very unhygienic condition.

It was immediately shut down and the children were sent back to their homes soon after he was arrested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China started operations of one of the world's longest high-speed railways that links the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part of the country.

The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, China Railway Corporation said.

The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, Wang Jinda, a train driver was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua agency.

The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.

A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012.

China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines.

According to the government's plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030.

The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland.

China is also aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries, including India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
aims to reach Mars by 2020, to catch up in the space race with India, the US, Russia and the EU which have succeeded in sending probes to the red planet.

aims to launch a Mars probe around 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration, followed by a second mission that would include collection of surface samples from the red planet, an official white paper "China's Space Activities in 2016" said.

The Mars mission has become a prestigious for China's multi billion dollar space programme which has made several advances including landing a rover on the moon, several successful manned missions as well as advanced programme to set up its own space station.

China's attempts to send an exploratory probeto Mars called Yinghuo-1, in a Russian spacecraft in 2011 failed as shortly after the launch it was declared lost and later burnt during re-entry.

Progress of its Mars mission picked up after India's Mangalyaan Mars mission accomplished with a low budget of USD 73 million caught the attention of Chinese as India reached the red plant well ahead of .

Zhang Rongqiao, chief architect of the Mars mission told media in August this year that China plans to send a spacecraft to orbit Mars, land and deploy a rover in July or August 2020.

The 2020 mission will be launched on a Long March-5 carrier rocket, the work horse for China's space missions.

It will be launched from the Wenchang space centre in south China's Hainan province.

The lander will separate from the orbiter at the end of a journey of around seven months and touch down in a low latitude area in the northern hemisphere of Mars where the rover will explore the surface.

China also displayed the rover which has six wheels, powered by four solar panels, two more than the rover sent to the moon.

Before that China will launch a lunar probe in 2018 to achieve world's first soft landing on the far side of the moon to show case its spare prowess.

China has already landed a rover on the moon in the past but wants to explore the dark side of the lunar surface to carve out a niche for itself as it has not been done by other countries.
Chinese diners greedily crack open delicate rabbit skulls and slurp down their contents, tucking into a delicacy so popular in one province that it has to import its supplies from France.

Sichuan is renowned for its spicy, peppery local dishes: one of its favourites are bunny brains, often eaten as a late night treat on the streets of its capital, Chengdu.

At the "Shuangliu Laoma Tutou", a well-known restaurant in the heart of the city, dozens of customers use their gloved hands to prise open the skulls covered in sauce, suck out the brain and nibble on the cheeks amid cries of satisfaction.

"If Sichuanese people don't eat spicy dishes every day, they're unhappy," said one 20-something woman surnamed Ma, as she dined with friends.

"I eat them at least once a week," she added.

Westerners often avoid animal parts - duck beaks, chicken feet, heads and tripe - that Chinese gourmets treat as delicacies.

But even in China there is little appetite for rabbits' meat, much less their heads, which are overwhelmingly eaten in Sichuan, a remote province long isolated by mountain ranges.

The dish is a speciality of the region - rarely found outside of a few popular restaurants in Beijing and other major cities.

"Two out of three rabbit heads consumed in China, are eaten in Sichuan," said Wang Min, the manager of the Chengdu restaurant, adding that locals were proud of the snack.

"My parents and grandparents ate them. I've been enjoying them since my childhood", she said, adding the tradition goes back several centuries.

"My friends in Guangxi (a southern province) and elsewhere don't understand why we eat them," she said, adding "they can't stand the pepper."



In Wang's restaurant, head chef Yin Dingjun said the rabbit head recipe seemed simple but required a well- established technique.

"You have to drain the rabbits of their blood, then remove the guts" before marinating the head in a broth for several hours," he said.

"Diners then use their teeth to gnaw at the flesh."



Rabbits feature in Chinese mythology (a "jade rabbit" lives on the moon) and are regarded as cute by many young people rather than thought of as a delicacy, although in Sichuanese dialect eating rabbit head is slang for French kissing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China has claimed "massive support from all sectors in Pakistan" for the USD 46 billion CPEC project as it hosts a high-level conference here tomorrow, days after a Pakistani army general invited India to be a part of the ambitious venture.

China is also expected to announce a USD 1 billion soft loan at the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in which Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal and chief ministers of all the Pakistan provinces are expected to participate, report on the official website of the CPEC said.

The JCC which includes chief ministers of Pakistani provinces is expected to discuss steps to ensure smooth construction of the CPEC which is a prestigious project for President Xi Jinping.

Lt Gen Amir Riaz, Commander of Pakistan's Southern Command had said that India should "shun enmity" with Pakistan and "join the CPEC along with Iran, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries and enjoy its benefits".

Subsequently, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also wondered about India's reaction to the Pakistani general's remarks.

"I wonder what is India's take on this whether this is a good sign from Pakistan," Hua said reacting to Riaz's remarks, adding that China has an open mind on India's participation.

"Surprise aside (over the general's call), New Delhi should consider accepting the olive branch Pakistan has extended in a bid to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor," said an article in state-run Global Times.

Ahead of the conference, Pakistani media reported that Islamabad is likely to secure a USD 1 billion soft loan for three road projects under the CPEC.

Reports quoted Ashraf Zaman, spokesman for Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA) as saying the roads are on the western route of CPEC, a mega network of roads, rail links, power plants and other infrastructure connecting western China's Xinjiang province to Pakistan's southern port of Gwadar.

Zaman said a deal was reached with the Chinese to finance the three additional roads in November.

Asked about the loan and the meeting, Hua told a media briefing here today that she has no information on the loan and the meeting.

At the same time she said the "CPEC has drawn massive support from all sectors in Pakistan. We would like to work with the Pakistani side to press ahead with the development of the CPEC," she said.

Her comments followed reports in the Pakistani and Chinese media about criticism within Pakistan over the project on which India has also raised objections as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

REOPENS FGN 30



"Regarding the CPEC, we have stated our position on many occasions. The CPEC is a cooperation framework set up by the two countries for the future development of China-Pakistan relations as part of the Belt and Road Initiative," Hua said adding "it is not only beneficial to the economic and social development of China and Pakistan but also conducive to regional connectivity and economic and trade cooperation".

"Three years on, CPEC, described by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a 'game changer' for the entire region here, has entered into full implementation in 2016 and remarkable progresses have been achieved," a commentary by state-run Xinhua agency said yesterday.

At the same time, an article in state-run Global Times criticised sections of Pakistani media for taking a critical view of the project.

Written by a research fellow in the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) the article said "there is no denying the fact that there has been criticism of CPEC in Pakistan. There has been criticism of the government of Pakistan, mainly of the ruling party, over the percentage of shared routes of CPEC in Pakistan," the article said.

"Every province wants to get the most out of it. It is like fighting over a cake before eating it," it said.
Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui accompanied by his wife Jiang Yili, recently met Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi here and discussed academic issues, including exchange programmes.

The meeting, where views on academic cooperation were also exchanged, took place on December 23. They also visited the Department of East Asian Studies at the central university.

For Jiang, it was a trip down memory lane as she had studied religion and philosophy at DU between 1990-93. It was her first visit to the DU campus since she left India in late 1993.

"Her doctoral thesis comparative study between Buddhism and Hinduism was published in Singapore. It is worth mentioning that she was the first Chinese to get a PhD in India," a Chinese embassy statement said.

Jiang, a scholar on her own right, has authored several books. Her work on South Asian Countries' Foreign Relations post World War II is virtually the textbook in this field, the statement said.

"China-India educational cooperation and cultural exchanges are important to the bilateral relations. She felt heartened by the development of DU and looked forward to future prospects of China-India educational cooperation," it said.

Jiang has also translated former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's autobiography 'The Daughter of the East'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Goa Church will issue guidelines to Christians to help them decide "the right candidate" to vote for in the next year's Assembly elections.

The Church, however, clarified that it will not canvass for any candidate or the party.

"Elections to the legislative Assembly are approaching and Church leadership in Goa will take up this duty bound task once again.

"We do issue guidelines to our faithful on how to exercise their franchise and thus fulfill one of their sacred civic duties," Archbishop of Goa and Daman Rev Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao said today here while addressing a customary reception on Christmas.

He said though the guidelines are read out in churches, they never mention name of any candidate or any political party.

The function was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar among others.

However, the archbishop said the faithfuls are requested to vote as per their conscience.

He lamented that "certain elements today accuse the church in India of being involved in conversions."



"Our institutions have been attacked, robbed, burnt down and the perpetrators of this crime often goes scot free. It is almost as if the tiny three percent is posing a serious threat for the disintegration of the whole nation," Ferrao said.

Referring to the illegal mining issue, the archbishop said the church isthe trustee of this land.

"It is our solemn duty to ensure that the value of the land is passed on to our future generation. All generation and all within a generation would benefit equally.

"But what we see is extensive environmental and social damage to Goa which has generated rampant corruption and even weakened governance. It has been an assault on our community and our natural wealth, more distressingly it has been a loss to our children and our future generation," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), the largest fisheries research body in the country, has submitted the Country Status Report about the impact of climate change on coastal fisheries and aquaculture sector in India.

CMFRI, functioning under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, presented the report in a meeting between SAARC Agriculture Centre and representatives from SAARC nations during a video conference convened by the SAC.

The representatives in the fisheries sector of all SAARC nations, except Sri Lanka, attended the video conference held last week, a CMFRI release said here.

The video conference was part of the Dhaka headquartered SAC's initiative to assess the impact of climate change in agricultural sectors of SAARC member countries and come up with resilient strategies.

A three-member team,headed by CMFRI Director A Gopalakrishnan, represented India in the conference.

The team presented the report which included details of issues and challenges being developed owing to climate change in the coastal fisheries and aquaculture sector in India.

P U Zacharia, Project Coordinator of National Innovations on Climate Resilient Aquaculture and Grinson George, Senior Scientist were other members of the CMFRI team who prepared the CSR, which exposed disruptions being occurred due to the climate change in areas such as marine ecosystem, fish stock, harvesting sector, aquaculture, market and trade etc, it said.

The present condition of fishing communities was also included in the report, the report said.

During the conference through Skype, members representing fisheries and aquaculture sector of SAARC member countries reviewed remedial steps to be taken to mitigate the impact of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture, and finalised a set of recommendations to be followed by member countries in future.

In the recommendations,the meeting prioritised developing collaborative and comprehensive efforts to address climate vulnerabilities and commissioning of SAARC level task force to formulate strategies to mitigate climate change impacts.

Conduct of awareness programmes on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expansion of open sea cage farming and pen culture in coastal water bodies were also listed as the major recommendations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A combination of a common diabetes medication and a drug for treating hypertension may effectively combat a wide range of cancer cells by driving them to commit 'suicide', a new study has claimed.

Metformin is the most widely prescribed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Besides its blood sugar lowering effect, it also displays anti-cancer properties. The usual therapeutic dose is too low to effectively fight cancer.

Researchers, led by Michael Hall from the University of Basel in Switzerland, found that antihypertensive drug syrosingopine potentiates the anti-cancer efficacy of metformin.

The drug combination drives cancer cells to programmed "suicide."



At higher doses, the antidiabetic drug inhibits the growth of cancer cells but could also induce unwanted side effects.

Researchers screened over a thousand drugs for whether they can enhance the anticancer action of metformin.

The cocktail with syrosingopine effective in a wide range of cancers, researchers said.

"For example, in samples from leukaemia patients, we demonstrated that almost all tumour cells were killed by this cocktail and at doses that are actually not toxic to normal cells," said Don Benjamin, from the University of Basel.

"And the effect was exclusively confined to cancer cells, as the blood cells from healthy donors were insensitive to the treatment," Benjamin said.

In mice with malignant liver cancer, enlargement of the liver was reduced after the therapy. Also the number of tumour nodules was less - in some animals the tumours disappeared completely.

A glance at the molecular processes in the tumour cells explains the drug combination's efficacy: Metformin lowers not only the blood glucose level, but also blocks the respiratory chain in the energy factories of the cell, the mitochondria.

The antihypertensive drug syrosingopine inhibits, among other things, the degradation of sugars.

Thus, the drugs interrupt the vital processes which provide energy for the cell.

Due to their increased metabolic activity and rapid growth, cancer cells have a particularly high energy consumption, which makes them extremely vulnerable when the energy supply is reduced.

By testing a range of other compounds with the same mode of action, the scientists could demonstrate that the inhibition of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria is a key mechanism.

These also reduced cancer cell growth in combination with the antihypertensive drug.

"We have been able to show that the two known drugs lead to more profound effects on cancer cell proliferation than each drug alone," said Benjamin.

"The data from this study support the development of combination approaches for the treatment of cancer patients," he said.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Khallikote Autonomous College in Odisha's Ganjam district, the lead institution of Khallikote Cluster University, has sought Rs 13 crore from the state government to preserve its oldest building as a heritage structure.

"The two-storey building had been declared unsafe by engineers and is now unutilised. We want to make it seven storeys tall," said the cluster university's vice-chancellor, Manmath Padhy.

"The 13 crore amount will be devoted to the construction of a proposed building," said university registrar Radhanath Rath.

The building belongs to one of the premier educational institutions in the state and has had a significant contribution in the spread of higher education in south Odisha in its 160-year-old history.

"It deserves to be a heritage building and I will try to secure government approval for construction on the structure," said MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik, president of the executive committee of the college.

Padhy, who is a historian, said the college had begun as a zilla school in 1856 and attained the status of an intermediate college called Union College.

When Harihar Mardaraj, the king of the erstwhile Khallikote estate, donated a sizeable amount of money towards the functioning of the institution, it was renamed Khallikote College on August 16, 1893.

In 1910, Madan Mohan Singh Deo, the king of the Dharakote estate had donated Rs 10,000 for construction and equipment for the science laboratory.

The three-storied building was constructed in 1979, while the Centenary building and life science block with four galleries were added to the complex in 1982.

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Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today hit back at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi asking him to come clean on whether there is black money in the country and also need to take steps against it.

Speaking to reporters here, Naidu said that as the opposition party celebrated 'Congress Foundation Day' and it is only appropriate that the issue of black money, corruption, etc are haunting it.

Rahul Gandhi by his smile and body language today clearly "indicated" that there is not much of black money in the country, Naidu said.

"I would like Shri Rahul ji to muster courage and openly say so if his party's assessment is that there is not much of black money in our economy," the Union Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development minister said.

Everyone knows the close link between black money and corruption, Naidu said adding that if Congress party says there is no black money in our economy, obviously, there is no place for corruption in our system.

"Is this the stand of the Congress?" he asked.

Naidu said that Congress is in panic and trying to create confusion. He claimed that Congress is worried that nobody was was taking Rahul seriously, whether it is the people, opposition leaders or its partymen.

That is why the opposition leaders' distanced from the meeting, Naidu said.

Naidu said that Congress and communists are disappointed as the people have continued to support the crackdown on black money.

Only some political parties which have been beneficiaries of the loot appear to be shaken, he claimed.

Congress Vice President had earlier continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation while also accusing him of practising politics of "fear and anger".

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Stephen Cook hit a century as South Africa took control on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at St George's Park.

South Africa were 351 for five at the close, an overall lead of 432 on a ground where no team has successfully chased more than 271 in the fourth innings.

In contrast to the first two days, when seam bowlers held sway, South Africa scored freely against a lacklustre bowling attack on a pitch which seemed to have flattened out.

Cook made 117 to lead a powerful batting performance by the hosts.

He shared century partnerships with Dean Elgar (52) and Hashim Amla (48). Cook and Elgar put on 116 for the first wicket, their second three-figure opening stand of the match. Then Cook and Amla added 105 for the second wicket off only 118 balls as the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders wilted.

After two interruptions for rain, the playing hours were changed and South Africa scored 182 runs off 40 overs in an extended post-lunch period. They added another 131 off 29 overs before the close.

Cook, who made his third century in only seven Tests, survived a chance to gully off Suranga Lakmal when he was on 62, but played with more freedom than in previous appearances. He reached his fifty off 81 balls and his hundred off 152 deliveries.

He was out soon after tea when he edged an attempted cut against Dushmantha Chameera to be caught behind. His Test-best 117 was scored off 178 balls with 11 fours.

With Sri Lanka setting defensive fields, the South African batsmen were able to score plenty of singles and keep the score moving. They lost two more wickets, both to off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva, before captain Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock added an unbeaten 74 off 92 balls before the close.

An indication of the lack of control exerted by the Sri Lankan bowlers was that they only bowled three maiden overs during the innings, two of them by Lakmal, who added the wicket of Elgar to the five he collected in the first innings. But Lakmal, who bowled 27 overs in the first innings, seldom threatened today.

Sri Lanka were bowled out early in the day for 205, with Vernon Philander finishing with five for 45, losing their remaining three wickets for 24 runs.

Philander struck twice in the first over of the day after Sri Lanka resumed at 181 for seven. His first ball was a perfect out-swinger which De Silva edged to wicketkeeper De Kock. De Silva had batted impressively to make 43 on Tuesday but Philander made the ball deviate just enough to catch the edge as De Silva played back defensively.

Lakmal hit a boundary but then chipped the final ball of the over to Kyle Abbott at mid-on.

Chameera and Nuwan Pradeep added 20 for the last wicket before Chameera edged Abbott to Amla at first slip after making a Test-best 19. Abbott finished with three for 63.

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: Almost the entire cotton-based textile industry in the region today thanked Union Textile Minister Smrithi Irani for announcing unique terms and conditions for procuring cotton from Cotton Corporation of India for the benefit of MSME textile units.

The new terms and conditions for fully pressed bales of CCI facilitates the registered MSME textile units to procure cotton by paying only 10 per cent deposit money as against 20 per cent, which was applicable only for the sale quantity of 30,000 bales and above, Chairman of Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA), Senthilkumar said in a release.

The deposit money upto 2,999 bales is only 15 per cent, which would greatly help the units that are starving for working capital funds in the post-demonetization regime, he said.

Earlier there was a difference in the free period,ranging from 30 to 75 days and 75 days free period was available for procurement of 15,000 bales and above, depriving MSME textile the benefit, he said, adding the free period now has been made uniform and fixed at 45 days, which would again help actual users and the MSME units.

Senthilkumar said the industry requested CCI to opt for coastal movement of bales between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu that would again yield considerable savings for mills and added that SIMA has finalized the rates with a company for the entire cotton season 2016-17, which is cheaper by 10 to 25 per cent when compared to lorry freight.

A total of 26 textile association thanked the minister for the new scheme.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was today praised by the Dalai Lama for the prohibition in the state.

"I feel very good after meeting Nitish Kumar. For many years we have been good and close friends," Dalai Lama told reporters after planting a sapling of Anand Bodhi tree at Buddha Smriti park here.

"People have a lot of anger and tension today. But to get rid of them, consumption of liquor or drug is not good ... Mental tension and anger can be done away with through training of the mind," the noble laureate said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also praised India.

"India is like a guru (teacher) for us ... We are its shishya (disciple) ... The relation with India is that of guru and shishya'," the Tibetan spiritual leader who took refuge in the country over five decades ago said.

"Today even scientists are learning from India's ancient knowledge and philosophy," he added.

Kumar received the Dalai Lama at the airport on his arrival here enroute to Bodh Gaya for Kalchakra puja.

Later, the Tibetan theologist offered prayers near a branch of Bodhi tree act the chief minister's residence.

The chief minister hosted lunch for the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist monks accompanying him.

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The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the Delhi government's Women and Child Development (WCD) department seeking to know whether a rehabilitation policy for victims of commercial sexual exploitation has been framed and if not, reasons for the same.

In the notice, DCW chairperson, Swati Maliwal said that over the past one year, the Commission has made several visits and inspections to the brothels at GB Road and has been raising the issue of framing a rehabilitation policy for these women.

"Yesterday the Commission again visited the area with North MCD, SDM Karol Bagh, SHO Kamla Market, officials of Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Jal Board, and representatives of NGOs and inspected the brothels. During its visits, the appalling condition of women has been brought to the notice of the Commission. Many women there wish to come out of the brothels and seek alternate livelihoods.

"The Commission has been raising the issue of framing a rehabilitation policy for these women. In the meeting of State Level Coordination Committee on Combating Trafficking held on October 5, last year, the Chief Secretary had directed the Department of Women and Child Development to frame a rehabilitation policy for these victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

In the notice, Maliwal asked the Secretary in the Department of Women and Child Development, to submit a copy of the draft policy, details of the consultations held, and reasons for non-engagement with the Commission as per Section 16 of the DCW Act, if the policy has been frame.

If the policy has not been framed, she has sought the reasons for the same.

"Noting the urgency of the matter, please provide the above sought information latest by January 4, 2017 failing which appropriate action will be taken as per law," the notice said.

Yesterdat, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched a massive survey to assess illegal structures along the GB road, three months after DCW asked for its action plan for the demolition of unlawful structures there.

The north MCD officials, accompanied by Maliwal, police, fire department officials and some NGOs, visited and examined over half-a-dozen brothels in the red-light area and found 'tehkhanas' or hidden cells in large numbers in each of these brothels.

They also interacted with the women living in those areas.

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Nasscom, telecom operators, and NITI Aayog have come together in creating a dedicated helpline - 14444 - for addressing all queries on digitial payments, as government takes strides to push for more digital transactions post demonetisation.

After the fourth meeting of the Committee of Chief Ministers on digital payments, Convenor and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said, plans are afoot to import one million PoS machines to enable cashless payments across India.

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said IT industry body Nasscom, telephone operators and the government thinktank are creating the helpline to address all queries of public regarding digital payments.

The helpline number would be made operational soon.

Briefing the media on the discussions, Naidu also said the Committee of Chief Ministers will present its interim report on digital payments movement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi within a week.

"We are planning a sustainable, long-term, policy to attract majority in India to move to digital payments through providing incentives," Naidu said.

To a query on incentives for card payments which expires on December 31, the Chief Minister said incentives to users and subsidy for smartphones are being contemplated to push digital payments across India.

"Our focus is on providing more incentives for making digital payments a mass movement," he said, adding "things are moving very positively on a digital economy for India".

He also said the Committee would recommend continuation of the incentives beyond December 31.

The government has given certain incentives post demonetisation like waiver of Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on card usage till the year-end.

Naidu said that two major breakthroughs using existing infrastructure have been Aadhaar Pay and modified versions of USSD and UPI, and the two would be launched soon.

Significant upgrades in technology have also been made and new capacities have been added to enable millions of Indians use digital payments, he said.

An app for UPI and interoperability of USSD and UPI has now been made possible which will be a major push for 600 million Indians to use digital payments, he added.

The Andhra Chief Minister also said that the Committee is working with NITI Aayog to address existing constraints in connectivity, hardware and technical infrastructure to push cashless transactions.

During the meeting, a presentation was made regarding the best practices and learnings from other countries for a digital economy in India.
A high-level NITI Aayog Committee of Chief Ministers has favoured continuance of service tax exemptions on digital payments beyond December 31, in order to make India a less-cash economy.

NITI Aayog, along with Nasscom and telecom operators, will also be launching a dedicated helpline for all digital payments-related queries soon.

"We want to recommend this (service tax exemptions) to government of India to continue not only beyond December 31, even beyond March 31, and for the future also. If digital currency will be costlier than physical currency, then people will go to physical currency," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said.

Naidu was speaking to reporters after the fourth meeting of Committee of Chief Ministers on digital payment.

Meanwhile, Nasscom, telecom operators, and NITI Aayog have come together to create a dedicated helpline - 14444 - for addressing all queries on digital payments as government strives to attract majority of Indians into making cashless transactions post demonetisation.

Naidu also said plans are afoot to import one million PoS machines to enable cashless payments across India.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said that the Committee of Chief Ministers will present its interim report on digital payments movement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi within a week.

"We are planning a sustainable, long-term, policy to attract a majority in India to move to digital payments through providing incentives...," Naidu said.

He added that two major breakthroughs using existing infrastructure -- Aadhaar Pay and modified versions of USSD and UPI -- would be launched soon.

This apart, significant upgrades in technology have been made and new capacities created to enable millions of Indians use digital payments, he said.

An app for UPI and interoperability of USSD and UPI has now been made possible which will be a major push for 600 million Indians to use digital payments.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister also said that the Committee is working with NITI Aayog to address existing constraints in connectivity, hardware and technical infrastructure to push cashless transactions.

During the meeting, a presentation was also made on best practices and learnings from other countries for a digital economy in India.

When asked if he has changed his position on demonetisation of higher value currency notes, Naidu said, "We are going to have variable advantages...Even today, there are some problems. People are suffering today for the larger interest of the country. So, we have to appreciate that.

"Even in this crisis, people are standing for 4-5 hours in the queue, even now he says it is good for my future...There is a crisis, we have to handle crisis with utmost care. This is what I mean, this is what I stand (for)," Naidu said.

(Reopens DEL 71)



Noting that the modified version of USSD is now available for digital transactions, Naidu said all banks should go for synchronisation of Aadhaar cards for transactions.

"Easy digital transactions are possible with Aadhaar cards, mobile phones, feature-phones through the revised version of USSD," he said.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister assured that the Committee will discuss with Reserve Bank on the inclusion of cooperative banks.

Observing that digital economy will help in wiping out corruption and black money, Naidu said the committee on digitisation of economy will work out a comprehensive policy for digital and physical currencies.

He said if necessary, the team will visit one or two successful countries for studying its effectiveness.

Naidu also stressed need of manufacturing of domestic hardware for smart phones.
Growth in collection in both the Mumbai and Delhi zones of the Income-Tax department were less tha 10 per cent until December 24, a department official said.

This is in spite of the fact that the net revenue collection was more than 10 per cent during the period not only at national level, but also at zonal level.

The Mumbai zone, which is responsible for the collection of more than one-third of tax mopped up in the country, garnered revenue amounting to Rs 1.74 lakh crore during the reporting period from Rs 1.59 lakh crore a year ago, thus showing a growth rate of 9 per cent, an official told PTI here on Wednesday.

However, the growth was in double digits in all the other parts of the country during the period. Even small places like Pune and Thane have also shown a double-digit growth in collections during the period.

The department collected Rs 5.54 lakh crore during the reported period from across the country from Rs 4.88 trillion a year ago, thus registering an average growth of 13.5 per cent.

New Delhi alone has collected a total tax amounting to Rs 74,147 crore during the reporting period, from Rs 72,210 crore a year ago, registering growth of 2.7 per cent.

Bengaluru zone witnessed a growth by 22 per cent by netting revenue amounting to Rs 62,418 crore from Rs 51,128 crore a year ago. On a similar front, Chennai and Kolkata zones have also registered double digit growth in revenue collections during the reporting period.

While net revenue collection at Rs 25,171 crore was up by 14.5 per cent from Kolkata zone from Rs 21,976 crore a year ago, Chennai zone's revenue collection went up by 20 per cent at Rs 42,316 crore from Rs 35,254 crore a year ago. Smaller places like Thane and Pune have also fared well on the front.
DMK MLAs, carrying petitions, were prevented from entering the hall where a meeting was taking place between the central team and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to review the situation in the aftermath of Cyclone Vardah.

The legislators, led by former mayor and Saidapet MLA M Subramaniam, later met the members of the central team and submitted memoranda seeking appropriate relief for the damage caused by the cyclone in certain parts of the state.

Subramaniam said they wanted to hand over the petition to the team members during their meeting with the chief minister, but were denied entry.

"As many as 13 DMK MLAs later presented memoranda to the central team," he added.

The MLAs had detailed all the damage post the cyclone, including damages to power lines, Subramaniam said.

Meanwhile, a DMK release claimed that the state government had not paid heed to party treasurer and Opposition Leader in the Assembly MK Stalin's plea for an all-party representatives meeting with the central team.

But, since no such arrangement was in place, the party MLAs from Chennai had met the team members to take up cyclone-related issues with them, it said and asked the local MLAs and party functionaries to meet the IMCT when it visited their respective localities of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur to assess the damage.

The central team is slated to visit these districts tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dubai's famous Gold Souq, a prime market for yellow metal, has been witnessing almost a complete absence of visitors from India due to demonetisation, according to a media report.

For the single-store operators in the market, the demonetisation hit has been extremely severe.

"What you are seeing here is a complete mirror image of the crash in gold sales within India since November 8, when demonetisation was announced," said Cyriac Varghese, General Manager of Sky Jewellery.

"Outside of the Gold Souq, shops in areas such as Bur Dubai too have been recording less of Indian visitor buying interest," Varghese was quoted as saying by the Gulf .

In a good year, rupee-led transactions in the market would have accounted for close to 15-20 per cent of sales, and more when gold prices take a dip (as it did last week), the report said.

According to retail sources, there has been some compensation in the form of Chinese visitors who have been more active in recent weeks with their gold buying.

But this is nowhere near the levels of Indian visitors. Chinese prefer for the 18-karat as opposed to the 22k, it said.

"A visitor from India would travel to Dubai holding a sizable value in Indian currency, get it exchanged here and then make the conversion to jewellery," said Abdul Salam K P, board member of the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group.

"With demonetisation, surplus cash is just not available and same is the case with what someone could do with their unaccounted rupees," he said.

Local currency exchange houses are not helping anyone holding the older currencies either.

"At present we are not accepting or exchanging any of the discontinued currency notes, taking into consideration the guidelines that need to be adhered to on account of demonetisation," said Antony Jos, Director at Joy Alukkas Group.

In its biggest crackdown on black money, the government announced its demonitisation drive on November 8 under which high value currencies in the denomination of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 were banned.

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In an indication that to five states could be announced anytime now, the Election Commission has asked the Centre and the state governments to implement the model code of conduct as soon as the schedule is out.

In a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary and chief secretaries of the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab, the Commission has compiled a set of instructions issued in the past to drive home the point that model code should be implemented effectively with the announcement of poll schedule.

The list of dos and don'ts issued by the Commission includes prevention of misuse of public place, avoiding use of official vehicles for campaigning, removing pictures of political functionaries from state government websites and bar on use of public money for advertisements to help the ruling party.

The poll panel has also reminded political parties to approach the Media Certification and Monitoring Committees at district and state level, for pre-certification of their political advertisements proposed to be issued in the electronic media.

Sources in the Commission said assembly polls could be announced by January 4 to the five states.

Except UP, which may go for a seven-phased elections, the other states could have elections on a single day.

While the term of the Uttar Pradesh assembly expires on May 27 next, the terms of four state assemblies end in March next.
Maharashtra Election Commission today asked the Aurangabad district collector to file an FIR against state BJP president Raosaheb Danve for his statement where he asked voters to accept "Laxmi" before the polls.

Danve had made the controversial statement at a campaign rally in Paithan in Aurangabad district on December 17 before the municipal council polls.

"On the eve of elections, Laxmi comes to your house and you should accept it," Danve had said at Paithan rally.

An Election Commission official said here that the Commission had asked Aurangabad collector to file a first information report against the BJP leader for violation of model code of conduct.

Earlier the Commission had served a show-cause notice to Danve who had defended himself, saying he did not mean money when he referred to "Laxmi".

Congress and AAP had complained to the Election Commission demanding action against the state BJP chief.

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Shiv Sena today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the proposed law against 'benami' properties would not hit the common man as hard as the demonetisation measure that has "harried the middle class".

Vowing to carry forward the war against corruption and black money post-demonetisation, Modi had on Sunday said the government will soon operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with 'benami' properties.

"Modi launched a surgical strike against black money to weed out money stashed abroad. But the truth is, not a single penny has been recovered. The rich of the country have incurred not even a dime's loss after the demonetisation, whereas the commonman has been harried," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

"Now what is the government's plan against benami properties? We hope that the middle class citizens are not crushed under the harsh steps taken by the government as did happen after demonetisation. Hope that the real benami property holders do not legalise their properties while common man is stripped naked," the ruling alliance partner said.

It also said the steps taken against the rich and black money holders in fact had an adverse effect on the common people.

Once an announcement on benami properties is made, those possessing estates will convert all of it into "white" within 24 hours, like hundreds of crores were converted into "white" after the demonetisation decision, the Sena said.

"It seems that laws are only meant to safeguard the rich while the poor get crushed under them," it further said.

The party also said that those who were hailing the surgical strike across the LoC have now stopped doing so after continued attacks by the neighbouring nation killed over 50 soldiers since the Indian military action.

The Sena also sought to know from the government if it will ensure that Kashmiri Pandits get their "fair share" of land back in Kashmir before it starts accumulating 'benami' properties.

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Experience of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has not being encouraging, Vice President Hamid Ansari said here today.

"The experience of SAARC has not been encouraging and therefore alternate strategies need to be explored. The proposed new structure would have to be voluntary and devoid of overt or covert coercion. There may be lessons to be learnt from other regional organisations," Ansari said.

He was addressing a gathering after releasing the book 'August Voices: What they said on 14-15 August 1947', authored by the former journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni.

"The practical approach would be to make haste slowly, to be accommodative rather than exclusionary so that negative perceptions are allowed to fade away," he said.

"Political commitment and modalities have to surface to resolve outstanding areas of disagreement. Foremost amongst these is what the Simla Agreement of 1972 called 'a final settlement of Jammu and Kashmir'," he added.

Ansari said the state is doing all that is necessary to confront and repel terrorism and the state also has a duty to ensure that the rights and dignity of citizens are respected, ensured, and shortcomings are effectively addressed.

"Alienation of any segment of the citizen body within our land does not contribute to the overall health of the Republic," he said.

Ansari said a beginning has to be made in regional cooperation with a focus on human security problems, on movement of people and on trade without unreasonable restrictions.

"Common action is done easier on areas of convergence than of divergence. This convergence is to be sought by moving beyond the traditional paradigm of conventional security into those of human security and human wrong.

"Both are ignored by the governments and societies in our region," Ansari said.

Common traits in cultural traditions and historical narratives need to be transmitted to younger generation through conscious promotion rather than "studied prevention of cultural exchanges, films and other cultural activities", he said.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today asked the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) to expedite work of the Hinjewadi-Shivaji Nagar metro phase 2 project.

Fadnavis gave the directives at a meeting of PMRDA here.

"PMRDA has approved the DPR for 23.33 km-long Hinjewadi-Shivaji Nagar Metro, comprising 23 stations. The cost of the project is Rs 7,947 crore," a statement from Chief Minister's Office said.

"The Chief Minister also asked the officials to move ahead speedily," it added.

"Fadnavis also gave administrative approval and go ahead to appoint project management consultant for ring road project in Pune to decongest traffic load at least by 35-40 per cent," the statement added.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister also unveiled logo of PMRDA, released book on 'Ease of Doing business' in presence of Ministers Girish Bapat and Ranjit Patil.

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Actor Mohnish Bahl, who has essayed different characters including those of villains, says he is lucky to not get stereotyped.

"People have loved me in 'Maine Pyaar Kiya', 'Baaghi', 'Shola Aur Shabnam', 'Hum Aapke Hai Kaun', 'Hum Saath Saath Hai'. I feel blessed that audience has accepted me in two diametrically opposite categories of roles (negative and positive)," Mohnish told PTI.

"Actors usually get stereotyped and typecast but luckily that has not happened to me. There is nothing that I did consciously to avoid playing either of the roles," he said.

Mohnish is grateful to all the producers and directors for offering him variety of roles.

"(Filmmaker) Sooraj Barjatya gave me a negative role in 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' and then a positive one in 'Hum Aapke Hai Kaun'. I have never been in a position where I can choose my next film so I did what was offered to me.

"I have never been a leading actor. I have been a character actor so I have to let the cards play out as they shuffle," he added.

Mohnish has been a regular feature in Sooraj's films but he was not seen in his last directorial outing "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo".

"Because of the relationship that we (Sooraj and I) share he did come to me. When the script of 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' was ready they gave me narration but I felt there was nothing for me to do," he said.

"I felt I would not fit in. I think it was a wonderful script. It is not necessary that we should work (together) always. I would love to work with good filmmakers," he added.

The 55-year-old actor insists he wants to do quality roles.

"As of now there are no films in pipeline. I am not getting the kind of roles I want to do. I don't want to compromise when it comes to roles considering my work in the past."



Mohnish returns to television after a long hiatus as a 'Sutradhaar' for crime series "Hoshiyaa... Sahi waqt, sahi kadam" which is aired on &TV channel.

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A generous boss of a US-based company has rewarded his 800 employees with Caribbean cruise for their hard work over the last 12 months.

The CEO of Bertch Cabinets will pay for all of his staff to have a five-day break at the start of 2017.

Gary Bertch, who co-founded the company with his wife, Becky, told workers last week the company had met its goals for the year and they would go on a week-long Caribbean cruise, including a stop at the island of Cozumel off the coast of Mexico, The Courier reported.

"Bertch is excited to announce a company wide vacation! We will be closing all facilities January 9-13 so we can set sails for the sunny Caribbean! This trip wouldn't be possible without the hard work of our incredible Bertch associates! Happy Holidays, everyone!," they posted on Facebook.

Bertch will fly staff to Miami for a night in a five-star hotel before the Caribbean cruise begins, the paper said.

"We've got four charter aircraft that will be flying directly to Miami [on] Sunday and staying at a nice five-star hotel," Bertch said. "Then on Monday, we'll bus over from the hotel to the port and load up on the ship."



He explained that the cruise was offered to staff at the beginning of the year as an incentive.

"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," he added.

"We're happy we were able to achieve our goals. And they're never easy. The financial goal was the big one," one of the last to be met.

"We hit the other goals. Not by much. But we hit them. We're looking forward to the following year."



Asked why he chose Carnival cruise lines, he replied: "They're a fun ship. And if anyone knows our crowd, they like to have fun. The first time we had them we ran them out of beer. We've learned they stocked extra for our trip this time so we don't run out."



The company, founded in a Gilbertville barn in 1977, is based in Waterloo, Iowa.

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German police today detained a Tunisian national on suspicion of having ties to Anis Amri, the suspected Berlin truck attacker gunned down by Italian police last week, prosecutors said.

"The deceased suspect Anis Amri had saved the number of this 40-year-old Tunisian national in his phone. The investigations indicate that he could have been involved in the attack," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The suspect was taken into custody early today after federal police officers searched his home and work premises.

"The extent to which the suspicions against the detained person can be confirmed remains subject to further investigation," the statement added.

Twelve people were killed and dozens injured on December 19, when Amri is believed to have hijacked a truck and used it to mow down people at a Berlin Christmas market.

The 24-year-old went on the run and was the focus of a frantic four-day manhunt before being shot dead by police in Milan after opening fire first.

The Berlin rampage was claimed by the Islamic State group, which released a video last Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Tunisian authorities on Saturday announced that they had arrested Amri's nephew and two other men suspected of being members of a "terrorist cell" connected to Amri.

They made no direct link between the trio and the Christmas market attack however.

Meanwhile, sources close to the investigation today said Amri travelled by bus from the Netherlands to France before heading to Italy where police shot him dead.

Two days after the attack left 12 dead, the 24-year-old Tunisian boarded an overnight bus at the Dutch city of Nijmegen, near the German border, that took him to Lyon in central France, one of the sources said, confirming a French media report.

Amri got off the bus at the Lyon-Part-Dieu rail station, the source said.

Surveillance cameras filmed Amri at the station last Thursday. From there, he took a train to the French Alpine town of Chambery before heading to Milan, in northern Italy.

Italian police shot Amri dead in the early hours of Friday after he fired at officers who had stopped him for a routine identity check.

A train ticket from Lyon to Milan via Turin was found on his body.

Investigators are still trying to determine how Amri was able to leave Berlin and traverse most of Germany to reach the Netherlands.

Wim de Bruin, spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service told AFP: "I can confirm that the Dutch police are investigating whether he travelled through The Netherlands after the attack in Berlin."



De Bruin declined however to give further details.

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German authorities approved government funding for more than 54,000 migrants to return to their homelands this year, authorities said today, paving the way for a significant increase in voluntary departures.

Germany is keen to increase the number of rejected asylum seekers leaving the country after last year's influx of 890,000 migrants.

Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns said the government has authorized spending 21.5 million euros (USD 22.5 million) this year to send returnees back to their countries of origin.

About 35,500 people obliged to leave Germany did so voluntarily in 2015, he said, noting that the two figures cannot be compared directly because the number of people who actually departed in 2016 isn't yet clear.

Neymanns stressed that Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere "has always said voluntary returns are always preferable to deportation."



As of the end of November, 23,750 people were forcibly deported from Germany.

Of the more than 50,000 people awarded grants to leave voluntarily in the year's first 11 months, migrants from Albania comprised the single biggest group, numbering 15,749, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said.

Other nations with significant numbers included 5,754 from Serbia, 5,373 from Iraq, 5,130 from Kosovo, 4,310 from Macedonia and 3,242 from Afghanistan.

Germany saw large numbers of people from Balkan countries, who had slim chances of being granted asylum, arrive in early 2015.

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An AAP poll aspirant in Goa has alleged an attempt to conduct a "sting operation" on him at the behest of his "political opponents" and filed a complaint with police in this regard.

Police have detained a man after party Goa unit coordinator and aspirant from Panaji Assembly seat Valmiki Naik claimed in a press conference that an "agent from Ghaziabad called him yesterday with an offer to convert black money into white, saying he (Naik) may need cash since it's an election time."



"This was obviously meant to be a sting operation to trap me and demolish AAP's credibility, but they simply don't understand that AAP is clean and honest," he told reporters today.

Naik said efforts are "underway to entrap and implicate prominent AAP leaders and candidates in criminal cases with the aim of maligning the party's image."



He also referred to the summons issued by the ACB last week to AAP's Chief Ministerial nominee Elvis Gomes in connection with a land grab case.

Goa is going to polls next year.

When contacted, the police said the detained person, who hailed from Ghaziabad, has been working as a waiter in a hotel here.

"After Valmiki Naik informed us about a suspicious person offering to convert black money into white through phone, that person was immediately detained. He was interrogated and produced before Deputy Collector. He was later released on a bond," said police inspector Siddhanth Shirodkar.

He said the man told them during investigation that he didn't know who Valmiki was and called him after getting his number from internet.

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In this weeks Acton Commentary I examine the foundations of what is today identified as the preferential option for the poor in writings that appeared 125 years ago, Pope Leos Rerum Novarum and Abraham Kuypers The Social Question and the Christian Religion. These two texts have appeared in an anniversary volume, Makers of Modern Christian Social Thought: Leo XIII and Abraham Kuyper on the Social Question, now available from the Acton Book Shop.

In the introduction to that volume, I touch on important themes that arise from these foundational texts, such as subsidiarity, solidarity, sphere sovereignty, stewardship, and property. In todays essay, The Christian Preference for the Poor, I examine another theme that runs throughout both texts: the overt concern for the marginalized that is required within the context of any social order.

As Leo and Kuyper both observe, the wealthy, the well-connected, and the powerful can fare well under any regime. They can help to shape or reform laws and policies in their favor. But the poor and the marginalized have little influence and are least able to draw on their own reserves, whether capital or otherwise, in times of need.



In ancient Rome this lack of power was reflected politically in the office of tribune, about whom Lord Acton observes: The powers conferred on the tribunes, that they might be the guardians of the weak, were ill defined, but practically were irresistible. Acton goes on to describe how this office, designed to provide a safeguard and a voice for the poor, was the most effective instrument for the defence of minorities ever devised by man.

As Leo and Kuyper remind us, a salient question for discerning the justness of any social order must be how the poor fare and what protections, material and formal, they have against the tyranny of the majority. We do not have tribunes in modern America, but we do have constitutional protections and democratic representation. In his speech what Kuyper observes is that what the poor really need is not primarily material redistribution, but better legislation. What such legislation looks like remains one of the pressing issues of addressing the social question today.

This weeks commentary is adapted from the editorial of the forthcoming Fall 2016 issue of the Journal of Markets & Morality. Subscribe here!
The government has approved an over Rs 11,000-crore project to construct all-weather roads and improve connectivity for security reasons in nearly 40 districts worst hit by the Left-wing extremism and violence.

Approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the 'Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas' will provide connectivity in 35 worst affected LWE districts - which account for 90 per cent of total LWE violence in the country - and 9 adjoining districts, critical from security angle.

To be implemented as a vertical under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, more than 5,400 kilometres of road would be constructed/upgraded and 126 bridges/cross drainage works would be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 11,724.53 crore.

The roads will be operable through the year, irrespective of weather conditions.

The fund sharing for the LWE road project will be same as the PMGSY - in the ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and states for all states except for North Eastern and three Himalayan States (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) for which it is 90:10.

Finance Ministry will allocate Rs 7,034.72 crore to the Ministry of Rural Development for the project during the implementation period 2016-17 to 2019-20.

Ministry of Rural Development will be the responsible for sponsoring and implementing the project.

The roads taken up under the scheme would include Other District Roads (ODRs), Village Roads (VRs) and upgrading of the existing Major District Roads (MDRs), that are critical from the security point of view.

Bridges up to a span of 100 metres, critical from security angle, would also be funded on these roads. National and state highways have been excluded from the project.

The roads to be constructed under the scheme have been identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with the state governments and security agencies.

PMGSY was launched in 2000 as a centrally-sponsored scheme with the objective to provide all-weather road connectivity to all eligible unconnected habitations in the rural areas.
A section of guest teachers today wore black armbands during duty hours to show their disapproval of the protest by their colleagues against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a sign of a rift among them after the Delhi government announced to make fresh hirings.

On December 21, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also heads the education department, had gone to attend an event organised by Delhi government at the Chhatrasal Stadium to "thank" the academics for their services at the 1,100 state-run schools.

But as it turned out, some of the upset guest teachers protested against the government for making "false promises". The teachers wanted to know when the government will make the new salary structure effective. Soon after the protests, Delhi's AAP government decided to hire new teachers while condemning the anti-Kejriwal protests.

However, Prabhanjan Jha, coordinator of Delhi Atithi Shikshak Sangh (DASS), today distanced the union from the demonstration at the stadium.

Jha said guest teachers were not involved in the demonstration at the stadium. He claimed "outsiders" created "ruckus" and protested against Kejriwal and Sisodia.

"We condemn the incident in which outsiders were involved. As a mark of protest against the incident, guest teachers of all Delhi government schools worked wearing black armbands," he said.

But not "all" were seen wearing black armbands at the schools.

This comes after Sisodia issued a veiled warning to the teachers that their job, which has continued for two years, could be discontinued in the next session, beginning March.

He has warned guest teachers to refrain themselves from "political" influence and focus on their interests. A day after Sisodia's warning, Delhi government invited fresh applications to appoint guest teachers at its schools.

Jha said the union has also been holding a drive to collect signatures of guest teachers who condemn the incident.

The campaign is to continue till January 20 and then "we will try to meet the chief minister and the deputy chief minister to present our stand before them," Jha added.

Kejriwal has blamed BJP and Congress for the protest at the stadium. "When I was going out I saw people standing with sticks. They were not teachers at all," he told reporters after the protest last week.

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The Gujarat High Court today issued a notice to Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) on a PIL which contended that the urban body took no action against a school which encroached upon a public park and playground.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy issued the notice to AUDA and sought its reply on the status of the land which was shown in its final town-planning scheme as a "park and playground" and posted the matter for hearing on January 17.

Petitioner Shailesh Maheshwari contended that a primary school, Nirma Vidyavihar, in violation of agreement norms, carried out illegal construction over a piece of land adjoining the school building which was designated as a park and playground for the locals in Bodakdev locality.

The petition alleged that the school constructed a wall around the ground and also dumped the soil excavated during the construction of the school in it in 2008-09.

It also installed CCTV cameras at the park and used it as a parking lot for its vehicles, it alleged.

As per the agreement with AUDA, the school was allowed to use the plot of land as a playground for its students during school hours and as an open park after that.

AUDA even served notices to the school five times in 2010 threatening action, but nothing happened.

The matter has drawn the interest of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as its leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited the agitating residents of the locality over the issue during his Gujarat visit on Monday.

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Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has approved the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet's proposal to choose Rohit Deo as new Advocate General of the state, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.

The decision comes nine months after Deo's predecessor Sreehari Aney quit the post over a controversy for advocating statehood for Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

The state Cabinet had yesterday decided to send the proposal on Deo's nomination to the Governor.

A meeting of the state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, had recommended elevation of Deo to the AG's post to the Governor.

Aney had courted controversy by advocating statehood for Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, which was vehemently opposed by the ruling partner Shiv Sena.

The Sena had then seized on the issue to target the BJP, which, as matter of policy, favoured smaller states, despite Fadnavis asserting that bifurcation of Maharashtra was not on his government's agenda.

The government had recently filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court, saying the post will be filled by the end of this month. A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai was hearing a petition filed by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt, urging the court to direct the state to appoint an A-G, under Article 165 of the Constitution.

The court had criticised the state for not complying with the deadline of December 23 and had adjourned the matter to January 9.

It had earlier observed that constitutional and statutory functions were suffering due to the non-appointment of the A-G and has hurt the cause of justice.

On November 18, 2014, Sunil Manohar was appointed as the A-G, but he resigned on June 9, 2015. On June 11, 2015, additional Solicitor General Anil Singh was given the additional post of acting A-G. On October 14, 2015, Aney was appointed as the A-G, and he resigned on March 22, 2016.

Reacting to the decision, Dutt had yesterday claimed that the government was compelled to take a decision on the matter after he moved the high court.

In a tweet, Dutt said, "The government has conceded my demand and finally appointed Acting AG as AG."



"However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis needs to answer why he waited for nine months to appoint Acting AG as the new AG," he further said.

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Ahead of 2017 Assembly elections, Goa Vikas Party (GVP) leader and former minister Fransisco 'Miccky' Pacheco today resigned as an MLA and party member.

He is likely to join Goa Su-Raj Party.

"Pacheco has tendered his resignation which stands accepted," State Legislature Secretary N B Subhedar told PTI.

Pacheco, who represents Nuvem constituency in South Goa, was a minister in the ruling BJP government before he resigned in April 2015 following his conviction in a case of assaulting a government employee.

Of late, Pacheco developed disagreement with his colleagues in GVP.

"I will be joining Goa Su-Raj party a day after tomorrow and will announce the list of candidates who would be contesting on party ticket in different constituencies," he said.

GVP has been taking stand on various issues affecting the coastal state.

Pacheco is the third MLA to resign from Legislative Assembly bringing down its effective strength to 37.

Recently, Mauvin Godinho and Pandurang Madkaikar (both from Congress) quit as legislators and joined the ruling BJP. Goa is going to polls next year.

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today inaugurated the Digital Investigation, Training and Analysis Centre (DIATC) to boost the state police's capabilities to solve cyber crime cases.

The first of its kind centre has been set up in collaboration with the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) of Government of India, Director General of Police K P Singh said at the centre's inaugural function at Gurugram.

The centre has a state-of-the-art cyber forensic laboratory and a high-tech facility in its premises to train officers from the state and other police forces, he said.

Apart from this, the Centre has a social media monitoring lab for enhancing technological capabilities of the Haryana police, the DGP said.

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The Madras High Court has issued notice to Commissioner of Police, CBSE and others on an impleading petition filed by an NGO seeking a direction to authorities to take action on alleged illegality committed by a Hyderabad based Educational Institution in Chennai.

According to the plea filed by Change India, which had already filed a PIL to close down 746 unrecognized schools, the Narayana Group of Schools have established almost 14 schools in and around Chennai within a span of one year.

The petitioner submitted that the school had even admitted students while construction was going on in some places.

The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M. Sundar, allowed the plea when it came up for hearing last week.

Besides the Commissioner of Police and CBSE, the court issued notice to TANGEDCO and CMDA also.

The court then directed the authorities to file counters and posted the matter for further hearing to February 21.

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Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ordered release of senior hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Masrat Alam Bhat, who has been in preventive custody under the Public Safety Act since April 2015.

Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, while allowing Bhat's plea challenging the latest of the detention orders under Public Safety Act, held his detention illegal on several grounds.

"By issuance of writ of certiorari, order of detention bearing No. 85/DMB/PSA/2016 dated 1.9.2016, passed by the (deputy commissioner Baramulla) is quashed with a further direction to the (government) to release Alam forthwith from preventive custody," the court said in its order yesterday.

Bhat has been booked under PSA several times since April 2015 and the latest order in the series was issued by District Magistrate Baramulla.

According to the order, Bhat was accused of making the ongoing agitation "successful" while in custody of the state authorities.

The order was passed on the basis of Bhat's meeting on August 11 this year with four persons who visited him at District Jail, Baramulla.

The persons had requested authorities to allow them meet one Assadullah Parray, who is allegedly affiliated with Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani.

The authorities claimed that instead of meeting Parray, they met Bhat, who allegedly advised them to activate the workers for a more visible and prominent role in the turmoil.

A case was registered against Bhat at police station Baramulla on August 30, two days before the detention order under PSA against Alam was passed by the deputy commissioner.

"Even otherwise, record would show statements of four police personnel, who were posted at Sub Jail Baramulla, have been recorded.Their statements would show that Assadullah Parray was lodged in Barrack No.7, whereas (Bhat) was lodged in Barrac No.8.

"The allegation in the FIR and statements of all these police personnel would, prima facie, show that all the police authorities, posted at Sub Jail Baramulla, have failed to discharge their duties in accordance with law because it was within the competence and authority of these police personnel to ensure that the visitors would meet Parray, for meeting with whom they had sought permission and not (Alam)," the court observed.

The court also rendered the detention order illegal for the reason that the bail application of Bhat had been rejected by a court and he continued to languish in state custody.

The detaining authority, in this situation, could not assume that there is every likelihood of (Bhat) being released on bail.

The Court said, "democratic society not only swears but lives by democratic values and principles. Even in the face of extreme provocations, the laws of the land are to be implemented. Laws possess unique quality, in as much as, they, even at times, protect those who break them. Thus, they prove to be better than many human beings".

Bhat was released after four-and-half years of detention soon after the PDP-BJP government took charge in March last year.

However, he was re-arrested on April 17, 2015 and detained under the PSA for alleged anti-national activities during a rally to welcome Geelani home from Delhi.

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The Delhi High Court today sought the AAP government's reply on a plea by ex-Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, serving a 10-year jail term in teachers' recruitment scam case, seeking two days' parole to attend his grandson and MP Dushyant Chautala's marriage function.

Justice A K Chawla asked the Delhi government to file the status report before December 30 on the plea of Chautala whose appeal against the high court verdict was dismissed by the Supreme Court on August 3 last year.

The INLD leader has sought permission to attend his grandson's 'roka' ceremony and the 'ring' ceremony to be held on January 2 and January 3 next year.

Senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog and advocate Amit Sahni, appearing for Chautala, also sought setting aside of the Delhi government's decision of December 14 this year by which his plea for six months parole on medical ground was dismissed.

The counsel submitted said that the decision was passed in "an extremely unfair manner upon flimsy grounds".

Chautala, his son Ajay Singh Chautala and three others are serving 10-years jail term in the case.

Recently, the court had allowed Ajay Chautala to attend the marriage function of his son.

82-year-old Chautala also said that he is "polio-affected since his birth and has permanent disability of 60 per cent".

He said he was on bail during the trial and was released on parole, but he has never misused the same.

The Supreme Court on August 3 last year had dismissed the appeals of Chautalas challenging the high court's verdict upholding their conviction and sentence of 10 years awarded by a trial court in the junior basic trained (JBT) teachers recruitment scam case.

The high court had on March 5, 2015 upheld the 10-year jail term awarded to Chautalas and three others, saying, "The overwhelming evidence showed spine-chilling state of affairs in the country."



The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among 55 persons convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000.

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A Delhi Police head constable has been suspended for allegedly helping women pickpockets after CCTV footage showed him taking something from the accused at Chawri Bazar Metro station.

The accused were arrested after a complaint by a US based woman who had charged them of stealing her valuables while travelling to Gurgaon in the Metro on December 9.

"The head constable who purportedly appeared in the CCTV footage has been suspended for his suspected behaviour. Further investigation in the case is underway," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

The CISF manning the Chawri Bazar Metro station later scanned the CCTV footage in which the accused women were seen with the constable and also taking some unidentified object from them.

The suspect cop has been placed under suspension and efforts are being made to confirm his alleged complicity with the women pickpocket.

The footage showed his appearance but face is not clear to identify him, he added.

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As the weather in Central New York is getting colder, and the winter is inevitably approaching, I cant help but recall the humid summer of Washington, DC. Over the summer of 2016, I interned at Smithsonian Libraries. As a summer intern, I worked at the Department of Digital Programs and Initiatives on the Cataloging across collections project. The project was focused on metadata and cataloging. During my internship I worked on digital curation of the records in Biodiversity Heritage Library as well as cataloging field notes for the Field Book Project. Both aspects of my internship were coordinated by mentors assigned by the Smithsonian Libraries  Bianca Crowley, Digital Collections Manager of Biodiversity Heritage Library, and Lesley Parilla, Cataloging Coordinator of the Field Book Project. During my internship I met with Smithsonian Institution staff members, toured different departments, attended the staff picnic, and, most importantly, improved my understanding of the technical services in libraries. Although working on metadata projects was quite challenging, it helped me to gain confidence as an information professional. As a librarian, Ive always known that the information organization is important, but I didnt realize how much properly maintained bibliographic descriptions can improve the user experience. Especially, when the audience can only interact with online assets. Biodiversity Heritage Library is a unique digital collection of the resources in Natural Sciences. My work focused on editing metadata for existing records, which included author merging, editing of volume information, title merging, and linking of the serial records. I received training in 2 internal systems, the Gemini Issue Tracker and BHL Administrative Dashboard to work on these tasks. On the first week of my internship, I needed to link several volumes together. Den Norske Nordhavs-expedition, 1876-1878 gives an account of the Norwegian North-Atlantic expedition in the 19th century, commanded by Carl Fredrik Wille, Captain of the Royal Navy. Since I have interest in Scandinavian languages, I enjoyed interacting with this resource. This and many other assignments throughout my internship taught me the importance of metadata standards. Seeing both librarian and user perspectives on the information-retrieval systems became an eye-opening experience for me. Den Norske Nordhavs-expedition, 1876-1878, bd. 5, pt. 17 [Alcyonida], tab. I Den Norske Nordhavs-expedition, 1876-1878, bd. 5, pt. 17 [Alcyonida], tab.

Further into my internship, I was trained to upload the scanned images into the Internet Archive, the platform that hosts the BHL assets. I used another internal system, Macaw, for this purpose. As I was uploading the new images, I assigned page-level metadata. One of the publications I was working with was Bonn Zoological Bulletin. I had so much fun working on the metadata-level description of William Manns scrapbook from his trip to South East Asia for the Field Book Project. One of my favorite serials was Canadian Forest Industries, a magazine that was renamed at least 6 times before its current title. While I was adding volume information and page level metadata, I encountered amazing illustrations and advertisement campaigns from Florists Review, that is a wonderful compilation of the marketing tools of the past.

Canadian Forest Industries, formerly known as Canadian Lumberman, Jan 1903.

Drawing from the Florists Review April 1913 v.31 no.797 (801) p.17

Front page of from the Florists Review December 1922, Christmas edition v. 51 no.1306

In addition to learning many essential skills for technical services in libraries, during my internship I worked with Camtasia software. Screen-casting was used to develop tutorials for BHL Staff about working in the BHL Admin Dash. I recorded one video that focused on merging author records together. During the internship I also presented at a Brown Bag presentation in front of Smithsonian Libraries staff, my mentors, and other interns.

I would like to express gratitude to my mentors  Bianca Crowley, Digital Collections Manager at Biodiversity Heritage Library, and Lesley Parilla, Cataloging Coordinator of the Field Book Project, and the entire Department of Digital Programs and Initiatives for their guidance and support. I would also like to thank LIS Program Director at Syracuse University  Jill Hurst-Wahl, and my Academic Advisor  Barbara Stripling, for their invaluable insights on the US library system. My boundless gratitude goes to Cultural Vistas and the Edmund S. Muskie Internship Program that made it possible for me to intern in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 2016. Being a part of the Smithsonian Institution was an unforgettable life experience, which I will proudly carry with me throughout my library career!
Homeless people - who live on the street or in short-term shelters - are more likely to suffer from insomnia and daytime fatigue, a new study has found.

Researchers from Paris Descartes University in France analysed responses from 3,453 people who met the definition of homeless in French cities; most of the participants were men and had an average age of almost 40.

They were living on the street, in short-term shelters, small social services paid hotels and other facilities for homeless people with children.

Sleep is part of good health, but the homeless often have no access to safe and warm beds at night.

A questionnaire was used to ask about total sleep time at night and over the past 24 hours.

Responses from the homeless were compared to individuals in the general population who participated in a large survey of the French adult population.

The homeless reported shorter total sleep (6 hours 31 minutes vs 7 hours 9 minutes).

Among the homeless, eight per cent reported less than four hours of total sleep over the past 24 hours compared with three per cent of the general population, according to the results.

Homeless women also were twice as likely as men to report that they slept less than four hours and insomnia was reported by 41 per cent of the homeless compared with 19 per cent of the comparison group.

Also, 33 per cent of the homeless reported daytime fatigue compared with 15 per cent of the general population.

Among the homeless, 25 per cent also reported regularly taking a drug to help them sleep compared with 15 per cent of the control group, the results suggest.

"We believe that improving sleep deserves more attention in this vulnerable group," the researchers said.

"We strongly support strategies other than hypnotic agents to improve sleep in the homeless, including more careful control of noise, lighting, heating and air conditioning at night," they said.

"Facilities could provide residents with sleep aids, such as earplugs, eye sleep masks and pillows. Screens between beds could offer some sense of privacy, even in collective dormitories, and addressing issues of personal security should promote better sleep," they added.

The study was published the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

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A district consumer court here has ordered the district government maternity and children's hospital near here to pay a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to a woman who became pregnant despite undergoing sterilization surgery at the hospital in 2007.

The Chairman of the District Consumer Redressal forum Jayachandran and its members Rakesh and Sivasankari had passed the orders yesterday on the petition filed by one Jayasudha from the district.

The forum in its order said, "The petitioner became pregnant after the family planning operation and this is nothing but deficiency of service."



She should be paid a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the anguish caused to her owing to the pregnancy, Rs 50,000 for deficiency of service and Rs 5,000 towards case expenses, the forum said.

The management of the government maternity and children's hospital should pay the compensation with in a period of one month, it said.

The petitioner had submitted that she got married in 2004 and underwent family planning operation in May 2007 after having two children.

However, she claimed that the surgery was of no use and she got pregnant again and had to experience mental agony.

She had prayed the court to issue directions to the hospital to pay a compensation of Rs Eight lakh and give an explanation for the failure of the operation.

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A city-based businessman was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly cheating and generating 'fake and fictitious' advance payment receipts to deposit "black money" to the tune of Rs 98 crore in banks following the of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 tenders last month.

Besides Kailash Chand Gupta (65), his kin and others have also been booked by the police under various sections of the IPC for their alleged role in the "conspiracy".

Central Crime Station, a wing of Hyderabad Police, arrested Gupta for his alleged involvement in cheating and manipulation of records for illegal gain post .

Another businessman, Naredi Narender Kumar (59), MD of a private firm and brother-in-law of Gupta, was also arrested for abetment and hiding Gupta from the police.

Gupta runs three jewellery and bullion firms with his two sons, a daughter-in-law and another woman as directors.

After demonetisation, Gupta, along with his sons Nitin and Nikhil, daughter-in-law Neha and others, conspired and hatched a plan to convert their black money by depositing it with banks by generating fake and fabricated receipts for wrongful gains which caused loss to the Government of India, stated a release from Hyderabad Police.

Accordingly, the accused persons generated fake and fictitious advance payment receipts, purported to be acquired from about 3,100 customers, for an amount of Rs 57.85 crore in name of their firm Musaddilal Gems and Jewelers Private Ltd.

They also allegedly produced fictitious advance payment receipts for Rs 40 crore in name of another firm, Vaishnavi Bullion Private Ltd, claimed to be acquired from about 2,100 customers, and issued computerised receipts for the same, police said.

"All the said receipts were shown to have been received between 9 pm and 12 midnight on November 8, and they subsequently got the amounts deposited at SBI, Panjagutta branch, and Axis Bank, Banjara Hills branch, respectively," it said.

Some of the fake receipts are in the names of fictitious customers belonging to other states which clearly reveals the receipts are fabricated and generated by the accused persons, the release said.

When an enquiry was made with one such customer, she denied having purchased any item or visited the shop or office of the accused persons either on November 8 or thereafter and that her signature and handwriting on the receipts is fake, the police stated.

The police suspect that Gupta and other directors of these firms, in order to escape from the liability of offence, manipulated relevant records of Registrar of Companies with ante-dates to change the names of directors.

According to the police, Kumar assembled with other accused and abetted them in the commission of the offence.

Following the Income Tax raids on the residence of the accused persons and registration of criminal case against them, Kumar harboured and provided shelter to Gupta at his residence in Manikonda area and at his factory at Auto Nagar.

He concealed the whereabouts of Gupta in order to evade police arrest, the release said.

Further investigation is on.
Secretary of State John Kerry tore into on Thursday for settlement-building, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging away from democracy and forcefully rejecting the notion that America had abandoned with a controversial UN vote.

Israel's government accused Kerry of a skewed attempt to blame Israel for failing to reach a peace deal.

In a farewell speech, Kerry laid out a vision for peace that he won't be in office to implement, but that the US hoped might be heeded even after President Barack Obama leaves office.

He staunchly defended Obama's move last week to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off an extraordinary and deepening diplomatic spat between the US and its closest Mideast ally.

"If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace," Kerry said in a speech that ran more than an hour, a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

Breaking sharply from longstanding US policy that foreign powers shouldn't impose a solution, Kerry unveiled a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like.

The outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and Kerry insisted he was merely describing what's emerged as points of general agreement.

Pushing back on Israel's fury at the US abstention in the United Nations vote, Kerry questioned Netanyahu's commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years.

Though Netanyahu says he believes in the two-state solution, Kerry said, the government he leads is "the most right-wing in Israel's history."

"The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state," Kerry said.

While Israel's Arab population has citizenship rights, the roughly 2.5 Palestinians living in the West Bank do not. Israel controls their ability to move, they can be subject to Israeli military law and they do not have a right to vote in Israeli elections.

Instead, they are governed by the Palestinian Authority, which has only limited powers of autonomy.

Netanyahu planned to respond personally later today in a televised statement. His office issued a statement denouncing the speech, arguing it was "skewed against Israel."

"Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict: Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries," the prime minister's office said.

Israel's government was enraged after the US abstained from voting on the UN Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of law.

Netanyahu accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians and helping draft the resolution. The US has vehemently denied those charges.

Kerry insisted the US "did not draft or originate" the resolution, introduced by Egypt and later by a handful of other nations.

"The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for," Kerry said.
Iraqi forces stalled for weeks on the edges of Mosul have been bolstered by reinforcements and are now ready, along with elite special forces, to launch a stepped up, three-pronged assault against Islamic State group militants in the city's eastern sector, ending a two-week lull in fighting, a top Iraqi general told The Associated Press.

The planned assault aims in part to overcome stiff resistance by the militants that has slowed advances in the more than 2-month-old offensive to recapture the northern city, the last main bastion of the Islamic State group in Iraq.

In an attempt to isolate militants in the eastern sector from those in the western half of Mosul, warplanes from the US-led coalition destroyed the last remaining bridge over the Tigris River, which runs through city center.

So far in the Mosul offensive, Iraq's counterterrorism forces, which are by far the military's most battle seasoned unit, have done most of the fighting, pushing in from the east. But regular army troops on the city's southeast and northern edges, as well as federal police farther west, have not moved in weeks, unable to penetrate the city either because they are not equipped or trained to fight on the streets or because of inadequate resources.

Lt Gen Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, commander of the counterterrorism forces in eastern Mosul, said in an interview last night that units of the federal police have joined units from the military's 9th Division southeast of Mosul, while troops have taken positions alongside units from the army's 16th Division on the north side.

Al-Saadi would not say when the advance would begin. But it appeared likely within days, weather permitting. He would not give details on the size of the reinforcements. The new reinforcements suggest that original plans to penetrate the city's western side have been abandoned and that the plan was now for all forces to push on in the eastern sector.

The bridge hit this week was the last remaining of five bridges across the Tigris between the western and eastern halves. Activists inside Mosul published photos last night showing the twisted girders of the bridge in the water as boats ferried residents back and forth. The Old Bridge, as it is known, was built in the 1930s and is considered one of the city's iconic landmarks.

The damage is expected to further complicate life inside Mosul. A resident said people waiting by the banks to be ferried across ran for cover every time they heard a plane buzzing overheard, fearing further airstrikes.

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A senior Israeli Cabinet minister today called US Secretary of State John Kerry's planned Mideast policy speech a "pathetic step," further heightening tensions between the two close allies as the Obama administration prepares to leave office.

The comments by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan were the latest salvo in a toxic exchange following the U.S.'s refusal to veto a UN Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has slammed the resolution, and accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians in drawing it up.

Following up on the UN resolution, Kerry was scheduled to deliver a farewell speech in Washington today to outline his proposals for a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Next month, France is set to host an international conference where 70 countries, over Israeli objections, hope to endorse an international framework for Mideast peace.

Israeli officials fear that the conference's recommendations may then be approved in another UN Security Council resolution just before Obama leaves office on January 20.

In a radio interview, Erdan said Kerry's speech was part of a broader effort to hinder the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has signaled he will have much warmer relations with Israel.

"This step is a pathetic step. It is an anti-democratic step because it's clear that the administration and Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump," Erdan told Israel Army Radio.

Erdan, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party and inner Security Cabinet, said Obama administration officials are "pro-Palestinian" and "don't understand what's happening in the Middle East."



Kerry mediated a nine-month round of peace talks that broke down in early 2014 with little progress.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Trump to change US policy.

While Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signaled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.

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Israel delayed a vote today on permits for settler homes at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request, ahead of a speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry, an official said.

The discussion was pulled from the agenda in a move following last week's UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building and with Kerry set for a major speech on the conflict later in the day.

Hanan Rubin, a Jerusalem city councillor and a member of the planning committee that was to discuss the permits, told AFP its members had been informed of Netanyahu's request by the committee chairman.

"We were told by the chairman... That it was pulled at the request of the prime minister so we can avoid a conflict with the US government just before Kerry's speech tonight," Rubin said.

Netanyahu's spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rubin said the committee had been planning to vote on permits for 492 units in the Ramat Shlomo and Ramot settlement neighbourhoods of mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem.

He said the plans would be brought forward at a later date, though it was unclear when.

The Ir Amim NGO, which monitors settlement activity, had earlier said the committee was to discuss permits for 618 housing units in east Jerusalem.

Friday's UN Security Council resolution demanded a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory. It passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining.

By declining to use its veto, the United States enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

Netanyahu has reacted furiously, accusing US President Barack Obama's administration of being behind the resolution and vowing not to abide by it.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has signalled far more favourable policy toward Israel and called for the United States to veto the resolution.

Israel's right-wing has welcomed Trump's election, with key members of Netanyahu's coalition calling for an end to the idea of a Palestinian state, the basis of years of negotiations.

Kerry's upcoming speech has led to further concern in Israel, with officials fearing he could lay out parameters for restarting long-stalled peace efforts that they oppose.

Beyond that, plans by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference on January 15 is another point of worry for Israel.

Officials are concerned Kerry's speech and the conference could lead to further action against Israel that would then be taken to the Security Council for approval before Trump takes over as US president.

Israel has already taken diplomatic steps in response to what it calls the "shameful" UN resolution.

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Israel's national archive today announced the launch of an online database of 200,000 documents aimed at putting to rest decades-old allegations of a racket in stolen babies.

Since a wave of Yemenite Jewish emigration to the newly created state of Israel in around 1950, Yemenite activists have charged that hundreds of babies declared dead by doctors were actually abducted for adoption by European Jewish couples.

They say the babies went missing from camps set up to host Yemenites along with Jews arriving from other Arab countries in the early 1950s.

Doctors at the camps told them their children had died, but refused to hand over the bodies or death certificates.

Activists and family members believe up to several thousand babies were taken in the years after Israel was founded in 1948, mainly from Jewish Yemenite families, but also from immigrants of other Arab or Balkan nations.

Official inquiries have found that most of the missing babies had died, pointing out the poor conditions in reception camps for the immigrants.

But many parents are not convinced.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in July he would support opening the country's archives, which would normally be classified until 2031.

Among the documents already made public is a confidential report by a government inquiry.

It found that most of the children who disappeared were dead and that the fate of dozens more was unknown, but offered no proof that they had been kidnapped.

The opening of the Israel State Archives will mean that families can investigate the circumstances of their children's disappearances.

"There are no more classified documents," the archive said.

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An Israeli committee is to discuss issuing permits for more settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, despite a landmark UN resolution demanding an end to such activity.

The Ir Amim NGO, which monitors settlement building, said the planning committee could approve permits for 618 housing units in the mainly Palestinian eastern sector of the city.

It would mark the first such approvals since Friday's UN Security Council vote demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory.

The resolution, which passed after the United States took the rare move of abstaining, infuriated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who lashed out at President Barack Obama and vowed not to abide by it.

Jerusalem deputy mayor Meir Turjeman, who also heads the committee, has reportedly also spoken of seeking to advance plans for some 5,600 other units at earlier stages in the process.

Yesterday he told AFP there were no plans to call off discussions in response to the UN vote. The hundreds of building permits were on the agenda before the resolution was passed.

"We'll discuss everything that's on the table in a serious manner," he said.

And on his Facebook page, Turjeman said: "I'm not concerned by the UN or anything else trying to dictate our actions in Jerusalem.

"I hope the government and new US administration will give us the momentum to continue and make up for the shortage created over the eight years of the Obama administration," he said of settlement construction.

Israel has already taken diplomatic steps in response to what it calls the "shameful" resolution, which received the support of 14 Security Council members and a US abstention.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said it was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies of nations that voted for it.

On Christmas Day it summoned ambassadors of countries that voted for the resolution while Netanyahu met US ambassador Daniel Shapiro on Sunday.

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Israel's military said today it had arrested the brother of a Hamas security chief accused of involvement in tunnel building in the Gaza Strip.

The military said in a statement that Bilaal Razayna was arrested after crossing from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

It said his brother Mustafa Razayna is a head of internal security for Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip.

Gaza interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozum said the man arrested was in his 20s but that he had been detained when approaching the border on the Gazan side of the fence.

He said his brother worked in the interior ministry, without providing further details, but added that the man had mental health problems and was not in contact with the Gaza security services.

The military said Razayna was arrested on November 27, but the information was cleared for release only today.

It alleged he was part of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, for the last 10 years and "was closely associated with the tunnel network in the Gaza Strip."



"Razayna revealed sensitive information regarding Hamas activity, including that part of the tunnel system within the Gaza Strip was constructed under his home, which was also used as a weapon storage facility," the military statement said.

Over the years, Hamas has built a labyrinth of tunnels, including those crossing under the border with Israel, for use in any renewed conflict.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and the territory has been under an Israeli blockade for a decade. Gaza's border with Egypt has also remained largely closed.

Tunnels were a key weapon for Hamas during the last conflict in 2014, with a number of surprise attacks inside Israeli territory.

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

The Israeli government is furious with the U.S. for not vetoing a U.N. security resolution last week. The resolution calls Israeli West Bank settlements a flagrant violation of international law, and it calls a halt to settlement activity essential for salvaging the two-state solution with the Palestinians. A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has what he called ironclad information that the Obama administration really helped push this resolution and helped craft it. He cited international sources and sources in the Arab world.

Israel's ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, said that his country will present that evidence to the Trump administration through the appropriate channels. And Ambassador Dermer joins us. Welcome to the program once again.

RON DERMER: Good to be with you.

SIEGEL: If Israel isn't going to publicly cite its sources and specify what it says the U.S. did, why was that statement about ironclad information made on Sunday?

DERMER: Well, I think we wanted to make clear why we're so upset by what happened. But it's an old story that the U.N. is just a cesspool of anti-Israel activity. What's new is that the United States doesn't stand up to anti-Israel efforts. But I suppose what is particularly outrageous is the U.S. helped orchestrate behind the scenes. And as I said yesterday, we will present it in the appropriate channels to the new administration. And I'm sure that that information will ultimately get out. But this...

SIEGEL: You speak of appropriate channels, though. I mean, Israel is reported to have gone to Donald Trump as president-elect and urged him to call for a veto, which he did. No one sees that as appropriate channels. Do you?

DERMER: Well, I actually think it's quite appropriate. What is inappropriate is for an outgoing administration in its waning days to radically change American foreign policy. That I'm not sure has ever happened. If President Bush, in the waning days of his presidency, had decided to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to recognize Israel's annexation of the settlement blocks and maybe the Golan Heights to boot, I'm pretty sure that people would not have been saying, hey, you know, there's one president at a time. We...

SIEGEL: You know that President Reagan opened up talks with the PLO as the administration was on the way out, in its waning days. And that was then U.S. policy. But that...

DERMER: Yeah, but you know that the person who was the president-elect was his own vice president. So it wasn't done...

SIEGEL: Yes, but that's really not - but isn't that really not for Israel to decide, which - you know, there's an American president in office. He gets to exercise policy.

DERMER: Yeah, but American presidents usually will speak to their successors about dramatic policy changes. And in this case, we had no choice but to turn to the president-elect. And we're deeply appreciative that he weighed in because this is not just a blow to us. It's a blow to his policy and how he would like to advance peace in the region moving forward. And that's something that I think a lot of people don't understand.

SIEGEL: U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power, in her speech before abstaining, recited all the ways in which the administration has helped and stood up for Israel at the U.N. But she said in 2011, the U.S. vetoed a resolution that focused on - exclusively on settlements. And since that time, settlement activity has increased and no progress has been made toward a two-state solution.

DERMER: Well, it's not - it's not been...

SIEGEL: First, would you disagree with that diagnosis?

DERMER: They have given the Palestinians exactly what they want. Their strategy is to avoid negotiations because in negotiations, you have to actually do a give-and-take. The Palestinians don't want it. They want to internationalize the conflict to put pressure on Israel to take unilateral steps to withdraw and to essentially turn Israel into a pariah state.

SIEGEL: Well, the criticism the other way is that Israel wants to take unilateral steps and wants to preempt any international action by taking what it wants on the West Bank.

DERMER: No, our policy has been very clear from the beginning, that we are prepared to negotiate a resolution to this conflict. And all of those issues should be resolved around the negotiating table.

SIEGEL: But - well, what do you say to someone who's listening to this right now and saying, look, the president of the United States has powers to make foreign policy and to take actions in international bodies? That's not your business. That's just not Israel's business.

DERMER: It's not business - so the life of Israel and the survival of Israel is not my business? And if the president of the United States decides to make a nuclear deal with Iran, a nuclear deal that ultimately paves the path for Iran to get a nuclear weapon that's going to empower them with hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade to use in their terror war against Israel, that's not Israel's business? Of course it's Israel's business. Of course we're going to make our case.

SIEGEL: Is...

DERMER: Ultimately, the decision will be of the president of the United States. But we are a sovereign nation with a right to be heard.

SIEGEL: The Obama administration flatly denies that it orchestrated the U.N. Security Council resolution. Are they lying when they say that?

DERMER: It is not true, and hopefully you'll invite me back on your show when all that evidence is presented and through the appropriate channels. And then you can invite me back on your show, and we'll have a discussion about it.

SIEGEL: Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer. Thank you for talking with us.

DERMER: Thank you.

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Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy today refuted allegations that the Centre was biased against the states not ruled by the BJP in conducting income tax raids and said the central agency would conduct searches wherever corruption is reported.

"There is no bias as such. Wherever there is corruption, the agency will take a decision and conduct searches. There is no question of BJP or non-BJP ruled states," the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship told reporters here.

Asked about former Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao's accusations against the Centre over the recent raids at his office and residence, Rudy said, "Law has taken its course. Wherever there is corruption, hoarding and unaccounted money, it is up to the agencies to decide."



On the impact of demonetisation on the economy and people, he said it was a "small pinch" on the common man.

There was a transitional slowdown and things were now easing out and a healthy economy will emerge soon, Rudy asserted.

The Union minister was here to make a presentation on digital payments by NITI Aayog and attend the screening of Swachh Bharat short films.

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Plans to hold a mass in memory of a suspected mafia boss have sparked a scandal in Italy, with a parish priest planning to appeal to Pope Francis after authorities banned the ceremony.

"Sinners deserve God's mercy," Father Michele delle Foglie told several newspapers today.

After a request from the family of Rocco Sollecito, 67, who was shot dead in Canada earlier this year, the priest had planned to celebrate a mass in his memory as is the custom in Italy.

Sollecito, who hailed from the town of Grumo Appula outside of Bari in southern Italy, later emigrated to Canada and was suspected of being one of the senior bosses of a mafia organisation in Quebec.

The police chief in Bari ordered the mass to be cancelled over public safety concerns, while the local bishop also prohibited the ceremony, calling it a "grave scandal".

Delle Foglie said he would appeal to the pope, but during a visit to the region in 2014 Francis excommunicated members of the mafia, which he called "the adoration of evil and contempt for common good".

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Another 900 migrants have been rescued from stricken boats off Libya, Italy's coastguard said today, three days before the end of what is already a record year for arrivals at the country's southern ports.

Most of the latest batch of migrants were picked up overnight from two wooden boats travelling together and around 40 people were rescued from another boat at dawn.

Around 400 were rescued by the Aquarius, a rescue boat operated by charity SOS Mediterranee, which said the migrants it had taken on board included Eritreans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Somalians and Syrians.

According to the Italian Interior Ministry, some 180,300 migrants had been registered this year at Italian ports prior to the latest rescues. This compares with a previous annual record of 170,100, recorded in 2014.

UN bodies say more than 5,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route. The Libyan Red Cross said today that 11 drowned bodies had been found on beaches near Tripoli in the West of the country.

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Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) university is conducting two training seminars for faculties of Afghanistan's academic institutions to update and improve their academic skills in collaboration with US agencies.

The training seminars were inaugurated today with JMI Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad who welcomed the participants and resource persons of the programme.

Forty faculty members of Kabul University, Balkh University, and Kabul Polytechnic University will attend the seminars till January 7, a JMI statement said.

The Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at JMI, in collaboration with the Centre for Afghanistan Studies (CAS), University of Nebraska, supported by University Support Workforce Development Program funded by USAID, is conducting the training seminars.

The training programmes are part of "broader academic capacity building project" of CAS. UNO has been assisting Kabul, Balkh and Kabul Polytechnic universities with skills that will help the Afghan professors to teach better than before, improve their academic skills, and update their curriculum and syllabus to higher standards, it said.

The faculty from the College of Mass Communications and Fine Arts from University of Nebraska (Omaha) and those form the College of Engineering from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) are helping with achieving the goals of the project.

The project is funded by USAID and administered by an international NGO partnering with it. The Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution is the implementing partner for the project, added the statement.

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Shareholders of Jet Airways have approved the appointment of three independent directors.

The appointment of Vikram Mehta, Rajshree Pathy and Ranjan Mathai have received the nod of the shareholders, the airline said in a regulatory filing today.

The appointments along with some other proposals, including higher remuneration for whole time director Gaurang Shetty were approved during the annual general meeting of the company held on Tuesday.

James Rigney has been re-appointed as a director.

Jet Airways operates flights to 66 destinations including overseas and the group has a fleet of around 114 aircraft.

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IMI-New Delhi completes final placements in 3 days * B-school IMI New Delhi, has completed its final placements for the batch 2015-17 in three days comprising 247 students with the highest package being Rs 15.60 lakh.

This year, the highest package has gone up to Rs 15.60 LPA by Fairtrade LLC, followed by Rs 15.04 LPA by McKinsey while the lowest has been Rs 6.75 LPA by Kantar Group. The average salary is at an impressive Rs 12.4 LPA.

More than 80 companies came for the campus placement from across various sectors ranging from banking and financial services, IT, consulting to FMCG/FMCD and automobiles.

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IDFC Mutual Fund launches UPI mode of payment for investment * IDFC Mutual Fund today said it has launched an UPI mode of payment for making investment in its schemes.

This is as an additional payment option for its investors. This facility will be available to existing as well as new investors for lump sum purchases and would subsequently be extended for Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) registrations.

"UPI is expected to change the way consumers transact, and is indeed the next step towards a cashless, efficient and secure payment system. IDFC MF has been trying to simplify the investment process in every way possible," IDFC MF Chief Executive Vishal Kapoor said in a statement.

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The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) of Ranaghat Court today went to a police station in the Nadia district and sent a woman detained there by the police to a home in Krishnagar.

The court has also asked police to file a detailed report on the entire incident.

Debashis Chakraborty, lawyer of one Gobinda Biswas, who had moved court today in an effort to rescue the woman from Hanskhali police station where she was detained since December 23, said "The woman had come from Delhi to the house of Gobinda Biswas at Mayurhat within the limits of Hanskhali police station on December 19.

"Local residents suddenly grew suspicious and informed the police about the woman's presence in the locality. On the basis of that information the police brought the woman from Biswas' house on December 23 and detained her till today without any reason or complaint against her," he said.

Chakraborty said Biswas tried to bring the woman back home, but the police refused to let her go.

"Instead, they demanded bribe from Biswas and even threatened him that they would book the girl under the Foreigner's Act," Chakraborty said adding, the woman was known to one of Gobinda's daughters.

"The girl has been changing her version and did not tell her actual name or the place from where she had come, while she was being interrogated as she was under suspicion," a district police officer said.

"Initially she told us that her name was Mitu Biswas (22) and she had come from Delhi, but later she kept changing her statement," he said.

As the matter appeared in the ACJM's court today, the Magistrate after hearing out the lawyer's statement, personally went Hanskhali police station and brought the woman to a home in Krishnagar.

Commenting on the incident, Nadia district Superintendent of Police Sheesh Ram Jhajhoria, said "An inquiry will be conducted and proper steps will be taken against anyone found guilty.

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A Kansas federal judge has lifted a stay of execution for a former soldier sentenced to death for two killings and a series of rapes, inching the man closer to becoming the military's first death sentence carried out in more than a half-century.

US District Judge J Thomas Marten last week sided with the US government in denying a bid by former Fort Bragg, North Carolina, soldier Ronald A Gray to block the military from pressing ahead with the execution by lethal injection.

Since a military court sentenced him to die in 1988, Gray has been held at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where the military carried out its last execution when it hanged Army Pvt. John Bennett in 1961 for raping and trying to kill an 11-year-old Austrian girl.

No known execution date has been set for Gray as of Tuesday. Though Gray's attorneys have said in recent court filings that they plan to ask military courts to intervene, that status of those appeals was unclear Tuesday. A message left by The Associated Press with Gray's capital public defender, Tim Kane, was not immediately returned.

Gray, 51, is among six people on the US military's death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit research group that opposes capital punishment.

Those inmates, whose appeals are pending, include Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting rampage at a Texas Army base.

The US president the nation's commander in chief - has the power to commute a military death sentence, and no service member can be put to death unless the president signs off on it, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

The commandant of Fort Leavenworth's disciplinary barracks where Gray is held is the one who would schedule the date and time of the execution, according to the federal government's court filings.

Gray was convicted and ordered condemned in military court in 1988 for two murders and three rapes in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area while stationed at Fort Bragg, where he reached the rank of specialist and was a cook. He pleaded guilty in civilian courts to two other killings and five rapes and was sentenced to eight life terms, three of them consecutive.

The federal appeal was filed in 2008 for Gray, whose attorneys claimed he had an ineffective lawyer in his earlier case and lacked the mental capacity to stand trial. Gray's appellate attorneys also have questioned the military's jurisdiction over the case.

In November 2008, another Kansas federal judge, Richard Rogers, issued a stay for Gray two weeks before his scheduled execution.

In successfully pressing for Marten to lift the stay, federal prosecutors argued in a court filing December 9 that Gray "seems to believe that he is entitled to an indefinite federal stay of execution while he exhausts his remedies in the military courts. This is not the law.

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Ethnic Kachin rebels long at war with Myanmar troops say the government has only escalated fighting since Aung San Suu Kyi took over as leader, crushing the hopes that had led many ethnic minorities to support her party and leaving them with no confidence in the peace process that Suu Kyi has identified as a priority.

Rebels and observers say government offensives including airstrikes have increased since Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party took control in March. Suu Kyi's government has said little about the attacks, and the Kachin Independence Organisation accuses her of cooperating with the military.

"Suu Kyi tried so hard to gain this power for many years and she needs to make deals with the military in order to sustain her power," said La Nan, the chief spokesman of the KIO.

Rebels say they have been hit with airstrikes in areas of northern Shan and Kachin states including Mongo, a Shan town that was heavily bombed and suffered an unknown number of civilian casualties. Other fighting has occurred in Hpakant, center of Myanmar's lucrative jade-mining region, and Laiza, headquarters of the KIO.

Suu Kyi, who serves as state counselor and foreign minister but effectively rules Myanmar, faces high expectations from ethnic groups and the international community.

As opposition leader, the Nobel Peace laureate was held under house arrest by the former junta for years, but her landslide election victory in November 2015 ended more than half a century of military control.

Though she has called the peace process her top priority, many local and international political analysts do not see significant achievements since the NLD came to power, and say she has failed to cooperate enough with ethnic leaders.

"National reconciliation cannot be built only between the government and the military," said Yan Myo Thein, a prominent Myanmar political analyst. "There must be negotiation between ethnic parties, armed groups, the military and the government."



Ethnic Burmans form a majority in Myanmar, also known as Burma, but ethnic minorities make up about 40 per cent of the population. Some of those groups have fought for greater autonomy for decades.

Suu Kyi held a peace conference in late August attended by representatives of 17 of the 20 major ethnic groups, including the Kachin.

The conference was intended to build on a ceasefire agreement that ethnic groups insist include a political solution to their longstanding demands. Ethnic leaders have asked for political dialogue, but the peace conference met few of their expectations, and some may drop out of the next round, expected in February.

The conference was dominated by short speeches from a wide range of stakeholders, leaving little time for more significant discussion.

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: The CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala today extended the rank list period of the Public Service Commission (PSC) by another six months till June 30, 2017.

A decision in this regard was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, today.

The rank lists which had not been extended so far and due to expire on December 30, 2016 and March 31, 2017 have been extended till June 30, 2017, a government press release said today.

The Opposition Congress and BJP have been demanding the extension of PSC rank lists and the their youth wings were on a hunger strike, which they withdrew after the cabinet decision on the matter.

The names of C Sureshan, Executive Engineer, PWD, Kasaragod; M R Baiju, Professor Department of Electronics and Communications, Government Engineering college, Thiruvananthapuram; Jinu Sakaria Oommen and Adv Ragunathan M K, Thrissur were recommended to the state governor by the cabinet, for appointment in the 4 vacancies in the PSC.

An in principle decision was taken at the meeting, to implement Kerala Administrative Service in 30 departments, including General Administration and Finance in the Secretariat here.

The council of ministers also decided to revise the monthly allowances to retired Chief Justices and Judges.

While a retired chief justice would draw Rs 14,000 as against the previous allowance of Rs 10,000, the retired judges will get Rs 12,000 from the present Rs 8000.

For the construction of depot/yard of the Light Metro Rail project, the government would allot 19,54 acres of land in Pallipuram village in Thiruvananthapuram, free of cost, it said.

The cabinet also decided to recommend to the governor to give special remission to 1860 prisoners in the state in view of the celebration of 60th year of the state's formation, besides releasing 8 life convicts in the Kannur central jail as per the advise of the prison's advisory committee.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted today that Israel and a future Palestine should live as two states based on the territory they held before the 1967 Six Day War.

Kerry, in a major speech on the frozen Middle East peace process, said "equivalent swaps" of land could happen to modify the border, but only by mutual consent.

Jerusalem, he argued, should be recognised as the capital of both states and those countries that do not recognize Israel as a Jewish state should do so.

"It is up to Israelis and Palestinians to make the difficult choices for peace but we can all help," he said, laying out the United States recommendations for reviving the peace effort.

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Leaders of Left parties and Congress today paid rich tributes to freedom fighter Pritam Kaur, who passed away last week due to old age.

The body of Pritam Kaur (93), wife of late Marxist stalwart Harkishan Singh Surjeet, was kept at CPI(M) headquarters here this morning for people to pay their respects.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, his predecessor Prakash Karat, party Politburo members including Brinda Karat, Suhasini Ali, CITU leader Tapan Sen and CPI national secretary D Raja were among those who paid tributes.

A representative paid homage to her on behalf of Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh.

"She did not hold any position within the party, but she was a mother figure to us. From pre-Independence struggle to subsequent developments till recently, she has seen through virtually a century of people's struggles in our country.

"She's always a source of confidence and solace. Her absence is a big loss to us," Yechury said while paying respects to her.

The body was later taken to Bundala village in Punjab's Jalandhar district, where she will be cremated at 1 PM tomorrow.

Pritam Kaur is survived by two sons, Gurchetan and Paramjeet, and daughter Charanjeet Kaur.

Surjeet, who was the CPI(M) General Secretary from 1992 to 2005, had died on August 1, 2008 at the age of 92.

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Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan today said the party will launch a state wide stir from first week of January to protest against demonetisation since the hardships of the common man continued even after the end of the 50-day window.

Chavan was addressing party workers at a function here to mark the 132nd foundation day of the Congress.

"Fifty days have passed since demonetisation and despite assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that people's hardships will ease, the ground reality is different," Chavan said.

Attacking the Prime Minister, Chavan charged he should answer the questions posed by party Vice President Rahul Gandhi regarding allegations of bribery.

Escalating his attack on Modi over note ban in the last couple of days, Rahul had said that demonetisation was not a surgical strike on corruption and black money as projected by the Prime Minister and his ministers but was an "economic robbery" and "firebombing on India's poor".

Rahul says the Prime Minister has put "99 per cent people" in the country to hardships and not targeted the "1 per cent super rich" who "held all the black money".

According to him, five per cent ofevery online transactions in a cashless economy willgo to "those 50 families".

The Congress VP has also been reiterating his charge of "crores of rupees" allegedly being paid to Modi by big business houses on different occasions when he was Gujarat Chief Minister and has sought the PM's reply to the charges.

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The Maharashtra government today transferred eight IAS officers.

Medha Gadgil, an IAS of 1983 batch, who is presently serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Education and Drugs Department, has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary (R&R), Revenue and Forests Department at the state secretariat, an official release said.

Meeta Rajivlochan, an IAS of 1990 batch has been posted as Project Director, RUSA, Mumbai



Rajagopal Devara, an IAS of 1992 batch, who was currently posted as Secretary, Tribal Development department in the state secretariat has been transferred as Secretary, Medical Education and Drugs Department, it said.

1993 batch IAS officer Manisha Verma, currently the Project Director, RUSA, Mumbai has been posted as Secretary, Tribal Development Department, the release added.

P N Bhapkar, an IAS of 1997 batch who was presently serving as Secretary (EGS and WC), Rural Development and Water Conservation Department, Mumbai has been posted as Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad Division in Aurangabad.

K M Nagargoje, an IAS of 2002 batch, who was currently the Commissioner, Women and Child Welfare in Pune and has now been posted as Member Secretary, Maharashtra Council of Agriculture Education and Research, it added.

S S Dumbare, an officer of 2003 batch currently serving as Deputy Director, Land Records, Pune has been posted as Additional Divisional Commissioner, Pune Division, Pune.

2009 batch IAS officer L S Mali, who was currently the Chief Executive Officer, Slum Rehabilitation Authority, Pune, has now been posed as Commissioner, Women and Child Welfare, said the release.

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A man, who was carrying a reward of Rs one lakh on his head, was arrested along with his three aides from Kharagpur, West Bengal, a senior police officer today said.

"The prime accused in the murder of a contractor Vijay Pandey in Jamshedpur in June last year, Manoj Sarkar was evading arrest for which police announced a reward of Rs one lakh on his head," Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop T Mathew said.

Acting on an information, a police team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and Order), Vimal Kumar conducted a raid in Kharagpur and arrested Sarkar along with his aides Dominque Samsung, Adhir Pradhan and Hari Mahato yesterday, he said.

Two loaded country-made pistols, two live cartridges, 48 sets of mobile phones and a motorcycle were seized from them, Mathew, who accompanied Kumar, said.

Seven criminal cases including murder were pending against Sarkar in Keonjhar district of Odisha, Chakradharpur, West Singhbhum, Kuchai and Amda police stations of Seraikela-Kharswan district and different police stations of Jamshedpur and in the case of Pandey, who was shot dead on June 9 last year, while he was returning home.

Apart from Sarkar, Mathew said his aides Titu Sharma, Mohan Rao and Parvez Alam were allegedly involved in the killing of Pandey.

Police was also in search of the other accused, who are at large. Sharma has been arrested and forwarded to judicial custody in the past, Mathew said.

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A hardcore NDFB(S) militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kokrajhar district along the Indo-Bhutan border today.

A joint team of police and army launched an operation at Ashraobari and an encounter followed in which a hardcore militant was killed, Kokrajhar Superintendent of police Rajen Singh said.

The slain NDFB(S) militant was identified as Ratan Narzary.

Police also recovered an AK-56 rifle, a magazine with eleven rounds of ammunitions and two mobile handsets from the spot, Singh added.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today condoled the death of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa, and described him as a "hardworking and dedicated leader".

Patwa, 92, died today morning at a local hospital after suffering a heart attack.

"(I am) saddened on the passing away of Sunderlal Patwa. He was a hardworking & dedicated leader whose good work as MP CM will be remembered," Modi said in a tweet.

He also said that Patwa strengthened the BJP and was always admired by workers.

"My thoughts are with his family. May his soul rest in peace," the PM said in another tweets.

BJP President Amit Shah also expressed his condolences over the demise of the veteran party leader.

He said that Patwa held various responsibilities from Jansangh to BJP, and that his hard work and dedication will continue to inspire the party workers.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Digvijaya Singh also paid tributes to Patwa, saying that his death is an irreparable loss for the state.

"Patwaji was a fearless and hardworking leader," he added.

Terming Patwa as a "political thinker", Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Arun Yadav said his demise is not only a loss to the state but also to the country's politics.

MP's Public Relations Minister Narottam Mishra said that Patwa's politics was for serving the society. "He continuously worked for the welfare of the society and the poor," Mishra said.

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Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Das Tandon and CM Raman Singh have offered condolence on the demise of Patwa.

The Chhattisgarh government has also declared three-day mourning as a mark of respect to the veteran BJP leader.

"Patwa was a great friend of mine, who dedicated his life to welfare of poor and deprived ones. He had made an immense contribution for development of state," Governor Tandon said in a statement.

The Governor empathised with the grief-stricken family and prayed for the departed soul.

In his message, Chief Minister Raman Singh said "Patwa had occupied several important posts and served the masses with utmost dedication. He launched several welfare schemes for people. With his demise, a golden chapter in the Indian democracy has ended. It is irreparable loss to the state." The chief minister prayed for peace to the departed soul.

Meanwhile, the state's General Administration Department issued circular declaring three-day state mourning from 28 December to 30.

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Lok Sabha Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan said that the



country has lost a powerful and straightforward orator with the passing away of Patwa.

In her condolence message to the bereaved family, Mahajan said, "We have lost a powerful, straightforward and a complete and dedicated leader. He was the witness of the party's journey from Jansangh to BJP and it is a coincidence that he had passed away on the death anniversary of former BJP President Kushabhau Thakre."



Mahajan personally paid tributes to the departed leader by reaching the state capital.

"Patwaji had always followed the path of Thakre who was his ideal in politics," she added.
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari today said that people were "doubtful" about the success of cashless economic system on November 28 but now more and more people are accepting it because of the benefits.

Participating in a 'support march' by Delhi BJP SC Morcha to promote cashless economic system, Tiwari thanked the people of national capital for their co-operation in the first phase of the long term plan for the development of Cashless Economy.

"I meet thousands of people every day and it is a matter of great pleasure that although on the November 28, people were doubtful about the success of cashless economic system but on the December 28 more and more people are adopting mobile app banking after comprehending the benefits of cashless economy," he said in a statement.

The march was taken out from Delhi BJP office to Connaught Place in the evening.

Tiwari also felicitated party workers for taking the idea of mobile app banking to people in the city and exhorted them to be ready to cooperate further as the Centre may issue new directions on the "new economic system" on January 1.

"On the January 1, the workers will have to shoulder one more responsibility because on that day the government may issue new directions on the new economic system," he said.

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Two mortar rounds were fired at the Russian embassy in Damascus today, the foreign ministry in Moscow said, adding that no casualties or damage had been caused.

"From 1:00 pm to 1:19 pm Moscow time (1000 GMT to 1019 GMT), the Russian embassy was bombarded by terrorists. One mortar, which luckily didn't explode, landed in the courtyard inside the embassy premises," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The second mortar landed in the neighbourhood" near the embassy, the statement said, adding that deminers intervened to defuse the explosives.

"We consider this new act of provocation by extremists seeking to derail the peace process in Syria, to be a confirmation of their intention to continue to sow terror and violence" in the war-torn nation, the ministry added.

The Russian embassy in central Damascus has been the frequent target of rebel fire ever since war erupted in 2011.

In May 2015, a man was killed when mortar rounds landed near the embassy complex.

Moscow has been a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad since the outbreak of the war.

Then in September 2015, Russia launched a military campaign in support of the regime.

With Moscow's backing, Assad's troops scored their biggest victory in the civil war earlier this month when they recaptured rebel areas of eastern Aleppo.

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A placement agency owner and a woman agent have been arrested days after a man was arrested for allegedly physically assaulting his domestic help in Mukherjee Nagar, police said today.

On December 24, Ganesh Burman, the placement agency owner, was first detained and then arrested the same day, they said.

Two days later, police arrested the alleged woman agent, Saraswati, who had brought the maid from her employer's home after she was "physically assaulted".

Before that, Atul Kr Lohia, who had employed the victim, was arrested on December 24 following a complaint that he had allegedly physically assaulted her.

Police found that Barman used to lure women through agents from areas like West Bengal on the pretext of jobs in Delhi.

Saraswati, who claimed to be her relative, brought her from her employer's home and kept her in a room, police said.

They said the maid was suffering from tuberculosis and when her condition deteriorated, she took her to RML hospital and left, they added.

Police said the agent and the placement agency owner allegedly used to threaten to file cases against employers of the maids and extort money from them.

Burman was remanded to police custody till December 29.

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Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi after he targeted the government again, BJP today said he should first name the beneficiaries of several scams that happened during the UPA government, asserting that he had done nothing against black money and corruption.

Soon after Gandhi attacked the government on Congress' foundation day, BJP alleged that he lived under the impression that his "lies" will be taken as truth if he repeated them daily and loudly.

The party's National Secretary Shrikant Sharma accused the Congress vice president of doing "politics over death", a reference to his criticism of demonetisation by pointing to deaths of people in queues outside banks and ATMs.

"Rahul Gandhi has been asking a lot of questions and levelling baseless allegations repeatedly under this impressions his lies will be taken as truth if spoken daily and loudly. He should also answer who in the UPA government were beneficiaries of 2G, CWG and VVIP chopper scams running into Rs 1.86 lakh crore, Rs 72,000 crore and Rs 3,200 crore respectively," Sharma told reporters here.

Targeting the Gandhi family, he said the probe into the VVIP chopper scam has "reached its doorsteps, making Rahul Gandhi jittery".

The UPA government had the list of people with suspect Swiss bank accounts from 2011 but it took no action and did not constitute an SIT, he said, asking him to respond to this.

On an average 695 farmers ended their lives daily during the UPA government while the Modi government has taken a number of measures to protect them, he said.

"He should answer why Congress-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh have not implemented crop insurance scheme," Sharma asked.

"Deaths are always unfortunate and we have sympathies with the families," he said about deaths allegedly linked to demonetisation. "Unlike Congress, we don't do politics over it."



Earlier, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of of practising politics of "fear and anger" and exhorted partymen to defeat his ideology.

"The demonetisation 'yagya' is for 50 families of the country's 1 per cent super rich. It is the poor, farmers, labourers, middle class and small shopkeepers who are being sacrificed in this 'yagya'. There has been tremendous pain caused by it," he said presiding over Congress Party's 132nd Foundation Day celebrations.

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National Kabaddi player Rohit Kumar, arrested in connection with the alleged suicide by his wife Lalita who had accused him and her in-laws of harassment, was today granted bail by a Delhi court.

Besides Rohit, the court also granted the relief to his father Vijay Singh on a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and a surety of like amount.

"Considering the matter in totality, keeping in view the facts and circumstances of this case and period of custody and the fact that the suicide note and voice message of the deceased are yet to be verified and FSL result will take a considerable time, both the accused are admitted to bail in this case," Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar II said.

While allowing their bail pleas, the court directed them not to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.

It also asked Rohit and his father, who were in judicial custody since October 23 and 21 respectively, to join the probe as and when required and surrender their passports before the Investigating Officer, ordering that they will not go abroad without the court's prior permission.

The father-son duo was arrested for alleged offences under sections 498A (cruelty to woman) and 304B (dowry death) of IPC.

Seeking bail for the accused, their counsel R S Malik had argued that it was a love marriage between Rohit and Lalita and hence the question of dowry does not arise.

He had also contended that the deceased was residing at her parental home for 23 days prior to the alleged suicide and there was no specific allegation that she was subjected to cruelty soon before her death or was harassed for dowry.

The prosecutor, while opposing the bail application, had said there were serious allegations of harassment and demand for dowry against the accused. It was also alleged that at the time of marriage, the accused had demanded a gold ring and a Toyota Fortuner car.

Rohit, who is in the Navy, was arrested by a police team in Mumbai on October 21 and brought to Delhi on October 23.

His father Vijay, who was a sub-inspector in Delhi Police and had been dismissed from service, was arrested the same day after he surrendered at Nangloi Police Station in West Delhi.

Lalita had allegedly committed suicide on October 17 at her parents' house in Nangloi. In her suicide note as well as audio and video clips left behind, she had alleged that her in-laws "harassed" her for minor issues and that Rohit had asked her to go away from his life.

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A group of 100 citizens, including activists and European parliamentarians, today asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj not to spare any effort in enabling the Indo-Norwegian couple to be reunited with their child, taken away by Norwegian authorities.

In a petition to Swaraj, the activists said, "We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Norway, relatives of victims in Norway and activists from around the world, are writing to express our support for your intervention in the matter of the 5-year-old only child of Anil Kumar and Gurvinderjit Kaur who has been snatched by Barnevernet in Oslo, Norway last week."



The group, which included Tomas Zedechovsky, Member of European Parliament (MEP) and former Norway Parliamentarian Jan Simonsen, also alleged that the Barnevernet, the Norwegian child protection authority has for many years been "wrongly" taking children from loving parents in Norway.

"The reasons are incompetence, overbearing officials, lack of transparency, inadequate judicial oversight, and, in cases involving cultural and religious minorities, prejudice and racism," they further charged.

Appreciating India's earlier efforts in saving Indian children from Barnevernet and highlighting the human rights abuses of Barnevernet in Norway, the petition urged Swaraj "to spare no effort in enabling the child to be reunited with his family in Norway or repatriated to India where he can be brought up by his extended family in the country and culture of his origin, and to which he has been used since birth.

"This is his right under both Norwegian law and international law."



The petition, which was circulated by Suranya Aiyar, daughter of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, also said some of the members have been "victims" of Barnevernet.

"We have been campaigning against Norway's cruel child protection regime for years and this year alone there have been protests every month against Barnevernet attended by hundreds in cities around Norway," it added.

Indian national Kaur and her husband, who is a Norwegian national, have alleged that authorities in that country have taken away their son, also a Norwegian national, on a frivolous complaint of abuse.

Swaraj had yesterday said India wants the five-and-a- half-year-old boy united with his natural parents, and refused to accept that foster parents can take better care of the child than the natural parents.

"The foster parents are totally ignorant of the Indian culture and our food habits. We want restoration of Aryan to his natural parents," she had said.

However, Norwegian officials during his meeting with the Indian Ambassador in Oslo had said it was handling the case in accordance with the Norwegian Child Welfare Act which includes directions from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

They also informed him that since child welfare cases are highly sensitive, the cases are therefore subject to a strict duty of confidentiality.

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Defence Minister on Wednesday said it is not so difficult for Goa to have 50 per cent of cashless transactions, if certain bottlenecks are removed.

"It is not very difficult to attain 50 per cent cashless payment in Goa. How long it will take to achieve that level will depend on various bottlenecks that are currently existing in the state," Parrikar said.

"For example, PoS machines availability is getting strained. So, as and when more and more PoS machines will come, more and more transactions will shift to cashless," the former Goa chief minister said.

People have already shifted in a big way to cashless payments, he said, adding that at petrol pumps across the state almost 60 per cent transaction is through cards.

"Many people don't know that to have a debit card, you don't have to necessarily have an account. There are prepaid debit cards available," he said.

Parrikar said when the concept of cashless society was introduced in the state in November, then the transactions were almost 20 per cent through cards.

"After that the (cashless) transactions have almost increased to four times. We can't give exact data because the banks are not ready with data, they are too busy with this demonetisation process. But safely we can say, it has definitely increased to more than double," he said.

Pointing out that Goa government departments are also increasingly going cashless, Parrikar said there are some difficulties to make revenue collection cashless and they are being tackled.

"Now they are working on each government department having an account of its own where all the money will be collected and in the evening it will be credited to the central treasury," the senior BJP leader said.

"As far as payments are concerned, Goa government is hundred per cent cashless since 2013," he said.

Regarding the charges levied on doing a cashless transaction, Parrikar said "as the transaction increases, fees will drop. Government is also considering various options."

"I can't disclose about the options right now, but government is also trying the possibility to make transactions free (from fees payment) below a particular level by cashless mode," he said.

On worries about cyber crimes related to cashless payments, the Defence Minister said, "As far as cyber crime is concerned, all these payment mechanisms are very secure.

"Cyber crime can happen even if you don't pay through digital (mode)," he said.

"If you keep your data on computer, it can be hacked and money can be transferred. Cyber crime is a different issue, not necessarily linked with data cards. If a person is not comfortable, he can always use debit card. Prepaid debit card is almost like money," Parrikar said.

Stressing that some existing systems (regarding banking) need to be changed, he said, "If you take a debit card and withdraw cash through ATM, there are no charges, but if you swipe the card with a trader (shop), there are charges. This is surprising. This is out of some regulation which has to be properly amended."

"Old systems and old habits die-hard. As we proceed we will understand difficulties. Even country like Sweden took a decade to reach 87 per cent cashless transaction," he said.

Parrikar said the excessive cash supply, particularly in bigger denominations, enhances or supports crime, drugs and activities related to tax-evasion.

"Therefore, any country's economic health improves if it starts transacting through digital mode," he said.

The Union Minister also said that the Canteen Store Department (of Defence) in Delhi has gone hundred per cent cashless.

"It accepts cash from old people, and those who come from outside Delhi. There I realised that people are not aware of prepaid debit card," he said.

"I had to take an old couple to the bank branch nearby and get the manager explain them what is prepaid debit card.

"There are mechanisms available by which, if you are not comfortable with mobile application, you can still use cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards and even Aadhar (card). I think this would be a very encouraging start," he added.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has assured Arunachal Pradesh about hiking the annual allocation of his ministry to the state.

Oram gave this assurance to state's Women and Child Development Parliamentary Secretary Gojen Gadi, who accompanied with Union MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju called on the Union minister at New Delhi yesterday, an official release said here.

Pointing out that Arunachal is one of the poorest states with under-developed rural areas inhabited by scheduled tribes, Gadi justified his demand by saying that the state having no economic generation source solely depends on the Centre for various development.

Gadi today informed over telephone that he told the minister that the land-locked state had 21 districts, mostly located along remote border areas, while most of the schools having cent per cent tribal students have been running without hostels resulting in miseries for the students during rainy days.

Immediate construction of hostels is essential for the tribal students to be on par with their mainstream counterparts, Gadi said with the union minister agreeing to increase allocation to meet the basic requirements of the state, the release said.

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The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an international election and war monitor, said today it had become the latest global institution to suffer a "major" cyber attack.

The Vienna-based OSCE has its origins in the Cold War but after 1991 it expanded and now has 57 member states including the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

It currently has 700 monitors focused on the conflict in eastern Ukraine and is also active in observing elections and tracking media freedom.

OSCE spokeswoman Mersiha Causevic Podzic told AFP in an email that it "became aware of a major information security incident" in early November.

The attack "compromised the confidentiality" of the organisation's IT network and put "its integrity at risk", although it was still able to operate, she said.

According to French daily Le Monde, which first reported the incident, a Western intelligence agency believes that Russian hackers group APT28 was behind the attack.

This group, also known as Pawn Storm, Sofacy and Fancy Bears, is believed to be behind other high-profile cyber attacks and to be linked to Russia's security services.

The OSCE said "the way in which the attacker accessed the OSCE was identified, as have some of the external communication destinations".

France's ambassador to the OSCE played down the dangers from the attack, saying officials in Vienna -- long seen as a hotbed of espionage -- are trained to be aware to the risks.

"Diplomats at the OSCE are warned that attempted spying, in whatever form, are part and parcel of this organisation," Veronique Roger-Lacan told AFP.

But cyber attacks by criminals and governments are on the rise, with states and firms spending billions of dollars to defend and arm themselves.

The issue has become contentious between the United States and Russia, with the latter alleged to have hacked party computers and leaked documents during the US election campaign.

The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved and President Barack Obama has vowed Washington will retaliate "at a time and place of our own choosing".

The Kremlin has rejected the accusations, demanding America presents proof. US President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed the claims as "ridiculous".

In Europe, with Germany holding elections late next year, Chancellor Angela Merkel and other top officials have warned that the country could be the target of Russian cyber attacks.

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Over one crore rural citizens have enrolled for digital payments under the 'Digi Dhan Abhiyan' programme within 20 days of the start of the digital financial literacy campaign, surpassing initial targets, IT Minister said today.

Digital transactions in the country have also seen substantial jump across-the-board post demonetisation. While the number of transactions through RuPay cards soared 445 per cent between November 8 and December 26, the Point of Sale (PoS) transaction volumes grew 95 per cent.

"Under the digital payment awareness programme being conducted through the Common Service Centres (CSC), we had set a target of reaching out to 80 lakh citizens, and 25 lakh merchants for training. We have surpassed that target and have trained 1.05 crore people in a matter of 20 days," Prasad said.

These span 476 districts and 2,782 blocks, he added.

Besides enrollment of rural citizens, over three lakh merchants (shopkeepers) have started offering digital payment options to consumers in rural India.

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have recorded the highest number of citizen enrolments of over 15 lakh and 12.5 lakh, respectively. Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have recorded the highest number of merchant enrolment crossing 60,000 shopkeepers each.

Under the 'Digi Dhan Abhiyan', the CSCs are training people in rural areas on various digital financial solutions and also familiarising them with various modes of e-payment. At the same time, they educate shopkeepers and vendors on the use of digital payments.

"Also, we now have a list of 12 cashless villages located in Haryana, Maharashtra, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. We are defining cashless as those villages where all shopkeepers have one mode of digital payment and one member of every family has one mode of digital payment," the Minister said.

In addition, Confederation of All India Traders will provide training to one crore shopkeepers across 1,000 towns, on digital payment. A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was also signed today.

Prasad said that while transaction volumes of RuPay cards rose to 21 lakh per day on December 26 from 3.85 lakh a day on November 8 (445 per cent growth), in value terms it rose to Rs 282 crore per day from Rs 39.17 crore a day (621 per cent growth).

During the same period, e-wallets saw 243 per cent rise in volumes to 75 lakh transactions per day, while in value terms the growth was 233 per cent to Rs 293 crore per day.
Assam government today said over 25 companies have committed cumulative investment of about Rs 5,000 crore which will generate 44,000 jobs in the state.

The state government also proposed to construct a World Trade Centre in Guwahati to project Assam as a world-class business location.

"Presently, more than 25 big industries are in pipeline and many of them will be commissioned within a year. A total investment by these large industries is about Rs 5,000 crore," Commerce and Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told reporters here.

Without sharing any name of the corporate entities, he said that a large number of small and micro industries along with many big multinational companies had approached the state government for investment in Assam.

When asked about the job creation scenario, Patowary said "about 44,000 people will get direct or indirect employment through these industries."



The minister also said that a new Land Pooling Scheme was being considered by Assam government for developing a land bank of about 15,000 bighas (5,000 acres) across the state.

Talking about building infrastructure, he said "one World Trade Centre was proposed to be constructed within the town area of Guwahati for projecting Assam as a modern state. The centre would be created with the help of the best architects".

The minister said the state government was planning to hold a Mega Investment Summit for national and international companies to participate.

"Road shows are being proposed to be organised in different parts of the country and abroad to attract investment in Assam. FICCI will be the event partner for the Investment Summit," he added.

On the union government's role, Patowary said a new North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) was expected to be announced in April, 2017.

"In the mean time, the old NEIIPP, 2007 has been revived with some modifications. GST will also be operationalised by April, 2017. In view of these developments, existing State Industrial Policy will be amended and fine tuned," he said.

Patowary further said the government was creating an ecosystem with the 'Ease of Doing Business' to promote Assam as an investment destination.

"The state government has decided to develop Assam as vibrant sugarcane belt in the country. Integrated project is being taken up for promoting scientific cultivation of sugarcane and setting up of at least five sugar factories through private investment in the state, he added.

About 100 Primary Processing Centers (PPC) were proposed to be set up across the state for agricultural products like fruit, vegetable and spices for further supply to big firms.

Patowary also said the Industries Department had plans for having around 500 PPC's in the next few years.

The government had also plans to give focused attention to the tea sector by way of providing facilities under the CESS Utilization Policy.

The minister said the state government was considering to engage a Knowledge Partner of international repute to support it to attract investment in the industrial sector.

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Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today confirmed the death sentences of eight "hardcore terrorists" by the military courts for killing 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims, murdering human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud and attacking security forces.

Gen Bajwa also confirmed life imprisonment of three other terrorists, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

"These terrorists include those who planned and executed attack on persons of Ismaili community at Safoora Chowrangi Karachi, wherein 45 persons died at the spot and 6 others got injured. They also include those who killed a social worker Sabeen Mahmud, and kidnapped two Chinese Engineers and a civilian for ransom," ISPR said.

The "terrorists" killed 90 people and wounded 99 others, ISPR said, adding that explosives were also recovered from their possession.

Hafiz Muhammad Umar, Ali Rehman, Abdul Salam and Khurram Shafique were awarded death sentences for their involvement in Safoora Chowrangi massacre and killing of Mahmud in Karachi.

In the cold-blooded sectarian violence, Kalashnikov- wielding militants donning police uniforms had gunned down 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims - 26 men and 17 women - shooting them in the head near Shafoora Chowrangi in Karachi in May last year.

Jundullah - a splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan that vowed allegiance to the ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mahmud, 40, was shot dead by the motorcycle-borne gunmen while on her way home with her mother in Karachi in April last year. Mahmud ran an open forum called The Second Floor (T2F) for discussions on human rights abuses in Balochistan and other civil rights issues.

Another convict Muslim Khan was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in killing of civilians and attacking forces, which resulted in the deaths of 31 persons. He was involved in slaughtering of Capt Najam Riaz Raja, Capt Juniad Khan, Naik Shahid Rasool and Lance Naik Shakeel Ahmed. He was also involved in kidnapping of two Chinese engineers.

Muhammad Yousaf, a member of proscribed organisation, was was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in attacks on armed forces which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.

Saifullah and Bilal Mehmood, both members of a proscribed group, were awarded the death sentences for their involvement in killing of innocent civilians and attacks on police.

Sartaj Ali, Mehmood Khan and Fazal e Ghaffar, all members of a proscribed organisation, were involved in providing funds to the terrorists, kidnapping of a Chinese engineer for ransom and attacks on police, were awarded rigorous imprisonment.

Last week, General Bajwa signed death warrants of 13 "hardcore terrorists" who were found guilty of being behind a series of terrorist attacks, including those on Charsadda's Bacha Khan University, Rawalpindi's Parade Lane Mosque and the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad.

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Observer Research Foundation chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the lead in bringing India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together in a "family reconciliation" for the better future of coming generations.

"The idea of an India-Pakistan confederation was also mooted by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, the ideological guru of the BJP, and Dr Rammanohar Lohia, the great socialist leader, in 1964. In a recent speech, PM Modi has described Mahatma Gandhi, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Dr Lohia as three Great Indians of the 20th century," Kulkarni said.

"Since all three of them were in favour of a confederation, I urge PM Modi to take the lead in bringing India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together in a family reconciliation, leading ultimately to a family re-union," he said addressing a gathering here at the launch of his book 'August Voices: What they said on 14-15 August 1947'.

He said that the people and governments of our three countries must refuse to live as prisoners of the past.

"We must create a better future for our coming generations. A future of peace, shared progress, eradication of poverty, justice and dignity for every human being in our subcontinent. To do so is our moral responsibility towards humanity," Kulkarni said.

He added, that all three nations have the world's largest number of poor, deprived and divided people with common civilisational ancestry.

"Besides, neither India nor Pakistan nor Bangladesh can develop to their full potential without transitioning from discord to concord, from hostility to cooperation," he said.

Kulkarni said there is no lasting solution, acceptable to India and Pakistan, without some form of a confederal agreement between both nations.

He said that neither the solution to the Kashmir issue, nor the larger idea of a confederation, can move even an inch without Pakistan taking firm measures to eliminate terrorism from its soil.

"Pakistan must rid itself of terrorism and religious extremism for its own survival," he said, adding that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh today have an unprecedented opportunity to move towards economic and infrastructural integration in a big way.

"This can be done by India taking the lead in connecting the BCIM or Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Corridor with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and extending it further to Afghanistan and Iran," he said.

Kulkarni said new trade, business and people-to- people connectivities will create inter-dependence.

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Power-starved Pakistan today received a major boost as a China-backed 340 MW nuclear power plant in its Punjab province was inaugrated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who termed it as a milestone in the government's efforts to end the mence of load shedding.

The Chashma-3 plant is located at Chashma in Mianwali district where another plant Chashma-IV is also being built.

Sharif described the completion of C-3 as another milestone towards the journey to eliminate the menace of load shedding from the country, Radio Pakistan reported.

He said the project is reflective of closer cooperation between Pakistan and China in science and technology.

"This cooperation is also beginning of a new era of development in the region," he said.

Sharif expressed confidence that Chashma-IV nuclear power plant would also become operational before its deadline of mid next year.

Chashma two and three power plants are the most efficient plants in the country, providing more than 600 MW of electricity to the national grid.

Sharif appreciated Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for its efforts for self reliance in fuel fabrication and said his government would extend every possible assistance to the Commission to help overcome the shortage of electricity in the country.

Referring to the generation target of 8800 MW of nuclear energy by 2030, Sharif urged the Commission to accept the challenge of producing more than the target and play its full role in the development of the country.

Noting that there has been a marked reduction in load shedding during the last three years, Sharif pledged that the menace of load shedding would be over in 2018.

He said generation of additional 2200 MW of electricity through K-II and K-III would contribute towards this effort.

Sharif urged PAEC to take all possible measures to strengthen safety of existing and future power plants as per international standards.

Sharif thanked China for extending cooperation in nuclear field and said the two countries are actively cooperating in many other areas, including construction of roads, motorways, airports and upgradation of Pakistan Railways.

He said many projects were initiated under CPEC and their impact was now visible.

These projects are being implemented speedily and this would result in overcoming challenges of unemployment, poverty, backwardness and accelerating the pace of socio economic development, besides bringing all regions of the country more closer, he said.

(REOPENS FGN 18)



Vice President of China National Nuclear Corporation in his speech said cooperation with Pakistan in nuclear energy was reflective of strategic ties between the two countries.

The completion of Chashma-3 will strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, he said, adding that nuclear power plants are playing a vital role in economic development of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Atomic Energy Commission Muhammad Naeem said the Commission had been given a target of 8800 MW of nuclear power till 2030.

To achieve this target, planning for establishment of more plants have been done and places identified and research work in this regard is going on, Naeem said.

He said three plants have been planned, out of which one will be established in Chashma and two in Muzaffargard.

Necessary skill has been acquired to prepare fuel for nuclear power plants and in Chashma land has been acquired for fuel fabrication plant, he said, addding that presently fuel for Chashma power plants are being imported from China.
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) apprehended 36 fishermen and seized six boats in the Arabian sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat today, National Fisherworkers' Forum (NFF) said.

PMSA apprehended the fishermen near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), NFF secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI.

"We have learnt that 36 fishermen on six fishing boats were apprehended by Pakistani agency near Jakhau coast today. Three of these boats had set out from Porbandar while other three are registered in Okha," Lodhari said.

It was feared that PMSA might have captured some more fishermen and seized their boats during the operation, he added.

The development comes just days after Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat, arrested about a year ago for allegedly entering Pakistani waters.

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A 52-year-old Indian grocery shop owner in Sharjah has been stabbed to death by a Pakistani man over a financial dispute and police have arrested the alleged murderer, media reports said today.

Mohammed Ali, owner of a grocery in Sharjah's Maysaloon area, was murdered by a 42-year-old Pakistani man, Sharjah Police said.

The Sharjah Police yesterday said they arrested the Pakistani national in less than 12 hours after he committed the murder.

The Indian national was found with multiple stab wounds in a pool of blood inside Majestic Supermarket, Khaleej Times reported, quoting the police as saying.

The police said that they received a call about the incident on yesterday morning. A team of officers from Forensics, Patrol and Ambulance rushed to spot and found the victim. However, they could not save him and he succumbed to his injuries.

The body has been transferred to Al Kuwaiti Hospital and later to the forensic laboratory. Police have launched an investigation into the death, Gulf reported.

The police immediately formed a team of officers to identify and arrest the murderer. The team made a thorough search and located the murderer. The police entrapped and arrested him at an undisclosed location in the emirate.

During the interrogation, the murderer told the police that he killed the Indian national over a financial dispute.

Based on his confession, the case has been referred to the public prosecution, reports said.

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A 20-year-old



plumber was hacked to death in a village in Kendrapara district.

The mutilated body of Arabinda Parida with multiple wounds was retrieved today from the backyard of a government-run primary school in Narendrapur village under Aul police station jurisdiction, the police said.

The deceased was a plumber based in Delhi and had returned home last week, Sub Divisional Police Officer, Patamundai circle, Uma Shankar Maharana said.

The body bore deep cut marks on his head, throat, chest and lower abdomen.

Police are yet to elicit any clue regarding the identity of the murderers and the motive of the crime.

A number of suspects have been detained on the basis of cell phone location of the detained persons close the crime spot.

However, the police are yet to arrive at any conclusion, the SDPO said.

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Aam Aadmi Party today claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was extolling "non-existent virtues" of demonetisation and said the deadline of 50 days set by him has ended but "misery" was only piling by the minute.

AAP spokesperson Ashutosh questioned Modi's "silence" over the "deaths" directly or indirectly related to the measure announced on November 8.

"It has been 50 days. PM had spoken about his readiness to face the people in case the measure failed and had sought 50 days' time. More than a hundred people have died but the PM has not uttered a word," Ashutosh claimed.

He claimed that the currency ban move has derailed the country's economy and pushed the farming community towards abject penury. He wondered whether the PM would "apologise" to the nation for having "misled" the country.

"Are these small difficulties as the PM says? Modiji spoke about how demonetisation has curbed drug mafia, terrorism and counterfeit note makers. He is extolling these non-existent virtues. Will he resign if there is a terror attack tomorrow?" he asked.

Misery is increasing by the minute after the notes ban, he said.

On November 13, days into the measure's enforcement, Modi had sought cooperation of the people saying "...Help me for 50 days and I will give you the India you desired.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid floral tributes to veteran BJP leader and two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa who passed away in the morning following a heart attack.

After paying tributes to the departed leader at the state BJP office here, the Prime Minister consoled his family members. His nephew Surendra Patwa, who is the Minister for Culture and Tourism in the BJP-led state government, was also present.

Modi spent nearly five minutes with the family members and later left for the airport. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

92-year-old Patwa, a former union minister, suffered a heart attack in the morning and was rushed to hospital where he breathed his last, Executive Director of the hospital Skand Trivedi said.

Patwa's wife had died a few years back and they had no children.

Earlier, in a tweet, Modi said, "Saddened on the passing away of Sunderlal Patwa. He was a hardworking & dedicated leader whose good work as MP CM will be remembered."



He said Patwa strengthened BJP and was always admired by workers.

Large number of BJP workers gathered at the party office to pay respects to the former CM.

Patwa's last rites would be held at Kukdeshwar town, the native place of the departed leader, in Neemuch district of the state tomorrow.

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President Pranab Mukherjee today paid obeisance at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala and two other temples.

On his arrival, Mukherjee was accorded a ceremonious traditional reception by the priests and top officials of the Lord Venkateswara shrine and taken to the sanctum sanctorum.

He also paid obeisance at the sacred golden altar and 'Dwajasthambham' (holy flag mast) inside the shrine.

Later, he was honoured with a sacred silk cloth, laddu prasadam, celestial water in a tiny bottle, a framed holy photo of the Lord, new year calendars and diaries by the TTD management, while the priests showered blessings on him amid chanting of vedic hymns, TTD Chairman Chadalawada Krishnamurthy told PTI.

The President also made an offering in the 'hundi' (offering box) at the shrine where he spent over half-an-hour, he added.

He was accompanied by his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee, Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan and state ministers P Narayana and B Gopala Krishna Reddy.

Mukherjee, currently on a 10-day visit to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, flew in here this forenoon on a five-hour spiritual trip to offer prayers at three different shrines in and around Tirupati and Tirumala, Krishnamurthy said.

Before his visit here, the President also offered prayers at Sri Adi Varahaswamy temple, close to Lord Venkateswara temple, and at Sri Padmavathi in nearby Tiruchanur, he added.

After taking a break at the TTD guest house on the hills, Mukherjee left the hills for Renigunta airport here to fly back to Hyderabad.

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Britain's young royals, William and Harry, have matched up to grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's record of the number of days spent on royal duties in a year for the first time in 2016.

As the 90-year-old monarch began reducing her workload this year, analysis of the 'Daily Court Circular' says that Prince William - Duke of Cambridge - equalled his grandmother by spending 80 days on royal engagements this year.

His younger brother, Prince Harry, was just ahead with 86 days of appointments.

The younger royal was also the most-travelled senior member of the royal family in 2016, clocking up around 61,800 miles on overseas public engagements.

Between them the princess and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, put in 480 official appearances this year, according to 'The Times'.

This is more than twice as many as the 198 engagements they attended last year, when the Queen's husband, Duke of Edinburgh, outdid the three of them put together.

The monarch herself, having cut out long haul travel, increased her workload in Britain by attending 332 functions, up from 306 the previous year.

Her heir, Prince Charles, is now the busiest member of the family, having surpassed his sister, the Princess Royal - Princess Anne.

As well as touring Ireland, Belgium, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and the US, he carried out 432 engagements in Britain, up from 380 last year.

The second in line to the throne, Prince William, has faced criticism in the past for a perceived reluctance to take on a full schedule of events.

This year he increased his public appearances by 54 per cent. This included official trips to India, Germany and Canada as well as a three-hour trek to a mountain monastery in Bhutan.

It has been indicated that William and Kate may leave their countryside home at Anmer Hall on the Queen's Sandringham estate to make Kensington Palace in London their permanent home in the New Year to allow 3-year-old Prince George to start school in London.

There have also been indications the prince may also relinquish his charity job as a pilot with East Anglian Air Ambulance to take on more royal duties.

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Punjab unit of Bhartiya Janata Party will kickstart its campaign for the Assembly elections tomorrow with the launch of 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' from Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district.

The 12-day yatra, which will be launched by state party chief Vijay Sampla, will traverse all the 23 assembly constituencies where the party is fielding its candidates, a party spokesman said today.

The party has designed a 'rath' (chariot) for the yatra.

It will start from Hussainiwala tomorrow after paying tributes at the Shaheed Smarak (martyr's memorial) and will culminate in Amritsar on January 8, he said.

The Rath Yatra would allow the party to connect more with the masses, he said.

"Equipped with modern, state-of-the-art facilities, the rath is actually a stage from which state party chief Vijay Sampla and other senior party leaders will address the public. We will be having 4-5 stopovers at different places like 'chowks' and 'nukkars' within each city and interact with the people," he said.

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In its bid to strengthen its prospects in poll-bound Punjab, Congress is seeking to stitch up alliances with like-minded parties and held consultations with CPI today.

According to sources, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh held parleys with CPI leader D Raja at the former's residence in Delhi, where party's in-charge for Punjab affairs Asha Kumari was also present.

Sources said the leaders discussed possibilities of a tie-up and discussed some of the seats on which the two parties can work together.

Congress and CPI were in alliance in the state earlier.

No details were, however, available on what transpired between the two parties.

Meanwhile, two more Akali leaders today joined Congress, with Amarinder according a warm welcome to them and saying that it was a "homecoming" for them.

Two more Akali leaders - Ramesh Singla, a former MLA and Akali leader, as well and municipal councillor Ashok Bittu joined the Congress.

The two joined Congress unconditionally in the presence of Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh Dharmsot.

Ramesh Singla, who joined SAD in 2014, is an ex-Congress MLA from Nabha, as well as former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) general secretary and ex-PYC president. Bittu is a 5-time time councillor from Nabha and also joined SAD in 2014.

Meanwhile, Amarinder also dismissed speculation about any change in reservation policy, making it clear that there is no change in the party policy on the reservation issue.

Amarinder unequivocally asserted that the Congress policy on reservation stood as it was, and there was no question of any change with respect to the same, notwithstanding the needless controversy being triggered by vested forces with an eye on the assembly elections in the state.

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The run for the cash seems to have eased slightly in the city as shorter queues were seen outside ATMs and banks today, as just two days are left for depositing the scrapped Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes.

However, people opting for cashless transactions complained about "additional charges" being levied by some merchants, saying it would create a "roadblock" for the entire exercise undertaken by the government last month.

While the cash flow appears to have improved in many places ATMs continued to be non-functional, as was the case in initial days after the November 8 demonetisation.

A home-maker from suburban Ghatkopar said, "When I went to deposit old notes in a private sector bank here, I had anticipated long queue outside the branch. But I was relieved to find that there was no crowd. It seems people are done with their deposits."



She said that the government had given enough time to deposit money and the panic in initial days was uncalled for.

Vidyavihar resident Vimlesh Shah said, "There was no queue at the bank branch in my locality. This has been the position for last six to seven days. The situation resembles the pre-demonetisation era."



Confirming the same, a senior executive with a private bank in south Mumbai said, "The situation has almost normalised since last four to five days. There is no queue outside the branch and withdrawal limit too has gone up."



He added, "Initially, we could disburse only Rs 4,000 to 5,000 to our saving account holders. But now we are in a position to give them over Rs 10,000 at one go. Definitely the cash flow to the bank has improved."



Thane resident Hamid Sheikh said, "I would say that the entire thing will become normal only when the ATMs start dispensing money. But so far, 'ATM Closed' board is a common feature here."



Meanwhile, people who have gone cashless in various transactions want the government to check on those trying to take advantage of the situation by levying additional charges for products and services.

R K Trivedi, a media professional said, "When I booked movie ticket online, I was shocked to find that the service provider was levying Rs 34.50 per ticket as internet handling charge. When I contacted by banker, I was told that it was the act of its third party partnership. We can not do anything."



He said that such things are definitely going to create roadblocks in shifting to cashless drive.

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Viral V Acharya will assume charge as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on January 20, 2017.

He has been appointed for a term of three years, with effect from January 20.

"Acharya will join on January 20, 2017. As Deputy Governor, Acharya will look after the Monetary Policy and Research cluster," the RBI said in a release.

He will fill the post that fell vacant after Urjit Patel was made RBI Governor to succeed Rajan with effect from September 4. The existing three Deputy Governors of RBI are S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and R Gandhi.

The Government through a notification earlier today, announced the appointment of Acharya who is currently serving as C V Starr Professor of Economics, Department of Finance at the New York University-Stern School of Business since 2011.

Born in India on March 1, 1974, Acharya holds a PhD in Finance from the Stern School of Business, New York University.

During 2008-2011, he held the position as the Academic Professor of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business.

At present, he is also the Member of the Advisory Council of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Academy. Among others, he also is the Member of the Academic Council of National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

He has also won a host of research awards including 2014 Chinese Finance Association Award for the best paper on Global Financial Markets, NSE best paper award at summer research conference, L Glucksman Institute (NYU Stern) Best Paper Award for 2010-11, NYSE Award for Best Paper on Equity Trading and Best Student Paper Award at FMA European Conference, 2001.

In research, his areas of interest included banking liquidity crises, corporate finance, asset pricing, international finance and general equilibrium.

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Residents of Iraq's Islamic State-held city of Mosul say an airstrike has disabled the city's last functioning bridge.

The residents, who spoke yesterday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity fearing for their safety, say the airstrike happened at dawn on Monday.

Iraqi and US-led international coalition officials were not available to comment.

Activists from inside Mosul published pictures last night of the metal bridge, known as the Old Bridge, showing its twisted girders sinking into the water as boats were seen ferrying the residents from both banks.

The northern city of Mosul had five bridges spanning the Tigris River, which runs through the center of the city.

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Mumbai Customs sleuths today seized cash totalling around Rs 69 lakh in two separate cases here, which included recovery of Rs 25 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs made these seizures at the international airport here in the wee hours and four persons were arrested in this connection.

In the first case, foreign currency worth over Rs 43 lakh was recovered from three passengers -- Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha -- who arrived here from Hyderabad.

"A detailed examination of the baggage of Ali resulted in recovery of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars," said a Customs official, adding that the total value was Rs 43.97 lakhs.

This money was found wrapped in newspapers and was concealed in their check-in baggage.

The trio in their statement have said that they brought the foreign currency from Saudi Arabia during their visit last week but did not declare the money before the Customs.

"They have also said that they came to Mumbai for conversion of the currency expecting good returns," the official said.

They were arrested after a case under Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act was registered against them.

In another case, one Arif Koyante who was departing to Dubai was arrested after Rs 25 lakh, in denominations of Rs 2000, was seized from him.

Officials said a search of his baggage yielded 1,250 notes kept in 52 different envelopes made of white paper.

"These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 cardboards on which ready made garments were neatly wrapped," said the official adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that it was attempted to be smuggled out of India.

A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif and he has admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery, the official said.

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Turkey and Russia have agreed a ceasefire plan for all of Syria that should come into force at midnight, the state-run Anadolu agency said today.

The plan aims at expanding a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo to all of the country but excludes "terror" groups, the agency said.

If successful, it will form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the regime and opposition overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

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Turkey and Russia have agreed a ceasefire for all of Syria that should come into force at midnight, Turkish state media said today, but rebel groups said no such official truce had been agreed.

The state-run Anadolu agency said the plan aims to expand a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo -- brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians -- to the whole country.

If successful, the plan would form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the Damascus regime and the opposition, overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

But in a speech in Ankara after the report was published, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no reference to the plan, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not answer on an issue "about which I don't have enough information".

A Syrian rebel source, who asked not to be named, told AFP in Beirut that details still had to be submitted to opposition fighters and said there was no agreement as yet.

"The armed revolutionary factions have not received any official proposal for a ceasefire in Syria," Labib Nahhas, head of foreign relations for the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group added on his official Twitter account.

" talking about their approval of a ceasefire is incorrect."



Anadolu said both sides were working for it to come into force at midnight but gave no further details.

Ankara and Moscow have been on opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, with Turkey seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran.

But the two countries have recently started to cooperate more closely on Syria, especially after a deal in the summer to normalise ties battered by Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.

Turkey remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, took control last week of Aleppo in the biggest defeat so far for the rebels in the civil war.

Ankara has also hosted a succession of closed door talks between Russia and Syrian opposition rebels over the last weeks



Qatar-based channel Al-Jazeera said a new meeting is planned on Thursday in Ankara, this time between military representatives of Syrian rebels and Russia.

No date has yet been set for the Astana talks and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting was still at the planning stage.

She emphasised that the talks were not intended to replace the peace process based in Geneva which has sought to find a solution for the Syrian conflict.

But the direct involvement of Turkey and Russia comes as Erdogan is increasingly expressing impatience at the role of the United States in Syria.

Previous ceasefire plans had been brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. They met with only temporary success and failed to lead to a solution for the conflict.

It remains unclear how the latest ceasefire plan will apply to Fateh al-Sham, formerly the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, which has worked more closely with the rebels since changing its name.

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Former Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar today met PWD Minister Satyendar Jain in Delhi Secretariat, seeking his intervention in the completion of under-construction Railway Under Bridge (RUB) and Railway Overbridge (ROB) at the earliest in his constituency.

Kumar, who is currently out on bail in an alleged rape case, said that municipal corporations have been constructing RUB and ROB in Sultanpuri constituency for around five years but they are yet to be completed.

"The construction works of both ROB and RUB are going on for five years due to which people have been facing a lot of problems.

"I have requested the PWD Minister to look into the matter and he has assured me that he will take up the issue with the municipal corporation," Kumar, who is an MLA from Sultanpuri Majra, said after the meeting.

This is perhaps the first time that Sandeep Kumar went to the Delhi Secretariat since he was sacked from the AAP government on August 31.

Kumar was arrested after a woman had lodged a complaint at Sultanpuri police station in North Delhi alleging sexual harassment following which a case was filed. She had allegedly figured in an objectionable video with him.

He had defended himself saying he had been targeted.

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The Supreme Court has turned down the remission plea of a man, who has been in jail for 25 years serving life sentence for killing a married couple, saying it would not take a view on the matter as it was a power which could be exercised by the State.

The apex court upheld the verdict of Calcutta High Court, which had affirmed the conviction and sentence of contract killer Khokan Giri, while relying on a confessional statement of another accused in a 1991 murder case.

"The counsel for the appellant submits that he has already suffered incarceration for more than 25 years and, therefore, there should be remission in his further sentence.

"This is a power which can be exercised by the State. It would always be open to appellant (Giri) to make a necessary representation in this behalf before the competent authority which can be considered by it. We make it clear that as far as this court is concerned, no view is taken thereupon either way," a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said while dismissing the appeal of Giri.

The High Court had affirmed the conviction and sentence awarded to Giri and three others in the case in which a woman had hired him to murder her husband's paramour in December 1991.

As per the FIR, J K Khetwat was allegedly involved in an extra-marital relationship with a woman, who along with her husband was murdered by Giri, who was hired by Khetwat's wife for a promised fee of Rs 1 lakh.

Giri was convicted in 1999 by a trial court after his accomplice Raju, who turned approver, revealed the details of the murder in his confessional statement. Giri was awarded life sentence, while the others got varying jail terms.

In 2006, the Calcutta HC had upheld the trial court's decision convicting him under sections 302 (murder), 392 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

The convict filed an appeal in the apex court in 2007 contending that the High Court went wrong in giving undue importance to the testimony of Raju and basing the conviction of the appellant in the absence of independent corroborative evidence in material particulars.

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Shiv Sena Ulhasnagar city president Rajendra Chowdhary, party corporator Ramesh Chavan and two others were booked for allegedly ransacking the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) office in Dombivli here, police said today.

The incident took place on December 26 when the delegation of Sena workers, led by MLA Balaji Kinnikar visited the office of MIDC executive engineer, Sanjay Nanavare to discuss the issue of water shortage being faced by residents of Ulhasnagar here, Thane Police said in an official note.

While the discussion was on, four people, including Chowdhary and Chavan, allegedly ransacked the office and misbehaved with the officer by banging his mobile phone on the table and also hurled chairs at him, the complaint lodged by Nanavare said.

He said the delegation submitted a memorandum to him but also warned that they would visit him again with a 'morcha' on December 29. However, there were attempts made to pacify them.

An offence has been registered with the Manpada police against four persons, including Chowdhary and Chavan, under sections 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 427 (mischief), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and also under relevant secions of Criminal Law Amendment Act and Damage to Property Act.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident so far, police added.

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Seven girls, including five minors, have been freed from the clutches of an alleged trafficker from Parasnath Station in Dumri sub-division of Giridih district today.

The girls were freed by the officials of the Dumri sub- division when they were being taken to Delhi, officials said.

A woman trafficker, who was taking these girls to Delhi, was detained for interrogation, they said.

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A Sikh doctor in the US has filed a lawsuit against an American medical organisation alleging he was denied a neurology job for his religious appearance.

Jaswinder Pal Singh of Kentucky is a licensed and board certified physician practising in the area of neurology.

Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, filed the lawsuit yesterday in the US District Court for the Middle district of Tennessee on behalf of Singh.

The lawsuit alleges that Singh, an observant Sikh physician who keeps a religiously mandated turban and beard, was denied a neurology job after the employer and recruiter inquired into his religious appearance.

As part of the 2014 hiring process, the employer Premier Medical Group and its recruiter Arthur Marshall Inc expressed interest and concern about the way Singh looked, the suit further alleges.

Though the recruiter praised Singh's credentials in phone interviews, Singh was allegedly abruptly denied further interviews after he submitted photographs of himself, along with additional information on Sikhs and Sikhism. The job then remained vacant, it said.

"It was very clear to me that I was denied employment because of my ethnic background and religious appearance," Singh said in a statement released by the coalition.

"No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of their religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable," said Singh, who migrated to the US from India in 2008.

According to the lawsuit, around September 2014, an individual from the recruiter firm indicated that the Premier Medical Group had reservations about Singh's candidacy and wanted information about his appearance, specifically "how you appear" and "what you look like".

Singh explained that he is a Sikh and maintains unshorn hair including a beard and wears a turban in accordance with his faith to which the individual allegedly replied that he did not know who Sikhs were.

"Defendants failed and refused to hire (Singh) for the available neurologist position at Premier Medical Group because of his race (South Asian/Punjabi), colour, religion (Sikh) and/or national origin (Indian)," the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks to secure a court order requiring that both defendants implement anti-discrimination policies, practices and training to ensure that they do not discriminate against any future applicants.

In 2015, the coalition had represented Singh in filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, the rights group filed the anti-discrimination lawsuit.

Last month, the coalition announced a massive legal victory on behalf of four Sikh truck drivers who were denied jobs by one of the largest trucking companies in the US.

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The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) is trying to find an on-site solution to dispose septage from septic tanks of toilets, public and private, under a European Union funded project.

Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan, who attended a summit on sustainable water and sanitation, said as an outcome of the summit, the European Union funded project of the corporation will try to find a solution for disposal of septage from septic tanks.

"The corporation has invited an expert from Mumbai for the treatment of the septage on trial basis," he said



The Mayor had taken up the issue at the summit to strengthen sanitation approach for improving drinking water and cleanliness for hilly regions.

Chauhan also held a meeting yesterday regarding taking over of a septic tank at a community toilet and another at a individual's house for septage disposal using bacterial culture.

"It has been proposed to use the Bio-culture 'Bioclean BD' in the septic tanks of community toilets where the footfall is more. For this purpose the community toilet at Bharari that is not connected to sewage line has been selected," the Mayor informed, adding bio-culture shall be used for a household septic tank having limited usage.

"Proper use ofbacterial culture will be able to control odour and convert solid fecal particles into liquid that can be used for agriculture. The whole process will take around 90 days," he said.

If the trial run is successful it can be replicated across the city and elsewhere in the state, Chauhan said.

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Pillorying RJD president Lalu Prasad over the absence of allies JD(U) and Congress from his party's 'Mahadharna' against demonestisation today, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the people were strongly behind the prime minister on the issue.

"In his chauraha (public square) politics, while RJD allies JD(U) and Congress boycotted its Mahadharna programme, common people still stand strongly behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the demonetisation issue," he said in a statement here.

Prasad had on Monday asked Modi to choose the 'chauraha' where he would like to get punished according to his declaration defending the monetary exercise that caused massive inconvenience to the country's poor and disadvantaged sections.

Launching a strong counter-attack against Prasad's claim that industries and businesses have been ruined after the scrapping of high value notes, Sushil Modi sought to know "why locks were put on industries-businesses and entrepreneurs fled" during 15 years of RJD rule in Bihar without demonetisation.

In a scathing attack on Prasad, the senior BJP leader asked the source of Rs 100 crore which was allegedly used for constructing Rabri Bhawan in Delhi.

"How come one son of Prasad who has neither completed his studies nor has any business, got a Rs 30 lakh BMW car and possesses a motorbike worth Rs 20 lakh?... How come Prasad acquired huge tracts of land in and around Patna," he alleged.

"The basic fact is that Lalu Prasad and his party is expressing its unrest over the drive against black money in the garb of protest against demonetisation.

"People are very well aware of the truth and that is why they are rejecting such elements who are raising a hue and cry over demonetisation," Sushil Modi claimed.

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Mercury dipped in Patna and other parts of Bihar today but sunshine during the day gave a welcome relief to citizens from cold condition.

Patna recorded minimum temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius against 14.6 degrees Celsius yesterday, state MeT office bulletin said.

Maximum temperature in the state capital was 22.5 degrees Celsius, it said.

Gaya was the coldest place in the state with minimum temperature of 9.8 degrees Celsius, the MeT office said.

Bhagalpur registered minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius while it was 13.8 degrees Celsius in Purnea.

The MeT office forecast fog/mist in the morning and mainly clear sky later.

There would not be much variation in temperature in Patna tomorrow which is predicted to be 11 degrees Celsius.

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The Telangana Legislative Assembly today passed several bills, including one on land acquisition amid protests by opposition Congress and TDP members.

Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao, who moved the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment) Bill, 2016, said the bill is for government projects and not for private ventures.

"If it is SEZ, if it is a private industry, we will go by 2013 Act (made by parliament)," Harish Rao said.

The bill would provide a fair deal to land owners, he said.

Responding to Opposition Leader (Congress) K Jana Reddy's contention that the Assembly cannot pass the bill if it is an amendment to the 2013 land acquisition act, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the state government has the power to make the act under Article 254 of the Constitution.

Several states in the country have already passed such acts because the 2013 act was passed by the then Congress-led government "without mind being applied to it", Rao said.

He also hit out at opposition parties and others over their protests against land acquisition for Mallanna Sagar project in the state.

Congress MLA T Jeevan Reddy said the bill should benefit those affected by land acquisition and that it should stand legal scrutiny.

Taking the views of farmers in making the bill, BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy said it can be referred to a Select Committee.

TDP floor leader A Revant Reddy claimed that the bill was being passed with retrospective effect of prior to the formation of Telangana.

The other bills passed during the day included VAT amendment bill, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (second amendment) bill and the Telangana Acts (Repealing) bill.

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The fourth International Hindi Conference will be held in port city Visakhapatnam from January 6 to 8 with the main aim of building a bridge between experts of the language in India and abroad.

This is the first time the conference is being held outside the USA and it will be inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan.

Union Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar will attend the valedictory of the conference, being jointly organised by the Hindi Sangam Foundation, (New Jersey and New Delhi) and Lok Nayak Foundation of Visakhapatnam.

"Teaching Hindi To Other Language Speakers: Pedagogical Perspectives, Language Planning and Program Development" is the theme of the conference that is being hosted by Gitam University on its campus at Rishikonda.

Over 200 Hindi scholars and professionals from around the world are expected to participate in the conference, according to former MP and organising committee chairman Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad.

"The conference will be a unique forum for dialogue among Hindi scholars and administrators and will allow for partnerships and project collaborations with the goal to expand, enrich and further promote Hindi education," Prasad, himself a Hindi scholar and author, said.

"This conference is the result of a new initiative introduced in the field of Hindi education that aims to create a bridge between the pedagogical experts of the language in India and the pedagogical experts and instructors in the US and the rest of the world, where Hindi is taught as a heritage language as well as a foreign language," the Padma Bhushan awardee said.

Many leading Hindi scholars from US universities, including New York University, Columbia, Duke, City University of New York, Pace and Pennsylvania State University, would attend the conference along with academicians from India.

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Amid plans to build a grand memorial to Chhatrapati Shivaji, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation last week, a local outfit has complained that pioneer of freedom struggle Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak was neglected during the event.

The Lokmanya Tilak Swaraj Bhoomi Smarak Samiti, in a statement here, said the government ignored the fact that Tilak was laid to rest in Girgaum Chowpatty, from where the Prime Minister and others sailed in a hovercraft for the 'jal pujan' for the Shivaji memorial in the sea off the Mumbai coast.

Prakash Silam, chairman of the outfit, also accused the ruling BJP of indulging in politics for garnering votes.

The samiti, which had pushed for renaming Girgaum Chowpatty as 'Swaraj Bhoomi', as a mark of respect to Tilak's clarion call for 'swaraj', also demanded installation of a 'stambh' (pole) in memory of the freedom fighter.

Tilak, a veteran nationalist and social reformer, died on August 1, 1920. His last rites were performed at Girgaum Chowpatty along the seashore, instead of at crematorium because of the massive turnout at the funeral to pay homage to the nationalist.

The BJP-led Maharashtra government had in March 2015 decided to rename the area at Girgaum Chowpatty in the city where Tilak was cremated, as 'Swaraj Bhoomi'.

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A travel agent has been booked for allegedly duping a man of Rs 2.75 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad, police said today.

A complaint was lodged by Hardip Singh of Phagwara who alleged that Chetan Kumar, a travel agent of Jalandhar, had taken the money for sending him to Italy, they added.

The complainant alleged that Kumar neither sent him to Italy nor returned the amount.

Police registered a case against Kumar under sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC.

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Effective implementation of forest rights laws, particularly in Maoist-hit areas, and socio-economic uplift of tribals will be the main focus of the Tribal Ministry in the year to come.

Losing of land and livelihood because of "poor" implementation of the Forest Rights Act is one of the prime reasons for the surge of Maoist insurgency in different parts of the country, according to Union Tribal Minister Jual Oram.

Seeking active cooperation of states to ensure effective implementation of the act to curb Left-wing extremism, Oram says his ministry has asked at least 10 states inclduing Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Bihar to review all rejected claims for land titles since the legislation came into force on December 31, 2007.

"There is reluctance especially on part of the state forest departments to give forest rights to tribal communities.

"In the coming year, we will strive to ensure that states implement the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act effectively so that forest dwellers get the rights to the forest land and resources, where their forefathers settled centuries ago and also to prevent them from getting influenced by Maoists," Oram told PTI.

Observing that there were "a high number rejections" of land titles, he said scrutiny had revealed that "majority of those (rejections) were based on invalid and trivial grounds".

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest rejection rate at 80.03 per cent followed by West Bengal (68.56 per cent), Maharasthra (64.88), Madhya Pradesh (60.74) and Chhattisgarh (59.03).

The ministry has identified 163 priority districts: 94 of them having more than 50 per cent of tribal population and 69 districts having at least 25 per cent of tribal population.

"The Ministry will focus on development of health, education, skill development, agriculture and employment in these districts in the coming year. Improvement in these spheres will also prevent them from getting influenced by Maoists.

"The Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to build a framework suited to the need and requirement of tribal people. We plan to set up one multi-skilling institute in each of these districts to cater to the development and promotion of sustainable livelihood avenues in tribal areas through entrepreneurship and skill-upgrade," says Oram.

The ministry will also aim at ensuring that money



allotted to states under various tribal welfare schemes reaches the actual beneficiaries and for that officials from National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and Tribal Affairs Ministry will visit various remote areas to personally ascertain the benefits accrued to tribals.

Post-matric scholarships for ST students will be released through DBT mode to ensure transparency and fast delivery.

The minustry is also reviewing the Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) scheme, says Oram.

"One of the bottlenecks has been availability of teachers in these schools. This issue has been taken up with states and we will see whether to expand the progrmme or not," he says adding that during the current financial year 20 new Ekalaya Model Residential Schools were opened and their total number has reached 227.

Among health-related activities, about 1.1 crore children and youth have been screened across the country for sickle cell anemia, so far. The ministry also supported construction of primary health centres and community health centres in tribal areas and training educated tribal girls and women to be paramedics in another attempt to improve primary healthcare delivery.

Oram, however, points out that availability of doctors, paramedics and equipment is much less in tribal areas as people do not want to work there due to lower levels of comfort.

Tribal communities comprise over 8 per cent of the country's population of 1.25 billion. There are over 80 million tribals and non-tribals dependent on the country's resource-rich forests, which make up 65 million hectares.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped an experienced hand from the George W Bush era and a longtime Trump Organisation official to become members of his inner circle when he assumes office next month.

Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism.

A statement from Trump's transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity, and coordinate the Cabinet's process for making and executing policy in those areas.

The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on US-Israel relations during the campaign and transition as special representative for international negotiations.

Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organisation for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer.

The homeland security position notably "is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser," the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.

Bossert will work closely with Trump's pick for national security adviser, retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn.

Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

Donald Trump's West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as "equal partners," according to Trump, and counsellor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy.

Trump's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will have a direct line to the president as well.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and during his presidential campaign. But some critics fear doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making.

Discussing the appointment of Greenblatt, Trump said he "has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf," and has the expertise to "bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics."



Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for US ambassador to Israel.

The billionaire-turned-president-elect is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, where he's held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his administration remain; his transition team says he will fill those positions in the coming days.

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Comedians used to lampooning Donald Trump are now wary of making jokes about the US president -elect fearing it may provoke a hostile reaction, in a sign of a deeply polarised America since the tycoon's win following a bitterly divisive election campaign.

"This election was the most polarising election in the history of our country," said Jody Sloane, a Boston-based comic, adding "to even lightly joke about Trump leads Trump supporters to assume you are a Hillary supporter and the hatred ensues. You run the risk of losing half your audience - actually, less than half, based on popular vote - but it's just not worth it".

"When I was performing leading up to the election, if you mentioned Hillary's name, you alienated half your audience, if you mentioned Trump's name, you alienated half your audience," agreed comedian Jimmy Tingle. "When you mention people's names or political party, that's when people fall into their camps".

"You can't win" when you get political, says Boston-based comedian Will Noonan, whose 26,000 Twitter followers have hassled him for being too harsh on Trump, too harsh on Clinton or not harsh enough on either, the Boston Herald reported.

"It's a shame," he said as he personally finds Trump prime fodder. "He talks about his dead parents the way I talk about my snowplough guy. 'Fantastic people! Did a great job!'".

But it's hard to craft stand-up material when audiences can react to it so divisively.

Comedian Wanda Sykes was booed down during an anti-Trump skit in Boston last month.

"People are kind of on edge," agreed stand-up comedian and Boston Herald Radio host Steve Sweeney. "There's a lot of anger in the emotional climate. We were all looking forward to a sense of relief when this thing was over. But it's not".

"He says 'believe me' like a salesman, after every sentence. The last guy I believe is the guy who keeps saying 'believe me'," said comedian Chris Zito, a radio host who occasionally gives in to the temptation to impersonate Trump's distinctive phrases.

There are ways to tell Trump jokes, even to sensitive audiences, experts say.

Local comedy producer John Tobin said good comics can navigate a Trump joke with a soft hand.

"The good ones are the ones that tell the jokes, and you can't really tell which side of the aisle they're on," he said. "If it's an overly one-sided rant one way or the other, then I think the crowd can turn on you".

"I think Donald Trump is going to be writing our act for us, I think every week is going to be a new sitcom," said comedian and TV co-host Dave Russo adding "as a comedian, no one is off limits".

But not every comedian finds the new president funny.

"I'm an old, fat white guy. On paper, it looks like I won this," said stand-up comic Tony V.

"I've lived through the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and both Iraq wars. And this is the most frightened I've ever been," he said.

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: Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan funded Uniphore Software Systems, a Chennai based speech recognition solutions company, is targeting the Asia Pacific to further expand its footprints.

"This is a strategic move to further expand our outreach outside India. I am very excited to grow the APAC market for Uniphore. The region offers immense potential that we are looking to serve with our multiple product offerings," Uniphore Co-Founder Ravi Saraogi said in a statement here.

Apart from Gopalakrishnan, Uniphore investors include IDGVentures India, India Angel Network, Yournest Fund and Stata Ventures.

In order to focus on the expansion, Saraogi has been elevated as the President of APAC region and will now be based in Singapore.

Sanjeev Gadre, currently the CMO, will take overfrom Saraogi as the new COO.

Saraogi, in his new role, will be responsible for the overall expansion and growth of Uniphore in the APAC region.

He will focus on increasing Uniphore's customer footprint as well as hire and nurture local talent to support Uniphore's business growth.

The company has offices in India, the Philippines, and UAE with about 100 employees spread across all locations.

Uniphore's Co-Founder and CEO Umesh Sachdev was recognised by the TIME Magazine list of 2016 amongst 10 Millennials Changing The World.

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Russia can expect hard-hitting sanctions from United States lawmakers if an investigation proves that Moscow interfered in the presidential election, a US senator said today during a visit to Latvia.

The Kremlin has been accused of interfering in the campaign that made Republican Donald Trump president-elect.

Senator Lindsey Graham, also a Republican, said lawmakers from both major political parties remain skeptical of the denials that have come from the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I predict there will be bi-partisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual," Graham told reporters in Riga, the Latvian capital. He didn't elaborate on possible sanctions.

Graham said today that "Russia is trying to break the back of democracies all around the world," adding that Latvia is "constantly bombarded" with "Russian aggression and interference."



Graham is touring Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this week with fellow Republican John McCain and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. McCain called Russia's behavior "unacceptable." Speaking at the same event with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, McCain reaffirmed the U.S. Commitment to the Baltics, saying the relationship with the three former Soviet states "will not change" under the new administration.

The lawmakers are due to be in Vilnius tomorrow. They also plan to visit Ukraine, Georgia and Montenegro.

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President Barack Obama's administration is poised to announce a series of retaliatory measures against Russia over its cyber-meddling in the US election, reports have said.

Obama has all but accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering an audacious cyber hack that many Democrats believe damaged Hillary Clinton's chances in November's closely fought election with Republican foe Donald Trump.

The US intelligence community has concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails was designed to put Trump  a political neophyte who has praised Putin  into the Oval Office.

The Washington Post yestrday cited officials as saying the steps set to be announced as early as this week include economic sanctions, diplomatic censure and covert action  likely including cyber operations.

People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton's campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN.

Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham called for an even tougher US response to Russian interference in the American election.

The US Congress should "increase the sanctions on Russia for this misbehavior," McCain told Fox News, pressing for a permanent American military presence in the Baltic states, as well as arming Ukraine with weapons.

"You need to hit Russia in a sustained fashion," Graham added, saying that for Obama to act now just before he leaves office on January 20 would "send the wrong signal."

While suggesting that the Russian action did not ultimately change the election results, McCain said: "Look, if you're able to change the results of an election, then you have undermined the very fundamentals of democracy."

US officials said a key goal of the future steps to be taken against Russia was not just to punish, but to deter.

"As much as I am concerned about what happened to us in the election, I am also concerned about what will happen to us in the future," an administration official told the Post.

"I am firmly convinced that the Russians and will say, 'That worked pretty well in 2016, so let's keep going.' We have elections every two years in this country."

Prior to November's election, the Obama administration warned Russia via diplomatic channels, according to the Post. Obama also spoke with Putin at a G20 summit in China earlier this year.

And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems.

Russia apparently complied, according to US officials.

CNN cited Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that Moscow will respond to any "hostile steps" from Washington.
The fifth person accused of gangraping a 25-year-old American woman at a five-star hotel in the upmarket Cannaught Place area here has not yet been identified, Delhi police today said.

"The four accused could be identified, but we are not able to ascertain the identity of the fifth accused. None of (them) have a brother whose presence can be determined in the hotel premises," said a senior police officer.

"The US national doesn't remember his appearance otherwise we could have gotten a sketch made," he added.

However, a team of psychologists and psychiatrists had been assisting her recall the details of the incident.

The four accused - tour guide, driver, cleaner and hotel staffer - were arrested by police on Monday and sent to two- day judicial custody by a city court yesterday.

Their mobile phones have been seized and sent to forensic lab in Hyderabad for examination.

During an identification parade at Tihar Jail yesterday, the US national managed to identify three of the accused but could not confirm the identity of the hotel staffer.

She arrived here a few days ago to join the investigation and recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate, reiterating the charges made in her complaint earlier this year.

Before her arrival, she said she was not satisfied with the probe and wants to come to India to identify the accused.

On December 8, the tourist guide was questioned by the police, who had identified him and contacted him while he was in Nepal. The tour guide has denied his involvement and told the police the victim had given him positive feedbacks and an internal inquiry by his travel agency hasn't found him guilty.

The woman has alleged that she was raped by the men for two days and the accused made a video of the act, threatening to make it public if she reported the matter to anyone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With local miltancy gaining ground in the Valley, S P Vaid, a highly decorated police officer who helped tackle the recent unrest in the region, was today appointed the new Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir.

He will take over from K Rajendra Kumar, whose extended tenure comes to an end on December 31.

The task for 57-year-old Vaid, at present Special Director General (Law and Order), is cut out as the local youths are again getting swayed by the militant ideology to take up arms, especially after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, whose killing by the security forces triggered the latest round of turmoil in Kashmir.

A 1986-batch IPS officer, Vaid will hold office till October, 2019.

"My focus will be to keep the flag of the police force flying high in the state," he told PTI after his appointment.

While police force will be tough against the perpetrators of violence and terrorists "I will ensure that no common man is harassed. My idea is to make police force more and more people friendly," he said.

Vaid is the second officer from Jammu to have risen to the post of Director General of Police after M M Khajuria, who held the postion in 1985.

However, he is the first regular IPS recruit to become the Director General of Police from Jammu, while Khajuria had been absorbed in the IPS from the state cadre.

The state, according to intelligence reports, has more than 200 local and foreign militants with infiltration and local recruitment crossing all pervious records.

The prolonged unrest following Wani's killing also had a bearing on anti-militancy operations.

In the aftermath of the killing of Wani, law and order situation in the Valley had spiralled out of control and the state government, while taking a serious note of it, shifted him from the position of DG (prisons) and made him Special DG (Law and order).

After taking over the charge, he camped in the Kashmir region and initiated various measures to make optimum use of the force so as to check rising casualties of both civilians and security forces through Police-Public interaction programmes in almost all districts of the Valley.

Vaid was seriously injured when militants ambushed his vehicle in March 1999 near Sopore crossing on Srinagar- Baramulla Highway. He was the then range DIG of Baramulla- Kupwara in North Kashmir.

During his career, Vaid has received several medals which included President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service, Indian Police Medal for Gallantry, Police Medal for Meritorious Service, Indian Army Chief's Citation and Antrik Suraksha Seva Padak by the Home Ministry.

Rajendra, a 1984 batch IPS officer, was granted an extension for three months in September this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said demonetisation was not needed merely to ensure cashless transactions as he raised questions over the effectiveness of the Centre's move.

"Was there a need for demonetisation just to achieve cashless transactions? Did the black money come out," Chavan said.

"Do not be under the misconception that corruption reduces after ushering in cashless transactions," he said in an interview to a Marathi channel.

"In India, almost 98 per cent transactions take place using cash," he said.

There were no preparations before taking such an important decision, he claimed. The objective with which this decision was taken has not succeeded, Chavan said, commenting on 50-day since Modi announced the decision on November 8.

"Since November 8, the money that came into the banks got 'white'. Then where is the black money," Chavan said. Demonetisation has helped convert black money into 'white', he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
High Commissioner of Mauritius to India, Jagdishwar Goburdhun has said that a 'World Bhojpuri Conference' will be held here from tomorrow to January 1, in which participants from over 18 countries are likely to be present.

He said the conference will deliberate over culture, religion, language and business among other issues.

A large number of Bhojpuri speakers residing in different parts of the world will take part in the 'World Bhojpuri Conference', being organised at a private school in Badalalpur, the High Commissioner said at a press conference here.

The conference is an effort to strengthen the links of the people of Indian-origin, who once belonged to the Bhojpuri-speaking belt in India and had migrated to different parts of the world, he said.

For the preservation and promotion of the language, a museum will also come up here along with a library, and a committee hall, the High Commissioner said.

During the conference, a 'Bhojpuri Ratna' award and 'World Bhojpuri Karmayogi' award will be conferred on over 25 people including Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das, BJP MP and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari, Bollywod actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha and other personalities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
2016 was a year of hits and flops for the two-and-a-half-year-old Andhra Pradesh with many contrasts in its new chapter of history.

The only momentous event to happen this year was the shifting of the state's administrative base to the new capital region Amaravati from Hyderabad, the joint capital Andhra Pradesh could otherwise share with Telangana till June 1, 2024.

After many false starts, the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat (though temporary) finally started functioning at Velagapudi village from October.

On the same note, the Chandrababu Naidu government's single biggest failure thus far has been its inability to begin the development of the state's new capital city.

After coming out with a series of spectacular images of the would-be capital city, the government spent the whole of 2016 without finalising a single design for Amaravati, thereby further delaying construction activity.

The state achieved a 'double digit' economic growth rate, the high point the administration boasts of.

In reality, however, the state is struggling to make ends meet because of huge revenue deficit - a carryover from the bifurcation (in June 2014).

In 2015-16, the state's economy grew at 10.99 per cent and, in the first half of 2016-17, it went up to 12. 23 per cent.

There are too many ironies in the state's economic story.

The state's revenue earnings rose to Rs 22,800 crore in the first half of the 2016-17 financial year as against Rs 20,166 crore in the corresponding period last year, marking a 13.05 per cent increase.

But the mounting revenue deficit that stood at Rs 6,641 crore during the first half of this fiscal has become worrisome.

In fact, the government estimated an overall revenue deficit of Rs 4,868 crore in 2016-17 but increased spending has resulted in a huge gap.

And now, demonetisation could not have come at a worst time for the state to cause a further dent to its sagging economy, with revenues dipping by 30 per cent.

The state topped the list in Ease of Doing Business rankings in the country but it didn't really bring in expected or promised investments and everything remained only "in the pipeline" thus far.

As per government claims, close to Rs 4 lakh crore worth



investments were to flow into the state in different sectors, going by the number of MoUs signed during the Partnership Summit in January 2016.

But many MoUs still remain only on paper.

Andhra Pradesh couldn't achieve the promised 'special category state' status and had to settle for a 'special economic package' that has not yet been 'operationalised'.

The power sector has been the real crowning glory for Andhra Pradesh with the state ranking on top in energy efficiency in the country this year.

State power utilities won numerous awards at the level on different efficiency parameters even as Andhra Pradesh turned power surplus (over 10,000 million units) and has also transformed into a 'seller' from a 'purchaser'.

On the political power front, the ruling Telugu Desam made itself stronger by luring as many as 21 out of 67 MLAs of the only Opposition YSR Congress into its fold.

The Opposition's weakness - on all political counts - has become the strength of the ruling party which otherwise started facing rough weather among the electorate for a variety of reasons.

The Congress is still in the dumps while the BJP - the TDP's partner in power - hasn't gained muscle.

Having spent more than a year in hibernation, film star and Jana Sena Party founder Pawan Kalyan made a sudden 're-entry' into the political arena in the second half of 2016 and conducted three public meetings demanding special category state status to Andhra Pradesh.

And then, he went back to the tinsel town to complete his film assignments.

Of course, he took to Twitter this month to fire at both the Centre and the state governments on issues like Rohit Vemula's death and demonetisation. But it only caused a backfire in the social media as Kalyan became a subject of ridicule over his ill-timed diatribe.

Politics aside, year 2017 for sure holds out a lot of hope for Andhra Pradesh citizens as it could essentially herald the development of their dream capital city.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today denied having received any letter from party veteran V S Achuthanandan, seeking action against Power minister M M Mani, following a local court rejecting his plea for discharge in a murder case.

Yechury said in Delhi that he had not received Achuthanandan's letter in this regard.

"The party has already taken a stand on the issue that they will appeal to a higher court. The Kerala unit will take the right decision," he said.

Achuthanandan had reportedly written to Yechury, stating that it was 'ethically and morally incorrect' for Mani to continue as minister as he was the second accused in the murder case.

The CPI(M)'s central leadership's stand comes in the wake of a growing clamour from opposition Congress and BJP in Kerala, seekingMani's resignation following the court verdict.

Meanwhile, KPCC President V M Sudheeran said it was "very surprisingthat Yechury had not received VS's letter".

The CPI(M) state leadership had stood behind Mani after the court in Thodupuzha passed the verdict on December 24, with state secretary KodiyeriBalakrishnan maintaining that there was no bar on Mani continuing as minister.

"There is no need for Mani to quit office," he had said.

Sudheeran had also written to Yechury urging him to direct the party's Kerala unit to seek Mani's resignation.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said Mani's continuation as minister was a 'challenge' to the judiciary and people.

"This is the first time in Kerala's history that a person accused in a murder case is continuing as a minister," he had said.

Mani was made a minister last month after resignation of Industries Minister E P Jayarajan on charges of nepotism.

CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has already rejected the demand for Mani's resignation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Drug firm Zydus Cadila today said it has acquired six brands from global pharma major MSD and its subsidiaries for an undisclosed amount.

The company's wholly-owned subsidiary Zydus Healthcare Ltd has acquired six brands, which cover various therapeutic areas including wound management, from MSD and its subsidiaries, Zydus Cadila said in a statement.

MSD India is an affiliate of Merck & Co Inc that operates in more than 140 countries around the world.

The acquired brands Deca-Durabolin, Durabolin, Sustanon, Multiload, Sicastat and Axeten range had clocked sales of Rs 840 million in 2015.

The deal includes transfer of distribution and commercialisation rights and assignment of trademarks of all the six brands to Zydus Healthcare Ltd in India, the Ahmedabad-based company said.

As a part of the deal, Organon (India) Pvt Ltd, one of the legal subsidiaries through which MSD operates its business in India has also transferred the distribution and commercialisation rights for Deca- Durabolin and Durabolin to Zydus for Nepal, it added.

The company however did not disclose financial details.

"The brands with their strong equity are a perfect addition and complement our core business and brands. We look at this as a great opportunity to strengthen our core offerings to create value and growth," Zydus Healthcare Chairman Sharvil Patel said.

The brands Deca-Durabolin and Durabolin are amongst the widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis, muscle wasting and management of negative nitrogen balance.

Sustanon is the best-known form of injectable testosterone in the men's health segment and is used as a testosterone replacement therapy.

Multiload, an IUD device is expected to widen the offerings in women's contraceptives while Axeten is an anti- hypertensive brand. Sicastat is used in wound management.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If you want to make predictions for the future, you need to find the trajectory of events in the past. So to work out what shape digital will likely take next year, we should look back to the major developments of 2016. And the past years developments point to a 2017 shaped by the next phase of virtual and augmented reality, the emergence of an internet for artificial intelligence and the creation of personalised digital assistants that follow us across devices.
Fifty days and the memories of demonetisation quake is still afresh. On November 8, the note ban was announced and created the situation of immense chaos.



Since then the government has made many rules, some to comfort the people, some to scare the money hoarders, but most of them ended up fuelling confusion.



Here's a list of five major announcements during demonetisation that scared the common man



1. Restriction limit on cash withdrawal

When the note ban was announced, the government also set rules that notes upto Rs 4,000 could only be exchanged over the counter in banks and just Rs 2,000 could be withdrawn from banks.



After reviewing the situation, the Finance Ministry asked banks to increase exchange limit over the counter from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500.

Also, weekly limit of Rs 20,000 for withdrawal from bank accounts was increased to Rs 24,000, and limit of Rs 10,000 per day was removed. The new limit for withdrawals from ATM was set at Rs 2,500.




Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 50-day demonetisation deadline draws to a close, there are quite a few things that still remain the same. With cabinet on Wednesday penalising holding of scrapped currency notes, here's what could change in the days ahead.



ATMs

Though the queues outside ATMs seem to be getting shorter every day, those long serpentine queues may come back once you ring in the new year. Expect people to queue up outside ATMs as they scramble for cash to pay their domestic helps, housemaids, etc.

Note-ban Windfall

According to a TOI report 90% or Rs 14 lakh crore of the scrapped currency has come back to the system. The government had estimated that around Rs 3 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. With the absence of any economic dividend from this whole exercise, the government may cut down public spending on various schemes.

ALSO READ: Demonetisation impact: Note ban plays party pooper



Budget Expectations

There have been several reports suggesting that tax slab is likely to be increased from a minimum of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum to Rs 4 lakh. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had earlier said that India now needs to move to a lower level of taxation to be globally competitive. With crucial state elections just around the corner, the government is likely to meet the expectations of taxpayers in the upcoming budget.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai will be visiting IIT Kharagpur, the institute he did his engineering from, during his ongoing visit to India.

Pichai is in the country on a private trip, but as per reports he will hold an event later next week where he is expected to engage with the media and make announcements related to small businesses and start-ups.

Pichai, who holds a BTech degree from IIT Kharagpur, will also attend a function on 5 January with teachers and students at his former institution.

"Sundar Pichai, CEO Google and Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, has expressed his desire to visit the campus in the first week of January 2017," IIT-Kgp director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said.

The institute is inviting students to come back to campus on time after the winter break to be able to listen to Pichai.

At an open-air theatre in the campus, the Google man will discuss his past, present and future at a function titled 'A journey back to the past to inspire the future'.

Pichai had passed out from the elite institute in 1993 with a BTech in metallurgical and materials engineering.

He then went on to pursue an MS in Engineering and Materials Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Later on he joined Google in 2004 as its vice president of product management, where he led the team working on Google's Chrome browser and operating system, before being elevated as its CEO last year.

Google has plans to provide free Wi-Fi at 400 railway stations across India.
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested the branch manager of the New Delhi's KG Marg branch of Kotak Mahindra Bank for alleged involvement in a money laundering case.

The arrest comes days after Income Tax sleuths visited the KG Marg branch in connection with the survey of two of its customers accounts.

The bank then denied that there were any fake accounts.

The manager has reportedly been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for alleged involvment in the illegal conversion of black money in the Paras Mal Lodha and Rohit Tandon case.

ALSO READ: I-T Department to issue notice to those who bought car after November 8

Earlier on November 21, the ED had arrested Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha for alleged exchange of old currency notes worth Rs 25 crore.

The ED has registered an FIR under PMLA Act after taking cognisance of Delhi Polices' crime branch FIR.

Last week, the Delhi Police Crime Branch had arrested two people for creating fake accounts in Kotak Mahindra Bank's Kasturba Gandhi Road branch with unaccounted deposits totalling Rs 34 crore.




Viral V Acharya, an economics professor at New York University, has been appointed as the new deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India.

The post was vacant for the suitable candidate after the elevation of Urjit Patel as the Governor in September, this year.

The decision was announced by the government after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Acharya has also been a part of the Committee of Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission and had served on the International Advisory Board of Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Acharya did PhD in Finance from New York University Stern School of Business in 2001. He also holds B Tech degree in Computer Science and Engineering, from Indian Institute of Technology.

Currently, RBI has three deputy governors including N S Vishwanathan, S S Mundra and R Gandhi.




National Stock Exchange (NSE), India's largest bourse, filed an application for an initial public offering on Wednesday, laying the ground for what could be India's biggest listing since 2010.

The NSE has filed the so-called draft red herring prospectus with the capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, an exchange spokesman said.

Bankers had previously said the NSE could raise as much as $1 billion in a listing, making it potentially India's biggest since Coal India raised $3.5 billion in an IPO in 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Smaller rival BSE Ltd, formerly Bombay Stock Exchange, filed its application in September for an IPO expected to raise around $150 million, but it has not yet been given the go-ahead.

ALSO READ: Demonetisation: What could change after December 30



Both IPOs come at a time when emerging markets have been under pressure as global investors have shifted funds towards the United States, though NSE Chairman Ashok Chawla sought to downplay concerns about the timing.

"In my view, there is no bad time for a good issue," Chawla told Reuters in an interview earlier this month.

NSE needs to appoint a new chief executive to replace previous head Chitra Ramkrishna, who unexpectedly resigned last month, citing personal reasons.

NSE's listing is expected to be one of the most high profile in 2017. Indian companies raised more than $3.7 billion from IPOs this year, the most in six years, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters.

Some stakeholders accused the exchange earlier this year of moving too slowly, the company then committed to file an application for a listing by January.


Market washed out earlier gains as S&P BSE benchmark Sensex and NSE 50-share Nifty ended steady at 26,210.68 and 8,034.85 due to fag-end selling pressure from operators ahead of the expiry of futures and options December contract on Thursday, amid mixed trend in global market.

The market sentiment was boosted initially after data showed that domestic institutional investors made substantial purchases of Indian stocks on Tuesday.

Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 1502.41 crore on Tuesday as per provisional data while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 712.17 crore Tuesday.

The Sensex resumed higher at 26,243.19 and shot up further to 26,415.05 on initial buying. However, it fell afterwards to 26,191.72 before ending at 26,210.68, showing a marginally loss of 2.76 points or 0.01 pct.

However, the NSE 50-share Nifty inched up by 2 points or 0.02 pct to 8,034.85 after moving in a range of 8,100.55 and 8,028.40.

Overseas, European and Asian stocks were trading on a mixed note. Among economic data in Asia, Japanese industrial production rose 1.5 pct in November on a seasonally adjusted basis. Key Asian indices like Japan, China and South Korea ended lower by 0.01 pct to 0.87 pct while Hongkong, Singapore and Taiwan firmed up by 0.43 pct to 1.01 pct.

Key European indices such as France and Germany moved down by 0.06 percent to 0.09 percent while UK's FTSE was quoted up by 0.36 percent.


NIBLEY  The family of a pilot who was killed in an Elko, Nevada plane crash last month received a much-needed Christmas surprise. When Sadie Shepherd answered her door December 23, she found Santa Claus and a van full of gifts for her and her family.

Jason Hansen lives just two doors down from the Shepherd family. He noticed Shepherds three kids were still in car seats and were using a car too small for their needs. Hansen, a mechanic, told Shepherd he had a 2004 Honda Odyssey van he was fixing up, and offered to sell it to her for at an inexpensive price. Shepherd then became interested in selling her car to purchase the van.

I went home that night and started working on it, Hansen said. The next morning I woke up and I said Im going to give her this van. Im not going to make her pay for it. I really feel like it was God telling me to do it.

Much of the work didnt go smoothly. He spent 11 hours putting in a new engine, but had to start over with a second when the first didnt work.

As friends and neighbors began to learn what was happening, they wanted to help out too, but Hansen began to be discouraged by his own car problems. After spending a night in the mountains volunteering with the Cache County Search and Rescue, his truck broke down.

I was like I cant do this, he said. I dont have enough money to fix my own truck now. I told them I wasnt doing it.

As more support started pouring in, and Hansen rededicated himself to the project. He said support came in from neighbors, Lindquist Auto Parts, Don West Snap-on Tools, Merlins Drive In, the LDS church, the New Life Fellowship Church and others.

My boss at Big O put two brand new tires on it, he said. It was in need of a few new tires. Detail Service did a full detail. Lindquist Auto Parts donated some parts, Carquest donated some parts, Miller Autobody donated some parts.

When a friend suggested that Santa go along to help deliver the van, Hansen knew the guy he wanted to do it. He knew that a Big O customer of his often played Santa and had the perfect real beard to do it. Even though it was just two days before Christmas, Santa was available, and he provided just the help Hansen needed.

I was up all night the night before trying to think of what I was going to tell her and what I was going to say, Hansen said. I didnt say a word. I just kind of went and Santa did all the talking.

Hansen said he didnt put it together for his own recognition, but is glad at all the support that was shown.

Those who wish to donate to the family can still do so <a href=https://www.gofundme.com/jake-shepherd-memorial-fund target=_blank>here</a> or at Wells Fargo under the name Jake Shepherd.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.

WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
CAMEROUN :: CAMEROON PARENTS ASSOCIATION REACTS TO PAUL GHOGHOMO COMMUNIQUE by PRINCE AKERE ACHU - President, The Cameroons Parent Association (CPA)

" Communique from PTA president Professor Ghogomu: You should be ashamed of yourself, when you forward a false report to the authorities in Yaounde, stating that you met students, teachers, parents and people of good will in Bamenda, who are mostly opposed to the strike action and wish that the children should go back to school as soon as possible. You go on to brand the teachers union leaders as people who are being manipulated and misguided.

Nothing could be far from the truth. In this spirit, you represent a real danger not only to our people and the future of our children but also to the whole country, as such politically tinted and nefarious reports only make it more difficult for those of your superiors who may genuinely want to engage in frank discussions that could lead to a genuine and lasting solution to the current crisis. May God be our helper.

MESSAGE TO All STUDENTS AND PARENTS

Following the declaration by the ADHOC committee, they have decided to sanction our leaders who were fighting for our good with claims that we students and parents are ready to go back to school and don't care about what the teachers are asking for.

If you are an Anglophone student or parent and you think the English education system is under attack, then now is the time to proof to the government that its not the teachers problem but teacher, parents, and students problem. Maybe if students join the strike to support teachers, they will understand better.

If you have ever gone to university of Yaounde and asked a question in English and a francophone boldly tells you to go to UB, then you can better understand its time we boldly tell them to go back to university of Yaounde 1 and 2. Looking at what teachers are fighting for, we can see that they will not even benefit anything. They are fighting for STUDENTS and they are plans to sanction some because they care about their students. Am begging on all Anglophone students to start an indefinite strike when schools resumes to support our teachers. Even taxi men and Okada men who are not students supported teachers. Its NOW or NEVER.

To all advance level students, remember if Teachers demands are granted, your chances into ENS Bambili, ENSET Bambili and Kumba, faculty of health science Buea & Bamenda will be increased.
Common Law Lawyers Staged Walk Out On Ad Hoc Committeleaving Empty Seats Wilson MUSA

Members of the North West lawyers Association, NOWELA, have canceled a decision taken on December 27, 2016 impeaching their President Barrister Bobga Harmony Mbuton.

In a communique made public Wednesday December 28, 2016, the lawyers said that, We hereby withdraw out initial position passing the vote of no confidence of our President and thereby dismissing him. Consequently the resolution dated 27 December is withdrawn and we state clearly that Barrister Bobga Harmony Mbuton remains the President of NOWELA.

The lawyers had dismissed their president for partaking in the Yaounde meeting geared at seeking lasting solutions to problems raised by Common Law Lawyers against the wish of the Assembly. The lawyers saw this as a provocation and an attempt to sell out the struggle of the Common law Lawyers.

But it was later explained that Barrister Harmony went to Yaounde without the final document of the Consortium which called for a boycott of the meeting chaired by Pierre Fogue, Minister Delegate at the ministry of Justice, because at the time of his departure, the Consortium was still in conclave.

Lawyers Walk Out of Yaounde Meeting

Meanwhile after the deadlock of last Tuesday in Yaounde in the meeting between Lawyers and the Government, Wednesday was another busy day for the negotiators, the same lawyers who took part in the meeting the previous day came with same points; reviewing of the composition of the committee, uplifting of ban and or suspension imposed on FAKLA, MELA and NOWELA, unconditional release of all youths abducted from Southern Cameroon and taken to Yaounde.

They simply staged a walk out after negotiators failed to yield to their demands.

The President of the Cameroon Anglophone civil Society Consortium, CACSC, Barrister Abgor Balla Felix told reporters that when government is serious to dialogue, they should first release those youths arrested in Bamenda and Kumba before coming on the negotiation table.

By Wilson MUSA
| BY Lynchy |

Australias third player in the national grocery market, IGA Supermarkets, last night launched its biggest ever marketing and merchandising campaign to back up its Locked Down Low Prices strategy.

The new campaign, via Creative Oasis, worth more than $5 million, is an extension of IGAs strategy to further challenge the national chains.

The new TV commercial features a soundtrack based on the Bill Hayley and the Comets classic Rock around the Clock  reinterpreted for IGAs message of locked down low prices.

Says Les Gock of Sound Thinking, who produced the track: I was keen to capture a really authentic interpretation of the 50s classic by using the distinctive vocals of Dannie Marx Young (son of John Paul).

Created by the team at Heckler, the commercial features an animated 3D lock rocking across the store locking down low prices as it travels across the aisles.

Says David Stretch, director of Creative Oasis: When you are the third player in the market, you have to find more impactful ways to cut through and connect with your customers.

The TV commercial uses an animated lock to represent the personality of the challenger brand, being surprising and nimble, and is a major change in direction from IGAs previous advertising strategy, taking a more upbeat attitude.

The IGA stores have been transformed over the weekend to feature the new in-store branding starring the lock, with new posters, shelf talkers and wobblers, as well as large, freestanding display units.

The catalogues and online branding on My IGA have also been revamped to reflect the vibrant new branding.

The new campaign will be backed up by aggressive promotional pricing of a record number of grocery items  now locked for each quarter.

The new campaign is the first since the appointment of new general manager marketing, Michele Teague.

Says Teague: The new creative work dials up the focus on IGAs competitive spirit and our challenger brand status. Its fresh, fun, energetic and single-mindedly focused on getting our value message out.

The campaign is part of IGAs response to the strong market competition in an environment where grocery shoppers continue to look for better value from their local retailers.

Says Silvestro Morabito, chief operating officer of IGAs supplier Metcash Food & Grocery: We are investing significantly in the national Locked Down Low Prices campaign, which is much more than a one-off promotion.

It is our platform to drive our value message to consumers. Locked Down Low Prices is a powerful merchandise and marketing strategy that enables IGA retailers to compete against the major chains on value, product range and price.

Agency: Creative Oasis

Creative Director: Paul Knights

Head of Art: Paul Lo Russo

Producer: Wendy Gilles

Production: Heckler
The best time for the ACT to start experimenting with private prisons would be, in my view, in about five to 10 years' time when increasing prisoner numbers necessitate consideration of new facilities. For example, a separate institution for all women prisoners would be a sensible option and a minimum-security prison camp for, say, up to 50 male prisoners nearing the end of their sentences would take the pressure off the AMC. Either or both of these facilities could be managed by private companies if the government was willing to try something new.
Legal notices

1) The material on this blog has been created by W. Blake Gray, is protected under US copyright law and cannot be used without his permission.



2) To the FTC: In the course of my work, I accept free samples, meals and other considerations. I do not trade positive reviews or coverage for money or any financial considerations, unlike certain famous print publications which have for-profit wine clubs but, because they are not classified as "bloggers," are not required by the FTC to post a notice like this.


Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
The two top editors of Real Clear Education , the news site offering an aggregation of top education stories from across the country as well as original content, are moving to The 74 , the education news website partly funded by the family foundation of President-elect Donald J. Trumps nominee for U.S. secretary of education.

Andrew J. Rotherham, who served as a White House domestic-policy adviser to President Bill Clinton, launched Real Clear Education in 2014 as a joint venture between his Bellwether Education Partners and RealClearPolitics.com , a site offering aggregation of various topics.

Emmeline Zhao, a former editor at the Huffington Post, has been Real Clear Educations editor since its inception, with Rotherham serving as executive editor.

When we launched RealClearEducation in 2014 the idea was to create a go-to place for the highest quality news and analysis each day, Rotherham wrote on Dec. 23 in what he described as his last newsletter from that site. Were moving to the education news site The 74 where, starting in early 2017, well continue to produce the kind of news aggregation youre used to here and also more original content.

In an interview on Tuesday, Rotherham said that he and Zhao have had a good relationship with RealClearPolitics, but they believe that for the long run affiliating with an education site made sense.

Real Clear [Education] is terrific, but we felt it was time to find a good education home, he said. And this will be a good add for The 74 in terms of offerings.

The move could benefit The 74 not just based on the addition of a lively daily aggregation of top education stories. The 74 was funded in part by the Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, the Michigan-based philanthropy that has been a strong supporter of charter schools and private school vouchers. Betsy DeVos is Trumps pick for education secretary.

Campbell Brown, the founder of The 74, has close ties to DeVos and herself is a journalist who has strong views in favor of school choice and reform of teacher tenure. That has left some lingering questions about the independence of The 74, although the site has run plenty of strong, fair-minded enterprise stories.

Rotherham, who served a Democratic president and who, like Brown, has straddled journalism and education policy, bristled at the suggestion that his joining The 74 was related to politics or balance.

There are a bunch of reasons were going there, but balance isnt one of them, Rotherham said. Campbells politics are Campbells politics, but take a look at that site and try to find where the politics are.

In a written statement, Romy Drucker, the co-founder and CEO of The 74, said: Andy and Emmeline bring a wealth of experience understanding both education and the great potential of digital news platforms. They have a keen sense of the stories and trends inside Americas classrooms that matter most to our readers and we are excited to welcome them to our fast-growing media company.

Drucker also followed up to point out that The 74 is in the second and final year of a general operating support grant for the DeVos Family Foundation. Obviously, given Ms. DeVoss potential role in the federal government, The 74 will not be seeking additional funding for 2017 or beyond, Drucker said in an email.

Meanwhile, Rotherham says Real Clear Education will continue, with the RealClearPolitics team supporting it. And on Tuesday, Real Clear Education announced a new editor: Christopher Beach, who has been the executive producer of former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennetts radio show for the last seven years.

Ive had a front-row seat to the nations education debates and understand the urgency needed to improve educational outcomes for all Americans, Beach said in a message to the sites readers. At RealClearEducation, we will continue our work as the authoritative clearinghouse for all things education.
California Driver Going to Trial Over DWC: Driving While Caffeinated

While it may be common knowledge that caffeine is considered a drug, one California man may be facing an unheard-of DUI charge. After allegedly cutting off an officer from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, he was arrested for DUI. However, his breathalyzer results were clear of any alcohol. When his blood sample was taken, it also showed no trace of any drugs or alcohol, excepting caffeine.

The driver was arrested in August 2015, and the charges were not filed until June of 2016. While the district attorney in charge of prosecuting the case insists that the charges are not based upon caffeinated driving, the driver's attorney explains that there is no evidence whatsoever of drugs or alcohol in his client's system.

Drugged Driving

While most people might balk at the idea of someone getting a DUI for driving under the influence of caffeine, there may be certain times when it is appropriate. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant if it is taken in high doses. Generally, a person would need to consume quite a bit of caffeine to impair their ability to drive, but this does depend on the individual. Some individuals have no tolerance for caffeine, and therefore, a small amount could cause them to drive erratically and dangerously.

California's DUI laws, and every state's DUI laws for that matter, specifically include driving under the influence of drugs. The drugs in question do not have to be illegal drugs. For example, a person who is taking prescription medications that make them drowsy, or affect their ability to driver, can also be charged with a DUI.

Furthermore, not being over legal limit on an alcohol or blood test is not a complete defense to a DUI in California or many other states. Generally, if a prosecutor can prove that a person's driving ability was impaired due to being under the influence of a drug and/or alcohol, they can still be convicted. It is rather common for someone who is on medication, or has smoked marijuana, to be completely inebriated, but still below the legal limit.

Related Resources:
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Nevada Psychiatric Hospital Sued Again for Dumping Patients

The Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Nevada is facing a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of former patients that claim the hospital "dumped" them. Rawson-Neal is no stranger to these allegations and has faced lawsuits in the past over the practice. Additionally, it is estimated that Rawson-Neal has dumped nearly 1,500 patients by providing them one-way bus tickets to cities all across the country.

For those that don't know, when a hospital involuntarily discharges a patient rather than continuing to provide the needed treatment or a referral and transportation to a more suitable facility, this is called dumping.

Frequently, the practice is done in such a way that puts the patients at high risk of harm, and even death. There are countless documented incidents where hospitals discharge patients by sending them to other cities on busses, or simply dropping them off in another county on the side of the road. It is rather common that when a patient is dumped, they will end up homeless and in need of much more care than they would normally have required.

Greyhound Therapy

Rawson-Neal is again being accused of engaging in a specific form of dumping that is called Greyhound Therapy, which they have gotten in trouble for in the past. This refers to the practice of putting involuntarily discharged patients on busses to other cities, often thousands of miles away. In the latest case, Rawson-Neal allegedly put a patient on a bus with a note that instructed the patient to call 9-1-1 upon his arrival in the new city. The patient had no contacts, relatives, or connection to the city he was sent to. Another patient was placed on a bus and sent to a city with instructions to contact a specific hospital upon arrival, however, the patient was never able to do so.

The issue with dumping mentally unstable patients is that the hospitals that do so are avoiding their duty to provide appropriate medical care. Frequently, the patients that are dumped are homeless, low-income, or uninsured, and will lack the personal resources or network to get the help they need. Rather than arranging for the transportation from door to door, the hospitals just make sure that the patient is discharged in a place where they will not be returned to their hospital.

Related Resources:
Eight students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were suspended and were immediately withdrawn of their hostel facilities after they allegedly indulged in disrupting Academic Council (AC) meeting held on Monday.

The students were identified as two former students by university officials who resolved to take action against those found involved in the disruption before the situation goes out of control.

"Eight current student and two former students from JNU have been immediately suspended from academic activities and their hostel facilities have been withdrawn. In the meantime, a proctorial enquiry has been instituted. The action will stand till the enquiry is finished. Proctorial notices have been dispatched for the same," a senior university official said.

According to sources, there is clear evidence on the misbehaviour of the students and that action would be taken on that basis. Students broke open locks and entered the venue which were termed as "physical violence".

"This action was taken on the basis of a report of the security department, and on the basis of their admission (in a poster) that they broke open the locks and entered the venue. The VC is duty bound, therefore, to take action," the official said.

The university in a statement on Monday had said, "A group of unruly students broke open the latch of the meeting room after thumping the door, came inside and began to shout slogans at the Chairperson and the Academic Council members."

It also added that "The meeting at this time was already over and necessary decisions had been taken by the Academic Council." A statement by 20 AC members also said, "After the Vice Chancellor got up to leave the meeting, a group of students entered the hall shouting slogans. This occurred after the Vice Chancellor was already near the exit."

Students belonging to the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), Democratic Students' Union (DSU), Students' Front for Swaraj (SFS) and United OBC Forum had on Monday protested at the meeting venue demanding that the AC reconvene its meeting which supposedly "adopted" the UGC gazette notification of May 2016 making interviews the sole criterion of admission. Students had wanted to take the viva voce marks to be taken into account for the admission as just the interview might lead to discrimination.

JNU had in the recent past suspended few students namely Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and Mujeeb Gattoo - for their involvement in the February 9 event on campus where alleged anti-India slogans were raised, and withdrawn hostel facilities of several other students. Nevertheless, the decision was stayed by the High Court.

IIT Delhi and JNU Collaborate With MobiKwik for Mobile Wallet Provision for Digital Payments
About 15 people have been arrested after over 40 vehicles were stolen from a car dealership in Torrance, California.



The dozens of vehicles were stolen from an off-site lot used by a local Nissan-Infiniti dealership and taken over the course of several weeks, reports KTLA.

Workers at the dealership first realized what was happening after a police pursuit involving one of the stolen cars from the lot pointed to a theft.

According to managing general partner of Infiniti of South Bay and Nissan of South Bay, managing director Barry Wishengrad said Every night they were stealing a car or two, and then they got a little more brazen and they started stealing quite a few more.

It is reported that members of the brazened gang broke into the lockboxes attached to each vehicle to steal the keys and drive away.

Speaking of the thefts, Torrance Police Department Lt. Robert Watt said They were using them to commit other crimes. They are stripping them down for various parts. Theyre using them to joyride every once in a while, or theyre selling them to criminals that are using them in crimes themselves.

VIDEO
A Californian man is preparing to go to court after being charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of a drug for drinking caffeine.



The case has been described as unheard of by defense attorney Stacey Barrett who is representing the man, Joseph Schwab.

On August 5 2015, Schwab was charged with the DUI when driving home from work and after being pulled over by an agent from the California department of alcoholic beverage control. According to the agent, Schwab cut her off and was driving erratically, reports The Guardian.

In a breathalyzer test, Schwab had a 0.00 per cent blood alcohol level. A toxicology report then confirmed that Schwab didnt have cocaine, opiates, THC, carisprodol, zolpidem, oxycodone, MDMA or benzodiazepines in his blood. Nevertheless, he is preparing to head to court on January 11.

Speaking of the decision to pursue the matter, chief deputy district attorney said the charge for driving under the influence was not bad upon the presence of caffeine in his system.

According to Schwabs attorney, I have not been provided with any evidence to support a theory of prosecution for a substance other than caffeine at this time.

Nor I have received any statements, reports, etc documenting any ongoing investigation since the [toxicology report] dated 18 November 2015.

Consequently, Barrett has filed a motion for the case to be dismissed before it goes to trial.
Owners of certain Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan models should be aware that their cars brakes could malfunction under certain conditions.



The two vehicles, which are from the 2007 to 2009 MY, are already investigated by US safety regulators, as AutoNews reports, quoting Ford officials and the NHTSA. There have been three reported crashes related to this condition, but no injuries so far.

Opened on December 20, the probe shows that the sedans antilock braking system (ABS) may not work as it should when being driven on slippery roads, and over uneven or rough surfaces, increasing the distance required to stop them and rising the risk of a crash. In some cases, the brake pedal has been reported to go soft or go to the floor.

In the meantime, the Michigan-based automotive giant is cooperating with the feds in this investigation that covers the aforementioned vehicles, which used to be part of the massive Takata airbag inflators recall in the past, in addition to the 2010 and 2011 MY cars that were called back for an issue with their fuel tanks.

PHOTO GALLERY
Confirming last weeks report, GMs Chinese joint venture has been fined 201 million yuan ($29 million) by local authorities for monopolistic pricing.



Shanghai Daily reports that, after General Motors joined forces with SAIC Motor Corp, the company set minimum prices in 2014 on an array of models including the Buick Excelle GT, Chevrolet Trax and Cadillac SRX.

In an investigation conducted by Shanghais pricing regulator, it was discovered that SAIC-GM practiced online surveillance in order to ensure dealerships were charging the minimum amounts for its models. If they werent, they could be hit with penalties or a deduction in returned profits.

In a statement, General Motors said: GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We will provide full support to our joint venture in China to ensure that all responsive and appropriate actions are taken with respect to this matter.

The Shanghai regulator had been conducting similar investigations in 2011 and has previously targeted Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Audi.

PHOTO GALLERY
There's no question of ISIS batallion leader Abu Taha's guilt. But Taha's is a nom de guerre, so when Taha is executed for killing dozens of Iraqis, Malik Khamis Habib dies with him. Rotting in a jail cell, what is he thinking? Kim Dozier, returning to the middle east after being critically wounded there, interviews someone few would sympathize with but everyone can now understand.

Why did you join ISIS? I asked.

"Someone from my neighborhood came to me. He explained we must make a change, that Shias were hurting Sunnis."

Did you ever know a Sunni personally who was hurt by a Shia Muslim, I asked?

"No. Just rumors," he admitted. 

My translator pushed him to explain his role in dispatching car bombs. He later told me this brought back some bad memories for him, too. Sporting a 101st Airborne sweatshirt and reciting proudly the designation of the 3rd Infantry Division unit he'd also served, he explained he'd lost five U.S. battle buddies in a car bomb that hit his team years earlier. He'd been thrown 50 feet, escaping with a concussion, broken bones, and the sadness of a survivor. He knew this prisoner had dispatched such car bombs against Iraqis, and he too wanted to know why.

"What do you want me to say," the prisoner asked. "I destroyed myself. I destroyed my family."
If you missed (or were denied) the opportunity to get your name down on the list for a new Ford GT, it may be a while before you get your chance again. Fortunately examples of the previous version come up for sale all the time. But this may be the most noteworthy example weve seen yet.



What youre looking at is CP-1  the first confirmation prototype that Ford built for the GT, back in 2003. Though there were three display prototypes built before it (all of which remain in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearbon), this is the first runner, complete with functioning engine, drivetrain, and full interior.

As if that didnt make CP-1 special enough, it has some standout features that make it even more so. Chief among them is the carbon-fiber rear clamshell covering the engine compartment, which Ford later replaced with a more cost-effective aluminum unit for production when it realized it would cost $45,000 to produce.

It also bears the signatures of 13 members of the original team behind the retro supercar, including company chairman Bill Ford, designer Camillo Pardo, chief engineer Fred Goodnow, and the legendary Carroll Shelby.

Used extensively by development engineers, it has functional testing components fitted like a sniffer pipe for emissions testing, quick-release valves for the fuel tank, test connections and monitoring equipment, as well as airbags lifted from a Mustang and a steering column from a Windstar minivan. It also has the striking aluminum headliner and (at least some of) the aluminum rings in the seat, as Pardo originally envisioned, but were later dropped from the production version.

In 2008, long after development was completed, Ford sold CP-1 to noted collector Joey Limongelli  the guy who literally wrote the book on the Ford GT. Unfortunately the engineers fitted a 5-mph speed limiter on it, relegating it to display purposes only. But it can move under its own power into the garage and onto the whatever platform on which its being displayed.

Now consigned to Russo and Steele, GT #004 is set to cross the auction block in Scottsdale, Arizona, during the five-day sale set to take place January 18-22.

Reached for comment on its projected sale price, Russo and Steele spokesman Darin Roberge told us that its difficult to provide an estimate on a unique prototype such as this. However the same auction house sold the second confirmation prototype in Monterey this past summer for $836,000, and we wont be surprised to see this one sell for even more.

Photo Gallery
If youre a lover of DIY projects for your car and enjoy watching crazy builds and epic adventures, youve probably heard of both Mighty Car Mods and Roadkill.



Among YouTubes most popular automotive shows, the two may be simple but they are oh-so enjoyable to watch and finally, after years of hearing about it from begging fans, the two have collaborated on a special.

The first clip featured below features the Australian duo of Marty and Moog from Mighty Car Mods building a custom Subaru Impreza WRX ute for the gentlemen at Roadkill. David Frieburger and Mike Finnegan then hands the keys over to a bespoke 1969 Chevrolet Impala powered by a 489 big-block V8 delivering around 650 hp.

The builds alone are incredibly enjoyable to watch and things then get even better as the two cars go head to head in a number of performance tests.

If you have a spare hour and a half, watching both both is an excellent way to recover from all that Christmas day gluttony.

VIDEO
With just over 3 weeks until inauguration day in the U.S., outgoing President Barack Obama is rushing through with passing numerous automotive-related regulations before Donald Trump takes office.



Although Trump has remained relatively quiet about his views regarding current legislation, it is widely assumed that he will adopt a more relaxed approach to aid local manufacturing, most likely attempting to repeal or lessen regulations related to fuel efficiency and emissions.

Speaking with The Detroit News, a senior fellow for the independent Eno Center for Transportation, Jeff Davis, said the Obama administration appears to be accelerating the introduction of new regulations that could prove difficult to repeal when Trump takes up residence in the White House.

The most obvious example of this is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency looking to finalize future minimum mileage rules. Not too long ago, an automotive alliance representing the likes of FCA, GM, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen lobbied to have Trump roll back these proposed mileage regulations, and Ford has done the same.

Additionally, President Obama is working with the U.S. Department of Transportation to finalize a framework for self-driving vehicle testing and rules for connected cars. Many speculate that Trump may choose to also roll back protections relating to such automotive technologies.

PHOTO GALLERY
A man in Finland has been charged with attempted murder after ramming a police motorcyclist while riding his quad bike erratically.



Footage of the incident was captured by a camera affixed to the police motorcyclist and a police van following from behind. It shows the quad bike rider swerving across the road and ramming the police officer on two occasions.

In the first collision, the motorcyclist manages to remain upright but the quad bike rider then rams into him even harder, sending the motorcyclist toppling over and crashing along a steel crash barrier.

It is reported that the incident left the police officer with serious injuries and that he has been forced to leave the profession after losing feeling in his right arm.

Helsinki newspaper Iltalheti reports that prior to the collision, the quad bike rider was traveling at speeds in excess of 130 km/h (80mph).

Alongside the attempted murder charge filed against him, the quad biker has been slapped with assaulting an official and endangering road safety.

Defence lawyer Miikka Kunnari says the collision with the police motorcyclist was accidental.

VIDEO
Tesla and Panasonic are preparing to begin production of solar cells at a dedicated factory in Buffalo, New York.



In a recent statement, it was confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the two companies. Panasonic will pay for capital costs of the manufacturing and, on its part, Tesla has made a long-term purchase commitment to the Tokyo-based technology company.

The factory is currently under development by SolarCity in Buffalo, New York and when finished, will build photo-voltaic cells and modules for an array of roof products, including Teslas recently-announced solar glass tile roofs.

As part of a deal with the state of New York, SolarCity will invest $5 billion over 10 years into the new facility and hire almost 1,500 employees. In turn, New York state will commit $750 million to help build and outfit the Buffalo plant. According to The Detroit News, production at the site will commence in mid-2017.

PHOTO GALLERY
Heres the thing about classic cars: theyre always changing. As the years pass by, what was new becomes old  and potentially collectible.



So with 2016 drawing to a close and 2017 just days away, the classic car insurance and valuation experts at Hagerty have identified ten cars that are either classics now that are bound to increase even further in value, are slated to become future classics, or lie somewhere in between.

Theres something here for (almost) every budget, whether youre looking to spend $15,000 or over $2 million. So without further ado, here are Hagertys Top 10 Classic Cars to Buy in 2017, along with the average prices at which theyre trading hands in the United States today.

1. 2000-2006 BMW M3 ($20,000)

2. 1997-2004 Chevrolet Corvette ($15,000)

3. 1971-1972 Dodge Challenger ($18,300)

4. 1968-1970 Dodge Charger ($26,100)

5. 2003-2006 Dodge Viper ($50,000)

6. 2003 Ferrari Enzo ($2,300,000)

7. 1966-1977 Ford Bronco ($18,500)

8. 1970 Plymouth Superbird ($233,000)

9. 2007-2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS ($180,000)

10.1993-1998 Toyota Supra Turbo ($40,000)

As you can see, Dodge is best represented here, with three models  plus another from its former sister-brand Plymouth. But theres almost as many imports as there are domestics on this list, so whether youre into sport-utes, rice-burners, old-school muscle, or European exotics, Hagerty has you covered for the year ahead.

Photo Gallery
Due to its limited production number and impressive performance, the Plymouth Hemi Superbird has become a highly valuable collectors item.



And since its value is determined by its history, condition and previous certified sales, its not uncommon to see some examples fetch some pretty high prices.

Take this particular car, for instance: it might be almost five decades old, but it still has most of the original paint applied to it, except for the nose, which was resprayed due to the problems with the initial lacquer coating, and still has the factory Hemi decals.

Pushing it into exceptional territory, as the vendor states, are the A13 Superbird package aero components, tinted glass, 15-inch Rallye wheels, chrome exhaust tips, power steering and power front disc brakes. This classic also benefits from a wood-grain sport steering wheel, power windows, deluxe seatbelts, 6-way adjustable drivers seat and a premium black/charcoal interior.

Since its one of the most original and highly optioned Plymouth Hemi Superbirds known to exist, and with two owners since new, its expected to fetch up to $450,000 when it hits the auction block at Mecum next month in Kissimmee, Florida.

PHOTO GALLERY
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. With tech being the conduit for how our world ebbs and flows, you mustn't allow your skills on the web to get rusty. If you fall behind on gadget smarts, you might as well READ THE REST
Photo: Contributed Deanna Mildred Wertz, left, Ashley Simpson and Caitlyn Potts

Castanet is counting down Vernon's top five stories of 2016.

In third place is the disappearance of three women from the North Okanagan Shuswap.

It's been almost a year since anyone has seen Caitlyn Potts.

Potts was last seen on Feb. 22, and made contact with friends on social media Feb. 26, but has not been heard from since.

The 27-year-old First Nations woman was reported missing March 1.

Two months later, another North Okanagan woman went missing.

Ashley Simpson, 31, was last heard from on April 27 and then on July 22, Deanna Mildred Wertz, 46, was also reported missing.

Potts and Wertz were from the Enderby area, while Simpson was living in the Salmon Arm area.

Police said on the morning of July 19, Wertz went for a walk somewhere in the wooded area near her residence on Yankee Flats Road and has not been seen since. Wertz was an avid hiker and was known to go on lengthy hikes.

Initially, the disappearance of Potts and Simpson were not treated as suspicious by North Okanagan RCMP, but as time dragged on with no signs of the women, the Southeast District Major Crimes Unit took over both cases.

Ashleys typical communication with friends and family has ceased without explanation and investigators suspect that Ashleys disappearance may very well be the result of foul play, said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk in May when the SED took over the investigation.

Upon her disappearance, Simpson's family launched a social media campaign with pictures of her and a plea for any information.

Members of her family also travelled from Ontario to Salmon Arm where they handed out flyers.

Simpson is approximately 5-feet-5-inches tall, 119 pounds with brown eyes and hair.

Her aunt, Amanda Haveman, said Simpson also has the word 'Gypsy' tattooed on her left arm and a hummingbird and strawberries on her right arm.

In early June, members of the Splatsin First Nation held a day-long search for Potts.

Somebody has seen something and somebody can help, said Charlene Belleau, organizer and chief of the Esketemc First Nation.

On the day of the search, Potts' mother, Priscilla said she was really grateful for the support.

"Caitlyn's not even from this province but she's in our territory and (the community is) here to help," said Splatsin First Nation Chief Wayne Christian on the day of the search. "It's really important to show that we do care and something's got to be done."

Potts is described as approximately 5-feet-3-inches tall, 150 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

Police said the case is still being actively investigated.

Rose Simpson, Ashley's cousin, writes a monthly blog on the status of Ashley.

Anyone with information on the location of any of the missing women are urged to call police.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Some 33 per cent of Canadians who participated in a recent poll conducted by the Canadian Automobile Association admit they have texted while stopped at a red light in the last month.

That's despite tough financial penalties for distracted driving across the country in addition to the loss of demerit points.

Jeff Walker, the vice-president of public affairs at the CAA, says the numbers are troubling.

He says the effect of texting at a red light lingers well after the light turns green, making it a dangerous driving habit.

The survey also suggests that nearly 70 per cent of Canadians believe using their phone at a red light is unacceptable.

The CAA polled 2,012 Canadians for its survey. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

"It's socially unacceptable to drive drunk, and that's where we need to get with texting," says Walker.

"Attitudes are beginning to shift, but our actions need to follow."
Photo: The Canadian Press

The "beast" of a wildfire that charred Fort McMurray, Alta., was named Canada's biggest weather story of the year in an annual list compiled by the country's top meteorologists.

The list, which also includes the melting Arctic Sea ice and one of the warmest Novembers on record, was created by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and Environment Canada's chief climatologist, David Phillips.

The wildfire forced nearly 90,000 people to desert Canada's oilsands region and reduced thousands of homes to ash in early May, after unseasonably hot, dry weather.

"It was almost biblical," Phillips said.

The dry forest floor acted as kindling for the fire, and high winds blew the flames over highways and rivers. Flames shot high into the air.

The heat coming off of the fire  which burned between 800 and 1,000 C  produced twisting winds that turned into small tornadoes, Phillips said.

The fire also caused a dry thunderstorm, he said.

The wildfire, nicknamed "the beast" for its unpredictability, is the costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. There was an estimated $3.77 billion in claims as of mid-November.

Nobody died as a direct result of the fire, though two teenagers were killed in a highway crash south of the city.

Phillips noted that most of the top 10 weather stories had to do with this year's uncharacteristic warmth.

The heat exacerbated the fire in Fort Mac, and it led to the Arctic Sea ice hitting a new record low.

Phillips said that at the end of May, the Beaufort Sea is normally 92 per cent frozen. But this year, it was just a little over half ice-covered, and melting began a full month ahead of normal.

Last month was the warmest November on record and the 2015-16 winter season was also warmer than usual. In fact, it was the second warmest winter since country-wide records began in 1948.
Photo: Twitter

Massive numbers of dead starfish, clams, lobsters and mussels have washed up on a western Nova Scotia beach, compounding the mysterious deaths of tens of thousands of herring in the area.

Ted Leighton, an adjunct biology professor at Nova Scotia's University of Sainte-Anne, said social media photos showing bottom-dwellers strewn in the sand near Plympton, N.S., could be an indication that the phenomenon that has killed schools of herring in St. Marys Bay is possibly spreading to new species.

The retired veterinary pathologist has compiled more than 40 sightings of dead herring since late November, to shed light on an ecological puzzle that has stumped the scientific community.

The herring deaths were cause enough for concern, Leighton said, but now that new species have surfaced dead on a beach in Digby County, it's time to figure out "what's really going on."

"Were kind of in the dark, not from lack of trying, but from the complexity of the case," he said. "(There's) no firm data to rule anything in or out."

In mid-December, federal scientists said they had yet to determine what is causing the herring die-off, despite a battery of tests. Negative results have been reported for physical damage and several types of bacterial infections and viruses.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada said more tests were expected, including a check by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for toxins caused by algae, and the possible presence of domoic acid  a toxin sometimes found in shellfish.

Until scientists know what's killing the herring, it's hard to say whether other marine life could be vulnerable to the same forces, according to Leighton.

Leighton said the only trait the fish share is where they live  the bottom of St. Marys Bay  so the answer may lie near the sea floor. A lethal change in marine habitat, like toxic water contamination or lack of oxygen, has the potential to wipe out all life it touches, he said.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The increasingly divisive debate over pipelines, with the economic benefits and environmental concerns they carry, has been selected as The Canadian Press business story of the year.

In an annual survey of newsrooms across the country, pipeline development edged out another politically charged issue  real estate  by a single vote, a reflection of how the two stories competed for attention throughout 2016.

The year saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempt to strike a grand bargain of sorts: approving Kinder Morgan's expansion of Trans Mountain and the replacement of Enbridge's Line 3 while also pushing ahead with a national carbon price and rejecting Enbridge's Northern Gateway.

"In a debate between economy and the environment, the Trudeau government's decision has not only huge political implications, but has sparked debate and protests over the rights of indigenous peoples that tarnishes the Liberal brand," said Paul Samyn, editor at the Winnipeg Free Press.

The decision to green-light the Kinder Morgan proposal, which would see an existing pipeline that runs from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C., nearly triple its capacity, was Trudeau's most controversial.

The project has triggered protests, sparked legal challenges and tested federal-provincial relationships, themes that are likely to dominate the headlines next year.

"This is the year in which the rubber hit the road," said Benjamin Dachis, associate director of research at the C.D. Howe Institute. "This is the culmination of years of policy debate, of policy change."

From coast to coast, the question over whether to build more pipelines to access markets abroad confronted mayors, premiers and community leaders at almost every turn.

The review of the Energy East Pipeline also made news when it was aborted in August over concerns about conflict of interest involving the panel overseeing TransCanada's application to build the project. If built, the development would see crude shipped from Alberta to as far east as Saint John, N.B.

Another pipeline that appeared to be on its deathbed a year ago  the Keystone XL project  was given new life following Donald Trump's presidential victory in the U.S. last month. Trudeau said earlier this month he remains supportive of the pipeline, which would carry oil from Alberta to Nebraska.

The hot housing sector also earned the consideration of business newsroom leaders as politicians on every level took action in a bid to address prices that have spiralled to dizzying heights, particularly in Vancouver and Toronto.

"Is there a more important issue facing Canada's economy?" asked Noah Zivitz, managing editor of Business News Network.

"Real estate has served as a pillar while other economic drivers have fallen by the wayside. Yet that reliance on housing has only inflamed fears over household debt levels, barriers to entry, foreign investment, and the risk of a correction."

Real estate worries also resonated outside Canada's largest cities.

"Toronto and Vancouver may be the focus of discussion at a national level, and rightly so, but rising prices and limited choice are having an impact in markets across the country," said Ron DeRuyter, business editor at the Waterloo Region Record.

"Many Canadians fear they will not be able to buy a home; others feel bullied into paying more than they should pay. And the higher prices go, the more the spectre of a crash looms."
Photo: Kate Bouey

Efforts are being made to get eight residents back into their homes after a fire in one of the units of their building close to Vernon's downtown led to their evacuation on Monday evening.

However it may take a few more days.

We're doing what we can to get people back into their suites as soon as we can, said Vernon Fire Rescue Deputy Chief David Lind. Services are being restored and we are ensuring that it's safe.

A fire crew was able to keep damage to one bachelor suite in the six unit building on the 3700 block of 30th Avenue Monday evening.

The resident of that unit was found slumped down on a porch, unresponsive but breathing with a strong pulse, said Lind.

The individual was taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital but was released later that night.

That unit sustained an estimated $60,000 damage and is not liveable.

Meanwhile, two single mothers with children and four adults from the other units remain out of their homes and in a hotel provided under the local emergency services program.

However, on Thursday, the residents will have to find other accommodation if the units are not ready to move back into, confirmed Lind.

Electricity must be checked and a special machine brought in to scrub the air in those units, he explained.

While the fire department has wrapped up its on-scene investigation, the probe into what caused the blaze continues.

We have pictures we're going through and what we've collected from the site, said fire investigator Dean Wakefield. We're trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle.

Wakefield said the owner of the building may bring in a private fire investigator.

Meanwhile, a restoration company is dealing with repairs.
At Only Natural Pet, we believe products are only as good as the ingredients and care that go into them. Believe it or not, many pet products contain ingredients with known health risks in addition to unnecessary and inappropriate fillers. At Only Natural Pet, every product and ingredient are scrutinized for health and safety.
Donald Trump said today that U.S. telecommunications company Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs back to the United States from overseas, while he said another company OneWeb will add 3,000 jobs in the United States.

The Predator-elect said the deal "was done through" Japanese billionaire and technology investor Masayoshi Son, who is the CEO of Softbankwhich has a controlling stake in Sprint Corp.

"I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States, they are taking them from other countries," Trump told reporters outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

"And also OneWeb, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people. So that's very exciting," he added.



Never heard of "OneWeb" before, but okay.

Son and Trump have been at this for a while. Not sure how this benefits Trump Org, but we can rest assured that it does somehow.
Note: This blog contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.
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About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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MLO was astounded after the oppressive government of Zimbabwe deployed heavily armed soldiers driving in armoured war trucks to patrol the streets in the Bulawayo high density suburbs on christmas eve. We condemn these intimidating tactics and bullish behaviour.The army in full war gear and fingers on the trigger, was spotted driving menacingly slowly and aimlessly in the streets of Nkulumane, Makhandeni, Lobhengula, Pumula, Mzilikazi and Makokoba on 24 December spoiling the festive mood.MLO demands to know from the government of Zimbabwe currently led by Acting President Mnangagwa in the absence of the Chief genocidaire, President Robert Mugabe, as to what was the mission of the army and why it was only deployed in Matabeleland while people in Mashonaland were enjoying the festive season in peace without any disturbances? How much are people of Matabeleland a threat to state security when they have never harmed even a fly than the those in Harare who burned tyres and police vehicles, looted shops, beat and killed the police?It is on record that the Zimbabwe National Army and the people of Matabeleland are not in good books. Their motto says "Our swords are the shield of the nation." But in Matabeleland they have a history of using these swords not to protect or defend the people but to commit genocide and gory acts like rape, torture, burning homes, displacing and scattering the people of Matabeleland all over the world.MLO knows fully well that the Zimbabwe government and its army which is hell bent on reducing the population or totally annihilating Matebeles will never protect us. We know fully well that the army was deployed to intimidate the masses not to express their feelings on the issue of Matabeleland genocide and to suppress the voices demanding the restoration of the statehood of Matabeleland. The genocidists must learn from Victor Hugo's who once said, "no army can stop an idea whose time has come." The army has shamefully withdrawn to its barracks but the idea of re-establishing the statehood of Matabeleland remains intact and untouched. People of Matabeleland remain resolute and more determined to break the chains of oppression.We are also aware that during the absence of President Mugabe the government and the army is run by fellow Matabele haters and genocide perpetrators like VP Mnangagwa, Dominic Chinhenge(name used during Matebeleland genocide) aka General Constantine Chiwenga who recently changed his name again to Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga, Perence Shiri and others. We hope General Chiwenga knows that changing names will not protect him from prosecution for genocide crimes in Matabeleland.With political, military and economic power in the hands of genocide perpetrators and known human rights abusers who openly boast of having degrees in violence, the second genocide is always imminent and the lives of the civilians of Matabeleland are at risk. The fact that they are allowed to walk the streets and run the show while their hands are dripping with blood of innocent Matebele civilians gives them the licence and green light to continually intimidate, molest, torture and kill innocent people. Events similar to those seen in the streets of Bulawayo on christmas eve when people celebrated christmas at gun point will be the order of the day when murderers and rapists are in power especially when they receive massive cheering from their supporters in Mashonaland.When the lives of the people of Matabeleland who have gone through genocide, marginalisation, tribal segregation and domination are in danger, it is the duty of MLO together with the oppressed people of Matabeleland, to assemble 30 000 strong Matabeleland defence forces, 10 000 member police force, 5000 Central Intelligence Bureau officers and 5000 correctional services officers to defend and protect our political integrity. This was proposed by the President of MLO Cde Paul Siwela and needs to be implemented as soon as possible. All able bodied men and women from Matebeleland must answer to this call in due course at the most appropriate time.We urge all our citizens to be the eyes and ears for the revolution and spread the gospel of Matebeleland Statehood Restoration inside and outside the country and gear up to strike fear into the heart of our oppressors.Izenze kungamazwi!Israel DubeMLO Secretary for Information and Public Affairs.infomlo13@gmail.com
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Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

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..Tabletmag.com..26 December '16..Last Friday, New Zealand introduced a resolution in the UN Security Council that pronounced settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 to be illegal, a definition that includes the Western Wall, the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, and other historically-recognized parts of the Jewish State. While the United States made headlines by abstaining from the 14-0 vote, less attention was paid to the resolutions sponsorand to the dark history that lies behind a small South Pacific nations passionate feelings about a property dispute in the Middle East.New Zealanders are no strangers to settlementsor to the cavalier denial of the rights of an indigenous people in their historic homeland. Coincidentally or not, this December marks the 153rd anniversary of The New Zealand Settlements Act , which shows that the denial of indigenous rights, and the deliberate destruction of a two-state solution in favor of an illegal land grab, are the bedrock on which the modern state of New Zealand was founded. Given that history, and the current realities of New Zealands treatment of its indigenous Maori population, the countrys steering of a UN Security Council resolution pronouncing the Jewish connection to our historic homeland to be illegal passes well into the territory of historical denialism.
FRIENDS and family came from as far away as Canada to celebrate the golden wedding of happy couple Peter and Mary Glenister.

Peter Glenister, 71, and his wife Mary, 69, of Stag Lane ,Great Kingshill, were joined by 57 guests at their anniversary lunch at the Compleat Angler Hotel, Marlow, last Thursday.

Among the guests were family who had witnessed their wedding in 1951 as well as the couple's four children and 11 grandchildren.

"It was a wonderful day especially being able to share it with relatives and friends who came from all over Yorkshire, Devon and our nephew, another Peter Glenister, who travelled from Canada," said Mr Glenister.

"We are proud to say both the youngest and the oldest living Glenisters were in attendance our 18-month-old grandson Thomas and my 92-year-old aunt Olive."

Mr Glenister was born and bred in High Wycombe but met wife Mary, who is originally from Hazlemere, when she moved to Wooburn Green.

"A mutual friend introduced us when I was 19 and Mary was 17. Our first date was at the Old Parish Cinema in Frogmoor," said Mr Glenister. "Two years later we married at Wycombe Parish Church."

Mr Glenister worked in the insurance business and although he officially retired in 1989, continues to work at the family newsagents in Great Kingshill.

Mr Glenister's grandparents, Charles and Ann Glenister, of Flackwell Heath, were featured in the Free Press at their golden wedding in1939 and their diamond wedding in 1949.
Retail is expanding to the southern portion of the Magnificent Mile, propelled in part by the new Apple store going in on the river. Some experts expect the Mag Mile to jump the river, with retailers trying to capitalize on foot traffic between Millennium Park and the river. (Ally Marotti / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The Magnificent Mile's retail corridor is expanding south on Michigan Avenue, and Apple is paving the way with its new store, targeted to open in October.

The $27 million store is being built along the southern border of Pioneer Court at 401 N. Michigan, with its entrance overlooking the riverwalk. Once completed, the glass-enclosed store could be a tourist attraction and create a center of gravity close to the river.

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Expectations for vacant retail space surrounding the store are high, with some landlords waiting to lease until they know how rents will react.

"There's a very big expectation that Apple will be a major driver of traffic and in turn, retail will want to surround it," said David Stone, president of Stone Real Estate Corp. "The question is when and if (those expectations) will be realized."

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The epicenter of Michigan Avenue shopping has long been the north end, bolstered by the malls at 900 N. Michigan and Water Tower Place. That end of the avenue still draws the highest rents. Average rent rates between Oak Street and Chicago Avenue, including space in malls, are $379 per square foot, according to data from commercial real estate firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.

That drops to $350 per square foot between Chicago and Ontario Street, and to $330 per square foot between Ontario and the river.

Until about three years ago, bag-toting shoppers rarely ventured far enough south to see the river, said Gregory Kirsch, executive managing director at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.

"This end of the avenue was never retail," said Kirsch, standing in front of a window at 430 N. Michigan plastered with a "Leased" sign. "No one would go past Nordstrom. That's starting to change."

Kirsch is leasing agent for the retail portion of the Wrigley Building, exhibit No. 1 in the retail expansion south. The historic building has transformed since the chewing gum company's headquarters left in 2012, renovating its outdoor areas and adding a Peet's Coffee & Tea and a two-story Ghirardelli Chocolate shop. With Dylan's Candy Bar across the street, which opened in 2014, that stretch of Michigan Avenue is effectively sandwiched by sweets.

Ulta Beauty plans to move into the 11,500-square-foot store at 430 N. Michigan, which has been vacant since Walgreens moved to the Wrigley Building in 2014.

The future Apple store is under construction Dec. 2, 2016, at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. The store is targeted to open in October. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

"It's a landmark spot within the city, the area is buzzing with foot traffic and it presents a wonderful opportunity to interact with and attract new guests," Ulta Chief Financial Officer Scott Settersten said in a statement.

Next door, the Wrigley Building has available ground floor retail space, including the storefront vacated by Joel Oppenheimer Gallery, which had been a mainstay in the building for 20 years.

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And across the street, Tribune Tower's new owner, Los Angeles-based developer CIM Group, has plans to transform that historic property into a mixed-use redevelopment.

Zeller Realty Group, owner of the property Apple is building on and a minority owner of the Wrigley Building, also has first-floor retail vacancy in 401 N. Michigan.

"Tenancy and landlords have been waiting a little bit because everyone knows that something very different and dramatic is going to happen on the Tribune properties and ... (with) Apple," said Zeller Realty Corp. President Ari Glass.

Retail space is advertised for lease at the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue on Dec. 2, 2016, in Chicago. The Apple store under construction across the street is creating new expectations for vacant retail space. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

On the bank opposite the Wrigley Building sits the 452-room LondonHouse, which opened this year in the historic London Guarantee and Accident Building. The luxury hotel stretches from the third floor to the rooftop, sitting atop two floors of vacant retail space at the corner of Wacker Drive and Michigan.

Developer Oxford Capital Group is deploying patience in filling the space, said John Rutledge, founder, president and CEO of the Chicago-based company. It's in advanced negotiations to fill some of the space, but Rutledge won't say with whom.

He expects the Mag Mile retail expansion to jump the river, and push toward Millennium Park, the catalyst that set this retail expansion in motion. It draws millions of tourists every year, many of whom strut through that stretch of the avenue on their way from the park to the shops.

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Vacant retail space peppers that corridor. In addition to the space at LondonHouse, storefronts at 200 and 300 N. Michigan are advertising openings.

"We're in the middle of a pretty significant transition and Apple's a meaningful part of that," Rutledge said. "That will only help rents and momentum."

Starbucks senses that momentum. It opened two new stores in that stretch  one on either side of the street at 200 and 333 N. Michigan this year.

Retail space is available under the Blackhawks shop on the 300 block of North Michigan Avenue on Dec. 2, 2016, in Chicago. The Magnificent Mile's retail expansion is spreading south along the street. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

The coffee giant is betting there is enough traffic along that stretch that it wants to capture both sides of the street, said Todd Siegel, senior vice president at Chicago real estate firm CBRE. "That's a cue for all these other retailers," he said.

Retailers won't cross the river overnight. Siegel predicts restaurants will come first. It'll take at least a year, maybe two, before the retailers make it over.

"Retailers are getting savvy to the trend that's pushing south," he said. "The risk of making on a move on that prediction is less risky and somewhat mitigated when folks like Apple put the shovel in the sand."

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amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
Jackie Fegan, left, who lives in the Canaryville neighborhood of Chicago, brings in a return to be shipped and chats with UPS Store owner Carlos Maxwell on Dec. 27, 2016, at a UPS Store in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Holiday shoppers who enjoyed the convenience of fulfilling wish lists with a simple click of the "buy" button are learning this week that the return process for online purchases can still be a hassle.

E-commerce purchases can be made with little effort, but shoppers say the returns are almost never as straightforward.

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Lauren O'Connor would rather not have made the trip to a Near North neighborhood post office Tuesday morning. But she needed to return a dog bed and coat she bought online at Lands' End for her new puppy. Lands' End doesn't have a store near her West Loop home, so carting her online purchase back to a bricks-and-mortar location, as some shoppers do, wasn't an option.

That's how she found herself waiting with an unwieldy square cardboard box while struggling to find a pen to address the package, all without forfeiting her place in a growing line.

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"It's just a big hassle," she said.

Dealing with returns is a pain for retailers too, and one that's only getting bigger, said Chris Zubel, a managing director at real estate services firm CBRE.

Online sales are growing, and shoppers are more likely to return items bought over the Internet, Zubel said. That's because on-screen images don't always match what the item looks like in person, and consumers buying apparel often order the same item in multiple sizes or colors, intending to send all but one version back.

Estimates of the return rate for online purchases range from 15 to 30 percent, depending on the type of item purchased and who you ask, compared with 8 percent for all U.S. merchandise sales, according to a 2015 report from the National Retail Federation and software company The Retail Equation. The problem is worse over the holidays, when shoppers buy more gifts, apparently with mixed success. Overall merchandise return rates rise about 2 percent in November and December.

United Parcel Service sees a bump in shipping volumes throughout the month of January as customers return unwanted gifts, order items in exchange and spend gift cards, said spokesman Matthew O'Connor. But the first week of January is UPS' busiest period for e-commerce returns, tracked using the pre-printed shipping labels some retailers provide to make returns easier for customers.

The early-January flurry of activity is good news for shipping companies like UPS, which expects to ship about 5.8 million returns during the first week in January 2017, up from about 5 million the year before, O'Connor said. It's not such great news for the customers making extra trips to ship return packages, or retailers that have to figure out what to do with extra merchandise that comes back.

Most returns that were purchased online get returned to brick-and-mortar stores, as long as the retailer has a physical store that is convenient for the customer. Unless the returned item is unusually bulky or something not typically stocked in the store, that's often the best outcome for the retailer, which can put the item back on a shelf and try to sell the customer something else.

A UPS survey found 70 percent of online shoppers made an extra purchase when returning an item to a brick-and-mortar store, according to O'Connor. Only about 45 percent made an additional purchase when processing a return online and then shipping it back.

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Nearly 70 percent of retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation at the end of 2015 let customers return gifts purchased online to their stores, up from 57 percent earlier that year.

Many retailers  especially those that only sell online  are working to make it easier for customers to ship returns back. California-based startup Happy Returns opened return stations at two Chicago-area malls where customers of five online merchants can drop off returns and get an immediate credit. Other retailers provide customers preprinted address labels or cover the cost of mailing the item back.

Even though those efforts can cut into profits, Zubel said he hasn't seen retailers tightening return policies as online shopping has grown. Retailers weigh the cost of making returns as painless as possible against potential lost sales if customers are nervous about buying items they aren't positive they'll keep.

"The return policy becomes a competitive advantage," he said.

Some retailers are outsourcing returns to companies that specialize in taking back merchandise and squeezing as much value from them as possible, Zubel said.

Last year, FedEx acquired Genco, a logistics company that processes returns. UPS recently invested in Optoro, a software company that helps retailers and manufacturers handle returned and excess inventory.

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"It's a high-tech solution for how to connect items to the next best home," said Optoro co-founder and CEO Tobin Moore, whose company takes a cut of any money it helps retailers recover.

Depending on the item's condition, it might go back to the retailer to be sold again, returned to the vendor for a credit, sold to a liquidator or on a secondary market like eBay, recycled or donated, Moore said.

For every consumer irritated that an ill-chosen holiday gift comes with a bonus trip to the post office, others, like Jackie Fegan, of Chicago's Canaryville neighborhood, try to put it in perspective.

There was no line at a Bridgeport UPS Store Tuesday morning when she arrived to send a smart watch she'd given her son for Christmas back to Amazon. A friend talked him into using the money to fund a college spring break trip, she said.

Had she bought it at a local store, the return still would have required a trip. The day before, she'd spent 20 minutes in line at Target amid shoppers looking for post-Christmas deals.

"This is so much easier," Fegan said.

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lzumbach@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @laurenzumbach
A Roti Moden Mediterranean restaurant is seen Dec. 28, 2016, at 80 E. Lake St. in Chicago. The company has been hit with a lawsuit alleging it has been printing too many customer credit card digits on receipts. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Two consumers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Roti Modern Mediterranean, claiming the chain prints too many digits of customer credit card numbers on sales receipts, a practice they say puts diners at risk for identity theft and credit card fraud.

The complaint, filed Dec. 16 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that Roti is violating a federal law prohibiting companies from printing more than the last five digits of a debit or credit card on a sales receipt. Roti allegedly printed the first six and last four digits.

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"Somebody would only have to figure out those other six digits to have a full card," said Paul Markoff, partner at Markoff Leinberger, the firm representing the plaintiffs in the case.

Roti is a fast-casual restaurant that serves Mediterranean food. It operates 12 locations in Illinois, with one more set to open soon, according to its website.

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The two plaintiffs named in the case are Illinois residents Cooper Lindner and Kim Smith, both of whom used Visa cards to make a purchase at Roti in July. Smith and Lindner's receipts displayed 10 digits, according to court documents.

The information identity thieves are most interested in getting their hands on are full, 16-digit credit card numbers, said Jim Speta, a professor at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law.

It's unclear whether printing five digits would keep consumers safer than printing six, for example, but the theory is "more digits increase the risk of identity theft," he said.

Thieves can use the 10 credit card digits to persuade the consumer to turn over more sensitive information, the complaint alleges. It's also easier for them to guess six digits than the 11 that the law states should be blocked out.

This is not the first iteration of the lawsuit. Lindner and Smith first filed a suit in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois, Eastern Division, in July, bringing similar allegations against Roti.

The Chicago-based restaurant chain moved to dismiss the case, saying that the first six credit card digits are "the numeric equivalent of the card's issuing bank," and that no harm came from printing those digits.

Those numbers do relate to bank information, said Ed Haag, president of Schaumburg-based consulting firm Undo Identity Theft, but he said printing them should be a concern for banks and consumers.

"It's one more hurdle (the banks) have to protect against because it could give (identity thieves) some type of access," Haag said.

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Ultimately, Lindner and Smith filed documents to dismiss the case in federal court. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in another case that damage must have been done for the case to have a standing in federal court. Since neither Lindner nor Smith's identities had been stolen, they decided to move the case to state court, Markoff said.

The suit could represent more than 100 people, Markoff said. The plaintiffs asked the court to certify a class for the suit, bar Roti from printing more than the last five digits of credit cards on receipts, and require Roti to pay damages.

Roti CEO Carl Segal said in a statement that the plaintiffs' claims still have no merit.

"There have been no allegations that anyone's credit card information was ever compromised and Roti is not aware that anything like that happened," he said. "We will vigorously defend this lawsuit."

Other companies that have been accused of violating the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act and printing too many numbers on receipts include Costco and Burger King.

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

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Another Reason why Southern Cameroonians MUST and should go their Separate Ways from La Republique Du Cameroun :: CAMEROON

Reading through certain scholarly documents of the IMF, World Bank and some other well renown US Research Analytical findings, I was forced to notice a few statistics that would make even the most erudite "Anglophone CPDM" apparatchik rethink his allegiance to that Party in opposition to the aspirations of the good people of Southern Cameroons.

There are 120 Public Sector Entities and Enterprises in Cameroon. I will spare you the "Anglophone hierarchical top echelon composition/appointments or lack there-of" details in this mail as others can tackle more effectively that aspect of it. These State Owned Enterprises (also known as (SOEs) are subdivided into Wholly Owned Public Corporations and Semi-Public Parastatal Corporations.

In their administrative "Official" books, all of them act with Joint Public/Private Partnership and Ownership. Cameroon. Government by statutes, own majority (if not ALL) Equity Stake in all these companies. The 10 most prominent of these Corporations center around strategic sectors: Energy, Telecommunications, Agriculture, Transportation and Health Care.

Other than CDC, "Anglophones" in these entities have either been forgotten as citizens or have been relegated to the "House-Boy/girl" status that most Francophones have (usually in their minds) classified their "Paysans" couterparts. If you doubt what I am saying; google SNI (Societe Nationale d'Investissement) which controls the bulk of all "Companies" in Cameroon and tell me how many "Anglophones" you find working there (even as "plantons or security guards"); talk less of SW based conglomerates like SONARA, SCDP and even the Ports Authority. All na daso French.

For the sake of time and space (this is not an academic document where you would be expecting the traditional flow with Introduction, synthesis and all other yeye jargon to confuse peepoo)...I will limit this "analysis" using mboko style and langua to the six most prominent Cameroon Corporations. Why should I write following the diktats of academcians? Na dem send me for study 4 University of Nkwen Motor Park? Teep ting them all. Wuna don see wetin? Anyways...Back to the langua:

1) CDC (Cameroon Development Corporation)...an agricultural industrial enterprise which acquires, develops and operates extensive plantations of tropical cash crops. It is the 2nd largest employer after the Government with a workforce of approximately 32,000.

Created by the British Government in Southern Cameroons. It was originally based in TIKO, its Head quarters has been moved to Douala.

2) SODECOTON: Agri-based located in Garoua. Has a work force of 4593 (heavily French influenced)

3) CAMTEL: Telecommunications giant based in Yaounde. Completely mismanaged company that has not had a single balance-sheet for more than ten years.

4) SONARA: Oil and Gas Refinery (Exploitation and distribution of petroleum products) Also known as the "Bread Basket" of Cameroon. Most of government revenue is derived from sales of its crude oil and other refinery products. Employs approximately 2490 (directly or indirectly through contracts. Originally head-quartered in Limbe, but for reasons only known to the authorities in Cameroon, the head office has been moved to Douala (where taxes are paid).

5) PAMOL: Another "Anglophone" Agro-Industrial giant. Initially, it was under CDC management but again the Government decided to transfer it under separate management with another Agri business entity, SOCAPALM & DELMONTE. PAMOL was initially based in Tiko, SW Region, then moved to Lobe, Ndian Division and to its present "Francophone location of (Dizangue???/I am not too sure about this info) in the Littoral Province. Founded by British entity called Unilever, it is presently owned by Cameroon Government 78%, CNPS 18%, SNI 4%, Socapalm 2.7%, Safacam 1.6%. It employs approximately 2344 people (most of them laborers earning less than 50 cents/day.

6) CAMPOST: This Cameroon Postal services Agency has a work force of 1250 and is based in Yaounde. It is a very incompetent and mismanaged company heavily considered a cash-cow for certain well connected Government fonctionaries.

A cursory and unprofessional look and what you can infer from these statistics is that generally, the bulk of the wealth of Cameroon is generated from Southern Cameroons and specifically from the SW Region.

According to the same IMF document (that I am quoting from b4 some go digging archives to eventually accuse Mishe of "copy-work") in their yearly Global Competitive Report, Cameroon Government received a VERY POOR Rating amongst even smaller and poorer Sub-Saharan African countries in terms of Management, Quality of Infrastructure, Economic Productivity and Performance. Cameroon's Road network is so bad that it is being described as belonging to the medieval age; Air Transportation is a complete nightmare, Electricity delivery is very poor. Most of the 120 Para-Public Corporations realized a cumulative loss in 2015 while the State's net Fiscal Transfers declined almost 32% in 2014. Subsidies on the contrary rose significantly.

A lack of "Time-Sensitive-Data" prevents even the most astute International Accountants or Financial Controllers to have a sound understanding of the Accounting Practices in Cameroon bureaucracies. It is so cumbersome and shrouded in unnecessary secrecy. There are no "PSOs" or Public Service Obligations in Francophone governance. This prevents any assessments of the evolution of contingent liabilities.

Which brings me back to the rhetorical question at the top.

Why would any sane individual (Southern Cameroonian) who wants to bequeath something or anything positive to their progeny accept a status quo of open Theft, Graft, Incompetence, Lack of Accountability, Jungle Governance or Government by Anyhow, For Anyhow, By Man Know Man, Chop broke Pot, Le Cameroun c'est le Cameroun...that the present Yaounde Francophone authorities are unleashing to their poor desperate "uninformed" citizens.

Why would anyone with any modicum of dignity left in them, see all these blatant short-comings and still subscribe to a status-quo of "Wetin Man Go Do?". The Francophone UNC/CPDM leadership of Cameroon for the past almost 60 years has been a complete catastrophic failure, navigating the entire Anglophone and Francophone citizens of both entities in a very wrong direction and methinks it is time to say:

ENOUGH of this Foolishness. YES!! We Southern Cameroonians came voluntarily and joined them (Francophones) BUT they have shown that they are totally incapable ad bereft of basic ideas of proper governance....and that to me is ENOUGH REASON TO BROKE THE MARRET once and for all and make any man go yi separate ways.
Seung-Whan Choi, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor, is photographed Dec. 28, 2016, in his Clarendon Hills home. Choi is suing UIC claiming he has been discriminated against due to his Korean ethnicity. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

An international relations professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago has filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging he was discriminated against because he is from Korea.

Seung-Whan Choi's lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims that after the Korean-born U.S. citizen was fired from his tenure-track position at UIC in 2011 and reinstated months later, he experienced years of discrimination and retaliation due to his race and national origin.

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Choi alleges that he was ostracized and denied raises comparable to his peers in the department of political science. Choi also said he was forced to teach courses in statistics for which he is not qualified because, one department official said, "Asians, especially Koreans are very good at mathematics and statistics," according to court documents.

Additionally, Choi claims in court documents that he was forced to teach a course in Korean politics, despite having no formal education in the field.

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In 2015, then-department head Dennis Judd changed an undergraduate student's grades without consultation with Choi, the suit says. When Choi asked Judd about it, the lawsuit alleges that Judd said Choi, "as a foreigner, has to keep in mind who he is dealing with and what he is wishing for," and that Judd "knows that many Koreans are stubborn and do not understand American culture of compromise when dealing with their boss."

Among other complaints, Choi also alleges he was wrongfully accused of being lacking in academic contributions and not providing sufficient service to the department, and was denied a promotion to full professor, according to the lawsuit. UIC's website lists books published by Choi in 2005 and 2016, and a nine-page curriculum vitae with several citations.

"They don't like Korean-Americans," Choi told the Tribune on Wednesday. "I'm supposed to be very submissive to the department head, who is white-American."

Choi claims he has no future with the department and that the situation has caused him anxiety and high blood pressure and has hurt his ability to be a good husband and father. "It's frustrating and sometimes I just don't want to go to work, because of ... the bad and dirty politics within the department," he said.

In October, the Clarendon Hills resident filed a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a few days later received a "right to sue" notice, according to the lawsuit.

Choi's attorney, Uche Asonye, said the plaintiff has not determined how much in punitive damages, attorney and court fees he is seeking.

Neither the university nor political science department head Evan McKenzie could immediately be reached for comment.

crshropshire@chicagotribune.com

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For our final look at Chicago theater of 2016  our winter preview follows soon  here, in chronological order, are 10 unforgettable moments.

In Dominique Morisseau's moving drama "Sunset Baby," seen last winter at the TimeLine Theatre, a veteran fighter of the black power movement was explaining himself to his angry daughter. The role of the father was played by the remarkable Phillip Edward Van Lear. The character was trying to say that in order to protect the movement from its myriad external enemies, there had to be defense mechanisms. He was trying to explain that those necessary walls did not help with parenting the next generation. "Love became a liability," the deeply emotional Van Lear said, staring at actress AnJi White and digging deep into his heart. "It costs too much to be open." There was silence in the theater except for the sound of the beating pulse of empathy.

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Philip Dawkins' lovely play "Le Switch" featured an older gay character  played at About Face Theatre by Mitchell Fain, an actor who embodies the authority of experience. He was explaining to a younger friend (played by Stephen Cone) on the cusp of marriage why some in his generation of gay men had not themselves felt the need to marry to express their mutual commitment. "Do me a favor. Be patient with your elders, won't you?" Fain's character said. "If we don't jump for joy at your gay liberation, it's not because we don't love it, it's because we don't recognize it." It was a moment to realize how much depends on the moment of our birth, and how the young often fail to understand the experience of their elders.

For Act 2 of Jose Rivera's epic new play "Another Word for Beauty" at the Goodman Theatre, designers Andrew Boyce and Emily Rebholz had the tough assignment of re-creating a beauty pageant inside a Colombian prison. The actual pageant  as rich in irony and complexity as in gowns and feathers  was a visual stunner at the core of an intensely ambitious and audacious play about the objectification of women but also the pull of glamour and the importance of self-worth.

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The Belarus Free Theatre, visitors as part of the Shakespeare 400 festival centered at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, brought "King Lear" in February. To create the famous storm scene  which often is accompanied by bombast and technology  the Belarusians used merely a tarp, a bit of water and the energy of their own voices. Yet you saw the raging storm as surely as if you were standing outside in the wind and the rain. It was a stunningly human moment of high-stakes art.

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For the February opening of its dazzling new theater in Glencoe, Writers Theatre prepared a gala that focused on its main asset  the Chicago actor. At the end of the night, scores of actors took the stage. Many were former Chicago-based actors who had flown in from New York for the occasion. It was a vivid and moving reminder of the talented individuals whose work was found all year on our stages. And it was impossible to watch without realizing that, to a very great extent, the Chicago actor is the Chicago theater.

On a Tuesday night in Chicago in early March  far removed from any press night or New York opening  actress Jackie Burns delivered a searing performance as the lead character in the touring production of the Broadway musical "If/Then" that was anything but quotidian. It was, in short, the work of a consummate professional bringing the goods at every performance. Her work showed how much she cared.

The fearless Second City e.t.c revue "A Red Line Runs Through It" featured the omnipresent smiling visage of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, with the city's leader staring down at the show as if he were George Orwell's Big Brother. That took guts, but it was the hallmark of a superbly sophisticated piece of political theater.

In Anne Kauffman's fantastic Goodman Theatre production of Lorraine Hansberry's "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window," Miriam Silverman played Mavis, a bourgeoise sister of the lead character, a West Village bohemian. Silverman's mostly miserable character unspooled her pain in a devastating monologue. "In this world," her Mavis said, "there are two kinds of loneliness. With a man and without one." And then she disappeared into the street.

At the life-affirming midyear collaboration between The Second City and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, "The Art of Falling," audiences watched a Second City guy check out his pants in a mirror. His reflection was played by a Hubbard Street dancer possessed of a beautifully toned dancer's body, ripping with muscles. "What do you think?" said the guy to his girlfriend in the sketch. "I think that's a really good mirror," she replied. It was the funniest line of the year.

And on a night in November, the Chicago cast of "Hamilton" changed their curtain call to reflect one of the happiest events of 2016  the World Series triumph of the Chicago Cubs. "Go Cubs Go" sang the cast of the biggest show of the year (and likely several years to come), even though most of them hail from New York. So what? They had absorbed the spirit of Chicago.

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May you find the spirit of 2017, dear readers. Happy new year!

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ChrisJonesTrib

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
"After school was the worst time," says Eric Robinson.

"Sometimes I would just take long walks and breathe, and take long, deep breaths because I wouldn't know what I was going to do.

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"I would call a bunch of people and try to find a place to stay, or sometimes I didn't call anybody.

"I would sit up all night. I would just sit there and worry about myself and wait until the next day of school."

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Eric, at 15, was one of thousands of homeless young people living on their own in the Chicago area. When the doors of Niles Central High School in Skokie opened each morning, he would enter with the other students, his body flooding with relief to be back in a place he belonged.

"His story is unfortunately not all that unusual," says Joy Cheng, a longtime social worker who worked with Eric at Niles Central. "What makes this story unusual is Eric."

Two weeks ago, Eric, now 18, crossed a stage at Chicago's Union League Club as part of another group of students: the freshly minted graduates of the French Pastry School, one of the city's most well-regarded culinary schools. Improbably, at the end of his long, harrowing walk through homelessness, Eric found himself accepting a diploma from a pair of grinning French chefs in front of a lavish Christmas tree, while relatives and friends wept discreet tears of joy in the background. It was hard to say what was more surprising: the new world he found himself in or what it took to get him there.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Eric Robinson, center, looks at his certificate, after graduating from the French Pastry School on Dec. 16. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Eric started life with more than his share of challenges. He and his siblings, Tevin and Helen, spent some time in foster care but, from the time Eric started kindergarten, were raised by their mother, Denise, a nurse's aide. Denise settled her family in Skokie to get her kids into suburban schools. "I wanted the best for my babies," she says. Making ends meet was always a challenge, but Eric says he remembers it as a happy time. His mom would come home from work around the time he got out of school, he says, and cook dinner. On holidays, she would buy a cheesecake for dessert, because it was Eric's favorite.

"Everything was good at that point in my life" he says. "Then stuff started to change."

As her children grew into teens, says Denise, the family's life became more chaotic, with her older children struggling and an unhealthy relationship with a partner. "There was a lot of turmoil going on that the family had to cope with," says Cheng. "There was a lot of stress that his mom didn't have a lot of control over, and neither did Eric."

All three Robinson kids attended Niles Central, a therapeutic school for students who can't handle a standard high school environment. "Every one of our students has an unstable home situation," says Elizabeth Dribin, who taught Eric math and English. "I always tell students, 'Let us help you. Let us in.' But it's so hard for them to trust. It was hard for Eric to trust too."

It took an incredibly painful breakthrough to change that. "Truthfully," Dribin says, "I think the biggest turnaround was when he went homeless."

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In the summer between his sophomore and junior years, Eric's family continued to disintegrate around him. His mother had medical issues that would eventually result in a need for a hip replacement, his siblings were spinning out of control and "the family lost their housing," says Cheng. Though Denise searched for another place around Skokie, she couldn't find one and was forced to double up with family on Chicago's South Side.

"We had to leave," says Denise, "and Eric, he was determined not to come. He wanted to finish school in Skokie, and he told me if I was to get him a transfer, he wasn't going to go back to school."

"My mom said that she was moving," Eric says. "She wanted me to go with her, but I made the decision to tell her no."

Denise says her kids, raised in the suburban environment, were afraid of city neighborhoods. Eric saw other dangers. "I knew the influences and all the people, and I told her that environment wasn't the best for me. I couldn't make it around that environment." His anxiety swirled around the thought that he might end up dropping out of school.

"My mom moved me to the suburbs, so that I could see how other kids succeed in life," he says. "And that made me want to succeed and made me stronger. It made me look out there and think, 'You're going to have to do a lot to make a name for yourself.'"

Denise, already overwhelmed, pondered what to do. Though friends and relatives urged her to "just make him come," she didn't want things to go that far. "I did try to come get him," she says, "and he refused. I didn't want to have police involvement or anything like that. I kept saying we have to find somewhere for you to go, because you can't be staying on the streets."

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In the end, Eric promised her he would go to school every day. A friend said he could stay at his house. And mother and son parted ways.

His only remaining link to home was phone contact with his mother. "My mom would text me every morning," he says. "She's still there, a part of me every day. So I know for a fact my mom didn't just get up and leave me; she didn't abandon me. She didn't mean it like that. I mean, things happen in life. Certain people go through stuff that you can't really explain."

Denise would ask if Eric was going to school, if he had everything he needed. "He'd say, 'I've got somewhere to go,'" she says, "but I know there were some nights that he didn't."

The promise of a bed at his friend's house soon fell through, leaving him searching for a safe place to sleep. Like most homeless teens, he was fearful that the police or the Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) might intervene if people found out he wasn't with his mom, and kept the nightmare to himself for months.

"I was still scared," he says, "but it hit me in my heart that I had to man up."

The school Eric had been determined not to leave behind, Niles Central, was in the end his saving grace. Though many homeless teens struggle to come to school at all, he attended faithfully, which is why the students and staff began to notice that he was wearing the same clothes day after day. And that he wasn't showering regularly. Ashamed, he continued to keep quiet, until confronted by a teacher. "As soon as I opened up," he says, "people would be helping me because they wanted to. They seen what a good person I was, and how every day I came to school and showed that I wanted to better myself. That showed me I had to keep moving on, because they trusted me with their hearts."

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The care Eric received from the school staff gave him more determination to keep going. And his gratitude and determination inspired them. Teachers remember him trying to mentor other students who became homeless, putting in a good word for a student who seemed like a troublemaker, or pointing out to other kids how much time and energy the staff put into caring for students. "We've seen kids in all kinds of situations" says Dribin, "but he's one of a kind. He can see the good in everybody, and he's put things into perspective for a lot of the staff here. He has changed my life in so many ways.

"They say it takes a village to raise a kid," she says. "This is really a case where you can see that village coming together for Eric."

At Niles Central, teachers started each day by checking whether Eric had a place to stay for the night. They had the school van pick him up wherever he happened to be each morning  sometimes a different location each day. Quietly, they made sure he got haircuts, kept his cell phone service up, gave him sneakers.

"I didn't ask for it," Eric says. "But sometimes I would feel like people are helping me like this because they know what it is to struggle and what it means to help somebody, the happiness they receive from helping somebody. Pretty much the whole school watched over me and took care of me."

When Eric mentioned that he was looking for a summer dishwashing job to help keep himself afloat, a social work intern at Central, Flora Lazar, had a better idea. Lazar knew chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Cannone, founders of the French Pastry School, and decided to call them to ask if they would help set Eric up with a dishwashing post at a good restaurant.

"When we heard what he was going through," says Pfeiffer, "we were like, 'We're taking this kid on board. We're creating an internship, so in the summer he doesn't get in trouble or whatever.' It would have been a crime not to do something."

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"I didn't know I was interested in pastry at first," says Eric. "But I was excited." To make sure he nailed his commute from Skokie to the school in downtown Chicago, Cheng rode the train with Eric the first time.

"He was overwhelmed by all of this," says Pfeiffer. "He didn't know how to react, and I said, 'Just come, see if pastry is for you, then go back and finish high school, and maybe we'll meet again.'"

"I told him you just go and try it," says Denise, "And you never know, this might be your passion. After the first day, he called and told me, 'Mom, I love it. This might be my passion.'"

When Eric returned to Niles Central for his senior year, he was once again staying with friends. But he had something new to think about. "He had imagined something better for himself," says Cheng. "The internship really opened his eyes to really a whole other world that he had no experience with. It really expanded his world enormously."

Pfeiffer and Cannone had seen Eric's gratitude and hard work firsthand, and so were prepared to take the next step. When spring rolled around, they gave Eric a call. "They said, 'How would you like to come to the French Pastry School?'" Eric says, "and I said, 'Doesn't it cost a lot of money?' That was the first thing on my mind. But they said they were going to work it out, and they did."

Thanks to Pfeiffer and Cannone, and Cheng's dogged help with scholarship applications, Eric was able to enter the French Pastry School's Art of Pastry program in July. With scholarships and a student loan, he was able to meet the $23,700 tuition for the six-month program. The father of a former student offered to subsidize his living expenses, and a fellow student offered to take him on as a roommate in his downtown apartment. Pfeiffer, a partner at artisan bakery La Fournette, secured him a part-time job there.

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"I did have a little bit of worry," says Cheng, "because it's such a different world. There are so many different kinds of people there, and the standards are extremely high. I think any 17-year-old might struggle with that."

At first, the program did seem a bit overwhelming. "He had to learn everything," says Pfeiffer, "but I told everyone, 'Be patient with him  he's just a kid.'" Week by week, he learned a chemistry lab's worth of ingredients, as well as new techniques, and he discovered new favorites  like macarons, the delicately textured, classic French filled cookie, which he brought to his mother, so she could have a taste of his new life. "They are so good," she says.

Eric is also fascinated with the endless shapes and types of bread produced at La Fournette, where he now has a full-time job. He practices tempering chocolate and making pastry during his free time, and is determined to one day master his pastry-school nemesis, cake decorating. (He's still shaking his head over the fondant flowers that didn't come out the way he envisioned them.)

"My original goal was to own a bakery of my own one day," he says, "but for now I want to work at the bakery and just learn more for a few years." He and his roommate are planning to look for a new apartment together in a few months.

Pfeiffer has pledged to watch his progress closely. "We are his new support system now," says the chef, "and we plan to keep it that way for a while."

It's a welcome expansion of the family that has grown up around Eric. His mom, who stays in touch daily, is now living in Dolton with Eric's sister, Helen, a student at Malcolm X College. Brother Tevin is a student in Bloomington, Ill. Cheng, Dribin and the rest of the staff at Niles Central won't forget Eric any time soon. "Eric is a big deal at our school," says Dribin, "the kid we talk about when we have high hopes for another kid: 'Maybe he could be like Eric ...'"

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Those who know Eric best point out that giving help and receiving it can sometimes be the same thing.

"There have been a lot of days," says Cheng, "when having Eric in my life was the thing that helped me keep going in the face of much harder situations, made me want to help the next kid."

"It means a lot," says Eric, "for people to be there and not give up on you. And I just have a feeling that these people are going to be there in my life for a while."

cdampier@chicagotribune.com

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Marc Buslik, Chicago Police Department 19th District Commander, discusses the department's body camera policies and demonstrates their use on Dec. 28, 2016, at the district headquarters. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune) (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Amid city budget woes, continued mistrust of police in minority communities and an ongoing federal investigation into police practices, Chicago police announced a plan to equip patrol officers with body cameras in every police district a year earlier than initially planned.

The move means that by the end of 2017, the chest-mounted devices will become a new watchful eye over Chicago police officers and those they encounter.

Just months after police first revealed plans to expand a 2015 body camera pilot program into all 22 police districts by the end of 2018, City Hall and the Police Department announced on Wednesday an accelerated plan to outfit thousands of patrol officers with the new AXON II cameras and training by late 2017.

"The citywide use of body worn cameras within the Chicago Police Department will provide a greater sense of self-awareness to both officers and the individuals that they interact with," police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a news release announcing the change.

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After starting with the pilot program in the Shakespeare District on the Northwest Side, about 2,000 cameras are now in use in seven police districts, but officials didn't have a precise timetable for when the cameras would hit the streets in the remaining 15 districts.

Use of the cameras ramped up after the public outcry over the release of 2014 squad car video showing Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times as the teenager, who was holding a knife, was walking away.

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"Body cameras, while not a panacea, are a win-win for officers and the public," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in the same announcement. "They provide a firsthand look at the dangerous situations officers encounter on a daily basis, and improve transparency while building trust."

In recent months, the mayor made the use of body cameras and the hiring of hundreds of new officers the cornerstone of a new public safety strategy to lower skyrocketing shootings and homicides and restore public trust in law enforcement that had been shaken by the deadly police shootings of McDonald and 18-year-old Paul O'Neal.

Marc Buslik, Chicago Police Department 19th District Commander, discusses the deparment's body camera policies and demonstrates its use at the district headquarters on Dec. 28, 2016. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

The move comes as the U.S. Department of Justice continues examining police policies and procedures in the wake of the 2015 release of the McDonald video.

Body cameras have been championed by community activists and civil libertarians as a way of monitoring possible police misconduct, while critics say it could violate the privacy of working police officers. But they aren't foolproof. Police were criticized in late July when a body camera worn by a Chicago officer who fatally shot O'Neal was not operating  and didn't capture the pivotal moments of the foot chase and shooting behind a South Shore home. An autopsy determined that O'Neal, who was unarmed, died of a gunshot wound to the back.

Town Hall District Cmdr. Marc Buslik, who oversaw the implementation of the body cameras while working in the Shakespeare District, suggested that the officer who shot O'Neal may have been still getting used to the device as his district had only begun using body cameras when the shooting occurred. He added that the department adopted body camera policies backed by the federal officials.

"Our policies were originally based on best practices of the Justice Department," said Buslik, who had also acted as the department's liaison with the Justice Department during its investigation. "We knew what they were likely to be looking for in terms of policy. We're very comfortable with our policy, and any other commentary from the DOJ will be favorable."

The commander said he didn't know the status of the federal investigation, and a spokesman for Chicago-based U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon , whose office is aiding in the Justice Department probe, declined to comment.

After the announcement of the body camera expansion, Buslik and officers at the Town Hall District in Lakeview demonstrated how the flip-phone-size camera can be clipped on to an officer's bulletproof vest and switched on to record video and audio.

Officers using the body cams will turn on the cameras at the start of every tour and activate them "only" as they encounter citizens, Buslik said. At the end of each shift, footage of the officers' cameras will be downloaded into a hard drive. The mass of video footage will be managed by the department's public safety information technology staff, who also manage all of the department's police audio-visual infrastructure, the commander added.

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Officials with the local Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the department's rank-and-file, did not respond to a request for comment.

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The tab for the cameras was expected to be around $8 million. The city set aside some money in the 2017 budget for expansion of the body camera program, but will also tap into unused dollars in a property tax rebate program.

Last year, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law a comprehensive body camera bill that sets statewide standards for use of the cameras, expands police officer training to include topics like use of force and requires an independent investigation of all officer-involved deaths. The cost of body cameras and new training is covered by a $5 extra fee on criminal and traffic offenses that result in a guilty plea or conviction, but doesn't apply to parking, registration or pedestrian offenses.

Buslik said benefits of the body cameras far outweighed the negatives, saying it could provide a fuller picture than short clips of supposed police misconduct posted on social media.

"I think any of those concerns is offset by the fact that having our own recording of an incident provides a much better, much fuller description of what took place than a 40-second clip on YouTube," the commander said.

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
Almost four years after a massive round of school closings ignited a political firestorm, Chicago Public Schools has proposed a new $75 million high school for the South Side even as it deals with many existing high schools that struggle with anemic enrollment.

The new building could be slated for Englewood, a neighborhood where several traditionally run schools have been unable to attract a full student body. The school that once bore the community's name, Englewood High School, was shut down over several years beginning in 2005, and its building is now occupied by two separate schools.

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Community feedback will be sought before a final decision on the potential construction of a new school, the district says. But community officials say there's also need for public discussion about the district's plans for all its buildings, as time winds down on a five-year school closing moratorium enacted after about 50 schools were shuttered in 2013.

"With (the moratorium) in mind, do you constantly have to keep planning on what your school footprint is going to be? Yeah, and what a community's needs are," said Jesse Ruiz, who was vice president of the school board during the 2013 closings and since last year has been president of the Chicago Park District board.

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Ruiz was co-chair of a school district panel that called for creating a new strategy for underenrolled high schools.

"I've always said that instead of cornerstones with the year the school was built, we should put expiration dates and not have folks believe that a given facility or building is what is always going to be there for that community," Ruiz said.

Last year, nearly three dozen high schools citywide were operating at less than half of what CPS considered to be the buildings' ideal capacity. That represented a costly real estate problem but also raised questions about the district's long-term strategy for schools in vulnerable neighborhoods that tend to serve poor black students who often fall behind academically.

"We still see a future for these neighborhood schools," said Beatriz Ponce de Leon, executive director of the Generation All education advocacy group, which has called for efforts to salvage traditionally operated high schools hard-hit by dwindling enrollment.

"Maybe there will be hard conversations about how many we need, where we need them and what needs to be invested, but we feel pretty strongly that we need to have strong neighborhood schools in our city," she said.

Much of the Englewood area sits within CPS' Network 11, one of the mostly geographically based units the district uses to organize its portfolio of school buildings.

This school year, according to CPS data, there were 20,005 students eligible to attend the network's 32 traditional elementary and high schools. Those schools must accept pupils who live within neighborhood boundaries set for each building.

Overall, slightly more than a third of the students who could have attended Network 11's schools this year actually did so.

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About 2,300 students were eligible to attend Robeson High School in Englewood  more than enough to fill the building to capacity levels set by the district. But just 86 students living inside Robeson's attendance boundaries opted to attend the school by this year's 20th day of classes.

Ponce de Leon said the district's efforts to give families more choices resulted in the rapid growth of charter schools, selective-enrollment programs and other options without a comprehensive plan for where the schools would open or whom they would serve.

"It's not a surprise that students want to do that. That's how we've trained them and their families as well," Ponce de Leon said. "I think we have to acknowledge that. We have a very strong culture of options and choice. That has created this pattern."

Similar statistics stand out at other high schools in Robeson's network. At Harper High School in West Englewood, about 2 miles from the Robeson campus, just less than 10 percent of 1,166 eligible students enrolled in classes, according to the district's official head count.

There are 22 attendance boundary high schools in Chicago that drew in less than 13 percent of students qualified for entry based on where they live. Three of them are in Network 11.

That problem isn't just in Englewood. Three more of those 22 schools  Fenger, Corliss and Julian  are in the Far South Side CPS Network13 that includes parts of the Roseland and Pullman areas. Three others are on the Southwest Side in the New City and Gage Park areas.

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CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner said the district is continuing to consider "multiple approaches" to make sure all the city's high schools have access to quality academic programming.

"There's still a moratorium (on closing schools) in place. I expect everyone is going to respect that, but it's going to come to an end at some point and there's going to be some issues that are going to need to be addressed," Ruiz said in a statement.

Those include the future look of the district's physical footprint, given demographic shifts within the city and an overall decline in CPS' population.

Money for the construction of a new South Side high school project was earmarked in an updated CPS capital spending plan released earlier this month. The capital spending will be financed primarily with hundreds of millions of dollars of debt backed by property taxes devoted to infrastructure projects. The district has not said when it would begin construction on the project.

Ruiz and Ponce de Leon said the district needs to involve community members in discussions on future plans, with plenty of advance time before commitments are made. Ruiz said CPS also needs to develop what he called "a true capital plan."

"Given all those demographic trends, where are students and what do they need and what communities could use what resources so we are lifting all boats across the city?" Ruiz said. "You don't just build and add without a lot of thought and without a lot of deliberative analysis about where we truly need it.

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"That's the trick, that's always been the trick and the challenge, to make sure the great schools we have in Chicago aren't in certain pockets."

The Chicago Teachers Union contract reached in October may play a role in how the district moves forward. As part of that deal, the district agreed to obtain outside funding to pay for as many as 55 "community schools" at an annual cost of at least $500,000 per school.

The district also agreed to create a task force to select those buildings and determine how they could include community health care, after-school activities and support for homeless or chronically truant students as part of their programming.

That sort of model can provide a way to rebuild schools, Ponce de Leon said.

"You might say there's only 250 students here, and it's a big building and we should close it," she said. "But what is going to be the impact of having another empty building, especially in a community that has seen a lot of disinvestment in businesses and housing  to take out one of the last of the only remaining institutions in that community?"

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As for the South Side construction proposal, Bittner said CPS would listen to feedback from Local School Councils, elected officials and members of the faith community.

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"CPS' priority is to ensure that all our students can learn in comfortable, modern facilities, where they can continue their tremendous academic progress," she said in a statement.

Jitu Brown, a community organizer who helped lead a hunger strike in an effort to reopen Dyett High School in the Washington Park neighborhood, said CPS can learn from past rounds of contentious school closings.

"Too often what the district does is, they'll bake a cake and then ask the community, 'Do you want sprinkles or not?' instead of engaging the community at the outset," Brown said.

"The process will often determine the product, it'll shape the product," he said. "But if the process is top-down and not sincere, then you'll have discontent. You'll have sit-ins, you'll have demonstrations and all that stuff you shouldn't have if people are just listened to."

jjperez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @PerezJr
Andrew Hunter, 16, a junior at Batavia High School and a trumpet player, recently was granted permission to get out of school to play Taps at military funerals. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

About a dozen times over the last two years, Jack Bumann has gone to cemeteries in western Illinois to help honor military veterans he never met.

A high school trumpet player in the small town of Woodhull, Bumann plays taps  America's national song of remembrance  at the veterans' funerals.

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"When they call me, I go," said Bumann, 17, a senior at Alwood High School. "Whenever they need me, I'm waiting."

And now more young musicians in Illinois will have an opportunity to do likewise.

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Sparked by urging from Bumann, a state law will go into effect Jan. 1 requiring public schools in Illinois to excuse students in grades 6 to 12 from classes so they can play taps at military honors funerals for veterans. Illinois is believed to be the fifth state to have such a law.

Bumann said he hasn't had a problem getting excused from school to attend funerals  one as far as an hour away from his home.

"But I heard from other students that it was an issue," he said. "It shouldn't be. We're trying to honor the people who fought for our country."

There have been more than 550,000 deaths of veterans in the country in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Demand for buglers and trumpet players to play taps at some of the funeral services is high, and often, an audio recording of the tune is used.

So, the addition of Bumann and other young musicians is welcome.

Andrew Hunter, 16, a junior at Batavia High School, practices during orchestra rehearsal at the school Dec. 20, 2016. Hunter is one of a small group of high schoolers in Illinois who gets excused from school to play taps at military funerals. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

"Any way we can make this experience more meaningful for the grieving family, more respectful for the veteran, is a good thing," said state Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, who sponsored the legislation.

Bumann is a member of the Youth Trumpet & Taps Corps, a service organization founded by Katie Prior, a high school trumpet player in Oklahoma who hopes to unite and encourage high school musicians to get involved in honoring veterans.

Prior, 16, started the group as a Girl Scout project when she was 13, and the organization now has 120 volunteer members in 30 states, she said.

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When her great-grandfather, a World War II veteran, died, she wished she could have played taps at his funeral. But she was not prepared. Later, after refining her musical skills, she offered to play for military funerals near home. Her first was a funeral for a homeless veteran, she said.

"The experience was so life-changing that I decided I had to get involved and get my friends involved," said Prior, who also has had help from dozens of adults, including her parents. "I knew the problem of finding someone to play taps was nationwide, and pretty much every high school has trumpet players, so I decided to reach out to them."

Though any qualified young musician can play at a funeral, the national organization helps assist families of veterans or funeral directors looking for a musician in their area who might be available to play taps.

At the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, where there are about 45,000 veterans buried and an average of 15 military funerals a day, there is a squad to take care of the folding of the flag and the playing of taps, said cemetery director Sean Baumgartner.

But Baumgartner said the cemetery is one of only about five national military cemeteries across the country with a squad. Other cemeteries, private and military, have to use recordings or find a local musician.

Prior said she believes veterans deserve more than a recording. And she thinks student musicians also will benefit from the experience of using their music to honor someone.

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Andrew Hunter, 16, of Batavia, is a new member of the youth organization. He plays trumpet at Batavia High School, and with the help of his band director, learned taps so he could join the group.

Though the new Illinois law pertains to students as young as 6th-graders, musicians have to be in high school to qualify for the Youth Trumpet & Taps Corps. They also must complete online training and submit video auditions or audition before their school band director as Hunter did, before being referred to play at funerals. Taps also is a military signal marking the end of the day and is played at dusk.

Hunter said memories of his great-grandfather's military funeral motivated him.

"He was a World War II veteran, and he had a big military funeral," Hunter said. "It was really powerful, really moving, even for a 6th-grader. When I found out about the Corps, I decided I wanted to do it."

He has yet to play for a funeral, but he has played at memorials and other services, he said.

"It isn't hard to play, but it requires a lot of emotion," he said.

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Brian Van Kley, a band director at Batavia High School, said he hadn't heard about the Taps Corps until Hunter brought in his application.

"I was impressed," he said. "I have a feeling I'll see more and more about this. Now that I know about it I'll try to steer kids in that direction."

He said Hunter had to play the song perfectly three times.

"It's simple as far as the construction, but it's a little challenging to play," he said.

Bumann, who also has played at memorial services and other events, said the 24-note tune is not difficult to learn, "but the tone and the pitch and what goes along with it takes more effort," he said.

"Everything has to be pure," he said. "That's what I have. It's pure and it echoes. I've seen and heard many of these recordings, and some are scratchy. They don't sound right. The visual appearance at the cemetery and the pure sound is so much better."

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Moffitt said he was impressed with Bumann when the teen approached him about sponsoring the legislation.

"It's a small way of showing respect and gratitude for what a person's done for us, and we can only hope that others will pick up on his example and make that same connection," Moffitt said.

According to Prior, four other states  Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia  have a similar law in place to excuse students from school. She hopes that other members of the organization will be inspired by what Bumann has done and take the initiative in their state.

She also hopes members will continue to serve after high school by getting involved with organizations like Bugles Across America, a national group of volunteer buglers founded by Tom Day, of Berwyn.

Day, a veteran, says he has 4,500 volunteer buglers across the country. The average age is about 32, but he is 76 and has played taps 130 times this year, most often at private cemeteries, he said.

"I love when young people do these things," he said of Bumann. "People become better people and better leaders for doing things like this. There's no amount of money you can put on the appreciation the family has for someone taking the time and making the effort to honor their loved one."

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Joan Cary is a freelance reporter.
Eighteen-year-old Nick Wengren does not deny he has made a few mistakes in his short life. In fact, he has served seven sentences in Illinois youth correctional centers. The most recent was a six-month stint at the St. Charles detention facility for burglary.

With a few bumps in the road, a budding criminal record and little guidance, he never thought college was an option.

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But after being released last week from the St. Charles detention center where he participated in a new tutoring program, he had a solid plan to attend Truman College in Chicago in the spring and be on his way to becoming a music producer or a chef.

The tutoring program, called Unbound: College Bound and facilitated by Literacy Volunteers of Illinois, focuses on incarcerated men ages 18 to 24 who have earned a high school diploma or GED, but need a hand to pursue postsecondary education once they re-enter society.

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"(The program) kind of made me see there (are) more things out there for me than just getting high and stuff," said Wengren, who described himself as a rapper who wrote many rhymes while incarcerated.

Wengren said his tutor, Rose Diaz, was kind and patient  something he has not experienced too often in his life.

Unbound: College Bound is one of many projects to receive financial support from Chicago Tribune Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation fund.

During the past year, volunteers have worked with about 10 young men at the St. Charles facility and 50 at the Illinois Youth Center at Kewanee, before that site shut down in July. Facilitators will continue working with the men who have been transferred from Kewanee to centers in Chicago, Harrisburg and Warrenville.

Volunteers learn what the inmates' goals and interests are and what direction they hope to move in life once released. They discuss postsecondary education opportunities with them, teach them how to find the most fitting college, university or trade school, and fill out applications and financial aid forms.

Tutors also prepare participants for the ACT and teach life skills such as how to manage money and pay their own bills, said Etta LaFlora, formerly the site coordinator for the program at Kewanee.

LaFlora said when young men ask, "Can I really go to college?" she tells them yes.

"It's time for them to start dreaming about their futures," she said, adding that the tutoring program gives the men "hope and academic confidence." In many cases the program is the first time the young men have been the focus of such positive and personal attention, she said.

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"These kids don't have many options," said Dorothy Miaso, executive director of Literacy Volunteers of Illinois. "They've had rough lives growing up, and the ones we have talked to would definitely be the first generation (in their families) going to college."

Miaso said many of the young men don't have role models within their communities, and in most cases, many "don't even have a home to return to" after they are released.

"Many of the kids have been told, possibly most of their life, they are a piece of crap and are never going to make anything of themselves, so when they start working with our volunteers ... these kids really do start developing dreams," Miaso said.

Ronald Happach, 83, of Sheffield, worked as an engineer for more than 20 years then taught mathematics and pre-engineering courses at Sauk Valley Community College. During this past year, he worked with four inmates at the Kewanee center.

He said the young men recognized that they had made poor choices and needed to develop some life skills in order to attain their goals and avoid returning to prison.

"A lot of the inmates are from broken homes," Happach said. "They haven't had a chance ... some missed school quite a bit. .."

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Melissa Auer, program coordinator in the St. Charles center, said it is exciting to see a young man's thoughts change from thinking college was never an option to becoming excited about their futures.

"I just see so much potential ... and many of them because of hardships ... they have never really had a chance to shine," Auer said. "Seeing them just believe that there are possibilities that they never dreamed of ... I feel like sometimes we are throwing them a lifeline."

Wengren's tutor, Diaz, 53, of Elgin, tutored several men this year at the St. Charles center.

It's the special attention and positive "human connection" the men experience during the tutoring sessions that seems most beneficial, Diaz said, adding that the men don't want to fall into their old habits or hang out with the same crowd. They want to move forward in their lives, she said.

Wengren said he has no plans of reverting to his old ways.

"I don't want to go back," Wengren said. "Plus, if I get in trouble again, I'll be going to the big joint."

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Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
Blossom Boys owners Stephen English and Ryan Steinbach love each other, love the Beverly community of Chicago where they have lived nearly eight years, and they love their floral business, but they do not love that their profits are down, forcing them to close up the shop that means a great deal to them.

"In the last two years, business has been less and less and less," said English, who founded the store at 9911 S. Walden Parkway with his husband and business partner Steinbach nearly nine years ago.

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"It's a financial decision and we just cannot maintain the store the way we like and still pay our bills," English said.

Steinbach agreed and admitted that closing the shop makes sense, but is still very hard to do.

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"The cost of a brick and mortar business, the cost of gas  because we deliver flowers  and our overhead, everything went way up," Steinbach said. "We can't afford to buy certain flowers, and then sell it for less than what we spent."

English said they considered closing the store last year, but they put off the difficult decision because they were married last year and didn't want to face the inevitable just then. They simply did not want to close up their business, and now that the end is here, both mentioned how much they will miss being involved with community members who have become friends.

"And I think we educated people as well," English said, referring to his store's stock of fair trade items. Fair trade products come from developing countries and are often produced in sustainable ways, and sold so as to treat the makers ethically.

"People knew they could buy something here and it would help save lives. We ran a socially conscious business," English added

Katie Gainer, owner of Sweet Freaks Chocolates, 9915 S. Walden Parkway, was sad to see her business neighbors leave.

"They will be sorely missed by Sweet Freaks and the rest of the shops of 99th and Walden Parkway," Gainer said. "Steve and Ryan brought a lot of foot traffic, and positive energy to our little business strip."

In addition to running their business in an ethical way, the two sponsored programs in the neighborhood that reached beyond the profit margin. English started an anti-bullying campaign, which brought the issue out in the open in the community, and he also started Changing the Face of Beauty to help get children with special needs into advertising campaigns.

Looking ahead, the two have some decisions to make about what they will do and how they will manage financially.

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"We will still do weddings and special events, so we will have that for a while," Steinbach said. "We don't expect that to be full time though. We just expect that to be part time, but we will do it on our terms now.

"We do have some leads on design work, but it may be that we both will also have to have part time jobs as well."

Both worked in the floral business for many years before opening up their own shop, and they would be happy to continue with their dream business, but they said they cannot compete with some of the larger businesses that can purchase flowers in a volume and at a price that is not available to them.

"It's as I said," Steinbach said. "It all comes down to cash flow. We have to have a steady stream of income to pay for four walls, gas, electricity, and insurance."

English, who is also a writer, will continue participating in many of his neighborhood events, such as his "Words by Friends" group, which meets on a regular basis so that aspiring writers can share their stories with an audience. He is also a Reiki master, which is a stress reducing and possibly healing force that he would like to promote now that he will have more time. And, he will continue to offer animal communication services as a business, all of which he wants and likes to do. But closing the business is still something that upsets both.

"We are sad and will be," English said. "I love the quote about grief being love with no home. A little bird told me the best way to deal with grief is to give the lost love away to others. We will continue to live proudly with passion, and teach compassion."

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Patti Ahern is a freelance columnist.

PattiRMA@aol.com
North Riverside police officers help a woman past crime scene tape at the Burlington Coat Factory store in a shopping center next to North Riverside Park Mall on Dec. 27, 2016. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)

A man who was shot by police Tuesday after he allegedly tried to rob a bank in North Riverside and then used elderly man as a "human shield" has died, authorities said.

Alfonso D. Lopez, 41, of Berwyn, was pronounced dead at 4:59 p.m. Tuesday at Loyola University Medical Center, North Riverside police Cmdr. Christian Ehrenberg said in an email Wednesday morning.

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An autopsy Wednesday determined Lopez died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The shooting occurred about 1:30 p.m. at 2208 Harlem Ave., the site of a Burlington Coat Factory store, said North Riverside Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr. The store is located amid several other retail businesses.

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Illinois State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred at a Burlington Coat Factory store in North Riverside on Dec. 27, 2016. (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

According to a statement from North Riverside police, a man attempted to rob a TCF Bank at 7201 W. 24th St. Police made contact with the man east of the bank and ordered him to the ground, according to the statement. The man ignored police and "removed an object from his pocket and point it directly" at police.

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The man then ran into the coat store with police in pursuit and he again removed an object from his pocket and pointed it at police, according to the statement.

He then used an older man as a "human shield," and held him at knifepoint, but the older man was able to break away, allowing "officers to discharge their firearms, striking the offender," police said.

The suspect was taken to the hospital.

Frank Tortorich, a witness in the Burlington Coat Factory at the time of the shooting, estimated there were 50 to 60 people in the store.

A spokesman for the Illinois State Police said the agency's Public Integrity Task Force is investigating, but he declined to elaborate.

Ehrenberg said in his email that no further information was being released.

Tribune wires contributed.
WASHINGTON  Secretary of State John Kerry tore into Israel on Wednesday for settlement-building, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy and forcefully rejecting the notion that America had abandoned Israel with a controversial U.N. vote. Netanyahu accused the Obama administration of a biased bid to blame Israel for failure to reach a peace deal.

In a farewell speech, Kerry laid out a two-state vision for peace that he won't be in office to implement, but that the U.S. hoped might be heeded even after President Barack Obama's term ends. He defended Obama's move last week to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off an extraordinary and deepening diplomatic spat between the U.S. and its closest Mideast ally.

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"If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace," Kerry said in a speech that ran more than an hour, a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

Netanyahu pushed back in a hastily arranged televised statement in which he suggested he was done with the Obama administration and ready to deal with President-elect Donald Trump, who has sided squarely with Israel. The Israeli leader faulted Kerry for obsessing over settlements while paying mere "lip service" to Palestinian attacks and incitement of violence.

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"Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders," Netanyahu said from Jerusalem.

A partial view of the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Dec. 28, 2016. (Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/Getty Images)

The dueling recriminations marked a low point for U.S.-Israel relations, and a bitter end to eight years of frustrated ties between Obama and Netanyahu, who quarreled repeatedly over settlements, the peace process and Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

Trump, who has assured Israel it merely needs to "hang on" until he takes over, wouldn't say Wednesday whether settlements should be reined in. But he told reporters Israel was being "treated very, very unfairly by a lot of different people."

It was unclear whether Israel came up in a phone call Obama, while vacationing in Hawaii, placed to Trump on Wednesday morning. Nor was it obvious what impact Kerry's speech, coming in the final days of the administration, might have.

Netanyahu expressed concern that a French-hosted summit next month could lead to an international framework that the U.N. Security Council might then codify with Obama's assent, boxing Israel in. Yet Kerry seemed to rule out the possibility Obama would take more parting shots, such as promoting that type of U.N. resolution or recognizing Palestinian statehood.

The diplomatic fracas erupted last week when the U.S., in a departure from past policy, decided to abstain rather than veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Israel was incensed, and on Wednesday, Netanyahu claimed Israel has "absolute, indispensable evidence" the U.S. actually spearheaded the resolution.

Netanyahu offered what he called proof of U.S. collusion: a document, leaked to an Egyptian newspaper, that purports to be a Palestinian account of a December meeting between top U.S. and Palestinian officials. But White House spokesman Ned Price called it a "total fabrication" and added: "This meeting never occurred."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the speech by reaffirming that he's ready to resume peace talks if Israel halts settlement construction.

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Kerry, unveiling a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like, deviated from the traditional U.S. message that foreign powers shouldn't impose a solution. His outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and Kerry insisted he was merely describing what's emerged as points of general agreement.

Though Kerry faulted Palestinian leaders for insufficiently condemning violence and terrorism against Israelis, most of his speech focused on Israel. He said the two-state solution, the basis for all serious peace talks for years, was "now in serious jeopardy," and called Netanyahu's' government "the most right-wing in Israel's history."

He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population in Israel and the Palestinian territories will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a demographic crisis for Israel unless there's a separate Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he offers a response following a speech by Secretary of State John Kerry on Dec. 28, 2016, in Jerusalem. Netanyahu spoke at length in English, slammed both the Kerry speech and the Obama administration and said he looks forward to working closely with President-elect Donald Trump when he takes office. (Jim Hollander / EPA)

"The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state," Kerry said.

The U.S, the Palestinians and most of the world oppose Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. But Israel's government argues previous construction freezes failed to advance a peace deal and that the future of the settlements  now home to 600,000 Israelis  must be resolved in direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

While Israel's Arab population has citizenship rights, the roughly 2.5 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank do not. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem, where Palestinians have residency rights but few have citizenship, in a move not internationally recognized.

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Kerry said a future deal would have to ensure secure borders for Israel and a Palestinian state formed in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, with "mutually agreed, equivalent swaps." He said both countries must fully recognize each other, ensure access to religious sites and relinquish all other existing claims. Kerry also called for assistance to help Palestinian refugees.

Yet he offered fewer details about how to get to such a deal, given the failure of so many previous attempts, including his own nine-month effort that collapsed in 2014. He urged Israelis and Palestinians to take "realistic steps on the ground now" to begin separating themselves into two states.

Kerry reiterated that the Obama administration's commitment to Israel was as strong as that of previous presidents, but he also noted that previous U.S. administrations had also abstained on certain resolutions critical of Israel.

Associated Press
In his latest controversial statement, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, known for his bloody anti-drug war that has killed thousands, threatened to throw corrupt officials out of a helicopter, saying he has done it before, to a kidnapper, and won't hesitate to do it again.

"I will pick you up in a helicopter to Manila, and I will throw you out on the way," Duterte said in Tagalog in front of a crowd in the Camarines Sur province Tuesday, according to GMA News. "I've done it before. Why would I not do it again?"

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The Filipino president was visiting areas of the province in the northern island of Luzon that were recently affected by the deadly Typhoon Nock-Ten, locally known as Nina. The storm, one of the strongest since Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines' Visayas region in 2014, killed at least six people and displaced hundreds of thousands, according to the Philippine Star.

In his speech, Duterte announced that he was going to give up to 100 million pesos in financial assistance, in addition to 1 billion pesos that was set aside for calamities, the Philippine Star reported.

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After that announcement, he went on to talk about his campaign against drugs and corruption.

The former mayor and prosecutor, who rose to power on a promise to uproot his country's drug problem, has become famous for his brash talks and public outbursts.

He made headlines in April, when he was campaigning for the presidency, for making a joke about an Australian minister who was gang-raped and killed in 1989 in a Davao prison. At that time, Duterte was mayor of the southern city of Davao.

In August, he warned terrorists that he can be "10 times" more brutal than the Islamic State.

Most recently, Duterte admitted that he had personally killed people. He told a local radio station last month that he killed several criminals during his time as mayor. He specifically talked about killing three men who kidnapped and raped a Chinese girl in 1988, when he was only a few months into his term. He said that during the encounter, the men were holding carbines and didn't raise their hands when they were told, so he shot them.

Vitaliano Aguirre II, Duterte's justice secretary, cautioned that the president is prone to hyperbole and exaggeration, according to ABS-CBN News.

Following Duterte's claims, the U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, urged the Philippines' judicial branch to launch a murder investigation.

"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 in a statement, adding, "The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life, freedom from violence and force, due process and fair trail, equal protection before the law, and innocence until proven guilty."

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Zeid also addressed Duterte's anti-drug war, saying it has emboldened law enforcement to commit violence without accountability and is a "direct violation of all democratic safeguards that have been established to uphold justice and the rule of law."

More than 6,000 have been killed since Duterte took office on June 30. Some were killed during encounters with police who were acting under the government's orders, while others were killed by unknown vigilantes.
Every Wednesday next semester, the students in Damon Sajnani's class will meet to discuss, in depth, the problems caused by white people.

But the title of the course -- "The Problem of Whiteness" -- and its description has the University of Wisconsin at Madison mired in controversy before students have cracked open a book or peeked at a syllabus.

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"Have you ever wondered what it really means to be white? If you're like most people, the answer is probably 'no.' But here is your chance!" the description reads. "Critical Whiteness Studies aims to understand how whiteness is socially constructed and experienced in order to help dismantle white supremacy."

The course explores "how race is experienced by white people." But it also looks at how white people "consciously and unconsciously perpetuate institutional racism."

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The class has injected the university into a decades-old debate about whether taxpayer-funded educational institutions have an obligation to tackle the important issues of the day -- or to stay out of them altogether.

The class is taught in the African Studies Department of a university where 2 percent of the student population identifies as black and more than 75 percent are white.

The most vocal opponent of the course is David Murphy, a Wisconsin state assemblyman who expressed outrage last week that taxpayers "are expected to pay for this garbage."

The legislator, who chairs the assembly's committee on colleges and universities, took issue with what he calls the underlying premise of the class: "that white people are racist."

His criticism comes with a not-so-veiled threat: "UW-Madison must discontinue this class. If UW-Madison stands with this professor, I don't know how the University can expect the taxpayers to stand with UW-Madison."

In a statement emailed to The Washington Post, Murphy, a Republican, said the decision to approve the class makes him question the judgment of university leaders.

"I support academic freedom and free speech," he said. "Free speech also means the public has the right to be critical of their public university. The university's handling of controversies like this appears to the public as a lack of balance in intellectual openness and diversity of political thought on campus."

Republican Gov. Scott Walker told the Wisconsin State Journal that he didn't agree with Murphy's call to withhold funding from the university if it doesn't drop the class.

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"I could certainly as a citizen or as a father who pays part of my kids' tuition roll my eyes and raise concerns about some of the classes," Walker told the newspaper. "But our focus in the budget should be on overall performance and not individual classes."

Murphy takes issue not just with the class, but with Sajnani's vocal public opinions. "Even more troubling, the course is taught by a self-described 'international radical' professor whose views are a slap in the face to the taxpayers."

Murphy included copies of some of Sajnani's tweets in his news release.

One tweet is a picture of a CNN breaking news report about police officers being shot in Dallas. "Is the uprising finally starting?" Sajnani said. "Is this style of protest gonna go viral?"

Another, from a few weeks later, is in response to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: "No @EricHolder it is not true that an attack on a police officer anywhere is an attack on all of us, since they DO NOT equally protect us all."

Sajnani didn't immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Northwestern University's African American Studies Department, according to Northwestern. He has published papers on Rachel Dolezal, a former president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Wash., who was outed as not being black. He also has written about East African hip-hop and Canadian abolition.

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In a statement, the university defended the course and stressed that it was elective, not required, and that it was "not designed to offend individuals or single out an ethnic group."

"We believe this course, which is one of thousands offered at our university, will benefit students who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of race issues," the university's statement said. "The course is a challenge and response to racism of all kinds."

Greg Bump, a spokesman for the university, told The Washington Post that he didn't know of any criticism that had come from students.

Several organizations have criticized the class or called for tighter restrictions, including Breitbart, a conservative news site.

The Young America's Foundation posts a list of a dozen college courses that it calls "the most bizarre and concerning instances of leftist activism supplanting traditional scholarship in our nation's colleges and universities." The Wisconsin course is not on that list.

Every semester, universities make similar decisions about controversial courses. Among them: "Queering God: Feminist and Queer Theology," a Swarthmore College course that examines feminist and queer writings about God. There's also Bowdoin College's "Transgender Latina Immigration: Politics of Belonging and Labor in the United States," which focuses on the social conditions of transgender Latinas.

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And a new website called "Professor Watchlist" lists the names of academics a conservative group says advance "leftist propaganda" or discriminate against conservative students.

Sajnani's name isn't on the site, but UW-Madison has a history of wading into racial controversies that goes back decades.

Earlier this year, hundreds of people protested at Bascom Hill after a black student was arrested for spray-painting anti-racist messages on campus, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. At the protest, students taped a list of demands to a statue of Abraham Lincoln.

And in 1964, UW-Madison student Andrew Goodman was one of three activists killed by the Ku Klux Klan while registering black people to vote near Philadelphia, Miss.
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the opening ceremony of natural gas pipeline from Russia to Crimea during a live video link from the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. (Alexei Druzhinin / AP)

WASHINGTON  "Spare us the kissy-face."

It was June 2001 and I was covering President George W. Bush's trip to Slovenia, where he had just met Vladimir Putin for the first time. I and others were struck by Bush's praise for the Russian leader as "trustworthy." Said Bush: "I was able to get a sense of his soul."

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But back in Washington, my editor had no interest in such talk. He rewrote my lede with other news  a tidbit about missile defense  and he moved the "kissy-face" stuff about Putin's soul down to Paragraph 18.

In retrospect, that moment in Slovenia defined the Russia relationship for years to come. Putin had seduced Bush, who only slowly came to understand he had misjudged this adversary's soul. Putin opposed Bush in Iraq and was unhelpful with Iran. He shut down independent television, sent business leaders who criticized him into exile and prison, ousted democratic parties from government, canceled the election of governors and invaded Georgia.

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The kissy-face happened all over again when President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to "reset" relations. Russia responded by working against the United States in Syria, sheltering Edward Snowden, invading and occupying parts of Ukraine, and hacking and meddling in the U.S. election to defeat Democratic presidential nominee Clinton.

Soon it will be Donald Trump's turn for kissy-face, and the president-elect is practically groping the Russian dictator. After Putin gloated recently that Democrats need to learn "to lose with dignity," Trump tweeted Putin a sloppy kiss: "So true!" he said of Putin's comments.

Trump also celebrated a letter he received from Putin calling for more collaboration between the two countries. "His thoughts are so correct," Trump said.

Trump's blush-inducing embrace of the strongman has included repeated praise of Putin's leadership, deflected questions about Putin's political killings and disparagement of U.S. intelligence for accusing Russia of election meddling.

On Jan. 20, Trump will assume the presidency, and we'll learn what his embrace of Putin really means. Perhaps Trump is just a dupe and he'll realize over time that Putin is no friend. The alternative, supported by Trump's choice of Putin-friendly advisers Michael T. Flynn and Rex Tillerson, is that Trump really is pro-Putin and will grant the Russian dictator more latitude internationally and will emulate his autocratic tendencies at home.

The former would require us to endure some policy failures as Putin proved himself again to be an adversary. The latter would test the limits of our democratic institutions.

In either case, it would be useful for Americans to have at least a cursory sense of the man our new president proposes to embrace. Here's a quick glimpse into Putin's soul to get us started:

Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was killed outside the Kremlin as he walked home one night last year. Putin's regime blames Chechens, but Nemtsov's is one of a dozen high-profile murders of opponents widely thought to have been sanctioned by Putin's government.

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Another Putin opponent, Alexander Litvinenko, was killed in London by polonium poisoning in 2006. The British government said Putin "probably" approved the hit. That same year, opposition journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot and killed outside her apartment.

Among the many business leaders imprisoned or ousted under Putin are billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was head of the oil giant Yukos, and associate Platon Lebedev. The Russian human rights group Memorial says there are 102 people held in Russian prisons for their political or religious beliefs.

The Kremlin has provided funding and training for far-right nationalist parties in Europe, and it used its state media and an army of hackers and social-media trolls to spread disinformation in the United States, in continental Europe and in Britain before the Brexit vote. The goals: to weaken European unity and the NATO alliance and to keep Europe dependent on Russian energy.

Russia also used disinformation to destabilize the Ukrainian government as Russia annexed Crimea. In Syria, where Russia propped up the Assad regime with indiscriminate bombing in Aleppo and elsewhere, Britain, France and the United States have blamed Putin's government for the mass slaughter of civilians.

An Amnesty International summary of Putin's rule leaves no doubt about his totalitarian state: "Journalist Killed. Human Rights Lawyer Killed. Gay Rights Protesters Attacked. Repressive Laws Enacted. Fines for 'Promoting Homosexuality' Imposed. President Putin Signs Law to Re-criminalize Defamation. USAID Expelled. Federal Treason and Espionage Act goes into effect. Moscow Authorities Detain Protesters and Opposition Party Members."

This, Mr. President-elect, is the man you are embracing. Please spare us the kissy-face.

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Washington Post Writers Group

Dana Milbank is a Washington Post columnist.

Twitter @Milbank

Donald Trump challenged Russia on July 27, 2016 to find Hillary Clinton's "30,000 emails that are missing" in response to intelligence claims that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee's emails to help get Trump elected. It is now the concensus of cybersecurity firms and the U.S. intelligence community that "the Russia Government directed the recent" hacks of the D.N.C and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. (C-SPAN) (Chicago Tribune)
Thousands of spectators watch as the cargo ship Cosco Shipping Panama makes the maiden voyage through the Panama Canals new Agua Clara locks on June 26, 2016. (Moises Castillo / AP)

The Atlantic begins here, the Pacific over there, and between them lie 51 miles of deep ditch, aged machinery, steamy jungle, epic engineering, malarial history and murky politics. Every 45 minutes or so, another big boat floats past in the humidity, bearing oil or bananas or lumber or tourists through a 110-foot-wide passage of concrete and steel. This is the jewel that so many cruise-lovers are so eager to wear in their crowns.

 Travel writer Christopher Reynolds in the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 18, 1994

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In June the Panama Canal splashed onto front pages for the first time since the U.S. handed it back to Panama in 1999. If it were a household product, the banner would read: "New and improved!" Panama authorities unveiled a $5 billion-plus new set of locks and channels to handle larger ships alongside the original canal. The new locks are longer  1,400 feet  and wider  180 feet  than the original 1,000-foot-long by 110-foot-wide canal, which opened more than a century ago. The new locks are also deeper, by 18 feet, all to accommodate bigger, heavier ships.

Why is that important? Because over the years, the canal  among the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers  grew less wonderful. As ships grew bigger, the canal choked. It couldn't accommodate the mammoth container vessels that move goods from food to clothing to cars between distant ports.

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Panama officials had feared that the U.S.-built waterway, opened in 1914, would soon become an also-ran in the global trade business. There's a lot of money at stake: The canal handles about a third of the mega-billion-dollar Asia-America trade. So the canal authority did what many outfits do to survive: It got bigger.

After a nine-year construction project, the canal can handle ships toting up to 14,000 containers, a vast improvement from the previous capacity of 5,000. That matters to Midwesterners: "The canal promises to cut shipping costs between the U.S.  especially the Midwest, and Eastern and Gulf coasts  to Asia and South America," Northwestern University civil engineering and transportation professor Joseph Schofer tells us. "These lower logistics costs will make U.S. agricultural products more competitive, and will help hold down costs of manufactured goods in the Chicago area."

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Beyond its pocketbook effects, though, the expanded Panama Canal speaks to driving forces in human history: The urge to shrink the globe. To prosper via trade. To find the shortcut.

Hence the centurieslong quest to navigate a Northwest Passage, the treacherous sea route that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through a Canadian archipelago and year-round heavy ice.

Same story for the 19th-century excavation of the Suez Canal, connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

Continents get in the way of moving goods quickly to market. Perishable shipments  food and fashion  don't get better waiting in cargo holds.

That's why the canal transformed Panama into a banking, trading and airline mecca, and an underworld nexus for money laundering and drug dealing. That's how the canal became one of the most lucrative and valuable tracts of real estate on Earth. And that's why shipping still drives global commerce and global competition by creating faster ways to go from Point A to Point B.

The competition to feed global trade is intense. Suez Canal officials finished work in 2015 on a new $4 billion parallel lane to accommodate two-way traffic on much of its 120 miles through Egypt. Turkey has floated plans to dig a canal parallel to the Bosporus linking the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

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And you can bet that Panama Canal panjandrums were hearing the footsteps of Chinese billionaire Wang Jing, and his plan to build a canal three times as long and twice as deep in southern Nicaragua. It would be, The New York Times reports, "the largest movement of earth in the planet's history." But so far there are no visible signs of progress.

Even in the modern construction age, building a canal, holding back the unpredictable forces of nature, isn't for the fainthearted. Many dream, few succeed.

Panama's project generated huge cost overruns, political corruption, engineering mistakes, bitter labor disputes and unforeseen natural challenges (low water levels in the lake that feeds the canal).

Who'd expect otherwise? English writer James Bryce called the construction of the original Panama Canal "the greatest liberty man has ever taken with nature." Thousands of laborers died, many of malaria or yellow fever, while constructing the waterway. Yet they built a marvel of engineering so finely calibrated that should the power fail, a single person could manually open and close the lock gates, some weighing 700 tons.

And now, the new canal takes its initial bow. What was true a century ago is still true: Moving a lot of dirt, pouring tons of concrete, girding against nature's whims, is tough, dangerous and ... magnificent.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Rodney Beaird, shown at his job as a janitor for an Illinois manufacturer, previously worked at Cedarcrest LLC, a 6,400-sow confinement in western Illinois. He said he became a pariah for reporting animal abuse by fellow workers and that he was fired after making a complaint. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Illinois' large hog confinements are sealed from the public for biosecurity reasons and often set back on private roads. Their low-paid labor force includes local residents and immigrants who have few other job opportunities and told Tribune reporters they feared retribution if they spoke out.

But as leading pork producer Professional Swine Management expands in Fulton County in western Illinois, three former employees have come forward in interviews with the Tribune to allege livestock abuse at the company's Cedarcrest LLC facility, a 6,400-sow confinement about 7 miles southwest of Lewistown.

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One of them, Rodney Beaird, said some workers beat the animals with the sharp edges and corners of the large plastic "sort boards" that pig handlers use to guide animals. "Not flat-ways, they'd be doing it sideways," said Beaird, 55, lowering his arms in a chopping motion.

"Some of these young kids, they got off on it. They got a thrill out of it," added Beaird, who said he worked at Cedarcrest for about three months in 2014.

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Beaird said he was fired after he reported two workers for beating pigs  then was blamed by the workers for the abuse.

"You're labeled a troublemaker if you go turn people in," he said. "What was (done) in there stayed in there. They stressed that."

Beaird's son, Anthony, who said he worked at Cedarcrest from 2011 to 2014, said he also witnessed workers beating pigs with boards and with leather straps when they would not move fast enough.

"If people knew what happens behind closed doors, I guarantee they would look at bacon different," he said.

Former Cedarcrest worker Justin Jockisch, 26,who said he was fired in September following disputes with supervisors, said he witnessed Cedarcrest workers striking pigs "with the metal rods that hold the gates in place. It's every day."

Piglets often huddled around the mother sows when workers tried to move them, Jockisch said, and workers were allowed to guide the animals gently with their rubber work boots. But when the piglets didn't move quickly enough, he said, "you'll see them kick them."

Professional Swine executives declined to comment on the employees or their allegations, but the company has previously told the Tribune that it does not tolerate abuse and did not believe worker accounts of mistreatment.

Former workers can be biased and are likely to embellish because they are angry at their bosses or upset about their experiences, the company has said.

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The Tribune reported in August in its "Price of Pork" investigation that workers at Illinois swine confinements rarely file complaints of animal mistreatment with the Illinois Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare, the arm of the state Agriculture Department that oversees animal welfare laws.

The understaffed bureau did not find a single animal welfare infraction or violation at a hog confinement during the past five years, the Tribune found in a review of thousands of pages of bureau records.

One such complaint was filed last year by Sharee Santorineos, who worked at Eagle Point Farms LLC, a 6,000-sow Professional Swine facility also in Fulton County.

Santorineos' three-page letter to the bureau alleged animals were punched, kicked and gouged with metal rods to move them. But Eagle Point executives gave a state bureau inspector a guided tour, and his report was only a few sentences long.

"I did not observe anyone mistreating the animals," it said. "No violations found. Docket is closed."

Professional Swine said in August that it had dismissed four employees in the previous eight months for mistreatment and animal welfare infractions at its 27 facilities in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

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dyjackson@chicagotribune.com

gmarx@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @poolcar4

Twitter @garyjmarx
A red light camera keeps watch over the intersection at Western Avenue and Van Buren Street Tuesday, March 10, 2015 in Chicago. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)

Federal prosecutors have reached a deal with the original company behind Chicago's scandal-plagued red-light camera program two months after the firm's former chief executive officer was sentenced to prison time for her role in a kickback scheme.

Under the terms of the deal secured by the U.S. Justice Department and announced Tuesday, prosecutors in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, will not prosecute Redflex Traffic Systems if the company continues to cooperate with the two federal probes.

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In announcing the agreement, the Chicago U.S. attorney's office cited Redflex's "extensive and thorough cooperation over recent years."

The scandal, first reported by the Chicago Tribune, centered on then-city transportation official John Bills steering $100 million in contracts to Redflex in exchange for $2 million in bribes.

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As part of the nonprosecution agreement, Redflex will have to pay restitution to the city that will be determined as part of pending civil lawsuit City Hall brought against the company.

The scheme helped grow the city's camera program to the largest in the nation. At its peak, 384 cameras were operating across the city, raking in more than $600 million in automated traffic fines.

Bills was convicted on all 20 counts, with a jury finding him guilty of taking up to $2,000 in cash for each of the 384 cameras as well as accepting gifts from Redflex, ranging from lavish vacations and a Mercedes-Benz to expensive hotel stays throughout the country and a condominium in Arizona. Bills was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, one of the stiffest sentences handed down in Chicago's federal court for a corruption conviction.

Bills' bagman in the scheme, Martin O'Malley, testified at Bills' trial that on many occasions he passed Manila envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash to Bills at Manny's Deli and other restaurants. O'Malley, who was hired as a "consultant" by Redflex, was sentenced to six months in prison.

In November, former Redflex CEO Karen Finley, who led the company through much of the scandal, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. She had faced up to five years in prison but was given a break for testifying against Bills.

Finley's Chicago sentence runs concurrent with a 14-month prison term she was given in Ohio in October for a much smaller $70,000 bribes-for-contracts scheme in two cities there. The Ohio probe, also covered by the nonprosecution agreement, led a Columbus lobbyist there to plead guilty to extorting cash from Redflex to pass on to politicians in that state.

At Finley's Chicago sentencing, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall decried the breakdown in "corporate social responsibility" on behalf of Redflex's former executive.

"Chicagoans are so sick of seeing their leaders walk through the revolving doors of the federal building year after year after year with no change in the government," Kendall said. "... But when we have a corporation that is in the community making millions of dollars on a product that abuses the people, there is no sense of corporate social responsibility there. ... That impact cannot be underestimated."

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bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
From the knock-down, drag-out presidential campaign to Chicago's unrelenting violence, the most-read stories for each month showed a wide cross-section of life in 2016. Columns and commentary pieces fared well this year, as did stories about the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and the subsequent celebration around the city. In two popular stories, a rare photo of Bernie Sanders being arrested in 1963 emerged from the Tribune's photo archives during the Democratic primaries, and interviews with friends and loved ones honored eight young nurses who were slain by Richard Speck in Chicago in 1966.
Students filled the gym with exhibits during a program at Thomas Middle School in Arlington Heights in this photo from March 2016. (Kevin Tanaka / Pioneer Press)

As Arlington Heights residents ring in 2017, local officials predict that the biggest stories in the village for the New Year will include a touch of deja vu  in particular, two major school building expansion projects. The anticipated highlights of 2017 also include the upcoming construction of a new police station, extended hours at the library and a proposal that could give area high school students a little more sleep each morning. But Illinois' lingering budget woes remain a concern for village officials, who said they fear the impact of state financial problems on local coffers.

New police digs on the way

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After years of debate concerning the size and scope of the project, construction is expected to begin in 2017 on the new $27.9 million Arlington Heights police station.

In December, architects hired for the project unveiled preliminary design plans that feature a 70,000-square-foot building officials say will be architecturally compatible with the adjacent Village Hall and fire station.

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The new police station will be developed at the site of the current police station at 200 E. Sigwalt St., which will be demolished.

The proposed plans for the two-story building, which will include a basement, features an exterior reflecting Romanesque architecture, including a hipped and shingled pitched roof that officials said is compatible with the other buildings on the municipal campus, including the $25.9 million Village Hall, which was completed in 2008, and Fire Station No. 1, officials said.

"It's a functional building for a 21st century law enforcement agency," Village Manager Randall Recklaus said.

Expansion projects coming in District 25

With a pair of school building expansion projects slated for completion in 2017, officials at Arlington Heights School District 25 said that the construction of new classrooms, gymnasiums and expanded commons areas at Thomas Middle School and Windsor Elementary School was prompted by rising student enrollments.

"It's a positive challenge to have growing student enrollment in Arlington Heights," District 25 Supt. Lori Bein said. "It's a wonderful problem to have more kids. But we don't have enough space for them right now, so we will soon see additions at Thomas and Windsor, which is super exciting."

The district's two upcoming construction projects include a $15 million building project at Thomas Middle School that will convert the current gymnasium and locker rooms into five new classrooms, as well as a new band room and new music room.

The Thomas project, which began this fall, will also feature the construction of a new gymnasium, an expansion of the existing commons area and a new entrance off the southeast side of the building.

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At Windsor, an estimated $9.8 million project, which is expected to begin in early 2017, will include six new classrooms and an expanded gymnasium and commons area.

Both the Thomas and Windsor projects are expected to be completed by the start of the 2017-18 school year, Bein said.

More sleep on the horizon for high school kids

The Township High School District 214 Board of Education is expected to vote in January on a new proposal aimed at helping sleep-deprived and stressed-out students by delaying the start of the school day each morning by almost one hour.

The recommendation to move the start time at the district's six high schools from roughly 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. by the start of the 2017-2018 school year is based upon the recommendations of the Arlington Heights-based district's calendar committee, which included district staff, parents and students, District 214 Supt. David Schuler said.

"We're excited to start our two-year pilot program with the new start time," Schuler said. "After two years, we'll look at things like student achievement rates and attendance, and see what the data says."

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With the Illinois State Board of Education switching from the ACT to the SAT, District 214 students will also be facing a new standardized assessment in the spring of 2017, Schuler said.

The Arlington Heights Memorial Library recently extended its weekend hours. (Karen Ann Cullotta / Pioneer Press reporter)

Library could decide about new branch

Officials at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library said a recent decision to extend the library's weekend hours is now keeping the busy venue open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and also opening an hour earlier, at 11 a.m., on Sundays.

The expanded weekend hours was prompted by a goal to provide better access to the library's services for more people, said Jason Kuhl, the library's executive director.

Kuhl said officials also anticipate making a decision in 2017 regarding a potential new library branch at a yet-to-be-decided location in the village.

"We're still talking about it, but hope to have some resolution by the end of January," Kuhl said. "We're making an effort to reach out to the community to see how we can continue to best serve the people of Arlington Heights."

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State budget morass creates challenges

Elected officials at Village Hall, local school districts and the Arlington Heights Park District are casting a communal wary eye on the state's persistent budget problems and how they could impact the village in 2017.

"When we're talking about the state budget in Springfield, I think a nicer word to describe it would be 'uncertainty,'" Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said. "Even if it's a bad mess, we'd rather see it and know what it is, rather than have the uncertainty of not knowing."

For example, Hayes said while the village has always, "budgeted conservatively and will continue to do so," like all municipalities, Arlington Heights relies on the revenues it receives from state income tax.

"A big concern is, we may lose funding, which we'd have to make up one way or the other on the village level," Hayes said. "Sometimes it's better to know what you're dealing with, so we can make decisions."

kcullotta@tribpub.com

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Twitter: @kcullotta
Standing before Kane County Judge Linda Abrahamson Wednesday, Stephawn Johnson of Chicago showed little emotion as he received 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in Aurora in 2015.

Abrahamson gave Johnson nine years for the assault and a consecutive two-year sentence for sexual abuse after pointing out the 22-year-old had been out of jail for only three weeks at the time of the attack. He already carried a history of prior criminal acts despite being a "very young man," she said.

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Abrahamson downplayed mitigating evidence about a serious head injury Johnson suffered in his early teen years, as well as family challenges he experienced in his life.

A jury convicted Johnson in October, about seven months after he and a second man were charged with the May 2015 assault inside an apartment on South Lincoln Avenue. Authorities said the then-19-year-old Aurora woman met Johnson, Andres Fonseca and two others before attending a party at the apartment. While there, Johnson offered the woman what he described to be Xanax, which she took and later said made her feel drowsy and weak, police previously said.

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When an acquaintance of the woman and a second man left the apartment to buy alcohol, Johnson and Fonseca allegedly assaulted the woman and took her cellphone, according to police and prosecutors.

Johnson received credit for 295 days spent in Kane County Jail since his arrest. He's required to serve 85 percent, or about seven years, for the sex assault before beginning the sex abuse sentence. During the same hearing, Johnson admitted to violating his probation connected to his conviction for robbing an Aurora gas station in 2014. He had pleaded guilty in that case a few weeks before the assault, records show.

Fonseca, who is also being held in jail on unrelated shooting charges, is scheduled for trial in February in the sex assault case.

Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
Almost two years after being elected Clarendon Hills village president as a write-in candidate, Len Austin is glad he made the decision to run.

Austin, who has lived in Clarendon Hills since 2001, became a write-in candidate for the 2015 election after former Village Board member Ed Reid withdrew. With Reid off the ballot, voters would have had board member Eric Stach running unopposed.

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"I felt it was important for people to have a choice, especially with the circumstances that led to Ed Reid deciding to not run," Austin said.

Reid decided to remove himself from the ballot after two members of the political watchdog group, Illinois Leaks, from central Illinois showed up at a Village Board meeting and claimed he should not be allowed to run for village president because he was late three times in paying water bills to Clarendon Hills, something they said violated the Illinois Municipal Code.

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Reid, who admitted to delays in payment, said he didn't believe he ultimately would have been forced to withdraw, but decided he wanted no part of an election in which "those type of politics" were involved.

Austin defeated Stach handily, winning 64 percent of the vote. But the married father of two has never looked at the margin of victory as a mandate.

"It wasn't really me that won; it was the caucus system that gave me the opportunity," Austin said. "The caucus came to life when it sensed that an outside influence was trying to run the village."

While he has gotten used to leading the twice-monthly Village Board meetings, it's very clear that Austin is most in his element when he's among residents, just chatting and listening.

"I love it," he said. "I like to sit down and talk with people because that's when they are more comfortable and will really let you know what's on their minds. A lot people are gun shy about coming to Village Board meetings and saying something."

Austin said he has found while talking to residents that most have the same general interest.

"People just want to know how their village government is doing," he said "Any change is difficult for anyone. No one likes change until they know it's better."

Austin said he is fortunate to have become village president at a time when Clarendon Hills is in good financial shape.

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"These are good times," he said. "I didn't step into a financial mess, which is something the village had to deal with not very long ago."

While continuing in his job as a manager of a company that sells oil and related equipment to auto dealerships, Austin said he puts in 6-10 hours a week in his volunteer position of village president.

"I think my life has changed most in that things going on in the village are always on my mind," he said. "I notice things I wouldn't have before."

Austin said he now notices new parents walking their strollers into town, basic infrastructure needs, how village employees interact with residents and whether Clarendon Hills restaurants are full or empty,

"Restaurants are important to a vital community and create traffic that helps all other downtown businesses," he said. "Seeing new residents with their strollers in town tells me we are offering the correct package of location, schools, safety and housing value."

While village issues are on his mind regularly, Austin said he understands he cannot fix every problem.

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"To some extent, I want to know about any issues or problems and see if it can be fixed," he said. "I at least want to understand the situation."

Austin his best virtue as village president is his skills in dealing with people, something with which longtime Village Board member Paul Flood agreed.

"He's very people oriented," Flood said. "He tries to make sure everyone as the opportunity to be heard at Village Board meetings. He has a collaborative style and has done a great job of learning."

Austin said working with others to help move Clarendon Hills forward is his favorite part of being village president

"And my least favorite part of this is there's always a group that doesn't know you, or how hard you work to do what's best for the village, and assumes you're different than who you really are. They think you might have some other motives."

Austin believes he's done A- grade work since taking office. He specifically notes his involvement in seeing the downtown condominium and Walker Avenue apartment developments come to fruition.

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"An important focus to me now is train station redevelopment," Austin said. "Thousands of people go by each day on trains, and they get a quick impression of Clarendon Hills by the train station. It needs to be improved."

While he's not up for re-election until 2019, Austin, at this point, is interested in seeking a second four-year term.

"I don't see any reason why not," he said. "If the caucus would endorse me, I'd run again."

cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @chuckwriting
Annie LeGere, pictured above, died at age 13 after a severe food allergy attack. The Annie LeGere Foundation is now donating $40,000 to the DuPage County sheriff's office, officials announced Tuesday. (Family photo provided by Shelly LeGere / Handout)

After inspiring a law that allows police officers to administer a life-saving drug to someone having an allergic reaction, an Elmhurst foundation is funding a program that will put EpiPens in every DuPage County sheriff's squad car and in first-aid kits around the county courthouse.

The Annie LeGere Foundation  named for a 13-year-old girl who died in August 2015 after a severe reaction to an unknown food allergy  is donating $40,000 to the DuPage County sheriff's office, officials announced Tuesday. The donation will pay for EpiPens, a device that delivers a dose of epinephrine to someone who is struggling to breath during an allergic reaction. The drug reverses airway swelling and is known to be the first line of defense for anaphylaxis.

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Police officers, unlike paramedics, have not been allowed to administer the drug, despite often being the first to respond to allergy emergencies. But as of Jan. 1, 2017, the Annie LeGere Law changes that, and the DuPage County sheriff's office will be the first in the state to begin a program, officials said. The law was approved earlier this year.

Col. Frank Bibbiano said the sheriff's office hopes to distribute the injectors in mid- to late January. The initiative also includes training on using the devices, he said, but officers already received instruction during routine first-aid training.

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While it's unclear yet what the total cost will be, Bibbiano said officials plan to pass along any leftover funds to other area police departments that need help paying for the drug. Several in the county have expressed an interest in implementing similar programs soon, he said.

"It's important to be able to save people's lives," Bibbiano said. "Law enforcement is in a position to help people  and we're put in that position quite frequently. It's not uncommon to get a (911) call and a squad car is right around the corner."

Shelly LeGere started the foundation in her daughter's name shortly after Annie died, and began pushing to change the law. Police officers were first to reach Annie following a 911 call after she started having trouble breathing at a sleepover party. But the officers were not equipped with EpiPens.

LeGere said she hoped for swift action by legislators and police to prevent future deaths.

"If you let things go too long, people don't remember the importance or the devastation," she said. "Hopefully now that DuPage County sheriff's (office) is willing to take the lead, other towns will follow."

LeGere said she decided to donate to the sheriff's office after hearing it was already looking into implementing the new law. Her foundation has also made smaller donations to a food allergy education program. The foundation is supported through donations and fundraising events.

Along with helping police departments that don't have the funds to equip their officers with the drug, LeGere said she's also hoping to help individuals who cannot afford a supply of EpiPens.

kthayer@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @knthayer
More vehicle and pedestrian crossing gates would be installed to help reduce noise from train horns in Lockport under a plan approved by the City Council.

The crossings would help eliminate the need for train conductors to sound their horns as they approach crossings, officials said.

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The project would be paid for by using fees from an oil pipeline developer, officials said.

Ald. Jason VanderMeer, 3rd Ward, cast the only dissenting vote on the eight-member council. One alderman also was absent.

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VanderMeer did not discuss his opposition to the plan at the Dec. 21 meeting but had previously said aldermen should decide how to best spend the $2.55 million to be received from the developer, Ducere.

VandeerMeer said the railroad quiet-zone project was considered a lower priority than other projects that still need funding when officials had discussed capital improvement plans for the city.

But Mayor Steve Streit said he had negotiated the fee from Ducere with the intention of establishing the quiet zone on the city's west side, which is where the pipeline would be installed.

Ducere wants the install an underground pipeline that connects to oil storage tanks near the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, officials said.

The pipeline's route along the Burlington Northern and Canadian National Railway tracks takes it through part of downtown.

Streit said a quiet zone has been on the wish list of business owners and residents for a long time and it would benefit the city as a whole.

Establishing a quiet zone would include making improvements at 11 crossings between Division Street and Second Street.

City Administrator Ben Benson said construction of the oil pipeline is expected to start in the spring or summer of 2017.

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Also on Dec. 21 aldermen voted to create the position of a second deputy police chief.

In a memo to the council Police Chief Terry Lemming all the police departments surrounding Lockport have either a commander positions or deputy chief and they're both above the rank of lieutenant.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

He said he wants to promote Lt. Richard Harang to the second deputy chief because he has already taken on added responsibilities, such as responding to situations even while off-duty as the head of police operations.

Lemming said the position comes with increased pay and encourages future lieutenants to strive to be promoted to a deputy chief.

On another matter, Lemming said the police department will start its "safe passages initiative" on Jan. 1, which aims to provide treatment for drug addicts.

"There are many people addicted to drugs that can't find treatment, that can't get in immediately," he said. "We're arranging for people to be immediately treated."

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Lemming said the program had been successful in Dixon and could help reduce crime in Lockport, such as retail theft and domestic violence.

"Violence and crime follow drug use," he said.

Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Happy

"The purpose of our lives is to be happy."  Dalai Lama

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While this time of year can become a little "blue" for many, as of the Winter Solstice, which was Dec. 21, the days are getting longer. Some celebrations are hosted during this time of year in an effort to raise our spirits. As we are gaining minutes of daylight each day, try to embrace natural light, when it is available. Outdoor adventures (or simply walking the dog) will give you a nice dose of vitamin D, which is up for debate whether adequate amounts of vitamin D can be processed from the sun; and more studies are being conducted as to the effect vitamin D has on mood.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County has a number of outdoor events that may bring some outdoor adventure into your life. As stated on their website, "If you love bird-watching in the spring, summer and fall, don't stop during winter because there is a whole host of avian characters to observe in the colder months." A number of birds migrate to the Will County area for the winter.

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Plum Creek Nature Center, 27064 Dutton Road, Beecher (Crete Township) will be hosting a "Morning Bird Hike" from 8-10 a.m. Jan. 21; and a "Night Hike: Owls" from 3:30-6 p.m. Jan. 28. For registration deadlines and more information about these programs and others, visit www.ReconnectWithNature.org

Healthy

"Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease."  Hippocrates

The beginning of the year seems to motivate us to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Sadly, many of us abandon our lofty goals just weeks after we begin. Instead of making exercise a chore, perhaps incorporating fun and healthy lifestyle changes or routines, you will enjoy your new healthy lifestyle.

The village of Orland Park provides many opportunities to add some fun, physical exercise in to your day. Winter Wonderland Ice Rink, 15600 West Ave., is an outdoor ice rink complete with a warming house, ice skate rentals, and free helmet rentals. If you are not a fan of the cold weather, head indoors to "The Rock" climbing wall at the Sportsplex, 11351 W. 159th Street. This towering, 32-foot tall climbing structure features eight ropes, six leads and two auto belays. Consider getting a group together for a group climb, available during certain hours.

Wealthy

"The greatest wealth is to live content with little."  Plato

The turn of the calendar provides a clean slate. This is a good time to take stock of your expenses. Take some time to renegotiate contracts (insurance, utility, etc.); review recurring expenses; and re-evaluate conveniences that you may not be fully utilizing. Is your cable bill skyrocketing, but you aren't viewing many of your channels? Consider only subscribing to the channels you truly enjoy. A few dollars of savings in a certain areas per month can add up to huge savings at the end of the year.

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After getting your expenses in line, a clean slate can also mean a clean house. If you have a stockpile of items you are not using, or would be able to find a new home, consider selling them online. Use caution when listing on Craigslist or other online sales sites. Remember, you may use the lobby of the Orland Park Police Station, 15100 S. Ravinia Ave., to safely conduct transactions.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Wise

"Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late."  Benjamin Franklin

Orland Township Senior Services department offers Dakim BrainFitness classes, which feature clinically tested brain fitness software designed specifically for adults over the age of 60. By participating for only 20 minutes per day, these free, fun, and engaging brain exercises may help improve focus, memory, and concentration, while also fighting the threat of cognitive decline. Classes are held from 9 to 9:30 a.m. or 9:45 until 10:15 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at the Orland Township Technology Center, 14807 S. Ravinia.

The Orland Township Technology Center also offers various basic computer classes  setting up a Facebook account, Microsoft basics, and navigating the internet  to name a few. Call (708) 403-4222 for information on class dates and times.

The Village of Orland Park Recreation and Parks Department is offering an Adult Spanish class beginning in January. This small, relaxed, tailored class will teach conversation basics, grammar, and phonetics. Consider registering and then planning your next adventure! Visit https://www.orland-park.il.us/index.aspx?NID=1587 or call (708) 403-7275 for classes, information, registration, or questions about Village of Orland Park Programs

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Begin this year with a renewed effort to be happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise!

Laura Hinderman is a freelance columnist.
The year 2016 brought many changes to Cambridge Lakes Charter School, 900 Wester Boulevard in Pingree Grove.

In September 2016, Community Unit School District 300 renewed the school's charter through August 2020.

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"After the district approved the charter renewal, documentation went to the State of Illinois," said Sylvia Polletta, CEO of Northern Kane Educational Corp., the management firm of the school. "The state is currently reviewing the information before it certifies the agreement. Everything is moving along very well. I'm happy that our school's focus is now back on students and their families, teachers, staff and services."

"In the short time since the charter was renewed under new management, I have seen positive changes and greater communication between management and staff," said Bethany Nelson, community relations and events director and director of NKEC's Cambridge Music Outreach. "I'm very optimistic for what future holds in store for us. I'm looking forward to holding our high achievement standards."

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"There are a lot more smiles on the faces of students and staff," said Julie Skaggs, principal of lower schools of Cambridge Lakes Charter School. "We're approaching everything in a positive way. Staff has more of a say in how things are done. I'm proud that we have maintained our high achievement learning. Every grade level at our school is 6.5 to 7 points above the national norm based on the MAP (measure of academic progress) testing. Our middle school is in the top 9 percent of the 1,309 middle schools in Illinois."

"We lost over 50 students between the 2015-16 school year and the 2016-17 school year," said Larry Cornett, vice president of the charter school. "One of the presumed reasons for this loss of students is the publicity of the charter not being renewed in a timely manner, which created insecurities among the administration, teachers, staff and our student families. The steady loss of teachers from February through August added to the parents' perception of our weakening school stability."

"Our Cambridge Lakes administration/board of directors knew they needed to renew the charter as soon as possible to stop any further damage to our teacher retention and student enrollment," Cornett added. "We did get the charter renewed and changed the upper management structure. Larry Fuhrer stepped down as CEO of NKEC. This meant he no longer dealt with the day to day operations of the school but would stay on the board of directors as a founding member. Sylvia Polletta has since taken on the role of CEO of NKEC. I took on the responsibility as vice president of Cambridge Lakes Charter School and am in charge of all day to day operations at the school. It has taken some mending to restore teacher contentment. I want to build their morale."

The school's administration would like to increase enrollment by 50 to 100 students for the 2017-18 school year.

"We need to increase our enrollment to guarantee high achievement learning with cutting edge technology and superior teachers and staff for many years to come," said Cornett.

Cambridge Lakes Charter School is a free school of choice for all students in District 300. It is not a tuition-based school. The only families that do pay tuition are the ones who live outside of District 300.

The 15-acre campus is comprised of several smaller schools within the school. The yellow building houses a preschool and the kindergarten; red school for first and second grade; purple school for third and fourth grade, and green school for fifth through eighth grade. The Cambridge Academy, a blended e-learning program, also meets on campus and serves students kindergarten through high school.

"There are currently 55 to 60 students in Cambridge Academy," said Mary Perkins, Upper School principal. "Half of the students are kindergarten through eighth grade, while the other half are high school students. Students work at their own pace. If a student finishes a semester's coursework early, he or she can start coursework for the next semester. They do all of their core content online and come here two or three days a week for specials such as art, music and physical education."

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Cambridge Lakes Charter School celebrated its first graduating class of twelve students in 2016.

Cornett said that the charter school would like to build Orange School for fifth and sixth grade students plus a Gathering Hall which would serve as both an auditorium and gymnasium.

Skaggs said every student on campus has a personalized learning plan.

"It is a fluid document," Skaggs said. "The teacher, parents and student meet four times a year. As children grow, they must explain their goals. It builds their accountability. We teach them goal-setting skills."

The students normally come to school five days a week. The only holidays are Labor Day, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, and Memorial Day. School begins on the Tuesday after Labor Day and ends on June 9 in 2017.

"Our families like this schedule," Skaggs said. "We are always in session. This provides continuity and helps students retain what they have learned."

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This year, 26 students came from families where Spanish and English are spoken, while 13 students have families that speak both English and Urdu.

Other languages spoken at students' homes include: Assyrian, Guargarti, Italian, Polish, Tagalog, Telugu, Thai, Yoruba, Akan, Hindi, French, and Lao.

Cambridge Lakes Charter School will hold an open house for current and prospective families from 5 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 23. All grade levels, from preschool to Cambridge Academy, will be represented.

It will be the kickoff event for National School Choice Week.

For information, contact 847-464-4300; www.CambridgeLakesCharterSchool.net.

Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
From left, River Grove Village Trustee Lynn Bjorvik, Mayor Marilynn May, Village Trustee Bobby Thomas and Village Trustee Tracy Aller pose for a photo during an election night gathering at Smith and Smith Law office in River Grove. (J.Geil / Pioneer Press)

The year is almost over, and the Elm Leaves takes a look back at some of the most popular and memorable stories of 2016.

River Grove village president steps down

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Pain from family issues brought an end to Marilynn May's remarkable public service, spanning more than 40 years in River Grove.

May stated in a letter on May that she would be stepping down as that village's president. Bart Smith, the River Grove attorney, said May had been distraught since the death of her son, Tony, 44, who had died March 27 after suffering a heart attack. Her other son, Nicholas, died at age 21, in 1997.

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At public events, May would introduce Tony as her "Rock," said Smith.

"To have lost her second son has been very difficult for her personally," he said. "She wants to dedicate her energies to honor her children."

In her letter, May reflected on 12 years as village president, four years as village trustee and an additional 26 years in administrative positions.

"It has truly been an honor to serve the River Grove community," the letter said. "And while my appreciation and adoration for the village has not lessened, the time has come for me to retire from public service."

Elmwood Park village officials and public safety officers get an early look at Floramedex, 7955 W. Grand Ave., before its opening in April. (Steve Schering / Chicago Tribune)

Medical marijuana dispensary opens in Elmwood Park

The state's budget may be stuck in neutral, the cost of living on the rise, but one sector of the economy is off to a promising beginning. Floramedex was building a solid business at its Elmwood Park location.

"We try to grow by 20 to 30 patients every month  that's our goal  and so far we've been able to do that," said Jared Boyar, the agent in charge of the medical marijuana dispensary in October.

The 5,800-square-foot dispensary, located at 7955 Grand Ave., was even making allowances for patients who couldn't afford the state's renewal fees, offering a one-time discount.

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Earlier in the year, Floramedex was announced by Gov. Bruce Rauner's office as the winner of the only permit to sell marijuana in Leyden Township, Proviso Township or Norwood Park Township.

Elmwood Park Village President Angelo "Skip" Saviano was among those who saw the need for the new service, backing legislation to legalize marijuana in some form when he served in the legislature.

"My father had cancer, and I believe his quality of life would have been enhanced with medical marijuana," he said. "There are a lot of people who could benefit from this."

Elmwood Park's pursuit of grants pays dividends

Elmwood Park's aggressive pursuit of outside grants allowed the village to tackle some long-standing projects that officials hope will pay economic benefits in the long run.

In the biggest project, a long-needed resurfacing of Fullerton and Diversey avenues, a project with an estimated cost of $1.15 million, the village was awarded a federal grant in the amount of $856,948. Rather than use local funds to make up the difference, the village entered into an intergovernmental agreement with Cook County for the county to provide up to $300,000 in state motor fuel tax to cover the project.

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The $300,000 in savings then were applied to another important project, a streetscape for the Avenue of Flags  the main entranceway into the Village Circle from Grand Avenue.

"The total cost of the project is approximately $415,000," pointed out Village Manager Paul Volpe, "so a good portion of it will be covered by that which we had originally budgeted for Diversey and Fullerton."

Parish celebration includes celebrated visitor

When St. William Parish celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Mass of Thanksgiving in October, it had a celebrated guest in keeping with the occasion.

Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich was the principal celebrant. During Mass, the Polish Highlanders presented a braided loaf of bread to the archbishop. Polish-American parishioners also gave the church a large photo of St. Rita, which the archbishop blessed. A family from St. William Parish presented the archbishop with flowers to show their appreciation.

The Rev. Michael Zaniolo, a previous St. William pastor, said it's important to celebrate major milestones, especially a centennial anniversary.

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"We take care of people here and educate them and watch them grow," he said. "We marry people and baptize them, and we're celebrating that. It's important to recognize, just like any anniversary, the love coming from God."

Cupich said that he loves to see all the support. "I'm just grateful to be able to join them in this great celebration of 100 years," he said. "You can see these people here take pride in being a Catholic and being a part of the parish."

Missing guns remain a mystery

Elmwood Park police had a mystery on their hands, but two years after the event, no investigation had taken place, said a state agency. Two guns, a black 9mm semi-automatic Glock pistol and a black Interarms Israeli Uzi 9mm automatic submarine gun, were reported missing from the police station's firing range, according to a police report from March 15, 2014.

Elmwood Park Police Chief Frank Fagiano said he called the Illinois State Police's gun unit to investigate. However, an Illinois State Police official said the phone call and handing over the police report were not enough to initiate an investigation.

"The proper protocol would have to been to send a letter to ISP on Elmwood Park Police Department letterhead asking for an investigation," said state police Master Sgt. Jason Bradley. He said no request in this format was made by Elmwood Park asking state police to look into the missing guns.

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Fagiano said he called state police and furnished them with the weapons' serial numbers and said the descriptions had been entered into national crime databases, in accord with protocol.

Since the incident, police have created a more stringent protocol for the gun range, he said, including requiring the gun range master to furnish the police chief a report of who trained in the range.

Gavin Henning's interest in a street sweeper truck brought a special reward in November. (Pioneer Press / Pioneer Press)

Village rewards boy's interest with a special ride

Mornings were always a little brighter for an Elmwood Park boy at the sight of a street sweeper and a driver who had befriended him.

In November, Elmwood Park officials arranged to satisfy 4-year-old Gavin Henning's interest even more, arranging for him to ride along with driver Rick Hahn, around the village circle.

Elmwood Park officials had arranged for the special ride after Caryn Henning, Gavin's mother, wrote the village, expressing gratitude for the friendliness the driver had shown her son, who has a genetic disorder, Fragile X, that causes him to be overly obsessed about some things, she said.

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Over time the "street cleaning man," as Gavin called him, let the youngster take pictures next to the street sweeper truck, sit in the driver's seat and talked to Gavin," his mother said in her letter. The encounters became an important part of the boy's routine.

The driver really cemented their friendship, presenting Gavin with a replica mini-street sweeper model. Gavin was "beyond excited," she said.

Hahn played down his actions. Seeing the boy jumping up and down and running out to meet him as he passed the corner, it was like "how can you pass it up?" he said.

Henning said the appreciation of the street sweeper and her quest to learn his name was because to him "he didn't know Gavin had a genetic disorder of any sort. It was just Gavin, not Fragile X."

That made the street cleaner's actions all the more heartwarming, prompting her letter to find out his identity, she explained.

"I know it's a cliche, but it's really nice to see there are still good people in the world, especially with our own community," she said.
A man suspected of robbing a polling place volunteer in Evanston on Election Day was arrested recently in Chicago, Evanston police officials said.

Lamar Berger, 19, of Chicago was arrested by Chicago police on a drug possession charge there, said Cmdr. Joseph Dugan with Evanston Police Department.

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But he is currently being held at Cook County Jail on $100,000 bail, according to the Cook County Sheriff's website, on charges of unlawful restraint and robbery.

The alleged robbery happened in Evanston about 5:26 a.m. on Nov. 8, police said, when the 17-year old victim was walking from the Howard Street CTA station to the Levy Center on Dodge Avenue. He told police he was headed to a nearby polling place where he planned to volunteer, according to an Evanston Police Department news release.

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Berger allegedly rode toward the victim on a Divvy bicycle  bikes publicly available for rent through a Chicago program  and announced his intent to rob the volunteer, according to the release. The victim was forced into an alley where Berger allegedly took his laptop, smartphone and bank cards, Dugan said.

The victim was also reportedly forced to change passwords on his electronics, police said.

The victim was not injured, Dugan said, and he called police from the Levy Center after the robbery.

Patrol officers that day found the suspect riding a Divvy bike in the 300 block of Asbury Avenue, according to the release. Officers gave chase, but the suspect hopped off the bike and ran off. Officers could not find him after that.

Detectives then worked with representatives from Divvy to identify the suspect, Dugan said.

"They were able to give us the information on where that bike was rented from and who rented it," Dugan said.

While Berger did not use his name to rent the bicycle, Dugan said the suspect used other personal information that officers pieced together to identify him and issue a warrant for his arrest.

The Evanston warrant popped up when Chicago police apprehended Berger Dec. 22, Dugan said. The victim's stolen electronics have not been recovered.

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Dugan credited detectives and the victim's willingness to work with police as key to identifying the suspect.

Berger's next court date is Jan. 18 at the Cook County courthouse in Skokie, according to the sheriff's department website.

gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GenevieveBook
An artist concept of what the new building at 9401 W. Grand Ave. might look like when its completed. (Digital Realty / HANDOUT)

Franklin Park can expect a big change on Grand Avenue in the new year.

"Well, it's a kind of a bittersweet nostalgia," Franklin Park Village President Barrett Pedersen said. "We're going to watch the Motorola building go away. They started here many years ago in Franklin Park."

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During World War II, brothers Paul V. Galvin and Joseph E. Galvin owned Galvin Manufacturing Corp. and manufactured car radios, larger radio sets for homes, and hand-held "walkie-talkies" for the U.S. military, according to the Chicago Historical Society. The company was originally based out of Chicago's West Side, but after the war the Galvin brothers renamed their company Motorola Inc. and relocated to Franklin Park, where they built at an office and large television assembly plant at 9401 W. Grand Ave.

"Motorola had that building as their office in the front and the manufacturing behind that," said Pedersen. "And they had floating staircases in their office, which was a first at the time because they made it feel like you were floating in the air."

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After Motorola left, the Grand Avenue property become home to many different commercial users including Matsushita Industrial, Telecom Central and Houston Foods. However, the 18.5-acre former Motorola Headquarters property had been vacant for nearly 20 years when San Francisco-based Digital Realty decided to purchase it in 2016. Digital Realty, which specializes in digital infrastructure for cloud-based computing, first entered the village in 2012 when it purchased the property at 9333-9377 Grand Ave.

"In January, we'll do a sledgehammer event announcing the dismantling of the former Motorola building," said Pedersen.

Pedersen added that Digital Realty plans to donate to the village two pieces of modern art, which frame the front door of the facility. Pedersen said officials are considering options for where the art will end up.

Alex V. Hernandez is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Gurnee police confirmed on Tuesday that, like some other malls in Illinois and across the country over the past few days, they responded to a shopping mall fight between two groups  in this case on Saturday, Christmas Eve, in Gurnee Mills.

"But it was nothing like Fox Valley. It was nothing like that," said Deputy Chief William Meyers of the Gurnee Police Department, referring to an incident at the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora where police arrested eight juveniles, including five girls, after a fight broke out Monday night. Police were forced to evacuate the Aurora mall after some people on the upper floor tossed bottles of liquid down onto others fighting on the first floor.

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Meyers added that Gurnee investigators "have everyone identified in the (Saturday) incident, but no arrests have been made."

"It stemmed from an outside dispute and not anything that happened in the mall," Meyers said.

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The conflict between the two groups, one of which had two to three people and another which was larger, was caught on mall security cameras, and police also used a video posted on YouTube, Meyers said.

The altercation took place in front of the rue21, Crocs and Boot Barn outlets, around 2 p.m., and a bystander using a cellphone captured it on video.

The YouTube video, titled "MUST SEE CHRISTMAS EVE FIGHT IN GURNEE MILLS ILLINOIS!!!" captures a minute and a half of the confrontation between the groups. The person who took the video, Francisco Martinez, 24, of Waukegan, said it appeared to him a family was under attack and a brother was trying to protect them.

He added that from the snippets of yelling between the two groups while he took video, he could make out it was possibly about some high school dispute.

"I was just doing some late Christmas shopping like everyone else when I hear some yelling," Martinez said. "I immediately look to my right and I see a chair thrown, about 100 feet away, and I knew something was going down."

Martinez added that he got out his cellphone and began recording.

"It was pretty wild," he said. "Lake County and Gurnee is nice. I was surprised. I've been going there for over 10 years, and I never saw anything like that."

The video immediately starts out with someone yelling, "Hey," and pans to a young man with a pipe threatening another young man and a young woman wearing a purple coat, who has a chair she is using defensively. The first man swings at the other man and something small falls to the ground, making a clanking sound.

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The woman then swings the chair down in front of her at the man with the pipe. After the chair falls to the ground, she is seen picking up a small object, possibly a personal defense spray, from the ground before she walks off screen.

The camera pans over to a small area between the Crocs store and the Boot Barn, where one of the men in the earlier confrontation appears to be on top of someone wearing a blue hoodie sweatshirt before someone comes pulls him off. Another person lies on the floor nearby without moving.

A young man in a gray sweatshirt and a red ear warmer headband then rushes the woman in the purple coat, taking her down to the floor when other mall customers intervene. People are heard coughing, and the person shooting the video mentions pepper spray.

Then a mall security officer comes onto the scene and motions for people to disperse. In the background, the Boot Barn has lowered its security gate. There appears to be one more shouting match before the people walk off and the video ends.

Meyers said the investigation is continuing and charges could follow. Simon Property Group, the owner of Gurnee Mills, did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.

fabderholden@tribpub.com

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Twitter @abderholden
Captain Porky's, which was once in Beach Park on Sheridan Road, is celebrating 30 years and is located next to The Shanty in Wadsworth. (Lake County News-Sun )

There are food deserts, places were food options are minimal, and then there are food oases, lush paradises of choices  like the one at Route 41 and Wadsworth Road, where the Kallianis family owns The Shanty and Captain Porky's, two restaurants that draw from both the Chicago and Milwaukee metro areas.

In March, the family plans to expand both well-known venues with a $3 million project that will quadruple their footprint, according to Dimitri Kallianis, who runs The Shanty with his mother, Elaine. His brother, George, sister, Notah, and his father, Dino, run Captain Porky's, and they are celebrating 30 years in the business. They were originally located in Beach Park on Sheridan Road.

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"What we are creating is a culinary village," Dimitri said. "It will be decorated in an old Americana style."

Standing in front of the aquarium smoker at Captain Porky's is (from left to right) Dino Kallianis, his son George and daughter Notah, The Shanty Chef Brad Trowbridge and Dimitri Kallianis. (Kaliianis family \ Handout)

"We're going to call it 'Shanty Towne,' with the Old World spelling," he said, adding they are still working through the permit process but don't foresee any problems. There is no artist rendering yet.

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"Everything you see now will stay. We're not touching one nail. It's already fine the way it is," he said. "Things will evolve around it.

"When all is said and done, my goal is to create a feeling for people, a moment of happiness through the decor and food," Kallianis added. "It will be a one-of-a-kind building."

The Shanty gained a lot of national notoriety among food connoisseurs when celebrity chef Guy Fieri of the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" visited in 2009 and was impressed by the whiskey shrimp and other dishes. The restaurant's popularity after the show aired its episode (which can be found on YouTube) spurred a smaller addition in 2010.

The new additions that should be completed in 2017 to both establishments will include more seating and larger kitchens. At The Shanty, plans call for an addition with just over 180 seats for weddings, banquets or corporate meetings.

There will be another bar area with 90 seats, 45 of them allow you to belly up to the bar. Kallianis said a catering showroom will allow patrons to "do one stop shopping for linens, plate ware, and other items."

Dimitri Kallianis, his brother George and Chef Brad Trowbridge preparing meals at The Shanty. The Kallianis family is planning a $3 million expansion of that restaurant and Captain Porky's in Wadsworth. (Lake County News-Sun )

"I think we're going to get them," he said of the weddings, especially since a path is designed to connect to a nearby Lake County Forest Preserves trail for wedding couples to take pictures. Kallianis added that a wine cellar area with 3,000 wines where "you can cut it off from the rest of the restaurant with a touch of a button or leave it open."

"There will also be a state-of-art banquet kitchen so we don't have to hold orders in the regular kitchen, which will also get expanded," he said. "There's no crossover, because everyone suffers when you do that. It will be seamless."

Kallianis said he has also been collecting old wooden beams from barns across the county to be used in the planned second-floor addition where a wall of glass windows can be opened in the summer to give patrons a view of the forest preserve land to the east of the restaurant that butts up against the Des Plaines River.

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According to Kallianis, people will be able to see up into a bell tower through ceiling glass, and old barn beams will bring in the warmth to the second floor.

"There will be beams, decorative work and cedar shake all the way through. The view is just awesome," Kallianis said, adding that "old storied items" like decorations and old barn wood from the original building give the facility a warm rustic feel. He also has plans for celebrity chefs cooking at their restaurant and a culinary education center whose concept he is still working on.

Built from an ancient barn, The Shanty in Wadsworth is being eyed for a $3 million renovation that will incorporate existing elements. (Troy Kelleher / News-Sun)

The Shanty also just recently rolled out a new menu, the 11th according to Kallianis, including double roasted organic duck, champagne stuffed beef bone marrow and a number of pan seared choices.

"I think it's good for the customers and the staff to keep evolving the menu," said chef Brad Trowbridge. "It keeps the staff on their toes and challenged. We'll be doing a ton of brazing, which is low and slow, compared to our grilled items."

Over at Captain Porky's, Dimitri's siblings, George and Notah, came up through the business the old-fashioned way.

"We grew up working here," said George of the restaurant his father, Dino, started in Beach Park in 1986. "We specialize in smoked barbecue, fresh seafood and catering."

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"The most important thing about this place is that people relate to the humble food," Dino said, standing near a smoker filled with ribs, rib tips, and beef brisket. There's also hot link sausage, chicken and salmon.

"Being a peasant is a noble cause," he said with a laugh and a grin.

Wadsworth Mayor Glenn Ryback calls the corner "our restaurant row, with The Shanty, Captain Porky's, the McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, and Savanna House."

Ryback added that the new additions planned by Kallianis have gone through the village with just small changes.

"It will make a nice look on that corner. I'm 110 percent behind the expansion and beautification. Dimitri is in it for the long haul," he said. Ryback said it might have been done earlier, but the county was thinking of improving the intersection with a Wadsworth Road bridge over Route 41. That concept has since been sidelined.

"That would not have been good," Ryback said. "People come from all over  Milwaukee, Barrington, people hear of Wadsworth and want to come and check it out."

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fabderholden@tribpub.com

Twitter @abderholden
In this Dec. 4, 2016, file photo, Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., surrenders to police in Washington D.C. Welch allegedly fired an assault rifle multiple times inside a pizza restaurant in the nation's capital while investigating an unsubstantiated internet conspiracy theory. (Sathi Soma / AP file photo)

I hate it when I'm ahead of the times. People look at me like I have two heads and I sometimes doubt my intuition.

But in the end, I'm often proved right and I can sit back and say, "I told you so."

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That's how I'm feeling now with all the revelations we've had about fake news. I knew it was coming. Even though I couldn't exactly outline how it would all unfold, the rise of the internet made it clear to me years ago that fake news was coming.

Why was I so sure?

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Simple: The internet made content king. And with certain publishers increasingly needing content, who really cared what was the content? Crap or potential Pulitzer, it didn't matter to some publishers. Just put it up and get some clicks.

And when all content is equal, publishers will pay what the lowest bidder will take. In some cases for some aspiring writers, that bid was zero.

So if cash wasn't the mark of a well-written story and publishers desired clicks for their website, how do you get to the top fast?

Easy: Make stuff up.

So what proof do I have that I was ahead of the curve on this? Just a few things beyond what I've already explained. There were my rants when my kids were in high school about schools ill-preparing the news consumers of the future and pleading for classes to teach young people how to evaluate so-called news stories.

I warned my fellow journalists that we would all be out of jobs when publishers decided all content was equal because there were millions of wannabe journalists who would provide content just to have a byline. Sure, some great reporters were discovered. But there seem to be more hacks willing to fudge the news, make up quotes, etc., than great journalists.

The thing is, fake news has been with us for a long time, maybe since the very beginning of news at all. In 1980, Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke won a Pulitzer Prize for her story on an 8-year-old heroin addict. Problem was, the story was fake. Cooke reportedly made it up, along with key parts of her resume to get the coveted reporting job with the Washington Post.

In 2003, New York Times reporter Jayson Blair was reported to have made up facts and quotes and more or less plagiarized his way to a series of news stories for the Times. Instead of one blockbuster lie, Blair left what the paper called a "long trail of deception" for Times readers.

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Then there was Stephen Glass, a writer for New Republic in the mid- to late-1990s who was reported to have invented quotes, sources and events for his stories.

Those are some of the more famous examples of reporters faking the news for personal gain. But there is also a long history of fake news to advance an agenda.

"Remember the Maine" was the rallying cry of yellow journalism that led to the war with Spain in 1898. In 2014, Rolling Stone ran a story called "A rape on campus" about an alleged rape at a frat house at the University of Virginia that the magazine later retracted in its entirety.

Back when I was in journalism school, we spent a few weeks talking about spotting "fake news." We were warned that activists with an agenda would seek us out, so we needed to be vigilant and to verify. And even verification might not be enough.

One professor who had been a spy in the cold war warned us that foreign government agents often forged documents and fed them to willing journalists in order to plant fake news stories. He admitted to having done such forging himself!

The lesson was to check, double check and verify, especially news that was sensational and fell into your lap.

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And now that everyone and anyone with a laptop and cellphone can be a journalist, we need to teach news consumers those same lessons.

Randy Blaser is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.
Mert Silbar was a public relations man from 1959 to 2010, when his son Dave took over Silbar PR, after the two worked together 17 years. Mert Silbar is known for having raised $20,000 to give to the Iranian hostages of the 1970s, raising another $10,000 for an injured Afghan war vet, and a file full of charity clients. He was once feted by Illinois Bell as the state's largest user of pay phones, after a Tribune reporter wrote a 1975 story about Silbar's reviews of the best pay phone locations in Cook County.

He's been a resident of Northbrook's Villas North neighborhood since 1996, having moved there after living for 28 years in Glenview. He and his wife, Roberta, are the parents of three adult sons.

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Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I grew up in Chicago. Diversey and Sheridan. I went to Senn High School.

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Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: My mother wanted me to be an accountant. Cost accounting got to me, so I went into journalism. Sixty bucks a semester at the U. of I. Wrote for the Daily Illini, and started to do promotions in college. I was head of a committee to promote Hillel, and I was looking for someone people wanted to see, and I found Eleanor Roosevelt.

Q: What was your first job?

A: My first job was working for Israel Bonds, from 1959 to 1963. Israel wasn't even barmitzvaed then. I met David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Abba Eban.

Q: What's your favorite restaurant?

A: Probably Starbucks. I can come here, get a coffee, toasted bagel and cream cheese, and read the papers as long as I want.

Q: If you could travel anywhere where would you go?

A: Back to Israel, to see what it's like. I saw it in (1962) when it was nothing, and went back, in 1977.

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Q: Tell me something about yourself that most people don't know.

A: My father worked two jobs, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. He was almost never home. If I'm ever able to, I always want to try and be with my family.

Q: Words of wisdom?

A: I see so many people making a lot of money. It's always business, business, business. So many good things can be done, and still do business. Do the right thing.

Shout Out introduces our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago. Check out more online at ChicagoTribune.com/ShoutOut

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

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Twitter @IrvLeavitt
Scott Schommer, 38, a California native, has been homeless since June and plans to return there to work construction next spring. (Denys Bucksten / Pioneer Press)

Several members of the Deerfield and Northbrook chambers of commerce delivered tents, sleeping bags and other supplies to homeless men and women who are facing a bitter cold winter on Chicago's streets.

The group, headed by Dan and Marla Gelfond, used the fundraising website Gofundme to raise $3,200. Another $800 was collected from chamber members and about $1,000 worth of supplies was donated from area businesses, group members said.

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Joining the Gelfonds on the trip to deliver the items were Paul Kaufmann, Larry Rosenthal, Geoff Horwitz and Alan Waner.

The group drove to Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago's Loop on Dec. 11 and Dec. 24. They took 22 coats on the early trip and learned from the homeless individuals they encountered that what was most needed were tents and sleeping bags.

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Dan Gelfond's idea for the venture took off when he asked his wife and several chamber members if they were willing to join the effort. More volunteered to make the Chicago trip, but Gelfond wanted to keep the group small.

Gelfond's feeling was that a large group might alarm the homeless men and women and cause traffic backups at encampments just off the curbs of Lower Wacker.

"We want other people to start their own groups and do it themselves," he said.

One member's business van transported the needed supplies to Chicago and was offloaded by volunteers at the busier sites on Lower Wacker. The members worked in cramped quarters to erect two-man tents, discounted from $20 to $12 at Home Depot. The recipients quickly slid large, flat cardboard beneath the tent floor for extra insulation.

Food was not a pressing issue, said Gelfond, as the number of soup kitchens and other scheduled sources of warm meals in Chicago is something homeless people he encountered said they can rely on.

After hitting the major stretches of homeless encampments on Lower Wacker, the small convoy headed to nearby streets, spotting homeless people and giving them sleeping bags and cloth grocery bags of gloves, hats, scarves, underwear and other supplies. The group counted on occasionally delayed motorists to be patient.

Gelfond, a videographer, interviewed several homeless people on camera, with the intent of humanizing those who've become statistics. One man told Gelfond that he's been homeless for 41 years.

The man stood strong and smiling as he posed for a group photo. Gelfond said the man "cleans up in bathrooms at restaurants and said he loves the streets. He said he's bipolar and schizophrenic."

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Another homeless man, Jimmy, 47, said he works when he can through a program, but his top priority is always a safe place to sleep.

"He said all the rest he can handle," Gelfond said.

According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, 38,036 Illinois residents were served in state-funded shelters in fiscal year 2014. Of that number, 10,673 were children under age 18.

Denys Bucksten is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Target intends to open a new small-format store inside the Elevate Oak Park Development in the fall of 2017. (Target / Handout)

Residents of Oak Park and River Forest have plenty to keep an eye on next year, including new businesses, future developments and an election that is just a few short months away.

Downtown Oak Park developments taking shape

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The new developments being constructed in downtown Oak Park mean new revenues, new residents and new businesses coming in the new year.

Oak Park's tallest building, the 21-story Vantage Oak Park development at Lake Street and Forest Avenue, announced it had signed lease agreements with Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants and Edward-Elmhurst Health.

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Edward-Elmhurst officials previously said they hoped to be open by the end of January, while Cooper's Hawk's lease of 12,500 square feet of first-floor space calls for the restaurant to be open by June 30.

Officials at Oak Park's newest high-rise, the under-construction 20-story Elevate Oak Park development, announced it will become home to a new Target store. Expected to open in October, the 22,000-square-foot, small-format Target store will anchor the building's commercial space near Lake Street and Maple Avenue.

A third major development, the proposed 12-story South Boulevard development, received a height increase in December, and is expected to contain 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 263 residential dwelling units.

District 97 referendum questions

Voters in Oak Park will have a big say in the financial future of their elementary school district.

On April 4, Oak Park District 97 will ask for approval of an operating fund referendum as well as approval to borrow $57.5 million for facility improvements at several of its school buildings.

While enrollment has increased to a 40-year high, revenues have remained stagnant, officials said. If approved, the operating fund referendum would increase the district's total tax levy by $13,344,415. An approved referendum would add $74 to every $1,000 in property taxes paid by Oak Park residents.

"We have 6,100 kids who enrolled this fall," board member Graham Brisben had said. "It's a record not seen since the 1970s. We have a flatlining revenue situation versus surging enrollment. Something's got to give, and that's why we're here now."

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The facilities referendum is needed, officials said, for typical building maintenance, building expansions, updated learning spaces and air conditioning.

School board members and administrators plan to spend the next several months educating the community on why the referendums are needed and what impacts they would have on property taxes.

Madison Street's future

Though construction is likely years away, 2017 is expected to be a big year for the future planning of Madison Street.

In December, the Oak Park Village Board named Jupiter Realty Company as its preferred developer of a series of properties on the north side of Madison Street between Oak Park and Wesley avenues, as well as a large property on the south side of the street.

With Jupiter Realty named the preferred developer of Madison Street between Oak Park and Wesley avenues, a bend could be introduced into the roadway to lure a large retail tenant to the area. (Village of Oak Park / Handout)

Future plans of the roadway could include a "bend" of Madison Street to the north, which would increase the size of the south parcel to lure a large retail tenant.

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Future plans of the roadway are expected to be discussed throughout the coming months, and Jupiter is proposing to begin construction on the project in the fall or winter of 2018. Jupiter estimates the entire development could be completed by spring 2019.

Further west on Madison Street, the village has taken control of the former Robinson's No. 1 Ribs building at 940 Madison St. and the former District 97 headquarters at 970 Madison St. just next door.

According to a letter from Economic Development Corporation Executive Director John Lynch, combining both properties would allow for maximum redevelopment of the area. Lynch estimates the site can accommodate 21 new town homes or a new retail building, once a developer is chosen.

OPRF pool and facilities planning

With its Nov. 8 referendum failing by 28 votes, officials at Oak Park and River Forest High School will continue to study its future swimming pool and facilities needs.

During a Dec. 13 board meeting, board members approved the creation of a new committee, which administrators said would be led by an outside facilitator and include citizen representation.

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The move comes after a plan to build a new swimming pool and upgrade portions of the school building failed at the polls. The district has sought for years to replace its two swimming pools, which were built in 1928.

Superintendent Joylynn Pruitt-Adams said the last major facilities renovation at OPRF occurred in the 1960s.

"What we would like to propose is to really take a step back and really think outside the box and look at a bigger picture," Pruitt-Adams said. "For us, it's not just about a pool. It's about academic programming, equity and facilities that are going to support the next generation of learners."

Pruitt-Adams said she would bring forward a process for recruiting members to the committee at a future school board meeting.

Elections

Voters in Oak Park and River Forest will help shape the future of their respective communities on April 4 when they take to the polls.

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In Oak Park, seven candidates have announced the intention to seek three village board seats, while Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb will run unopposed.

In River Forest, four candidates will seek three open village board seats, with Village President Cathy Adduci running unopposed for another term.

While there are three seats up on the Oak Park District 97 school board, 11 candidates have announced their plans to run, while four candidates will seek four open seats on the River Forest District 90 Board.

The Oak Park and River Forest High School board will have four open seats, with nine candidates seeking election this spring.

sschering@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @steveschering
A surveillance camera image shows employees being forced into a back room Dec. 17 at Simply Mac in Valparaiso. (Provided by Valparaiso Police / Post-Tribune)

An Illinois woman is in custody and a warrant for an Illinois man has been issued in connection with the recent armed robberies at the Simply Mac store in Valparaiso and more arrests are expected, according to police.

The robberies took place on Dec. 10 and 17 at the electronics store, 2710 LaPorte Ave., and police had said they were believed to be related.

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A security guard was disarmed in the second robbery and in both instances, the suspects restrained employees in a back room. The suspects stole $70,000 worth of items from the store during the second robbery, a police report said.

Detective Melanie Sheets and Detective Andrew McIntyre of the Valparaiso Police Department obtained warrants for the arrests on Dec. 22, police said.

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The FBI located Brenda Price, 23, of Riverdale, Ill., on Friday in Illinois and took her into custody on felony charges of robbery and criminal confinement, police said.

A warrant also has been issued for Narcellus Taylor, 20, also of Riverdale, Ill., on two felony robbery counts and two felony counts of criminal confinement. He has not been located.

Police said more arrests are anticipated as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information pertaining to the investigation can contact police by texting to Tip411 (847-411) and entering "Valpo" as the first word in the message field before sending the tip. Individuals also can call the police department at 219-462-2135.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Hikers starting off 2016 with a First Day Hike as they begin the ascent on the 3 Dune Challenge at the Indiana Dunes State Park. (Joan Dittmann / Post-Tribune)

Make plans to start the New Year off on the right foot with a First Day Hike.

Each of Indiana's 32 state parks and reservoirs, along with state parks across all 50 states, will offer a First Day Hike. These guided hikes are led by rangers, naturalists and volunteers and showcase the beauty and some of the unique natural features of each park while encouraging hiking as a healthy and inexpensive activity for all ages.

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The first First Day Hike took place more thanover 25 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation in Massachusetts. Since then, the event has been promoted by the National Association of State Park Directors and America's State Parks. According to its website, last year more than 55,000 participants joined in 1,100 guided First Day Hikes across the country, logging more than 133,000 miles to kick off the year.

"This is the fourth year that Indiana has First Day Hikes in 100 percent of our parks," said Vicki Basman, chief of interpretation for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "Each park came up with their own unique hike. Some are on paved trails, others are on challenging trails. Some are in the evening with luminaries to light the way. All are at least half-mile long, and some are 3 or 4 miles. We had 1,252 people participate statewide last year, with a little over 200 just at Indiana Dunes."

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This year's First Day Hike at the Indiana Dunes State Park will be the 3 Dunes Challenge, starting at 10 a.m. from the nature center.

This 1.5-mile trail rewards hikers with dune scenery, which can double as a perfect excuse to stop to catch your breath as you take in vistas of Lake Michigan above the treetops, including the Chicago skyline on clear days. This sandy trail climbs over the three tallest sand dunes in the state park: Mount Jackson with an elevation of 176 feet; Mount Holden, at 184 feet; and the park's tallest, Mount Tom, at 192 feet. At some of the steepest climbs, the sandy trail gives way to wooden stairs with benches along the way and at the top for a well-earned rest.

Along the way a park naturalist will offer information about recent park projects and sights along the way. Hikers will be invited back to the nature center afterward for snacks by a warm fire.

There are six other trails at the Indiana Dunes State Park, and that the 3 Dune Challenge (Trail 8) is the only one rated as rugged. Hiking any of these, or even a part of one, would be starting the year on a positive step.

The First Day Hike at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty will be a moderately rugged 11/2-hour hike focusing on looking for tracks, burrows and wildlife, and also will go by Worster Lake. Snowshoes will be welcome, if the conditions are right, and a limited number of pairs will available to share.

After the hike at Potato Creek State Park, warm up with hot cocoa while watching the variety of birds at the feeders just outside the nature center windows. Bring a bag lunch and stay for animal stories and a craft project. The hike starts at 9:30 a.m. and the stories and craft project will end at 12:30 p.m.

The First Day Hike at Pokagon State Park, near the Ohio border, will start at 9:30 a.m. and feature birding and wildlife. The hike ends with roasting marshmallows by the fire ring near the toboggan run, where those who still have energy can get on the wait list to rent a toboggan on the refrigerated toboggan run that flies riders down the quarter-mile track at speeds of up to 35 mph. Rentals cost $13 per hour and hold a maximum of four riders.

The nearest luminary hike is at Shades State Park near Crawfordsville. This one-hour, 1-mile hike will leave from the Dell Shelter at 6 p.m. and will give hikers the opportunity to call for owls, listen for coyotes and view the stars. Shades State Park boasts having one of the darkest night skies in the Midwest. Hot chocolate and snacks will be provided before the hike.

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You can even do two First Day Hikes by joining in the morning hike, starting at 10 a.m. at Turkey Run State Park in Marshall. This park's canyons are beautiful any time of year, but seeing the ice formations, like frozen waterfalls clinging to the cliffs, truly is special. As an added bonus, hikers just might see bald eagles overhead on this 1.2-mile, one-hour moderately rugged hike. Crampons are recommended if the conditions are icy.

For details on these or any of Indiana State Park's First Day Hikes, go to www.in.gov/dnr/parklake and click on the First Day Hikes link under Things to Do, or go to the link for a specific park. The hikes are free after the gate entrance fee of $7 per car at most parks.

Joan Dittmann is a freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune.
Bishop Noll band to perform at today's Liberty Bowl

Bishop Noll's Marching Warriors will make their bowl game debut at today's Liberty Bowl in Memphis Tenn. The game and halftime show will be on ESPN at 11 a.m. Dec. 30. The band will perform its show called "Band Wars," which incorporates sights and sounds of "Star Wars," with Oboe One saving the day and a special guest appearance by Elvis himself. This is the first time the Warriors will compete on a national stage against other high school bands from around the country. In addition to the field show, the band plans to march down famous Beale Street, play in a concert band and jazz band festival competition and be part of a huge halftime extravaganza at the Liberty Bowl itself as they along with 12 other high school bands back up the Commodores.

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Veterans meeting to address PTSD

John E. Mundt, a licensed clinical psychologist, staff psychologist at Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center, will be the guest speaker at the Portage Veterans Committee meeting 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Sycamore Room of Woodland Park, 2500 Willowcreek Road. Mundt will speak about post traumatic stress disorder. All Northwest Indiana veterans are invited to attend. More information is with Tom Pappas at tom.pappas01@comcast.net.

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PNW activities to honor King

Purdue University Northwest will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a variety of activities throughout January at the Hammond and Westville campuses. The theme for the observance is "Valuing Our Shared Humanity." All events are free and open to the public. A celebration breakfast will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Jan. 16 in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex Great Hall, 1401 South U.S. Highway 421, Westville. Keynote speaker will be Garrard McClendon, assistant professor and researcher at Chicago State University. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority invites guests to bring new or gently used hats, gloves, socks, scarves, coats and other seasonal wraps for donation to local families in need. Children's activities for ages 3 to 8 will be led by PNW students of Teacher's Networking Together from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., with books, crafts and dramatic play focusing on the life of King. An exhibit of "The Civil Rights Movement through Art," will be on display from Jan 17-31 featuring pieces from the collection of Margaret Burroughs, co-founder of the Ebony Museum of Chicago, now the DuSable Museum of African American History. The collection will be displayed on the Hammond campus in the Student Union and Library, 2233 173rd St., and on the Westville campus in the Library-Student-Faculty building, 1401 S. U.S. 421. More information is with Laura S. Odom at 219-785-5545 or odoml@pnw.edu, or Roy L. Hamilton at 219-989-2779 or roy.hamilton@pnw.edu.

Peace Jam Workshop scheduled at PNW

A Peace Jam Workshop and Competition, Using Hip Hop to Unite, is scheduled for Jan. 24 as part of the PNW Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The workshop will begin at 1 p.m. on the Westville campus in the Dworkin Student Activities Complex Room 1115, 1401 South U.S. Highway 421, and at 6 p.m. on the Hammond campus in Alumni Hall on the third floor of the Student Union and Library, 2233 173rd St. Participants will compete for a cash prize and the opportunity to perform at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Jan. 26 on the Hammond campus. More information is with Laura S. Odom at 219-785-5545 or Roy L. Hamilton at 219-989-2779.

PNW to host MLK convocation

Purdue University Northwest will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 in the Student Union and Library's Alumni Hall, 2233 173rd St., Hammond. The theme, "A New Perspective of Dr. King's 'Birth of a New Nation' Address: Ensuring that Human Rights are Respected," will focus on the sermon King delivered April 7, 1957, at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. The keynote speaker will be K-C Nat Turner, associate professor of language, literacy and culture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

 Staff report
Eva McNamara, who works in corporate communications, grew up in Winnetka. She has temporarily returned to the house where she was raised, as her own home in Park Ridge is being renovated. She is joined by her husband, Peter and son, Jack, who is nearly 2.

Q: What was your favorite memory of growing up in Winnetka?

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A: I always loved the July 4th parade every year. I was in the Girl Scouts and I held the flag every year, and that is something I looked forward to.

Q: How easy has it been to live at your parents' house again?

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A: It is easy in the sense that I am still familiar with this town and I know a lot of people. It is weird that I have been gone for awhile, but I go back to the same spots, but it is really great to have my parents around to help with my baby.

Q: How has the town changed through the years?

A: It really hasn't changed. I think that is good. There are a lot of local family businesses here and it is great to see them still around.

Q: What do you enjoy doing around the holidays?

A: Spending time with my family. I have three sisters and they all come back to Winnetka. It is good to see everybody.

Q: What has been the biggest challenge of overseeing the renovation of your house?

A: Just the attention to detail. At first it sounds really exciting. You get to pick out a faucet, but then you have to pick out all the faucets and after a while, your brain starts to scramble and you begin to wonder about what you picked out.

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.

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Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
A Chinese girl wears virtual reality glasses (VR) as she sits on a roller coaster simulator at the Wantong VR Park, which claims to be China's largest, on November 27, 2016 in Beijing, China. [Photo/China.org.cn]

When Fang Wenxin founded a virtual reality (VR) firm in 2015, he never expected the industry would go bust so soon.

The boom in China's VR industry following Facebook's US$2-billion buyout of Oculus, a U.S. producer of VR gadgets and computer games, in 2014 has declined, with about 90 percent of start-ups in the domestic market declaring bankruptcy.

"There were about 200 to 300 firms engaged in producing VR helmets in 2015, but now no more than 10 companies remain functioning, Fang said.

During the past few months, domestic VR companies, such as Storm Magic Mirror, Miido and AlfaReal, started to downsize organizations or delay payments of employee salaries due to a diminution in venture capital.

According to the latest report issued by iiMedia Research, a third party data collector and analyst of technological digital platforms, the supply of high-end smart glasses in the domestic market has failed to lure consumers, with more than 70 percent of respondents among smart cell phone users expressing no willingness to buy one.

Taken up by gigantic tech firms, such as HTC, Facebook and Sony, the market for VR hardware has left slim chances for smaller manufacturers to slot in, so that the VR businesses of domestic manufacturers focus mostly on content production.

However, despite the increasing involvement of VR start-ups, cheap copycats have eaten up the market, blocking the channels necessary for high-end innovation to reach customers.

The slump in the VR market during the second half of 2016 in China is probably the result of deficient industrial innovations, said Wu Limei, an analyst of the iiMedia Research.

But the recent fall of the VR industry may be less ominous than a sign of industrial recession when the frenetic flows of capitals have cooled down.

Zhao Ziming, an analyst from Analysys, Ltd., an agent of data collection and analysis, said the industry will be reshuffled by the entries of big companies, like BAT and NetEase, following the bankruptcies of small companies with broken capital chains. The threshold will be elevated and the money will be spent more reasonably.

Investment in the Chinese VR industry soared to 270 million yuan (US$38.9 million) in 2014, a robust rise followed by 2.4 billion yuan in 2015 and 1.54 billion yuan in the first half of 2016.
Chinese architectural experts are calling for more ecological protection and pursuit of a green lifestyle in the process of urban planning in the face of incessant smoggy weather in major Chinese cities recently and worrying increased global warming.

The Urban Ecology and Energy Conservation Forum is held in Beijing on Dec. 26. [Photo by Guo Yiming / China.org.cn]

Protecting and restoring the ecological system should run through the whole process of urban planning, said Wang Guangtao, former head of China's construction ministry, during the Urban Ecology and Energy Conservation Forum on Dec. 26.

"Only through weighing on whether [any aspect of urban planning] meets certain concepts or standards, can we really protect the ecological system while ensuring rapid urban development," said Wang, who is also chairman of the Environmental and Resources Protection Committee under the National People's Congress.

In mid-December, almost one-ninth of China's national territory was smothered by thick smog, with some cities' AQI running off the chart, meaning particulate matter concentration of PM 2.5 exceeding 500 micrograms per cubic meter. A total of 23 cities issued red alerts for smog last week.

Last September, the National People's Congress ratified the Paris climate change agreement, requiring a cut in carbon emissions by 60 to 65% per unit of GDP by 2030 (compared with 2005 levels), and boosting use of non-fossil fuels to account for 20% of energy consumption.

President Xi Jinping said China would continue to confront the causes of climate change and environmental degradation and vowed to close polluting coal mines and steel mills as part of that effort.

To reach the target, China needs to cut both the concentration and total amount of its energy consumption, said Jiang Yi, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineers.

With regard to urban planning, "China needs to promote a green lifestyle and efficient use of energy in buildings," he said.

In this regard, Wang Youwei, consulting chief engineer of China Academy of Building Research said green building had become the trend of urban development.

He called for strong adoption of the concept of green building and even "net zero building" in infrastructure development during his keynote speech.

The forum, held biannually in Beijing and Shanghai in rotation, aims to explore ways for urban development while ensuring ecological and environmental protection and provide a scientific decision-making basis for government agencies.
Shanghai lawmakers are deliberating a draft regulation on the establishment of a social credit system.

The draft, which was put under first reading by the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress this week, stipulates concepts of credit-related information, rules to collect and share the information, as well as rewards and punishment.

It says credit-related information is an objective record of both law-abiding and "discredited behavior," noting that some private information, such as religious belief, gene information, fingerprints, blood type, and diseases, should not be included.

The collection of income, deposits, marketable securities, commercial insurance, real-estate information and tax should be only allowed with providers' written consent, the draft said.

The draft also clarifies serious discredited behavior, which includes behavior that seriously damage health and safety in a range of areas.

Those placed on a blacklist could be banned entry from certain industries and markets, and restricted on trade of public resources, operation in infrastructure and public utilities, and financial activities, among other punitive measures.

On the contrary, the credit-worthy will be encouraged by the government. For example, they could enjoy more convenient services when applying for administrative approval.

Information can only be disclosed and used for five years, the draft said.
 Flash

A Jerusalem committee is expected to authorize a construction of hundreds of settler homes in East Jerusalem, despite a UN resolution demanding a halt to the settlements, an official said Tuesday.

A Jerusalem municipality spokesperson confirmed that the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee has on its agenda the approval of 618 housing units in Jewish neighborhoods across the Green Line.

The plan includes 140 housing units in Pisgat Ze'ev, which will expand this neighborhood settlement toward the Palestinian village of Hizmeh, 216 housing units in Ramot, extending the settlement in the direction of Bir Nabala, and 262 units in Ramat Shlomo.

While the permits were already on the agenda before Friday's resolution by the UN Security Council, Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman told local press that the committee is also going to discuss the approval of additional 5,600 housing units.

"We remain unfazed by the UN vote, or by any other entity that tries to dictate what we do in Jerusalem," he told Israel Today newspaper.

"I hope the Israeli government and the new U.S. administration will support us, so we can make up for the lack (of construction) during the eight years of the Obama administration," he added.

The move came after the Security Council approved on Friday a resolution that condemned the settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation" of international law. The motion was passed due to the abstention of the United States, the Israel's closest ally.

Israel reacted angrily, canceling Ukraine's prime minister scheduled visit to Jerusalem and summoning the ambassadors of the countries that backed the resolution on Sunday. Later, in a rare move, the Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador "for clarifications" talk.

Speaking at the cabinet's weekly meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed his office to draft a "plan of action" against the UN, without elaborating.

"We will do all it takes, so Israel emerges unscathed from this shameful decision," he said.

Israel seized East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War, along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It later annexed East Jerusalem and declared it as part of its "eternal and indivisible capital," in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.
 Flash

Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2016 shows a navy ship and a helicopter taking part in a rescue operation on the Black Sea coast at the crash site of Russian Defense Ministry's Tu-154 aircraft near Sochi, Russia. The main flight recorder of the Russian military Tu-154 aircraft that crashed Sunday into the Black Sea has been retrieved from the wreckage, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. [Xinhua]

Preliminary data from the main flight recorder of the crashed Russian Tu-154 aircraft would help narrow down the cause of the tragedy that killed 92 people aboard, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said experts from the Central Research Institute of the Russian Air Force are continuing to decipher the data from the main flight recorder, also known as the black box, after it was retrieved early in the day and delivered to a settlement near Moscow.

Meanwhile, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted an unnamed security source as saying that rescuers have located the two remaining black boxes, which have not yet been brought to surface.

A large number of plane fragments and body parts have also been found at a depth of about 200 meters into the Black Sea, the Russian media added.

The ill-fated Tu-154, en route to Russia's Hmeimin air base in the Syrian port city of Latakia, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Black Sea resort city of Sochi early Sunday morning.

92 people -- 84 passengers and eight crew members -- were aboard the plane. Most of them were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, a renowned choir of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as nine Russian journalists. They were heading to the air base for New Year celebrations.
 Flash

Twenty-nine former Turkish police officers went on trial in Istanbul on Tuesday over their alleged roles in a failed coup in July, local media reported.

It is the first trial of the alleged plotters since the coup bid on July 15, in which 248 people were killed.

The former police officers are accused of attempting to persuade their colleagues and the citizens not to join the anti-coup resistance, the state-owned Anadolu Agency said.

Among the defendants, three are helicopter pilots who were ordered to go to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Huber Palace in Istanbul to provide security on the coup attempt night. CNNTurk said the pilots rejected the accusations at the open hearing.

Press reports said the indictment demands three aggravated life sentences for each of the 21 defendants for attempting the coup and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the other eight for being members of a terror organization.

Of the 29 suspects, 25 have been remanded in custody for not obeying the orders to resist the coup attempt, Anadolu said.

Ankara believes the coup attempt by some in the military was orchestrated by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in the United State and leader of the so-called Gulen movement now branded as a terror group.

According to press reports, over 36,000 people have been arrested and more than 100,000 state employees dismissed in Turkey in the ongoing crackdown launched soon after the coup bid.
 Flash

Masahiro Imamura, Japan's reconstruction minister for disaster-hit region, visited the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Wednesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a memorial at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Imamura claimed that his visit to the shrine right after Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama met in the Pearl Harbor was just a "coincidence," saying that he made the decision a week ago.

Renho, leader of Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party, however, said the visit showed that "Abe administration does not appear to be united."

Imamura also visited the shrine on Aug. 11, several days before the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II (WWII).

Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from WWII and is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and South Korea, which both fell victims to Japanese invasion in WWII.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for a visit to Hawaii on Monday and attended a ceremony there with Obama to remember the thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan there on Dec. 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the U.S. while constituting no reflection upon the war.
Su Tianfu

(Photo: China Aid)

China Aid

Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song.

(Guiyang, GuizhouOct. 25, 2016) A house church in Chinas southern Guizhou which has struggled against authorities demands for more than a year, recently had its bank accounts frozen as authorities demanded three of the churchs pastors pay fines totaling approximately $32,500.

The executive board of Nanming District Court, Guiyang City notified three pastors from Guiyang Huoshi Church that they would have to pay a total of 220,000 Yuan (U.S. $32,500), as a 110,000 Yuan (U.S. $16,250) fine and a 110,000 Yuan penal sum.

According to the Notice of Execution issued by the Guiyang Municipal Law Enforcement Bureau, the three issued the notice, Su Tianfu, Liang Xuewu and Zhang Xiuhong would have to pay a fine for the administration of the Urban and Rural Construction Executive Punishment case against them.

The three pastors were required to pay all of the fine within three days of receiving the notice, even though Zhang is currently being held in detention.

On Sept. 19, Su went to the district court and discussed with the judge his inability to pay the fine. The court asked me to pay more than 200,000 Yuan (U.S. $29,500) in three days, Su told China Aids reporter on the evening of Sept. 20, yet they are asking me why I am unable to pay for it. I told the judge that our 500,000-600,000 Yuan (U.S. $73,800-$88,600) deposit in the bank was frozen by the police last year. Not to mention that the court froze another 200,000 Yuan the second time. The court does not know how to deal with this either. The order of the court will come into effect only after the police station unfreezes the bank account.
Officials raid Huoshi Church.

(Photo: China Aid))

China Aid

Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song.

(Guiyang, GuizhouNov. 9, 2016) Two house church attendees charged with divulging state secrets stood trial in mid-October and are currently awaiting sentencing after forwarding a picture of a document detailing plans to persecute a house church in Chinas central Guizhou province.

On Oct. 17, Wang Yao, a member of Huoshi Church, appeared before court in a secretive location on the charge of divulging state secrets. Two days later, Tu Yulei, a man who attended the church, was convicted of the same crime. Their accusations came from the authorities and referred to a picture of a confidential document describing official plans to eradicate Huoshi Church. Tu posted the document online, and both he and Wang allegedly forwarded it to overseas contacts.

Their judges will announce their sentencing at the proper time.

A trusted Christian told a China Aid reporter that Tu and Wangs families were not allowed to attend. Only lawyers appeared in court. According to Christians, lawyers argued that the confidential document was only a notice issued by an interim body and couldnt be called a state secret document. A lawyer said, according to the provisions of the criminal law, more than two documents were needed to constitute the charge. Moreover, the so-called confidential document was from a temporary government institution that was established with the sole purpose of destroying the church. The lawyers claimed that this institution was illegal, and that the document involved in the case was not a state secrets.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those enacted against Huoshi Church members, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom in China.

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here
Yang Hua poses with his wife, Wang

Hongwu, and their two children.

(Photo: China Aid)

China Aid

(Guiyang, GuizhouDec. 15, 2016) The wife of a pastor scheduled to stand trial later this month penned a letter on Nov. 30 describing the hardships their church has faced since his incarceration more than a year ago.

Yang Hua, the pastor of the repeatedly persecuted Huoshi Church, was detained on Dec. 9, 2015, while trying to intervene with authorities attempts to confiscate a church hard drive. The next day, he was sentenced to two consecutive, five-day administrative detention sentences for the crime of obstructing justice and gathering a crowd to disturb public order. On Dec. 20, 2015, when his wife, Wang Hongwu, arrived at the detention center to collect him, she saw him wearing a black hood and being herded into an unlicensed vehicle. She later learned that he had been charged with illegally possessing state secrets and was being transferred to criminal detention.

For more than a month, officials held Yang incommunicado, and Wang only received news of her husband on Jan. 22, when authorities announced his arrest on the charge of divulging state secrets.

After more than a year of being held without a trial, a local court scheduled Yangs hearing for Dec. 26.

In her letter, Wang describes how the church and her family have suffered since Yangs arrest, including having officials guarding their church and being unable to hold regular church services.

A full translation of the letter can be read below.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Yang Hua and the members of Huoshi Church, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom in China.

A prayer letter for Huoshi Church

Dear family members in the Lord, may peace in the Lord be with you!

I am Sister Wang Hongwu, the wife of Pastor Yang Hua from Huoshi Church in Guiyang. It has been one year since Dec. 9, 2015, when our church was banned [from meeting]. Though our small family has been going through hardships, we are still so grateful.

Because the church was banned, the 600 square meter office building (which is worth a total of more than 5,000,000 Yuan. The down payment is 2,500,000 million Yuan, and the mortgage is 30,000 Yuan per month) is often guarded by the police [Editors note: 500,000,000 Yuan, 2,500,000 Yuan and 30,000 Yuan are $724,123, $362,062 and $4,345 USD, respectively]. We can neither use it nor rent it out. The authorities specifically heavily fined Zhang Xiuhong, Liang Xuewu and Su Tianfu, [who rented] the building. The churchs bank account is frozen, and our church cant hold normal meetings. We are losing a lot of church members. They have to be divided into smaller groups to worship. Not only is the church is facing huge economic pressures, but some church leaders are risking being in jail.

Sister Zhang Xiuhongs case hasnt been tried since she was arrested for illegal business on July 28, 2015.

Pastor Su Tianfu has been released on bail. The lawyers cant access the documents and have no plan for a trial yet. He was charged for divulging state secrets.

You Lei and Wang Yao are being tried for the same charge [Editors note: You and Wang leaked a confidential government document containing plans to establish a headquarters to persecute Huoshi Church]. The lawyers their parents hired got calls from the Bureau of Justice before their trials. They werent allowed to plead innocent. If they did, there would not be a trial at all, and the case would be shut with an unlimited duration. If they cooperated with the government, they [were told they] would be released soon. To this day, there has been no trial, and they have not been released.

Pastor Yang Hua has been in the detention center for nearly one year. His charge is divulging state secrets. We learned from his letters, in this period, he is constantly sick but is still grateful and is always encouraging me.

Given the huge hardships suffered by our church and our family, I especially ask brothers and sisters to pray for us. I firmly believe that this is Gods most beautiful decree.

May the Lord remember you.

Sincerely,

A weak [person] in the Lord, Wang Hongwu

Nov. 30, 2016

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here
Zhang Kai

(Stock photo courtesy of Zhang Kai)

China Aid

(Hohhot, Inner MongoliaDec. 28, 2016) A prominent Christian human rights lawyer who was released on bail earlier this year has not been seen since he was summoned to the police station in Chinas northern Inner Mongolia yesterday morning.

At 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 27, human rights attorney Zhang Kai responded to a summons to a police station in Hohhot, and his mother claims that he has not yet returned. During this time, personnel from public security bureaus in Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Guizhou, and Inner Mongolia came to her house to have a conversation. Her daughter also received a visit from the Beijing Municipal Public Security at her work place, and she refused to let them video her. They asked the women to urge Zhang to quietly cooperate with officials and said his ability to return home depended on his attitude.

Zhang was previously taken into police custody on the night of Aug. 25, 2015, after he legally represented 100 churches affected by a cross demolition campaign in Zhejiang. After spending six months in an unofficial black jail in an unknown location, he resurfaced on a television broadcast on Feb. 25, where he was forced to confess his to disturbing public order and endangering state secrets. He was criminally detained a day later, and then released on bail.

A full translation of a statement from Zhangs mother can be read below.

China Aid will write additional reports when more information becomes available.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those experienced by Zhang Kai, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom and human rights.

______________________________________________________________________________

Message from Zhang Kais Mother

Emergency: My son, Zhang Kai, was summoned by the municipal police station at 10:00 a.m. on December 27 and has not yet returned, and now it has been more than 36 hours! During this period, staff from the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Bureau, the Guizhou [Provincial] Public Security Bureau, the Wenzhou [Municipal] Public Security Bureau, and the Inner Mongolia [Provincial] Public Security Bureau have been to my house to have a conversation. The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau went to my daughters work place to have a conversation (they wanted to take video, but my daughter stopped them). They urged us to persuade Zhang Kai to keep quiet and cooperate with them! Whether Zhang Kai can go home or not depends on his attitude! Our family is in the midst of waiting anxiously  I hope Zhang Kai returns safely. Please pay urgent attention!

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here


An employee of US Pharmacopeial Convention, a scientific nonprofit organization, works in the company's laboratory in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. China is speeding up free trade talks with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. [Photo/Agencies]

Trade with Belt and Road nations grows at a very fast pace

China plans to seal free trade agreements with 40 percent of the countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, officials said on Tuesday.

The nation had already established FTAs or is in talks with 25 countries and regions along the route of the initiative by the end of this year, and it will accelerate the pace of FTA negotiations with Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan next year.

"We have also started FTA feasibility studies with countries including Nepal, Bangladesh and Mauritius this year," said Zhang Shaogang, director-general of the department of international trade and economic affairs at the Ministry of Commerce.

The infrastructure, service and trade network proposed in 2013 envisions a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, covering about 4.4 billion people in more than 60 countries and regions in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Zhang said the ministry has made progress in eight FTA talks, as well as launching feasibility studies and negotiations with another eight countries and regions in 2016.

In the meantime, China also launched feasibility studies on FTAs with Canada, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, as well as starting research on upgrading existing free trade deals with New Zealand, Chile and Peru.

Zhang said the talks of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a regional free trade pact between 16 economies including Australia, India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, will also speed up.

Due to the rise of trade protectionism, China suffered 117 trade remedy investigations with a total of $13.98 billion involved between January and Dec 21, increases of 34.5 percent and 71.5 percent, respectively, on a year-on-year basis, said Wang Hejun, head of the trade remedy and investigation bureau of the Ministry of Commerce.

"China therefore can raise its investment and trade activities with emerging economies, in particular those from the Belt and Road Initiative, to diversify its export channels and avoid potential risks," said Zhou Liujun, director-general of the ministry's department of outward investment and economic cooperation.

Chinese companies signed a total of $84.39 billion of new contracts in sectors such as power, transportation, housing and communication industries in 61 countries and regions along these two trading routes between January and November this year, up 30.7 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Agreements under negotiations

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Gulf Cooperation Council

Japan-South Korea

Sri Lanka

Pakistan (second phase)

Maldives

Georgia

Israel

Norway

Ministry of Commerce
Workers sort packages after an online shopping spree in November in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. [Photo/China Daily]

Lawmakers have called for stronger regulation of the legal responsibilities and obligations of third-party platforms and enhanced protection of consumers' rights in the draft of the country's first e-commerce law.

The draft law was submitted for its first reading at the 25th session of the 12th National People's Congress Standing Committee.

During the discussion, Yin Zhongqin, vice-chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress, said third-party platforms play a pivotal role in e-commerce, and the purpose of the law is to promote e-commerce and protect consumers' rights.

The draft emphasizes the duties and obligations of third-party platforms, stipulates the utilization and protection of e-commerce data and information, and regulates the electronic contract and payments, and express logistics services.

Legislator Liu Zhengkui said e-commerce business operators should disclose information on goods or services comprehensively, truthfully and accurately, and safeguard consumers' rights being informed.

He suggested third-party platforms should offer compensation to consumers if the platform doesn't check the authenticity of the information released by the operators of the platform.

Liu said the platforms should establish related organizations to deal with complaints from consumers and help consumers safeguard their rights.

"This could not only crack down on fake and shoddy goods, but also strengthen their responsibility and enhance the reputation of third-party platforms."

China is the world's largest e-commerce market. The turnover of the country's online shopping market reached 3.8 trillion yuan ($547 billion) last year, according to iResearch Consulting Group.

Protection of personal information is a highlight of the draft law. The draft stipulates that e-commerce business operators must ensure the security of consumers' personal information.

Legislator Han Xiaowu said there should be more detailed regulations to protect consumers' legitimate rights, file a lawsuit and claim for compensation, especially when their information security is infringed.

JD.com Inc, China's second-largest e-commerce player, said the draft will help establish a fair and impartial market order and promote the healthy development of the whole e-commerce industry.

Xue Jun, associate dean of the law school at Peking University, said e-commerce enterprises should comply with the country's regulations on business activities.

Xue added that the platforms should also assist investigations by administrative authorities.
Cao Dewang, chairman of Fuyao Group, speaks during a conference of the 11th China Entrepreneur Summit 2012 in Beijing, China, Dec 8 2012.[Photo/IC]

Only 1.5 percent of millions of corporate taxpayers face a higher tax burden after implementing value-added tax reform, senior officials with the nation's top taxation bureau said on Tuesday.

"VAT reform has brought significant benefits to enterprises across sectors," said Wang Lujin, chief accountant of the State Administration of Taxation. "It is absolutely acceptable to see 1.5 percent among millions of taxpayers experience higher taxes at the time when we have a long way to go to refine the VAT taxation system."

The comments follow spirited discussions online by commenters, many of whom called China's business tax rate "deadly".

Comments by auto glass tycoon Cao Dewang, who has set up a factory in the United States, have fed the national discussion over taxation rates.

Cao, head of Fuyao Group, said the overall tax cost for manufacturers in China is 35 percent higher than in the US. His comments have prompted concerns that more Chinese manufacturers would move production lines overseas.

Li Wanfu, director of the Taxation Science Institute under the administration, denied such speculation and said it does not make sense to blame the taxation system for a single company's decision to open a US factory.

Data from the administration shows that by the end of November, the tax burden of 106.9 million corporate taxpayers engaged in the last four sectors of this round of VAT reform, has been reduced by 110.5 billion yuan ($15.9 billion), a reduction of 14.7 percent compared with the same period last year.

VAT reform, launched in 2012, which aims to replace standard business income taxes with VAT, has finally spread to the four sectorsconstruction, real estate, finance and consumer services.

VAT is a consumption tax placed on a product whenever value is added at a stage of production and at final sale, according to Investopedia.

Li added, "Although US president-elect Donald Trump pledged to cut taxes in an effort to lure firms back to his home country, it is so far unclear whether he will cut tax to the extent he pledged after he assumes office." He said the US government would face problems paying for "future infrastructure construction" if taxes are slashed too much.

Complaints alleging a high tax burden in China arise from many firms failing to get invoices for tax refunds, either because of a lack of knowledge or tax evasion issues, Li said.

Li said the reform would have a long-term positive effect because companies need to get invoices at every link along the production chain.

"Companies would have more incentive to pay tax in accordance with the law in order to get a tax rebate," he said, citing the example of Haidilao Hot Pot.

Chen Yong, the company's taxation chief, has said it got a 45 percent tax cut in three months by incorporating every step, from food purchases to delivery services.
Toshiba Corp can't get past its accounting problems.

The Japanese company, which paid a record fine a year ago for its bookkeeping practices, warned that it may now have to take another charge of several billion dollars related to an acquisition made by US unit Westinghouse Electric.

The company's shares fell 12 percent to 392 yen ($3.33) at the close in Tokyo on Tuesday, the biggest decline since December 2015, after earlier reports that it may book a loss of as much as 500 billion yen. Toshiba issued a statement after the market closed, saying that while the final writedown was yet to be determined, it would affect earnings.

The loss is related to a dispute over the value of an acquisition by Westinghouse of a nuclear construction company called CB&I Stone & Webster Inc. The Nikkei newspaper said the writedown would come to about 100 billion yen, while Japanese broadcaster NHK said the charge may total as much as 500 billion yen. The Tokyo-based company booked a loss of 460 billion yen last year.

"Assuming the article to be accurate, we would expect Toshiba's weak financial standing to be damaged further," said Takeshi Tanaka, an analyst at Mizuho Securities Co.

Toshiba didn't elaborate further in Tuesday's statement to the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Bloomberg
Steven Lien, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia-Pacific. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China is expected to become the world's largest aviation market in the next 20 years, said Steven Lien, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia-Pacific, in an exclusive interview with China Daily Website.

As a major provider of aircraft hardware and avionics systems, Honeywell Aerospace has established relationships with some of China's key aviation players.

"According to the 13th Five-Year Plan, about 50 new major airports will be established to accommodate the region's growth in air travel. We estimate that we will see six to seven percent annual growth in passenger traffic, airplane acquisitions and total flying hours in the next two decades," said Lien.

China's Belt and Road Initiative would bring greater opportunities to China, especially in the western region, Lien added.

The following are edited excerpts from the interview:

How do you view China's rapid economic growth and its recent slowdown? Will this affect your business development in the market?

China is expected to become the world's largest aviation market in the next 20 years. According to the State Council of China, China is expected to build more than 500 general aviation airports across the country and own more than 5,000 all-purpose aircrafts by 2020. In addition, China is becoming a key supplier of aircraft and component systems. The government is acting as an avid supporter of this growth, emphasizing the importance of the aerospace industry for the development and growth of the country.

While Honeywell has had a presence in China since 1935, we've seen the most significant changes and growth opportunities in the past decade as the country's demands in the aviation and aerospace industries have increased. This growth is expected in part due to affordable air travel in China, which requires significant investments in new airports and technology.

Overall, Honeywell is dedicated to its employees in China and throughout the APAC region. All of us at Honeywell are proud of our contributions so far, and are committed to continuing our strong local presence to help the industry development in the coming years.

What are your business strategies as you re-adjust to the new Chinese economic realities such as the New Normal?

Under New Normal, we observed that trends such as the emergence of low-cost carriers, increased international routes and demand for new aircraft all point to continued growth. In response, Honeywell has centered itself as a key partner, supplier and innovator for the Chinese aviation industry.

Honeywell has established relationships with some of China's key aviation players, including the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). With Honeywell's expertise in enhancing flight safety and efficiency, we look forward to continuing to play a fundamental role in advancing air travel in China and around the world.

How do you assess the prospects of your business in China in conjunction with the Chinese market and economy?

Honeywell is proud of our contributions to the thriving Chinese aviation industry over the past several years. Working closely with our world-class customers, partners and vendors, we are involved in many of the country's most critical aviation, aircraft and airport initiatives.

We will continue to support airlines and other operators with maintenance solutions, upgrades and retrofit solutions to make their fleets safer, more efficient and more comfortable.

What do you think of the opportunities and challenges facing your company amid the recent "Belt and Road Initiative" in China? How does your company fit into the national strategy?

Honeywell is well-positioned to support this initiative through its unique China growth strategies "East for East" and "East to Rest." Under these strategies, we follow the growth, proactively advocating locally developed innovation and partnering with leading Chinese companies to explore opportunities in high-growth regions around the world.

In one specific area, China is predicted to become the world's largest helicopter market over the next 30 years , and Honeywell is prepared to support this via our propulsion, avionics systems, connectivity and service offerings.

China's Belt and Road Initiative will bring greater opportunities to China, especially in the western region, with its rugged topography that's highly suitable for helicopter use. Some of our distinctive technologies, such as the HTS-900 engine, can help overcome the challenges of operating in those environments.

How do you see aviation industry in China in 2017 and the next few years?

The growth of China's aviation industry has been so consistent and robust that people sometimes forget just how far it has come in a relatively short time. China has become a major global player in aviation for the foreseeable future.

For example, expansion is expected to continue in the airline sector, driven by continued rapid growth of the economy and fast urbanization of the population. The government has a strong commitment to supporting aviation infrastructure and new aerospace technology.

According to the 13th Five-Year Plan, about 50 new major airports will be established to accommodate the region's growth in air travel. We estimate that we will see six to seven percent annual growth in passenger traffic, airplane acquisitions and total flying hours in the next two decades.

In addition, we expect to see tremendous growth in helicopter usage across China, already seeing 20 percent growth compared to the number of helicopters in 2015 alone. Demand is being driven largely by the need for helicopters to support missions in law enforcement, emergency medical services and natural resources.

As a result of these favorable projections, we will likely see an increase in aircraft purchased from Western companies such as Boeing and Airbus, as well as from Chinese manufacturers including COMAC, AVIC and others.

Do you have any plans for new investments in China over the next few years?

As a company, we are actively involved in the development of China's aviation industry and provide continuous support for our local team and partners as well as research and development through comprehensive long-term development programs.

As an example, in June of 2016, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Aviation University of China (CAUC), forming a partnership to develop next generation talent for China's growing aviation industry. By working together with top-tier universities like CAUC, we can contribute significantly to the future of China's aviation industry.

We will continue such talent development efforts and keep improving the professional training in the next few years.

In addition, we will continue to look at the capabilities of our current manufacturing, engineering and joint venture facilities with eyes towards expanding their offerings wherever it makes business sense.

Do you plan to add to your R&D efforts in China?

In fact, Honeywell has plans to expand our APAC regional headquarters and research and development facilities in Shanghai's Zhangjiang High-Tech Park. With this new investment in China, we will accommodate continued and consistent business development across the country.

How do you handle hardships and setbacks?

All companies, including us, our customers and partners, face hardships and setbacks. In any of these situations we will first analyze to determine what the real problems and needs are behind those hardships, and then we will seek appropriate solutions to handle them as needed.

As for my role, I oversee the whole process, and work out next steps with my team members, securing resources to help the team deal with the hardships. I believe team work is core to successfully handling the hardships and delivering successful results.

Most importantly, we prioritize each hardship and setback, and after they are handled, we debrief to understand why it occurred, and what we can do to improve the situation next time.
A China Huarong Asset Management Co Ltd booth at a finance fair in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Asia Fintech FOF, a 10-billion-yuan ($1.44 billion) fund of fund, was launched in Beijing on Tuesday, aiming to seek investment opportunities and fuel mergers and acquisitions in the fast-growing financial technology sector.

The fund was initiated by both private and State-owned capital, including Hong Kong-listed Credit China Fin Tech Holdings Ltd, Shanghai Xinhua Distribution Group Ltd and Jilin Province Investment Group Corp Ltd.

"Our investment will center on leading companies in the fields of big data, AI, cloud computing, mobile payment, supply chain financing and block chain," said Sheng Jia, the executive director of Credit China Fin Tech.

According to Xie Sha, managing partner of Asia Fintech FOF, the fund already has some projects in the pipeline, covering big-data driven consumption financing, block chain infrastructure provision and AI-based credit service platforms.

Fintech is a burgeoning technology-backed modern financial service sector, which mainly includes online payment platforms, financial software and data analysis. This sector saw $49.7 billion of investment globally in the past five years, according to statistics from Citigroup Inc.

The performance of the domestic fintech market is even more eye-catching. Research jointly conducted by accounting firm KPMG and US consulting firm CB Insights showed that Chinese fintech companies had attracted $2.4 billion in investment, with nine deals closed in the first quarter of 2016, accounting for nearly half of the total global investment in the sector.

Driven by the Chinese market, the Asian fintech market saw $10 billion of investment in the first half of 2016, far more than North America's $4.6 billion and Europe's $1.8 billion.

Policy support is also stimulating the growth of China's fintech market. In August, the State Council published the national five-year plan on scientific and technological innovation by 2020, in which innovation of fintech products and services is encouraged.

"Fintech is reshaping the financial business. And this is an opportunity that neither traditional financial institutes nor technology firms want to miss," said Xie.

The booming information technology industry, such as smartphones and e-commerce, requires digital financial services, which also fuels the growth potential of the fintech sector. In October, a similar fintech FOF valued at 30 billion yuan was established in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing, which is expected to support acquisitions worth 150 to 200 billion yuan.

There are currently seven fintech-related vertical marketsmobile payments and e-wallets, supply chain and consumer finance, P2P lending platforms, online financial management, online insurances, individual financial management and online brokerages.

Gao Songya contributed to this story.
A Chinese worker processes steel at a factory in Qingdao city, East China's Shandong province, July 1, 2016. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - The doom-mongers continue to get it wrong on the Chinese economy, time and time again.

There were frustrations when the world's second largest economy shifted gear to allow for structural reforms, but many of the doomsday scenarios predicted -- total economic collapse, a local debt meltdown, a burst property bubble, the yuan in freefall -- were a step too far and, as ever, wide of the mark.

There has also been a lot of finger-pointing, alleging that China has dragged down the world economy. Blame has been piled on China for the uphill struggles facing troubled industries worldwide.

Here is a list of scare-mongering proved wrong by the realities of the Chinese economy in 2016.

A hard landing

The same old predictions about China's economy suffering a hard landing provide perfect fodder for media sensation year after year, especially amid the country's recent economic slowdown.

However, they were all proved false alarms, as shown by the economy's steady growth of 6.7 percent in the first three quarters, within the government's annual target range of 6.5 to 7 percent, and the envy of most other countries.

China has not only made a hard landing near-impossible, but also taken strides in lifting the quality of its economy, evident from the bigger contribution made by consumption and services in the economy.

By steering the economy on a quality and sustainable path, the country will secure a smooth transition to a medium-high level of growth and avoid a hard landing, much to the disappointment of the China bears.

Yuan tumbling out of control

Persistent weakness in the yuan at the beginning of 2016 fueled concerns that China's policymakers might have lost control of the currency, which would tumble in the year.

Although the yuan weakened about 7 percent against a strong US dollar, it remained relatively stable against a basket of currencies and even gained value against some major currencies.

For the year ahead, China plans to "keep the yuan basically stable, while improving the flexibility of exchange rates."

It believes that despite short-term fluctuations, the yuan will maintain overall stability, and the chance for a sharp depreciation can be ruled out, backed by China's stable economic growth, balanced fiscal conditions and ample foreign exchange reserves.

China dragging down the global economy

It is true that China has slowed from its previous double-digit growth, but as the Chinese economy transitions to what some have dubbed the "new normal," China remains the world's major growth engine.

If China's GDP grows 6.7 percent in 2016, in line with the official target, it would account for 1.2 percentage points, or 39 percent, of world GDP growth, according to economist Stephen Roach.

Fraught with growing economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability, the world needs a stable Chinese economy more than ever.

China's ongoing transition from an export and investment-driven growth economy to one based on consumption, services and innovation, will be of huge benefit to the world, without a doubt.

Local government debt bomb

China's local government debt woes have been depicted by the Economist as a "bomb" that needs to be defused.

Local governments had issued 1.13 trillion yuan ($162 billion) of bonds by the end of September this year, using 96.2 percent of the annual quota of new issuance, with the debt rate expected to stay flat with last year.

A debt level of about 90 percent is relatively low when compared with other major or emerging economies, and authorities have reacted promptly with debt swap programs and deleveraging measures.

The caps and tightened supervision imposed by the finance ministry in November will help curb debt, and contingency plans have been introduced to allow for fiscal rebalancing.

China's debt calculation is open and transparent and the risks remain controllable, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said in October.

A burst housing bubble

A number of market analysts expected a crash to hit China's housing market, predicted to have a disastrous impact on the economy.

However, policymakers have always been alert to the risks in the market, and have introduced measures to cool an overheated property market and keep asset bubbles at bay.

Latest figures show the market is stabilizing, with total floor space of sold apartments in major Chinese cities in November experiencing the first year-on-year decline in 21 months.

The recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference reaffirmed that houses are to be built for living in, not for speculation, vowing to adopt financial, fiscal, tax, land and regulation measures to build a long-term system that provides housing for all people.

China culprit of global steel woes

Throughout the year, China has faced anti-dumping probes from many trade partners, the EU in particular. Along with these trade remedy measures is the allegation that China is an irresponsible exporter of cheap steel, causing instability in the global steel sector.

However, it is unfair to accuse China of being the cause of the global steel sector's woes, and finger pointing will not solve the problem.

A sluggish world economy and shrinking demand is the root cause of the steel sector's troubles, and the world should work together through the difficult times, said Wang Hejun, head of the trade remedy and investigation bureau of the Ministry of Commerce.

As the world's largest steel consumer and producer, China is pressing ahead with cutting excess capacity in steel, aiming to reduce 100 million to 150 million tonnes of crude steel capacity by 2020.

China less welcoming to foreign investment

The United States sensed an increasing reluctance among China's economic planners to pursue further reforms, said Chris Wilson, deputy chief of the US mission to the WTO, in July, citing concerns of "more and more" US companies about "a less welcoming business and regulatory environment for foreign enterprises" in China.

Gone are the days when foreign firms can make easy money in China with abundant cheap labor, land and other resources. It is understandable that these firms are not finding it as easy to do business in China as before.

However, the Chinese market has not lost its gloss, and its charm is not waning, but radiating across different sectors.

In the first 11 months, 24,355 new foreign-funded firms were established in China, and US and EU investment in China grew by 55.4 percent and 43.9 percent year-on-year respectively. Meanwhile, foreign investment in the high-tech service sectors almost doubled.

China strives to make it easier for foreign investment, having expanded a negative-list approach in approving foreign firms setting up branches in China and streamlining the registration process for investment this year.
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's parliament on Tuesday approved three loan agreements worth over $380 million made with the Chinese government and the Export-Import Bank of China to finance major infrastructure constructions in Ethiopia.

The three loan agreements already approved will finance two road construction projects in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa and upgrade the capital's electric grid system, according to Birhanu Abebe, Vice Chair of the Budget and Finance Affairs Standing Committee of the Ethiopian parliament.

Briefing members of the House of Peoples' Representatives on Tuesday, the lower house, Birhanu said that one of the three projects is a $230 million dollar advanced electric grid system installation designed to upgrade and modernize Addis Ababa's electric service provision.

The parliament also ratified two other loan agreements to finance two road construction sites in the capital Addis Ababa, which will cost $102 million and $50 million, respectively.

"The road construction project will contribute to mitigating Addis Ababa's transport problem," Birhanu said.

Meanwhile, the advanced electric grid system installation will upgrade the old grid system to a new one. By minimizing the rate of power loss and interruption, the new grid system will bring efficient electric service provision in the capital Addis Ababa, he added.
JAKARTA - Indonesia is seeking to attract more Chinese tourists by adopting several measures for the week-long Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, holiday when the outbound tourism reaches a peak next month, a senior official at the tourism ministry here has said.

Deputy Tourism Minister for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana told Xinhua in a interview Tuesday that the anticipating moves had been initiated since October this year.

"The ministry will hold the Rhythm Spring Festival music concert in China and release various family trip packages for Chinese visitors," Pitana said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is going to extend congratulations and greetings to all Chinese people via media, Pitana added.

Noting the good momentum of the bilateral tourism cooperation, Pitana said Indonesia is enjoying a strong growth of Chinese visitors to Indonesia.

According to Pitana, from January to October this year Indonesia welcomed 1.47 million Chinese tourists, a 19 percent growth compared with the same period last year.

The tourism ministry expects to welcome 2 million Chinese tourists in the whole year of 2016.

Pitana stated that Chinese tourists have also showed improving trends in terms of spending and length of stay in the country, representing an average of $1,100 per visit and 6.4 days respectively.

"Those figures were higher than the tourists from Singapore and Malaysia, other big five' countries to supply tourists for Indonesia." He said.

China's outbound tourists continued to grow in recent years. According to China Tourism Research Institute, China had 120 million outbound tourists in 2015 with total spending up to $104.5 billion.
A ranking on brand value of China Time-honored Brands was released for the first time at the 2016 China Brand Evaluation Press Conference held in Beijing earlier this month, according to a report by China Economic Net.

Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd, famous for its beer, ranks first among the China Time-honored Brands, with brand value of 35.79 billion yuan ($5.1 billion).

The conference, held by the China Council for Brand Development, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and China Appraisal Society, has released evaluations on Chinese brands for four consecutive years since 2013.

Hundreds of qualified brands in the primary, secondary and tertiary industries were divided into different sectors to be evaluated and ranked.

Let's take a look at the top 10 most valuable China Time-honored Brands from 2016.

No 10 Shanghai Lao Miao Jewelry Co Ltd

Brand value: 5.27 billion yuan
A consumer chooses from Huawei smartphones in Yichang, Hubei province. The Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is the world's third biggest handset maker. [Photo/China Daily]

I would never have imagined that my trust in my favorite brand would collapse one day, until a defective smartphone battery finally shattered my perfect impression of it a couple of weeks ago.

It all started about two months ago, when I found out that after one year of use, my phone easily ran out of juice. The situation was strange to me, a very restrained smartphone user.

In spite of this, when I took my phonecharged up to 100 percent to the office in the morningit could barely stay on by the time I left work.

I even envied my mom's Huawei, which only needs to recharge every two days, not to say its price which was less than half of that of my phone.

When I complained about the worsening condition of the battery at lunchtime, a colleague who bought the same model at around the same time said: "It is marvelous that you can even have your phone still on when you return home. My phone is always on charge whenever I am at home or in the office."

The situation became even worse as the winter came. One day in early November, a call of only a few seconds removed all the 28 percent of power left in my phone. Following an abrupt shutdown, the phone couldn't be turned on until nearly four hours later.

When I started to consider changing to a new brand, I was told that the brand had introduced a free replacement program on Nov 20 that aimed to solve the unexpected shutdown issue.

Albeit with the replacement program, the tech giant insisted "this is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range".

The condescending tone reminded me of the South Korean company Samsung, which once insisted its latest Galaxy Note 7 was safe even after reports about faulty batteries were posted online by Chinese users.

Back to the problem of my phone battery. Findings from Shanghai's local consumer rights protection watchdog showed that complaints about the brand filed in October and November increased nearly six-fold year-on-year, with the majority pointing to its abrupt shutdown.

Even for consumers eligible for a free battery replacement, they normally needed to wait about one week after making a reservation, not to mention the "mission impossible" of reserving a slot for a battery replacement online.

The problems related with defective foreign smartphones could bode well for domestic phone makers, which are winning more and more clients from home and abroad with their stable performance and high cost efficiency.

Since the first explosion occurred in August, Samsung's brand market share was overtaken by Huawei in the third quarter, according to Tencent Big Data. Among Note 7 users who changed phones, more than half of them no longer chose a Samsung.

Similarly, my brand's battery problem might dissuade Chinese consumers from only buying foreign brands, and shift their attention to domestic manufacturers.

According to International Data Corporation, domestic brands Huawei, OPPO and vivo continued their expansion in the domestic smartphone market by winning a 47 percent share by the second quarter of 2016, up from 43 percent a year ago.

The latest report from China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator, showed in its 2016 quality analysis of 19 mobile brands sold in China, Huawei led other phones in nearly half of all 42 indexes. Specifically, among phones priced more than 3,000 yuan ($435), Huawei outperformed Apple and Samsung in terms of basic communication, multimedia capabilities, system usability and user ratings.

After four days of communication and negotiation, I finally had my phone battery replaced.

Gone with the replaced battery was my unconditional trust towards this brand's products. Apart from worrying about the stability of the new battery, one of my new habits is that I have started to pay a lot more attention to new releases from Huawei.
A man uses the Zhima Credit service of Alibaba's Ant Financial on his Apple iPhone smartphone to borrow a mobile power bank for free at the Hangzhou East Railway Station during a one-day tour in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province, Aug 22, 2016. [Photo/IC]

City ranks top in index measuring progress of Internet Plus strategy, real-time services

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, has become the biggest beneficiary of mobile internet-enabled social services, with smart cities developing rapidly since the government introduced the Internet Plus initiative.

Hangzhou, Shanghai and Nanjing are among the early birds in utilizing mobile internet and big data to build a system where real-time responses are made to residents' needs, according to the 2016 China Internet Plus and Social Services Index.

Survey results, released on Tuesday by the Internet Society of China and Ant Financial Services Group, a leading e-payment provider, found most Chinese cities adopt a public-private partnership model where social enterprises are engaged in building smart cities.

A number of gauges were applied in evaluating the level of "smartness" of the 352 surveyed cities, including transportation, healthcare, government affairs and education.

"Smart cities are designed to be user-centric. We encourage the private sector to be an active part of it," said Wu Hao, assistant director of the National Development and Reform Commission's Department of High-Tech Industry.

Hangzhou is top of the pile when it comes to internet technology facilitating everything from finding parking lots and paying corporate taxes to making hospital appointments, according to the index.

Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, made a pioneering move in allowing residents to run errands and pay for an array of local services using their smartphones. Notably, the local public security bureau has partnered with China's largest e-wallet services provider Alipay to develop an electronic ID card, which user can access through the app's Wuhan services portal.

Chengdu built its own real-time bus information system by establishing an integrated network that encompasses information for all buses in the city, allowing its users to check how many stops remain before their bus arrives at a specific destination.

Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, has adopted the nation's first smart city regulation to bolster development of internet-enabled social services and shorten administrative procedures.

Alipay has introduced a redesigned user interface with new functions geared to offer easy mobile access to purchase and pay for products and services. Users with good social credit records may even skip long lines at hospitals by making appointments via the app and receiving diagnosis before paying the bill.

Alipay is now helping more than 150 million users nationwide to access 58 types of social services, according to Eric Jing, CEO of Ant Financial.

Another internet tycoon, Tencent, is also venturing into smart cities using its internet technology infrastructure.

It has asked local governments to move some public services, including social security and car license plate applications, to its mobile platform.

Top 5 cities where the internet is most used

1. Hangzhou

2. Shanghai

3. Nanjing

4.Wuhan

5. Guangzhou

Source: Internet Society of China and Ant Financial
A student uses an Apple Inc iPad Mini to control a Makeblock Co mBot robot during a robotics class in Hong Kong. [Photo/Agencies]

It starts with the idea that children must be trained early to prevail over robots in the workforce. Then it snowballs from there$3,000 a year for tuition, $350 for a Lego robotics set, and $7,300 to test the newly acquired engineering skills at a competition in the United States.

That's what Zhuo Yu is spending on her 10-year-old son for a so-called STEM education in Chinaa problem-based approach to learning that combines knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The concept created in the US is now stirring a craze across China, where about 10 million students are being fast-tracked for STEM success.

That number is poised to swell to 50 million by 2020 as parents seek to give their children a head start in computer coding and robotics, according to consultant JMD Education. It predicts the demand will create a $15 billion STEM-learning industry in China that's already attracted companies such as text-book publisher Pearson Plc, Lego Group, and Sony Corp.

"I don't have a cap on my budget," said Zhuo, who works in the internet industry in the eastern city of Hangzhou. "Yes, I'm investing a lot in his robotics education right now, but you have to take a long-term perspective and look at what opportunities it can bring him after he turns 18."

Her son, Wang Yizhuo, will enter one of the most competitive job markets on the planet after he finishes college. By 2030, China is predicted to have as many as 200 million graduatesmore than the entire US workforce. As it is now, 40 percent of tertiary students in China obtain a STEM qualification, compared with less than 20 percent in the US and France.

Future-job angst has helped spawn at least 500 institutions or startups in China offering out-of-school tuition in coding, robotics and 3-D printing, according to Wen Jing, a researcher at Beijing-based JMD Education. It's an industry with little regulation or oversight.

Kids and parents interact with a smart robot during the First International STEM Science Festival held in July 2016 in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/China Daily]

That means parents often need to navigate a sea of choicesfrom legitimate providers to dodgy scammers, said Xiao Dun, co-founder of Beijing-based online education platform 17zuoye.com, which is introducing courses from Minecraft and Sony Global Education in China.

"Even classes that dig worms will tell you it's STEM education because, all of a sudden, it's a biology-related class," Xiao said. "People all think this is the fancy new thing, and there are a lot of rich parents who are eager to spend on their children."

Private education providers are helping to plug gaps in State-provided teaching. The world's second-largest economy lags behind at least 16 countries in Europe and the US in putting coding and robotics on the national school curriculum.

Nora Yeung, founder of Creative Coding in Hong Kong, said coding could become a basic required skill for the future.

"For them to get a job in the future it's almost like any literacy skill or language skill it's going to become a basic need that they need to learn," said Yeung. "We need to prepare these kids for jobs that don't exist yet."

Beijing is testing the benefit of giving parents annual subsidies of about $60 per child to help fund programs to nurture their children's creativity. The money doesn't go far though, as lessons can cost as much as $50 an hour in the national capital, Wen said.

Costs may continue to climb, based on trends in Singapore, where the value of a STEM-focused education has been recognized for years. The city-state this month topped a global education survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on science, reading, maths and collaborative problem-solving.

Ana Ow said she paid about $300 for five robotics lessons for her 8-year-old son-the cheapest tuition she could find in Singapore.

"I count myself as a 'tiger mom' and I have worse ones among my peers," said Ow, who began sending her son to robotics and coding holiday camps three years ago. "I'm very well aware that digital innovation is the new frontier."

The sentiment is shared by parents around the globe. US President Barack Obama pledged $4 billion in January to aid computer science in schools. There were 1.02 million software developer jobs in the US in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which estimates that number will jump 22 percent by 2022, spurred by "a large increase in the demand for computer software."

Hangzhou mother Zhuo said getting her son to compete in contests has been one of the better ways to evaluate and encourage his learning.

"He showed a real interest in robotics, so we told him, 'why not figure out where you stand via some tournaments?'" said Zhuo, 37. "Because competition comes with pressure, it really forced him to think whether he wanted to devote more time to it."

She had no expectations at the beginning, she said. Her son started putting in hours after school to complete tasks, and became increasingly keen to apply what he learned in class to his robotics projects.

That helped him work better with others, and his team finished fourth in an Intel Corp-backed RoboRave competition, which necessitated a $7,300 trip to the US, Zhuo said. The event that started in 2001 has attracted students from Mexico to Germany to India to participate.

A competitive focus isn't always healthy, cautioned Reynold Ren, who has taught coding to more than 1,400 students in Beijing this year and said he's been approached by some institutions to help them win at all costs.

"This should be all based on interest, not some unhealthy way for students to improve their chances of getting into better schools," said Ren, whose startup is in the process of creating $29 robots to enable more families to buy them for educational purposes.
Song Jinghua, president of Acer China, speaks on the product release event in Beijing on December 27, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Taiwan IT company Acer has officially released a laptop model tailored to e-sports players, in Beijing.

The 21-inch IPS curved-display Predator 21X, which made its debut at the electronics trade show IFA in Germany in August, is the world's first laptop with a curved screen.

Acer China vice-president Ding Jianhui said there had been a double digit increase in sales of gaming laptops in the Chinese market in the first three quarters of this year.

In November, 24 percent of laptop sales were for playing games.

With a resolution of 25601080 pixels, seventh-generation Intel Core processor, two of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards that run on five cooling fans, Predator 21X is priced at 79,999 yuan ($11,512).

Acer, a multi-national hardware and electronic corporation specializing in desktop and laptop computers, celebrated its 40th birthday two months ago.

"Acer has been dedicated to product development for four decades. We are here to provide users with leading products and solutions through innovation," Song Jinghua, president of Acer China, said, at the launch on Tuesday.

Other new models, including the Swift 7, Shadow Knight 3 and Spin 7 were also showcased during the event.
Big data is a big deal nowadays in the world of technology, with smartphones, digital devices and cloud-based services flooding our everyday lives.

With the enormous amount of mass data generated there is now a need for it to be analysed and communicated. The application of big data can ultimately inform better decision making in numerous fields such as education, public health, finance, transport and agriculture.

Everyday activities leaves a trail of data - listening to music or reading a Kindle generate data, smartphones collect data on how you use it and using the web browser on your phone also collects information. Credit card companies collect data on where you shop and what you buy.

The application of big data is so far endless and one usage is to optimise businesses.

According to research by big data analytics company, Datameer, revenues in big data business analytics worldwide will risen from $122 billion in 2015 to over $187 billion in 2019.

Helen Wang, CEO of Business Big Data's (BBD) London office, a Chinese data solution company, told China Daily that "big data has become a phenomenon and transformed business with applications such as mobile payments and online banking".

Wang added, "This then created a very big need to manipulate all this data and interpret the business activities in a more efficient and transparent way to improve the performance and convenience for the consumer."

BBD's role is to analyse masses of data and pin down specific information that is useful and one way of using this data is to provide banks with a risk assessment platform to evaluate and identify risks in lending money to SMEs.

Daniel Pu, senior vice-president and general manager of BBD told China Daily from company's head office in Chengdu that banks are reluctant to lend to SMEs because of a lack of financial information.

"BBD's platform is formulated to better evaluate and measure the risk of SMEs to enable banks to lend money, support and calculate financial cost for an efficient lending process," Pu said.

Alan Barrell, a professor who is Cambridge University's entrepreneur-in-residence, noted that supporting SMEs are vital for the economy, "Many start-up and small companies are not getting the finance and this affects the number of companies that are growing and scaling which are needed in order to grow the economy."

As big data grows, there will be concerns over data security and privacy, some organizations have adopted steps such as promoting a culture of security and having in place an incident response plan to help alleviate concerns about data security, privacy and ethics.

"Big Data, if properly and ethically managed and handled, will help us all to have better information for planning, decision making, working and living," Barrell insisted, "There will be more new and interesting jobs created as Big Data and other new technologies become commonplace as part of life."
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When the first railway in the mountains of Dangchang county, Gansu province, opened on Monday, Yang Ga'nyu was there to witness a dream come true.

She had traveled more than 2,700 kilometers from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to her hometown with her youngest daughter, Li Youxia.

Yang, born in 1968, moved to Xinjiang in 1996 with her husband and two daughters to escape extreme poverty.

Her hometown in the hinterland of Longnan is surrounded by rocky mountains and back then had little arable land. The villagers had to hike long distances for fertile soil to grow anything.

A photo taken in 1996 shows Yang and her baby daughter in the family's mud hut. On the wall, her husband had drawn in charcoal a train zigzagging through the mountains.

"We were having a hard time. We never had enough to feed a family," said Yang, who used to beg for food in neighboring counties with one daughter on her back. "We longed to take a train to a place where we could make money."

Later that year, the family hiked northwest to Xinjiang, a place they heard had rich natural resources and fertile land.

Life in Xinjiang is much better. Yang's husband works as a cleaner in the regional capital, Urumqi, and Yang has settled down with the children in the Mongolian autonomous prefecture of Bortala, where she makes a decent income harvesting cotton in summer.

"It's amazing that our remote hometown now has trains," said Yang, who is visiting her home at the local government's invitation.

The nearest train station is 10 km from her old house.

The new train route is part of an 855-km link between Lanzhou, capital of Gansu, and Chongqing. The entire route will open next year.

Li said the town is completely different to the one her parents told her about.

"They said every family lived in shabby huts and never had enough to eat, but I saw new houses and people there living a decent life," Li said.

About 910,000 people in Longnan have been lifted out of poverty over the past five years. Meanwhile, the poverty rate there has dropped from 53 percent to 16 percent, according to local government figures.

In addition to more infrastructure and better farming conditions, many villagers have taken advantage of the boom in e-commerce and sell their farm produce nationwide.

"When the entire railway opens, I will come back more often," Li said.




President praises achievements of outgoing secretary-general, says duties faithfully fulfilled

President Xi Jinping praised cooperation between China and the United Nations and reaffirmed China's firm support for the organization in a phone conversation on Monday with outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The call came at a time when China is working comprehensively and at an unprecedented level with the UN, observers said.

Xi said the world is facing many new problems that require stronger global governance and more work from the UN, and he praised Ban's contribution to deepening China's cooperation with the UN during his 10 years as head of the organization.

Ban has faithfully fulfilled the duties conferred by the UN Charter and recorded remarkable achievements, Xi said.

The president stressed that China's cooperation with the UN has reached a new level, thanks to the efforts of both parties, and added that China would continue to firmly support the UN and maintain close cooperation with incoming secretary-general Antonio Guterres to advance China's ties with the UN.

Last month, Guterres visited China and met with Chinese leaders. He praised China's role in international affairs and said he expected China to make even more contributions in promoting world peace and development.

Ban, whose second five-year term comes to an end this week, said he appreciated China's significant support while he served as UN chief.

Ban said that China had played a leading role in promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, boosting South-South cooperation and tackling global climate change.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the think tank China Institute of International Studies, said the phone call shows that China places a high value on cooperation with the UN.

"It is especially important to reinforce the UN's influence amid a rising wave of anti-globalization," he said.

Wang Yiwei, an expert on European studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said recent interaction by Ban and Guterres with China also shows that the UN attaches great importance to its cooperation with China.

"China has made positive contributions to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, an important legacy of Ban's term," he said.
A cyclist parks a bike rented through a bike-sharing service at a park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Dec 27, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Shenzhen is considering disgracing unruly cyclists in efforts to control bike sharing services, reported Xinhua News Agency.

Shenzhen's transport authority has issued a draft statement on regulating bike-sharing services on Tuesday.

The draft rules state that those who park the bikes in unauthorized areas should be punished and the bad behavior should impact their credit record.

Bike-sharing services, bolstered by ride-on-demand service apps, have sprung up in an increasing number of Chinese cities over the past year. But with the rapid development of the service, problems such as improper parking, have posed challenges for urban management.

The proposed rules aim to define the roles of the government, service providers and users.

According to the draft regulations, the government is responsible for formulating policies and standards, building infrastructure, and punishing breaches, while service providers should manage the bikes and regulate users' behavior.

Related: Sharing bikes to promote green transport
KUNMING - China on Wednesday put into operation one of the world's longest high-speed railways, linking the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwest.

The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, according to China Railway Corporation.

The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, said Wang Jinda, a train driver.

The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China. A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012.

China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines. According to the government's plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030. The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland.
BEIJING - Peaceful development of cross-Straits relations is the biggest guarantee of stability in the Taiwan Straits, while "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and their activities are the biggest threats, a mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.

"Any attempt to resist reunification by the use of force is doomed to failure," said An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

"We have steadfast stance to maintain national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we will never allow 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces to split Taiwan from China, in any form or under any name," An said.

A handful of "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces colluding with those seeking "Hong Kong independence" to split the country will not succeed, An said.

An said people from across the Straits should be vigilant of secessionist speeches and actions in any form.

He also stressed that the core meaning of the 1992 Consensus is irreplaceable, which is acknowledging that both sides across the Taiwan Strait belong to one China.

As long as Taiwan authorities accept the 1992 Consensus, both sides will have a common political basis and cross-Straits exchanges will continue, he added.



Related story:

CPC, KMT to strengthen exchanges based on 1992 Consensus: spokesperson



China denounces name change of Japanese body in Taiwan
Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin was re-elected as chairman of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China during the Ninth Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives on Wednesday.

Ma, the 51-year-old bishop of the diocese of Kunming, Yunnan province, was also re-elected as vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association during the assembly.

Bishop John Fang Xingyao of Linyi diocese in Shandong province was re-elected as chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association during the assembly. Fang was also elected as vice-chairman of the bishop's conference.

Fang has been chairman of the CCPA since December 2010, when the eighth assembly of the Catholic Church in China was held. Ma has also been the bishop conference's chairman since December 2010.

In total, 365 representatives, including bishops, priests and lay Catholics, from across the country convened to select a new leadership for the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China, as well as revise the constitutions for both organizations.

Liu Yuanlong, the vice-presidents of CCPA, was also re-elected as the association's secretary-general at the event. Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai was also elected vice-chairman and secretary general of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China. Bishop Joseph Shen Bin is elected vice-chairman of the CCPA as well as vice-chairman of the bishop's conference.

There are 65 bishops, about 3,100 priests and 5,800 nuns in the Catholic Church in China, and the country has more than 6 million Catholic followers, according to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has praised a group of middle school students for their efforts in satellite design and said he was pleased with their passion and bravery in scientific exploration.

Xi made the remarks in a letter written to the students from Beijing's Bayi School on Saturday. A small satellite designed and developed by them was launched Wednesday.

The president said he was very pleased to know that the satellite designed by the students would be launched and called on them to become pillars of the country.

Xi hoped that the students would stay hungry for knowledge, keep their interest in scientific exploration and foster their scientific spirit.

He urged the students to inspire more youngsters to embrace science in a bid to contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The president also wished the teachers and students in Bayi School a happy new year.

On Sept 9, Xi returned to Bayi School, his alma mater, to visit a laboratory and talk to teachers and students designing the small satellite. He asked them to tell him when the satellite was about to be launched.

The design group told Xi about the satellite launch in a letter and received the reply from him.

The small satellite is the first of its kind designed by China's middle school students. It was launched at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and sent into orbit.

The satellite is designed to operate in orbit for 180 days.
BEIJING -- The State Council, China's cabinet, has issued guidelines on agricultural product processing industry.

Accelerating the industry's development will help promote agricultural modernization, increase farmers' incomes, improve people's livelihoods and ensure steady economic growth, according to the guidelines.

China aims to raise the agricultural product processing efficiency ratio to 68 percent by 2020, and to 75 percent by 2025.

By 2020, revenue of the industry will rise by an annual average of over 6 percent.

The country pledges favorable taxation and financial policies for agricultural product processing companies to facilitate the sector's development.

The guidelines are believed to be part of the country's broader efforts to improve agricultural productivity and competitiveness.

China has plenty of ordinary produce, but very few high-quality, branded agricultural products, said Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu last week.

The country will continue with supply-side agricultural structural reform in 2017 to improve quality and efficiency in the sector, according to a central rural work conference held earlier this month.
BEIJING -- China created more than 13 million new jobs in cities this year as part of the efforts to stabilize a slowing economy, a Chinese official said.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin disclosed the figure at an annual ministry conference on Wednesday

The number exceeds the official target of 10 million set early this year.

The stable employment helped prop up economic growth and maintain social harmony, he said.

Despite the economic slowdown, the government has managed to keep a low urban registered unemployment rate, partly by employment services and support for college graduates and laid-off workers from saturated heavy industries.

Yin said the employment will remain a top priority in the next year due to lingering pressures.

In 2017, the ministry will also cautiously push forward pension funds investment, and improve the distribution of workers' salary, Yin added.
BEIJING -- One November afternoon three years ago, Xi Jinping met an elderly woman while visiting a poor mountain village in Central China's Hunan province.

A ballad about their brief tete-a-tete, titled "Don't Know How Should I Address You?" after the question the farmer asked Xi when she first saw him, was a hit earlier this year.

Since taking the helm of China's ruling party four years ago, Xi has collected a string of new titles.

He is head of an array of "leading groups" overseeing areas such as China's economic development and national defense. He is commander-in-chief of a newly installed joint battle command center under the Central Military Commission. He is "Xi Dada" or "Papa Xi" on Chinese social networks.

But none carries the weight of his latest title: the "core" of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its Central Committee.

The endorsement of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as the core leader at the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in late October was perhaps the most attention-grabbing event of China's political calendar this year.

In a communique released after the October meeting that brought together high-ranking CPC officials in Beijing, the Party called on all its members to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core."

Being the core does not confer Xi any extra power. Still, analysts point out that the new position is key for China to keep itself and the Party on the right track of development, and it marks the turning of a new chapter in the long march toward achieving the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

THE NEED FOR A CORE

The CPC, which turned 95 this year, has been the sole ruling party of New China since its founding in 1949.

In the nearly seven decades since, the country has managed to turn itself from a nation scarred by foreign aggression and civil war into the world's second-largest economy and a major player on the world stage.

The CPC's leadership proved pivotal in this epic transformation.

For any country or political party, having a core figure at the center of leadership is of vital importance to both state and party governance.

This is especially true for China, which boasts a population of over 1.3 billion, and for the CPC whose membership exceeds 88 million.

Without an authoritative, influential and experienced Party chief at its very core, the country and Party could fall flat in uniting the people and pooling wisdom to formulate and implement suitable policies.

As China enters the home stretch in building a "moderately prosperous society," identifying a core leader is more relevant than ever.

China has committed to the "two centenary goals," pegged to the 100th anniversaries of the CPC and the People's Republic of China.

By 2020, China's GDP and per-capita income should double from 2010 levels and the building of a moderately prosperous society should be completed. By the middle of this century, China should become a modern socialist country that is "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious."

By drawing up an overall plan for promoting all-round socialist economic, political, cultural, social and ecological development, Xi is determined to lead his country toward the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation at a time when sustaining a fast rate of growth is becoming increasingly difficult.

While at it, he has also proposed the strategic layout of the "Four Comprehensives" and the philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development as engines of growth.

Today, China is one of the world's fastest growing major economies and a top trading body. It boasts a strong military of over 2 million and is the biggest contributor to international peacekeeping personnel among permanent members of the UN Security Council.

With inclusive programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative -- proposed by Xi and launched in 2013 -- and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China has also shown that it is committed to connecting regions and countries while creating development opportunities for all.

The Chinese president's vision and ventures toward a fairer global governance system have also helped China create an open, inclusive and responsible image on the international stage.

Never before have the Chinese people been so close to realizing their dreams.

In an editorial published in late October, the CPC mouthpiece People's Daily hailed Xi's core status as of great importance to China and the CPC.

"China and the CPC ... need a core for the Party and its Central Committee, to bond the Party, to unite the people, to tide over the challenges and to continue to forge ahead," it read.

THE MAKING OF THE CORE

The term "core leader" goes back only a few decades. Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, considered the architect of China's reform and opening-up drive, coined the term in the late 1980s.

While the terming of "core leader" is relatively new, the practice of having a core in the CPC is not.

In its first 14 years of existence, the CPC did not have a full-fledged leadership core. As a result, its revolutionary cause suffered repeated setbacks, and the Party was almost on the verge of dissolution.

The 1935 Zunyi Conference, during which late Chinese leader Mao Zedong established his authority within the CPC Central Committee and the military, was a turning point. Another 14 years later, the CPC came to power in the newly founded People's Republic of China.

Mao himself was known to have flouted an ancient tale in the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.) of divided leadership about a single state with three rulers. "We must establish a core in the leadership," he was quoted as saying in 1940s.

For his part, Deng Xiaoping also pointed out the weakness of a Party leadership without a core. One cannot rely on a collective leadership without a core, he famously said in the 1980s.

According to Deng, Mao was the core of the first generation of CPC central leadership, whereas he himself was that of the second generation.

After Deng, Jiang Zemin, who served as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee from 1989 to 2002, was the "core" of the third generation of CPC central leadership.

Chinese experts today note that the "core" leader is not a self-appointed title, nor is the leading party member automatically regarded as such.

"Xi's core status in the CPC Central Committee and the entire Party was established through his leadership in advancing the Party's great causes," said Dai Yanjun, deputy director of the Party-building department at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

"The choice of Xi as the core leader of the CPC and its Central Committee is the choice of the whole Party and the Chinese people as well as one of the times," he said.

When Xi Jinping took the reins in 2012, the CPC had already delivered a longer period of sustained rapid growth than any government had achieved anywhere in human history.

But the need to rebalance the economy meant fresh impetus to sustain the economic miracle has to be found.

Although the economy continued to grow at an enviable rate, downward pressure was already growing and the pace was slowing. The Chinese economy grew 6.9 percent year on year in 2015, the slowest in a quarter of a century, weighed down by a property market downturn, falling trade and weak factory activity.

In the meantime, corruption, a widening wealth gap and problems caused by unbalanced development also added to the challenges, as reforms entered a "deep water zone."

To counter these problems, Xi has promised a long list of "supply-side structural reform," including defusing a debt bomb, reducing pollution and phasing out obsolete industrial facilities.

He has also launched the most thorough anti-corruption campaign in decades, giving sharper teeth to the party's discipline agency, and worked to upgrade the Party's state governance.

"Much of what Xi has done so far had been unachievable in the past," said Yan Shuhan, chief expert on Marxist studies with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

"In a sense, the endorsement of Xi as the 'core leader' at the sixth plenum is just a formal recognition of a fact," Yan said.

But analysts said the most important thing to examine is not what the core title means nor why Xi was conferred with it. Rather, it is what Xi, and the Party at large, could do with that title.

Speaking on the 95th founding anniversary of the CPC in Beijing in July, Xi said the past 60-odd years have shown that the Party received "good scores in the test of history."

But the test is not over yet, he warned.

China is in the middle of a hard, long-term struggle to transform the economy, clean up the Party and streamline the military, said Yan.

"The country is closer to its goal of great rejuvenation than at any point in history," he said, adding that identifying Xi as the core is in the fundamental interests of the nation.

His words were echoed by Ruan Zongze, executive deputy president of the China Institute of International Studies, who also said Xi's new title is meant to reinforce China's push through reform measures.

"This will not only benefit China, but the world as well," he said.
ZHENGZHOU -- One could never imagine that exquisite sweaters by well-known luxury labels such as Armani could be produced in China's inland areas. But they are.

Xiayi county in Central China's Henan province is astonishing the world with its emerging textile and clothing industry.

In the plants of Jierui Clothing Company in Xiayi in the city of Shangqiu, workers produce cardigans for Spanish clothes company Zara.

Jierui Clothing Company is authorized to produce clothes for many world-renowned brands, and its products are exported to more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, Italy and Spain.

"With 300 workers, the company produces an average of 5 million pieces of clothing annually for brands such as H&M and Zara. For Armani, we produce about 20,000 products each year. Though it is not a big order, the profit is three times that for ordinary orders," said Dai Liangwei, the company production manager.

Chen Bin, deputy director with the county's industrial cluster district administrative committee, said that seven or eight years ago there were only two or three small spinning factories in Xiayi.

Thanks to the transfer of industry from developed coastal regions to central inland regions, the county has started to see textiles and clothing emerge as its leading industry.

A total of 93 textile and garment enterprises were based in the county, and income from the industry surpassed 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in 2015, according to the county government.

Jierui Clothing Company is a production base for Armani, which has strict standards for product quality, and shows the improvement of workers' quality and skills, said Liang Wantao, chief of the county's Communist Party Committee.

The clothing industry has created jobs for more than 30,000 locals. Han Cuihua of Beiling township is one of these workers, and works for Henan Dayang Yarn. She was rewarded with a 100-square-meter flat for her excellent performance this year.

"The new flat is only a 10 minute walk from the plant. I have a home in the county now," Han said.

The county built residential communities for these workers. So far, more than 500 such flats have been sold to workers, at a cheaper than average price as part of a rewards system.

The county has also issued preferential policies to ensure employees in the textile and clothing industry can enjoy pensions, education for their children and medical treatment.

Xiayi's clothing industry has a competitive edge in the international market. It has not only created jobs for local farmers but also helped transform them into industrial workers, boosting urbanization in the county, said sources with the China National Textile and Apparel Council.

China's State Council passed a plan in early December to boost development in the country's central regions for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

The speedy rise of central regions is of great importance in supporting China's medium-high economic growth. China will guide and support industries in southeastern coastal areas that meet environment standards, as well as production bases for well-known brands, both foreign and Chinese, to move to central regions.
US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lay wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii on Tuesday. Carolyn Kaster / AP

Japanese prime minister only trying to strengthen US alliance to curb rise of China, analysts say

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, criticized by China as lacking in sincerity, was quickly followed by one of his Cabinet ministers visiting a Tokyo war shrine on Wednesday.

According to analysts, Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, the target of the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Hawaii, had hawkish intentions at heart, not pursuing peace and reconciliation. The purpose, they said, was to broaden Japan's military capabilities and curb the rise of China by strengthening the alliance with the United States.

On Tuesday, Abe and US President Barack Obama laid wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial.

Afterward, in a speech, Abe said that Japan would never again wage war. On Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor killed more than 2,400 US citizens and drew the US into World War II.

Not long after Abe spoke, Masahiro Imamura, the minister in charge of reconstruction of northern Japan after the 2011 tsunami, offered prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals from World War II. Class-A convicts were found guilty of plotting and carrying out the war.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Japan should reflect upon its war crimes in a sincere manner rather than "make political shows repeatedly". She spoke at a regular news conference on Wednesday.

The reconciliation between Japan and victimized Asian countries, including China, must be based on Tokyo's sincere reflection on the suffering it caused, she said, adding that some Western media have used words like "shrewd" to describe Abe's visit.

In the Financial Times, writer Joji Sakurai called Abe's visit "a dovish act that masks a hawkish intent". The visit is "shrewd politics", through which Abe could defuse fears about militarism reawakening in Japan, Sakurai wrote.

"Mr. Abe's dream is to revise Japan's pacifist Constitution, drawn up by the US under postwar occupation, to allow the country to have a real army," he wrote.



Related stroties:

China firmly opposes Japanese DM visit to notorious war shrine

China's military voices firm opposition to Japanese DM's war shrine visit






China opened two major high-speed rail lines on Wednesday, linking the country's less developed southwest with built-up coastal areas.

It also marks Yunnan province's entry into the nation's high-speed railway network. The new lines link its capital, Kunming, with Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Twenty-nine of 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland are now served by high-speed railways, excluding only the Tibet and Ningxia autonomous regions.

The 2,252-kilometer Shanghai-Kunming rail line traverses five provinces  Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan  and cuts rail travel time between the two cities from 34 to 11 hours, according to China Railway Corp, the nation's rail service provider.

It's the nation's longest east-west high-speed railway. Trains run from 300 to 350 kilometers per hour, depending on topography.

The new Kunming-Guangzhou line cuts travel time from 16 1/2 hours to 8 hours and 52 minutes, running at 200 to 250 km/h.

A high-speed grid of four north-south lines and four east-west lines is taking shape. In 2008, China set a target to build the grid by 2020. Only two sections have not opened yet, the Jinan-Shijiazhuang and Baoji-Lanzhou lines.

"The two new high-speed lines and the newly opened transportation hub at Kunming South Railway Station are important basic infrastructure to link with neighboring countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia," China Railway Corp said in a statement.

The system also aims to help eradicate poverty by transforming the high-speed rail industry into an economic driving force.

Peng Wan, a 28-year-old train fan from Kunming, took a day off work on Wednesday to catch the first bullet train departure from his hometown.

"In the early 1990s, I took a train from Kunming to Guiyang for the first time. It took about 20 hours. The travel time from Kunming to Guiyang has been reduced, to 17 hours and then to 10 hours, and now to only 2 1/2 hours. Guizhou is our neighbor and we can travel back and forth in the same day," he said.

In July, the National Development and Reform Commission issued an updated national railway development plan envisioning 38,000 km of high-speed railways by the end of 2025, up from more than 20,000 km now.

The current system accounts for 60 percent of the world's high-speed railroads, according to China Railway Corp.

"We will accelerate the construction of railways in central and western parts of China. We will also boost the expansion of intercity and suburban rail links," Zhang Dawei, deputy head of the Transport Ministry's planning department, said in July.

By the end of 2020, plans call for more than 80 percent of mainland cities with a population of at least 1 million to be covered by high-speed railways.
Both a Taiwan affairs official and researchers have indicated the island's "diplomatic ties" will likely continue to suffer if Taipei continues to shun the 1992 Consensus on one China.

An Fengshan, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, said on Wednesday that the Chinese mainland and Taiwan have achieved peaceful development of their relationship since 2008 based on sticking to the 1992 Consensus and opposing Taiwan "independence".

That's why they have avoided frictions in dealing with "diplomatic affairs", An said at a regular news conference.

But the relationship changed on May 20, he said, because Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party assumed office in Taiwan that day, and she has denied the 1992 Consensus.

An said Taiwan leader Tsai's refusal to support the Consensus has undermined the common political ground and political trust.

"The prospects ... and the achievements of the development of their relations have been through severe blows, and the impact has come in many aspects," An said. "The mainland has always upheld the one-China principle in dealing with Taiwan's 'diplomatic affairs'. Any attempt to create 'two Chinas', or 'one China, one Taiwan', is doomed to fail."

China resumed diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe on Monday, after the African nation cut "diplomatic ties" with Taipei.

Liu Guoshen, director of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, said Beijing is prudent in dealing with the resumption of diplomatic ties with former allies of Taiwan.

"Beijing puts the relationship with Taiwan first. However, if the tension between the mainland and Taiwan continues to grow, it is inevitable that Beijing will consider the requests for establishing diplomatic relations from former allies of Taiwan," Liu said.

Sheng Jiuyuan, head of the research center of Taiwan affairs at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said there is an irresistible trend that Taiwan's "diplomatic allies" now hope to establish diplomatic relations with the mainland because it is in their political and economic interests.
Chinese Traditional Orchestra of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater will be one of the four folk music orchestras to join the upcoming Grand Chinese New Year Concert tour in Europe. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The upcoming annual Grand Chinese New Year Concert, which turns 20 next year, has toured more than 20 countries, and 13 Chinese folk music orchestras have performed. Chen Nan reports.

Chinese conductor Hong Xia had her most memorable birthday as she led the Chinese Traditional Orchestra of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater at the KKL (the Culture and Convention Centre) in Lucerne, Switzerland.

As the show ended on Jan 29, 2016, Wu Jiatong, CEO of Wu Promotionone of China's first private touring companies and promoterswhich was organizing the orchestra's European tour, came onto the stage.

"When Wu walked to me, I thought he was going to give a short speech," says Hong, who was surprised with cake and flowers.

The KKL is special for Hong because this was the same venue where the late conductor Claudio Abbado (1933-2014) gave his final concert.

"Abbado is one of my favorite conductors and I felt honored to be at the venue," says Hong, a graduate of the Shenyang Conservatory of Music.

The concert was a great success with a full house of over 2,000 giving the orchestra a prolonged ovation.

On Jan 27, 2017, Hong will again lead the Chinese Traditional Orchestra at the KKL as part of its upcoming European tour, which will kick off on Jan 16 from Budapest, Hungary, and conclude in Erl, Austria, on Jan 29.

Speaking about last year's KKL concert, Hong says: "I thought the bulk of the audience for a traditional Chinese folk music concert would be overseas Chinese. I did not expect that the majority of the audience would be Westerners," she says.

"Their warm feedback was encouraging, and we are looking forward to our upcoming show."

The upcoming program will feature well-known music pieces, including The Great Wall Capriccio (erhu concerto) by Chinese composer Liu Wenjin (1937-2013) and Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge composed by Liu Xijin.
Tang Shiyi showcases shui xiu, or water sleeves, in her latest show The Flowing Dance From Tang Poetry. [Photo provided to China Daily]

She stands still, takes a deep breath, spreads her arms like wings and then thrusts them upwards. She then stares at her long sleeves as they slowly slide down her arms.

She then repeats the move a couple of times and ends with a big smile.

This is Tang Shiyi's masterclass at the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, showcasing shui xiu, which means water sleeves in Mandarin. It's one of the most commonly seen elements in traditional Chinese dance.

"Shui xiu is the most attractive part of traditional Chinese dance for me. Dancers do shui xiu to perform various movements, which express the characters' emotions, such as ecstasy, sadness and any intense feeling," says Tang.

Shui xiu is also a crucial element in Tang's latest dance piece, The Flowing Dance From Tang Poetry, which will be staged in Beijing on Dec 31 and Jan 1 at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

The piece, which is produced, choreographed and performed by Tang, was first played at the 18th China Shanghai International Arts Festival in October.

Tang, 26, who graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, is now the principal dancer of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, and has won many top awards, including two at the Tao Li Cup, the top dance honor for young Chinese professional dancers.

She has also played leading roles in dance dramas, such as Shui Yue Luo Shen in 2011, an adaptation of Ode to the Nymph of The River Luo (Luo Shen) written by the poet Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280); Confucius (2013), which follows the great Chinese sage traveling to 14 states with his students to spread his ideas; and Zhaojun, based on the story of the legendary Wang Zhaojun, a famous ancient Chinese beauty who volunteers to marry a ruler of a Hun tribe in exchange for friendly relations with the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

The Flowing Dance From Tang Poetry is Tang's choreography debut, and combines three classic Chinese poems from the Tang Dynasty (618-907)Spring, River, Flower, Moon, Night, by poet Zhang Ruoxu; Song of Everlasting Sorrow by poet Bai Juyi; and Sword Dance by poet Du Fu.

The idea of having her own choreographed production came about in 2014 when Tang injured her hip during rehearsal.
A billboard displaying various kinds of supported mobile payments is pictured in a convenience store in Shanghai, on May 31, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced a temporary regulation covering pre-installed apps that will take effect on July 1. According to the regulation, smartphone producers should make sure users can dismantle all the pre-installed apps except those necessary for basic operations. Beijing Youth Daily commented:

A majority of the apps that are pre-installed are unnecessary for the normal use of the smartphones. On the contrary, some of them steal the data. Smartphone producers insist on installing these apps because they receive payments from the app developers, which has created an interest chain.

The ministry has twice issued notices forbidding smartphone producers from installing unnecessary apps, yet this black interest chain has never been cut. That's because there is no law prohibiting the practice.

Will the new regulation be able to effectively protect consumers' rights and interests when it comes into effect? That's a question that remains to be answered.

The regulation makes clear the responsibilities of internet service providers, smartphone producers, as well as local communication departments' duty of supervision. It fails to clarify what kind of penalties these enterprises and the local communication departments face if they violate the law. And there is no support for consumers seeking compensation in cases where pre-installed apps hurt their interests.

More importantly, the regulation does not give any unambiguous definition of which or what types of apps are considered necessary for the normal functioning of a smartphone and which are not. That leaves an excuse for smartphone producers to say their pre-installed apps are necessary when in fact they are not.

The law is a big move forward in better regulating the smartphone app market. But it should be made clearer to better regulate the market and protect consumers' interests.
MELBOURNE - Unusual torrential rain in Australia's outback turned the Uluru monolith into a series of cascading waterfalls and triggered flash floods, and seven people are missing including a Japanese tourist who was swept away in a car and an Australian family.

Police were using helicopters to search for the family of six, missing since Christmas Day downpours drenched the desert that is usually sweltering in the midst of the southern summer at this time of year.

A car carrying three people, believed to be Japanese tourists, was washed off a road into a flooded creek near the town of Alice Springs, police said.

Two people managed to get out but police had "grave concerns" for the third who was trapped as the vehicle was washed away, said Acting Superintendent Brendan Muldoon.

"We're told by witnesses it rolled over a couple of times and was wedged up against a tree," Muldoon told reporters on Tuesday.

Authorities closed the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which surrounds the landmark also known as Ayers Rock, as record-breaking summer rain fell on Sunday and Monday.

The rock, a sacred aboriginal site, was shrouded in cloud as water cascaded off it.

Northern Territory Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Sally Cutter said more than 232 millimetres (nine inches) of rain fell on the town of Kintore on Monday, more than double the record December rainfall of 110 millimetres (four inches) in 2003.

Uluru is one of Australia's major tourist destinations, attracting 300,000 visitors a year.

The park reopened on Tuesday.

About 80 people remained in evacuation centers in Kintore on Tuesday and roads in the area were inaccessible, a Northern Territory Police and Emergency Service's spokesman told reporters.
ISLAMABAD - At least 26 people were killed and several others were unconscious after consuming toxic liquor during Christmas in Pakistan's east Toba Tek Singh district over the last two days, local media reported Tuesday.

More than 50 residents in Mubarakbad area at the district consumed home-brewed liquor on Sunday night and ended up in hospital on Monday after suffering stomach problem, Dunya TV reported, adding that the dead included 24 Christians and two Muslims.

The affected people were shifted to district Hospital of Toba Tek Singh from where the critical patients were referred to Allied Hospital of Faisalabad city.

Police said that two liquor sellers were also among the killed and an investigation into the matter has been underway.
NEW DELHI - Indian police arrested four men, including a bell boy of a five-star hotel in the national capital, on Monday for allegedly raping an American tourist in April, police said, highlighting the dangers faced by women in the country from violent sex attacks.

The 25-year-old tourist, who had made a complaint in October, returned to India recently to depose before a magistrate and identify the accused, the Times of India newspaper reported.

After receiving a complaint from a US-based NGO on behalf of the victim, followed by her written complaint earlier this month, the Delhi police have arrested four men, Dependra Pathak, joint commissioner of Delhi Police, told reporters.

"We are interrogating four persons while the fifth accused still has to be identified and arrested," he said, adding in the next day or two the police could parade the accused for identification by the victim, with the court's permission.

According to Pathak, in her statement, the women said five persons drugged and sexually assaulted her inside her hotel room after she checked in. She said they offered her water laced with sedatives, and sexually assaulted her on two separate days, Pathak said.

She left India after the incident and said it was only towards the end of July that she started to remember what had happened to her, he said.

Pathak said the NGO and a law firm complained initially about her harassment in October, but later the police found it was a case of a rape and forwarded the case to the local police in November.

"We ourselves approached her and requested her to mail her complaint," he said while denying accusations by the Delhi Commission for Women, an independent body, of delay in the arrest of the accused.

Sex crimes are common in India. The National Crime Record Bureau says more than 34,000 rapes were reported across the country in 2015, including about 2,000 cases in the national capital New Delhi.

Indian authorities are facing sustained criticism for not doing enough to address a weak system of law enforcement and policing that leaves women vulnerable to sex crimes.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) and US President Barack Obama (L) bow their heads during a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, US, December 27, 2016. [Photo/IC]

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined US President Barack Obama for a joint visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, commemorating World War Two dead and pledging that Japan would never wage war again.

The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the US-Japan alliance amid concerns that Trump would have a more complicated relationship with Tokyo.

Abe and Obama commemorated the dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship. Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial, a centerpiece of the historic site.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken," Abe said.

"To the souls of the servicemen who lie in eternal rest aboard the USS Arizona, to the American people, and to all the peoples around the world, I pledge that unwavering vow here as the prime minister of Japan," he said.

Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, pounding the US fleet moored there in the hope of destroying US power in the Pacific.
NEW YORK - The US government has started requesting foreign travelers to provide their social media accounts when they arrive in the country, a move designed to spot potential terrorist threats but raised questions over public privacy.

The new policy went into effect last week and applies only to travelers who enter the United States through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a visa waiver application that many visitors are required to submit before travelling to the country.

The currently "optional" request asks applicants to "enter information associated with your online presence," and offers a drop-down menu that lists platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram, and a blank space for users to input their account names on those sites.

The draft proposal of the new policy was unveiled in June as part of a move to improve Washington's ability to spot suspicious individuals and avoid potential terrorist threats.

Although the US Customs and Border Protection said that it would not prohibit entry to those who did not provide details of their online presence, the controversial policy has enraged human rights activists, who call it an invasion of privacy and urge the authorities to provide clear and transparent guidelines.
WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Thomas Bossert as his Assistant for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, also elevating the role to show his commitment "to the safety and security of the nation."

"He has a handle on the complexity of homeland security, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity challenges. He will be an invaluable asset to our Administration," Trump said of Bossert in a statement online.

Bossert, who has served as the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, will advise Trump on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism, and cyber security, the statement said.

It added Bossert's role, which was played by Deputy National Security Advisor in previous administrations, has been elevated and will be independent of the National Security Advisor.

Bossert will focus on domestic and transnational security priorities while National Security Advisor Michael Flynn will focus on international security challenges.

The role, performed by a deputy national security advisor in the previous Administration, is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the National Security Advisor, a decision that reflects the unwavering commitment Trump has to the safety and security of the Nation, its people and territory.

"I am looking forward to working closely with General Flynn as we together help the President-elect advance the interests of the United States and its allies," Bossert said.
A Turkish soldier stands guard outside the Silivri Prison and Courthouse complex during the first trial related to Turkey's failed coup, in Istanbul, Turkey, December 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

ISTANBUL -- Twenty-nine former Turkish police officers went on trial in Istanbul on Tuesday over their alleged roles in a failed coup in July, local media reported.

It is the first trial of the alleged plotters since the coup bid on July 15, in which 248 people were killed.

The former police officers are accused of attempting to persuade their colleagues and the citizens not to join the anti-coup resistance, the state-owned Anadolu Agency said.

Among the defendants, three are helicopter pilots who were ordered to go to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Huber Palace in Istanbul to provide security on the coup attempt night. CNNTurk said the pilots rejected the accusations at the open hearing.

Press reports said the indictment demands three aggravated life sentences for each of the 21 defendants for attempting the coup and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the other eight for being members of a terror organization.

Of the 29 suspects, 25 have been remanded in custody for not obeying the orders to resist the coup attempt, Anadolu said.

Ankara believes the coup attempt by some in the military was orchestrated by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in the United State and leader of the so-called Gulen movement now branded as a terror group.

According to press reports, over 36,000 people have been arrested and more than 100,000 state employees dismissed in Turkey in the ongoing crackdown launched soon after the coup bid.
JERUSALEM - The Jerusalem municipality is due to act on Wednesday on requests to construct hundreds of new homes for Israelis in areas that Israel captured in 1967 and annexed to the city, drawing fresh criticism from the United States that settlement activity puts Middle East peace-making at risk.

Israel is still fuming over the resolution approved last Friday by the United Nations Security Council that demands an end to settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he was aware of press reports about plans for more settlement building.

"We would hope that the UN Security Council resolution would serve as a wake-up call, a call to action, an attempt to alert both sides, but certainly Israel, that its actions with regards to settlement activity are a detriment to moving forward with a two-state solution," Toner told a news briefing.

Israel described as "shameful" the decision by the United States to abstain in the vote rather than wield its veto. The Obama administration is a strong opponent of the settlements.

An agenda published by Jerusalem City Hall listed applications for at least 390 new homes whose approval looks certain to intensify international and Palestinian opposition to the Israeli settlement-building.

The Municipal Planning and Construction panel usually meets on Wednesdays; the permit requests were filed before the Security Council resolution.

Settler leaders and their supporters have been urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step up construction in East Jerusalem, accusing him of having slowed the pace last year because of international pressure.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday that 1,506 housing units for Israelis have already been approved in East Jerusalem this year, compared with 395 in 2015.

The Jerusalem municipality said in a statement on Tuesday it would "continue to develop the capital according to zoning and building codes, without prejudice, for the benefit of all residents."

Israel considers all of Jerusalem its united capital, a stance not supported by the international community. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they seek to establish in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.

Some 570,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, in settlements that most countries consider to be illegal and the United States terms illegitimate. Israel disputes that, citing historical, political and Biblical links to the areas, as well as security concerns.

The new UN resolution changes nothing on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians and will probably be all but ignored by the incoming US administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

However, Israeli officials fear it could spur further Palestinian moves against Israel in international forums.

A US official said after Friday's vote that Washington's decision to abstain was prompted mainly by concern that Israel would continue to accelerate settlement construction and put at risk a two-state solution of the conflict with the Palestinians.

The US-backed peace talks have been stalled since 2014.
A girl walks near a damaged house in al-Rai town, northern Aleppo province, Syria December 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

ANKARA -- Turkey and Russia on Wednesday agreed on the framework of a nationwide ceasefire plan in Syria, Anadolu Agency reported.

The two sides have reached agreement on a draft plan for the implementation of a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, aiming to extend the ceasefire deal in Aleppo to the whole country.

The ceasefire will take effect from Wednesday night, according to the report. Terrorist organizations will be excluded from the ceasefire.

If the ceasefire succeeds, the Assad regime and the opposition are expected to start peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan brokered by Turkey and Russia, which is likely to take place in mid-January, 2017.
Two Chinese violin and viola players have been picked to join a prestigious Welsh orchestra in January.

Yu Yue from Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Sun Yu-Mien from Taipei, Taiwan, are students at the Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University. Alongside double-bassist Daniel Vassallo, they have been invited to perform with Sinfonia Cymru as freelance musicians.

Second year student Yu Yue, 19, told China Daily: "It is a great achievement, I've been playing the viola for around eight years. There are so many talented players already with Sinfonia Cymru and I cannot wait to start the first project with them. It will be a great learning experience."

Sun, 22, has been playing the violin since she was 6 and moved to the UK from Taiwan with her family 10 years ago.

Sun said: "This is very exciting. It will be my first professional gig in an orchestra."

The three Birmingham music students were chosen from 150 people who auditioned across the UK and will join a small group of new performers at the Sinfonia.

The Sinfonia Cymru specialised in taking on young professional musicians at the beginning of their careers. Founded in 1996, it is based in Cardif and as an orchestra specializes in chamber music, is sponsored by the Arts Council of Wales, a government-funded body.

Sun added: "It was a 10 minute audition and I did not feel nervous at all. The audition was on my birthday and I thought at the time, if I don't get picked then it was a good experience and if I do get through, then that would be a nice birthday present."

Sun, who is in her final year at Birmingham said: "This opportunity is a great boost to my career, by playing with the professionals and expanding my musical network."

The third member of the group, Birmingham Conservatoire double-bass student Vassallo, follows in the musical footsteps of his father, Eduardo Vassallo, who is Principal Cellist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

James Thomas, artistic director of Sinfonia Cymru said: "Every year, Sinfonia Cymru produces a diverse programme of orchestral, chamber music, education and community activities. We look forward to inviting these young talented players to work with us on a variety of projects in the near feature."
BEIJING -- A foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday stressed that any action by the UN Security Council must help form a political solution on the Syrian issue and reflect the unity of the Security Council.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came after Britain and France drafted a UN security council resolution to sanction some Syrians and Syrian organizations for chemical weapons attacks.

"I want to stress that any action by the UN Security Council must be conducive to driving a political solution to the Syrian issue, and the unity of the Security Council," Hua said at a daily press briefing.

China opposes the use of chemical weapons by any person, for any purposes and in any circumstances, she said, adding that the position was clear and consistent.

Hua called on the international community to focus on constructively pushing forward political solutions on the Syrian issue.
TOKYO - Masahiro Imamura, Japan's reconstruction minister for disaster-hit region, visited the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Wednesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a memorial at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Imamura claimed that his visit to the shrine right after Abe and US President Barack Obama met in the Pearl Harbor was just a "coincidence," saying that he made the decision a week ago.

Renho, leader of Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party, however, said the visit showed that "Abe administration does not appear to be united."

Imamura also visited the shrine on Aug 11, several days before the Aug 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II (WWII).

Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from WWII and is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and South Korea, which both fell victims to Japanese invasion in WWII.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for a visit to Hawaii on Monday and attended a ceremony there with Obama to remember the thousands of US soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan there on Dec 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the US while constituting no reflection upon the war.
BEIJING - China said on Wednesday that reconciliation "must and can only be reached upon sincere and deep reflection in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Pearl Harbor visit.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Abe's Tuesday visit to Pearl Harbor, which has been dubbed by Tokyo a "tour of reconciliation."

"Reconciliation between the assailants and the victims must and can only be reached upon the assailants' sincere and deep reflection. Only such a reconciliation can be trustworthy and everlasting," Hua said.

She said she has noticed that many international media have used the word "smart" rather than "sincere" when reporting and commenting on Abe's visit, "which is very telling."

"For Asian victim countries, smart displays can never be as good as a sincere and deep reflection," she said.

Hua said China is firmly opposed to the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by Masahiro Imamura, Abe's cabinet minister for reconstruction of disaster-hit regions.

The notorious Tokyo war shrine, which not only honors Class-A convicted criminals of World War II but also whitewashes the war, is seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

"We once again seriously urge Japan to squarely face and deeply reflect upon the history of invasion and deal with the issue with a responsible attitude to win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete acts," Hua said.
BUCHAREST - The Romanian parliamentary majority on Wednesday decided to name Sorin Grindeanu, a former minister, as the country's prime minister, after a previous nomination was rejected by the president.

The move announced by Social Democrats' leader Liviu Dragnea, instead of taking radical step to impeach President Klaus Iohannis, has temporarily eased an imminent political crisis in the country.

Dragnea stressed that they decided not to start the impeachment process of the president, with main consideration to ensure the stability of the country, to set up the government as soon as possible to fulfill their election commitments.

Grindeanu, 43, became chairman of Timis County after the local election in June 2016. He has been a member of the Social Democratic Party since 1996 and was Minister for Information Society between Dec 2014-Nov 2015.
Mysore University rolls out Mobile Science Lab

UNI, Mysuru | Published : 27th December, 2016

The Committee for Development of Science in Schools (CDSS), University of Mysore today launched 'Mobile Science Laboratory' for the high school students.

The Lab was funded by Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society (KSTPS) under the Special Development Programme.

The Lab was launched by Dr H Honnegowda, Managing Director, KSTPS along with Prof K S Rangappa, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore.

Speaking on the occasion, CDSS Convener Dr H S Chandrashekar said that students in high schools have an inhibition towards science, particularly practicals, especially those studying in the government schools.

He said that the Mobile Science Lab would visit ten government high schools in the district every month covering one school a dayand added that the mobile laboratory would visit government schools in Chamarajanagar and Mandya districts also.

Elaborating further, Dr Chandrashekar said that the Lab, fitted in a modified mini bus, will be manned by three teachers conversant with all branches of science. There are about 500 working science models in the vehicle covering Physics, Chemistry, Biology and other subjects. The students will be explained the intricate points of science with practical demonstrations to enable the students to shed their inhibition towards science which they might have deemed as a tough nut to crack. About 50 schools have been listed in the district right now for coverage, he added.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at Quba Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Jan 21, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

CAIRO - China and Egypt agreed on Thursday to expand cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the North African country.

During their talks at the Quba Palace in the morning, Xi, who first proposed the initiative in 2013, and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, reached extensive consensus on jointly carrying out the Belt and Road Initiative.

Xi proposed that the two countries work together to build the Arab nation into a pivot of the Belt and Road, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

To that end, Xi suggested, China and Egypt should conjoin their development strategies and visions and focus on cooperation on infrastructure construction and production capacity.

Meanwhile, China is willing to participate in Egypt's key projects including the development of the Suez Canal Corridor and the construction of a new administrative capital, said Xi.

He added that Beijing is also ready to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, finance, space technology, energy, human resources development and security.

According to a five-year outline document signed on Thursday, the two sides will "double their efforts" to develop the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone. The document is aimed to cement the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

The two sides will continue to encourage Chinese companies to invest in the zone and other places, especially those from China's competitive sectors such as textile and steel, said the document.

Xi attended an inauguration ceremony of the second phase of the zone on Thursday. He said the project will bring to Egypt over 100 companies in such sectors as textile, garment, oil equipment, motorcycle and solar energy, and create more than 10,000 jobs for Egypt.
Chinese President Xi Jinping(L) holds talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at Quba Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Jan 21, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

China and Egypt enjoyed fast development in economic and trade cooperation in recent years. As China's proposals of jointly building the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" agree with Egypt's New Suez Canal economic corridor strategy, Egypt's wish for developing economy and China's economic restructuring create many opportunities for both countries to carry out infrastructure construction and capacity cooperation.

Under the overall background of weak global economic recovery in 2015, the volume of trade between China and Egypt still increased by over ten percent, and China has continuously been Egypt's largest trade partner in recent years. The two countries complement each other's advantages and have coordinated well in many fields, and there is huge cooperation potential for them in fields like economic and trade investment, energy and electric power, railway and transportation, port logistics and aerospace science and technology.

A few days ago, the correspondent of Guangming Daily visited the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, which is near the Suez Canal and 120 kilometers away from Cairo, capital of Egypt. During President Xi Jinping's state visit to Egypt, he will, together with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, unveil the nameplate of the second-stage project at the cooperation zone.

Located at the Suez Gulf with a total planned area of 9.12 square kilometers, the economic and trade cooperation zone is an international industrial base which mainly covers industrial projects including processing and manufacturing, logistics, protective tariff, technological development, commerce and trade and modern service as well as functional zones like residence zone, business zone and financial zones.

The second phase of the project will attract 150 enterprises and $2 trillion in investment, creating about 40,000 jobs for Egyptians, according to the project planning. As a significant part of "Belt and Road" and the core area of the Suez Canal Corridor, the cooperation zone is an epitome of the booming economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and plays an important role in deepening the cooperation.

Besides providing job opportunities, the cooperation zone also creates a cooperation model which fits local realistic demands. Egyptian managerial staff and workers are sent to China in batches for further study every year, and it has fostered a batch of good managers and technological workers in recent years.

As Egypt's industrial system remains incomplete and relies on the import of many industrial products and articles of everyday use, Chinese enterprises are paying increasing attention to the 80-million-people Egyptian market. Meanwhile, because Egypt has signed trade agreements with many countries in Europe, America, the Middle East, and Africa, products produced in Egypt can be exported to those countries and regions without tariff and quota restrictions.

In the past more than ten years, China and Egypt have constantly expanded two-way investment scale and carried out all-round cooperation in fields like industry, energy, telecom and infrastructure construction. Chinese enterprises have invested over $5 billion and created more than 10,000 jobs for local people.

Mi Guanghui, deputy secretary general of Egypt Chinese Stone Industry Association, said that there are over 130 Chinese stone material enterprises in Egypt, and stone material has become Egypt's second largest export to China, creating at least 3,000 job opportunities.

At present, as China's "Belt and Road" initiative has received active response from Egypt and other countries in the Middle East, Chinese stone material enterprises will carry out broader and deeper cooperation with Egypt in fields like infrastructure construction, cement and ceramic bath accessories.
Xi forges stronger participation in energy and infrastructure around New Suez Canal region

Two travelers from Beijing in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The country is a popular African destination for Chinese tourists. ZHOU GUOQIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping's visit this week to Egypt, described by Egyptian Ambassador to Beijing Magdy Amir as a "golden opportunity" to expand bilateral ties, helped further Egypt's economic revival and China's Belt and Road Initiative.

With the opening of the New Suez Canal last August, the two nations have a chance to take advantage of the geographic advantages the waterway creates, he said.

"We must fully translate our strategic partnership into concrete plans. As we can see now, China will participate in many projects in the sectors of energy, transport and infrastructure within the New Suez Canal region," said Amir.

He said Egypt has a had special economic zone similar to the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area for more than six years but added that it is small in scale compared with the plans for industry zones around the New Suez Canal, which expands the capacity of the existing Suez Canal.

The new canal is an alternate 35-kilometer shipping lane that complements the existing canal, which is 164 kilometers in length.

China is the top user of the Suez Canal. Amir said its expansion is just the beginning.

"More international players, including China, will benefit from this project. More shipments of goods are about to begin," he said.

Egypt's geographical advantage as the center of many important markets, he said, will help China expand globally. He also stressed that Egypt's myriad memberships in international organizations allow the nation's producers to benefit from favorable taxation policies.

For instance, Egypt's membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, he said, allows "products from Egypt to have zero taxes for other member countries. This applies to Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia".

"It benefits any countries producing products in Egypt. This naturally gives Chinese companies an edge," Amir said.

He said Egypt expects more skills, technologies, finance, and investment from China. "China has a strong edge in the railway industry and we are expecting to cooperate with them to produce trains in Egypt and develop the industry," he said.

In discussing the present turmoil in the Middle East, he said Egypt is not isolated from the fighting but added that the national situation is much better than in 2011.

Amir said Egypt also hopes to leverage its dual membership in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Arab States Expo to work with China more closely in a number of sectors.

"FOCAC has been successful and we understand the forum is not to foster a Chinese presence in Africa, but to help Africa develop better. There is enough space for us to carry out concrete actions in many fields," said Amir.

He also said deepening cultural exchanges, such as in language, is crucial.

During Xi's visit from Wednesday to Friday, Egypt held an opening ceremony to celebrate Egyptian-Chinese Cultural Year, said Hoda Jadalla, press counselor of the Egyptian embassy.

Amir said learning Mandarin is growing into a trend in Egypt.

"Egypt has two Confucius Institutes for Chinese language and cultural education. There are 15 Chinese language departments in Egyptian universities," he said. "For higher studies, at least 300 scholarships for language studies each year are offered to Egyptian students. There are young people coming to China on their own."

Amir also said there are hundreds of Chinese students who go to Egypt each year to learn Arabic.

lilianxing@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 23, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

TEHRAN -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday concluded a two-day state visit to Iran, the last leg of his three-nation visit to the Middle East to upgrade ties and boost cooperation.

Xi discussed cooperation with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and unveiled cooperation projects in fields including industrial capacity, infrastructure and energy.

During Xi's trip, China upgraded its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively to comprehensive strategic partnership, a positioning which means closer cooperation in various areas.

Xi tried to promote enhanced dialogue as a means of resolving differences in the Middle East, and unveiled new aid programs to facilitate development, which he said is key to overcoming difficulties.

Meanwhile, the Chinese leader made it clear that his country is not looking for proxies or trying to fill any "vacuum" in the Middle East, but aspiring to build "a network of mutually beneficial partnerships."

LIFTING BILATERAL TIES WITH IRAN

While in Tehran, Xi agreed with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to elevate the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

"China stands ready to work with Iran to lift our mutually-beneficial cooperation in such fields as politics, economy and trade, energy, infrastructure, security, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges to a new stage," the president said.

Rouhani said Iran will respond actively to the Belt and Road Initiative, a vision Xi put forward in 2013 to boost interconnectivity and common development along the ancient land and maritime Silk Roads.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on jointly pursuing the initiative.

The Chinese president highlighted a few priorities in the practical cooperation with Iran within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative such as energy, interconnectivity, industrial capacity and finance.

China hopes the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), can be implemented smoothly, Xi said.

China and Iran agreed to set up an annual meeting mechanism between their foreign ministers. They also said that China supports Iran's application for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Xi also met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Khamenei said that Tehran is willing to push the bilateral practical cooperation to a new high. Iran is an important country along the Belt and Road and stands ready to play a greater role in jointly pursuing the initiative with China, the supreme leader said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at Quba Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Jan 21, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to the Middle East has put final touches on the country's new diplomatic push and is leading the world's second largest economy back to the world's central stage.

The brief tour to the three nations -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran -- brought to a close a globetrotting Year of the Sheep which saw the President travel to 17 countries in less than 12 months.

The number takes the total to over 40 in 34 months.

Pressing flesh and brokering deals, Xi's diplomacy has brought China closer neighbors and distant friends alike, setting a new global agenda for peace, progress, prosperity and stability.

BREAKING FREE FROM THE PITFALL

Since taking office in 2013, Xi has spent 138 days overseas, trekking nearly 400 thousand kilometers across the world.

He has carried with him a vision of a new model of international relationship and put China firmly in the vanguard of the fight against climate change.

Some amiss took Xi's words and deeds for a shift from the long-standing policy of "keeping a low profile" put forward by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and spoke of the Thucydides Trap, an academic theory that sees a risk of rivalry between a rising and an established power turning to conflict.

But they have underestimated China's determination to seek peaceful development and win-win cooperation, and to break from past pitfalls of confrontation.

Sino-Russian relations are in the best time of history. In March 2013, just days after he assumed office, Xi paid his first state visit to Russia, the first of many meetings between himself and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Xi then attended the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014 and the 2015 Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square, while Putin joined a host of foreign dignitaries at Beijing's own victory parade last year.

So far, the two leaders have met on more than ten occasions, reflecting the high level of bilateral relations officially defined as comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

On the other side of the globe, some encouraging signs are also visible in China-US relations.

There has been plenty of agreement between Xi and US President Barack Obama. They have worked hard to topple the Thucydides Trap with exemplary cooperation on major affairs such as climate change and the Iran nuclear issue.
The Chang'an cargo train is about to leave the train station at the town of Dostyk, Kazakhstan, March 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

WUHAN - Caravans of camels carrying silk, jewels and spices along the Silk Road are long gone, but cargo trains linking Chinese cities with Europe are taking the ancient road into a brand-new future.

Lin Zhengpeng's electronics products used to take 40 days to reach Poland by sea. Now, with a new train route linking Europe and Wuhan City where his company is based, it takes just two weeks.

"Our efficiency with trains is much higher than shipping, and the cost is lower than airfreight," Liu said.

A direct freight train linking Wuhan in central China and Lyons in France began running last week.

China now has three rail channels to Europe -- a western route through the Alataw Pass in Xinjiang to Kazakhstan, a middle path via Erenhot to Mongolia, and through Manzhouli in the northeast to Russia. Many cities now have freight trains to European cities including Hamburg, Lyons and Madrid.

Such train networks have flourished since the launching of the Silk Road Economic Belt was proposed in 2013 to improve cooperation between countries along the ancient Silk Road.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, trade between China and "Belt and Road" countries totaled $995 billion in 2015, about a quarter of the national trade volume.

"In the past, it was basically Chinese companies shipping their products to Europe by train, but now European companies are exporting products such as automobile parts to China," said Dong Wanxu, General Manager of Eurasia International Logistics Ltd.

Goods produced in Wuhan can reach over 20 countries along the line. In the first quarter of this year, 39 trains carrying 3,512 standard containers of goods have departed Wuhan for Europe, already more than the total for 2014, according to Yu Shiping, director of Wuhan's transport commission. Over 300 trains are expected to set out this year, compared with 164 last year.

The western municipality of Chongqing sent 490 trains to Europe in 2015; Zhengzhou more than 300, representing over $1.4 billion of goods.

Exports are only half the story. In northeast China, where a freight train began running to Europe last year, Russian imports are all the rage.

"I often buy Russian flour," Liu Ruiguo said as he ladled flour into a sack in a grocery store in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province. "The noodles and dumplings made with it have a better texture," he said, surrounded by a cornucopia of Russian commodities.

The Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe line has transported cargo worth more than 35 million euros since August, and in return the trains have brought novel, cheap goods like vodka, tiramisu and wild Siberian honey.

In a Russian store in Changchun a bottle of vodka costs only 45 yuan ($6.9), while fresh tiramisu costs only 30 yuan. Some items like flour are even cheaper than their Chinese counterparts.

"China has a trade surplus with many countries, but the China-Europe trains can help foreign countries exploit the Chinese market," said Lan Jianping, head of the Zhejiang Industry and Economy Research Institute.

"The China-Europe freight channels will definitely play a part in reviving the ancient Silk Road," he said.
Rwanda's First Lady, Jeannette Kagame (L), Chinese ambassador to Rwanda Pan Hejun (R) shake hands at the signing of memorandum of understanding. [Photo/Xinhua]

KIGALI - The Chinese embassy in Rwanda on Tuesday announced it will support education of about 108 needy Rwandan secondary students.

The funding will be channeled through Imbuto Foundation, a charity organization of Rwanda's First Lady, Jeannette Kagame.

Pan Hejun, Chinese ambassador to Rwanda, signed a memorandum of understanding with the director general of Imbuto Foundation, Urujeni Bakuramutsa, at the Chinese embassy.

The deal will run until the end of 2017 with a possibility of renewal.

Imbuto Foundation will be responsible for the management of the funds, including the payment of tuition fees, school supplies and health insurance for the students, and will report to the Chinese embassy.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ambassador Pan said the embassy's partnership with Imbuto Foundation is part of education cooperation between the two countries, which would further boost friendship.

Photo shows refugee children. [Photo/Xinhua]

"We (China and Rwanda) are doing various kinds of corporation projects in manufacturing, agriculture, information and communications technology, infrastructure, and energy, while people-to-people exchange in education and health is also very important corporation," he said.

The ambassador described Imbuto as a reliable organization capable of accounting for the funds.

"We believe they will provide us with all the details of the funding. We worked with them through the years and have already built up trust between each other," he said.

Bakuramutsa said the partnership with the Chinese embassy is very important as education is key to her country's development.

"In Rwanda we believe that education is key for sustainable development. So by enabling these children to finish high school we are providing them a better and sustainable future where they will be able to have progress," she said.
Combo photo shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda (R), waving towards the first CHINA RAILWAY Express freight train as it arrives at the platform in Warsaw, Poland, on June 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

WARSAW - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, on Monday attended an arrival ceremony of a CHINA RAILWAY Express freight train, which signaled increasing railway links between the two countries.



The freight train carrying dozens of containers pulled into a cargo terminal in the Polish capital on Monday afternoon after travelling over 12 days from China.



Xi and Duda congratulated each other on the historic moment for the arrival of the first China-Europe freight train under the family brand CHINA RAILWAY Express.



The trans-continent train service began in 2011 before starting to use the family brand earlier this month. At present, there are 39 cargo train routes connecting the two continents of Eurasia.



Xi, who is on a state visit to Poland, has said he expects that cooperation projects like the China-Europe freight train service could play a pilot role in promoting the construction of the Belt and Road and China-Poland cooperation in inter-connectivity and industrial capacity.



"The great Belt and Road Initiative fully complies with Poland's development strategy of transportation and trade, and plays a pivotal role in cementing bilateral ties," said Polish Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk at the arrival ceremony.



Proposed by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt that links China with Europe through Central and Western Asia by inland routes and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road connecting China with other Asian countries, Africa and Europe by sea routes.
President Xi says China willing to work with Poland to promote closer cooperation with CEE

President Xi Jinping attended a ceremony to mark the arrival in Poland of the first China-Europe Block Train on Monday.

Accompanied by Polish President Andrzej Duda, Xi traveled to Marywilska in Warsaw for the event.

China currently has 39 rail lines to Europe. They start from 16 cities, including Chongqing, Suzhou, Chengdu and Zhengzhou and terminate in 12 European cities, including Warsaw, Madrid and Hamburg.

On June 8, China Railway Corp brought the 39 rail lines together under the umbrella name China-Europe Block Train, giving the trains the same type of locomotive and uniform decoration. On the same day, eight trains set off from China to Europe. The train bound for Poland arrived on Monday afternoon during the ceremony attended by Xi.

On Monday, Xi also attended an economic and trade forum attended by entrepreneurs and government officials in Warsaw.

Xi said at the forum that China and Poland should make full use of Europe's advantage in technology, China's excellent production capacity, as well as Poland's unique geographic location and rich human resources.

As an important member of the European Union, Poland leads the Central and East Europe region in many ways, said Xi, adding that China is willing to promote China-CEE and China-EU cooperation by working with Poland.

Cui Hongjian, director of the Department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said China attaches great importance to its ties with Poland.

"President Xi has positioned Poland at a high level. He said Poland is the bellwether of the CEE region," Cui said.

"I believe this not only means that Poland is the largest country or the largest economy in the region, but is also an expression of hope that Poland will play a leading role commensurate to its economic size in fields including China's cooperation with the CEE countries."

President Duda said at the forum that Poland supports the Belt and Road Initiative, the China proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and is dedicated to Europe-Asia cooperation.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a huge geostrategic project for global change and Poland is an active supporter of it, said Jacek Bartosiak, an expert with the Centre for Analysis of the Jagiellonian Club.

Sun Yuxi, former Chinese ambassador to Poland, said that Poland is an important transportation hub in Europe, and the geographic location makes it a good partner for the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Many CEE countries including Poland need to renovate their railways, while China has top-class technology, excellent construction workers and sufficient capital. The two sides can work together in railway construction, he said.

Wang Qingyun in Beijing contributed to this story.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn
Mr. Qian and MS. Mwinzi unveils the SAISUC. Photo/Liu Hongjie

China and Kenya on Tuesday promoted the building of skills needed by young people for employment.

Aviation Industry of China International (AVIC INTL) held the opening ceremony of the third Africa Tech Challenge (ATC) on Tuesday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi and the Sino-Africa Industrial Skill Upgrading Center (SAISUC) was unveiled.

"As one of the successful overseas Chinese state-owned companies, AVIC is responsible for contributing to African society and local people through enhancing local human capacity building, which is also helping Kenya to develop its own manufacturing industry," said Qian Rong, deputy president of AVIC-INTL Project Engineering Company, during the opening ceremony.

Mr. Qian speaks during the ceremony. Photo/Liu Hongjie

Aiming at empowering innovation and creativity, ATC inspires the African youth through intensive training programs.

AVIC INTL in Kenya develops the competition under one of their corporate social responsibility projects. The first ATC competition was launched onJune 10, 2014 by AVIC INTL and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in Kenya. In the past two years, seven students received full scholarship for post-graduate study in China through ATC and the finalist teams had opportunities to work as interns with technical companies.

Dinah Jerotich Mwinzi, principal secretary of MoEST, said that when she saw machinery to be exported with the logo "Made in Kenya", it made her very proud of her country. The machinery was manufactured at two technical schools, the Kabete National Polytechnic and the Nyeri National Polytechnic, whose students won the manufacturing contract in the first ATC in 2014. Now their products are even exported to China.

Qian, the deputy president, said AVIC INTL is also looking forward to helping more African youth build their competitive technical skills in other African countries like Uganda and Zambia, while also establishing another training center in the west African country of Ghana.
A Mongolian girl presents flowers to visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Ulaanbaatar on July 14, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Guards of honor dressed in traditional costumes and two dozens of cavalry troops were part of a ceremony Mongolia's new Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat held at the Chinggis Khaan Square to welcome his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in capital Ulaanbaatar on Thursday morning.

Li, who arrived on Wednesday, is the first high foreign government leader to meet the 42-year-old, who was appointed prime minister of Mongolia on Friday.

Speaking at a joint news conference after their meeting, Premier Li lauded the China-Mongolia relations as being the "best ever" in history.

Li said he and Erdenebat agreed to speed up the strategic synergy between China's Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia's Steppe Road Program, and to accelerate cooperation in key areas.

These key areas include meat processing and residential house construction, which will bring tangible benefits to Mongolian people and help transfer production capacity from China.

Erdenebat said Li's visit is the first one by a premier since the two countries upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership -- the highest rank in Mongolia's diplomatic relations -- in 2014.

"We have agreed to keep up the momentum of the high-level exchanges, and ramp up economic cooperation," Erdenebat said through an interpreter.

"Our cooperative priorities include economy, trade, infrastructure, energy, finance and agriculture," he said, adding that both sides have reached important consensus, as witnessed by the signing of a dozen of agreements Thursday morning.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (1st left) and Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat (1st right) hold a meeting at the Mongolian Government Palace in the capital Ulaanbaatar, on July 14, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Premier Li Keqiang and Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat held a meeting at the Mongolian Government Palace in the capital Ulaanbaatar on Thursday.

The two countries' economies are highly complementary, said Premier Li, adding that China hopes to start a feasibility study soon of a free trade agreement, working with Mongolia to promote cross-border economic cooperation zones and infrastructure construction, strengthen interconnection and border crossing transport, and explore cooperation on intensive animal husbandry and deep processing of animal by-products.
Vice-minister gives details of the difference the funding plan is making on the continent

More than half of the $60 billion in support China has promised Africa will go to building infrastructure, Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming said on Friday at a media briefing on the coming China-African Cooperation meeting in Beijing.

Zhang used two Chinese proverbs to explain why most of the money goes to infrastructure.

"Want riches? Build the road first," Zhang said citing the Chinese slogan created in 1982 amid China's reform and opening-up campaign. "To attract the phoenix, build the nest first."

Zhang said infrastructure construction is essential for economic development, according to China's experience in the past 40 years of development.

On July 28 and 29, representatives of China and about 30 African countries will review the three-year (from late 2015 to 2018 ) funding plan initiated during the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-African Cooperation in December.

During that summit, President Xi Jinping announced assistance and loans totaling $60 billion for Africa$5 billion in grants and zero-interest loans, $35 billion in loans with more favorable terms and an export credit line, and $20 million added to funds for development and production capacity cooperation.

Zhang said that some projects have already been completed and details would be revealed at the meeting next week, where more contracts are expected to be signed between Chinese and African representatives.

"We are very careful and responsible with the money. Every penny spent has been well considered and examined, and every project promises economic and social benefits," said Zhang, adding that the Chinese government and financial institutions are taking the responsibility of supervising the projects.

He Wenping, a researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that by providing, amid the global economic slowdown the largest funding to Africa in history, China shows its determination to support development on the continent.

The fund is 1.5 times the amount of the Silk Road Fund, a Chinese investment fund in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative area.

In his speech in December, Xi announced 10 major plans to boost bilateral cooperation in areas such as industrialization, agricultural modernization, infrastructure, financial services and green development.

"The fund is planned in detail for certain areas of infrastructure, industry, and production capacity cooperation. It's foreseeable that the projects will make great differences in these fields in Africa in the three years (of the funding plan)," said He.

He said that the funding fills the urgent financial needs of African countries and absorbs the overcapacity of China, and brings opportunities for companies from both sides.

Contact the writers at yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese medical worker Yu Chunqing from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, checks a newborn baby in the China-funded hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania. ZHOU XIAOXIONG/XINHUA



The final touches are being made to a new hospital in Zanzibar with Chinese government investment of more than 100 million yuan ($15 million).

The Abdulla Mzee Hospital in Pemba is due to open in September.

The facility has been built on the site of a hospital that was also funded by the Chinese government in 1970. The new hospital has 160 beds, compared with 61 at the old one.

Covering 8,000 square meters, it has an emergency building, office building and a building for patients.

Zhao Xin, who heads a nine-member Chinese medical team working in Pemba, said that during the construction period the hospital had rented the warehouse of a clove trading company as its temporary base.

"Conditions here are unbelievably harsh," Zhao said, adding that the old hospital did not have anesthesia equipment.

In 1964, the Chinese government sent its first medical team to provide services in Zanzibar. Since then, China has sent 26 medical teams, all from Jiangsu province.

The current team has been assembled from hospitals in Wuxi. Apart from Zhao's team, another 12 members are stationed at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, the largest public hospital in Zanzibar.

Zhao said the teams face frequent power failures. When these occur during operations, doctors have to use emergency lighting and pump oxygen manually.

Despite the conditions, Chinese medical workers have been praised by local patients.

Nurse Idrisa Salim said: "They are kind to the patients and they are extremely good. Local patients will come to this hospital especially for the Chinese doctors."

Zhao said the Chinese medical teams have been sent not only to treat local patients, but also to help train a permanent medical team.

Juma Malik Akil, principal secretary at the Zanzibar Ministry of Health, said, "The Chinese medical team not only helps to cure people, but also passes on experience and skills to local doctors."

Since 2009, the Jiangsu government has donated 5.5 million yuan to set up five medical centers in Zanzibar.
Beijing's cooperation with Africa has been dominated by commercial deals instead of aid in the past, with $46 billion in direct Chinese investment and commercial loans having been signed since December, Chinese officials said.[Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

Officials from both sides meet in Beijing to discuss achievements since December summit

Beijing's cooperation with Africa has been dominated by commercial deals instead of aid in the past, with $46 billion in direct Chinese investment and commercial loans having been signed since December, Chinese officials said.

"At present, Chinese aid to Africa makes up only a very little part of our cooperation. ...Investment cooperation has been the main avenue of China-Africa cooperation," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Beijing on delivering what was agreed on at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

More than 100 ministerial officials from China and Africa attended the meeting.

On Thursday alone, Wang said, companies from China and Africa signed 64 agreements worth about $19 billion at a seminar in Beijing on China-Africa business cooperation.

The deals included direct investment and commercial loans worth $16.7 billion, accounting for 85 percent of the total volume, Wang said.

In December, President Xi Jinping announced at the Johannesburg Summit in South Africa 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans for the next three years, backed by $60 billion, including interest free loans and lending with preferential terms.

After Friday's meeting, Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming said at a news conference that China and Africa have signed at least 243 cooperation agreements of various kinds worth $50.7 billion since the summit.

"Among these agreements, Chinese companies' direct investment and commercial loans to Africa surpass $46 billion, accounting for 91 percent of the total volume," he said.

Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the meeting on Friday, saying that in the past six months, China and Africa have worked together to overcome the negative effects of the sluggish world economy and that they have made tangible achievements in implementing the agreements at the summit.

The current weak performance of the world economy brings opportunities and challenges for the economic development of China and Africa, Xi said.

Anil Sooklal, South Africa's coordinator on implementing agreements of the summit, said now the relationship between China and Africa is not one between donor and receiver but one between partners and equals.

"We must understand that the coordinator's meeting is taking place at a time when the global economy is facing severe crises, when access to finance for development is very difficult to come by ... but China has come forward to push this cooperation."

"What is encouraging also ... is that ... Africa wants to learn from China and partner with China," he said.
NAIROBI - Railway lines built by Chinese firms in African countries are becoming a model of China-Africa cooperation in industrial capacity, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his visit to Kenya on Wednesday.

Wang cited the Nairobi-Mombasa railway line as an example during a joint press conference with his Kenyan counterpart Amina Mohamed after their talks and a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The railway line, funded by China and being built by a Chinese company, will run from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi, and a new deal has been signed to extend it to the country's western border.

Construction of the modern rail is being carried out in line with Chinese standards with Chinese equipment being used, Wang said.

"Once completed next year, it will be one of the railway lines with the highest standard, quality and cost effectiveness in Africa," he said.

Wang said the railway suited the requirements for Kenya's development and was part of the fruits of China-Kenya cooperation.

Construction of the railway line has created more than 40,000 jobs for locals, with some 20,000 local employees having received training in related skills. It has contributed to about 1.5 percent of Kenya's gross domestic product (GDP), Wang said.

Along the railway, fourteen wildlife passes have been designed to address concerns over the animals' free movement, he added.

Wang said the Chinese-built railway lines had established themselves in many African countries, citing those in Nigeria and Angola and one linking the Tanzanian commercial hub of Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti.

The Chinese-built railway lines were also entering countries in Asia, Europe and Latin Africa, he said, adding that Chinese standards and Chinese equipment were gaining recognition in more and more countries.
President Xi Jinping arrives for a state visit to Cambodia in Phnom Penh October 13, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

China and Cambodia agreed on Thursday to take measures to expand their trade during President Xi Jinping's first state visit to the Southeast Asian neighbor.

Witnessed by Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the two countries signed a number of agreements covering areas such as agriculture, oceanic, energy, telecommunication, investment and infrastructure.

The two sides also agreed to jointly implement the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and enhance cooperation in production capacity. The initiative, consisting of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was proposed by Xi in 2013 with a focus on infrastructure.

During his talks with Hun Sen, Xi said he received a magnificent and friendly welcome "from the moment I stepped from the plane". Hundreds of students welcomed the delegation with portraits of the two countries' leaders on the streets outside the airport.

China will continue to offer more support to Cambodia to help the country maintain stability and improve people's livelihoods, Xi said.

Under the leadership of Hun Sen, Cambodia has gained stable social order and rapid economic development, improved people's livelihoods and promoted the country's international status, Xi said.

The Cambodian prime minister called Xi's visit historic and said it will strengthen the traditional bilateral friendship.

He also expressed gratitude for China's medical treatment of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath.

Xi was making his first state visit to Cambodia since he became China's top leader in late 2012. He will fly to Bangladesh on Friday morning and then go to Goa, India, to attend the eighth BRICS Summit.

In July, Cambodia voiced support for China's stance on the South China Sea issue after the ruling by an international arbitration tribunal in a case unilaterally launched by former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III.
Gao Ruihong at the class. [Photo/CRI Online]

After graduating from university last year, Gao Ruihong was recruited as a teacher at Yunnan Minzu University (YMU) to assist in the establishment of the Bengali major, which made her the youngest Bengali teacher in China.

Gao's first lesson to the students included writing and pronouncing Bengali vowels, and the young teacher found the students struggling with pronunciation.

"Many pronunciations in Bengali do not exist in Chinese, and my primary task is to let them master the pronunciation."

It seems the young teacher was prepared for the tough task of teaching Bengali as none of her student was familiar with the language before enrolling in the course. Bengali has remained in a weak position in China's language teaching, even among the minority languages.

According to a study released by the Ministry of Education and State Language Commission last year, more than 40 languages are spoken in the countries along the route of Belt and Road Initiative, however, only 20 of them are taught in Chinese universities, with students enrolled in Bengali major numbering less than 50 in 2015.

"China has been focusing more on large regions such as the United States and the Europe, and sufficient attention has not been paid to smaller neighboring countries," said Yang Cheng, professor of East China Normal University.

More than 80 percent of Chinese scholars choose India when it comes to South Asia studies, and that means other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh go unnoticed.

"The lack of knowledge about countries along the Road and Belt Initiative has to be altered now, and we need to do some basic research on neighboring countries so as to provide support to the country's strategic measures," added the professor.

Three top foreign language universities announced plans to set up more language majors as part of the country's strategic requirements last year. For instance, Beijing Foreign Studies University plans to set up all language majors of countries having diplomatic ties with China by 2020, that is to say, a total of 38 minority language majors will be established in the next few years.

Yunnan Minzu University has been just approved to offer major in Bengali from February this year. [Photo/IC]

YMU has announced similar steps.

The university, located in Southwest China's Yunnan province, which is geographically quite close to South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, has been just approved to offer major in Bengali from February this year, making it the second university in China to offer undergraduate courses in this subject, following the Communication University of China, from which Gao got her bachelor's degree in Bengali.

As the first major being set up after the establishment of the South Asia Institute of YMU, the Bengali major is generating lots of expectations at the university.

Professor Bai Kaiyuan, a senior translator of Bengali department, China Radio International, has been invited by the university to train young teachers like Gao. Bai will also preside over the compilation of Bengali textbooks for the university as a distinguished professor.

Bai plans to develop the textbooks in three volumes based on the practical goal of the university. The first volume is expected to be finished within the year, with the first 20 lessons focusing on Bengali pronunciation, grammar, and dialogue, and the last 20 lessons covering China-Bangladesh economic exchange and works of Indian literary giant Tagore.

The 18 freshmen of the Bengali major this year are not ready to evaluate Gao's teaching since the course has just begun, however, they are looking forward to their fouryear course.

Yang Hongling, one of the students, found learning the language "hard but promising". "The country is putting more emphasizes on the relations with South Asian countries, and I believe we will have very broad career prospects," said the student.

Yang is correct. The Belt and Road Initiative, as well as BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) economic corridors will increase trade, transport, tourism and investment between China, Bangladesh, and other South Asian countries.

Infrastructure connection remains a major field of the Belt and Road Initiative. And many graduates of minority languages have been active in cooperation projects with neighboring countries such as Laos and Thailand.

Chinese ambassador Ma Mingqiang signed the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between China and Bangladesh in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 7, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

However, the grasp of languages of many countries along the route of the Belt and Road Initiative, especially unfamiliar languages, still has a long way to go in China. This offers both challenges and opportunities to minority language students like Yang.

According to the institute, five new minority language majors - Urdu, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil, and Pushtu - are expected to be approved by the Ministry of Education next year.

And the rise of Bengali teaching at YMU will be just a start of the bloom of foreign languages in China.

CRI Online also contributed to this story.
DHAKA - Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday and the two leaders agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership of cooperation.

During the meeting, Xi said the closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation the two sides forged in 2010 has yielded fruitful results, with bilateral cooperation advancing steadily in political, economic, cultural and security areas and on international and regional affairs.

China highly values its friendly cooperative ties with Bangladesh and will continue to offer support within its capacity for the economic and social development of the South Asian country, Xi said.

China stands ready to push forward bilateral practical cooperation by aligning the development strategies of the two countries, said the Chinese president.

Noting that China is striving for its "two centenary goals" while Bangladesh is pursuing its "Sonar Bangla" dream of national strength and prosperity, Xi added that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative can dovetail with Bangladesh's cooperation strategies with the outside world.

The "two centenary goals" refer to China's aspiration to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the Communist Party of China celebrates its centenary in 2021 and turn the People's Republic of China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the time it celebrates its centenary in 2049.

Since establishing diplomatic ties 41 years ago, China and Bangladesh have adhered to "the five principles of peaceful co-existence" and have each respected and supported the development path and domestic and foreign policies the other side has undertaken in accordance with its national conditions, said Xi.

Now in their pursuit of development, the two countries should be friends and partners that trust and support each other and advance practical cooperation to reap even richer fruits, so as to inject more impetus into bilateral ties, added the Chinese president.

Hasina, for her part, said Bangladesh admires China's economic achievement, and is ready to strengthen cooperation with China while pursuing its "Sonar Bangla" dream of national strength and prosperity.

Bangladesh, she added, is willing to actively work with China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and support the building of an economic corridor linking Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, so as to push forward development in various fields such as electricity, energy, technology, agriculture, water resources, investment, transportation infrastructure and connectivity.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

Xi arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day for a state visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to this South Asian nation in 30 years.
By An Baijie in Dhaka and Zhang Yunbi in Beijing | China Daily | Updated: 2016-10-15 06:50

56 deals are signed to boost cooperation on trade, infrastructure

President Xi Jinping is welcomed by Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid (right) at Dhaka's airport on Friday. Lan Hongguang / Xinhua

China agreed to provide loans to Bangladesh for projects including roads, bridges, tunnels and power plants on Friday during President Xi Jinping's historic visit to the country.

Witnessed by Xi and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 56 agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed to enhance cooperation on telecommunication, infrastructure, finance and trade.

The two leaders also attended a joint inauguration ceremony to unveil six cooperative projects including a tunnel and a Confucius Institute.

"China will continue to offer capital, technology and human resources to help with economic and social development in Bangladesh," Xi said at a joint news briefing in Dhaka after attending the signing ceremony during his two-day state visit to the country.

Calling Bangladesh an "important partner of cooperation in South Asia", Xi said the two countries have agreed to work together to push forward the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

Hasina said her meeting with Xi was "quite fruitful" and will benefit the people of both countries.

Xi is the first Chinese president to visit Bangladesh in 30 years.

Bilateral trade reached $14.7 billion last year, up 17 percent year-on-year. China is Bangladesh's largest trading partner, while Bangladesh is China's third-largest in South Asia.

Bangladesh is a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which has approved $165 million in loans for Bangladesh.

Jiang Jingkui, director of the Center of South Asian Studies at Peking University, said that Xi's visit shows that China is paying more attention to South Asia, which was not a traditional focus for diplomacy in the past.

With a population of 160 million, Bangladesh has huge market potential for Chinese companies, he said.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said Bangladesh has a number of good ports, including Dhaka, the country's capital and largest city.

China plays an active role in infrastructure construction in Bangladesh, and the country is at the center of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, proposed by China to connect East and South Asia, Ruan added.

Dhaka is the second stop of Xi's trip after Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He is scheduled to fly to Goa, India, to attend the eighth BRICS Summit over the weekend.

Contact the writer at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

GOA, India - Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here Saturday and the pair exchanged views on enriching their countries' partnership and enhancing cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

The development momentum of China-India ties is encouraging, and a healthy and stable China-India relationship is conducive not only to both countries' development, but to safeguarding the developing countries' reasonable interests in global governance and international systems, said Xi.

China and India should constantly enrich their strategic cooperative partnership and chart the course of bilateral ties in line with the fundamental interests of their peoples, added the Chinese president.

The two countries should maintain high-level communication and dialogue at all levels so as to expand consensus, improve mutual trust and deepen cooperation, he said, adding that they should also raise the level of cooperation in various fields and continue to push forward cooperation on major projects such as railway and industrial parks.

China and India should consolidate pubic support for bilateral friendship by boosting exchanges between their political parties, local governments, think tanks, cultural bodies and media organizations, Xi said.

Meanwhile, the two countries should support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the East Asia Summit, he added.

Meeting Modi in the western Indian state of Goa on the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Xi said the Chinese side is willing to work with India to carry on the positive momentum of last month's Group of 20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou and push for positive results of the BRICS summit in Goa, so as to send out a positive signal of confidence, solidarity and cooperation.

The Chinese president also called for joint BRICS efforts to deepen practical cooperation and elevate cooperation to higher levels, as well as to strengthen communication and coordination on major international issues so as to safeguard their common interests.

China, which will hold the rotating chair in 2017, is willing to work with India and other BRICS members to successfully host the ninth BRICS summit next year, Xi added.

For his part, Modi said it is in the two countries' as well as the region's common interests for India and China to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and strategic communication.

India and China have the responsibility to join hands and turn the 21st century into an Asian century, said the prime minister.

India is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks including BRICS and the SCO, Modi said, adding that his country supports China in hosting the BRICS summit next year.

India is the last stop of Xi's ongoing Asia tour, which has already taken him to Cambodia and Bangladesh.
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Popular messaging app Snapchat recently acquired Israeli startup Cimagine, a firm that working on an augmented reality platform that allows users to instantly visualize products that they are planning to buy.



Snapchat did not publicly disclose the financial details of the acquisition, although some analysts claimed the messaging app paid between $30 million and $40 million.



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Based on its official LinkedIn page, Cimagine is working with brands like Jerome's, Shop Direct, and Coca-Cola. The company has a cloud-based mobile platform, which helps its partners to develop interactive augmented reality experiences that can boost online hype and in-store sales.



Snapchat is yet to confirm what will be Cimagine's role in its current development. According to Tech Crunch, apart from acquiring tech assets of Cimagine, Snapchat is eyeing the talent behind the firm. Cimagine's four co-founders' Ozi Egri, Nir Daube, Amiram Avraham, and Yoni Nevo are all specialists when it comes to the fields of image processing and computer vision.



The takeover also opened the possibility of Snapchat creating a development center in Israel. With the acquisition, Cimagine is expected to boost its workforce, which is currently composed of 20 employees.



Reports claimed that Snapchat is planning for an IPO in March 2017. According to Fortune, if this effort pushes through, analysts are expecting the company's value to grow between $20 billion and $25 billion. All throughout this year, Snapchat had quietly acquired several startup firms including ad company Flite, mobile search app Vurb, computer vision firm Seene, and emoji maker Bitstrips.



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Tagssnapchat, Augmented Reality, cimagine, snapchat acquisition, cimagine news, SnapChat News
(Photo : Getty Images) Taiwan is a step closer to legalizing same sex marriage. Both protesters and supporters gather outside the parliament on Monday during the lawmakers' hearing to defend their cause.

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Taiwan's parliament on Monday took a first step towards legalizing same sex marriage by passing the first draft of the controversial marriage equality bill, which now awaits final hurdle mid-next year when it will come for final review.



If the bill is passed, Taiwan would become the first Asian country to legalize the same sex or gay marriage.



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However, the self-ruled island nation is still evenly split over the emotive issue, sparking a nationwide debate across the country over the past few days. A recent survey showed that 45 percent of the country's population is in favor, while 43 percent are staunchly against same sex marriage.



Taiwan's polarization over the emotive issue was fully visible on Monday as thousands of supporters and protesters gathered outside the parliament. They carried banners and shouted slogans in a bid to convey their voices to the country's lawmakers, who were busy discussing the bill inside the parliament building.



The opponents of the bill were heard shouting in chorus "Stop the review. Open the door." Many of the protestors were seen wearing white T-shirt with bold slogans "Marriage and Family; People decide" written on them. Some demonstrators, reportedly from the opponent side, even tried to enter the parliament before they were stopped by Taiwanese police.



Meanwhile, the supporters of the bill were also passionately supporting the cause. They were buoyed by the fact that a good number of lawmakers in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are backing the gay marriage bill.



Lawmaker Yu Mei-nu, member of the DPP, hailed Monday's decision as a symbol of island nation's "mature democracy."



Taiwan had made past attempts of legalizing the same-sex marriage under Kuomintang party's decade-long rule. However, lack of political consensus and continued protest from religious stalled government's efforts.



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TagsTaiwan, Taiwan Same Sex Marriage, gay marriage
(Photo : Getty Images) China's vice minister of land and resources, Wang Guanghua, stated that the homeowners would not be required to pay any renewal fee.

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China posted a clarification regarding the land rights in the country. The issue had plagued millions of homeowners in China who had their wealth tied up in the real estate. The country has said that a certain group of homeowners in Wenzhou will not be required to pay an extension fee for their lands.



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The issue erupted in Wenzhou when the local government informed some of the homeowners that they would be required to pay high fee, up to one third of their property value, for renewing their expired 20-year lease on land. The announcement led to panic across the country as real estate is one of the most promising sectors of the Chinese economy.



However, on Friday, China's vice minister of land and resources, Wang Guanghua, stated that the homeowners would not be required to pay any such fee. All land in the country belonged to the government and it is leaded out to homeowners through leases.



China is likely to face this issue again as the minister did not put forward any final resolution. Wang stated that the government is still contemplating a new law, which may be used for regulating lease renewals throughout the country.



The country mainly has 70 years tenure for leases. The shorter tenures were introduced during the 1990s to reduce the price tag for real estate properties. China is currently facing overheated real estate sectors with housing prices zooming to new highs. The country officials have instituted several regulatory measures to curb speculative investments in the sector.



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TagsWenzhou, Land Leases, china
(Photo : Getty Images) The strength of the Chinese economy is also likely to aid global economy, which is going through a rough phase.

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China is on track to meet its 6.5 percent to 7 percent growth rate target this year. This is being taken as a signal that the economy is in strong position. The strength of the Chinese economy is also likely to aid global economy, which is going through a rough phase.



According to state news agency Xinhua, Chinese economy is giving positive signal to a "weak and vulnerable" global economy. The report also stated that the year had a "troublesome start." However, China is on its way to end the year on a positive note.



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The country is now "seeking progress while maintaining stability" in the next year. China is likely to continue with its structural reforms to make its economy more robust. However, it is also striving to maintain its flexibility to withstand deep decline in the economy.



According to economist Stephen Roach, if China is able to meet its official targets, then it is likely to contribute 1.2 percent of the global GDP growth. The International Monetary Fund expects global economy to grow only 3.1 percent this year.



China has achieved 6.7 percent growth rate for all the three quarters this year so far. The country has also witnessed sharp improvement on its service industry. Its industrial sector also maintained stability in the months of October and November.



Xinhua report further stressed that it is expected that the global economy would need China "more than ever." China is also likely to retaliate to other country's protectionist measures by restricting their access to its own thriving markets.



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Tagschina, Economy, global economy
(Photo : CCTV) Construction of the Shandong as of early October 2016.

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Western military analysts report China's second aircraft carrier, the CNS Shandong (CV-17), is in advanced stages of construction and the ship is still scheduled for commissioning in 2020.



Shandong will become the most powerful warship in the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) because of its offensive airpower and the fact it will be outfitted with the most sophisticated radar system in the Surface Fleet.



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Shandong will become the flagship of both the North Sea Fleet and the East Sea Fleet of the PLAN.



Analysts believe the Shandong will displace between 60,000 to 70,000 tons. Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company in Liaoning began building the carrier in 2015.



Shandong will probably carry 48 aircraft, a number larger than that of the CNS Liaoning (CV-16), China's only aircraft carrier that can take 36 aircraft. Shandong will house up to 32 J-15 jets, a huge boost to its offensive firepower, with the other aircraft complement remaining more or less the same.



Shandong is the first aircraft carrier built entirely in China. The Liaoning was purchased from Ukraine in the late 1990s and towed to China for an extensive rebuild.



Shandong will have a heavier displacement than Liaoning. It will also have a larger island and larger internal hanger space for aircraft stowage below deck.



The larger island on the Shandong suggests it will house a more advanced communications equipment system and the updated Type 346A active phased array radar (APAR).



In October, Cao Weidong, a researcher at the People's Liberation Army Navy Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said Shandong, China's first indigenous aircraft carrier, will probably have an APAR system that can simultaneously track hundreds of aerial and sea surface targets while guiding missiles to these targets.



Cao also confirmed the Shandong will embark some 50 aircraft of various types. More tellingly, the new carrier might be armed with solid state lasers to shoot down drones. The Naval Military Studies Research Institute is the think tank of PLAN.



Cao said the Shandong's radar system is far better than the Liaoning's. APAR is expected to enhance the Shandong's combat capability because of its longer detection range and better target acquisition.



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TagsCNS Shandong (CV-17), china, Aircraft carrier, People's Liberation Army Navy, CNS Liaoning, Cao Weidong
(Photo : Getty Images) China on Tuesday advocated to maintain strategic balance in the South Asian region after India successfully test fired the nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile.

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Without mentioning Pakistan, China on Tuesday urged to maintain strategic balance in South Asian region as India successfully test fired the nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile.



"China always maintains that preserving the strategic balance and stability in South Asia is conducive to peace and prosperity of regional countries and beyond," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.



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Hua hoped that India had complied with the United Nation (UN) rules while testing the latest Agni missile on Monday.



"The UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons," she said.



The foreign ministry spokesperson surprisingly took exception to highly proactive reports in Indian media that the Agni-V missile can strike as far as northern China. She chose to downplay the reports by suggesting that Beijing seeks to become "rivals for competition but partners for cooperation."



Hua categorically reminded New Delhi that Beijing is willing to work alongside all the South Asian countries, including India, "to maintain the long-lasting peace, stability and prosperity of the region."



But she also added that China hopes that relevant media will stop resorting to sensationalized reporting and do more constructive things to contribute to the mutual trust between China and India.



Agni-V is an Intercontinental Nuclear Capable Missile



Agni-V is a part of the illustrious Agni missile family that includes the Agni-I, Agni-II, Agni-III, and Agni-IV missiles. But Agni-V stands out among all because of its staggering strike range that can travel anywhere between 5,000 and 5,500 kilometers.



Indian defense analysts claimed that the Agni-V has been designed to keep China in mind and counter its rapid growth of nuclear capable missiles. But they argued that China is still far ahead of India in missile technology.



After Agni-V's induction in the Indian military, India will join the exclusive club of countries with ICBMs, which represent missile that can travel or cover between 5,000 and 5,500 kilometers.



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Tagschina, Agni-V Missile, India Agni Miisiles, India and China
(Photo : Getty Images) India responded to China's reaction on Tuesday, clarifying that the Agni-V missile test was not aimed on any foreign country and that it was in accordance with international obligations.

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India on Tuesday clarified that the Agni-V missile test was not targeted against any third country and the test was well within the international obligation. New Delhi's clarification comes barely hours after China cautiously responded to the Agni-V missile test, which was successfully tested on Monday morning in the Indian state of Odisha.



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"India's strategic capabilities are not targeted against any particular country. India abides by all the applicable international obligations and hopes that all other do the same. India's strategic autonomy and growing engagement contributes to strategic stability," Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, said.



New Delhi's deliberate reference to "international obligations" is apparently in response to China's move to rake up the issue of the United Nation Security Council over the latest Agni-V missile test.



China's Foreign Ministry had categorically reminded India that "the UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons."



Analysts said that China was apparently referring to the UN Resolution 1172 that was passed immediately after a series of nuclear tests was conducted by India and Pakistan in 1998.



The UN Resolution 1172 passed on June 6, 1998 urged India and Pakistan to stop further nuclear tests and issued prohibitive guidance including limiting their nuclear weapon programs and ending the development of ballistic missiles technology.



Apart from the indirect reference to UN resolution, Beijing also sought to remind India that maintaining strategic balance in South Asia is immensely important for maintenance of regional peace.



China, however, chose to downplay several proactive reports from Indian media that Agni-V's staggering strike range of 5,000 and 5,500 kilometers can penetrate as far as northern China. Nonetheless, it advocated that relevant media houses must play constructive role in promoting peace and stability between the two Asian countries.



India had first conducted the Agni-V missile test in 2012 and was later followed with three more tests in subsequent years. The Monday's test was supposedly Agni-V missile last test, with several defense experts predicting that the ballistic intercontinental missile will be soon inducted in the Indian military.



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TagsIndia and China, Agni-V Missile, Agni Missiles, china
(Photo : Getty Images) Taiwan defense minister called on Taiwanese soldiers to train rigorously as the country faces increasing threats from China.

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Taiwan rallied its armed forces to be prepared for combat as a measure against the increasing military threats by China, a day after Beijing's first aircraft carrier sailed near the former's controlled islands across the East China Sea.



Taiwan defense minister Feng Shih-kuan told Taiwan Central News Agency on Tuesday that the "enemy's threats are increasingly expanding" as he gave out strict orders for the military to carry out more training and to focus more on countermeasures in the face of China's threats.



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Feng was referring to China's Liaoning, the aircraft carrier which sailed in Taiwan waters enroute to the Western Pacific last week. Beijing justified its maritime action saying the passage was part of a routine scheduled drill.



Aircraft Carrier



The defense minister said the aircraft carrier strike group was detected sailing near the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha or Prata Islands enroute to China's Hainan island.



"We must always maintain combat preparedness," Feng told the media. He likewise urged all senior military commanders to train with their troops specifically in survival skills while improving their capacity in defeating the enemy.



The military orders come on the heels of the recent US' breaking of the decades-old 'One China' policy after Taiwan president Tsai Lng-wen had a phone call with US president-elect Donald Trump, which angered China.



'One China' Policy



Trump defended his actions saying China was in no position to dictate to him whom he wants to call. He was also vocal about his plans to scrap the "One China" policy unless Beijing would be willing to enter into a bargain of sorts with Washington.



Last week, the Chinese communist party mouthpiece, the Global Times, has called on Beijing to prepare for the use of all-out military force as a means to take control of Taiwan and its people.



In an editorial, the Global Times newspaper strongly encouraged China to take a more aggressive stance in dealing with Taiwan, considered by China as its breakaway province, amid the rising tensions with the United States.



"It might be time for the Chinese mainland to reformulate its Taiwan policy, make the use of force as a main option and carefully prepare for it," the commentary read.



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TagsEast China Sea, Liaoning, Taiwan Straits, Dongsha island, Western Pcific
(Photo : Getty Images) A Blackberry cell phone is seen on Nov. 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida.

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Chinese electronic firm TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. recently announced that it is planning to debut new BlackBerry branded smartphones at the upcoming 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.



TCL is the Chinese manufacturer that built the BlackBerry DTEK50 and DTEK60. While these two smartphones did not exactly perform well in the market, despite their interesting set of specs, TCL is still keen into reviving one of the most iconic smartphone brands in history.



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In a statement acquired by Financial Post, TCL North America president Steve Cistulli said, "We'll unveil more news at CES around our plans, showcasing the legacy of the BlackBerry smartphone brand, while also giving a glimpse into what new BlackBerry smartphones will offer as part of our bold new brand portfolio within TCT."



Cistulli's statement came in just days after BlackBerry chief executive officer John Chen hinted that the last BlackBerry-designed smartphone will be unveiled at the 2017 CES show. The upcoming BlackBerry smartphone is codenamed Mercury, and it features the iconic physical QWERTY keyboard that made BlackBerry phones famous for.



According to Digital Trends, aside from the BlackBerry Mercury, a couple of new models will be released as well. These are the DTEK70 and the BBB100.



BlackBerry's decision to tap third-party manufacturers to create its new products is part of its transition from being a hardware manufacturer to becoming a software company.



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TagsBlackberry, blackberry smartphone, DTEK, blackberry phone, TCL, CES
(Photo : Getty Images) China passed a new law to boost traditional Chinese medicine.

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China's National People's Congress Standing Committee passed a new law on Sunday to incorporate Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on the country's healthcare system.



"The new law on traditional Chinese medicine will improve global TCM influence and give a boost to China's soft power," Huang Wei, NPC Standing Committee deputy director for legislative affairs, told ECNS.



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The new law, which will take effect on July 1, 2017, will require country-level governments and above to establish TCM institutes on public hospitals and maternity and pediatric wards.



Furthermore, all TCM practitioners need to pass qualifying exams and obtain a license before they are legally allowed to practice in hospitals and clinics or in private, CTV News reported.



The new policy aims to safeguard and facilitate TCM development and put both TCM and Western medicine on an equal footing. TCM practitioners will be trained better, and use of products with pesticides will be strictly monitored.



Beijing will also boost research and development centers for TCM, according to CCTV. R&D centers will not only safeguard TCM intellectual property but also use technology and create programs for emergency health situations and for disease prevention and control.



So far, there are around 3,966 TCM hospitals and 42,528 TCM clinics in the mainland, with at least 452,000 practitioners. These facilities reportedly cater an annual average of 910 million consultations, according to a white paper issued by China's State Council Information Center this month.



Global recognition and cooperation to develop TCM has also been boosted. The World Health Organization said that 103 member states have approved acupuncture practice and moxibustion, which is an ancient therapy that involves burning of dried mugwort on specific body points; 29 passed TCM laws; and 18 covered acupuncture and moxibustion as part of medical insurance provision.



Strait Times also noted that TCM is no longer becoming the cheap alternative for Western medicines as herbs prices have increased because of the economy and high demand.



In fact, in Malaysia, Kerk Ee Chan, secretary-general of Malaysia Federation of Chinese Medicine Dealers and Practitioners Association, said that herbs prices skyrocketed to as high as 50 percent after the government implemented the goods and services tax (GST) in April 2015. The cost is continuously rising since then.



"The price increase does not only apply to herbs but also medicinal liquors and ointments, commonly used for tui na (a form of Chinese therapeutic massage), which has gone up by a whopping 150 percent," he added.



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TagsTraditional Chinese Medicine, traditional chinese medicine practitioners, traditional chinese medicine herbs
(Photo : Getty Images) China wants to lure more tourists as it plans to establish a tourist complex on the base on Mount Everest.

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China on Wednesday unveiled its grand plans for Mount Everest as it aims to boost tourist numbers on the world's highest mountain. The Chinese government has reportedly made its mind to build a huge tourist complex at the base of Qomolangma in Gangkar, which falls on the Tibetan side of the mountain.



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The sprawling tourist complex will include a museum, hotel, and several shops for the mountaineers. Reports in Chinese media also suggested that the government is planning to build a helipad in Gangkar with an aim to help officials in conducting quick rescue operations.



The government will pump $14.7 million in this ambitious Mount Everest project. The construction work is set to start in the beginning of 2017 and is expected to be completed by 2019.



However, China's plan to turn the Tibetan side of Mount Everest into a tourist hotspot is already facing flaks from environmentalists and other critics. They argued that a tourist complex will help in drawing in rich tourists but not serious mountain climbers.



In the past, environmentalists often accused that huge growth of tourist numbers led to several problems for the Himalayan Mountain, including wastage and leftover problems as well as other environmental hazards.



The inflow of tourists in the Gangkar side of Mount Everest has also been affected by political issue of Tibet. The alleged insurgent activities in the autonomous region and the Dalai Lama's rising popularity in the west have had severe impact on the tourist numbers.



Traditionally, mountain climbers and tourists preferred to climb the Mount Everest summit from the Nepalese side. The Chinese government, however, aims to change this through this ambitious project.



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Tagschina, Mount Everest, Mount Everest Summit, Tourists Mount Everest
Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, Norway will implement a separation of church and state policy, a course of action that was initially settled on in a parliamentary vote eight years ago.

According to ChristianToday.com, the Evangelical-Lutheran church and the country of Norway have maintained a nearly 500-year relationship, going back to the Reformation period.

The implementation of the separation of church and state policy will mean that the 1,250 priests and bishops of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church will no longer also serve as government officials.

Although this decision is sure to have pronounced implications, some believe not enough will actually change.

Although the church in Norway will no longer be referred to as the states public religion, the new resolution maintains that "the Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran Church, will remain Norway's national Church and will be supported as such by the state.

Kristin Mile, the secretary general of the Norwegian Humanist Association, spoke to Norways Dagsavisen newspaper and explained: "As long as the Constitution says that the Norwegian Church is Norway's national Church, and that it should be supported by the state, we still have a state Church."

Mile further noted that the new resolution actually connects government more closely to the church because it mentions a particular denomination, and not just a religion.

Whether the resolution will have any impact on church attendance in Norway is another question. Since the number of church members was previously a major factor in state funding, many churches falsely reported the size of their congregations. The churchs separation from the state will presumably put an end to this practice.

Norway has an extremely low church attendance rate: only five percent of Norwegians attend church.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: December 28, 2016
What thoughts come to your mind when you hear the country name, Afghanistan? I still think of the Taliban in a barren desert with guns in training to become terrorists. I tried to erase that image with the thought that missions must continue in that country, but I was truly humbled as I was reading a letter from a missionary who has traveled over 60 times to Afghanistan since 2003 and, for over 13 years, ministering to the countrys starved and poor. I realized that unless youve been there you really cant see the situation and unless youve encountered it you will never understand. This is what was written in the Christmas letter from the missionary: I never even dreamed that my life would be used this way. As I traveled to Afghanistan for the last 13 years, I saw the beauty of this country and things that other could not see; people with warm hearts, diligently working to survive and to overcome their adversity."

When Christmas time comes, I am reminded of a movie I saw a long time ago called Home Alone. It is a movie about a family going on a family vacation but, unexpectedly, a young boy is left behind, home alone. This movie contains humorous stories as well as heart-warming episodes of the little boys experience of being home alone. In the movie is a character, middle-aged man with a scary face wearing dark coat and a beanie. However, he comes to realize that even this scary man was lonely being cut off from his family. The mans heart, which initially would not open, opened up to this little boy and with encouragement, eventually, contacts his family.

This scary man, seeking forgiveness and being able to spend a warm Christmas with his family, in reality was a lonely, warm-hearted grandfather who missed his grand children. Perhaps some of you may not even remember that part of the story in the movie. However, do you see an overlap in the image of the big smile on this scary mans face after being united with his family, and the warmth of the Afghan people that the missionary saw?

As the missionary diligently traveled to a Do Not Travel country in desolate environment where we thought only advocated terrorist activities, he began to see things that we could not see. Nervously traveling for the last 60 times into a constant danger, after he gave and gave some more, served and served some more, he saw the warmth of the people. Perhaps, as the heart of the scary faced man melted, the hardened heart of these people can also be melted by a touch of love. Christmas is a season of love where God came to us to soften our hardened hearts. With the love of God, who came to seek us, contact and visit those that you have given up on. Even if they will not see you, an unexpected gift will still await you.

Rev. Bryan Kim is the lead pastor of Bethel Korean Church, located in Irvine, CA.
An Indonesian court will hear the blasphemy trial against Jakarta's Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, a judge announced on Tuesday. Purnama is accused of insulting the Qur'an based on an edited video. The next court hearing will take place on January 3.

Purnama is campaigning for his second term in February 2017 elections.

The judges refused to dismiss the case on his lawyers' appeal which says that Purnama's human rights were neglected during the proceedings, and that there were several inaccuracies in the allegations.

In his first hearing on December 13, Purnama had denied that his intention was to insult Qur'an.

According to a report by Voice of America, Purnama said that what his comments were meant to refer to politicians who misinterpreted the verses "because they do not want to compete fairly in an election."

When the allegations of his insulting Qur'an were made public, hundreds of thousands of people took to streets to demand his arrest.

If convicted, he could face up to five years of imprisonment.

During yesterday's hearing, hundreds of Muslim opponents stood outside the court calling for his imprisonment, while his supporters were also present there under protection of the police.

Judge Dwiyarso Budi Santiarto said that Purnama could appeal to a higher court if they disagreed with court's decision.

A professor admitted to editing the video of Purnama's remarks while campaigning and posted the edited tape on Facebook to make it look like the governor was insulting the Qur'an.

Purnama is referring to the verse Surah 5:51, and says that "You've been lied to by [people] misquoting the 51st verse of the Al-Maidah."

But the video makes it seem that the governor is telling people that Qur'an lies to people.

The National Police had questioned the professor on November 17, and his lawyers also told local reporters that he admitted to editing the tape to distort governor's message.

Purnama is being supported by human rights activists, lawmakers as well as religious leaders.
Journey to Space 3D Tiny Giants 3D Walking with Dinosaurs 3D Previous Next

Almost one year after installation of the new IMAX with Laser projection system, movie fans have been raving about the enhanced experience at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater.

Sound was incredible. Picture was beyond regular digital HD, posted one guest on the Aquariums IMAX Facebook page.  Another guest commented, The 3D visuals were incredible. The images of space, breath-taking.

Chattanooga remains one of only a bakers dozen of theaters nationwide to show movies using this technology. In celebration, the second IMAX with Laser Film Festival will be coming to Chattanoogas largest screen Jan. 6-12.

Audiences will have the opportunity to embark upon cinematic journeys to the wildest places on earth, the farthest reaches of space and into the distant past during daily screenings of these exhilarating and award-winning films:

Walking with Dinosaurs 3D  This fictional computer-generated tale based on actual science focuses on a little Pachyrhinosaurus and his thrilling prehistoric adventure against incredible odds. Animated lifeforms move with life-like realism over the gorgeous backdrop of actual locations. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. (Daily screenings at 2 p.m.)

Tiny Giants 3D  Who says being small means being boring? Using specialized 3D cameras, BBC filmmakers show viewers the exciting lives and daring escapades of two unassuming heroes: a Chipmunk in a wild wood and a Grasshopper Mouse in a scorched Arizonan desert. Inspired by the BBC series Hidden Kingdoms, Tiny Giants reveals just how big life can get for even the smallest of animals. Narrated by Stephen Fry. (Daily screenings at 3 p.m.)

The Last Reef 3D: Cities Beneath the Sea  Like underwater metropolises, reefs play a vital role in ocean ecology by serving as breeding grounds and offering protection to an astounding profusion of underwater life. This Giant Screen Films production reveals the stunning diversity, ancient history and perilous fragility of these marine rainforests. (Daily screenings at 4 p.m.)

Journey to Space 3D  Next stop, Mars. This cinematic tribute to the desire to venture beyond the farthest horizon imagines the possibilities of humankinds next great adventure to the Red Planet. Viewers will be shown astounding imagery in a retrospective of the space program before taking a peek behind the scenes at NASAs ambitious, perilous plan to reach another world. Narrated by Patrick Stewart. (Daily screenings at 5 p.m.)

Jean-Michel Cousteaus Secret Ocean 3D  Famed oceanographer, explorer and film producer Jean-Michael Cousteau directs this cinematic journey beneath the waves. Using specially designed film equipment, filmmakers captured unprecedented, stunning imagery that reveals the mysterious hidden beauty of aquatic animals and the importance all life plays to the oceans delicate ecological balance. Narrated by Dr. Sylvia Earle. (Daily screenings at 12 p.m.)

Wild Africa 3D Think humans have seen all there is to see in the world, that there are no adventures left to experience? This award-winning documentary from the BBC and Giant Screen Films will reveal how wrong you are with footage capturing awe-inspiring animal encounters set in truly epic vistas of the worlds wildest continent. (Daily screenings at 1 p.m.)

For more information about the 2017 festival or the selected films, visit: tnaqua.org/imax/imax-with-laser-film-fest .

The IMAX Club pass allows the holder to see all of these films, and an unlimited number of 45-minute films for an entire year, for $40.

Other Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Club benefits include: entrance to feature-length films for $4, free upgrades on soft drink and popcorn purchases at IMAX concessions, $2 discount on companion tickets (each additional individual ticket purchased by an IMAX Club passholder) and 10 percent discount at the IMAX store (excluding IMAX Club passes and gift certificates)

Go to: https://community.tnaqua.org/membership/imax-club to purchase IMAX Club passes online. Or call 267-FISH (3474).

IMAX Club passholders will also receive advance notification of new films, special events and test screenings that are held periodically to determine potential for upcoming movies.

Admission to individual films during the IMAX with Laser Film Festival is $11.95 for adults, $9.95 for children ages 3 and up.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants Christians in his country to celebrate the birth of his grandmother instead of Jesus Christ on Christmas, according to a report by the New York Post.

His grandmother, Kim Jong Suk, known as "Sacred Mother of the Revolution" was reportedly born on December 24 and died 1949.

North Korea has ranked among the top persecutors of Christianity by various religious organizations.

Owning a Bible is punishable by death but can also land a person and his entire family at gruesome labor camps. It is estimated at around 70,000 Christians are being held in prisons for their faith.

"In this country, the very act of owning a Bible is punishable by death. An estimated 25 percent of the Christian population lives in prison camps, comparable to Auschwitz in Poland. The others must keep their faith a secret," said Open Doors.

"Many Christian parents choose to keep their faith a secret from their children, for fear that they might accidentally expose their faith to their neighbors, teachers or government officials."

In July, North Korea banned the import of all products that have markings even vaguely resembling a Cross.

"We've always had to make sure there were no Korean characters on the labels of products that we brought in from China," a source told Radio Free Asia. "Now we have to check again to see that there isn't anything that looks like a cross," he said.

"Some designs on women's clothing can look a lot like a cross, depending on who is looking at it. Cross designs also appear on women's hairpins and hair bands and on men's neckties."

"If customs officers confiscate these products, insisting the shape looks like a cross, we have nowhere to complain," he added.

The 2016 annual report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) named North Korea as one of the "countries of particular concern" (CPC), and called it "one of the worst offending nations, if not the worst offending nation in the world."

The report says that the right to religious freedom is ignored by the North Korean regime, and that it continues to persecute Christians.

"They arrest, torture and even execute those who are secretly engaged in religious activities," USCIRF said.
Hmong teenagers from Fresno visited Los Angeles once again this year ahead of Christmas Day and moved people with their worship. On December 20, Only Jesus Mission Church in Koreatown, Los Angeles hosted a music night during which 15 Hmong teens led worship, performed a body worship, and demonstrated a traditional Hmong dance.

The Hmong people live in the mountainous regions bordering China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Though Hmong soldiers fought together with the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, Hmong people faced severe persecution in their own land after the U.S. military withdrew its forces. Currently, about 260,000 Hmong individuals are estimated to reside in the U.S., and some 60,000 of them live in Fresno.

This article has been translated. For the original in Korean, visit kr.christianitydaily.com.
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Image: Oded Balilty / AP for National Geographic

Archaeological discoveries announced in 2016 help us better understand the Bible and the biblical world, and affirm the Bibles details about events and people.

Below are the top findings from the important excavations taking place in the lands of the Bible or that have a biblical connection. (This list is subjective, and based on news reports rather than peer-reviewed articles in scientific publications.)

10. Ancient papyrus mentions Jerusalem

What appears to be the oldest non-biblical Hebrew-language reference to Jerusalem was found on a small piece of papyrus recovered from antiquities robbers who said they had found it in a cave in the Judean desert. The inscription reads, From the kings maidservant, from Naarat, jars of wine, to Jerusalem. Dated to the seventh century B.C., the inscription was found four years ago but announced this past October. Only one other papyrus document from Israels First Temple Period has ever been found. However, some archaeologists and textual scholars have raised questions about the provenance of the text, and have suggested that since it was not found in a supervised excavation, it may be a forgery.

9. Ancient glass factory

Judea was known as one of the centers of glass manufacturing in the Roman world. Archaeologists excavated the remains of a glass production facility at the foot of Mt. Carmel, near Haifa, when it was discovered by workers of the Jezreel Valley Railroad Project.

8. Sunken junk from Caesarea Maritima

Old metal objects were typically melted and recycled, so a ship that sank on the way to the recycler offered a treasure trove of ancient metal objects when its cargo was discovered by scuba divers last summer. Protected by the sand on the ...
Yes, we only publish 10 cover stories per year. But were proud of all of them!

Here are CTs 2016 print features, ranked in order of which ones our online readers read most.

10. 11 Portraits of Charleston Survivors' Grief and Grace

CT sent a reporter and a photographer to be with the family members of several victims.

9. Realizing My Addiction Had Chosen Me Began My Road to Recovery

Framing addiction as a chronic disease gives a broader framework for understanding.

8. The World Is Yearning for Beautiful Orthodoxy

Goodness, truth, and beauty all come from the same Person.

7.How Churches Change the Equation for Life After Prison

One of the hardest days of incarceration may be the day it ends. The church can be there to make a difference.

6. Hope on the Refugee Highway: A Special Report on Christians in Iraq and Greece

CT visited eight refugee camps to learn how Christians on the front lines would advise American churches to engage the refugee crisis.

5. CT Makers: 20 of the ...

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When I brought my fifth baby home from the hospital, I never imagined writing a suicide letter or ending my life by running into oncoming traffic. My husband never considered planning a funeral for me and one of our babies or raising our five children alone. And, thankfully, my family will not be left to wonder why I took my own lifebecause, instead, I found help for my Postpartum Depression (PPD).

Allison Goldsteins family learned about her battle with postpartum depression the day she dropped her four-month-old daughter off at daycare, drove down a dirt road, and committed suicide. A panic attack caused by postpartum anxiety led Emily Dyches, a fellow mother of five, to jump from her fathers car and run into traffic, ending her life. Postpartum psychosis (a variation of PPD causing hallucinations and a break from reality) caused Charlene Ventanilla to take not only her own life, but also the life of her eight-week-old baby. Their grieving families are now trying to raise awareness, aiming to help others understand and recognize the dangers of PPD before its too late.

I remember the day my OB asked me how I was feeling after the birth of my fourth baby. I burst into tears, confessing I spent the majority of my days wanting to hide in my closet because of my anxiety. She heard me, took me seriously, and put a plan of action in place before I left the office that day. After the birth of my fifth baby, I began to have full-blown panic attacks. My anxiety caused me to be overly irritable and short-tempered. This dark valley was more physically painful and threatening than any Id previously experienced. Forget enjoying my family and life in generalI felt like an empty shell of a person. ...

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Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Samaritan's Purse Among 'Top 10 Charities Changing the World in 2016'

Contact: Erik Ogren,

704-401-2117,

eogren@bgea.org;

Lisa Moseley,

704-401-2116,

lmoseley@bgea.org



BOONE, N.C., Dec. 28, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- International Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have been recognized as Top 10 Charities Changing the World in 2016. As part of a special project by CNBC, the two North Carolina nonprofit organizations were recognized for their work "both at home and abroad, all while maintaining top-notch financial management and transparency standards." Authors of the list used research from several charity watchdog groups, including Charity Navigator, to determine which organizations met such high criteria.

Boone-based Samaritan's Purse was recognized for its work helping victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease and famine. Among its many projects around the world, Samaritan's Purse is currently helping refugees displaced by the fighting to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State. The organization's Operation Christmas Child project is also currently preparing an estimated 12 million shoebox gifts to be delivered to children in some of the world's poorest, hardest-to-reach communities.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, based in Charlotte, was formed in 1950 to bring the message of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible around the world. President and CEO of both organizations, Franklin Graham, recently concluded a three-day evangelistic festival in Yangon, Myanmar, that drew more than 170,000 people. In addition to evangelistic festivals, the ministry also offers aid via the Billy Graham Rapid Response Teamdeveloped following 9/11with crisis-trained chaplains providing emotional and spiritual support in communities living through tragedy. Most recently, the chaplains talked and prayed with people in Gatlinburg impacted by the recent wildfires.

"It's an honor to be recognized because we take seriously the trust our donors put in us to make a significant impactphysically and spirituallyon people in need," said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.
Zhang Kai Back in Police Custody

Contact: ChinaAid Media Team, 432-553-1080 cell, 888-889-7757, 432-689-6985, media@chinaaid.org

HOHHOT, Inner Mongolia, Dec. 28, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- A prominent Christian human rights lawyer who was released on bail earlier this year has not been seen since he was summoned to the police station yesterday morning.

At 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 27, human rights attorney Zhang Kai responded to a summons to a police station in Hohhot, and his mother claims that he has not yet returned. During this time, personnel from public security bureaus in Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Guizhou, and Inner Mongolia came to her house to have a "conversation." Her daughter also received a visit from the Beijing Municipal Public Security at her work place, and she refused to let them video her. They asked the women to urge Zhang to quietly cooperate with officials and said his ability to return home depended on his attitude.

Zhang was previously taken into police custody on the night of Aug. 25, 2015, after he legally represented 100 churches affected by a cross demolition campaign in Zhejiang. After spending six months in an unofficial "black jail" in an unknown location, he resurfaced on a television broadcast on Feb. 25, where he was forced to confess his to disturbing public order and endangering state secrets. He was criminally detained a day later, and then released on bail.

A full translation of a statement from Zhang's mother can be read below.

China Aid will write additional reports when more information becomes available.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those experienced by Zhang Kai, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom and human rights.

Message from Zhang Kai's Mother

Emergency: My son, Zhang Kai, was summoned by the municipal police station at 10:00 a.m. on December 27 and has not yet returned, and now it has been more than 36 hours! During this period, staff from the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Bureau, the Guizhou [Provincial] Public Security Bureau, the Wenzhou [Municipal] Public Security Bureau, and the Inner Mongolia [Provincial] Public Security Bureau have been to my house to have a "conversation." The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau went to my daughter's work place to have a "conversation" (they wanted to take video, but my daughter stopped them). They urged us to persuade Zhang Kai to keep quiet and cooperate with them! Whether Zhang Kai can go home or not depends on his attitude! Our family is in the midst of waiting anxiously  I hope Zhang Kai returns safely. Please pay urgent attention!


home World Christians in Aleppo celebrate Christmas as city falls back under government control

Christians in Aleppo lit up a giant Christmas tree for the first time in five years with the hope that peace will endure now that the city is back under the full control of the government.

The priests prayed for peace at the first Christmas Eve Mass in five years in St. Elias Cathedral, which is located in Aleppo's historic Old City.

"The festive atmosphere is great. It's a new birth for Jesus Christ and a new birth for the city of Aleppo," George Bakhash, a Christian community leader, told Reuters.

The mass was attended by dozens of Christians, including Russian officers. Bakhash said that the number of people attending mass across the city has surged because they are no longer fearful of missiles from rebel-held areas.

He said that the Christian population in the city has shrunk from 250,000 to 50,000 since the start of the conflict.

Many Syrian Christians supported President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, and people in pro-government parts of Aleppo were jubilant after the defeat of the rebels. Assad, a member of a Shi'ite derived minority sect, has been viewed by the Christians as a protector against rebel fighters who are mainly drawn from the Syria's Sunni Muslim majority.

In the Azizya neighborhood, hundreds of people celebrated and put up giant posters of Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Christmas Day, Assad was seen with his family meeting with orphans and nuns at a convent north of Damascus.

Over 4,000 fighters left rebel-held areas of Aleppo during the ceasefire to make way for the Syrian army to retake the city. Although, rebels still control at least 40 percent of Aleppo province.

The Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu is optimistic that the latest development could lead to a country-wide ceasefire.

"The operation conducted on your order involved tight contact with our colleagues from Turkey and Iran," Shoigu told Putin on Friday. "The next phase should follow. I believe we are on the verge of reaching an agreement on a full ceasefire in the territory of Syria," he added.
home Entertainment Denzel Washington to Pastor T.D. Jakes: 'I'm here to serve God, here to serve my family'

Denzel Washington, star and director of the new movie titled "Fences," told pastor T.D. Jakes that he is now focusing on being a servant of God.

In an interview with Jakes' daytime talk show last week, the two-time Academy award-winning actor explained that he has come to a point in his career when he does not need more material wealth.

"I'm in the service business now, I'm fine. I've done well," Washington told Jakes, as reported by The Christian Post. "I don't need any watches and all of that. So I'm here to serve God, here to serve my family," he added.

Jakes spoke about how he was amazed that Washington knew about him and his sermons. The actor mentioned that one of Jakes' sermons had a lasting impact on him.

"One of your sermons you talked about was the enemy is the inner me. And I've kept that," said Washington.

Washington's new movie, "Fences," is a film adaptation of August Wilson's play of the same name. He starred alongside Viola Davis in the Broadway revival of the play six years ago, and they have both returned to their roles as Troy and Rose Maxson for the big screen.

The play tells the story of a married couple living in 1950s Pittsburgh. Troy, a sanitation worker, is having an affair, while his wife, Rose, realizes over the course of the play what she has given up by staying with him.

"Fences" is part of a series of 10 plays known as the Pittsburgh Cycle, which explores the African-American experience in each decade of the 20th century, according to NPR.

Washington told Jakes that the movie is some form of tribute to Wilson. The actor said that the August Wilson Estate approached him to do the nine other films in the series. He revealed that he has already signed on with HBO to produce the rest of the films.

Washington and Davis both won Tony awards for their performances in the play, and they also received Golden Globe nominations for their part in the film.
home World Former Khmer Rouge guerrillas who turned to God now ask for forgiveness

Many former members of the notorious Khmer Rouge who have turned to Christianity after the fall of Pol Pot's regime are now asking for forgiveness, but many of their fellow Cambodians doubt the sincerity of their conversions.

During Pol Pot's reign, the Khmer Rouge tried to eliminate religion from Cambodia by destroying temples, pagodas, and churches. After the fall of the regime, the guerrilla fighters fled westward to the mountainous terrain of the Koh Kong province and the dense jungles of Battambang, according to LA Times.

Kong Duong, Pol Pot's former chief propagandist and head of the Khmer Rouge radio station between 1979 to 1996, said that Christians were the first to visit the guerrilla fighters.

"It was through the activity of the Christians going around this area and connecting with Khmer Rouge people a that is perhaps the reason people started liking it and believing in it," said Kong, who now works as the director of the provincial information department as well as a broadcaster for Christian radio programs.

Norng Chhay, who was recruited by the Khmer Rouge when he was 15 years old, acknowledged his role in the genocide that killed roughly 2 million Cambodians.

"Even though I was not a direct perpetrator or the one who beat people to death, I too participated in it because I was the one who brought them to their deaths," he said. "I used to escort them to the fields, and I have witnessed people being beaten and then thrown into mass graves," he went on to say.

He said that it was the fear for his own safety that made him participate in the executions.

"People today are fast to judge our past actions even though they do not understand what we have gone through," Norng remarked.

Some former Khmer Rouge members have yet to acknowledge their crimes despite turning to Christianity.

Sok Sem, a former military unit commander, believes that the mass killings never occurred. He said that he never witnessed any executions, and the ones that he killed were on the battlefield.

One of the most notorious cases was that of Kaing Guek Eav, also known by his alias, Duch. He was the head of an infamous Tuol Sleng prison camp where he oversaw the torture and executions of about 20,000 Cambodians.

Duch, who was baptized in 1995, was the first senior Khmer Rouge official to be sentenced to life in 2012 for crimes against humanity.

Cambodians do not believe that Duch's conversion was genuine, but author Robert Carmichael said that his psychological profile indicated that he was drawn to Christianity in the same way he was attracted to the communist ideologies espoused by the Khmer Rouge.

Morm Phin, a 75-year-old Christian pastor, believes that forgiveness should be extended toward Duch and other Khmer Rouge leaders.

She used to work as a technical supervisor at a weaving factory that produced uniforms for Khmer Rouge soldiers. In 1978, she was transferred to work as a medic at a hospital where she saw prisoners shackled, tortured, and starved to death at the detention center next door.

That same year, she witnessed the death of her cousin who was brutally beaten along with seven others by the soldiers in front of a crowd. According to Morm, the soldiers asked the crowd to raise their hands if the prisoners should live but nobody responded out of fear.

"Even though it was my own blood relative, I did not raise my hand," she said.

Morm, who now runs a small church in her modest home, believes that she has been forgiven by God and she should learn to forgive the others.

"The Bible taught me that I need to learn to forgive, and that is also why God has forgiven me for my sins," she said, adding, "I don't think I am a perfect person in my past, but I believe that one day, I could be with God when I pass away."
Parkridge West Hospital has established a telemedicine program to provide 24/7 stroke care for residents of Marion County and its surrounding communities. A telemedicine robot equipped with high-definition, two-way videoconferencing capabilities virtually connects Parkridge West providers with board-certified neurologists over a secure Internet connection.

Our telemedicine program connects us with teleneurologists within minutes of a request for consultation, said Thomas Scoggins, M.D., Medical Director of Parkridge West Hospital Emergency Medicine Services. Such access enables us to promptly determine the best treatment plan, deliver treatment or coordinate rapid transfer to a comprehensive certified stroke center.

Parkridge West providers position the telemedicine robot at the patients bedside, and teleneurologists use the robots advanced technological features to conduct a thorough evaluation. Teleneurologists can also view imaging studies conducted at Parkridge West via HIPAA-compliant connectivity with the hospitals picture archiving and communication system.

Rapid connection to teleneurologists allows Parkridge West providers to deliver time-critical therapies such as alteplase, a tissue plasminogen activator that can dissolve clots and restore blood flow to the brain. If administered within three hours of stroke onset, alteplase can significantly improve outcomes.

During a stroke, time is of the essence, said Shannon DeRogatis, RN, Stroke Coordinator at Parkridge Health System. Nearly 2 million brain cells die each minute the brain is without oxygen during a stroke, so restoring blood flow and oxygenation is critical to saving function and life. The sooner were able to deliver alteplase to patients who meet the criteria for the medication, the better the outcomes.

For patients who require additional endovascular therapy, Parkridge West will coordinate transfer to a comprehensive stroke center.
home World Jihadists who were chasing Christians hear Jesus' voice: 'Why are you persecuting me?'

A militant group who were chasing underground Christians in the Arabian sea were stopped by a sudden dust storm when they reportedly saw Jesus Christ, who spoke to them with a "mighty voice."

In October, a man identified only as Rizwan recounted how his group was chased by militants after a baptism service at the Arabian Sea. They were already on the bus and on their way back to their church when the militants started shooting towards them. He said that everyone on the bus thought they were all going to die, but a sudden dust storm appeared and stopped the militants.

A man who goes by the pseudonym Haroon said that he was commanding the militants who chased after Rizwan's group. He recounted on the Bibles4Mideast website that he and 18 other militants rushed to the seashore with the intent of killing everyone at the baptism service because they want the world to fear Muslims and stop Christians from evangelizing in the region.

When the militants arrived at the site, the baptism service was over, and the Christians were already headed back to the church on a bus. They followed the bus and started shooting towards it.

Haroon said that a dust storm suddenly appeared in front of the vehicles. They stopped and got out of their cars and continued shooting through the dust storm.

"Suddenly we saw Christ Jesus appeared in the dust storm," Haroon narrated. "He was angry and his eyes were like blazing fire. With a mighty voice he told us, 'Why are you persecuting me; It's hard for you to kick against the pricks,'" he added.

He said that their guns were blown away by the wind, and they were unable to speak.

Haroon said that Jesus spoke again and told them, "I came to the world not to destroy anyone; but to save you. Go in peace."

"We experienced both terrible fear and an abundant peace at a time. We never had such experience in our life before," he recounted.

The group praised and thanked God when they got their voice back, but two of the militants did not believe that the incident was from God.

Haroon said that the 17 militants who were with him have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, and they are still praying for the other two members to be saved.
home World John Kerry claims two-state solution to Middle East conflict in serious jeopardy

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that the future of a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict was in jeopardy, saying the United States could not stay silent as violence and Israeli settlement building risked undermining peace.

In a speech just weeks before the Obama administration hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

"The truth is that trends on the ground a violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation a are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want."

Kerry condemned Palestinian violence which he said included "hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year."

His parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts.

The Israelis are looking past President Barack Obama and expect they will receive more favourable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. The Republican used his Twitter account on Wednesday to denounce the Obama administration, including its U.N. vote and the nuclear accord it reached with Iran last year.

"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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Trump had openly lobbied against the U.N. resolution and would be expected to veto any further ones deemed anti-Israel.

He has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement, has cast doubt on the idea of a two-state solution and even advocated for Israel's annexation of the West Bank, a notion even further to the right than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's own stance.

IMPASSIONED SPEECH

Kerry's 70-minute speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his years as secretary of state.

He defended the U.S. decision to allow the passage of a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, saying it was intended to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

The United States abstained in the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by Obama who had an acrimonious relationship with Netanyahu.

Kerry vigorously defended the U.N. resolution and rejected criticism "that this vote abandons Israel".

"If we had vetoed this resolution just the other day, the United States would have been giving license to further, unfettered settlement construction that we fundamentally oppose," Kerry said. "It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible."

Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed a $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade.
home World Over 70 percent of Nineveh Plain has been ruined by ISIS, Christian party leader reports

The leader of a Christian political party in Iraq claimed that over 70 percent of Nineveh Plain has been destroyed by the Islamic State.

Romeo Hakkari, the Secretary-General of the Assyrian Bet al-Nahrain Party, said that the ISIS severely destroyed the Nineveh Plain, and the extremist group burned what it could not ruin.

"In some parts, 80 to 90 percent had been destroyed while in Bartella and Hamdaniya towns, [IS] destroyed over 70 percent of the area," he told Kurdistan24.

He noted that international organizations will investigate the region to determine the extent of the damage since June 2014. Hakkari said that over 200,000 people fled to the Kurdistan Region after the terror group took over northern Iraq two years ago.

The party leader stated that the current financial crisis in Iraq and Kurdistan is making it difficult for the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to rebuild Nineveh Plain.

"After the liberation of Mosul, an international conference for rebuilding the area is necessary to push Baghdad, in particular, to help rebuild Nineveh Plain and Mosul," he stated.

Hakkari praised the KRG and the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani for their role in supporting Iraqi Christians. He explained that the Kurdistan region became a safe haven for many Christians who fled from ISIS.

The party leader also called for the creation of the Nineveh Province after Mosul is liberated from ISIS. He said that the residents of the area will later decide whether they want the province to be under the KRG or the federal government of Iraq.

The Iraqi army announced last month that it had taken full control of the Nineveh Plain.

Last week, members of the militia known as the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU) adorned the streets of Hamadaniya with Christmas trees and crosses to prepare for holiday celebrations.

"A seven-meter-high Christmas tree and a ten-meter-high cross were set up in the center of the town," said NPU media spokesperson Jameel al-Jameel. He added that the campaign is aimed at restoring "joy" and "life" to the town.

In Bartella, Christians celebrated Christmas for the first time since 2013. However, the celebration is mixed with sadness over the desecration of their church. They erected a new cross to replace the one taken down by ISIS from the chapel of Mar Shimoni, and they placed a decorated plastic Christmas tree near the massive gate.

"We are sad to see what has been done to our holiest places by our own countrymen, but at the same time we are happy to celebrate the first Mass after two years," Bishop Mussa Shemani told Reuters.
home World Palestinians who invaded Jerusalem church file restraining order against pastor

Palestinians who took over a church in East Jerusalem has filed a restraining order against its pastor after they were expelled from the premises by Israeli police on Christmas Day.

The Palestinians, who claim ownership of the building, is currently in dispute with Karen Dunham, the pastor of Jerusalem Living Bread Church. They seized the building and claimed that the church has not paid rent.

Dunham said that she signed a 20-year lease in 2007 with an option to extend the lease for 10 years. In an interview with CBN, she said that the rent has been paid until next year.

In late November, the church was ransacked, and many of the valuables were stolen. Dunham found some of the church's belongings burning in the dumpster when she returned to the church the next day, according to Times of Israel.

The people who took over the property left guard dogs, and they also painted over the cross at the entrance. The front door and the exterior walls of the building were sprayed with the Arabic phrase for "God is Great."

The pastor said she and her staff had been attacked by the Palestinians over the past few years.

"About two years ago, they beat me until there was no breath left in me and left me for dead in front of the Church," she recounted.

In another incident, the attackers tried to gas them out of the building. Dunham said that some of her assailants threatened to cut off the heads of the two Jewish orphans who were living in the building. She stated that she has reported the attacks to the police in East Jerusalem, but no action was taken.

"In East Jerusalem, when we would go to make a police report, even the night everything was burning, we said they are robbing and burning our stuff, and they said call us tomorrow, we are busy," Dunham said.

Dunham considered it as a "Christmas miracle" when the East Jerusalem Chief Superintendent Nisso Guetta promised her that he "will do everything in his power to change the cesspool of violence and corruption" in the city.

"During nine years living in East Jerusalem, I've never seen someone react like this," said Dunham, referring to Guetta's dedication in helping to solve her case.

The pastor was able to return briefly to the church on Christmas Day with the help of the police. However, the Palestinians came back with a restraining order, temporarily banishing her from the property until the case is resolved in court.
home World Swedish school edits out Christian references in Christmas carol, prepares children for 'inclusion'

A school in Sweden has edited a Christmas carol to exclude references to Christianity in order to prepare children for "a changing world" and inclusion.

According to Breitbart, the Southern School in AmAl municipality in VAstra GAtaland County removed lines such as "born of the Lord Jesus Crist" and "a ray of God's love's light" from the Christmas carol "Now Light 1,000 Christmas Lights." The line "star of Bethlehem" was also modified into "star over all of us."

In a statement on the municipality's website, AmAl's education administration defended the move, explaining that the changes encourage the participation of "all students regardless of nationality and religion." The notice also reads, "Protecting Swedish traditions is important, but raising their sights so that they have the courage to meet a changing world is another important task for the school and community to relate to."

Not everyone accepted the school's decision to edit the Christmas carol. One grandfather wrote in a letter published in the local press, "Our old Swedish Christmas traditions and carols contribute to bringing Christmas spirit. This is a tradition we should uphold." He also argued that schools should not be partial to migrant students, who should be integrated into Swedish society and not the other way around.

Immigration into Sweden has surged in recent years, primarily due to its open-door policy, which has since been reversed. According to Reuters, Sweden in 2015 accommodated 163,000 asylum seekers, of which 35,000 were unaccompanied children. The sheer number of child migrants has overwhelmed the school system, and it put a strain on the country's asylum budget.

The migrant situation in Sweden has also started to show its cultural impact, as Swedish institutions and younger generations attempt to be more inclusive of the migrants and forward-looking. This is seen not only the AmAl school's editing of "Now Light 1,000 Christmas Lights," but also in the waning interest in observing centuries-old traditions such as the Lucia processions.
Carrie Fisher And God: The Star Wars Actress Loved The Idea But Never Followed Her Born-Again Brother

Star Wars fans around the world are mourning the death of Carrie Fisher, the actress famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original trilogy.

It is without a doubt, the role that defined her career and for which she will be best remembered, but off-screen, Fisher was a source of inspiration for other reasons, not least as a witty author and speaker, and a spokesperson for mental health issues.

She spoke often about her own experience with bipolar disorder and depression, and recounted struggles with drug abuse and alcoholism with honesty and even humor.

Her experiences were recently recounted in her autobiographical book Wishful Drinking, which later formed the basis for the documentary film of the same name streamed on HBO.

One of her most memorable quotes from the book revealed the extent of her battle with her own demons: "Sometimes you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell."

Despite her personal struggles, religion had little appeal to Fisher, even if the concept of God did.

She was quoted once as saying: "I love the idea of God, but it's not stylistically in keeping with the way I function. I would describe myself as an enthusiastic agnostic who would be happy to be shown that there is a God. I can see that people who believe in God are happier. My brother is. My dad is, too. But I doubt."

In April this year, she accepted the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from the Harvard Community of Humanists, Atheists, And Agnostics, and the Humanist Hub, an award given to celebrities who are open about their atheism or agnosticism.

Yet she was never harsh in her agnosticism. When in 2015 a Church of England advert featuring the Lord's Prayer was banned from being shown in UK cinemas before Star Wars: the Force Awakens played on the big screens for fear of offending audiences, she was bemused.

"I have no idea why they would do that," she said. "Offended? No. People should get a life. I don't think it is offensive to have a 'power of prayer' advert before Star Wars."

In the end, though, Fisher never found an answer to life's big questions in the concept of God or organized religion.

That was her brother, Todd Fisher, who became a born again Christian in 1980, being ordained two years later and going on to found a church with musician Henry Cutrona.

According to one report, Carrie had once quipped that her brother had turned out normal except for being a born-again Christian.

In Carrie's final days, her family thanked fans and well-wishers for their love and prayers. Now they, along with the world, mourn her passing.

Her daughter, Billie Lourd, 24, said in a statement confirming her death: "She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."
Is A Ceasefire In Sight For Syria's Warring Armies?

Turkey and Russia have agreed on a proposal toward a general ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said on Wednesday, and will aim to put it into effect by midnight.

Anadolu said the two countries have reached a consensus that will be presented to participants in the conflict on expanding the ceasefire that was established in Aleppo earlier this month.

The news agency's unnamed source said "terrorist organisations" would be excluded from the deal.

A spokesman at Turkey's foreign ministry said he had no immediate comment on the report.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

Arrangements for the talks, which would not include the United States and be distinct from separate intermittent UN-brokered negotiations, remain hazy, but Moscow has said they would take place in Kazakhstan, a close ally.

Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday said the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in the conflict, with Turkey a strong supporter of the rebellion against the Assad regime. Earlier this month they negotiated a ceasefire in Aleppo that led to the evacuation of thousands of fighters and civilians.

Previous attempts at a general ceasefire have broken down within days. The umbrella group representing most of the groups fighting the regime in Syria's complex rebellion, the High Negotiations Committee, said it knew nothing about the latest initiative.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Kerry Warns Of 'Irreversible One-State Reality' In Israel-Palestine

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that the future of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was in jeopardy, and laid out parameters for future peace talks, saying the United States could not stay silent.

In a speech just weeks before the Obama administration hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, Kerry defended the US decision to allow the passage of a UN resolution last week demanding an end to Israeli settlements, saying it was intended to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said in a speech at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away.

"The truth is that trends on the ground  violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation  are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want."

Kerry's parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Mideast peace efforts.

His impassioned speech comes less than a week after the United States abstained in the December 23 UN resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by US President Barack Obama who had an acrimonious relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies, had urged the United States to veto.

In tweets ahead of Kerry's speech Trump urged Israel to "stay strong" until he assumes office. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked him for his "warm friendship and clear-cut support".

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

More than 500,000 Jews live in settlements constructed on Palestinian land  illegally, under international law  since Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. A vote on an application to build nearly 500 new homes for Israelis in East Jerusalem was postponed hours before Kerry's speech.

Advocates of a two-state solution fear that increased settlement-building and an incoming US government hostile to Palestinian aspirations for a homeland will leave 2.6 million Palestinians permanently stateless and do nothing to solve the deep-seated problems of the region.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
New Year Will See Norway Church And State 'Divorce'

Norway's Lutheran Church and the state of Norway are to "divorce" on January 1 after nearly 500 years together.

The moment marks a formal separation of Church and state following a parliamentary vote eight years ago. It means the Church's 1,250 priests and bishops will no longer be government officials and the Church will cease to be an agency of the state.

The head of the Church's National Council, Jens-Petter Johnsen, told Norway's Dagsavisen newspaper: "We are facing the biggest organisational change of the Church since the Reformation."

The change recreates the Church as an independent legal entity. However, some argue that it does not go far enough. The previous description of the Church as "the state's public religion" has been ditched, but the new formulation says that ""the Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran Church, will remain Norway's national Church and will be supported as such by the state".

Kristin Mile, the secretary general of the Norwegian Humanist Association, told Dagsavisen: "As long as the Constitution says that the Norwegian Church is Norway's national Church, and that it should be supported by the state, we still have a state Church."

She said the new formulation was worse than the old because it connected the state to a particular denomination, not just to a particular religion.

The churchgoing rate in Norway is one of the lowest in the world at only around five per cent, though most Norwegians identify with the state Church. The Church of Norway has lost around 40,000 members this year after it became possible to opt out online.

Churches are funded by the state according to the number of members they have, an incentive for Churches to inflate their membership. In November the Catholic Church in Norway was fined for fraud and ordered to reimburse money it had claimed after using the names of immigrants from Catholic countries without their permission.
Nigeria's Hidden Crisis: Millions Go Hungry Because Of Boko Haram Terror

Hunger, terror and destitution are afflicting many millions of people in Nigeria in a huge crisis that remains largely hidden from the world, Christian Aid has warned.

The horror in the north-east of the country has unfolded since the Boko Haram terrorist insurgency began. Extremists have attacked villages, looting and burning homes and crops and murdering and maiming people.

Some 14 million people now need help, of whom four million are in desperate need of food, according to international charities.

The scale of the crisis in north-east Nigeria is exceeded only by those in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan.

At least 1.8 million people have fled their homes and fields to escape the violence, most of whom are sharing the homes of others who have given them refuge.

The true picture is likely to be even worse than currently known, because large parts of the north-east remain cut off by ongoing fighting between Boko Haram and the Nigerian military.

"Families are clinging to life in utterly desperate situations," said Nick Guttmann, head of Humanitarian work at Christian Aid, who visited Borno State in October.

"Some of the displaced people I met had homes no more than 30 miles from where they were living in dreadful conditions. They were hungry and just wanted to go home to plant crops and restart their lives  but were too frightened to do so."

He added: "We heard horror stories about how villages were attacked by Boko Haram, with dozens of people killed and injured.

"Most of the houses were burnt down and families have been forced to share shelter, with 20-30 people sharing rooms in some areas. We asked people what they needed most and everyone told us: food."

Christian Aid believes foreign journalists may struggle to get permission to visit the area in crisis. The lack of media coverage is, in turn, hindering humanitarian organisations' ability to raise funds to buy food and other aid.

The charity is calling for humanitarian organisations to be allowed into the camps in which a minority of displaced people are living, to help ensure those people get aid in a timely and dignified way.

Christian Aid is currently helping people in three states: Borno, Adamawa and Gombe. It is focusing support on people who have fled their homes and are living in host communities, who are often forgotten in such crises. Christian Aid is helping both those who have fled and their hosts.

To date, it has reached more than 51,500 people, giving them emergency food supplies and help with clean water and items to help with sanitation and health.

"We desperately want to expand this life-saving work but are running out of money," said Mr Guttmann.

Christian Aid has spent almost 1 million so far in north east Nigeria and has received funding from the Dutch Church aid agency ICCO, the Dutch government and the UK government's START Fund.
Philippine Church Hit By Grenade Attack on Christmas Eve, 16 Hurt

At least 16 people were hurt in a grenade explosion that took place outside a Catholic church during Christmas eve mass in the Philippines.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Fortune. However, Muslim rebels and Islamic extremists are known to be active in the area, which is situated in the southern island of Mindanao.

Bernardo Tayong, Midsayap town police chief, said many of the blast victims were parishioners standing outside the Sto. Nino parish church in Midsayap town, North Cotabato.

A Christmas nativity mass was being held by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate congregation when somebody hurled a grenade, trigerring an explosion just outside the church. When they heard the blast, the parishioners panicked as they rushed out, the police said.

"There was no more concluding prayers as there was a commotion," said Father Jay Virador. "People hurriedly left the church."

One of the victims was a police officer who was standing near his patrol car where the grenade exploded. The police vehicle was parked about 30 metres from the church entrance.

Even though bomb experts have already surveyed the site, the details of the attack still remain "sketchy," authorities said. Investigators discovered another improvised bomb in the area, which thankfully did not blow up.

Meanwhile, the Midsayap municipal peace and order council believes that the police might have been the target of the grenade attack. The grenade was hurled from a distance by one of two men riding a motorcycle in tandem, according to the Philippine Star. The grenade landed on the patrol car's hood and fell on the concrete pavement before going off, wounding 16 people.

Tayong said they have enlisted the help of barangay chairmen in Midsayap to help them identify the group responsible for the bombing. Local officials have also urged residents to come forward with any information that might lead to the suspects' arrest.
Saudi Arabia Sees Rise in Number of Christians Celebrating Christmas Despite Severe Religious Liberty Restrictions

Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Muslim nation, saw more Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ this year despite the strict prohibitions imposed by authorities.

Insiders and experts told Fox News that there is an increasing number of "secret Christians" in the kingdom despite the threats of death, imprisonment, or lashes.

"The number of Christian converts from Islam and other religions is increasing, along with their boldness in sharing their new faith," said David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, a non-profit organisation focused on helping persecuted Christians around the world. "But they have to be careful. A lot of persecution can come from family or society, rather than the government."

The Saudi government does not conduct any census about religious faith. As far as they are concerned, there are zero Christians in the country. However, many believe that out of a population of 30 million, 1.2 million of them (mostly expatriate migrant workers who don't have citizenship) are Christians.

Since any overt Christian displays are not allowed in Saudi Arabia, Christian residents try to get creative every Christmas. "I fly back to Saudi Arabia almost every Christmas. We pray in little groups," shared 18-year-old Laura, an Orthodox California native who chose only to reveal her first name.

"On Christmas night, we usually celebrate at a private compound or an Embassy where only foreigners are allowed. We drink and party until six in the morning," she added. "The Saudi government knows about it. So long as there are no Saudis at our celebrations, we're safe."

Laura also revealed that non-Saudi Muslims even join Christmas festivities, and they do so because they want to learn new things. They even decorate their homes with Christian symbols, Santa stockings, stars and tinsel. However, they don't display any seasonal decorations outside their homes.

As wonderful as these acts might be, some individuals are concerned over the welfare of Christians in Saudi Arabia. Jeff King, president of the International Christian Concern (ICC), said those who engage in Christmas celebrations of any kind are putting themselves at risk in violation of religious laws.

"The Christmas season  often a season where Christians around the world are most visible  is a tense time for Christians in Saudi Arabia, who have to celebrate the holiday in secret, risking arrest and deportation," he said.
A New York Police Department officer seems to have learned the golden rule of social media the hard way: Don't share anything that could threaten your job.

Brooklyn's Kimberly Santiago, 28, told the New York Daily News that an NYPD officer posted a picture her and her family members being handcuffed Thursday morning. The caption that ran with the Snapchat photos say "Merry Christmas its NYPD!" and "Warrant Sweeps Its still a party smh."
William Tyler's "The Great Unwind" evokes a world of feeling in eight minutes.

The song opens with Tyler playing a gentle guitar line that gets swallowed in a small tempest of feedback. Near midway through the song the music ceases, birds chirp, and Glenn Kotche's feather-light drums bring the music back: a droning keyboard and a guitar figure informed by weariness and hope.

The composition's title refers to "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America," George Packer's prescient 2013 book about a country reconfigured due to demographic and generational changes as well as the financial crash of 2008, which altered the footprint of its foundation. The 2016 that swept some up in stages of disbelief was a long, slow process.

Tyler read the book, and independently he made a decision to travel from concert to concert by back roads. He saw towns decimated and struggling - part of an empire in decline that was invisible in the prosperous segments of urban centers.

He made an autumnal album and titled it "Modern Country." The title is, in part, a commentary about what is (and is not) country music in the 21st century. It's also a reference to the music, which is elegiac.

"The album ended up hitting a nerve that was relevant to the intention behind it," he says. "If it came out right now, after the election, everybody would get it."

He laughs. "It seems more reflective and sober after the election, but these things were all in play long before November."

Instrumental music, naturally, doesn't have the luxury of being literal, but through mood offers room for interpretation. And Tyler's contemplative and melancholy record is one of several profoundly realized instrumental albums in 2016 that set up a narrative for our being, from the cradle to the grave: love, rest, conflict, decay, death and rebirth.

A guitarist of great expressive range, Wilco's Nels Cline made a conceptual album about the many splendors of love, as well as its more pointed aspects. Note the album's cover in which a heart is pierced by a dagger. Under the sway of the late, great guitarist Jim Hall, Cline sought to create a contemporary piece of "mood music," jazzy musings often made with leisurely tempos. Some of his most sublime playing is included on the album, though Cline also represents the knife on the cover, making use of his avant garde bona fides to punctuate some pieces with love's more pointed complications.

"Thor and Friends," by La Porte native Thor Harris, touched on similar themes without words. The album was largely built around polyrhythmic patterns tapped out on marimbas, though there are accents added with violins, electronics and other instruments. By working in this minimalistic manner, Harris and his friends almost imperceptibly alter the musical patterns until things that are seemingly disparate intersect into little bursts of beauty. The effect is profoundly human and hopeful.

German ambient composer Max Richter created one of the year's most audacious recordings with "Sleep." Richter issued two versions of the album: An eight-hour iTunes version, customized to accompany a night's sleep, and a 60-minute version for waking hours. I've tried "Sleep" both ways, though logistically one version is decidedly less practical to comment upon with much insight. That said, the gorgeous sadness that floats through 18 minutes of "Dream 11" on the long version is unfortunately shortened to 10 minutes as "Dream 3" on the CD. The music possesses a dreaminess, obviously, but Richter's interaction of strings and electronics also infuses it with some urgency and tension.

Producer and musician Nicolas Jaar opens "Sirens" with the sound of a flag flapping in the wind, a metaphor for possession of property and/or nationalistic identity. The sounds he puts together riff repeatedly on the theme of conflict, not surprising considering Jaar's status as a pan-continental being: He lives in Europe, though he's from Chile, with Palestinian and French roots. Jaar's music strikes a jittery sound informed by 21st-century global anxiety. It's not nihilistic, but it doesn't coddle either.

Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson's "Orphee" is the sort of entrancing work I can disappear into for hours. The title is a reference to the Orpheus myth, so it contains subtext from the underworld. On "Filght From the City" Johannson intertwines a mournful piano line with some strings and just a breath of dissonant electronics to devastating effect. A distorted voice offers a chilling counterpart to a sweeping piece played by the American Contemporary Music Ensemble on "A Song for Europa."

Houston native William Basinski has also previewed some of his "A Shadow in Time," which will be released at the top of 2017, one year after the death of David Bowie, who is the subject of "For David Robert Jones," a loving 20-minute eulogy threaded around the droning sound of a distorted saxophone.

But I keep coming back to Tyler's mournful travelogue, maybe because the results of the election are so likely to bring a rush of lyrical protest music next year.

Tyler's travels expanded his thinking about who we are and how we got here.

"I don't think it's realistic to believe in binary aspects of society," he said. "This year showed how closed-minded people are, especially some liberal people who just were unable to accept that something like Donald Trump could happen. I think it's important to find out about other things. It's important to take a different route. To have different information sources and challenge your belief systems. Which we, as a culture, don't typically do, whether it's politics or religion or music."

Tyler, in the liner notes, quotes the doomed Arkansas poet Frank Stanford: "All of this is magic/against death."

The next lines of Stanford's poem also hover above the album, even if they're not printed in it: "All of this ends / with to be continued."
Two parents are upset at United Airlines after they said their daughter was left unattended at a Houston airport this holiday season.

Dana and Adam Dunn of Des Moines, Iowa said on social media that United Airlines left their 12-year-old daughter unattended at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Monday. The Dunns told news station KPRC they paid an extra $300 to the airline for an escort.
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Don't feel bad about not wanting to go out and deal with New Year's Eve crowds this coming Saturday night. According to a new study those going out on one of the biggest amateur drinking nights are actually in the minority.

A new study from WalletHub ahead of New Year's Eve says only 9 percent of people go to a bar or an organized event to ring in the new year. Twenty two percent of Americans don't even plan on celebrating.

HOU YEAR'S EVE: Where to eat and party this New Year's Eve in the Houston area

When you find yourself drinking champagne in sweatpants at home alone, or toasting with friends at a house party, consider yourself at least somewhat normal.

WalletHub also discovered 48 percent of people plan to celebrate at home, with 83 percent of Americans spend less than $200 on NYE partying.

Thanks to the Christmas gift-giving season some of us don't have a choice. Twenty percent of people told WalletHub they plan on going to a friend's home, a much more economical route for everyone.

Meanwhile over 100 million people said they plan on traveling at least 30 miles from home to celebrate New Year's Eve.

AP POLL: Americans hopeful for a better 2017

The most popular destinations for the holiday include Orlando, New York City, and Honolulu, presumably to watch the rest of the world celebrate before midnight arrives on the island.

Over 1 million arrive at New York's Time Square to watch the ball drop. We've heard its a madhouse, and at $229 a ticket it seems like a whole lot of money to get one ton of confetti dropped on your head.

If you don't make it to midnight and doze off before the fireworks and awkward kissing, you are a part of the 30 percent that report falling asleep before the new year dawns.

OLD SCHOOL: New Year's Eve over the years

For those of us who are going out, remember to get a sober ride as the average cost of a DUI is around $10,000. The average BAC on New Year's Eve is 0.094 percent, meaning Advil and Gatorade are the unofficial sponsors of January 1.

Planning on being one of the 67 percent of Americans making a set of resolutions for the new year? Good luck, because according to WalletHub only 8 percent of us achieve any of those goals.

Over 60 percent of those polled by WalletHub also said they say a prayer on New Year's Eve. After the 2016 we just had, it's probably not a bad idea to ask for some extra help.
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Wexler Jewelry, a 97-year-old independent Houston jeweler in River Oaks Plaza, will close on Dec. 31.

Dan Wexler, store president, told the Houston Business Journal that he chose not to renew the store's lease. Wexler has been involved in the family business for about five decades. The store is regarded as one of Texas' oldest independent jewelry stores.

RELATED: Jeweler de Boulle finds timing right for luxe Houston launch

He added that that discount jewelry stores, online shopping and Houston's growth changed the business over time but that the store maintained a loyal following.

Wexler is considering going into consulting in retirement.
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff's deputies are searching for a man with special needs who has been missing since Christmas Eve.

Christian Perez Alonzo, 20, was last seen about 7 p.m. on Saturday at his home in the 13900 block of Plantation Valley Drive in Houston, Fort Bend County sheriff's deputies said.
A Fort Bend County grand jury on Tuesday declined to file any charges in connection with the death of an inmate of a suburban city's jail.

Joseph Gunter, 33, who was being held in the city of Rosenberg's jail, died in early October in what was later ruled a suicide, Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey said.

Facts surrounding his death were presented before the grand jury in closed proceedings. The intent was to determine whether an individual -- such as jail staff or city employees -- or an entity had committed a criminal offense.

City jails operate independently of the county and are not subject to inspection or regulation by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which developed a revised mental-health screening form in 2015.

"After reviewing the evidence, the grand jury indicated that they were going to take no action in reference to his death," Healey said in an interview by phone Wednesday.

Gunter was arrested hours before his death on narcotic-related charges, police said at the time. He was pronounced dead at OakBend Medical Center in Richmond.

Healey said his office, viewing the matter closed in reference to a criminal charge, separately shared information on the case, including jailhouse video, with the family and answered their questions.

"While I know it's painful for the family to go through an incident like this, I think it's also important that the incident be reviewed by a grand jury so that there can be a greater certainty as to the cause of an individual's death," Healey said. "I hope it helps to answer some questions and helps the healing process of the family."
Ex-Top Cop McCarthy Blames Political Meddling For Chicago Violence

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Dec 28, 2016 4:12PM



Chicago Police Superintendant Garry McCarthy. Photo Credit: Viewminder

Garry McCarthy, the Chicago police superintendent who was fired a year ago over the Laquan McDonald shooting scandal, is still critical of how Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other Chicago political leaders are handling the city's gun violence problem.

In an interview with the Daily News Tuesday afternoon, McCarthy told the paper that political meddling in the police department is to blame for the city's record violence toll, including the 11 recent holiday weekend homicides.

Because of one shooting, weve completely turned over Chicago, and people are dying, he said, referring to the department reshuffling that took place in the wake of the release of the disturbing Laquan McDonald shooting video. If you just abandon all of the successful things that we do this is what is going to happen.

McCarthy was ousted from his role leading Chicago's Police Department just over a year ago, after the city was forced by a court to release a disturbing video showing disgraced cop Jason Van Dyke shoot a black teenager 16 times as the teen tried to flee. The shooting itself took place in October of 2014, and the video was kept from the public during a year-long investigation into the shooting, leading many Chicagoans to accuse the police department of orchestrating a cover-up of what happenedparticularly because the official police narrative of the shooting conflicted with the video. Since then, the city has announced a series of police department reforms, including the addition of body cameras, the scrapping of the Independent Police Review Authority in favor of a new police oversight body, the promotion of Eddie Johnson to police superintendent, and the firing or disciplining of several officers involved in the case.

McCarthy said Chicago's current problems stem from a reduction in the police department's efficacypolice are making fewer stops, recovering fewer guns, and no longer holding regular CompStat meetings, he told the paper.

We have completely flipped the script where we investigate police and not criminals, McCarthy told the Daily News. And as a result, we are reaching a lawless state in this country.

Chicago's homicide rate is up steeply this year over last year. More than 4,300 people have been shot in Chicago this year, compared to 2,989 last year, and the homicide tally is pushing 770compared to an already high 492 homicides in 2015, according to the Tribune's tally.
Red Light Camera Operators Won't Face Further Federal Charges

By Stephen Gossett in News on Dec 28, 2016 6:04PM

The former operators of Chicagos much-embattled red-light camera system will not face federal prosecution over a bribery scandal so long as the company, Redflex Traffic Systems, continues to cooperate with the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys Office.

The deal was struck in part due to Redlexs extensive and thorough cooperation over recent years, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Just last month, former Redlfex CEO Karen Finley was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty last year to bribery charges. In October, former city transportation exec John Bills was slapped with 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of taking a $2 million kickback in exchange for Redflexs $100 million contract.

Redflex is still on the hook, however, for a to-be-determined amount of damages due to the city, stemming from a civil suit. The City of Chicago filed suit in September of last year for $300 million.

Redflex was fired by the city from operating the red-light camera system two years ago, but Mayor Emanuel said earlier this year that the administration has no intention of scrapping the controversial cameras, claiming (perhaps erroneously) the program made the streets safer.

Emanuel got rid of 20 percent of the cameras during his mayoral campaign against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who vowed to dismantle the system. Prior to the scale back, there were 384 cameras in Chicagomore than any other city in the country.
This file photo taken on Dec. 16, 2015 shows US actress Carrie Fisher (R) posing with a storm trooper as she attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London. [VCG]

Carrie Fisher, actress best known as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" movie franchise, died at the age of 60 on Tuesday morning, after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles last Friday.

The family spokesman Simon Hall confirmed the death in a statement. Fisher was in London for filming episodes of the comedy "Catastrophe". Suffering heart attack on the flight back home, Fisher was rushed from Los Angeles International Airport to UCLA Medical Center after the plane landed around noon.

Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd said in memory of her mother, "She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly" .

As daughter of renowned Hollywood entertainers Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, she was brought up in the world of film, theater and television.

She was turned into an international movie star when the "Star Wars" released in 1977. The film, written and directed by George Lucas, became world famous and broke box-office records around the globe.

Fisher demonstrated her skill as a writer with the best-selling 1987 novel "Postcards from the Edge", about an actress struggling to rebuild her career after an overdose. She also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film adaptation.

Fisher also penned the autobiographical book "Wishful Drinking" in 2008, based on her one-woman stage show of the same name. And recently she had been promoting her newly published memoir of her Star Wars years, "The Princess Diarist".
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There was a sea of change in 2016 at the Houston Zoo with smiles and tears a plenty.

While new arrivals into the zoo family captivated patrons we also said goodbye to a handful of beloved residents that spent years on display.

Back in April the Houston Zoos popular white alligator, Blanco, relocated to the Crocodile Encounter complex near Texas 288 in the Angleton area after years of lazing about inside the reptile house.

BYE BYE BLANCO: Houston Zoo's white alligator Blanco retiring from zoo life

The large reptile has been a fixture of the zoo's reptile exhibit since 1992, when he came to Houston via the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company.

In September we learned that Jonathan, its 18-year-old male lion, had died soon after medical staff discovered a severe blood clotting issue and a low white blood cell count. The lion spent the night in the zoos animal hospital under observation before dying.

He had come to zoo in 2006 after being rescued from a private owner. The elderly lion was frequently seen lounging in the sun, surrounded by a pride of three females. His roar was something to behold.

MORE GORILLAS: Houston Zoo announces new addition to gorilla exhibit

Mtembei, an 8-year-old giraffe, was euthanized in February after a significant fall. The 1.5-ton Masai giraffe could not get to his feet despite the effort of zookeepers and a veterinary team. Those staff members gave the giraffe pain medication, fluids and supportive care. They had to make the sad decision to euthanize the giraffe when it was clear after several hours that he could not stand on his own.

He was well-known at the zoo by his dark coloration and was the father of the zoo's four youngest giraffe calves.

New arrivals and births at the zoo were celebrated by staff and visitors alike. An anteater pup born in September was big hit given its peculiar appearance. Over the summer we were able to follow the progress of a female sea lion pups quest to learn to swim like the rest of her family.

PUMPKIN SEASON: New orangutan coming to the Houston Zoo

In early August the zoo welcomed Angel, a 29-year-old western lowland gorilla, who came to Houston from the Denver Zoo. She soon became part of the Robert & Janice McNair Foundation Great Ape Gallery.

Towards the middle of November the zoo gained a male Bornean orangutan named Pumpkin, who was relocated from the small Jackson Zoo in Jackson, Mississippi.

Pumpkin joined five other orangutans at the Houston Zoo: Cheyenne, Aurora, Kelly, Indah, and Rudi. Its hoped that he will mate with Kelly and continue to increase the numbers of the critically-endangered species.

Even if you aren't a fan of snakes, the three tiny green bush vipers born at the zoo in March were rather fun to look at.

TIGER BEAT: Malayan tiger Berani debuts at Houston Zoo

The majestic Berani, a four-year-old male Malayan tiger, made his zoo debut on March 1. He was set to be a companion for female Malayan tiger Satu.

After the kind of year that planet Earth had in 2016 (David Bowie and Prince dying, Brexit and those weird Cheeto things at Burger King) sometimes you just need to watch a llama named Fiesta enjoying the breeze from a leaf blower to bring you back to life.

Thankfully we were blessed with a viral video from the zoo featuring that very thing.

For now the zoo is tight-lipped on what's to come in the new year but we're sure that whatever it is it will be cute and rather photogenic.

Recent visitors on hand for Zoo Lights probably noticed some extra construction going on near the elephant habitat. It appears that the yard will be expanded and a new barn is being constructed in time for Spring 2017 opening.
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Two juveniles are in custody after a Denny's customer was shot and wounded during one of three overnight diner heists that police believe are connected to a Tuesday evening carjacking.

Violence broke out around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Denny's on Wilcrest near the Katy Freeway, said Lt. Larry Crowson, of the Houston Police Department.

Three suspects armed with guns dashed in and tried to rob the diner and its customers, Crowson said.

During the robbery, a customer got shot in the stomach after he tried to intervene, a witness told police.

The wounded man was rushed to a nearby hospital. Details of his injuries and condition were not initially released, but Crowson said he is expected to survive.

As news of the shooting spread online, the man's friends rallied around him on Facebook.

"This man is one of the most uplifting men you will ever meet or think you've met," wrote one woman. "He needs love and prayers, please."

By Wednesday afternoon, friends reported that he'd come out of surgery and was transferred to ICU.

After the shooting, the suspects sped away in a silver Cadillac.

The violent crime spree seems to have started with a carjacking just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.

A man was pumping gas at a station in the 11400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. near the South Loop when thieves held him at gunpoint and made off with his silver Cadillac CTS, HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva said Wednesday afternoon.

After that, a silver Cadillac was used as a getaway car in a robbery and shooting at an IHOP on the West Sam Houston Parkway as well as in a heist at a Denny's on Westheimer near Dunvale. No other details about those cases were released.

Then just before noon, police started pursuing a silver Cadillac in the southeastern part of the city. The 10-minute chase ended with two juveniles in custody and police believe they may have been involved in the overnight crimes, according to Silva.
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GALVESTON - The hunt for a League City mother who disappeared two weeks ago has been suspended as searchers await information that will help them focus a search that already has covered nearly 8 square miles.

Volunteers with Texas EquuSearch suspended their search Friday for Anne-Christine Johnson, a 30-year-old waitress and mother of two boys who disappeared Dec. 8, Director Tim Miller said.

"We're hoping that some information comes in tomorrow that gives us some direction," Miller said on Tuesday.

Johnson's mother, Stephanie, said, "I'm just clinging to a shred of hope."

Stephanie Johnson, 58, said she had confidence that EquuSearch was taking the proper action.

"I cannot praise EquuSearch to the skies enough," she said.

The search could resume as early as Wednesday if police are able to provide information that would allow volunteers to refocus their search, Miller said.

Volunteers began combing an area near the home of former husband Shaun Hardy, the last person known to have seen Anne-Christine Johnson alive, near the western edge of League City where subdivisions give way to a rural area of fields and dense woods choked by thick brush.

Miller said searchers on Friday used a boat to search a nearby portion of Dickinson Bayou. If the search resumes, the boat could be used to drag an abandoned gravel pit in the search area and a canal, depending on what information police are able to provide, he said.

The search lasted more than two weeks before it was suspended and covered an estimated 8 square miles, Miller said.

Police have said Hardy is considered a person of interest, in part because of the history of violence in the relationship.

Hardy, through an attorney, has refused further interviews with League City police, officer Kelly Williamson said.

Hardy's attorney was not immediately available for comment. Hardy was the last person known to have seen Johnson alive, and an investigator interviewed him soon after she disappeared.

"Mr. Hardy is a person of interest for several reasons, one being the documented volatile relationship with Ms. Johnson," Williamson said. "He was the last one to see her. The totality of the circumstances would lead us to keep him a person of interest."

Hardy told police that he saw Johnson leave his house on the day she vanished and get into a car with a man whom he could not identify.

Court documents in which Johnson sought a protective order accused Hardy of choking, pistol-whipping and trying to drug her in June 2015.

"Shaun Philip Hardy's violent behavior against me has gotten so bad that he has assaulted me with a shotgun, threatened me with a knife, and choked me," Johnson alleged in the request.

"I am afraid that without this protective order, Shaun Philip Hardy will continue to hurt me or even kill me in the future," she alleged in the document.

Before Johnson entered her filings with the Galveston court, Hardy also filed for a protective order contending that Johnson had "engaged in conduct that constitutes family violence."
Photos of items abandoned in the desert along the U.S.-Mexico border - a stuffed toy lion, a laminated prayer card, ragged underwear, a small tin of Vicks VapoRub - are poignant in themselves.

Knowing that the owners died attempting to enter the U.S. illegally gives their possessions a profound quality.
China will begin annual evaluations of the ecological progress made by provincial, city and county governments starting in 2017, which will facilitate policymakers' pursuit of green growth.

The evaluations will be based on green growth targets, including resource utilization, environmental quality and public satisfaction, and should be finished by the end of August.

They will be conducted jointly by ministerial level authorities mainly from statistics, economic planning, environmental protection and personnel.

An additional five-year assessment will focus on binding targets in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), the overall road map for society, economy and environment.

If governments don't reach three or more binding targets, they will fail the assessment, said Wang Yi, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Science and Development.

Leaders of governments that fail the assessment will be held accountable and required to solve relevant issues, the guideline said.

The guideline shows the country is connecting ecological development to the evaluation of official's performances, which will put more focus on environmental protection, Wang said.

"It's an innovative step to combine the annual evaluation and an assessment every five years, which have different focuses," he said.

The guideline is expected to motivate policymakers and improve the environment, researchers said.

Wang Jinnan, chief engineer of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning, suggested the implementation of the guideline and other major supplementary policies such as the environmental inspection system, and an audit of natural resource assets, "will work better in promoting ecological progress".

The public will also play a bigger role, as their satisfaction will affect the official's annual evaluation, and they are invited to monitor the assessment results.

"The guideline has put the people at the center, which highlights the importance of their feelings on the environment and governance, thus making the results of annual and five-year evaluations more reliable and useful," said Dai Yande, head of the National Development and Reform Commission's Energy Research Institute.
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An 8-year-old transgender boy in New Jersey wanted to become a Cub Scout.

Someone associated with the local pack wasn't prepared for the idea.

Cub Scout Pack 87 in Secaucus. N.J., and the Northern New Jersey Council of Boy Scouts asked Joe Maldonado to leave the troop he'd been a part of for a month.

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The child's mother, Kristie Maldonado, told northjersey.com that Joe's transgender status was well known among other scouts and that parental complaints forced her child out.

The case comes as the Boy Scouts emerged from several years of problems involving gay scouts and scout leaders. The organization appears to have resolved those issues.

The North Jersey Council of Boy Scouts acknowledged calling Kristie Maldonado, but declined to address if there was an issue with Joe Maldonado, who was born a girl, but has identified as a boy for more than a year.

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The national organization overseeing the Scouts don't specify if they have a written policy about transgender children.

But, possibly after this case, the Boy Scouts will be prepared for when the issue arises again.
When Texas lawmakers reconvene in Austin on Jan. 10, they'll face some high-profile issues, including a call to get rid of the Electoral College in presidential elections as well as some state retirement funding matters.

But, they'll also face quite a few measures that fly below the radar of the general public.
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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Scientists have found evidence of silk dating back 8,500 years after testing soil samples from a Neolithic site in Henan province.

The discovery greatly advances the study of the material's history and Neolithic cultures, according to a report released on Monday by the University of Science and Technology of China.

Gong Decai, a professor with the college's scientific archaeology department, spent almost six years completing the research, which he also included in a recent article for Plos One, an international academic journal.

He said his team found evidence of prehistoric fibroin, an insoluble protein found in silk, in soil samples collected from three tombs at Jiahu, a Neolithic site in Henan's Wuyang county that had settlers as early as 7,000 BC.

Compared with other ancient relics such as pottery and bone or stone tools, which are often found in archaeological digs, textiles are highly susceptible to degradation, meaning it's rare they are preserved for thousands of years.

Gong said earlier studies had found proof of weaving skills and tools in the Neolithic period, such as spinning wheels, but until now, there had been a lack of direct evidence proving the existence of silk.

"The direct biomolecular evidence shows the existence of prehistoric silk fibroin, which was found in 8,500-year-old tombs," he said, adding that rough weaving tools and bone needles were also excavated, supporting the theory that Jiahu settlers possessed basic weaving and sewing skills.

The site is famous for the discovery of the earliest playable musical instrument, the bone flute; the earliest mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey and fruit; and the earliest domesticated rice in northern China.

"The archaeological discoveries are endless," Gong said. "With the application of science and technology, more methods have contributed to discoveries, which boost our knowledge of Neolithic civilizations step by step."
Shanghai residents who lie to conceal their marital history when registering for a marriage or divorce will be added to a credit blacklist, making it difficult for them to access public welfare and apply for jobs or loans.

The new policy, to become effective on Sunday, aims to prevent dishonesty in the registration process, which is a recurring problem, said Sun Xiaohong, head of marriage affairs management at the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

He said couples were once required to present proof of marital status from an employer when registering to marry, but that rule was ended in 2003.

"Sometimes we have found people who claim they have never been married, and have said as much to their partners, but they actually have marriage records in our database," Sun told Shanghai TV News. "Now, such people will be placed on the credit blacklist for three years."

People who provide fake materials, including ID cards, marriage or divorce certificates, court decisions and court mediation papers, or who alter the information on these materials will face the same punishment, he said.

Residents have also suggested setting up a national system for government departments such as police forces, courts and civil affairs bureaus to share information in an attempt to prevent illegal registrations.

In recent years, the rising divorce rate in Shanghai has been linked with policies to cool the housing market, with couples looking to purchase a second home now required to pay higher down payments and sales taxes.

Civil affairs offices across the city were inundated with divorce applications in late August after rumors circulated of a looming policy in September that would contine to recognize divorced couples as married for up to a year in terms of housing policies.

"I believe most couples who have taken the 'fake divorce' approach just really wanted a better apartment and to save some money," said Tang Tao, 33, who admitted to divorcing his wife this year to save 100,000 yuan ($14,400) in sales taxes on a second apartment.
About two years ago, red light cameras in New Jersey went dark, and opponents and supporters began the wait to see if the state Department of Transportation would scuttle or keep the program.

Two years later, theyre still waiting.

The DOT has yet to render a final report and make recommendations to lawmakers on the ultimate fate of camera enforcement in the state. The cameras, which capture images of vehicles at intersections, were turned off on Dec. 16, 2014.

Last year, NJDOT officials said they were still crunching numbers, but gave no timetable when they planned to release the findings, based on 2014 data and five years of numbers from 73 red light camera monitoring intersections in 25 towns. A spokesman said it would be several months before the report was finalized.

There has been no word this year. DOT officials declined to respond to several emails and a request to the Transportation Commissioner, about the status of the report and reasons for the delay.

Camera opponents contend the state is quietly burying the program by not issuing a report.

It is safe to say the state isnt anxious to continue the red light camera program, Steve Carrellas, National Motorists Association state chapter director of government and public affairs, told NJ.com. The final findings will never be able to show a valid safety impact.

The DOT is examining the data to determine if the red-light cameras reduced crashes at intersections during the test program. While the 2008 law, which created the red light camera pilot program, requires a final report, it does not give a deadline for a delivery date.

The lack of a final report ensures keeping N.J. red light cameras shut down, Carrellas said.

Officials at companies who operate red-light cameras said that more crashes, deaths and injuries will occur while the cameras are off and the report is being drafted.

Theres no question the red-light safety camera program saved lives, said Charles Territo, a spokesman for American Traffic Solutions, which operated cameras in 17 New Jersey municipalities. Hopefully, the legislature and the DOT will rely on this data and previous program results, (and) not manufactured outrage from a few vocal opponents, to justify the red-light safety programs continuation.

Rick Short, founder of the group, Stop Robo-Cops, has questioned the DOTs findings in previous reports.

Short, who said hes never received a red light camera summons, has sifted through raw DOT and police department crash data and used that information to challenge earlier findings that the cameras reduced collisions. Short has cited discrepancies, such as a fewer number of collisions listed in earlier DOT reports, when compared with accident report data.

Camera company officials said their conclusions about the camera effectiveness are based on violations and preliminary crash data. Drivers paid a total of $156 million in fines during the five years cameras were used.

Previous NJDOT reports have consistently validated the effectiveness of New Jerseys red-light safety camera program, Territo said. Based on the data weve seen, were confident this final report will again support an extension of the program.

But Republican Assemblyman Declan OScanlon said he doesnt need the DOTs findings to make a decision.

The DOT knows this program is a failure and they have bigger things on their plate. The program is dead, he said. I dont think there are a majority of legislators foolish enough to ignore the facts and reinstate this program, which amounts to government sponsored theft.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A former Cedar Rapids, Iowa, brain and spine surgeon who was accused of gross malpractice has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and refrain from performing surgery.

David Segal reached a settlement with the Iowa Board of Medicine, according to the Des Moines Register.

The board, which licenses physicians, filed administrative charges against him in 2015 alleging that he failed to prevent excessive infections among his patients and that he used an inappropriate technique to manage leaking spinal fluid after operations. The board also accused Segal of failing to arrange to have another doctor care for his patients when he was absent.

The board said in a statement that Segal, 50, stopped performing surgery last May, because parkinsonism made his hands unsteady.

Dr. Segal continues to provide non-surgical medical services including, but not limited to, medical consultations, medical record reviews and independent medical examinations, the board wrote.

In addition to paying the fine, Segal agreed to training in professional ethics. He also repaid $11,580 in overpayments he had received for services, the board said.

Segals lawyer, Guy Cook, said the doctor denies providing poor medical care but agreed to settle the case to avoid further legal costs. Cook said Segal voluntarily stopped performing surgeries in an abundance of caution because of his health issues.

Dr. David Segal is a highly trained and well respected physician, Cook said in an email to the Register. `He has successfully performed thousands of surgeries, including brain surgery. His superior skill as a neurosurgeon is well documented.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In an opinion filed earlier this month, the Illinois Supreme Court outlined the scope of immunity afforded under the Snow and Ice Removal Act. According to the opinion, the plaintiff, Pamela Murphy-Hylton, sustained injuries after she slipped and fell while walking on the sidewalk outside of her condominium in February 2011. She filed a complaint against the condominium complex and its management company, Klein Creek Condominium and Lieberman Management Services, Inc., alleging negligent maintenance and a defective condition caused an unnatural buildup of ice and that condition caused her fall.

According to background acquired from the opinion, there was a large snowstorm that caused snowfall in excess of 20 inches in early February 2011. On February 7, 2011, a snow removal and landscaping service hired by the condo association cleared the sidewalks of snow and ice. On February 18, the plaintiff slipped and fell on a sidewalk within her complex. She sustained a fracture to her leg, knee and hip.

With respect to the alleged defective condition, she cited drainage issues and alleged that downspouts were not properly maintained. She also alleged that building and maintenance codes were not in compliance.

Deposed witnesses recalled seeing some areas of pooled water and/or ice accumulation in areas of the condo complex.

Approximately eight months after plaintiffs fall, drainage redirection work was completed in the area where the plaintiff had fallen.

The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment that relied on the Snow and Ice Removal Act which offers immunity to residential owners and operators. The trial court sided with the defendants and dismissed the case.

The plaintiff filed an appeal. The appellate court reversed the trial courts decision, basing its decision on the fact that the plaintiff didnt allege negligence in the snow and ice removal process and remanded the case back to the trial court.

The case proceeded up to the Illinois Supreme Court for review. The Court concluded that while the Act does provide immunity to property owners from liability claims resulting from slip and falls on slippery sidewalks resulting from negligent snow and ice removal, it does not extend to allegations of negligence that relate to the failure to maintain the premises. The appellate court decision was affirmed and the case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings.

Read the full opinion https://www.claimsjournal.com/app/uploads/2016/12/Murphy-Hylton1Dec16.pdf
Despite the flooding that struck south Louisiana in August, prospects for a decades-old project aimed at protecting Baton Rouge area homes remain murky.

The 12-mile structure is called the Comite River Diversion Canal. It would siphon high water from the Comite River, sending it instead to the Mississippi River.

The Advocate of Baton Rouge reports that officials estimate that the project would have reduced the number of damaged and destroyed homes in the Baton Rouge area by about 25 percent if it had been in place in August.

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and other state officials say the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the main stumbling block. Corps officials say lack of money is the chief impediment.

The Obama administration has opted not to include money for the canal in its requests to Congress for flood relief, dashing the hopes of Cassidy and others.

Major legislation just passed by Congress  called the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act  did not include money for the work despite signs in September that it might happen.

And an arcane formula nationally continues to be a major question mark.

Cassidy said a formula used by the Corps of Engineers to determine the value of such projects  called the cost-benefit ratio  has to change to get the canal moving.

The original benefit/cost was not that great, he said. But so much has changed since that was done.

Bobby Duplantier, the Corps senior project manager on the Comite Diversion, said the key issue is dollars, not better results from the formula. It is one of those projects that need federal funding, and we cannot predict what is going to get funded and what isnt going to get funded, Duplantier said.

The $245 million project would run from the Comite River to the Mississippi River, between Baker and Zachary.

The work would include construction of five bridges across the east-west canal, dredging and compensating for the environment impact of the project.
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a lawsuit to proceed that was filed on behalf of two boys who witnessed their younger brother hit and killed by a pickup truck five years ago.

The decision was a reversal of two lower court rulings that injured bystanders could not recover damages for emotional distress after seeing a loved one harmed because of negligence.

The lawsuit filed by Stacie Philibert now goes back to the Jefferson County Circuit Court for consideration.

Her 7-year-old son Austin was killed on Aug. 18, 2011 after being hit at a crosswalk in downtown Madras. Philibert sued the driver, claiming Austins two older brothers suffered emotional harm because they saw Austin die.

The opinion written by Chief Justice Thomas Balmer said the lower courts rejected the lawsuit by applying a legal concept called the impact test which required those seeking compensation for emotional distress to have also suffered a physical injury.

The Supreme Court applied a legal concept known as the restatement rule in which the witnesses to the death must have seen a sudden and serious injury, suffered serious emotional distress and be close relatives of the victim.

Balmer wrote that the justices are aware some aspects of the restatement rule may seem arbitrary and could prompt false or inflated claims.

For as long as courts have awarded damages for emotional injuries, there have been concerns about plaintiffs bringing false claims, the opinion said. Juries are charged with discerning truth from self-serving fiction when plaintiffs testify about their own injuries and are as competent to do this in claims for emotional injuries as they are in other cases.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LET THE PARADE BEGIN LET THE PARADE BEGIN  Costumed guests lined up at Circle Court and Howard Drive on Sunday to parade into the Harris Hill firehouse for the spooktacular childrens Halloween parade...

Clarence Community Pantry fills hearts and stomachs Few things are as enjoyable as sitting down to a nice, warm meal. The dinner table is a place of rest after a long day, nourishment for a tired body,...

Here comes the sun: Town mulls solar farm proposal The Town of Clarence intends to proceed meticulously and thoroughly with its review of what could be the first solar farm to come to town. The 40-acre solar farm would...
John Arthur Profile copy.jpg

John Arthur, a trained journalist whose DNA demanded he become a craftsman.

(Bauhaus Builders)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland is proud of its Rust Belt roots and history steeped in making things. This year, instead of profiling smart creatives or top CEOs, we decided to feature a new generation of craftsmen and women ... We affectionately call them "makers." As the maker movement grows across the country and advocates the comeback of urban manufacturing, these folks from Northeast Ohio embody the maker spirit. They produce everything from reclaimed furniture to green tea products to one-of-a-kind stained glass pieces.



This week, the Plain Dealer will feature three makers per day ... this is one of those makers. We not only talked to them about what they make and how they make it, but also about some of the things they love about living and working in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

Meet one of the Northeast Ohio Makers ...

John Arthur's company Bauhaus Builders built this addition to Tartine Bistro in Rocky River's original fire station. The company also restored the early 1900s back bar.

What he makes:

Bauhaus Builders, 1265 W. 76th St., specializes in commercial and residential, rehabs and remodels, with an artistic eye focused on utilizing original details, materials and the surrounding environment.

The Bauhaus Echo Rocker

We also offer custom built furniture, from salvaged site materials, to complement the space, as well as honor the material's ongoing contribution to that space.

Favorite place to take a visitor:

I love taking people to Toast wine bar in Gordon Square.

It's the coziest of places and one of my personal favorite projects where I was given creative carte blanche. The unique brick building itself is also very representative of Cleveland's history --

originally a family-run, neighborhood bakery, turned flophouse, left vacant in disrepair for decades, and now revitalized as an upscale wine bar and eatery.

We completely gutted the structure, and reused most of the lumber, cabinetry, doors and old bakery equipment in the finished build-out. Along with the owners and their friends, we drank many bottles of wine.

A detail of the bar wall at Toast restaurant features four years worth of wine bottles.

Any visitor to our city also gets a trip to the Whiskey Island Coast Guard Station - by bicycle if appropriate. It is such a beautiful marriage of form and function you rarely see in new construction, and one we almost lost. This country heralds century homes when that is nothing to the rest of the world.

Cleveland's historic Coast Guard Station has been mostly abandoned since 1976, but a new push is slowly bringing it back to life with events such as the Great Lakes Burning River Festival.

Favorite restaurant:

While I am very proud of my work at Tartine Bistro, Toast Wine Bar and Spice Kitchen + Bar, and also enjoy their phenomenal culinary offerings, my wife and I have a special place in our hearts, that can't be beat, for Luxe Kitchen & Lounge. They pioneered our Detroit Shoreway neighborhood revitalization, and treat you like family. We even had our wedding reception on their amazing patio.

Favorite all-time creation:

For our most recent, and ongoing project, I was asked to create brick, barrel vaulted ceiling's at Tartine bistro, in the old Rocky River fire station. While I had never built these, they were very similar to my very first building projects, skateboard ramps - just upside down. They turned out amazing and now I want them in my home.

I have to add that I am obsessed with anything designed by our own Viktor Schreckengost, or Charles and Ray Eames ... My right arm is even covered in tattoos of the three's designs.
solar collectors.JPG

The solar industry got a boost Tuesday with Gov. John Kasich's veto of a bill that would have made compliance with the state's renewable energy mandates voluntary for the next two years. Vows by Republican legislative leaders to revisit the issue could have a detrimental impact on renewables because it suggests the standards could be upended. For now, renewable energy advocates are celebrating.

(Michael Sangiacomo, The Plain Dealer )

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. John Kasich broke ranks with the legislature's GOP leadership Tuesday, vetoing a bill crafted by some of the state's most conservative lawmakers, who believe wind and solar companies should compete against the state's entrenched power companies on their own.

Kasich's veto follows a campaign by environmental, business and consumer groups opposing the legislation.

Many of them celebrated the veto on Tuesday. Here are some of their comments.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio:

"While states such as Michigan and Illinois go forward with renewable energy, the Ohio Legislature seems determined to anchor us in the last century," said Al Rosenfield, the league's lobbyist. "We are pleased that HB 554 has been vetoed by Governor Kasich. We urge the General Assembly to sustain the veto, so that Ohio can move forward."

Advanced Energy Economy:

Today, Governor Kasich's principled leadership has given Ohio an opportunity to get back on track," said J.R. Tolbert, vice president for state policy. "He stood behind his commitment to renewable energy and energy efficiency, allowing Ohio to regain its competitive advantage nationally. "Governor Kasich understands that renewable energy and energy efficiency create jobs and save money. That's a formula that is good for business and good for every Ohioan."

"The two-year freeze has cost Ohio jobs and investments. In the last three years, while Ohio has been idling, Michigan has attracted over $1.1 billion in renewable energy investments," said Ted Ford, president of Ohio Advanced Energy Economy.

The Environmental Defense Fund:

"Today Governor Kasich put economic growth over politics, and stood up for a cleaner, healthier energy future for Ohio. With the state's renewable and efficiency standards back in place, Ohio can reclaim its spot as a clean energy leader, clearing the way for well-paying jobs, millions in investment, and healthier air for all. Ohioans should cheer - it may be winter, but the clean energy freeze has finally thawed," said Dick Munson, director, Midwest Clean Energy.

The Sierra Club Ohio Chapter:

We commend Gov.Kasich for vetoing the Ohio Legislature's attempt to tie our state to outdated, dirty, and expensive energy sources. The world is doubling down on wind, solar, and energy efficiency, and Ohio's robust manufacturing base is now in a better position to maximize that opportunity," said Jenn Miller, director. "The return of energy efficiency and renewable energy standards will benefit all Ohioans, as Ohio's clean energy programs result in lower energy costs, job creation, and improved air quality. We encourage Gov. Kasich to continue to move forward with clean energy policies that will benefit our state for years to come."

The Union of Concerned Scientists:

Governor Kasich showed real leadership today. By vetoing House Bill 554, he has sent a strong message to the clean energy market that Ohio is serious about creating jobs and spurring investment in that industry," said Melanie Moore, Midwest field director.

"The Union of Concerned Scientists has been working in coordination with local experts and activists for several years to lift the renewable energy standard freeze to create a win-win situation for the state's economy and the environment. Governor Kasich's actions have shown that he too believes Ohio families and businesses benefit when the state's energy policy includes strong renewable energy and energy efficiency commitments.

EDP Renewables

"This courageous decision by the Governor is a positive step towards reaping a critical economic benefit for Ohio," said Ryan Brown, executive vice president for eastern U.S. and Canada. "Reforming siting rules to allow Ohio communities that want to host wind farms to do so is the next step in taking advantage of this local resource." EDPR is a Madrid-based international solar developer, which is completing a 100 megawatt project in Paulding County. The wind farm will power Amazon's new data center in central Ohio.

The National Audubon Society:

"Conservative politics and profitable clean energy go hand-in-hand. Governor Kasich gets it and Ohioans owe him a big thanks," said David Yarnold, Audubon president and CEO.

"Audubon has long supported the reinstatement of Ohio's clean energy standards," said Marnie Urso, Audubon's senior program manager in Ohio. "Energy efficiency and renewable energy are vital components to protecting Ohio's birds, wildlife and people from the threats of pollution and climate change."

The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund:

"I applaud Gov. Kasich for showing true leadership and vetoing this bill. HB 554 is a sloppy piece of legislation that could increase electric bills and clog our air with pollution while hampering innovation and job growth," said Heather Taylor-Miesle, president. "We urge legislators to follow Gov. Kasich's lead and allow Ohio's clean energy potential to be unleashed."

MOMS Clean Air Force:

"The 40,000 members of Moms Clean Air Force in Ohio are so proud of Governor Kasich for standing by his pledge to veto legislation that stifled clean energy development in our state," sai Laura Burns, Ohio coordinator,

"We know there is a connection between an investment in clean energy technologies and a reduction in harmful emissions. By vetoing House Bill 554, Gov Kasich has not only demonstrated his commitment to a clean energy economy in Ohio, but he has also ensured that our children will be protected from air pollution. We thank Governor Kasich for his leadership."

The Environmental Law & Policy Center:

"The governor's veto today is a positive step towards a clean energy future for Ohio. Ohio needs a balanced energy policy that includes renewable energy and energy efficiency. Business owners in the state's renewable energy sector and energy efficiency sectors need certainty about Ohio's direction so they can continue to invest in the state and create jobs," said Rob Kelter, senior attorney.

"This balanced approach also benefits Ohio utility customers because it will help lower their bills. Opponents of clean energy have distorted this debate from the start.

The Christian Coalition of Ohio:

"[The coalition] applauds Governor John Kasich for his veto of HB554, which failed to provide clean energy standards for Ohio and would have perpetuated market uncertainty for Ohio's families and small businesses. The Christian Coalition of Ohio/CCA believes all families should have access to reliable renewable and alternative energy source."

The Nature Conservancy:

"Gov. Kasich should be applauded for vetoing legislation that would have extended the current freeze on Ohio's clean energy standards. Before they were frozen, the standards helped cut pollution and energy bills while creating thousands of jobs and bringing millions of investor dollars to the state. The legislation - rushed through the General Assembly during its post-election session - would have ceded Ohio's leadership on clean energy to other states. The standards will come back in 2017, thanks to Gov. Kasich."

The Natural Resources Defense Council:

Gov.Kasich's veto of HB 554 is a rare rejection of legislation passed by the Ohio legislature's Republican super-majority, which failed to muster a veto-proof vote margin for the energy bill. Over the last year, Gov. Kasich had repeatedly promised to veto such legislation, calling any further delays in implementing the clean energy standards "unacceptable." His veto is a signal to the growing number of businesses that want clean energy that they can find it in Ohio, not just in Michigan and Illinois, two neighboring states led by Republican governors that have recently upped the ante on their own clean energy standards.

Ohio Consumers' Counsel:

"The Governor's veto will help protect Ohioans' electric bills. I look forward to working with legislators in the future toward maximizing consumer benefits from energy efficiency, while limiting the costs and profits that utilities' charge consumers for energy efficiency programs. Our goal is to reduce what Ohioans pay for electricity."
ELYRIA, Ohio - An Elyria man is accused seriously injuring a neighbor by throwing what appeared to be acid on his face, police said.

David Soucek, 55, had been involved in an ongoing dispute with the neighbor before his arrest Tuesday at his house on New York Avenue, police said.

The neighbor, 41, suffered burns that caused discoloration on the side of his face. and received treatment at a local hospital before being flown to the burn unit at MetroHealth, police said.

Police did not provide an update on the neighbor's condition.

Soucek threatened the victim with a gun last week after Soucek accused the victim of attempting to steal his bike, the victim told police. The victim did not report that incident at the time.

On Tuesday, Soucek approached the neighbor just before 4 p.m. and pulled a jar out of his coat pocket, police said. Soucek threw a liquid from the jar onto the right side of the neighbor's face, several witnesses told police.

The neighbor said he felt an immediate burning sensation on his face. Soucek ran back inside his house as witnesses called 911, police said.

While at the scene, officers learned Soucek owned handguns and a high-powered rifle with a scope. The officers tried to make contact with Soucek but were unsuccessful, police said.

The Elyria Police Department's Special Response Team fired pepper balls into the house in an attempt to force Soucek outside, but that was also unsuccessful, police said.

The Lorain County Sheriff's Office provided assistance with an armored vehicle and a robot. Soucek surrendered, police said, shortly after sheriff's deputies deployed the armored robot.

Soucek remains in custody at the Lorain County Jail and is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Elyria Municipal Court, records show.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments section.
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - A Lakewood man told investigators that he fabricated a story about a girl being abducted because two friends left him at a Walmart in South Euclid, according to a police report.

Ethan Patterson told investigators a made up story about two friends taking his 6-year-old daughter -- the girl does not exist -- Friday night because the friends left him at Walmart on Warrensville Center Road, the report says. Patterson's property was in the car at the time.

Investigators canceled an Amber Alert about 10:30 p.m. after discovering the story was a hoax and the girl did not exist.

It's unclear how Patterson knew the two men, police said.

Patterson, 23, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of obstructing official business and making false alarms, according to South Euclid Municipal Court records.

He is scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing Jan. 3, records show.

Patterson's defense attorney, Robert Botnick, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The police report provides a detailed account of the events that led to police issuing an Amber Alert for the missing girl.

Patterson ran into the store just before 6:45 p.m. screaming that someone took his daughter. He provided details to officers at the store investigating an unrelated theft, the report says.

Patterson said he and his daughter, Lauren, met a friend in Cleveland and ate lunch at McDonald's. Later the trio met up with another man and drove around in that man's green Buick, Patterson told the officers.

The four stopped at the Dick's Sporting Goods at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst before heading to Walmart. Patterson told the officers that he and one man went inside the store while Lauren and the driver remained in the car.

Patterson came outside a short time later and realized the car was gone, he told the officers.

Officers took Patterson to the South Euclid Police Department, where he repeated the same claims, the report says. Patterson also kept asking if he could go home.

Officers then took Patterson back to Walmart to view surveillance footage. Patterson identified the car and the man who came into the store with him, the report says. The video later showed that man leaving the store and getting back into the car before it drove off.

The South Euclid Police Department issued the Amber Alert at 8:46 p.m. and released photos of the car and one of the men to media outlets, including cleveland.com.

Shaker Heights officers were then asked to go to a house in that city to contact a woman who Patterson identified as Lauren's mother, the report says. The officers spoke to the woman's mother and learned that Patterson did not have a child with her.

Patterson eventually admitted to the officers that he made up the story, the report says. The Amber Alert was canceled about 10:30 p.m.

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A Lorain woman killed Thursday on Interstate 71 in Delaware County is being remembered as a "beloved" nurse by her Lorain County hospital colleagues.

(File photo)

LORAIN, Ohio - A Lorain woman who died Thursday after she was hit by a vehicle on the highway in Delaware County is being remembered as a "beloved" colleague by her hospital colleagues.

Elizabeth Kurish, 60, was an emergency room nurse who worked at the University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center for decades, a hospital spokeswoman told cleveland.com. Char Wray, the president of the medical center, released a statement following Kurish's death.

"The entire team at UH Elyria Medical Center sends our condolences to the family of Beth Kurish, RN, who worked with us for almost 30 years," the statement says. "She was a beloved colleague and a personal friend. Our team is deeply saddened by this tragic loss."

Kurish's family could not be reached Tuesday night.

State Highway Patrol troopers responded about 9:30 p.m. Thursday to the Delaware County rest areas on Interstate 71 and found Kurish's body near the southbound lanes. A car registered in her name was found at the northbound rest area, a news release from the patrol said.

Authorities believe Kurish was hit by an unknown vehicle, but no witnesses were identified as of Friday. A Delaware County patrol dispatcher told cleveland.com that no additional details about Kurish's death were available Tuesday evening.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
The biggest benefit to a 401(k) plan is that an employer will match at least some percentage of contributions up to a certain point. That's free money, which only a fool would not take advantage of.

While Cramer does think that it is important to contribute to a 401(k), he is not part of the crowd that thinks you should max out the limit.

"Your 401(k) is important, but it has its downsides  plenty of them," the " Mad Money " host said.

Many investors consider a 401(k) to be the holy grail of retirement investing, but Jim Cramer thinks it has some serious flaws.

However, a few downsides of a 401(k) are that some people complain about high management fees and administrative costs. For Cramer, the worst part about the 401(k) is the lack of control over his money and lack of choice in what he can invest in.

"I believe that the best way to invest, as you know, is to buy a diversified portfolio of individual stocks and do the homework on each one of them  ideally one hour per week per stock  so you know when it is time to buy more, when it is time to sell something, and when it is time to sell everything," Cramer added.

The problem is that most 401(k) plans don't give you the option. Instead it will let you choose between a couple of stock and bond funds, and Cramer is generally not impressed with the selections.

But then there is this benefit of a company matching contributions to a certain point.

So, what the heck do you do?

That is why an individual retirement account (IRA) is so important. An IRA doesn't have the high management fees that many 401(k) plans do, and it will let investors invest the way they want.

Cramer's recommendation is to contribute as much money to your 401(k) that is needed to get the full company match, and then stop. At that point, the rest of retirement savings should go into an IRA until that is maxed out.

So, while a 401(k) plan has a lot going for it, Cramer wants investors to be aware that they can be deeply flawed. That is why he only recommends contributing the amount that allows you to get the full match from your employer, and then everything else should go into an IRA that has lower fees and more flexibility.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined U.S. President Barack Obama for a symbolic joint visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, commemorating World War Two dead and pledging that Japan would never wage war again.

The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance in the face of a rising China and amid concerns that Trump would have a more complicated relationship with Tokyo.

Abe and Obama commemorated the dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship. Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial, a centerpiece of the historic site.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken," Abe said.

"To the souls of the servicemen who lie in eternal rest aboard the USS Arizona, to the American people, and to all the peoples around the world, I pledge that unwavering vow here as the prime minister of Japan," he said.
Protesters gathered and occupy major streets in the city center for a rally against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on December 10, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea.

A South Korean special prosecution team investigating the corruption scandal that has engulfed the country's presidency said it had placed the chairman of the National Pension Service (NPS) under emergency detention early on Wednesday.

The special prosecutor's office did not immediately provide further details on the arrest of NPS Chairman Moon Hyung-pyo but had said on Monday it had raided Moon's home on suspicion of abuse of power.

The special prosecutor has been looking into whether Moon pressured the pension fund to support the $8 billion merger last year of two Samsung Group affiliates while he was head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which runs the NPS.

The merger was criticized by some investors for strengthening the founding family's control of the group at the expense of other shareholders.
"A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons." Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump raised fresh questions about his temperament on December 23 with remarks that suggested he was ready to start a fresh nuclear arms race with Russia. It started with a statement on Twitter that the U.S. "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

Judging by the words of America's incoming president, he doesnt think thats going to happen soon.

The next morning, he reiterated his position on MSNBC, saying, "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all."

By using the plural, it would appear he has more than one country in mind. Hawkish demagogues of his ilk like to talk up the threat of China and Iran, but there's only one country that comes close to America in terms of its nuclear arsenal, and that's Russia.

Indeed, Vladimir Putin started the exchange when he said on December 22, "We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defense system."

Having engaged in a romance of sorts with Putin throughout his presidential campaign, and arguing for improving America's relations with Moscow, it would appear a turnaround for Trump to start saber-rattling. However, this is in line with his tendency to respond impetuously to any perceived act of foreign aggression.

Putin sounded the adult in the room compared to Trump: "If anyone is unleashing an arms race, it's not us," he said.

During the campaign, Trump was callous about the spread of nuclear weapons. He even argued that South Korea and Japan should be allowed to develop nukes in order to defend themselves should the U.S. withdraw troops from their territory. "If Japan had that nuclear threat, I'm not sure that would be a bad thing for us," he declared in the New York Times.

As for American nuclear brinksmanship, he left open the threat of making nuclear strikes all around the world, including in Europe. "If we have them, why can't we use them?" he said, in a canny impression of Dr. Strangelove's commander Jack D. Ripper.

The Global Times was right in saying Trump is "as ignorant as a child." He knows nothing about nuclear policy or any other important issue he may confront, and he rarely accepts intelligence briefings.

When asked during a debate how he would modernize America's nuclear triad, Trump responded with a stew of gibberish that ended with: "I think, for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me."

For some background on his supposed nuclear views, consider a speech he made in July 2015, about his genetic background, his uncle, Iran, and lots of other things  it was an epic run-on sentence.

"Look, having nuclear  my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart... ....nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right," Trump rambled.

So the core of Trump's understanding of nuclear is that it's very powerful. "Who would have thought?"

And it should be kept out of the hands of madmen. Going back to his answer at the debate, he also said, "[W]e have to be extremely vigilant and extremely careful when it comes to nuclear. ... The biggest problem we have is nuclear proliferation and having some maniac, having some madman go out and get a nuclear weapon."

So, certainly, nuclear weapons should be kept out of the hands of Trump.

What he doesn't realize is that the whole point of a country having nuclear capabilities is that it shouldn't have to use them. The deterrence effect of nuclear weapons should keep a country safe, because no adversary would want to risk getting attacked. Leading Neo-realist scholar Kenneth Waltz wrote in a paper in 1981 that nuclear weapons "make the cost of war seem frighteningly high and thus discourage states from starting any wars that might lead to the use of such weapons."

Nuclear-armed states must reserve the right to use their weapons defensively in order to maintain the deterrent effect, but they must not act rashly. A president need not openly state, "All cards are on the table," with regard to nuking Europe. That is implied by the presence of weapons. As Waltz wrote, "Adversary states that acquire them are thereby made more cautious in their dealings with each other."

But Trump is not a man of subtleties. His unhinged rhetoric creates uncertainty, increasing the danger a state might use nuclear weapons offensively or preemptively in response to perceived aggression from Trump. Trump has already raised tensions with China by making reckless comments about Taiwan.

Nor is recklessness limited to his words. It could manifest itself in a militaristic foreign policy. The man who called himself "the most militaristic" candidate has surrounded himself with aggressive advisors who threaten perpetual conflict with Muslim nations. While there was hope among his supporters that he could even out relations with Russia, even that could be off the table, now he says he wants an arms race.

Meanwhile, an America engaging in rampant nuclear development won't have much credibility in trying to convince North Korea to stop its nuclear program or keep Iran abiding by the nuclear deal that Trump and Republican hawks already want to tear up.

Democrats can say, "I told ya so," but they won't be able to say it with joy.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
An attendee tries out a Samsung Electronics Co. Gear VR headset during a media event in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Amazon.com has been a rough place this holiday season for sellers of Samsung products. In mid-November, just ahead of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush, a number of online sellers of Samsung phones, chargers, cables and TVs were booted from the e-commerce site because of apparently mistaken claims of infringement. The suspensions were based on notices of inauthentic sales that were sent to Amazon from the e-mail address samsung@enforcements.markmonitor.com. MarkMonitor is a digital brand protection agency. But Amazon got it wrong. The Seattle-based company told third-party sellers by e-mail as recently as last week that, "upon further investigation, we have determined that samsung@enforcements.markmonitor.com did not submit the report."

The e-mail went on to say, "Rather, Richard Nelson of Sideman & Bancroft LLP (rnelson@sideman.com) submitted the Intellectual Property complaint on behalf of Samsung." Amazon is admitting that during the busiest shopping season of the year it incorrectly identified the source of an infringement complaint that led to multiple seller suspensions. The company is now saying that the claim was submitted by Nelson, a San Francisco-based attorney who specializes in IP and fraud enforcement.



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"How could sellers be so badly misdirected to the wrong agent?" said Kelly Johnston, a former risk investigations manager at Amazon who now helps sellers with compliance issues on the site. "From an operational perspective, this is a massive failure."

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment, and a representative for MarkMonitor didn't respond to a request for comment. An e-mail to Nelson requesting comment was forwarded to Samsung. The company never provided an explanation. Johnston said her firm, Cascadia Seller Solutions, represents several clients who were suspended from Amazon because of the Samsung issue and not all of them have been reinstated. One merchant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from Amazon, said he was shut down until after Cyber Monday, and knows of other Samsung sellers who were just readmitted last week.

While this particular matter only affected a small number of sellers out of the millions on the platform, it further illustrates the chaos that merchants are experiencing trying to navigate Amazon's rapidly growing marketplace. In response to an influx of counterfeit products and the negative publicity that followed, Amazon has aggressively clamped down on infringers by responding to complaints and shutting down accounts. Another way Amazon has tried to clean up the site is by expanding its use of so-called brand gating  forcing third-party sellers to pay a fee to sell big brands after first proving the inventory was properly sourced. In August, sellers of brands including Nike , Adidas and Hasbro had to start providing invoices from manufacturers or distributors showing the purchase of 30 items within the last 90 days.

Certain categories like electronics and software are increasingly risky for third parties, as companies like Samsung, and try to weed out fakes and unauthorized sales. The crackdown isn't just on Amazon. Earlier this month, New York police raided a warehouse in Brooklyn and seized more than $7 million worth of inauthentic Samsung and Apple items. Sellers on Amazon recognize that the marketplace is changing, but they expect to be treated fairly. Chris McCabe, a former Amazon employee who, like Johnston, is now independently helping sellers, said the Samsung case illustrates the shortcomings of Amazon's procedures. "There's no effective process for verifying that the party sending in the infringement form is accurate or legitimate," McCabe said.

McCabe has been able to restore some of his clients' accounts, but only after they went weeks without any transactions.

Sellers are typically warned of infringement claims at least a few days before being suspended, and they're referred to the relevant brand agent to try to clear things up. Of course, that only helps if they're given the correct information.
Cristina Pedrazzini | Science Photo Library | Getty Images

Headlines about antibiotic resistance  the increase in so-called "superbugs"  have been persistent in 2016. The issue of infection-causing bacteria becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs used to fight them poses a pressing risk to public health worldwide, and according to a 2014 report from the World Health Organization, "threatens the achievements of modern medicine." The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, commissioned by the U.K. government, estimated that "by 2050, 10 million lives a year and a cumulative $100 trillion of economic output are at risk due to the rise of drug resistant infections." For perspective, cancer currently kills 8.2 million people annually. In September of this year, the United Nations agreed on a declaration to fight antibiotic resistance. This was only the fourth time in the organisation's 71-year history that a health issue has been treated with such gravity, putting antibiotic resistance on par with HIV and ebola.



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Transplant surgery and chemotherapy could be impossible

"It's hard to be too dramatic," Prof. Michael Gardam, associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, told CNBC via telephone. Echoing this severity, Prof. Toby Jenkins, a biophysical chemist at the University of Bath, said that "a Doomsday scenario is that transplant surgery will be impossible, chemotherapy likewise." "Even a dental abscess could become deadly, or at least very painful," he added. The overprescription of antibiotics is one cause of the problem, with Gardam saying that it is "becoming the norm to use last line drugs" in treating bacterial infections, and that "just in case" prescriptions should be handled with care. The U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that half of antibiotic use in humans is unnecessary. But, other contributing factors well integrated into daily life are also to blame. Gardam also criticized antibacterial soap and toothpaste, particularly prevalent in North America. Deeming such products unnecessary, Gardam warned that "your mouth is not meant to be a sterile zone." He also stressed the importance of "not messing around with the natural flora of the body," as such consumer products are wont to do.

aydinmutlu | iStock | Getty Images

The food industry also plays a significant part in the antibiotic resistance dilemma, with healthy food-producing animals fed drugs to both prevent disease and promote growth. According to 2012 data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and research firm IMS Health, more than 70 percent of the antibiotics considered medically important for human health sold in the U.S. are actually used in livestock. Public awareness of the issue can be a struggle, as "media coverage is similar to what we're seeing with global climate change: by and large, nobody cares," Gardam said. "It is extremely difficult to get people to act. We've done a lot of talking and shaming but that isn't going to change anything," he added. "It's a messy situation with no one big fix."



Fighting back a different way

There are some bright spots in the superbug story, however, with innovative scientists developing new ways to deal with the problem. A team of researchers from the University of Bath in the U.K. made headlines earlier this month by developing a prototype "smart" medical dressing for burns, designed to change color should it detect an infection. Jenkins, one of the scientists behind the work, told CNBC via telephone that the dressing should help doctors be "more confident in their diagnosis and prescribe (antibiotics) less." But, testing so far has only been on animal substitutes, meaning that it could be a few years before the dressing is used on human patients.



A "smart" wound dressing, developed by scientists at the University of Bath to change color upon detecting infection. University of Bath
Following the death on Tuesday of actress and author Carrie Fisher, tributes flooded in from around the world on social media to mourn the passing of the "Star Wars" icon. However, for one company, its tribute was not to everyone's taste. U.S. baked goods company Cinnabon issued an apology on Twitter after the backlash it received from tweeting out a tribute to Carrie Fisher, featuring an image of Princess Leia made out of cinnamon and a cinnamon roll.



Credit: Twitter

In the original tweet, which used a Cinnabon roll to represent Leia's renowned hairstyle, the image was accompanied with a message: "RIP Carrie Fisher, you'll always have the best buns in the galaxy." However, the news was not taken well on social media, with some Twitter users calling the tweet "tacky" and in "poor taste."



Not everyone on Twitter took offence from the tweet, however, with some saying it was "cute" or that the actress, Carrie Fisher would have probably liked it.


Roughly 55,000 migrants to Germany who were refused asylum or deemed ineligible chose to leave the country between January and November of this year, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to Suddeutsche Zeitung, citing government data from the German Office for Migration and Refugees, this was approximately 20,000 more than the total number who voluntarily left in 2015.

Those who left mostly originated from Balkan nations such as Albania, Kosovo and Serbia  as well as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

On top of this figure, Germany also deported an estimated 25,000 migrants from the country in the same time period.

From January to September of 2016, 210,000 people came to Germany seeking asylum, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said at a news conference at the end of September, as reported by Reuters.
A new year, a new you.

But it isn't just health-conscious consumers who are hitting the reset button in 2017.

GNC , the Pittsburgh-based chain of nutrition stores, has temporarily shuttered all 4,464 of its U.S. locations, as it rolls out its revamped pricing strategy.

The one-day closures come two months after the retailer admitted that inconsistent prices on its website and in stores  as well as discrepancies over what it charged loyalty members versus casual buyers  were making its locations confusing to shoppers.

They also come during the busy post-Christmas stretch, when shoppers exchange unwanted gifts and spend money they received on gift cards.

Investors didn't appear to be sold on GNC's strategy, which was designed to stem a slide in revenue. They sent the company's shares 3 percent lower on Wednesday, contributing to a nearly 64 percent drop over the past year.

"The new GNC leaves the old, broken model behind," interim CEO Robert Moran said in a news release. Moran, who joined GNC's board in 2013, was appointed to the interim role in July, when Michael Archbold exited after two years.

GNC tested its changes in seven markets, and said it was "encouraged by the improvements" it saw. The cost consumers pay for its products will go down on about half of its items; stay the same on about a quarter of them; and go up on another quarter.

While GNC expects its new, simplified pricing structure will bring more shoppers into its stores, there will be repercussions  at least in the short term. When the company raised prices on its website to better align with what shoppers pay in stores, the changes sparked a 30 percent quarterly decline in same-store sales.

"It will take time for the changes to take hold and translate to improved financial results," Moran admitted in a news release.

GNC isn't the only retailer to learn how difficult it can be to wean shoppers off of discounts. In the first full quarter after Tailored Brands eliminated the famous Buy-One-Get-Three Free sales at its Jos. A. Bank label, that brand's same-store sales plummeted 32 percent. J.C. Penney is still trying to recover from a failed strategy under former CEO Ron Johnson, who did away with coupons.

In addition to reworking its prices, GNC is upgrading its cash registers and supply chain so that it can move customers through the checkout line quicker, and keep more items in stock.

"We're making these investments because we believe in this business," Moran said.

In May, GNC began working with Goldman Sachs to review its strategic options, including a potential sale of the company.

Correction: This story was revised to correct that the 3 percent decline in the stock price was Wednesday.
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The Echo, Amazon 's voice-controlled speaker, was a big hit this holiday season. Amazon is keeping specific sales figures under wraps, but the company says it sold nine times as many Echo devices during the holidays as it did a year earlier. It's the latest example of Amazon pioneering a new product category and then going on to dominate it. Amazon has become the leader in the e-book market on the strength of its Kindle line of e-readers. And it dominates an important segment of the cloud computing market; Amazon Web Services is expected to generate $12 billion in revenue this year.

Next year, Amazon is hoping to start doing something similar for brick-and-mortar retailing. The company recently unveiled Amazon Go, a convenience store whose no-checkout technology could revolutionize the retail sector.



Bezos famously instituted the 'two-pizza team' rule, which says that teams should be small enough to be fed with two pizzas.

In short, Amazon has shown a remarkable ability to succeed in a wide variety of different product categories. That's a contrast to most other high-profile tech companies that are really good in one area  Google 's dominant online services or Apple 's extraordinarily profitable hardware  but struggle when the quest for growth pushes them outside their zone of core competency. "There's an opportunity to do innovation in big companies," says author and startup guru Eric Ries. "But very few big companies have done this really well. Amazon is one of them."

Amazon has figured out how to combine the entrepreneurial culture of a small company with the financial resources of a large one. And that allows it tackle problems most other companies can't.

Most tech companies struggle outside their comfort zones

Google created or acquired a remarkable string of hit products during the 2000s, including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, YouTube, Android, and Chrome. These products have a lot in common. Most are online services like Google's original search engine. The two major exceptions  Android and Chrome  are software that help people access Google's online services. During the 2010s, Google has gotten more ambitious, funding a series of "moonshots" that aim to solve big technology problems far removed from the company's traditional focus on online services. Indeed, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin felt so strongly about this mission that they re-organized Google itself, creating a new parent company called Alphabet to serve as an umbrella for moonshot projects.

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The best book about the 2016 campaign is a Marvel comic about Loki But so far, Google has had little to show for these efforts. Google Glass was a flop. The company has developed some impressive self-driving technology over the past six years but has still not turned it into a commercial product. Google bought Nest in 2014, but the company has struggled to expand beyond smart thermostats. Google acquired some robotics startups in 2014, but hasn't figured out what to do with them and wound up putting one up for sale.

One of the big problems here seems to be that Page and company are a little too focused on solving hard technical problems. Creating a new computer platform around a pair of glasses is a hard and interesting technical challenge, for example. But it was never clear that solving it would produce to a viable product.

Google's most promising "moonshot" is its self-driving car project, which is widely regarded as the technology leader. But top engineers on the project have grown impatient with the company's slow pace in getting to market. A team of Google engineers left Google to found Otto, a self-driving truck company acquired by Uber earlier this year. The leader of Google's self-driving car project, Chris Urmson, recently quit to create a self-driving car startup of his own.

Similarly, robotics is an important area of computer science research. But it was never clear what Google was going to do with a menagerie of robot startups. The thinking seemed to be that Google would acquire the best talent first and come up with a plan to make money later.

Of course, it's possible that Google's self-driving car project or one of the other moonshots will produce a spectacular business success that will justify the costs of the other failures. But so far, at least, Google's efforts to branch out into markets other than online services haven't borne much fruit.



Amazon focuses on meeting user needs

Google's approach  solve the hard technical problems first, worry about the business model later  is rooted in the engineering background of Google Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. In contrast, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos spent almost a decade working for several Wall Street firms before starting Amazon  a background that gives him a more pragmatic outlook that's more focused on developing products customers will actually want to pay for. Bezos has worked to create a culture at Amazon that's hospitable to experimentation.

"I know examples where a random Amazon engineer mentions 'Hey I read about an idea in a blog post, we should do that,'" Eric Ries says. "The next thing he knows, the engineer is being asked to pitch it to the executive committee. Jeff Bezos decides on the spot."

A key factor in making this work, Ries says, is that experiments start small and grow over time. At a normal company, when the CEO endorses an idea, it becomes a focus for the whole company, which is a recipe for wasting a lot of resources on ideas that don't pan out. In contrast, Amazon creates a small team to experiment with the idea and find out if it's viable. Bezos famously instituted the "two-pizza team" rule, which says that teams should be small enough to be fed with two pizzas.

Ries says that new teams get limited funding and clear milestones; if a team succeeds in smaller challenges, it's given more resources and a larger challenge to tackle.

But Amazon doesn't spend too much time on internal testing. "They prioritize launching early over everything else," one engineer wrote in an epic 2011 rant comparing Amazon's culture to other technology companies. Launching early with what Ries has dubbed a "minimum viable product" allows Amazon to learn as quickly as possible whether an idea that sounds good on paper is actually a good idea in the real world.

Of course, this method isn't foolproof; Amazon has had plenty of failures, like its disastrous foray into the smartphone market. But by getting a product into the hands of paying customers as quickly as possible and taking their feedback seriously, Amazon avoids wasting years working on products that don't serve the needs of real customers.

This seems to be the approach Amazon is taking with Amazon Go, its new convenience store concept. It's a technology that could work in many different types of retail stores, but Amazon's initial approach is modest: a single, relatively small convenience store. Media reports suggest that Amazon plans to open 2,000 retail stores, but the company disputes this. The Amazon way, after all, isn't to open one store because there's a plan for 2,000. It's to open one store and then open thousands more if the first one is a big success.



Why big resources often don't lead to innovation

In the abstract this approach  minimize bureaucracy, start out with small experiments, expand them if they're successful  sounds so good that it's almost banal. But it's surprisingly difficult for big companies to do this, especially when they're entering new markets. Over time, big companies develop cultures and processes optimized for the market where they had their original success. Companies have a natural tendency to establish uniform standards across the enterprise. When I spent a summer as an engineering intern at Google in 2010, much of my time was spent learning how to use the company's powerful suite of proprietary software tools. Google employees are expected to use these tools across a wide variety of projects. That approach works great when it's creating a new online service that's similar to early hits like search or Gmail. But the tools can become a hindrance if a Google team is trying to build something that's very different from a search engine.

You can make a similar point about Apple. The company is famous for its elegant user interface, a reflection of the central role of designers  rather than engineers or project managers  in the company's development process. That's a good way to develop user-friendly gadgets like the iPhone or Apple Watch, but it doesn't necessarily work well for other product categories. Apple struggled for years to make its iCloud service (and predecessors like .Mac and MobileMe) reliable.

In contrast, Jeff Bezos has been fanatical about letting teams operate independently of one another. "It doesn't matter what technology" teams use at Amazon, one of the company's former engineers wrote in 2011. Bezos has explicitly discouraged the kind of standardization you see at companies like Google and Apple, encouraging teams to operate independently using whatever technology makes the most sense.

Bezos has worked hard to make Amazon a modular, flexible organization with a minimum of company-wide policies. That has made Amazon's internal culture somewhat chaotic and balkanized. An engineer on one Amazon project can't easily jump to another the way they can at Google or Apple. Friction between teams with different cultures may explain why some people find Amazon a stressful place to work.

But this chaotic culture is also hospitable to innovation. A new team can use the tools and processes that make the most sense instead of feeling pressure to conform to company-wide standards.



Amazon is well positioned for the next decade of innovation

The reason Amazon's organizational choices are significant is that there are a lot of opportunities for big companies that can emulate the best characteristics of a startup. Amazon Go is a good example. It's hard to imagine a small startup pulling this off. The technology that makes the store work  using cameras and other sensors to track a customer's every step and instantly detect when he takes an item off a shelf  is a sophisticated feat of computer science that undoubtedly cost millions of dollars to develop. To recoup those investments, Amazon is going to have to spend years  and millions more  opening stores in an industry not known for its fat profit margins. That requires the kind of deep pockets and longtime horizons that startups rarely have.

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, the high-tech frontier was on the web. Scaling a website from hundreds of users to millions is technically challenging, but it doesn't necessarily require a huge team or a ton of physical infrastructure. That's why companies like Google and Facebook grew from nothing to billion-dollar companies.

In contrast, the next generation of innovations is likely to be more tied to the physical world and to conventional industries: apartment sharing, self-driving cars, retail stores, health care innovations, and so forth.

Google, Uber, Tesla , and conventional car companies are all working on self-driving technology. To succeed in this market, companies are going to have to bring together software, hardware, sophisticated maps, and a strategy for navigating complex regulatory issues  a combination that could be too difficult for an independent startup to manage.

Amazon and Google are both working on drone delivery technology, which has a similar mix of hardware, software, and regulatory challenges. The companies' existing financial, technical, and lobbying infrastructure will give them a big leg up in these markets.

One way to deal with the conundrum is for big tech companies to acquire startups early in their growth. That allows a startup's innovations to be combined with the resources of a big company. Uber acquired the self-driving truck startup Otto less than a year after it was founded. GM paid a billion dollars for the self-driving car startup Cruise in March.

But acquiring fast-growing startups is a very expensive way for a big company like Google or Uber to stay on the cutting edge. And in many cases, this strategy doesn't even work. Google's $2 billion acquisition of Nest was supposed to accelerate the company's growth, but instead the company has struggled under the Alphabet umbrella.

This is what makes Amazon's evident success at nurturing entrepreneurial projects internally so significant. Amazon doesn't need to rely so heavily on expensive and risky acquisitions because it has developed a system for nurturing entrepreneurial projects internally. And as technology invades the real world, there are going to be more and more opportunities for these kinds of entrepreneurial projects.


John Ramsey (L) hugs his son Burke at the grave of JonBenet Ramsey after graveside service for his wife Patsy Ramsey June 29, 2006 in Marietta, Georgia.

JonBenet Ramsey's brother, Burke, filed a $750 million lawsuit against CBS Corp . and consultants in Wayne County, Michigan, on Wednesday, the latest development in the unsolved murder of his sister.



In the 108-page defamation complaint obtained by NBC affiliate KUSA, Burke Ramsey alleges that CBS and other defendants damaged his reputation through a "false accusation that he killed his sister."

In September, CBS broadcast "The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey" a two-part documentary series. Burke alleges that the documentary suggests he killed his sister 20 years ago when he was 9-years-old.

CBS declined to comment to CNBC.

In 2008, Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy officially cleared JonBenet's family, including Burke, from the murder case. Lacy cited DNA evidence that pointed to an unknown male. Earlier this month, KUSA reported that new DNA testing was planned following its investigation that there was suggested faulty interpretation of previous testing.
Deregulation, organic growth and a lighter agenda for the central banks would help the faltering euro zone, El-Erian said, and if the United States jump-starts those initiatives, the rest of the world will also break out of its low-growth rut.

"In a perfect world, the rebalancing that we're seeing in policies here  less reliance on monetary, more reliance on deregulation  would also follow in Europe," Allianz's chief economic advisor told " Squawk Box ."

U.S. spending policies under President-elect Donald Trump may help pull Europe from the brink of recession in 2017, Mohamed El-Erian told CNBC on Wednesday.

"The hope is that the U.S. continues based on policy announcement becoming design and implementation, and I think that will happen, but we also need the rest of the world to get its act together," he said.

El-Erian said the United States is starting to depart from the "new normal," which the economist described as a period of low growth, negative interest rates and low productivity. He said political systems in the United States and in Europe have begun to rebel against that status quo.

"The post new normal is that the political system rebels against the low growth," El-Erian said, citing anti-establishments movements as how that rebellion manifests.

In the U.S., he said, it "looks like the anti-establishment movement could break out into higher growth. In Europe, it could break out into recession."

And if the dollar remains too strong, anti-establishment and protectionist rhetoric could gather more and more power and make a threatening dollar rally 2017's top story, El-Erian said.
On his way out of office, President Barack Obama just landed one last honor: Most admired man in the country.

Pollsters posed the open-ended question, "What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?" And for the ninth year in a row, Americans gave the nod to President Barack Obama, according to the results of Gallup's annual survey.

President-elect Donald Trump came in second with 15 percent, seven percentage points below Obama's total of 22 percent, perhaps damaging Trump's case that he could have beaten Obama if POTUS had run for a third term. According to Gallup, "50 percent of Democrats named Obama as most admired, compared with 34 percent of Republicans choosing Trump."

America's Most Admired Woman, for a record 21 times in a row, was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. First Lady Michelle Obama came in a relatively close second, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and self-made billionaire Oprah Winfrey.
A half hour's drive from Ninghai county in east China's Zhejiang province, the ancient town of Qiantong is wedged between two mountains. Recorded in the opening pages of a journal by Xu Xiake, the great Chinese travel writer and geographer in Ming Dynasty(13681644), Qiantong has become a popular destination for tourists today.



The village grew from a family clan surnamed Tong, whose ancestors moved there in 1228 AD. Now the village has about two thousand households, among which over ninety percent are descendents of the Tong family. Similar to many ancient townships in east China's Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, Qiantong presents an out-of-the-way atmosphere with its small population, remote location, time-honored large family residences and widespread family legends. What's unique about Qiantong is the combination of Chinese philosophy and science imbued in its architecture.[China.org.cn]

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"The dramatic growth in renewable energy during Perry's tenure was not an outgrowth of environmental zeal but rather a pragmatic approach to economic growth with energy at its core."

The dramatic growth in renewable energy during Perry's tenure was not an outgrowth of environmental zeal but rather a pragmatic approach to economic growth with energy at its core. In a speech in 2009, Governor Perry touted his approach saying, "Texas is the very picture of a state aggressively seeking its future in alternative energy, through incentives and innovation, not mandates and overreaching regulation."

Perry's speech echoes Trump's vision for how to foster economic growth by removing regulatory barriers to domestic energy production. That focus  and not any deliberate attempt to harm the environment  appears to be Trump's motive in his choice of Perry and Pruitt to head the Department of Energy and EPA, respectively.

Perry's pick to lead the Department of Energy appears to underscore Trump's commitment to use energy as the cornerstone of his pro-growth agenda. From that perspective, continued support for renewable energy and the tax incentives that encourage its growth, fits well within that pro-growth agenda.

The federal investment tax credit, for example, has helped annual solar installation grow by 1,600 percent since 2006. And the fact that it will remain in effect through 2023 provides market certainty for companies to develop long-term investments that drive competition and revive our country's ailing technological innovation engine.

The vital part that the solar and wind industries now play in the U.S. economy are revealed by the numbers: Total employment of more than 400,000 Americans (nearly three times the employment in the coal industry) and projected new infrastructure investment of more than $40 billion in 2017. Perry is far more likely to seek further growth in these numbers than to see them fall under his watch.

There is no political advantage for renewable energy business leaders to weigh in against the impending effort to boost the fortunes of the coal industry or to deter Trump's efforts to "step on the gas" in accelerating growth of domestic oil and gas production. Environmental advocacy is a cause, not a business.

The clean energy industry is a collection of thousands of businesses supported by millions of Americans. Clean energy business leaders cannot confuse environmental advocacy with sound business practices. Environmental advocates may lean left, as they may find more support for their cause in progressive circles. However, clean energy business leaders must be strictly bipartisan in their political discourse.

Fortunately, solar and wind energy already enjoy strong bipartisan support in Congress and, more importantly, with the American people. In a recent Pew research report, Clinton voters were overwhelmingly supportive of solar and wind energy: 91 percent and 88 percent, respectively. Even more impressive, however, is that Trump voter support for solar and wind was 84 percent and 77 percent, respectively.

Renewable energy ticks all of the right boxes for the vast majority of Americans: it's clean, increasingly inexpensive, employs lots of Americans and contributes to energy independence. Perry's selection as energy secretary is a hopeful signal that President-elect Trump and the Republican majority will remain true to Republican orthodoxy about "all of the above" as the mantra steering U.S. energy policy.

Commentary by Neil Auerbach, CEO of Hudson Clean Energy. Mr Auerbach co-founded the renewable energy vision at Goldman Sachs over a decade ago and has actively worked in recent years in support of Republican legislative initiatives at the federal level in support of clean energy.



For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCOpinion on Twitter.


The number of favorite celebrities dying this year has prompted a South Carolina man to set up a donation page to make sure 94-year-old actress and "Golden Girls" star Betty White doesn't fall victim to 2016.

Even U.S. novelist George R.R. Martin, who is notorious for killing of swathes of his characters in his "Game of Throne" novels, has referred to 2016 as a "wretched year."

This year has seen a large number of beloved stars leaving us, including David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, Alan Rickman and now actress and author Carrie Fisher.

"Help 2016 catch these hands if it goes anywhere near Betty White! If she's okay with it I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1 , 2017," South Carolina-based Demetrios Hrysikos wrote on the GoFundMe page.

He further stated that if White doesn't want the money then he will donate it to a charity to help new stars.

"Now , assuming she doesn't want a strange Greek standing guard outside her door, all monies will be donated to the Spartanburg Little Theater to help craft new stars of stage and screen to carry mantle of the legends that have left is this year."

The page has already seen $1,670 in donations out of its $2,000 goal from 149 people in 15 hours.

A number of users took to Twitter to thank Hrysikos and also express their concern after Betty White started trending.

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"In my mind it doesn't mean much when he has so many other obvious conflicts to tackle," said Lisa Gilbert, director of the Congress Watch division at Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

The organization cannot fully shut down yet amid the New York state attorney general's investigation into whether foundation funds were used to help Trump, his family or his businesses, among other issues. Even when it does close, it will not go far enough to ensure he does not use the presidency to enrich himself or his family, government ethics experts said.

Over the weekend, Trump announced that he plans to shut down the Donald J. Trump Foundation , a charitable organization, "to avoid even any appearance" of a conflict with the presidency. The foundation, which Trump vehemently defended this week , left the potential for individuals to try to gain access in exchange for donations. The move came after three of Trump's children distanced themselves from charity events that appeared to offer access to the incoming first family.

Donald Trump has taken some steps to reduce a web of possible conflicts of interest during his presidency, but he will not truly cut his entanglements until he signs his businesses over to an independent trustee, experts say.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a stop on his 'USA Thank You Tour 2016.' at the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on December 16, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.

Presidents for decades have signed their assets over to a blind, or fully independent, trust to avoid the appearance of conflicts, Norman Eisen, a former ambassador to the Czech Republic and Obama administration ethics advisor, told CNBC on Wednesday. Trump canceled a press conference this month meant to outline his plans for his global business holdings, then tweeted that his eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, will help to run his companies.

Trump has noted that the president is exempt from criminal conflict of interest laws. But he could still violate the Constitution if he does not put his assets in a blind trust, according to Eisen and Richard Painter, chief ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration.

"He just has to sign and turn all of these businesses over to an independent trustee," Eisen told CNBC's "Squawk Alley."

For instance, Eisen and Painter said Trump could possibly run afoul of the Constitution's "Emoluments Clause," which effectively bars federal officials from doing business with or taking gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval. A connection to his businesses could put Trump at risk of violating that provision as he talks to leaders around the globe.

"There are lots of risks here for the president holding on to the businesses," Painter told "Squawk Alley."

Painter added that he believes Trump ultimately will turn his assets over to a blind trust because "there are just too many problems" if he keeps them. Already, Trump has faced criticism for including his children in official meetings and admitting that he might have discussed business-related issues with a foreign official.

Earlier this month, the Office of Government Ethics argued that Trump should follow tradition by divesting from his businesses or establishing a true blind trust. In a letter sent to Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., agency director Walter Shaub Jr. said transferring operational control to his children "would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest" under the primary federal statute.

Trump previously argued that "in theory" he could keep running his businesses while in office.

Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
It's a common dilemma facing the business traveller who doesn't want to come home empty-handed -- finding a unique memento or gift that genuinely represents a destination on a tight schedule.

Unless, that is, that traveller is visiting Taiwan, which practically specialises in great finds that are hard to get anywhere else. Taiwan may be best known internationally for its technology, but it produces a wealth of time-honored local crafts, from carefully cured teas to colorful ceramics and bamboo carvings. And it also has a thriving contemporary culture, with hundreds of independent designers and labels crafting bold and beautiful apparel, accessories and lifestyle goods. Whether you gravitate towards the traditional or examples of cutting-edge chic, Taiwan's shopping districts will have much to offer.

The other thing that defines shopping in Taiwan is accessibility, making it perfect for the time-short traveller. The capital Taipei is packed with all-in-one department stores, regenerated urban spaces that serve as art and design hubs, and pop-up markets. And virtually all of them are connected by the excellent MRT subway system.

Here are four of the top city-center shopping experiences that can all be navigated in a single day for a 'crash course' in Taipei's shopping possibilities -- provided you don't linger too long to browse at any one stop!
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A WWII veteran has sent an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, urging him to apologize to the Chinese people for the atrocities committed by Japan's imperial army during the war.

John Yee, who was a Chinese member of the legendary Flying Tigers squadron and is now living in the United States, said in the letter that the Dec. 27 visit to Pearl Harbor by Abe is "more USA-Japan theater."

The full text of the open letter is as follows:

I was 17-years old and living in Kunming when the Japanese slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Nanking, 1,340 miles (2,156 km) away.

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.

Japan tried to take over Asia and Germany tried to take over Europe. Same thing, and just like Hitler tried to exterminate the Jews in Europe, the Japanese committed a genocide against the Chinese. But Western educators and media have yet to recognize the extent of the atrocities committed by Japan.

The visit to Pearl Harbor by Shinzo Abe is more USA-Japan theater. The first people the Japanese should apologize to are the Chinese -- for the Rape of Nanking, for invading China, for murdering millions of Chinese people.

Japan invaded Manchuria (Northeast China) in 1931, and when China appealed to the League of Nations, the Japanese contingent got up and walked out of the room. And the world's big Western powers -- England, France, Germany, Italy and America -- did nothing.

Had they intervened, in any capacity, the slaughter of millions of Chinese might have been averted. The Japanese have no more excuse than Hitler had. There are several countries that Japan should apologize to, and China is at the top of the list. Not the USA.

More Japanese and American back-rubbing seems to be on show in Pearl Harbor this week.
Photo credit: Cornell Chronicle

ITHACA, N.Y.  William (Bill) Sitzabee, associate VP for facilities engineering and project management at Cornell University, has been named interim VP for infrastructure, properties and planning (IPP).

He will begin his interim role on Jan. 21 while a national search for the new IPP vice president is conducted, Cornell said in a news release issued last week.

Sitzabee will replace KyuJung Whang, who announced in November he will leave Cornell on Jan. 20.

Sitzabee has been at Cornell in his current role since 2014. During that time, he has developed and directed a $12 million operating budget, including facility planning, programming, design, and construction of $250 million in annual capital construction. He has also provided oversight and contract execution for the Cornell Tech campus build-out. From 2012-14 he was a professor of aerospace studies at Cornell.

A former Air Force colonel and engineer, Sitzabee has more than 21 years of experience leading large organizations as a civil-engineer officer. He is also a combat veteran and has earned multiple campaign medals for his service in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo, according to the release. A native of New York state, he has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from North Carolina State University.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
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US President Barack Obama(L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe place wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial on Dec. 27, 2016 at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. [VCG]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is on a trip to Pearl Harbor but has no plan to apologize for the World War II surprise attack that killed 2,400 Americans, should sincerely reflect on his country's war crimes rather than just "put on a show", a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"Can a so-called victim-consolation trip to Pearl Harbor completely wipe away World War II history? I am afraid it's just wishful thinking on his part," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Abe was scheduled to visit the site of the 1941 attack in Hawaii, which drew the United States into World War II.

Abe visited several memorials on Monday. He and US President Barack Obama laid a wreath at the USS Arizona Memorial before speaking at a military base on Tuesday.

Analysts said that Abe's real purpose is not to reflect on Japan's war crimes, but to enhance its alliance with the US, which could undergo stark changes after Donald Trump becomes president next month. Trump has voiced opposition to the proposed, US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, including Japan as a member. Trump also has threatened to force allied countries to pay more to host US forces.

Pointing out that the main Asian battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War was in China, Hua said that Japan "could not turn the page of history" without reconciliation with Asian victim countries including China.

"Just like people in the US will not forget the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chinese people will not forget the nation's immense sacrifice as well as the compatriots victimized by the Nanjing Massacre," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said this month. More than 300,000 people were killed by Japanese troops from December 1937 to January 1938 during the massacre.

On Sunday, 53 eminent US and Japanese people, including US filmmaker Oliver Stone and University of Tokyo professor Tetsuya Takahashi, sent an open letter to Abe to ask whether he planned to pay tribute to victims of Japan's wartime aggression in other nations.

"Will you also be visiting China, Korea, other Asia-Pacific nations, or the other Allied nations for the purpose of 'mourning' war victims in those countries who number in the tens of millions?" the letter said.

Gao Hong, a senior researcher in Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Abe's trip is meant to gain political interests rather than "mourning the victims, as he is labeling it".

Gao said that through such diplomatic moves, Abe hopes to unload Japan's burden of World War II history and turn the page on Japan's atrocities during the war, he said.

Peter Li, a professor at the University of Houston, said that Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor is meaningless unless he recognizes Japan's war crimes.

Describing Abe's refusal to apologize for the attack on Pearl Harbor as "not surprising", Li said, "this refusal to admit Japanese crimes against humanity has been shown in Tokyo's policy toward Asian countries that were victims of Japanese aggression."

"This refusal to admit crimes was also demonstrated in its denial of the use of Asian women as 'sex slaves' for the Japanese army and its denial of its war crimes in Nanking, China," he said.
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.
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Israel on Sunday summoned the envoys of countries that supported a UN resolution demanding an end to the settlements, while suspending some international diplomatic ties and coordination with the Palestinians.

Speaking at the cabinet's weekly meeting, Netanyahu told the ministers to "minimize" meetings and travels to the states that backed the resolution in the UN Security Council on Friday, and with which Israel has diplomatic relations.

The foreign ministers of the 12 countries will not be accepted for visits in the Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry, he said.

Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu, who is also acting foreign minister, instructed the foreign office to summon envoys of these states for a reprimand meeting in Jerusalem.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructed the Israeli Coordinator of the Government's Activities in the Territories to cease all meetings and talks with senior Palestinian officials, as another mean of rebuke.

The moves were part of a "diplomatic and economic price" that Netanyahu vowed to exact from countries which supported the historic motion.

The vote, passed by a 14-0 majority, with the United States abstaining, demands Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem."

It states that the settlements, constructed by Israel on lands it occupied in 1967, has "no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law."

The Palestinians hailed the move, with Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, telling Israel's Walla news site that he hopes the resolution will help reignite the long-stalled peace talks.

Israel reacted furiously, immediately rejecting the motion and slamming it as an "anti-Israeli" move.

In a broadcast address at a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony honoring wounded soldiers and the victims of terrorism on Saturday night, Netanyahu denounced Obama for his "shameful ambush," adding that he is looking forward to working with his "friend," president-elect Donald Trump, to undo the move.

Netanyahu said Israel will reassess its ties with the UN. He noted that he already ordered to cut 30 million shekels (about $8 million) in funding to five "especially hostile" UN bodies.

"I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of UN institutions and the presence of UN representatives in Israel," he said.

Netanyahu also canceled a scheduled visit by Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, a day after it called back its envoys in New Zealand and Senegal, which together with Venezuela and Malaysia proposed the resolution.

The US, Israel's closest ally, traditionally protects Israel from such motions. On Friday, it abstained despite massive pressures by Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to use its veto.

The move came in the wake of the Regulation Bill, which the parliament approved in first out of three readings earlier in December. Netanyahu's right-wing coalition supports the bill.

About 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands that Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast War and has been controlling them ever since, despite international condemnations.

The Palestinians wish to build their future state in these lands.

The US officially opposes the settlements and considers them as an obstacle to peace. The settlements are illegal under international law.
Our Bodies, Our Voices: Columbus Women Reflect on Abortion Rights

The fall of Roe v. Wade has created a fury that is personal. These 10 essays and stories reflect how Central Ohio residents are feeling.
We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty

In a moment when democracy is being threatened more than at any time in modern political history, Common Causes role is more important than ever. Common Cause is our voice as We the People work together to form a more perfect Union, to establish Justice, and build a 21st century democracy here in Illinois and across the nation.

There is no better time to protect voting rights, take big money out of politics, pass the national popular vote compact, and ensure president-elect Trump divests from any businesses that create a conflict of interest.

As 2016 comes to a close, please make an end of year donation to Common Cause Illinois by sponsoring our 2017 Champions of Democracy celebration.



2017 Champions of Democracy Award Winners:

Wendy Fields

As the executive director of the Democracy Initiative Fund, Wendy Fields continues to champion the full promise of American democracy, building on two decades in leadership at the United Automobile Workers (UAW) in Detroit, and time as a Common Cause Organizer.

Representative-Elect Theresa Mah

Theresa Mah recently won her campaign to represent the 2nd District and will become the first Asian-American state legislator in Illinois. As a former senior policy adviser to Gov. Pat Quinn, Mahs leadership helped to create jobs and education opportunities for working families, including many immigrants.

Senator Andy Manar

Senator Manar represents the 48th district in Illinois and has been a leader in building bi-partisan support for voter access, fair school funding, and civil rights. In 2016, he led the charge for an automatic voter registration bill that initially passed with bi-partisan support in the Senate and House.

Trevor Potter

Former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, founder and president of the Campaign Legal Center, and the lawyer for Stephen Colberts 2012 campaign super PAC, Trevor Potter is one of the top lawyers in the country on the delicate intersection of politics, law, and money.

Event Emcee: Natalie Moore, WBEZs South Side Reporter, Author of The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation.

Support our Champions of democracy and the important work of Common Cause Illinois by becoming an event sponsor today!

Your end of the year gift to Common Cause Illinois will help us win important political reforms in the coming year and is tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Thanks for your generous support and we wish you and your family a healthy and happy New Year.

Warm Regards,

Brian Gladstein, Executive Director

and the team at Common Cause Illinois
The San Andreas Fault gets all the attention, media coverage and movies, but its not the fault line the tech sector needs to worry about. A much bigger problem lies to the north, and some of the most important tech firms are directly in its crosshairs.

The Cascadia subduction zone runs north-south from Canada to northern California and sits roughly 80 miles offshore. Thats the good news, since its 80 miles out to sea, as opposed to the San Andreas and Hayward faults, which run right through the Silicon Valley and East Bay, respectively.

The bad news is it is capable of a much more severe quake. The Cascadia fault is believed to be capable of a 9.4 magnitude quake. Residents of the Pacific Northwest got quite a fright last year when The New Yorker published an article called The Really Big One, which detailed the potential of a 9.4 magnitude earthquake hitting the area. The article outlined projections for 13,000 immediate deaths, one million left homeless, and the whole region left without power and water for months.

The quote that shook everyone up came from Kenneth Murphy, the director of the division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that's responsible for that whole region. "Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast, he said. That includes the Washington state capital of Olympia.

This puts four significant technology companies directly in the line of fire: Amazon, Microsoft, Intel and T-Mobile. Amazon is located in downtown Seattle, which will get hit much harder. Microsoft and T-Mobile, along with Nintendo of America, are further inland to the east, which should lessen the rumbling.

If the quake is bad, the aftermath will be far worse. The chairman of the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (OSSPAC) told The New Yorker it estimates that in the I-5 corridor it will take between one and three months to restore electricity after the earthquake, a month to a year to restore drinking water and sewer service, six months to a year to restore major highways, and eighteen months to restore healthcare facilities.

That basically means the PNW will be uninhabitable for months and perhaps more than a year. If that becomes the case, Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile, and Intel, along with Boeing, Starbucks, Costco, Groupon, and many other companies, could be put out of business as their employees are all evacuated from the region.

Needless to say, this will really disrupt their businesses, but it will also disrupt yours. What happens to the two largest cloud providers in the business, Amazon and Microsoft? Sure, their data centers are scattered all over the country and will be unaffected, but the management of those cloud services is handled out of Amazon and Microsoft headquarters.

Billing is done through corporate, not the remote data centers. And if the worst case scenarios happens and Seattle must be evacuated, Jeff Bezos and Satya Nadella will have much bigger concerns than getting people to pay their AWS or Azure bill.

I asked both companies about these things and was basically stonewalled. The only company to offer anything resembling an answer was Intel. Down on the outskirts west of Portland is the city of Hillsboro, where Intel has a significant amount of its engineering teams. Most x86 work, CPUs and chipsets, is done there, and the killer quake could bring chip development to a halt.

Intel told me it has contingency plans in place for a wide variety of emergencies and disasters that they review and update regularly, and do drills with the local emergency services. After all, the Santa Clara HQ is sitting smack between the San Andreas and Hayward faults.

So even though Amazon and Microsoft wouldn't fess up, I have to think they have a similar kind of emergency plan to keep their companies functioning and cloud services going even if a massive quake does leave Seattle in ruins.

But as a customer, it can't hurt you to ask them. They may not answer me but they have to answer a customer or potential customer.
Coverage of the supposed spat between Jeremy Corbyn and Barack Obama should provide an epitaph for simplistic transatlantic correlations.

During his popular bi-weekly podcast, former Obama strategist David Alexrod asked whether the President was worried about the Corbynization of the Democratic Party. The reply was that he wasnt, and that the Democrats had stayed pretty grounded in fact and reality. Corbyn was quick to respond, using the Trumpian approach of Twitter to assert that Labour & Democrats will have to challenge power to speak for working people & change a broken system that isnt delivering for the majority. He continued with a list of policy commitments, including a fully funded NHS and no illegal wars, before concluding that [f]or the establishment, those ideas are dangerous. For most people in Britain, theyre common sense  and grounded in reality.

However, Obamas references to Corbyn were minimal: a couple of prompted mentions at the end of a wide-ranging hour-long interview. More significant than any implicit criticisms of Labour, seemed Obamas keenness to play down tired and inaccurate comparisons between Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, and to state the electoral necessity of winning an emotional connection with non-typical voter bases. He also gave historical Republican Party context to the rise of Trump  a welcome alternative to the flawed ease of the American Brexit analysis.

Aside from broad basics, exact correlations are rare between the internal politics of completely individuated nations. And for all America and Britain share a united history and incomparable alliance, that truth is epitomised by the differences between these two nations, in terms of their political structures and narratives, size, demographics, and so much besides.

Moreover, unlike stricter ideological movements, conservatism is highly situational. That means that, where it is applied well, it can adapt to fit national needs and local expediency. Political movements varying degrees of adaptability is but one reason why many deem right- and left-wing descriptors increasingly insufficient  beyond use as vague markers  in delineating allegiances. With regards to British-American parallels, this is easily pointed up by Obamas support for Cameron during the EU referendum campaign. It is also exemplified by the lack of a standard frame of reference for Donald Trumps overall approach, so far.

Politics is ever complicated, and the countries of our world, for all their increased connections, remain ever varied. Overstated and unsubstantiated correlations are lazy and unhelpful. As we head into the unknowns of 2017, to face unprecedented national and international challenges and opportunities, the need only grows for nuance and carefully-directed consideration.

Corbyn has proven, yet again, that he doesnt get this. The Axelrod interview shows that Obama does. What about May?
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Yogis have done some bizarre things in the past while practicing yoga. This practice, which involves goats, may be the most bizarre practice to date.

Albany, Oregon. Yoga involves focusing on breathing, setting an "intention" before every class, and letting the pose come to you instead of the other way around. Doing all of this is said to bring around a feeling of inner peace and relaxation.

In Oregon, yoga practitioners recently decided to take it up a notch. They decided to include live goats roaming around in between their sequences.

Goat Yoga. The idea behind goat yoga first started in Portland in the backyard of yogini Lainey Morse. Some children were partying around with some goats that were used as pets as a kind of self-administered therapy after divorce or illness.

One of the other moms there, yoga instructor Heather Davis, suggested the idea to Morse that maybe they could also use goats as a similar form of self-therapy. They decided to try having a yoga class with goats for both the experience and to see if its benefits were real.

After their story was reported in The Oregonian newspaper, it went viral on the Internet and quickly spread all across the world. Immediately, over 600 people had joined their waiting list to get a slot in their goat yoga classes.

Morse is now pursuing Goat Yoga full time. She believes that this is the reason for its popularity: "I think probably right now everybody is stressed out with politics and everything going on ... this is a story that's a happy distraction."

If you are a yoga practitioner and want to try something new, sign up for one of Morse's Goat Yoga classes. It guarantees to be a new experience and it also offers therapeutic benefits as well.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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A study conducted by Amy Muise and colleagues at the University of Toronto Mississauga reveals the value of quality over quantity when it comes to sex in long-term relationships. The Canadian researchers explored the link between frequency of sex couples had and their life satisfaction.

This study presents evidence on the association between sexual frequency and greater happiness. It investigated how much sex couples should be having and found out that sex is not an everyday activity needed to feel connected to the partner. Muise et al. propose having sex once a week.

The sex frequency research done by Muise's group is supported by another from Carnegie Mellon University that examined why more sex makes couples more miserable. According to the second study, increased sex frequency is associated with a decrease in sexual desire and enjoyment. It focused on the couple's happiness levels and their sexual satisfaction during the research period.

According to sex researcher Kristen Mark, couples need to communicate well with each other better to prevent their relationships be vulnerable to sex ruts such as anger, emotional detachment, infidelity, and divorce. For Mark, couples should give importance to sex due to the difficulty of being spontaneous in established relationships.

For Australian sexologist Dr. Nikki Goldstein, kissing a lot and touching a lot is a first step to reinvigorating the sex life of couples. She advises couples not to compare their sex life to others. She does not recommend watching too much porn, which could result in decreased sensation when having sex. She urges them to experiment and to try something new.

CNN's Ian Kerner tells couples to have a willingness window to regenerate the desire that is an important aspect of sex. He proposes the idea of planned sex, which he believes can lead to more fun. However, he does not support Goldstein's suggestion to ditch porn and instead encourages couples to share a fantasy or watch some ethical porn.

The video below features sexologist Dr. Amy Muise discussing how to maintain sexual desire in the context of long-term romantic relationships. Share your thoughts about the article in the comment section.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Update: January 9, 2017

Notice of Cancellation



California has adopted a child support guideline in compliance with federal law, 42 U.S.C. section 667(a). California Family Code, section 4054(a) provides that the Judicial Council shall periodically review the statewide uniform guideline to recommend to the Legislature appropriate revisions. Californias guideline is found at Family Code sections 40504076.

Federal law also requires that child support guidelines be reviewed by the state at least once every four years to ensure that their application results in the determination of appropriate child support award amounts. The federal and state requirements specify that the review must include an analysis of case data. One of the major reasons for conducting the case file review is to determine whether the guideline is being applied and the frequency of, and reasons for, deviation from the guideline.

For this portion of the study, the Judicial Council seeks the services of attorneys currently licensed to practice law in California to form a team of case file reviewers with experience in family law and child support.

Questions regarding this RFP should be directed to solicitations@jud.ca.gov and must be received no later than 3pm PST, December 29, 2016. Hard copy proposals must be delivered to:

Attention: Stephen Saddler

RFP No: CFCC-2016-14-RBB

Judicial Council of California

455 Golden Gate Avenue, 6th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94102-3688

Further details regarding the solicitation are set forth in the RFP and related documents provided below.

RFP

Attachment 1 - Administrative Rules

Attachment 2 - Standard Provisions

Attachment 3 - Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

Attachment 4 - General Certification

Attachment 5 - Darfur Contracting Act Certification

Attachment 6 - Payee Data Record
Depending on which decade you were born in, the phrase "the Alvin And The Chipmunks movie" means something very different. The current cinematic landscape is bogged down by four installments of dead-eyed CGI rodents nasally ejaculating pop songs at an exasperated Jason Lee. But if you were conceived during the Reagan Administration or earlier, than the Alvin And The Chipmunks movie that likely comes to mind is 1987's The Chipmunk Adventure, an animated masterpiece featuring world-spanning action, a healthy rock-music-to-actual-dialogue ratio, and the most imaginative characters that a bunch of fired Disney animators could produce.

Indeed, if you can see only one Chipmunk adventure, let it be this one.

Except, you know, don't think about anything that happens in The Chipmunk Adventure for more than a second. If you do, you'll realize that there was some extremely shady shit going on in this lighthearted animated romp for children. For instance ...
Even as he was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Robert De Niro, Milchan was arranging big-ticket arms sales for Lakam -- AKA the Bureau Of Scientific Relations, the now-defunct Israeli agency that was top-secretly devoted to the science of relating to countries willing to sell them all the shit necessary to assemble nuclear weapons. Personally recruited in the mid-'70s by future prime minister Shimon Peres, at the height of his career Milchan operated 30 different companies in 17 countries and regularly oversaw nine-figure deals to greatly expand the nation's global outreach (expand it explosively, one might say). Israel's press labeled this then-mysterious figure the "Chuck Norris Of The Lakam," presumably because he signed off on every deal with a sweet-ass spin kick.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

"Who needs leg kicks when you have nuclear arms."

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It wasn't all fun and games and "James Bond" levels of excitement (as Milchan put it). There's the fact that he helped South Africa put a positive public-relations spin on its appalling apartheid system, all in exchange for some aftermarket uranium (obviously, Milchan was not a producer on Back To The Future). Then there was the time in 1985 when, as Milchan was struggling to keep the production of a little flick known as Brazil afloat, he suddenly found himself under fire of the legal variety when it was discovered that one of his companies had smuggled nuclear triggers -- AKA krytrons, AKA the things that make nuclear goddamned weapons go boom -- to Israel.
Security News

Security VCs: Security Market Will See Lots of M&A Activity In 2017

Sarah Kuranda

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With an IPO market that was stagnant through 2016  something that will likely continue into 2017  cybersecurity venture capital executives said they expect to see significant M&A activity throughout the year to come.

"I think, for the near term, M&A is the biggest outcome for security opportunities. I think the M&A opportunity will be very robust in 2017," Menlo Ventures Managing Director Venky Ganesan, said.

Ganesan said he expects M&A activity in cybersecurity to pick up over the next year to year and a half, as there are "still way too many startups funded" in the market. At the 2016 RSA Conference in San Francisco this year, for example, there were hundreds of startups on the exhibit floor alone.

[Related: The 10 Coolest Security Startups Of 2016]

Ganesan said there is a "Game of Thrones" of sorts in the security space, where there are at least half a dozen startups competing for every technology and vertical possible. However, he said most of those startups are "features not companies," making them ripe for consolidation into larger, platform players.

"We will see a little thinning of the herd and if you're not the strongest of the fastest you won't make it [alone]. Evolution works." Ganesan said. "I think when the dust settles there will be true platform companies and the rest will be consumed by it," he said.

While the M&A trend will likely be strong in all areas of technology, it will be particularly robust in the cybersecurity industry, Alberto Yepez, co-founder and managing director of Trident Cybersecurity, a fund of prominent VC firm Trident Capital that focuses on cybersecurity investments. In 2016, there were only a handful of technology-related IPOs, including Dell SonicWall and Nutanix.

"The M&A market is very healthy right now. It's always been particularly healthy in cybersecurity," Yepez said. Yepez said he sees the vast majority of exits in cybersecurity through M&A, rather than through IPO, because of the innovation cycle in security, where larger, already public companies look to buy up smaller, innovative companies to bolster their own technology and people. That trend will only continue as security threats become more serious and the innovation cycle accelerates further.

Some of that consolidation has already started to occur, with 611 acquisition deals in the U.S. alone as of July, according to a study by CloudVolumes. Some of those deals included the acquisitions of Blue Coat Systems, LifeLock, Optiv Security, Intel Security, CloudLock, Lancope, Invotas and AccelOps  to name a few.

Bob Ackerman, founder and managing director at Allegis Capital, a cybersecurity-dedicated venture capital firm that focuses on early stage investments, agreed, saying that it is "very difficult for a public cybersecurity company to remain at the forefront of innovation because security moves so quickly," factors that he said will slow cybersecurity startups looking to go public, as well as speed up M&A activity by larger, already public vendors looking to keep pace with current technology innovation.

"The vast majority of exits will be M&A," Ackerman said. Ackerman predicted particular M&A activity around analytics, saying there is probably 10 to 15 larger vendors that need to acquire analytics capabilities in the short term.

Menlo Ventures' Ganesan said he expects most of the consolidation will occur in startups who have landed Series A funding, but will struggle to land Series B funding, which is focused more on revenue rather than technology, vision or ideas. That consolidation is coming, he said, as funding will dry up for those companies who have already landed a Series A or Series B round and might now look to make an exit.

"The rationalization hasn't happened yet. I expect it to happen over the next 12 to 16 months," he said.
"He knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

Life is a journey with many twists and turns. As I approach my 65th birthday next year, I find that I believe in the sovereignty of God more than ever before. I have what I have because God has willed me to have it. I live where I live because God has willed me to live here. I was born in Tennessee, raised in Alabama, met my wife in Chattanooga, and we now live in Dallas--all of it by the hand of God. We have three sons, three daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren because God has willed it so.

Even my problems (which arent many) are apportioned to me by the hand of a loving God. I am what I am and who I am and where I am by the sovereign grace of God. That means there is no such thing as luck or fate or chance.

I heard about a little girl who, when asked what she had learned in Sunday School, said that she had learned that God never says Oops! Thats comforting because we live in a world where mistakes are made all the time, often by well-meaning people. As we wind up 2016, let's say what Job said as we look to the future: "He knows the way that I take." Be of good cheer. We can trust God with all our tomorrows because nothing that surprises us ever surprises him.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free email sermon.
I was working at a place where I had become more and more miserable. It didnt feel like it was the right place for me. I looked for other options but when none came I figured that God had a reason and even a plan for me to be just where I was. I tried to stick it out and I even tried to do it with a smile on my face.

But anguish still enveloped me.

I would get through my days trying to stand up under the pressure as best as I could, but it wouldnt take much to knock me over. Traffic after one of those long and tiring days was often the thing that threw me off kilter. All that I wanted to do was get home but cars all around me seemed to block me at every turn. When I would finally get home, I would throw my arms around my husband and weep.

He understood exactly what I neededto be held and loved until the tears went away.

The Apostle Peter understood this when he wrote, husbands must give honor to their wives. They should treat them with understanding. Understanding that realizes that women are weaker in physical strength (even though they are fully equal as a part of Gods creation) and sometimes need extra care (1 Peter 3:7).

Then Peter took his advice even further to fit all Christians, not just husbands toward wives. He went on to say that all people should seek to understand one another. We should sympathize with each other and love each other as brothers and sisters. Tender-hearted compassion, as well as a humble attitude, goes a long way toward getting along with others and helping them through the trials of life (1 Peter 3:8).

My husband quieted me with his love and care, which reminded me of my heavenly Father that promised to do the same. My Lord and my God is always near. He is a mighty Savior who takes delight in me. His love calms all my fears and sings joyful songs over me (Zephaniah 3:17).

Often God uses people to show His love to other people. But even in the moments where no human being is around, God comforts His children in a multitude of creative ways.

You come across just the right Scripture at the right time and you remember that God is Immanuel, and He is indeed with you. And that knowledge strengthens and supports you.

A line in a song reminds you that the Lord is your Shepherd and will always pick you up and carry you when you feel like you cant take another step. You are always close to Gods heart.

You realize in hindsight that even though bad things have happened, God has been with you all along and has guided you through those dark valleys with his rod and staff. Then you thank Him for His protection.

So, when your wife (or husband or friend or neighbor or even a stranger) needs a reboot, offer them these three things:

1. Your shoulder to support them when they cant go any further.

2. Your arms to show your compassion and care in the form of a hug.

3. Your ears to listen to their worries, complaints, and fears.

You dont necessarily need your mouth, at least not in the beginning. Advice and ideas come much later in the process after the waterfall of emotion has calmed into a more peaceful stream.

After all, doesnt love cover a multitude of sins (and worries and problems)?

In the above-mentioned job, I determined that if I could just make it through another six months or so, things might turn around for the better. But I didnt get that chance. I may have resigned myself to stay, but God wanted more for me than that. The company let me go, which turned out to be a blessing. The next few monthsthe same ones that I had been determined to push throughproved to be very rocky at the company, and God had spared me of that. A weight was removed from me, and a new job came shortly afterward.

Please pray with me:

Dear Lord, when Im in the midst of a tumult of worries, fear, and sadness, remind me as quickly as possible that You are with me. I can never go anywhere where You cant find me. In my mountain top, excited moments, You are there. In my desert wanderings, You are there. You are even there in my lowest, most distressed states. I may not always feel it but I know You are with me. Bring just the right person at just the right time to help me to stand when I am under pressure. And always remind me of Your immense love which was depicted on that cross. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Jennifer Heeren loves to write and wants to live in such a way that people are encouraged by her writing and her attitude. She loves to write devotional articles and stories that bring people hope and encouragement. Her cup is always at least half-full, even when circumstances arent ideal. She regularly contributes to Crosswalk.com. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband. Visit her at www.jenniferheeren.com.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: December 28, 2016
Commercial Services has name Caribic Vacations of Montego Bay as the exclusive provider of the Jamaica Land of Film bus tour.

The tour will provide visitors with a sightseeing tour experience in Jamaica, along with a copyrighted guide to the history of film production in Jamaica and its locations.

According to Caribic, the tour has been developed from research by author Peter Polack whose book, Jamaica Land of Film, will be published by Cambridge Publishing in 2017. The company is promising that the tour and book will chronicle new and previously unavailable information on over a hundred years of film production in Jamaica.

Said Vanessa Polack of Cayman Island- based Commercial Services: My father has written the book and we are the owners of the tour content.

Directed at cruise ship passengers and overnight visitors seeking an alternative experience in Jamaica outside the adventure and nature attractions prevalent on the North coast. Jamaica Land of Film will be an enduring tribute to a long history of successful film production of many famous movies in Jamaica such as Papillon, James Bond films and nearly seventy other international films, she added.

There are also plans to establish a multimedia operation locally and internationally as well as a documentary to be submitted to film festivals.

CEO Roy Page of Caribic remarked: This is a milestone for Caribic and Jamaica. A new and compelling historical and cultural tour that will draw visitors not only on the island but the large number of film fans interested in past and present movies with a connection to the ultimate film production destination, Jamaica.
Kevin Sheehan, the former president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, has made a return to the cruise industry, according to an article from Charles Elmor in myPalmBeachPost.

The website reported that Sheehan is part of a recently-formed ownership group that has purchased Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which operates the Grand Celebration on short cruises from Palm Beach to the Bahamas. The new company is Paradise Cruise Line.

Sheehan was named president and CEO of Scientific Games Corporation earlier this year.

The purchase of Paradise Cruise Line is a family investment with a strong executive management team, Sheehan told myPalmBeachPost on Tuesday. Further details are in the myPalmBeachPost article.

Oneil Khosa is the managing partner of the new venture with Sheehan, and also a co-owner.

Khosa formerly worked for Louis Group in India and was managing director of Blue Ocean Cruises, which ran a cruise line out of India for a short period of time in 2010.

He was previously with DVB Bank, in the shipping sector managing cruise and ferry assets, and before that, worked onboard ships with Royal Caribbean.

Khosa told myPalmBeachPost the company planned to add more capacity." He did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Cruise Industry News.

In addition, recently, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has been linked to a class-action lawsuit settlement involving Caribbean Cruise Line.
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STAMFORD  Before Kathi Moschos opened her downtown eatery, city hall employees had to leave their building to find a place for lunch. Today, her customers cannot imagine their midday routines without her enterprise serving meals at their workplace.

Moschos this year marked her 25th anniversary of owning and running Patio Cafe, a 150-seat restaurant on the Stamford Government Centers fourth floor. During that time, the establishment has grown into a favorite of employees and visitors to the municipal headquarters  not only because of its menu, but also for the owners hospitality and friendship.

Its truly like a family here, Moschos said in an interview Tuesday at the Government Center.  Im connected with so many people.

Before arriving at the Government Center, Moschos, 60, was already well known to many city employees. A Stamford native, she owned and operated the erstwhile Colonade restaurant at the corner of Bedford and Hoyt streets for 13 years. City hall employees accounted for many of the Colonades customers.

The Patio Cafe opened in 1991, after Moschos accepted an invitation from the city to bid on a new dining space at the Government Center. There was no other dining hall there at the time.

We have a captive audience here, Moschos said. We couldnt go wrong.

Moschos restaurant serves an eclectic mix of dishes. Tuesdays menu included beef burritos with salsa and sour cream, vegetable lasagna and salad.

She tries to liven things up by having special-themed days with special menus, said Ted Jankowski, the citys director of public safety, health and welfare. My personal favorites are her soups and cookies, which are delicious. Her menus are well thought out and based on the tastes of her customers.

Moschos also owns and operates Kathis Kafe, which operates on the first floor of the Government Center. Opened in 2011, Kathis Kafe serves as a mini convenience store for municipal employees and visitors, a place where they can pick up items such as coffee, sandwiches, yogurt, fruit or a candy bar.

There are people who run into meetings at the last minute, or they need to pick something up on the way home, Moschos said. Its just a matter of convenience.

Customers frequent Patio Cafe and Kathis Kafe for more than the fare. Many share personal stories. Some approach Moschos when they are in tears about difficult episodes in their lives.

Kathy is an exceptional person who welcomes and greets everyone who enters the Government Center with a smile, Jankowski said. She has a friendly ear and truly cares about all the people she encounters.

In addition to municipal employees, about 60 to 80 senior citizens visit Patio Cafe each day. A number of those customers frequent the Senior Center at the Government Center, while many of them dine at Patio Cafe through a meal program supported by Catholic Charities.

Shes the nicest lady in Stamford, said Bernest McLeod, one of Patio Cafes senior patrons. Everybody loves her.

Moschos oversees a staff of five at Patio Cafe. Assistant Chef Freda Gianouklas is the longest-serving member of the team. She started working for Moschos 33 years ago at the Colonade.

I love my boss, Gianouklas said. Working here, its like family for me.

In recent years, Moschos has expanded her offerings at Kathis Kafe. Its non-food list includes Advil, Tylenol, greeting cards, stamps and jewelry. She started selling the jewelry about three years ago, after an initial run of scarves that she sold showed the popularity of wearable merchandise.

Women will come in and say Im going to a meeting: What will match my suit or my dress? or Its Friday, instead of getting a cupcake, Ill get myself a pair of earrings, Moschos said.

After 25 years at the Government Center, Moschos plans to keep serving for many more years.

No retirement in sight! Moschos said. I never want to stop. Im very passionate about the people that work here and care about them. Its not just a job. I could never imagine stopping.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
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BRIDGEPORT  Some came early and waited on folding chairs set up in a chilly East Side parking lot off Jane Street.

Others arrived supported by canes, yet still determined to cart home a large cardboard box filled to the brim with turnips, potatoes and onions.

Onion pie, one recipient of a monthly mobile food bank whispered to herself after getting a double helping of Vidalia onions.

On the fourth Wednesday of very month, as many as 200 people file past an assembly line of volunteers wrapped around a large Connecticut Food Bank refrigeration truck.

On this morning, the bounty of perishable goods included a curious mix of fresh fruits and vegetables, Dijon mustard, milk, juices and vinegar.

The line ended with the 130th ticket passed out.

Weve been doing this for four years, said Carol Wolff, who along with husband, Paul, has volunteered with Emmaus Partnership, an East Side ministry that brings together several organizations to serve the poor and homeless.

Joining in the effort is Victory Outreach Church, located across Jane Street, the nearby Amazing Grace Church, the Park City Initiative and Connecticut Food Bank.

I like this site because my father was born 100 years ago on Stillman Street, a couple of blocks over, said Mike Sopchak, a Connecticut Food Bank volunteer who lives in North Branford.

In all, the food bank truck visits 33 sites in six of the states eight counties. On Wednesday, it would visit three. After a morning on the East Side, the truck and its driver would go to the P.T. Barnum housing complex in the West End of the city, and after replenishing its stock, make a distribution in Bethel.

(Jane Street) is one of our bigger sites, Bernie Beaudreau, the new chief executive officer for Connecticut Food Bank.

Sopchak said the East Side distribution was well-organized.

A lot depends on the volunteers, he said. There were more than a dozen Wednesday morning.

The Rev. Patrick Robbers, pastor at Victory Outreach, said some customers show up by 8 a.m. on food truck day, depending on the weather.

Brother David McIntyre, who runs a Christian Recovery Home behind the church, has been volunteering at the mobile food pantry for about three months.

Theyve got some good stuff here, he said, eyeing the butternut squash, lettuce and broccoli.

On this morning, Becca Hasko, a Connecticut Food Bank employee from Southington, started handing out fresh chestnuts after her supply of sweet potatoes ran out.

When the Wolffs are not volunteering at the monthly food bank, they walk the neighborhood, meeting people.

I love it, said Ketena Charles, on ot those served Wednesday. I love the fresh vegetables. I got everything. I love it.
HARTFORD  Josh Scussell has fought his non-Hodgkins lymphoma for years, enduring stem-cell transplants and rounds of chemotherapy as doctors worked to sustain his life.

But the Guilford resident on Wednesday said the real reason hes still among the living is the federal Affordable Care Act  otherwise known as Obamacare  that the newly elected Republican majority in Congress intends to repeal.

I stand here alive and almost cured because of many facets of the ACA, Scussell said, noting the law allowed him to stay on his parents health care plan for the bulk of his treatment and prevented insurance companies from implementing lifetime benefit caps and denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Scussell joined U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, in calling on Republican congressional leadership to hold on plans to immediately repeal Obamacare after President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

In a week, Ill be returning to Washington and will be greeted by a Republican Congress intent on ripping health care from 250,000 Connecticut residents and (giving) nothing in return, Murphy said.

There is no replacement plan, only repeal, he said. What the Republicans are talking about is cruel and brutal. There is no rush. Lets fix whats wrong with the ACA without throwing it out.

Murphy acknowledged Republicans plan to phase out the coverage over time, and have pledged to replace the act with a better plan. But Murphy said repeal would cause the health insurance exchange markets set up to help residents buy affordable insurance to dry up, as insurance companies pull out.

They are talking about a postponement, but premiums will go up and the market will collapse, said Murphy, who added that Democrats across the country are holding similar news conferences to rally support for Obamacare.

We are making the case to take a breath, step back and wait, Murphy said. They need 50 votes in the Senate, and we are hopeful Republicans are going to hear us. It only takes a few Republicans to stand up.

Obamacare has endured withering criticism over rising premiums and its core mandate that everyone purchase health insurance. Democrats have agreed to alter the law to fix various, problems but oppose outright repeal.

Jonathan Miller, a Meriden resident who suffers from cystic fibrosis, said his disease has progressed to the point where he can no longer work and is on long-term disability, which offers 60 percent of his previous pay.

(Obamacare) is so important, Miller said. It saves the lives of someone like myself in many ways. Im able to get medication and treatments. A lot of folks never have to worry about insurance, but for many of us that is not the way it is.

Isabelle Endicott, of Farmington, said her second son was born with serious heart problems and required open-heart surgery shortly after birth. She said her insurance company was soon paying bills totaling more than $250,000 for the first few weeks of his life.

I now worry about his future in terms of what it would mean to us if significant parts of the ACA are repealed, Endicott said.

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services noted the uninsured rate in Connecticut has fallen 34 percent since Obamacare was enacted in 2010, and that millions of state residents who have insurance through their employer, the private market or Medicaid and Medicare have benefited from the laws protections.

We need to build on our progress and continue to improve health care access, quality, and affordability, not move our system backward, said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell.
STRATFORD  The Board of Educations ongoing tussle with Bridgeport over magnet school tuition just got a little more contentious.

The towns school board has decided to hire a lawyer to go after Bridgeports Board of Education.

Stratford school board Chairman James Feehan said New Haven attorney Norm Pattis would look into the legality of Bridgeports magnet tuition charges, and into whether the state Department of Education is on the wrong side of its own magnet rules.

Were going to ask for injunctive relief, because what Bridgeport is doing is causing harm to the Stratford school budget, Feehan said.

The legal move was precipitated, Feehan said, by an additional $3,000 Bridgeport will be charging for out-of-district students per year. Stratford sends 197 children to Bridgeport magnet schools.

We believe that Bridgeport has made a serious mistake in charging us this amount, and not only that, we believe that the court will rule quickly in our favor, Feehan said. In addition  with this tuition theyre charging, theyre operating outside the law, and well be seeking relief on that front, too.

Stratford and 15 other school districts got letters this fall informing them that Bridgeport will start charging $3,000 for each suburban student attending the three Fairchild Wheeler Magnet high schools and the Discovery Interdistrict Magnet School in the 2017-18 school year.

Stratford is leading the charge, Feehan said, adding that Bridgeport needs the suburban students in its magnet school program to the maintain racial balance required in the magnet school program.

The new Bridgeport magnet school tuition schedule would cost Stratford $576,000, Shelton $351,000 and Trumbull $288,000, and all three towns have complained. Feehan said other school districts are expected to share in the cost of the attorney.

The Suburban towns have pointed out that the newly implemented $3,000 tuition charges are in addition to the $8.4 million Bridgeport already receives from the state for about 597 suburban youngsters.

Bridgeports request to start charging tuition was OKd by the state earlier this year.

We have been accused of not taking advantage of all the opportunities that are available to us, Marlene Siegel, chief financial officer for the Bridgeport school system, said last month. As long as the state is passing legislation to allow this ... we have to provide Bridgeport with that flexibility.

The Stratford school board voted earlier not to allow Bridgeport magnet school staffers to enter Stratford public schools to recruit new students. This stops short of an outright ban on participation in the program, but it would serve to reduce the number of new students going to the interdistrict magnet schools in Bridgeport.

Feehan said his school would have no problem absorbing the 197 Stratford kids now in the program.

We could take them back tomorrow, he said. I already have the teachers in place. We wanted to work this out, but theyre taking the hard line.

Staff writer Linda Lambeck contributed to this report.

jburgeson@ctpost.com
The year 2017 is causing anxiety for some of our neighbors who are facing homelessness, fleeing abusive partners, or, in one case, confronting the prospect of giving birth while still in high school.

So far, 111 Connecticut Post readers  plus an employee group of 100  have responded to similar needs by giving more than $23,500 and meeting all 50 requests that have been published so far in this years installment of the Giving Fund, a partnership between this paper and local charities.

Thats more contributed money than last year at this time, when $17,884 had been donated by 79 readers and an employee group.

The Giving Fund is a chance to help actual families and individuals  right here in our community, said David Kennedy, chief executive officer of the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, adding that the organizations post office box has been overflowing not only with checks but also with handwritten notes and holiday cards with warm wishes for the neighbors they were supporting.

Print readers can use the newspaper coupon or go to http://www.ctpost.com/givingfund and click on Donate to The Giving Fund. All overhead, including credit card fees, are covered by the Post, United Way, and LifeBridge.

The names have been changed in these stories, but their need is real. Each person is a client at LifeBridge, where theyve taken proactive steps to improve their own lives. The gifts are appeals from the social workers managing their cases  an educated assessment of what will help these people right now.

150. Rich, 55, of Bridgeport, works two jobs and volunteers at a local shelter and at his church. For a brief period, he struggled with depression, substance abuse, and homelessness. He has worked very hard to turn his life around, but experiences difficulty in paying his monthly expenses. A gift of $500 would allow Rich to sustain the foundation he continues to build for himself and his family.

151. Frank is a young man living in Bridgeport. His father recently died in an accident. Frank completed high school and is now taking college courses. He also works two jobs to help support his mom and several younger siblings. A gift of $270 would cover the cost of the required drug and alcohol course and his drivers license exam  something hes been putting off because of the expense, but would help him get to work and school.

152. Charlotte is a young woman living in Bridgeport. She lost both parents during childhood and experienced an incredible amount of trauma. Through persistence and determination, she earned her high school diploma and recently completed became a certified nursing assistant. She is an eager and capable worker, but is unable to accept many jobs without personal transportation. A gift of $500 would help Charlotte get her license and pay for additional expenses to ensure she can get to work and perform her job.

153. Lydia, 56, lives with HIV. She raises her two teenage grandchildren as well as three great-grandchildren in the Bridgeport area. She receives Social Security benefits and Section 8 housing, with which she manages to do her best to provide for the children. She hasnt seen her one surviving brother in over 30 years because she cant afford a ticket to visit him in the Midwest. A gift of $500 would cover the cost of a ticket and expenses for Lydia to reunite with her brother.

154. Melinda is a single mother struggling to provide for her three children, ages 18, 12 and 3. She recently returned to Bridgeport after fleeing to Tennessee from her youngest childs abusive father. She has found a part-time job and a two-bedroom apartment, and is starting a new chapter in her life. A gift of $400 would assist Melinda in her rent and allow her to save some money for groceries.

155. Brielle is a single mother of three adult children. She currently lives with her 31-year-old son and his children in Bridgeport. She left California after an abusive relation that landed her abuser in court. Detectives told her to leave the state, and promised that she could return in early 2016. That didnt happen, and after a year in limbo, she is very upset and frustrated about the situation her ex-abuser has put her in. Brielle used to be self-sufficient, but now cant provide for herself or her grandchildren. A gift of $400 would help her with this new chapter in her life.

156. Cassie is a single mother of two children and recently separated from her husband. She works a part-time job applying for full-time work. Late on rent and utilities, she recently had to go without buying Christmas presents for her kids. A gift of $350 would assist Cassie in paying her bills and buying groceries.

157. Tiffany is a single mother three children living in the Bridgeport area. A house fire recently displaced the family, and destroyed the childrens clothing and school supplies. A $500 dollar gift card to Marshalls or Wal-Mart would go a long way to help replace what was destroyed in the blaze.

158. Tricia, of Bridgeport, is a single mother of three, who started her second job last month. Thats on top of her part-time college schedule, as she pursues a bachelors degree. Tricia is unable to pay the full amount of rent for her apartment at this time. A gift of $500 would help her settle into her new apartment with her children to avoid being homeless again during this cold winter season.

159. Misha, 18, is pregnant and expecting a baby in March. She is doing well in school and is on track to graduate in June. Shes been very sick throughout her pregnancy and cannot get a job. She plans on entering a certified nursing assistant program after her child is settled in. A gift of $275 would allow Misha to purchase baby essentials  a travel system, monitor and a playpen.
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From tragedy to happiness, the Bridgeport area saw a lot in 2016.

Click through the slideshow to see the top 10 stories that mattered to you this year.

216 started off with a tragic incident in a Fairfield neighborhood. In February a Fairfield police officer shot Fairfield resident Christopher Andrews dead in the climax of what police called a "violent domestic assault."

His wife and their three children then were scattered, with various blunt-force injuries and stab wounds, among three area hospitals. In November, a Connecticut prosecutor ruled the shooting was justified.

Luckily, Fairfield also had some uplifting news in May. Readers were drawn into the story of a Sacred Heart University student who was proposed to on graduation day making it the number one good news story of the year.


I am sure the Connecticut Post has received many outraged responses to the Let Reason Prevail sign that the atheists erected on the Huntington Green in Shelton.

What strikes me about itk though, is the ridiculousness of the sign itself.

The atheists profess to know so much about the secret inner workings of the universe. Though we are but tiny specks in a vast cosmos, the atheists can tell us for certain that there are no gods  whatever that means  that there is no intelligent force behind any of it.

The genetic code wrote itself. The automated self-replicating living machines that inhabit the earth could not have been designed or created, the atheists assure us.

If we are to follow the atheists suggestion and let reason prevail, we would logically deduce that they are the ones being unreasonable.

Advanced technological beings such as ourselves would seem to require an intelligent creator.

Maybe the arrogant atheists just want to feel superior to everyone else. But if you are so willfully ignorant as to disparage that which you do not understand, then your igno-arrogance has gotten the best of your superiority.

Kevin S. Malone

Trumbull
The Chinese and Philippine coast guards reportedly met on Friday, December 23 wherein they discussed maritime cooperation on the disputed South China Sea. This move was done after the announcement of Philippines to temporarily set aside the conflict on the disputed waters.

"The meeting held in Manila was the first time for the two navies since the start of their conflict over ownership of several islands and reefs in the strategic waterway years ago," Chinatopix reported.

According to some analysts, this meeting is a sign that President Duterte is seeking an alliance with Beijing and decides to let go of its longstanding ally, United States.

"The Philippines has taken a rather moderate approach toward the Chinese position on the status of the claims in the South China Sea," Carl Baker, director of programs at the Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu, said.

"As relations warm, both China and the Philippines will try to enlarge their artificial islands, build new structures on them and improve on existing infrastructure," Baker said.

To recall, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte think that it is best way to settle the disputed waters by developing it and sharing with China. Moreover, he was reported to like China because he was not and will not be criticized by China.

Duterte has reportedly taken all measures to lead its foreign policy towards China since assuming his presidency last June.
A $25,000 cash bond is staying in place for a Cornell man after he pleaded not guilty Tuesday to kidnapping a girl in the town of Cleveland on June 4.

Timothy A. Rathbun, 57, is to return to court at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, Judge James Isaacson said.

Rathbun is also charged with false imprisonment, possession of a firearm while intoxicated and intoxicated driving-first offense with a minor child in the vehicle. He is charged with having a blood alcohol level of 0.15, well above the state intoxication level of 0.08.

The case has taken time to get to this point, said Wade Newell, an assistant Chippewa County district attorney. We have had ongoing discussions (with the defense) about this. We just got some of the evidence back, Newell told Isaacson.

According to a criminal complaint:

A girl under the age of 13 said she was at a residence when Rathbun said he was going to adopt her and give her a better life. The girl said Rathbun grabbed her arm and put her in his truck, then drove to his residence.

Rathbun was showing the girl his bathroom when men from the residence where the girl was taken arrived. Rathbun tried to block the bathroom door, but a man was able to grab the child and remove her from the residence.

A few minutes later Rathbun went over the residence where the girl had been taken and said: Im going home and loading. You better be ready. Five minutes later, two gunshots were heard.

Rathbun said the girl got into his vehicle by herself. He said his plan was to adopt the girl.
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.
The Queen wants to save the Commonwealth

The Queens alleged support for Brexit is related to her determination to save the Commonwealth, says my royal source, who adds: After Elizabeth II, who was crowned Queen of an Empire, all will be different. Charless inevitably short reign will be followed by that of William, who grew up in an EU nation. And, like his father, he doesnt seem keen on courting most of the realms his grandmother currently reigns over.

RE: HM and Brexit, might her apparent Euroscepticism have been exacerbated by former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg? As Lord President of the Council, the Europhile, multi-lingual Clegg sermonising in her presence over the virtues of Europe is said to have enraged the monarch. He is also said to have annoyed her by announcing a review of the laws of succession prior to William and Kates wedding without telling HM.

How-old fashioned Denzel Washington sounds

Denzel Washington, 61, star of Training Day, pictured, and the new film Fences, recalls: My father worked 50 years for the water department. He was also a minister and he worked three jobs all the time. Celebrity is really over-rated  we dont want anything to do with celebrity. How old-fashioned he sounds. Were currently agonising over how many celebs died in 2016.

News that Prince George will attend Wetherby School in London had already been mentioned here 18 months ago. As I pointed out, there is no selection process other than the ability to pay the fees of 6,500 per term and buy the distinctive uniform. The Queen and her sister, the late Princess Margaret, were educated at home by tutors. After the Queen Mother was advised they needed more reading material, she went to Hatchards, in Piccadilly, and purchased several volumes of P.G. Wodehouse novels for them. Still valuable, surely, as guides to the foibles of human nature.

Cleggs own less-than-brilliant approach  denying the electorate a vote on Europe  helped lose him his partys leadership as well as 49 seats at the 2015 election.

Nick Clegg says he sympathises with his out-of-power coalition partner, Tory David Cameron, but adds that if you invite the electorate to have a vote to basically suit your own political ends, the electorate has an unnerving habit of providing you with a different answer. Cleggs own less-than-brilliant approach  denying the electorate a vote on Europe  helped lose him his partys leadership as well as 49 seats at the 2015 election.

RE: the Lib Dems, current leader Tim Farron, pop-eyed with excitement, appeared on TV from a Paris refugee centre with a Christmas message, and warned us not to become a smaller, meaner and more selfish nation and to take in more migrants from France. He didnt mention that the resurgent Right-wing candidate for the French presidency promises a Frexit referendum.

Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Laura Trott, 24, reveals that shes superstitious: I have to step on a wet towel in my socks before I race. Nothing weird about cyclists!
It's a story that will make all would-be parents shudder; when Modern Family star Sofia Vergara split from fiance Nick Loeb, she assumed it would spell the end for the embryos they had frozen together as part of a failed IVF attempt.

Fast forward two years and the pair are embroiled in a bitter legal battle over those same two embryos and their 'right to live'; despite signing a contract beforehand, the millionaire businessman is intent on bringing the two unborn babies into the world against their mother's wishes.

While this case is extremely rare, it highlights a troubling question for US and UK families alike - and one expert has warned that the matter of parental rights surrounding IVF is more relevant than ever for couples here in Britain.

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Sofia Vergara and her former fiance Nick Loeb (pictured in 2014) are locked in a legal battle over their frozen embryos, with the businessman arguing for their 'right to live'

Zahra Pabani, family law partner at Shakespeare Martineau, tells FEMAIL: 'With many couples now turning to fertility treatments to conceive, it's important to consider what will happen to an embryo in the event of a separation or divorce.

'While it may be the last thought on a couple's mind when they are planning a family, it's crucial that partners individually seek independent legal advice prior to making an embryo. This will allow them to protect their parental rights if their circumstances change.'

She tells FEMAIL what every couple should know before embarking on IVF - whether you're considering egg donation or surrogacy.

If you split with your partner

Zahra stresses that while Sofia Vergara's case is 'highly unusual' and not something we would normally see in the UK (an ex-partner cannot use a frozen embryo to make a baby unless both partners give their permission), there are vital lessons to be learned from the actress's plight.

Zahra Pabani is family law partner at Shakespeare Martineau in London

'In Britain, if a couple decides to make an embryo together which they then freeze, the law requires that both partners must give their consent before it can be used to make a baby,' Zahra explains.

'If a couple splits up, or if one partner decides they no longer want children, they can simply withdraw their consent and the embryo cannot be used.

'Therefore, unlike the Sofia Vergara case, an ex-partner cannot use a frozen embryo to make a baby unless both partners give their permission.'

This is different to the US, where some pro-life states, like Louisiana, offer special legal protections for frozen embryos, recognising fertilised eggs as a person or juridical entity.

'Therefore, even if a couple separates - as is the case with Sofia and her former husband  one partner can appeal to use the embryo to make a baby without the other partner's permission.'

If you're using a surrogate

Caprice Bourret with her sons Jaxx and Jett. One of Caprice's sons was born via a surrogate. Under British law, the woman who carries the child potentially has the right to keep it

Thanks to stars like Caprice putting surrogacy on the map, it's no longer a taboo issue. In a bizarre twist of fate, the model, who thought she was unable to conceive naturally, fell pregnant shortly after arranging for a surrogate to carry her baby with partner Ty Comfort.

Their sons, Jaxx and Jet, now three, were born just weeks apart - but Zahra warns that surrogacy isn't always plain sailing.

'For couples considering surrogacy, it's important to know the legal implications around financial settlements,' she says.

'According to UK law, surrogacy is only allowed if the surrogate mother is not paid. Whilst reasonable expenses can be funded, paying the mother a fee to carry the child is strictly prohibited.

'It's also important to understand who is viewed as the "mother" of the child in a legal sense. Under British law, the woman who carries and gives birth to the child is always treated as the mother, and potentially has the right to keep the child - even if they're not genetically related.'

Egg and sperm donation

Tina Malone with her husband Paul Chase and baby Flame. The pair conceived thanks to an egg donor, but under UK law the woman who gives birth (Tina) is the legal mother

Shameless star Tina Malone became a mother again at 50 thanks to an egg donor - and under UK law, the woman who gives birth (in this case Tina) is the legal mother.

So what does that mean for the woman carrying the baby - and for the donors themselves?

Approaching fertility options in a similar way to a business transaction can help reduce heartache

Zahra explains that the woman carrying the baby is within her rights to keep it - and it would be the responsibility of the donors to appeal this in the courts.

'In the instance described, the donors would have a strong case as the child has been made using their genetic material,' says Zahra. 'However, cases where the surrogate mother uses her own egg can become much more complicated.

'As harsh as it may sound, approaching fertility options in a similar way to a business transaction can help to reduce heartache in the long run, should a relationship break down.

'If a couple signs a contract with the surrogate mother prior to the pregnancy, it is not currently enforced by UK law, but the rise of alternative routes to creating a family will likely see it being recognised in the courts in future years.

'In its harshest form, a couple could sign an agreement and pay expenses but if the surrogate mother wishes to keep the baby at any point, the contract could be redundant and the couple could have to take the case to court.'

For same-sex couples

Elton John and David Furnish's sons, Zachary, six, and Elijah, three, were born via egg donor and are believed to have used the same California-based surrogate after they both donated sperm 'so we don't know which of us is the father' - a process which is banned in the UK

Elton John and his husband David Furnish are the proud parents of Zachary, six, and Elijah, three. The pair both donated sperm so they would not know who the biological father was - but had they not been in a civil partnership at the time, things would have been very different.

'For non-civil and unmarried same-sex couples, surrogacy can pose challenges,' says Zahra.

'For female couples, the woman who carries the baby using her own egg and a sperm donor is the only partner who has legal parental rights. Whilst for male same-sex couples, it is the partner who donated sperm.
The entry questions to get into Oxford University are designed to test the minds of the country's brightest teens and encourage them to stretch their imaginations.

In a bid to find the smartest people in the country, the prestigious institution asks prospective candidates questions ranging from the philosophical to the more pedestrian - including why Coronation Street is important to an English student.

The university releases a set of sample questions each year to calm the nerves of those applying and allow mere mortals to see if they'd wilt or flower in one of the most revered academic institutions.

Oxford University release a sample set of questions they ask prospective candidates when deciding if they are smart enough to get a place

Up to 10,000 interviews take place each year with just 3,500 places available and the entrance exam itself is renowned for its difficulty.

The questions cover different subject topics including medicine, psychology, philosophy, law, physics, history, English and modern languages.

The tutors who conduct the interviews and asked the questions all explain on the prestigious university's website what they are looking for in a candidate below.

Could you bag a place at one of the most famous universities in the world?

COULD YOU GET THERE? PUT YOURSELF TO THE TEST:

MODERN LANGUAGES

Should poetry be difficult to understand?

Interviewer Helen Swift of St Hilda's College explained how this question arose from a particular student interview. She said: 'We wanted to push the candidate into more conceptual thinking to test his intellectual curiosity and how he would handle moving from familiar particulars (the poems he knew) to less familiar ways of approaching them.

'What's important for candidates to realise is that we don't expect a single correct answer to such a question; it's a starting point for a new direction of discussion: what sorts of "difficulties" might we have in mind? Are these specific to poetry or do they also feature in other types of writing? And so on.'

What is language?

Swift explained that in order to get a student thinking critically and analytically, the question would get them to consider what constitutes the language they enjoy.

'Is it defined by particular features or by function (what it does)? How does form relate to meaning?,' she explained.

In a world where English is a global language, why learn French?

Swift explained that she would hope students would describe French language as a 'window' into French culture/literature/history/

She added that she would also accept answers considering whether French is really a global language along with Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Teens are put to the test when applying to the university but some of the questions have been released to quiz the entire country

PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Why is income per head between 50 and 100 times larger in the United States than in countries such as Burundi and Malawi?

Discussing the correct answer to this question, interviewer Brian Bell of Lady Margaret Hall said: 'A good starting point is to think about whether the amount of capital and technology available to workers in different countries is the same and if not, why not?

'US workers are much more productive because they have access to the best technology - the US is at the technological frontier. But why do poor countries not just buy the same technology and be as productive?

'Possibly, the education levels are too low to allow for the use of such technology or perhaps there are insufficient savings to purchase the technology or the infrastructure might not exist.'

He said that good candidates should recognise that institutions matter a lot and they should also consider trade restrictions by the rich world on poor countries exports, civil wars, disease (eg AIDS, malaria).

Im having trouble with the meaning of three words: Lie, Deceive, Mislead. They seem to mean something a bit similar, but not exactly the same. Help me to sort them out from each other.

Interviewer Dave Leal of Brasenose College explained what happened when he asked this question, saying that his candidates adopted a number of strategies.

One, he explained, was to provide definitions of each of them, others contrasted them in pairs and some gave example sentences where they are used.

'No particular strategy was "correct", and a variety of interesting discussions developed,' he said.

The prestigious university offers 3,500 places each year but up to 10,000 students apply for a spot

PHYSICS

A ball, initially at rest, is pushed upwards by a constant force for a certain amount of time. Sketch the velocity of the ball as a function of time, from start to when it hits the ground.

Interviewer Jeffrey Tseng of St Edmund Hall explained that he would ask students to sketch a graph and then help them through the problem.

He said: 'The above line of questioning could easily result in a discussion of satellites, orbits, weightlessness or dark matter. It's usually a guided discussion rather than a matter of getting answers right or wrong straight away.

'I want to see how students respond to guidance and how they correct themselves, hopefully less by guessing than by thinking through what they know and what I've told them. Or in other words, while I am looking for a correct answer in the end, I'm even more interested in rigorous thinking.'

CLASSICS

Why do you think Dido kills herself in Aeneid 4? Couldnt she just have gone back to her old life?

Interviewer Gail Trimble of Trinity College believes a solid answer to this question might point out that the work contains hints that Didos sister and the people she rules will be devastated by her death because she actually has a lot to live for.

'The answer might look for things Dido says that suggest shes killing herself because she has lost her self-respect, and perhaps ask whether this rather obsessive focus on self-respect is a typical characteristic of ancient heroes,' she added.

ENGLISH LITERATURE

Why do you think an English student might be interested in the fact that Coronation Street has been running for 50 years?

Interviewer Lynn Robson of Regent's Park College believes this question brings popular culture into the mix for students.

She said good prospective students would consider techniques of storytelling; mixing humorous and serious storylines/characters; how a writer might keep viewers or readers engaged; collaborative writing and the use of serialisation.

A question on the long-running ITV soap Coronation Street made an appearance for English Literature students

HISTORY

Which person (or sort of person) in the past would you most like to interview, and why?

Tuck explained there is no right or wrong answer for this question but he hopes students would explain what kind of issues they'd want to find out about.

He said: '"Meeting" Elizabeth I or Winston Churchill might be exciting, but if the candidate wants to find out about, say, their leadership style, they might be better off asking questions of a courtier or member of the war cabinet.'

Is violence always political? Does political mean something different in different contexts?

Interviewer Ian Forrest of Oriel College explained that a good candidate would, with assistance, begin to construct categories of when violence looks more and less political and begin to construct a useful definition of 'political'.

LAW

If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law?

Interviewer Liora Lazarus of St Anne's College explained: 'The candidate who distinguishes between 'just' and 'effective' does best. The issues are different once that distinction is made. A just law might not be effective, or vice versa. The issues of how proportionate the punishment is to the crime refer to the justness of the law. The answer to its effectiveness is already in the question: 'and therefore nobody did it.'

What does it mean for someone to take anothers car?

Interviewer Ben McFarlane from the Faculty of Law provided a hypothetical answer to this question.

He wrote: 'One example might be: "I am walking along the street when it starts to rain. I open the door of an unlocked car and sit there for 15 minutes until the rain passes. Have I 'taken' the car?'"

'The aim of the interview is to give the candidate a chance to show his or her application, reasoning ability, and communication skills.'

A law-based query ponders whether a punishment of death for parking on double yellow lines is a 'just and effective law'

MEDICINE

Why does your heart rate increase when you exercise?

Robert Wilkins, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics explained: 'The simple answer, which all students can provide, is because you need to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to muscles and remove metabolic products.

'But follow-up questions would probe whether the student appreciates that there must be a way for the body to know it needs to raise the heart rate, and possible ways for achieving this. Answers might include sensing lowered oxygen or raised carbon dioxide levels.

'In fact, gas levels might not change much, so students are further asked to propose other signals and ways in which those possibilities could be tested. This probes selection criteria such as problem-solving and critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm and curiosity, and the ability to listen.'

Why do we have red blood cells?

Wilkins said that the real point of this question is to see whether students can offer suggestions as to why haemoglobin is required and why the haemoglobin needs to be contained within red cells and is not free in the plasma.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Heres a cactus. Tell me about it.

Interviewer Martin Speight, from St Anne's College said people should consider why the cactus has large sharp spines, surrounded by lots of very small hair-like spines and why it has small cacti budding off the main body.

He also said he would probe the interviewee about the problems faced by plants and animals living in very dry habitats such as deserts.

Why do many animals have stripes?

Speight said that students should consider animals that have stripes for camouflage (such as zebras but also tigers), as well as those who have stripes for hiding from prey and the other to hide from predators.

He added: 'Other things that would be worth considering include whether stripes may only occur in the young of a species; whether the colour of the stripes matters rather than just the contrasting stripe pattern, and why do stripe size, shape, width and pattern vary in different species. There are no right or wrong specific answers to the questions  I'm just interested in candidates' speculations about the advantages of having stripes.'

Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?

Interviewer Owen Lewis from Brasenose College explains that red can signal either 'don't eat me' or 'eat me' to consumers.
For many people, alongside the regular resolutions of losing weight and getting fit, saving money is a common New Year goal.

But what if, instead of sprinkling money aimlessly and randomly into a savings account when you've got a bit spare, you actually had a plan?

FEMAIL spoke to the leading financial advisor, Canna Campbell, from Sydney, for her New Year money-saving tips.

And from paying with cash at all points to doing your grocery shopping online and even treating yourself (within reason), some might surprise you.

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FEMAIL spoke to leading financial advisor, Canna Campbell (pictured), from Sydney, for her New Year money-saving tips

Saving money is a common New Year's resolution, but when you have a plan, it can be much easier than when you just deposit random sums of money into a savings account (stock image)

HOW TO SAVE IN 2017 * Adopt a budget, make cut backs and then set up a direct debit so that the money you've saved goes into a savings account automatically. * Pay for as much as you can with real-life money and adopt the envelope system, which means you put money in an envelope regularly to save for something you want. Handing that over physically makes you realise what you're spending. * Stay up to date with your Internet banking, and check it every two days. * Do your grocery shop on the Internet so you can see the money adding up as you spend it. * Make your desire to save a priority each month, and put money into an account as soon as you get paid. * Bring lunch to work. * Call up your utility providers to make sure you're on the best deal possible. * Research your transport and get off a stop early in order to save on fares. * Learn to say no and embrace simple pleasures which are free. * Treat yourself if it's something that makes you feel good, and see it as an investment. Advertisement

According to Ms Campbell, the most important thing you can do on January 1 is make a budget.

'Go through your expenses and cross reference exactly where your money is going,' she told Daily Mail.

'In our heads, we downplay what we actually spend. You might think you spend $100 a week on groceries, when in reality you spend closer to $150. Once you know where your cash is going, you can glean a real insight.'

Once you've understood your finances, it's time to make a plan.

'Start questioning what you value and make cut backs.

'I figured out I was paying $180 a month for Foxtel a couple of months ago and decided I wasn't really using it enough to justify it.

'Cut or reduce your expenses and then set it up so that the money you're saving as a result of your cut backs goes into a savings account by direct debit.

'If the temptation isn't there to spend it, you won't even think about it.

Canna Campbell is also a huge fan of paying for as much as you physically can with real-life money.

'I call it the envelope system,' she said.

According to Ms Campbell (pictured), who is the founder of SASS Financial, the most important thing you can do on January 1 is make a budget

Once you've understood your finances, it's time to make a plan - 'Make your desire to save a priority each month,' Ms Campbell advised

'Say you know you've got a trip to the hairdresser at the end of the month and it's going to cost you $150, then start putting notes into an envelope throughout the month and pay for the trip with that cash.

'When we physically see an exchange of money, we realise it a lot more and see our bank balances drop.

Say you know you've got a trip to the hairdresser at the end of the month and it's going to cost you $150, then start putting notes into an envelope throughout the month and pay for the trip with that cash

'Contactless or payWave encourages us to tap and go without thinking about it.'

Ms Campbell said it's also important to stay up to date with your Internet Banking, checking it at least once every two days - both so you can be aware of potential fraud and feel more in control.

'Make your desire to save a priority each month,' she said.

'Rather than something you just do with whatever cash you have left, put a certain amount of money directly into a savings account as soon as you get paid.

'Then, write down your money-saving goals and set a deadline for when you have to achieve them.'

Simple things such as shopping online and taking lunch to work can also save you huge sums in the long run (stock image)

Things like researching your train or bus route and getting off one or two stops early can also save you precious dollars

Simple things such as shopping online and taking lunch to work can also save you huge sums in the long run.

'When you do your grocery shop in the supermarket, it's easy to throw all sorts of things in - and have no idea how much it's going to cost until you reach the checkout,' Ms Campbell said.

'When you do the grocery shop on the Internet, you can see the total adding up as you do your shop. That way, you can add or take away if it gets to be too much or too little.'

'Being responsible with money is an act of self love. Do it right and you'll feel good'

Ms Campbell also said that by taking lunch to work you not only save money, but also stop yourself from breaking vital notes during the day.

'It's hard to find lunch in Sydney for less than $10, which means we're constantly breaking notes,' she said.

'If you bring lunch, you're more likely to count through your change to fork out for a coffee.'

The financial advisor believes one of the best tricks to ensure you're saving wherever possible is to ring up all of your utility providers and check you're on the best deal for you.

'Sometimes, if you threaten to leave, they'll also pull out all the stops,' she said.

Things like researching your train or bus route and getting off one or two stops early can also save you precious dollars.

'One of the big ones is learning to say no,' she said.

'Adopt simple pleasures - go to the beach, have friends round for dinner instead of going out for pricey cocktails or read a book.

'Being responsible with money is an act of self love. Do it right and you'll feel good.'

Last but not least, while Ms Campbell said it's incredibly important to have a rainy day fund - or a sleep well at night number - it's also a good idea to treat yourself (stock image)

'If you feel good by having a pedicure and it re-focuses your energy levels, then do it - it's an investment,' she said

Last but not least, while Ms Campbell said it's incredibly important to have a rainy day fund - or a sleep well at night number - it's also a good idea to treat yourself.

'I call this sanity money,' she said.

'If you feel good by having a pedicure and it re-focuses your energy levels, then do it - it's an investment.

'It's very personal, but I'm all about balance in life and if you're still tracking along in your money-saving journey, then treats are allowed and important.'
Picture the scene.

You're flicking through old photos on Facebook when you come across one of your mother captured just before you were born... but she's not pregnant in the picture.

This was the very real, bizarre situation which unfurled for Silvina Martinez Pintos, 31, from Mar Del Plata in Buenos Aires.

She spotted the crucial detail while browsing old family photos on social media.

Silvina Martinez Pintos, 31, from Mar Del Plata in Buenos Aires (pictured), discovered her mother wasn't her real mum after seeing a photo of her on Facebook - and she wasn't pregnant

Ms Martinez Pintos has since posted about her discovery on Facebook, where she hopes to harness the power of the Internet to find her real birth mother.

'Hello. I am uploading this post, adding my photos in which I look like my biological mother. The man who is in these photos is my adoptive father,' she wrote.

'I was born in Trelew on March 27, 1985, and I learned recently that I was adopted. A few days after, my adoptive parents took me to live in La Plata, where I lived for 11 years until I moved to Mar del Plata (where I currently live).'

Ms Martinez Pintos has since posted about her discovery on Facebook (pictured), where she hopes to harness the power of the Internet to find her real birth mother

Continuing with her detailed post, Ms Martinez Pintos wrote: 'I would love to know about the woman who gave birth to me.

'I only know that I was born in the Modelo clinic at 11.30 in the morning, my biological mother was 16 years old and the doctor who attended the delivery was Dr Ricardo Carminatti.

'I would be interested to find her, not to judge her. I just want to know who I look like, if I have brothers... and just listen.'

'I am uploading this post, adding my photos in which I look like my biological mother,' Ms Martinez Pintos

'I have two children. One is very similar to my husband, the youngest looks like me, but what intrigues me is whom I resemble. It's a sentimental thing,' Ms Martinez Pintos (pictured) wrote

The 31-year-old admitted that 'it was very hard to find out the truth'.

'I have two children. One is very similar to my husband, the youngest looks like me, but what intrigues me is whom I resemble. It's a sentimental thing.

'I want to know what happened: if they told my mother I was dead, or that I was not dead... it is a possibility.

'I want that closure, not to reproach anyone.'

Since Ms Martinez Pintos first posted earlier this month, her sentiments have been picked up far and wide.

The post has been heavily shared on Facebook and other forms of social media, as thousands have got involved with the search for Ms Martinez Pintos's real mother.
Move over, Kylie Jenner! A pair of fashionista toddlers have become unlikely Instagram stars with their sassy poses, chic outfits and matching style.

Claire Stafford, 34, who is originally from Manchester but now lives in Dubai, didn't want to bombard her friends with endless snaps of her children Leo, three, and Hattie, two, and so set up a separate account solely dedicated to photographs of them.

At first, she kept the page secret but friends soon caught wind and she has now built up a 2,000-strong online following - and has even raked in more than 1,000 of free clothes.

A pair of fashionista toddlers have become unlikely Instagram stars with their sassy poses, chic outfits and matching style (Hattie, two, pictured above)

'I just wanted it as a place to store pictures, I didn't tell anyone about it,' says Claire, who met her 32-year-old husband Oliver in Dubai.

'But as I was using the same email address for both accounts, it came up as a recommended page for my friends to follow anyway, and it's grown from there.

'I don't know exactly how many freebies we've got but I'd say it's well over 1,000.'

Previously working as cabin crew, Claire turned her attention to photography after becoming a mother.

Claire Stafford, 34, who is originally from Manchester but now lives in Dubai, didn't want to bombard her friends with endless snaps of her children Leo (above right) and Hattie (above left) and so set up a separate account solely dedicated to photographs of them

The pair now boast over 2,000 followers on Instagram - and have even raked in over 1,000 of free clothes (Leo, above)

'I just wanted it as a place to store pictures, I didn't tell anyone about it,' says Claire, who met her 32-year-old husband Oliver in Dubai (both pictured above)

Because Claire was using the same email address as her personal account, it came up as a recommended page for her friends to follow and it has since grown from there

Keen to build up her camera skills as she expanded her business, she'd snap Leo and Hattie for practice.

Then, in February this year, she set up an Instagram page as a place to store all her handiwork.

Shortly afterwards, she spotted a children's clothing brand looking for online representatives  those with big followings to help promote their business.

Candidates were asked to apply by posting some of their favourite pictures of their kids modelling the clothes and, to Claire's surprise, Leo and Hattie were selected as winners.

Previously working as cabin crew, Claire turned her attention to photography after becoming a mother. Keen to build up her camera skills as she expanded her business, she'd snap Leo and Hattie (pictured above) for practice

Then, in February this year, she set up an Instagram page as a place to store all her handiwork. Shortly afterwards, she spotted a children's clothing brand looking for online representatives  those with big followings to help promote their business

Candidates were asked to apply by posting some of their favourite pictures of their kids modelling the clothes and, to Claire's surprise, Leo (above with Claire) and Hattie were selected as winners

'Some of these competitions get thousands of applicants, so I didn't think we'd have a chance,' she told.

'I used to apply for all sorts, but now I'm more choosy and only do it with clothes I know the kids would actually like.

'There's no point in getting something that, if I saw it in a shop, I'd think was hideous.'

Now, Claire's page has hundreds and hundreds of fans.

She checks whenever she gets a new follow to make sure they are legitimate accounts.

She says: 'Some of these competitions get thousands of applicants, so I didn't think we'd have a chance. I used to apply for all sorts, but now I'm more choosy and only do it with clothes I know the kids would actually like'

Now, Claire's (above with Hattie) page has hundreds and hundreds of fans. She checks whenever she gets a new follow to make sure they are legitimate accounts

Taking all her photos herself, she brings her camera everywhere she goes, snapping Leo and Hattie (above) as they go about their day to day lives. Where she can, she even tries to colour code or match Leo and Hattie's outfits, usually planning their looks the night before

'Sometimes I doubt myself and worry people will think I'm pushing them, but luckily I've only ever had positive responses,' Claire said

She continues: 'I don't want them to feel forced to pose or perform, so I prefer natural shots. 'If they're grizzly or in a bad mood, I won't take their photo. Hopefully these photos will be something lovely for them to look back on when they're older'

Taking all her photos herself, she brings her camera everywhere she goes, snapping Leo and Hattie as they go about their day to day lives.

Where she can, she even tries to colour code or match Leo and Hattie's outfits, usually planning their looks the night before.

'Sometimes I doubt myself and worry people will think I'm pushing them, but luckily I've only ever had positive responses,' she said.

'I don't want them to feel forced to pose or perform, so I prefer natural shots.

'If they're grizzly or in a bad mood, I won't take their photo.
A size 14 model has landed her first magazine cover after scooping the title of Scandinavia's Top Model.

Ronja Manfredsson, 19, from Graso in Sweden, beat 17 other girls to the crown after the show rolled out their first-ever plus-size series this year.

The teenager has since been snapped up by MiLK management - who also have plus-size model Tess Holliday on their books - and appears on the latest cover of SLiNK magazine as she is tipped to take the fashion industry by storm.

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Ronja Manfredsson, 19, from Graso, Sweden, beat 17 other girls to be crowned Scandinavia's Top Model after the contest rolled out their first-ever plus-size series this year

The teenage model stuns on the cover of her very first magazine shoot after being napped up by MiLK management - who also have plus-size model Tess Holliday on their books

Ronja, who is 5ft 11in and a UK size 14, always dreamed of being a model but claimed she never had any luck with agencies, which she believes is down to her size.

The fourth series of Scandinavia's Next Top Model returned in August following a ten-year hiatus and was the franchise's first ever curve edition, with contestants required to meet a minimum size requirement of 42 (UK size 14).

Contestants were picked from Sweden, Norway and Denmark - six from each country - and one was eliminated each week following a series of increasingly gruelling tasks including a lingerie shoot and posing alongside horses while wearing couture gowns.

Raw ambition: Ronja, who is 5ft 11in and a size 14, always dreamed of being a model but claimed she never had any luck with agencies, which she believes is down to her size

Earlier this year, the team jetted out to Lisbon to film for the international franchise with all four finalists taking part in the shoot - but it was Ronja who landed the coveted over of SLiNK

The magazine is available to purchase via the company's website slinkmagazine.com

The reality show, based on Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model, has been praised for promoting different body types.

Ronja's first real taste of fame comes as she graces the cover of SLiNK magazine's latest issue.

Earlier this year, the team jetted out to Lisbon to film the final episode of the international franchise.

A spokesperson for the magazine pointed out this was 'in stark contrast' to America's Top Model which 'couldn't muster one single curve contestant' despite having Ashley Graham on the judging panel.

MiLK management owner Anna Shillinglaw took part in the show as a judge, alongside models Robyn Lawley and Hayley Hasselhoff who made guest appearances as mentors and guest judges.

The agency teamed up with the show to shoot all four finalists for the series finale - with the winner landing the coveted cover.

Rivkie Baum, editor of SLiNK magazine, said: 'I think it is incredibly exciting and telling that we have just seen the first ALL CURVE model edition of Next Top Model.

Speaking after the show, Ronja said of her win: 'I'm so happy that I'm the winner of Top Model Scandinavia 2016, it feels so unreal. It was a journey I'll never forget'

'It is quite surprising that it has taken this long to come to fruition but it simply shows the desire for diversity in the fashion industry and for better and more diverse media representation for young girls.'

PLUS-SIZE FASHION . In the UK 4.9 million women wear a size 18+ . In the USA 67% of women are considered plus size . The plus size clothing market has grown by 47% since 2006 and is now estimated to be worth around 5.4 billion Advertisement

Commenting that 2016 has been a 'great year' for plus-size fashion, Rivkie added: 'I think it's a shame that America's Next Top Model couldn't muster a single non-sample size contestant this year especially given that we have seen plus size models walk runway shows at New York fashion week this year, these shows should be a reflection of the evolving industry.

'It was an absolute pleasure to work with the show and the response Ronja has received clearly shows what a great winner she is and how 2017 will definitely be her year.'
MADISON  Repeat drunken drivers will face more time behind bars in Wisconsin starting New Years Day under a law the state Legislature passed overwhelmingly nearly a year ago.

The new law doesnt make the first offense a criminal violation, leaving Wisconsin as the only state that treats a first offense as a civil violation. Advocates for sober driving say lawmakers need to go further in the upcoming session, starting by expanding ignition interlock use.

(The new penalties are) just closing some loopholes that currently exist, said Frank Harris, state government affairs director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. By the time someones a repeat offender prosecutors need every tool in the tool box.

The new law, sponsored by Rep. Jim Ott, a Mequon Republican, makes a fourth drunken driving offense a felony punishable by up to six years in prison regardless of when its committed. Right now a fourth offense is a felony only if its committed within five years of a third offense.

The law also increases the maximum sentence for fifth and sixth offenses from three years to five. Maximum sentences for seventh, eighth and ninth offenses will increase from five years to seven years and six months. The maximum sentence for a 10th or subsequent offense will increase from seven years and six months to a decade in prison. The new penalties will go into effect Jan. 1.

Drunken driving has plagued Wisconsin for decades. The state Department of Transportation has tracked more than 4,000 alcohol-related crashes every year from 2012 through 2015. Eighty-five people died in alcohol-related crashes last year, according to the state agencys data.

The states drunken driving laws have been notoriously lax. Wisconsin is the only state where a first offense is treated similar to a speeding ticket. The offender can lose a drivers license but doesnt face any jail time and can obtain occupational licenses allowing travel to certain destinations during certain hours.

Prohibitive cost estimates and resistance from powerful Tavern League lobbyists have scuttled attempts to create harsher penalties. The Department of Corrections, for example, projects it may have to spend as much as $129 million annually as well as another $157 million to construct a dozen drug abuse centers to accommodate the additional offenders under the new law.

Still, sober driving advocates seem to be gaining some momentum. Ott has insisted the cost estimates are exaggerated and the Tavern League registered in support of the new law. The Senate passed the measure in January on a voice vote, a procedure reserved for non-controversial legislation, and the Assembly passed it 95-1 in February.

MADDs Harris wants more. He wants to see Sen. Van Wanggard, a Racine Republican, reintroduce a bill that would allow first-time offenders to obtain a special license allowing them to drive wherever they wish if they install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles.

The devices work like breathalyzers. The driver blows into it and if his or her breath exceeds a certain alcohol content the vehicle wont start. Under the bill, a license holder who drives a vehicle without such a device could face six months behind bars.

A fiscal estimate attached to the bill found fees for the new licenses would generate about $1.1 million annually but the measure never got a floor vote last session.

Harris said 28 other states already permit such a practice, which he called an in-car probation officer.

Wanggard said Tuesday hell bring the bill back this session, adding that the measure will encourage people to stay sober. He said he also plans to bring back a proposal to revoke a persons license permanently if he or she has five or more operating while intoxicated offenses.

Ott, meanwhile, plans to reintroduce bills that would require a minimum 18-month prison sentence for fifth and sixth offenses and a mandatory seven-year sentence for committing a homicide while driving drunk.

By working to close loopholes and strengthen sentencing, Ott spokesman Ryan Augustyn said in a statement, we send the message that OWI is a serious offense with potentially life-changing consequences.
Ivanka Trump and her family are happily celebrating Hanukkah in Hawaii, and the proud mom is sharing plenty of photos of her children while they enjoy their tropical vacation.

The 35-year-old and her husband Jared Kushner, 35, are staying at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai with their children, Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore, and on Tuesday she took to Instagram to share a heartwarming photo of her daughter playing in the ocean.

Ivanka used three watermelon emoji to caption the image, which sees five-year-old Arabella wearing a long sleeve navy swimsuit featuring the fruit.

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Mini-me: Ivanka Trump took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a snapshot of her five-year-old daughter Arabella in the ocean during their vacation in Hawaii

Family bonding time: Earlier in the week, Ivanka posted a cute snap of her relaxing with baby Theodore, who is nine months old, by the pool

The little girl is pictured lying on the gray sand with her beach pail held under the clear water, and many of Ivanka's two million followers noted that Arabella looks just like her mother.

One of the businesswoman's staffers used the Ivanka Trump HQ Instagram account to comment on the post, writing: 'Arabella looks like she's having a blast'.

Later that night Ivanka watched a fire dancer and shared a short video of the jaw-dropping performance on her Instagram page, using three fire emoji to caption the clip.

For their getaway, the family appears to be staying at a private villa on the resort, which gives them access to the Four Seasons facilities.

Having a blast: On Tuesday night Ivanka watched a fire dancer and shared a video of the jaw-dropping performance on Instagram

Ivanka posted a photo of herself with husband Jared and the three children on Sunday as they celebrated Christmas and Hannukah.

'This year is one of the rare and special occasions where Hanukkah and Christmas coincide.

'As we light the candles, sending love from our family to yours this holiday season! Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!' she captioned the image.

And later that night, Ivanka slipped out to the beach in her negligee dress to snap a photo of herself and her husband Jared, writing: 'Hawaii.'

All together: Ivanka posed for a family photo with her husband Jared Kushner and their three kids, Arabella, Joseph and Theodore, as they celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah on Sunday

Look of love: Ivanka posted a photo on Christmas night of herself and husband Jared on the beach at their resort

Most of Donald Trump's five children spent the recent holiday apart, with Tiffany in Georgia with her mother Marla Maples, Eric and his wife Lara in her home state of North Carolina, and Barron and Donald Jr. the family's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

Ivanka and Jared jetted off to the islands with Arabella, Joseph and Theodore on Thursday, running into some trouble before they even left New York when Dan Goldstein, a lawyer from Brooklyn, began yelling at Ivanka: 'Your father is ruining the country.'

Goldstein then apparently began screaming out: 'Why is she on our flight. She should be flying private.'
Tiffany Trump may be enjoying the rest of her holiday vacation in Florida, but she couldn't resist sharing a throwback photo of herself playing in the snow while her boyfriend is in Aspen.

The 23-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate spent Christmas in Georgia with her mother Marla Maples before heading to her father Donald's luxurious Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

Although she escaped the frigid New York City weather, Tiffany took to Instagram early Wednesday morning to post a photo of herself decked out in winter gear as a child.

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Throwback! Tiffany Trump shared a picture of herself playing in the snow as a child while her boyfriend, Ross Mechanic, is in Aspen, Colorado

Say cheese! The 23-year-old spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with her mom Marla Maples in her home state of Georgia

Donald's youngest daughter used a snowflake emoji to caption the image, which sees her sitting with her legs cross in the snow.

Young Tiffany is dressed in leopard-print leggings, a black coat, a black knit hat, gloves, and Timberland boots in the photo, and numerous commenters noted that her half-brother Donald Jr.'s two-year-old daughter Chloe looks just like her.

And some of her friends took it as a sign that she should be with them in Colorado.

'You should be in Aspen!' socialite Julia Moshy commented, and Susan Shin agreed, writing: 'Yes come to Aspen!'

Fun in the sun: After the holiday, Tiffany traveled to her father Donald's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. She recently shared this Instagram video of the view

Twins: Some of Tiffany's fans noted that her half-brother Donald Trump Jr.'s daughter Chloe looks just like her. Chloe is pictured with her grandfather Donald over the weekend

Meanwhile, fashion designer Andrew Warren said Tiffany's picture is the 'cutest', adding: 'Wish you were in Aspen'.

Tiffany's longtime boyfriend Ross Mechanic is also in Aspen, and he recently shared a photo at the top of Snowmass Mountain.

While her wealthy friends and boyfriend are spending the holiday in the ski resort town in Colorado, Tiffany is having some fun in the sun in Florida.

Tiffany recently shared an Instagram Stories video of herself eating a hot dog and macaroni and cheese while enjoying a view of both the pool and beach at her father's resort.

Beautiful scene: Tiffany shared this photo over the weekend to wish everyone a happy holiday

President-elect: A number of guests at Mar-a-Lago waited to get a photo with Donald over the weekend

Her half-brothers, Donald Jr. and Barron, ten, joined the President-elect in Palm Beach over the weekend, and Tiffany is presumably spending time with them ahead of the new year.

Before she graduated from college in May, Tiffany would frequently travel to Mar-a-Lago on her breaks from school.

However, she spent the holiday with her mother in Dalton, Georgia, and t he future first daughter could be seen smiling in videos posted by Marla.

The videos that were posted on Christmas Eve and Christmas show Tiffany spending time with relatives in Marla's home state.

Family fun: Marla, 53, shared a video of her and her daughter in the car with her younger half-sister Danielle and her 97-year-old grandfather

Look of love: Tiffany attended the New York Botanical Garden Winter Wonderland Ball with Ross earlier this month

Winter wonderland: Ross snapped this photo on top of Snowmass Mountain on Monday

A week before the holiday, Marla posted a throwback photo of her little sister Danielle posing in front of a Christmas tree with Tiffany when they were young girls.

'My two beautiful girls, lil sis Danielle & Tiffany. I'm just as excited to spend Christmas with you this year as I was so many years ago,' she wrote. 'You light up the world with your wisdom & love. It feels like time stood still yet look at you #HappyHolidays #merrychristmas.'

On one side of the photo collage, Tiffany is pictured with her arm slung around Danielle's as they sit underneath the tree in their Christmas sweaters, while the other sees Marla's only child posed with Danielle on her wedding day.

Major milestone: Marla and Tiffany spent Thanksgiving with Ross and his family

All grown up! Marla took to Instagram last week to share the side-by-side images of her daughter Tiffany and her younger half-sister Danielle when they were children and now

Marla grew up in Georgia, and while her father Stanley and her late mother Ann were divorced, they remained friends until her death.

Stanley, who turned 75 in August, had Danielle with his wife Deanna, and Marla is close with both her half-sister and stepmother.

Marla and Tiffany traveled to Georgia over the summer for Danielle's bridal shower, and then her wedding.

Both Tiffany and Marla were a part of the ceremony, and Tiffany served as Maid of Honor on Danielle's big day.
Outraged parents have slammed a 'very inappropriate' design on a pair of children's leggings which are said to feature marijuana leaves.

The suspicious leggings were spotted on Amazon by a grandmother looking for a present for Christmas.

The leggings, which are 100 per cent polyester and cost $8.18 (6.69), were shipped from China but have now been removed from sale.

Outraged parents have slammed a 'very inappropriate' design on a pair of children's leggings which are said to feature marijuana leaves

The shopper who first noticed the item, from Florida, said: 'I just think thats very inappropriate for a 3-year-old, not something they should be advertising,' according to Fox 4.

Another concerned parent Ellen Snelling wrote on Twitter: 'Stop normalizing pot! It sends kids the wrong message.'

Ester Goldberg added: 'Amazon is selling a line of leggings for toddlers featuring green marijuana leaves and parents are not happy.

The leggings, which are 100 per cent polyester and cost $8.18 (6.69), are shipped from China

'Apparently it's not the type of potty training they had in mind.'

The item was originally for sale on a page called Aoshilong-Baby but were then seen on the JTC/Happy@Life Amazon page.

The printed leggings were described as being suitable for 'little girls'.

Concerned parent Ellen Snelling wrote on Twitter: 'Stop normalizing pot! It sends kids the wrong message'

An Amazon spokesman said: 'All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who dont will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The product in question is no longer available.'

The online retailer JTC/Happy@Life has been contacted for comment.

Earlier this year a similar marijuana-themed dress was being sold online by a Polish-based retailer but was quickly removed from sale.
The first thing Sophia Elson does each morning is to reach into the fridge. But its not in the kitchen and definitely doesnt contain the semi-skimmed.

Sophia, 38, is one of a growing band of women who has a separate fridge in her bedroom to store her cosmetics and beauty products.

Ive always kept my beauty products in a little fridge. Most people dont realise the importance of keeping make-up and moisturisers at the right temperatures, says Sophia, a beauty therapist from Kingston upon Thames.

The first thing Sophia Elson does each morning is to reach into the fridge. But its not in the kitchen and definitely doesnt contain the semi-skimmed

Originally I had one dedicated shelf in the family food fridge, but when I started to store more bottles in there and they were competing for space with the milk, I realised I needed a separate fridge. Its in the bedroom and hums slightly at night, but it doesnt bother me.

Now Sophia, who has three sons aged between two and 11, has not one but two beauty fridges, one that she takes with her when she travels for work and another that is permanently at home. The temperature is set at 16 degrees, which she says is well below the ambient temperature of her home.

I keep lipsticks and eyeliners in there so they stay sharp and firm and glide on without smudging. I also store my favourite perfume, Cherie by Christian Dior, in there, too. When my other half bought it for my birthday two years ago, it cost more than 100. I wouldnt dream of keeping it in the daylight as Id run the risk of it going off.

She also stores toner and moisturiser in her beauty fridge as well as make-up brushes. The cold bristles allow the make-up to glide on more easily. With larger ones I get a cleaner swipe. Ill always use eye gel straight from the fridge. It soothes the delicate skin under my eyes. I suffer from awful bags, so it does help.

Sophia, 38, is one of a growing band of women who has a separate fridge in her bedroom to store her cosmetics and beauty products

Sophia insists she is not particularly high-maintenance over her appearance. When it comes to clothes, Im happy to skimp, and buy High-Street items. But I believe that buying cheap skincare products is foolish. The investment Ive made in how I care for my beauty purchases shows in my face. Im almost 40 but people often think Im a decade younger than I am.

Sophia is following in the footsteps of supermodels such as Linda Evangelista who has stored her beauty products in a fridge for years. Luxury property developers Christian and Nick Candy say they are receiving more and more requests for make-up fridges in their million pound homes. Other upmarket interior designers echo this sentiment.

Kalliopi Kousouri, a partner at Make architects, says: People in these properties have expensive cosmetics; keeping them in the fridge is good for their shelf life.

Typically such fridges arent the noisy space-hogging appliances that dominate most kitchens. Rather these are pieces of equipment, specifically designed behind made-to-measure panelling. They also differ in that their temperature can be set to between 8 and 12c  warmer than a typical food fridge, which is usually around 4c.

Sophia is following in the footsteps of supermodels such as Linda Evangelista who has stored her beauty products in a fridge for years

But isnt the trend for beauty fridges, which can be bought for as little as 50, just another ruse to squeeze more money out of women who spend hundreds of pounds on tiny pots of face cream by convincing them they need a special storage unit to keep them in?

Sam Farmer, a trained chemist who also sits on the Council of British Cosmetic Scientists, questions the notion that beauty products need to be kept in fridges at all.

All make-up and beauty items sold in UK and European stores must have preservatives in them. That means, for example, if someone buys a deodorant on the British High Street and then takes it on holiday to India with them it must be formulated to put up with extreme temperature change.

Most beauty and make-up products sold in the UK are tested to ensure they can withstand this. Thats why its unnecessary to store anything sold as a cosmetic product inside a fridge. As for perfume, a dark cupboard will suffice.

Physiologically, I can understand why women enjoy the feel of a cold product on their skin, especially in warmer climates. The skin will react momentarily to the sensation, it will feel nice, but thats all.

Chris ODonnell, 69, happily describes herself as high maintenance when it comes to her beauty routine. Not surprising then, that her collection of perfumes and cosmetics takes pride of place in the beauty fridge which she keeps in her bedroom.

Each morning shell spend half an hour cleansing her face before applying a full face of make-up. Before I retired I worked in the fashion industry. It was vital to look your best. Its a habit that has continued into my retirement.

But isnt the trend for beauty fridges, which can be bought for as little as 50, just another ruse to squeeze more money out of women who spend hundreds of pounds on tiny pots of face cream by convincing them they need a special storage unit to keep them in? (File photo)

Chris, who lives in Stockport, Cheshire and is a grandmother to four, says she enjoys spending a decent amount on products. I probably spend more than 1,000 per year, so by keeping them at fridge temperature I hope I am extending their shelf life.

While staying at her holiday home in Lanzarote a few years ago with her husband John, who is also retired, she found her make- up was difficult to apply.

I realised it was just too warm in the Spanish heat to leave my products in the bathroom or the bedroom, says Chris. So whenever were there I pop them in the kitchen fridge the moment we arrive.

It feels divine when you apply a cool moisturising cream on your skin in a hot climate. If your face is puffy because of the excessively warm temperatures, then its a real treat and tightens the pores. The only thing I cant keep in it is my lipstick because it breaks off.

Chris says her mother also believed in the benefits of storing cosmetics in a cooler environment. My mother, who had beautiful skin, used to keep hers in the pantry, she says.

She always claimed that make-up would go off if kept at room temperature. I agree with her and like to apply all of my creams at fridge temperature. It keeps my pores closed and tight and gives a flawless look.

Kim Thomas, 35, a stay-at-home mum, agrees, believing that her secret weapon in the fight against premature ageing is her cosmetic fridge, which she keeps in the kitchen alongside the main one.

I used to have low self-esteem, she says. Caring for my skin and looking nice means I receive a lot of compliments. Its totally turned my life around.

Kim, who lives with husband Martin, 41, a self-employed painter and decorator and her four children, aged 11 to 17, in Bridlington, Yorkshire, estimates she spends 500 a year on make-up and skincare products.

Today I keep my moisturisers, serums, toners and eye cream in there. Each time I apply them I can feel them tightening my skin. I dont want to get older. This helps keep my appearance youthful, my skin firm and makes my products last longer, too.

Kim has had some disasters though, recalling that exfoliants and cleansers dont always react well to being stored at such low temperatures: They can go gloopy and thick. One exfoliant turned into jelly, I had to throw it away.

Despite early disasters, though, she will not be parted from her beauty fridge.
Bristol Palin celebrated her son Tripp's eighth birthday on Tuesday, and her only son received a pretty amazing gift from his new stepfather Dakota Meyer.

The pregnant 26-year-old, who is expecting her third child this spring, took to Instagram to share a photo of Tripp, her only child with her ex-fiance Levi Johnston, posing on his new snowmobile.

Bristol's husband Dakota, 28, purchased the extravagant gift for Tripp just nine months after the boy's grandfather Todd Palin was in a serious snowmobile accident.

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'Most spoiled': Bristol Palin and her husband Dakota Meyer bought her son Tripp a snowmobile for his eighth birthday

Happy family: Bristol and Dakota are pictured posing in front of their Christmas tree with Tripp, her only son with her ex-fiance Levi Johnston, and their daughter Sailor Grace

'First big sled - most spoiled by @dakotameyer0317,' Bristol captioned the image, which sees the eight-year-old posing on top the snowmobile that is parked inside their garage in Wasilla, Alaska.

Tripp is clearly ecstatic over the gift, which is even customized with his first name.

Earlier in the day Bristol paid tribute to Tripp's birthday by posting a photo of him on vacation, writing: 'Happy 8th birthday to my love!! Being your mom has been the greatest gift, you are my world #TrippEaston #mommasboy.'

Proud mother: The 26-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a photo of Tripp in Hawaii, noting that being his mom has been 'the greatest gift'

Loving aunt: Bristol's 22-year-old sister Willow (left) also wished Tripp a happy birthday by sharing a photo of him on Instagram (right)

Although the snapshot was taken in Hawaii, where the family could enjoy the waves, a love of snowmobiling runs in the family.

Bristol's father Todd is a four-time Iron Dog champion who has been competing in the grueling snowmobile race since the early nineties.

Todd suffered a near-fatal snowmobile accident in March that left him with 14 fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and other injuries.

In their blood: Bristol's father Todd is a four-time Iron Dog champion who has been competing in the grueling snowmobile race since the early nineties. He is pictured with Sailor last month

Serious scare: In March, Todd suffered a near-fatal snowmobile accident that left him with 14 fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and other injuries

However, Bristol hinted that Todd may be planning on competing in the 2017 Iron Dog race this February when she shared a photo of him holding her daughter Sailor Grace on top of a snowmobile last month.

It has been a busy week for Bristol and Dakota who also celebrated Sailor's first birthday on December 23.

Bristol shared a photo of Sailor sitting in her high chair at her family's cabin on her birthday, while Dakota wrote a touching tribute to his only child on his Instagram page.

Growing girl: Last Friday the family celebrated Sailor's first birthday at their cabin

All smiles: Bristol is pregnant with her third child. She and her husband are over the moon about having their second baby together

'Happy birthday to my amazing daughter. It's been the best year of my life. #prouddad,' he wrote.

Just a week ago, the marine shared a video of Sailor taking her first steps.

Bristol, who announced earlier this month that she is pregnant with her third child, can be seen following their daughter as she wobbles across the living room in a heartwarming video.

Too cute! Dakota shared a heartwarming video of Sailor Grace walking for what appears to be the first time last week

'Ok it's official!! We have a walker,' Dakota captioned the footage, which sees Sailor decked out in a Santa Claus-inspired dress and candy cane striped leggings.

The adorable clip begins with Bristol helping Sailor stand, and once she finds her balance, the little girl takes off  but not without a little motivation.

At the end of the short video, it is revealed that someone was holding a cookie out for Sailor, and that was all she needed to get moving.
While this time of year is all about celebrating the holidays, for those struggling with cancer it can be challenging to stay positive.

Connie Johnson, who has terminal breast cancer, recently penned a moving post about her struggle with the disease and explained why it can be difficult to see the bright side of things.

Ms Johnson is the co-founder of the charity Love Your Sister with her brother, Australian actor Samuel Johnson, and her current cancer diagnosis is her third and final.

Connie Johnson, who has terminal breast cancer, recently penned a moving post about her struggle with the disease and explained why it can be difficult to see the bright side of things

Ms Johnson is the co-founder of charity Love Your Sister with her brother, Australian actor Samuel Johnson, and her current cancer diagnosis is her third and final

Ms Johnson's entire post can be read here

'Most days I can see the bright side, most of the time I feel grateful for what I have, but there are days when I just get fed up,' she wrote on the Love Your Sister Facebook page.

'I dont normally talk about the sucky side of my experience here, because I dont want this to be a place of negativity, but enough is enough, I have had it up to here with cancer and its time to drop my lolly.'

Ms Johnson, 39, said that while things like nausea, fatigue, hair loss and pain are the obvious negatives, there are things 'we don't talk about,' like constipation from pain medication and chemically induced menopause.

Ms Johnson, 39, said that while things like nausea, fatigue, hair loss and pain are the obvious negatives, there are things 'we don't talk about,' like constipation from pain medication

'It might seem trivial to worry about being bald, but I hate not having hair, I feel self-conscious and cant stand the sight of myself,' Ms Johnson said

'The hot flushes are unbearable and the night sweats so bad that I sometimes have to change all of my bedding several times a night. I now have to wear continence aids because I keep wetting myself,' she wrote.

'The vomiting is unpredictable, I dont know if I will keep down each meal. My legs are swelling so much that I cant walk, so I have to wear compression bandages that are tight, difficult to put on, expensive and hot (and not terribly attractive).

'Im scared to leave the house because I dont want to wet myself in public, or end up in a gutter throwing up. And it might seem trivial to worry about being bald, but I hate not having hair, I feel self-conscious and cant stand the sight of myself.'

Ms Johnson said she has covered all the mirrors in her house so she doesn't 'accidentally' see herself and get the 'brutal reminder' that she has cancer.

'The hot flushes are unbearable and the night sweats so bad that I sometimes have to change all of my bedding several times a night,' Ms Johnson (pictured with her brother) said

The siblings, who are only a year apart, were side-by-side as Connie battled an aggressive bone tumour in her leg at age 11 (right) and again when a tumour was found in her womb when she was 22 years old

'I take a minimum of 28 tablets per day, each one of them is a reminder that the only reason I am alive is because of all the medication. I am always tired, even when I first wake up,' she continued.

'Just walking to the toilet is an effort sometimes. My tastebuds have gone haywire, so food doesnt have a taste. Its hard to be enthusiastic about anything that just feels like cardboard in your mouth.

'There are constant trips to hospital, mostly as an outpatient, thankfully, but I am so sick of that place, and I am going to have to spend more and more time there as the disease progresses.

'There is constant fear. Fear that each little ache and pain is more cancer, and fear that the cancer is winning.'

'I take a minimum of 28 tablets per day, each one of them is a reminder that the only reason I am alive is because of all the medication. I am always tired, even when I first wake up,' she said

'I know that your loved ones would have tolerated all that I am whinging about and more just to have extra time with their families and friends,' she said

Ms Johnson also vented about the 'ridiculous cures' mentioned to her, despite her disease being incurable.

'I will not survive this cancer. No matter how positive I am, I will die of this disease. The best I can hope for is to live a bit longer, knowing that the life I do get to squeeze in will be full of appointments, waiting rooms, needles, medication, and side effects,' she said.

'And I am one of the lucky ones, I have been able to live longer than expected because there was a drug that stabilised my cancer for a long time.'

Ms Johnson said she doesn't want sympathy but simply wants to acknowledge how 'cruel and relentless cancer is' and how hard it is to live with.

Ms Johnson and her brother made headlines in January, when the actor decided to change the charity's official colour to black because pink was 'too soft' for such a brutal disease

'I really respect all it's done but for me the issue is more serious than pink and no, not everyone died, but my sister is dying and her kids are losing their mother,' he told Daily Mail at the time

'I thank you for your support, and I do understand how fortunate I am to be so loved and well supported. Heaps of people have cancer. But they dont all have the joy of two beautiful, healthy, happy boys, a brother like Sam and Dave and sisters like Hilde and Em,' she said.

'They dont all have a village to inspire them to find the best in life. They dont all have the security of a roof over their heads. They dont all have the peace that their kids will be well loved, and guided through life with their other parent after they die.'

Ms Johnson went on to say that she wished she could 'turn back time' and insist on getting a scan to rule out cancer when she first noticed lumps.

Mr Johnson told Daily Mail Australia the black and white logo 'represents elegance and hope as well' and believes 'everyone is feeling the pink fatigue'

'Maybe then my cancer wouldnt have spread and become fatal. Maybe then I would have been treated for early breast cancer and be back at work now. Maybe then this rant would be about being overworked and underpaid, not being able to find a carpark, or the cost of groceries,' she said.

She then thanked her followers for reading her 'rant' and said she meant 'no disrespect' to the families of people who hadn't lived as long as she had.

'I do acknowledge that I am very lucky to have survived long enough to see my kids get more than half way through primary school,' she said.

'I know that your loved ones would have tolerated all that I am whinging about and more just to have extra time with their families and friends.

'The Love Your Sister village will always be about family, love, togetherness and hope - this is what makes us such a strong village - but Im afraid Im frustrated with the rate of progress,' Mr Johnson said

To all the awesome Love Your Sister Villagers, thank you for your support and love, it really does make a big difference to my quality of life, and please know that I really appreciate you all.

'And thanks for raising funds to find better cancer treatments and possibly cures so that future generations wont have to go through all of this stuff.'

Ms Johnson and her brother made headlines in January, when the actor decided to change the charity's official colour to black because pink was 'too soft' for such a brutal disease.

'I've been playing nice for years now within the pink army,' Mr Johnson told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

'Love Your Sister uses black now, with a bit of silver and white, for the hope that I refuse to abandon,' he said

'I really respect all it's done but for me the issue is more serious than pink and no, not everyone died, but my sister is dying and her kids are losing their mother.'

'It's a black and white issue.'

Mr Johnson shared his thoughts and decision in a lengthy Facebook post to his strong 'village' of supporters and said pink is 'pacifying us into believing that enough is being done about our mums falling to breast cancer.'

Mr Johnson told Daily Mail Australia the black and white logo 'represents elegance and hope as well' and believes 'everyone is feeling the pink fatigue'.

The siblings, who are only a year apart, were side-by-side as Connie battled an aggressive bone tumour in her leg at age 11 and again when a tumour was found in her womb when she was 22 years old.

'So no more deference, no more fluff - this year Im going to do more and yell louder and if it's not your scene there's a lot of other pages for you that take a softly softly approach,' he said

When she was 33, the Canberra mother-of-two was diagnosed for a third time with breast cancer, but this time it was terminal and doctors gave her six months to a year to live.

Once again, Mr Johnson was by her side. And she has defied doctors' expectations, to live another six years.

'Love Your Sister uses black now, with a bit of silver and white, for the hope that I refuse to abandon,' Mr Johnson said.

'The Love Your Sister village will always be about family, love, togetherness and hope - this is what makes us such a strong village - but Im afraid Im frustrated with the rate of progress,' Mr Johnson said.
Zara Tindall's absence from the Christmas Day service at Sandringham was all the more poignant after it was announced on Christmas Eve that she had suffered a miscarriage

Last month Zara Tindall excitedly told Country Life magazine that Christmas takes on a new magic when you have children.

So her absence from the Royal Familys traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham was all the more poignant after it was announced on Christmas Eve that Zara had suffered a miscarriage.

The 35-year-old, who spent the day convalescing at her home on the Gatcombe Park estate, had recently announced that she was expecting her second child in the spring  a prospect that thrilled the equestrian champion and her former rugby international husband, Mike. Zara said she was over the moon to be welcoming another little one into the family.

The loss will come as a heavy blow to the exuberant yet down-to-earth daughter of Princess Anne, who, unlike more guarded members of the Royal Family, has always worn her heart on her sleeve.

But Zaras openness may even save her sanity in the dark days ahead  for many women who have lost babies agree that keeping quiet is often the worst thing you can do.

After miscarrying her longed-for baby at the age of 41, Sharon-Anne Jackson plunged into a deep depression. But no one except her partner, Simon, knew about her loss and the total heartbreak that followed.

Sharon-Anne, a part-time receptionist and law student from Berkshire, had decided to wait until she was three months pregnant before telling family and friends that she and Simon were to be parents.

But shortly after reaching that milestone, and before they had the chance to share their good news, she miscarried.

We had been trying to conceive for a year, and I knew, given my age, that this was one of my last chances to become a mum, says Sharon-Anne.

Losing the baby was utterly devastating and I was just too upset to talk to anyone about it for a long time afterwards. I felt hollow inside, as though something was missing  which it was  and I cried constantly. For a few months after my miscarriage I retreated into a world of my own.

After miscarrying her longed-for baby at the age of 41, Sharon-Anne Jackson plunged into a deep depression

Id put on a brave face and go to work, then come home and lie in bed, not wanting to see or speak to anyone, wallowing in self-pity.

According to research by the pregnancy loss charity Tommys, Sharon-Anne is far from alone in feeling completely isolated in her grief.

Of 5,500 women surveyed by Tommys, two-thirds admitted that they couldnt talk to their best friend about their miscarriage, while more than a third felt unable even to speak to their partner about it.

Jane Brewin, the charitys chief executive, says many women fear that what they are going through will be trivialised by others unable to empathise with their loss.

There seem to be two main reasons for this and they are based on fundamental, common misunderstandings, she says.

The first is that miscarriage is not a painful or major event in someones life, yet we know that it is physically extremely painful  and we have learnt more recently that miscarriage can cause severe psychological damage and even post-traumatic stress disorder, in the kind of magnitude experienced by troops returning from the front line.

Davida Wilkins, 35, tortured herself with these very questions after discovering at her 12-week scan that her baby had died four weeks earlier

Added to that, women feel judged when they tell others that the experience was psychologically damaging. Older people may say things like our generation just got on with it.

Women affected by miscarriage say what they really need is for family and friends simply to ask how they are feeling and whether there is anything they can do to help.

An acknowledgement that what they are going through is not trivial, and that crying is a normal reaction, is also important.

Indeed, while a quarter of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, about half of the women affected  many of whom feel unsupported in their grief  become so low that they are prescribed antidepressants.

A few weeks after her miscarriage in November 2014, Sharon-Anne, now 43, booked an appointment with her GP, who recommended antidepressants. But, concerned about possible unpleasant side-effects, she decided to take a herbal remedy instead.

Although Simon, her partner of five years, was the only one who knew what she was going through and had, of course, himself suffered a loss, she felt he was unable to relate to her grief.

He said: Its one of those things. Well try again, recalls Sharon-Anne. He was able to be more detached because he hadnt experienced the sensations and emotions that come with having a baby growing inside you.

The fact that we reacted so differently put a strain on our relationship and made me question whether we should try again.

Like many of the women surveyed by Tommys, Sharon-Anne was also crippled by guilt, wondering whether she could have prevented the miscarriage if she had eaten or slept better, or argued less with Simon.

It wasnt until six months after the miscarriage, at around the time of her due date, that Sharon-Anne finally sought solace from another person.

She was playing with her toddler niece while visiting her parents in Lancashire, when her mother remarked: Youd make a lovely mum.

Her comment touched such a nerve that I couldnt hold back my tears, recalls Sharon-Anne.

Lizzie Lowrie, 36, who has suffered six miscarriages since 2009, believes a national early miscarriage centre is long overdue

When I told Mum about my miscarriage, she put her arms around me. Seeing how much she cared upset me even more. But I felt instantly better for getting it out in the open, after months of bottling up all those feelings.

Since then, Sharon-Anne has confided in two close friends, who were sympathetic. She says it felt so good to get their support that it has even helped her feel strong enough to contemplate trying for another baby in 2017.

Tommys chief executive Jane Brewin recognises that one barrier to women opening up is the type of response they can receive from others when they do, including comments such as theres nothing you could have done about it because its Natures way, and it obviously just wasnt meant to be.

In fact, Tommys believes that, instead of accepting it as just one of those things, more research is needed to find out why women miscarry and how miscarriage can be prevented.

To this end, the charity is helping to fund a national early miscarriage centre, with bases at three universities, from where clinics will be run and 24,000 women a year will be able to access treatment and support and also take part in research. Lizzie Lowrie, 36, who has suffered six miscarriages since 2009, believes this service is long overdue.

The vicars wife from Liverpool told no one except her husband Dave, 35, and their parents about her first five losses, which she says left her feeling completely isolated. I didnt find it easy even to talk to Dave, which put a big strain on our relationship, she says.

He never seemed upset because he thought his role was to be strong and supportive  but that made me question whether he thought our losses were in any way significant.

Lizzie didnt want to burden her parents with her grief, and as none of her friends even knew she had been pregnant, she felt as though she had nowhere to turn.

Each time Lizzie fell pregnant, she was even more reluctant to share her news in case she miscarried again.

Then, when she did lose her baby, she feared the double disclosure  something many women struggle with  of telling friends and colleagues that she had been pregnant but no longer was.

After Lizzies third miscarriage, her local hospital ran tests but they could find no cause for her repeated losses.

Following the fourth, the couple were finally referred through the charity Petals to a counsellor, who guided them in how to support one another and encouraged them to share their feelings with others.

Id always believed that not talking about one of the most difficult things Ive been through proved I was coping, says Lizzie. In reality, I felt on the verge of tears much of the time and didnt know what to do with those emotions.

I vividly remember being at my desk at work, trying not to cry because I didnt want to draw attention to myself. I thought I was protecting other people from going through the rollercoaster of emotions  elation, worry, dread and deep sadness  with us.

Psychologist Dr Jane Ogden, who has conducted a study of women who have miscarried, says talking about loss is essential in helping us to formulate feelings

The counsellor helped me realise that when I was going crazy worrying about miscarrying again, being able to share my fears with friends was exactly what I needed. So, when I fell pregnant for the sixth time, I told close friends and family and explained how terrified I was having miscarried five times before.

Sadly, a scan at ten weeks, in June 2014, showed Lizzie and Daves baby had no heartbeat. While the couple were understandably distraught, Lizzie says the support they received helped to ease the pain.

Filling our home with people who care about us, who brought food and talked about how sad it was, created such a contrast with the previous times when wed come home from hospital, gone to bed and then gone back to work as if nothing had happened.

Psychologist Dr Jane Ogden, who has conducted a study of women who have miscarried, says talking about loss is essential in helping us to formulate feelings.

When we open up, others will say Ive been through that as well  and you feel youre not the only one, says Dr Ogden. The alternative is being left with your own thoughts going round and round: Why me? What did I do wrong?

Talking to others who have been there, too, helps.

Davida Wilkins, 35, tortured herself with these very questions after discovering at her 12-week scan that her baby had died four weeks earlier.

Desperate to make sense of her loss, the nurse from Wolverhampton agonised over what shed done that might have caused her to miscarry, although rationally she knew it wasnt her fault.

Already a mother of three, Davida had been ambivalent about this unplanned pregnancy in the early stages and feared that might have affected its outcome.

However, as the only other person who had known she was pregnant was her partner, she felt that she had nowhere to turn for reassurance.

I was so distraught, I had a panic attack when the doctor told me my baby had died, recalls Davida. But the staff behaved as if it was no big deal. I didnt find them very compassionate at all.

After that, I was worried that other people would think it was no big deal, too  and I couldnt handle their reaction because to me it was devastating.

She didnt want to burden her children with her grief, so she would put on a brave face until they went to bed, when she would cry herself to sleep.

Davidas partner struggled to know what to say, leaving her reluctant even to turn to him.

He reminded me that in the early stages of the pregnancy, Id said: If its meant to be, its meant to be, says Davida. But after 12 weeks I felt Id bonded with this baby and I very much wanted it.

I told him I didnt think he was being supportive and he said he didnt want to keep asking how I was in case mentioning it made me feel worse.

So I was left to torment myself with thoughts including that, at around the time the babys heart stopped beating, I had worked five night shifts in a row in Accident & Emergency. I couldnt help wondering if it happened because of the stress I was under.

Davida eventually confided in a friend who had sensed that she wasnt her usual jovial self, and suggested they go away around the time the baby would have been due.

Davida agreed and they spent three days in Spain, which helped her to get through this testing time.
may stay mutated for months in the living who are recovering

Researchers discovered it was still modified in heroin addicts who had died

in the reward center of the brain is modified in drug abusers

Addictive cravings are still persistent after death, finds a new study.

A protein in the reward center of the brain is altered in those suffering from a chemical dependency  it is split off and shortened.

Following numerous autopsies, Austrian researchers found the modified protein in deceased heroin addicts - suggesting cravings for the stimulus continued after their death.

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A protein in the reward center of the brain is altered in those suffering from a chemical dependency  it is split off and shortened. Experts found the modified protein in deceased heroin addicts, which suggests a craving for a stimulus continues after death

THE EVIDENCE FosB is a protein that transmits stimuli to cells. When someone abuses drugs, such as heroin, it turns into DeltaFosB, which is increasingly stimulated in cases of chronic use and even influences growth factors and structural changes (neuronal plasticity) in the brain. The team found the protein was still modified even 9 dies after a heroin addict had died. Researchers believe the period is much longer in the living who are trying to recover  and it can last for months. Advertisement

The protein, called FosB, is a transcription factor in the brain which, together with other molecules, is involved in so-called signal transduction (transmission of stimuli to the cells).

It is said to convey genetic information between the cells and also determines whether certain genes are activated or not.

FosB is part of the activating protein AP1, which is involved with regulating gene expression in response to a range of stimulus, including stress and bacterial infections.

Due to a constant supply of drugs, such as heroin, FosB turns into DeltaFosB, which is increasingly stimulated in cases of chronic use and even influences growth factors and structural changes (neuronal plasticity) in the brain - approximately in the region where memory is formed.

The evidence that the modified protein lingers after death was discovered by the Medical University of Vienna's Department of Forensic Medicine, which examined tissue samples from the nucleus accumbens (an area of the brain) of 15 deceased heroin addicts.

'Using highly sensitive detection methods, DeltaFosB was still detectable nine days after death,' the team explained.

Due to a constant supply of drugs, such as heroin (pictured), FosB turns into DeltaFosB, which is increasingly stimulated in cases of chronic use and even influences growth factors and structural changes in the brain - approximately in the region where memory is formed

Although the mutation of the protein can be identified more than a week after death, researchers believe the period is much longer in the living who are trying to recover  and it can last for months.

They also suggest these results will help advance treatments and management of people with opiate dependencies and heroin addictions, with how to deal with withdrawal being the focus.

FosB turns into DeltaFosB (pictured is mutated FosB in a deseaced herion addict) during drug abuse. Right is FosB in a person who is not suffering from drug dependency

Researches examined tissue samples from the nucleus accumbens (an area of the brain) of 15 deceased heroin addicts. 'Using highly sensitive detection methods, DeltaFosB (pictured) was still detectable nine days after death,' the team explained.

'If the addictive craving persists in the brain for months, it is very important to provide protracted after-care and corresponding psychological support,' said Monika Seltenhammer, a researcher involved in the study.

'Our results show that forensics and forensic medicine can also be of direct benefit to the living,' emphasized Daniele Risser, the lead author.
These shocking pictures show a man who has a four-stone leg after a debilitating condition caused it to swell up.

Boonthing Namphet, 42, from Thailand, is believed to have suffered from lymphoedema for more than 10 years.

He was been left unable to work as a result and just the smallest movement can bring severe pain.

Boonthing Namphet, 42, from Thailand, is believed to have suffered from lymphoedema - which has caused his left leg to weigh more than four stone - for more than 10 years

But a monk in Bangkok, who is famous for bringing aid to the poor and severely ill, has appealed for help through social media.

Currently, Mr Namphet must rely on his wife's minimal earnings - of around 250 Thai baht each day (about 5.50).

However, they often have to dig into her earnings when she has to accompany him to hospital and stay overnight there.

Their house has become so dilapidated due to there being no funds for maintenance and they are forced to live with relatives.

Bangkok-based Monk Bhin, who is famous for bringing aid to the poor and severely ill, has appealed for help Mr Namphet through social media

WHAT IS LYMPHOEDEMA? Lymphoedema is a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues - mainly the arms and legs. It develops when the lymphatic system - a network of channels that remove excess fluid doesn't work properly. It's important that lymphoedema is identified and treated as soon as possible. If it isn't treated, it can get worse - but currently there is no cure. Treatment is possible to minimise fluid build-up. Lymphoedema is thought to affect more than 200,000 people in the UK. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Monk Bhin, from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, is aiming to provide help where he can by donating small amounts of money.

While he also offers transportation for Mr Namphet's multiple hospital appointments.

The Foundation's mini-bus was coincidentally donated to them by the beer giant Singha as a gift to Monk Bhin.

The social media means ordinary Thai people can also assist but unfortunately, Mr Namphet's bank does not have an online facility.

Lymphoedema is a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues, usually in the arms or legs.

It develops when the lymphatic system, a network of channels throughout the body that remove excess fluid, falters.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has made a quick U-turn on the distance she appeared to put between herself and the criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi concerning the Sahara diaries revelation her party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had been using to attack the incumbent government.

'Why is PM Modi shying from an independent and a thorough probe...,' she wrote.

The veteran leader's change of heart - from dismissal to compliance with the top boss's line - is not without a back-story.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has made a quick U-turn on the distance she appeared to put between herself and the criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Dikshit, party sources told India Today, had been upset with the top Congress leadership over their handling of the Uttar Pradesh campaign.

So acute was her disappointment that she almost disappeared from the high-voltage election scene. Her absence at Rahul Gandhi's rally in Bahraich was particularly conspicuous.

Dikshit, according to party insiders, felt sidelined.

So when Congress VP Rahul used the same Sahara diaries to target Modi, which carried her name as an alleged bribe taker, she dissociated herself from the row.

Rahul Gandhi has been using the Sahara diaries revelation to attack PM Modi

It took some hectic trouble-shooting by the Congress to finally bring her on board over the party's position over the diaries.

The task was executed successfully by the Congress vice-president's trusted aide Kanishka Singh, who has family relations with the Dikshits.

Insiders revealed to India Today that Singh met the former Delhi CM at her home on Monday and persuaded her to call for a probe into the Sahara papers.

Singh, party sources say, convinced her that her demand would help build her image in public eyes.
A heat-activated penile implant under research by a team that includes a UW-Madison urologist could become the first new method to treat erectile dysfunction in 40 years.

The research, called novel in a medical journal and a bionic penis in British tabloids, is being conducted by UW-Madison assistant professor Brian Le. It focuses on a nickel-titanium alloy, a memory metal, that is used to create a scaffold, an exo-skeleton, activated by heat, according to an article in the current edition of the journal Urology.

Le is a new faculty member in the Department of Urology and a urologist at Meriter Hospital. He and colleagues Alberto Colombo and Kevin McKenna at Northwestern University and Kevin McVary at Southern Illinois University hope their thermal-activated shape memory penile prosthesis becomes the step forward from an inflatable pump, which has been the implant of choice for many years.

The key to the new device is the bendable metal form, which looks a little like a snake skeleton, implanted in the penis.

Le, with a background in materials science, and his team are relying on heat response of the alloy, called Nitinol. With support from Boston Scientific, which develops, manufactures and distributes medical products, the researchers tested their prototypes malleability and buckling characteristics in comparison with commercially available prostheses, according to an abstract of their paper.

They decided the idea, which Lee said was conceived when he worked in Chicago three years ago, represents a promising new technology.

In a statement, Le estimates that if this research continues to meet its milestones it could come to market in five to 10 years.

Were hoping that, with a better device, a better patient experience, and a simpler surgery, more urologists would perform this operation, and more patients would want to try the device, Le said.

In an interview, Le said his patients seek to have their sexual function restored for similar reasons that women choose to have their breasts restored after breast cancer surgery.

Treating erectile dysfunction falls under survivorship, and restoring function can help people feel whole in their bodies again after cancer, injury, and illness, he said.

UW, in describing a potentially large market for such a device, said about 40 percent of men between the ages of 40 and 70 have some level of erectile dysfunction and about a third of them dont respond to drugs like Viagra.

The Nitinol metal, which is super elastic, is already in use in medical devices, used for endovascular surgery, for example. The property of shape memory in the alloy has proven to have many uses, including medical.

For this use, the urologist could insert the Nitinol implant, which remains flaccid at body temperature but can remember an expanded shape and return to that shape when heated.

Le and collaborators at Southern Illinois University are working on a remote-control device that can be waved over the penis, using induction to heat the NiTi a few degrees above body temperature and ratchet open the alloy prosthesis to expand the penis in length and girth.

Le said the research will continue with additional funding from Boston Scientific.

The restrictions on this device are not going to come from the research, but from regulatory hurdles that determine whether it can be put inside a person, what kind of trials need to be involved, Le said.

We are at this stage past the prototype, he said.

There was no public relations plan when the researchers paper was published, he said, but British newspapers quickly latched on to the news of a bionic penis, which Le said was an accurate description.

They kind of extrapolated a little bit, he said.

Because of that press coverage, he has been hearing from patients who have read about it and are volunteering themselves for early trials.
Women make up over 91 per cent of pickpockets apprehended by the CISF in the Delhi metro network of India's national Capital.

The force, that is tasked to provide armed security to Delhi Metro operations, apprehended a total of 479 pickpockets, out of which an overwhelming 438 were women, according to official data.

The full-year data, updated till the middle of December, states that the force undertook a little over 100 operations to check pick-pocketing in the rapid rail lifeline of Delhi and its adjoining areas, that carries an estimated 26 lakh commuters every day.

The security force apprehended a total of 479 pickpockets, out of which an overwhelming 438 were women, according to official data

The overwhelming number of women committing these crimes has shown a constant trend over the last few years and the CISF, after apprehending these women, hands them over to the Delhi Police for legal action.

Recently, the CISF had unearthed a notorious gang of such women who had robbed a US-based Indian lady of her jewels and valuables while she was travelling in the Delhi Metro with her husband.

The figures state that women constitute over 91 per cent (of the total pickpockets) in pickpocketing crimes in the Delhi Metro.

The overwhelming number of women committing these crimes has shown a constant trend over the last few years

It has been found that the modus operandi of these women is to either carry a child or travel in a group to con and pick a purse or other valuables of a traveller, be it a man or a woman, a senior official said.

Last year, 93 per cent of the total number of pickpockets apprehended by the CISF in the Delhi Metro were women.
In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj stressed that India would leave no stone unturned in the fight to secure the release of Indian Christian priest Tom Uzhunnalil in the captivity of ISIS in Yemen.

The minister was responding to a video that emerged on Monday on social media of Uzhunnalil, also known as Father Tom, a priest from Kerala abducted in Yemen nine months ago.

A fatigued Uzhunnalil in a grey sweat shirt with his grey beard and hair can be seen sitting in front of a beige and pink floral printed curtain in an unknown location in the video.

Scroll down for video...

In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj stressed that India would leave no stone unturned for the release of Indian Christian priest Tom Uzhunnalil

'I have seen the video from Fr Tom. He is an Indian citizen and the life of every Indian is most precious for us.

'We got Fr Alex Prem Kumar and Judith D'Souza released from Afghanistan. We have spared no effort and we will spare no effort to secure Fr Uzhunnalil's release from captivity,' Swaraj wrote on Twitter.

The minister was responding to the video message where the the priest was seen making emergency appeal, saying that neither the Indian government, nor the Church or the Pope have come to his rescue.

Uzhunnalil had been working with a church in the port city of Aden for several years, from where he was abducted by suspected ISIS militants on March 4.

'Several months have gone by, my captors have made many contacts with the government of India to get me released. Hon'ble President and Prime Minister, I am very sad that nothing has been done seriously in my regard.

'Reports have been coming that everything is being done to get me released quickly but in reality, nothing seems to have happened,' says Uzhunnalil in the five-minute video.

The priest said that the abductors have established contact with the Indian government as well as Pope Francis, without providing details of their demands.

He adds that he is 'very sad and depressed' and urges fellow Christians and Indian bishops and priests to help him get released.

'My dear fellow Christian people, I as a priest worked in Yemen and have been kidnapped and nothing has been done by Pope Francis or by Bishop of Abu Dhabi to get me released, in spite of contacts being made by my captors.

The minister was responding to a video that emerged on Monday on social media of Uzhunnalil, also known as Father Tom, a priest from Kerala abducted in Yemen

'I am sad that this is the situation. If I was a European priest, I would have been taken more seriously by authorities and people would have got me released,' says the priest.

The Indian government stressed that efforts for his release are on. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Monday, 'You are aware of the circumstances in Yemen where fighting is on and there is no central authority.
A clerical error brought about by using a female form template for a male patient's ultrasound report, followed by medical negligence at a reputed private hospital of the national Capital, left a Delhi-based civil engineer with lasting medical issues and substantial financial costs.

Lalit Verma, 42, was awarded compensation early this month after nearly a decade-long legal battle in a consumer court, which held the hospital guilty of neglect.

Verma said he was treated on the basis of a 'faulty report' which mentioned female organs such as uterus adnexa, ovary and recto-uterine pouch.

A clerical error of using a female form template for a male patient's ultrasound report left a Delhi-based civil engineer with lasting medical issues and substantial financial costs

The heavy dose of medicines thus administered to him, he believes, left him with crippling side-effects.

'I have gained much weight and suffer from shortness of breath. Even for minor ailments, I need strong medicines; small doses have no effect on me,' Verma told Mail Today.

'I ran a business of greeting cards before the incident but had to shut it down as I was too weak to run it properly.

'I had to shut down my business and sold two flats to meet the financial needs of my family.

'I am forced to live in a rented accommodation due to my medical expenses.'

The court order has brought some relief to Verma. Coming down heavily on the callousness, the order said that treating a patient without ascertaining cause of ailment with due care speaks volume about the quality of service being provided.

The court directed the appellant to refund an amount of Rs 49,028 with an interest at 12 per cent per annum to the complainant, besides paying Rs 20,000 on account of compensation for mental and physical agony and Rs 10,000 on account of cost of litigation.

'It was an error which no doctor of reasonable competence should commit and hence the same comes within the purview of negligence,' the court said in its order.

It declared that the ultrasound report as faulty for it contained reference to female organs.

The counsel of the hospital had submitted that no harm was caused by the error in the transcription of ultrasound report.

'The fact that ultrasound report was correct is evident from finding of a fatty liver which was found in subsequent ultrasounds also.

'As complainant did not have fever, no pathological test was necessary at the time of discharge. No kidney stone was visible and in the ultrasound done,' the counsel told court.

However, the counsel for Verma, Rajesh Kumar said the doctors did not carry out a fresh ultrasound even after the fault was spotted and his client was given medication for 17 consecutive days that further deteriorated his condition.

Kumar said the hospital's explanation that it was the typist's fault could not be used to defend the doctor who signed the report.

However the court observed that the hospital had not disclosed when the error was detected and questioned that why no fresh ultrasound was carried out when the defect came to light.

'It amounts to fault, imperfection, shortcoming in performance required to be maintained for consideration received,' said the order.

Calling it an act of negligence, the consumer court asked the hospital authorities to compensate him for the loss.

Speaking to Mail Today, Verma said even though he felt vindicated he is still bitter over the fact that for one whole year he remained unhealthy and was forced to discontinue his business due to lack of physical and mental strength.

'Is it not the responsibility of the doctors to ensure that they read the test reports before prescribing and injecting medicines?' he said.

'It was very important for me to drag them to court otherwise the doctors would not learn to take the responsibility of their act.'
A tough administrator and the man who knows well every dynamic and cobweb of the bureaucracy is set to take over as Delhi's next lieutenant governor.

Anil Baijal, 70, who was been the secretary for home affairs during Vajpayee government and retired as secretary of urban development, is set to take over from Najeeb Jung, ending days of speculation.

What could worry the AAP is his alleged closeness to the current Narendra Modi dispensation.

The king of tough times: Anil Baijal, 70, who was been the secretary for home affairs during Vajpayee government and retired as secretary of urban development, is set to take over from Najeeb Jung (centre). Baijal was also CMD of Indian Airlines.

He is an executive council member of the influential Right-leaning Vivekananda International Foundation founded by NSA Ajit Doval.

He is known to play strictly and always by the book.

Sources at the President's House confirmed to Mail Today that Baijal had been cleared for the post, a formal approval set to arrive on Thursday.

His swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place, according to sources, on December 30.

Political parties welcomed his appointment, though in their own ways. 'Welcome Anil Bijal-an able administrator.

Anil Baijal is known to play strictly and always by the book

'Seen him as secretary Urban Development when I was MoS. Hoping him to be impartial in his dealings.

'We expect Anil Baijal to release Shunglu Committee report on corruption on AAP govt soon after taking over,' said DPCC chief Ajay Maken in a series of tweets.

Meanwhile, AAP government's water minister Kapil Mishra said, 'I am very positive. The beginning of New Year with him will bring positivity. And, I hope all the pending project files will start moving on. We welcome him.'

'He is a strict administrator and is known for his achievements. He is also considered close to the establishment and unlike Jung, who never held any impressive position as a bureaucrat.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had a tough time with former Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung

'Baijal has headed several key positions and has a lot to show for,' said a senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity.

His day starts with yoga. At an hour when most of us are still sleeping, say sources.

His association with Doval began in 1969. Baijal as a young sub-divisional magistrate in Mizoram came in touch with Doval, who was in IB.

Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung has decided to return to academia

Baijal is also known to know top officials of the PM's establishment right from his training years.

Baijal is a famed taskmaster. He served as the Chief Executive of Bharti Corporation.

In a career spanning over 37 years, he also held several eminent positions in many ministries, including that of Union Home Secretary in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime.

He was also CMD of Indian Airlines, additional secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

He retired in 2006 as the secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development. Baijal planned and rolled out the flagship programme of the UPA government, the Rs 60,000-crore Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, for improving infrastructure and basic services in the cities.
As governor of the Bank of England from 2003 to 2013 Mervyn King brought a fierce intellectualism to the job.

In line with many other policymakers, including the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, he was not alert enough to the onset of the financial crisis in 2007-08.

King had consigned financial stability to a secondary role at the Bank leaving the underwhelming Financial Services Authority to get on with the job.

And when crisis struck at Northern Rock in 2007 King's first reaction was to worry about 'moral hazard'.

Principles: As governor of the Bank of England from 2003 to 2013 Mervyn King brought a fierce intellectualism to the job

If the Rock were bailed out, who next? But as the governor came to grips with the issues and read himself in he quickly came to realise that Britain needed a Scandinavian solution to the deepening problems of the UK banks.

This required large scale injections of new capital  an approach embraced by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

King's thought processes meant he arrived at the right solution and the recapitalisation of the UK banks is among the key reasons that Britain along with the US has been much faster to recover from the aftermath of the crisis and the Great Recession than its Continental neighbours.

Anyone who has spent any time with King knows that his greatest attribute is his ability to think through issues, see a pattern and work on a solution.

His memoir 'The End of Alchemy' was less a blow by blow account of what went on during the crisis  although he was at the vortex of events  but about what might go wrong next.

He is clearly of the view that the eurozone was malfunctioning badly and that the economic chasm that had opened up between Germany and Europe's poorer Southern tier Greece, Italy and Spain was looking irreparable.

King was not alone in reaching this conclusion. It was shared by the progressive Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz in his book 'The Euro' published earlier this year.

Anyone who had taken time to ring King or Stiglitz, two of the smartest, practical economic thinkers of our time, would not have hesitated to vote Brexit on June 23.

What they explained was that while being part of the European Union may be enormously convenient, the underlying infrastructure of the eurozone and Brussels is deeply flawed.

Far from being the idealised market of 500m people talked off with such enthusiasm by the Remain campaign, it is a bitterly divided edifice both economically and politically.

As a former governor of the Bank of England, King clearly felt it would be unhelpful to say anything of this publicly. He would be interviewed on his book and talk largely in theoretical terms although his Euroscepticism was evident.

But in response to my several requests to talk about Brexit or his successor Mark Carney's role in the debate, to his credit he always refused. He was not prepared to directly engage in politics.

Now that the referendum is behind us King obviously feels he can join in the national economic debate again.

His core reason for thinking that we are better off away from Europe than part of it was because of the deep structural flaws in the monetary system. In his view the arguments against leaving greatly were overstated.

The opportunities of being outside are visible if only people open their minds and use their imagination.

Indeed, King makes little secret of the fact that if we are going to leave we should do so.

The half way houses favoured by the business community  such as staying in the Single Market or being part of a Customs Union  could restrict the country's freedom of action to arrange bilateral deals.

As for his Canadian successor Mark Carney, criticised by Brexiteers for his interventions during the referendum campaign, King gives him the benefit of the doubt.

As governor Carney was in a difficult position and was tied in what he had to say by the Bank's own forecasting units. They made the negative short-term projections and Carney spelt them out and acted upon them.

The truth is that the Bank's forecasts, like those of the International Monetary Fund, the OECD and HM Treasury, were plainly wrong.

There has been no 'technical recession' and Britain thankfully is ending 2016 with its economy in robust shape (in enormous contrast to the huge financial, banking and economic fissures affecting the European Union).

We should be thankful that Lord King has lifted his head above the parapet and given the world a lesson in the real and depressing economics of the eurozone.
I bought a Samsung TV for my son last Christmas. In January, there was no picture, so Samsung arranged for it to be fixed.

We later had a call from the repair centre to say it had been damaged. When the TV was returned to us there were flashes of light across the screen and we suspected it had been dropped.

I contacted Samsung weekly and, eventually, the TV was again collected for repair. It arrived back a week later in exactly the same condition.

I have been trying to resolve this for months and have even written to the managing director, but had no reply. D. F., Hull.

Shoddy service: Samsung took a whole year to replace one reader's broken TV

I soon realised what you had been up against when I contacted Samsung.

I waited and waited and eventually received the following statement by email: 'Samsung is aware of this issue and has worked directly with the customer to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

'The matter has now been fully resolved and the customer is happy with the outcome.'

That was it! I felt forced to explain that the point of my column is to try to resolve issues on behalf of Daily Mail readers.

I am certainly not here to act as a free adjunct of Samsung's customer service department when they can't be bothered to take complaints seriously.

And the statement was not an accurate reflection of the facts.

You told me that, far from resolving the issue, Samsung had not contacted you for two weeks  despite a promise to provide a refund or a larger model.

So I chased again  and was promised top priority. But I heard nothing. So I continued chasing and suggested Samsung should make it a priority to get the TV to you before Christmas.

Finally, there was some good news.

Samsung arranged delivery of your son's replacement TV for December 23. So at last he was able to enjoy last year's Christmas present, almost 12 months late.

Why was Samsung so reluctant to speak to me? Perhaps it fears that if it is seen behaving decently to one customer then others might expect it to behave decently when they have problems.

Well, Samsung, let me explain: That is exactly what customer service is about. It is how you enhance your reputation.

As consumers, we all accept that things can go wrong (including couriers dropping TVs) and simply want them sorted out with courtesy and the minimum of hassle. Your approach to these issues defines you as a company.

Try calling John Lewis or Marks & Spencer  they should be able to explain how it works.

YOU HAVE YOUR SAY Every week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some of the best about our exclusive story revealing how banks are using a legal loophole to wriggle out of paying refunds: Just walk into a shop and buy the item. That way you are fully protected and you are supporting UK workers. Sometimes the cheapest option is not the best. T. B., London. Sue the payment collection company in a small claims court. The chance of them turning up is negligible, so you'll win by default. C. A., Swindon, Wilts. Retailers don't like bad reviews, so name and shame them to get the situation resolved. R. P., Sevenoaks, Kent. Shops and banks doing everything legally conceivable to refuse paying you a refund? Surely not! Big businesses and huge banks really do care about their money  err, customers. W. T., Carlisle, Cumbria. Ah, lovely! So after we, the taxpayers, bailed out the banks a few years ago, they go on using underhand activities rather than doing the right thing. Y. N., Alfreton, Derbys. I run a business through eBay and have a no-quibble refund policy. I believe in treating customers as I would like to be treated. P. O., Cardiff. Use PayPal delayed payments. The seller is paid immediately, but nothing is taken from your bank until 14 days after the purchase, giving you time to approve the item or return it. T. I., York. Large online firms have a returns and refund policy. PayPal and Amazon have a guarantee and always side with the customer. G. I., Northumberland. Go to the shop instead, especially for larger purchases. They can't wriggle out of that. A. I., Flintshire. If the buyer does not receive their item, they should get an automatic refund or a new item from the seller. Surely the seller could claim a sum from Royal Mail because the item wasn't delivered? S. K., Oxford. When buying valuable items online, pick a delivery option that has tracking and insurance. That way, if the delivery firm loses or damages the item, you won't lose out. It amazes me how often people choose the cheapest delivery method and assume they're protected automatically. G. S., Spain.

My elderly dad called in a plumber recently and we paid using his Barclays debit card.

However, following the plumber's visit there was an air blockage which meant that, among other issues, the toilet would not flush.

So we called him back to fix the problem we felt he had created. We were surprised when a second payment was taken from the debit card without our permission.

My dad still has control of his own accounts, though I have joint authority on them.

P. G., Kent.

Your letter raises a number of issues covering the use of debit cards and the protection we have when we give out our details.

Let's get to your problem first. You asked Barclays to apply a chargeback, arguing that you had not given authorisation for the second payment. Chargeback gives consumers some protection in that if a service or product is not delivered, the bank will usually refund your money.

The rules can vary from bank to bank and generally allow you to make a once-only complaint.

Initially, Barclays refunded the disputed payment of 96, but the plumber then argued they had done the work and had charged below their normal rate.

Therefore, Barclays decided to pay the plumber and take the money from your father's account.

That's when you called me in. You felt Barclays was looking at whether or not work had been done, while your complaint was that the money had been taken without your authorising it.

I put this to Barclays, which has decided that there is really no way it can know whether or not authorisation was given. However, given your father's age and his long association with the bank, it has decided to refund the money.

The wider issue is whether retailers have the right to hang on to our card details and, if so, for how long?

Barclays says that some, such as hotels, will mention this in their terms and conditions. This allows them to take money for extras, for example, the minibar or room service.

But retailers such as plumbers are not allowed to retain your card details and therefore must get a fresh authorisation for each transaction.

One other point on the difference between credit and debit cards. Chargeback will protect you, to a degree, on any transaction, no matter how small.

Credit cards and other loans are covered by the Consumer Credit Act, which protects you if the total cost of the item is between 100 and 30,000. You need to pay only a tiny amount of the total cost on the credit card, such as 1, to get that protection.

This can come in useful when booking a holiday where some travel agents and tour operators add a percentage surcharge for credit card transactions.

Put 1 on the credit card and pay the rest by debit card. That should cost you about 2p to be protected by the Consumer Credit Act if the airline or tour company goes bust.
Gift card holders can sell unwanted vouchers online using a little-known website  but they'll have to accept a fifth less than the face value.

Vouchers for shops, spas and days out are popular presents, with around 5.6 billion spent on them this year alone.

However, around 5.40 of every 100 put on to gift cards is never spent.

Many customers wrongly believe there is nothing they can do if they don't want anything from the shop where the card is valid.

Gift card holders can sell unwanted vouchers online using a little-known website  but they'll have to accept a fifth less than the face value

In fact, a website called Zeek.me lets you trade in gift cards for cash if you have no intention of using them. It works in a similar way to eBay, the auction website.

Your voucher must be worth more than 10 and less than 500, come from a retailer with at least five branches, and be valid for at least one month (digital vouchers) or three months (physical cards).

You take a picture of the card with your smartphone and send it to the site.

For digital vouchers, you input the code into the Zeek website. If Zeek is satisfied that the card is genuine, it will offer it for sale to other customers.

However, you'll have to accept that you won't get the full value back.

Zeek insists that you sell at a minimum discount of 10 per cent in order to make the card attractive to another buyer.

That's because the buyer could easily go to the store themselves to buy a newer card with a longer expiry date.

Then Zeek takes a hefty cut for acting as a matchmaker.

The website charges 7 per cent commission on every sale  or 7 from every 100.

Overall it means someone with a 100 gift card would end up selling it for no more than 83.70  or almost a fifth less than it is worth.

Sellers post physical cards to Zeek and should then receive their money within 14 business days after it reaches the firm's office.

Owners of online vouchers will receive their cash within 14 business days of the card's sale.

The Government wants shops to have a minimum two-year expiry period and to offer fairer terms and conditions.

Some cards expire within just six months, while others carry hidden fees. Habitat, White Stuff, French Connection, Costa and Ticketmaster gift cards expire after just one year.

M&S, Reiss, Lakeland, House of Fraser, Fat Face and The Body Shop set a limit of two years and Zara offers three years.

However, many cards do not carry expiry dates so customers do not always know when they run out.

Officials are still considering whether customers should be protected when a retailer issuing gift cards goes bust.
Which is the cheapest fund supermarket for me to use to invest a one-off lump sum of 60,000?

J. K., Leeds.

There are so many fund supermarkets to choose from it can be hard for online investors to pick the right one.

The fees and charges depend on how much money you have and whether you are investing in funds or stocks and shares.

For simplicity, let's assume you are setting up an Isa account to invest in both funds and shares. Look at the fees for accounts that are good value when you have less than 100,000 in them.

Choose wisely: There are so many fund supermarkets to choose from it can be hard for online investors to pick the right one

AJ Bell charges 0.2 per cent a year, which works out at 120 for a 60,000 investment.

You then pay 1.50 each time you buy or sell a fund and 9.95 each time you trade shares or investment trusts.

Hargreaves Lansdown has an annual fee of 0.45 per cent of your assets, which is 270 on 60,000.

There is no charge for investing in funds, but you pay 11.95 each time you buy or sell shares or investment trusts.

Charles Stanley charges 0.25 per cent a year (150 on 60,000). If you're investing in stocks and shares you pay a minimum of 24 and maximum of 240 a year. There is no charge for fund investing and the dealing charge for shares and investment trusts is 11.50.

Fidelity charges 0.35 per cent (210 on 60,000) with a minimum annual fee of 45. If you have less than 7,500 in your account, you will be charged a flat rate of 45.

Bestinvest charges 0.4 per cent a year (240 on 60,000) and 7.50 each time that you trade shares or investment trusts.

This list of fund supermarkets is not exhaustive and you should be sure to take into consideration other factors such as whether you want to use a company that offers extensive research to help you invest and whether you find the website easy to navigate.

If you want paper statements or prefer to invest over the phone, you should check for any additional charges.

Finally, you say in your letter that you wish to invest a one-off lump sum and don't require advice, but I must flag up that this is a large amount of money to invest in one go and it may be worth seeking some advice for help on how best to execute your investment.

If you do decide to proceed without advice then it is best to drip-feed your money into a fund in small, regular chunks as this will reduce the risk of bad timing.

If you invested everything on one day and then the following day the fund or share dropped 5 per cent, you've immediately lost 3,000.
Co-op has declared war on Waitrose as it plans to open dozens of stores in the home counties and London and create 1,500 jobs.

The grocer is planning a 70million drive to open 100 new stores to cash in on the growing demand of British shoppers for smaller convenience stores rather than giant supermarkets.

It is also hoping to use its credentials as an ethical grocer to tap into the rising number of shoppers who want to know that their food comes from a sustainable and reliable source.

Expansion: Co-op is planning a 70m drive to open 100 new stores to cash in on the growing demand of British shoppers for smaller convenience stores rather than giant supermarkets

The Co-op's huge investment will be right in the Waitrose heartland. It is just the latest threat to Waitrose which is already facing the rise of the German discount chains Aldi and Lidl.

A fortnight ago Lidl announced it was creating 5,000 new jobs in London and investing 70million in a new headquarters on the outskirts of the capital.

It plans to open nearly 250 stores in London as it pushes ahead with a three-year 1.5billion UK investment plan.

Announcing the investment, Co-op said it was focusing on London and the South East, with five stores due to open in the capital before the end of March.

Other sites include Swansea, Kings Bromley in Staffordshire, Beverley in Yorkshire, East Lothian and Sheffield.

Stuart Hookins, development director at the Co-op, said: 'While other retailers are scaling back their expansion plans, the Co-op continues to open new convenience stores.

'We opened 100 stores in 2016, and we plan to open hundreds more over the next few years. 'Our core convenience business continues to outperform the market. We are the fastest growing non-discounter and most frequently visited.'

He said the brand was seeking to buy new sites as part of the plan and was looking for acquisition opportunities.

The Co-op is currently engulfed in a war for customers among rival mid-sized chains. According to latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel it has 6.3 per cent of all grocery shopping, marginally ahead of Aldi at 6.2 per cent.

Waitrose has 5.1 per cent and Lidl 4.6 per cent  however, the market share of the two German chains are growing massively each year.

Co-op, which currently has 2,500 stores, has already been going through an expansion.

Around half of all the new food retail outlets opened by major grocers in 2016 was by the chain. But it comes shortly after it offloaded 298 of its stores to rival McColl's for 117million.
Luxury trench coat maker Aquascutum, whose British

designs have been worn by royalty and film stars, is being sold again.

The brand, whose coats cost between 450 and 750, started in London in the 1850s and was favoured by King Edward III, Cary Grant and the Queen Mother.

Fashion sale: Aquascutum, whose coats cost between 450 and 750, is being sold to two rival Chinese owners in March 2017

It is currently owned by Hong Kong-based owner YGM Trading, which snapped it up four years ago for just 15million.

But in a deal worth 97million it is now being sold to two rival Chinese owners in March 2017.

It is unclear whether the deal heralds a breakup or the buyers will retain the business in its present form.

Shandong Ruyi Group, a giant textiles firm, is understood to be one of the buyers. It is thought to be desperate to secure a high-profile brand in a bid to shake off the image of Chinese-made clothes being poor quality.

YGM revealed the buyers have put down a 4million down payment for exclusive rights to a deal.
home Entertainment Immigration Reform News 2017: Will Donald Trump change his views about the country's immigration issues?

While working to woo the voters during the U.S. presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump was very firm about his stance against the undocumented migrants in the country. But it seems like the upcoming president is now open to having a softer approach to the immigration reform for 2017.

In an interview with Time regarding the status of those who were brought to the United States as young children without legal documents, the president-elect said that he will consider all options to address their situation. "We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud," Trump stated in the interview as reported by CNN.

The incoming president mentioned that they will look into the individual's education and work attainment to assess if they can pass the immigration requirements of his administration. "They got brought here at a very young age, they've worked here, they've gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And they're in never-never land because they don't know what's going to happen," Trump also said.

But in case Trump will decide to push through with his campaign promises in which he would eliminate all the undocumented immigrants in the United States, the Democrats from California already has a way to give the incoming president a hard time in executing his plans.

"While Donald Trump may have won the presidency, he hasn't changed our values. America is greater than any one man or party. We will not be dragged back into the past. We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our social fabric or our Constitution," the Senate President Pro Tem and California senator Kevin De Leon stated in a press release that was published on his website.

The Democrats from California will submit the bills collectively known as "Due Process for All," including the fund allocation for nonprofit organizations that will provide legal aid and resources to undocumented immigrants while the other bill will provide funds for educational training programs that will be conducted for legal practitioners who will defend those with immigration and deportation cases.

Both bills are expected to be signed by California governor Jerry Brown once they pass by the legislature.
We look at what has happened to some of the key buildings in the capital, some of which will become hotels

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When tourists come to London, one of the main things they want to see are the historic and quintessentially British buildings which have long been a jewel in the capital's glittering crown.

But, over the years, the government - which owns 350billion worth of land and property - has started selling off these valuable sites, knowing the central location and incredible architecture will bring millions into the state's coffers.

Among the most significant buildings which have already been sold are Admiralty Arch and the Old War Office, both in the heart of Whitehall, which were sold to private developers for a multi-million pound sum and are soon to be given a new lease of life as luxury hotels.

Among the most significant buildings which the Government has sold is the Old War Office (pictured as it looks today), in the heart of Whitehall, which was sold to private developers and is now due to be converted into a luxury hotel

Admiralty Arch (pictured as it looks today), built in 1912 as a memorial to Queen Victoria, was bought by Spanish hotelier Rafael Serrano in 2012 and is also in the process of being converted into a five-star hotel

Other buildings include the former Greater London Council headquarters close to Southbank - which was also ditched as government property and turned into a hotel - and Brompton Road tube station, which once held the headquarters of London's anti aircraft defences and will soon be home to a range of modern flats.

Although the sales have created capital for the government - and arguably made use of buildings which are otherwise sitting empty - the selling off some of these assets has been controversial, not least amid concerns that significant British history is being compromised.

When Admiralty Arch and the Old War Office were sold - both of which are in spitting distance to the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace - peers expressed grave concerns, warning the iconic buildings were on the State Procession route and could be used by terrorists to target the Royal Family. Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock said it was 'privatisation gone mad'.

But the Government went ahead with the plan and, since 2010, has generated 1.4billion through selling land and building sites. At the same time, the running costs of the estate have fallen by 647m - a figure which could rise to 6billion by 2020.

Brompton Road underground station once held the headquarters of London's anti aircraft defences but was sold by the Ministry of Defence in 2014 to be turned into flats. It is pictured before it was closed in 1934

The government even has its own website on which individuals and organisations can force a sale of government land or buildings, under certain conditions. Currently, there are 25,930 public assets listed on the site, including magistrates courts, hospitals and business parks and key landmarks.

So what has become of those famous sites which have sold off by Government? Here, we take a look at the changing faces of some of London's most significant buildings.

Admiralty Arch

The 250-year lease for Admiralty Arch, built in 1912 as a memorial to Queen Victoria, was bought by Spanish hotelier Rafael Serrano in 2012 for a reported 60m.

The historic Grade I listed landmark - which until recently was used for government offices - is now being overhauled to make way for a luxury hotel, along with a private 15,000sqft home which features 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.

The arch is perfect for a developer, boasting some of the best views in London which take in Buckingham Palace, St James' Park and Trafalgar Square.

Admiralty Arch is one of the most historic monuments in the capital. It was built in 1912 as a memorial to Queen Victoria and has been used in many state processions, including the coronation of King George VI in 1937 (pictured)

Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation carriage and procession coming through Admiralty Arch on the way from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace on June 2, 1953 (pictured)

At the time of the sale, peers said they were concerns about the plans, warning the arch - in the centre of the State Procession route between Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster - could become a security risk if it was in the private hands. Former home secretary Lord Reid said the development was 'not a price worth paying.'

But the sale went ahead and Mr Serrano has since been working on turning most of the site into a 100 bedroom luxury hotel, which 12 international hotel group are vying to buy.

Along with the hotel, there will also be a private apartment with six metre-high ceilings, intricate crests and original fireplaces.

It will also include antique fittings from 1910, 'free' access to private off-road valet parking, a private entrance and lift, a 24-hour concierge service and security and lifetime membership to a private members' club.

The historic Grade I listed landmark (pictured in recent years) is now being overhauled to make way for a luxury hotel, along with a 15,000sq ft home which features 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms

This, looking down the tree-lined Mall towards Buckingham Palace, will be the view from the rooms and restaurant at the soon-to-be Admiralty Arch hotel

The hotel will also feature one of the most talked about restaurants in London - open to hotel guests and the public - with table views directly down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace. The development will be the first time the terrace will be open to the public in the buildings history.

As one of the biggest renovations ever seen of a such a significan building, the development has attracted some of Britain's most expensive designers, including David Mlinaric - who has worked on the interiors of the Royal Opera House, the Victoria & Albert Museum and British Embassies in Paris and Washington - and Michael Blair, who transformed the The Connaught and Claridges hotels.

Admiralty Arch was built in 1910 after King Edward VII commissioned it in memory of his mother, the late Queen Victoria, and as a working monument to the British Navy.

The building will be turned into a luxury hotel and spa complete with serviced residences and a private members' club. A picture of the plans, as shown on the website, is pictured above

The development will retain many of the original features on the building, including the staircases (one is picture left) and the carved fittings (right)

It was designed by the leading architect of the period, Sir Aston Webb, who was also responsible for renovating the facade of Buckingham Palace.

Previous residents include Lords Mountbatten and Hailsham, while Winston Churchill also set up home there. It was also where Ian Fleming worked whilst creating James Bond.

Numerous ceremonial parades have passed beneath the arch over the years, including the Duke of Cambridges Royal Wedding party. Runners in the London Olympics also made their way under the gate.

County Hall and the County Hall Island Block

After standing empty for several years, part of the Greater London Council Building - standing at No 1 Westminster Bridge Road - was sold off under Margaret Thatcher to make way for a 300million hotel.

Thatcher's own ministers had begged the prime minister to keep the building - known as The County Hall Island Block - for public purposes. LSE begged Thatcher to let them develop it, while one senior minister drew up a plan to use the site to establish an equivalent of the French university for top civil servants, the Ecole Normale d'Administration.

But Thatcher - clearly fearful of a permanent base for student demonstrations so close to Westminster - allowed it to be turned into a hotel instead.

Part of the County Hall and the Greater London Council building are seen in 2006, when demolition work began. The six-floor block, built in 1974, was left empty since 1986 and was said to be an eyesore in the capital

Many campaigned for part of County Hall to be listed when it was no longer used by the GLC. The then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sold off the building and allowed it to be turned into a hotel instead (pictured)

Westminster Bridge Park Plaza, shown left from Westminster Bridge and right next to the remainder of County Hall, was built, rising 14 storeys high to overlook Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The six-floor block, built in 1974, had been empty since 1986 and was said to be an eyesore - so much so that it was named as the 11th ugliest building in Britain by a Channel 4 pool in 2005.

Despite campaigns for it to be listed, demolition work began in 2006 and, by 2010, Westminster Bridge Park Plaza was in its place, rising 14 storeys high to overlook Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

The remainder of County Hall - although not razed to the ground - lost its role as the seat of London's government in 1986 when the GLC was scrapped.

The building, an imposing structure on Southbank which was originally home to London County Council, had housed the Labour-run GLC for 21 years but had been a thorn in the government's side during the 1980s.

County Hall (pictured in 1982), on London's Southbank - which housed London County Council and later the Greater London Council - lost its role as the seat of London's government in 1986 and was sold off to private investors

The imposing building (pictured as it is today) is now home to a Marriott hotel, a Premier Inn and several tourist attractions, including the London Aquarium and the London Dungeons

Due to its position opposite the river from the Houses of Parliament, its facade frequently served as a billboard for anti-government slogans and the government was reluctant for that to continue.

The building initially remained in use by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA), but, when it was abolished in 1990, the building was transferred to the London Residuary Body and eventually sold to private investors.

Between 2003 and 2006, it housed the Saatchi Gallery. It now home to a Marriott hotel, a Premier Inn and several tourist attractions, including the London Aquarium and London Dungeons.

The Old War Office

The historic 270,000 sq ft Old War Office, in which Sir Winston Churchill once worked, was sold to developers for an undisclosed sum last year but is thought to have generated around 100million for the Exchequer.

The building was bought by the millionaire Hinduja brothers, who want to turn the historic site into a lavish 1million hotel complex.

The Indian-born siblings, who are now ranked as Britain's richest businessmen with a 13billion fortune in steel, plan to convert the grand Whitehall building into a 'world-class hotel' with 125 rooms, a 600-person ballroom and a rooftop bar.

The procession for the coronation of King Edward VII passes the construction of The Old War Office building in Whitehall, London in 1902. It has been a central part of Whitehall for more than 100 years

The historic Grade II-listed structure (pictured in 1972), which was built at the cost of 1.2m in 1906, contains a wealth of history and was where Churchill helped mastermind the Allied victory over Hitler. It is now due to be turned into a hotel

Secretaries of state including Lord Kitchener (left) and Lord Roberts (right) have used the Old War Office. The duo are pictured in illustrations at the building

There will also be a range of different sized flats, a 82-foot swimming pool, a top-of-the-range spa and wine cellars, according to the plans.

After buying the building from the Government last year under the MOD's cost-cutting programme, the Hindujas took out a 250-year lease and started work with EPR Architects.

The historic Grade II-listed structure, which was built at the cost of 1.2m in 1906, contains a wealth of history and was where Sir Winston Churchill helped mastermind the Allied victory over Hitler.

A key site during both world wars, it has also been home to secretaries of state including Lord Haldane, Lord Kitchener, David Lloyd-George and John Profumo.

After buying the building from the Government last year under the MOD's cost-cutting programme, the Hindujas took out a 250-year lease and started work with EPR Architects. It is pictured, highlight in red, from above

The seven-storey building is made up of 25 million bricks and 30,000 tonnes of Portland and York stone. There are two-and-a-half miles of corridors (pictured), many of which are ten-feet wide

The plan claims it is a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' to secure the heritage of the building and grant it a new life for future generations. The building, of which the inside is pictured, is currently closed to the public

The Indian-born Hinduja brothers, who are now ranked as Britain's richest businessmen with a 13billion fortune in steel, plan to convert the grand Whitehall building into a 'world-class hotel' with 125 rooms, a ballroom and a rooftop bar

The imposing building, previously one of the government's 'trophy assets', has also featured in four James Bond films - Octopussy, A View to a Kill, Licence to Kill and Skyfall - as the MI6 headquarters, where M's office was based.

In October 1940, four bombs hit the building, causing superficial damage and killing one person. It was hit by a further seven bombs during the war but damage to the building remained minimal.

The building was also frequented by members of the secret service and one discreet entrance way still retains the nickname, The Spies Entrance.

When the trophy asset was openly marketed in 2014, it was expected to attract bids of around 100 million.

Daniel Craig is pictured in Skyfall as James Bond looking over towards the roof of the War Office, which is used as M's office in four of the 007 films

Brompton Road tube station

A war-time command centre, Brompton Road station, near Harrods, was put on the market in September 2013 by the Ministry of Defence as part of cost-cutting efforts.

Opened in 1906, the Piccadilly Line station - just yards from Harrods - closed in 1934 when London Underground decided it was no longer financially viable.

In 2014, the station fetched more than twice the expected price and sold for 53m. It will be converted into multi-million pound apartments. The station was closed in 1934 because of a lack of passengers, but gained a new life during the Second World War as a headquarters for gunners fighting waves of Hitlers bombers.

The station was closed in 1934 because of a lack of passengers, but gained a new life during the Second World War as a headquarters for gunners fighting waves of Hitlers bombers. It is pictured being used as an Anti Aircraft Division

A war-time command centre, Brompton Road station, near Harrods, was put on the market in September 2013 by the Ministry of Defence as part of cost-cutting efforts

In 1938 the War Office bought the above-ground building along with lift shafts, stairs and some of the lower passages. The disused platforms remained closed off and still belong to the Tube.

Floors were built into the lift shafts to create operations rooms complete with a telephone exchange, pneumatic tubes to carry messages and a huge table map of southern England.

Brompton was notable for its participation in the experimental use of a specialised type of radar known as ground-controlled interception (GCI), which was transmitted from the army's anti-aircraft gun installation at Hyde Park using BBC equipment, and projected onto a screen in the operations room.

Brompton Road station is one of the assets which was sold to private developers to bring money into Government coffers

In 2014, the station fetched more than twice the expected price and sold for 53m. It will be converted into multi-million pound apartments

In 1938 the War Office bought the above-ground building along with lift shafts, stairs and some of the lower passages. The disused platforms remained closed off and still belong to the Tube

Opened in 1906, the Piccadilly Line station - just yards from Harrods - closed in 1934 when London Underground decided it was no longer financially viable. The underground walkways are pictured above

There are also unconfirmed stories that Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy, was questioned at the station after he flew solo to Scotland in 1941 in an attempt to negotiate peace.

The building was used for anti-aircraft operations until the early 1950s, by which time the Second World War defences were considered obsolete.

During the Blitz the station was used by the War Office to control anti-aircraft batteries protecting London from air raids.

It was most recently occupied by the University of London Air Squadron and Royal Naval Unit and air cadets. It is now expected to be used for residential development.

Houses of Parliament

The Palace of Westminster is riddled with asbestos, leaking ceilings, rodents and moths and was described as a 'death trap' earlier this year by one close to the refurbishment plans.

The cheapest and quickest option for refurbishing the Palace of Westminster would require MPs to temporarily move out of the building for up to six years.

Work has already begun on the 6 billion pound restoration and repair project on the Houses of Parliament

A specially-made chamber built in the courtyard of the Department of Health  just 100 yards down the road from the Palace of Westminster  is the preferred option among MPs.

An independent report commissioned by Parliament estimated that the revamp would cost more than 7bn and take 32 years to complete if politicians did not move out of the building temporarily.

But the costs could be halved to an estimated 3.5bn and take just six years if MPs and peers agree to a temporary new home.

The Corinthia

The Corinthia has switched back and forth between its purposes. It was originally a hotel (the Metropole Hotel), but was later used as emergency government offices during both World War One and World War Two.

It was purchased by the Ministry of Defence after WWII and remained as governmental offices until 2004, then was sold in 2007. For the last five years, it has operated as a luxury five-star hotel.
From a retiree who felt someone touch her arm, to an RAF squadron leader who heard a call to take action while flying - they both claim to have encountered angels.

And it seems Margaret Jones and former C130 Hercules navigator Tom Rounds are not alone, with one in ten Britons claiming to have seen or heard an angel.

Ms Jones, 78, from Fleetwood in Lancashire, said she felt an angel by her side 20 years ago when she was singing in the choir at her church with her eyes closed.

Angel experiences: Retiree Margaret Jones (left) felt someone touch her arm while former squadron leader Tom Rounds (right) has told how he heard a call to take action while flying

As she sang, she said she felt someone touch her arm and hold her hand, adding: I felt the pressure of what seemed like a human hand touching my own.

As I was standing on the edge of the choir I assumed that Deborah, who had been playing the organ, had come over to join us; so thought nothing of it.

'The hand then left mine and a few moments later I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Deborah was still sitting at the organ  she wasnt there beside me.

After the service, a member of the congregation told her: An angel was here and he was stood next to you Margaret and touched you on your hand.

A few years ago, Ms Jones then also saw two angels standing over her husband Vernie, as he lay asleep in bed - and is adamant she was not dreaming.

She said: I was awake and just lying there then they appeared: two beautiful beings with wings dressed in white. What struck me most was that their hair was golden.

'It shone  they were just beautiful. Then they disappeared through the headboard. This always makes me laugh as it sounds silly, but they really did.

Ms Jones then woke up her husband and told him. He said: You daft woman, you were dreaming. Ms Jones replied: I know what I saw and I know I wasnt dreaming.

As a C130 Hercules navigator in the 1980s, Squadron Leader Tom Rounds (pictured) had been taking part in a routine low level flying exercise - 250ft above ground level

The figure of one in ten Britons claiming to have seen or heard an angel is double that of six years ago, according to the Bible Society poll revealed by MailOnline.

The survey found that a third of people believe in angels and the same proportion feel they have a guardian angel watching over them.

Meanwhile Mr Rounds has told of his experiences of an angel while taking part in a routine low level flying exercise - 250ft above ground level.

As a C130 Hercules navigator in the 1980s, he and the highly experienced crew from RAF Lyneham went through Wales and the West Country.

Their flight was plagued with low cloud and rain and it suddenly became impossible for them to see, so at 280mph and 250ft, they were flying blind.

Mr Rounds said: At some point I felt an overwhelming urge to climb the aircraft away from our then height of 250ft.

'The hairs on my neck stood up. It was almost as though something was screaming in my head to take action immediately.

I duly screamed at the pilot to initiate a hard climb and rapid turn left, as I believed our safety was to be had out over the low lying land to our north over the valley.

Watching over you: One in ten Britons claim to have seen or heard an angel  double those who said the same six years ago, it was revealed today

Just as he yelled at the crew, the radar altimeter - a device which tells the crew the actual height of the aircraft directly above the ground - began shrieking.

Mr Rounds added: We knew at that point that we were now less than 250ft from the ground despite the aircraft attitude being at over 50 degrees, banked to the left, and climbing. We were now flying parallel to the northern slope of the mountain.

We then watched mesmerised as the indicated height on the radar altimeter continued to fall and reached at just 50ft - where it stayed.

I absolutely believed the plane was about to crash straight into the mountainside and that I had now consigned us, as a crew, to the statistics book of another RAF aircraft lost on a training sortie.

He added: 'Was that my guardian angel who spoke to me urging I take immediate action? I don't suppose I shall really know for certain but during a quiet moment, I like to believe it was.'

Some 39 per cent of women are likely to believe in angels compared to 26 per cent of men - but roughly the same proportion say they have seen or heard one.

The Bible Society figures, revealed by MailOnline today, also show that the one in three people who believe in angels has stayed consistent over the past six years.

But you are far less likely to have seen or heard an angel if you are aged over 75, despite that group being more likely to believe in angels than at any other age.

Looking into the light: A third of people believe in angels and the same proportion feel they have a guardian angel watching over them, according to the Bible Society poll

Meanwhile angels are not limited by geography, with a similar proportion of people experiencing angels across Britain.

A Bible Society spokesman said: Of course, there will be many who say it is peoples imagination or wishful thinking.

But Bible Society believe its hard to argue that one in ten people, in this country, claim to have experienced an angel.

The Bible makes it very clear angels exist and so, it seems, do people in 21st century Britain.

Bible Society believes it is very difficult to argue with those who claim to have experienced an angel and say what they have seen, heard or felt is wrong or a product of their own imagination.

This research forms part of the Pass it On campaign, which encourages parents and young children to engage or re-engage with Bible stories.
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It's not every day you get to audition for the role of reindeer wrangler, or Santas Sleigh Girl, to give it a more Christmassy spin. Its seasonal work, obviously, and getting a face-full of antler is an occupational hazard.

But here with the Cairngorm Herd, Britains only free ranging reindeer, Ive come for a try-out with Tilly Smith whose animals travel the country for six weeks of the year casting their Christmas magic over us all.

My target today is Scrabble, recently returned from a festive tour of duty in Wales and now having a rest on a chilly hill near Aviemore.

Hes only five but his antlers are already magnificent plus hes got a vicious blade across his face to let other males know he means business.

Reideer wrangler: Sarah Oliver, pictured, braved the Scottish Highlands' cold to meet Britain's only wild reindeer herd

Santa's sleigh girl: Journalist Sarah met the 150-strong Cairngorm Herd, imported from Sweden in 1959, near Aviemore in Scotland

Sleigh bells: Sarah attempted to buckle up one of the reindeer named Scrabble. Describing her technique, She told MailOnline: 'Im down on my knees sliding a strap around his velvety nose. My other hand goes up and over his shoulder, round the back of his ears and antlers - eek - to reach for the head piece.'

Calm down boys! Sarah tempted Scrabble using a tried and tested technique that always works on her son and husband - food.... by offering scrabble, with his giant antlers, a bag of peanuts

Im trying to get close enough to sneak underneath those fearsome points and slide on a halter. But first I have to get him to come here. Im not a Sami reindeer herder or Id just lasso him so itll have to be bribery with food. Works on my husband and sons - maybe male reindeer too?

Yep, a handful of Scrabbles favourite deer nuts brings him to a halt and before theres time for him to guess Im an absolute amateur, Im down on my knees sliding a strap around his velvety nose.

My other hand goes up and over his shoulder, round the back of his ears and antlers - eek - to reach for the head piece. Fortunately Tilly tells me reindeers know exactly how big their own antlers are and its rare for them to prong someone (today that would be me) by mistake.

Scrabble has decided to be nice - it is Christmas after all - and stays still while I buckle him up. Its probably because Im wearing one of the coveted red jumpers worn by Tillys professional handlers but you know, in the reindeer game, fake it til you make it.

We have a little chat and I ask him about his unusual name. Surely he should be called Dasher or Prancer or something else from The Night Before Christmas, the 1823 poem which created the myth of Santas flying reindeer?

Turns out in 2011, the year Scrabble was born, he and his mates Monopoly, Jenga and Bingo were all called after favourite family games. Theres a Rummy, a Rubiks and an Origami in the herd too.

Scrabble is one of Britains few true Christmas reindeer, the mature geldings seen either in harness pulling Santas sleigh or walking behind it at festive events. (In indigenous reindeer herding cultures such as the Sami, these biddable non-breeding males are used as Judas beasts to draw the wild herd into enclosures.)

Faking it: Sarah revealed, Scrabble decided to be nice - it is Christmas after all - and stayed still while she buckled him up. Sarah thinks he played nice because she wore a red jumper like one usually worn by one of his professional handlers

Quick mover: Sarah, pictured, managed to dodge his giant antlers and have him buckled up before he managed to work out that she was a novice

There's a good boy: Sarah said after she got him buckled up and in control she had enough time to ask him his name... Dancer or Prancer she thought, obviously, but not this one is called Scrabble. It turns that that this one and his siblings, all born in 2011, are named Monopoly, Jenga, Bingo and so on, all after family games

Free range: Most of the time the reindeer enjoy a 1,000 acre enclosure on the northern slopes of Airgod-Meall (Silver-Mount) in the Cairngorms national park or range across the parks wild lands

He and the rest of the 150-head herd can be visited all year round but their pre Christmas country-wide tours provide crucial extra income for their long-term care.

Tilly runs an annual training programme handling spring-born reindeer calves from October onwards so they become used to people. They are then introduced to a halter like the one I put on Scrabble and eventually, in adulthood, to a harness. Novice animals are paired with those which have pulled a sleigh in previous seasons so they learn their trade.

Most of the time however they enjoy a 1,000 acre enclosure on the northern slopes of Airgod-Meall (Silver-Mount) in the Cairngorms national park or range across the parks wild lands.

They are an uplifting sight in the weak winter sunshine and down amongst them the huffing of warm breath and clattering of antlers makes a prettier soundtrack to Christmas than jingling tills and carols on a supermarket loop.

Reindeer were once found naturally in Scotland, their presence recorded by the Orkneyinga saga 800 years ago. It is unclear why they died out since the sub-Arctic environment mirrors that of Scandinavia.

They were reintroduced when Swedish reindeer herder Mikel Utsi and his wife Ethel Lundgren came to the Cairngorms on their honeymoon and fell in love with the area. They decided to settle and in 1952 imported two bull reindeer and five cows from their homeland as an experiment.

It was Mr Utsi who pioneered the idea of Christmas appearances when he brought his reindeer off the mountain for a festive visit to Aviemore in 1953. Today the herd is also famous for providing the antlers seen on set in Game of Thrones and its extraordinary bull Crann whose massive antlers - more than two yards of solid bone each weighing over 9lbs - make him the undisputed King of the Cairngorms

Tilly bought the herd in 1989 with her husband Alan whom she met when they were both working for Mikel and Ethel in the early eighties. She jokes I think that makes our children Scotlands first indigenous reindeer people  Fiona, 30, and Alex, 31, also work with the herd.

She explains how the idea of Santas reindeer first brought to prominence by the poem came to be so integral to our Christmas tradition. 'In late 19th century America, Sami herders whod immigrated to Alaska to help the Inuit people look after reindeer brought live animals to local towns to encourage people to buy reindeer meat and skins.

They dressed them in ribbons and bells the traditional Sami way and it all became mixed up with the idea of Christmas. Now of course we cant imagine celebrating without them.

Natural habitat: They were reintroduced when Swedish reindeer herder Mikel Utsi and his wife Ethel Lundgren came to the Cairngorms on their honeymoon and fell in love with the area. They decided to settle and in 1952 imported two bull reindeer and five cows from their homeland as an experiment

Stunning sight: Tilly Smith, pictured right with journalist Sarah Oliver left, bought the herd in 1989 with her husband Alan whom she met when they were both working for Mikel and Ethel in the early eighties

Mr Utsi who pioneered the idea of Christmas appearances when he brought his reindeer off the mountain for a festive visit to Aviemore in 1953. Today the herd is also famous for providing the antlers seen on set in Game of Thrones and its extraordinary bull Crann whose massive antlers - more than two yards of solid bone each weighing over 9lbs - make him the undisputed King of the Cairngorm

No, we cant which is why further up the hill from Scrabble and his gang there is a group of 50 mothers with 2016 calves, some of which will become the next generation of Christmas reindeer.

This year their names were drawn from ancient civilisations - theres Saxon, Pict, Aztec, Inca and Viking. And like their namesakes, their social etiquette is wanting. Theres a lot of jostling and one gives me a firm prod in the backside with baby antlers as I try to keep the deer nuts out of reach.

Lady reindeer are bossy, smiles Tilly. They can afford to be because they they are the only female deer to have antlers.

I threaten to tell the alpha female that shed be made into a pair of special Sunday shoes if she belonged to the Sami. Shes white, the pelt colour prized by Sami women for their best boots.

I could also point out to the lot of them that reindeer meat is a delicacy in many countries and since its legendarily lean, just two per cent fat, and full of omega three and six and essential fatty acids its only a matter of time before it catches on here.

But that would be rude because its a privilege to be up close. Reindeer are amazing creatures with no upper teeth at the front and tiny lower ones, all the better for seeking out their favourite foods, lichen, blayberries and cowberries.

Their hooves are perfectly designed for digging snow and breaking ice and their noses are shaped so cold air is warmed up before it hits their lungs. A reindeers hollow hair pelt is so efficient its body heat doesnt melt the snow it lies on.

Bossy boots: Tilly, who showed Sarah, pictured, the ropes, runs an annual training programme handling spring-born reindeer calves from October onwards so they become used to people. Lady reindeer are bossy, smiles Tilly. They can afford to be because they they are the only female deer to have antlers.

Bond: Sarah said she loved spending time with the 'super sociable, calm and highly intelligent' animals... but she had to tear herself away from them because this part of Scotland gets as chilly as Norway and Alaska. She said there may have been a red nose by dusk, but it was only hers

They are super sociable, brave, calm and highly intelligent and growing antlers from just three weeks old. No wonder they hold a special place in our Christmas hearts.

I had to tear myself away from them. It was starting to get chilly because this part of Scotland is on the same latitude as Alaska, Norway and the cold bits of Canada.
The most active red light camera in the country is catching more than twice as many motorists as its nearest rival, the Mail Online can reveal.

The camera, on Soar Valley Way in Leicester, had 4,300 activations in the last financial year - more than double that of the UK's next most prolific camera.

In total, 687 of those were activations led to fines, bringing in 68,700 in revenue.

The second most active camera, at the junction of Victoria Street and Crosshall Street in Liverpool, caught 1,946 drivers, while the third most frequent flasher was also in Leicester, where 1,199 motorists were snared on Lubbesthorpe Way.

The most active red light camera in the country is catching more than twice as many motorists as its nearest rival (file picture)

The cameras are designed to catch motorists who do not stop at red lights, and capture an image of a vehicle which has entered an intersection in spite of the traffic signal indicating red.

Leicestershire Police issues motorists who are caught driving through red lights with a 100 fine, as well as three penalty points on their licence - a penalty in line with many other forces across the country.

In total, of the 4,300 motorists caught evading the lights on Soar Valley Way, 687 were fined, bringing in 68,700 in revenue.

The vast majority - 3,110 drivers - were sent on a reeducation course, which typically costs the offending motorist the same amount as a fine.

The remainder - 503 drivers - were hauled before the courts.

Jonathan Ashworth, MP for Leicester South, said he was not aware of any complaints from constituents about the cash cow camera.

He told Mail Online: 'I was a bit surprised at that, it's not something constituents have raised with me or complained about, so I will write to Leicester shire Police to ask why they think it would be, but I have to say I'm rather surprised.

The busiest camera, on Soar Valley Way in Leicester, caught 4,300 motorists in the last financial year (file picture)

'It is a busy road, but I've never been given the impression that it's busier than any other ring road around a city.'

Jonathan Clarkson, spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland road safety partnership said the camera detected so many offences because it was situated on a road with a lot of traffic passing through, close to both a busy retail park and a motorway junction.

Jonathan Ashworth, MP for Leicester South, said he was not aware of any complaints

He told Mail Online: 'The Soar Valley Way red light camera is situated on road with high volumes of traffic, close to a busy retail park and en route to the M1 motorway.

'Between 2011 and 2015 there have been one serious and 18 slight injury collisions at this site.

'Our message is quite clear, road users should stop at red lights, failing to do so can result in someone being killed or seriously injured.'

The data was released to the Mail Online under freedom of information laws. Of the forces that responded to the request, almost half said they had no active red light cameras at all.

The force with some of the least number of activations was Bedfordshire, which has just two active cameras.

In the last financial year, one of the cameras, at the juntion of Goldington Road and Newnham Avenue in Bedford, caught just 25 motorists, of whom three were fined.

The most active camera at the Greyfriars junction with Bromham Road, also in Bedford, only managed to trap 70 drivers in total, with just six issued with fines.

The camera at the Goldington Road junction with Newnham Avenue in Bedford was one of the least active in the country, catching just 25 motorists in a year (file picture)

As is typical with other police forces across the country, offending motorists in Bedfordshire are often offered the option to attend a course as an alternative to paying a fine and having their driving licence endorsed with penatly points.

A spokeswoman for Bedforshire Police said the cameras had been placed at locations where there had been a history of serious crashes.

She told Mail Online: 'Together with the council we work to keep people safe on our roads.

'The position of the cameras is determined by the council based on locations where there is a history of fatal or serious collisions and where camera enforcement is the correct measure to address the causes of those collisions.

'Speeding is one of the main "fatal four" factors leading to serious road collisions and fatalities, along with drink-driving, failing to wear a seatbelt and using a mobile phone at the wheel.

'We support any measure which can limit speeding, and the running of red traffic signals, and make Bedfordshire's roads safer for all who use them.'
A Saudi man has been jailed for one year for calling for an end to the Muslim kingdom's guardianship system that gives men wide controls over women, local media said Tuesday.

The man, who was also fined 30,000 riyals ($8,000) by a court in the eastern city of Dammam, was convicted of 'inciting to end guardianship of women' in statements he posted on Twitter and in public posters, the Okaz daily said.

He was arrested while putting up posters in mosques in Al-Hasa district calling for an end to the globally unique system that subjects women in the ultra-conservative kingdom to male control.

Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia (file photo). A man was campaigning to end the guardianship of women when he was arrested

During questioning, police found out that the man was also behind a wide online campaign to end the guardianship, the paper said.

The defendant admitted pinning up the posters in several mosques, saying he solely launched an 'awareness campaign' after finding that some 'female relatives were facing injustice at the hands of their families,' the daily said.

Thousands of Saudis signed in September a petition urging an end to the guardianship system following a Twitter campaign which the court claims was launched by the defendant.

Saudi Arabia has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women, and is the only country where they are not allowed to drive.

Under the guardianship system a male family member, normally the father, husband or brother, must grant permission for a woman's study, travel and other activities.

Activists say that even female prisoners have to be received by the guardian upon their release, meaning that some have to languish in jail or a shelter beyond their sentences if the man does not want to accept them.
Chris Corley, who authorities said attacked his wife in their Graniteville home

A South Carolina lawmaker who once attacked his colleagues because they took down the Confederate flag is accused of beating his wife and pointing a gun at her.

Officers in Aiken County charged Republican Chris Corley with two felonies that could send him to prison for up to 15 years.

A police report says he attacked his wife Heather Medlock Corley at their home in Graniteville after an argument broke out when she accused him of cheating, and that he only stopped hitting her because two of their children started screaming.

The report says the couple's young children were in the home, and that Corley, 36, threatened to kill his wife, pointed a gun at her, then said he would kill himself.

Deputies from the Sheriff's Office responded on Monday night to reports of violence at Corley's home in Sugar Hill Drive.

Mrs Corley, identified as the victim, said her husband punched her in the face and threatened to kill her while their children were present, according to the Aiken Standard.

Video courtesy of WRDW

Chris Corley appears in court wearing shorts accompanied by a corrections officer

She told officers Corley only stopped assaulting her because he heard his children's screams as they noticed blood pouring from her head.

The Republican representative then went to a car and came back with a Smith & Wesson handgun, Mrs Corley said, according to local media.

He is alleged to have pointed the gun at his wife before telling her he was going to commit suicide and went into one of the bedrooms in the house.

She said she used it as an opportunity to flee and ran with her children to a family member's house across the street.

Officers in Aiken County charged Republican Chris Corley (pictured) with two felonies that could send him to prison for up to 15 years

Corley appeared in court on Tuesday wearing shorts, New Balance shoes and a long-sleeve t-shirt, where a judge set a $20,000 bond.

Magistrate Judge Melanie James DuBose banned him from seeing his wife and from possessing any firearms, according to the Aiken Standard.

The first charge of domestic violence could carry a 10-year sentence while the firearms charge could see Corley sentenced to up to five years in prison.

In December last year, he sent out a Christmas card featuring a photo of the Confederate flag that was removed this year from the Statehouse to his Republican colleagues, suggesting they use the holiday to 'ask for forgiveness of all your sins such as betrayal'.

Corley said the card was a political statement to his fellow Republicans meant as a joke.

Democrats and others on his Christmas card list got one with a picture of his children.
An eight-year-old New Jersey boy was kicked out of the Cub Scouts because he is transgender, his family says - a move that could open a new front in the debate over discrimination in Scouting.

Joe Maldonado joined Pack 87 in Secaucus in October, hoping for adventures in camping and science projects. But he was asked to leave about a month later - because of complaints by parents, his mom says.

'I'm way more angry than sad,' Joe told to The Record Tuesday. 'My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. It's right to do.'

Scroll down for video

Joe Maldonado, eight, of New Jersey, was kicked out of Scout Cub Pack 87 in Secaucus one month after joining because he is transgender

His mom, Kristie Maldonado, says that the other children had no trouble accepting her son - it was the other parents who objected to him being a member of the troop

Joe was born female but has identified as a boy for more than a year. And while the kids at his school don't have a problem, their parents are a different matter, says his mom, Kristie Maldonado.

'Not one of the kids said, "You don't belong here,"' Maldonado said.

Instead, she says, their parents leaned on the scout troop to kick the hopeful young scout out of the club.

The Boy Scouts of America endured years of controversy before ultimately lifting bans on gay Scouts and leaders in recent years.

But spokeswoman Effie Delimarkos said in a statement the organization considers transgender children to be a separate issue.

'No youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation,' she said, adding: 'Gender identity isn't related to sexual orientation.'

She declined to directly address Joe's situation or say if there's a written policy on transgender participants. The statement said Cub Scout programs are for those identified as boys on their birth certificates.

The Boy Scouts of America is not known to have rejected any Scouts over gender identity before the Secaucus case, said Justin Wilson, the executive director of Scouts for Equality.

Like many other boys, Joe hoped to go camping and adventuring. But his expulsion has left him feeling 'angry,' he says. A spokesperson said they only accept the sex on birth certificates

Wilson said he knows of at least two transgender boys who are Cub Scouts, one in a southern state that he did not name and the other in New York.

He does not know of any instances where Scouts asked for a birth certificate as a condition of membership.

Maldonado said she was not aware that anyone had a problem with her son being a member of the pack, which is hosted by Immaculate Conception Church, until she received a phone call from the Northern New Jersey Council of Boy Scouts.

A spokesman for the Newark Roman Catholic Archdiocese said it had nothing to do with the Boy Scouts' decision. He declined further comment.

Council executive Eric Chamberlin acknowledged calling Kristie Maldonado last month but declined further comment. He referred questions to the Scouts' national office and said the issue involved 'our membership standards.'

Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts told The Associated Press that it would admit transgender children to its coeducational programs, but not to programs that are for boys only, like the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

The national Girl Scouts organization, which is not affiliated with the Boy Scouts, has accepted transgender members for years.

The Boy Scouts did not respond to questions about whether the group would accept a transgender girl whose birth certificate indicates she is male.
A federal grand jury has accused an Arkansas woman of creating a fake will for a Deepwater Horizon oil explosion survivor who was later killed in a car wreck so her daughter would inherit his $1.7million estate.

Donna Herring of Camden, Arkansas, was indicted on charges of money laundering, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The indictment was unsealed earlier this month and first reported Tuesday by the Texarkana Gazette.

A federal grand jury has accused Donna Herring (left) of creating a fake will for Matthew Seth Jacobs (right), a Deepwater Horizon oil explosion survivor who was later killed in a car wreck, so her daughter would inherit his million-dollar estate

At issue is the estate of Matthew Seth Jacobs, who survived the 2010 Gulf of Mexico explosion that killed 11 people but died in a 2015 car crash near his home in Arkansas. He was 34 years old.

A separate civil lawsuit filed against Herring notes that Jacobs was part of a class-action lawsuit that had a multimillion-dollar settlement.

'The settlement allowed Matthew to amass substantial wealth at a relatively young age, and proceeds of the settlement make up the bulk of his probate estate,' the civil lawsuit said.

Both the civil lawsuit and indictment accuse Herring, whose daughter had dated Jacobs, of creating a fake will online in Jacobs' name after his death.

Herring was a realtor and helped Jacobs buy a home in 2012, and also brought him into her husband Doug Herring's pest control business, the Gazette reported.

She is accused of also encouraging a relationship between Jacobs and her own daughter Alex Peterson, who was underage and 16 years' Jacobs' junior, once his engagement was over in 2013, the report said.

Peterson and Jacobs were reportedly engaged in 2014. Citing the civil lawsuit, the Gazette said that Jacobs was involved with a different person at the time of his January 2015 death.

According to court records, Jacobs' brother and Jacobs' teenage son Jordan Jacobs searched his home for a will following the death, but found nothing.

Pictured is the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in this April 2010 file photograph

Herring said she knew about a sealed envelope which her husband and one of his friends found inside Jacobs' gun safe, the Gazette reported.

The civil suit said that Herring later 'claimed that she discovered a sealed envelope with the initial "MJ" on it containing a duplicate of a last will and testament for Matthew'.

That document was filed in court, and Herring's daughter received the bulk of Jacobs' estate, valued at about $1.7million.

Jordan Jacobs got $50,000 and a life insurance policy disbursement worth $250,000, according to the Gazette.

Herring's criminal indictment, seen by the outlet, alleges: 'On or about March 7, 2016, (Donna) Herring used funds fraudulently derived from the estate to purchase a 2012 Lexus RX350 for her own personal use.'

Jordan Jacobs' attorney contacted the FBI in April of this year and said the will was created by Herring online five days after Matthew Jacobs died, the newspaper reported.

Herring spoke to the FBI in July and purportedly said that she created a fake will and put a copy in the gun safe, according to the Gazette.

A search warrant was quoted by the newspaper as saying: 'Furthermore, while the truthfulness of Donna Herring's statements to law enforcement remain in question, Donna Herring claimed to have found and subsequently destroyed descendant's actual last will and testament after his death.'

Herring, whose criminal trial is set for February 6, has pleaded not guilty and has also denied the civil lawsuit's allegations in a court filing.
That glittering ball in Times Square may be the best-known object dropping on New Year's Eve, but it's by no means the weirdest.

There's stiff competition in that category: Everything from a fish to a shoe to a giant candy Peep will descend on Saturday to welcome in 2017.

The tiny lakeside town of Port Clinton, Ohio, will celebrate the new year by dropping a 20-foot-long, 600-pound replica of a walleye fish. The annual Idaho potato drop in Boise will feature a massive lit-up 'glowtato' to celebrate one of the state's most famous products. In Lake Tahoe, Nevada, a brightly lit gondola is dropped at the Heavenly Mountain ski resort.

The Times Square Ball drop may be America's most popular New Year's Eve tradition, but it's far from it's only. From coast to coast, cities across the country host a multitude of 'drop' celebrations, including this one in Key West, Florida. Each year, outside of the Bourbon Street Pub Complex, a giant red shoe is dropped. The 2015 celebration pictured above

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - which is home to the company that manufactures Peeps candy - drops a giant glowing Peeps chick every year. The 2011 celebration pictured above

In Key West, Florida, four different things  including two humans  are lowered to welcome the new year. A giant conch shell is dropped at Sloppy Joe's Bar, a costumed 'pirate wench' is lowered outside the Schooner Wharf Bar and a wedge of Key lime descends into a huge margarita glass at the Ocean Key House Resort.

And of course in what is probably Key West's most famous New Year's Eve tradition, a large red high-heeled shoe carrying female impersonator Gary 'Sushi' Marion is lowered outside the Bourbon Street Pub complex on Duval Street.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, hosts a two-day family-friendly Peeps festival that includes the dropping of a 200-pound lit-up Peeps chick. Peeps manufacturer Just Born began operating in Bethlehem in the 1930s.

This undated photo provided by Vail Resorts shows a brightly lit gondola dropping at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada during a New Year's Eve celebration

This undated photo provided by Lake Erie Shores & Islands shows the tiny lakeside town of Port Clinton, Ohio, celebrating its annual walleye fish drop at midnight on New Year's Eve

Raleigh, North Carolina, which calls itself the city of oaks, drops a giant acorn to welcome the new year

Atlanta hosts a peach drop (pictured above), and New Orleans drops a fleur-de-lis

In Memphis, Tennessee, a lit-up guitar is dropped at the Hard Rock Cafe on Beale Street. Raleigh, North Carolina, which calls itself the city of oaks, drops a giant acorn to welcome the new year. Atlanta hosts a peach drop, and New Orleans drops a fleur-de-lis.

The tradition of dropping a ball to mark a moment dates back to the 19th century, but it didn't originate as a New Year's Eve custom. 'Time balls' were once displayed in harbors and lowered daily to signal a certain time of day so that ships could precisely set the chronometers they used for navigation.

The New Year's Eve tradition began in 1907 when a time ball was dropped as part of a public celebration hosted by The New York Times at its building in Times Square.

The Times Square ball has been redesigned a number of times over the decades. It was originally made of iron, wood and 25-watt lightbulbs. The ball that will drop Saturday night in the moments leading up to midnight is made from Waterford crystal triangles, illuminated by thousands of LED lights.

The New Year's Eve ball rests at the top of a building overlooking Times Square, in New York, Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Hospitals raked in a record tally of 120million in parking charges last year, an investigation has found.

The amount has soared by 5 per cent in 12 months and some trusts netted almost 5million in fees and fines.

More than half charge disabled patients  including cancer victims  despite Government guidelines that they should park for free.

Fees: These hospitals are the worst offenders and show which NHS Trust made the most

Hospitals say they need the cash to maintain car parks and grounds, and invest in patient care.

But campaigners have accused managers of taking cash from the sick and vulnerable to top up their coffers.

England is the only country in the UK where the charges still exist as they have been abolished in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Although the Government has urged hospitals to offer concessions to cancer patients, frequent visitors and distressed relatives, they have no plans to scrap the fees altogether.

Ministers claim they provide a valuable source of income when hospitals are so short of cash.

And as their guidance is not legally binding, many trusts have chosen to ignore it altogether.

Charges: England is the only country in the UK where the parking charges at hospitals still exist as they have been abolished in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Freedom of Information requests from 89 hospital trusts obtained by the Press Association show they made 120.7million from parking charges in 2015/16. This was up from 114.9million the previous year despite the Governments advice to offer more concessions.

And the true figure will be far higher as only 55 per cent of the 160 hospital trusts supplied data.

Many of those hardest hit are cancer patients who have to make repeated trips for chemotherapy.

Rosie Downes, campaigns manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: The last thing that somebody going through cancer treatment should be doing is worrying about whether there is enough money in the parking meter. Paying for hours of parking at hospital each week is a completely unacceptable expense at such a hard time.

Government guidance is very clear that cancer patients in England should not continue to pay unfair hospital parking charges.Hospitals must start adopting these guidelines.

Patients: More than half of hospitals charge disabled patients  including cancer victims  despite Government guidelines that they should park for free

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: The shocking reality about car parking charges is that they are taking money from the sick and vulnerable to top up NHS coffers.

The NHS is clearly underfunded, but the onus on meeting the funding crisis should most certainly not be shouldered by the sick, injured and vulnerable.

It is alarming that trusts think it is OK to charge people so much money for visiting, as it makes patients question the values of the people leading the organisation.

Shadow health minister Julie Cooper said: Raising car parking charges has a knock-on effect on patients, carers and family members who have no choice but to pay. The Government urgently needs to address this situation and take steps to cap the amount hospitals can charge for car parking fees.

It is alarming that trusts think it is OK to charge people so much money for visiting, as it makes patients question the values of the people leading the organisation. Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association

Data from 27 hospital trusts showed they collected 635,387 by fining patients, relatives and staff who did not have a valid ticket.

Heart of England in the West Midlands made 4.8million from parking last year, including 40,000 from fines. In October it was revealed a third of hospitals in England put up parking fees in the last year.

The most expensive is now the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, where patients pay 4 for stays longer than 20 minutes.

Last year the Government reminded hospitals of the guidelines and backed concessions.
home Tech iOS 10 jailbreak news: beta version of the tool already live courtesy of Luca Todesco

The jailbreak turnaround for the latest iOS iteration has been stalled for quite some time now; however, that predicament has just changed with a public tool now already available to use.

Courtesy of Italian hacker Luca Todesco, Apple users can now marvel on iOS 10 following the release of the beta version of the jailbreak. And given that it is only in a trial version, fans who are looking to jump on the bandwagon are cautioned for its downsides such as susceptibility to bugs and stability issues. On top of that, since it is only in semi-untethered iteration, the process of jailbreaking one's device needs to be done over and over every time it is restarted.

While the latter issue is not really much of a hassle given that the the tool is app-based meaning one do not need to connect to a computer to jailbreak, the former needs a more serious consideration.

The scheme is said to have been tested for iPhone 7/7 Plus, 6S/6S Plus and the iPad Pro and it was found to be compatible to run only on iOS 10.1.1, which definitely narrows down users who can utilize the tool. Nevertheless, those who have been patiently waiting for a jailbreak can settle for this version as of now before the more formidable incantations roll out.

Fans have been pining for a release from Pangu, who appears to have just suddenly turned nuclear silent without any word regarding the delay of their regular releases. Intriguingly, the Chinese hacking team did not also give any message at all as to whether they are planning to still crack the code for the iOS 10 given that they are already so left behind in terms of updates or not. That being said, a lot of loyal followers of the group are still waiting for any releases especially when the internet is plagued with fake tools that can potentially damage one's device.
President-elect Donald Trump says Israel is being treated 'very, very unfairly,' maintaining that countries that are 'horrible places' never get reprimanded.

Trump talked to reporters Wednesday in what became his longest question-and-answer session since the election.

He refused to directly answer a question about whether Israel should stop building settlements, saying he is 'very, very strong on Israel'.

Trump says Israel is 'up for 20 reprimands' at the United Nations, whereas nations that are 'horrible places, that treat people horribly, haven't even been reprimanded.'

His comments follow the United Nations' condemnation of the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Trump tweeted earlier Wednesday that Israel should 'stay strong,' saying January 20, inauguration day, 'is fast approaching!'

President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, in Palm Beach, Florida

The comments came after the U.S.'s top diplomat and Israel's prime minister clashed on Wednesday over West Bank settlements and Middle East peace.

Benjamin Netanyahu angrily accused John Kerry of 'lecturing' Israel on 'the importance of peace' after a lengthy speech in which the outgoing Secretary of State demanded an end to settlements in the West Bank.

Kerry said that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 'is the only way' to ensure 'just and lasting peace' in the Mideast.

A two-state solution is now in 'serious jeopardy,' he argued. Hope for peace is being destroyed on both sides and Israel is 'increasingly cementing a one-state reality that most people do not actually want.'

'If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic. It cannot be both,' the American diplomat said in the hard-charging speech. 'And it won't ever really be at peace.'

The alternative, he said, 'is in nobody's interest' and the U.S. 'would be derelict in our responsibilities' if it stood by and allowed a 'dangerous dynamic to take hold.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu derided U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's speech today on Mideast peace process as 'unbalanced' and warned him against additional provocation in the 'waning days' of the Obama administration

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 'is the only way' to ensure 'just and lasting peace' in the Mideast

That earned an almost immediate response from Netanyahu, who called the speech 'unbalanced', said that 'Israelis do not need to be lectured on the importance of peace'.

He posted a picture to his Facebook page of presidential candidate Barack Obama visiting the Western Wall in 2008 and noted that the U.S. is now calling it 'occupied Palestinian territory. 'Seriously?' he said.

Netanyahu also penned a note of thanks to Trump for his 'clear-cut support' for Israel.

The social media post came after Trump tweeted his own message of support for Israel.

Trump and the outgoing Obama administration are now entirely at odds over Israel, with the president-elect accusing the lame-duck White House of 'disdain and neglect' for the country.

Trump and the outgoing Obama administration are now entirely at odds over Israel, with the president-elect accusing the lame-duck White House of 'disdain and neglect' for the country

Netanyahu called the Kerry speech 'unbalanced' and mocked President Obama, who's currently on vacation, on his Facebook

President Obama, on vacation in Hawaii until next month, has yet to personally comment on his secretary of state's public rebuke to Netanyahu.

Trump revealed Wednesday evening that he and Obama had spoken over the phone, telling reporters, they had a 'general conversation' that was 'very, very nice.'

The speech by Kerry earlier in the day was intended to be an explanation of his vision for how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be defused.

But it was made against the backdrop of the United States' refusal to vote against or veto a United Nations resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements - which had infuriated Netanyahu and been condemned by Trump.

Kerry launched a lengthy defense of the U.S.'s actions as he spoke at the State Department, saying of the U.N. resolution that it could not 'in good conscience' block it.

'Friends need to tell each other the hard truths,' he said. 'And friendships require mutual respect.'

The departing secretary of state made a final push for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders and abandon plans to build new settlements in the Palestinian territories

It was a pointed rebuff of Netanyahu, who had accused the Obama administration of orchestrating the U.N Security Council resolution. He said Wednesday his government has 'absolute incontestable evidence' that the U.S. worked against him.

Kerry denied the charge but admitted to telling the resolution's creators, Egypt and Palestine, what it would take for the U.S. not to block it.

He in turn called Netanyahu's government the 'most right wing in Israel's history' and hit Israeli officials for pushing 'conspiracy' theories about the U.S. 'and other manufactured claims' that 'distract attention from what the substance of this vote was really all about.'

Netanyahu has had an especially acrimonious relationship with President Barack Obama since they both took office in 2009, and Kerry's speech is being interpreted by as a parting shot at the foreign leader by the Israeli prime minister's allies.

AIPIAC, the largest Jewish-American organization, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that Kerry's speech 'made the goal of peace more elusive by undermining direct talks.'

Ted Cruz, a Republican senator and 2016 presidential candidate, lit into Kerry and Obama in statement that accused of them being 'bitter clingers.'

They're 'spending every last minute of this administration wreaking havoc domestically and abroad,' he said.

'These acts are shameful. They are designed to secure a legacy, and indeed they have: history will record and the world will fully understand Obama and Kerry as relentless enemies of Israel.'

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York says his former Senate colleague 'seems to have forgotten the history off settlements in Gaza' and warns Kerry's speech may have 'emboldened extremists on both sides.'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says Kerry reaffirmed America's commitment to Israel. But she also says she opposes U.N. efforts, a reference to the Obama administration's decision on the resolution.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer is also avoiding direct criticism of Kerry. But he says the resolution 'will not bring peace closer.'

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain derided Kerry's speech as 'a pointless tirade' that could embolden Israel's enemies.

'I support a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians,' the Republican lawmaker said. 'But this solution is simply not possible at this time because Israel has no viable partner for peace.

'Not when Israel's right to exist is denied and threatened. Not when Hamas and Hezbollah continue deadly rocket attacks. Not when Palestinian leaders tolerate or even glorify terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians by Palestinians armed with knives, meat cleavers, guns, and cars.'

Trump is seen today at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. He believes the U.S. should have voted against the U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements and has said he wants to move the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who's currently on a trip with McCain to Estonia, made a similar argument in a statement released several minutes before his friend's.

Until Palestinian's reject Hamas 'a two-state solution is a fantasy rather than reality.'

'While I appreciate Secretary Kerry's enthusiasm, I am getting weary of plans and proposals that are at best fanciful and worse delusional,' Graham said.

Netanyahu said in his English-language rebuttal to Kerry that 'no one wants peace more than the people of Israel' and assured the international community his government was committed to 'resolving outstanding differences' with the Palestinians.

But the Jewish people have suffered for 3,000 years, Netanyahu said. 'And we are not about to be swayed by mistaken polices that would cause great, great damage.'

'In a speech ostensibly about peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Secretary Kerry paid lip service to the unrelenting campaign of terror that has been waged by the Palestinians against the Jewish State for nearly a century,' he said.

Looingk past the outgoing administration in its 'waning days' Netanyahu said, 'I have no doubt that our alliance will endure the profound disagreement we have had with the Obama administration.

'Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with the American Congress  Democrats and Republicans alike  to mitigate the damage this resolution has done and ultimately repeal it.'

Republican Senators John McCain (left) and Lindsey Graham were quick to label Kerry's vision as unrealistic. The high-ranking GOP senators, on an overseas trip this week in Estonia, said they support a two-state solution but the Palestinians are not ready for peace

The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, complimented Kerry's support of a two-state solution Wednesday afternoon while making it clear that he disagreed with the president's U.N. Security Council vote.

'More can be done to enable the viability of a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians are not willing and ready partners at this time. Last week's Resolution makes direct negotiations more, not less, challenging,' he said.

'Hamas must accept Israel's right to exist and cease its military buildup, and Fatah must demonstrate commitment to transparency, anti-corruption, and good governance,' Cardin said in the statement.

Arguing against the construction of new settlements on Wednesday, Kerry said if 'more and more settlers are moving into the middle of Palestinian areas, it's going to be just that much harder to separate' and create a contiguous state.

'It's not just a question of the overall amount of land available in the West Bank; it's whether the land can be connected or is broken up into small parcels like Swiss cheese that could never constitute a real state,' he said.

The departing secretary of state made a final push for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders and abandon plans to build new settlements in the Palestinian territories.

'Let's be clear. Settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israel's security. Many settlements actually increase the security burden on the Israeli defense forces and leaders of the settler movement are motivated by ideological imperatives that entirely ignore legitimate Palestinian aspirations,' the Democrat said.

He compared permanent occupation of the Palestinian territory to segregation of blacks in the U.S. until the late 1960s.

Kerry's speech as a rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has accused the Obama administration of orchestrating the U.N Security Council resolution

'If there is only one state, you would have millions of Palestinians permanently living in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank with no real political rights, separate legal education and transportation systems, vast income disparities, under a permanent military occupation that deprives them of the most basic freedoms.

'Separate and unequal is what you would have, and nobody can explain how that works,' Kerry said.

Israeli leaders blasted Kerry as 'ignorant on the issues' and 'the worst secretary of state in history' and called the move 'pathetic' and 'anti-democratic' before his remarks.

Netanyahu's office said the speech was 'skewed against Israel' and Kerry 'obsessively' talked about settlements.

The fight between the Obama administration and Netanyahu's government began last Friday when the U.S. broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favor and none against.

'The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done,' Kerry said today at the State Department. 'The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for.'

Kerry denied the charge Wednesday. He in turn called Netanyahu's government the 'most right wing' in Israeli history and hit him for pushing 'conspiracy' theories 'and other manufactured claims' that 'distract from what the substance of what this vote was all about'

Netanyahu accused the Obama administration of not just abandoning its customary U.N veto, but authoring the U.N. resolution that declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank criminal in nature.

He summoned the ambassadors of ten of the countries that voted in favor of the resolution to his weekly cabinet meeting Sunday.

'From the information that we have, we have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated on the wording and demanded that it be passed,' he told them in Hebrew, according to NPR.

'We knew that going there would make negotiations harder and drive peace further away. And, as I told John Kerry on Thursday, friends don't take friends to the Security Council. I'm encouraged by the statements of our friends in the United States, Republicans and Democrats alike.'

'They understand how reckless and destructive this UN resolution was, they understand that the Western Wall isn't occupied territory,' the Israeli prime minister reportedly said.

Netanyahu also summoned the U.S. ambassador for a meeting  a rare move by an Israeli leader.

Kerry fired back today, saying in his speech that their friendship doesn't require to the United States to accept all of Israel's decisions.

'No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's,' he stated, arguing in the speech that the U.S. 'cannot properly defend and protect Israel if we allow a viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our own eyes.

'That's the bottom line.'

He pointed out that Israel's other friends on the Security Council, namely France and the U.K., voted for a similar resolution in 2011 as well as the most recent one.

A document posted to the Egyptian news site Al-Youm Al-Sabaa that has not been authenticated purported that Kerry and Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, told the Palestinians 10 days before the U.N. vote that the U.S. would not veto the resolution if it was appropriately worded.

Rice allegedly warned the Palestinians to take President-elect Donald Trump's promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner denied the allegations.

He admitted the U.S. had seen a draft of the resolution, though, and offered advice on 'what further changes were needed to make the text more balanced.'

'It's not like our views regarding settlements or regarding resolutions with respect to Israel aren't well known,' Toner told reporters.

Kerry said Wednesday that the United States 'did not draft or originate' the resolution and 'did not put it forward.'

What it did make clear is that it would not vote against 'if it was balanced and fair,' Kerry stated.

'That's a standard practice with resolutions at the Security Council,' Kerry argued on Wednesday.

The White House also said the U.S. did not have a hand in creating the resolution.

'The Egyptians, in partnership with the Palestinians, are the ones who began circulating an earlier draft of the resolution,' said White House spokesman Eric Schultz.

'The Egyptians are the ones who moved it forward on Friday. And we took the position that we did when it was put to a vote.'

Most of the world opposes the settlements, which come at the expense of Palestinians living in the occupied territories, but the U.S. has traditionally used its veto to thwart rebukes from the U.N.

However, on Friday the U.S. abstained for the first time  marking a massive break from its long-standing policy, which is to hold back on official condemnation for fear of upsetting a possible two-state solution.

Israel's Jerusalem municipality is due to consider requests for construction permits for hundreds of new homes for Israelis in areas captured in 1967 and annexed to the city. That action was halted at the request of Netanyahu in anticipation of Kerry's speech.

Israeli officials described the U.S. abstention as a 'shameful' decision.

Trump, who urged the White House to veto the resolution, chided the world body as 'just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.'

Toner on Tuesday said the United States hoped the U.N. vote would serve as a 'wake-up call' that settlements are a detriment to a two-state solution.

Israel for decades has pursued a policy of building Jewish settlements on territory it captured in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbors, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Most countries view the settlements as an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land, as well as security interests. Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate.

Since learning last week of Kerry's planned speech, Israeli officials have been concerned he might use the address to lay out parameters for a Middle East peace deal.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told Israel Army Radio, according to Politico, 'This step is a pathetic step. It is an anti-democratic step because it's clear that the administration and Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump.'

The United States on Friday broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favor and none against

Erdan, who's a part of Netanyahu's security cabinet, argued that the outgoing administration is 'pro-Palestinian' and U.S. officials 'don't understand what's happening in the Middle East.'

Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy to the Jewish settlement council, the Yesha Council, blasted Kerry as 'the worst secretary of state in history' and called him a 'stain on American foreign policy.'

The senior settlement council leader said Kerry is 'ignorant of the issues' and 'chose to stab his closest ally in the back.'

Kerry addressed the attacks in his Wednesday address.

'Ultimately it will be up to the Israeli people to decide whether the unusually heated attacks that Israeli officials have directed toward this administration best serve Israel's national interests and its relationship with an ally that has been steadfast in its support.

'Those attacks, alongside allegations of US-led conspiracy and other manufactured claims distract attention from what the substance of this vote was really all about,' Kerry charged.

Netanyahu's aides are confident the Trump administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the U.N. resolution, but they fear Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure.

Trump has campaigned on behalf of Israel, reportedly after being contacted by its representatives.

He later tweeted that the U.N. vote had made a peaceful solution to conflicts in the area more difficult, and that 'things will be different after Jan 20.'

'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 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!' he said Wednesday morning.

Netanyahu said in a response, 'President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel.'

Asked for a comment on Kerry's speech later in the day, Trump, who's spending the Christmas holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate with his family, said: 'Speaks for its itself.'

Given the world's widespread opposition to the settlements, it will be practically impossible for Trump to reverse the decision.

Kerry made note of Trump's position today and the possibility that his administration could cast aside the two-state solution.

'That is for them to decide. That's how we work. But we cannot in good conciseness do nothing and say nothing,' the former U.S. senator said. 'This is a time to stand up for what's right.''

Kerry previously failed to bring about a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in talks that froze in 2014. U.S. officials left little doubt they put much of the blame on Netanyahu's stance on settlements.

'They don't want peace. They believe it's greater Israel,' Kerry said at the Saban forum, an annual US-Israeli leadership meeting, this month.

'And they want it to block the peace process because they want those places to belong to Israel. That's the history of the settler movement, my friends.'

The Obama administration has been resolute in its pursuit of a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over occupied territories.
Nearly 100 people have been arrested in a crackdown on illegal foreign workers in nail bars.

Some 97 men and women were seized during a blitz on salons that employ non-EU citizens who do not have permission to be in Britain.

More than a dozen of those rounded up during a series of swoops were suspected of having been trafficked by organised gangs into modern slavery.

Nearly 100 people have been arrested in a crackdown on illegal foreign workers in nail bars

A total of 68 businesses were warned that they face fines of up to 20,000 for every illegal worker.

The majority of people arrested were Vietnamese. Others came from Mongolia, Ghana, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and India.

A spate of recent cases have also shown how Vietnamese gangs use nail bars as a convenient legal front for their activities including prostitution and cannabis cultivation.

Ministers ordered the raids to send a message that the estimated 1.1million illegal immigrants will be tackled.

The raids under the Immigration Act were part of Operation Magnify, a cross-government drive to clamp down on illegal working by targeting specific risk industries. Building sites, care homes, takeaways and cleaning contractors have also been targeted.

Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said: Modern slavery is a barbaric crime which destroys the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Some 97 men and women were seized during a blitz on salons that employ non-EU citizens who do not have permission to be in Britain. File pic

The week-long operation on 280 businesses, led by the Home Offices Immigration Enforcement, took place from November 27 to December 3.

Those who are potential victims of trafficking and slavery will be offered support. But anyone who has no right to be in Britain will be booted out, said the Home Office.

According to a UK Human Trafficking Centre report in 2013, some 90 per cent of immigrants trafficked to Britain and then forced into cannabis cultivation were from Vietnam. Many arrive with the promise of a job in a nail salon.

In the five years to 2013, more than 90 nail salons across England and Wales, owned by people with Vietnamese names, were fined nearly 700,000 for employing illegal immigrants.
A friend of the third woman in the infamous Claremont serial killer case has revealed she still maintains hope her remains will be found after 20 years.

Secretary Sarah Spiers, 18, vanished after a night out with friends at a Perth nightclub in January 1996 and was never found.

On Friday, Bradley Robert Edwards, 48, was charged with the murders of the other Claremont victims - Jane Rimmer, 23, and Ciara Glennon, 27 - whose bodies were dumped in bushland in the 1990s.

A close friend of Ms Spiers, Brodie Hudson, said she was grateful police are continuing the investigation and holds out hopes they will find her remains, The West Australian reported.

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Secretary Sarah Spiers, 18, vanished after a night out with friends at a Perth nightclub in January 1996

A close friend of Ms Spiers, Brodie Hudson, said she was grateful police are continuing the investigation and holds out hopes they will find her remains

'Its been such a horrible long time. You cant really truly grieve because youve got nothing,' she said.

Ms Hudson said the heartbroken family of Ms Spiers still have 'unanswered questions' about the suspicious 1996 disappearance.

Mr Edwards has not been charged over the death of Ms Spiers and police have said the investigation is ongoing.

Ms Hudson said she met Ms Spiers after travelling to Perth from regional Western Australia to study at Olympia Business College.

She said the 18-year-old was a 'beautiful person' and the pair, along with four other young graduates quickly formed a close bond.

On Friday, Bradley Robert Edwards, 48, (pictured) was charged with the murders of the other Claremont victim

The bodies of Jane Rimmer, 23, (right) and Ciara Glennon, 27, (left) were dumped in bushland in the 1990s

'I remember always thinking I really hope she likes me, just because she was such a lovely girl,' Ms Hudson said.

Ms Hudson said she broke down crying when she saw police searching Edwards' home in connection to the three Claremont deaths.

Last week, Ms Spiers' father Don uploaded a video to his Facebook page saying her was 'pre-warned' of the arrest and has been kept up-to-date on the ongoing investigation.

'I'm just calling to let you know that Carol and I are OK, we're overseas at the moment with Amanda and the girls and we're quite comfortable,' he said.

Last week, Ms Spiers' father Don uploaded a video to his Facebook page saying her was 'pre-warned' of the arrest and has been kept up-to-date on the ongoing investigation

'We've been pre-warned on what was going to happen and the Taskforce are in contact with us on a regular basis and giving us updates as to what's happening. Thanks very much, cheers.'

On Friday, Edwards was charged with the murder of Ms Rimmer and Ms Glennon, as well as alleged sex attacks on two other women, aged 17 and 18.

During a press conference on Friday police said the investigation into Ms Spiers' death is still ongoing.

As well as being charged with two counts of murder, Edwards was also charged with two counts of aggravated sexual penetration and one count of indecent assault.

He was charged with the abduction of a 17-year-old in the early hours of February 12, 1995, as she walked through a Claremont park.

He was also charged with indecently assaulting an 18-year-old woman during a break-in at a Huntingdale home on February 15, 1988.

The deaths of three women between 1996 and 1997 sparked Australia's longest police investigation into what was dubbed the Claremont serial killings.

Police were seen searching the Kewdale home on Friday after Edwards' arrest
Train drivers chucking sickies caused almost one third of Brisbane train services to be cancelled on Christmas Day.

Commuters were left stranded on Sunday as 235 services were cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice.

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Commuters across Brisbane were left stranded on Christmas Day as 235 train services were abruptly cancelled

Trains stayed idle in Brisbane as train drivers called in sick on Christmas Day

Queensland Rail's acting chief executive Jim Benstead said train drivers calling in sick were partly to blame as other staff were called in to fill the staffing shortages.

'On Christmas Day, that did not work out as well as we were planning,' he told reporters on Tuesday.

Labor Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said he was confident the fiasco wouldn't be repeated on New Year's Eve as the opposition continues to demand he be sacked.

'The nature and set of circumstances are quite different in the way the planning has occurred,' he said.

Stranded commuters kept away from their loved ones on Christmas Day in Brisbane

Queensland Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said he was confident train services wouldn't be abruptly cancelled on New Year's Eve as they were on Christmas Day

'I have a level of confidence at this point in time, and I'm sure that confidence will be deepened by this time tomorrow following a final round of planning.'

A planning meeting will be held on Wednesday to finalise staffing and timetable details for New Year's Eve, with Mr Benstead admitting staff may need to be recalled from annual leave and rostered days off.

Queensland Rail is reviewing what happened and has vowed to have crews and staff available for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Taxi vouchers were offered to stranded train commuters on Christmas Day

The Australian reported one third of train services were cancelled on Christmas Day because of sickies, as taxi vouchers were offered to stranded commuters.

Acting Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, a former transport minister, to sack Mr Hinchliffe because he could not guarantee a trouble-free New Year's Eve.
Star wit: Carrie Fisher wrote several fiction and non-fiction books - including this year's The Princess Diarist - that showcased her ready wit and talent for humor

She might have made her name in Hollywood as Princess Leia, but Carrie Fisher was also known to her fans for her wry humor and lightning-fast wit.

In fact, she turned her wit into her trade, writing five novels - including 1987's semi-autobiographical Postcards from the Edge - and three autobiographical books, including 2008's Wishful Drinking and this year's The Princess Diarist.

She even performed stand-up comedy sets while touring her books.

Here are some of the spacefaring star's most brilliant - and scathing - lines.

On Star Wars

'Forty-three years ago George Lucas ruined my life. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

(After being asked how she got the part) 'I slept with some nerd. I hope it was George... I took too many drugs to remember.' - in a Vanity Fair interview, 2006

'Movies were meant to stay on the screen, flat and large and colorful, gathering you up into their sweep of story, carrying you rollicking along to the end, then releasing you back into your unchanged life. But this movie misbehaved. It leaked out of the theater, poured off the screen, affected a lot of people so deeply that they required endless talismans and artifacts to stay connected to it.' - in The Princess Diarist, 2016

(On finding out that she might be returning to Star Wars on the big screen) 'I didn't like it when I was the age one could like it, but now they had 3-D and high-def and such, so that all your wrinkles and withered puffiness need their own agents...' - in The Princess Diarist, 2016

On fame

'Sometimes I feel like I've got my nose pressed up against the window of a bakery, only I'm the bread' - in Postcards from the Edge, 1987

'If you can get someone to make you into a PEZ dispenser, do it. And my daughter loves it because like I told you, she's a teenager, and they love to humiliate the parent for sport. So all she has to do is flip my head back and pull a wafer out of my neck.' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

'I googled myself without lubricant. I don't I recommend it.' - on The Late Show With David Letterman, 2009





On her struggles

'There's no room for demons when you're self-possessed.' - Twitter, 2014

'My inner world seems largely to consist of three rotating emotions: embarrassment, rage, and tension. Sometimes I feel excited, but I think that's just positive tension.' - in Postcards from the Edge, 1987

'Sometimes you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell.' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

On her bipolar disorder

'I feel I'm very sane about how crazy I am.' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

'I mean, hello - have you ever been invited to a mental hospital? So you see it's very exclusive. It's sort of like an invitation to the White House - only you meet a better class of person there.' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

'Having waited my entire life to get an award for something, anything  I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. Its better than being bad at being insane, right? How tragic would it be to be runner-up for Bipolar Woman of the Year?' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

Sharp shooter: Fisher first played Princess Leia when she was just 21. She turned her later experiences with fame, drugs and mental illness into fuel for her witty writings

On romance

'I think if I attract someone from one of my audiences or one of the readers of this book, he'll never be able to say, "You never told me you were a manic-depressive drug addict who turned men bald and gay," like men say to me now.' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008

'Sex=weird, no? 14hrs after you had ur face pressed in2 sum 1's genitals, ur both walking down the street as tho that was fine, thanx, howR u?' - Twitter, 2014

Someone has to stand still for you to love them. My choices are always on the run. - in The Princess Diarist, 2016

'Pure lust is an oxymoron' - Twitter, 2016

On her affair with Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford

'With his silence he establishes himself as some sort of trapped audience and so you break your a** to meet the enormous challenge of entertaining him, frantic with worry that his teeth might suffocate.' - in The Princess Diarist, 2016

'Oh, he's very funny sometimes, with his parched sense of humor. But he only plays himself part time.' - in The Princess Diarist, 2016

'I can charm the birds out of everybody else's trees but his. Vultures are difficult to charm unless youre off somewhere rotting in the noonday sun. Casually rotting a glib cadaver.' - in The Princess Diarist, 2016

On living life

'Im not only doing my best - Im doing a bunch of yours as well.' - Twitter, 2014
A 19-year-old college student accused of killing seabirds at a Hawaii nature reserve pleaded not guilty Tuesday to animal cruelty.

Defendant Christian Gutierrez didn't speak with news reporters as he and his attorney left a Honolulu courthouse after the brief arraignment.

He turned himself in to the Hawaii Department of Public Safety last week and was released on $25,000 bail. He made arrangements with prosecutors to surrender while he was home in Honolulu for winter break from school, his defense attorney, Myles Breiner said.

Christian Gutierrez appears in a Honolulu courtroom Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, to plead not guilty to animal cruelty charges in connection with the deaths of seabirds at a nature reserve in December 2015

Christian Gutierrez is accused of killing seabirds at a Hawaii nature reserve and pleaded not guilty Tuesday to animal cruelty

According to a police report, he attends New York University.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources began investigating after three Laysan albatrosses were found dead last year in Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve.

There were 12 attending adult albatrosses missing, which was concerning because the birds never leave an egg unattended, the department said.

There were also 15 destroyed nests with smashed, dead or missing eggs, the department added.

The Laysan albatross is a federally protected species.

Court documents charging Gutierrez with 14 counts of animal cruelty and other charges say the crimes took place December 27, 2015.

He's also accused of the theft of seabird monitoring cameras and sound equipment valued at $3,100.

Breiner said last week that his client was camping at Kaena Point with classmates from Punahou School, a prestigious prep school in Honolulu.

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows an albatross that had been killed on its nest with an egg at Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve on the westernmost point of Oahu in Hawaii - his lawyer said 'He was there when this happened but he did not injure any birds'

'He was there when this happened but he did not injure any birds,' Breiner said. 'He didn't do it. He didn't maim or touch the animals, period.'

Breiner said there have been two other arrests related to the case that are being handled in juvenile court.

Punahou School said in a statement that it condemned the destruction of the albatross nesting area and was disturbed to hear teens with ties to the school may have been involved.
Dashcam footage has captured the amazing moment a self-driving car slams on the brakes moments before a high-speed crash.

The video shows Tesla Autopilot, driver assist technology, appearing to predict the nasty smash two cars in front of the driver, who wouldn't have been able to anticipate the accident.

The car is travelling down a motorway in the Netherlands when the vehicle in front ploughs into an SUV that wasn't visible to the Tesla driver.

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Dashcam footage has captured the amazing moment a self driving car avoids a huge crash

A Dutch electric car enthusiast, Hans Noordsij, reported the crash and said: 'No one could have predicted the accident but the radar did and acted by emergency braking.

'It prevented what could have been a much bigger accident.'

He said that no one was injured in the crash despite the fact that the SUV flips over and rolls several times.

A Dutch electric car enthusiast, Hans Noordsij, reported the crash and posted the video

He said no one was injured in the accident despite the SUV flipping over several times

The car was fitted with Tesla Autopilot, a driver assist technology on Tesla cars.

It includes features such as autosteer, adaptive cruise control and cameras on all sides of the car and importantly in this car a radar.

In the video you can hear the Forward Collision Warning sending out an alert for what initially seems like no reason but shortly after the crash happens.

Mr Noordsij said the driver of the car reported that it started braking before he could apply the brakes.

In the video you can hear the Forward Collision Warning sending out an alert to the driver

The car is reported to have started braking by itself before the driver had a chance to do it
Prince Harry was the most-travelled senior royal in 2016, clocking up approximately 61,800 miles on public engagements outside the UK.

This included trips to Nepal in March and the Invictus Games in Florida in May, plus a tour of the Caribbean in November.

The Earl of Wessex was close behind, on 61,400 miles. Edwards foreign trips included to the Bahamas, Italy, Canada and Latvia.

Prince Harry was the most-travelled senior royal in 2016, clocking up approximately 61,800 miles on public engagements outside the UK. He is pictured at the Golden Temple in Patan Durbar, Nepal, in March

Figures show Prince Harry travelled 400 miles more than his uncle Prince Edward

Harry helps to clear a site in April after an earthquake destroyed a school in the village of Lapubesi, Nepal

The prince also visited Orlando, Florida in May to attend the Invictus Games. He is pictured with champion swimmer US Sergeant Elizabeth Marks

The Duke of York notched up 58,200 miles, just ahead of his sister the Princess Royal, who travelled 56,600 miles. One of Annes lengthiest trips abroad was to Rio de Janeiro in August to support Team GB at the Olympic Games.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made high-profile trips to India and Canada, but William also made several solo visits.

He ends the year having travelled approximately 43,700 miles, well ahead of his wifes total of 23,600 miles.

Low down on the list was the Prince of Wales (18,700 miles) and the Duchess of Cornwall (10,100 miles). The couple made two joint trips abroad this year, to the Balkans in March and the Middle East in November.

The young royal is presented with a headdress by dancers in Sumara Village in the Guyana Hinterland on day 13 of an official visit to the Caribbean in early December

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had no public engagements outside the UK in 2016.

All figures have been compiled by the Press Association using the Court Circular.

Distances travelled vary from year to year as once a far-away destination such as New Zealand has been visited, it may not receive a royal visitor for some time.

The Queen, who turned 90 in April, has cut down on long-haul flights in recent years, while other senior royals have taken over the responsibility, travelling to far-off destinations on her behalf.
Hans Christian Andersens 19th-century story, The Emperors New Clothes, depicts a country in which the ruling class is so craven that it will not speak truth to power.

The emperor orders an invisible suit from dishonest weavers and unwittingly makes a fool of himself by walking down the street naked.

The bourgeoisie dare not say anything for fear of being thought unfit for their position. It is left to a small boy to bring the charade to a halt by shouting: The emperor has no clothes!

The Queen is said to have made exasperatedly pro-Brexit noises at a private lunch held before Junes referendum

In 21st-century Britain, we have tumbled so far into a pit of timid groupthink that the role of that small boy has to be played by the Monarch herself.

For the third time in recent years, our magnificent Queen has cut through the delusional, self-serving bluster of the British Establishment and has asked one of her simple but devastatingly revealing questions: Whats so bad about leaving the European Union?

Magnificent

She first did it with the financial crash in 2008, when she wondered why banking experts had not spotted the global economy was about to go phutt. Why did no one notice it? she inquired. Cue much gazing at toecaps by City analysts.

And she did it in 2012, when Egyptian Islamist agitator Abu Hamza was preaching hatred in London mosques. Why on earth cant we get rid of these people? she allegedly asked.

That private remark, controversially disclosed by the BBCs security correspondent Frank Gardner, distilled what millions of the Queens subjects thought, even while they were being told by la-di-dah legal experts that Hamza had every right to be so objectionable.

About a month later, Captain Hook Hamza was packed on an aircraft to the U.S., where he was sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism.

Now, according to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Her Majesty has done it again. She allegedly made exasperatedly pro-Brexit noises at a private lunch held before Junes referendum.

Speaking of the EU, she is said to have asked her refined guests: I dont see why we cant just get out? Whats the problem? Why not, indeed? Despite all the Establishment hysteria from leading politicians  and the Governor of the Bank of England  about economic disaster and Western strategic collapse the moment we voted to leave, what is the problem?

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said a source told her that the Queen asked her refined guests: I dont see why we cant just get out?

As you may have noticed, the economy seems to be doing all right and the West is still in one piece.

The Queen has a knack for asking plain questions which lay bare dilly-dallying officialdom. In part, it comes from being 90 years old and wise. In part, it comes from meeting such a wide range of people.

No one in public life has ever talked to so many voters as our unelected Queen has done. That gives her a unique sense of popular sentiment.

The people of the UK are keen for Brexit, having voted for it on June 23. Even many Remain voters now want Brexit to happen, and fast. The one obstacle is what we might call the ruling snootocracy, or the bien-pensant blob.

These are the sort of fluttering flibbertigibbets and greasers who impinge themselves daily on the Queens diary.

How tired she must become of their witterings and cautions, all those Privy Counsellors with their little pinkies out at an angle, all those wiggy judges and charity sector bores, all the risk-averse pooh-bahs who affect to have the publics welfare at heart but actually have little clue as to what ordinary people think.

After all, they rarely meet them. But the Queen does, day in, day out, and she has done so since she ascended the Throne in 1952.

Can anyone truly be surprised if shes a Brexiteer? It might be pushing things to suggest that she and the Duke of Edinburgh would like to slap Up Yours, Delors! bumper stickers on the back of the royal Rolls-Royces, but circumstantial evidence points to the likelihood of our Sovereign and her consort being of a Eurosceptical disposition.

She saw her noble father, George VI, worn ragged by the struggle against German ambitions in the Forties. Her first Prime Minister, Churchill (sometimes acclaimed as some sort of EU visionary) understood that our destiny in fact lay alongside yet apart from the Continent. In 1963 and 1967, she saw her governments fritter away their bargaining position as they sought to join the Franco-German trade alliance and were haughtily sent packing by President de Gaulle.

She dealt personally with that peculiar man Edward Heath when, as Prime Minister in the early Seventies, he took us into what he deceitfully assured us was nothing more than an economic community.

At the weekly audiences she grants to Prime Ministers, she also saw Margaret Thatcher and John Major driven half-mad by Europe. Then there was Tony Blair and his slippery behaviour over the euro.

Earlier this year, Nick Clegg rubbished claims that the Queen backed Brexit at a lunch

Given the assiduousness with which the Queen reads her red boxes of secret state papers, no one comes remotely close to the reach and depth of her experience of European statecraft. She has for decades met every significant political leader in the world. She has heard what they thought privately.

She is an enthusiast for the Commonwealth, that network of cousin countries far beyond Europe, which EU trading rules have forced us to neglect in recent decades. Perhaps, like Brexiteers, she now senses there are fantastic opportunities to be had in the Commonwealth for a post-EU Britain.

Confidence

The Queen was our head of state long before we went into the EEC in the Seventies. She can remember when Britain had the self-confidence to operate as a sovereign country before that horrid blue EU flag was ever raised alongside the Union Jack. And need we ask what the Duke of Edinburgh makes of the EUs ruthless treatment of his home country, Greece?

Oh to have been a fly on the royal dining-room wall at the lunch when HM made her alleged remarks.

We can but imagine the clunk of jaws hitting the Palace crockery as various top bods  including swivel-eyed Europhile Nick Clegg  realised that the head of state had just signalled that she thought Brussels was eminently ditchable. I say, Mr Clegg, youve just dropped your spoon into your Brown Windsor soup with a mighty splosh. Was it something I said?

No one in public life has ever talked to so many voters as our unelected Queen has done. That gives her a unique sense of popular sentiment

The Queen, if reported correctly, was right. Or to put it in terms not likely to be used in royal corridors, she uttered the bleedin obvious  obvious, that is, to all but our political elite. They, with much foot-stamping, have tried to deny this story before.

Back in March, The Sun newspaper ran a similar story about the Queens EU views, complete with the headline Queen Backs Brexit.

All sorts of hoo-hah ensued, with Mr Clegg rubbishing the claims and numerous grandees (not all lifelong monarchists, by any respect) tut-tutting that the Royal Family had been cruelly abused by Fleet Street.

But Miss Kuenssbergs new account suggests The Sun was very much on the right lines all along. One hesitates to say this about a rival newspaper, but it was a cracking scoop.

Arguments

The naysayers and neck- clutchers insist this is all most regrettable. They say the Queens privately expressed views should not be reported and her name should never be dragged into political arguments.

No doubt various Europhiles will this week be muttering darkly that it is disgraceful for the British Monarch to venture into public pronouncements on so political an issue.

She has, of course, done nothing of the sort. She made an alleged remark at a private gathering. She behaved entirely properly. That her comments were later leaked to The Sun and to Miss Kuenssberg  who initially declined to report it, claiming that she needed a second source  is hardly the Queens fault.

Buckingham Palace argued yesterday that the important principle was unbroken: in public, the Queen is politically neutral. Indeed. She has been amazingly self-disciplined during her reign.

But this rumpus about the Queens lunch conversation has not harmed the Crown. If anything, it has strengthened it.

Our Monarch, thank goodness, is in agreement with the majority of her people. Like Hans Christian Andersens little boy, she seems, quite properly, to have noticed that the emperors of Brussels had no clothes.
Forced jollity isnt really my thing  which is why Ive never liked New Years Eve.

The whole idea of celebrating an arbitrary date because the calendar flips over seems ridiculous to me.

This December 31, however, will be different. Ill be popping the Prosecco and partying with more abandon than at any time since my teenage years.

And not just because Ill be staying with some wonderfully life-affirming friends whose company is a tonic to any soul.

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Celebrate: Sarah Vine pictured here with her husband Michael Gove describes the year 2016 as 'bonkers'

No: because Ill be celebrating what a glorious, liberating, bonkers, awe-inspiring rollercoaster of a year 2016 has been.

Now I know this runs counter to the gloom-laden, guilt-tripping mood the BBC and the Left-wing People Who Know Best want to inflict on us all.

Were supposed to regard 2016 as the worst 12 months in the history of humanity since the Black Death. Or maybe even worse.

By voting to leave the EU, the British people have apparently turned their back on civilisation.

By electing Donald Trump as their President the American people have opted to unleash Armageddon on the globe.

Even poor little Italy hasnt escaped criticism. By also choosing not to do what they were told by their political masters in a referendum, the Italian people stand accused, alongside the Brits and Americans, of the worst crime of the year: populism.

And just in case we havent got the message that were living through the worst of times, weve been reminded of how many good people have departed this Earth in 2016.

End of the world?: By electing Donald Trump as their President the American people have opted to unleash Armageddon on the globe, says Sarah Vine

From David Bowie to George Michael, Victoria Wood to Carrie Fisher, who passed away only yesterday, weve seen men and women of great talent and good grace taken before their time.

Im genuinely saddened by their passing. But instead of us being allowed to grieve or reflect privately on what these individuals meant to us, there is something unsettling about the way their deaths are interpreted.

These very personal losses have been exploited by some to drive the impression that all these events are part and parcel of one phenomenon  the wickedness that was 2016.

As Madonna, queen of the bleeding hearts, put it after George Michaels death: Can 2016 F*** Off NOW?

So those of us who voted to Leave, or could see why Hillary Clinton was riding for a fall, or who thought that the EUs elites needed taking down a peg or two, are now being shoved into a box with other  genuine  tragedies and told that were all part of some kind of global darkening.

Well I for one wont be intimidated into apologising for my, albeit small, part in this year of change.

Death: From David Bowie, left, to Victoria Wood, right, weve seen men and women of great talent and good grace taken before their time

Because what made 2016 special was not so much what we lost, as what we won. Every year has its sorrow and tears.

Every December we look back and pause to mourn those who have departed: the famous who shaped our nation, the family member who lit up our lives.

In that regard, 2016 is no different from any other year.

Where it is, magnificently, a departure from before is that 2016 was the year ordinary people once again found their collective voice.

The year the self-appointed great and good of this world  the monied elites and the Establishment, the Goldman Sachs bankers and the European Commissioners  were forced to listen at last.

It was the year the old regime got its marching orders and a new broom swept  and still sweeps  across Britain and into Europe, dislodging decades of political crud and incompetence and shaking off the dust of voter apathy.

Better still, Britain led that change. When historians look back on 2016, they will see how this small island was the first to raise its hand and point out, quietly at first but ultimately in no uncertain terms, that the Emperor was perhaps a touch underdressed.

The strength of feeling surprised everyone. But it shouldnt have.

Because the people whove been in charge for the past two decades are the people who brought us the job-destroying euro, the crash of 2008, thousands of migrants and refugees dying in the Mediterranean Sea, massacres in the Middle East, growing inequality, Chinese steel undercutting the workers of Port Talbot, and Greek youngsters facing a lifetime on the dole.

People like the man I got talking to at a party in the run-up to the June vote. He lectured me loudly and somewhat aggressively on why it would simply be madness to leave the EU.

When he finally paused to take a sip of his champagne, I asked him what he did for a living. Turned out his firm made wind turbines  which benefitted from EU energy policies and EU subsidies  which he then sold across Europe while the little people paid more for their heating bills.

From EU bottom-feeders like this all the way to the top of the tree, where individuals like Christine Lagarde (head of the International Monetary Fund, whose recent conviction for financial negligence seems not to have dented her standing) lord it over the rest of us, the overriding message from the Remain camp was this: know your place  there is no alternative  step out of line and youll be punished. Just tick the right box on June 23, and well take care of the rest.

Perhaps if during all that time at the top they had paused for one second in their pursuit of their great big houses and even bigger yachts, their island getaways and offshore havens, to think about how those lower down the food chain were getting on, perhaps then they might have persuaded the electorate to give them another chance.

Sarah Vine: "Im genuinely saddened by the passing of music greats like George Michael"

Instead, in 2016 the British people decided that enough was enough, and maybe it was time these masters and mistresses of the universe paid for their arrogance.

We decided that these people who called themselves the experts, but whose expertise seemed primarily to be directed towards feathering their own nests, needed a kick in the ballots. When it became clear that the referendum was finely balanced, and the British people were on the verge of doing what they always do when rulers get above themselves, then we saw the Establishment panic.

The fine words and practiced rhetoric fell away  and in their place Project Fear was unleashed, the most systematic attempt to scare people out of their wits since the Cold War.

The Government machine swung into action, churning out fake news, such as the prediction that we would all lose 4,000 a year if we voted Leave and Britain would go into recession overnight, and drafting in allies  including President Obama and Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England  to lecture and threaten us about the very grave dangers of voting to withdraw.

More personally upsetting was the not-so-subtle smearing of those inclined to vote Leave as old, out-of-touch, stupid, racist, backward losers  the British equivalent of Hillary Clintons loathed deplorables.

Bearing in mind all this, it was a miracle that the Leave campaign won. But when the result came in  and the British people showed they werent going to be scared, smeared or shamed into submission  it was a magical moment.

Nevertheless, there were consequences. So certain had No. 10 been of victory, there was no plan B. The balance of power within the Tory Party shifted, and there were many who got squashed in the process.

For my husband Michael Gove, who gave up so much personally to fight for a principle he passionately believed in, that was certainly the case.

Friendships frayed. And he lost the job he loved.

But if youre in politics just to be someone rather than do something, youre in the wrong job. What matters is not that hes no longer a minister: whats really important is that Britain is getting back its democracy.

Thanks in part to him  and to lots of other brave individuals, from Boris Johnson to the Labour MP Gisela Stuart who fought brilliantly for Leave  2016 was the year the people of this country felt, at last, able to declare their independence.

Of Michaels part in that, Im very proud  although it does have its downsides. Yes, its lovely to have him around, fully plugged in to family life. But it can be mightily irritating, too, since he has now brought the zeal and ruthless efficiency with which he sought to reform government into our domestic arena.

Still, at least I now have very tidy kitchen drawers and we never run out of loo paper  so I suppose I shouldnt complain.

Ive also learned a number of useful lessons in 2016. The first is that its true what they say: it really is surprisingly peaceful in the eye of the storm.

It is also the case that you dont necessarily realise you are there. Thus when, after the result on June 24, the entire world turned its beady eye on our front door, I must confess I really wasnt ready for it.

There is something curiously surreal about the way the momentous combines with the mundane. The Press may be outside the window, blocking the street with their vans and cameras, your house may be on Sky TV; but youre just two people waking up in bed, bleary-eyed and exhausted.

One of you makes the tea while the other takes a shower. One of the children cant find their school shoes, the other is howling because theyve lost their history book, and to add to the chaos the dogs are barking like maniacs because reporters keep knocking on the door.

The dishwasher needs unloading, the bin needs emptying. Outside, everyone is imagining its TVs West Wing or House Of Cards. In fact, its more like Terry And June crossed with Outnumbered.

Other lesson: If by some chance you ever do find yourself at the centre of things, do not assume that the last thing that matters is your outfit choice.

On the contrary, it is the very first thing you should pay heed to. Otherwise you risk making the same mistake as me and becoming the woman who was pictured posting their Referendum vote in a frankly hideous leopard print shirt from Marks & Spencer which I only chose because most other things were in the wash.

Worse, I failed completely to put on enough make-up and my hair was so dirty I had no choice but to put it up. What can I say: it had been a busy few days. Still, that outfit will haunt me until the day I die.

What I certainly will never regret is the vote I cast, the consequences it generated and the liberation it led to.
home World Mali Christians celebrate Christmas in church for the first time in three years under police protection

Christians in the predominantly Muslim town of Gao, northern Mali have returned to their church to celebrate Christmas under the protection of the police. It was the first service held at the church since it was torched by Islamic extremists when they took over the major towns in northern Mali in 2012.

Christians and Muslims were able to live peacefully in the town before the al-Qaeda-linked militants took over and imposed strict Islamic law. The Christians who fled the jihadist occupation have returned to rebuild the congregation.

The police kept watch as the worshippers met at the Catholic Church for the Saturday night and Sunday morning services. Only several dozen people turned up at the church this year for the Saturday night service, the Associated Press reported.

Philippe Omore, the president of the Christian community in Gao, said that about 125 to 150 Christians have returned to the town, but that was only half of what the population used to be.

"The congregants have been fearful - they don't want to come to the church yet so we must raise awareness," he told AP.

Many of the extremists that ruled the town came from other countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Mauritania. The town was liberated by French forces in 2013, but Christians who fled to southern and central Mali waited about a year before they returned to make sure the peace would hold.

The Christians are now tasked with rebuilding the church that was destroyed by the extremists.

"Christmas brings us joy in spite of the security threats," said the Rev. Afeku Anthero, a priest from Uganda.

"On this night, God sent us his son as the prince of peace. Peace should reign in our hearts, in the Christian community and in our country. This is especially important for Mali where we need peace and where it has been difficult to reconcile and unite us," he said.

Omore said that Christians who have returned used to walk freely outside of the town, but that is no longer possible.

"We miss it, and we want to live as we did in the past - free and without fear for our safety," he said.

On Saturday, a female French aid worker named Sophie Petronin, who runs an organization to help malnourished children in Gao, was abducted. As many as 13 French citizens have been kidnapped or killed in the region by extremists linked to the terror group AQIM between 2010 and 2013.
A popular swimming school that provides lessons to children across Australia has for six years been underpaying hundreds of its young instructors.

Paul Sadler Swimland provides 30,000 swimming lessons a week to children across Australia, and operates more than 15 swimming schools in the country and overseas, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Staff were underpaid hundreds of thousands of dollars by breaching conditions and entitlements in the company's enterprise agreement.

The Paul Sadler Swimland been underpaying hundreds of its young instructors (stock image)

Workers were left worse off because the original enterprise agreement includes no penalty rates for weekend work and has staff classified as seasonal part-time instead of casual.

The underpayments took place over the last six years with staff suffering from not having their rates increased as their age went up and more experienced teachers were given the wrong grades application.

Others did not receive pay for long-service leave although they had worked for the company for more than seven years.

A half-hour lesson at Paul Sadler centres costs between $20 and $25 and involves five other students.

The company provides 30,000 swimming lessons a week to children across Australia (stock image)

But the Fairfax investigation revealed that some instructors were paid less than $10 for the half-hour session.

The Australian Workers' Union filed an application to the Fair Work Commission to find out if the contracts the employees were asked to sign was in line with the Fair Work Act.

Wayne Pollack, chief executive of Paul Sadler Swimland, said that the company had apologised to staff for the error, however he did not say the size of the total underpayment.

However he confirm that all sites had been audited and underpayment issues had been found, with more than 85 per cent of staff now repaid in full.
One day many years ago, a civil servant from Islington loaded his two daughters into the family car and set off for Stratford-upon-Avon  where they had tickets to see the young Judi Dench in Twelfth Night.

Daddy, said one of his girls, this afternoon youve got to tell us a story, one weve never heard before, and without delay, to last out the trip.

Her father took a deep breath. Once upon a time, he began, there were two rabbits called, um, let me see Hazel and Fiver, and Im going to tell you about some of their adventures.

Watership Down (film adaptation, pictured) would enthral and horrify a generation of children and adults, and forever change the way millions of readers  both old and young  viewed the English countryside, and the creatures who live in it

Released in 1972, the year that Greenpeace was just being launched, Watership Down - written by Richard Adams (above) - presented animals in the British countryside as refugees fleeing destruction wrought by man, and duly caught the mood of an era where the environmental movement was in its infancy

The civil servant was called Richard Adams. And the story that he proceeded to tell, off the top of his head, would soon become Watership Down, one of the most famous, successful, and in its own way shocking novels of the 20th century.

Behind its deceptively cute cover, emblazoned with a picture of a wide-eyed, fluffy bunny sitting in a picturesque field, there of course lay a remarkable tale of violence and savagery.

It would enthral and horrify a generation of children and adults, and forever change the way millions of readers  both old and young  viewed the English countryside, and the creatures who live in it.

The books cute-looking heroes were in fact the opposite of cuddly: instead they were heroic and sometimes brutal warriors, who would fight, copulate, defecate, wound each other, and in one particularly gory scene suffer a miscarriage.

They would be gassed, caught in snares, poisoned, shot at, betrayed, drawn into cults, and beaten to death. And the entire harrowing tale would be played out against the backdrop of a pastoral idyll which turned out to be soaked in blood.

Behind its deceptively cute cover, emblazoned with a picture of a wide-eyed, fluffy bunny sitting in a picturesque field, there of course lay a remarkable tale of violence and savagery

Released in 1972, the year that Greenpeace was just being launched, Watership Down presented animals in the British countryside as refugees fleeing destruction wrought by man, and duly caught the mood of an era where the environmental movement was in its infancy.

Its dark tone and brutal plot twists spoke vividly to the spirit of a troubled age overshadowed by industrial unrest, the Cold War, conflict in Vietnam and terrorist campaigns in Northern Ireland.

Some saw it as a religious allegory. Others thought it had political overtones. Many more felt it was a call to arms for animal rights.

When made into a hit film, starring John Hurt and Richard Briers (as Hazel and Fiver) and with a theme song Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel which went to number one in the UK charts for six weeks, it had perhaps a greater effect on attitudes towards wildlife than any movie since Bambi.

Richard Adams died at 10pm on Christmas Eve, at 96. And his passing, announced last night, gives us cause to reflect on the degree to which society now chooses to ignore the savage and often ugly reality of the rural world he so perfectly captured.

In an era where children think bacon comes from a supermarket rather than the backside of a slaughtered pig, and the sight of a dead rabbit in a butchers window will spark lily-livered complaints, we have all but lost sight of the over-riding theme of Watership Down: that nature, even in the British countryside, is always red in tooth and claw.

Perhaps this explains why, when Channel 5 had the audacity to screen the film adaptation on Easter Sunday afternoon this year, parents demanded that programmers should be sacked for showing the movie in all its blood-and-guts barbarity.

It may also lie behind the somewhat pathetic decision by the BBC to give the story a number of politically-correct tweaks, in a new film version coming out next year which will give a boost to its female characters and tone down the gore.

Adams seemed aware of this fact, which is perhaps why he always had a strangely ambivalent attitude towards Watership Down: loving its success but uncomfortable with the way readers interpreted it, and often seeming to resent the degree to which it overshadowed the remainder of his career.

Though hugely religious, and often very spiritual, Adams could also be obsessed with sex as well as death. His other novels included The Girl in a Swing, an erotic ghost story which critics called borderline pornographic, and Maia, an epic about a 15-year-old peasant girl who sleeps with her stepfather, is turfed out of home, and becomes a prostitute

The son of a rural doctor, who had been bullied at public school, he served as a parachutist in the Second World War before suffering a nervous breakdown at Oxford, sitting his finals at a mental institution.

He later said he decided to write about animals because I dont do humans.

For the rest of his life, he was prone to sudden displays of emotion. During a famous 1990 interview, he broke down on three occasions, when discussing animal cruelty, the crucifixion of Christ, and the death of friends in the war.

Watership Down was initially turned down by four publishers and three agents (it was seven times a lemon, he once said) but it would change his life  going on to be translated into 20 languages and sold in countries where rabbits didnt even exist, so gerbils were used on the cover. In 1985, Penguin revealed that it was its second best-selling book of all time, behind Animal Farm but ahead of The Canterbury Tales and The Odyssey.

Success brought Adams huge riches, allowing him to leave the Civil Service and buy himself a coat of arms, which he had stamped into a gold signet ring.

To escape the swingeing Labour taxes of the era, he moved first to the Isle of Man and then to America, where he did a series of well-paid stints at universities, at times placing strain on his marriage to wife Elizabeth, a childhood sweetheart hed married in 1949.

He also had a stint as president of the RSPCA, but resigned after taking the remarkably prescient view that the organisation had become over-politicised.

I didnt like it. They seemed to be more concerned with each other than with the animals, he later said.

When I joined, the head of the council didnt give a **** about the animals. She was simply advancing her career. I had a couple of rows with her and walked out.

Though hugely religious, and often very spiritual, Adams could also be obsessed with sex as well as death.

His other novels included The Girl in a Swing, an erotic ghost story which critics called borderline pornographic, and Maia, an epic about a 15-year-old peasant girl who sleeps with her stepfather, is turfed out of home, and becomes a prostitute.

Both novels are filled with illicit and often rather degrading descriptions of sexual encounters. Asked about this aspect of his oeuvre, he once declared that porn was just something a man needs every six months, or two months or so, adding Im what they call in the trade a straight. Im not into domination.

The Girl in a Swing was turned into a film starring Meg Tilley. For years after its release, Adams kept a photograph of her, half naked, in the library full of antique books and porcelain that he kept at his 18th century home near the River Test in Hampshire, where he would often go fly-fishing.

Here, from the huge windows of his living room, interviewers would often see rabbits gambolling in the nearby fields. It was in many respects a rural idyll.
She admitted she started smoking pot at the age of 13, used LSD by 21 before

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Despite looking full of health as she was busy filming new projects in the UK, Carrie Fisher reportedly had a drug relapse about a month before her fatal heart attack.

The 60-year-old Star Wars actress best known for playing the role of Princess Leia allegedly relapsed in November.

'Carrie had relapsed around Thanksgiving,' a source told RadarOnline. 'I saw her myself high as a kite once, not that long ago.'

'Some of her friends I talked to doubted she was ever totally clean and sober because she got doctor's prescriptions to treat her bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.'

Three photos Fisher shared on Twitter on Thanksgiving Day last month show her posing on a bed with her beloved dog, Gary, as two bottles that appear to be beer are sitting on a nightstand nearby.

The source countered claims that Fisher had her addiction, which included alcohol and cocaine, completely under control before she had a massive heart attack last week.

The source said: 'Ironically, she said to me, "You're too old to get high anymore, dear."

'I replied, "You, too, dear".'

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Despite looking full of health, Carrie Fisher reportedly had a drug relapse about a month before her fatal heart attack. She is pictured above in a photo on Twitter on November 24, as two bottles that appear to be beer are sitting on a nightstand nearby

On November 24, she shared in total three photos of herself with Gary while sitting on the bed. In the two pictures, Gary appears to be giving her a smooch, as she holds onto him tightly

A representative for the actress could not be reached by DailyMail.com for immediate comment.

Fisher, who had openly talked of her struggles in the past with alcohol, LSD, cocaine, heroine and pills, died on Tuesday in a Los Angeles hospital after she had the medical emergency on a transatlantic flight from London on Friday.

She had given various interviews over the years about her addictions, during which she admitted to using cocaine on the set of The Empire Strikes Back.

Fisher opened up to ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2000 about her past drug use and how while filming Under The Rainbow in 1981, she said, 'I was completely crazy. ... I was on drugs, I started losing a lot of weight. ... I was not sleeping. I had a seizure on the set.'

She was in London earlier this month working on the Graham Norton show as well as the TV series Catastrophe and the legendary Star Wars actress seemed to be enjoying England.

On Twitter she documented her time in the country, with her most recent post last Wednesday at the Charles Dickens lounge.

The day before she was bundled up outside a quaint chocolate shop looking every inch the tourist.

On December 20, the star posted pictures of herself and her dog in Bruges, Belgium.

She loved the UK: Fisher was spending plenty of time in the UK before her death on Tuesday from a massive heart attack she suffered on Friday - this is her last picture on Twitter, posted six days before she died

Travel: Fisher posted a picture of her dog in Bruges, Belgium on December 20 (left) and with fellow actress Sharon Horgan on December 19 (right)

Sweet: On December 20, a week before her death, she was pictured outside a quaint chocolate shop in Bruges, Belgium

According to her Twitter account, Fisher spent her birthday in October in Italy.

'My birthday party in Italy began @2am, due 2nite shoots& ended@5 when the police came about the noise.

'Always a sign of a successful party,' she wrote.

Following that tweet, Fisher shared several photos of herself with friends and wrote, 'We prepare for police.... '

In a group of three photos she uploaded October 24, Fisher can be seen sporting sunglasses and appears to be happy.

An unknown man can be seen planting a sweet kiss on her lips in one of the snaps.

Fisher pictured during a book signing event in London on December 11 at Waterstones in Piccadilly Square

Talking it up: She appeared on The Graham Norton Show promoting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and her new book

According to her Twitter account, Fisher spent her birthday in October in Italy partying and the police were called to deal with the noise

Since her comeback in 2015 as Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the actress seemed to have had no intentions of slowing down.

She worked as hard as any of her younger counterparts in Hollywood.

In recent weeks, she appeared on The Graham Norton Show promoting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which a younger version of her Princess Leia character appears at the end of the movie uttering the single word 'Hope.'

She talked to Norton about wanting 'a female planet' in Star Wars and discussed her latest book - The Princess Diarist - in a show that aired on December 9.

During her appearance, the 60-year-old actress shared that she forgot that she wrote the diaries decades ago when she was 19 years old and found them in a storage room.

Paying respects: Since news of her tragic death broke, friends of the star have stopped by her home in Los Angeles throughout the day on Tuesday. Several people were photographed outside of Fisher's home

Fisher said that she did not edit the diaries and what's in her book is truly how she felt while she had an affair with her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford.

Norton said that the news of her affair with Ford caused a 'sensation'.

'400,000 news services picked it up, it became a little embarrassing for me,' Fisher responded.

Norton then said he found it extraordinary how they had the affair roughly 40 years ago and how she claims they never spoke of it ever again.

'I became friends with his second wife then, so we saw each other a lot ... I can literally remember three times  I of course made some oblique reference to it, and he went "urghhh".'

Norton had noted how Ford is going to have to talk about it for the rest of his life.

'I never thought of that, leave it to Graham, and now I feel more guilty,' Fisher laughed.

Later on during her appearance, Norton asked Fisher if their co-star Mark Hamill knew about the affair, to which she said he really didn't.

'When I told him, he was shocked, I think he felt a little betrayed quite honestly,' Fisher shared.

She told Norton that no one involved with the film knew about her and Ford.

Well written: Debbie wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. 'I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother'

Hardest worker in Hollywood: Since her comeback in 2015 as Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the 60-year-old actress seemingly had no intentions of slowing down

Outside of her appearance on Norton's show, Fisher had been on the set of Catastrophe, something else that she documented often on social media.

On top of that, she was promoting her memoir The Princess Diarist.

The busy actress also found time to voice her character Princess Leia for the Lego Star Wars video game.

She was set to appear as Leia in the highly-anticipated 2017's Star Wars: Episode VIII and was set to star in the ninth episode as well.

While having several jobs on her plate at once, Fisher also found the time to add 'columnist' to her lengthy resume.

The mother-of-one began to write an advice column for The Guardian, in which young readers had access to the Star Wars legend and were able to confide in her for advice.

She touched on subjects ranging from mental illness to spousal infidelity. Her honesty helped to dispel the stigma about the issues she suffered from - even if she would never have seen herself as a role model.

Fisher was born into Hollywood royalty in Beverly Hills.

Her mother was screen legend Debbie Reynolds - who at 84 has outlived her daughter - and her father was singer, actor and Hollywood lothario Eddie Fisher.

In 1959 Eddie Fisher left Reynolds and married her best friend Elizabeth Taylor, making Taylor Fisher's stepmother.

Fisher would remain very close to her mother for the rest of her life and the two lived next door to each other in Los Angeles.

A good time to be her: Fisher appeared in not just Force Awakens, but she is also in episode VIII

Her mother released a statement on Facebook about her daughter's death on Tuesday.

'Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter,' the actress-singer wrote.

'I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carrie's Mother'

It would not be until the mid-1990s that Fisher and Taylor made up and became good friends after Fisher confronted Taylor at a party and in response Taylor pushed her into the pool.

It worked and cleared the air.

Fisher debuted on Broadway in her teens and got her big film break alongside Warren Beatty in Shampoo in 1975 before briefly enrolling London's Central School of Speech and Drama.

Fisher (center) is the daughter of famous parents, singer Eddie Fisher (right) and actress Debbie Reynolds (left), known for her role in Singin' in the Rain

Beloved: Carrie Fisher's (center) parents were Debbie Reynolds (left) and Eddie Fisher (right) - but her father left not long after this picture to marry Elizabeth Taylor, a scandal which rocked Hollywood

She dropped out at the age of 19 after landing the role of Princess Leia in George Lucas' 1977 space epic Star Wars.

It became the role that defined her career and eclipsed her other parts including her appearances in 'When Harry Met Sally' and 'The Blues Brothers'.

But by then she was already battling the drug use that would bedevil her whole life.

Fisher used drugs to 'dial down' her mental health issues and make her able to function.

Fisher was diagnosed with bipolar at 24 and, speaking to Psychology Today in 2001, she said: 'Drugs made me feel normal. They contained me'.

In an interview on CNN with Larry King, Fisher said that she became addicted to drugs because she copied her father, who had similar issues of his own.

Fisher was using cocaine during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , something she only admitted to later in her life.

In interviews Fisher made clear she had a love hate relationship with the character.

Fisher (center), pictured with Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker (left) and Harrison Ford as Han Solo (right) is best remembered as the tough, feisty and powerful Princess Leia in the original Star Wars in 1977 and the following films in the series

She once said: 'People want me to say that I'm sick of playing Leia and that it ruined my life. If my life was that easy to ruin, it deserved to be ruined'.

Fisher nearly did not even get the part and Star Wars director George Lucas was not convinced by her playing the role in such a forthright way.

In 1978 when she was auditioning for the part Lucas told her to go to a fat farm and lose ten pounds, which she did.

Recounting one of her conversations with Lucas, Fisher once said: 'George comes up to me the first day of filming and he takes one look at the dress and says: 'You can't wear a bra under that dress'.

'So, I say: 'Okay, I'll bite. Why?' And he says: 'Because...there's no underwear in space'.

While on a break from Paul Simon, Fisher was briefly engaged to Canadian actor and comedian Dan Aykroyd (left), who proposed on the set of The Blues Brothers in 1980. They broke up with Fisher (right) got back together with Paul Simon

Fisher (right, front) and Paul Simon (left, front) first started dating in 1977. They are pictured above in 1982 after a memorial service for comedian John Belushi

In her memoir Wishful Drinking, Fisher joked that 'George Lucas ruined my life', though he also made her very wealthy with an estimated personal fortune of $5 million.

Fisher said that she hated wearing the bikini during the slave scenes and said that it was degrading.

But that meant that one of her favorite scenes in Star Wars was when she killed Jabba the Hutt, who in the script forced her to wear it.

She said: 'I had a lot of fun killing Jabba the Hutt. They asked me on the day if I wanted to have a stunt double kill Jabba. No! That's the best time I ever had as an actor. And the only reason to go into acting is if you can kill a giant monster'.

Fisher later told new Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley: 'You should fight for your outfit. Don't be a slave like I was'.

Speaking to ABC News last year Fisher said that she embraced being typecast as Leia. She said: 'I've gotten into character and I've never gotten out again'.

Fisher's drug problems reached their low point in 2005 when a night of debauchery ended with gay Republican lobbyist R. Gregory Stevens dying of an overdose in her home.

Fisher gave birth to Billie in July 1992. Her full name is Catherine Fisher Lourd, but she goes by the nickname Billie. Together they're pictured in 2011 (left) and in the 1990s (right)

Fisher's daughter, Billie (right, left picture and left, right picture), regularly posted loving photos of herself and Fisher on her Instagram for Mother's Day and birthdays

The day before the Academy Awards Fisher found his lifeless body lying next to her in her bed, she later revealed.

Fishers' one-woman show 'Wishful Drinking' was turned into the memoir of the same name and made its way to Broadway in 2009.

CARRIE FISHER'S WITTIEST QUIPS As well as acting, Fisher made a career as a writer of both novels - including the semi-autobiographical Postcards From the Edge - and memoirs, such as this year's The Princess Diarist. In all of them she showcased her whip-smart wit and knack for turning a phrase. Here are some of the highlights. On Star Wars (After being asked how she got the part) 'I slept with some nerd. I hope it was George [Lucas]... I took too many drugs to remember.' - in Vanity Fair, 2006 On fame 'I googled myself without lubricant. I don't I recommend it.' - on The Late Show With David Letterman, 2009 On her struggles 'There's no room for demons when you're self-possessed.' - Twitter, 2014 On her bipolar disorder 'Having waited my entire life to get an award for something, anything  I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. It's better than being bad at being insane, right? How tragic would it be to be runner-up for Bipolar Woman of the Year?' - in Wishful Drinking, 2008 Advertisement

In the show she said: 'I'm a product of Hollywood inbreeding. When two celebrities mate, something like me is the result.'

At another point, she cracked: 'I don't have a problem with drugs so much as I have a problem with sobriety.'

Fisher's 1983 marriage to Paul Simon, which lasted just 11 months, was troubled.

In the biography of Simon 'Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon' by Peter Ames Carlin, he writes that they 'fought a lot'.

Carlin writes: '(Paul) didn't want to have to deal with Carrie when she came pinballing home with Christ only knew what powders and pills sizzling inside her feverish skull.

'Then it would be her turn to crash back to earth, ashamed of her wild moods and indulgences, suddenly convinced she had neither the brains nor the maturity to keep up with her older genius boyfriend.'

The two tried to heal their differences by visiting a spiritual healer in the Amazon where Fisher took a psychedelic tea drink to cleanse her spirits.

Carlin wrote that it was to no avail because her 'depths were unimaginably deep'.

For her part Fisher summed it up by saying: 'It was a fantastic wedding, but a bad marriage.'

Fisher married celebrity PR agent Bryan Lourd in 1991 but their three year marriage ended when he left her for a man.

After the split Fisher tried to play happy families for her daughter's benefit, even going on holiday with Lourd's new lover.

Fisher has said: 'I don't know if I believed I made him gay, but I'd failed and that's all that really counts.'

Among the other men who courted her was Dan Aykroyd.

He once proposed to her after she choked on a Brussels sprout and he saved her with the Heimlich maneuver.

In addition to acting Fisher was a talented screenwriter and revised numerous scripts, including Sister Act, The Wedding Singer and Outbreak.

In 1985 Fisher had a near fatal overdose and checked herself into a 30-day rehab program in Los Angeles.

She turned the incident into fuel for her comic novel 'Postcards from the Edge'.

Addressing her drug issues, Fisher once said: 'All in, I've had about four or five slips since I started going to 12-step support groups at the age of 28, making that four or five slip ups in 23 years, which is not great.

'The most painful thing about returning to this dark planet is seeing the look of disappointment and hurt that these forays invariably put in the eyes of your loved ones.'

Fisher has said that she has few regrets but she was ashamed of the effect that her drugs and mental health problems had on her daughter.

Earlier this year Harvard College gave Fisher the Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Humanism as she is pictured delivering a speech to hundreds at Harvard's Memorial Church

In one interview she said: 'How many eight-year-olds have to visit their mom in a mental hospital? I'm not one for regrets, but I do regret anything I did that made life hard for my daughter.

'But after thinking I'm an idiot, she now thinks I'm funny, which is great. She's just really bright and pretty and hilarious and has a great voice. She's a DNA jackpot!.'

Fisher is survived by her daughter, Billie Lourde, her brother, Todd Fisher, sisters Tricia and Joely Fisher as well as her mother.

Fisher will appear once more as Princess Leia after her death as she had recently filmed scenes for next year's Star Wars film, Episode VIII.

Earlier this year Harvard College gave Fisher the Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Humanism, whose previous recipients have included comedian Eddie Izzard, former Senator Barney Frank, author Salman Rushdie and British author and comedian Stephen Fry, who made a TV documentary with Fisher about mental illness.

Harvard said the award was for Fisher's 'forthright activism and outspokenness about addiction, mental illness, and agnosticism have advanced public discourse on these issues with creativity and empathy'.

In Wishful Drinking, Miss Fisher said she had only one request for her obituary.

She wrote: 'However I go I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.'

CARRIE FISHER'S RECENT NIGHTS OUT ON THE TOWN Prior to her tragic death on Tuesday, the legendary actress seemed to be enjoying the last few months of her life, as she was often overseas working, sightseeing and occasionally enjoying a few nights out on the town, according to what she shared on her social media accounts. To celebrate her big 60th birthday in October, Fisher marked the special occasion in Italy. 'My birthday party in Italy began @2am, due 2nite (sic) shoots& (sic) ended@5 (sic) when the police came about the noise.Always a sign of a successful party,' she wrote. Following that tweet, Fisher shared several photos of herself with friends and wrote 'We prepare for police.... ' In a group of three photos she uploaded October 24, Fisher sports sunglasses while appearing to be happy to celebrate her life. While out on the town for her birthday in October, Fisher shared the above photo to her Twitter account The actress had her beloved dog with her for the occasion of her birthday, as she was in Italy with a group of friends Exactly one month later on November 24, Fisher shared to her Twitter account a series of three photos showing her posing on a bed with her beloved dog, Gary, as two bottles that appear to be beer are sitting on a nightstand nearby. Those photos she posted on Thanksgiving Day were not captioned and it's unclear if she was in the UK or the U.S. at the time, or who she may have been with. The 60-year-old Star Wars' actress best known as Princess Leia allegedly relapsed in November right around Thanksgiving. 'Carrie had relapsed around Thanksgiving,' a source told RadarOnline. 'I saw her myself high as a kite once, not that long ago.' During her October celebration, she shared the image above where a mystery man gives her a gentle kiss in Italy as they wait for the police 'Some of her friends I talked to doubted she was ever totally clean and sober because she got doctor's prescriptions to treat her bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.' Then, on December 12, just days before her death on Tuesday, Fisher attended a holiday party. 'Me blunting around at an Xmas party--by night-By day, filming Catastrophe in a rainy cemetery, living the dream,' Fisher wrote as she posed alongside two pals and appeared to be in good spirits. Advertisement
A Tennessee sheriff has revealed how six men managed to escape jail on Christmas Day - by squeezing out of a hole behind a toilet.

The men made the undignified exit - which had echoes of the movie The Shawshank Redemption - early on the morning of December 25, from a toilet block in the Cocke County Jail Annex.

What might have seemed like a Christmas miracle for the prisoners was short-lived as five of them were rounded up in the last two days. But their escape - explained by a local sheriff to WVLT - is still startling.

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All cisterns go: Six men escaped Cocke County Jail Annex on Christmas Day by ripping this toilet from the wall and squeezing through a hole behind it. All but one were recaptured

Ace of basin: The concrete behind the toilet (pictured left seen from inside and right from outside) was damaged and water had rusted the bolts holding it into the wall

The six men - David Wayne Frazier, John Mark Spier, Steven Lewis, John Shehee, Eric Click and Harce Allen - were all being held in the jail for various reasons; some were awaiting trial, others were serving time.

But all wanted out.

At around 1:30am Sunday morning, the men - possibly aided by some of the 17 other offenders being housed in the jail - headed to the toilet block.

There, they went to work on a deteriorated metal toilet that had been bolted onto a damaged wall.

'The inmates escaped after a water leak occurred behind a wall unit stainless steel toilet,' Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes told WVLT.

'Apparently the bolts holding the unit rusted out and there was prior damage to the concrete due to plumbing repairs.'

The men wrenched the toilet from the wall, uncovering a hole leading to a hinged metal panel.

That panel opened onto the outside of the building. The men squeezed their way through the hole - leaving behind just debris and a pair of Crocs - and jumped a fence outside in their bid for freedom.

Like a bolt from the loo: The damaged bolts were removed by the men at around 1:30am; it's believed some of the 17 other captives in the jail may have helped with the escape

Pushing on: The men shoved open this access panel, which was at the back of the toilet, then squeezed out of the hole and jumped over a fence to escape

On the lam: David Wayne Frazier is at large after his escape. He was awaiting trial for aggravated robbery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon

It was only when guards performed a headcount the following morning that they realized the men had gone.

Fontes said that the building had suffered deterioration and sewage problems, and that patching it up would be expensive. In the meantime, he said, he was focused on hauling the men back in.

That focus paid off, with all but one of the men now being back in custody.

Inmate John Mark Spier was re-captured the same day he escaped at a home in Cosby, Tennessee, where two men were charged with harboring a fugitive.

Steven Lewis was also caught on Christmas Day, after a foot chase in Carson Springs, WATE reported.

John Shehee turned himself in to the authorities at 8:05pm Monday after his father intervened.

Eric Click was spotted being driven in a vehicle by a patrolman at around 2:15pm Monday. Both he and the driver were taken into custody without incident.

And Harce Allen was recaptured in a trailer park two miles out of Newport after being caught in a sting.

'We put some undercover narcotic officers in the area. We were able to lure him out of the house,' Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes said.

But the most dangerous escapee is still at large: David Wayne Frazier, who was in awaiting trial for aggravated robbery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Caught: John Shehee (left) and Harce Allen (right) were recaptured Monday. Shehee handed himself in and Allen was captured in a trailer park by an undercover narcotics officer

Spotted: Eric S Click was also captured Monday after being spotted in a car being driven by another person. Both men were taken into custody without incident

Back in the slammer: Inmate John Mark Spier (left) was re-captured at a home in Cosby, Tennessee. Steven Lewis (right) was captured after a foot chase in Carson Springs

(Courtesy WATE.com)

Shehee, 28, was facing criminal charges for arson, criminal trespassing and property theft under $500.

Allen, 28, was serving a 45-day jail sentence for violating his probation.

Click, 29, was in jail awaiting trial for evading arrest, possession of schedule II substance, driving while suspended, violating probation and joy riding.

Frazier, 54, who is considered to be dangerous, was in jail awaiting trial for aggravated robbery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

The breakout has been likened to the one seen in the movie The Shawshank Redemption, in which Tim Robbins's character tunnels into a sewage pipe and uses it to escape prison.
A five-year-old boy who was killed by an unmanned dump truck that rolled down a hill after it wasn't properly secured at a construction site in North Carolina has been identified.

Little Everett Copeland lay mortally wounded in his mother's arms after an out-of-control dump truck careened down a quiet cul-de-sac on Monday around 1pm at the 200 block of Dogwood Bloom Lane and hit the child before crashing into the boy's house.

Several children, including Everett, were playing in the home's driveway.

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Little Everett Copeland, 5, was playing in his yard with other neighborhood kids when a dump truck suddenly careened into his house, killing him

A five-year-old boy was killed by an unmanned truck (pictured) that rolled down a hill after it wasn't properly secured at a construction site in North Carolina

All of the children managed to scramble out of the way of the truck except for Everett.

The man responsible for securing the truck, Alejandro Suarez, 28, has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, according to CBS North Carolina.

Orange County Emergency Services released three 911 tapes of the frantic moments following the tragic accident. Everett's shocked parents, Bill and Ashley Copeland, made separate calls to 911, their voices shaking with emotion.

WNCN chose to only air a small portion of the 911 tapes.

Everett, 5, died after being hit by an unmanned dump truck that rolled down a hill and into his driveway, where he was playing - right, with his mother Ashley and twin sister, Cate

'A truck hit my child,' Bill Copeland tells the dispatcher.

'Is he conscious?' the dispatcher asks.

'No, no nohe does have a pulse,' his dad says.

In the 911 call made by Ashley Copeland, she can be heard frantically trying to figure out how her little boy was just hit.

'Oh my god! What the hell? Who was driving? Who was the driver? Are you [expletive] kidding me? There was all of thesekids out here playing. Are you [expletive] kidding me?'

She says a doctor who lives nearby is performing CPR and then tries to comfort her child.

'Mommys right here. Ive always loved you, Everett. Im right here, buddy,' she can be heard saying. 'Mama loves you. Its OK buddy. You are always perfect.'

Hillsborough police said the child was playing in the neighborhood when the truck (pictured after it crashed into a home) rolled away from the site where it was being loaded. Worker Alejandro Suarez was arrested and charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle

The little boy was rushed to Duke University Hospital but did not survive. He has a twin sister, Cate, and a little sister, Madeleine.

The truck was being loaded with dirt at a nearby construction site. The site's real estate developer released a statement saying: 'Crescent Communities is saddened by the accident and the childs death [Monday] at the Forest Ridge community in Hillsborough. The accident involved construction equipment operated by a contractor hired by one of the communitys homebuilders.'

Neighbors told WRAL that they have complained about the company, which is overseeing building 250 homes in the area. Neighbors say that construction workers have been seen speeding through the child-friendly area, according to the outlet.

One neighbor even said that on Octber 6, a dump truck was accidentally overturned.

Police said the truck rolled through several yards (pictured) before crashing. The truck was being loaded with dirt when it 'became loose and rolled down the hill'. Suarez was booked into the Orange County Jail under a $10,000 secured bond

Suarez was arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail under a $10,000 secured bond.

'At this point, we don't believe the vehicle was properly secured,' Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton said ABC News 11.

He said the investigation is ongoing as authorities plan to look 'at the mechanical condition of the vehicle'.

Hampton said that investigators will also be 'confirming' which company the crew was working for.
A Polish truck driver whose body was discovered in his hijacked lorry after the Berlin terror attack died several hours before the attack, it has emerged.

A confidential coroner's report revealed that Lukasz Urban died up to three-and-a-half hours before terrorist Anis Amri ploughed into the middle of a large crowd.

It had previously been thought that he had attempted to foil the atrocity.

Driver Lukasz Urban is now believed to have been killed hours before the attack on a Berlin Christmas market

German newspaper Bild reports that the 37-year-old suffered knife wounds and was shot in the head between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours before Amri's attack.

Twelve people were killed when the lorry was driven into a Christmas market last Monday.

The Tunisian assailant, 24-year-old Anis Amri, was shot dead by Italian police in shootout on Friday after a European-wide manhunt.

Terrorist: Anis Amri was shot dead on Friday after shooting at two police officers in Milan

Twelve people died in last Monday's terror attack in Berlin, when a lorry was driven into the middle of a Christmas market

In a video released after his death, he is seen pledging his allegiance to militant group Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Berlin state interior minister Andreas Geisel had said on Friday that Urban had 'quite probably' tried to disrupt the attack by seizing control of the steering wheel before being shot in the head after the truck veered to the left.

It came to a halt after driving for just 60 meters into the market that extended more than 400 meters, averting further deaths.

This helped start a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than 170,000 for the family of Urban.
A $1000 reward is on offer for information about a man who police allege indecently assaulted a 12-year-old girl on a Sydney train in November.

The incident happened at about 9.20pm on November 4, when the girl and her mother were about to leave the city bound train as it approached Wolli Creek station.

Police say a man in his mid-to-late 30's with a dark complexion and short, black hair reached under the girl's skirt and grabbed her buttocks.

Police have offered a $1000 reward for information about a man (pictured is a man police want to speak to in relation to the incident) who reached under the skirt of a 12-year-old girl and grabbed her buttocks on a Sydney train in November

The girl and her mother got off the train and immediately alerted police, who were unable to find him.

The man was later seen leaving Granville train station.

Police have offered the reward as part of a public appeal for information about the assault.

Police are urging anyone with information to call St George detectives on (02) 8566 7475 or Crime Stoppers on 1 800 333 000.

The incident happened at about 9.20pm on November 4, when the girl and her mother were about to leave the city bound train as it approached Wolli Creek station (pictured)

The girl and her mother got off the train and immediately alerted police, who were unable to find him
Police in Mississippi are hunting two men who they say poured scalding hot liquid on a cat trapped in a cage and filmed the horrific spectacle.

The video was posted on Snapchat earlier this month and Karmen Coleman, 23, turned herself in on Friday and removed the clip after being warned she faced charges of rendering criminal assistance.

But police in Moss Point have now issued arrest warrants for 43-year-old Larry Rostchild Jr and his nephew Laderrick, 24, after charging them in their absence with aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Warrants are out for Laderrick Rostchild (pictured, left) and his uncle Larry (right)

The film on Snapchat showed a man pouring a scalding liquid over the cat (left) and steaming hot vapours rising from its cage (right)

Commander Stacey Deans said the cat was later found dead.

The pair could face fines of up to $2,500 and up to six months in jail.

The video was posted on Ms Coleman's Snapchat feed, with a caption reading: 'They hell man' and a laughter emoji.

An older man appears on the left hand side of the screen, as the terrified black and white cat chases frantically around the cage, mewing and hissing at its tormentors.

The man kicks the cage and then a second man's hand appears from the right hand side and pours a scalding hot liquid, probably water, onto the animal, which has no means of escape. Steam can be seen rising from the cage.

The video, which was posted on Snapchat, shows a man pouring liquid on the cage and then appearing to kick it

The black and white cat can be seen on the video running around the cage, mewing and hissing at its tormentors (left). The video appeared on the Snapchat feed of Karmen Coleman (right), who has since removed it

Animal lovers in Mississippi and further afield were outraged when the video emerged earlier this month.

Jourden Thigpen, who lives in nearby Biloxi, wrote on Facebook: 'How horrible and upsetting that people can be this way! Who in their right mind would ever think that it's okay to treat an animal like this!

'If the tables were turned and it was you being treated like this you would want justice! Well I want the exact same! It's only fair right?'

Barbara Marut wrote underneath: 'This person should be put in a cage and have the same thing done to him or her. So sad.'

Jeanne Foley added: 'Anyone involved in this and okaying this is Sick and Evil. Anyone that gets a joy out of hurting another living being, animal or human.
The director of a West Virginia nonprofit whose racist post about Michelle Obama in November got her suspended from her position has been fired four days after she returned to work.

'It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I'm tired of seeing a [sic] Ape in heels,' Clay County Development Corporation director Pamela Ramsey Taylor wrote after Donald Trump was elected as president.

Her suspension was set to expire on December 23, but Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's office said Tuesday that she had been fired.

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Clay County Development Corporation director Pamela Ramsey Taylor has been fired after she wrote a racist Facebook post about Michelle Obama. She had just ended a suspension

Taylor called Michelle Obama 'a [sic] Ape in heels' in November. The CCDC helps low-income and aged residents of Clay County. The Governor's office announced her dismissal

Taylor compared Obama (left) to 'the classy, dignified' Melania Trump (right). The firing wasn't explicitly said to be due to the post, but the state wanted 'anti-discrimination' policies used

She was removed from the nonprofit, which helps low-income and aged people in Clay County, following an agreement with its board of directors.

Taylor's racist social media comments were not directly mentioned as the reason, but the state requested 'specific assurances' that the nonprofit is following anti-discrimination policies, Tomblin spokeswoman Jessica Tice said.

It was assured that Taylor is gone as director, she added.

The Appalachian Area Agency on Aging will manage the nonprofit daily for six months while the Clay County organization makes any changes needed for compliance as a state contractor.

West Virginia's Bureau of Senior Services and the Bureau for Medical Services have been reviewing the nonprofit's state contracts following the furor.

The state also asked for guarantees that Taylor had not discriminated against recipients of state services.

On November 14, the state bureaus commissioner, Robert Roswall, warned the non-profit's staff that 'any discrimination of staff or the customers [they] serve' could lead to federal and state funding being cut, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported earlier this month.

That letter was sent around the same time that Taylor's post began to receive major media attention.

Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling also got in trouble for liking the post, and ultimately had to resign from her post

Taylor's racist post also had consequences for Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling, who 'liked' it, and added the comment 'Just made my day Pam'. She resigned from her position on November 16.

The post was deleted, but not before it was shared hundreds of times on social media. Taylor also suspended her Facebook account.

The two women apologized for their remarks after controversy began to build.

'My comment was not intended to be racist at all,' Whaling said in a statement to The Washington Post.

'I was referring to my day being made for change in the White House! I am truly sorry for any hard feeling this may have caused! Those who know me know that I'm not of any way racist!

'Again, I would like to apologize for this getting out of hand!'

Pamela Ramsey Taylor also said sorry on her Facebook account, which she set to private.

Whaling wrote 'Just made my day Pam' on the post. She resigned afterward. The Appalachian Area Agency on Aging will manage the CCDC for six months while Taylor is replaced

The racist post wasn't the first time Taylor, who had worked at the CCDC since the late '90s and became director in 2007, had seen trouble there, the Gazette-Mail said.

She was dismissed in 2002 after being accused of taking fundraising money, but then hired back again shortly after, according to a lawsuit deposition seen by the Gazette-Mail.

It wasn't clear which suit that deposition was for, but Taylor was sued in 2007 by a former employee for wrongful dismissal.

Brenda Baird, a bookkeeper there from 2000-2007, claimed she was unfairly fired by Taylor in 2007 for questioning how money was spent in the organization.

Baird said that she spotted discrepancies on Taylor's tax forms - discrepancies that Baird claims she was told to ignore. She received a written reprimand after arguing with an employee about the issue.

Then, in 2007, Baird questioned the board of directors about employees apparently getting double the typical raises, and receiving bonus checks.

That complaint was passed on to Taylor, who accused Baird of 'trying to her get fired' according to the suit.

Baird was dismissed for 'gross misconduct and insubordination', but said she hadn't been formally reprimanded for insubordination since 2002.

Taylor said in her own deposition that Baird had tried to make her look incompetent, and was the one who signed off on the bonus checks. It was settled out of court for an unspecified amount in 2009.

Video courtesy of WSAZ 3

At the time, the comments by Taylor and Whaling sparked a huge furor in the small county, with many branding the post 'racist' and 'vile' and demanding that both officials stand down.

Tinna-Jamie Conner, addressing the two officials, said in a Facebook post: 'Here's a news flash for you deplorable classless beings.

'OUR First Lady, Michelle Obama personifies and exudes beauty, grace, class, intelligence, humility, strength, patience, passion and HOPE.

'Neither of you idiots could hold a candle to her on your hottest day. Say what you will, but your hate and racism is ugly.'

Many in Clay County derided the post at the time that it was made. Both Taylor and Whaling later apologized for the remarks

This user said that Taylor had to sign promises of a 'racism free workplace' prior to making the racist Facebook post

Dianne Degen Joyce added that Taylor's comments was not only 'vile' but incorrect.

Others agreed: 'That goes without saying. Michelle Obama is the epitome of class, grace and style,' Celeste DuMas Reinhard said.

Some Facebook users pointed out that president-elect Trump's wife Melania had previously stripped off for modelling jobs, while Michelle Obama had been involved in politics.

Others simply demanded Taylor and Whaling be fired.

Robin Brown said: 'Women can and SHOULD make them lose those jobs. They should be publicly humiliated.'

In 2014, the CCDC, which services and financial assistance to Clay County's low-income and elderly residents, received about $1.5 million in federal funding and $363,000 in state funding.
Disgraced Topshop boss Sir Philip Green has been forced to cancel his annual Caribbean holiday after friends shunned him over the BHS pension scandal, it has been claimed.

The former BHS owner, now dubbed Sir Shifty, has been spending Christmas and New Year in the luxurious Sandy Lane resort in Barbados since 1996.

He has previously been seen at the celebrity-studded resort with stars including Kate Moss, Rod Stewart and Rihanna.

Disgraced Topshop boss Sir Philip Green has been forced to cancel his annual Caribbean holiday to Sandy Lanes (pictured in 2015) after friends shunned him over the BHS pension scandal, it has been claimed

The former BHS owner, now dubbed Sir Shifty, has been spending Christmas and New Year in the luxurious Sandy Lane resort (pictured in 2015) in Barbados since 1996

But sources claim he has not made his usual three-week booking of the 18,000-a-night beachside villa, allegedly because friends have shunned him over recent bad publicity

But sources claim he has not made his usual three-week booking of the 18,000-a-night beachside villa, allegedly because friends have shunned him over recent bad publicity.

A source told The Sun: 'His friends have all but abandoned him since BHS went bust.

'After all these years of lavish parties with the biggest names in the business, he would cut a pretty tragic figure sunbathing on his lonesome at Christmas.'

The retail tycoon has so far failed to honour a commitment made more than six months ago to rescue the BHS scheme, which has a 571million deficit and around 20,000 members.

Last month, the Pensions Regulator issued a warning notice to the billionaire, nicknamed Sir Shifty, after complaining that he had failed to come up with a 'comprehensive and credible' offer.

If a settlement is not reached, the watchdog can use its legal powers to force him to pay up.

The retail tycoon (pictured being grilled by Mps) has so far failed to honour a commitment made more than six months ago to rescue the BHS scheme, which has a 571million deficit and around 20,000 members

Green, the owner of Topshop once dubbed King of the High Street, with his daughter Chloe in 2011

Sir Philip's super yacht, Lionheart arrives in Valletta, Malta. Picture shows 'Lionheart', in the foreground, dwarfing all the other yachts

But, according to The Guardian, Sir Philip has now stipulated that Dominic Chappell must also make a payment into the BHS scheme. He has stressed that this must be a condition of any rescue deal.

BHS collapsed in April with the loss of 11,000 jobs, just over a year after Sir Philip sold the business for 1 to Mr Chappell  a thrice-bankrupt former racing driver.

The regulator has already begun legal proceedings, and is understood to be seeking around 350million from Sir Philip and up to 17million from Mr Chappell.

Sir Philip declined to comment. Mr Chappell said he fulfilled all his duties as a director of BHS and 'at no stage did we trade immorally'.
home Entertainment 'The Crown' season 2 spoilers news update: Prince Philip and Prince Charles to play bigger roles next season

"The Crown" introduces a greater role for Elizabeth's (Claire Foy) husband, Prince Philip (Matt Smith), when the hit Netflix biopic returns for its much-anticipated second season.

Debuted November this year, "The Crown" follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her 1947 wedding up to the present day. Production for the show's sophomore run is already in progress, and it will reportedly put more focus on Elizabeth's family. Aside from exploring Prince Philip's backstory, season 2 will put a bigger role for the queen's oldest son and direct heir, Prince Charles.

Series creator and writer Peter Morgan recently spoke with People magazine, and he revealed that the next season will give more emphasis on the people closest to Queen Elizabeth. "We start to focus on Charles as a young boy and his education, and on Philip and his back story," Morgan said.

Viewers should also expect huge changes in the Britain of 1957a64 as modernity starts to arrive and affect the country. "It's goodbye to a different, Edwardian, post-Imperial world," Morgan continued. "We get a classlessness and a modernity beginning to creep in. It is going to be terrific," he went on to say.

The cast and crew have been recently spotted in South Africa to film some scenes for season 2. It is believed that the scenes are part of Philip's Commonwealth tour, which took several months before he returned home.

According to reports, "The Crown" is believed to be the streaming platform's most expensive TV series. The company has allegedly spent more than 100 million to make the drama's 10-episode season 1. Netflix content boss Ted Sarandos previously said the network's higher-ups are hoping that the series would run for six seasons because the plot will reportedly cover six decades of the queen's reign.

The second season of "The Crown" is scheduled to premiere later next year on Netflix.
An American filmmaker has been killed in a bus crash in Africa, where he was screening a documentary and working on a project about Sudanese refugees.

David J. Steiner, 51, died on Monday in Uganda as he traveled with his son, Itamar, and two students to a remote village.

His Facebook page contains several photographs of him in Uganda over the past few days, dressed as Santa Claus and bearing gifts for children.

Mr Steiner's film, Saving Barbara Sizemore, documented the successful fight to keep the Barbara A. Sizemore Academy in Chicago open after officials deemed it suitable for closure.

Mr Steiner's Facebook page showed him posing as Santa Claus with children in Uganda

Mr Steiner (left) and his son Itamar (right) were on a bus when it was hit head-on by a car

Carol Lee, chairman of the board of directors for the charter school network that operates the school, said Mr Steiner's son, Itamar, and two Sizemore students were on the bus with him when it was hit head-on outside the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

One of the students, Terrence Dantzler, suffered a back injury but the other, Hayah Rasul, and Itamar were shocked but not seriously hurt.

Mr Steiner's fiancee, Diana Silverberg, told the Chicago Sun-Times: 'Terrence hasn't fractured his back, which was a concern, and everyone else seems to have just minor injuries.'

She said the bus was heading for a remote village, Mbale, where a small community of Hebrew-speaking Ugandans were celebrating Hanukkah.

One of his last Facebook posts was this picture of a family preparing to board the coach for the journey to a remote Hebrew-speaking village

One of his last Facebook posts shows a picture of a Ugandan family and underneath he wrote: 'We are taking the Galuak family to Mbale to see the Abuyadaya, Ugandan Jews, and let them celebrate Hanukkah with Jewish people for the first time in five years since they were deported to South Sudan.'

Mr Steiner was Director of Education at Congregation Solel in Highland Park, Illinois and was studying to be a rabbi at the Hebrew Seminary for the Deaf.

He also worked as a conflict mediator and helped manage his father Joseph's buildings while working on film projects.

In Uganda he had been filming the story of two Sudanese refugees who had attended school with his son in Tel Aviv.

His fiancee, Diana Silverberg, said Mr Steiner (pictured, left as Santa, and right, with friends in Uganda), did everything with 'joy and gusto'

Ms Silverberg said: 'He was having the time of his life. Everything he did, he did with joy and gusto. He was just an incredibly giving person.'

In 2015, the Barbara Sizemore Academy, which is attended mainly by African-American children, was one of four schools slated to close by Chicago Public Schools.
Brain experts have also questions some treatments they say are unproven

Success of rehab center is mixed, with 80 per cent of patients relapsing

Diagnosed with depression, major anxiety, and panic disorder in remission, he was prescribed what Yellowbrick called 'nutraceuticals' aka vitamins

Patients include a student who tried to take his own life after his parents found out he'd lost his part-time job

The rehab center was founded ten years ago to specifically treat 'emerging adult' brains - millennials who had 'failed to launch' from their parents

, cleaning and even 'showing up' at Yellowbrick in Illinois

For $28,000 a month, patients will get taught basic life skills such as

We have all heard the stereotype; the fragile little snowflake millennial who cannot deal with the real world.

Well now an Illinois rehab center is charging the parents tens of thousands of dollars a month to teach their pampered millennials how to finally grow up.

For $28,000 a month, privileged 20-somethings who have failed to reach their 'true potential', will get basic life skills in scheduling, cleaning and even 'showing up', according to Fusion.

Therapy and group sessions are supplements by treatments such as art classes, yoga and meditation.

This Illinois rehab center is charging parents of pampered millennials almost $30,000 a month to teach them how to be an adult

Yellowbrick, in Evanston, was founded ten years ago to specifically treat 'emerging adult' brains, millennials who had 'failed to launch' from their parents.

Patients come to Yellowbrick with a variety of problems such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, or even schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Many of those disorders are linked, or made worse, by sufferers being forced to take their first steps in the adult world.

Patients include the likes of one Ivy League college student who was doing well until his final semester when he found he 'could not bring himself' to turn in his final paper when faced with the end of school.

For $28,000 a month, patients will get basic life skills in scheduling, cleaning and even 'showing up' at the Illinois rehab center for over-privileged 20-somethings

A 22-year-old was admitted for trying to take his own life when his family found out he had lost his part-time job.

The student said he'd coasted through college and began lying about his failing grades.

He was diagnosed with depression, major anxiety, and panic disorder in remission and prescribed what Yellowbrick called 'nutraceuticals or brain vitamins', known as vitamins and health supplements to everyone else. The patient, who was taking anti-anxiety medications, was told to go to addiction therapy and trauma group.

Regular sleep cycles, visits to the gym, and square meals were known as 'brain hygiene' at Yellowbrick. Meanwhile lunch is referred to as 'Connections', rules are 'Community Agreements' and relationships are 'Coupling.'

Another former patient came to Yellowbrick in 2010 after she said she was drinking too much and struggling with an eating disorder at college.

After five relapses at the center, she finally decided to join an Alcoholics Anonymous group.

Yellowbrick, in Evanston, was founded ten years ago to specifically treat 'emerging adult' brains, millennials who had 'failed to launch' from their parents

Up to 16 people can live in the Yellowbrick residence; a four-story apartment building where patients live together in apartments in groups of three or four.

Staff members are never too far away however, to teach residents the basics such as shopping, cooking and cleaning.

The idea of millennials going away to learn independence, surrounded by staff and paid for by mum and dad, seems incongruous.

But staff say they help patients develop a sense of autonomy - to know when to ask for help and when to set out on their own.

Results of the center are mixed.

Four out of every five patients who seek treatment at the center will relapse.

'I don't know anyone who went to Yellowbrick who's like, 'I'm doing awesome!'' a patient told Osberg.

And the exorbitant costs of Yellowbrick have been widely criticized.

Up to 16 people can live in the Yellowbrick residence; a four-story apartment building where patients live together in apartments (pictured) in groups of three or four

Treatment and residence at the center costs an average of $28,000 a month. Meanwhile the initial health assessment alone costs $7,950.

Health insurance often won't cover the treatment while some of the options are unproven.

'They call it a center for clinical neuroscience, as if this is [all] scientifically founded,' Carrie Bearden, a brain science expert, told Osberg.

Treatments are complimented with the likes of yoga and meditation, massage, dramatic role-play, and art therapy.

Opinion of Yellowbrook among former patients is deeply divided.

One reviewer, named only as Ben, said that he had spent over a year at the center and 'I cannot overstate this, but YB saved my life.'

He said that the center had helped turn him from a 'suicidal, insecure, lonely and angry person' to someone who could 'take control of my life and be the person who I've always wanted to be.'

Yet others claim the center was just focused on making as much money out of its vulnerable patients as possible.
When Zac Barnes ran into bushland six weeks ago - the last time he was seen - he owed people money, it has been claimed.

The 18-year-old bricklayer from Thornton, New South Wales, who has a distinctive Victoria Bitter beer tattoo on his leg, hasn't been seen since Sunday, November 13 when he fled from friends.

His debts and the manner of his disappearance - running from a car into bush - and that he was 'definitely afraid of someone' were revealed in a Facebook post on a page dedicated to finding him.

Thornton, New South Wales teen Zac Barnes, 18, has been missing since November 13

The young bricklayer has a distinctive Victoria Bitter beer logo tattooed onto his lower right leg

The message read: 'It just doesn't make sense he would leave the surroundings and family he loved. Zac had realised his foolish mistakes and wanted to make positive changes to his life.

'He drank too much VB, he played the pokies and he tried to make some easy money, which only ended up in owing money. His life seemed out of his control but he asked for help and we were more than happy to provide it.'

It went on to describe how the Friday before he disappeared, Zac had believed he'd lost his job.

He drank too much VB, he played the pokies and he tried to make some easy money, which only ended up in owing money.

He wasn't ready tell his family so he stayed with a friend for the weekend.

It was common for family to not see him until Sunday afternoons, but that day, he didn't show up.

So his family got a friend to look for him - not knowing the friend was connected to the person he was alleged to have owed money to.

Zac (pictured) was last seen fleeing into bush near Thornton, NSW, wearing a faded tie die blue singlet, dark blue board shorts and work boots

Zac was found quickly but he was stressed that they had found him - not knowing it was family who'd asked them to do so.

A younger Zac Barnes

Friends gave him a ride in their vehicle but at some point on Haussmann Drive at Thornton he asked them to stop and he fled, according to the post.

He was last seen wearing a faded tie die blue singlet, dark blue board shorts and work boots.

Zac had no phone, identification or money when he disappeared and has not contacted friends or his siblings, according to the post.

On November 19, police issued a statement appealing for information about Barnes' whereabouts.

Police had concerns for his welfare.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted New South Wales Police and the admin of 'Help find Zac Barnes' for further comment.
One restaurant wants everyone to know it won't be serving certain types of people, and it's not ones without shirts or shoes - it's Trump voters.

'If you voted for Trump, you cannot eat here! No Nazis,' says the yellow sign posted on Cafe 8 1/2 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Italian cafe, owned by Robert and Jali Warner, has received some rave reviews on Yelp. But some people weren't so happy with its serving of politics with a side-order of anti-Trump.

'This smacks of discrimination!! Like discriminating against a bakery for not wanting to bake a cake for a certain group, or a minister not wanting to perform a gay wedding??? Is this not the same thing??' asked a poster on the cafe's Facebook wall.

An Italian cafe in Honolulu posted a handwritten yellow sign saying Trump voters couldn't eat there

Honolulu cafe owner Robert Warner (pictured) reportedly put a sign on his restaurant's door saying Trump voters weren't welcome

'I come from a country that once banned all people from a certain group from entering restaurants, makes me feel enormously sensitive about your approach; in other words, I don't see how people can't be allowed into a bar just because they are black, or gay, or Jewish, or voting for Trump,' said another.

Jali Warner told Fox News the pair did not plan to ask people whom they voted for, nor would anyone who voted for Trump not be served.

'Robert just wants to express how much he doesnt like Trump,' she told the outlet. 'If people take it personally or it hurts them, we cannot help. Thats why we say they have [a] choice if they want to come or not come. We dont force them.'

She even promised that if someone came in wearing a Trump shirt, he or she could rest easy eating the food.

'We dont put anything different [in] your food,' she said. 'We dont want to create trouble. There is enough trouble in the world.'

She claimed only three people called to complain about the sign.

Others felt the sign hearkened back to the Soup Nazi episodes of 'Seinfeld.'

'It was funny on Seinfeld, but this place can rot away. Stay away. Hawaii ain't like this. There's a lot of better places on the island than to have deal with extra crap like this,' wrote a Yep commenter.
She'd had a four-month affair with Infante, then 17, at

Barahona was fired when she became pregnant with Infante's baby in 2012

Isaac Duran Infante (pictured in court Wed), 23, was arraigned after allegedly murdering his ex-high-school-teacher and the four-year-old boy they'd had together

A 22-year-old man who confessed to murdering his former high-school-teacher-turned lover on Christmas night also killed the four-year-old boy they'd had together after the child walked in and saw him standing over the woman's body, police said.

Isaac Duran Infante had just garroted Felicia Barahona, 36, with a telephone cord when their son Miguel Barahona entered the room from the bathroom, insider sources claimed.

Infante than strangled the tiny witness before dumping his body in the bathtub and running off, insiders told the NY Daily News.

They said Infante, who was arrested Tuesday and arraigned on murder charges in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday, has admitted to entering Barahona's apartment with the intention of killing her.

He struck her to the floor before strangling her with the telephone cord, they said.

Police sources also said he turned himself in after his sister, Elizabeth, showed police a photo of him in a red sweatshirt. He had worn that sweatshirt when he entered that apartment, but left it behind afterward, they said.

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Infante (with his lawyer, left, and a Spanish translator) strangled his son, Miguel, after the child walked in on the man standing over the body of Felicia Barahona, 36, Christmas Day, cops said

Infante had reportedly been angry about how Barahona was raising their child, including feeding him junk food instead of cooking him meals, and dressing him like a girl.

He had also reportedly complained about having problems paying $80-100 in child support a week.

Infante, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was reportedly seduced by Barahona, who 'made her his sex toy' while she was his science teacher at the Bronx's DeWitt Clinton High School.

He fathered Miguel while still at the school, sources said.

Infante was photographed on his perp walk on Tuesday night after police arrested him on murder charges.

Infante, who was taken into custody on Tuesday, was photographed by reporters as police led him out of the 30th Precinct in West Harlem in handcuffs.

He was charged with both murders Tuesday night.

Infante had Miguel with Barahona when she was his science teacher at a Bronx high school. He reportedly told cops he had entered her apartment intending to murder her

Infante, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was angry over how she was raising Miguel, police sources said. He is seen here being led him out of the 30th Precinct in West Harlem

Barahona, who made headlines in 2012 when she had a baby with her then-teenage student, was discovered dead Monday morning inside her Harlem apartment, along with Miguel.

She was lying on the living room floor with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck and the little boy was found face down in a bathtub filled with water, investigators said.

A medical examiner determined Barahona died from strangulation and her son died of asphyxia from neck compression, according to NBC 4 New York.

Duran Infante's grandmother told the station that she wanted justice and that she knows her grandson is innocent of the charges.

The couple shared custody of Miguel, according to relatives.

Family on Miguel's father's side were expecting to see the boy for New Year's Eve to give him his Christmas presents, according to NBC.

Barahona aand Miguel (left), were found dead Monday morning. She was lying on the living room floor with an telephone cord wrapped around her neck and the little boy was found face down in a bathtub filled with water

The superintendent of Barahona's building called 911 early Monday morning after he noticed a foul stench coming from the family's third-floor apartment, WABC reported.

He then saw the woman's body in the living room through the fire escape.

Duran said his actions were an evil deed and mentioned the devil during his confession, law enforcement sources told the New York Post on Tuesday.

He first told investigators he hadn't visited his former teacher's apartment since 2011 and acted like a grieving father, sources said.

But detectives saw him on surveillance footage entering and leaving the building on several days, including six days ago when he went inside and came out in different clothes, the New York Post reported.

The former student is believed to not have a criminal history or past experiences with mental illness.

The mother and son were discovered dead inside their third-floor unit at 640 West 153rd Street in Manhattan

Barahona (left), an Afghan War veteran, was fired from her job as a public school teacher in 2012 after it emerged that she had an affair with a 17-year-old student; Miguel Barahona (right) was the product of his mother's affair with the teen

An investigative report released in early 2013 revealed that Barahona, then 32 years old, had a four-month affair with a 17-year-old boy who attended Dewitt Clinton High School in The Bronx where she taught science.

The teacher got pregnant after allegedly telling her underage lover 'not to worry' about using condoms because she did not like them, according to a report by the city's Special Commissioner of Investigation.

Barahona at first flirted with Infante on Facebook and then in October 2011 invited him to a McDonald's near Columbus Circle, the New York Post reported.

She, Infante and her young daughter went to a Disney store together, according to the report.

During their first 'date', Barahona told Duran Infante that she wanted to kiss him, but didn't because her daughter - now eight years old - was there.

Photos posted on Barahona's mother's Facebook page at the time showed the newborn baby boy in a pink outfit, and the woman's neighbors in Harlem told to the New York Post that she would sometimes dress Miguel as a girl.

Duran said his actions were an evil deed and mentioned the devil during his confession, law enforcement sources told the newspaper on Tuesday. He's pictured getting into the back of a police car Tuesday night

Barahona, 36, also had an eight-year-old daughter from an earlier relationship, pictured far left

Siblings: This photo, taken in December 2015, shows then three-year-old Miguel and his sister meeting with Santa Claus

Barahona also had an eight-year-old daughter from a previous relationship who did not live with her.

On her Facebook page, Barahona indicated that she studied forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and also taught at the school. She described her martial status as 'divorced'.

Barahona, an Afghan War veteran, had waited until her teenage lover was of legal age of consent before the pair began a sexual relationship in 2011.

He told investigators that 'he embraced the idea of being a father', and later moved in with Barahona to prepare for the birth, according to the Post.

But the couple broke up a few weeks later after Barahona told him that she wanted to take the child out of the country to visit family.

She allegedly went so far as to purchase the pair wedding rings during their brief romance.

It is believed that the couple were getting together five times a week for trysts, according to the investigation for which they were both interviewed.

The New York Daily News reported in 2013 that Barahona kicked her young lover out of her home for drinking after four months together and shortly after she learned that she was pregnant.

Barahona was fired from her $73,000-a-year job at DeWitt Clinton High School in August 2012, around the time that she welcomed her son.

Her downstairs neighbor, Nelson Jaque, told DNAInfo New York that he would often see the mother playing with her son and described her demeanor as extremely protective, to the point of being obsessive.

Neighbors of Barahona's mother told the Post that workers for the city's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) picked up Barahona's daughter Tuesday morning.
The East Coast hit record highs on Tuesday with temperatures soaring into the 70s in Virginia, while the Great Plans continue to freeze in fierce winter storms.

Philadelphia's Lehigh Valley International Airport broke an 80-year-old record on Tuesday afternoon with a high temperature of 60, the National Weather Service said.

The highest temperature set for December 27 was 59 degrees F in 1939 and again in 1949. Typical highs at this time of year are a much colder 37.

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The East Coast hit record highs on Tuesday with temperatures soaring into the 70s in Virginia, while the Great Plans continue to freeze in fierce winter storms (WinterFest Ice Skating at Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey)

Philadelphia's Lehigh Valley International Airport broke an 80-year-old record on Tuesday afternoon with a high temperature of 60, the National Weather Service said (runner in Philadelphia's Market Place on Tuesday)

Snow-covered peaks on the San Gabriel mountains from recent storms frame the skyline of Los Angeles, California USA, 27 December

A woman walks her dog along Via Escola with snow-covered Mt Baldy and the San Gabriel Mountains appearing crystal clear Tuesday

Norfolk in Virginia was even hotter, with the mercury hitting an unseasonable 70 degrees F. And Jacksonville in Florida hit 81 on Tuesday afternoon.

Temperatures rose along the East Coast thanks to warm air coming in from the west creating a high pressure area over the region which will continue into Wednesday.

While the East basks in winter sunshine, the Great Plains are being battered by winter storms.

Thousands remained without power in the Dakotas and Michigan after the snow storms and strong winds which struck on Christmas Day and continued through to Tuesday evening.

While the East basks in winter sunshine, the Great Plains are being battered by winter storms on Tuesday. However, the East Coast will cool down as the week progresses

High winds knocked out power to thousands of customers in Michigan on Monday.

Consumers Energy spokesman Brian Wheeler told WOOD-TV that more than 20,000 customers in the state were without power at one point on Monday evening.

Around 17,300 customers still had no electricity Tuesday morning.

The South Dakota Rural Electric Association said roughly 16,400 of its customers were without power Monday evening. Around 13,700 of its customers were without power early Tuesday as the Association said it could take several days to restore service.

In Nebraska, winds gusting up to 70 mph were cited for hundreds of power outages in central and eastern portions of the state Sunday, although by Monday, utilities reported that power had been restored to most customers.

People kiss on the Brooklyn Bridge during a day featuring above average temperatures in Manhattan, New York City

The sun sets behind the pier at the M.B. Miller County Pier Tuesday in Panama City Beach, Florida

A surfer makes a dash for the water in Panama City Beach, Florida where temperatures hit 81F Tuesday

Elexis Williams plays in the water with JL Rhodes and Paisley Rhodes at the M.B. Miller County Pier Tuesday

The combination of freezing rain, snow and high winds that forced vast stretches of highways in the Dakotas to be shut down Sunday continued into Monday and Tuesday, as authorities issued no-travel warnings for much of North Dakota.

Severe whiteout conditions led to the closure of Minot International Airport of Monday, while the airports serving Fargo and Bismarck also listed flight cancellations on their websites. Winds gusting 40 mph to 50 mph also led to delays and cancellations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

All the airports have since reopened.

Even California got a sprinkling of the white stuff as temperatures plunged last weekend.

High winds and drifting snow continued to make travel hazardous in the Dakotas, even as vast stretches of highways that had been closed reopened to traffic.

While the East basks in winter sunshine, the Great Plains are being battered by winter storms. Thousands remained without power in the Dakotas and Michigan after the snow storms and strong winds which struck on Christmas Day and continued through to Tuesday evening

Vehicles piled high with snow in Mandan, North Dakota on December 26; The combination of freezing rain, snow and high winds that forced vast stretches of highways in the Dakotas to be shut down Sunday continued into Monday, and authorities issued no-travel warnings for much of North Dakota

Chad Gion, left, and Zach Wilson begin the process of digging a vehicle out in southeast Mandan; Severe winter storms swept across the northern plains in the run up to Christmas, dumping heavy snow from Chicago to Minneapolis

The no-travel warnings issued Christmas Day for much of North Dakota had largely expired by Tuesday, although the National Weather Service warned that drifting snow still blocked some roads.

Interstate 94, which had been closed for days in North Dakota, reopened Tuesday, as did Interstate 90 in South Dakota.

Meanwhile, in parts of the South, unseasonably warm temperatures were raising the risk of tornadoes and damaging thunderstorms.

About three million people in parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee could see damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes Monday, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said, but no major outbreak was expected.

Winter will return to the East Coast, beginning on Thursday, where temperatures will drop to the early 40s, and some areas may even see some overnight snow.

Snow showers are also expected into Friday although it is not expected to stick.
Baked goods company Cinnabon faces a backlash after tweeting out a photo of a cinnamon-inspired Princess Leia with a Cinnabon roll as hair.

In the wake of news that Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher had died four days after suffering a massive heart attack, the firm shared the tweet on Tuesday.

For the caption on the tweet, the company wrote: 'RIP Carrie Fisher, you'll always have the best buns in the galaxy.'

The fast food bakery chain referred to Fisher's famous and iconic hair rolls that she sported in Star Wars.

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On Tuesday, in the wake of news that Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher had died, baked goods company Cinnabon faced immediate backlash for tweeting out a photo (above) of a cinnamon-inspired Princess Leia with a Cinnabon roll as hair

The fast food bakery chain referred to her famous and iconic hair rolls that she sported in Star Wars. Fisher is pictured above in 1978

Cinnabon tweeted the tribute about Fisher around 1.30pm, but it was swiftly deleted after many Twitter users were left with a bad taste in their mouths and called out the company for trying to promote their product by using her death.

One Twitter user wrote: 'Smh @Cinnabon for advertising their cinnamon rolls on Carrie Fisher's death.'

Another user on the social media site who was upset by their tweet wrote: 'So @Cinnabon thinks death is a cool promotional tool #CarrieFisher'.

Hours later, the baked goods chain posted a tweet saying they were 'truly sorry'.

Many Twitter users were left with a bad taste in their mouths and called out the company for trying to promote their product by using her death

The tweet above accuses the company of trying to 'advertise' their product

Hours later, the baked goods chain posted a tweet saying they were 'truly sorry' (above)

'Our deleted tweet was genuinely meant as a tribute, but we shouldn't have posted it. We are truly sorry.', a statement from the company reads on Twitter.

This is not the first time the Atlanta-based sugar-merchants has made this reference about Fisher and included their Cinnabon Classic Roll.

Back on May 4th, which is considered to be Star Wars Day with the popular reference 'May the Fourth be with you'. Cinnabon tweeted that the actress had the 'second-best rolls in the galaxy.'

Back on May 4th, which is considered to be Star Wars Day with the popular reference 'May the Fourth be with you'. Cinnabon tweeted that the actress had the 'second-best rolls in the galaxy.' (above)

In the age of social media, it seems as though brands and corporations are forced to walk a thin line when a tragic event or celebrity death is the topic.

After Prince's death in April, Cheerios tweeted 'Rest In Peace' with their logo over the letter 'i'.
The principal of a Taiwanese high school has stepped down after students held a Nazi-themed parade ahead of the Christmas weekend, sparking outrage and harsh criticism from Israel.

Photos and videos circulated online of students wearing Nazi uniforms while holding swastika flags and banners during a parade on Friday to celebrate the school's 62-year anniversary.

A teacher also joined in the procession and was seen giving a Nazi salute as he stood inside a tank made of paper cartons.

Students, whose faces have been digitally obscured, wearing Nazi uniforms during a Cosplay event at the school in Hsinchu, western Taiwan

School principle Cheng Hsiao-ming (R) and dean Liao Ching-lin (L) bowing their heads to apologize for a Nazi-themed performance held by students and at least one teacher

As the students marched, a host announced: 'Here comes Hitler, salute to him students, or the tank will crush you later or you will be taken to the gas chamber,' Apple Daily reported.

As criticism mounted, Cheng Hsiao-ming, head of Kuang Fu High School in northern Hsinchu city, apologised for allowing the parade to go ahead and tendered his resignation.

'I apologise to the victims and the public... We made a mistake and I will take the responsibility to step down,' he said on Sunday, promising that other school officials would also be punished.

The Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei issued a statement condemning the incident as 'tasteless' and 'outrageous'.

Students, whose faces have been digitally obscured, wearing Nazi uniforms during a Cosplay event at the school in Hsinchu, western Taiwan

'It is deplorable and shocking that seven decades only after the world had witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust, a high school in Taiwan is supporting such an outrageous action,' it said in a Facebook post.

Germany's de facto embassy in Taiwan said in a statement that the students failed to understand that the Nazi symbol stands for human contempt and oppression.

Taiwan's education ministry has also apologised over the incident and demanded the school immediately improve students' history education.
Victorians are the most worried about crime in Australia amid the rise of the violent Apex street gang and other rival groups.

According to a new Ipsos survey, crime has overtaken healthcare for the first time in six years as the biggest issue worrying people in the state.

Four out of ten people in Victoria listed crime as one of their top three concerns, as aggravated burglaries, thefts and domestic violence continue to rise.

It comes as Victoria's police force announced it would boost its frontline by nearly 3,000 extra officers as part of a $2 billion recruitment drive to tackle crime.

State of fear: Victorians are the most worried about crime in Australia amid the rise of violent street gangs (pictured, Moomba riots in the city centre in March)

Four out of ten people in Victoria listed crime as one of their top three concerns, as aggravated burglaries continue to rise (unrelated Apex gang members pictured)

The Ipsos survey asked 750 Victorians to nominate the top three concerns in the state from a list of 19 options for its quarterly issues monitor, The Age reported.

According to the publication, the top issues in order from first to fifth were: crime, healthcare, transport, housing and unemployment.

Crime statistics released by the Crime Statistics Agency said the number of offences in Victoria increased by 11.6 per cent from October 2015 to September 2016.

The western-Victoria region of Hindmarsh boasted the greatest jump in crime, with a staggering 77.1 per cent increase from the past year.

The regional city of Horsham however, recorded the highest number of crimes, with 14,467 in the past year, 2.8 per cent less than the previous year.

According to a new Ipsos survey, crime has overtaken healthcare (Medicare office pictured) for the first time in six years as the biggest issue worrying people in the state

In March, hundreds of youths terrorised the streets during a gang-related riot at Melbourne's Moomba festival

In March, hundreds of youths terrorised the streets during a gang-related riot at Melbourne's Moomba festival.

Since then, the mainly Sudanese Apex gang - from Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east - has largely been behind a spate of crimes terrorising the state.

The state of fear in the city has seen some residents installing barbed-wire fences and sophisticated security systems in their homes in a bid to stay safe.

In response, the Victorian Government announced they would be beefing up the state's police force in 2017.

Another 2,729 officers will be recruited over the next four years, with the funding going towards building new police stations and expanding their specialist units.

The funding announcement will see the force grow 20 per cent by 2021.

'Sadly, many in our community do not feel safe at this time,' Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters earlier this month.

'We have seen crime rise and we have seen the need to do more, and not more of the same.'

Chief Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said crime statistics have risen in the past six years - mostly relating to family violence, car thefts and carjackings.

'The increase in theft of motor car and associated offences has really stretched police resources in dealing with that crime because it has been high in volume,' Mr Ashton said.

'It's often quite violent crime as well, so it's been challenging for police.'
A professor at Georgetown University went into an unbelievable foul-mouthed meltdown that lasted 31 days after a Muslim ex-colleague said she voted for Donald Trump.

C Christine Fair, an associate professor at the Center for Peace and Security Studies, was incensed after Asra Q Nomani, 'lifelong liberal', wrote an article about voting for Donald Trump as a Muslim immigrant.

That led to a month of abuse on social media - including insults and threats of lawsuits - The Daily Caller reported.

'Angry': C Christine Fair, a Georgetown professor, is accused of harassing and insulting a Muslim woman privately and on social media because she voted for Donald Trump

'Insulted': Asra Nomani says her vote for Trump caused Fair, a former friend, to turn against her. She says Fair harassed her from Nov 22-Dec 23, saying 'f**k you' and 'go to hell'

'Dolt': In these tweets offered by Nomani, Fair allegedly says she has 'written off' the woman 'as a human being' because she 'normalized Nazis in DC'. Nomani has complained to Georgetown

In her Washington Post article, Nomani said she was motivated by a distaste for Obama's edging around using the phrase 'Islamic extremism', the cost of Obamacare and what she saw as Obama's failure to help poor and rural Americans.

According to Nomani, on November 22, 12 days after her article was published, Fair began a sustained period of abuse on Twitter and Facebook.

In a letter of complaint to the university, Nomani said that Fair told her 'F**K YOU, GO TO HELL', and called her a 'wench', a 'fraud' and a 'fame-mongering clown show'.

Nomani added that Fair had called her 'chutiya,' or 'the equivalent of a "f**ker" in my native Urdu', and 'bevkuf', another Urdu word meaning 'idiot'.

The letter also included images of Tweets apparently sent by Fair.

One tweet, dated November 22, read: 'Yes, @AsraNomani, I've written you off as a human being. Your vote helped normalize Nazis in DC. What don't you understand, you cluless [sic] dolt?'

That same day Nomani asked her to 'take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard'.

Fair reportedly replied: 'I know you. You're a fame-mongering clown show. You voted 4 a hateful bigot. U now want civility and respect. You are responsible for this.'

At present, Fair's Twitter account is visible to her friends only.

On December 2, Nomani wrote a letter of complaint to Georgetown about Fair, whom she had previously considered to be 'a friend'.

Over the next two days, she told the Daily Caller, the letter was escalated to Professor Irfan Nooruddin, faculty chair of Georgetowns School of Foreign Service.

Nooruddin promised to speak to Fair.

'Clown': In this tweet, Nomani tells Fair to 'take a deep breath' and says 'I love you'. Fair apparently responds by calling her 'a fame-mongering clown show'

Two days after that, on December 6, Nomani says, Fair wrote a foul-mouthed Facebook rant titled 'An open letter to Asra Nomani and her Trump-supporting ilk.'

In a screenshot of the alleged letter - which is no longer visible to non-friends on Fair's account - Fair admits to privately telling Nomani to 'go to Hell' and 'f**k off' after a 'disingenuous' call for dialogue from the Muslim woman.

The post notes that 'my critical tweets did not violate Twitter rules' and complaints about Nomani going to the Georgetown supervisors.

'My social media does not mention my employer,' the post says. 'It is not their business to whom I tell to "F**k off" or "go to hell".

'Would this poltroon call her neighbor's boss if she had an argument that escalated to her neighbor telling her "F**k you"? Probably not.'

The post derides Nomani as 'neither a journalist nor an educationalist' but 'a sensationalist trafficking in controversial positions for no obvious intellectual reasons'.

It concludes: 'So again, Ms Nomani "F**K YOU, GO TO HELL."'

Open letter: Nomani included this grab of an open letter, allegedly written by Fair, in her letter of complaint. The letter apparently shows Fair admitting to saying 'f**k off'

Nomani says that Fair sent another tweet, calling her a 'crybully', on December 22 - one month on from the initial barrage.

But it was the last insult that was the most startling, Nomani says.

In a tweet from December 23 that is included in her letter of complaint, Fair is seen telling her: 'And you told me you were an atheist when you were at my home. Guess you've changed your opinion, or is this another publicity stunt?

Being called an atheist 'amounts to being an apostate in Islam, something that has carried a death sentence for atheists in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere,' Nomani says - adding that Fair is aware of that fact.

'I am not an atheist although I respect those who choose atheism. I am a Muslim woman whom Prof Fair has targeted for attack, using my race, religion and political views against me.'

Nomani is calling for an investigation by the university, a public apology from Fair and training from her 'on engaging in civil discourse.'

Professor Fair has been contacted for comment.
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Chinese diners greedily crack open delicate rabbit skulls and slurp down their contents, tucking into a delicacy so popular in one province that it has to import its supplies from France.

Sichuan is renowned for its spicy, peppery local dishes: one of its favourites is bunny brains, often eaten as a late night treat on the streets of its capital, Chengdu.

At the 'Shuangliu Laoma Tutou', a well-known restaurant in the heart of the city, dozens of customers use their gloved hands to prise open the skulls covered in sauce, suck out the brain and nibble on the cheeks amid cries of satisfaction.

Local delicacy: Spicy rabbit brains are a favourite late night treat in China's Sichuan province, often washed down with beer

The 'grapple factor': Part of the pleasure of eating rabbits brains is grappling with the food, says food writer Fuchsia Dunlop

It's yummy! A customer had his face wiped after enjoying rabbit heads at a restaurant in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan

'If Sichuanese people don't eat spicy dishes every day, they're unhappy,' said one 20-something woman surnamed Ma, as she dined with friends.

'I eat them at least once a week,' she added.

Westerners often avoid animal parts - duck beaks, chicken feet, heads and tripe -- that Chinese gourmets treat as delicacies.

But even in China there is little appetite for rabbits' meat, much less their heads, which are overwhelmingly eaten in Sichuan, a remote province long isolated by mountain ranges.

The dish is a speciality of the region - rarely found outside of a few popular restaurants in Beijing and other major cities.

'Two out of three rabbit heads consumed in China, are eaten in Sichuan,' said Wang Min, the manager of the Chengdu restaurant, adding that locals were proud of the snack.

'My parents and grandparents ate them. I've been enjoying them since my childhood', she said, adding the tradition goes back several centuries.

'My friends in Guangxi (a southern province) and elsewhere don't understand why we eat them,' she said, adding 'they can't stand the pepper.'

Feeling hungry? A chef handed out a plate of cooked rabbit heads at a restaurant in Chengdu, in south-west China

Seriously popular: France exported 166 tonnes of meat and edible offal from rabbits to China in 2014, where rabbit brains are considered a treat. Pictured, a waitress prepared to deliver the order of rabbit heads in a restaurant

In Wang's restaurant, head chef Yin Dingjun said the rabbit head recipe seemed simple but required a well-established technique.

'You have to drain the rabbits of their blood, then remove the guts' before marinating the head in a broth for several hours,' he said.

'Diners then use their teeth to gnaw at the flesh.'

Rabbits feature in Chinese mythology (a 'jade rabbit' lives on the moon) and are regarded as cute by many young people rather than thought of as a delicacy, although in Sichuanese dialect eating rabbit head is slang for French kissing.

Although sucking on a rabbit head might seem odd to some diners even in China, it is par for the course in Sichuanese cuisine, Fuchsia Dunlop, a London-based expert in Chinese gastronomy said.

'There are lots of spicy dishes, such as spicy duck heads, covered in chili and pepper,' she said.

For people in Sichuan, playing with your food is part of the fun, she said, adding they like 'the grapple factor'.

'Using your fingers and teeth to get a little bit of meat, it's part of the pleasure.'

Busy cooking: A group of chefs prepared various dishes for customers at a restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan Province

As night falls in Chendgu, innumerable stalls sell rabbit heads to locals who wash the treat down with beer.

'Night markets are part of our culture in Sichuan,' said Rong Lipeng, deputy chairman of Hage, China's leading supplier of rabbit meat and products.

He sells more than eight million rabbit heads each year. But faced with a colossal local demand Chinese farms are struggling to supply enough.

As a result, nearly 20 per cent of rabbit heads marketed by the company are imported from Europe, mainly from Italy and France, and mostly frozen.

France exported 166 tonnes of meat and edible offal from rabbits to China in 2014, according to French government figures.

Hage, who says the heads are healthy since they contain little flesh, has now agreed a partnership with French firm Hycole to provide breeding rabbits to its farms in China, according to the French company's manager Fabien Coisne.

He hopes that the taste for the treat will one day expand beyond Sichuan, but, he admits, the barrier is high.

'A lot of people outside our province do not dare taste them, because the rabbit heads do look quite terrifying.'
A pedestrian who was struck by a van in a hit-and-run on a quiet suburban street has died as police appeal for the driver behind the wheel to come forward.

Emergency services were called to Clarence Street in Condell Park, south-west of Sydney, following reports a man had been hit by a vehicle just before 4pm on Wednesday.

The man, aged in his 70s, was crossing the street to get to his parked vehicle after he left his family home when tragedy struck, police say.

The man opened his utility door to get in when the white van travelling north along the same street hit him - but the driver failed to stop at the scene.

The victim's car was also damaged in the collision.

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The pedestrian in his 70s was crossing the street to get to his parked car when he was hit

The pedestrian who was struck by a van in a hit-and-run has died in Condell Park, Sydney

As the man opened his car door to get in, a van travelling along the same street struck him

The injured man was treated at the scene by paramedics but he died en route to hospital.

Witness Muhammad Kassem told 9 News he noticed the van was 'speeding' down the street moments before the man was hit.

'I was standing in the front yard with my family and car speeding [sic]. And all of a sudden, bang, and you see the man on the floor about 10 metres,' he claimed.

'And he [driver] just drove off.'

Officers from Bankstown Local Area Command are currently at the scene and will assist Crash Investigation Unit officers in investigating the incident.

The van has been described as white, similar to a mini-van and may have damage at the front passenger side of the vehicle.

Police are appealing for anyone who knows of the whereabouts of the van in the incident or the driver to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 immediately.

Emergency services were called to Clarence Street in Condell Park, south-west of Sydney

Police from Bankstown Local Area Command are currently at the scene following the incident

Officers will assist Crash Investigation Unit officers in investigating the tragic incident
They are two of the biggest rivals in British politics today - despite being cats.

But the feline feud between Larry the Downing Street Cat and Palmerston of the Foreign Office is not the first time a pair of political pets have been at odds.

Winston Churchill's cat Nelson - formerly a stray - clashed with Neville Chamberlain's 'Munich Mouser' when the former took over as Prime Minister during the Second World War in 1940.

The rivalry has been highlighted in the book Larry, The Chief Mouser, and other Official Cats, put together by Christopher Day who works at the National Archives.

Larry the Downing Street cat, pictured being stroked by a policeman, is famous for being very protective of his territory

He has been embroiled in a feud with Foreign Office pet cat Palmerston, pictured, with the pair coming to blows on several occasions

According to the Telegraph, their dispute became famous on both sides of the Atlantic after newspapers in the US speculated on how the two could co-exist once Churchill took power.

It is believed Nelson won the battle as the black cat was often seen with his master at war cabinet meetings.

He famously won favour with Churchill after chasing away a dog in front of the war leader, who was taken with Nelson's 'bravery'.

Other political cats mentioned in the book include pedigree Manx Peta, given to the Home Office by the Isle of Man Government.

She was at the Home Office between 1964 and 1970 and thought to have been embroiled in her own feud with then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson's pet cat Nemo.

Larry and Palmerston were pictured in a dogged catfight earlier this year shortly after Theresa May moved into No.10 Downing Street.

The scuffle saw Larry, a brown and white tabby, suffer a bite to the face as his acrobatic rival leapt into action, with Palmerston following his rapid attack with a swiping paw to the face.

Such was the ferocity of the clash that Larry lost his purple collar in the process, with Palmerston suffering a number of deep scratches from his Westminster rival.

A book produced by the National Archives revealed Winston Churchill's (left) pet cat Nelson was at odds with Neville Chamberlain's (right) cat the Munich Mouser

Larry and Palmerston were snapped in the middle of a vicious catfight earlier this year in which the latter came out on top

Larry was also seen thrown on his back during the clash as Palmerston ended the bout on top.

Larry has been involved in feline skirmishes before and has a history of troubled relations with his neighbours.

The so-called 'chief mouser', entrusted with the rat-catching portfolio, had a full-scale fight with the silver tabby from No 11 Freya, outside the Prime Minister's front door in October 2012.

The two learned to co-exist, but Freya was eventually exiled to the Kent countryside to live with a member of Mr Osborne's staff in 2014.
It protects the Royals, politicians and other VIPs against

More than 400 stalkers who could pose a threat to the Royal Family are being monitored by specialist police officers.

The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, a joint police and mental health, has revealed at least 20 of those being observed are considered high risk.

The FTAC was set up in 2006 by the Home Office, Department of Health and Metropolitan Police and also works to stop harassment of politicians and other VIPs.

The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre - a joint police and mental health unit - is monitoring at least 20 'high risk' individuals who could pose a threat to the Royals, pictured at the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham

Some of the stalkers are said to believe they are the true monarch of Britain, rather than the Queen, pictured

According to the Daily Mirror, the number of referrals to the FTAC around people obsessed with the Royals has doubled between 2014 and 2016, with 137 cases so far this year, with 11 people arrested over threats to the family since 2014.

Officers have been warned to treat stalkers carefully because of their unpredictable behaviour.

Former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe, who famously guarded Princess Diana until his retirement in 1993, told the Mirror: In the past we did not take the threat seriously from fixated individuals but during my time we began having officers in the crowds looking for known individuals like these.

It is a real problem as there figures demonstrate and its important that they are monitored closely because there is always potential for an incident.

Some of the stalkers are said to believe they are heirs to the throne while others are in love with Royals including Prince William and the Queen.

Many of the stalkers are said to be 'in love' with members of the family, including Prince William, pictured with wife Kate Middleton

The FTAC previously worked with police to protect the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from stalker threats during their 2011 wedding, pictured

In 2011, the FTAC worked with police to stop fanatics targeting Williams marriage to Kate Middleton, with officials fearing a greater threat from stalkers than from terrorists.

The royals have not escaped attempts to breach security in the past. In 1999 the Queen was targeted by pro-Tibetan activist Guy Edwards who ran towards her carriage on the Mall but was stopped by an 18-year-old guardsman, Ian Pragnall.

The most serious breach came in March 1982 when Michael Fagan broke into the Queen's bedroom at Buckingham Palace.

She woke to find him sitting on her bed. The pair allegedly chatted for half an hour. Fagan, who was 30 at the time, was later jailed.

Every year Buckingham Palace receives approximately 10,000 letters from people with mental health problems.

A quarter of them are 'seeking intimacy' and half are resentful but most are thought to be harmless.
come after a fresh appeal for new information last week

Two men allegedly followed her before forcing her into a lane and attacking her

Two men have been charged over a brutal sexual assault of a woman five years ago that left her with 'vicious injuries'.

The 20-year-old woman was leaving a Brisbane night club on April 15 2011 when two men followed her before allegedly forcing her into a lane and raping her.

A 24-year-old Auchenflower man has been charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of deprivation of liberty.

Another man, a 32-year-old from Ashgrove, was also charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of deprivation of liberty.

Police have charged two men over the sexually assaulted a woman five years ago that left her with 'vicious injuries' (Pictured: reenactment)

The 32-year-old accused was arrested in northern NSW on behalf of Queensland investigators and he will be extradited back to Queensland to face charges.

The 24-year-old will appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The pair are known to one another, The Courier-Mail reported.

Detective Inspector Garry Watts paid tribute to the many officers who have worked around the clock to bring about a resolution to this case after five years.

He did not specify what new information led to the breakthrough, but said the appeal 'certainly assisted'.

'This result would not have been possible without the tireless work of officers from both the Brisbane Region and the State Crime Command from all the way back to 2011, right up to today,' Detective Inspector Watts said.

'This should send a message to the community  while a lot of time can pass and people may think they have been able to get away with something they did years ago  we continue our work in the background with the ultimate goal of bringing offenders before the Courts.'

Police released identikit sketches of the wanted men as part of the appeal for new information (Police sketches)

The 20-year-old woman was leaving a Queensland night club on April 15 2011 when she was attacked (Pictured: reenactment)

The arrest of two men follow a fresh appeal for new information last week (Pictured: reenactment)

It was not specified what new information led to the breakthrough, but said the appeal 'certainly assisted'

The victim has been informed of the arrests, Det Insp Watts said.

'She expressed relief that the two alleged offenders are currently before the courts,' the Courier Mail reports.

'We do not ever classify a matter as unsolvable,' he said.

'It's always unsolved until solved.'

In 2011, Inspector Rod Kemp said the woman was 'aggressively raped in the worst way' he had seen in his service.
A burglar jailed for a year after stealing from an art gallery has caused outrage after posing for 'cellfies' while behind bars.

Corey Thompson, 28, was jailed in September after stealing $16,000 worth of greenstone from Artel Gallery in Waikanae, on New Zealand's North Island.

But since then he has posted a series of images online showing himself posing topless in his jail cell with a new chest tattoo and on Christmas Day bragged about the meal he had been given.

Corey Thompson, 28, a convicted art gallery thief, has sparked fury after posting selfies of himself from inside prison and bragging about his Christmas on social media

He also used his Facebook page to wish his loved ones a Merry Christmas and reply to their holiday messages.

Maude Heath, owner of the gallery Thompson robbed, branded prison a 'tax-funded holiday', telling Stuff.co.nz: 'He hasn't been punished.

'What's the point of all the work by cops and courts to get this guy caught when he can go to jail and have a holiday?

'These criminals are getting away with it. They just continue with business as usual from inside the place where they are meant to be punished.'

Prison staff said they are aware of the posts and have contacted Facebook to have them removed.

A spokesman for Rimutaka Prison, where Thompson is being held, said smuggling cellphones into jail is illegal and those caught doing so face harsh penalties.

Thompson posted the images from inside Rimutaka Prison (pictured), where he is serving a year-long sentence for stealing 101 pieces of carved greenstone back in February

Thompson drove a motorbike to the Artel Gallery back in February before throwing a rock through the window and making his way inside.

He then stole 101 pieces of carved pounamu, a precious stone that is highly regarded in Maori culture, before driving away.

Thompson was arrested in March following a police chase and was found to be wearing two of the pieces, while three more were discovered after a home raid.

He then handed another 20 pieces over to police following his conviction for theft and a drug-driving offense, leaving around 70 more unaccounted for.
The 30-year-old woman was reportedly beheaded after going shopping alone (file photo)

A woman has reportedly been beheaded by a group of armed men in Afghanistan after she entered a city without her husband.

The horrific act took place in the remote village of Latti in Sar-e-Pul province, which is under Taliban control.

Provincial Governor spokesman Zabiullah Amani told the Nation that the 30-year-old woman was targeted because she went out alone without her husband, who is in Iran.

The Middle East Press reported the woman had gone to the market to shop.

Under Taliban rule women are prohibited from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a close male relative.

They are also banned from working or education and are forced to wear the burqa.

The Taliban have rejected any involvement in this latest incident.

Earlier this month five female Afghan guards working in the airport in southern Kandahar were killed by unknown gunmen as they were on their way to work, the latest in a string of attacks against women in Afghanistan.

There are growing fears that women's rights in Afghanistan could reverse with the deterioration of security and increase in violence. Pictured are Taliban militants in 2006

From bomb attacks to targeted or honour killings or domestic abuses, Afghan women have borne the brunt of the 15 years of conflicts during the Taliban-led insurgency as security has deteriorated and violence has increased in most parts of the country.

Samim Khpulwak, spokesman for the governor of Kandahar, said the five women were in charge of searching female travelers at the Kandahar airport, and had been hired by a private security company.

'Two gunmen on motorbike followed their van and opened fire on them, killing the five and their driver this morning, said Samim.

Although Afghan women had made hard-fought rights gains in education and work since the collapse of austere Taliban regime in 2001, there are growing fears that these could reverse with the deterioration of security and increase in violence.

Despite years of pressure by women's groups and foreign donors, Afghanistan remains one of the most difficult places to be a woman.

Restoring fundamental women's rights was one of the main objectives of the international community in Afghanistan, where the hardline Taliban Islamist banned girls from school and women from work in their rule from 1996-2001.
Christmas is a time for family and few people have more relatives than Oleane Young Mulkey, who recently welcomed into the world her first great-great-great-grandchild.

Mrs Mulkey, who is 107, has more than 100 direct descendants, including nine children, 24 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, 29 great-great-grandchildren and now little Addison, her great-great-great-granddaughter.

Three of her own children predeceased her, as did one of her grandchildren.

Six generations: Brantley Maxson, 26 (left to right) holds his daughter Addison, Janeva Maxson, 44, Oleane Mulkey, 107, Lahoma Springer, 87 and Joe Springer, 68

Addison was born in October and six generations of Mrs Mulkey's family gathered over Christmas at her home in Roberta, Oklahoma.

'When she saw Addison, she kept saying "how precious, how precious",' her great-granddaughter Janeva Maxson told the Tulsa World.

Oleane Mulkey cuts her 107th birthday cake at her local Walmart store in June

'I was helping her hold her, and she didn't want me to take her away. It was such a joy to see,' added Mrs Maxson, who is Addison's grandmother.

The Durant Democrat reported that she received a huge birthday cake on her 107th birthday in June from her local Walmart store, where she still goes every week for her groceries.

The secret to Mrs Mulkey's long life could be her regular, if peculiar, breakfast of sausage and molasses, or simply that she has a zest for life. She loves to play dominoes and did the crossword puzzle in the local paper every day until her eyesight finally gave up on her a year ago.

She was born on June 17, 1909, in Rochelle, Texas but crossed the border as a young child and considers herself an Oklahoman.

Mrs Mulkey has never been outside the United States and took her first airplane ride when she flew to California to attend a grandson's wedding a few years ago.

Mrs Mulkey goes to her nearest Walmart every week for her groceries and her local store organised a special birthday cake for her this year (pictured)

Her daughter, Pat Gayle, said Mrs Mulkey cooked lunch for dozens of relatives every Saturday for years, and added: 'She cooked lunch for however many were there.'

Mrs Maxson said: 'I used to take it for granted and just thought everyone had such a big, loving family, but as I have gotten older I realize just how special it is.'

But six generations is not a record. The Guinness Book of World Records once recorded seven living generations in one family.
A father-of-three has hit out at Tesco after a Muslim shop assistant refused to sell him a bottle of wine due to her 'religious beliefs'.

Lee Saunders was trying to buy the rose wine at a superstore in Feltham, Middlesex, when he was told to go to a different till by the worker, who was aged in her 20s and wearing a headscarf.

He was eventually served by a duty manager but criticised the supermarket giant for putting a member of staff in that position.

Lee Saunders, pictured, was refused service at Tesco for a 4 bottle of wine due to the 'religious beliefs' of the Muslim shop assistant

Mr Saunders, 35, told the Sun he was 'miffed and baffled' by the incident.

He said: 'If you apply for a job surely you've got to be able to do everything within the boundaries of that job.'

Mr Saunders had been at the shop to buy the 4 wine along with LED lights and an Xbox FIFA 17 game for his son, with the total coming to 55.

He added: 'It should have been made clear if they can't serve you certain items. There were no warnings or signs.

'She apologised afterwards, but she's been put in that position. It's not entirely her fault to be fair.'

The Tesco in Feltham, pictured, said a duty manager had served him instead in a 'pragmatic approach' to the incident

A Tesco spokesperson apologised for the incident and said staff did all they could to resolve the situation.

The spokesman said: 'We take a pragmatic approach if a colleague raises concerns about a job they have been asked to do. We apologise to our customer for any inconvenience caused on this occasion.'
Man found one of the teens and helped him to shore, but Tui Gallaher vanished

Two 14-year-old cousins found themselves in trouble in water at Sydney beach

search for a teenager who vanished off Maroubra Beach to resume

Rescue crews looking for a 14-year-old boy after he was swept away by strong currents believe the chances of finding the teenager alive were 'slim'.

Tui Gallaher came into trouble off Maroubra Beach in Sydney's east at 8.30 on Tuesday night - he has not been seen since but his family refuse to give up hope.

'Maybe he can still be found alive and, well, maybe this is just us in denial again, but we can't give up hope,' Tui's aunt who lives in America told The Daily Telegraph.

Most of the teenager's family live overseas and have to try to provide support from a distance, even his father is away, visiting Tonga over the holiday season.

The mother of a teenage swimmer who vanished at a popular Sydney beach has collapsed as the desperate search continues (pictured)

Tui Gallaher, 14, disappeared in rough surf at Maroubra beach in Sydney's east on Tuesday and has not yet been located

The young boy's distraught mother collapsed on the sand after her son was washed away. His cousin who got into trouble in the water at the same time was saved by a passerby.

'We live so far away there is nothing we can do but wait for news, hopefully good news, and we appreciate all the search efforts and everyone involved,' the aunt said.

The Westpac helicopter crew is still looking for the youngster however operators admit the chances of finding him alive now are 'slim'.

The two cousins, from Guildford in Sydney's west, both began struggling in the rough evening ocean.

A 26-year-old man spotted one of the struggling teenagers and managed to help him to shore, but his cousin Tui Gallaher disappeared in the rough surf.

On Wednesday, Tui's mother collapsed on the foreshore while watching the rescues teams search for her son and she reportedly yelled: 'I just want my boy back'.

As the search resumed at first light on Wednesday, his mother sat on the foreshore watching the rescues teams search for her son and lifeguards rushed to her aid when she collapsed onto the sand

She was helped onto the life savers' buggy by lifeguards and a friend.

After the teenager was spotted, emergency services were called and the 26-year-old man swam out to try and locate Tui.

His cousin was reportedly frantic and urging they help find Tui. The pair were at the beach with their family when the surf became too rough.

Police held a media conference on Wednesday morning and said they believe to know the area the teenager vanished and are scouring the water near the shore.

Surf life saving crews and police will resume the search for a missing 14-year-old after he vanished while swimming with his cousin

A friend was seen holding the mother of the missing teenager upright as lifesavers rushed over to help

Onlookers were seen staring out at the ocean as emergency services continued the search on Wednesday

A registered nurse spotted one of the teenagers as she walked past and managed to help him to shore, but his cousin had disappeared

A desperate search and rescue operation was launched involving Marine Area Command, Police Rescue, the Ambulance Rescue helicopter and SLSA Lifeguards

But at 11.40pm, the search was suspended due to poor visibility and dangerous surf conditions

Matthew Evans from Surf Lifesaving NSW said the 3-4 foot swell and a number of rips are making the search difficult.

On Tuesday, the search and rescue operation was launched involving Marine Area Command, Police Rescue, the Ambulance Rescue helicopter and SLSA Lifeguards.

But at 11.40pm, the search was suspended due to poor visibility and dangerous surf conditions.

The search for Tui resumed at 7.30am on Wednesday and will involve police and Surf Rescue crews.

The desperate search for a teenager who vanished in the water at a popular Sydney beach while swimming with his cousin has resumed

Police were seen talking to beachgoers for any information on the missing swimmer

Police comforted witnesses as they were forced to call off the search just before midnight
Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding Ankara would not budge on its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad staying on as leader.

The comments from Mevlut Cavusoglu appeared to signal tentative progress in talks aimed at reaching a truce.

While the insistence on Assad's departure could complicate negotiations with his biggest backer Russia, another Turkish official did not rule out a transitional role for the Syrian president.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reportedly come up with a Syrian ceasefire agreement (file photo)

Russia has said the next talks are set for Astana, the Kazakh capital.

'There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time,' Cavusoglu told reporters on the sidelines of an awards ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara.

He said Syria's opposition would never back Assad.

'The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad.'

His comments come after the state-run Anadolu news agency first reported a ceasefire deal on Wednesday.

The plan aims to expand a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians, to all of the country, it said.

But, like previous ceasefire plans that had been brokered by the United States and Russia, it excludes 'terror' groups, the agency said.

Children walk near a parked ambulance in al-Rai town, northern Aleppo province, on Tuesday

If successful, the plan will form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the regime and opposition overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

However, the Kremlin said on Wednesday it could not comment on the apparent ceasefire.

'I cannot answer that question right now,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. 'I don't have sufficient information.'

'We are constantly in touch with our Turkish colleagues to discuss various details about the possible talks that are planned for Astana,' he said, referring to potential Syrian peace talks Russia wants to organise in Kazakhstan.

'This is all being done to search for a political resolution for Syria.'

Syrian opposition factions say they are withholding judgment until they receive details about the ceasefire's terms.

An official with one of the country's rebel factions told The Associated Press the proposed agreement would cover all of Syria. Rebels have spoken up in the past against proposals that would allow the government to continue its offensives around the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.

Turkish military vehicles drive in al-Rai town, northern Aleppo province, on Tuesday

The official said intense discussions were underway between the opposition factions.

Another official with a different group said the proposal has not been formally presented to the opposition.

'It is difficult to accept or refuse the matter before we look at the details, of course,' said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to bias intra-opposition talks.

It was not immediately clear how and where the plan had been agreed but there have been talks in the last weeks between Turkey, Russia and Syrian opposition representatives in Ankara.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government or opposition.

Ankara and Moscow have been on opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, with Turkey seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia, along with Iran, his key international ally.

A girl walks near a house, in al-Rai town, damaged by the civil war

Syrian youths collect wood from rubble to be used for heating and cooking this week

But the two countries have started in the last months to cooperate more tightly on Syria, especially after a deal in summer to normalise ties battered by Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.

Ankara remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, took control last week of all of Aleppo in the biggest defeat for the rebels in the civil war so far.

The ceasefire reports came as Syrian activists said at least 20 civilians were killed in an air strike on an Islamic State-held village in Deir el-Zour province in eastern Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said that several unknown warplanes bombed the village of Hajna, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were killed.

The activist group Deir Ezzor 24 said no one in the two families survived.

Meanwhile, a top Russian diplomat says a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would impose sanctions on Syria for chemical weapons use is unacceptable to Moscow, which has veto power on the council.

A resolution drafted by Britain and France, which was obtained by The Associated Press, would impose sanctions on an array of Syrian individuals, organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks in the warring country. It would also ban sales of helicopters to Syria.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by the state news agency Tass on Wednesday as saying the resolution 'is categorically unacceptable to us. We warn them against attempts to fan tensions in the U.N. Security Council.'
A far-right French mayor has named a road in his town Brexit Street to 'pay tribute to the sovereign British people' who voted to leave the EU, it has emerged.

Julien Sanchez, the Front National mayor of Beaucaire in the southern Gard departement, insists he has received 'lots of support from Britons' after christening the street.

But the idea has already come in for criticism, with some pointing out that the cul-de-sac - in a gritty industrial estate - 'goes nowhere'.

The far-right mayor of Beaucaire in France has named a road in his town Brexit Street (show in the map) to 'pay tribute to the sovereign British people' who voted to leave the EU, it has emerged

Sanchez, 33, said the street is not currently named and that its new status would help delivery drivers and emergency services

In a symbolic move, rue du Brexit will be situated between streets named after Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, two of the EU's founding fathers after the Second World War.

Sanchez, 33, said the street is not currently named and that its new status would help delivery drivers and emergency services.

The official Twitter account for Britain's Leave campaign wrote: 'A Mayor in France has named their new road "Rue du Brexit" to pay tribute to our vote for independence! A fine choice!'

But others were less enthusiastic with some in France mocking the fact that it is a 'circular road that leads nowhere - a great prospect for progress'.

Julien Sanchez, the Front National mayor of Beaucaire in the southern Gard departement, insists he has received 'lots of support from Britons' after christening the street

Another added: 'There's only one way to protect our dead ends by ousting these clowns with our votes.'

Critics have two months to challenge the proposal, but Mr Saanchez reportedly wants the change rubber stamped in a month's time.

The anti-EU Front National leader Marine Le Pen has vowed to hold a Brexit-style referendum in France over European Union membership if she seizes power next year.

She described Britain's vote as a 'victory for freedom'.
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Junior ballerinas, sailors and soldiers have come together for a decadent Christmas ball in a throwback to Tsarist Russia.

Honouring the old tradition of Russian officers being paired with noble maidens, the youngsters performed ballroom dances under grand chandeliers in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.

The Institute for Noble Maidens was a type of educational institution and finishing school in late Imperial Russia.

The most famous of these was the Smolny Institute in Saint Petersburg, founded by Catherine the Great.

According to the empress's decree, the objective was to raise 'educated women, good mothers and useful members of family and society.'

A young girl in a baby blue gown laughs as she dances under the arms of two other ball goers in Saint Petersburg

A girl in a white dress dances with a cadets of the Naval Academy at their first ball in the Saint George Hall of the Mikhailovsky Castle

The cadets of the Naval Academy and of the Suvorov Military School and students of Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet gathered for their first ball in the Saint George Hall of the Mikhailovsky Castle.

Construction of the Gothic, romantic castle was started by Paul I, the son of Catherine the Great, in 1796 but he tragically only lived there for 40 days before he was murdered in his bedroom on 23 March, 1801.

The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet was established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, and was known as the Imperial Ballet School up until Soviet times.

In 1957 it was renamed after Agrippina Vaganova, a famous Russian ballet teacher who developed the art of teaching classical Russian ballet.

In Tsarist Russia balls were always preceded by a beautifully elegant invitations delivered by post

The young Russian girls dressed up in specatcular dresses and wore silk gloves to their first ball

In 18th and 19th-century Russia, the social life of the aristocracy revolved around a series of high-society balls. These children smiled as they lined up for their turn to dance

The ballroom event this week is a nod back to the lavish dances of Tsarist Russia where the elite of society would wear bejewelled costumes and perform dances alongside ballets and operas.

Although there was much censorship of some forms of music during the Soviet Union, including jazz, pop and rock, classical music was often encouraged, although evening dances such as these were few and far between for typical citizens.

Balls during the Soviet Union years were permitted, but much more tightly organised and supervised so there were no signs of 'hedonism'.

But these photographs show those restrictions appear to have disappeared alongside Communism, with young men and women seen laughing and engaging in public displays of affection.

A young boy runs underneath the hands of his fellow dancers at the Mikhailovsky Castle in Saint Petersburg

Decked out in all their finery, the young Russians patiently lined up inside the lavish castle

A girl pursed her lips together as she waited for her turn to dance in the grand ballroom
In September it was ruled Oshin would only receive palliative care

A six-year-old boy whose parents won a court battle to end his cancer treatment has died.

Oshin Strachan was diagnosed with malignant brain tumour last December.

But his parents, Angela Kiszko and Colin Strachan, made the agonising decision to deny him treatment.

The young boy was taken into palliative care in September before he passed away on Wednesday.

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Oshin Strachan, 6, whose parents won a court battle to end his cancer treatment has died

Oshin had surgery in December 2015 after being diagnosed with cancer

Angela Kiszko (left) and Colin Strachan (right ) refused treatment for their son's cancer, arguing they would destroy Oshin's quality of life

Oshin spent Christmas Day with his family, passing away at around 2.30am on Wednesday morning, WAToday reports.

The 'Oceans of Hope' Facebook page confirmed the death of the six-year-old in a heart-wrenching post later that evening.

'Dear, sweet Oshin has crossed over the rainbow bridge,' the post reads.

There will be a celebration of Oshin's life and transcendent's on Thursday, as well as an intimate ceremony at Oshin's home.

His devastating death comes after Ms Kiszko posted an emotional farewell online last Wednesday.

'I have no words to describe this process of letting go of this beautiful boy,' she wrote.

'Oshin has loved me so much, taught me honour, showed me fun, placed his trust in me, showed me very clearly children have voices and deserve respect and so so much more.'

Her words were accompanied by a pictures of a sleeping Oshin and herself, kissing her little boy on the forehead.

The 'Oceans of Hope' Facebook page confirmed the death of the six-year-old in a heart-wrenching post on Wednesday evening

Oshin spent Christmas Day with his family, passing away at around 2.30am on Wednesday morning

The young boy (centre) was taken into palliative care in September before he passed away on Wednesday

A judge had ruled that Oshin would undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy despite his parents' concerns

Oshin's parents argued treatment for their son's cancer would destroy his quality of life.

'I don't understand it and I've said that to the oncologist if I could understand your treatment I'd be for it but in my head I just cannot understand it', Ms Kiszko told Liz Hayesin an interview with 60 Minutes.

'They're treating cancer with a carcinogenic, or two carcinogenics, it doesn't make sense to me and I find it really difficult to see that that's called a treatment.'

The 60 Minutes interview came just days after a judge ruled the young boy was to be given chemotherapy to treat his life-threatening brain tumor, despite his parent's opposition.

A judge in the family court of Western Australia ruled that despite the parents' opposition, treatment would be enforced on Oshin.

But Oshin's parents remained strongly against treatment, and the case returned to court in May because doctors again wanted the 6-year-old to have radiation treatment.

Oshin would have a 30 to 50 per cent chance of survival for five years if he received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, the court heard.

And in September the court ruled Oshin be allowed to only receive palliative care.

A judge had ruled Oshin (pictured), was to be given intense chemotherapy for a brain tumour, despite his parents objecting to the treatment

Oshin with his father Adrian Strachan, who with his mother won a court order to stop his cancer treatment

Earlier this year Ms Kiszko spoke about how she and her husband wanted to put Oshin on palliative care rather than see him in and out of hospital.

'Children with medulloblastoma go through years of what I see as torture, medical treatments, relapses, just to get this  maybe  five years,' Ms Kisko told the Sydney Morning Herald.

She told the newspaper: 'I would like to offer Oshin peace, love and some fun times while we still can.'
Web users have criticised the man's behaviour, calling it '

A Chinese father-in-law has been spotted passionately kissing his son's bride to win a bet with a wedding guest.

The middle-aged man was attending his son's nuptials at the time; and a guest dared him to kiss his son's fiancee for 10,000 yuan (1,180), according to reports.

It is suggested that the wedding was held at a village in Henan Province, central China.

I must win the bet: A Chinese man has been spotted snogging his son's bride at her wedding

The video, showing the bizarre wedding game, was posted by Qi Di Shi Bao, on Chinese video-sharing platform MiaoPai on December 25.

According to the post, one guest at the wedding banquet insisted that the father-in-law should kiss the bride.

The same guest offered 10,000 yuan (1,180) in cash if the man dared to do so.

Mission completed: The man won 1,100 after winning the bet with a wedding guest

The post also claimed that the middle-aged man went on to snog his daughter-in-law.

The bride can be seen hesitating in the video, but some guests pushed her towards her father-in-law, who grabbed her shoulders before kissing her for as long as 17 seconds.

The wedding guests gathered around and cheered.

The father-in-law appeared to be joyful after the kiss whereas the young bride was blushing for the wrong reason on her wedding day.

People who watched the video condemned that the father-in-law saying his behaviour was inappropriate.

Some couldn't believe the father-in-law would do such deed to win the bet.

A kiss with a price: Many questioned the man's behaviour after the video became popular

In China, 'nao dong fang' is a word for traditional wedding games suggested by the guests to make fun of the newlyweds.

In recent years, these 'nao dong fang' wedding pranks have become more and more rowdy and risque.

Yet people also believe that couples being subjected to public harassment are acceptable.
, but he won't be presenting evidence or calling witnesses

Roof plans to represent himself during penalty phase and deliver opening and closing

Resigned to his fate: Dylann Roof, 22, told a judge he doesn't plan to call any witnesses or present evidence to ask a jury to spare his life in the South Carolina church massacre

Dylann Roof told a judge Wednesday he doesn't plan to call any witnesses or present evidence to ask a jury to spare his life for killing nine black worshipers at a historic South Carolina church.

But there also is mystery evidence that Roof is working hard to make sure the public never sees in his federal death penalty trial.

Roof, 22, who is acting as his own attorney in the penalty phase to prevent what he thinks would be further embarrassment to himself or his family, again was warned by Judge Richard Gergel at a hearing Wednesday that being his own lawyer was a bad idea.

'That's your decision,' Gergel told Roof. 'I think that highlights my advice to you that you aren't served by being your own counsel.'

Gergel told Roof to talk to his grandfather, who is a lawyer, and other family members one last time. He told Roof he has until the start of the penalty phase next Tuesday to change his mind and hire his high-powered, publicly funded defense team back.

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Top (L-R): DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Myrah Thompson. Center (L-R): Ethel Lance, Susie Jackson, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Bottom (L-R): Daniel Simmons, Clementa Pinckney and Cynthia Hurd were all killed by the gunman

'White supremacist': Roof was found guilty on December 15 of 33 counts, including hate crimes and obstruction of religion

The same jurors who convicted Roof on December 15 on 33 counts including hate crimes and obstruction of religion will return next week to decide if he faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

THE CHARGES EXPLAINED 9 counts of Hate Crime Act Resulting in Death - GUILTY 3 Hate crime act involving an attempt to kill - GUILTY 9 Obstruction of exercise of religion resulting in death - GUILTY 3 Obstruction of exercise of religion involving an attempt to kill and use a dangerous weapon - GUILTY 9 Use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence - GUILTY Advertisement

A day after the guilty verdict, Roof filed a handwritten motion saying he did not wish to have mental health experts present mitigating evidence to the jury during the penalty phase.

His decision did not come as a surprise, given that Roof had written in his journal, which was read in court during his trial, that he did not believe in psychology and dismissed it as a considered psychology 'a Jewish invention.'

Roof spoke for less than 10 minutes of the 35-minute hearing Wednesday. He told Gergel he does plan an opening and closing statement.

'As far as I know, I am not intending to offer any evidence at all or call any witnesses whatsoever,' he told the judge.

The 22-year-old convicted killer then added that he objects to prosecutors' plans to present a photograph of evidence in the court's possession. Roof, Gergel and assistant US Attorney Jay Richardson all carefully tiptoed around saying what that evidence was.

Gergel did say there was a hearing in which he decided it could be admitted in the penalty phase.

Roof also wanted a jailhouse statement left out of the penalty phase and evidence that involved his mother. No specifics were given.

Gergel told Roof to go back to jail and write a motion for him to consider. Roof's ankle chain clanked as he walked back to the defense table in his jail jumpsuit.

Prosecutors also laid out their case. Most of the penalty phase will involve up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and the three people spared when Roof went into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015, sat through a 45-minute Bible study in the fellowship hall, then fired 77 shots as many of the worshippers hid under tables.

Roof, pictured in June 2015, said he plans to act as his own attorney and deliver an opening and a closing statement during the penalty phase of his trial

Roof wanted a jailhouse statement left out of the penalty phase and evidence that involved his mother

Gergel, who complained during the guilt phase that prosecutors were repeating themselves at times with witnesses, said he will allow Richardson to call as many witnesses related to the victims as he wants.

'The statute provides broad leeway for the victims to be heard, and I plan on honoring that,' the judge said.

Richardson said he also will call the chief FBI agent on the case to tie up loose ends and refresh jurors' memories.

Gergel spent much of the hearing going over the format of the penalty phase with Roof, warning him several times he was likely doing himself no favors leaving his defense team as just advisers to file briefs.

After saying he planned no witnesses, Roof told Gergel he was just answering the same question the judge had asked prosecutors. Gergel said that wasn't necessary.

'Don't do them any favors,' the judge said. 'They aren't going to do you any.'
Porn actress Michelle Thorne, 41, has been charged with drink driving after crashing her car into a pub fence in Downend

A porn star who appeared on the X Factor has been charged with drink driving after crashing her car into a pub fence.

Michelle Thorne, 41, was breathalysed and found to be over the drink drive limit after reversing into the Willy Wicket pub in Downend, South Gloucestershire.

She allegedly had to spend the night in the cells to calm down following the incident on December 19.

The mother-of-two, who has 32EE breasts and appeared on X Factor in 2005, had apparently got into a drunken argument with a relative.

She then got into her white Peugeot people carrier and damaged the fence before police arrived and arrested her.

A source told The Sun: 'She got into a fight and then got into her car and reversed into the fence.

'She then sped off out of the car park and drove round the roundabout and came back before she started arguing again.

'Her dad took her car keys off her then the police arrived and arrested her.'

Miss Thorne, whose wrestler husband was jailed in March for assaulting her, told the newspaper: 'I can't really tell you what happened. What they're making out I've done is silly. It's all a bit far-fetched.'

MailOnline has approached Miss Thorne for further details.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police told MailOnline: 'A 41-year-old woman is to appear at Bristol Magistrates Court on 11 January, charged with drink driving following an incident on 19 December.

'Michelle Thorne of Mangotsfield, was arrested after a car was in collision with a fence at the Willy Wicket public house in Downend.

'She was arrested and breathalysed and found to be over the drink drive limit.'

Miss Thorne, who appeared on X Factor in 2005, was breathalysed and arrested after crashing her white Peugeot on December 19

Miss Thorne was breathalysed and found to be over the drink drive limit after reversing into the pub at the Willy Wicket pub (pictured) in Downend, South Gloucestershire

Earlier this year Miss Thorne's husband, Dean Powell, 36, was jailed for attacking her and threatening to kill her.

The fighter, who married Miss Thorne in 2010, had threatened her with a ten-inch blade when she tried to kick him out of their home in Mangotsfield, South Gloucestershire.

He also turned on her father Michael when he tried to intervene, head-butting him and causing him to suffer a nosebleed.

He was sentenced to 28 months behind bars at Bristol Crown Court after pleading guilty to assaulting the porn actress and her father on December 29, 2015.

The mother-of-two, who has 32EE breasts and appeared on X Factor in 2005, had apparently got into a drunken argument with a relative

Miss Thorne's adult film career began in 1999 with All Amateur: Girls of the UK, and during her career has worked with production companies such as Bluebird Films, Extreme Associates, and Union Jaxxx.

She also has her own production company called Bombchelle Productions and in 2005 was named by the BBC as 'one of the best-known faces in the British porn industry and one of the top actresses'.

She has also written and directed several adult films. In 2005, Miss Thorne appeared as a contestant in episode two, season two, of The X Factor.
Shocking footage has emerged showing a policeman being mown down by a car during a gun fight with a gang of ISIS fanatics in the Chechen Republic.

An officer can be seen standing at a busy cross roads in the capital Grozny during the jihadist attack before a speeding car smashes into him, sending him somersaulting through the air.

The video was taken as extremists launched an assault on police in the city which ended with seven militants dead and four more arrested.

Meanwhile a new ISIS film, which includes the sickening car smash clip, has since emerged showing ranting insurgents pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - and calling on Muslims to launch attacks in Russia.

Shocking footage has emerged showing a policeman being mown down by a car during a gun fight with a gang of ISIS fanatics in Chechnya

An officer can be seen standing at a busy cross roads in the capital Grozny during the jihadist attack before a speeding car smashes into him, sending him somersaulting through the air

A new ISIS film, which includes the sickening car smash clip, has since emerged showing ranting insurgents pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - and calling on Muslims to launch attacks in Russia

Reports say the wounded police officer was rushed to hospital after being struck by the car, which had been stolen during the violent clash. It is not yet known who was driving the vehicle.

The new ISIS video, called Now the Fighting Has Come, also shows officers engaging in heavy fire behind their patrol cars during the terror attack on December 18.

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov later announced that seven militants were killed and four others captured after his forces launched a counter attack.

It is not yet clear whether those who were killed are the same militants as those shown in the new ISIS film.

'The special operation launched in and around Grozny is now complete. Seven bandits were eliminated and four captured,' Kadyrov said on Twitter after the attack had come to an end.

The new ISIS video, called Now the Fighting Has Come, shows fanatics pledging allegiance to the terror group before the attack

The police officer was thrown through the air after a car smashed into him at a cross roads in Grozny

In Chechnya, the term 'bandits' is frequently employed to describe Islamist rebels.

Kadyrov, the Moscow-backed leader of the Caucasus region, said a 'group of armed people' had attacked a police officer on December 18, then engaged in a shootout after being caught in a security lockdown on the city.

He said three of the detainees were being treated in hospital for bullet wounds, but gave no information on casualties among security forces.

No further details were given on the motives of the alleged attackers.

Russia fought two brutal separatist wars over the past two decades in Chechnya but the region has been largely pacified under Kadyrov's iron-fisted rule.

Video shows officers engaging in heavy fire behind their patrol cars during the terror attack on December 18

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov later announced that seven militants were killed and four others captured after his forces launched a counter attack. Video shows the gun fight taking place

A dwindling group of Islamist insurgents are still fighting the authorities in Chechnya and across the volatile North Caucasus, and sporadically launch eye-catching attacks.

Fourteen security officers were killed when armed militants stormed several buildings in Grozny on the day of President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address in December 2014.

Kadyrov is accused by rights activists and the opposition of running Chechnya as his personal fiefdom, with kidnapping and torture widespread and little oversight from Moscow.

The Russian North Caucasus is one of the major sources of foreign jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq.
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Broadcaster Andy Kershaw has sparked anger online after branding the reaction to the death of George Michael 'hysterical'.

Shortly after the popstar's death was announced, the former BBC Radio DJ tweeted: 'Here we go, again... brace yourselves for the now routine hysterical over-reaction.'

In a comment he later deleted, he added that 'bogus sentimentality follows the unfortunate premature deaths of these figures, regardless of how flimsy, insignificant and lightweight their cultural contribution happened to be.'

Kershaw, 57, went on to describe Michael as a 'very successful, yet frivolous, glib, and fleeting pop star'. He insisted George Michael was not 'one of the greats' adding: 'Can we keep a sense of proportion?'

DJ Andy Kershaw has been slammed for criticising what he called the 'hysterical over-reaction' to George Michael's death

Fans of George Michael hit back, telling the former DJ it was not up to him to decide how people should react.

John Farrington said: 'Over the top and pretty insensitive, Andy. Maybe he wasn't great to you in the likes of Hank Williams, but to many he was great - you're in no position to take that away from anybody.'

Bruce Keith Miller replied: 'Do us a favour, Andy, can you publish the list of artists it would be OK to grieve, just in case we get it wrong again.'

Abigail Dombey added: 'I thought you were great when I was young. Now I know you're a bitter angry man. George Michael was worth a hundred of you.'

Lenny Lovett wrote: 'A particularly unpleasant post. I've no opinion on the chap either way but to demean his death in such sad circumstances is just nasty and unnecessary.'

But his views were slammed by fans, who returned fire online, telling him to stop dictating how people can grieve

Michael was found dead at his home by his boyfriend Fadi Fawaz (right) on Christmas Day following suspected heart failure

Others defended Kershaw, saying he was entitled to air his views.

Kershaw's career has been beset my personal problems, which included him being jailed for three months in 2008 for breaching a restraining order involving his former partner.

The 57-year-old has also previously been treated for alcohol dependency and spent time homeless.

George Michael died, aged 53, on Christmas Day at his home in Goring-on-Thames, near Oxford.

Fans from around the country have since travelled to the cottage and his London mansion to lay flowers and pay their respects.

The death of the Wham! star has led to a huge public outpouring of emotion near his homes. Pictured: A fan in Goring

A fan hugs a car believed to belong to the star outside his home in north London

A carpet of flowers has been placed outside the Oxfordshire house where the singer died on Christmas Day

Fans were continuing to visit both homes today, with the car believed to belong to the star becoming covered in roses, candles and messages

Last year, Andy Kershaw's brother Liz was also criticised for comparing celebrity tributes to Cilla Black to those about serial paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Fans continued their outpourings of grief at George Michael's north London home this morning, three days after the singer's sudden death.

In Goring, a crowd gathered outside his 5million home as fans laid flowers, signed guitars, and personal messages of loss.

People laid flowers, candles and cards outside the Wham! singer's Highgate home, with some playing his music in remembrance.

Fan Wayne Bowater, 48, from south London, has followed George's music since the early 80s.

Many of those who visited the star's London home today said they felt an affinity with Michael through his music

A grieving fan reaches to place his tribute on the gates in front of Michael's Highgate home this afternoon

People from around the country have visited the two houses to read the tributes left. Pictured: Flowers in London

He said: 'I was an original Wham! boy - I was a fan from the get go. Me and my best friend at school were partners in crime - we used to dress up like Wham - Hair, earrings, duo tan, espadrilles - the lot.

'He obviously had his problems and I just wish he could have got help or opened up a bit more.

'He'll be remembered for his music foremost, but his generosity and kindness is a big legacy.'

Distraught Christine Luckings, 42, made the trip to Highgate from Crawley to pay her respects to the singer.

She said: 'I'm gutted, I'm totally shocked. I've been a fan since I was 11 and I've seen him 3 or 4 times.

'He meant everything to me, his music was so relatable. I had so many good times with his music growing up, I loved listening to him.

'We came up from Crawley specially to pay our respects. When you've grown up with someone who meant a lot to you, it's devastating.'

The front door of the cottage where Wham! singer Michael died aged 53 has been surrounded by flowers

A balloon left by one well-wisher was put alongside scores of pictures, cards and messages this afternoon
A light-fingered teenager has found himself beaten and stripped naked after he was caught stealing chickens.

Rather than call the police, locals in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria, dished out their own brand of instant 'justice'.

After he was seized by the chickens' owner, the suspect was beaten senseless.

Disturbing images of the boy show him with a swollen and bloodied left eye.

A crowd gathered to watch the suspected thief paraded around by the chickens' owner and local leaders

His face was bloodied after he was beaten and stripped naked for his alleged crime

Then he was forced to parade with three chickens tied around his neck.

Locals laughed and jeered at the teen as he was marched around the market by the chickens' owner and local leaders to punish him.

Public justice is a common form of punishment in Nigeria where locals can be suspicious of police or official involvement.

Officials are often seen as corrupt and easily bribed and ordinary people prefer street level self-administered justice.

The man's name was not revealed and it is unclear if he was handed over to the police after the mob had finished with him.
A young mother has spoken about her terrifying ordeal after her former boss allegedly stabbed her as she clutched her toddler.

Teagan Moore, 21, was allegedly attacked by Jason Wayne Greatbatch, 36, after he travelled 2,500 kilometres from his hometown of Ceduna, north-west of Adelaide, to Kuttabul in Queensland in December last year.

The beauty therapist, who worked for Greatbatch at the South Australian bakery he managed, has revealed how the alleged attack has taken its toll on her family.

Speaking to A Current Affair, the mother-of-one said she has been left fearing for her life after Greatbatch was released on bail under the condition he lives with his parents and wear a GPS tracking device until his trial.

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Teagan Moore (pictured) has spoken out about her terrifying ordeal after her former boss allegedly stabbed her as she clutched her toddler

Jason Wayne Greatbatch, 35, (pictured) allegedly travelled 2,500km to attack the mother

The mother-of-one was cradling her baby boy when she was allegedly stabbed in the torso

'I'm empty, I feel hollow. I have no idea how they could do that to our family after everything we've been through,' Ms Moore said of her alleged attacker's release.

'I'm petrified everyday. I've been depressed. There was points there when I thought why am I here? [The] doctor shouldn't have saved me.

'The way he put me back together is not right. It's not supposed to live in pain like this everyday. You should just let me die.'

Holding back her tears, Ms Moore, who suffered severe stab wounds to her torso, said she has been unable to return to work or eat solid food.

'I can't do anything anymore - go to the park, the beach, shopping - it all hurts,' she revealed.

'I can't have a glass of orange juice for breakfast... I can't have meat, it's too heavy for my stomach, it's terrible.

'Pour a really hot glass of water and drink it, and that's exactly how it feels like - and then it burns for hours and it doesn't go away.'

Ms Moore has revealed how she has been unable to return to work or eat proper food

Ms Moore and her husband Jake Burgess were allegedly stabbed as she was holding her son

The couple (left of Mr Burgess and right of Ms Moore) were left with horrific injuries

And she has been hit with another blow - after being told she would never be able to have another baby and will suffer physical pain for the rest of her life.

'I just couldn't do it,' she said about her struggles to go back to work.

'I wanted to do it for my family and I wanted to earn money and try to pay the bills and everything but I just wasn't strong enough.

'And I try my hardest but I failed.'

Under bail conditions, Greatbatch (pictured left in handcuffs_ must live with his parents and wear a GPS tracking device until his trial

The 21-year-old mother was rushed to hospital to undergo surgery for her severe injuries

Her comments comes nearly a year after she and her husband Jake Burgess were allegedly stabbed in a frenzied attack.

Ms Moore was holding her baby boy in her arms when she was allegedly attacked, which led her to dropping her child.

The young family were taken to Mackay Base Hospital for treatment - with Ms Moore undergoing surgery for her injuries, and Mr Burgess and her son both with non-life threatening injuries.
A would-be robber who tried to hold up a bank with a toy gun is fighting for his life after he was shot at point blank range by an armed security guard.

His accomplice managed to escape despite also being shot at through the bank's toughened glass windows.

The shooting was caught on security CCTV footage at a bank in Lucas do Rio Verde, Brazil.

The crook, named as 20-year-old Robson Junior Jardim dos Santos, walked into the branch and pulled out his toy handgun.

A would-be robber who tried to hold up a bank with a toy gun was shot in the stomach at point blank range by an armed security guard

The crook, named as 20-year-old Robson Junior Jardim dos Santos, was shot as he tried to make his escape

The attempted robbery was caught on camera, with footage showing the thief grappling with the guard.

In the film, Santos' plastic gun can be seen falling to the floor, where it shatters into several pieces.

When the guard realises the gun is a fake, he hurls Santos to the floor.

At the same time, an accomplice runs to Santos' aid from outside in the street and the guard - Valter de Mello - shoots at him twice through the bank's toughened glass windows.

Footage from the bank's CCTV cameras showed the would-be thief grappling with the guard

An accomplice tried to come to Santos' aid from outside in the street but the guard - Valter de Mello - shot at him twice through the bank's toughened glass

A terrified Santos was left squatting with his hands on his head as he waited to be arrested

Santos then runs to the bank's revolving security door to try to make his escape, and is shot three times as he tries to flee, with shattered glass flying all around him.

Terrified, he squats with his hands on his head waiting to be arrested.

CCTV footage shows Santos being forced to lie on the bank's floor after he is dragged away from the door by Mello.

Local media reports say he was shot twice in the abdomen and further wounded when one bullet clipped his ear.

He is said to be severely injured, and is being treated at Sao Lucas Hospital where he underwent an emergency operation.
The Pope has been charmed by a white parrot during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

The cockatoo was presented to the pontiff by a performer dressed as a pirate, on Wednesday, when the Golden Circus Festival were invited to Paul VI Hall.

It's not the first time the Pope has met a parrot. In 2014, he blessed a green bird belonging to a former male stripper.

The bird's owner, identified as Francesco Lombardi, told ANSA at the time: 'It was fun. A sort of mixing of the holy and the profane.'

Pope Francis holds a parrot during a performance of the Golden Circus in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican at the end of his weekly general audience on Wednesday

Pope Francis receives parrot from a pirate performer (second left) at the Vatican

Also entertaining the crowds after Christmas was a clown performing balloon acts who delivered a green and red cross to the Pope.

And the pontiff was left baffled when a magician made a table float in mid-air in front of him. He looked underneath the table to try and figure out the trick.

The fun took place the day after the Chinese head of religious affairs said the Vatican should take steps to improve relations with China.

Francis is trying to heal a decades-old rift with China where Catholics are divided between those loyal to him and those who are members of a government-controlled official church.

Pope Francis is gifted with a balloon flower during a performance of the Golden Circus

A magician makes a table hover in front of the pope during a performance the Vatican

One of the obstacles to improving relations is the question of who should be able to appoint senior clergy.

China says bishops must be named by the local Chinese Catholic community and refuses to accept the authority of the pope, whom it sees as the head of a foreign state that has no right to meddle in Beijing's affairs.

Wang Zuoan, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was quoted by state news agency Xinhua on Tuesday as saying China 'hopes the Vatican takes an even more flexible and pragmatic attitude, and takes actual steps to create beneficial conditions for improving relations'.

Pope Francis gestures during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall

Pope Francis caresses a child as he arrives in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican

Pope Francis drinks the traditional Argentinian mate drink offered to him by a faithful
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been punished for her open door refugee policy as new figures show support for her conservative CDU party continuing to crumble.

With 434,019 members at the end of last month the CDU has now slipped behind the social democrats with 13,000 people tearing up their party cards this year.

Many of them switched to the hard-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) has been punished for her open door refugee policy as new figures show support for her conservative CDU party continuing to crumble

The news was a little better for the centre left SPD which rules Germany as the junior partner in a coalition led by the CDU.

It has shed 9,000 members this year as a result of underwriting the migrant influx which brought with it terror and death to the country.

But when Donald Trump won the American election, and as support for extremism in the form of the AfD and neo-Nazis continues to rise, the party has been making up ground with 2,000 new members attracted in November alone.

It now boasts more members than Mrs. Merkel's party nine months before Germany goes to the polls in a general election in which she will seek a fourth term in office.

The AfD has capitalised enormously on the problems that the refugee influx has created in the country with nearly 5,000 new members in the past few months.

'Their enormous popularity lies witgh the policy failures of the old parties and the large vacuum that created,' said AfD's executive board member Georg Pazderski.

Support for the far-right German party AfD has surged this year. Members are pictured during a rally earlier this month with a sign saying 'Merkel has to leave'

A new poll taken by the Forsa research group for Stern magazine showed 28 percent of respondents believing Chancellor Merkel's refugee policy was 'jointly responsib le' for the Berlin Christmas market attack on December 19 which killed 12 and injured 48.

And three quarters of all citizens - 76 per cent - assume that the terror threat and the security situation in Germany will play an 'important role' in the general election.

A total of 67 percent of respondents said they believed a debate on the subject of internal security during the election campaign would harm rather than help the chancellor.

The AfD, which trounced the chancellor in several key regional elections in 2016, is looking to gain seats in the national parliament for the first time next year.
Business and banking chiefs issued another vote of confidence in Brexit Britain today by committing to stay here due to the UK's expertise in technology and financial services.

Matt Brittin, president of Google Europe said the UK's world-leading e-commerce industry was one of the reasons why the search engine giant is creating 3,000 extra jobs in London.

And Barclays chairman John McFarlane said the City of London's 'competitive advantage' over its European rivals gave banks reason to stay here after Brexit.

Google announced it is creating 3,000 jobs in London because the UK is a world leader in e-commerce, its president of Europe Matt Brittin said today

Mr Brittin said Google's Europe operations were looking to focus on 'big trends' amid this uncertainty, such as more people getting access to the internet.

He told the Today programme: 'The UK is starting with a lead in this area, so a world leader in e-commerce. So for us, there's great talent here in the UK.

'We announced an intention to create 3,000 more jobs here in a big new investment in our facilities here, but that's only because the UK is so good at the internet that we can support companies here in that growth agenda.'

Meanwhile Mr MacFarlane said there were some services currently based in the City of London which would make sense for both Britain and the EU to stay here post-Brexit.

He said: 'The City of London is here because of its competitive advantage and therefore that is the reason why people are here.'

He added that Barclays was increasingly focusing on the UK and US markets.

Matt Brittin, pictured, president of Google Europe, said the UK's world-leading e-commerce industry was one of the reasons why the search engine giant is creating 3,000 extra jobs in London

Barclays chairman John McFarlane, pictured right, said the City of London's 'competitive advantage' over its European rivals gave banks reason to stay here after Brexit

However it emerged today that just 39 per cent of UK firms surveyed by the Chartered Management Institute said they experienced growth following June's referendum, which was the lowest figure since 2012.

Of the 1,118 UK business managers surveyed, 65 per cent are now pessimistic about the UK's economic prospects over the next 12-18 months, and 49 per cent expect Brexit will have a negative impact on growth over the next three to five years.

Around 35 per cent of bosses polled said they also 'lack confidence in current UK leadership and management's ability to capitalise on post-Brexit opportunities'.

Three-quarters of those polled said skill investment would be even more important after the UK left the EU, though 20 per cent said they did not receive the training and development needed to 'perform their job effectively' this year.

But only 25 per cent were pessimistic about prospects for their own businesses, in line with levels recorded by the Chartered Management Institute over the past year, while 57 per cent were positive about their business's performance in the year ahead.

Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said: 'In this climate of heightened political uncertainty and economic turbulence, the time is now to position Britain as a global leader in responsible capitalism, targeting essential issues like workplace ethics, inclusivity and executive pay to restore trust and transparency and improve productivity.'

The City of London's 'competitive advantage' over its European rivals give banks reason to stay here after Brexit, Barclays chairman John McFarlane said today

She added: 'There are uncertain times ahead, but I agree with many of those surveyed that there are opportunities for forward-thinking UK businesses.'

Fund manager Helena Morrissey, who guest-edited Wednesday's Today programme, also said Brexit could be a success.

She said: 'I'm not complacent by any means, but I'm not worried.

'The City was successful long before the EU was created, and it has all the potential, particularly with our global outlook, our very innovative approach, obviously we have fantastic talent here, to be successful for decades if not centuries to come.

'We have had people before flexing their muscles, as it were, and saying they're out of here and then realising, actually, London is the place to be and we have a huge amount going for us that would be incredibly difficult to replicate anywhere else.

'We do have to have a different mindset, I think. We do have to embrace the opportunities, we have to look forwards, not at what we might have lost, and I think that's something that isn't quite there yet.'

Rishi Khosla, co-founder and chief executive of challenger bank OakNorth, told the programme his company had tripled its loan book in the few months since the Brexit vote.
She is now being investigated for a number of various transgressions

It has also been claimed the officer

A Queensland police officer has been accused of using her gun while off-duty and under the influence of alcohol.

The 51-year-old female Senior Constable from the Northern Region has been stood down from official duty with the Queensland Police Service and is now being investigated for a number of various transgressions.

On top of accusations of using her gun while drunk, it has also been claimed the 51-year-old officer also attended to rostered duties while 'affected by alcohol'.

A Queensland police officer has been accused of using her gun while off-duty and under the influence of alcohol (stock image)

A statement by Queensland Police lists a range of wrongdoings the Senior Constable has been accused of.

It is claimed she failed to properly store and secure 'accoutrements', a term for policing accessories including capsicum spray, handcuffs and batons.

She is also accused of failing to treat people with respect and dignity, and posting personal comments on Facebook which were in a conflict of interest with her position with the Queensland Police Service.

The officer has been stood down from official duty and and instead will perform non-operational duties.

'In keeping with our commitment to high standards of behaviour, transparency and accountability, we have undertaken to inform the public when an officer faces serious allegations of misconduct,' Queensland Police said in a statement.

'This does not mean that the allegations against the officer have been substantiated.'
Facebook has sparked fear - and anger - among Thailand's social media users after its Safety Check feature triggered a false bomb alert in Bangkok.

The check-in feature allows users to signal to friends that they are safe after an event in their area such as a terror attack or natural disaster.

But it appeared to misfire late Tuesday, creating an alert called 'The Explosion in Bangkok' that said a blast in the capital had been confirmed by 'multiple sources'.

The page gave no other details about the incident but linked to articles about a bombing in Bangkok in August 2015 which killed 20 people.

An alert on Tuesday called 'The Explosion in Bangkok' that said a blast in the capital had been confirmed by 'multiple sources'

After numerous city residents marked themselves as safe, the alert was deactivated around an hour later at 10pm, leaving netizens relieved but also frustrated over the false alarm.

'Facebook issued false news that has destroyed Thailand's image,' wrote Thai user Prasit Silhanisong.

'It's close to the New Year and now tourists might not come,' he added, calling on the social media giant to apologise.

Facebook swiftly defended the algorithm, saying the alert was activated by reports of small explosions that a protester had thrown near Government House earlier on Tuesday.

The explosions turned out to be firecrackers.

Social media users reacted with outrage after they figured out Facebook's 'The Explosion in Bangkok' safety alert had seemingly been sparked by an old news story being republished

Locals are concerned such fake blast reports will dissuade tourists from visiting Bangkok

The incident, which caused no injuries or damage, was covered in the local press.

'Safety Check was activated yesterday in Thailand following an explosion,' a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to AFP, adding that a 'trusted third party' had confirmed the incident.

However, others say Facebook's algorithm was tricked when a local 'news' source -the Bangkok Informer website - shortly after 8pm on Tuesday, picked up and ran and old BBC story on the Erawan Shrine bombing of Aug 17, 2015.

After that it appears to have been spread online as a new attack.

It is not the first time Facebook's check-in feature has caused controversy.

In March the company apologised after a bug sent a Safety Check notification to users around the world following a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan.

AFP's South East Asia correspondent in Bangkok called out the false alert saying there had been 'no reports of explosions'

A detailed look at the Facebook Safety Check page shows it listed the explosion as occurring on '27 December' and said it was confirmed by 'multiple sources'

Facebook swiftly defended the algorithm, saying the alert was activated by reports of small explosions that a protester had thrown near Government House earlier on Tuesday

The social network also faced criticism in November 2015 for selectively activating the feature after attacks in Paris but not in Beirut.

News and tech companies including Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc are currently trying to tackle fake news and have formed a coalition to improve the quality of information on social media.

Researchers at Indiana University have developed a new tool that shows how fake news and unverified stories spread through social media.

The search engine, dubbed Hoaxy, is the latest effort to combat the proliferation of fake news, which proliferated during the U.S. presidential campaign, with one bogus post-Election Day story sparking a real-life event when a gunman fired shots into a Washington, D.C., restaurant.

'It is a very serious problem,' said Filippo Menczer, the director of the university's Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research, which launched Hoaxy.

Misinformation and propaganda are not new, but Menczer said social media has added a new component because the information is pre-selected to be in line with people's own opinions.
A leading animal rights group has released covert footage of 'unprecedented abuse' at a dairy farm - showing workers punching tiny calves and kicking cows in the face.

Undercover cameras were set up at Pyrland Farm following a tip-off from a local resident that animals were being systematically abused there.

And in just one day earlier this month multiple 'attacks' were caught on film at the farm in Taunton, Somerset.

The incidents included workers repeatedly kicking young calves to make them stand up, aggressively twisting cows' tails and repeatedly slamming metal gates into them.

Shocking footage at Pyrland Farm in Taunton, Somerset, shows a worker slamming a metal gate into a cow and shouting at it to 'f****** stand still'

Hidden cameras caught the worker abusing young calves and cows alike by kicking and punching them, pictured, and twisting their tails

They were also filmed pinning calves to the floor and shouting obscenities in their face, repeatedly kicking and slapping nursing cows and violently throwing small calves to the floor

The farm - which has 250 cows - is run by James Reid, who said he was horrified and distraught after being shown the footage.

He said he was due to meet with those involved and with the RSPCA today.

Animal Equality, a leading international animal protection organisation, said it had never seen levels of abuse like it on a dairy farm.

Footage from the farm, which supplies Muller Milk & Ingredients (formerly Muller Wiseman), one of the main processors used by Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S and the Co-op for their own-brand milks, has now been passed to the RSPCA.

But Sainsbury's has confirmed it does not use milk from this farm.

Dr Toni Shephard, Animal Equality's UK Director, demanded those responsible were brought to justice.

She said: 'The miracle of motherhood is routinely exploited by the dairy industry, causing enormous suffering to cows and calves.

'But to discover farm workers beating new mother cows and tiny calves takes this systematic abuse to an unprecedented level.

James Reid, the owner of the farm, said he was horrified by the footage, pictured, and would be speaking to the RSPCA about the incident, which involves 'one worker'

'We demand these violent workers be brought to justice and urge consumers to choose plant-based milks, cheeses and yogurts which are healthier than dairy products and cruelty-free.'

Mr Reid said he was horrified when he was shown the footage - but claims it was the actions of just one worker that had caused concern with the RSPCA.

He added: 'The RSPCA are coming and I will be discussing it with them.

'They want to interview the lad in the video - and I have not even had a chance to speak to him yet.

'Of course I am shocked to hear about it. We have got a lovely set up here and we have a high welfare standard for our cows.

'I am horrified by what I have seen in this video. I have not discussed it yet with the lad.

'There is only one worker involved. The RSPCA do not have a problem anyone else in the video.

'But this is clearly not acceptable what this worker has done. Absolutely not. Of course it has an impact on us as a business.

'No one likes to see that sort of footage and watching it has really upset me.'

The footage also showed cows limping badly around the farm and struggling to sit down

Cameras revealed some of the beasts are forced to walk with chains around their legs, pictured

Animal Equality investigators said they made multiple visits to the farm and also documented at least half a dozen cows with their back legs chained in hobbles.

Further footage from the farm shows cows suffering from crippling lameness and pressure sores with one appearing to be in extreme discomfort and struggling to walk.

On one visit investigators found two dead calves lying on the concrete floor just outside of the cowshed, in full view of several nursing and pregnant cows.

Both calves were male and had reportedly been shot.
However one hour before that he wrote on Twitter: 'Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them'

Lasner, later tweeted: 'My husband expressed his displeasure in a calm tone, JetBlue staff overheard, and they kicked us off'

Goldstein told Ivanka her father was 'ruining the country' and demanded to know why she was not flying private

His husband Dan Goldstein accosted Ivanka Trump on a plane last weekend while she was sitting with her children

A petition has been started asking Hunter College to fire Matthew Lasner, an associate professor of urban studies

A petition is calling for the New York university that employs the urban studies professor whose husband accosted Ivanka Trump on a plane last week to fire the man from his job.

Over 20,000 people have signed a Change.org petition asking Hunter College to remove Matthew Lasner from his position in the administration for his 'immature and cruel harassment of Ivanka Trump and her family at JFK airport.'

The petition was created by the group Right Wing Millennials.

'Someone like Mr Lasner, who would harass a mother and her child simply trying to go about their day, does not deserve the honor of teaching,' reads the petition.

'The fact that he tried to cover up and change the story around to avoid the consequences of his actions is also a testament to his character. He is NOT a good example for our youth.'

According to his biography on the Hunter College website, Lasner 'studies the history and theory of the U.S. built environment, with particular focus on housing, and the relationship between housing patterns and urban and suburban form.'

He earned a PhD in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning at Harvards Graduate School of Design, a MS in urban and regional planning studies from the London School of Economics and his BA in urban studies at Columbia.

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Demand: A petition has been started asking Hunter College to fire Matthew Lasner (left), an associate professor of urban studies whose husband Dan Goldstein (right) accosted Ivanka Trump

Harrassment: Goldstein told Ivanka her father was 'ruining the country' and demanded to know why she was not flying private (Ivanka above on the flight)

Lasner and his husband Dan Goldstein were thrown off of a JetBlue flight from New York to San Francisco last Thursday when Goldstein approached the future first daughter and started shouting at her.

While holding a child in his arms Goldstein, 35, asked out loud: 'Why is she on our flight. She should be flying private.'

Ivanka paid as little attention as possible and tried to occupy her children with some crayons to diffuse the situation until the crew escorted him off the plane.

Lasner said that was not what happened however on Twitter, writing: 'My husband expressed his displeasure in a calm tone, JetBlue staff overheard, and they kicked us off the plane.'

But just an hour prior to that Lasner wrote on Twitter: 'Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them. #banalityofevil'

Lasner has been very vocal about his distaste for Trump on Twitter, writing shortly after the election about marching against the President-elect.

There are already over 5,000 signatures

He also posted a video when he marched in Chicago with the hashtags '#notmypresident' and '#weslay.'

And he posted a photo on Instagram of himself with one of his protest signs, which read: 'RESIST! Autocracy. RISE UP!'

Lasner also retweeted a man who wrote on Twitter: 'Dear @IvankaTrump + @JaredKushner, there are swastikas being painted across America by people who support your father. PLEASE SAY SOMETHING.'

Just before they took off, Lassner also took a photo of Ivanka sitting on the plane writing that they were kicked off for 'expressing displeasure about flying w/ Trumps.'

And while Goldstein was happy to go after Ivanka ,and Lasner was eager to defend his actions, neither of the men confronted Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, who was right next to her on the flight standing in the aisle the entire time.

The plane was still boarding when the incident occurred, so the crew was able to get the two men and their child off the flight and avoid any further incident.

Goldstein began saying to the crew as they escorted him off the plane: 'You're kicking me off for expressing my opinion?!!'

It was after they were off the plane that Lasner then posted his tweets defending his husband and the photo of Ivanka sitting in her seat.

Those tweets were then deleted in less than an hour. An hour after that Lasner deleted his entire account.

JetBlue released a statement on Thursday morning saying: 'The decision to remove a customer from a flight is not taken lightly. If the crew determines that a customer is causing a conflict on the aircraft, the customer will be asked to deplane, especially if the crew feels the situation runs the risk of escalation during flight.'

It was then noted that Lasner and Goldsten were placed on the next available flight.

Members of Secret Service were on the flight with the family, but did not intervene and instead chose to let the airline handle the issue.

Explanation: Lasner, later tweeted: 'My husband expressed his displeasure in a calm tone, JetBlue staff overheard, and they kicked us off'

Different story: However one hour before that he wrote on Twitter: 'Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them'

There was a third account of what happened as well from Marc Scheff, the man who was sat in front of Ivanka and with his young son and seemed to be minding his own business when Lasner snapped his photo.

He wrote: 'He didn't accost her directly. When he got on and saw her, sitting behind me, he said "oh my god. This is a nightmare" and was visibly shaking.

'He said, "They ruin the country now they ruin our flight!" (Context: Boarding and therefore the flight was delayed because they needed to get on first through some other way)

'He did not yell. He was also not what I would describe as calm. Agitated maybe. His husband behind him was very calm. His son is adorable and sharply dressed.

'When the JetBlue staff went back to speak to the man I overheard Ivanka say to them "I don't want to make this a thing." My assessment is that she was happy to let the man take his seat. Security made a different call.'

Scheff later wrote: 'Honestly, if I was her security I would have made the same call. I don't _think_ the man was capable of violence, sure. But I would worry that he would leave his seat or cause a scene in some way.

'And his husband had tweeted that he planned on doing that. So, again you know my politics, but I would have made the same call here.'

Scheff later added about Ivanka: 'She handled the situation calmly and with class.'
A fourth person has been diagnosed with measles following an outbreak across Sydney this month.

The latest patient visited multiple places - including restaurants and shops - while still infected.

The revelation has sparked a warning as health authorities urge residents to watch for symptoms over concerns they could have been exposed to the virus.

Health authorities are urging residents to watch for symptoms over concerns they could have been exposed to the virus (stock image of Pitt Street)

The fourth adult - who was in contact with one of the earlier cases - visited locations in Leichhardt, Pyrmont and Neutral Bay, and used inner-west public transport from December 23 to 24.

The other three cases visited various locations, including hospitals, GP clinics, and caught public transport between November 26 and December 15.

They also visited restaurants and shops in central Sydney, Ultimo, Bondi, Bondi Junction, Leichhardt, Double Bay, Chatswood and Marrickville.

NSW Health acting director of communicable diseases Sean Tobin said the cases highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated.

The other three cases visited various places, including hospitals, GP clinics, and restaurants

Symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough, followed days later by a red, blotchy rash

'A highly effective measles vaccine has been freely available for many years and it is vital for everyone, including adults and children, to have two doses of the measles vaccine during their lifetime,' Dr Tobin said on Wednesday.

THE SYMPTOMS OF MEASLES Fever

General discomfort, illness or lack of well-being

Runny nose

Dry cough

Sore and red eyes (conjunctivitis)

Red and bluish spots inside the mouth

Red and blotchy skin rash that appears first on the face and hairline, and then spreads to the body Advertisement

'Those people who have not received two doses of measles vaccine should be alert to the symptoms of measles in the coming days and weeks as the measles cases have moved in many parts of Sydney.'

The four people with measles reported since early December had spent a significant amount of time in the Sydney metropolitan area while infectious.

Symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough, followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash.
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!
Former British Chambers of Commerce director-general John Longworth, pictured, compared staff in No 10 to characters in the satirical TV series The Thick of It

David Cameron's aides in No 10 regularly sent pro-Brexit business leaders 'abusive' calls and texts during the referendum, it was revealed today.

Former British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) director-general John Longworth compared staff in No 10 to characters in the satirical TV series The Thick of It.

Mr Longworth, who quit the BCC in the run up to the EU referendum amid claims of direct pressure from Downing Street over his pro-Brexit views, revealed the dirty tactics by Remain campaigners and the former Prime Minister's staff in an interview today.

He said he did not resign because of this pressure, but did confirm he had received a text in light of his comments.

He added: 'I was used to receiving abusive telephone calls and texts from Number 10 over a number of years.'

He said such texts were 'a normal part of business with Number 10 under David Cameron', adding that 'a senior policy wonk' had sent him the message.

Mr Longworth added: 'They tend to think they're in The West Wing or The Thick Of It, and behave accordingly.'

He said he quit because he felt it was important for him to speak freely during the referendum campaign, and that he was particularly disappointed with the deal Mr Cameron got from Brussels prior to the vote.

Mr Longworth is now co-chairman of the Leave Means Leave campaign group, which has written to European business leaders, calling on them to put pressure on their governments to ensure tariff-free trade can continue with the UK after Brexit.

John Longworth said 'abusive' texts were 'a normal part of business with Number 10 under David Cameron', adding that 'a senior policy wonk' had sent him the message. Pictured, the former Prime Minister addresses the media outside Number 10 in July

John Longworth compared staff in No 10 to characters in the satirical TV series The Thick of It, including chief spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, pictured forefront, played by Peter Capaldi

Mr Longworth told the BBC: 'Trade takes places between businesses and individuals. Governments just get in the way.

'What's important for European businesses - and we're talking business people to business people - is that they actually put some pressure on their governments to continue with free trade.'

He said he knew of Danish, Dutch, Irish and German companies which were 'very concerned', while the concerns were more keenly felt among smaller businesses rather than large corporates.

He added: 'The European Union is not a free trade area, the European Union is a protectionist bloc, which is one of the problems and why the European Union and the eurozone in particular is doing so badly economically.
A Tunisian man has been arrested over suspicions he was accomplice to the man who carried out the Berlin Christmas market massacre.

The 40-year-old was detained by German police after they had raided his home and business in Berlin amid claims he was involved in the atrocity which left 12 dead.

ISIS attacker Anis Amri, a rejected asylum seeker who was also from Tunisia, drove a truck at 40mph through a crowd of revellers last week before going on the run.

A Tunisian man has been arrested over links to the Berlin Christmas market massacre (pictured) after his number was found stored on the lorry attacker's telephone

ISIS attacker Anis Amri (pictured), a rejected asylum seeker who was also from Tunisia, drove a truck at 40mph through a crowd of revellers last week before going on the run

He was later shot dead by Italian police after arriving in Milan, in the north of the country.

German police say they swooped on a new suspect after finding his mobile phone number stored on Amri's own telephone.

A prosecutor said: 'Further investigations indicated that he could have been involved in the attack.

'To what extent suspicions against the arrested person will be hardened up remains to be seen after further investigation.'

The arrest came as news emerged of Italian police discovering mobile telephone SIM cards in his rucksack which had been bought in department stores in the Netherlands after the attack December 19.

According to French online portal La Repubblica, the cards came from outlets in Zwolle, Breda and Nijmegen between December 20 and 22.

The arrest in Berlin by elite SEK police was hailed as a major breakthrough in law enforcement efforts to roll up the network which supported Amri on his lethal mission.

Bild newspaper said he was a 'contact person' for Amri and the federal attorney general's office stated he was seized 'because he may have been involved in the attack.'

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the 40-year-old is strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

It comes after it emerged that Amri travelled by bus from the Netherlands to France before heading to Italy where police shot him dead, sources close to the investigation said Wednesday.

Two days after the December 19 attack on a Christmas market in Berlin left 12 dead, the 24-year-old Tunisian boarded an overnight bus at the Dutch city of Nijmegen, near the German border, that took him to Lyon in central France, one of the sources said, confirming a French media report.

Investigators are still trying to determine how Amri was able to leave Berlin and traverse most of Germany to reach the Netherlands. He is pictured here arriving at Milan's Central Station

The Berlin rampage was claimed by ISIS, which released a video on Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Amri got off the bus at the Lyon-Part-Dieu rail station, the source said.

Surveillance cameras filmed Amri at the station last Thursday.

From there, he took a train to the French Alpine town of Chambery before heading to Milan, in northern Italy.

Italian police shot Amri dead in the early hours of Friday after he fired at officers who had stopped him for a routine identity check.

A train ticket from Lyon to Milan via Turin was found on his body.

Investigators are still trying to determine how Amri was able to leave Berlin and traverse most of Germany to reach the Netherlands.

The Berlin rampage was claimed by ISIS, which released a video on Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

German authorities are probing whether Amri had help before or after the attack.

In Tunisia, authorities later arrested Amri's nephew and two other suspects, aged between 18 and 27, who they said were members of a 'terrorist cell' connected to Amri.
Bungling cops have been left red-faced after accidentally telling motorists to pack 'willies' in their car boots as temperatures across the UK take a tumble.

North West Motorway Police made the unfortunate gaff while tweeting cold weather travel advice to their 125,000 followers, many of whom will be planning a New Year getaway.

Officers have since issued an apology for any 'offence' caused by their typo, which was supposed to say 'wellies'.

North West Motorway Police accidentally made a hilarious typo in a safety message to drivers, recommending they pack 'emergency willies'

The embarrassing error happened as a bitter cold snap swept across the country, with the mercury dipping as low as -5C in some parts.

NW Motorway Police's tweet read: 'Keeping an emergency kit in your vehicle in extreme weather is a good idea, containing a tow rope, shovel, willies and a hazard warning triangle.'

Eagle-eyed followers were quick to pull the force up on their faux pas, with one replying: 'Willies? My word, it's colder than I thought!'

Another added: 'Not entirely sure you spelled all of those things correctly, @NWmwaypolice. Then again, maybe you did!'

One person asked: '@NWmwaypolice I'm hoping you meant to say wellies not willies?'

The typo was later corrected and an embarrassed member of staff tweeted an apology to anyone offended by the gaff along with a picture of actual wellies

Issuing a correction alongside a photograph of wellington boots, NW Motorway Police later said: 'It appears there was a slight error typo earlier today. Apologies if it caused any offence to anyone. The correct kit for your boot is of course [wellies].'

North West Motorway Police comprises of more than 130 officers and covers Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.
Theresa May and Donald Trump have vowed to each other to build on the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, Britain's ambassador in Washington has said.

Sir Kim Darroch said the two leaders had 'made clear' during phone calls that the special relationship between Britain and the United States remains 'stronger than ever'.

He broke his silence for the first time since Mr Trump suggested Nigel Farage could replace him.

Theresa May, left, and Donald Trump, right, have vowed to each other to build on the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, Britain's ambassador in Washington has said

Sir Kim Darroch said Theresa May and Donald Trump will seek to emulate the relationship formed between former Tory PM Margaret Thatcher and former Republican President Ronald Reagan, pictured together in 1988

In a bid to smooth relations with Team Trump, Sir Kim praised the Republican's shock election victory last month as 'a historic and impressive win like no other in history'.

His job became the centre of a diplomatic row last month after the President-elect wrote on Twitter: 'Many people would like to see Nigel Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!'

The former Ukip leader, a friend of Mr Trump, said he was 'very flattered' by the proposition but Downing Street categorically ruled out offering Mr Farage any kind of official post.

The Prime Minister's spokeswoman said: 'You have an ambassador who only took up his post earlier this year. He is doing a great job.' Mrs May later spoke to Sir Kim and assured him his job was safe.

Mrs May is due to visit Mr Trump in Washington shortly after his inauguration on January 20.

But Mr Farage has embarrassed the Prime Minister by already travelling to New York for talks with Team Trump, including an hour-long meeting with the President-elect just four days after he won the election.

Sir Kim Darroch, pictured with his wife Lady Vanessa earlier this year, broke his silence for the first time since Mr Trump suggested Nigel Farage could replace him

Writing in the Washington Post, Sir Kim said Mrs May and Mr Trump will seek to emulate their predecessors in office.

He wrote: 'In their phone calls so far, Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May have made clear that the special relationship between Britain and the United States is stronger than ever.

'They will work together closely, building on the legacy of previous leaders such as President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.'

He said Britain and the US will work 'ever more closely on trade and security' and the UK 'remains America's closest partner on defence'.

'There is much that the United States and Britain should, and will, tackle together as they have for 200 years. For decades, our partnership has been the cornerstone of the world order. So we, as an alliance, will continue to be strong.

'2016 was the year that voters in both countries spoke loudly and clearly. 2017 will be the year we show we were listening.'

Sir Kim compared Mr Trump's triumph with June's Brexit vote, saying they had both 'captured the mood and will of the electorate' while the establishment had failed to 'understand and address the concerns of voters'.

But he acknowledged that the two votes were about 'fundamentally different issues'.

And looking to 2017, he wrote: 'Now is the time move forward together and embrace the opportunities ahead.'
Donald Trump accused Barack Obama on Wednesday of throwing up 'roadblocks' and making 'inflammatory statements' on his way out of the White House, and urged Israel to 'stay strong' in the face of 'disdain and disrespect' from the outgoing president.

Obama angered his successor by ordering his United Nations ambassador to sit out a vote condemning Israel instead of vetoing it.

Israelis leaders say Obama himself engineered the vote as a parting shot at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he has sparred with for years.

Obama's own former Middle East peace envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, said Tuesday that the president should have either vetoed the UN resolution or delayed it so Trump could set his own Israel policy.

NOT AMUSED: Donald Trump lashed out at Barack Obama on Twitter for hamstringing him with an 11th-hour policy shift on Israel accompanied by 'disdain and disrespect' for the Jewish state

'STAY STRONG': Trump defended Israel in a series of pointed tweets, saying the ally 'used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore'

Obama also threw a thinly veiled hardball at Trump on Tuesday, saying at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that 'even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward, we must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.'

Trump jabbed back on Twitter.

'Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks,' he wrote. 'Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!'

With that single tweet, the president-elect stirred up new tensions between Obama and himself, and brought back a piece of 1990s teen slang  adding 'NOT!' to the end of the sentence.

In a pair of followup tweets, Trump made it clear that he was talking about last Friday's United Nations Security Council vote.

Obama, shown with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) on Tuesday at the site of the Pearl Harbor attack, lobbed an attack at Trump by warning against 'tribalism'

'We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect,' Trump wrote.

'They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but 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!' he boomed.
The $360 million haul is the largest cocaine

Another 600 kilogram cocaine shipment was intercepted off Tahiti in March

The cocaine was allegedly smuggled from Chile on a Sydney fishing trawler

A 'sophisticated drug syndicate' involving a former NRL player has been dismantled after a two-year investigation led to police seizing more than a tonne of cocaine destined for Australia.

A group of 15 men were arrested over the last three days after police executed search warrants the fishing trawler Dalrymple as it docked near the Sydney Fish Markets and found a $15 million haul of cocaine on a boat north of Sydney on Christmas night.

Officers seized 500 kilograms of cocaine wrapped in plastic and labelled with Armani branding from the inflatable boat as it approached a dock in Parsley Bay, which police allege had been smuggled from Chile on the commercial fishing vessel.

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Police seized a $15 million haul of cocaine from an inflatable boat on Christmas Day

Former eastern suburbs cafe owner Darren Mohr, (pictured) who used to own a Bondi Rescue HQ cafe run by lifesavers, was among the 15 men police allege were involved in the syndicate

Former Sydney Roosters player John Tobin, 57, was also arrested for his alleged involvement

Former Sydney Roosters player John Tobin, 57, and Darren Mohr, who owned Bondi Rescue HQ cafe were among those arrested between December 25 and 28, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The men have been charged with importing and attempting to import a border-controlled drug, with police claiming they foiled two other shipments before they reached Australian shores.

The group were allegedly involved in trying to import five shipments of cocaine and heroin from South America, including 606 kilograms of cocaine worth $197 million intercepted by the French Navy in Tahiti in March.

The 1.1 tonne seizure is the largest in Australian history, according to police.

A 32 kilogram haul of heroin police believe the men were trying to ship to Australia was also seized in Fiji in December, 2014.

Police made several arrests after executing a search warrant on the fishing trawler Dalrymple

Stuart Ayrton (left) and Reuben John Dawe (right) were arrested during the Christmas raids

Police said the raids were linked to the discovery of 500 kilograms of cocaine from an inflatable boat in Brooklyn

The cocaine was wrapped in plastic and labelled with Armani branding (pictured)

Police said the 'robust syndicate' had gone to great lengths to avoid detection, but had been under police investigation for two and a half years.

Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Jenkins said he was confident the group had been dismantled from 'top to bottom'.

'We know that we have seized 500 kilograms on Christmas night and 600 kilograms in Tahiti - that is 1.1 tonnes of cocaine,' Mr Jenkins said.

'It is a significant hit for the criminal group we have arrested as a part of this. It has taken them completely out of business.'

'We are confident we have gone from the top to the bottom. The entire group has been taken out,' he added.

A plain-clothed officer carried a duffle bag from the boat $15 million worth of cocaine was found on

Police said the cocaine imported by the syndicate is worth around $360 million

Armed police officers guard the haul of cocaine which has been dubbed one of the largest drug busts in the nation's history

Mr Jenkins said the ' brazen and selfish' group were highly organised and included a number of 'well connected' business men.

'They were determined to exploit some of the most vulnerable people in the community through the use of drugs and enrich themselves by doing so,' he said on Thursday.

Mohr, a successful businessman, was pictured in handcuffs being led by two plain-clothed officers following his arrest on Tuesday in Rose Bay.

Lifeguards from the famed reality television show Bondi Rescue helped run Mohr's cafe and were heavily involved with its promotion.

Mohr has documented his life of luxury online, with his social media accounts featuring pictures laying on beaches in Thailand and donning designer suits at prestigious yacht clubs during the Grand Prix in Monaco.

Thirteen other men, aged between 29 and 63, have also been charged following their arrests in Sydney, Brisbane, Ulladulla and Hobart between December 25 and December 28.

Mohr (pictured left) has used his social media accounts to document his life of luxury

The businessman posted an image in a Tom Ford suit from Randwick Racecourse in Sydney

Mohr shared glimpses of his luxurious lifestyle including an image of a gold watch from the Gold Coast (left) and most recently a picture of a matte Harley Davidson (right)

Mr Tobin, 57, played lock forward for the Sydney Roosters in the 1970s and 80s

Mohr (middle) was taken into custody and has been charged with importing a prohibited drug

Sydney men Stuart Ayrton, 54, Reuben John Dawe, 41, Jonathan Paul Cooper, 29, and Simon Peter Spero, 56, were refused bail when they appeared in court on Boxing Day after reportedly spending the remainder of their Christmas behind bars in Surry Hills.

Frank DAgastino, Benjamin Allan Sara and Mohr were denied bail in Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday, while Robert Lipton and Joseph Pirrello, 63, had their cases mentioned in Parramatta Bail Court on Tuesday, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Of the 11 men arrested in Sydney, three were taken into custody with the discovery of the cocaine in Parsley Bay.

A further eight were arrested from the Sydney suburbs of Zetland, Double Bay, Kingsford, and Greenacre.

A man from Hobart and another from Brisbane were extradited to New South Wales following their interstate arrests on Tuesday, while a further two men were arrested in Ulladulla on the south coast of New South Wales on Wednesday.

Police said the Christmas Day raids were the culmination of a two-year investigation which was reportedly launched after officers from the NSW Drug Squad were fed 'just a thread of information' about the international drug smuggling operation.

A group of men had their hands cable tied behind their backs as police executed a search warrant

A man matching Ayrton's description is led from the boat on Christmas Day following raids

Two men can be seen with their hands tied behind their backs, one dressed in crocodile-print boxers

An image released by authorities showing the arrest of one of the 15 accused men

Footage of the coordinated Christmas Day raids show officers clad in black pouncing on two different boats.

A group of men can be seen with their hands cable tied behind their backs, one in crocodile-print boxers, as police execute a search warrant on Dalrymple.

They were later handcuffed and escorted from the boat to police holding cells.

This took place as large duffle bags containing vital evidence were seen being taken from the small inflatable boat in Brooklyn by plain-clothed officers.

The men have all been denied bail and are due to re-appear in court in March.

The arrests come after a two and a half year investigation by the NSW Police Drug Squad and Australian Federal Police

Authorities lead the accused drug traffickers away following the raid on Christmas Day

Footage released by police show a group of men being arrested on-board Sydney Fish Market-based fishing trawler, Dalrymple
A three-year-old girl is fighting for her life after she was thrown from a vehicle in a horrific crash that claimed the life of her mother.

Jana Bailey, 24, was killed after the vehicle she was travelling in careered off the road in Gilgandra in the central west region of NSW about 2.50pm on Tuesday.

Her 26-year-old partner, Chris Riley, was behind the wheel when he allegedly lost control of the Toyota Hilux.

The couple and her little daughter Nevaeh Bailey were all ejected from the vehicle.

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Mother Jana Bailey, 24, (pictured) was killed after the vehicle she was travelling left the road

Family and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to the young mother

The family were heading home after spending the day shopping and visiting relatives when tragedy struck on East Coonamble Road, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The woman was taken to Gilgandra Hospital where she died a short time later.

The little girl was airlifted to Westmead Children's Hospital in a serious but stable condition where she remains in an induced coma.

The driver was also airlifted to Westmead Hospital for treatment.

His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Family and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to the young mother.

The Toyota Hilux flipped on East Coonamble Road (pictured) on Tuesday afternoon

The Toyota Hilux left the road in Gilgandra in the central west region of New South Wales

'Rest in peace Jana Bailey,' a friend posted on Facebook.

'[You] will be miss by all the world lost a loving mother a great and caring friend is lost for words [sic].

'A caring mother should never been taken away from her family n friend n baby girl you will never be forgotten always loved in the heart of your family n friends [sic].'

Another friend said: 'Thinking of you all. R.I.P Jana Bailey forever in our hearts babe.'

Police from Chifley Crash Investigation Unit have commenced an investigation into the incident.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.
In the winter, South Florida becomes a haven for Northeasterners fleeing the snow, but visitors to Biscayne National Park might think twice before jumping in the water after seeing these photos.

Last month, a kayaker taking in the coastal scenery in the park spotted a nine-foot-long Burmese python sunning itself on a research platform about a half-mile off the beach.

The incident marked the first time that a python has been spotted in the park. A day after it was spotted, it was captured by a local snake wrangler.

A nine-foot-long Burmese python was spotted wrapped around a research post off the coast of Florida last month

The python was the first ever spotted in Biscayne National Park - a popular tourist destination

Now that one python has been spotted in the park, it raises questions about whether these snakes will invade coastal islands inhabited by nesting birds

It's a sobering reminder that such species can swim, and that it's only a matter of time before they invade the small islands off the coast of south Florida, which have long been a haven for nesting birds and mating turtles.

'Its another raising of the notch in the war against pythons,' University of Florida wildlife biologist Frank Mazzotti told the Miami Herald.

The Burmese python population has been growing out of control since around 2000. The species is not native to Florida, but has found a home there thanks to people who release their pets into the wild.

Above, the research vessel where the python was spotted last month. A day after it was spotted by a kayaker, the snake was captured

While there are programs in place to hunt these snakes, attempts to control their population have been failing as of late.

In September, it was reported that they are now breeding in the Florida Keys.

The threat that the snake spotted in Biscayne Bay presents is to the small islands off the coast of Florida.

Since pythons can swim, they have the ability to reach these small islands which each year attract nesting birds that could become sitting ducks for the snakes.

While the snake's discovery in the bay is disturbing, experts don't want it to scare humans out of the waters.

'We dont want people to think Biscayne Bay is teeming with pythons ready to chomp on people in the water,' biologist Vanessa McDonough said. 'We dont want people afraid of the water.'
Heartless thieves have ruined Christmas for a 20-year-old woman after they took off with her beloved horse 'Magic' in the middle of the night.

Bree Irvine woke on Christmas Eve to discover her horse had been taken from the La Perouse pony club, in Sydney's south-east, and has been trying to find him ever since.

The distraught young woman has started a social media campaign to find Magic who she describes as her 'best friend and her absolute universe'.

Bree Irvine, right, has been left heartbroken after her 'best friend', a horse called Magic, was stolen from a paddock in Sydney's east

Miss Irvine has started an online campaign to find the horse after it was taken on Christmas Eve

The young horse lover has owned Magic for six years and trained him to trust humans

'This is so much more than a stolen horse. This is about a young girl who has been completely heartbroken,' a post to find magic read.

'(It is about) a mother and father who are trying to hold it together for her whilst in so much pain themselves, friends uniting to do anything they can to help, a group of kids with a passion now too scared to leave their precious horses at a place they should be safe.'

The young gelding is described as being black and brown, with a white lightning bolt shaped marking on his head.

Miss Irvine had owned Magic for six years after a family friend bought it for her at an auction.

The young woman says the horse is her 'universe' and she needs him home unharmed

The horse is described as being 15 hands high, black and brown with a white mark on his head

'Magic is the ultimate horse! He can jump, event, sport, campdraught, swim at the beach, let you stand on his back and bunny hop onto him,' she said

'For the first few months to a year Magic absolutely hated the world and his lack of training made him difficult to handle,' she recalled.

'He had gone from bucking me off everyday to catching me every time I went to fall.

'Magic is the ultimate horse! He can jump, event, sport, campdraught, swim at the beach, let you stand on his back and bunny hop onto him.'

The young woman has even offered the bandits responsible for taking 'Magic' they will not be in trouble if they give him back to her.

'Please if you anonymously tip us off as to where he is, no questions asked, we will go get him and no further action will be taken,' she said.

The young woman rides the horse in competitions and has trained him for years

She was given the horse when she was a young teenager - by a family friend who knew she loved horses

'I'm begging you I just want my horse! If you feel any remorse we are offering you an easy way out.'

Magic has been missing for four days but the young woman is determined to find him and bring him home.

'Magic is my best friend and my absolute universe. I just want my baby home unharmed,' she said.

'He would run after me all day turning left and right wherever I went! This horse would follow me to the moon if I asked him too,' she said.

The Irvine family have been in contact with the police, neighbours and the horse community and say they will find Magic  that it is a case of 'when' rather than 'if'.

They have started a hashtag #findmagic to help share information about the missing horse  as well as photos so he can be identified.

The young woman spent Christmas Day looking for her beloved horse
Sheriff's department says Denman and Love knew each other years ago when they lived in New York

Officials say the 14-year-old girl and her mother were

A 47-year-old Ohio man has been arrested and charged with murdering a woman and keeping her 14-year-old daughter tied up for two days in their North Carolina home.

Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell told local media outlets Tuesday the two were violently assaulted in what he described as a 'demonic' crime.

Gary Love, of Wadsworth, Ohio, is facing a murder charge and is being held without bond. He is due back in court January 3.

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Gary Love, 47 (left), has been charged with murder in the slaying of 46-year-old Robin Denman (seen right). Her body was found in her North Carolina home after her daughter called or help

Officers who were sent to Robin Denman's home in the 700 block of Cool Springs Road (pictured) were met at the door by Love, who told them the mother and daughter were at a funeral

Deputies found 46-year-old Robin Denman dead Monday morning after her 14-year-old daughter texted a friend for help.

The friend, 13-year-old Savannah Evans, shared with Channel 9 the desperate message that she received from the victim the morning after Christmas, which read: '...call 911 me and my mom need help FAST!!'

Desperate plea: Denman's daughter managed to send this text message to her friend, asking her to call 911 for help

The message was sent at around 5.30am, but Evans only saw it two hours later. She apologized for the delayed response, explaining to the alleged victim that she was asleep.

Immediately upon receiving the text, the 13-year-old girl and her grandmother contacted the sheriff's department asking to perform a welfare check at Robin Denman's home in the 700 block of Cool Springs Road.

Officers who were dispatched to the residence were met at the door by Gary Love, who told them that Denman and her daughter were at a funeral; he then fled out the back door but was arrested soon afterward.

Denman's daughter told deputies she had been tied up since Christmas Eve and did not know the whereabouts of her mother. The woman's lifeless body was later discovered in a back room.

Authorities are awaiting autopsy results to determine how Robin Denman died.

Her teenage daughter was treated at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and is staying with relatives. Following her dramatic rescue, the 14-year-old sent her friend another message that read 'You're a lifesaver.'

An official with the Iredell County Sheriff's Department revealed to the Daily Mail on Wednesday that the 14-year-old girl managed to text her friend for help after Gary Love fell asleep early Monday and she was able to get a hold of her cell phone.

The teen has not been named. The Daily Mail is not identifying the girl because it is believed that she has been raped and authorities say they expect to charge Love with multiple counts of sexual abuse.

Denman, a mother of three, knew Love years ago when they lived in New York. About three months ago, he arrived in North Carolina and the victim had allowed him to stay on her couch

More charges: Officials expect to charge Love with sexual crimes because he is believed to have violently assaulted the mother and daughter

Campbell says Love has been in North Carolina for about three months. He and Denman knew each other years ago when they lived in New York, and the mother-of-three apparently let him stay on her couch, reported the Statesville Record and Landmark.
But 300 of the island's 1,500 inhabitants have signed a petition against it

It was Princess Diana's piece of paradise but since her death the luxury K Club resort on Barbuda island has become a sore subject for locals.

It has lain derelict for 12 years on a stunning stretch of white sand at Coco Point in Barbuda - Antigua's smaller, lesser-known neighbour, in the eastern Caribbean.

But in November 2014 plans for a 204 million mega-resort on the idyllic spot were unveiled by Hollywood star Robert De Niro and Australian billionaire James Packer.

In 2015, local people voted to support the plans. Under Barbudan law, the island's land is owned in common by the people - giving them the right to decide.

Princess Diana's favourite holiday spot looked set for a revival.

Princess Diana and Victoria Mendham are pictured here on holiday in Barbuda in 1996

The K Club resort in Barbuda, pictured here in 1995, closed down in 2004 but now Robert De Niro and James Packer have proposed a multi-million dollar redevelopment

However, some voiced their disapproval of the lavish plans and now that movement has grown.

Mackenzie Frank, who is leading a protest group against the development, in March 2014 sought a judicial review to quash the outcome of the ballot held at the village meeting.

Court documents, seen by MailOnline, show his concerns were centred on people not 'being provided with details of the proposal'. Without the full details, he suggested, there could be no informed consent by the people.

His appeal was denied by the High Court and the government responded by passing the 'Paradise Found Bill'.

Residents claimed the new legislation, which was passed with a small majority, will affect the rights of an elected council to consider other developments.

Robert De Niro said he has been visiting Antigua and Barbuda since his early twenties

Princess Diana visited the eastern Caribbean island with her family in 1996

Now it's emerged more than 300 of the island's 1,500 residents have signed a petition in a bid to block the development.

Mr Frank told the Daily Telegraph: 'No one objects to the K Club being re-opened, but they want so much extra land. There are an awful lot of issues at stake.'

Criticising the government's amendment of the Barbuda Land Act, to change the maximum number of years that a lease can be granted from 50 to 99, he told the Antigua Observer in July: 'I feel it is a travesty, a very serious travesty of justice, because the people of Barbuda for over 100 years at least since 1904 have enjoyed the rights to the land over here.

'Because a law was actually put into force, it was called the 1901 ordinance and they amended it in 1904. Over 100 years ago the people of Barbuda got specific rights to residential, to cultivation and to raising lands here in Barbuda.'

De Niro and Packer's luxury resort will include 50 villas and cottages, each with a private pool

De Niro and Packer are reportedly asking for an extra 300 acres surrounding the site to develop the Paradise Found resort over 10 years.

The resort will feature 50 villas and cottages, each with a private pool.

There are also plans to build six overwater villas, a jetty with a dock for resort arrivals on Princess Diana Beach and individual docks at the end of each villa.

Meanwhile, it wouldn't be a Packer resort without a casino there will reportedly be one built as part of the main complex.

At a press conference in Barbuda, Robert De Niro said: 'I have been coming to Antigua and Barbuda since I was in my early twenties. It's about the location and the people.'

He thanked the Prime Minister for his help and said he hoped he could make the resort 'very, very special'.

'Thats why we have to curate it and make sure it's done in the right way. I wouldnt do it if I didnt feel thats the only way it can be done, and that I have input to make it happen that way,' De Niro said.

'Its the classic struggle between what it's going to cost, how long it will take and then the aesthetic, which has to at the end of the day be the most important element in order for people to feel that this is special and they want to visit. The people of Barbuda are special and I am very optimistic about this whole project.'
Britain is struggling to cope with an increasingly aggressive Russian navy, military experts have warned.

Russian submarines are exploiting a strategic 'choke point' in the North Atlantic  close to the UK's territorial waters.

It has raised fears that Russian forces could be seeking vital national security information about the strength of Britain's defence system, including our Trident nuclear deterrent.

The area of ocean  between Greenland, Iceland and the UK and known as the GIUK gap  was a key territory during the Cold War as USSR submarines tried to escape Western surveillance to enter the Atlantic.

Now Vladimir Putin is bolstering Russia's naval power the GIUK gap has once again seen a growing number of incidents involving submarines, according to figures collated by the i newspaper revealed today.

Russian submarines are exploiting a strategic 'choke point' in the North Atlantic  close to the UK's territorial waters, raising fears that Russian forces could be seeking vital national security information about the strength of Britain's defence system, including our Trident nuclear deterrent

Eight of the ten known incidents between 2005 and 2015 have occurred in the last three years.

A further case was reported in October when the Royal Navy tracked up to three Russian submarines sailing with a convoy headed for Syria as they passed through the Irish Sea.

In October the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond had to escort a bulk of Russian navy warships through the English Channel.

President Putin had ordered the fleet to travel within sight of the English coast as a show of force as the ships made their way to the eastern Mediterranean to bolster the Syrian bombing campaign.

The fleet was led by the 55,000-ton aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the Stary Oskol Kilo class hunter killer submarine to protect the carrier.

Military experts warned that the increasing muscular activity from the Russian navy poses a direct threat to Britain's defences.

The Royal Navy has already been scrambled off the Scottish coast to probe suspicious activity, amid fears that a Russian submarine was attempting to track one of Britain's four Vanguard class of submarines.

Dr Andrew Foxall, an expert on Russia from the Henry Jackson Society think tank, warned that if Russia obtains the acoustic signature made by one of the Vanguard submarines they could be able to track and sink one of the Trident-carrying boats before they could launch their missiles.

The area of ocean  between Greenland, Iceland and the UK and known as the GIUK gap  was a key territory during the Cold War as USSR submarines tried to escape Western surveillance to enter the Atlantic. Now Vladimir Putin, pictured, is bolstering Russia's naval power the GIUK gap has once again seen a growing number of incidents involving submarines, according to figures collated by the i newspaper revealed today

In October the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond had to escort a bulk of Russian navy warships through the English Channel

The fleet was led by the 55,000-ton aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, pictured

The Stary Oskol Kilo class hunter killer submarine was sent in the fleet to protect the the 55,000-ton aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

He said: 'Russia has been able to gain valuable information about the chain of command, and preparedness of elements within the UK defence system. Russia's submarines, which lurk off naval bases in Scotland, seek even more sensitive information - the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines. If Russia were able to obtain a recording of the signature, it would have serious implications for the UK's nuclear deterrent - Russia would be able to track Vanguards and potentially sink them before they could launch their missiles.'

Dr Foxall added there was a 'growing realisation' among Nato countries that 'there needs to be a more robust response'.
Anne-Christine Johnson (pictured) has been missing since December 8. Her family say she had a 'petite, skinny' frame despite giving birth to two children

Police in Texas have questioned the ex-husband of Anne-Christine Johnson, a mother-of-two who has been missing for nearly three weeks, after court documents revealed he had allegedly been repeatedly threatening her with violence.

The 30-year-old has not been seen since December 8 when she reportedly went to the home of her ex-husband, 32-year-old Shaun Hardy, who is now considered a 'person of interest'.

Detectives in League City say they are 'actively and vigorously following any and all leads'.

Last week they said: 'Our primary goal is to get Anne-Christine safely home with her family as soon as possible. Hand in hand with that goal is determining who is responsible for Anne-Christine's disappearance and holding that person(s) accountable. '

They asked people who had contact with Anne-Christine on social media before or around December 8 to get in touch with them.

But now they appear to be convinced that Anne-Christine has come to some harm and are zeroing in on Hardy, who was involved in a custody dispute with her over their child.

League City Police Department spokesman Kelly Williamson told the Huffington Post: 'You have a contentious couple in a volatile relationship, sharing custody of a child, and he was the last person to report seeing her.

'The totality of those circumstances is what makes him a person of interest.'

Anne-Christine's mother, Stephanie Johnson, recently told KPRC 2 News in nearby Houston she was 'slowly dying inside'.

Hardy reportedly told police his ex-wife left his home alive and was driven off by in a white sedan by a mystery man.

Brett Johnson has started a Facebook page in a bid to find his sister Anne-Christine and he posted this picture on it, adding: '(This is) my favorite picture of us I've kept through the years'

But he has now hired an attorney, who has refused to agree a second face-to-face police interview.

The couple divorced in April 2015 and she was awarded custody of their five-year-old autistic son. Anne-Christine also has an eight-year-old son from an earlier relationship.

Her mother told reporters: 'She would never leave a five-year-old autistic kid. All he wanted to do is be with his mommy.'

The Houston Chronicle said Anne-Christine had filed documents in court in support of a protective order, in which she said: 'Shaun Philip Hardy's violent behavior against me has gotten so bad that he has assaulted me with a shotgun, threatened me with a knife, and choked me.

'I am afraid that without this protective order, Shaun Philip Hardy will continue to hurt me or even kill me in the future.'

Hardy himself reportedly filed for a protective order against her, claiming she had 'engaged in conduct that constitutes family violence'.
A naked man who was running alongside a busy highway in Tampa died shortly after he was taken to the hospital early Wednesday morning.

The man, who has not been identified, was spotted running along the Dale Marby Highway and jumping on cars around 5.30am.

At one point the man banged his head on a car's windshield so hard that he began to bleed, cracking the glass and leaving behind smears of blood.

A man who was running naked alongside a busy highway in Tampa early Wednesday morning and banged his head against the windshield of this car died shortly after being hospitalized

At one point the man banged his head on this car's windshield so hard that he began to bleed, cracking the glass and leaving behind smears of blood

Officers at the scene said the man struggled with police and continued to thrash and kick as they took him into custody, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The man then suffered a medical episode in the car as he was taken to the hospital.

Tampa police spokesman Stephen Hegarty told Daily Mail Online the department could not yet specify what the medical episode was or if it was caused by drugs.

The man was pronounced dead not long after arriving at the hospital. His exact cause of death is not yet known.

'It is a bizarre situation', Hegarty told Bay News 9. 'He was behaving as if on a mind altering drug possibly.'

'He was a danger to people driving down the road and also a danger to himself,' Hegarty added.

Authorities shut down southbound lanes of Dale Marby, which were reopened after 9am.

The man, who has not been identified, was spotted running along the Dale Marby Highway (pictured) and jumping on cars around 5.30am
Twice as many Danish minors as expected have revealed their desire to change gender in 2016, it has been claimed.

A clinic in Copenhagen has been offering hormone treatment to young people who feel they were born in the wrong body, with the initiative starting in January.

About 50 minors were expected to take up on the treatment at the Sexology Clinic in 2016.

But that number was reached in July and the annual figure was adjusted to 130, according the the Ritzau news agency.

Twice as many Danish minors as expected have revealed their desire to change gender in 2016, it has been claimed. Copenhagen is pictured above

Linda Thor Pedersen, a spokesperson for LGBT Danmark, which represents gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the country, told the agency: 'The large number of requests in the Nordic countries is because we have been very late in starting treatment.

'Many more children can now get help to clarify whether they want treatment and receive the treatment at a time when puberty hasn't yet harmed them.

According to The Local, children as young as 12 are able to use hormone suppressors.

At 16, minors can then receive full hormone treatment, the website reports.

clinic in Copenhagen has been offering hormone treatment to young people who feel they were born in the wrong body with the initiative starting in January (file picture)

In May, it emerged that Denmark was preparing to change the law so that being transgender would no longer be considered a mental disorder.

Flemming Moeller Mortensen, deputy chairman of Parliament's Health Committee, said all nine parties in the assembly had to agree to change the law by January 1 next year.

The agreement cleared the way for the government to submit a formal proposal to change the Health Ministry's guidelines.

Moeller Mortensen said Denmark has lost patience with the World Health Organisation, which has come under pressure to stop classifying transgender identity as mental disorder in its clinical guidelines.

He said Denmark will go it alone because it 'wants to be front-runner like when we became the first country in the world to recognize same-sex partnership' in 1989.




Russia is promising retaliation against an 'orchestrated campaign' of disinformation by the United States if allegations of election-year political hacking lead the Obama administration to level new economic sanctions.

'To be honest, we are tired of [the] lie about the "Russian hackers," which is being poured down in the United States from the very top,' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

Zakharova also called reports of possible new sanctions a 'provocation directed by the White House,' suggesting that Moscow will respond.

Obama's State Department could be just days away from announcing a set of sanctions designed to punish Russia and its president,Vladimir Putin, for meddling in America's November election.

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President Barack Obama (left) is poised to issue new sanctions against Russia and Vladimir Putin (right) in response to Moscow's alleged involvement in election-year U.S. hacking

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (speaking) said Wednesday that sanctions would impact Putin 'as an individual'

Citing unnamed sources, The Washington Post reported Tuesday that a package of consequences could include economic sanctions, 'diplomatic censure' and a new round of retaliatory cyber operations targeting Russia.

During a press briefing, Zakharova laid into the U.S. and questioned both the Obama administration's truthfulness and its motives.

'The biggest accusation is that Russia allegedly launched cyber attacks at the US information space with a view to interfering in US internal affairs, in particular, the election system,' she said.

'Russia is being presented as a monster that is ready to encroach on the holy of the Western holies  its democratic principles. Of course, these allegations have not been supported by any facts.'

'You probably remember that we appealed to the United States to produce evidence of this at our briefings, in the Foreign Ministrys comments and in statements made by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and interviews he gave. We asked for at least something, even the smallest facts. We did this publicly and during bilateral talks,' Zakharova argued.

'You can ask our American colleagues how often Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has asked US Secretary of State John Kerry for this evidence. In response, we heard nothing but another helping of nonsense and accusations. It was an orchestrated campaign; nothing was left to chance.'

The outgoing Obama administration is focused on making sure incoming president Donald Trump can't easily roll back new sanctions against Russia and Putin

Meanwhile, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned during a trip to Latvia that Congress will back any plan to level penalties at Russia.

'You can expect that the Congress will investigate the Russian involvement in our elections and there will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual,' Graham said.

Russian officials have denied accusations of interference in the election, but the Obama White House has accused Putin of orchestrating a series of hacks that exposed embarrassing secrets of the Democratic national Committee and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

Graham also said that 'Russia is trying to break the back of democracies all around the world,'

'It is now time for Russia to understand  enough is enough,' he added.

The Post reported that the White House's plan involves revising a widely heralded 2015 executive order designed to give Obama the power to respond to cyber attacks focused on affecting the U.S. economy or its national security.

Hacking that Obama blames on Putin plumbed computers linked with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, and plundered emails belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta (background, center)

Sanctions could include a freeze on money and other assets located in the United States, and a ban on targeted individuals from using America's banking system.

But that measure had no provision for pushing back against election interference via computer.

Obama has pledged to take some kind of retaliatory action, but Putin's government has denied involvement in the election-year hacking.

White House insiders want Obama to put the new rules in place as soon as possible so he can flex U.S. muscles before he leaves office.

The White House is also working to ensure that incoming president Donald Trump won't find it easy to reverse what it does in the Obama administration's final three weeks.

'Part of the goal here is to make sure that we have as much of the record public or communicated to Congress in a form that would be difficult to simply walk back,' an unnamed senior administration official told the Post.
The baby did not get injured and police officers had 'educated' the father

Police said the man had become enraged after his wife

A Chinese man who was enraged after a quarrel with his wife threw himself at an oncoming car while holding his infant son to release his anger, according to Chinese media.

The incident reportedly took place in Xiamen, south-east China, and was captured by the car's dashboard camera.

It was unclear how old the baby is, but police confirmed that he did not get injured during the incident.

Shocking: A Chinese father carried his infant son deliberately ran into a car in Fujian Province

Angry: Police said the man had been enraged by his wife after a quarrel with her

In the video, the man can be seen running across a busy road before deliberately crashing into a car.

He was holding a baby in his arms as he dashed towards the oncoming vehicle.

The man said: 'Are you still recording? Delete it for me right now.'

Another voice, thought to come from the driver, said: 'Why did you hit? I will call the police.'

According to the footage, the incident occurred at 7:43pm on December 22.

At all costs: Feeling furious, he decided to carry their son and threw himself at a car

The video has been posted by major Chinese news websites, including QQ.com and The Paper.

When the video first emerged, web users thought the man was trying to fake an accident - a normal practice carried out by con men in China in order to receive compensation.

However, police officers from Xiamen Public Security Bureau said that the man had become angry after a quarrel with his wife, according to The Paper.

The police said the baby was the man's own child and he did not get injured.

They also said because there had been no severe consequences, they had verbally 'educated' the father before releasing him.

It remains unclear whether or not the motorists in the car had been involved in the quarrel.
It's the world's coolest bike race with the thermometer showing a numbing temperature of minus 40C.

This contest was held in Yakutsk, eastern Russia, which prides itself on being the coldest city in the world.

Riders took unusual precautions in the sub-Arctic conditions, like covering their saddles with fur, and using knee pads made form camel wool.

Some 20 participants diced with frostbite and pedalled over the ice in a city park, the third year in which the midwinter race has been held.

Cyclists braved the sub-Arctic conditions in Yakutsk, eastern Russia, to compete

The competition is known as the world's coolest bike race and is colder than any other

Some of the riders still managed to smile despite their eyelashes being frozen

Winner Andrey Popov completed the race in a time of 25 minutes 24 seconds, the second time he has won .

'You have to dress really well ahead of the race, otherwise cold and wind will turn you into an ice cube in no time,' he said.

Ahead of the event, he had advised other contestants to practice biking in the deep Siberian winter, so they were not too shocked on the big day.

He told them to 'get good studded wheels and make sure you have a test run at the same temperature as on the race day, otherwise the tyres might explode', according to The Siberian Times.

The riders wrapped up as they took on the gruelling ride across the snow covered streets

One rider wore a Santa hat to brighten up the mood and stand out in the snow

The race was organised by Yakutsk Federation of Bicycle Sport

Winner Andrey Popov completed the race in a time of 25 minutes 24 seconds, the second time he has won

Women competed on a 3.8 kilometre course, with Maria Sokolnikova winning in 15 minutes, 48 seconds.

This year the race was organised by Yakutsk Federation of Bicycle Sport and supported by the city's park administration.

Yakutsk has a population of 282,000 and is the capital of a vast diamond-producing region called the Sakha Republic, the largest constituent of the Russian Federation.

Built on permafrost astride the Lena River, its average annual temperature is minus 10.2C.

In Soviet times, it was a key region for Stalin's notorious gulag labour camps.

You have to dress really well ahead of the race, otherwise cold and wind will turn you into an ice cube in no time,' winner Popov said
Theresa May lacks the courage to admit the difficulties of leaving the EU, the head of the senior civil servants' union has claimed.

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said the failure by the Prime Minister and other top ministers to talk openly about the complexity and size of the challenge ahead could bring Whitehall to breaking point.

He slammed ministers for allowing the politics of Brexit take precedence over practicalities.

Theresa May, pictured, lacks the courage to admit the difficulties of leaving the EU, the head of the senior civil servants' union Dave Penman has claimed

'The politics around Brexit are the biggest risk to Brexit,' the Guardian reported as saying.

The government is clearly in a situation where they are trying to deny the complexity of it,' he said in a damning critique of the Government's approach to Brexit.

Mr Penman, in charge of representing 19,000 civil servants who will be at the forefront of Britain's exit from the EU, accused Mrs May and others of failing to make any key decisions on which priorities they want to achieve in the upcoming Brexit negotiations.

He said compromises will have to be made and also demanded departments be given more resources.

He pointed out that the only ones that had been given any extra funding for Brexit preparations were International Trade department and the Brexit department itself  both established by Mrs May in the wake of June's vote to leave the EU.

Last week Lord O'Donnell, pictured, who served under Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the Coalition under David Cameron, said Brexit was the toughest challenge any Prime Minister had ever faced in his memory

Mr Penman said: 'The civil service is either going to have to be given more resources to deal with Brexit and its usual work or it will have to change its priorities. And government doesn't want to admit to either,' he said.

'Ministers don't want to admit that this work and the choices are complex because it doesn't play well politically and they don't want to make hard choices around priorities. But something has got to give.'

Civil servants are expecting Mrs May to trigger Article 50  the formal mechanism for leaving the EU - by the end of March.

He criticised the tendency for Number 10 to slap down any former senior civil servants or ex-Cabinet secretaries who had warned of the scale of the challenge ahead.

Last week Lord O'Donnell, who served under Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the Coalition under David Cameron, said Brexit was the toughest challenge any Prime Minister had ever faced in his memory.

Mr Penman said: 'It is pure politics that is defining the Brexit debate and forcing May to say this is not a big, difficult job, and it is all in hand. Ministers lack the political courage to admit how complex and time-consuming this will be.

'When anyone pops their head above the parapet  former permanent secretaries, ex-cabinet secretaries, the Institute for Government  and says this is going to take a long time and its complex, they are immediately shot down and accused of betraying the will of the people.'

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: 'The Civil Service is fully focused on delivering the Government's commitment to leave the EU and get the very best deal for the UK.

'We are equipping ourselves with the right people and the right skills across government to make this happen.'
A record 55,000 migrants left Germany voluntarily this year, which is more than twice the figure deported by the authorities.

The data released by the country's Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), showed that most of the migrants went back to the Western Balkans.

More than a million migrants entered Germany in 2015, and this year the country deported 25,000 people.

A record 55,000 migrants left Germany voluntarily this year, which is more than twice the figure deported by the authorities (file photo)

Around 15,000 of those who left on their own accord returned to Albania and 3,200 to Afghanistan.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to take a harder line on migrants after her open-door policy was slammed by critics, and this year Germany refused entry to 20,000 at its external borders, according to Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ).

A new 150m programme is to be launched in the New Year to help them reintegrate in their home countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania, SZ reports.

The largest groups seeking asylum in Germany this year were Syrians, making up 38 percent of the migrant population.

Germany has been rocked by terror this year, heaping pressure on chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door immigration policy.

A bloody week of violence that rocked Germany began on July 18 when Pakistani teenager Riaz Khan Ahmadzai, 17, posing as an Afghan refugee, hacked at passengers on a train in Wurzburg with an axe, wounding five.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears to have a lot on her mind as she awaits the arrival of EU Council President Donald Tusk outside the Federal chancellery for talks in the wake of the Brexit vote, in Berlin, Germany

He was shot dead by police.

Four days later mentally unstable German-Iranian teenager Ali Sonboly shot nine people dead during a rampage through a shopping centre in Munich before taking his own life.

Sonboly claimed he was taking revenge for being bullied at school with no political motive to the murderous rampage.

Earlier that month, a suspected ISIS airport bomb plotter hanged himself in a German prison after being arrested following a manhunt.

Syrian national Jaber al-Bakr, 22, was found hanged in his cell in Leipzig, eastern Germany on Wednesday evening - having reportedly used his own t-shirt - and was taken away overnight.

He was detained on Sunday after three days on the run following a tip-off that he may have been looking to team up with associates in Leipzig.

Al-Bakr 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.

Chemnitz was on lockdown for hours when police raided his flat but failed to seize him before he was captured by fellow Syrian nationals who tied him up and handed him over to the authorities.

And on Monday, December 19, Tunisian ISIS fanatic Anis Amri hijacked a 35-tonne truck and ploughed it into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.
The former music teacher of Amy Winehouse and Jessie J has backed Theresa May's move to open new grammar schools.

Adrian Packer said he supported her move to lift the 18-year ban on new selective schools as long as they operated a 'progressive' selection process rather than a 'once-in-a-lifetime test'.

And he said the selective schools must include 'creative' and 'technical' grammars that will select pupils on the basis of their talents rather than purely their academic abilities.

Adrian Packer, pictured second left, said he supported her move to lift the 18-year ban on new selective schools as long as they operated a 'progressive' selection process rather than a 'once-in-a-lifetime test'

The backing of Mr Packer, who is now head of the academy chain at the centre of Birmingham's Trojan Horse scandal and was artistic director of the Croydon performing arts college Brit, which taught the likes of pop stars Amy Winehouse and Jessie J, is a major boost for Mrs May's hopes of building public support for grammar schools.

The Prime Minister faces a tough task of winning parliamentary approval for her plans but hopes that allowing selection at different ages up to 16, as well as strict conditions on schools that select pupils, will win over Tory sceptics in the Commons.

A two-month consultation on her plans closed this month and Education Secretary Justine Greenins is drawing up draft legislation for next year.

Writing in The Times today, Mr Packer said: 'I envisage a system in which these types of schools become a new kind of grammar: a creative grammar school.

The backing of Mr Packer, who is now head of the academy chain at the centre of Birmingham's Trojan Horse scandal and was artistic director of the Croydon performing arts college Brit, which taught the likes of pop stars Amy Winehouse and Jessie J, is a major boost for Mrs May's hopes of building public support for grammar schools

'There could be scope for other categories, such as technical grammar schools, where skills as diverse as engineering and sport are nurtured.

'They would be 100per cent selective, specialising in high-quality standards and priding themselves on high levels of progression into the creative and technical industries, which are vital to our economy.'

Downing Street signalled the PM supports Mr Packer's call for 'creative' and 'technical' grammar schools.
Facebook posts claiming that a student reported missing on Christmas Day is actually safe and well may have been posted by someone else, police have said.

Isabel Gayther was reported missing by her mother, Elizabeth, after failing to arrive at her family's 500,000 home in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, for Christmas lunch.

Since then, she appears to have written a number of posts alluding to a family feud, claiming that she did not go due to a dispute with her mother.

Isabel Gayther was reported missing by her mother Elizabeth (pictured together) on Christmas Day and police are still investigating the case

The student (pictured) was last seen in London on a night out with friends on Christmas Eve, but she appears to claim she is safe and well on Facebook

The King's College student posted to say that she was safe well on Facebook after news of her Christmas Day 'disappearance' hit the national headlines

The 21-year-old shared a link with the caption 'should you divorce your mother?' after, suggesting that she did not visit her family for Christmas due to a disagreement

Ms Gayther's posts led to backlash on social media, and she hit back at those who called her 'selfish', but police say they cannot be sure that she is the person behind the posts

However, she has still not been in touch with police or her family and officers told MailOnline they are investigating the possibility someone else is using her social media account.

A spokesman for the Met Police told MailOnline: 'The investigation is still ongoing and we are still appealing for her or anyone who has seen her to get in touch with us.

'We are aware of the social media posts but cannot confirm if it was her who wrote them or someone else.'

The 21-year-old had last been seen on Christmas Eve at her Unite Students halls of residence in New Cross, south east London, and her disappearance was described as 'extremely out of character'.

But after police issued an appeal to try and track down the King's College student, a series of comments posts appeared on Ms Gayther's Facebook page, suggesting she was safe and complaining that her parents' concern made her 'look like a c***'.

Police are now appealing for Ms Gayther to get in touch and confirm that she is safe

The post read: 'A day and half I'm out of contact and this is what happens??? I AM NOT MISSING peace.

'This is the second time my mum has filed a missing persons report, for a missing person I just keep coming back. Now I look like a c***.'

The comments later appeared to hint at a family argument, with one status saying: 'One word Enmeshment mother enmeshment...'

Enmeshment was a term coined by Argentine family therapist Salvador Minuchin in the 70s to describe a situation where 'over-concern' by family members stops a person 'developing'.

A meme entitled 'should you divorce your mother?' was later shared on her page.

But Ms Gayther, who is studying Hispanic Studies, has still not contacted police or her family.

A Met police spokesman admitted the situation looked like a 'misunderstanding' but said officers still do not know her current location.

Ms Gayther's posts led to backlash on social media, with several people criticising her for failing to get in touch with her parents.

When one person called her 'selfish', she replied 'why the f*** do you care' before adding: 'Haven't u got better things to do? Like go to sales or or buy a new tracksuit [sic]'.

Police are keen to speak with Isabel and have not yet made contact with her. She has also not yet been in touch with her family

Today, Ms Gayther's father Jonathan confirmed the police appeal was continuing.

Wearing a dressing gown as he opened the door, he told: 'There is no comment and please be aware that there is an [police] investigation so we would appreciate some privacy.'

Neighbours said they had never met the Gaythers. The family had only moved into the Victorian semi-detached house a few weeks ago, after moving from their three-bed 350,000 home less than a mile away.

Scotland Yard detectives have still not been able to confirm she was safe and establish whether she had sent the Facebook posts.

Today, Ms Gayther's father Jonathan confirmed the police appeal was continuing

A spokesman said: We are aware that on Tuesday 27 December messages have been sent via Isabels Facebook account.

At this stage, officers are yet to speak with Isabel. As such, a police investigation continues with the aim of establishing that she is indeed safe and well.

They said: This is extremely out of character for her and officers and her family are extremely concerned for her safety and wellbeing.

Ms Gayther is described as white, with olive skin and long dark hair, a slim build and was last seen wearing a dark coloured dress.
Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, an elderly Nevadan who will retire in January, sees his Democratic Party's best presidential hopes for 2020 a group whose old age could doom them in an election against an incumbent Republican Donald Trump.

Asked by his congressional aides in early December whether he would support current Vice President Joe Biden if he were to run for the White House in four years, Reid said that question 'depends on who's running' against him in a primary.

'It appears we're going to have an old-folks' home,' Reid reflected.

'We've got [Elizabeth] Warren; she'll be 71. Biden will be 78. Bernie [Sanders] will be 79.'

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who will retire next month, told aides that his party's potential 2020 field of aging presidential maybes look like an 'old folks home'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (left), who ran an unsuccessful primary campaign this year, will be 79 years old in four years, and liberal firebrand Sen. Elizabeth Warren (right) will be 71

Vice President Joe Biden, who has danced around the subject of a 2020 White House campaign, would be 78 years old if he were to run and win

Hillary Clinton, too, would be 73 if she were to mount a third bid for the presidency and finally notch a victory in a Trump rematch.

New York magazine reported on Reid's comments, not saying how it obtained exact quotes of what Reid told his staff.

The potential 2020 Democratic primary contenders aren't all in their declining years.

Younger potential runners include New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who is only 47. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is 56, and (D-MN) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is 50.

But the Democrats in positions of congressional leadership have a full generation or more on some of their GOP counterparts. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is 76 years old, compared with House Speaker Paul Ryan's age of 46.

The cantankerous Reid's successor in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, is 66. But he's not likely to seek the presidency even though his tenure isn't expected to run along Reid's lines.

If Hillary Clinton should decide to run for president a third time, success would come shortly after her 73rd birthday

Chuck Schumer, Reid's replacement as the Senate's Democratic leader, would be 70 if he were to ru nagainst Donald Trump and win the next time around

The affable New Yorker, it turns out, thought he was signing up to work alongside a second Clinton presidency, not the attack dog role Reid has relished in the past.

'Schumer would be a very good majority leader under President Hillary Clinton, and thats what he thought he was signing up for,' a Democratic strategist told New York magazine.

'Chuck will go to the ramparts on an issue when it's polling at 60 percent, but as soon as it gets hairy, he's gone,' a senior Democratic Senate aide added.
A Tube passenger assaulted two young children because they had their feet on the seats.

The man shouted at the children, aged four and five, before grabbing one by the ankle and the other by the knee as he tried to remove them from their seats on the Metropolitan line train as it waited at Wembley Park, north London, on November 12.

The children were with their mother at the time. British Transport Police said the family had been left 'distressed' and have appealed for witnesses.

Two children were assaulted because they had their feet up on their seats of a Tube carriage. Police released this image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the assault

Police released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the assault.

The incident took place on on the Metropolitan line service from Liverpool Street to Uxbridge on the evening of November 12.

Investigating officer PC Ryan Hutchings said: 'At around 5.20pm on 12 November, the train was at Wembley Park when a man on board the service shouted at two children, aged four and five.

'The man was unhappy that the children, who were accompanied by their mother, had their feet on the seats.

The man shouted at the children, aged four and five, before grabbing one by the ankle and the other by the knee on a the Metropolitan line train as it waited at Wembley Park, north London

'He grabbed one of the children by the ankle and the other by the knee and tried to physically remove them from the seats.

'The children and their mother were left distressed after the incident.

'I am very keen to speak to anyone who was travelling in this particular tube carriage and may have witnessed the incident.'
A transgender teenager convinced the Family Court he was mature enough to have his breasts removed, saying he would 'rather die' than breastfeed a baby.

The Sydney teen, known as Lincoln, said he suffered body dysphoria in relation to his breasts and told the court he struggled to breathe while wearing a binder to flatten his chest.

The 15-year-old had only been living as a male for three years, unlike many transgender cases where a child lives as the opposite sex from a young age.

But Judge William Johnston ruled Lincoln was mature enough to consent to the 'top surgery' and he recently went under the knife to have his breast tissue removed, The Australian reported.

A transgender teenager convinced the Family Court he was mature enough to have his breasts removed (stock image)

In 2015, Lincoln has his birth certificate changed to state he was a male and told a court psychologist he was excited to be able to just wear a T-shirt in summer.

'I won't have to wear breast binders everyday. I absolutely hate (them). I can't breathe properly,' Lincoln said.

'My body shape isn't even very good in a binder and I have to wear layers of clothing'.

Lincoln said he would constantly wear a jumper before his surgery, even during the summer months.

He refused to wear female clothing, cut his hair short and started to self-harm.

The teenager told the court the surgery expense was a concern for his family, but said his father will be able to easily raise the money by selling valuables.

Both his parents supported the decision to have his breasts removed, according to The Australian.

In Family Court, Lincoln was warned that once he had the surgery, he would be unable to ever breast feed a child, but he said he would 'rather die' than fall pregnant.

While the court permits transgender children to start hormone treatment at age 13, gender surgery usually does not happen until a teenager turns 18.

The Sydney teen, known as Lincoln, said he suffered body dysphoria in relation to his breasts and told the Family Court (pictured) he struggled to breathe while wearing a binder
A little girl and her great-grandmother who vanished on Christmas Eve while driving from New Jersey to North Carolina have been found alive after a frantic search.

Barbara Briley, 71, and LaMyra, five, were found near their vehicle in Dinwiddie County, south of Richmond, just before 5pm Wednesday. They were a mile off the road in a wooded area, but exactly why remains a mystery.

'I have absolutely no clue how they got where they were,' Maj. William Knott of the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office said.

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Barbara Briley, 71, and her great-granddaughter LaMyra, 5, have been found after vanishing on Christmas Eve while traveling from New Jersey to North Carolina to visit family

Both were found in Briley's car (pictured) around a mile off-road, on private property in Dinwiddie County, by a man walking in the woods. It's not known why they drove that far out

Briley, who used to drive public transportation, had made the trip several times before and had never suffered dementia. She was flown to hospital, though why hasn't yet been released

LaMyra was said to be 'very talkative' and in 'good shape' by police. She was in the car with her great-grandmother when the pair were found

The pair were on their way to visit family in Morven, North Carolina when they vanished on Saturday. They had last been seen in a Ruther Glen, Virginia gas station 75 miles from where they were found.

They were next spotted Wednesday on private property in Dinwiddie County by a man walking in the woods. He recognized them from news reports and called 911.

'This person probably saved them,' Knott said.

According to WTVR, the car was found a mile off the 16000 block of Nash Road, in woodland. That's about seven miles from the Interstate 85.

Briley was sitting against a tree, unconscious, when police arrived. She regained consciousness and was helicoptered to VCU Medical Center in Richmond for treatment, where she is in serious condition.

La'Myra was 'in good shape and very talkative,' according to Knott. She was reunited with family after a medical check-up.

Knott said the two had been found alone by the vehicle, which did not appear to be damaged. It was parked around 45 feet from a dirt path off the main road.

Although the details have to be confirmed, it's believed that Briley drove down the dirt road for three-tenths of a mile before going off-road and driving over a small tree.

When she tried to back up, police believe, she became stuck.

It's believed that the pair were stuck at the scene for several days, but survived by eating the snacks they had in their car.

Briley, a former New Jersey Transit driver who had made the trip multiple times before, was last seen on a surveillance camera at an Exxon gas station in Ruther Glen, Virginia, around 5.40pm.

She was in the store for about 20 minutes and told clerk Joanna Strange that she was lost.

Briley was seen on CCTV (pictured) at an Exxon gas station in Ruther Glen, Virginia, on Sat; they were found 75 miles away. It's not known what happened in the period between

Strange said she helped Briley work the GPS on her phone before the great-grandmother returned to her car, where LaMyra was waiting inside.

Footage from the station shows Briley walking around the store as well as looking out the window to check on her great-granddaughter.

'There's literally absolutely nothing that looks suspicious to us from her visit to the store,' Caroline County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Travis Nutter told NJ.com.

'That video is the last anybody saw of her, and what happened after that we truly don't know,' he said.

Employees at the store said Briley seemed tired from driving and yawned and stretched while she was inside, but was not acting strangely.

Footage also showed Briley talking to a man in the parking lot from the window of her car before leaving the station around 6pm.

The man told authorities she had asked him for directions and that nothing about the situation seemed suspicious.

Briley was driving a car like this one when the pair vanished. Police had swept the Ruther Glen area then explored the I-85 corridor outh of Richmond to the North Carolina line

Prior to the pair being found, state troopers had searched in the Ruther Glen area and then re-centered their efforts along the Interstate 85 corridor from south of Richmond to the North Carolina line.

They used a helicopter and hunted for signs of guard rail damage or other evidence that a car may have run off the road. The North Carolina Highway Patrol also assisted in the search.

They also searched hotels, truck stops and rest areas.

Briley's cell phone had either been turned off or lost power. None of her credit cards had been touched.

Briley's family, who now have both their relatives back, had been retracing every possible route they believed the woman could have taken that night. Their hope had been diminishing with each passing day until Wednesday's discovery.

'People don't just vanish like that,' Briley's daughter Tonya Floyd told NJ.com. 'This is day three. Something's wrong.'

'The more time that goes by, the more dire of a situation it is,' Nutter added. 'Nothing can be ruled out, including some sort of foul play.'

Family members said Briley, who spent 30 years as a driver for New Jersey transit, was experienced and had made the trip numerous times.

'She made this drive every year, sometimes two or three times a year,' Ginger Bittle, Briley's niece, told WPVI.

'Driving is not an issue when it comes to my aunt Barbara.'

Barbara also has no history of medical issues, according to her family.

She was driving a silver Toyota RAV4 with New Jersey license plate C80-ELS.

Bittle had previously kept hope alive that her aunt would make it home okay.

'I kept looking out the door last night,' she said. 'My twin sister asked, "Why do you keep looking?'"

'I was waiting for her to pull up into that driveway. It's going to happen.'
Told to leave: Dutch national Monique Hawkins, who has lived in the UK for 24 years

A Dutch mother-of-two who has lived in Britain for 24 years has been told to make plans to leave the country after she applied for permanent residency.

Cambridge graduate Monique Hawkins, who has two teenage children with her British husband, decided to apply for UK citizenship following the referendum because she feared what would happen once Britain leaves the EU.

She told the Guardian she feared she would be made 'to join a US-style two-hour immigration queue' while the rest of her family 'sail through the UK passport lane'.

To apply for citizenship - which is not automatically granted to EU spouses of British nationals - Mrs Hawkins, from Esher, Surrey, first had to complete an 83-page application to obtain a 'permanent residency' document.

However this application - which took her an entire weekend to complete - was rejected by the Home Office because she did not provide her original Dutch passport.

Mrs Hawkins claims she included a covering letter explaining that she needed the passport over the next few months to travel to the Netherlands to support her mother following the death of her father.

She also included a solicitor-approved copy of her passport - something which is allowed in light of circumstances 'beyond the applicant's control' - and said she could provide the passport when it was required by the case worker.

But the Home Office rejected the application because there was no passport - and even sent her a letter suggesting she make plans to leave the UK.

Even if she is denied citizenship by the Home Office, Mrs Hawkins has already acquired the permanent right to reside in the UK, due to living here as a 'qualified person' for more than five years.

It means she would have the right to live here - regardless of the Home Office's decision - and would not need to leave.

But the letter read: 'As you appear to have no alternative basis of stay in the United Kingdom you should now make arrangements to leave.'

It is understood that, because there was no passport proving Mrs Hawkins was from Holland, officials treated the application as if she did not have the automatic right to live in the UK.

Mrs Hawkins, a software developer who has a Master's in maths, told the Guardian her case highlighted the problems surrounding the permanent residency application process.

Ms Hawkins said officials have refused to speak to her about the incident but have been willing to respond to her MP Dominic Raab (pictured at the Vote Leave HQ in June), who stepped in on her behalf

She has since tried to complain about her treatment but was told by officials that the case cannot be discussed by phone or on email.

When she decided to write a letter about her concerns, she received a reply saying it did not qualify as a complaint by Home Office guidelines.

However, officials were willing to respond to her MP Dominic Raab, who represents the Esher and Walton constituency, who stepped in on her behalf, she said.

The Cambridge graduate (pictured) had the application refused because she did not send her original passport to officials

Her husband Robert said it also highlighted the discrepancy between the rights granted to EU and non-EU spouses of British citizens.

He said: 'As a British citizen, I had the expectation that marrying someone from abroad would automatically give them the right to become a British citizen. That seems to be the case unless your wife happens to come from the European Union.'

Mrs Hawkins has now resubmitted an application for permanent residency.

A Home Office spokesperson told MailOnline Mrs Hawkins' application was rejected because she failed to submit an original proof of ID.

The spokesperson said: 'The rights of EU nationals living in the UK remain unchanged while we are a member of the Europe Union. EU nationals do not require any additional documents to prove their status.

'All applications for documentation confirming permanent residency are considered on their individual merits. There is clear guidance available setting out what documentation is required, and the onus is on an individual to submit as much evidence as possible in support of their application.'

It said her application was rejected because she failed to submit an original ID and that it had also launched an express passport check-in service in 58 councils, including one 10 miles from her home in the London borough of Sutton.
Kim Cattrall has offended the British side of her family by having a gravestone put up with her name inscribed on it  even though she is only 60 and seemingly in good health

As the outrageous Samantha in Sex And The City, she was definitely larger than life.

But actress Kim Cattrall is already planning for the day she can finally rest in peace.

The only problem is the spot she has decided on has widened a long-standing family rift.

Miss Cattrall has offended the British side of her family by having a gravestone put up with her name inscribed on it  even though she is only 60 and seemingly in good health.

The inscription refers to her as 'the Liverpool Cleopatra', a reference to her much-publicised return to the stage in her home city in 2010 in Shakespeare's Antony And Cleopatra.

Her cousin Michelle Cox, 49, has accused the actress of 'a total lack of respect' after she discovered the new gravestone on a Christmas Day visit to the family plot where her mother  Miss Cattrall's aunt  is buried.

The original headstone at Holy Trinity Church in Wavertree, Liverpool, referred to their grandparents William and Edith Cattrall, Mrs Cox's mother Edna and her elder brother David, who died aged one.

However, at some point in the past two months and without the knowledge of Mrs Cox, it was removed and replaced with one that includes the names of Miss Cattrall's father Dennis, who died in 2012, and Miss Cattrall herself.

The inscription refers to her as 'the Liverpool Cleopatra', a reference to her much-publicised return to the stage in her home city in 2010 in Shakespeare's Antony And Cleopatra. The original headstone at Holy Trinity Church in Wavertree, Liverpool, referred to their grandparents William and Edith Cattrall, Mrs Cox's mother Edna and her elder brother David

Miss Cattrall was born in Liverpool but her parents took her to Canada when she was three months old. She returned to the city from the ages of 11 to 16 to go to secondary school.

She revealed this month that there was a headstone in Liverpool 'waiting with my name, my birthdate and then a dash and space for the date of my death'.

She said: 'It's where I want to go and rest when this fantastic ride is over. It's a family grave and there is space left for me.'

Mrs Cox, a nurse, said she had no idea the actress intended to be buried in the family plot.

Her cousin Michelle Cox (standing, pictured with her sister Diane), 49, has accused the actress of 'a total lack of respect' after she discovered the new gravestone on a Christmas Day visit to the family plot where her mother  Miss Cattrall's aunt  is buried

She revealed yesterday that she has never met her famous cousin as a result of a family rift that began when her mother met and married her father, who was from Barbados.

Miss Cattrall's father did not approve of the mixed-race relationship, she said.

'I have never spoken to Kim,' she added. 'When we replaced the gravestone when my mum died in 1985, it was engraved with the same wording that has been there since 1939.

'This new gravestone is totally different. It doesn't feel like my mum's grave any more. I was absolutely shocked. It felt like I'd been burgled. I am still trying to find out what the legal status of the grave is, but even so, whoever arranged for the new headstone should have consulted me.

'It doesn't seem right that someone who has spent the majority of her life in Canada and the US can come to Liverpool and bagsy a grave simply by putting their name on it.'

Miss Cattrall (right, in Sex And The City) was born in Liverpool but her parents took her to Canada when she was three months old. She returned to the city from the ages of 11 to 16 to go to secondary school

In an appeal to Miss Cattrall on Facebook, Mrs Cox added: 'I want you to know how distraught we all our [sic] at your total lack of respect. I am not sure if what has been done is legal but I will be seeking legal advice.'

The stonemasons where the new monument was made were closed yesterday. It is not known who paid for the stone or who replaced the earlier one. The Rev Janet Eastwood, canon of Holy Trinity, could not be contacted.

A spokesman for the actress said: 'In 2010, Kim Cattrall was doing a play at the Liverpool Playhouse and she reached out to make arrangements for herself and her ailing father to be buried in the family plot.

'Her father passed away in 2012 and, per his wishes, his ashes were placed with his parents and sister in the family grave. A new headstone was commissioned to include her father's and her name. It was finally put up before Christmas.
At the age of three most little girls are playing with dolls and pretending to be princesses.

But Dolly Caton isn't like most toddlers.

She enjoys nothing better than bottle feeding piglets, taking a bath with ducklings or herding sheep on her mother's farm.

Adorable: Dolly Caton loves the animals on her mum's farm in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire

Bond: Her mother, Georgie Mitchell, 30, (pictured) has nicknamed her younger child 'the pig whisperer' because of her love of animals and nature

Her mother, Georgie Mitchell, 30, has nicknamed her younger child 'the pig whisperer' because of her love of animals and nature.

Miss Mitchell, who also has a son, Billy, six, gave up her job as a university lecturer, in May, to run The Nests Little Smallholding, a rare breeds farm in the Ribble Valley, near Burnley, Lancashire.

The single mother said her children have no choice but to 'muck in' and help with the daily chores on the 40 acre farm.

But Dolly especially has taken to the good life like a duck to water.

She is often seen rounding up the family's flock of 70 sheep, helping her mother build fences or nurturing piglets under her jumper and feeding them with a bottle.

'I think her love of farming started in the womb,' Miss Mitchell said.

'She has been subjected to it since she was a day old. The farm was my hobby at first but I gave up my job to do it full time in May. It was sink or swim, I decided I wanted to go with my heart rather than my head.

Tender care: The toddler enjoys nothing better than bottle feeding piglets at the farm or nurturing the animals under her jumper

The pigs are among the animals on the farm that are bred for meat by Georgie Mitchell

Little farmer: Dolly's mother said her children have no choice but to 'muck in' and help with the daily chores on the 40 acre farm

'I love animals and the whole farm life. It's not a job, it's a lifestyle. Dolly is really unique, she just gets on with things. Billy loves the tractors and the quad bikes, but Dolly is like a mother to the animals, she takes the farming really seriously.

'Some mums are bursting with pride for toilet training, dance medals, first steps, maths awards and school attendance but I'm bursting with farming pride. At three years old she shows empathy, maternal instincts, love, care, compassion, common sense and takes farming to another level.

'I call her the pig whisperer, she's not frightened at all when the big pigs come up to her.

'She talks to the piglets and sings to them. The other day she was sat with a piglet, singing 'Twinkle Twinkle' and warming it up under her jumper, whilst eating a bacon butty. That's the life cycle right there.

She knew exactly what she was doing. Both kids know the pigs go to the slaughter house but they aren' t sad because they know they have had a good life.'

As well as pigs and sheep, Miss Mitchell also has a Shetland pony, several dogs and cats and also rears turkeys for sale at Christmas.

Talent: Dolly's mum said her daughter sings songs to the piglets like 'Twinkle Twinkle'

Reality: Dolly's mum said that both her children know the pigs go to the slaughter house but they are not sad because they know they have had a good life

All the animals are bred for meat, which she sells to local customers, farmers markets and a handful of local restaurants.

Her Facebook page is full of images of Dolly and Billy, often smeared in mud, climbing trees, snuggling up to lambs and piglets in the hay, or digging for worms and bugs in the countryside.

And while most children are getting toy cars and dolls for birthdays and Christmas, Dolly and Billy always get at least one practical farming present.

'One year I bought them shepherds crooks and last year they got an incubator and some duck eggs to hatch,' she added.

'Dolly even had a bath with the ducklings and taught them how to swim.
A trip to the movies turned into a night of horror when an Illinois man was hunted and murdered by his date's stalker, police have said.

David Gorski and an unnamed 30-year-old woman visited the AMC Hawthorn 12 theater in Vernon Hills Friday evening - unaware, authorities say, that her supposed stalker, Kenneth Seplak, was waiting for them outside.

Gorski's body was found at 11.30pm half a mile away, slumped over the wheel of his car - and GPS data put Seplak, 37, at the scene of the crime, cops claim.

Deadly love triangle: Illinois police have charged Kenneth Seplak (left) with killing David Gorski (right) after he went on a date with a woman Seplak had allegedly stalked

Seplak, of Round Lake Beach, was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday.

He was an acquaintance of the woman and had previously been accused by her of stalking after he allegedly showed up uninvited at her home in Wauconda.

According to investigators, officers found Gorski in his Volkswagen Jetta in the middle of Milwaukee Avenue near Hollister Drive in Libertyville.

He was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The 30-year-old had been killed with a single bullet to the chest, which had entered through his arm, a coroner later determined.

Lake County Prosecutor Lisa LeBoeuf said in court on Wednesday that GPS records of Seplak's mobile device showed he was at the movie theater at the same time as Gorski, the Chicago Tribune reported.

According to the GPS data, Seplak's car then traveled northbound along Milwaukee Avenue in the area where Gorski was shot.

He then continued on to the home of Keith Garcia in the 41000 block of North Route 83.

Garcia later found a bag containing a .38-caliber handgun and ammunition, which he handed over to police as evidence, the Daily Herald reported.

Ballistic experts were able to link the bullet removed from Gorski's body to the gun, according to the prosecutor.

At his bail hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered Kenneth Seplak held at the Lake County jail on $3 million.

Defense attorney Steven McCollum asked for a $300,000 bail, arguing that his client had no prior criminal history and has been living with his parents, having recently been laid off from his job at a beverage distribution company after ten years.

Seplak is due back in court on January 25.
Dale Jonathan Tice, 32, was arrested after he allegedly stole a $200 knife from a pawn shop in Marietta, Georgia

A Georgia police department left a hilarious note for one shoplifter, who left behind all his personal information before allegedly stealing from a pawn shop.

The Marietta Police Evening Watch were less than impressed when they realized their alleged criminal had done their job for them.

'A request to the gentleman who shoplifted from one of our local pawn shops today,' the Facebook note begins.

'Sir, you must have forgot that you gave the clerk your driver's license with ALL of your personal information as well as your providing him with your fingerprint...before you stole from him which, by the way, was also all on camera.'

'Please at least try to hide it,' the note continues. 'The judge has already signed the warrant.'

'When you make it this easy it takes all the fun out of chasing bad guys!'

It has since been revealed that the alleged shoplifter is Dale Jonathan Tice, 32, who was arrested on Tuesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Tice allegedly stole a $200 military-style knife from the counter of The Hock Shop around 4.30pm on Monday.

The shop's surveillance video captured Tice entering the store to pawn a $5 ratchet before swiping the knife, the police report states.

The Marietta Police Evening Watch wrote a hilarious Facebook post revealing Tice had given all his personal information to the shop before allegedly stealing the knife

Tice was arrested just 10 hours later. The Marietta Police Department posted a second update to poke fun at just how easy it had been to find him

In addition to his driver's license information and fingerprint, which are required with any pawn shop purchase, Tice also gave the clerk his phone number.

Tice was arrested just 10 hours later. The Marietta Police Department posted a second update to poke fun at just how easy it had been to find him.

'Fortunately (for us) he turned out to be just as bad at hide & seek as he is at stealing,' the post began.

'He was picked up by our Morning Watch Officers after a search, it was quite short.'

'We also found all of his drugs and the stolen property he took from the pawn shop!'

Tice was arrested around 2am at the White Columns Inn on Cobb Parkway, where officers also found marijuana and assorted illegal pills, the warrant states.

He has been charged with five drug charges as well as his original misdemeanor shoplifting charge.

Tice is currently being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
Republican House has put aside $7 million for New York security for Trump

To which Phillips calmly responded: 'That's not very nice, Dan. But about that bill  work on it with us?'

Dan Scavino Jr., Trump's social media director, call Phillips an 'embarrassment' to the mayor's office and the NYPD

New York Mayor's aide Eric Phillips responded they would 'send you the bill'

Trump's incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, tweeted his thanks to the NYPD

The evacuation of Trump Tower over a false bomb scare has triggered a vicious Twitter spat between the aides of the president-elect and New York's mayor.

Police had shut down the streets and cleared the building on Tuesday afternoon after a suspicious package was found in the lobby. The bomb squad later determined it was a backpack full of children's toys.

Donald Trump's incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, tweeted his thanks to the New York City Police Department after returning to work at the Fifth Avenue, Manhattan tower following the evacuation.

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The evacuation of Trump Tower over a false bomb scare has triggered a vicious Twitter spat between the aides of the president-elect and New York's mayor

'No problem,' Eric Phillips, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's press secretary, fired back in response.

'We'll send you the bill.'

Dan Scavino Jr., Trump's social media director and the senior adviser to his transition, immediately took the bait, calling Phillips an 'embarrassment' to the mayor's office and the NYPD.

'That's not very nice, Dan,' Phillips tweeted, along with a link to a story about how the Republicans have set aside $7 million to help New York pay for security for president-elect Trump.

'But about that bill  work on it with us?'

Trump Tower in New York was evacuated on Tuesday as terrified people were seen fleeing the building over a suspicious package

The Manhattan tower, the home of President-Elect Trump and his family, was evacuated around 5pm on December 27

W hile the president-elect will relocate to the White House in January after his inauguration, the new First Lady and Barron will stay in their midtown Manhattan apartment until Trump's youngest son finished this year of school.

But Trump has made it clear he plans to be in New York City regularly and will make even more frequent visits while Melania and Barron are there.

The Tower has also been home to his transition team as he prepares for the move to the White House.

While the president-elect will be protected by Secret Service, the local police are always called on to help assist them. Blasio said the city will need help with the cost of overtime officers will be working to keep the first family safe.

NYPD's primary responsibility will be controlling the movement of the general public, according to CNN Money.

Presidents are required to have local police protecting them when they return to their homes.

It cost taxpayers $2 million a year to station U.S. Coast Guard boats off the coast of George H. W. Bush's Maine estate during his presidency. While the Secret Service paid Vice President Joe Biden $2,200-a-month to rent the neighboring cottage to his Wilmington, Delaware home.

Two fire fighters stand outside the luxury high rise after reports of a suspicious package

Police crowded onto the street outside of Trump Tower, on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan

But because Trump lives in the most densely populated neighborhood in the biggest city in the U.S., this is a massive task.

'We have never had a situation where a POTUS would be here on such a regular basis.

'The NYPD is up to the challenge and the city of New York is up to the challenge, I have no doubt about that,' Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio had previoulsy argued that New York should get $35 million for protecting the Midtown office tower where Trump is based. The building has already been subject to a number of security alerts this past year, including the suspicious package, and white powder being sent to the Trump mailroom.

The House has made $7 million available for security measures.

'I'm disappointed. I think they should have done better by New York City,' de Blasio said earlier this month. 'But this ain't over.'

Those security measures include a no-fly zone over the 58-story structure, barricades around the building and both police and the Secret Service have been on guard.

The Secret Service was also in negotiations to take over two floors of the Tower which could cost more than $3 million a year, according to a report.

Trump, who spent the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was not at home at the time of the bomb scare.

When he is back in his hometown of New York, the security to protect him and his family runs to more than $1 million a day, according to officials.
Shanna Golyar (above) was held on $5million bail on Tuesday after prosecutors charged her with first-degree murder in the killing and disappearance of Cari Farver

Prosecutors in Nebraska are charging a woman with killing another woman with whom she competed for a man's affections and then posing as the victim on social media in order to make people think she was alive.

Shanna Golyar, a 41-year-old woman from Persia, Iowa, was held on $5million bail on Tuesday after prosecutors charged her with first-degree murder in the killing and disappearance of Cari Farver.

Farver was a 37-year-old woman who disappeared in 2012, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Prosecutors are alleging that Golyar killed Farver in Omaha, but Golyar's attorney says that the authorities have no case.

The lawyer, James Martin Davis, told reporters that prosecutors need to prove that there was a murder, since they have yet to recover a body, a murder weapon, or witnesses.

'You can't presume somebody died just because she's missing,' Davis said.

'All you have is a theory that because this lady is missing, that somehow my client was involved in her disappearance.'

Davis said that his client never even met Farver, who was last seen alive on the morning of November 13, 2012.

Police believe that Farver (above) was killed inside an apartment in Omaha. She was last seen on the morning of November 13, 2012

Police believe that Farver was killed at an apartment in Omaha.

Farver's mother, Nancy Raney, reported her daughter missing to authorities in Pottawattamie County in Iowa.

Farver was originally from Macedonia, Iowa.

Prosecutors said that at the time of Farver's disappearance, she and Golyar were dating the same man.

Authorities said they found Golyar's fingerprints on a pack of gum in Farver's car.

They said they also found Farver's blood in the man's apartment.

Authorities say that Golyar has a history of impersonating women on social media with whom she shares a love interest.

Last year, Golyar filed a complaint with police in Council Bluffs, Iowa, claiming that she was shot in her left thigh.

She said the shooter was a woman who was seeing her love interest, but investigators doubted the claims.

After investigating, they concluded that Golyar concocted the claims and had shot herself.

In June, Golyar pled guilty to breaking a window at the other women's apartment.

Authorities began to suspect that Golyar might harm the other woman due to the suspicions related to the Farver case.

They also discovered that Golyar had set up an email account posing as the other woman.

Golyar's lawyer denies any wrongdoing by his client.

'She only saw this lady one time just for a few seconds,' Davis said. 'There wasn't any argument.'
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Sydney's extreme heatwave continued on Thursday as temperatures climbed to 42C in the city's west - as Melbourne and Adelaide were battered by severe storms.

The sweltering heat in Sydney has caused New South Wales Police to activate a state heatwave plan for the next five days, advising people to stay hydrated and in air-conditioned rooms.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast severe heatwave conditions across all of coastal NSW, with the unbearable heat tipped to linger through to New Year's Day.

But revellers don't appear to mind, with hundreds flocking to Bondi Beach on Thursday to cool off.

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Hundreds of swimmers flock to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday with sizzling temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees

Many laid on the iconic Sydney beach as others jumped in the water to get a brief reprieve from the heat

Melbourne has been hit with flash flooding on Thursday after severe thunderstorms and torrential rain battered the state

Cars and trams drive through floodwaters in the suburb of Prahran in Melbourne on Thursday as heavy downpour in delayed flights and caused flash flooding

Two young boys water sliding across the shallow flood after severe thunderstorms and torrential rain battered the state

Residents reveal how they were 'trapped' at work after being stranded by the torrential rain and flash flooding in Melbourne

Dark clouds swept through Melbourne as severe thunderstorms and torrential rain hit the state for much of Thursday

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Neale Fraser said it would be a few degrees cooler in Sydney's CBD, where a sea breeze is expected to cap temperatures at 37 degrees.

But weather conditions could be hotter elsewhere, including Penrith reaching scorching temperatures of 42 degrees for much of Thursday.

'40 degrees (is forecast) for most of Sydney and then right on the coast the sea breeze might keep it down to low to mid 30s,' Mr Fraser said.

After enduring its hottest night this year, Melbourne was battered by thunder storms and heavy rain on Thursday.

Beachgoers embracing the glorious sunshine at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday, with temperatures reaching up to 40C

Hundreds of swimmers flock to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday with sizzling temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees

Hundreds of beachgoers took advantage of the glorious sunshine on Thursday as they enjoy the sizzling weather

Hundreds of swimmers flocked to Sydney's Bondi Beach while Melbourne and Adelaide have been hit by severe storms

A young woman smiling for the camera by the drink stand as she serves beachgoers ice cream and cold beverages

Groundsmen tend to the field during a rain delay on the fourth day of the second cricket test between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne on Thursday

Shoppers and diners dash for cover as they wait for the coast to clear after severe thunderstorms hit Melbourne on Thursday

Residents running for cover as severe thunderstorm hits Melbourne causing flash flooding for much of Thursday

Cars and trams drive through floodwaters in the suburb of Prahran in Melbourne on Thursday

Motorists drive through floodwaters in the suburb of Prahran in Melbourne on Thursday

Cricket officials at the MCG were forced to suspend play as the pitch was inundated with water, while Melbourne Airport was also closed amid safety concerns.

Despite the stormy conditions, temperatures in the Victorian capital have lingered at 32 degrees, with the humidity expected to ease on Friday afternoon as a cool front comes in.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of homes in South Australia have been left without power as the Port Augusta is battered by a wild storm and destructive winds.

More than 150,000 homes and businesses across the state have lost power the third time in three months.

Beachgoers flocked to Sydney's Bondi Beach to cool off on Thursday as scorching temperatures reached up to 40 degrees

Cricket officials at the MCG were forced to suspend play as the pitch was inundated with water on Thursday

Thousands of homes in South Austraia have been left without power as the city is battered by storms and destructive winds

Heavy rain battering South Austraia has caused flash flooding on Thursday

Residents have been warned heavy rains has caused flash flooding, while winds reaching speeds of 120 kilometres have already started leaving a trail of destruction.

Homes have been damaged as tree branches crumble under the pressure of the wind.

Traffic lights, phone and internet connections were also cut off at the height of the storm.

By Thursday afternoon, 16,000 homes and shops were still without power with SA Power Networks restoring electricity to 139,000 customers by 3pm on Thursday, The Advertiser reported.

Emergency crews are continuing to repair damaged powerlines destroyed by torrential storm late on Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning.

Brisbane residents sit at the other end of the scale and should see five straight days of perfect summer weather, with the temperature hitting 34 degrees on Sunday and Monday.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told the Courier Mail the roasting temperatures were a result of a north-westerly breeze that would bring warm air from central Queensland.

A young woman smiling for the camera by the drink stand as she serves beachgoers ice cream and cold beverages

The women walking out of the water at Bondi Beach after taking a sip to escape the heat

A fully clothed woman takes off her shoes and frolics in the water as a friend takes a photo

Many took to the water (left) as others remained on the sand as temperatures soared

One woman in a full wetsuit and flippers takes a surf board out on Thursday

A branch breaks off a tree as severe thunderstorm hits Melbourne causing flash flooding for most of Thursday

Cars driving through the busy street as severe thunderstorm hits Melbourne causing flash flooding for much of Thursday

Residents reveal how they were 'trapped' at work after being stranded by the torrential rain and flash flooding in Melbourne

Melbourne's city centre had about 12mm rain fall in a very short time starting just before 3pm on Thursday, and there was more in some suburbs, the Bureau of Meteorology says

Beachgoers soaking in the rays at Sydney's Bondi on Thursday, as sizzling temperatures reached up to 40 degrees

A family spend the school holidays at Sydney's Bondi Beach building a sand mermaid on one of their daughters

A young woman attempting to wash sand off her adorable puppy as temperatures soared to a scorching 40 degrees

Slip slop slap: Beachgoers enjoying the glorious sunshine on Thursday as warm weather reached a heatwave in Sydney

'We've had a moist onshore flow with a weak upper trough recently which has seen the cooler air along with a bit of rain,' he told the publication.

Penrith in Sydney's west is expected to hit a 42C maximum on Thursday.

BOM duty forecaster Neale Fraser said it would be a few degrees cooler in the CBD, where a sea breeze expected around 1pm is expected to cap temperatures at 37C.

But it could be hotter elsewhere across the city, he said.

'40C (is forecast) for most of Sydney and then right on the coast the sea breeze might keep it down to low to mid 30s,' he told AAP.

FOUR-DAY WEATHER FORECAST IN CAPITAL CITIES Sydney Thursday: Max 37, hot, partly cloudy Friday: Min 24, max 35, hot, partly cloudy Saturday: Min 24, max 30, possible shower Sunday: Min 23, max 28, shower or two, possible storm Melbourne Thursday: Max 32, humid, possible thunderstorms Friday: Min 18, max 28, early shower clearing Saturday: Min 16, max 24, partly cloudy Sunday: Min 16, max 21, shower or two Brisbane Thursday: Max 30, partly cloudy Friday: Min 24, max 34, mostly sunny Saturday: Min 24, max 34, mostly sunny Sunday: Min 25, max 34, mostly sunny Adelaide Thursday: Max 29, cloud clearing Friday: Min 17, max 24, shower or two Saturday: Min 16, max 26, possible shower Sunday: Min 15, max 25, partly cloudy Advertisement

Thursday weather: Most of Sydney is forecast to endure 40C heat, although along the coastline the sea breeze could keep it down to low to mid 30s

Sydney's extreme heatwave will continue on Thursday as temperatures climb to 42C

A low-intensity heatwave will smash southern parts of Queensland and central NSW, with severe to extreme heatwave conditions over coastal northern NSW

Melbourne has been battered by thunderstorms and torrential rain on Thursday causing flash flooding

Cars driving through a flooded busy street in Melbourne as severe thunderstorm hits the state, causing flash flooding

Cars driving through a flooded busy street in Melbourne as severe thunderstorm hits the state, causing flash flooding

Thick dark clouds swept through Melbourne as severe thunderstorms hit the state for much of Thursday

After enduring its hottest night this year, Melbourne was battered by thunder storms and heavy rain on Thursday

An extreme heatwave on and east of the ranges and the mid north coast is expected to move north over the weekend.

A very high fire danger is forecast for the state's capital on Thursday.

The heatwave has prompted NSW Health to issue warnings, especially in the north where a slow moving cool change is not expected to hit until Monday.

People are urged to stay hydrated, avoid alcohol and limit physical activity.

Surf Life Saving NSW is also asking people to apply sunscreen and seek attention from lifeguards if they experience signs of heat stress, such as excessive sweating, rapid heart rate and nausea.

Penrith in Sydney's west is expected to hit a 42C maximum on Thursday, while the city should cap at 37C (sunbather pictured at Sydney's Clovelly Beach on Wednesday)

People are urged to stay hydrated, avoid alcohol and limit physical activity (pictured is Sydney's Bondi Beach pool)

Sydney is on track for its hottest year in over one-and-a-half centuries

Cars driving through a flooded busy street in Melbourne as severe thunderstorm hits the state, causing flash flooding

After enduring its hottest night this year, Melbourne was battered by thunder storms and heavy rain on Thursday

Dark clouds swept through Melbourne as severe thunderstorms hit the state for much of Thursday

Melbourne will swelter through high temperatures with thunderstorms and rain for much of Thursday

Cars driving through a flooded busy street in Melbourne as severe thunderstorm hits the state, causing flash flooding

Revellers flocked to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday as a heat wave caused temperatures to soar

Sunbathers enjoying the glorious rays on Thursday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, as temperatures reached sizzling conditions

A family spending the school family at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday, building sandcastles and soaking in rays

Two beachgoers do headstands in the sand at Sydney's Bondi Beach as temperatures hit 40 degrees on Thursday

Hundreds of swimmers flocked to Sydney's Bondi Beach while Melbourne and Adelaide have been hit by severe storms

Beachgoers enjoying the glorious sunshine on Thursday as warm weather reached up to 40 degrees in Sydney

Dark clouds swept through Melbourne as severe thunderstorms and torrential rain hit the state for much of Thursday
It's a mystery of British aviation that has haunted historians and pilots for more than 75 years.

But testimony from one eyewitness may finally shed light on how pioneering aviatrix Amy Johnson died.

Harry Gould, 84, said his father, also called Harry, told him how the pilot was 'dragged under the boat' that had tried to save her from the Thames Estuary in 1941.

Harry Gould Sr, a Naval reservist, had tried to warn officers on board HMS Haslemere of the dangers but was roundly dismissed, the Daily Mirror reported.

Pioneer: Aviator Amy Johnson, pictured, was the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia. Testimony from one eyewitness may finally shed light on how she died in 1941

Witness: Harry Gould, left, was reportedly on board the HMS Haslemere as it tried to rescue pilot Amy Johnson, right, from the Thames Estuary. His son, Harry, has revealed his account

Talented: Johnson died aged 37 on January 5, 1941, while flying a a new Airspeed Oxford plane for delivery in Oxfordshire. Pictured, Johnson with her husband, aviator Jim Mollison

The account is supported by historian Dr Alec Gill who believes Johnson's death was intentionally covered up after she was sucked into the propeller.

Johnson died aged 37 on January 5, 1941, while flying a a new Airspeed Oxford plane for delivery in Oxfordshire. Her plane crashed near Herne Bay off the Kent coast but she bailed out of her aircraft over the Thames Estuary.

Her body was never recovered and her cause of death remains a mystery, with some claiming she drowned in the freezing water. However others believe she might have been killed by the very vessel that could have saved her life.

Mr Gould said Johnson drifted towards HMS Haslemere, a converted ferry that was sailing down the Thames. He said crew members tried to help Johnson but 'couldn't reach her' because the ship was reversing to break free from a sandbank.

According to the mirror, he said his father saw she was fast approaching the boat and told officers to cut the engines.

'One of the officers shouted back, "Dont you tell me what to do!" If they had listened to him Amy might have survived,' he said.

Flying solo: Amy Johnson, pictured by her plane in Calcutta, India, during her 1930s solo flight

Historian: Dr Alec Gill (pictured) claims Amy died when she was sucked into a boat propeller in a failed rescue attempt. He believes the true cause of death was deliberately covered up

Amy's route: The 11,000-mile trip took Amy from Croydon, UK, through the Middle East and Asia to her final destination of Darwin in northern Australia

'A few seconds later she was dragged under the boat. Everyone thought she had been cut to pieces by the propellers. Its an awful way for such a special person to die.'

Speaking to MailOnline last year, Dr Gill said: 'This ship should have gone down in history as the vessel that saved her life. Instead, historians are now beginning to conclude that the propellers of the Haslemere killed her.'

Dr Gill believes after the gruesome death, the details were deliberately covered up.

'The Royal Navy did not want to admit to the Royal Air Force - or indeed a nation at war - that they had killed Britain's favourite female pilot,' Dr Gill said.

There was no inquest into Amy's death because her body was never recovered.

Front page: The pioneer's tragic death in 1941 was reported in the Daily Mail paper's January 7 edition

Support: Amy was given a 10,000 cheque from the Daily Mail for her trip from Croydon, UK, to Darwin, Australia

Amy began flying In 1928 when she joined the London Aeroplane Club, but was told after her first lesson that she would never make a flier.

She ignored the criticism and gained her pilots licence, becoming Britains first qualified woman ground engineer.

Amy was given financial help to buy a two-year-old the de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane for 600. The aircraft, which she named Jason, had no lights, radio or fuel gauge.

She challenged herself to beat the 15-day record set by Bert Hinkler for the solo flight from Britain to Australia even though her longest flight to date had been two hours from London to Hull.
Vaping shops are opening at a rate of more than two a day despite major concerns about the effects of e-cigarettes on health.

There are now more than 1,700 shops across the country, half of them opening in the last year alone, figures show.

The highest concentration of the shops, which sell only electronic cigarettes, liquid nicotine for use with them and accessories, are in the North of England, Scotland and London, industry body ECigIntelligence found.

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Vaping shops are opening at a rate of more than two a day despite major concerns about the effects of e-cigarettes on health. Pictured is a vaping shop in Covent Garden, London

The battery-powered devices heat up the liquid so it can be inhaled as a vapour.

Their popularity has soared over the last ten years and there are now more than three million vapers in Britain after e-cigarettes were billed as a healthier alternative to smoking.

The Royal College of GPs has told its 52,000 members to advise patients who are trying to give up smoking to switch to e-cigarettes, as they give a nicotine hit without many noxious chemicals found in cigarettes.

Public Health England has said e-cigarette use carries a fraction of the risk of smoking.

But the British Medical Association called earlier this year for a ban on vaping in public places and critics argue the effect on health over the long term is not yet known as they have not been around long enough.

And earlier this month, the US government issued a stark warning that electronic cigarettes could leave children hooked on nicotine for life.

Americas top doctor, Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy, said the devices were a major public health concern and said vaping was a gateway to smoking for teenagers, who can become hooked on nicotine after as little as one to three days of it a month.

Scientists at the world-renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have also raised concerns, claiming just ten puffs on an e-cigarette are enough to trigger physiological changes which could lead to heart disease.

Nearly three million people in Britain use e-cigarettes after they were billed as a healthier alternative to smoking

And the EU banned TV advertising of e-cigarettes earlier this year because of concerns about the risk to children.

It said: Electronic cigarettes can develop into a gateway to nicotine addiction and ultimately traditional tobacco consumption, as they mimic and normalise the action of smoking.

Other studies have found e-cigarettes raise blood pressure and promote a hardening of the arteries just like normal cigarettes.

But traders are cashing in on the trend.

More than 800 new shops stocking the devices opened in the last 12 months, according to the latest research.

Barnaby Page from ECigIntelligence said this was because vape stores offer customers more detailed knowledge than they could get from other retailers, and a wider selection of stock.

The stores are opening in central locations, though often not on prime High Street sites.
A Chinese villager claimed he had discovered a boulder that shaped like a UFO.

Xia Changjun reportedly found the rock as he drove in a mountain in central China's Hubei Province, and he decided to bring it home because he found it 'unusual'.

Not only Mr. Xia, local historians are also puzzled by the shape of the stone as they tried to find out whether it was carved by ancient people or shaped by nature.

Xia Changjun spotted an interesting rock with seven holes through it in a deserted mountain

Xia Changjun saw the large rock by the hillside when he was driving in a mountain near Baokang county in Xiangyang in April, according to People's Daily Online.

He said he spotted a funny-looking rock with holes on it. He pulled off his car and started digging with his iron shovel.

Noticing the majority parts of the rock are buried underground, Xia contacted the landlord and bought the rock.

Xia spent a week digging the rock out.

The man showed off his rare find to media this week.

The base of the rock has several pillars of different sizes to provide support to the whole piece

There are seven holes in the middle layer where you can clearly see the views behind the rock

The oval-shaped rock weighs about six tonnes, 2.8 metres long (nine feet), 2 metres wide (6.6 feet) and 1.6 metres tall (5.2 feet).

The rock has three tiers.

The base is formed by several stone pillars, giving support to the upper layers.

The middle layer has seven holes and the top tier has a flat platform, with five pillars standing on one side.

Wang Qingxiang, an expert on the culture and history of Hubei and Hunan, is also puzzled by the strangely shaped rock.

Mr. Wang told a reporter that he was not sure if the shape of the rock was natural or it had been hand carved by the ancestors living in the area.

However, Mr. Wang identified it as a basalt stone.

Rock and roll...NOT! The massive rare rock weighs six tonnes and can only be carried by crane.

Five pillars sit on the top layer of the rock along with a broad platform where people can sit on

Mr. Wang also suggested the rock could have served as an altar table for ritual purpose or even a wartime signal in ancient times.

The man claimed that a buyer had offered to purchase his 'UFO rock' for 100,000 yuan (11,765) this week, but he turned down the offer.

'I didn't sell it. This is too precious to me,' said Xia.
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Scientists may soon be able to achieve unthinkable strains of marijuana thanks to new efforts in DNA sequencing.

Spearheaded by former HIV researcher Mowgli Holmes, Phylos Bioscience is attempting to map the genetic data for every strain in the world.

The team has so far sequenced over a thousand different kinds, and theyve plotted all the findings in a breathtaking 3-D representation of the marijuana Galaxy.

Use your mouse to drag the graphic and zoom in to reveal the many strains in the 'Galaxy'

Researchers with Phylos far sequenced over a thousand different kinds, and theyve plotted all the findings in a breathtaking 3-D representation of the marijuana Galaxy.

WHY THEY DO IT Its hoped that the efforts will ultimately lead to an extensive platform for research on marijuana, according to Vocativ. And, it could make for even better strains in the future. The genetic report will provide understanding on the strains closest relatives, clonal relationships, its uniqueness, origin, and more. It can also help breeders to protect themselves and their intellectual property. Theyre hoping to establish prior art for the strains that have been collected, keeping the varieties in the public domain and protecting them from patents. Advertisement

The researchers with Phylos Bioscience have sequenced the DNA of samples from all around the world, including rare and even ancient specimens from Thailand, Colombia, and a dozen other countries, according to Vocativ.

Holmes and colleagues work with breeders and private collectors to gather samples, and then, they analyze the order and makeup of the strains DNA.

We use the Next Generation Sequencing technology to read the genome of your plant sample, according to Phylos website.

We then carefully analyze its genetic relationship to every other sample in our database  from landacres to modern day varieties.'

According to the firm, the kits contain everything that's needed to prepare a stem sample, so breeders and collectors can legally mail it into the lab.

Then, it takes 2-4 weeks to get the results back.

So far, theyve garnered what they say is the largest genomic database of marijuana in the world.

But, theres still much more to be done.

The Phylos team can conduct plant sex tests to identify male and female seedlings and determine the genetic identity, which can both be used to transform traditional breeding, they say.

The researchers with Phylos Bioscience have sequenced the DNA of samples from all around the world, including rare and even ancient specimens from Thailand, Colombia, and a dozen other countries

Its hoped that the efforts will ultimately lead to an extensive platform for research on marijuana, Vocativ reports.

And, it could make for even better strains in the future.

When we understand this plant better were going to be able to help breeders make absolutely crazy, wild weed, Holmes told Vocativ.

Theres going to be cannabis around that would be unthinkable today.

According to Phylos, the genetic report will provide understanding on the strains closest relatives, clonal relationships, its uniqueness, origin, and more.

This is updated as more strains are added to the database, which was recently made open source through the Open Cannabis Project.

According to Phylos, the genetic report will provide understanding on the strains closest relatives, clonal relationships, its uniqueness, origin, and more

It can also help breeders to protect themselves, the site explains, by providing a certificate of authenticity.

And, it could help to protect breeders intellectual property, Holmes explained.

Theyre hoping to establish prior art for the strains that have been collected, keeping the varieties in the public domain and protecting them from patents, according to Vocativ.

As plant scientists, thats what we care about, Holmes told Vocativ.
Over the holiday season, Facebook is inundated with pictures of children getting involved in the family festivities.

But Joanne Orlando, a researcher in Technology and Learning at Western Sydney University, suggests parents who post pictures of their children online may be doing them harm.

In an article for The Conversation, she explores the dangers of encouraging children to play up to the cameras.

Over the holiday season, Facebook is inundated with pictures of children getting involved in the family festivities. But Joanne Orlando, a r esearcher in Technology and Learning at Western Sydney University, explores how parents who post pictures of their children online may be doing them harm.

We often express dissatisfaction at the ways young people post their lives online.

But if we turn the mirror on ourselves, do we as parents actually have the right to make our family photos public? If so, which ones?

Part of the issue is our tendency for over-sharing.

A recent study by Nominet, which handles the UKs .uk domain name registry, found that parents post nearly 200 photos of their under fives online every year.

This means that a child will feature in around 1,000 online photos before their fifth birthday.

Weve even got to the point where if you dont upload photos of our baby, others question whether you are a committed parent.

This new norm means that many children will have a powerful digital identity created by someone else.

This process can be likened to the manufacturing of celebrity identities, where parents can potentially shape the public persona of their child in any way they want: child genius, disobedient, fashionista, fussy eater and so on.

How do you think your own mum or dad might shape your online identity? Do you think it would be an accurate portrayal of who you are?

A recent study by Nominet, which handles the UKs .uk domain name registry, found that parents post nearly 200 photos of their under fives online every year. This means that a child will feature in around 1,000 online photos before their fifth birthday

There is also the issue of Likes and comments on those photos.

Without realising it, are we choosing to upload posts about our kids that we hope will get the most audience attention? If so, how is this skewing the identity we are shaping for them?

The web never forgets

We often tell our kids that once something is on the internet it is there forever, and this is a core concern for kids.

Research shows that parents often havent considered the potential reach and the longevity of the digital information that theyre sharing about their child.

Your child wont have much control over where that home video of her having an embarrassing first singing lesson ends up or who sees it.

HOW TO AVOID OVERSHARING If youre a parent looking for advice or sympathy about a behavioural problem, then a community approach is still very helpful, just dont post an image and your childs name as part of the post. This will help to limit the searchability and reach of it. Asking your childrens consent is also part of the issue and part of the solution. Asking if your child likes the photos of them and whether you can put it up online can be a very quick and respectful conversation. It also sets up a great approach to your kids understanding digital etiquette. Advertisement

And for this generation of kids, the publicising of their lives can start even before they are born when parents broadcast photos to all their friends and their friends friends of the antenatal scan.

Parents actions are generally not maliciously intended.

In fact, they actually often see they are exposing something personal about their own life in such posts rather than that of their child.

Theres also benefit from such sharing. Posts about your child bed-wetting might help a friend find solutions, or boost their patience for dealing with a similar issue with their own child. Many parents find this community of support important.

Given the relative youth of social media, its hard to say exactly how growing up online could affect childrens privacy, safety and security.

But social media has also been around long enough now (Facebook is now 14 years old) that its important to seriously consider the issue.

Its time to question how individuals (both children and adults) should manage boundaries around sharing personal information, and how they can control information that is shared about them.

Posting embarrassing photos of others on Facebook without consent is definitely tricky territory, but what constitutes embarrassing is slightly different for everyone, which makes this new issue even more of a minefield.

Get the kids involved

The answer of how to approach this new-found issue might be to listen to what kids have to say about it.

Recent research from the University of Michigan asked children and parents to describe the rules they thought families should follow related to technology.

Adults tend to think of these rules around how much time kids spend on screen, but about three times more children than parents thought there should be rules about what parents share and dont share on social media.

Many kids said parents should not post anything about them on online without asking them.

Both children and parents considered positive images, events and news more appropriate to share than negative ones.

An image of the child playing on the swings at the park is a lot less likely to resurface than a YouTube video of them having a tantrum because their breakfast is not in their favourite bowl.

If youre a parent looking for advice or sympathy about a behavioural problem, then a community approach is still very helpful, just dont post an image and your childs name as part of the post.

This will help to limit the searchability and reach of it.

Asking your childrens consent is also part of the issue and part of the solution.

Asking if your child likes the photos of them and whether you can put it up online can be a very quick and respectful conversation.

It also sets up a great approach to your kids understanding digital etiquette.

Parents sharing photos of their kids online isnt only about digital identity.

Its also about our obsession with taking photos of our kids, particularly when they shine (or dont shine) in their respective activities.

This can make kids feel pressured to perform to help mum and dad get the right snap to share.
Festive cheer could soon give way to brutal heartbreak if the latest internet search trends are anything to go by.

According to trend data collected by Google, searches for 'should I break up with my boyfriend' and 'should I get divorced' have hit an all-time high for the year.

But all is not lost this Christmas period - searches for 'should I quit my job' have now hit record lows.

Journalist Max Benwell used 'Google Trends' to investigate global search data for 2016

GOOGLE'S WORLDWIDE CHRISTMAS TRENDS - Searches for 'Should I break up with my boyfriend' hit their highest for 2016 worldwide. - But trends for 'Should I break up with my girlfriend' remained around average. - Global searches for 'Should I get divorced' also hit their highest for the year during Christmas week. - However, searches for 'Should I quit my job' dipped to their lowest for 2016 over the festive period. Advertisement

Freelance journalist Max Benwell used the California company's 'Google Trends' function to investigate global search data for 2016 yesterday afternoon.

searches for 'should i break up with my boyfriend?' surging right now pic.twitter.com/3zVc63WGww  Max Benwell (@Max_Benwell) December 27, 2016

Worldwide searches over the Christmas period for 'should I break up with my girlfriend' have remained around the average for the year.

But according to Mr Benwell's findings, searches for 'should I break up my boyfriend soared during Christmas week.

And he has his own theory as to what may be behind the bizarre trend.

'Maybe it's the Love Actually effect,' he tweeted.

'"A time to be honest" works both ways lol.'

'Or just sh*t presents.'

The trends were not reflected in UK results, which remained around average for the year.

According to journalist Max Benwell's findings, searches for 'should I break up my boyfriend soared during Christmas week (stock image)

Mr Benwell has his own theory as to why this may be the case

And it's not just boyfriends who should be worried.

Worldwide searches for 'should I get divorced' also hit their highest for the year during Christmas week.

It's not just boyfriends who should be worried. Worldwide searches for 'Should I get divorced' also hit their highest for the year during Christmas week

In the US, the number of people searching Google for 'Should I get a divorce' were more than twice as high than at any other time during the year

And in the US, the number of people searching Google for 'Should I get a divorce' were more than twice as high than at any other time during the year.

Google did not collect enough data on UK divorce searches for any trends to show.

But all is not lost for those still looking for a bit of Christmas cheer.

Worldwide, searches for 'should I quit my job' dipped to their lowest for 2016 over the Christmas period.

However, in the US this trend peaked to its highest for 2016.

In the UK, the trend remained around average for the year over Christmas.

All is not lost for those still looking for a bit of Christmas cheer. Worldwide, searches for 'Should I quit my job' dipped to their lowest for the year around the Christmas period

However, in the US these search figures peaked to their highest for 2016
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A pod of humpback whales has been photographed underwater for the first time in Britain.

The rare moment was witnessed off the Shetland Islands, Scotland, by wildlife photographers Richard Shucksmith and Brydon Thomason.

The Shetland Islands locals had spotted the whales feeding in the area over the previous three weeks, and were anticipating an opportunity to photograph them up close.

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A pod of humpback whales has been photographed underwater for the first time in Britain. The rare moment was witnessed off the Shetland Islands, Scotland, by wildlife photographers Richard Shucksmith and Brydon Thomason

HUMPBACK WHALES The huge mammals grow up to 16 metres (52 feet) in length. They weigh approximately 36,000 kg (79,000 lbs). Despite their intimidating size, humpback whales are harmless to humans. They mostly eat krill and small fish. During the winter months, humpback whales leave the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and migrate past the UK to warmer locations. There are one or two sightings in the Hebrides each year, but this is believed to be the first time a pod has been photographed underwater in British shores. Advertisement

Mr Shucksmith said: 'I had been waiting for a weather window to go and try to get underwater images of the humpback whales.

'One of the crew took us out on his boat on an incredibly calm and sunny day, rare in mid-winter.

'We followed at a distance and manoeuvred the boat into the sound and turned off the engine and waited.

'Then all of sudden one surfaced 20m away, and I slipped into the water and within seconds both the whales were heading straight towards me.

'My heart was in my mouth as I realised this was going to be so close, and with just an arm's length from me they turned, looked at me and gently glided past.

'I was astounded and so happy to have such a close encounter, the gentle giants of the sea.'

Growing up to 16 metres (52 ft), and weighing approximately 36,000 kg (79,000 lbs), despite their intimidating size, humpback whales are harmless to humans and mostly eat krill and small fish.

During the winter months humpback whales leave the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and migrate past the UK to warmer locations.

Mr Shucksmith, the photographer-cum-ecologist said: 'Every year there are sightings of humpbacks round Shetland but they have not been predictable in the past.

'This year we suspect that there has been a good food source for them round Shetland such as large shoals of mackerel inshore.

Photographer Richard Shucksmith said: 'It was an incredible experience, a privilege to be swimming with humpbacks in UK seas. People travel to places like Tonga and Norway to swim with humpbacks and here we are doing it in the UK. British seas are truly amazing'

The whales grow up to 16 metres (52 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kg (79,000 lbs)

Despite their intimidating size, humpback whales are harmless to humans and mostly eat krill and small fish

Mr Shucksmith said: 'I slipped into the water and within seconds both the whales were heading straight towards me. My heart was in my mouth as I realised this was going to be so close, and with just an arm's length from me they turned, looked at me and gently glided past'

Once hunted to the brink of extinction for their oil and meat, it is hoped that the recent increase of whale sightings around British seas reflects on a healthier and rising population in humpback whales.

Mr Shucksmith said: 'It was an incredible experience, a privilege to be swimming with humpbacks in UK seas.

'People travel to places like Tonga and Norway to swim with humpbacks and here we are doing it in the UK.

'British seas are truly amazing.'

The two Shetland Islands locals had spotted the whales feeding in the area over the previous three weeks, and were anticipating an opportunity to photograph them up close. This image shows Mr Shucksmith swimming next to one of the two whales that the photographers spotted

Mr Shucksmith said: 'I had been waiting for a weather window to go and try to get underwater images of the humpback whales. One of the crew took us out on his boat on an incredibly calm and sunny day, rare in mid-winter. We followed at a distance and manoeuvred the boat into the sound and turned off the engine and waited'

During the winter months humpback whales leave the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and migrate past the UK to warmer locations. this image shows the two whales spotted by the photographers breaching the water

Humpack whales were once hunted to the brink of extinction for their oil and meat

It is hoped that the recent increase of whale sightings around British seas reflects on a healthier and rising population in humpback whales
A Google director has said the internet giant has more to do to tackle illegal content.

Matt Brittin urged people to make their own judgements should they encounter unsavoury material online.

But he also defended the company's efforts to remove hateful and harmful content from the search engine, as well as its auto complete function, which has been accused of diverting people towards racist and other discriminatory search terms.

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Matt Brittin, a Google director, has said the internet giant has more to do to tackle illegal content

GOOGLE TWEAKS SEARCH RESULTS Earlier this week, it emerged that Google has altered results for people searching the Holocaust after stinging criticism that it led them to neo-Nazi and denial websites. The top result for people who searched 'Did the Holocaust happen'? was an article by white supremacist site Stormfront entitled: '10 reasons why the Holocaust didn't happen'. Google has now moved this article so it no long appears first in the US and UK. Advertisement

The president of Google Europe also called for a simplification of UK tax rules, as he insisted the company paid the corporation tax it was asked to by the government.

Reports earlier this year suggested Google's auto complete options were automatically loading offensive search terms, based on what people had been searching for online.

Mr Brittin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the tool did help save time, adding: 'But it's algorithmic, and I think people understand that these are suggestions based on what other people are searching for.

'So we can always improve that and we work hard to do that, but I think people are smart and they realise that not everything you find on the internet is accurate and there's a range of opinions there.

'I think you see people researching that well. We always have to do more, but I think people understand this is a world of choice.

'People have got more choice and more access to information than ever before, and they can therefore be better informed and make their own judgments.'

The top result for people who searched 'Did the Holocaust happen'? was an article by white supremacist site Stormfront (pictured)

Earlier this week, it emerged that Google has altered results for people searching the Holocaust after stinging criticism that it led them to neo-Nazi and denial websites.

The top result for people who searched 'Did the Holocaust happen'? was an article by white supremacist site Stormfront entitled: '10 reasons why the Holocaust didn't happen'.

Google has now moved this article so it no long appears first in the US and UK.

Mr Brittin said: 'It's our job to make sure that we observe the laws everywhere we operate, and we help to remove hateful and harmful and illegal content, and we work very hard on doing that both with technology and of course with people - you can't always use algorithms to solve these things.

'It's an ongoing investment of energy, working in partnership with governments and others, to try to ensure that the internet is an overwhelmingly positive force for society, which I think generally people will accept that it is.

'We always have to work harder on those things.'

Google is one of several multinational companies to have been accused of avoiding tax, in spite of making billions of pounds of sales in Britain.

Google has altered results for people searching the Holocaust after stinging criticism that it led them to neo-Nazi and denial websites

Mr Brittin said: 'We think Google should pay its fair share in tax and everything else.

'The best way for us to do that is to pay exactly what the tax authority asks us to do, which we do, and also call for a simplification of the rules, because we don't want to be in a situation where people think we're not paying our fair share when we're paying exactly what the Government does.

'The best way for us to make the biggest possible contribution in tax is to grow the size of our operations here, so 3,000 more people, a growing business means that we will be more successful and be a bigger contributor to the economy.'
Samsung is in need of a show-stopper phone after the fiasco of its Galaxy Note 7's exploding.

Now, new rumours suggest that its upcoming Galaxy S8 will use its built-in AI assistant in all of the phone's pre-installed apps.

The voice-guided assistant, reportedly named 'Bixby', could be used for a wide variety of functions in a similar way to Apple's Siri.

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 will use its built-in AI assistant in all of the phone's included Samsung-made apps, reports suggest. Pictured is an artist impression of what the Galaxy S8 may look like

For instance, the assistant could be used in the Gallery app to show photos of the beach.

This is a feature that has been available to Google Photos and iOS 10 users for some time.

But the addition of Bixby could help Samsung close the gap on its leading smartphone competitors Apple and Google.

The latest rumours comes from Sammobile, who suggests that it has received insider information on the new phone.

Samsung has previously relied on its now-ageing S Voice feature for user assistance.

According to Sammobile's report: 'S Voice is likely to be replaced by Bixby in the Galaxy S8.

'Unlike S Voice, Bixby will be much more advanced, and it will work system-wide.'

Samsung has already hinted in the past that users will not have to use specific apps to perform many tasks.

Bixby is rumoured to be the key component to this streamlined user experience.

Samsung has already hinted in the past that users will not have to use specific apps to perform many tasks. Bixby is rumoured to be the key component to this streamlined user experience. Pictured is an artist's impression of the S8's rumoured dual-lense rear camera

Questions have been raised as to how Google will react to this news.

Google launched its own digital helper, known as 'Assistant', earlier this year.

Google's largest Android smartphone partner is Samsung, and the California firm is unlikely to welcome the news that Samsung is replacing the need for Google's new Assistant technology.

Samsung is expected to launch the upcoming flagship device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February.

Rumours surrounding Samsung's newest Galaxy smartphone have been rife in recent months.

Reports earlier this month suggested that the South Korean firm has become more accepting of a wireless future, especially after Apple managed to kill off the headphone socket without too much of a customer backlash.

Other S8 rumours speculate that the handset is ditching the home button for an optical finger recognition system inside of the display - giving Android users an edge-to-edge screen. The firm is also considering boosting the screen size of the S8 to a 5.5in screen and a 6.2in screen

It is also speculated that the handset is ditching the home button for an optical finger recognition system inside of the display - giving Android users an edge-to-edge screen.

Earlier this month Sammobile reported it can exclusively confirm that Samsung is going to remove the standard 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy S8.

Samsung is rumoured to be calling the new devices the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, changing to Apple's naming strategy.

An artist's impression of the new Galaxy S8. The impression shows the handset in four vibrant shades of red, blue, purple and yellow - a feature yet to be seen by Samsung users

And even though the firm has boasted in the past that it has something Apple doesnt, the headphone jack, it seems to understand the way that technology is moving.

However, one downfall Android users will experience is that they cannot plug the charger and headphones into the Galaxy S8 at the same time  something many iOS users have complained about.

The freed up space could give the firm more leg room to integrate loud front-facing stereo speakers into the handset.

And many believe this is where the Samsungs purchase of Harman International Industries, a Connecticut-based maker of connected car and audio systems, will come into play.

MORE SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 RUMORS New renders of what could be Samsung Galaxy S8 surfaced in October and they suggest the device will incorporate a dual-lens camera design and remove the home button for an edge-to-edge screen. It's speculated that Samsung could design a fingerprint-sensing display or place the feature behind the tempered glass. Because levels of concentration will be increased with a 'full screen', pictures and videos should be much clearer and even go so far as to produce a 3D effect. Rumors suggest that pixels of the dual-cameras will support 16 megapixels and 8 megapixels. Another new addition to the Galaxy S8 could also be an upgraded Application process (AP) that corresponds to the handset's brain. Sources say Samsung is going to start mass-producing 10-nano Snapdragon 830s, which will be used for the Galaxy S8, some time next year. Advertisement

The South Korean firm is also considering boosting the screen size of the S8 to a 5.5 inch screen and a 6.2 inch screen.

However, with the failed Galaxy Note 7 leaving users dissatisfied with the firm, many are anxious to see what Samsung may have to make up for its explosive mistake.

Renders surfaced in October from Vaibhav Jain of Techdroider, who said a report from South Korea predicts the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be designed with a 'completely bezel-less display'.

It's also believed that the handset will have sleek, curved side-edges that could extend from the top to the bottom.

The renders for what could be the Samsung Galaxy S8 also hint at a smartphone that users have yet to experience and most of the changes will be in the design, reports Yun Keonil with ET News.

And because levels of concentration will be increased with a 'full screen', pictures and videos should be much clearer and even go so far as to produce a 3D effect.

WHY WERE THE BATTERIES EXPLODING IN THE NOTE 7? Lithium batteries are use in a range of consumer electronic devices, favoured by manufacturers because they are lightweight and pack much more energy into a small space than other power cells. But storing so much energy in a tiny space, with combustible components separated by ultra-thin walls, makes them susceptible to overheating if exposed to high temperatures, damage or flaws in manufacturing. If the separators fail, a chemical reaction can quickly escalate out of control. Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president, told reporters in Seoul: 'The flaw in the manufacturing process resulted in the negative electrodes and the positive electrodes coming together.' It is unclear how Samsung failed to discover the battery problem before launching the Note 7. Advertisement

Not only could this device be Samsung's first bezel-less phone, but it would also be the first to have rear-dual cameras.

'Currently Samsung Electronics is deciding whether to use all-in-one dual-cameras or separated dual-cameras,' a representative for a component industry told ET News.

'It already finalised a decision to use dual-cameras.'

Rumours suggest that pixels of the dual-cameras will support 16 megapixels and 8 megapixels - the iPhone 7 Plus only supports 12 megapixels.

Another new addition to the Galaxy S8 could be an upgraded Application process (AP) that corresponds to handset's brain.
Criminals could commit crimes in full-view of cameras with access to a new accessory.

Specially designed reflective glasses that blur CCTV images have now met their crowdfunding target.

The accessory, called 'Reflectacles', reflect light off of the wearer's face, increasing visibility and confusing security cameras' infrared sensors.

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Specially designed glasses that blur CCTV images could hit UK stores soon. The accessory, called 'Reflectacles', reflect light off of the wearer's face, increasing visibility and confusing security cameras' infrared sensors (pictured)

REFLECTACLES - Reflect light off of the wearer's face, increasing visibility and confusing security cameras' infrared sensors. - Cost between 78 and 100 ($95-$125) - Made from micro-prismatic retro-reflective materials. - Will ship to hundreds of backers in 2017. Advertisement

The spectacles cost between 78 and 100 ($95-$125) and are designed to 'erase our faces' even in low light conditions.

The eyewear can be used to thwart group photos, selfies, or paparazzi, according to Chicago-based designer Scott Urban.

They could also be used by cyclists and joggers for extra visibility at night.

Reflectacles recently surpassed its crowdfunding goal of 23,000 ($28,000) on Kickstarter.

Currently sitting at 26,000 ($32,000), the project still has 60 hours left to raise as much money as possible.

Thirty five year-old Mr Urban claims that the crowdfunded specs are made from micro-prismatic retro-reflective materials.

In a promotional video for the spectacles, he says: 'This material is the most reflective material that currently exists.

The spectacles (pictured), which cost between 78 and 100 ($95-$125), are designed to 'erase our faces' even in low light conditions

The entrepreneur says that the reflective materials used to make the product's 'Ghost' range are normally only found in laboratories.

'There are a lot of people doing things that are anti-surveillance,' Mr Urban told DNAinfo.

'With Snowden leaks, WikiLeaks, people are starting to realise that everything I do is being watched,' he said.

But the glasses could help criminals avert the watchful eye of security cameras.

Footage captured of illegal activity is useless unless a criminal can be identified from the images.

The eyewear can be used to thwart group photos, selfies or paparazzi, according to designer Scott Urban. They could also be used by cyclists and joggers for extra visibility at night

Mr Urban says that he is a private person who isn't interested in technology.

The designer says he still uses a flip-phone and doesn't like it when people take his picture.

Mr Urban claims he will make hundreds of pairs of the glasses for all of his crowdfunding backers.
A bizarre new theory suggests that a mysterious anomaly discovered in the Antarctic may hide a Nazi UFO base.

The theory comes from a team of UFO Hunters, who claim that the Nazis built secret bases in Antarctica during World War 2 that were designed to be used by UFOs.

The huge, mysterious Antarctic anomaly stretches for a distance of around 150 miles (240 km) across and reaches a maximum depth of around 850 metres (2,790 feet).

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A bizarre new theory suggests that a strange anomaly discovered in the Antarctic (pictured) may hide a Nazi UFO base. A team of UFO Hunters claim in a YouTube video posted this week that Nazis built secret UFO bases in Antarctica during World War 2

LINKS BETWEEN CONSPIRACY, NARCISSISM AND SELF-ESTEEM Over the course of three online-based studies, researchers at the University of Kent showed strong links between the belief in conspiracy theories and these psychological traits. The results showed that those people who rated highly on the narcissism scale and who had low self-esteem were more likely to be conspiracy believers. However, while low self-esteem, narcissism and belief in conspiracies are strongly linked, it is not clear that one - or a combination - causes the other. But it hints at an interesting new angle to the world of conspiracy and those who reinforce belief. Advertisement

It is found in an area of frozen wasteland in Antarctica known as Wilkes Land.

The UFO Hunters making the bold claims, dubbed 'SecureTeam10', regularly post videos on alien conspiracies.

Speaking of the Antarctic anomaly, they say: 'To this day, scientists have no idea or way to discover exactly what is buried deep under this thick ice shelf.

'This continent has been shrouded in a mystery of its own for years now.'

And on the strange Nazi UFO base theory, they claim in their video: 'There is some evidence of this coming to light in recent years, with images purporting to show various entrances built into the side of mountains, with a saucer shape and at a very high altitude.

'This begs the question: how would you enter these entrances without something that could fly and was the same shape as the hole itself?'

The conspiracy theorists also discuss the possibility that the US Navy led a mission to investigate the mysterious anomaly.

They claim that the mission was dubbed 'Operation High Jump', which some conspiracy theorists think was an attempt to find the entrance to a hidden world beneath Earth.

The strange shape beneath Antarctica was first found by Nasa satellite imagery in 2006.

The huge, mysterious anomaly stretches for a distance of around 150 miles (240 km) across and reaches a maximum depth of around 850 metres (2,790 feet). It is found in an area of frozen wasteland in Antarctica known as Wilkes Land (circled in red)

Some researchers believe the anomaly is the result of an asteroid impact twice the size of the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

'This Wilkes Land impact is much bigger than the impact that killed the dinosaurs, and probably would have caused catastrophic damage at the time,' said Ralph von Frese, who was a professor of geological sciences at Ohio State University when he discovered the crater in 2006.

'All the environmental changes that would have resulted from the impact would have created a highly caustic environment that was really hard to endure.

'So it makes sense that a lot of life went extinct at that time.'

This representation of satellite data reveals the bizarre Antarctic anomaly (circled)

This is not the first time that a strange UFO conspiracy has arisen from Antarctica's icy depths.

Earlier this year, a strange theory claiming that there is a mysterious pyramid in the Antarctic emerged.

Conspiracy theorists posted a video on YouTube, in which they claimed that US Secretary of State, John Kerry, visited Antarctica last month to visit an 'alien base' within the pyramid.

This is not the first time that a strange UFO conspiracy has arisen from Antarctica's icy depths. Earlier this year, a strange theory claiming that there is a mysterious pyramid in the Antarctic emerged

The video suggested that the images had been taken from Google Earth, but it is unclear whether they had been edited.

The video was posted by Third Phase of the Moon, another YouTube channel that regularly posts conspiracy theories on aliens.

It showed a pyramid-like structure in the snow, with a Google Earth-type label and pin.

The label read 'Antartica Pyramid'  a misspelling of Antarctica, which suggests that the image was likely doctored.

It showed a pyramid-like structure in the snow, with a Google Maps-type label and pin. The label reads 'Antartica Pyramid'  a misspelling of Antarctica, which suggests that image might have been doctored

It is unclear what the structure could be, but it looks similar to a nunatak  a natural mountain peak that juts up above glaciers.

Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, told MailOnline: 'Pictures of the pyramid structures are either photoshopped, cropped pictures to make the mountains look more like pyramids or simply pictures of natural formations called nunataks.
T-Mobile is the first major carrier to start killing off the remaining Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.

The Washington firm has begun rolling out a software update to the handsets that will prevent batteries from charging.

A notification about the recall will display on the screen, including instructions and a note telling owners their phone no longer has the ability to charge  rendering the devices unusable once the battery drains.

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T-Mobile is the first major carrier to start killing off the remaining Samsung Galaxy Not 7 smartphones. The firm is rolling out an update to the handsets that will prevent batteries from charging

KILLING THE NOTE 7 T-Mobile is pushing a software update to users today that will remind them about the recall and include instructions on how to send back the phone. It will also notify them that their phone not longer has the ability to charge. Once the battery drains, consider the phones useless. AT&T and Sprint are set to release the update on Jan. 5. But Verizon customers shouldn't expect the software update anytime soon. Advertisement

'T-Mobile customers who still have a Note7 should immediately power down and stop using the device, and bring it back to a T-Mobile store for a full refund and a replacement device,' T-Mobile said in a statement.

'Customers can also return any accessories they purchased from T-Mobile for use with the Note7 for a full refund.'

'Well waive any restocking charges, and customers who purchased during pre-order can keep the free Netflix subscription and Gear Fit or SD card they received.'

The idea behind the update is to encourage those users who have not already returned their recalled handsets to do so.

'Consumer safety remains our highest priority and weve had overwhelming participation in the U.S. Note 7 Refund and Exchange Program so far, with more than 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices returned, said Samsung in a statement earlier this month regarding its kill plan.

T-Mobile is just the first carrier to roll out the push, as it is said that AT&T and Sprint will jump on the bandwagon on January 5, reports CNET.

But, Verizon customers will still be able to charge their phones plagued with battery problems.

Samsung confirmed to MailOnline earlier this month that an update is coming to Note 7 users in Europe that will prevent handsets from charging past 30 percent.

'As part of our absolute focus on customer safety, we are rolling out a new battery software update to all remaining Galaxy Note 7 devices in Europe from 15th December that will limit the maximum charging capacity of the devices to 30 percent, the firm shared in an email.

A notification about the recall will display on the screen, including instructions and a note telling the owner their phone no longer has the ability to charge. This update is to kill off the exploding devices for good

WHAT CAUSED THE FIRES? Ms Shedletsky and colleagues took apart one of the phones and found it did not leave enough space for the battery to swell when it expanded during charging. 'When batteries are charged and discharged, chemical processes cause the lithium to migrate and the battery will mechanically swell,' the blog says. 'Any battery engineer will tell you that it's necessary to leave some percentage of ceiling above the battery, 10% is a rough rule-of-thumb, and over time the battery will expand into that space. 'Our two-month old unit had no ceiling: the battery and adhesive was 5.2 mm thick, resting in a 5.2 mm deep pocket.' The researchers said this flaw could have been overlooked when Samsung engineers developed the phone. Advertisement

'The previous battery software update, which limited the maximum charging capacity to 60 per cent, has helped to drive a high rate of return, with over 90 percent of Galaxy Note 7 devices in Europe replaced to date'.

'This new battery software update is specifically designed to reinforce to the remaining minority of customers to immediately replace their device via their local Galaxy Note 7 Replacement Programme'.

While Samsung originally put the problem down to the battery manufacturing process, reports earlier this week claim there was a fault in the phone itself.

The new reports say the fires were caused by an 'aggressive' design flaw that squeezed the phone's battery pack to dangerous pressure levels.

Samsung axed its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in October this year, stopping production of the faulty device a day after it halted global sales of the product and offering everyone their money back.

The South Korean tech giant said it made the final decision to stop production for the sake of consumer safety, after a huge number of the phones overheated and spontaneously burst into flames.

At the time, Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president, told reporters in Seoul: 'The flaw in the manufacturing process resulted in the negative electrodes and the positive electrodes coming together.'

But Anna Shedletsky, hardware engineer and chief executive of tech company Instrumental, was not satisfied with Samsung's explanation for the flaming phones.

A new reports say the fires were caused by a design flaw that squeezed the phone's battery pack to dangerous pressure levels Earlier this year Samsung users took to social media to share pictures since the first incidents were reported in August

This is because, after initial attempts to fix the problem, Samsung decided to recall every handset and cancel the product line.

'If it was only a battery part issue and could have been salvaged by a re-spin of the battery, why cancel the product line and cede several quarters of revenue to competitors?' Ms Shedletsky wrote in a blog post.

Ms Shedletsky and colleagues took apart one of the phones and found it did not leave enough space for the battery to swell when it expanded during charging.

'When batteries are charged and discharged, chemical processes cause the lithium to migrate and the battery will mechanically swell,' the blog says.

A full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post admitted the company 'fell short' on its promise of delivering 'breakthrough technologies that enrich people's lives'

IS SAMSUNG SET TO DITCH THE HEADPHONE JACK? The latest rumours of what could be called the Samsung Galaxy S8 claim to 'confirm' that the handset will not have a headphone jack. This move will free up space for other components, a larger battery and possible loud front-facing stereo speakers. It is also speculated that Samsung is tossing out the home button and replacing it with an finger recognition system inside of the display. A bezel-less design also means Android users will have an edge-to-edge screen. Advertisement

'Any battery engineer will tell you that it's necessary to leave some percentage of ceiling above the battery, 10 per cent is a rough rule-of-thumb, and over time the battery will expand into that space.

'Our two-month old unit had no ceiling: the battery and adhesive was 5.2 mm thick, resting in a 5.2 mm deep pocket.'

The researchers said this flaw could have been overlooked when Samsung engineers developed the phone.

'It's possible that Samsung's innovative battery manufacturing process was changing throughout development, and that the newest versions of the batteries weren't tested with the same rigour as the first samples,' they said.

'We are conducting a thorough investigation and will release the results as soon as they are finalised,' a Samsung spokesman told MailOnline.

'We understand the need for answers, but do not wish to say anything prematurely and cannot comment on these reports.

'We appreciate the continued patience of our valued customers as we work diligently through this process.'

A Southwest Airlines plane was evacuated after smoke coming from an overheated Samsung device filled the cabin

A Galaxy Note 7 burning at a Burger King in South Korea was caught on video by someone eating at the fast food restaurant. A staff member removed it while wearing an oven glove

New renders of what could be Samsung Galaxy S8 surfaced in October and they suggest the device will incorporate a dual-lens camera design and remove the home button for an edge-to-edge screen.

It's speculated that Samsung could design a fingerprint-sensing display or place the feature behind the tempered glass.

Because levels of concentration will be increased with a 'full screen', pictures and videos should be much clearer and even go so far as to produce a 3D effect.

A picture taken by the customer inside the plane shows the phone's burned screen

In September, a Jeep burst into flames in Florida after the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 set alight when it was put on charge
The Christmas period always brings woe to airports around the world.

With an influx of passengers and unhelpful bouts of bad weather comes an inevitable increase in delays, long queues, and general dismal happenings.

And as these photos reveal, sometimes it really can all get too much - whether that's braying children on leashes, travellers passing out in the most awkward of places, or in one case, a man eating frozen vegetables straight from the pack at 2am.

It was certainly a rough day at the airport for this mother, who appears to be handling two children mid-meltdown on separate harnesses

Oh the youthful days when we could behave how we really felt, drop to the floor and just give up

Meanwhile over here, a parent appears to have scooped up his zonked out daughter and carried her by way of suitcase

Several images sourced from Funny Pica and elsewhere around the web feature children so defeated they have simply dropped to the floor, face-planted, and stayed there.

Others show weary voyagers contorting themselves in quite remarkable ways on airport waiting seats in order to grab a much-needed nap.

One man at London's Heathrow Airport even found himself a plastic security tray in which to catch 40 winks.

And in an act of total defiance in the face of the standing, one traveller drifted along a conveyor belt seated in a wooden chair.

Ten out of ten for ingenuity here, as demonstrated by this exhausted airport traveller

Armrests? Not a problem for this barefoot sleepy voyager, who threads herself through them before a flight

This image was captioned 'waiting for the Ryanair flight from Save. Looks like they have been here some time already'

One man managed to score himself a brief period of comfort and privacy by using a luggage trolley as a footrest and a newspaper to cover his entire head.

Another duo were spotted fast asleep in temporary shelters they had fashioned out of cardboard boxes. Clearly they were in for the long haul.

Strangely, one man was observed eating frozen vegetables straight out of a McCain packet at 2.30am in Australia's Melbourne Airport - comfort food perhaps?

And bucking the trend amid crowds of fed-up passengers was the serene man seen cross-legged and meditating as he awaited his flight.

A fleeting moment of (relative) comfort and privacy, courtesy of a luggage trolley and today's newspaper

The situation here clearly got so bad, the time came to build makeshift shelters

Spotted at Heathrow Airport, a resourceful and clearly desperate gentleman finds an usual portal in which to catch 40 winks

When boredom struck at the baggage reclaim, this woman opted for a humorous stunt to liven the mood

Completely over the inconvenience of standing, this airport cruiser has given up and got himself a chair instead

Her back story remains a mystery, but one thing is clear - this weary traveller has had enough

Truly and utterly defeated, this child is opting for the floor face-plant method of coping

And according to the traveller who shared this image to Reddit, one gentleman has resorted to eating a bag of 'McCain frozen vegetables' at 2.30am in Melbourne airport

Quite the display here, from a seasoned sleep contortionist spotted in an airport waiting area

Some of us cope with the chaos better than others, and this meditating man provides a good example

Throwing caution to the wind, this pair have temporarily abandoned watching their heap of luggage in favour of a desperate nap

It would be fair to assume that perhaps it's St Patrick's day here, and these men are decidedly worse for wear

This image of a presumed dad having stickers artfully applied to both arms was captioned 'this is why you don't fall asleep in an airport'

Perhaps fed up of being held up in security in the past, one traveller shared his new preventive measure to Reddit with the caption 'I should get through airport security just fine'
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This chaotic scene takes the concept of a food fight to a whole new level.

Revellers from the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi were caught on camera on Wednesday as they stepped out to celebrate a quirky 200-year-old festival known as Els Enfarinats.

The traditional get-together requires participants to dress in military garb and stage a mock takeover using flour, eggs and firecrackers in lieu of weapons.

As expected, things quickly got messy, with attendees wandering the cobbles with their clothing coated in a crust of soggy batter.

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Battle: The bizarre celebrations took place in the Spanish town of Ibi

Recipe: The tradition sees citizens pelt each other with flour and eggs

Prepared: A man protected by goggles and a helmet takes his weapon - a box of eggs - into battle

The annual festivity takes place on December 28 to mark the biblical Massacre of the Innocents by King Herod, who once inhabited the town of Ibi.

The fight, where 'soldiers' also spray fire extinguishers, is accompanied by a day of celebrations including fireworks and a mock election.

At 8am, the Els Enfarinats take the city under the slogan 'New Justice', and an hour later the 'Race for Mayor' takes place in which they decide who will be the 'leader of the Els Enfarinats'.

Then, the act of L'Aixavego is carried out in the Placa de l'Esglesia (Church Square), where the Els Enfarinats reside.

Sunny side up: The men appeared to unload whole boxes of raw eggs on their opponents

Chaos: It is a 200-year-old tradition and is accompanied by a day of celebrations

All smiles: It appeared attendees had lots of fun as they unleashed their wrath via the contents of their kitchen cabinets

No stopping me: Even the town's citizens who are confined to wheelchairs take part

Here, it is decided that those who do not pay the fine will go to jail.

At midday, a collection called the Arreplegada dels Enfarinats takes place through the streets of the old quarter and of the city centre of Ibi, terminating in the Sant Joaquim Sanctuary.

They exercise their authority under a blaze of fireworks, flour bombs and eggs. At 5pm the authority of Els Enfarinats comes to an end giving way to the celebration of the traditional Dansa.

The Spanish are known for their bizarre food-throwing traditions.

Every year they launch tomatoes at each other during the Tomatina Festival, which takes place in the town of Bunol in August every year.

White-out: The flour powdered the air throughout the day as revellers got increasingly carried away

Jet wash: The 'soliders' take a break from the throwing and try to clean themselves off

Crusty: It appeared the revellers would have lots of laundry to do after the festivities

Hosed down: Another man takes out a fire-extinguisher and sprays a fellow reveler

Signal: A smoke bomb is ignited as the battle in the Spanish town heats up

In the thick of it: One man ducks for cover as a loud noise erupts

Not holding back: One fighter smashes a whole box of eggs over another participant

Out of control: One festival attendee appears unable to breathe properly as flour and smoke scent the air
It sounds ludicrously cheap, but next summer you could be flying to New York for under 60.

Norwegian Air has announced that the super low 56 ($69) fare will be possible as a result of its new fleet of extra fuel-efficient Boeing aircrafts.

The catch? You'll have to fly from Edinburgh airport, to a 'secondary' New York airport - not JFK - and you'll have to pay extra to bring a suitcase, have a meal and choose your seats.

How low can you go? Norwegian Air has announced a new 56 ($69) one-way fare from Edinburgh to New York starting next summer

According to iNews, the Oslo-based airline's CEO Bjorn Kjos said: 'Our planes are very, very fuel efficient. We have a totally different set up to other airlines. The Boeing 737MAX has a very modern engine.'

Six new Boeing 737MAX's are reportedly being acquired in April 2017, with the new Edinburgh to New York service being launched in the following months.

Trains from London to Edinburgh cost from 25 with advance bookings, and the journey takes around four hours.

Mr Kjos added that avoiding primary airports like London Heathrow and New York's JFK means 'we dont pay as much and can charge cheaper fares'.

Norwegian Air currently runs flights from Gatwick to New York with the lowest fare for the next three months set at 179 one-way.

You'll have to fly to New York, pictured, from Edinburgh airport, to a 'secondary' New York airport - not JFK

Extra charges for checked-baggage vary according to season but generally cost in the region of 40 for an international flight.

Earlier this month, Norwegian said it would add 50 per cent more flights between Britain and the US next summer, after it was granted extra flying rights.

It is also working on routes from Irish cities like Cork, Dublin and Shannon.

Close competitor Wow air already operates a flight from Edinburgh airport, pictured, to New York with prices starting at 139 over the next three months

Since launching its first transatlantic routes in 2014, Norwegian set a new bar in terms of low fares.

It now competes with the likes of Icelandic-owned Wow air. This airline already operates flights from Edinburgh to New York with prices starting at 139 over the next three months - 40 cheaper than Norwegian at present.
Though Carrie Fisher had many lovers, including Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford, SNL vet Dan Akroyd and Hollywood power agent Bryan Lourd, there was only one husband.

And on Wednesday Paul Simon finally broke his silence on the passing of the 60-year-old screen icon.

The 75-year-old musician, who was married to Fisher from 1983 until 1984, tweeted: 'Yesterday was a horrible day. Carrie was a special, wonderful girl. It's too soon.'

Her only spouse: Paul Simon finally broke his silence on Wednesday about the passing of the 60-year-old screen icon Carrie Fisher who he was married to from 1983 until 1984. Here they are pictured in 1979

A sad farewell: The 75-year-old musician tweeted: 'Yesterday was a horrible day. Carrie was a special, wonderful girl. It's too soon'

The other ladied: Paul's other wives include Peggy Harper and Eddie Brickell

Paul's other wives include Peggy Harper, who he was wed to from 1969 until 1975, and Eddie Brickell, his spouse since 1992.

Ford had made his comment within hours of Carrie's passing.

The actor said she was a 'one-of-a-kind' and lived her life 'bravely'.

Ford, who played Han Solo to her Princess Leia, said: 'Carrie was one-of-a-kind... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life bravely...

'My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her Mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her.'

The Princess Leia actress claimed in her recent book The Princess Diarist that she had an 'intense' three-month affair with Ford when she was 19 during the filming of Star Wars in 1976.

He was 33 and married to his first wife Mary Marquardt at the time.

Fisher kept their tryst secret for 40 years.

His goodbye: Fisher's Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo to her Princess Leia, wrote: 'Carrie was one-of-a-kind... brilliant, original'. Left is Force Awakens and right is Return Of The Jedi

More recent: Ford and Fisher are seen at the 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' film premiere in LA in December 2015

The Star Wars actress passed away on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, her representative confirmed.

Soon after her mother, film vet Debbie Reynolds, wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter.

'I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother.'

Reynolds, 84, was the darling of Hollywood in the 1950s with hits such as Singin' In The Rain and Tammy And The Bachelor.

Other members of Fisher's Star Wars family also quickly reacted.

Mark Hamill, who played her brother Luke Skywalker in the franchise, shared: 'No words, devastated.'

With her mother: Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds, wrote: 'Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter.' Pictured left in 2015 and right in the 1980s

Hollywood darlings: Debbie with husband Eddie Fisher and their little girl Carrie in 1956

Well written: Debbie wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. 'I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother'

The 65-year-old actor also shared a note on Instagram with three photos. This one said: 'Dear Santa: All I want for X-mas is The Force to be strong with Carrie.'

The star also shared a longer poignant post on his Facebook page. He wrote: 'It's never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking.

'Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all- whether she liked it or not. She was OUR Princess, damn it, & the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent & ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away.

'Determined & tough, but with a vulnerability that made you root for her & want her to succeed & be happy. She played such a crucial role in my professional & personal life, & both would have been far emptier without her.

'I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness & even the bratty, self-indulgent crap my beloved space-twin gave me through the years. Thanks Carrie. I love you, mh.'

Blues: The icon's Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill, who played her brother Luke Skywalker in the franchise, shared: 'There are no words, I am devastated'

A collage: Mark also shared a note on Instagram. This one said: 'Dear Santa: All I want for X-mas is The Force to be strong with Carrie'

Poignant: Hamill shared a longer heartfelt tribute to his 'space twin' on his Facebook page

Star Wars creator George Lucas added: 'Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colorful personality that everyone loved.

'In Star Wars she was our great and powerful princess - feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult that most people might think. My heart and prayers are with Billie, Debbie and all Carrie's family, friends and fans. She will be missed by all.'

Another Star Wars veteran, Billy Dee Williams, wrote, 'I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!' He played Han Solo's friend Lando Calrissian.

Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO wrote: 'I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn't. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many. I am very, very sad.'

Peter Mayhew, who is the sci-fi film franchise's Chewbacca, said: 'There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly.'

Tribute: Warwick Davis posted on Twitter following Fisher's death before discussing her life and work on Good Morning Britain

Well wishes: Warwick had shared a snapshot of himself with the actress following her apparent heart attack and subsequent hospitalisation

British actor Warwick Davis, who played Ewok Wicket in Return Of The Jedi paid tribute on Twitter as well as speaking to breakfast show Good Morning Britain on Wednesday morning.

He said: 'She kind of wore fame very well. She didnt have any airs and graces.

'She was just Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia, an iconic figure, but at the same time a very down to earth person who just enjoyed living.

'Some of her talents were not that widely known but she was very successful in a lot of other areas through the years. Not only an iconic actress, but also an author and script doctor.'

Thoughts and prayers: Anthony Daniels, who played C3P0 in the Star Wars movies tweeted his sadness while Dave Prowse also shared his condolences

Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader in all three Star Wars originals, wrote: I am extremely sad to learn of Carrie's passing. She was wonderful to work with. Condolences to her friends, family & fans around the world.

Force Awakens director JJ Abrams shared a handwritten note: 'You didn't need to meet Carrie Fisher to understand her power. She was just as brilliant and beautiful, tough and wonderful, incisive and funny as you could imagine. What an unfair thing to lose her. How lucky to have been blessed with her at all.'

Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley said in a statement: 'Devastated at this monumental loss. How lucky we all are to have known her, and how awful that we have to say goodbye.'

Stars of the show: Carrie and J J Abrams (centre) at the European premiere of The Force Awakens last December with Carrie's co-star Adam Driver holding her dog Gary

He used a pen: Force Awakens director JJ Abrams shared a handwritten note: 'You didn't need to meet Carrie Fisher to understand her power'

Director Steven Spielberg wrote: 'I have always stood in awe of Carrie. Her observations always made me laugh and gasp at the same time. She didn't need The Force. She was a force of nature, of loyalty and of friendship. I will miss her very much.'

Gwendoline Christie, who was in Force Awakens, said: 'We've lost our Princess.'

Lupita Nyong'o, who was also in Force Awakens, wrote, 'Sweet Carrie' while sharing a photo of the two of them with Fisher's dog Gary.

John Boyega, who played Finn in the film, posted a snapshot of himself with the actress alongside the caption: 'My heart is heavy but I'm grateful that I got to know her. I'll cherish the memories, conversations and her consistent support. Rest Well.'

Grateful: John Boyega played Finn in The Force Awakens and posted a snapshot of himself with the actress on his Twitter account alongside a touching tribute

'Carrie Fisher was one-of-a-kind, a true character who shared her talent and her truth with us all with her trademark wit and irreverence,' wrote Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer, The Walt Disney Company.

Disney is now co-producer of the Star Wars films.

'Millions fell in love with her as the indomitable Princess Leia; she will always have a special place in the hearts of Star Wars fans as well as all of us who were lucky enough to know her personally. She will be sorely missed, and we join millions of fans and friends around the world who mourn her loss today.'

Carrie's dog Gary, who had his own Twitter account, wrote: 'Saddest tweets to tweet. Mommy is gone. I love you @carrieffisher.' It is not known who wrote the post for him.

That kiss: Another Star Wars vet, Billy Dee Williams, who was Lando Calrissian, added his tribute online too

Touching tribute: : 'I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!' he wrote

Jamie Lee Curtis shared a photo of Carrie's daughter Billie and said: 'My mother's heart goes out to this exquisitely talented young woman. Her mother's spirit and talent lives on in her and I'm sure all of Carrie's fans and friends will give her space and privacy.'

William Shatner of Star Trek fame tweeted: 'I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent & light has been extinguished.'

Gwyneth Paltrow shared a beautiful photo of Carrie from the 1980s and a note that read: 'Oh goodness. Heavy heart today.'

Steve Martin's words were: 'When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well.'

Kris Jenner of Keeping Up With The Kardashians wrote: 'Such a tragic loss. An inspiration to so many women, your strength and spirit will be missed, @carriefisherofficial... My love and prayers go out to her mother and her family...'

They worked together in a galaxy far, far away: Lupita Nyong'o, who was also in Force Awakens, wrote, 'Sweet Carrie' while sharing a photo of the two of them with dog Gary

With love from Calabasas: Kris Jenner wrote: 'Such a tragic loss. An inspiration to so many women, your strength and spirit will be missed, @carriefisherofficial... My love and prayers go out to her mother and her family...'

They talked: Ellen DeGeneres shared an old photo from when Carrie was on her show to promote Star Wars. The 58-year-old star wrote: 'Carrie was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend'

Actress Anna Kendrick had a profanity laced reaction within minutes of the news. 'No. No. F*** this s***. Carrie Fisher is a f***ing legend and this is bulls***.'

Ellen DeGeneres shared an old photo from when Carrie was on her show to promote Star Wars.

The 58-year-old star wrote: 'Carrie was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend.'

The daytime TV talk show host then said: 'She was so much fun. I can't believe she's gone.'

His tribute: The TV star tweeted: 'I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent & light has been extinguished'

Her big hits: The actress was best known for her Star Wars films. She was last seen in the 2015 blockbuster The Force Awakens. Here she is pictured in 1977's A New Hope

Blindspot Jaime Alexander tweeted: 'I can't take much more of 2016. #RIP #CarrieFisher.'

Mia Farrow wrote: 'Oh no!! Carrie wasn't done yet!' She then added: 'Carrie was brilliant, funny and talented. Sending huge love be to her mom, her daughter, Billie and her many friends.'

Sarah Paulson had a touching note: 'Sweet, Brilliant, Irreverent, Huge hearted Carrie, You gave me advice I live by to this day, & always will. On the wings of angels fly...'

Whoopi Goldberg said: 'Carrie Fisher has passed, she was funnier&smarter than anyone had the right to be. Sail On Silver Girl. Condolences Debbie & Billie R.I.P.'

Margaret Cho, who was a friend, also shared a note on social media.

The comedienne wrote: 'We just lost a great ally for mental health and addiction. Be strong, be as string as she'd want you to be. Rest in paradise.'

The image she shared was a black-and-white one of Carrie in her twenties smiling.

Elizabeth Banks said: '#CarrieFisher was so witty and provocative and unrelentingly interesting. Goddamn, I loved her. Everyone did.'

Nick Lachey, a boy bander who used to be married to Jessica Simpson, added: 'Prince, George Michael, and now Carrie Fisher..... I feel like my youth is disappearing before my eyes. Never felt so old... #RIP.' Last week her welcomed a new baby with Vanessa Minnillo.

Shocked: Actress Anna Kendrick had a profanity laced reaction within minutes of the news. 'No. No. F*** this s***. Carrie Fisher is a f***ing legend and this is bulls***'

Supportive: Margaret Cho, who was a friend, also shared a note on social media. The comedienne wrote: 'We just lost a great ally for mental health and addiction'

Feeling the blues: Elizabeth Banks said: 'CarrieFisher was so witty and provocative and unrelentingly interesting. Goddamn, I loved her. Everyone did'

Ralph Macchio said: 'Sadness and thoughts for icons of my time. RIP #CarrieFisher #georgemichael.'

Mayim Bialik added: '@missmayim What a woman #CarrieFisher.'

Dominic Monaghan said: 'You will always be my first crush and the force will always be with you @carrieffisher #rip.'

She loved her: Selma Blair added a note from the thoughts of Carrie's dog

Lots of props: Deth MacFarlane called Carrie 'smart, funny, talented'

His two cents: Ryan Seacrest wrote: 'Thoughts and prayers to Carrie's family'

They go way back: Albert Brooks said, 'RIP Carrie Fisher. A brilliantly funny, talented woman. We will miss your humor now more than ever'

John Leguizamo tweeted: 'Dear #carrieFisher every time an artist is born the world gains everytime we lose an artist the world loses! R.I.P.'

Joe Mantegna shared an old photo and wrote: 'Carrie always made me smile to be around her. My heartfelt condolence to all her family.'

Family spokesman Simon Halls released a statement on behalf of Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd: 'It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,' reads the statement.

'She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.'

Fisher was returning home from London on Friday went she went into cardiac arrest before her flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

He liked her: Josh Gad of Frozen fame added: 'I'm sitting in stunned silence'

Shocked: Mia Farrow wrote: 'Oh no!! Carrie wasn't done yet!'

More to say: The ex of Woody Allen added: 'Carrie was brilliant, funny and talented. Sending huge love be to her mom, her daughter, Billie and her many friends'

His words: Nick Lachey, a boy bander who used to be married to Jessica Simpson, added: 'Prince, George Michael, and now Carrie Fisher..... I feel like my youth is disappearing before my eyes. Never felt so old... #RIP'

She received emergency treatment on the plane before she was rushed to a hospital, where her brother later reported she was in critical condition.

Her mother, famed actress Debbie Reynolds, reported that she was in stable condition on Sunday.

'Carrie is in stable condition. If there is a change, we will share it. For all her fans and friends, I thank you for your prayers and good wishes,' Reynolds wrote on Twitter.

Sad end for an old friend: Bobby Moynihan posted a photo with the actress along

Close: Joe Mantegna shared an old photo and wrote: 'Carrie always made me smile to be around her. My heartfelt condolence to all her family'
They shared heartbreak over former Bachelor Blake Garvey in late 2014, which cemented their bond as friends.

And now it seems Sam Frost and Lisa Hyde are again going through heartbreak at the same time following recent relationship breakdowns.

Sam has just made the shock announcement that she's split with beau Sasha Mielczarek, while Lisa has called it quits with hunky travel blogger Tyson Mayr.

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What a coincidence! Sam Frost has just made the shock announcement that she's split with beau Sasha Mielczarek (pictured left) while Lisa Hyde has called it quits with hunky travel blogger Tyson Mayr (pictured right)

Sam and Sasha - who found love on The Bachelorette last year - announced the end of their relationship on Tuesday.

In an official statement, the pair's manager told Daily Mail Australia the sad news.

'After 18 months together, Sam Frost and Sasha Mielczarek have come to a mutual decision to end their relationship,' part of the statement read.

Close: They shared heartbreak over former Bachelor Blake Garvey in late 2014, which cemented their bond as friends

'It is important to stress that there is no bitterness or scandal, they have just come to the realisation that the best way forward is to separate,' part of it read, adding that they remain friends.

Sasha also confirmed the sad news in a lengthy Instagram post, saying he was 'absolutely heartbroken.'

It comes after they were forced to deny splitting in October, with Sam swiftly deleting her social media accounts at the time.

Sam deleted her Instagram, Twitter and Facebook page, after denying New Idea's claims that they had separated.

'There is no bitterness or scandal': Sam and Sasha - who found love on The Bachelorette last year - announced the end of their relationship on Tuesday

Hitting back at the claims on Facebook - before deleting her account - Sam claimed her and her ex were 'stronger than ever' and 'prefer to keep social media out of our relationship.'

Meanwhile, it's been confirmed after much speculation, that Lisa and former I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Tyson had also called it quits in recent weeks.

Earlier this month,The Daily Telegraph reported that Tyson, 30, decided to end things with the brunette following their trip to Italy in September.

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed the couple had not been spotted together since early October.

Sad: It's been reported that Tyson, 30, decided to end things with the brunette beauty following their trip to Italy in September (seen together in Capri on the trip)

Over the last few weeks, Tyson has also been spotted travelling in Canada and South Africa without Lisa, who stayed in Australia.

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.

Memories: Tyson and Lisa have travelled the globe together since going public with their relationship in 2015 (seen here in Italy in September)

Tyson and Lisa have travelled the globe together since going public with their relationship in 2015.

Despite Lisa and Sam being close after both appearing on The Bachelor in 2014, it seems their friendship has faded.

Earlier this year, Lisa hinted to Daily Mail Australia that she had lost contact with Sam.

No longer pals? Earlier this year, Lisa hinted to Daily Mail Australia that she had lost contact with Sam (seen in late 2014 after The Bachelor when travelling to Vietnam together)

Their common heartbreak: Blake Garvey was 2014's Bachelor

At the time, she claimed it had started getting hard to keep their friendship going due to having different priorities in their lives.

'She has been really busy with all of her new stuff and I think when you've got different angles for where we want to go in life, so it kinder gets hard,' Lisa said.

'I am older than Sam and a little bit more into relaxing and getting a business started and having a partner and not really into the party scene,' she continued.

'So, I think its time for me to kinda cut ties with those people who party a bit too much.'
They're the loved-up couple who fell for each other on this year's season of The Bachelorette.

And Georgia Love and Lee Elliott seem to be going from strength-to-strength if a new playful video is anything to go by.

On Tuesday, the journalist posted a video to Instagram of her buff and shirtless boyfriend trying on some activewear Christmas presents as she teases him, which leads to him climbing on top of the Bachelorette in a playful exchange.

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'You're going to be fit for once in your life!' Georgia Love teased her buff beau Lee Elliott as he tried on activewear Christmas presents

In the short clip posted to Georgia's Instagram Story, she filmed Lee opening his gifts, which included sneakers and a T-shirt.

'Happy with your presents bub?' the brunette beauty asks her beau.

'Who says Santa only comes once a year,' Lee responds, showing off his chiselled chest as he puts on the new top.

'Happy with your presents bub?' Georgia can be heard off camera asking her boyfriend if he likes the shirts

Joking around: Lee turns to his girlfriend in mock outrage and begins climbing on top of her saying: 'What do you mean fit?' as Georgia can be heard dissolving into giggles

'Woo hoo,' says Georgia, 'You're going to be fit for once in your life!'

Lee turns to his girlfriend in mock outrage and begins climbing on top of her saying: 'What do you mean fit?' as Georgia can be heard dissolving into giggles.

The playful video comes as the pair spent their first Christmas together as a couple.

Expectation vs Reality: Lee opted for a humorous Christmas Day post, sharing an image of what people would have as expectations versus the reality of Christmas day

On the big day, Lee posted a hilarious collage to Instagram of 'Christmas Day Expectation vs Reality'.

In the photo on the right, the loved-up couple stand dejected in their pajamas in front of a sparsely-decorated tree with hardly any presents.

But in the picture on the left, the couple smile broadly as they pose fashionably-dressed in front of a magnificent filled tree with an abundance of presents below it.

With trademark hilarity, Lee goes on to caption the snaps: 'So I got @georgiealove a fridge for Christmas. I can't wait to see her face light up when she opens it!'

Hosting together: Lee also joined Georgia on TV on Tuesday, as the former WIN journalist continues her co-hosting gig on Studio 10

Lee also joined Georgia on TV on Tuesday, as the former WIN journalist continues her co-hosting gig on Studio 10.

Georgia took to Instagram afterwards to joke over their strong bond, posting sarcastically: 'Obviously had a terrible time hosting @studio10au this morning and having @leeroyelliott there too!'

The couple's continued loved-up displays come in the wake of season one Bachelorette couple Sam Frost and Sasha Mielczarek announcing on Tuesday that they've ended their relationship after 18-months.
He was spotted hugging a 'mystery brunette' during a Christmas jaunt to the Gold Coast on Saturday.

And in the wake of Sasha Mielczarek's recently-confirmed split from Sam Frost, a friend has confirmed dark-haired beauty Elisa Nolan has been long-time friends with The Bachelorette star.

Elisa's been friends with him for years, but I don't think it's romantic. I think it's more of a family friends connection,' the source said, speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia.

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'She's a lovely girl and I'd actually love to see her with Sasha (in time)': A friend has confirmed to Daily Mail Australia, Elisa Nolan has been long-time friends with Sasha Mielczarek after their pair were spotted hugging on the Gold Coast on Saturday

'She's a lovely girl and I'd actually love to see her with Sasha (in time),' the friend added with a laugh.

Elisa, who is based on the Gold Coast, is believed to work in marketing.

Sam was nowhere to be seen during Sasha's encounter with Elisa, but took to Instagram hours later to confirm that she was spending Christmas with her 'besties'.

Celebrating separately: Sam was nowhere to be seen during Sasha's encounter with Elisa, but took to Instagram hours later to confirm that she was spending Christmas with her 'besties'

Two days later, Sasha and Sam confirmed they had split after an 18-month romance.

The pair, who famously met on the set of The Bachelorette in 2015, confirmed the news on Tuesday with an official statement from IMG talent manager Georgina Harrop.

'After 18 months together, Sam Frost and Sasha Mielczarek have come to a mutual decision to end their relationship,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Splitsville: Two days later, Sasha and Sam confirmed they had split after an 18-month romance

'They have just come to the realisation that the best way forward is to separate': The pair, who famously met on the set of The Bachelorette in 2015, confirmed the news on Tuesday with an official statement from IMG talent manager Georgina Harrop

'It is important to stress that there is no bitterness or scandal, they have just come to the realisation that the best way forward is to separate.'

'They wholeheartedly respect and cherish the friendship they have for one another which will continue moving forward,' she went on.

'They wish to thank everyone for their love and support over the past 18 months.'

While Sam has remained silent on her social media since the news broke, Sasha was quick to share his thoughts with a gushing Instagram tribute to his former flame.
An embarrassing continuity error prompted a barrage of derisive tweets from eagle-eyed fans following Tuesday evenings episode of EastEnders.

Viewers of the long-running BBC soap opera aired their dismay on Twitter after noticing the howler on a New Years Eve poster pinned behind the bar at Albert Square watering hole The Queen Vic.

Instead of advertising its imminent end of year party, the promotional poster appeared to get ahead of itself by proclaiming New Years Eve 2017.

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Awkward: An embarrassing continuity error prompted a barrage of derisive tweets from eagle-eyed fans following Tuesday evenings episode of EastEnders

Clearly visible as pub landlord Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, idled behind the bar with barmaid Whitney Dean, played by Shona McGarty, the gaffe sparked an inevitably sarcastic response.

Leading the charge, Judy Parslow wrote: 'Why have Eastenders got a poster up for 'New years eve 2017!!!!!'

Elsewhere Christine Hanley wanted to know if she was alone in spotting the sloppy mistake, writing: 'Did anyone else notice the nye 2017 sign behind the bar in queen vic.'

That can't be right:Viewers of the long-running BBC soap opera aired their dismay on Twitter after noticing the howler on a New Years Eve poster pinned behind the bar at Albert Square watering hole The Queen Vic

Leading the charge, Judy Parslow wrote: 'Why have Eastenders got a poster up for 'New years eve 2017!!!!!'

Let's do the time warp: Instead of advertising its imminent end of year party, the promotional poster appeared to get ahead of itself by proclaiming New Years Eve 2017

Addressing the show directly, Samantha Watson wrote: 'The Vic are advertising their New Years Eve 2017 bash but what about 2016s or did you advertise that last year.. '

Posting a close up of the New Year's Eve poster, she later demanded: 'what's all this about in the queen vic? ? Bit premature innit ??'

Addressing the show directly, Samantha Watson wrote: 'The Vic are advertising their New Years Eve 2017 bash but what about 2016s or did you advertise that last year.. '

Seizing the baton, Vicki Hill added: 'Wow The Vic is planning ahead! NYE 2017???'

Seizing the baton, Vicki Hill added: 'Wow The Vic is planning ahead! NYE 2017???'

Book in advance: The poster was hard to miss, and many viewers apparently didn't

Just in case you missed it: Christine Hanley posted a close up of the embarrassing gaffe

Luke Edwards also weighed in, tweeting: 'Mistake in Eastenders. Poster up behind the bar advertising New Years Eve 2017 - That's next year!'

The blunder follows a previous Twitter furore after the controversial recasting of show icon Michelle Fowler.

Olivier Award-winning actress Jenna Russell was brought in to play the character, who has not been seen on Albert Square since 1995, after original actress Susan Tully declined the offer to return.

Here we go: Clearly visible as pub landlord Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, idled behind the bar with barmaid Whitney Dean, the gaffe sparked an inevitably sarcastic response

Luke Edwards also weighed in, tweeting: 'Mistake in Eastenders. Poster up behind the bar advertising New Years Eve 2017 - That's next year!'

The 49-year-old - who gave up acting and is now a successful director - had soap bosses trying for nearly two decades to lure her back to the much-loved series but to no avail.

News of the replacement caused outrage on social media with a number of fans taking to Twitter in their droves to express their opinion.

One loyal viewer wrote: 'Michelle Fowler has been recast! I think that for some characters you just can't do that. Michelle is too much of a legend to change faces.'

While another weighed in: 'If its true that @bbceastenders have re cast Michelle Fowler its got to be one of there lowest moves sue made this character iconic'.
She's replaced actress Susan Tully in the role of Michelle Fowler.

And EastEnders newcomer Jenna Russell has revealed it was extremely difficult to keep her top secret job quiet from her family and friends - who happen to include soap regulars Letitia Dean (Sharon Mitchell) and Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale).

Jenna, 49, has known the pair since her teenage years and even trained at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School with Letitia.

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Terrific trio: EastEnders newcomer Jenna Russell has revealed it was tough to keep her new job quiet from her family and friends - who happen to include soap regulars Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) and Letitia Dean (Sharon Mitchell)

She once shot film Made in Britain with Adam and used to spend time with him in her younger years.

She told The Sun: 'It's been horrid. Ive not enjoyed that bit at all because it makes it feel much bigger than it is. Even my daughter doesnt know.'

Jenna took a tour of the BBC One soap's set ahead of her first day of filming and was forced to pretend she was playing a new character named Tammy rather than Michelle when quizzed by her new castmates.

Old friends: Jenna, 49, has known the pair since her teenage years and even trained at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School with Letitia

'It has all been so super-secret. I did ask if I could come on set to see how it works a week prior to filming... I'm looking forward to it all being out in the open now', she said.

Fans may have been up in arms at the news that a brand new actress would be playing Michelle, but they've had little time to get used to the idea.

Just 24-hours after the news broke, the new look Michelle was pulling up in a taxi at Albert Square in the Christmas Eve soap special on Saturday night.

She arrived in Walford headed straight for her late father Arthur's memorial bench.

Making her entrance: The new Michelle made her Albert Square debut on Saturday night

Meanwhile, with her partner Phil Mitchell in dire straits, Sharon was sobbing outside the Queen Vic when her long lost best friend arrived.

Noticing her, Sharon called her friend by name, to ensure any long term EastEnders fans would realise a new actress was playing the feisty Fowler.

Susan had originally played the infamous role for a decade after she joined the soap from its conception in 1985 until she bid farewell to the show in October 1995.

Friends reunited: Sharon and Michelle were thrilled to see each other again

Hugging it out: Sharon and her old pal embraced in the Square

Is it really you? An upset Sharon notices Michelle looking at her across the Square

The 49-year-old - who gave up acting and is now a successful director - had soap bosses trying for nearly two decades to lure her back to the much-loved series but to no avail.

A source said: 'EastEnders have been trying to convince Susan to come back for more than 20 years but they agreed enough was enough and have decided to recast the role.

'They thought Jenna was a great fit and think she will do a great job as Michelle who is one of the most popular characters in the show's history.

Who's that girl: Fans are intrigued at the new storylines in store for the new look Michelle

Great job: The shows bosses apparently thought Jenna was a great fit and think she will do a great job as Michelle who is one of the most popular characters in the show's history

Perfect timing: Michelle's arrival came at a good time for a distressed Sharon

'The show has faced accusations of being boring lately, but curveballs like this shows it still keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.'

A spokesperson for EastEnders told MailOnline they have no comment.

Now taking over the role, Jenna, 49, is best known for Olivier Award winning turn as Dot in Sunday in the Park with George in the West End and on Broadway.

The news of the replacement caused outrage on social media with a number of fans taking to Twitter in their droves to express their opinion.

One loyal viewer wrote: 'Michelle Fowler has been recast! I think that for some characters you just can't do that. Michelle is too much of a legend to change faces.'

She's back! : Jenna Russell (left) plays Michelle Fowler in EastEnders instead of original actress Susan Tully, 49,(pictured in 1996)

Shaking things up: Meanwhile, Michelle was involved in a number of major storylines during her ten years on the BBC1 soap

The lady's not returning: Susan Tully has been asked multiple times over the last two decades to go back to the square but she has refused

While another weighed in: 'If its true that @bbceastenders have re cast Michelle Fowler its got to be one of there lowest moves sue made this character iconic'.

A fan posted: 'I haven't watched EastEnders in years but recasting Michelle Fowler? Could they not have dreamt up a new character for the actress to play?'

Before one echoed many's sentiments: 'Just when you think we're safe from 2016, EastEnders go and recast Michelle Fowler.'

Meanwhile, Michelle has been involved in a number of major storylines during her ten years on the BBC1 soap.

Outrage: The startling reports have since caused outrage on social media with a number of fans taking to Twitter in their droves to express their opinion

She famously had two children from one-night stands on the series  Vicki, who she had with Dirty Den, and then Martin, who she had with Grant Mitchell.

Michelle has since been mentioned throughout the years on screen by her nearest and dearest but hasn't appeared on the show since she moved to America in 1995.

The soap character missed family funerals, including her father Arthur, mother Pauline and brother Mark, and was even name checked by Ian Beale's after his daughter Lucy died in 2014.

Shocking storylines: She famously had two children from one-night stands on the series  Vicki, who she had with Dirty Den, and then Martin, who she had with Grant Mitchell

Back in the day: Susan Tully (far right) pictured with Bill Treacher as Arthur Fowler, Wendy Richard as Pauline Fowler, Gillian Taylforth as Kathy Beale, Peter Dean as Pete Beale (back row) as well as Adam Woodyatt as Ian Beale, Anna Wing as Lou Beale (front row)

When it was revealed Peggy Mitchell - played by Barbara Windsor - was dying from cancer, Sharon called Michelle to inform her of the icon's illness.

Yet, Michelle was too late to correspond with the landlady after a letter she sent her arrived the day following her death, but Sharon read the letter and immediately visited her.

Upon her return to Walford in August, Phil discovered the letter and discovered that Martin was his brother Grants son.

Back in the day: Michelle has since been mentioned throughout the years on screen by her nearest and dearest but hasn't appeared on the show since she moved to America in 1995
Rachael Finch has slammed an article that quoted her saying she left her daughter with her mother-in-law every weekend as 'completely exaggerated'.

In May, the former Miss Universe Australia winner, 28, caused controversy by revealing an interesting babysitting arrangement with relatives.

News Corp quoted Rachael saying: 'Every weekend (Violet) goes to Mishs mums house and we get our weekend to ourselves. I think thats incredibly healthy for the relationship.'

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'That quote was completely exaggerated': Rachael Finch has slammed a controversial article which reported that her mother-in-law babysat daughter Violet every weekend

The comments caused a firestorm of criticism from other parents, with the model soon defending the article in an emotional Instagram post, writing: 'Only the parents of a child truly know what is best and should always have faith in their decisions.'

But now in an interview published on Kidspot this month, the pregnant star has backtracked from the original comments, going back on the claim that she left her three-year-old daughter with relatives every week.

'She doesnt go to her grandmas every weekend, that quote was completely exaggerated,' Rachael said.

Not every week: In an interview published on Kidspot this month, the pregnant 28-year-old has backtracked from the original comments

'Some weekends when it works for us and when it works for her grandma, she will spend Friday night and Saturday there and well pick her up on Sunday, so some weekends yep she gets to see her grandma and every other time shes with us.'

The model mum, who announced she was expecting her second child with husband Michael Miziner in August, went on to say she believed leaving her daughter with family was a better option than strangers.

'I think having your family help raise your child is the most important part, Id prefer that over someone I dont know. Were lucky enough to be able to be in that instance where we do have family around that can help,' she said.

Model mum: Rachael has a three-year-old daughter Violet and is expecting her second child with husband Michael Miziner

'A Mother should never be made to feel they are not good enough': The comments caused a firestorm of criticism from other parents, with the model soon defending the article in an emotional Instagram post

Rachael recently returned to her native Queensland for Christmas, showing off her growing baby bump on Instagram.

Sitting on a beach in a bikini, she looked contemplatively out to the sea.

'From far North Queensland to you - Merry Christmas,' she captioned the photo.

The brunette beauty is 31 weeks pregnant and due to give birth early next year.
Following Carrie Fisher's death at 60 Tuesday, a number of her daughter Billie Lourd's co-stars on the Fox show Scream Queens offered their well wishes to the 24-year-old actress.

Among the stars to pay their memorials to Lourd, who plays Chanel #3 on the horror comedy, were Lea Michele, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ariana Grande.

Michele, 30, tweeted a shot of Fisher and Lourd united, writing, 'My heart today.. I love you Billie,' with an accompanying emoji of a broken heart.

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Comforted: Carrie Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd, 24, was at the center of condolences after her mother died Tuesday at 60. She was seen earlier this month in NYC

Pure love: The famed mother-and-daughter were snapped in London in late June

Curtis, 58, took to Instagram, posting a shot of Lourd - Fisher's child with 56-year-old Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd - as she said that her 'heart goes out' to the young actress, who she described as an 'exquisitely talented young woman.

'Her mother's spirit and talent lives on in her,' Curtis said, 'and I'm sure all of Carrie's fans and friends will give her space and privacy.'

The pop princess Grande, 23, uploaded a shot of her and Lourd, writing to her, 'I love you so very much @praisethelourd,' adding that her heart was with her friend and her family during the tragic time.

Meaningful: The show's star Lea Michele kept it short and sweet in her message to her co-star

Pals: Ariana Grande shared this mirror shot she posed for with the second-generation star

Tribute: Jaime Lee Curtis, who also comes from Hollywood roots, asked people to give Lourd space as she mourns her mother's death

Aww: Her rumoured boyfriend Taylor Lautner also sent his best wishes as he posted this snap along with the caption: 'This girl is one of the strongest, most fearless individuals I've ever met. Absolutely beautiful inside and out. I'm lucky to know you @praisethelourd .. , me.'

Glen Powell, who plays Chad Radwell on the Ryan Murphy show, said that Lourd 'lost a mother, cheerleader, and best friend' with Fisher's death.

'The world lost a princess, a star, an icon,' Powell said on his Instagram page. 'Carrie, thank you for your uniquely honest soul and sense of humor. This world could use you now more than ever.

'My prayers go out to the Fisher and Lourd Families.'

Carving her niche: Lourd (left) plays Chanel #3 on the horror comedy. Here, she's seen in a scene with Emma Roberts (center) and Abigail Breslin (right)

Hollywood beauty: Lourd sat on a panel at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego in July

Lourd, who appears in next year's Billionaire Boys Club, told People in May that she was 'always proud' of her famed mother, best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars film franchise.

'Shes killing it right now, shes incredible,' Lourd said of her mother seven months back, revealing how the two often enjoyed one another's work.

'Were watching each other: And were still being mother-daughter, even though its like, actress-actress,' said Lourd, who appeared in last year's Star Wars: The Force Awakens with her mother.
The festive season is a time when even the most health conscious get to indulge a little.

And that was certainly proved to be the case when Alessandra Ambrosio was spotted munching on ice cream as she headed to the beach in Brazil on Tuesday.

But it seems Christmas treats have yet to affect the Victoria's Secret Angel's figure after she showcased her famous physique in a skimpy bikini top.

What a treat: Alessandra Ambrosio feasted on ice cream at a beach in Brazil on Tuesday

The 35-year-old also flaunted her lithe legs in a pair of pleasingly revealing hotpants, and rounded off her look with a silky Camilla blouse and flip flops.

But this was not as revealing as the saucy ensemble the mother-of-two thrilled her fans with on Christmas night, just as she was about to go to bed.

She captioned the image, in which she wore a Santa hat and revealing red lingerie, 'Time for bed... Merry Xmas to all.'

The beauty clearly had a great festive season, and shared images from a huge party in her native Brazil on Instagram.

That looks tasty: She showcased her toned torso as she tucked into her ice cream wearing a Camilla bikini

Legs 11: She flaunted her perfect pins in a pleasingly skimpy pair of hotpants

(Ice) Cream of the crop: It is easy to see why the Brazilian beauty is a top model

The supermodel appeared to be handing out gifts to children and she captioned the snaps, 'Christmas Eve' and 'Mission Accomplished' in both English and Portuguese.

Alessanra was one of the stars at this years Victorias Secret Fashion Show, where she and fellow stunners Lily Aldridge and Jasmine Tookes wore the $3 million Bright Night Fantasy Bra.

Also on the catwalk was Karlie Kloss, sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell and Taylor Hill

And there were plenty of big name music stars, with Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and Lady Gaga performing

Merry XXXmas: She gave her fans a cheap thrill by sharing this festive photo on Christmas

Santa's not-so-little helper: She helped Father Christmas hand out presents
Ricki Lake slipped into a swimsuit during her Mexican holiday in Tulum with a bikini-clad gal pal on Tuesday.

The 48-year-old Daytime Emmy winner opted for a spaghetti-strapped black one-piece for her refreshing dip in the ocean.

The former talk show host - who later donned a white sheer cover-up - shielded her make-up free complexion with a distressed straw hat.

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Girls' getaway! Ricki Lake slipped into a swimsuit during her Mexican holiday in Tulum with a bikini-clad gal pal on Tuesday

Wading: The 48-year-old Daytime Emmy winner opted for a spaghetti-strapped black one-piece for her refreshing dip in the ocean

Ricki flashed her effervescent smile on the third day of her tropical getaway in the Caribbean coast resort town.

The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend guest star was joined in Tulum by her longtime documentary producing partner Abby Carioca.

'Another day in Paradise!' Lake - who boasts 538K followers - captioned a vacation snap.

Signature smile: The former talk show host - who later donned a white sheer cover-up - shielded her make-up free complexion with a distressed straw hat

Say cheese! Ricki flashed her effervescent smile on the third day of her tropical getaway in the Caribbean coast resort town

The Business of Being Born duo: The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend guest star was joined in Tulum by her longtime documentary producing partner Abby Carioca (R)

Lake - who boasts 538K followers - captioned her vacation snaps: 'Another day in Paradise! Now that's my idea of a Christmas Vacation...the ocean...This doesn't suck!'

'Now that's my idea of a Christmas Vacation...the ocean...This doesn't suck!'

Missing from the beach was the New York-born brunette's two teenage sons - Milo, 19, and Owen, 15 - with first husband, illustrator Rob Sussman.

It's unknown if Ricki is still paying spousal support to her second husband - jewelry designer Christian Evans - but their divorce was officially finalised last year.

Teenagers: Missing from the beach was the New York-born brunette's two sons - Milo, 19, and Owen, 15 - with first husband, illustrator Rob Sussman

Single: It's unknown if Ricki is still paying spousal support to her second husband - jewelry designer Christian Evans - but their divorce was officially finalised last year

9M viewers tuned in December 7 when Lake made a cameo on NBC's Hairspray Live with fellow Tracy Turnblads Maddie Baillio and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

The former DWTS contestant - whose weight peaked at 260lbs - originated the role of the 'pleasantly plump' teen dancer in John Waters' 1988 racially-charged cult classic.

The Independent Spirit Award nominee will next play Vanessa in the LA-set mystery thriller Gemini - due out next year - with John Cho, Zoe Kravitz, and Lola Kirke.

9M viewers tuned in! On December 7, Lake made a cameo on NBC's Hairspray Live with fellow Tracy Turnblads Maddie Baillio (M) and Marissa Jaret Winokur (R)

Debbie Harry and Divine! The former DWTS contestant - whose weight peaked at 260lbs - originated the role of the 'pleasantly plump' teen dancer in John Waters' 1988 cult classic
She is mother to six children.

And on Christmas Day, Antonia Kidman showcased her incredibly toned figure in a green swimsuit at Palm Beach, Sydney.

The 46-year-old brunette beauty was seen spending some quality time with her famous sister Nicole, 49, who also looked fit and fabulous in her costume.

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Downtime: Antonia Kidman (L) showcased her incredibly toned figure in a green swimsuit at Sydney's Palm Beach with sister Nicole Kidman (R) on Christmas Day

Also joining them on the outing was Nicole's rocker husband Keith Urban.

Antonia's one-piece featured a blue and green print and a low back, which showed off the avid runner's sculpted arms and toned legs.

Nicole meanwhile wore a blue and white rash shirt with printed bikini briefs.

Family: The 46-year-old brunette beauty was seen spending some quality time with her famous sister and brother-in-law, Keith Urban

Hot to trot: Nicole, 49, meanwhile wore a blue and white rash shirt with printed bikini briefs

Looking good! Antonia's costume featured a blue and green print and a low back, which showed off her sculpted arms and toned legs

The trio are believed to have spent Christmas at Antonia's nearby Whale Beach home, with their respective children and Nicole and Antonia's mother, Janelle.

Antonia is married to Craig Marran and the pair have two children together.

She shares four children with former husband, Angus Hawley, who died after a heart attack in April, last year.

The journalist and TV personality recently opened up about her relationship with her famous sister Nicole, saying she is no longer in the Oscar winner's shadow.

Close: The trio are believed to have spent Christmas at Antonia's nearby Whale Beach home with their respective children and Nicole and Antonia's mother Janelle

Off the market: Antonia is married to Craig Marran, who was missing from the outing

When asked if the idea of living in Nicole's shadow had gone away with age, Antonia agreed.

'I think so, and maybe living in Singapore too,' Antonia told the No Filter podcast, adding later in the chat: 'I think it's age also.'

She said being based in Singapore 'has injected anonymity' into her life and she has enjoyed connecting with Australia's ex-pat community.

'I'm Antonia Marran up there and it's lovely, it's good,' she said.

Opening up: The journalist and TV personality recently talked about her relationship with her famous sister Nicole, saying she's no longer in the Oscar winner's shadow

'I'm Antonia Marran there': The brunette beauty is based in Singapore with her family

She's especially happy with how that works for the children, noting there are no gossip magazines in the region.

'You're totally out of the loop. The media isn't the same,' she enthused.

The journalist and author noted the family's new home has allowed her to reclaim her identity.

'It's probably why we're still there,' she said. 'Not just for me, but maybe it's another part of it.'

Visiting: Nicole and Keith are based in Nashville
He's recently returned from filming his latest movie in Australia.

And Scott Eastwood seems to be making up for lost time as he's spotted out and about with yet another beauty.

The 30-year-old son of Clint was spotted on Monday in Los Angeles with Charlotte McKinney, 23, just days after being spotted 'flirting' with Hilary Duff.

Working up a sweat: Scott Eastwood was spotted on Monday in Los Angeles with Charlotte McKinney, 23

The hunk, who was also seen having a cosy dinner with female and male pals at the exclusive Soho House West Hollywood last Thursday evening, was ready to work up a sweat alongside the model, as they hit the gym.

The good-looking pair kept it casual in their sweats, nearly matching in a black and grey combo.

Charlotte, who's famous for appearing in a Carl's Jr. commercial, covered her eyes with giant sunglasses as they emerged the morning after Christmas day's possible food indulgences.

Stepping out: The 30-year-old son of Clint was ready to work up a sweat alongside the model, as they hit the gym

Perhaps in need of a pick-me-up, they headed to a coffee shop together to get a caffeine hit.

Last weekend, Scott was seen with Hilary Duff at hotspot Catch LA, before they went to 1Oak together.

According to a source for E! News, the Younger starlet hit up the restaurant with a female friend around 11 PM, and as Eastwood entered the restaurant he made his move and initiated conversation with the actress.

Working off calories? They emerged the morning after Christmas day's possible food indulgences

Perky: Perhaps in need of a pick-me-up, they headed to a coffee shop together to get a caffeine hit

Handsome pair: They showcased their toned physiques

Cute: The good-looking pair kept it casual in their sweats, nearly matching in a black and grey combo

Casual: She had sheepskin boots on with black leggings, and he appeared to be wearing a free T-shirt

Well-mannered: He was ever the gent, holding open the door for her

Burger queen: Charlotte, who's famous for appearing in a Carl's Jr. commercial, covered her eyes with giant sunglasses

Hilary and Scott next reportedly left the restaurant together and continued their outing at 1OAK nightclub, where they were seen chatting throughout the night.

Earlier in December Scott gave his legion of female fans a treat during filming for his latest movie.

The hunky actor stripped off in an Instagram video, flaunting his buff body while filming the sequel for Pacific Rim in Australia.

In the clip, Scott is seen walking to his caravan in between shoots, shielding himself from the rain with a Bunnings umbrella.

His role in the Pacific Rim sequel is yet to be confirmed but he will be playing a supporting character to John Boyega's Pentecost, the son of Idris Elba's character, Stacker, from the original film.

It seems the production is looking to maximise Pacific Film's popularity in China by adding more than a few Chinese stars to the cast.

Zhang Jin, Wesley Wong, Lily Ji, Qian Yong Chen, Chen Zitong, Lang Yingying and Xiao Yang have landed roles in Maelstrom, which is said to be set after the defeat of the Kaijus.

Thanks Scott: Earlier in December Scott gave his legion of female fans a treat during filming for his latest movie
She's the Instagram model who recently celebrated 1.5 million followers on the social media site.

And Pia Muehlenbeck, 26, still hasn't taken a break to catch her breath after reaching the milestone.

The former lawyer has been busy sharing a series of sexy photos which flaunt her ample cleavage to her adoring fans.

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Beach body on point! Pia Muehlenbeck flaunts her ample cleavage in a sexy new swimsuit photo taken during her recent holiday in Fiji

The brunette beauty shared a photo on Tuesday which appears to have been taken during her recent holiday in Fiji.

Wearing a grey bikini, Pia looks radiant as she smiles while standing next to the turquoise water.

The model's trim pins and toned stomach are on full display as she holds a shake in one hand.

Orange is the new black! Standing in the doorway of her Fijian villa, Pia wears a daring gold choker around her neck

'Starting the day right, with a quick dip,' she captioned the photo.

In another picture shared later that day, the curvy blogger wears an orange one piece which flaunts her impressive cleavage.

Standing in the doorway of her Fijian villa, Pia wears a daring gold choker around her neck.

Thanks for following! Pia shared a very sultry picture of herself in cheeky-cut underwear and a sheer white crop top to celebrate reaching 1.5 million followers on Instagram

In October, she revealed to Daily Mail Australia how she quit her job as a corporate lawyer in Sydney in order to start her own activewear brand and blogging venture.

'I'm living my dream,' Pia gushed.

'I used to work super long hours when I was a lawyer, and it was so tiring. These days, while I'm working super hard - and it's not all lounging about on a beach - I am doing something which I love. I wouldn't swap it for anything.'

Racy! Pia Muehlenbeck flaunted her curves in a skimpy-cut white one piece on Boxing Day, as she posed in crystal clear waters

Earlier this week, she shared a picture of her pert derriere, partially covered in cheeky-cut underwear with a lace trim to reveal she had hit 1.5 million followers on Instagram.

The dark-haired beauty has visited Fiji and the Phillipines, but confirmed recently on Instagram she was spending the festive holidays in Sydney.
She has been living apart from Rob Kardashian since an explosive fight last week.

But Blac Chyna put the ho ho ho into the holidays, as she shared a festive Snapchat with their baby daughter Dream on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old added a series of filters to pictures of her one on one with their little girl.

Filter fun: Blac Chyna shared a festive Snapchat with their baby daughter Dream on Tuesday

Dream - who came into the world on November 10 - looked blissfully unaware of all the drama her parents have been sharing with the world as she was given a dog's nose and ears by her mother.

There was no sign of Rob - although the couple seem to have mended some fences since it blew up on line on December 17.

His mother Kris Jenner seemed in rather a less conciliatory mood over the holidays, however.

Santa Baby: The 28-year-old added a series of filters to pictures of her one on one with their little girl Dream

On Christmas Day, Kylie Jenner's Snapchat showed an array of stockings labelled for several members of her family, at Kris' home.

Rob and Dream - his newborn daughter by Chyna - each had a stocking marked out for them, but the erstwhile stripper did not.

The mother-of-two - four-year-old son King Cairo (with rapper Tyga) and six-week-old daughter Dream (with Rob Kardashian) - was excluded amid ongoing drama with the Kardashians over her rocky relationship with Rob, 29.

In recent weeks, the two have had a series of blow-ups, some for all of the public to see via social media. In one incident, sources told E! News, Chyna, 'in a drunken rage ... was punching [Rob] in his back and arms' until Kris Jenner's boyfriend Corey Gamble had to intervene and pull her off of him.

Guess who's missing: On Christmas Day, Kylie Jenner's Snapchat showed the array of stockings her mother Kris Jenner had labelled for various members of the family

While the two would go on to reconcile after the violent incident, Chyna's antics reportedly put off Rob's mom Kris Jenner and sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian who weren't exactly fans of the fiery Washington D.C. native to start with.

Just prior to the holiday, insiders told People that 'Robs family is over Chyna,' who was 'not invited to Kris holiday party' in the aftermath of the trying time.

And while Rob, Chyna (whose full name is Angela Renee White) and her two children were seen happily enjoying the holiday festivities via Snapchat Friday, the most revealing snap of all came from Kylie Jenner.

Kylie - who's dating Chyna ex Tyga - showed off a snap of all of the holiday stockings Kris laid out for her family, with Chyna's name absent from any of the accessories, though her baby daddy and both of her children were represented in the festive set-up.

Dramatic couple: Rob shared a picture kissing Chyna, implying their had made up their most recent spat of fights

On off couple: They appeared to be making the effort for the holidays

Many of the others involved in relationships, past or present, with family members - including Caitlyn Jenner, Tyga, Scott Disick and Kanye West - had stockings with their name embroidered on them.

Shortly before the Rob & Chyna Baby Special aired on E! earlier this month, the titular couple had an eruptive fight that left their engagement in doubt.

Chyna's claimed her Instagram account was hacked when it became a channel to publicise a series of purported text conversations between her and her lawyer Walter Mosley, as well as her pal Treasure and Jaden Smith.

The leitmotif throughout all the chatter was her seeming contempt for her fiance, whom she'd apparently damned as 'fat' and 'lazy' in one conversation.

Rob then uploaded a series of Snapchat videos in which he wandered through the empty rooms of their home, explaining that Chyna had left and taken Dream.
Catherine McNeil regularly has us gasping with the images she posts of herself online, but now she has us wincing in sympathy with a big bandaged knee.

Cat was spotted at Sydney Airport on Wednesday with her right knee and right ankle both strapped up as though she was carrying an injury.

The Australian model has spent much of December back in Australia, soaking up the beach weather and posting shots with her friends on Instagram.

Stepping ouch: Cat McNeil spotted at Sydney International Airport with strapping on her right knee and ankle

Yet new shots reveal her right leg strapped in a medical fashion as she popped over to Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport to pick up American model and friend Lexi Boling who has just flown into the country.

Cat can be seen looking gorgeous sipping from a coffee cup, with many of her famed tattoos on display as she rocks a casual morning look, complete with baggy T-shirt and a hoodie draped over her arm.

The shock was the strapping however, a significant change from a shot posted shortly after midnight of Cat hanging with friends at the beach.

Knee-d a trolley ma'am? Luckily Cat didn't have much to carry as she made her bandaged way around the airport to pick up a friend

In the earlier shot, captioned 'bring back the Bondi vibes', Cat's right knee and ankle are clearly visible sans bandages.

Yet it would seem in the intervening hours, something has turned her right leg into an injured leg.

Still, Cat isn't one to take such a setback lying down when she could instead take it lounging around with mates.

Free and knee-sy: Cat's knee and ankle were out and proud in a shot posted hours earlier, yet it would seem in the intervening hours something has turned her right leg into her wrong leg

What's strap-pening? Cat's right leg is clearly strapped at the knee and ankle when she visits Sydney International Airport to pick up model mate Lexi Boling

Knees up: Cat celebrated Lexi's (left) arrival in Australia with American-based Aussie photographer Brad Tiffitt (right)

Hours later she posted another shot to Instagram of drinks with the newly arrived Lexi with her only concern absent friends.

While Cat isn't in the shot herself Lexi and American-based Aussie photographer Brad Tiffitt are seen in the photo captioned: 'finally!!! [Drinks with] u'.

They also noted they were waiting to be joined by a fourth model, British-born Ben Allen.

Lexi Boling, who was a nominee in model.com's Model of the Year awards earlier this month, flew into Australia overnight, while Brad has spent December back home.

Merry McNeils: Cat posted a shot of her family on Christmas day to wish her fans a Merry Christmas from them

Sips and sheets: Cat posted snaps of herself from an old family photo album claiming it is 'safe to say I haven't changed'

Cat also spent Christmas in Australia with her family posting a shot of her happy relatives to Instagram on Christmas Day.

The international model also posted a few photos of herself from an old family album, claiming it is 'safe to say I haven't changed'.

Hopefully Cat's mystery knee condition won't prevent her from continuing to enjoy the Aussie sun and surf as she's posted many happy pics from the beach across the month.

Slippery when wet? Cat has posted plenty of shots of her beach days this Summer, here while her dog swims she displays her heavily inked back
Bambi Northwood-Blyth arrived back home in Australia for the holidays this week and got straight into a bikini to enjoy Australia's seaside!

Leaving behind chilly Los Angeles, where she has recently been visiting, the stunning model got some sand, sun and surf at Sydney's Bondi and Milk beaches.

'INTO THE BLUE MAXXXING N RELAXXXING HOLIDAYS' she captioned one picture taken on a cliff face with waves crashing in the background.

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Back home: Stunning model Bambi Northwood-Blyth got some sand, sun and surf at Sydney's Bondi and Milk beaches

In another image Bambi poses in trendy swimwear by Zimmerman, which includes an off-white scalloped bikini top with mismatched floral bottoms.

'RINSED ... AND GETTING READY TO BE REPEATING THE ALL TIME SKY HIGH VIBES' she captioned the breezy image.

In addition to her designer bikini, the 24-year-old donned accessories including Prada sunglasses and a Maison Michel sunhat.

In yet another bikini-clad image, the brunette clutches a glass full of wine and shows off a black floral bikini.

Ready for the beach: Bambi posed in trendy swimwear by Zimmerman, which includes an off-white scalloped bikini top she appears to favor and wear often

Night swimming: Bambi went for a beautifully lit moonlight dip in a simple black bikini, posing for a photo as distant lights twinkled in the background

'THATS WHAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE FOR SMILES , SUN , SALT' she commented on the dynamic photo, in which she's smiling in sunnies and has her hair pulled back.

Bambi also went for a beautifully lit moonlight dip in a simple black bikini, posing for a photo as distant lights twinkled in the background.

It wasn't all play and no work as the beauty also squeezed in a fashion photo shoot at Bondi while she was in town.

Wine o'clock: The Aussie beauty is also an entrepreneur, and owns her own brand of wine, Pour Les Amore, along with husband, designer Dan Single

The Aussie beauty is also an entrepreneur, and owns her own brand of wine, Pour Les Amore, along with husband, designer Dan Single.

Bambi and Dan married in an intimate Byron Bay ceremony in 2014.
Noni Janur has been working hard to get the bikini body she wants - and she showed off the results on Wednesday.

The Bachelor star took to Instagram to post a photo from before and after she undertook a 28-day fitness challenge.

Displaying a toned torso, trim waist and pert derriere in the most recent photo, Noni declared her transformation 'amazing'.

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Challenge complete: Noni Janur has been working hard to get the bikini body she wants - and she showed off the results on Wednesday

She said: 'Wow what a difference! Just finished the @fitazfk 28 day challenge. I feel amazing, full of energy and the program was so easy to follow (sic) just in time for summer.'

A portion of her 47,000 followers failed to see a marked difference between the pictures, while others congratulated her on her new physique.

The 26-year-old's arms appear to have gained muscle while her torso and legs look to be more toned in the latest pic.

Transformation: The Bachelor star took to Instagram to post a photo from before and after she undertook a 28-day fitness challenge

Peachy bum: Noni has never been shy of flaunting her enviable physique on social media, often uploading snaps showing off her bottom

Cheeky! Another previous image shared to Instgram saw the socialite gazing back at the camera with a sultry expression, while showing off her pert derriere

Noni's new bikini body is ready just in time for her upcoming holiday, which she recently announced on social media.

The reality star took to Instagram on Tuesday wearing a floral off-the-shoulder top to reveal she is heading back to her 'island home'.

The bronze beauty was glowing as she updated her followers on her plans to visit Bali in the near future.

'Count down to Bali': Noni poses in a floral top flashback on Instagram on Tuesday as she updated her followers on a visit to her 'island home' in the coming weeks

She captioned the image, in part: 'Cannot wait to get back to my island home... count down to Bali.'

The reality star radiated a healthy glow, as she displayed her freckled complexion with the use of minimal makeup.

Noni smiled as she looked down at her pink smoothie, in which she appeared to be stirring with a celery stick from within a cafe.

Longing for the Island life: In her recent post she claimed she 'Cannot wait to get back to my island home' after previously sharing a photograph last week from a trip to Indonesia

Her slender shoulders and decolletage were left bare, as her thick hair was placed into a high ponytail that fell forwards towards her face.

She had previously shared a photograph from a trip to Indonesia, in which she participated in the well-known Blue Lagoon cliff jump into the clear blue water.

On Friday, she showed off her very shapely derriere and offered a glimpse of sideboob in a revealing one-piece leotard bikini.

'Fit as f**k for Christmas': Noni took to Instagram on Friday, flaunting her shapely derriere and offering a glimpse of sideboob in a racy snap that saw her laying suggestively on a bed in a skimpy khaki leotard and pair of Nike trainers

The snap captioned with the hash-tag 'fit as f**k for Christmas', saw the brunette laying suggestively on a bed in a skimpy khaki leotard and pair of Nike trainers.

'Not much else to do on days like these,' Noni said in the caption accompanying the image.

'Home workout done. Now just to lie here like so,' she continued, alongside the hash-tag hashtag 'fitazfk4xmas'.

The racy image saw Noni flaunting her plump posterior in just a skimpy khaki leotard, that also showed off a significant amount of sideboob.

Positioning herself on a bed provocatively, a pair of grey and white Nike trainers finished off the look.
There's nothing sadder than two friends feuding.

But former BFFs Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian have officially called off the frenemy fire - and the heiress has the picture to prove it.

The socialite-turned-DJ shared a photo on Tuesday of her posing with Kim at the Kardashian Christmas party after patching things up with the reality star.

Frenemies no more! Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian have officially called off the frenemy fire - and the heiress has the picture to prove it

Paris captioned the image: 'Lovely evening celebrating the holidays with @KimKardashian.'

The blonde bombshell attended Kris Jenner's annual Christmas Eve bash in Hidden Hills on Saturday.

Paris also partied it up with her mother Kathy and sister Nicky as they spread holiday cheer with the Kardashian family.

In one shot, Kris and Kathy hold drinks and push their lips close to each other and were referred to as '#SexyMamas.'

In another photo, the two sisters smile with Khloe.

On the list again: Paris was also seen with sister Nicky and Khloe Kardashian at Kris Jenner's Christmas Eve bash on Saturday

Holiday cheer: Here is Paris's mom Kathy with Kris Jenner on Instagram

Hey there, Santa: The former reality star smiled for Santa Claus as she hung out with another member of the Kardashian clan Caitlyn Jenner

Paris also took a moment to hang out with Santa Claus and Kris's former spouse Caitlyn Jenner.

The two reality stars looked exquisite as the 35-year-old donned a black dress and her friend wore a fancy red gown.

The former star of The Simple Life captioned the image, '#Kristmas with Santa & @CaitlynJenner.'

Family fun: The New York native had a 'beautiful evening' with her loved ones on Christmas Day

Reality star moment: Paris also celebrated the holiday with TV personalities Kim Richards and LaToya Jackson

Elegant girls: The producer had a great weekend with her mom, sister and a stuffed giraffe

The businesswoman added some more pictures to her page where she celebrates Christmas with her mom as well as TV personalities Kim Richards and LaToya Jackson.

Paris honored December 25 in her black gown with a white jacket and let her hair flow down her shoulders.

She stood with a stuffed giraffe in one shot as her mom and sister smirked for the camera.

Friends again? Paris and Kim reportedly had a fall-out a long time ago, but might be on good terms again. Here they are in West Hollywood, California several years ago

But what does this mean about Paris's relationship with Kim?

The Christmas photos aren't the only thing that that's sparking up some questions.

That's new: The mother of two is following her former BFF on Instagram

It turns out that Kim is now following Paris on Instagram.

While Instagram isn't the most formal way of telling someone that they're best buddies, it doesn't exactly say the terms between them are terrible.

It's unclear if the reality star duo has officially worked things out, but there's a good chance they could be close again.

Things change: While some friendships don't work out, perhaps they can be fixed. Here are Paris and Kim in Sydney, Australia on New Year's Eve 2006

It's also not really known why the two had a fall-out in the first place.

In 2015, Kim spoke to Rolling Stone about her fame where she made a comment that seemingly insulted Paris and her status as the person who carries a dog around with her.
Leah Remini said she'd welcome a lawsuit from Scientology over her A&E docuseries challenging the organization.

The 46-year-old actress who was raised as a Scientologist has become a vocal critic since her departure and the host of the nine-part series Leah Remini: Scientology And Its Aftermath.

Remini during a recent appearance on Larry King Now defended herself from criticism levelled by Scientology.

Lawsuit welcomed: Former Scientologist Leah Remini welcomed a lawsuit from Scientology over her critical A&E docuseries during a recent appearance on Larry King Now

'The church calls your reality show ''a scripted, rehearsed, acted and dramatized work of fiction featuring liars who have, for a profit, been telling differing versions of the same false tales of abuse for years, many reviewed and discredited in courts of law'',' King told her.

'They're saying you [are] liars,' he added.

Remini who left Scientology in July 2013 after being a member since age nine took their stance in stride.

'Then they should sue us. It's as simple as that,' Remini told King.

Simple response: Remini, shown in January in Las Vegas, is an executive producer and presenter of the docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology And Its Aftermath on A&E

'They say this on every outlet they can. They have said that about every single person who's spoken out, and not one lawsuit has been brought to anybody,' continued.

'This is not a group that is scared of a lawsuit. They're a litigious group. If that were true, they would simply sue us. And I welcome them to do that,' she added.

In addition to her A&E docuseries, Remini last year also published the memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology.

Critic: The actress, 46, made the remarks during an interview on Friday with Larry King as she promotes her A&E documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology And The Aftermath

Remini in the same interview was asked by King if she thought actor Tom Cruise is 'delusional' for being a member and prominent proponent of Scientology.

The King Of Queens star said that she did believe he was delusional, in the same way that she was delusional while a believer.

'I could say that about myself at the time,' she explained.

'I didn't want to look. I didn't want to believe that what I've been involved in my whole life was a lie, that it was damaging and hurting people,' she said. 'Yeah, you can say I was delusional.'

Devout: Tom Cruise, pictured at the inauguration of the Church of Scientology in Madrid in September 2004, has been a Scientologist for 30 years. In October, he told ITV News that he considers it 'a beautiful religion' and is 'very proud' to be a member

Tell all: Remini , shown in November 2015 in New York City, was raised in Scientology from the age of nine and left the organization in 2013. Last year she published a memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

Back in October, Cruise, who has been a Scientologist for 30 years, praised his faith. calling it 'a beautiful religion.'

In a rare comment about Scientology, the 54-year-old actor told ITV News at the Jack Reacher 2: Never Go Back premiere in London: 'It's something that has helped me incredibly in my life,

'It's something, you know, without it, I wouldn't be where I am,' he continued. 'So it's a beautiful religion. I'm incredibly proud.'

Larry King Now airs on Ora.TV and Hulu.
She's the reality star and journalist who isn't shy in sharing snaps of her day-to-day life to Instagram.

And on Wednesday, The Bachelorette's Georgia Love felt particularly in a playful mood, according to snaps shared to the social media site.

The 28-year-old posed with an Alpaca for a selfie, before showering her buff beau Lee Elliott with affection, as the 35-year-old was seen lying on her bed.

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Holiday spirit! The Bachelorette's Georgia Love, 28, took to Instagram on Wednesday, sharing a playful snap as she posed for a selfie with none other than an Alpaca

'But first, Ilama take a selfie,' Georgia captioned the cute snap, alongside the hash-tags #thesimplelife and #alpacamybags.

The selfie saw the slender brunette flashing the peace sign and beaming for the camera, as an Alpaca was pictured in the background at Wongaburra in Brisbane.

Georgia appeared to cut a casual figure for the occasion, sporting what looked to be a pink tank top underneath a light blue button-up shirt.

Affectionate: Georgia also inundated her Instagram story with precious moments, including one which saw Lee lying on her bed, next to her cat

A delicate gold necklace and pair of tortoise-shell sunglasses perched on her head worked as accessories.

Georgia enhanced her facial features with a flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a glossy pink lip.

The popular personality also inundated her Instagram story with a series of snaps.

One particular image saw Georgia's beau Lee Elliott, whom she chose on the finale episode of The Bachelorette Australia, lying on her bed.

Finding the humour in it: Another moment captured to her Instagram story, took on quite a hilarious note, with an image of herself and Bachelorette contestant Jake Ellis, 30, thrown into the fireplace of her family's farm

The mechanical plumber donned a black and white striped T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms, and a pair of slim-fitting black jeans.

Black-rimmed spectacles and a silver statement watch worked as accessories.

'My loves,' Georgia captioned the moment alongside a love heart emoji, referring to Lee and her cat who was enjoying a sleep on her bed.

Back at it: Georgia is certainly not shy in showing off her muscular beau

While another moment captured to her Instagram story, took on quite a hilarious note.

An image of herself and Bachelorette contestant Jake Ellis, 30, was thrown into the fireplace of her family's farm.

'Awkward discovery in the fireplace of the family farm,' Georgia wrote, alongside a laughing face emoji.
She's been flying solo on her extended winter break in the sun.

But there was nothing sad about the single life for Jess Woodley on Tuesday, as she headed down to the beach in Barbados by herself again.

Enjoying a more relaxed Christmas with plenty of sun, the blonde bombshell displayed an impressive all-over tan and a natural, make-up free glow.

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Body beautiful: Jessica Woodley is enjoying an extended winter break in Barbados at present, once again showing off her glowing tan in another bikini

The Made In Chelsea starlet hinted at her quirky sense of style by picking out a mismatching yellow and charcoal bikini.

It did plenty to showcase her gorgeous bikini body, with barely-there bottoms creating a cheeky look from behind as she walked barefoot along the sands with a handful of essentials.

Jess carried a towel and a matching Breton-style cover-up, as well as some extra bits in a tiny vanity bag.

Get the glow: Jess carried her bits to the beach, as she spent another day in the sun

With her hair twisted up and away from her face in a top knot, she exposed her septum piercing, which was decorated with a silver ring.

Jess was noticeably solo, despite having spent the run-up to Christmas playing third wheel to Made In Chelsea co-star - and ex-boyfriend - Alex Mytton and his girlfriend Lottie Moss.

The group initially raised eyebrows with their particularly amorous three-way display, and Jess didn't seem to mind sharing the romantic break with the new lovebirds.

All aboard: Previously, Jess had been playing third wheel to lovebirds Alex Mytton and Lottie Moss

While the other two appeared to head home for the festive period, Jess seemed to make something of a month of it.

Posting a picture from Bottom Bay two weeks ago, she informed fans: 'Where you will find me for the next 2 weeks byyyee'

She also got reflective about the last year, using her social media to let fans know that it had been a 'mad' one.

'I have learnt so much this past year,' she wrote. 'It has been mad and fast I'm so grateful for my friends and family and you guys. Can't wait to show you what I have been working on.'
She's been littering her Instagram account with envy-inducing snaps of her sun-soaked winter holiday in Barbados with boyfriend James Dunmore.

And Lucy Watson, 25, looked as though she certainly wasn't ready to come home just yet as her hunky beau shared another beachy snap from their Christmas getaway on Tuesday.

The former Made In Chelsea star - who announced her plans to quit the E4 show this autumn - showed off her svelte frame in a skimpy aqua blue bikini as she cosied up her shirtless lover on the Caribbean island.

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Good-looking pair: Lucy Watson, 25, rocked a tiny blue bikini while her beau James Dunmore, 26, displayed his chiselled torso in another Barbados holiday snap on Tuesday

The minuscule bikini top plunged down the middle to showcase her perky assets and glimpse of her toned tum.

Donning a pair of shades with the sun setting in the background, the reality star held on to a drink as she flaunted her tan.

Rivalling her on the barely-there department was her boyfriend James, 26, who exhibited his immaculately sculpted six-pack abs.

The former MIC star sent temperatures soaring as he enjoyed a day of chilling on the beach with his stunning girl.

Beach babe: The former Made In Chelsea star was also treating her social media followers to some envy-inducing snapshots of her Barbados winter break

Documenting the getaway on her Instagram account as well, Lucy posed in front of a colourful door as she grinned for the camera.

The outspoken TV personality displayed her slim waist and perfectly flat stomach in the fashionable crossover number, which she paired with denim cut-offs.

The star peered out from behind a pair of tinted shades as she struck a pose in front of the message 'Love'.

Lucy also treated her fans to a snap of herself with handsome partner James, simply captioned: 'merry christmas from us'.

Lovebirds: Lucy posed with her handsome partner James - who is also an ex MIC cast member - captioning the picture 'merry christmas from us'

Cooling off: The brunette beauty also posted an image of herself perched in a wicker seat, sipping on a fresh coconut drink

The brunette beauty also posted an image of herself perched in a wicker seat, sipping on a fresh coconut drink.

The previous day, the star looked happier than ever as she cuddled up to her hunky man while lapping up the Caribbean sunshine.

Lucy showcased her peachy posterior in a white backless swimsuit with a playful pink heart motif, bearing the slogan 'I love bikers'.

Made In... Paradise? James and Lucy looked happier than ever as they cuddled up for a romantic beach stroll on Boxing Day

Slipping on a pair of denim hotpants after getting out of the sea, the reality star ensured her gym-honed figure was on full display as she enjoyed her sun-soaked Christmas holiday.

Lucy wore her raven locks swept back from her face and sheltered her eyes from the sun with a pair of stylish mirrored shades.

She carried a pair of deck shoes in one hand and seemed in high spirits as she wandered along the shore with her boyfriend's arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

Fun in the sun: The reality star showcased her peachy posterior in a white backless swimsuit with a playful pink heart motif, bearing the slogan 'I love bikers'

And it's easy to see why Lucy looked so happy, with beau James showcasing his buff body and bulging biceps by going shirtless.

The loved-up couple couldn't keep their hands off each other as they hit the beach on Christmas Day.

Puckering up for a passionate PDA on the beach, the pair kissed and cavorted for all to see, before taking to the waves on a jet-ski.

Lucy and James were both notably absent from the Made In Chelsea spin-off in the South of France this summer and in September and Lucy announced her departure from the show that catapulted her to fame after four years.

Pucker up, baby: The loved-up couple couldn't keep their hands off each other as they hit the beach on Christmas Day

A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'After four amazing years on Made in Chelsea, Lucy feels that now is the right time to explore some other exciting opportunities and projects that she is passionate about.

'Being part of such a successful show has been an incredible experience for her, and she wishes everyone involved all the very best for the future.'

The announcement came shortly after Made In Chelsea's Frankie Gaff, 22, revealed she was taking time away from the spotlight to concentrate on her relationship with her boyfriend James, who she has been dating since 2015.

Frankie told BANG Showbiz: 'Lucy's not going to be in the next series. At the moment she's decided not to because she's loved up.'

Lucy's last appearance on Made In Chelsea saw her clash with her best friend Stephanie Pratt after she 'dumped' her for her boyfriend-at-the-time Josh Shepherd.

Feeling blue? Lucy showcased her toned and tanned figure in a blue and black mismatched bikini as she enjoyed her Caribbean Christmas holiday

Lucy - who joined the show in 2012 - previously said: 'We don't talk anymore.

'Last year was a very difficult year for me because she essentially dumped me for her boyfriend at the time [Josh Shepherd] as he didn't like me. When something like that happens you don't forget.'

The brunette subsequently received heavy criticism for the way she handled the situation, but later hit back at her critics.

She explained: 'It's very easy to make me out to be the villain because I don't think before I speak.

'I know I can have a vicious tongue at times people shouldn't jump to conclusions before they know the whole story.'

Lucy's younger sister, Tiffany Watson, 23, and her boyfriend Sam Thompson, 24, are still central cast members in the E4 reality show.
Sonia Kruger is clearly enjoying her time off at the end of 2016.

The Today Extra host has been spending time with family over the festive period, and on Wednesday she took to Instagram to share a picture of home life.

Next to a photo showing three young children sat around a dinner table - one of whom is Maggie, Sonia and partner Craig McPherson's daughter - she wrote 'table for three'.

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Homely: Sonia Kruger has been spending time with family over the festive period, and on Wednesday she took to Instagram to share a picture of home life

The 51-year-old added the hashtags 'family', 'holiday' and 'dinner', as the young trio are seen digging into bowls of spaghetti.

Sonia, who became a mum for the first time when she gave birth to her daughter in 2015, has been kicking back after she came in for criticism during the course of 2016.

The TV presenter, who also hosts The Voice, caused controversy in July when she called on Australia to ban Muslim immigrants.

Dinner date: Next to a photo showing three young children sat around a dinner table - one of whom is Maggie, Sonia and partner Craig McPherson's daughter - she wrote 'table for three'

Tough time: Sonia, who became a mum for the first time when she gave birth to her daughter in 2015, has been kicking back after she came in for criticism during the course of 2016

Channel Nine colleagues David Campbell and Lisa Wilkinson were visibly uncomfortable as Sonia said she would like to see the immigration of Muslims to Australia 'stopped now because I would like to feel safe'.

A social media backlash ensued - although Sonia refused to back down, taking to Twitter after the show to defend her comments.

She tweeted: 'As a mother, I believe it's vital in a democratic society to be able to discuss these issues without automatically being labelled racist.'

Two weeks later, in August, Sonia caused public uproar again when she slammed a scholarship program for LGBTI high school students.

Courting controversy: The TV presenter, who also hosts The Voice, caused controversy in July when she called on Australia to ban Muslim immigrants during Today Extra

Adamant: A social media backlash ensued - although Sonia refused to back down, taking to Twitter after the show to defend her comments

Labeling the program 'reverse discrimination', the presenter could not understand why a $7000 scholarship was being reserved for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex student.

She said: 'I don't think it should have anything to do with the awarding of a scholarship. I thinks scholarships should be given on merit.'

Once more, co-host David disagreed with her controversial stance - as did a vocal number of social media users.

At it again: Two weeks later, in August, Sonia caused public uproar again when she slammed a scholarship program for LGBTI high school students

Just before Christmas, David admitted that the network will be glad to see the back of 2016 after the controversies which plagued Sonia and fellow Today Show host Karl Stefanovic, who endured a very public split from wife Cassandra Thorburn.

He told The Daily Telegraph: 'I think we all have to be honest, and say that 2016 was one of the toughest years on record.'

He added: 'There was a lot of bile that rose to the surface. We'll all be glad to get this year behind us and start afresh.'
She's always been keen to flaunt her incredible figure.

But Lady Victoria Hervey flashed a tad too much as she hit the beach in Barbados on Tuesday.

Clad in a plunging white swimsuit, the 40-year-old socialite was already leaving little to the imagination, before an embarrassing nip slip left nothing to hide.

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Bit of all-white! She's always been keen to flaunt her incredible figure. But Lady Victoria Hervey flashed a tad too much as she hit the beach in Barbados on Tuesday

Slashed to the navel, the cream one-piece showed off her decolletage, whilst the ribbed material clung to her slender physique.

High cut in design, the garment also offered a look at her tanned and toned pins as well as her pert derriere.

Adding to the glamour, she layered up with a selection of gold necklaces, which injected some further glitz into her ensemble.

Nothing to sea here! Clad in a plunging white swimsuit, the 40-year-old socialite was already leaving little to the imagination, before an embarrassing nip slip left nothing to hide

Sweeping her golden locks away from her face, the former It Girl styled her glossy tresses in thick braids.

Make-up free for the outing, she was a vision of beauty as she paraded up and down the sandy shore, concealing her eyes with a pair of white wayfarer shades.

She finished off the look with a myriad of colourful bracelets that lined her slender wrists.

Beach bum! High cut in design, the garment also offered a look at her tanned and toned pins as well as her pert derriere, whilst the ribbed material clung to her slender physique

Whilst Lady Victoria may not have been thrilled by her nip slip, she is a champion of embracing the female form.

The aristocrat - who is the daughter of the late 6th Marquess of Bristol - recently told the Daily Mail's Sebastian Shakespeare that English women struggle to be sexy.

'Women in London are too conservative and dont have the courage to wear sexy outfits. Its an English thing,' she said. 'I grew up in the South of France so I have a much more international approach.'

Victoria added that she still leads by example, sporting an array of sheer ensembles at parties recently, she said: 'Its empowering to dress provocatively'.
They spent Christmas apart, after Megan Marx decided to take a solo camping trip.

But on Wednesday, the reality star and her girlfriend Tiffany Scanlon were reunited.

The couple - who met as contestants on The Bachelor - both posted the same photo to their Instagram accounts, as they prepare to ring in the New Year together.

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Back together: Megan Marx (L) and Tiffany Scanlon (R) were reunited at the Southbound music festival in Busselton on Wednesday, after they spent Christmas apart

The blonde beauties appeared to enjoy being back in each other's arms at the Southbound music and camping festival in Busselton, Western Australia.

In the cute couple shot, Tiffany planted a kiss on Megan's cheek as they stood among a crowd of revelers.

Tiffany wore a short, patterned play-suit and Converse sneakers as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Shielding herself from the sun with an Akubra hat, the reality star left her long locks out.

'Be back soon': Megan recently went off on a camping trip, although it now appears the adventure was short lived as she reunited with her beau on Wednesday

Megan grinned as her partner indulged in the public display of affection. She looked festival-ready in a pale green tank-top and olive-coloured leather skirt.

No doubt preparing to get into the mosh pit, Megan protected her feet with a pair of sensible Nike trainers.

'Babe, I'm busy listening to music. Let me alone,' Megan captioned, followed by laughing emojis. She then included the hashtag 'cantgetenough'.

Christmas has gone to the dogs: Tiffany Scanlon was left to spend the festive season with her pets after Megan Marx decided to go on a solo camping trip

The day before, Megan let her followers know that the decision to head to the festival was last minute.

'Literally only decided to go about an hour ago to @southboundfestival though... won't be in WA for much longer so trying to get as much (very terrible) dancing in as possible,' she wrote.

Just before Christmas, Megan left on 'a beach camping trip on my own, to read and write and dive and build fires and pretend I'm Bear Grylls', leaving Tiffany to celebrate without her.

A big year: Tiffany (L) and Megan (R) will spend the final days of 2016 together, capping off a remarkable year for the couple

However, it appears the star may have returned early from her trip, unable to stand the separation from her beau.

The two are set to spend the final days of 2016 together capping off a big year. The pair met earlier in the year as contestants on The Bachelor, each vying for Richie Strahan. However, remarkably, they ended up falling for each other.

The stunning couple recently graced the pages of Maxim magazine with a sizzling photo shoot, after they were named by the publication as 'Couple of The Year'.

'Couple of The Year': Tiffany posed proudly with a copy of Maxim magazine, which featured her and Megan on the cover
She's become a global phenomenon thanks to a lead role in a movie franchise, an Academy Award and her rather quirky nature.

But Jennifer Lawrence revealed to the Daily Telegraph, a downside to fame.

The 26-year-old told the publication: 'I have just started becoming really rude and drawn into myself,' otherwise her reality will become talking to strangers and fulfilling selfie requests on a daily basis.

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Too rude? Jennifer Lawrence, 26, revealed to the Daily Telegraph why she won't say yes to a fan's selfie request: 'I have just started becoming really rude and drawn into myself'

'I think that people [strangers] think that we already are friends because I am famous and they feel like they already know me - but I don't know them,' Jennifer shared.

'I have to protect my bubble, like, 'I have a weird job - don't let this be a reality,' she continued.

It's no surprise the blonde beauty would be inundated with selfie requests, as one of the industry's most well-paid actors.

Candid confession: 'I think that people [strangers] think that we already are friends because I am famous and they feel like they already know me - but I don't know them,' Jennifer shared

Reasoning: 'I have to protect my bubble, like, 'I have a weird job - don't let this be a reality,' she continued

Despite the candid confession, Jennifer often uses her celebrity status to help others.

Christmas Eve saw the Hunger Games star visit Norton Children's Hospital in her hometown - Louisville, Kentucky, according to Wave 3 News.

Jennifer beamed for the cameras, while posing with children, their families and also hospital staff members.

Lending her status for a good cause: Christmas Eve saw the Hunger Games star visit Norton Children's Hospital in her hometown - Louisville, Kentucky, according to Wave 3 News

This is not the first time Jennifer has taken time out to bring joy and smiles to her local community; she also stopped by the same hospital last year as well.

The Silver Linings Playbook star looked lovely in a cream knitted sweater with black leggings and lace-up boots.

She styled her short blonde tresses in loose waves, opting for a deep side part.

So happy: The Passengers star visited the children and posed for photos with the families and staff members

Holiday cheer: Jennifer beamed while at the local children's hospital

Just recently, her Jennifer Lawrence Foundation had a special early screening of her film Passengers before it hit theatres - to benefit the American Heart Association's fundraiser.

All proceeds go toward AHA's fundraiser for Jefferson County Public Schools.

According to her foundation's website, the goal is to assist and empower 'charitable organizations that fulfill children's vital needs and drive arts awareness and participation.'
A-list couple Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus are set to celebrate the New Year Down Under.

The Herald Sun reported on Thursday that the couple will arrive in Australia in the 'next few days' after spending Christmas in America.

And planning their wedding is also high on their agenda during their stay in the country, which is likely to include a trip to their favourite town of Byron Bay, according to the publication.

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Coming home: Australian star Liam Hemsworth and fiance Miley Cyrus are set to celebrate the New Year Down Under

They quote a source as saying: ' They will have New Year's Eve in Australia again this year. People around Byron are on high alert for their wedding, we are hearing that they will be making plans while they are here.'

The publication also claims that the pair will be attending Falls Festival during their stay.

Miley confirmed the couple's engagement on the Ellen DeGeneres show earlier this year, after they broke off their original engagement in 2012.

planning their wedding is also high on their agenda during their stay in the country, which is likely to include a trip to their favourite town of Byron Bay

On Monday, Liam Hemsworth took to Instagram to share a loved up snap of himself sandwiched between his mother Leonie and fiance Miley.

Miley is pictured with her eyes closed lovingly on the cheek, while his mother rests her arm and head on his shoulder.

Liam is seen with a cheeky smile and a thumbs up sign as he jokingly captions the post 'whatever.'

Loved up! On Monday, Liam took to Instagram to share a loved up snap of himself sandwiched between his mother Leonie and fiance Miley

Meanwhile, it's been a blockbuster year for the Hemsworths, with high-profile movies, engagements, and career resurgences.

And Luke, Chris and Liam were all in the mood to celebrate on Christmas Day along with their partners and children.

Pictures shared to Instagram from the A-lister family showed the gang dressed in matching festive pyjamas as they celebrated in what appeared to be a perfectly styled living room.

In sync! The Hemsworth's celebrated Christmas in style with matching onesies, puppy slippers and 'Merry Christmas' spelled out in lights

Each person's personality was taken into account for the design of their onesie - which all featured a name or message on the bum flap.

Luke and Chris's children posed together in one picture, showing off their names on the backside of their red onesies with snowflake print.

Elsa Pataky showed off her hilarious flap, which featured the words naughty and nice. A box next to 'naughty' was ticked.

Everyone is involved! Chris and Luke's children were also seen in matching onesies with their name on the back side

Earlier, the Fast and the Furious star showed off her hunky husband to Instagram, sharing a picture of herself in a bra and pants and being kissed by Chris.

'Best Christmas present ever! A kiss from @chrishemsworth,' she gushed to her extensive social media following.

Liam's fiancee Miley Cyrus added a headband with ears to her outfit, fitting it back into her ostentatious aesthetic.

Cheeky! Elsa Pataky had 'naughty' checked on her bum flap and proudly displayed it as the large family prepared for their Christmas photo

A big family photo, which appears to include a few friends, shows every adult wearing large stuffed slippers shaped like puppies in Santa costumes.

The grown ups were seen squished in on a large couch in front of a table covered in candles and an indoor bonfire.

A giant sign behind the couch spelling out Merry Christmas with lights inside each letter gave the celebration a Hollywood touch.
Before her death at 60 years old, Carrie Fisher was cobbling together a sequel to her one-woman show Wishful Drinking, according to Indiewire.

Commissioned by the Geffen Playhouse last Thursday, it would've been called Wishful Drinking Strikes Back: From Star Wars To, Uh, Star Wars!.

On Friday, the actress and writer suffered a cardiac arrest on a plane into Los Angeles from London. She was pronounced dead on Tuesday.

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In the pipeline: Before her death at 60 years old, Carrie Fisher was cobbling together a sequel to her one-woman show Wishful Drinking, Indiewire have reported

In 2008, the Geffen had played host to Wishful Drinking, which then opened at Studio 54 on Broadway in 2009 and was filmed for HBO in 2010.

Joshua Ravetch, Fisher's co-writer on the show, would've assumed the same job on the sequel, which he was also slated to direct.

The Geffen had, in fact, ordered the play only last Thursday, and a meeting between Ravetch and Fisher had been slated for the day she ultimately died.

Wishful Drinking was a blisteringly funny and open account of such turbulent experiences as her Star Wars fame, drug addiction, bipolar disorder, marriage to Paul Simon and celebrity parents Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.

Wide-ranging: Commissioned by the Geffen Playhouse on Thursday, it would've been called Wishful Drinking Strikes Back: From Star Wars To, Uh, Star Wars!

Reynolds and her first husband had been married from 1955 until 1959, when he deserted her and their two children for her friend Elizabeth Taylor.

Pointing to a photo-strewn blackboard onstage, Fisher explained: 'For those of you that are younger, try to think of it this way. Think of Eddie as Brad Pitt, Debbie as Jennifer Aniston and Elizabeth as Angelina Jolie. Does that help?'

As Ravetch reminisced to Indiewire: 'We were working on the complexity of the Fisher family tree and were trying to come up with a way to make it instantly accessible to the audience.'

At which point, 'Without missing a beat Carrie said: "What if we did it on a blackboard like in school and I can teach Hollywood 101?" That blackboard moment is the moment people always mention from her show.'

'A show where one woman reconciles herself to being Carrie Fisher': In 2008, the Geffen had played host to Wishful Drinking, which then opened at Studio 54 on Broadway in 2009 and was filmed for HBO in 2010

He described writing with her: 'Her mind was the most original Ive ever encountered. Brilliant insights would pop effortlessly like popcorn, and I was lucky enough to be there to catch the kernels.'

As he remembered, 'She loved being able to speak live to an audience and fell in love with the form which we came to call "Live Autobiography" - and the immediacy of the instant audience reaction which she found so gratifying.'

'In fact,' Ravetch shared, 'one of her best and favourite phrases was, "Instant gratification - takes too long!"' which appears in her 1987 roman a clef Postcards From The Edge, as well as its film adaptation.

As she described her worldview onstage during Wishful Drinking: 'If my life wasn't funny, it would just be true, and that is completely unacceptable.'

Looking back: The blisteringly honest show described her celebrity parents Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, who were married from 1955 until 1959, when he deserted Reynolds and their two children for her friend Elizabeth Taylor

At another point in the show, she vamped about the fact 'people are still asking me if I knew Star Wars was gonna be that big of a hit. Yes! I knew! We all knew.'

She quipped: 'The only one who didn't know was George Lucas. We kept it from him, 'cause we wanted to see what his face looked like when it changed expression.'

In 2008, she adapted the show - which she'd performed barefoot - into the first of what turned out to be three memoirs she'd write over the course of her lifetime.

Shockaholic followed three years later, and though its title suggests the book would focus principally on her experience with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), it covers a wide range of subject matter.

'Hollywood 101': Pointing to a photo-strewn blackboard onstage, Fisher explained: 'For those of you that are younger, try to think of it this way. Think of Eddie as Brad Pitt, Debbie as Jennifer Aniston and Elizabeth as Angelina Jolie. Does that help?'

Anecdotes relate, for instance, her relationship with her father during his final years, the Christmas she had with Michael Jackson during what turned out to be the winter before his death and her blind date with US Senator Chris Dodd.

This year, The Princess Diarist aired out the journal she'd kept whilst filming the first Star Wars film in 1976, flanked by tracts of new text written especially for the book.

Famously, the most dishy revelation is of the affair she had with co-star Harrison Ford, who was not only 14 years her senior but also married to Mary Marquardt.

The book describes the dalliance as a 'three-month one-night stand,' but expounds at length about her insecurity and her keening desire to impress him at the time.

'Cold coffee eyes': Wishful Drinking also took the audience through her tempestuous marriage to and divorce from Paul Simon

Before the memoirs, she'd written four semi-autobiographical novels. Postcards From The Edge, her literary debut, follows an actress called Suzanne Vale who emerges from rehab and struggles to reassemble her life and career.

Fisher adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 1990 Mike Nichols film of the same name, in which Suzanne's played by Meryl Streep and her Debbie Reynolds-modelled mother Doris Mann's played by Shirley MacLaine.

The next romans a clef were 1990's Surrender The Pink, 1993's Delusions Of Grandma and 2004's Postcards From The Edge sequel The Best Awful.
He's never been afraid to dress up for the sake of comedy.

But Alan Carr outdid himself for his latest skit as he channeled both Theresa May and Pamela Anderson for a sketch titled, Maywatch.

In scenes due to air on his New Year Specstacular, the 40-year-old comedian transformed into the British Prime Minister as he imagined her patrolling the British Coastline on the lookout for migrants.

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Ravishing in red: Alan Carr outdid himself for his latest skit as he channeled both Theresa May and Pamela Anderson for a sketch titled, Maywatch

In flamboyant fashion, Alan opted to don a Baywatch style costume for the skit, but ensured he wouldn't reveal too much with the addition of nude tights.

In order to channel May, the star accessorised with her trademark pearl necklace and kitten heels, whilst sporting a fetching wig.

The sketch will see the PM fail to spot any immigrants, but instead a host of celebrities, which the studio audience and stars will have to identify.

His muse: Alan transformed into the British Prime Minister Theresa May for a sketch as he imagined her patrolling the British Coastline on the lookout for migrants

Alan has always been fond of dressing up, and recently admitted that he would be going all out for his upcoming nuptials- which he hintedcould resemble a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

The Chatty Man host said he wants the Channel 4 show's dressmaker Thelma Madine to design his outfit when he says his vows to partner, Paul.

He told The Daily Star: 'I could have a big puffy number with glitter and butterflies on it. In fact, I'd love her to do my whole wedding.'

Who wore it better? In flamboyant fashion, Alan opted to don a Baywatch style costume for the skit (made famous by Pamela Anderson) but ensured he wouldn't reveal too much with tights

In his prime (minister): In order to channel May, the 40-year-old comedian accessorised with her trademark pearl necklace and kitten heels, whilst sporting a fetching wig

Bird fight: The sketch will see the PM fail to spot any immigrants, but instead a host of celebrities, which the studio audience and stars will have to identify

Asked who would be walking down the aisle, Alan said: 'That's the eggy bit because it's deciding who is the b***h of the relationship.

'Though to be fair I love making a big entrance and I am a bit of an attention-seeker so it will probably be me.'

Alan also revealed that he wants his friend Adele to perform at the bash next year, adding: 'She loves gays... she's really happy for us.'

The couple - who have been an item for eight years - were enjoying a holiday in Indonesia when actor Paul popped the question during a meal.

Alan Carr's New Year Specstacular airs at 9pm on Dec 31 on Channel 4.
John Stamos and girlfriend Caitlin McHugh enjoyed a romantic date Tuesday night.

The pair looked smitten as they stopped by for a bite of classic Italian cuisine at Madeo in Los Angeles.

Caitlin, 32, couldn't contain her smile as the 53-year-old heartthrob lead her to the restaurant arm-in-arm.

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Eyes on you! John Stamos and girlfriend Caitlin McHugh enjoyed dinner at Madeo in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It looks like the 32-year-old actress couldn't keep her eyes off of her leading man!

Stamos looked dapper in dark hues, wearing a comfy quilted jackets with a smart black shirt buttoned down to show a hint of his tan chest.

The Grandfathered star kept things classic with loosely fitted jeans on bottom. He held a pair of black glasses safe in hand.

The Fuller House star combed his dark locks to the side while sporting a touch of after Christmas stubble on his chin as he lead his beautiful girlfriend to the restaurant by the arm.

Tall, dark and handsome: The Scream Queens star looked lovely in a quilted jacket and button down shirt

What a gentleman: Caitlin beamed as the Fuller House star opened the door for her during their Tuesday date

The I Am Legend actress seemed to be having the time of her life, beaming ear to ear while holding boyfriend John closely.

She paired a short floral mini dress with knee high socks and boots that accentuated the Vampire Diaries star's long toned legs.

Caitlin matched her leather accessories, showing off a jacket, boots and shoulder bag all in the same warm brown.

The star kept her style her own by wearing cute glasses and cascading curls in a rich red-brown hue.

Matching set: The Vampire Diaries actress matched her knee high leather boots to a perfectly matching jacket and shoulder bag

It seems to be a fairy tale romance for the pair who began dating in early 2016.

Ever the gentlemen, John opened the door for his girlfriend and flashed a smile over his shoulder as he whisked the brunette beauty into the five-star restaurant.

The ER actor made sure to take care of the valet, holding some cash in hand before disappearing inside.

Minding his manners: The Scream Queens star used his best manners, minding the door for girlfriend Caitlin and tipping the valet before heading into dinner

The couple have been happy to show off their relationship, often spotted making public displays of affection in and around Hollywood.

When not enjoying each other's company, the duo are both hard at work on set.
She has said she works hard to have a toned figure.

So it's no wonder Kelly Bensimon goes to great lengths to show off the rewards of constant trips to the gym.

On Wednesday the 48-year-old Real Housewives Of New York City vet slipped into yet another bikini - this one gold - for a stroll down the strand in Miami. Her other suits this week were a white one and a strappy black one.

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Bikini fever! Kelly Bensimon slipped into yet another bikini - this one gold - for a stroll down the strand in Miami on Wednesday

An XXS? The gold suit seemed a size or two too small as her chest was coming out of the triangle shaped spaghetti strap top

The gold suit seemed a size or two too small as her chest was coming out of the triangle shaped spaghetti strap top.

The briefs, which tied on the sides, also seemed to be tiny as the hung low on her hips.

The former Bravo star seemed far from shy, however, as she grinned while letting fans check out her fit frame.

Wet and wild: The TV icon flashed diamond jewelry and went full dip in the ocean

Kelly appeared on the Bravo reality show The Real Housewives Of New York City for seasons two, three and four.

The Illinois native has daughter Sea Louise, 18, and Thaddeus Ann, 16, from her former marriage to fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon.

Since her departure from RHONY she has been focusing on her HSN jewellery line Kelly Killoren by Kelly Killoren Bensimon.

Reality life: Kelly appeared on the Bravo reality show The Real Housewives Of New York City for seasons two, three and four

A life in front of the camera: Kelly grew up in Illinois but moved to New York City for her modeling career. She started modeling for Elle magazine, where she met husband Gilles, a French photographer and one of the editor s of Elle

Kelly grew up in Illinois but moved to New York City for her modeling career.

She started modeling for Elle magazine, where she met husband Gilles, a French photographer and one of the editors of Elle.

The leggy model appeared in Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar, then in 2009 Giles shot her for Playboy.

Bensimon, who has attended college, has written several books including In the Spirit of the Hamptons, American Style, and The Bikini Book.

She also had her novel A Dangerous Age published in June by Simon & Schuster.

Another suit: Here the cover girl is seen in a teeny bikini in white

Back in black: The star noted this tied-up number was by Zummermann
Georgia Love chose her man Lee Elliott on The Bachelorette and it seems her family are keen to forget the other contenders ever existed.

The TV host cuddled up to a cosy fire at her family farm over Christmas only to find that photos of her former dates on the show were being used as kindling.

Despite her relatives literally burning photos of her, Georgia seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing, posting a video of the inferno to Instagram.

Up in flames: Georgia cuddled up to a cosy fire at her family farm over Christmas only to find that photos of her former dates on the Bachelorette were being used as kindling

'Awkward discovering in the fireplace of the family farm...' she captioned the video adding a laughing 'tears of joy' emoji.

They might be burning photo from the reality series, but the Love family have warmed towards Lee after having some initial reservations.

Georgia's protective older sister Katie in particular has buried the hatchet with Lee, who she once called 'a bit smooth' when she first met him.

In an Instagram story posted to Georgia's Instagram, Kylie hugged the buff tradie as they posed for photos together during a family Christmas gathering.

New addition: Georgia's protective older sister Katie in particular has buried the hatchet with Lee, who she once called 'a bit smooth' when she first met him

With open arms: Lee has been welcomed into the family after Georgia picked him on the Bachelorette earlier this year

The protective older sister even poked fun at her first impressions of Lee, with the words 'He's a bit smooth' were written across the bottom of the snap.

The Love brood have gathered at the family farm in Wongaburra as is their annual tradition.

Missing mum: This is the family's first Christmas without their mum, Belinda Love, 60, who died after a six month battle with pancreatic cancer in November

This is the family's first Christmas without their mum, Belinda Love, 60, who died after a six month battle with pancreatic cancer in November.

Georgia paid tribute to her mother in an emotional Instagram snap that showed the last time they'd all be together for the holidays.

She captioned the picture: 'This time last year none of us had any idea this would be the last Christmas photo we'd have all together. Give your loved ones an extra big hug tonight, family is everything'.
It may be the middle of winter, but it doesn't look like Mark Wahlberg is getting the blues anytime soon.

The 45-year-old actor looked fit as a fiddle, baring his abs on vacation in Barbados Wednesday.

Wearing a pair of striking blue swim shorts, the Patriot's Day producer showed off a new hair cut while spending time with his family.

Boy in blue: Mark Wahlberg looked like a hunky dad while vacationing with family in Barbados

Soak up the sun: Mark E. Mark showed off his ripped figure while taking some time to even out his tan

Mark embraced ocean blue shorts for the third day in a row during his Caribbean vacation with wife Rhea Durham and their four children.

The Boston-born star showed off his broad shoulders and buff arms in front of red umbrellas.

Sporting freshly trimmed hair, the former model paused before walking into the warm ocean.

Code blue! The Boston-born hunk sported cool blue shorts that matched the beautiful Barbados ocean

Clear waters: The star and producer of Patriot's Day enjoyed the tropical waters, wading into the ocean past his hips

The five-foot eight-inch tall star slowly entered the crystal clear ocean, taking his time to enjoy the winter waves.

Turning around, the Deepwater Horizon star's muscular back looked like it could enjoy a few more seconds in the Barbados sun.

You could spot a handsome waterproof watch keeping time on the star's wrist.

Dad on duty: Mark made sure to keep an eye on his kids, helping his son enjoy the winter waves

On the beach, Mark played double duty as both lifeguard and dad.

He helped his son Michael enjoy the winter waters while keeping a close eye on the incoming waves.

His wife, former Victoria Secret model Rhea Durham, and three other kids enjoyed the sun and shade out of the camera's sight.

Eye see you! The Deepwater Horizon star made sure to keep an eye on the time, wearing his watch into the ocean

Mark is taking a much deserved break before embarking on a packed 2017.

Next year he appears in Transformers: The Last Knight, the latest chapter in the explosive space-robot franchise from director Michael Bay.

He'll also appear in the comedy sequel Daddy's Home 2 and will produce a newly announced film called The Roman.
Aleppo: the massive task of rebuilding a shattered city

Midnight means lights out in Syria's Aleppo: as the clock strikes 12, overworked power generators shut off across the city, plunging war-ravaged neighbourhoods and heritage sites into darkness.

It will take many months and millions of dollars to breathe life back into Aleppo's devastated water, electricity, and transportation networks.

Four years of fighting have transformed it from Syria's industrial and commercial powerhouse to a divided and dysfunctional city.

Syrian workers clean up the water pumping station in Aleppo's Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhood George OURFALIAN (AFP)

"We sold our vacuum cleaner -- what's the point in having one if we don't have electricity?" asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan.

"It's been two years since we used our washing machine. We wash everything by hand, but the water is too cold now and I can't take it any more," the mother-of-two told AFP, sitting in the dark amid piles of dirty laundry.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad declared full control over Syria's second city last week, after a landmark evacuation deal ended years of clashes.

Rocket fire, air strikes and shelling partly or totally destroyed more than half Aleppo's infrastructure and buildings, according to a "preliminary, optimistic evaluation" by local authorities.

- Water shortages -

The main power station at Safirah to the southeast has been off line for two years because of the fighting.

Aleppo's residents are forced to rely on noisy generators that supply electricity through a web of thick cables snaking through scarred streets.

But they are shut down at midnight to save diesel supplies.

Umm Fayez's husband walks home every night from his sweetshop using a small torch to guide the way through pitch-black darkness.

"We have two projects that will re-establish electricity to Aleppo," an electricity ministry official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said new power lines would be laid from the neighbouring province of Hama within a year, but that it would cost more than four billion Syrian pounds, or about $8 million (7.6 million euros).

Residents are also impatient for water shortages to end, with the main pumping station currently operating at just a third of its capacity.

"We can only pump water to 20 percent of Aleppo. Before the crisis, it was 70 percent," said Issa Korj, chief mechanic at the Suleiman al-Halabi water plant.

He said it would take "many months" to repair the facility, but even then, water provision was likely to remain a problem for residents.

Most of the water pumped to Aleppo comes from the Euphrates Dam in the adjacent province of Raqa, which is held by the Islamic State jihadist group.

"They regularly cut off the water," said Fakher Hamdo, who heads Aleppo's water administration.

He added that global economic sanctions imposed on Syria since 2011 make spare parts nearly impossible to import.

- 'Aleppo is one' -

But before any major rebuilding projects can begin, local authorities must clear away barricades and sand berms that had divided Aleppo between the rebel-controlled east and the government-held west.

Bulldozers can already be seen in the bombed-out streets, clearing rubble and dismantling metal barriers.

"The municipality immediately mobilised to open up the main thoroughfares," said city administrator Nadim Rahmoun.

"Opening up the roads will allow us to pump life back into the city with economic and social activity and public services," he added.

Aleppo's Old City -- a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site -- is at the heart of this effort.

The district witnessed some of the most brutal moments of the battle for Aleppo, and restoring its celebrated buildings will pose major challenges.

Municipal teams are carefully sorting through the rubble, setting aside original centuries-old stonework that will be used in the restoration.

In the nearby district of Aqyul, Abduljawad Najed, 32, had to negotiate heaps of sand to check on his brother's house.

"It took more than an hour and a half," he said.

After the barricades were cleared, the same journey took Najed 10 minutes.

"Things were much easier and I was able to come by car," he said, loading some household effects into his small pick-up.

Najed's enthusiasm was shared by furniture store owner Zakariya, 42.

"Thank God, all the roads are now linked together. Aleppo is one again," he said.

Bullet holes and a damaged roof can be seen in the reservoir at the water station in Aleppo's Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhood George OURFALIAN (AFP)
China in biggest-ever pangolin scale seizure: reports

Chinese customs seized over three tonnes of pangolin scales, state media said, in the country's biggest-ever smuggling case involving the animal parts.

Shanghai Customs found around 3.1 tonnes of pangolin scales mixed in with a container of wood products imported from Nigeria, state broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday.

It estimated up to 7,500 of the creatures could have been killed.

Chinese customs have seized over three tonnes of pangolin scales - an estimated 7,500 of the creatures could have been killed to make up the trafficked shipment HOANG DINH NAM (AFP/File)

The reclusive pangolin has become the most trafficked mammal on Earth due to soaring demand in Asia for their scales for traditional medicine and their flesh, considered a delicacy.

State media have previously said the scales fetch around 5,000 yuan ($700) per kilogram ($700) on the black market -- which would make the seizure worth more than $2 million.

Although the international pangolin trade is illegal in China and they are listed as one of the most-protected wild animals, law enforcement remains weak.

Pangolins are also farmed in the country and an online site selling traditional Chinese medicine offers them at 7,000 yuan per kilogram.

The scales are nothing more than keratin, the same substance that makes up fingernails. Yet it has been falsely touted as a cure for multiple ailments, including cancer, among some practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.

Shanghai Customs arrested three suspects who were suspected of smuggling the scales from Africa since 2015, the report said.
Young migrants living in limbo, awaiting Trump's move

The mother of Juana and Ines Alejandro took a deep breath, put on a brave face and handed her toddlers over to strangers at the Mexican border to be smuggled into the United States.

That was 17 years ago. For the mother, going back to the poverty of her village in Oaxaca in Mexico was out of the question. Smugglers helped her cross the border herself a few days later.

She collected her daughters in Arizona and traveled to New York to reunite with her husband, whom she had not seen in two years.

A family takes part in a protest march towards Trump Tower in New York to mark International Migrants Day KENA BETANCUR (AFP/File)

Today, those daughters are 19 and 20 years old, study at a community college in New York and are scared to death that they might be deported after Donald Trump takes power next month.

"Being deported is something that does keep me awake at night," Ines says. "How are we going to do it back home? It would mean starting all over again."

- In never-never land -

The Alejandro family has lived in fear of being found out for years. That has meant going to the doctor only in emergencies, skipping school field trips and never returning to Mexico.

Juana and Ines have three siblings who were born in America and are therefore US citizens. But the older daughters and their parents remain in the country illegally.

The mother cooks Mexican food that an aunt sells outside a train station. The father helps, and washes dishes at a restaurant or works construction. They declined to be named for this story.

But Juana and Ines's luck changed in 2013 when the United States started implementing a program to give young people like them renewable two-year residence and work permits.

It is called DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, for people who were brought to the United States as children and do not have papers. The idea is that they should not be punished with deportation for something in which they had no say.

"DACA has opened a lot of doors for me. I feel more secure about saying I am undocumented," says Juana, who studies business administration. "It has removed many worries."

During his presidential campaign, Trump insulted Mexicans by saying some Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug dealers. He also pledged to end the DACA program immediately.

But he has changed his tune since then.

"They got brought here at a very young age. They've worked here. They've gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs," Trump told Time magazine after his election. "And they're in never-never land because they don't know what's going to happen."

"We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud," he added without providing details.

A group of Democratic and Republican senators this month presented a bill that would protect such young people from deportation for three years and allow them to work if Trump scraps the DACA program.

- A cherished dream -

An estimated 1.8 million young people in the United States face the same dilemma as Juana and Ines. Brought into the country by their parents illegally as children, they grew up here, speak perfect English and went to elementary school here.

Some 65,000 graduate from high school each year. Most want to go on to university, but only five to 10 percent can afford it. Some 741,000 have applied for protection under DACA.

They have been living in legal limbo for years, waiting for a miracle. It even has a name: a bill called the "Dream Act," which would grant such people permanent residency and a work permit. However, the bill has been languishing in Congress for 15 years.

Young people like the Alejandro daughters are called "dreamers."

"Most of the people like my parents pay their taxes and give as much as they can back to this country," Ines says. "I am here just for my education. The US is full of opportunities I wouldn't have in Mexico."

"My parents do work a lot," Juana adds. "They barely sleep at night just to help us pay tuition, and we have to work as well."

If DACA ends, however, it will be hard for the two girls to stay in school even if they are not deported, she says.

Still, despite the fear and uncertainty, the two sisters have stepped forward and made their status known, and are helping other undocumented students like them.

They formed a "Dream Team" at Hostos Community College -- where they study -- a group the school supports.
China flexes military muscle before Trump takes office

An aircraft carrier in the Pacific and a newly upgraded combat aircraft: China's military is showing off its newest equipment less than a month before the swearing-in of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has raised tensions between Beijing and Taipei.

In recent days state media announced that the country's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was on its way to the Pacific for the first time, while a new fighter, the FC-31, had its debut flight test.

They are the latest steps in the years-long build-up of China's military, as Beijing seeks greater global power to match its economic might and asserts itself more aggressively in its own backyard, but the timing raises questions about its intentions.

China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning is on its way to the Pacific for the first time, according to state media STR (AFP)

The show of strength comes after Trump broke four decades of US policy by accepting a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, even though China objects to any official contact between its foreign partners and leaders of Taiwan.

China views self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting unification, by force if necessary, even though the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

With its escort warships, the Liaoning was in the South China Sea on Monday, according to the Taiwanese defence ministry which monitored the carrier's passage off its shores.

The manoeuvres were preceded by exercises on "refuelling and confrontation in flight", according to the official news agency Xinhua.

"The threat from our enemy is increasing day by day," Taiwan's defence minister Feng Shih-kuan said Tuesday during a promotion ceremony for generals.

"We need to maintain combat vigilance at any time."

- 'Signal to Trump'? -

The demonstration of China's naval capacity comes amid mounting concern on the mainland about the momentum of Taiwan's independence movement, worries fuelled by Trump's suggestion that he would consider recognising the self-ruled island as an independent nation.

Nevertheless, it is "impossible to say whether the timing is intended to send a signal to Trump", said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I'm more inclined to see this as an inevitable development and possibly a long planned exercise."

Beijing has a long way to go before it can claim military superiority over Taiwan's main protector Washington, which has 10 aircraft carriers in service and a network of naval bases all around the globe, said David Kelly, research director of Beijing-based consulting firm China Policy.

For China, the presence of the Liaoning is above all "symbolic" and aimed at its "domestic audience", Kelly said.

For now, experts say the People's Liberation Army Navy would have little hope of countering the smaller but technologically superior US-backed Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, let alone the US Seventh Fleet.

The second-hand, Soviet-built Liaoning has "almost no strategic significance," Kelly said. But, he added, "it reminds the US that China can apply pressure on this region".

In mid-December the Chinese navy announced that the vessel had conducted its first live-fire exercises, including tests with a dozen missiles.

Beijing says the exercises are routine, but state media have expressed pleasure that the Liaoning is battle-ready and that another aircraft carrier, entirely Chinese-made, is under construction.

"Aircraft carriers are strategic tools which should be used to show China's strength to the world and shape the outside world's attitude toward China," said the often nationalist Global Times.

-- 'Intense thinking' --

Although the US spends far more on its military than China does, Beijing's growing assertiveness in strategic regions like the South China Sea coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Trump's policies has set off jitters among Washington's allies in Asia.

In recent years Beijing has strengthened its claims to the South China Sea and fuelled regional tensions by expanding tiny reefs and islets into artificial islands hosting military facilities.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have contested Beijing's claims while Washington has repeatedly called on China to uphold freedom of navigation, sending ships and aircraft to pass close to the new islands.

Beijing is also modernising its air force. The China Daily reported Monday that it recently tested a new prototype stealth fighter, an improved version of the FC-31 Gyrfalcon previously known as the J-31.

Meanwhile, Chinese commentators say Beijing must waste no time in building more aircraft carriers, with the Global Times urging the government "to think about setting up navy supply points in South America right now".

"The Chinese fleet will cruise to the Eastern Pacific sooner or later," it said. "When China's aircraft carrier fleet appears in offshore areas of the US one day, it will trigger intense thinking about maritime rules."
Air strikes kill 22 civilians in eastern Syria: monitor

Air strikes carried out by unidentified aircraft killed at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, in a village held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a monitor said Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were from two families at Hojna in Deir Ezzor, which borders Iraq and is the country's second biggest province after Homs.

The oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor is almost totally under IS control and has been regularly targeted by a US-led military coalition.

A Syrian army soldier stands atop a tank in the town of Houwayqa, in Deir Ezzor, which is almost totally under IS control Ayham al-Mohammad (AFP/File)

The only part of the eastern province outside of IS control is its capital, which is also named Deir Ezzor and is held by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

IS has carried out a series of attacks across Europe and has been targeted by military offensives on several fronts in Syria and Iraq, where it declared an Islamic "caliphate" in 2014.
Japan hails Pearl Harbor visit while bracing for Trump

Japanese on Wednesday hailed a historic visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor, praising his message of reconciliation with the United States but wary of the future after Donald Trump takes office.

Interest in Abe's visit to the site of Japan's December 7, 1941 attack that drew the US into World War II has been high, with many favourably comparing it to President Barack Obama's journey this year to Hiroshima.

Both visits were highly choregraphed and in their remarks -- Obama in Hiroshima and Abe in Hawaii -- neither apologised or even explicitly said their countries carried out the respective attacks.

Japan's national broadcaster NHK provided live coverage of the joint addresses of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and US President Barak Obama Nicholas Kamm (AFP)

But despite the careful words, the symbolism of their standing together again, this time at Pearl Harbor, was clear to most in Japan.

National broadcaster NHK provided live coverage of their joint address around 7 am Japan time (2200 GMT Tuesday).

It was delivered after the two men visited the memorial to the battleship USS Arizona, sunk in the surprise Japanese attack.

Kuniyoshi Takimoto, 95, a former navy aircraft mechanic on a carrier that took part in the raid, praised Abe's words.

"It was a beautiful message that deeply reflected the sentiment of both American and Japanese people," he told AFP.

But Takimoto was also critical of Abe's hawkish policy to expand the role of Japan's constitutionally constrained military, including enabling combat missions abroad.

"The beautiful message has a catch," he said.

Abe's visit was slightly overshadowed by one of his own ministers, who visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo just hours after Abe went to Pearl Harbor.

Masahiro Imamura, minister in charge of the reconstruction of northern Japan after the 2011 tsunami, was quoted by public broadcaster NHK as saying the timing of his visit was "a coincidence".

- 'Sincere apology' -

But Haruko Satou, professor of international politics at Osaka University, suggested that while Imamura's true intention was unknown the timing was suspicious.

"It's natural to think that he chose the same day when Prime Minister Abe visited Pearl Harbor," Satou told AFP.

Imamura's action is "likely to have a negative impact on Japan's diplomacy and offset the positive image of Abe's historic visit", she said.

Abe's visit was also closely watched in China, where it was noted that he stressed ties with the US over Asia.

"If Japan really wants to reconcile over historical issues, Abe chose the wrong place," the nationalist Global Times newspaper commented, saying he should visit Nanjing, the site of a 1937 Japanese massacre, or elsewhere in China.

China's foreign ministry also weighed in, with spokeswoman Hua Chunying calling for a "sincere apology" to Asian countries that suffered from Japanese militarism.

Abe aimed to highlight the significance of close military and economic relations with the US as Trump prepares to assume power amid major questions about his policies, several Japanese media outlets said.

Trump, during his campaign, accused Japan of not paying its fair share in supporting the military alliance, and suggested Tokyo could even develop its own nuclear deterrent.

Abe's speech also expressed Japan's appreciation for US reconstruction aid after World War II. Commentator Takashi Ryuzaki said that comment was designed to engage the US public who supported Trump.

"Rather than offering an apology, the message of gratitude for what America did after the war was expressed," Ryuzaki said on a TBS morning show.

The desire for a continued solid Japan-US relationship is what most Japanese, including Tokyoite Kazuko Masuda, 57, say they want.

"Mr Trump utters all those strong words... but I really hope he as an individual is the kind of person who walks an honourable path," she said.

US President Barack Obama (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe greet veterans at Kilo Pier overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 27, 2016 Nicholas Kamm (AFP)
Israel delays settler permits ahead of Kerry speech

Israel delayed a vote on Wednesday on permits for hundreds of settler homes at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to avoid further conflict with Washington before a speech by Secretary of State John Kerry, an official said.

But while a Jerusalem planning committee postponed the request for building permits for nearly 500 homes, it did grant approval for a highly controversial settler building in east Jerusalem, according to the Ir Amim NGO.

The four-storey building is in Silwan next to Jerusalem's Old City and the site of a long campaign by pro-settlement groups to expand the Israeli presence there.

A Palestinian protester in front of the Israeli settlement of Qadumim (Kedumim) on December 9, 2016 during clashes with Israeli security forces following a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land Jaafar Ashtiyeh (AFP/File)

Discussion on the hundreds of other homes was pulled from the agenda in a move following last week's UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building.

It also came with Kerry set to make a major speech in Washington on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at 1600 GMT.

Hanan Rubin, a Jerusalem city councillor and a member of the planning committee that was to discuss the permits, told AFP its members had been informed of Netanyahu's request by the committee chairman.

"We were told by the chairman... that it was pulled at the request of the prime minister so we can avoid a conflict with the US government just before Kerry's speech tonight," Rubin said.

Netanyahu's spokesman declined comment.

Rubin said the committee had been planning to vote on permits for 492 units in the Ramat Shlomo and Ramot settlement neighbourhoods of mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem.

He said the plans would be brought forward at a later date, though it was unclear when.

- Furious reaction -

Friday's UN Security Council resolution demanded a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory. It passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining.

By declining to use its veto, Washington enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

Netanyahu reacted furiously, accusing US President Barack Obama's administration of being behind the resolution and vowing not to abide by it.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has signalled a far more favourable policy towards Israel and called for the US to veto the resolution.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the US, but..." he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

"Not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Netanyahu tweeted his thanks, saying: "President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!"

Israel's right-wing has welcomed Trump's election, with key members of Netanyahu's coalition calling for an end to the idea of a Palestinian state, the basis of years of negotiations.

Kerry's upcoming speech has led to further concern in Israel, with officials fearing he could lay out parameters for restarting long-stalled peace efforts that they oppose.

Beyond that, plans by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference on January 15 is another point of worry for Israel.

Officials are concerned that Kerry's speech and the conference could lead to further action against Israel that would then be taken to the Security Council for approval before Trump takes office.

- US frustration -

Israel has already taken diplomatic steps in response to what it calls the "shameful" UN resolution.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said it was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies of nations that voted for it.

On Christmas Day, it summoned ambassadors of countries that voted for the resolution while Netanyahu also met US ambassador Daniel Shapiro.

Security Council members such as Russia, China and Britain are key to Israeli diplomacy or trade, and some analysts suggested the measures being taken were more symbolic than substantive.

Washington is Israel's most important ally and provides it with more than $3 billion per year in military aid.

It has traditionally acted as Israel's diplomatic protector, often shielding it from resolutions it opposes.

But Obama's administration has become increasingly frustrated with settlement building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967.

Israel later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Settlements are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state, and are seen as illegal under international law.

The United States and others say continued settlement building is steadily eating away at the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Some 430,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the capital of their future state.

Settlements in the West Bank Kun TIAN, Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP)
Hong Kong's ousted anti-China lawmakers make final appeal over ban

Two ousted pro-independence Hong Kong lawmakers on Wednesday announced they were making a final bid to overturn a controversial Beijing-linked ban preventing them from taking up their seats in parliament.

Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung were elected in citywide polls in September but deliberately misread their oaths of office during their swearing-in ceremony, inserting expletives and draping themselves with "Hong Kong is not China" flags.

This prompted a rare interference by Chinese authorities.

Pro-independence lawmakers Baggio Leung (L) and Yau Wai-ching were elected in citywide Hong Kong polls in September but deliberately misread their oaths of office during their swearing-in ceremony Anthony WALLACE (AFP/File)

The pair were amongst a handful of rebel candidates who took seats for the first time after the September polls, advocating either independence or self-determination for the southern Chinese city.

The new movement supporting a possible split from Beijing for the semi-autonomous city has gained traction as young pro-democracy campaigners grow increasingly frustrated with a lack of political reform.

Beijing took aim at the pair in a special "interpretation" of the city's constitution in early November that effectively barred them from taking up their seats because of the way they took the oath.

Following that decision, Yau and Leung were disqualified by the city's High Court in mid November and lost an appeal to overturn that ban later in the month.

On Wednesday the pair said they had filed appeal documents with the city's Court of Final Appeal, in hopes of setting a precedent for future elections in Hong Kong.

"It is shaping Hong Kong's constitutional environment, and even the legitimacy of Legislative Council elections hinge on this case," Yau told AFP.

The pair are still struggling to raise the funds to bring the case to the city's highest court.

"We're determined to appeal because we cant stop at the Court of Appeal. The impact this case will have on Hong Kong is too big."

Following Yau and Leung's failed appeal last month, the government launched another legal bid to unseat an additional four pro-democracy lawmakers for failing to take their oaths properly, in what the opposition camp has called a witch hunt.

Proceedings against the four lawmakers are scheduled to start in February.

Thousands are expected to join a rally on New Year's Day calling for the government to drop their bid to disqualify the four lawmakers and to press for universal suffrage.
Settlement program threatens Israel's future: Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday that Israel's settlement building in the West Bank threatens both hope for peace with the Palestinians and the country's own future as a democracy.

In a major speech setting out his vision of a solution to the long-simmering conflict, Kerry sternly warned that Israel was on a course leading to a "perpetual occupation" of Palestinian-owned land.

"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats in Washington.

US Secretary of State John Kerry lays out his vision for peace between Israel and the Palestinians in a keynote speech in Washington, DC, on December 28, 2016 PAUL J. RICHARDS (AFP)

"They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states," he said.

"But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic - it cannot be both -and it won't ever really be at peace."

In the final days of President Barack Obama's administration, and with Israel's government openly hostile to outside pressure, Kerry wants to leave his mark.

Obama and Kerry are clearly not ready to give up on the region yet, hoping a UN resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory and the secretary of state's speech will save a moribund process.

Before Kerry took the podium, Israel delayed a vote on permits for hundreds of settler homes at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to avoid further conflict with Washington.

- 'Serious jeopardy' -

Friday's UN Security Council resolution passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining. By declining to use its veto, Washington enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

Netanyahu reacted furiously, accusing US President Barack Obama's administration of being behind the resolution and vowing not to abide by it.

Explaining the US decision, Kerry -- who denied the US was the "driving force" behind the measure -- said: "The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution.

"That's what we were standing up for: Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors," he said.

"The two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Kerry said, warning that such a solution was now in "serious jeopardy."

Kerry warned the "settler agenda" was leading Israeli policy in the West Bank and imperiling prospects for peace.

"No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace," Kerry said in a major speech on Middle East peace efforts.

"But the problem goes well beyond just settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there."
Netanyahu slams Kerry speech as biased against Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Wednesday as biased against Israel and more focused on settlements than Palestinian violence.

Speaking from his office following Kerry's speech in Washington, Netanyahu said the outgoing secretary of state paid only "lip service" to Palestinian violence against Israelis.

"What he did was he spent most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack of peace," Netanyahu said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the press at his Jerusalem office on December 28, 2016, in response to a speech by the US Secretary of State GALI TIBBON (AFP)

He added later that "Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders".

In an earlier statement from Netanyahu's office, the premier said "like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel".

"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries."

The speech included sharp criticism of Israeli settlement building and came after last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to such activity.

The United States abstained at the Security Council, allowing the resolution to pass 14-0.

Netanyahu has accused US President Barack Obama's administration of being behind the resolution, which it denies, and vowed to defy it.

Netanyahu said Wednesday it "reflects a radical shift in US policy towards the Palestinians on final status issues, those issues that we always agreed, the US and Israel, have to be negotiated directly face to face without preconditions".

The United States and others say continued settlement building is steadily eating away at the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Settlements are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state, and are seen as illegal under international law.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who heads the Labour party, told public radio Kerry's speech "expressed a real concern for the security and future of Israel".

MP Zehava Galon, of the leftist Meretz party, compared Israel's settlement policy to "an explosive device that can only sabotage any agreement on a two-state solution" to the conflict.

Peace Now, an Israeli group that campaigns against settlements, urged Netanyahu to adopt Kerry's parameters for peace.

"Netanyahu must adopt the parameters presented by Kerry instead of yielding to the most extremist forces in his coalition," it said.
Kerry warns Israel settlements threaten democracy

In a stern parting shot, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel on Wednesday that building settlements on Palestinian land threatens the country's very future as a democracy.

Less than four weeks before President Barack Obama leaves office, Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of allowing Israel to slide towards a "perpetual occupation."

With President-elect Donald Trump taking office on January 20, and already urging Israel to "stand strong" in the face of international pressure, it was not clear what impact Kerry hopes to have on the peace process.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a speech on Middle East peace at The U.S. Department of State on December 28, 2016 Zach Gibson (Getty/AFP)

But his comprehensive and at times angry speech laid down parameters for a peace deal -- two states within their pre-1967 frontiers and with a shared capital in Jerusalem -- that he hopes will outlast Obama.

Washington officials have refused to say what they might do next, but Israel fears the administration could attempt to codify these principles in a UN resolution or statement by the Middle East diplomatic quartet.

And they were quick to reject Kerry's rebuke, which Netanyahu said showed that Washington's chief diplomat was biased towards the Palestinian cause.

"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries," he complained.

- Time to choose -

Kerry's speech did not depart from US policy of many years, nor from his warnings in recent months, but critical and supportive observers alike noted his detailed breakdown of the problem as he sees it.

"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats.

"They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states.

"But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic - it cannot be both - and it won't ever really be at peace," he argued.

Kerry was speaking against the backdrop of a diplomatic firestorm that was triggered last week when, on Obama's instruction, US diplomats opted not to veto a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israel, instead abstaining.

The resolution, backed unanimously by the rest of the 15 powers on the council, effectively declared Israel's settlements in areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank beyond its 1967 border illegal.

Kerry said that the resolution was allowed to pass as a warning that Israeli settlements are harming efforts to revive peace talks, not in an effort to prejudge the final status of territory.

But, in welcoming Kerry's speech, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas made it clear that he regards the resolution, UNSC 2334, as an element of international law that would underpin future negotiations.

In a statement, Abbas said the Palestinians are ready to resume talks "the minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... on the basis of international law... including UNSC 2334."

Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition is backed by the settler movement and who has insisted the home building is no threat to peace, was furious and accused Obama and Kerry of orchestrating the Security Council vote.

- Disdain and disrespect -

Trump, who has picked a future US ambassador to Israel who strongly supports settlement building, was also angered, tweeting: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect."

But Kerry was undeterred, insisting the US could not "in good conscience" have vetoed a resolution it broadly agrees with, and piling on more criticism of Israel in his landmark speech.

"The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution," he declared.

"That's what we were standing up for: Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors," Kerry said, warning that such a solution is now in "serious jeopardy."

Kerry warned the "settler agenda" was leading Israeli policy and imperiling prospects for peace.

"Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there," he said.

And Kerry added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."

- Curious timing -

Already, last week's decision to allow the UN resolution to pass has angered Israel's many supporters in Washington, including both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and major Jewish American lobby groups.

The speech did nothing to appease their concern, and some observers questioned its "curious" timing.

"A speech of this gravity really should have been delivered before such a permanent move as the Security Council resolution, rather than after," scholar Jonathan Schanzer told AFP.

Schanzer, vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Israel should have been given time to respond to Kerry's complaints before being ambushed at the United Nations.

Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security was more supportive of Kerry's goals in the speech, but he also noted: "It would have been better two years ago."

Kerry, he suggested, was attempting to lay down the framework for a peace process that might bear fruit before Trump arrives in office and radically changes the US position.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the press at his Jerusalem office on December 28, 2016, in response to a speech by the US Secretary of State GALI TIBBON (AFP)

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, seen December 3, 2016, said following John Kerry and benjamin Netanyahu's speeches on Middle Eastern peace that Palestinians are ready to resume talks when Israeli settlements stop AHMAD GHARABLI (AFP/File)

A general view taken on December 28, 2016 shows a partial view of the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the West Bank city of Ramallah AHMAD GHARABLI (AFP)

In this image released by the UN, members of the Security Council vote on December 23, 2016, on a resolution to stop Israeli settlements Manuel ELIAS (SC Chamber/AFP/File)
Takata close to settling US criminal probe

Takata is close to settling a US criminal probe into the exploding airbag scandal, two people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The Japanese auto parts supplier could reach a final agreement with the US Department of Justice before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office January 20, the sources told AFP, broadly confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Officials want Takata to recognize its wrongdoing and pay a financial penalty that could exceed $1 billion, one source said.

This file photo taken on May 22, 2015 shows a deployed airbag supplied by Takata, who sources say is close to settling a US criminal probe into the exploding airbag scandal Joe Raedle (Getty/AFP/File)

Prosecutors are hoping to have an agreement by January, as part of the outgoing Obama administration's efforts to close the book on outstanding cases before Trump's inauguration, the Wall Street Journal said.

Some 100 million Takata airbags have been recalled worldwide over a defect that can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an airbag is deployed.

The defect has been linked to 11 US fatalities and 15 worldwide. US regulators have said the problem is more dangerous in southern parts of the United States with warmer and more humid climates.

Nearly every major carmaker has been forced to recall cars because of the defect, including General Motors, Honda, BMW and Tesla.
Man convicted in death of mom who led double life as escort

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP)  A man was convicted Tuesday of murder and kidnapping in the 2007 death of a single mother from Colorado who led a double life as a paid escort.

A judge sentenced 65-year-old Lester Ralph Jones to life in prison without parole after the jury delivered its verdict, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported (http://bit.ly/2ic0hhX).

It was Jones' second trial in the killing of Paige Birgfeld. The first ended in a mistrial in September when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict.

Birgfeld was 34 when she disappeared in 2007. Friends described her as a devoted mother of three children who ran several businesses to support them.

In the first trial, Birgfeld's 17-year-old daughter, Jess Dixon, testified that Birgfeld was a "soccer mom" who took her and her two brothers to school and games and let them all sleep in her bed.

Police uncovered details of Birgfield's escort business after she disappeared. Investigators said Jones was one of her clients and was among the last people to call her before she vanished.

In the second trial, Jones' lawyers argued there was no physical evidence tying him to Birgfeld's death. They suggested a man who died in 2011 could have killed her.

Detectives said they had questioned and ruled out that man, as well as seven others, including an ex-husband and several other clients.

The defense also argued that some evidence in the case was lost or missing.

Jones' lawyers acknowledged he gave investigators conflicting statements, first denying he knew Birgfeld and later saying he had paid her for a massage. His attorneys said Jones was trying to hide his behavior from his wife.

Birgfeld's car was found on fire in a parking lot near Jones' workplace three days after she disappeared. Her remains were not found until 2012, partially buried in a western Colorado gully.

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SKorean investigators detain ex-health minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean investigators on Wednesday detained the country's former health minister as they expand their inquiry into a corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geun-hye.

The special prosecution team now has 48 hours to decide whether to request a formal arrest warrant for Moon Hyung-pyo. Moon faces allegations that he pressured the National Pension Service to support a controversial merger deal between two Samsung affiliates last year, even though the fund's stake in one of the companies lost an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in value.

Investigators also summoned Kim Sang-ryul, Park's former senior secretary for education and culture, to look into allegations the presidential office kept a "blacklist" of cultural figures deemed as unfriendly to Park's administration and denied them state support.

In this Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016 photo, former South Korean Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo, center, arrives at the office of the independent counsel in Seoul, South Korea. South Korean investigators detained Moon on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, as they expand their inquiry into a corruption scandal surrounding impeached President Park Geun-hye. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament on Dec. 9 voted to impeach Park over allegations that she colluded with a longtime confidante to extort money and favors from the country's largest companies and allow the friend to manipulate government affairs from the shadows.

Samsung, the country's largest business group, is under suspicion that it sponsored Park's jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, to win government backing for the merger that helped Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong promote a father-to-son transfer of leadership and boost corporate wealth at the group.

Samsung is one of the country's major business conglomerates that gave a combined 77.4 billion won ($64 million) to two non-profit foundations Choi allegedly controlled and abused to expand her personal wealth.

Lee has apologized over the use of corporate funds to buy a horse for Choi's daughter, Yoora Chung, an equestrian athlete, but denied that Samsung sought favors from Choi or Park's administration. There are also questions as to why Samsung financially sponsored a winter sports center run by Choi's niece, who was also arrested. Investigators are seeking to find and detain Chung, who is believed to be staying in Germany.
2 off-duty firefighters help save man during Patriots game

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)  Two off-duty firefighters are being credited with helping save the life of a 61-year-old man who suffered a heart attack at the New England Patriots-New York Jets game on Christmas Eve.

The Sun reports (http://bit.ly/2hrKVY6 ) Westford firefighter/paramedic John Tuomi and Groton fire Lt. Jim Crocker sprang into action on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough after they heard a man call out to his father two rows in front of them.

Tuomi and Crocker began CPR on the father while others in the area notified emergency crews. Tuomi says the duo began using an automated external defibrillator as a police officer arrived and took over CPR. The man was hospitalized.

Officials say the man has recovered and was sent home on Monday.

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Police in Alaska capital city launch 2017 kindness campaign

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Following a year of deadly confrontations between police and citizens across the U.S., police in Alaska's capital city are spearheading a campaign to turn 2017 into a community-wide year of kindness.

Juneau police will kick off the campaign with public potlucks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.

Groups, businesses, government agencies and others also are choosing a different week of the year for their employees to conduct "kindness surges," with correctional officers at the local prison taking the first week.

In this Dec. 20, 2016 photo, Thunder Mountain High School Principal Dan Larson, left, poses for photos with Mitchell Henderson, one of the students from Juneau-Douglas High School that spent a lunch hour handing out candy canes to students at Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau, Alaska. Students passed out candy canes as part of a kindness campaign spearheaded by the Juneau Police Department that officially kicks off with the New Year. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Ideas being considered include visiting local senior homes, distributing care packages and paying for a stranger's meal.

The goal is to measure the impact of kindness on such areas as crimes, suicides and emergency calls at the end of 2017, according to Lt. Kris Sell, who hatched the idea in a partnership with the global kindness advocate, Random Acts, and others.

"Can you change the quality of life in a community and prove that you have done so?" Sell said.

Jennifer Willis-Rivera, development manager for the nonprofit Random Acts, knows of no similar endeavors by a police department or city anywhere. She plans to visit Juneau in January and again a year after that.

To her, the excitement will come in seeing the results after an entire year focused on kindness. "It's something that everybody talks about all the time, but usually we're really only focused on it around the holidays, when there's a tragedy," she said.

Sell said the idea emerged several months ago as she contemplated what direction Juneau police could take in 2017.

She said some "really hateful things" had just happened nationally, including the ambush killings of five law enforcement officers in Dallas who had been working to keep the peace at a protest over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Juneau has had its own share of violence, including the nonfatal shooting of a man Dec. 3, months after police first announced plans for the kindness project. No charges have been filed. Police have released few details, saying the shooting is under investigation.

That was the first police-involved shooting since August 2007, when police fatally shot a sword-wielding man. Juneau police also shot at a fleeing suspect's vehicle in 2008, but nobody was hit.

Some locals, including students, already are exercising their kindness muscles.

Last week, special education students from Juneau-Douglas High School traveled across town to hand out candy canes at Thunder Mountain High School. A 17-year-old Thunder Mountain senior died in September after accidentally shooting himself.

Special education teacher Janette Gagnon said students wanted to offer some cross-town support.

Thunder Mountain principal Dan Larson got one of the candy canes from student Mitchell Henderson, who wore a festive Santa hat. Larson said it's been a tough year for the school. "We need this," he said of the holiday cheer spread by the visiting students.

"This is a good time of year for goosebumps," he said.

At the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, corrections officers are planning individual projects to carry out during kindness surge the first week of the new year. One officer plans to make care bags with snacks, bus tokens and other items to pass around town.

Ernestine Hayes, a Juneau-based Tlingit author, said she hadn't heard of the kindness campaign, but praised Juneau police for the effort. Hayes, who was recently named as the 2017 state writer laureate, said once she hears more about the campaign, she might see some opportunity to formally participate.

"I think it's very good to be on the lookout for someone you can hand something to  give them something like, 'Here's a bus token'  if we also remember that kindness can be a smile, a hello and a hug." she said, "That will advance it even further."

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Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.

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Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro
Obama, Japan's Abe decry 'horrors of war' at Pearl Harbor

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP)  The leaders of Japan and the United States sought to remind the world that even the most bitter enemies can become allies, during a historic pilgrimage to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan "must never repeat the horrors of war again."

Seventy-five years after Japan's surprise attack, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down Tuesday at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water. In a show of respect for the war dead, Obama and Abe dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, with U.S. President Barack Obama, speaks at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, in Honolulu. Abe and Obama made a historic pilgrimage Tuesday to the site where the devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

More than 1,000 U.S. war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship, which Japan struck as part of the devastating attack that killed more than 2,300 Americans and sent America marching into World War II.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

That was the closest Abe would get to an apology for the attack. And it was enough for Obama, who also declined to apologize seven months ago when he became America's first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived the attack. The 96-year-old said he had no hard feelings and added, "War is war."

"They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do," Rodrigues said before the visit.

Abe, who became Japan's first leader to visit Pearl Harbor with a U.S. president, said the visit "brought utter silence to me." His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the U.S. and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

Obama and Abe started Tuesday's activities here with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was probably Obama's last with a foreign leader before leaving office in January. It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Yet despite the display of unity, there was a point of disagreement the day after about what had happened in the meeting.

Japanese officials said that in their talks, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor the movements of China's first and sole aircraft carrier, which has sailed into the western Pacific for the first time. But the Americans on Wednesday said that was inaccurate and no agreement was reached, although they said Obama and Abe did speak briefly about "regional security issues."

Obama, speaking after he and Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called Pearl Harbor a sacred place and said that "even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace." It's a notion Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Myanmar and Cuba.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of U.S. troops killed in the Japanese attack.

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbor syndrome,' that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. He said he believes Abe's visit would "absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have."

In the years after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the U.S. and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties. Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will fray under President-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Obama nor Abe addressed.

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Associated Press writers Brian Skoloff in Kailua, Hawaii, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

U.S. President Barack Obama listens as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks on Kilo Pier overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Pearl Harbor survivors wait for President Barack Obama to speak at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Tuesday, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, after President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ride in the stern of the CINCPACFLT (Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet Barge) which is referred to as the Admiral's Barge to the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

With the USS Arizona Memorial in the background, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, in Hawaii. Abe and US President Barack Obama visited the USS Arizona Memorial Tuesday. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ride in the stern of the CINCPACFLT (Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet Barge) which is referred to as the Admiral's Barge to the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo shake hands as they are photographed at the start of a bilateral meeting at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The Japanese flag flutters in front of the USS Arizona Memorial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. Seventy five years after Japan's devastating attack that drew the U.S. into World War II, President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are to tour the site. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

With the Japanese flag fluttering in the background, Pearl Harbor survivor Sterling Cale speaks to media at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. Seventy five years after Japan's devastating attack that drew the U.S. into World War II, President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are to tour the site. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrive to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 19041 file photo, the battleship USS Arizona belches smoke as it topples over into the sea during a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. Putting 75 years of resentment behind them, President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are coming together at Pearl Harbor for a historic pilgrimage to the site where a devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo, provided by the U.S. Navy, a small boat rescues a USS West Virginia crew member from the water after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Putting 75 years of resentment behind them, President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are coming together at Pearl Harbor for a historic pilgrimage to the site where a devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II. (U.S. Navy via AP)

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo shake hands as they are photographed at the start of a bilateral meeting at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Tuesday, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Pearl Harbor survivor Al Rodrigues, 96, is seen in his home, Monday, Dec. 26, 2016, in Kailua, Hawaii. Rodrigues says he welcomes the visit by Japans top leader to the USS Arizona Memorial that honors sailors and Marines killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
German minister: ban names such as "vegetarian schnitzel"

BERLIN (AP)  Germany's agriculture minister has leapt to the defense of meat lovers, calling for a ban on names such as "vegetarian schnitzel" for meat-substitute products, which he said were misleading consumers.

Among the "wurst" offenders is "vegan curry sausage," a meat-free take on a heavily spiced pork dish born of post-World War II necessity and now considered a delicacy in Berlin  though largely unknown outside Germany.

"These terms are completely misleading and unsettle consumers," Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt told Germany's Bild daily.

FILE - In this April 29, 2016 file picture a ' vegetarian Currywurst' is presented in Bamberg, Germany. Germany's agriculture minister is calling for a ban on names such as "vegetarian schnitzel" for meat substitute products, which he argues are misleading. Christian Schmidt told Wednesday's Dec. 28, 2016 edition of the Bild daily that he doesn't want "these pseudo-meat dishes" to be treated as meat. (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP,file)

"I favor them being banned in the interest of clear consumer labeling," he was quoted as saying.

Schmidt has already contacted the European Union's executive branch to discuss extending rules that govern the use of the terms "milk" and "cheese" to apply to meat as well, his spokesman said Wednesday.

"He considers names such as vegan curry sausage and so forth to be misleading to consumers," Jens Urban told reporters. "Clarity and truth, transparency for consumers, those are the measures that should apply for the labeling of all products, always and forever."

Asked whether the measures could also affect beefsteak tomatoes, Urban said that the ministry wasn't aware of any "consumer confusion" about such products.

In the interview with Bild, Schmidt  a member of the conservative, Bavaria-based Christian Social Union  also reiterated a call for schools to serve pork. Asked whether it was right for them to leave pork off the menu out of consideration for Muslims, he said that "we should not restrict the choice for the majority of society for reasons of ease or cost."
Bahraini activist, to be freed on bail, ordered held again

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A prominent activist in Bahrain held for over seven months on charges stemming from a series of tweets was to be released on bail Wednesday until prosecutors ordered him back into custody over other investigations.

The sudden reversal stunned supporters of Nabeel Rajab, who helped lead Bahrain's 2011 Arab Spring protests. His trial has been criticized by the United Nations and others as an attempt to suppress free speech.

Defense lawyer Jalila Sayed confirmed Rajab would continue to be held after earlier saying he suffered from poor health.

FILE -- In this Feb. 11, 2015 file photo, Nabeel Rajab, one of Bahrain's best-known human rights activists, walks toward the courthouse to attend an appeal hearing in Manama, Bahrain. Rajab who has been imprisoned for months while facing a trial over a series of tweets has been freed on bail. Jalila Sayed, the defense lawyer for Rajab, told The Associated Press that the activist was released after a long court hearing Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)

"Nabeel is overall weak because of so many health problems he started facing, including heart problems and other physical issues," Sayed told The Associated Press. "He's under tremendous stress because of this length of detention."

Rajab was arrested in June over a series of messages posted to his Twitter account about the ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen, as well as allegations of torture by authorities at a local prison.

Rajab's continued imprisonment likely stems from him separately facing a charge over a letter published by The New York Times during his incarceration. Another ongoing investigation focuses on a letter recently published by the French newspaper Le Monde. Bahraini prosecutors announced his continued detention in an Instagram post.

In Wednesday's hearing, Sayed said she believes the court initially granted bail because a witness for the prosecution couldn't specifically prove that Rajab had control of the Twitter account in his name, nor show he sent the tweets in question.

"We hope this will end with an acquittal because the case has no evidence," the lawyer said.

Bahrain, off the coast of Saudi Arabia, is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base.

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Jurors ask judge about gun evidence in gang conspiracy trial

CHICAGO (AP)  Jurors deliberating at the racketeering conspiracy trial of six alleged leaders of Chicago's Hobos street gang have sent a note to a federal judge asking about gun evidence.

They sent the note late Wednesday just before ending their third full day of deliberations. Deliberations resume Thursday.

Jurors said they wanted better pictures of guns Hobos allegedly wielded in a clothing-store robbery. They didn't say why. The judge sent a note back saying high-definition photographs of the guns were on a flash drive in the jury room.
Jordan sentences 5 IS members to death

AMMAN, Jordan (AP)  Jordan's official news agency says the State Security Court has sentenced five alleged members of the Islamic State group to death by hanging.

The Petra news agency said Wednesday that 15 other alleged IS members were given sentences ranging from three to 15 years in prison with hard labor.

The report says the 20 militants were convicted of killing a policeman, planning and practicing terrorist actions, manufacturing explosives, possessing weapons and promoting terrorist ideas.
Police: Trooper shoots, wounds driver reversing into him

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina trooper shot into a car, hitting and wounding the driver who was reversing into the officer, authorities said Wednesday.

Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell told local media outlets that 31-year-old Jeremy Lewis was airlifted to a Charlotte hospital and is expected to recover after the shooting in nearby Gastonia. Bell said Trooper Christopher Wade also was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Col. Bill Grey, the Highway Patrol's commander, said that "while we are saddened that the driver was injured," he's thankful the trooper wasn't seriously hurt.

A release from the state Department of Public Safety said the trooper stopped Lewis for a traffic violation Tuesday afternoon in Gastonia. Authorities said Wade tried to arrest Lewis after a license plate check showed he was wanted for probation violations, and that's when Lewis "assaulted the trooper with his vehicle."

Local media reports Lewis tried to flee, driving up an embankment and then reversing.

"This incident again reminds us of the dangers our troopers face every day while trying to keep us safe," Grey said.

Lewis' brother, Tamarius Lewis, told WSOC he doesn't understand why the trooper had to open fire.

"Of course I'm going to be upset about it," he told the TV station.

The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating at the Highway Patrol's request. The trooper is on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, which is standard protocol in an officer shooting.

The Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation are divisions of the Department of Public Safety.
Three stranded teenage boys from California called 911 and calmly sat atop a capsized boat before being rescued from waters off the Florida Keys, authorities said Wednesday.

Monroe County Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin says Zack Sowder and Brent Shishido, both 18, and Jacob Sowder, 16 - all of Orange County, California - were perched on the overturned hull, their life jackets trapped under the 22-foot vessel, when help arrived Tuesday.

Marine Deputy James Hagar spotted the teens in waters about 2  miles off the coast and brought them safely ashore in his patrol boat.

A photo released by the sheriff's office showed the teens seated on a small section of the hull that still jutted above the waters.

This photo taking Tuesday shows teenagers Zack Sowder, left, Jacob Sowder and Brent Shishido, right, of Orange County, California sitting on their capsized vessel after they called 911 for help and waited

Luckily enough the trio still had data 2.5 miles offshore

Video courtesy of WSVN 7 News

'Fortunately they knew their rough location. They were lucky they had a cell signal,' sheriff's officials wrote on their Facebook page.

Hagar had just taken his boat out of the water around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday when he got the call about the stranded teenagers.

'He quickly put the boat back in the water,' Herrin said in a statement.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator David Bingham joined Hagar in the search for the boys. 'They spent some time looking, but they found the three boys and loaded them on board the patrol boat, bringing them safely back to shore,' Herrin said.

After the rescue Sowder tweeted the above photos with the message that it was still a 'great day on the water'

The teens had anchored the 22-foot rented boat on the Atlantic side of Little Torch Key, which is some 30 miles north of Key West.

Later Tuesday, Zack Sowder showed his sense of humor on social media.
Pakistan inaugurates nuclear plant built with Chinese aid

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan's prime minister has inaugurated a 340 MW nuclear power plant built with Chinese aid, the third of four such projects aimed at addressing longtime energy shortages.

In a televised speech Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif vowed to eliminate power cuts by 2018, when his five-year term expires, and set the ambitious goal of generating 8,800 MW of power by 2030.

The government has not provided figures on the cost of the plants or the Chinese contribution, saying only that Beijing has provided technical support and that Chinese engineers have worked on the projects.
Optimism at last for American jailed in Egypt, her family

McLEAN, Va. (AP)  Family and friends of an American jailed in Egypt for nearly three years are hoping her time in custody may end soon.

Aya Hijazi, 29, grew up in Falls Church and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Egypt. After receiving her degree in conflict resolution from George Mason University in 2009, she returned to her native country and, with her Egyptian husband, started a foundation to help homeless children.

Then, as Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was cracking down on civil society in May 2014, she and her husband, Mohammed Hassanein, were arrested, along with six others associated with their foundation, called Belady, Arabic for "our nation." She was accused of abusing children, charges widely believed to be bogus.

In this photo provided by Basel Hijawi, taken in 2015, American citizen Aya Hijazi waves as she leaves a court in Cairo after hearing. Family and friends of an American jailed in Egypt for nearly three years are hoping her time in custody may end soon. Hijazi, 29, grew up in Falls Church, Va. and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Egypt. After receiving her degree in conflict resolution from George Mason University in 2009, she returned to her native country, and with her Egyptian husband, started a foundation to help homeless children. (Basel Hijawi via AP)

Hijazi's brother, Basel Hijazi, said in a phone interview from Germany that his sister has been more upbeat as her prosecution draws international condemnation and as the lack of evidence has been exposed.

"There is a lot of optimism right now. The fear would be that if things weren't to go the way we hope, it would be like a 17th hit on the head," he said.

Human rights groups and observers say the case against Hijazi is fiction, built on a few coerced statements from kids, some of which have been retracted. For years, her trial was delayed, often on frustrating technicalities. For some time, technicians could not open her laptop, where prosecutors hoped to find incriminating evidence.

The laptops have now been reviewed, and a 180-page report has been prepared. The laptops have no evidence indicating any abuse of children, said Wade McMullen, a lawyer with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which has taken up Hijazi's cause.

Finally, this month, the trial began. McMullen said the arresting officers testified that the arrest was so long ago, they couldn't remember any details and couldn't identify Hijazi in court. The state's forensic report shows no physical evidence of abuse, McMullen said.

Besides the apparent weakness of the case itself, there are other hopes for optimism. One of the six others arrested with the couple was released from jail recently on health concerns. Also, a new judge appears to be moving the case along more quickly.

"There is no real independence of the judiciary in Egypt," McMullen said. "But there are judges who are able to manage more independence than others."

Harder to assess is how the U.S. presidential transition might affect Egypt's willingness to accommodate American demands for Hijazi's release. Calls and emails to the Egyptian Embassy seeking comment were not returned.

During the presidential campaign, both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump met with President el-Sissi when he came to the United Nations. Clinton explicitly called for Hijazi's release; there's no indication Trump brought up Hijazi's case.

Trump, though, appears to be on good terms with el-Sissi; the Egyptian was the first world leader to call Trump and congratulate him on his victory. Trump's comments on Middle East policy have generally been supportive of secular governments such as el-Sissi's that have taken hard lines against Islamist factions.

It remains to be seen whether Trump's comments will translate into Egyptian willingness to accommodate American requests for Hijazi's release, or an interpretation by Egyptian leaders that they can act with impunity.

McMullen said it's incumbent on Trump to use his influence to help Hijazi.

"You have a president-elect who ran on an agenda of America first," McMullen said. "Well, this is an American being detained. ... The American people are not going to let an American president befriend an autocrat who imprisons his people unjustly, especially when that includes an American citizen."

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., a former ambassador who has called attention to Hijazi's detention, said he's hopeful Trump can leverage his relationship with el-Sissi into a positive outcome for Hijazi. If not, he said, Congress should be prepared to re-evaluate the $1.3 billion Egypt receives in U.S. aid.
Israel arrests brother of Hamas internal security chief

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel's military says troops arrested the brother of a senior member of the Islamic militant group Hamas.

It said Wednesday that Bilal Rozayna, the brother of Hamas internal security chief Mustafa Rozayna, was arrested last month after he entered Israel.

It said he "revealed sensitive information regarding Hamas activity" about the group's tunnel system and use of civilian areas in the 2014 war with Israel, including a hospital.

Hamas is trying to rebuild its vast underground network of tunnels designed to store weapons and infiltrate Israel which was damaged in the 2014 war.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
SCHUYLER  Colfax County commissioners accepted the resignation of longtime Clerk of the District Court Dori Kroeger on Tuesday and will begin seeking applications to appoint a successor in the weeks ahead to serve the final two years of her term.

Kroeger, re-elected to a four-year term in 2014, accepted a job as deputy chief in the Sarpy County District Court Office starting Jan. 30. She has served as the Colfax County district court clerk for 14 years.

In her letter of resignation, Kroeger recommended the board consider hiring her chief deputy, Mary Bailey, to serve as interim court clerk for the remaining two years of her term.

Mary is extremely competent and understands what is required to run the office efficiently, Kroeger wrote in her letter.

This will ensure a smooth transition and I would ask that Mary be appointed rather quickly to afford her adequate time to begin the hiring process (of her successor), the longtime clerk wrote.

Board members werent ready to make an appointment at Tuesday's meeting.

Were not comfortable making a decision today to appoint a district court clerk, Chairman Jerry Heard said. Thats not an avenue were taking right now.

Instead, board members opted to advertise and accept applications for the position through Jan. 19, with a deadline of Feb. 7 to make an appointment.

Well put the position out for public response and see who answers, Heard said.

The person appointed to serve Kroeger's unexpired term could then file for election to a new four-year term.

Meanwhile, looming over the discussion of Kroegers resignation and the appointment of a successor is the issue of the consolidation of the states district and county court offices under the state justice system.

A study currently underway on the topic of merging district and county court offices, with the goal of achieving greater efficiency and providing some personnel cost savings for counties, is expected to be released in early January.

"I am always happy to initiate any conversation that may help us determine if we are running as effectively as possible, regardless of the final outcome, Commissioner Gil Wigington said.

Unfortunately, in this situation we wont have that opportunity because of the overall hostility that has been displayed about the merger issue," Wigington added.

Having conversations on how mergers in some small counties could be done and what they would look like could have some real benefits, he said.

The state study, which has the support of Nebraska Chief Justice Michael Heavican, will include recommendations of some things to look at in court consolidation when it is made public Jan. 5, said Larry Dix, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials, during Tuesdays board meeting.

The study could result in legislative changes that would force all counties in the state to combine their county and district courts under one administrator.

Right now in county courts, the staff are state employees. In district courts, the clerk and chief deputy are county employees. Other district court employees are split between county and state workers.

What the court system is going to look like if state legislative changes occur is anybodys guess, Dix told the board.
Text of Kerry speech on Israeli settlements dispute

The text of Secretary of State John Kerry's speech defending the Obama administration's decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, as provided by the Federal News Service:

___

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Thank you. Excuse me. Thank you for your patience, all of you. For those of you who celebrated Christmas I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. Stepping into a raging diplomatic argument, Kerry staunchly defended the Obama administration's decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal and warned that Israel's very future as a democracy is at stake. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Happy Hanukkah. And to everybody here, I know it's the middle of the holiday week. I understand, but I wish you all a very, very productive and happy new year.

Today, I want to share candid thoughts about an issue which for decades has animated the foreign policy dialogue here and around the world  the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Throughout his administration, President Obama has been deeply committed to Israel and its security. And that commitment has guided his pursuit of peace in the Middle East.

This is an issue which all of you know I have worked on intensively during my time as secretary of state, for one simple reason, because the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors.

It is the only way to ensure a future of freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people, and it is an important way of advancing United States interests in the region.

Now, I'd like to explain why that future is now in jeopardy and provide some context for why we could not in good conscience stand in the way of a resolution at the United Nations that makes clear that both sides must act now to preserve the possibility of peace.

I'm also here to share my conviction that there is still a way forward if the responsible parties are willing to act. And I want to share practical suggestions for how to preserve and advance the prospects for the just and lasting peace that both sides deserve.

So it is vital that we have an honest, clear-eyed conversation about the uncomfortable truths and difficult choices. Because the alternative that is fast becoming the reality on the ground is in nobody's interest  not the Israelis, not the Palestinians, not the region, and not the United States.

Now, I want to stress that there is an important point here. My job above all is to defend the United States of America, to stand up for and defend our values and our interests in the world. And if we were to stand idly by know that in doing so we are allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold, which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities. Regrettably, some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means the U.S. must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles, even after urging again and again that the policy must change. Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, who does not support a two-state solution, said after the vote last week, quote, "It was to be expected that Israel's greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share, and veto this resolution." I am compelled to respond today that the United States did, in fact, vote in accordance with our values, just as previous U.S. administrations have done at the Security Council before us.

They fail to recognize that this friend, the United States of America, that has done more to support Israel than any other country, this friend that has blocked countless efforts to delegitimize Israel, cannot be true to our own values or even the stated democratic values of Israel. And we cannot properly defend and protect Israel if we allow a viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our own eyes. And that's the bottom line.

The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for.

Israel's future is a Jewish and democratic state living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. That's what we are trying to preserve for our sake and for theirs.

In fact, this administration has been Israel's greatest friend and supporter with an absolutely unwavering commitment to advancing Israel's security and protecting its legitimacy.

On this point, I want to be very clear; no American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's. The Israeli prime minister himself has noted our, quote, unprecedented military intelligence cooperation.

Our military exercises are more advanced than ever. Our assistance for Iron Dome has saved countless Israeli lives. We have consistently supported Israel's right to defend itself by itself, including during actions Gaza that sparked great controversy.

Time and again we have demonstrated that we have Israel's back. We have strongly opposed boycotts, divestment campaigns, and sanctions targeting Israel in international for a, whenever and wherever its legitimacy was attacked, and we have fought for its inclusion across the U.N. system.

In the midst of our own financial crisis and budget deficits, we repeatedly increased funding to support Israel. In fact, more than one-half of our entire global foreign military financing goes to Israel. And this fall we concluded an historic $38 billion memorandum of understanding that exceeds any military assistance package the United States has provided to any country at any time.

And that will invest in cutting-edge missile defense and sustain Israel's qualitative military edge for years to come. That's the measure of our support. This commitment to Israel's security is actually very personal for me. On my first trip to Israel as a young senator in 1986, I was captivated by a special country, one that I immediately admired and soon grew to love.

Over the years, like so many others who are drawn to this extraordinary place, I have climbed Masada, swum in the Dead Sea, driven from one biblical city to another. I've also seen the dark side of Hezbollah's rocket storage facilities just across the border in Lebanon, walked through the exhibits of the hell of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, stood on the Golan Heights, and piloted an Israeli jet over the tiny airspace of Israel, which would make anyone understand the importance of security to Israelis.

Out of those experiences came a steadfast commitment to Israel's security that has never wavered for a single minute in my 28 years in the Senate or my four years as secretary. I've also often visited West Bank communities where I met Palestinians struggling for basic freedom and dignity amidst the occupation, passed by military check points that can make even the most routine daily trips to work or school an ordeal, and heard from business leaders who could not get the permits that they needed to get their products to the market, and families who have struggled to secure permission just to travel for needed medical care.

And I have witnessed firsthand the ravages of a conflict that has gone on for far too long. I've seen Israeli children in Sderot whose playgrounds had been hit by Katyusha rockets, and visited shelters next to schools in Kiryat Shmona that kids had 15 seconds to get to after a warning siren went off.

I've also seen the devastation of war in the Gaza strip where Palestinian girls in Izbet Abed Rabo played in the rubble of a bombed-out building. No children, Israeli or Palestinian, should have to live like that.

So despite the obvious difficulties that I understood when I became secretary of state, I knew that I had to do everything in my power to help end this conflict. And I was grateful to be working for President Obama who was prepared to take risks for peace and was deeply committed to that effort.

Like previous U.S. administrations, we have committed our influence and our resources to trying to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict because yes, it would serve American interests to stabilize a volatile region, and fulfill America's commitment to the survival, security and well-being of an Israel, at peace with its Arab neighbors.

Despite our best efforts, over the years, the two-state solution are now in serious jeopardy. The truth is that trends on the ground, violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, they are combining to destroy hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one state reality that most people do not actually want.

Today, there are a number  there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state or they can separate into two states. But here is a fundamental reality: If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic, it cannot be both. And it won't ever really be at peace.

Moreover, the Palestinians will never fully realize their vast potential in a homeland of their own with a one-state solution. Now most, on both sides, understand this basic choice and that is why it is important that polls of Israelis and Palestinians show there is still strong support for the two-state solution in theory. They just don't believe it can happen.

After decades of conflict, many no longer see the other side as people, only as threats and enemies. Both sides continue to push a narrative that plays to people's fears and reinforces the worst stereotypes, rather than working to change perceptions and buildup belief in the possibility of peace. And the truth is, the extraordinary polarization in this conflict extends beyond Israelis and Palestinians. Allies of both sides are content to reinforce this with a "with and us or against us" mentality, where too often anyone questioning Palestinian actions is an apologist for the occupation, and anyone who disagrees with Israel policy is cast as anti-Israel, or even anti-Semitic. That's one of the most striking realities about the current situation. This critical decision about the future, one state or two states, is effectively being made on the ground every single day despite the expressed opinion of the majority of the people. The status quo is leaning towards one state and perpetual occupation. But most of the public either ignores it or has given up hope that anything can be done to change it.

And with this passive resignation, the problem only gets worse, the risks get greater and the choices are narrower. This sense of hopelessness among Israelis is exacerbated by the continuing violence, terrorist attacks against civilians and incitements which are destroying belief in the possibility of peace. Let me say it again, there is absolutely no justification for terrorism and there never will be. And the most recent wave of Palestinian violence has included hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year including stabbings, shootings, vehicular attacks and bombings. Many by individuals who have been radicalized by social media. Yet the murders of innocents are still glorified on Fatah websites, including showing attackers next to Palestinian leaders following attacks.

And despite statements by President Abbas and his party's leaders, making clear their opposition of violence, too often they send a different message by failing to condemn specific terrorist attacks and naming public square, streets and schools after terrorists.

President Obama and I have made it clear to the Palestinian leadership countless times, publicly and privately, that all incitements to violence must stop. We have consistently condemned violence and terrorism and even condemned the Palestinian leadership for not condemning it. Far too often the Palestinians have pursued efforts to delegitimize Israel in international forum. We have strongly opposed these initiatives, including the recent wholly unbalanced and inflammatory UNESCO resolution regarding Jerusalem.

And we have made clear our strong opposition to Palestinian efforts against Israel at the ICC, which only sets back the prospects for peace. And we all understand that the Palestinian Authority has a lot more to do to strengthen its institutions and improve governance. Most troubling of all, Hamas continues to pursue an extremist agenda. They refuse to accept Israel's very right to exist. They have a one-state vision of their own. All of the land is Palestine.

Hamas and other radical factions are responsible for the most explicit forms of incitement to violence. And many of the images they use are truly appalling and they are willing to kill innocents in Israel and put the people of Gaza at risk in order to advance that agenda. Compounding this, the humanitarian situation in Gaza exacerbated by the closings of the crossings is dire.

Gaza is home to one of the world densest concentrations of people. Enduring extreme hardships with few opportunities, 1.3 million people out of Gaza's population of 1.8 million are in need of daily assistance, food and shelter. Most have electricity less than half the time and only 5 percent of the water is safe to drink. And yet, despite the urgency of these needs, Hamas and other militant groups continue to rearm and to divert reconstruction materials to build tunnels, threatening more attacks on Israeli civilians that no government can tolerate.

Now at the same time, we have to be clear about what is happening in the West Bank. The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution. But his current coalition is the most right-wing in Israel history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements. The result is that policies of this government, which the prime minister himself just described, as more committed to settlements than any in Israel's history are leading in the opposite direction. They are leading towards one state.

In fact, Israel has increasingly consolidated control over much of the West Bank for its own purposes. Effectively reversing the transitions to greater Palestinian civil authority that was called for by the Oslo Accords. I don't think most people in Israel, and certainly in the world, have any idea how broad and systematic the process has become, but the facts speak for themselves.

The number of settlers in the roughly 130 Israeli settlements east of the 1967 lines has steadily grown. The settler population in the West Bank alone, not including East Jerusalem, has increased by nearly 270,000 since Oslo. Including 100,000 just since 2009 when President Obama's term began.

There's no point in pretending that these are just in-large settlement blocs. Nearly 90,000 settlers are living east of the separation barrier that was created by Israel itself. In the middle of what, by any reasonable definition, would be the future Palestinian state. And the population of these distant settlements has grown by 20,000 just since 2009.

In fact just recently, the government approved a significant new settlement well east of the barrier, closer to Jordan than Israel. What does that say to Palestinians in particular, but also to the United States and the world about Israel's intentions? Let me emphasize, this is not to say that the settlements are the whole or even the primary cause of this conflict. Of course they are not. Nor can you say that if the settlements were suddenly removed, you'd have peace without a broader agreement. You would not. And we understand that in a final status agreement, certain settlements would become part of Israel to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 49 years.

We understand that. Including the new democratic demographic realities that exist in the ground; they would have to be factored in. But if more and more settlers are moving into the middle of Palestinian areas, it's going to be just that much harder to separate, that much harder to imagine transferring sovereignty. And that is exactly the outcome that some are purposefully accelerating.

Let's be clear. Settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israel's security. Many settlements actually increase the security burden on the Israeli defense forces and leaders of the settler movement are motivated by ideological imperatives that entirely ignore legitimate Palestinian aspirations. Among the most troubling illustrations of this point has been the proliferation of settler outposts that are illegal under Israel's own laws.

They're often located on private Palestinian land and strategically placed in locations that make two states impossible. There are over 100 of these outposts and since 2011, nearly one-third of them have been or are being legalized despite pledges by past Israeli governments to dismantle many of them. Now leaders of the settler movement have advanced unprecedented new legislation that would legalize most of those outposts.

For the first time, it would apply Israeli domestic law to the West Bank rather than military law, which is a major step towards the process of annexation. When the law passed first reading in the Israeli Parliament in the Knesset, one of the chief proponents said proudly, and I quote, "Today, the Israeli Knesset moved from heading towards establishing a Palestinian state towards Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria."

Even the Israeli attorney general has said that the draft law is unconstitutional and a violation of international law. Now, you may hear from advocates that the settlements are not an obstacle to peace because the settlers that don't want to leave can just stay in Palestine like the Arab Israelis who live in Israel. But that misses a critical point, my friends; the Arab Israelis are citizens of Israel, subject to Israel's law.

Does anyone here really believe that the settlers will agree to submit to Palestinian law in Palestine? Likewise, some supporters of the settlements argue that the settlers could just stay in their settlements  settlements and remain as Israeli citizens in their separate enclaves in the middle of Palestine, protected by the IDF. Well, there are over 80 settlements east of the separation barrier, many located in places that would make the continuous  a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.

Does anyone seriously think that if they just stay where they are, you could still have a viable Palestinian state? Now, some have asked, "Why can't we build in the blocks which everyone knows will eventually be part of Israel?" Well, the reason building there or anywhere else in the West Bank now results in such pushback is that the decision of what constitutes a block is being made unilaterally by the Israeli government without consultation, without the consent of the Palestinians, and without granting the Palestinians a reciprocal right to build in what will be, by most accounts, part of Palestine.

Bottom line, without agreement or mutuality, the unilateral choices become a major point of contention and that is part of why we are here where we are. Now, you may hear that these remote settlements aren't a problem because they only take up a very small percentage of the land. Well, again and again we have made it clear it's not just a question of the overall amount of land available in the West Bank; it's whether the land can be connected or is broken up into small parcels like Swiss cheese that could never constitute a real state. The more outposts that are built, the more the settlements expand, the less possible it is to create a contiguous state.

So in the end, a settlement is not just the land that it's on, it's also what the location does to the movement of people; what it does to the ability of a road to connect people, one community to another; what it does to the sense of statehood that is chipped away with each new construction.

No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of what the settlements pose to that peace. But the problem obviously goes well beyond settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take the West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there. Today, the 60 percent of the West Bank known as Area C, much of which was supposed to be transferred to Palestinian control long ago under the Oslo accords, much of it is effectively off limits to Palestinian development.

Most today has essentially been taken for exclusive use by Israel simply by unilaterally designating it as state land or including it within the jurisdiction of regional settlement councils. Israeli farms flourish in the Jordan River valley, and Israeli resorts line the shores of the Dead Sea. A lot of people don't realize this. They line the shore of the Dead Sea where Palestinian development is not allowed.

In fact, almost no private Palestinian building is approved in Area C at all. Only one permit was issued by Israel in all of 2014 and 2015, while approvals for hundreds of settlement units were advanced during that same period.

Moreover, Palestinian structures in Area C that do not have a permit from the Israeli military are potentially subject to demolition, and they are currently being demolished at an historically high rate. Over 1,300 Palestinians including over 600 children have been displaced by demolitions in 2016 alone  more than any previous year. So the settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear. They believe in one state  greater Israel. In fact, one prominent minister who heads a pro-settler party declared just after the U.S. election, and I quote, "The era of the two-state solution is over," end quote. And many other coalition ministers publicly reject a Palestinian state, and they are increasingly getting their way, with plans for hundreds of new units in East Jerusalem recently announced and talk of a major new settlement building effort in the West Bank to follow.

So why are we so concerned? Why does this matter? Well, ask yourselves these questions. What happens if that agenda succeeds? Where does that lead? There are currently about 2.75 million Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank, most of them in Areas A and B; 40 percent in the West Bank, where they have limited autonomy. They are restricted in their daily movements by a web of checkpoints and unable to travel into or out of the West Bank without a permit from the Israelis.

So if there is only one state, you would have millions of Palestinians permanently living in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank with no real political rights, separate legal education and transportation systems, vast income disparities, under a permanent military occupation that deprives them of the most basic freedoms. Separate and unequal is what you would have, and nobody can explain how that works.

Would an Israeli accept living that way? Would an American accept living that way? Will the world accept it? If the occupation becomes permanent over the time, the Palestinian Authority could simply dissolve, turn over all the administrative and security responsibilities to the Israelis. What would happen then? Who would administer the schools and hospitals, and on what basis? Does Israel want to pay for the billions of dollars of lost international assistance that the Palestinian Authority now receives?

Would the Israeli defense force police the streets of every single Palestinian city and town? How would Israel respond to a growing civil rights movement from Palestinians demanding a right to vote? Or widespread protests and unrest across the West Bank? How does Israel reconcile a permanent occupation with its democratic ideals? How does the U.S. continue to defend that and still live up to our own democratic ideals?

Nobody has ever provided good answers for those questions because there aren't any. And there would be an increasing risk of more intense violence between Palestinians and settlers and complete despair among Palestinians that would create very fertile ground for extremists.

With all the external threats that Israel faces today, which we are very cognizant of and working with them to deal with, does it really want an intensifying conflict in the West Bank? How does that help Israel's security? How does that help the region? The answer is it doesn't, which is precisely why so many senior Israeli military and intelligence leaders, past and present, believe the two-state solution is the only real answer for Israel's long-term security.

Now one thing we do know, if Israel goes down the one-state path, it will never have true peace with the rest of the Arab world, and I can say that with certainty. The Arab countries have made clear that they will not make peace with Israel without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That's not where their loyalties lie, that's not where their politics are. But there is something new here. Common interests in countering Iran's destabilizing activities, in fighting extremists, as well as diversifying their economies, have created real possibilities for something different if Israel takes advantage of the opportunities for peace.

I have spent a great deal of time with key Arab leaders exploring this. And there is no doubt that they are prepared to have a fundamentally different relationship with Israel. That was stated in the Arab peace initiative years ago. And in all my recent conversations, Arab leaders have confirmed their readiness in the context of Israeli-Palestinian peace, not just on normalize relations, but to work openly on securing that piece with significant regional security cooperation.

It is waiting, it's right there. Many have shown a willingness to support serious Israel-Palestinian negotiations, and to take steps on the path to normalization to relations, including public meetings, providing there is meaningful progress towards the two state solution. My friends, that is a real opportunity that we should not allow to be missed.

And that raises one final question. Is ours the generation that gives up on the dream of a Jewish-Democratic state of Israel, living in peace and security with its neighbors? Because that is really what is at stake.

Now that is what informed our vote at the Security Council last week, the need to preserve the two-state solution, and both sides in this conflict must make response ability to do that. We have repeatedly and emphatically stressed to the Palestinians that all incitement to violence must stop.

We have consistently condemned all violence and terrorism, and we have strongly opposed unilateral efforts to delegitimize Israel in the international forum. We have made countless public and private exhortations to the Israelis to stop the march of settlements. I mean literally hundreds of conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu; I have made clear that continued settlement activity would only increase pressure for international response.

We have all known for some time that the Palestinians were intent on moving forward in the U.N. with a settlements resolution and I advised the prime minister repeatedly that further settlement activity only invited U.N. action.

Yet the settlement activity just increased, including advancing the unprecedented legislation to legalize settler outposts that the prime minister himself reportedly warned could expose Israel's action at the Security Council and international prosecution before deciding to support it.

In the end, we could not, in good conscience, protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two-state solution. We could not, in good conscience, turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fanned hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state. And we may not be able to stop them, but we cannot be expected to defend them. And it is certainly not the role of any country to vote against its own policies.

That is why we decided not to block the U.N. resolution that makes clear both sides have to take steps to save the two-state solution while there is still time. And we did not take this decision lightly. The Obama administration has always defended Israel against any effort at the U.N. and any international fora or biased and one-sided resolutions that seek to undermine legitimacy or security and that has not changed, didn't change with this vote.

But remember, it's important to note that every United States administration, Republican and Democratic, has opposed settlements as contrary to the prospects for peace. And action at the U.N. Security Council is far from unprecedented. In fact, previous administrations of both political parties have allowed resolutions that were critical of Israel to pass, including on settlements.

On dozens of occasions under George W. Bush alone, the council passed six resolutions that Israel opposed, including one that endorsed a plan calling for a complete freeze on settlements, including natural growth. Let me read you the lead paragraph from a New York Times story dated December 23rd. I quote, "With the United States abstaining, the Security Council adopted a resolution today strongly deploring Israel's handling of the disturbances in the occupied territories, which the resolution defines as including Jerusalem. All of the 14 other Security Council members voted in favor."

My friends, that story was not written last week. It was written December 23rd, 1987, 26 years to the day that we voted last week when Ronald Reagan was president. Yet despite growing pressure, the Obama administration held a strong line against U.N. action  any U.N. action. We were the only administration since 1967 that had not allowed any resolution to pass that Israel opposed.

In fact, the only time in eight years the Obama administration exercised its veto at the United Nation was against a one-sided settlements resolution in 2011. And that resolution did not mention incitement or violence.

Now, let's look at what's happened since then. Since then there have been over 30,000 settlement units advanced through some stage of the planning process. That's right, over 30,000 settlement units advance notwithstanding the positions in the United States and other countries. And if we had vetoed this resolution just the other day, the United States would have been giving license to further unfettered settlement construction that we fundamentally oppose. So we reject the criticism that this vote abandons Israel.

On the contrary, it is not this resolution that is isolating Israel, it is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible. And virtually every country in the world other than Israel opposes settlements. That includes many of the friends of Israel, including the United Kingdom, France, Russia, all of whom voted in favor of the settlements resolution in 2011 that we vetoed, and again this year along with any other member of the council.

In fact, this resolution simply reaffirms statements made by the Security Council on the legality of settlements over several decades. It does not break new ground. In 1978 the State Department legal adviser, advised the Congress of his conclusion, that Israel's government program establishing civilian settlements in the occupied territory is inconsistent with international law. And we see no change since then to affect that fundamental conclusion.

Now you have heard that some criticize this resolution for calling East Jerusalem occupied territory. But to be clear, there was absolutely nothing new in last week's resolution on that issue. It was one of a long line of Security Council resolutions that included east Jerusalem as part of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, and that includes resolutions passed by the Security Council under President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush.

And remember that every U.S. administration since 1967, along with the entire international community, has recognized east Jerusalem as among the territories that Israel occupied in the Six-Day War.

Now, I want to stress this point. We fully respect Israel's profound historic and religious ties to the city and to its holy sites. We've never questioned that. This resolution in no manner prejudges the outcome of permanent status negotiations on east Jerusalem, which must, of course, reflect those historic ties and the realities on the ground. That's our position. We still support it.

We also strongly reject the notion that somehow the United States was the driving force behind this resolution. The Egyptians and Palestinians had long made clear to all of us, to all of the international community, their intention to bring a resolution to a vote before the end of the year. And we communicated that to the Israelis and they knew it anyway. The United States did not draft or originate this resolution, nor did we put it forward. It was drafted by Egypt  it was drafted and I think introduced by Egypt, which is one of Israel's closest friends in the region, in coordination with the Palestinians and others.

And during the time of the process, as it went out, we made clear to others including those on the Security Council that it was possible that if the resolution were to be balanced and it were to include references to incitement and to terrorism, that it was possible the United States would then not block it, that  if it was balanced and fair. That's a standard practice with resolutions at the Security Council. The Egyptians and the Palestinians and many others understood that if the text were more balanced, it was possible we wouldn't block it.

But we also made crystal clear that the president of the United States would not make a final decision about our own position until we saw the final text. In the end, we did not agree with every word in this resolution. There are important issues that are not sufficiently addressed or even addressed at all. But we could not, in good conscience, veto a resolution that condemns violence and incitement and reiterates what has been for a long time the overwhelming consensus and international view on settlements and calls for the parties to start taking constructive steps to advance the two-state solution on the ground.

Ultimately, it will be up to the Israeli people to decide whether the unusually heated attacks that Israeli officials have directed towards this administration best serve Israel's national interests and its relationship with an ally that has been steadfast in its support, as I described. Those attacks, alongside allegations of a U.S.-led conspiracy and other manufactured claims, distract attention from what the substance of this vote was really all about.

And we all understand that Israel faces very serious threats in a very tough neighborhood. Israelis are rightfully concerned about making sure that there is not a new terrorist haven right next door to them, often referencing what's happened with Gaza, and we understand that and we believe there are ways to meet those needs of security. And Israelis are fully justified in decrying attempts to legitimize their state question the right of a Jewish state to exist.

But this vote was not about that, it was about actions that Israelis and Palestinians are taking that are increasingly rendering a two-state solution impossible. It was not about making peace with the Palestinians now, it was about making sure that peace with the Palestinians will be possible in the future. Now, we all understand that Israel faces extraordinarily serious threats in a very tough neighborhood and the Israelis are very correct in making sure that there is not a terrorist haven right on their border.

But this vote, I can't emphasize it enough, is not about the possibility of arriving at an agreement that is going to resolve that overnight, or in one year or two years. This is about a longer process. This is about how we make peace with the Palestinians in the future, but preserve the capacity to do so.

So, how do we get there? How do we get there to that peace? Since the parties have not yet been able to resume talks, the U.S. and the Middle East quartet have repeatedly called on both sides to independently demonstrate a genuine commitment to the two-state solution, not just with words but with real policies.

To create the conditions for meaningful negotiations, we called for both sides to take significant steps on the ground to reverse current trends and send a different message, a clear message that they are prepared to fundamentally change the equation without waiting for the other side to act.

We have pushed them to comply with their basic commitments under their own prior agreements in order to advance a two-state reality on the ground. We have called for the Palestinians to do everything in their power to stop violence and incitement, including publicly and consistently condemning acts of terrorism and stopping the glorification of violence.

And we have called on them to continue efforts to strengthen their own institutions and to improve governance, transparency, and accountability. And we have stressed that the Hamas arms buildup and militant activities in Gaza must stop. Along with our quartet partners, we have called on Israel to end the policy of settlement construction and expansion, of taking land for exclusive Israeli use and denying Palestinian development.

To reverse the current process, the U.S. and our partners have encouraged Israel to resume the transfer of greater civil authority, the Palestinians in Area C, consistent with the transition that was called for by Oslo. And we have made clear that significant progress across a range of sectors, including housing, agriculture, and natural resources can be made without negatively impacting Israel's legitimate security needs.

And we've called for significantly easing the movement and access restrictions to and from Gaza with due consideration for Israel's need to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks. So, let me stress here, again, none of the steps that I just talked about would negatively impact Israel's security.

Let me also emphasize this is not about offering limited economic measures that perpetuate the status quo. We're talking about significant steps that would signal real progress towards creating two states. That's the bottom line. If we're serious about the two-state solution, it's time to start implementing it right now.

Advancing the process of separation now in a serious way could make a significant difference in saving the two-state solution and in building confidence in the citizens of both sides that peace is indeed possible. And much progress can be made in advance of negotiations that can lay the foundation for negotiations as contemplated by the Oslo process.

In fact, these steps will help create the conditions for successful talks. Now, in the end, we all understand that the final status agreement can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties. We've said that again and again. We cannot impose the peace.

There are other countries in the U.N. who believe it is our job to dictate the terms of the solution in the Security Council. Others want us to simply recognize a Palestinian state absent an agreement. But I want to make clear today, these are not the choices that we will make.

We choose instead to draw on the experiences of the last eight years, to provide a way forward, when the parties are ready for serious negotiations. In a place where the narratives from the past powerfully inform and mold the present, it's important to understand the history. We mark this year and next a series of milestones that I believe both illustrate the two sides of the conflict and form the basis for its resolution. It's worth touching on them briefly.

One hundred and twenty years ago, the first Zionist congress was convened in Basel by a group of Jewish visionaries who decided that the only effective response to the waves of anti-Semitic horrors sweeping across Europe was to create a state in the historic home of the Jewish people, where their ties to the land went back centuries; a state that could defend its borders, protect its people and live in peace with its neighbors. That was the vision. That was the modern beginning. And it remains the dream of Israel today.

Nearly 70 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 finally paved the way to making the state of Israel a reality. The concept was simple  to create two states for two peoples, one Jewish, one Arab; to realize the national aspirations of both Jews and Palestinians. And both Israel and the PLO referenced Resolution 181 in their respective declarations of independence.

The United States recognized Israel seven minutes after its creation. But the Palestinians and the Arab world did not. And from its birth, Israel had to fight for its life. Palestinians also suffered terribly in the 1948 war, including many who had lived for generations in a land that had long been their home, too. When Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018, the Palestinians will mark a very different anniversary  70 years since what they call "the Nakba," or catastrophe.

Next year will also mark 50 years since the end of the Six-Day War, when Israel again fought for its survival, and Palestinians will again mark just the opposite  50 years of military occupation. Both sides have accepted U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which called for the withdrawal of Israel from territory that it occupied in 1967 in return for peace and secure borders as the basis for ending the conflict.

It has been more than 20 years since Israel and the PLO signed their first agreement, the Oslo accords, and the PLO formally recognized Israel. Both sides committed to a plan to transition much of the West Bank and Gaza to Palestinian control during permanent status negotiations that would put an end to their conflict. Unfortunately, neither the transition nor the final agreement came about. And both sides bear responsibility for that.

Finally, some 15 years ago, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia came out with a historic Arab peace initiative which offered fully normalized relations with Israel when it made peace  an enormous opportunity then and now which has never been fully embraced. That history was critical to our approach to trying to find a way to resolve the conflict. And based on my experience with both sides over the last four years, including the nine months of formal negotiations, the core issues can be resolved if there is leadership on both sides committed to finding a solution.

In the end, I believe the negotiations did not fail because the gaps were too wide, but because the level of trust was too low. Both sides were concerned that any concessions would not be reciprocated and would come at too great a political cost. And the deep public skepticism only made it more difficult for them to be able to take risks.

In the countless hours that we spent working on a detailed framework, we worked through numerous formulations and developed specific bridging proposals. And we came away with a clear understanding of the fundamental needs of both sides. In the past 2 1/2 years, I have tested ideas with regional and international stakeholders, including our quartet partners. And I believe what has emerged from all of that is a broad consensus on balanced principles that would satisfy the core needs of both sides.

President Clinton deserves great credit for laying out extensive parameters designed to bridge gaps in advanced final status negotiations 16 years ago. Today, with mistrust too high to even start talks, we're at the opposite end of the spectrum. Neither side is willing to even risk acknowledging the other's bottom line and more negotiations that do not produce progress will only reinforce the worst fears. Everyone understands that negotiations would be complex and difficult and nobody can be expected to agree on the final results in advance. But if the parties could at least demonstrate that they understand the other side's most basic needs and are potentially willing to meet them if theirs are also met at the comprehensive negotiations, perhaps then enough trust could be established to enable a meaningful progress to begin.

It is in that spirit that we offer the following principles. Not to prejudge or impose an outcome, but to provide a possible basis for serious negotiations when the parties are ready. Individual countries may have more detailed policies on these issues as we do, by the way, but I believe there is a broad consensus that a final status agreement that could meet the needs of both sides would do the following.

Principle No. 1: provide for secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine negotiated based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed equivalent swaps. Resolution 242, which has been enshrined in international law for 50 years, provides for the withdrawal of Israel from territory it occupied in 1967 in return for peace with its neighbors and secure and recognized borders. It has long been accepted by both sides and it remains the basis for an agreement today.

As secretary, one of the first issues that I worked out with the Arab League was their agreement that the reference in the Arab peace initiative to the 1957 lines would from now on include the concept of land swaps, which the Palestinians have acknowledged. This is necessary to reflect practical realities on the ground and mutually agreed equivalent swaps that will insure that the agreement is fair to both sides.

There is also broad recognition of Israel's need to ensure that the borders are secure and defensible and that the territory of Palestine is viable and contiguous. Virtually everyone that I have spoken to has been clear on this principle as well; no changes by Israel to the 1967 lines will be recognized by the international community unless agreed to by both sides.

Principle 2: fulfill the vision of the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181 of two states for two peoples, one Jewish and one Arab, with mutual recognition and full equal rights for all their respective citizens. This has been the fundamental  foundation's principle of the two-state solution from the beginning, creating a state for the Jewish people and a state for the Palestinian people where each can achieve their national aspirations. And Resolution 181 is incorporated into the foundational documents of both the Israelis and Palestinians.

Recognition of Israel as a Jewish state has been the U.S. position for years, and based on my conversations in these last months, I am absolutely convinced that many others are now prepared to accept it as well, provided the need for a Palestinian state is also addressed.

We also know that there is some 1.7 million Arab citizens who call Israel their home and must now and always be able to live as equal citizens, which makes this a difficult issue for Palestinians and others in the Arab world. That's why it is so important that in recognizing each other's homeland, Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people, both sides reaffirm their commitment to upholding full equal rights for all of their respective citizens.

Principle No. 3: provide for a just, agreed, fair and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee issue. With international assistance that includes compensation, options and assistance in finding permanent homes, acknowledgment of suffering another measures necessary for comprehensive resolution consistent with two states for two peoples. The plight of many Palestinian refugees is heartbreaking, and all agree that their needs have to be addressed.

As part of a comprehensive resolution, they must be provided with compensation; their suffering must be acknowledged and there must be the need to have options and assistance in finding permanent homes. The international community can provide significant support and assistance. I know we are prepared to do that, including and raising money to help ensure the compensation and other needs of the refugees are met. And many have expressed willingness to contribute to that effort, particularly if it brings peace. But there is a general recognition that the solution must be consistent with two states for two peoples, and cannot affect the fundamental character of Israel.

Principal 4: provide an agreed solution for Jerusalem as the internationally recognized capital of the two states and protect and ensure freedom of access to the holy sites consistent with the established status quo. Now Jerusalem is the most sensitive issue for both sides. And the solution will have to meet the needs, not only of the parties but of all three monotheistic faiths. That is why the holy sites that are sacred to billions of people around the world must be protected and remain accessible, and the established status unmaintained.

Most acknowledge that Jerusalem should not be divided again like it was in 1967, and we believe that. At the same time there is broad recognition that there will be no peace agreement without reconciling the basic aspirations of both sides to have capitals there.

Principle 5: satisfy Israel's security needs and bring a full end, ultimately, to the occupation. While ensuring Israel can defend itself effectively and that Palestine can provide security for its people in a sovereign and non-militarized state. Security is the fundamental issue for Israel, together with a couple of others mentioned. But security is critical.

Everyone understands that no Israeli government can ever accept an agreement that does not satisfy it security needs or risk creating an enduring threadlike Gaza transferred to the West Bank. And Israel must be able to defend itself effectively, including against terrorism and other regional threats. In fact, there is a real willingness with Egypt, Jordan and others to work together with Israel on meeting key security challenges. And I believe that those collective efforts, including close coordination on border security, intelligence sharing, joint cooperation, joint operation, can all play a critical role in securing the peace.

At the same time, fully ending the occupation is the fundamental issue for the Palestinians. They need to know that the military occupation itself will really and after an agreed transitional process. They need to know they can live with freedom and dignity in sovereign state while providing security to their population even without a military of their own.

This is widely accepted as well. And it is important to understand there are many different ways without occupation for Israel and Palestine and Jordan and Egypt and the United States and others to cooperate in providing that security. Now balancing those requirements was among the most important challenges that we faced in the negotiations. But it was one where the United States has the ability to provide the most assistance.

And that is why a team that was led by Gen. John Allen who was here, to whom I am very grateful for his many hours of effort, along with he is one of our foremost military minds and dozens of experts who the Department of Defense and other agencies, all of them engaged extensively with the Israeli defense force in trying to find solutions that could help Israel address its legitimate security needs.

They developed innovative approaches to creating unprecedented multilayered border security, enhancing Palestinian capacity, enabling Israel to maintain the ability to address threats by itself, even when the occupation had ended. General Allen and his team were not suggesting one particular outcome or one particular timeline, nor were they suggesting that work technology alone would resolve these problems, they were simply working on ways to support whatever the negotiators agreed to. And they did some very impressive work that gives me total confidence that Israel security requirements can be met.

Principle 6: end the conflict and all outstanding claims, enabling normalized relations and enhanced regional security for all as envisioned by the Arab peace initiative. It is essential for both sides that the final status agreement resolves all the outstanding issues and finally brings closure to this conflict. So that everyone can move ahead to a new era of peaceful coexistence and cooperation.

For Israel, this must also bring broader peace with all of its Arab neighbors. That is the fundamental promise of the Arab peace initiative, which key Arab leaders have affirmed in these most recent days. The Arab peace initiative also envisions enhanced security for all of the region. It envisages Israel being a partner in those efforts when peace is made. This is the area where Israel and the Arab world are looking at perhaps the greatest moment of potential transformation in the Middle East since Israel's creation in 1948.

The Arab world faces its own set of security challenges. With Israel-Palestinian peace, Israel, the United States, Jordan, Egypt, together with the GCC countries, would be ready and willing to define a new security partnerships for the region that would be absolutely ground breaking.

So, ladies and gentlemen, that's why it is vital that we all work to keep open the possibility of peace, that we not lose hope in the two-state solution matter how difficult it may seem. Because there really is no viable alternative.

Now, we all know that a speech alone won't produce peace, but based on over 30 years of experience and the lessons from the past four years, I have suggested, I believe, and President Obama has signed on to and believes it, a path that the parties could take.

Realistic steps on the ground now, consistent with the parties own prior commitments that will begin the process of separating into two-states. A political horizon to work towards to create the conditions for a successful final status talk and a basis for negotiations that the parties could accept to demonstrate that they are serious about making peace.

We can only encourage them to take this path. We cannot walk down it for them. But if they take these steps, peace would bring extraordinary benefits in enhancing the security and stability and prosperity of Israelis, Palestinians, all of the nations of the region. The Palestinian economy has amazing potential in the context of independence, with major private sector investment possibilities. And are talented, hungry, eager to work  a young work force.

Israel's economy could enjoy unprecedented growth as it becomes a regional economic powerhouse, taking advantage of unparallel culture of innovation and trading opportunities with new Arab partners. Meanwhile, security challenges could be addressed by an entirely new security arrangement, in which Israel cooperates openly with key Arab states.

That is the future that everybody should be working for. President Obama and I know that the incoming administration has signaled that they may take a different path. And even suggested breaking from the long-standing U.S. policies on settlements  Jerusalem and the possibility of a two-state solution.

That is for them to decide, that's how we work. But we cannot, in good conscience, do nothing and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away. This is a time to stand up for what is right. We have long known what two-states, living side by side and peace and security looks like. We should not afraid to say so.

Now, I really began to reflect on what we have learned and the way ahead when I recently joined President Obama in Jerusalem for the state funeral for Shimon Peres. Shimon was one of the founding fathers of Israel and became one of the world's great elder statesmen  a beautiful man. I was proud to call him my friend. And I know that President Obama was as well.

And I remember the first time that I saw Shimon in person, standing on the White House lawn for the signing of the historic Oslo accords. And I thought about the last time at an intimate, one-on-one Shabbat dinner just a few months before he died when we toasted together to the future of Israel and to the peace that he still so passionately believed in for his people.

He summed it up simply and eloquently, as only Shimon could, quote, "The original mandate gave the Palestinians 48 percent; now it's down to 22 percent. I think 78 percent is enough for us." As we laid Shimon to rest that day, many of us couldn't help but wonder if peace between Israelis and Palestinians might also be buried along with one of its most eloquent champions. We cannot let that happen.

There is simply too much at stake for future generations of Israelis and Palestinians to give in to pessimism, especially when peace is in fact still possible. We must not lose hope in the possibility of peace. We must not give in to those who say what is now must always be; that there is no chance for a better future.

It is up to Israelis and Palestinians to make the difficult choices for peace, but we can all help. And for the sake of future generations of Israelis and Palestinians, for all the people of the region, for the United States, for all those around the world who have prayed for and worked for peace for generations, let's hope that we are all prepared, and particularly Israelis and Palestinians, to make those choices now.
Cleared of violating Iran sanctions, man hopes for pardon

NEW YORK (AP)  Plenty of inmates in American prisons have served long sentences before their convictions were reversed. Few have emerged from behind bars quite like Mahmoud Reza Banki.

The Iranian-born, Ivy League-trained U.S. citizen has been on a quest to clear his name and draw attention to the hardships prisoners face when they are released into a suspicious society.

So far, he has been unable to overcome the stench of a 2011 conviction  later overturned  on a charge of violating the Iran trade embargo and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Ten banks have closed his accounts, he said, and random credit card companies cancel his cards. Employers seem enthused to hire him until they Google his name. After applying for more than 100 jobs, he received a dozen offers, all rescinded after background checks.

"It's remarkable to me how damaging it's been," Banki said. "I'm a second-class citizen."

Now, he's hoping for a pardon from President Barack Obama for two convictions that remain on his record for making false statements to a federal agency. He has gotten some congressional support, obtaining letters urging that he be among those considered during the flurry of pardons that usually occur at the end of a president's term.

But he is also running out of time. It seems unlikely that a President Donald Trump, who has urged a hard line on Iran, will make his case a high priority.

The odds of anyone getting pardoned are slim. On Dec. 19, Obama pardoned 78 people, bringing the total number issued in his administration to 148. That's out of nearly 3,100 people who applied during his presidency, according to the Justice Department.

Banki, 40, was born in Tehran. He initially came to the U.S. after being accepted to Purdue University.

He earned two degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, became a U.S. citizen in 1996, and then got a doctorate in chemical engineering from Princeton University in 2006. With those high-powered degrees, he landed a job at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

Banki's problems began in 2010, when federal prosecutors in New York charged him with using an unlicensed money transferring network popular in the Muslim world to transfer $3.4 million from relatives in Iran to accounts in the U.S.

His motive, he said, was purely to help his mother. Relatives in Iran wanted to protect her share of the family's fortune after she separated from Banki's father. Banki's mother testified that the family owns three Iranian power utilities and a pharmaceutical company.

Prosecutors said Banki used $2.4 million of that money to buy a Manhattan condominium. The false statement conviction was partly related to letters he sent to a U.S. Treasury office saying his cousin, an Iranian citizen, had helped him arrange the money transfers.

One of his lawyers, Kathleen M. Sullivan, said Banki was the first person to be charged with violating the Iran trade embargo who was not operating a business.

When the jury returned a guilty verdict, Banki was shocked.

"I had my hands on the table and I couldn't feel my arms. They were numb," he said.

A judge sentenced him to 2  years in prison, despite a plea for leniency from a 2003 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, the Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi.

He had served 665 days when an appeals court overturned the conviction, saying the U.S. sanctions on Iran contained an exemption for the transfer of family money. It left his convictions for false statements intact, though  a black mark that has stayed with him.

Assistant Federal Defender Sabrina Shroff said a criminal record is no easy-to-overcome liability, especially when looking for work.

"This is the ultimate of bad references," she said. "You're never going to get past the first cut."

Since his release from prison in 2011, Banki said he has been speaking publicly about his case in part to raise awareness about the challenges that prisoners of all types face when released from jail.

"If I can't turn the ship around," he asked, "how do we, as a society, expect all these other people to turn their lives around?"

He has created a website, Reza Story, devoted to his cause. He delivered a TED talk and a documentary about him is in the works.

And he is determined to stay in America. In the past year, he worked five months for a technology firm though his background precluded him from a permanent job.
US official says top Islamic State commander killed in Syria

WASHINGTON (AP)  A senior U.S. defense official is confirming that a top Islamic State military commander was killed by a coalition airstrike in Syria on Monday.

The official says that Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti was killed near Tabqa Dam. He was a key leader of the group in Raqqa. No other details were available.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier this week that he had been targeted by U.S.-led coalition aircraft. And IS supporters on social media had indicated on Tuesday that he had been killed.

The U.S. confirmation was the first official coalition acknowledgement of his death.
A nine-year-old Utah boy is fighting for his life in hospital after he was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting, police said.

Unified Police Detective Ken Hansen said police the boy was shot on Wednesday afternoon while sitting with several other children in the backseat of a car in suburban Salt Lake City.

Hansen said the car was parked in front of a house in Kearns where the boy or family members lived, not far from an intersection.

Police investigate after a drive-by shooting in Kearns, Utah, which left a nine-year-old boy is in a critical condition

The child was shot in the head during the drive-by shooting and was airlifted in critical condition to a Salt Lake City hospital about 15 miles away

Someone in a black BMW sedan on a cross street fired at least one shot as the car passed.

The bullet went through the SUV's windshield, hitting the nine-year-old in the head.

The boy was airlifted in a critical condition to a Salt Lake City hospital about 15 miles away, where he was expected to be in surgery for several hours, Hansen said.

Police believe the shooting may be gang-related and someone else was the intended target.

Someone in a black BMW sedan on a cross street fired at least one shot at an SUV, while the boy was sitting in the backseat

Police believe the shooting in Kearns, Utah, may be gang-related and think someone else was the intended target

Police said at least two men were in the BMW, and added that they were interviewing witnesses and searching for suspects

Hansen did not have further details, including whether the target was someone related to the boy.

The BMW was found abandoned on a Salt Lake City street several hours after the shooting.

Police said at least two men were in the BMW, and added that they were interviewing witnesses and searching for suspects.
A jury found a man guilty of murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend who disappeared in Maui while five months pregnant with his child.

Steven Capobianco had been on trial since June, charged with killing Carly 'Charli' Scott. Her mother and sisters last saw her on the evening of February 9, 2014.

The jury took 28 days to find a guilty verdict.

The jury also found him guilty of arson. Capobianco was accused of torching Scott's sport utility vehicle in an attempt to cover up the killing.

Some of her bloodied clothes and remains were eventually found in a wooded area off Hana Highway. Marks on her recovered were consistent with 'someone attacking her with a sharp object,' said the prosecution, according to Maui Now.

On December 28, a Wailuku jury found Steven Capobianco guilty of murdering his five-months pregnant ex-girlfriend - the jury took almost a month of deliberation

Kimberlyn Scott, mother of victim Carly 'Charli' Scott, nervously awaits the verdicts in Steven Capobianco's trial Wednesday

Family and friends of Carly 'Charli' Scott embrace outside the courtroom after guilty verdicts were announced

Maui County Prosecuting Attorney John Kim declined to comment until jurors are done with the second phase of deliberations.

Jurors were asked to return to court on Thursday to listen to arguments for and against an allegation that Capobianco caused Scott's death in an 'especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel manner.'

Their verdict will determine whether Capobianco receives an enhanced sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Capobianco, who was 24 at the time of the disappearance, told a Hawaii News Now reporter that he saw Scott, 27, on the night her family says she vanished but that he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

Steven Capobianco appears in court in Wailuku, Hawaii on June 15, 2014 - he was found guilty Wednesday in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend

Carly 'Charli' Scott disappeared in the early morning hours of February 9, her ex-boyfriend, Steven Capobianco, was the last person to see her alive

Charli and Steven (right) were officially broken up but still getting together for sex, according to Capobianco

Carly 'Charli' Scott's body was never found, only some clothes and remains, including her jaw

He said Scott picked him up and drove him to his pickup truck, which had broken down.

He said that after he fixed his truck, Scott was driving behind him, but he lost sight of her and figured she arrived safely at her destination.

Capobianco, met her in 2009. They lived together for two years, but 'the defendant would tell his friends that they were just roommates and he did not like to take pictures with her,' Maui Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rivera told jurors in his opening statement.

They broke up, but Scott continued to love him, 'even though she knew he didn't care about her,' Rivera said.

While they were no longer a couple, Capobianco had another girlfriend and Scott got pregnant. Scott decided to continue with the pregnancy even though Capobianco insisted on an abortion, Rivera said.

In an early interview with detectives, Capobianco said about the pregnancy, 'Admittedly, Im not thrilled about having a child. Its not what I was planning on doing at 24 ... Im a single, 24-year-old male who has a dog and I can barely keep me and my dog I mean like yeah, we eat pretty well, but its like I have a dollar in my pocket right now until my next paycheck. I dont have any spare cash for a child.'

But he claimed he saw how happy it made her and then was 'all for it,' according to KHON. He even claimed his new girlfriend, Cassie, was fine with the baby news and willing to try to make things work.

Charli Scott's mother, Kimberlyn Scott, poses for a portrait in Makawao, Hawaii

Charli's burned out car was round on a remote road in Maui, prosecutors said that Capobianco burned the car to try and cover up the murder

Detectives, Scott's family and even Capobianco's friends presumed him guilty without considering other suspects, defense attorney Jon Apo said.

Even Scott's family was initially behind him, releasing a statement shortly after her disappearance saying '[this is a] difficult time for him as well, and he also deserves the compassion of the community,' according to Hawaii News Now.

Capobianco didn't testify during his trial.

Jurors listened to an interview with a detective where Capobianco repeatedly referred to Scott in the past tense even though it wasn't yet known that she was dead.

Kimberlyn Scott reacts to the verdicts finding Steven Capobianco guilty of murder and arson for the 2014 death of Scott's daughter Carly 'Charli' Scott

Jurors began deliberating December 1. On December 13 they told the judge they were at an impasse but the next day decided to continue deliberating. They took a break December 21 for Christmas and resumed deliberating on Tuesday.
Self-driving cars and TV screens that can be bent or rolled up are expected to be among the biggest attractions when the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) begins in Las Vegas on January 4.

The trade show is marking its 50th anniversary in 2017  having been the launch point for some of the key products of recent memory, including DVD players and HD TV in the 1990s.

2017 is likely to see the next generation of driverless car software unveiled  with car giants Toyota, Honda and Hyundai among those holding press events during the show.

(Fabio De Paola/PA)

Start-up Faraday Future, who unveiled a concept electric, driverless car it claimed was capable of reaching 200 miles per hour at CES last year, are also due to return with its first production car this year.

Technology giants Sony, Samsung and LG among others will also make announcements across the TV, appliance and smart home product market, with some rumours claiming we could see concept televisions that can support 8K resolution, double that of existing 4K ultra high definition, as well as displays that can be rolled up before and after use.

More than tech. The 2000s saw CES expand and evolve like never before. Click to read more: https://t.co/ucvxY8w1T3 #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/m6z8TtmkmG  CES (@CES) December 27, 2016

Artificial intelligence and robotics is also expected to feature heavily in the various product announcements and concepts, as the industry giants and start-ups look to build on the breakthrough success of Amazons Echo voice assistant, which launched in the UK in the autumn.
Prince Harry was the most-travelled senior royal in 2016, clocking up approximately 61,800 miles on public engagements outside the UK.

This included trips to Nepal in March and the Invictus Games in Florida in May, plus a tour of the Caribbean in November.

The Earl of Wessex was close behind, on 61,400 miles. Edward flew the world in 2016, visiting among other places the Bahamas, Italy, South America, Canada and Latvia.

The Duke of York notched up 58,200 miles, just ahead of his sister the Princess Royal who travelled 56,600 miles. One of Annes lengthiest trips abroad was to Rio in August to support Team GB at the Olympic Games.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made high-profile trips to India and Canada in 2016, but William also made several solo visits. He ends the year having travelled approximately 43,700 miles, well ahead of his wifes total of 23,600 miles.

Bottom of the list are the Prince of Wales (18,700 miles) and the Duchess of Cornwall (10,100 miles). The couple made two joint trips abroad this year, to the Balkans in March and the Middle East in November.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited the Middle East this year (John Stillwell/PA)

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had no public engagements outside the UK in 2016. All figures have been compiled by the Press Association using the Court Circular.

Distances travelled by members of the Royal Family will vary from year to year as once a far-flung destination like New Zealand or the Caribbean has been visited, it may not receive a royal visitor for some period.

The monarch, who turned 90 in April, has cut down on her long-haul flights which have been under review in recent years by Buckingham Place aides.

The move has been seen as recognition of the Queen and Duke of Edinburghs advancing years, but senior members of the Royal Family have taken on the responsibility of travelling to distant countries.
An eight-year-old girl is battling a rare medical condition that causes her limbs to grow uncontrollably.

Emily Tarr, of Reading, Berkshire, was diagnosed with Proteus syndrome - the genetic condition that is believed to have afflicted the Elephant Man - at just 18 months old.

Now, her mother Carla, 25, has spoken for the first time of her agony at the thought of losing her daughter before she reaches her teenage years.

Proteus

She said: "When she was diagnosed in February 2010, I had never heard of Proteus syndrome.

"Doctors told me not to look it up on the internet, but I was young at the time and the first thing I did was search for it.

"I came across the worst case of Proteus and I broke down. It broke me - I dont know how bad Emily will be affected."

Emily, who has three younger siblings  Jamie, four, Chelsea, two and David, one  was born healthy in August 2008.

But at nine months old, Carla, who is with the father of her youngest two children Jamie Lewendon, 25, noticed that there were bumps on the tots face, and that her hands were growing abnormally.

After being taken to her local GP, Emily was transferred to Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, who subsequently sent her to Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Proteus

After a thorough examination, Carla was given the shock news that her beloved daughter suffers from the rare condition, which affects just a few hundred people worldwide

Since her diagnosis, overgrowths have sprung up on Emilys knee, face and stomach.

Her left leg is six centimetres longer than her right.

In November 2015, she had bolts surgically implanted in her knee to slow the growth  but she still walks with a limp.

Emilys spine has also severely twisted, which has in turn pushed her rib cage out and caused her to walk "like a hunchback," Carla explained.

She told: "Shes in pain every day. Her rib cage has started to crush her heart and her organs, which has left her with severe breathing problems.

Proteus

She continued: "In October, she stopped breathing for a few seconds in her sleep eight times in an hour."

Tests show that the right side of Emilys body is growing faster than her left side, which is very noticeable, even to strangers.

Luckily, her overgrowths on the outside of her body do not cause her pain but her scoliosis - the abnormal curvature of her spine  leaves her in constant agony.

In January 2017, she will undergo surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford to correct her twisted spine, but her breathing problems means her operation will be complicated.

Later in the year she will have a procedure to remove a growth in her bowels that is causing digestive problems.

Carla said: "Im really nervous about it.

Proteus syndrome

She continued: "I put a smile on, but when Im at home Im constantly breaking down because I know shes in pain and going through a lot.

"She cant gain weight and she keeps getting skinnier.

"Im scared that Im going to lose her. In the last two years she hasnt had a stage where shes getting better."

Proteus syndrome

Despite Emilys constant health problems, Carla is doing the most she can to provide her with the best life, taking her swimming and dancing at her special needs school in Reading.

The young mum said: "Its hard knowing that my child is going through this, but I try to pick it up to give her a good life.

"Theres no treatment to stop Proteus syndrome. Theres not much they can do to stop what shes going through."

Proteus syndrome

Cruelly, though, strangers make comments about Emilys appearance.

Carla continued: "A lot of people do stare at her. Ive had the odd person say something horrible.

"Ive had people say that she looks really weird.

Proteus syndrome

She continued: "Emily doesnt understand it, but I do and it does hurt knowing that people are making fun of her.

"Emily is such a happy girl. You wouldnt know that shes going through all of this pain."
A pair of fashionista toddlers have become unlikely Instagram stars, earning legions of online fans with their sassy poses and chic outfits.

Not wanting to "annoy her friends" with endless snaps of her children Leo, three and Hattie, two, Claire Stafford, 34, set up a separate account solely dedicated to storing precious photos.

At first, she kept the page secret, but pals soon caught wind and she has now built up a near 2000 strong online following - and even raked in more than 1000 worth of free clothes.

Leo (PA Real Life/Collect)

"I just wanted it as a place to store pictures, I didnt tell anyone about it," said Claire, who is originally from Manchester but now lives in Dubai, where she met her husband, 32-year-old Oliver.

"But as I was using the same email address for both accounts, it came up as a recommended page for my friends to follow anyway, and its grown from there.

"I dont know exactly how many freebies weve got but Id say its well over 1000."

Hattie (PA Real Life/Collect)

Previously working as cabin crew, Claire turned her attention to photography after becoming a mum.

Keen to build up her camera skills as she expanded her business, shed snap Leo and Hattie for practise.

Then, in February this year, she set up an Instagram page as a place to store all her handiwork.

Shortly afterwards, she spotted a childrens clothing brand looking for online representatives - those with big followings to help promote their business.

Candidates were asked to apply by posting some of their favourite pictures of their kids modelling the clothes and, to Claires surprise, Leo and Hattie were selected as winners.

"Some of these competitions get thousands of applicants, so I didnt think wed have a chance," she told.

Leo and Hattie Instagram stars

She continued: "I used to apply for all sorts, but now Im more choosy and only do it with clothes I know the kids would actually like.

"Theres no point in getting something that, if I saw it in a shop, Id think was hideous."

Now, Claires page has hundreds and hundreds of fans.

Leo and Hattie Instagram stars

She does checks whenever she gets a new follow to make sure they are legitimate accounts.

Taking all her photos herself, she brings her camera everywhere she goes, snapping Leo and Hattie as they go about their day to day lives.

Where she can, she even tries to colour code or match Leo and Hatties outfits, usually planning their looks the night before.

Claire and Hattie (PA Real Life/Collect)

"Sometimes I doubt myself and worry people will think Im pushing them, but luckily Ive only ever had positive responses," she said.

"I dont want them to feel forced to pose or perform, so I prefer natural shots.

"If theyre grizzly or in a bad mood, I wont take their photo.

Leo and Hattie (PA Real Life/Collect)
A Google director has said the internet giant has more to do to tackle illegal content, but urged people to make their own judgments should they encounter unsavoury material online.

Matt Brittin defended the companys efforts to remove hateful and harmful content from the search engine, as well as its auto complete function, which has been accused of diverting people towards racist and other discriminatory search terms.

The president of Google Europe also called for a simplification of UK tax rules, as he insisted the company paid the corporation tax it was asked to by the Government.

Matt Brittin (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Reports earlier this year suggested Googles auto complete options were automatically loading offensive search terms, based on what people had been searching for online.

Mr Brittin told BBC Radio 4s Today programme the tool did help save time, adding: But its algorithmic, and I think people understand that these are suggestions based on what other people are searching for.

So we can always improve that and we work hard to do that, but I think people are smart and they realise that not everything you find on the internet is accurate and theres a range of opinions there.

We always have to do more, but I think people understand this is a world of choice. People have got more choice and more access to information than ever before, and they can therefore be better informed and make their own judgments.

Google search engine

Mr Brittin said more effort was also needed to tackle illegal content linked to by Google.

He said: Its our job to make sure that we observe the laws everywhere we operate, and we help to remove hateful and harmful and illegal content, and we work very hard on doing that both with technology and of course with people  you cant always use algorithms to solve these things.

Its an ongoing investment of energy, working in partnership with governments and others, to try to ensure that the internet is an overwhelmingly positive force for society, which I think generally people will accept that it is. We always have to work harder on those things.

Google is one of several multinational companies to have been accused of avoiding tax, in spite of making billions of pounds of sales in Britain.
Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Tuesday was 64, with 42 from Platte County and 22 from out of county.

Police

Dec. 5

Unknown time  In the 900 block of 30th Avenue, an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Aubrey Houser, 952 30th Ave., No. 11, and left the scene.

Dec. 21

8:31 a.m.  At the intersection of 25th Avenue and 14th Street, Jordan Huettner, 30, homeless, was cited for failure to yield right of way, driving under suspension and no proof of insurance.

12:49 p.m.  At 4432 Sunrise Place, Eden Shuck, 45, Superior, was cited for criminal mischief.

5:25 p.m.  In the 2200 block of 23rd Street, Cody Vanbrocklin, 29, 1571 23rd Ave., was cited for failure to maintain control.

Dec. 22

10:24 a.m.  In a parking lot at 517 E. 23rd St., a vehicle driven by George Jensen, 55, Newman, Georgia, struck a parked vehicle owned by Michael Hadcock, Leigh.

3:07 p.m.  At 3014 Eight St., No. 4, Christopher George, 32, 3014 Eighth St., No. 4, was cited for first-degree sexual assault of a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

3:56 p.m.  At the intersection of 18th Avenue and Woodland Drive, traffic accident. Drivers were Russell Kuhn, 60, 313 28th St., and Jean Peterson, 64, 1736 Woodland Drive.

6:05 p.m.  In a parking lot at 3318 23rd St., an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Roxanne Czarnick, Silver Creek, and left the scene.

7:48 p.m.  At the intersection of First Avenue and 23rd Street, Donald Ziemba, 47, 1356 27th Ave., was cited for a traffic control device violation.

7:48 p.m.  At the intersection of First Avenue and 23rd Street, Robert Hallagin, 52, Fullerton, was cited for a traffic control device violation.

Dec. 25

11:35 a.m.  Theft at 3120 15th St., bench stolen, $40 loss.

8:17 p.m.  At Center 7 Theatres, 3100 23rd St., vehicle window broken out by strong wind, no loss amount.

8:27 p.m.  In the 1200 block of 26th Avenue, vehicle window broken out by strong wind, no loss amount.

Dec. 26

8:59 p.m.  Theft at 2119 Ninth St., two jerseys stolen from garage, $57 loss.

Fire

Dec. 26

12:15 p.m.  In the 3800 block of Howard Boulevard, medical.

3:46 p.m.  In the 2400 block of Mahood Drive, medical.

4:36 p.m. In the 4500 block of 38th Street, medical.

9:01 p.m.  In the 2200 block of 22nd Street, medical.

Dec. 27

3:50 a.m.  In the 3000 block of 39th Avenue, medical.
This year saw the Queen celebrate her 90th birthday, the Cambridges head to Canada with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and Prince Harry fall for an American actress.

Heres a look back at some of the royal highlights  and a few low points  of 2016:

January

George at his first day of nursery school

Prince George started nursery at Westacre Montessori School near his Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. There were no tears for the future king, and no press either  the Duchess of Cambridge took the photos and released two of the smiling prince wearing his coat and rucksack.

February

Kate talks to a young student (Chris Jackson/PA)

Kate guest-edited The Huffington Post to raise awareness of child mental health and wrote a blog in which she said she and William would not hesitate to seek help if their children needed it.

The Duke was branded work-shy William after he carried out two royal engagements in the year so far, combined with his average of 80 hours a month in his part-time air ambulance pilot role.

March

The family skiing

William and Kate took George and Charlotte ski-ing in the Swiss Alps, releasing new photos of their family on the holiday.

Buckingham Palace complained to the press watchdog IPSO over The Suns front page Queen backs Brexit which reported that the monarch allegedly vented her anger with Brussels at the pro-EU Nick Clegg during a lunch when he was deputy prime minister. IPSO later upheld the complaint and ruled the headline was inaccurate.

Prince Harry trekked in the foothills of the Himalayas and spent the night with a Gurkha family in their home, watching the sun rise over the mountains, during his first trip to Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales stressed the importance of reconciliation in the Balkans during a tour with the Duchess of Cornwall.

In an ITV programme to mark the Queens 90th, Kate gave her first ever solo television interview, revealing that George calls the Queen Gan Gan and that the monarch leaves little gifts out for her great-grandchildren when they visit.

April

William and Kate at Taj Mahal

William and Kate travelled to Bhutan and India for their spring tour, but George and Charlotte stayed at home with their nanny. They posed in front of Indias Taj Mahal just as Williams mother Diana, Princess of Wales once did.

The Queen turned 90 on April 21 and celebrated with a public walkabout and a ride in a Queen-mobile through Windsor. She lit the first in a chain of beacons, and friends and loved ones helped her celebrate when eldest son Charles organised a private, black tie banquet in Windsor Castle.

George featured on a Royal Mail postage stamp for the first time to celebrate his great-grandmothers milestone.

Outgoing US president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stopped by the next day to see the Queen. George got to stay up late to greet them in his pyjamas and dressing gown.

May

Prince Harry

Charlotte turned one and Kensington Palace released four new pictures of the princess, taken by Kate  one showing her pushing a wooden walker. It emerged there was a new addition to the Cambridge household  Charlottes hamster, Marvin.

Meanwhile, Harry went to Toronto to launch the countdown to the 2017 Invictus Games in Canada, before attending the 2016 Games in Florida.

Behind the scenes, he became smitten. It is thought he first met his girlfriend, Toronto-based American actress Meghan Markle, on the trip and they became an item later in the summer.

June

Queen's birthday on the MAll

The Queen celebrated her official 90th birthday. National events included a service of thanksgiving  held on the Duke of Edinburghs 95th birthday  and the Trooping the Colour parade when Charlotte made her debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

The monarchs grandson Peter Phillips staged a picnic on The Mall in central London for 10,000 revellers who braved torrential downpours.

William paid a heartfelt tribute, telling her, Granny, thank you for everything youve done for your family and the Queen thanked well-wishers, quipping: How I will feel if people are still singing Happy Birthday to me in December remains to be seen.

The Duke also made royal history when he appeared on the cover of the UKs leading gay magazine, Attitude, as he spoke out against homophobic bullying.

July

The Queen with Theresa May

George turned three and William revealed he got too many things, hes far too spoilt.

The Duke and Duchess took their son on his first official engagement in the UK just before his birthday. The youngster, wearing blue ear defenders, sat in the cockpit of a Red Arrow Hawk at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

Harry led by example and was publicly tested for HIV at a London sexual health clinic as he continued his campaign to raise awareness about tackling the virus.

Meanwhile, Kates sister Pippa Middleton got engaged to financier James Matthews.

David Cameron tendered his resignation to the Queen in the wake of the Brexit vote and the monarch held an audience with Theresa May, requesting that she form a new administration.

August

(Andrew Milligan/PA)

The royals went on their annual break to Balmoral in Scotland.

Princess Beatrice split from her long-term love Dave Clark, while her sister Princess Eugenie was said to be getting ready to wed boyfriend James Brooksbank.

After Team GBs triumphant success in the Rio Olympics, William, Kate and Harry sent their congratulations, telling them they have made the entire country proud, while the Queen praised their achievements as magnificent.

September

At the Braemar Highland Games

The Queen, Philip and Charles enjoyed the annual tradition of watching the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering while staying at Balmoral.

The Cambridges charmed Canada as William, Kate, George and Charlotte carried out their first official tour as a family of four. Highlights included a childrens tea party where one-year-old Charlotte was heard saying her first public words including Pop and Dada.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was left hanging by George after going for a high-five.

The Countess of Wessex cycled 445 miles from Edinburgh to London on a palace to palace bike ride in celebration of the Duke of Edinburghs Award schemes 60th anniversary.

October

(Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)

William, Kate and Harry took a ride on the London Eye to mark World Mental Health Day. The Duke, at a reception organised by their Heads Together group, said that mental health was not a dirty word.

The Duchess undertook her first ever solo official foreign trip when she travelled to the Netherlands.

The Queen said a sad farewell to her corgi Holly who was put to sleep, leaving the monarch with just three dogs  corgi Willow and dorgis Vulcan and Candy.

She also became the worlds longest reigning living monarch after the death of the revered Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

November

(Chris Jackson/PA)

Charles and Camilla went to the Middle East on an official tour to Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Duchess visited the Dar Al Amam womens refuge and spoke to workers about domestic violence in Bahrain.

News broke that the most eligible royal bachelor was taken when it emerged Harry was dating US actress Meghan Markle. His office eventually broke their silence over their romance when they issued a lengthy unprecedented statement, calling on the media to stop harassing his new love.

Harry headed off on an official tour of the Caribbean in late November, travelling to seven countries in 15 days.

The Queen was left mourning a close confidante when her beloved cousin and friend Margaret Rhodes died at the age of 91.

Zara and Mike Tindall confirmed they were expecting a second child.

December

The Cambridges on Christmas morning

The Duke of York took the rare step of issuing a statement denying there was a rift between him and older brother Charles over the future roles of his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

Harry and girlfriend Meghan Markle were spotted buying a Christmas tree together and going to the theatre in London as the royal romance appeared to go from strength to strength.

On Christmas Eve, there was sad news for the royals when Zara and Mike Tindall announced they had lost their baby.

The Queen missed the Christmas church service at Sandringham for the first time, due to a heavy cold, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took their children to church in Berkshire after opting to spend the day with Kates family instead of joining other royals in Norfolk.
German authorities say more than 54,000 migrants, including failed asylum-seekers, have received approval for government funding to return to their homeland this year, paving the way for a significant increase in voluntary departures.

Germany is keen to increase the number of rejected would-be refugees leaving the country after last years influx of 890,000 migrants.

Afghans deported from Germany return to Kabul (Massoud Hossaini/AP)

Interior ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns said that the total funding approved for returnees this year was 21.5 million euro (18.3 million).

He said about 35,500 people obliged to leave Germany did so voluntarily in 2015, but noted that the two figures cannot immediately be compared because the number of people who actually departed in 2016 is not yet clear.
Everton boss Ronald Koeman has revealed the club are interested in signing 19-year-old Charlton forward Ademola Lookman.

Reports have suggested the Toffees are set to pay a fee of 10million for the teenager in a deal they expect to complete early in the January transfer window.

When asked about Lookman at his press conference on Wednesday ahead of Fridays Premier League away clash with Hull, Koeman said: There is interest for the boy, yes.

Ademola Lookman

RK, asked about Charlton youngster Ademola Lookman: "There is interest, yes."  Phil Medlicott (@pgmedlicott) December 28, 2016

The Dutchman was not prepared to estimate when a deal for Lookman, who has scored seven goals so far this season, might be wrapped up.

Everton have also targeted Manchester United duo Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay and, regarding the forthcoming window more generally, Koeman said: It is a busy time because we have a lot of games in a short time and, of course, Im involved in new players, in making the team stronger.

We are working on that. We have certain interest in some players.
US president-elect Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of creating inflammatory roadblocks during the transition of power in America.

Mr Trump also accused the outgoing administration of treating Israel with total disdain, further straining the veneer of civility between the incoming and outgoing leaders.

Although Mr Trump did not detail his complaints in a series of broadsides on Twitter, he made it clear that Mr Obamas recent claim that he would have won the election had he been running did not sit well with the president-elect.

Donald Trump

Mr Trumps largely respectful tone about the current president since the election evaporated in his latest tweets.

Mr Trump also took direct issue with the Obama administrations decision to let a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel pass.

Mr Trump and his team have until now been largely complimentary of the way Obama and his team have handled the transition.

The US president-elects complaints about the treatment of Israel came a few hours before John Kerry was due to make his final speech about peace in the Middle East as secretary of state  remarks which some Israeli officials panned in advance.

The administrations decision not to veto the UN resolution has aggravated an already strained US-Israel relationship.

A dispute erupted between Mr Obama and Mr Trump, spurred by Mr Obamas hypothetical musings that, had he run again, he would have been victorious.

Mr Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters who elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again.

Mr Obama swept most key swing states in his two bids for the White House, but Hillary Clinton fell short in her battle with Mr Trump in the autumn.

Mr Trump also thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that the Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December.
Chinese carrier docks after drill amid new tension over Taiwan

TAIPEI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - China's sole aircraft carrier has arrived at a naval base on the southern Chinese province of Hainan, a senior Taiwanese military officer said on Wednesday, after drills that took it around self-ruled Taiwan, an island China claims as its own.

Taiwan warned on Tuesday that "the threat of our enemies is growing day by day", as Chinese warships led by the carrier sailed towards Hainan through the disputed South China Sea.

The Chinese drill comes amid renewed tension over Taiwan, which China says is ineligible for state-to-state relations, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen that upset Beijing.

China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, suspecting she wants to push for the island's formal independence, a red line for Beijing which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Tsai says she wants to maintain peace with China.

China has given few details of what the Soviet-built Liaoning is up to, save that it is on a routine exercise and complying with international law.

Taiwan has said the aircraft carrier skirted waters outside its air defence identification zone to the east and south and then headed across the top of the South China Sea to Hainan, home to a large Chinese naval base.

"The Liaoning aircraft carrier has reached the Hainan military base. We will continue to monitor its developments," a senior Taiwanese military official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

China had been testing the carrier's systems and coordination with other military equipment, the officer said, and its arrival in Hainan did not mean its mission was over.

Chinese state media says the carrier's likely home base was the northeastern port city of Qingdao.

Speaking at a regular news briefing, An Fengshan, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said China would exert all its efforts to achieve "peaceful reunification".

"At the same time, our position on maintaining the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity is unswerving, and we will never permit Taiwan independence separatist forces to split Taiwan from China in any way or in any name," he said.

China's air force conducted long-range drills this month above the East and South China Seas that rattled Japan and Taiwan. China said those exercises were also routine.

China claims most of the South China Sea. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

The Liaoning has taken part in previous exercises, including in the South China Sea, but China is years away from perfecting carrier operations similar to those the United States has practised for decades.
Tata Sons accuses ex-chairman Mistry of confidentiality breach

MUMBAI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Tata Sons on Tuesday accused its former chairman Cyrus Mistry of breaching confidentiality rules and said it would take legal action against him, intensifying a battle between the conglomerate and the top executive it sacked in October.

Mistry filed a petition last week seeking the intervention of the National Companies Law Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that deals with corporate grievances in India, accusing the conglomerate of shareholder oppression and mismanagement.

Tata Sons, in a two-page legal notice from its law firm on Tuesday seen by Reuters, alleged that Mistry had "deliberately" attached confidential information related to the company to his petition, even without "any requirement to do so."

The information included confidential data, business strategies and financial information pertaining to the conglomerate, and its inclusion has resulted in a "criminal breach of trust," the notice said.

A public relations agency representing Mistry said it had no comment.

Tata Sons, the holding firm for the $100 billion software-to-salt conglomerate, now intends to pursue all legal remedies, the notice added.

The holding company unexpectedly ousted Mistry as chairman in late October, sparking a public war between the two sides.

"Not only have you breached your legal duties as a director, but you have acted recklessly with the sole intent to cause harm and loss to our Client," the law firm representing Tata Sons said in its legal notice to Mistry.

Mistry resigned from the boards of all listed Tata companies but has signalled he intends to keep waging a battle in courts against the conglomerate and against family patriarch Ratan Tata, who is back at the helm on an interim basis.

In his petition, Mistry asked the companies law tribunal to either replace Tata Son's current board or appoint a retired Supreme Court as non-executive chairman.
Explosion on bus in northern Lebanon kills one person - NNA

BEIRUT, Dec 28 (Reuters) - An explosion hit a bus in Lebanon's northern Bekaa Valley region, killing one person and wounding another on Wednesday morning, the National News Agency (NNA) said.

The attack took place in the town of al-Ain, some 20 km (13 miles) west of the Lebanese-Syrian border, NNA reported.
China upset at name change of de facto Japan embassy in Taiwan

BEIJING, Dec 28 (Reuters) - China expressed dissatisfaction on Wednesday after Japan's de facto embassy in self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, said it would change its name include the word Taiwan.

Japan, like most countries in the world, maintains only informal relations with Taiwan while it has diplomatic ties with Beijing.

From Jan. 1, the Interchange Association, Japan, will become the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, according to a notice on its website.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had a consistent stance when it came to Taiwan and opposed attempts to create "one China, one Taiwan", or "two Chinas".

"As for the negative move by Japan on the Taiwan issue, we are extremely dissatisfied," Hua told a daily news briefing.

China urges Japan to uphold the "one China" principle, appropriately handle Taiwan-related matters and not send a wrong message to Taiwan and the international community or create new disturbances in China-Japan ties, she added.

An Interchange Association official in Japan said the decision to rename itself was taken to boost recognition.

Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

China and Japan also have difficult ties. Beijing has repeatedly urged Japan to show greater repentance for World War Two atrocities and the two sides have a festering territorial dispute in the East China Sea.
Russian embassy in Damascus shelled twice - statement

MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The Russian embassy in Syrian capital of Damascus was shelled twice on Wednesday afternoon, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling it a provocation aimed at derailing peace settlement in the country.

It said a shell hit an inner yard of the embassy complex, while another shell landed near the diplomatic mission. De-mining specialists have been working in the hit area.
Romanian Social Democrats propose leftist veteran for PM

By Radu-Sorin Marinas and Luiza Ilie

BUCHAREST, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Romania's Social Democrat party (PSD), victor of a general election two weeks ago, on Wednesday proposed former telecommunications minister Sorin Grindeanu, a veteran leftist politician, for prime minister.

The PSD's first pick to lead the cabinet was Sevil Shhaideh, a close associate of PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who was ruled out of the job by his criminal sentence in a 2012 referendum-rigging case. Shhaideh's nomination was rejected by the president.

Grindeanu, a 43-year-old mathematician and former deputy mayor of the western city of Timisoara, currently the head of Timis county governing council, is expected to easily win the presidential seal of approval, political commentators said.

"Sorin Grindeanu goes there (to lead the government) for a full four-year term as prime minister," Dragnea told reporters. "We have chosen not to throw the country into political crisis.

"We had to find a solution in a colleague loyal to the governing programme and the party," he added.

Dragnea said it was unlikely a new leftist government would be in place before the end of the year. He has said he will closely watch over the government's performance.

The PSD won the Dec. 11 election by a wide margin and, with coalition partner and long-time ally ALDE, has 250 of the 465 seats in the two houses of parliament, meaning it would easily get parliamentary approval for its government.

Grindeanu "is a hard proposal to refuse", said Sergiu Miscoiu, political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj.

"He is a regional pillar of the PSD, former deputy mayor, former minister, young. He meets the criteria."

The PSD's clear election victory has heightened uncertainty over Romania's ability to keep its budget deficit below the EU's ceiling of 3 percent of gross domestic product, as their governing programme includes ambitious spending plans.

The PSD and its ALDE junior ally will send the proposal to President Klaus Iohannis later in the day and the president is expected to endorse a prime minister-designate on Thursday.
COLUMBUS  Kearney native Kevin Rader has been reporting for an NBC affiliate in Indianapolis for 26 years.

He thought hed seen it all.

I kept thinking as I've gotten older, I'll be 60 in June, that I pretty much had covered everything I was going to be able to cover, he said. But this year changed that.

Indiana played a surprisingly large role in the 2016 presidential campaign. During the primaries, the Stop Trump alliance between Republican nominees Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz rose and fell in Indiana, when President-elect Donald Trump won the state. A few months later, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence became the vice presidential nominee under Trump.

Raders father-in-law, Don Schupbach of Columbus, invited him to Tuesdays Noon Rotary meeting at Hy-Vee to talk about his experiences covering the campaign.

During the primaries, Rader interviewed four Democratic and Republican nominees  Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Cruz and Trump.

You see (Trump) at the podium, you see this bombastic man who's pounding his arms going all over the place  that's kind of what I expected for the one-on-one, he said. It wasn't. It wasn't that way at all.

Trumps team told Rader he had to speak with Trump alone before theyd allow the cameraman to join them for the formal interview.

He just started talking to me, 'What do you think about the new person who's going to host 'The Apprentice?'' 'Uh, I don't know. I didn't prepare for that,'" said Rader. Then I don't know why he made the decision he did, but he said, 'OK, its OK.' The photographer comes in, we do the interview.

Rader broke the news that Trump met with Pence while in Indiana.

I heard Trump's plane had broken down, he said. To me, that was a smoke signal to get to the (governors) residence because I just knew that if Trump needed a plane, he wouldnt have a problem getting another plane.

Before Pence was announced as the vice presidential candidate, he was running for re-election in a tough race in Indiana.

There was no certainty he was going to win  he was in an uphill fight in his own state, said Rader. This is not the first time in politics that somebody has thrown somebody a rope. I wont say Pence would have lost in Indiana, but he had a tough road to go.

Rader covered the Democratic and Republican national conventions, where Trump and Pence were officially declared the nominees. He has covered national conventions since 1988, but said this years was different because of his prior experience with Pence.

This is the first time Id covered someone coming through the pipe, said Rader. After Pence gave his address accepting the nomination that night, I was fortunate to get an exclusive one-on-one the next day.

Rader also gave the Rotarians some insight into what its like being a reporter on the campaign trail. He rode in Pences plane, following the campaign to Ohio and Pennsylvania. But aside from one on-flight interview, being on the plane didnt give him the kind of access he assumed it would.

All our gear was stowed so we couldnt get video of the plane, he said. After a couple days, we realized we didn't get anything extra out of this.

Rader also experienced some of the hostility toward the media when he covered election night in New York.

There were people running around there going, 'Yeah, what do you think media boy? What do you think of all this? What do you think now?'" he said. And you're sitting there going, Really? Really? We don't do that in Indiana.

His familiarity with Pence paid off that night after it was announced that Trump won and Pence walked through a line of people, shaking hands. Rader grabbed his photographer and went to the end of the line.

I was the only member of the media who went up to the line, he said. Pence comes up to me and he sees me and I knew we were OK when I heard this: 'Karen (Pence), Kevin's here.'"

Once Pence started talking to him, other media members followed, but Rader was the only one who got to ask questions.

Rader worked a 24-hour shift on Election Day, finally falling asleep early on Nov. 9.

Right when I was crawling into bed at 8 a.m., my phone went off and I looked and it said, 'Can you do a noon?'" he said. And I just shut it off.

One Rotarian asked how much influence Pence could have on the presidency. Rader doesn't know for sure, but said there are signs he is going to be an active vice president.

There is some credibility there with Pence, that he knows how to work in Washington, he said. When (George W.) Bush was elected, people said (Vice President) Dick Cheney was going to be invaluable. Mike Pence will be even more invaluable.

After a long year covering a long campaign, Rader said he's glad he did it.

"I thought, 'Man, I'm glad I rode this horse until it fell,'" he said. "Because it was a good run this year."
Oman joins Saudi-led Islamic alliance:Gulf sources

DUBAI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Oman, which has traditionally resisted Gulf Arab states' efforts to close ranks against Iran, has joined a Saudi-led coalition of Muslim countries to fight terrorism, Saudi and Gulf sources said on Wednesday.

The sultanate indicated its willingness to take part in the 40-country alliance in a letter to Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the sources said.

Although differences are rarely aired in public, Oman has long stood out among its Gulf allies. The Sultanate has worried that a wider regional confrontation between Riyadh and Tehran could threaten its own stability, and seeks to play the conciliator.

"Oman has always in the past taken positions and policies that are contrary to the Gulf positions regarding the region. This now shows the return of Oman to the Gulf consensus against Iran and its political positions," one of the sources said.

The source said Oman's move was a geopolitical shift in the region because "it is known that Oman has been close to Iran, the traditional enemy of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries".

Prince Mohammed was expected to travel to Muscat in coming weeks to prepare for a visit by King Salman, the sources said.

One of the sources said Oman had changed its direction in the region after it realised the "lack of seriousness and of benefits" of cooperation with the Iranians.

Saudi Arabia annnounced the alliance in December 2015, a move welcomed by Washington which has been urging a greater regional involvement in the campaign against Islamic State militants who control swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Although not explicitly aimed at countering Iran, the coalition includes neither Tehran nor its allied government in Iraq.

Oman has watched with concern as rivalry between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran has spread across the region. Riyadh and some other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of which Oman is a member, believe Tehran is using sectarianism to interfere in Arab countries and build its own sphere of Middle East influence.

Riyadh has backed groups opposing Iranian proxies in unrest or outright war in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen, and has persuaded most of the GCC to close ranks against Tehran. Oman has sought to distance itself from that effort.

It facilitated secret U.S. talks with Tehran that led to a 2015 deal on Iran's nuclear programme which Riyadh regarded with deep suspicion.

While other GCC countries gave money and political support to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in his 1980-88 war with Iran, Oman maintained relations with Tehran and helped to mediate a ceasefire that ended the fighting.

The Sultanate, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula through which flows 40 percent of the world's seaborne crude oil, has a history of constructive relations with Tehran, and sees itself as a mediator in a turbulent region.
The Development (Special Provisions) Bill Will create a government above the government

The Chairman of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Prof. G.L. Peiris spoke to Daily Mirror on the provisions of the Development (Special Provisions) Bill. He says it contains provisions even overriding the powers of the President and Parliament.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q : The government is maintaining in their statements during the last few days that the Development (Special Provisions) Bill does not contain anything alarming. What are your views?

The government says this is a figment of the opposition and media. It argues that this is a legitimate measure to accelerate development by encouraging investment, removing roadblocks of various kinds and making it possible for investors to have confidence in decision making. This is the line of thinking articulated by several ministers. Nothing could be further than the truth. It is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever to have been gazetted. The provisions of the bill as gazetted, violate all canons of constitutional governance. It gives short shift to basic values.

We would like to ask what remains for the subject minister to do. His functions evaporate into thin air. If that is the fate of such a powerful minister, one can readily imagine what can be the fate of lesser lights within the government.

It just seeks to create, I would say, not a government within the government, but a government above the government. If it is implemented in this form, the result would be to vest two people with all the core powers of the administration so that all the others become irrelevant. It can easily be shown that the provisions of the bill dangerously erode powers of the President, authority of Parliament, the responsibility of Ministers other than the two super ministers. It restricts the rights of people to invoke jurisdiction, undermining the rule of law. It is presented in a deceptive manner. It does not require much perception to scratch the surface and see what lies beneath.



Q : Why do you make such a conclusion?

Let us examine why we say that it is the death knell of democratic governance! To begin with, the legislation strikes at the very root of the principles of accountability. The entire edifice of the Constitution is constructed on a particular principle. That is the principle of allocation of responsibility and the principle that those who are invested with public power are accountable for the exercise of that power.

Q : How do you elaborate on it?

Article 44 (1) of the Constitution is the pivotal provision in this regard. The effect of that provision is that the President of the Republic is vested with authority to appoint Ministers and to assign subjects to those ministers, and to change those subjects assigned from time to time as circumstances require. It is the President and the President alone who has this power under the Constitution.

Once a minister is appointed by the President, he becomes responsible to Parliament for the proper discharge of the functions of all the institutions coming under his purview. Let us take, for example, the Minister of Trade! The Minister of Trade has many institutions functioning under him.

Those are gazetted by the President. That is the principle on which the government is structured. Now, for the first time, we have a situation under this bill that the line minister is deprived effectively of authority in respect of his own institutions. Another minister comes into the picture to run those institutions. That is the total negation of the principle of responsibility on the part of the ministers appointed by the President and the principle of accountability to Parliament for the proper functioning of institutions under the line minister.



Q : What are the crucial provisions in that regard?

These are the provisions that run directly contrary to that basic principle of constitutionalism. The proposed bill makes provisions for the appointment of super ministers. Actually, there are two super ministers. One is the Minister for National Policy and Economic Affairs. He becomes an omnipotent minister. Under this bill, there is an agency to be established to assist that minister.

The provisions of the bill as gazetted, violate all canons of constitutional governance. It gives short shift to basic values. It just seeks to create, I would say, not a government within the government, but a government above the government.

In terms of section 17 of the proposed bill, the agency has the power to give directions to a vast array of public institutions. Among them are the Board of Investment, the Export Development Board, the Information and Communication Technology Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. The Super Minister, through this agency, has power to give directions to all these authorities. They are bound to give effect to these directions.

What about the ministers who are invested with constitutional responsibility to those bodies? They virtually become defunct in this regard. Their powers are usurped by the super minister. Section 17 goes to the extent of declaring that powers conferred on these bodies by the statutes creating them cannot be exercised by them. They have to exercise those powers in keeping with the instructions, the directions they receive from the authority functioning under the super minister. It is overriding the power of the line minister concerned.

This is how ridiculous it is. According to Section 17 when the BoI or the Trans Development Authority wishes to develop a project falling within their statutes, they cannot do it on their own. They must apply to the agency for permission to do so. It is only with the permission of this agency that they can formulate a policy falling within their own scope. The super ministers authority cuts across all these. That makes him more powerful than the President. The President does not control these bodies in that way. The Presidents power of appointment, to change subjects from time to time are eroded by this legislation.

It has been the empirical experience that it has been regarded as a presidential function to co-ordinate the implementation of major development plans in the country. It is to be with the super minister now under the provisions of this proposed bill. All that is bad enough. It creates a despotic centre of power within the government. But, there is worse to come - This all powerful agency, functioning under the super minister. What makes it worse is the provision 18 (V). All these powers, daunting and awesome in their range, are to be exercised by a managing director. A managing director is a handpicked official. He can be a friend of the minister. He can be taken from the private sector. It is that official who is clothed with authority to use all these powers. Actually, that goes against the grain of constitutional government.

The super minister creates a category of super investors. They are above the statute laws of Parliament. They are anointed by the super minister. By virtue of that anointing, they enjoy a hugely valuable privilege of not being bound by laws related to land alienation and land use that apply to all other investors

In those circumstances, to vest all these powers in the hands of an official plucked out is a violation of democratic values. There is a well-known principle governing the delegation of public power. The public has to be protected by ensuring that wide ranging powers can be delegated only subject to certain control. That is part of checks and balances inherent in our constitution. But Section 19 of the proposed bill gives all this powerful agency the power to delegate authority to regional bodies at will. That, again, makes the citizens vulnerable because not only the authority enjoying vast powers but also the agency can delegate without limit to regional bodies. The government maintains that there is no desire to maintain a super minister.

Q : How truthful is this claim in your view?

One has to take a superficial glance at the actual provisions contained in this legislation. The Minister of National Policy and Economic Affairs is given authority by sections 12 and 4 to designate any part of the country as an economic development area, and publish it in the gazette. Once he does so, the super minister acquires the right to determine purposes for which economic activity can be conducted in that area.

The minister can determine whether there should be agriculture or non-agriculture activities. Once the minister determines it, no other activity is permissible within that area. That is all encompassing power. The Minister has the power to decide all that. The Ministers power cynically infringes the principle of equality contained in Article 12 of the Constitution. The registration of investors is to become the power of the super minister. Then, once the super minister registers investors, the lands, restricted on alienation, do not apply to the investor registered by the super minister.

The super minister creates a category of super investors. They are above the statute laws of Parliament. They are anointed by the super minister. By virtue of that anointing, they enjoy a hugely valuable privilege of not being bound by laws related to land alienation and land use that apply to all other investors. That is totally anomalous. This will amount to untrammeled opportunities for corruption. What will an investor not do to get this privilege?

The two Central Bank scams were the most horrendous in this country. Now, the entire economy is open to corruption. This is an invitation to massive corruption. We are appalled that the ministers have not bothered to acquaint themselves with the contents of this bill.



Q : Why do you say so?

Now, we would like to pose a direct question to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. We would like to ask him whether he had a look at this bill. If not, we would like to quote for his benefit. This is in reference to the economic developing areas to be created. There is a sweeping range of functions

If I quote, Planning and implementation of coastal fisheries and fish farming, offshore fishing and construction of boats for deep sea fisheries, infrastructure value addition, and the manufacture, storage and distribution of fisheries products .

We would like to ask what remains for the subject minister to do. His functions evaporate into thin air. If that is the fate of such a powerful minister, one can readily imagine what can be the fate of lesser lights within the government. It is abundantly clear that this super minister is not only above the President, the constitution, but also above Parliament.

The super minister has the power to make regulations to be laid before Parliament. Parliament of course has the right to reject those regulations. But, the bill contains startling provisions that even where Parliament rejects regulations made and published in the gazette, all actions taken by the minister, during the interim period, remain valid and binding notwithstanding the rejection by Parliament. In that regard, the Minister stands above Parliament and overrides it. That is contrary to the seminal principle of our Constitution.

It is the President and the President alone who has this power under the Constitution. Once a minister is appointed by the President, he becomes responsible to Parliament for the proper discharge of the functions of all the institutions coming under his purview.

Then, there is another device in this bill to strengthen the super minister. That is anathema in terms of acted constitutional values. That is the policy development office that functions under the

super minister.

There is a dangerous provision contained in the bill providing for tax incentives to be determined by the Development Strategies and International Trade Minister. That is a function of the Finance Ministry.

There is a totally objectionable provision contained in Section 51 of the bill. That is now under this super minister for Development Strategies and International Trade, there is an authority to be established. Its composition is defined. It consists of government officials and those drawn from the private sector. If those people act in a manner that is unlawful, the damages determined by court, is to be paid out of the Consolidated Fund. What is the deterrent for the offending person? He does not have to pay anything. It is a direct violation of the rule of law.
State Minister of Finance, Laklshman Yapa Abeywarda today blamed the UNP for not discussing the Development (Special Provisions) Bill with the nine chief ministers and said the Bill would be redrafted and presented to the Provincial Councils before tabling it in Parliament.

He told journalists that the government should have updated the chief ministers and obtained their views before presenting the Bill to the PCs.

If that was done, the Bill would not have been rejected by the Provincial Councils and the Government would not have been embarrassed with what happened, he added.

The state minister said the SLFP supported the setting up of a mechanism to expedite investment, industrial development and tourism and has a help to investors to make their investments without the hassles of red tape and bureaucratize bungling.

Responding to a journalist, he said the SLFP was opposed to the the concentration of power in a single minister as it is against the concept of good governance.

He said there was a 'super minister' in the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime but ultimately the people rejected the super minister and the then government.

The minister said the government would act speedily on the bond scam soon after the COPE report was debated in Parliament next year.

"I admit to a delay in dealing with the bond scam but until Speaker Karu Jayasuriya sends the report to the Attorney General for necessary action after a debate we cannot do anything about it. We in the SLFP take the responsibility to accelerate the legal process on the bond scam," he said. (Sandun A Jayasekera)

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Pix by Pradeep Pathirana
Group Lease Holdings, a Singaporean subsidiary of Thai-listed Group Lease Public Company Limited (GL), has appointed two directors to the Colombo Stock Exchange listed Commercial Credit and Finance PLC after purchasing a 29.9 percent stake in the Sri Lankan entity.

GL Group Chairman and CEO Mitsuji Konoshita, and GL Director and CFO Regis Martin, a Frenchman, were appointed as directors of Commercial Credit and Finance last week, with approval from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Konoshita, who graduated from the Osaka University in Japan with a Masters and Bachelors in Law, has been the Chairman of the GL Group since 2007, and had taken on the role of the CEO in 2012 as well.

In addition to heading GL subsidiaries, he is also the Chairman of the Engine Holdings Asia Pte. Ltd, another subsidiary of GLs parent Wedge Holdings Co. Ltd, which is based in Osaka. Martin has a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Applied Economics and an MA in International Business from the University of Paris IX Dauphine. He had been employed at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance prior to transitioning to the private sector, where he has since held many portfolios, including but not limited to being the LOreal Paris Sales Forecast Controller, Morison Kak & Associes Senior Auditor and Finance and Devenco Investment Portfolio Manager.

Since joining as the Business Performance Manager at GL Finance Plc, Martin has gone on to become a director at various GL Group companies.

The GL Group recently bought 29.99 percent of the shares of Commercial Credit and Finance for Rs.10.56 billion, and also purchased a controlling share of Commercial Credit and Finances associate company BG Microfinance Myanmar Co. Ltd.
Sri Lankas diversified Hayleys group yesterday revealed its latest venture, the World Export Centre, a state-of-the-art A grade office twin towers, with 55 floors each, having 3.8 million square feet of commercial office space.

The towers will provide working space for 20,000 employees, with ample parking for over 2,000 vehicles, 3 floors of retail and office amenities.

This transformative project, the viability of which would depend on infrastructure development incentives offered by the government of Sri Lanka similar to what has been granted in the recent past for similar developments, will enable Sri Lankan and global export-oriented firms to house and exhibit their products and services in a single holistic location, a brief statement by the company said.

When inquired from Hayley group Executive Chairman/CEO Mohan Pandithage of the investment and the timelines of the project, he told Mirror Business that a detailed statement containing all the information about the project would be released shortly.

Hayleys Co-Chairman and controlling shareholder Dhammika Perera this October hinted on his plans to construct an office tower to house the group businesses saying that having separate small offices was too costly.

Im right now learning more about office complexes, Perera told the 37th National Conference of Chartered Accountants this October.

Perera said he had been talking to a foreign consultant about the project, where the consultant was surprised by the lack of A grade office complexes in the country.

Over 100 companies operate under Hayleys group and it owns a 6-acre land in Foster Lane, Colombo 10 where currently the group operations are located. The property where the new twin towers will be constructed was valued over Rs.6.3 billion according to Hayley PLCs latest annual report.
Leema Creations (Pvt) Ltd, the most sought after interior specialist in Sri Lanka had been honoured with the National Gold Award for large category segment at the Entrepreneur of the Year 2016, annual ceremony organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industries in Sri Lanka (FCCISL).

In addition, the company also bagged the Provincial Gold Medal for large category at the ceremony. This is the second consecutive year the company won the National Gold Award. Leema Creations has won awards previously for five years consecutively since 2010. Channa Wijesekara, Managing Director and Shamika Wijesekara, Director/CEO of Leema Creations accepted the honour at the ceremony held at Stein Studio Complex on recently.

Operating under the standards of ISO 9001:2008 certification and the guide lines, Leema market visibility has been growing steadily since inception. Being synonymous with genuine interest in customer satisfaction, Leema has won the highest level of appreciation of the clientele, whether they are domestic or commercial irrespective of the size or volume of the project. In keeping with the surge in business volume, the company is continually improving human and physical resources in order to maintain the high standards both in service and products.

During the past year, many a modern machinery was introduced to the manufacturing plant in order to enhance the production capacity. The Design and project teams were further strengthened to facilitate the ever increasing work volume and client demand.

The existing 60,000 square foot manufacturing Plant of Leema Creations is located at Dompe is one of the main contributing factors for winning awards. The area of operation of the plant is scheduled to be increased by further 10,000 sq.ft by end of the year. The Factory is one of the most advanced in Sri Lanka with a combination of computerized equipment and fine craftsmanship ensures exact execution of the detailed projects. Leemas highly trained and skilled production team works with state-of-the-art equipment and a host of other standard tools.

Competently guided by the industry veteran Channa Wijesekara, the Founder Managing Director and the vibrant & capable Director/ CEO Shamika Wijesekara, Leema continues to be the force to be reckoned with in the interior and furniture market.
Heads of the Police Traffic Headquarters are baffled by the act of a junior officer who had permitted a powerful highway patrol motorcycle (worth Rs.3.5 million) to be used to escort a wedding car in Modera last week.

The Chief Inspector at the Traffic Police Headquarters had given permission to send a 600 cc Yamaha motorcycle -- which according to an order given by IGP Pujith Jayasundara should be solely used for highway and express way patrolling, .

Daily Mirror learns that motorcycle No. BAS 6534 had been sent to escort a car carrying the newly weds from Kotahena to Modera last Thursday (22) evening.

The motorcycle had escorted the car to the couple's wedding reception at the Jesu Jeewamanai Church in Aluthmawatha Road, Modera, where President Maithripala Sirisena had been a special dignitary.

A request by one of the wedding organisers on the previous day to the Superintendent of Traffic Headquarters to issue a powerful motorcycle to escort the wedding car had been refused as it was strictly against orders.

A recent circular by the IGP had stated that such bikes should only be used for highway patrolling, and special permission should be sought from the Senior DIG if it was to be used for any other purpose, such as escorting a foreign dignitary or a religious leader.

The said CI had issued the motorcycle without such permission and caused a stir among the police top brass for defying orders.

The same officer had had to face an inquiry earlier for issuing a Police radio patrol car for a non-official purpose on his own initiative.(Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)
One of the national governments important promises was to introduce legislation and effectively implement the laws to make healthcare, mainly medicinal drugs available to all people at affordable prices. Within months of its election on January 8 last year, the government did introduce comprehensive legislation for the implementation of Prof.

Senaka Bibiles widely acclaimed healthcare and essential medicinal drugs policy. The legislation was unanimously approved.

After the general elections in August last year, the Health Minster appointed the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) to implement the Bibile policy. The widely respected pharmacologist Prof. Laal Jayakody was appointed as its chairman and the World Health Organisations former South Asian drug policy chief Prof. Krishantha Weerasuriya was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer.

According to most health action groups, the NMRA which began operations in November last year after sufficient human, financial and other resources were made available to it did a fairly effective job in preventing dubious suppliers from importing non-essential drugs to the value of tens of millions of rupees.

In one instance a supplier asked for a no objection letter to import anti-malaria drugs to the value of about Rs. 40 million. Prof. Weerasuriya checked with the Anti- Malaria Campaign which said such drugs were not needed as Sri Lanka was virtually malaria free.

But Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne was not too happy with the pace at which the progress of the NMRA. He said the people were complaining they were not getting personal relief from the Senaka Bibile policy. The NMRA said that with about 10,000 varieties of medicinal drugs having been registered during the past four decades, it needed time to analyse all varieties and decide on the essential drugs that should be imported and prescribed.

This was to be done on the basis of safety, quality, efficacy, the cost of the drug and the need for them. But the Minister wanted an urgent action. Prof. Jayakody and Prof. Weerasuriya then resigned saying they were unable to do their work effectively because of interference by ministry officials and other vested interests apparently including agents of transnational drug corporations.

Some months ago, Minister Senaratne in a controversial move appointed another pharmacologist, Prof. Asita de Silva as the chairman of the NMRA and the Health Ministrys Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe as the CEO. He reportedly told Prof. De Silva, head of the pharmacology faculty of the Colombo North Medical College, to work out a way to reduce prices of some essential drugs as soon as possible. Prof. De Silva did so and introduced a reduction in prices for 48 essential drugs.

This was implemented from October 21. Two months later, despite protest and criticisms, the price reduction plan appears to be working effectively and a confident minister is saying that more price reduction will come soon. The Ministry is spending millions of rupees to advertise the effectiveness of this price reduction plan and how the Bibile policy is being implemented as a first step to give quality healthcare to all people.

But senior pharmacists have appealed to the Minister and the NMRA to work out a price reduction plan where medical specialists will not be forced to prescribe any particular drug while no drug will be forced down the throats of the people.

We also urge the minister to act fast in setting up the new drug quality assurance laboratory while going ahead with the public private partnership to set up companies that will manufacture 70 percent of the drugs we need.
With last weeks release of a taped conversation between the Editor of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge and former President Mahinda Rajapakse, there has been a buzz of speculation as to who released the tape and why the tape was released at this particular time. The contents of the tape, the tone and manner of the conversation and the relationship between the two has been dissected and analysed by media pundits and the public alike but all questions are yet unanswered and the emergence of the tape remains a mystery.

Then, as if that wasnt mysterious enough, this week a second tape emerged of a conversation between the two, and it mainly centred around a joourno hit list sent to foreign embassies in Colombo.

As someone who closely associated with the assassinated journalist and thus privy to many things that went on at the time surrounding his life and work, I can say that the conversation which has been dated at May 08, 2008, was in fact the mending fences or burying-the-hatchet conversation. To explain what this means, I need to go back a little in time and put things in perspective as well as reveal what Wickrematunge himself felt about his friendship with Mahinda.

The Editor and the former President had known each other since the late eighties. During the Presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda who was a minister of that government, was certainly not one of her blue-eyed boys. In fact the two clashed quite a bit and Kumaratunga referred to Rajapakse as the Reporter hinting that he leaked many government and cabinet secrets to the media, in particular Lasantha Wickrematunge. The friendship spanned many years and indeed Mahinda did provide a great deal of grist to Wickrematunges journalistic mill. When Rajapakse became Prime Minister in 2004, the Sunday Leader warmly congratulated him in its editorial.

Towards 2008 however, the President seemed to have had a change of heart. For whatever reason, he was keen to mend fences with Wickrematunge and directed his physician Lindsay Eliyantha White to do the needful....

However, the friendship was doomed for disaster after Wickrematunge broke the Helping Hambantota scandal in January 2005 and continued with weekly follow-ups. At the heart of the scandal was Prime Minister Rajapakse who was enraged as a result, and the one-time buddies turned enemies.

After Rajapakse was elected President in November of that year, the animosity between the two boiled over to a now infamous screaming match on the telephone after the President was wrongly informed by a diplomat that The Leader was most likely to be the newspaper that would carry a story regarding a visit by the President and his wife to a hallowed temple in India.

The two were from then on sworn enemies and The Leader continued to week after week splash investigative stories on corruption in the government.

Towards 2008 however, the President seemed to have had a change of heart. For whatever reason, he was keen to mend fences with Wickrematunge and directed his physician Lindsay Eliyantha White to do the needful. White was introduced to Wickrematunge by a businessman relative of White who was known to Wickrematunge. The Editor however steadfastly refused to meet the President. What the motivations of the President to mend fences or to be seen to be mending fences can only be conjectured, but Wickrematunge seems to have had some idea.

He said in that email, There is a doctor who is also a faith healer. He is part British and part Sinhala. He is Mahindas doctor. He is the man whom Mahinda sent to meet me through another friend saying he wants to get friendly etc. He is the one who attends to all his medical needs etc. He keeps a low profile and not many people know him or about him. He cures cancers etc.

Anyway I am taking some treatment from him for my pressure. He said some of my nerves on the right side of the brain was damaged leading to the pressure. The medicine involves applying some oil for three days and some kasaya and stuff. My friend ***** whose relation he is, is the person that brought him to me. I of course refused to meet Mahinda. because he can always kill me thereafter and say we were once again friends and that I had even met him....

However, at some point, Wickrematunge gave in to the pressure by his businessman friend and Lindsay White to talk with the President.. The telephone conversation on the tape in question is that mending fences conversation. That is the reason why there is a great deal of awkward laughter at the beginning of that call initiated by the President.

Wickrematunge was known to tape important telephone conversations but my guess is that this one was taped by Mahinda. Why it was leaked at this point is unknown, however it seems that with the CID team covering a great deal of ground in recent times in the Wickrematunge murder case, people are feeling the heat and keen to show the world that he and the slain editor were good friends.

The Wickrematunge family are adamant the tape was not released from their quarter and there is no rhyme or reason as to why anyone from his camp would release this tape, which on the contrary has only caused confusion in the minds of people with regards to this outstanding journalist and fine human being.

Operator : Wait a moment, Sir needs to speak to you

M : Hello

L : Hello

M : Hi, how are you?

L : Hi, how are you? What is happening? (giggles) 

M : Now its okaynow the matter is over. (both laughs)

L : Now what will happen hereafter? 

M : This will move as it iswe have to see what we have to do

L : Is it that LTTE items are coming ortheres a rumour that another Provincial Council election is coming up?... Is there no decision like that? 

M : It has not been decided yetsome are saying lets have an election but some are saying just let it go as it isits not an easy thinglot of money is also required

L : Truetrue.

M : After all we have to find money from various places and give for these (both giggle) 

L : Finally the economic crisis will be an impact on the country need to find a solution to that, I guessToday a barrel of oil has risen up to. (audio hissing) 

M : Now they say it will go up to 200

L : But in the coming two months it will go up to 150.

M : That is the thing

L : Hmm

M : Cant even hedge it now

L : no no you cant the way it is going up

M : At least the cultivation is on so that the meals could be arranged with difficulty

L : Yes true.at least people in villages can survive as they grow cropsits difficult to survive in cities the industries in cities face great difficulty as everything goes up with the increasing of oil prices lets see.

M : I also visited Oxford last week

L : ah yes you went and came. (both giggle for long) next time you can visit the Cambridge (both giggle)

M : No no. visiting one is enough (both giggle)

L : I must tell one more thing maybe would not like to hear this. But try to look into corruption committed by various personsthing about you is if someone helped you once, you will protect that person if he even commits a murder its a good virtue on one hand. But as the President one must have control over certain things

M : No matter how much I tell they dont listen I even tell in public not to commit cheap deeds but they wouldnt listen

L : No but if you took over their portfolios and push them aside they will learn a lesson

M : Whythat you have once published (deep audio hissing)

L : yesyes

M : Dont record this

L : No . No.

M : (audio hissing) Commander did something like this. He did it through a different company(deep audio hissing)

L : Yesthats what we even said

M : (audio hissing) Yes he had done underhand without informing anyone we did not have a single clue until he comes and tell us

L : So the agent is Lalins brother? (audio hissing)

M : Maybewho knows? Hes still not admitting that he brought them hes still covering it up

L : Well this is the thingwe also cant write everything dont tell anyonebut several messages were sent yesterday through various people that there is a campaign by Sarath Fonseka and (audio hissing) to attack him (both giggle).... but there is no relevance to that because this did not come from the army.

M : Even when I asked him he didnt tell me (audio hissing) but army commander is saying he followed the procedures that the purchase was done between two governments(audio hissing) and that they cant select companies here and there and that he would be responsible at the end

L : We called them before writing this then they should reply and clarify in this but they didnt do that then after we wrote it they complain

M : This is the thing noh. (both giggle) thats their fault next time if theres anything that you need to know from them call me and tell so that I can direct them to talk to the paper and clarify if you talk they will respond but if someone else talk they hesitate to talk.

L : Well the reporter who writes the story has to contact them for comment I cannot call everyone to get a comment right? Then the reporter has to take the responsibility of the story.

M : Next time when you tell me in advance send me a message through someone I will tell them to speak if a reporter would speak

L : yes

M : That is betterotherwise if things are going to expose like this it would be harassment to us also.

By L.Peiris
National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa arrived at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) this morning to give a statement in connection with his alleged involvement in misusing government vehicles.

Earlier, the Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayarathna ordered Mr. Weerawansa to appear before the FCID today and tomorrow over misuse of government vehicles.

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LINCOLN  An effort to crack open the U.S. Constitution and install new restraints on the federal government will return to the Nebraska Legislature next year.

State Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete says she'll bring back a proposal for this state to join a call for a convention of states to consider constitutional amendments restricting federal spending and power, and limiting terms for federal officeholders.

At a simulated convention held in September, delegates proposed abolishing the federal income tax, requiring a supermajority of Congress to approve any new federal debt and enabling one-quarter of either house of Congress to force a vote on any new federal regulation.

Supporters say a real convention of states  which would be a first in U.S. history  would provide a long-needed check on federal authority.

Donald Trump's victory in the presidential race and Republican majorities in Congress haven't lessened the desire by some to limit federal power and spending, said Ebke, who ran for office as a Republican but has since registered as a Libertarian.

"There is a growing sense in the public that regardless of who's in the White House, that's not going to fix all of our problems," she said.

Opponents argue the convention process isn't defined well enough to prevent it from spiraling out of control, with diverging interests trying to alter other portions of the Constitution.

"People don't understand what's at stake," said Renee Fry, executive director of OpenSky Policy Institute, a Lincoln-based think-tank.

Eight state legislatures have already passed similar applications for a convention of states; 34 must do so for a convention to take place, although the applications have no expiration date.

If a convention is held, any proposed constitutional amendments must then be ratified by legislatures or state-level conventions in three-fourths of the states. The process is outlined in Article V of the Constitution.

Ebke introduced a similar proposal in 2015, which was briefly debated by the full Legislature this year before being returned to committee and removed from the legislative agenda.

This time, Ebke said, "We may have more voices ready to say something."

Ten senators cosigned the previous resolution (LR35), but she expects to have a "significant number" of new cosponsors in the upcoming legislative session, which starts Jan. 4.

She and two supporters  Sens. Curt Friesen of Henderson and Brett Lindstrom of Omaha  took part in September's simulated convention of states in Williamsburg, Virginia.

They didn't wear tricorn hats, but the three Nebraskans at one point followed a fife and drum corps through Colonial Williamsburg, and heard speeches by actors portraying James Madison, who is considered the father of the Constitution, and Patrick Henry, another founding father who famously coined the words, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Despite the Revolutionary flare, Ebke said technology and the expectation of transparency would make a modern convention more accountable than when the Constitution was born in 1787.

That founding document was drafted in Philadelphia's Independence Hall with doors locked and windows shuttered.

"That's not going to happen this time," Ebke said. "You do something like this, everything's going to be televised, everything's going to be live-streamed, every delegate's going to have their cellphone and be tweeting."

Fry called the idea concerning, if proposals that advanced from the simulated convention are any indicator.

She said restricting federal debt would hinder the government's ability to weather a recession without raising taxes, and eliminating the income tax would wipe out 47 percent of federal revenue.

"They wanted a simulation to show that it wouldn't be a runaway convention, and what they did would have decimated our economy," she said. "There's a lot at stake for Nebraskans."

That includes millions of federal dollars funneled into this state for rural schools, hospitals and broadband Internet access, as well as funding for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans assistance and other public benefits, Fry said.

Limiting federal power could also mean "taking an eraser" to constitutionally protected voting rights or eliminating avenues for help if those rights are violated, said Bri McLarty, director of voting rights at the nonprofit Nebraskans for Civic Reform.

McLarty said Ebke's proposal "flew under the radar" last legislative session. Next year, "if it gets out of committee, it will be a big battle."

Vernon Kirk, a clinical psychologist from Gering who supports Ebke's proposal, said the requirement that three-fourths of states ratify any proposed amendments is a good safeguard, essentially ensuring veto power for any 12 states.

The federal government existed for decades without an income tax, Kirk said, and no matter which major political party is in power, it "still gets bigger and more bloated."

Supporters also see a convention of states as the most effective way to dial back the national debt, which is approaching $20 trillion.

Kirk said the only other way to cut the debt is through Congress. However, "the chance of that is zero because they're really happy with their out-of-control spending."

He also supports amendments to limit U.S. Supreme Court power and grant more regulatory authority to the states.

"It's necessary because our federal government is out of control."
The custom of giving and receiving presents on Christmas traces its origins to the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. In the spirit of this tradition, international students studying in France, sent to the Pyrenees Mountains for Christmas holidays by International Student and Trainee Centre (CIES), were required to present a national dish from their country to 250 guests. My wife and I were the only Indian representatives and she decided to prepare le curry de pommes de terre et petits pois.

The only problem was she didnt know how to cook.

This was 1987. I had been deputed by the Indian government for a year-long course to International Institute of Public Administration (IIAP), Paris. I had got married a few months earlier and took my wife along. CIES, the French organisation providing lodging, social and counselling services to international students, had organised a winter trip to Argeles- Gazost, a town in the Pyrenees Mountains on the border of France and Spain.

Remember there was no Google, no internet, no mobile phones, no instant messaging services. The international telephone calls from public booths were prohibitively expensive and beyond reach of the modest monthly scholarship paid by the French government to me.

But my wife conceptually knew the principles of cooking. The challenge was the huge quantity involved (each dish was a standalone main course); the low tolerance of the French for anything chilly or strong masalas; and finally, the availability of the basic ingredients.

Thanks to some Indian shops in the town of Pau, located at the foothills, condiments were no problem. The peeling of potatoes was done with the help of electric potato peeler (a gadget we were seeing for the first time) by a Mauritian of Indian origin, pining for Indian food after several months of hostel food.

Peas were tinned, hence already peeled. I helped her by getting out of her way. How she got the quantity right, the ingredients right, the timing right, was a miracle. Her dish was fourth in line after Moroccan, Mexican, and Korean offerings. The food trolley was rolled into the dining hall to Indian music, with us dancing the Bhangra in Indian attire. With much fanfare, the plates were placed before the invitees and, with fork and knife, they dug in. The dish was a great hit and my wife got a standing ovation.

There were a few casualties though  some over-sensitive stomachs which couldnt negotiate the minor masalas. They broke out in cold sweat and gulped water after water. But overall, she kept the Indian flag flying high.

Incidentally, the dish she cooked is called aloo matar curry in Hindi.

The statue of 'Our Lady of Lourdes' at the entrance to the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes. (Credit: Reuters photo)

The other remembrance of the Christmas miracle is linked to the town of Lourdes  an important center of Christian pilgrimage  which was located close to Argeles- Gazost and which we had the good fortune of being taken to during the holiday trip.

This is the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared before St Bernadette. The Grotto of Massabielle below the Upper Basilica, the place where the apparitions occurred, draws the faithful. Millions come to pray, kiss the rock of the Grotto and make votive offerings.

It is said that the Virgin Mary gestured to St Bernadette to dig under the rock by the Grotto. A puddle was formed, which turned into a perennial spring of clear, fresh water. Nearby are taps fed by the water from the spring. This water is said to possess miraculous powers. Believers drink it and carry it away in bottles.

We filled a plastic bottle, molded in the likeness of Mother Mary, and brought it back to Delhi after the end of the Paris course. The magical powers of the holy water were first put to the test the day our first child was born, in 1989. Desperate for a maid, we had moved heaven and earth, trying to find someone suitable, but to no avail. We then learned about a Christian institution in South Delhi which supplied trained domestic help. These were mostly tribal girls from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Naturally, the demand far outstripped the supply. I visited the institution for several months to plead my case, with no luck. The waiting hall was invariably packed with anxious potential employers and I was told that the minimum waiting period could extend up to a year.

Mother Mary smiled upon us a few hours before my daughter came into this world. As I left for my umpteenth visit to the institution, an inner voice told me to take the bottle from Lourdes along. Speaking with the sister in the institutions driveway, I brought up the subject of the holy water. I expressed my fervent wish to donate some of it to the institution. The sister was dumbstruck at the offer. The miraculous water of Lourdes delivered at her doorstep? What was the catch?

There was none, I assured her, just a gesture of thanksgiving in advance. The offer was accepted.

At that very instant, in walked a couple with their maid. They told the sister that they had to leave the country immediately and had come to drop the maid back. And the maid, who had been trained to look after newborn infants, agreed to work for us. Moments later, I was rushing to the hospital with the maid in tow. The holy water had worked wonders!

The Madonna bottle, remained half-empty until 1994, when it exhibited its magical powers yet again, this time in Mumbai.

The convent school where our daughter was seeking admission had closed its lists. Heeding my inner voice again, the holy water as well as the bottle was donated to the school. And a vacancy miraculously appeared. A students father was being transferred, and our daughter was admitted right away.
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OMAHA  Nebraskans could be saving more on their electric bills, according to a new study paid for by groups seeking to open the state to competition from private electric companies.

But Nebraska's public power advocates say the numbers don't add up and questioned claims made in the study conducted by Goss & Associates Economic Solutions, which is headed by Creighton University professor Ernie Goss.

The study says potential savings are being stunted as cheap electricity generated by natural gas and wind in other states undercuts sales of less cost-effective power made by Nebraska coal-fired and nuclear plants.

The study focuses on the Nebraska and Omaha public power districts. The groups that paid for it are calling for the Legislature to let customers choose who they buy electricity from, as well as mandate more transparent billing that shows separate charges for energy, demand, transmission and distribution.

The study was paid for by the Wind is Water Foundation, which has a close relationship with Americans for Electricity Choice, a nonprofit led by Gary Aksamit. The Nebraska native has spent three years pushing to open the state to competition from for-profit electric producers.

Wind is Water director Michael Matheson said the groups are working with state senators to introduce legislation to reform Nebraskas power landscape, but he would not identify the senators.

Increased competition will lead to lower electric bills, and more transparent bills will let consumers know what drives changes in their rates, Goss said Tuesday at one of a series of news conferences being held across the state to promote the study.

More than a dozen states including Texas already allow customers to choose electric providers in a system known as retail choice.

That would also let consumers decide whether they want to buy from companies that focus on renewable sources or simply pick the cheapest option, Goss said.

Shelley Sahling-Zart, vice president and general counsel for Lincoln Electric System, said the study seems like a solution in search of a problem.

Nebraska's electric rates are some of the lowest in the U.S. Last year, the state had the 15th lowest statewide average electric rate in the nation, a fact to which public power companies point to.

"On residential rates, Nebraska is lower than all the retail choice states, about 31 percent lower than the retail choice states' average," Sahling-Zart said.

Nebraska is the only state to be entirely served by public electric utilities.

Nebraskas utilities already buy electricity from a regional market, Goss said; consumer choice would cut out the middle man.

The three largest electric utilities -- Nebraska Public Power District, Omaha Public Power District and Lincoln Electric System -- joined a regional power system in 2009 known as the Southwest Power Pool based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 2014, the pool launched a wholesale marketplace for electric sales, coordination of next-day power generation and improvement of regional balancing of electric supply and demand.

The basic idea is that all power generators bid their electricity into the pool, then buy out what they need for resale to customers. So the cheapest electricity gets used first and more expensive electricity might not get generated at all if its not needed.

Southwest Power Pool said its marketplace has saved members $1 billion since going online by making cheap electricity available throughout the region.

Goss' study says Nebraska's power districts are struggling to produce power cheap enough to be viable on the market, leaving the state's less-efficient plants idle and districts less able to recover fixed costs.

He pointed to the shuttering of OPPDs Fort Calhoun Station and the idling of NPPDs Sheldon Station in September, both because Southwest Power Pool's wholesale market prices were lower than the plants cost of production.

NPPD spokesman Mark Becker refuted the claim, saying the district's power plants, including Sheldon Station, are being called on by the pool to produce power.

Goss did not have information on the cost of producing electricity for each of the states individual power plants, but he said the market price is below the aggregate price at which NPPD or OPPD can generate it.

NPPDs average generation cost in 2015 was $28.21 per megawatt hour and OPPD's was $32.11 per mwh, while the average Southwest Power Pool day-ahead market price was $22.84 per mwh and real-time market price was $21.68 per mwh, according to the study.

Nebraska long has benefited from the Wyoming Powder River Basins coal, but cheap natural gas from the fracking boom and wind generation is undercutting some of Nebraskas coal-burning generators, the study says.

NPPD generates nearly 52 percent of its power from coal, 30 percent from nuclear, 6.5 percent from wind, 5.5 percent from purchases, 5.3 percent from hydroelectric sources and 1 percent from natural gas or oil.

NPPD has not raised its residential rates for four consecutive years. The district plans to increase wholesale rates, what it charges other utilities, by an average of 0.6 percent in 2017.

The study does not address LES, which for 2017 has proposed raising its systemwide electric rates an average of 3 percent.

LES said it has the 13th lowest rates this year among 100 cities surveyed nationwide. Compared to seven other Midwestern cities -- including Omaha, Minneapolis and Des Moines -- LES rates are the lowest in six of 12 categories, including residential rates.

Earlier this year, Aksamit sued the states four largest public power entities seeking to get detailed information of generation costs. The case is still in the courts.

On Tuesday, he called for relegating Nebraskas public power companies to managing infrastructure like electric lines and power poles, then allow for-profit companies to provide the power.

What Im advocating for is a separation of the power generation business from the lines and the wires business in Nebraska, Aksamit said. Set the generation assets aside in a trust and allow them to wind themselves down. Whichever ones are economically viable will remain. Whichever ones arent economically viable will be flushed out through the marketplace.
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.
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.
National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, and savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services comprise credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment comprises investment solutions, trust services, banking services, lending services, and other wealth management solutions. The Financial Markets segment offers corporate banking, advisory, and capital markets services; and project financing, debt, and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance products; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and investment solutions, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and monetization. It provides its services through a network of 384 branches and 927 banking machines. National Bank of Canada was founded in 1859 and is based in Montreal, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of D.R. Horton: 10700 Pecan Park Austin Inc., 11241 Slater Avenue NE LLC, 2 C Development Company LLC, 8800 Roswell Road Bldg. B LLC, 91st Avenue & Happy Valley L.L.C., ANN & 215 LLC, Austin Data Inc., BP456 Inc., C. Richard Dobson Builders Inc., CH Funding LLC, CH Investments of Texas Inc., CHI Construction Company, CHM Partners L.P., CHTEX of Texas Inc., CV Mountain View 25 Inv LLC, Cane Island LLC, Continental Homes Inc., Continental Homes of Texas L.P., Continental Residential Inc., Continental Traditions LLC, Crown Operating Company Inc., Cypress Road L.P., D.R. Horton - CHAustin LLC, D.R. Horton - Colorado LLC, D.R. Horton - Crown LLC, D.R. Horton - Emerald Ltd., D.R. Horton - Georgia LLC, D.R. Horton - Hawaii LLC, D.R. Horton - Highland LLC, D.R. Horton - Indiana LLC, D.R. Horton - Iowa LLC, D.R. Horton - MV LLC, D.R. Horton - Nebraska LLC, D.R. Horton - Permian LLC, D.R. Horton - Regent LLC, D.R. Horton - Terramor LLC, D.R. Horton - Texas Ltd., D.R. Horton - WPH LLC, D.R. Horton - Wyoming LLC, D.R. Horton BAY Inc., D.R. Horton CA2 Inc., D.R. Horton CA3 Inc., D.R. Horton CA4 LLC, D.R. Horton Commercial Inc., D.R. Horton Cruces Construction Inc., D.R. Horton Inc. - Birmingham, D.R. Horton Inc. - Chicago, D.R. Horton Inc. - Denver, D.R. Horton Inc. - Dietz-Crane, D.R. Horton Inc. - Greensboro, D.R. Horton Inc. - Gulf Coast, D.R. Horton Inc. - Huntsville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Jacksonville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Louisville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Midwest, D.R. Horton Inc. - Minnesota, D.R. Horton Inc. - NNV, D.R. Horton Inc. - New Jersey, D.R. Horton Inc. - Portland, D.R. Horton Inc. - Torrey, D.R. Horton Inc. Foundation, D.R. Horton Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton LA North Inc., D.R. Horton Life Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton Los Angeles Holding Company Inc., D.R. Horton Management Company Ltd., D.R. Horton Materials Inc., D.R. Horton Realty LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Atlantic County LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Central Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Delaware LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Georgia Inc., D.R. Horton Realty of Melbourne LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Tampa LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Virginia LLC, D.R. Horton Seabridge Marina Inc., D.R. Horton Serenity Construction LLC, D.R. Horton Urban Renewal LLC, D.R. Horton VEN Inc., D.R. Horton  Corpus Christi LLC, DBC54 LLC, DHI Commercial - Lakeview LLC, DHI Commercial - Signal Butte LLC, DHI Commercial - Tamarron LLC, DHI Commercial Inc., DHI Communities Construction LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Arizona LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Colorado LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Florida LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Iowa LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Nevada LLC, DHI Communities Construction of North Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of South Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Texas LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Utah LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Virginia LLC, DHI Communities II LLC, DHI Communities Inc., DHI Engineering LLC, DHI Insurance Inc., DHI Mortgage Company, DHI Mortgage Company GP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company LP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company Ltd., DHI Ranch Ltd., DHI Realty of Alabama LLC, DHI Realty of Mississippi LLC, DHI Title GP Inc., DHI Title LP Inc., DHI Title of Alabama Inc., DHI Title of Arizona Inc., DHI Title of Florida Inc., DHI Title of Minnesota Inc., DHI Title of Nevada Inc., DHI Title of Texas Ltd., DHI Title of Washington Inc., DHI Verandah South Shores Communities LLC, DHIC - Bridges LLC, DHIC - Brittmore LLC, DHIC - Carolina Forest LLC, DHIC - Desert Peak LLC, DHIC - Durbin Creek LLC, DHIC - Freestone LLC, DHIC - Hammock Landing LLC, DHIC - Heritage LLC, DHIC - Horizon Uptown LLC, DHIC - Jacobs Reserve LLC, DHIC - Lakeview LLC, DHIC - Lipoma LLC, DHIC - Minton Cove LLC, DHIC - Mountain Vista LLC, DHIC - Naco LLC, DHIC - Northshore LLC, DHIC - Prairie Village LLC, DHIC - South Creek LLC, DHIC - Tamarron LLC, DHIC - Valley Vista LLC, DHIC - Varina Gateway LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh II LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh III LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh LLC, DHIC - Westridge LLC, DHIC LLC, DHIC  Glendale LLC, DHIC  Grove West LLC, DHIC  South Park LLC, DHIC  Westinghouse LLC, DHIR - Aspen Vista LLC, DHIR - Avian Pointe LLC, DHIR - Emerald Lakes LLC, DHIR - Fosters Ridge LLC, DHIR - Gulf Stream LLC, DHIR - Parkview at Lynn Haven LLC, DHIR - Poplar Terrace LLC, DHIR - Properties I LLC, DHIR - Rock Ridge LLC, DHIR - Sunset Village LLC, DHIR - Village at Hickory Street LLC, DRH - ARK LLC, DRH - ASG LLC, DRH - HWY 114 LLC, DRH Cambridge Homes LLC, DRH Capital Trust I, DRH Capital Trust II, DRH Capital Trust III, DRH Colorado Realty Inc., DRH Construction Inc., DRH Energy Inc., DRH FS Mortgage Reinsurance Ltd., DRH Land Opportunities I Inc., DRH Land Opportunities II Inc., DRH Mountain View LLC, DRH Oil & Gas Inc., DRH Opportunities I Inc., DRH Properties Inc., DRH Realty Company Inc., DRH Realty of Iowa LLC, DRH Regrem L LLC, DRH Regrem LI LLC, DRH Regrem LII LLC, DRH Regrem LIII LLC, DRH Regrem LIV LLC, DRH Regrem LV LLC, DRH Regrem VII LP, DRH Regrem XII LP, DRH Regrem XIV Inc., DRH Regrem XIX Inc., DRH Regrem XLIX LLC, DRH Regrem XLV LLC, DRH Regrem XLVI LLC, DRH Regrem XLVII LLC, DRH Regrem XLVIII LLC, DRH Regrem XV Inc., DRH Regrem XVI Inc., DRH Regrem XVII Inc., DRH Regrem XVIII Inc., DRH Regrem XX Inc., DRH Regrem XXI Inc., DRH Regrem XXII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIV Inc., DRH Regrem XXV Inc., DRH Southwest Construction Inc., DRH Tucson Construction Inc., DRHI Inc., Deer Valley Office Park LLC, Desert Ridge Phase I Partners, Emerald Creek No. 4 L.P., Emerald Realty of Alabama LLC, Emerald Realty of Central Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of North Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Encore II Inc., Encore Venture Partners II (California) L.P., Encore Venture Partners II (Texas) L.P., Encore Venture Partners L.P., Express Realty of Central Florida LLC, Express Realty of North Florida LLC, Express Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Forestar Group, Forestar Group Inc., Founders Oil & Gas II LLC, Founders Oil & Gas III LLC, Founders Oil & Gas IV LLC, Founders Oil & Gas LLC, Founders Oil & Gas Operating LLC, GP-Encore Inc., Georgetown Data Inc., Germann & McQueen L.L.C., Grand Title Agency LLC, Grande Realty Incorporated, Grande Realty of Pennsylvania LLC, Greywes LLC, HPH Homebuilders 2000 L.P., Hadian LLC, KDB Homes Inc., Kaomalo LLC, Lexington Homes - DRH LLC, MRLF LLC, Martin Road Lake Forest LLC, McQueen & Willis LLC, Meadows I Ltd., Meadows II Ltd., Meadows IX Inc., Meadows VIII Ltd., Meadows X Inc., Melody Homes Inc., Pacific Ridge - DRH LLC, Rielly Carlsbad LLC, Rielly Homes Madison LLC, SFTEN LLC, SGS Communities at Grand Quay L.L.C, SHA Construction LLC, SHLR of California Inc., SHLR of Nevada Inc., SHLR of Washington Inc., SRHI LLC, SSHI LLC, Schuler Homes of Arizona LLC, Schuler Homes of California Inc., Schuler Homes of Oregon Inc., Schuler Homes of Washington Inc., Summerlin Pkwy & Cimarron LLC, Surprise Village North LLC, The Club at Cobblestone LLC, The Club at Hidden River LLC, Tierra Financial Advisors LLC, Travis County Title Company, Treasure Assets LLC, Venture Management of South Carolina LLC, Vertical Construction Corporation, WPH-Camino Ruiz LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon II LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon LLC, Walker Drive LLC, Western Pacific Brea Development LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Mountaingate L.P., Western Pacific Housing - SDG LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Westlake II L.P., Western Pacific Housing Inc., Western Pacific Housing Management Inc., Western Pacific Housing-Antigua LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Broadway LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Canyon Park LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Carrillo LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Communications Hill LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Copper Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Creekside LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lomas Verdes LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lyons Canyon Partners LLC, Western Pacific Housing-McGonigle Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Norco Estates LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Pacific Park II LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue East LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue West LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Playa Vista LLC, Western Pacific Housing-River Ridge LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Terra Bay Duets LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Meadows LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Village Center LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Windemere LLC, and Wilson Parker Homes.

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Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. 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BAYARD -- She didnt expect Chimney Rock to teach her so much.

She didnt expect to become so connected to the 325-foot landmark, almost possessive of it, that shed bristle slightly when she saw others taking its photo, too.

Or that shed be this sad that the project to photograph the monument every day during 2016 is over in a few days.

Its bittersweet, Sharon Henderson said this week. I got really attached to Chimney Rock. Really attached to it.

The Panhandle photographer and a friend, Rod Russell, really didn't know what to expect when they decided to capture a year's worth of sunsets at Chimney Rock, a milepost for pioneers who had traveled the Oregon, Mormon and California trails.

They planned to take turns traveling to the tower, and to post new photos on a Facebook page and, when the year was over, publish a book.

Not all of their plans held up. Though it was a 40-mile round trip for each of them, they often double-teamed the sunset, staking out the spire from different directions. They had to suspend the book idea when it became clear it would be too costly. So theyre selling calendars instead, each month a different picture of Chimney Rock.

But their Facebook page, CR365, became a popular place. Nearly 4,000 people follow it, and some shots of the rock get hundreds of likes. There are a lot of people that love Chimney Rock, she said. I think it reminds so many people of home, if they dont live here anymore.

On good nights, when the clouds danced with the light, they would take up to 400 photos. Even on stagnant nights, they would still shoot dozens. Then they would edit them down and post the best six or so.

It taught me a lot about a lot of things, Henderson said. It taught me about seeing a very long project through from beginning to end, it taught me that its not always an easy thing to do but it can be done.

It taught her the light surrounding Chimney Rock is never the same, the color combinations changing from moment to moment. Even though they took thousands of photos -- her cameras took a beating in the last year, she said -- they never took the same picture twice.

And that taught them both to be better photographers, she said.

They watched the land around the monument change, too. They started in winter and will end in winter, but in the months in between, the land was plowed, planted and harvested. Wheat and corn and sunflowers and hay.

We let the different seasons play with the way we framed the photos, Henderson said.

And the commitment they made taught her something about time. About how fast it can fly. She was surprised to realize they were 100 days in, then 200, then 300.

I dont think it made time go faster, but it made me aware of how fast it goes. If I had hated the project, it probably would have dragged out.

There were only a couple of nights in the past 12 months when she felt she was weighing her options: Take a trip out of town, for instance, or go shoot Chimney Rock.

Thats about as bad as it got, and I still did it. Its still the most peaceful time of my day, still the most tranquil part of my day.

The photographer's not sure what shell do Jan. 1. She might make the 21-mile drive to Chimney Rock out of habit. But she's also planning a new project for 2017 -- photographing a years worth of sunsets at Scotts Bluff National Monument.
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.
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.
Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Alstyle, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer pantyhose, tights, and leggings under the Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel brands. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brands; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, and embellishers, as well as to retailers and lifestyle brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a marine fuel logistics company that markets and supplies refined marine fuel and lubricants to vessels in port, at sea, and on rivers worldwide. The company offers fueling services to ocean-going and a range of coastal vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, drybulk carriers, cruise ships, reefers, LNG/LPG carriers, car carriers, and ferries, as well as to marine fuel traders, brokers, and other end-users of marine fuel and lubricants. It also markets and distributes marine lubricants under the Alfa Marine Lubricants brand; and provides a range of shipping services, such as technical support and maintenance, insurance arrangement and handling, financial administration, and accounting services. As of December 31, 2016, the company owned and operated a fleet of 46 bunkering vessels, including 45 double hulls and 1 single hull special purpose vehicle; 15 double hull bunkering vessels with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 292,400 deadweight ton (dwt); operated 10 land-based storage facilities with an aggregate storage capacity of approximately 1,075,000 cubic meters; and operated 2 vessels as floating storage facility with a cargo carrying capacity of approximately 86,800 dwt. Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.
Sixth in a 12-part series.

Rose Williams warm smile can light up a room and put anyone at ease. But behind her sweet demeanor is a strong woman with a determination to face down any challenge.

Williams was born in Charlottesville in 1950 and grew up in the Belmont area with her parents and seven younger sisters. Born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects muscle coordination, Williams has faced a variety of challenges stemming from the stigma of having a disability  including almost missing the education she deserved.

A bright child, Williams looked forward to going to Clark Elementary School. When the first day of school rolled around, Williams father went to speak to the principal to sign his daughter up for kindergarten. But upon seeing her, Williams said the school made an unfair, snap judgment.

The principal decided that if I wanted to go to that school, I would have to go to the special-needs class, Williams said. My father said, Rose doesnt have intellectual disabilities; she has a physical one. She can read and write and learn like the average gal.

But the principal decided that I would have to go to that class or not at all, she said. My father said, Well, I guess shes not going to this school.

Later that year, her father got a new job and the family moved to Albemarle County. This time, Williams said, her dad had a new strategy.

He didnt take me to the school building on the first day, said Williams. Instead, he took me to the edge of the farm and put me on the school bus and said, Goodbye.

When Williams walked into her new classroom, the teacher welcomed her with open arms. And it wasnt until almost a month later that Cismont School realized Williams had never been registered as a new student.

By that time, they were in love with me, so they said, Take these papers home and fill them out, Williams said, smiling. Thats how I got my education.

A couple of years later, Williams and her family moved back to Charlottesville, again in the Clark school district. When Williams  now a second-grader, with the report cards to prove it  walked into her new classroom, the school could not stop her from joining a standard class, she said with a grin.

Williams then went on to attend Buford Middle School and graduated from Lane High School. Once out of school, Williams thought about what kind of job she might want to do, and found inspiration in a teenage candy striper at the University of Virginia hospital.

Knowing she was too old for that kind of position, Williams offered to volunteer at the hospital for one summer to prove she was capable of working. But after putting in the work, she was told she could not be hired because staff members were afraid she would get hurt. Not being one to give up, Williams eventually was hired in the supply department, where she spent 18 years as a supply technician, packing up and delivering orders around the hospital.

This determination to succeed where others foresee failure is what draws people to Williams, said Flora Kelly-Bertsche. The two became friends more than two decades ago through their shared faith at Covenant Church of God and Kelly-Bertsche said she has since seen Williams conquer challenges for the entire area disabled community.

She has used her life to make a difference and help the lives of other people in her locality, said Kelly-Bertsche. I think shes an example of the adage, Whether you think you can or cant, youre right.

She sees possibilities and she looks at what she can do, and I think she has achieved a lifetime of accomplishments because of that perspective.

In 2001, several years after her retirement from UVa, Williams became completely dependent on a wheelchair and began to experience new accessibility challenges. In 2007, she began a campaign to update the Charlottesville City Council chambers to allow people in wheelchairs access to the microphone during public comment sessions. Later that year, Williams received the Jackie Crews Award for Excellence in Leadership, which recognizes the values of independence, productivity, inclusion and self-determination.

She is the most motivated person I know of, particularly about working toward goals, said Mildred Spicer, who got to know Williams through the Very Special Arts program in Charlottesvilles parks and recreation department. Shes very dedicated to advocating for individuals with disabilities. She has overcome so many challenges and I think its because of her positive attitude.

When shes not volunteering her time to help others, Williams is a writer. She especially enjoys writing nonfiction poetry about inner and outer struggles of life, including one titled Overdue Tip, in which she asks restaurant servers to speak directly to her.

Dear waiter/Dont be shy/Just look me in the eye/And bring me a piece of apple pie, Williams wrote.

Williams writing and advocacy work also stretch into local schools, where she speaks about her life and teaches poetry. She teaches children that when they run into challenges, they should be assertive, find the appropriate person to help and look for a solution. At the end of the day, Williams said, she wants to chisel away the stigma placed upon disabled people.

I think society has come a long way on people with disabilities, Williams said. Open your heart up and say hi to them, and see them as a person  see them as themselves. Dont be afraid to talk to people, no matter what kind of disability they have.

People with disabilities are people, too.

Williams is set to speak at the 2017 Virginia Festival of the Book about her memoir, Tiny Steps, which was published in November.
Central Virginia will play host to one of the first national conferences on the use of drones for public safety, as first responders from around the country converge on Piedmont Virginia Community College in late February.

PVCC  which offers the states only workforce certificate in drone operation  will host its first National Unmanned Aerial Systems Summit from Feb. 27 to March 1. According to organizers, the list of planned attendees includes officials from Georgia, Texas, Utah, Florida and Ontario, Canada.

Over the course of three days at Roseland Farms in Crozet, theyll share ideas and best practices on the use of drones for public safety purposes  mostly search and rescue, but also weather imaging, damage assessment and disaster response, said Darren Goodbar, a drone instructor at PVCC. The list of topics does not include surveillance, Goodbar said.

Drones are becoming an increasingly important tool in public response to disasters. The Albemarle County Fire Rescue Division is one of many public agencies incorporating drones into their operations  most notably in the 2014 search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, who was later found murdered.

Elsewhere, rescue workers have used drones to gather crucial data and map out a disaster area so relief workers could focus their efforts where theyre needed most. In Southern California, fire departments use them to monitor the speed and movement of wildfires. They were used to find victims trapped in the rubble following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal in 2015.

Public agencies everywhere are incorporating drones into their arsenal, Goodbar said, but theres little sharing of information across jurisdictions.

Its a new technology and its got to be used differently, Goodbar said. The conference, he said, is about getting experts together so were not learning from a Facebook group or a sales pitch.

Because of their small size and because theyre unmanned, drones can get closer to a dangerous situation than a manned aircraft. Fire and rescue departments might use them to identify victims in a fire or a flood, or to get closer to a hazardous materials spill.

But there are still risks associated with flying up close to a dangerous scene, and poor piloting could make a bad situation even worse, Goodbar said. Carelessly flying an electrical vehicle with a battery could add fuel to the fire  literally.

During the conference, officials will share their experiences in panel discussions and before putting some of their new knowledge to the test in a series of field exercises at Roseland.

The people coming to this will get realistic training, Goodbar said. Not only will they get to see how the technology is used, but how it plugs into a real-world scenario.

Virginia is trying to position itself as a national leader in this area, and PVCC is right at the center of it, said Valerie Palamountain, director of workforce services at the college.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management, which a co-organizer of the conference, is trying to help responders from across the commonwealth to coordinate with one another by adopting uniform standards and protocols.

Its about making sure multiple agencies and jurisdictions are on the same page, Palamountain said. VDEM is looking at it from the standpoint of needing standardization.

Part of that push is getting the public to understand the value of drones, which most people associate with spying and extrajudicial killings. Palamountain said people are beginning to see that drones are not necessarily a surveillance tool  they can be used to minimize casualties in an emergency.

These are useful tools that are going to save lives, Palamountain said. Not only the lives of [victims] but the people rescuing them.

More information on the summit is available at pvcc.edu/uassummit.
University of Virginia researchers are one step closer to understanding the immune system-brain connection that they discovered last year.

Immune cells normally found in the gut, lungs and skin also reside in the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, according to a new report from the universitys Kipnis Lab. Researchers believe that figuring out how to target and manipulate the cells could be key to treating various neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers disease, migraines and injuries to the brain and spinal cord.

Were really excited to find this other facet [of the brain-immune connection] and feel like taking more of a total approach to manipulating the cells might produce more results for treating migraines and other diseases, said Jonathan Kipnis, director of the lab.

The Kipnis Lab achieved international attention last year when it published its discovery of lymphatic vessels in the brain, establishing a physical connection between the brain and the immune system that was previously unknown.

The latest discovery, of the cells known as type 2 innate lymphocytes, in the meninges caught the researchers off guard. These white blood cells protect against pathogens in the body but are also among the chief culprits behind allergies, asthma and certain types of autoimmune disorders. Most research on type 2 innate lymphocytes has focused on their role in these conditions.

Kipnis said he did the experiment that led to the discovery on a whim after reading about type 2 innate lymphocytes in another paper.

This is a huge surprise to me, he said.

Understanding what type 2 innate lymphocytes do in other parts of the body could provide insight to their role in neurological disorders. In the gut, the lymphocytes maintain a barrier against pathogens. The lymphocytes in the skin are important in wound healing. They are part of the bodys inflammatory response that protects people from infection.

The cells also trigger inflammatory responses in the brain, in response to injury, said Sachin Gadani, another researcher in the Kipnis Lab.

This is the first line of defense, Gadani said. Here, were seeing the most [important] cells in the immune system are in the brain, ready to respond to an injury.

This inflammation is beneficial during a brain injury, but the uncontrolled response also might be behind certain neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers. Learning how exactly the cells work  and their role in neurological disorders  could lead to breakthroughs in treatment, Kipnis said.

We might be able to activate the inflammation in a controlled manner that actually works, he said. Thats a long-term goal of the lab.

A recent study showing that Parkinsons disease could be caused by bacteria in the gut is even more intriguing to the researchers at the Kipnis Lab. The study, published this month by a group of scientists from several California universities, found that among mice with genetic predisposition to developing Parkinsons, only those with gut bacteria actually developed symptoms.

The scientists told the BBC television network that they believe the gut bacteria release chemicals that over-activate immune cells in the brain.

Researchers at UVa think the lymphocytes in the meninges act as a sort of middleman between the changes in the gut and the effects manifested in the brain. Its speculation for now, Kipnis said, but if its true, then scientists could find a way to manipulate the process using drugs.

By finding these physical links, we might be able to understand why things in our gut affect our brain, Kipnis said. And if we understand things in enough details, we might be able to manipulate it.
RICHMOND  In the shadow of a public health emergency declaration, state health officials are trying to legalize a program that could stifle the potential outbreak of two deadly infections.

The Virginia Department of Health has drafted a bill that would legalize syringe services programs in the state as part of the departments effort to prevent the opioid epidemic from creating an outbreak of HIV or hepatitis C.

Syringe services programs  otherwise known as needle exchange programs  provide clean equipment such as needles, hypodermic syringes and other injection supplies to drug users who meet certain criteria.

The syringes and needles would be provided for free and would be distributed by organizations approved by the Department of Health. Funding would come from nongovernmental organizations.

The clean equipment likely would prevent HIV and hepatitis C from spreading between injection drug users. Both are bloodborne pathogens that can be transferred when users share needles and syringes.

Dr. S. Hughes Melton, the chief deputy commissioner for public health and preparedness with the department, said the legislation has been drafted and is being shared with stakeholders, such as health care providers and law enforcement officials.

We have received pretty much unanimous support for the legislation and the concept as a whole, he said of the stakeholders response.

The department is determining patrons for the bill. The General Assembly session starts Jan. 11.

At a Board of Health meeting this month, the states health commissioner, Dr. Marissa Levine, said the opioid epidemic likely would cause HIV and hepatitis C to rear their ugly heads.

She cited syringe services programs  currently illegal in Virginia  as a key defense against the widespread outbreak of the two infections.

There were 800 fatal opioid overdoses in Virginia in 2015, and the first half of 2016 marked a 35 percent increase in the number of fatal overdoses compared with the same period in 2015.

Last month, Levine declared the states opioid addiction crisis a public health emergency.

The Department of Health proposed similar legislation last year, sponsored by Del. John M. OBannon III, R-Henrico, that would have legalized syringe services programs during public health emergencies. The proposal did not make it through the House Courts of Justice Committee.

Melton did not comment as to why last years legislation died but said he thinks this years bill could be helped by a better understanding of the epidemic.

I do believe the understanding of the disease of addiction as a chronic brain disease and the severity of the problem has changed, he said. Those are two of the dynamics at work that we are hopeful will make it more likely that this legislative proposal will see success.

Diana Jordan, the director of the departments division of disease prevention, pointed out that several states near Virginia have legalized syringe services programs, including North Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland, plus Washington, D.C.

Its important to recognize where we stand today, and to know that our neighboring states have already taken action, so we want to be able to address this need, as well, she said.

Not only will the newly drafted legislation make its way through the General Assembly while the state operates within a public health emergency, but federal agencies also have noted that some counties in Virginia are especially vulnerable to an HIV outbreak.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year released an outline of the counties in the U.S. that are most likely to go through what Scott County, Indiana, did in 2015, when the countys opioid problem caused a sudden HIV outbreak, preceded by a hepatitis C outbreak.

Eight of Virginias counties were included on the CDCs list: Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Lee, Wise, Tazewell, Patrick and Wythe.

Jordan said Virginia already has seen a spike in hepatitis C cases.

In 2014, more than 6,600 cases of hepatitis C were reported to the Department of Health. Last year, more than 8,000 cases were reported, suggesting that a spike in HIV may be threatening as well, though the numbers have yet to reflect that.

Jordan said the department will implement syringe services programs only in localities that meet certain criteria, which are created by looking at information including morbidity data; cases of hepatitis C within each county; and overdose rates.

Especially if were seeing hepatitis C in young people, thats highly associated with injection drug use, she said. We take a look at HIV data as well, and then there are some socioeconomic factors that would increase a communitys risk even further.

A summary of last years proposed legislation estimated that providing six months of syringe services to 100 people who inject drugs would cost about $76,296.

But that cost is offset by the savings of preventing new cases of HIV and hepatitis C, the summary contends. The average lifetime cost of caring for someone with HIV is $391,223, and costs ranges from $31,452 to $238,000 for hepatitis C cases.

Melton said the syringe services programs would do more than provide clean equipment to prevent HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases associated with injection drug use.

It also gets people, if they already have a condition like HIV or hepatitis C, into treatment  because treatment works for those conditions, he said. And ... it gets them into treatment for their underlying disease of addiction.

It gives us an opportunity to educate the individual about the disease of addiction and offer them treatment.
The Maryland-based real estate developer planning a 301-unit housing development on Nalles Mill Road filed a rezoning request with the Culpeper County Planning and Zoning office in October.

Jeff Caruso wants to modify the 121-acre heavily wooded property located off Bus. 29 near Buffalo Wild Wings adjacent to the town of Culpeper line from rural to residential, according to the application.

If approved, the proposed Arbors at Culpeper development would likely include 266 single-family homes and 35 new townhouse units on 2,000-6,000 square foot lots.

Caruso is expected to share his concept plan with the Culpeper County Planning Commission on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m.

With this new proposed highly-dense development will likely bring more traffic in that area.

According to a Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman, 30 crashes occurred near the intersection of Nalles Mill and Bus. 29 between January 2011 and last month.

VDOT District Planning Manager Dan Painter raised some concerns in September about this particular intersection if the development is constructed.

Of the nine questions he posed to the ATCS engineering firm in Culpeper, Painter asked about adding a traffic signal light at the intersection of Nalles Mill and Bus. 29.

ATCS engineer Roddy A. Reyes responded by stating that Due to the spacing between the existing traffic signals on either side of Nalles Mill, it is unlikely that a signal will be approved, Reyes explained in a letter dated in August to Painter.

The VDOT Road Design Manual states that signalized intersections are required to be at least 1,320 feet apart on a principal arterial with a speed limit between 35 to 45 mph.

Painter responded by saying, VDOT does allow design exceptions based on study results showing highway operation and safety will not be adversely impacted. Therefore, additional analysis of the intersection should have been provided.

A traffic signal is about 580 feet to the west of Nalles Mill Road and another 480 feet to the east.

VDOT spokeswoman Stacy Londrey explained that VDOT is responsible for looking at how new developments may impact traffic and review developers road plans.

The proposed development also includes at least two new entrances into the proposed property from Nalles Mill Road.

We want to make sure developers provide good quality street systems that would be brought into state systems, Londrey concluded.

VDOT district traffic manager Nathan Umberger recently suggested to Jim Hoy, director of public services for the town of Culpeper, that the town modify the Nalles Mill/Bus. 29 intersection near Dominion Square Shopping Center by eliminating the left turn lanes on both sides of the road and through movements.

The road modifications would cost about $150,000.

Town Manager Chris Hively told the towns public safety, public works, planning and community development committee on Tuesday to wait and see if the developer will pay for the road improvements and/or apply for a highway safety improvement grant to possibly pay for the proposed road improvements.

Caruso Odin LLC purchased the property for $1.87 million in October 2005, according to the countys tax records.

The Culpeper Town Council will make all final decisions whether to move forward with any town road projects.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at rsimmons@starexponent.com or 540/825-6397.
With green lights flashing, a fleet of unmanned aerial systemsbetter known as dronessat at the ready Tuesday morning as Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam learned about new training for emergency services personnel at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

Since May, the community college has offered a variety of programs to teach people how to operate the technology, as well as the regulations surrounding their use. One part of the program teaches police, firefighters and other emergency services personnel how to utilize the technology for public safety.

The program came to life from two separate directions: when Darren Goodbar, director of aerial services at Draper Aden Associates, approached PVCC from a commercial standpoint and when Charles Werner, retired Charlottesville fire chief, approached the school from a public safety standpoint.

We put our heads together to develop the first UAS operator course in the commonwealth, Werner said.

The first class was taught at King Family Vineyards after the vineyards founder, David King, donated a drone to the Albemarle County Sheriffs Office. King, also a reserve sheriffs deputy, wanted to give the department a new search-and-rescue tool and helped bring the new program to PVCC.

Since then, the program (with Goodbar leading the instruction) has reached about 15 to 20 separate agencies across the state. Werner also is working with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to spread the program throughout the state and to utilize the technology in emergency situations.

The program is making great progress, and it continues to evolve, said Werner. The course has proven fantastic to where were probably impacting over 20 departments in the commonwealth.

Werner also stressed their cognizance of civil liberty concerns and said the program and participants will not do anything to infringe the privacy of the public. The drones will only be used in a search-and-rescue or public-safety capacity.

On Tuesday morning, Northam visited PVCC to learn more about the class from a public safety standpoint and how the program has benefited from the New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program, which helps pay the $1,500 class tuition for participants. Sixteen people have since completed the course, seven of whom are now certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the drones in a professional setting.

After completing the class, participants take the FAA Remote Pilot Airman Certification Part 107 test and are vetted by the Transportation Security Administration to receive the Remote Pilot Airman Certification, which is required to legally operate a drone for non-hobby activities, according to Goodbar.

In his demonstration, Goodbar showed Northam different styles of drones that can be utilized for different purposes, including a small, relatively inexpensive model that can help rescue personnel quickly search wide areas. Another, larger model, complete with a parachute, can be flown for longer distances and can even follow a pre-programmed flight path.

That one is from the United Kingdomthe first product from Brexit, Goodbar said, chuckling. In the case of power failure, it can glide, but we can also discharge the parachute for safety reasons. We actually submitted an authorization from the FAA to be able to fly this over people, which is not available for any operator, unless you get that waiver.

The drones can carry a variety of cameras that can be used for photography, search-and-rescue, agriculture, construction and aerial mapping.

Robert Koester, CEO of dbS Productions LLC, is currently part of a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to develop search-and-rescue software. In conjunction with a grant from the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology, Koester is working with PVCCs program to do experiments with their aeronautical resources.

Koesters software will be used to tell a UAS where to fly in order to have the best chance of locating a subject during a mission. Koester also looks at the type of technology on the specific drone (optical camera, forward-looking infrared, etc.) to factor in the best place to start a search.

In the forest, it may have a [visibility] sweep with value of 30 [square] meters, but in the open field, it may have a sweep with value of 80 meters, Koester said. That all depends on the camera, view angles and how well you can actually detect thing, so that is why there has to be a whole bunch of experiments.

Once you have these numbers, you can say, Its true theres a better chance theyre in the woods, but there are leaves on the trees and we can only see through the little holes, so its going to be a better use of the resource to actually be checking the field first, he said.

Once the area has been searched and ruled out, rescuers can move on to the more difficult to search area, thus utilizing the drone at a more specific rate, he said.

Its going to be a very important and powerful tool in the toolbox, and anything that can lead to finding a subject faster is obviously good for everybody, Koester said.

Following the demonstration, Northam said he was impressed with the drone program and said the Virginia economy will start to grow as more people get into science, technology, engineering and math-related jobs. He said its important to make an investment in workforce training, particularly in new technologies like drones.

We are in charge of allocating the taxpayers money across the commonwealth, Northam said. We want to make sure its been spent responsibly and that there are results from it, so we like traveling around the commonwealth and coming to community colleges like this one and seeing whats going on.

Northam also spoke about his desire to begin manufacturing drones in Virginia and bring those types of jobs back home.

There are so many things we can use unmanned aerial systems for, and its the future, Northam said. Thats what were going to continue to work on: educating our workforce, manufacturing these in Virginia, and thats what will keep Virginias economy moving forward.

As far as public safety, its a tool in our toolbox, he said. When were on the ground, we cant see but so much, but when youre in the air, it just opens things up for us. Its a great new opportunity that we have.
RICHMONDIn the shadow of a public health emergency declaration, state health officials are trying to legalize a program that could stifle the potential outbreak of two deadly infections.The Virginia Department of Health has drafted a bill that would legalize syringe services programs in the state as part of the departments effort to prevent the opioid epidemic from creating an outbreak of HIV or hepatitis C.Syringe services programsotherwise known as needle exchange programsprovide clean equipment such as needles, hypodermic syringes and other injection supplies to drug users who meet certain criteria.The syringes and needles would be provided for free and would be distributed by organizations approved by the Department of Health. Funding would come from nongovernmental organizations.The clean equipment likely would prevent HIV and hepatitis C from spreading between injection drug users. Both are bloodborne pathogens that can be transferred when users share needles and syringes.Dr. S. Hughes Melton, the chief deputy commissioner for public health and preparedness with the department, said the legislation has been drafted and is being shared with stakeholders, such as health care providers and law enforcement officials.We have received pretty much unanimous support for the legislation and the concept as a whole, he said of the stakeholders response.The department is determining patrons for the bill. The General Assembly session starts Jan. 11.At a Board of Health meeting this month, the states health commissioner, Dr. Marissa Levine, said the opioid epidemic likely would cause HIV and hepatitis C to rear their ugly heads.She cited syringe services programscurrently illegal in Virginiaas a key defense against the widespread outbreak of the two infections.There were 800 fatal opioid overdoses in Virginia in 2015, and the first half of 2016 marked a 35 percent increase in the number of fatal overdoses compared with the same period in 2015.Last month, Levine declared the states opioid addiction crisis a public health emergency.The Department of Health proposed similar legislation last year, sponsored by Del. John M. OBannon III, R-Henrico, that would have legalized syringe services programs during public health emergencies. The proposal did not make it through the House Courts of Justice Committee.Melton did not comment as to why last years legislation died but said he thinks this years bill could be helped by a better understanding of the epidemic.I do believe the understanding of the disease of addiction as a chronic brain disease and the severity of the problem has changed, he said. Those are two of the dynamics at work that we are hopeful will make it more likely that this legislative proposal will see success.Diana Jordan, the director of the departments division of disease prevention, pointed out that several states near Virginia have legalized syringe services programs, including North Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland, plus Washington, D.C.Its important to recognize where we stand today, and to know that our neighboring states have already taken action, so we want to be able to address this need, as well, she said.Not only will the newly drafted legislation make its way through the General Assembly while the state operates within a public health emergency, but federal agencies also have noted that some counties in Virginia are especially vulnerable to an HIV outbreak.The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year released an outline of the counties in the U.S. that are most likely to go through what Scott County, Indiana, did in 2015, when the countys opioid problem caused a sudden HIV outbreak, preceded by a hepatitis C outbreak.Eight of Virginias counties were included on the CDCs list: Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Lee, Wise, Tazewell, Patrick and Wythe.Jordan said Virginia already has seen a spike in hepatitis C cases.In 2014, more than 6,600 cases of hepatitis C were reported to the Department of Health. Last year, more than 8,000 cases were reported, suggesting that a spike in HIV may be threatening as well, though the numbers have yet to reflect that.Jordan said the department will implement syringe services programs only in localities that meet certain criteria, which are created by looking at information including morbidity data; cases of hepatitis C within each county; and overdose rates.Especially if were seeing hepatitis C in young people, thats highly associated with injection drug use, she said. We take a look at HIV data as well, and then there are some socioeconomic factors that would increase a communitys risk even further.A summary of last years proposed legislation estimated that providing six months of syringe services to 100 people who inject drugs would cost about $76,296.But that cost is offset by the savings of preventing new cases of HIV and hepatitis C, the summary contends. The average lifetime cost of caring for someone with HIV is $391,223, and costs ranges from $31,452 to $238,000 for hepatitis C cases.Melton said the syringe services programs would do more than provide clean equipment to prevent HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases associated with injection drug use.It also gets people, if they already have a condition like HIV or hepatitis C, into treatmentbecause treatment works for those conditions, he said. And ... it gets them into treatment for their underlying disease of addiction.It gives us an opportunity to educate the individual about the disease of addiction and offer them treatment.
FreeCharge currently provides e-payment facility to various food and beverages category players like foodpanda, Zomato, Swiggy, Freshmenu, Innerchef, Domino's, Mcdonalds, Haldirams, CCD and Barista.

Mumbai: Snapdeal owned digital payments platform FreeCharge today said it has tied up with food-on-demand firm Faasos for e-wallet payment solution.

FreeCharge currently provides e-payment facility to various food and beverages category players like foodpanda, Zomato, Swiggy, Freshmenu, Innerchef, Domino's, Mcdonalds, Haldirams, CCD and Barista.

"The tie up with Faasos gives both the partners a potential to serve each others customer base and opens avenues of future innovative launches for their customers," FreeCharge Chief Business Officer Sudeep Tandon said in a statement.

"The diversified geographical reach of Faasos is only set to grow bigger and we hope the association brings in good results for both the organisations," he added.

Faasos serves over 15,000 daily customers across more than 130 locations in 14 Indian cities including Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and New Delhi.

"It was very critical to integrate more online payment players on our platform to further boost smooth payment experience for our customers. FreeCharge came in as an obvious, and an important choice amongst wallets," Faasos head (marketing) Sagar Kochhar said.
New Delhi: JK Tyre & Industries today said its board has given approval to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore by issuing securities.

"The board approved raising of funds by issue of securities, convertible/non-convertible with or without warrant...by way of public and or private offerings...for an amount of up to Rs 1,000 crore in one of more tranches," JK Tyre & Industries said in a regulatory filing.

This is in suppression of the resolutions of the board for raising of funds by issue of non-convertible debentures as announced on November 9, it added.

The approval of the members to raise the funds will be obtained by a way of postal ballot, the tyremaker said. JK Tyre shares today ended 1.82 per cent higher at Rs 1,11.75 apiece on BSE.
NITI Aayog, along with Nasscom and telecom operators, will also be launching a helpline for all digital payments-related queries soon. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: A high-level NITI Aayog Committee of Chief Ministers has favoured continuance of service tax exemptions on digital payments beyond December 31. NITI Aayog, along with Nasscom and telecom operators, will also be launching a helpline for all digital payments-related queries soon.

We want to recommend to the Government of India to continue this even beyond March 31, and for the future also. If digital currency will be costlier than physical currency, then people will go to physical currency, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said.

Dial 14444 for queries on e-payment

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who heads the committee was speaking to reporters after the fourth meeting of Committee of Chief Ministers on digital payment.

Meanwhile, Nasscom, telecom operators, and NITI Aayog have come together to create a dedicated helpline  14444  for addressing all queries on digital payments as government strives to attract majority of Indians into making cashless transactions post demonetisation.

Naidu said plans are afoot to import one million PoS machines to enable cashless payments across India. The Chief Minister said that the Committee of Chief Ministers will present its interim report on digital payments movement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi within a week.

We are planning a sustainable, long-term, policy to attract a majority in India to move to digital payments through providing incentives..., Naidu said. He added that two major breakthroughs using existing infrastructure  Aadhaar Pay and modified versions of USSD and UPI  would be launched soon.
Mumbai: The spread of Digital India could be under threat from cyber attacks unless the government and people change their approach towards cyber security. E-wallets for instance are under constant threat from cyber criminals as they allow sending and receiving money (up to a limit) without any owner proofing. So attackers/fraudsters frequently use these wallets as an escape route for the stolen money.

Later, this money can be cashed with exchange agents which return physical money for the digital one making all this nearly untraceable as the only way to link the fraud to a person is the phone number and it is not a big secret that obtaining a SIM card with a fraudulent ID/Address proof isnt very difficult these days, according to BugsBounty.com, which has Indias largest community ethical hackers at 10,000.

It expects to have up to 40,000 by the end of 2017. It is also the 4th ever platform in the world that allows an organisation public or private to host SaaS based bugs bounty programmes.

Without a paradigm shift in the approach undertaken by organisations, both private and public, it will be difficult to realise the true potential of Digital India, said Ankush Johar, director, BugsBounty.com. In 2016 alone over 2,000 ATMs are likely to have been hacked and over 60 lakh debit and credit cards were potentially made vulnerable/hackable and over 40 lakh e-wallets are likely to have been vulnerable/potentially hacked (though for smaller amounts).
There has been some controversy surrounding the presence of Mahira Khan in Shah Rukh Khans upcoming film Raees. It is unlikely that the actress would come to India to shoot after the controversy surrounding Pakistani actors being a part of Hindi films and it was reported that Shah Rukh and Mahira have shot two songs in Morocco recently.

When it was earlier reported that Mahira would fly down to India to promote the film, Shah Rukh had met Maharashtra Navnirman Senas Raj Thackeray, who strongly opposes presence of Pakistani artistes in films, and assured him that Mahira wont be coming to India to promote the film.

Despite this situation, Mahira is still promoting the film in a smart way.

Mahira shared on Twitter a picture where she is sporting a T-shirt with her dialogue from the film, battery saala, written on it.

Indian fans of the actress would have to be content with this smart move of hers till the film hits the screens on January 25 next year.
On December 27, Khan launched his app 'Being in Touch'. In this picture Salman is seen with Bipasha Basu (Pic courtesy: Instagram/ bipashabasu)

Mumbai: Except for Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, all the big names that you can think of marked their attendance at the 51st birthday bash of superstar Salman Khan. And the actor ensured his guests wore their brightest smile while walking out of his party.

Bhai, who has recently launched the jewellery collection of his popular brand Being Human, played the part of a dream host by gifting all his attendees gold chains from the jewellery line.

In a picture posted by Bipasha Basu on her social media accounts, the actress is seen posing with the birthday boy flaunting her beautiful gift.

She wrote: Happy Birthday @beingsalmankhan. Thank you for this beautiful gift from #beinghumanjewellery ! It's your birthday and I got a gift! Yayyy! Stay happy and blessed forever.

The private party was held at Salmans Panvel farmhouse, Arpita Farms.
Los Angeles: Carrie Fisher was known for her wit and even after her tragic demise the actress has managed to bring a smile on her fans' face as they mourn her loss.

In 2008's 'Wishful Drinking,' one of the three memoirs she wrote, there was a sort of an auto-obituary, reported Deadline.

In the piece, she wrote about her 'Star Wars' director's reasoning for her Princess Leia wearing that flowing white dress, and not much else, in the movie.

"George (Lucas) comes up to me the first day of filming, and he takes one look at the dress and says, 'You can't wear a bra under that dress...because there is no underwear in space.'"

She said Lucas eventually explained the full reasoning, which she revealed, writing, "What happens is you go to space and you become weightless. So far so good, right? But then your body expands? But your bra doesn't? so you get strangled by your own bra."

"Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit? so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra," Fisher wrote.

However, it was not the only time she discussed death, using humour. In an interview with Rolling Stone just last month, she was asked if she fears death.

"No. I fear dying. Anything with pain associated with it, I don't like. I've been there for a couple of people when they were dying; it didn't look like fun. But if I was gonna do it, I'd want someone like me around. And I will be there!" she had said.

Fisher passed away on Tuesday after she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
Actor Shirish Saravanan made a promising debut with Anandakrishnans Metro, which is centered on chain-snatching. The film received critical acclaim and the actors were lauded for their realistic performance. Now, Shirish is geared up to shoot for his second film as a hero in January.

We had already reported that he has been signed on by director Dharani Dharan of Jackson Durai fame. Speaking to DC, Shirish says, We were supposed to start the film earlier, but it got postponed for several reasons. Now, we are kicked about starting the project on January 2. The makers have planned to finish the project at a single stretch. With 28 days of shooting schedule, we are expecting to wrap it up by the first week of February.

The movie is a murder mystery that is set in the backdrop of Chennai. I cant reveal details about my role right now. All I can say is that my character is subtle and I took acting classes to portray my role with finesse, he adds.

The team managed to bring in Yuvan Shankar Raja as the music director for the untitled film. There are five songs in the movie and Yuvan sir has completed two, he shares.

Dharani Dharan has finalised the title, cast and crew of the film, which will be announced on December 29 by Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Actress Khushbu, who is presently shooting for James Vasanthans Oh Andha Naatkal announced that she is getting back to Telugu films after nine years.

Director Trivikram Srinivas, who helmed the super-hit Telugu film, Attarintiki Daredi starring Pawan Kalyan and Samantha  is once again teaming up with the hero for a family drama. Keerthy Suresh will be Pawan Kalyans pair in this film.

The latest addition to the cast is Khushbu, who will start shooting from February. I am excited to join the team as I have never acted with Pawan Kalyan so far. Trivikram Srinivas came to Chennai to narrate the story  and within 10 minutes I was convinced. I play a meaty role and if I get into details, I am afraid I would give away the plot of the story. It was so nice of Trivikram to come all the way to Chennai for a narration, Khushbu starts off the conversation.

When asked why it took so long for her to get back to acting, she says, It is not that I havent been getting offers in Tamil and Telugu. Due to my political commitment, it was difficult for me to sign films. Now, that I did, I want to give my best shot. I am fluent in Telugu, and I will be dubbing for myself in the new film.
Nayantharas penchant for women-centric films has been a known fact ever since she signed Doss Ramasamys Dora, Minjur Gopis Aramm and Chakri Toletis Kolayuthir Kaalam. Now, the actress is at it again, by signing a film which would be directed by newcomer Bharat Krishnamachari.

Produced by Eros International, this untitled venture is an adventure thriller in which Nayan will be seen as a Paris-based journalist. Speaking to DC, Bharat says, Nayans character will go in search of her family and identity. Its a fictional film, based on true events. About 75 per cent of the movie will be shot in foreign locales like Mongolia and across Europe. She doesnt have a pair in the movie and we will start shooting from mid-March. There are more surprises in store in terms of cast.

Bharat is a former assistant to Mysskin, and has handled audio post-production for several national award winning films like Aadukalam, Vaagai Sooda Vaa, and Thalaimuraigal. For a debutant director, it is a dream-come-true to work with Nayanthara and Eros International.

She loved the script and gave it a nod in mid-2016. In fact, she was the one who suggested Eros International for bankrolling the project. She made things happen! We will be shooting in the snow and the terrains  and although Nayanthara is not used to shooting in such extreme conditions, she is willing to risk it for the script, he claims.

Sagar Sadhwani, senior Vice President of Eros International reveals, This will be the biggest project for us in the South. The script has an international flavour, which will take the Indian cine industry to a different level.

Currently, the pre-production is in progress at a swift pace. Cinematographer Cheziyan and art director Sathish Kumar have been signed on for the film.
At the audio launch of Gautamiputra Satakarni, the films director Krish Jagarlamudi seemed emotional and confident. While the confidence evidently stemmed from the work satisfaction on the landmark 100th film of Balakrishna, the emotion came from the fact that hes telling the story of a Satavahana ruler about whom not much is known.

Its surprising how we dont know our history. Not many of us know who Gautamiputra Satakarni is. In Maharashtra, they know him as the person Chatrapati Shivaji was asked to look up to by his mother.. Even the Tamilians know him as the great Nootruvar Kannar. But we dont know him! said the director further adding, His kingdoms Simhadwara was at Kotilingala in Karimnagar, and his capital was in Amaravati; his reign spread as far as Himachal Pradesh. I keep telling my team that if this man was a Greek man, several movies would have been made on him and probably won a few Oscars too. I am really happy to be bringing to life the story of this great man, his achievements and his glory on the big screen.

Apparently it wasnt easy to get information about the king as not much has been written about him. There are writings about him by his mother Gautami Balasri, which helped with the basis of my story. I found B.N. Sastris writings on him and there is a lesson in a civil service preparation material where quite a few details are given about him in about 25 pages. I finally got all the information from Megasthenes book Indica. The information that Greeks have about us, we do not!

Revealing how Balakrishna became a part of the project, Krish said, Reading about him boiled my blood and I definitely wanted to make this story. We needed someone whose eyes spit fire, whose words could show royalty and a walk that can draw attention. Well, there was only one name that I could think of  Basavaputra Nandamuri Balakrishna. And his dedication to the role was proof of why we got him on board.

The audio launch, which took place in Tirupati was a grand affair with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu in presence. Hema Malini, Shriya Saran, and Boyapati Srinu were others in attendance.
Hyderabad: Is consumption of water poisoned by hexavalent chromium a reason behind skin problems, diarrhoea and acute renal failure among Hyderabadis? This is a question being raised in a study by students of St Pious degree and PG college with help of experts from National Geophysical Research Institute. It found high concentrations of hexavalent chromium, a dangerous form of the heavy metal chromium, in groundwater and lakes of Hyderabad.

For the study, samples of water from five lakes  Nacharam, Babanagar, Safilguda, Kapra and Hussainsagar  and groundwater samples from areas lying within 0.51km of these lakes were collected.

In all water samples, hexavalent chromium concentrations in water were found to be exceeding the standards set by World Health Organisation and the Bureau of Indian Standards.

Heavy exposure to hexavalent chromium results in extensive skin rashes, weakened immune system, genetic material alteration, kidney and liver damage and cancer.

Apart from this, the researchers also found concentrations of other cadmium and lead exceeding WHO and BIS standards, which affect synthesis of haemoglobin, kidney, teeth, bone, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive system.

While the BIS standard for hexavalent chromium, cadmium and lead in drinking water is at 50 micrograms/liter(ug/l), 3ug/l and 10ug/l respectively, the maximum concentrations in water samples from Hyderabad goes up to a whopping 260ug/l, 22ug/l and 160ug/l.

Dr Mala Das Sharma of the St Pious College who headed the study group said, Water contaminated with heavy metals is dangerous for anyone who consumes it. Theres no way of removing heavy metals from the water using equipment at home. There is a necessity to understand health impacts of consumption of this contaminated water on the people in Hyderabad. Industrial pollution, dumping of e-waste and direct disposal of potassium dichromate by colleges in drain are reasons for the contamination.

When contacted, two experts from Hyderabad, Dr Lakshmi Sharada, dermatologist and Dr Dilip M. Babu, nephrologist, said doctors go for tests to determine what went wrong in the body to address the issue and usually do not tell patients to get tests done for detecting presence of heavy metals.

Dr Babu said regardless of any parameters like age, gender or health status, heavy metal ingestion in excess amounts or over prolonged periods can cause health problems. Both doctors said it is usually patients who have a history of getting exposed to heavy metals as an occupational hazard, and are told to undergo tests to know the presence of heavy metals but such cases are rare.

The doctors said if there is a study by the government establishing prevalence of health issues in a particular urban area due to the consumption of heavy metal contaminated water, then doctors would go for tests to know if a health issue arose because of heavy metal poisoning.
Tweeple even compared the image to a face off between politicians (Photo: Twitter)

New Delhi: Although the passing year may have been a gloomy one, the social media made sure that there was some respite as most iconic incidents were marked with hilarious takes on the internet.

The collision of two aircrafts on the airport being narrowly averted surely gave a sigh of relief to passengers and officials, but for Twitter it meant a field day as memes came pouring in when the image of the two carriers running into each other made it to the social media.

Tweeple came out with some comic relief after the grave situation, and a captioning battle started.

First Jet Airways.

Then, Indigo and SpiceJet.



Indian airlines need to consult Dipa Karmakar.

To nail the landing.  Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) December 27, 2016

Face to Face : Only Airline making profit vs Future Kingfisher Airlines. pic.twitter.com/skQDupnez6  Sagar (@sagarcasm) December 27, 2016

This new Mortal Kombat is weird pic.twitter.com/woVnCrm03T  Rohan (@mojorojo) December 27, 2016

Everything from captions like runway tere baap ka hai to comparisons with political bigwigs followed as memes flooded the internet.
Hyderabad: Several cases against gangster Ayub Khan, arrested from Mumbai airport following an Interpol alert this week, had fallen flat in courts in the past. Witnesses had been terrorised by his gang and petitioners faced strongarm tactics and turned hostile during the trials. Ayub had threatened to kill many witnesses, say police officials.

Soon after he came out on bail in the Advocate Mannan Ghori murder case, he started hunting down witnesses. Even policemen were scared of arresting the gangster as, when challenged, he had a habit of attacking them with deadly weapons. He had with him three passports in different names. With the help of insiders from police department, he had been using them to evade the eye of enforcement agencies and fly out.

No witness or complainant dared to depose against him. This was one reason why most of the cases ended up in acquittal. Witnesses often turned hostile, to escape his brutal pressure, said DCP South Zone V. Sathyanarayana. In 1992, police tried to nab him, but he attacked them with deadly weapons. Police opened fire. He received a bullet injury on his knee, the DCP added.

In 2002, Ayub and his four associates armed with knives waylaid Advocate Manna Ghori in a narrow lane at Pacha Mohalla near the Mecca Masjid after the victim refused to pay a rowdy mamool of `2.5lakh in the purchase of a house. The advocate had filed a civil lawsuit against the gangster. Ayub and gang killed him and fled. The gangster was convicted in this case and in another double-murder case. He managed to come out of jail by getting a stay from the high court.

In 1997, Ayub Khan obtained a passport with fake name Naveed Ahmed with a Habeeb Nagar address. He got another passport in the name of Khalid Pasha.
Land documents and around Rs 39 lakh related to extortion and kidnapping cases were also recovered from him. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Rachakonda Police arrested an associate of slain gangster Nayeem and seized documents from him. N Sridhar Goud, 37, a resident of Hayathnagar, was involved in eight extortion and kidnapping cases in Vanasthalipuram, Bhongir and Yadagirigutta police stations.

He was an active member of Nayeems gang. He threatened landlords and realtors, including the businessmen in land settlement issues, Rachakonda Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said.

Sridhar was earlier arrested in August in a case registered in Vanasthalipuram police station.

Land documents and around Rs 39 lakh related to extortion and kidnapping cases were also recovered from him. In addition to this, 22 live rounds and incriminating material were also seized from his possession. He will be detained under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act.

In another incident, Police arrested a person for his involvement in burglary cases and seized 33 tolas of gold ornaments, two kilo of silver ornaments, one Car and a 36-inch LED colour television.

Police said, Mohammed Mehaboob Pasha alias Syed Mehamoob Pasha alias Pasha (34) a resident of Krishna Nagar in Jubilee Hills and was involved in 39 cases across the city and in Mahabubnagar district.
Five members of the gang, wielding guns, walked into the building claiming to be conducting a raid to investigate transactions after demonetisation. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: In what seems like a scene straight out of the Akshay Kumar starrer Special 26, a gang of robbers pulled off the biggest gold heist in Telangana states history by posing as CBI officers and stealing 40 kg of gold from Muthoot Finance, located at Ramachandrapuram on the outskirts of the city.

Five members of the gang, wielding guns, walked into the building claiming to be conducting a raid to investigate transactions after demonetisation. They just took the gold and walked out after locking the employees in the bathroom. Before leaving, they broke the CCTVs and took away the memory backup of the branch. They also walked off with Rs 1 lakh in cash. The modus operandi is akin to the 2013 movie Special 26 where a group posing as CBI officials raids a jewellery store in Mumbai.

According to Cyberabad police, the theft took place at 9 am, soon after the branch was opened. The gang came in a black Scorpio car, walked into the building and introduced themselves as CBI officers, who were conducting a raid.

Two members of the gang told the employees that they wanted to verify the total cash and money in this branch. Another person from the gang said they were also investigating a theft that had occurred in Muthoot Finance, said a senior officer with the Cyberabad police.

Robbers forced manager to open lockers

They demanded to see the lockers where the gold was kept. When the branch manager said he cannot show the lockers without getting permission from top officials of Muthoot, the men started threatening and abusing him, saying they would book him and arrest him for disobeying orders of CBI officials, said an employee from the Muthoot office.

The branch manager was compelled to open the lockers. He still did not know they were thieves. When the lockers were opened, the gang started putting the gold ornaments into the bags they had brought with them. They also used bedsheets to carry the gold. When the employees raised objections, one of the men took out his gun and threatened to kill him, said a police official from Cyberabad.

The drama continued to escalate in the next few moments. While three men collected the gold, others slapped, kicked and pushed the employees into a bathroom and locked the door. The gang then escaped from the spot in their Scorpio after smashing the CCTV cameras.
BENGALURU: Foreigners have often shown interest in Sanskrit, which is considered the mother of many languages. Heres a French national who has enrolled at the Karnataka Sanskrit University to learn the ancient language and master it.

Forty-eight year old Nicholas Reimen, who holds a PhD in Computer Science has even sold his consultancy company in France and rented out a flat in Chamrajpet in Bengaluru to learn Sanskrit. He wants to learn ancient scripts like Vedas, Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and epics originally written in Sanskrit.

Nicholas, who completed his PhD in computer science in 1992, chose a career in the same field. During his work in Malaysia, he made some Tamil friends and he visited India in 1994 as a tourist.

As a part of his tour, Nicholas visited Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram, Trichy, Kanchipuram and Tiruchendur and was attracted to Indian culture. In 1995, he visited Bengaluru to complete his thesis on the development of the Indian software industry and his interest in the Indian language Sanskrit grew even more during his stay.

Nicholas was always interested in languages from his youth as his father was a linguist who taught Indo-European languages. His mother was a sociologist who still teaches American Sociology. Nicholas says this ignited the fire in him to learn ancient languages and study the relationship between languages.

Speaking to DC, Mr Nicholas said, "I was always interested in ancient languages like Greek, Latin and Hebrew. What Sanskrit is to India, these languages are to Europe. My interest in ancient languages led me to want to understand the cultural and religious traditions."

He went on, I always wanted to learn Sanskrit but did not get the right opportunity. But early this year I decided to learn the language full-time. One cannot learn something bigger in isolation. I sold the consultancy company I owned and enrolled myself in the Karnataka Sanskrit University. Nicholas says he was married for 20 years but split in 2012 and does not have children.

Questioned on his future plans after mastering Sanskrit, Mr Nicholas said, "I do not plan ahead to that extent. I have saved enough money for the future. I do not know where learning Sanskrit will lead me."

Prof Veeranarayan Pandurangi, Director, Academics, at Karnataka Sanskrit University said, "Nicholas is enrolled under the one-year certificate course where he will be taught Sanskrit from the basics."

Observing that he is learning the ancient language very quickly, Prof Veeranarayan said, "Nicholas, who hails from a family of linguists, has already read philosophical works written in Greek. He wants to learn Sanskrit now so that he can read Indian philosophies written in that language."
Chennai: Ugly clashes erupted at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai on Wednesday with expelled leader Sasikala Pushpas lawyer suffering injuries at the hands of party cadre.

According to a report, the incident occurred when Pushpa arrived at the party office to file nomination papers for the post of party general secretary, but was prevented from doing so.

The incident comes a day before the party's general council meeting to elect the AIADMK general secretary, for which the late Jayalalithaas close aide Sasikala Natarajan is believed to be the top contender.

#WATCH: Suspended AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer attacked outside party office by AIADMK workers in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/u10t63TmzX  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

Earlier this month, Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa had approached the Madras High Court to restrain the AIADMK from unlawfully and arbitrarily appointing Sasikala Natarajan as the general secretary.

Pushpa also called for a probe into Jayalalithaas death, and met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue.

She further alleged that Natarajan had tried to kill Jayalalithaa. It would be wrong to nominate Sasikala Natarajan as the general secretary of the party. Because no where madam (Jayalalithaa) has mentioned her name. She has not even given her a councillor or an MLA seat. It shows that political life is not fit for her. She was earlier expelled by Amma for conspiring against her and trying to kill her, Pushpa said.

Pushpa filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court earlier on Sunday urging it to order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Jayalalithaa's death.

Hitting out at Pushpa, party spokesperson CR Saraswathi said, Sasikala Pushpa is no more in the party, she has no right to come to AIADMK headquarters.

Sasikala Pushpa is not a chosen representative. It was Amma who made her the MP, she added.

Pushpa was expelled from the party on August 1 after she informed Parliament that she had been slapped by an AIADMK leader in Chennai and was facing death threats. She also alleged that a false complaint was filed against her and her family for allegedly ill-treating and sexually abusing two domestic aides in 2011.

After the death of Jayalalithaa, who was both the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief, close confidante Sasikala Natarajan is being seen as the top contender for the post of party general secretary. However, she is also being pestered by some in the AIADMK to become the Chief Minister, a post currently held by O Panneerselvam.
I & B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu at Parliament House during the winter session, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday alleged that the Congress Party is in panic mode due to overwhelming support by public to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation drive and added that the grand old party is trying to confuse the common man.

"Congress is in panic over overwhelming support by people to Prime Minister's demonetisation move. They are trying to create confusion," he said.

Naidu asked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to openly say that there is no black money in the country.

"Rahul ji's smile and body language indicated that there is not much of black money in country according to him because money has come back," he added.

Naidu said that the Congress has patronised corruption and has taken no steps to curb black money.

"When Congress says there is not much black money, then that means there is not much corruption in country. Is this the stand of Congress?" Naidu said.

Earlier in the day, on the occasion of 132nd Congress foundation day Gandhi said, "Modiji has performed demonetisation yagna for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country," Gandhi said, "What are the collections after November 8? What is the loss incurred by economy? How many people have died after November 8, have they been given compensation?"
New Delhi: Maintaining that its strategic capabilities were not targeted against any particular country, India on Tuesday said it abides by all applicable international obligations and expects others do the same, while responding to Chinese reaction to its test-firing of Agni 5 missile.

"India's strategic capabilities are not targeted against any particular country. India abides by all the applicable international obligations and hopes that all other do the same.

"India's strategic autonomy and growing engagement contributes to strategic stability," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Agni-5, a 5,000-km range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is widely regarded as a strategic missile targeted at China as it can reach almost all parts of the Chinese mainland.

The Spokesperson's remarks came after Chinese Foreign Ministry hoped that India's test-firing of the nuclear-capable Agni 5 intercontinental ballistic missile that could cover all of China complied with UN Security Council rules and safeguarded South Asia's strategic balance.

Even as Beijing maintained that the two nations are "not rivals for competition but partners for cooperation", it took exception to media reports that the successful test of Agni 5 was meant to target China.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in Beijing said," We have noted reports on India's test fire of Agni-5 ballistic missile. The UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons".

"China always maintains that preserving the strategic balance and stability in South Asia is conducive to peace and prosperity of regional countries and beyond."

India had yesterday successfully test-fired Agni 5, the country's most lethal nuclear-capable inter-continental ballistic missile with a range of over 5,000 kms that covers entire China which may also pave the way for user trial of the weapons system and its eventual induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ordered release of senior hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Masrat Alam Bhat, who has been in preventive custody under the Public Safety Act since April 2015.

Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, while allowing Bhat's plea challenging the latest of the detention orders under Public Safety Act, held his detention illegal on several grounds.

"By issuance of writ of certiorari, order of detention bearing No. 85/DMB/PSA/2016 dated 1.9.2016, passed by the (deputy commissioner Baramulla) is quashed with a further direction to the (government) to release Alam forthwith from preventive custody," the court said in its order on Tuesday.

Bhat has been booked under PSA several times since April 2015 and the latest order in the series was issued by District Magistrate Baramulla.

According to the order, Bhat was accused of making the ongoing agitation "successful" while in custody of the state authorities.

The order was passed on the basis of Bhat's meeting on August 11 this year with four persons who visited him at District Jail, Baramulla.

The persons had requested authorities to allow them meet one Assadullah Parray, who is allegedly affiliated with Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani.

The authorities claimed that instead of meeting Parray, they met Bhat, who allegedly advised them to activate the workers for a more visible and prominent role in the turmoil.

A case was registered against Bhat at police station Baramulla on August 30, two days before the detention order under PSA against Alam was passed by the deputy commissioner.

"Even otherwise, record would show statements of four police personnel, who were posted at Sub Jail Baramulla, have been recorded.Their statements would show that Assadullah Parray was lodged in Barrack No.7, whereas (Bhat) was lodged in Barrac No.8.

"The allegation in the FIR and statements of all these police personnel would, prima facie, show that all the police authorities, posted at Sub Jail Baramulla, have failed to discharge their duties in accordance with law because it was within the competence and authority of these police personnel to ensure that the visitors would meet Parray, for meeting with whom they had sought permission and not (Alam)," the court observed.

The court also rendered the detention order illegal for the reason that the bail application of Bhat had been rejected by a court and he continued to languish in state custody.

The detaining authority, in this situation, could not assume that there is every likelihood of (Bhat) being released on bail.

The Court said, "democratic society not only swears but lives by democratic values and principles. Even in the face of extreme provocations, the laws of the land are to be implemented. Laws possess unique quality, in as much as, they, even at times, protect those who break them. Thus, they prove to be better than many human beings".

Bhat was released after four-and-half years of detention soon after the PDP-BJP government took charge in March last year.

However, he was re-arrested on April 17, 2015 and detained under the PSA for alleged anti-national activities during a rally to welcome Geelani home from Delhi.
Lucknow: In a clear snub to Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday announced candidates for 325 of the 403 Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats, ignoring his son's objections to certain names, and ruled out an alliance with any party for the upcoming polls.

At a hurriedly convened press conference in Lucknow, the SP patriarch released the list of 325 candidates, giving poll tickets to 176 sitting MLAs.

Names of candidates for the rest of the 78 seats would be announced soon, he said, flanked by state party chief Shivpal Yadav, while Chief Minister Akhilesh was away on a tour.

Surprisingly, the list carries names of Sigbatullah Ansari, who is the brother of jailed gangster Mukhtar Ansari, and Atiq Ahmed who faces over 40 criminal cases, including those dealing with murder and attempt to murder allegations.

Akhilesh, who is believed to be opposed to their nominations, had reportedly asked his father to intervene.

Another name which had upset Akhilesh, Aman Mani Tripathi who is arrested by the CBI in a case related to the killing of his wife, however, did not figure in Wednesday's list.

The choice of candidates for 175 seats by his warring uncle Shivpal had apparently put off Akhilesh, who prepared his own list of preferred candidates for all the seats and sent it to Mulayam.

Wednesday's list makes no mention of names of several pro-Akhilesh ministers and MLAs including those of Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Sing Gope (all ministers).

To a question, Mulayam said Akhilesh was "free to contest" the polls from any seat he wanted.

Akhilesh, who was not averse to an alliance with the Congress for the Assembly polls, has been saying that the SP alone would get an absolute majority and in case there is a tie-up with the Congress, the alliance would bag over 300 seats.

"Samajwadi Party is not forming an alliance with anyone," Mulayam said, ending the speculation of a tie-up between the SP and the Congress. Releasing the candidate list which clearly bore his and his brother Shivpal's stamp, Mulayam ruled out projecting his son as the chief ministerial candidate.

"SP has no tradition of projecting anyone as its chief ministerial candidate. Some parties do it, and in the process bite the dust. In SP, the legislators elect their leader," he said replying to a question in this regard.

Mulayam's announcement to go alone came just days after BSP supremo Mayawati claimed that BJP was exerting pressure on the SP chief and his family through Enforcement Directorate, I-T department and CBI to join hands with Congress so as to divide Muslim votes and stop her party from coming to power.

"Keeping in mind the chances of BSP coming to power in UP, it is being said BJP is showing threat of agencies like ED, I-T and CBI to the SP chief and his family in connection with DA cases and other shortcomings to divide Muslim vote," she had

said.

Asked as to how many candidates have been selected from the list submitted by Akhilesh, Mulayam parried a direct reply saying that besides the Chief Minister, some other leaders had also given their own lists and all were to be accommodated.

Speculation was rife that SP was ready to offer 78 seats to Congress in case of an alliance and interestingly the ruling party has left out just as many seats for which candidates were yet to be announced.

The SP supremo said BJP will get a befitting reply from the electorate for demonetisation and also criticised it for not fulfilling its promises.

He claimed elections will be held before February 28 next year.
Lucknow: Categorically stating that his party would not enter into an alliance for next year's assembly polls, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday trained his guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the people of Uttar Pradesh would give a befitting reply courtesy demonetisation.

"The people will very soon give a befitting response to demonetisation. There is no need for us to voice concerns on the same," he told the media here.

Mulayam also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is facing a lot of problems as the BJP has miserably failed in fulfilling the promises made to the nation in the run up to the 2014 general election.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief also said that the party, which emerges victorious in the politically crucial state, finally goes on to conquer the throne of Delhi.

Meanwhile, Mulayam also announced the first list of candidates for next year's polls.

"We have declared list of 325 candidates for the 2017 assembly polls. 78 seats still remain. Name of candidates for rest of the 78 seats will be announced soon," he said.

The Samajwadi Party boss announced the first list in the absence of his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is at loggerheads with his uncle and bete noire Shivpal Yadav over distribution of tickets.

Mulayam announced the name of his brother Shivpal from Jaswant Nagar Assembly seat.

Akhilesh's name did not figure in the first list. Mulayam, however, said that his son being the Chief Minister can contest from any assembly seat he wishes to.

The Chief Minister had earlier last week sent the list of candidates for 403 assembly seats to the party chief.

However, this had irked Shivpal forcing him to state that no indiscipline will be tolerated in the party and the tickets will be confirmed with Mulayam's consent.

As per the list announced by Mulayam, Azam Khan will contest from Rampur, Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi, Ram Shankar Katheria from Kaimganj, Pinki Yadav from Asmoli, Harish Lodhi from Dibai, Tejvir Singh from Chhara, Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh from Bah, Mohd Rehan from Lucknow West, Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow central, Mahendra Singh Patel from Rohanya and Durga Prasad Yadav from Azamgarh.
Hyderabad: Students from colleges affiliated to Osmania University College of Science allege that they were being discriminated against. Students pursuing MSc in chemistry and biotechnology in the university college were never detained, while they were being subjected to strict evaluation and detained if they had more than five backlogs.

Ms Ramya Krishna, a student of MSc II at St Pious College, said, I failed in two subjects in the first semester and three in the second. I was lucky enough to get into the second year but some friends were detained.

Ms Ayesha Fatima, her friend, said, I failed in six subjects and I lost an academic year.

A student of OUs College of Science said, If any student is detained in the university, there might be serious repercussions as the student unions are very powerful in OU."

University officials denied any discrimination. OU Science College dean V. Uma said, Students who get seats in the university college are toppers. Their evaluation is done anonymously. Every paper is corrected twice by the examiners, but still the affiliated college students blame us for their poor performance.
New Delhi: Cabinet on Wednesday cleared promulgation of an ordinance to penalise persons holding junked Rs 500, 1,000 notes beyond March 31.

According to the new rule, Rs 50,000 will be fined for keeping more than 10 old notes beyond March 31.

The ordinance is to extinguish liability of government and Reserve Bank of India on the demonetised high-denomination notes.

Sources said that the ordinance is being brought as it was found to be necessary to prevent future litigations against the government for junking Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Official sources said the ordinance has been cleared, but did not say if the penal provisions would apply for holding the junked currency after the 50-day window to deposit them in banks ends as of December 30 or after March 31, till which time deposit of old currency notes at specified branches of the Reserve Bank after submitting a declaration form is open.

The penalty for holding old currency in excess of 10 notes may also include a jail term of up to 4 years in certain cases.

In 1978, a similar ordinance was issued to end the governments liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were demonetised by the Morarji Desai government.

The government had, while announcing the demonetisation of the old currency on November 8, allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit them in bank and post office accounts.

While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts.
Chennai: Virtually challenging the Tamil Nadu Government led by O. Panneerselvam, former chief secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao on Tuesday claimed he was still the chief secretary and this government has no guts to serve transfer order on him. The former top bureaucrat also claimed there was no safety and security to the people of Tamil Nadu after the demise of J. Jayalalithaa, who had handpicked him for the top job.

Addressing a press conference at his residence in Anna Nagar, Mr Rao, who was discharged from a private hospital on Monday after being treated for chest pain, tore into the Union Government, CRPF and the I-T department, wanting to know where was the state government and whether they (Centre) have respect for the government.

Invoking the late chief minister every now and then during the course of his interaction with the media, the former top bureaucrat said neither the CRPF nor the I-T would have mustered courage to enter the premises of secretariat and the chamber of the chief secretary if she was alive. He also claimed he was kept under house arrest at gun point by the CRPF.

Giving political overtones to the I-T raids that cost his job, Mr Rao claimed he is being targeted because he thinks he will be a big hurdle to many, many people who may be thinking that he is a hard core man and he will abide by whatever madam Jayalalithaa has told him. I am being targeted. My life is under threat. My life is in danger, he said.

The 1985-batch IAS officer, who superceded 17 officers to clinch the top job early this year, sought to know how the CRPF managed to enter his residence and the chief secretarys chamber, which has secrets of many chief ministers at the Fort St George and whether they had obtained prior permission from the Chief Minister.

All they wanted to do is to attack the office of the Chief Secretary. Will this end at this? People should know there is no security (in Tamil Nadu). Anybody can enter any body's house. CRPF can come, CISF can come and military can come and this is the condition of Tamil Nadu. They have no respect to the state government. Who will protect the people of Tamil Nadu? an agitated Mr Rao asked.

If this is the position of the chief secretary, what happens to AIADMK workers, state government servants and bureaucrats? Mr Rao asked. Charging the Tamil Nadu government of not even mustering the guts to serve him his transfer order, Mr Rao claimed he was still the chief secretary of the state and invoked the late chief minister's name more than thrice.

I was under house arrest in this house by the CRPF. The Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, it (raid) is a constitutional challenge on the office of the Chief Secretary. I was the Chief Secretary and I am the Chief Secretary. This government has no guts to serve me a copy of the transfer order. Still I claim I am the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu appointed by Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, appointed by, sponsored by, nurtured by Hon'ble madam who is my department leader. I am still the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, he said.

May be the new chief secretary is an in-charge, I don't know, he said.Mr Rao was sacked from the post of chief secretary on Thursday and was kept on compulsory wait. The government website had update his position on Thursday evening, hours after he was removed from the post.

The I-T investigators who knocked at his door on December 21 at around 5.30 am kept me under house arrest for 36 hours and the search warrant had only the name of his son Vivek Pappisetty, Mr Rao claimed.

Why did they search my chamber at the Secretariat when the warrant had only mentioned my son's name? Is he the chief secretary? he asked.
Prasad echoed the issue of large-scale land purchases by BJP in Bihar ahead of demonetisation, an issue which had also been raised by JD(U). (Photo: PTI)

Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "pushing the country backward" through his decision to scrap high value currency notes in the name of fighting black money.

Addressing a RJD 'mahadharna', Prasad said he would announce the date of a rally against demonetisation within a week, in which, he would invite all non-BJP parties on one platform on the issue of recall of the demonetised Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination bank notes.

RJD alone participated in the dharna against demonetisation on Wednesday and its two allies in the state, the JD(U) and Congress stayed away.

While JD(U) President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said that the party would analyse the demonetisation decision on completion of 50 days of the drive, Congress though extending a moral support to RJD, kept away from stir.

Addressing the 'mahadharna', Prasad said, "Every party has its own agitation programme but the entire opposition is one in protesting demonetisation."

"Though all the opposition parties have their own agitation programme against demonetisation, all of them would converge at the 'chauraha' (public square) and the Prime Minister could choose a 'Chauraha' of his liking where the people could punish him for derailing the country through scrapping of notes," he said.

"I will invite all opposition parties together at the proposed rally against demonetisation which the RJD would organise in Patna and it would be their choice to attend or not," he said.

"Modi has pushed the country backward through his decision to scrap high value currency notes in the name of fighting black money," Prasad said.

Although no other parties came with RJD in today's mahadharna, Prasad in a bid to reach out to prominent leaders of different parties mentioned issues raised by JD(U), Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee on demonetisation.

Prasad echoed the issue of large-scale land purchases by BJP in Bihar ahead of demonetisation, an issue which had also been raised by JD(U).

On Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's allegation that Narendra Modi had received about Rs 44 crore from Sahara when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, he asked the prime minister to reply to the query instead of making fun of Gandhi.

"If the allegation that Rahul Gandhi is making is not true why don't you file a defamation suit against him in the Supreme Court?" the RJD chief asked.

Besides the state capital, RJD also held sit-in demonstrations in all district headquarters of the state against the demonetisation decision of the Modi government.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting black money hoarders and demanded that the names of Swiss account holders be revealed to the nation.

"He (Modi) said he is going to reveal the names of those who hold Swiss accounts. The Swiss Government has given the list to Narendra Modi ji. When is he going to bring the list in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha? We want to know who the corrupt are. He should also tell why he is trying to protect these defaulters," said Gandhi.

Rahul also accused Modi of practising politics of "fear and anger" and exhorted party men to defeat his ideology.

"On November 8, Modiji said he is performing a 'yagya' against corruption and black money. In every yagya someone's sacrifice is done and every yagya is done to benefit someone.

"The demonetisation 'yagya' is for 50 families of the country's 1 per cent super rich. It is the poor, farmers, labourers, middle class and small shopkeepers who are being sacrificed in this 'yagya'. There has been tremendous pain caused by it," he said presiding over Congress Party's 132nd Foundation Day celebrations,

The Congress will stand with people, farmers, labourers, middle-class and small shopkeepers and with the country and help them, he said, exhorting Congressmen to reach out to those "pained" by demonetisation and fight and defeat the ideology of Modi and RSS that spreads "fear and hatred".

"Congress workers have to reach out to people and I am confident that they will do this and will fight out and defeat the ideology of Narendra Modi and RSS which spreads anger and hate," he said.

Accusing Modi for hurting financial independence of people of this country, he asked on what basis limits of Rs 24,000 were imposed on withdrawal.

Filling in for his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi who is not keeping well, Rahul for the first time on Wednesday unfurled the Tricolour at the party headquarters to mark the Congress Foundation Day.

In another first, he later addressed a gathering of top party leaders including all members of the Congress Working Committee, indicating his slow but consistent march towards elevation as Congress chief.

Rahul used the occasion to trace the party's history of sacrifices and struggles to say Congress was synonymous with acceptance of the other.

"Congress means understanding the other. Congress means I am not alone and that there is another perspective apart from mine. Congress is the idea that it is not only my view that will prevail. I must seek your view. Congress means reaching out to you, Congress means listening to you. Congress means understanding the other," he told the gathering.

Seeking to project the BJP as a divisive force as against an inclusive Congress, he said, "Modi government is today tearing apart the fabric of our country. Modiji's policies are creating a tremendous fear psychosis among people. Modiji is trying to convert this fear and pain into hatred. Demonetisation is an example of this.

"The aim is to run a government of select few, take away the money from the poor and give it to a select few. Spread fear and anger and rule on that basis. We have shown that questions have been raised on Modiji and there are charges on him. He should answer these questions," he said.

Rahul traced Congress' history of fighting the freedom struggle and said, "Congress helped people understand the meaning of Swaraj and independence. Congress helps fight fear."

The functioning of the party is not about an an individual but about everyone, he said.

"I would first want to talk about what is relationship of people of the country with Congress party. It is that of sharing pain and of sharing emotions. This idea says that you are not alone. They gave a name to that idea and called it Congress," the party Vice President said.

He said the note ban decision has robbed the poor people of their money, which is intended to be given to the rich of the country.

He said it is the poor, the farmers, labourers, the middle class and the common people who are suffering the most.

Wednesday's event was significant because its rare for the party vice-president to preside over the Foundation Day function.

There has been a growing demand within the party for the Gandhi scion to take over reins of the party from his mother Sonia Gandhi as Congress president.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, had also verbally resolved and urged Sonia Gandhi to elevate Rahul to the top post recently.

A large number of senior Congress leaders were present on the occasion.
Mumbai: Mumbai customs sleuths on Wednesday seized cash totalling around Rs 69 lakh in two separate cases in Mumbai, which included recovery of Rs 25 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the customs made these seizures at the international airport in Mumbai in the wee hours and four persons were arrested in this connection.

In the first case, foreign currency worth over Rs 43 lakh was recovered from three passengers -- Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha -- who arrived here from Hyderabad.

"A detailed examination of the baggage of Ali resulted in recovery of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars," said a Customs official, adding that the total value was Rs 43.97 lakhs.

This money was found wrapped in newspapers and was concealed in their check-in baggage.

The trio in their statement have said that they brought the foreign currency from Saudi Arabia during their visit last week but did not declare the money before the Customs.

"They have also said that they came to Mumbai for conversion of the currency expecting good returns," the official said.

They were arrested after a case under Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act was registered against them.

In another case, one Arif Koyante who was departing to Dubai was arrested after Rs 25 lakh, in denominations of Rs 2000, was seized from him.

Officials said a search of his baggage yielded 1,250 notes kept in 52 different envelopes made of white paper.

"These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 cardboards on which ready made garments were neatly wrapped," said the official adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that it was attempted to be smuggled out of India.

A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif and he has admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery, the official said.
Chennai: Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has agreed to make way for Sasikala Natarajan to take over the states reins from him, cooperation minister Sellur Raju claimed here. We will first elect Chinnamma unanimously as the general secretary at the AIADMK general council and executive session on Thursday. Soon afterwards, we will have a meeting of the party legislators and elect her as the Chief Minister. OPS is in agreement to this, Mr Sellur Raju told DC on Tuesday.

Everyone, from the ground-level party worker to senior ministers want Chinnamma to be the general secretary as well as the CM. We cannot have two power centres, one heading the party and the other ruling the state, Mr Sellur Raju said.

While all efforts to reach Mr Panneerselvam failed - his office kept ducking the persistent requesting by this correspondent for a brief appointment to get his side of the story - several ministers in the OPS Cabinet backed Mr Sellur Rajus strategy to ensure that the AIADMK stays united and strong under the leadership of Chinnamma, who is the best qualified to hold both positions of party general secretary and state CM as she was closely associated with Jayalalithaa and learnt the art of running the party and the government.

This is the critical time for our party as our great leader (Jayalalithaa) passed away. But then, she had nurtured the party as the most disciplined--just like a well-trained army--political outfit in the country. And Chinnamma has been with Amma throughout this great task of party building and so she is sure to save the party from any threat, reasoned Mr Sellur Raju.

Commercial taxes minister K.C. Veeramani, who is also the Vellore East district secretary, said his is the largest district unit in the AIADMK and everyone in it has unequivocally supported the cry for Chinnamma to become the party general secretary as well the state CM.

Mr Thanga Tamizhchelvan, MLA and district secretary at Theni, which happens to be OPS native district, claimed that there was no dissent from any quarters to the district units resolution pleading with Sasikala to become party general secretary.

We brought this resolution to the Amma memorial and took a solemn pledge to make Chinnamma our leader. As an MLA from our district, OPS was also present, so it goes without saying he has no objection to her leadership, he said.

Our first step is to make Chinnamma the party general secretary. Our MLAs will meet soon afterwards and elect her as CM. We cannot have two swords in a single sheath. We cannot have two power centres. OPS will accept to make way for her as CM, said Mr Thanga Tamizhchelvan.

Several ministers this correspondent spoke to voiced similar views with identical robust resolve to make Sasikala the CM soon after the December 29 coronation as party general secretary.

It remains to be seen if their ambitious dream would fructify in the days to come and OPS will just walk away from his CM seat-considering that he has been doing a great job and appears to have the support of Delhi.
Chennai: AIADMK cadres on Wednesday attacked and injured the husband of expelled MP Sasikala Pushpa, who was accused of trying to create a law-and-order problem ahead of Thursday's General Council meeting to elect a new General Secretary.

While initial reports suggested that the attacked man, who was seen bleeding profusely, was Pushpa's lawyer, police later clarified he was her husband Lingeswara Thilagan, who has been detained for interrogation.

Police said no other person was injured.

Subsequently, Pushpa filed a complaint with the police against AIADMK cadre for assaulting her husband.

AIADMK supporters rained blows on Thilagan, who had stayed put there despite being asked to leave, resulting in bleeding injuries on his nose.

He was rescued by police who removed him from the vicinity for first aid, even as angry men and women were seen swearing at him.

AIADMK workers started gathering at the party headquarters following information that Pushpa, earlier expelled by Jayalalithaa for anti-party activities, could come there ahead of Thursday's General Council, possibly to seek an invitation to attend it.

It was felt that she could even try to contest for the top post.

Pushpa had been reportedly questioning Sasikala's eligibility for appointment as the new General Secretary, a demand being made by a section of party workers.

Party spokesperson C R Saraswathi charged Pushpa with trying to create a law-and-order problem ahead of the General Council.

"Sasikala Pushpa wants to create a law-and-order problem ahead of the General Council tomorrow. Let her resign first as MP as it was Amma who made her a Rajya Sabha Member," she said.

She alleged that Pushpa's injured husband had deliberately stayed put at the party headquarters despite being asked to leave and it had been done to "create a problem".

"She (Pushpa) is no more in the AIADMK. In the General Council, only members are allowed and not even special guests are invited," she said.

On the violence, another Spokesperson C Ponnayan said "If someone enters your house and creates problems, there is a consequence-- an action has got a reaction."

"However, we do not justify the violence as this movement, launched by MGR (MG Ramachandran) and taken forward by Amma (Jayalalithaa), does not condone violence," Ponnaiyan added.

Meanwhile, actor Anandraj quit the party, in an apparent fallout with Sasikala.

He said he has sent his resignation letter to the party.

"I do not have any personal enmity with anyone. I was not invited for tomorrow's General Council. Let anybody be elected as general secretary. I have sent my resignation letter, hope they accept it," he told reporters.

Anandraj had also been making some comments of late on the issue of Jayalalithaa's successor to the top post.

Without naming anyone, he said nobody should be compared with Jayalalithaa.

"In the present situation, even a government officer is using Amma's name," he said, in an apparent reference to former Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, who is under the

Income Tax scanner, and had repeatedly invoked her name on Tuesday while defending himself during a press meet.

"Do not demean the soul of Amma by invoking her name. Do not misuse her name. Anybody is able to use her name. Please respect her," he said.
Hyderabad: The state government has identified 650 acres in Hyderabad for 2BHK houses, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said in the Assembly on Tuesday. He said he would meet with public representatives from the city in January on the project.

MIM Floor leader Akabaruddin Owaisi the government had to give 12 per cent reservations to Muslims in the housing scheme, to which Mr Rao replied that it would be fixed at the January meeting.

Mr Owaisi said according to his information the share of minorities in the housing scheme was 1.57 per cent and Muslims, 1.36 per cent. He said the MIM had sent about one lakh applications for sanction of houses.

Graft found in house project

Chief Minister K. Chandra-sekhar Rao said the government would complete the CID inquiry into corruption in the Indiramma housing scheme, floated by the previous Congress government, soon and the culprits would be punished.

He said a random inquiry in 35 villages in 18 Assembly constituencies had revealed the involvement of a zilla parishad member, three mandal parishad members, 14 sarpanches and three single window chairmen. He said the names of some political leaders had come up.

Opposition leader K. Jana Reddy said that the government was blaming Congress ministers and legislators.
Announcing Yadadri as the first cashless temple town, collector Anita Ramachandran purchased coconuts through SBI Buddy to offer to the presiding deity, Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Yadadri on Tuesday became the first cashless temple town in Telangana. All merchants including tea vendors switched to the cashless mode in two days. The Telangana Information Technology Association under its Digithon programme had taken up the task with the coordination of district revenue officials and the state IT department.

Announcing Yadadri as the first cashless temple town, collector Anita Ramachandran purchased coconuts through SBI Buddy to offer to the presiding deity, Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. Government Whip Gongidi Sunitha travelled in an autorickshaw and paid by a cashless mode.

The TITA educated vendors and merchants on Monday on the necessity and advantages of cashless economy and they began adopting technology from Tuesday.
Uppal BJP legislator N.V.S.S. Prabhakar has been accused of supporting an individual who has occupied land in Hastinapuri.

Hyderabad: Owners of land in Hastinapuri in Yapral alleged on Wednesday that Uppal BJP legislator N.V.S.S. Prabhakar, while speaking in the Assembly on Monday, had supported a person accused in a land grab case.

The MLA secured 400 votes from Hastinapuri and has not stood by his voters. Mr Prabhakar has taken the side of a land grabber in the Assembly by showing GHMC officers in a bad light, said a plot owner.

On the 31 acres in Hastinapuri, there are 300 plots, of which 270 have been built on. The alleged land grabber is said to have occupied a plot and sold it to different parties, and is now trying to occupy land in Surveys No. 5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11. He is allegedly insisting that building permission should not be granted on plots surrounding these survey numbers.

The MLA said in the Assembly: In a case in Kapra municipality, the town planning officers are accepting bribes and approving building permissions when there is a Supreme Court order against it.

Mr Jai Prakash, a members of the Hastinapuri Cooperative Housing Society, said, There is no Supreme Court order with regard to Hastinapuri. The MLA has supported him by calling officers corrupt for granting building permission to legal plot owners like the members of the society. The land grabber wants to stall permissions and knock off the vacant land.

The Hastinapuri Cooperative Housing Society has registered two FIRs against the person with the Kushaiguda police.

Society secretary G. Manohar said the colony is more than 30 years old and the residents were middle-class employees.

The MLA did not even bother to find the facts from the society before making a statement in the Assembly. Government agencies such as GHMC and Rachakonda police have investigated the land grabbing issue by appointing various committees and taking legal opinion, which has confirmed the title of the members of the society, he said.

The members alleged that the MLA was not allowing GHMC officials to grant new building permission and was forcing officers to cancel permissions granted earlier.

Asked about this, Mr Prabhakar said, I was addressing the issue of corruption in the town planning section of GHMC when I took the example of Hastinapuri. I have nothing to do with the land grabber, neither am I supporting him. I am open for discussion with the residents.
Hyderabad: Utter chaos prevailed over whether the Assembly had passed a new law  TS Land Acquisition Bill  or an amendment. No clarity was given by either the Speaker or the government.

There was also confusion over how the state would bring the implemenation of Act with retrospective effect from January 1, 2014, when Telangana state did not exist, raising questions over whether it would stand legal scrutiny.

Legislative affairs minister T.Harish Rao tabled The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabiliation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment)) Bill, 2016, and the same was circulated to the members in the House and media.

The Congress argued that government had no right to amend the Act approved by Parliament but could enact a new legislation. Leader of Oppostion K. Jana Reddy repeatedly brought this to the notice of Chief Minis-ter K. Chandrasekhar Rao when it was put for voice vote.

The Chief Minister said the government had tabled the Bill and not an amendment Bill, and Mr Harish Rao had sought passage of the Bill.

What Mr Jana Reddy said was lost in the din in the House.

In the meanwhile, the Speaker announced that the Bill was passed, without giving any chance for Opposition parties to speak or seek any clarity on this issue and adjourned the House.
The menace of stray dogs has not spared the Chief Minister's security quarters at Begumpet.

Hyderabad: The menace of stray dogs has not spared the Chief Minister's security quarters at Begumpet.

Street dogs entered through the Manjeera guest house gate and reached the quarters adjacent to the Chief Minister's house by jumping through an under-construction wall.

Five dog squads and a catching unit were deployed to nab them, but a GHMC Begumpet circle veterinary officer said they could not catch the dogs on Wednesday though the search with continue.

The Chief Ministers sprawling nine-acre home has the former CMs camp office in front, the old quarters of the security forces on the left and the now demolished IAS recreation centre close by, which shares a wall with the police quarters.

One of the entrances to the IAS recreation centre is through the Manjeera guest house gate and this is the only way strays can enter the premises. The animals are attracted by the tons of construction debris and an overflowing garbage bin.
Following the disclosure from his nine-year-old daughter Bhuvaneswari that she saw her father dousing her mother Varalakshmi with kerosene, the accused was arrested.

Chennai: A 32-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting his wife ablaze at his house in Mangadu on Sunday night.

Following the disclosure from his nine-year-old daughter Bhuvaneswari that she saw her father dousing her mother Varalakshmi with kerosene, the accused was arrested.

The family of Sabari, a daily wage worker, lived in a rented house in Kolumanivakkam near Mangadu. During questioning, neighbours told police that Sabari quarreled with his wife in an inebriated condition and subsequently Varalalakshmi screamed for help in the night.

Neighbours rushed to the place and found her with burns. She was rushed to Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) hospital for her treatment. She didnt reveal any information to police personnel and the doctors as she was not in a position to talk. She sucummbed to burns on Tuesday morning.

Police noted that Sabari and her two children had not suffered any burns and when questioned Sabari claimed that he tried to rescue her but stayed back, as he kept the children at bay from approaching the burning mother. He projected it as a suicide.

Police personnel got a breakthrough when they spoke to the children separately. When confronted, Sabari confessed to the crime.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Sabari often returned home drunk in the night and picked up quarrel with his wife for trivial issue. On Sunday night, he reached home drunk and after a quarrel he set his wife on fire, when she was sleeping.
Tirupati: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has advised the universities in the state to follow the method of foreign universities and mobilise resources, instead of depending on the government for funds while making it clear that they may not extend financial support in future.

He was addressing a large gathering after inaugurating the 99th Annual Convention of Indian Economic Association at Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati on Tuesday. Pointing to the research and consultancy services being offered by the universities abroad, he said the universities in AP should follow suit to generate income.

Attributing the poor performance of the universities to the pampering by the government, he said the support will not continue for long. A student of economics, Mr Naidu turned nostalgic while referring to his student days in SVU and his success in Assembly polls, while studying in the University.

Stating that economic reforms led to a phenomenal growth rate of 7.76 per cent, he said India is the fastest growing economy after China and that it may overtake both China and Japan, whose population is dominated by aged people, as against Indias young age population. Expressing support to the dynamic decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with regard to economic reforms, Mr Naidu said the benefits will last for next 3-4 decades.

The Chief Minister took potshots against the Congress, he said there had been a mere 2 per cent growth rate during its regime, though it was stable and in power for a long period. Mr Naidu lauded former prime minister late P.V. Narasimha Rao for bailing out the country from a difficult situation taking tough decisions on economic reforms. He claimed that AP secured 24.8 pc growth rate for first half of 2016-17, despite revenue loss.
It was the week before Christmas and, like all cities in the Western world, Berlin was lit up, the air was cold and the mood festive. At the Christmas market near the Zoologischer Garten train station, people milled about shopping and enjoying themselves.

A short distance away, a Pakistani man named Naved B sat in a park. Twenty-three years old, Naved lived at the old Berlin airport, which had been converted into a refugee centre. He had arrived by way of the Balkans, making it to Germany a year earlier, and was granted a temporary visa when no translator could be found for the dialect he spoke. His life would soon be altered forever.

Around 8.00 pm, a semi-truck barged through the Christmas market nearby, crushing all those in its path. When the casualties were counted, 12, including the actual driver of the hijacked truck, were dead and nearly 48 injured. In the pandemonium that followed the attack, an eyewitness claimed to have seen the assailant, who had jumped from the truck and fled after it came to a stop, near a church. The eyewitness claimed that he saw the man, followed him and called the police. It was this call that led to the arrest of Naved B, who had at the time been hanging out around the Victory Column monument in the park. Within minutes, it had been conveyed to the media that the suspect in the gruesome attack was a Pakistani male.

It would take almost 24 hours for the Berlin police to finally admit that the brown, immigrant Muslim man they had apprehended was not the brown, immigrant Muslim man that had carried out the attack.

The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that the eyewitness on whose testimony the arrest had been made had actually lost sight of the attacker between the time he spotted him and then saw Naved B in the park. The police did not find gunpowder residue or blood on his clothes as they had expected to, given that the truck driver had been killed. It was over a day after the attack when they finally admitted that Naved B, the man they had arrested, was not the perpetrator of the attack, that the real culprit was still at large.

The set of misunderstandings that led to the arrest of Naved B are not particularly surprising. Escalating xenophobia in the West, including Germany, has ensured that all brown men of any religion are considered suspect. In the logic of the terrified, there seem to be too many of them, dark and skulking in parks and around markets, representing always the threat of crime.

There is little empathy for these men, or any appreciation as to how the festivities of others may sting and burn those who are far from home, from all that they have loved, and unwelcome where they are. In their desperation, they all seem the same. Punishing one man for the sins of another may be a gross inequity if the subjects are white and Western; it is perhaps less so when they are brown or black and desperate.

Naved B may have been an actual victim of mistaken identity in the minutes after the Berlin attack. Many more Muslim men, Pakistani and otherwise, are likely to pay the price for the actual perpetrator of the ghastly massacre.

The Muslim faith and immigrant status as somehow special, worthy of notice and suspicion, means a heightened visibility. They may not be terrorists yet, but they are all potential terrorists, men who will at some point blow up train stations, drive trucks into crowds of people, or blow themselves up.

It is undoubtedly an onerous and unfair burden. Pakistani men applying for visas for study or work in any Western country will face the consequences of all the terrorist acts committed by Muslim men anywhere in the West. To end this cycle of collective punishment, they must work as vigorously as possible to stem the tide of intolerance and extremism in their own countries.

Sadly, rejections by the West, whether they are in the languages of visas denied or for those that have managed to get there, arrests and suspicion, are likely to prevent them from doing just that. Anis Amri, the actual murderer, evaded capture and was shot to death before he could be apprehended. All the other Muslim men are, because of him and assassins like him, collective captives, guilty until proven innocent.

By arrangement with Dawn
Exactly at the halfway mark of the Narendra Modi governments term, the demand for the Prime Ministers resignation was placed on the table Tuesday by a collective of Opposition parties in the forefront of which is the Congress, that initiated the move, in collaboration with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjees Trinamul Congress. Whatever the optics, the BJP is evidently watching the issue carefully and is likely to take all measures it can to ward off the demand from snowballing.

The government fielded law minister Ravishankar Prasad, an able speaker and organiser with a fine-tuned political sense, to head off the Oppositions effort in its infancy. Mr Prasads opening volley was to make fun of the exercise by proposing that the balloon of Opposition unity had already burst as many significant non-BJP parties  including the JD(U), led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar; the SP and BSP, two important parties in Uttar Pradesh; the Left; and Sharad Pawars NCP  had skipped the meeting and joint press conference led by Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee.

This is the mantra playing in the media as well  thanks to the BJPs deft political and media management  but the problem is that the issue is not about Opposition unity, it is rather the demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Such a demand had not been brought to the table in the form of a proposed political campaign even after the Bofors-related tumult aimed at then PM Rajiv Gandhi, which eventually claimed his scalp in the Lok Sabha elections that followed.

The next Lok Sabha polls are two and a half years away. It is hard to say what the countrys political landscape will be then. A good deal may depend on the coming polls in UP, Punjab and some other states in the months ahead. But not a little will depend on whether the group of Opposition parties visible on Tuesday coheres, and if it can gain adherents and pitch its appeal to the public.

The issues at stake are serious enough. The first point, underscored by Mr Gandhi, relates to the allegation about the Prime Ministers personal corruption when he was CM of Gujarat, as disclosed in the Birla and Sahara group documents which are with the income-tax department. The other vital question, stressed by Ms Banerjee, is the failure of the demonetisation move as the Prime Minister had asked for 50 days in which to unearth black money circulating in India, but the mess arising from this disastrous move has caused the highlighting of extremely poor economic management which has hurt the poor the most.

Together, these questions make a potentially volatile political cocktail. Much would depend on how all sides respond.
Effects of note ban are disastrous

Abhishek Dutt

There are two issues involved here  one the reasons behind this decision, and the second whether this pain will give us some good results or not. Lets get into a little background about Indias cash outlook. I am giving you figures which have been sourced from several reports by experts. As a percentage of GDP, the value of notes and coins in circulation in the Indian economy is 12.2 per cent, which is higher than countries like Russia, Brazil and Mexico. The ratio of money held in notes and coins to the amount held in demand deposits and savings account in India is a staggering 51 per cent, well above several countries. It is also a fact that fewer than 45 per cent of Indians above the age of 15 have used a bank account. Less than 12 per cent have ever used any kind of non-cash payment instrument.

So in a country like India, which is extremely cash-intensive, squeezing out 86 per cent of the currency in circulation is bad economics. The reasons that have been given were counterfeit currency, terror funding, black money and finally going cashless.

Counterfeit currency cannot be the reason as per reports a secret study by intelligence agencies along with the Indian Statistical Institute has revealed that Rs 400 crore fake currency is in circulation. So for Rs 400 crores, should we junk about Rs 15 lakh crores currency? The argument does not much ice. Now terror funding  we saw that terrorists who were killed by our security forces had new Rs 2,000 notes, so that argument has also failed. Next was black money, we have seen all reports which have emanated on black money, they say the cash component of black money is only six per cent rest all is stashed in bullion, real estate, etc.

Finally we come to the cashless reason. As per reports, India is a fiercely competitive telecommunications market, possesses well-developed financial markets and is a leading exporter of technology services. But less than three per cent of Indians have used a mobile phone to receive a payment, compared to 60 per cent Kenyans and 11 per cent Nigerians. Also, cashless payments are much more sizeable from a value perspective rather than a volume perspective in India. The reason is mainly access and connectivity, which are a big hindrance. Now before solving these problems, if we rush into a cashless mode, it is like putting the cart before the horse.

According to reports coming from across the country, small traders and businesses have been severely hit. Lets look at the figures: two-wheeler sales have dipped, IIP manufacturing has dipped, sales of HCV heavy commercial vehicles have dipped and the freight traffic of railways has also gone down. The impact of all this is Indias economy is projected to grow at 6.5 per cent instead of the 7.8 per cent projected by economists earlier. Other projections coming in are certainly not flattering for the government. Moodys investors services say asset quality at Indian banks reeling under a pile of bad loans will weaken. Small businesses, the biggest creator of jobs, are estimated to forfeit transactions worth $9 billion. These are alarming projections.

Lets also look at small industries. The shoe industry in Agra is in tatters, and there have been major layoffs. Similar instances are being reported from the lock industry in Aligarh, hosiery industry in Ludhiana and Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. Farmers are equally hit because of cash restrictions  sowing of wheat has not taken place. In Nagpur, oranges are not being picked up, and there is a serious crisis. The government itself is admitting that in two quarters there will be problems. In reality, no economist has praised this effort, and the effects are disastrous on the economy. Sadly, there is going to be no gain after this pain.

Abhishek Dutt is spokesperson, Congress Delhi Shadow Team.

Its really an economic satyagraha

Rakesh Sinha

The debate on Narendra Modis demonetisation has been based on a flawed assumption that it is a policy. Unfortunately, both vocal supporters as well as its opponents share this hypothesis, shrewdly construed by anti-demonetisation forces. It is a programme, which emanates from a sane vision to create an egalitarian sentiment.

Its impact, generally calculated in terms of GDP, is a gross injustice with the very idea of demonetisation. It has multi-dimensional effect from democracy to economics. It demolished politico-economic oligarchy, which commanded maximum black money and used them to influence policy, politics and public opinion industry.

Over the years black money has become an integral part of economic activities. The magnitude of black money has not so important than proportionally its manifold dysfunctional impact on our civil life, culture and polity. Therefore, demonetisation is both generative and regulative.

A common man does not need a textbook economist to enlighten him about pitfalls or benefits of demonetisation. They experience it in their day-to-day life. The pain generated by growing inequality multiplies by unethical behavioural patterns penetrating from top to bottom. Therefore, this move can also be seen as a correction in the philosophy of neo-liberalism, which demands the least state intervention and assumes that for faster growth and development society has to bear the pain of both corruption and inequality. The state has been increasingly withered away under the impact of big capital and their insensitive masters. Corruption and black money led the failure of the pink tide (Communist ascendancy to power) in Latin America and it also showing the tendency to unsettle many developed liberal democracies, which have moralised inequality. All these remained incomprehensible for the anti-demonetisation forces, which combined political parties, corporate/business class and their apologists in the West. Convergence of their interests created a coalition of forces. But the collective conscience of the Indian masses defeated the anti-demonetisation coalition, which coincided with anti-Narendra Modi rainbow. People bore the pain but remained unfettered in supporting demonetisation, thats why I call it an economic satyagraha.

But there is also a sad part of the demonetisation debate. It has been trapped into micro narratives shrewdly construed by the brain trust of black money. The public discourse has been made prisoners of sensational breaking news, how much money deposited, queues in front of banks and ATMs, some exceptional incidents, etc. It is not that they do not deserve attention but they cant be the centrality of a debate. Unfortunately, agencies of the Indian state, like the Niti Aayog, collectively could not create meta-narrative on demonetisation and left everything from micro to macro to the Prime Minister to explain and interpret. It suited the economic oligarchy of the country, which was most affected by unexpected march of ethics and democracy in neo-liberal economic horizon. It is to be pondered whether what the Planning Commission successfully used to do for Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira Gandhi, could the Niti Aayog do for Mr Modi? Blind anti-Modism in Indian politics privileged these agencies of uncriticality.

Last but not least, Mr Modi has also given a powerful message that ethics and the quest for egalitarianism are not in the past tense but very much present in the dictionary of governance. The pink tide may fail due to lack of their conviction in peoples welfare, but the saffron tide cant fail due to its undiminished commitment for the peoples cause.

Rakesh Sinha is associate professor, University of Delhi, and honorary director of India Policy Foundation.
Of the 83 satellites, 80 belong to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the US. They weigh about 500 kg.

ISRO had said it would launch a record 83 satellites in one go using its workhorse PSLV-C37 toward the end of January.

"We are working for a January launch. It will be toward the end of January. The date has to be fixed," Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman A S Kiran Kumar told reporters here.

Of the 83 satellites, 80 belong to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the US. They weigh about 500 kg.

The three Indian satellites are Cartosat-2 series, weighing 730 kg as primary payload, and INS-IA and INS-1B, weighing 30 kg.

Setting a record in its space programme, ISRO in June had successfully launched 20 satellites, including its earth observation Cartosat-2 series, in a single mission on board PSLV-C34 from the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The space agency had earlier sent 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission in 2008.

Calling 2016 a "good" year, Kumar said ISRO would launch at least five communication satellites in 2017.

"It (launches) will be more next year, we are actually looking at almost something like five communication satellites, then many more others. Some earth observation also," he said in response to a question on the number of launches that can be expected in 2017.

"In the year we are primarily trying to do our GSLV Mark III, then Mark II... one more launch we are trying to do," Kumar said.

The first three months should see three launches, beyond which ISRO was targeting almost one a month, he said on the sidelines of the 21st convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) here.

Stating that 2016 was a good year because ISRO was able to improve on what they were doing the previous year, Kumar said the main emphasis now was on building capacity.

"We need more and more capacity, launch capacity. We are working toward that. Our effort is to continuously increase," he added.

On transponder augmentation that ISRO is looking for, he said, "GSAT-17 is having another 48 transponders, then there is a SAARC satellite which will have about 12 transponders, then we are getting into the next generation GSAT-11 and GSAT-19. We are trying to do something like 14-gigabyte and 90-gigabyte type of thing- multi beam satellites."

Noting that ISRO is conducting tests for hazard avoidance for Chandrayaan 2 as it lands, he said, "We are verifying the performance of the system as designed." "Chandrayaan 2, we are preparing for hazard avoidance, as it lands then it has to avoid boulders and things. We are verifying the performance of the system as designed, so there are some craters created and as it comes down how it negotiates. We are evaluating the performance of the system," he added.

ISRO has been conducting these tests at its facility in Challakere in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.

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One of the biggest news relating to Nokia this year was the companys comeback announcement. Nokia under HMD Global is planning on launching new Android models in 2017. Up till now, it was rumoured that at least three Nokia-branded Android devices will be unveiled at MWC 2017 that usually takes place in February every year. However, a fresh rumour suggests that HMD Global will introduce four more models in Q2 and Q3 of 2017 which may even include a new variant of the Nokia D1C.

The four new models will have display sizes ranging from 5 to 5.7-inch at WQHD or full HD resolutions, said the sources, adding that panel suppliers will include LG Display, Century Technology (CTC) and Innolux and that FIH Mobile will serve as production partner, reported DigiTimes.

The same report even revealed that the first Nokia smartphone is expected to be presented by HMD at MWC. It will be the Nokia D1C and will initially be available in two versions, depending on the amount of memory and display size. The higher-priced version that will come with 3GB RAM and 5.5-inch full HD display will cost $200 and the other version will come with 2GB RAM, 5-inch full HD display and will cost $150.

Apart from that, HMD Global is also expected to unveil its flagship Nokia-branded smartphone which is rumoured to equip Snapdragon 835 SoC, 6GB RAM and 23MP rear camera with Zeiss lens in February. We are two months away from the MWC event. There is no official confirmation from the company as yet.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who has a BTech degree from IIT Kharagpur, will relive his old days in the campus with teachers and students at a function here next week.

"Sundar Pichai, CEO Google and Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, has expressed his desire to visit the campus in the first week of January 2017," IIT-Kgp director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said.

The institute is inviting students to come back to campus on time after the winter break to be able to listen to Pichai.

At an open-air theatre in the campus, the Google man will discuss his past, present and future at a function titled 'A journey back to the past to inspire the future' on January 5.

Pichai had passed out from the elite institute in 1993 with a BTech in metallurgical and materials engineering.

He then went on to pursue an MS in Engineering and Materials Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Later on he joined Google in 2004 as its vice president of product management, where he led the team working on Google's Chrome browser and operating system, before being elevated as its CEO last year.

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The website has had a good track record of information on unreleased iPhones. It also stated that there would be no other changes made on that model.

The iPhone 8 slated to be released next year and there are massive rumours flying around it. There have been many reports from various sources about the next-gent overhaul treatment that the iPhone 8 will be receiving. Now a new report has claimed the company wants to do this with a model that would feature a 5-inch display.

Japanese site Macotakara has claimed that a Taiwanese supplier has revealed Apple is planning on launching a 5-inch model featuring a vertical dual-camera system, as compared to the horizontal one that is available on the iPhone 7 Plus.

The website has had a good track record of information on unreleased iPhones. It also stated that there would be no other changes made on that model, and that all other specifications would be similar to the rest of the iPhones. This means Apples main purpose is just to offer a new size with the vertical dual-camera system.

One of the bigger questions that crops up here is why would Apple actually go for the 5-inch display and the answer is immediately evident  more space under the hood.

With a bigger display, Apple will have more space to play with horizontally than vertically. This feature is exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus right now. This means if Apple brings it on a smaller iPhone, it might have to rethink the internal structure in order to fit in the camera module.

As for an iPhone with a 5-inch display, Apple might be trying to provide potential customers with a choice between the existing 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch options. At this point, Apple doesnt have such an option and many 5-inch phone buyers are tempted to go for Android, where the range of phones includes several models with this size.

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West Palm Beach, Florida: President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday appointed an experienced hand from the George W Bush era to his national security circle and a figure from the Trump Organization to make international deals.

Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trump's transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity, and coordinate the Cabinet's process for making and executing policy in those areas.

The position notably "is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser," the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.

Bossert will work closely with Trump's pick for national security adviser, retired Lt Gen. Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on U.S.-Israel relations as special representative for international negotiations. Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organization for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer.

In the statement, Trump said Greenblatt "has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf," and has the expertise to "bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics."

Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for US ambassador to Israel.

Trump's West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as "equal partners," according to Trump, and counselor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy. Trump's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also have a direct line to the president.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and during his presidential campaign. But doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making.

In New York Tuesday afternoon, police hastily cleared the lobby of Trump Tower to investigate an unattended backpack, only to find that it contained children's toys. Video taken by a bystander and posted on Twitter showed people running through the lobby for the exits.

The bomb squad checked out the package and gave an "all clear" just after 5 pm.

Trump lives in the tower and has his offices there, although he is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, where he's held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his government remain; his transition team says he will fill those positions in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Trump's plan to dissolve his charitable foundation before he takes office to eliminate any conflicts of interest appears to be harder than he thought.

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that Trump cannot move ahead with his decision to dismantle his charitable foundation because state prosecutors are probing whether the president-elect personally benefited from its spending.

"The Trump foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," said Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The statement came after Trump announced that he wanted to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation, part of what his presidential transition team says is an effort to erase any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office January 20.

But the foundation's inner workings have been the subject of Schneiderman's investigation for months and could remain a thorny issue for Trump's incoming administration. Democrats nationally have said they are ready to raise any legal or ethical issues from Trump's global business empire during his presidency.

Trump's charity has admitted that it violated IRS regulations barring it from using its money or assets to benefit Trump, his family, his companies or substantial contributors to the foundation.

Trump asserted on Twitter late Monday that his foundation was run efficiently.

"The DJT Foundation, unlike most foundations, never paid fees, rent, salaries or any expenses," the president-elect tweeted. "100% of the money goes to wonderful charities."

For a second day, Trump also pointed to economic indicators as evidence of a positive response to his Election Day victory.

In a tweet late Tuesday, Trump said, "The US Consumer Confidence Index for December surged nearly four points to 113.7, THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN MORE THAN 15 YEARS! Thanks Donald!"

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index was up from 109.4 in November and the highest since it reached 114 in August 2001 - a sign consumers are confident in the aftermath of a divisive election campaign.

The index measures consumers' assessment of current conditions, which dipped from November but was still very positive, and their expectations for the future, which hit a 13-year high.
President-elect Donald Trump's tweet on President Obama being non-cooperative is the power transit.

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Barack Obama of making "inflammatory" statements and complicating the impending transfer of power - the latest salvo in an escalating war of words with the current commander-in-chief.

The unorthodox personal and public criticism of a sitting president comes less than a month before the 70-year-old Trump - who defeated Obama's preferred successor Hillary Clinton in November's presidential election - takes office.

"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks," Trump wrote on Twitter.

"Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"

The social media jab is the latest from the 70-year-old real estate mogul aimed at Obama, in what has become a most unconventional transition between the outgoing Democrat and the incoming Republican leader.

Obama said in an interview released earlier this week that he could have been re-elected for a third term if he had been eligible and that the nation still largely embraces his political vision.

"I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it," Obama told the interviewer, his former senior adviser David Axelrod.

It was not immediately clear what exactly Trump was referring to in the first tweet, but minutes later, he took Obama to task over his policy on Israel.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the US, but....." he wrote.

"Not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Last week, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory.

The United States declined to use its veto, instead abstaining and thus enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over settlement policy.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, had publicly called for the United States to veto the resolution and has repeatedly criticized Obama's approach.
Kabul: A 30-year-old woman was beheaded in the Taliban-controlled village of Latti in Sar-e-pul province of Afghanistan for entering the area without her husband.

Speaking to The Nation, the Provincial Governors spokesman Zabiullah Amani said the woman faced the punishment for not being accompanied by her husband, who is currently in Iran.

Reportedly, she had come to the village market to shop.

Under the Talibans strict interpretation of Islam, women are banned from leaving their houses unless accompanied by a close male relative (mahram), besides being banned from formal education or employment, and are forced to wear the burqa.

However, the Taliban has refused involvement in the incident.

Earlier in December, 5 female security personnel were shot down by unidentified gunmen, while they were on their way to work.

Hired by a private security agency, the 5 female security guards who were slaughtered were in charge of searching for female travellers at the Kandahar airport, Samim Khpulwak, spokesman for the Governor of Kandahar told Daily Mail.

"Two gunmen on motorbike followed their van and opened fire on them, killing the five and their driver," said Samim.

Even though the struggle for women's rights, especially on education and employment has found some success since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, the reversal of the situation is an imminent threat.

The extremist Taliban group had banned girls from attending school, and women from working between 1996 and 2001. Most of the international community in Afghanistan, post-Taliban regime, has been focused on the restoration of the women's rights.
Damascus: An elderly prisoner was beheaded by militants belonging to an ISIS- affiliated group at a town square near Damascus in Syria, after allegedly accusing the prisoner to be a wizard.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, photos of the incident were released by ISIS in a report titled 'Implementation of the law of Allah in the presence of Muslims.'

The released pictures showed a militant reading out the charges against the prisoner using a microphone as the crowd looked on. The prisoner was being held over a chopping block by two other militants, as the executioner decapitated the prisoner with a sword.

While the nationality of the militants is not known, the report stated that the execution was carried out by the ISIS-affliated Khalid Bin Al-Walid Army. Notably, the prisoner was allegedly repeatedly accused of being a 'practioner of magic.'

The incident is said to have emerged post the escalation of aerial bombing by the Syrian army at a rebel-held valley in the northwest of Damascus.

The army fired and bombarded several towns in Wadi Barada about 11 miles northwest of the capital in an offensive attack launched last week, to recapture the strategic area that houses a spring which provides most of the capital's water supplies.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, joined by President Barack Obama, speaks on Kilo Pier overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii

Tokyo: Japanese on Wednesday hailed a historic visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor, praising his message of reconciliation with the United States but wary of the future after Donald Trump takes office.

Interest in Abe's visit to the site of Japan's December 7, 1941 attack that drew the US into World War II has been high, with many favourably comparing it to President Barack Obama's journey in 2016 to Hiroshima.

Both visits were highly choreographed and in their remarks - Obama in Hiroshima and Abe in Hawaii - neither apologised or even explicitly said their countries carried out the respective attacks.

But despite the careful words, the symbolism of their standing together again, this time at Pearl Harbor, was clear to most in Japan.

National broadcaster NHK provided live coverage of their joint address around 7 am Japan time (2200 GMT Tuesday).

It was delivered after the two men visited the memorial to the battleship USS Arizona, sunk in the surprise Japanese attack.

Kuniyoshi Takimoto, 95, a former navy aircraft mechanic on a carrier that took part in the raid, praised Abe's words.

"It was a beautiful message that deeply reflected the sentiment of both American and Japanese people," he said.

But Takimoto was also critical of Abe's hawkish policy to expand the role of Japan's constitutionally constrained military, including enabling combat missions abroad.

"The beautiful message has a catch," he said.

Abe's visit was slightly overshadowed by one of his own ministers, who visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo just hours after Abe went to Pearl Harbor.

Masahiro Imamura, minister in charge of the reconstruction of northern Japan after the 2011 tsunami, was quoted by public broadcaster NHK as saying the timing of his visit was "a coincidence".

'Sincere apology'

But Haruko Satou, professor of international politics at Osaka University, suggested that while Imamura's true intention was unknown the timing was suspicious.

"It's natural to think that he chose the same day when Prime Minister Abe visited Pearl Harbor," Satou said.

Imamura's action is "likely to have a negative impact on Japan's diplomacy and offset the positive image of Abe's historic visit", she said.

Abe's visit was also closely watched in China, where it was noted that he stressed ties with the US over Asia.

"If Japan really wants to reconcile over historical issues, Abe chose the wrong place," the nationalist Global Times newspaper commented, saying he should visit Nanjing, the site of a 1937 Japanese massacre, or elsewhere in China.

China's foreign ministry also weighed in, with spokeswoman Hua Chunying calling for a "sincere apology" to Asian countries that suffered from Japanese militarism.

Abe aimed to highlight the significance of close military and economic relations with the US as Trump prepares to assume power amid major questions about his policies, several Japanese media outlets said.

Trump, during his campaign, accused Japan of not paying its fair share in supporting the military alliance, and suggested Tokyo could even develop its own nuclear deterrent.

Abe's speech also expressed Japan's appreciation for US reconstruction aid after World War II. Commentator Takashi Ryuzaki said that comment was designed to engage the US public who supported Trump.

"Rather than offering an apology, the message of gratitude for what America did after the war was expressed," Ryuzaki said on a TBS morning show.

The desire for a continued solid Japan-US relationship is what most Japanese, including Tokyoite Kazuko Masuda, 57, say they want.

"Mr Trump utters all those strong words...but I really hope he as an individual is the kind of person who walks an honourable path," she said.
Beijing: Pan Pan, the world's oldest male panda who was living with cancer died on Wednesday aged 31 in China's Sichuan Province.

Pan Pan, the world's oldest male panda died at 31 in China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday.

An autopsy is being carried out to find the cause of his death, though the circumstances are not thought to be suspicious, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"Pan Pan was the equivalent to about 100 human years, but he had been living with cancer and his health had deteriorated in the past three days," Tan Chengbin, a keeper with the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda said.

"He had lost consciousness," Tan said. Though born in the wild in Sichuan's Baoxing County in 1985, Pan Pan lived in captivity from just a few months old.

"Panda grandpa," as he became known, was diagnosed with cancer in June this year, and also suffered from common old-age conditions, such as cataracts and poor teeth. An earlier report said he was in a "nursing home" for elderly pandas, and though he was very thin he was keeping in good spirits.

"When the keeper called his name and offered him food, usually steamed corn bread or fresh bamboo leaves, he was able to respond and move out to have dinner," the report said.

Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed, but Pan Pan lived a particularly active life for a panda and fathered many cubs over the past 20 years.

He has more than 130 descendants, accounting for 25% of the world's captively bred panda population.

The average lifespan of wild pandas is normally 20 years, but those in captivity usually live longer.

Pan Pan, which means "expectation" in Chinese, was also name of the mascot for the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, though the mascot was not modeled on "panda grandpa" but on a 36-year-old female panda Basi, currently the oldest panda in the world.

Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi. At the end of 2013 China had 1,864 giant pandas in the wild.

There are also 422 in captivity, China's State Forestry Administration said.
Forensic experts examine the scene around a truck that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin. (Photo: File)

Berlin: German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last week's truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

The 40-year-old, who wasn't identified, was detained during a search of his home and business, federal prosecutors said.

The man's telephone number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on December 19. Amri, 24, was killed in a shootout with police in a suburb of Milan early Friday.

Of the new suspect, prosecutors said in a statement that "further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack."

Twelve people died in the truck attack. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the 40-year-old is strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack, and in fleeing Berlin. They're also trying to piece together the route he took from Berlin to Milan.

Italian police have said Amri traveled through France, and French authorities said on Tuesday that he made a stop in the eastern French city of Lyon.

On Wednesday, Dutch authorities said they are checking whether he fled through the Netherlands, Germany's western neighbor.

"There are indications that he did travel via the Netherlands" on his way to Lyon, Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch national prosecutor's office, said.

De Bruin refused to provide further details on how and from where Amri might have traveled in the Netherlands.
Moscow: Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has warned that India would set a dangerous precedent if it violated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan.

The News quoted Chaudhry, as saying, "Contravention of the treaty or its unilateral abrogation by India will not only violate the Indus Waters Treaty, but also set a precedent providing other countries with a possible justification to undertake similar actions."

He expressed the hope that India would abide by its obligations under the treaty.

He said the recent exchanges of firing on the Line of Control between Pakistan and India may lead to "strategic miscalculations", making the role of the UN Monitoring Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) crucial to regional peace and stability.
Erdogan complained that rather than supporting Turkey, the West was backing the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD), who work with the United States on the ground in Syria, and also IS. (Photo: AP)

Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the West was breaking promises in Syria, accusing Ankaras partners of backing terror groups including IS jihadists in the country.

At least 37 Turkish soldiers have died in Turkeys major incursion inside Syria since it was launched in August to back pro-Ankara Syrian fighters battling IS and Kurdish militia.

Casualties have mounted as the military seeks to take the town of Al-Bab from IS jihadists and Ankara has become more impatient over the lack of support from the US-led coalition against the extremists for the Turkish operation.

The coalition forces are unfortunately not keeping their promises, Erdogan said at a news conference alongside visiting Guinean President Alpha Conde.

Whether they do or they dont, we will continue along this path in a determined way. There is no going back on the path we have set out on, he added.

Turkey has met the fiercest resistance yet of the campaign in the fight for Al-Bab, some 25km south of the Turkish border.

Erdogan complained that rather than supporting Turkey, the West was backing the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD), who work with the United States on the ground in Syria, and also IS.

They are supporting all the terror groups -- the YPG, PYD but also including Daesh (IS), Erdogan said.

Its quite clear, perfectly obvious, he said, adding that Turkey could provide proof in pictures and video.

Erdogan had made a similar claim on a visit to Pakistan in November alleging that the West stands by Daesh right now and its weapons were Western-made.

But the Turkish leader expressed confidence over the assault saying we now have the Daesh terror group surrounded on four sides in Al-Bab.

Yes we have martyrs... but now theres no turning back, he said.

Erdogan made no mention of a video purportedly showing two Turkish soldiers being burned to death by IS in Syria.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier there was no information confirming the video.

Erdogan said that along with Russia, Turkey backed a plan to bring the parties in the conflict together with key powers for peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

But he said that terror groups must not be included and that Turkey also wanted to see its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar involved.
Beirut: Air strikes carried out by unidentified aircraft killed at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, in a village held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a monitor said Wednesday.

The civilians were from two families in the village of Hojna, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The village is located in the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor which is mostly under the control of IS and has been regularly targeted by a US-led military coalition.
Jerusalem: A senior member of Israel's nationalist government on Wednesday called US Secretary of State John Kerry's planned Mideast policy speech a "pathetic move," further heightening tensions between the two close allies as the Obama Administration prepares to leave office.

The comments by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan were the latest salvo in a toxic exchange following the US' refusal to veto a UN Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bitterly criticized the resolution, and accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians in drawing it up.

Following up on the UN resolution, Kerry was scheduled to deliver a farewell speech in Washington on Wednesday to outline his proposals for a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

In January, France is set to host an international conference where 70 countries, over Israeli objections, hope to endorse an international framework for Mideast peace. Israeli officials fear that the conference's recommendations may then be approved in another UN Security Council recommendation just before Obama leaves office on January 20.

In a radio interview, Erdan said Kerry's speech was part of a broader effort to hinder the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has signaled he will have much warmer relations with Israel.

"This step is a pathetic step. It is an anti-democratic step because it's clear that the administration and Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump," Erdan told Israel Army Radio.

Erdan, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party and inner Security Cabinet, said Obama administration officials are "pro-Palestinian" and "don't understand what's happening in the Middle East."

Kerry mediated a nine-month round of peace talks that broke down in early 2014 with little progress.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Trump to change the US policy in the region. While Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signaled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. The Palestinians, and most of the world, see settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as an obstacle to peace. Netanyahu says the conflict with the Palestinians, including the fate of the settlements, must be resolved through direct negotiations and says that international dictates undermine the negotiating process.

Despite the Israeli anger, Netanyahu ordered a Jerusalem planning committee to delay a vote on approving construction of some 500 new homes in Jewish developments of east Jerusalem, a city councilman said. Council member Hanan Rubin said that Benjamin Netanyahu asked to delay Wednesday's vote so as not to antagonize relations with the US.

Meanwhile, a senior leader of the West Bank settlement movement called Kerry a "stain on American foreign policy" and "ignorant of the issues."

Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council, said Kerry is "the worst secretary of state in history" who "chose to stab his closest ally in the back" and knows little about the realities of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Mohammed Ali, who had been living in the UAE for 30 years and was running supermarket business in Maysaloon and other areas, was found dead outside his Majestic Supermarket. (Representational Image)

Dubai: A 52-year-old Indian man was on Wednesday found murdered outside his shop in Sharjah with multiple stab wounds on his body.

Mohammed Ali, who had been living in the UAE for 30 years and was running supermarket business in Maysaloon and other areas, was found dead outside his Majestic Supermarket.

The police were informed about the murder by a butcher working at a neighbouring mutton shop this morning, Khaleej Times reported.

The butcher said that he arrived at his shop at 7 am and after an hour he heard the victim's screams.

He rushed out to see the bleeding man staggering out of the shop. He fell on the ground and died on the spot. The witness did not see the suspect, who fled the spot.

Police have retrieved footages from CCTV cameras in the area and investigations are on.

The victim's brother said that Mohammed and his another brother was running the supermarket for more than 10 years and they never faced any issues in the area.

"They were loved by the people in the neighbourhood and they managed to maintain large number of customers," he said.

"My brother had no enemies but we believe that motivation of the murder is theft," he said.

He said his brother's shop had no cameras, but the police managed to review the camera installed in a nearby book shop. The footage shows an Asian man entering the shop and running out of it. The police have now launched a manhunt for the murderer.

The body would be repatriated to the victim's hometown in Kerala after the police investigation.
Bangladesh policemen cover their nose to protect themselves from the smell of teargas during a raid in a building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Photo: AP)

Dhaka: Police in Bangladesh have arrested five suspected Islamist militants believed to be plotting to attack New Year celebrations, a counter-terrorism police chief said on Wednesday.

The five were believed to be members of a faction of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) group, which was blamed for an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July in which 22 people were killed, most of them foreigners. "They planned to attack on New Year's Eve," Monirul Islam, head of the counter-terrorism police unit, told a news conference.

Islam declined to elaborate when asked about the militants' target and how they planned to attack but said police had also seized 60 kg (132 lb) of explosives, when the five were detained in overnight raids in the capital. The five were paraded before the media but did not speak to reporters.

Authorities have already banned all outdoor gatherings in Dhaka from dusk on December 31 to dawn on January 1 on security grounds.

Militant attacks have increased in mostly Muslim Bangladesh, a country of 160 million people, over the past few years with several prominent liberal writers and members of religious minorities killed. The JMB has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which police believe was involved in organizing the attack on the cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter on July 1.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for what was the worst militant attack in Bangladesh.

Police have killed more than 40 suspected militants in raids since the cafe attack, including the man police said was the mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury.
Islamabad: Pakistan army chief General QamarJaved Bajwa on Wednesday confirmed the death sentences of eight "hardcore terrorists" by the military courts for killing 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims, murdering human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud and attacking security forces.

Gen Bajwa also confirmed life imprisonment of three other terrorists, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

"These terrorists include those who planned and executed attack on people of Ismaili community at Safoora Chowrangi Karachi, wherein 45 persons died at the spot and 6 others got injured. They also include those who killed a social worker Sabeen Mahmud, and kidnapped two Chinese Engineers and a civilian for ransom," ISPR said.

The "terrorists" killed 90 people and wounded 99 others, ISPR said, adding that explosives were also recovered from their possession.

Hafiz Muhammad Umar, Ali Rehman, Abdul Salam and Khurram Shafique were awarded death sentences for their involvement in Safoora Chowrangi massacre and killing of Mahmud in Karachi.

In the cold-blooded sectarian violence, Kalashnikov-wielding militants donning police uniforms had gunned down 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims - 26 men and 17 women - shooting them in the head near Shafoora Chowrangi in Karachi in May 2015.

Jundullah - a splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan that vowed allegiance to the ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mahmud, 40, was shot dead by the motorcycle-borne gunmen while on her way home with her mother in Karachi in April 2015. Mahmud ran an open forum called The Second Floor (T2F) for discussions on human rights abuses in Balochistan and other civil rights issues.

Another convict Muslim Khan was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in killing of civilians and attacking forces, which resulted in the deaths of 31 persons.

He was involved in slaughtering of Capt Najam Riaz Raja, Capt Juniad Khan, Naik Shahid Rasool and Lance Naik Shakeel Ahmed.

He was also involved in the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers. Muhammad Yousaf, a member of a proscribed organisation, was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in attacks on armed forces which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.

Saifullah and Bilal Mehmood, both members of a proscribed group, were awarded the death sentences for their involvement in killing of innocent civilians and attacks on police.

Sartaj Ali, Mehmood Khan and Fazal e Ghaffar, all members of a proscribed organisation, were involved in providing funds to the terrorists, kidnapping of a Chinese engineer for ransom and attacks on police, were awarded rigorous imprisonment.

Last week, General Bajwa signed death warrants of 13 "hardcore terrorists" who were found guilty of being behind a series of terrorist attacks, including those on Charsadda's Bacha Khan University, Rawalpindi's Parade Lane Mosque and the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad.
Lahore: Five persons were on Wednesday taken into custody and three others identified for allegedly brewing and selling toxic liquor mixed with aftershave lotion on Christmas eve that claimed 35 lives in a town in Pakistan's Punjab Province.

The suspects knew that aftershave is intoxicating because of the presence of spirit in it, said District Police Officer (DPO) Toba Tek Singh Usman Akram Gondal.

They purchased 20 litres of aftershave lotion from Shorkot and sold it as liquor after adulterating it with chemicals, Geo News reported.

One of the suspects has died of consuming same toxic moonshine, whereas the other two are being treated along with several others. One suspect along with four others is in police custody.

The incident took place in a Christian colony in Toba Tek Singh city on December 24 when residents consumed home-made liquor, police said.

The toxic liquor killed at least 35 people, mostly Christians, and seriously affected 50 others, Geo News reported.

Around 30 people are still receiving treatment at DHQ Toba Tek Singh and Allied Hospital Faisalabad.

Police further said that they were investigating five under custody suspects pertaining to the incident.

"The men who belong to the Christian community drank liquor on the night of December 25 and went home. Tragedy struck the next morning when many did not rise from their beds, while others got sick," Police officer Mohammad Nadeem said.

Though Pakistan has allowed some breweries to function, alcohol sales and consumption are strictly prohibited for Muslims and tightly regulated for minority communities and foreigners.

In March, 45 people, including 35 Hindus, had died after consuming spurious liquor during Holi celebrations in Sindh province.
ED has arrested a manager of a Kotak Bank branch here in connection with its money laundering probe in a criminal case of detection of nine alleged fake accounts with deposits worth Rs 34 crore post demonetisation.





Officials said the agency arrested the manager of the bank's branch in the K G Marg area here, late last night after questioning.



"The manager has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will be produced before the court for further custody," they said.

The Enforcement Directorate took on the case and registered an FIR under PMLA laws after taking cognisance of Delhi Polices' crime branch FIR in the said case.



Police had also arrested two persons last week for allegedly depositing black money worth Rs 34 crore in nine fake accounts being operated in the Naya Bazar branch of the said bank here.



A bank spokesperson had then said in a statement that it "confirms that it has a robust system of regularly and proactively filing necessary reports with the statutory authorities as prescribed by them, which include these accounts.



"The Bank denies that there were any fake accounts.The Bank is extending full cooperation to the investigating authorities," the spokesperson said.
Outgoing IAF chief Arup Raha today made it clear that just 36 Rafale fighter jets would not suffice as India needs about 200-250 more fighters to maintain its combat edge over adversaries. The Air Chief Marshal, who is set to retire on December 31, also rued that the tender for the much needed "force multiplier" mid air refuellers had to be withdrawn. He said a fresh tender is in the offing and the procurement will be speeded up.



Underlining that the teeth of any air force is the combat fleet, Raha said that the country needs another production line besides the Tejas. He explained that the strength sanctioned by the government is 42 squadrons "which was a numerical value. He said what is needed "is also a capability mix". Raha said India has enough of heavy weight fighters - the Su30 MKI - which will last for another 30-40 years. He said the light weight spectrum would be served by the 123 Tejas light combat aircraft ordered by the IAF.



Terming Rafale as an excellent aircraft, Raha said it comes in the medium weight spectrum. "It is tremendously capable in all its role. It is a multi-role aircraft and can be used very effectively. It can prove its worth in any situation," Raha said. "But we have just ordered 36 aircraft and we require more aircraft in this middle weight category to give entire spectrum of capability," he said.



Raha said a void has been created in the past because of obsolescence and many of the squadrons will be past their use-by date. "We have already used them for four decades plus. It is time to retire them and get new aircraft," he said adding this void has to be filled up quickly and 36 Rafale aircraft "will not do as we require much more".



"Over the next 10 years, we must have 200-250 aircraft. It has to be balanced out. In the heavy weight spectrum, we have enough. But in the medium weight category, we need to have more. Yes, about 200 will be very good," he said. India and France finally signed the Rafale deal on September 23 this year, over a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the deal during his Paris visit in April 2015.



The planes, equipped with latest weapons and tailored for Indian needs, will be delivered to the IAF between September 2019 and April 2022. The IAF currently has 33 fighter squadrons, against the sanctioned 42. Raha also rued that IAF's Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tanker fleet was plagued by maintenance problems and more midair refuellers were a "strategic requirement" to extend the range of fighter planes.



IL-78 fleet had served the IAF well but its availability for missions has been less due to maintenance problems. India floated a global tender for six midair refuellers in 2007 but it has been scrapped twice in the final stages. "Sadly, there have been some problem areas in the acquisition. A new tender will be out soon," Raha said.



The air chief said the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base and the An-32 crash in which 29 people were killed were "the worst memories of my career". "We have flown in the fighter fleet 40,000 hrs, more than last 10 years due to better serviceability. We have done an average night flying of 27 per cent which was less earlier," he said speaking about the achievements under his tenure.


A new draft proposal circulated among Nuclear Suppliers Group member states early this month could pave the way for India to become a member of the elite club, but this is unlikely to happen before the end of the Obama presidency next month.





The American push for India to become a full-fledged member of the NSG would now have to be pursued by the incoming Trump Administration as the outgoing Obama Administration is unlikely to fulfill its promise made to the Modi Government before its term expires January 20, informed sources said.



A draft formula for NSG membership to countries like India and Pakistan that are not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was submitted by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the former NSG Chair, who prepared the report on behalf of South Korea, the current NSG chair.



According to Arms Control Association (ACA), a Washington-based think-tank who has been a fierce opponent of India-US civil nuclear deal and India's membership to NSG, the two-page draft formula proposes "nine general commitments" that non-NPT countries like India and Pakistan "would need to make" in order to receive the "fullest" atomic trading privileges.



Slamming the draft proposal for "lowering the bar", Daryl G Kimball of ACA observed that this could pave the way for India becoming a NSG member as it already fulfills all these nine criteria outlined in the draft proposal, which was informally discussed by NSG members in Vienna this month.



Informed sources in the US Government told PTI that the current "time-line" does not ensure India's membership under the Obama Administration, for which it had tried hard, but for the Chinese "resistance" in this regard.



As such, India's NSG membership, an unfinished agenda of the India-US relationship of the outgoing US President would now have to be taken up by his successor Donald Trump.



While the civil nuclear deal was an initiative of a Republican Administration, George W Bush, the incoming Trump Administration has not made any public comment in this regard.



The issue is, however, believed to have come up for discussion during the initial phase of contacts that top Indian officials have established with the presidential transition team.



Revealing details of the nine-point formula for non-NPT States to become a NSG members, ACA says that interested countries should have implemented and have brought into force a clear and strict separation of current and future civilian nuclear facilities from non-civilian nuclear facilities in [non-NPT applicant] and have provided and maintain a declaration to the IAEA that identifies all current and future civilian nuclear facilities in [non-NPT applicant].



It seems applicant countries to have in force a safeguards agreement with the IAEA covering all declared civilian facilities in [non-NPT applicant], and all future civilian facilities which the IAEA and [non-NPT applicant] determine are eligible for safeguards and have in force with the IAEA an Additional Protocol covering the identified civilian nuclear facilities, which together with a safeguards agreement, allows the IAEA to detect the diversion of safeguarded nuclear material and to ensure that safeguarded nuclear material is used exclusively for peaceful purposes.



The draft-guideline seems a commitment from applicant countries not to use any item transferred either directly or indirectly from a NSG Participating Government or any item derived from transferred items in unsafeguarded facilities or activities, a commitment not to conduct any nuclear explosive test and a clear description of [non-NPT applicant] intentions plans, and policies in support of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty upon becoming a Participating Government.



It also seems a commitment to support and strengthen the multilateral non-proliferation and disarmament regime by working towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons and enhancing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and an understanding that due to the unique nature of the non-NPT Party applications, [non-NPT applicant] would join a consensus of all other Participating Governments on the merits of any non-NPT Party application."



"The formula outlined in Grossi's draft note sets an extremely low bar on NSG membership and its wording is vague and open to wide interpretation," said Kimball, who is considered as a non-proliferation czar.



"This formula would not require India to take any additional nonproliferation commitments beyond the steps to which it committed in September 2008...," he wrote.



"For example, the proposed criteria for membership would simply require that India or Pakistan describe their plan for separating civilian and military nuclear facilities, which is a step that does not necessarily guarantee civil nuclear technology transfers will not benefit the military sector, and it is a step India has already taken," he alleged.



According to Kimball, the draft proposals takes into consideration a hypothetical Indian opposition to Pakistans NSG membership, which is also pending before it.The draft note proposes that one non-NPT member state "should reach an understanding not to block consensus" on membership for another non-NPT member state.



"However, Pakistan still has grounds to object to the formula outlined by Grossi because it would require Pakistan to meet the same criteria for membership but, to engage in civil nuclear trade with NSG states, would have to win a separate NSG exemption from the full-scope safeguards requirement," Kimball said.



While the draft formula is not country-specific, as it lays down the membership criteria for non-NPT States, Kimball notes "India could theoretically claim that it has already undertaken all of the steps necessary for membership, which could then lead to a decision on membership for India, while still leaving Pakistan in a different status."
Turkey and Russia have agreed a ceasefire for all of Syria that should come into force at midnight, Turkish state media said today, but rebel groups said no such official truce had been agreed.





The state-run Anadolu news agency said the plan aims to expand a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo -- brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians -- to the whole country.



If successful, the plan would form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the Damascus regime and the opposition, overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.



But in a speech in Ankara after the report was published, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no reference to the plan, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not answer on an issue "about which I don't have enough information".



A Syrian rebel source, who asked not to be named, told AFP in Beirut that details still had to be submitted to opposition fighters and said there was no agreement as yet.



"The armed revolutionary factions have not received any official proposal for a ceasefire in Syria," Labib Nahhas, head of foreign relations for the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group added on his official Twitter account.



"News talking about their approval of a ceasefire is incorrect." Anadolu said both sides were working for it to come into force at midnight but gave no further details.



Ankara and Moscow have been on opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, with Turkey seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran.



But the two countries have recently started to cooperate more closely on Syria, especially after a deal in the summer to normalise ties battered by Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.



Turkey remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, took control last week of Aleppo in the biggest defeat so far for the rebels in the civil war.



Ankara has also hosted a succession of closed door talks between Russia and Syrian opposition rebels over the last weeks



Qatar-based channel Al-Jazeera said a new meeting is planned on Thursday in Ankara, this time between military representatives of Syrian rebels and Russia.



No date has yet been set for the Astana talks and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting was still at the planning stage.



She emphasised that the talks were not intended to replace the peace process based in Geneva which has sought to find a solution for the Syrian conflict. But the direct involvement of Turkey and Russia comes as Erdogan is increasingly expressing impatience at the role of the United States in Syria.



Previous ceasefire plans had been brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. They met with only temporary success and failed to lead to a solution for the conflict.



It remains unclear how the latest ceasefire plan will apply to Fateh al-Sham, formerly the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, which has worked more closely with the rebels since changing its name.
The government is contemplating giving more incentives including a subsidy on smartphones to promote digital payments.





The Committee of Chief Ministers to push digital payments is also working with Niti Aayog to address existing constraints in connectivity, hardware and technical infrastructure to promote cashless transactions.



Incentives to users and subsidy for smartphones are being contemplated to push digital payments across India, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who heads the committee said.



Naidu was speaking after the committee held its fourth meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday.



He said Nasscom and telecom operators, along with Niti Aayog, are in the process of creating a helpline  14444  for addressing all queries on digital payment.



Naidu said a plan is afoot to import 10 lakh POS machines to enable digital payments across India.



He said the committee of chief ministers has favoured continuance of service tax exemptions on digital payments beyond December 31.



We want to recommend this (service tax exemptions) to the government to continue not only beyond December 31, but also beyond March 31, and for the future also. If digital currency will be costlier than physical currency, then people will go to physical currency, Naidu said.



He said the committee headed by him will present its interim report on digital payments movement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi within a week.



We are planning a sustainable, long-term policy to attract a majority in India to move to digital payments through providing incentives, Naidu said.




The Indian Consulate in Toronto today helped an Indian man in overcoming difficulties relating to PIO card following intervention by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.





Swaraj directed the consulate to reach out to Arun Janarthanan after he sought help saying his mother had suffered a stroke and he was faced with lot of difficulties.



"I am sorry to know that your mother has suffered a stroke. I have asked CG (Consulate General) Toronto to sort this out," Swaraj tweeted.



Earlier Janarthanan had tweeted to Swaraj that his mother had suffered a stroke last night and that there is nobody to look after her and that he had some issue with the PIO card.



Within hours, Janarthanan thanked Swaraj for her help saying consulate official Usha Venkatesan has been in touch and taken care of his problem.
Flying at 30,000 feet, the powerful radar aboard this Air Force jet (a joint stars surveillance plane over northern Iraq) peered deep into Syrian territory, hunting for targets on the ground to strike in the looming offensive to seize Raqqa, the Islamic States capital.



It was on a mission like this several weeks ago that analysts discovered a hiding place in the central Syrian desert where the IS was stashing scores of oil tanker trucks that provide the terrorist group with a crucial financial lifeline. Acting on that tip and other intelligence, two dozen US warplanes destroyed 188 of the trucks in the biggest airstrike of the year, eliminating an estimated $2 million in oil revenue for the IS.



Even as the US-led air campaign conducts bombing missions to support Iraqi troops fighting the IS in Mosul, US commanders said the air war would probably play an even greater role in Syria over the coming weeks in the battle to retake Raqqa.



Newly recruited Syrian Arab militia fighters, allied with experienced Kurdish fighters, are encircling Raqqa. But they need allied bombing to weaken and dislodge enemy forces dug in there, and to cut off the ability for the IS to rearm, refuel and reinforce its fighters.



But with few spies in the city, US officials say assessing the enemy is difficult. Weve spent a lot of time trying to understand the situation on the ground in Raqqa, Lt Gen Jeffrey Harrigian, air war commander, said in an interview. Its improving. Its still not at the level wed like it to be.



The air operation is a pivotal component of a military campaign that has cost $12.5 million per day in Iraq and Syria. The effort has destroyed hundreds of tanks, artillery pieces, military vehicles, command centres and fighting positions, and killed more than 50,000 fighters, according to US estimates. Since the air war began in late summer 2014, US and allied aircraft have conducted about 17,000 strikes in both countries.



The IS has lost about half of the territory it seized in Iraq and Syria in 2014. But as it loses ground in its physical caliphate, or religious state, the threat of hundreds of foreign fighters returning home and of the expansion of its virtual caliphate through social media is certain to accelerate, US and European officials say. That raises fears of more terrorist attacks in cities outside West Asia. For instance, the IS has claimed responsibility for last weeks truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin even though the links between the group and the main suspect, Anis Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, are not completely clear. After Amris death, the IS released a video of him pledging allegiance to the group.



President Barack Obama has vowed to deal the IS crippling blows in Mosul and Raqqa before he leaves office. This month, he ordered 200 more US Special Operations forces to Syria to help local fighters advancing on Raqqa, nearly doubling the Pentagons boots on the ground there. Commanders are uncertain, however, about the level of support president-elect Donald Trump will maintain for rebel groups in Syria combating the IS.



Allied airstrikes have picked up as Arab and Kurdish fighters have moved closer to the capital, and as commanders seek to pressure Mosul and Raqqa simultaneously. About 30% of the 1,300 strikes in and around Raqqa since the war began in 2014 have been conducted in the past three months. The pressure in Raqqa is bearing fruit as IS leaders come out of hiding, which allows us to kill them, Brett McGurk, Obamas envoy to the international coalition fighting the IS, said this month.



Tracking the enemys ground movements falls largely to the crew of the Joint Stars plane, a 1960s-era, reconfigured Boeing 707 jetliner packed with sensitive electronics that is part of an eclectic and unsung mix of odd-shaped surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft with names like Compass Call and Rivet Joint. These planes suck up some enemy communications, jam others and help paint a picture of the IS on the ground for US fighters and bombers to attack.



Bulging from the belly of the Joint Stars is a canoe-shaped, cloud-piercing radar that can see ground targets  and even some low-flying planes and helicopters  as far as 250 miles away on either side of the nearly windowless fuselage. Aboard the plane, the crew of 19 Air Force and Army personnel  an unusual mix of active-duty and Georgia National Guard specialists  track clusters of dots on their screens that could represent groups of hostile fighters and their vehicles, friendly forces or just routine commercial traffic. Much depends on where they are and what time of day it is.



The operators on board can change the filters on their systems to show different-size targets or their direction of travel in different colours, all of which is relayed back to operations centres in Baghdad and Irbil, in northern Iraq, he said. Flying from a base in the Persian Gulf, a typical Joint Stars mission over Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan can last about 11 or 12 hours. Crews pack snacks in their flight bags but also fire up the planes oven to prepare an in-flight order of chicken wings.



The Joint Stars is not equipped with cameras to identify specific images on the ground. When the crew members see something suspicious, they direct a Predator or Reaper drone to zoom in for a closer look. The Joint Stars is also valuable because a rotation of aircraft and surveillance crews can monitor a particular area for days, weeks or months, watching Islamic State activity to understand what the military calls the enemys pattern of life.



Surveillance planes



The IS fighters know from experience that they are being watched and often try to deceive the surveillance planes, hiding in schools or mosques or using camouflage. At one point, analysts said, IS even appeared to be trying to smuggle weapons strapped to the bellies of herds of sheep. Theyre extremely smart, Master Sgt Caylon Kimball, 31, an airborne intelligence technician from Anadarko, Oklahoma, said of the militants.



Several weeks ago, as the air campaign intensified against the Islamic States oil production and distribution network, analysts noticed an intriguing development in the central Syrian desert, about 35 miles north of Palmyra. Comparing months-old radar data from Joint Stars and other surveillance imagery with newer versions, analysts discovered that the IS was moving much of its oil tanker truck fleet to an obscure area of sandy gullies, about 20 miles by 20 miles in size. They were trying to hide from us, Harrigian said. They were adapting to what we were doing. They were going into the desert and just parking.



For several more weeks, analysts watched the clandestine desert truck stop grow, wanting to ensure it was the IS trucking fleet. Confident in that assessment, Harrigian ordered an attack plan, code-named Olympus. In two waves of strikes  on December 8 and 9  about two dozen Air Force and Navy warplanes destroyed 188 of the trucks. Empty truck cabs were struck first to scare off drivers sleeping in their rigs, and Harrigian said it appeared there were no civilian casualties.



Besides wiping out a sizeable portion of the Islamic States tanker truck fleet and depriving the group of more than $2 million in oil sales, commanders said the strike was also meant to cripple the enemys morale.




The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday blamed the near-miss incident involving planes of SpiceJet and IndiGo on inadvertent human errors by the Air Traffic Control (ATC).





The two flights came face to face on a Delhi airport runway, as close as 40 metres, on Tuesday but the pilots presence of mind saved the day for the 363 fliers on board both the planes.



According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation based on the AAIs official communication, one of the Air Traffic Controllers inadvertent wrong message to one of the flights resulted in the traffic conflict situation. It said the pilots on one of the flights also did not question the incomplete instructions.



The IndiGo flight 6E-769 from Lucknow landed in Delhi on Runway-28 and the ATC advised taxiing via Taxiway-E2 for parking stand 12.



At the same time, departing SpiceJet flight SG123 was not able to take off from Runway 28 due to poor visibility and was waiting to return to the apron for parking.



The ATC then instructed SG123 to taxi via Taxiway-C and asked to hold short of E2 so that Indigo flight and SpiceJet flight would not conflict with each other, the statement said.



However, it said, The traffic density being high and complex, the controller inadvertently gave instructions to SG123 (Hyderabad flight) to continue (to) taxi via E to stand 130, mixing its location with the location of SG263 (SpiceJet flight to Kolkata) which was holding on another taxiway E for departure.



The Hyderabad flight did not question the incomplete ATC instruction for taxiing. These human errors resulted in traffic conflict situation. However, both aircraft stopped at safe distance and there was no risk to aircraft or passengers, the statement said.
India is set to position its second squadron of special operations aircraft C-130J in Panagarh, West Bengal, to increase flying in areas close to the disputed boundary with China.





The second squadron of C-130J would be located at Panagarh. The flying will start by March-April 2017, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said here on Wednesday ahead of his retirement on December 31.



The mountain strike corps being raised by the army would eventually be located at Panagarh. India currently has 13 corps  10 defensive and 3 offensive corps  1, 2, and 21 based in Mathura, Ambala and Bhopal. The 17 corps will be the first one to have specific capabilities to fight in the mountains.



Raha brushed aside Chinas angry reaction to the successful testing of long-range nuclear-capable Agni-V missile earlier this week. In international diplomacy, normal diplomacy or military diplomacy, these posturing and signalling will always be there. So we should just go about with our task, meet our own requirements and security challenges, said Indias senior most military officer, who chaired the Chief of Staff committee for 29 months.



We are building capabilities to deter because several times in the past we were drawn into conflict. We need to have capabilities to strike deep at the heart of the adversary, said Raha. The air chief did not name any country.



When asked to comment on the missile test, a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign office said on Tuesday: The UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

China always maintains that preserving the strategic balance and stability in South Asia is conducive to peace and prosperity of regional countries and beyond.



On the dwindling fighter strength, Raha said the IAF would require 200-250 aircraft in the next 10 years. The serviceability of aircraft increased by 5-7% with the inking of many agreements on spare supply and service.
Barely a day before the ruling AIADMKs general council meeting, several people were injured in a clash among senior cadres at party headquarters here on Wednesday.





AIADMK sources said that violence erupted when supporters of expelled leader and Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa shouted slogans against former chief minister J Jayalalithaas close aide Sasikala Natarajan becoming party general secretary.



The then AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa had dismissed Pushpa from the party after she was reported to have indulged in anti-party activities.



Opposing the AIADMK senior leaders plea to make Sasikala the party chief, Pushpa had recently announced that she would also contest for the general secretarys post.



In addition, she filed a petition in the Madras High Court against the AIADMK move to elect Sasikala as its general secretary.



When Pushpas husband Lingeswaran, along with her supporters, came to the AIADMK office at Royapettah in Chennai to get the nomination papers on behalf of his wife, Sasikalas supporters attacked them.



In the melee, Lingeswaran, his lawyer and a few of his supporters were injured. Police personnel, who were deployed at the AIADMK office, rescued the injured persons and admitted them to hospital.



With the AIADMK general council and executive committee meeting on Thursday to unanimously elect Sasikala, the group clash has created tension among the party cadres and senior functionaries.
Acting on a tip-off, the railway police raided a train and seized 12 kg of ganja which was being transported in a bag at Wadi railway station on Tuesday evening. However, the culprits escaped abandoning the bag.





The culprits were carrying the bag in Mumbai LTT-Visakhapatnam Express.

As many as six 2 kg packets of ganja where found in a trolley bag in the bogie S6 when the train was stationed on Platform Number 2.



The railway police handed over the ganja to the railway civil police. A case has been registered by SI V T Jadhav.




The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday categorically ruled out alliance with any party in the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, due early next year.





''We will not have alliance with any party in the polls...we will contest all the seats,'' SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters here.



The SP list of party nominees for the poll, which was released by Mulayam, also had names of candidates from the seats where Congress had emerged victorious in the previous assembly elections.



Mulayam said party nominees for the remaining 78 seats would be announced within the next few days.



Akhileshs wings clipped



Mulayam rejected the list of nominees sent by his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. This is a setback for Akhilesh in the ongoing turf war with his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.



Mulayam, who released a list of 325 candidates, denied re-nomination to three ministers close to Akhilesh and gave tickets to all the former ministers, who had been sacked by Akhilesh a few months back.



An upset Akhilesh said that he would speak to 'Netaji' (Mulayam) on the issue.The list, which Mulayam said was final, did not have the names of Arvind Singh Gope, Ram Govind Chaudhary and Pawan Pandey, all of whom were Akhilesh supporters.



The list also has the name of mafia don turned politician Ateeq Ahmed, who has been nominated from Kanpur city seat. Akhilesh had vehemently opposed the candidature of Ateeq.



Controversial independent MLA and mafia don Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sigbatullah Ansari has been nominated from Mohammadabad seat, ignoring Akhilesh.



Two former ministers, Narad Rai and Raj Kishore Singh, who were sacked by Akhilesh a few months back, have also secured SP tickets. Akhilesh was further embarrassed, when Rampal Singh Yadav, who had been expelled from the party for six years by Akhilesh when he was the state unit president, also got ticket from Biswan seat in Sitapur district. The SP list included the names of 176 sitting MLAs.



Akhilesh, who appeared upset, said: I have not yet seen the list...I shall speak to Netaji.'' Akhilesh had recently sent a list of 403 candidates to Mulayam, which did not include the names of those having criminal antecedent.
Viral Acharya, 42, of New York Universitys Stern School of Business, was appointed the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India  a move seen as intended to strengthen the central banks expertise in revitalising the countrys banking system.





Acharyas appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He will have a three-year tenure. He will fill the post that fell vacant after Urjit Patel was made RBI governor to succeed Raghuram Rajan from September 4.



The other three deputy governors are S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and R Gandhi. Acharya, like Rajan, is an academic who is rated as an authority in the world of financial research.



His appointment is expected to fill the vacuum felt in the RBI since Rajans departure. Officials said his entry would bring in the global perspective, which Rajan always brought to the decision-making process.



In fact, Acharya has written papers along with Rajan supporting the independence of central banks for making them democratically accountable, yet be operationally independent from political influence.



Acharya fits into the plan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making the banks more robust. As a financial system expert, he has been vocal about the need for a clean-up of the Indian banking system.



Acharya has also been pushing for efficient ways of running PSU banks. He believes that the governments financial backing of banks provides wrong incentives.
Former journalist and sitting MLA of the AAP in New Delhi, Jarnail Singh, who hogged media attention after he hurled a shoe at former home minister P Chidambaram in 2009, will contest against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi in Punjab.





AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced this at a rally in Lambi on Wednesday.



Wednesdays announcement of Jarnail Singhs candidature against the Akali Dals patriarch and heavyweight Parkash Singh Badal has invited strong reaction from the Congress, which has accused the AAP of a deliberate ploy to ensure the Badals victory.



Anti-Sikh riots



Jarnail Singh threw a shoe at Chidambaram in protest against the Congresss decision to give poll tickets to leaders who have been accused of taking part in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.



Singh had later admitted that his method of protest was wrong, but the sentiment was right.



Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday accused the Badals and Kejriwal of striking an underhand deal for the upcoming state Assembly elections.



Jarnail Singh was a complete non-entity with no standing in Punjab. It is evident that the Badals had come to some understanding with Kejriwal to save senior Badal from a certain rout in the upcoming polls, Capt Amarinder said.
A bitter turf war within Indias biggest political family, one of the worst train mishaps claiming over 150 lives and violence in Mathura that saw 32 people, including the police, killed in clashes, kept Uttar Pradesh in the news in 2016.





The shocking gang-rape of a minor and her mother on a busy highway in Bulandshahar, use of abusive words by a senior BJP leader against BSP supremo Mayawati and stampede during a religious congregation in Varanasi also hit the headlines across the country in the year gone by.



The political scene in UP, where Assembly polls are due early next year, was dominated by a bitter power struggle between Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadavs son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the latters uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.



After remaining in the shadows of the chachas (uncles), Akhilesh finally asserted his authority as the polls neared and sacked Shivpal, a senior minister, and his two supporters from the Cabinet after he was also removed from the post of president of the state unit of the party.



The supporters of the two leaders battled on the streets and traded charges and counter-charges in public. As Akhilesh and Shivpals rivalry threatened to split the party, Mulayam stepped in and brokered a fragile truce, though differences continue to simmer.



The state was shaken by a violent clash at Mathura between the police and members of a cult in which 32 people, including a senior cop, were killed. The cult members had illegally occupied a park in the heart of the town and had refused to vacate it. It was alleged that cult leader Ram Briksha Yadav enjoyed political patronage and the ruling SP came in for widespread criticism from the Opposition parties.



The UP government, however, dismissed the claim and said that a few families had migrated for business and other purposes. Around the same time, senior BJP leader Daya Shankar Singh embarrassed his party by using abusive language against Mayawati, triggering a sharp reaction from her supporters and others. Singh was arrested and suspended from the party.



Shame in Bulandshahar



The gang-rape of a minor and her mother on a busy highway in Bulandshahar in July shocked the country. The accused had also robbed the family after taking them to a field.



Senior minister Azam Khan, who termed the incident a political conspiracy, was forced to tender an unconditional apology in Supreme Court. The year also saw a stampede in Varanasi during a religious congregation in which 32 people were killed and many others injured.



In another significant development, the Allahabad High Court termed triple talaq (a Muslim man divorcing his wife by pronouncing the word talaq thrice in one go) as cruelty.



Also, one of the worst train mishaps occurred near Pukhrayan in Kanpur Dehat district.



As many as 150 people were killed and over 200 others injured, when Patna bound Indore-Rajendra Nagar Express train derailed near Pukhrayan railway station on a cold and foggy morning.
For the Congress, the year was significant as it saw Rahul Gandhi assume centre stage in party affairs under the watchful gaze of his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.





The demonetisation of high-value currency notes announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided Rahul the much-needed launch pad to script a turnaround for the Congress in the new year.



2017 may see Rahul scripting the Congress story as the party faces crucial elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and other states that would set the stage for the grand battle  the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.



Electorally, 2016 saw the Congress thrown out of power in Kerala and Assam, besides losing power in a BJP-scripted coup in Arunachal Pradesh. The local body elections in Maharashtra and Gujarat have provided the much-needed solace as the party managed to hold on to its core support base, even as the BJP scored better numbers. The election win in Puducherry, which saw long-time aspirant V Narayanasamy ascend the chief ministers chair, was the sole victorious moment for the Congress.



Battle for UP



In Uttar Pradesh (UP), it will be a battle for revival for the Congress and it has pulled out all stops to challenge the BJP, which is riding high in the battleground state in the aftermath of the September 29 surgical strikes inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.



The demonetisation exercise appeared to have dented the gains the BJP had made in UP, and Rahul is precisely keeping up the heat by addressing rallies highlighting the hardships caused to the masses. While Modi has staked his personal popularity in UP, for Rahul and the Congress, stopping the BJP from coming to power in the state could keep them in the race for 2019.



Priyanka factor



The Congress tried to corner the Modi government during the winter session of Parliament by forging rare Opposition unity among arch-rivals BSP and SP, CPM and Trinamool, and a dozen other outfits against the note ban decision. With Sonia remaining indisposed, it was left to Rahul to steer Parliament strategy and also address the Congress Parliamentary Party, a first for him.
For years, army commandos waited for the shadows to fall in the mountains to kill the enemy. In the year that went by, they finally came out of the shadows for the first time to claim ownership of carrying out surgical strikes across the border.





On September 29, India stunned the world by announcing commando action on terror camps across the Line of Control to avenge the terror attack on an army camp at Uri in north Kashmir.



Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, said the operation was limited in its objective as it was targeted against the ultras bleeding India and not against the Pakistan military. He informed his Pakistan counterpart before revealing the news to the world.



While the special forces executed such offensives in the past, there never were any acknowledgement, let alone a public disclosure.



A change in strategy, felt the top brass in the security establishment, would change the narrative for Pakistan, which pursues proxy war against India as part of its state policy and provides support to the militants.



Terror strikes



In fact, 2016 witnessed terror attacks on several armed forces units. It began with the Pathankot air base in January.



After a brief hiatus, Uri attack happened, followed by a terror strike on the 16 Corps headquarters at Nagrota. Till December 15, as many as 23 soldiers  maximum in the last three years - were killed along the Line of Control and one of them was also beheaded in the Machhal sector.



The last attack triggered angry retaliation from the army, which pounded 16 Pakistan camps with a massive fire assault to seek revenge.



The firing was so heavy it led to an unexpected phone call from Pakistans DGMO to his Indian counterpart, requesting de-escalation. Since then, the guns have fallen silent along the Indo-Pak border.



Whether India would continue to reply to strong-arm tactics to contain Pakistan in 2017 is a decision that the new army chief Gen Bipin Rawat would have to take.



New chief



But Gen Rawats elevation to the top post had its share of controversy as only for the second time in independent India, the government ignored seniority to appoint the next army chief, who will take over from Gen Dalbir Singh when he retires on December 31.



The claims of two of Rawats seniors, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Lt Gen P M Hariz, were ignored by the government, creating rifts within the armed forces. The consequences would only be known in 2017.



Never say die



The families of 29 armed forces personnel on board the ill-fated AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force would also look forward to 2017, hoping for a miracle.



In July, the Port Blair-bound aircraft disappeared over the Bay of Bengal within minutes after taking off from Chennai. After six months, the navy called off the search last week but the families are not ready to give up hope.

Rafale deal



After tough negotiations for almost two years, India finally signed an agreement with France to buy two squadrons of Rafale fighter jets, which would be placed at Sarswa in the west and Hashimara in the east.



New Delhi also signed a logistics sharing agreement with Washington after overcoming the political baggage of the previous government.
The year 2016 was a chaotic one for the education sector in the state. The worst sufferers were students of II PU science stream.



In just 10 days, the Chemistry question paper leaked twice, forcing the government to hand over the case to the CID. Obalaraju, personal assistant of Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil, was among those arrested in the case.



The introduction of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to professional courses also created confusion in the students minds. Even as students were writing their examination, evaluators went on a strike, seeking a pay hike. The department invited the wrath of parents for using the services of retired lecturers and school teachers for the evaluation. This was soon followed by a protest by high school teachers, who had similar demands of better pay.



Students faced tense moments as they were unsure whether the Common Entrance Test for medical courses would be valid or not, following the Supreme Court order that NEET should be the sole entrance exam. The state had already conducted the CET and sought that NEET be considered only from the next academic year.



It was just days before the exam that they were told Comed-K for medical courses has been scrapped. Confusion also prevailed over seat allocation in government and private colleges.



The year also saw the trifurcation of the Bangalore University being approved and the process for this initiated. IIT Dharwad became functional in 2016. Sharanprakash Patil announced the starting of new medical colleges in Karwar, Madikeri, and Chamarajanagar.



Framing of the new National Education Policy was debated extensively among child rights activists. Tanveer Sait replaced Kimmane Ratnakar as the minister for primary and secondary education. The higher education portfolio also changed hands, from T B Jayachandra to Basavaraja Rayareddy.



At end of the year, a new controversy cropped up over conducting NEET in Kannada. The state is blaming the Centre for not including Kannada as one of the languages for NEET. But Union Health Minister J P Nadda blamed the state for keeping quiet, when asked if there was a need to conduct the test in Kannada.



High on lows



Second PU Chemistry question paper leaked twice



Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patils assistant Oblaraju was arrested along with kingpin Shivakumaraiah in the question paper leak scam



PU lecturers and SSLC teachers boycotted valuation seeking better compensation

The confusion over NEET/CET for medical seats gave tense moments for students

Comed-K test for medical was cancelled at the eleventh- hour, leaving thousands of students in a quandary

NRI students who had opted for CET or NEET were told to surrender their seats till the Supreme Court decided on the issue.
An American grandmother has raised $9,000 (7,332) for the type 1 diabetes charity, JDRF, by making 300 rag dolls by hand.

Connie Cagles grandson Dane Egizi was diagnosed with the condition aged two and this prompted Connie to help raised funds for the JDRF.

She called the 18-inch toys her Hearts Desire Dolls because it is Connies hearts desire to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Each toy is made with a name and a birthday on its back which is created the day Connie paints the heart which comes complete with an uplifting message. She also paints their faces and every doll comes with its own beaded bracelet.

Connie, who is from California, told the US newspaper The Sun that sewing the toys also helped her recover from cancer treatment which she had undergone.

She said: The therapy of sewing them saved my life. I could sit down, focus and get the job done, and discovered I had a passion for it.

I love colour, sewing and painting and I get to do all three making my dolls. I love the joy the dolls bring to people, who always smile when they see them.

The handcrafted dolls have either been gifted to people, donated for fundraisers or sold to raise money to the JDRF.

Cathy Sleva, Executive Director of the Orange County chapter of the JDRF, said: Donations are critical to fund the cutting-edge research we are doing. Everyone has a part to play and can contribute in a meaningful way.

Connie sews for about 10 hours a day and has estimated it takes about four days to create and finish a doll. She charges $45 (37) and is also able to make different characters such as superheroes, vampires and pirates.

Her love of sewing began five years ago when Connie decided to make a doll for her friend from Peru.

She said: She never had dolls when she was growing up, the Redlands woman said. I thought, What could be more American than a Raggedy Ann doll?'

Image source: The Sun (sbsun.com)
A man has pledged his support to his wife who has type 1 diabetes by walking 40 miles to raise awareness of the condition.

Stephen Richman (pictured, left), from Daventry in Northamptonshire, embarked upon the exhausting challenge on Friday 16 December to fundraise for charity Diabetes UK.

Speaking to the Daventry Express newspaper, Stephen said: I am pleased with the achievement because its raised funds and awareness. It was exhausting but thoughts of Carol kept me going for the 40 miles.

The 40-mile non-stop feat took place earlier this month when Stephen set out from Daventry and walked via Towcester and Silverstone before ending his challenge at the Northampton Hospital Diabetes Centre.

Stephe, who met his wife in 2011, managed to raise 300 for Diabetes UK and endured his grueling challenge to represent the daily challenges people with diabetes experience every day.

Recalling the first time he saw his wife Carol suffer from low blood sugar, Stephen said: It shocked me and when she is in pain I couldnt do anything. She suffers from blindness and cellulitis in her legs as well as sleep apnea.

His wife uses a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) but has to pay for the sensors herself as she is not eligible for free sensors on the NHS.

Stephen said: Carol has the new sensors to check her blood sugar levels which are better for everyone, but you have to pay for them and I think they should be on the NHS.

Picture: Daventry Express
Nokia is planning to set a strong foot forward in the industry starting with D1C at MWC

Nokia is all set to make its comeback to smartphone market with Mobile World Congress in February. Nokia has already formalised its brand-licensing deal with HMD Global and now reports indicate that we can expect at least 5 smartphones in 2017.

Finland-based HMD Global is reportedly developing four more smartphones for launch in the second and third quarter of 2017. Nokia has been long rumoured to introduce two flagships and a mid-range smartphone at MWC next year. According to new report at Digitimes, HMD Global will showcase D1C as the first Nokia-branded smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Nokia D1C has already leaked multiple times in the past. The smartphone is rumoured to come in two variants and could be priced around Rs 10,000 in India. The two variants are expected to be different only in terms of their display size, onboard memory and camera resolution.

Nokia D1C is expected to come with 5-inch and 5.5-inch Full HD displays. The small screen variant is expected to feature 2GB RAM while the 5.5-inch variant is expected to come with 3GB RAM. The smartphones are also expected to feature a 13MP and 16MP primary camera. There will be 16GB or 32GB storage depending upon the variant.

Nokia D1C is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and graphics duty is likely to be taken care of by Adreno 505 GPU. Nokia's comeback smartphones are expected to come with screen sizes ranging from 5-inch to 5.7-inch with WQHD or Full HD resolution display panels. HMD Global has already partnered FIH Mobile (a subsidiary of Nokia) for mobile manufacturing.

Digitimes report also adds that Nokia's smartphones will come with display panels from LG Display, Century Technology and Innolux. It is unclear whether Nokia has shelved its plan to launch a flagship device at MWC 2017.
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Shares soared in Graphene NanoChem on Wednesday after the nanotechnology provider announced it had won its first contract order for its smart fluid in the shale gas market in China worth about $360,000.

The order is for 4,000 barrels of PlatDrill, a smart fluid that speeds the drilling and quality of shale gas as well proving environmental and economic benefits, at two well in Changning, China.

The deal is in line with the Chinese government's policy to increase the development of shale gas resources as more than 300 wells are expected to drilled per year in the next five years, the largest number of wells on Asia.

The Malaysia-based company is working with oil and gas service provider Scomi to expand the PlatDrill in south east Asia, which is expected to to use between 80,000 and 120,000 tonnes of synthetic base mud to replace oil based mud for drilling.

The AIM-listed company said it is working with Scomis business partner in China, AntonOil, to reach about 20% of the market in 2017.

It said that with this contract and its existing contract in Myanmar, which will restart drilling on the first quarter of 2017, its order book for PlatDrill is expected to be full for next year.

Jespal Deol, chief executive of Graphene NanoChem, said: We are pleased to announce the latest progress of our oilfield business and the continued support of Scomi during the challenging period for the industry. Our latest commercial order and its potential market opportunity is a continuing validation of our product value proposition especially now that oil is expected to be lower for longer.

Further, our partnership with Scomi has enabled the group to reduce marketing cost and adoption risk and continue to service our orders through working capital financing provided by Scomi whilst we continue to strengthen our financial position."

Shares in Graphene NancoChem were up 23.78% to 11.45p at 0826 GMT
Japanese data were to take centre stage during the holiday-shortened trading week, with the latest figures on the unemployment rate and consumer prices in the month of November set for release on Monday.

They would be followed by figures on industrial production and retail sales for that same month on the following day.

Stateside, the most relevant release was not scheduled for until Friday, when the Chicago manufacturing sector PMI was due out, although the Conference Boards consumer confidence gauge on Tuesday and the latest weekly tally for unemployment claims would likely also attract attention.

Back in the UK, BBA was set to release its latest home loan purchase figures on Wednesday, with Halifaxs measure of home prices for December also set to be published during the week.

Euro area M3 money supply figures were also expected for Thursday.

Monday 26 December

No results scheduled

Tuesday 27 December

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Confidence (US) (09:30)

Wednesday December 28

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Phaunos Timber Fund Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Canadian General Investments Ltd.

EGMS

Zhejiang Expressway Co 'H' Shares

AGMS

Asian Citrus Holding, Mortice Ltd. (DI)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mortgage Approvals (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

DFS Furniture, JPMorgan Japanese Inv Trust

Thursday December 29

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Anglo Pacific Group, BT Group, Dixons Carphone , Ensor Holdings, Fulcrum Utility Services Ltd. (DI), Halma, KCOM Group, Octopus AIM VCT, OPG Power Ventures, Polar Capital Holdings, Real Good Food , RPC Group

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Funding Circle SME Income Fund, Schroder Income Growth Fund, Value and Income Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (16:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (13:30)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Polymetal International

EGMS

Datang International Power Generation Co Ltd.

AGMS

Altona Energy, Avanti Communications Group, SimiGon Ltd. (DI), Webis Holdings

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Cambria Automobiles, Game Digital, Grainger, Inland Homes, ITE Group, Oakley Capital Investments Ltd. (DI), Proactis Holdings, Schroder Asia Pacific Fund, Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund

Friday December 30

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Clipper Logistics , First Property Group, Helical, Kainos Group , Palace Capital

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Markets in Asia finished mixed on Wednesday, with South Korea leading the losers and Toshiba continuing a post-Christmas free fall off the back of its Westinghouse write-down.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 hovered above and below the waterline before finishing flat, closing down 0.01% at 19,401.72.

Official data released during the session showed industrial production in the country improved 1.5% in November over the same time in 2015, just missing the Reuters-polled forecast for a 1.6% uptick.

Retail sales in November were up 1.7%, well ahead of the 0.7% growth prediction.

Technology giant Toshiba plummeted 20.43% during the session, slamming into Tokyos daily downwards limit, and almost doubling the rate of its 11.6% fall on Tuesday,

It had announced on Tuesday that it was looking at several billion dollars on one-off charges related to the acquisition of a US-based nuclear power plant development firm.

With Toshiba's finances already weak, the booking of impairment losses is a negative," noted Nomura analyst Masaya Yamasaki.

With the amount of losses not yet clear, all the bad news is not out.

Industrial toolmaker Hitachi Koki was a brighter spot in Tokyo, adding 16.2% after an earlier suspension, following media reports that US private equity vehicle KKR & Co was in final talks with Hitachi to buy the subsidiary.

The yen was weaker against the greenback, and was last off 0.28% at JPY 117.76 per $1.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite was down 0.39% to 3,102.54, while the Shenzhen Composite was off 0.37% at 1,972.35.

Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index finished 0.83% higher at 21,754.74, while South Koreas Kospi finished down 0.87% at 2,024.49 amid a continuing political crisis.

The latest chapter in the crisis involved the Wednesday morning arrest of the National Pension Service chairman, Moon Hyung-pyo, though the special investigation team did not reveal details.

That arrest followed the taking of two presidential aides into custody in November.

Oil prices were weaker during the Asian session as markets patiently awaited a planned output cut deal from the OPEC cartel and its non-OPEC partners, due to come into play on 1 January.

They bounced back in early Europe trading, however, with Brent crude last up 0.67% at $56.47 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate 0.54% higher at $54.19.

Australias S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.01% at 5,685.02, with the gold subindex adding 4.01% and materials propelling 2.32% ahead.

All of the major miners were higher, with BHP Billiton up 3.29%, Fortescue Metals ahead 3.47% and Rio Tinto 2.38% firmer.

The countrys gold mining stocks fared similarly, with Evolution Mining and Newcrest both up, 4.86% and 2.99% respectively.

New Zealand shares were almost flat, edging lower in light summer holiday trading, with the S&P/NZX 50 down 0.02% to 6,875.78.

Aged care provider and retirement village developer Ryman Healthcare led the benchmark lower, losing 2.3%, while energy and telecoms utility Trustpower was the best performer, finishing 3.3% firmer.

It was a mixed picture for the down under dollars, with the Aussie last 0.04% weaker against the greenback at AUD 1.3922, while the Kiwi strengthened 0.34% to NZD 1.4463 per $1.
Barclays and Google have reaffirmed their commitment to Britain after the country voted to leave the European Union, but a survey revealed that growth since the referendum has reached a four-year low.

Matt Brittin, president of Google in Europe, said that Britain was attractive due to its access to the internet and the ecommerce industry as Google is focused on big trends.

The UK is starting with a lead in this area, so a world leader in ecommerce. So for us, there's great talent here in the UK, he told the BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

We announced an intention to create 3,000 more jobs here in a big new investment in our facilities here, but that's only because the UK is so good at the internet that we can support companies here in that growth agenda.

This was echoed by Barclays chairman John MacFarlane who said that the City had a competitive advantage over its rivals and that the bank was increasingly focused on UK and US markets.

Financial institutions have been concerned about passporting rights post-Brexit, which allows them to provide services to EU states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein by adhering to one set of regulations.

However, the Chartered Management Institute found that 39% of over 1,118 British business surveyed said they had experienced growth since Junes EU referendum, which was the lowest since 2012.

Some 65% of business said they were pessimistic over the economic prospects of the country in the next 12 to 18 months.

About 45% said Brexit would have a negative impact on growth in the next three to five years and 35% said that they that they lacked confidence in the current leadership on the country to capitalize on opportunities brought by Brexit.

A quarter surveyed said they were pessimistic about prospects for their own business, which was, in line with levels seen over the past year, and 57% said they were positive about the performance of their business in the next 12 months.

CMIs chief executive Ann Francke, said: In this climate of heightened political uncertainty and economic turbulence, the time is now to position Britain as a global leader in responsible capitalism, targeting essential issues like workplace ethics, inclusivity and executive pay to restore trust and transparency and improve productivity.

Shares in Barclays were down 0.42% to 224p at 1444 GMT and shares in Alphabet were down 0.18% to 808.50 cents at 1443 GMT
Retail tycoon Sir Philip Green told the UK's Pensions Regulator he will not contribute to the BHS pension fund deficit unless former owner Dominic Chappell does the same, the Guardian reported, citing sources close to negotiations.

It was understood the regulator was seeking around 350m from Green and as much as 17m from Chappell, the Guardian report stated.

Chappell and Green have been widely criticised for taking money out of the business while it struggled to compete on the High Street. The Pensions Regulator has now issued legal warning notices to them in an effort to force them to pay up.

However, a source close to the situation confirmed to the newspaper that negotiations had taken place between Green and the regulator since it initiated legal action in November.

The retailer collapsed in April with the loss of 11,000 jobs and a 571m deficit in its pension scheme. Green ran the business for 15 years before selling it to former bankrupt Chappell for 1 in 2015.

With pressure building for a deal, those involved in the talks said a settlement could be agreed early in the new year, before the regulator proceeds to the next stage, the Guardian report added.

Under his ownership, the Green family and other shareholders collected at least 580m from BHS. Chappells company Retail Acquisitions received payments of up to 25m from BHS despite owning the department store chain for just 13 months until it collapsed, the Guardian reported.

No comment was provided by Green on the claims. Chappell told the Guardian that he fulfilled all his duties as a director of BHS and at no stage did we trade immorally.

'Harassment'

The negative coverage of Green's lavish lifestyle while thousands of pensioners and former BHS workers faced an uncertain future also prompted the under-fire businessman to blame the media for the delay in resolving the issue.

Green told the Sunday People: If you guys left me alone, maybe I might feel differently about it as opposed to you harassing me all the time.

"Think about it, if the roles were reversed... if somebody kept harassing you everyday... you wouldnt be sending round a cheque would you?

So you guys should have some brains and think lets just leave this guy alone. OK.

Chappell told the Guardian that he blamed Green for the collapse of BHS because of his failure to support the pension scheme after he sold the retail chain.

He said he had agreed a deal in principle with the regulator and the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), the government-backed lifeboat scheme, to restructure the pension fund before BHS collapsed. This involved Green pumping in 127m, BHS making annual contributions for the next five years, and the PPF taking a 30% stake in the retailer. However, Green did not agree to the proposal, according to Chappell.

A spokesperson for the Pensions Regulator said: We have issued warning notices setting out evidence for use of our contribution notice power and our financial support direction power, to a number of parties including Sir Philip Green."

The warning notice is an important milestone in our work to obtain redress for the thousands of members of the BHS schemes who have been placed in this position through no fault of their own.

Those who have received the warning notices now have the right to make representations to us, which we will consider and respond. At that stage, if we decide to progress the case, it will be heard by our determinations panel, which is independent of the case team and will determine whether to exercise the powers in this case. We cannot give specific timeframes but we would expect a panel hearing during 2017.

We remain in discussion with Sir Philips advisers. Any settlement offer we accept has to be robust enough to stand the test of time and mean that members and the PPF are not left in a worse position further down the road.
A new day dawned after the Christmas break with few new numbers to rouse the slumbers of either investors or traders as they faced a shortened week before the new year.

Miners provided the shine on a lacklustre day as BHP Billiton, Randgold Resources and Fresnillo and Rio Tinto were the standout gainers on the FTSE 100.

Oil prices edged higher with Brent crude up 0.58% to $56.43 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate up 0.48% to $54.16 per barrel at 1123 GMT.

On the corporate front, oil giant BP nudged higher after agreeing to buy the Australian fuels business of Woolworths Ltd for AUD1.79bn.

International Consolidated Airlines flew lower as reports of struggles at Airbus Group with delays to the delivery of its A380 superjumbo hurt sentiment in the sector.

Market Movers

FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,100.01 0.45%





FTSE 100 - Risers

BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,310.50p 4.21%

Fresnillo (FRES) 1,157.00p 4.05%

Anglo American (AAL) 1,167.50p 3.73%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,168.50p 3.41%

Glencore (GLEN) 279.10p 3.12%

Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 6,010.00p 3.00%

Convatec Group (CTEC) 239.00p 2.71%

Mondi (MNDI) 1,648.00p 2.68%

Shire Plc (SHP) 4,644.50p 2.12%

Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,595.00p 1.79%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 447.10p -2.21%

Capita (CPI) 510.50p -1.92%

easyJet (EZJ) 1,018.00p -1.64%

Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 362.00p -1.58%

Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 227.60p -1.51%

Tesco (TSCO) 202.75p -1.51%

Land Securities Group (LAND) 1,054.00p -1.50%

Hammerson (HMSO) 561.00p -1.41%

Persimmon (PSN) 1,744.00p -1.19%

British Land Company (BLND) 635.00p -0.94%
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Police charge suspect who fired at police, was shot in exchange

Columbus police identified the gunman wounded by police early Thursday morning as Raymond Richard Hampton, 26, of the University District.
Via The New York Times, an op-ed suggesting that we have missed a major Zika problem in Africa: A Zika Vaccine, but for Whom? Excerpt:

In September, Congress allocated $1.1 billion to combat Zika in the United States. Thats compared with the $2 million raised by the African Development Bank to support the World Health Organizations Zika surveillance in parts of Africa. Moreover, to help pay for the American domestic response, Congress cut $109.5 million previously dedicated to strengthening laboratory capacity in parts of West Africa devastated by Ebola  funding that might have helped to define and address the threat of Zika in Africa.
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SEATTLE (AP)  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $1.8 million to seven public housing authorities, Native American tribes, and non-profits in the Northwest.

The HUD funds awarded to groups in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington will be used to hire or retain workers who will help residents find jobs and get educations.





. . .
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)  Japanese electronics company Panasonic and U.S. electric car maker Tesla said Tuesday they plan to begin production of solar cells at a factory in Buffalo, New York.

The two companies said they finalized an agreement calling for Tokyo-based Panasonic to pay capital costs for the manufacturing. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla made a long-term purchase commitment to Panasonic.





. . .
Queen City Grill to remain in Belltown

SEATTLE  Plymouth Housing Group has reached an agreement to keep Queen City Grill in the Lewiston Apartments at First and Blanchard in Belltown.

In a press release, Plymouth said the positive compromise came as Queen City Grill neared the end of its lease term.

The agreement, reached Dec. 23, allows for a new lease to a different ownership group that said it will retain the feel of the longtime neighborhood restaurant and keep many of its employees.

Plymouth said the new group is business partners Wade Moller and Trevor Greenwood, a former Queen City Grill manager. They own the Cantinetta restaurants in Wallingford and Bellevue, Bar Cantinetta in Madison Valley, Mercato Stellina pizzeria in Bellevue, and Chavez on Capitol Hill.

Plymouth said they will reinvest in the Queen City space and bring the menu up to the culinary standards demanded by today's Seattle patrons.

Plymouth preserves, develops and operates supportive housing to try to end homelessness. It leases space to 15 restaurant and retail tenants.




Home Four wheelers Next-Generation Toyota Corolla Could Get BMW Engines oi-Sukesh

The joint venture between BMW and Toyota is likely to expand in the near future. As reports suggest that the next-generation Toyota Corolla could get BMW engines.

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Home Two wheelers Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS FI Revealed In Turkey; India Launch Imminent oi-Sukesh

Bajaj Auto has showcased the new Pulsar 200 NS FI in Turkey. Since its discontinuation from the Indian market last year, there were rumours about the relaunch of the motorcycle in the Indian market, although Bajaj did not reveal a word.

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When a new year comes, I always say, the best year is yet to come. That is true for me at least, because every year I get opportunities to live the dream. For that, I cant be thankful enough to everyone who made my 2016 such a blast! It was not perfect but I woulnt ask for it to be any different, because I know that is how it should be.

Just this 2016 I had an abundance of travel adventures and see places I didnt even have in my must-see places to visit. A lot of first happened this 2016 !

For starters, I was in Sinulog last January, thanks to ASUS Philippines for taking me there. Personally, I wouldnt visit Cebu on a peak season because of the crowd. But because of this trip I was able to experience Sinuglog first hand and it was not that bad at all.

Madonna set my rebel heart on fire when she finally came here in the Philippines last February for a concert! Yay! One of the best days of my life as I am such a big fan of this living Pop Icon! It was sureal to have seen her perform live and in person.

Even when I was not at my best shape, Nivea took me to a kick-off to summer 2016 trip to Bohol with other fashion bloggers and online influencers! It was my first time in Bohol and it was such a fun experience with all those crazy fun task we had to do! We all went home with a doll that turns crab red when exposed to the sun! So adorable!

Ive been dying to try a helicopter ride, thanks #SmartHeroes for my Mr.Gray date moment and more! You can watch my YouTube video about this and hear me sing Love Me Like You Do! Hahahaha!

I never pass a chance to help for the greater good. If I can give my time, my talent and whatever I can offer I will. Thanks to Freewaters and Primer Group for taking me to Aurora Province. It was my first time in Casiguran Town and it #FeelsGood. While the view is breathtaking, it is another hidden surf haven I wish will not be commercialized. Giving the people of that town the chance to have safe drinking water made this trip more rewarding than any other trip I had in my life!

Its funny that I never get the chance to fully appreciate the art I see along the streets of Bonifacio Global City . Some of the street art murals we saw have existed for more than 5 years and yet it was only this April that I got the chance to appreciate it up close. Thanks Butterfly Twist for the street art tour!

When I think of Asian countries to visit, Laos / Luang Prabang was not in my list. Thanks to Tourism Mekong for including me in the foreign bloggers to join the Mekong River Familiarization Tour, I get to be in Nan in Thailand and Luang Prabang in Laos. It was incredible to be able to cross-country or cross a border on foot and do a real life Temple Run! #ThankYou to AirAsia for being my air travel sponsor from Manila to Kuala Lumpur and back. AirAsia Philippines has no direct flight to Bangkok that time, it was AirAsia Thailand who sponsored the rest of our air travel.

June was a lot of shoot for campaigns, the Missoni Women, Jollibee Be You and Free Love. My most favorite part of this month was when I had a face-to-face with my Superman of my generation, Dean Cain at the Toycon 2016! All Journalism/communications student during my time can relate that that moment I felt I was Lois Lane haha!

Every girl I think wished she was a Ballerina. But every girl from my generation wished to see Ms. Lisa Macuja in person and see a ballet show again after many eons had passed. It was good to see a live classic ballet performance that I turned nostalgic. So, I didnt pass the chace to try ballet once more I loved it but I have no time for it. Sigh. But thanks Ballet Manila for the opportunity.

I always say its always summer in the Philippines. True enough, Azalea and Travel Conceirge took me to Boracay for a Group Getaway last August! This trip made me realize theres so much more to Boracay than the white beach. What we did during our visit made me believe why this island is the best Island in the world.

Because of an opportunity to visit the United States of America, I went to the US Embassy to apply for a visa in September and luckily I got it, it took me a month to be able to get a schedule. You can read the entire US Visa process for Filipinos I went through in this post.

September was also a weird tour at a cemetery, it was a taste of the upcoming Necro Tourism in the Philippines!

Lot of first things indeed happened in October as I get to go on a shopping challenge and revisit Tutuban / Divisoria Manila! It was challenging but surprisingly fun! I even won the Christmas shopping challenge hah!

If youve been to Singapore and enjoyed their hawker food centers then you will love Makansutra. Yes, the hawker experience is here in the Philippines and its at SM Megamall. Taste and experience is authentic price is affordable, food choices are varied and place is instagrammable!

Then November came I went to the USA ergo #EarthintheUSAadventure! Been to LA California, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, The Groove, and all those popular places in California except the beaches! I was also in Oregon , such a lovely place. I am taken I wish to go back. Honestly, US was one of the country that was not in my countries to see . But after this trip, I want to go to different states visit my relatives in New York and Las Vegas and anywhere else . State hopping is fun but expensive though and I still need to learn to drive to survive USA!

December is here and I am taking it slow. NOT! The family goes away on Holidays local or international but I think its local for now, mom and DD has to renew their passports yet.

While I gained a lot of experiences, memories and friends along the way, 2016 was the saddest year to date. I have lost three good friends in the blogging community: Adrian Benipayo, Ian Escarpe and Jennifer Roxas. Good people with good hearts, we miss you badly, I miss you badly. It is painful to even write this but my thoughts are always with you. You will never be forgotten. I love you.

With that said, thats a wrap for Earthlingorgeous this 2016. I want to express my deepest gratitude to all my readers, my supporters, the agency people and brands and even my haters/bashers, most especially to my family, without any of you I wouldnt be able to experience all this wonderful things! All this happened in 2016! Thank you so much!

#ThankYou is such a complete paragraph on its own. Just like what this AirAsia Philippines video shows, be grateful to whoever, wherever, it goes a long way!

Thank you and Cheers and the best year is yet to come! Happy New Year!

Watch my YearEnd video again to get you inspired to live a life of adventure and make use of a journal for easy backtracking !

Stay gorgeous everyone!
Another #fakenews story is being promoted by the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP), Betsy DeVoss personally founded and funded school privatization guerrilla organization in Michigan. The mother quoted here, Maria Salazar, has been writing a version of this article for Betsy-DeVos-funded organizations since at least 2013: this one, from the American Federation for Childrena DeVos voucher front groupintroduces us to Marias daughter, who has seemingly been rescued from her public school through the generosity of Betsy DeVos herself

The Corporate Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship program changed her life and gave her opportunities her single mother Maria could not have afforded on her own. Maria and Nydia immigrated to the U.S. from Peru when Nydia was a small child. When we arrived in the U.S. I told Nydia that if I work hard to support us and she works hard to learn in school, we would find the opportunities we came here for, says Maria Salazar. I was so relieved, excited and, most of all, grateful when I found out Nydia would have a scholarship to attend St. Marys. It was everything I promised Nydia all those years ago.

Similar news articles from the past several years on Ms. Salazars adventures in voucher marketing can be found here and here, from 2013, and here, in 2014. In fact, promoting Betsys voucher plans seems to be something of a side job for Ms. Salazar.

Lets interject a little bit of context here: The AZ voucher program is actually a set of 5 different programs, and they have collectively been a disaster for Arizona by virtually any measure.

Among the 5 options offered by the state are 4 tax credit choices, and an ESA, or education savings account option. The average value of three of the tax credit vouchers available under this plan, the most popular choices, is between $1300-$1800 per year. The other tax credit option, available only to students with special needs, provides around $4000 per year.

The school Ms. Salazars daughter attended, a Catholic high school, costs over $14,000 per year for tuition alone.

As is the case in every state in which vouchers are available, AZs vouchers dont provide nearly enough money to allow Ms. Salazars daughter to attend St. Marys High School. These vouchers merely provide a relatively negligible number of taxpayer provided dollars to subsidize her daughters attendance, at a religious school, while siphoning much needed tax revenues from the public school she was attending.

Far from being a way to level the education playing field, or a mechanism to insure that childrens ZIP codes should not confine them to failing schools, vouchers are nothing more than a political tool to redistribute public school dollars to private and religious schools.

What I find truly fascinating about all of this is that all that GLEP seems able to do is recycle stories from the 2 or 3 families that Betsy DeVos voucher front-groups have been circulating over the last 3 years. Considering the millions that the DeVos family is paying GLEP, they really arent getting a very good return on their investment.

And the bottom line on vouchers remains the same: they typically dont help anyone attend a school they werent already attending, they dont provide enough money to cover tuition and fees at many private or religious schools, and they arent about providing equity, as the biggest result of vouchers is more segregated schools.

Vouchers are wrong for Arizona, and wrong for our country.

Betsy DeVos is wrong for Michigan, and wrong for Secretary of Education.
More than 1 million Google accounts have been breached by Android malware dubbed Gooligan, Check Point reported Wednesday.

The malware roots infected devices and steals authentication tokens that can be used to access data from various Google apps including Gmail, Google Docs, G Suite and Google Drive.

It potentially affects devices running Android 4 and 5.

Devices are infected when their users download legitimate-looking apps from third-party Android app stores, or click on poisoned links in SMS or other messages that lead to infected apps, Check Point said.

Android application development and installation is similar to the Wild West, said Thomas Pore, director of IT and services at Plixer.

While there are rules and security vetting, its still very easy to get yourself in trouble, he told TechNewsWorld.

A Question of Identity

Gooligan is a new variant of the Android malware campaign found in the SnapPea app, according to Check Point.

However, it could be a variant of Ghost Push, as Adrian Ludwig, Googles director of Android Security, has suggested.

Google last year found more than 40,000 apps associated with Ghost Push, he said, noting that the companys systems now detect and prevent installation of more than 150,000 variants of the malware.

How Gooligan Works

Gooligan-infected apps send data about infected devices to the campaigns command and control server, then download a rootkit such as Vroot or Towelroot.

That raises the question of why Google hasnt done anything to prevent the risky activity.

Support is expensive, and, when youre Google or any other vendor, said Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

You have to plan allocation of resources for these things, since there are always user problems, he told TechNewsWorld.

Once the device is rooted, Gooligan downloads a new malicious module that lets it

steal a users Gmail account and authentication token information, which bypasses Googles two-factor authentication and other security mechanisms;

install apps from Google Play and rate them to raise their reputation; and

install adware to generate revenue.

The malware also fakes device information such as IMEI and IMSI, so it can download an app twice but make it appear that the downloads are on different devices, thus doubling the potential revenue from the apps.

Apps infected by Gooligan include Perfect Cleaner, WiFi Enhancer, Memory Booster, Battery Monitor and Weather.

Protecting the User

Google has removed from Google Play apps associated with the Ghost Push family, and apps that benefited from installs delivered by the malware, Googles Ludwig noted.

It also has improved Verify Apps to protect users in the future.

Google has notified users known to have been affected by Gooligan. It also has removed their Google Account tokens and provided them simple instructions to sign in securely, Ludwig said.

Further, it has been working with the Shadowserver Foundation, as well as multiple major ISPs that provided the infrastructure used to host and control Gooligan, in order to take down the infrastructure.

Devices with up-to-date security patches are safe, Ludwig said. Those with a system image, like Googles Nexus and Pixel devices, can remove the malware through a system software reinstall.

Owners of newer devices, including those compatible with Android 6.0, have Verified Boot enabled, and can remove Ghost Push easily, Ludwig pointed out.

Patches often are delayed by wireless carriers because they need to test them for compatibility first.

Gooligan is turning out to have serious repercussions, Enderle said, so I wouldnt be surprised if Google and the carriers are discussing update periodicity right now.
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Scott PruittDonald Trumps

controversial pick to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)is under fire for his supposed ties to a nonprofit controlled by billionaire oil tycoons, Charles and David Koch.

Scott Pruitt, Donald Trumps nominee to head the EPA, has been known to parrot oil and gas industry talking points. Flickr

POLITICO has received a copy of a letter sent to Pruitt that was signed by six Democratic senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee. The letter raises questions about the Oklahoma attorney generals director status at a nonprofit called the Rule of Law Defense Fund that accepted $175,000 from Freedom Partners, the political arm of the Koch brothers network.

Freedom Partners has been

described as a dark money umbrella group, likened to a secret bank that disburses contributions from wealthy conservatives.

The senators are requesting names of donors, meeting information, internal emails and other details related to Pruitts leading role at the Defense Fund, according to POLITICO.

The letter was signed by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats.

As POLITICO noted, the Defense Fund is allowed to keep donors secret since it is organized under a special section of the tax code. However, in 2014, it received $175,000 from Freedom Partners.

The letter calls that contribution into question and said that Pruitts work with the Defense Fund is troubling, since he may be too close to the very fossil fuel companies he is supposed to regulate as Trumps EPA chief.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/807203262357237760

The Defense Fund is an offshoot of the Republican Attorneys General Association, itself a group that has deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. A December 2014 New York Times expose revealed an unprecedented, secretive alliance and coordination between Big Oil and the association.

Trumps appointment of Pruitt was met with unprecedented criticism by environmental and health organizations nationwide, being described as a puppet of the fossil fuel industry. In 2014, Pruitt was caught sending letters on state government letterheads to President Obama and federal agency heads asserting that the EPA was overestimating the air pollution from drilling for natural gas in Oklahoma. Turns out, the letter was written by lawyers for one of the states largest oil and gas companies, Devon Energy.

According to POLITICO, the six senators are highlighting Pruitts links to fossil fuel interests as part of a larger effort to turn moderate senators against his confirmation.

The confirmation process, starting with your responses to committee questions before your hearing, is an opportunity for you to dispel the notion that the advocacy you have undertaken on environmental issues as Attorney General of Oklahoma has been directed by and for the benefit of the energy industry, the letter states.

As Oklahomas top legal officer, Pruitt has waged numerous legal wars against the EPA and President Obamas environmental regulations, including the presidents signature Clean Power Plan. Trump said Pruitt is highly respected and will counter the EPAs anti-energy agenda that has destroyed millions of jobs.
By Robynne Boyd

Before the ball drops on New Years Eve, 104 wind turbines scattered across 22,000 acres of farmland near Elizabeth City, North Carolina, will begin churning out electricity. It will be the Souths first large-scale wind farm. At 208 megawatts, Avangrids facility has the capacity to capture enough of the skys kinetic energy to power 61,000 homes. But instead of homes, this electricity will run data centers for Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon.com.

Amazon Wind Farm U.S. East, a new wind farm outside Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Avangrid Renewables

Wind generates about 5 percent of U.S. electricity, but that figure is steadily rising. In fact, at 41 percent, wind power was the largest source of new electricity production in 2015. None of that, however, came out of the Southeast. The region imports 3.8 gigawatts of wind energy from the Midwest (enough to power 10 million homes for as little as 1.8 cents per kilowatt-hour), but wind farms themselves, similar to solar, have almost no penetration here.

Wind is so new in the Southeast; I think there has been a fear of the unknown, said Katharine Kollins, president of Southeastern Wind Coalition. Having the Avangrid project up and running will be important for people to see wind farms firsthand and up close.

Except for the occasional hurricane, the South isnt known to be particularly windyat least not compared with Plains states like Iowa, where the wind accounts for nearly a third of total electricity generation. But great potential exists in this void and with new turbine technology, some southern states are getting ready to tap into it.

The biggest change in the industry has been turbine advancements, said Simon Mahan, director of the Southern Wind Energy Association, an industry organization. Taller turbines, like those at Avangrids Amazon Wind Farm, can reach higher, stronger winds, and longer blades are able to harness gentler breezes. This is opening the South as the next frontier for wind energy, Mahan noted.

Indeed, wind turbines have gone through a growth spurt. Since the 1990s, hub height has risen from 45 to 300 feet, which is as tall as the Statue of Liberty. And blades now extend more than 180 feet in length.

In addition to technology, improvements in energy policy, such as renewable energy standards and the federal Production Tax Credit, have enabled winds price tag to plummet 90 percent over the past 25 years, making it more alluring in the competitive energy market.

According to a 2015 report by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Southeast could become the Most Improved Player in coming years, particularly as the national energy mix continues to change. If Im thinking realistic numbers, the Southeast could easily support a few gigawatts of wind, Kollins said.

Over the next 12 years, 46 coal power plants around the country (including 19 in the Southeast) are due to retire, despite the incoming Trump administrations promises to bring back the coal industry by removing regulations that protect clean air and water. Improved energy efficiency will help, but those retired plants electricity contribution, about 15,600 megawatts, will need to be replaced with something. And that something will likely be a combo of cheap natural gas and renewables, which together provided 45 percent of the countrys electricity last year.

A company or utility looking to decrease its costs needs to be looking to buy wind and solar right now, Mahan said. At the end of the day, if its cheaper to do, why not?

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/813827632047517700

So, then, why arent more renewable projects in the works in the South? One limiting factor is that Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina are all building new nuclear reactors and once these are complete (whenever that happens), the region will have more than enough power. However, the largest factor is the lack of independent system operators (ISOs) or regional transmission organizations (RTOs).

Electricity markets can be complicated, so stay with me here: The U.S. is divided into three interconnection regions (Eastern, Western and Texas) that do not share energy between them. Smaller subregions, such as California and the Northeast, exist within those three, and they can organize their markets as an ISO or RTO, which enables entities other than utilities (such as wind farms) to sell electricity directly to the market. The area around Elizabeth City, for example, is part of an RTO called PJM Interconnection. PJM allows Avangrid, the wind farm developer, to sell electricity directly to Amazon Web Services for its data centers at a price per kilowatt-hour negotiated by the two parties. This type of arrangement creates open, competitive markets for companies and utilities as well as the cities that welcome the projects. Avangrid, by the way, is now the largest taxpayer by far in Perquimans County.

Amazon Wind Farm being built. Avangrid Renewables

Most of the Southeast, however, functions under a more traditional approach in which the utilities maintain control over the power plants and distribution wiresand therefore the price. So it can be challenging for wind companies to break into these markets, unless they sign a power purchase agreement with the utility. Currently, nearly a dozen wind projects in development in the region are waiting for a utility to show interest.

Despite the dearth of wind farms on southern soil, the industry still has a sizable footprint here. In more than 100 wind-related factories, thousands of southerners manufacture everything from turbine blades to rotors. If the South is making the tools for the countrys wind industry, it might as well start using them too.
(Photo: REUTERS / Dinuka Liyanawatte)Pope Francis arrives to lead mass in Colombo, January 14, 2015. Hundreds of thousands of people packed a Colombo oceanfront on Wednesday to see Pope Francis give Sri Lanka its first saint, a climax to a 300-year campaign to recognise the holiness of Indian-born missionary Joseph Vaz. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte (

Pope Francis has canonized Sri Lanka's first Christian martyr while reiterating a call for freedom of worship, particularly for persecuted religious minorities as he spoke before hundreds of thousands of people on a Colombo beach.

Francis spoke in English, Tamil and Sinhalese in a mass January 14 when he canonized Blessed Joseph Vaz, an Indian-born priest who came to Sri Lanka during the 17th century, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Vaz worked across religious differences for reconciliation at a time when Dutch Calvinist colonists brutally persecuted Catholics in a period of history when Protestants and the Church of Rome warred with one another.

"As a priest of the Oratory in his native Goa, Saint Joseph Vaz came to this country inspired by missionary zeal and a great love of its people.

"Because of religious persecution, he dressed as a beggar, performing his priestly duties in secret meetings of the faithful, often at night. His efforts provided spiritual and moral strength to the beleaguered Catholic population."

Vaz kept Catholicism alive during Dutch rule. He was imprisoned at one point and died in 1711, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"Saint Joseph shows us the importance of transcending religious divisions in the service of peace.

"His undivided love for God opened him to love for his neighbour; he ministered to those in need, whoever and wherever they were. His example continues to inspire the Church in Sri Lanka today," said the Pope.

Francis has sought to create more saints for Asia, in particular has exalted Christian martyrs and those persecuted for the Catholic faith.

St. John Paul II beatified Vaz during a 1995 trip to Sri Lanka. In September, Pope Francis waived the standard need foe the confirmation of a miracle and approved the canonization.

During the Mass attended by hundreds of thousands of people, the pontiff likened the striving of Vaz to problems currently faced by Christian minorities around the world.

"Like ourselves, Saint Joseph Vaz lived in a period of rapid and profound transformation," Pope Francis said. "Catholics were a minority, and often divided within. There was occasional hostility, even persecution, from without."
(Photo: REUTERS / Stefano Rellandini)Pope Francis wears a saffron-coloured robe as he sits next to Hindu Ndu-Kurukkal SivaSri T. Mahadeva (R) and Buddhist monk Ittapane Dhammalankara (L) during the Interreligious Encounter at the Bmich in Colombo January 13, 2015. Pope Francis called on Sri Lanka to uncover the truth of what happened during its bloody civil war as part of a healing process between religious communities, as he arrived in Colombo a few days after the island's wartime leaders were voted out.

The Sri Lankan government is planning implement a law that bans racist and religious extremist groups at a time of heightening tensions in the predominantly Buddhist country.

Newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena intends to propose the measure when the Sri Lankan parliament convenes in the coming weeks.

It is part of his "100 Days Work Program," said National Executive Committee member Azath Salley.

In a recent interview with ucanews.com, Salley explained that the program is a series of promises Sirisena wants to accomplish in his first 100 days in office.

The president recognized that among the problems hounding the country were increasing incidences of harassment of religious minorities, Salley said.

"We experienced many hate speeches and campaigns against other minor religions and saw many attacks on Muslim and Christian places of worship during the last administration," the committee member said.

http://www.ucanews.com/news/sri-lanka-weighs-new-law-that-would-ban-extremist-groups/73228

Sirisena's predecessor, Mahindra Rajapaksa, had been accused of backing some organizations tagged as extremists that incite racial and religious tensions. Rajapaksa lost a reelection bid early this year.

Among the groups being linked to Rajapaksa is the Buddhist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), whose members had been accused of targeting Muslims in two coastal towns in July 2014. The attacks left four persons dead and 80 others injured.

Buddhists account for around 70 percent of the Sri Lankan population, followed by Hindus (15 percent), Christians (8 percent) and Muslims (7 percent)

Salley pointed out that passing a measure to ban inciting groups ensures the safety and well-being of all sectors of the society by keeping in check organizations that have a tendency to target minorities.

"We need a more disciplined society and these attacks on minority religions should not take place in future," Salley said.

A Catholic Church official from the Archdiocese of Colombo called the proposal a welcome move from the new government.

"This call for all citizens to give up racial and religious hatred must be profusely worked on in order to dispel fear, hatred, vengeance and vilification campaigns," said Father Reid Shelton Fernando, former coordinator for interreligious dialogue at the archdiocese.

He said the proposed law is a step in the right direction considering the growing number of violent incidents against minorities in the country.
Not that the horse had a choice, but Masochistic now holds the dubious distinction of being the center of not one, but two racing scandals.

BloodHorse headlines this week documented the recommendation by the California Horse Racing Board Dec. 19 that Santa Anita Park stewards disqualify Masochistic from his runner-up finish in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) Nov. 5, following a positive post-race test for the anabolic steroid stanozolol (or its metabolite). The action would result in forfeiture of the $255,000 purse for owners William Shamlian's Los Pollos Hermanos Racing and Samantha Siegel's Jay Em Ess Stable and likely sanctions for trainer Ron Ellis.

Ellis said the final pre-race test indicated the stanozolol had not cleared Masochsitic's system but he still opted to start him, believing the level was minute enough that it would clear by race day.

Besides scrutiny of the trainer's actions, attention should be paid to the CHRB policy, which is not in agreement with the current model rule for horses on a vet's list for medication reasons. California policy requires horses to be on the list for 60 days if they are administered an anabolic steroid. That 60 days does not seem like enough time to accomplish the desired goal of keeping anabolic steroids out of racing.

Also, the current model rule, not in place in California, is a better standard, as it requires a horse to test below the threshold level before allowing race entry. The threshold level for stanozolol is 0.

Beyond that, according to CHRB officials, California privacy rules didn't allow the CHRB's equine medical director, Dr. Rick Arthur, to communicate to anyone but the trainer of the horse that tested positive for stanozolol in its final pre-race test. To ensure integrity, the equine medical director should have the ability to raise any medication concerns to stewards, the track, and Breeders' Cup officials as necessary.

Perhaps the upcoming stewards' hearing on the matter scheduled Dec. 30 at Santa Anita will shed more light.

Going forward, the Association of Racing Commissioners International board approved new out-of-competition testing rules that would require a horse be out six months following an anabolic steroid administration. If adopted by California and other states, that change would more effectively keep anabolic steroids out of racing.

Before this black eye on the sport, Masochistic was previously involved in what at least one Kentucky Horse Racing Commissioner believed was a betting coup on Kentucky Derby day 2014.

Then owned by Los Pollos Hermanos Racing and A.C. Avila's Santa Ines Stable and trained by Avila, Masochistic finished fifth in his March 2014 debut at Santa Anita, where he tested positive for the sedative acepromazine and his jockey, Omar Berrio, was investigated for stiffing. In his next start, Masochistic rolled to a 14-length maiden victory on the Derby day undercard at Churchill Downs.

Then Kentucky commissioner Ned Bonnie thought the connections may have purposely thrown the first race then--taking advantage of the larger Derby day pools--executed a betting coup. Listed at long morning-line odds Derby day, Masochistic went off at 2-1 and returned $6.20 to win.

While $6.20 to win may not sound like much, to Bonnie's thinking, if large wagers had been made on Masochistic to win on a routine race day in Southern California, he may have gone off at 3-5. Running on the Derby undercard allowed for a bigger score.

Ultimately, Kentucky decided the problem fell in California's lap. The CHRB suspended Avila 60 days for the medication violation and fined him $10,000. Berrio was not sanctioned.
Top Teacher Stories of 2016: Education Week Teacher's Most Viewed

For an idea of what piqued our readers' interests in 2016, the editors at Education Week Teacher compiled a list of the 10 most-viewed articles. Do you have a favorite article that wasn't included? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.

Amid the flurry of "Why I'm Quitting" stories, educators who plan to teach for the rest of their careers need to speak up about why they have made that choice, says Justin Minkel. (February 24, 2016) | Filed Under: Teaching Profession

Six state teachers of the year traveled to Finland to see how one of the world's top education systems treats its teachers. (July 22, 2016) | From the Blog: Teaching Now

Teachers are grappling with how to discuss the end of a divisive election with their students. (November 9, 2016) | From the Blog: Teaching Now

While many factors are out of their control, teachers still have a responsibility to try to make students' time in the classroom as enjoyable and meaningful as possible, writes Justin Minkel. (February 2, 2016) | Filed Under: Classroom Management

Language arts teacher Timothy Dolan shares how taking the time to read to his students became a cornerstone of his teaching. (March 22, 2016) | Filed Under: Curriculum and Instruction

A student teacher in Chicago made a rap video for students to welcome them to school. (August 26, 2016) | From the Blog: Teaching Now

A new report by the Economic Policy Institute finds that the pay gap for teachers has grown significantly in recent decades. (August 12, 2016) | From the Blog: Teaching Now

Teachers Brianna Crowley and Barry Saide offer advice on developing an empathic mindset in an education culture that doesnt always value it but desperately needs it. (January 20, 2016) | Filed Under: Classroom Management

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution column interviewed teens about their resentments in schooland found they hate group work and when teachers allow students to commandeer classroom discussions. (June 3, 2016) | From the Blog: Teaching Now

Utah schools can now hire individuals with only bachelor's degrees to teach certain subjects, like computer science, in an effort to stem the teacher shortage. (June 14, 2016) | From the Blog: Teaching Now




Contaminated Chinese shrimp enter US via Malaysia

Chinese shrimp contaminated by antibiotics was allegedly being imported to the US via Malaysia, falsely labelled as Malaysian product, an investigative report from Bloomberg Businessweek said.

The report documented the abuse of antibiotics in raising both terrestrial and aquatic livestock in China, as well as the public health threat posed by the further spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

It also said that in response to efforts to counteract transshipment of Chinese shrimp through Malaysia, new transshipment channels might have been opened to facilitate the importation of cheap Chinese shrimp into the US market.

"As long as there are distributors, retailers and restaurants that, provided that the price is low, do not know and do not care where their shrimp is coming from, we expect to see shrimp-trade fraud", Southern Shrimp Alliance Executive Director John Williams was quoted as saying by Bloomberg Businessweek.

The in-depth report, entitled "How Antibiotic-Tainted Seafood from China Ends Up on Your Table" can be read here
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.
She was born March 8, 1911 in Butterfield, Minnesota to Theodore Kintzi and Wilhelmina Linscheid Kintzi. Erna married Harold Olsen who preceded her in death in 2007. She loved teaching elementary school students early in her career. After her own children were in high school, she worked as a substitute teacher for the upper grades She was an avid Bridge player and missed that the most when she lost her eyesight. She was also in the Antique business and had a stall at the Hershey Antique Barn. When they could no longer drive, Erna and Harold moved to Texas to be close to their daughter and live in a retirement community where they had access to activities and transportation. They developed many friendships. Erna moved to The Oaks after her mobility declined, but she was still sharp and independent. She will be missed by many friends andfamily.
A Carlisle-area man currently facing theft charges in Cumberland County now faces arson charges in connection with a 2014 fire in Perry County.

Robby Lee Zoller, 48, was charged Dec. 23 with arson, criminal mischief and receiving stolen property.

State Police at Newport reported Wednesday that it investigated a car fire on Feb. 1, 2014. Police discovered the vehicle had been stolen from Front Royal, Virginia.

This year, police said they discovered Zoller was in possession of the vehicle and drove it to Perry County. He abandoned the car on Polecat Road in Spring Township and set it on fire, police said.

Zoller is in prison facing burglary and theft charges stemming from a property theft ring in which he and a woman are accused of stealing more than $170,000 worth of electronic items from a business in Upper Allen Township. Zoller also faces other burglary charges, as well as an abuse of a corpse charge. Police said he kept a human brain and used the formaldehyde to smoke wet marijuana at his home in Penn Township.
Justin Bieber is quite a hot man who has been linked with at least four ex-girlfriends - recently. Supermodel Kendall Jenner of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and long-time friend Hailey Baldwin were seen reuniting with him; Selena Gomez and Sofia Rich too had links with him.

Once Justin had a social media spat with his former girlfriend, Selena Gomez, and then there have been speculations and wild creations.

Just a few weeks ago, Justin had been spotted getting on board a private plane with a "mystery girlfriend", who turned out to be Kendall Jenner, according to Hollywood Life. As the two have been good friends for a long time, they went together for a brief pre-Christmas vacation.

The two of them had a recent reunion, including a visit to Utah. They were also spotted with Patrick Schwarzenegger at Five Guys in Park City.

When they returned to Los Angeles, Justin seemed to have ended his relationship with Kendall, and instead began to hang out with Hailey Baldwin. She has been another constant girlfriend seen often with him this year. She is also one of his top choices whenever he gets the time to again jazz up his relationships while taking a break.

They reunited at a Christmas party in West Hollywood. Hence, even though he is taking time off from his "Purpose World Tour," he doesn't seem to be taking any break "from partying and surrounding himself with pretty girls," according to Ace Showbiz.

He exited that party solo, in a huge fur coat and superstar-sized glasses. He said, "Yeah, it's f**king real!", referring to his coat.

His last open date had been Sofia Richie, with whom there seemed to be a lot of trauma, especially with fans putting up hostile comments about Richie. Such negative feedback made Justin Bieber threaten to "shut down his Instagram page," said a source.

Justin Bieber, however, broke into an open feud with Selena Gomez, after she told him to stop sharing his pictures of himself with Sofia Richie.

"if you can't handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol - it should be special between you two only," she said. She also advised him not to "be mad at your fans," noting that "they love you."

After the Instagram feud in August, he is said to have deleted his account and was "ignoring his ex's phone calls." Selena publicly apologised and tried to reach out to him, but he has ignored her since then.

So who exactly is Justin Bieber dating now, going by his multiple affairs?

No one, he said, In a recent 'Ellen DeGeneres Show', he said "I am not dating anybody."

He is also not taking time to search for any woman, perfect or otherwise.

"Single," he said. "I'm not really looking either."

That may be just speculation, or wishful thinking, but Justin Bieber past record isn't really absolving him of anything.
The death of Carrie Fisher has shocked her fans and also sparked speculations about her iconic role of Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Carrie Fisher has a larger role in the next year release Star Wars: Episode VIII and one wonders how her death will affect the movie. More so because Lucasfilm has not spoken about the matter after the actress died of a heart attack at the age of 60 on Tuesday.

The actress completed filming her part as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode VIII before she bid goodbye to the world, reports Deadline. Had she been alive, she would have also returned to Star Wars: Episode IX.

So, fans will get to see Fisher on screen next year only when Star Wars: Episode VIII releases in December and they can find solace in the fact that the movie will see her in a larger role. Her daughter Billie Lourd is also starring in the film and if fans remember, she was present in Force Awakens as well.

However, Star Wars: Episode VIII is not the only project that Fisher completed before her death. She also wrapped up Season 3 of Amazon's comedy series Catastrophe.

But her sudden demise will surely affect Episode VIII as well as the Star Wars franchise but Lucasfilm has not spoken about it as yet, reports Comic Book. It is not clear if changes would be made to her role or to the plot.

Notably in the past, several movies had to make changes due to the death of actors. When Paul Walker passed away in 2013 due to a car crash, Furious 7 was in the middle of production and it caused an alteration in his role.

His character Brian O'Connor was honored with an emotional farewell speech by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in the movie. What is more, his brothers also stood in for him and enacted a few scenes to help imprint an image of his face on their own with the help of computer graphics.

So, will something similar also happen in the case of Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: Episode VIII? Only Lucasfilm can confirm.
An 81-year-old Liverpool woman faces theft charges after police said she stole more than $278,000 from an estate.

Doris Thompson was charged with felony theft by deception and theft by unlawful taking in connection with an estate in 2013.

State Police at Newport said the theft was not discovered until after the settlement for the estate of the victim.

Thompson was arraigned on Dec. 22 and released on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.
Andrea Renda (Centre for European Policy Studies)

Although only a few weeks ago Hillary Clintons victory in the November presidential elections seemed all but self-evident, Donald Trump eventually won and will thus become the 45th President of the United States of America. Today, this historic result is being explained by the fact that the media took Trump literally, but not seriously, while his voters took him seriously, but not literally. Now, it is about time to focus on what Trumps victory will mean, based on his pre-election promises, for the United States, Europe and the rest of the world.

On the domestic front, the new administration is likely to seek partial annulment of the legislation adopted under Barack Obama. Trump will try to replace the so-called Obamacare, which is meant to provide accessible health care. We can also assume a substantial weakening of the environmental legislation eg. by reducing the powers of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Moreover, we cannot exclude that the US will withdraw from the Paris COP21 climate agreement. The key initiative of the new administration will be to mobilize traditional American industries, eg. steel industry, protect jobs and streamline productivity. A massive investment plan in transport infrastructure, schools and hospitals is also expected.

Trumps trade policy will evolve towards economic self-sufficiency. The main point will be the effort to fundamentally modify the NAFTA in order to prevent US companies from relocating to Mexico in search of cheaper labor. The fate of the trade agreements such as TPP and mainly TTIP will be even less certain under President Trump than before. European countries will undoubtedly be affected by this policy of protectionism. Europe can greatly suffer from a slowdown in world trade, which could lead to the revival of protectionism. Regarding security, if the United States really curtails its activities within NATO, European countries will have to increase their defense spending and assume more responsibility for their own security. Trumps victory is also politically dangerous for the EU, as it adds further impetus to populist movements, especially in the countries that are awaiting elections next year.

The Trump presidency and his economic proposals will be inefficient and harmful to the American economy. Dramatic effects will, however, be reflected in global governance and security, and even more in the future and stability of specific regions, such as Europe and the Middle East. The scope of these negative externalities will be even more evident when Trump substantiates his plans and introduces his appointees for key positions in the new administration.

(The study can be downloaded here)
7 Upstream Providers Become Targets

Chase Cunningham, director of cyber operations at A10 networks, expects that upstream providers increasingly will be targets for attackers in the new year. The DDoS attack launched against DNS provider Dyn, which resulted in knocking out many major sites that use Dyn for DNS services, made headlines because it highlighted what can happen when threat actors target a service provider as opposed to the end customers. Attacks on upstream providers, he noted, cause ripple effects that interrupt servicenot only for the provider, but also all of their customers and users. The attack on Dyn set a dangerous precedent and likely will be emulated several times over in the coming year, he said.
Bitcoin, the ultimate solution to going cashless, swayed to the moods of the worlds watershed events of the year. From the weakening of the Chinese Yuan in the East to the election of Donald J Trump in the US Presidential Elections in the West, the worlds economic and political climate led to sudden spikes in the value of the bitcoin. With these events the move to adopt cryptocurrency, which has been seen as a fringe movement could become a more viable payment option for merchants and customers.

Sharp spike in value

India witnessed a brief but sharp rise in the value of the Bitcoin in the weeks that followed demonetisation. The value of the bitcoin peaked around the last week of November reaching Rs 68,000 per bitcoin. Elsewhere around the world at the same time the value of a bitcoin soared to about $730 (around Rs 50,000). At the beginning of the year, the price of bitcoin in India was around Rs 28,000. The recent spike was a two year high. The last time the value of the bitcoin was this high was November 2013 when the value was around $1,200, which had made it cross the Rs 72,000 mark in India.

Bitcoin adoption post demonetisation

The Indian bitcoin community has surely grown in the last month. Unocoin, an Indian bitcoin start-up, which has 120,000 users saw about 15% of them joining just in the last month alone. Coinsecure, another Indian bitcoin start-up, saw over a 300% increase in turnover and over 250% increase in their user base for November 2016. Coinsecure has over 90,000 users, 20,000 of whom registered after November 9. The company has sold about 1,100 coins between the second week of November and December 20. The highest trade volume was on November 25 when around 300 bitcoins were traded, said Benson Samuel, Founder and CTO, Coinsecure.

Understanding the surge

Cryptocurrency, which is mined and stored online, is a decentralised currency, whose value is decided by market forces. According to Samuel, Broker houses set a higher price specifically for India, expecting an increase in demand. No other country saw this kind of spike- 20 to 30% increase  during this period.

The surge in the value of the bitcoin came only two weeks after the announcement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As soon as the demonetisation was announced, people were quite shocked and the money they already had in their bank accounts had other priorities over bitcoin. So, the effect of demonetisation on bitcoins popped up two weeks later. There was an uptrend as people identified cryptocurrency to be another asset class, said Sathvik Vishwanath, Co-Founder and CEO, Unocoin Technologies Private Limited.

The hike in the value of the bitcoin was short-lived and the value has stabilised now. Indias bitcoin space is a small fraction of the global market, said Samuel. He explained that the value would eventually even out. The increase in the demand did raise the price of bitcoin in India. Although, it again attained the stable value after two weeks, shared Vishwanath. He also explained that since the market in India is very small, the trading volumes is about 0.05% of that of China and 0.25% of that of the US. Therefore, other factors such as the unexpected election results in the US and continued devaluation of the Chinese Yuan have contributed to the overall spike in the value of bitcoin.

Hopeful future

The uptake of bitcoin in the retail sector is still very low globally and in India too. That said, UnoCoin has had about 200 more merchants signing up during the last month. We expect to see an increase in adoption as this is one of the ways of cashless transactions as well, said Vishwanath. Samuels Coinsecure has signed on two restaurants in Bangalore. This is where the real difference will be made, he said referring to the use of bitcoins in everyday dealings and a viable alternative currency. Bitcoin will soon become a norm because it has strong proof of concept, too much credibility - we have not been hacked even once so far - it is very secure. Many people are now trying to understand it and are beginning to show interest, he said.

This trend is indicative of a stronger future for bitcoin adoption in India. Currently, India makes up for only 0.05% of the worlds bitcoin trading volume. With multiple Indian bitcoin start-ups launching apps to trade bitcoins and also tying up with leading e-commerce brands like Coinsecure and Amazon, India might be on the brink of becoming a major player in the cryptocurrency space.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
A number of Cumberland County students are among those nominated by U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, to attend the U.S. service academies.

Students who expressed interest in attending a service academy were interviewed by a review board of community leaders and representatives of the military community, who made the final recommendations, according to a news release from Barletta.

This group of bright, motivated young Americans represents the best of what our part of Pennsylvania has to offer, and they are to be commended for choosing to begin their adult lives in service to this nation, Barletta said. We should all be proud of what these young people have already achieved, and await eagerly to see their future successes. I wish them well as they continue through the rigorous process of seeking admission to our prestigious and elite service academies.

Local nominees include Sarah Elizabeth Ebert from Carlisle High School, Samuel John Haseman from Carlisle High School, Rachel Lynn Wentz from Trinity High School and Bartholomew Paul Winn II from Carlisle High School for the U.S. Naval Academy.

Local nominees for the U.S. Military Academy are Haseman, Grace Marie Echevarria from Carlisle High School, Jacob T. Rob from Boiling Springs High School and William Todd Webber from Boiling Springs High School.

Echevarria and Winn are also nominees for the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Winn and Hasemen, again, are also nominees for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Each service academy will make the final determination on which students are admitted.
Pennsylvania often plays an important role when it comes to presidential elections, and this year was no different with the state giving Donald Trump crucial electoral votes that he would need to defeat Hillary Clinton.

To get to that point, both candidates often stumped for votes in the state. Locally, however, only one candidate made it to Cumberland County, a historically red county.

Residents from across the Midstate and beyond had less than a week to get tickets for Trumps visit to Cumberland Valley High School in Silver Spring Township on Aug. 1. Despite the short notice, thousands turned out to fill the gymnasium while others took to standing on the Carlisle Pike in opposition to the Republican candidate.

Though Trumps visit marked a local stop in a nationwide campaign that would help him win the election, the local visit was also a source of controversy for the district and the township.

After Trump held his rally at the high school, residents and parents voiced their concern about a political event on school grounds and specifically their issues with Trumps bullying demeanor, which they felt contradicted the schools own policies.

School board President Robert Walker had responded that a board consensus taken before the rally indicated that there would be a tremendous benefit to our extended community to host a campaign event for the nominee of a major political party for the office of the president of the United States of America, therefore allowing our students to actively participate in the political process, where in favor of, or in peaceful protest of the candidate.

The rally, however, would have a price tag of more than $10,500  one that the school district claimed was eventually paid in full. Silver Spring Township, however, disagreed.

Republican township supervisor Robert Seader argued that the rally cost the township around $12,000 due to township police coverage of what he felt was an unforeseen, unbudgeted but entirely avoidable crisis response. Seader explained that the township hadnt been notified about the rally until July 29, which caused a scramble in plans.

Seader gave the school district a bill for the townships costs, but in November  after Trumps campaign paid for the rally  the supervisor reported that the district had not paid it, nor intends to pay it.

In response, school district spokeswoman Tracy Panzer said in November, Cumberland Valley School District has not paid the invoice as presented. It is the understanding of the school district that costs associated with such events are covered under inter-governmental agreements between cooperating local, state, and federal law enforcement and government agencies. This is a view that the district shares with many local governmental agencies, who have indicated to us that they will not be requesting reimbursement for provided services.
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A strengthening oil and gas industry coupled with a mostly positive reaction to the results of the U.S. presidential election have driven Texas manufacturers to end 2016 with the rosiest six-month outlook since 2004.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey found that its company outlook index for the next six months rose nearly 12 points to 46.8, the highest in the surveys 12 years of data collection, according to senior Dallas Fed economist Emily Kerr.

The rise came after a November survey that showed the company outlook indicator more than doubling to 34.9 points.

Decembers boost was spurred by 53 percent of Decembers 112 respondents reporting an improving outlook as compared with 43.5 percent of respondents in November.

Kerr said the survey produced mixed results in the first half of 2016 as manufacturers struggled in the wake of 2015s oil crash.

I think 2016 was kind of a transitional year coming out of the wake of the oil field bust and the higher dollar value; but I think in the second half of the year, manufacturing really found its footing and ended the year on a really positive note, Kerr said. Looking forward to 2017 in terms of outlooks, things are as bright as they have been since (2004).

Oil prices fell from a high of $107 a barrel in June 2014 to a low of $26 in February, forcing dozens of companies with operations in Texas into bankruptcy and surviving firms to lay off tens of thousands of workers and slash budgets. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, settled just below $54 a barrel Tuesday.

Prices have been above $40 a barrel since August, spurring dozens of drilling rigs to come online in the last few months.

The slowdown in the oil industry had provided particularly difficult for Texas manufacturers, who had benefited immensely from the boom since 2010.

As oil prices were stabilizing (in 2016), these manufacturers  were diversifying what they were doing, Kerr said, referring to how manufacturers adjusted in the wake of the downturn.

With production from U.S.-based shale oil producers down by over a million barrels a day since production peaked in 2015, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries  along with non-OPEC oil producers including Russia  recently decided to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day to further prop up prices.

OPECs actions will reinvigorate the exploration and production side of the business, according to a member of the chemical manufacturing industry in the survey.

But benefits from higher prices have not been handed out evenly. In South Texas Eagle Ford Shale region, there were 44 active drilling rigs in the region, down 33 compared to the same time last year. In West Texas Permian Basin oil patch, 262 rigs were active, 50 more than the same period in 2015.

While the mood in the latter half of 2016 turned positive for many manufacturers, Kerr said Texas is not back to the levels of 2014.

Its not quite the same as some of the stuff in 2014 where everything across the board was positive, but this is certainly among if not the most positive of reports in 2016, she said. I think theres good reason for optimism.

Indicators such as current production, capacity utilization and new orders all ended the year on a positive note. Looking forward to the next six months, almost 62 percent of Texas manufacturers see their production increasing, while more than half see capacity utilization and new orders also increasing. Forty-six percent of those surveyed believe they will increase employment in the next six months.

The election of Donald Trump as president came at the end of one of the most contentious races in recent memory. A businessman by trade, Trumps election has lifted the spirits of some in the business world.

Finally we have change we can believe in, wrote a commenter from the machinery manufacturing sector. Another commenter, from the fabricated metal product manufacturing sector, said, I have never seen customers and suppliers so positive after any election in 40 years.

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.

Rey Chavez, CEO and president of the San Antonio Manufacturers Association, said that at the beginning of the year, manufacturers did steady business but it was nothing to brag about.

Now with the election over and the economy continuing improve, he sees attitudes shifting  but some reservations remain.

I think from reading this survey right now, I think a lot of people are optimistic that things are going to happen, Chavez said. Theyre still guarded to some extent to wait-and-see what Mr. Trump is going to do.

But the positivity was not universal. One commenter, coming from the transportation equipment manufacturing sector, expressed concerns about the future of international agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, both which were railed against by Trump in the election campaign.

If tariffs for goods imported from Mexico and certain Asian countries are increased, it will affect the price of some of our components in a negative way, the comment said.

Looking at the comments section, Kerr said there was a slightly mixed impact of the election, but that it seemed more positive than negative.

I think that I would say that (the election result) contributes to the optimism, Kerr said.

rdruzin@express-news.net

@druz_journo
Bright colors and big writing line the walls of this standard Northside ISD elementary classroom.

The room is average, but the students are not.

For 11 of the 17 children in the classroom, English isnt their first language. And it isnt Spanish either.

Arabic, Telugu and Tamil are the most commonly spoken languages after English and Spanish at Glenoaks Elementary, effectively making up almost 13 percent of the student population.

Between those 11 students, they speak seven different languages.

Coming from where they were, their experiences in war-torn countries, and some of the things theyve been through, they appreciate not only our education system but our country and the liberties we have, said Maria Meza, who is in her second year as principal at Glenoaks.

Northside ISD has the highest number of non-Spanish speaking English language learners in San Antonio, district officials said, a phenomenon aided by its partnership with Catholic Charities and the size of the district. While Arabic and Vietnamese bilingual educator certificates are available in Texas (as well as Chinese and Japanese), Northside hasn't had luck recruiting any of those educators, and the state does not offer certificates in Tamil and Telugu.

And so the district improvises.

At the request of the district, TEA exempts it from the mandatory number of bilingual educators that districts are supposed to have when they teach more than 20 elementary school students that speak a language other than English. The ESL instructors learn about the structure of these foreign languages the best they can, often relying on the tried-and-true method of immersion to get these immigrant children on track.

Yes, we have a goal of educating them and making them shine in reading and writing, but first we have to make them comfortable. Its pretty hard just to get them to talk at first, said Elisa Chacon, who teaches first grade ESL at Glenoaks. Theres that silent period where they dont speak at all. Theyre processing, theyre thinking, their brain is constantly working.

A 5-year-old girl in the class whose first name is unknown  represented in their books as FNU, as is standard  goes by her last name, Hussna. She fled from Afghanistan to the United States with some of her family a little over a year ago.

She said the flight, which was her familys first time on an airplane, was scary because it was floating in the sky.

They left her grandmother and some of her siblings behind in the move. She said they told her they were moving so she could have a good education. Later on, she said the best part about Glenoaks was that they give us food.

She was born speaking Pashto and now speaks English, too. Hussna said when she gets older she wants to go back to Afghanistan to be with her grandmother, her cousins and her older sisters. As she spoke, Chacon listened, quietly marveling at the fact that just a year ago, Hussna hardly made a peep.

At Glenoaks Elementary, 33 students speak Arabic, 31 speak Tamil and 22 speak Telugu. Out of the almost 106,000 students total at Northside ISD, 9,100 students speak another language other than English or Spanish  and about 6,000 of those are in elementary school. Because of the high concentration of multi-lingual students in elementary, more than half of the Northside elementary schools offer bilingual or ESL services.

So we have all these languages were required to provide bilingual education, but we dont have the human resources  the teachers with the certification, said Noelia Benson, director of bilingual and English as a second language education for Northside ISD.

This year, the district technically would need 23 teachers who speak Arabic, 10 who speak Tamil, eight Vietnamese and seven Telugu, Benson said. She said Arabic is a very common language because its spoken in multiple countries across the Middle East and Africa.

Spanish bilingual has been in existence for a long time, so we have a pipeline of teachers graduating with that certification, but its not the case for the other languages, she said.

Meanwhile, places like Houston have managed to grow their own, she said, hiring Arabic bilingual teachers who likely grew up as Arabic-speaking immigrants in the Houston school district.

Finding and hiring educators trained in these languages is also difficult because the waves of immigrant populations arriving in San Antonio fluctuate frequently. For example, in 2014, Benson said there was a surge of immigrants from Nepal and a Nepali language bilingual-certified teacher was technically needed in the district at that time, though its no longer needed now.

Much of that fluctuation has to do with world politics, as immigrants leave countries that offer them little support or quality of life. And some of it also has to do with government and nonprofit reunification programs that help immigrants move to live with their families in other states, Benson said.

Bilingual (as opposed to strictly ESL) would be better if we had the staff and the resources, Benson acknowledged. But its not only having the staff, you have to remember that some of the languages dont have script, so even getting resources would be difficult.

Meza also said that having language-specific bilingual instructors as TEA requires would be ideal, though she thinks the district does a very effective job of the support they provide of students that speak other languages.

Glenoaks works closely with Catholic Charities to provide that support. The nonprofit sends a staff member with Glenoaks counselors when they do home visits for refugee families and it provides other counseling support as needed throughout the year.

Meza recently restarted a teacher training program this summer focused on cultural sensitivity. The school has two language support teachers, one ESL day tutor, one bilingual day tutor, three reading specialists and one math specialist. Each month they hold a bilingual and ESL meeting so the teachers can keep abreast of best practices. They also have a child advocacy team to address specific cases  if one student needs glasses or has a hygiene problem, for example.

Benson said district staff strives to help students retain their native language.

Allowing them to continue to utilize their language and leverage  that is a must for us, she said. We want them to speak English, of course we do, but we never want to sacrifice their first language. We know the benefits of being bilingual, so we dont want them to give that up.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
SALEM, Ohio  Cattle with Ohio lineage may soon be roaming the deserts of Israel, if a recent mission to implant the indigenous cattle with U.S.-bred cattle embryos is successful.

In November, Larry Baker, director of the Ohio Livestock and Genetics Export Council, traveled to Israel with Veterinarian Emily Em Mowrer, owner of Stonehouse Veterinary Service in St. Clairsville, Ohio, to oversee the implantation of beef cattle embryos, purchased from Ohio cattle producers, into Israels existing cattle herds.

Two Israeli cattle ranchers, Erez Cahaner and his father, Katcha Cahaner, had traveled to Ohio in May and toured a couple Ohio beef farms to select the type of cattle they would like to introduce into their existing herds, explained Baker. The men were connected with the Ohio Livestock and Genetics Export Council through the Negev Foundation, a not-for-profit group that sponsors sustainable agriculture research and projects to help develop the Negev Desert region in Israel.

Not enough cattle

A high percentage of the cattle in Israel were a breed of Simmental cattle imported from Europe, Baker said. They dont keep track of their parentage, he said, adding they believed their cattle could be traced back to just four genetic lines.

The breeders had traded cattle back and forth for years within Europe, without bringing in new blood lines. On top of that, Baker said there is only 50,000 head of beef cattle in the whole country of Israel  not enough to sustain the growing need of the people in the country.

Rugged cattle

We discussed whether (exporting) live cattle would be better (than embryos), said Baker. But when the men described their harsh conditions  lack of rainfall and heat  we decided embryos would be better. That way the cattle could be born into the harsh conditions.

Embryos were purchased from two Ohio cattle farmers, Darol Dickinson of Dickinson Cattle Company and John Grimes of Maplecrest Farms, and one Montana farmer, Ryan Ludvigson of Ludvigson Stock Farms.

The Longhorns were chosen because of their ability to withstand some of the toughest climates. Longhorns can get by with less grass and lower nutrient levels, said Baker. Israeli cattle ranchers have also lost many of their herd to predators. The horns will help ward off those predators.

The Angus breeds were chosen for their ruggedness and carcass quality. Baker said one of the toughest parts was convincing the men of the type of cattle they really needed versus what they perceived the needed. A lot of different countries I deal with, they look at the breed magazines and see the show cattle and thats what they want, said Baker. They dont need the show cattle, they need the rugged cattle with sound feet and legs that produce a good carcass.

Embryo transfer

In Israel, Baker and Mowrer visited several farms that were mostly cow-calf operations and a few feedlots associated with those cow-calf operations. Mowrer showed the cattle owners and local veterinarians in Israel how to implant the embryos. Its not always easy to walk on to someones farm and start offering suggestions, said Mowrer.

But they were so open, she said, noting their willingness to share what practices they have in place and take suggestions. Mowrer walked them through each step, from how to prepare the cow, how to handle the embryos and how to load the gun. They were very open to whole thing. They wanted to go in after me and feel what I feel, she said.

I think there was some scepticism to some degree, she said, but the cattle owners had lots of questions for Mowrer. I was surprised by those who came  how much they knew and how much they wanted to learn, she said. That day, Mowrer helped the farmers implant 29 embryos. Ten more were implanted the following day. Ive talked to them since then and it doesnt sound like many (cows) have come into heat, indicating a high success rate.

Israel market

Another key component to understanding the needs of Israels cattle industry was understanding how the product is marketed and consumed. Baker noted in his trip report that live cattle is slaughtered directly for the butcher shops. Different butchers will pick up the quarters of meat they want for their market and will age and dissect them, depending on the consumers who visit their shop.

For the kosher market, the meat must be harvested under direction of the rabbi and only the front quarters of the cattle are used. Rear quarters can be used only if it has been stripped of veins and arteries.

These guys are just so proud of what they are doing, said Mowrer. They want to create a branded product and create their own market share  kind of like a Certified Angus Beef. She explained the producers want to say they took this product, starting with an embryo, and took it all the way to the plate.

Ohio genetics

Mowrer said this project was instrumental in raising awareness that we (Ohio producers) have a product that other folks want and need. We do have a product that we can sell and grow.

Wisconsin and Ohio have been the two leading export states of genetic and germ plasma  semen or embryos  mostly due to the long-time health status of the in-state herds, explained Baker. It does come back to our genetics. In Ohio we should maybe market that a little bit more. We have something that people want, said Mowrer.
Americas Wreck it Ralph is at it again. This time, President Obama decided to give Israel one last (we can only pray) kick in the behind before he leaves office. On December 23, the U.N. Security Council brought a resolution to a vote declaring that settlements Israel had built on and occupied since 1967 have no legal validity.

When U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power abstained rather than voting against the resolution, the Obama administration took the bizarre and unprecedented move to turn its back on Israel.The move serves to end Jewish settlement building and threatens to plow Israel back to its 1967 borders, potentially leaving them indefensible.

And the enemies of Gods chosen people cheered.

Cheer all they want, but Israel will never be indefensible because Bible scripture clearly states that God is on its side.Zechariah 2:8 says those who touch Israel touch the apple of his eye. And Isaiah 43: ...O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you wont be burned...For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly responded to the U.N. action saying the resolution was nothing more than old world bias against Israel. He said the resolution is out-of-whack because it stipulates the Western Wall and Jewish quarter are occupied territories.

Call it occupied or whatever they wish, but Israel is the land God promised through a covenant to Abraham with specificity in Genesis 15, confirming it to Abrahams son, Isaac, in Genesis 26, and again to Isaacs son, Jacob, in Genesis 28. Deuteronomy 1:8 reiterates that promise: See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers  to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob  and to their descendants after them.

Scriptures aside, one would think that with so little time left until January 20, Wreck-it-Ralph Obama would concentrate on something productive like fixing his legacy problems rather than steamrolling over our longstanding and faithful ally in the Middle East. After all, coddling our enemies made Israel (and the world) less safe. Obamas legacy includes the bloodbath that is Syria, ISIS, and an empowered Iran with nuclear capabilities, to name a few.

With friends like that, Israel needs no new enemies.

Now that Obamas made peace difficult to achieve, our only hope is that Congress will counter the impact of this destructive resolution with the enactment of a statute stating this damnable resolution in no way represents US policy. Better yet, would be disassociating ourselves from the UN. But now Im dreaming.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan responded, promising the GOP will repair damages done by the human wrecking ball to all things good and right. Todays vote, Ryan said, is a blow to peace that sets a dangerous precedent for further diplomatic efforts to isolate and demonize Israel.

The United Nations is a despicable waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars, so maybe 2017 is the perfect time for the United States to divorce itself from the U.N. and then boot the U.N. out of the U.S. Trump should buy the U.N. building and turn it into a presidential library and museum with a special section allocated for Israeli memorabilia when he leaves office in 2025.

So, hang on Israel, theres hope. With January 20, 2017, just around the corner, please know that you have a friend in us, and an American president-elect who will stand with Israel and rebuild that which the Obama administration sought to demolish.
Trump tells Iowa crowd: 'I will very, very, very probably' run for president

Donald Trump teased the crowd with his expected presidential candidacy at a Sioux City event where he stumped for Chuck Grassley and Kim Reynolds.
Farmers have expressed their frustration that a small grants scheme is not currently available under the Wales Rural Development Programme (RDP).

Speaking at the meeting held in Monmouthshire, Perkin Evans, Chairman of NFU Cymrus Combinable Crops and Horticulture Working Group said progress with rolling out the Wales RDP has been 'slow' and 'against the clock', with Brexit making matters even worse.

He said: We really need to see new impetus from the Welsh Government when it comes to rolling out the RDP in Wales and we must make the best possible use of the time we have left to participate in European programmes, to prepare the industry for the challenges that lie ahead.

The RDP must deliver for as many farmers as possible and needs to have a broad reach, with simple and straightforward processes for accessing funds. We believe that the introduction of a small grants scheme, to help farmers invest in the latest equipment and new technology, could help farmers across all sectors in Wales.

A small grants scheme would be of significant interest and benefit to Welsh arable producers in supporting our sector to invest in things such as precision farming technology, minimum tillage and soil aeration equipment; investments that improve productivity on farm and also help the industry meet our environmental and climate change obligations.

Mr Evans concluded: RDP funds have the potential to make a significant contribution to farm businesses across Wales; these are the businesses that underpin the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being of Wales.
Where to eat and drink in the Fayetteville area this weekend
KCR  BJP      : -      ;       
The World Bank Group issued the 2017 edition of its yearly Benchmarking Public Procurement report earlier this month.

The report collects and analyzes data from procurement experts and practitioners across the globe, with the goal of determining the ease with which private sector companies enter and navigate domestic public procurement markets.

The report focuses on two thematic pillars  the procurement life cycle and complaint review mechanisms, broken down into eight key areas, selected for their critical importance to bidders. Carefully drafted data points provide a snapshot of how each of the 180 countries perform in those eight areas.

For instance, when dealing with the bid submission phase, the Benchmarking Public Procurement report looks at the possibility for bidders to submit their bids online as well as the requirement to post bid security, among other topics. When looking at the first-tier review of a procurement dispute, the report looks at the cost incurred by the plaintiff to file its complaint and the timeframe for the reviewing entity to deliver a decision.

The claimed added value of the project is its capacity to provide a basis for comparison of public procurement systems at the global level. This is made possible by an elaborate methodology and the selection of case study assumptions that support the collection of streamlined, standardized data. As such, the study aims not only to be a guide for companies that consider doing business with the government, but also a reliable comparative tool for policy makers looking for inspiration in their procurement reform agenda.

Considering the positive impact that the World Banks Doing Business report has had on policy making in its nearly 15 years of existence, the World Bank also views the Benchmarking Public Procurement report as a powerful incentive for countries to adopt globally recognized good practices in the field of public procurement.

An event organized jointly by the World Bank and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the launch of the report featured public procurement experts from diverse backgrounds. A series of panels gathered government ministers, private sector companies, academics, as well as executives from the World Bank and fellow international organizations, each bringing their own views on the top priority and challenges facing public procurement globally.

While topics like procurement digitalization occupied a significant portion of the conversation, panelists kept coming back to the eternal challenges of transparency and efficiency of procurement systems, and their direct impact on competition. One referred to a recent article from the Economist that said 17 percent of calls for tender in Europe received only one bid in 2006, and by 2015, that figure had risen to 30 percent.

But access to information is an ever-occurring challenge. When it comes to regulatory frameworks, panelists explained that, very often, the volume of rules weigh heavily on the process and becomes a source of confusion for bidders. The same was said about bidding documents, often complex to decipher and rarely conveying in a clear manner the expectations of the procuring entity calling for tenders.

One panelist joked that in some countries, the rules are so complex that a bid that is complete and flawless should raise suspicions of impropriety.

Bidders access to information throughout the procurement process is also a significant challenge. The importance for bidders to understand why they did not win a contract is critical if procuring agencies want them to keep responding to calls for tender. It is also an issue of fairness, considering that companies invest significant time, as well as human and financial resources to prepare a bid.

Yet the Benchmarking Public Procurement report shows that in 32 economies, bidders do not obtain feedback on why they did not win the procurement contract. It also shows that nearly a third of the countries evaluated do not publish result of the adjudication process online.

Speakers concurred that a study like the Benchmarking Public Procurement report has the potential to significantly improve efficiency in procurement markets, an area where precise data, both at the micro and macroeconomic levels, is severally lacking. Several of them suggested that the study should aim to capture the gap between the content of procurement rules and what happens in practice, all the while acknowledging the complexity of such an exercise.

Public procurement is known to be a field where rules are poorly implemented, and an analysis of this gap would certainly be the first step to better understand the cause of this. However, it requires that governments collect extensive data and statistics, including precise figures pertaining to time, costs and procedures.

Very few countries collect such information. Panelists explained that the digitalization of the procurement function, in addition to boosting efficiency for both the supply and demand sides of public procurement, would also be the key for policy makers to access valuable data that can inform smart policy making.

More information on the Benchmarking Public Procurement report, data and previous reports is here.

____

Elisabeth Danon is a Senior Adviser at the Montreal office of KPMG. She previously worked at the Anti-corruption Division of the OECD, and more recently at the World Bank as a legal analyst. She can be contacted here.
Job Title: Compliance Counsel

Employer: Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Location: Lake Forest, California USA

Description

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is looking to hire a Compliance Counsel in its corporate headquarters in Lake Forest, California to support the companys global international legal and ethical compliance program. The position will particularly focus on anti-corruption compliance but will entail other compliance issues from time-to-time. The position reports to the Chief Compliance Officer. . . . Continue Reading
Four Texas-based businessmen have admitted bribing Mexican officials in return for aircraft maintenance and repair contracts with government-owned and controlled entities.

Two former Mexican officials who took bribes also pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy. One was sentenced to prison for 15 months.

The other defendants are waiting to be sentenced.

The DOJ unsealed the charges and guilty pleas Tuesday.

The four businessmen charged with FCPA offenses were:

Douglas Ray, 55, of Magnolia, Texas. He pleaded guilty on October 28 to conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon, 54, a citizen of Mexico. He pleaded guilty on October 26 to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Kamta Ramnarine, 69, of Brownsville, Texas, pleaded guilty on November 2 to conspiracy to violate the FCPA.

Daniel Perez, 69, of Brownsville, Texas, pleaded guilty on November 2 to conspiracy to violate the FCPA.

They appeared in federal court in the Southern District of Texas.

Ray and Valdez Pinon are scheduled to be sentenced on February 23.

Ramnarine and Perez are scheduled to be sentenced on January 30.

Also pleading guilty in the scheme were two former Mexican government officials. They are Ernesto Hernandez Montemayor, 55, and Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez, 58. The two Mexican citizens pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Nevarez pleaded guilty in federal court in Texas on March 4 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison on May 27. He admitted taking bribes from Ramnarine and Perez when he worked for a Mexican public university.

Montemayor pleaded guilty on December 9 and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 12. He took bribes from Ray, Ramnarine, Perez and others when he was director of aviation for the State of Tamaulipas.

The four businessmen paid more than $2 million in bribes to at least seven different Mexican officials, including Montemayor and Nevarez. The bribes helped them win aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul contracts for their Brownsville-based company.

Some of the bribes were paid via wire transfer and checks to accounts in the United States controlled by the Mexican officials.

Nevarez also admitted he conspired with Ramnarine, Perez and others to launder the proceeds of the bribery scheme.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
Khloe Kardashian has been crowned the "fittest celebrity" of 2017.

Khloe Kardashian

The 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star works out religiously five times a week in order to keep her body and mind healthy, and it's certainly paid off as she has swiped the winning title in heat magazine's Fit List for next year.

Fit List 2017 judge Dalton Wong told the magazine: "Khloe hasn't tried to fit the norm of what other girls or other people think she should look like.

"She exercises her legs to embrace them, not to make them really small. She is doing everything that I would tell my daughters to do: love what you were made with and don't conform to looking a certain size."

'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' winner Scarlett Moffatt - who lost a staggering 42lbs this year after doctors warned her she was at risk of diabetes - was nipping at the 34-year-old star's heels but trailed behind in second place.

Nicole Scherzinger claimed third place, while Caroline Flack, Davina McCall and Charlotte Crosby wormed their way onto the list, taking fourth, fifth and sixth.

American plus-size model Ashley Graham - who is proud to embrace her curves - secured the seventh position, while Britney Spears came in at eighth.

Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima fell to the bottom of the list in ninth place, while Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill concluded the Top 10.

The heat Fit List was compiled by a panel of industry experts as they scrutinised the celebrities' workouts, their approach to nutrition and their attitude to their bodies to bring you the fittest, most fabulous famous women around the world.

For the Top 30 Fit List, visit: http://lifestyle.one/heat/

The Top 10 Fit List 2017 is as follows;

1 - Khloe Kardashian

2 - Scarlett Moffatt

3 - Nicole Scherzinger

4 - Caroline Flack

5 - Davina McCall

6 - Charlotte Crosby

7 - Ashley Graham

8 - Britney Spears

9 - Adriana Lima

10 - Jessica Ennis-Hill
Carrie Fisher had a "larger role" in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'.

Carrie Fisher

According to Deadline, the 60-year-old actress - who passed away this week, just a few days after suffering a heart attack on a plane from London to Los Angeles - was due to play a bigger part in the next movie than she had in 'The Force Awakens'.

An official from Lucasfilms previously said Carrie was "absolutely wrapped" on the new movie but it was too early to know how her untimely death would affect future movies.

Carrie co-stars with her daughter Billie Lourd in 'Episode VIII'.

'Star Wars: Episode IX' is not due to start filming for at least a year.

Meanwhile, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has paid tribute to her "very special friend" Carrie.

The 63-year-old film producer spoke of the "indomitable spirit, incredible wit and loving heart" of the actress.

Kathleen said in a statement: "Carrie holds such special place in the hearts of everyone at Lucasfilm it is difficult to think of a world without her. She was Princess Leia to the world but a very special friend to all of us.

"She had an indomitable spirit, incredible wit, and a loving heart. Carrie also defined the female hero of our age over a generation ago. Her groundbreaking role as Princess Leia served as an inspiration of power and confidence for young girls everywhere. We will miss her dearly."

And Disney CEO Bob Iger also remembered the actress, who he dubbed as "one of a kind".

He shared: "Carrie Fisher was one of a kind, a true character who shared her talent and her truth with us all with her trademark wit and irreverence.

"Millions fell in love with her as the indomitable Princess Leia; she will always have a special place in the hearts of Star Wars fans as well as all of us who were lucky enough to know her personally. She will be sorely missed, and we join millions of fans and friends around the world who mourn her loss today."
Prince Harry clocked up more air miles than any other senior British royal in 2016.

Prince Harry

The 32-year-old Prince travelled 61,800 miles on public duties abroad over the past 12 months, taking in Florida, Nepal and the Caribbean.

His uncles Prince Edward and Prince Andrew were close behind with 61,400 miles and 58,200 miles respectively, while Harry's aunt Princess Anne travelled 56,600 miles.

Harry's brother William clocked up 43,700 miles, while William's wife Duchess Catherine only managed 23,600 miles.

Meanwhile, Harry recently revealed he loves going to Africa - where he founded charity Sentebale, which helps children affected by Aids and HIV - because he likes to "escape" from normality and do "something constructive".

He said: "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."

Harry - whose mother Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997 - co-founded the Sentebale charity with Prince Seeiso, the brother of the King of Lesotho over a decade ago and revealed losing their mothers had helped them to bond.

He said: "There's obviously a connection of some sort. The fact that we have both lost our mothers, at different ages and in very different circumstances. But, his mother stood for something and my mother stood for something as well. To a certain extent, there is a lot of unfinished business, a lot of unfinished work that my mother never completed."
It may not be fake news exactly, but another recent report by environmental activists attempts to discredit Mississippi River basin states progress toward meeting water quality goals.

One water quality threat that makes national news is excess nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. Last year Missouri became one of 12 Mississippi River basin states to adopt a nutrient loss reduction strategy in accordance with criteria set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Environmental activists are not impressed. In a report released in November, they slam state nutrient reduction plans and call on EPA to set strict new standards for nutrients in streams and lakes. Shortly after the report was released, Missouris environmental activists and EPA settled a related lawsuit. They agreed Missouri will set standards next year, or else EPA will.

Whats missing is the fact that 7 years ago Missouri was the first state to propose comprehensive nutrient standards, but the EPA rejected them. Since then, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has worked openly and transparently to develop new standards, in the process posting extensive research and analysis online and holding public meetings.

The problem is: The science is not simple. As noted in Missouris nutrient strategy, many significant uncertainties remain in solving the nutrient loading issue. Researchers advise caution. Yet environmental activists trumpet overestimates based on models rather than measurements. Furthermore, EPA requires standards to be based on scientifically defensible methods, and in fact, cited this as a shortcoming of DNRs first nutrient standards.

Missouris water is cleaner today than it was 30-40 years ago, but threats remain, according to the 2016 DNR water quality assessment. Environmentally sound business practices and initiatives led by individuals and communities that address potential threats to water quality by reducing risks are working and expanding. Thanks to these efforts in addition to regulatory vigilance, Missouris drinking and recreational waters are largely in good shape; however, it will always be an ongoing process.

Criticism and court action make headlines. But under the news radar, improvement is ongoing, and reasoned scientific analysis is achieving real progress in water quality protection. Manmade sources of nitrogen and phosphorus can and should be properly managed, but accusations and misinformation are counterproductive.
Pakistan has urged Uzbekistan to explore options for textile joint ventures in the country with an aim to open up new avenues in regional trade in both economies. Khurram Dastgir Khan, minister of commerce of Pakistan said that there is great trade potential between both nations and the current bilateral trade does not reflect the true potential.

An Uzbek delegation headed by Ulugbek Rozukulov, deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan, recently visited Pakistan and attended a meeting chaired by Khan, who said that the visit will be helpful in encouraging trade between the two nations.

The minister also listed certain reasons that affect trade expansion. These include lack of direct land routes, cargo links, marketing strategies and visa facilitation among others, according to Pakistani media reports. He added that both countries need to work together to tackle barriers and facilitate trade.

Pakistan has urged Uzbekistan to explore options for textile joint ventures in the country with an aim to open up new avenues in regional trade in both economies. Khurram Dastgir Khan, minister of commerce of Pakistan said that there is great trade potential between both nations and the current bilateral trade does not reflect the true potential.#

Khan invited Uzbekistans public and private sectors to organise exhibitions in commercial hubs like Karachi and Lahore to promote trade. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and ministry of economic affair and investment of Uzbekistan have already signed a memorandum of understanding to promote trade.

Rozukulov said that Uzbekistan will fully support Pakistan for promoting bilateral trade and also informed about Special Economic Zones in his country that offer zero tariffs. He added that Pakistani investors can benefit from these zones. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The cotton industry of India has welcomed Union textiles minister Smriti Iranis decision to implement the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) cotton supply scheme, a unique initiative on cotton. The minister approved the scheme that directs CCI to procure cotton on a commercial basis and supply to the mills as opposed to procuring only when prices crash.

The CCI has now announced unique terms and conditions to benefit the MSME textile units. This decision has come after the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) and 25 other textile associations of India representing the entire textile value chain submitted a memorandum to Irani under the leadership of Vanathi Srinivasan, state general secretary, BJP, Tamil Nadu. They demanded cotton fibre security by implementing CCI cotton supply scheme that benefits both farmers and the industry.

In a joint letter sent to the textiles minister by the 26 textile associations, the industry has thanked her for announcing the unique scheme.

The cotton industry of India has welcomed Union textiles minister Smriti Irani's decision to implement the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) cotton supply scheme, a unique initiative on cotton. The minister approved the scheme that directs CCI to procure cotton on a commercial basis and supply to the mills as opposed to procuring only when prices crash.#

On behalf of the industry, M Senthilkumar, chairman of SIMA, stated that the new terms and conditions of fully pressed bales of CCI facilitates the registered MSME textile units to procure cotton by paying only 10 per cent deposit money as against 20 per cent, which is applicable only for the sale quantity of 30,000 bales and above.

He stated that the deposit money up to 2,999 bales is only 15 per cent and this would greatly help the MSME units that are starving for working capital fund in the post-demonetisation regime.

The predominantly cotton based Indian textile industry has been facing repeated recessions since 2008 due to high volatility in cotton prices. This was caused by the large traders and multinational cotton traders taking advantage of hedging facility and cheaper funds, while the mills could not build adequate inventory and have been paying higher price for the cotton during the off season.

More than 75 per cent of the cotton arrives in the market during December to March and around Rs 60,000 crore is required to procure the seed cotton during this period. Since the ginning and spinning mills do not have such funds, the farmers invariably get lower price.

Earlier there was a difference in the free period ranging from 30 to 75 days and 75 days free period was available for the procurement of 15,000 bales and above and therefore, the MSME textile units could not derive much benefit out of CCI. Now the free period has been made uniform and fixed at 45 days, which would again help the actual users and the MSME units, said Senthilkumar. (KD)

Click here for terms and conditions of CCI commercial operations.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
A new textile mill has been set up in northern Balkh province in Afghanistan, which will produce 1.5 tons of yarn and 10,000 metres of fabrics per day and employs around 150 persons, which also includes 60 women. The textile facility has been set up at an investment of 60 million Afghanis, with plans to also export its products to various countries.Haji Baryali Nabizada, the owner of the textile mill told the Pajhwok Afghan News that he however was looking at government support to further expand production capacity.

A new textile mill has been set up in northern Balkh province in Afghanistan, which will produce 1.5 tons of yarn and 10,000 metres of fabrics per day and employs around 150 persons, which also includes 60 women. The textile facility has been set up at an investment of 60 million Afghanis, with plans to also export its products to various countries.#

He cited land and electricity issues as road blocks in expanding capacity and sought government help in sorting out these challenges. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The renowned Canadian actor and musician Ryan Gosling states that he has been overwhelmed and awestruck by the astounding set of his forthcoming movie titled Blade Runner 2049.

The actor has ben all praise for the director of the movie Denis Villeneuve and said that the director has all the qualities necessary to be a great filmmaker.

"If you made a list of all the characteristics you hoped for in a director and sent it to Santa Claus, there'd be a Denis Villeneuve under your tree Christmas morning.Maybe a little drunk on eggnog, but he'd be there!" Ryan Gosling said in a statement.

The films Blade Runner 2049 is an attempt to reprise the 1982 classic onscreen. Its production has already been started in Budapest with the intention to make a large screen physical sets inorder to minimise the use of green-screen graphics work.

"It's really incredible. I was so overwhelmed by the scale of them and how specific and, although, beautiful they are," Gosling stated further.

The 36-year-old star has also eulogized Roger Deakins who is the cinematographer for the movie.

"Roger is a master. If there's a Mount Rushmore of DPs, he'd be right there in the middle. He goes about his work very modestly and quietly, but you learn so much from just looking. You realize that once you are in one of his shots, half your job is already done." Gosling added.
Prithviraj, the young actor is all set to make his directorial debut with the upcoming Mohanlal starrer, Lucifer. In a recent interview, Prithviraj cleared the rumours regarding Lucifer and revealed the actual status of the project.

The actor clarified that the movie is very much in the pipeline, but will not start rolling in near future. Prithviraj rubbished the rumours which stated that Lucifer has been shelved.

But, Prithvi states that it is impossible to start working on such a huge project, without any preparations. The actor also revealed that he will take a one-year gap from acting, to concentrate on Lucifer.

Prithviraj is planning to complete all his committed projects, including the much-awaited Aadujeevitham and Karnan, before devoting his time to Lucifer. He is confident that the one-year gap will not affect his acting career.

Reportedly, the team is yet to finalise anything regarding the rest of the star cast of the project. Prithviraj clarified that the project has absolutely no connection with the project Lucifer, planned by late. Rajesh Pillai.

According to the actor, Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor immediately agreed when writer Murali Gopy suggested him as the director of the project. Reportedly, the team will release the official first look of the movie, soon.


SAN DIEGO (dpa-AFX) - The Korea Fair Trade Commission or KFTC announced that it has reached a decision in its investigation of Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM), finding that certain of the Company's business practices are in violation of Korean competition law. The KFTC announced that it intends to issue a corrective order relating to the specific practices at issue and impose an administrative fine of about 1.03 trillion South Korean Won or about $865 million at current exchange rates.



Qualcomm said it strongly disagrees with the KFTC's announced decision, which Qualcomm believes is inconsistent with the facts and the law, reflects a flawed process and represents a violation of due process rights owed American companies under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement or KORUS.



'Qualcomm strongly believes that the KFTC findings are inconsistent with the facts, disregard the economic realities of the marketplace, and misapply fundamental tenets of competition law,' said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel, Qualcomm.



'Importantly, this decision does not take issue with the value of Qualcomm's patent portfolio. Qualcomm's enormous R&D investments in fundamental mobile technologies and its broad-based licensing of those technologies to mobile phone suppliers and others have facilitated the explosive growth of the mobile communications industry in Korea and worldwide, brought immense benefits to consumers and fostered competition at all levels of the mobile ecosystem,' said Don Rosenberg.



As reflected in the KFTC's press release, the company said the decision lacks a coherent theory of competition law violations; lacks any evidence of harm to competition; results from a denial of procedural safeguards guaranteed to American companies under KORUS, including the right to have complete access to evidence and the right to cross examination at the hearing; and Imposes a fine that is insupportable and not reasonably related to the size of the Korean market.



The company noted that additional details regarding this decision will not be available until the KFTC issues a written decision and order, which in prior cases has typically taken four to six months. The KFTC's decision will not become effective until the written decision and order is issued.



Following receipt of the KFTC's written order, Qualcomm will file for an immediate stay of the corrective order and appeal the KFTC's decision to the Seoul High Court. In addition, Qualcomm will also appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it. However, Qualcomm will be required to pay the fine within 60 days of the issuance of the written order, subject to possible adjustment or refund as part of the appeal process.



The royalties received by Qualcomm for sales of handsets into Korea accounted for less than three percent of total Qualcomm licensing revenue during Qualcomm's fiscal 2016. To the extent that the KFTC's written decision attempts to regulate intellectual property rights granted by other countries or activities outside of Korea it would be in direct conflict with accepted rules of international law. Qualcomm noted that it will vigorously oppose any such attempt and expects to be supported by other countries and companies.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Several area fire departments were called to 1019 Florence Freeway in between Park Hills and Leadwood for a trailer fire Tuesday afternoon.

Leadwood Fire Chief Kevin Lewis said a Leadwood police officer had spotted the smoke from town just before 3 p.m. and drove out to see if he could locate where it was coming from.

When he got here there were flames coming from the house so he called it in, said Lewis. When we arrived at the scene there were flames showing through the front and the actual west side of the trailer and the back side of the roof was gone.

Lewis said the trailer had been burning for a little while before it was found and the only flames they saw were coming from the front windows and the west side window. He added they could see a lot of smoke from town.

We arent calling out the fire marshal because they didnt have any insurance so there is no need, explained Lewis. We dont see any foul play and after talking to the family, they said there had been some electrical issues within the past week they thought they had fixed.

Lewis said they cant determine if the cause was in fact electrical, so they will leave it undetermined. He did say the where the electrical pole was located was where most of the fire was before spreading through the rest of the home.

The siding on that side has the most damage, so the family may be right, said Lewis. There were three people living in the home and its a total loss.

Lewis added residents have to be careful with this type of trailer. Because of its age, it can burn up really fast. He said the floors can also soak up so much water that firefighters are at risk of falling through.

Fire departments assisting Leadwood Fire Department were from Big River, Bismarck and Desloge.
NORTH CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission put conditions on Abbott Laboratories' (ABT) proposed $25 billion acquisition of rival medical device maker St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ). Abbott Laboratories has agreed to divest two medical device businesses to settle FTC charges that its proposed acquisition of St. Jude Medical Inc. would likely be anticompetitive. The FTC's complaint alleges that without a remedy, the proposed acquisition would harm competition in the U.S. markets for vascular closure devices, which are used to close holes in arteries from the insertion of catheters, and for 'steerable' sheaths, which are used to guide catheters for treating heart arrhythmias. The proposed consent order requires the parties to divest to Tokyo-based medical device maker Terumo Corporation all rights and assets related to St. Jude's vascular closure device business and Abbott's steerable sheath business. Terumo does not currently sell any vascular closure devices or steerable sheaths but has sold related products and medical devices in the U.S. market for more than 30 years, and possesses the industry experience and reputation necessary to replace competition, according to the FTC. The order requires both companies to assist Terumo with establishing its manufacturing capabilities. Under the proposed order, Abbott is also required to notify the FTC if it intends to acquire lesion-assessing ablation catheter assets from Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, known as ACT. Lesion-assessing ablation catheters provide feedback to physicians regarding the force being applied by the catheter or the temperature of the ablation target. Currently, only St. Jude and one other company provide lesion-assessing ablation catheters in the United States. Abbott and ACT have formed a partnership to develop these catheters. After the acquisition of St. Jude, if Abbott acquired lesion-assessing ablation catheter assets from ACT, it could eliminate additional competition that would result from an independent ACT. 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.


SAINT HELIER (dpa-AFX) - Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s (AMPH) key over-the-counter epinephrine inhalation product candidate, Primatene Mist, intended for temporary relief of mild asthma symptoms has once again failed to get the FDA nod.



In its complete response Letter, the U.S. regulatory agency has asked the company to make further changes to the label and packaging for Primatene Mist and then conduct another Human Factor validation study to assess consumers' ability to use the product in the over-the-counter setting without the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.



The Complete response Letter issued on May 22, 2014 had also cited the above same reasons for rejecting Primatene Mist then.



After 50 years in the market, Primatene Mist, the only OTC asthma inhaler, was taken off pharmacy shelves on Dec. 31, 2011, as part of an international environmental treaty, because the asthma inhaler used chlorofluorcarbon (CFC) propellants, which contribute to ozone depletion.



The new Primatene Mist of Amphastar is made with the same active ingredient, epinephrine that was used in the original Primatene Mist. However, the product's new inhalation delivery system no longer includes chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were phased out of various products worldwide as part of an international environmental treaty, says the company.



AMPH closed Tuesday's trading at $18.57, down 9.10%.



Shares of Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ANTH) slipped over 58% in extended trading on Tuesday in the wake of its phase III trial of Sollpura in cystic fibrosis patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency falling short of expectations.



The trial, dubbed SOLUTION, narrowly missed the primary endpoint for change in the Coefficient of Fat Absorption (CFA) non-inferiority margin. However, by additional pre-specified analyses of CFA, Sollpura met the non-inferiority criterion, according to the company.



The study also demonstrated non-inferiority in Coefficient of Nitrogen Absorption, a measure of protein digestion and absorption and is a key requirement of Anthera's planned US FDA regulatory submission.



A new study of Sollpura that will address the scientific findings from the SOLUTION study will be initiated by the company. If all goes well as planned, a Biologics License Application for Sollpura will be filed in the first quarter of 2018.



ANTH closed Tuesday's trading at $2.01, up 2.03%. In after-hours, the stock was down 58.21% to $0.84.



For Cempra Inc. (CEMP), the FDA decision date of December 27, 2016, on its oral formulation of Solithromycin for the treatment of moderate to moderately-severe community acquired bacterial pneumonia has just passed, and no news yet as of this writing.



The FDA decision on intravenous Solithromycin is scheduled for December 28, 2016.



During a review meeting last month, an FDA panel voted 7-6 that efficacy results of Solithromycin outweigh the risks for the treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, and voted 12-1 that the risk of hepatotoxicity with Solithromycin had not been adequately characterized.



Will Solithromycin pass muster with the FDA or be sent back to the drawing board? We'll have to wait and see...



CEMP closed Tuesday's trading at $5.90, down 4.84%.



Endologix Inc. (ELGX) has imposed a temporary hold on shipments of its AFX Endovascular AAA System due to a manufacturing issue with some sizes of the device.



The AFX Endovascular AAA System was approved by the FDA in 2011 for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms.



This is what John McDermott, CEO of Endologix had to say, 'The temporary hold on AFX is not related to any reported events from physicians and we continue to see very good commercial clinical results with the latest versions of AFX and AFX2.'



ELGX closed Tuesday's trading at $5.27, down 26.70%.



Nephros Inc. (NEPH.OB) has received FDA clearance to market its HydraGuard 10' UltraFilter.



The HydraGuard 10' UltraFilter is designed to provide hospitals and medical facilities with a long term solution to protect patients from bacteria that may be present in the potable water systems.



NEPH.OB closed Tuesday's trading at $0.30, up 2.67%.



Seattle Genetics Inc. (SGEN) dropped more than 15% on Tuesday, following a clinical hold or partial clinical hold on several early stage trials of Vadastuximab talirine in acute myeloid leukemia after 4 patient deaths.



Overall, more than 300 patients have been treated with Vadastuximab talirine in clinical trials across multiple treatment settings, according to the company.



A phase 1/2 trial of Vadastuximab talirine (SGN-CD33A) monotherapy in pre- and post-allogeneic transplant AML patients has been placed on full clinical hold while two phase I trials have been placed on partial clinical hold (no new enrollment, existing patients may continue treatment with re-consent).



In the trials, six patients who were treated with Vadastuximab talirine developed hepatotoxicity while several patients developed veno-occlusive disease, and there were four fatal events as mentioned above.



However, a phase III trial of Vadastuximab talirine in older AML patients, dubbed CASCADE, and a phase 1/2 trial in myelodysplastic syndrome, are proceeding with enrollment.



SGEN closed Tuesday's trading at $5.90, down 4.84%.



The FDA has expanded the approval of Shire plc's (SHPG) Adynovate for the treatment of hemophilia A in pediatric patients less than 12 years of age. It has also been approved for use in surgical settings for both adult and pediatric patients.



Adynovate was first approved by the FDA last November for use in adults and adolescents, aged 12 years and older, who have Hemophilia A.



ADYNOVATE was developed by Baxalta Inc. through a collaboration with Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR). Baxalta was acquired by Shire earlier this year.



SHPG closed Tuesday's trading at $168.70, up 0.03%.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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VANCOUVER, BC and BRAUNSCHWEIG, GERMANY--(Marketwired - December 28, 2016) - Volkswagen Financial Services AG and PayByPhone today announced that the financial services division of Volkswagen Group has acquired PayByPhone, the world's leading parking payment provider. The deal positions Volkswagen Financial Services AG as the clear leader in mobile payments and parking sectors, while providing the foundation for future PayByPhone growth globally and continued innovation.

As consumers look for easy-to-use mobile solutions that fit their increasingly digital lives, the PayByPhone acquisition signals a growing market for mobile-payment solutions. PayByPhone's technology -- the fastest way to pay for parking -- will soon be available for millions more drivers across the globe. In 2016, PayByPhone has already processed more than $250 million in payments and is adding approximately 7,000 users per day to their already substantial base of more than 12.5 million registered users.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for PayByPhone to explore new ways to expand our mobile payments technology into different verticals, markets and use cases. The mobile payment movement has exploded recently, and we look forward to accelerating our consumer parking and payments agenda made possible by this deal," said Kush Parikh, CEO of PayByPhone. "Volkswagen Financial Services AG has been at the forefront of innovation to fit its customers' mobile lives, and we are honored to be a part of its global vision."

The PayByPhone acquisition expands the Volkswagen Financial Services AG footprint in the mobile-payment solutions market, and positions the organization as the central service provider within the Volkswagen Group for the parking business. Volkswagen Financial Services AG has already acquired a 92 percent shareholding in Sunhill Technologies GmbH, the German market leader in mobile-parking solutions across 90 German cities.

"With the acquisition of PayByPhone, we are now the leading provider for the processing and mobile payment of parking. In the future, we will be bundling this know-how in a separate business field around the theme of parking," said Dr. Christian Dahlheim, the management board member responsible for sales and marketing at Volkswagen Financial Services AG.

The acquisition will not affect any of PayByPhone's current operations. In the near future, PayByPhone's existing clients and customers can expect improved support, more services, and greater app functionality as the integration with Volkswagen Financial Services AG continues. The paybyphone app is available on iOS, Android, and all other mobile platforms via its web application and online presence. Drivers in thousands of locations worldwide can download the iOS or Android app here.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ABOUT PAYBYPHONE

PayByPhone is one of the fastest growing mobile payments companies in the world, processing more than $250 million in payments annually. Through the company's mobile web, smartphone and smartwatch applications, PayByPhone helps millions of consumers easily and securely pay for parking without the hassles of waiting in line, having to carry change or risking costly fines. Registration is quick and easy and the app reminds the user when their parking is about to expire, allowing them to top up from anywhere, at any time.

Many of the largest and most complex parking operations in the world use PayByPhone including San Francisco (30,000 spaces), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston (25,000 spaces), Seattle (12,000 spaces), London (40,000 spaces) and Paris (155,000 spaces).

ABOUT VOLKSWAGEN FINANCIAL SERVICES

Volkswagen Financial Services is a business division of the Volkswagen AG group of companies and comprise Volkswagen Financial Services AG along with its associated companies and the financial services companies in the USA, Canada, Argentina and Spain that belong directly or indirectly to Volkswagen AG -- with the exception of the financial services of the Scania and Porsche brands and Porsche Holding Salzburg. The key business fields embrace dealer and customer financing, leasing, the bank and insurance business, fleet management and mobility offers. Volkswagen Financial Services have a total of 15,182 employees worldwide -- including 6,513 alone in Germany. Volkswagen Financial Services reports total assets of around EUR 157.9 billion, an operating result of EUR 1.9 billion and a portfolio of around 16.6 million current contracts (as of: 31.12.2015).

Thomas Nguyen

604-764-6949

+1 866 787 7787

tnguyen@paybyphone.com

www.paybyphone.com


NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - It's nearly two months since India embarked on a dramatic move of invalidating currency notes of 500- and 1,000-rupee denominations, which accounted for over 85 percent of those in circulation, to purge its economy of the vices of cash hoarding and fake money that the government claimed were widely used to fund illegal and terrorist activities.



CLICK HERE for India's Demonetization, Explained



The surprise announcement was made late on November 8, leaving little time for many Indians to convert their soon-to-be invalid currency notes into valid ones or digital balances. The shock move was necessary to prevent cash hoarders and those with possession of fake money from converting their money into legitimate cash, the government said. A new 2,000-rupee note was also introduced, the first time this denomination was launched.



A 50-day transition period, set to end on December 30, was announced for exchanging the invalid notes.



The ruling National Democratic Alliance claimed that demonetization was a bold move and a tightly kept secret before announcement. The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged Indians to put up with the inconvenience for the greater benefit of the nation. The administration also launched a strong push for a cashless society by promoting digital transactions .



As things unfolded, however, it became clear that both the Modi administration and the Reserve Bank of India were ill prepared to handle a transition of this scale. The economy was hit with a severe cash shortage as there was no adequate supply of the new currency notes. For several days, banks across the country struggled to disperse long queues of customers waiting to exchange invalid notes or to withdraw limited cash. Banking woes continue to this day, albeit less severe.



In a country of over a billion people, where basic banking services are yet to reach many, it is the poor, the unorganized manual laborers, and pensioners who are largely in trouble due to demonetization. Farmers and those in rural areas were also hit as the currency crunch came during a crucial sowing season.



Though several Indians are quickly adopting digital or electronic payment methods, the country's currency woes still continue, and economists suggest the 50-day transition period could be extended. According to them, it would take at least 6-8 months to a year to replace the amount of currency withdrawn from circulation with new notes. The new 500-rupee note is in short supply, while many people are finding the 2,000-rupee note illiquid.



While bankers and the business community welcomed the move, economists are keeping their fingers crossed. Many are unsure whether the benefits of demonetization on such a scale would exceed the cost of implementation.



For some, cancellation of the legal tender status for the 1,000-rupee note would have been sufficient, while some question the motive behind the introduction of the 2,000-rupee bill. Some doubt if the well-intended measure was ill-timed, when the economy was going strong and hailed 'a bright spot' in an otherwise dull global economy.



An oft-reported quote in Indian media since demonetization suggest that even former RBI Governor and rock-star economist Raghuram Rajan did not favor the measure.



In a speech made in 2014, Rajan said, 'Unfortunately, my sense is the clever find ways around it. They find ways to divide up their hoard into many smaller pieces.'



Apparently due to differences with the government, Rajan, a former IMF chief economist, decided not to seek an extension at the helm of the central bank and stepped down at the end of his term in September.



The Opposition, led by the Congress Party, was quick to seize the opportunity to unleash scathing criticism against the ruling government.



Tarnishing people's savings in high denomination currency notes as illegal money was a 'mammoth tragedy' and demonetization was a 'travesty' of the government's fundamental duty to protect citizens' rights and livelihood, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote in an opinion piece in The Hindu newspaper in December.



The Modi government also came under fire over reports that the 'highly secretive' decision was leaked to favorites ahead of November 8. The country also witnessed public strikes against demonetization, which were effective largely in the Communist strongholds.



Political observers also point out that the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party strategically timed the demonetization effort just months ahead of elections in crucial states such as Uttar Pradesh, the most populous in the nation, and Punjab. In India, election season is big for huge flow of cash and the demonetization would have hurt the fund mobilization efforts of opponents.



Demonetization is nothing new for India, but the severe impact on people's life is a first for the country. The government had undertaken such exercises in 1946 and 1978. But the notes demonetized then were those of denominations above 1,000 rupees and hence, did not have much impact on the economy.



The really sad outcome of the latest move is the loss of lives of some people, mainly the elderly, who were in the queues in front of banks or ATMs, and some suicides, mostly among rural farmers.



That said, demonetization is not without gains. The government has been successful in seizing unaccounted cash in some instances, while some people have willingly declared their illegitimate money over fear of inviting severe penalties when caught.



Slower activity has been witnessed in the real estate and gold market, which were largely driven by the black-money. The government also hopes to bring more transactions into the tax net, mainly those in jewelries where it is common to make a purchase without an invoice to avoid paying tax.



Further, there could be an increase among those without bank accounts to take one as more and more payments would be channeled via banks and electronic payment methods such as e-wallets. And banks are hopeful of being flooded with money in the coming months.



Everything said, only time and hard data will tell if India's demonetization was a masterstroke or a monumental mess-up.



CLICK HERE for India's Demonetization, Explained



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - British Bankers' Association releases U.K. mortgage approvals for November at 4:30 am ET Wednesday. The number of mortgage approvals are expected to rise to 41,100 from 40,851 in October. Ahead of the data, the pound traded mixed against its major rivals. While the pound held steady against the euro, it eased from early highs against the rest of major rivals. The pound was worth 1.2252 against the greenback, 144.09 against the yen, 0.8517 against the euro and 1.2604 against the franc as of 4:25 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.
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.
KIEV, Ukraine, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Lucky Labs, one of Ukraine's largest technology companies and leading gaming developers, has today announced a partnership with Playson, the international software development firm. The partnership will see Playson support Lucky Labs' suite of desktop and mobile games and is the latest indication of Lucky Labs' considerable growth.

Founded in 2006 by IT entrepreneurs Rustam Gilfanov and Sergei Tokarev in Russia, Lucky Labs has expanded considerably and now operates an international portfolio of gaming and marketing technology companies, employing more than 500 software developers internationally. Its growth has led to it becoming one of the largest gaming developers in Europe, with over 100 games on offer across international computer and mobile platforms.

The latest deal with Playson will see both companies work closely together to develop industry leading gaming solutions, adding more than 40 Flash (desktop) and HTML5 (mobile) games, as well as custom game design for more ambitious operators.

Having been developing games over the last 10 years, Lucky Labs will work with Playson to provide the technology to support its leading casino, slots, skill and social games. Some of the titles that the businesses have developed together in the past include Happy Jungle, Gold Rush and Double Joker Poker.

Rustam Gilfanov and Sergey Tokarev, co-founders of Lucky Labs, commented:

"From the outset, we have always aimed to attract the most innovative software from across the globe. Having developed a strong portfolio of gaming and marketing technology companies, we are keen to continue growth into international markets by partnering with companies that are providing the very best across the gaming sector. Playson has carved out an incredible niche within the gambling industry and we look forward to continue developing its games into 2017."

About Lucky Labs:

Lucky Labs is one of Europe's leading gaming developers, founded in 2006 by IT entrepreneurs Rustam Gilfanov and Sergei Tokarev in Russia. Today the group comprises an international portfolio of gaming and marketing technology companies and employs over 500 software developers internationally. It has released over 100 games, which can be found across international computer and mobile platforms.

Lucky Labs main headquarters are in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Additional information can be found at http://www.lucky-labs.com/

About Playson:

Playson is a new dynamic gaming company with headquarters based in Malta. With experience in many sectors and over 250 staff worldwide Playson is a very successful software development company providing complete gaming solutions and offering 40+ of Flash (Desktop) and HTML5 (Mobile) games as well as custom game design for the most ambitious of operators looking to build a differentiated product offering.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro declined against its major counterparts in the European session on Wednesday, as German bund yields declined on worries over the growing funding gap of the troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena, after the European Central Bank warned of a capital shortfall of 8.8 billion euros, well above the previous estimate of 5 billion euros.



The amount needed for recapitalization is over three billion euros more than it estimated during the European bank stress tests in July. The ECB has also pointed out that the bank's liquidity worsened between November 30 and December 21.



The benchmark yield on German 10-year bund fell 0.19 percent, while that of 2-year equivalent was down by 0.84 percent. Yields move inversely to bond prices.



Meanwhile, European shares are mixed, as economic reports across the region painted a sluggish economic picture, with German debt increasing slightly in the third quarter from the end of 2015, while U.K. mortgage approvals declined for the first time in three months, defying expectations for further increase.



The euro was trading higher against its major counterparts in the Asian session, with the exception of the pound.



Retreating from an early 6-day high of 1.0480 against the greenback, the euro edged down to 1.0434. The next possible downside target for the euro-greenback pair may be seen around the 0.99 mark.



The euro weakened to 1.0729 against the Swiss franc, off its early high of 1.0760. If the euro-franc pair extends decline, 1.06 is likely seen as its next support level.



Survey data from the UBS investment bank showed that a measure of Swiss private consumption increased in November, mainly driven by domestic tourism.



The UBS consumption indicator climbed to 1.43 points in November from 1.39 in the previous month, which was revised down from 1.49. Economists had expected the index to climb to 1.5.



Having advanced to near a 2-week high of 123.24 against the yen, the euro eased back to 122.70. On the downside, the euro may target support around the 120.5 area.



Data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed that Japan's industrial output advanced 1.5 percent on month in November.



That missed forecasts for an increase of 1.7 percent following the flat reading in October.



The 19-nation currency reversed from an early high of 1.4557 against the aussie and fell to a 2-day low of 1.4498. Continuation of the euro's downtrend may see it challenging support around the 1.41 area.



The common currency slid to a weekly low of 1.5067 against the kiwi, down from Tuesday's closing value of 1.5169. The euro is poised to locate support around the 1.48 mark.



The single currency edged down to 1.4154 against the loonie, following a 3-week advance to 1.4219 at 1:00 am ET. Further weakness may take the euro to a support around the 1.40 zone.



On the flip side, the euro advanced to 0.8536 against the pound, compared to 0.8515 hit late New York Tuesday. The euro is likely to find resistance near the 0.87 region.



Looking ahead, U.S. pending home sales for November are due at 10:00 am ET.



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MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Orbite Technologies Inc. (TSX: ORT) (OTCQX: EORBF) ("Orbite" or the "Company") announced the filing of a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus (the "Prospectus") with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada.

The Prospectus is not a commitment to undertake any financing but provides flexibility over the normal course of business to fund, if needed, the demonstration of the Company's proprietary waste monetization technology. Additionally, the Prospectus would be available to support additional commercial activities in regards to the Company's high purity alumina ("HPA") initiative, including the increase in capacity of the Company's HPA plant and the production to inventory of specialty customized HPA products with high market potential.

"The filing of this base shelf prospectus provides us with additional flexibility in pursuing the large commercial opportunity represented by our waste monetization technology and puts us in a stronger position while we are in negotiations with potential funding partners," stated Glenn Kelly, CEO of Orbite. "Additionally, it provides the flexibility to pursue certain additional commercial opportunities in the HPA space, if needed. The base shelf prospectus can be executed upon in multiple stages, with the funds used to create significant shareholder value at every step."

These filings, when made final, will allow the Company to make offerings of common shares, warrants, debt securities, convertible securities, rights or units comprising any combination of the foregoing (all of the foregoing, collectively, the "Securities"), up to an aggregate offering of $60,000,000. Securities may be offered separately or together, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined based on market conditions at the time of sale and set forth in an eventual accompanying shelf prospectus supplement and, subject to applicable regulations, may include public offerings of debt or equity, or strategic investments. The Prospectus will remain effective for a 25 month period from filing of the final short form base shelf prospectus.

The Company also filed a revised annual information form (the "Revised AIF") in order to better align the disclosure therein with the Company's short-term and mid-term priorities and recognize that the mining operations are of lesser importance during these stages. Consequently, the Revised AIF no longer includes by reference the NI 43-101 Revised Technical Report - Preliminary Economic Assessment dated January 12, 2012, amended and restated on May 30, 2012 (the "PEA"). A description of the changes made in the Revised AIF appears on its front page.

About Orbite

Orbite Technologies Inc. is a Canadian cleantech company whose innovative and proprietary processes are expected to produce alumina and other high-value products, such as rare earth and rare metal oxides, at one of the lowest costs in the industry, and in a sustainable fashion, using feedstocks that include aluminous clay, kaolin, nepheline, bauxite, red mud, fly ash as well as serpentine residues from chrysotile processing sites. Orbite is currently in the process of finalizing its first commercial high-purity alumina (HPA) production plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec and has completed the basic engineering for a proposed smelter-grade alumina (SGA) production plant, which would use clay mined from its Grande-Vallee deposit. The Company's portfolio contains 16 intellectual property families, including 45 patents and 71 pending patent applications in 11 different countries and regions. The first intellectual property family is patented in Canada, USA, Australia, China, Japan and Russia. The Company also operates a state of the art technology development center in Laval, Quebec, where its technologies are developed and validated.

Forward-looking statements

Certain information contained in this document may include "forward-looking information". Without limiting the foregoing, the information and any forward-looking information may include statements regarding projects, costs, objectives and future returns of the Company or hypotheses underlying these items. In this document, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or the Company management's good-faith beliefs with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. These risks uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described in the section of the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) entitled "Risk and Uncertainties" as filed on March 30, 2016 on SEDAR, including those under the headings "Recent increase in budgeted capital costs will require additional financing and may adversely impact our prospects", "We will need to raise capital to continue our growth" and "Development Goals and Time Frames".

The Company does not intend, nor does it undertake, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this document to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

Contacts:

NATIONAL Equicom

Marc Lakmaaker

External Investor Relations Consultant

416-848-1397

mlakmaaker@national.ca



For Media Inquiries:

NATIONAL Equicom

Scott Anderson

External Media Relations Consultant

416-586-1954

sanderson@national.ca




TORONTO, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Patriot One Technologies, Inc., (TSX VENTURE: PAT) (OTCQB: PTOTF) (FRA: 0PL) ("Patriot One" or the "Company"), developer of a revolutionary concealed weapons detection system, is pleased to announce it has received approval from The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") of New York, NY and is now DTC eligible.

The Depository Trust Company (DTC) is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation DTCC, and manages the electronic clearing and settlement of publicly traded companies. Securities that are eligible to be electronically cleared and settled through the DTC are considered "DTC eligible." This electronic method of clearing securities speeds up the receipt of stock and cash, and thus accelerates the settlement process for investors.

Being DTC eligible is expected to greatly simplify the process of trading and exchange the Company's common stock on the OTC marketplace in the United States.

In addition to the OTCQB, shares of Patriot One also continue to trade on the TSX Venture and Frankfurt stock exchanges.

Find out more at www.patriot1tech.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Martin Cronin"

CEO & Director

About Patriot One Technologies, Inc. (TSX VENTURE: PAT) (OTCQB: PTOTF) (FRA: 0PL)

Patriot One is advancing five years of academic research and successful testing into a commercial first-of-its-kind Cognitive Microwave Radar concealed weapons detection system. The Company's NForce CMR1000 aims to Deter, Detect and Defend against active shooter threats before they occur. NForce CMR1000 is being designed to be cost-effectively installed in hallways and doorways to covertly identify weapons and to alert security of active threats before entry. Soon, facility operators aim to have an ability to prominently post anti-weapons policies with compliance assured. Patriot One believes widespread use of its technology could act as an effective deterrent, thereby diminishing the epidemic phenomena of active shooters across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit: www.patriot1tech.com.

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to product development, commercialization and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the failure to develop and commercialize the Company's technology as anticipated or at all, the ability of the Company to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will not update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements unless expressly required by applicable law.

For further information, please contact:

Patriot One Inquiries

+1 (800) 753-0031

info@patriot1tech.com

www.patriot1tech.com




Two area teens were injured in a crash Tuesday at 3:25 p.m. on Route AA south of Randolph Road in St. Francois County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Nicholas Ancira, 18, of Farmington, was driving his 1998 Ford Mustang north on Route AA when it went off the right side of the road, struck a large rock and overturned.

Ancira and his passenger 16-year-old Kayla Usher, also from Farmington, were not wearing their seat belts and were both moderately injured. Usher was taken to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital by Air Evac and Ancira was taken by St. Francois County Ambulance to Parkland Health Center in Farmington.

An Arcadia woman was seriously injured in a crash Christmas Day at 2:08 p.m. on Highway 21 in Washington County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Amelia Orrick, 18, of Arcadia, was driving her 1998 Saturn SL4 northbound on Highway 21 just north of Lacota Road when she failed to negotiate a curve to the left and her vehicle went off the right edge of the road. The left side of her car collided with a tree.

Orrick was wearing her seat belt was taken to St. Anthonys Medical Center in St. Louis by Washington County Ambulance with serious injuries.

On Monday evening, a Fredericktown couple was moderately injured in Madison County off County Road 244 just east of Route V at 10 p.m. in a one-vehicle crash.

According to the patrol, Whitney McElanahand, 29, was driving her 1991 Ford truck westbound on County Road 244 when she ran off the roadway. Her vehicle struck an embankment and overturned.

Neither McElanahand nor her passenger, Jason Novak, 29, of Fredericktown, were wearing their seat belts and both were taken to Parkland Health Center in Farmington with moderate injures by ambulance.

Earlier that same evening at 6:50 p.m. in Bollinger County, three Fredericktown residents were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash off Missouri Highway 72 and Route HH, eight miles west of Patton.

The patrol reported that Brandon Graham, 26, was driving his 2000 Chevy Silverado westbound on Missouri Highway 72 when Rachel Piskorowski, 27, pulled into the path of Graham in her 2006 Toyota.

Piskorowski was wearing her seat belt and was taken to St. Francis Medical Center by ambulance with serious injuries. Brandon and his passenger, Tanya Graham, 25, were not wearing their seat belts. Brandon was taken to St. Francis Medical Center by ambulance with moderate injuries, while Tanya was airlifted by Air Evac to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis with serious injuries.

On Dec. 22 an Arcadia man died in a crash in Iron County on Route E four miles east of Arcadia.

According to the patrol report, Kenneth Duncan, 57, of Arcadia, was driving his 2007 Chevy Colorado eastbound on Route E when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway, struck several trees, then overturned. He was partially ejected.

Duncan was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene by Iron County Coroner Tony Cole at 10:08 p.m. and was taken to the coroners office by ambulance.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (OTCQB: WTER) (the "Company"), developers of an innovative, state-of-the art, proprietary electrolysis beverage process packaged and sold in 500ml, 700ml, 1-liter, 3-liter and 1-gallon sizes under the trade name Alkaline88, is pleased to announce that its 700ml sports-top product is now available at 300 7-Eleven stores in Southern California.

"Just in time for the New Year, Southern California consumers can now buy our convenient 700ml sports-top bottle of Alkaline88 at over 300 7-Eleven franchise stores in the region," states Richard A. Wright, COO of the Alkaline Water Company Inc. "These same consumers can also find our bulk size products in virtually every major grocery chain in the region. Our brand is the #1 selling 3-liter and 1-gallon alkaline water in the region. Our 7-Eleven and other c-store presence should grow substantially in the coming months as we expand our single-serving SKUs into the region," concludes Mr. Wright.

About The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (OTCQB: WTER):

The Alkaline Water Company Inc. has developed an innovative, state-of-the-art, proprietary electrolysis process that produces healthy alkaline water for a balanced lifestyle. The company is focused on the business of distributing and marketing the retail sale of its cost-effective packaged Alkaline88 water beverage products. The Alkaline Water Company Inc. is currently in the midst of a national mass-market expansion program and is available for consumer sales at major retail locations across the United States. Learn more about The Alkaline Water Company Inc. by visiting: www.thealkalinewaterco.com.

About Alkaline88:

Alkaline88 is a premier bottled alkaline drinking water with an 8.8-pH balance. Enhanced with trace minerals and electrolytes, the product offers consumers the unique opportunity to purchase alkaline water in conveniently packaged 500ml, 700ml, and 1-liter, 3-liter and 1-gallon sizes. Learn more about the science of Alkaline88 at www.alkaline88.com.

About 7-Eleven

7-Eleven is an international chain of convenience stores that operates, franchises and licenses some 56,600 stores in 18 countries. Its iconic products have become a big part of the American culture. The chain was known as Tote'm Stores until renamed in 1946. 7-Eleven Inc. is headquartered in Irving, Texas. Its parent company, Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Seven-Eleven Japan is held by the Seven & I Holdings Co.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Statements in this press release that 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, The Alkaline Water Company Inc.'s expectations for continued growth and expansion of the Alkaline88 brand over the next fiscal year. 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 developing new products and operating as a development stage company, our ability to raise the additional funding needed to continue to pursue our business and product development plans, competition in the industry in which we operate and market conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press 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, except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States of America. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and 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 the reports and other documents we file with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov.

Contact:



The Alkaline Water Company Inc.

WTER Investor Relations,

(480) 708-8181

investors@thealkalinewaterco.com



or



IRTH Communications

Robert Haag

Managing Partner

866-976-4784




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Monument Mining Limited (TSX VENTURE: MMY)(FRANKFURT: D7Q1) ("Monument" or the "Company") reports that it has agreed to enter into an Exclusive Option Agreement to acquire a 51% Matala project interest from Panex Resources Inc. ("Panex"), a public listed company that acquired control of the project under a farm-in agreement with Afrimines SARL, the owner of Matala.

Monument was interested in Matala since early 2016, however announced in May it would not proceed with the previously intended transaction. Panex has recently commenced exploration program at Matala. The Option arrangement will allow the Company to further evaluate the drilling and exploration results at Matala in particular without large commitment. The DRC is host to world-class gold and copper mines with a low cost production profile.

President Robert Baldock commented, "This move is in line with the Company's growth and diversification strategy of building a pipeline of operating projects in different regions to have several operational and cash and profit generating areas to diversify risk.

"Panex has specialized in exploration, evaluation and acquisition of mineral properties focusing in Africa with particular focus in the DRC due to the significant gold, copper and other natural resources that have been discovered. This arrangement will enable Monument to obtain an advantage to assess to a number of acquisition opportunities in DRC, where several significant listed mining operators have successfully discovered reserves and resources and built both gold and copper projects and have been profitably operating these mining projects over recent years."

Matala Gold Project

Matala is located in the southern portion of the Twangiza-Namoya Gold Belt, South Kivu Province, located within the east-central portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Project Area comprises 14 exploration titles or 'Permis de Recherche' ("PR") which cover a total area of 196,989 hectares (approx. 1,969.9 km2).

Panex commenced a drilling in September, 2016 at Matala which is ongoing. Previous work including exploration at the Matala gold project is outlined by the Company in its news release date on February 2, 2016 and have been detailed in a NI43-101 Technical Report "Matala Gold Project" by CSA Global, Sedar filed on March 22, 2016 (refer to www.sedar.com).

Terms of Exclusive Option Agreement

The Company will pay a one-time option fee of US$250,000 to Panex upon certain conditions precedent within 10 days of the transaction closing for a 6-month exclusive option (the "Option") to acquire a 51% project interest in Matala from Panex. A finder's fee will be payable, subject to closing. Upon exercise of the option, Monument will acquire a 51% interest in the Matala gold project by issuing 20,000,000 fully paid Monument shares. Both finder's fee and the share issue are subject to board, TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory approvals.

Under the option arrangement Panex will cover all overheads and complete a drilling program without any cost to Monument, the results of which will be made available to Monument. Monument will not be required to spend any funds or be on the ground to undertake any work. In the meantime Monument will be able to undertake a due diligence update on the project before making any decision to proceed.

About Monument

Monument Mining Limited (TSX VENTURE: MMY)(FRANKFURT: D7Q1) is an established Canadian gold producer that owns and operates the Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia. Its experienced management team is committed to growth and is advancing several exploration and development projects including the Mengapur Polymetallic Project, in Pahang State of Malaysia, and the Murchison Gold Projects comprising Burnakura, Gabanintha and Tuckanarra in the Murchison area of Western Australia. The Company employs approximately 300 people in both regions and is committed to the highest standards of environmental management, social responsibility, and health and safety for its employees and neighboring communities.

Robert F. Baldock, President and CEO

Monument Mining Limited

Suite 1580 -1100 Melville Street

Vancouver, BC V6E 4A6

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION visit the company web site at www.monumentmining.com.

"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."

Forward-Looking Statement

This news release includes statements containing forward-looking information about Monument, its business and future plans ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are statements that involve expectations, plans, objectives or future events that are not historical facts and include the Company's plans with respect to its mineral projects and the timing and results of proposed programs and events referred to in this news release. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The forward-looking statements in this news release are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

These risks and certain other factors include, without limitation: risks related to general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; uncertainties regarding the results of current exploration activities; uncertainties in the progress and timing of development activities; foreign operations risks; other risks inherent in the mining industry and other risks described in the management discussion and analysis of the Company and the technical reports on the Company's projects, all of which are available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Material factors and assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements in this news release include: expectations regarding the estimated cash cost per ounce of gold production and the estimated cash flows which may be generated from the operations, general economic factors and other factors that may be beyond the control of Monument; assumptions and expectations regarding the results of exploration on the Company's projects; assumptions regarding the future price of gold of other minerals; the timing and amount of estimated future production; the expected timing and results of development and exploration activities; costs of future activities; capital and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities; mining or processing issues; exchange rates; and all of the factors and assumptions described in the management discussion and analysis of the Company and the technical reports on the Company's projects, all of which are available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

Richard Cushing

MMY Vancouver

+1-604-638-1661 x102

rcushing@monumentmining.com



Wolfgang Seybold

Axino GmbH

+49 711-82-09-7211

wolfgang.seybold@axino.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Nutritional High International Inc. (the "Company" or "Nutritional High") (CSE: EAT)(CSE: EAT.CN)(OTCQB: SPLIF)(FRANKFURT: 2NU) is pleased to announce two key developments relating to Aura Health Corp. ("AHC"). AHC is a private company that is partially owned by Nutritional High, focused on development and acquisition of marijuana health clinics in the United States (please see press releases dated November 11, 2016 and November 17, 2016).

Acquisition of the Second Clinic

Through its subsidiaries, AHC has made a 50% deposit to acquire a 30% investment interest in its second clinic, to be opened in a busy retail district in Mesa, Arizona. The transaction will close on or before January 31, with the doors expected to open in February 2017. The clinic will be operated by Sun Valley Certifications Clinics Holdings, LLC. As with other such investments, AHC has an Option to acquire 51% ownership of the Clinic within 18 months of the initial investment. In November 2010, voters passed the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act ("AMMA"), also known as Proposition 203, designating Arizona Department of Health Services ("ADHS") to administer the medical marijuana program in the State. According to ADHS annual report, in 2015 there were a total of 77,639 Qualifying Patients in the state, which is approximately 1.2% of the total state population. There are a total of 14 qualifying conditions, which includes: cancer, Hepatitis C, cachexia, seizures, glaucoma, sclerosis, Alzheimer's, severe and chronic pain, muscle spasms, HIV, AIDS, Crohn's disease, nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Closing of Financing

The Company is also pleased to announce that AHC has closed a private placement (the "Offering"), consisting of 6,550,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit to raise aggregate gross proceeds of $655,000. Each Unit consists of one Common Share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.15 per Common Share for a period of 12 months after the closing date. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to for expansion of AHC's footprint in other US states and general working capital purposes.

All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to hold periods in accordance with applicable securities laws. Foundation Markets Inc. acted as the lead finder for the Offering. A cash fee was paid to finders representing 8% of the gross proceeds raised in the Offering. Additionally, finders received that number of compensation options ("Compensation Options") totaling 8% of the number of Units sold pursuant to the Offering. The Compensation Options are exercisable at a price of $0.10 per Unit for a period of 24 months after the closing of the Offering.

The raise brings the total outstanding number of common shares in the capital of AHC to 16,550,000, of which approximately 24% is owned by Nutritional High.

About Aura Health Corp. and Green Global Properties Inc.

Since June 2016, AHC and its subsidiaries has been involved in the development and acquisition of marijuana health clinics in the United States. The medical health clinics test prospective patients, and where such patients are found to have one of the qualifying medical conditions, the clinics issue medical-use certificates.

AHC owns 30% interest in a clinic in Las Vegas, NV and a 30% interest in a clinic being launched in Mesa, AZ. AHC also has the option to increase its ownership interest in these clinics to 51% and to acquire up to 51% interest in 8 additional clinics being launched by Sun Valley Holdings ("Sun Valley"), a private company based in Phoenix, Arizona, which also operates three wholly owned clinics in Arizona and is the largest clinic owner and operator in the state of Arizona.

About Nutritional High International Inc.

Nutritional High is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing products and nationally recognized brands in the hemp and marijuana-infused products industries, including edibles and oil extracts for nutritional, medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively through licensed facilities in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law.

For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include submission of the relevant documentation within the required timeframe and to the satisfaction of the relevant regulators, repayment of the Loan by AHC, as guaranteed by Green Global, completing the acquisition of the applicable real estate, completing the acquisition of the clinics with Sun Valley, dividending of the common shares of AHC controlled by the Company to the shareholders of Nutritional High, and raising sufficient financing to complete the Company's business strategy. There is no certainty that any of these events will occur. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company'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. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company 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.

Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Contacts:

David Posner

Chairman of the Board

Nutritional High International Inc.

647-985-6727

dposner@nutritionalhigh.com



Steven Low

Boom Capital Markets Inc.

(647) 620-5101

steve@boomcapitalmarkets.com

www.boomcapitalmarkets.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Revelo Resources Corp. ("Revelo" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: RVL) announces that its joint venture partner, Minera Newmont (Chile) Ltda. ("Newmont"), a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM), has completed the drilling campaign at the Montezuma copper-gold project in northern Chile (the "Project"), previously announced (see news release dated October 4th, 2016). Newmont drilled a total of 8,591 metres in 20 holes and tested a total of 10 targets.

Based on a recent site visit, and a review of the data provided by Newmont thus far, no significant results have been reported to date from the drilling carried out. Some analytical results remain to be reported. Further updates and information will be provided in the early new year.

ABOUT MONTEZUMA

The Project comprises approximately 45,000 Ha of 100% owned tenements. It is located along the main porphyry copper belt in northern Chile, commonly known as the Domeyko Cordillera, directly along the main West Fissure Fault System that controls several world-class copper deposits in the area, midway between the giant Chuquicamata (Codelco) and Centinela (Antofagasta Minerals) copper mining districts. The Project is centred approximately 20 km south of the important mining town of Calama. Access to the Project is excellent via a good quality dirt road leading off from paved roads around Calama, and altitudes vary from approximately 2,600 m to around 3,100 m.

The Project is currently owned 51% by Newmont and 49% by Revelo. Newmont has elected to pursue a further 14% (to 65%), and has an option to earn up to 75% of the Project, according to the Venture Agreement ("Agreement") (see news releases dated January 20, 2014, February 23, 2015, and May 17, 2016).

For further details, including maps, of the Montezuma Project and the Agreement please refer to the Montezuma Project page on Revelo's website (http://www.reveloresources.com/projects/montezuma).

ABOUT REVELO

Revelo is a Prospect Generator that has consolidated an outstanding portfolio of 22 projects prospective for copper, gold and silver located along proven mineral belts in one of the world's top mining jurisdictions - Chile. Several targets are ready for drill testing within the portfolio, and two projects are subject to option and joint venture agreements with subsidiaries of Newmont (Montezuma Project) and Austral Gold (San Guillermo Project). As part of its portfolio, Revelo retains a 2% royalty interest (currently non-producing) in the Victoria Project, an important copper-gold-silver exploration project, and it is developing a nascent royalty portfolio. Revelo's total exposure to mineral tenements in northern Chile is around 300,000 hectares, of which about 100,000 hectares (3 projects) are subject to 3rd party exploration expenditures.

Revelo has a goal of building a sustainable exploration business focused on securing prospective land along the prolific mineral belts of northern Chile, and by implementing effective exploration and capital management strategies to grow, advance and de-risk its portfolio to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for exploration success. Revelo is actively looking for partners to advance the projects within its portfolio.

Revelo is a Canadian company and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE: RVL). For more information, please visit Revelo's website at www.reveloresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Timothy J. Beale, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Revelo expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Revelo believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Revelo Resources Corp.

Chiara Orrigoni

Investor Relations Manager

+1 604 687-5544

info@reveloresources.com

www.reveloresources.com




Watch live as over 200,000 Reykjavik residents set off fireworks at 6:50 p.m. EST on New Year's Eve.

Iceland Naturally invites you to take a virtual trip to Reykjavik with a Facebook Live video stream of the city's dazzling fireworks show on New Year's Eve hosted by Iceland's famous TV personality Benedikt Valsson. Simply head to www.facebook.com/icelandnaturally at 6:50 p.m. EST 3:50 p.m. PST on December 31 to watch more than 200,000 Icelanders ring in the new year with their famous fireworks display. Since Iceland is several hours ahead of North America, you can watch the celebrations before yours even begin!

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161228005055/en/

Watch live as over 200,000 Reykjavik, Iceland residents set off fireworks at 6:50 p.m. EST on New Year's Eve: www.facebook.com/icelandnaturally. (Photo: Business Wire)

The majority of proceeds from fireworks sales in and around Reykjavik go to Iceland's volunteer rescue group, Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR). This, coupled with the fact that there are no fireworks restrictions in Iceland, make for an incredible display; almost everyone in Reykjavik sets off fireworks and the sky becomes illuminated with awe-inspiring lights as far as the eye can see.

In Iceland, New Year's Eve is honored as a historic and traditional holiday, full of laughter, music and magic. The festivities kick off with dinner, followed by bonfires ("brenna") and a gathering of family and friends to listen to music. Bars and restaurants stay open all night so the dancing and celebrating lasts well into the morning.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be a part of Iceland's New Year's Eve celebration from the comfort of your own home! Tune in to Iceland Naturally's live stream at www.facebook.com/icelandnaturally just before midnight Icelandic time on New Year's Eve and share with your friends by tweeting @IcelandNatural using ReykjavikNYE.

About Iceland Naturally

Iceland Naturally is a cooperative marketing organization that promotes the services, products and culture of Iceland. Through events, promotions and online marketing, Iceland Naturally introduces Iceland's creativity and natural wonders to North Americans. The group is comprised of Iceland's top companies and organizations: Icelandair, Icelandic Group, Islandsbanki, Reyka Vodka, City of Reykjavik, Icelandic Glacial, Blue Lagoon, Keflavik International Airport (KEF), Landsvirkjun, Olgerin, Promote Iceland, Icelandic Provisions and the Government of Iceland. For more information, visit: www.icelandnaturally.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161228005055/en/

Contacts:

Iceland Naturally

BIGfish Communications

Brigid Gorham, 202-609-7622

iceland@bigfishpr.com


JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - Messaging app Snapchat has acquired Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for about $35 million, according to Tel Aviv-based business publication Calcalist.



Cimagine has developed an augmented reality or AR solution, called the True Markerless Augmented Reality. The app helps retailers and consumers to determine whether an appliance will fit into a given space.



Cimagine's patent-pending technology automatically scans and identifies surfaces in scenes captured by a customer's mobile or wearable device camera and overlays life-like three-dimensional images of products onto real-time video.



Using this technology on their mobile devices and at the click of a button, buyers are able to position the virtual furniture or appliances in a room without the need for physical markers.



Cimagine was founded in 2012. The company was chosen by Inc.com and also by Microsoft as one of Israel's most promising start-ups. Forbes had selected Cimagine as one of the Israeli companies to watch for in 2016.



Cimagine's customers include companies such as Shop Direct, John Lewis and Coca-Cola Co.



Recently, interactive multichannel retailer HSN partnered with Cimagine to launch an augmented reality design app across two of its home and lifestyle brands within the company's Cornerstone portfolio - Frontgate and Ballard Designs.



Calcalist reported that Cimagine will become Snapchat's research and development center in Israel and its workforce will be expanded from the current 20 employees.



Snapchat, founded by Evan Spiegel, is preparing for an IPO and could start selling shares as early as late March 2017 with a valuation of $25 billion or more.



In mid-November, media reports indicated that Snap Inc., the parent of Snapchat, has confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering or IPO.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- New Colombia Resources, Inc. ("the Company") (OTC PINK: NEWC), a Colombian natural resource company listed in the U.S. is pleased to post the laboratory results of Sannabis' Cannabis Sativa Pure Extract. New Colombia Resources joint venture, Sannabis, has been healing patients and saving lives in Colombia with this extract since 2014. The landrace strain used to produce this extract is a pure sativa native to Colombia. To see the laboratory results, visit https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxSKP5j2FlseMUt2STNIU2dyNnc

The test conducted by a licensed medical marijuana testing facility showed a high 35% THC value as well as a .2% B-Caryophyllene terpene value. This combination is exceptional in treating a wide variety of ailments and gives the Company a better understanding of why this extract has worked so well for patients in Colombia, specifically for cancer and neurological disorders. The Company is using this and other test results to develop more medicines targeting different ailments. According to published reports posted on the National Institute of Health's Library of Medicine this terpene has the following potential medical benefits:

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic

Alcohol craving reduction

Anti-cancer

Anti-anxiety and anti-depressant

These results will be used by New Colombia Resources to develop a drug master file to be used for an application to the FDA for an orphan drug designation for a neurological disorder. New Colombia Resources' FDA consultant, Dr. Stanley Satz, believes the HPLC chromatograms of the peaks show great promise to develop a pharmaceutical product to treat various neurological disorders to be announced soon. Company President, John Campo, met with Dr. Satz recently to take the steps necessary to file for an orphan drug application as soon as possible. Mr. Campo is back in Colombia today to coordinate with the Universities that will help conduct the research under the guidance of Dr. Satz, who recently has been awarded another orphan drug designation with the FDA and fully understands the steps needed to gain acceptance of the application.

In addition to the FDA pharmaceutical drug being developed, Sannabis has been producing medical marijuana products sold through independent distributors and pharmacies throughout Colombia since 2014. New Colombia Resources' President, John Campo, was featured in an article in Dinero Magazine in 2014 at the beginning of Colombia's medical marijuana movement, since then medical marijuana has been legalized by both a Presidential executive order and a law passed by the legislature. To see the 2014 article, visit http://www.dinero.com/edicion-impresa/negocios/articulo/medicamentos-legales-derivados-del-cannabis-marihuana/199474

The Company aims to become a world leader in high quality "Made in Colombia" cannabis medicines. Sannabis is at the forefront of the Colombian governments effort to be become a world leader in cannabis research and development. New Colombia Resources is applying to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an orphan drug designation of a cannabis based pharmaceutical product with clinical trials to be done in Colombia, they will work with Universities in Colombia and the U.S. to conduct research to be admitted to the FDA.

Sannabis has geared up for a major international expansion by planting thousands of plants of exclusive medical marijuana strains native to Colombia. These strains include the world famous Sativas, Punto Rojo and Mango Biche, these landrace strains are sought out by top European seed banks, however, in order for these strains to flourish and provide the most valuable terpenes and cannabinoids they must be grown in their native environment.

The U.S. and Canada do not have native landrace strains, therefore, Sannabis will aggressively penetrate the North American market to supply the best medicine available at the best value to Americans. Several documentaries by international producers are being filmed in the coming weeks that will educate the world on the medicinal and social value of Colombian cannabis. Inquiries are pouring in from all over the world and the Company has ramped up to fulfill orders.

New Colombia Resources is also pleased to announce their auditor is finalizing a review of their Form 10K to be filled with the SEC. Additionally, shareholders can expect a significant revenue producing announcement concerning their metallurgical coal mining operations.

To view the Sannabis Medical Marijuana products catalog with technical specifications or to purchase products, visit http://www.sannabis.co/ver-catalogo

To view a nationally televised documentary about medical marijuana in Colombia featuring Sannabis growers, patients, and management visit the first video on http://www.sannabis.co/video.

Follow Sannabis on Facebook for photos and testimonials at https://www.facebook.com/sannabis.cannamedicinal

New Colombia Resources, Inc.

New Colombia Resources, Inc. owns vast reserves of premium metallurgical coal mining titles and a medical marijuana joint venture in the Republic of Colombia. They are setting up a rock mining operation to supply the major road and infrastructure projects within miles of their properties. They own 100% of La Tabaquera metallurgical coal mine in Colombia with an estimated 15- 17 million tonnes of reserves. They have an additional 1196 ha. metallurgical coal mining title that they are negotiating to develop with a foreign entity to build a coal fired power plant. New Colombia Resources holds a significant position in Sannabis SAS which legally produces medical marijuana products in the Republic of Colombia, visit www.sannabis.co. For more information on the Company visit www.newcolombiaresources.com

Forward Looking Statements

Forward Looking Statements; This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "plan," "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. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements might not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include financing, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations. New Colombia Resources, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Company/Media Contact:

New Colombia Resources, Inc.

John Campo

President/Chairman

(1)-410-236-8200 USA

(57) 318-657-0918 Colombia

jcampo@newcolombiaresources.com




LEIPZIG, Germany, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The cultural city of Leipzig, Germany, will get off to a spectacular start in 2017 with some outstanding exhibitions. The Panometer Leipzig will take its visitors on a journey beneath the waves from 28 January 2017 onwards: The new 360 Panorama "TITANIC" by the celebrated panoramic artist Yadegar Asisi will revisit the most famous shipwreck of all time and will show the ocean giant as it is today - 105 years after the catastrophe - at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. http://www.asisi.de

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452510/Leipzig_Panorama_Michael_Bader.jpg )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452511/Visualisation_TITANI_Casisi.jpg )



The Museum of Fine Arts will experience a true whirlwind of colour with its special exhibition "Nolde and 'Die Brucke'" (12 February - 18 June 2017). The young artists of the Expressionist 'Brucke' group, including Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, were fascinated by the works of the outstanding painter Emil Nolde. The collaboration between the group and Nolde, who was almost a generation older, lasted for almost two years from 1906 onwards, and marked the beginning of modern art in Germany. For the first time, the Leipzig museum is telling the story of this fascinating chapter in German art history through 150 paintings, drawings and prints. http://www.mdbk.de

The 'Spinnerei' in Leipzig is unmissable for contemporary art enthusiasts. Eleven leading galleries and over 100 studios are now housed within the walls of what was once the largest cotton mill in continental Europe. For the Spinnerei Gallery Tour, all galleries and exhibition spaces open new exhibitions (14 January, 29/30 April and 15/16 September 2017; http://www.spinnerei.de). It is also worth making a detour to the newly opened 'Kunstkraftwerk': For the "Hundertwasser Experience", the Italian immersive artist Gianfranco Iannuzzi has transformed the former heating plant into a colourful, lively and engaging immersive Hundertwasser world. Thanks to the large-scale video installations, visitors can immerse themselves in the works of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, painter and architect, until 24 August 2017. http://www.kunstkraftwerk-leipzig.com

2017 marks the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing his theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This major anniversary of the Reformation will be celebrated in Leipzig with a wide-ranging programme of events. A dozen special exhibitions in Leipzig museums - including the Museum of City History, the Museum of Printing Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts - will illuminate the reformer's work in Leipzig and the surrounding region. The largest city in the Luther region, Leipzig played a key role in the distribution of Luther's writings, while the Leipzig Disputation of 1519 proved to seal his break with the Catholic Church in Rome. http://www.luther-in-leipzig.de

From Asia, Turkish Airlines flies into Leipzig/Halle via Istanbul four times a week.

Travel offers, room reservations: http://www.leipzig.travel

Press Contact: Ms. Steffi Gretschel, phone +49 341 7104 300, s.gretschel@ltm-leipzig.de
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Congressman Chris Collins, R-N.Y., suggested President-elect Donald Trump could still add a Democrat to his Cabinet even though most of the top positions in the incoming administration have been filled. In an interview on CNN's 'New Day' on Wednesday, Collins noted he has personally put the names of four Democrats on the table but declined to identify who he has recommended. 'We're looking for the best and brightest. And that doesn't necessarily exclude any Democrats,' Collins said. 'I could see Democrats entering the administration at the undersecretary level.' 'You know, who knows, even at a secretary level,' he added. 'But certainly as a, you know, deputy or somewhere as an undersecretary.' Collins was the first sitting Congressman to endorse Trump and currently serves as Congressional Liaison to the Trump transition team. Politico noted that including a member of the opposite political party in the Cabinet is a tradition that has been embraced by nearly every modern president. While several undersecretary positions remain available, the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture are currently the only open Cabinet jobs. Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., has been cited as a possible choice for Agriculture Secretary, although she recently said she is likely to remain in the Senate. 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.
Editors note: Over the next several days we will look back on the stories which impacted our readers and filled the front pages of the Daily Journal in 2016. This is a multi-part series.

January

 The Leadington Board of Aldermen unanimously approved an ordinance accepting six streets in the Forest Park Center subdivision as public roads of the city. The streets that will now be maintained and repaired by the city are Taum Sauk Drive, Wappapello Court, Lore Lane, Forest Park Drive, Hawn Court and Montauk Court. A number of property owners attended the meeting and all voiced their approval of the citys takeover. In addition, several business owners unable to be present sent letters stating their full support for the move.

 An ordinance was approved involving the collection of municipal court costs and the allocation of those costs for judicial education, police officer training, the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, the Sheriffs Retirement Fund and the Violence Shelter Fund. The ordinance was requested by the CPA firm the city employed to perform this years audit. Bishop said the new ordinance combines several separate ones that up until now covered different aspects of the municipal court.

February

 The board opened tree trimming bids and discussed the purchase of a cemetery computer to keep track of funeral plots. The city took ownership of the cemetery several years ago.

 An upcoming fire department barbecue to be held on the city hall parking lot was to raise funds for new fire equipment.

March

 Leadington Police Chief Dustin McKinney told the board of aldermen that his department would be participating in a Prescription Drug Take Back Program in partnership with Elizabeth Plazas Pharmax Pharmacy on April 30. The department was to took back old prescription medications not used anymore and then send them to the Drug Enforcement Agency for disposal.

 The board passed a motion setting aside the dates of April 28-29 for the citys annual spring cleanup and approved purchase of a laptop to be used for the keeping of Woodlawn Cemetery records.

April

 Incumbent Debra Matthews won re-election to the board of aldermen with a total of 26 votes cast and fellow incumbent Steve Kinsey finished with a total of 20 votes, tying with first-timer Misty Dean for the second open seat. Results were to be certified and turned over to the board.

 A coin toss made by City Attorney Mark Bishop at the board of aldermen meeting determined the winner of the April 5 municipal election where incumbent Alderman Steve Kinsey tied with challenger Misty Dean after each garnered a total of 20 votes for one of two open seats on the board. Kinsey, who was out of town for the meeting, had previously said he was willing to settle the tie with a coin toss. When Dean arrived for Tuesdays meeting, she told Bishop that a coin toss decision would be acceptable to her as well. During the meeting, Mayor Dustin Winick contacted Kinsey by cellphone to inform him of the coin toss. Dean chose tails and tails it was. Kinsey congratulated Dean on her win and City Clerk Eggers swore the new alderman into office.

May

 The board approved a nuisance ordinance for the city. City Attorney Bishop presented the board a revised version of a sample ordinance given him at the previous month's meeting for modification to meet the specific needs of the town. The ordinance defines "public nuisances" as: Any act done or committed or suffered to be done or committed by any person, or anything of substance kept or maintained, placed or thrown in or upon any public or private place, which is injurious to the public health; and all pursuits followed or acts done by any person to the hurt, injury, inconvenience, or danger of the public. It calls for a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment not to exceed 90 days  or both  for each offense, including the cost of remediation.

June

 The Leadington Board of Aldermen passed the city's annual budget at its June meeting. The approved general operating budget, which runs from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017, totals $535,500. Of that amount, $446,650 is for general and administrative expenses. Under public safety, the budget sets aside $13,000 for the police department, along with an additional $1,000 for officer training; $27,000 for the municipal court; and $4,200 for the fire department. Under street and public works, $16,950 is budgeted for maintaining city streets and $13,700 for Woodlawn Cemetery upkeep. A total of $13,000 is budgeted for miscellaneous expenses.

 Pat McDowell, co-owner of Ozark Thunder Indoor Gun Range, appeared before the board to discuss a drainage ditch that runs along Flat River Road at the entrance to the business. Every time there's a heavy rain the ditch washes out, making it difficult for cars to enter the property. Several years ago the city agreed that if McDowell purchased a culvert, city employees would install it. However, it was later learned that a fiber optic cable runs through the drainage ditch at an unknown depth. If city workers were to accidentally cut the cable, the resulting fine could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

July

 In recent months the board of aldermen had determined that substantial changes should be made to the municipal building's entrance to better protect the safety of the city clerk and court clerk, as well as other city employees who might be working there. Mayor Winick offered to donate his time to work on the project once a design was chosen and funds for the remodeling approved. After looking over the situation, a motion was passed to accept one of the two plans presented.

 The board of aldermen accepted a piece of property in Park Hills donated to the city by its owners. Mayor Winick noted that, while City Attorney Bishop said the land can be owned by the city, it can't ever be annexed.

August

 A bid of $140 for cleaning the city hall carpets and the purchase of a two post hoist lift, including installation, from Automotive Technology for a total of $3,481.55 were approved. It was noted that the cost of the hoist lift was already included in this year's budget.

 The board gave City Clerk Eggers authority to check into the cost of having a preliminary engineering report performed prior to the city applying for a grant to make Woodlawn Drive improvements.

September

 The board of aldermen approved an ordinance amending the city's current law regarding the abatement of nuisances and the costs and expenses of abating nuisances. Because the passage of Senate Bill 572 changed procedures for municipalities addressing nuisance violations, the city was required to pass the amended ordinance to remain in compliance with state law.

 The board voted to accept an offer from Beck Farms in Doe Run to provide the city with a free 24-foot Christmas tree to be planted next to the Hardee's restaurant at U.S. 67 and Highway 32. The only stipulation made by Beck Farms was that the city dig a hole and then plant the tree once it was delivered and set in place.

October

 CPA Lori Crump of the Maloney, Wright & Robbins accounting firm in Farmington presented to the board a review of the city's recent audit for fiscal year July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. Crump noted that, despite several internal control issues that mainly deal with the segregation of duties, it was "a good report."

November

 The aldermen approved an ordinance creating the Leadington Community Development Corporation. According to the ordinance, the purpose of the LCDC, a non-profit corporation not affiliated with the city, will be "to improve the quality of life" of city residents by "seek[ing] grants for the residents and businesses in the city of Leadington."

 The board approved a motion to seek bids based on plans by Taylor Engineering for the proposed Woodlawn/Taum Sauk Court project to aid in water drainage and flood control. According to engineer Joe Gabel, the project was estimated to cost the city a total of just more than $55,000. If an existing 48-inch pipe running through the Better Bodies parking lot had to be replaced, however, the cost of the project would increase by an additional $38,000.

December

 City Street Supervisor Jackie Johnston was honored with a plaque presented to him by Mayor Winick for his 20 years of employment with the city.

 The board of aldermen approved a motion to charge an across-the-board fee of $100 for purchase of a residential or commercial building permit until the board has a chance to revisit the matter at its January work session. Alderman Braddy voted against the motion because she thought the fee should be no more than $50.
MITCHELL, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- "Ontario's Fruit and Vegetable Processors Association (OFVPA) members are prepared to support Premier Wynne's going global strategy if key changes are made to regulations that will allow for a more competitive industry," said Karl Evans, Chair of OFVPA. "Our members completely support the Premier's global strategy. Our companies had made tremendous investments in being the best in the world at what we do."

"We are particularly interested in following up with the Premier on her idea of meeting new demand for multicultural foods," Evans went on to say. "Nobody understands the opportunity better than Ontario with our rich multicultural society. Success will come from how we process foods to meet the various distinct tastes that modern marketing requires. This is great socially; it is also great economically."

According to Evans, "We need greater flexibility and agility if we are going to capture market opportunities that the Premier has identified. Right now the only obstacle to capturing these markets is the antiquated system in place that allows the primary producer board (Ontario Processor Vegetable Growers) to unilaterally impose regulations to terms and conditions with processors and their customers. Our members are prepared to make the investments, create jobs and modernize facilities necessary to compete globally."

"The government's own independent Farm Products Marketing Commission has recognized the problem and recommended immediate changes," Evans pointed out. "These changes are being held up through an intensive lobbying effort by a small cartel of growers wanting to maintain an antiquated system that doesn't work."

"One of the greatest opportunities may come from trade issues between the US and its trading partners," said Evans. "We believe there may be excellent opportunities for new market growth in Europe and Asia."

"We are asking the Premier and the Minister of Agriculture to let us ignite the full potential of Ontario workers, growers and processors in capturing more world markets," said Evans. "To do this we need a very receptive and flexible system to market opportunities. Right now the system is a barrier to more good paying jobs. Ontario has a report from its own Commission that would allow us to immediately take advantage of the market. All they have to do is implement it."

Contacts:

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Processors Association (OFVPA)

Don Epp

Executive Director

519-498-8105

donaldjepp@gmail.com




Regulatory News:

ASIT biotech (Paris:ASIT) (BSE:ASIT):

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. OTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE APPLICABLE. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

ASIT biotech (ASIT BE0974289218), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and future commercialization of breakthrough immunotherapy products for the treatment of allergies, discloses the information required under article 15 of the law of 2 May 2007 regarding the disclosure of important shareholdings in listed companies.

Denominator modified on 28 December 2016 following the exercise of warrants by employees and executives active in 2011:

New shares issued following the exercise: 49,300

Total number of shares with voting rights: 12,806,100

Total number of voting rights (=denominator): 12,806,100

Total number of shares with voting rights upon conversion of the warrants issued by the Company: 13,056,600

About ASIT biotech

ASIT biotech is a Belgian clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and future commercialisation of a range of breakthrough immunotherapy products for the treatment of allergies. Thanks to its innovative ASIT+TM technology platform, ASIT biotech is currently the only developer of AIT product candidates consisting of a unique mixture of highly purified natural allergen fragments in an optimal size selection. This innovation results in a short treatment, expected to improve patient compliance and real-life effectiveness. ASIT biotech's product pipeline entails two novel ASIT+ product candidates targeting respiratory allergy with the highest prevalence (i.e. grass pollen: gp-ASIT+TM and house dust mite: hdm-ASIT+TM), that could significantly expand the current immunotherapy market. The Company believes that its innovative ASIT+ platform is flexible and would be applicable across a range of allergies.

ASIT biotech has a headcount of 23 staff members, at its headquarters in Brussels and a laboratory in Liege, Belgium.

Further information can be found at: www.asitbiotech.com.

Forward Looking Statements

All statements in this announcement that do not relate to historical facts and events are "forward-looking statements". In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "continue," "ongoing," "potential," "predict," "project," "target," "seek" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategies, plans, objectives, targets, goals, future events or intentions. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown 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. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Any forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this announcement and, without prejudice to the Company's obligations under applicable law in relation to disclosure and ongoing information, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking statements set forth in this announcement.

Important Legal Notice

This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for shares of ASIT biotech SA (the "Company" and the "Shares"). Any purchase of, subscription for or application for, Shares to be issued in connection with the intended offering should only be made on the basis of information contained in the prospectus and any supplements thereto, as the case may be. This announcement does not constitute a prospectus and the information contained herein is for information purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. Investors should not subscribe for any Shares except on the basis of the information contained in the prospectus that the Company expects to publish after its approval by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, and which can then be obtained at the Company's registered office and on www.asitbiotech.com.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or to any U.S. person within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The Shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Company has not registered, and does not intend to register, any portion of the intended offering of Shares in the United States, and does not intend to conduct a public offering of Shares in the United States.

This announcement and the information contained herein are not for publication, distribution or release in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction.

This announcement is only addressed to and directed at (i) the public in Belgium and France, and (ii) persons in member states of the European Economic Area ("EEA") other than Belgium and France who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (Directive 2003/71/EC and amendments thereto, including Directive 2010/73/EU, to the extent implemented in the relevant EEA Member State, and together with any applicable implementing measures in such relevant Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") ("Qualified Investors"). In addition, in the United Kingdom, this announcement is only addressed to and directed at (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, (the "Order") or ii)"qualified investors" falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, and (iii) any other person to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The intended offering, as the case may be, will only be available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe for, purchase, or otherwise acquire the Shares will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Persons within the United Kingdom who receive this communication (other than persons falling within (i), (ii) and (iii) above) should not act or rely on or act upon this communication or any of its content.

The date of completion of listing on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris may be influenced by things such as market conditions. There is no guarantee that such listing will occur and investors should not base their financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to such listing at this stage. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering such investments should consult an authorized person specializing in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the intended offering. The value of the shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional advisor as to the suitability of the intended offering for the person concerned.

No announcement or information regarding the intended offering, as the case may be, or the Shares referred to above may be disseminated to the public in jurisdictions outside of Belgium and France where a prior registration or approval is required for such purpose. No steps have been taken, or will be taken, for the intended offering of the Shares of the Company in any jurisdiction outside of Belgium and France where such steps would be required. The issue, the subscription for or purchase of the Shares are subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person.

The Company is responsible for the information contained in this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161228005308/en/

Contacts:

ASIT biotech

Company

Thierry Legon, CEO

ASIT biotech

Tel. +32 2 264 03 90

investors@asitbiotech.com

or

Media and Investor Contact

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky Pierre Laurent

Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 92

asitbiotech@newcap.eu
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - December 28, 2016) - Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative project developing an open platform for the connected car, today released the most advanced version to date of its AGL infotainment platform. Developed through a joint effort by dozens of member companies, the AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) 3.0 is an open source infotainment platform that can serve as the de facto industry standard.

"This is our third release of the AGL UCB in the past year. This unprecedented level of collaboration is a clear indication that the automotive industry is adopting an open source development methodology that is resulting in faster innovation with more frequent software releases and new features," said Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux. "Sharing a single software platform across the industry decreases development time which enables automakers and suppliers to bring new products to market faster so they can stay ahead of new advances in mobile technology."

Currently, many automakers use proprietary operating systems for infotainment. Car manufacturers typically contract out the software to a supplier that provides proprietary code with limited portability and reuse. Applications must often be ported from one platform to the next, resulting in slow innovation. Sharing a single software platform across the industry allows for code reuse and a more efficient development process. Developers and suppliers can build once and have a product work for multiple OEMs instead of having to build different versions for each make and model.

The goal of the UCB infotainment platform is to provide 70-80% of the starting point for a production project. This enables automakers and suppliers to focus their resources on customizing the other 20-30% to meet their unique product needs. As part of UCB 3.0, AGL is also releasing a software development kit (SDK) that enables rapid application development on the AGL platform.

The AGL UCB 3.0 is ideal for deploying navigation, communications, safety, security and connectivity. It includes several key features:

A brand new home screen and window manager

An improved application framework and application launcher

A new SDK for rapid application development

Reference applications including media player, tuner, navigation, Bluetooth, WiFi, HVAC control, audio mixer and vehicle controls

Integration with simultaneous display on instrument cluster

Smart Device Link for mobile phone integration

Rear view camera and rear seat entertainment on MOST ring

Wide range of hardware board support including Renesas, Qualcomm Technologies, Intel, Texas Instrument, NXP and Raspberry Pi

Many AGL members have already started integrating the UCB 3.0 into their production plans. AGL UCB has several strong supporters and contributors including Toyota, Mazda, Aisin AW, Continental, DENSO, HARMAN, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and many others.

The AGL community consists of close to 90 companies and is rapidly growing. Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota are among the first carmakers to participate in the AGL collaborative project. Although initially focused on infotainment, AGL plans to support instrument cluster, heads up display, telematics/connected car, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), functional safety and autonomous driving in the future.

AGL Demonstration at CES 2017

AGL will be demonstrating the UCB 3.0 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 on January 5-6 in Las Vegas. Demo applications for rear seat display, video playback, AM/FM radio, wheel input device, navigation, HVAC control, media player and browser, settings and home screen will be on display.

AGL members ATS, AisinAW, DENSO, ForgeRock, Intel, Microchip, NTT Data MSE, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and Texas Instruments will also be onsite demonstrating their products running on the UCB 3.0.

Member Comments:

"We support the AGL UCB 3.0 and plan to integrate it into our vehicles in the future. By adopting open source software, we can focus more on developing new features and contiguously creating better user experiences for our customers," said Ken-ichi Murata, Group Manager, Connected Strategy & Planning, Connected Company of Toyota Motor Corporation.

"Renesas is proud to be a part of the AGL ecosystem and supports the UCB 3.0. The new platform reduces fragmentation and enables us to build products that can be supported by multiple automakers," said Hisao Munakata, Senior Director of Automotive Information Solution Business Division, 1st Solution Business Unit, Renesas Electronics Corporation.

"The AGL UCB 3.0 was created by some of the best developers across the industry and represents a fundamental shift in how the automotive industry builds software. We look forward to continuing to support AGL and integrating the UCB 3.0 into our product plans," said Kazuo Tsubouchi, General Manager at Denso.

"We are proud to have contributed to the AGL UCB 3.0, which was a true industry collaboration. We believe AGL will streamline software development for the automotive industry which will result in more rapid innovation," said Masashige Mizuyama, CTO, Infotainment Business, Panasonic.

"A strong ecosystem around Automotive Grade Linux to develop the next generation of connected infotainment experiences is emerging, and we are pleased to be part of this movement by supporting AGL on our high-performing Qualcomm Snapdragon' automotive processors," said Nakul Duggal, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "We are pleased to work with the open source community, automakers, tier-1 suppliers and other industry companies to deliver a superior AGL experience using UCB 3.0 on our connectivity and compute platforms."

About Automotive Grade Linux (AGL)

Automotive Grade Linux is a collaborative open source project that aims to accelerate the development and adoption of a fully open software stack for the connected car. Leveraging the power and strength of Linux at its core, AGL is uniting automakers and technology companies to develop an open platform that offers OEMs complete control of the user experience so the industry can rapidly innovate where it counts. The AGL platform is available to all, and anyone can participate in its development. Learn more: https://www.automotivelinux.org/

Automotive Grade Linux is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. www.linuxfoundation.org

The AGL UCB distribution, which is hosted by The Linux Foundation and open to anyone, is available for download here.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

Additional Resources

Developer Resources

About the AGL Community

Participating in Automotive Grade Linux

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Inquiries

Emily Olin

Automotive Grade Linux

eolin@linuxfoundation.org
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market ended Wednesday's trading session with a very slightly decline. Overall, the market was little changed in very quiet trading action. The market fluctuated between small gains and losses over the course of the session in directionless trade. Trading activity has been quiet since the end of the long Christmas holiday weekend and is likely to remain that way for the remainder of the shortened trading week. The Swiss Market Index decreased 0.03 percent Wednesday and finished at 8,256.61. The Swiss Leader Index rose 0.03 percent, but the Swiss Performance Index dipped 0.01 percent. Adecco was among the biggest losers Wednesday, with a loss of 1.2 percent, followed by Galenica, which declined 1.0 percent. Swiss Re and Aryzta each surrendered 0.7 percent. UBS weakened by 0.1 percent, while Credit Suisse gained 0.2 percent. Moody's confirmed its credit rating on Credit Suisse today. Among the index heavyweights, Nestle decreased by 0.3 percent and Roche lost 0.2 percent. Meanwhile, Novartis finished higher by 0.1 percent. Dufry advanced 0.9 percent, followed by Actelion, with a gain of 0.8 percent. Actelion remains engaged in exclusive merger talks with U.S. company Johnson & Johnson. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Starrex International Ltd. ("Starrex" or the "Company") (CSE: STX) filed on Tuesday, November 24, 2016, restated interim financial statements and a revised management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for each of the 2015 second and third quarters ended June 30 and September 30, 2015 and the 2016 second quarter ended June 30, 2016, together with restated audited annual financial statements and a revised MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2015. Due to clerical errors discovered in the MD&As, the Company filed on November 30, 2016, corrected MD&As for each of the 2015 second and third quarters ended June 30 and September 30, 2015 and the 2016 second and third quarters ended June 30 and September 30, 2016, all of which can be found on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Company's profile.

Following the above-noted filings, the Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC") identified additional errors in the MD&As. As Starrex is in discussions with staff of the OSC regarding any comments which such staff may have regarding the re-filings made to date, on December 2, 2016, the Company filed with the OSC a new application for a management cease trade order ("MCTO") prohibiting the Company's current Chief Executive Officer from trading, directly or indirectly, in the securities of Starrex until two full business days following the receipt by the OSC of all filings that the Company is required to make under Ontario securities law or other order of the Director of the OSC.

The Company anticipates filing revised interim financial statements and MD&As within the next short while. Once the re-filings are completed, the Company will have completed all of its anticipated restatements and re-filings.

This news release contains forward-looking information. All information (other than statements of historical fact) that address activities, events or developments that Starrex believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties beyond Starrex's ability to control or predict that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Starrex disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although Starrex believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. The Company's securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Contacts:

Starrex International Ltd.

Ronald Mann, Secretary, Chief Operating Officer

Investor Relations Officer

(647) 981-2782

rmann@starrexintl.com






JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - In what could be his final public address as Secretary of State, John Kerry sought Wednesday to defend the U.S. decision to allow the United Nations Security Council to approve a resolution demanding an immediate halt to Israeli settlement construction.



Kerry argued that the U.S. 'could not, in good conscience, stand in the way' of the resolution, which passed by a vote of fourteen to zero as the U.S. abstained.



'If we were to stand idly by and know that we were allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold in a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our responsibilities,' Kerry said.



The secretary of state dismissed the idea that the U.S. must accept any policy put forward by the Israeli government and argued the U.S. cannot be true to its own values if it allows a viable two-state solution to be destroyed.



Kerry claimed the two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is in 'serious jeopardy' due to continued settlement construction as well as the 'incitement of violence' by Palestinian leaders.



'Trends on the ground, including settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, are increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want,' Kerry said.



'The fundamental reality,' he added, 'is that if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic, but it can't be both.'



The speech by Kerry comes as the vote in the U.N. has led to increased animosity between the Obama administration and the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.



The Israeli government has accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians on the resolution, although Kerry denied those claims.



Kerry noted the U.S. did not draft or originate the resolution and maintained that no administration has done more for Israeli security.



Ahead of Kerry's speech, President-elect Donald Trump argued the Obama administration has damaged the friendship between the U.S. and Israel but suggested things would be different once he is sworn in.



'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 not anymore,' Trump said in a post on Twitter.



He added, 'The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!'



Netanyahu responded with a tweet of his own thanking Trump for his warm friendship and clear-cut support for Israel.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
NEW YORK, NY -- Dec 27, 2016 -- Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTC PINK: TAUG) ("Tauriga" or the "Company"), a company engaged in building businesses in the life sciences space, today announced that it has sold an 80% majority stake in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pilus Energy LLC ("Pilus Energy"), to an Ohio-based company, Open Therapeutics LLC ("Open Therapeutics"). In consideration for this 80% interest, Open Therapeutics agreed to terminate and cancel 80% of the unexercised portion of the warrant to purchase 28,917,647 shares of the Company's common stock issued on January 28, 2014 and more fully described in the Form 8-K's filed by the Company with the Securities Exchange Commission on November 27, 2013 and February 4, 2014. As such, only 5,783,520 shares of common stock remain subject to the warrant. Open Therapeutics was previously known as both Bacterial Robotics, LLC and Microbial Robotics, LLC prior to its name change to Open Therapeutics on May 12, 2016.

Open Therapeutics plans to continue the development of Pilus Energy's proprietary technology with the ultimate goal of commercialization. Open Therapeutics also agreed Pilus Energy would pay to Tauriga 20% of the net profit generated from Pilus Energy, if any, for each calendar year (or portion thereof) beginning January 1, 2017 ("Profit Sharing Payment"). The Tauriga Profit Sharing Payment will be calculated and paid once per calendar year for the preceding calendar year once Open Therapeutics' financial statements for such preceding calendar year are finalized by its accountants. However, Tauriga agreed that the first $75,000 owed to the Company under the Profit Sharing Payment shall be retained by Open Therapeutics unless other payment arrangements are reached.

Tauriga's CEO Seth M. Shaw expressed, "The Company is pleased to have reached this agreement with Open Therapeutics to potentially retain some long term value for its shareholders should Pilus Energy ultimately be successful in commercializing its technology. Open Therapeutics' CEO, Mr. Jerome Hamilton, has a vision to continue the commercialization process for Pilus Energy. Tauriga's management intends to be both cooperative and helpful in those mutually beneficial efforts. Lastly and as previously disclosed, the Company believes the actions of Cowan Gunteski significantly damaged Tauriga's efforts to create shareholder value with respect to Pilus Energy. The Company expects to assert such damages in its ongoing litigation against Cowan Gunteski."

ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES, INC.

Tauirga Sciences, Inc. (OTC PINK: TAUG) is a fully reporting life sciences company engaged in the development, marketing, distribution and potential licensing of a broad array of products and technologies that may help individuals who are affected by muscle tension. The Company has already identified potential products and technologies of interest and is actively working towards the goal of creating an innovative product line to launch the business activities of ColluMauxil Therapeutics LLC (The Company's previously announced new planned wholly owned subsidiary). The Company believes that one of its most important strengths is its access to and relationships with potentially substantial distribution systems and networks. The Company intends to capitalize on distribution opportunities and will continually update shareholders on such developments. The Company is also prosecuting its ongoing malpractice lawsuit against its predecessor audit firm, for which it's seeking monetary damages in excess of $4,000,000 USD.

ABOUT OPEN THERAPEUTICS LLC

Open Therapeutics is a seven-year-old company that curates and develops open medical, biopharma, and synthetic biology-based biotechnologies. Among the technologies being freely opened to the global community are essential proteins for developing antibiotic and anticancer therapeutics, immunotherapy and oncolytics, and biomarker inducers. The Company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with laboratory operations in Covington, Kentucky, USA, and Madrid, Spain via its strategic partner, Bacmine SL (www.bacmine.com). For additional information, please visit Open Therapeutics' website at http://opentherapeutics.org/about-us/.

NON SOLICITATION:

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is not permitted. Any securities offered or issued in connection with the above-referenced merger and/or investment have not been registered, and will be offered pursuant to an exemption from registration.

DISCLAIMERS:

This press release contains information about Open Therapeutics, its business, products and other information contained on Open Therapeutics' website. Tauriga is not responsible for this information, the accuracy of it, or the content of the information on Open Therapeutics' website.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation: expectations, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, beliefs, plans and objectives regarding the development, use and marketability of products as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones (i.e. SEC Periodic Filings, Filing of Proxies, etc). Such forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on Tauriga's predictions with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences and timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to fund operations and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors are discussed in documents filed from time to time by Tauriga with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state. The securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration, or an applicable exemption from registration, under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

Contact:

Tauriga Sciences, Inc.

Mr. Seth Shaw

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 1-917-796-9926

Email: sshaw@tauriga.com




Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

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.
SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Police officials have issued a warrant to access data from Amazon's Alexa voice assistant in order to solve a murder case. The police want access to data from the Amazon Echo speaker belonging to James Bates of Bentonville, Arkansas, who has been charged with first-degree murder. The officials claim that since the Echo speaker always listen for Alexa voice commands, the audio it recorded could provide clues about the murder. On November 22, 2015, Bates was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Victor Collins of Centerton. Collins was found dead in Bates' hot tub. Amazon is very secure and secretive about they way it handles the audio recorded from Alexa-enabled devices. According to Amazon's privacy statement, it collects 'information about use of Alexa and its interaction with your Alexa Enabled Product (such as device type, voice information, content metadata, and location).' Amazon reserves the right to store that information on its servers. 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.
ARMONK (dpa-AFX) - IBM in collaboration with Rice University has created the IBM Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant (IBM MERA), a robot that can provide assistance to the elderly and their caregivers. The MERA uses IBM's Watson AI to provide assistance to the elderly and monitor vital signs and environmental changes in a non-invasive manner. IBM Research also plans to work with Sole Cooperativa, a healthcare provider in Italy, to install sensors in senior housing communities to monitor day-to-day activities of residents. According to the United Nations, the number of people 60 years old or older is expected to grow by 56 percent worldwide by 2030. 'Now is the time to invest in, care for, protect, and empower our aging population so they can live more independent lives,' Arvind Krishna, senior vice president, IBM Research, said in a statement. 'Our new research on 'embodied cognition,' which can combine real-time data generated by sensors with cognitive computing, will explore how to provide clinicians and caregivers with insights that could help them make better care decisions for their patients.' IBM expects to use IBM MERA, the Internet of Things, and other cognitive-powered technologies to study how data from atmospheric, motion and falling, audio and olfactory sensors can be used by caregivers to improve healthcare of senior people. 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.
DEAR ABBY: I am a 70-year-old woman, married for 50 years, and I hate my husband. He wants to go to swinger parties and toss me to other men. I tried it a couple of times for him and hated it.

He is overbearing and rude. We don't have any friends where we live, so he seeks out new people. He doesn't listen to my begging not to do this. His computer is full of porn and his thoughts are sinful, although he can't perform.

Every day I wish he were dead, but I feel guilty for these thoughts. Please tell me what to do. My life is unbearable. -- PAST MY LIMIT IN ORLANDO

DEAR PAST YOUR LIMIT: By now it should be apparent to you that you can't change your husband. The only thing you can change is yourself. If you find the strength to do that, your circumstances will change. Because you say your life is unbearable, stop bearing it. Talk to a lawyer and set yourself free.

DEAR ABBY: My 33-year-old son has mental problems. He is moving out to live with a guy he has been talking to on the internet and who has met him once.

His father and I are against it, not because of their homosexuality but because we are afraid it's a dangerous situation. We have learned that the guy was arrested three years ago on three different charges. He says he was cleared, but refuses any background checks or fingerprinting for jobs and/or government housing.

When we tried to talk to our son and explain the dangers, he became irate and blamed everything on us. He has no driver's license and has threatened to take off. He has also threatened suicide. We have asked him to consider talking to a psychiatrist, but he refuses. He does see a psychologist every three months, and he's supposed to be on medication, which he refuses to take. How can we deal with this? His psychologist won't talk to us unless my son gives the OK. -- DESPERATE WORRIED MOTHER

DEAR DESPERATE: Because your son is an adult, unless he is a danger to himself or others, there is nothing you can do to prevent him from leaving. However, you CAN write his psychologist a letter letting him/her know what is going on and address your concerns. There is a chance your son might pay more attention to what his therapist says than to you.

An organization that may be of help to you is The National Alliance on Mental Illness, accessible at nami.org. It may be able to provide you with the guidance and emotional support you need.

DEAR ABBY: I'm 16, and I have a crush on a guy who is 23. We met in the gym he works at. He's very shy and he didn't make the first move, but now we flirt a lot. I don't know what to think because we met at his work, and he's so much older than I am. What do you think about the situation? If he kisses me, what should I think? If he doesn't make a move, what should I do? -- CONFUSED IN CONNECTICUT

DEAR CONFUSED: My advice is to forget about it. If he kisses you, consider the consequences if your parents found out what's been going on. It could cost this man his job. He may be very nice, but he is so much older and more experienced than you are that there could be criminal penalties and possibly jail time for him if he's foolish enough to pursue you.

DEAR ABBY: I recently went to a funeral viewing for a friend's adult child whom I had never met. After entering the funeral home, I saw a computer-generated sign stating, "Please understand that we (mom, dad, brother and daughter) just couldn't be here."

Abby, I wasn't there to see the deceased; I was there to express my sympathy to the family. Why bother to have a viewing? All I wanted to say was how sorry I am for their loss. -- KAREN IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR KAREN: Please have a little less judgment and a little more compassion. Remember that not everyone deals with death in the same way. The viewing was for family members, friends and acquaintances of the deceased who COULD bear to be there. You can still express your sympathy to the grieving family by writing them a condolence letter.

DEAR ABBY: It has happened again, another stressful, unpleasant Thanksgiving for me. My husband has out-of-town relatives who fly in using frequent flier miles. They get picked up from the airport on arrival and returned to the airport for departure. They spend a week here eating, drinking and being entertained. NEVER ONCE have they offered to buy any food, help with meals or take us out for dinner. If we go out for a meal, it is always our treat.

They brag nonstop about how much money they are saving, and they could well afford to be gracious. This has been happening for 15 years. They invite themselves. I do NOT enjoy their company. My husband is aware of how I feel, but has asked me to tolerate them because they are the only blood relatives he's in contact with outside of our family.

I am left to do the laundry and cleaning after they leave. They have a nice vacation, and I feel used and abused. How can I get rid of them and still keep peace in the family? -- FED UP WITH FREELOADERS

DEAR FED UP: If your husband insists on entertaining these users because of his blood relationship, you should allow him to do it. If you're feeling magnanimous, welcome them warmly and tell them you're sorry you can't spend more time with them, but you are leaving to visit: your grown children, your parents, your dear old school chum(s).

Perhaps when your husband has to shoulder all of the responsibility for those awful people, he will realize the extent to which he is being used and find the courage to tell them what he expects of them the next time they visit. You have suffered enough.

DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I have been planning our wedding for two years. Both of us are working our butts off at two jobs to pay for all the elaborate details. It will, after all, be the most beautiful day of my life.

My fiance's sister just got engaged and I'm happy for her. But now she's talking about having her wedding "around the same time as ours" to make it convenient for our distant relatives. My concern is that they're going to "steal our moment."

I feel very hurt, but I'm not sure how to approach her because I don't want to cause conflict. It would make so much more sense for them to be married the following year. On the other hand, it's their prerogative to do it whenever they want. Am I being unreasonable? -- UNREASONABLE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

DEAR UNREASONABLE: Every bride -- or almost every bride -- fantasizes that her wedding day will be the most beautiful day of her life. Whether or not your fiance's sister has her wedding around that time will not detract from yours in the slightest -- and it shouldn't be a contest anyway.

Frankly, the idea of sparing the relatives the expense of traveling to a second wedding makes sense. However, if you cannot accept this, then perhaps you should consider postponing your wedding for another year. Look at the bright side: If you do, you will have 12 months of extra income, and your wedding can be even more elaborate.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my wife for four years, but we have been together for 11. She has three children whom I love and treat as my own. My problem is that my wife is a baker and lets the kids eat whatever, whenever, and as much as they want.

My older daughter has graduated from college, where she worked out regularly and lost weight. However, my son and younger daughter have ballooned to obese. I have tried to talk to my wife about instilling better eating habits, but it never materializes. Food with no nutritional value is consumed each school night, along with bowls of my wife's homemade ice cream. I know being obese will have lifelong consequences for them. How can I fix the problem and help them change how they eat? -- NEEDS GUIDANCE IN FLORIDA

DEAR NEEDS GUIDANCE: You're correct that childhood obesity can set the stage for lifelong health problems. I'm surprised your wife hasn't been told this by their doctor. If she thinks stuffing them with unhealthy food and failing to instill good eating habits is showing them "love," she's misguided.

If she is doing this because of some emotional need of her own, she may need both nutritional and emotional counseling to get past it. A step in the right direction would be for you to involve your kids in family time that includes exercise and encourage them to choose a sport that interests them and to pursue it. If you ask your older daughter, I'll bet she would be glad to support the idea.

DEAR ABBY: One of my friends says I work too much, that I have little to no time for myself or her, and when I'm off, I spend the majority of my time sleeping.

Abby, I'm a certified nursing assistant and work in a hospital that requires me to work 12-hour shifts. (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) What should I do? Yes, they are long hours, but I love what I do. Does this make me a workaholic? -- LOVES MY WORK IN OKLAHOMA

DEAR LOVES: No. It makes you a lucky person who is dedicated to a profession she enjoys. What matters is that your schedule works FOR YOU, not for your friend, and that you get sufficient rest to do it efficiently.

DEAR ABBY: I divorced last year after 14 years of marriage. We have a 10-year-old son together. While staying with his father on weekends, he has overheard his father and new girlfriend having sex. It has happened a couple of times, and each time my son comes home in tears. His father has promised to not let it happen again.

My son is now worried that I'm doing the same thing, and he is treating me like I am the child and he's the parent. He seems to think that people have sex only to have babies, and he is worried.

Do I need to get him some kind of counseling, or will this get better as he gets older and matures? I'm angry that his father didn't use his head before choosing his actions, and now I'm the one being punished for it. -- TOO MUCH FOR MY SON

DEAR TOO MUCH: If your son hasn't had "the talk" with you or his father, it should start immediately so he knows that having sex doesn't always mean the result will be babies. And while you're at it, tell your son that you are not planning to have any more children anytime soon, so he has no reason to worry about you.

DEAR ABBY: I volunteer at a local hospital. We were told in training not to come to work if we were sick. One volunteer I work with didn't heed what he was told and showed up last week sneezing and coughing. When I asked if he wanted to go home, he declined. Although I cleaned his workstation with an antiseptic, a few days later I came down with the worst cold I have had in years.

I take care not to do anything to jeopardize my good health, but I had no control over this situation. I think it is extremely thoughtless of sick people to expose co-workers to their germs. Please, people, stay home when you are sick! -- STILL RECOVERING IN OKLAHOMA

DEAR STILL RECOVERING: I hear you loud and clear, and I agree. Your co-worker should be ashamed of himself. If he infected you, I can only wonder how many of the patients were put at risk or infected. As soon as you saw your co-worker had come to work sick, you should have informed your supervisor. If you had, it might have saved you some misery.

DEAR ABBY: My so-called boyfriend asked me to marry him. The problem is, he's already married to a woman he married for financial reasons. He doesn't believe in divorce, so where does that leave me? Yes, I love him, but I feel hurt and my heart is heavy. He doesn't know that I know all of this, and if he did, he would probably be upset. What should I do? -- HURTING HEART

DEAR HURTING HEART: I know your heart is heavy. Any woman's heart would be if she found herself in your situation. If your boyfriend's wife knew what he was proposing, I'll bet SHE would believe in divorce.

Tell him to get lost, and run in the opposite direction! Whether it "upsets" him is irrelevant. The last thing you need is a cheater. He will never marry you because he's already married -- to his meal ticket.

DEAR ABBY: I sent out save-the-date notices for my wedding in November. One couple has stopped talking to me and refuses to tell me why. Must I send them an invitation to my wedding? -- WEDDING BLUES

DEAR WEDDING BLUES: According to Emily Post, the rules of etiquette dictate that "EVERYONE WHO RECEIVES A SAVE-THE-DATE CARD MUST RECEIVE AN INVITATION." (The italics are Emily's.) However, because the couple has stopped speaking to you, do not be surprised if you hear nothing from them.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a woman in my 30s. My father has been in prison since I was a tot. I was raised by my mother who, in my opinion, did a great job. My relationship with my father has been damaged for as long as I can remember. He will never get out, and part of me is angry at him for making such poor life choices.

When I was a teenager he struck me once during a visit. He is also manipulative and sometimes does hurtful things. For example, a few years ago he wrote me letters to which I never responded. When I finally got around to writing him back, he mailed my letters back to me (unopened) and said I deserved to see how it felt to have letters go unanswered.

He has said he's convinced he will die within five years because he's nearing the ages when his parents died. I think there's something wrong with him, and I'm afraid that after he passes on I'll feel like I didn't make enough of an effort. How do I proceed with my relationship with my father? -- CAUTIOUS IN THE SOUTH

DEAR CAUTIOUS: Your father made terrible life choices, and he's spending the rest of his life paying for them. I don't blame you for feeling anger at his inability to parent you. However, before advising you to write him off, I would need to know why he lashed out at you during your prison visit, even though hitting is unacceptable.

When people are incarcerated, their ability to reach out is severely limited, as I am sure you know all too well. I don't think the way your father handled your ignoring his letters was bad or wrong. If his silence stung you, imagine how yours affected him.

Whether or not your father is dying is beside the point. I think on some level you know you have to treat him with more compassion than you have, or you wouldn't have written to me. I don't know anyone who hasn't made mistakes. Your father made a doozy. But you say your mother raised you right, and if that's true it couldn't hurt to treat him with some compassion.

DEAR ABBY: My dad started an affair with a woman who is four years older than I am. He met her when he hired her for her "services." Fast-forward a year: He has left my mom. Mom left the state and has moved in with me. She's trying to rebuild her life, but she's still very much in love with my dad.

Dad, on the other hand, is miserable. His girlfriend is controlling to the point that he's not allowed to talk to his children or grandchildren. She's an alcoholic who mentally, verbally and physically abuses him. He recently left her and came to stay at my house. He told Mom and me that he wanted a fresh start.

Abby, he was here for less than 48 hours and went back to the girlfriend! I am convinced that he either has a drug problem or he's sick. He has lost an extreme amount of weight. I have no idea how to help him and I'm terrified that he is going to die.

Now he won't talk to me. He left while I was at work so he wouldn't have to face me. I don't understand why he would come here only to turn right around and leave. I am disgusted, disappointed and angry. Should I cut all ties with him until he gets his life together? -- DISAPPOINTED DAUGHTER

DEAR DISAPPOINTED: Considering what has been going on, your feelings are natural. However, because you are unsure about what is driving your father -- addiction, illness, indecision, etc. -- do not "cut all ties." Leave the door ajar a little longer. There's a saying, "It ain't over 'til it's over." Victims sometimes need several attempts to leave their abusers, and your dad may be no exception.

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a wonderful girl for about seven months. We're sophomores in college. She's sweet, kind, extraordinarily talented, and we treat each other wonderfully. Everything has been great, with the occasional disagreement.

The problem is that I'm starting to notice that she seems to be homophobic. I was raised in a liberal, open-minded home, whereas hers was much more conservative. She never met a homosexual until college. She has talked about feeling uncomfortable with two men kissing or talking about being intimate.

At first, I thought she'd be equally uncomfortable with straight couples doing the same thing, but she wasn't. When I tell her that I support marriage equality and the LGBTQ community, she gets very quiet and uneasy.

I care for her, but I don't know if I can be with someone who's this uncomfortable about homosexuality. What do you think I should do? This is a very important issue to me, and I would love your insight. -- TORN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

DEAR TORN: She may be a wonderful girl, but whether you are wonderful for each other is open to question. Try to project ahead. If the two of you were to marry and she was unable to overcome her aversion to gay people, to what extent would it limit your ability to interact with them? Or their ability to have a relationship with you?

Let this play out a little longer to see if she's able to evolve with more exposure. If she's not, then she may not be the one for you.

DEAR ABBY: My son's girlfriend of five years and her 8-year-old daughter have been living with my son for the last four years. She has recently started introducing my husband and me as her daughter's "grandparents." Tonight she asked for details about my father so her daughter could include them in a paper she is writing about her "family." The daughter's father and his current wife had twins recently, and I understand from her mother that she is somewhat jealous.

I feel uncomfortable with this new description of our relationship, although I don't want to hurt the girl. Should I say something to my son's girlfriend or my son? -- FAMILY DETAILS IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR FAMILY DETAILS: The word from here is: Keep your lips zipped! If you object, it will cause only hard feelings. You say your son and his girlfriend have been living together for four years. If they should have a child together, do you plan to treat that child differently? Face it, you ARE in the role of a grandparent. My advice is to accept it graciously and act accordingly.

DEAR ABBY: I'm an 18-year-old girl and on my way to Navy boot camp. I'm excited about my enlistment, but I have a few troubling distractions.

The first is my mother, "Dana." I moved in with my dad a year and a half ago, and it has been an amazing, positive change. But any contact I have with Dana or my grandmother screws me up majorly. I become mopey, have a bad attitude, and I'm just an all-around bad person to be around. This upsets my dad and my stepmom, "Ashley," whom I consider to be my true mom, because it affects them and my three sisters.

They say I need to forgive and let go, since obviously I won't get an apology from Dana for how she raised and treated me. What I need is advice on how to forgive and remove her from my life without hurting her feelings or making it worse at home. -- ON MY WAY TO BOOT CAMP

DEAR ON YOUR WAY: It isn't necessary to forgive a toxic parent. What you need to do is distance yourself from her, which will happen soon as you depart for boot camp. If being around Dana depresses you, see her as little as possible and don't feel guilty about it. Do not demand or expect an apology from her and don't offer one, because separating oneself from someone who mistreated you is healthy.

DEAR ABBY: I recently graduated from a prestigious university. I am proud of having graduated from there, and I would like to put a bumper sticker of that university on my car. My father says I shouldn't do it because it will come across as pretentious.

While I understand where he's coming from, my pride for my alma mater is no different than that of many of my high school friends who went to various universities around the country. I'm not sure what to do and would appreciate your opinion. -- PROUD ALUM IN TEXAS

DEAR PROUD ALUM: I'm sure your father means well. However, if you would like to advertise the fact that you graduated from a prestigious university, go ahead and do so. You have earned the right, and no one should criticize you for it.

DEAR ABBY: I'm 57 and have been married for 25 years. My husband has retired and is ready for me to do the same. I enjoy my work, and I am delaying my retirement because he wants to move to another state.

Abby, all I can think about is how I will be forced to start all over with a new church, new doctors, new friends, etc. That's incredibly stressful for me, and I don't want to do it. It takes me a while to warm up to people, and I don't do it easily. To me, it would not be an exciting adventure.

I have told him I don't want to do this and why. He responds that if I want to visit my friends I can always "hop on a plane." He said he's tired of the cold and wants to move. All I can think about is having to sell our home, buy another one, learn a new area, make friends, find a new church. I have all of that here. Maybe he should be a snowbird? -- DON'T WANT TO START ANEW

DEAR DON'T WANT: If you and your husband can afford two places, perhaps you should both be snowbirds. It couldn't hurt to rent a place for a few months to see what life would be like in a new community. That's what I recommend to readers who contemplate making a drastic change -- such as relocation -- in their lives. If you do that, you might find that the "natives" are friendly and the community is congenial. However, if that's not the case, it could help you to avoid making a costly mistake.

DEAR ABBY: My daughter has been divorced less than a year and is dating again. (She's the one who left the marriage.) However, she keeps many pictures of her ex-husband on her Facebook page. She says he was a big part of her life, and she refuses to take them down. She thinks if a guy can't accept it, then he isn't the right guy. Do you agree that she's sending the wrong message? -- TAKE THE PHOTOS DOWN

DEAR TAKE: Personally, I do. A picture is worth a thousand words, and what it shows those who see hers is that she hasn't emotionally let go of her ex-husband. However, if men date her after looking at her Facebook page and seeing his pictures posted there, it's working for her, and I can't offer a criticism. Because you can't stop her, I suggest you accept it.

DEAR ABBY: It's that time of year when you print your gift ideas for seniors column. When my dad was alive, he, like many others, was on a fixed income. Among his pleasures was watching ballgames and keeping up with current events. So I contacted his cable company and arranged to pay his cable bill for a period of time as a gift. This can be arranged for any increment of time to match the gifter's budget -- from one month to a year. It allowed Dad to enjoy his TV and have some extra spending money that would otherwise have gone to paying the cable bill. -- ROSEMARY IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR ROSEMARY: You are a good daughter. Thanks for sharing your idea. It's a thoughtful one, and I'm sure my readers will thank you for the suggestion.

DEAR ABBY: You missed the mark in your answer to "Mother Doesn't Know Best" (July 7), whose 8-year-old stepson arrives for visits in old, ill-fitting clothing, even though the father purchases new clothes for him on every visit.

I live in Ohio, and the state considers housing, food, electricity, gas and running water as part of the makeup of child support. I know this firsthand. You also need to know if the mother is working and if she contributes to her son's support. What about other expenses (toys, haircuts, uniforms, etc.)?

Part of the problem may be that Stepmom and Dad live across the country and aren't there to see what exactly goes on day to day. Yes, the little boy shouldn't be showing up at their home in clothes that are too small, but even Stepmom said he was putting on weight. -- MITZI IN DAYTON, OHIO

DEAR MITZI: Your points are well taken. However, the majority of the feedback I received about that letter pointed out that children arriving in old clothes for visits with their dads is a popular ploy that some custodial mothers use in order to get new clothes, and some even return the clothes for cash. Read on:

DEAR ABBY: I had a divorced girlfriend I had confided in about this same problem. She said, "Don't you know? We always send the kids to their dad's in their worst clothing. That way, they'll have to buy them new stuff during the visit."

You can't assume that because a child arrives in worn or ill-fitting clothes that the custodial parent is unfit or that the child doesn't have lots of better clothing at home. -- MRS. D. IN VIRGINIA

DEAR ABBY: Please suggest that when Stepmom and Dad buy clothes for his son, they mark the labels with the boy's initials. The mom may be returning the items for cash and buying something she wanted for herself. -- MOM WHO KNOWS

DEAR ABBY: I am writing this as I sit in a hospital at my daughter's bedside. When staff comes into her room, she asks them to wash their hands in front of her before putting on their gloves. Several doctors took offense at this. We even posted a note on the door, asking the staff to wash up inside the room. Were we wrong? She doesn't want to increase her risk of infection. I would think that a patient worried about proper hygiene would not be sneered at by the people trying to get her healthy. -- TRYING TO STAY HEALTHY

DEAR TRYING TO STAY HEALTHY: Bravo to you for speaking up! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital-acquired infections have cost the hospital industry $30 billion and resulted in 100,000 patient deaths. A 2013 New York Times article reported that unless pushed to do so, hospital workers wash their hands only as little as 30 percent of the time they interact with patients. The problem is so widespread that some hospitals must monitor workers via video cameras or have them wear electronic badges to "encourage" compliance, while others have resorted to "bribing" workers to do the right thing.

You were not wrong to ask staffers at your daughter's hospital to wash their hands. Nobody should feel reluctant to ask for something that is standard procedure.

Because many patients in hospitals and care facilities feel vulnerable and dependent, they fear that staff will "dislike" them if they ask for too much. For patients to request handwashing is not only in their best interest, but also the hospital's. Too often, change doesn't happen in the medical profession until patients speak up and advocate for their own well-being. You would not have been "sneered at" if your request hadn't made those individuals feel defensive.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
SmartTrans Holdings Ltdhas secured $4.5 million to fund its expansion in the China e-commerce marketplace and market its SmartPay payments platform in Australia.SmartTrans recently announced a deal with a digital marketing agency, Shanghai Dodoca Information Technology Co, to launch and operate an e-commerce marketplace via WeChat, which is a popular social media app in China.The company will to promote and sell premium Australian products to Chinese consumers via this new marketplace, which SmartTrans says will launch shortly.SmarTrans says $4 million of that funding comes from a new institutional investor Lanstead Capital LP (who will receive 400 million shares in SmartTrans). The company also says $500,000 in funding comes from two existing shareholders Loyal Strategic Investment and Dymocks Securities.SmartTrans reported a net loss of $2.8 million at 30 June 2016.
BigHaat, a Bangalore, India-based agriculture supply chain technology platform, raised funding from Ankur Capital.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The company intends to use the capital to grow operations including hiring, marketing, and upgrading the platform.

Launched in January 2015 by Sateesh Nukala, Sachin Nandwana, and Raj Kancham, BigHaat is an agtech company providing a supply chain technology platform that connects the farming community directly with suppliers of agri products (crop protection, instruments, accessories etc).

The company is working with several agri inputs suppliers across India to bring their products on the platform and providing transparent and competitive services directly to farmers. It ensures listing of the products and connects buyers with the suppliers for pre & post-sale support providing an end to end user experience.

To date, the company has partnered with brands including Monsanto, DuPont-Pioneer, Monsanto-Seminis, Mahyco, Fito, Namdhari, UPL, Indus (I&B), BioSeed, Nuziveedu, Privi Life Sciences and others.

FinSMEs

28/12/2016
The European Investment Fund (EIF) and the Hellenic Republic signed a funding agreement to establish a 260m risk capital Fund-of-Funds.

200m comes from the Operational Programme Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2014-2020, supported by the European Regional Development Fund. This amount will be complemented by 60m co-invested by EIF, which will include up to 10m from EFSI supported resources.

This new financial instrument, which will finance independently-managed funds, aims to facilitate access to finance for entrepreneurs in the country. It will support technology transfer funds in Greece and kick-start investments into accelerator funds. Equity companies, from early stage start-up companies to mature growth companies, will also benefit from the Fund-of-Funds.

FinSMEs

28/12/2016
Actress Carrie Fisher, known for her iconic role as Princess Leia, in the original Star wars franchise, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. She was 60. The actress had been hospitalised on Friday after suffering a heart attack while flying from London to Los Angeles.

The family members of the late actress issued statements to condole Fisher's death.

Actress Debbie Reynolds, Fisher's mother said, "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop."

Simon Halls speaking on the behalf of Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd said, "She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly."

Fisher's half-sister Joely tweeted her heartbreak.

Breaking my silence with a broken  heart...the Unfathomable loss...the earth is off its axis today...how dare you take her away from us pic.twitter.com/fUHwsHRwyy  Joely Fisher (@MsJoelyFisher) December 27, 2016

Veteran filmmaker Steven Spielberg added, "I have always stood in awe of Carrie. Her observations always made me laugh and gasp at the same time. She didn't need The Force. She was a force of nature, of loyalty and of friendship. I will miss her very much."

Star Wars colleagues poured in their tributes.

Star Wars co-star and Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford said, "Carrie was one-of-a-kind  brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life bravely. We will all miss her." George Lucas, the director of the iconic film franchise said, "In Star Wars, she was our great and powerful princess  feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people think. She will be missed by all."

"I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn't. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many. I am very, very sad."

- Anthony Daniels (C3PO)

"I am extremely sad to learn of Carrie's passing. She was wonderful to work with. Condolences to her friends, family & fans around the world."

- David Prowse (Darth Vader)

"There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly."

- Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)

I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!  Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) December 27, 2016

Actor Mark Hamill seemed devastated on losing his co-star

Here are some Twitter reactions to the death of the iconic actress.

Comedienne Ellen Degeneres tweeted an old interview with the late actress.

.@CarriefFisher was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend. She was so much fun. I can't believe she's gone. https://t.co/wpxGvBWA0b  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 27, 2016

The Rosemary's Baby star celebrated the late actress.

Carrie was brilliant, funny and talented. Sending huge love be to her mom, her daughter, Billie and her many friends  mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) December 27, 2016

The Gladiator actor narrated a funny incident while paying tribute.

RIP Carrie

2000 she grabbed my ass and said " you would have loved me when I was on Xanax". Funny, interesting, chaotic , soulful. Friend.  Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) December 28, 2016

Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, who stars in the latest Star Wars flick took to Twitter to pay his tribute.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday morning arrested a manager of the Kotak Mahindra Bank for his alleged links with hawala trader Parasmal Lodha and Delhi-based lawyer Rohit Tandon.

Sources in the ED said that Ashish Kumar, the manager at the Kasturba Gandhi Marg branch of the bank, was arrested for allegedly converting over Rs 25 crore in demonetised notes linked to industrialist J. Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon.

On 23 December, the income tax department had carried out raids at the branch.

Ashish, a resident of Haryana, would be produced in a Delhi court on Wednesday afternoon.

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, was intercepted at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the bank said in a statement that it has already suspended the services of the employee and that it proactively informed the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) about the suspicious transactions.

"The Bank on its own, on observing the nature of transactions in these accounts, proactively filed a report with FIU for further investigations well in time. On subsequent investigation by the Income Tax authorities, the Bank, as per their instructions, has deposited the entire amount that was credited with these accounts with the Income Tax department," the bank said in a statement.

With IANS
Much before economists like Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya weighed in favour of Narendra Modis policies as Gujarat chief minister, Bibek Debroy stirred a hornets nest by praising the Gujarat development model. Debroy was then with the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies (RGICS), a Congress think tank. Needless to say, Debroy had to quit. But that did not stop him from speaking his mind. Debroy drew close to Modi prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and played a critical role in shaping his economic policies. He was drafted as a member of the Niti Aayog after the extinction of the Planning Commission. In the meantime, he was tasked with reviewing the functioning of Indian Railways.

Debroy now wears many hats, one of them as defender of demonetisation. He has been valiantly defending the governments move to make currency notes of denomination Rs 500 and Rs 1000 illegal tender. He says that it is just the beginning of a clean up of the entire economic ecosystem. In a wide-ranging interview, Debroy explains the rationale and the long-term impact of the move. Here are the edited excerpts:

As we approach the 50-day demonetisation deadline, can you explain its objectives, benefits and travails that the exercise entailed? As an economist and policy analyst, how do you sum it up?

One should not look at 8 November (the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation) in isolation. The reason I am mentioning this is because there are various other things that have happened outside 8 November and will continue to happen outside November 8. So, the day should be considered from this broader perspective. Let me give some examples of that.

First, Ill take up the issue of creation of new black income (in light of the strong criticism of demonetisation that it will not stop the creation of new black income  Ed). I am deliberately using the phrase black income instead of black money because we are talking about specifics and from an economists point of view there is wealth that is stock  gold, real estate, etc  and there is income that is flow (cash). 8 November was not meant to address the issue of creation of new black income.

There are other instruments to take care of that, like negotiating and re-negotiating agreements with Mauritius. This has already happened. Take for instance the restriction on cash transactions above Rs 20,000. Take something like the Real Estate Bill which, among other things, promises to transform the real estate sector from being unorganised to organised. It will not happen overnight but over a period of time. The prime minister has already indicated that many such measures will be introduced. And, remember, all this is happening on the back of an income declaration scheme that ended on 30 September.

That scheme was specifically meant for a greater scrutiny of people who might have had black income. So when people criticise demonetisation for failing to check the creation of new black income they fail to understand that nobody is saying that this is the only way all the issues can be addressed.

Now, lets turn to the next serious criticism pertaining to the definition of what is black money. There are two different uses of the term black. They are not quite the same. The first refers to money earned through illegal activities such as crime or drugs. The second type of black is when the activity is not illegal. So the income generation is perfectly legal but the tax that ought to be paid was not paid. Nobody is denying that black exists in non-cash forms like gold or property. There are instruments that have been introduced to tackle this and will continue to be introduced. Just because a substantial part of this black income is in other forms does not mean that it (the matter of black income) should not be addressed.

Lets take up the third big criticism of demonetisation about cash vs cashless. In India cash is used substantially. And it is obvious as India is not a developed country. No one is expecting the use of cash in India to disappear overnight. But look at the ratios. The cash-GDP ratio in India even till last year was 13 percent. Some 15 years ago it was nine percent. Somebody needs to explain how this ratio increased from nine percent to 13 percent. Even if I assume that we need cash, it should be understood that when a country develops the use of cash reduces. Then how and why did we witness this increase?

Look at countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. What is the cash-GDP ratio in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? It is five percent or three percent. Even in Pakistan it is nine percent. So let us accept that there is too much cash around. Let us also accept that there have been deliberate compulsions to use cash. Take for example the Payment of Wages Act. Section 6 of the Act, which has been there for years, has said you must pay wages in cash unless you have concurrence from the employee not to do so. Who will do so? Why should we have such a rule in this age? It is only now that things have changed; it should have been done years ago.

And take for instance the high fees on non-cash modes. Someone should have objected to the rates they charge. So let us also recognise that there have been disincentives to using cash. Let us also remember that Jan Dhan Yojna accounts have already happened. So we have now more than 260 million accounts and many have RuPay cards. But sadly for them it is just a piece of plastic that will be used at ATMs as they have not been still educated and convinced that these RuPay card can be used for something else also.

Critics may point at the unbanked population of India and say that they dont believe in the Jan Dhan figures. My response is that fine, dont believe in these figures. But here is the survey done in August, not by government but by a private institution, and it states that 97 to 98 percent of Indias population  both urban and rural  has bank accounts. Now, if one says that all of them are not using the bank accounts, I may agree with it. But dont say that they dont have bank accounts.

How much exactly do the currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 account for in the economy? And how much of it have we got back?

There is a lot of confusion around as people are using two different bases. One is the RBI balance sheet figure which is slightly old and which puts the number at Rs 14 lakh crore. The other one is the figure on 8 November. It is the latest figure and it puts the number at almost Rs 16 lakh crore.

Lets stick to Rs 16 lakh crore base. Now out of this how much was black? How much is going to come back into the system? To the best of my understanding no one in the government has predicted or projected anything. How much has already come in we dont really know. There are all kinds of figures floating around. These figures may not always be final.

Lets take the example of fake currency. Fake currency check goes through three different layers. Once it has gone through all three it is very unlikely that it will be deposited in the banking system. But today when you are looking at the figures it is perfectly possible that fake currency was deposited earlier.

Alternatively, you go and take old notes at petrol pumps. It may be showing up in the accounts that petrol pumps maintain with the bank. It may also be showing up with the report that BPCL is giving to the government. So until the figures are final one real does not know.

But the last figure I know is Rs 12 to 12.5 lakh crore. Which means, I personally think, that most people who were going to deposit it have already done so. Even if I accept that Rs 14 lakh crore comes in by the end of the month, the remaining Rs two lakh crore is not an indicator of success or failure. A lot of criticism is happening that only Rs two lakh crore will be left. To the best of my knowledge, no one in the government has said that it is the criteria of success. Because, the money that is coming into the system has not become white. It will invite taxes and penalties if required and will have deeper scrutiny. Just because it is in the banking system does not mean it is legitimate.

I mentioned earlier that people who are holding cash are being dissuaded to do so. So it is good that it comes into the system. I think it is a success as people are realising that this initiative is a serious one. So there is not much point in my hanging on to cash.

To my understanding it is an attempt at cleaning up the entire system. So if I look at it narrowly just from an economists point of view, I am missing the true picture.

This is the beginning of an attempt to clean up the gold market. I am not talking about jewellery market, which is different. It is also an attempt to clean up the financing of capital market transactions and real estate. And also one has got electoral reforms as part of the debate agenda.

I am not saying that something substantial has happened but it is part of the discourse. It should be seen as part of the broader process. You can dispute the survey figures. One survey says that 60 percent people are supporting you, another says that 80 percent are backing you. What you find across all surveys is that a large number of people are supporting the measure and it is because, I feel, they have realised that 8 November is just a small piece in the process.

My last point is when you are doing something like this you can make perfect plans. But when you do perfect planning it becomes impossible to preserve secrecy. To preserve secrecy I may take some decisions, you in the same position may take some other decisions. It cannot be the case that my decisions will be perfect as I may not be able to assess all eventualities. But if you are in my place you might also take decisions that might not have been perfect.

Obviously there was inconvenience. Let me divide it into different parts. One, the task was to get enough new notes to banks; two, naturally when there is a shortage there will be rationing. So in this scenario it was decided to take smaller denomination notes to rural areas; and three, it is one thing to get the notes to the bank and it is another to take it to ATMs. As a government you do not have much of control on how the banks take the money to the ATMs because it is outsourced. So there was a problem with banks and ATMs. I think  purely anecdotally as there is no data  that the problem at the banks has become lesser day by day even in Delhi and Mumbai. ATMs, yes, there are still problems. I have no idea how long it will take.

From where did the word windfall gain currency in this entire exercise?

Right from the beginning I have followed what the finance minister and the finance ministry have been saying. I have seen that there was a recognition that there are three different channels through which money will come. One is the money which does return. This reduces the liabilities of RBI. When liabilities of the RBI are reduced that is not automatically the money that in any fraction has gone to or will go to the government. It is for RBI and finance ministry to take decisions. Today sitting here we do not know how this part will be handled.

The second part is that there will be some money that will come into the banks, mostly public sector banks. It will ease their stressed assets problems and to that extent it enables them to lend better. But again, the banks, even if they are public sector banks, are not the government.

The third is the money that actually comes into the consolidated fund of India through taxes penalties and other means.

Now I have two things to say on this. First, I have already mentioned the income declaration scheme. Over and above this, action has been taken by the income tax department. It has resulted in a lot of money coming in.

Second, when I declare Rs 100 as additional income then that entire Rs 100 is not revenue to the government. Only the taxes and penalties are revenue to it. It is this money that the government can use for different purposes. How the government chooses to use it we will know partly on 1 February (the day of the Union Budget). I said partly because we would not know the figure till the end of March, which is the window for voluntary declaration of undisclosed income. As far as windfall gain is concerned, I dont think in the government has ever used this word.

When the prime minister announced demonetisation he laid down certain objectives: Black money, fake currency and tackling terrorist activities. But over the weeks it seems the goalposts have moved.

No, I dont think the goalposts have moved. There were multiple objectives. I will give you an example. On this issue I have been giving interviews to different people. Somewhere I would have spoken something to one person responding to specific questions and I would have said something different to another, but that does not mean that my focus changed. You see it is not a single objective.A lot of people are referring only to what the prime minister said on or after 8 November. My request is that you look at what he has been saying earlier in his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat. This has been figuring in his speeches for quite some time.

It is not fair to say that goalposts are moving.

Take the case of fake currency. I dont think that the issue is about the absolute value of fake currency. In 2014, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) put the value at Rs 400 crore. There is an Intelligence Bureau (IB) figure of Rs 2400 crore. It is not about what the exact value of fake currency is but to understand that it does not take a lot of money for a terrorist attack with a lot of undesirable consequences. Even Rs 10 crore is good enough to cause enough damage. If I am destroying the counterfeit apparatus today there is no surety that it will not reappear in future. It has to be a continuous process.

So you are saying that this talk of moving goalposts is not valid.

I think so. I have been listening to Modi. I think the most important objective here was to clean up the system.

Now the next strike in all probability will be on benami property. How do you think the government will be able to do this? How much impact will it have on real estate? Is there any assessment?

People have been complaining that the real estate sector has been destroyed because of demonetisation. I ask what has been destroyed? Is it the value of the property? Is it the registered value of the property? There is a big difference between the two. Is it the black component or the white component? And the invariable reaction of anyone I speak to on this is that what has been destroyed is the black component. In Delhi, 50 percent of transactions used to be in black and 50 percent in white. Right now the system is in shock but I am certain that when it is stable, it will no longer be 50 percent black and 50 percent white. All of it (black) may not disappear but it will be much lesser. Whenever Goods and Services Tax (GST) happens it will bring a lot more into the net. So it is part of the entire thing and not just November 8.

The political part  the elections etc  requires a debate. It is not easy. And you have to also see that because of this a lot of poor people have started using non-cash means. So what I am seeing, though it is difficult to get it quantified, is that in many ways middlemen are getting eliminated from the system.

How do you think it will impact the tax base?

Indirect taxes will increase because of GST. There is difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. Tax avoidance is legal whereas tax evasion is illegal. So to broaden the direct income tax net, you need to take care of exemptions. Today when a chartered accountant is not paying his taxes it is not always the case that he is evading. Rather he might be having legitimate exemptions that he can avail. I have a feeling that in future there will be a greater degree of enforcement with regard to eliminating cash transactions in certain segments. My hunch is that the segments that will be made more accountable will be lawyers, chartered accountants and doctors.

There is another difficult issue that is linked to this: Taxing people in rural areas.

Technically, taxing agricultural income is a state subject but taxing non-agricultural income of the farmer is not a state subject. There is an issue there that is more about enforcement. So part of it is broadening the base, but also simultaneously ensuring that tax department, both direct and indirect, does not unnecessarily cause harassment to honest tax payers and I feel that we will see something on this line in the budget.

How do you react to reports of people illegally exchanging money? Do you feel that banks did not behave in the manner they were supposed to?

One of the channels that was misused quite a bit was exchange, which is really an RBI thing. I think there were three problems with banks. First, they were not very vigilant about the functioning of the ATMs. They were talking about whether the ATMs were calibrated, but I am talking about how many ATMs were working. Second, from the second day we knew from newspapers that some bank officials, though most they worked really hard, connived. How do we know that they connived? Because they have been caught. So there is a positive way also to look at this.

I am a little confused about the third as there is lack of information about it. There is a shortage of notes. When there is a shortage, there is a certain principle on which distribution is made. What is the principle that RBI follows in distributing notes to different banks and what is the principle that banks follow in distributing to different ATMs? I dont have any information about this but I dont think that this is done in a very rational kind of way. If a bank like SBI has many ATMs then the bank should have information on which ATM is used to what extent and the distribution should have taken place accordingly. Am I (as a bank) doing this with efficiency? I dont think so.

Even in case of honesty I am not very sure that it was very efficiently followed. But this is my analysis and is purely anecdotal. I often take this route between Khelgaon and Aurobindo Marg and there are roughly 20 ATMs. Two days ago I found that 10 of them were working. If there is a general shortage then all should not be working. So I think it should be probed how they allocate money.

But there were so many reports about how old currency was exchanged for commission of 10 percent, 15 percent which came down to five percent later.

If they have got less money there is some destruction. There has been some tracking of this at aggregate level. Initially, when it happened it was happening at 35 percent. It has not come down at five percent. It has come down at 10-14 level. There is still destruction.

How do you react to the opinion emerging from the world around on demonetisation, some of them are calling it an immoral act.

I dont understand what is immoral here. Let us get the principles clear. Your money is in the bank. No one said that you cannot use that money. All that has been said is that there is a limit on withdrawal. You want to pay through cheque you can do that freely. You do digital transactions you are free to do that. So the first principle of criticism that I am being deprived of my property is factually incorrect. Please understand that someone who is based abroad does not know what is happening on ground here. They are forming their opinion on what you people are writing here in Indian media.
Demonetisation and "cashless" are currently the hot topics for discussions at the shopfronts in Kashmiri villages, where people gather every evening and morning to discuss and debate all sundry things.

The Kashmir Valley along with rest of India is still reeling from the aftereffects of demonetisation which Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on 8 November. Now, there are reports emerging from the region that some of the villages in the valley have gone completely cashless.

Manzigam is one such village which has been recently declared cashless in Kashmir. It is around 25 kilometres from the main town of Anantnag.

On 20 December, the village of Manzigam received a team of state government officials from the Common Service Centers (CSC) e-governance division. As part of central governments "Digital India" campaign, CSC provides various services, mostly electronic, to the general public along with training them on how to use those services. The CSC team trained about 20 villagers for cashless transactions and provided information on various digital payment systems.

But going cashless is a slow process, more so, because some habits are hard to change.

A week since the training, most people in the Manzigam village are yet to understand the idea of cashless payments. They are still carrying cash in their pockets and it is evident that there is no implementation of cashless transactions on ground.

In one of the morning gatherings at a shopfront, few of the villagers described their experience when the government team visited.

Most of the villagers still look confused when they hear about their village becoming cashless. Many have heard the term cashless, but they have no idea about what exactly it is. Yet, they are quick to point out its effects. "Now we have to carry ATM cards like we used to carry our identity cards in the early 1990s to prove our identity to the security forces," said one of the villagers who got in the middle of the discussion to offer prayers in a nearby mosque. However, another man in the early 30s said, "It would be beneficial." Many nodded.

Some have no idea what payment swipe machines are or what was taught in the training. While talking to Firstpost, a villager named Arif Ahmad said, Shopkeepers have to submit some forms (not knowing what exactly) to get the machines. I was busy and couldnt attend the training class.

He said that only around 30 people among the 300 families in the village attended the CSC camp.

Shopkeepers are the key enablers for implementation of the cashless monetary system in any village. Manzigam has around 10 shops which are yet to install payment swipe machines. They have been told to open Current Accounts so that they can accept payments through the machines. But many are reluctant, so they are still insisting on cash payments.

These problems aside, there are other logistical challenges too.

Manzigam has few smartphone users, poor internet connectivity, fluctuating electricity and the only broadband internet connection is at the only Khidmat centre.

Hamid, a 20-year-old shopkeeper from Manzigam doesnt have a 4G-enabled smartphone which is the foremost priority for using mobile wallets in Kashmir these days as prepaid 3G mobile internet services are yet to resume after the 8 July killing of militant commander Burhaan Wani.

"I dont have the internet on my phone yet, as I have a 3G phone. I somehow connect to Wi-Fi hotspots of my friends' phones to access the internet."

Hamid is, however, optimistic of having his own internet as he is expecting that Reliance Jio, a 4G service provider, may introduce internet services on 3G phones in near future. When asked about the internet speed in his village, he is quick to answer: There is a cellular network in our neighbouring village. We go in the fields for faster internet speed, otherwise, it is frustrating.

Its a similar story with Lanura village in Central Kashmirs Budgam district, which was the first village in Kashmir to go cashless. Various media reports say that the village has only got the tag of cashless, but on the ground, its implementation is zero.

The story repeats in other such villages of Kashmir which were declared and tagged as cashless villages. There seems to be no solid sign of practical adoption of cashless payment mechanisms by the villagers so far.

Talking to Firstpost, district manager of the CSC, Rayees Ahmad admitted that it is not easy to make villages go cashless. "Its really hard to say how much time it will take to go cashless. No one can say," he said.

Ahmad also pointed out the problem of poor internet connectivity and ban on prepaid mobile internet services. Mobile network is not that good. Reliance Jio has brought some relief. But everybody cannot afford a 4G smartphone. It is necessary to lift the ban on prepaid mobile internet for going digital, he added.

Many Kashmiris are of the opinion that it is not easy to implement and promote cashless transactions in the Valley as long as internet access remains susceptible to the law and order situation in Kashmir.

Mohammad Ishaq who hails from Anantnag while talking to Firstpost said, In Kashmir, where prepaid internet is banned for more than five months, how can the government claim to have cashless villages."

"If it is possible to go cashless amid these prevailing circumstances, then it will take no time for the whole Kashmir to go cashless," he remarked sarcastically.

The author is a freelance journalist based in Srinagar. He focuses on the socio-political issues of the Kashmir Valley.

(Firstpost is from the same stable as Reliance Jio)
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By Zeba Siddiqui

| HYDERABAD

HYDERABAD Vasudeva Prakash left his job as a mechanic in Hyderabad three years ago for what he calls a more lucrative career: taking part in clinical trials on generic drugs.For two years, Prakash participated in trials of drugs being tested to treat HIV/AIDS and other diseases for contract research organizations (CROs) hired by global pharmaceutical companies. The drugs tested at Indian CROs have been key in getting several hundred medicines approved for sale around the world.Yet, Prakash did not follow international guidelines for testing  and the CROs that hired him didnt require him to. He says that to earn more money he would participate in back-to-back trials on different drugs with gaps of only a few weeks or even a few days, instead of waiting the 90 days that the World Health Organization recommends.Half of more than a dozen volunteers interviewed by Reuters across four cities - Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and New Delhi - also said they waited much less than 90 days between trials. In the past three-to-four years, they said they spent several months at a time in different cities so that they could participate in as many studies as possible.Prakash provided documentation proving he underwent trials with short gaps at Apotex Research Pvt Ltd, owned by Canadian drugmaker Apotex Inc; Lotus Labs, owned by U.S. generics giant Actavis; Ethics Bio Lab, owned since last year by U.S. drugmaker Par Pharmaceutical Inc; and Indias Semler Research Center Pvt Ltd, among others. Ethics Bio and Apotex did not respond to requests for comment. Lotus Labs and Semler said they had systems in place to check for cross-participation by trial volunteers.The guidelines of the WHO, which decides on approvals for drugs sold in several countries dependent on United Nations programs for basic medicines, are not legally-binding for the CROs. While India has guidelines on clinical trials, they dont specify the length of time participants should take between trials.Still, the serial testing of some volunteers is raising new questions about the level of oversight of Indias generic drug trials industry, after some CROs came under recent international regulatory scrutiny. Last year, the European Medicines Agency banned about 700 medicines across Europe after an investigation revealed data tampering in some trials of generic drugs in India.International medical experts said that undergoing back-to-back trials endangers the health of patients participating. It can also compromise clinical data gathered through these trials, on the basis of which drugmakers seek approval to sell generic medicines around the world.The time gap between participation in two different trials should be 90 days minimum, said Stephanie Croft, a lead inspector at the WHO. When [data] is incomplete or incorrect it could pose a serious risk to patients.Gyanendra Nath Singh, head of Indias national drug watchdog, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), said that it has been trying to inspect more CROs in the past two years. The watchdog is also considering the introduction of a track-and-trace system through which patients can be tracked across CROs, he told Reuters.We are emphasizing on good regulatory practices  some reports have shown that the CROs have deviated from (the) system, said Singh.India's Health Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

GLOBAL REACH

Several large international drugmakers, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Mylan NV, rely on CROs in India to carry out tests on cheaper versions of branded drugs. The aim of these so-called bioequivalence studies is to gauge whether non-branded drugs are equally safe and effective. The faster the trials are undertaken, the faster the drugs can come to market.In some major markets, such as the United States, being the first to launch a generic guarantees market exclusivity for a period of time, which can reap millions more in sales.International and local regulators have struggled to keep its oversight in line with the growth of an industry that expanded rapidly in the 2000s, as drugmakers shipped clinical trial work to India to save money. The market is estimated to have crossed $1 billion in 2016, according to consultants Frost and Sullivan.Over the past two years, international regulators have suspended or banned medicines tested by four major Indian CROs after finding manipulation of clinical trial data and other violations.Issues found at Indian CROs are "a big problem that is gaining more and more attention from all sorts of agencies," said Anders Fuglsang, a consultant and former regulator long involved in audits and inspections of CROs around the world on behalf of international regulatory agencies and companies.Last year, the European Union banned about 700 medicines that had been approved based on clinical trial data provided by GVK Biosciences, then Indias largest CRO. European regulators said they found GVK had manipulated data concerning the heart readings of patients taking part in the study. GVK denied any violation, but several large drugmakers that had won drug approvals based on GVKs data were asked to re-apply for approval with fresh evidence.

Such re-testing is a headache for drugmakers, as it is expensive, and delays lead to a loss in sales, said Nilesh Gupta, managing director of Indias Lupin Ltd, which was one of the companies to be affected by a U.S. ban on trials by Semler earlier this year.GVK, part of the Indian conglomerate GVK Group, has since limited its business interests in the generic drugs testing business, said Shankar Chelluri, a spokesman for the company. Overall, sentiment toward the generic drug trials business is weak, Chelluri said.Another CRO, Quest Life Sciences, was found last year to have manipulated clinical data on certain trials, according to inspection reports from the WHO and the UKs medicines authority. The Spanish and German regulators had also found problems with Quests trials, and the WHO said it found Quest had falsified data on drugs including the antibiotic doxycycline hyclate and HIV/AIDS drugs lamivudine, zidovudine and nevirapine.Quest managing director T.S. Jaishankar said his CRO, which has conducted dozens of generic drug trials for companies including India's top drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, has since invested heavily in improving its systems and been cleared by all international regulators. In a response to Reuters, a spokeswoman for the European Medicines Agency said they were closely monitoring the involvement of Quest in the drug approval applications they receive.India, like other countries, has ethics committees - groups of independent experts - meant to approve the design and conduct of clinical trials. Their stamp of approval is required by foreign regulators considering allowing a generic drug to be sold. However, these committees depend on the CROs for reimbursement in exchange for reviewing trials. Three members of different committees Reuters spoke to said national guidelines did not clearly define their roles and responsibilities.In the wake of trial data manipulation scandals at CROs in the past three years, many large drugmakers including Swiss firm Novartis, have been shifting more critical trials back to the United States and Europe, according to consultants and industry executives.

Novartis is also ramping up its own checks of Indian CROs, said Bodo Lutz, a data integrity officer at the Swiss firm. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Hyderabad in July, he said: "We can't rely on the regulators ... we're increasing our own audits."VOLUNTEERING "LIKE AN ADDICTION"

Prakash, the former mechanic, said he was never asked by CROs, and their agents who approached him for studies, about whether he had recently taken part in another trial."Everybody does it. Once you start getting the money, it's very hard to quit. It's like an addiction," said Prakash.He said after the first study, he began to regularly receive messages on his phone and Facebook, often from agents working on behalf of CROs, informing him about ongoing clinical trials where volunteers were required. Such messages included three key things: the city where the trial was being conducted, the total pay offered, and the blood loss, or the amount of blood the volunteer will need to provide.Venkatesh, from the southern city of Tirupathi, described travelling from Chennai to Hyderabad and then to Bangalore and Mangaluru for different trials."I know of several people who participate in three or four trials in the same month," said Venkatesh, who stopped volunteering two months ago and has since married. He did not want to be referred to by his full name.Prakash said he was paid 10,000-30,000 rupees ($147-$441) per trial, depending on the duration and type. He stopped participating after his health began to deteriorate last year at age 25.He now works at a call centre earning 20,000 rupees a month, but, despite knowing the risks, entered two more trials recently to raise cash."I needed some money desperately so I did it, but I won't do it again," he said. (Additional reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Martin Howell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
WASHINGTON The United States on Wednesday announced it was adding the student wing of the Pakistan-based militant organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, to its list of "foreign terrorist organizations."Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, is an anti-Indian militant group with historical ties to Pakistan's top spy agencies. It has been accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including a 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people, six of them Americans.The State Department move against the student group, Al-Muhammadia Students, came as the Treasury Department added two Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders to the U.S. list of "specially designated global terrorists," subjecting them to U.S. sanctions.LeT was banned by the Pakistani government in 2002 but it has continued operating through front organizations, according to U.S. officials, and their leaders conduct public rallies and interviews.

The State Department announced that it amended the designation of LeT as a "foreign terrorist organization" to include what it called the group's student wing."Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organizations in an effort to avoid sanctions," the State Department said, adding that the student group aided senior LeT leaders in recruiting and other activities.

The State Department action subjected the student group to sanctions, including a ban on Americans providing or attempting to provide it with material support.The Treasury Department said it was adding Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood to the U.S. list of "specially designated global terrorists," freezing any U.S. property or other assets they hold and banning Americans from doing business with them. Both are involved in fund-raising activities, it said.

Sarwar, the department said, is the LeT leader in Lahore and Mahmood is a senior LeT leader in Karachi and has routinely traveled outside Pakistan on the group's behalf. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Bill Trott)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Aligarh: AMU Students' Union on Wednesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who has remained untraced for 74 days.

In a memorandum sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, the union alleged that instead of trying to trace Ahmed, police was harassing the family of the missing student and shielding criminals.

Ahmed, an MSc Biotechnology student, went missing on 15 October after a scuffle, allegedly with ABVP affiliated students at his hostel inside the JNU campus.

His mother Fatima Nafees and sister Sadaf were detained by police when they along with scores of agitating students tried to take out a protest march to India Gate in New Delhi on 6 November. Fatima was virtually dragged into a bus by police along with other students.

The memorandum said the same forces which had compelled Dalit student Rohit Vemula to commit suicide in Hyderabad earlier this year were behind Ahmed's disappearance.

AMU students led by their union president Faizul Hasan held a demonstration in Aligarh on Tuesday and threatened to intensify their stir if government did not fulfil their demand.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) has also asserted that they will continue with their protest on the issue.

Delhi Police has announced a reward of Rs ten lakh for information about Ahmed, while the Crime Branch is trying to trace him without any success so far.
Kannur (Kerala): As part of drumming up support for setting up a 'government in exile', Baloch International Women's Forum leader Naela Quadri Baloch has said they were in no hurry for it.

Baloch, who arrived in Kerala on Tuesday night as part of her effort at garnering support across the country, will speak on Wednesday at a public meeting in Thalassery near here.

The meeting is being organised under the aegis of 'Brennen Vibrant', an organisation of the old activists of the RSS's students wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Brennen College in Thalassery.

"Our goal is to set up a government in exile and we are in no hurry for that. We all know that it's a long way ahead and we are now laying the foundation for it," she said.

"What has come as a joy for us is that the people of Varanasi have extended their support to us and we wish to set it up there. We are also seeking the support of the Indian government for it," said Quadri.

Quadri has been travelling across India and by now she has already addressed meetings in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Chandigarh and Bengaluru.

"I should say that at all these places the response was overwhelming, especially from the youths. What we are basically doing now is to garner support for our movement. As Balochis, we are now also connecting to our people who are settled across the world. In all we are about 40 million," she said.

Several Baloch leaders from Pakistan and from other countries have begun visiting New Delhi since Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15 highlighted the Baloch issue.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province in terms of area, has witnessed a long-running insurgency for which Islamabad blames New Delhi.

Quadri, however, downplayed some reactions from her own people about her own role.

"I do not claim to be the leader. Our aim is to work together and at the moment we should not be wasting time on such things," she said.
Dehradun: Uttarakhand government on Wednesday instituted a judicial probe into the alleged misappropriation of disaster relief funds in the state after the 2013 natural calamity which claimed thousands of lives, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue to lash out at the Harish Rawat dispensation for corruption.

Announcing the probe, Rawat also took a jibe at his predecessor Vijay Bahuguna, who is now with the BJP and was at the helm when disaster relief operations were carried out in the state. He said the saffron party should have conducted an in-house inquiry into the irregularities as the "entire family of executors of the alleged scam are now with them".

The Prime Minister had on Tuesday said at a rally in Dehradun that he was going to drag Uttarakhand out of the "bottomless pit of corruption in which it was languishing under the present regime".

Rawat also took strong exception to Modi's remarks that even a scooter with a capacity of five liters of oil could drink 35 liters of it, a reference to the alleged scam in relief funds.

The chief minister said though the alleged irregularities in the distribution of relief after 2013 tragedy had already been probed by a panel constituted by the state government, a judicial probe has been ordered into it after the Prime Minister's remarks.

"Though a probe committee headed by the then chief secretary had found no veracity in the allegations and given a

clean chit to everyone involved in the massive relief operations, now that the PM has reiterated the charge we have asked retired justice MS Chauhan of Chandigarh High Court to conduct a probe into the alleged irregularities and find out if there was any negligence on part of officials or any misappropriation of disaster relief funds," Rawat told reporters at a press conference.

Asked why he was not recommending a CBI probe into the allegations, Rawat said he had more faith in the judiciary and it was in his hands to order a judicial probe.

"It is now a general impression all over the country that the CBI is a tool in the hands of the Centre to settle scores with political adversaries. I have therefore more faith in our judicial institutions. Moreover ordering a judicial probe was in my hands whereas I would have had to look to central authorities for a CBI probe," he said.

Rawat said calamities strike all of a sudden and quick decisions have to be taken to deal with the situation,

sometimes even at the cost of relaxing the rules and norms.

"However, we are ready for a judicial probe into any negligence on part of officials or misuse of funds," he said.

The chief minister also accused the BJP of trying to grab credit for the all-weather Chardham roads project inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Dehradun on Tuesday, saying the state government was very much part of the process of its launch.

"It is not BJP's brainchild as the party is trying to make it appear. We had conceived the project and consistently worked towards its early launch," he said.

However, he said he welcomed the launch of the project as the state stood to benefit from it in a big way "provided it is implemented in the manner promised".
The Narendra Modi governments demonetisation ordinance, passed by Cabinet on Wednesday, is only a technical requirement to extinguish the RBIs liability on banned Rs 500, Rs 1,000 currency notes, and will not mean much both for the government and the common man.

Reason: The relevance of the ordinance is almost nil otherwise since 90 percent of the demonetised money has already come back to the system. Hence, it is unlikely that the ordinance will scare the crooks and force them dump their illegal cash in PMGKY or banks. For citizens with legitimate funds, there is little to worry. They still have time till 31 March to deposit their money in RBI counters. Only tax cheats, who are in no position to take their ill-gotten wealth to day light need to fear.

Going by the reports, the ordinance will effectively penalise any one holding demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes after 31 March, when the deadline to deposit these notes at the RBI window ends. According to the ordinance, named the Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance, holding these notes after 31 March deadline would be a criminal offence that can attract a penalty, including a jail term, for possession of the scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes beyond a cut-off date.

The cabinet also approved the decision to extinguish the liability of the government and the central bank on the demonetised high-denomination notes to prevent future litigations.

As mentioned above, this ordinance is only a technicality and wouldnt serve much purpose for the government since out of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore currency demonetised on 8 November, already Rs 14 lakh crore have already come back, according to reports. For the common man too, there is no reason to worry on depositing his money. That means nearly, all the money government invalidated on 8 November has found their way back to the banking system.

Also, people can deposit whatever money remaining with them in banned currencies in bank branches till 30 December. Even after that, there is a window at designated RBI branches until 31 March. Only those with unaccounted cash with them needs to worry since depositing money at RBI counters will attract tighter scrutiny.

The only purpose of this ordinance is to legally terminate RBIs liability on the banned currencies to prevent future litigations. Similar ordinance was promulgated in 1978 too to extinguish government's liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were demonetised by the Janata Party government under Morarji Desai. Unless the liability is legally ended, the RBI cannot refuse someone carrying an old Rs 500, Rs 1000 note and claiming its value in a court of law, since it will continue to remain as a legal tender. This is the reason why the ordinance was necessitated.

For the tax cheats, the final deadline of 31 March is crucial. If they fail to deposit the money either at bank branches or RBI, or deposit in the black money declaration scheme, PMGKY by 31 March, they will have to face prosecution.

But only fools will keep the old currency with them beyond March, when these notes will cease to be legal tender. Smart tax cheats with unaccounted cash would have pushed their money into different bank accounts using benamis since 10 November instead of waiting to walk into RBI counters to face scrutiny and where chances of getting caught are high. The RBI window is originally meant for high value depositors, like institutions, who couldnt deposit their old notes by 30 December.

The short point here is the demonetisation ordinance means little, beyond technicality, both for common man and the Modi government.
Dhulagarh, a town 25 kilometres west of Kolkata, has been simmering for the past fortnight, following communal clashes that saw people's houses and shops being targetted and set on fire. A Times Now report said 65 people have been arrested, and the state administration has asked the DGP Surajit Kar Purakayastha to take prompt action against the culprits and to ensure peace.

The tension erupted on 12 December, when two groups clashed as a procession was brought out in the area last week. After the groups were not allowed to carry out the procession, the Times Now website reported, they hurled bombs at each other, and the angry mob also looted and torched people's homes.

The next day, on 13 December, the occasion of Milad-ul-Nabi, there were further clashes in the area. A section of locals claim the clashes were unprovoked, according to a report in the DNA newspaper. Local residents claim that they had to flee with their children and elderly as soon as the mob hurled country-made bombs at their houses. Later, the mob allegedly looted the houses and fled with the money and jewellery, later also setting it on fire.

"Nothing is left. We are looted of all our belongings. They ransacked and vandalised our houses and eventually set them on fire. We could not save a single penny from our houses, only managed to save our children and ran for life," said a local, Lakshmi Mallya.

The violence didn't stop there, however. The next day, a Muslim mob allegedly attacked Hindu homes and shops and them ablaze, reported The Indian Express. "Policemen rushed to the spot and managed to diffuse the tension. But the next day, for almost two hours, there was a stand-off between the police and rioters from both communities. They were carrying bombs. We used tear gas shells. Finally, we had to call in reinforcements to bring the situation under control," an officer said.

A case of rioting and breaking communal harmony was registered against members of both communities. "The situation is under control. Forces, including RAF, have been posted at Dhulagarh to maintain peace," the newspaper quoted the officer as saying.

However, despite the heavy presence of police and armed forces in the area, things didn't return to normalcy. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation  comprising party leaders Jagdambika Pal, Satpal Singh, state president Dilip Ghosh and national secretary Rahul Sinha, and several volunteers  was stopped at Ekabbarapur Road, about one kilometre away from the spot where the clashes had taken place a few days ago, reported The Quint.

Angered by this, the BJP delegation, along with thousand-odd supporters, blocked the road in protest. Alleging that there is no law and order in the state, Pal said the government was following "appeasement politics towards a particular community". Ghosh alleged right-wing Muslim outfits and Simi activists have entered the area and were creating trouble. He also said BJP was not given prior any information about prohibitory orders being imposed in Dhulagarh. "We are surprised that police did not allow us to approach the people in the area to know about their plight of sufferings," Ghosh said.

However, perhaps in an attempt to prove that they weren't targeting one specific political party, the police also stopped a CPM delegation from entering the violence-scarred area. The CPM team comprised party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Lok Sabha MP Mohammad Salim and MLA Sujan Chakraborty, among others, said another report in The Indian Express.

Having addressed a public rally at Dhulagarh Chaurasta (crossing) and appealed for peace, the CPM leaders tried marching to the locality where arson and clashes had occurred, but the police stopped them. "If we are not being allowed to enter even now, and there is Section 144 of CrPC imposed, it means the situation still hasn't been brought under control," Salim said. "Our demand is for the state government to bring normalcy immediately, and paying monetary compensation for those affected by violence."

Under fire from various quarters, the state government imposed restrictions on the media regarding coverage of the Dhulagarh violence. According to The New Indian Express, the state government even went a step ahead and slapped a non-bailable offence against three employees of the TV channel Zee News, including editor Sudhir Chaudhary, West Bengal correspondent Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee under Section 153A (promoting enmity) of the Indian Penal Code. However, the Sankrail police didn't confirm registering an FIR. "We register over 30 FIRs on a daily basis. We can't distinguish which are related to Dhulagarh," said a police officer at the Sankrail police station.

Chaudhary took to social networking site Facebook to call the action taken against his channel an example of the West Bengal government's "intolerance". "It's another low point in our democracy to see a democratically elected govt using police force to curb media in an effort to suppress uncomfortable facts and reality. When you can't manage media,use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord," he wrote.
Former Union home secretary Anil Baijal is all set become the new Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. He is yet another high-profile appointee from New Delhi-based think tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) to get a top government position.

Baijal's appointment as next LG of Delhi marks the closure of a weeklong suspense on the successor of Najeeb Jung who made a surprise announcement of his resignation on 22 December. Sources said it took some time for the Modi government to accept Jung's resignation and name his successor because President Pranab Mukherjee was on his customary southern sojourn to Hyderabad.

Another informed source told Firstpost that three things went in Baijal's favour  first, he had been Union home secretary in the Vajpayee government, with LK Advani at the helm in home ministry; second, he had been 1969 batch IAS officer of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre who had served in Delhi and outside in various capacities; third, he has good equations with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Given the contours of the present ruling establishment, his proximity with Doval is considered to be a big positive that went in his favour and that made him a frontrunner to take up this constitutional post in Delhi.

The founder director of VIF Ajit Doval is NSA, Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister is another top notch person from VIF in government, distinguished fellow A Surya Prakash is Prasar Bharati chairman, and former DRDO chief VK Saraswat, who served in VIF is a full-time member of the Niti Aayog. KG Suresh now DG of Indian Institute of Mass Communication had been editor of VIF. Baijal is the latest high-profile Modi government appointee who had been associated with VIF and Doval.

Taking into account his experience in the North Block, Baijal's tenure as Union home secretary will come handy in carrying out his responsibilities as the new L-G. The L-G designate is well conversant with Delhi's constitutional and administrative position, as also of political nuances. More so given the kind of conflict situations that arose almost on a daily basis between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Baijal's predecessor Najeeb Jung, Baijal's ability in maintaining the fine balance or managing potential conflict situations with incumbent AAP government will be closely watched.

Delhi has a unique position as a Union Territory or as a half state where most of the executive powers rest with the L-G and not with the elected government. In a judgment delivered in August this year, Delhi High Court settled the constitutionality of who is the boss in Delhi. The verdict had come as a body blow to the Kejriwal government. The high court ruled that Lieutenant Governor is the administrative head of Delhi. All decisions taken by elected government ministers must be communicated to him. Unlike governors in other states, the Lieutenant Governor in Delhi isnt bound by the ministers advice. In the event of a dispute between the L-G and the Delhi chief minister, their decisions should be communicated to the Centre for a final call.

The Kejriwal government has yet not reacted to the appointment of Baijal as the L-G. It would perhaps wait for situations to unfold to make its first observation. Given the nature of strained relations between the Kejriwal government in Delhi and Modi government at the Centre, any restraint by AAP leaders from making sharp and quick reactions could be considered a healthy development, at least for now.

What had troubled AAP most during their two-year long business interaction with Jung as L-G was the latter's abilities to read the fine prints on files. Like Jung, Baijal too is gentle, suave and articulate. The Aam Admi Party thus could take its time before making an assessment of the new L-G and make either kind of comments on him.

This writer had earlier noted that the manner in which Jung and Kejriwal parted ways would ever be heartening. Two men who had fought bitterly to protect their respective turf put on a rare display of civility buried the hatchet and walked away. Jung invited Kejriwal for breakfast, and the latter left his residence on a happy note. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also met the outgoing lieutenant governor and spoke of happy memories, with no trace of the bitterness that marked their last two years.

The way Jung chose to voluntarily quit the coveted L-G post has made him distinct from the rest of his peers, present and past occupying Raj Bhawans and Raj Niwas. Governors or lieutenant governors usually make headlines only when they are sacked by an incoming regime, or when they commit some outlandish act in contravention to the constitutional protocol. Appointment of a governor is big news only for those concerned, not the public at large. Jung, however, is a different case. His appointment, tenure, and departure would all be discussed for a long time to come, and even be cited as a case study by students of Indian politics.

Baijal has a task cut out for him. Each of his moves would be closely scrutinised by the people of Delhi, media and political parties. His actions would naturally be compared and contrasted with his predecessor, Jung.
Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are allies, both at the Centre and in the Maharashtra state Assembly, but the two parties often behave like bitter rivals. Since they forged an alliance ahead of the 2014 Assembly election, Shiv Sena has not been able to see eye-to-eye with BJP. And the latter's latest moves will only worsen this already rancorous relationship. In a clear indication that it is now ready to go it alone in the upcoming municipal elections in Mumbai, the BJP has readied candidates for all 227 seats, reported Mumbai Mirror. According to the newspaper, roots of this discord lie in the seat-sharing formula, that has not changed since the 90s.

"The agreement, brokered by Bal Thackeray and Pramod Mahajan, gives BJP only 63 seats out of the total 227, effectively ruling out the party's chance of staking a claim to the mayor's post. BJP legislators from Mumbai have already told the leadership that the tie-up should be snapped if the Uddhav Thackeray-led party doesn't agree to offer them 100 seats. If Uddhav accepts the deal, he would be giving BJP a 58 per cent hike," the report said.

Buoyed by BJP's impressive show in the recently held municipal council polls in Maharashtra, MP Kirit Somaiya had indicated in November this year that the party's Mumbai unit is in favour of contesting the high-voltage BMC elections without its partner of nearly two decades.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Somaiya had said the BJP unit is open to forming alliances with other small allies, "if they wish to make the megapolis mafia-free".

"After the unprecedented victory (in the council polls), our target is (to win) BMC elections, to make Mumbai mafia-free. It is the sentiment of Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar, me and each of the BJP's members that the party contest election on its own. Our workers are prepared to contest all 227 wards," Somaiya was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Shiv Sena and BJP have had an uneasy relationship ever since they parted ways in the run-up to the Assembly polls in November 2014. BJP had emerged as the major gainer in elections held for 164 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, winning the highest number of seats: 893 out of 3,727 seats.

Shiv Sena emerged as the largest party in the BMC during the previous polls held in 2012, winning 75 seats, while the BJP had managed only 30 in the 227-capacity House.

But Sena's discomfiture with BJP as an ally is not just evident in the state  it is happening at national level too. The party was not too happy with the way BJP's higher leadership stole focus on 24 December, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Mumbai to launch a Shivaji memorial statue.

Just a day later, Sena raised uncomfortable questions regarding the upcoming Uttar Pradesh election in 2017. The party suggested that BJP should not be overconfident about the key state, and asked it to stand firm on its stand on demonetisation.

The minute BJP announced that Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone for the ambitious Shivaji memorial statue, it had effectively "hijacked" the function. By doing so, it indicated that it has fulfilled one of its pre-poll promises. Ironically, the event which was organised by the Maharashtra government, turned out to be a BJP party event.

Sena appeared unhappy, alleging that its ally had "hijacked" the occasion to seek political benefit. It also took a swipe at BJP over the Ram Temple issue, saying the latter should admit its "failure", as it hasn't been able to build the promised temple in Ayodhya despite a huge majority in Lok Sabha.

"The BJP should not forget this memorial is a dream of every citizen of Maharashtra. The previous government (of Congress-NCP) also tried to start work on the memorial, but it was unsuccessful for reasons best known to them," said Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande. "When the memorial is being built with government money, BJP should remember this jal pujan (stone laying ceremony) is a government programme and all parties of the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) should be treated with equal respect."

Ties between the allies have been strained throughout the two-year existence of the Devendra Fadnavis government. The two had only reunited post-election, but Sena has been sulking because it was reduced to a junior partner in the state.

When senior BJP leader LK Advani expressed anguish and concern over the way the Winter Session of Parliament was headed for a washout because of daily adjournments, Sena had asked the ruling partner to take cognisance of its party patriarch's tears and called for a special session to discuss the demonetisation issue.

Terming Advani as the 'Bhishma Pitamah' of Indian politics, Sena had said he has raised a question mark over parliamentary democracy in the country. "It should be noted that Advani is not a Congress leader. One must bear in mind that he has been at the forefront of anti-Congress politics," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said. It recalled that in May 2014, while entering the Parliament building, PM Narendra Modi had knelt and placed his forehead on the green carpeted steps and also shed tears.

"But due to the tamasha of parliamentary proceedings in the last two years, the soul of the Parliament (building) has lost and it is shedding tears," it said.

With inputs from PTI
The Cabinet today cleared promulgation of an ordinance to penalise persons holding demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes after 31 March, when the deadline to deposit these notes at the RBI window ends.

As per the ordinance named the Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance, holding these notes after 31 March deadline would be a criminal offence, say some of the media reports.

The Cabinet today approved promulgation of an ordinance to impose a penalty, including a jail term, for possession of the scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes beyond a cut-off.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved an ordinance to amend the RBI Act to extinguish the liability of the government and the central bank on the demonetised high-denomination notes to prevent future litigations.

Government approves ordinance on deadline to deposit old notes: Sources  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

Name of the Ordinance is 'The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance' : Sources  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

According to government sources cited by CNBC-TV18, those who hold old notes after 31 March is likely to face 4-year jail term and also those who transact in old notes is likely to face a penalty of Rs 5,000.

However, a PTI report said the official sources did not say if the penal provisions would apply for holding the junked currency after the 50-day window to deposit them in banks ends as of December 30 or after March 31, till which time deposit of old currency notes at specified branches of the Reserve Bank after submitting a declaration form is open.

The ordinance will extinguish the liability of the government and RBI towards the promise to pay the bearer of these notes their value because of a statutory requirement.

In 1978 a similar ordinance was issued to end the government's liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were demonetised by the Janata Party government under Morarji Desai.

A PTI report citing sources in the government said the ordinance is being brought as it was found to be necessary to prevent future litigations against the government for junking Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Seeking to prevent harassment and any ambiguity, a proviso would be added to ensure that certain category of people can still deposit the old notes in RBI branches between 31 December and 31 March next, said the report.

The government had, while announcing the demonetisation of the old currency on 8 November, allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts.

While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts.
New Delhi: In an indication that assembly elections to five states could be announced anytime now, the Election Commission has asked the Centre and the state governments to implement the model code of conduct as soon as the schedule is out.

In a letter sent to the cabinet secretary and chief secretaries of the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh,

Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab, the Commission has compiled a set of instructions issued in the past to drive home the point that model code should be implemented effectively with the announcement of poll schedule.

The list of dos and don'ts issued by the Commission includes prevention of misuse of public place, avoiding use of official vehicles for campaigning, removing pictures of political functionaries from state government websites and bar on use of public money for advertisements to help the ruling party.

The poll panel has also reminded political parties to approach the Media Certification and Monitoring Committees at district and state level, for pre-certification of their political advertisements proposed to be issued in the

electronic media.

Sources in the Commission said assembly polls could be announced by 4 January to the five states.

Except Uttar Pradesh, which may go for a seven-phased election, the other states could have elections on a single day.

While the term of the Uttar Pradesh assembly expires on 27 May next, the terms of four state assemblies end in March next.
Economists can use smoke and mirrors to create artificial reality and get away with it. Numbers, after all, render themselves to creative interpretations when mixed with human situations. But politicians don't have the same liberty; they are accountable for their actions. So while economists can keep projecting several realities, both rosy and gloomy, on demonetisation, the political leadership that took the call on it cannot evade questions. That is the reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to provide answers to Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress vice president on Thursday asked Modi to answer a few basic questions including the black money recovered from the demonetisation process; the economic loss to the nation; and the number of deaths so far. The more important is the poser on the process of preparedness followed by the government before it announced demonetisation. Why were experts, economists and RBI not consulted? He asked. While the second part can be explained away by the government, answering the first could be a problem.

It's obvious by now that preparedness for such a massive exercise was not adequate. Cash availability is still a problem. There's no guarantee that things would improve within a couple of months. There was little consideration for the fact that bank officials could connive with hoarders to exchange old notes and that ATMs needed to be recalibrated and fed cash quickly. The possible impact on jobs and economic activity at the lower end was also not given due attention to. No matter how economists try to justify the current pain with future gains for people, the reality is too stark to be brushed aside.

Someone has to own responsibility. It is heartening that the prime minster has not run away from the situation by blaming others, which politicians usually do. He has made it clear that he stands by his decision and would defend it no matter how the political opposition treats it. Yet, that does not absolve his government of the guilt of oversight. The country has a right to know what went wrong. The popular goodwill that the prime minister enjoys should not be an excuse to evade answers. If there are no answers now there's a possibility that such mistakes would be committed later.

It is the responsibility of the opposition to ask questions. Rahul Gandhi and others have done well to put them bluntly. At a rally in Dehradun yesterday the prime minister claimed that the issues of fake currency, terrorism, human trafficking and drug mafia were dealt with in one stroke through demonetisation. The opposition must ask how. The mumbo jumbo of economists and the brute power of right wing trolls would not do here. Modi must address it as a political leader. The country appears in doubt whether the whole exercise to trash high denomination notes was worth the effort. He needs to clear it. If he seeks time for it, waiting for the results to show, it is fine.

The rules of democracy demand such a gesture from him. As a leader with vision he has similar reforms lined up. The country needs to have some idea of the cost, particularly the human cost, and benefit of every such move. Otherwise, it would appear he is being arbitrary in his actions and the PMO is riding rough-shod over all other voices in the ministry. The country would not mind if he admits that he made a mistake.

As for Rahul, he is focused in his line of attack for a change. It helps his case that he is more articulate this time round and dealing in specifics instead of generalities. His stand on demonetisation has certainly added to his stature as a politician. This could be a new beginning for him.
Agartala: Normal life was affected in Tripura's Dhalai district on Wednesday due to a 12-hour shutdown called by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in protest against the killing of one of its local leaders.

Police said more than 200 activists of the BJP were arrested for picketing in front of government offices and markets during the dawn-to-dusk strike.

"Most shops and markets were closed and attendance in the government offices and banks was less. Most schools and educational institutions in the Dhalai district were closed," a police official said.

However, movement of traffic on National Highway-8 (previously NH 44), the lifeline of Tripura, was normal.

BJP leaders alleged that the party's Yuva Morcha leader, Chan Mohan Tripura, had gone to see a mentally disturbed man, Biswada Tripura, in the latter's home at Gandachara in Dhalai district on Monday night.

Biswada hit Chan Mohan with a wooden article killing him on the spot.

Police have arrested the accused.

A BJP delegation led by the party's state vice-president Subal Bhowmik visited the tension-ridden areas and alleged that the members of the ruling CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) were behind the incident.

The CPM in a statement said that the BJP is doing politics over a non-political incident.

"BJP is trying to make an issue over this killing though everybody is aware that the mentally sick man killed Chan Mohan," the statement said and urged the people to foil the BJP-sponsored shutdown.
Even through the foggy weather and murky politics that engulfs the battleground Uttar Pradesh, you can broadly make out contours of the big picture: The BJP is catching up to challenge the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

There are several reasons why this is happening despite the fact that people, who continue to be at the receiving end of the cash crunch, particularly in rural areas, are getting increasingly disenchanted with demonetisation: First, the anti-BJP forces are in a state of disarray. Second, the Muslim vote-bank is getting divided. And third, the otherwise young, energetic poster-boy of the SP  Akhilesh Yadav  appears to be losing steam mid-way, thanks to opposing cross-currents within his family.

Remember, the scars of the war within the Samajwadi Party were split open once again earlier this week when Akhilesh Yadav took his list of poll candidates for all the 403 constituencies to party supremo Mulayam Singh for his approval. The move infuriated state party president, Shivpal Singh Yadav, who gave enough hints that he might retaliate with disciplinary action. Mulayam, on his part, stayed aloof. He is still maintaining silence on the issue.

One thing is clear: The chief ministers move means that all chances of the SP and the Congress getting together to fight the BJP jointly have evaporated into thin air. And by implication, it also means that Muslim vote bank would now be divided among three claimants  SP, BSP and Congress.

Understandably, Mayawati who had thus far been marching ahead of others on the Muslim front, especially in Western Uttar Pradesh, looks at the new development with suspicion. Holding a different theory altogether, she had said last week: An alliance between Congress and SP can take place only if the BJP approves it... Its being stated that the BJP is exerting pressure on SP chief and his family through Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax department and CBI to join hands with the Congress to divide Muslim votes and stop BSP from coming to power, otherwise, why should Akhilesh Yadav be so keen on a tie-up with a party which has been put on oxygen in the state?

One must read between the lines  Mayawatis statement makes it clear that a bigger chunk of the Muslim vote bank would go to the SP-Congress alliance, should it materialise out of thin air. But it hasnt. Now, you can understand why the BJP looks more confident than ever before. Hardly ten days ago was the saffron camp seen struggling against the current in the face of widespread criticism over demonetisation? At a crucial meeting of different offshoots of the Sangh Parivar in Lucknow on 16 December, the RSS affiliates had told the BJP to "raise the cash flow to UP fast or, else, delay the polls."

It's significant that a number of top guns of the RSS and BJP including Duttatreya Hosabale, Krishnagopal, Ramlal, Shiv Prakash, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Sunil Bansal attended this meeting. Nobody had minced words while giving feedback on demonetisation and how it affected people in rural areas: The initial happiness that was visible among middle classes is dissipating fast. Now, people are getting critical as banks and ATMs report shortage of cash. If things are allowed to prolong like this, BJPs poll prospects would be impacted adversely.

But much water has flown down the Gomti since this meeting was held. While the SP has yet to put forward a united show in right earnest, the BSP is seen being pulled down by a new controversy over its cash deposits in banks. Soon after alleged reports of irregularities in BSPs bank accounts surfaced, Mayawati called a press conference to clarify her position. She said: All this money belongs to the party. And all the deposits were made following due procedures. Its the BJP that is misusing official machinery to malign the BSP.

With both the SP and the BSP mired in a mess, it is hardly surprising if stars are beginning to smile on BJP  not because the cash situation has eased but because the opposing parties look less promising. Indeed, in politics and chess, you win because your opponent loses. In other words, you cannot win unless your opponent errs, falters or gets careless.

Thats the name of the game.


New Delhi: Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu hit back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, asking him to come clean on whether there is black money in the country and also need to take steps against it.

Speaking to reporters, Naidu said it is only appropriate that the issue of black money, corruption, etc are haunting the opposition party as it celebrated 'Congress Foundation Day'. He said that even Rahul Gandhi, by his smile and body language, has "indicated" that there is not much of black money in the country.

"I would like Rahulji to muster courage and openly say so, if his partys assessment is that there is not much of black money in our economy," the Union information and broadcasting and urban development minister said. Everyone knows the close link between black money and corruption, Naidu said, adding that if Congress says there is no black money in our economy, obviously, there is no place for corruption in our system. "Is this the stand of the Congress?" he asked.

Naidu said Congress is panicking and trying to create confusion. He claimed that Congress is worried that nobody was was taking Rahul seriously, be it the people, opposition leaders or its partymen. That is why opposition leaders distanced themselves from the meeting, Naidu said.

Naidu said that Congress and the Communists are disappointed as the people have continued to support the crackdown on black money. Only some political parties which have been beneficiaries of the loot appear to be shaken, he claimed.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, while also accusing him of practising politics of "fear and anger".
It's something that will eventually catch up with you. From disparaging and vituperative remarks to disgusting sexual innuendos, rape and death threats, hateful memes and an unapologetic and arrogant attitude, trolling is a routine affair these days. There is hardly any originality in it anymore.

But when the ruling government of a democracy carefully constructs, contrives and calibrates a social media culture where dissent towards a leader or an ideology or even a party is reciprocated in the worst possible manner, it is a matter of extreme worry and it becomes obligatory to initiate a dialogue and debate and especially when it becomes part of our daily existence.

This very evil has been questioned in the new book I am a Troll by journalist Swati Chaturvedi. Published by Juggernaut, I am a Troll happened because Swati, a journalist with over 20 years of experience, questioned the existence of a social media troll. "After some really vapid experiences online, I had questions and I wanted answers. Who are these people? Where do they come from? Why do they do what they do? Do they act as individuals or is it an organised whole?" Swati told Firstpost.

Swati and her book shot to power soon after its release over the touchy and explosive information it contained about Bharatiya Janata Party, its social media tactics and how the party is actually fuelling and inciting hate online. Entailing an investigation conducted over the span of two years and several interviews, Swati said her book is about a rapidly swelling right-wing militancy on social media and how bigotry and fanaticism is the only response to dissent.

Backed by facts, interviews and research, Swati, who was done many investigative reports in the past, said that this was her biggest and by far the most dangerous piece she had to do. "We were very scared that someone might know, that somehow the story would leak and it would all be over. Every investigation has a luck factor," said Swati, "And for me that was Sadhvi Khosla."

Sadhvi is a former volunteer at the BJP social media cell. Khosla was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's social media 'dream' team in the run up to the 2014 General Election. Sadhvi told Swati (in the book) that after Aamir Khan's remarks on intolerance last November, BJP's social media cell made it their one-point agenda to attack the actor and forced Snapdeal to dump him as their brand ambassador.

She quit the BJP social media cell as a volunteer at the end of 2015. Khosla, who runs a knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) company in Gurugram, was in the US in 2014 when she got the call from Modi's social media team and told Chaturvedi that she was ecstatic at the offer and believed that Modi, "her idol, the man she wanted to see as the Prime Minister of India", would bring in all the positive change and development that he promised.

In a couple of months, Khosla came to realise that everything was not as it seemed. Khosla told Chaturvedi that the BJP IT cell head Arvind Gupta, who ran the "biggest ever social media operation in the country", told Khosla that the "goal was to attack and expose the UPA government and the Gandhi family. Volunteers were told to attack certain mainstream journalists  the book explicitly mentions the names of NDTV's Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai (then of CNN-IBN)  and malign a few politicians on social media. The trolls were ordered to attack any unflattering mention of Modi.

BJP has a persecution complex  every time someone says something unflattering, the next minute you see yourself being attacked by misplaced patriots and nationalists," she said.

Khosla admitted that she herself was forced to send messages trolling and abusing minorities, Gandhi family, liberals and journalists. She told the author that WhatsApp messages threatening rape against Barkha were sent out at the behest of Gupta, whose word was the last word as he was directly in touch with Modi. An IIT alumunus, Gupta joined BJP in 2010 and was part of the core team that was credited hugely for the massive mandate that Modi received in 2014.

"It was a never-ending drip feed of hate and bigotry against the minorities, the Gandhi family, journalists on the hit list, liberals, anyone perceived as anti-Modi," she is quoted in the book as saying. Usually in investigative pieces, where journalists need to keep their sources airtight, the veracity of information is often questioned and catechised. Swati was no exception.

Gupta, too, rejected the claims made by Khosla and said that she was a supporter of the Congress party. Her claims are unsubstantiated, Gupta had said. He said the BJP had published social media guidelines on its website and never "encouraged trolling". He said the social media cell of the BJP is being headed by another person since July 2015.

Swati told Firstpost that Gupta's allegations are totally false. "Sadhvi Khosla is not part of the Indian National Congress. She is a KPO owner and this is merely to slander her because she has spoken against the establishment."

Why does Narendra Modi follow the trolls, asks the author

Narendra Modi is one of the very few Indian politicians who realised the power of social media and forayed into it way before anyone else in the country. In fact, the historic 2014 mandate that made Modi's dream of 272+ possible is often credited to the impeccable, efficient and a coherent social media campaign that was run by Modi's dream team.

In the chapter titled The BJP Connection, Swati lends a bit to the history of BJP and RSS ideologies to corroborate why would a ruling party need to fall back on such petty tricks to keep detractors away. Speaking to National General Secretary of BJP Ram Madhav, Swati, in the chapter, notes that it was Madhav, who was one of the first in the party to spearhead the use of social media:

"Madhav went from shakha to shakha training them after convincing a reluctant RSS that it (social media) was a powerful communication tool and not mere 'fashion'."

Given the history of the organisation (RSS has been banned thrice since Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in 1948) a sense of insecurity runs in the organisation."

"BJP has a persecution complex  every time someone says something unflattering, the next minute you see yourself being attacked by misplaced patriots and nationalists," she said.

Interestingly, after the Aamir-Snapdeal episode, Madhav had asked the actor to "not only preach to an autorickshaw driver about the countrys prestige but also to his wife".

As a sidenote, here are a few other instances when Madhav, a senior party leader, made a few other dubious remarks:

Read them here, here, here and here.

"The world that BJP has built on social media is bigoted. But they don't see it that way. It is a way of life for them  they think they are like you and me and they don't even feel that they are part of this system which is honing a culture of hatred and fanaticism. As a citizen, I am worried. I am worried as a woman. They make the society in which you and I live, scary. Instead of doing anything productive, they are inciting communalism," Swati told Firstpost.

The book also lists a few handles that regularly troll or issue rape and death threats to anyone who critiques Modi, adding that the prime minister's Twitter handle follows these users. "No leader in the world  Barack Obama, Theresa May, Angela Merkel  name anyone, nobody follows internet trolls. What does it say about Modi? Why does my prime minister follow those who dish out rape and death threats to women and men alike, as if it is no big deal. One one hand, Modi speaks of beti bachao beti padhao and on the other hand, there is this."

The author also questioned the media's role at a time like this. "What have we become? Journalists are either cheerleaders or they are megaphones," Swati said during the telephonic interview. At a time when freedom of speech and expression is curbed and given away freely at the same time (depends on what you are saying), the media requires to be fearless.

What now?

When asked whether she expected this reaction to the book, Swati says that she feels successful. "I am not an activist, I am a journalist. And even though this was the most difficult investigation, it's done. I am not scared about the backlash. I have done my job."

Do you have any expectations from concerned authorities, now that there is some evidence to nail a few perpetrators of online violence? Seeming quite determined, Swati says, "I have absolutely no expectations. It's up to authorities or others to take it forward if they want to. I will merely move on to my next story."
By Yesim Dikmen

| HATAY, Turkey

HATAY, Turkey After trudging for 40 days through the bitter cold and sometimes difficult terrain of northern Iraq, Ahmet Ali Bekir reached Turkey, one of 1,500 Turkmens to arrive in the last two days after fleeing deadly fighting near home."We came here after walking day and night for 40 days with our children. We came to Turkey by walking under rain and snow," Bekir told Reuters at a migrant camp in the southern Hatay province, where Turkish authorities had settled the Turkmens.Ethnic kin of the Turks, the Turkmens were fleeing clashes between Islamic State and Shi'ite militias near the Islamic State-controlled town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq.Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary forces have launched an offensive to capture Tal Afar and cut supply routes to Mosul, the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq.

But Islamic State remains in control of the 60-km (40-mile)road between Mosul and Tal Afar, hindering the forces battling the jihadists from completing the encirclement of Mosul from the west.Another 2,000 Turkmens are waiting in Syria's Azaz province to cross into Turkey, a senior government official told Reuters on Wednesday, adding they would be taken in "gradually".

Tal Afar's pre-war population of about 150,000 to 200,000 was a mix of Sunni and Shi'ite ethnic Turkmens until Shi'ites fled the town after Islamic State's ultra-hardline Sunni militants took over the region in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" over swathes of Iraq and Syria. "We came from Tal Afar. We are Turkmens," said Mahmut Bekir, another resident of the camp, as a group of women and children ate lunch nearby.

"Turkey was the only one to take us in. No other country took us in." (Editing by David Dolan and Janet Lawrence)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh Bangladesh's border guard accused the Myanmar navy on Wednesday of opening fire on a fishing boat in the Bay of Bengal, underlining tensions over a refugee crisis. At least four Bangladeshi fisherman were injured, two senior officers with the border guard told Reuters."The fishermen, fishing within Bangladesh's body of water on the Bay of Bengal Cherrha Dwip, were shot by a Myanmar navy vessel," said Mohammad Saiful Absar, contingent commander of Bangladeshi border guard in St Martin. He said the shooting happened on Tuesday morning. Some 34,000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar. Violence in Rakhine, home to many Rohingyas, has become the biggest challenge facing Aung San Suu Kyi's eight-month-old government and has sparked international criticism that the Nobel Peace Prize winner has done too little to help the Muslim minority.

Bangladesh's border guard filed a protest letter on Wednesday to its Myanmar counterparts, said AbuZar Al Jahid, lieutenant colonel of Bangladeshi border guard in Teknaf.Zaw Htay, spokesman for Myanmar president's office, said the government was not aware of the incident or Bangladesh's protest.

At least 86 people have been killed in recent weeks in a Myanmar army crackdown in Rakhine, launched after attacks on police posts near the Bangladesh border in which nine policemen were killed. Senior Myanmar officers cancelled talks with their Bangladeshi counterparts as Myanmar's army was stepping up the anti-insurgency operation in October.

The United Nations' refugee agency says up to 500,000 undocumented Rohingya live in Bangladesh and it has registered more than 32,000 Rohingya in official camps there. (Reporting by Mohammad Nurul Islam in COX'S BAZAR and Shwe Yee Saw Myint in YANGON; Writing By Yimou Lee; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
LAGOS Boko Haram fighters fleeing an attack on their base last week may have used some of the girls kidnapped in 2014 from northeast Nigeria's Chibok as human shields to prevent being fired upon by fighter jets, a military commander said on Wednesday. Major General Lucky Irabor, theatre commander of Nigeria's military campaign against the group, showed a news conference aerial footage he said was filmed during the operation in the Sambisa forest that showed Boko Haram fighters moving with women and children."The haggard fighters were just using them as a shield," Irabor told reporters in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. "That is why we did not engage them from the air.""We had always believed and hoped that going into the Sambisa would afford us the opportunity to get the remaining Chibok girls. What we can't tell is whether those women we can see were the Chibok girls," he said. Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 200 girls from their school dormitories in the town of Chibok in April 2014. The first of the girls to be found said most of them were being held in the Sambisa forest, where she was discovered in May. The group has kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children during its seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, some of whom may also be held in the forest.

The abduction of the Chibok girls, 21 of whom were released in October, brought worldwide notoriety. President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday the Islamist militants' last enclave in the forest, the vast former game reserve in northeast Nigeria that was their stronghold, had been captured. Reuters has been unable to independently verify that the area has been captured, but the comments from the general were the first reference by a military official to the suspected whereabouts of the girls since Buhari's announcement.

The president said the capture of Camp Zero in the forest marked the "final crushing of Boko Haram" but security analysts say the group's ability to carry out attacks in neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad suggests it has multiple bases. They also say the group split this year with one faction led by Abubakar Shekau operating from the Sambisa forest and the other, allied to Islamic State and led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, based in the Lake Chad region.Irabor said the military was pursuing those who fled, adding that 1,240 people suspected of being militants, their relatives or sympathisers had been arrested between Dec. 21 and 28.

Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during its insurgency. It controlled an area the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has been pushed back by troops from Nigeria and neighbouring countries since then. Separately, dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister there said. (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beijing: China has claimed "massive support from all sectors in Pakistan" for the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project as it hosts a high-level conference on Thursday, days after a Pakistani army general invited India to be a part of the ambitious venture.

China is also expected to announce a $1 billion soft loan at the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting of the CPEC in which Pakistan's minister for planning, development and reforms Ahsan Iqbal and chief ministers of all the Pakistan provinces are expected to participate, report on the official website of the CPEC said.

The JCC which includes chief ministers of Pakistani provinces is expected to discuss steps to ensure smooth construction of the CPEC which is a prestigious project for

President Xi Jinping.

Lt Gen Amir Riaz, commander of Pakistan's Southern Command had said that India should "shun enmity" with Pakistan and "join the CPEC along with Iran, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries and enjoy its benefits".

Subsequently, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also wondered about India's reaction to the Pakistani general's remarks. "I wonder what is India's take on this whether this is a good sign from Pakistan," Hua said reacting to Riaz's remarks, adding that China has an open mind on India's participation.

"Surprise aside (over the general's call), New Delhi should consider accepting the olive branch Pakistan has extended in a bid to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor," said an article in state-run Global Times.

Ahead of the conference, Pakistani media reported that Islamabad is likely to secure a $1 billion soft loan for three road projects under the CPEC. Reports quoted Ashraf Zaman, spokesman for Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA) as saying the roads are on the western route of CPEC, a mega network of roads, rail links, power plants and other infrastructure connecting western China's Xinjiang province to Pakistan's southern port of Gwadar.

Zaman said a deal was reached with the Chinese to finance the three additional roads in November. Asked about the loan and the meeting, Hua told a media briefing that she has no information on the loan and the meeting.

At the same time she said the "CPEC has drawn massive support from all sectors in Pakistan. We would like to work with the Pakistani side to press ahead with the development of the CPEC," she said. Her comments followed reports in the Pakistani and Chinese media about criticism within Pakistan over the project on which India has also raised objections as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"Regarding the CPEC, we have stated our position on many occasions. The CPEC is a cooperation framework set up by the two countries for the future development of China-Pakistan relations as part of the Belt and Road Initiative," Hua said adding "It is not only beneficial to the economic and social development of China and Pakistan but also conducive to regional connectivity and economic and trade cooperation".

"Three years on, CPEC, described by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a 'game changer' for the entire region, has entered into full implementation in 2016 and remarkable progresses have been achieved," a commentary by state-run Xinhua news agency said.

At the same time, an article in state-run Global Times criticised sections of Pakistani media for taking a critical view of the project. Written by a research fellow in the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) the article said "there is no denying the fact that there has been criticism of CPEC in Pakistan. There has been criticism of the government of Pakistan, mainly of the ruling party, over the percentage of shared routes of CPEC in Pakistan," the article said.

"Every province wants to get the most out of it. It is like fighting over a cake before eating it," it said.
BERLIN German authorities have detained a Tunisian man they suspect of involvement in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market which killed 12 people, prosecutors said on Wednesday.The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which some critics say was made easier by Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migrant policy. Investigators found the mobile phone number of the 40-year-old Tunisian stored in the phone of Anis Amri, the man believed to have hijacked a truck and rammed it into the crowd at a Christmas market in the German capital on Monday last week.Amri, a failed asylum seeker also from Tunisia, was shot dead in Italy on Dec. 23. Officials raided the home and business premises of the new suspect in Berlin. They did not name him. "Further investigations indicated that he could have been involved in the attack," said prosecutors.Prosecutors will decide by the end of Thursday whether to issue an arrest warrant for the man, now under temporary detention.

Investigators across Europe are trying to establish whether Amri had accomplices. Germany's Focus magazine cited Berlin security sources as saying that on a phone found in the truck were voice messages and photos sent by Amri to Islamists 10 minutes before he steered the vehicle into the Berlin market. Another priority is to piece together how he fled, undetected, from Berlin to Milan, taking advantage of Europe's open-border Schengen agreement. In Milan, police killed him after he pulled a gun on them during a routine check.

A spokesman for the Dutch National Prosecutor's Office said authorities were pursuing signs that the 24-year-old had passed through the Netherlands.Dutch prosecutor Jirko Patist said investigators were studying images of a man they believe to be Amri taken by surveillance cameras at the train station in Nijmegen, near the Dutch border. Dutch police were also investigating the possibility that Amri acquired a Dutch telephone SIM card he had with him at the time of his death.

"There is a possibility he got it at Nijmegen station," Patist said. A French judicial source said on Tuesday Amri appeared to have passed through Lyon in France. Video surveillance footage showed Amri at the Lyon-Part-Dieu train station and officials believe he bought a ticket there for Chambery, between Lyon and the Italian border.Political leaders including France's Marine Le Pen and Britain's Nigel Farage have said the case shows Europe's borders must not remain open. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers and Toby Sterling; editing by Andrew Roche)

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By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that Israel's building of settlements in occupied territory was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the longtime American ally. In a swiftly issued statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kerry of showing bias. He said Israel did not need to be lectured to by foreign leaders and looked forward to working with incoming President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies.In a 70-minute speech with mere weeks left in his tenure, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.Kerry's remarks, and Netanyahu's reply, marked the closing chapter of an increasingly bitter U.S.-Israeli relationship during President Barack Obama's administration over differences on settlement-building and the Iran nuclear deal signed last year.Ties reached a low point last week when Washington cleared the way for a U.N. resolution that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building, prompting Israeli government officials to direct harsh attacks against Obama and Kerry whom they insisted had orchestrated the resolution."Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."The United States had appealed to Israel in public and private to stop the march of settlements countless times, Kerry said."In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two state solution," he said. "We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state."His parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts.The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements" and barely touched on "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries". POST-OBAMA ERA

The Israelis are looking past Obama and expect to receive more favourable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. But they fear Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive, and prompt other countries to apply pressure, including by adding fuel to the boycott, divestiture and sanctions movement against Israel, especially in Europe.

Trump denounced the Obama administration's treatment of Israel before Kerry's speech."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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"He has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upset many countries, and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement. Kerry's speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his nearly four years as secretary of state. The United States abstained in the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by Obama.Kerry vigorously defended the resolution. It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible."In a pointed reply to Netanyahu who said last week that "Friends don't take friends to the Security Council", and who has insisted the Obama administration had orchestrated the resolution, Kerry hit back, saying: "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect."

Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade. In Jerusalem, Israel approved construction of a multi-storey building for settlers in annexed East Jerusalem on Wednesday, an NGO said, after postponing authorization of hundreds of other homes.Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate and most countries view it as an obstacle to peace. Israel cites a biblical, historical and political connection to the land - which the Palestinians also claim - as well as security interests.Netanyahu, for whom settlers are a key constituency, has said his government has been their greatest ally since the capture of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a 1967 war.Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians. Peace talks have stalled since 2014.

PARAMETERS FOR PEACE DEAL

Emphasizing that Washington could not impose an outcome, Kerry outlined principles for a two-state solution which envisioned secure and recognised international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine - based on the 1967 lines before it seized the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The two sides would agree to land swaps.Netanyahu has described the 1967 lines as indefensible and has said Israel would never return to them.Kerry also called for an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the "international recognised capital of the two states".Kerry's speech drew praise from pro-liberal Jewish group J Street but was rejected by the Republican Jewish Coalition, a political lobbying group for Jewish American conservatives.We salute the clear, courageous and committed speech of John Kerry in favour of peace in the Middle East and the solution for the two States, Israel and Palestine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.France will convene some 70 countries on Jan. 15 for a Middle East peace conference in Paris.Ramallah-based political analyst Diana Buttu lauded Kerry's criticism of settlements but criticized the peace agreement parameters."However, the parameters that he laid out for a permanent peace agreement perpetuate the same framework and process that have failed to advance the cause of peace for more than two decades now," Buttu said in a statement.In substance, Kerrys proposals did not depart from long-standing U.S. views on the building blocks of a future deal, and echoed elements of a speech former President Bill Clinton gave in 2001 as he prepared to hand over power to George W. Bush.But back then "the parties were closer, and the United States and Israel were not at such sharp odds," said David Makovsky, a former senior adviser at the State Department on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. (Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington, Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem and Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alistair Bell)

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By Jeff Mason

| PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined U.S. President Barack Obama for a symbolic joint visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, commemorating World War Two dead and pledging that Japan would never wage war again.The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance in the face of a rising China and amid concerns that Trump would have a more complicated relationship with Tokyo.Abe and Obama commemorated the dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship. Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial, a centrepiece of the historic site. We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken, Abe said.To the souls of the servicemen who lie in eternal rest aboard the USS Arizona, to the American people, and to all the peoples around the world, I pledge that unwavering vow here as the prime minister of Japan, he said.Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, pounding the U.S. fleet moored there in the hope of destroying U.S. power in the Pacific.

Abe did not apologise for the attack.Obama, who earlier this year became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, called Abe's visit a "historic gesture" that was "a reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace."The two leaders stood solemnly in front of a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the 1941 attack and they took part in a brief wreath-laying ceremony, followed by a moment of silence.

"In Remembrance, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan" was written on one wreath and "In Remembrance, Barack Obama, President of the United States" on the other.They then threw flower petals into the water. After their remarks, both leaders greeted U.S. veterans who survived the attack.

Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability.The leaders' meeting was also meant to reinforce the U.S.-Japan partnership ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of Trump, whose opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and campaign threat to force allied countries to pay more to host U.S. forces raised concerns among allies such as Japan.Abe met with Trump in New York in November and called him a "trustworthy leader."Obama called for a world without nuclear arms during his visit to Hiroshima. Trump last week called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capability and reportedly welcomed an international arms race. (Reporting by Jeff Mason in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Linda Sieg in Tokyo; additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)

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By Andreina Aponte

| CARACAS

CARACAS Roughly one person is being lynched in crisis-ridden Venezuela every three days as frustrated residents take revenge on suspected criminals, a monitoring group said on Wednesday.The Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), which monitors crime, said mob killings have become a generalized phenomenon across the country, with 126 deaths reported in 2016 versus 20 last year."Due to being repeated victims of crime for more than a decade, and the feeling of not being protected, many people have decided to take justice into their own hands," the OVV said in its latest annual report.In the past, it said, lynchings of suspected murderers and rapists were relatively uncommon, but this year angry crowds have increasingly attacked petty criminals too, with police often turning a blind eye.Venezuelans have long suffered alarming levels of violent crime, in part because of the widespread availability of guns, inadequate policing and a bribe-riddled justice system.

A crushing economic crisis has compounded crime.The OVV, a group of academics who compile data from police sources and the media, said Venezuela, with an estimated 28,479 homicides this year - or more than three killings per hour - was the world's second most murderous nation after El Salvador That would represent 91.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants this year, up from 90 in 2015, it said. The OVV put the homicide rate at more 140 per 100,000 people in Caracas, making it one of the murder capitals of the world.

El Salvador had a rate of 116 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016, according to the Institute of Legal Medicine in El Salvador.President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government rejects the OVV figures as inflated for political reasons. The last official murder rate it gave was 58 per 100,000 inhabitants for 2015.Another researcher has also disagreed with the widely cited OVV data, criticizing its methodology and putting the 2015 figure at 70 murders per 100,000 people. (here)

Whatever the right statistics, crime remains an all-pervasive worry for Venezuelans, especially in poor slums that are run by gangs and rife with guns. Numerous state security plans and disarmament drives have failed to curb the problem."Violence is killing the future of our country," opposition leader Henrique Capriles said during a visit on Wednesday to rescue services in the Miranda state, which he governs."The government has spent 17 years without resolving the problem," he added, referring to Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez's rule since 1999. (Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

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PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his condolences on Tuesday to the people who were killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, after visiting the memorial to the sunken battleship USS Arizona. "President Obama, the people of the United States of America and the people around the world, as the prime minister of Japan I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who have lost their lives here," Abe said.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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By Jeff Mason

| PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a symbolic visit to Pearl Harbor with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, commemorating the victims of Japan's World War Two attack and promising that his country would never wage war again.The visit, just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, was meant to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance amid concerns that Trump could forge a more complicated relationship with Tokyo."I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said."We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken."Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, pounding the U.S. fleet moored there in the hope of destroying U.S. power in the Pacific.Abe did not apologize for the attack, a step that would have irked his conservative supporters, many of whom say U.S. economic sanctions forced Japan to open hostilities. "This visit to Pearl Harbor was to console the souls of the war dead, not to apologize," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo, adding the trip had showed that the allies would contribute to world peace and prosperity.Obama, who earlier this year became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, called Abe's visit a "historic gesture" that was "a reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace."Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, although three others including his grandfather had made quiet stops in Pearl Harbor in the 1950s.The two leaders stood solemnly in front of a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the 1941 attack and took part in a brief wreath-laying ceremony, followed by a moment of silence.

"In Remembrance, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan" was written on one wreath and "In Remembrance, Barack Obama, President of the United States" on the other.They then threw flower petals into the water. After their remarks, both leaders greeted and Abe embraced U.S. veterans who survived the Pearl Harbor attack.In China, which has repeatedly urged Japan to show greater repentance for World War Two and Japan's invasion of China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said real reflection was needed, not show."Reconciliation between inflictor and victim must and can only be established on the basis of sincere and deep reflection by the inflictor," Hua told a daily news briefing.

DISPLAY OF ALLIANCE STRENGTH

Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability.During a meeting ahead of the Pearl Harbor visit, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor moves by China's aircraft carrier, recently spotted on a routine drill in the Western Pacific for the first time, and to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported. The leaders' get-together was also meant to reinforce the U.S.-Japan partnership ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of Trump, whose opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and campaign threat to force allied countries to pay more to host U.S. forces raised concerns among allies such as Japan.

Obama has sought to provide a smooth transition for Trump, but he made his opposition to the Republican's policies, including his proposal to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States, clear during the 2016 campaign."It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward," Obama said at Pearl Harbor. "We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different." Abe met with Trump in New York in November and called him a "trustworthy leader."Obama called for a world without nuclear arms during his visit to Hiroshima. Trump last week called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capability and reportedly welcomed an international arms race.Some Abe critics noted the Japanese leader's visit, and the reconciliation with the United States that it symbolized, underscored the stark contrast in its relationship with China and South Korea, where the bitter wartime legacy still plagues ties with Tokyo.Abe's cabinet minister for reconstruction of disaster-hit regions, Masahiro Imamura, paid his respects later in the day (Wednesday, Tokyo time) at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead, seen in China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, Kyodo news agency said. Abe angered Beijing and Seoul and upset Washington with his own visit to the shrine three years ago this month."A symbolic gesture of contrition to your closest ally is easy," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Japan campus in Tokyo."If he (Abe) really is sincere about reconciliation diplomacy and overcoming lingering enmities he needs to visit similar symbolic sights (in China and Korea) ... and make similar remarks of remorse that are more specific about Japan's responsibility." (Reporting by Jeff Mason in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell, Lisa Shumaker and Nick Macfie)

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MOSCOW The Russian embassy in Syrian capital of Damascus was shelled twice on Wednesday afternoon, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling it a provocation aimed at derailing peace settlement in the country.It said a shell hit an inner yard of the embassy complex, while another shell landed near the diplomatic mission. De-mining specialists have been working in the hit area.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Alison Williams)

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SEOUL A South Korean special prosecution team investigating the corruption scandal that has engulfed the country's presidency said it had placed the chairman of the National Pension Service (NPS) under emergency detention early on Wednesday.The special prosecutor's office did not immediately provide further details on the arrest of NPS Chairman Moon Hyung-pyo but had said on Monday it had raided Moon's home on suspicion of abuse of power.The special prosecutor has been looking into whether Moon pressured the pension fund to support the $8 billion merger last year of two Samsung Group [SAGR.UL} affiliates while he was head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which runs the NPS.The merger was criticised by some investors for strengthening the founding family's control of the group at the expense of other shareholders.

The influence-peddling scandal led parliament to vote on Dec. 9 to impeach President Park Geun-hye, a decision that must be upheld or overturned by the country's Constitutional Court within 180 days.Investigators are also examining whether Samsung's support of a business and foundations backed by Park's friend Choi Soon-sil may have been connected to NPS' support of the merger, a prosecution official told Reuters last week.

Park has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, who has also denied wrongdoing.Last week, investigators raided the office of the NPS, the world's third-largest pension fund.

Under South Korean law, a suspect can be held under emergency arrest without a warrant for up to 48 hours. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Chris Reese and Dan Grebler)

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MADRID Two men were arrested in Madrid on Wednesday on suspicion of spreading Islamist militant propaganda, the Interior Ministry said.Police released video footage that showed officers uncovering gun magazines and bullets from under rocks in a disused building covered in graffiti in the outskirts of Madrid. They uncovered four Kalashnikov AK-47 magazines and over 30 bullets but no weapons, the ministry said, adding that the arrested men were Spaniards of Moroccan and Gambian origin.Separately, two women who travelled to Syria in 2014 from the Spanish north African enclave of Ceuta were arrested in Turkey as they attempted to return to Europe, the ministry said.

The women had gone to Syria with their Islamist militant partners in order to join Islamic State, the statement said.

The women were attempting to make the return journey with young children, and Turkish authorities arrested them after tip-offs from Spanish police.Spain has arrested 177 people in connection with Islamist militancy since 2015, when it raised its security alert level to 4 out of 5 after an Islamist militant attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

(Reporting by Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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Turkey and Russia have agreed a ceasefire plan for all of Syria that should come into force this evening at midnight, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday.

The plan aims to expand a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians, to all of the country, it said.

But, like previous ceasefire plans that had been brokered by the United States and Russia, it excludes "terror" groups, the agency said.

If successful, the plan will form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the regime and opposition overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

Turkey and Russia will work for the plan to come into force at midnight, the agency said, without giving further details.

It was not immediately clear how and where the plan had been agreed but there have been talks in the last weeks between Turkey, Russia and Syrian opposition representatives in Ankara.

Ankara and Moscow have been on opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, with Turkey seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia, along with Iran, his key international ally.

But the two countries have started in the last months to cooperate more tightly on Syria, especially after a deal in summer to normalise ties battered by Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.

Ankara remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, took control last week of all of Aleppo in the biggest defeat for the rebels in the civil war so far.
By Orhan Coskun and Ellen Francis

| ANKARA/BEIRUT

ANKARA/BEIRUT Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding Ankara would not budge on its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad staying on as leader.The comments from Mevlut Cavusoglu appeared to signal tentative progress in talks aimed at reaching a truce. While the insistence on Assad's departure could complicate negotiations with his biggest backer Russia, another Turkish official did not rule out a transitional role for the Syrian president.Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to. Russia has said the next talks are set for Astana, the Kazakh capital."There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time," Cavusoglu told reporters on the sidelines of an awards ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara. He said Syria's opposition would never back Assad."The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad."Last week, Russia's foreign minister said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed the priority in Syria was to fight terrorism and not to remove Assad's government - comments that suggested a shift by Turkey, which has long pushed for Assad's ouster.Sources told Reuters that, under an outline deal between the three countries, Syria could be divided into informal zones of regional power and Assad would remain president for at least a few years.A senior Turkish government official said on Wednesday that future discussions would likely hash out Assad's role.

"We put importance on the establishment of a transitional government and that it would be one that meets the demands of the Syrian people," the official said. "Whether or not Assad will take place in the government will be discussed in the coming period."Assad will not be attending the talks in Astana, which are likely to be held at the undersecretary level "at most", the official added.STICKING POINT

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said earlier on Wednesday Moscow and Ankara had agreed on a proposal towards a general ceasefire. The Kremlin said it could not comment on the report.

A Syrian rebel official said meetings between Ankara and rebel forces were expected to continue this week, but he could not confirm whether a final ceasefire agreement had been reached.The rebel official told Reuters a major sticking point was that Russia wanted to exclude the Damascus countryside from the ceasefire, which the rebels were refusing to do.A second rebel official told Reuters there was no agreement yet from the side of the rebel factions. "The details of the ceasefire deal have yet to be officially presented to the factions," he said. Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

Russian officials have said invitations to participants for the Astana talks have not been sent out and the time has yet to be decided.The talks would not include the United States and would be distinct from separate, intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations.In Berlin, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Germany supported any effort to solve the conflict by political means, adding the United Nations also had an import role to play.Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura had spoken by phone with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and supported the efforts to establish a ceasefire and new peace talks.The Syrian opposition's main political body on Tuesday urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal but that it had not been invited to any conference, referring to the Kazakhstan meeting.The Turkish military said on Wednesday it had "neutralised" 44 Islamic State militants and wounded 117 as part of its operation in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab.Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to al-Bab for weeks under an operation to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border. (Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul, Denis Pinchuk in Moscow and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; writing by David Dolan; editing by Andrew Roche and John Stonestreet)

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Ankara: The United States embassy in Ankara denied Washington had ever supported Islamic State (IS) jihadists in the Syrian conflict after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed the extremists had enjoyed US backing.

"The United States government is not supporting Daesh," the embassy said in a terse statement, using another acronym for IS.

The United States "did not create or support Daesh in the past. Assertions the United States government is supporting Daesh are not true," it added.

The statement did not mention Erdogan by name but said there was "considerable misinformation circulating in Turkish media" about the US operations against IS in Syria. "For those interested in the truths, here are the truths," the embassy said.

Erdogan had accused coalition forces led by the United States of supporting not just the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) in Syria but also IS. "It's quite clear, perfectly obvious," he said, adding that Turkey could provide proof in pictures and video.

The YPG works on the ground with the United States against IS but is seen as a terror group by Ankara and the local branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). However, the embassy said: "The United States government has not provided weapons or explosives to the YPG or the PKK  period."

Erdogan said that the US-led coalition forces fighting against IS in Syria had also failed to provide assistance for the Turkish operation to capture the jihadist-held town of Al-Bab.

Responding to this allegation, the embassy said the United States continues to work closely with Turkey to "determine how we can increase our efforts to defeat (IS)... and eliminate this scourge that threatens both our peoples." It said the discussions included how best to help Turkish forces and their Syrian opposition allies fighting the jihadists around Al-Bab.

The US backing of the YPG and criticism of the human rights climate in Turkey has angered Ankara in the final months of the administration of President Barack Obama.

Turkish officials have expressed hope for a "new page" under President-elect Donald Trump including the extradition of Erdogan's arch enemy Fethullah Gulen who he blames for the 15 July failed coup.
Washington: Tightening the noose around Lashkar-e-Taiba, the US on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based terror group's student wing Al-Muhammadia Students a terrorist organisation and slapped sanctions against its two top leaders.

LeT was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States in December 2001.

Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organisations in an effort to avoid sanctions, said the State Department. "To that effect, Al-Muhammadia Students (AMS) is the student wing of LeT," it said.

Founded in 2009, AMS is a subsidiary of LeT and has worked with LeT senior leaders to organise recruiting courses and other activities for youth, it added.

Simultaneously, the US Treasury Department designated two LeT senior leaders, Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood, as global terrorists. Both the LeT leaders are based in Pakistan. "These two Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders are responsible for raising and moving funds to support the terrorist groups operations," said John E Smith, Acting Director Office of Foreign Assets Control.

"Todays action not only aims to expose their activities, but also disrupts Lashkar-e-Taibas financial network and ability to carry out violent terrorist attacks," he added. Treasury said Sarwar has been a senior LeT official in Lahore for over 10 years and has held various leadership roles in the group, including his current position as LeTs emir for Lahore, a position he has held since at least January 2015.

As the LeT emir of Lahore, Sarwar maintains relationships with LeTs most senior leaders. Between 2012 and 2013, Sarwar worked with LeTs foreign affairs chief Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, and in early 2013, Makki asked Sarwar for money to pay for his travel within Pakistan, it added.

In his capacity as LeT Lahore emir, Sarwar has been directly involved in LeT fund raising activities and uses the formal financial system in Pakistan to raise and move funds on behalf of LeT, the Treasury said.

For example, in 2008, he led delegations of businessmen to LeT facilities for the purpose of soliciting donations for the group, and as of mid-2009, Sarwar was one of two officials who headed LeTs finance wing in Lahore, it added.

On the other hand, Mahmood has been a longstanding senior LeT member based in Karachi, and has been affiliated with the group since 2007.

As early as June 2015 through at least June 2016, Mahmood served as the vice chairman of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a fundraising arm of LeT, Treasury said in a statement. FIF was earlier designated as an alias for LeT.



In 2014, Mahmood was the leader of FIF in Karachi. In August 2013, Mahmood was identified as a LeT publications wing member.

Since at least 2012, Mahmood has routinely traveled overseas and worked with international organisations on behalf of LeT to conduct business for the group in FIFs name, Treasury said.

For example, when acting as the head of FIF in Karachi, Mahmood traveled to Bangladesh to distribute funds to a Burmese migrant camp for the purpose of facilitating LeT recruitment, it said.

In August 2012, Mahmood, while in-charge of the Sindh, chapter of FIF, led a LeT delegation to Burma, and in mid-2014, he traveled to Syria and Turkey and was subsequently appointed to lead FIF efforts in both countries.

Mahmood has also traveled to Bangladesh and Gaza on behalf of FIF, it said.

Treasury said Mahmood was previously part of LeTs overseas operations team led by Sajjid Mir, who was designated a global terrorist in 2012.

While part of LeTs operations team, Mahmoods areas of responsibility included Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

Additionally, in August 2013, Mahmood was instructed to forge covert links with Islamic organizations in Bangladesh and Burma, and as of late 2011, "Mahmood claimed that LeT's primary concern should be attacking India and America," the Treasury said.
Washington: The US has described as "ludicrous" a claim by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it supported Islamic State militant group in Syria.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said there was no basis for such an accusation, BBC reported.

The Turkish leader earlier said he had evidence that the US supported the Kurdish YPG and PYD groups.

Turkish troops have been fighting to push the Islamic State out of northern Syria.

"They were accusing us of supporting Daesh (IS)," Erdogan said in Ankara.

"Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos."

At least 37 Turkish troops have been killed during an operation launched in August to push IS militants and Kurdish fighters out of the area around al-Bab, a strategic town about 20 km from the Turkish border.

The US has been working with the Kurdish groups in Syria but Turkey said they were linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been waging a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Meanwhile, the umbrella group representing Syria's political and armed opposition factions has urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal.

But Riad Hijab, general coordinator for the High Negotiations Committee, said the body had not been invited to take part in a conference proposed by Russia to take place in Kazakhstan.

Hijab said confidence-building measures were needed to create an atmosphere for political transition talks which he said should be held in Geneva and sponsored by the UN.
The past two years have been brutally tough on the oil industry. Persistently weak oil prices and increasing uncertainty caused approximately 100 oil and gas producers to declare bankruptcy since the onset of the downturn. Meanwhile, most other producers cut costs to the bare bones, causing their output to drop.

However, prices seemed to bottom out in early 2016 and should be much more stable in 2017 as a result of two OPEC agreements to rebalance the market. That intervention, combined with falling costs and efficiency gains, means 2017 could be one of the best years to invest in oil stocks in quite some time.

Draining the stockpiles

At the end of November, OPEC members agreed to end their battle for market share and instead refocus their attention on supporting oil prices by agreeing to cut their combined output by 1.2 million barrels per day. A couple of weeks later, OPEC announced an agreement with 11 non-member nations who pledged to join it by reducing their production by 558,000 barrels per day for the next six months. The aim of these reductions is to start eliminating the glut of oil that has built up over the past two years due to persistent oversupply. If everything goes according to plan, these actions could drain 46% of the estimated 300 million barrel excess stockpile over the next six months. That would result in a more balanced oil market going forward, which could stabilize oil prices much higher.

While many market watchers have their doubts that OPEC will implement these agreements to the full extent, even partial compliance should help reduce the supply overhang quicker than relying on the natural decline of production due to underinvestment. That said, after two years of underinvestment, the market has gotten much closer to rebalancing on its own. According to data from oil-field service company Core Labs (CLB 6.62%), production in the U.S. has already fallen by 1.3 million barrels per day since peaking in March 2015. That decline, when combined with similar natural declines elsewhere, has global production on pace to slump 3.3% in 2016. Meanwhile, demand continues to march higher, which should lead to a much tighter oil market in 2017 even without OPEC. In fact, that outlook had Core Labs anticipating that a V-shaped recovery in the oil market was on the horizon well before OPEC stepped in to support prices.

Unless oil demand falls off a cliff, market fundamentals should be much better in 2017 than they were for most of the past year. This improvement alone should lift a weight that had been holding down oil stocks.

Repositioned and ready to grow

Before the downturn, many oil companies relied on triple-digit oil prices to fuel their businesses. However, with those prices a distant memory, producers worked hard to get their costs down to run at much lower prices. Those efforts are about to pay off, with many oil companies recently announcing that they have reached a turning point in their repositioning efforts, and are now in the position to thrive at lower prices. This transformation has been nothing short of remarkable and is a major catalyst for oil stocks in 2017.

Leading U.S. independent oil company ConocoPhillips (COP 5.78%), for example, has reduced its breakeven point from more than $75 per barrel to less than $50 per barrel in just the past couple of years. The company had to make several tough decisions to get to that level, including slashing the dividend and exiting its deepwater exploration program. However, ConocoPhillips can flourish at $50 oil going forward because it can generate enough cash flow to grow the dividend, pay down debt, buy back stock, and boost output by up to 2% per year. Meanwhile, ConocoPhillips has built in tremendous flexibility into its operations so that as oil prices go up, so does the company's ability to grow production and increase shareholder distributions.

Shale-focused producers, likewise, have experienced a dramatic transformation over the past few years. For example, Devon Energy (DVN 4.88%) and Concho Resources (CXO) both stopped growing in 2016 to focus their attention on reducing costs by capturing drilling efficiencies, optimizing well completions, and high grading their portfolios. Those efforts are ready to bear fruit, which has both companies positioned to start growing again in 2017 at much lower prices. Concho Resources, for example, can now increase its oil production by a 20% compound annual growth rate through 2019 while living within projected cash flows at current oil prices. Meanwhile, if oil prices rise, Concho Resources has an abundance of high-return drilling locations to capture those higher prices.

Devon Energy, meanwhile, believes its cash flow will more than double in 2017 to $2.5 billion if oil and gas average $55 and $3, respectively. That is enough cash flow to enable Devon to deliver double-digit U.S. oil production growth next year. Meanwhile, at $60 oil and $3.25 gas, Devon's cash flow could jump 200% to roughly $3.5 billion, which would enable the company to grow even faster.

Investor takeaway

Thanks to falling supplies, the oil market could quickly rebalance in 2017, which should stabilize prices, if not push them much higher. Meanwhile, dramatic cost reductions have oil producers positioned to grow at much lower prices going forward. Because of this combination, 2017 could be an excellent year for oil stocks.

Oil prices per barrel differ depending on type and location, which can mean a lot to oil stocks.
Four months ago, I wrote about an incredibly cheap high-yield dividend stock: Enviva Partners (EVA). The company -- based out of Bethesda, Maryland -- provides wood pellets for European and Asian power companies trying to wean themselves off coal. At the time, the stock offered an 8.7% yield and traded for just nine times a key metric (distributable cash flow, which we'll get to in a minute).

Since then, the stock has almost tripled the S&P 500's return, but as you'll see below, buying shares today likely yields you an even better deal.

A stronger company than back in August

Since I first laid out the nuts and bolts of Enviva's business model -- which involves taking a very fragmented market for wood-pellet providers in the American Southeast and signing long-term contracts with power providers, primarily in Europe -- the company has only gotten stronger.

When earnings were announced in November, the company reported that while revenue had fallen, net income had increased an astounding 48%, while distributable cash flow (DCF) -- what the company can use to pay its outsize dividend -- grew 35%. While the shortfall in revenue was due largely to the timing of delivery of pellet products, the sheer increase in profitability speaks volumes about the company's leverage.

The company's December announcement that it had completed the purchase of a processing plant in Sampson, North Carolina, brings the number of plants on line to six. That, plus the wholly owned deepwater terminal in Port of Chesapeake, Virginia, gives the company scale that no one else is even close to matching in the United States.

With demand for biomass inputs expected to grow by 16% per year until 2020, you can see why the type of scale Enviva is building is so important.

You haven't missed the dividend boat...yet

And yet, by buying the company today, you're getting the same benefits you were just four months ago, when the company was trading for less.

That's because Enviva has already announced another dividend increase, and founder-CEO John Keppler has already indicated that the company plans to offer "at least" $2.35 in dividends per share in the next fiscal year. At today's prices, that equates to the very same 8.7% yield of four months ago. And thanks to the increase in DCF to a trailing figure of $73.2 million, the company still trades for just nine times that metric.

However, here's the real kicker for dividend investors: The company has stated many times that its ideal coverage ratio is 1.15. This basically means it has 115% of what is necessary to pay its dividend. In a more traditional sense, it means the company has a DCF payout ratio of 87% (1 divided by 1.15).

Over the past quarter, though, the coverage ratio was 1.57, and on a trailing basis, the coverage ratio has hovered at near 1.4. If management thought there was no better use for capital, it could increase its payout 22% tomorrow and still likely meet its goals. That probably won't happen overnight, though, because the company also sees opportunities to use the cash either to make acquisitions or to bring more plants online.

Risks to be aware of

As I see it, there are three risks investors need to consider before purchasing shares. The first is the simple fact that over the long run, there's the strong possibility that other forms of energy inputs -- like wind and solar -- could gain more favor as they become more feasible. However, the long-term contracts Enviva has signed put that possibility off by at least a decade (the average length of its current contracts).

The second threat comes from increased demand. As others see how profitable Enviva has made the business, they will likely join. As you can see from the list below, Enviva -- though the largest -- is hardly alone in the sub-industry. And Graanul Invest is building out capacity to come within a stone's throw of Enviva.

Here again, Enviva's long-term contracts offer some protection. This would really start to show up in the company's backlog, with future contracts yielding less profit per metric ton than they currently do ($44.35 per metric ton).

Perhaps the most interesting risk, though, might be a cultural one. As I noted in my previous piece, the company's (current and former) employees have absolutely blasted management on Glassdoor.com, and those trends have continued. The picture that emerges is a toxic corporate culture where management is growing the company far too fast, with employees burning out and a revolving door starting to form.

So far, none of those concerns have hampered results for shareholders. And if the company can continue to meet its production goals, these concerns will likely all be moot, but they are worth considering before putting your money down on this very cheap high-yield dividend stock.
U.S. shale drillers are set to ramp up spending on exploration and production next year as recovering oil prices prompt banks to extend credit lines for the first time in two years.

The credit increase is small, but with major oil producers worldwide aiming to hold down production in 2017, U.S.-based shale drillers are looking to boost market share to take advantage of higher prices, and greater availability of capital will make that easier.

North America-focused oil and gas producers are expected to increase capital investments by 30 percent in 2017, according to analysts at Raymond James.

A number of shale producers including Pioneer Natural Resources Co , Diamondback Energy Inc and RSP Permian Inc have forecast bigger budgets and increased output for next year.

Every six months, oil and gas producers negotiate credit with banks based on the value of reserves in the ground. Through the latest round of talks in the fall, 34 companies had their available credit lines raised an average of about 5 percent, or more than $1.3 billion, according to data compiled by Reuters.

The combined bank credit for the companies stood at $30.3 billion, compared with $28.9 billion at the end of spring 2016.

The industry's available credit had been cut by 40 percent over the past three reviews as it contended with a two-year price rout.

"The 'animal spirits,' seem to be coming back to the exploration and production market, albeit slowly," said Reorg Research analyst Kyle Owusu, referring to the human emotion that drives confidence.

Of the 34 companies, 12 saw increases of 5 to 90 percent, while 10 companies had their borrowing bases cut in the latest round, and 12 companies' credit limits were left unchanged.

In addition to the increased borrowing base, lenders have extended maturities on loans.

Oil prices have risen by more than 45 percent this year, increasing the value of oil and gas reserves against which loans are decided. And a number of companies have seen their eligible proved reserves rise, in part due to acquisitions.

Overall U.S. crude oil production is forecast to fall to 8.8 million barrels per day in 2017 from 8.9 million bpd this year, according to the U.S. Energy Department. But shale output could increase from 200,000 to 500,000 bpd in the coming year, analysts said.

Shale companies generally use revolving credit to finance day-to-day operations. But with tight credit over the past two years, they have relied on asset sales and stock issuance to fund routine operations, leaving less money for exploration and production.

With borrowing bases raised, companies do not have to turn to capital markets to finance routine operations.

They are expanding reserves with acreage purchases, particularly in prolific fields such as the Permian Basin in Texas. That in turn helps them negotiate higher borrowing bases with their lenders.

Rice Energy Inc's borrowing base was increased to $1.45 billion from $1 billion last week after the company added to its reserves through the $2.7 billion purchase of Vantage Energy Inc .

With expanded credit lines, companies can fund acquisitions and new exploration. Diamondback's borrowing base rose to $1 billion from $700 billion. Its Viper Energy Partners LP unit had its credit limit boosted to $275 million from $175 million.

"I think we (will) continue to use that borrowing base as a way to fund acquisitions," Kaes Van't Hof, a Diamondback executive, said on a November earnings call.

Some companies are going another route, selling more shares. Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc kept its current credit line at $600 million and sold $225 million in stock in October to fund more land purchases.

Other companies are struggling to make up for so-called borrowing base "deficiencies," which arise when their outstanding loans exceed its borrowing base.

After the round of borrowing base redeterminations last spring at least six companies had overdrawn borrowing bases. Four of them have since filed for bankruptcy.

(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
The news that Chipotle Mexican Grill(NYSE: CMG) co-CEO Monty Moran was stepping down, after running the company alongside founder Steve Ells since January 2009, caused shares to slide by around 6%. To make matters worse, Ells, now the sole CEO, admitted during an investor conference that he was nervous about hitting fiscal 2017 guidance.A great deal has been done, including Moran's departure which rectifies the obvious friction that occurs when a vessel has two captains, to right the ship following the food-poisoning scares of a year ago. But what will it take to get Chipotle back into growth mode?To answer that question, we're going to need a napkin.

Image source: author's lunch.

Fire up your calculator

Following a slew of food-borne-illness-related scares, Chipotle's revenue fell off a cliff in Q4 2015 and kept on falling, only to finally bottom out in Q1 2016. Here are the key data points we'll need for our quick-and-dirty back-of-the-napkin analysis:

Chipotle's quarterly revenue topped out at an all-time high of $1.217 billion in Q3 2015.

When the trouble began, in Q4 2015, revenue plummeted to $997.5 million.

Quarterly revenue bottomed out at $834.5 million in Q1 2016.

Chipotle stands today, a year after the trouble began, having generated $1.037 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2016.

Same-store-sales results fell, at their worst, by 29.7% in Q1 2016.

Net income, for the first time in the company's history as a publicly traded company, was negative.The company is now profitable. Having generated $7.8 million in profits in Q3, it rebounded modestly from Q1's $25.4 million deficit -- but that remains a far cry from the $140 million-plus-per-quarter rate of fiscal 2015.

I know what you're thinking: Any analysis applied to these figures will inevitably be skewed because of new restaurant openings. And you're right. At the end of Q3 2016, Chipotle had 2,178 locations in operation, compared with 2,010 at the end of 2015 -- an 8.4% increase in just nine months. But rest assured we'll adjust for this change, as best we can on a napkin.

What will it take to get Chipotle in growth mode again?

Revenue has already rebounded by a solid 24.26% in just six short months (Q1-Q3 of 2016). To get back up above the previous peak of $1.217 billion, the company will need another 20% increase.

This could be done with a bunch of store openings -- but that won't do the trick for investors. They need to know Chipotle is back, and that can only be done by getting older locations back to, at the very least, their original sales numbers.

Let's look at some revenue figures:

First, we need to adjust for the previous 24% increase since Q1 2016 (11.35% per quarter) and subtract the 6% or so contribution (a rough guess) from new stores. This calculation equates to an 18% total rebound, or 5.7% compounding quarterly, from stores that were open the previous year.

The store count over the period in question increased 8%, but the average new restaurant yielded revenues of around 77% of those opened longer over a year, according to CMG's Q3 Conference Call.

We know that Chipotle's revenues experienced a strong bounce off their bottom from earlier this year, but 5.7% sequential same-store-sales growth per quarter is optimistic. What will the actual number be? It's hard to say, but let's go with 2% sequential growth per quarter and hope that all goes according to Chipotle's recovery plan. This outlook is also in line with the "high-single-digit" year-over-year same-store-sales growthguidance that Chipotle forecast for fiscal 2017 in October 2016's Q3 earnings release.

Just 2% same-store-sales growth, compounded quarterly, brings total revenue back to approximately $1.2 billion in nine quarters, assuming no new stores openings.

New store openings, which will add to the top line but not to investors' enthusiasm regarding Chipotle's rebound, are forecast to be in the area of 195 to 210 in fiscal 2017. That outlook marks an approximately 9% increase on top of today's current store count.

Clearly, new store openings can and probably will cut that nine-quarter figure in half.

As noted in a previous piece, Chipotle's operations are highly leveraged, and once individual restaurant sales get to anywhere close to their previous highs, solid profitability will return instantly, thanks to the company's sizableoperating leverage.

Napkins can be used for more than just cleaning up

If you've been following along on an actual napkin, it probably looks pretty messy right now.But don't ascribe any certainty to these calculations. Investing is as much an art as a science, and when Chipotle's rebound has come to full fruition will only be known in hindsight. What we do know is that the company is doing everything possible to right the ship and is planning on opening a solid number of new stores next year, and even a modest increase in same-store sales will produce strong profitability once again -- probably within the next 12 to 18 months.That's the reason Chipotle is still forecasting earnings per share of $10 in fiscal year 2017 and is going all in on winning its customers back by going back to the basics.

It won't happen tomorrow (or next quarter for that matter), but if our back-of-the-napkin analysis has taught us anything, it's that it won't take much for Chipotle to be back in growth mode once again.

10 stocks we like better than Chipotle Mexican Grill 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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Uranium miners like Cameco Corp. (NYSE: CCJ) have been suffering through a rough patch. The immediate problem is falling uranium prices. But that's really a symptom of a bigger issue, which is a supply-and-demand imbalance. Investors looking at uranium as a way to play nuclear power need to understand that dynamic, and what's expected to fix the problem, before they buy into this sector.

A Rio Tinto employee working at one of its uranium facilities. Image source: Rio Tinto.

Steep drop

In 2011, uranium prices were in the range of $70 per pound. The spot price for the nuclear fuel, which Cameco notes was "down to new 10-year lows,"was around $25 per pound in the third quarter of 2016. Luckily, the world's largest publicly traded uranium miner's business is backed by long-term contracts that helped keep its realized price at just over $43 a pound.

A long-term look at the history of uranium prices. Image source: Energy Fuels.

Still, though, you see the problem. The price trend is going the wrong way -- which is why Cameco has been directing its efforts to cost-cutting and refocusing around its best mines. For example, the company reduced its capital spending projections for 2016 by around 10% when it reported third-quarter results. And, despite the downturn, it has continued to invest in its Cigar Lake mine because it's relatively cheap to operate. The recent opening of that mine helped to cut Cameco's cash costs of producing uranium by more than 20% through the first nine months of 2016.

These are solid operational moves, and they show that Cameco is working hard to adjust to a difficult environment. In fact, the miner has managed to remain profitable despite the headwinds it's faced. Still, you'll want to ensure the miner keeps making progress in these efforts from a company-specific standpoint. But when you look at the industry, which includes giant diversified miners like Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO) and tiny upstarts like money-losing Energy Fuels, the supply-demand dynamic is the real key for uranium next year and thereafter.

Japan at the crossroads

One of the biggest issues facing uranium today actually stems from the 2011 Fukushima reactor meltdown in Japan. That event caused Japan to shut all of its nuclear power plants and even led Germany to plan a shift away from the electricity option. In addition to reminding the world of the risks involved in running nuclear reactors, the swift shutdown of so many reactors pushed supply and demand out of whack.

After Japan began to realize that doing without nuclear power was an expensive proposition, the island nation announced its intention to restart many of its shuttered nuclear facilities. However, progress has been very slow. To be fair, Japanese restarts alone won't solve the supply-demand imbalance they helped to create. But once enough of these reactors are back up and running, the uranium market will have passed a key emotional hurdle. Cameco, for example, describes the current market sentiment as "anemic." And a big part of that is the state of Japan's nuclear fleet.

Under construction

Once investors and market participants start to see that the clouds are beginning to lift, they can focus on some of the positives. One of the biggest is that there are currently 57 reactors under construction today. The new reactors are mostly in developing markets where demand for power is growing quickly, like China and India. More important, the opening of new reactors is expected to more than offset demand declines from reactors being mothballed. That, in turn, will help to correct the supply-demand imbalance.

So, as an investor, you'll want to keep a close eye on the progress at the plants that are in a state of development. About two-thirds of these are expected to come on line in the next three years.

The really long term

That said, the really long-term view for uranium isn't three years into the future -- it's decades. Which is why you also need to watch long-term construction plans. For example, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that nuclear power production will increase more than 70% by 2040. Emerging markets are expected to account for 86% of that growth, with China alone making up a massive 54%.

Projecting big growth for nuclear energy. Image source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2016.

The only problem with this really long-term view is that sometimes big construction plans don't pan out as planned. Uranium's future won't be nearly as positive if alternative power options, like solar and wind, grab more share of the market than expected. So you need to monitor those 57 nuclear plants being built today and watch the long-term picture.

That means keeping an eye out for more nuclear power construction news. It also means watching for technology advances that can make the fuel option safer and cheaper to build. Companies like General Electric'sGE Hitachi partnership are working on next-generation plants that investors should closely monitor.

Balancing out

Investors watching the uranium market in 2017 clearly shouldbe monitoring uranium prices. But there's a lot that goes into that, both over the short term and the long term. And on that score, you'll want to watch Japan's efforts to restart shuttered nuclear power plants, the progress on the plants currently under construction, and updates on plants and technology planned but not yet built. All of that is the backdrop behind the company-specific moves that uranium miners like Cameco are making today -- with the goal of surviving the downturn so they can benefit from bright expectations for the future.

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New census figures show the three northernmost states in New England continue to see stagnant or declining populations, which experts predict will limit economic growth in the region.

The challenges are slightly different among the states, with Vermont losing population, Maine growing but seeing more deaths than births and New Hampshire still growing, but at a much smaller rate than in years past.

"We cannot have economic growth without demographic growth, and we're facing a situation where more and more businesses aren't going to be able to fill jobs because there aren't enough workers, let alone skilled workers," said Maine State Economist Amanda Rector.

The most recent statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show the population of Vermont dropped last year, by 0.2 percent, or 1,494 residents, to 624,594. Since 2010, Vermont has lost 1,147 residents.

Vermont has been coping with stagnant population growth for the last 16 years. In 2012, the state had its first population drop since the 1940s. Since then, some years have seen slight gains while others have had slight losses.

While the numbers remain small and could be reversed, the trend is troubling, said University of Vermont Associate Economics Professor Art Woolf.

"The only reason this is happening is more people are leaving Vermont than are moving here," Woolf said. "We all who live here think Vermont's a wonderful place, but that's not the relevant group that are making the decisions (to leave)."

For years, Vermont officials have worked to stem out-migration, but so far nothing has worked.

Maine's population grew by 2,026 last year to just over 1.3 million. But there were 1,300 more deaths than births.

Maine, whose residents have the oldest median age in the nation, has seen enough in-migration to create a small net increase in population in the past year but more needs to be done to bring young people into the state, Rector said. In recent years, international migration has helped to offset more serious population declines, she said.

New Hampshire's population grew last year by 0.4 percent, or 4,684 residents, to a total just over 1.3 million. It had about 16,000 fewer people than Maine.

For many years, New Hampshire was the fastest-growing state in the northeast, largely due to people moving in from Massachusetts. But that domestic in-migration has slowed considerably during the past decade  in some recent years, more people moved out than moved in  and the state is not expected to return to the past pattern any time soon, according to the New Hampshire Institute for Public Policy Studies.

The most recent data show New Hampshire migration has turned positive again, but not by much.

Earlier this year, after reading the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies report "The Silver Tsunami," which documented the demographic changes facing New Hampshire, Republican state Rep. Neal Kurk asked leaders in the state to see what could be done.

"State officials need to understand the consequences of a future population that is no longer growing but is stable and aging," he said.

___

Associated Press reporters David Sharp in Portland, Maine, and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz had harsh words for President Obama, following the United States decision to abstain from vetoing a United Nations vote that condemns Israeli settlements and states that the Western Wall is in occupied territory.

It goes right to the heart of Jewish Jerusalem. It says Jews cant pray at the holiest site in Judaism, they cant attend Hebrew University, Dershowitz said, adding that Obama had Israels back, but as a target.

The Harvard Law professor emeritus said many U.S. politicians and even members of the Obama administration oppose the UN resolution.

This is a personal thingthis is Barack Obama, the lame duck president, undemocratically, with no checks and balances, at a time when Congress is out of session, just getting even. Letting his passion prevail over policy, Dershowitz said.

President-elect Donald Trump, promised in a tweet last Friday that things will be different after Jan. 20th, regarding the United Nations under his tenure in the White House. Dershowitz said Trump wont be able to undo the UNs resolution.

As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2016

President [Obama] tied the hands of his successors by making it impossibleyou cant undo failing to give a veto, he said. What he can do is undo its impact by declaring that it is American policy, that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem and moving the embassy there.

Dershowitz added that he heard Americas role in the resolution was far more active than the government has claimed.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that Israel's building of settlements was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the long-time American ally.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shot back at Kerry and accused him of showing bias against the Jewish state.

In a 70-minute speech just weeks before the Obama administration hands over to President-elect Donald Trump, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.

His remarks added to strain in the U.S.-Israeli relationship -- characterized by personal acrimony between President Barack Obama and Netanyahu -- after the United States cleared the way for a U.N. resolution last week that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

"The truth is that trends on the ground - violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation - are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want."

Kerry condemned Palestinian violence which he said included "hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year."

His parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts.

In a statement, Netanyahu said Kerry's speech "was skewed against Israel." The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements" and barely touched on "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

The Israelis are looking past Obama and expect they will receive more favorable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. The Republican used his Twitter account on Wednesday to denounce the Obama administration, including its U.N. vote and the nuclear accord it reached with Iran last year.

"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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Trump had openly lobbied against the U.N. resolution and would be expected to veto any further ones deemed anti-Israel.

He has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement, has cast doubt on the idea of a two-state solution and even advocated for Israel's annexation of the West Bank, a notion even further to the right than Netanyahu's own stance.

IMPASSIONED SPEECH

Kerry's speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his years as secretary of state.

He defended the U.S. decision to allow the passage of a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, saying it was intended to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

The United States abstained in the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by Obama who had an acrimonious relationship with Netanyahu.

Kerry vigorously defended the U.N. resolution and rejected criticism "that this vote abandons Israel".

"It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible."

In a pointed reply to Netanyahu who said last week that "Friends don't take friends to the Security Council", and who has insisted the Obama administration had orchestrated the resolution, Kerry hit back, saying: "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect."

Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed a $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade. (By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alistair Bell)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that Israel's building of settlements in occupied territory was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the longtime American ally.

In a swiftly issued statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kerry of showing bias. He said Israel did not need to be lectured to by foreign leaders and looked forward to working with incoming President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies.

In a 70-minute speech with mere weeks left in his tenure, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.

Kerry's remarks, and Netanyahu's reply, marked the closing chapter of an increasingly bitter U.S.-Israeli relationship during President Barack Obama's administration over differences on settlement-building and the Iran nuclear deal signed last year.

Ties reached a low point last week when Washington cleared the way for a U.N. resolution that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building, prompting Israeli government officials to direct harsh attacks against Obama and Kerry whom they insisted had orchestrated the resolution.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

The United States had appealed to Israel in public and private to stop the march of settlements countless times, Kerry said.

"In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two state solution," he said. "We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state."

His parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Middle East peace efforts.

The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements" and barely touched on "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

POST-OBAMA ERA

The Israelis are looking past Obama and expect to receive more favorable treatment from Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. But they fear Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive, and prompt other countries to apply pressure, including by adding fuel to the boycott, divestiture and sanctions movement against Israel, especially in Europe.

Trump denounced the Obama administration's treatment of Israel before Kerry's speech.

"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 not anymore," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

He has vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upset many countries, and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement.

Kerry's speech provided some insights into an issue that he personally feels passionate about and had hoped to resolve during his nearly four years as secretary of state.

The United States abstained in the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by Obama.

Kerry vigorously defended the resolution. "It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible."

In a pointed reply to Netanyahu who said last week that "Friends don't take friends to the Security Council", and who has insisted the Obama administration had orchestrated the resolution, Kerry hit back, saying: "Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect."

Kerry defended Obama's commitment to Israel's security and U.S. support for Israel in international platforms. Earlier this year, the United States and Israel agreed $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade.

In Jerusalem, Israel approved construction of a multi-storey building for settlers in annexed East Jerusalem on Wednesday, an NGO said, after postponing authorization of hundreds of other homes.

Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate and most countries view it as an obstacle to peace. Israel cites a biblical, historical and political connection to the land - which the Palestinians also claim - as well as security interests.

Netanyahu, for whom settlers are a key constituency, has said his government has been their greatest ally since the capture of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a 1967 war.

Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians. Peace talks have stalled since 2014.

PARAMETERS FOR PEACE DEAL

Emphasizing that Washington could not impose an outcome, Kerry outlined principles for a two-state solution which envisioned secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine - based on the 1967 lines before it seized the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The two sides would agree to land swaps.

Netanyahu has described the 1967 lines as indefensible and has said Israel would never return to them.

Kerry also called for an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the "international recognized capital of the two states".

Kerry's speech drew praise from pro-liberal Jewish group J Street but was rejected by the Republican Jewish Coalition, a political lobbying group for Jewish American conservatives.

"We salute the clear, courageous and committed speech of John Kerry in favor of peace in the Middle East and the solution for the two States, Israel and Palestine," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

France will convene some 70 countries on Jan. 15 for a Middle East peace conference in Paris.

Ramallah-based political analyst Diana Buttu lauded Kerry's criticism of settlements but criticized the peace agreement parameters.

"However, the parameters that he laid out for a permanent peace agreement perpetuate the same framework and process that have failed to advance the cause of peace for more than two decades now," Buttu said in a statement.

In substance, Kerry's proposals did not depart from long-standing U.S. views on the building blocks of a future deal, and echoed elements of a speech former President Bill Clinton gave in 2001 as he prepared to hand over power to George W. Bush.

But back then "the parties were closer, and the United States and Israel were not at such sharp odds," said David Makovsky, a former senior adviser at the State Department on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
New York's financial regulator said on Wednesday it was revising proposed cyber security rules for banks and insurers doing business in the state to incorporate industry feedback, delaying implementation by two months to March 1.

The rules from the New York State Department of Financial Services are being closely watched by financial services firms around the United States because they would be the first of their kind imposed by any state or federal agency.

At a hearing last week before New York state lawmakers, banking and insurance industry representatives complained that the new rules did not distinguish between small and large financial institutions and might conflict with future U.S. government regulations.

The New York regulator has also received more than 150 comment letters from banks, insurers and others in response to its proposed cyber security plan.

The agency said in a statement that it had carefully considered incorporating some of the suggestions into the proposed regulations, which will be finalized following another 30-day review by the industry and public.

"New Yorkers must be confident that the banks, insurance companies and the other financial institutions that they rely on are securely handling and establishing necessary protocols that ensure the security and privacy of their sensitive personal information," Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo said in the statement.

"This updated proposal allows an appropriate period of time for regulated entities to review the rule before it becomes final and make certain that their systems can effectively and efficiently meet the risks associated with cyber threats," she said.

Reuters last week first reported on the agency's plan to delay the regulations.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Editing by Richard Chang)
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday wireless carrier Sprint Corp will bring 5,000 jobs back to the United States and OneWeb, a new company, will be hiring 3,000 people.

"I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States, they are taking them from other countries," Trump told reporters outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

"And also OneWeb, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people. So that's very exciting," he added.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Eric Beech)
Steve Martin received backlash for a tribute he paid to Carrie Fisher on Twitter.

On Tuesday, the comic wrote in a since-deleted tweet, "When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well."

Media outlets and fans immediately turned on the comedian saying Martins tweet had a sexist undertone.

However, many fans came to Martin's defense saying backlash over his tweet was uncalled for including a Twitter user who screengrabbed the post.

Here's Steve Martin's fine little tweet praising Carrie Fisher that some grumps pressured him to delete. pic.twitter.com/A1W5qYkdwI  Capitalics (@Capitalics) December 28, 2016 I'm going to be pissed off all day because people bullied Steve Martin into deleting a tweet about his friend, Carrie Fisher.  New Years Desolation (@BloatedCarcass) December 28, 2016 #SteveMartin tweet about #CarrieFisher

Am I missing something?

What is the squak about?

Sounded lovely to me  deplorable MOM (@GiglioMarilyn) December 28, 2016 If you were upset by Steve Martins tweet about Carrie Fisher, congratulations! You are officially addicted to outrage.



Now, seek help.  Peter Cook (@_Peter_Cook) December 28, 2016 Was Steve Martin's tweet about Carrie Fisher offensive? Absolutely not. Not in the slightest.  Ezinne (@nilegirl) December 28, 2016

A rep for Martin did not immediately return FOX411's request for comment.

Cinnabon also faced criticism for a tweet they sent out saying, "RIP Carrie Fisher, you'll always have the best buns in the galaxy." They deleted their tweet.

During her life, Fisher was outspoken about rampant sexism and ageism in Hollywood. In 2015, the actress addressed critics who objectified her appearance.
The perennial immigrant search for a better life does not necessarily bring better health, according to a new study.

The study, titled "Gender, Acculturation and Smoking Behavior Among U.S. Asian and Latino Immigrants," found that the longer Asian and Latino immigrants were in the United States, the more frequently they smoked.

But there is good news for those who succeed in assimilating and learning English  they are linked to a reduction in smoking.

The authors of the study theorized that feeling comfortable with the adopted culture and mastering the language leads to better opportunities, more financial comfort and, by extension, less stress.

Immigrants who form strong connections to the U.S. through English-language proficiency and citizenship acquisition benefit in terms of reduced smoking, said Bridget Gorman, chair and professor of sociology at Rice and the study's lead author, according to a summary of the report.

This may be because the stresses associated with adapting to the U.S. have declined, the summary said, but since both English-language proficiency and citizenship are associated with higher socio-economic standing, this might also indicate that smoking is lower among the most economically well-off migrants.

The study showed that Latino immigrant men smoke more than twice the rate of Latinas  about 30 percent compared to about 13 percent. The same was true of Asian immigrants, though the disparity was wider at 30 percent compared to 7 percent.

Women tended to smoke more upon migrating, the study found. The researchers believe that despite the obvious health risk, women took part in smoking more once in the United States, where gender behavorial norms are not as delineated as those in their native countries.

The smoking stigma for women is significantly less in the U.S., the authors wrote.

The study looked at a sample of 3,249 Asian and Latino migrant adults aged 18 and older.

Among other findings in the study was differences within Asian and Latino groups. Men from China, for instance, were less likely to smoke than other Asian men, while Cuban men smoked more frequently than Mexican men.

The perennial immigrant search for a better life does not necessarily bring better health, according to a new study.

The study, titled "Gender, Acculturation and Smoking Behavior Among U.S. Asian and Latino Immigrants," found that the longer Asian and Latino immigrants were in the United States, the more frequently they smoked.

But there is good news for those who succeed in assimilating and learning English  they are linked to a reduction in smoking.

The authors of the study theorized that feeling comfortable with the adopted culture and mastering the language leads to better opportunities, more financial comfort and, by extension, less stress.

Immigrants who form strong connections to the U.S. through English-language proficiency and citizenship acquisition benefit in terms of reduced smoking, said Bridget Gorman, chair and professor of sociology at Rice and the study's lead author, according to a summary of the report.

This may be because the stresses associated with adapting to the U.S. have declined, the summary said, but since both English-language proficiency and citizenship are associated with higher socio-economic standing, this might also indicate that smoking is lower among the most economically well-off migrants.

The study showed that Latino immigrant men smoke more than twice the rate of Latinas  about 30 percent compared to about 13 percent. The same was true of Asian immigrants, though the disparity was wider at 30 percent compared to 7 percent.

Women tended to smoke more upon migrating, the study found. The researchers believe that despite the obvious health risk, women took part in smoking more once in the United States, where gender behavorial norms are not as delineated as those in their native countries.

The smoking stigma for women is significantly less in the U.S., the authors wrote.

The study looked at a sample of 3,249 Asian and Latino migrant adults aged 18 and older.

Among other findings in the study was differences within Asian and Latino groups. Men from China, for instance, were less likely to smoke than other Asian men, while Cuban men smoked more frequently than Mexican men.

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A Spanish missionary priest being treated for Ebola died Tuesday in a Madrid hospital amid a worldwide ethical debate over who should get an experimental Ebola drug.

Spain's Health Ministry said Monday it had obtained a course of the U.S.-made experimental Ebola drug ZMapp to treat Father Miguel Pajares, 75.

Pajares died Tuesday at Carlos III Hospital, the hospital and his order said. The hospital would not confirm that he had been treated with the drug, but his order said earlier that he would be.

He is one of only three Ebola patients thought to have received the experimental treatment. The others are two Americans evacuated to Atlanta. The vast majority of those sickened by the virus have been Africans.

The World Health Organization says 1,013 people have died so far in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and authorities have recorded 1,848 suspected, probable or confirmed cases of the killer virus. The virus was detected in Guinea in March and has since spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and possibly Nigeria.

Pajares had been treating people with Ebola at the San Jose de Monrovia Hospital in Liberia when he became ill, and was evacuated to Spain on Thursday. He worked for the San Juan de Dios hospital order, a Spain-based Catholic humanitarian group that runs hospitals around the world.

On Tuesday, the U.N. health agency denied reports from Liberia that it had authorized the experimental Ebola drug for that hard-hit nation.

"We were not involved in transferring the serum and we will not be involved in any future transfers of it," said Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman. "WHO doesn't have any role in handing out the serum or any other experimental medicines."

WHO was holding a news conference later Tuesday to discuss the ethical issues surrounding unproven Ebola drugs and vaccines.

Liberia also backed away from its earlier claim that President Barack Obama had approved the use of experimental Ebola drugs for two Liberian doctors.

In a statement Tuesday, a U.K.-based public relations firm representing the Liberian government said the experimental Ebola treatment would be arriving within the next 48 hours.

"The two doctors gave their consent, themselves being medical professionals, for the drug to be administered," the statement said. "The drugmaker has agreed to supply a sufficient amount of this drug only for these two patients."

Also Tuesday, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf suspended all travel by executive branch officials for one month. She also ordered those already abroad to return home within a week "or be considered as abandoning their jobs," according to a statement from her press secretary.

Most airlines flying in and out of the Liberian capital of Monrovia have suspended flights amid the unprecedented health crisis.

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Crossing borders is a part of life in El Paso in far West Texas, where people may walk into Mexico to visit family or commute to New Mexico for work. But getting an abortion doesn't require leaving town.

That could change if a federal judge upholds new Texas rules that would ban abortions at 18 clinics starting Sept. 1, including only one that offers the procedure in El Paso, where one of the toughest anti-abortion laws in the U.S. has come under particular scrutiny at a trial ending Wednesday in Austin.

Without any abortion providers in El Paso, women there would face a 550-mile trip to the nearest place in Texas to legally terminate a pregnancy. Attorneys for the state point out that women wouldn't really have to drive that far: They could simply go to a clinic 15 minutes away in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

Opponents of the new rules say that argument shows the goal isn't to protect women, as supporters contend. New Mexico  which one anti-abortion group mocks as the "anything goes" Wild West of abortion access  doesn't require the same new standards that Republican Gov. Rick Perry approved in 2013 in the name of protecting women's health. It also doesn't require the pre-abortion sonograms that Texas began mandating in 2012.

"It's hypocritical to say they want to protect women, to say that they want women to have a safe abortion and then take away the clinics and make the women go to another state. How do you care about the women of Texas? They don't care," said Gerri Laster, who ran what had been a second abortion clinic in El Paso before it closed in June because of other new mandates.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel is not expected to immediately issue a ruling after closing arguments Wednesday, but he'll be on a tight timeline.

The law would leave just seven abortion facilities in Texas, all of which would be in major cities and none in the western half of the nation's second-largest state.

The seven facilities that will remain already have operating rooms, sterile ventilation systems and other hospital-style standards that abortion providers are required to meet under the new Texas law. Outraged abortion clinic owners say they can't afford to make those upgrades, which they criticize as unnecessary.

But one notable clinic isn't in a fury: the last one left in El Paso.

That's partly because the company behind Hilltop Women's Reproductive Clinic also owns the one in Santa Teresa. Gloria Martinez, the administrative nurse at the El Paso clinic, said that office will say open and simply refer women across state lines for the procedure.

Martinez said business has dropped the past four years. As the trial got underway in Austin last week, very few women came through the doors.

"You don't see the phone ringing off the hook," Martinez said.

Nearly 2,200 abortions were performed in El Paso in 2011  about 3.1 percent of all abortions in Texas that year. State attorneys pointed that out in court while making the case that nearly 9 of every 10 women in Texas will still live within 150 miles of an abortion provider.

Texas is proposing that New Mexico is an option for El Paso women, even after a federal judge in Mississippi ruled last month that a state can't shift obligations on constitutional rights  in this case, abortion access  to its neighbors. Texas says its situation isn't comparable to Mississippi because, unlike there, the law wouldn't remove all abortion services in the state.

"At most, some patients may choose to travel out of state for convenience," the state wrote in court documents.

Laster said closing her clinic, Reproductive Services El Paso, removed the city's only abortion provider that gave women financial assistance for a procedure that costs around $530. Abortion providers say if they're lucky, the border women choose to cross will be into New Mexico  and not into Mexico to buy drugs that allow them to undergo dangerous self-abortions.

"It's not as easy as the Legislature makes it look," Laster said.

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After promising not to withhold government information over "speculative or abstract fears," the Obama administration has concluded it will not publicly disclose federal records that could shed light on the security of the government's health care website because doing so could "potentially" allow hackers to break in.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services denied a request by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act for documents about the kinds of security software and computer systems behind the federally funded HealthCare.gov. The AP requested the records late last year amid concerns that Republicans raised about the security of the website, which had technical glitches that prevented millions of people from signing up for insurance under President Barack Obama's health care law.

In denying access to the documents, including what's known as a site security plan, Medicare told the AP that disclosing them could violate health-privacy laws because it might give hackers enough information to break into the service.

"We concluded that releasing this information would potentially cause an unwarranted risk to consumers' private information," CMS spokesman Aaron Albright said in a statement.

The AP is asking the government to reconsider. Obama instructed federal agencies in 2009 to not keep information confidential "merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears." Yet the government, in its denial of the AP request, speculates that disclosing the records could possibly, but not assuredly or even probably, give hackers the keys they need to intrude.

Even when the government concludes that records can't be fully released, Attorney General Eric Holder has directed agencies to consider whether parts of the files can be revealed with sensitive passages censored. CMS told the AP it will not release any parts of any of the records.

The government's decision highlights problems as it grapples with a 2011 Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed a provision under open records law that protected an agency's internal practices. Federal agencies have tried to use other, more creative routes to keep information censored.

In addition to citing potential health-privacy violations, the government cited exemptions intended to protect personal privacy and law-enforcement records, although the agency did not explain what files about the health care website had been compiled for law-enforcement purposes. Some open-government advocates were skeptical.

"Here you have an example of an agency resorting to a far-fetched privacy claim in an unprecedented attempt to bridge this legal gap and, in the process, making it even worse by going overboard in withholding such records in their entireties," said Dan Metcalfe, a former director of the Justice Department's office of information and privacy who's now at American University's law school.

Keeping details about lockdown practices confidential is generally derided by information technology experts as "security through obscurity." Disclosing some types of information could help hackers formulate break-in strategies, but other facts, such as numbers of break-ins or descriptions of how systems store personal data, are commonly shared in the private sector. "Security practices aren't private information," said David Kennedy, an industry consultant who testified before Congress last year about HealthCare.gov's security.

Last year, the AP found that CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner took the unusual step of signing the operational security certificate for HealthCare.gov herself, even as her agency's security professionals balked. That memo said incomplete testing created uncertainties that posed a potentially high security risk for the website. It called for a six-month "mitigation" program, including ongoing monitoring and testing. The site has since passed a full security test.

Government cyber-security experts were also worried that state computers linking to a federal system that verifies the personal information of insurance applicants were vulnerable to attack. About a week before the launch of HealthCare.gov, a federal review found significant differences in states' readiness. The administration says the concerns about state systems have been addressed.

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A Santa Barbara man with a contagious case of drug-resistant tuberculosis was wanted on an arrest warrant Friday so he can complete treatment, health officials said.

Agustin Zeferino, 24, discontinued treatment for the disease two weeks ago, Santa Barbara County Health Department officials said. Zeferino poses a serious health risk to anyone who comes in contact with him, the department said.

"We do everything we can to enable and give patients incentives to be compliant with receiving treatments," said Charity Thoman, the tuberculosis controller for Santa Barbara County. "This is the most dangerous form of tuberculosis and it can be life-threatening if it goes untreated."

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a highly contagious and rare form of the disease that can be spread by coughing or sneezing.

It is the second time in the past month that California health officials issued a warrant for a TB patient refusing treatment, though the move is extremely rare. Eduardo Rosas Cruz, 25, was arrested last month in Fresno after refusing treatment.

Thoman said patients will sometimes go missing for a short period of time, but can usually be found before the health department takes legal action. If a patient fails to receive treatment for an extended period of time, health officials work with the district attorney's office to decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis requires 18-24 months of treatment, but is curable, Thoman said. By law, health officials can't force a patient to be treated for tuberculosis, but officials can use the courts to isolate the patient from the public. That is when officials offer treatment.

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The American Heart Association's first policy statement on electronic cigarettes backs them as a last resort to help smokers quit. The American Cancer Society has no formal policy but quietly took a similar stance in May.

Both groups express great concern about these popular nicotine-vapor products and urge more regulation, especially to keep them away from youth. They also stress that proven smoking cessation methods should always be tried first.

But if those fail, "it is reasonable to have a conversation" about e-cigarettes, said the Heart Association's president, Dr. Elliott Antman. The Cancer Society said e-cigarettes "may be a reasonable option" for people who could not quit after trying counseling and approved methods, such as nicotine patches.

Neither group recommends e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, and makers of the devices do not market them that way.

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that vaporize nicotine. They've been sold in the U.S. since 2007 and now have millions of users worldwide and nearly $2 billion in annual sales. They contain less toxic substances than traditional cigarettes do, but little is known about their health effects.

Whether they help or hurt anti-smoking efforts is hotly debated. Some say they encourage smoking by letting people maintain their habit in places where cigarettes are banned. Others say they are a less risky way to satisfy a nicotine craving for people who want to quit, similar to how methadone is used to curb heroin abuse.

This concept, called harm reduction, "is probably the most important and the most contentious issue that the tobacco community is dealing with right now," said Tom Glynn, who recently retired as the Cancer Society's top scientist on the e-cigarette issue.

No solid evidence shows that e-cigarettes aid smoking cessation unlike the nicotine patches, gums and medications approved now.

"We need hard-nosed regulation for e-cigarettes and we need more research," Glynn said, but mostly, "we need to have people stop smoking combustible cigarettes."

The Heart Association stressed the toll  20 million deaths in the U.S. alone from tobacco use over the last 50 years.

"We are fiercely committed to preventing the tobacco industry from addicting another generation of smokers," says a statement from the association's chief executive, Nancy Brown.

Besides nicotine  "a highly addictive chemical no matter what form it comes in"  some e-cigarettes form other products such as formaldehyde, a carcinogen, Antman said.

"There are many things we see as dark clouds on the horizon" about e-cigarettes' effects on blood vessels and secondhand exposure, especially to pregnant women, he said.

The Heart Association policy was published Monday in its journal Circulation. The Cancer Society statement was in a patient page accompanying an article on e-cigarettes in the group's journal for doctors.

In April, the federal Food and Drug Administration proposed treating e-cigarettes as tobacco products with rules such as a ban on sales to those under 18 and warning labels. Earlier this month, attorneys general from more than two dozen states sent a letter asking the agency to also ban flavors  more than 7,000 are available. The American Medical Association also has urged a ban on kid-appealing flavors and other moves to keep e-cigarettes out of young hands.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has pushed for regulation and does not embrace the view that e-cigarettes may have a role in smoking cessation.

"Quitting smoking is hard," and people often try several times before they succeed, says a statement from a spokesman for the group, Vince Willmore. If they can't, doctors should work with them to come up with a plan, but the focus should be on approved therapies, he wrote.

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The Ebola virus has the "upper hand" in an outbreak that has killed more than 1,400 people in West Africa, a top American health official said, adding that experts have the tools to stop it.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is visiting Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three hardest hit countries, this week.

Nigeria has also recorded cases, but officials have expressed optimism that its spread there can be controlled. On Tuesday, Frieden continues his visit in Liberia, which has the most cases and deaths.

"Lots of hard work is happening, lots of good things are happening," Frieden told a meeting attended by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Monday. "But the virus still has the upper hand."

The current outbreak is the largest ever and experts have struggled to contain it for a host of reasons: doctors took a long time to identify it, it is happening in a region where people are highly mobile, it has spread to densely populated areas and many people have resisted or hid from treatment. The disease has overwhelmed already struggling health systems in some of the world's poorest countries.

But Frieden expressed optimism that the outbreak can be contained.

"Ebola doesn't spread by mysterious means, we know how it spreads," he said in his remarks, which were broadcast on Liberian TV. "So we have the means to stop it from spreading, but it requires tremendous attention to every detail."

Liberia has resorted to some of the most stringent measures to control the disease, including sealing off an entire slum neighborhood in the capital. Sirleaf has also declared a state of emergency and ordered all her ministers and top government officials to remain in the country or return from any trips.

Late Monday, her office said in a statement that any official who defied that order had been fired. The order was issued a few weeks ago and officials had been given a week to return. The statement did not say how many or who had been fired.

According to the latest World Health Organization tally, the Ebola outbreak has killed 1,427 people of the 2,615 sickened. The U.N. health agency says that 240 health care workers have been infected with Ebola, calling that an unprecedented number. Half of those infected have died.

The agency said that the high number of infections among health workers is due to a shortage of protective gear and its improper use and a shortage of staff to treat the tremendous influx of patients.

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The countries of the Americas have the highest obesity rate in the world, said Ecuador's representative to the Pan American Health Organization on Tuesday.

"Obesity, overweight affects at least one of every two adults and there are already some countries where it is three of every four," PAHO's Gina Tambini said in a meeting with reporters in Quito.

She said that this "epidemic" is affecting children and teenagers.

"One in every five children and teenagers is being affected and in some countries it is already one in every three. These are really alarming figures," Tambini said, adding that the worst thing is that those levels of obesity and overweight are linked with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart problems.

She said that the countries where the situation is the most critical include Mexico, Chile and the nations of the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Michel Guinand, a public policy official with Unicef, said that concern about the problem "is high in Ecuador."

Data from the national meeting of Health and Nutrition 2011-2013 show that two of every three Ecuadorians between ages 19 and 59 are overweight or obese.

Changes in eating habits, especially increasing the consumption of processed products and junk food, along with low levels of physical activity, have resulted in the overweight problem among the public, according to Ecuador's Health Ministry.

The government is implementing various policies to maintain good health among the public and, in terms of nutrition it is currently demanding, among other measures, food labeling so that sugar, salt and fat levels, among others, can be more readily determined for each product by consumers.

Quito this week will host the international conference on food labeling and fiscal policies regarding healthy nutrition and the prevention of obesity.

Venezuela's socialist government is also sounding the alarm about growing waistlines in a country where record food shortages are making it harder to put healthy meals on the table, prompting many people to fill up on empty calories.

Authorities launched a public relations campaign Tuesday to halt a steady rise in obesity that threatens to lead to a costly, public health crisis if left unchecked.

Under the slogan "Get informed, eat healthy" President Nicolas Maduro's government hopes over the next five years to cut in half the nearly 40 percent rate of obesity among Venezuelans, a condition putting them at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.

According to the World Health Organization, 67.5 percent of Venezuelans over age 20 are overweight, more than in any country in South America and nearly equal to the 69 percent rate in the United States.

EFE and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A Brazilian hospital informed a grieving family that their beloved uncle who was battling stomach cancer had passed away. Well, the hospital was dead wrong.

Fifty-four-year old Valdelucio Goncalves was declared deceased by doctors at the Menandro de Farias General Hospital, in the northeastern city of Salvador, and his body taken to the morgue. But when his brother came to help get the body ready for the funeral, instead of a corpse he found a wriggling body bag.

We had already made all the arrangements for my brother's funeral, Goncalves' brother Walterio said, according to the Daily Mail. All I needed to do was put some new clothes on him, so he'd be ready for the undertaker to come and collect him.

Workers at the morgue let me in, and showed me where he was lying, in a zipped-up body bag, he added. But as I got closer, I could see it wriggling.

After seeing the rising and falling of his breath, the not-so-deceased's brother said he went crazy shouting for a medical team to check him and make sure that he was actually alive ... which to the surprise of hospital staff it turned out he was.

Goncalves was being treated for stomach cancer and woke up Saturday morning complaining that he was having trouble breathing before being taken to the hospital.

We were worried about him and thought he'd be better off in a hospital, that they'd take better care of him than we could at home, his niece Patricia Cintra said. It was a shock to all of us when they called to tell us he'd passed away. But we started making the funeral arrangements.

With a death notice already paid for in the local newspaper, Goncalves had his ears and nose stuffed with cotton and his feet tied together when he rejoined the land of the living. He was quickly rushed into hospitals intensive care unit until he was moved to another medical facility at the request of the family.

Apparently his brief stint in the afterlife made a big impression on Goncalves, as he wrote in a letter  he cant speak  that he was brought back from the dead by Blessed Irma Dulce, a Franciscan Sister who is revered as a saint with miraculous powers in Brazil.

I, Valdelucio, saw death at my feet, but my faith was so great that I was cured, he wrote. Before Irma Dulce I said, do a miracle in me, and she heard my prayer. I saw my mother telling me, son, hold onto her and you will be saved.

The medical team at the hospital in Salvador better start praying to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes, that they keep their jobs  the health department for the state of Bahia has already opened an inquiry into the blunder.

"Hospital directors will meet the team who saw the patient to clarify the course of action taken," Bahia's health department said in a statement, according to the BBC.

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A mystery illness has overwhelmed a small town in northern Colombia as scores of teenage girls have been hospitalized with symptoms that parents fear could be an adverse reaction to a popular vaccine against cervical cancer.

Authorities say they still don't know what caused more than 200 girls in El Carmen de Bolivar to come down with symptoms ranging from fainting to numbness in the hands and headaches. Some have hinted that the town of 95,000 near Colombia's Caribbean coast could be experiencing a rare case of mass hysteria.

Parents are on edge however because all the girls, ranging in ages from 9 to 16, were injected in recent months with the vaccine Gardasil. On Wednesday, residents marched peacefully to demand a thorough investigation.

Francisco Vega, the town's mayor and a trained physician, told The Associated Press that illnesses first appeared at the end of May and have been steadily increasing since. Over the weekend 120 girls were rushed to hospitals, collapsing the town's limited medical facilities. None of their symptoms were life-threatening and all have since been released, he said.

Echoing the assurances of national health and toxicology experts, who have traveled to the town to collect blood samples and investigate possible environmental hazards, he said there's no evidence the vaccine, which has undergone extensive testing and regulation globally, is to blame.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria is criticizing hyped coverage by the media for stirring panic, saying concerns about their vaccine, which has been applied to 2.9 million women in Colombia, are baseless.

"On one side we have the weight of scientific evidence and on the other are opinions and moral prejudices," he told W Radio on Wednesday, adding the cervical cancer claims the lives of more than 3,000 women every year in Colombia.

Veronica Trulin, head of communications in Latin America for Merck, said all lots of the vaccine, including the ones sent to Colombia, meet all required quality and safety standards.

"We don't comment on speculation about our products," she said in an e-mail.

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Colombia's president is dismissing suggestions that a vaccine against cervical cancer is causing a mystery illness that has affected scores of teenage girls in a northern city.

President Juan Manuel Santos said Sunday that the Gardasil vaccine is safe and that no evidence has been found linking it to the symptoms reported in El Carmen de Bolivar.

More than 240 girls have complained of a variety of symptoms such as fainting, headaches and numbness in the hands. Parents have said all of the girls received the vaccine before the symptoms arose. Santos said scientists have several theories to explain the reports, including "collective suggestion" or mass hysteria.

Santos has asked Colombia's health minister to visit the area to discuss the benefits of the vaccine.

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She celebrated her birthday over the weekend in the company of some of her 153 descendants. They made sure she got enough rest and was awake for the event: these days this witness to three centuries usually sleeps in 72-hour periods, relatives say.

Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, born in northeast Mexico, claims to have been born on Aug. 31, 1887  meaning she turned 127 on Sunday and that would make her the oldest human being ever on the face of the earth. She is still able to chat and has some mobility despite her deafness and severe cataracts, EFE reports.

According to the Guinness World Records, the eldest person in the world was Jeanne Louise Calment, a Frenchwoman (1875- 1997) who died when she was 122.

As for the oldest living person today, the organization considers it to be a Japanese woman, Misao Okawa, who is 116 years old (b. 1898).

Because Becerra cant find her original birth certificate, Guinness does not recognize her as the oldest person.

But according to her, she was 23 when the Mexican Revolution broke out, 82 when the man set foot on the moon and 113 when the new millennium hit. She has buried her five children and some of her grandchildren. The most recent death in the family was that of a grandson, age 90, in 2013.

Becerras birth information is documented in a certificate validated by judges and notaries, after an investigation conducted in her native Tula, in the state of Tamaulipas.

Her original birth certificate, if there ever was one, was probably misplaced some 40 years ago when she moved to Guadalajara to live with one of her daughters, her great-granddaughter Miriam Alvear explains.

"She was always a fighter, Alvear, 43, told EFE. She sewed her own clothes and up until two years ago she still wove. She has never ceased to be active; we think thats the reason she could get to this age.

Alvear said that although they have not been able to confirm it with documents or photos, Leandra Becerra may have been one of the "Adelitas," one of the women who served and accompanied the revolutionary soldiers fighting President Porfirio Diazs forces in 1910.

In the few old photos she keeps, she always appears with braided hair, wearing a long skirt, a shawl and sandals.

Based on reporting by EFE.

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Puerto Rico on Tuesday presented its strategy for promoting itself as a medical tourism destination, especially among the Hispanic population of the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States, offering medical care ranging from dental treatment to liposuction and weight-loss surgery at prices as much as 60 percent lower than in the continental U.S.

"Puerto Rico has a privileged situation in this market," said the secretary of Economic Development and Trade, Alberto Baco, during the presentation of the plan.

The island's administration says that it commissioned a market study from which it deduces that medical costs on the island are between 40 percent and 60 percent lower than in the mainland U.S.

Officials in San Juan are confident that about 3,000 jobs can be created linked to the industry, which is expected to serve some 30,000 patients over the next three years.

To achieve those figures, and the estimated $200 million in revenue that would result over that three-year period, Puerto Rico must make itself known as a healthcare destination that is also able to compete with Latin America.

"It's a new sector in Puerto Rico, which is going to create business: It's going to (require) more hotels, like those in Bayamon and Manati, which are receiving many people," Baco said.

"Whoever travels to have surgery doesn't do it alone. They always go accompanied by one or two people, at a minimum, and often they remain for some additional days for the patient's rehabilitation," the director of the island's tourism agency, Ingrid Rivera, said.

Baco acknowledged that Puerto Rico cannot compete in price with other places in Latin America, but he noted that people who travel to receive medical care are not motivated only by saving money.

"It's true that we're more expensive than Latin America, but we're a U.S. jurisdiction, which means that we offer more security and guarantees," he said.

"When you're going to have surgery, your main concern is going to be the training of the doctor," Rivera said. "The majority of our doctors have studied in the U.S. and our hospitals are accredited, and certified by Medicare, just like those in the U.S."

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Thirty years ago, poor Brazilian women were paid to give away their breast milk, leaving their children at risk of malnourishment. Equipment at the few milk collection centers that existed was so costly it limited the country's ability to expand the program's reach.

That has changed dramatically, thanks in part to Joao Arigio Guerrade Almeida, a chemist who has turned the Brazilian Milk Bank Network into a model studied by other countries and credited with helping slash infant mortality by two thirds.

"Brazil is really the world leader in milk bank development," said Dr. Lisa Hammer, a University of Michigan pediatrician who was part of a team visiting the Rio de Janeiro-based network last week.

Relatively rare in much of the world, donating breast milk is common in Brazil, where the network of banks works in much the same way as blood banks  testing, sorting and storing milk used mostly to feed premature infants in neo-natal units.

When a mother is unable to breast-feed her baby, due to illness, drug addiction or other problems, the network steps in to offer free milk. Last year, it collected milk from some 150,000 women to nourish about 155,000 babies.

Reaching such success was not easy. Almeida recalled the trouble he saw on his first visit to a Rio milk bank in 1985, at the tail end of the country's two-decade-long military dictatorship.

"What I saw frightened me," he said. The system relied on "donations" from destitute mothers who often sold so much breast milk they were left without enough for their own infants.

Almeida lobbied for a ban on the sale of breast milk and sought alternatives to expensive imported equipment. High-end pasteurizing machines that cost $25,000 were swapped for $1,500 Brazilian-made machines used in food-testing laboratories. Jars made for mayonnaise or instant coffee were sterilized to store milk for freezing, replacing imported beaker tubes that had accounted for a whopping 89 percent of operating costs at Brazilian milk banks.

"We found ways of adapting the system to the reality of a developing country without compromising the quality and safety of the milk," said Almeida, 57. "We also shifted the focus from the child to the mother, making her into the protagonist."

Brazilian women increasingly are choosing to nurse, with the Health Ministry estimating more than half of mothers now breast-feed exclusively for their children's first six months of life. In the United States, that rate is 16.4 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control, even though breast-feeding is widely seen as the best source of nutrition for infants.

Breast milk contains antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory substances that help prevent ailments such as diarrhea, which can be fatal to infants, and to promote long-term health in ways that dairy-based formulas do not. Premature babies given breast milk often avoid dangerous bowel conditions and other illnesses, allowing them to leave neo-natal units sooner.

Use of breast milk also allows mothers to avoid using potentially contaminated water when they prepare formula for feedings.

Since 1985, Brazil's infant mortality rate has plummeted from 63.2 per 1,000 births to 19.6 in 2013.

"For a small investment, we're getting a huge return," said Almeida. "We get better survival rates and overall health for babies that end up saving the health system money, and we get to reach out not only to mothers of premature babies, but all new mothers and teach them about breastfeeding."

Public awareness campaigns feature the stars of prime-time soap operas urging new mothers to give milk. Toll-free hotlines and house calls by trained technicians teach would-be donors how to pump their breast milk, sterilize glass jars and keep the milk in home freezers. Home pick-up  by motorcycle messengers in some cities, firefighters, or even police officers in others  made donating easier and more widespread.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to be a donor," said Maria Tereza Aragon, a designer who donated milk for about five months after the birth of her son, Bernardo. "At first, I didn't know how to do it. I was surprised at how simple it was and by how much support is provided."

"It's nice to be able to look at your baby and know that you're giving something that is going to help another baby who's just as wonderful as yours," she said, during a visit to a Rio maternity ward to see her sister's newborn.

The network, with its 214 bank locations, is a rare success story in Brazil's strained public health system. It has helped set up similar programs in more than 15 Latin American and African nations, as well as in Spain and Portugal. The team visiting from the University of Michigan last week sought tips on setting up a bank at the university's hospital in Ann Arbor.

In the United States, there are around a dozen banks which generally sell milk for around $4 an ounce, roughly the cost of processing and pasteurizing donations.

"Right now in the United States, there's a lot of emphasis being placed on the promotion of breast-feeding. It's overwhelming that that's the preferred method of feeding over commercial infant formulas," Hammer said.

"There's a lot of government resources, marketing, advertising and money being put into promoting breast-feeding. But taking it to the next step and using donated human milk when mom's milk isn't available is not as widely known about or accepted," she said. "Here in Brazil, there's just so much awareness."

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Hundreds of children in more than 10 states have been sickened by a severe respiratory illness that public health officials say may be caused by an uncommon virus similar to the germ that causes the common cold.

Nearly 500 children have been treated at one hospital alone  Children's Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri  and some required intensive care, according to authorities.

The suspected germ, enterovirus 68, is an uncommon strain of a very common family of viruses that typically hit from summertime through autumn.

The virus can cause mild coldlike symptoms including runny noses, coughing and wheezing but Mark Pallansch, director of the viral diseases division at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this summer's cases are unusually severe and include serious breathing problems.

"It's not highly unusual but we're trying to understand what happened this year in terms of these noticeable and much larger clusters of severe respiratory disease," Pallansch said Monday.

The virus typically causes illness lasting about a week and most children recover with no lasting problems.

Cases have been confirmed in Missouri and Illinois. CDC said it is testing to see if the virus caused respiratory illnesses reported in children in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah. The states' tally changes as specimens are confirmed or test negative. A spokeswoman for Iowa's public health department said CDC tests confirmed the virus in samples from patients in central Iowa and a Colorado hospital said it has confirmed cases.

The CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said at a Monday news briefing that there are other viruses making kids sick.

"Most of the runny noses out there are not going to be turning into this," she said.

Children with asthma and other health problems are especially at risk for the enterovirus, but reported cases include children without asthma who have developed asthmalike breathing problems, Pallansch said. He said no deaths have been reported in the outbreak.

Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, director of infectious diseases at Children's Mercy, said local cases began appearing in mid-August and they appear to have peaked in her area.

Schuchat said the strain involved also appeared in the United States last year and in specimens from other countries. She said the CDC learned it had reappeared in this country last month when authorities in Chicago and Kansas City notified the agency about severe illnesses in children who had to be hospitalized. She said the virus was found in 11 of 14 specimens from Chicago and in 19 of 22 specimens from Missouri.

In the Denver area, more than 900 children were treated for severe respiratory illnesses at Children's Hospital Colorado and its urgent care locations and 86 were hospitalized in recent weeks. Spokeswoman Melissa Vizcarra said Monday that CDC had confirmed the virus in 19 of 25 samples from her hospital.

The University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital has treated several cases, including extremely sick children requiring life-support machines, said Dr. Rachel Wolfson, an intensive care unit physician.

Affected children are "as small as infants all the way up to teenagers," Wolfson said.

The virus can spread through sneezing and experts say good hand-washing practices are important to curb transmission.

"The take-home point is wash your hands and keep your hands away from your face," Wolfson said.

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Several reasons are to blame for the large disparity when it comes to access to health care in the U.S., the Latino community being among the most affected.

Boston Childrens Hospital wanted to change that, and to that end five years ago it launched Milagros para Ninos (Miracles for Children), an initiative that focuses on helping hundreds of Latino families across the country get medical services.

There is definitely a need for the services and the funds that we generate on behalf of the hospital, Monica Neuman, a founding member of Milagros para Ninos, told Fox News Latino.

The initiatives most important funding source comes from its annual black-tie gala, which will be held Friday Sept. 12. Since launch, nearly $2 million have been raised to help Milagros para Ninos bring the much needed aid to Latino families.

To learn more, visit the initiative's website.

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It's time for flu vaccine again and while it's important for the whole family, this year health officials have some different advice for different ages: Certain kids should opt for the ouchless nasal spray. Seniors, expect to get a new kind of pneumonia shot along with that flu jab.

And too many young and middle-age adults are skipping the vaccine altogether, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  even though there are more options than ever.

"The best way to protect yourself against the flu is to get a flu vaccination," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on Thursday, before rolling up his sleeve to get his own flu shot.

Some things to know about flu vaccinations:

WHO SHOULD BE VACCINATED

The government recommends a yearly flu vaccine for nearly everyone starting at 6 months of age. Yet only about half of Americans get one, a number Frieden called unfortunate. On average, the CDC estimates, flu kills about 24,000 Americans a year.

HOW MANY ARE

Vaccination rates last year were highest for children under 5  70 percent  and for seniors  65 percent, the CDC said. But just a third of healthy adults ages 18 to 64 got vaccinated and, surprisingly, last year hospitalizations were highest among that age group.

About 55 percent of school-age children were vaccinated. Parents need to realize that flu vaccine is crucial even for otherwise healthy children, said Dr. Paul Offit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. At least 100 U.S. children died of flu last year, only half of whom had lung conditions or other illnesses that put them at high risk and most of whom weren't vaccinated.

About half of pregnant women get vaccinated. The shot can be given during any trimester, and also protects the baby during the first few months of life, said obstetrician Dr. Laura Riley of Massachusetts General Hospital.

THE VACCINE SUPPLY

About 150 million doses are being shipped this year, with no signs of shortages or delays, Frieden said. About half will protect against four strains of influenza instead of the usual three, he said, as U.S. manufacturers move toward vaccines with that extra bit of protection. CDC doesn't recommend one over the other.

WHICH KIND TO CHOOSE

For the first time this year, the CDC says the ouchless FluMist nasal spray version is the preferred vaccine for healthy children ages 2 to 8, after research showed it works a little better for them. But don't wait if your doctor has only the shot  just get them vaccinated, said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

FluMist also can be used by healthy people ages 2 through 49 who aren't pregnant.

If a squirt up the nose isn't for you, there are lots of other options: the regular shot; an egg-free shot for those allergic to eggs; a high-dose shot just for those 65 and older whose immune systems may need an extra boost; and a tiny-needle shot that just penetrates the skin. The Food and Drug Administration also recently approved a needle-free injector to deliver flu vaccine, although it's not clear how soon it will be widely available.

NEW ADVICE FOR SENIORS

This year, the CDC is urging people 65 and older to get a new kind of pneumonia vaccine along with their flu shot.

Children already receive Pfizer's Prevnar-13 to prevent a kind of bacteria, called pneumococcus, that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other infections. Now seniors need a one-time dose, too, Frieden said.

That's in addition to a one-time dose of another long-used pneumonia vaccine, called a polysaccharide vaccine. The caveat: The two pneumonia shots have to be given at least six months apart. If you've had neither so far, get the new kind first  along with this year's flu shot  and come back later for the second pneumonia vaccine, advised Schaffner. Together, the two pneumonia shots are expected to cut seniors' risk of pneumococcal infection by 45 percent, and the chance of severe disease by 75 percent, he said.

WHEN TO GET VACCINATED

"Now's the time," Frieden said. It's impossible to predict when flu will start spreading and it takes about two weeks for protection to kick in. Flu season typically peaks in January or February.

WHAT'S THE COST

The vaccine is covered by insurance and Medicare, usually without a copay. For the uninsured, it can cost about $30, although Schaffner advised checking public health clinics for free or reduced-cost shots.

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A 107-year-old woman who welcomed her first great-great-great-granddaughter in October recently hosted six generations at her home in Durant near the Oklahoma-Texas border. Oleane Young Mulkey who cooks three meals per day, and credits her longevity to an abstinence from smoking, drinking alcohol and daily prayers has raised 12 children without ever learning to drive a car, Tulsa World reported.

She still eats sausages and molasses every morning, and has near-perfect blood work, Pat Gayle, Mulkeys daughter, told Tulsa World. She is her physicians oldest patient.

Although Mulkey has a pacemaker and takes medicine for high blood pressure, she still lives at home with a health aide. She has nine living children, 24 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and Addison, her only great-great-great grandchild, according to the report.

When she saw Addison, she kept saying How precious how precious, Janeva Maxson, Addisons grandmother and Mulkeys great-granddaughter, told Tulsa World. I was helping her hold her, and she didnt want me to take her away. It was such a joy to see.

Gloria Helmuth, director of Centenarians of Oklahoma, told the news outlet that while there have been other six-generation families in the state before, Mulkeys is believed to be the only current one.

I think Mother has lived so long because she wants to live, Gayle told Tulsa World. She wants to keep up with all the relatives and looks forward to her next birthday.

Mulkeys late husband, Jonas, died in 1979, and up until recently she would host most of her children and grandchildren for lunch every Saturday. Longevity runs in Mulkeys family, according to the news outlet, as her parents lived into their 90s and two aunts surpassed 100.
Run, Rand, run. Last week, a young woman advocating for immigration reform approached Rep. Steve King at an Iowa fundraiser. She asked him why he wanted to deport people like her, who were brought to the country illegally as children through no fault of their own. Though she and King engaged in a heated conversation, the scene-stealer was Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky), who was seated next to King. As soon as Paul heard the young woman identify herself as a Dreamer, he bolted from the table, leaving behind a half-eaten hamburger.

Pauls libertarian outlook means that he is a champion of a smaller, stripped-down government. Yet a report by the Pew Center found that 75 percent of Hispanics prefer a big government that provides more services to a small one providing fewer services.  Raul A. Reyes

This episode shows that Paul, a likely 2016 presidential contender, is literally unwilling to confront the issue of immigration head on. He talks a good game about making the GOP more inclusive to Latinos, yet his libertarian views are not in sync with the Hispanic mainstream. He also has a blind spot when it comes to civil rights issues.

I say everywhere I go that I am for immigration reform, Paul told reporters in June. However, he voted against the Senate immigration bill that passed last year. Pauls website states that he does not support amnesty and favors legal immigration and more border security. There is no mention of a path to citizenship for the undocumented, a key component of comprehensive reform.

Lately Paul has been telling Republican audiences that the GOP needs to be more welcoming of Hispanics, especially on the immigration issue. I think just showing up will help to improve peoples attitudes and openness toward us, he said in April, but you have to have something to say. That glosses over Pauls background as an immigration hard-liner.

He supported SB 1070, Arizonas infamous papers, please law. We shouldnt provide an easy route to citizenship, he said in a 2010 TV interview. He once co-sponsored a measure to strip away the citizenship of U.S. children born to undocumented parents. So Paul may be moderating his message on immigration, but actions still speak louder than words.

On other issues, Paul is out of step with most Latino voters. He is against the Affordable Care Act, which Latinos support at higher rates than the general public. He prefers to leave the question of same-sex marriage to the states, while Hispanics are increasingly in favor of gay marriage. Most significantly, Pauls libertarian outlook means that he is a champion of a smaller, stripped down government. Yet a report by the Pew Center found that 75 percent of Hispanics prefer a big government that provides more services to a small one providing fewer services.

True, Paul has been a strong advocate for sentencing reform in the criminal justice system. He has rightly noted that tough on crime policies disproportionately impact African-American and Latinos. Meanwhile, Paul has expressed reservations about the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act. While these two landmark pieces of legislation struck down discrimination and enabled Hispanics to move into the mainstream of society, Paul has stated that he doesnt believe that the government has the right to force private businesses to comply with them.

"A free society will abide unofficial, private discrimination, even when that means allowing hate-filled groups to exclude people based on the color of their skin, he once wrote to a newspaper in his home state. These are troubling remarks coming from a presumptive presidential candidate.

It doesnt help matters that Paul has associated with known racists. His social media director resigned after he was revealed to be a neo-Confederate activist, and his Senate campaign spokesman was let go after posting bigoted remarks online. Such unacceptable behavior raises legitimate questions about Pauls judgment.

Rand Paul has a long way to go before he can win over a majority of Hispanics. Latinos and other Americans deserve a leader who has the courage to face the issues  and who believes in full civil rights for all.
Not long ago I encountered the exceptionally talented comedian and actor Robin Williams in a New York City Greek restaurant. In his typical high-energy seemingly casual way, he said to me, "Oh, Dr. Judy, I need a psychologist."

"Call me anytime," I quipped back in a matching tone.

Half of me thought he was just jokingly relating to me by what I do, but the other half thought he was being truthful, given what I knew about his history of emotional issues.

I didn't hear from him, and now, after news of his tragic suicide Monday, I'm painfully aware of how serious his remark was.

All too often a cry for help is masked, or unheeded.

On comedian Joe Piscopos radio show on Tuesday morning after news of Williams suicide, the host of AM 970 The Answer told me how well Robin was able to present his happy side to others. Williams guest-hosted Saturday Night Live in 1984 when Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were SNL stars.

According to his publicist, Williams was recently "battling severe depression."

On Thursday, Williams wife confirmed her husbands depression, and added anxiety and early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Though she insisted he was now sober, Williams had a long history of addiction, from which the addict is always in recovery.

The trio of problems  addiction, depression and a physical disease  could certainly add up to desperation leading to drastic action like suicide, even if research does not prove that patients with Parkinsons are any more suicidal than those without the disorder.

Yet, a performer like Williams who banked on his fluid speech and movements might be pushed to be fatalistic when facing such a diagnosis, even though actor Michael J. Fox has famously prevailed with the disease.

The mode chosen for committing suicide is always significant.

While use of pharmacological agents is the most common method of attempting suicide, hanging is actually the most successful.

From a psychoanalytic point of view, Williams choice to hang himself and cut off his breath with his belt can be interpreted as cutting off his speech as symbolic of the very source of his talent; thus, committing an ultimate act of self-destruction, literally and figuratively, by silencing his voice.

This is consistent with what Williams said in a 2009 People magazine article that in his childhood "The ideal child was seen, not heard."

Even the most publicly successful performer can still carry a hurt little child inside. For Williams, as for so many other people, painful experiences growing up short, shy, chubby and lonely (his self-description) can always lie just beneath the surface and erupt when fears and failures pile up.

Wisely, Williams wife, in her statement Thursday, made a plea for troubled souls to seek help. "It is our hope in the wake of Robin's tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid."

Clearly Williams was not getting enough help, given a likely all-too-brief stay in the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center this past summer and reports that he was receiving treatment lately.

Along with the world, I'm gravely sad over his death. His unique humor and creativity inspired millions.

Two images of Williams' brilliance stand out in my mind and have influenced my work.

One is of Williams in a television interview on Inside the Actors Studio with host James Lipton, jumping up from his chair to face the audience, twisting a pink pashmina scarf in many positions  over his shoulders, around his head, straddling his hips  using the one prop to transform into a multiple of characters and situations.

The second is from the film Dead Poets Society, when Williams' English teacher character entreats his young students to stand on their desks to free themselves and see the world from a new perspective.

Both images inspired techniques that I use in my classes at Columbia University Teachers College and in many workshops I conduct around the world. I ask participants to stand on a chair and then to kneel down close to the floor, to see things -- like lights above or others' shoes below  that they otherwise don't notice when looking straight ahead. Also, I show participants an item like a glass, then turn it upside down and ask, "What can it be used for now?" and then turn it on its side and ask "What is it now?"

The lesson: be creative and keep coming up with new perspectives and new ideas.

Many lessons emerge  sadly  from Williams tragic choice to end his life.

One lesson: No one knows the private demons a sufferer faces. We may see success, but he or she faces life every day that can be filled with private disappointments.

Other lessons are to notice and heed signs of others distress  in work and love.

Another lesson is to cherish life. And reach out in moments of despair. There is always hope and there are always new moments to value. Admittedly, the truly depressed person has a hard time seeing or believing this.

Despite marveling at Williams' lightning-paced ad-libbing, the psychologist side of me always worried that his over-the-top energy belied a darker side and a serious underlying condition.

Williams' stream of consciousness and free association were intrinsic to his comic genius. But such over-the-top talk is also symptomatic of cocaine use, to which Williams admitted in the 1980s.

In the psychology profession, there is another possibility, where symptoms of "pressured speech" and "word salad" indicate a manic state. When combined with reported depressive bouts, the condition is called bipolar.

The term "bipolar" -- which in recent years replaced the diagnostic term "manic depression" -- is characterized by severe highs and lows and disabling seesaw swings of moods, energy and activity.

People in a manic phase have so much fun and are so entertaining, they don't want to "dull" that with medication that would even out their mood and moderate their behavior.

Yet, the thrill of great highs extracts a high price when the opposite painful pole of depression hits.

Suicide is always a danger.

In my view, in Williams case, warning signs were evident even eight years ago in an ABC News interview with Diane Sawyer when Williams referred to standing on a precipice and hearing a quite little voice say "Jump."

Warning signs typically show up in troubles in work and love. Some people have asked me, Why were he and his wife sleeping in different bedrooms? Isnt that a sign of trouble in a marriage? And people have also wondered about whether he had financial woes.

The public may think its glorious to be in movies and TV series but the satisfaction may be minimal if theyre not blockbusters or raking in millions the way you expect or want.

The question Im always asked: Why would anyone who seemed to have so much to live for want to end their life?

The answer is several-fold. For one, no one knows the private pain another person suffers, even if they seem to have it all. A failure at work, rejection in love, and fears about disabilities can trigger deep desolation that leads to the desire to escape it all and end the pain.

Making matters worse, impulses can be totally out of ones control when ruled by chemical imbalances in the brain  that occur with drug and alcohol abuse or certain mental and physical conditions.

All too often, friends and loved ones feel powerless to prevent a tragic outcome.

Another problem is that the person suffering may hide their true self.

Sid Caesar was a comic genius of the1950s who late in life admitted deep-seated insecurities and pressures to perform, which led to a roller coaster of ups and downs, addictions and rages -- endemic to the condition of manic depression. He wrote about it in his autobiography, Where Have I Been? An Autobiography.

I remember seeing Caesar perform in a small club not long before he died. He opened his act by telling the audience about his troubled condition. It occurred to me, from what I know professionally, that such self-disclosure is often healing.

Psychological studies show that comedians often use humor to cover underlying despair. One survey of 532 comedians found they have a much lower ability than ordinary people to focus and control their moods and a much higher rate of impulsivity and unusual experiences. British researchers attributed these results to creative talent, but also associated them with personality conditions.

Celebrities, such as Britney Spears, have notoriously been suspected to suffer from bipolar disorder. Others have admitted their condition, like Carrie Fisher, the famed Princess Leia of Star Wars and Catherine Zeta-Jones, well known for her role in The Mask of Zorro and being Michael Douglas' wife.

Actress Patty Duke, who famously portrayed Helen Keller in the film The Miracle Worker, was the first celebrity to go public with her diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 1987, when she wrote her autobiography, Call Me Anna about her struggle with drinking, drugging, manic depression and attempting suicide in her youth. Her second book, A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depression Illness, was published in 1992.

More than 5 million "real" people are estimated to similarly suffer from bipolar disorder.

Just this past week, broadcasting journalist Jane Pauley, who greeted millions of viewers with charm and cheer every morning for years on NBC's Today show, was interviewed at the opening ceremony of the American Psychological Association. The thousands of psychologists, including me, gathered for the annual professional convention were riveted to her honest and brave account of her bipolar condition and how she is ever mindful, watching her moods and taking her medication. She tells her story in her just-published memoir, Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue.

Like Pauley, people with bipolar disorder can lead productive lives -- with treatment. An effective ongoing "maintenance" plan includes a combination of "talk therapy" and medication to stabilize moods and behavior. It's the approach Jane Pauley shared that she uses successfully.

If only Robin Williams could have done the same.

Vigilance about treatment is crucial. So is more attention to prevention, early diagnosis, and more funding for research and programs. Patty Duke lobbies Congress on behalf of people with mental illness.

In playing a psychiatrist in the film Good Will Hunting, Williams advises Matt Damon's troubled character to taste love, happiness and life instead of using defense mechanisms.

He calls the Will Hunting character a "genius," empathizes that "no one could possibly understand the depths of you," and advises him to talk about himself and who he really is.

The celluloid Williams could have been talking about himself. If the real life Williams had taken this wisdom to heart, he might be still alive with us today.
In less than three months, millions of Americans will face new taxes on Internet access if the Senate does not act. The Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), which has prevented most states and cities from taxing Internet access, expires November 1. If not renewed, Internet users could face being taxed on all their Internet connected devices an amount that could go as high as double the average sales tax rate of 7 percent.

When the ITFA was originally enacted in 1998, Congress and then-President Bill Clinton believed that use of the nascent Internet was something to be encouraged. At an inaugural hearing on the legislation, Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), an original co-sponsor of the bill, stated the Internet Tax Freedom Act is based on a simple principle: information should not be taxed.

Both Democratic- and Republican-controlled Congresses have resoundingly agreed with that sentiment over the last 15 years, renewing the moratorium three times with overwhelming bipartisan support.

What has changed?

The number of Internet users for one. Since ITFA was put in place, the Pew Research Center estimates that Internet usage among Americans has skyrocketed from less than 25 percent of all people in 1998 to more than 85 percent today.

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For minorities, the growth in usage has occurred primarily in the last decade. Pew estimates in the last three years alone, the share of Latino adults who say they go online occasionally has increased by 14 percent and is now on par with other demographic groups.

Despite these gains, Internet use and broadband adoption is still closely tied to income levels. Numerous studies report price as one of the main inhibitors to broader adoption of broadband services across the country. This is one reason Latinos are more likely to access the Internet through mobile devices  which are already taxed at high rates compared to other goods: 17 percent on telephone and voice services compared.

If the Senate fails to act before November 1, a torrent of new taxes on Internet access could be levied not only on families but also on small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country. This could stymie the great progress our country has made in recent years.

The Internet has been a gateway for innovators to connect to customers throughout the country and around the world. In fact, a new generation of Latino tech wunderkinds is now using mobile technologies as the basis for entrepreneurship by developing new products, services and content of their own.

Our communities have benefited as well. For instance, students are now able to tap into a wealth of online information resources and collected knowledge to receive a world class education regardless of their zip code.

Given these advances and the ubiquity of the Internet today, some argue that it is no longer an emerging technology in need of support. We disagree: it is not the Internet that needs support but the communities that have the most to gain from its adoption. By unnecessarily increasing costs, a new tax on Internet access would be a step backward for millions of American families, students, and businesses.

Pundits routinely discuss the impact Latino voters will have on future elections. The issue of Internet access taxes  and Congress potential inability to address this issue of almost universal consensus  could be an issue Latinos watch closely leading up to the election.

The Senate must follow the House in passing this rare piece of bipartisan legislation before its expiration to ensure Americans are not hit with a burdensome tax on Internet access when they can least afford it.
Political corruption knows no boundaries; the ingredients for political corruption are human dishonesty, a source of money to dip into and an office or position of trust to use for nefarious purposes. Call it assassination by grand jury indictment.

The grand jury indictment of Texas Governor Rick Perry exposes corruption by and for nefarious purposes again in Texas aimed at Republicans, especially Hispanic friendly Republicans. Texas Democrats revel in political assassination by grand jury.

California, for example, is rife with Hispanic Democrat political corruption that reaches from small towns/cities like Bell, where city managers and council people paid themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars, to Los Angeles City Council, where people that are convicted of felonies and await prison, to the California State Senate. where long time Hispanic and Chinese American politicians await trials and prison for using political offices and campaigns to fill their pockets with bribes and political extortion.

Most elected and appointed officials fatten themselves at the publics expense by simply stealing money. For example, my former congressman -- Vietnam War fighter ACE pilot Duke Cunningham corruption wasnt very devious-- he accepted cash, over $2 million in cash from friendly defense contractors that paid him to insert contracts into procurement bills, a procedure that bypassed Congressional budget processes.

Corruption over clandestine cash is the norm. There is, however, a different type of corruption -- that of political and judicial manipulation. That kind of corruption has reared its ugly head in Texas again, again in Travis County, where the state capitol, Austin is located.

This corruption is spawned by and directly connected to Texas Democrats. There is a history of these grand jury shenanigans.

In 1993, State Treasurer Kay Bailey Hutchison won the Republican nomination for the Special Election to replace Senator Lloyd Bentsen, who left the Senate to be Bill Clintons Treasury Secretary. She won the seat by a two-to-one margin and did extremely well with Texas Hispanic voters. She was the first and only woman ever to represent Texas in the Senate. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who himself wanted the U.S. Senate seat, convinced a Grand Jury to indict Hutchison for official misconduct in office (while State Treasurer) and for allegedly ordering state employees to destroy evidence.

When time came for trial, Democrat District Attorney Ronnie Earle did not present any evidence. The judge ordered a jury empanelled and informed them that Earle refused to enter any evidence; he directed the jury to acquit Senator Hutchison so she could not be indicted or tried again on any similar charge.

Here we are again. A Travis County Grand Jury has indicted another Hispanic friendly Republican  Governor Rick Perry championed in-state tuition for public college students in the U.S. illegally who had graduated from Texas high schools. Like the Hutchison indictment, this one is as phony as Ronnie Earles indictment of the best vote getter in Texas history (2000 election  4,078,954 votes that produced a 65% victory for Hutchisons reelection).

The charges are abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant.

Specifically, Perry is criminally charged because he vetoed an appropriation for the Travis County District Attorneys Office of Public Integrity. Its leader (a Democrat) had been arrested, tried, convicted and sent to jail for a flagrant drunk driving episode. She refused the governors request to resign. He insisted she resign and if she didnt he would veto the appropriation that funded her job. He did this publically.

Article IV, Section 14 of the Texas state Constitution states if any bill is presented to the governor contains several items of appropriation he may object to one or more such items, and approve the other portion of the bill. That is the veto power. Only the governor has it.

The Constitution does not prohibit the governor from announcing a veto before the act, nor does it prohibit a public/political veto threat of any sort. Thus, unless the threat is done behind closed doors there can be no crime.

Despite Texas Democrats cheering on the indictments, the political nature of the indictments is obvious to Democrats as well as Republicans.

President Obamas close advisor David Axelrod tweeted that the indictments were sketchy. Another Obama man, Jonathon Price says, Have to say Perry indictment seems nuts. Liberal writer Matt Yglesias says, Hard for me to imagine Rick Perry charges stickingDoes anyone think this Perry indictment makes sense?

Nonetheless, Gilberto Hinojosa, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, has abandoned the American principle of innocent until proven guilty by declaring, Rick Perry should step down, immediately. This type of crony politics has got to go in TexasGovernor Perry has brought dishonor to his office, his family and the state of Texas.

Perhaps lawyer Hinojosa should read the Constitutions 14th Amendment, particularly the part that guarantees due process of law.

Perrys indictment is like Hutchisons was 20 years ago. NothingNada!
"Maybe my case is lost, but if there is nothing you can do about me, can my sons stay?" That was the last I heard from a Salvadoran mother trying to escape gang violence. She had failed her "credible fear" interview and an immigration judge affirmed the negative decision, all without allowing this mother to consult an attorney.

She had asked multiple times to speak to one, but she was told that an attorney would facilitate her deportation. Now she faces the possibility of returning to a country where the gangs have vowed to take her life and that of both of her sons.

The toys I brought for the kids in the detention center? They were ripped out of the children's hands as soon as I was spotted giving them out.

This loss of due process is a recurring theme in Artesia, N.M. A detention center located hours away from the nearest immigration attorney, it is often referred to as a residential facility, but it has the signs of a camp akin to those used in earlier times to isolate those whom we deemed a threat to society.

Indeed, these mothers and young children are viewed as a threat to society and are kept without the possibility of bond, even after having demonstrated that they have a credible fear of returning to their country. The due process violations are rampant and the human rights violations heartbreaking.

You want to speak to a detainee? Good luck.

Access to them is an ongoing struggle for the group of dedicated lawyers who have volunteered their time to come to this remote place and help the helpless. Lists of detainees had to be emailed to ICE officers by 7 p.m. the night before so that attorneys could meet with clients the next day.

But even then, some detainees could not be found (yet they hadnt escaped or been deported). A phone number was provided to "ease" attorney-client communication, but if and when you did get a hold of your client through a phone call, all you got was five minutes.

Later on we found out that detainees were being told that if they cleaned the restrooms and took out the trash, they would receive more time during phone calls.

Maintaining attorney-client confidentiality seems impossible. Attorneys meet with clients in a room called the "law library," but there is not a book in sight and the two computers are not connected to the Internet.

Picnic-style tables are where the meetings take place. There is no privacy, people all around can listen in and the client must keep her children with her at all times.

How does that sound? Talking about abuse and rape and violence without being able to shield your children from the detailed knowledge of what youve endured.

And that phone call? You can bet your pretty penny that it was on a line that was being recorded.

As I sat in the law library interviewing mothers, I couldn't help but take in their horrible reality. A mother recounted the ruthless beatings from her husband and how her family has shunned her  all while holding her 4-year-old girl in her arms.

I looked around as another client recounted being threatened by a gang, and I thought about all the compromising information that gets overheard by complete strangers in that room.

You want to inform people about their rights? Not in Artesia.

We created flyers to let the detainees know that they have the right to an attorney, and that there are pro bono attorneys ready to consult with them.

In the morning we handed them out, but in the afternoon detainees told us that theyd been told that if they were caught with the flyers, they would be in trouble.

Human rights fall by the wayside, too. A detainee overheard an officer say "look at the animals eat," while the detainees had their lunch.

Before coming into the detention center, I heard all kinds of stories about children not eating and mothers keeping the children warm with tiny hand towels. Hearing these stories was upsetting, but there was no bigger shock than to witness it for myself.

Every day the group of attorneys came loaded with toys and snacks to give to the children. The day that I first walked into the detention center, it was heartwarming to see the kids playing and smiling. But a closer look revealed that everything I'd heard was true.

I opened a bag of mandarins and kids from all directions ran to grab fruit out of the bag. They nearly knocked each other over trying to get an orange, any orange. Small hand towels were ever-present, taking the place of blankets.

The toys? They were ripped out of the children's hands as soon as I was spotted giving them out.

Phone calls? Deemed a privilege, not a right.

Water? Officers were quick to remind detainees that, "This is not a supermarket."

That was Artesia on July 30th, the last day I was there. As things stand today, the pro bono lawyers are still struggling to be allowed access and ensure due process for their clients. Credible fear interviews are still taking place without notifying attorneys, although there has been talk of giving detainees a courtesy phone call the day before. Bags are checked to make sure there is no "contraband" (toys and food for detainees). As of last week the only bond that has been set was for $25,000  an impossible amount for an immigrant from an impoverished country to pay.

I couldnt have imagined this before I came. I had heard about the T. Don Hutto family detention center which had to be closed years ago due to harsh conditions and abuses, and now I can see why.

This is not the sort of environment in which to house families whose only crime is fleeing violence and abuse, seeking safety and refuge.

Our country is better than this and anyone who cares about this issue should call their senators and representative and tell them exactly that. Stand up for our countrys values of fairness and right to due process and stand up for these mothers and their children.
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While Ferguson, Missouri Police Chief Thomas Jackson has been watching his city come apart at the seams, while hes been trying to explain a police officers actions that may be explainable, while hes backtracked on what Officer Dennis Wilson did or didnt do  another police chief has learned to avoid those circumstances by immersing himself in his community.

Ian Moffett was last seen jumping in a swimming pool and hanging out with children who reside in Liberty City, one of Americas most infamous impoverished neighborhoods made so by riots and a very popular video game.

Moffett, a former U.S. Army rapid response team member who now runs the police department for the countrys fourth largest school district, sat down for an interview with Fox News Latino. The Guyana-born lawman who grew up and went to school in Miami knows a thing or two about policing, especially when it comes to how his officers are perceived by the community.

(Editors note: the greater Miami area was a hot bed for racial activity and riots in the 1980s and 90s, but after establishing crisis response teams, outreach programs and community policing, it has yet to have experience another disturbance.)



So you really went swimming with the kids in Liberty City?

We provided information to kids about staying out of gangs. At one point, I got into the pool with the kids and helped them learn to swim. I received a call that night from a fellow police officer telling me how the kids were still talking about swimming with the chief of police.



What are you prepared to do to avoid, or make sure that whats happening in Ferguson doesnt happen in Miami?

This situation is not unique. It starts with the leadership in the agencies knowing what their roles are. We in Miami-Dade County have been through situations like this before, and we know whats happening in Missouri is not beneficial to the community. So you have to have open conversations in community forums, beforehand. For example, tonight I am going to attend a community forum with other local chiefs of police to talk about this very issue.



What are you going to talk about?

You have to have an open conversation with the public, not just talking about police vs. the public, but rather of violence itself. We need communication between our community, our community leaders and clergy to make sure you can work on things, its always welcome.



After the Overtown Riots (in 1989) and The McDuffie Riots (in 1980), the police chiefs in the Miami area created a crisis response team, community policing, and outreach programs with schools and churches. Is that part of the reason we stopped having racial disturbances?

Rick, you are absolutely right. At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we are guardians of the constitution, guardians of safety in schools, guardians within the community. You dont want to come off as warriors. Theres a difference between guardians and warriors, and you want to engage the community. At the end of the day, you want their trust. Let me tell you something else we are going to do this year: we are going to be engaging with our kids on what to do if you are stopped by police  what you should do, what you should NOT do.



What about the militarization of police departments with surplus equipment from Iraq? Doesnt that make you look more like, using your word, warriors in the eyes of the public?

Let me tell you, and I speak from experience, there is a big difference between the military and law enforcement. At the same time though, this job goes from zero to 100 MPH in seconds. When you look at the Dadeland shootings down here in the 80s, or more recently the active shooter situations like Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado, whether its a school or a mall, our officers are asked to be those guardians. We need to make sure we have the proper equipment and the proper training.



Im going to interrupt you, because that sounds fine, but you dont need that military equipment to serve a warrant on a guy for selling weed to his neighbor, right?

Thats my point. You have to make sure you know how to use it and when. Thats the decision of the agencies and their leadership and how they push down and have these things in place, because sometimes you need these things in place. Look at the Bank of America shooting in Los Angeles, the police was outgunned and innocent people got killed.



One of the problems in Ferguson seems to be transparency. It took a week to figure out what the officer knew or didnt know about a strong-armed robbery. Shouldnt that radio traffic be available immediately, shouldnt it be documented? Isnt that transparency?

At the end of the day, police departments have standards for professionalism and accreditation. There will be a criminal investigation and an internal investigation and they will present items to the grand jury on Wednesday in Missouri. In Florida, I can tell you we have an officers bill of rights. I can tell you watching whats going on (in Ferguson) we need to be patient about the investigation. The only way the investigation is going to take place is with information from that crime scene.



Where and how do we start changing how way we view the police?

That goes back to one word being used all over this nation: police FORCE. When we talk about the police, I prefer we use the word police DEPARTMENT. Ive been able to visit and assess police departments outside of the United States and this sort of thing is all over. When we start using words like police force to describe agencies, we have a depiction of a use of force. There are many elements to a police department, not just force
As school starts up this month, we should remember the landmark 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe, which ensures an education for all children regardless of their or their parents immigration status.

Doe was the name given to the four undocumented families living and working in Tyler, Texas who wanted their children to be able to receive an education. Jim Plyler was the superintendent of the Tyler Independent School District in the 1970s when Texas cut funding for undocumented students, including the 60 in Tyler.

It is incumbent on us to educate their next generation. They are an intricate part of the next generation of our society. Perhaps we should view them as our children.  Mary A. Stewart

Yet states still persist to work around, over, or through it, attempting to keep some children out of school. Recently in Alabama, a school refused to allow the entry of a high school student and HB56 mandated schools to check and report students legal status. Texas original version of the Sanctuary City Bill, and Californias Proposition 187 and the Gallegly amendment are examples of states unsuccessful attempts to overturn Plyler.

The Obama Administration recently released a guidance to remind school districts around the U.S. to educate undocumented children.

This also should include the undocumented children who have recently arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, as we cant afford as a nation to turn our back on children who need an education.

I agree with the Supreme Court, that in this country, we educate everybody. I believe it is pivotal to our future and threaded into the very fabric of who we are as a nation.

We need to consider the costs of not educating 1.5 million members of our society today. High school dropouts cost us $1.8 billion a year in lost tax revenue alone. Failing to educate an entire population would create a large underclass of uneducated citizens unable to contribute to society. And surely we would all miss out on the teachers, entrepreneurs, and bilingual workforce we need to be economically competitive.

Now consider the parents in the case who came here with and for their children. They put everything on the line to fight for their childrens education, knowing it is the way to break cycles of poverty, to achieve a better life.

In my 12 years as an educator, I have met many Does  mothers and fathers who love their kids-who come to this country to give them opportunities impossible in their countries. Even though they know they will work hard every day in the face of discrimination and countless obstacles, they do it for their children.

It is incumbent on us to educate their next generation. They are an intricate part of the next generation of our society. Perhaps we should view them as our children.

But a recent Gallup Poll states that 55 percent of Americans think that children of undocumented workers should be excluded from public education81 percent of those who identify as Republican.

The poll question stated: Do you favor or oppose providing free public education benefits to children of immigrants who are in the United States illegally?

In a way, I understand the response to the Gallup Poll. It is far too easy to fall prey to ideological politics with this issue when we hear the words free and illegal in the same statement.

Back in Tyler, Texas, in the 1970s this conservative community was facing integration, which already had its share of opponents. Mr. Plyler bluntly shared his memories of that time: Things were hot, he said.

Immigrants from Mexico moved to the community to work at a flower nursery and in meat packing.

Integration coupled with an increasing number of students who the state would not fund, created a breeding ground for traditionalist backlash. Tyler ISD, like other schools, began charging undocumented students $1,000 per school year to attend their public schools in 1977.

Unable to do so with limited means, four families represented by civil rights attorneys sued the district. Only days after being kicked out, the kids went back to school. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where they decided that in America, we educate everybody.

But for the anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, lets consider the 89-year-old Mr. Plylers view today.

I recently visited him in his home in Tyler, and he feels like they all won with the Supreme Courts decision.

Its what we wanted. These are kids and they needed to be educated. We needed to get the money to pay for it, he said.

He said the Does wanted the same thing.

If you dont have an education, you dont have a chance, he said.

He also disagreed with the poll results.

No. Weve got to educate these youngsters, he said. Think of whats best for the kids.

Perhaps a better name for this case is Plyler and Doe.

Perhaps, like these two seemingly opposed parties, once divisive rhetoric is removed, we are not all that different. We want the best for all our children.
On August 1, as part of a political negotiation to garner enough votes to pass a supplemental funding bill to respond to unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, the House of Representatives passed a bill to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

That vote was an unintentional betrayal of the social conservative cause.

In order to win the GOP primary, a presidential candidate will likely be pushed to announce he or she would kill the program, effectively opening millions to the risk of deportation and forcing employers to fire their once-authorized employees.  Rev. Samuel Rodriguez

While the bill to terminate DACA has almost no chance of ever becoming law, the Latino community will not soon forget it. For many Latino young people  including many Latino evangelicals  DACA has brought about hope, providing opportunities for individuals whose lack of legal status came about through no fault of their own to accept a job, develop their God-given potential, and contribute to our communities.

Furthermore, Congress failure to work together to actually reach a consensus around immigration  both in terms of the immediate reality of unaccompanied minors and the larger challenge of our antiquated immigration system  has given the President the impetus to take executive action to resolve our immigration challenges, which he says he will do in the coming weeks.

It is because of my commitment to religious freedom and to defending unborn life that I feel a profound ambivalence about the Presidents pending action on immigration.

On the one hand, executive action on immigration could relieve the suffering within immigrant communities that I and other pastors witness firsthand. There is scarcely a Latino pastor who does not have stories of hard-working, otherwise-law-abiding members of their congregation who were picked up on a traffic violation or some other minor offense, then detained and ultimately deported, often separating them from their spouse and children. Marriages suffer. Children suffer. In 2013 alone, about 200 parents of U.S. citizen children were deported each day.

So if the President announces bold executive action  such as a dramatic expansion of the Deferred Action program to parents of U.S. citizen children without criminal issues  I will applaud, even though it will at best be temporary relief, not the long-term legislative solution that the House of Representatives has failed to offer.

But I also fear that such bold executive action could, in an indirect way, significantly set back other causes of critical concern to me and other conservative Christians.

Heres why: our nations policies on abortion and religious liberty have largely been determined by the courts, rather than by Congress. From the Hobby Lobby case in June to Roe v. Wade four decades ago, these questions are being decided by judges, appointed by the President.

If the President expands the Deferred Action program, allowing a significant number of presently undocumented individuals to gain work authorization, a GOP presidential candidate will be boxed in. The pressure on Republican lawmakers to vote to end DACA a few weeks ago foretells that, in order to win the GOP primary, a presidential candidate will likely be pushed to announce he or she would kill the program, effectively opening millions to the risk of deportation and forcing employers to fire their once-authorized employees. Come November 2016, Latino voters, including Latino evangelicals whose conservative values generally resonate with the Republican Party, will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic candidate.

This will be history reliving itself: two years ago, when President Obama first enacted DACA, Governor Romney stated publicly that, if elected, he would end itand millions of Latinos, including a majority of Latino evangelicals, stood in line to vote against him. Many had in mind the face of a friend, relative, or fellow church member whose livelihood was on the line with the decision either to continue or terminate the program. Governor Romney ended up with a paltry 27 percent of the Latino vote.

How Hispanics vote in 2016 could decide the next President as welland the appointments that he or she makes could determine for decades to come if our country will defend religious liberty and protect unborn life.

The best chance the GOP has to put this issue behind them is for Speaker Boehner to move now on immigration reform, because it will only become much more difficult after the President acts unilaterally. If Republicans act, theyll earn the gratitude of the Latino evangelical community, who already share their values on key social issues, but most of whom cannot stomach the idea of voting for a party that has blocked immigration reform.

To be clear, there are a plethora of economic, national security, and moral reasons that the House should act on immigration reform. But if those reasons are not enough, passing reform is also politically vital for defenders of life and religious liberty. House Republicans who refuse to constructively take up the issue  and who participate in show votes that alienate Latino voters  are throwing social conservatives under the bus.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

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It was not a good weekend for Jennifer Lawrence. A trove of intimate photos of the star of the "Hunger Games" film series was posted to 4chan, an anonymous online message board. Nude photos of Kate Upton, Rihanna, Jenny McCarthy and others were also reportedly circulated throughout social media, in what is shaping up as the largest celebrity hacking scandal to date. Apple is looking into allegations that its iCloud service may have been compromised, and the FBI is investigating as well.

Despite its salacious nature, this story deserves to be treated with sensitivity. It is critical that we remember who is to blame, and recognize what is at stake. It may be time to reconsider the balance between the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and an individuals reasonable expectation of privacy.

Unless the owners of 4chan were directly involved in hacking Lawrence (unlikely), they are not liable to her or other hacking victims for damages. Even worse, those once-private photos will probably be out on the Internet forever.  Raul A. Reyes

Latinos, who use social media at higher rates than any other demographic, ought to pay attention to this controversy. Because we are so active on sites like Facebook and Twitter, we too are vulnerable to unauthorized use of our photos and private information.

On television and online, commentators have been quick to judge Lawrence for taking the photos. But blaming the victim is not only misguided, it is just as offensive as suggesting that a woman who dresses provocatively is inviting assault. Lawrence had every right to take those photos, and to expect that they would remain private. Others have wondered whether Apple has flaws in its cloud technology (the company has denied that the photos were leaked as a result of a security breach). Questioning Lawrences judgment and Apples security takes the focus off where it should be: on those who obtained and then posted the celebrity photos.

What was done seems clearly illegal, and a clear invasion of privacy, Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Irvine told Politico. If those responsible can be found, they could be criminally prosecuted and civilly sued for invasion of privacy. He is correct, at least in theory.

Unfortunately, pursuing and prosecuting those involved in the photo leak will not be easy. Under the Federal Communications Decency Act (FCDA), a website or Internet service provider cannot be held responsible for information posted by another party. Section 230 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."

Unless the owners of 4chan were directly involved in hacking Lawrence (unlikely), they are not liable to her or other hacking victims for damages. Even worse, those once-private photos will probably be out on the Internet forever.

In 2012, Scarlett Johansson succeeded in sending the Hollywood Hacker to prison for tapping into her private photos. Because the man who hacked her was working off his home computer, it was relatively easy to link him to the crime. Finding Lawrences hackers will be much more difficult, especially since users of 4chan are anonymous, with no traceable IP addresses. And anonymous forums on the Internet are considered a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court has consistently held that all Constitutional rights come with limits. So free speech on the wild wild web should be no different. The challenge, however, is agreeing upon what those limits should be.

Tweaking the FCDA would be a good place to start. At the very least, website owners should be required to make good faith efforts to ensure that they are not hosting stolen photos. Third-party storage companies (like Apples iCloud) should also face greater liability for security breaches. And more states should follow the lead of California and 11 other states that have made the posting of private photos online without consent illegal.

True, increased regulation of the Internet is a polarizing idea to liberals and conservatives alike. Yet consider that the posting of private material can have tragic consequences; in 2010, college student Tyler Clementi was outed on the Internet and committed suicide shortly thereafter. Or that the celebrity victims of hackers, like Lawrence, former President George W. Bush, and Paris Hilton, have the financial and legal resources to go after their hackers. Most Americans are not so lucky.

No person, famous or otherwise, should have their intimate photos on the Internet without their consent. If we learn nothing else from the Lawrence hacking scandal, it should be clear that our legal system must keep pace with the digital age.
My colleagues in the media are tripping over themselves while hurrying to the aid of the Hollywood starlets who got their accounts hacked and now find themselves explaining or denying their naked selves on videos and photos. The images put online by a hacker now being sought by the FBI leave little to the imagination.

Regardless, the women  all actresses and models  deserve an expectation of privacy with regard to their personal photos. As do we all! And thats the point. Privacy is guaranteed to all of us, its not a privilege reserved only for those who meet the medias requirements for special status.

It appears that, too often, reporters and media organizations make some type of Orwellian compromise with themselves and those they choose to cover  making some people more equal than others.  Rick Sanchez

Fact is, hardly a day goes by when normal citizens caught in embarrassing or circumstantial situations dont get their mugs on TV in some form or another. Who is watching out for their privacy?

Recently, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had pictures released that may be authentic, but then again maybe not. It shows him in the company of young women in compromising positions. They were pictures obviously meant to hurt and embarrass Jones, who is married and whose relationship with the media is constantly strained in part by his apparent Texas-sized ego. Was that why the media ran with the story without any apparent introspection?

It seems that when it comes to whos privacy is protected, journalists play by different sets of rules. Theres one for the people they like and quite another for those they dont.

The list of women whose accounts were hacked reads like a whos who of Hollywoods beautiful people. Theyre all there it seems  from Jennifer Lawrence to Kate Upton  from Selena Gomez to Lea Michele. All of them are now explaining why their naked pictures, or pictures of somebody who looks exactly like them, appeared on the eclectic website.

But no respectable media outlet dared publish the hacked photos or videos. Yes, journalists from all over the world are covering the story, but few if any have ventured to publish any of the hacked material. Is it because they feel morally obliged to not do so? Is it because they are afraid of being sued? Or is it something else, something that goes beyond fear and legalities and has more to do with something even more basic? Is it about the medias penchant for choosing between the good guys and bad guys and covering them differently? And heaven help you if youre considered the latter.

No, no and no! I am in no way advocating for the dissemination of any material that is illegally obtained or gotten as a direct violation of a persons right to privacy. What I am saying is that all newsmakers deserve a square shake.

Unfortunately, it doesnt work that way. At least not in the case of those the media deems as unsavory or otherwise not acceptable. Should that matter? No. Does it? Just ask Donald Sterling. He found that reporters are like the popular kids in High School who get there and stay there by choosing whos not allowed to hang out with them.

Sterlings words were repulsive. Few of us would argue that what he said wasnt both offensive and racist. But they were secretly recorded and apparently disseminated by a jilted lover or her allies, whose motivations were questionable at best. While we may not like Sterling or what he said, he deserves the same expectation of privacy afforded to Hollywood starlets.

The Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights reads, The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated. It doesnt exclude people we dont like, no matter how revolting or insulting their words may sound.

Furthermore, California law makes it a crime to record or eavesdrop on any confidential communication, including a private conversation or telephone call, without the consent of all parties to the conversation. It is reason enough to give journalists pause before publishing or disseminating Sterlings conversations, yet it didnt stop them. Like birds on a wire, they followed each other until every word Sterling uttered was played and replayed over and over again.

Our laws say that when it comes to privacy we are all equal. But it appears that, too often, reporters and media organizations make some type of Orwellian compromise with themselves and those they choose to cover  making some people more equal than others.
While President Obama was somewhere over the Atlantic on Saturday, the White House issued the announcement that his promised illegal alien amnesty by executive fiat would be delayed until after the midterm elections.

The announcement was an explicit admission on the part of the administration that, in spite of years of effort by both left-leaning advocacy groups and the business lobby to create the illusion that Americans now welcome amnesty for illegal aliens, public support for such policies is as thin as ever. The politics of amnesty is now settled: Nobody so publicly retreats from a promise and incurs the wrath of his political base just two months before a critical election without clear evidence that such policies are overwhelmingly opposed by the American public.

The presidents postponement of his amnesty announcement is a hopeful sign that many members of his own party  even those who support his policy objectives  were taken aback by the threat of unconstitutional means to achieve those ends.  Dan Stein

But the reality that the American people neither support amnesty for illegal aliens, nor an end run around the Constitutions Separation of Powers doctrine to achieve such an amnesty, does not mean that president will not act unilaterally to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. The Obama administration has merely delayed, not renounced, the idea of granting amnesty to illegal aliens without enactment of legislation by .

Whether the calendar reads September or November, amnesty for an estimated 5-6 million illegal aliens remains bad public policy. Before or after the elections, a president substituting his own policies in place of laws that have been enacted by is a dangerous assault on our constitutional system of government.

The current crisis at our southern border illustrates why amnesty is bad public policy. The surge of minors crashing our border  both unaccompanied and as part of family units  can be directly traced to President Obamas 2012 decision to grant amnesty to a previous wave of illegal aliens who settled in the U.S. illegally as minors. While poverty and violence in Central America have not gotten any worse over the past two years (in fact, murder rates, though still unacceptably high, have actually declined in the region), the inevitable result of rewarding illegal behavior is more illegal behavior.

But amnesty would do more than just further undermine the integrity of our immigration laws. The presidents delayed executive amnesty is expected to include work authorization for illegal aliens who would benefit from the program. These illegal aliens would become eligible to compete with millions of unemployed, underemployed, and discouraged American workers for an already inadequate supply of jobs.

Moreover, at a time when there is renewed concern about sleeper cells of radical Islamist terrorists poised to carry out attacks on U.S. soil (an issue discussed by Western leaders at the NATO summit), the presidents contemplated actions would increase the risk that people who pose a real danger to the United States would gain quasi-legal status here. It is simply not feasible to carry out meaningful background checks on millions of immigration law violators that provide us any reasonable assurance that security risks can be screened out.

Then there is the constitutional issue. The Constitution is very clear about Congress plenary authority to make immigration policy. President Obama may not like the laws that Congress has enacted and he may be frustrated by the refusal of the Legislative Branch to enact the policy changes he wants. But neither his unhappiness nor his frustration justify actions that New York Times columnist Ross Douthat aptly described as lawless, reckless, a leap into the antidemocratic dark.

Altering his timeline for a blatant abuse of his constitutional authority may make the president and his party less accountable to voters, but it would in no way make it less lawless, reckless or antidemocratic. President Obama has every right to continue making his case to Congress and the American people for the enactment of his immigration agenda during the final two years of his presidency, but ultimately he must accept the constitutional constraints of his office.

The presidents postponement of his amnesty announcement is a hopeful sign that many members of his own party  even those who support his policy objectives  were taken aback by the threat of unconstitutional means to achieve those ends. The White House would not have endured this political embarrassment if there was not significant opposition to unilateral action from many Democrats in Congress.

If Republicans and Democrats can agree on nothing else they should be able to come together to protect the integrity of our Constitution and the democratic process. They must make it clear to President Obama that before or after the elections, they will be united in opposing his abuse of executive authority to grant amnesty to entire classes of illegal aliens without approval by Congress.
Erica, my wife and I were honored to attend the funeral of Joan Rivers Sunday, watching as the NYPD bagpipers played, and with tears mixed with laughter, New York and the Nation said goodbye to our beloved X-Rated court jester.

The whole town turned out. Howard Stern, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Hugh Jackman and a list of notables remembered her outrageous wit. Joan and I were in the daytime talk business business together. She was a brilliant comic who made the world a happier place. Irreverent and energetic, she could make a sphinx laugh. She was feisty, side-splittingly funny and filled with piss and vinegar.

Once the crisis started with Joan, did the clinic do enough to resuscitate the stricken woman? Summoned by a frantic 911 call, precious minutes were wasted until Joan was taken to nearby Mt. Sinai Hospital and placed in a medically-induced coma.  Geraldo Rivera

She had boundless love for daughter Melissa and grandson Cooper. She loved New York and she could make a car crash funny. We'll all miss her. I miss her. She made me laugh and she was always a loyal, trustworthy friend through thick and thin. But even before the grieving for Joan Rivers is over, all who knew her are insisting that there be an aggressive investigation of the store-front clinic where her fatal encounter began.

How could they administer the powerful sedative Propofol to an 81-year old woman without the expertise or equipment on site to resuscitate her in the event of cardiac and/or respiratory failure?

This seems to mirror the fate of Michael Jackson, who died in his home from an overdose of Propofol administered with gross negligence by Dr. Conrad Murray. Murray went to jail, which may be the fate of the owner/operator of Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic.

Donald Trump shares my sentiments. He told me Sunday, that her passing, ...was shocking because I spoke to her a week ago and she phoned me on something else and she was in such great spirits and such great health and she was going to go on forever and all of a sudden we read the story with probably some bad doctor or whatever the hell happened, but something bad happened.

Dr. Marc Siegel of the Fox News Medical A Team was more specific, It was some kind of an endoscope, Dr. Siegel said, And the key with someone of that age is that what you use for anesthesia can be problematic. How much anesthesia you use, whether its monitored carefully enough, you got to use a lower dose, and often times what is used in this setting is Propofol which is what killed Michael Jackson.

Aside from the issue of whether the sedative used on the frail 81-year-old was too strong, why was this procedure done in a clinic rather than a hospital? Again, here is what Dr. Siegel says, I think its problematic to have someone, anyone thats over the age of 80 years old have a procedure like this done in a walk-in clinic situation because it all happens so fast and you know what? With the amount of oxygen to the brain being cut off, irreversible brain damage occurs much more quickly in an 81-year-old than it would in someone younger who could actually recover. Its very risky in my opinion to do it that way. I would have taken an elderly patient and put them in the hospital for this.

Once the crisis started with Joan, did the clinic do enough to resuscitate the stricken woman? Summoned by a frantic 911 call, precious minutes were wasted until Joan was taken to nearby Mt. Sinai Hospital and placed in a medically-induced coma. She was on life-support, but really, she was already dead.

As famed forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden told my brother Craig when asked how long before the human brain is damaged as a result of oxygen deprivation, Within 10 seconds if the brain doesnt get enough oxygen, the person will pass out. And within a minute or so, there will be extensive brain damage, individual cells will die if oxygen isnt immediately resupplied. The whole CPR process becomes an important factor to look into in determining what happened to Joan Rivers and what was done that could have stopped the process from getting worse.

Investigators for the New York Department of Health as well as other agencies have begun intensive probes, gathering medical records, searching for videotapes of the incident and interviewing doctors and staff at the only one-year-old facility. My guess is that it will not be around for much longer.

Rest in Peace Joan Rivers. Well track down what ended your brilliant, well-lived life.
Keep your enemies close and your friends closer, a wise Chinese philosopher once said. President Obama should have kept faith with that when he announced he would NOT issue executive orders on forgiving illegal entry into the country by millions of people living and working here.

Seems that the coming midterm elections look like an Obama-inspired wipe-out that could grow into a huge catastrophe, disaster, wipe-out of his Democrats at all levels. Particularly it is in the United States Senate where Republicans are well on the way to win the six seats they need to take control of the Senate. That is the key to Obamas backing off his June promise to legalize millions of illegal residents.

Shut up Republicans. Guys named Gutierrez, Cardenas, Grijalva and others so named are burying Obama far better than Republicans can.  Raoul Lowery Contreras

If Obama spits in the face of the majority of Americans by by-passing Congress on immigration, many believe the GOP could sweep up to ten Senate seats burying Obama despite his still having two years to go in his term; thus, the announcement that his proposed action will wait until after the November election.

That Saturday announcement was not welcomed by immigration activists around the country especially by Democrat immigration enthusiasts that counted on President Obamas promise in June that he would in essence legalize up to five million illegal residents by the end of summer (September) with an executive order in a direct affront of the Constitution which clearly states in Article 1, Section 8:

The Congress shall have the power toestablish a uniform rule of naturalization (immigration by myriad court decisions)

It does not say the President can legalize millions of illegal residents under any circumstances. Even the power of prosecutorial discretion of the Department of Justice has never been defined as a mass method of dealing with law breakers of any sort, much less millions of them.

Granting pardons, for example, is an exclusive presidential prerogative that cannot be touched by Congress. It has never been used on a mass basis and is usually used after individual convictions and time served.

It should be noted that Attorney General Eric Holder recommended a full pardon for Marc Rich  fugitive from justice who had traded with the enemy, betrayed the United States, and ripped off the Treasury in the process. It is up to General Holder to provide legal backup for any moves by President Obama to legalize millions of anxious illegal residents who have been buoyed by Obamas statements in June and since. If Holders unprecedented recommendation of a traitor and hugely criminal Marc Rich is a precedent, we can expect for him to provide Constitutional Scholar Obama with a wacky immigration order interpretation that will surely draw fire from many quarters.

In the meanwhile, solid Obama supporters are having emotional and political fits that are politically embarrassing to the president. Certainly he didnt expect such reactions by people who voted for him with a 70 percent vote in 2012.

Example: Chicago Puerto Rican Congressman Luis Gutierrez said Its clear that playing it safe is what is going on at the White House  (He is) walking away from our values and principles.

California Democrat Congressman Tony Cardenas said on CNN, Bottom line is, of course, there is some politics going on  I dont like what the presidents advisors may be telling him. We are all frustrated. The Latino community is frustrated with the president but pissed off at Republicans.

Retiring Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) is chairman of the House Progressive Caucus and he says, President Obama placed political calculations over the hopes and needs of immigrant communities  He reneged on his own commitment in June to do what is right, and instead chose what is expedient, betraying the trust of some of the most vulnerable among us.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said, Im deeply disappointed that the president has not acted where House Republicans have failed.

Accepting these statements for what they are, the reason President Obama betrayed his own commitment is best described by Florida Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, (Obama) doesnt want to be held accountable by the electorate in the midterm elections for an action he knows is unpopular.

To encapsulate, President Barack Obama has been promising the immigrant community, most of which is Hispanic, that if Congress didnt pass comprehensive immigration reform he would take it upon himself to order legalization for as many as 5 million illegal residents. He specifically promised in June that he would issue these orders by the end of summer.

While he was making such promises, the border was inundated by up to 60,000 children from Central America who arrived without permission and clogged the entire border system. Surveys indicate that the majority of Americans are furious over children flooding the border and the chaos that it has caused and the incompetent manner of the Obama Administration in handling the children.

The political atmosphere has changed because of these children and with up to ten Senate seats in jeopardy the President simply chickened out.

Shut up Republicans. Guys named Gutierrez, Cardenas, Grijalva and others so named are burying Obama far better than Republicans can.
President Obama designated the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico as our nations newest national monument earlier this year, a significant step forward to ensuring Latino heritage and culture is woven into the broader narrative of American history. In fact, its the third monument the President has designated to protect places and events of significance to the Latino community, following the creation of the Cesar E. Chavez and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monuments. There is strong support within the Latino community to permanently protect these special places.

Protecting the beauty and accessibility of the San Gabriel Mountains will extend far beyond the public land itself, creating new recreational opportunities, and improving the quality of life for residents; it will also boost the local economy.  Jose Calderon

Although President Obama has helped ensure that future generations of Latinos will have more opportunities to connect with Americas natural and cultural heritage, the job is far from finished. We are thrilled the President has promised more monument designations in the future as there remains many places worthy of protection across the country, none more urgent than the San Gabriel Mountains.

Rising high above Los Angeles, the spectacular San Gabriel Mountains are the iconic landmark of the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests. Stretching from Santa Clarita to San Bernardino, the San Gabriel Mountains are the recreational backyard for more than 17 million Southern Californians, many of whom are Latino. In fact, Latinos comprise nearly half (48.3 percent) of Los Angeles Countys population.

Whether its hiking Mount Baldy or fishing in the Big Santa Anita Creek, the San Gabriel Mountains offers something for everyone. Over three million annual visitors picnic, camp, horseback ride and otherwise enjoy this majestic mountain range. Additionally, its an irreplaceable natural resource for the foothills communities, providing clean air, drinking water and outdoor recreational opportunities.

Protecting the beauty and accessibility of the San Gabriel Mountains will extend far beyond the public land itself, creating new recreational opportunities, and improving the quality of life for residents; it will also boost the local economy. Each year, outdoor recreation in California generates $85.4 billion in spending, supporting 732,000 jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. Many of these jobs are local and Los Angeles County depends on them.

Furthermore, at a time when diabetes and obesity impact more and more Latino families, the permanent protection of the San Gabriel Mountains can play an important role in obesity prevention and improving public health. The percentage of adults in Los Angeles County with diabetes increased from 6.6 percent to 9.9 percent from 1997 to 2011, according to a report by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The same report found that diabetes prevalence was highest among Latinos. Lack of recreational opportunities severely impacts communities struggling with obesity and diabetes. Access to parks, trails, open spaces and recreational facilities can promote an active lifestyle and address these health disparities.

Therefore, its a move thats broadly supported by Latinos, unlike recent efforts in Congress to undermine the Presidents authority under the Antiquities Act to protect special places. A research brief by Latino Decisions and Hispanic Access Foundation found that Latinos overwhelmingly support greater environmental protections, such as preserving parks and public lands, so much so that conservation issues could influence voting decisions in the mid-term elections.

Closer to home, a poll released by San Gabriel Mountains Forever found four-in-five Los Angeles County voters in support of protecting the San Gabriel Mountains and rivers  with almost universal support in 88 percent among Latino voters.

At the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks executive order signing, President Obama said, Im searching for more opportunities to preserve federal lands where communities are speaking up. Residents, local business owners, faith and community leaders, health and environmental organizations and many others are speaking up. I hope the President hears our call and acts to permanently protect the San Gabriel Mountains.
President Obamas team announced recently that they were delaying executive action to grant deferred action from deportation to undocumented immigrants with no criminal record until after the November elections. Like all of you, I was disappointed and sad for what this means for our community. But when I heard some Latino activists telling my Hispanic community not to vote, I was disgusted and have one thing to say to them. Shame on you!

To say that our collective frustration should lead to apathy and less political participation rather than call for more political empowerment for our people and get them to the polls, is the most irresponsible call to action I have ever heard from a Latino activist.

And they need to stop now.

I know were devastated and pissed off, and I know weve waited for a long time for action, but not voting is not the solution. No matter how upset we are or what the circumstances are, we should never tell our community that staying home on Election Day is the solution. It is incredibly cynical, counterproductive and only leads to perpetuating a lack of political power built through political participation. It is political mal-practice.

Latinos are a big demographic in the United States, and our community continues to grow. According to the U.S. Census, in 2011 there were approximately 52 million Latinos living in the United States. And today, approximately 800,000 Latinos turn 18 every year. But these numbers dont turn into political power by themselves overnight, it requires constant political participation and mobilization.

Unfortunately, we Latinos have a big problem thats called apathy. Instead of transforming our frustration into electoral power and making our voices heard, we decide to stay home on Election Day - giving the impression that anyone can take us for granted because we wont do anything about it. Its that same political apathy that makes politicians  in both parties - believe that they can ignore us and ignore the needs and well-being of our community.

Voting is our voice. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October, what better way to honor our legacy than to work towards better political empowerment to ensure Latinos will be taken seriously.  Maria Cardona

This is why the Republican Party continues refusing to give us a vote on immigration reform in the House of Representatives. Because Republicans believe based on historical evidence that Latinos wont vote in the midterm elections in large numbers, and therefore wont hold them accountable or affect the composition of Congress for the next two years. They believe that since Latinos wont come out to vote this November that they can afford to ignore us without risk.

Latinos are trapped in a vicious circle and by not voting we only boycott our communitys bargaining power and ourselves.

In 2010, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, only 31.2% of Latino eligible voters went out to vote. And in 2012, 48% of Latino eligible voters or 11.2 million Latinos went out to vote. But 12.1 million stayed home. If those 12 million had voted, what a great difference we would have made.

The elections in November have serious repercussions  whoever wins in each race will help define the issues that Congress deals with and that state legislatures across the country deal with, and which they dont give the time of day. Latinos cant wait any longer.

In fact, if all Latinos who were eligible to register to vote did so, and then all Latino voters came out to vote, Latinos could flip the House of Representatives. Period. There are enough eligible Latinos in swing districts and in districts that Obama won in 2012 or lost by less than 2 points, that if they all showed up to vote, the House could be up for grabs.

Do you think Republicans would have dared not bring up immigration reform if Latinos showed this kind of political power? Not by a long shot.

This November our choice is clear  between Democratic candidates who have fought for immigration reform, want to increase the minimum wage so that no one who works full time has to suffer to take care of their family, and want to continue to give 10 million Latinos affordable health care under the Affordable Care Act, and Republican candidates who voted to shut down the government, waste our money by frivolously suing the President, want to take away our health care and continue voting against our community every chance they get.

Republicans did vote on one immigration bill before they left for recess: they voted to gut the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and deport all the DREAMers. And now some are even threatening to shut down the government again to make sure the President cant fulfill his promise of relief from deportation for a larger number of people in our community.

We cant afford to wait any longer for immigration reform, or for equal pay, or a higher minimum wage, or for access to affordable higher education for our children. We want our children to have access to higher education without having to worry about how theyre going to pay these outrageously high student loans. The American Dream should not be mortgaged on an unpayable student loan.

The stakes are as high this November as they are in Presidential elections.

This November remember to fight against the temptation to stay home and remember that weve never solved more problems with less participation and less democracy. When less people vote, Republicans win. And when Republicans win, our community loses.

Voting is our voice. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October, what better way to honor our legacy than to work towards better political empowerment to ensure Latinos will be taken seriously. Dont let frustration turn into weakness. Instead turn it into political bargaining power so that politicians can never again turn their backs on us for so long, and get away with it. So amigos, se puede? Si. But its up to us.
The presidents recent address on the threat of the Islamic State terrorist group and its effect on U.S. security resulted in a mixed bag of post-speech analysis and commentary, and it should affect the way policymakers consider U.S.-Mexico border security in the future.

The departing director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Matthew Olsen, has said there is no credible information pointing to an Islamic State-led terrorist attack in the U.S. or Europe, nor is there any indication of an Islamic State cell operating in the U.S.

Mexico doesnt want to be a beachhead for terrorists any more than we do. Approaching our southern neighbor as a friend and ally first will help keep the cross-border communication lines flowing freely.  Nelson Balido

But then in a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, a Department of Homeland Security undersecretary testified that members of Islamic State have discussed via social media the possibility of infiltrating the U.S. via our border with Mexico. The DHS official, Francis Taylor, went on to say that his department was satisfied that we have the intelligence and the capability at our border that would prevent that activity.

So is there a threat? And if so, are we prepared for it, especially at the border?

Whether real or imagined, the infrastructure is in place for terrorist networks to exploit gaps in U.S. border security. This summers experience with thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America streaming across the border shows that human smuggling rings and drug cartels can easily adapt their perverse supply chain management techniques for new paying customers. Coyotes and kingpins dont perform background checks on their clients.

Congress and the administration could meet this challenge by passing spending bills to pay for a human chain of Border Patrol agents from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas, or they could build a wall from coast to coast, but both are terrible uses of taxpayer dollars.

A huge expansion of Border Patrols ranks might appease some in the close-the-border camp, but it would divert resources away from the security of our ports, which are just as vulnerable to acts of terror. Certainly more infrastructure expansion, as many engineering and construction companies may claim, simply is more money down the drain without focusing on the actual problem. And a fence or wall would result in little more than years of headaches as land owners and the feds duke it out in courtrooms. ISIS wont wait that long.

There has to be a better way.

Americas technology firms are home to some of the nations best and brightest minds on security, and theyre ready to help. There are exciting new developments and tools that can be force multipliers and reduce costs for our border agencies. Cameras, satellite imagery and sensors are just a few of the gadgets at DHS and other law enforcement agencies disposal available for quick deployment. And with new spectrum technologies emerging taking advantage of older and abandoned 2G bandwidth from cell phone companies, there are many of todays functions that can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost.

In addition to technology, we need a robust intelligence network in Mexico. Already private sector firms are using sophisticated preemptive behavior monitoring software to determine the best times for freight shippers to cross the border while sharing information with customs authorities to better understand the inspection process. These same methods could be adapted to other border security applications.

Finally, even though the executive branches in the U.S. and Mexico often portray their relationship as one wrapped in the pomp and circumstance of things like official state visits and obscure sounding reports, we cant lose sight of the importance of friendships and information sharing. Mexico doesnt want to be a beachhead for terrorists any more than we do. Approaching our southern neighbor as a friend and ally first will help keep the cross-border communication lines flowing freely.

Policymakers should shift to war footing on the border, but that doesnt mean slowing down travelers on holding up shipments. Technology and intelligence are the keys to a secure border. In light of a new and emerging terrorist threat, their importance has only increased.
Pope Francis will be making his first visit to the U.S. next year. Hell be attending a big convocation in Philadelphia. Go to www.worldmeeting2015.org and open the colorful web page announcing the Catholic World Meeting of Families. The theme is The Family Fully Alive. And right next to the theme, the picture of a family I recognize perfectly. Its Mami, Papi, the kids, and of course, Abuelita holding the squirming toddler: The Hispanic family.

The World Meeting of Families will be an attempt to combat the forces that are destroying the Latino (and white and black) families. Some of these forces are our hedonistic culture, rampant materialism, the radical and selfish liberalization of morals, and a culture which rejects permanent choices.  Grazie Pozo Christie

When I was growing up, every Hispanic family I knew looked like this. Transgenerational, united, standing close together, fully alive. We didnt speak English very well, and Mami and Papi were out working all day, at least six days a week, but we were safe and secure in our modest homes. We heard the same instructions every day from our parents and grandparents: Work hard, take care of each other, obey your teachers, make us proud. Compared to my children today, materially we were destitute. Two pairs of shoes a year, and our party dresses were machine sewn by Abuelita for peanuts. But in spirit we were rich.

Fewer and fewer families look like the happy group on the website. Like all families in the U.S., Latino families have dramatically changed in the last couple of decades. The litany of sad statistics just seems endless. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of Hispanic births were to unmarried women in 2013. Whether you are white, black or other, being born to an unmarried mom, even if the father is cohabiting with her, leads to more juvenile delinquency, school failure, welfare use, and drug use.

Take any measure of social success you can think of, and the stability of an intact family with the presence of a father in the daily lives of his children guarantees significantly better outcomes. And, of course, the personal and spiritual enrichment cant be measured.

Im not surprised the organizers of the event have chosen the Hispanic family for their front page photo. Although as Latinos we make up 17 percent of the population, nearly a quarter of all births nationwide were to Hispanics last year. As the Latino family goes, so goes the nation and the general culture.

This is because the family is not just a casual arrangement of people who depend on each other and love each other. The family is the foundation for society and the State. It is the place values are transmitted and learned. Ideally these values are loyalty, love for work and truth, respect between generations, brotherhood, and the joy of life. Can nontraditional family arrangements serve to transmit these values? Sure, sometimes, but not as effectively or dependably.

Our culture has seen an unprecedented jettisoning of the idea that the best way to raise the next generation (which will be taking care of us in turn, lets not forget) is that old tried and true formula: the permanent union of a man and woman, devoted in turn to the welfare of their children. Theres a war on traditional marriage and it looks like Hispanics are some of the biggest losers. The professorial and editorial class preaches that marriage is obsolete, but they are not following their own instructions, and their illegitimacy rate is much lower. Lucky them.

The World Meeting of Families will be an attempt to combat the forces that are destroying the Latino (and white and black) families. Some of these forces are our hedonistic culture, rampant materialism, the radical and selfish liberalization of morals, and a culture which rejects permanent choices.

But I am hopeful. I learned that kind of hope when I was young, and my family was a happy cocoon in a scary world. Perhaps the best way will be to joyfully proclaim the profound human and existential value of the family, in all its goodness and beauty. We Hispanics dont have to dig too far back into our past to remember that safe and joyful place: nuestra familia.
What if the Secretary of State gave a policy speech and no one listened? Because Secretary Kerrys speech Wednesday came after the U.S.'s abstention on the Security Council vote, nobody in Israel will pay any attention to anything he said. Had the speech come before the abstention, there would have been some possibility of it influencing the debate within Israel. But following the U.S. abstention, Kerry has lost all credibility with Israelis across the political spectrum. This is why his speech wasnt even aired live on Israeli TV.

The speech itself was as one-sided as the abstention. It failed to mention the repeated offers from Israel to end the occupation and settlements, and to create a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza: Arafats rejection of the Clinton-Barak proposals in 2000-2001: and Abbas failure to respond to the Olmert offer in 2008.

To fail to mention these important points is to demonstrate the bias of the speaker.

Kerry also discussed the Palestinian refugee, without even mentioning the equal member of Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries.

Finally Kerry, seemed to confirm that in his view any changes from the pre-1967 lines would not be recognized without mutual agreement. This means that the prayer plaza at the Western Wall, the access roads to Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus and the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem are now all illegally occupied.

This is, of course, a non-starter for Israelis. It is also wrong as a matter of history and law. Jordan captured these historically Jewish areas in 1948 when all the surrounding Arab countries attacked the new Jewish nation in an attempt to destroy it.

When Jordan attacked Israel again in 1967, Israel recaptured these Jewish areas and allowed Jews to return to them. That is not an illegal occupation. It is a liberation.

By failing to distinguish between settlement expansion deep into the West Bank and reclaiming historical Jewish areas in the heart of Jerusalem, Kerry made the same fundamental error that the Security Council resolution made.

His one-sidedness was also evident in his failure to press the Palestinian leadership to accept Netanyahus open offer to begin negotiations immediately with no pre-conditions. Instead, he seemed to justify the Palestinian unwillingness to enter into negotiations now.

Kerrys pessimism about the two-state solution poses the danger of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The existing settlements -- even if expanded -- do not pose any danger to the two-state solution, if the Palestinians really want their own state more than they want there not to be a Jewish state.

A contiguous Palestinian state is certainly possible even if all the existing settlements were to remain. Israel proved that in Gaza when it dismantled every single Jewish settlement and evacuated every single Jew from the Gaza strip.

It is simply a historical geographical and logical error to assume that continuing settlement building -- whether one agrees with it or not, and I do not -- dooms the two-state solution.

To the contrary, settlement expansion is the consequence of Palestinian refusal to accept repeated offers from Israeli governments to end the occupation and settlements in exchange for peace.

The primary barrier to the two-state solution remains the Palestinian unwillingness to accept the U.N. resolution of 1947 calling for two states for two peoples -- the Jewish people and the Arab people. Kerry did not sufficiently address this issue. This means explicit recognition by Palestinians to accept Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.

The most important point Kerry made on Wednesday is that the Obama administration will not unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, without an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. He also implied that U.S. will not push for any additional Security Council resolutions. Kerrys speech is therefore just that: a speech with little substance and no importance. It will be quickly forgotten along with the many other one-sided condemnations of Israel that litter the historical record.

Kerry could have done a real service to peace if he had pressed the Palestinian leadership to come to the negotiation table as hard as he pressed the Israeli leadership to end settlement expansions. But his one-sided presentation did not move the peace process forward.

Let us hope it does not set us back too far. What a missed opportunity and a tragedy that could have been easily avoided by a more balanced approach both at the Security Council and in the Kerry speech.
The year 2016 has seen much conflict for religious freedom, not just domestically but worldwide. As individuals fight to defend this basic and fundamental human right  sometimes sacrificing their very lives  we find ourselves asking many questions about the future.

My life is always filled with more questions than answers, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel said in May as he stood in front of 500 people, honoring his longtime friend and former Cuban political prisoner, Armando Valladares.

No one knew it would be Wiesels last public appearance before his death two months later.

To those present, he asked a question he said had haunted him throughout his life: What is it in the human being that he or she is capable of the worst and the best? So fast  literally sometimes overnight, in one hour  a person can change.

At this time of year, we naturally reflect on what kind of people we want to be and what we have accomplished. But it is equally important to ask those same questions of ourselves as a society. How are those of us who have a voice working to defend those who do not? How are we fighting to protect those more vulnerable than ourselves?

Right now the people of Cuba are yearning for change following the death of a dictator who ruled the island with an iron fist for over 50 years. Will religious people now be able to worship freely? Will LGBT individuals be free to live their lives without fear of imprisonment and torture? Will artists and poets be allowed to express themselves free from censorship?

Though Elie Wiesels time in the Nazi concentration camp and Armandos Valladaress 22 years in Castros gulags may seem a bygone era, the unanswered question of how to evoke change for the better in ourselves and society lingers. Can we remain silent while others suffer?

Just this month the world looked in horror as Aleppo burned. In Egypt, a bomb detonated at Cairos main Coptic Cathedral, killing 24 people. Millions have fled their war-torn homes, hoping for peace in a new country, while ISIS commits genocide against Christians and minority Yazidis.

Though lives have not been endangered, questions of protecting freedom of conscience have been poignant here at home as well. Weve been forced to question how the government found itself fighting the Little Sisters of the Poor, nuns who dedicate their lives to serving the elderly poor.

A month after hearing their case, presented by Becket Law, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed with what the Little Sisters had argued all along: the government has other ways to provide contraception to women who want it without hijacking the nuns health plan or forcing them to violate their faith.

Weve also confronted the idea that its okay to infiltrate a Native American religious ceremony to search for supposed illegal use of eagle feathers. For the past decade Pastor Robert Soto and many of the Lipan Apache tribe of Texas have been fighting for the return of 50 eagle feathers confiscated during one of their religious services, in what the government dubbed Operation Powwow.

Although power plants and wind turbine farms have legal exemptions for eagles killed by their machinery, the government claimed it was illegal for the Lipan Apache to use molten feathers found on the ground. Thankfully, in what the Wall Street Journal called a victory for religious freedom, the government ultimately settled the case, returned the feathers, and admitted it was wrong to send an undercover agent to raid the powwow.

Meanwhile, Sikh members of the military are still left questioning when they will be allowed permanent accommodations to both honor their faith and continue their exemplary military service. Nearly a year ago, the Becket Law had to sue to get a temporary accommodation for Captain Simratpal Singh, allowing him to wear his beard and turban while serving, even though thousands are regularly given accommodations for medical or tactical reasons.

Though he received a bronze star for clearing IEDs in Afghanistan, the Army wanted to subject Singh to discriminatory gas mask testing. After Becket Law and the Sikh Coalition filed in court on his behalf under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the military continues to postpone issuing a permanent religious accommodation.

Following a year of questions, this next year should be one of answers.

How can we, as a society stand up against those who try to strip individuals like Captain Singh, the Little Sisters of the Poor and Lipan Apache Elder Robert Soto, of their rights?

The answer is simple: give voice to your convictions.
It turns out the 2016 presidential election may have had less to do with New York Citys Upper West Side and more to do with the bayous of Louisiana.

The New York Times investigated what they call the cultural divide in America and found that President-elect Donald Trump did quite well at the ballot box among "Duck Dynasty" viewers.

Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter  a must-read for Conservatives!

The Times gathered their data from Facebook "Likes" of television programs demonstrating the cultural divide largely falls along urban and rural lines.

Americans have been clustering themselves into cultural bubbles just as they have clustered in political bubbles, the Times reports. Their TV preferences confirm that.

Their data revealed Trump won big among viewers of "Duck Dynasty." Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, did well among viewers of "Modern Family" and "The Daily Show."

We saw a similar divide in November, with Hillary Clinton winning in cities, college towns, Native American reservations and areas with black and Hispanic majorities, the Times noted. Mr. Trump earned more votes in rural areas.

Furthermore, the Times discovered the correlation between fandom and the percentage of people who voted for Mr. Trump was higher for Duck Dynasty than any other show on television.

In other words -- Mr. Trump owes Phil Robertson, Miss Kay and Uncle Si at the very least a gold-plated duck blind.

I write extensively about this cultural and political divide in my new book, The Deplorables Guide to Making America Great Again. Its the idea that many of us feel like we are "Duck Dynasty" guys living in a "Modern Family" world.

I dont reckon there are too many folks in The New York Times building who binge watch A&Es famed reality television show.

The newspaper labeled "Duck Dynasty" as the most geographically divisive show in their study -- going on to describe the family as men with long beards and Christian values and over-the-top lives (as if sporting a beard and eating frog legs and going to Sunday school is abnormal behavior).

They failed to mention the Robertsons are college-educated and run a highly-successful multi-million dollar business.

But those facts don't fit their stereotype of the typical Donald Trump supporter.

Conservative Millennial writer Caleb Parke observed this in a recent essay.

"The mainstream media overlooked the 'Duck Dynasty' guys of the world, Parke wrote.

The New York Times and all those Big City journalists seem to think those of us from the South are a bunch of gun-toting, Bible-clinging, deplorable rednecks who sit around on the front porch drinking sweet tea and whistling Dixie.

But we also know how to vote -- and as The New York Times discovered in 2016 there's a whole mess of us.

Ain't that right, Miss Hillary?
Editor's note: The following column originally appeared on The Resurgent website.

For eight years, Barack Obama has given lip service to our special relationship with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and our longtime ally. During that time, the United States has opposed anti-Israel efforts in the United Nations, standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel. But with less than four weeks before he leaves office, Barack Obama finally worked with Israels enemies to pass a United Nations resolution hostile to Israel.

This is an act of moral cowardice and immaturity the likes of which Barack Obama thinks only Donald Trump is capable of.

Nothing has changed in our relationship with Israel in the past several years. Obama has been increasingly hostile toward Israeli interests, but he has maintained a facade of friendship. Nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is how much longer Barack Obama has in office and the fact that voters will never again see him on a ballot.

On Wednesday, with less than three weeks to go before they depart, John Kerry intends to give a speech offering a comprehensive vision on Middle East peace. He is allegedly expected to recognize a Palestinian state  something no American administration, including this one, has done.

Doing so three weeks before departing office does nothing but create headaches for an incoming administration by an outgoing administration too cowardly to do this before now.

It is not leadership to wait till you have one foot out the door to be bold. It is reckless cowardice and a descent into stereotype of Trumpism this administration believes. Turning nearly a half-century of American foreign policy on its head in the literal final weeks of a presidency is not competent leadership, but childish petulance.

Childish petulance, however, is Barack Obamas legacy. His childish petulance, though he may never admit it, gave rise to Donald Trump, who is Obamas ultimate legacy.
He is a minor who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with his mother  one of tens of thousands who have traveled illegally from Central America in recent months.

And like so many others, the 11-year-old boy and his mother were held in a detention center in Artesia, New Mexico for more than a month. But what was different here is that the boy is a U.S. citizen, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Since the childs father is a U.S. citizen, immigration law considers him a U.S. citizen as, well even though he was born abroad, the Times said.

It wasnt until an immigration lawyer who was visiting the detention center learned of the childs situation, and that he was legally a U.S. citizen, that the fact emerged that he should not have been treated as a violator of immigration law.

"I don't think they asked him the right questions," the Times quoted the boy's attorney, Stephen Manning, as saying. "He should never have been there."

A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman declined to discuss the case, citing confidentiality, but said it was a complex matter.

The Times added: She did say that if an immigration detainee claims U.S. citizenship, the person could be released from custody while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials investigate. Ultimately, an immigration judge decides whether a person is eligible to remain in the United States.

The oversight of the boys U.S. citizenship touches on one of the key concerns that supporters for the children have about plans to expedite the processing of their cases, including speeding up their appearance before an immigration judge.

"I think the fact that a U.S. citizen was detained and for this long before anyone actually realized that there was even the possibility that they had detained a U.S. citizen shows you just how little respect and attention is being given to people's cases," said Laura Lichter, former president of American Immigration Lawyers Assn. "What this shows you is that there really is no due process here and that the system is only working in a way to deport people from the country. It is not working to protect people's claims."

Manning noted that when federal officials learned about the boys citizenship, they released him and his mother quickly. It is not clear if she qualifies for any kind of legal avenue for staying in the United States.

The Times said that Manning did not want to give any details about the child that might identify him, such as the country from which he came and the state to which he was traveling to reunite with relatives.

The newspaper reported that some 63,000 single parents  most of them mothers  with children have been arrested at the border, many in Texas. Many unaccompanied children also have been arrested in the influx of people who have come from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in the last year.

They are said to have fled an unlivable Central America, where poverty and gang violence have soared over the years.

There have been rumors, too, about how people who travel illegally to the United States and turn themselves in to the Border Patrol can get some sort of immigration relief.

People on all sides of the immigration debate have called on the Obama administration do take action on the border crisis, though the different sides have called for widely varying steps to be taken.

Those who favor a hard line on immigration want the immigrants to be returned as quickly as possible, while those who want more leniency say speed would deny many of them due process.

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A group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York are asking the Department of Justice to take over the investigation of the July 17 death of Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold by police officers in Staten Island.

The lawmakers  all Democrats, all members of the House Black and Latino Caucus  are concerned that the local district attorney won't be able to conduct an adequate investigation, given the charged atmosphere that surrounds the case.

Garner, a 43-year-old father of six, was selling loose cigarettes when he was approached by New York Police Department officers. The incident was caught on tape by a bystander, and Garner can be heard on tape shouting "I can't breathe!" Garner, who had asthma, died a short time later. The city medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.

Garner's death has become a black eye for first-term Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD. It has sparked protests and caused second-guessing of the New York Police Department when the 22-year-old who taped Garner's death, Ramsey Orta, was picked up on gun possession charges.

The district attorney, Republican Daniel Donovan, has a close working relationship with the NYPD and represents a borough that is majority white and home to many police officers.

The group of representatives is led by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke and includes Gregory Meeks, Charles Rangel, Jose Serrano and Nydia Velazquez. They sent a letter on Wednesday asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to step in.

Jeffries, outside NYPD headquarters on Thursday, said, "We've concluded that to have a fair and impartial investigation that could potentially lead to justice, the federal government has got to get involved."

In response, a spokesman for Donovan said his office "is continuing with its investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Garner's death."

Holder's office has indicated it is monitoring the situation. Two NYPD officers involved in the Garner altercation have been reassigned pending the investigation.

Garner's death stirred a long-held distrust of the NYPD in certain minority communities and renewed a debate about a police tactic known as Broken Windows.

The Broken Windows theory, which has been long championed by Police Commissioner William Bratton, puts an emphasis on cracking down on low-level offenses that could lead to more violent crimes.

Garner was arrested on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

Clarke, who, like Jeffries, represents a heavily black district, said the NYPD "must be transformed."

"It appears that the Broken Windows policy has effectively reinstated stop-and-frisk, resulting in racial profiling of black men and men of color," she said.

De Blasio's predecessor, independent Michael Bloomberg, credited stop-and-frisk, which allows police to stop anyone they deem suspicious, with helping to drive the city's crime rate to record lows. But its critics said it unfairly targets minorities.

De Blasio, a Democrat, campaigned last year on a pledge to dramatically curb the use of stop-and-frisk and was elected with strong support from blacks and Latinos. Comfortable around activists, he invited Sharpton to City Hall to discuss the Garner case and sat between the civil rights leader and the police commissioner as cameras rolled.

That image angered police unions that felt de Blasio had given Sharpton equal billing with the police commissioner and had reflexively sided with the activists and not the police officers.

Since then, de Blasio has gone out of his way to praise Bratton, refuting an online report that claimed the mayor would dismiss the commissioner if Sharpton asked.

Administration officials, fearful of the unrest that could ignite if Donovan decides not to prosecute the officers, have all but invited Holder to take control of the investigation, which de Blasio hinted at again Thursday.

"If the Justice Department decides to get involved, we respect that and we'll cooperate fully," the mayor said.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Senior Democrats in Congress said it in no uncertain terms  if a comprehensive immigration reform doesnt pass, then President Obama should deliver on his threat to take executive action in order to stem deportations and reform other aspects of the issue.

Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington were a few of those urging the president to go it alone. Schumer even attached a time frame  he suggested Obama make a move in October.

But this talk makes other Democrats nervous.

Some worry that if the president takes unilateral action on the hot-potato issue of immigration, it will trigger a backlash against Democrats, particularly in the midterm elections, Politico reports.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate  where they have the majority  are seeking re-election in such red states as Arkansas, North Carolina, Louisiana and Alaska.

Losing can mean losing the majority, leaving Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress.

This is bringing on some hesitation among Democratic senators to push immigration reform in an aggressive way, and to address President Obama taking executive action, and bypassing Congress, before the midterm elections.

The timing of it is entirely up to him, Durbin spokesman Ben Marter said of the president, according to Politico.

Instead, Democrats are returning to a familiar tactic  place the blame for inaction on Republicans in the House, where efforts to pass a comprehensive measure have stalled as the most conservative members say they will never support a move to give a break to undocumented immigrants.

If House Republicans would just do their job and pass an immigration reform bill that fixes a broken system, then we wouldnt even be having this conversation, said Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson, according to Politico.

A Schumer spokesman echoed the view.

The president would not be forced to even contemplate taking independent action to cope with our broken system had House Republicans not spent more than a year blocking the Senates already-passed bipartisan immigration reform legislation.

The White House declined to comment, Politico said.

Democrats, to be sure, are walking a political tightrope on immigration.

Activists who want more lenient immigration policies are pushing for Obama to take steps to scale back the record number of deportations that have occurred under his watch.

But in a nation with images of thousands of Central American immigrants thronging along the U.S.-Mexico border in unprecedented numbers in recent months, talk about leniency for people coming without permission carries a huge risk and can provide ammunition to Republicans.

If Republicans win the Senate, Politico notes, that would give Republicans full control of Congress and an even more powerful platform to block immigration reform. The GOP is already beginning to pounce on the issue, making immigration reform an issue in key Senate races.

Obama has indicated that his administration is reviewing deportation policies and is looking to stem the deportations and conduct immigration enforcement in a more humane fashion.

One such approach under consideration is suspending deportation for immigrants who have been in the country for many years, and who have U.S. citizen family ties.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recently said that parents of U.S. citizens or young undocumented immigrants should be granted the same protections as the so-called Dreamers who were shielded under a 2012 Obama administration directive.

It would be my hope that the presidents lawyers would advise him on the broadest possible prosecutorial discretion, Pelosi said in an Univision interview.

Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, a Democrat seen as vulnerable in his re-election bid, said that Obama needs statutory authority to act on deportations.

Im not for government by executive order.

His challenger, Arkansas Rep. Tom Cotton, a Republican, said in an ad: Washington made the mess. Sen. Mark Pryor voted for amnesty. Citizenship for illegals.

Activists, meanwhile, say they will be watching.

Obama has made certain promises to our community, and he has made those promises public, said Lorella Praeli, the organizations director of advocacy and policy. The truth is, nothing and no one will stand in the way of relief for our communities, and we will make sure everyone is held accountable.

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President Barack Obama is facing potential rifts with members of his own party in tough re-election contests as he barrels toward a fall fight with Republicans over his ability to change immigration policies.

If Obama takes the broadest action under consideration  removing the threat of deportation for millions of people in this country illegally  the short-term risks appear greatest for Senate Democrats in conservative-leaning states. Weeks before the November vote, they could find themselves on the hot seat for their views not only on immigration but also on Obama's use of his presidential powers.

Wary of what could be coming, some of those lawmakers have said Obama should act with caution.

"This is an issue that I believe should be addressed legislatively and not through executive order," said Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., one of the top targets for Republicans trying to retake control of the Senate.

Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., another vulnerable incumbent, said in a statement that he also is "frustrated with the partisanship in Washington. But that doesn't give the president carte blanche authority to sidestep Congress when he doesn't get his way."

Such statements have immigration advocates on edge.

A coalition of advocacy groups, in a letter to congressional Democrats on Friday, said any attempts by the party to delay or dilute administrative changes "will be viewed as a betrayal of Latino and immigrant communities with serious and lasting consequences."

Still, Obama looks determined to move forward on his own despite the political risks for Democrats.

He is irritated by House Republicans' inaction on immigration legislation passed last year by the Senate. The crisis over unaccompanied minors arriving in South Texas does not appear to have deterred him, and the slowdown of arrivals at the border may be shifting the issue away from the spotlight anyway.

The exact contours of Obama's plans remain unclear.

Advocates and lawmakers who have talked with administration officials anticipate that he could expand a program that granted work permits and deferred deportation to more than 700,000 immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as kids. It could be extended to include parents of those children, as well as parents of U.S. citizens, or potentially others  groups that could add up to perhaps 5 million people.

During a news conference this month, Obama was not specific on his immigration plans. He did say that in the absence of congressional action and in order to address the crisis involving unaccompanied youths, he had to shift resources on his own and exercise prosecutorial discretion.

"I promise you the American people don't want me just standing around twiddling my thumbs and waiting for Congress to get something done," Obama said.

Some GOP leaders worry that opposition to a comprehensive overhaul will harm their party in the 2016 presidential race, where Hispanic turnout is higher than in midterm elections. Hispanics are a fast-growing sector of the presidential electorate and backed Obama overwhelmingly in 2012.

But Republicans also see a nearer-term chance to translate Obama's potential executive actions into electoral success in November. Republicans need to win a net of six seats in order to take control of the Senate for the remainder of Obama's term. The GOP already is all but assured of maintaining control of the House.

As Republicans meet with voters in their districts during the summer break, lawmakers have raised alarms about the scope of Obama's potential plans. In some cases, they are hearing clamors for impeachment in return.

"It is up to Congress to actually go back and restrain this guy," one voter told GOP Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland at a town hall meeting on the Eastern Shore. Harris had warned that Obama could expand an existing deportation relief program to 4 million or 5 million more people, "competing with Americans for work."

Republicans have tagged Obama as an "imperial president" who goes around Congress rather than working with lawmakers, and House Republicans have moved to sue him over it. The prospect of the president making a unilateral move on a contentious issue such as immigration has Republican consultants salivating.

"President Obama's executive amnesty would inject adrenaline into an electorate already eager to send him a message of disapproval," said Brad Dayspring, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Also problematic for Obama: His apparent plans to act on his own authority come after years of saying, when pressed by Latino interviewers and others, that he did not have the legal justification to proceed without Congress.

"If, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing them through Congress, I would do so. But we're also a nation of laws," he said in November. A heckler had interrupted a speech he was giving in San Francisco, prodding him to halt deportations, which have reached record highs on Obama's watch.

Since then the White House has apparently concluded otherwise.

Democratic pollsters argue that any executive action by Obama could give a political boost to Democrats, not just from newly energized Latino voters but from an electorate at large that would welcome any action from gridlocked Washington.

"It will help get turnout of Latino voters up and reinforce the notion that the president gets things done," said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. "Voters are so sick of the do-nothing Congress they don't mind if there's an imperial president. They would just like someone to get something done about something."

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A grand jury has indicted Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry on two felony counts of abuse of power for making good on a veto threat  a case the possible 2016 presidential hopeful is dismissing as nakedly political, but which his opponents say is just deserts.

The indictments for abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant came late Friday, after a special prosecutor spent months calling witnesses and presenting evidence that Perry broke the law when he carried out a promise to nix $7.5 million over two years for the public integrity unit run by the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. The Democratic official was convicted of drunken driving, but refused Perry's repeated calls to resign.

The case means the longest-serving governor in state history also became the first Texas governor since 1917 to be indicted. Abuse of official capacity is a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison. Coercion of a public servant is a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years.

Though the charges are serious, politics are sure to dominate the case. Lehmberg is based in Austin, which is where the grand jury was seated and is heavily Democratic. That's in stark contrast to much of the rest of Texas, which is fiercely conservative  so much so that a Democrat hasn't captured statewide office in 20 years.

Still, while Perry says he did nothing wrong in issuing the veto, simply having the word "indictment" associated with him could tarnish his image and complicate his prospects with 2016 GOP primary voters  should he try again for the White House.

When he ran for president in 2012, Perry plummeted from brief front-runner to national punchline, his once promising campaign doomed by a series of embarrassing gaffes, including his infamous "Oops" moment during a debate. This time, he's re-made his cowboy image, donning stylish glasses, studying up on foreign and domestic affairs and promising that he'll be far more humble in the national spotlight.

The unit Lehmberg oversees investigates statewide allegations of corruption and political wrongdoing. It led the investigation against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican who in 2010 was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for taking part in a scheme to influence elections in his home state  convictions later vacated by an appeals court.

Perry himself was never called to testify in this case, but many of his top aides were. David L. Botsford, Perry's defense attorney, whose $450-per hour fees are being paid for by state funds, said he was "outraged and appalled" by the grand jury's decision.

"This clearly represents political abuse of the court system and there is no legal basis in this decision," Botsford said in a statement. "Today's action, which violates the separation of powers outlined in the Texas Constitution, is nothing more than an effort to weaken the constitutional authority granted to the office of Texas governor, and sets a dangerous precedent by allowing a grand jury to punish the exercise of a lawful and constitutional authority afforded to the Texas governor."

Democrats, for their part, didn't miss a change to gloat.

"Texans deserve real leadership and this is unbecoming of our governor," Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement. He demanded that Perry immediately resign.

No one disputes that Perry is allowed to veto measures approved by the Legislature, including parts of the state budget. But the left-leaning, Austin-based Texans for Public Justice government watchdog group filed an ethics complaint accusing the governor of coercion because he threatened to use his veto before actually doing so in an attempt to pressure Lehmberg to quit.

"We're pleased that the grand jury determined that the governor's bullying crossed the line into illegal behavior," said Craig McDonald, Texans for Public Justice's executive director.

Michael McCrum, the San Antonio-based special prosecutor overseeing the case, said he "took into account the fact that we're talking about a governor of a state  and a governor of the state of Texas, which we all love."

"But when it gets down to it, the law is the law," McCrum said.

Perry and other high-profile Republicans said Lehmberg should resign after she was arrested and pleaded guilty to drunken driving in April 2013. A video recording made at the jail showed Lehmberg shouting at staffers to call the sheriff, kicking the door of her cell and sticking her tongue out. Her blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit for driving.

The indictment of Perry is the first of its kind since 1917, when James "Pa" Ferguson was indicted on charges stemming from his veto of state funding to the University of Texas in an effort to unseat faculty and staff members he objected to. Ferguson was eventually impeached, then resigned before being convicted.

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A federal court has determined that a North Texas school district denies Hispanic residents an equal opportunity to vote and elect candidates of their choice.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Fitzwater in Dallas found that the current election process used by the Irving school district violates the federal Voting Rights Act.

Friday's ruling found in favor of plaintiffs that include Manuel Benavidez, a former Irving school board candidate.

The order means Irving must alter for the second time the way it elects board members. The ruling found as unfair the current system in which there are five single-member districts and two members elected to at-large positions.

The city west of Dallas had previously changed its election system because of prior legal challenges.

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Leaders of a Brazilian party that lost its presidential candidate in a plane crash have chosen his running mate to stand in his place, officials said Saturday, creating a new challenge to President Dilma Rousseff's re-election.

Former Environment Minister Marina Silva, who made a strong run in Brazil's last presidential election, will replace the late Eduardo Campos on the Socialist Party ticket. Campos was killed Wednesday when his small plane smashed into a residential area in the city of Santos.

Ricardo Young, a Sao Paulo city councilman and close associate of Silva, said he took part in a Friday meeting in which party leaders told Silva they want her to run, and she accepted.

"The party has some internal procedure it wants to follow to announce it, but the main leadership has confirmed it," Young said.

The party's leader in the senate, Rodrigo Rollemberg, told the O Globo newspaper that Silva had been chosen and the party was now working on choosing her running mate.

Silva, 56, is a party outsider who joined Campos' ticket last year only after she failed to obtain enough signatures to register her own party for the race. However, she has a wide following and earned close to 20 percent of the votes in the 2010 elections. An evangelical Christian, Silva was a close associate of environmental activist Chico Mendes, who was murdered in 1988.

Silva and many other politicians were traveling Saturday to Recife in northeastern Brazil, where Campos was born and where his funeral was planned for Sunday.

Polls had shown Campos running a distant third after Rousseff and opponent Aecio Neves, but many political analysts say she may be a stronger candidate, and could at least prevent a first-round victory for Rousseff on Oct. 5. Her main support comes among Brazilians disgruntled by sluggish growth, high taxes and poor health care and education.

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Nebraska lawmakers will have a new debate next year over immigration, an issue that could influence the 2014 governor's race in a state with a small but fast-growing Hispanic population.

Republican Pete Ricketts and Democrat Chuck Hassebrook remain sharply divided over whether Nebraska should continue to deny driver's licenses for young immigrants who qualify for the Obama administration's deferred-action policy.

The federal policy, which went into effect in 2012, grants a temporary reprieve to young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children. It only applies to youths with a clean criminal record who are in school, have received a high-school diploma, or served in the U.S. military.

Sen. Jeremy Nordquist said he will introduce a bill next year that would reverse Nebraska's policy, potentially placing it before the next governor. About 2,300 youths in the state have qualified.

"It just makes sense for them to be able to participate fully in our economy, and it's much more difficult for them to do so without the ability to drive," Nordquist said. "Right now, they have 49 other options -- they can take their educations and go to any other state in the country."

Nordquist -- whose south Omaha district includes a large Hispanic population -- said many youths will simply drive without licenses if they aren't given access.

Nebraska remains the only U.S. state that denies licenses to youths who qualified for the federal initiative, which grants them a temporary reprieve from deportation as well as work permits. A similar law in Arizona was blocked in July by a federal appeals court.

Nearly 10 percent of Nebraska's population was identified as Hispanic or Latino last year, according to U.S. census estimates. Hispanics and Latinos are expected to account for nearly one-fourth of the state population by 2050, according to the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Center for Public Affairs Research.

Nebraska's policy also faces a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit in June 2013 on behalf of four Omaha residents.

ACLU attorneys argue that the policy -- announced by Gov. Dave Heineman in 2012 -- wasn't run through a public hearing and comment period as required, and violates constitutional due-process rights. Attorneys also argue the policy violates a federal law that requires states to recognize deferred-action status when granting licenses.

The governor has argued that the policy complies with a 2009 state law that bans public benefits for those not lawfully in the United States -- and that the president's deferral program doesn't make the immigrants legal citizens. The case is scheduled for trial on Sept. 30 in Lancaster County District Court.

Ricketts, an Omaha businessman, said he would continue Nebraska's policy of denying licenses to the deferred-action youths, arguing that those who arrived in the country illegally shouldn't receive privileges intended for legal residents.

"I don't believe it's fair or right," Ricketts said. "I don't believe they ought to be driving, because they're breaking the law."

Hassebrook, a former University of Nebraska regent, said the state's denial of driver's licenses effectively punishes the youths for a parent's decision to bring them to the country illegally. Nebraska has already paid for their education in public schools, he said, and rejecting their request for driver's licenses could lead them to take their skills elsewhere while the state faces a labor shortage.

"It goes against all precepts of American law, to hold people accountable for the actions of others," Hassebrook said. "It's wrong to punish these kids."

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Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Sunday defended the veto that led a grand jury to indict him on two felony counts of abuse of power, noting that even some Democrats have questioned the move by prosecutors.

"I stood up for the rule of law in the state of Texas, and if I had to do it again I would make exactly the same decision," Perry, a potential candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, said.

Already the longest-serving governor in state history, Perry has made it clear that he plans to complete his third and final term in January as planned. In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," the governor noted that David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, had called the indictment "sketchy" while Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz had questioned the move.

"Across the board you're seeing people weigh in and reflecting that this is way outside of the norm. This is not the way that we settle differences, political differences in this country," Perry said. "You don't do it with indictments. We settle our political differences at the ballot box."

A Travis County grand jury on Friday indicted Perry for carrying out a threat to veto state funds to the local district attorney, an elected Democrat, unless she resigned following her arrest and conviction for drunken driving. That 2013 veto prompted a criminal investigation.

Perry said he had lost confidence in the prosecutor and had been clear about his intentions to veto the funding. The governor said Sunday that the indictment reflected a larger problem of government agencies not following the rule of law, pointing to the Internal Revenue Service scandal in Washington and concerns about National Security Agency surveillance.

Several Republicans have come to Perry's defense and the governor has received words of support from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"This is the criminalization of just the legislative function and when you do that you weaken democracy. This is certainly a political attack, and this is very bad precedent," said Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, who appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Perry is the first Texas governor since 1917 to be indicted. The charges came as he has sought to reintroduce himself to Republican leaders and rank-and-file party members eager to win back the White House. Several stumbles during his presidential bid in 2012 led to his early departure from the race.

Perry's veto cut $7.5 million in funding to the state's ethics watchdog housed in the county district attorney's office. A state judge assigned a special prosecutor to investigate the veto following a complaint filed by a left-leaning watchdog group, which accused Perry of trying to leverage his power to force the resignation of District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg.

That unit of public corruption investigators is based in Austin, a liberal haven in the mostly conservative state. Voters in the county reliably elect a Democrat to serve as district attorney.

Perry said Saturday he was confident that he would prevail and said those responsible for this "farce of a prosecution" would be held accountable.

Many Democrats criticized Perry's aggressive reaction to the indictment and accused him of trying to shift the blame.

Yet state Sen. Wendy Davis, the face of the party in Texas who's running a high-profile campaign for governor, took a more cautious tone Saturday.

"The charges that were brought down by the grand jury are very, very serious," Davis said, adding that she trusted the justice system to do its job.

Tensions between Republicans and the public integrity unit have simmered for years. Conservatives have long grumbled that the unit operates through a partisan lens and targets Republicans.

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Gov. Susana Martinez has a sizeable lead over Democrat Gary King in her re-election campaign, according to a new Albuquerque Journal poll released Sunday.

Poll results show that about 50 percent of voters say they plan to vote for the Republican governor. About 41 percent say they would vote for Attorney General King. Nine percent remain undecided.

"It's a comfortable lead, especially when you take into consideration the tremendous financial advantage the governor has," said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the poll.

Overall, Martinez leads King in most regions of the state. The only area where King outshone the governor was in north-central New Mexico. That area includes Democratic-leaning Santa Fe, Espanola and Taos and Hispanic-heavy counties such as Rio Arriba.

In those areas King leads Martinez 59 percent to 30 percent.

The nation's first female Hispanic governor trails among Hispanic voters with 36 percent supporting her and 56 percent supporting King.

Martinez also has backing from 20 percent of Democrats polled while 12 percent said they were still undecided. Sanderoff said Hispanic Democrats who opted to throw support behind Martinez contributed a key role in her 2010 victory.

The Republican has a broad base of support in a state where Democrats have a 1.5-to-1 advantage in voter registration.

The governor is also ahead among voters who aren't affiliated with any political party. The poll states she has 55 percent support among independents versus King's 35 percent.

King likely faces an uphill battle trying to win undecided voters and Martinez supporters to defeat an incumbent, Sanderoff said.

"There's some ammunition out there for Gary King," Sanderoff said, referring to the state's sluggish economy and employment levels. "But, as of yet, he's been unsuccessful in tying those things to the governor."

King has been trying to keep up with his opponent in fundraising. New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran announced Friday that King would be able to retain nearly $11,000 in campaign contributions.

Duran had previously said those contributions exceeded campaign finance limits. His campaign funds as of last month only amounted to a little over $100,000, compared to $4.3 million for Martinez.

According to Research & Polling, the poll was conducted over a three-day period last week. It was comprised of a sampling of 606 voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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As Texas Gov. Rick Perry finds himself in the middle of a scandal about whether he abused his office or properly applied his authority, a fellow Texan and potential 2016 presidential GOP rival is coming to his defense  Sen. Ted Cruz.

Cruz, a former solicitor general in Texas, said the indictment of Perry on allegations that he exacted political revenge by denying funding to the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, is politically motivated.

Perry demanded that Lehmberg step down from her post after she was arrested for drunken driving and, the governor said, made a scene, getting aggressive with the police officers. When she ignored his demand to resign, Perry vetoed funding for the states public integrity unit.

Unfortunately, there has been a sad history of the Travis County District Attorneys Office engaging in politically-motivated prosecutions, and this latest indictment of the governor is extremely questionable, Politico quoted Cruz as saying in a statement.

The Texas Constitution gives the governor the power to veto legislation, and a criminal indictment predicated on the exercise of his constitutional authority is, on its face, highly suspect.

Fellow Republicans Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also defended Perry. Both men have been mentioned as possible 2016 GOP presidential candidates as well.

Ridiculous. Major overreach and an encroachment on his veto authority, Bush said in a tweet.

Jindal characterized the indictment as a blatant misuse of the judicial system by liberal activists who couldnt defeat him at the polls.

Perry noted the support of Cruz, Jindal and Bush in interviews on news shows over the weekend. Rick Perry is a friend, hes a man of integrity  I am proud to stand with Rick Perry, Cruz said.

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Latinos are likely to cast votes in this midterm election in lower numbers overall than they did in the last presidential election, but they can still play an important role in outcomes in statewide and local races, experts say.

Arturo Vargas, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO, says that some 7.8 million Latinos are projected by his organization to vote in the November midterm elections.

That is less than the roughly 11 million Latinos who voted in 2012, with about 70 percent of them re-electing President Obama over his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who got 27 percent of the Latino vote.

And it is far less than the 28.8 million Latinos who will be eligible to vote by November.

Several key U.S. Senate races are happening in states where Latinos are a small part of the population or electorate, less than 3 percent.

Republicans need to win six Senate races to have a majority in that chamber; they are already the majority in the House. The most competitive U.S. Senate races are taking place in such states as Michigan, Iowa, Alaska, Montana, Kentucky and Georgia.

Nonetheless, Latinos can still make a difference in elections where their numbers are larger, Vargas said.

There are a number of elections throughout the country where the Latino vote will be pivotal, he said.

In Colorado, Latinos comprise 15 percent of the electorate, and appear to be leaning in favor of the incumbent, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat, who is running against Republican challenger Rep. Cory Gardner. Polls have showed that the race is close, and many experts think it could be an election on which GOP control of the Senate could pivot.

In terms of Senate races, Vargas said, Colorado is the important one where Latinos can make a difference.

Four years ago, he noted, Democrat Michael Bennet defeated Tea Party Republican Ken Buck in a U.S. Senate race in Colorado that had been viewed as a chance for Republicans to gain another seat in the chamber.

Bennet was able to win because he got 80 percent of the Latino voters, Vargas said.

In Texas, U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, a Democrat, is running for re-election against Will Hurd, a Republican in a district that has swung from Republican to Democrat several times. Voters in this district also chose Romney over Obama in 2012.

By the nature of the district, it is a competitive race, Gallego told reporters.

And so, said GOP pollster Whit Ayers, The right way to say it is that Hispanics are not as important a factor in midterm elections as they are in presidential elections, but that said, they are still a very important part of the electorate.

Republican incumbents tend to be in districts where there are few Latinos, Ayers said, so they have few incentives to be responsive to issues of importance to many in the community.

That is why, Ayers said, many of the midterm elections most important races are likely to favor Republicans, unlike in 2016, which is more likely to favor Democrats.

Then again, a lot can happen in politics in a short time and upend races.

If, for example, President Obama does act unilaterally on immigration, as he has threatened to do, and spare several million undocumented immigrants from deportation and perhaps allow them to obtain work permit, it can influence the election.

Efforts to pass immigration reform legislation has stalled in Congress, as conservatives in the House object to any measure that would give a pathway to legal status  or virtually any lenient treatment  to undocumented immigrants. The recent influx on the U.S.-Mexico border by Central American immigrants altered the debate over immigration to a great extent, and thrust it back onto the front burner.

Jobs and the economy, Ayers said, are expected to be top issues for voters in the midterm elections. The failed rollout of Obamas Affordable Care Act could be, as well, he said.

But if President Obama tries to legislate [immigration] by executive action, he noted, it will create a major new issue in the midterm election.

Vargas says that immigration has climbed up the ladder of important issues for Latinos.

"Traditionally, it has not been a priority issue for Latino voters," he said. "They are U.S. citizens, they didn't have an immigration problem to resolve. But polls show that now, while voters may not be personally affected, they know someone who is. It's very much a gateway issue now. Latinos want to know where you are on immigration  are you on my side or not?"

Fernand Amandi, a managing partner at Bendixen & Amandi International, a Miami-based Democratic polling company, thinks Latino voters can defy predictions of a lower than usual turnout in November.

There are a lot of potential game-changers between now and November, Amandi said.

The question for the midterm elections is, given the extra emphasis on immigration, and the economy and the impact of the healthcare program, Amandi said, will that cause a Hispanic spike in voting, like we saw in 2006, or will Hispanics revert to the historical pattern of less than a regular turnout?

He said with every passing election cycle, the Hispanic electorate is becoming more and more part of the national vote.

They are no longer concentrated in just six or seven states. That phenomenon will be more pronounced by how the community is branching out [across the United States].

Even though they did not turn out in large numbers in the 2010 midterm elections  6.6 million Latinos voted  they were critical to helping Democrats keep control of the Senate.

Any issue can catch fire," Amandi, said, "and this election would become a referendum on that issue.
File this under oops.

A television commercial for Florida Gov. Rick Scotts re-election campaign featured an endorsement from a successful Cuban-born grocery store owner, Maikel Duarte-Torres.

The problem? He was convicted on human smuggling charges in St. Maarten in 2010, according to the Miami Herald.

Four years ago, the economy was very bad, said Duarte-Torres in the Spanish-language commercial. Rick Scott helped Floridas economy, and you can see the difference. Hes created jobs. Thats why I support Rick Scott. Im just like him. Im like the American Dream.

Duarte-Torres hugged Scott in the commercial, which is no longer running.

Scotts campaign staff and the state's Republican organization did not know about Duarte-Torress criminal record, the Herald said.

He was arrested for involvement in a smuggling ring that tried to bring 10 Cubans from St. Maarten to Miami. The Herald said that Duarte-Torres was convicted five months after the arrest. He is described in published reports as the mastermind of the human smuggling ring.

Although he received a two-year jail sentence, Duarte-Torres served only two days because the facility was overcrowded. He was told never to return to the island again.

The spot for Gov. Scott began airing in Miami on a local station in July, the Herald reported.

Its pretty bad to have the governor running an ad with a convicted human trafficker, said David Custin, a Miami-based political consultant who has worked for Republican candidates running for state and federal office. But if his people respond quickly and own up to what happened, then it wont be as bad as sweeping it under the rug and not dealing with it.

Its not a presidential or congressional race that requires a high degree of vetting and research before you use the person in an ad, Custin said. They dont do international background checks on people.

Scott campaign spokesman Greg Blair denied that the ad was pulled because of the embarrassing disclosure about Duarte-Torres.

It was not pulled, Blair said, according to the Herald. The run simply ended last week.

Duarte-Torres told reporters earlier this year that his current business employs 18 people full-time and that he hopes to have a chain of supermarkets someday.

I started with a watermelon in my hand, selling fruits and vegetables on Lois Avenue, Duarte-Torres said. Things have grown from there.

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Immigration authorities say that deportations of detainees at a temporary New Mexico shelter have resumed after the lifting of a quarantine over chickenpox.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said in a statement late Monday that the agency resumed removal flights back to Central America on Aug. 7. Since then, officials say 71 immigrant adults and children from the center have been deported.

"ICE Health Service Corp. personnel have been clearing residents who have immunity to chickenpox, such as those who have already had the disease, or have been fully immunized through vaccination," a statement said. "Once medically cleared, residents who have a final order of removal and a valid travel document may be repatriated."

ICE says since the quarantine was ordered health personnel have been clearing detainees who have immunity to chickenpox and preparing for deportations once removal orders are issued.

The facility has a capacity of 700, and houses only family units. That means there are no unaccompanied children or adults without children.

Around 600 women and children from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are being detained at Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia while they await either deportation or asylum.

ICE gives a medical screening to all undocumented immigrants when they arrive at detention facilities, but the virus may not be detectable at all times.

Its one of the most contagious viruses out there, El Paso Public Health Director Ruben Resendes told KFOX14. Skin to skin, airborne, people used to have chickenpox parties and everyone in the room would get it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A Long Island church has abandoned a proposal to play host to some of the tens of thousands of immigrant children illegally crossing the United States' border with Mexico to reunite with family.

The Rev. Dennis Walker, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Commack, told Newsday on Monday the church had dropped the plan, which had sparked outrage in the neighborhood.

Lutheran church leaders in Manhattan told Newsday that the church missed a deadline to apply for the federally funded program to temporarily house immigrants. They said it was unlikely the proposal would become reality in the next few years.

"It's very unrealistic to see it happening in the short term," said Rev. Marc Herbst, a top assistant to the bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod-Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Herbst also said Walker is retiring next year and that an interim pastor, who would only hold the post for a year, wouldn't provide stable leadership needed for the immigrant housing program.

Walker had said the church would be able to pay off debts and create jobs if it took in about 40 children. But neighbors said the plan, details of which hadn't been released or approved, would be dangerous.

"I'm not prejudiced, don't get me wrong, but you know what, we have our own problems with our own people here," Jerry Baggetta, a retiree who spoke on the front porch of his home just up the street from the church property, told The Associated Press recently. "What are we going to have to do? Live like prisoners and lock our doors and everything else?"

About 63,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, entered the U.S. from October to July, double the number from the same period a year earlier. Many have said they are fleeing violence in their home countries. Once children are processed by the Border Patrol, they are placed in the custody of the government's Office of Refugee Resettlement. They stay at federal government shelters until they reunite with family members in the U.S. or move to longer-term foster care to await immigration court.

U.S. cities and towns have been asked to identify facilities where children can be temporarily housed. The federal government will cover the cost of preparing, operating and staffing them.

Federal data show New York has received 3,347 of the children this year, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Administration for Children and Families.

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Drug cartels have been blamed for the rise in violence across the United States. They are also supposedly behind the rise of heroin use in the Midwest.

Now, one senator says drugs cartels are to blame for the border crisis.

It's a humanitarian problem, it's a border problem and it's a criminal problem with regards to drug cartels  all wrapped up into one...A very difficult situation.  U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts

Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas told a group of oil executives on Monday that Mexicos notorious cartels are recruiting Central American children to enter the U.S. and become part of their lucrative drug enterprise.

After his speech at the annual convention of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association, Roberts said he wasnt referring to the 60,000 Central American immigrants who have crossed the border illegally and have made national headlines the past two months. Instead, he said, he meant a lot of people from 16 to 22 years old who are part of the recent influx from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

They become the so-called mules to expand their drug operations in the United States, Roberts said.

Roberts said cartels spread false information that President Barack Obama's two-year-old directive granting work permits to certain immigrants brought here illegally as youths would also allow Central American children to stay in the country.

"They put out a lot of information that was just simply not correct  it was an enticement for people to leave countries that are war-torn and where people do not believe there is an opportunity to succeed," he said.

Many of the Central American immigrants currently arriving in the country are between the ages of 16 and 22. He estimates the number of unaccompanied minors could grow to 100,000 if the U.S. doesn't respond quickly.

"It's a humanitarian problem, it's a border problem and it's a criminal problem with regards to drug cartels  all wrapped up into one," he said. "A very difficult situation."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Clouds of tear gas and smoke once again hung over the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Monday night as police and protestors clashed amid the continuing unrest following the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer.

With National Guard troops in town and President Barack Obama weighing in on the issue, one group in the area has remained quiet on the crisis embroiling Ferguson: Latinos.

Making up just 1.2 percent of Fergusons population  and just 2.7 percent of all of St. Louis County, according to the most recent Census Bureau statistics  the towns Hispanic community is miniscule compared to its large African-American population and has not developed the same deep-seeded mistrust of the police that has fueled the protests.

For most Hispanics in the area, life centers on the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, which has become a vital part of the town's social landscape.

Its done a lot for being so small over the past 20 years, Javier Orozco, the executive director of Intercultural and Interreligious Affair at the diocese of St. Louis told Fox News Latino.

Some of the leaders of the small Hispanic community say that while Latinos may not be publicly taking an active role in the protests, they have spoken out against both the killing of Michael Brown and the current unrest through their churches.

Latinos are taking part in multi-denominational tributes and vigils and conferences about what is going and what can be done, Chris Martinez, the chief development officer at Catholic Charities and a former Ferguson-Florissant School Board director told FNL. Nintey-nine percent of the people I spoke with  whether Latino, black or white  know that there is a logical way to deal with this.

Martinez added that he supports peaceful protests, but condemns the violence, looting and clashes with police that have occurred nightly in Ferguson  calling the agitators opportunists.

For now, Latinos in the area said that they want to remain quiet about what to do in the midst of the turmoil in an effort to not stir up any more problems for the already beleaguered state police officers who are patrolling Ferguson.

Its not a lack of wanting to do something, but its a decision that whatever we do we do it with the local leadership so as not to cause more problems, Orozco said.

Protesters filled the streets after nightfall Monday, and officers trying to enforce tighter restrictions at times used bullhorns to order them to disperse. Police deployed noisemakers and armored vehicles to push demonstrators back. Officers fired tear gas and flash grenades.

Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol, who is in charge of security in Ferguson, said bottles and Molotov cocktails were thrown from the crowd and that some officers had come under heavy gunfire. At least two people were shot and 31 were arrested, he said. He did not have condition updates on those who were shot. Johnson said four officers were injured by rocks or bottles.

Demonstrators no longer faced the neighborhood's midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew, but police told protesters that they could not assemble in a single spot and had to keep moving. After the streets had been mostly cleared, authorities ordered reporters to leave as well, mentioning the risk from the reported gunfire.

Citing "a dangerous dynamic in the night," Johnson also urged protesters with peaceful intent to demonstrate during the daytime hours.

The latest clashes came after a day in which a pathologist hired by the Brown family said the unarmed black 18-year-old suffered a bullet wound to his right arm that may indicate his hands were up or his back was turned. But the pathologist said the team that examined Brown cannot be sure yet exactly how the wounds were inflicted until they have more information.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A California state assemblyman plans to stage a protest outside the governors mansion next week to demand that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who is to be honored at luncheon there Aug. 26, ensure the release of a U.S. Marine held captive in Mexico.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who recently lost in a bid to become the Republican nominee in the gubernatorial election in November, declined an invitation to the luncheon and assailed Gov. Jerry Brown for hosting the luncheon in honor of the Mexican president.

"I am writing to decline your luncheon invitation, read the letter Donnelly sent Brown, which the assemblyman made public, and to express my deep disappointment that you would entertain the president of a nation that is holding an active-duty U.S. Marine captive."

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has said that he was headed to dinner in San Ysidro on March 31 when he mistakenly wound up at a border crossing in Tijuana.

"I was going to call them after I drove off the exit, but I never got off the exit, I blew right past it," he was quoted as telling the U-T San Diego newspaper in an interview from jail. I wasnt paying attention, thinking I had way farther to go. I ended up in Mexico with no way to turn around."

He said Mexican authorities found three guns inside the pick-up truck he had recently driven to California in a recent move from Florida to San Diego.

He was jailed and is being held in a federal penitentiary in Tecate without bail.

In his letter to Brown, Donnelly also took issue with the governors recent trip to Mexico and what he said was the governors failure to raise the issue of Tahmooressi's release.

"How you could visit Mexico and not publicly demand the release of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, is beyond me, Donnelly said. You had a great opportunity to demonstrate leadership by taking a stand for a California citizen that has put himself in harms way for our freedom."

The letter continued: I know that my absence may distress you, but it may comfort you to know that Ill be standing outside leading a protest, doing the job you should have done as the highest elected official in California: demanding the release of one of our own, our Marine, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Less than a week before trial, a onetime close associate of former U.S. Rep. David Rivera pleaded guilty Tuesday to four charges in a long-running campaign finance investigation that also implicates Rivera.

Attorneys for Ana Alliegro announced in a surprise that she would plead guilty rather than go to trial Monday. Prosecutor Thomas Mulvihill said there was no plea agreement requiring Alliegro to cooperate as a government witness against Rivera.

Her attorney, Richard Klugh, said there was no written deal in place.

"There is no guaranteed benefit for the plea. She's just accepted responsibility," he said.

Rivera, a Republican, has not been charged and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Alliegro, 44, was accused of funneling about $80,000 to an unknown Democratic candidate, Justin Sternad, in the 2012 primary for the House seat then held by Rivera. Prosecutors say the goal was to weaken Democrat Joe Garcia, who won anyway and later defeated Rivera in the general election.

Mulvihill said Tuesday for the first time publicly that Rivera was part of the conspiracy when asked for the name by U.S. District Judge Robert Scola. In the past, Rivera was identified only as "co-conspirator A" in court documents.

Rivera did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Earlier this year, Rivera filed papers to run for his old 26th District House seat again, then suspended his campaign in July. Recently, however, Rivera has been participating in campaign events such as a candidates forum over the weekend, and his name will appear on next Tuesday's GOP primary ballot.

Alliegro, meanwhile, is to be sentenced Sept. 10. The four charges against her each carry potential five-year prison sentences, but she is likely to get far less because she has now pleaded guilty and may cooperate in the ongoing investigation. Sternad also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven months in prison.

Alliegro has been jailed since her arrest in March in Nicaragua, where she had fled rather than plead guilty in fall of 2013. She had surrendered her passport to authorities but, unknown to them, she had a duplicate passport allowing her to travel to Nicaragua.

State prosecutors in Miami previously pursued up to 52 possible ethics and campaign finance violation charges against Rivera related to his personal use of campaign funds and a $1 million contract he had with a Florida gambling company, but investigators in 2012 decided to bring no charges in part because the statutes of limitation had expired.

Federal investigators were also looking into a possible tax evasion case stemming from the same allegations, but so far no charges have been filed.

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When Arizonas controversial SB 1070 immigration bill was signed into law and began to go into effect in 2010, it sparked many angry protests. And not just in the state, but across the country.

But after local and federal courts overturned parts of the law, diluting it somewhat, things seemed to quiet down in Arizona. Until now.

Possibly emboldened by images of protesters clashing with police in Ferguson, Missouri, unrest in the Grand Canyon State has increased since police started widely enforcing the parts of SB1070 that have been upheld by courts.

One provision requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of those they stop for violating other laws. Under the show me your papers rule, if the person stopped is undocumented, police officers are required to contact the U.S. Border Patrol.

And that is not sitting well with some people in Arizona.

Last week, Norlan Flores Prado, a day laborer from Nicaragua, was pulled over for making a wide turn on his way to see his newborn baby at the hospital. Police officers checked his immigration status and noticed he was undocumented.

A large protest began as Border Patrol officials arrived at the scene, with some protesters swarming his car and placing themselves under the tires. More immigration activists heard about the stop, and the crowd grew larger.

Eventually, additional police officers were called to the scene.

Officers broke up the protest without any arrests. Flores Prado, who has been in the United States for 10 years, was placed in the custody of the Border Patrol.

Prados arrest was the second immigration-related arrest within days in the area  and it underscored simmering tensions in the community over the law. Those who favor strong immigration enforcement say that the law was needed to control a growing influx of undocumented immigrants that they said was placing a financial strain on the state.

But activists claim racial profiling is at the heart of each stop  and they are vowing protest every time a police officer hands an undocumented immigrant over to federal authorities.

There is no way to enforce SB1070 without racial profiling, activist Raul Alcaraz Ochoa told Fox News Latino. Because the very premise and very basis of stopping somebody and asking them for their papers and verifying their immigration status, is very connected to race and profiling based on race.

Alcaraz Ochoa, who works to connect local day laborers with employees, said Flores Prado is one of his workers.

Alcaraz Ochoa has a history of protesting the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants after routine traffic stops  and at one point last year was arrested during his protest. He said the police department should do a better job building trust between the officers and the community and not work hand in hand with Border Patrol.

But Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said in a phone interview, that his department began working with the Border Patrol long before the implementation of SB1070.

We work with themwe have for years. The word collaborate is a term thats being used by immigrant activists to give an image of some type of conspiracy, said Villasenor.

As for the racial profiling claims, he says the number of Hispanics stopped in the checks is not disproportionate. Our latest stats show its about 43 percent, which is exactly the proportion of Hispanics in our community.

Villasenor, who has been an outspoken critic of SB1070 but says that hes bound by the law to enforce it, told The Associated Press that police officers have called the Border Patrol about 2,000 times since June 12, and agents have responded only about 1 percent of the time.

Still, he said, he knew the law would cause problems once it went into effect.

"Back in 2010, I predicted this is exactly the type of strife that this law will cause within a community, Villasenor told the AP. And this is one of the main reasons I was against this law and this statute."

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Reaching out to Latinos and other minority groups is not a part-time job only to be thought of right before elections, the chairman of the Republican National Committee said.

Instead, the party should be spending much of their resources and time in minority outreach at all times of the year, Reince Preibus told a gathering of Georgia Republicans  much like the Democrats started doing four years ago.

"We need to be a year-round party," Preibus said. "We need to be a party that is engaged full time in black, Hispanic and Asian communities. Not just once in a while, but all the time."

The RNC chair said recent GOP efforts, like sending hundreds of party workers into minority communities, is a good start but needs to continue long after this years midterms are over.

That would help Republicans make strong in-roads in fast-growing immigrant community that day by day, year by year, are growing in political strength nationally. The party is currently comprised heavily of white voters.

In places like Georgia, where every statewide elected official is Republican, Democrats are hoping an increase in minority voters along with an influx of out-of-state residents will make the state more competitive starting this year. And the stakes couldn't be higher as Republicans make a push to take control of the Senate for the last two years of President Barack Obama's term.

The RNC effort, which includes voter registration drives and numerous community meetings, is one of many launched by Republicans this election cycle. The Republican State Leadership Committee has been working to recruit black, Latino and female GOP candidates for state-level offices. And the billionaire Koch brothers have been helping to fund the Libre Initiative, which looks to make inroads among Hispanic voters through conservative-led outreach efforts such as offering English classes, health checkups and courses to help Spanish-speakers earn high school diplomas.

"We are doing the things that I think, unfortunately, for four years the Democrats have been doing full time across this country," Priebus said.

Priebus' visit to Georgia brought him to Cobb County, a predominantly white suburb north of Atlanta with a fast-growing minority population. The county, which traditionally votes Republican, is about 62 percent white, 25 percent black and 12 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2010 Census.

Republicans argue their message of fiscal responsibility and a focus on job creation can resonate with minority voters.

"What we are finding out as we are engaging with minorities is that on some of the fiscal issues, it's almost a no-brainer. People understand that debt is not good, that if America has a sinking boat because of the debt then nobody is going to be able to cross the river to opportunity," said Leo Smith, who oversees the GOP minority outreach effort in Georgia and has been traveling the state over the last year to meet with community groups.

Smith added social issues remain a concern, but Republicans need to talk about them in a different way. For instance, many Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, have emphasized criminal justice reform because a disproportionate number of the nation's prisoners are black.

One of the most prominent black Democrats in Georgia, House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, said it was important for minorities to be engaged by both parties. However, the broader Republican agenda fails to include them, Abrams said, citing the party's opposition to the minimum wage and the federal health care law.

"The distance between Republican ideology and Republican legislation is a gulf that too many people of color fall into," Abrams said. "And we're not going to believe your dream of achievement if you are going to do nothing to make that dream a reality."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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For all its horror, the beheading of an American journalist in Syria appears unlikely to change Congressional lawmakers' minds about military intervention against Islamic State extremists. It's equally unclear whether the Obama administration will be asking them to back a new U.S. approach.

President Barack Obama said the United States wouldn't scale back its military posture in Iraq in response to James Foley's killing. But he offered no specifics Wednesday about what new steps he might take to protect additional captives and other Americans, and ward off what he described as the al-Qaida offshoot's genocidal ambitions.

The initial response from members of Congress was mixed, reflecting the divide of the American people. While all decried Foley's death, hawks, particularly Republicans, continued to assail the Obama administration's limited airstrikes in Iraq and its refusal to target Islamic State bases in neighboring Syria. The president's supporters voiced support for the current, cautious intervention in Iraq. No tea partiers or dovish Democrats who have cautioned against military action publicly changed position.

"The president's rhetoric was excellent, but he didn't outline steps to stop the slaughter," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of Obama's harshest foreign policy critics, said in a telephone interview. "The strategy should be to launch all-out air attacks in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIL," he said, using an alternative acronym for the Sunni militants.

Interrupting his family vacation in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Obama denounced the Islamic State as a "cancer" threatening the entire Middle East. And military planners weighed the possibility of sending a small number of additional U.S. troops to Baghdad. Still, Obama was vague about what more his administration would do, saying the U.S. will stand with others to "act against" the extremists.

"We will be vigilant and we will be relentless," he said. "When people harm Americans, anywhere, we do what's necessary to see that justice is done."

That message was clearly inadequate for McCain, the Republican candidate Obama defeated for the presidency in 2008. The Arizona senator, who has clamored for years for U.S. action against government forces and extremists in Syria, said the Islamic State has "erased the boundaries between Syria and Iraq, and we must treat it the same way." Otherwise, he said, the militants will enjoy a sanctuary in Syria where they can regroup and create more chaos.

Other Republicans echoed that message. "The Iraqis have already demonstrated that they cannot stop them on their own," said Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., a House Intelligence Committee member and former Army officer. "The president's current path of action has been far too limited to make a difference."

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said the U.S. must aggressively arm the Islamic State's opponents. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called Obama's approach "piecemeal."

Some Democrats, too, pushed for expanding U.S. military action into Syria. "Otherwise, they will continue to threaten Americans and the interests of our country," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

Others, however, expressed caution and said the president was reacting appropriately.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and House Intelligence Committee member, said the administration has to be on guard against mission creep after launching operations to protect Americans and Iraqi infrastructure, provide humanitarian relief and solidify Iraq's new government.

"The mission already crept a bit," Schiff said in a telephone interview. "The administration would be wise to not get sucked in. That's going to be very hard."

He said Foley's death "brings home in the most horrifically graphic terms what a scourge" the Islamic State is, but it doesn't provide a broader lesson for U.S. policy.

"If they have time to consolidate their gains, they will attack us. If we take the fight to them, they will attack us," Schiff said.
He was fingerprinted. He has a mug shot.

He is under indictment on charges of abusing his political power. That could bring a maximum 109 years in prison.

And those facts may actually make Texas Gov. Rick Perry a stronger contender to be the GOP nominee in the 2016 presidential election, some political strategists say.

The charges are that Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, leveraged his power to try to oust a Democratic district attorney convicted of drunk driving.

Perry has formally pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and waived an arraignment that had been set for Friday.

Perry is displaying a tough, defiant exterior in the face of the national-headline-making indictment  the first for a Texas governor since 1917. No sooner did he get his mug shot  for which he smiled broadly  than he then stopped for vanilla ice cream after leaving the police department and, for good measure, tweeted a photo of himself with the treat.

It may be the best thing thats happened to Rick Perry.  Whit Ayers, GOP pollster

Then he spirited off to Washington, D.C., where, on Thursday, he is delivering a major speech at the Heritage Foundation about the border crisis and how it's affecting Texas.

The governor has seen an outpouring of support, even from unexpected sources such as liberal political figures and media organizations. They call the charges and indictment a political stunt by Democrats in Texas, and conservatives see the evil intentions of liberals being clearly exposed.

Indeed, conservative groups are rallying around Perry.

He has been picked to headline the South Carolina GOP fundraiser on Aug. 27.

The Conservative Action Fund sent out a mass e-mail Wednesday with the subject line: Rick Perry is under attack, and he needs our immediate help."

You see, a handful of extreme liberal Democrats in Texas have decided to take the law into their own hands," the body of the message read, "and prosecute Rick Perry simply because he exercised his perfectly legal veto powers to block funding for a disgraced local prosecutor's office."

The email asks for contributions to Perry's political action committee, to show Governor Perry that conservatives from around the country support him. And it asks supporters to sign a Stand With Rick Perry petition, with the goal of getting 100,000 signatures by Friday. You dont have to be from Texas to support Governor Perry against the kangaroo court proceedings being orchestrated by the crooks in a small liberal enclave in Texas.

Whit Ayers, a Republican pollster in Washington, D.C., said the subtext of a liberal areas indictment of conservative Republican stands to give Perry a boost, should he decide to run for president in 2016.

The Democrats pushing the case against Perry, Ayers said, are trying to criminalize political disagreements.

This is a trumped up indictment, Ayers said. Its such an obvious and blatant abuse of prosecutorial discretion, it may be the best thing thats happened to Rick Perry.

Perry was indicted last week on charges of coercion and official oppression for vetoing $7.5 million for the state public integrity unit, which investigates wrongdoing by elected officials and is run by the Travis County district attorney's office. Perry threatened the veto if the county's Democratic district attorney, Rosemary Lehmberg, stayed in office after a drunken driving conviction.

She refused to step down. A video of Lehmberg in jail following her 2013 arrest showed the district attorney badly slurring her words, shouting at staffers to call the sheriff, kicking the door of her cell, and sticking her tongue out. Her blood alcohol level was also three times the legal limit for driving.

Perrys got a great foil, Ayers said, someone with a high blood alcohol level who was being belligerent and obnoxious.

Legal experts across the political spectrum have said the case against him may be a tough sell to a jury. No one disputes that Perry has the right to veto any measures passed by the state legislature, including any parts of the state budget.

But the complaint against Perry alleges that by publicly threatening a veto and trying to force Lehmberg to resign, he coerced her.

"It's not about politics. It's about the governor's abuse of power," said attorney Jan Soifer, who's also a Democratic Party leader in Austin.

Meanwhile, ice cream-loving Perry is hardly keeping a low profile.

He appeared on television news shows belittling the charges and indictment and saying that he acted properly and, whats more, he would do it all over again.

Perry spoke with the kind of confidence and assertiveness that often eluded him during the GOP primary debates for the 2012 presidential election. In the debates, he occasionally stammered, and sometimes forgot his train of thought, eliciting jokes and concerns about his ability to stand the rigors of debates during the general election and, not less worrisome, his ability to withstand the pressure of running the country.

Americans dont like political persecution, said Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles and a former staffer in the George W. Bush administration. The fact that many in the party who dont normally agree with him, like Ted Cruz and Chris Christie and Jeb Bush, all have come out supporting him, is going to help him.

Perrys battle, cast as one between a tough political leader and liberals wanting to ruin him, is particularly appealing to the GOPs conservative base, experts say.

This goes to the issue of government overreach, Aguilar said, a burning theme for tea party groups.

Aguilar expects Perrys battle in this case to help him with fundraising and in building up an image as a symbol of resistance to a liberal witch-hunt.

The Texas governor already was becoming a fixture in the national headlines over the influx of Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

Perry blamed the border crisis on a lack of control and security along the border  a weakness he blamed on the Obama administration. He ordered members of the National Guard to patrol the border, saying the federal government could not be trusted to do the job.

He was already gaining momentum, Aguilar said about the governor. He will continue to be one of the most talked-about contenders in the Republican field for the presidential election.

Some political experts, however, believe that while Perry's fight against the Democrats in Texas may raise his popularity, it may not be enough.

"It won't hurt," political scientist Louis DeSipio of the University of California, Irvine, told Fox News Latino. "It feeds into the message among GOP primary voters that 'the Democrats are out to get us.' And it helps in a primary field where you have a lot of iconoclastic conservatives, having that image of fighting Democrats."

That said, DeSipio noted, Perry would still need to overcome the 2012 image of himself as bumbling and looking unsure during the primary debates. He could be up against rivals like U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fellow Republican, or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, two politicians who do well before large audiences and in debates.

"He's got to get through that GOP primary first," DeSipio said. "He has to overcome that inability [in 2012] to articulate things clearly."

Then, should he get the Republican nomination, DeSipio said, "He'd have to move to the middle for the general election. Other Republicans [who may run in 2016] have been trying, more than Perry, to speak to the moderate wing of the party, and to galvanize them."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
President Barack Obama is considering key changes in the nation's immigration system requested by tech, industry and powerful interest groups, in a move that could blunt Republicans' election-year criticism of the president's go-it-alone approach to immigration.

The president has not made a decision regarding next steps, but he believes it's important to understand and consider the full range of perspectives on potential solutions  Shawn Turner

Administration officials and advocates said the steps would go beyond the expected relief from deportations for some immigrants in the U.S. illegally that Obama signaled he'd adopt after immigration efforts in Congress collapsed. Following a bevy of recent White House meetings, top officials have compiled specific recommendations from business groups and other advocates whose support could undercut GOP claims that Obama is exceeding his authority to help people who have already violated immigration laws.

"The president has not made a decision regarding next steps, but he believes it's important to understand and consider the full range of perspectives on potential solutions," said White House spokesman Shawn Turner.

One of the more popular requests among business and family groups is a change in the way green cards are counted that would essentially free up some 800,000 additional visas the first year, advocates say.

The result would be threefold: It would lessen the visa bottleneck for business seeking global talent; shorten the green card line for those being sponsored by relatives, a wait that can stretch nearly 25 years; and potentially reduce the incentive for illegal immigration by creating more legal avenues for those wanting to come, as well as those already here.

Obama's aides have held more than 20 meetings in recent months with business groups and other interest groups to discuss possibilities, ahead of an announcement about next steps the president is expected to make in September. Coordinating these "listening sessions," as the White House calls them, is its Office of Public Engagement, led by top Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.

Obama's options without new laws from Congress are limited and would only partially address obstacles business groups say are preventing them from hiring more workers. Even so, administration officials say these groups are urging the White House to help streamline a complex and unpredictable system.

Republicans are working to use immigration and the surge of unaccompanied minors at the border against Democrats in the midterm elections by arguing that Obama and his party are undermining the rule of law.

"Politically we think it flips the switch because it's not just talking about a benefit to those who broke the law," said former Rep. Bruce Morrison, D-Conn., who authored the 1990 immigration law and is now lobbying on behalf of groups representing tech industry professionals, business management and U.S. citizens married to foreigners.

Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican strategist, said the moves on legal immigration might prompt businesses to praise the president, even if it's not enough to persuade the business community to side with Democrats in the upcoming elections.

"From the White House's perspective, this is an easy way for them to score some points," Mackowiak said. "They'll say: 'We're arguing about substance, Republicans are arguing about process.'"

Obama in June announced that in the face of congressional inaction, he would act on his own to address as much of the nation's immigration mess as he could. Since then, advocates for the roughly 11 million people living in the country illegally have lobbied for deportation relief particularly for the parents of U.S.-born children and the parents of youth who authorized to remain in the country under a program Obama announced in 2012.

But in recent weeks, other groups have stepped up public pressure in favor of presidential action that would change how the legal immigration system operates, too.

Those who support changing the green card count say each year half of the 140,000 employment-based green cards issued go to spouses and children, unnecessarily reducing the numbers available to workers.

Other requests have included removing the requirement that some spouses of U.S. citizens return to their native country for at least three years before they can apply for U.S. residency, as well as extending work permits to the spouses of all temporary H1-B skilled workers.

The potential for broader executive action ignited flames this week from Republicans in Congress already vehemently opposed to legislation that would increase immigration quotas.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., slammed the White House this week for meeting with big business to bring in more workers while "tens of millions of Americans are on welfare, unemployment and public assistance."

Not all industries are pushing for broad action, though. Agriculture leaders, who acknowledge as much as 70 percent of their workforce is "unauthorized" have remained on the sidelines  a reminder of the limits of any Obama's executive authority.

Kristi Boswell, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau, said her organization has met this summer with White House to encourage administrative changes that would reduce immigration raids targeting farms and processing plants and cut the red tape on hiring guest workers.

"Absolutely, ag workers have an ability to benefit at least temporarily from executive action," she said but added that reforming guest worker provisions and other aspects of the immigration system couldn't be done by the president alone.

For that, she said, Congress will still have to act.

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Democratic leaders in the California state legislature announced Thursday that they intend to approve legislation supported by Gov. Jerry Brown that will provide $3 million for legal assistance for the unaccompanied minors from Central America that have crossed the border illegally in the last 12 months.

The help for the immigrant children is "the decent thing to do, and it's consistent with the progressive spirit of California," the governor said in a statement.

The plan was announced at a press conference by Attorney General Kamala Harris, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and the Latino legislative caucus, all Democrats.

Because Democrats control both houses of the legislature, they will not need Republican support to approve the funding. The move could give Democrats a boost with Latino voters in the November election.

Brown said during a recent trip to Mexico that the estimated 57,000 unaccompanied children who have been caught crossing into the U.S. illegally since Oct. 1 present a humanitarian challenge.

Atkins said some lawmakers visited detention centers in Ventura County this summer.

"I think we all came away with a feeling that these kids really needed our support, that it was about their safety, their due process, the ability to look beyond bigger political considerations and deal with the humanitarian crisis," she said.

Atkins said the money would go to nonprofit groups that offer help to immigrants and would come from savings in the Assembly's budget. The funds will be included in bills to be taken up next week.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, said the proposed legislation will prompt discussion of the appropriate role for California in the immigration issue. Republicans will need to review the legislation, which was not yet written on Thursday, before deciding whether to support it, he said.

Republicans in the state Assembly also declined to comment on the proposed legislation, but spokeswoman Amanda Fulkerson said they hope to work with Democrats to ensure children's rights are protected.

The legislation will also give state courts the jurisdiction to make findings needed for federal officials to grant special immigrant juvenile status to the minors. Steinberg said children need a ruling from a state court before they can make an asylum claim in federal court.

"Too many state judges aren't aware of this requirement and are denying any form of preliminary state relief because they think this is just a federal immigration issue," Steinberg said.

It will be labeled as urgent, and officials hope the money can start going out within two or three weeks.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates there are about 3,900 unaccompanied minors in California.

"We're not sending the National Guard to confront these children as other states have done," said Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, vice-chairman of the Latino legislative caucus, taking a jab at Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision to deploy troops to the Texas-Mexico border.

Alejo, an attorney by training, said children are more likely to be deported if they do not have legal representation. He said immigration law is complicated and requires specialized knowledge.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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The embattled Texas Gov. Rick Perry hasnt backed down from making headlines this week despite his indictment on abuse of power allegations.

In his latest comment, Perry said ISIS terrorists could already be operating in the country and that they entered through the porous Mexican border.

While Perry admitted that there is no clear evidence that anything of the sort had already happened, he said that the ongoing border crisis should be looked at as a matter of national security.

I think there is the obvious, great concern that  because of the condition of the border from the standpoint of it not being secure and us not knowing who is penetrating across  that individuals from ISIS or other terrorist states could be, Perry said during a conference on border security and immigration at the Heritage Foundation, according to the New York Times.

He said there is a great concern that terrorists were exploiting the border crisis and using it to their advantage.

On Thursday, documentary filmmaker Dennis Michael Lynch made the same assertion on Your World With Neil Cavuto. He said during work along the border, he has found Qurans and prayer rugs  evidence that terrorist organizations are cross the border.

He claims these groups are collaborating with drug cartels to easily access the border.

If you were going to penetrate the U.S. where would you go? Lynch asked. You are going to work with the drug cartels. Do not kid yourself in thinking the border is not the entry. It is the door they are walking through.

Perry, who acknowledged there was no evidence, but offered what he said was anecdotal proof that it was already going on.

Ill give you one anecdotal picture of whats happening: Three Ukrainian individuals were apprehended in a ranch in far west Texas within the last 60 days," he said, according to Business Insider.

Despite the governor's assertion, sources like PolitiFact say that the Ukraine "is not a country with strong terrorist ties.

This is not the first time Perry has voiced his concern about terrorists groups coming to the U.S. through Mexico. In an interview with Fox News in July, Perry said that there are people that are coming from states like Syria [who] have substantial connections back to terrorist regimes and terrorist operations.

The U.S. State Department said last year that there was no known cells linked to international terrorist organizations operating in the United States and There are no known international terrorist organizations operating in Mexico, and there is no evidence that any terrorist group has targeted U.S. citizens in Mexican territory.

Perrys comments on Thursday about the border were part of a speech in Washington that was supposed to center mainly on immigration but delved into the belief that a more aggressive U.S. military response in Iraq is needed.

The potential 2016 presidential candidate dismissed the "limited" air strikes that President Barack Obama has ordered as insufficient as the U.S. tries to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces regain control of large sections of Iraq that have been taken by ISIS.

Perry also faulted Obama for not providing arms to Syrian rebels battling forces loyal to President Bashar Assad early in the 3-year-old civil war in that country. He called Obama's insistence that "Assad must go" an "opinion, not a policy."

The governor's appearance came a week after he was indicted by a grand jury in Austin on charges stemming from his threat to withhold state funds from the Austin District Attorney's office unless DA Rosemary Lemberg, a Democrat who had been charged for driving while intoxicated, resigned.

Perry pleaded not guilty on Tuesday shortly after he was fingerprinted and had his mug shot taken.

He has shrugged off the pair of indictments, saying he is "very confident" in his case and quoting Democratic pundits who have suggested the charges were politically motivated.

Perry, whose 2012 presidential bid collapsed under the weight of his gaffes, is testing his political viability. After D.C., he is heading to New Hampshire, one of the early battlegrounds in the presidential campaign, for two days and then traveling to South Carolina next week.

In his speech, Perry described the ISIS militants as one of the most serious threats to the U.S. after attacks on the Iraqi Christian minority and the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

On immigration, the Texas governor dismissed any discussion of comprehensive immigration reform, saying the border must be secured first. He said Obama has a constitutional obligation to protect the border.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The American Civil Liberties Union said Friday that, along with several other legal groups, it has filed a lawsuit against the federal immigrant agency, contending that it is denying due process to Central American women and children who are being detained in the isolated town of Artesia, New Mexico.

The groups want U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to change its policies that quickly deport immigrants without attorneys. The women and children, the suit says, are not getting a fair chance to present their cases for asylum.

They say the Artesia center has turned into a "deportation mill" because of the barriers in place that stop immigrants from having lawyers.

"These mothers and their children have sought refuge in the United States after fleeing for their lives from threats of death and violence in their home countries," said Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. "U.S. law guarantees them a fair opportunity to seek asylum. Yet, the government's policy violates that basic law and core American values  we do not send people who are seeking asylum back into harm's way. We should not sacrifice fairness for speed in life-or-death situations."

Immigration officials have deported almost 300 Central American women and children, most of them from the Artesia shelter.

Most of the immigrants, part of an influx of people who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in the last year, have been deported to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, according to the Los Angeles Times.

There had been a lull in deportations from the New Mexico center for a few weeks because of a chicken pox quarantine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement takes the health, safety and welfare of those in our care seriously and is committed to ensuring that all ICE detainees receive timely and appropriate medical treatment, said Leticia Zamarripa, a spokeswoman with Department of Homeland Security.

Once medically cleared, residents who have a final order of removal and a valid travel document may be repatriated, Zamarripa said.

The Obama administration has been under pressure to shorten the time that children, especially those who are unaccompanied, spend in facilities.

But groups that advocate for more lenient immigration policies want the administration to find ways to allow the children to stay in the country, while those who favor strict enforcement want the immigrants to be processed quickly and deported. Advocates for the immigrants, however, say that expediting the process would rob people of due process.

Besides the ACLU, the other groups that are part of the lawsuit are The American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, and National Immigration Law Center.

The conditions under which immigrants are being held in various facilities around the country also have drawn criticism. The Department of Homeland Securitys inspector general report raised concerns about too little food, cold temperatures and unsanitary conditions, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Some 1,000 women and children remain in two family detention facilities  536 in Artesia and 532 in Karnes, the Times said.

More than 60,000 unaccompanied minors have arrived at the border since last October. Many are said to have fled unlivable conditions in their homelands, including threats by street gangs to join or die, poverty and the lack of educational opportunities. Tens of thousands of adults also have arrived since October.

They tend to turn themselves into the Border Patrol once they get to the border.

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WASHINGTON  Despite Syria's civil war death toll of 200,000, and the government's use of chemical weapons against civilians, President Obama has held back from taking military action there.

But with the growing strength of Islamic State militants, Obama must decide whether the extremist group's murder of American journalist James Foley, as well as the broader threat the group could pose to U.S. interests, should change his cautious calculus.

Without a course correction, Obama's critics argue, the U.S. will be at greater risk.

"If we do not do more to assist our Iraqi partners and those moderate Syrians who are fighting ISIL and directly target ISIL's leadership and networks in Iraq and Syria, I fear that James Foley will not be the only American to die at their hands," said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State.

Pressure is coming from his own military leaders to go after the Islamic State inside Syria. But he must weigh that against his aversion to the risks that could come with plunging the United States into a country torn apart by an intractable internal conflict.

White House officials have suggested that airstrikes in Syria are an option, though the officials say specific military proposals has not yet been presented to the president.

"We're actively considering what's going to be necessary to deal with that threat, and we're not going to be restricted by borders," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser. "We've shown time and again that if there's a counterterrorism threat, we'll take direct action against that threat, if necessary."

Even before Foley's murder, Obama found himself on far different footing in the Middle East than he probably expected in the sixth year of his presidency.

After running for the White House on a pledge to end the Iraq war and then making good on that promise in late 2011, Obama thrust the U.S. military back into Iraq this month with a limited airstrike campaign against Islamic State targets.

Obama has said he will not send U.S. combat troops to another ground war in the Mideast. But expanding the airstrikes in Iraq and broadening them to include Syria could mean a lengthy American military commitment in the region that could consume much of Obama's remaining time in office.

"What we should have learned over the past dozen years in that part of the world is that the use of military power is very unpredictable," said Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

That may be particularly true in Syria, where President Bashar Assad's government is warring with opposition forces. Unlike in Iraq, the battle lines are more clearly drawn. Syria has a host of military players in close proximity to each other, including the Islamic State, the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, mainstream Western-backed rebels and pro-government forces.

The Islamic State is among the groups fighting Assad, meaning a U.S. campaign to weaken the extremists could actually strengthen a leader the White House has sought to push from office.

Obama could try to counteract that uncomfortable dynamic by also taking strikes against Assad, though that could put the U.S. on the hook for the kind of long-term commitment to rebuilding Syria that he has tried to avoid.

The risks are no less troubling if Obama allows the Islamic State to continue having unfettered access to a safe haven in Syria. Politically, it could bolster the argument from his critics that he is overseeing an American retreat on the world stage. It also could give the militants space to strengthen and become a threat not just to U.S. interests in the region, but also to the U.S. at home.

Obama's own military leadership made clear in recent days that the threat from the Islamic State cannot be fully eliminated without going after the group in Syria, as well as Iraq.

"This is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated," said Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Can they be defeated without addressing that part of their organization which resides in Syria? The answer is no. That will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a nonexistent border."

To White House critics, the unappetizing options are the result of Obama's own foreign policy missteps. They argue that he gave extremists an opening in Iraq by not doing more to reach an agreement with the Iraqi government to leave U.S. forces in the country after 2011. They say his decision to not provide heavy weaponry to more moderate rebel groups in Syria also helped facilitate the Islamic State's rise.

Obama's advisers say the responsibility for stemming the rise of the Islamic State does not rest solely with the United States. The White House has been imploring Sunni states in the region  Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in particular  to wield their influence with tribal leaders in Iraq and get them to push the Islamic State out of areas they have occupied.

The U.S. also has been discussing ways that allies such as Britain, France, Australia and Canada can become involved through intelligence sharing, military assistance for Kurdish forces in Iraq and moderate opposition forces in Syria, and if necessary, joining the U.S. in military action.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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PORTSMOUTH, N.H.  Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday in a visit to a key early voting state that he was unprepared for and humbled by his first run for president in 2012 and will work harder if there's a next time around.

Perry addressed a group of business leaders in New Hampshire and told them he had not decided yet whether to run again in 2016.

His 2012 campaign ended badly when he made several missteps, including a highly publicized gaffe when he froze up during a televised debate. Perry admitted he underestimated the intensity of a presidential campaign.

"Running for president of the United States, I don't care how good you might think you might be," he said. "Whether you've been elected governor of Texas three times and served for 12 years, it is not good enough from the standpoint of the preparation to run for the presidency of the United States."

If he runs, Perry said, voters can expect a different candidate.

"I've spent a lot of time in preparation," he said. "That's not to say I've made a decision I'm going to run. I haven't. But the reason I don't choose to run will not be because I'm ill-prepared."

Perry was scheduled to meet top Republicans and attend at least a half-dozen events during his two-day visit, including one sponsored by the conservative political group Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

Perry was indicted last week by a grand jury in Austin, Texas, on charges stemming from his veto last summer of state funds for public corruption prosecutors. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and has said he's confident the indictments will be exposed as nothing but a politically motivated attempt at retaliation. He didn't shy away from discussing the indictment on Friday, telling the business leaders he would be exonerated.

So far, the indictment  and Perry's response  appear to only be galvanizing New Hampshire Republicans, according to Steve Duprey, a GOP national committee member and former chairman of the state party.

"I think that he is taking the right approach that it's wrong, unjust and political," Duprey said. "Indicting the governor for vetoing funds because he thought a convicted drunk shouldn't be a prosecutor is wrong."

That sentiment was echoed by some in Friday's pro-business, anti-regulation crowd who gave him a warm reception. Eddie Edwards, a Republican running for state Senate, brushed off the indictment and praised Perry's veto of the funding.

"Governor, I want to tell you I admire your courage in standing up and holding people accountable," Edwards said.

Perry spent much of his 50-minute talk to the business leaders sounding like a man with his eye on the Oval Office. He criticized the federal government for what he called its failure to secure the southern border and a foreign policy he said has exposed the country to dangers from groups like the Islamic State. Perry noted this week's videotaped slaying of New Hampshire journalist James Foley and also discussed North Korea, China, job creation and the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., that followed the police shooting of an 18-year-old black man.

Wide-ranging remarks about domestic and foreign issues, together with the New Hampshire trip and visits to other key early states, won't do much to tamp down speculation that Perry will mount another bid. With more than a year before the primary season heats up and two full years before the 2016 presidential contest, he is laying the groundwork early this time around.

"I just think you have to spend a lot of time in these states if you're going to do it," he said. "Generally, there's a courtship that goes on. There's a period of time that you need to spend with people. They need to know you and you need to know them. And I didn't do that last time."

Democrats are using his visit to try to hang Perry around the neck of the two Republicans likely to run for U.S. Senate and governor.

"Now that the New Hampshire Republican Party has made it clear they will continue to welcome Perry to the Granite State despite his recent criminal indictment, will Scott Brown and Walt Havenstein also embrace the disgraced Texas governor?" Democratic Party spokesman Bryan Lesswing said.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.  A veteran, second-generation police officer was in critical condition in a medically induced coma after being wounded in a shootout where the rookie officer he was training shot and killed a gunman, authorities said.

The wounded officer, 31-year-old Gabriel Garcia, whose father is a captain in his department, underwent surgery for at least two bullet wounds from the protracted gun battle, San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan said Friday.

Garcia and his partner  a trainee on the job for just two months  stopped to talk to a group of people standing outside a home on a cul de sac when one of them pulled a gun and immediately opened fire, Burguan said.

He was shot, but his partner managed to shoot the gunman in the long gun fight that followed, the chief said.

The officer in training was not hit during the gunfire. Given his level of experience, his response was exceptional, Burguan said.

"He did a pretty remarkable job," the chief said.

The shooter, identified by police as Alex Alvarado, 38, died at a hospital.

Garcia was initially said to be in grave condition, but after he made it through surgery police expressed new hope for his survival, and officers, family and friends gathered at the hospital for a vigil Friday night.

"The next three to five days are absolutely critical in terms of Gabe's long-term prognosis," Burguan said.

Garcia is a highly commended, six-year veteran of the department who has spent much of his career on patrol duty and some time on a graffiti task force, Burguan said.

"He is exemplary in every sense of the word," the chief said.

Five people were detained and questioned by detectives. It was unclear why the officers made contact with the group.

Jonathan Contreras, 20, of San Bernardino was arrested on suspicion of possession of an assault rifle and possession of a sawed-off rifle, officials said. While Alvarado fired the weapons, they were in the possession of Contreras, the chief said.

Another man, 24-year-old Orlando Cruz, was arrested in connection with outstanding traffic warrants. Two women, 18 and 19, and a 30-year-old man were also questioned.

"We don't know what their level of involvement is," Burguan said.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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A lawsuit filed by Kansas and Arizona will be argued before a federal appeals court panel this week as the states seek to force federal election officials to impose proof-of-citizenship requirements on national voter registration forms.

At the crux of the closely watched case in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver is whether the federal government or states have ultimate authority to regulate voter registration. Each side contends the U.S. Constitution supports its position.

Monday's arguments come after the U.S. Election Assistance Commission filed an appeal seeking to overturn a federal judge's order that the commission modify a federal form to include special instructions requiring Kansas and Arizona residents to provide citizenship documentation when they register to vote.

The litigation has drawn widespread attention. More than a dozen voting-rights groups have either joined the lawsuit or friend-of-the-court briefs. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and other top lawmakers urged the appeals court to throw out the lower court's ruling, arguing it would limit the authority of Congress to regulate federal elections and derail its ability to pass legislation protecting the right to vote.

Meanwhile, Georgia and Alabama, which have similar citizenship documentation laws, have filed a friend-of-court brief supporting Kansas and Arizona.

Kansas and Arizona argue the proof-of-citizenship requirement protects the integrity of their elections. But opponents contend the added documentation burdens result in an overall decrease in the number of eligible citizens who will register to vote, undermining the purpose of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act.

Arizona enacted its proof-of-citizenship documentation requirement by voter initiative in 2004, and Alabama, Georgia and Kansas followed with similar laws.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has championed his state's law as a way to prevent noncitizens from voting, particularly those living in the U.S. illegally. Critics say incidents of noncitizens registering to vote are extremely rare, and that such Republican-backed laws hurt voter registration efforts and disenfranchise voters from certain groups that tend to vote Democrat, including minorities, college students and older people.

Kobach, a Republican, argues that states have the sovereign right to maintain their voter rolls and that the federal voter registration form should be tailored to the requirements of each state. The states contend the availability of a federal form  which requires only that people attest under penalty of perjury that they are citizens  creates a "massive loophole" in enforcing their voter proof-of-citizenship laws.

In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states  in that particular case, Arizona  could not refuse to accept the national voter registration form.

But U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in Kansas in March sided with the states, saying the U.S. Constitution gives states the power to set voter qualifications and Congress has not pre-empted it, even in enacting the voter registration act. Federal election officials appealed, and the 10th Circuit blocked the order until it could hear an expedited appeal before the November elections.

The Election Assistance Commission denied in January Kansas' and Arizona's requests to change the federal form, finding heightened proof-of-citizenship requirements likely would hinder eligible citizens from voting in federal elections.

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Texas Gov. Rick Perrys recent comments about the possibility that Islamic fundamentalist terrorists could already be operating in the country and that they entered through the porous Mexican border are absurd, according to Mexicos foreign relations secretary.

Jose Antonio Meade said in a statement Saturday that the U.S. governors statements during a Thursday speech were based on beliefs, speculation and absolutely unfounded and absurd analysis.

It was certified by authorized forces from the Pentagon, State Department and in cooperation with Mexican authorities in the United States that there is no element that gives credence to the belief expressed by the governor, Meade said.

Perry said last week that there is a very real possibility that ISIS terrorists could be entering the United States from Mexico across what he called an unsecured Southwest border. While he admitted that there is no clear evidence that they are, he said the ongoing border crisis should be looked at as a matter of national security.

I think there is the obvious, great concern that  because of the condition of the border from the standpoint of it not being secure and us not knowing who is penetrating across  that individuals from ISIS or other terrorist states could be, Perry said during a conference on border security and immigration at the Heritage Foundation.

Meade said that to create foreign policy, there needs to be data, and that it is very unfortunate that (there) are those who entertain making foreign policy based on beliefs, assumptions and analysis that are absolutely baseless and absurd.

The debate almost coincides with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos visit to California next week to discuss border immigration.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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For Republican Rep. Scott Perry, the influx of Central American children who have crossed illegally into the United States has propelled immigration to a top concern for voters in his heavily rural district far from the Texas border, eclipsing the new health care law and the federal deficit.

"I think people are very upset, and people have really been awakened to the immigration issue where they haven't been before," the first-term congressman from southeast Pennsylvania said in an interview at a bus leasing company, where he recently met with a group of small-business owners. "Right now at this current time, I would say immigration is the No. 1 issue on people's minds."

It's the same story around the country this summer as polls show the crisis of unaccompanied children at the border has made immigration a pivotal issue with November elections approaching.

Republican Senate candidates in three contested races have focused ads on the issue, and it has the potential to affect campaigns in unpredictable ways that hold risks for members of both parties and for President Barack Obama.

For now, Republicans like Perry are able to boast that the House took action to address the border crisis before leaving Washington for its August recess, even though the Senate and Obama did not.

Republicans "demanded that we stay and pass a bill so we could show the American people 'This is what we stand for,'" Perry told the business owners, referring to the House GOP's legislation to spend $694 million on the border and make controversial policy changes to return the migrants home more quickly, as well as end an Obama program that granted work permits to more than a half-million immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as kids.

How the issue plays out over the fall depends both on what happens in South Texas, where border arrivals have declined in the summer heat, but could rise again, and in Washington, where Obama is weighing extending deportation protections and work permits to millions more people already living in the U.S. illegally.

Such a move could upend the politics around immigration yet again, thrilling Latino voters who will be crucial for the 2016 presidential election. But it could also rile up Republican base voters, who are more likely to turn out this November and could make the difference in a handful of GOP-leaning states where vulnerable Democratic incumbents are trying to hold on.

Perry and other Republicans warn the president would pay a steep price politically for taking such a step.

"I think there will be a backlash, not necessarily that people will automatically come to vote for Republicans, but like in so many elections they might just stay home because they're disgusted," Perry said.

Indeed, Senate Democrats seeking re-election in red states, including Arkansas' Mark Pryor and North Carolina's Kay Hagan, have cautioned Obama against proceeding unilaterally.

But there's also a risk for Republican lawmakers such as Perry and Rep. Joe Pitts, whose district borders Perry's and includes Lancaster. They already are hearing from angry constituents who want Obama impeached, and executive action by the president would likely only increase such demands. That's an unwelcome prospect for most Republican officeholders who see impeachment as a political loser, since it would be certain to energize Democratic voters and likely turn off many mainstream Republicans.

"It's just absolutely ridiculous. We're not going to do that," Pitts said in an interview in Quarryville, 40 miles east of York through rolling green hills, after a local dairy farmer declared that any president should be "automatically impeached" for taking as many executive actions as Obama has.

The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., said Republicans could end up in trouble if Obama's moves on immigration increase calls for impeachment.

"The problem that Republicans have right now is that they have engineered a strategy to turn out their base voters in a midterm election and that may backfire against them as their base voters demand that House Republicans keep going farther and farther to the right," Israel said in an interview.

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., who leads the National Republican Congressional Committee, countered in a statement that voters want someone who will secure the border, and "Republicans have a very clear and consistent message about the need to provide an appropriate check and balance on this administration."

Still, the border crisis has already scrambled the politics of immigration. Establishment Republicans have feared that given the growing number of Latino voters, they would pay a political price over their inaction on comprehensive immigration legislation, which died this year in the House. That may prove true in the presidential election in 2016, but so far this year Democrats have sometimes been on the defensive, as polls show the southern border crisis has caused support for comprehensive reform to dip while voters embrace calls for border security.

"Want to know why there's lawlessness on our border? Ask Sen. Shaheen," Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown asks in one ad against incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. "She voted against border security twice, and for amnesty. It's time for us to secure the border and enforce the law."

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is spending two days in California, where he is meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown, who traveled to Mexico last month.

Pena Nieto is visiting California Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday afternoon, both the governor and the president are scheduled to speak to hundreds of Mexican and Mexican-American leaders, the governors office said last week.

And on Tuesday, Brown will host a luncheon in the presidents honor in Sacramento. Pena Nieto will then address the Legislature at the state Capitol.

There was no immediate word on what Pena Nieto plans to say, but Mexico and the U.S. share concerns about a host of issues, including immigration and pollution. Mexico also is Californias largest export market.

Mexico also ranks first in the number of international visitors coming to L.A. with 1.6 million in 2011.

The presidents visit comes as the U.S. is grappling with a border crisis that has seen more than 60,000 children illegally crossing the Mexican border the past year. Though the children are coming from Central American countries like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala  they are all crossing through Mexico to arrive in the United States. The U.S. has called on Mexico to help it deal with the growing crisis.

In March, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti traveled to Mexico on his first international trade mission and met with President Nieto and other officials and business leaders.

Mexicos economy is rapidly transforming, and I want to make sure we are aggressive about creating opportunities to attract investment into Los Angeles and to develop markets for L.A. exports, Garcetti said, according to published reports.

Meanwhile, a California state assemblyman plans to stage a protest outside the governors mansion to demand that Pena Nieto ensure the release of a U.S. Marine held captive in Mexico.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who recently lost in a bid to become the Republican nominee in the gubernatorial election in November, declined an invitation to the luncheon and assailed Brown for hosting the luncheon in honor of the Mexican president.

"I am writing to decline your luncheon invitation, read the letter Donnelly sent Brown, which the assemblyman made public, and to express my deep disappointment that you would entertain the president of a nation that is holding an active-duty U.S. Marine captive."

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has said that he was headed to dinner in San Ysidro on March 31 when he mistakenly wound up at a border crossing in Tijuana.

He said Mexican authorities found three guns inside the pick-up truck he had recently driven to California in a recent move from Florida to San Diego.

He was jailed and is being held in a federal penitentiary in Tecate without bail.

In his letter to Brown, Donnelly also took issue with the governors recent trip to Mexico and what he said was the governors failure to raise the issue of Tahmooressi's release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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U.S. Rep. David Valadao was in a minority of House Republicans who supported comprehensive immigration reform.

He has argued that reform is necessary for the economy, a popular standpoint among many in California, where immigrants are a crucial part of farming and other businesses.

For his stance, Valadao received the U.S. Chamber of Commerces Spirit of Enterprise award on Monday.

"To put it simply, if all members of Congress were as good on the issues that matter to you as David Valadao is, we'd have a stronger economy than we do today, more jobs than we do today, and, well, I think we'd all be just a little bit happier this Monday morning," Chamber of Commerce Western Regional Director Dick Castner told the audience, according to The Hill.

The chamber has praised Valadao before for his support of immigration reform measures that would, among other things, provide a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants and expand guest worker visas.

The son of Portuguese immigrants, Valadao is in a close race with Democrat Amanda Renteria.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertisements in Valadao's district, noting that he is the son of immigrants.

Latinos make up more than half of the registered voters in Valadao's district, which is one of several targets for Democrats, who need to win 17 seats to win control of the House.

"My constituents understand I've been in the middle of it," Valadao said, referring to immigration reform efforts. "I've been vocal. I've signed onto legislation. I continue to put pressure on the leadership."

Valadaos family came to the United States from Portugal in 1969. His father started a dairy farm a few years before Valadao was born in 1977. Valadao works in the family business, which includes two dairies and more than 1,000 acres of farmland in California.

When he addressed the crowd at the Chamber event Monday, Valadao spoke about his support for water policies to help California agricultural business owners deal with a serious drought.

"He's been a real leader within his own party," Castner said about Valadao's support for immigration in an interview with The Hill after the event. "He is very much on the cutting edge of what's a tough issue. ... It's a pretty courageous place to be, but it's the right place to be. We need a lot more David Valadaos and we'd get this damn thing done."

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The Florida primary for the gubernatorial race is expected to yield no surprises  former Gov. Charlie Crist is considered a shoo-in to be the Democratic nominee, and Republican Gov. Rick Scott is expected to coast to his party's nomination for a second term.

But observers will be studying the voter turnout and the margin by which Crist beats former Senate Democratic leader Nan Rich.

Florida is one of four states where voters will cast primary and runoff ballots Tuesday.

With a huge advantage in fundraising and name recognition, Crist is a heavy favorite over Rich. The question is whether his victory margin will match those advantages or instead suggest that he's struggling to connect with core Democrats.

Nearly 1.7 million Latinos were registered to vote in Florida in 2012, according to Pew Hispanic Research, accounting for about 14 percent of the states roughly 12 million active registered voters.

As recently as 2006, more Latinos in Florida were registered as Republicans than Democrats, but that changed in 2008. Among Latino registered voters, 476,000 were registered as Republicans in 2012, compared to 645,000 who registered as Democrats.

In Arizona, several Republicans are vying to succeed GOP Gov. Jan Brewer.

Republicans in Vermont will decide among four candidates who want to take on Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin, who also serves as chairman of his party's national governors association. Other statewide offices, including an at-large House seat, also are on the ballot.

Oklahoma Democrats will choose their Senate nominee in a runoff, with state Sen. Connie Johnson expected to top perennial candidate Jim Rogers. The winner becomes a general election underdog against Rep. James Lankford for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Tom Coburn.

There are 111,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Oklahomaranking 26th in Hispanic eligible voter population nationally, according to Pew Hispanic Center. Some 4 percent of Oklahoma eligible voters are Hispanic, ranking 25th in Hispanic eligible voter share nationally.

But the Florida race has gained national attention both for Crist's resurrection attempt and Scott's struggles.

Scott, a wealthy health care executive who had never held public office before, won the job with less than a majority in 2010, and his first term has been marked by low approval ratings and struggles against the GOP-led legislature.

All of that has Democrats primed for an opportunity to pick up a governor's seat in a state President Barack Obama won twice. But in their favorite, they have a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who has left some party faithful wary.

Arlen Ustin, a 72-year-old retiree in Delray Beach, said Crist has been "insulting" to Democrats by refusing to debate Rich and campaigning as if the general election was already at hand. "I will be out there for him" should he win, Ustin said, but she added, "It can't be the way I am for Nan because she's just exceptional."

Crist's last foray into statewide politics ended in embarrassment for him and for Democrats. In 2010, three years into his term as governor, Crist decided not to run for re-election, instead trying for the Senate.

Already unpopular among conservatives in part for backing Obama's economic stimulus law, he ran as an independent rather than face GOP primary voters. Crist finished well behind the eventual winner, Republican Marco Rubio, but still relegated the Democratic nominee to an even more distant third.

Since then, Crist declared he was a Democrat, complete with a full embrace of the Obama administration. He endorsed the president for a second term in 2012 and campaigns as an unapologetic defender of Obama's health care law. That sets up the potential fault lines in a race against Scott, who initially called for expanding Medicaid insurance rolls under the new law but backed off when GOP lawmakers balked.

In Arizona, Brewer has put her muscle behind former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith. The pair appeared together at multiple campaign stops Monday trying to rally last-minute support.

But state Treasurer Doug Ducey has painted himself as the front-runner in the race, citing a broad coalition of business leaders and other political figures. The field includes former GoDaddy executive Christine Jones and Secretary of State Ken Bennett, among others.

Democrat Fred DuVal is unopposed in his primary and will face the GOP winner in November.

Some 20 percent of Arizona eligible voters are Hispanic, the fourth largest Hispanic eligible voter share nationally, according to Pew Hispanic Research Center.

Roughly 42 percent of them are eligible to vote, ranking Arizona 19th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote.

Brewer stressed in a recent appearance that the GOP nominee must work quickly after a bitter, expensive primary. "We all know that during a primary, things get kinda hot and heavy," she said.

In Vermont, the most interesting dynamics may involve write-in campaigns by third-party hopefuls trying to crash the major party primaries.

Dan Feliciano is a Libertarian, but he's running for the Senate as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary against three other candidates a Scott Milne, Steve Berry and Emily Peyton  whose names appear on the ballots. Milne, a businessman, is the favorite.

Meanwhile, Democrats were expected to nominate a write-in candidate Progressive Dean Corren for lieutenant governor after the only candidate dropped out.

Vermonts total Hispanic population is 9,208, or 1 percent of the states population, according to the 2010 Census. The state had roughly 4,000 Hispanic eligible voters, accounting for about 1 percent of all eligible voters in the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Four members of the U.S. Senate are urging Latin American presidents to restore diplomatic relations with Israel, calling it crucial to encouraging peace in the Middle East.

U.S. senators Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Mark Kirk, R-Ill. And James Risch, R-Idaho, wrote to the presidents of Brazil, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and El Salvador, telling them to return their ambassadors to Israel. Those nations recalled their ambassadors as a show of their opposition to Israels military strikes in Gaza.

We are deeply disappointed by your governments decision to recall your ambassador to Israel in protest against Israels legitimate military operations to restore deterrence against rocket attacks and terrorist tunnels designed by Hamas to kill Israeli civilians, the senators wrote.



Hamas is a terrorist organization committed to using violence as a political tool and denying Israels right to exist. Hamas leaders have violated international law by promoting the use of civilians as human shields, and have rejected multiple cease fire offers that could save lives on both sides of this conflict.

A senior Hamas official says a cease-fire has been reached with Israel to end a seven-week war that has killed more than 2,000 people Palestinians, according to Gaza officials. The fighting has leveled thousands of buildings and left tens of thousands of people homeless.

The Hamas official said the deal calls for an "open-ended" cease-fire, and an Israeli agreement to ease its blockade of Gaza to allow relief supplies and construction materials into the war-battered territory.

Talks on deeper issues, such as Hamas' demand to reopen Gaza's airport and seaport, would begin in a month.

The official said Egypt planned an announcement later Tuesday. He spoke on condition of anonymity pending the announcement.

There was no immediate Israeli comment.

The death toll on the Israeli side has been much lower, largely because of Israel's network of air raid sirens, bomb shelters and the Iron Dome missile-defense system.

Yet Israel's defenses have been largely ineffective against short-range mortar fire - a deficiency underscored when a 4-year-old boy was killed Friday by a Palestinian mortar shell.

All loss of innocent lives during this conflict is tragic, the senators said, but your governments decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with Israel at this critical time will only embolden Hamas leaders to continue on the current course of indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli civilians rather than working with the Israeli government to achieve a sustainable cease fire arrangement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto played up the close relationship his country has with California, probably the most immigrant-friendly state that shares its border with Mexico.

"This is the other Mexico," he said, according to the Los Angeles Times, as he kicked off a two-day tour of California.

During his first official visit to the U.S., Pena Nieto spoke of the need for U.S. immigration reform, and said those who reject diversity and inclusion will ultimately be proven wrong.

"We want to be a factor of cohesion, not division, with full respect for the sovereignty of the United States," Pena Nieto said Monday. "This, at the end, is about  and only about  a matter of justice for those who contribute so much to the development of the American society."

He also lashed out at what he called unethical governors who cracked down on immigrants, though he didn't name any specifically.

"There are still states that have not evolved so much as California, that still skimp on recognition and, even worse, the rights of immigrants," he said. "Those who still believe and bet for the exclusion and discrimination or the rejection of diversity ... I only have one thing to say: the future, and a very near future, will demonstrate your ethical mistake. Time will show we're right."

Pena Nieto was welcomed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who played up his immigration credentials in a speech that highlighted the close cultural and historical ties they share across borders.

"It wasn't very long ago that the governor of California was outlawing driver's licenses for people who were undocumented from Mexico," Brown said. "That's not the law anymore."

Brown signed a bill into law last year that will enable immigrants to get driver's licenses next year. He said he got the message after a visit to a Monterey artichoke field where the workers yelled "licencia, licencia."

During an upbeat speech embracing the ties between Mexico and California, Brown didn't entirely gloss over a relationship that has, at times, been fraught with tension and he referred to past ethnic problems.

California voters in 1994 passed Proposition 187 that sought to ban immigrants who are in the country illegally from access to social services including health care and education, though it was reversed by the courts.

Hispanics have now become a force to be reckoned with in California. They now make up the largest of any racial or ethnic group in the state, though their voter registration numbers still lag behind whites.

On Tuesday, Brown will host a luncheon in the president's honor in Sacramento. Pena Nieto will then address the Legislature at the state Capitol.

Brown invited Pena Nieto to California after visiting Mexico last month and signing nonbinding agreements on trade, education and environmental cooperation. The two politicians, Mayor Eric Garcetti and community leaders addressed hundreds of enthusiastic Mexican and Mexican-American leaders at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Raul Hinojosa, a professor of Chicano Studies at University of California, Los Angeles, said the visit was important during the impasse in reaching an agreement in immigration reform because it showed the cooperation between the governor of the largest state, the mayor of the second-largest city and the president of the nation that provides the most migrants.

"There's a positive way forward, in terms of working collectively, specifically, on the issues of human rights and immigrant rights on both sides of the border," Hinojosa said.

Brown made passing references to his trade mission to Mexico and the areas he agreed to work on, including efforts to help Mexico build renewable energy plants in Baja California and to find ways to shorten long waits at the Tijuana-San Diego international border crossing.

"If we can put a man on the moon, we can put a man from Mexico to California in 20 minutes," Brown said to laughter and applause.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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At a luncheon in his honor in Sacramento, California, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto lauded Monday the strong bonds between his country and the Golden State.

He praised California and its governor, Jerry Brown, for their support for immigrants, regardless of their status.

But Pena Nieto stayed clear of one topic that scores of protesters across the street from the historic Stanford Mansion were waiting for him to address  Mexico's incarceration of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, who has been held in a Tijuana jail since April after allegedly crossing the border with weapons.

[President Pena Nieto] He wants something from Americans, but it would be a good first move strategically to give something to Americans.  Tim Donnelly, State Assemblyman (R-CA)

At the protest outside the mansion, and on social media, supporters of Tahmooressi took exception to the Mexican presidents criticism earlier that day of states that have adopted a tough approach to undocumented immigrants.

He wants something from Americans, but it would be a good first move strategically to give something to Americans, said to Fox News Latino state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Republican and former gubernatorial candidate who helped organize the protest.

Neither Gov. Brown nor Pena Nieto has spoken about this, Donnelly said. Sgt. Tahmooressi has already served more time than most serious criminals do in California.

Our goal in being here is to force them to address this issue, Donnelly told FNL. It would be a great opening in his state visit at this time. It would put him in the hearts of many American who are not happy with him.

Tahmooressi, 25, has said that he was headed to dinner in San Ysidro on March 31 when he mistakenly wound up at a border crossing in Tijuana.

He said Mexican authorities found three guns inside the pick-up truck he had recently driven to California in a recent move from Florida to San Diego. He was jailed and is being held in a federal penitentiary in Tecate without bail.

About 150 people, many waving American flags or holding signs calling for the Marine to be set free, rallied across the street from the luncheon.

At least three Republican lawmakers, including Donnelly, rejected the lunch invitation from Brown as a show of protest.

While the demonstrators were kept across the street from the mansion, their chants of "Free our Marine" could be heard at the outdoor wine-and-appetizers reception that was being held for Pena Nieto. The governor, president and lawmakers then moved indoors for the lunch.

"The president is here and the governor could just say, 'Could you do me a favor?' But he refuses to," said protester Edward Doolin of Vacaville.

Other Republican lawmakers were critical of their colleagues protesting the visit of the Mexican president because of the Tahmooressi case.

State Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, a Republican from Oceanside and a former Marine, said it did not help the process of trying to get Tahmooressi, an Afghanistan war veteran, back to the U.S.

"This is simply not the time to play politics when the well-being of this veteran's life hangs in the balance," Chavez said in a statement.

He said members of Congress were working behind the scenes to resolve the matter.

Assemblyman Don Wagner of Irvine criticized Donnelly directly, saying a sidewalk protest by a member of the Legislature is not an effective strategy.

"We do not need to stand on the street shouting the question when we can attend the lunch and ask the question directly," Wagner said in a statement.

In his letter to Brown declining the invitation for the Tuesday luncheon honoring Pena Nieto, Donnelly also took issue with the governors recent trip to Mexico and what he said was the governors failure to raise the issue of Tahmooressi's release.

"How you could visit Mexico and not publicly demand the release of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, is beyond me, Donnelly said. You had a great opportunity to demonstrate leadership by taking a stand for a California citizen that has put himself in harms way for our freedom."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Arizona superintendent who called people on government assistance lazy pigs and said the state should ban Spanish-language media lost his bid for a second term on Tuesday.

Arizonas Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Huppenthal, had admitted to writing an anonymous blog some found offensive  but he downplayed the role it played in his loss on Tuesday.

Huppenthal attributed his loss to the Common Core issue. His opponent in the Republican primary, Diane Douglas, focused almost of all her campaign on repealing the Obama administration-supported Common Core education standards.

We feel fine, he said. We understand that the Common Core issue was a raging forest fire.

The GOP contest normally would have received little attention, but it was transformed when his rants on the Internet were made public. He apologized for the posts in June after admitting he had written them while serving as the states chief education official.

In one post dating from 2011, Huppenthal wrote, We need to stomp out balkanization. No Spanish radio stations, no Spanish billboards, no Spanish TV stations, no Spanish newspapers. This is America, speak English.

He also said he didnt mind Mexican restaurants but thought they should have restrictions.

I dont mind them selling Mexican food as long as the menus are mostly in English, he wrote in one post. And I am not being humorous or racist.

Huppenthal also called those who receive public assistance lazy pigs who mooch off the government despite having flat-screen TVs in their living rooms. He compared the Planned Parenthood founders to Nazis.

Huppenthal broke down in tears at a June news conference as he apologized for his actions, and said that anonymous discourse has long been a cornerstone of Democracy. He offered to drop out of the primary race but did not.

Huppenthal has been forced into an awkward position on Common Core. He had long backed Common Core, but said during a debate with Douglas that he "never supported the standards."

The standards have been adopted by most states and were approved by the state Board of Education with little opposition in 2010. But they have become a popular talking point in Republican primaries around the nation as GOP candidates court voters on the right.

In the November election, Douglas will face David Garcia, an Arizona State University professor who defeated high school English teacher Sharon Thomas in the Democratic primary.

Garcia called Douglas a single-issue candidate without the necessary background in education for the post. He said he would work to get more funding and support for teachers.

"We need to get away from standardized testing and measure what matters," Garcia said.

The superintendent has a large role in determining state education policy along with the governor, the Legislature and the state Board of Education. The superintendent is a Board of Education member and oversees the state Department of Education, an agency whose main job is to funnel funding to school districts and charter schools.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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In endorsing both Democrats and Republicans for the midterm election, a prominent Hispanic organization in Nevada is going beyond party lines, supporting candidates aligned with the Latino community's causes  particularly immigration.

Hispanics In Politics, Nevadas oldest Hispanic political organization, has not hesitated to dispense criticism to candidates of both parties for stances it says are detrimental to Latinos.

In the race for U.S. Congress, it has endorsed Republican Annette Teijeiro over the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus.

The nine-member board of the organization voted to endorse Teijeiro over Titus, who has been very active in the Latino community and is considered a front-runner in her predominantly Democratic district.

Fox News Latino reached out to Fernando Romero, president of Hispanics in Politics, for comment, but did not hear back.

Republican incumbent Rep. Joe Heck came close to an endorsement, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, but ultimately was rejected over his hard-line views on immigration. Heck says he supports overhauling the immigration system, but not in the form of a sweeping bill.

Instead, he wants to see enforcement and border security issues addressed first, then other aspects of immigration can follow, he has said, in separate proposals.

Heck also has objected to President Obamas use of executive orders to act on immigration issues, and has said that Central American children who have been part of an influx on the U.S.-Mexico border should be processed quickly and returned to their homelands.

Hispanics in Politics, therefore, endorsed Hecks Democratic challenger, Erin Bilbray, who supports a comprehensive immigration reform measure that would include a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

His stance on immigration has been very iffy, very shaky, Romero said about Heck, who is expected to win. It teeters yes and no.

We cannot see why we should endorse a man that does not support the wants and the needs of the Hispanic community, Romero said, according to the Review Journal. Well be endorsing Erin Bilbray.

Hispanics in Politics gave its nod to Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, Nevadas first Hispanic governor, for re-election on Nov. 4.

He is being challenged by Democrat Bob Goodman.

The organization has not made a decision about the lieutenant governors race, the most competitive in Nevada.

The candidates for that race are scheduled to debate at a Hispanics in Politics on Sept. 3.

Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, a Democrat, is running against state Sen. Mark Hutchison, a Republican.

Sandoval has endorsed Hutchinson.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat, backs Flores.

Finally, Romero said Republicans have made a greater effort to reach out to Latinos than have Democrats.

It seems the Democrats may be slacking a little bit as far as their participation and reaching out, Romero said. I think many of them are taking the Hispanics and thinking its ours.

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Sen. Marco Rubio, who a year ago promoted a comprehensive immigration bill that included a path to citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants, is changing his tune.

For Rubio, the more hard line-view is a significant departure from his stance last year, when he supported reforming immigration in a way that both tightened enforcement and border security while at the same time providing undocumented immigrants with an opportunity to legalize their status.

Rubio was part of a bipartisan group in the Senate that drafted a sweeping immigration reform bill that passed in June of 2013. But the effort stalled in the House when conservative Republicans refused to deal with any measure that, in their view, rewarded law-breakers.

In a letter on Tuesday, the first-term Florida senator warned President Barack Obama against taking executive action on immigration reform, saying he was increasingly alarmed that the White House was considering measures that would shield millions of undocumented people from deportation and allow them to get work permits.

Rubio said actions like these would close the door on any chance of making progress on immigration reform in the foreseeable future.

In an interview with Breitbart News, published also on Tuesday, the likely presidential candidate said he believes that reform is needed and that the only way to deal with the issue is by first securing the border and ensuring that illegal immigration is under control.

People arent going to be willing to do anything else on immigration until they know the border is secure," he added.

If the president goes through with this executive action that hes threatening, not only does it raise very serious constitutional issues, but in my opinion, it sets back the cause of reform for a long time, Rubio said.

Groups that favor more lenient immigration laws condemned Rubios comments.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) once graced the cover of TIME Magazine as the Republican Savior, said Americas Voice, a Washington D.C.-based organization that lobbies for immigration reform, in a statement. He was determined to find a path to immigration reform that pleased both conservatives and Latinos. Now hes pandering to the very anti-immigrant forces he once pledged to move his party past, it continued.

President Obama is expected to announce a series of measures that may include plans to defer the deportations of millions of people in the country undocumented, most of whom are Hispanic. The actions will be announced by summers end.

According to The Washington Post, the administration is also considering actions that could streamline the countrys fragile legal immigration system by reducing the large backlogs of foreigners in line for green cards.

While the White House declined to comment on Rubios letter, spokesman Shawn Turner said the president believes its important to understand and consider the full range of perspectives on the issue.

Obama announced in June that he would act alone on the hot-bottom issue after several efforts to push comprehensive immigration reform through Congress have failed.

In his interview with Breitbart, Rubio said he believes government needs to do something about immigration, but that Obamas executive action plan is the wrong way to do it.

It undermines the rule of law and it sets back the cause probably for a decade or longer, he said, adding that Republicans should fight the President using the budget process.

Rubio added that if Obama follows through, he believes the Senate will undoubtedly shift Republican during the midterm elections in November.

I think if he makes this decision before the elections, its him conceding control of the Senate, Rubio said. If you take an executive decision of this magnitude, politically it will be disastrous for Democrats in a number of key states around the country.

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After a heated municipal meeting that even required police to show up to quell tensions, officials of Riverside, Calif. rejected a proposal this week to declare the city a sanctuary for immigrants.

The proposal, in the form of a non-binding resolution by Councilman Andy Melendrez, called for the city to support humanitarian assistance for recent immigrants, as well as not take actions that would delve into the federal matter of immigration.

Some members of the council who opposed the resolution said it seemed to step into federal territory, and that the expression of support for immigrants was not necessary.

We have been a community that has always been a beacon for that, and I believe that our community still is, Melendrez said, according to the Press Enterprise.

Melendrez said the proposal would have not called for any government funding, and said he had not expected opposition by council members to the resolution.

Supporters of the resolution argued that it was important, given the reaction of another city just 35 miles south, Murrieta, to the potential arrival of Central American immigrants to a Border Patrol facility located there.

Murrieta made national headlines when large crowds staged protests, saying they did not want the immigrants bused into their city. They expressed fears that they would stay in Murrieta, and would drain local resources.

Mayor William Rusty Bailey said the city already had its statement of inclusion.

Councilman Steve Adams, who voted against the resolution, said: I agree with the compassion. I disagree with breaking [immigration] rules.

Members of the public went before the council to express support and opposition to the resolution. It got so tense at times that an altercation even occurred outside the municipal building, ending with an arrest, according to the Press Enterprise.

The resolution spoke about the importance of honoring Riversides "longstanding culture of embracing diversity."

It added: "Riverside supports humanitarian efforts for treatment of all individuals including recent immigrants to the United States."

Some supporters of the resolution said it was important, in light of Murrietas highly publicized rejection of the Central American immigrants, to affirm compassion.

I would really like to see the city of Riverside take leadership and say, These are people and these are human beings and I welcome them, said Fernando Romero of the Justice for Immigrants Coalition of Inland Southern California.

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The fight for the 21st congressional district seat in California has reached an unusual place  church.

Candidate Amanda Renteria accused her opponent, incumbent David Valadao, a Republican, of having someone working for his campaign follow her into church.

The tracker, she said, followed into Our Lady of Guadalupe over the weekend, asked her questions while she walked down the aisle, and even videotaped her as she knelt to pray.

This is a step too far, Renteria said in an interview with the Fresno Bee. If anyone does this, it is inappropriate. There is no way you should be invading a persons privacy in church when you are praying.

But Valadaos campaign has denied involvement, saying the incumbent does not employ people to follow opponents in the hope of observing or recording something embarrassing that can be used against the other candidate.

The trackers, reports the Fresno Bee newspaper, apparently worked for America Rising, a conservative political action committee that focuses on opposition research  for the benefit of Republican candidates -- to, essentially, dig up dirt on Democratic candidates and capture embarrassing moments for use in ads or commercials.

America Rising spokesman, Jeff Bechdel, told the Fresno Bee that the tracker went too far.

The tracker was used on a per event basis, Bechdel said in an email quoted by the newspaper.

His behavior was clearly too aggressive and violated our rules of conduct. He will no longer be tracking events for America Rising.

Renteria said that the campaign worker went so far as to ask her questions while she walked down the church aisle and even videotaped her.

Renteria said that she understands that campaigns uses trackers for that coveted gotcha moment that can be used to discredit or embarrass opponents.

But in a letter she fired off to Valadao, whom she believed was somehow linked to the trackers actions, Renteria said the church stalking reached a truly absurd level of inappropriateness and personal violation.

Valadao spokesman Tal Eslick firmly denied any involvement with the tracker and said that the incumbent does not like the idea of hiring them.

Dave does not like trackers following him and they have for months, Eslick said.

Valladao contends that trackers have videotaped his home.

Renteria said to the newspaper that if trackers have done work for her campaign, they have restricted themselves to public events.

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For the first time, domestic violence victims who cross into the U.S. illegally may be able to qualify for asylum in the United States  potentially opening a legal path to citizenship for thousands of undocumented women.

The ruling, by the Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals, comes in the case of a Guatemalan woman who crossed into the U.S. illegally in 2005 fleeing her husband. The unidentified immigrant argued she called local police in Guatemala to report the abuse but was repeatedly told that the authorities would not interfere in her marriage. She argued that the abuse and the lack of police response should make her eligible for asylum.

In the first-of-its kind ruling, the appeals board agreed, at least in part. In the nine-page decision, it concluded that the unidentified immigrant met at least one criterion for asylum: as a married Guatemalan woman who couldn't leave her relationship, she was part of a particular social group.

The Homeland Security Department, which prosecutes deportation cases, did not contest the immigrant's argument. The appeals board sent the case back to an immigration judge for a final ruling.

In recognizing domestic violence victims as a potentially protected class of people seeking refuge in the United States, the decision establishes a broad and firm foothold for an untold number of women whose asylum claims have been routinely denied in the past.

But proving all the elements of any asylum case can still be difficult. Those seeking protection have to prove they will be persecuted in their home country because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. They also have to prove that their home government is either involved in the persecution or unable or unwilling to stop it.

It wasn't immediately clear how the ruling will impact thousands of pending asylum cases and thousands more that could be filed now that the government has recognized domestic violence victims as a potential class of persecuted people.

More than 62,000 people traveling as families, most of them women and young children from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, have been apprehended at the Mexican border since Oct. 1. They all face deportation.

Even though ultimately winning asylum in the U.S. is a long shot for most immigrants, just having a pending asylum case in immigration court can be something of a victory for immigrants fearful of being sent home. Those who can convince a federal asylum officer that their case should be heard by a judge are allowed to stay in the countr and legally work while their case is decided. Because of a backlog of about 375,000 pending deportation cases, that process can take several years.

Tuesday's ruling does not automatically mean the woman and her children will be granted asylum, though her lawyer told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he believes she will ultimately win.

"We are going to win, (but) it's going to be a long time," said Roy Petty, an Arkansas immigration lawyer who represented her in the case. He said the court backlog could delay a final decision for years longer.

Guatemala ranked third in the world for the murder of women, according to statistics cited by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last year. In a 2012 report on violence against women, the Pan American Health Organization said that from 2008 to 2009 more than one-quarter of Guatemalan women said they had at some point suffered physical or sexual violence from a spouse or partner.

The ruling technically affects only Guatemalan women, but Petty and other immigration advocates said the decision could open the door to asylum claims for women from other countries.

"The decision for this Guatemalan woman has clear implications for other Central American women, that's for sure," said Benjamin Casper, director of Center for New Americans at the University of Minnesota Law School. "This is the first binding decision ... to recognize this social group of women."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Looking to be in full campaign mode following an easy primary election victory on Tuesday night, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he will "review every legal option available to us" if the federal government doesnt bow on education standards he contends punish diverse schools in his state.

Scott is asking the U.S. Department of Education not to hold Florida schools and teachers accountable for English-language learner student achievement until after two years of instruction. He made the request alongside Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

Its not fair to the students, or the schools, or the teachers, or the parents to count the results of these students until after their second year, Scott said, according to the Miami Herald. Ultimately, federal bureaucrats will punish Florida schools for their diversity.

Superintendent Carvalho said counting the scores of English learners in achievement measures after one year was "unfair and unreasonable." He said there is a notable jump in proficiency after two years.

We believe federal officials havent properly scrutinized their decision...If they refuse, we will begin reviewing every legal option that is available to us.  Florida Gov. Rick Scott

We support unequivocally taking a strong position in restoring reason, respect and what research says about English language instruction and proficiency for our students, Carvalho said.

Florida was granted a waiver extension from No Child Left Behind earlier this month, but federal officials declined Florida's request regarding English-language learner student accountability.

Test scores for non-English speakers have considerable impact in Miami-Dade County, where more than 70,000 students receive English-language instruction, Carvalho said, adding that it is immoral not to recognize the diversity and the linguistic needs of these young boys and girls.

Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart added that Florida leads the nation when it comes to graduation rates and success in Advanced Placement courses among Latino students, a group that makes up a large percentage of the English-language learners in Florida.

So it is impossible to think that with a state having this much success with its students, why in the world the federal government would want to micromanage, especially when you consider that this is a policy that is working, Stewart said.

Scott said that he is giving the U.S. Department of Education about a month to reconsider its stance and threatened to take legal action if the feds refuse to make any changes.

We believe federal officials havent properly scrutinized their decision, Scott said, according to State Impact. If they refuse, we will begin reviewing every legal option that is available to us.

The Republican governors appearance on Wednesday was another move by Scott to make education a key issue in his reelection bid, while also attempting to appeal to a diverse group of voters. Before Scott declared his reelection bid against Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, the Florida governor announced a historic increase in per-student spending and called for an investigation into the fairness of standardized tests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people deported to Mexico may get the chance to return under a settlement reached between two rights groups and immigration and border patrol agencies.

The settlement arose from a lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) filed last year alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection used threats and intimidation against immigrants facing deportation and either misled or coerced them into agreeing to so-called voluntary departure, under which people agree to leave instead of being deported, which carries stiffer penalties.

The provision about deportees who could return applies only to people from California, though aspects of the settlement could eventually be applied to how immigration officials handle voluntary departure nationwide, CHIRLA told Fox News Latino.

With this settlement, the cowardly practice of coercing immigrants to sign a so-called voluntary departure notice has come to an end, CHIRLAs executive director Angelica Salas said in a statement. Up until now, such a procedure became a de facto involuntary waiver of core due process rights for countless individuals who in a matter of hours sometimes were uprooted from their communities and expelled to their home country.

The government admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.

It is not known how many people would be returning to the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported, adding that advocates believe it would be a small fraction of the 250,000 people who took voluntary departure in Southern California between 2009 and 2013.

The settlement calls for immigration officials to set up a program in place to identify those immigrants who signed those voluntary departures and get them back to the U.S.," Jorge Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for CHIRLA, told Fox News Latino.

The United States will try to identify people who qualify to return to the United States by spreading the word about the settlement through the Mexican media, the Los Angeles Times said.

Those who would be able to return would still be subjected to deportation. For now, the repatriation opportunity would be generally for longtime California residents with relatives who are U.S. citizens and to young people whose parents brought them into the country illegally.

The suit was filed on behalf of nine Mexican nationals.

It says that immigration officials in Southern California routinely informed Mexican immigrants they could face months in jail while their cases are decided and falsely informed them that they can easily arrange legal status once they're back in Mexico.

Immigrations authorities would offer voluntary departures, which prohibit immigrants from re-entering the U.S. for up to 10 years, according to the lawsuit. The voluntary departures can be offered to immigrants without criminal records, sparing them the possibility of stiffer penalties under formal deportation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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With impeachment threats and potential lawsuits looming, President Barack Obama knows whatever executive actions he takes on immigration will face intense opposition. So as a self-imposed, end-of-summer deadline to act approaches, Obama's lawyers are carefully crafting a legal rationale they believe will withstand scrutiny and survive any court challenges, administration officials say.

The argument goes something like this: Beyond failing to fix broken immigration laws, Congress hasn't even provided the government with enough resources to fully enforce the laws already on the books. With roughly 11.5 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally  far more than the government could reasonably deport  the White House believes it has wide latitude to prioritize which of those individuals should be sent home.

But Republicans, too, are exploring their legal options for stopping Obama from what they've deemed egregious presidential overreaching.

While Obama has yet to receive the formal recommendations he's requested from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, administration officials said the president is intimately familiar with the universe of options and won't spend much time deliberating once Johnson delivers his report.

Obama's goal had been to announce his decision around Labor Day, before leaving on a trip next week to Estonia and Wales. But a host of national security crises have pushed the announcement back, likely until after Obama returns, said the officials, who weren't authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.

After resisting calls to act alone in hopes Congress would pass a comprehensive immigration fix, Obama in June bowed to immigration activists and said that "if Congress will not do their job, at least we can do ours." The most sweeping, controversial step under consideration involves halting deportation for millions, a major expansion of a 2012 Obama program that deferred prosecutions for those brought here illegally as children.

Roughly half a million have benefited from that program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

But while prosecutors are routinely expected to use their discretion on a case-by-case basis, such blanket exempting of entire categories of people has never been done on the scale of what Obama is considering  potentially involving many millions of people if he extends relief to parents of DACA children, close relatives of U.S. citizens or immigrants with clean criminal records.

"The question is how broadly can the president extend the categories and still stay on the side of spectrum of ensuring the laws are faithfully executed?" said Cristina Rodriguez, who left the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in 2013 to teach at Yale Law School.

Other options under consideration, such as changes to how green cards are distributed and counted, might be less controversial because of the support they enjoy from the business community and other influential groups. But Derrick Morgan, a former adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and a scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said Obama will still face staunch opposition as long as he attempts an end run around Congress.

"Any potential executive action the president takes will be rooted in a solid legal foundation," White House spokesman Shawn Turner said, but Obama's actions will almost surely be challenged in court.

What's more, Obama may have undermined his case because he has insisted time and again that he's the president, not the king, and "can't just make the laws up by myself." In a 2012 interview with Telemundo, the Spanish-language TV network, Obama defended his decision to defer deportations for children but said he couldn't go any bigger.

"If we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally. So that's not an option," he said then.

Republicans are already hinting they'll consider legal action to thwart what they've denounced as a violation of the separation of powers. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a conference call this month with GOP House members, accused Obama of "threatening to rewrite our immigration laws unilaterally."

"If the president fails to faithfully execute the laws of our country, we will hold him accountable," Boehner said, according to an individual who participated in the call.

The House already has passed legislation to block Obama from expanding DACA and, through its power of the purse, could attempt to cut off the funds that would be needed to implement the expansion. House Republicans could also consider widening or amending their existing lawsuit against Obama over his health care law, a case both parties have suggested could be a prelude to impeachment proceedings.

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The Democratic challenger to the House majority leader, Republican Kevin McCarthy of California, is not  by any stretch of the imagination  politics as usual.

Raul Garcia is the epitome of a longshot. A farm worker who managed to get onto the ballot only as a write-in candidate, Garcia now has the support of the United Farm Workers of America union and the Democratic Party in his quest to unseat McCarthy, a four-term incumbent who was named to the House's No. 2 Republican leadership position earlier this summer after Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor lost to an unknown challenger in that state's Republican primary.

Which is one reason no one is eager to disregard his candidacy.

The centerpiece of Garcia's campaign is immigration. With reform legislation dead in Congress and President Barack Obama preparing to act on his own to address the dysfunctional system, including potentially extending work permits and relief from deportation to millions.

That could have a profound impact on a race in a district at the southern tip of California's Central Valley, where many thousands of workers, many of them here illegally, labor in the fields harvesting grapes, almonds, lettuce and other crops.

"While we are waiting for you on immigration reform, who should be harvesting America's food?" Garcia has posed to McCarthy through the media.

"My idea is to send a message that the whole country will hear," Garcia said in Spanish in a phone interview from Wasco, Calif., after a night shift hauling tomatoes. "The farmworkers are the ones who put the food on the tables of the whole country. And we are not being represented."

The economy and demographics of McCarthy's district, which is more than one-third Latino, make immigration a pressing question there. But to the frustration of advocates for overhauling the immigration system, McCarthy has won re-election to four terms without answering their demands. A few other California Republicans have embraced comprehensive immigration legislation like the bill that passed the Senate last year before dying in the House. But McCarthy rejected that approach, joining other House GOP leaders in calling for border security first and a step-by-step approach.

Garcia works alongside the laborers each day, and through his candidacy he hopes to highlight the reality that despite Congress' inaction the nation is as reliant as ever on their labor. "It doesn't have to do with money, it has to do with conscience," he said.

McCarthy's campaign aides declined to address Garcia's candidacy but provided a statement from the majority leader in which he promises: "I will continue to fight for our community and give our hard working families a strong voice in Washington." The statement mentions reducing regulation and taxes, a reliable water supply and energy production, but not immigration.

Over time, McCarthy and other Republicans may have to recalibrate their stances on immigration in response to a changing electorate. But for the short term, McCarthy appears headed for easy re-election in November. Republicans are expected to retain the House majority.

Garcia and his backers have few illusions they can interrupt that. But when they saw that McCarthy didn't even face a challenger in California's quirky all-party primary in June, they saw an opportunity to try to get him to engage.

California's system guarantees spots on the general election ballot to the top two vote-getters of any party in the primary. Since McCarthy was running unopposed, that meant a write-in candidate could qualify to oppose him in November without having to go through the arduous process of collecting signatures or paying a fee to get on the primary ballot. Garcia and a handful of others mounted write-in candidacies, and Garcia emerged on top with 313 signatures, enough to guarantee him a spot against McCarthy in the fall.

Garcia, 46, is a Mexican immigrant who speaks little English and says he entered the U.S. illegally at age 17 to look for work. He became a naturalized citizen under the amnesty signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and has spent a quarter-century picking crops in the region.

From those beginnings, he is taking on one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington, a politically savvy lawmaker who knows his district well. McCarthy is unlikely to make Cantor's mistake of spending too much time away from his district.

But even if he can't hope to defeat McCarthy, Garcia wants at least to get him to confront the question of where inaction on immigration legislation leaves America's workers. "I want Congressman McCarthy to give us a straight answer," Garcia says in his campaign ad.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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President Barack Obama nominated Texas federal prosecutor Sarah Saldana on Wednesday to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Latina to run the agency.

Saldana, the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Texas, became the first Hispanic woman to ever hold the top prosecutor job in state history in 2011. Before that, the 62-year-old was a federal prosecutor in Dallas, where she headed the investigation unit that probed local corruption.

A former private law partner once described Saldana as "tough as nails"  a characteristic she will need if she heads the agency that finds itself front and center of the nation's heated immigration debate following a surge of more than 62,000 unaccompanied minors, many from Central America, who've illegally crossed the border over the last year.

As the head of ICE, Saldana would run the principle investigative agency for Homeland Security in charge of arresting, detaining, and deporting immigrants from the U.S. The nomination comes at a time when the president is expected to take executive action adjusting the nation's immigration policy, citing a lack of Congressional action on comprehensive immigration reform, before the midterm elections

Over the last six years, over 2 million people have been deported under President Obama, a record which has Latino and immigration advocates branding him the "deporter-in-chief." This pressure, in part, from those advocates, caused the administration to adjust their deportation policy in 2013 to prioritize the deportation of people with criminal records and prior immigration violations over those with no criminal record and strong family ties in the U.S.

The Obama administration has been looking to fill the ICE position for more than a year after John Morton stepped down last summer after four years in office.

Back in 2011, Texas Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson called Saldana a "gutsy lady" who is "known for her tenacity, and fairness." As the U.S. Attorney, Saldana supervised prosecutors in over 100 counties in northern and western Texas from Dallas.

Saldana, a Democrat, was chosen as U.S. attorney by a bipartisan panel. But interestingly, her nomination in 2011 was backed by Republican Sen. John Cornyn and opposed by some Democrats in the Texas congressional delegation. Some, like Democrat Texas Supreme Court Justice Raul Gonzalez, have said they believe she was being "blackballed by congressional Democrats" for leading the prosecution against local Dallas Democratic officials like Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2010.

At the time, Saldana was backed by the Hispanic National Bar Association and other local Hispanic leaders.

Before serving as the U.S. Attorney in 2011, Saldana was the Deputy Criminal Chief for the Fraud and Public Corruption and worked as a private attorney for 14 years.

Saldana was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1951 and grew up as the youngest of seven children. According to a profile in her hometown paper, Saldana's mother worked nights as a nurse, and her father was an alcoholic who wasn't around much.

"My parents' lives were full of struggles," she said. "But they taught the importance of working hard."

At one point, Saldana was an eighth grade English teacher in Dallas. She then returned to college and received a law degree from Southern Methodist University in 1984.
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It's no secret, Texas Governor Rick Perry has spent months gearing up for a second run for the White House but even as Perry works to convince conservatives he's the guy, he'll have to go through tea party darling and fellow Texan Ted Cruz.

Perry has turned his recent indictment on felony abuse-of-power charges into a campaign rallying cry but he's increasingly bumping up against his state's junior senator, Cruz, whose firebomb approach on Capitol Hill has grassroots activists clamoring for him to make a White House run.

The prospect of a two-Texan presidential tilt is dominating political conversation in the state, even outshining a fiercely contested governor's race  and starting to get noticed nationally. Perry's preparations have long been obvious, while Cruz is working to raise his profile beyond just the far-right base and insert himself into the presidential conversation.

Asked about the 2016 prospects of both, Jim DeMint, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, replied, "I think Cruz even more than Perry right now."

Though he's not endorsing either yet, DeMint added, "Ted has become really the national conservative leader."

Cruz and Perry, along with potential presidential rival Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, are addressing this weekend's national gathering of Americans for Prosperity, the powerful group backed by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers. Cruz has made himself the star of such events, sometimes introduced as "our next president."

At a recent national gathering organized by the conservative blog RedState, hundreds of attendees bowed their heads to pray for him, calling Cruz an instrument of God's will.

Cruz himself says "time will tell" if he joins the presidential race. Perry has made no secret he's seriously considering a run.

Two Texans haven't competed for the presidency since George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot in 1992. Things got testy that time, as the New England-born incumbent had his true-Texas credentials questioned by the billionaire Dallas businessman, with his exaggerated twang and outlandish axioms like, "If someone as blessed as I am is not willing to clean out the barn, who will?"

"I think they're both running. They probably don't like me saying it," said Texas Republican Party chairman Steve Munisteri, who noted that Texas' March 1 presidential primary in 2016 should make it the first to vote among large states, and could leave only one Texan standing.

Both, meanwhile, would be competing at least to start for the same slice of the Republican base, the religious and social conservatives energized by an intense mistrust of President Barack Obama.

Some Texas donors are already bracing for the prospect. "I'd be splitting dollars, no question," said George Strake, Jr., a former Texas secretary of state and Perry 2012 donor who also served as Houston finance chairman for Cruz's Senate campaign. "It's going to split up a lot of people who used to give to the same one, or who maybe even used to be friends."

Perry is a monster fundraiser but relies heavily on Texas. Cruz has raised big bucks from a large national base that tends to give in small increments.

Cruz has been unequivocal in standing behind Perry following the governor's indictment for cutting off state funds to an office investigating statewide corruption after the Democratic district attorney who runs it ignored his calls to resign. But the two Republicans don't always see eye-to-eye. Perry's key selling point is his record as a job-creator, overseeing Texas' white-hot economy. But Cruz counters that only the free market, not politicians offering tax incentives or pulling policy strings, as Perry has done, can create jobs.

Asked about the possibility that Cruz had outpaced him as Texas' top conservative, Perry quipped in June, "Ask me in eight years if Senator Cruz has made an impact."

At a recent event, Cruz made a subtle dig when he flubbed while counting off a list of his Senate accomplishments: "Victory number four  five," Cruz said, adding, "I could say 'oops,' but that would make news." That recalls Perry's infamous 2011 "oops moment" brain freeze in a 2010 GOP debate that damaged his candidacy.

As the GOP field takes shape, Perry has been to Iowa five times since November, as well as to New Hampshire and South Carolina. Cruz has been to all three states even more often. His former regional director has founded a group called Draft Ted Cruz for President.

Jamie Johnson, a Republican Central Committee member in Iowa, which holds the first presidential caucus, says the buzz about 2016 is growing. Especially about Cruz.

"It's not just name recognition or likability, it's how much will people rearrange their schedule to go see someone or meet someone," Johnson said "and that is happening for Ted Cruz."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Mexico's largest crackdown in decades on illegal migration has decreased the flow of Central Americans trying to reach the United States, and has dramatically cut the number of child migrants and families, according to officials and eyewitness accounts along the perilous route.

Convoys of Mexican federal police and immigration service employees in southern Mexico have begun scouring the tracks of the infamous freight train known as "La Bestia," or The Beast, that has long carried crowds of migrants on its lumbering route north. They have also set up moving roadblocks, checking the documents of passengers on interstate buses.

Associated Press journalists witnessed dozens of federal police and Mexican immigration agents storming the train as it came to an unscheduled stop in the post-midnight darkness Friday.

"We're federal agents! Give up! You're surrounded! Come down carefully!" the lawmen shouted to the huddled, stunned migrants.

Fewer than 15 were detained on a train that once carried 600 to 1,000 migrants at a time.

American and Mexican officials say they are noticing the same drop-off all along the route.

The roundups follow U.S. requests for help from Mexico, as well as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador earlier this summer when the number of unaccompanied minors turning themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol reached what President Barack Obama called an "urgent humanitarian crisis."

On Aug. 7, the Department of Homeland Security released data showing the number of unaccompanied children and children traveling with a parent arrested along the Southwest border of the United States in July was roughly 13,000, half what it had been in June. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said the trend appeared to be continuing during the first week of August, and Obama said Thursday that numbers for the whole month will show a further decline.

"We're seeing a significant downward trend in terms of these unaccompanied children," Obama said in a news conference.

With the new crackdown, the migrants who once circulated openly in shelters and boarded the cars as they were being attached to the locomotive are forced to hide in the woods, where criminals lurk. There are few women and no children because the journey now requires jumping a moving train.

Some of the Central American men say that instead of trying to cross into the United States they'll now stay and look for work in Mexico. Many families have apparently decided not to attempt the journey through Mexico at all since news of the raids and checkpoints combined with stepped up efforts in the U.S. and among Central American governments a reached their communities, said Carlos Solis, the manager of a shelter in Arriaga. He said the city, once bustling with migrants waiting to board the train, emptied out almost overnight.

"They're also going after the coyotes, so it is increasing the cost of the trip and making them move through less visible areas," Solis said, referring to the smugglers paid to get migrants through to the U.S. border.

It is a far cry from the wave of migration that pressed toward the U.S. earlier this year, spurred on by a surge in violence in several Central American countries and news that women and children who reached the United States were being let go inside the country with orders to return for immigration hearings because family shelter space had filled up.

From October to July, about 63,000 unaccompanied children were detained after entering the U.S. illegally, double the number from the same period a year earlier. Another 63,000 families mothers or fathers with young children were picked up during that period.

There were no Central American children in the government shelter in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, coordinator Jose Guadalupe Villegas Garcia said Thursday. During the surge, at any one time the shelter housed about 15 Central American kids who had been apprehended or rescued by Mexican authorities before crossing the Rio Grande. Officials say the children are being caught long before they get to the border.

"There are very few foreigners," said Carlos Jimenez, a spokesman with the Mexican family services agency in Reynosa. "We received three or four children" in August.

Omar Zamora, a Border Patrol spokesman in the Rio Grande Valley, where most of the unaccompanied children have entered the U.S., said Thursday that the agency was seeing about 30 to 40 children in custody each day in recent weeks. That is down from a peak when 300 or more were arrested in a day earlier this summer.

How long Mexico can or will sustain such a massive operation is unclear. Sealing off the notoriously porous border with Guatemala is neither physically possible nor politically popular, and strict enforcement further inland is already drawing criticism, because it so closely mirrors the deadly cat-and-mouse game that U.S. border patrol agents have long played with Mexican migrants farther north.

But for now, the effort shows no sign of abating.

Criminal gangs who used to prey on migrants on the train, threatening to throw them off unless they cooperated, are hiding in the woods near the highway checkpoints where immigration officials search passing buses, said Aliver Leon Lopez, 29, of Ahuachapan, El Salvador. He was shot in the neck by a band of thieves because he tried to hide his money from them.

"Before each checkpoint you have to get off and walk through the woods," said Leon Lopez, who still wears a bloody bandage on his neck. "They (criminals) have located the points where migrants get off to walk."

Faced with the nearly overwhelming obstacles in reaching the United States, Leon Lopez and others say they are giving up, at least for now. He plans to apply for a humanitarian visa available in Mexico to those who have been crime victims. Other migrants talked about finding work in Mexico, rather than the United States.

"Before you could get through more easily," said Abner Ramirez, 30, a coffee picker from Coatepeque, Guatemala, who was sleeping on the side of the railway tracks in Chahuites after fleeing another raid on the train over the weekend.

"If I can get a steady job, a steady paycheck, I'd stay ... to send money back home," he said.

Juan Antonio Salmeron, a 48-year old construction worker from La Union, El Salvador, said he wants to work in the northern Mexico state of Sinaloa, picking fruit or vegetables. "You can earn good money there," Salmeron said.

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President Barack Obama's possible delay in taking action on immigration has thrown advocates and lawmakers from both parties a curveball, barely two months before the midterm elections.

Democrats who were bracing for the impact that Obama's long-awaited announcement would have on their campaigns are now rethinking aspects of their strategy for the fall. Republicans who were considering legislative attempts to block Obama must reconsider whether that's the best use of the few remaining work weeks before Election Day.

And immigration advocates, already frustrated by how long it's taken Obama to act, must decide whether to pressure the president publicly to stop stalling or remain hopeful he'll give them a favorable outcome in the end.

Obama in June said that by the end of the summer, he'd announce what steps he had decided to take to fix the nation's immigration system in the absence of a legislative fix from Capitol Hill. But Obama backed away from that deadline on Thursday, and the White House on Friday acknowledged it was possible the decision would slip past the end of summer. It was unclear whether any delay would be a mere matter of weeks or could push the announcement past the November elections.

"The president is determined to take the kinds of steps that are available to him," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. But he added he had no details about when that would happen.

Reluctant to be seen as putting on the brakes for political reasons, White House officials suggested that if the decision slips past summer, it would be because of the situation on the border, not the election.

For months, the Obama administration has been working to stem the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing into the U.S. Those numbers have declined, but officials have said the numbers could creep back up as cooler temperatures arrive in the fall.

The White House has been coy about what options Obama is considering, but much of the focus has centered on steps Obama could take to defer deportations for millions of people in the U.S. illegally, effectively granting them permission to remain and work in the U.S. Republicans say that's beyond Obama's authority and even a few endangered Democrats have said Obama should look to Congress to take that step.

For Democrats, who are fighting most of their toughest races this year in conservative-leaning states that are leery of Obama, presidential action has been seen as a likely liability in the election, fueling GOP arguments that Obama is exceeding his authority and that he and Democrats are refusing to enforce immigration laws. Chris Lehane, a California-based Democratic strategist, said the timing of Obama's action could affect whether voters enthusiastic about immigration show up to vote.

"All of these elections are going to be so laser-tight  5,000 votes one way or the other  that at some level, what's out there at the broader, national level at election time could push things over the edge," Lehane said.

Obama's timing could affect congressional action on a must-pass spending bill to fund government operations into December. Congress is expected to make that its first order of business when lawmakers return from their summer recess after Labor Day.

A number of Republicans have raised the possibility of using that legislation to block Obama from expanding deportation deferrals or granting work permits to those here illegally. Such a move would set up a confrontation between the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate that raises the specter of a government shutdown, which would likely be blamed on Republicans and could hurt their prospects in November.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been urging Obama not to act alone on immigration, and warned the president in a letter this week that doing so would imperil prospects for overhauling immigration laws after the election. Rubio's spokesman, Alex Conant, called the apparent delay a positive sign and one he hoped Obama would make permanent.

"It appears that the White House made a short-term political calculation that this was bad for them in the midterms," Conant said.

Immigration advocates were taken aback by word of the potential delay, having been given no advance warning by the White House. Kica Matos of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement said that after spending months keeping the pressure on Obama, the group had been shifting into preparations for the announcement itself. Now, Matos said, exhausted advocates will have keep up the pressure to ensure Obama doesn't get cold feet and call off the announcement altogether.

"They say they're going to move forward, then somebody goes boo and then they hide," Matos said.

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A surly electorate that holds Congress in even lower regard than unpopular President Barack Obama is willing to "keep the bums in," with at least 365 incumbents in the 435-member House and 18 of 28 senators on a glide path to another term when ballots are counted Nov. 4.

With less than 10 weeks to the elections, Republicans and Democrats who assess this fall's midterm contests say the power of incumbency  the decennial process of reconfiguring congressional maps and hefty fundraising  trumps the sour public mood and antipathy toward gridlocked Washington.

"Despite the incredibly low polling, favorable ratings for Congress, it's still an incumbent's world," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics that tracks political money.

That leaves many voters angry, not only with the political reality but their inability to change it.

"I can't get over where they say people are going to be able to keep their seats when they're not doing their jobs. I just don't understand it," said retired teacher Pauline Legendre after voting in Minnesota's Democratic primary last month.

The voter disgust is palpable, evident in blistering comments at summertime town halls and middling percentages for incumbents in primaries. Yet no sitting senator has lost and only three congressmen got the primary boot. Come Election Day, only a fraction of the electorate will be motivated enough to vote  if history is any guide.

Congressional hopefuls are whipsawed by the two dynamics.

"It's going to be a challenge for any candidate running for Congress to suggest that they have all the answers or that somehow there's something about them that's so inspiring" that voters are going to forget "how disenchanted or disaffected they are with government at the federal level," said Ryan Costello, a Republican seeking an open House seat in southeast Pennsylvania where just 12 percent of GOP voters turned out in the May primary.

Still, the candidates press ahead, with Republicans laser-focused on gaining the six seats necessary to grab the Senate majority and control Congress for the remainder of Obama's presidency. Five Democratic retirements give the GOP a clear shot to capture control. So do races in conservative-leaning states such as Louisiana, North Carolina and Arkansas, where white Southern Democrats are nearly extinct.

The GOP figures it's half-way to its goal, with a solid advantage in open contests in South Dakota, West Virginia and Montana. Republicans are optimistic about the open seat in Iowa, less so about Michigan, and energized by their prospects in Colorado and Alaska. If a GOP wave materializes, it could be in the Senate.

In the House, Republicans are expected to pad their majority  currently 233-199 with three vacancies  with the goal of matching or surpassing the 246 seats the GOP held from 1947-49.

Fueling the battle is what's expected to be a record-breaking flow of campaign cash. The parties' campaign committees and their allied outside groups are spending at a rate certain to exceed the $3.6 billion price tag of the 2010 midterm elections.

House Republicans who saw a wave election in January 2010  the year Democrats lost 63 seats  don't expect a comparable sweep in 2014 simply because redistricting reduced the number of opportunities. On that, Democrats agree, though an Obama decision on immigration could change the dynamic.

On the cusp of the fall election season, fewer than two dozen House Democrats and Republicans are in real jeopardy in November.

The GOP is counting on opposition to Obama to motivate its core voters. To counter that situation, Democrats have dispatched 444 organizers to 48 districts to get out the vote, with another 250-plus ready for the September-to-November sprint as the party typically faces a drop-off in midterm voting.

The Democratic Party is employing reminder pledge cards  "1 million votes for 2014"  the number they say decided 65 competitive House races in 2012. Democrats maintain that they had a shot two years ago, but Obama's miserable performance in his first presidential debate sank the party's chances.

It's an uphill fight as the president's party typically loses seats in non-presidential election years.

At a meeting last month with small business owners and workers at a wood fabricating plant in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, Republican Rep. Joe Pitts got an earful from local farmer, Michael Appel, 48, who pressed the nine-term congressman to do more to stop Obama.

"I'm wondering, especially when it comes to Obamacare, how the House is going to start holding the president accountable for making law out of whole cloth?" Appel asked.

"It's not that we wouldn't like to, it's a matter of what we can do," Pitts responded. "You need the House, the Senate and the president. The problem is we don't have those two."

As staff urged the attendees to vote, Appel erupted in frustration: "I voted for Joe Pitts and all he's told me so far up here is he's powerless."

Pitts said in an interview that it's up to lawmakers to educate voters about the limits of divided government.

"I share their frustration," Pitts said. "I understand they're not as involved so they don't understand a lot of it, but they have a responsibility to turn out next time if they're concerned, because there are real consequences to these elections in public policy."

Democratic incumbents have cast themselves as outsiders as they sympathize with hostile voters.

New York Rep. Dan Maffei says "we gotta hold 'em accountable" in his campaign ad. Iowa Rep. Dave Loebsack didn't mince words when he told constituents, "Congress is an incredibly dysfunctional mess and everyone knows that," and blamed the lack of compromise.

In York, Pennsylvania, first-term Republican Rep. Scott Perry insisted that the House had been doing its job by passing bills, but that cooperation was lacking from the Democratic-led Senate and Obama.

One voter asked him whether, if the Senate goes Republican in November, there might be more hope.

"If you're expecting cataclysmic change immediately, I think that's a bit beyond expectations," Perry said.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Much like when President Barack Obamas health care initiative launched, computer glitches and language barriers are impeding immigrants from full coverage.

More than 300,000 immigrants who bought insurance through the Affordable Health Care Act were notified last week that they may lose health insurance coverage on Sept. 30 if they dont submit proof this week they are legally in the country.

However, few seem to be responding to the governments notification. According to numbers released Tuesday by U.S. Health and Human Services, only 239,000 of the original 300,000 were still receiving final notices.

Immigration advocates said many who have received the letters have filed the documents either by mail or via computer, but the paperwork was lost or not processed. They also fear most who havent responded dont understand the gravity of the situation or think they have already complied.

Additionally, immigration advocates said sending the notices in only two languages also does not take into account the wide variety of immigrant languages found in the country.

A line at the bottom of the letter advises the recipients to call a phone number if they need the notice translated, said Amy Jones of the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition Inc. in Philadelphia.

"People do not know what they say or that they're important. Many have been putting them aside or throwing them away," Jones said. Her agency, which has helped 450 immigrants sign up for health insurance under the new law, is calling enrollees to see if they received a letter and help them keep their coverage.

Of the 8 million people who signed up for private coverage through the Affordable Care Act, about 1 million immigrants originally received notices asking for proof they are here legally and nearly 700,000 have been verified. Under the health care law, immigrants who are in the country illegally are not eligible for the program or to receive insurance subsidies.

Florida and Texas have the largest numbers of immigrants whose immigration and citizenship information on file with the government conflicts with what they wrote on their health insurance applications.

Nearly 100,000 in Florida received letters from the feds, yet two of the largest health advocacy groups in South Florida said they've gotten very few phone calls seeking help.

Vicki Tucci, an attorney with Legal Aid in West Palm Beach, said she's heard from fewer than 20 clients, despite meeting with thousands during open enrollment. A few thought the letter was a scam and ignored it, she said.

Perhaps most frustrating, she said all but one of the letter recipients she spoke had already sent in the documents.

"They had their certified mail receipt with them to prove that they sent it," Tucci said.

However, even those who uploaded the documents by computer to www.healthcare.gov must still call the government's helpline to see if they were received.

Bhagawat Bastola sent in his documents when he first applied for health coverage. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old from Nepal recently received two letters asking for them again. He re-sent them, but Jones' agency was unable to confirm whether the government had received them. Without confirmation, he worries he may lose coverage.

"I feel frustrated because it's the same letter every time," said Bastola, who works at a Philadelphia supermarket and was previously uninsured. "It's just a waste of time coming here time and again," he added, during a visit to Jones' office.

Federal health officials indicated consumers like Bastola are receiving multiple requests because staffers are still processing the documents. The officials said they're working as quickly as possible to sort through them, but didn't give a timeframe.

In other cases, healthcare.gov used the information it received from consumers and checked it against databases with other government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, where the information isn't updated as quickly or may contain errors, especially for naturalized citizens. For example, the Department of Homeland Security often mistakenly lists African immigrants with their last name as their first name, advocates said.

Consumers who have submitted the requested documents but have not received confirmation by the deadline will remain covered while their application is being processed, said Health and Human Services spokesman Benjamin Wakana.

He says only those who don't submit documents are at risk of losing coverage. Those who lose coverage may be liable for paying back at least part of any subsidy they received, up to a cap.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Since the last mid-term election, Colorado has been home to one of the fastest growing Latino electorates in the United States.

The number of Latino voters climbed more than 20,000 since 2010  from 144,000 to 162,000, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

Colorado is also home to some the most closely watched mid-term elections in the country.

Races for the House, Senate and governor seem tight, and Latinos could very well be pivotal, said NALEO Executive Director Arturo Vargas.

In mid-term elections, when less people vote overall, a mobilized electorate can have an important impact, Vargas said. That is why there is a concerted effort by both parties to target the Latino vote.

Indeed, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat, is going all out to court Latinos as he battles a challenge from Republican Rep. Cory Gardner. Many believe this is one state where Republicans can snatch a Senate seat from Democrats and, if they can do it with at least six states, recapture control of that chamber.

Udall recently launched a million-dollar first round of Spanish-language television ads that are scheduled to run through Election Day.

The ad focuses on Gardners support for a budget that cut housing vouchers for homeless veterans. The ad does not address immigration because, Udalls camp has said, Latinos are familiar with the congressmans support for a hard line on the issue.

But mid-term elections, especially those that take place when a president is in his second term, can go in favor of the opposing party, said Tom Cronin, a political scientist at Colorado College.

Theres the six-year push-back, Cronin said. Every time a presidential administration has been in for six years, its a good election for the opposing party up and down the line.

Cronin predicts, therefore, that the mid-term election will be tough for the Democrats in the state.

One exception, he believes, is Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who was elected governor four years ago. Hickenlooper's Republican opponent is former congressman Bob Beauprez.

Hes widely liked, Cronin said of Hickenlooper. He makes mistakes occasionally, but hes framed himself as more of an independent than a Democrat.

And with a state like Colorado, where the electorate is one third Democrat, one third Republican, and one third Independent, Hickenloopers ability to avoid being a dogmatic Democrat is expected to win in his favor.

Others, however, think Hickenlooper can be in trouble.

Some polls have showed him ahead with 6 points, and one gave Beauprez a 1-point lead.

Another poll, by Quinnipiac University, showed Hickenlooper's job approval at 48 percent, from 52 percent in April. In 2012, his job approval rating was at 66 percent.

A race for a House seat, however, is more of a toss-up, at least so far.

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican, is considered to be in a tight fight against challenger Andrew Romanoff, a Democrat.

Both are scheduled to face off in a Spanish-language debate in October hosted by Univision.

Romanoff is a fluent Spanish-speaker, and Coffman has been studying the language with a tutor.

Coffmans district  in the central part of the state  was redrawn after the 2010 mid-term election, resulting in a constituency that includes about 150,000 Latinos, most of them of Mexican descent, his campaign said. Latinos account for about 20 percent of the voters in this district.

It also includes about 40,000 Asian-Americans, and another 40,000 African immigrants.

Immigration is a priority issue, the campaigns concede.

Mike Coffman has worked hard to listen to and represent each community, said Tyler Sandberg, Coffmans campaign manager. He has also worked with both parties to find a solution to our broken immigration system, which has earned him bipartisan praise, including from the author of the DREAM Act, Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who has called Mike a leader in Congress on the issue of immigration.

Coffman co-authored a bill to allow DREAMers a path to citizenship through military service.

But he also has supported hard line measures on immigration, including denying most public services to people who are not here legally, and favoring a system where people can report someone they believe is not in the country lawfully.

The growth of the Latino electorate in Colorado has made the state one of the most electorally competitive in the nation, and the continued growth of Latino population will increase their influence on election outcomes well into the future, said Gabriel Sanchez, Director of Research for Latino Decisions and a political scientist at the University of New Mexico.

Our polling in Colorado has found that immigration policy has become a major factor driving Latino voting behavior, said Sanchez in a statement, which helps explain the surge in Democratic support among this key segment of the electorate.

Americas Voice, a lobby group that favors more lenient immigration policies, said in a press release that 24 percent of Colorado Latino voters indicated they would be more inclined to support future Republican candidates if the GOP backed comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship.

That 24-point margin is enough to determine the outcome in some of the states most competitive races, including Colorados Senate and House races, the statement said.

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For the second time this year, President Barack Obama will travel to Russia's backyard to assure nervous nations of his ironclad commitment to their security. But his objectives will be clouded by the West's inability to halt the Russian aggression in Ukraine that has stoked fears in other former Soviet republics.

Fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels continued in eastern Ukraine as Obama prepared to fly to Estonia for meetings with Baltic leaders and to Wales for a NATO summit. The Ukrainian government, NATO and Western nations say Russia has already sent troops, artillery and tanks across Ukraine's southeast border to reinforce the separatists, a claim Russia has denied.

While Obama has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could face more economic penalties, he also continues to resist calls for the U.S. to provide military support to help Ukrainian forces push back the Russian incursion.

The president's response to the Ukraine crisis is just one element of a broader foreign policy approach that is drawing criticism from both opponents and allies who fear the White House is being too tentative in the face of global threats.

"I think Putin has sized up the West and figured that the most difficult sanctions against Russia and the arms necessary for the Ukrainians to be able to defend themselves are not coming from the West, and we have to prove him wrong," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Still, eastern Ukraine's pro-Russia rebels softened their demand for full independence Monday, saying they would respect Ukraine's sovereignty in exchange for autonomy. That shift appeared to reflect Putin's desire to make a deal that would allow Russia to avoid more punitive Western sanctions while preserving a significant degree of leverage over its neighbor.

Eugene Rumer, a former U.S. intelligence officer for Russia, said the inability of the U.S. and Europe to stop Putin so far is compounding fears in the countries near Russia's borders.

"They see Western responses as insufficient, which adds to their concerns," said Rumer, who now runs the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The crisis between Russia and Ukraine has raised the stakes for this week's NATO summit. Obama will press member states to increase their defense spending, and the alliance is expected to agree on plans to boost training missions and other military commitments in Central and Eastern European countries.

"We will see persistent rotation, persistent exercises to ensure that Estonia and that other countries in Central and Eastern Europe are provided the reassurance from NATO and the presence of NATO needed to meet their security needs," said Charles Kupchan, the White House senior director for Europe.

NATO leaders this week will be asked to approve creation of a high-readiness force and the stockpiling of military equipment and supplies in Eastern Europe to help protect member nations there against potential Russian aggression, the alliance's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said Monday. Analysts said member states near Russia's borders will be particularly concerned about the level of U.S. military involvement in the expanded efforts.

"If there's anything that the Baltics do trust within NATO, it's a U.S. commitment," said Kathleen Hicks, a former Pentagon official who now chairs the international studies department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "So they will be pushing hard that that NATO contingent will have a heavy U.S. signal in it."

While Ukraine is not a NATO member, newly elected President Petro Poroshenko was scheduled to attend the summit.

Before arriving in Wales for the NATO meetings, Obama will make a symbolic show of Western support for the Baltics by traveling to Estonia. Officials say he will repeat the assurances he made during a trip to Poland earlier this year, where he reiterated the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the NATO charter, which states that an armed attack against one member state is to be considered an attack on the entire alliance.

The president was scheduled to depart Washington on Tuesday and arrive in the Estonian capital of Tallinn early Wednesday. In addition to his meetings with Baltic leaders, Obama will also speak to U.S. troops who were sent to Estonia earlier this year for military training exercises that were meant to serve as a deterrent to Russia.

The heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine are just one of the pressing foreign policy matters Obama will confront during his three days of talks in Europe.

The president is expected to hold talks with leaders on the sidelines of the NATO summit about the growing threat from the Islamic State group that has taken root in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. is launching strikes against the militants in Iraq, and the White House is seeking commitments from some allies to join a broader effort to defeat the group, perhaps by extending the airstrikes into Syria.

Obama and NATO leaders will also discuss their future role in Afghanistan, where the alliance's combat mission is due to end later this year. But a political crisis in Afghanistan has cast a shadow over the drawdown, delaying decisions over how many troops the U.S. and its partners will keep in the country for training and counterterrorism missions.

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Most of the candidates stumping on the campaign trail this year when it comes to foreign policy have been either staying entirely mum or sticking to the terrorist campaign of the Islamic State, the crisis in the Gaza Strip or Russian aggression in the Ukraine. But some candidates are hoping that speaking about U.S. policy toward Latin America may help them out come November.

While most analysts say that foreign policy isn't usually a major factor in U.S. elections, especially midterms, the continuing troubles along the Mexico border and the issue of how to handle unaccompanied minors could prove a decisive talking point.

The border issue is really a Mexico and Central America issue, Louis Desipio, professor of political science at the University of California-Irvine, told Fox News Latino. Weve been in this 10-, or more, year debate on immigration reform, and the feeling is both sides in this have a story they want to tell.

The Pew Research Center estimates that 64.6 percent of the 53 million Hispanics in the country, or 33.5 million, are of Mexican descent. So, especially along the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, what happens on the border is important to voters  both Latinos and others.

One U.S. congressional hopeful from Texas, Larry Smith, stopped northbound traffic at the Gateway International Bridge between Brownsville and the Mexican city of Matamoros for about 20 minutes on an August weekend to air his grievances against what he called Mexicos dependence on trade agreements and the U.S.

Mexico is not a friendly neighbor, Smith said, according to the Brownsville Herald.

Smith also blamed the Mexican government for the networks of human smugglers and drug cartels that have been blamed for the spike in undocumented immigrants arriving in the Lone Star State from Central America.

Most politicians are trying to actively appeal to Latino voters, especially after the voting bloc was largely credited in the media with having turned the 2012 presidential election in Barack Obama's favor.

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, for one, has been wooing his states 35,000-plus Mexican-American population by wooing the Mexican president.

In a letter to Enrique Pena Nieto, Walker said that his state merits the creation of a new consulate to handle the needs of new arrivals. He also pointed to Wisconsins $2.2 billion in exports to Mexico, and its sister-state relationship with the Mexican state of Jalisco.

New Jersey's governor, Chris Christie, isn't up for reelection this year, but he is considered a likely candidate for a 2016 presidential bid and in recent months has been weighing in on a host of issues concerning Hispanics, including in-state college tuition rates for undocumented workers.

During a recent stop in Iowa, home of the nation's first presidential caucus, Christie lashed out at Pres. Obama for his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We are an empathetic people in this country and we don't like seeing people suffer," he said, according to The New York Times. "But here's what I don't want to participate in, I don't want to participate in encouraging this and that would be the wrong step to take."

And on Wednesday, Christie heads to Mexico itself for a three-day trade mission.

The border issue has been hot all this summer, but to Cuban-Americans, it's the Cold War-era issue of the U.S. embargo and policy toward the Castro regime that has swayed votes for 52 years.

For decades, it has been doctrine that to get elected to any political office in portions of South Florida, it was a pre-requisite to take a strong stance against the Cuban dictatorship.

Observers now say that this dynamic is changing as an older generation of Cuban-Americans who were directly affected by the Communist revolution gives way to a younger generation born and raised as Americans.

Some Florida politicians  especially Democrats  have turned away from the hardline, anti-Castro stance.

Congressman Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) has backed a Havana-based research institute seeking to get a license from the U.S. Treasury Department in order to market a diabetes treatment in the U.S.  despite cries that it would weaken the embargo  and also advocated that Cuban-Americans should be allowed to make unlimited trips to Cuba and that other Americans be allowed to go there for "purposeful travel."

Earlier this year, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Charlie Crist, spoke out on "Real Time With Bill Maher" about ending the embargo.

The embargo's been going on, what?, 50 years now, and I don't think it worked, he said. It is obvious to me we need to move forward and get the embargo taken away."

These forays into Latin American foreign policy aside, most candidates are focusing on economic issues. Analysts say that the economy and other domestic issues are a much larger priority to Latino voters, especially those from second- and third-generation households.

"Hispanic voters are swayed overall by economic issues, Ferand Amandi, a pollster with Miamis Bendixen & Amandi International, told FNL. Latin America is a point of entry  but unless theyre from the country originally, they probably dont care.
The major battleground this election season may be the U.S. Congress, where the Democrats may lose control of the Senate for the first time since 2007, but that doesn't mean that the Republican Party is neglecting the governor's races.

Contentious ads in two states with close races began airing on Tuesday that are stirring up Democratic anger.

The spots are sponsored by the Republican Governors Association, which is headed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. One of them paints the Democratic governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, who finds himself in a tight race against former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, as going soft on a convicted killer.

The other suggests that Rep. Mike Michaud, the Democratic hopeful in Maine trying to knock off the incumbent Gov. Paul LePage, would dole out millions in tax dollars to immigrants who have entered the country illegally.

The rollout of the ads come as polls show both Colorado and Maine to be tight races  and the latest finance reports show the Republicans' committee with more than $70 million saved to help GOP candidates.

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The RGA was already advertising in those races and the new ads will take the place of earlier ones. In Colorado, that means $700,000 in Denver and Colorado Springs will be spent on the ad; in Maine, it's a $500,000 buy in Portland.

In Colorado, the 30-second ad cites Hickenlooper's suggestion that he might scrap the death sentence of a multiple murderer on death row if he loses his re-election campaign. Hickenlooper already has given the inmate Nathan Dunlap a temporary reprieve from execution as long as he is governor.

Dunlap was convicted of killing four employees inside an Aurora, Colorado, Chuck E. Cheese after the children's restaurant closed. In the decades since the 1993 killings, advocates have pointed to failures of Dunlap's trial lawyers and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder  developments that raised concerns for Hickenlooper.

In an interview with CNN, Hickenlooper suggested he could make that reprieve permanent if he loses in November.

"There are obviously remedies that the governor can do, you know," Hickenlooper told CNN for a documentary. "I could give it a full clemency between Election Day and the end of the year."

One of the victims' fathers, Bob Crowell, called Hickenlooper a "coward" for the move. The RGA used that assessment in its ads.

The governor's office said Hickenlooper was dealing in hypotheticals and was discussing legal options that are available to him. His campaign called the ads unfair and driven by politics, not justice.

"The governor made a decision and he stands by that decision. Nathan Dunlap will die in prison," campaign spokesman Eddie Stern said. "It is a legitimate question whether the state should take a life, and the fact that victims' families have conflicting views on this issue underscores the importance of this discussion."

Across the country, the RGA also started new ads against Michaud, claiming he would turn Maine into a destination for immigrants who are in the United States illegally.

Maine, whose population of 1.3 million is about 94 percent white, is home to an estimated 55,000 immigrants and relies heavily on migrant workers for its blueberry harvest every August.

For months, LePage has hammered Michaud on immigration  in a state almost 2,500 miles from the U.S.-Mexican border. LePage touts his directive that cities and towns not provide welfare benefits to those who can't prove they are living in the country legally.

In Congress, Michaud supported the 2010 DREAM Act, which would have granted legal status to hundreds of thousands of immigrant students. Michaud also opposed the 2006 Border Security Bill, which would have built a 700-mile fence along the United States' southern border.

Republicans said Michaud favored immigrants over Maine residents.

"Do you think Maine's cities and towns should continue to use your tax dollars to pay welfare benefits to illegal immigrants?" the 30-second ad's narrator asks. "Mike Michaud does."

Michaud's campaign said the RGA is an attack rooted in politics, not facts.

"It is a distortion of the congressman's record and it's untrue," said David Farmer, a senior adviser to the Michaud campaign.

LePage is among the most disliked governors facing voters this fall and one of the few chances Democrats have of tipping a governor's office in their favor.

"They can't improve Paul LePage with positive ads," Farmer said. "Voters here in Maine have a low tolerance here for negativity."

Michaud's campaign is on the air with two positive ads highlighting the congressman's life story and his work to help New Balance, a New England-based company.

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At a presentation to business leaders by the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve last year, the question arose about whether the United States should pay closer attention to China as a trade partner.

The answer given by a Federal Reserve official was unexpected: The U.S. needs to pay greater attention to Mexico, because that's where some of the most significant economic opportunities are likely to be.

A lot of people in the room were surprised, one of the people at that meeting, Hector Barreto  the former head of the U.S. Small Business Administration who is now the chairman of the Latino Coalition, told Fox News Latino. [The official] said that Mexico is very uniquely positioned  it has an educated populace, a very industrious and entrepreneurial community  and its our neighbor, our second-largest trading partner, which has access to the largest market in the world.

On Wednesday, Barreto, whose father emigrated from Mexico and founded the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is traveling to his ancestral land with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and a group of business leaders for a three-day trip.

Officially, it is a trade mission whose goals are to promote increased relationship, job creation and higher education opportunities, according a press release from Christies office.

Beyond that, it is also a chance to get some foreign policy schooling should Christie decide to run for president in 2016.

With his state exporting $2 billion worth of goods to Mexico and tens of thousands of New Jersey jobs relying on the relationship, Christie is the latest potential presidential contender to cross the country's borders on official business  and in pursuit of international expertise and credibility.

"If you're a national leader of the party and you go abroad and you meet other foreign leaders, you learn," Christie, who also is chairman of the Republican Governors Association, told reporters. "And that'll make you a better leader whether you run for anything else or whether you just continue to try to be an influential governor in our country regarding the national debates that come up."

In 2013, New Jersey exported more than $2.18 billion worth of goods to Mexico, according to administration numbers, second only to Canada, reported the Washington Times. Total imports to New Jersey from Mexico topped $3.48 billion in 2013.

New Jersey had more than 217,000 residents of Mexican descent as of 2013, according to Christies office.

Christie is just one of the Republicans trying to beef up their foreign policy credentials for a potential general election matchup against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, a former secretary of state.

The nation's role in international affairs is likely to be a key issue in the 2016 contest regardless of the candidates. After consecutive elections focused largely on the American economy, foreign affairs has returned to the forefront with the rise of the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq and the Russian-backed rebellion in Ukraine.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul recently returned from Guatemala, where he performed eye surgeries with news cameras in tow. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum just came back from Israel; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is there now. Two days after Christie returns from Mexico, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to head to China and Japan.

They are all following paths out of the country well-worn by presidential contenders, including former governors Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, who used the travel overseas to boost their foreign policy credentials.

"Every governor who wants to be president has to go on an international trade mission to show their foreign policy bona fides," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The trips, campaign veterans say, give potential candidates the chance to look presidential as they stand side-by-side with world leaders. Arriving in Mexico Wednesday, Christie is meeting with the American and Mexican ambassadors, as well as President Enrique Pena Nieto.

For Christie, the trip also offers him a chance to build credibility with increasingly influential Latino voters.

But more broadly, international experience could be critical in the 2016 presidential cycle, as the U.S. confronts conflicts in Israel, Syria, Ukraine and Russia. Clinton, who was secretary of state for four years, would have a substantial head start on foreign policy experience over any Republican now considering a presidential bid. She's dealt with foreign leaders for years; now it's Christie's turn.

"It begins to help the American people understand, 'Hey, this person has the experience and the gravitas to be commander in chief,'" said Lanhee Chen, the top policy adviser to 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

For Barreto, however, the trip  which his organization took part in coordinating  brings another chance to twin his passions of business and Mexico.

Mexico over the last couple of decades has done an incredible job of stabilizing its financial system, Barreto said. Theyve made a lot of structural reforms. As a country, we run around trying to explore new opportunities. But we cant ignore our most important regional partners to the south just because we also have policy issues we have to resolve.

Some of the topics Christie and Mexican officials will discuss are energy, higher education and trade opportunities.

Such trips, Barreto said, can expand understanding and stimulate interest in further engagement.

After NAFTA, many factories on the Mexican side went to China, because labor rates were going up in Mexico, he said. Whats happening is that those factories are moving back to Mexico because labor rights are going up in China. And U.S. companies realize that China is too far away, Mexico is right there, and they can have something they need the next day.

Christie's trip abroad this week is his second as governor after visiting Israel in 2012.

The three-day trip will features sit-downs with President Pena Nieto and other officials, meals and meetings with Mexican business leaders and a sojourn to Puebla, where he's scheduled to spend some time visiting a park and local school.

There, he'll have the opportunity to show off his greatest political asset: his ability to interact with people.

Christie will be trailed step-by-step by the media. He has no plans to try to speak Spanish while there, and he'll be traveling with a translator.

"I never have been really good at foreign languages. I tried in high school, I tried in college and just never had an aptitude for it," Christie told reporters before departing. "I think the worst thing in the world is when politicians try to fake it. You know, they've got a few things written in a foreign language in front of them, they say it, and they sound stupid and everybody knows they don't really know what they're talking about. And I'm not going to do that."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
A federal investigation that included surprise inspections was unable to substantiate 16 accusations by advocacy groups that the government packed into frigid cells children caught crossing the border alone, made them sleep on hard floors and provided inadequate food and medical care. Other claims about treatment of the children are still under review, according to the Homeland Security Department.

Inspector General John Roth said in a memo made public Tuesday that immigrants alternately complain that detention facilities are too cold or too hot, but either way, there are cloth or disposable blankets. Likewise, Roth said food service has also improved since the American Civil Liberties Union and four other advocacy groups in June made 116 allegations of wrongdoing, mistreatment and abuses by border agents. Among the complaints was a lack of food.

In the memo to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Roth said his investigators couldn't substantiate any of 16 allegations it investigated. Its investigative findings were presented to federal prosecutors, who declined to prosecute "based on the absence of criminal activities," Roth said.

Roth told Johnson that the remaining 100 complaints are still being investigated by the Immigration Enforcement's Office of Professional Responsibility, CBP's Office of Internal Affairs and the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

In June, the ACLU and others complained of "systematic abuse" of immigrant children caught crossing the border alone. The groups said more than 80 percent of the immigrants complained that they received inadequate food and water, about half were denied medical care, and about one of every four was physically abused.

The complaints included a 13-year-old boy who said he was threatened by an official with a metal rod and was later sexually molested while in custody, a 14-year-old girl who reported her asthma inhaler was confiscated, and a 14-year-old boy who said he was unable to sleep for five days because the lights were always on. A 16-year-old boy said an official told him, "You are in my country now, and we are going to bury you in a hole."

An ACLU Arizona staff attorney, James Lyall, described Roth's memo as "an interim report," and said the inspector general's findings don't discount the severity and volume of complaints. He said the allegations mirror thousands of other complaints filed in recent years.

"The fact that they haven't been able to substantiate these allegations certainly doesn't mean that they aren't true," Lyall said. "At some point where there's smoke, there's fire. The sheer weight and substance of these complaints, across sites, across time, certainly should raise alarms."

Roth's memo said most of the 41 Border Patrol facilities where investigators made 57 unannounced visits in Texas and New Mexico were complying with laws and department policies about treatment of the children. The requirements include providing access to clean toilets and sinks, adequate food and water and access to emergency medical care and telephones.

Since last Oct. 1, more than 62,000 child immigrants have been caught crossing the border alone, mostly in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. The wave of unaccompanied children overwhelmed the Border Patrol's facilities, prompting the agency to house children in temporary holding cells. Thousands of children were also transferred to other Border Patrol facilities along the border.

Roth said investigators from his office also made three unannounced visits to a family detention center in Artesia, New Mexico, where more than 600 immigrant women and their children have been held since late June. He said investigators did not see any misconduct during any of the site visits.

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Imagine. The argument over President Barack Obama's legal authority to defer deportations begins 42 years ago with a bit of hashish, a dogged lawyer and, yes, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

President Richard Nixon was seeking re-election, "American Pie" was leading the pop charts and Lennon was in New York facing deportation from a Nixon administration eager to disrupt the famous ex-Beatle's planned concert tour and voter registration drive. The case hinged on Lennon's 1968 conviction for possession of "cannabis resin" in London.

Lennon was eager to at least delay his deportation so Ono could fight for custody of her 9-year-old daughter by a previous husband. Lennon and Ono approached Leon Wildes, a lawyer young enough that he shouldn't have had to ask a colleague, "Tell me, who is John Lennon?" He had grown up in a small town in Pennsylvania coal country, and "I was not into that kind of music," he says.

But he knew his immigration law.

In time, the effort to extend Lennon's stay in the United States would become an integral part of the legal foundation the Obama administration relied on in 2012 to set up a program that has deferred the deportation of more than 580,000 immigrants who entered the country illegally as children.

"All I can say is, John Lennon is smiling in his grave," Wildes said in an interview. "He helped accomplish that."

The extent of Obama's legal authority is now central to the White House deliberations over what else Obama can do  and when  without congressional action to reduce deportations and give many of the 11 million immigrants illegally in the United States the ability to stay and work without fear of being removed.

Until the Lennon case, the Immigration and Naturalization Service had not acknowledged it used its own discretion in deciding whom to deport. But through the Freedom of Information Act, Wildes discovered 1,843 instances in which the INS had invoked such prosecutorial discretion as part of a secret program for "non-priority" cases.

Once the program was revealed, the INS had no choice but to concede its existence and issued official guidance on how it would be applied.

"The remarkable work of Leon Wildes really led to the old agency of INS making its policy about prosecutorial discretion and non-priority status public for the first time," said Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, a law professor at The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law who has written extensively about executive powers in immigration law.

Immigration lawyers and many legal scholars like Wadhia argue Obama draws his authority to act from a broad range of sources, from the Constitution to immigration laws to government regulations.

Critics like John Yoo and Robert Delahunty, both of whom worked in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel during President George W. Bush's administration, argue that the president doesn't have such broad latitude and that prosecutorial discretion can only be applied narrowly.

For Wildes, now 81 years old and still at work on immigration cases, the years spent with John & Yoko were a defining time. (The "hold" music on his office phone plays Lennon's "Imagine.")

Like a good lawyer, he tried a variety of ways to lengthen Lennon's stay.

He even attempted a novel approach. The law said convictions for possession of "narcotic drugs or marijuana" were grounds for deportation. Wildes asked Lennon whether cannabis resin, also known as hashish, was marijuana. "Oh, no," Wildes recalled Lennon replying. "Much better than marijuana." Wildes presented expert testimony that hashish was not marijuana and thus was not covered by the law. "While this argument has some technical appeal," the Board of Immigration Appeals concluded, "we are not persuaded."

In the end, Lennon won by obtaining a "non-priority" classification.

"That discretion exists," Wildes said. "Any agency which is so huge has to be concerned how they spend their money and what they concentrate on and they shouldn't be deporting people who are here for 25 years and never did anything really wrong.

"So that is the message that we got from representing John Lennon."

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's first excursion abroad as a political figure included discussions about economic issues and forging closer educational links between his state and Mexico, but he steered well clear of the most pressing matter confronting the U.S. and its southern neighbor as well as Christie's Republican party, immigration.

On a trip designed to help school him in foreign policy and court Hispanic voters should he seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Christie spoke of a "North American energy renaissance" in which the U.S., Mexico and Canada ramp up investments and do away with "foolish" regulations.

"Too often," he said, "our neighbors in Mexico and Canada have felt that they were an afterthought in U.S. foreign policy. Let me be clear about my view: My view is they should be our first thought, not an afterthought."

He also signed an agreement with the Ministries of Public Education and Foreign Affairs to increase joint research ventures, cross-border fellowships for graduate students and student and teacher exchanges between Mexican universities and those in New Jersey.

"Mexico and New Jersey have a tremendous amount of value to contribute to each other and to the world, and strengthening our economic ties and partnership means also focusing on the ties between our two peoples in academia and the private sector, the governor said in a statement.

But there was no acknowledgement of the need for a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, the thorny issue that has vexed Congress and riled American politicians for years. About 70 percent of Latino voters chose President Barack Obama in 2012, and deep divisions remain among Republicans and Democrats over what to do about the 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, as well as a tide of children flowing across the border with Mexico.

If Christie's visit was designed in part to court Latinos and beef up his foreign policy credentials, he was getting competition on both fronts from his potential Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The former secretary of state is scheduled to visit Mexico City on Friday before Christie departs. She is appearing at an annual event hosted by a financial supporter of the Clinton Foundation, billionaire Carlos Slim. The event will honor scholarship students helped by Slim's foundation. Christie will be on a day trip to Puebla, and the two are not expected to cross paths.

But Clinton's plans served as a reminder of the high bar any Republican presidential candidate would have to meet to compete with her on foreign policy.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Latino that the onus is on Christie to shore up his foreign affairs resume.

Obviously, Chris Christie needs to show some ability in foreign policy, he really doesnt have any, Menendez said. Hillary Clinton has a ton of it, as Secretary of State, and as senator. Mexico has a large domestic audience as well. In this case Christie needs this [trip] far more than Hillary does.

Other potential GOP candidates also are making treks to other countries in pursuit of credibility in that arena.

For his part, Christie spoke in diplomatic terms of the "very special relationship" between the United States and Mexico.

"If world events over this summer of turmoil have taught us anything, it is the tremendous benefits of having as a neighbor a key and friendly partner with whom we share an extensive trade relationship and a deeply shared cultural heritage," Christie said in a lengthy policy speech at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico. He also underscored the power of the North American economy, stressing the links with both Mexico and Canada.

Christie, who gained national prominence with his brash, truth-talking style, hinted only vaguely at the hot-button issue of border security, talking in terms of modernizing border infrastructure "by deploying hardware and software and security technology" to facilitate smoother trade.

Christie began his trip with a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Tony Wayne, and Sandra Fuentes, the consul general of Mexico in New York, in a private dining room at the InterContinental Presidente hotel, where he and his delegation of business leaders, aides and news media were staying.

The group was also joined by Clifford Sobel, the former U.S. ambassador to Brazil, who helped to organize the trip, as well as the governor's son, Andrew.

"There's a lot of things for me to do here, and a lot of things that I'd like to get better acquainted with about Mexico. And so this is really a good opportunity for me to do that," Christie said shortly after arriving.

He continued on a safe note, with scripted remarks in front of an investment seminar convened by one of his state's economic organizations, Choose New Jersey. Speaking at a lectern and sounding tired after an early-morning flight, he stressed the economic relationship between Mexico and his state.

Christie also was meeting Wednesday with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and the country's energy minister before attending a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence.

Throughout the day, Christie acknowledged that the visit is a learning experience.

"I know I have much to learn from the many senior Mexican officials, including of course the president, who have so graciously agreed to meet with me this week," he said during the afternoon speech. "I am ready to hear their ideas about how we can work together more closely, and I hope that our hosts will find this week, and going forward, that I am both an eager listener and an enthusiastic and reliable partner."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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The Obama administrations measured response to the increasingly brazen violence of the Islamic State, could become a factor in the November midterm elections, political experts are saying.

Republicans running to keep their seats, or to defeat Democratic incumbents, have already begun to raise ISIS, as the militant group that has beheaded two American journalists in as many weeks is known, and President Barack Obamas recent comments about the lack of a clear plan for how to deal with it, as a campaign issue.

And there is a growing sense that having no clear strategy is emblematic of the president's response to most major crisis, like the surge of undocumented children at the U.S.-Mexico border and Russian aggression in Ukraine.

GOP pollster Edward A. Goeas III of the Tarrance Group said that voter uneasiness with Obamas leadership can benefit Republicans, who hope to win the minimum six seats required to take back control of the U.S. Senate (they already have a majority in the House).

A question by some pollsters is Do you trust him to do the right thing? Thats one thing hes always gotten credit for. But when they dont like the job hes doing, and they dont trust him, thats an awful deep hole to be in, Goeas said.

Democrats have to climb out of that hole, he said. Democrats like to say that Obama is not on the ballot. But he very much is on the ballot. Theyre struggling across the country and theyre changing their message a lot to see what works.

Criticism of the administrations handling of ISIS has come even from Obamas own party.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a TV interview that Obama had been "too cautious" in his response to the ISIS threat.

"I think I've learned one thing about this president, and that is he's very cautious, Feinstein said. Maybe in this instance, too cautious."

Democrats running for office already face the challenges that come from having an election when the president in your party has been in office for six years. At that point, historically, voters tend to drift toward candidates of the opposing party.

But Democrats already were nervous about the impact on them, and the party in general, of the disastrous rollout of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

And Republicans have been watching to see whether Obama will take unilateral action on immigration, something he threatened, citing frustration about the stalled efforts in Congress on fixing the troubled system.

Republicans have said the president disrespects the role of Congress when he bypasses them and issues executive orders, and have indicated they will make it an issue if he decides to suspend deportation for potentially millions of undocumented immigrants.

In response to nervous Democrats running in November, however, Obama has suggested he will put off acting unilaterally until after the elections, saying that he wants to give Congress another chance to act on immigration.

Now, with the ruthlessness of ISIS coming to the living rooms of Americans  as the militants videotape the beheadings of Americans  yet another issue is moving to the front, potentially becoming just as important as local issues in the midterms.

All of these incidents have a cumulative effect, said Democratic pollster Fernando Amandi, that could very well have an impact on the voting.

But in politics, months can be an eternity, and what looms large now can fade from the radar, or just grow more urgent.

A lot of what can determine if it will impact elections depends on how the president and the administration acts, Amandi said, whether they diffuse this or let it blow up.

There might be a push-back against the party in power in the general sense, he said. Its too early right now to know if its reached that level in the local dynamics of the midterm elections."

"But if we see weekly beheadings and there's no sense that there's a strategy for how to deal with them, then it could impact the local dynamics of an election," Amandi said. "It could increase the sense of voter apathy and suppress the Democratic base, and incite the people who are in opposition to President Obama to come out to vote in stronger numbers."

New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown, the former Massachusetts senator, has tied what he and other Republicans say is Obamas meek response to overseas threats to his Democratic opponent, incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Brown is drawing new attention to a measure he introduced when in the Senate that would rescind the citizenship of Americans who join foreign terrorist groups.

Playing Obamas recent comment at a press conference last week, where he said that regarding ISIS, we dont have a strategy yet, Brown released a campaign video entitled No Strategy that shows burning buildings and terrorists launching rockets as Obama speaks of not having a plan thus far.

Shaheens campaign released a statement calling for a tough response to ISIS. It said: We must use every tool at our disposal, short of introducing ground forces in combat roles to stop ISIS.

In Georgia, Republican candidate David Perdue is tying Obamas measured response to ISIS to his Democratic opponent, Michelle Nunn.

He released a statement condemning Obama-Nunns foreign policy failures and drew parallels between Obamas no strategy comment and a leaked Nunn campaign memo which described her position on Israel to be determined.

Of course, there are also deepening divisions within the GOP over how to move forward on ISIS.

The broader debate pits those who favor the GOP's traditional muscular foreign policy  a group that includes Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio  and those, like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who prefer a smaller international footprint.

The so-called isolationist approach plays well with grassroots activists and a war-weary public but worries many Republican officials and donors who prefer an aggressive American role in world affairs.

These intra-party divisions weren't much on display at a recent Americans for Prosperity event, but may become clearer as each one the crowd of possible presidential candidates tries to distinguish himself in the coming months.

Some of the loudest applause for Paul at the event came when he quipped, "If the president has no strategy, maybe it's time for a new president."

In an emailed comment, however, Paul elaborated by saying: "If I were president, I would call a joint session of Congress. I would lay out the reasoning of why ISIS is a threat to our national security and seek congressional authorization to destroy ISIS militarily."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sen. Robert Menendez, the chambers top foreign policy official, just returned Wednesday evening from a fact-finding mission to the Ukraine, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting government troops since mid-April.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Latino, Menendez, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke Thursday about Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Islamic State militants, who have taken over parts of Syria and Iraq and beheaded two U.S. journalists in as many weeks.

Menendez, D-New Jersey, also addressed the criticism by many Republicans and some Democrats that the Obama administration has been too slow to react to percolating foreign policy situations in the Middle East and the Ukraine, among other places.

Russian Aggression In Ukraine

You just returned from the Ukraine. What can you tell us about what you found on your trip?

Menendez: The Ukraine, from my perspective, is under invasion. Thousands of Russian troops have gone into Ukraine, directly engaging the Ukrainian army. Theyve used columns of tanks, armored vehicles, surface-to-surface missiles. The reality is that this is an invasion.

What do you think should be done in response?

Menendez: The Ukranians are fighting, but theyre out-manned and out-gunned. We need to change the calculus for Putin about his aggression, figuring that now hes sized up the West and says to himself that were not going to levy the most difficult sanctions.

We have to understand who were dealing with. He continues his aggression. He was a KGB agent and is a great admirer of Peter the Great. And Peter the Great was great because he expanded the Russian empire.

When you see a threat, the sooner you deal with it, the more decisively you deal with it, the better.  Sen. Robert Menendez, Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee

Our response has to be more vigorous, more robust [than it has been], there needs to be an expansion of sanctions.

We [the U.S. and Europe] need to help the Ukranians defend themselves [by providing them] with more sophisticated weapons. Weve given them night goggles, but what good are they if you can see something but cant stop them?umen

This is a watershed moment, not just in the context of Ukraine  Putin is fighting Europe on Ukranian soil. Everything he hates about Ukrainians looking westward is about Europe.

The Europeans have to decide how far they are going to let him go. He already did this in Georgia, in Crimea, and other places. He has a history.

How do you think the U.S. has handled this so far?

Menendez: The answers have not been strong enough. Weakness invites provocation. Strength stops it.

The Islamic State

Many people are saying that President Obama has not been assertive in dealing with ISIS. They criticized him when he said that his administration did not yet have a strategy for how to deal with ISISs aggressive moves and brutal attacks in Syria and Iraq. What do you think about how the president has handled ISIS so far?

Menendez: When the president said we dont have a strategy, its not that we dont have one, its that we havent yet decided on one. It was a poor choice of wording.

I know weve been working on what kinds of coalitions were going to build [to respond to ISIS]. ISIS is a national security threat. The beheadings show how ruthless they are, it shows their barbarity and antipathy toward Americans.

The execution of Iraqi troops, the swiftness with which theyve been able to gain territory  all that together with the fact that theyre operating over a large swath of unregulated land mass in Syria and Iraq. They could try to launch attacks against American interests, both abroad and here.

Im for a robust role in ultimately seeking to weaken but ultimately destroy ISIS.

We have to listen to the military people, who understand whats the right strategy.

Some members of your own party, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-Calif., head of the Senate Intelligence Committee], have publicly said that President Obama has been too cautious in dealing with ISIS. Do you disagree with that?

Menendez: I think the president is cautious because he doesnt want to engage us in another Iraq or Afghanistan. By the same token, when you see a threat, the sooner you deal with it, the more decisively you deal with it, the better.

Im hoping that the strategy theyre finalizing is both pervasive and that it destroys ISIS. With Al-Qaeda, we took out the leadership, with ISIS we should do the same.

So you agree with how the Obama administration has responded to ISIS so far?

Menendez: Im not ready to cast judgment. From everything I hear, I understand, from my discussions with the Defense Department, theyve been devising options and looking at strategies.

They have to go before my committee for authorization for any use of force.

When I see the strategy theyre considering, Ill know if it seems right.

Would you support one that includes boots on the ground?

Menendez: Im not inclined to want boots on the ground, but I have to listen to what their strategy ultimately is  whether its using special operations forces, or something more broad.

Here we have a specific goal. This is not about nation-building. Its about taking out a terrorist group.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday said he has no plans to lay out his position on immigration reform until  and if  he decides to run for president.

Christie, who was in the middle of a three-day trade mission to Mexico, had conspicuously side-stepped the thorny issue on the first day of his trip, making no mention of legislation stalled in Congress or the flow of Central American children crossing into the United States illegally through Mexico.

On Day 2, however, the potential 2016 contender told reporters that he would only discuss the issue, which Republicans have described as crucial to the future of their party, "if and when I become a candidate for president of the United States."

"If that happens, then I will articulate a full position on it and then you guys can pick it apart and praise it or damn it however you like," he said before lunch at a taco restaurant.

"But until that time, that's not my job and it's not my role. And I understand everybody wants to start a campaign that I haven't even decided I want to be in right now. I'm just not going to do it," he said.

While its official purpose is to foster economic investments between New Jersey and Mexico, the trip was seen by many as an opportunity for Christie to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of a potential presidential run and to build his relationship with Latino voters. Christie did well with Latinos when he ran for re-election in New Jersey, but he has so far steered clear of articulating an immigration plan.

Christie said he told leaders in closed-door meetings that immigration was "a very difficult issue for both parties" and that "there has to be common ground that needs to be found on this issue." But he said it was up to the president and Congress to find a solution.

Many were also watching the trip to see how Christie's famously brash personal style translates to the diplomatic stage, where restraint is often required. At public events, he seemed to have left his usual bravado at home, packing instead a more humble tone. Again and again, he stressed that a key part of his mission is to listen and learn from those he meets.

Asked about the shift, Christie rejected the idea that he'd left his Jersey in Jersey, as one reporter suggested, but said that he routinely tailored his tone to his surroundings.

"In private I have a little more of it than I do in public. You know, you're getting to know people, so you don't want to go too overboard, right?" he said.

He also took issue with the one-note portrayal of his personality that tends to focus on the brash.

"I've always thought that my leadership style has been portrayed rather myopically. You know, I have more than one club in the bag and I've demonstrated that over time," he said.

While people tend to focus on the "more flamboyant stuff," he said "it doesn't mean that's the way I am nearly all of the time. And so when I'm down here and I'm in a context where a certain measure of behavior is necessary, then that's the way I act. And when there's other behavior that would be more effective, then I'll go way. And I think that's part of leadership. If all you can do is one thing, you're not going to be very effective leading."

The governor maintained a jam-packed schedule during the trip. He began his second day in Mexico with a breakfast with local CEOs and signed an agreement to establish greater collaboration between higher education institutions of New Jersey and Mexico. The agreement would increase joint research ventures, cross-border fellowships, student and teacher exchanges and conferences, among other efforts.

In the evening, Christie attended a reception with the Latino Coalition, where he stressed the respect he has for how government works in Mexico, pointing to an ambitious reform agenda and bipartisan cooperation.

"I think there's a lot that the United States Congress and the president could learn from watching what's happened here in Mexico," he said.

He was scheduled to end the day with a tour of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Roman Catholic shrine where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. It is one of the most revered religious sites in the Americas.

Christie, who has had little time for sightseeing, said it was important to him, as a Catholic, to fit in a visit.

"It would be some kind of sin if you're a Catholic and you are this close to the basilica and you did not go," he said in humor. "I can tell you this: I need no more time in purgatory than I'm going to get already. And missing a trip to the basilica would certainly add to my time there that I've already earned."

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Heading into the GOP primary for U.S. Congress, New Hampshire state representative Marilinda Garcia has been racking up endorsements by influential Republicans and conservatives.

But the most significant, and symbolic, show of support will be on display on Sunday, when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will be in New Hampshire to stomp for her.

The primary, to be held on Tuesday, will determine who runs against the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, in November.

Im proud to support Marilinda Garcia, Cruz said in a statement that was released by Garcias campaign, because she is the candidate who will fight to stop President Obamas amnesty, work to secure the border, and celebrate a legal immigration system that both protects immigrants and our national security interests.

For Garcia, who brands herself a conservative, getting the blessing of Cruz is an achievement.

The 31-year-old state representative was not initially fully embraced by Republicans in her pursuit of the House seat. They saw her chief competitor, former state Sen. Gary Lambert, who is a moderate, as a safer bet and more electable in the Democrat-leaning 2nd District. (Former state Rep. Jim Lawrence is also running in the GOP primary.)

But Garcia, noted for her firm but smooth delivery of Tea Party stances, was showcased last year by the National Republican Campaign Committee as a Rising Star honoree.

If anyone in politics can make impeachment and a repeal of Obamacare sound pleasant, it's Marilinda Garcia, said a USA Today article. The New Hampshire congressional candidate speaks gently, even sweetly, whether she's ripping into President Obama and his administration.

Former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno, a Republican, headlined a fundraiser for Garcia that featured prominent Hispanic GOP members. New Hampshires conservative newspaper, the Union Leader, endorsed her. Then theres the powerful anti-tax group Club for Growth, which released a six-figure ad buy for Garcia on cable and broadcast television.

And now, theres Ted Cruz.

Published reports note that Kuster may not be the shoo-in some might have thought earlier.

A very conservative candidate in a Democratic-leaning district could do well, Dante Scala, an expert on state politics and an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, was quoted as saying in OZY.

But many observers still think it could be a tight race.

Garcia, who was elected to the state legislature at the age of 23, is not taking anything for granted.

In a debate on Wednesday, Garcia said her primary race opponents are either ignorant or lying about immigration, health care or other issues.

During the debate, Garcia and Lawrence seized multiple chances to criticize each other's records at the Statehouse. And afterward, Garcia refused to shake hands with Lambert.

During the debate, Lawrence said such bickering makes "people sick and tired of the political process," but he readily joined in when the topic turned to immigration, echoing a Lambert campaign ad that accuses Garcia of backing amnesty for millions of people in the U.S. illegally.

Garcia said she opposes amnesty and always has.

"Anybody in this country, be they illegal, be they going through the process legally, are not necessarily citizens, yet they have some sort of legal status ... because we are a nation of laws," she said. "Legal status does not mean citizenship. Amnesty and legalization are different things, and if these two gentlemen would like to remain ignorant on that issue, I suggest they do their homework."

In a lighter moment, the three named different features of New Hampshire that they like best.

Lawrence called the state's landscape one of its "greatest treasures," while Garcia mentioned its geographic diversity and four seasons. Lambert's answer also involved the outdoors, but more than just appreciating scenery.

He said the best thing about the state was deer hunting.

Garcia serves on the executive board of the immigration reform group Americans by Choice.

She earned her bachelors from Tufts University in 2006, as well as a Bachelors from the New England Conservatory of Music. She then went to Harvard, where she received a Master of Public Policy in 2010.

She is a recipient of the National Foundation for Women Legislators Integrative Healthcare Pioneer Award and the Disruptivate! Innovation in Healthcare Award. She was honored as one of the Republican Security Councils 45 Most Influential Women under 45.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Norma Torres sees herself in some of the Central American children who have flooded into the United States in recent months.

More than four decades ago in Guatemala, Torres' parents told her she was going to the United States on a vacation. They declined to tell her she would not be coming back. Now 49, Torres is the favorite in a race between two Democratic candidates to represent a Los Angeles-area district in the House.

"In many ways, I see the decision these children have made ... like the decision my parents made for me," Torres said in a recent telephone interview. "They wanted an opportunity for me to grow up and be a successful person."

Torres' candidacy takes place as Hispanics gain increasing political influence in the United States and as Congress struggles over how to proceed on immigration policy. Hispanics make up nearly 70 percent of the district that she seeks to represent, and nationally, Latinos overwhelmingly support Democrats. But in the House, Democrats are expected to remain in the minority after the November midterm elections.

Like others flowing north to the U.S., Torres' family had abundant reasons to leave their home in Escuintla, a medium-size city in southern Guatemala. Her father, an electrician, already had brothers living in the U.S. Her mother was gravely ill with a heart condition. The country was also in the midst of a civil war that would kill an estimated 200,000 people. Thousands more disappeared and authorities were cracking down on union activity.

"We had the idea to emigrate to improve our situation, and also the political situation there was not very clear. I was a union leader," Torres' father, Samuel Barillas, now living in California, said in Spanish.

At the time, Barillas said, children had little trouble traveling to the United States. Torres received a temporary visa and lived with her uncle in Whittier, California. She overstayed that visa, but her family helped her obtain legal residency while she was in her teens. She became an American citizen in the months leading up to the 1992 presidential election.

After sending her to the U.S., Torres' parents planned for the rest of the family to join her. But Torres' mother passed away about a year after her daughter left. Her father eventually traveled to the U.S. with a second daughter after he was offered a job by a cousin who had a workshop in Los Angeles.

Torres worked for 18 years as a dispatcher for the Los Angeles Police Department and ran for local office in 2000, serving first as a councilmember and then as mayor of the city of Pomona before moving on to the California Legislature. She's running for the congressional seat being vacated by Democratic freshman Gloria Negrete McLeod and gained nearly two-thirds of the vote in the state's June primary. Four other candidates divided the rest of the vote.

During her service in the California Senate, colleagues gave Torres the nickname "Little Monster" for her fierce style.

Her approach to the more than 66,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, who have been caught crossing the border since October, is molded in part by her own experiences.

Torres says she agrees that the U.S. cannot take in all people suffering from hardships. But she believes the children are entitled to certain legal protections as they seek asylum.

Under existing law, youths who come without authorization into the U.S., except from Mexico or Canada, are turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services, and then are generally placed with family members or others while awaiting an asylum hearing.

Democrat Christina Gagnier, Torres' longshot opponent in the general election, also supports the 2008 protections.

"It was an example of a bipartisan effort rooted in what America is all about, being a global leader not just for power, but on the humanitarian front," Gagnier said.

Some lawmakers are skeptical that the children are fleeing persecution or torture. As Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, put it during a June hearing: "Apparently, word has gotten out that once encountered by Border Patrol agents and processed, thanks to this administration's lax enforcement policies, one will likely never be removed."

President Barack Obama says the problem stems from a broken immigration system and from dangerous conditions in the children's home countries.

Torres has met with some of the children who have crossed the border. "Turning them back," she said, "you are sending them back to a death sentence."

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's trade mission to Mexico this week was officially billed as an opportunity to foster new business relationships between the United States' southern neighbor and his state. But it also gave the potential 2016 presidential contender an opportunity to bolster his foreign policy credentials. While many watched to see how the famously brash Republican would present himself on an international platform, the trip arguably left open more questions than it answered. Here's what we learned from Christie's travels:

 He won't talk about immigration.

Immigration is undoubtedly the most pressing issue between Mexico and the United States, but Christie showed no interest in weighing in.

"I know you guys are begging to have me focus on immigration. And let me put you to rest: I'm not going to," he told reporters on Thursday, saying he would begin to sketch out his position only when  and if  he decides to pursue the Republican presidential nomination.

Still, the issue trailed him wherever he went, including to the city of Puebla, where a Spanish-language reporter asked Christie what should be done about the flow of Central American children across the border. Christie repeated his stance that Americans are "a compassionate people" who want to protect the children, but also live in a land of laws.

Despite the silence, Christie played plenty to the immigrants back home, working to build his appeal with Latino voters. An estimated 40 percent of New Jersey's Mexican-Americans have roots in Puebla.

He's got stamina.

Christie's Mexico schedule was jam-packed with 22 meetings and events crunched into three days, according to an aide. That included meetings with five Cabinet members, President Enrique Pena Nieto and trip out of town  all while contending with Mexico City's horrendous traffic. He also made a stop at a local taco joint and toured the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most revered Roman Catholic shrines in the Americas, late Thursday night.

Christie bragged about the pace during an event. "I have to tell you that I've felt really good during the last three days and probably better than most of my younger staff," he said, glancing over at some of their tired faces. "Yeah, definitely better than most of my younger staff."

Christie explained that he's not a fan of downtime when he leaves the state. "I like to do as much of it as I possibly can in as short a period as I can and then get back home, not just to do my job but to see my family," he said.

He knows how to dial it down.

Christie seemed to "leave his Jersey in Jersey," as one reporter put it. The famously brash governor struck a more humble tone than usual during his trip, delivering data-heavy speeches and repeatedly stressing that he was there to listen and learn from those he met.

Asked about the shift, Christie acknowledged the more subtle tone: "In private, I have a little more of than I do in public. But you know, you're getting to know people, so you don't want to go too overboard, right?"

 He's still figuring out how to position himself.

If those back home wanted to learn more about Christie's foreign policy views, they didn't learn much from this trip. Christie delivered a policy speech and several other remarks but kept his focus on North America, underscoring the benefits of prioritizing relationships with the country's neighbors. He also talked about building a "North American energy renaissance" by investing in infrastructure like the Keystone XL pipeline and doing away with regulation.

 The Hillary factor.

The prospect of Hillary Rodham Clinton as the Democrats' presidential nominee has already put significant pressure on the potential GOP field to study up on foreign policy so they're prepared to face the former secretary of state in debates. But Christie got an early taste of Clinton's power this week when news broke that she, too, would be making a trip to Mexico, overlapping with his. The former senator and first lady on Friday swooped into town on behalf of the Clinton Foundation to meet with billionaire Carlos Slim, telling reporters her background gives her a "unique vantage point" for the White House should she run in 2016.

Christie was several hours away in the city of Puebla watching school children perform in his honor when Clinton spoke, and he played coy when asked about her comment.

"Good for her," he said with a smile.

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The gubernatorial race in Colorado between Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, and Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez has been defined by issues like the death penalty and gun control  but immigration policy could play a big role come November, too.

Over the last week, Latino advocacy groups, upset about Colorados new drivers license program for undocumented immigrants, are threatening to turn their backs against Hickenlooper and Democrats at the polls. The race could be one of many case studies this fall as to how intense attention on immigration reform, following the surge of more than 63,000 unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally, will affect, if at all, Latino voter turnout and ultimately swing mid-term election results.

The problem began August 1st when undocumented immigrants in the state were allowed to get drivers licenses and identification cards. The new law, which was passed in July 2013, was seen as a victory in the Latino community and among immigration activists who say thousands of undocumented immigrants need licenses to work and provide for their families.

But activists and immigrant community members say the implementation of the law is poorly resourced, according to the Denver Post. Only five out of the states 56 licensing centers will be issuing the cards  by appointment only, and according to the Post, only a little over four full time and 13 temporary positions have been added statewide to deal with the surge of new license requests.

There are an estimated 150,000 undocumented immigrants, mostly Latino, in Colorado and the newspaper estimates some immigrants may have to wait up to four years to get an appointment with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Further irritating Latino activists, the Colorados drivers handbook was translated into Spanish about two weeks after the state began issuing licenses.

The lack of resources sent a small handful of advocates to protest outside the offices of the states Democratic Party last week  protestors held signs reading shame on you Democratic Party and Stop Discrimination.

"We're here because we know the governor wants the Latino vote," Patricia Ramirez, an organizer for Driver's Licenses for All, told the Post. "We want more (licensing) offices open before we give him our vote."

The number of Latino voters in Colorado has climbed by more than 20,000 since 2010  from 144,000 to 162,000, according to the National Association of Latino election Officials (NALEO). A July Quinnipic University poll found that Hickenlooper currently has 58 percent of the Latino vote, and his opponent Beauprez has 31 percent of the vote.

Experts say the suggestion that an issue over drivers licenses could make Latinos in Colorado vote Republican seems a bit far-fetched. But the Democratic Party in the state isnt taking the activist threats lightly.

Last Thursday state Democrats released a news release shortly after activists protested highlighting comments Beauprez made during a radio interview on 710 KNUS where he said he would send Colorado National Guard troops to the Mexican border if Texas Governor Rick Perry requested it.

Beuprez also said he would stop sanctuary policies that keep undocumented immigrants safe from deportation. His campaign spokesman, however, later clarified those comments with the Denver Post saying Beauprez would uphold all laws in place in the state and as governor he would not pick and choose the ones he likes. The spokesman said Beuprez doesnt think the licensing program is a solution to the immigration problem but rather a symptom of a broken immigration system.

The growth of the Latino electorate in Colorado has made the state one of the most electorally competitive in the nation, said Gabriel Sanchez, Director of Research for Latino Decisions and a political scientist at the University of New Mexico.

Our polling in Colorado has found that immigration policy has become a major factor driving Latino voting behavior, Sanchez said in a statement, which helps explain the surge in Democratic support among this key segment of the electorate.
Sen. Marco Rubio did not hold back against President Barack Obamas lack of response on a terrorist group that has targeted American civilians in the Middle East.

The Florida Republican, during a visit to CBS Face the Nation on Sunday, accused the president of committing presidential malpractice when it comes to his foreign policy in the Middle East. He argued that the administration has sent mixed messages about how the U.S. will battle the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

He ran for office under the notion that our national interest in the Middle East was to disengage as quickly as possible and disentangle from the region. And that has been chaotic, Rubio said.

The freshman senator also argued Obamas actions have been counterproductive to the countrys foreign policy and has created some generational and reputational damage to the United States of great significance.

Our allies are watching this as well, and theyre concluding that the American foreign policy is in the hands of someone who does not know what hes doing, Rubio said.

Obama announced on NBCs Meet the Press that he will be laying out a strategy to defeat ISIS on Wednesday, on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

I just want the American people to understand the nature of the threat and how were going to deal with it and to have confidence that well be able to deal with it, he said in a taped interview.

Rubio, who has previously not backed air strikes against Syria, said he hopes Obamas plans will included a sustained air campaign involving every element of our air power, targeting the supply lines, targeting their command and control structures.

I also hope hes announcing that hes going to target the refineries that they now control in Syria, revenues from which theyre using to fund their operations, he continued.

Rubio said he believes ISIS poses a real threat to the U.S. homeland.

For us to simply sit back and say, We dont think they pose a threat, because we havent seen one, I think would be short-sighted, he said. The fact of the matter is this group has among their ranks hundreds if not thousands of people with the capability of entering the United States quickly and easily. And we should not take that lightly.

As for Obamas announcement that he was delaying action on immigration until after the midterm elections, Rubio said: Its definitely politics. He doesnt want to be held accountable by the electorate in the midterm elections for an action that he knows is unpopular.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Senator Ted Cruz says New Hampshire is ground zero for Republicans hoping to gain control of the Senate in November.

The Texas senator was in New Hampshire stumping for Marilinda Garcia, a Republican hopeful for the House of Representatives from the 2nd district, and hoping to energize Republican voters to turn out for the midterm election.

We are 58 days out from the election in November and I think that the election is going to be a very good election. I believe Republicans are going to retake the U.S. Senate. I think we are going to defeat Harry Reid as majority leader, Cruz told Fox News Latino.

The presumed Republican candidate, Scott Brown, formerly of Massachusetts, has been trending in polls pitting him against the Democratic incumbent, Jeanne Shaheen.

Garcia, a state representative and the GOP favorite in Tuesday's primary, would also have an uphill climb in November against another incumbent, Ann McLane Kuster. She has already received an outpouring of support from fellow Latino politicians, including the former governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuno.

Even so, at a rally hosted by the Garcia campaign, Cruz boldly introduced Garcia as "the next congresswoman from the state of New Hampshire.

Following his formal endorsement of the candidate, Cruz said he is confident Garcia will win the primary. I think Marilinda Garcia is an incredibly exciting candidate. I had a chance to sit down and visit with her several months ago and weve continued an ongoing conversation. Shes a strong conservative, shes principled, shes an elected legislator here in New Hampshire and she understands that freedom works, he told FNL.

Garcia was elected to the state legislature at the age of 23 and has continued to grow in political stature. She has garnered national attention and has been tapped by the Republican National Committee as a rising star.

Cruz tells FNL that he believes she is ready to lead on the national stage. She is a strong, positive, optimistic, charismatic leader for the state of New Hampshire, and Im convinced she will stand and fight for the citizens of New Hampshire rather than getting sucked into Washington, D.C., and listening to the special interest down there.

The Texas senator has boasted highly of Garcias conservative values and political amiability. If you support the bill of rights, the constitution, and the liberty that God gave every single American, then vote for Marilinda Garcia, Cruz said as the crowd erupted in to cheers and applause for the candidate.

Representative Kuster self-describes as one of the strongest supporters of the president and his administration and all its policies. Many people around the country have a problem with that, they dont want to see her succeed as a cheerleader for whats happening in Washington these days, Garcia told Fox News Latino.

Garcia adds that regardless of the outcome in the primary, she is thankful to serve as a voice of influence and encouragement.

If I have empowered others or inspired others," she said, "be it young people, women, minorities or just those that share my values to just get out there be more out spoken and engage in the political process, then thats a win.

Senator Cruz showed confidence in Garcias primary prospects telling FNL he plans to be back in New Hampshire when, not if, Garcia wins the primary.

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In Democratic-leaning Rhode Island, the results of Tuesdays primary election could pave the way either to the states first Latino governor or first female one.

Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo was leading Providence Mayor Angel Taveras by 5 percentage points in the latest polls. Taveras, who held a lead in several polls earlier this year, now is either tied or slightly ahead of the other candidate, Clay Pell, the grandson of a U.S. senator, Claiborne Pell, who represented the state for 36 years.

The current governor, Lincoln Chafee, who was elected as an independent and later became a Democrat, said last year that he would not seek re-election.

There are Latinos who back Taveras, 44, in great part because of the affinity they feel with the Providence mayor, who has made his heritage  he is the son of Dominican immigrants  and rags-to-riches journey a theme of his campaign.

But many second- and third-generation Latinos, some point out, lean towards Raimondo, 43, because they see her as a bigger supporter of business owners.

Pell, 32, has made an effort to reach out to Latino voters, launching an advertising blitz in both English and Spanish playing up his lack of political experience as a valuable chance for voters to have a leader whos not tainted by cronyism or long-time party ties that can influence decisions and actions.

Veteran pollster Joseph Fleming said: The Democratic primary for governor still remains wide open.

According to the 2010 Census, 12.4 percent of the state's population is of Hispanic or Latino origin, mostly Dominican and Puerto Rican.

"Gina Raimondo now leads the race [but] with about three weeks to go to the Democratic primary there is still a path for victory for each of the three major candidates," Fleming said, according to the Providence Journal. "And given the openness that many voters say they still have to switching candidates, it is clear there still could be a great deal of movement between now and primary day."

As treasurer, Raimondo reformed Rhode Islands beleaguered pension plan by cutting benefits, which drew the outrage of unions.

Taveras has sought to turn that against her by saying that the state pension plan ended up paying huge sums of money to hedge funds to manage its investments.

She took from people on fixed incomes and transferred a tremendous amount of that to Wall Street, Politico quotes him as saying.

Raimondo goes after Taveras, who is supported by firefighters, police and city employees, among others, by blaming him for the "drumbeat of violence in the capital city" and the states high unemployment rate.

Pell is supported by the National Education Association of Rhode Island and the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, among others.

If Raimondo becomes the nominee, it "will suggest a Democrat can take a hard line on pensions and still survive politically," said Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies at Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., according to The Wall Street Journal.

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Not long ago, the U.S. Border Patrol was the only law enforcement agency monitoring the mesquite thickets and sugarcane fields along the Rio Grande, and an agent's challenge was to distinguish between an exhausted immigrant and a threat.

Now the thick brush is teeming with hundreds of state troopers, National Guardsmen and civilian militia members, all heavily armed and often wearing tactical vests and camouflage.

Since illegal immigration spiked in the Rio Grande Valley earlier this summer, the Border Patrol has dispatched more agents, the Texas Department of Public Safety has sent more troopers and Gov. Rick Perry deployed as many as 1,000 guardsmen to the area. Officials have refused to release exact numbers, but Texas is spending $1.3 million a week on state troopers and about $12 million a month on the guardsmen.

Armed civilian militias, which have joined the fray in unknown numbers, further complicate the effort.

Field communication among the various armed agents is fragmented, and a recent friendly fire incident involving a militia member prompted the Border Patrol this week to urge that law enforcement be left to the professionals. Meanwhile, in border communities, some locals fear that the increased security presence is more of a threat.

The law enforcement entities use different radio equipment, which complicates direct communication in the field. So their representatives sit side by side in a 24/7 command center to avoid surprises  "deconfliction" in law enforcement parlance. Each shift of Border Patrol agents is briefed on the presence and activities of other entities before going into the field.

"Sometimes it can be dangerous, because you have all these (non-law enforcement) people out there running around the border," said Kevin Oaks, the Border Patrol's chief in the Rio Grande Valley. "There are cartel members that carry assault weapons and camouflage, and then there's others that may be under the auspices of whatever group, may look very similar, and we have no idea who those people are. My fear is that these things clash and eventually there will be a very bad outcome."

That was nearly the case Aug. 29, when a Border Patrol agent pursuing a group of immigrants near the Rio Grande east of Brownsville spun around to find a man in civilian clothes holding a rifle. The agent fired several shots but didn't hit the man, who was patrolling with a citizens' militia group.

The National Guard's deployment so far has barely registered with area residents. Soldiers circulate mostly between their hotels and border observation points. State troopers, patrolling in their black and white vehicles, have been far more visible.

On a recent evening, 15 troopers could be seen driving from one side of Rio Grande City to the other. They were among 31 units seen on a 35-mile stretch of border highway between Escobares and Penitas.

Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal is philosophical about the troopers lining his main street and the guardsmen filling his Holiday Inn. Border towns are often buffeted by decisions made in far off capitals on both sides of the border, and they learn to adapt and persevere over time.

"Living along the border has made us so resilient," Villarreal said. "If we want a sense of security in the nation  because it's not just security for Rio Grande City or Texas, it's for the nation  we have to understand there are going to be compromises."

But the heightened security presence has rattled some residents who are used to living in a region with a ubiquitous law enforcement presence.

About 50 people gathered Thursday at the San Juan offices of La Union del Pueblo Entero, a labor advocacy group. A woman took the microphone and asked the crowd how many of them were worried about the intensified DPS patrols. Nearly everyone in the room raised their hand.

Among them was Isabel Barbosa, of La Joya, who said she was riding in a car with her mother and four siblings last month when a state trooper pulled them over, saying her mother had crossed the white line on the shoulder of the road.

Barbosa, 21, said her mother was initially told she would receive only a warning. But she was taken into custody after a Border Patrol agent arrived and determined she was in the country illegally. She was deported the next day after living in the U.S. for 18 years, leaving behind a sick husband and five children, the youngest of whom is 3.

"People are afraid to go out even to the store. They can't take their children even to the clinics. They can't do anything," Barbosa told The Associated Press.

Villarreal concedes that some of his constituents have been taken aback by the increased security and warns visitors to closely observe the speed limit, even though troopers find other reasons, such as dark window tints, to make stops.

"We sacrifice privacy an awful lot down here for the security that this nation needs," Villarreal said.

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The Obama administration renewed its plea Monday for Congress to provide additional money to deal with the unaccompanied migrant children at the border. The request seemed likely to fall on deaf ears as neither party showed an appetite to revive the issue.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement that without the $1.2 billion in additional funding for 2015, he will be forced to take money from other accounts, such as $405 million moved earlier this summer from the disaster relief fund.

"This reprogramming is not sustainable, and leaves the nation vulnerable to unacceptable homeland security risks," Johnson said.

But a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said that the House had already dealt with the issue by agreeing to a smaller sum prior to Congress' five-week summer recess, which ended Monday. "The House has already passed a border supplemental, along with much-needed reforms. Now, it is up to Senate Democrats to act," said spokesman Michael Steel.

No deal was ever reached with the Senate and no final bill ever passed. But with arrivals of Central American children down substantially at the border, the issue is now on the back burner on Capitol Hill and looks likely to stay there during the couple weeks Congress is in session ahead of November's midterms.

The administration might get some additional spending flexibility it's asked for in a temporary government funding measure slated for votes the next two weeks.

In his statement Johnson notes that only 3,141 unaccompanied kids crossed the border illegally in August, compared with a high of 10,622 in June as the crisis peaked. The administration has taken a number of steps to respond, such as reassigning immigration judges, but much of the reduction is seasonal as the summer heat has traditionally discouraged migrants.

The spike on the border pushed the issue near the top of public concerns and it was front-and-center at some congressional town halls earlier in the summer. But now it's been overtaken by other events including terrorist threats overseas.

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The Illinois Secretary of State office is reviewing the agencys handling of information about undocumented immigrants who apply for driver's licenses.

The reason is because despite its assurance to the immigrants that applying for drivers licenses would not expose them to deportation, that is what happened to Felipe de Jesus Diosdado, for example. The Mexican immigrant found immigration officials waiting for him at a motor vehicle office when he went to discuss his license application.

"This particular program was designed specifically for people like Felipe," said Diosdado's lawyer, Mony Ruiz-Velasco, according to the Chicago Tribune. "It was really asking a lot of the community to come forward to apply for a document to identify themselves."

The Illinois Secretary of State agency says the Mexican immigrants experience is an aberration, not an intentional part of the nearly year-old Temporary Visitor Driver's License program, which was meant to encourage undocumented people get their license.

The Tribune reports that the TVDL program has issues licenses to nearly 58,000 people. Several other states also allow undocumented immigrants to drive.

Lisa Grau, the Secretary of State official in charge of TVDL, says that officials provide information about immigration status to authorities when it is requested, and the agency does not initiate contact to put an undocumented immigrant on the radar.

"Obviously, it is never our intention to have anyone's immigration status impacted by this program," Grau said. "Not only have we learned from this instance on how we can best protect the community that we're trying to really engage, but other states will learn from this as well."

Diosdado said he never received a court date or any further notice about his case.

He found a job as a maintenance worker in a downtown residential tower, started a family and bought a house. He said his deportation order never came up when he was convicted in 2005 of driving under the influence.

It was during a background check that the Secretary of State's office learned of a previous deportation order for Diosdado and contacted immigration officials to tell them that Diosdado would be coming to a state office to deal with his license application.

I felt sort of betrayed, because I didn't think that was going to happen, Diosdado said, adding that he did not know there was a warrant in the federal system linked to a deportation order.

"And I've never been hiding because I didn't know I had this warrant. I do everything the best way that I can do it."

The Tribune says that close to 2,400 other applicants in the license program have been investigated after they admitted to previously having obtained licenses through fraud. Immigration officials have access to the database that such information is then stored in.

Applicants who disclose that they previously obtained a license fraudulently are issued a one-year suspension, pay a $70 fee and then qualify for a driver's license, the Tribune said.

Mark Fleming, litigation coordinator for the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center, said that being put at risk of deportation is too punitive, particularly when it involves people who have an administrative violation of being in the country illegally.

"Most of those individuals  the vast majority  have no criminal record and certainly no criminal record that would make them removable," Fleming said.

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Some Latino Democrats, saying they are fed up with President Barack Obamas broken promises on immigration reform, are threatening to sit out the midterm elections and claim there will be backlash at the ballot box come November.

Maybe only by paying a price at the polls will Democrats finally stop throwing us under the bus, Carmen Velasquez, founder and retired executive director of Alivio Medical Center in Chicago, wrote in Politico Magazine.

Immigration activists are voicing their anger on social media and in the press about Pres. Obama abandoning his pledge to act on immigration by the end of summer, instead delaying any executive action on immigration until after the November elections.

They say Latinos are being taken for granted by the president and the Democratic Party in general.

Matt Barreto, co-founder of Latino Decisions and a political science professor at the University of Washington, believes that Obamas broken promise can end up hurting Democrats in the midterm election.

"The White House raised hopes in the Latino community that they would take action before the midterm election, and now that they are delaying the decision, polling data suggests Latino voters will be less enthusiastic about turning out to vote in November, Barreto said to Fox News Latino.

But views are mixed about whether Pres. Obama's decision will have a significant impact on the elections. Some point out that many of the most significant races are in states where Latinos are too small a part of the electorate.

Two White House officials said Obama concluded that circumventing Congress through executive actions on immigration during the campaign would politicize the issue and hurt future efforts to pass a broad overhaul.

A deep sense of betrayal from both parties would be enough to leave Latinos even less politically engaged in the future.  Allort Brown-Gort, professor, University of Notre Dame

Obama's explanation for his decision to delay  that a summer surge in Central American children crossing into the U.S. illegally had poisoned the atmosphere for immediate action  did little to quell speculation that Obama had actually yielded to midterm politics.

After all, nervous red-state Democrats had been complaining throughout the summer that voters would punish them if Obama took provocative, unilateral executive action now, such as deferring deportation for millions of immigrants.

"Our coalition is outraged by President Obama's continued lies and betrayal of the hard working, contributing immigrants who are the fabric of this country, said Sonia Marquez, North Region Organizer for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Action Fund. He has dragged us along for far too long with his false hopes and false promises.

On Tuesday, members of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) plan to unleash their frustration to hold a rally outside U.S. Sen. Michael Bennets office, to express the anger and disappointment in the Presidents decisions and the role of Senate Democrats in asking Obama to delay executive action for political reasons.

Some members of Congress wanted Obama to hold off on making unilateral moves on immigration until after the November midterm elections, out of fear that it would hurt Democratic candidates who are facing tough races.

The presidents willingness to cast the immigrant community aside, yet again, for political reasons has caused deep disappointment across the immigrant rights movement and among the millions of Latino, API and immigrant families who are impacted, a press release by CIRC read.

Although Pres. Obama and many Democrats in Congress have blamed Republicans  particularly those in the House of Representatives  for repeated failures to pass comprehensive immigration reform, critics say that the president and Democrats are also at fault.

The lack of leadership on this issue from him and Colorado Senators [Mark] Udall and Bennet has not gone unnoticed, Marquez said. President Obama and Senate Democrats will continue to be held accountable until they deliver what has been promised and is long overdue."

Obamas 2012 immigration initiative, in which the administration suspended deportation for immigrants who had been brought to the United States as minors and met other criteria, helped win back the support of many Latinos who had grown angry over what they perceived to be weak attempts on the presidents part to push for immigration reform.

In 2012, the DACA [initiative] really mobilized and galvanized the Latino vote, resulting in record high turnout, Barreto said, referring to the presidential election that November, when nearly three-quarters of Latino voters cast their ballots for Obama. We had anticipated the same effect in 2014. However, that now appears to be off the table."

Other political experts, however, think that when all is said and done, the anger and exasperation of the moment will fade if the president, as promised, does take some significant steps, including paving the way for perhaps millions of undocumented immigrants to legalize their status  as long as they meet a strict set of criteria.

Allert Brown-Gort, a professor at the University of Notre Dame and former associate director for the universitys Institute for Latino Studies, said that usually at this point in a presidency, half-way into a second term, the preoccupation is certainly around legacy.

If the president is truly intent on having immigration reform be part of his legacy, Brown-Gort told FNL, then his plan in delaying executive action  which Republicans in Congress vehemently oppose  until after the election could help Obama achieve that.

He has two potential wins, Brown-Gort said. He might be able to hang on to a Senate majority, albeit a tiny one, while still assuring a legacy on immigration once he acts."

He added, If he does act, history suggests thatmuch like 2012action will wipe out all the bad memories and doubts that Latino voters might have had before.

And if Obama once again fails to deliver on his promise?

All the unmet promises that I am with you would begin to cause a real rift that would harm his legacy, Brown-Gort told FNL.

And it could alienate many Latinos from voting altogether.

While Latinos have been leaving the Republican Party in droves, the re-concentration in the Democratic party has yet to solidify, he said. A deep sense of betrayal from both parties would be enough to leave Latinos even less politically engaged in the future. This would be a senseless loss for Democrats, since they need Latinos in order to win the demographic bet.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

A look at the six inmates on U.S. military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.





A federal judge in Kansas lifted a stay of execution for one of the inmates.





The U.S. military carried out its last execution when it hanged Army Pvt. John Bennett in 1961 for raping and trying to kill an 11-year-old Austrian girl. The death chamber has since been remodeled for lethal injections.





RONALD A. GRAY





Gray was convicted and ordered condemned in military court in 1988 for two murders and three rapes in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area while he was stationed at Fort Bragg, where he reached the rank of specialist and was a cook. He pleaded guilty in civilian courts to two other killings and five rapes and was sentenced to eight life terms, including three to be served one after the other. A federal judge in Kansas last week lifted a stay of execution for Gray.





DWIGHT LOVING





Loving, formerly of Rochester, New York, was convicted of killing Killeen, Texas, taxi drivers Bobby Sharbino and Christopher Fay during separate robberies on Dec. 11, 1988, while Loving was stationed at Fort Hood. In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court, in an appeal by Loving, a former Army private, upheld the military death penalty, ruling that President Ronald Reagan in 1994 properly enacted a key section aimed at helping jurors decide who deserves capital punishment.





HASAN AKBAR





Akbar was condemned after being convicted of killing two fellow soldiers  Army Capt. Christopher S. Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory L. Stone  and injuring 14 others in an attack in Kuwait in 2003, during the early days of the Iraq war. In October, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Akbar's appeal, which focused on whether the way in which the armed forces imposes a death sentence complies with recent Supreme Court rulings.





NIDAL HASAN





Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 31 others in the 2009 attack at Fort Hood in Texas, where Hasan opened fire in a room of unarmed soldiers. During his 2013 trial, Hasan told jurors he had "switched sides" in what he called America's war with Islam. He admitted beginning the rampage by pulling out a pistol and shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is great) and said he wanted to stop American soldiers from being deployed to kill fellow Muslims. A Fort Hood police officer helped end the attack in a gunfight with Hasan.





ANDREW WITT





Witt was convicted in 2005 of fatally stabbing a fellow airman and his wife at their duplex at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, as well as wounding a staff sergeant. Prosecutors said Witt killed Senior Airman Andrew Schliepsiek and his wife, Jamie, after they threatened to report he had made a pass at Jamie Schliepsiek and had an affair with an officer's wife. Witt's lawyers did not dispute that he stabbed the couple but contended that the killings were not planned. Officials said the killings were the first ever at the 60-year-old Air Force base in central Georgia.





TIMOTHY HENNIS





Hennis, a former Army master sergeant at North Carolina's Fort Bragg, was convicted during an April 2010 court-martial trial of killing a North Carolina mother and two of her daughters, ages 5 and 3, in 1985. Hennis was first convicted in state court of the killings, but that conviction was overturned on appeal and he was acquitted in a retrial in 1989. Hennis was living in Lakewood, Washington, when the Army brought him out of retirement for the court-martial nearly two decades after his acquittal. A four-judge Army appellate panel last month upheld Hennis' death sentence.

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Source: The Associated Press, December 27, 2016
Republicans have introduced a bill in Congress to penalize both U.S.-born and naturalized Americans by revoking their citizenship if they are involved with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

But even if such a measure  led by Ted Cruz of Texas in the Senate, and Michele Bachmann of Minnesota in the House  passed Congress, it would be very difficult to apply, say legal scholars.

The reason, says Patrick Weil, a visiting professor at the Yale Law School who has written extensively about citizenship laws, is a 1967 Supreme Court decision that said that the Fourteenth Amendment  originally meant to cover freed slaves  guarantees citizenship to all Americans and protects them from losing it, unless they seek to give it up.

Congress can pass any law it wants, Weil said to Fox News Latino, but the courts would find it unconstitutional.

You could lose life, liberty and property, but not citizenship, Weil said.

A foreign-born American could lose citizenship if it is found that the person withheld information about criminal or terrorist activities  or something else that would disqualify them  when they applied for it, Weil said.

In February, for instance, a former Guatemalan special forces soldier was sentenced to 10 years in an American prison for lying on his U.S. citizenship papers about his alleged role in a civil war massacre more than three decades ago.

U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips stripped 55-year-old Jorge Sosa of his U.S. citizenship.

The United States also has, for example, denaturalized  as the process officially is known  former Nazis who settled in the United States and hid their part in persecuting and murdering Jews during World War II.

Cruz, who introduced his legislation  titled Expatriate Terrorists Act  Monday, said that by joining ISIS to engage in terrorism, including the beheading of U.S. journalists, Americans are, in effect, renouncing their U.S. citizenship.

We should take common sense steps to make fighting for, or supporting ISIS, an affirmative renunciation of American citizenship, Cruz said, according to a press release from his office.

We know today that there are over a hundred Americans who have joined ISIS, who have taken up arms alongside the jihadists  And we also know that they are trying to return to their countries of origin to carry out terrorist attacks there.

We should not be facilitating their efforts, Cruz said about his bill, by allowing fighters fighting alongside ISIS to come back to America with American passports and walk freely in our cities to carry out unspeakable acts of terror.

However, U.S. laws protect the right of U.S. citizens to return here. We cannot prevent an American from coming back home, Weil said.

Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, Republicans Bachmann and Ted Poe of Texas also introduced bills that call for the United States to revoke the passports of Americans involved with groups like ISIS.

The Benedict Arnold traitors who have turned against America and joined the ranks of the terrorist army ISIS should lose all rights afforded to our citizens," Poe said in a statement posted by The Hill. "These people are not returning to America to open coffee shops, they are coming back to kill. We must stop them from coming back at all."

Bachmann's legislation would amend existing law to include involvement in terrorist groups like ISIS as a reason for revoking individuals' American citizenship and passports.

"Those who have joined a foreign terrorist organization have taken up arms against the United States and our very way of life. By turning against their country, their passports should be revoked and if theyre naturalized citizens, they should lose their citizenship," Bachmann said.
The brewing frustration among many Latinos over the inaction on immigration by both Congress and President Obama could dissuade many to sit out the elections.

But that inaction, an Independent candidate for Congress in Arizona is arguing in his campaign, is exactly why they need to vote  for someone who is an Independent.

Jose Penalosa, an immigration attorney, is running against Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who faces no Republican opponent.

Gallego is considered a shoo-in for the seat vacated by longtime Rep. Ed Pastor, who said he was retiring. Political experts say the district is iron-clad Democrat and that when he won the primary, Gallego essentially won the 7th Congressional District seat.

Not so fast, Penalosa is saying.

"This election is not over and Ruben Gallego should not take voters for granted," said Penalosa in a new press release.

Echoing a call by several Latino leaders in recent days about the importance of supporting candidates outside the two major parties, Penalosa says the recent decision by Obama to delay executive action on aspects of immigration until after the November election underscores that Beltway politicians are more beholden to the Republican and Democratic parties than they are to voters.

Mr. Gallego has been silent on the Presidents inaction on immigration reform and many other issues which are affecting our communities, Penalosa said. Im ready to lead a new effort to bring about lasting solutions to our broken immigration system and help end the partisanship which has gridlocked Congress.

Penalosa ran for Congress in 2010 as a Republican and in 2012 as an Independent.

He has said he left the Republican Party after it supported SB 1070, Arizonas immigration law.

Gallego, an Iraqi War veteran, describes himself as the son of immigrants and the first to go to college in his family.

His campaign has focused on stemming the cost of college, and better health care for veterans.

Penalosas campaign notes that the congressional district is 43 percent Democrat, 41 percent Independent and 16 percent Republican.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gallegos loyalty to President Obama and the Democratic party, supersedes his commitment to families in our community, said Penalosa. Indeed, I challenge him to publicly denounce the President and the Democratic party for delaying the executive action that would have kept families together.

The Dream Action Coalition, an advocacy group for young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, are supporting Penalosa.

Another candidate in the race is Libertarian Joe Cobb.

As for the Dream Action Coalition endorsement, Penalosa was quoted in the Huffington Post as saying: "There's an opportunity for them to have a voice and not be utilized and ignored by the Republican Party or be served as basically tokens for the Democratic Party. Right now, they're in that particular dilemma. As an independent, I can represent what's best for the district, and our district is ground zero with regard to immigration law."

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A past associate of former Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera will spend no more time in jail for violating federal campaign finance laws in a case that has identified the former congressman as an unindicted co-conspirator, a federal judge decided Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola sentenced Ana Alliegro to six months but gave her credit for time she's already served since her arrest in March in Nicaragua, where she had fled to avoid investigators. Scola also ordered her to serve six months of home detention and two years' probation.

Alliegro, 44, admitted helping illegally funnel about $80,000 to a previously unknown candidate in the 2012 Democratic primary for the 26th District House seat. Alliegro also implicated Rivera  prosecution papers identify him as "co-conspirator A"  but he has not been charged and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The goal, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill, was for the ringer candidate, Justin Sternad, to smear Democrat Joe Garcia in the primary in hopes of weakening him before the general election. But Garcia defeated Rivera for the House seat and is running for re-election against Republican Carlos Curbelo. Sternad received a seven-month sentence after pleading guilty and has also cooperated in the probe.

"There's a need for people to have trust and faith" in honest elections, Mulvihill said. "In this particular case, that trust was destroyed."

Scola said he had to take into account the role Alliegro had in the plot compared with Rivera's apparently greater leadership role and source of the money for Sternad. The judge suggested it was time for Rivera to take some responsibility.

"Some might call it sexism  the man should come forward and not let the woman do time," Scola said. "She wasn't really trying to help Mr. Sternad. She was trying to help Mr. Rivera."

Mulvihill said Alliegro has met twice with the FBI since pleading guilty to four campaign finance-related charges last month. Her attorney, John Bergendahl, said she is cooperating in the ongoing investigation.

"That process has started and is likely to continue," Bergendahl said.

Alliegro herself briefly spoke at the hearing, apologizing to South Florida voters for misleading them and taking responsibility for her crimes. She has worked as a GOP consultant in South Florida and once unsuccessfully ran for the state Legislature.

"What I did was wrong and I'm very sorry I did it," she said.

Her father, Anselmo Alliegro, told reporters outside the courthouse that Rivera has telephoned him a few times to ask about his daughter's well-being and noted they had been friends for about 14 years. Asked if Rivera should be charged, Anselmo Alliegro replied, "I don't work for the prosecutor."

Rivera, a former state lawmaker and longtime friend of current Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, did not immediately respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment.

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The Republican Governors Association is demanding that New Mexico Attorney General Gary King apologize to Gov. Susana Martinez after he was captured on video saying she does not have a Latino heart.

King, the Democratic challenger to Martinez in the gubernatorial race, has come under fire for his comments, which he made during a private fundraiser on Saturday and was later posted on YouTube. In the video, King is said to be quoting national labor activist Dolores Huerta who had spoken in New Mexico.

And the last thing she said, and the last thing Ill say is, you cant go out there and just vote for somebody for governor, because they have a Latino surname, King said at the fundraiser. She said: you have to look at them and find out if they have a Latino heart.

He then finished, and we know that Susana Martinez does not have a Latino heart.

The Republican Governors Association said King should apologize.

"Gary King should consider the impact of his insensitive comments on the Hispanic community and immediately apologize. No matter how much his campaign is struggling, is it reprehensible that he would stoop so low to this kind of personal attack," the statement said.

Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, went even further  saying King not only owes Martinez an apology but all Hispanic in general.

Hes assuming the Hispanics are a monolithic community committed to the big government agenda. To make that kind of a generalization is insulting. Its treating Hispanics as a herd and not as thinking individuals, Aguilar told Fox News Latino.

In later comments, King said he was quoting Huerta to prove that regardless of Martinezs heritage, her political stances are not in line with New Mexicos Hispanics.

I think it points out in an important way that Governor Martinez does not share the same value system as most New Mexico Hispanic families do, such as increasing the minimum wage and supporting our professional educators in the teaching of our children, King said in an email to the Albuquerque Journal.

Kings office did not immediately return phone calls from Fox News Latino seeking comment.

Martinez, who currently holds a comfortable, nine-point lead (50 to 41 percent) in the polls over King in her re-election bid, said she didnt understand where King was coming from with his comments.

Im not sure what Gary King meant by what he said, so Im not going to accuse him of racism, Martinez said in a statement. We certainly have different views on the issues, but I know whats in my heart and I wont question whats in his.

The polls show a divided Latino vote in the gubernatorial race. According to an Albuquerque Journal poll taken Aug 12 to August 14, King holds a 56 percent to 36 percent lead among New Mexico Hispanics.

While no exit polling was taken in New Mexico in 2010 when Martinez was first elected, a Latino Decisions poll taken the night before the election shows Martinez won 38 percent of the Latino vote.
The attorney generals from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have agreed to form a high-level group to address the migration of unaccompanied children.

U.S. Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon says in a statement that Attorney General Eric Holder met with his counterparts in Mexico City on Tuesday.

The attorney generals will form the group with prosecutors from each country, and will work on a strategy to handle the flow of child migrants. The group is to meet in the coming weeks.

Since Oct. 1, the United States has detained more than 66,000 unaccompanied child immigrants, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. More than 66,000 additional immigrants traveling as families, mostly mothers and young children from Central America, have also been caught.

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The 2014 primary season came to a close on Tuesday with five northeastern states selecting the final slates for a number of important congressional and gubernatorial races.

In one closely-watched race, New Hampshire state representative Marilinda Garciawho has been named one of the GOPs rising stars by the Republican National Committeewon her primary race for the U.S. House 2nd district by a wide margin, 50 percent to 26.5 percent for her opponent, former state senator Gary Lambert.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz campaigned for Garcia over the weekend, calling her a strong, positive, optimistic, charismatic leader, and in accepting the nomination, Garcia hit hard on issues dear to the tea party faithful.

Together we can make a difference, she said Tuesday night, to stop what has become an adversarial federal government. We need to return autonomy to New Hampshire and our empowerment as individuals, as families, as communities and as a state to be able to target reforms and solutions to our unique needs. Thats how America works best and thats what we need to return to.

Now Garcia faces the Democratic incumbent, Ann McLane Kuster, in the November general election.

In the states U.S. Senate race, former Massachusetts Senator, Scott Brown, handily defeated former state senator Jim Rubens, for the opportunity to unseat another Democratic incumbent, Jeanne Shaheen.

Both Kuster and Shaheen were unopposed in the Democratic primary.

In an intriguing race in neighboring Rhode Island, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras lost his bid to win the Democratic nomination for governor against the states treasurer, Gina Raimondo. Pell family scion Clay Pell finished in third.

The race between the three candidates was close in the polls down the stretch, but the final margin of victory was 13 points. Raimondo finished with 42.2 percent of the votes; Taveras got 29.2; and Pell 26.9.

Taveras told his supporters, who had gathered at an ale house in Providence, I want all Rhode Islanders to know that our state is worth fighting for.

After a long, hard campaign, Taveras said jokingly that his next goal was getting lots of sleep.

In the race to replace Taveras as Providence mayor, former housing court judge Jorge Elorza was able to mobilize Latino voters in the city to edge out City Council president Michael Solomon and win the Democratic nomination.

The margin was 49-43 percent.

No one thought this was possible, no one gave us a chance, the 37-year-old Elorza told supporters Tuesday night.

Like Raimondo, Elorza will be considered the front-runner in November because both city and state vote overwhelmingly Democrat.

In the mayoral election, however, the presence of Buddy Cianci, who served two stretches as Providence mayor over 21 years, both of which ended with felony convictionsas an independent complicates the equation.

Asked about facing Cianci, who is known to be a tough campaigner, Elorza told the local media, I grew up on Cranston Street in the West End Im from the toughest streets here in the city. And you dont get to this point without having that fortitude.

In the Massachusetts governors race, Democrat Martha Coakley edged out Steve Grossman while Charlie Baker handily defeated his tea party challenger, Mark Fisher. The most surprising result came in the 6th Congressional district, where John F. Tierney, who has held a seat in the House for 18 years, lost to Iraq War veteran Seth Moulton by an 8-point margin.

In New York, Democrats Andrew Cuomo and former U.S. Rep. Kathy Hochul sailed through their primaries and will the overwhelming favorites to win the governorship and lieutenant governorship come November.

In Delaware, Republican businessman Kevin Wade handily defeated the 81-year-old Carl Sminka retiree who claimed that the Holy Spirit called on him to run for the U.S. Senateand now faces incumbent Democrat Chris Coons.

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Its not just Republicans in Congress who are pressing President Barack Obama not to take action unilaterally on immigration.

Its also several Democrats, Politico reports.

Some Democrats in the Senate are trying to persuade the administration  which recently announced it was putting off executive action on immigration until after the November midterm elections  to delay any initiative on the controversial issue indefinitely.

Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat from North Carolina who argued against executive action earlier this summer, said that it would be wrong for Obama to act on immigration on his own.

Delaying action until after the election, she said, was not enough.

I dont think it should be by executive action, said Hagan, whos in a competitive race to keep her seat, to Politico.

I made the comment weeks and weeks ago that this is a congressional decision, added Hagan. Ive supported the immigration reform bill and  I think the House needs to take that legislation up.

Indeed, some of the biggest opponents among Democrats of executive action on immigration are those in tight races.

Earlier this year, Obama denounced congressional inaction on overhauling the immigration system, and said that if the lawmakers made no progress on a measure by the end of summer, he would act unilaterally.

The Obama administration indicated in recent days that it was such action until after the election to avoid giving Republicans the chance to use it as a weapon against Democrats running this November.

The president is said to be considering an action that includes protecting millions of immigrants in this country illegally from deportation, and granting them work permits allowing them to work legally in this country. Such action would be an expansion of a program Obama created two years ago for immigrants brought here illegally as youths.

The administration is also weighing steps that could make more visas available for the business community.

Despite the delay after elections, Republicans have angrily criticized the president for doing an end-run around Congress to change aspects of immigration policy.

There are at least some Democrat leaders who dont seem to want to resolve this issue. Theyd rather have the issue politically going into, particularly, 2016, said Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the head of the Senate GOPs campaign arm. Some of their motivation is: Lets keep this issue around.

Independents who often support Democratic positions on issues also expressed misgivings about changing immigration policies by executive action.

U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said: Significant executive action would undermine support for comprehensive reform and actually perhaps could set the cause back. Its not about the midterms. Its about whether this is a good policy decision, and I dont think it is.

Meanwhile, the White House chief of staff Denis McDonough assured frustrated Latino lawmakers that Obama would take executive action by the end of the year to address the nation's flawed immigration system, and do as much as he can under the law.

McDonough met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at the Capitol Thursday afternoon.

Lawmakers say they vented their anger over Obama's decision to delay his promised executive action until after the elections in their meeting with McDonough.

McDonough heard out their concerns and renewed the president's commitment to act  pledging under lawmakers' questions that it would happen even if Democrats lose the Senate, the political environment turns worse and Obama once again faces calls to put off his decision.

Many Latino leaders and advocates for more flexible immigration measures directed much of their exasperation at Obama and Democrats, warning them of a backlash and saying the party has taken Latinos for granted with lip service on issues like immigration.

Some Democratic senators said their chamber had done its part on immigration reform  passing a bipartisan measure last year  and said the GOP-led House had been the stumbling block.

Weve already passed a comprehensive piece of legislation on immigration, said Mark Begich of Alaska. You would think the House would take it up.

He added that Obama needs to be engaged with Congress on this.

Other Democrats, such as Rep. Luis Gutierrez, are pressing Obama to stop saying hell act unilaterally  something he has threatened for years  and do it already.

"No more excuses. I don't care what senator is dangling in the wind, I don't care what Republican proposal is being put forward, I don't care what happens, we are moving forward," Gutierrez said. "The holiday season must be a season of blessings for millions of undocumented families across America."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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President Barack Obama, who has postponed until after Election Day his plans that could shield millions of immigrants from deportation, is already on pace this year to deport the fewest number of immigrants since at least 2007.

According to an analysis of Homeland Security Department figures by The Associated Press, the federal agency responsible for deportations sent home 258,608 immigrants between the start of the budget year last October and July 28 this summer. During the same period a year earlier, it removed 320,167 people  a decrease of nearly 20 percent.

Over the same period ending in July 2012, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 344,624 people, some 25 percent more than this year, according to the federal figures obtained by the AP.

The figures, contained in weekly internal reports marked "Official Use Only," reflect the marked decline in deportations even as Obama has delayed announcing what changes he will make to U.S. immigration policies. Immigration advocates widely expect Obama to reduce the number of immigrants who are deported, a particularly sensitive issue in many states. Since Obama took office, his administration has removed more than 2.1 million immigrants.

There are two principal reasons why fewer immigrants already are being deported:

The Obama administration decided as early as summer 2011 to focus its deportation efforts on criminal immigrants or those who posed a threat to national security or public safety. Many others who crossed into the United States illegally and could be subject to deportation are stuck in a federal immigration court system. Last month the backlog in that system exceeded 400,000 cases for the first time, according to court data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. For each case, it now takes several years for a judge to issue a final order to leave the U.S.

As Border Patrol agents detain more people from countries in Central America, not Mexico, the volume and circumstances of the cases take more time for overwhelmed immigration officials and courts to process because, among other reasons, the U.S. must fly such immigrants home rather than letting them walk back across the border into Mexico. A surge in the number of immigrant families, mostly women and young children, has swamped temporary holding facilities, leading the Homeland Security Department to release many people into the U.S. interior with instructions to report back to authorities later.

Asked for comment, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said the agency has not released removal numbers for this budget year and officials are "still assessing a number of factors that inform ICE's ability to remove individuals."

"ICE remains focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of convicted criminals and recent border entrants," Christensen said in a statement.

Also, under U.S. law, immigrant children from Central America caught crossing the border alone can't be subjected to speedy removal proceedings without appearing before a judge. The government interviews Mexican and Canadian children to make sure they aren't trafficking victims; then they can be sent home quickly.

The administration instructed immigration officials starting in summer 2011 to prioritize deportation cases involving criminal immigrants. Deportations had been increasing since late 2008, but since that summer the overall number has dropped markedly.

It remains unclear exactly what actions Obama will announce after the elections. He said earlier this month the U.S. would be better off if immigrants  who in some cases he said have been in the U.S. for longer than 10 years and have American children  "have a path to get legal by paying taxes and getting aboveboard, paying a fine, learning English if they have to."

But there are limits under U.S. law to actions that Obama could take without approval from Congress. He can't generally give large groups of immigrants blanket permission to remain permanently in the United States, and he can't grant them American citizenship. He almost certainly could delay indefinitely efforts to deport immigrants already in the U.S. illegally, and he could give them official work permits that would allow them to legally find jobs, obtain driver's licenses and file tax returns.

The president said this month that a partisan fight in July over how to address a surge in the number of immigrant children caught crossing the border had created the impression that there was a crisis  and a volatile climate for taking the measures he had promised.

Amid the crush of immigrant families and children caught traveling alone across the border, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has promised that most will be sent home.

"Those who cross our border illegally must know there is no safe passage and no free pass," Johnson said in July. "Within the confines of our laws, our values and our resources, they will be sent back to their home countries."

As of early September, only 319 of more than 59,000 immigrants who were caught traveling with their families have been returned to Central America.

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While Twitter and other social media sites were abuzz with rumors that ISIS terrorists would attempt to use the United States southern border with Mexico to sneak into the country, Department of Homeland Security officials said that there is no credible evidence that members of the Islamic militant group plan to use the border to enter the U.S.

Speaking to Congress on Wednesday, the officials said that the administration of President Barack Obama is more concerned with jihadist fighters entering the U.S. legally on commercial airline flights.

The Homeland Security testimony cast in doubt the border scenarios cited by lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

"We don't have any credible information, that we are aware of, of known or suspected terrorists coming across the border," said Jennifer Lasley, a senior official in the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence and analysis office, according to the New York Daily News.

Another DHS official speaking to Sen. John McCain during a Senate committee hearing acknowledged that the department had tracked some chatter over social media of ISIS adherents across the globe talking about the possibility of sneaking across the U.S.s southern, but that the DHS is prepared for this threat.

"Any infiltration across our border would be a threat," said Francis Taylor, DHS undersecretary for intelligence, but added that he is "satisfied we have the intelligence and capability on the border that would prevent that activity.

While Cruz, McCain and other lawmakers in border states have argued for beefing up security along the border in the wake of the ISIS threat, the Obama administration has focused more on suspected terrorists who hold western passports.

"The number of known watch-listed persons we are encountering on the Southwest border is minimal compared to commercial aviation," said John Wagner, assistant commissioner in the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol's Office of Field Operations. "We're talking tens versus thousands."

The testimonies before Congress came only hours before Obama outlined his strategy on dealing with the ISIS threat. In a nationally televised speech Wednesday night, the president said he wants to step up military and diplomatic efforts to counter the extremists in Iraq and Syria by arming Syrian opposition forces and extending U.S. airstrikes into Syria.

"We will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are," Obama declared. "That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq."

The president also said he would send another 475 U.S. troops into Iraq to advise that country's forces, but insists they are not combat troops. The U.S. already has launched about 150 airstrikes on Islamic State targets inside Iraq, at the invitation of the Iraqi government and has also sent military advisers, supplies and humanitarian aid to help Iraqi troops and Kurdish forces beat back the insurgents.

The Obama administration doesn't think the militants pose any immediate threat of an attack in the U.S. But it believes the group is a threat to the Middle East and could attack U.S. targets overseas. The U.S. also worries about the group training and radicalizing Americans who could later return to attack America.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This is the first of two parts. On Friday, the story will explore how immigration lawyers are using the 2008 human trafficking law to keep kids like the Ortiz family in the U.S.

The five Ortiz children were outside their grandmothers home in El Salvador when a black car with tinted windows pulled up, four men got out, and gunned down a 21-year-old neighbor.

The blood-soaked man stumbled toward them, then collapsed and died.

The nightmare would not end there.

The children, who ranged in age from 1 to 11, were witnesses. And the men involved in the lethal hit were members of one of El Salvadors dreaded street gangs, dubbed maras.

The maras, a generic term for the violent street gangs terrorizing parts of Central America, relentlessly called the childrens grandmother, who had been looking after them since their mother  like so many others  crossed several borders in 2007 to flee an abusive husband and work in the United States and send back money for her family.

They said theyd kill the children. They said they knew the children had seen everything, said their mother, Teresa Ortiz, in the apartment she rents in the Brentwood section of Long Island, New York. My mother changed her phone number several times, and each time they found out the new one and continued calling and threatening.

And so Ortiz worked day and night, in factories, and New York homes, to amass the tens of thousands of dollars it took to get all five children out of El Salvador between 2009 and 2014.

The last one, Saul, her only son, reunited with her two months ago. Saul, 15, a soft-spoken boy who is rail-thin, had become a target of the maras unvarnished recruitment pitch: Join or die.

The Ortiz children are part of the more than 100,000 unaccompanied minors who have traversed Central America and been handed off from smuggler to smuggler to reach the U.S. in recent years.

Like Saul and his four sisters  Elivenia, Anyeli, Myelin and Luciana  many have been put on the dangerous trek north by their parents because of gang violence, and gang pressure to join, as well as poverty.

I did not want to go outside [my grandmothers house], said Saul, who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas two months ago after having traveled for nine days from his homeland. The maras threatened me. I was on a bicycle one day to buy tamales for my grandmother, and they said I was on their turf. They said theyd kill me if I went there again.

They also threatened him with harm if he did not join.

If you refuse, you are murdered, Saul said with a mix of bewilderment and matter-of-factness.

His mother, who is 32, hired a smuggler to arrange for Sauls trip  via cars, vans, truck and foot  to the U.S. for $4,500. Others being smuggled with him included two women with small children, and another unaccompanied minor, younger than Saul.

I did not feel afraid, Saul said. I did not know the men smuggling us, but what sustained me was knowing that I would see my mother again.

A Mother's Heart-Wrenching Decision

Deciding to send your children on a journey that has claimed countless lives  people have died from the intense desert heat or at the hands of criminals  including, sometimes, the smugglers themselves, who prey on them  is gut-wrenching, Teresa Ortiz said.

Opting to send young daughters on the 1,500-mile journey alone is especially traumatizing, she said. So many young girls are raped along the way.

A mother is never at peace when your children are not with you, Ortiz said, adding that it is especially difficult when life in the home country is a daily battlefield.

As a mother, I was not going to allow maras to kill them. I prefer them to take the risk to get here for a better life than face certain death in El Salvador.

El Salvador, a country of some 6 million people, has among the worlds highest murder rates.

The same is true of Honduras and Guatemala, the other two countries that account for most of the youths who have been part of the influx at the U.S.-Mexico border that the Obama administration called a humanitarian crisis.

La Union, the area in the eastern part of El Salvador that the Ortiz family comes from, has a far higher murder rate than the national average, according to the U.S. State Department. Much of the violence comes from gang members, who are steeped in murder for hire, carjacking, extortion, as well as trafficking drugs, arms and humans.

Their threats, U.S. authorities and international human-rights organizations say, are backed by unequivocal action that has grown bolder and bloodier in recent years. The maras are arming themselves with high-powered rifles and have attempted to join the Salvadoran army in order to receive military training, the nations public safety minister, Ricardo Perdomo, said in April.

The number of people reported as missing in El Salvador climbed 93 percent in 2013 over the previous year, and gangs are believed to be responsible for the bulk of the disappearances, the U.S. State Department reports.

Salvadorans who have fled to the United States say calling authorities is of little help.

The impoverished nation, the U.S. State Department notes, lacks sufficient resources to properly investigate and prosecute cases and to deter violent crime. El Salvadors current criminal conviction rate is five percent.

Whats more, the agency says, Assaults against police officers have risen, and public shootouts are not uncommon.

A Dashed Dream

The Obama administration has come under fire over its role in and handling of the border crisis. The president's recent decision to delay executive action on immigration matters until after the midterm elections has only heightened the criticism.

Republicans blame the president's decision to relax deportation rules for fueling rumors circulating in Central America that once here, migrant kids are allowed to stay. They want the Obama administration to expedite the process for sending minors back to their homelands, and to put pressure on the Central American nations to do what they must to stop the exodus.

In July, the Obama administration asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency funds that would include funding for the Justice Department to hire 40 new immigration judge teams and about $1 billion for immigration enforcement efforts within the Homeland Security Department to help speed removal of immigrant families traveling with children, in addition to about $295 million to support repatriation, reintegration and border security efforts in Central America. But none of the funds have been approved.

Supporters of the minors want the Obama administration to lean toward helping as many of them as possible get a fair hearing  including legal counsel  and the chance to stay in the United States.

It was never my intention to come to the United States in order to stay here permanently, said Teresa Ortiz. I was fleeing an abusive husband who would have killed me.

She said that in 2007, when she crossed the border with a sister, she envisioned putting enough time and space between her and her batterer to get her thoughts together, earn better wages than the $40 a week she made in El Salvador and return a few years later with enough savings to move herself and her children to a safer part of the country.

But when the nation went into its downward spiral, and Salvadorans saw the rise of gangs  part of the reason were mass deportations of gang members from the United States  that dream evaporated, she said. Instead, she shelled out a total of $30,000 to smugglers to bring her children here.

The eldest daughter, Elivenia, crossed in 2011, taking a month to arrive. The other three girls crossed last year, and Saul came in May 2014.

I never thought things would take a turn in El Salvador the way they have, she said. I never thought I would end up having to get all my children out of there.

No one, she said, wants to leave their homeland to go to a place where they are unable to communicate, where they dont know the culture, and where they are far away from their children.

I had a place to live in El Salvador," she said. "Even if you didnt have anything to eat sometimes, a neighbor would lend a hand, would give you some food.

To her youngest kids she was almost a stranger, she said. She left when they were very young  her youngest, 6-year-old Luciana, was just an infant.

Theres a distance I feel sometimes between us, she said, referring to Luciana, who has become remarkably proficient in English in the year since she crossed the border. When she first saw me, when I went to get her in Texas after I was called by [immigrant shelter officials], telling me that my daughters were there, she looked at me like Is that my mother? It is very painful.

Discovering Childhood

All the Ortiz girls have been granted Special Immigrant Juvenile status, a visa available to children who were abandoned, abused or neglected by one or more of their parents. They qualified because they had no parent deemed fit in El Salvador.

The visa often paves the way for a green card.

Saul is going through the process, which involves a local family court making a determination about whether the child meets the visa requirements.

The visa stems from a 2008 law, called the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which allowed for more leniency regarding unaccompanied minors who come from countries other than Mexico and Canada.

U.S. officials, scrambling to shut triggers for the influx from Central America, are taking a hard look at the law, and considering ways to make it significantly more restrictive.

Saul thinks of the difference it has made for his sisters, and says he hopes it remains in place.

On a recent day, he and the other Ortiz children rode bicycles in circles in the backyard of the multi-family home in which the family rents a basement apartment. There were squeals and laughter and smiles  the ordinary sights and sounds of children.

But to Saul, Elivenia, Anyeli, Myelin, and Luciana, playing outside is  to varying degrees  new and remarkable. It means being carefree, it means being able to be outdoors, it means no longer looking over your shoulders or bracing to run for cover.

It means being safe.

Life here is so peaceful, Saul said. There are no maras, no violence, no death. You live happily here. You do not see ugly things. You can go through the day without being threatened or killed.

Luciana notes that she learned to ride a bike here.

I feel safe, I feel more happy, she said, adding that she enjoys school.

I want to be a teacher someday.
The Walls Unit, Huntsville, Texas

The death penalty is rare, even in Texas, where just seven executions were carried out this year. In some places, it's almost nonexistent. In Dallas and Harris counties, not a single death sentence was handed down this year.





This is good news.





Executions are costly. Their value in deterring would-be murderers and others from committing their crimes is small. And they are disproportionately carried out against persons of color. Of the nine men sentenced to death in Dallas or Tarrant counties since 2012, all are African-American. In Harris County, 15 of the 18 more recent death sentences have been handed down against black defendants, the other three against Latinos.





Worst of all, an execution is the outcome of an error-prone system, and one that simply can't be undone once carried out.





That insight was at the heart of the ruling 45 years ago next year in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the death penalty violated the Constitution.





"The penalty of death differs from all other forms of criminal punishment, not in degree but in kind," Justice Potter Stewart wrote in one of five concurring opinions in Furman vs. Georgia. "It is unique in its total irrevocability. It is unique in its rejection of rehabilitation of the convict as a basic purpose of criminal justice."





Four years later, the court ruled that with proper attention to racial fairness and other factors, the executions could resume. But ever since, Texas has had a starring role in demonstrating just how naive that second decision was.









In the past five years, 26 inmates on Texas' death row have been removed. Eighteen saw their sentences reduced. Seven died in custody. One was exonerated and released.





Even Texas' famously tough-on-crime Court of Criminal Appeals has grown far more careful when it comes to executions. In the past two years, the court has issued a total of 15 stays of execution. In the three years before that, it averaged just one per year.





Nationwide, the use of the death penalty is also at a low.





It's encouraging, too, to see Justice Stephen Breyer continue his sometimes-lonely crusade to convince the rest of the court to take up again, as they did in 1972 and 1976, the overall question of whether the Bill of Rights prohibits executions.





The penalty is so rare and so random in its application, it should no longer be tolerated: "Individuals who are executed are not the 'worst of the worst,'" Breyer wrote Dec. 12, "but, rather, are individuals chosen at random, on the basis, perhaps of geography, perhaps of the views of individual prosecutors, or still worse on the basis of race."

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Dallas News , Editorial, December 27, 2016
Ted Cruz was well into his keynote speech before a Christian group Wednesday night when he drew boos as he started to talk about the Jewish cause.

The U.S. senator from Texas then went off script to scold the booers, and after making several more comments in defense of Jews and Israel, drawing more heckling, walked off the stage.

In his address during a gala dinner of the In Defense of Christians (IDC) organization, the Tea Party Republican said: Christians have no greater ally than Israel.

That drew boos from some in the crowd, prompting Cruz to denounce it as bigotry and hate.

He said to the audience: "Those who hate Israel hate America," and "Those who hate Jews hate Christians."

Cruz said in a statement that he had no choice but to walk off the stage.

IDC released a statement too, saying in part: "A few politically motivated opportunists chose to divide a room that for more than 48 hours sought unity in opposing the shared threat of genocide, faced not only by our Christian brothers and sisters, but our Jewish brothers and sisters and people of all other faiths and all people of good will.

"Tonights injection of politics when the focus should have been on unity and faith, momentarily played into the hands of a few who do not adhere to IDCs principles. They were made no longer welcome," it added.

Ted Cruz, mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016, called anti-Semitism an evil that was evident at the dinner. He said he told members of the audience that if they won't stand with Israel and the Jewish people, then he will not stand with them.

The Texas senator, 43, is part Cuban, part Italian and part Irish. He comes from a Roman Catholic family but was converted by his parents to Southern Baptism at a young age.

"In Defense of Christians" is a group that focuses on persecuted Christian and minority communities in the Middle East. Cruz was speaking to them at their summit in Washington D.C.

A video of the event shows Cruz saying before he left the stage: I will say this: Im saddened to see that some here, not everyone, are so consumed with hate.

That led to more booing and some yelling from members of the audience, Politico reported.

Cruz told some media outlets that he had planned to speak about how the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and other terrorist groups were a threat to Jews and Christians.

I told the attendees that those who hate Israel also hate America, he said, according to Politico. That those who hate Jews also hate Christians. And that anyone who hates Israel and the Jewish people is not following the teachings of Christ. These statements were met with angry boos.

Anti-Semitism is a corrosive evil, and it reared its ugly head tonight, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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With Florida Gov. Rick Scott and former governor Charlie Crist virtually tied, Hispanic voters in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, as well as the crucial I-4 corridor in central Florida, could determine who wins the states gubernatorial race. Thats why both candidates  one Republican, one Independent  picked Hispanic running mates, according to state Republican and Democratic leaders.

I believe having two Latino candidates for lieutenant governor on the ballot will motivate Hispanic voters to the polls, said Nelson Diaz, chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee. Its a good sign that both Gov. Scott and Crist respect the Hispanic community.

Angelo Castillo, a Democratic city commissioner from Pembroke Pines, Florida, said it speaks volumes about the importance of the Hispanic vote in this election.

Scott and Crist have realized they need to capture as many Hispanic voters as they can, Castillo said.

In February, Scott, a Republican, made Cuban-American politician Carlos Lopez-Cantera the first Hispanic lieutenant governor in state history. He had previously served an eight-year term in the state Legislature, including a stint as house majority leader, and Miami-Dade Property Appraiser.

Experts say Lopez-Cantera, 40, helps Scott solidify support with Cuban-American voters in Miami-Dade, the largest Hispanic base in Florida. Four years ago, Scott narrowly won the Hispanic vote by a 50 to 48 percent margin over then-opponent Alex Sink, largely due to his securing 68 percent of the Cuban American electorate in Miami-Dade.

Lopez-Cantera is very popular and has name recognition, Diaz says. As a son of the Cuban exile community, it bodes well for him and Gov. Scott since higher numbers of Cuban-Americans vote in the midterm election than in presidential years.

To counter Scotts selection, Crist announced in July that Miami-Dade Democratic Party chief and state party vice-chairwoman Annette Taddeo-Goldstein was his pick for lieutenant governor.

A Colombian-American businesswoman who started her own translation company, Taddeo-Goldstein made two unsuccessful runs for political office before her ascent in the Democratic Party. She lost to Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen in 2008, as well as a bid for a Miami-Dade County Commission seat in 2010.

Two years later, Taddeo-Goldstein played an instrumental role in helping the Obama campaign win the Hispanic vote that gave the president a narrow victory in Florida over Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

Taddeo-Goldstein has also made several bold moves to increase the Democrats profile among Hispanics. For instance, she opened a party office in Little Havana, a traditionally Cuban-American Republican stronghold. To promote a higher minimum wage, she and a state lawmaker pretended to live for a week on minimum wage. To woo voter party switchers, she and former state Rep. Ana Rivas Logan (who became a Democrat) stood outside the elections office and destroyed Rivas Logan's Republican voter registration card.

Antics aside, Taddeo-Goldstein is a candidate who appeals to non-Cuban Hispanic voters, a majority of whom are Democrats, said Darren Soto, a state senator from Orlando. Sotos district is located in the crucial I-4 corridor that has seen an explosion of Hispanic voters registering as Democrats. Three weeks ago, he joined Taddeo-Goldstein at the grand opening of the Crist campaigns Orlando office.

Every time Annette shares her story, talking about how difficult it was for her in college because Spanish was her first language, she connects with people, Soto said. Her struggle appeals to people from Puerto Rico and recent immigrants from Central and South America who made central Florida their new home.

Having Taddeo-Goldstein on the Democratic ticket increases his partys chances of reclaiming the governors mansion, Soto insists. Two separate polls published recently by Survey USA and the New York Times support the senators claims. Both found that 49 percent of Hispanics favored the former governor to the current one, although their enthusiasm for Crist is not as high as it was for Obama in 2012, when the president captured 60 percent of the Latino vote.

Moreover, Crists popularity among Cuban-American voters plummeted during the first six months of his campaign. In April, A Survey USA poll showed Scott led Crist by 52-46 percent among Cuban-Americans. In late August, a new poll found that Cuban-Americans now favored Scott over Crist by 63-30 percent.

Diaz, Miami-Dades Republican Party leader, doesnt see Democrats bucking the trend of losing a major race during a midterm election.

My suspicion is that there is not much enthusiasm for Crist among Democrats, he says. But if anyone can get a good Democratic turnout, its Annette.

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Calling it one of the most important pieces of legislation in Nevada history, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed into law an unprecedented package of incentives to seal a deal to bring Tesla Motors' $5 billion battery factory to the Silver State.

The "gigafactory" is expected to bring more than 20,000 jobs and $100 billion to Nevada's economy over the next 20 years. It will be the biggest lithium battery factory in the world and is critical to the electric car-maker's plans to begin mass marketing a more affordable line of the vehicles within three years.

One lawmaker said it was the most important development in Nevada since the construction of the Hoover Dam southeast of Las Vegas during the Great Depression

"It doesn't get any bigger than this," Sandoval said as he put his signature to four bills late Thursday night, shortly after the state Legislature unanimously approved the package that includes tax credits and other incentives worth up to $1.3 billion.

"This is some of the most important legislation that's hit this state in perhaps our history," the Republican governor said. "We have changed the trajectory of this state, perhaps forever."

Flanked by legislative leaders and dozens of lawmakers, Sandoval presented a Nevada license plate with "TESLA" to Diarmuid O'Connell, Tesla's vice president for business development who helped pick the site at an industrial park along Interstate 80 about 15 miles east of Sparks.

"We are really excited to get going on this project," O'Connell said, which will bring prices down for batteries to power its upcoming line of cars with a price tag less than $40,000. "It means so much for our mission, which is to catalyze sustainable transportation by creating a mass market for electric vehicles."

Under the biggest piece of the package providing up to $1.1 billion in tax abatements, California-based Tesla would pay no property taxes or payroll taxes for up to 10 years and no local sales or use taxes for up to 20 years. Another $195 million in tax credits were also approved.

Tesla will have to give some or all of the money back if it fails to spend $3.5 billion in the state within 10 years. The agreement also mandates half the jobs go to Nevada residents, at both the factory expected to employ 6,000-plus and among the 3,000 projected construction jobs.

"This really is the definition of the rising tide lifting all boats," said Steve Hill, director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development. "It wasn't that long ago we were suffering through one of the worst recessions in Nevada history with 14.5 percent unemployment."

Sandoval also signed three other bills that made up the package, one discounting electricity for Tesla and another ending a $25 million annual subsidy  $125 million over five years  for insurance companies to help pay for Tesla's tax credits.

The final one makes it clear it is legal for Tesla to sell the cars it manufactures at dealerships it owns in Nevada. That had been a sticking point in Texas, which along with California, Arizona and New Mexico had competed with Nevada for the plant.

All four bills passed on votes of 21-0 in the Senate and 39-0 in the Assembly.

Some of the public comment questioned why such a big company needs such a big handout from taxpayers.

"I think it is kind of ironic that a renewable energy, a green energy car company we are courting to come to our state, that one of the things we are giving them is free energy," said Angie Sullivan, a Las Vegas schoolteacher.

"Nobody pays my electric bill," she said. "I think they are taking advantage of my state when we have limited funds."

Earlier Thursday, several Senate Democrats objected to Sandoval's plan to cut all but $10 million from an $80 million program the last Legislature approved providing tax credits to the motion picture industry. That $70 million combined with the $125 million from the home insurance office credit would offset a total of $195 million in Tesla tax credits.

"I think it sets a dangerous precedent when we passed the program in the Legislature and then in just seven months, we just wipe it out," said Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas. "What if another shiny object comes along?"

But in the end, no one voted against the measure.

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, said Texas' decision to deploy National Guard troops along the border is "not only unpleasant, but completely reprehensible."

In an interview with the newspaper El Universal published Friday, Pena Nieto said Texas' move could affect bilateral relations.

He argued the border should not be militarized and issues should be solved jointly.

"I see this attitude as completely reprehensible and it does nothing to solve a problem that we have to deal with together," Pena Nieto said.

Texas maintains it needs to deploy National Guard troops to stop drug traffickers. The number of Central American migrants entering Texas also spiked earlier this year, but the flow has since declined.

"I believe that those who get to the border should be treated decently, with sufficient care, and according to the immigration policies of the United States - but no, in no way [should this mean] combating this migratory phenomenon ... with a National Guard troops on the border," he said.

Gov. Perry's spokeswoman, Lucy Nashed, said the guard had been sent to the border "to disrupt criminal activity that threatens all American citizens."

"Rather than questioning Gov. Perry's decision to do what he knows is right for the citizens of his state and country, we wish the Mexican government would instead work more cooperatively with us to address this very serious problem," she said.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has criticized border security and suggested last month that Islamic terrorists could be entering the U.S. from Mexico, a charge Mexico has dismissed as "absurd."

The AP contributed to this report.

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Attorney General Eric Holder is arguing publicly in favor of legal representation for migrant children arriving unaccompanied at the border  even as his department takes the opposite position in court.

Holder said Friday in a speech to the Hispanic National Bar Association that, "Though these children may not have a constitutional right to a lawyer, we have policy reasons and a moral obligation to insure the presence of counsel."

Yet last week, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Leon Fresco appeared before a federal judge in Seattle to argue that providing legal representation for immigrant children facing deportation could create open borders and send the message that no one here illegally would be removed.

"It would create a magnet effect," Fresco said in court.

That argument before U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly came in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of immigrant advocates on behalf of a group of migrant children. A ruling is pending.

The contradiction emerges between what the administration argues the children are constitutionally entitled to, and what Holder says he supports as a policy. On Friday he discussed a new $1.8 million program to help legal aid organizations represent migrant children in courts, and said the department is working "to facilitate access to legal representation for these children."

Immigration advocates say the administration can't have it both ways.

"They can try to distinguish between their legal and moral obligation, but if you're saying there's a moral obligation to the children, you're recognizing that in order for them to have a fair hearing, they need an attorney," said Matt Adams, legal director at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, a plaintiff in the lawsuit in Seattle.

In a statement, Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas tried to explain the contradiction.

"There is no question that, as a policy matter, the department would like children in immigration proceedings to have counsel. But the issue in the pending litigation is quite different and involves only whether there is a constitutional right to government-funded counsel," she said. "While there is no constitutional right to counsel for immigrants in removal proceedings at government expense, the administration is still urging Congress to fund these attorney positions as a matter of discretion."

More than 60,000 children and youth have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in the last year without their parents, many fleeing vicious gangs in Central America. Although the arrivals at the border have dropped sharply, the vast majority of those admitted to the U.S. remain, their cases moving slowly through badly backlogged immigration courts.

Under the law, migrant children who arrive from Central America are guaranteed court hearings. But unlike defendants in criminal court proceedings, immigrants facing deportation proceedings are not entitled to counsel.

Advocates bringing the case in Seattle argue that for children who are fleeing brutal circumstances and might have asylum claims, the Constitution's due-process guarantee requires that they should be represented.

The government disagrees, arguing that the children already have legal protections, and that an injunction declaring they should all have legal representation would result in all their removal proceedings being stopped and draw many more children to the U.S.

But in his public comments, Holder's position is closer to the advocates' side. "The way we treat those in need, and particularly young people who may be fleeing from abuse, persecution and violence, goes to the core of who we are as a nation," he said Friday.

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A few miles from the street where Michael Brown died is the grave of Dred Scott, a slave who went to the Supreme Court and tried, unsuccessfully, to be recognized as a free American citizen.

One hundred and fifty-seven years later, a white police officer's fatal shooting of Brown  unarmed, black and 18 years old  raises fresh questions about the extent to which blacks in suburban towns are regarded as full partners by the officials and law enforcers elected largely by and responsive to small segments of the population.

Political participation is increasing on the national level for blacks and Hispanics. On the local level, voting continues to be struggle, as it is in this St. Louis suburb.

In the most recent city election in April, only 1,484 of Ferguson's 12,096 registered voters cast ballots, easily re-electing the mayor. Next year voters can weigh in again on their municipal government through city council elections.

Nationally, only 1 in 4 four voters turns out for mayoral elections in the largest cities, according to a 2013 study of 340 mayoral elections in 144 cities from 1996 to 2012 by Thomas M. Holbrook and Aaron C. Weinschenk of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.

Missouri does not ask about race or ethnicity on its voter registration forms. But roughly two-thirds of Ferguson's residents are black. The police force is predominantly white. Five of Ferguson's six city council members are white, as is the mayor. The grand jury investigating the Brown case has six white men, three white women, two black women and one black man.

Lifelong Ferguson resident Andre Adams, 29, a barber at Infiniti Styles Barbering Salon, said he votes whenever he can. Young people in Ferguson must be convinced that they should do the same, Adams said, or "we're just going to fall victim to what's going on now."

"We need more of our young people, as well as our old people to come out here and vote, to get what's going on, to listen in to the town hall meetings and all," Adams said. "If we could get them, something could actually change."

There are signs that residents are ready to reverse years of civic apathy.

At the city council's Sept. 9 meeting, the first since Brown was killed, resident after resident pledged to vote Mayor James Knowles and council members out of office, sharply rejecting earlier assertions by Knowles that there was no "racial divide" in Ferguson.

Attention to minority participation in civic life has increased since Aug. 9, when Brown was shot multiple times by Officer Darren Wilson, and died in the street. Protests followed, sometimes marred by rioting and looting that was met with tear gas and rubber-coated bullets from police.

The city largely has been calm since Brown's Aug. 25 funeral, except for demonstration Wednesday when protesters were arrested while trying to shut down traffic on Interstate 70.

Brown's family has appealed for people to get involved. "Show up at the voting booths. Let your voices be heard, and let everyone know that we have had enough of all of this," said Eric Davis, one of Brown's cousins, at the funeral.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose voter registration efforts helped bring about the election of the first black mayor of Chicago in 1983, spent time in Ferguson trying to register people to vote following Brown's death. Jackson, who ran for the White House in 1984 and 1988 and says his campaigns were responsible for registering 3 million new voters, said minority voters had to be educated on how the nominating process works so they could become part of it.

Jackson said he tried to explain to Ferguson residents why it matters to participate in elections at all levels.

"People didn't realize that they couldn't be on a grand jury if they didn't vote," Jackson said. "They didn't realize that by voting for mayor, they could have a say on who the police chief was, who makes up the police force. People didn't know they could vote in and out of office the judges that hear these kind of cases."

Rita Heard Days, director of elections in St. Louis County, said her office has seen a noticeable increase in voter registration cards from Ferguson and surrounding areas since Brown's death.

"We've got a lot of people who have contacted us from that area wanting to have voter registration drives," she said.

Increased local participation would match growing minority participation in national and state level politics.

In presidential election years, the percentage of black voters eclipsed the percentage of whites for the first time in 2012, when 66.2 percent of blacks voted, compared with 64.1 percent of non-Hispanics whites and about 48 percent of Hispanics and Asians.

Blacks and non-white Hispanics are the only groups to have increased their participation in midterm elections, voting at 38.6 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively, in the 2006 congressional and statewide elections, and at 40.7 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively, in 2010.

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Two years ago, immigration activist Gaby Pacheco got a call from Marco Rubio. The Florida senator wanted advice as he tried to develop a plan to help people like her: immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children.

Now, Pacheco is aghast that Rubio is taking a harder line on illegal immigration. The potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate has abandoned the sweeping bill he helped write and is calling for an end to the Obama administration program that lets Pacheco stay in America.

"It's another Marco Rubio that I just don't know," she said.

After the first-term senator saw his political standing fall among conservatives who balked at his immigration advocacy, Rubio is now focusing on border security  more in line with the GOP activists who wield great influence in how a White House nominee is picked.

Last month, Rubio urged President Barack Obama not to take actions that would shield from deportation millions of people who entered the U.S. illegally. Congress, Rubio said, should first "make real progress on stemming the tide of illegal immigration."

Rubio's aides say the senator always has stressed border security and that he insisted on tougher enforcement measures as a condition for his Senate vote last year. But immigrant advocates contend that in emphasizing only border security and dismissing his own bill, Rubio is effectively switching sides in the heated debate.

The shift comes as potential 2016 rivals such as Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, who voted against the overhaul that Rubio helped write, take hard-line stands on immigration.

Rubio has begun visiting South Carolina and Iowa, early-voting states in the 2016 nominating calendar where immigration is an important test for White House hopefuls.

Rubio was the only potential GOP candidate who helped write the immigration bill, which would strengthen border security while also offering a way to citizenship for many of the 11.5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.

Now, in a sign of how much the political climate has changed, the party committee that's working to elect Republicans to the Senate is using that bill, which more than a dozen Republicans back, in ads to attack Democrats as pro-"amnesty."

The bill remains poisonous among some in the Republican base, and Rubio's popularity has plummeted in public polls.

But last month, Rubio won applause from conservatives in South Carolina when he scolded immigration activists for interrupting his speech at a Republican fundraiser. "You're doing harm to your own cause," he told the protesters, who identified themselves as immigrants brought illegally to the country as children. "You don't have a right to illegally immigrate to the United States."

In a series of appearances on Fox News and conservative talk radio, Rubio has embraced GOP calls to bolster security and deploy the National Guard along the Mexican border to respond to the arrival of tens of thousands of Central Americans.

On a recent tour through central Florida, an important swing-voting region with a fast-growing Latino population, Rubio told reporters in English and Spanish that his emphasis on border security is an acknowledgement that House conservatives do not support a comprehensive immigration bill.

"The votes aren't there," Rubio said. "You're going to have to deal with the border first. Otherwise we're going to continue to beat our head against a wall here for another decade without any changes or any progress being made."

At the Orange County Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner, that argument resonated with many activists who propelled Rubio to the Senate four years ago.

"Leaders need to step up, and he stepped up to the plate," said Bertica Cabrera Morris, who chaired Rubio's campaign along Florida's Interstate 4 corridor, a crucial stretch of swing counties. "I think he did as much as he could."

But the tough talk also threatens to undercut Rubio's credibility with Hispanic voters, a critical factor for the Cuban-American lawmaker in a country that has yet to elect a Latino president.

Rubio has often felt the competing pressures from the Hispanic community and the conservative activists who elevated him to the national stage.

As a state lawmaker, he supported legislation to protect field workers and to extend in-state tuition to college students who entered the U.S. illegally. But in 2010, as he surged toward a Senate seat as a tea party favorite, Rubio derided a path to citizenship as "code for amnesty."

Two years later, he softened his stance, floating a proposal to give legal status to children of some living in the U.S. without legal permission. "No one's making the argument that these kids have a legal right to be here. They don't have a legal claim," he told The Miami Herald. "I would make the argument, however, that they have a claim on our conscience."

Rubio spent months meeting with Pacheco and other immigrant advocates. Obama pre-empted those efforts by announcing an executive action to temporarily defer deportations and grant work permits to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.

Rubio recently said he never formally introduced his own legislation because he could not figure out how to "address the challenges that those children are facing without creating that incentive for more people to come."

While the Obama program is only open to certain young immigrants who entered the country before June 15, 2007, Rubio argued that the administration should stop accepting new applicants to "prevent that sort of message and ambiguity from getting back to Central America or any other country."

When asked whether he supported a House bill that would effectively phase out Obama's executive order, however, Rubio cited concerns about the "unintended consequences" for youths who have already come forward and obtained work permits.

Nevertheless, he said, "I certainly think at some point that will have to end too."

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Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford said Friday that he is calling off his engagement to Maria Belen Chapur because of the ongoing contention with his ex-wife, Jenny, four years after their divorce.

Sanford, then governor of South Carolina, famously disappeared from the state for five days in 2009, telling aides he was out hiking the Appalachian Trail. He returned to the state and at a tearful news conference confessed he was in Argentina and had been having an affair with Chapur.

Jenny Sanford, who has four children with Sanford, soon sued for divorce, which was granted in 2010.

Later, Sanford and Chapur  whom he once called his "soul mate"  became engaged. But Sanford, in a rambling message posted on his Facebook page Friday, said that he and Chapur are ending their engagement.

"No relationship can stand forever this tension," wrote Sanford, who in a special election last year regained the South Carolina House seat he held for three terms in the 1990s. Chapur was at his side when he was sworn in.

He writes that he'll be forever grateful to Chapur and that if possible "there will be another chapter when waters calm with Jenny."

His Facebook posting comes after attorneys for Jenny Sanford last week asked a family court judge to limit the lawmaker's visitation with his youngest child. They also want Mark Sanford to undergo psychological tests and take anger management and parenting courses.

In his post, Sanford also wrote about Jenny Sanford that "I will never attempt to detract from her or all the positive things she has done in her life, but having to go frequently to ask a former spouse when you can have time with a son is a recipe for conflict."

He added "I hope and believe Jenny and I can find a new way."

There is a hearing in Charleston County Family Court on Monday on Jenny Sanford's latest court motions, one of which is to seal any new filings in the court record.

Mark Sanford, in his own motion filed with the court by his attorneys on Friday, asks for a gag order preventing anyone associated with the case from talking about it. He also wants the record closed.

"It is abundantly clear that the pleadings, motions and affidavits filed by the plaintiff have already been provided to the press and there are stories appearing on the television, in the newspapers and on the internet insinuating that I am an unfit parent and also an unfit congressional representative," Sanford's motion said.

The motion added that Sanford expects his ex-wife "will be filing affidavits, motions and pleadings and derogatory allegations" about his character.

Marie-Louise Ramsdale, Jenny Sanford's attorney, said in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that her client has always put her sons first "and will always stand up for the boys' best interests and safety."

She added that Mark Sanford's Facebook filing contradicts his motion to the court.

"Apparently, he only wants a gag order after he has publicly laid out his position and disparaged my client  what he claimed she would do to him," Ramsdale said.

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A Chicago alderman announced Saturday he'll challenge Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015, saying the city deserves a leader who looks out for everyday people and not just downtown businesses and the wealthy.

Bob Fioretti, a frequent critic of Emanuel, ripped the former White House chief of staff for closing some 50 neighborhood schools in predominantly minority neighborhoods and cutting public-employee pensions. He also said Emanuel is not doing enough to stop city violence that has left too many families grieving.

"I love Chicago and I can't stand by while the current mayor looks out for some of us, but ignores the real struggles some families face  for good jobs, for good schools, for safe streets," Fioretti, a civil rights attorney and member of the City Council's progressive caucus, told several hundred cheering supporters at a downtown college.

A spokesman for Emanuel shot back, saying Fioretti has "shown no backbone for making tough choices and little respect for Chicago taxpayers' pocketbooks."

"Chicago can't tax itself out of its problems," Steve Mayberry said in an emailed statement. "Chicago needs, and has, a strong leader who has shown that he is willing to make tough decisions."

Emanuel inherited huge financial problems when he was elected in 2011. He said schools had to be closed as a cost-cutting measure, and pension cuts were necessary to ensure employee retirement funds remain solvent. With a combined shortfall of nearly $20 billion, Chicago has the worst-funded public pension systems of any major U.S. city.

Fioretti said he'd impose a 1 percent tax on commuters who travel to Chicago for work, which he said could generate $300 million per year. He also said he'd require businesses making more than $50 million per year to pay employees at least $15 per hour, and that he'll find new ways to fund schools so class sizes can be reduced  though he didn't say what those new funding sources would be.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who tangled with Emanuel during a 2012 teacher strike, also is circulating petitions and raising money for a bid, but hasn't yet announced whether she'll run.

Candidates have until November to turn in petitions to be on the February ballot. If Lewis runs, she and Fioretti could split the anti-Emanuel vote, forcing a runoff election.

Any challenge to Emanuel is expected to be costly. He already has banked more than $8 million, while campaign finance filings show Fioretti had about $325,000 in his campaign fund as of June, the last filing deadline. Lewis has given her campaign $40,000, though the leader of the American Federation of Teachers has said the national union is prepared to contribute $1 million if Lewis jumps in the race.

Angel Correa, a retiree who's supporting Fioretti, said he's organizing a group of Hispanic residents to campaign for the alderman because he believes Emanuel has catered to wealthy businessmen and that not enough city contracts have gone to minorities.

"We want the doors of City Hall open for everybody not just for certain groups  the insiders," Correa said.

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Louisiana Education Superintendent John White said Jefferson Parish expects to pay $4.6 million this school year to educate 533 immigrant children who entered the U.S. without an adult. He said the state will provide $2.2 million of that.

The New Orleans Advocate reported that White says he's also asked for cost estimates from the East Baton Rouge, Orleans, St. Tammany and Lafayette parish school systems.

White's statements were in a letter to U.S. Sen. David Vitter. The Louisiana Republican had asked whether schools can handle the 1,275 unaccompanied children who are living with sponsors in the state.

White said Jefferson Parish schools plan to hire 27 additional English as a second language teachers, 20 new ESL para-educators, 19 regular education teachers and three special education teachers.

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Blog Hinangai

While there is much discussion in Guam about the economic benefits of increasing the islands military presence, the damages/dangers that they represent are rarely mentioned. This blog, a supplement to the Peace and Justice for Guam Petition, is meant to counter that by providing information about the US military in Guam, with the hopes of steering policy away from a dangerous unilateralist course to more sustainable notions of regional development and a strengthening international solidarity.
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The race for lieutenant governor typically is lackluster, but this year, the outcome could be a game changer for some of the states most powerful politicians.

The winner would replace Nevadas sitting governor, Republican Brian Sandoval, if he opts to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016.

Sandoval would be challenging veteran Harry Reid, a Democrat who has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 1986. Reid is one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, currently holding the post of Senate Majority Leaders.

Reid has stumped for rising star Lucy Flores, the Democratic state assemblywoman running for lieutenant governor.

Flores is plucky, easily speaking with candor about things many politicians would downplay.

She talks about an abortion she had in her teens, and the life on the wrong side of the law that she lived as a young adult.

During those darker years, Flores stole cars and belonged to gangs.

Her story is one of redemption, of reinventing yourself and hoping others can draw strength from it for themselves, she says.

She graduated from law school and went on to successfully run for the state legislature.

If she becomes lieutenant governor, she would be a heartbeat away from being the states chief executive if Sandoval cannot, or chooses not to, continue to serve.

If elected, Flores, 34, would be the first Latina to occupy the post.

I feel nervous incrementally as we get closer [to the election], Flores told Fox News Latino. Weve done a really awesome job, generally speaking. Everyone has done everything they possibly can do. I leave it up to fate.

Characteristically, Flores envisions the office, which routinely has devoted its attention to tourism and transportation, among other things, having a broader and more substantive role.

Flores says she wants to give the states youth a shot at success, opportunities such as she had, even in the face of daunting odds.

She said the state has the lowest performing indicators out there, whether graduation rates, performance scores, in reading and math.

Weve done poorly in terms of ensuring our students and teachers have the resources they need to deal  quite frankly  with many of the challenges our kids are experiencing these days, whether drugs, poverty-related issues, homelessness, kids showing up to school hungry.

Her rival in the race, Republican State Sen. Mark Hutchison, also said he wants to focus on helping his constituents to attain the same American dream he was able to achieve through decades of hard work.

His mission is to give that same opportunity to his constituents.

I think what Nevadans are really focused on is What are you going to do in terms of governmental policies, laws, and ways in which we can make sure our families are having those same opportunities, Hutchinson said.

Though they have ideological differences on how to help people in the state succeed, both candidates seem to agree on one thing: Nevadas education systemconsistently ranked one of the worst in the countryneeds an overhaul.

Flores and Hutchinson oppose a ballot measure to increase corporate taxes to fund education.

Hutchinson said hed like to replace poorly performing teachers with quality educators and make it a priority to help all students learn English. Nearly half of the students in Nevada are Hispanic.

Flores wants to improve education by making changes to the states tax structure, which hasnt been updated in decades.

On the economy, Hutchinson said he wants to return Nevada to its pre-recession days by bringing in new jobs and making the economy conducive to potential business owners.

Continuing to see the economic comeback weve seen under Brian Sandoval is very important, Hutchinson said.

Flores supports a hike in the minimum wage to help low and middle-income families. Hutchinson said the increase would hurt business owners who create jobs.

Flores says for too long Nevada was intoxicated by its own gilded trappings. People could make a lot of money, she said, without even having a high school diploma. They could work in the casinos or as valets, and sometimes command six figures, Flores said.

But when the economy tanked, so did many of the industries that lined many Nevadans pockets, and the strong education that the state lacked suddenly was crucial.

Gaming and tourism took a huge loss, she said, those jobs became scarce. People began realizing that we need to focus on education. For many years we were unable to bring new businesses to Nevada. They looked at our education system and would take a pass.

Now, Flores points to herself of what can a good education can lead to, what investing in young people can produce later.

If it werent for my mentors, for the resources that came my way, I very well could have ended up on the same path I was on, she said, referring to a life of crime.

To young people who may feel adrift, who may see a bleak future, she says this:

Look at me, and many others [like me], and recognize that every single person has challenges in life, she said. Theres never going to be a time when there isnt a challenge.
Immigration took the forefront in the Kentucky Senate race as a conservative group that supports Mitch McConnell on Tuesday launched an ad charging Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes with backing Pres. Barack Obama's "amnesty plan" for undocumented immigrants.

The ad, paid for by the Kentucky Opportunity Coalition which is buying just under a million dollars of TV time, links Grimes with the president over their shared support for a pathway to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, a move that many conservative Republicans say is the same thing as amnesty.

The 30-second television ad alleges that Obama and Grimes plan would mean citizenship for millions who broke the law.

Illegal immigrants would become eligible for taxpayer-funded benefits: food stamps, unemployment, even Medicare, a narrator says in the TV ad, which was posted by the website Politico. Obama and Grimes: two liberals for amnesty, too liberal for us.

McConnell and Grimes, the current Secretary of State of Kentucky, have not to this point in the election cycle made immigration a major issue, instead focusing more on the Affordable Care Act and the future of coal mining in Kentucky  but Grimes was backed into a corner on the topic during a Kentucky Farm Bureau forum last month.

Grimes argued that she would have supported the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate, despite the fact that McConnell instead called for breaking the immigration issue up into a series of piecemeal bills.

Had Mitch not stood in the way of comprehensive immigration reform  we might not see the crisis we see at the border today, Grimes said, according to Politico. He said no to making sure we could have an earned pathway to citizenship  which is what I believe in.

While the immigration bill passed the Senate, it stalled in the House, and Obama said recently that he was putting off any action in regard to immigration until after the midterm elections so as not to politicize the issue.

Although the president and many Democrats in Congress have blamed Republicans  particularly those in the House of Representatives  for the failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform, critics say that the president and Democrats are also at fault.

Despite Grimes' shared views with Obama on immigration, she has distanced herself from him sharply on other issues, including gun rights and clean energy.

A recent television ad shows how far she is willing to move away from the beleaguered president. It shows her sporting a shotgun and talking up the differences between her and the administration.

Mitch McConnell wants you to think Im Barack Obama, Grimes says in the ad. Im not Barack Obama. I disagree with him on guns, coal and the EPA.

The Grimes campaign has also responded to the Kentucky Opportunity Coalition attack ad by pointing out Sen. McConnell's own spotty record on the issue.

Mitch McConnell voted against immigration reform that would have helped Kentucky farmers and secured our border by putting thousands more agents on the border, noted Grimes spokeswoman Charly Norton, according to Politico. Alison opposes President Obama in any attempt to alter our immigration system by executive order and believes Congress needs to do its job and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Incumbents in New Mexico's races for governor and U.S. Senate are leading their challengers with early voting set to begin next month, according to the latest polls.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has widened her advantage over Democratic challenger Gary King.

Martinez was supported by 54 percent of likely voters who were surveyed and 36 percent backed King in the poll. Ten percent were undecided.

A poll last month for the newspaper found Martinez leading 50 percent to 41 percent, with nine percent undecided.

In the Senate race, Democrat Tom Udall was leading with 51 percent to 38 percent for Republican challenger Allen Weh, the Journal reported. Eleven percent were undecided.

Udall was ahead in last month's poll 53 percent to 35 percent.

Martinez gained during a time in which she blitzed the airwaves with television ads critical of King, whose campaign lacks the fundraising to match the governor's spending.

The governor's re-election campaign had cash-on-hand of $3.8 million at the start of the month, while King had $157,730 in his campaign account.

"When campaigns become one-sided affairs due to insufficient funding, the challenger can actually run the risk of losing support -- and this is what has happened here," said Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff, whose firm conducted the survey for the Journal.

Martinez was running close to King among Hispanic voters, who traditionally back Democrats by a 2-to-1 margin or more in statewide races.

About 44 percent of Hispanic voters said they would support Martinez and 45 percent favored King, with 11 percent undecided.

A month ago, 36 percent of Hispanics supported Martinez.

In the Senate race, Sanderoff said "it's not surprising to see the gap has narrowed" because Weh has started running ads and voters are learning more about him.

Weh has made significant gains among independent voters, with 41 percent backing Udall and 38 percent favoring the Republican. A month ago, 62 percent of independents supported Udall and 26 percent were for Weh.

Udall is a former U.S. House member who was elected to the Senate in 2008.

Weh is a former state Republican Party chairman and a retired Marine Corps colonel. He owns an aviation business in Albuquerque.

Absentee voting begins Oct. 7, and early voting gets underway at more locations on Oct. 18.

The new poll surveyed 603 registered voters likely to cast ballots in the general election, and it had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Voters were surveyed by telephone last week.

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The threat posed by the Islamic State, which is often referred to by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL, is serving as a yardstick of sorts among White House wannabees and other political hopefuls, not only to gauge their knowledge of foreign policy but to display their hawkish stripes  or lack thereof.

In the case of Republican senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, all three have been outspoken about their views on waging military action against the terrorist organization and arming moderate rebels in Syria. While they assure their constituents that some must be done, they are split on how to handle the threat, The Hill reported.

Rubio, who has been very outspoken about foreign policy in Israel, Cuba and the Middle East, has aligned himself with a foreign policy mentality similar to that of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain.

The Florida senator has said he supports arming moderate rebel factions in Syria to fight against the Islamic State and warned that the U.S. might need to have troops on the ground. While he argues that President Barack Obama should seek congressional support before embarking in further military action, he also has said that the Constitution allows him to act without Congress' consent.

Differing slightly is Texas Sen. Cruz, who has called for a more aggressive campaign to take out the terrorist group. He has urged Obama to bomb them back to the Stone Age, provided that he gets permission from Congress first.

Cruz opposes arming rebel factions in Syria, arguing that the weapons could end up in the hands of Islamic State or al-Qaida allies.

Ted Cruz is probably most in line with the Republican base in the sense he doesnt want to have a discussion of Syria versus Iraq. He wants to dismantle and destroy ISIS. Period, GOP strategist Ford OConnell told The Hill. But he wants Congress to vote on it.

Cruz has taken a more forceful role by pushing legislation that would strip citizenship from people who fight in a hostile foreign government or a foreign terrorist organization.

Of the three, Rand Paul has been the most suspicious of a U.S. intervention  a potential liability in the current climate, The Hill suggested. While he has called for eradicating the Islamic State and promised to vote to authorize strikes, he says arming Syrian rebels is a mistake. Paul also argues a Congressional vote is needed to authorize the use of military force.

Their outspoken views on foreign policy and national security have helped the three hopefuls for the 2016 presidential race to stand out above their gubernatorial counterparts.

Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist and Rubios pollster, told The Hill that the field of potential presidential candidates is demonstrating a remarkable difference in knowledge about foreign affairs.

It's not the case among governors, he notes.

The governors are in a far worse position to be really knowledgeable about complex foreign policy matters because they dont have to deal with them for most part in their day-to-day jobs, he said.

Ron Kaufman, who served as White House political director to former President George H.W. Bush, said governors dont get directly involved in foreign policy rhetoric because its not their prerogative.

It doesnt affect them, he said. Even those who are thinking of running for president in 2016, they all want to wait until after the 2014 election. Republicans have been very focused to their credit, on 2014 versus 2016.

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Voters in Scotland head to the polls on Thursday to decide if their country will break away from the United Kingdom and become an independent nation for the first time in more than 300 years.

Polls in Scotland suggest that the independence vote is too close to call, and the historic vote is being watched closely by observers all over the world  not just in London, but throughout the European Union, which an independent Scotland would be expected to try to join.

Plus there are wannabe breakaway provinces across the globe  from Quebec to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which is flirting with the notion of seceding from France  that will be hanging on the results.

But perhaps nowhere more so than in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia, where an estimated 1.8 million took to the streets of Barcelona last week to demand their own independent state.

The protesters there are angry over heavy taxes and policies implemented by the Spanish government in Madrid that, they claim, puts Catalonia at a disadvantage and cripples its autonomy. The region's separatist president, Arturo Mas i Gavarro, has called for a Nov. 9 referendum in the region of 7.6 million people, even though experts say any attempt to hold such a vote is sure to be blocked by Spain's Constitutional Court.

Mas has repeatedly said he will not hold any vote if it's found to be illegal.

While Spanish history is filled with various independence movements, most notoriously in the northern Basque Country which has spurred widespread separatist violence, Catalonias move toward independence carries added cultural and financial weight in an economically-fragile Europe.

As home to 16 percent of Spains overall population, some of the Iberian peninsulas biggest industries  everything from banking to textiles to car manufacturing  and a $275 billion economy roughly the size of Portugals, Catalonia has been one of the bulwarks of the Spanish economy.

But severe taxation meant to spread the wealth to less prosperous regions has not only drawn the ire of lawmakers in Barcelona but also caused the region to go into so much debt that it asked Madrid for a $6.47 billion emergency loan in 2012.

Catalans who favor independence  a number that ranges somewhere between 30 and 60 percent of the total population  argue that it would free them of the Madrilenan bureaucracy and help them expand their businesses to other parts of the globe, not just in recession-torn Spain.

Basically Catalans want fiscal independence, said Scheherazade Rehman, a professor at George Washington Universitys Elliott School of International Affairs. Thats the driving force to be independent and be more prosperous.

Unlike the Scottish ballot, however, a vote in Catalonia would not result in secession. Mas' proposed referendum would ask Catalans whether they favor secession. If the answer is Yes, Mas says, that would give him a political mandate to negotiate a path toward independence.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to block the vote on the grounds that Spain's constitution doesn't allow referendums that don't include all Spaniards, but Mas told reporters that would be a mistake.

"The Catalan issue is one of the biggest issues the Spanish government is facing," Mas said. "It is an error to try and solve this through legal arguments. Political problems are solved through politics, not with legal threats."

If Madrid refuses to allow an independence vote, a go-ahead by Mas could put him onto thin legal ice. When the northern Basque region failed to obtain permission for a similar referendum in 2005, Spain said Basque leaders could face jail if they went ahead.

The next step for Mas comes the day after the Scottish vote, when the Catalan parliament is expected to approve a measure giving him the power to call a referendum. Rajoy's government is then expected to ask Spain's Constitutional Court to rule the vote illegal, and experts believe the court will do so.

"Catalonia and Scotland have again put the issue of the people's right to decide on the political stage, showing that this is an open question in Europe," said Pello Urizar, leader of one party in the Basque pro-independence Bildu coalition.

Despite the euphoria, political scientists have found that separatism in one country doesn't necessarily promote separatism in another, said Jason Sorens, a government professor at Dartmouth College.

Scotland's pro-independence leader says that the separation process, if it goes ahead, would not be completed until 2016. Sorens says the full impact of Scottish independence probably won't be known until after that.

"If Scotland votes yes and the negotiation process goes smoothly and Scotland gets into the EU quickly, that might boost secessionist support because it would show the risks of independence are lower," he said. "It could go the other way, if the transition involves a lot of cost."

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Front-running presidential candidate Marina Silva says the key to her support among millions of Brazilians who joined in anti-government protests last year is her understanding that reforming a broken political system will come from the ground up.

Silva spoke exclusively with The Associated Press on Wednesday in her first interview with a foreign media outlet since being thrust into a hotly contested campaign just a month ago, after her Socialist Party's first candidate died in a plane crash Aug. 13.

In a wide-ranging, hour-long interview, Silva said that as president she would seek bilateral trade deals and better relations with the U.S. and Europe, and would push for improved human rights in allies such as Cuba.

Asked what she would do to lessen Brazilians' frustrations with an inefficient political system widely viewed as corrupt, Silva said real change won't come from the top.

"It's neither the parties nor the political leaders who will bring about change," she said. "It's the movements who are changing us."

A former Amazon activist and environment minister who pushed policies that helped Brazil slash the rate of jungle destruction, Silva is in a dead-heat presidential race with incumbent Dilma Rousseff. Rousseff represents the Workers Party, which Silva herself helped found three decades ago.

"Brazil has a great opportunity to become a global leader by leading by example," Silva said in talking about human rights and environmental protections. "Our values cannot be modified because of ideological or political reasons, or because of pure economic interest."

Asked whether she would continue Brazil's strong investment in and political support for regimes like Cuba, Venezuela, China and Iran, Silva said that dialogue is essential with each  but that her personal convictions mean Brazil would be more vocal in pushing human rights.

"The best way to help the Cuban people is by understanding that they can make a transition from the current regime to democracy, and that we don't need to cut any type of relations," she said. "It's enough that we help through the diplomatic process, so that these (human rights) values are pursued."

Brazil's relationship with the U.S. has been chilly since revelations more than a year ago that the National Security Agency's espionage programs targeted Rousseff and other Brazilian officials.

After the revelation, Rousseff cancelled her earlier acceptance of President Obama's invitation for a formal state visit  the first time in memory a foreign leader rejected the honor.

Silva said the U.S. spying was a grave and intolerable error, but she added that it is time to move on.

"Both nations need to improve this situation, to repair the ties of cooperation," she said. "The Brazilian government has the absolute right to not accept any such interference. But we also cannot simply remain frozen with this problem."

The presidential vote is Oct. 5, but the contest likely will go into a second-round ballot between Rousseff and Silva three weeks later since neither is expected to win an absolute majority in the first round of eight candidates.

Silva, who could become Brazil's first black leader, has deep roots in Brazilian politics but has tapped into an anti-establishment mood, a roiling frustration with government that erupted in huge street protests in hundreds of cities last year demanding top-to-bottom change.

Silva's life story connects with millions struggling to keep modest advances made as Brazil boomed in the first decade of this century.

Born to an impoverished rubber tapper in the remote Amazon jungle state of Acre, Silva grew up illiterate and collected latex from trees from dawn to dusk. She nearly died as a child and said her family often had virtually nothing to eat.

She was infected with malaria five times and suffered from leishmaniasis, a disease that causes skin ulcers and other ailments. When she was 15, her mother died. At 16, she was sent to the state capital, Rio Branco, for hepatitis treatment  and to finally learn to read and write.

Deeply religious and now an evangelical Christian, Silva at that age wanted to become a nun. She went to study in a convent, and there met priests adhering to liberation theology, a Latin American-inspired movement that advocates for the poor.

It was her political awakening. She joined the Workers Party in its early days and was elected a Rio Branco city council member in 1989. Two years later, she moved into the state legislature before becoming a federal senator in 1995. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is no relation, made her the environment minister when he took office Jan. 1, 2003.

"If elected, she has such a remarkable personal story that she'd come to the presidency with a lot of legitimacy, tremendous excitement and high expectations," said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.

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A border war of words has broken out between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto after the U.S. politician gave the go-ahead in July to deploy National Guard troops to the countrys southern border.

After Pena Nieto called Texas' decision to deploy the troops along the U.S.-Mexico border "not only unpleasant, but completely reprehensible," and said the move could affect diplomatic relations, Perry fired back by saying that Mexicos failure to secure its own borders was the reason that so many undocumented children are streaming into the U.S. The troops are on the border to protect Texans, he said.

"Our challenges today are partly a consequence of the failure of the Mexican government to secure its southern border from illegal immigration by unaccompanied children and other individuals from Central America, or to deploy adequate resources to control the criminal element in Mexico," Perry said in a letter to the Mexican president, according to The Hill.

Perry invited Pena Nieto to visit Texas, saying that people obeying the law have nothing to fear and adding that the two leaders need to work together to address the issues of immigration and border security. The Texas governor, however, did not back down on the deployment of troops on the border  a move that he deems as "necessary."

"I will continue to act as necessary to uphold my constitutional obligations, and when it comes to the safety and security of Texans, I will not be dissuaded by rhetoric of any kind," he said.

In July Perry authorized up to 1,000 National Guard troops to head to the border, with the first deployments beginning last month.

The announcement of troops along the border came amid a national crisis over a surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the U.S. from the Central American nations of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The flow of migrants has receded in the past few months, which some say is partly thanks to a crackdown by Mexican authorities of migrants using trains to get to the U.S. border.

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The federal government refuses to say whether prosecutors in Yuma, Arizona, have scaled back a years-old program that guarantees jail time for most immigrants caught crossing the border illegally and which law enforcement officials say is crucial to public safety.

Reports that federal prosecutors have stopped some prosecutions under Operation Streamline surfaced nearly two weeks ago when Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder seeking information on the status of the zero-tolerance program that circumvents the civil immigration system and lumps together months' worth of criminal proceedings into one day for immigrants caught crossing the border illegally.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said in a letter to the senators that he had been informed that federal prosecutors in Yuma are no longer going after first offenders.

But the government has been completely silent on the issue. Public affairs officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have all refused to answer questions about whether the program has been scaled back.

Brett Worsencroft, president of the Border Patrol union for Yuma Sector border agents, said the U.S. Attorney's Office has in fact ended prosecutions of first-time offenders.

"Operation Streamline is like one of the last strongholds we have as a deterrent. Our manpower is dwindling on a daily basis," Worsencroft said. "The fence can only do so much."

Worsencroft said the program was a large factor in the steep decline in border-crossers in Yuma because it sent a message that even first-time offenders would serve jail time and because it allowed agents to focus their attention on drug smugglers and other dangerous criminals.

Getting rid of prosecutions for first-time offenders is a "free ticket into the U.S." for those who cross the border without legal status, he said.

Operation Streamline is used as a deterrent. Federal judges sentence large groups of immigrants within days of their arrival into the U.S. in fast court proceedings that include an arraignment, plea and sentencing in the span of one day. Most immigrants who participate in the program plead guilty to entering the country illegally and receive sentences of 30 to 120 days. Many get credit for time served.

In Yuma, all immigrants who are caught crossing the border illegally went through the program. That differs from the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, where the much higher volume of border crossers means that mostly immigrants with prior deportations are prosecuted under Operation Streamline. Prosecutors in parts of Texas also use the program, but those in California do not do so.

The Yuma Sector made 6,106 apprehensions in fiscal year 2013. The Tucson Sector, which includes most of southern Arizona, made more than 120,000 in that timeframe.

But the low numbers haven't always been the case for Yuma, which in 2004 and 2005 saw upward of 140,000 immigrant apprehended. Many attribute that drop to the implementation of Operation Streamline.

"This new guidance is of great concern because it undermines the mission of local law enforcement agencies throughout Yuma County for 100 percent prosecution of those entering the United States illegally in order to curb reentries," Wilmot wrote.

McCain and Flake in a letter also said that the program contributed to decreased immigration in that area.

"Achieving these gains in border security is no doubt a result of a combination of factors including increased manpower, technology implementation, and appropriate consequences," the senators wrote. "The Yuma County Sheriff's Office cites 100 percent prosecution as a shared goal of a partnership including federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and cites Operation Streamline as an element in the recent success in reducing illegal crossings."

Holder has not responded to the senators, a spokeswoman for Flake said.

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While other Republicans considering the 2016 presidential race are openly laying the foundations of potential campaigns, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is busy tending to a growing personal business empire.

It's a break in style from recent candidates who distanced themselves from the sometimes politically risky business of making money before running.

A Republican establishment favorite, Bush is chairman of a Florida-based private equity and business advisory group, and is a managing partner of at least eight other separate companies that dabble in ventures ranging from privatized emergency response to real estate to driverless cars, according to state and federal records.

In the past three years, regulatory filings show that he and his partners at the private equity firm, Britton Hill Holdings, have branched out into nearly a dozen different investment entities and raised at least $66.4 million from domestic and foreign investors. That includes several million this past April from a group that included a privately owned Chinese conglomerate, a deal first reported by Bloomberg.

Bush says he will make a decision about 2016 by year's end. Should he run, this son and brother of the past two Republican presidents will face pressure to disclose years of personal tax returns and details about his private business activity, as well as to unwind his ownership in the business network he began building after leaving office in 2007.

For now, in much the same way he is quietly working to support GOP candidates in the November elections, Bush's business deals are made out of the spotlight. There is no suggestion any are improper. Because they are private enterprises and disclosure laws require only basic information, public documents offer few details about their exact nature.

They are, however, reminiscent of the GOP's last presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who struggled at times to explain the often complicated and sometimes controversial ways he made a living. Romney, as well as Bush's father and brother, wound down personal business affairs years before running for president.

"It is a legitimate issue to think about," said Ron Kaufman, a former Romney adviser who is close to the Bush family. "In a perfect world, would he be better served if (the presidential race) was four years away? Sure. But it's not."

Bush declined a request for an interview.

Those close to him say that after his two terms as governor, he has worked aggressively to improve his personal finances, a common practice for politicians after public service.

Bush "is not currently a candidate for office. He's a businessman," said his spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell. "If he makes a decision to run for president, he would certainly review his work engagements at that time."

Other Bush confidants caution against reading too much into his business dealings. They believe he is well positioned to wait longer than other candidates to make a call on a campaign because of his political connections and deep fundraising network.

"You don't put your life on hold or call a time out. You move on until you make a decision," said Al Cardenas, a Bush friend and adviser. "He enjoys what he's doing. Investors trust him. So why would you put a stop to that?"

Operatives in both parties said the calculus isn't that simple.

In 2012, Romney was attacked by other Republicans as a "vulture capitalist," which helped create the portrait of job-destroying buyout chief who enjoyed a lower tax rate than most people in the United States.

"It is a target-rich environment for opposition research teams to pour through and begin to build a narrative that you're out of touch," said South Carolina-based Republican operative Hogan Gidley. "It sounds like he's doing everything right, everything above board. But the political reality exists that it still might hurt him."

Cardenas rejects the comparison to Romney, whose Bain Capital held a majority stake in dozens of companies and directly oversaw management decisions. Bush, unlike Romney, will not be defined by his "fairly modest" investments, Cardenas said, adding that comparing the two is "the difference between running a gas station and running Texaco."

Friends and former aides say Bush's behavior is consistent with the way he handled his business affairs while contemplating runs for governor in 1994 and 1998.

"Before he was a candidate, he was a businessman, and he conducted his business sort of not thinking about his next (political) move. He just did it," said Phil Handy, a Florida businessman who was chairman of Bush's gubernatorial campaigns. "I think it reflects his ambivalence about running for office, but I don't think it's at all unusual."

Still, at this point in their political careers, Romney and the previous Bush presidents had all but exited the business world.

Bush's father, former President George H. W. Bush, turned his financial affairs over to a blind trust once he became vice president. Jeb Bush's brother, former President George W. Bush, sold stocks with connections to Mideast oil companies roughly a decade before running. He later put the majority of his assets into treasury notes and a blind trust.

Jeb Bush's business obligations sometimes have conflicted with the political calendar.

When some possible contenders, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington this year, Bush declined to appear because of undisclosed business commitments.

But Bush has traveled the country this year raising money for Republicans and continues to work on education issues at his foundation.

He has headlined more than two dozen private fundraisers, including events to help the governors of Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, three of the first four states to hold presidential primaries. This past week he attended fundraisers for Illinois gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Rauner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"He's quietly active. He just doesn't go out and bang the drum," said Mel Sembler, a Florida real estate developer and top Republican fundraiser. "He's doing all the right things, and I think he's going to be a serious contender."

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Despite a 3-to-1 edge in campaign cash and polling leads over his Democratic opponent, Greg Abbott is courting Republican-snubbing Hispanic voters with efforts reminiscent of former President George W. Bush's time as governor of Texas.

The Republican candidate and current attorney general has made 14 visits to the Rio Grande Valley, the symbolic backdrop for this delicate courtship. He's recruited a Mexican actor for some of his TV commercials, spent generously on Spanish-language advertising and introduces his wife Cecilia as the soon-to-be first Latina first lady of Texas.

This week, new highway billboards popped up in the valley, with his mother-in-law's face assuring fellow Hispanics, "Texas will love having him as governor." And on Friday, the Rio Grande Valley will play host to the first debate between Abbott and his Democratic opponent Wendy Davis -- also the first gubernatorial debate on the border since 1998, when Bush began wooing Hispanics for his presidential bid.

Abbott doesn't need to win the valley -- and almost certainly won't -- to move into the governor's mansion. But he's taking the long view for the Republicans in a state with a burgeoning Hispanic population that traditionally votes Democrat.

"The fact that he is doing something that he doesn't have to do is extremely unusual," said Lionel Sosa, a Republican ad strategist who helped Bush win 44 percent of Hispanic voters during his 2004 presidential re-election. "If he doesn't repair the brand, who will in Texas?"

Demographers predict Hispanics will make up a plurality of Texas residents as soon as 2020. Their voting strength, however, hasn't kept pace with their rapid growth: in 2012 in Texas, turnout among voting-age Hispanics was 39 percent, compared to 61 percent for whites, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. In the last governor's election, only a quarter of the valley's Hispanic voters cast ballots.

Abbott faces a tough sell beyond the demographics.

Divisive Republican measures he's backed have been viewed as hostile toward Hispanics and particularly felt on the southern Texas border. One in three people here live at or below the federal poverty level, as longtime Republican Gov. Rick Perry refuses Medicaid expansion.

Abbott also has supported the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops along the border to block illegal immigration, which Mexican President Enrique PeAa Nieto last week called "reprehensible." He's also fighting in court to uphold a new state law that forced the closure of the only abortion clinic in 300 miles. Even the roaring Texas economy, for which Republicans take credit, is far tougher to see along the border, where a nearly 10 percent unemployment rate is nearly double the state average.

Skepticism and distrust of Republicans is rampant.

There is a big disconnect between cities in Dallas and Houston in terms of what's happening in the valley," said Ann Williams Cass, executive director of Proyecto Azteca, which supports low-income families. "They think it's nothing but a bunch of undocumented people who need immigrant care. It's not true."

But Abbott is getting help. The Republican National Committee has been dumping $50,000 a month into Texas to recruit Hispanic voters, who went for President Barack Obama more than 2-to-1 two years ago. Charles and David Koch, the billionaire industrialists who also are significant donors to Abbott, help underwrite the Libre Initiative that offers Spanish-speakers classes to learn English -- while preaching to them the sensibilities of limited government.

Former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, a Bush appointee whose political career began as a Republican in Brownsville, said he sees an opening for Republicans because Democrats traditionally have taken their voters for granted.

"Not only is he (Abbott) in sync with the conservative nature of the state, by spending a lot of time in the valley ... he's forcing the Democratic nominee to defend what should be a base," Garza said.

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The nation's housing secretary says a booming Hispanic population will drive the future of America's residential real estate market and predicts that a major overhaul of federal immigration laws would create a further boon to home sales across the country.

Julian Castro, confirmed in July as U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development, told The Associated Press that "for the work that HUD does, and the housing market in general, Hispanics truly are the future."

Castro, citing a National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals study from last year, said nearly half of first-time homebuyers nationwide would be Hispanic in six years. The study from the trade organization also said Hispanics are expected to account for 40 percent of the estimated 12 million net new households across the country within the next decade.

"The prosperity of the United States and the prosperity of the Hispanic community, as the fastest-growing community, are one and the same," Castro said in a phone interview. "The destinies are one and the same."

Rolf Pendall, of the Washington-based think tank Urban Institute, stressed that studies such as the one Castro cites include projections that will depend heavily on whether a tight credit market eases enough to help people secure mortgages.

"The potential is there if the economy is working and mortgage policy is working," he said.

A Mexican-American whose mother was a civil rights activist, Castro was mayor of San Antonio before President Barack Obama tapped him to join his Cabinet. Obama has called Castro a "rock star" and he's been mentioned as a possible 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Castro declined to discuss his political future, joking, "I'm a recovering politician." Of his new appointment he said, "My hope is that it's meaningful to the Hispanic community and to Americans generally."

"Over the last few years of his administration, the president has done an excellent job of reaching out to the Hispanic community, and more than that, substantively doing great work in terms of investments in education, in housing, in transportation, fighting for immigration reform," Castro said.

But the White House has backed off on the immigration front lately.

Obama in June said that by the end of the summer, he'd announce what steps he would take to fix the nation's immigration system in the absence of major action from Congress. But earlier this month, Obama changed course, saying that a surge of immigrant children pouring into the U.S. had changed the politics surrounding the issue and would delay action until after midterm elections in November.

Castro said resolution on issue could bolster the U.S. housing market, pointing to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals study that estimates federal immigration law changes could add about 3 million homeowners and generate more than $500 billion in sales, income and spending into the housing economy.

It's a significant contribution if we can get immigration reform done," Castro said.

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Activists are concerned. This will be the first major election following the Supreme Court decision that struck down a critical portion of the Civil Rights Voting Act. For the first time in almost 50 years, states and localities are not required to prove discrimination before making any changes to their voting process.

This year, advocates say, states have run amok with changes that would greatly impact minorities. And Latinos make up about 20 percent of the total population of the combined monitored states and localities, which were determined by a formula back in 1965.

After the Supreme Court ruling, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina enacted a photo identification requirement. North Carolina also eliminated same-day registration and reduced early voting period. Meanwhile, Arizona enacted a plan that requires paper proof of citizenship for their state or local elections  voters who cant supply that will only qualify to cast a ballot in the federal election.

However, activists say Texas photo ID requirement is one of the strictest in the country and will severely impact Latinos. About 11 percent of Americans do not have photo identification and Hispanics are far less likely to have an ID than whites Myrna Perez, director of voting rights and election project at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, told Fox News Latino.

Texas officials claim concern that voters will misrepresent themselves, but Perez said an expert hired by her group, which is challenging Texas requirement and championing a Congressional amendment, found only about four cases of voter fraud in about 14 years. The Texas voter ID case wrapped up Monday after a two-week trial. The judge will make a ruling before Election Day.

I think its a shared American value that when they step into the ballot box, voters should not have to contend with racial discrimination, Perez said, adding she is hopeful the amendment will be taken up.

The proposed amendment, introduced in January, includes a provision that updates the formula to determine the states and localities that need monitoring to prevent discrimination. For instance, persistent low turnout among Latino voters would be a major red flag.

The amendment would also give additional authority to send federal observers to bilingual polling sites and require public notice to be given if there are changes to districts or boundaries, said Erin Hustings a policy analyst from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, NALEO.

By and large, activists say, the amendment has gotten bipartisan support among rank-and-file Congress members. But the leadership hasnt moved the issue forward, some said.



We were never given a reason as to why, said Scott Simpson, a spokesman for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

They agree with the premise that voting discrimination is important to fix but they refuse to address it by having a hearing on the [Voting Rights Act Amendment], he added.

In fact, some activists note, voting rights doesnt seem to be a high priority for Congress this session. In the three short working weeks of September, lawmakers passed a funding measure that would avoid a government shutdown in October and renewed a charter on a bank that fund American export businesses, along with other items. They will be back in session for two more days this month before they return to their homes to campaign and voting rights is not likely to be in the agenda.

Last week, a coalition of voting rights activists went to Speaker John Boehners (R-OH) office to deliver a flash drive containing half a million petitioners names hoping to reignite interest in a Congressional amendment.

They knocked on the door, they say, but no one answered.

Today, the Speakers office was closed to voting rights, said Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference.

This is symbolic of how House leadership has ignored voters who are being discriminated against right now. Since the bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act was introduced in January, the House has not held a single hearing on the bill.

The coalition is vowing to press on. Speaker Boehners press officer did not respond to an FNL email inquiring about the closed-door allegation.
There were about 30, all Mexican nationals desperate to avoid deportations that would separate them from their families. Living in Illinois, they appealed for help from their new U.S. senator, Barack Obama.

He turned them down.

It was one of the first times Obama could have used the power of his office to help defer the removal of immigrants who were in the United States illegally. Eight years later, with his powers magnified as president, such a decision is upon him again, this time with the status of millions of immigrants at stake.

That episode in 2006 represents just one early marker in Obama's complicated history with the politics of immigration. The son of a Kenyan immigrant, Obama has been embraced and scorned by immigrant advocates who have viewed him as both a champion and an obstacle to their cause.

Now, perhaps paradoxically, in their anger over his delay of executive actions that potentially could give work permits to millions of immigrants living illegally in this country, these advocacy groups also hold out hope that when Obama does act, he will be aggressive and leave a mark for posterity.

"Some of the hard feelings could be forgotten at the end of the day if he acts boldly," said Janet Murguia, the president of the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino advocacy group.

Obama's record on immigration, however, is one of caution and deliberation punctuated by moments of determination amid some broken promises. With the president delaying executive action until after the November congressional elections, some Democrats worry that expectations have been raised beyond what he can deliver.

"If they weren't sky high before, they are now," said Jim Manley, a former top aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "I'm not convinced they will meet the expectations of the Hispanic community."

White House officials say the delay will not affect the scope of what Obama intends to do. They play down suggestions he is looking to build his legacy with the decision.

"The goal is going to be to do as meaningful a package of reforms as is available to the president through his executive authority," White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri said. "I don't think that is going to manifestly change from September to when we do this later this year."

The 2006 incident with the immigrants seeking to avoid deportation illustrates Obama's past reluctance to act unilaterally and calls attention to the on-and-off relationship he has had with leaders in the Latino community.

As Obama recalls in his book "The Audacity of Hope," a group of Chicago community advocates visited his office seeking legislation to legalize the status of that small group of Mexican immigrants. Obama didn't want to provide special dispensation to a select group and sent an aide to decline the request, leading to a confrontation.

That year, Obama also angered Latino leaders when he voted to erect a 700-mile double fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The measure passed the Senate 80-19, over the objections of many Latino groups who saw it as an enforcement-only alternative to a comprehensive immigration overhaul.

Over time, Obama would build a varied immigration record:

He backed compromise legislation in 2007 from Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., to overhaul immigration laws. Whether his support for a labor-backed change to the legislation contributed to the bill's demise remains a point of debate.

During the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, Obama took the side of pro-immigrant forces in supporting driver's licenses for immigrants living illegally in the United States. That stand distinguished him from Hillary Rodham Clinton, who opposed them.

Obama galvanized Latino voters with promises to take up an immigration overhaul during his presidency's first year. But once in office, he backed off to deal with the recession and launch a health care overhaul.

Under his watch, deportation numbers began to rise. Immigration groups protested; Obama argued he could not act unilaterally to reduce deportations.

In 2012, as he campaigned for re-election, his administration announced a plan to defer deportation for certain immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. Since then, the program has deferred deportation and provided work permits for nearly 600,000 immigrants.

He backed bipartisan comprehensive immigration legislation passed in the Senate in 2013 and held out hope the Republican-controlled House would follow. This past June, Obama was finally convinced the House would not vote, and he promised to act on his own shortly after summer's end.

This month, Obama decided to wait until after the elections, saying he worried his actions would be undermined by campaign politics and damage any prospects of future legislation.

For Obama's executive actions to be embraced by Latino and immigrant advocates, Murguia said, the number of people helped must far surpass the number of deportations under his administration  2 million-plus, already.

"If he does 3 million or less, then years from now it could be said he deported as many people as he protected," Murguia said.

White House officials caution that without a change in the law, Obama's actions are limited.

"Whatever we do is going to be imperfect," Palmieri said, "and is not going to be as big as we need."

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Vice President Joe Biden told frustrated Hispanic leaders Monday President Barack Obama is "absolutely committed to moving forward" on comprehensive immigration reforms "and he's going to do an awful lot."

Biden said Obama was determined to move ahead "with or without" Congress and "if they don't get something done by the end of this year, the president's going to do it."

Biden's remarks came as he and his wife, Jill, hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month reception Monday at their Naval Observatory residence.

He honored Hispanic education administrators and counselors, calling them "heroes in the classroom and community."

He said the "brilliance and potential of the Hispanic community" will contribute to the future of the country, noting that one in four students in pre-K through 12th grade are Hispanic.

Biden thanked the education advocates for guiding youth and helping to increase Hispanic college enrollment.

Guests included Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios and voter advocate Henry Munoz. Guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and live music by the Army Latin Combo Band around the residence pool.

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Colorados love for Barack Obama when he ran in 2008 and again in 2012 seems to have faded, and that may drive the disenchanted to embrace Republicans in the midterm elections.

A recent poll of likely voters by USA Today and Suffolk University found that Democrats up for re-election in the critically important state of Colorado are either even with, or barely ahead of, their Republican challengers.

Democratic Sen. Mark Udall was preferred by 42 percent of respondents, one point behind the GOP challenger, Cory Gardner.

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper got 43 percent, with GOP candidate Bob Beauprez nipping his heels at 41 percent.

Colorado is considered a pivotal state in this election, in which Republicans must win six Senate races in order to gain control of that chamber. Republicans already have a majority in the House.

The poll of 500 likely voters, taken last week, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, according to USA Today.

"I don't like any of the Congress or the president," respondent Mark Richardson of Englewood, Colo., told USA Today in a follow-up interview. "I don't think they've done anything for us for the last 10 or 12 years, just bickering among themselves."

Richardson is a general contractor who plans to vote for Gardner.

As for House races, respondents said 46 percent to 40 percent that they plan to vote for the Republican candidate, not the Democratic one, the newspaper said.

"The polling tell us that Democrats are being slowed down by the headwinds of President Obama and Obamacare at the moment," says David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University, in Boston. "But winds can shift or subside so it's a matter of what the political weather conditions are on Election Day."

More than half of the respondents gave a thumbs down to the president for his job performance. The majority of respondents, 55 percent, said Obamas health reform law, the Affordable Care Act, has been detrimental to Colorado.

Hickenlooper is credited by many residents for improving the states economy, but about 3 in 10 voters believe its stayed the same.

Republicans in Colorado have sought to tie Democratic incumbents to Obama, saying that to vote for them would mean voting to continue the presidents policies.

The Democratic candidates, evidently, are noting the damaging impact. Udall, for one, is trying to distance himself from the president as much as possible.

"Let me tell you, the White House when they look down the front lawn, the last person they want to see coming is me," Udall said last week at during a Senate campaign debate against Gardner.

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U.S. President Barack Obama is getting some support from across the aisle for his decision to call for airstrikes on ISIS militants in Syria.

Florida Senator and prospective 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio praised the strikes and said that he was hopeful that the attacks would help dismantle the violent organization also known as the Islamic State, or ISIL.

I support the Presidents actions to target ISILs facilities in Syria. I have argued for months that President Obama has the authority to confront this threat to the United States wherever they seek refuge, Rubio said in a press release. Defeating this menace to all who value freedom and tolerance will not be easy, but is essential to our security. My thoughts and prayers are with our men and women in uniform carrying out their duties as part of ongoing operations in Iraq and Syria.

Rubio was one of the few Republican politicians of any clout to make known their feelings known about the strikes against ISIS. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner have both been quiet on the strikes as have Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Cruz and Paul, both 2016 GOP presidential contenders, have advocated for airstrikes but added that they worry about arming rebels in Syria because the weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists.

"The inescapable irony is that someday the arms we supply would be used against us, or Israel," Paul said, according to The Hill. "It is also ludicrous to believe that we know where all of the money, arms and ammunition will end up, or who will end up benefiting from these shipments."

Besides calling for airstrikes, Cruz has said the best way to fight ISIS to increase security along the U.S.-Mexico border and strip any U.S. citizens supporting the group of their citizenship.

The President's previously stated goal -- to "shrink" ISIS' "sphere of influence" until it is a "manageable problem" -- is not encouraging, Cruz said in a recent opinion piece. The objective should not be to make ISIS "manageable"; the objective should be to protect the United States and to destroy the terrorists who have declared jihad on our nation.

The U.S. announced the strikes hours before Obama was due to arrive in New York for three days of talks with foreign leaders at the annual United Nations General Assembly. The cooperation by Arab partners provided a significant boost to Obama's efforts to build an international coalition to take on the Islamic State militants who have moved freely across the border between Iraq and Syria.

U.S. officials said Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates participated in the strikes against Islamic State targets, as Obama significantly ramped up U.S. military involvement in Syria, a country that has been mired in a brutal three-year civil war.

The U.S. and the five Arab nations attacked the Islamic State group's headquarters in eastern Syria in nighttime raids Monday using land- and sea-based U.S. aircraft as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two Navy ships in the Red Sea and the northern Persian Gulf.

American warplanes also carried out eight airstrikes to disrupt what the military described as "imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests" by the shadowy Khorosan Group, a network of al-Qaida veterans working with the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida, known as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, to get foreign fighters with Western passports and explosives to target U.S. aviation.

"America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations," Obama said during remarks from the White House shortly before departing for New York. "This is not America's fight alone."

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the top American military official, said the U.S. and its Arab allies achieved their aim of showing the extremists that their savage attacks will not go unanswered.

"We wanted to make sure that ISIL knew they have no safe haven, and we certainly achieved that," Dempsey told reporters as he flew to Washington after a weeklong trip to Europe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Tuesday that a fourth center to house families apprehended while crossing the Southwest border into the U.S. will eventually hold 2,400 people in Texas.

ICE will operate the residential facility when it opens in November in Dilley, Texas, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio. It will house immigrant adults with children caught entering the country illegally.

The South Texas Family Residential Center will be the fourth such facility, three of which have opened in recent months following a surge in the number of immigrant families crossing the Southwest border. It's meant to expedite their return to their home countries and deter others from embarking on the journey, according to a statement from ICE. Other centers have opened in Karnes City and Artesia, New Mexico. There had been one existing facility for immigrant families in Leesport, Pennsylvania.

The Dilley center initially will house 480 people and will eventually hold 2,400. The facility, like others for families, will provide medical care, social workers, educational services and access to legal counsel, according to ICE.

Shortly before that announcement, a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups hosted a conference call for reporters in which they called on the U.S. government to stop its expansion of family detention centers.

Advocates from We Belong Together and the National Immigrant Justice Center said that women and children should not be detained while waiting for their immigration cases to move forward.

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George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and currently a candidate for Texas land commissioner post, said that he supports in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants and that the cost of supplying an education to the immigrants is nominal to taxpayers.

Speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival, the young Bush also said that until there is a "sensible alternative" to Texas' version of the DREAM Act, he will continue to support the law signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry back in 2001.

In regards to in-state tuition, Bush, said that it is just "a nominal cost from an economic perspective" and added that it could be indexed, meaning that undocumented children who began in kindergarten will receive 100 percent coverage while those who start from the 5th grade will get 50 percent and so on.

Currently, undocumented immigrants who have lived in Texas for at least three years and have a high school diploma can qualify for in-state tuition.

"I don't have the magic wand," Bush said, according to Breitbart, adding that the issue is "terribly complicated."

The 37-year-old Fort Worth attorney is the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, nephew of former President and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and son of ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is frequently mentioned as a possible GOP White House hopeful in 2016.

He's also a Spanish speaker whose mother Columba was born in Mexico  Republican leaders statewide have long toasted him as key to wooing voters among Texas' booming Hispanic population.

Bush first filed paperwork in November of 2012 with the Texas Ethics Commission signifying he would run for statewide office in 2014 and raised an impressive $1.3 million in the first two months after registering.

The Texas land commissioner post he is after administers state-owned lands and mineral resources that help pay for public education statewide. The position can be a springboard to higher office. The incumbent commissioner, Jerry Patterson, is running for lieutenant governor. And the incumbent lieutenant governor he's challenging, David Dewhurst, served as land commissioner before winning his current job.

Squaring off against Bush are former El Paso Democratic Mayor John Cook and Republican East Texas businessman David Watts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is heading into Novembers midterm election with such strong polling numbers and popularity that the Democratic party did not even bother to put up a serious challenger.

Bob Goodman, who was former Gov. Mike OCallaghans director of economic development in the 1970s, is the party's official candidate, though polls show him trailing the governor by double digits.

Goodman won the Democratic primary with 25 percent of the vote, five points behind the "None of These Candidates" option that appears on Nevada ballots; Sandoval clinched the GOP one with 90 percent.

Goodman knows a victory at this point seems like a pipe dream but says he is running for the sake of democracy.

The reigning Democratic potentate of Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, told reporters earlier this year that he tried but failed to persuade better-known Democrats in the state to take on Sandoval.

Sandoval, 51, is basking in the glow of an improving economy and a deal that will bring Tesla Motors battery manufacturing gigafactory to the Reno area, a move with the potential to bring $100 billion into the state. Sandovals economic advisors say the Tesla deal also could create tens of thousands of jobs in Nevada.

The deal not only raised Sandovals stock in the state, it also gave him a national sheen and buzz about loftier political positions in the future.

Can a more perfect Republican dream team be imagined going into 2016 than former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval? began a recent blog post in The Hill.

Polls show Sandoval winning re-election with 56 percent support, compared to 34 percent for Goodman, with 10 percent not committing to either candidate yet.

Sandoval, who is of Mexican descent, is also expected to do better this time among Latino voters, only a third of whom voted for him in 2010.

Recent polls show Sandoval leading among Latinos, 54-39.

The governor, who is considered centrist on most key issues, gained more Latino support after backing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants  something he opposed several years ago.

Sandoval also initially favored Arizonas controversial immigration law, SB 1070, and angered many Latinos when it was reported that he answered an Univision reporters question about how he would respond if the measure led to his kids being profiled with the comment, My children dont look Hispanic.

At first, he denied making the comment, but a few days later issued a statement allowing that, "I dont remember saying it, and it is most certainly not how I feel. If I did say those words, it was wrong and I sincerely regret it. I am proud of my heritage and my family."

Nevada columnist Eddie Escobedo wrote in 2010, By declaring that he is in favor of SB 1070 and against driving privileges for the undocumented, Brian Sandoval is distancing himself from causes that are of interest ... to the Hispanic community.

He also back-tracked a bit on SB 1070, saying that while it may have been fitting for Arizona, it was not right for Nevada.

Sandovals efforts to smooth things over with Latinos seems to have paid off.

Hispanics In Politics, Nevadas oldest Latino political organization, is now endorsing Sandoval  a change from 2010 when it refused to support him, viewing his stances as contrary to the best interests of the community.

Four years ago, because of the unfortunate matter of SB 1070 in Arizona, we couldnt, as a Hispanic organization, go forth with an endorsement for Brian Sandoval, Fernando Romero, the president of the organization, told Fox News Latino.

He hasnt really opposed SB 1070, but said it wouldnt work here. And he has supported several laws which would be beneficial for our community  the drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, he got $40 million in extra funding for English language learner programs.

Romero, who identifies himself as a Democrat, explained, In 2010, the Latino community was not very happy with Sandoval that he went for SB 1070. Now I think he will double his support among Latinos.

While Sandoval has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate in 2016, the national-level office he is seen as most likely to pursue in the near future is that of U.S. senator.

A poll this summer showed him beating Reid by 10 points in a hypothetical race for the majority leader's seat.

That is one reason, political experts say, that Reid has given so much support to Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, a Democrat who is running for lieutenant governor.

If Flores wins in November, she would become governor in the event that Sandoval didnt serve out his term  something that many say would be a deterrent to him running against Reid.

Another may have to do with the fact that in 2010 Sandoval defeated Reids son, Rory, by nearly double digits.

Goodman, who is 79 and primarily a businessman these days, acknowledges that he is in an uphill battle, and he doesnt hide his disgust with the state Democratic party's decision not to give him the support and resources he would need to run a competitive race against Sandoval.

Thats what made me unhappy, Goodman said to Fox News Latino. Democracy was what was losing in their decision to essentially concede the election to Sandoval.

There are more Democrats than Republicans in Nevada, Goodman said. If all Democrats voted, Id win. But people arent really motivated, even though a lot of people are mad at how Ive been treated by the Democratic party.

He calls Sandoval a photo op governor  photogenic and smooth.

Goodman says he went to members of the casino industry to try to get their support, but the response was that they'd already promised it to Sandoval.

"Then why do we even have an election?" Goodman asks. "Just change the law and become the emperor."

Yes, theres the Tesla deal, he admits, but he thinks Nevada made too many concessions to land the factory.

When you negotiate, you negotiate from strength, he said. "We have a wonderful state, we didnt have to promise them so much.

Sandoval was born in Redding, Calif. He has broken many barriers in the Silver State, serving on the Nevada Assembly and the Gaming Commission and becoming the first Latino to hold statewide office. He has served also as the states attorney general and a U.S. District Court judge.

Brock McCleary, who is the former polling director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, says Sandoval has managed to appeal to a cross-section of constituents, including Democrats, independents and Latinos.

Forty percent of Democrats have a favorable opinion of him, said McCleary, whose firm, Harper Polling, has surveyed Nevada voters on their midterm election views. You dont get that support, as a Republican, if you govern strictly along party lines.

Hes governed in a way that is perceived as inclusionary, McCleary told FNL. Being a Hispanic Republican from an important purple state like Nevada, and showing he can bring Hispanics into the Republican coalition, and that he can govern in such a way the brings other people in, could bring a promising career in national politics.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republican gubernatorial nominee and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott made a bold statement during a recent debate with Democratic contender Wendy Davis: that cocaine may have even been traded for votes.

"I almost hesitate to bring this up, but you know that one of the challenges thats going on as we speak is the fact that the FBI is involved in an investigation about people in the Rio Grande Valley who are using cocaine to buy votes, Abbott said, according to the Austin American-Statesman. We cannot accept or tolerate this kind of lack of integrity in the election process."

It turns out that Abbott may be on to something.

The FBI said in court records filed in late August that an unnamed Hidalgo County, Texas commissioners campaign manager used cocaine to buy votes in the 2012 primary election. These allegations surfaced after the FBI arrested two paid political campaign supporters - Veronica Saldivar and Belinda Solis  as part of an 18-month long investigation into drugs and cash being used to buy votes.

If convicted, both face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

FBI investigators allege that a campaign manager, who worked for a Hidalgo County commissioner, bought $50 worth of cocaine and divided it up between the two politiqueras, who then handed the drugs out in baggies to people voting for the commissioner in the 2012 primary election. Saldivar added that she was also responsible for doling out money, beer and cigarettes to almost 30 voters, according to the criminal complaint.

Only two candidates for a Hidalgo County commissioner slot ran during the primary election - Precinct 1 Commissioner A.C. Cuellar Jr. and Joel Quintanilla  and both have denied any involvement in the drugs-for-votes scandal.

I dont know these ladies, Quintanilla told the McAllen Monitor. During our campaign meetings, we mentioned to our campaign workers that we wouldnt even consider paying people for votes."

Speaking to the Austin American-Statesman, Michelle Lee, an FBI spokeswoman in San Antonio, said the case was still under investigation. She added that the Justice Department also recently issued a press release about the arrest in Illinois of a campaign manager, Francisco "Frankie" Garcia, of Donna, Texas, in connection to vote buying.

According to the indictment, during the November 2012 general election, Garcia worked as a campaign manager for four candidates to the Donna School Board, the press release stated. During that time, he allegedly bought votes and worked with other campaign workers to pay voters and to offer to pay voters in this election to vote for particular candidates. The indictment alleges that Garcia paid voters by giving the voters either cocaine or cash in exchange for their votes.

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Republicans have put Marilinda Garcia, a 31-year-old dynamo and congressional candidate in New Hampshire, on a pedestal.

So Democrats are taking aim.

Her opponent, incumbent Ann McLane Kuster, has released an ad showing footage of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas, embracing Garcia when he visited New Hampshire to stump for her recently.

"Marilinda Garcias positions are simply too extreme for New Hampshire," said Kuster spokeswoman Rosie Hilmer to WMUR, an ABC affiliate. "From wanting to completely abolish the Department of Education, to opposing the Violence Against Women Act and a womans right to choose, to voting to privatize Social Security, her policies would be devastating for hardworking Granite State families across the board.

Students, women, seniors, and their families, Hilmer continued, deserve to know the truth this election season about how Garcias extreme Tea Party positions would affect them.

And on Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee echoed the characterization of Garcia as extreme with a television ad that uses that adjective as its title.

In its first television advertisement in New Hampshires 2nd Congressional district, the DCCC highlighted Garcias anti-abortion stance.

A DCCC press release about Extreme says that Garcia voted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and make abortions illegal, even in cases of rape or incest, and in emergencies where the mother is at risk.

Garcia even voted to send doctors who perform emergency abortions to prison, it continued. Thats extreme  even by Tea Party standards.

The national Republican Party organization balked at the Democrats bashing of Garcia.

With no record to run on, Democrats are desperate and continue to rely on negative and misleading ads, Ruth Guerra, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said to Fox News Latino. New Hampshire has been hit hard under the Obama-Kuster agenda and no ad will distract voters from the effects of a struggling economy and lack of jobs. Granite Staters want and deserve a leader like Marilinda Garcia in Washington who will work for them  and not for President Obama.

Garcia, a state representative who won the Republican primary, was not initially fully embraced by Republicans in her pursuit of the House seat. They saw her chief competitor, former state Sen. Gary Lambert, who is a moderate, as a safer bet and more electable in the Democrat-leaning 2nd District. (Former state Rep. Jim Lawrence also ran in the GOP primary.)

But Garcia, noted for her firm but smooth delivery of Tea Party stances, was showcased last year by the National Republican Campaign Committee as a Rising Star honoree.

Garcia, who was elected to the state legislature at the age of 23, has been racking up endorsements by influential Republicans and conservatives.

Former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno, a Republican, headlined a fundraiser for Garcia that featured prominent Hispanic GOP members. New Hampshires conservative newspaper, the Union Leader, endorsed her. Then theres the powerful anti-tax group Club for Growth, which released a six-figure ad buy for Garcia on cable and broadcast television.

Published reports note that Kuster may not be the shoo-in some might have thought earlier.

A very conservative candidate in a Democratic-leaning district could do well, Dante Scala, an expert on state politics and an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, was quoted as saying in OZY.

But many observers still think it could be a tight race.

Garcia serves on the executive board of the immigration reform group Americans by Choice.

She earned her bachelors from Tufts University in 2006, as well as a Bachelors from the New England Conservatory of Music. She then went to Harvard, where she received a Master of Public Policy in 2010.

She is a recipient of the National Foundation for Women Legislators Integrative Healthcare Pioneer Award and the Disruptivate! Innovation in Healthcare Award. She was honored as one of the Republican Security Councils 45 Most Influential Women under 45.
The announcement that United States Attorney General Eric Holder will resign from his post after nearly six years on the job has Latino rights groups offering up a number of qualified Hispanics to fill the soon-to-be-vacated spot.

Under Eric Holders leadership the Department of Justice has put in a strong commitment to Latino voting rights, Rosalind Gold, Director of Policy, Research and Advocacy at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials told Fox News Latino. Whoever the administration chooses [to replace him], we hope that they look at the pool of talented Latinos and that whoever he or she is has the same commitment to voting rights that Holder had.

While controversial in many quarters, Holder gets high marks among Latino groups as attorney general for protecting voting rights to reworking mandatory federal sentencing policies to meeting with leaders throughout the hemisphere to addressing the issue of the international drug trade.

While Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler have already been thrown into the mix as prospective nominees, Hispanic leaders say there are plenty of qualified Latinos who could fill the post.

It has been an ongoing complaint that the higher ranks of the Department of Justice has been without a Latino since the departure of Thomas Perez, who left to be the labor secretary, Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, told FNL. It is certainly a concern.

Saenz added that Perez, who was assistant U.S. attorney general in the Civil Rights Division until July, would be a great choice for the position of attorney general given his background.

He already has a cabinet-level position, but the attorney generals job is a whole different thing, he said.

Along with Perez, Saenz also suggested Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban-American lawyer who is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mayorkas previously was a partner in the law firm of OMelveny & Myers, where in 2008 he was named by the National Law Journal as one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.

Mayorkas was nominated by former President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the Senate in 1998 to be the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, making him the youngest U.S. Attorney to serve the nation at that time.

Another name that came up for the attorney general post is former U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Vilma Socorro Martinez.

The Texas-born Martinez has been a leading voice in Hispanic civil rights since the 1970s, having been the head of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and because of her work defending undocumented immigrants. Martinez became a partner at the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson in 1982, where she specialized in federal and state court litigation.

In 2009, she became the first woman to represent the U.S. in Buenos Aires as ambassador. When she left the post in 2013, she was awarded Argentinas Order of May, the highest honor awarded by that country to a foreign national.

She has great experience as both a lawyer and with her work in the government, Saenz said.
Even though she appears to be coasting to victory, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinezs race for reelection is getting nasty.

A report released earlier this week by New Mexicos Dona Ana County district attorneys office stopped short of bringing official charges against anyone but stated that a former district attorney and staff members deleted vital emails about Martinez's campaign from July 2009 to December 2010 before leaving office in 2012.

The report came in response to an inquiry by the New Mexico Democratic Party into allegations that members of Martinez staff would send the license plate numbers of cars believed to be used by opposition trackers to an investigator in Martinez's DA office who had access to law enforcement databases.

In its report, the Dona Ana County DAs office found that it could not fulfill the request because, allegedly, a large number of office e-mails from former employees had been deleted and/or removed during the administration of former District Attorney Amy Orlando.

Orlando, who was defeated by current district attorney Mark DAntonio, said that the investigation was "a taxpayer-funded political witch hunt, but never addressed the allegations directly in a prepared statement.

"The district attorneys election was almost two years ago and the citizens of Dona Ana County should expect that the district attorney and his investigators ought to be spending their time on investigating and prosecuting crimes, rather than on taxpayer-funded political witch hunts," Orlando said, according to the Santa Fe Reporter. "My office fully complied with public records requests and laws and that's why he's left with nothing but baseless innuendos and black-helicopter conspiracy theories."

DAntonio has not leveled any criminal charges and has said that there is not sufficient evidence to make any criminal allegations because there are too many unanswered questions.

Lets assume emails were erased, he said, according to the Albuquerque Journal. I dont know who ordered it, what emails were erased, who did it or if the hard drives were authorized to be destroyed. It would be careless to start making criminal accusations. If appropriate, the (state) Attorney General could step in if he thinks a criminal investigation is warranted.

Martinez has remained quiet on the matter, but the issue highlights the animosity between D'Antonio's office and the former Martinez-appointed Orlando.

D'Antonios office revealed emails showing that Orlando directed her staff to lie about changes to her calendar access, requested that one staffer not tell the incoming D'Anontio administration how to obtain up to $300,000 in federal grant money for the office and that Orlando tipped off Republican political operative Jay McCleskey about a criminal investigation into GOP voter fraud, according to the advocacy group Progress Now New Mexico.

In addition to the missing emails, the report states. Information was uncovered that showed that employees were being secretly monitored and that the previous administration was trying to make the transition difficult.

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After incurring the wrath of Latino groups after he delayed executive action on immigration, President Barack Obama is now trying to mend fences.

The president will be headlining the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institutes (CHCI) annual awards dinner next week, and observers say hes doing so to try and repair relations with the Hispanic community, according to The Hill.

It will be the fifth time the president has appeared at the event during the past seven years.

CHCI is proud to once again welcome President Obama to our 37th Annual Awards Gala on October 2nd, said Democratic Rep. Ruben Hinojosa of Texas in a statement. His attendance reflects his ongoing commitment to the Latino community and to the future of Latino and Latina leaders that CHCI works so hard to develop each year.

But the speech comes at a time when groups have either called on Latinos to either sit out the November election or not vote for a Democrat after Obama's recent announcement that he would delay any executive action on immigration until after the elections -- despite pledging to do so by the end of the summer. This led to many of his longtime supporters of accusing him of playing politics instead following through with his promises.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill) accused Obama of walking away from our values and our principles.

Playing it safe might win an election but it almost never leads to fairness, to justice and to good public policy that you can be proud of, Gutierrez said on ABCs This Week.

With his speech, Obama will have the opportunity to explain his decision on the hot button issue.

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Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro called for a "re-founding" of the United Nations late Wednesday in his first speech before the international organization.

The socialist president took the podium at the General Assembly of world leaders to demand that the U.N. undergo a profound transformation and recognize that the world is now multipolar, defined by new regional alliances.

Co-operation among Latin American countries has Venezuela poised to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council next year. Maduro said that this council in particular needed an immediate overhaul to ensure that it reflects the modern world, in which every region has its own voice and ambitions.

Speaking with hand gestures and a declamatory style, he praised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for helping stave off Islamic State militants, and pledged $5 million to the fight against Ebola.

He railed against harassment by the "imperial forces" of the American empire "that have tried again and again to undermine democracy."

But unlike his mentor and predecessor Hugo Chavez, who famously called George W. Bush the devil in a U.N. speech, Maduro stopped short of personal attacks or name-calling.

As with most aspects of Maduro's presidency, the spirit of the more popular Chavez was close at hand during the half hour speech. Maduro made several reverential references to the populist leader. And Chavez's daughter, who Maduro recently named as deputy ambassador to the U.N., made her public debut at the organization as she watched from the empty-looking auditorium.

Maduro concluded his remarks with a prayer for peace. Something that will only be possible, he said, when the sovereignty of each country is respected.

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Hell hath no fury like a Latino voter scorned.

At least, that's the idea.

A major Latino advocacy group has begun to actively campaign against four Senate Democrats, encouraging Hispanics to not vote blue in midterm elections in key swing states, because they oppose immigration reform. Presente Action is specifically targeting Sens. Kay Hagan (N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H), Mark Pryor (Ark.), and Mary Landrieu (La.), collectively identified by the organization as the "Dirty Four."

As first reported by the Huffington Post Latino Voices, Presente cites the senators support for a procedural vote last week that would have allowed for a vote on amendments restricting the 2012 Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals policy, and preventing President Barack Obama from using executive action on immigration. The vote was pushed by Republican Senators Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas.

The vote never happened. But Latino activists and immigrant advocates viewed the move by the senators as a betrayal by Democrats who were supposed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, as promised by Obama.

"We are sick of politicians playing with our community like we are political pawns," Arturo Carmona, executive director of Presente Action, told Fox News Latino about Latino voters. "These Senate Democrats have been willing to throw our community under the bus. On the issue of immigration our community has been lied to once, twice, 10 times, and when you gage the Latino community we are fed up."

Carmona says Presente, which boasts 300,000 members across the nation, is purchasing social media ad buys on Facebook and Google while mobilizing their members to encourage friends and family not to vote for the senators. "These are the first shots fired," Carmona said, explaining the organization plans to escalate their campaign against the "Dirty Four" as November 4th nears. Other Latino advocacy groups are privately cheering Presente on, even calling them heroes.

The organization says their campaign is not about making sure Latinos stay home come November, rather encouraging people to think twice before casting a ballot for these particular Democrats.

"The Latino community will no longer be about good Democrats and bad Republicans, we need to be a results-oriented community," Carmona said of the need for Latino voters to stop blindly voting Democrat.

But don't confuse Presente's campaign as a get out the Latino vote push for Republicans  they say it is not. Republicans need six more seats in the Senate to claim a 51-49 majority and analysts believe their best hopes to picking up seats are in the "dirty four's" states: Louisiana, North Carolina, Arkansas and, to a lesser extent, New Hampshire. In all four states Latinos make up less than 10 percent of the population.

To put that in perspective, California has close to 40 percent, but Carmona is "confident" the Latino vote could make the difference in elections decided by a "razor-thin margin."

If Presente's campaign is successful, and Republicans become the majority in the Senate, the scenario could conceivably make it more difficult for comprehensive immigration reform to pass.

"We understand the political scenario. We are totally conscious this can be a game-changer," Carmona said. "We are in a difficult situation but we have to play our hand. Our families are being separated."
A Mexican woman who claims her five-day detention at a federal immigration office was an illegal arrest filed the first lawsuit challenging enforcement of Arizona's landmark immigration enforcement law.

Opponents of the 2010 law have already filed lawsuits that questioned the constitutionality of the law's provisions, but Thursday's filing by Maria del Rosario Cortes Camacho marks a new type of challenge that alleges constitutional violations in how a police agency enforced the law.

Cortes, a domestic violence victim who had applied for a visa allowing her to remain in the U.S. to assist authorities with the case, alleged two Pinal County sheriff's deputies had unreasonably prolonged the length of a September 2012 traffic stop that was prompted by her cracked windshield. She also accuses the officers of making an illegal arrest by bringing her in handcuffs to a Border Patrol office about 13 miles away where she was detained for five days.

"Our deputies took the exact actions as what is required by law," Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said in a written statement.

In the earlier lawsuits over the law, critics said Latinos in Arizona would face systematic racial profiling in the enforcement of the statute and argued that the state law was trumped by federal immigration statutes.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Arizona law's most contentious section  a requirement that police, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. But the courts have either struck down or blocked enforcement of other sections of the law known as SB1070, such as a requirement that immigrants carry registration.

While Cortes' case marks the first challenge based on the law's enforcement, several legal claims that serve as precursors to lawsuits have been filed in Tucson and South Tucson, alleging violation in how the law is carried out.

Cortes was pulled over in Eloy, about 65 miles southeast of Phoenix, as she was driving home and told one of the officers about her visa application but he wasn't interested in looking at it, according to the lawsuit. She was cited for having a cracked windshield, driving without a license and failing to show proof of insurance. Cortes was taken to a Border Patrol office in nearby Casa Grande.

The lawsuit alleges the officers violated Cortes' Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizures by prolonging the length of her stop after the original purpose of the traffic stop was completed. She alleges the stop was prolonged based on her immigration status.

Dan Pochoda, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which filed the lawsuit, said the officers didn't understand it's generally not a criminal act for an immigrant without permission to be in the country to remain in the United States, so the deputies' belief that she was here illegally didn't provide constitutional justification for detaining her.

"To say that SB1070 made me do it feeds into some people's worst law enforcement practices," Pochoda said.

Babeu said Cortes acknowledged not being a U.S. citizen, was cited for traffic violations and, as part of enforcing state immigration law, was brought to a federal immigration office so authorities there could determine her immigration status.

Cortes, who didn't allege racial profiling in her lawsuit, is seeking unspecified damages.

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EXCLUSIVE: Islamic State terrorists are said to be using Libya as an "entry point" into Europe, with intelligence sources on the ground in Africa telling Fox News at least 30 ISIS fighters who left from the country have been "picked up" by the Italians in recent weeks.

The purported terrorists all claimed refugee status but American and European agents believe this is a clear indication that ISIS terrorists have come into Europe virtually untouched.

"There is no way you can block it, one told Fox News. Libya is now an easy entry point into the E.U. and ultimately into the U.S. for ISIS. They are saying, this is the way to America."

One special operator in the region told Fox News, "It's a new ISIS route to the West." A congressional source confirmed that even the Libyan government, which controls little in the country, has easily captured ISIS terrorists.

Earlier this week, President Obama authorized up to 450 additional U.S. troops to deploy to Iraq, to help local security forces in the fight against ISIS there. But while American foreign policy continues to focus on ISIS operations in Syria and Iraq, many in the region and in American intelligence worry that Libya is actually the most unstable country in the region and gives ISIS its best opportunity for entry to the West.

In response to the ISIS captures and current instability in Libya, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ron Johnson, R-Wis., blasted the administration.

This administration continues to deny reality and fails to adequately convey to the American people the severity of the security situation throughout the Middle East and the resulting threats America faces, he said.

Fox News has learned that the Libyan port city of Sirte, which lies on the Mediterranean between Benghazi and Tripoli, was flying the black flag of ISIS just last week and now is essentially under ISIS control. The terrorist group even controls the airfield -- building a supply-line much like they did in Iraq when the city of Mosul was captured, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Sources on the ground in Libya also tell Fox News that hard drugs are now widespread in Libya, much of it pushed by outsiders whove come into the country freely and even sold by children on street corners. The country appears to be part of a drug route into Europe and even the United States, with much of the supply coming from Afghanistan and shipments of heroin also coming from South America. Sources say prior to the overthrow, drugs werent popular in the country and were looked down upon, but all that has changed drastically as people and militias need money."

One longtime intelligence agent who works closely with American officials in Iraq told Fox News, Oil and drugs are how the militias are getting their money to fund their terrorism and America should be very concerned.

The deterioration of Libya has been swift since Muammar Qaddafi was killed in 2011. Two of his sons also are currently being held in the country and could face the death penalty. Much of the country is lawless, there are no border controls of substance in place, airspace is not monitored and the country has become the crime hub in the region.

It has become a huge problem, said an international intelligence agent working in the country. There is no more trust for the Americans anymore.

Some of these same critics also argue that if the United States puts boots back on the ground in the region, it shouldnt be in Iraq or Syria "where ISIS can be somewhat contained -- but in Libya.

Everyone is now going to Libya  terrorists are coming from all over because they can move freely and the U.S. really has nobody on the ground there. The Americans and West needs to open their eyes, said one source who just returned from the country. Libya is a mess and much worse than Iraq. ISIS has [a] very good command-and-control building in Libya.

One international intelligence officer worried about the ISIS movements was bewildered why there are no operations planned or taking place near Libya. "When and where will this stop? When will western powers open their minds and see that this is happening on the ground?" he said. "The West is underestimating ISIS and its military tactics. These guys are much more trained and much more dangerous than Al Qaeda ever was, and nobody is paying attention to Libya.
Congress is already setting the stage to cut off U.S. funding to the United Nations in the wake of a contested vote last week in which the Obama administration permitted an anti-Israel resolution to win overwhelming approval, according to congressional leaders, who told the Washington Free Beacon that the current administration is already plotting to take further action against the Jewish state before vacating office.

Other punitive actions by Congress could include expelling Palestinian diplomats from U.S. soil and scaling back ties with foreign nations that voted in favor of the controversial measure, according to multiple sources who spoke to the Free Beacon about the situation both on and off the record.

The Obama administration is still under bipartisan attack for its decision to help craft and facilitate the passage of a U.N. resolution condemning the construction of Jewish homes in Jerusalem, a move that reversed years of U.S. policy on the matter.

The Free Beacon was the first to disclose on Monday that senior Obama administration officials played a key role in ensuring the measure was passed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council. This included a phone call by Vice President Joe Biden to Ukraines president to ensure that country voted in favor of the measure.

While Bidens office continues to dispute the claim, reporters in Israel and Europe confirmed in the intervening days that the call between Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko did in fact take place.

With anger over the issue still roiling, leading members of Congress told the Free Beacon on Wednesday that they will not delay in seeking retribution against the U.N. for the vote. This could include cutting off U.S. funding for the U.N. and stripping the Palestinian missions diplomatic privileges.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.
A defiant Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday defended the U.S. decision allowing the United Nations to condemn Israeli settlements, while lashing out at the so-called settler agenda which he claimed is hurting prospects for peace  in a wide-ranging speech that inflamed tensions with Israel and drew a swift rebuke from the prime minister.

During a farewell speech at the State Department, Kerry explained the U.N. decision in his most extensive terms yet. He said it was about preserving the two-state solution, which he called the only way to a just and lasting peace.

That future is now in jeopardy, he warned.

A U.S. abstention on the U.N. Security Council resolution calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem a violation of international law allowed the measure to pass Friday  and sent the already-turbulent relationship between the Obama and Netanyahu governments into its rockiest stretch yet.

In a written statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ripped Kerry's speech as "skewed."

"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," he said. "For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries."

In subsequent remarks from Jerusalem, Netanyahu defended his countrys commitment to peace and said: Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders.

He said he looks forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to mitigate the damage from the resolution and ultimately repeal it.

While Israeli officials have described the U.S. abstention as a betrayal, the Obama administration has also faced bipartisan criticism from U.S. lawmakers. House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted Wednesday, After allowing this anti-Israel resolution to pass the UN, Secretary Kerry has no credibility to speak on Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Kerry, though, on Wednesday rejected criticism that this vote abandons Israel and described the resolution as a call for both sides to save the two-state solution while there is still time.

We did not take this decision lightly, Kerry said.

He said Israel's "permanent settlement construction," not the resolution, is risking peace.

Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect, Kerry said. He said the U.S. did in fact vote in accordance with our values.

In an at-times scathing address, Kerry went on to blast the settler agenda for allegedly pushing Israel toward seeking one state  which he asserted could not be both Jewish and democratic. He called the current government the "most right-wing" in Israel's history and claimed its agenda is "driven by the most extreme elements."

The status quo is leading toward one state and perpetual occupation, Kerry said. Using pointed language, he said this would entail separate but unequal treatment for Palestinians.

Kerry condemned Palestinian violence, including hundreds of terror attacks in the last year, and said Palestinian leaders do not do enough to speak out against specific attacks.

But the bulk of his address dealt with Israeli settlement expansion, largely in the West Bank, as he outlined "principles" for future peace talks -- and denied the U.S. drove last week's U.N. vote.

In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two state solution. We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence, Kerry said.

The speech touched off a new round of rebukes from the Israeli government.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement: "The Obama Administration acted against Israel at the UN and any claim to the contrary is a distortion of reality."

Netanyahu already has described the U.S. abstention that allowed the U.N. resolution to pass as an ambush, and his government has gone on to accuse the U.S. of playing a hand in orchestrating the vote.

The Israeli government, meanwhile, has turned to President-elect Donald Trumps incoming administration for support, openly saying they look forward to working with the next president amid fraying ties with the outgoing administration.

In the hours before Kerrys speech, the Netanyahu government took another shot at the U.S., with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan calling Kerrys speech a pathetic step.

He told Israel Army Radio that Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump."

Trump also blasted the administration on Twitter over its treatment of Israel, vowing a new approach once he's inaugurated.

On Wednesday, Kerry also outlined what he described as principles that could provide the basis for new talks. This included a return to borders negotiated based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed equivalent swaps  a position similar to President Obamas stated position several years ago.

He called for two states for two peoples with equal rights for all and a resolution for Jerusalem as the capital of the two states.

He said the U.S. acknowledges Israels profound historic and religious ties to [East Jerusalem] and its holy sites. He further said he understands some settlements would become part of Israel in a future two-state solution.

Kerry also vehemently denied claims the U.S. was the driving force behind the U.N. measure.

The United States did not draft or originate this resolution, nor did we put it forward, he said. It was drafted and  introduced by Egypt  in coordination with the Palestinians and others. 

The White House on Wednesday also denied a report in Egyptian media claiming Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice discussed the U.N. resolution with a top Palestinian official nearly two weeks before Fridays Security Council vote.

Ned Price, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, called the reports a fabrication and said the meeting never occurred.

Netanyahu, though, reiterated Wednesday that his government has absolutely incontestable evidence that the U.S. organized and advanced the resolution. And he referred to the details reported in Egyptian media as the tip of the iceberg.

The State Departments own website reflects that Kerry was scheduled for a meeting with the Palestinian official at the State Department on Dec. 12, around the time of the reported discussions. The official website, however, offers no details on what was discussed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Portland man was sentenced to more than eight years in prison on Tuesday for a robbery at the Albany Elmers Restaurant in November.

Trammel Pablo Scott, 56, pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree robbery and third-degree robbery on Thursday in Linn County Circuit Court.

On the morning of Nov. 20, Scott entered the local eaterys bar and lottery area, concealed his face with a bandana-like article of clothing and then demanded money from a clerk, said Prosecutor Julia Baker.

He said directly to her, This is a robbery, and tried to push her out of the way. She was between him and the safe, and he hit her over the head with a flashlight, Baker said.

She screamed for help, alerting an assistant manager in a nearby office. He saw on a surveillance video that the clerk was in trouble, ran to help and scuffled with Scott until police arrived. It was very lucky for her that he was there, Baker said.

Theyd never experienced anything like that before. It was a very scary incident, said Baker, who added that it was fortunate no one else was inside the bar area.

The victims were satisfied with how the case was concluded, Baker said. She was, as well.

I was pretty happy with how quickly it resolved. It was a really strong case, she said.

The entire incident was videotaped.

As part of a plea deal, a first-degree robbery charge was reduced to second-degree robbery, and accusations of second-degree assault, first-degree theft and second-degree burglary were dismissed.

A co-defendant, Heather Charmaine Tressel, 31, of Sweet Home, also was initially charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft and second-degree burglary. However, a grand jury did not return a true bill on those charges, so she was never indicted as a getaway driver, Baker said.

She pleaded guilty to first-degree methamphetamine possession related to the incident and was sentenced to 10 days in custody  which she had already served  earlier in December. The Elmers case resulted in her violating her probation, which resulted in an 18 month prison sentence.
President-elect Donald Trump blasted President Obama on Wednesday over his administrations treatment of Israel, accusing him of making inflammatory statements and putting up roadblocks that are hampering the transition.

The incoming president took to Twitter to assure Israel that his administration will bring a new approach, in advance of a speech on the Middle East peace process by Secretary of State John Kerry. The already-turbulent relationship between the Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu governments has lurched into its rockiest stretch yet in the final days of the Obama administration, after the U.S. abstained on an anti-settlement resolution before the U.N. Security Council, allowing it to pass.

Trump tweeted: We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect.

And in a swipe at the outgoing president after a period of relative peace between the two, he wrote, Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!

The Israeli government has turned to President-elect Trumps team for support in recent days, openly saying they look forward to working with the next president amid fraying ties with the outgoing administration.

Netanyahu has described the U.S. abstention that allowed the U.N. resolution to pass as an ambush, and his government has gone on to accuse the U.S. of playing a hand in orchestrating the vote.

In the hours before Kerrys speech, the Netanyahu government took another shot at the U.S., with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan calling Kerrys speech a pathetic step.

He told Israel Army Radio that Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump."

The White House has pushed back on claims that the Obama administration helped craft and push the resolution  and on Wednesday morning, denied another report in Egyptian media claiming Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice discussed the U.N. resolution with a top Palestinian official nearly two weeks before Fridays Security Council vote.

Ned Price, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, called the reports a fabrication and said the meeting never occurred.

The State Departments own website reflects that Kerry was scheduled for a meeting with the Palestinian official at the State Department on Dec. 12, around the time of the reported discussions. The official website, however, offers no details on what was discussed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The White House vehemently denied a report Wednesday morning claiming Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice discussed the controversial U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements with a top Palestinian official days before Fridays Security Council vote.

An Egyptian news site first published what it claimed to be details of the meeting with Palestinian official Saeb Erekat and others. According to multiple accounts in Israeli media, the documents show the U.S. officials discussing the draft resolution with the delegation and agreeing to cooperate.

Ned Price, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, denied the claims in an early-morning tweet. He called the reports a fabrication and said the meeting never occurred.

This is a total fabrication. This meeting never occurred. https://t.co/FHDL1taIlF  Ned Price (@Price44) December 28, 2016

The State Departments own website reflects that Kerry was scheduled for a meeting with Erekat at the State Department on Dec. 12, around the time of the reported discussions. The official website, however, offers no details on what was discussed.

The reports came ahead of a major address from Kerry on the U.S. vision for Middle East peace. Kerry in that speech staunchly defended the United States decision to abstain on Fridays U.N. Security Council vote, which allowed the measure to pass.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response, called the address "skewed" and reiterated that his government has absolutely incontestable evidence that the U.S. organized and advanced the resolution.

Further, he referred to the details reported in Egyptian media as the tip of the iceberg.

Israeli officials say they have ironclad evidence the U.S. was behind or closely involved in the resolution push.

We have that evidence  were going to present it to the new administration, and if they choose to share it with the American people, thatll be their choice, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer told Fox News Special Report. Its very clear that the U.S. orchestrated that.

He said an Israeli minister heard directly that Vice President Biden intervened to get Ukraine to support the resolution and added, The evidence we have is much greater than that.

The White House, though, has sought to explain its abstention as rooted in concerns that the settlements themselves undermine the peace process. Spokesman Eric Schultz also pushed back on allegations they orchestrated the vote.

The US did not draft this resolution nor did the US introduce this resolution, he said in a statement. The Egyptians, in partnership with the Palestinians, are the ones who began circulating an earlier draft of the resolution. The Egyptians are the ones who moved it forward on Friday. And we took the position that we did when it was put to a vote."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Finland's president finds her traditional support among women and the Social Democratic Party base, but lately to the surprise of many Finns  and her opponents in Sunday's election  she has gotten an endorsement of a different sort.

The redheaded late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien has been promoting President Tarja Halonen's re-election bid as part of a long-running joke about their supposed physical similarities.

"Why do I support Tarja Halonen? Because she's got the total package: a dynamic personality, a quick mind, and most importantly  my good looks," the comedian, whose show is broadcast on cable in Finland, said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Whether O'Brien has a real interest in Finnish politics is uncertain, but his gags and mock campaign ads for Halonen have not gone unnoticed in this Nordic country of 5.2 million.

"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" airs five days a week on SUBTV, a Finnish cable channel, with a few days' delay. Every time he mentions Finland or Halonen, local tabloids report it prominently.

The Halonen camp is laughing all the way to the polls.

"Of course, when she is mentioned so many times it's positive for our campaign," said Halonen's campaign manager, Markku Jaaskelainen.

Halonen's supporters quickly saw an opportunity, and her campaign started running real ads before the O'Brien's show on Finnish TV.

Halonen was hugely popular even before O'Brien discovered their similarities, but Jaaskelainen said hits on the campaign Web site have quintupled partly because of O'Brien's shows.

In one show, O'Brien presented a mock ad for Halonen in which he and two Finns were discussing the election while fishing on a frozen lake.

When they talk about rival candidate Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, a dead fish shoots out of the hole in the ice, prompting a joke about how the mere mention of his name causes fish to commit suicide.

"Fish recognize a bad leader," O'Brien says in broken Finnish to laughter from his studio crowd.

Halonen's opponents are not amused.

"He's just making fun of the whole election," said Harri Jaskari, campaign manager for former Finance Minister Sauli Niinisto. "If this decides the election, then we're in trouble. It gives a very poor picture of Finnish democracy."

Markus Haapamaki, Vanhanen's campaign manager, was less worried.

"It's not really affecting our campaign," he said. "Personally, I'm fed up with it, and it's continued too long to offer anything interesting."

In Helsinki, people did not seem to take offense at O'Brien's use of their presidential election for comic relief.

"I think it's quite funny," said Mia Myllymaki, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher. "Of course we are proud that Conan O'Brien talks about Finland and Finnish people. ... People in the USA don't even know where Finland is, so maybe it helps if he talks about it."

Anu Linnus, a 22-year-old economics student, said O'Brien's backing could indirectly affect the election.

"I don't think people are going to vote for Tarja because she's on the show, but it helps her image," she said.

Polls showed Halonen with a solid lead on the eve of the election, but it was not clear whether she would get the more than 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.

NBC, which runs Conan's show in the United States, said the popular host is planning a trip to Finland in February. It was not clear whether he would meet with Halonen, 62, who apparently does not mind being compared to the 42-year-old O'Brien.

"She thinks that it's very nice that she looks the same as Conan O'Brien because Conan O'Brien is so much younger than she," said Jaaskelainen, the campaign manager.

As for their similarities, he was not as convinced.

"They have red hair," Jaaskelainen said. "And same kind of nose."
International travelers looking to visit the United States via the visa-waiver program are now being asked to include information on their online presence, according to a report in Politico. The recently updated Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form, a required component of the visa-waiver application, now includes a section for travelers to provide their user names for various social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. While giving the information is technically optional, the change has some civil rights groups and privacy advocates concerned.

"There are very few rules about how that information is being collected, maintained, [and] disseminated to other agencies, and there are no guidelines about limiting the government's use of that information," Michael W. Macleod-Ball, chief of staff for the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington office, told Politico.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection argued that the policy is designed to help "identify potential threats," but the ACLU worries that Arab and Muslim travelers will be unfairly scrutinized under the new system. While the U.S. has said it won't deny entry to those who don't provide social media information, critics expect many travelers will automatically fill in all the blanks in hopes of getting through the customs process as quickly as possible.

"The process to enter the U.S. is confusing, and it's likely that most visitors will fill out the card completely rather than risk additional questions from intimidating, uniformed officers," said Nation White, senior legislative manager at digital rights group Access Now.

The Internet Association, another organization that opposes the policy, worries that the change could set a dangerous precedent. "Democratic and non-democratic countries -- including those without the United States' due process protections -- will now believe they are more warranted in demanding social media information from visitors that could jeopardize visitors' safety," said Abigail Slater, general counsel for the Internet Association.

38 countries are included in the visa-waiver program, which allows foreign citizens to visit the United States for up to 90 days without applying for a visa.
The Galapagos Islands are a mythical land. Even when I was literally sitting inches away from prehistoric looking marine iguanas or rolling in the waves with sea lions or being pecked in the knee by a Blue-Footed Booby, I still wondered, Is this real? Is the world still this wild? [sidebar]

Perhaps its because visiting the Galapagos is the stuff bucket lists are made of. Or perhaps its because its hard to imagine theres anything left that is truly untamed.

Yet, there I was aboard the Letty, one of three yachts owned by Ecoventuraan environmentally-minded tour company that takes visitors through the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean some 500 miles off the mainland of Equator. The islands, which famously inspired naturalist Charles Darwin's book The Origin of Species after he visited in 1835, is home to some of the rarest species on Earth.

In 1978, UNESCO designated the Galapagos as a World Heritage Site and over the years the growth of tourism has been threatening this fragile environment. Tourists are allowed to visit but must abide by strict rules.

Visitors to the Galapagos can stay in hotels or resorts and even camp, but one of the best ways to explore the Galapagos is on registered boats, with registered guides. The goal is to keep the destination in as close to its natural state as possible while still allowing visitors to explore.

Ecoventuras boats only have 10 cabins, making for a more intimate experience. I traveled with 17 other people and we all cringed when we happened upon other tour groups from boats carrying 50 to 100 people.

Traveling the Galapagos is the hardest vacation youll ever love. Its a highly logistical trip, and with too many people or less than top-notch guides, things could very quickly go very badly. Each days itinerary includes a series of visits and activities, each requiring panga rides (a small transport boat) and a variety of equipment, both personal and from the ship. Snorkeling gear, fresh drinking water, and towels are provided.

Im telling you, it is no messing around.

Ecoventura guests typically cruise for seven nights. The company alternates between two routes in an effort to preserve the islands, so some guests stick around for a full 14 nights.

On the late January cruise I was on, we visited Cerro Colorado, Punta Pitt, and Cerro Brujo, all on San Cristobal; Punta Suarez and Gardner Bay on Espanola; Punta Cormorant, Devils Crown, and Post Office Bay on Floreana; Darwin Station, El Chato (the highlands), and Los Gemalos on Santa Cruz; Sombrero Chino; South Plaza Island; North Seymour; and the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal.

To do it all in the span of one week is a lot of ground (and water) to cover. Daily itineraries which begin at 7 am and end at 9.30include island visits, snorkeling trips, briefings and thankfully some siestas.

When the trip began, I wondered what I would do at night. There were no evening activities planned, no board games or collections of DVDS. But after the first night I realized why. Our days were so full that walking back to the cabin after dinner was the only activity I could manage before being rocked to sleep by the sea beneath us.

But, trust me, its worth every intense minute of it. There was so much to see. The islands themselves are wild, the animals are wild, and the experience traveling there is certainly wild.

Everyday was an adventure filled with exploration. I communed with sally lightfoot crabs. I had a staring contest with a blue-footed booby. (He won.) I snorkeled with a shark, a sea lion, a turtle, a school of brilliantly colored fish, and forests of coral in a variety of colors that only a giant jar of mixed jellybean flavors could match. I watched baby sea lions nurse.

Some days, when during the hour or two siesta in the afternoon we remained anchored in one spot at sea, I would marvel at the islands by which I was encircled; islands whose proximity to one another was a close as their vegetation and landscape were different, from volcanic rock to dense brush and from chandelier cacti to low lying succulents.

On Floreana Islands Post Office Bay, under the hot sun, I left postcards for friends and family in a barrel in hopes that other guests to the island would pick them up and hand deliver them for me, something that people have been doing for one another since the whalers began the practice back in the 18th century. I also wandered down into a cave until I was chest high in the freezing water and marveled at the contrasting temperatures that nature could provide just steps apart from one another.

From the deck of the boat, I saw a flock of frigates try to steal a sea lions catch and a solo flyer try to steal what the chef was cooking by an open window for my own dinner. And I dont think the frigates saw any difference between the two plots.

That was the thing about the Galapagos--the boundaries are blurred. The wildlife was unafraid of the human visitors and the only rules were to walk within the gently marked bounds designed to keep our footprint to a minimum lest this all disappear.

The trip left me feeling that there is still some magic in the worldand that wasnt limited to our wildlife excursions. Our guide Ivan Lopez sang us awake over the intercom each morning and rocked out with his onboard band for our listening pleasure at night. Another guide, Orlando Romero, who has been part of Galgapagos tourism for so long that he himself marked out many of the trails we hiked, daily imparted his vast knowledge.

It can be easy to get jaded in our see-it-all, do-it-all, have-it-all world. The Galapagos Islands are a reminder of what life once was, what life in some places still is, and what always should bewild.
Amsterdams Schipol airport is taking a futuristic approach to help frantic holiday travelers navigate terminals during the busiest season of the year.

On Monday, the airport unveiled Spencer, a cognitive, mobile robot developed by Swedens Orebro University, funded by the European Commission and Dutch airline KLM. According to a press release from the university, Spencer will help guide travelers who have quick connections between gates. The project was developed in part after KLM was examining ways to cut down on costs incurred when passengers missed legs of their trip due to difficulty finding gates.

Spencer is programmed with an internal map of Schipol but is also equipped with external camera sensors and a laser scanner to allow for constant surveillance of the surrounding environment, which also enables navigation around moving obstacles. Its a feat with many difficulties, according to the research team behind the robot.

Navigating an airport is challenging, there is a lot of glass and a constantly changing environment in terms of temporary obstructions, such as parked luggage trolleys and people everywhere, said Achim Lilienthal, a professor of computer science at Orebro and the project leader.

Schipol is testing Spencer for one week and will then use the trial run to make adjustments for a larger test in March when reps from the funding European Commission, along with other prominent guests, will get to see the robot in action. In addition to navigating fixed and temporary objects, researchers are looking to see how Spencer will react to human behaviors such as slowing down or speeding up and checking to make sure its assigned group is keeping up.

Once the kinks are worked out Lilienthal is confident that the technology used in Spencer can have a wide range of applications for travelers including being able to provide the latest information quickly in several languages.

Says Lilienthal, This technology can be used in all robots intended to interact with humans. Autonomous trucks for example, would be more widely accepted if they functioned better in their interaction with humans.

Check out an animated model of Spencer in action.
As soon as the last seconds of 2016 are over, the world will ring in the New Year with fireworks, champagne toasts, and an emphatic "Happy New Year!...or "Bonne Annee!"...or "Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!" Whether you're in Iceland or the Philippines, here's how to properly greet 2017 in 11 different languages around the world.

1. French: Bonne Annee!

2. Spanish: Feliz Ano Nuevo!

3. Icelandic: Gleilegt nytt ar!

More from Conde Nast Traveler

The 30 Most Terrifying Places on Earth

The Friendliest and Unfriendliest Cities Around the World

The Best Small Towns in America

The Most Beautiful Travel Destinations of All Time

4. Dutch: Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

5. Tagalog: Manigong Bagong Taon!

6. Swahili: Heri ya mwaka mpya!

7. Italian: Buon anno!

For correct pronunciations and even more ways to say Happy New Year check out the full list.
A Purple Heart spinning around on a baggage claim at a California airport caught the attention of a veteran, sparking a social media campaign that finally got the medal to the hero's family on Tuesday.

The medal wasn't in a case, but a name was inscribed: Army Infantryman Miguel A. Perez Loubriel.

JAPAN'S ABE OFFERS 'EVERLASTING CONDOLENCES' AT PEARL HARBOR

"He passed away at 23 years old in the line of duty, Korean War, in 1952," Sonoma County Airport Marketing Specialist Gina Stocker told Fox 2.

Airport staff got to work right away tracking down the soldier's family after spotting the medal two weeks ago. Stocker put out the word on social media, getting more than 100,000 hits on Facebook.

"The person who found it is a veteran, and we have two other veterans who work for us," Airport Operations Supervisor Matt Yeager said. "That person served our country and being a veteran, I understand and appreciate that importance."

VETERANS BATTLE THE INVISIBLE SCARS OF WAR WITH ART

Finally, the soldier's relatives stepped forward. His daughter, Leyda Aviles, said she'd keep the medal with her every day, KGO reported.

"I am grateful all the way to the sky because you do not find things like that every day," Aviles said. She said she did not know how the Purple Heart got out of a box with other medals.

Aviles also said her father died on the day she was born. He had been enlisted for only 10 months, according to Fox 2.

Attached to the medal was a photograph of a list showing other Puerto Ricans who died fighting in the Korean War for the U.S.

Click for more from Fox 2.
In Baton Rouge, little 9-month-old Mason Jackson sees his fathers face every day, all the time  in photographs. His mother makes sure of that, makes sure he feels his fathers presence.

His mother tells him what a selfless, caring man his daddy, Montrell Jackson, was, and how much he wanted a child  they tried for nearly two years. She tells Mason how ecstatic Montrell was when he came into the world in March.

Thats what hurts the most, said Trenisha Jackson, that hes not here for his son. He was so excited about being a father. He felt his responsibility was to make sure he raised a wonderful young man. [Montrells] father was not in his life. He really wanted to be there for his son.

Montrell Jackson, 32, was shot fatally in an ambush in July  when Mason was 4 months old  by a man targeting police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

That gunman killed a total of three officers  just a fraction of the nearly 140 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty this year, up from 130 in 2015, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a non-profit group founded and run by active and retired law enforcement officials.

The most recent shootings of police officers took place on Friday.

In Mt. Vernon, Washington, Mike Mick McLaurghry, a 30-year veteran, was shot in the back of the head while responding to a call. Officials said he was hanging in there in critical condition after surgery.

Later the same day, Sgt. Rob Hatchell, of Dallas, Oregon, was shot in the leg while attempting to arrest an intoxicated man.

Of those men and women in blue who died in 2016, 62 were killed by gunfire  a marked rise from the 39 the year before  about a dozen of them shot by gunmen who set out to kill police.

What were seeing now, this year, is a big increase in gunfire murders of police officers, Lt. Randy Sutton, a retired police officer and author who represents Blue Lives Matter, told FoxNews.com. The methodology, where they are targeted attacks or ambushes or where people are lured into attacks, is up too. We havent seen that since the late 60s or 70s, when there was a tremendous amount of anti-police terrorism.

Sutton, like many others in law enforcement, say that tension between police and minority groups like Black Lives Matter that have organized to focus attention on profiling and what they argue is unwarranted use of force has led some to see those in uniform as the enemy.

It legitimizes a call for terror, a call for violence, Sutton said. It adds an element of danger for law enforcement.

He added, Of course not everyone who is in the protests believes that. But when theres a mob in place and fervor builds up, people do things they wouldnt normally do independently. And it can inspire lone wolf attacks. There are weak-minded people, some mentally disturbed, who absorb this call to action and act upon it.

The methodology, where they are targeted attacks or ambushes or where people are lured into attacks ... we havent seen that since the late 60s or 70s, when there was a tremendous amount of anti-police terrorism.  Randy Sutton, retired police lieutenant who represents Blue Lives Matter

The deadliest assaults occurred in July in Dallas and Baton Rouge amid protests over black men who had died in encounters with police.

A black gunman in Dallas opened fire on officers at a Black Lives Matter protest, killing five officers and wounding four others.

Tensions rose in Baton Rouge, where thousands of people were angry over the death of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man killed by white Baton Rouge officers after a confrontation at a convenience store.

Those in law enforcement say they know they are signing up for a potentially dangerous job when they enter the profession.

There are risks every officer knows going in, Sutton said. That includes everything from going up against an armed suspect who is going to resist and going to do everything to escape, including shooting to try and kill you, to being struck by a car during a traffic stop.

He went on, But what is particularly frightening and disturbing at this point are the assassinations and entrapments, where police officers are lured into situations [in order] to kill them.

Before her husbands death, Ternisha Jackson just let the day-to-day risks of police work stay on the margins of her thoughts.

Montrell loved his job, his widow said. We put the risks out of our minds.

The growing protests outside police departments across the country, however, concerned her.

That was the first time I became afraid, I was afraid for him, after everything taking place, she said. I was going out of my mind. I never feared for his life until the protests.

She understands the anger many people feel toward police. She knows, too, that some of it could be justified. But the answer, she says, is not violence.

I get pulled over, and its for a reason, she said. A broken tail light, its for [your] safety ... Police die protecting you. They chose to protect and serve, and they deserve respect.

When someone encounters a police who acts unprofessionally, Jackson said, They should call them out, file a report.

In Texas, Cpl. Marcie St. John knew that a large but peaceful protest was underway in Dallas in response to fatal police shootings that week in Baton Rouge and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota.

She had finished her shift at about 8:30 p.m. and was on her way home  looking toward starting vacation the next day -- when she received a phone call from a colleague in law enforcement.

My friend calls me and said, Something is going downtown, something major, St. John recalled.

Within minutes, she got an alert from her department, asking that everyone be ready to report to duty. At home, as she put on her tactical gear, she got a call from another friend who told her that her best friend, Michael Smith, her former partner, had been shot while on duty at the protest.

He was a sound cop, a strong cop, said St. John, whose brother, who also was a police officer, died in the line of duty when they both were rookies. I never, ever thought it would happen to Mike.

The killer was 25-year-old Micah Johnson, an Army veteran who told authorities he was upset about fatal police shootings and wanted to exterminate policemen, "especially white officers," officials said.

Johnson, who was killed by a robot-delivered bomb dispatched by Dallas police, had amassed a personal arsenal at his suburban home, including bomb-making materials, bulletproof vests, rifles, ammunition and a journal of combat tactics.

The killings marked the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In all, 12 officers were shot.

Everything thats going on in law enforcement, officers being ambushed, said St. John, in my 25-year career, Ive never seen this. All of our officers  their lives and their deaths  have to matter.

She has been helping Smith's widow, Heidi, and their two young daughters put their lives back together.

The youngest daughter, who was 9 at the time of Smith's killing, has thought back to her last conversation with her father before he went off to work.

Smith asked his daughter for a kiss, but she said she was busy playing a game. He pressed again, saying "This may be the last time, St. John said he told her.

Ten days before his own death, Montrell Jackson felt deeply distressed over the contentious protests and Dallas ambush  both as a police officer and a black man.

He said as much in a message he posted on his Facebook page.

Im tired physically and emotionally, he wrote, according to screen shots of his post, which was taken down after his death. Disappointed in some family, friends and officers for some reckless comments, but hey, whats in your heart is in your heart. I still love you all because hate takes too much energy, but I definitely wont be looking at you the same. Thank you to everyone [who] has reached out to me or my wife  it was needed and much appreciated. I swear to God I love this city, but I wonder if this city loves me.

Jackson saw himself as a bridge between police and black residents, saying he understood the difficulty of being in each groups shoes.

Ive experienced so much in my short life, and the past 3 days have tested me to the core, he wrote. In uniform, I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat.

He appealed to protesters.

Please dont let hate infect your heart, Jackson wrote. This city MUST and WILL get better. Im working in these streets, so any protesters, officers, friends, family or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer, I got you.

In Missouri, Gavin Eugene Long, a black separatist, never saw, or cared about, Jacksons plea. He traveled to Baton Rouge to hunt for police officers.

And that is where he ended the life of little Masons father.
Springfield Township, Ohio, police said a man called 911 wanting a ride home. Authorities at first thought he was possibly wanted for murder from what he told the dispatcher.

COUPLE'S PET SQUIRREL ATTACKS CONTRACTOR, LAWSUIT CLAIMS

When police arrived, Marvin Matthews was arrested.

911 dispatcher: Emergency Dispatcher Rose.

Matthews: I'm going to tell you...I'm Marvin Matthews. Come pick me up and take me home.

His ex-girlfriend said he was not invited to her home when he was dropped off Monday night.

TWO SOUGHT IN CONNECTION TO CAT SCALDING

Springfield Township police responded quickly especially after hearing the exchange with the dispatcher. They thought at first he was a murder suspect calling for a ride.

911 dispatcher: OK, are you wanted for something?

Matthews: What for murder?

911 dispatcher: You're wanted for murder?

Police said they were busy running his name, but did not come up with anything. The 911 operator kept Matthews talking until the cops arrived.

911 dispatcher: OK, what's the address?

Matthews: And you better hurry up right f---ing now.

911 dispatcher: Sir, are you talking to me? I just answered the call...did I offend you in some way?

The police got to the address and arrested Matthews for making false alarms.

Click for more from Fox 19.
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It's been five years since an appeals court reversed an accomplished Iranian-born American's conviction for violating sanctions against Iran, but clearing his name is another matter.

Mahmoud Reza Banki says he feels like a second-class citizen as potential employers and banks look past his sterling resume and focus on his criminal record.

In a last-ditch bid to wipe away lingering convictions for minor false statements charges, Banki is seeking a pardon from President Barack Obama.

The 40-year-old Los Angeles resident has obtained some congressional support for his cause.

Banki was fired from management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. when he was charged with violating the Iran trade embargo.

He was convicted and served nearly two years in prison before an appeals court reversed his conviction on the Iran sanctions charge.
A kidnapped 14-year-old girl managed to text her friend for help, leading deputies to discover she was held captive and her mother was killed in their North Carolina home -- and on Tuesday, the suspect was charged with murder.

SUSPECT IN MURDER OF ACTRESS, YOGA TEACHER CHARGED IN 6 OTHER CRIMES IN 2016

Gary Love, of Wadsworth, Ohio, was held without bond. Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell told local media the mother and daughter were violently assaulted in what he called a "demonic" crime.

Deputies found the woman dead Monday morning after her daughter texted the friend for help. The daughter told deputies she had been tied up since Christmas Eve.

EX-STUDENT WHO FATHERED SON WITH TEACHER KILLED BOTH, POLICE SAY

The friend told WSOC the kidnapped teen texted her "to call 911, me and my mom need help fast."

She was treated at a local hospital and is staying with relatives. Authorities were awaiting autopsy results to determine how the mother died.

Love, 47, told officers who came to check on the two that they were at a funeral, before he ran out the back door. He was arrested soon afterward.

It's unclear if he has an attorney.

Media outlets are not identifying the woman and daugher, as investigators say they expect to add sexual abuse charges.

Love had been in North Carolina for several months, Campbell said. The suspect and the woman knew each other years ago when they lived in New York, according to a sheriff's office release.

Local media outlets reported Love was wanted in Ohio for domestic violence and had a protection order against him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Family and friends of an American jailed in Egypt for nearly three years are hoping her time in custody may end soon.

Aya Hijazi grew up in Virginia, graduated from George Mason University in 2009 and was arrested in 2014 on charges widely believed to be bogus. Hijazi and her Egyptian husband had started a foundation to help homeless children in the country. Authorities say she was abusing children, but observers say the charges are unsubstantiated and part of a crackdown on civil society in the country.

After years of delay, her trial is underway, and supporters say the lack of evidence against her is apparent.

Advocates are calling on President-elect Donald Trump to his influence with Egypt's president to secure her release.
The man suspected of murdering a Washington, D.C. yoga instructor and part-time actress had been charged with a crime six other times in 2016  including just days before Tricia McCauley was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death in her car early Tuesday.

Adrian Dwayne Johnson, 29, who also goes by Dwayne Adrian Johnson, was charged on Dec. 17 for alleged thefts at a CVS and Meridian PCS. At a hearing for those cases, a judge ordered Johnson to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, but theres no record he ever showed up to receive the device, FOX5 reported.

POLICE: EX-STUDENT WHO FATHERED SON WITH TEACHER KILLED BOTH

The next time police intercepted Johnson, they were arresting him and charging him with first-degree murder in McCauleys death.

Authorities linked Johnson to McCauley after he allegedly robbed another CVS on Monday while in possession of her car.

ARKANSAS MAN ARRAIGNED IN ROAD RAGE KILLING OF 3-YEAR-OLD

Late Monday, police sent out a critical missing person alert with images of McCauley, her distinctive, small, white Toyota Scion and the suspect.

Not long afterward, a police report stated that officers responded to a sighting of the car and found it. When they went inside a nearby CVS, they found the suspect, who gave them the key. Police found McCauley unresponsive in the car and she was pronounced dead early Tuesday, according to the police report.

Johnsons six other charges stem from alleged thefts or robberies. Hes also wanted in two other counties for failure to show in court in other theft cases, NBC4 reported. Johnson has been ordered to undergo multiple mental health screenings and attend drug rehabilitation in past cases, however, its unclear if any of the screenings took place or the rehab was completed.

Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said police don't believe McCauley, 46, and Johnson knew each other, and they don't know how Johnson encountered McCauley.

The last known contact with McCauley was around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Newsham said. McCauley was expected at a large Christmas dinner that night, but host Bill Largess said Tuesday she hadn't arrived when they were ready to start. People texted and called, but got no response. McCauley had come to the dinner for the last 15 years, but they weren't too worried since she had slept through it once a few years ago. But the next morning they heard that she missed a flight to visit family on the West Coast.

That's when we knew something was definitely wrong, Largess said.

A vigil was being held Tuesday evening at a yoga studio where McCauley worked. She reportedly also worked as Jenna Dewan Tatum's stand-in in the 2006 movie "Step Up."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The United States says China has the right to sail in international waters after a Chinese aircraft carrier cruised past Taiwan and into the contested South China Sea.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported Monday that the aircraft carrier and five warships sailed 90 nautical miles south of Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China. Beijing says it is a routine training exercise.

China has previously accused U.S. warships of making provocative passes through the South China Sea.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday the U.S. recognizes lawful uses of the sea, and the same rights apply to the U.S., China and other nations.

He said, "as we often make the case with our own naval vessels sailing ... in those same waters, it's freedom of navigation."

Earlier this month, a Chinese navy vessel seized an U.S. Navy underwater glider that the U.S. said was conducting oceanic research in international waters off the Philippines.

The U.S. called the seizure illegal and made a diplomatic protest. China returned the glider five days later.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea. Five other Asian governments also claim ownership of islands and reefs there.
A top Islamic State military commander described as a "gang leader" for the terror group was killed by a coalition airstrike in Syria, the U.S. military confirmed on Thursday.

SYRIAN GOVERNMENT, REBELS AGREE TO NEW CEASE-FIRE

The strike on Monday killed Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti near Tabqa Dam, outside Raqqa in northern Syria, U.S. officials said.

They added that he was a former member of the terror network's "War Committee" and helped ISIS storm and recapture the historic Syrian city of Palmyra.

"His death will degrade ISIL's ability to defend Raqqah and launch external operations against the West," the U.S. military said in a statement, using another name for the Islamic State.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier this week that he had been targeted by U.S.-led coalition aircraft. ISIS supporters on social media had indicated on Tuesday that he had been killed.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have been battling ISIS fighters near the strategically located dam, aided by a barrage of coalition airstrikes in the region.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An online video purportedly posted by an American from Alabama who joined Somalia's most dangerous militant group has given the man's mother hope that he is still alive amid heavy fighting in Mogadishu.

Debra Hammami told the Mobile Press-Register that she and her husband have not received official word from the U.S. government regarding their son, Omar Hammami, who grew up in the middle-class town of Daphne, Ala., and joined the Al Qaeda-linked Somali militants in 2007 while he was in his early 20s, becoming the most high-profile American member of Al Shabaab. He took the nom de guerre of Abu Mansur al-Amriki, or "the American."

"We're just hoping and praying that he will come to see things differently," she told the newspaper. "It's just God and a lot of prayers."

A jihadist website posted two songs over the weekend in which Hammami raps that he wants to die a martyr. He cites previous militant leaders killed by U.S. military action like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a militant killed in a U.S. commando raid in rural southern Somalia in September 2009.

The two songs are titled "Send Me a Cruise (missile)" and "Make Jihad With Me."

Somalia's defense minister told The Associated Press last month that intelligence reports indicated that Hammami may have been killed during an anti-insurgent offensive. But the minister said the reports weren't confirmed.

Though Hammami appears to still be alive, his lyrics yearn for death.

"There's nothing as sweet as the taste of a tank shell," he says in one song, according to a transcription by the website The Long War Journal. "It was a beautiful day, when that predator paradise missile sent me on my way."

Hammami has starred in previous jihadist videos that showed him rapping and running with gun-wielding fighters. He was indicted in the U.S. for his role in Al Shabaab in August. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said then that Hammami "has assumed an operational role in that organization."

Hammami's parents -- Debra, a Southern Baptist from Alabama, and Shafik Hammami, a Syrian immigrant -- told the Mobile Press-Register that they do not know why their son turned away from the typical suburban upbringing they provided.

"We really don't know what the future hold, and we don't uphold what he's been doing," Debra Hammami told the newspaper.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click here for more on this report from the Mobile Press-Register.
Small government and free-market capitalism are about to get put to the test in Honduras, where the government has agreed to let an investment group build an experimental city with no taxes on income, capital gains or sales.

Proponents say the tiny, as-yet unnamed town will become a Central American beacon of job creation and investment, by combining secure property rights with minimal government interference.

Once we provide a sound legal system within which to do business, the whole job creation machine  the miracle of capitalism  will get going, Michael Strong, CEO of the MKG Group, which will build the city and set its laws, told FoxNews.com.

Strong said that the agreement with the Honduran government states that the only tax will be on property.

Our goal is to be the most economically free entity on Earth, Strong said.

More On This... Suspect arrested in deaths of US couple on Caribbean island

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Honduran leaders hope that the city will lead to an economic boom for the poverty-stricken country south of Mexico. The average income in Honduras is $4,400 a year.

[It] will bring a lot of investment into the country [and be] a center for many employment opportunities for our people, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa has said.

The laws in the city will be separate from those in the rest of Honduras. Strong said that the default law that will be enforced in the city will actually be based on Texas state law, which has relatively few regulations.

It will be Texas law with more freedom of contract. Texas scores well on state economic freedom rankings, he explained.

Texas law is also very familiar to American business people, and it is very familiar to Hondurans, because a lot of Hondurans have gone there or have family there.

Investors who think the city will do well will also be able to buy land there.

There will be a free market in land, Strong said.

The rules for immigrating to the city have yet to be finalized, but are expected to be loose.

It will be designed to be very welcoming to those with a minimum threshold of skills or capital, Strong said. However, businesses in the city will be required to employ a minimum proportion of native Hondurans  a requirement imposed at the outset by the Honduran government to ensure that the citys benefits largely go to Hondurans.

To insure the city against political change, the Honduran Legislature has agreed that a two-thirds majority will be required to interfere with the city.

MKG will invest $15 million to begin building basic infrastructure for the first model city near Puerto Castilla on the Caribbean coast, said Juan Hernandez, president of the Honduran Congress. That first city would create 5,000 jobs over the next six months and up to 200,000 jobs in the future, Hernandez said.

Strong said construction could begin in months.

First, we will build the critical infrastructure -- roads, water, power, sewers," Strong said. "In collaboration with the [Honduran] government, we will then create the citys government system and the security, and 3 to 6 months after that we will build the first factories.

The MKG Group city is the first to get approval, but Honduras plans to create other free cities as well.

The bill to allow the creation of such cities passed the Honduran Legislature nearly unanimously, by a vote of 126 to 1. But not everyone is on board with the project. Left-wing Hondurans have filed a complaint before the Honduran Supreme Court, arguing that the free cities project violates their constitution and treats national territory as a commodity.

The indigenous Garifuna people in Honduras also have protested the creation of free cities, saying that they are worried the cities will be built on their land.

Strong said that they need not worry.

The media reports are full of inaccuracies. We're not even remotely close to [the Garifuna]. We're literally hundreds of miles away, he said.

Additionally, the new city will be built on unoccupied land.

We will be selecting unoccupied land so that everyone will be opting in by choice, Strong said.

But some oppose the project being built anywhere in Honduras.

I can't help but suspect that the promise of plenty of jobs is nothing but a Trojan horse, Teofilo Colon Jr., who runs the Garifuna cultural group Being Garifuna, told FoxNews.com.

The prospect of setting up a charter city, with its own laws, [that] is sovereign to itself and doesn't have to pay taxes, is a dubious one at best. It'd be tantamount to inviting pirates to come in and have free reign to essentially raid the country's resources/riches.

The MKG Group says its plan, however, is not to take advantage of natural resources, but rather to attract entrepreneurs using good laws and low taxes.

Strong cited Hong Kong as a city that prospered under that model.

Hong Kongs poverty once was roughly on the level of Africa. Today it is one of the wealthiest places.

Strong says that the same could happen in Honduras.

We'll see Hondurans having more jobs, higher income, and more security than they've ever had.
Researchers in Iceland are blaming low oxygen levels in a shallow fjord for the deaths of tens of thousands of tons of herring.

Masses of dead herring have been found in Kolgrafafjordur fjord for the second time this winter, raising concerns about Iceland's fishery.

The Morgunbladid newspaper estimated the value of the 10,000 tons of fish found dead this week at 1.25 billion kronur ($9.8 million). An even larger number of fish died in December.

Roughly one season's worth of herring has been lost, Johann Sigurjonsson, director of Iceland's Marine Research Institute, said Wednesday.

He said herring tend to winter in large populations and may have depleted the oxygen in the shallow fjord. The danger should ease in spring when the herring spread out into a wider area, he said, downplaying fears that the entire herring fishery is in danger.

"We regard this as a serious event," he said. "We are investigating; we would like to find out if it is necessary to try to step in somehow."

The government's economic minister has increased funding for monitoring in the area to determine what can be done to prevent more fish from dying off. Some blame recent construction in the region for the kills.

Schoolchildren, town workers and volunteers have been cleaning up the dead fish, which can be turned into feed for mink and other animals.

Revenue from the sale is expected to go to local children and to area schools.
Oct. 3, 1927  Dec. 25, 2016

Robert Edwin Webster, 89, of Albany passed away early Christmas morning following a short illness. He had resided at Quail Run, Mennonite Village for the past three years.

Bob was born Oct. 3, 1927, in South Pasadena, California, to Glen M. Webster and Dorothea Fouke. He attended school there. During World War II his family moved to Corvallis where his father was a Lt. Colonel in the Army, stationed at Oregon State University. Bob graduated from Corvallis High School and joined the Navy soon after. After the war he attended OSC where he earned a bachelors degree in Forestry.

Bob married Margaret Peggy L. Margason on June 23, 1950, in Portland. They lived in Roseburg for a short time before moving to Albany in 1952, where they raised four boys. Bob was the service manager for Stoddard Chevrolet for many years. Bob and Peggy moved to Bend for a few years, and then returned to Albany. After Peggys death in 1991, Bob lived in Olympia, Washington, for about 10 years. He returned to Albany in the fall of 2013.

He is survived by his sons, David and wife Nancy, Rob and wife Merla, Larry and wife Mary, and daughter-in-law Laura Webster. He had nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Preceding him in death were his wife, Peggy Webster; son Reid Webster (July 2016); brother Merrill; and sister Terry.

He was an avid fisherman, hunter and dog lover. He shared these passions with his sons. Family trips to the San Juan Islands were a highlight for 20 plus years. He never met an oyster or an abalone he didnt like.

A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, at the Lebanon IOOF Cemetery with military honors. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Oregon Kidney Association, in care of Fisher Funeral Home, 306 Washington St. S.W., Albany, OR 97321.

Online condolences for the family may be posted at www.fisherfuneralhome.com.
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Dozens of international groups, the United Nations, and even Peru's own citizen ombudsman are objecting to a new law that weakens environmental protections in the Andean nation even as it prepares to host international climate-control talks this year.

The law, aimed at increasing investment, strips Peru's six-year-old environment ministry of jurisdiction over air, soil and water quality standards, as well as its ability to set limits for harmful substances. It also eliminates the ministry's power to establish nature reserves exempt from mining and oil-drilling.

The nation pocked by more than 300 major mines already offers the industry incentives unmatched in the Americas, even by mining-friendly Chile and Mexico.

Enacted July 11 by President Ollanta Humala after limited debate in Congress, the new law also further streamlines environmental reviews for new projects, and, for the next three years, lowers by half the maximum fines for all but the most serious of environmental violations.

At the same time, it re-establishes tax breaks for big mining multinationals, which already enjoy such benefits as simultaneous, indefinite concessions for both exploration and exploitation as long as they make nominal payments. In some Peruvian states, more than half the territory is under concession.

"As far as Latin America goes, we are the country backpedaling the most," said Jose de Echave, a former deputy environment minister.

Activists predict the weakened protections will spark more clashes between police who protect mines and highlanders angered by contamination and diminished water supplies they blame on the open pits. At least 80 mining-related social conflicts simmered in June, by government count.

The law stipulates that Peru's environmental protection agency occupy itself for the next three years more with "preventative" than disciplinary actions.

Its timing is especially awkward for Environmental Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who surprised many with his decision to stay in the job despite the weakened powers. In December, he will host 15,000 people including delegates from 194 nations for U.N.-sponsored climate talks, the last major climate conference before the countries meet in Paris next year in hopes of signing a new global treaty.

Veronika Mendoza, a Cuzco congresswoman, called it "an embarrassment" for a country with "a completely debilitated environment ministry" to be trying to lead efforts to draft a global emissions reduction pact.

Peru's economy depends heavily on mining, which accounts for about 60 percent of export income. But after a decade of annual growth rates averaging better than 6 percent, its expansion recently slowed with softening global demand for metals.

Over the past decade, Peru has reaped some $38 billion in mining investment. Government officials argue that easing environmental regulations will spur investment. But they have offered no specifics. Peru's finance, mining and environment ministers were not made available for interviews despite repeated requests by The Associated Press.

Environmentalists say it's not overregulation, as government and some industry officials argue, but rather lower global commodity prices that are hurting the economy.

"I can't think of a single example of a project that has been frozen by an excess of red tape," said de Echave.

The U.N.'s top official in Peru, Rebeca Arias, wrote the foreign minister on June 26 objecting to the new law. She said "a growth model spurred by investments respectful of the environment is the only viable possibility for sustainable development in a country like Peru, which is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change."

Peru's national ombudsman, Eduardo Vega Luna, similarly objected in a letter to Congress' president.

More than 100 environmental and other non-governmental groups including Oxfam and The Sierra Club complained in a letter to Humala, saying the law would reward polluters and spur the expansion of eco-hostile industries.

Some critics say the law violates Peru's free trade agreements with Washington and the European Union, which stipulate that environmental protections cannot be weakened to spur investment. Asked to comment, spokespeople the United States and E.U. said officials were studying the measure.

Peru's environmental watchdog is under attack on a second front by the mining sector, which has filed lawsuits that could further dilute its enforcement powers.

The mining companies say a "regulatory" levy instituted in December that helps fund the agency, amounting to 0.15 percent of company profits, is unconstitutional confiscation.

If they win, the agency known by its Spanish-language initials OEFA would see its 2014 budget slashed by about 40 percent, to $21 million.

"We would basically have to return to a scheme of limiting ourselves to something on the order of visual inspections," said OEFA's chief inspector, Delia Morales.

The plaintiffs include Minera Yanacocha SRL, which is majority-owned by U.S.-based Newmont Mining Co. It owns the Conga gold-mining project, which stalled after security forces killed five people during 2012 protests.

"Every time that a kind of hidden tax  like this contribution to OEFA  is imposed, our company's sustainability is affected," said Javier Velarde, Yanacocha's general manager.

Indigenous leaders in the Amazon say their communities will be among the biggest losers under the new law.

OEFA imposed its biggest fine ever last year  $14 million  against Argentina-based Pluspetrol for befouling jungle lots that native leaders say sickened their people.

But most fines have been relatively modest.

While a new law enacted last year boosted top fines to $40 million, OEFA's director, Hugo Gomez, said big fines are rare  with $90,000 the average for the 941 fines levied over the agency's lifetime.

Some transgressions aren't even fined.

One example is the $4.8-billion Chinese-owned Toromocho copper mine that Humala inaugurated in December  and that Finance Minister Luis Miguel Castilla has said would add a half percentage point to gross domestic product this year.

OEFA ordered Toromocho to halt operations in March after finding "acidic" runoff from a tailings pile pouring into two mountain lagoons. Two weeks later, it allowed operations to resume.

With the new law, de Echave said, OEFA "no longer has the power to paralyze that project."

___

Associated Press writer Franklin Briceno contributed to this report.
A former reporter for the New York Times was found dead on Monday in her home in Sosua, a beach town in the Dominican Republic, in an apparent suicide. She was 49.

Authorities said the body of Sarah Kershaw, who worked as a reporter for more than a decade at the national publication, was found with a plastic bag tied over her head and pill bottles beside her, said Osvaldo Bonilla, a prosecutor for the province of Puerto Plata who is investigating her death.

Kershaw lived with her husband William Paul Norton. They had moved to the Caribbean island in 2014.

Officials are waiting for results of toxicology tests before determining the cause of death, but Kershaw told friends she planned to end her life due to a debilitating illness.

Initial reports released by the Dominican National Police, reported Kershaw died of asphyxiation due to strangling.

Her husband, William Norton, 50, was taken into custody on Tuesday to be questioned in Kershaw's death, according to Bonilla. He allegedly told police his wife had kicked him out of their home before her death.

Norton was temporarily held for questioning, but released without charges.

Bonilla added initially that authorities had not ruled out suicide or homicide.

Kershaw joined the Times in 1995 as a news clerk, before leaving to work for Newsday. She returned to the Times in 2000, where she worked until her promotion to bureau chief in Seattle.

Norton was a former senior editor for the Miami Herald's International Edition, according to his LinkedIn page, and had recently started a publishing company called W.P. Norton & Co

Kershaws family told the New York Times she moved to the Caribbean for her health  she was suffering from chronic pain.

Kershaw is survived by her mother, her sister and her husband.

Based on reporting the Associated Press.

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The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela has temporarily stopped scheduling appointments for first-time visa seekers because of the consular staff is insufficient to serve the overwhelming demand, the consular office announced.

The measure applies to all new tourist and business visas, for which an average of 1,800 applications were being filed daily.

Officials at the embassy said the government has repeatedly refused to grant the needed permits to increase the number of U.S. employees at the embassy, around 100 a year ago.

We had to make this decision because in the last eight months [Venezuelas] Foreign Ministry hasnt responded to various requests to increase personnel, said Lola Petrova, the embassy spokeswoman, said to Fox News Latino.

She said that with the current number of employees they can handle 800 daily appointments at the most.

In an average year, the U.S. embassy in this crisis-stricken country processes around 290,000 visa applications.

The ministry hasnt given us any explanation for the delay. They are not letting us operate in a normal way, Petrova said.

Visa renewals, student visas and investors visas will not be affected, but embassy officials warned that the waiting period will be longer.

Those whose tourist visa expired more than six months ago will still have to get a new one, though.

Roberto Zuniga, a 50-year-old resident of Caracas, was planning to make a visa appointment for a trip later this year or in early 2017, but now he wont be able to do so because his visa expired a while ago.

I wanted to visit some family and friends who are living in the U.S. and I also needed some weeks off from Venezuelas hard situation, he told Fox News Latino.

In March of 2015, President Nicolas Maduro requested the U.S. to reduce the number of American employees at the Caracas embassy by 80 percent. At the time, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C. was operating with 17 staffers and she expected the same number of employees at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

The request to cut American personnel came shortly after accusations by President Maduro and other prominent Chavistas that U.S. Embassy employees were holding meetings with members of the opposition to destabilize the socialist government

Since taking office in 2013, President Maduro has denounced conspiracies against him or his government 113 times, according to an FNL count. In more than half of the cases, he said that the U.S. is behind them.

Washington has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The latest one came just this week, with Maduro claiming there is an international campaign aimed at justifying an invasion of Venezuela similar that of Libya in 2011.

This is all unnecessary, said Zuniga. Maduro is acting like a paranoid thinking that every American or foreigner is a threat, and it is Venezuelan citizens who pay for the consequences.
In Guatemala, the crime of human trafficking is increasingly turning into children trafficking  as many as 57 percent of victims being used in this criminal activity are under the age of 18.

According to a new UNICEF report, Guatemalas children are some of the regions most vulnerable due to the weak economy, the constant flow of migrants and the lack of education.

Also, due the fact that only two prosecutors work on sex trafficking cases in the country.

The study, co-published by the United Nations-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, estimates sex trafficking brings in $1.6 billion each year to the Guatemala economy.

Several cases are cited in the report of children being rescued from traffickers after running away from violence at home. Many of the cases also cite examples where children were sold by mothers into the hands of traffickers.

"Often human trafficking starts from domestic and sexual violence by fathers and stepfathers. This is a very common scenario in Guatemala," UNICEF's Mariko Kagoshima told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

They go to car parks where there are trucks and sell their daughters for a very low price," Kagoshima said.

In 2009, Guatemala enacted an anti-trafficking law, with rules to be executed in 2014, with a guide developed to assist victims and help fight the online sex trade.

Society collectively closes its eyes to children being exploited. We have to open our eyes to the problem," Kagoshima said.

According to the report, the most vulnerable group of girls is between 12 and 17 years of age.

A person who provides assistance to victims of human trafficking gave a chilling account to the UNICEF researchers:

I can tell of the case of a Honduran girl: she did not know her mother; her grandmother gave her up to her godmother; the godmother would have her do the wash, beat her and humiliate her. At age 11 she refused to continue to be exploited through the washing, house cleaning and physical abuse that she was subject to. Because she rebelled, the godmother said: 'I will take you to a place where you will learn what abuse is'. She sold her to a woman. She spent five years in a locked house, since the age of 12.

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Germany's president said Tuesday that he regrets his country's diplomats failed for years to act on human rights violations at a secretive colony of German immigrants in Chile.

Germany recently ordered documents about Colonia Dignidad, or Dignity Colony, from 1986 until 1996 to be unclassified for research purposes. For three decades from 1961, the enclave was the site of torture, slavery and child abuse.

"German diplomats didn't take seriously the human rights violations at a concrete time," President Joachim Gauck said at a joint news conference with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

The leaders met earlier and Gauck said they spoke about "dark chapters" in their countries' past.

"We hope that the declassifying of these documents will help contribute to knowing the truth about the many disappeared and executed at Colonia Dignidad and its surroundings," Bachelet said.

The colony was founded by Paul Schaefer, a former medic in the Luftwaffe. After his World War II service, Schaefer became an evangelical preacher. He fled Germany after being accused of molesting boys at the orphanage he ran and began what became home to hundreds of Germans and Chileans in the enclave about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Santiago.

Schaefer also allowed Gen. Augusto Pinochet's security forces to operate a clandestine prison on the grounds where they tortured and executed dissidents during the 1973-1990 military dictatorship, according to witnesses' testimony in court documents.

Colony members said married couples were forced to live apart and children were separated from parents. Residents were prevented from leaving. Those who dared to upset Schaefer were subject to electric shocks, high doses of tranquilizers and long periods of isolation.

There were also dozens of allegations of child molestation, leading Schaefer to flee Chile in 1997. He was arrested in neighboring Argentina in 2005 and extradited to Chile the same year. Schaefer died in prison in 2010, while serving time for abusing about 20 children at the colony.

The enclave's history was featured in a recent movie starring Emma Watson and Daniel Bruehl.

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Police in Cologne have banned a far-right demonstration on New Year's Eve as they work to prevent a repeat of last year's disorder and say they'll put obstacles in place to prevent anyone driving into crowds.

City authorities already announced plans to deploy more than 1,500 officers, over 10 times more than last year when police failed to prevent a string of robberies and sexual assaults blamed largely on foreign men.

Police chief Juergen Mathies said Wednesday he refused permission for a protest by the far-right National Democratic Party. He said it would have drawn large numbers of counter-demonstrators and endangered security.

Following the Dec. 19 Berlin truck attack, Mathies said police will deploy concrete blocks and vehicles as obstacles to protect some areas in the hours before New Year.
Germany's agriculture minister is calling for a ban on names such as "vegetarian schnitzel" for meat substitute products, which he argues are misleading.

Christian Schmidt told Wednesday's edition of the Bild daily that he doesn't want "these pseudo-meat dishes" to be treated as meat. He was quoted as saying: "These terms are completely misleading and unsettle consumers. I favor them being banned in the interest of clear consumer labeling."

Schmidt also reiterated a call for schools to serve pork. Asked whether it was right for them to leave pork off the menu out of consideration for Muslims, he said that "we should not restrict the choice for the majority of society for reasons of ease or cost."

He argued that growing cultural diversity should lead to more choice, not less.
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Lebanon's Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a national unity Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

The vote of confidence Wednesday came after lawmakers heard and debated the new government's policy statement, outlining its priorities for the coming months.

The 128-member assembly approved the new Cabinet 87 to 4, with one abstention. Only 92 members attended the session.

A new 30-member national unity Cabinet headed by Hariri was announced on Dec. 18, nearly two months after a new president was elected, and the premier vowed that his top priority would be to protect the country from the effects of the civil war in neighboring Syria.

The Cabinet includes most of the country's political groups, including the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which holds two seats.
Mexican airline Interjet has grounded half its 22 Russian-made Superjet100 planes after doing a mandatory safety inspection of the aircraft.

Mexico's civil aviation agency says in a statement that 11 jets will be out of service while unspecified measures are taken to guarantee their safety and restore them to flight status. The other 11 were found to be in "perfect condition."

Wednesday's statement doesn't say what fixes or modifications are being done, but it says the work will be completed in January.

Interjet has had to cancel some flights during the holiday travel season due to the safety inspection order issued Dec. 23 by Russian authorities after cracks were found in a part on one of the Sukhoi planes.

Interjet is one of the biggest customers for the Superjet.
Israel fired back at Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasting Kerrys lengthy televised rebuke of the Middle Eastern democracy.

NEW CLASH WITH ISRAEL: KERRY RIPS 'SETTLER AGENDA' IN SPEECH DEFENDING UNITED NATIONS VOTE

Netanyahu, speaking in Jerusalem just over an hour after Kerrys speech had ended, said Kerry's rhetoric was "as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution passed [at the United Nations] last week."

"Secretary Kerry paid lip service to the unrelenting campaign of terror that has been waged by the Palestinians against the Jewish State," he said, later adding: "Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders."

WHITE HOUSE DENIES KERRY PLOTTED WITH PALESTINIANS BEFORE UNITED NATIONS VOTE

Israeli officials have said since the Security Council resolution was passed on Friday that the U.S. played a covert role in developing the proposal -- charges the U.S. has denied. Israel's government was enraged after the U.S. abstained from voting on the resolution, which called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law.

But Netanyahu on Wednesday made the firmest -- and most-high ranking -- accusation that America secretly worked toward advancing the resolution.

"We have it on absolutely incontestable evidence the U.S. organized, advanced and brought this resolution to the Security Council," said Netanyahu, who promised to share the "sensitive" intelligence with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump tweeted his support for Israel before Kerry even spoke, and Netanyahu quickly returned the goodwill on Twitter: "President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!"

During his remarks, Netanyahu again looked past the Obama administration and addressed Trump.

"Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with the American Congress  Democrats and Republicans alike  to mitigate the damage this resolution has done and ultimately repeal it," he said.

Netanyahu said that while he sought peace, his Palestinian counterpart, President Mahmoud Abbas, has walked away from peace offers "time and time again."

Earlier Wednesday, Kerry sparked the diplomatic showdown when he questioned Netanyahu's commitment to Palestinian statehood. Though Netanyahu has said he believes in the two-state solution, Kerry said Netanyahus government is the most right-wing in Israel's history.

If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace, Kerry said.

Abbas in a statement "reiterated his commitment to a just and lasting peace as a strategic option," saying Palestinians would resume negotiations "the minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities."

Netanyahus office, however, immediately slammed Kerrys speech as "skewed against Israel" and "obsessively" dealing with the issue of Israeli settlements.

Netanyahu spoke shortly after the Israeli Attorney Generals office approved a police probe of the prime minister in two separate cases, The Times of Israel reported, citing Channel 10. A Netanyahu spokesman had previously told Haaeretz the case was "nonsense."

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon also panned Kerry's speech.

"To coordinate anti-Israeli initiatives with the Palestinians at the U.N. and to advance a one-sided resolution against Israel in the Security Council is the opposite of supporting Israel," Danon said. "The Obama Administration acted against Israel at the U.N. and any claim to the contrary is a distortion of reality."

Almost immediately after Kerrys speech, Netanyahu posted to his Facebook page a 2008 image of Obamas visit to Israel alongside two captions: 2008: Presidential candidate Barack Obama at the Western Wall; 2016: UN calls the Western Wall occupied Palestinian territory.

Seriously? Netanyahu wrote.

Fox News Ben Evansky, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mary M. Berry, 99, of Albany died Friday at Quail Run Assisted Living at the Mennonite Village. There will be a memorial service at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 2, at the Mennonite Village Chapel. Fisher Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Paul Richard Davis, a longtime resident of Corvallis, died Dec. 14, 2016, at Stanford University Hospital. 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.

Gladys B. Wilson, 101, of Corvallis died Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, Christmas Day, at the Mennonite home in Albany. A service will be at noon Friday, Dec. 30, at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St., Corvallis, with burial to follow. DeMoss-Durdan Funeral Home & Crematory is handling arrangements.
Romania's main ruling party has proposed a regional politician as the next prime minister after the president turned down the party's first choice, an economist who could have become the country's first female Muslim premier.

Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the Social Democratic Party that won Dec. 11 elections, on Wednesday named Sorin Grindeanu, 43, to become premier. Grindeanu is chairman of the Timis county council, and has been deputy mayor of the city of Timisoara and a lawmaker.

Dragnea said he wants to pursue goals including "more money in Romanians' pockets, the freedom to think, to hope, to have a good health system."

President Klaus Iohannis rejected Tuesday the nomination of Sevil Shhaideh, a relative political novice, without saying why.

Iohannis must formally endorse a nominee before Parliament's final approval.
The Swiss army has deployed five Super-Puma helicopters to help fight forest fires in the south of the country.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the military helicopters are supporting civilian firefighters.

Spokesman Roman Ruegg of the cantonal police said authorities were succeeding in getting the blaze under control.

The fires near Misox and Leventina started late Tuesday in mountainous terrain and strong, warm winds  known as foehn  have hampered fire-fighting efforts.

Swiss aviation authorities have banned other aircraft from flying over the affected areas for security reasons.
A young woman has reportedly been beheaded by a group of Taliban militants after visiting a market in northern Afghanistan.

GUNMEN ATTACK FORMER TALIBAN LEADER'S HOME IN AFGHAN CAPITAL, OFFICIAL SAYS

The horrific act allegedly took place in the remote village of Larri in Sar-e pul province on Monday by a group of armed men believed to be linked to the Islamic extremist group.

Provincial Governor spokesman Zabiullah Amani said the 30-year-old woman was apparently targeted because she went to the city alone without her husband, the Nation reported.

THREE INJURED IN KABUL BOMB BLAST, OFFICIALS SAY

Amani claims the victims husband is currently in Iran and the couple dont have children.

Nasima Arzoo, head of the womens affairs department for the area, also confirmed the incident.

She said: The woman was beheaded with a bayonet attached to an AK-47 after an argument with Taliban in her remote village, which is part of the provincial capital.

But according to Khamma Press, an Afghan news agency, Taliban insurgents rejected any involvement saying the woman was beheaded by unidentified gunmen.

No arrests have been made.

The Sar-e pul province has been under Taliban control ever since it was captured in 1998.

After coming into power, the Taliban declared that women were forbidden to go to work and were not to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male family member and had to wear an all-covering burqa.

Earlier this month, a couple kidnapped by the Taliban have described their nightmare in a chilling video alongside their two children who were born in captivity.

Canadian Joshua Boyle, 33, and his American wife Caitlan Coleman, 31, were captured four years ago in Afghanistan.

Coleman was seven months pregnant when she and her husband were taken near Kabul when backpacking through central Asia.

Her eldest son is now aged four while it is unclear when her youngest son was born.

Before the release of the video, the children had never been seen in public.

This story first appeared in The Sun.
Oxi Fresh to Bring Green Cleaning to Naples

Green carpet cleaning franchise continues growth, to open first location in Naples.

December 28, 2016 // Franchising.com // LAKEWOOD, Colo.  Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning has announced the upcoming launch of its first location in Naples, FL. The new franchise, led by Charles Lawson, will be the companys first location to open in 2017, with company plans calling for an additional 50 new territories across the United States and Canada over the year. Currently, the company has over 300 locations across the United States and Canada.

Im looking forward to bringing Oxi Fresh to the Naples community, said Mr. Lawson, Not only does Oxi Fresh have a commitment to sustainable carpet cleaning, but we are also firmly focused on strong customer service.

Prior to starting his Oxi Fresh franchise, Lawson served in the United States Air Force as a Traffic Management Journeyman. With over seven years of service, Lawson made the transition to student and pursued a degree in finance. After graduating from the University of Miami in 2015, Lawson began a corporate career as an Asset Optimization Analyst. Now, Lawson is excited to take the next step in his career as a small business owner.

Oxi Fresh offers something that is truly unique compared to other carpet cleaning services, said Lawson, The company has created a revolutionary cleaning system that combines the best in equipment and products. With Oxi Fresh, customers get effective, efficient cleanings that are still safe for kids, pets, and the planet as a whole.

Founded in 2006, Oxi Fresh has positioned itself at the forefront of the carpet cleaning industry with its environmentally friendly cleaning methods. The company employs safe solutions, energy efficient equipment, and conserves 95% of the water that traditional steam cleaners would waste during cleanings.

Were confident that Charles will do an amazing job, said Jonathan Barnett, the companys President, and that hell really represent us well as the Worlds Greenest Carpet Cleaner.

About Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning

Through innovative products and modern technology, Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning offers green cleanings and incredible results through a unique, low-moisture process. Oxi Fresh has been ranked in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500, featured in Inc. magazine's Inc. 500|5000, and been recognized as one of Americas Best Franchises to Buy, by Forbes magazine. Oxi Fresh has over 300 locations throughout the United States and Canada with more locations currently in development. For more information, visit: www.oxifresh.com.

SOURCE Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning

Contact:

Nneka Williamson

Franchise Elevator PR

(847) 239-8171

nwilliamson@franchiseelevator.com

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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.
It was a simple errand that made the Smiths realize how much their lives had changed.

Andrew and Kim RagainiSmith were upstairs, getting ready for bed, when their daughter, Adelynn, said she wanted to take a bath. The 8-year-old was born with four heart defects that limit the amount of oxygen in her blood, so by the end of the day, shes so worn out that any exertion causes difficulty breathing.

Her mother mentioned she had a bottle of bubble bath for Adelynn, but it was downstairs. In the past, one of the parents would have retrieved it, but Adelynn ambled to a newly installed stair lift and rode a chair downstairs. She was able to navigate steps without having her lips turn blue from the effort.

She went and got it all by herself, and I was like, Oh, my gosh, this really has changed our lives,  the mother said.

The Smiths live in Spotsylvania County and were featured in an August story about their attempts to navigate the confusing maze of government programs.

The parents had applied for Medicaid, which typically provides health care coverage for the poor, but were told twice they didnt qualify because of their incomes. Shes a first-grade teacher, and hes a service writer at a local car dealership.

After six years of struggling with copays, prescriptions and therapies Adelynn neededto the point the couple lost their home and ruined their creditthe Smiths met an angel who helped them.

That was Mary Lou NissimSabat, a home health care nurse with One on One Care in Stafford County, and she couldnt believe no one had ever mentioned that Adelynn was eligible for a Medicaid waiver. While general Medicaid is based on income, approval for various waivers is based on a persons disability.

A lack of knowledge about the Medicaid maze is common not only among would-be recipients, but also medical officials who should be the first point of contact, said Maureen Hollowell, director of advocacy and services at the Endependence Center in Norfolk. The agency trains mentors in social services agencies to help people like the Smiths get the care and financial help they need.

The Free LanceStars story about Adelynn mentioned that NissimSabat was hoping Medicaid would pay for a stair lift, a chair that runs along a track mounted next to stairs and allows users to glide up and down them. At least a dozen people contacted the newspaper, offering to donate their gently used stair lifts. Other offered financial help.

It was overwhelming, the mother said, trying to keep up with everybody who offered help and keeping everybody informed while juggling work and Adelynns care.

The Smiths were told by a local company that they needed a customized stair lift that would bring Adelynn all the way down to the landingand keep the area open for others. They were advised not to install a used stair lift because problems might result.

As it turned out, the mother said, the problems came from the company, which delayed the process for weeks. The owner eventually refunded the Smiths their $4,800, and they found another contractor who installed two chairs at cost.

One goes from the living room to the familys bedrooms on the second floor, and the other goes to the basement, where Adelynn plays video games.

It worked out wonderfully, and Im so glad we got to meet this man, the mother said, adding the business owner didnt want to be mentioned. He was so nice and so generous.

Meanwhile, Adelynns grandparents donated money for the stair lift. They were aided by a third-grade class at Courthouse Road Elementary School, which Adelynn attends. Students of Kaitlin VanWingerden sold toys, baked goods and bracelets they made to raise $700 toward the chair.

Its great, Adelynn said about the chair. I can be wherever I want.

The assistance couldnt have come at a better time. Adelynn had surgery in early October to replace a damaged heart valve, and the operation didnt bring the improvement her doctors and family had hoped to see. The blood vessels branching out from her heart are tinyone of her congenital defectsand her heart continues to pump extra hard to get blood throughout the body. Thats causing a vicious cycle of more diseased valves as the heart works harder to do its job.

Adelynn gets anxious about the medical issues, and she licks her lips to the point theres a swath of chapped area around her mouth.

The Smiths took a vacation to Virginia Beach before Christmas and have hosted Adelynns grandparents, from Maryland and New York, during the holidays. Theyre making plans to add more spaces where Adelynn can do artwork, play Minecraft and enjoy her dolls and collectible Calico Critters.

Theyre grateful the stair lift has made life easier for their Adelynn.

She has complete independence in her own house, her mother said.
The cellphone of a New Jersey woman and her 5-year-old great-granddaughter who went missing in Caroline County over the holiday weekend pinged off a cell tower south of Petersburg on Tuesday morning.

Detective Mike Robinson of the Hamilton, N.J., township police told WTVR in Richmond that the womans phone pinged on a Sprint cellphone tower south of Petersburg. He also said a caller to a hotline reported seeing the car on Interstate 95 in the Richmond area.

Dinwiddie Sheriff D.T. Adams told the television station that his deputies had been searching since 10 a.m. Tuesday between the Dinwiddie airport and Petersburg, the area where the cellphone was detected.

According to a news release issued Tuesday by the Virginia State Police, police received information leading them to believe 71-year-old Barbara Briley and her great-granddaughter, LaMyra Briley, may be in the greater Richmond area.

The Brileys were driving from Mays Landing, N.J., to spend Christmas at a relatives house in Morven, N.C. They were due to arrive Dec. 24, but never reached their destination. They were last seen at an Exxon station on Rogers Clark Boulevard in Ruther Glen about 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve.

A clerk working at the Exxon said she helped Briley figure out the GPS on her phone. Both Briley and the child appeared to be in good health.

Relatives said they last talked to Briley about 8 p.m. She was stuck in traffic on I95. Calls since then have gone straight to voicemail.

Virginia State Police have been searching hotels and restaurant parking lots in Caroline County and the greater Richmond area. The Caroline County Sheriffs Office and other local law enforcement agencies are assisting with the search, which is ongoing.

Briley worked for New Jersey Transit for 30 years and had completed the nine-hour drive from Mays Landing to Morven many times.

Briley was driving a silver Toyota Rav4 with the New Jersey license plate C80ELS. She is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. LaMyra was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a gray camouflage hoodie.

Police are asking anyone with information about Briley or her vehicle to call 911 or #77 on a cellphone.
The two-story home with white fiber-cement siding is not much to look at from the outside.

It was built to be sturdy, not pretty.

The 1,800-square-foot home on Trench Hill Lane in Spotsylvania County is actually a training facility for firefighters learning how to save themselves or their partners during life-threatening situations. It is called mayday training.

In November, the Spotsylvania Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management held its first training session at whats known as the Mayday House. Twenty-three recruits practiced various scenarios, including transporting an unconscious firefighter down a ladder.

The training opportunities that this affords them are endless, as they address the aspects of the job where firefighters are in the most danger, a fire department news release stated.

The county received a $46,598 state grant to help pay for the $126,598 structure, located on the grounds of the Rappahannock Regional Fire and EMS Training Center.

The facility does not have plumbing, but does include furniture, a refrigerator and a stove to mimic a home environment. It also has a basement.

I just think its a terrific asset to our training, said Spotsylvania Fire Lt. Stephen Wise, an assistant training officer who oversaw the Mayday Houses construction. All areas around us can come and train on this facility.

Firefighters can practice several drills at the home, which is modeled after Frederick Countys Rapid Intervention Team Training House.

Among the exercises is the Denver Drill, which was inspired by a firefighter who died in the line of duty. Firefighters learn how to rescue someone from a narrow, cramped room with a window several feet from the floor.

Firefighters can also practice what Wise called controlled dives out of windows and onto ladders. They are secured by belay devices to prevent hard falls.

In addition, trainees can practice using a rope to raise a firefighter from the basement onto the first and second floors. That exercise was developed after a firefighter from Ohio fell into a burning basement and died.

The home even has a piping system that emits nontoxic theatrical smoke during search-and-rescue drills.

Wise described the home as a solid, solid structure, saying he thinks it will meet the Fredericksburg areas training needs for years to come.

Were very proud of this one.
Angry white men didnt deliver the presidency

Former President Bill Clinton recently told the editor of the BedfordPound Ridge Record Review, a community newspaper in Westchester County, N.Y., that, one thing he [President-Elect Trump] does know is how to get angry white men to vote for him.

I am a white male, but I did not vote for Trump because I was an angry white man. I voted for Trump because he was a far better candidate that Hillary Clinton.

The former president shares the same views as John Podesta, Clintons campaign manager, that she lost the election because of FBI Director James Comey, the Russians, angry white men, etc.

But they refuse to accept the fact that Hillary Clinton did not connect with the American people, and she ran a horrible campaign.

Thank God for the Electoral College.

Maybe we should have a recount of those voting for Trump. He might get two additional votes from angry white men, those of Podesta and former President Clinton.

Stephen W. Schenk Stafford
The black morning at length came; it came too soon for my poor mother and us. Whilst she was putting on us the [linen] in which we were to be
Local resident condemns attack on market

As a Muslim, I find the Christmas market attack in Berlin extremely horrific, tragic, shocking and strongly condemnable. Its not only an inhumane act but it is also in clear violation of the teachings of Islam.

Islam requires every Muslim to honor and value the sanctity of human life. The fact that the attack was carried out on a Christmas market makes it even more despicable.

Christmas and New Year symbolize a time to spread happiness and send wishes of love and peace around the world.

On the contrary, the heinous acts of terrorists are the worst things an individual could do to humanity and even to the faith (Islam) they know nothing of.

As a Muslim, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrific act.

While terrorists seek to spread fear, divisions and hatred, as a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and being one of the 1.6 billion peace-loving Muslims who stand shoulder to shoulder against extremism and terrorism, I wish happy holidays and New Year to all.

Shehla Ahmad Stafford
Holman Insurance brokers Ltd Celebrate 35 Years In The Insurance Business

Holman Insurance brokers Ltd is celebrating 35 years in construction insurance, and is now focusing on providing construction surety bonds for an increasingly risk averse industry.

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In construction, companies must take out a surety bond so that the project owner is protected. If a company fails to complete the job, or does not complete to the standards required, then the bond is there to ensure the project owner is compensated appropriately. It is a promise and an assurance from the company to those they are working for. Holman Insurance brokers Ltd are celebrating 35 years in the surety bond industry, helping companies find the right bonds at the right rates.

To celebrate, the site now provides a wealth of information about surety bond products, both construction and commercial. This educative resource helps readers understand the products, and encourages them to get in touch to discuss their bonding needs.

By understanding the surety products listed on the website, people can find those that will best meet their needs. The site also helps people understand the advantages of a bond within the broader construction context. Fortunately, the company is contracted with almost every major insurance company in Canada, and currently insures tens of thousands of people. They are able to negotiate with the bond provider to get the best rates on bonds, as well as compound bonds and insurance.

A spokesperson for Holman Insurance brokers Ltd explained, "We are thrilled to be celebrating this thirty-fifth anniversary, and we felt the best way we could celebrate was to help more people better understand what it is we do, and the value of these bonds for construction companies. The website now has one of the most comprehensive and accessible resource centers found online, all about commercial and construction bonds. We hope that more businesses and contractors will understand the value of the work we do, and trust us to champion their needs when securing insurance and bonds."

About Holman Insurance brokers Ltd: Holman Insurance brokers Ltd is an Insurance Brokerage based in Ontario, Canada. They have been doing business for over 35 years. Their brokerage has a team of licensed surety bond brokers that provide consulting to construction companies, builders, and businesses in regards to their bonding needs. This experienced, professional team will stop at nothing to ensure businesses receive the best bonds at the best rates.

For more information, please visit http://www.constructionbond.ca/

Contact Info:

Name: PRWhirlWind

Email: Bonds@ConstructionBond.ca

Organization: Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Address: 3100 Steeles Ave E #101, Markham, ON L3R 8T3

Phone: 1 888 480 7677

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/holman-insurance-brokers-ltd-celebrate-35-years-in-the-insurance-business/156599

Release ID: 156599

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Automotive Labels Market expected to reach USD 8.05 Billion by 2022

Global Automotive Labels Market Information Report by Purpose (Asset labels, dome labels), by Mechanism (In-mold, Heat transfer), by Identification (Hologram, Barcode), by Application (Chassis labels, Interior labels) and by Region - Global Forecast to 2022

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Market Highlights:

Labels are used to identify information written or printed on piece of paper, cloth, polymer and other materials and attached to products or parts.

Automotive industry uses labels that are tough and can withstand harsh environments and chemical exposures and can also provide identification, security and useful information to consumers assuring them of good quality products. The automotive label market is growing due to increasing automotive industries and industrialization throughout the world.

The global Automotive Labels market is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 5% during the forecast period to reach USD 8.05 Billion from 2016 to 2022.

Request a Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample-request/automotive-labels-market-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

Major Key Players

o 3M (U.S.)

o Avery Dennison Corporation (U.S)

o H.B. Fuller (U.S.)

o Barry-Wehmiller Companies Inc. (U.S)

o Dunmore (U.S.)

o Lewis Labels Products Corp. (U.S)

o Precision Contract Manufacturing (U.S)

o Sika AG (Switzerland)

o CCL Industries Inc. (Canada)

o UPM-Kymmene Corporation (Finland)

Asia Pacific region is a major shareholder of the Automotive Labels market due to low labor costs and emerging economic conditions. Asia Pacific is expected to be leading the market during the forecast period followed by North America. Emerging economies such as China and India are playing a major role in the growth of automotive labels market in Asia Pacific region.

Scope of the report

This study provides an overview of the Automotive Labels 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 Automotive Labels market based on Vendor Type, Components and Vehicles.

Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 60 market data tables and figures spread over 100 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content (TOC) & market synopsis on "Automotive Labels Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022"

This research report has provides the insights, on various levels of analyses such industry analysis, market share analysis leading market players and their profiles. This report also helps in studying the target segments by providing views on emerging & high-growth segments and market conclusion.

Together the market data comprise and discuss with the basic assessments on the competitive scenarios & strategies, of the global cold insulation market, including the high-growth regions, countries and their political, economic and technological environments. Furthermore the project report also provides the views over the historical market values as well as, pricing and cost analysis of the same.

The report for Global Automotive Labels Market 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.

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-labels-market-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

Brief TOC

1. Report Prologue

2. Introduction

2.3. Market Structure

2.4. Market Segmentation

3. Research Methodology

3.4. Market Size Estimation

3.5. Forecast Model

4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Drivers & Oppurtunities

4.2. Challenges & Restraints

5. Automotive Labels Market, By Purpose

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Asset Labels

5.3. Dome Labels

5.4. Branding Labels

5.5. Warning & Safety Labels

5.6. Inventory Labels

6. Automotive Labels Market, By Mechanism

6.1. Introduction

6.2. In-Mold

6.3. Heat Transfer

6.4. Glue-Applied

6.5. Pressure-Sensitive

7. Automotive Labels Market, By Identification

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Hologram

7.3. Barcode

7.4. Rfid

7.5. Other

8. Automotive Labels Market, By Application

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Chassis Labels

8.3. Engine Component Labels

8.4. Interior Labels

8.5. Exterior Labels

9. Automotive Labels Market, By Region

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.

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/automotive-labels-market-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

Contact Info:

Name: Akash Anand

Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com

Organization: Market Research Future

Address: Hadapsar Pune, India - 411028

Phone: +1 646 845 9312

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/automotive-labels-market-expected-to-reach-usd-8-05-billion-by-2022/156959

Release ID: 156959

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Cloud Security Market Development Trends and Key Manufacturer Report 2016-2021

This report provides an in-depth insight of Global Cloud Security Industry covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key manufacturers and competitive analysis.

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This is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Global Cloud Security Industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Cloud Security manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.

View complete report at http://www.reportsweb.com/2016-cloud-security-industry-market-research-report

Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail.

In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2016 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Cloud Security industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2016-2021 market development trends of Cloud Security industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out.

In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Cloud Security Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2016-2021 global and Chinese Cloud Security industry covering

all important parameters.

Request sample copy at http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001466937/sample

Major Points from Table of Contents

Introduction of Cloud Security Industry

Manufacturing Technology of Cloud Security

Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers

Global and Chinese Market of Cloud Security

Market Status of Cloud Security Industry

Market Forecast of Global and Chinese Cloud Security Industry 2016-2021

Analysis of Cloud Security Industry Chain

Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Cloud Security Industry

Market Dynamics of Cloud Security Industry

Proposals for New Project

Research Conclusions of Global and Chinese Cloud Security Industry

Inquire for discount at http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001466937/discount

List of Tables and Figures

Figure Cloud Security Product Picture

Table Development of Cloud Security Manufacturing Technology

Figure Manufacturing Process of Cloud Security

Table Trends of Cloud Security Manufacturing Technology

Table Global Cloud Security Capacity List

Table Global Cloud Security Key Manufacturers Capacity Share List

Figure Global Cloud Security Manufacturers Capacity Share

Table Global Cloud Security Key Manufacturers Production List

Table Global Cloud Security Key Manufacturers Production Share List

Figure Global Cloud Security Manufacturers Production Share

Figure Global Cloud Security Capacity Production and Growth Rate

Table Global Cloud Security Key Manufacturers Production Value List

Figure Global Cloud Security Production Value and Growth Rate

Table Global Cloud Security Key Manufacturers Production Value Share List

Figure Global Cloud Security Manufacturers Production Value Share

Table Global Cloud Security Capacity Production Cost Profit and Gross Margin List

Figure Chinese Share of Global Cloud Security Production

Table Global Supply and Consumption of Cloud Security

Figure Global Cloud Security Capacity Production and Growth Rate

Figure Global Cloud Security Production Value and Growth Rate

Table Global Cloud Security Capacity Production Cost Profit and Gross Margin List

Figure Chinese Share of Global Cloud Security Production

Table Global Supply and Consumption of Cloud Security

Table Import and Export of Cloud Security

Figure Industry Chain Structure of Cloud Security Industry

Figure Production Cost Analysis of Cloud Security

Figure Downstream Analysis of Cloud Security

For more information, please visit http://www.reportsweb.com/2016-cloud-security-industry-market-research-report

Contact Info:

Name: Sameer Joshi

Email: sales@reportsweb.com

Organization: ReportsWeb

Address: Pune, India.

Phone: +1-646-491-9876

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/cloud-security-market-development-trends-and-key-manufacturer-report-2016-2021/156953

Release ID: 156953

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Coating Pretreatment Market will cross USD 4,230 Million by 2022

Coating Pretreatment Market Research Report, By Product Type (Phosphate, Chromate, Blast Clean and Others), By Application (Consumer Appliances, Automotive & Transportation, Construction and others) - Forecast To 2022

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Market Highlights

Global Coating Pretreatment Market is expected to grow with the CAGR of 6.3% from 2016 to 2022, and with this it is predictable to cross USD 4,230 Million by 2022

Over the past few years, the global coating pretreatment market has seen a considerable growth due to increasing demand of from its application industries which has resulted into a higher growth rate at the end of forecasted period. As per the market analysis, different factors have created boom in the global coating pretreatment market are rising application segment, increasing demand for consumer appliances, growing number of manufacturers, emerging economies, growing powder coating market and others.

Major Key Player

o 3M Company

o Chemetall GmbH

o Kansai Paint

o Akzonobel

o Nippon Paint

o PPG Industries

o Henkel

o Axalta Coating Systems

o Sherwin-Williams Company

o Nihon Parkerizing

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Market Synopsis of Coating Pretreatment Market

The global coating pretreatment market has witnessed a positive growth over the past few years and as per MRFR analysis, the global market is expected to rise at the same growth during the forecast period. The global coating pretreatment market is expected to touch more than USD 4,230 Million by 2022 with a CAGR of around 6.3%.

The global coating pretreatment market has been majorly driven by its rising demand from the application industries such as consumer appliances, automotive & transportation, construction and others. Consumer appliance industry has been expected to become the major contributor to the global market. Geographically, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest market in terms of value, where China's contribution to the market is worth appreciating as China is one of the leading producer.

Regional Analysis

"Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the largest market during the forecast period"

Geographically, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest market for coating pretreatment and China is one of the largest manufacturer of coating pretreatment which has also created a platform for the APAC countries. Along with this, the rapid emerging economy have been a major growing factors which has fueled the demand for coating pretreatment in the regional as well as global market.

Test the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread over 141 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on "Coating Pretreatment Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022"

Scope of the study

The scope of the study categorizes the coating pretreatment market as product type and applications.

By Product Type

o Phosphate

o Chromate

o Blast Clean

o Others

By Application

o Consumer Appliances

o Automotive & Transportation

o Construction

o Others

Browse Full Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/coating-pretreatment-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

Brief TOC

1 Executive Summary

2 Scope Of The Report

2.1 Market Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objectives

2.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations

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

4.1 Five Forces Analysis

4.1.1 Threat Of New Entrants

4.1.2 Bargaining power of buyers

4.1.3 Threat of substitutes

4.1.4 Segment rivalry

4.2 Value Chain/Supply Chain of Global Coating Pretreatment Market

5 Industry Overview of Global Coating Pretreatment Market

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Growth Drivers

5.3 Impact analysis

5.4 Market Challenges

5.5 Impact analysis

6 Market Trends

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Growth Trends

6.3 Impact analysis

7. Global Coating Pretreatment Market by Region

8. Global Coating Pretreatment Market by Product Type (Phosphate, Chromate, Blast Clean and Others)

9. Global Coating Pretreatment Market by Application (Consumer Appliances, Automotive & Transportation, Construction and others)

10. Company Profiles

10.1 3M Company

10.1.1 Overview

10.1.2 Financials

10.1.3 Product Portfolio

10.1.4 Business Strategies

10.1.5 Recent Development

Continued...

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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.

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/coating-pretreatment-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

Contact Info:

Name: Akash Anand

Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com

Organization: Market Research Future

Address: Hadapsar Pune, India - 411028

Phone: +1 646 845 9312

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/coating-pretreatment-market-will-cross-usd-4230-million-by-2022/156963

Release ID: 156963

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CCHR Hosting Open House Honoring International Holocaust Remembrance Day

In honor of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida is holding a month long open house beginning on Monday, January 2, 2017 in order to brief Floridians on involuntary commitment and their rights under the law.

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Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a non-profit mental health watchdog dedicated to the eradication of abuses committed under the guise of mental health, is hosting a month long open house in January to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, January 27th, was designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations General Assembly with the intention to not only honor the victims of the Nazi era but to also encourage the development of educational programs to prevent future genocides.

In honor of this day, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) of Florida is holding a month long open house beginning on Monday, January 2, 2017 in order to brief Floridians on involuntary commitment and their rights under the law.

The Baker Act, the mental health law in Florida which covers all aspects of mental health including involuntary commitment, was originally designed to prevent the indiscriminate incarceration or of individuals without just cause. This statute was named after Maxine Baker, the former State Representative from Miami who sponsored the Act, who stated "In the name of mental health, we deprive them of their most precious possession - liberty."

Unfortunately, over the years, this Act that was intended to protect and preserve the liberties of the mentally ill has become abused and is now a source of rights violations for all Floridians including children.

According to the 2015 Annual Report of Baker Act Data prepared for the Agency for Health Care Administration there were 193,410 involuntary examinations initiated in calendar year 2015. An astounding 32,882 were initiated on minors. Though many parents are not aware of this fact, in Florida a child may be removed from school grounds and sent for involuntary examination without parental consent or knowledge.

"Our Abuse Case Hotline receives calls every day and unfortunately many of these calls are from the friends and families of individuals who did not meet the criteria for Baker Acting but were still sent to and detained in a mental health receiving facility," said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida. "When we field a call from a distraught parent of a child sent for involuntary examination without their permission or knowledge they are furious to learn this can happen."

Individuals interested in learning more about the Baker Act and their rights under the law are encouraged to visit the CCHR center located at 109 N. Fort Harrison Ave. in downtown Clearwater. For more information please call 727-442-8820 or visit www.cchrflorida.org.

About CCHR:

Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections.

It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who brought the terror of psychiatric imprisonment to the notice of the world. In March 1969, he said, "Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the 'free world' tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of 'mental health.'"

For more information, please visit http://www.cchrflorida.org/

Contact Info:

Name: Diane Stein

Email: publicaffairs@cchrflorida.org

Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida

Address: 109 N. Fort Harrison Ave, Clearwater, 33755 United States

Phone: (727) 442-8820

Release ID: 156543

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Be The Light: Interfaith Global Fire Ceremonies For World Peace New Year's Eve 12.31.16

Deepak Chopra, Michael Beckwith, Don Miguel Ruiz, and the World Business Academy among others join over 550 locations across 44 countries to unite in prayer around a sacred flame during the 26 hours while every time zone welcomes the New Year.

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The Divine Lineage Center, under the direction of spiritual leaders Monika Penukonda and Clint Thompson, MD, are melding the ancient ceremonial ritual of sacred fire with the modern technology of the Internet in a call for world peace on New Year's Eve. They connecting with many spiritual leaders to reach millions of people throughout the world coming together in small and large groups meditating and praying for peace around a sacred fire. The group is calling on people from all faiths, cultures, and nationalities to unite in prayer in the presence of a sacred flame.

Their initiative has already drawn the support of New Age icons Deepak Chopra, Michael Beckwith of the Agape Church, bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz, Self-Realization Fellowship, the World Business Academy, -- and participants in more than 550 locations in 44 countries.

Why sacred fire? "The sacredness of fire is universal to all spiritual traditions - a flame is the living symbol of the Divine," says Monika Penukonda, the Center's Spiritual Director. "Ancient civilizations knew how to use the power of fire to purify negative vibrations and transmit peace and healing over long distances. The ancients used powerful fire ceremonies to generate peace in the world when the earth was overrun by negative forces. This technology, utilizing the fire element and prayer, has the ability to shift global consciousness, especially if we do it together."

Clint Thompson MD, the Center's founder added, "The transformation of consciousness that is unfolding will happen only as we join together with a shared intention for the good. Collective consciousness brings miracles. We all must share our light and brighten the way for others."

Worship services, prayer groups, meditation circles, friends and family are encouraged to join together and include this movement in their New Year's Eve event or family activities by pausing together for even 10 minutes to be the catalyst to usher in a New Year of peace.

With five simple ways to participate in the movement, from lighting a candle to hosting and attending a sacred fire ceremony or candlelight meditation, the group is seeking to make 'peace on earth and love for one another' the center of people's hearts and thoughts at the start of the New Year. "What the world needs is peace to go viral this New Year's Eve," Monika said.

Starting at 2:00 AM (PST) on Saturday, December 31st, the Divine Lineage Center will perform a 26-continuous hour Sacred Fire Ceremony (Puja) for World Peace and Healing, that will be broadcast free via live streaming Internet from the Divine Lineage Center. During the 26-hour period as every time zone enters the new year, the group seeks to have millions of lights burning for peace, sending a wave of light and healing energy circling the globe.

Learn more and join Be The Light on www.pujasforpeace.org.

Learn more about Puja. The New Yoga.

To join the conversation on social media, "like" the Be the Light: Pujas for Peace page on Facebook

ABOUT DIVINE LINEAGE

Divine Lineage was founded in 2004 as an educational and charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace, healing and religious harmony through ancient spiritual knowledge and technologies. The Divine Lineage Center is a meditation and retreat center located in Mendocino County, Northern California. At the Divine Lineage Center sacred fire ceremonies (pujas) are regularly performed to purify the atmosphere, generate peace and healing for individuals and the world.

For more information, please visit http://www.pujasforpeace.org

Contact Info:

Name: Kimberly Naujock

Organization: Divine Lineage

Address: 60991 Bell Springs Road, Laytonville, CA 95454

Phone: 865-335-4266

Video URL: https://vimeo.com/196596753

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/be-the-light-interfaith-global-fire-ceremonies-for-world-peace-new-years-eve-12-31-16/157074

Release ID: 157074

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Happy Feet Plus Opens its Eleventh Brick and Mortar Store in Wesley Chapel

Happy Feet Plus has just opened its eleventh brick and mortar store in Wesley Chapel, on Florida's West Coast.

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In addition to featuring an extensive online store, accessible to everyone with an Internet connection since 1995, Happy Feet Plus has just opened it's eleventh brick and mortar store on Florida's West Coast.

The newest store is in Westley Chapel, a growing community in the Tampa Bay area. Other locations include, Tampa, Carrollwood, St. Petersburg (Tyrone and Sundial), Brandon, Ellenton, Countryside, Sarasota, Ft. Myers and Largo, where it has also located its corporate offices.

The company, established in 1985, has been the premier source for footwear that is not only stylish but ultra comfortable and healthy for the wearer's feet and body, for over 30 years.

Happy Feet Plus features hundreds of styles from premier brands such as Birkenstock, Finn Comfort, Brooks, Aetrex, Vionic, Mephisto, Dansko and ASICS. In addition, Happy Feet Plus is the exclusive North American distributor for Kenkoh Massage Sandals. These revitalizing sandals were the very reason Happy Feet Plus was created over thirty years ago.

According to Jacob Wurtz, President of HFP, and who, along with Jane Strong is one of the original founders of Happy Feet Plus, "All eleven of our stores feature Aetrex iStep digital foot scanners and foot scans. Consultations are always free by our trained fit specialists, using these scanners to evaluate such factors as arch height, pressure points, and suggested shoe size. And all of our health and comfort shoes, sandals, clogs and boots provide relief from foot, knee and back pain."

Recognized by Tampa Bay Magazine as the Best Shoe Store in Tampa Bay, Happy Feet Plus also received Footwear Insight's 2015 Gold Medal Service Award featured as one of 34 best full-service shoe stores in the United States.

The new Westley Chapel store is located at:

1059 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 Phone - 813-618-5070

Store Hours are Monday - Saturday: 10am-8pm and Sunday: 11am-5pm

http://www.happyfeet.com/wesley-chapel-store

To find the nearest Happy Feet Plus location visit the Happy Feet Plus Store Locator, or call the main office at 1-800-336-6657.

To order online visit http://www.happyfeet.com

For more information, please visit http://www.happyfeet.com

Contact Info:

Name: Jane Strong

Organization: Happy Feet Plus

Address: 467 Clearwater/Largo Road NW, Largo, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, 33770 United States

Phone: (800) 336-6657

Release ID: 157282

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Newly Revised Release - 5 Book Series, "Two Runs of Stone" by Steven D. Nielsen

Steven D. Nielsen, #1 Amazon Best Selling Author, is releasing a newly revised edition of all 5 books in the "Two Runs of Stone" Series. All 5 books have had some minor revisions, book covers updated and final editing recently done. This series is the completed version of the story of the settling of western America during the 1860's.

--

Historical Romance Fiction Writer, Steven D. Nielsen has just released a newly revised version of all 5 books in the "Two Runs of Stone" series. Through previous book releases Nielsen has become recognized as an Amazon Number One Best Selling Author. Over the past year or so, Nielsen has gone through each book, updating, making revisions and giving all five books a final edit and new book covers to present a finalized version now available in paperback.

Within the pages of the 5 novels making up the "Two Runs of Stone" series, readers are swept from the culture and wealth of Victorian Denmark across vast oceans and the violent plains of Western America into the breathtaking and primitive expanse of valleys surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains!

Readers travel along with Catherine Jensen, a wealthy heiress to a fortune in jewels, as she leaves Denmark and heads off on a great adventure across the ocean to America to find her lover. Journey along on a spine-tingling adventure that promises heart pounding excitement, historical enrichment, and enhanced knowledge of the stuff that makes the United States what it is. Along the way, discover the virtual paradise that is America, future home for the world's masses of impoverished, unpretentious and industrious immigrants to build their future!

This 5-book saga of "Two Runs of Stone", tells a quite thrilling and entertaining, yet very accurate story that readers will long remember with great fondness!

o Volume One: "A Beckoning Call"

This thrilling historical fiction portrays Victorian Denmark and a wealthy milling family caught in a whirlwind of politics, monarchial and religious oppression, amid philosophical awakening and a new thirst for basic human freedom. Take a trip in time thru the grandeur of Copenhagen; sail the deep and powerful fjords of Scandinavia on billowing wind-ships; ride on velvet and leather upholstery in horse drawn carriages and surging locomotives; feel love blossom in wooded parks; walk the lush countryside waving golden grains ripe for the windmill's blades; finally listen as cannons roar, muskets fire and bayonets flash amid thick smoke on muddy battlefields. Meanwhile, observe as a breath-taking necklace handcrafted by a master jeweler weaves a common thread throughout a saga, rich in human spirit.

o Volume Two: "Windships America"

In "Windships America", readers follow Peter and Maren Jensen, Claus and Gunda Wangsgaard, and a few hundred Danish Saints as they meet up with English members on their way to Zion via windships and riverboats. Join Torkil Olsen whose unfaithful wife opens an entirely new world of possibilities to Catherine Jensen's head miller and close friend. And go with Catherine Jensen herself, as a visitor from the past literally transforms her life!

o Volume Three: "Heart's Desire"

As Book Three of the series opens, Peter Jensen and company are underway, however not everyone in the original party decides to leave the plains of Atchison, Kansas. Two young men married local girls and at least a dozen others including eight Mormons who decide that the growing area was exactly what they were hoping to find in America will be staying behind. That said, the balance of the travelers are now traversing the wintry Midwestern flatlands along the Missouri River. Pushing forward on the frozen ground supporting their heavily loaded north bound wagons, with hopeful hearts and faith in God, the majority are now steadfast and determined as before.

o Volume Four: "Wagons West"

Book Four starts off four days out of snowy Wyoming City as Jess Plowman holds up his hand to stop the long line of wagons in the wagon train. Reports gradually come in from group leaders of broken axels, wobbly wheels, broken harnesses, split yokes and injuries to many travelers. Hundreds of muddy iron rimmed wheels with steaming hubs and long wooden spokes rest in the rutted trails as women, children and old men pour out of the canvas covered wagons to catch a breath of clean air and stretch their legs. Repairs begin in earnest as many will be working by lantern light far into the night.

o Volume Five: "Full Circle"

Book Five, Full Circle is presented as two novels in one, in that Section I and Section II are complete stories in and of themselves, and could have been published in two separate books. With it's thrilling conclusion, Book Five takes the reader full circle in a historically accurate series, the story line of which will be long remembered.

A pioneer map and genealogy chart are included at the beginning of each section and a quick review of both will be invaluable for time and place orientation, not to mention the cast of characters in this exciting and thoroughly entertaining novel.

For more information on all 5 books, CLICK HERE!

CLICK HERE to listen to an interview with Steven D. Nielsen

Contact Info:

Name: Keith Robinson

Email: OnlineAuthoritySource@gmail.com

Phone: 713-416-3529

Organization: Online Authority Source

Source: http://www.prreach.com/pr/27066

Release ID: 157330

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Century Holdings Ltd Open Office In Seoul, South Korea To Invest In National Growth Sectors

Century Holdings Ltd has opened a new office in Seoul to identify opportunities for growth in the South Korean economy, providing new and exciting investment opportunities for clients.

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South Korea has had a thriving economy for decades, and has continued to grow from strength to strength thanks to its constant innovation and investment in a new generation of companies, following in the footsteps of giants like Samsung. When Century Holdings Ltd opens office in South Korea, it is a sign that the economy there is undergoing exciting changes. The new team will be tasked with identifying the best of these developments, to provide opportunities for investors to make an impressive return on investment.

When the new office opens in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the South Korea Team will research, identify, and invest in sectors that are likely to prosper in light of underlying economic conditions. The team of researchers is remarkably skilled at recognizing these companies at the most opportune times, with professionals that have cut their teeth in similar markets throughout South East Asia.

The team will offer South Korean investments to both local and international investors, so that businesses can thrive thanks to the most diverse backing possible, while investors from all over the world can have a stake in the future of Korean businesses.

A spokesperson for Century Holdings Ltd explained, "We are excited and proud to be able to announce the launch of a new office in Seoul, which will champion investments into the country's emerging economies. This is the first new office to be opened in 2017, but we hope it will not be the last, as we have plans to get teams on the ground across a wide range of different economies, and not just in South East Asia. This presents an exciting opportunity for businesses and investors alike, and we hope to bring them together for mutual benefit."

About Century Holdings Ltd: Century Holdings Ltd offer distinct but complementary investment groups that invest in every level of capital structure, from senior debt to common equity. Thanks to the synergies from this multi-asset strategy, their investment groups are market leaders based on assets under management and investment performance. Their experienced team of professional investors act on the fundamental principle that each group benefits from being part of the broader platform. It creates industry trends, access to significant deal flow and the ability to assess relative value.

For more information, please visit http://centuryholdingsltd.com/

Contact Info:

Name: MICHELLE CHENG

Email: info@centuryholdingsltd.com

Organization: Century Holdings Ltd

Address: Suite 7002, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10019

Phone: + 1 646-926-1984

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/century-holdings-ltd-open-office-in-seoul-south-korea-to-invest-in-national-growth-sectors/157298

Release ID: 157298

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Cosmetic and Veneers Dentist in 43085 Introduces Clear Braces Dental Service

Dr. Neil S. Patel of Infinite Smiles is giving clients something extra to smile about this Christmas with the introduction of a veneers service.

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Dr. Neil S. Patel of Infinite Smiles is giving clients something extra to smile about this Christmas with the introduction of a veneers service.

Veneers, also known as clear braces, are thin layers of porcelain that are customised to fit over the front of a tooth and improve its appearance. They can be used to rectify a number of tooth imperfections including chips, stains, misalignment and awkward gaps. Individuals with any of these imperfections know that it is no laughing matter. It can impact greatly on their self confidence and how they interact with others.

Dr. Patel and Dr Salaita are clear braces dentists in 43085 trained to restore imperfect teeth with strong, durable veneers. Patients can choose between traditional porcelain veneers and ultra-thin veneers. But ultra thin type of veneers are the more popular of the two as they are translucent and require little to no preparation of the teeth..

Dr. Patel said: "The introduction of this clear braces service now makes us the one stop dental practice in Ohio for all oral care needs."

Based in Powell, Ohio, Infinite Smiles has established a reputation for providing excellent dental care and customer service to patients. They offer a comprehensive range of dental services including dental implants, full mouth reconstruction, cosmetic dentistry and more.

One patient, Kimberly C. summed up her overall experience at the practice. She said: "Infinite Smiles offers the very best care! Dr. Patel is the best in restorative dentistry. He is compassionate, thorough and never rushes to complete any procedure."

Another patient, Brooke Eadie has said: " Dr Patel and his staff are AMAZING. I have always been afraid of the dentist and have had some real bad experience. Not with Infinite Smiles and Dr. Patel. They are we kind and caring and go the extra mile to make sure that you are comfortable. I no longer get anxiety or avoid going to the dentist out of fear Thanks to Dr Patel!!".

Infinite Smiles accepts much dental insurance for clear braces service. They also offer convenient in-house financing options. For further information about veneers, please visit:

https://infinitesmiles.com

Media Contact: Infinite Smiles

Telephone: +1 614-678-5847

Email: contact@infinitesmiles.com

For more information, please visit http://www.alexandrfedotoff.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Jonathan Sidwell

Organization: Dental Economics

Address: 1574 Gulf Road New York NY United States

Phone: (778) 235-0055

Release ID: 157253

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Nepal Best Places Annapurna Base Camp Tilicho Lake Walk Trek Report Launched

People looking to travel to Nepal can find the top five attractions in the area in a new report discussing the best places to visit. It features places like Annapurna Base Camp, Tilicho Lake, and Lumbini, with guides on each location.

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A new report has been launched focusing on the best places to visit in Nepal for those looking to visit on vacation or when sightseeing or travelling. Known for its mountain views, mischievous monkeys, temples, and opportunities for popular activities, it offers something for everything, but ensuring that the best bits are not missed requires prior planning.

More information can be found at: https://saranepal.org/favorite-5-places-to-visit-in-nepal.

The report explains that Nepal is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with a number of attractions for people to enjoy, including the natural beauty of the surrounding area, the culture and the tradition. It is a popular location all year round, and even the locals like to travel around the different places on offer.

Whether travellers are visiting on their own, with friends or family, or journeying with colleagues, the top five places provided in the report will offer something for everyone to enjoy. They include natural and manmade attractions, and each has a full description showing what is available when people go to visit.

The first place to visit in the new report is Annapurna Base Camp, which is described as brilliant for anyone who loves trekking, especially near mountains. One of the most beautiful places in Nepal, it generally takes between seven and twelve days to complete the full trek.

Tilicho Lake is another area listed as worth visiting, which is the highest lake in Nepal and lies at a height of nearly 5,000 meters. It is claimed as a holy spot in the Ramayan, and many people are attracted to it every year.

Other places featuring in the report include Lumbini, which is famous for being the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and offers monasteries, monuments and museums to visit. In addition to this, travellers can go to Chitwan National Park, Pokhara, and other attractive spots like Fewa Lake, Sarangkot, and Peace Pagoda.

The full list features photos of each location, helping visitors to pick and choose the areas they most want to travel to.

For more information, please visit https://saranepal.org/favorite-5-places-to-visit-in-nepal

Contact Info:

Name: Sara Nepal

Organization: SaraNepal.ORG

Address: Nepal United States



Release ID: 157319

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Thermalabs Introduces Brand New Ivy Folding Beach Chair

Thermalabs has added yet another beach chair to its convenience inventory.

December 28, 2016 (FPRC) -- Cosmetics brand Thermalabs today announced a brand new Ivy folding beach chair. This comes barely days after the firm introduced its Moon Beach Chair. The company appears to be revamping its beach convenience arsenal, creating more and more products designed to make beach-going much more fun. In addition to beach chairs, Thermalabs has in recent times released a series of beach shelters for use by both kids and adults.



Thermalabs is a leading cosmetics firm based in New York City. The firm opened its doors some 3 years ago, starting out as an entrant producer of tanning lotions. Thermalabs pilot lotion, known as the Golden Standard Tanner did the magic trick. The product was designed from organic and natural ingredients such as Green Tea, Aloe Vera, Olive Oil, and more. It delivered a bronzed tan in well under four hours, compared to competing lotions that took up to 6 hours to show results. Once it hit the online market, and following a well-executed promotion campaign by Thermalabs, this lotion managed to sell over 10,000 in its first market week. This attracted significant attention from authority industry blogs, giving the young startup the exposure it needed to break the competition tug and thus make it.



Thermalabs has in recent times diversified its market areas. The company introduced Supremasea as a sub-brand that would be in charge of Dead Sea minerals-based skincare products. Tent World is Thermalabs sub-brand in charge of all beach tents, while Organic Healthcare is a relatively new sub-brand that specializes in the production of organic healthcare products based on naturally occurring herbs, plants and seeds extracted from the mountains of Galilee in Israeli.



Thermalabs Ivy Folding beach chair happens to be the second beach chair announced by the company before year-end in 2016. The chair folds up flat for easy storage, is lightweight and easy to use. Unlike the lightweight Moon Beach Chair by the company, Ivy Folding chair has a durable steel frame that supports weights of up to 300 lbs. An instant pop open assembly makes it a convenient accessory for use at the beach. Thermalabs has said that in addition to the beach, its Ivy Folding chair is perfect for fishing, camping, and many other outdoor engagements.



Thermalabs is today glad to announce the launch of its Ivy Folding Beach Chair. This is the second beach chair that we have released before the year 2016 comes to an end. In the coming few days this week, we hope to introduce at least 3 other beach chairs that are already ready for the market. Ivy Folding beach chair is a superb accessory for fishing, camping, and any other outdoor engagements. It features a durable steel frame that supports weights of up to 300 lbs, an intriguing design, and a convenient pop-up assembly for everyday convenience. And thats not all  this chair weighs just 6.6 lbs and measures 21.3 x 22 x 25.2 inches, said Alex Howard, a marketing coordinator at Thermalabs.





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Panel Coder Technologies Expand Range Of Industries Supported Following New Work

Panel Coder Technologies are bespoke software specialists, and have expanded the range of industries they can support by diversifying the products they can create for clients.

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Every business is different, yet the vast majority of businesses use the same suite of tools to try and complete their tasks. Using unfit processes wastes time and energy, and makes businesses less productive. If they could use only the features they need in the order they need, with the power and flexibility to manage every task within a single app, they could massively increase efficiency and productivity. Panel Coder Software Technologies Bangalore creates bespoke software, apps and processes for businesses of all scales, and has expanded the range of industries they can support after a successful year.

The company, which previously specialised in retail, communications and logistics, can now assist companies working in the financial, healthcare, education and industrial sectors, thanks to a burgeoning number of new solutions and approaches. The company has developed a banking suite, sourcing and procurement apps, and even talent management solutions in 2016, to name but a few.

Their expansion has reflected the tireless work the team has done to create the best results on behalf of a glut of new clients, all of whom have had unique challenges to overcome. Their ability to create malleable architectures to address pain points effectively and efficiently has changed the way many businesses are handling their processes.

A spokesperson for Panel Coder Technologies explained, "We are pleased to be able to create the best work possible for our clients, and 2016 has been a year where the level of challenge has only been outdone by the level of reward we have found in our work. We have expanded our capabilities this year more than ever, and we plan to continue going from strength to strength in the coming year. We look forward to hearing from more new clients, and discussing how we can transform their processes for greater efficiency, using the power of information technology."

About Panel Coder Technologies: Panel Coder Technologies provides high quality Information Technology solutions across both software and consulting services. Their goal is to provide top-quality, cost-effective solutions to clients that transform their businesses. They specialize in providing services and people that help businesses use technology to improve their core processes. They support and deliver implementations, activities, analysis by planning, designing and managing projects combining multiple technologies.

For more information, please visit http://www.panelcoder.com/

Contact Info:

Name: PRWhirlWind

Organization: Panel Coder Technologies

Address: 4th Floor,Gamma Tower, Sigma Soft Tech Park, #7,White Field Main Road Varthue Kodi

Phone: +91-80- 65694492/93/94

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/panel-coder-technologies-expand-range-of-industries-supported-following-new-work/157410

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Global Gas Insulated Switchgear Market 2016 Industry Development Trends and Analysis, Growth, Share, Sales Forecast To 2027

Global Gas Insulated Switchgear Market Information Report by Voltage (High and Medium), by End-Users (Industrial, Utility, Power generation, Infrastructure and others), and Region - Forecast to 2027

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Market Scenario

Increasing manufacturing and production activities in the recent times is one of the main factors which are boosting the gas insulated switch market. High growth in the processing industry is also contributing to the growth of the gas insulated switchgear market. Increasing awareness among individuals regarding the need of renewable energy sources is translating towards demand in the gas insulated switchgear market.

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Study Objectives of Gas Insulated Switchgear

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 Gas Insulated Switchgear market

o To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth

o To Analyze the Gas Insulated Switchgear market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters five force analysis.

Regional Analysis of Gas Insulated Switchgear Market

Asia-Pacific is the leading regions for the Gas Insulated Switchgear Market mainly due to the attractive investment prospects in the transmission & distribution segment in this region. Favorable government policies for the gas insulated switch market in another factor contributing to the growth of the Gas Insulated Switchgear market. Development of new technologies and development of new techniques has resulted in high growth achieved by the North American region in this market.

Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 40 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 Gas Insulated Switchgear Market Research Report - Forecast to 2027"

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Key Player

Some of the key Players in the Gas Insulated Switchgear market are

o Schneider Electric SE (France),

o ABB Ltd. (Switzerland),

o Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan),

o Alstom SA (France),

o Siemens AG (Germany)

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Segments

Gas Insulated Switchgear Market is segmented on the basis of voltage into high voltage and medium voltage. On the basis of end-user the market has been segmented as industrial, utility, power generation, infrastructure, and others.

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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.

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Phone: +1 646 845 9312

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/global-gas-insulated-switchgear-market-2016-industry-development-trends-and-analysis-growth-share-sales-forecast-to-2027/157383

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Oxford Street LED Extravaganza: Created by Dynamo LED and Dixons Retail

Dynamo LED Displays has released a new how-to guide on Installation of LED Displays. Shop owners and other interested parties can find the guide online at http://dynamo-led-displays.ae/.

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Europe's largest technology retailer and winner of the prestigious retailer of the year accolade at the retail week awards, Dixons Carphone PLC, selected Dynamo LED to install 14 LED video displays at their brand new flagship store on London's Oxford Street.

The leading specialist electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company - consisting of PC World, Currys and Carphone Warehouse declared the LED feature wall, made up of four individual LED video displays and spread over a 4K resolution with more than 4.3 million pixels a total success.

Each p3mm LED wall was built into an 80mm deep recess with a custom frame allowing front access for maintenance and finished off with a muraspec surround. Altogether a total of 1027 modules each measuring 192mm x 192mm were used on the 4 displays which can be used to show content both individually and as one huge display in what became commonly known as the "takeover". The store were extremely savvy in the fact that besides showing their own content on the video displays they have created a whole new revenue stream by renting out advertising space to a selected few of their suppliers like GoPro, Sony, Bose, Samsung and FitBit.

The brand new store also claimed a custom built, creative LED window display with 9 separate LED screens that are programmed to show the latest offers alongside manufacturer Logos and videos. The custom built design also doubles as a product display stand which allows the latest products to sit on top of it.

Daniel Reynolds, director of Dynamo LED said when talking about the LED window displays that one of the things that really stuck out for him was the vast amount of people who stopped to view the display as they were walking past which demonstrated the power of creative LED to engage with prospective customers and increase footfall within retail stores.

The success story of the store didn't end there either, the brilliant success of the LED installation urged the designers to request that Dynamo LED Displays install a landscape LED video display measuring 4416mm x 960mm above the exit showing custom made content to further enhance the digital customer experience befitting of Europe's largest technology retailer.

For more information, please visit http://dynamo-led-displays.co.uk/

Contact Info:

Name: Cecilia Evans

Organization: Dynamo Led Displays

Address: , Loondon United Kingdom



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San Antonio Mobile Vet Clinic Low Cost Vaccinations Pet Care Services Announced

The highly popular mobile pet care clinic, Mobile Vet San Antonio, available for house-calls at 210-871-0226, announced an expansion of its convenient, affordable and professional vet care services, including low cost vaccinations, disease detection and therapeutic intervention, for pet owners in San Antonio.

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The renowned Mobile Vet San Antonio announced an expansion of its personalized, professional and affordable vet care services available on a convenient house-call basis for pet owners across San Antonio, Texas.

More information is available at http://mobilevetsanantonio.website.

The Mobile Vet San Antonio is a full-service mobile vet care clinic committed to providing the highest quality of pet care, from preventive medicine including low cost vaccinations to disease detection or professional therapeutic intervention, in the most convenient, cost-effective and stress-free manner for pet owners in San Antonio.

The mobile vet clinic announced an expansion of its leading vet care services conveniently delivered at the pet owners' home or any other preferred location out of a state-of-the-art mobile clinic equipped with a full diagnostic lab for immediate results, a fully stocked pharmacy for immediate prescriptions, anesthesia for minor procedures and cutting edge dental equipment or critical care supplies, and more.

The premier Mobile Vet San Antonio services draw on the industry leading knowledge and expertise of its renowned and compassionate veterinary staff to deliver high-end, long-lasting pet health care solutions that can maximize the quality of life of each pet, supported by a focus on client education and personal attention to the specific concerns and requirements of each pet owner.

More information on the Mobile Vet San Antonio and its range of trusted, mobile and professional pet health care services, from highly affordable vaccinations to diagnostics or therapeutic intervention, can be requested at 210-871-0226 or through the website link provided above along with details on its cutting edge mobile clinic and personalized, compassionate service philosophy.

The Mobile Vet San Antonio founder explains that "my company has identified there are many occasions where traveling with a pet to the vet clinic is difficult or practically impossible. For those we created a house call service, our Mobile Vet San Antonio. We understand the special role a pet plays in the family and we treat them as we would our own. Beyond the first rate pet care, we make our mobile vet clinic convenient, comfortable, cost effective and available right in our clients' driveway so their pet can relax and be cared for at home."

For more information, please visit http://targetedleadsforyourbusiness.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Pablo Ledesma

Organization: P.L. Enterprises

Address: 2354 West Gramercy Place, San Antonio United States

Phone: 2108331678

Release ID: 157275

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Analytics As A Service 2016 Global Market Expected To Grow At CAGR 29.08% And Forecast To 2020

WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - "Analytics as a Service 2016 Global Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 29.08% and Forecast to 2020".

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The analysts forecast the global AaaS market to grow at a CAGR of 29.08% during the period 2016-2020.

AaaS emerged from the integration of cloud computing and analytics solutions. It acts as a service model that involves analysis taking place using analytics software and being delivered through web-based technologies. AaaS providers offer services under subscription-based or pay-per-use models.

AaaS products include cloud-based BI solutions and SaaS-based social media AaaS. Cloud BI solutions involve effectively delivering business analytics solutions to customers at low cost. SaaS-based social media AaaS involves remote positioning of different tools, which helps collect data, analyze the trends and patterns of visitors, and find better ways to serve customers.

Download Sample Report @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/320686-global-analytics-as-a-service-market-2016-2020

For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.com

Covered in this report

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global AaaS market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, analysts have considered the revenue generated from cloud analytics, taking into account AaaS solutions, software, applications, cloud support, and maintenance.

The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:

o Americas

o APAC

o EMEA

The report, Global Analytics as a Service Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key vendors

o Amazon Web Services

o CSC

o HP

o IBM

o Oracle

o SAS Institute

Other prominent vendors

o eBay

o Information Builders

o LiquidHub

o Qlik Tech

o MicroStrategy

o Opera

o Solutions

o SAP

o Tableau Software

Market driver

o Growing adoption of data analytics

o For a full, detailed list, view our report

Complete Report Details @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/320686-global-analytics-as-a-service-market-2016-2020

Market challenge

o Data security concerns

o For a full, detailed list, view our report

Market trend

o Increased adoption of big data

o For a full, detailed list, view our report

Key questions answered in this report

o What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?

o What are the key market trends?

o What is driving this market?

o What are the challenges to market growth?

o Who are the key vendors in this market space?

o What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

o What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

Table Of Contents - Major Key Points

PART 01: Executive summary

o Highlights

PART 02: Scope of the report

o Top-vendor offerings

PART 03: Market research methodology

o Research methodology

o Economic indicators

PART 04: Introduction

o Key market highlights

PART 05: Market landscape

o Analytics overview

o Market size and forecast

o Analytics-as-a-service as a part of cloud analytics

PART 06: Market segmentation by end user

PART 07: Geographical segmentation

PART 08: Market drivers

PART 09: Impact of drivers

PART 10: Market challenges

PART 11: Impact of drivers and challenges

PART 12: Market trends

PART 13: Five forces analysis

PART 14: Vendor landscape

o Competitive scenario

o Major vendors

o Other prominent vendors

........CONTINUED

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ABOUT US:

Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.

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Phone: +1-646-845-9349

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/analytics-as-a-service-2016-global-market-expected-to-grow-at-cagr-29-08-and-forecast-to-2020/157530

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Escobar MD Celebrates Two 2016 Award Wins

The acclaimed physician has received significant honors from all over the world this year, reports http://escobarmd.com. Escobar MD Celebrates Three 2016 Award Wins The acclaimed physician has received significant honors from all over the world this year, reports http://escobarmd.com.

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Dr. Paulo Andres Escobar, a renowned international facial plastic surgeon and owner of Escobar MD, recently announced that he and his team are celebrating a major milestone in their practice. The physician was nominated for - and won - three awards in 2016. The accolades received in the past year include The International Health Confederation's Excellence in Medicine and Health Award, given on May 20th in Lima, Peru, as well as The World Confederation of Businesses' BIZZ 2016 World Leader Businessperson Award, given in November 2016 in Houston, Texas.

"Our entire team could not be more proud of Dr. Escobar for the recognition he has received over the past year. He consistently works hard at keeping Escobar MD on the cutting edge when it comes to treatment options. He is an example to the business community, as he works tirelessly to bring his patients the best results and make sure that they walk away happy with how they look and feel," said Anne Marie Lariviere, the spokesperson for Escobar MD.

Known as an ethnic and Revision Rhinoplasty specialist, Dr. Escobar is sought after by patients from around the world to help them in their quest to correcting some of the most challenging and complicated cases. He offers a number of options for facial plastic surgery and Rhinoplasty Colombia. His philosophy in medicine leads him to provide personalized treatment for every patient, devising a course of action that will meet both their functional needs and their aesthetic goals.

Lariviere went on to say, "We are certainly proud of Dr. Escobar and believe that he is deserving of each of these prestigious awards. However, we are even more proud of the sentiment behind these awards, as they are symbols of his leadership in the worlds of business and medicine and a testament to how much he cares for the patients who rely on him for treatment."

Patients who are considering facial cosmetic surgery and would like to see Dr. Escobar's gallery of before and after rhinoplasty photos should visit escobarmd.com for further details.

About Escobar MD:

Escobar MD is a facial plastic surgery and otolaryngology practice in Bogota, Colombia. As face specialist, Dr. Escobar tends to patients' specific aesthetic and functional needs to obtain a completely natural result. Dr. Escobar stays with his patients every step of the way, eliminating their doubts, helping them understand their treatment options, and above all giving them a completely personalized treatment so that their experience is always positive and they get the best results.

For more information, please visit http://escobarmd.com

Contact Info:

Name: Anne Marie Lariviere

Organization: ESCOBAR MD

Phone: +57 318 804 4529

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/escobar-md-celebrates-two-2016-award-wins/157452

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Phase 3 Marketing And Communications Introduces 6 Centers Of Excellence

The company is providing a full suite of services that deliver inspired and business-building marketing solutions, reports www.phase3mc.com.

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Phase 3 Marketing and Communications, a premier provider of marketing services and solutions across the southern United States and beyond, announced the introduction of their 6 Centers of Excellence. The company is offering a focused suite of solutions for business owners that can be developed and deployed separately or in unison to help them create greater brand awareness and take full advantage of every available marketing channel. A full description of Phase 3's service suite is available at their website at http://www.phase3mc.com/.

"For many companies, 'branding' and 'marketing' are dreaded terms that bring feelings of frustration and confusion. This is because most business owners engage in these all-important activities with a disjointed approach, making it difficult to get any significant return on their investment or identify opportunities for improvement. Our 6 Centers of Excellence provide a much different take on branding and marketing. We work cohesively from ideation to execution, helping companies define their purpose and tell meaningful stories. Rather than focusing solely on lead generation, our team implements multifaceted solutions that result in demand generation for a product or service," said Jim Cannata of Phase 3 Marketing and Communications.

At http://www.phase3mc.com/, business owners can get a glimpse of Phase 3's 6 Centers of Excellence and discover how they work together to bring success in marketing and communications. The company's offerings include help with branding, marketing, digital solutions, public relations, print media, and marketing logistics. Each service can be used in conjunction with the others or on its own to create better marketing results.

Cannata went on to say, "Our company and its approach to marketing puts the talent to ideate and the ability to execute all under the same roof, resulting in great marketing ideas being executed faster and more effectively for our clients. We make marketing a collaborative effort, working with business owners every step of the way to bring their vision to life, connect them with their target audience, and help them take their brand to the next level."

Business owners who would like to learn more about Phase 3 Marketing and Communications' 6 Centers of Excellence or take advantage of their services can log on to http://www.phase3mc.com/ for additional information.

About Phase 3 Marketing and Communications:

Founded in 2001, with offices in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Dallas, and Nashville, Phase 3 Marketing & Communications is a leading provider of marketing services and solutions from ideation to execution to corporations throughout the United States. Through the six centers of excellence, their integrated offerings include: Brand Identity, Creative, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Web Design and Interactive as well as Digital and Offset Printing, Display Solutions, Kit Packing & Distribution, POP/POS Program Management, Warehouse & Fulfillment, and Web to Print Software. Phase 3's value proposition is simple: The talent to ideate and the ability to execute all within one company. The benefit to their customers is just as simple: Great marketing ideas executed faster, more effectively and easier for their clients.

For more information, please visit http://www.phase3mc.com

Contact Info:

Name: Jim Cannata

Organization: Phase 3 Marketing and Communications

Phone: (404) 367-9898

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/phase-3-marketing-and-communications-introduces-6-centers-of-excellence/157450

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Satellite Transponders Leasing Market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.43% during the forecast period of 2015-2025

Satellite Transponders Leasing Market to 2025 - Global Analysis and Forecast by Services, Application and Bandwidth

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Satellite transponders are small chip size circuits that are integrated into satellites for the purpose of transmitting the uplink data/information to the downlink and vice-versa. The rising trend of advanced channel broadcasting has escalated the demand for satellite transponders across the globe. These transponders are provided on lease basis to various industry verticals that, whose operations are based upon the satellite transmission. Majority of these industries include, the media & broadcasting industry, telecom industry, research & development institutions, defense and military departments and government sectors. The banking businesses, retails and transportation industry also acquire certain shares in this market.

Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Satellite Transponders Leasing Market to 2025 @ http://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/satellite-transponder-market-market

With the emergence of internet across the globe broadband connectivity has become a vital source of information for each and every individual on this planet. Thus the telecom industries are looking forward to lease more number of transponders in order to provide broadband facility to the most isolated places on this globe. Additionally the rising number of video broadcasting subscribers are also driving the satellite transponders leasing market. Several private and public media organizations a authorizing the long term agreement for extending their transponder lease period, because they high growth opportunity in the broadcasting market. Advancement in the channel quality and evolution of high definition channels and UHDTVs is anticipated to fuel the growth of satellite transponders market. Also rising demand for FSS and HTS are expected to generate new opportunities for the market in the coming years. The satellite transponders leasing market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.43% during the forecast period of 2015-2025 and accounts for US$ 19,225.3 Mn in the year 2025.

For the better understanding of the market, it has been segmented into three major categories, viz., types of services, bandwidths and application. There are three basic types of services in the market, namely, protected, unprotected and preemptive. The unprotected service is also known as non-preemptible services. Further the market is segmented into different application, which comprises of government and military, commercial, telecom, navigation, remote sensors and research and development. Here, the commercial application is expected to spur the growth of transponder leasing market in the coming years.

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Geographically this market is segmented into five major regions, which are North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. North America is currently dominating the market owing to its strong technological foundations. Followed by north America is Europe. Asia pacific in terms of leased satellite transponders is expected to take over the domination in the long term of this market. The tremendous advancement in the developing economies of Asia Pacific are expected to fuel the growth of satellite transponders leasing market in the coming years.

The key drivers for this market include Growing demand for Fixed Satellite Services and Evolution in Ka-band and Ku-band services. Innovation and growth in HDTV and video broadcasting are also expected to largely contribute towards the growth of market in the coming years

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A detailed analysis on the growth trends, market shares on various dimensions, driving and restraining factors for satellite transponders leasing market, opportunities in the future for these services is provided in the report. A few leading players in the satellite transponders leasing services domain have also been profiled in the report. The profiling of the market players acquaints the reader with their financial information about revenues as well as segment revenues, a competitive SWOT analysis for each player and the recent developments by the player in the Satellite transponders leasing services domain. The key developments are related to the mergers and acquisitions by the players in the recent past.

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Source: http://marketersmedia.com/satellite-transponders-leasing-market-is-anticipated-to-grow-at-a-cagr-of-4-43-during-the-forecast-period-of-2015-2025/157377

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Forcing students to move after the fall semester is disruptive and unfair, parents and students say, and comes after USC received a top national ranking for first-year student experience Read moreUSC forcing 255 students out of their apartments midyear to save costs on campus project
After spending three years investigating the NSA whistleblower and spending millions of dollars, the House Intelligence Committee produced a report "rifled with obvious falsehoods".

The US government often wastes little time in demonizing whistleblowers who speak out against its practices. Whistleblowers, particularly Chelsea Manning, have often been denied their constitutional rights and basic freedoms as the state seeks to make examples of those who dare to break rank by exposing illegal, criminal government practices. One of the more recent instances of the state-sanctioned character assassination of whistleblowers is that of Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA). According to the federal government, Snowden "perpetrated the largest and most damaging public release of classified information in US intelligence history," an act which exposed the massive and illegal nature of the NSA's dragnet surveillance programs. Instead of reforming the system, which stands in stark violation of the 4th amendment, officials have called for ways to lock down state secrets even tighter, effectively snuffing out any hopes of transparency.

The character assassination of Edward Snowden has been long in the making as politicians and state officials were quick to condemn him as a "traitor" and "potentially a Chinese spy" as soon as the information began to ciruculate. Earlier this year in September, the House Intelligence Committee published an unclassified and "highly acerbic" summary of the group's findings regarding Snowden's actions, which was then promptly and thoroughly discredited by critics and respected journalists alike. Now, this past Thursday, the House Intelligence Committee released an extended version of its findings  the culmination of three years and millions of dollars spent investigating Edward Snowden. The report was released prior to Christmas weekend, perhaps with the hopes that it would slip under the radar considering that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists among others have already slammed it for being "aggressively dishonest."




GENETIC editing could see medics wipe out future geniuses, according to a leading scientist.

New technology which allows medics to ensure children do not inherit diseases could also mean the likes of Thomas Edison, who invented the lightbulb, might never be seen again, according to Dr Jim Kozubek.

His claim comes as the US and China prepare to stage mass trials to edit the genes of cancer patients to ensure it is not passed down in their DNA.

However, Dr Kozubek, author of Modern Prometheus: Editing the Human Genome with Crispr-Cas9, said the breakthrough is not necessarily a good thing and could see future generations of geniuses wiped out.

Dr Kozubek said a world without depression, autism, schizophrenia or Asperger's might also mean one without the likes of playwright Tennessee Williams, as figures show that writers are ten times more like to suffer from bipolar than the general population and poets are 40 times more likely to be diagnosed with it.

Dr Kozubek said: "Thomas Edison was 'addled' and kicked out of school. Tennessee Williams, as a teenager on the boulevards of Paris felt afraid of 'the process of thought' and came within 'a hairsbreadth of going quite mad'.

"Scientists tend to think of variations in life as problems to be solved, deviations and abnormalities outside of a normal curve.
Barrett Brown, the activist and journalist known best for his work with anonymous, was recently released from jail after serving a brutal 4-year sentence. During that time he spent at least 6 months in solitary confinement, and now that he is released, he still faces 6 months of house arrest and will owe over $800 thousand in restitution fees.

Brown was a controversial figure who became a target for federal law enforcement due to his support of anonymous and his aggressive style of activism and journalism.

During his trial, Brown had a long list of charges stacked against him and was facing over 100 years in prison. Ultimately, the charge that actually stuck was a hacking charge that was related to Brown copying and pasting a link to already hacked Wikileaks material into a chat room for other activists and journalists to research. He did not actually carry out the hack in question, nor is he accused of doing so. He was simply accused of placing a link in a chat room and sharing information about an important leak, something that any serious journalist at the time should have been doing.

Brown was ultimately convicted for the crime of being a real journalist who was not afraid to expose the secrets and crimes of those in power. For generations, the establishment has had the media so tightly controlled to the point where pre-approved journalists are the only ones allowed to ask pre-approved questions of those in power, and anyone who prints anything critical of an authority figure or advertiser is sure to see their career crash and burn.




Donald Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, partnered this year with a controversial technology company co-run by a man once convicted of trying to sell stolen biotech material to the Russian KGB espionage agency.

Subu Kota, who pleaded guilty in 1996 to selling the material to an FBI agent posing as a Russian spy, is one of two board directors at the company, Boston-based Brainwave Science. During years of federal court proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence they said showed that between 1985 and 1990 Kota met repeatedly with a KGB agent and was part of a spy ring that made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling U.S. missile defense technology to Russian spies. Kota denied being part of a spy ring, reached a plea agreement in the biotech case and admitted to selling a sketch of a military helicopter to his co-defendant, who was later convicted of being a KGB operative.
Those divergent views will pose a challenge for the incoming administration.

The president-elect's pick for budget director, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R., S.C.), has opposed raising the debt ceiling, but Mr. Trump has proposed steep tax cuts and large increases in defense and infrastructure spending that many economists believe will cause the deficit to grow.

Several of his cabinet selections backed a trade deal negotiated by President Barack Obama with Asian nations, which Mr. Trump opposed and has vowed to abandon.

His choice for the State Department, Rex Tillerson, has said he believes science proves climate change is being caused in part by human behavior, something Mr. Trump in the past has called a "hoax."

Wilbur Ross, his selection for commerce secretary; Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who's been tapped to become ambassador to China; and his selection for defense secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis, have all spoken favorably of the Obama administration's proposed trade deal with Asian countries, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Mr. Trump has promised to end this trade deal as part of his initiative to redraw U.S. trade rules.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RF_resonant_cavity_thruster

Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte. Pournelle was an intellectual protege of Russell Kirk and Stefan T. Possony. Pournelle wrote numerous publications with Possony, including The Strategy of Technology (1970). The Strategy has been used as a textbook at the United States Military Academy (West Point), the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs), the Air War College, and the National War College.



Pournelle worked in the aerospace industry includes time he worked at Boeing in the late-1950s. While there, he worked on Project Thor, conceiving of "hypervelocity rod bundles", also known as "rods from God". He edited Project 75, a 1964 study of 1975 defense requirements. He worked in operations research at The Aerospace Corporation, and North American Rockwell Space Division, and was founding President of the Pepperdine Research Institute. In 1989, Pournelle, Max Hunter, and retired Army Lieutenant General Daniel O. Graham made a presentation to then Vice President Dan Quayle promoting development of the DC-X rocket.
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Story Highlights 22% name Barack Obama as most admired man; 15% name Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman

9th time Obama has won; 21st time for Clinton

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Americans are most likely to name President Barack Obama as the man they admire most in 2016. Twenty-two percent mentioned Obama in response to the open-ended question. President-elect Donald Trump was second at 15%. It is Obama's ninth consecutive win, but the seven-percentage-point margin this year is his narrowest victory yet.

Most Admired Man, Recent Trend What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice? 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 % % % % % % % % 1. Barack Obama 22 17 19 16 30 17 22 30 2. Donald Trump 15 5 * -- * 1 * -- 3. Pope Francis 4 5 6 4 -- -- -- -- 4. Bernie Sanders 2 3 -- -- -- * -- -- 5. Rev. Billy Graham 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 6t. Benjamin Netanyahu 1 * 1 * * * * * 6t. The Dalai Lama 1 1 * * 1 1 1 * 6t. Bill Clinton 1 1 3 2 1 2 4 1 6t. Bill Gates 1 2 1 1 * 1 2 2 10. Mike Pence 1 -- -- -- -- -- * -- Ben Carson 1 1 1 -- * * -- -- Stephen Hawking 1 * 1 -- * * * * Warren Buffett 1 * * * * 2 * * Joe Biden 1 * -- -- 1 * -- * Elon Musk * 1 * -- -- -- -- -- George W. Bush * 1 2 4 2 3 5 4 Jimmy Carter * 1 * 1 * * 2 1 George H.W. Bush * * 1 * 1 1 * 1 Prince William * -- 1 * * * * -- Mark Zuckerberg * 1 -- -- -- * -- -- Michael Jordan * 1 -- -- * * -- 1 Mitt Romney * * 1 1 2 1 * * Thomas Monson * * * * -- 1 1 * Friend/Relative 8 9 9 9 8 9 7 7 Other 24 30 34 40 25 35 37 35 None/No opinion 23 25 23 27 29 32 25 25 Combined responses; Ranked according to number of responses; * Less than 0.5% Gallup

The results are based on a Dec. 7-11 poll. Since 1946, Gallup has asked Americans to name the man, living anywhere in the world, whom they admire most.

Incumbent presidents typically win the distinction -- in the 70 times Gallup has asked the question, the president has won 58 times. The 12 exceptions were mostly times when the sitting president was unpopular, including 2008, when Americans named President-elect Obama over President George W. Bush. Obama and Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 are the only presidents-elect to win the distinction. Eisenhower finished first 12 times, more than any other man in history. Obama is now second all-time with nine first-place finishes.

Obama's win over Trump this year is largely a result of the president earning more mentions among Democrats than Trump receives from Republicans. Fifty percent of Democrats named Obama as most admired, compared with 34% of Republicans choosing Trump.

The remainder of this year's top 10 most admired man list includes Pope Francis, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Rev. Billy Graham, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Dalai Lama, former President Bill Clinton, businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

This year marks the 60th time Graham has finished in the top 10 -- a Gallup record. That includes making it into the top 10 every year since 1955, with the exception of the 1962 survey and in 1976, when the question was not asked.

Pence is the only newcomer among the top 10 men this year. Trump has finished in the top 10 five prior times -- in 1988, 1989, 1990, 2011 and 2015. Clinton made the top 10 for a 25th time and Gates for a 17th. Former President George W. Bush finished outside the top 10 for the first time since he was elected in 2000.

Hillary Clinton Most Admired Woman a Record 21st Time

Americans named Hillary Clinton the Most Admired Woman for the 15th consecutive year and 21st time overall. Since her initial win in 1993 as first lady, Clinton has topped the list every year but 1995 and 1996 (when she finished behind Mother Teresa) and 2001 (behind Laura Bush). Eleanor Roosevelt has the second-most No. 1 finishes among women, at 13.

First lady Michelle Obama finished second on the Most Admired Woman list this year, tied with 2012 as her best finish. The remainder of the top 10 most admired women include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former and current talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Elizabeth of England, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Most Admired Woman, Recent Trend What woman that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice? 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 % % % % % % % % 1. Hillary Clinton 12 13 12 15 21 17 17 16 2. Michelle Obama 8 4 3 5 5 5 5 7 3. Angela Merkel 3 2 1 1 1 1 * 1 4. Oprah Winfrey 3 4 8 6 4 7 11 8 5. Ellen DeGeneres 2 1 1 * 1 2 * * 6. Queen Elizabeth 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 7. Malala Yousafzai 2 5 5 2 2 -- -- -- 8. Condoleezza Rice 2 1 4 2 3 3 2 2 9. Elizabeth Warren 1 1 1 * 1 -- -- -- 10. Sarah Palin 1 1 2 5 2 4 12 15 Dolly Parton 1 -- -- * * -- -- * Princess Kate 1 * 2 1 1 1 * -- Carly Fiorina * 2 -- -- -- -- -- * Barbara Bush * * 1 1 1 1 1 * Madeleine Albright * * * -- * -- * 1 Sonia Sotomayor * -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 Aung San Suu Kyi * 1 * -- 1 1 1 * Laura Bush * * 1 1 * 2 1 1 Angelina Jolie * * 2 1 1 1 1 1 Friend/Relative 12 11 9 13 13 12 11 8 Other 22 23 24 27 18 22 23 22 None/No opinion 31 31 26 28 29 29 22 23 Combined responses; Ranked according to number of responses; * Less than 0.5% Gallup

All of this year's leading women have finished in the top 10 multiple times before, led by Queen Elizabeth's record 48. Winfrey's 29th top 10 finish this year moved her ahead of Jacqueline Kennedy for the third-most-frequent appearances behind Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher (34). Clinton's 25 top 10 finishes rank fifth-best all-time. Rice has finished in the top 10 a total of 16 times, while Obama and Palin each made their ninth appearances in the top 10 this year.

Clinton was the top choice among Democrats, with 26% naming her, followed by Michelle Obama at 18%. Republicans did not have a consensus choice -- 5% named Queen Elizabeth, 4% each named Clinton and DeGeneres, and 3% each named Rice and Palin.

Implications

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been the most admired man and woman every year since 2008. Now, as both move into the post-political phase of their careers, their future status as most admired is uncertain.

Given the prominence of incumbent presidents as the most admired man, Trump may be the favorite to win the distinction next year, provided he does not have low job approval ratings in December 2017. Even if Obama does not win the honor next year, his relative youth and high favorable ratings could make him a fixture in the top 10 for years. Many ex-presidents have enjoyed long runs on the most admired man list after leaving office.

Clinton may have a better chance of staying most admired woman based on history. Former first ladies have won the title more than any other role -- 35 times in the 67 years the question has been asked. Most of those wins are for Roosevelt and Clinton, but Mamie Eisenhower, Kennedy and Betty Ford also won after their husband's term ended. Clinton may also be advantaged in the future because she will be in a less overt political role. Her highest favorable ratings to date came when she was first lady and secretary of state, while they fell significantly during her two presidential campaigns.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 7-11, 2016, with a random sample of 1,028 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date, News & Update: 3 Biggest Features Predicted To Rescue Note 7 Issue Revealed As Another Issue Surfaces?

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is reportedly making waves over the internet as the phone may come with a bigger curved display. In addition, the handset may also come with a Stylus Pen as well as a Virtual Assistant. Moreover, a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S8 may also be equipped with more RAM.

8GB RAM, 6-Inch Display To Recover Loss From Note 7 Fiasco?

Rumor has it that the smartphone may roll out with double the RAM using Samsung's 10nm fabrication technology. Furthermore, the handset may include USB Type-C ports as well as a 6-inch dual-curved edge display with at least 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy S8 may pack a dual-rear 13MP and 12MP camera as well as a Qualcomm Exynos 8895 processor as well, according to report.

Furthermore, it is believed that the flagship Samsung Galaxy S8 will be launched by the end of February at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017. Apparently, the tech giant may also opt to delay the handset's release to April in hopes that the Note 7 investigation results would be learned from. On another note, the handset is believed to come with an S-Pen in the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

Galaxy S lineup has been divided between into two processors; one with the latest Qualcomm processor which is usually launched in regions like US, etc, and the other is the Samsung Exynos chipset which is what India gets. This year, the Galaxy S8 will come with Exynos 8895 processor, according to a report on SamMobile.

Flight Cancelled Due To Samsung Galaxy Note 7?

Meanwhile, a Virgin America flight was reportedly cancelled a few days ago due to a hotspot Note 7 spotted on the flight, Tech.Firstpost reported. It is expected that the Samsung Galaxy S8 would be able to bring back the reputation of the company as a safe phone manufacturer. Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy S8 may be delayed until the Note 7 issues have been resolved.

Samsung Galaxy S8 also packed hard-to-resist features in order to attract users to buy the product. Battery leaks are yet to be revealed. Apparently, the consumer market may still doubt the handset unless the company is able to assure the consumers that the Samsung Galaxy S8 is 100 percent safe. Watch more Galaxy S8 rumors from Android Authority here:
The agreement comes about two months after Project Roomkey, which provided motel rooms for the homeless, ended.
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

FRIDAY, DEC. 23

CAR PROWL: 8:04 a.m., 1040 block Northwest 23rd Street. An officer responded to a report of a car prowl after two people reportedly saw a man enter a vehicle. Officers arrived and arrested Travis Stephen Burington, 41, of Corvallis on a parole violation. Burington also was charged with second-degree theft and unlawful entry into a motor vehicle. A black iPod was reported stolen but was not recovered.

PROWLERS: 3:18 a.m., 900 block Northwest Cleveland Avenue. Officers responded for a report of a possible prowler. After arriving, police reportedly saw two men fleeing on a bike. After a short chase, officers stopped David Howard Cook, 51, of Philomath. Cook was arrested and charged with interfering with a police officer and a fugitive warrant.

Benton County Sheriff's Office

MONDAY, DEC. 26

RECKLESS DRIVING: 9:10 a.m., Ash Street and North Ninth Street, Monroe. Deputies were attempting to make a traffic stop on a 1994 Buick LeSabre when the car reportedly sped away on Highway 99W. After a short pursuit, the Buick attempted to turn around and crashed into the front of the sheriff's patrol vehicle. The driver, Danielle Nicole Long, 24, of Junction City, was arrested and charged with attempt to elude, unauthorized use of a vehicle, reckless driving, reckless endangering and second-degree assault. Long was booked into the Benton County Jail.

FRIDAY, DEC. 23

DUII: 7:09 p.m., Highway 20 and Highway 34, Philomath. A deputy arrested and charged James Reuben Harkins, 41, of Newport with DUII following a traffic stop. Harkins had a reported blood alcohol content of 0.12 percent.

COLD ATTEMPTED BURGLARY: 2:59 p.m., 1200 block Northwest Lewisburg Avenue. Deputies responded to a report of a prowler after a man found fresh tire tracks and muddy footprints around his property. Deputies found that the man's garage door had pry marks on it.
Regarding "Abolish the 17th Amendment" (As I See It, Gazette-Times, Dec. 8): Think the Electoral College is the only manifestation of declining democracy in America?

The Gazette-Times' "As I See It" contributors regularly take swipes at our conventions of democracy. Last March a writer argued that a voter be allowed to cast her or his single vote against a candidate. The implication was that all the candidates and all conceivable write-in candidates were unworthy of the writer's affirmative vote.

Recently, a writer argued for the "top-two primary" system. California's experiment with top-two since 2012 has been an anti-democratic experience due to the reduced voter participation.

But these two pale in comparison with "Abolish the 17th Amendment." Writer Dean Kennedy wants to abolish electing United States senators (e.g., Ron Wyden) by popular vote by the citizens. Kennedy wants to return to 1788 when senators were selected by state legislatures. The linchpin of Kennedy's argument was: "The power to remedy this [a sub-standard senator] was taken out of the hands of the state legislatures via the 17th Amendment."

The "remedy" Kennedy refers to is the termination of the senator's Senate tenure after six years, which is exactly what citizens can do now with their votes.

In Kennedy's 1788 world the U.S. Senate would simply mirror the Electoral College. With state legislatures in charge of selecting U.S. senators, "red states" would have Republican senators, and "blue states" would have Democrats in the Senate. No exceptions and electoral minorities would be disenfranchised.

Leo Quirk

Corvallis (Dec. 18)
Repairs on the Bad Godesberg tunnel : A closed tunnel could mean traffic chaos

Bad Godesberg Up to 40,000 vehicles pass through the tunnel in Bad Godesberg daily. But as of July, drivers will need much patience as repairs on the tunnels ventilation system will require long term closures.

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The tunnel will have to be closed in both directions alternately for a half year. Traffic chaos is expected; it will be a trying time for drivers who use the tunnel regularly. Some businesses expect a slump in sales. The tunnel needs to updated technically for safety purposes, especially a renewal of the ventilation system, says Bonns head of the civil engineering bureau for road works, Peter Esch. The necessary repairs will be done between July 2017 and mid-2018.

Especially challenging is the fact that completely closing either direction is unavoidable. Three holes, each spanning three meters, have to be drilled into the ceiling of the tunnel to put in new exhaust ventilators, directly over the lanes where vehicles drive, explained Esch. The bureau for road works cannot yet say in which part of the tunnel they will begin with repair work. It is also not clear how traffic will be directed around the closed tunnel. On the one hand, we are working on a ventilation concept, and on the other we are developing a plan to manage the traffic, remarked Esch.

It is being investigated whether traffic should be rerouted above ground, or if one of the concrete tubes should be converted so that traffic can pass through in both directions. Then we would separate the lanes with a wall, said Esch. Whether or not this is even possible is decided by the fire department. In an emergency, every part of the tunnel has to be accessible, emphasized Esch. In the event of a fire, the new ventilation system would remove the smoke by vacuum and clear it out of the tunnel very quickly. According to Esch, the ventilators move at the speed of 120 kilometers/hour. The tunnels renewal will cost about 1.66 million euros.

Drivers fear the worst: I use the tunnel daily on my way to work, says Stephan Kubbler, who works at a car rental service on Wurzerstrae. I will ultimately have to allot more travel time to get to work, because there will surely be traffic chaos here. Other businesses face problems, too. I have to go through the tunnel multiple times a day, says an electrician from Bad Godesberg. With the tunnel completely closed, I will probably be late to every appointment. This would also annoy clients.

Taxi companies fear that they will lose customers, too. According to Nasser Aboulfath of the Bad Godesberg taxi company San Taxi, A regular trip from Bad Godesberg train station into the city costs about 16 euros, when the street is open. If you are rerouted or there is traffic, the trip can be at least 5 to 6 euros more expensive, because the meter runs on time. This could scare away clients.
New Years Eve in Cologne : Police ban gathering of far right group NPD

Polizisten vor dem Kolner Dom. Die Initiative "Koln gegen Rechts" warf der NPD vor, die Anwesenheit der nationalen und internationalen Presse ausnutzen zu wollen. Foto: Ina Fassbender

Cologne Cologne police have banned a gathering of Germanys far right National Democratic Party (NPD) on New Years Eve. Reason: It poses a serious danger to public safety.

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An announcement from Cologne police on Tuesday reported that Cologne police chief Jurgen Mathies has banned the planned New Years Eve gathering of far right political group NPD. Before the ban was announced, the person representing the NPD request to gather had been called in for a discussion at the police department. The applicant is now eligible to file an appeal against the decision.

The reason given for the ban is a serious threat to public security, which could not be otherwise avoided. On Wednesday, the city and police plan to give an update on their planning for New Years Eve. At the press conference, police chief Jurgen Mathies will also comment on details of the ban.

A private person had registered the NPD demonstration, which was to be held between 10 pm and 4 am near the Cologne Cathedral.

New Years Eve in Cologne last year turned into mayhem when large groups of men sexually harassed women. As it turned out, many refugees were among those offenders. Officials want to prevent such a situation from happening again - 1,500 police from the state alone will be on hand to secure the celebrations. The initiative Koln gegen Rechts (Cologne against the right) had accused the NPD of trying to exploit the presence of the national and international press, and announced that they would not stand idly by and let that happen.
Motorola Moto Z Play

Probably the best Android smartphone ever that offers best battery life. The Motorola Moto Z Play with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, in our review period provided us a battery life of two complete days with a screen-on time of over six hours. The device is priced at Rs. 24,999 and is exclusively available on Flipkart India.

Lenovo Z2 Plus

The cheapest smartphone with Snapdragon 820 SoC is also one of the smartphones offering best battery life. The Lenovo Z2 Plus, in our extensive usage (review), provided us a little above five hours of screen-on time.

Xiaomi Redmi 3s/ 3s Prime

Xiaomi has had a good run in 2016. The Apple of China has released some good number of smartphones in India and all the smartphones impressed audience. The Xiaomi Redmi 3s/ 3s Prime launched with a massive 4100mAh battery and with its 720p screen, offered us a battery life of nearly 2 and half days with moderate usage and the screen-on time is incredible with over eight hours.

Google Pixel XL

Google's first attempt at branding their smartphones has been quite successful. The Pixel XL, the bigger one of both the Pixels nearly gave us a screen-on time of five hours and lasted for one complete day with full 4G LTE turned on. The software was optimized perfectly to achieve this feat.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Arguably the best smartphone of 2016 goes to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge in every aspect, and it's a battery monster too. The S7 Edge, in our review period, offered a little above four and half hours of screen-on time, which is an achievement with its Quad HD panel.

Asus Zenfone 3

Asus upped their ante and placed their Zenfone 3 series of smartphones in the upper mid-range category, but the phones got it right for the asking price. The Zenfone 3 also comes with the Snapdragon 625 SoC, which is the best battery chipset released till date. The phone consistently offered us a battery life of one and half days.

Lenovo K6 Power

Another budget smartphone released in 2016 with an enormous 4000mAh battery. The Lenovo K6 Power directly competes with the Xiaomi Redmi 3s in the battery department. Having said that, we recently reviewed the phone and impressed with its five and half-hours' screen-on time. For Rs. 9,999, you can't ask much.
Renders of the Upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone Leak Online News oi -Chakri Kudikala The Microsoft Surface Phone might feature a 5.5-inch display.

Rumors regarding the Microsoft Surface Phone keep on coming, and in today's leak, there is good news for many folks who are waiting for the first look of the phone or maybe know how the phone looks, thanks to prominent Chinese tipster, @KJuma.

The Microsoft Surface Phone will feature high-end hardware and the newly posted renders us a glimpse of the phone. Going by the pictures, the phone will be laden by a plastic body with three capacitive hardware keys on the front for back, home, and Bing search. On the back, there is Microsoft logo and camera module, and it looks far more similar to the previous Lumia devices Saturn ring.

The Microsoft Surface Phone might feature the USB Type-C port as well, which is slowly becoming a norm in smartphones. Diving into the earlier leaked specifications of Surface Phone, we might see a 5.5-inch Quad HD display on the phone. The device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with 6GB of RAM.

Also Read: LG V20 Review: The Most Underrated Smartphone of 2016!

As far as the camera is concerned, the phone will come with a 23MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss lens. And an 8MP front-facing camera will be seen up front for selfies and video calling stuff. There are no details regarding the battery and release date as well.

With the renders coming out, we might see the phone to launch in upcoming months, maybe after the MWC 2017.

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Overall, Double XL is a well-made film that might be liked by gentry in all shapes, sizes, and age too. By the way, do not miss the interval!!
Animism

country lo % hi % M China 0% 80% 1,100 Indonesia 9% 80% 190 Thailand 1% 90% 60 Nigeria 10% 33% 50 Myanmar 1% 90% 45 Vietnam 1% 50% 40 South Africa 15% 80% 40 Angola 15% 90% 18 Taiwan 0% 80% 18 Cambodia 75% % 12 South Sudan 90% 90% 9 Cameroon 40% % 8 Bolivia 55% 60% 6 Cote d'Ivoire 25% % 6 Haiti 2.7% 50% 5 Laos 55% % 4 Togo 33% % 2 Guinea-Bissau 50% % 1 Benin 23% % Burundi 20% % Philippines 16% % Burkina Faso 15% % New Zealand 15% % DR Congo 12% % Cuba 10% % Jamaica 10% % Central African Rep. 10% % Gabon 10% 90% Lesotho 10% % Sierra Leone 10% % Kenya 9% % Palau 9% % Ghana 9% % Guinea 5% % Sudan 5% % 2 Brazil 4.8% % Suriname 3.6% % Dominican Republic 2.2% % Bahamas 1.9% % Nicaragua 1.5% % Trinidad and Tobago 1.4% % Guyana 1.3% % Venezuela 1.1% v Colombia 1.0% % Belize 1.0% % Described as "Spiritism" in Latin America, or as "Indigenous" in the US Department of State 2009 International Religious Freedom Report. The "low" percentages are based on the highest estimate of people identified as followers of well-defined indigenous religions, while the "high" percentates are based on people who follow animistic practices in addition to those of other religions.

Animism is the belief that non-human entities contain souls or spirits. Shamanism consists of beliefs and practices promoting communication with the spiritual world. Shamanistic beliefs are organized around a shaman or medicine man who - as an intermediary between the human and spirit world - is believed to be able to heal the sick (by healing their souls), communicate with the spirit world, and help souls into the afterlife through the practice of entering a trance. In shaman-based religions, the shaman is also responsible for leading sacred rites.

The world's "great" religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism - are considered high religions because they pose and answer cosmic questions of life, have written texts (Bible, Quran, etc), have defined leadership roles, and provide a set of directions to live by. In contrast, the low religions grouped under the term animism are focused on immediate problems of daily life (crises, disease, crops, etc), have few or no trustworthy texts, are informally organized, and frequently provide no general set of rules to live by. Animist belief and practice may readily co-exist with a great religion. Animists are highly syncretistic. Judaism, Christianity, Islam are monotheistic, calling for the worship of one god and a distinct denial of all other gods, but animism is not, but quite to the contrary.

Animism is widespread in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. But the animist population is widely undercounted, for several reasons. The enthusiasm of Hatian Voodoo and the calm of Chinese folk religion may seem to have little in common, but they are both animist at their core. And a "monotheistic chauvanism" structures a census to first count adherents to the "great" religions. Animists are then sought among those not already counted, generally among tribal or primitive populations. But in any event, the total can never be more than 100%, as the principle of "one believer, one vote" is rigourously adhered to. While this may seem sensible to the educated elite of the central government, it does not conform to popular religious practice in many countries, where nominal adherence to a "great" religion is eagerly supplemented by fervent animist practice.

Animist religions include Voudon, or Voodo (pejorative), in Haiti, Senteria in the Carribean, Candomble and Umbanda in Africa and Macumba in Brazil. Despite having been blanketed by the more recently arrived religions of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, Animism has survived through the ages. Many nominal Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus continue to practice animistic traditions. Many seemingly incongruous practices from the "old" Animistic religions are today prevalent among the newer faiths. Various aspects of thew old and the new religions overlay and interact with each other, serving together to explain and give meaning to life.

Animism is a belief in spirits, both of dead persons and those of some inanimate objects such as stones, rivers, mountains and trees. This belief holds that each person has a spirit, which continues to exist even after death has claimed its possessor. Because the spirit continues an independent existence, it must be cared for properly and provided with its needs and desires in its spirit state. Unattended spirits may become angry, bitter or revengeful and seek to re-enter the earthly life, which would create havoc in numerous ways. Providing food for ancestors and other spirits is general practice in many ceremonies.

As spirits are associated with people, Animists believe them to be greedy, deceptive, unpredictable, and possessing every trait known to man. Normally, the spirits of departed good people do not create too much concern if the proper rites are performed at the appropriate times, especially those rites which will send them happily on their way to the spirit world. Those who die violently as in accidents or war, are killed by tigers, women who die in childbirth or who die childless, or those whose bodies are not recovered and properly buried or cremated; all cause great fear, because their spirits are embittered by such a fate and are hostile to individuals, families or communities.

Throughout his life the Animist is fearful of offending the spirits that can cause him harm. He tries to worship and live his everyday life in such a manner as not to offend them, and to placate them in case he has unwittingly offended. Because the Animist believes that the spirits are somewhat humanized, he believes that they can be influenced as humans are, and that the same capacity for doing good and evil. Basically, the animist seeks to influence his gods and spirits by elaborate ceremonies, flattery, cajolery and sometimes by angry words and actions in almost exactly the same manner that men are influenced.

The Animist does not view himself as a helpless or passive victim of the invisible spirit world, but as one who by the use of the proper formulas can achieve his own goals. In his continuous power struggle with the spirit world he grapples for the best advantages so that he may avoid that which otherwise seems certain and dreadful. The Animist spends much of his thought, effort, energy, and wealth in observances and rites which will cause the spirits to do the will of the worshiper and which will placate those spirits that can do him harm. To do this, elaborate rituals and ceremonies are conducted and offerings, sometimes blood sacrifices, are made. These are accompanied by incantations and prayers.

Surrounded as he is by the spirit world, the Animist is constantly on the lookout for those spirits who demand immediate attention, a situation which cannot be ignored with impunity. To aid in this search he seeks help from the important man of his village, the sorcerer. The Animist also places great emphasis on omens which may come in dreams or may appear as signs for these are believed to be sent by the spirits to warn of future evil or good. A dog sneezing at a wedding is a sign that the marriage is not a wise one, and normally the ceremony is halted immediately. The track of an animal across a path in the jungle may be an indication of evil and the traveler may return home to seek advice on whether to continue his journey.

Animists see sickness and death as being spirit-related and so take measures particularly to protect children. Parents may give children nicknames, often very unfavorable ones, and keep the real name in strictest confidence in order to decoy the spirits away from a child. A similar custom is related to the fact that boys are more highly regarded than girls, therefore if a boy is sickly, he may be dressed as a girl or one earring put in a boy's ear in order to fool the spirits into thinking that the child is a girl. Another important concept is that the dead must be properly buried, with the correct ceremonies, or the spirit will forever wander. Warriors may make use of the belief when they mutilate and decapitate bodies. In doing so, they harm not just the body but the spirit, too.

Various other customs are based on the fear of spirits and attempts to prevent their doing harm. Mirrors are placed in doors for a spirit will be frightened at seeing himself and not enter. Likewise red papers representing the god of the threshold may be fixed to doorposts to frighten spirits. Barriers may be erected along pathways leading to a village to stop spirits.

For every part of an Animist's life from birth to burial the spirits are his constant companion to be feared and placated and his belief about them control his every action.

Some organized animist faiths include:

Badimo: a form of ancestor worship of the Tswana people of Botswana.

Chondogyo: or the religion of the Heavenly Way, is based on Korean shamanism, Buddhism, and Korean folk traditions, with some elements drawn from Christianity. Formulated in the 1860s, it holds that God lives in all of us and strives to convert society into a paradise on earth, populated by believers transformed into intelligent moral beings with a high social conscience.

Inuit beliefs are a form of shamanism (see below) based on animistic principles of the Inuit or Eskimo peoples.

Kirant: the belief system of the Kirat, a people who live mainly in the Himalayas of Nepal. It is primarily a form of polytheistic shamanism, but includes elements of animism and ancestor worship.

Modekngei: a hybrid of Christianity and ancient Palauan culture and oral traditions founded around 1915 on the island of Babeldaob. Adherents simultaneously worship Jesus Christ and Palauan goddesses.

Spiritualism: the belief that souls and spirits communicate with the living usually through intermediaries called mediums. Syncretic (fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices)

Santeria: practiced in Cuba, the merging of the Yoruba religion of Nigeria with Roman Catholicism and native Indian traditions. Its practitioners believe that each person has a destiny and eventually transcends to merge with the divine creator and source of all energy, Olorun.

Voodoo/Vodun: a form of spirit and ancestor worship combined with some Christian faiths, especially Catholicism. Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo, which have included more Catholic practices, are separate from West African Vodun, which has retained a focus on spirit worship.

Pagan is a blanket term used to describe many unconnected belief practices throughout history, usually in reference to religions outside of the Abrahamic category (monotheistic faiths like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).







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Air mobility squadron expedites the fight

By Senior Airman Cynthia A. Innocenti, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published December 27, 2016

AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AFNS) -- "You need it, we move it."



That is the saying of Airmen with the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron who enable rapid global mobility every day at Al Udeid Air base, one of U.S. Central Command's busiest en route stations.

"We are the middle man for the area of responsibility, and everything goes through this port," said Master Sgt. Kelly Lemke, air freight superintendent with the 8th EAMS. "Rapid movement is what keeps us in the fight. Without us, cargo doesn't move and personnel can't travel."

Lemke explained the 8th EAMS' primary mission is to load cargo onto the C-17 Globemaster III, but because of their expertise in transportation and logistics, they have become more and more involved in supporting the majority of aircraft here.

The 8th EAMS knowledge in transportation and logistics enable their ability to inspect, temporarily store and load cargo such as munitions, blood, special operations cargo, hazardous materials, vehicles and medical supplies. Their ability to also rapidly move cargo has given them a larger tie to theater operations impacting battlefield personnel.

"As a tenant unit, we mostly maintain ourselves operation-wise," said Lemke, "but with our specialized skills we hope to establish ourselves as a partner [in wing operations] rather than just a tenant."

Those same skills allow the 8th EAMS to also support coalition partners with their air missions. Recently, they worked together with other agencies on base supporting missions critical to operations in Mosul, Iraq, including those impacting the posture of ground forces.

During November of this year, Airmen of the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron were tasked with supporting Mosul operations by expeditiously gathering, organizing and palletizing more than 19 tons of fire retardant foam and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense equipment.

"There are always surprises in the military," said Staff Sgt. Mark Majack, sealift coordinator with the 379th ELRS. "I went from my daily routine to leading a team into palletizing almost 45,000 lbs. of fire extinguishing foam and 1,000 gas masks."

With the support of the 8th EAMS, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing expedited those 19 tons of equipment in support of Operation Conquest. That same partnership backed the Mosul offensive by also quickly shipping 11,000 lbs. of special operations equipment and more than 19,000 blood units, saving 107 patients. The cargo supporting U.S. and coalition forces was on its way only 12 hours after the initial tasking, a showcase of 8th EAMS mantras of velocity and tenacity.

"It is all just a matter of knowing what is coming in to the port, knowing what needs to go out and then matching that all up," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Sanders, a capability forecaster with the 8th EAMS. "If things get hung up in one spot, it creates a ripple effect."

To prevent such hang ups, the diverse Airmen of the squadron do everything from tier two aircraft maintenance, command and control of Air Mobility Command aircraft and mission tracking, to loading and unloading equipment, and even servicing aircraft washrooms.

With a steady focus on flexibility and tenacity, Airmen of the 8th EAMS work around the clock to bolster the U.S. Air Forces Central Command and AMC missions.



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Phantom's phinale

By Tech. Sgt. Matthew Rosine, 49th Wing Public Affairs Office / Published December 27, 2016

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- The ground marshal raises his hands into position  the signal.

The jet's engines begin to rumble louder and louder and louder.

The baritone rumble fills the flight line, electrifying the air.

It's time for the launch.

With a mighty roar from the growling engines, QF-4 Phantom II, AF 349, jumped forward with excitement.

The same excitement washed across the flight line over the hundreds of people in the crowd at Holloman Air Force Base.

Some cheered. Some smiled. Some snapped photos as fast as they could. But everyone was focused on AF 349.

This was her moment.

Lt. Col. Ronald King, her pilot, grinned and eased her forward on the way into history. Today was Dec. 21. This was the final flight of the QF-4 Phantom  the final flight of AF 349  and after 53 dedicated years of superior service, the final flight of the Phantom II would be done right.

"This has been a humbling experience," said King, the Det. 1, 82nd Aerial Target Squadron commander. "There is no way to truly understand what this aircraft has done without talking to the people who lived it."

The F-4 Phantom II entered military service to the Air Force in 1963. In the early years, it served as the primary fighter-bomber of the Air Force until aircraft production ended in 1979.

On top of its outstanding combat record, the Phantom was also optimized to fly more specialized missions. The RF-4 was a reconnaissance aircraft built for speed, while the F-4 "Wild Weasel" terrorized enemy anti-aircraft missile installations.

The Phantom also became a beloved icon of air superiority beyond its combat service to America. It set 15 world records, including aircraft speed  1,606 miles per hour  and absolute altitude  98,557 feet. It is also the only aircraft to be flown by both the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

It earned beloved nicknames such as Double Ugly, Old Smokey and the Rhino, which made many aircraft fans love it all the more.

"What can I say about the F-4?" said Clint Richards, a civilian F-4 aircraft fan who shared the final flight ceremony with his 3-year-old son, Isaac. "The Phantom was the first model airplane I had as a kid. Just hearing the sound of this aircraft is awesome. It is the sound of freedom."

Despite the tremendous love many share of this aircraft, its operational capability ended in 1997.

But the Phantom continued to serve.

The aircraft was re-designated the QF-4 and was assigned to the 82nd ATS, 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, 53rd Wing. At Holloman AFB, the QF-4 would begin the final decades-long chapter of its service to America both as manned and unmanned aerial targets.

Det. 1, 82nd ATS at Holloman AFB is the only QF-4 full-scale aerial target mission in the Department of Defense. This mission supports the QF-4 anytime, anywhere at Holloman AFB and White Sands Missile Range, N.M. from pilot training to testing the Army's Patriot Missile System. The squadron manages all contract operations of the QF-4 fleet to meet mission needs from Tyndall AFB, Fla.

QF-4 targets helped test an array of weapons, increasing effectiveness. It also directly assisted with improving capabilities of the 4th and 5th generation fighters.

Over its many years at Holloman AFB, the QF-4 flew 145 unmanned missions and 70 aircraft were destroyed in service. It flew its last unmanned mission in August 2016, and will be replaced by the QF-16 in 2017.

"I've learned a lot on this journey," said King, the only active duty F-4 pilot in the Air Force. "This is not an aircraft; this is a family. With that, I would leave you with this  Phantom forever."

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FY 17 NDAA impact on Airmen

By Staff Sgt. Jannelle McRae, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published December 27, 2016

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The approval of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 provides a number of changes for Airmen, retirees, and families, to include stabilizing readiness and end strength, improving pilot retention, modernizing compensation and benefits and enhancing transparency in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The NDAA authorizes an overall increase in manpower by 4,000 Airmen increasing the Air Force active forces end strength to 321,000.

For personnel compensation and benefits, effective Jan.1, the monthly basic pay will increase by 2.1 percent, and while there will not be any changes made to the administration of the housing allowance the NDAA directs the defense department to begin planning for a transition to a single-salary pay system no later than Jan. 1, 2018. The goal is to create a system that better aligns the payment with the DOD's use of the housing allotment as compensation rather than as an allowance.

The NDAA additionally authorizes the Air Force to increase aviation retention pay from $25,000 to $35,000 per year and flight pay up to $1,000 per month as needed to address manning shortfalls and challenges.

Also addressing staffing challenges, the Air Force is required to transition to an organizational model with enlisted remotely piloted aircraft pilots by Sept. 30, 2020, for the regular component and 2023 for the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.

The NDAA also directs improvements to military health care. One provision authorizes the Secretary of Defense to establish a self-managed, preferred-provider network option under the TRICARE program. This program  'TRICARE Select'  will be available to active duty family members, retirees, reserve, and young adults. Under TRICARE Select, eligible beneficiaries will not have restrictions on the freedom of choice of the beneficiary with respect to health care providers. Cost sharing requirements are determined by prior military status. In addition, some additional cost sharing fees for Tricare Prime retirees and family members and small increases to annual enrollment will be implemented. Another provision requires the DOD to improve access to urgent care services in both military medical treatment facilities and the private sector, while also requiring Military Treatment Facilities to expand hours on weekdays and weekends to ensure the availability of primary care services.

In addition, the NDAA authorizes up to 12 weeks of total leave for a primary caregiver, including up to six weeks of medical convalescent leave, to be used in connection with the birth of a child. It also allows a primary caregiver up to six weeks of total leave to be used in the case of an adoption. In each instance, a secondary caregiver is also authorized up to 21 days of leave.

This year's authorization also contains a number of civilian hiring provisions, including direct-hire authorities for post-secondary students and recent graduates, wage schedule employees, financial management experts, industrial base facilities, major range and test facilities, and positions at DOD research and engineering laboratories. The NDAA also returned a restriction on the appointment of retired members of the armed forces to civil service positions in the DOD within 180 days of their retirement. Previous statute allowed that restriction to be waived based on a state of national emergency.

The first major reforms to the UCMJ in 30 years were also part of the authorization. The implementation of the reforms should improve efficiency and transparency, while also enhancing victims' rights. The reforms include expanding the statute of limitations for child abuse offenses and fraudulent enlistment, and establishing new offenses ranging from improper use of government computers to retaliation to prohibited activities with military recruits and trainees by a person in a position of special trust.

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Counter-ISIL Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 27, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil wellhead.

-- Near Raqqa, nine strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed six vehicle-borne bombs, three tactical vehicles, a bridge, a fighting position and a supply cache.

-- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, and fighter aircraft conducted four strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Bashir, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL-held buildings, an observation post and a weapons cache.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed four vehicle-borne bombs, two vehicle-borne-bomb factories, a mortar, an ISIL-held building, a tactical vehicle and a front-end loader; damaged an ISIL-held building, a tunnel and eight ISIL supply routes; disabled a bridge; and suppressed a mortar and an ISIL tactical unit.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Army officials advance strategic shift for resiliency campaign

By Sean KimmonsDecember 27, 2016

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (Army News Service) -- During deployments, Soldiers often develop tight bonds while living together and working as a team to execute their missions.

Army officials now want to bring that strong sense of camaraderie back to the garrison, where it can boost personal readiness and performance across the service.

"Those Soldiers eat, sleep and fight together. They get to know each other very closely," said Sharyn Saunders, director of the Army Resiliency Directorate. "When Soldiers deploy, they have increased protective factors, and we think that's due to their ability to form very tight unit cohesion."

From healthy coping methods to a reliable support network, protective factors draw on a variety of skills and resources that Soldiers develop to manage stressful events.

With its recent shift in strategy for the Ready and Resilient campaign, known as R2, Army officials are hoping these factors can form a culture of trust within units through an engagement triangle of leaders, battle buddies and Family members.

Established in 2012, the R2 campaign provides holistic and comprehensive capabilities to Army leaders to empower them to achieve and sustain personal readiness and optimize performance.

On Nov. 30, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn signed an 85-page operation order that officially pivoted the R2 campaign's strategy to a more proactive approach that supports the personal readiness and resilience of every Soldier.

According to Saunders, past resiliency efforts mainly looked at an individual's risk factors, like substance abuse or self-harm. That narrow focus may have inadvertently led to some Soldiers being stigmatized by the rest of their unit.

"We're focused on the opposite now," the director said. "By switching to a strengthening of all Soldiers and elevating their personal readiness and resiliency, ... it makes it as if everyone is working on this path together, and individuals aren't singled out."

MISSION ENGAGED

The campaign is also rolling out a new professional skill, called "engage," to teach all Soldiers how to hold conversations with fellow Soldiers who display behaviors that run counter to Army standards.

"Soldiers generally know what resources are available to them to get their battle buddies help," Saunders said. "But what Soldiers weren't prepared to do was ... have what we call a professional confrontation."

As part of engage, Soldiers must be prepared to open up a dialogue with another Soldier who exhibits warning signs and offer help before problems can escalate to self-destructive behavior or a crisis such as suicide.

"It's really about getting ahead," Saunders said, "so we can prevent stressors from culminating into crises or into adverse outcomes."

Engage training has already taken place at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Hood, Texas; and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with Soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, slated to receive the training in 2017.

"There are lots of benefits to this skill and we're really excited about rolling it out," she said. "We are looking forward to the impact [it will have] across the force."

AT THE READY

Officials also hope the strategic shift will have a significant positive impact on personal readiness. Under the R2 strategy, personal readiness has five domains: physical, psychological, social, spiritual and family. When Soldiers thrive in these domains, their attrition and injury rates can decrease.

"We need every single Soldier to be able to get on the field and play their position at a home game and at an away game," Saunders said.

After years of war strained Soldiers deploying in and out of combat, she said, a comprehensive approach toward personal readiness was required.

"We're really getting at all of the facets of a person's life," she said. "That's where we're focusing our efforts because we see that as the way of the future."

The future may also include pushing resiliency skills from the classroom to the field environment. Earlier this month, performance experts taught Soldiers going through basic combat training at Fort Sill how to perform deliberate breathing, a technique that helps a person stay focused and calm.

While the green Soldiers qualified on their rifle, trainers found that they were able to hit more targets after doing the breathing exercise.

"This is a really interesting opportunity for us to take something that we had been doing in the classroom and actually move that skill into the firing range," Saunders explained.

"We have learned that the more we operationalize [resiliency skills] into the Army, the more effective [they are]."

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USS Pennsylvania (B) Returns to NBK-Bangor

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS161227-01

Release Date: 12/27/2016 8:26:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amanda R. Gray

BANGOR, Wash. (NNS) -- The Blue crew of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) returned to its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington, following a 92-day strategic deterrent patrol, Dec. 23.

During the patrol, the submarine made a scheduled port visit to Apra Harbor, Guam.

"We are glad to have the USS Pennsylvania crew back," said Rear Adm. John Tammen, commander, Submarine Group Nine. "Their most recent port visit marked the first time in over 30 years that an SSBN pulled into Guam. It provided a great opportunity to assure our allies of extended deterrence in the Pacific."

The port visit to Guam was an opportunity for the United States to exercise another base in the Pacific for ballistic-missile submarine operations and increase the operational awareness for the crew while building their familiarization with the area.

The U.S. routinely and visibly demonstrates commitment to allies and partners through forward presence and operations of strategic forces. During the port visit, both Japanese and South Korean delegations were offered tours of the submarine.

Pennsylvania is one of eight ballistic missile submarines homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, providing the most survivable leg of the nation's strategic deterrent forces.

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Israel issued over 2k demolition orders in West Bank in 2.5 yrs: Official data

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:40PM

Newly released figures show that the Israeli regime issued a total of 2,141 demolition orders for Palestinian structures built in the largest division of the occupied West Bank in two and a half years.

Israeli's Civil Administration published the figures on Tuesday at the request of the Israeli NGO, Bimkom.

According to the data, 832 demolition orders were issued in 2014, 875 in 2015, and 434 through June of this year in Area C of the West Bank, which constitutes about 61 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli military control.

The 2,141 demolition orders were almost 18 times more than the total number of Palestinian structures permitted to be built in Area C.

Over the two-and-a-half year period, Palestinians requested 1,253 building permits in the same region, but only 53 of the requests were approved by the Tel Aviv regime.

"These demolitions can affect tens of thousands of people," said Alon Cohen-Lifshitz, Bimkom's Area C coordinator, adding, "Two thousand orders can be relevant to 3,000 structures, and each structure can house between four and 15 people."

Earlier this month, the European Union condemned the Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied territories, saying the regime's 2016 demolitions have left more than one thousand Palestinians homeless.

International bodies and rights groups say Israel's sustained demolitions of Palestinian homes are an attempt to uproot Palestinians from their native territories, and confiscate more land for the expansion of illegal settlements.

Over half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands.

Last week, the United Nations Security Council passed a landmark resolution that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds a "flagrant violation of international law."

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Israel may go ahead with settlement plans despite UN vote: Official

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:35PM

An Israeli official says the regime may press ahead with its plans to build thousands more illegal settler units in the occupied territories in blatant disregard of a recent anti-settlement resolution at the United Nations Security Council.

The Israeli anti-settlement NGO Ir Amim said on Tuesday that the Jerusalem District Zoning Committee will discuss on Wednesday the issuance of building permits for 618 settler units in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Meir Turjeman, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem al-Quds, who also heads the committee, also said that there were no plans to cancel debates on settlement activities in response to the UN motion.

"We'll discuss everything that's on the table in a serious manner," he added.

He further told the daily Israel Hayom that Tel Aviv is "unfazed" by the UN resolution.

On Friday, the Security Council passed with 14 votes for and one abstention the landmark motion that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds a "flagrant violation of international law."

Washington, which abstained from the vote, had used its veto power for years to protect Israel from UN criticism over its unauthorized construction activities in the occupied lands.

Outraged by the resolution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the US of having conspired with the Palestinians to push for the vote.

Netanyahu also announced that Tel Aviv was considering a "plan of action" against the UN, without elaborating.

Additionally on Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the UN vote "proves that the world rejects the settlements, as they are illegal, in our occupied land including East Jerusalem."

He further expressed hope that the upcoming Mideast conference in France will set a timetable to end Israeli occupation.

The UN vote "lays the foundation for any future serious negotiation ... and it paves the way for the [so-called] international peace conference slated to be held in Paris next month," he said.

Over half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.

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McCain assures Baltics concerned about Trump's policy

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:21PM

Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham are touring the Baltic region in a visit seen as an attempt to alleviate concerns about President-elect Donald Trump's policy toward Russia.

"I think the presence of the American troops here in Estonia is a signal that we believe in what Ronald Reagan believed, and that is peace through strength," McCain told reporters in the Estonian capital on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

"And the best way to prevent Russian misbehavior [is] by having a credible, strong military and a strong NATO alliance," the Arizona Republican said.

During his bombastic presidential campaign, Trump said he would "certainly look at" pulling the US out of NATO, because it is an "obsolete" alliance that "is costing us a fortune."

The billionaire businessman also suggested that he would consider a country's contributions to NATO before coming to its assistance.

The president-elect's view of the world's most durable security alliance unnerved many in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia -- all NATO members.

The US deployed about 150 troops in each of the three Baltic countries and Poland in April 2014 in the face of what officials call "Russian aggression."

McCain said he did not expect the US to remove sanctions against Moscow, imposed after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea reunited with the Russian Federation following a referendum in March 2014.

"That is certainly not the case today as I know it", he said.

Many US lawmakers are concerned that Trump might establish warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has signaled willingness to mend ties with Washington under Trump.

McCain tried to reassure the Baltics that regardless of who was its president, the US would have "a strong and significant response" as long as Putin continued to "threaten other nations in the region."

The Baltic countries are concerned that Trump's warmer tone toward Russia might encourage Putin to want to assert control across the whole region.

"There is fear in the Baltics about the incoming Trump administration's relationship with Russia, that sanctions against Russia will be weakened or called off, and not strengthened as the Congress would want," Zygimantas Pavilionis, Lithuania's former ambassador to the US told Reuters.

"If its actions in Ukraine are also forgiven, its next step is an open question," he added.

McCain and Graham are expected to travel to Latvia on Wednesday and Lithuania on Thursday.

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Israel 'reducing' ties with backers of anti-settlement UN resolution

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 11:45AM

Israel says it is "reducing" ties with the nations that voted for last week's UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to Tel Aviv's settlement expansion in Palestinian territory.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said on Tuesday that Israel was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies, without elaborating.

"Until further notice, we'll limit our contacts with the embassies here in Israel and refrain from visits of Israeli officials to those states, and of visits of officials from those states here," he told the French news agency AFP.

Tel Aviv has has already called back its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal for consultations, and cancelled "aid programs" with the African state. Nahshon said Israel informed Angola on Tuesday that it would be freezing its "aid program" in Angola.

Israeli leaders have responded with especially harsh language and fury to Friday's Security Council resolution which passed after the United States did not veto it for the first time.

There have been reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was calling off a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May at next month's World Economic Forum in Davos.

Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, has urged officials to visit the UN resolution-backers as little as possible for now, Israeli media reported.

On Friday, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which demands an immediate end to "all Israeli settlement activities" in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The resolution was adopted after the administration of US President Barack Obama refused to veto it, reversing Washington's longstanding policy of shielding Israel from condemnatory measures at the world body.

On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister accused Obama of "colluding" with the Palestinians and summoned the US ambassador to Israel.

Israel has defied international calls to stop its illegal construction activities, with its settlement expansion being among the main reasons behind the collapse of the last round of the so-called Middle East peace talks in 2014.

Over half a million Israelis live in more than 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem al-Quds.

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Female Afghan Pilot Seeks Asylum In U.S., Sparking Fierce Debate

RFE/RL December 27, 2016

Niloofar Rahmani, a celebrated Afghan female pilot who was awarded a "Women of Courage" prize by the U.S. State Department, has touched off a heated debate in Afghanistan by applying for asylum in the United States.

The Afghan government on December 26 described her decision as "shameful for those that are meant to stand for their country" and said that threats to accomplished Afghan women that Rahmani cited as her reason for leaving the country are "only an excuse."

Mohammad Radmanish, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said the government hoped that her request would be denied by U.S. authorities, who have spent billions of dollars trying to build up Afghan security forces.

"When an officer complains of insecurity and is afraid of security threats, then what should ordinary people do?" he said. "She has made an excuse for herself, but we have hundreds of educated women and female civil right activists who work and it is safe for them."

Rahmani was the first female fixed-wing pilot in the deeply conservative country. Her rise had raised hopes for further female empowerment in Afghanistan and led to her winning the U.S. State Department award last year.

But after 15 months of training in the United States, Rahmani announced last week in interviews with The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that she would not be returning home because she fears for her life.

"Things are not changing" for the better in Afghanistan, Rahmani told The New York Times. "Things are getting worse and worse," she said, citing the killing of female workers at an airport in southern Afghanistan earlier this month.

Rahmani said her family received threats from the Taliban shortly after she received her wings in 2013, forcing her family to move several times.

Rahmani, who carried a gun while working, said she felt unsafe because her male colleagues held her in contempt.

Her lawyer, Kimberly Motley, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that Rahmani had received threats from the extremist Haqqani network.

"I think it is really important to know that Captain Rahmani was receiving death threats from the same insurgent network that attempted to assassinate [Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner and education campaigner] Malala Yousafzai," Motley said in a telephone interview from Washington.

Afghans on social media have shown mixed reactions toward Rahmani's request for asylum, with some saying she had misused her privileged status and opportunity and others expressing sympathy.

"Dear Niloofar, do you think your problems are bigger than that of millions of other Afghan women?" photojournalist Maryam Khamosh wrote on Facebook.

"I sometimes wish I were Niloofar and could soar in the sky and bomb the enemies of my people. But you, Niloofar, who touched the skies from the ashes of our land have shamed our flag."

Other Facebook postings were sympathetic to Rahmani, saying a deteriorating security and human rights situation in Afghanistan gave her good reason to stay in the United States.

Rahmani is not the first Afghan military trainee who has sought to stay in the United States. Dozens of Afghan trainees have gone missing from U.S. military bases over the past two years, though all of the defectors previously were men.

Motley suggested that her client has come under pressure because she is a woman.

"For those that are condemning Captain Rahmani, I question their integrity to a certain extent and I ask them: why aren't they condemning the [Afghan] men who sought asylum and ran to Canada months ago?"

With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, RFE/RL's Malali Bashir

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/female-afghan-pilot- nilofar-rahmani-seeking-asylum-united-states- debate-afghanistan/28198976.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Moscow Claims U.S. Defense Bill Forcing 'Anti-Russian' Policy On Trump

RFE/RL December 27, 2016

Russia has sharply criticized an annual defense spending bill signed by U.S. President Barack Obama last week, accusing him of seeking to undermine President-elect Donald Trump and forcing a "depraved anti-Russian" policy on him at the start of his term.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova lashed out in a statement on December 27, four days after Obama signed the wide-ranging $618.7 billion spending bill that was passed by the Republican-controlled Congress earlier in December.

"One gets the impression that...Obama's team is trying to place a land mine beneath the future Trump administration, hamper its conduct in the international arena, including -- in parallel with feverishly imposing new sanctions against us -- forcing a depraved anti-Russian course on it," she said.

The Russian statement said that portions of the law governing U.S. missile-defense plans were "aimed at demolishing nuclear parity with Russia" and achieving "unilateral advantages in this strategic area."

Zakharova also criticized the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, a measure that was built into the defense bill and gives the U.S. president broader authority to impose sanctions on human rights abusers worldwide.

It is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a whistle-blowing Russian lawyer whose gruesome death in a Moscow jail in 2009 led to U.S. sanctions against Russians deemed by the United States to have been involved in his persecution or other rights abuses.

"The use of human rights as a pretext for pressure on inconvenient [foreign] governments is an old tradition in Washington's foreign policy," Zakharova said, claiming that the aim is "the spread of 'democracy, American-style' on the planet."

Trump, who takes office on January 20, has expressed a desire to improve relations with Russia, which have been severely strained by Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and evidence that hackers directed by the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election campaign, among other things.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also took aim at what it said was a section of the legislation allowing for the supply of weapons, including portable rocket launchers, to rebels fighting against Assad's forces.

"It is impossible for the Obama administration not to understand that such weapons will quickly end up in the hands of jihadists with whom the ostensibly 'moderate' opposition has long acted as one. It's possible that they are even counting on that happening," the statement said, adding that "this can be called nothing other than abetting terrorists."

It said that such weapons deliveries would pose a "direct threat" to Russian warplanes, military personnel, and diplomatic staff in Syria.

"For this reason, we see this as a hostile step," it said.

Zakharova said in the statement that "the Americans have rejected full-fledged cooperation with us in the fight against terrorists."

But U.S. officials have accused Russia of failing to follow through on previous cease-fire deals in Syria and say most of Russia's military operations in Syria have targeted rebels rather than the Islamic State (IS) extremists the United States is combating with its own air campaign.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-defense-bill- russia-criticize-trump-/28199467.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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McCain Says U.S. Committed To NATO And Baltic Security

December 27, 2016

Veteran U.S. Senator John McCain says the United States is committed to NATO and to providing security to the Baltic region in the face of a bolder Russia.

McCain (Republican-Arizona) said in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, on December 27 that the best way "to prevent Russian misbehavior [is] by having a credible, strong military and strong NATO alliance."

McCain's statement comes amid concern among officials in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia over President-elect Donald Trump's remark during his campaign that he would consider a country's contributions to NATO before defending it against a military attack.

Trump also made comments questioning NATO's relevance.

"I think the presence of the American troops here in Estonia is a signal that we believe in what [U.S. President] Ronald Reagan believed, and that is peace through strength," McCain told reporters, referring to the some 150 U.S. troops that were stationed in each Baltic country and Poland in 2014, the year Moscow invaded and later annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

McCain and fellow Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) are on a three-day visit to the Baltics, after which they head for Ukraine, Georgia, and Montenegro.

McCain said he does not expect Washington to remove sanctions against Russia that were imposed due to Russia's involvement in Ukraine.

He also said that the United States, regardless of who was its president, would have "a strong and significant response" as long as Putin continues "to occupy Crimea and interfere in eastern Ukraine and continues to threaten other nations in the region."

Based on reporting Reuters and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/u-s- mccain-nato-baltic-security- estonia/28200079.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US to Remain Committed to NATO During Trump Presidency - Senator McCain

Sputnik News

21:09 27.12.2016(updated 22:57 27.12.2016)

US Senator John McCain said the relationship between the United States and NATO will remain as it has been thus far.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US relationship with NATO will remain unchanged despite remarks by President-elect Donald Trump that may suggest a different approach, US Senator John McCain said on Tuesday.

"I am convinced and certain that our relationship andthe American relationship with NATO, will remain the same," McCain stated as quoted by the Washington Examiner.

McCain, who is visiting Estonia as part of a three-day trip to the Baltics together with US Senator Lindsey Graham, also claimed there would be a strong response if Russia interfered in the region.

"And the best way to prevent Russian misbehavior by having a credible, strong military and a strong NATO alliance," McCain said.

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump called into question the viability of NATO, the disproportionate US financial contribution to the alliance and Washington's pledge to defend NATO's members as per Article 5 of the Washington Treaty that established the alliance in 1949.

In July, during the NATO summit in Warsaw, the alliance decided to strengthen its military presence in Eastern Europe by adding four battalions in Poland and the Baltics allegedly in response what the alliance terms is "Russian aggression."

Russian officials have repeatedly refuted any claims of aggression. Moreover, Moscow has warned that amassing military equipment and troops on Russia's borders constitute aggressive acts in violation of previous pledges about non-expansion of NATO, and can destabilize the region and the world.

McCain and Graham will travel Latvia on Wednesday and to Lithuania on Thursday as part of their trip to the Baltic states.

 Sputnik

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Former Argentine President Fernandez Indicted On Corruption Charges

Sputnik News

20:28 27.12.2016(updated 01:37 28.12.2016)

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, was indicted Tuesday on corruption charges. She has denied all allegations, arguing they are politically motivated.

Fernandez is being investigated for illicit association. Judge Julian Ercolini has ordered an embargo of 10 billion pesos, according to local media outlets.

Prosecutors accuse Fernandez of using the power of her office to guide public contracts to a businessman close to her family, Lazaro Baez, whose company allegedly gained from the contracts.

Further, two cabinet ministers were named in the indictment, former Planning Minister Julio de Vido and Public Works Secretary Jose Lopez.

According to the ruling, the defendants are accused of conspiring to illegally take taxpayer dollars meant for public works projects between 2003 and 2015.

Baez's companies received 52 contracts to do $2.9 billion worth of public works projects.

Gregorio Dalbon, Fernandez's legal counsel, said via Twitter that he is not worried about the indictment and that he plans to appeal.

 Sputnik

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Role of UN Observers Crucial Amid Kashmir Ceasefire Violations

Sputnik News

17:53 27.12.2016

Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that the role UN Monitoring Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) is crucial in ensuring peace and tranquility at the LoC [Line of Control].

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The recent exchanges of fire on the line of control between Pakistan and India may lead to "strategic miscalculations," making the role of the UN Monitoring Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) crucial to regional peace and stability, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry told Sputnik.

"The role UN Monitoring Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) is crucial in ensuring peace and tranquility at the LoC [Line of Control] The Group can also independently monitor the ceasefire violations," Chaudhry said.

The official accused India of not allowing access to UNMOGIP to its side of the LoC.

"Pakistan has always extended cooperation to UNMOGIP. These violations carry the potential risk of strategic miscalculation. The international community has a responsibility to ensure India respects its international obligations and commitments for regional peace and stability," he said.

Chaudhry accused India of violating the ceasefire more than 310 times since September, with these violations allegedly claiming lives of 46 civilians.

Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since the partition of India in 1947. The two countries have gone through three wars over the region, but the conflict has not been resolved.

The sides have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire on the LoC, while India has accused Pakistan of backing terrorism in Kashmir. In November, New Delhi summoned Pakistani deputy high commissioner to the Ministry of External Affairs over ceasefire violations.

 Sputnik

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India to Start Dangerous Precedent if Violates Water-Sharing Deal With Pakistan

Sputnik News

17:46 27.12.2016

Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry expressed hope that India would abide by its obligations under the Indus Water Treaty.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A dangerous precedent would be created if India were to violate the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, which could provide other countries with justification for similar actions, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry told Sputnik.

In September, the Indian government reviewed the water-sharing treaty and decided to "exploit to the maximum" the waters of the Pakistani-controlled rivers in response to an attack on an Indian military base.

"Contravention of the treaty or its unilateral abrogation by India will not only violate Indus Water Treaty but also set a precedent providing other countries a possible justification to undertake similar actions," Chaudhry said.

Chaudhry expressed hope that India would abide by its obligations under the Indus Water Treaty.

The Indus Water Treaty brokered by the World Bank outlines the share of the six local rivers between India and Pakistan with special provisions for how the water may be used and in what quantity.

In September, four militants reportedly crossed from Pakistan into India-administered northern Kashmir territory and attacked the Indian base in Uri, killing 19 servicemen. Pakistan denied its involvement.

 Sputnik

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Efforts to Facilitate Afghan Gov't, Taliban Talks Needed

Sputnik News

17:37 27.12.2016

Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry stated that politically negotiated settlement is the only viable option for durable peace in Afghanistan.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  There is no military solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, efforts to facilitate talks between the Afghan government and Taliban are needed for an Afghan-led peace process, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry told Sputnik following talks with Russia and China on the issue.

"There is no military solution to Afghan conflict. Politically negotiated settlement is the only viable option for durable peace in Afghanistan. Towards this end, there is a need for continued efforts to facilitate talks between Afghan Government and Taliban through an Afghan-led Afghan-owned process," Chaudhry said in Moscow.

Earlier in the day, representatives of Russia, China and Pakistan held consultations on Afghanistan in the Russian capital.

"We had useful discussions on the situation in Afghanistan and the efforts for promoting lasting peace and stability in that country," Chaudhry said, commenting on the talks.

According to Chaudhry, the sides reached consensus that that peace and stability in Afghanistan was important for peace and stability in the neighboring countries, region and the world.

"There is also need for strengthening cooperation in counter-terrorism for combating terrorists and extremist groups, particularly Daesh and its affiliates, and those involved in drugs trafficking," the official said.

Afghanistan is experiencing political, social and security instability, in particular, due to the activity of the Taliban militant group. The crisis in the country prompted the emergence of local cells of other extremist organizations such as Islamic State (IS), which is banned in many countries, including Russia.

 Sputnik

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India Keeping Close Watch on Nepal-China Military Drill

Sputnik News

16:54 27.12.2016(updated 16:56 27.12.2016)

The China-Nepal joint military exercise to be held in February has made the Indian security establishment sit up. Although the nature of the joint drills will be largely symbolic in nature, its significance is not lost on India that is already concerned by the opening of the Lhasa-Kathmandu trade route.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Much to India's displeasure, Nepal is all set to hold its first-ever joint military exercise with China on February 10.

The decision has worried India because its relations with China are on low ebb. In addition, India is trying hard to increase its sphere of influence in Nepal since Prachanda became Prime Minister and trying to undo the pro-China moves initiated by his predecessor Khadga Prasad Oli.

Sensing India's sensitivity, Nepal has sought to play down the import of the first-ever joint exercises. It says the drills will be on a limited scale and will not impact India-Nepal bilateral relations.

"Nepal relations with India are deep rooted and ancient. We do this type of joint exercises on a routine basis with various countries," Nepal ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay told Sputnik. There is a grain of substance in the Nepal envoy's remarks. India frequently stages "hand-in-hand" joint military exercises with China.

China is also trying to play down the military drill. The state-owned Global Times has opined that, "Indian officials, media and academic circles should not read too much into the two countries security cooperation. It will only enhance the bilateral relations. India should understand and adapt to this trend."

India is concerned about the growing proximity between China and Nepal. In fact, India took a sigh of relief after the fall of the Oli government in Nepal because of its pro-China leanings. But what has been keeping India on toes is Prime Minister Prachanda's softness towards China.

The proposed joint military exercise named Pratikar-1 between China and Nepal will focus on counter terrorism and train the Nepali forces in tackling hostage situations involving international terror groups.

 Sputnik

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Somalia: UN, global partners 'gravely concerned' over changes to electoral process

27 December 2016  The United Nations and other members of the international community have voiced grave concern over recent decisions by Somalia's National Leadership Forum (NLF) that contravenes the African country's constitutional electoral processes.

Currently, Somali's Provisional Constitution allows for 54 seats in the Upper House of its parliament. Elections have already been held, but according to a communique issued on 24 December, the NLF has decided to add seats.

While today's inauguration of the Federal Parliament is a positive step in the electoral process, "any further expansion of the Upper House should only be contemplated after the presidential vote has been held in the new federal parliament and implemented through a proper constitutional process," stated a joint press statement released today by the UN, African Union, European Union, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The statement also pointed to a number of "egregious cases of abuse," including men who have taken parliamentary seats reserved for women and the NLF's decision to invalidate all disqualifications for candidates who have allegedly committed abuse and malpractice.

"It contravenes the Federal Government's solemn commitment to respect the rule of law. If these candidates are allowed to take their seats in Somalia's tenth parliament, it will bring into question the NLF's expressed commitment to the principles of accountability and credibility that underpin the entire process," said the statement.

The international community is concerned that such steps will thwart attempts to level the playing field and to safeguard a credible process. International partners are calling for a re-run for those parliamentary seats whose outcomes were influenced by violence, corruption, intimidation, an unauthorized substitution of electoral college delegates, or a failure to set aside one in three seats for women.

The international community is thus urging the Somali federal parliament to create a timeline to ensure that Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the new federal parliament and the Federal President are elected as soon as possible, particularly given the fact that the electoral process was supposed to have been completed earlier this year. The statement emphasized that a swift timeline was necessary in light of the UN Security Council meeting on Somalia scheduled for 19 January 2017.

The Council established the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) on 3 June 2013 to provide policy advice to the Federal Government and the African Union Mission in Somalia in the areas of governance, security sector reform and rule of law, and development of a federal system, including preparations for elections in 2016.

International partners believe that the integrity of the 2016 electoral process hangs in the balance. "More delays and a failure to hold accountable those parties who have committed serious abuses and malpractices will compromise the international community's ability and willingness to engage with Somalia's next federal government," warned the statement.

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McCain, in Estonia, Defends Need for NATO to Deter Russia

By VOA News December 27, 2016

A leading American senator is telling Baltic state leaders they can count on continued U.S. support from the incoming Donald Trump administration in the event of any Russian aggression.

Sen. John McCain, a member of President-elect Trump's Republican party, also said Tuesday in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, that he does not foresee any easing of sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

"I think the presence of the American troops here in Estonia is a signal that we believe in what Ronald Reagan believed, and that is peace through strength," said the Arizona senator, who is visiting the three Baltic states this week accompanied by fellow Republican senator Lindsey Graham.

"And the best way to prevent Russian misbehavior is by having a credible, strong military and a strong NATO alliance of which Estonia is a very important part," he said.

NATO announced plans this year to deploy a 4,000-person deterrent force in the Baltics and eastern Europe.

Leaders of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia -- all former Soviet republics that have since joined NATO -- have been unnerved by Russian takeovers of border regions in Ukraine and Georgia as well as Moscow's arms build-up close to their borders in its Kaliningrad enclave.

Trump added to the unease when he suggested during his campaign that the U.S. commitment to its NATO allies might be conditioned on how much the members spend on their own defense.

Zygimantas Pavilionis, Lithuania's former ambassador to the United States, told the Reuters news agency that Baltic leaders are worried about Trump's positive public comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There is fear ... that sanctions against Russia will be weakened or called off, and not strengthened as the Congress would want," he was quoted as saying.

McCain, who has called for even tougher sanctions in response to suspected Russian efforts to undermine this year's U.S. elections, said he was not aware of any plan to soften the measures.

"That is certainly not the case today as I know it," he said.

McCain and Graham were scheduled to be in Latvia on Wednesday and Lithuania on Thursday.

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Russia, Partners Say Kabul Welcome at Future Talks on Afghan Security

By Ayaz Gul December 27, 2016

Russia, China and Pakistan bowed to Afghan complaints Tuesday, announcing after talks in Moscow that Kabul will be invited to participate in future meetings on the threat posed by Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials had objected to being left out of the three-way talks in the Russian capital, ostensibly held to discuss "the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan." The three nations also said they were interested in facilitating peace talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban.

The long-running Taliban insurgency poses by far the greater threat to Afghanistan, whose forces have been on the defensive for the past year. But members of the so-called Islamic State group have been trying to establish a foothold in Afghanistan, in some cases fighting directly with the Taliban.

Participants in Tuesday's meeting said it was the third session of their trilateral "working group" on Afghanistan. In a joint statement released by Pakistan after the talks, they expressed "particular concern" over "increased activities of the extremist groups including the ISIL (Daesh) affiliates in the country." ISIL is another acronym for IS.

The statement said Beijing, Islamabad and Moscow had agreed to continue their consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan. The group previously suggested it might include Iran in future talks.

"The participants agreed to continue their efforts towards further facilitating the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan according to the known principles of reintegration of the armed opposition into peaceful life," the statement said.

Hours before the Moscow meeting, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mostaghani said that regardless of the good intentions of the participants, the Moscow talks would not help the situation in Afghanistan, where government forces have been battling Taliban insurgents for 15 years.

The joint statement said that China and Russia, as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, had confirmed their "flexible approach to delisting Afghan individuals from the U.N. sanctions lists" as a contribution to peace efforts in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has identified removal of international travel and financial restrictions on its leaders as one of its conditions for engaging in reconciliation talks.

The Afghan government has recently sent a formal request to the U.N. sanctions committee seeking delisting of members of the Hizb-e-Islami group, with which Kabul signed a peace deal.

The group, led by Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, agreed under the peace deal to quit violence and join mainstream politics once the delisting happens, paving the way for the warlord to return to Afghanistan from years of hiding.

Russian officials say that IS is trying to expand its influence to Russia and China through Central Asian states that share borders with Afghanistan.

Moscow's permanent representative to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting last week that more than 700 IS terrorist families have arrived in Afghanistan from Syria. The deteriorating Afghan security situation is encouraging IS fighters to look at the country for refuge, he added.

Russia recently admitted to having contacts with the Taliban following reports Russian authorities are trying to help the Islamist insurgency fight IS militants. But Moscow insists the links are meant only to ensure the protection of Russian nationals in Afghanistan and to encourage the Taliban to join peace talks.

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IS Makes Small Comeback in Areas It Once Held

By Sirwan Kajjo December 27, 2016

As it suffers major setbacks across Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State is doubling back in some areas and retaking territory it lost months ago.

In recent weeks, a group of nearly 4,000 Islamic State (IS) fighters stormed the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria and took control of much of it in a surprise attack. Despite intensive airstrikes by the U.S., Russia and Syria, IS has been able to hold onto much of Palmyra.

IS fighters also succeeded in retaking at least a dozen villages from Syrian government troops and other local forces, including areas in eastern Homs and Deir Ezzor in Syria, and parts of Anbar province in Iraq.

"IS is now looking for alternative territories to conquer," said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that has researchers across the country.

IS is using the Syrian desert as a route to resupply and reinforce its fighters in Palmyra and other parts of Homs province, Abdulrahman said. The desert connects eastern Homs to IS strongholds of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria and the sandy plain stretches for hundreds of miles into western Iraq.

IS has been commanding its incoming forces in Homs from its de facto capital of Raqqa. And even though IS is losing fighters daily in Mosul, it has deployed some to Syria for surprise attacks, analysts said.

"Most of the IS fighters who took over Palmyra were deployed from Iraq," Abdulrahman said.

IS succeeded In Palmyra because Syrian troops and their allies were concentrating on retaking Aleppo from rebel fighters, a Kurdish commander fighting IS said.

"As long as [IS] controls major cities like Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, it will pose threats to other areas, including those who have recently been retaken from the group," said Nasir Hajji Mansur, a commander with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF, backed by U.S. air power, has made significant gains against IS fighters in large parts of north and northeastern Syria. The Kurdish-led force has also launched an offensive to rout IS from Raqqa.

But once the air support focuses on other areas in Syria and Iraq IS "can retake any part it desires in Syria," Abdulrahman said.

With battles going on along several fronts in Syria and Iraq, IS "advances speak more to the weakness of its enemy than the group's own strength," said Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, an analyst at the Middle East Forum, a U.S.-based think tank.

In Syria, IS remains in control 72 percent of territory it has captured since its inception in 2014, according to U.S. officials. Government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are concentrating on fighting rebels.

"The Assad regime is weak, has manpower issues and is incapable of fighting on two fronts," Oula A. Alrifai, a Syria analyst based in Washington, said of Syrian forces' limited capabilities.

IS's strategy is to find weak spots in Syria's civil war and exploit them, analysts said.

"The civil war in Syria allows [IS] to operate more freely on the ground," said Marco Manuel Marsili, a Middle East researcher at the University of Lisbon, Portugal.

In Iraq, where U.S.-backed Iraqi and Kurdish forces are taking on IS in its stronghold of Mosul, advances have slowed in recent weeks. And that, in part, is due to severe weather conditions that have limited U.S. airstrikes on IS positions in the city, said Sime Usali, a Kurdish commander who runs a peshmerga unit near Mosul.

"This weather doesn't only make it difficult for Iraqi forces to combat effectively in Mosul, it also allows [IS] to move fighters between Iraq and Syria," he told VOA. "Any relief [IS] can get in Iraq reflects on its movements in Syria."

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US, Japanese Leaders Pay Tribute to Americans Killed in Pearl Harbor Attack

By VOA News December 27, 2016

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the families of the more than 2,400 Americans killed in Japan's World War II attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 75 years ago.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war," Abe said Tuesday, paying tribute to the "brave men and women" who were killed in the surprise attack on December 7, 1941, that triggered America's entry into the war.

He stood alongside U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu.

Earlier, the two leaders laid wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. They closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments after tossing flower petals into the water near the sunken battleship, whose rusting hull can still be seen just below the surface of the water.

In his remarks at the base, Obama called the U.S.-Japan alliance the cornerstone of peace in the Asia-Pacific region and a force for progress around the world. He said Abe's presence at Pearl Harbor was a reminder of what's possible between nations and peoples, adding that it showed that wars could end and enemies could become allies.

Abe was the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial. He also was the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor with an American president.

The prime minister's staff made clear the purpose of Abe's trip was not to apologize for the attack. Instead, they said Abe wanted to show how U.S.-Japan relations had evolved since then.

The last Japanese prime minister to visit Pearl Harbor was Shigeru Yoshida, who made a brief stop there in 1951. That was before the USS Arizona Memorial was built to honor those who died on the battleship during the Japanese attack. The memorial is accessible only by boat.

In May, Obama became the first sitting U.S. leader to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where in 1945 U.S. forces dropped the world's first atomic bomb, killing an estimated 140,000 people. Obama gave a speech that also was not an apology, instead honoring the dead and noting the legacy of what he called the "terrible force unleashed in the not so distant past."

"We have a shared responsibility to look directly into the eye of history and ask what we must do differently to curb such suffering again," Obama said.

The president added, "And perhaps, above all, we must reimagine our connection to one another as members of one human race."

"We must never repeat the devastation of war," Abe told reporters before leaving Japan. "Together with President Obama, I want to tell the world of this pledge for the future and of the value of reconciliation."

On Monday, Abe laid a wreath and stood in silence at Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which holds the remains of military members, including many who served in the war.

Among those buried there is former Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, who fought in the war and whose parents were Japanese immigrants. Abe laid a separate wreath at Inouye's gravesite.

The prime minister also laid a wreath at the nearby Ehime Maru Memorial for nine people who died in 2001 when a U.S. Navy submarine collided with their Japanese fishing vessel.

Jeffrey Hornung, research fellow at the Washington-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation, a U.S./Japan think tank, says Abe's visit is intended to send a message. The recipients, he said, are President-elect Donald Trump, who has been critical of Japan's financial support for the U.S. military presence in Japan, and Japan's Asian neighbors.

"It sends a symbolic message to, not only the incoming president-elect, but also to the region, that the U.S.-Japan alliance is stronger than ever, that we are able to confront past problems between us and still be stronger as allies," said Hornung.

Hornung said that, more than 75 years after the sneak attack that brought the United States into World War II, the bitter feelings created by the war have faded on both sides.

"And of course a lot of the younger generation don't know the significance of Pearl Harbor, but given that these two countries were bitter rivals and enemies just two or three generations ago, it's amazing that they have been able to come this far and reconcile their past histories," he said.

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New Somali Parliament Takes Office Amid High Hopes, Charges of Graft

By Mohammed Yusuf, Mohamed Olad December 27, 2016

Somalia has sworn in the members of a new parliament following a process marred by irregularities and charges of corruption. But it is delaying its presidential election for a fourth time, likely until late January.

Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony in Mogadishu saw 281 members of the upper and lower houses of parliament take office. VOA stringers in the city reported that security forces conducted stepped-up patrols in the streets during the inauguration.

Independent regional analyst Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad said the swearing-in heralded the beginning of a new era.

"The new members of parliament, almost 45 percent of them are former members of parliament, while 55 percent are new young, energetic and educated people," he said, adding that for the first time, a "significant number" of the new members are women.

Mohamed Osman Jawari, speaker of the outgoing parliament, formally proclaimed the handover of power to just the second new group of Somali lawmakers in 25 years. The new members "have been sworn in and from now on they are in charge of the country's legislative responsibilities," he said.

Security, logistical issues

Somalia was unable to conduct direct nationwide elections because of security and logistical problems. Instead, the members of the upper and lower chambers were elected by some 14,000 "special delegates" who in turn were chosen by clan leaders and regional representatives. The president will now be elected by parliament.

That vote had been scheduled to take place on Wednesday, but electoral commission officials told VOA's Somali service the vote has been postponed to Jan. 24. The commission has yet to announce the date publicly.

Critics say the parliamentary selection process was marred by vote buying, violence, and intimidation. The electoral commission says it is redoing the elections for five posts because of these irregularities. The commission said at one point that it would redo 24 races but then dropped the number back to five. Other seats are still vacant as clan leaders have not yet decided on the candidates.

The Somali auditor general told VOA earlier this month that some candidates paid from $5,000 to $30,000 to get elected to parliament.

The inauguration was welcomed as an important step forward in a joint statement issued by the United Nations, United States, Britain, African Union and the European Union. But the international community also expressed concerns about a last-minute decision to add 18 seats to the upper house.

Somalia's National Leadership Forum announced the additional seats on Saturday. The decision contradicts the constitution which limits the upper house to 54 senators.

Professor Mohamed Ali Kalay, the chancellor of the University of Southern Somalia in Baidoa, suggested that some of the presidential candidates have been trying to use the election process to reward supporters.

"Paying salaries of 275 MPs is already hard. They have also created 54 seats for senators and now they have added up to 18 more senators. It's not even clear what those people's roles will be. This is not sustainable," he said.

Current president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is a member of the National Leadership Forum. He is running for re-election against six challengers.

Afyare Abdi Elmi, a professor of international affairs at Qatar University, said the new parliament cannot bring hope to Somalia unless it proves to be different from the previous parliament, which he said as troubled by corruption and other problems.

"I cannot see a turning point that the country inaugurates a new parliament. But it depends on how effective its members become and where they lead the nation through their legislative work ahead," Elmi told VOA Somali.

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Lithuania Aims to Spend More on Defense

Sputnik News

01:17 28.12.2016

The country's Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said that Lithuania's aim is to spend more than 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense in accordance with NATO demands.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Lithuania's aim is to spend more than 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense in accordance with NATO demands, the country's Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said.

"I believe that the next goal for us should be 2.2 percent or 2.4 of GDP," Karoblis told the Delfi news portal on Tuesday.

At the same time, he added that it was first of all necessary to ensure the effective use of funds that had already been allocated for defense in 2017.

On December 15, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said that Vilnius was set to comply with the decisions taken at the latest NATO summit in Warsaw and spend 1.8 percent of GDP on defense in 2017. By 2018, Lithuania's defense budget should reach 2 percent of GDP, according to the government.

So far only five NATO member-states are meeting the alliance's goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense  the United States, Great Britain, Greece, Estonia and Poland.

 Sputnik

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Operation Linebacker II

Operation Linebacker II operations were initiated on 18 December 1972 and were directed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to continue until further notice. The primary objective of the bombing operation would be to force the North Vietnamese government to enter into purposeful negotiations concerning a cease-fire agreement. The operation employed air power to its maximum capabilities in an attempt to destroy all major target complexes such as radio stations, railroads, power plants, and airfields located in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas. Unlike previous bombing campaigns, Linebacker II provided the Air Force and U.S. Naval forces with specific objectives and removed many of the restrictions that had previously caused frustration within the Pentagon.

During these operations, Air Force and Navy tactical aircraft and B-52s commenced an around-the-clock bombardment of the North Vietnamese heartland. The B-52s struck Hanoi and Haiphong during hours of darkness with F-111s and Navy tactical aircraft providing diversionary/suppression strikes on airfields and surface-to-air missile sites. Daylight operations were primarily carried out by A-7s and F-4s bombing visually or with long-range navigation (LORAN) techniques, depending upon the weather over the targets. In addition, escort aircraft such as the Air Force EB-66s and Navy EA-6s broadcast electronic jamming signals to confuse the radar-controlled defenses of the North. The Strategic Air Command also provided KC-135s to support the in-flight refueling requirements of the various aircraft participating in Linebacker II operations.

Linebacker II Total Night USAF Sorties Day/Date B-52s SEAD CAP/Escort Chaff Total 1: Dec 18 129 17 63 22 231 2: Dec 19 93 19 61 24 197 3: Dec 20 99 18 55 26 198 4: Dec 21 30 13 23 9 75 5: Dec 22 30 15 27 15 87 6: Dec 23 30 13 12 3 58 7: Dec 24 30 16 22 16 84 8: Dec 26 120 18 33 25 129 9: Dec 27 60 23 32 23 118 10: Dec 28 60 7 28 23 118 11: Dec 29 60 11 33 25 129 Total 741 170 390 209 1,510 Of 741 planned B-52 sorties, 12 were aborted. The Air Force

SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) mission was

carried out by F-105, F-4C, and F-4E fighters. CAP (combat air

patrol), escort, and chaff dispersal were carried out by numerous types.



In addition, US Navy and US Marine aircraft flew a total of 277

night support sorties in A-6, A-7, and F-4 aircraft.

Andersen Air Force Base in Guam had been the site of the most massive buildup of air power in history as part of Operation Bullet Shot, conducted between February and May 1972. More than 15,000 people and more than 150 B-52s lined all available space on the flightline. During Operation Linebacker II in December 1972, bombers stationed at Andersen flew 729 sorties in 11 days. When Operation Arc Light began during the mid-1960s. B-52's from Guam, Thailand, and Okinawa would each take off at approximately the same time and rendezvous at roughly the same points using essentially the same tactics night after night. Flying at an altitude of 39,000 to 41,000 feet, the bombers would head directly to the target areas. During the early days of Linebacker II, many B-52's were lost on the flights over North Vietnam due to the repeated use of the same tactics. When the bombers changed the day-to-day tactics, the number of lost aircraft went down significantly.

Navy tactical air attack sorties under Linebacker II were centered in the coastal areas around Hanoi and Haiphong. There were 505 Navy sorties in this area during Linebacker II. The following carriers participated in Linebacker II operations: Enterprise, Saratoga, Oriskany, America and Ranger. Aircraft of the Seventh Fleet performed the most extensive aerial mining operation in history, blockading the enemy's main avenues of supply. The reseeding of the mine fields was resumed and concentrated strikes were carried out against surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery sites, enemy army barracks, petroleum storage areas, Haiphong Naval and shipyard areas, and railroad and truck stations.

Between 18 and 22 December the Navy conducted 119 Linebacker II strikes in North Vietnam. The attack effort was concentrated in the Haiphong area. Strikes were conducted against surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery installations, railroads and highways Thanh Hoa Army barracks, the Haiphong Naval Base, petroleum centers and other military related targets.

Until the cease-fire ending US combat operations in Vietnam took effect on 28 January 1973, USS America and the other carriers ranged off the coast of Vietnam, conducting strike operations in support of troops and targeting strategic targets throughout North Vietnam.

On 25 December 1972 a Christmas Day bombing/tactical air attack recess went into effect during which none of the US air services flew sorties. Heavy raids around Hanoi, which resumed the day after the Christmas bombing halt, were eased as NVN showed indications of returning to the conference table.

The impact of the bombing was obvious in the severe damage to the North Vietnamese logistic and war-support capability. By 29 December 1972, the 700 nighttime sorties flown by B-52s and 650 daytime strikes by fighter and attack aircraft persuaded the North Vietnamese government to return to the conference table. Linebacker II formally ended on 27 January 1973.

Bad weather was the main limiting factor on the number of tactical air strikes flown during Linebacker II.

The United States paid a price for the accomplishments of Linebacker II. During bombing raids, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft encountered intense enemy defensive actions that resulted in the loss of twenty-six aircraft in the twelve-day period.

On the first day of Linebacker II, the crew aboard a B-52G would tragically became the first casualty of the operation. The bomber and crew aboard Charcoal-01 launched from Andersen with the first wave of Linebacker II, headed toward their targets in Vietnam. Within seconds of their objective, the B-52 was hit by a surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Col. Donald L. Rissi, and gunner, Master Sgt. Walt Ferguson, were killed. Three other crew members -- Maj. Dick Johnson, radar navigator; Capt. Bob Certain, navigator; and, Capt. Dick Simpson, electronic warfare officer, -- survived the attack, but were taken prisoners of war. The officers were released from captivity in 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming, the return of U.S. service members held as POWs. The status of Lt. Robert J. Thomas, copilot, was unknown at the time of the incident. Officials listed the lieutenant as "missing in action, shot down over North Vietnam, 18 December 1972." Thomas' remains were identified and returned to his family in 1978.

Overall Air Force losses included fifteen B-52s, two F-4s, two F-111s, and one HH-53 search and rescue helicopter. Navy losses included two A-7s, two A-6s, one RA-5, and one F-4. Seventeen of these losses were attributed to SA-2 missiles, three to daytime MiG attacks, three to antiaircraft artillery, and three to unknown causes.

In 1997 crews from the US Army Central Identification Lab, Hawaii, and Joint Task Force-Full Accounting excavated the last B-52 crash site from Linebacker II operations in Vietnam. The recovery team began work at the site in November 1997 and expected to completed the process in March 1998.

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GBU-43/B "Mother Of All Bombs"

MOAB - Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb

The "Mother of All Bombs" - the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, is the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in America's arsenal. The bomb was used for the first time in combat on Thursday 13 April 2017 in Afghanistan. This bomb, which has a relatively thin casing, is not a penetrator, but a "demolition bomb" designed for a surface burst.

The top US commander in Afghanistan said his decision to use one of the US military's largest nonnuclear bombs was done in communication with officials in Washington. Trump has told reporters that the bombing was another very, very successful mission. He did not answer directly when asked if he had authorized the use of the bomb. Everyone knows exactly what happened. What I do is authorize my military. We have given them total authorization, Trump said.

General John Nicholson said April 14 at a news conference in Kabul that the attack was purely "tactical." He told reporters "This was the right weapon for the right target". Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said 36 Islamic State (IS) fighters were killed in the blast which hit an IS tunnel and command center on April 13. He said no civilians were harmed.

A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani told Radio Free Afghanistan the decision to deploy the massive bomb in the area was made after repeated air strikes by the Afghan Air Force and the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission's air force had failed to destroy the IS hideout. The tunnel network included the IS regional command center and weapons depots dug underground at depths that reached 300 meters in some areas.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the use of the bomb on Afghan soil. "This is not the war on terror, but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as testing ground for new and dangerous weapons," he said.

The real motivations for the bomb drop are not yet completely clear. But what at first glance seemed to be another dip into US President Donald Trump's mysterious bag of tricks could be following military and political logic. This latest military operation came on the heels of the US cruise missile strike on Syria - a mission conducted while President Trump was eating cake with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Some experts said Trump's unusual display of military might was intended to set himself apart from his predecessors in that he's capable of making strong decisions. It was also seen as a stern warning against North Korea.

Sergey Demidenko is an associate professor at the Institute of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Demidenko said that this event should not be regarded as something particularly conspicuous in the Afghan-American theater of political events... This event should be deliberated more widely  as a political challenge, which we are now witnessing in the context of US relations with other countries. In connection with the specifics of the position of the entire administration of Donald Trump on the domestic political situation, the new American president is making extraordinary efforts to erode the image of a politically controlled politician ... Most likely, in the near future we will see such similar actions of the US but it is necessary to clearly understand that these attacks are opportunistic and promotional. It is however, unlikely that they will have far-reaching global and effective consequences. The GBU-43/B is large, powerful and accurately delivered. high explosive. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb [MOAB] weapon is a 21,000 lbs total weight GPS-guided munition with fins and inertial gyro for pitch and roll control. It is probable that this munition was initially nick-named the "Mother Of All Bombs" with the retronymic expansion of MOAB following later.

On 11 September 2007 the Russian military announced that it had tested what it called the "Father of All Bombs". Described as the world's most powerful non-nuclear air-delivered munition, the Russian military claimed it was four times more powerful than the American "Mother Of All Bombs." While the Russian bomb was reported to contain 7.8 tons of "thermobaric" explosive, compared to the more than 8 tons of explosives in the American bomb, the Russian bomb was said to use more highly efficient explosive, with a yield equivalent to 44 tons of TNT. The bomb was reported to have a blast radius of 300 meters, double that of the American bomb, while the temperature at the epicenter was also reported to be twice as high.

In 1991 Saddam Hussein conquered Kuwait and postured with threats to deliver the "Mother of All Battles". Mother of all Battles [Umm Al-Ma'arik / Um El-Ma'arek] -- the Arabic "mother of" is a figure of speech for "major" or "best". The original "Mother of All Battles" was the Battle of Qadisiya [Battle of al-Qadisiyya] in 637 CE, in which Islamic Arabs defeated the Persians. Saddam Hussein's "Mother of All Battles" turned into, among other things, the "Mother of All Retreats", the "Mother of All Blowouts", "the mother of all Marine operations", 650-slide "mother of all briefings", and so forth.

MOAB is a guided bomb which delivers the 18,700 lb BLU-120/B warhead bomb with KMU-593/B GPS/INS. The MOAB is the largest-ever satellite-guided, air-delivered weapon in history [not the largest ever, but the largest satellite guided]. The 21,600-pound MOAB is an improved replacement for the unguided 15,000-pound BLU-82 Daisy Cutter. It is 30 feet long with a diameter of 40.5 inches. The warhead is a blast-type warhead. It was developed in only nine weeks to be available for the Iraq campaign, but it was not used in combat.

The 21,700-pound [9,500 kilogram] bomb contains 18,700 pounds of H6, an explosive that is a mixture of RDX (Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine), TNT, and aluminum. H6 is used by the military for general purpose bombs. H6 is an Australian produced explosive composition. Composition H6 is a widely used main charge filling for underwater blast weapons such as mines, depth charges, torpedoes and mine disposal charges. HBX compositions (HBX-1, HBX-3, and H6) are aluminized (powdered aluminum) explosives used primarily as a replacement for the obsolete explosive, torpex. They are employed as bursting charges in mines, depth bombs, depth charges, and torpedoes. HBX-3 and H-6 have lower sensitivity to impact and much higher explosion test temperatures than torpex. The MOAB weapon produces a very large explosive blast, with lesser fragmentation effects due to a thin-walled aluminum casing.

Contrary to some published claims, it most certainly is not an Ethylene-Oxide Fuel-Air Explosive (FAE). Some initial reports had stated that this replacement for the BLU-82 bomb uses more of the slurry of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum used in the BLU-82. Other reports indicated that the MOAB might use tritonal explosive as opposed to the gelled slurry explosive of the BLU-82. Contrary to some reports, it is not capable of deep ground penetration.

Like the BLU-82, the MOAB rests in a cradle on an airdrop platform inside a C-130 aircraft. Due to the size of the ordnance, the item is extracted from either an MC-130 Talon II or "Slick" C-130 Hercules by way of a parachute. A drogue parachute extracts the weapon, cradle and platform-and the weapon is quickly released to maintain maximum forward momentum. The grid fins then open and begin guiding the weapon to its target.

The MOAB weapon is based upon the same principle as the BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter", except that it is larger and has a guidance system. The weapon is expected to produce a tremendous explosion that would be effective against hard-target entrances, soft-to-medium surface targets, and for anti-personnel purposes. Because of the size of the explosion, it is also effective at LZ clearance and mine and beach obstacle clearance. Injury or death to persons will be primarily caused by blast or fragmentation. It is expected that the weapon will have a substantial psychological effect on those who witness its use. The massive weapon provides a capability to perform psychological operations, attack large area targets, or hold at-risk threats hidden within tunnels or caves.

The weapon is intended to have a high altitude release, allowing for greater stand-off range for the delivery vehicle. Following deployment from the aircraft via drogue parachute, the MOAB weapon is guided approximately 3 nautical miles through a GPS system (with inertial gyros for pitch and roll control), JDAM actuators, and is stabilized by series of fixed wings and grid fins. The weapon, which uses the aircraft's GPS prior to launch, takes several seconds to reconnect to the GPS signal after it has been deployed, which is normal for GPS weapons.

The US Air Force developed the satellite-guided Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bombs (MOAB) as a successor to the the 15,000-lb. "Daisy Cutters" used in Vietnam and Afghanistan. The Air Force is said to call MOABs (pronounced MOE-ab) the Mother Of All Bombs. As with the earlier Daisy Cutter, these huge bombs are dropped out of the rear of the C-130 cargo plane. Unlike the Daisy Cutter, the MOAB falls to the ground without the use of a retarding parachute. As a result, the aircraft releasing the bomb can fly at higher altitudes, thus making it safer for US pilots.

MOAB Chronology

In early 2002, the AF Munitions Directorate began to investigate the possibility of upgrading the large BLU-82 weapon with a guidance and control capability. Such an upgrade would allow the delivery aircraft to fly higher for better survivability and safety from the weapon's blast. It would also give the weapon greater range and accuracy, opening the door to additional target sets. After several design iterations gave the weapon a more aerodynamic shape, the current configuration of the MOAB was born. Work on the program began in 2002 and was set for completion in 2003.

Within nine months, the MOAB program went from development contract award to the completion of three highly successful flight tests. During the flight tests, the MOAB detonated upon contact with the ground. The program culminated in the successful demonstration of a suite of technologies supporting large weapons.

Testing began at Eglin as part of an Air Force Research Lab Technology Demonstration Project. With support from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Natick Army Soldier Center, Naval Coastal Systems Station- Panama City, Air Transportation Test Loading Agency, Detachment 1 of the 46th Test Wing at Hurlburt Field, and Dynetics, Inc., directorate engineers rapidly and successfully designed, fabricated, integrated, and tested the huge MOAB weapon.

On 11 March 2003 he Air Force tested its Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon at the Eglin Air Force Base Air Armament Center's western test range, dropped from a C-130.

Eglin Air Force Base's Air Armament Center conducted the second live test of the largest conventional bomb in the US inventory at approximately 2:30 p.m. EST 21 November 2003. Designated the GBU-43/B, the 21,700-pound bomb was launched from an MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft flown by a crew assigned to Eglin's 46th Test Wing. One objective was to collect more data and provide it to the user to assist in targeting. Also, the Air Force wanted to certify MOAB on the Combat Talon I aircraft as previous launches had been made from the MC-130 Combat Talon II.

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Leopard 3 MBT Advanced Technology Demonstrator

Main Ground Combat System (MGCS)

Creating a next-generation main battle tank that has sometimes been called the Leopard 3 will be a difficult task that will certainly take plenty of time. In the short- to medium-term, Germany will have to upgrade the already-existing Leopard 2A7(+) so as to counter Russia's next-generation T-14 Armata main battle tank.

By 2015 Germany and France were reported preparing to jointly develop a new main battle tank, the Leopard 3, to replace its ageing Leopard 2 military vehicle by around 2030, which would be able to compete with Russia's next-generation Armata tank, showcased at the 2015 Victory Day parade commemorating the end of World War Two in Moscow.

In December 2014 the German Parliament approved a proposal to develop a new generation of tanks, a program to be included in the medium-term planning of the German Ministry of Defense. The decision came amid the Ukrainian crisis, where the 225/7 Leopard 2A6 tanks that the Bundeswehr aimed to maintain operational seemed rather inadequate.

The German Defense Ministry announced its plans for the "Leo 3" (as it's may be nicknamed in Germany) to replace its main battle tank, the Leopard 2. The German Defense Ministry announced its plans in a report on 22 May 2015 to the Bundestag. "Technologies and concepts will be investigated between 2015 and 2018 in joint studies also involving German industry," Markus Grubel, a deputy minister in the German Defense Ministry told his parliamentary colleagues. He cited the Leopard 2's long years of service as the reason that a new battle tank was required.

The main reason for the modernization was believed to be the Leopard 2 service life, which was set to expire by 2030. The Leopard 2's 50-year service life is set to expire in 2030. The tank, which came into service in 1979, was conceived as part of a plan for Cold War-era land defense. Germany commissioned more than 2,000 of them at the peak of the arms race of the early 1980s. Currently, however, only about 240 are in active service; but last month, citing the security situation in Ukraine, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen annnounced plans to reactivate 100 mothballed Leopard 2 tanks. In November 2014, von der Leyen also announced a move to add more than 100 aditional "Boxer" armored personnel carriers to the Bundeswehr's ranks.

The German media, however, suggest that another reason wss the recently-presented analysis by Germanys Federal Intelligence Service (BND) on Russias reinforced combat strength and its recently showcased T-14 Armata tanks, which were presented during the country's Victory Parade in Moscow on 09 May 2015.

A column of Armata tanks, equipped with 125mm cannons, rolled through Moscow's historic Red Square on May 9 as Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of foreign heads of state, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, watched on. The BND analysis suggestrf that even though the combat vehicles unveiled at the parade erre still somewhat pre-production models, when completed, it would be a tank with the highest levels of armaments.

According to Deutsche Welle, the manufacturer of the current Leopard 2, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, was scheduled to merge with the French firm Nexter Systems over the course of the year. This prompted the German media to report that the new Franco-German firm, with more than 6,000 staff and a combined turnover of around 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), could be a strong candidate to win the contract to develop a new battle tank for the German Bundeswehr. For KMW, joining with the Paris-based maker of the Leclerc battle tank will add new products, technology and markets.

Germany initially developed a strategy of always having two versions of tanks in service. One that was just fielded, and one to be replaced. The Leopard 1 was the replacement for the M47, and the Leopard 2 for the M48. The name was Halbgenerationenwechsel, which translates to Mid-generation replacement. And during the 1980s, the German Army started with plans for the replacement of the Leopard 1. This was the only time Leopard 3 was really set up, and requirements were slowly collected. The problem was that there was not enough technology available to justify a new family of tanks. Costs would increase massively if there should be a true improvement over the Leopard 2.

MBT Revolution

The MBT Revolution is a modular upgrade package to the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks first revealed in 2010. It is also referred as Leopard 2A4 Evolution. The Revolution main battle tank is better suited for urban warfare and low-intensity conflicts. Since 2011 a broadly similar upgrade program is offered by the Aselsan of Turkey. These are referred as the Leopard 2 Next Generation.

The MBT Evolution is another step in the line of Leopard 2A4 Evolution and MBT Revolution. The MBT Evolution among other things features modified force protection elements. While the first one demonstrated the new armor package and the second one introduced the new fire control system for the commander, MBT Evolution aimed for the practical demonstration of the armor package. The tank was presented at the Eurosatory 2014 and covers add on armour, as well as ROSY demonstrators.

Leopard Evolution

The 62 ton-MBT Leopard Evolution was displayed during the 2012 Indodefence expo in Jakarta. Unlike Armata, MBT Revolution manufactured by Rheinmetall is not a new platform but an update to the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank. The comprehensive modular upgrade package offers improved protection, an upgraded digital fire control system and increased firepower. Overall the Revolution MBT is less vulnerable to ambushes, RPG rounds, anti-tank missiles, improvised explosive devices and mines.

One of the Leopard's key disadvantages stems from the fact that it uses tungsten instead of depleted uranium for tank rounds. The choice of material affects performance. Because of the limitations of tungsten ammunition, the Bundeswehr has some doubts as to the ability of its penetrator rounds to punch through the armor of the latest Russian tanks. Specifically, there might be instances where German ammunition might not have enough kinetic energy to ensure a kill against the T-80, T-90 and obviously the Armata.

The solution to this problem might seem obvious  replace tungsten with depleted uranium but the Leopard is unlikely to receive rounds made out of depleted uranium since the Germans are largely against the move. Using US-made ammunition could have been an option but it is said to be incompatible with the Leopard's improved L55 tank gun.

Germany has decided to upgrade over a hundred Leopard 2's with the MBT Revolution kit while the new yet-to-be-designed main battle tank is expected to enter mass production in 2030 at the earliest.

Berlin has already started developing the next-generation Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) in cooperation with France, and that "the concept development phase should be completed by 2017. The MGCS's main focus on increased firepower was directly driven by Russia's Armata program. The Armata series armored vehicles  particularly with their focus on active protection systems (APS)  are forcing Western designers to focus on more direct fire weapons.

MBT (Main Battle Tank) technology support

The name of the research project: MBT (Main Battle Tank) technology support. While the chassis and turrent are from the Leopard 2A4, the entire interior concept, optronicks, fire control, communications and management technology as well as main and secondary armament were renewed, including self-defense systems. In sum, the whole of the old art of the 1980s are out of the tank.

New smoke grenade launcher systems include cartridges in the caliber of 40 mm can be manually or use up over the fire control system. Likewise, the new launcher contribute to bring the smoke grenades without costly tower or movements to the finish and also build a more dense and larger fog cloud that should distract the enemy and his weapons from the tanks.

The MBT technology platform is equipped with the AMAP (Advanced Modular Armor Protection) ADS (Active Defense System) in defense against armor-piercing projectiles. AMAP-ADS is manufactured by a joint venture between IBD Deisenroth and Rheinmetall Defence. The idea behind the "Active Defence System" (ADS) technology is as easy as it is spectacular - bazookas, missiles and armor-piercing projectiles, approaching the tank are detected by the ADS and at intervals of five to ten meters they are destroyedwith directed energy. What is meant by "directed energy", the manufacturer of the system does not explain exactly. Put very simply: Sensors detect the missiles and blow it shortly before the vehicle by means of a pressure wave from the sky. More precisely: a compressed air gun directs the missile into the ground, thus minimizing the risk of injury to civilians and adjacent units.

At the rear left on the turret is the heavy 12.7-millimeter-board machine gun is mounted, which is served in the tank from the gun loader. Also new are several optronic structures. That camera systems with night vision and laser-based distance measuring devices for reconnaissance and target data determination.

While the main weapon the Russian T-14 Armata may be a 152mm smoothbore gun, Rheinmetall settled for the time being on the 120mm cannon. This is now one meter longer, thereby increasing the speed of ammunition increases, with a corresponding increase in penetration. Rheinmetall is looking to new ammunition. Moreover, the defense contractor is working on a new 130mm cannon.

The new tank has a crew of four soldiers, and the turret is still manned. Otherwise, the design of a completely new tank would be necessary. The successor to the Leopard 2, the so-called MGCS (Main Ground Combat System), could have such an unmanned turret.

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Nigeria Government

The 1999 constitution provides for a bicameral National Assembly consisting of a 360-member House of Representatives [the Green Chamber] and a 109-member Senate [the Red Chamber]. The president heads the executive branch. The judiciary includes a Supreme Court and lower courts. The Fourth Republic infused life and some excitement into the governance of Nigeria. It was the tonic that Nigerians required to recover from the years of successive military regimes. Nigeria's 1999 Constitution has never undergone amendment, because of the nearly impossible requirement that two-thirds of the state legislatures ratify the amendment.

Nigeria's lower house of parliament voted on 27 July 2017 in favor of constitutional amendments to reduce the presidency's powers, the latest step in a power struggle between President Muhammadu Buhari and the national legislature. The Senate, parliament's upper house, led the way on the previous day in backing constitutional changes that could weaken the presidency and boost the legislature.

The measures include providing certain legal immunity to members of the legislature and reducing the president's ability to withhold assent for a bill passed by parliament. The parliament also voted to impose time limits on key presidential decisions such as nominating ministers and proposing federal budgets, both of which have been much-delayed under Buhari.

Nigeria is a federal republic with a presidential system. The constitution provides for a separation of powers among the three branches of government. General elections held in February 1999 marked the end of 15 years of military rule and the beginning of civilian rule based on a multiparty democracy. General elections were held for the third consecutive time in April 2007. The victor was Umaru Musa Yaradua, who assumed the presidency on May 29, 2007. In May 2006, the Nigerian Senate rejected a constitutional amendment that would have permitted President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term.

Nigerias current constitution, the fourth since independence, went into effect on May 29, 1999. Modeled after the U.S. Constitution, it provides for a separation of powers among a strong executive, an elected legislature, and an independent judiciary. Critics of the constitution complain that the federal government retains too much power at the expense of the states. Although the constitution proclaims personal freedom and a secular state, it also permits Muslims to follow sharia, or Islamic law.

Executive power is vested in the president, who is simultaneously chief of state and head of government. The president is eligible for two four-year terms. The presidents Federal Executive Council, or cabinet, includes representatives from all 36 states. The National Assembly, consisting of a 109-member Senate and a 360-member House of Representatives, constitutes the countrys legislative branch. Three senators represent each of Nigerias 36 states, and one additional senator represents the capital city of Abuja. Seats in the House of Representatives are allocated according to population. Therefore, the number of House members from each state differs. Members of the National Assembly are elected to a maximum of two four-year terms. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court, and, at the state level, high courts, sharia courts, and customary courts. The president appoints members of the Supreme Court subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Competition between branches of government and between levels of government also remains weak. The executive has overriding power compared to the other branches of government, and it controls the financial autonomy of the other branches. The executive often determines the leadership of the National Assembly, as do the state governors in regards to the state legislatures. Neither the civil service nor the judiciary is typically powerful or impartial enough to act as an effective constraint on the power of the executive, although the federal judiciary has shown itself to be an increasingly important check. Likewise, the relations between federal, state, and local governments are also top-down, both in terms of revenues and the authoritative use of force. States do not have their own independent tax bases or independent police.

Although the informal patterns of power in Nigeria still leave the balance deeply skewed toward the presidency, the National Assembly has taken several important strides down the long road of asserting its formal institutional prerogatives as provided in the Constitution. In addition to an atmosphere of increasing public debate and opening of political space for civil society, the legislature has also worked to improve its oversight role.

Defined as a mechanism of sequentially rotating offices across Nigerias six geographical areas, Zoning is neither mandated by the Nigerian constitution nor by statute. Nevertheless, zoning has widespread support among political elites and members of the middle classes concerned with stability, term limits, and equitable access to the presidency. Despite falling short of the competitive free and open standard, advocates defend zoning as a historically legitimate solution to the centralization or monopolization of power by a particular lineage (as was done in pre-colonial Zaria, for instance) or by any particular section or group. If respected, zoning guarantees access to high office by each geopolitical region provided they are patient, which thus creates a measure of political stability.

Reportedly, zoning was recommended originally by the national student association as a mechanism for the rotation of power among Nigerias competing regions. It was introduced but not enacted during military rule. Interestingly, because the creation of 36 states renders branch offices for each state prohibitively expensive, the federal government, multilateral agencies, and NGOs often use the zones as a cost effective, shorthand method of delivering services, representing regions, or sampling populations in national research projects. The political parties in particular have adopted the zoning principle in their choice of candidates and in parsing out control of elected offices, although the specifics of which zone deserves what office is a source of constant debate.

Today there are 36 states carved from the original three regions and 774 local government areas, up from 171 in 1963. Ironically, the centralization of petro-revenues at the federal center and the creation of additional states have increased political centralization, largely because many states are not effective administrative or economic units and all are dependent on the central reallocation of petro-revenues. Nonetheless, multi-state federalism has given the smaller minorities, which constitute a third of the nations population, a greater voice in the Nigerian nation which is less dominated by the potentially explosive competition among the Big Three groupsthe Hausa-speakers, the Yoruba, and the Igbowho count for the other two-thirds of all Nigerians.

Nigeria is divided administratively into the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) and 36 states, which are organized into the following six zones: SouthWest ZoneLagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Oshun, and Oyo; SouthSouth ZoneAkwa, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ibom, and Rivers; SouthEast ZoneAbia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo; NorthWest ZoneKaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara; NorthCentral ZoneBenue, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, and Plateau; and NorthEast ZoneAdamawa, Bauchi, Bornue, Gomber, Taraba, and Yobe.

Each of Nigerias 36 states has an elected governor and a House of Assembly. The governor is elected to a maximum of two four-year terms. The number of delegates to the House of Assembly is based on population (three to four times the number of delegates each state sends to the federal House of Representatives) and therefore varies from state to state within the range of 24 to 40. Nigerias states are subdivided into 774 local government areas, each of which is governed by a council that is responsible for supplying basic needs. The local government councils, which are regarded as the third tier of government below the federal and state levels, receive monthly subsidies from a national federation account. Critics contend that the division of the country into so many districts is a vestige of military rule that is arbitrary, wasteful, and inefficient.

Nigerias legal system is based on a combination of statutory (legislative) law, English common law, customary law, and, in the north, Islamic law (sharia). Nigerias federal and state courts apply statutory and English common law, whereas local courts recognize the legitimacy of customary and Islamic law. Bribes paid to influence judges and delays in bringing cases to trial sometimes impair the fair and efficient administration of justice. These deficiencies partially explain the popularity of Islamic law in the 12 northern states. Nevertheless, sharia is criticized for the imposition of draconian penalties, although no death penalties have been carried out in recent years. Testimony from women and non-Muslims also carries less weight in Islamic courts.

The president and members of the bicameral National Assembly, consisting of a 109-member Senate and a 360-member House of Representatives, are elected to a maximum of two four-year terms. Universal suffrage at age 18 applies to all elections. Winning candidates are determined according to the British first-past-the-post system, whereby a plurality of the votes ensures victory. Also under this system, members of the National Assembly represent distinct geographic constituencies.

PRONACO (Pro National Conference), is a coalition of Nigerian organizations seeking to ensure that Constitutional Reform takes into account the wishes of the Nigerian people. The current constitution was decreed by the military government in 1999 whereas the PRONACO generated draft constitution of 2006 was a document drawn up by representatives of over 200 ethnic groups from all over the country in a transparent process. Key features of the constitution include replacing the 37 states of the Nigerian Federation with 18 ethnically based regions, devolving power to these regions to the extent possible and leaving only limited powers with the Federal Government. In addition, the constitution calls for the creation of decentralized police forces, the introduction of a parliamentary rather than presidential system, and the payment of 50 percent of revenues to the region of derivation, as well as a 30 percent quota for women in public office. This draft constitution was ignored by the government of Nigeria.





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Pakistan - Politics

Pakistanis often complain that they are ruled by Allah, America, and the Army. The army generals are in charge of Pakistan; they have a firm grip over defense and security policies, foreign affairs, and internal matters. There had been a struggle between the army and Nawaz Sharif for quite some time. During his second term as prime minister in the early 1990s, Sharif attempted to remove a military chief but instead had to resign himself. In 1999, Sharif replaced then army chief Pervez Musharraf,but army commanders launched a coup against Sharif, and Musharraf came to power. By 2016 Sharif faced much the same dilemma.

Pakistan's political system is broken: its political parties are ineffective, functioning for decades as instruments of two families, the Bhuttos and the Sharifs, two clans, both corrupt. Voting in Pakistan is intensely personal, with parties gathering votes primarily through allegiance to an individual candidate who is either a feudal or has a proven ability to deliver services.

The Bhutto-Zardari axis may be considered "left leaning," while the Sharif brothers may be considered "right leaning." The Sharifs are much closer to Pakistan's military, and to Pakistan's Muslim fundamentalists. Punjabi, the Sharifs represent Pakistan's major ethnic bloc, and the devout Sunni Sharif has an advantage over the Bhuttos, who have Shiite ties.

Pakistan held successful elections in February 2008 and had a coalition government. Voting in Pakistan is intensely personal, with parties gathering votes primarily through allegiance to an individual candidate who is either a feudal or has a proven ability to deliver services. Pakistan is a developing country with some modern facilities in major cities but limited in outlying areas. The infrastructure of areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) regions were devastated by an October 8, 2005, earthquake and have not yet been fully rebuilt. Massive flooding in 2010 destroyed infrastructure throughout the Indus River valley.

Pakistan continues to face extraordinary challenges on the security and law enforcement front. The country has suffered greater military, law enforcement, and civilian casualties in fighting extremism and terrorism than almost any other country. In the midst of this difficult security situation, Pakistan's civilian government remains weak, ineffectual, and corrupt.

Pakistan's long term stability depends more and more upon the government's willingness to confront difficult economic policy choices it has long sought to avoid. Pakistan must begin to address a breadth of economic challenges that would overwhelm many emerging economies: overhauling the tax infrastructure, eliminating over $4 billion in circular debt in its energy sector, altering revenue sharing agreements among the provinces and the Federal Government, reversing a contraction in consumer credit and expanding financial access, removing price controls in commodity markets, preventing a crisis in water distribution, and breaking Pakistan's dependence on external financial support.

A number of extremist groups within Pakistan continue to target US citizens and other Western interests and Pakistani officials. Terrorists have demonstrated a willingness and capability to attack targets where U.S. citizens are known to congregate or visit. Terrorist actions may include, but are not limited to, suicide operations, bombings -- including vehicle-borne explosives and improvised explosive devices -- assassinations, carjackings, assaults, and kidnappings. Pakistani military forces are currently engaged in a campaign against extremist elements across many areas of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, formerly known as Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). In response to this campaign, militants have increased attacks against both civilian and government targets in Pakistans cities and in late 2010 launched several coordinated attacks against Pakistani government and civilian targets, especially in Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies.

By 2011 children of the countrys leading political figures were stepping out of their parents shadows and into the public realm. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and wife of PML-N MNA Capt (Retd) Safdar, made her political debut in November 2011 while addressing a womens convention. The 38-year-old defended her family against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khans asset declaration campaign. Defending her father, Maryam said had Nawaz completed his second term, he would have made Pakistan an economic power at par with Malaysia, Turkey and Singapore. Nawaz Sharif had groomed Member of the Provincial Assembly Hamza Shahbaz [Hamza Sharif], son of the Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, for a future political role. Hamza, 40, was rocked by a succession of scandals. He was alleged to have amassed billions through speculative trading in the poultry industry. His problems were compounded when Ayesha Ahad Malik claimed she was Hamzas legitimate wife. Maryams stepping out for her family and taking on a political role suggested Nawaz Sharif was not happy with the conduct and performance of Hamza Shahbaz. PML-N observers were of the view that Maryam was a far better option than Hamza Shahbaz.

The only son of assassinated former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto told hundreds of thousands of supporters on December 27, 2012, the fifth anniversary of his mother's death, that he would carry forward her legacy, an appearance designed to anoint him as a political heir. "I am the heir to the martyr," Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 24, told the crowd in the southern province of Sindh, referring to his mother and to his grandfather, the founder of the current ruling party who was hanged by a former military ruler. "If you kill one Bhutto, there will be a Bhutto in every house.'' Bhutto was joined by hundreds of high-ranking officials, including the current president, his father Asif Zardari, to commemorate his mother's killing in a gun and suicide attack during a 2007 political campaign rally. He was still not old enough to contest the elections scheduled for spring 2013 - the minimum age is 25. Bhutto, who has his mother's good looks, would only turn 25 in September 2013.

Violence, abuse, and social and religious intolerance by militant organizations and other nongovernmental actors contributed to a culture of lawlessness in some parts of the country, particularly the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP, formerly known as the North West Frontier Province), and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Militant and terrorist bombings in all four provinces and in the FATA resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, during the year 2013 terrorist and extremist attacks and operations to combat insurgency resulted in 4,369 deaths, of which nearly 2,413 were civilians, more than 544 were security forces, and more than 1,412 were terrorists or insurgents.

Mumtaz Qadri was executed in February 2016 at the order of the Islamabad High Court five years after he assassinated a liberal Punjab governor over his calls to reform the country's blasphemy laws. Thousands of hard-line Islamists rallied in the heart of the Pakistani capital for four days to denounce Qadri's execution and to call for the introduction of strict Shari'a law in Pakistan. The sit-in protest ended on 31 March 2016 after protest leaders said they were given assurances that controversial blasphemy laws would not be amended and more than 1,000 Islamists detained by police during the protest would be released. The government, however, denied it had acceded to any of the protesters' demands.

The PM found himself in a difficult situation following the April 2016 "revelations" made by the so-called Panama Papers. Leaked documents show that three of the prime minister's children had links with offshore companies that owned properties in London. One clear sign of the political pressure felt by the Sharif family from the Panama Paper scandal was that the family reportedly discussed the possibility of the prime minister stepping down for two three months while an independent commission conducted an inquiry. One possible replacement could be Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar. In case the PMs post needs to be filled until the 2018 elections then getting Shahbaz Sharif or Ishaq Dar elected as members of the National Assembly and then getting them elected PM was also considered by the family.

Pakistans Supreme Court disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from holding public office and on 28 July 2017 ordered him to step down immediately. The ruling noted that having failed to disclose his un-withdrawn receivables constituting (overseas) assets in his nomination papers filed for the 2013 elections and having furnished false declaration under solemn affirmation .Sharif is not honest and therefore he is disqualified to be a member of parliament.

The corruption case against Sharif stemmed from leaked financial documents, known as the Panama Papers, that also listed three children of the Pakistani leader as holders of offshore accounts and posh London property.

Nawaz Sharif served as prime minister of Pakistan twice in the 1990s but allegations of corruption and mismanagement of economy led to his ouster from power on both the occasions. His last government in 1999 was dislodged by a bloodless military coup, and Sharif was later exiled to Saudi Arabia. He returned to Pakistan in late 2007. His party won the 2013 national elections, bringing Sharif to power for a record third time in the troubled democratic history of a country that has experienced three military coups.

Pakistans ruling party appointed an interim chief executive of the country 29 July 2017, raising opposition complaints, a day after the Supreme Court ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for concealing assets. Sharif, 67, chaired an emergency meeting of his Pakistan Muslim League-N party in Islamabad, where leaders selected former petroleum minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as his successor for a short term of 45 days. Abbasi still must pass a vote of confidence by the parliament before assuming office.

Abbasi was to only serve till Shehbaz Sharif could contest his brothers vacated national Assembly seat. But Shehbazs decision to nominate his son Hamza as the next chief minister of Punjab province is believed to have angered his brother. Nawaz was reportedly looking at his daughter Maryam Nawaz to head Punjab. There were also rumors that Nawaz was preparing Maryam to take up the premiership post, which created an alleged rift between the Sharif brothers.

In September 2020, nine major opposition parties formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to launch a nationwide protest movement to unseat Prime Minister Khan. They agreed to a series of demonstrations planned to increase pressure on Khan, who came to power in 2018 promising to rid Pakistan of corruption. The parties plan to end the campaign with a march on Islamabad, the capital, in 2021. The civilian political class in Pakistan increasingly saw the military as an opponent not only in matters of political governance but also of the economy. The military is not only involved in politics, it also has huge stakes in Pakistan's economic affairs. To protect these interests, it has captured the state.

A rally 16 October 2020 openly targeted the military, with former PM Sharif accusing incumbent army chief Bajwa of interfering in politics. Such direct criticism against the powerful generals was unthinkable a few years ago. "General Qamar Javed Bajwa, you packed up our government, which was working well, and put the nation and the country at the altar of your wishes," former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told his supporters at a massive opposition rally in Gujranwala city. "General Bajwa is responsible for rigging the 2018 elections, curbs on the media, abduction of journalists and forcing judges to give decisions of his choice," he added.

It is common for opposition leaders in Pakistan to criticize the incumbent government; it is, however, quite extraordinary that they confront the powerful military, which is considered a "holy cow" in the South Asian country, in such a direct manner. But Sharif, a three-time former prime minister, who is currently in London for medical treatment, believes that Pakistan's main problem is the military's "unconstitutional" role in politics. Therefore, he is not holding Prime Minister Imran Khan responsible for the multiple crises wracking Pakistan. Instead, Sharif is blaming those who "brought him (Khan) to power."





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Kurdish Peoples Protection Unit YPG

The People's Protection Units / Popular Protection Units [Yekineyen Parastina Gel = YPG] is the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). The YPG said it had 50,000 fighters as of mid-2014, though independent estimates placed the number at around 30,000. By 2016 one estimate placed YPG streanth at about 65,00 combatants. The YPG said it should be a natural partner in a coalition the United States is trying to assemble to fight Islamic State militants. This Kurdish militia group is active in areas in Syria that are predominantly inhabited by Kurds, mostly in the northeast. The PKK sent some of its militants to Kobani in 2014 after Islamic State attacks. Not too much is known about the YPG, which was formed after the Qamishli uprising in 2004, when thousands of PYD members and followers were arrested and subjected to the most severe types of torture in the notorious dungeons of the Syrian intelligence services.

On 14 January 2017 the US-led international coalition against Daesh announced that it would establish a 30,000-strong new border security force with the SDF  the US-backed group, largely controlled and manned by the YPG, Turkey considers it as the Syrian wing of PKK terrorist organisation. The new "Border Security Force" would be deployed at the borders of the area controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). About half the force will be SDF veterans, and recruiting for the other half was underway by January 2018. The base of the new force is essentially a realignment of approximately 15,000 members of the SDF to a new mission in the Border Security Force as their actions against ISIS draw to a close.

The force would deploy along the border with Turkey to the north, the Iraqi border to the southeast, and along the Euphrates River Valley, which is the dividing line between the US-backed SDF and Syrian government forces backed by Iran and Russia. The ethnic composition of the force will be relative to the areas in which they serve. More Kurds would serve in the areas in northern Syria. More Arabs would serve in areas along the Euphrates River Valley and along the border with Iraq to the south.

This triggered Ankaras threat of military action because it would likely draw heavily on YPG personnel. The Turkish President Recep Erdogan said on 15 January 2017 that the country was prepared to counter the threat from the army. The US has admitted to forming a terrorist army along the Turkish border," he said on Monday, vowing that Turkey would kill that army before it was born. The US created a terror organisation with 30,000 people and has provided them with 4,800 truckloads of arms as of now. Whatever you send them, the army of 30,000 you have created, will not be able to represent you there.

The Turkish president on 16 January 2017 stepped up threats to launch a cross-border operation against the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG, which the US backed in the war against Islamic State militants. Ankara sees the YPG as a terrorist organization linked to an ongoing Kurdish insurgency in Turkey. Erdogan used his weekly parliamentary address to his ruling AK Party supporters to say the operation could be imminent. "Tomorrow, or the day after, or within a short period, we will get rid of terror nests one by one in Syria, starting with Afrin and Manbij," Erdogan said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says US plans to establish 30,000-strong new border security force led by YPG militants could jeopardise Syria's territorial integrity. Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov the US plan could cause problems for Turkey. The US unilateral, ultimatum-like project, aimed at establishing an army in Syria, may create problems in relations between Turkey and Kurds, Lavrov said. Lavrov also said the US move cant serve to calm the situation in Syrias Afrin district, which borders Turkey, adding that Russia expects Washington to explain its move.

Turkey and some members of the FSA accuse the PYD and YPG of being a front for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). While in the past the YPG had close ties to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), by 2014 the YPGs leadership was trying to position itself as a pan-ethnic organization that was the defender of all of the regions communitiesboth from the al-Assad government and the Salafi-jihadi organizations that are trying to impose an Islamic state on Syria. YPG leaders also insist that the organization is a-political and subsumes itself under the Supreme Kurdish Committee, which includes the PYD and the umbrella organization the Kurdish National Council (KNC) that is close to KRG President Massoud Barzani.

Much of the strength of the emerging Kurdish political power comes from the YPG militias who control three enclaves  Afrin, Ayn al-Arab and Hasakah province - along Syrias northern borders. These enclaves enable them to recruit and levy taxes on oil shipments crossing the Syrian border, where they continue to clash with Jabhat al-Nursa units for nearby border crossings.

Control over al -Hasakah Province, which has an ethnic Kurdish plurality, is important to the Kurds who are seeking greater autonomy and self-rule from the Syrian state. Al-Hasakahs oil resources are also important and a source of frequent conflict between Arab and Kurdish armed groups.

The YPG describes itself as "a national legitimate, multi-ethnic and multi-nationality military institution of sons and daughters of the components of the region, the Kurds, Arabs, Syrians, Assyrians, Turkoman and Armenians, who adopt the right of legitimate self-defence in accordance with international laws. YPGs mission is to protect Western Kurdistan and all its ethnic, national, and religious components, and to provide security and safety to citizens wherever they are; to deter any military force aimed at de-stabilizing civil peace and stability; it pledges to defend the gains and the values of freedom and social democracy, and the legitimate aspirations of the Kurdish and Syrian people in their revolution against dictatorship and the forces of terror and darkness.

"... it is unacceptable for anyone under the legal age to join in the ranks of the YPG and it is prohibited by the principles upon which these units have been built, and also against the rules of its Constitution and the foundations which are the basis upon which volunteers join up. This means that recruitment of children under the legal age is rejected completely and in principle; the rules and regulations in force in this area prohibit any such action, and there are clear peremptory decisions taken at official meetings of these units and its conferences preventing such practices, and to confirm the penalties for any offenders. All this did not prevent the emergence of such things and a few who are under the legal age did join on a voluntary basis under the pressure of circumstances, and through the neglect of some, although they were not allowed to participate in military operations or to stay near active battle."

No other ethnic or religious group in Syrias brutal two-and-half year civil war has fielded so many female fighters. Twenty percent of the Kurdish warriors grouped together in the Peoples Protection Units are women. And Kurdish women - in increasing numbers - joined internal security and police units tasked with maintaining law and order, guarding checkpoints and strategic buildings from jihadists and radical Islamists. Female recruits for either frontline YPG groups or internal security units go through a month's basic training - normally at a camp in the town of Afrin. Female Kurdish fighters ignite fear into Islamic State militants, who believe that theyll go straight to hell if they are killed by a woman.

Ain al-Arab and the surrounding areas fell under Kurdish control a year into the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Ain al-Arab [aka Kobani] was the only part of a 300 km (190 mile) section of the border with Turkey not controlled by the Islamic State.

By late 2013, while militiamen in the Peoples Defense Units proved increasingly successful against al-Qaida affiliates on the battlefield, they were at a loss about how to combat a burgeoning jihadist car and suicide bombing campaign. Since the summer of 2013, there had been some 40 bombings, including two suicide attacks. At least 30 people have been killed and dozens wounded. Several bombings were in the town of Kobani near the Turkish border. At checkpoints outside Kurdish-controlled towns and villages, it is difficult for untrained defense volunteers to identify threats, such as knowing where to look for bombs in cargoes of fruit and vegetables.

Many Kurds do not object to YPGs repressive tactics because some are afraid. Others are silent because a lot of Kurds have the opinion that being persecuted by Kurds is better than being persecuted by Arabs. The YPG militias have earned a reputation for destroying community centers, civil society offices and headquarters of the political opposition in the region, said Savelsberg. In June 2014 armed YPG forces attacked a street demonstration in Amuda, killing six activists and wounding dozens more, drawing international protest.

Syrian Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units clashed with IS fighters along the border with Iraq and Turkey. Armed violence flared in Kurdish areas in the north-east in 2013, where the role of local militias in the conflict grew. Prioritizing their neutrality and the protection of Kurdish localities, the Peoples Protection Units clashed with both government forces and anti-government armed groups.

YPG forces in early August 2014 established security corridors along the Iraqi border, enabling some refugees fleeing IS violence in Iraq to cross into Kurdish-held areas of Syria. Displaced people from the Yazidi religious minority were evacuated from Mount Sinjar with the help of members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), as they made their way towards Newrooz camp, in Syria's al-Hasakah province.

The Peoples Protection Unit announced 23 September 2014 statistics from the weeks clashes with Islamic State militants in Kobani, in Syrian Kurdistan. The YPGs press unit have revealed that is has killed 232 IS militants, in this past weeks clash in northern Syria. 32 YPG and Womens Protection Unit (YPJ)fighters have also been killed, the statistics show. We have taken control of a huge amount of ISs heavy and medium weaponry, and we have destroyed IS tanks and vehicles, continued the report.

The spokesperson of the Peoples Protection Units Redur Xelil called 25 September 2014 for US airstrikes against the Islamic State terrorist group after the YPG failed to stop advances of the Sunni terrorists that are attacking the Kurdish town of Kobani. The people and our units are defending Kobani with light weapons and almost no resources at all against one of the most brutal attacks by IS, said Xelil. The airstrikes on IS bases by the U.S. and their alliances was of great importance and really necessary, although it came late, added Xelil.

The Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, and the main Syrian Opposition force, The Free Syrian Army (FSA, announced 28 September 2014 an agreement to fight Islamic State (IS) militants together in Syrian Kurdistan.

Islamic State fighters backed by tanks captured 21 Kurdish villages in Northern Iraq near the Turkish border September 19, 2014 in 24 hours. According to British-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights, the militant Since Wednesday, Islamic State militants appear to have gained the upper hand in Syria's northern Kurdish region of Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, overrunning 21 Kurdish villages, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. ISIL attacked with American tanks and heavy weapons that they captured in Mosul.

Irregular armed forces have to rely on their ingenuity to arm themselves. And while rifles and mortars can be bought on the black market, getting hold of tanks or armored fighting vehicles can be a bit tricky. People's Protection Units are mostly armed with small arms, with some heavier weapons such as mortars and rocket launchers, pickup trucks turned into mobile gun turrets and an occasional piece of artillery. The up-armored cars and tracked vehicles may look like cast-offs from Tatooine desert scenes of Star Wars or Mad Max and the Thunderdome, but with proper employment they may be no less efficient in battle than the early tanks of the Great War were on European battlefields.

Kurdish fighters took control of the long-besieged Syrian town of Kobani 26 January 2015 after months of fighting Islamic State militants, though the Pentagon declined to declare the battle over. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and senior Kurdish official Idris Nassan said Syrian Kurdish YPG forces and Iraqi Kurdish forces known as peshmerga had retaken Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab. The city had become a symbol of the battle against the Sunni Muslim insurgents who captured huge swathes of Iraq and Syria over the past year.

Nearly 1,000 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been killed fighting the Islamic State jihadist group since June, AFP reported 04 February 2015. Jabbar Yawar, the secretary general of the ministry responsible for the Peshmerga, said that 999 Kurdish fighters were killed and 4,569 wounded between June 10 and February 3. Previous casualty figures released on December 10 put the toll at 727 killed and 3,564 wounded.

Syrian Kurd YPG forces had until early 2016 been a key US ally in the fight against Islamic State. By mid-February 2016 other rebel groups accused the Syrian Kurds of shifting tactics, lessening their focus on Islamic State to instead seize territory once held by various opposition groups. They accused the Kurds of working in coordination with both the Assad regime and Russian air power.

Once Assad launched recent Aleppo offensive, the YPG moved quickly to grab FSA and Islamist-held towns in northern Syria. The YPG is acting as a spoiler, tactically, General Salem Idris, former chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army, told VOA last week in an exclusive interview. They say they are not coordinating with the regime, but that is a lie.

Syrian government warplanes on 18 August 2016 bombed Kurdish-controlled areas of the city of Hasaka in northeastern Syria for the first time in the five-year-old civil war, the spokesman for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and a monitoring group said. YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said the air strikes had hit Kurdish districts of the city, which is mostly controlled by Kurdish groups, and the positions of a Kurdish security force known as the Asayish. "There are martyrs and wounded," he told Reuters.





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Philippines - Corruption

Corruption is a pervasive and long-standing problem in the Philippines. Recent government efforts have improved the countrys ranking in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index from 105 in 2012 to 94 in 2013. Nevertheless, corruption ranked second among the most problematic factors for doing business in the World Economic Forums 2013-2014 Global Competitiveness Report, with inadequate supply of infrastructure ranked first.

In 2000, former President Joseph Estrada was subject to allegations of corruption, culminating in impeachment proceedings, mass public protests in Manila, withdrawal of support by the military and his eventual resignation from office. Former President Estrada was arrested and charged with perjury and plunder. On September 12, 2007, he was convicted by the Sandiganbayan, a special court with jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corruption, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. On October 25, 2007, President Arroyo unconditionally pardoned former President Estrada.

On June 26, 2006, a new impeachment complaint was filed against President Arroyo in the House of Representatives following the expiration of the one-year period during which the Philippine constitution allows a single impeachment proceeding against the President. Since that time, several additional impeachment complaints were filed against President Arroyo. The complaints include claims that President Arroyo engaged in systematic politically motivated crimes against activists and journalists as well as electoral fraud. President Arroyo denied the allegations contained in the impeachment complaints, which were subsequently dismissed by the House of Representatives in August 2006.

On October 5, 2007, a renewed impeachment complaint was filed against President Arroyo alleging corruption and fraud. On November 12, 2007, another impeachment complaint was filed against President Arroyo involving alleged corruption concerning the approval of a Government contract with a foreign telecommunications company, bribery accusations, and fraud in relation to the 2004 elections. However, on November 26, 2007, the House of Representatives voted 184-1 to dismiss the impeachment complaint filed on October 5, 2007. This dismissal barred any other impeachment complaints against President Arroyo to be heard by Congress for another 12 months.

Corruption is a pervasive and longstanding problem in the Philippines. Once he seized power in 1972, Ferdinan Marcos, his wife Imelda, and a small circle of close associates, the crony group, felt free to practice corruption on an awe-inspiring scale. Philippine Airlines, the nation's international and domestic air carrier, was nationalized and turned into what one author called a "virtual private commuter line" for Imelda Marcos and her friends on shopping excursions to New York and Europe.

Marcos' New Society was supposed to eliminate corruption, but when Marcos fled the country in 1986, his suitcases contained, according to a United States customs agent, jewels, luxury items, and twenty-four gold bricks. The Philippines owed about US$28 billion to foreign creditors. Borrowed money had not promoted development, and most of it had been wasted on showcase projects along Manila Bay, or had disappeared into the pockets and offshore accounts of the Marcos and Romualdez families and their friends and partners. A 1987 government study determined that 25 percent of the national budget was lost to graft and corruption. Estimates of Marcos's wealth ran from a low of US$3 billion to a high of US$30 billion, and even after his death in 1989, no one knew the true value of his estate, perhaps not even his widow.

President Aquino, who assumed the presidency in July 2010 on a good governance platform, vowed to combat corruption as critical to inclusive growth and poverty reduction. Early efforts to reign in corruption by the administration have improved public perception, but are frequently overshadowed by high-profile cases reported in the Philippine media.

Two problems, in particular, have plagued the civil service: corruption (especially in the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue) and the natural tendency, in the absence of a forceful chief executive, of cabinet secretaries to run their departments as independent fiefdoms. Bribes, payoffs, and shakedowns characterized Philippine government and society at all levels.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimated in 1988 that one-third of the annual national budget was lost to corruption. Corruption also occurred because of cultural values. The Filipino bureaucrat who did not help a friend or relative in need was regarded as lacking a sense of utang na loob, or repayment of debts. Many Filipinos recognize this old-fashioned value as being detrimental to economic development. A 1988 congressional study concluded that because of their "personalistic world view," Filipinos were "uncomfortable with bureaucracy, with rules and regulations, and with standard procedures, all of which tend to be impersonal." When faced with such rules they often "ignore them or ask for exceptions."

The term  conversion is used for the transforming of funds allocated for military acquisition into cash, most commonly in collusion with suppliers and some of the officers involved in the procurement process in an AFP unit. Clearly, the length and the complexity of the procurement processes of the AFP create an incentive (and, in the minds of some, a justification) for recourse to conversion by the commander involved. So that he could increase the amount of cash he can personally appropriate, such a commander might try to skimp on support funds for his unit and release just enough for it to operate at bare subsistence level.

The process of conversion involves the disregard or short-circuiting of the procurement process (the ordinary procurement process or the AFP modernization procurement process). Funds which are allocated for a particular use or acquisition of particular equipment or other articles, wind up being used either for other purposes  which may well be programmed for other expenditures of the command unit involved  or wind up in the personal bank account of the commander of an AFP unit resorting to conversion. In other words, there may or may not be an actual delivery of supplies for use of an AFP service unit. If supplies are actually delivered at the end of the process, a lesser quantity than what was originally ordered is delivered. If no delivery of supplies is actually effected, a cash payment is commonly the end result of the process.

The cash generated by the conversion process may either be used by the commander resorting to conversion to procure items needed by the service unit but which were not programmed; or the cash may wind up in the private bank account of the unit commander involved. In either case, the resulting cash is about thirty percent (30%) less than the amount allocated in the budget of the service involved, and only seventy percent (70%) is delivered to the commander of the unit. The thirty percent (30%) represents the  profit or  fee of the suppliers who undertook to carry out the paperwork and physical legwork involved in conversion less taxes and  goodwill to the various offices and personalities involved in the processing of the purchase documents. Frequently, this thirty percent (30%) is described euphemistically as the  cost of money , that is to say, the  cost of generating a certain amount of cash.

Visitors to an AFP Office or Field Unit may wonder to what extent conversion has played a part in the poverty or splendor of that Field Unit or Office. And as the contagion of conversion is allowed to spread through failure of leadership, incompetence, or human greed, the danger of collapse of the AFP from within may be expected to rise. The tragedy is that such failure of the military organization would almost certainly push the Republic itself to the brink of disaster.

The Philippines is not a signatory of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Convention on Combating Bribery. It has ratified the UN Convention against Corruption in 2003. The Philippine Revised Penal Code, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Code of Ethical Conduct for Public Officials aim to combat corruption and related anti-competitive business practices. The Office of the Ombudsman investigates and prosecutes cases of alleged graft and corruption involving public officials, with the "Sandiganbayan," or anti-graft court, prosecuting and adjudicating those cases.

The Presidential Anti-Graft Commission assists the President in coordinating, monitoring, and enhancing the governments anti-corruption efforts. The Commission also investigates and hears administrative cases involving presidential appointees in the executive branch and government-owned and controlled corporations. Soliciting/accepting and offering/giving a bribe are criminal offenses, punishable by imprisonment (6-15 years), a fine, and/or disqualification from public office or business dealings with the government.

The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials often engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Both the government and the private sector have established a number of anticorruption bodies, including an ombudsman's office and an anticorruption court, and public officials were subject to financial disclosure laws.

On July 30, 2010, President Aquino signed Executive Order No. 1, creating a truth commission primarily to seek and find the truth on, and toward this end, investigate reports of graft and corruption committed by public officers and employees, their co-principals, accomplices and accessories from the private sector, if any, during the previous administration; and thereafter recommend the appropriate action or measures to be taken thereon. On August 12, 2010, various members of the House of Representatives petitioned the Supreme Court to declare the order a violation of the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and judicial branches. The Supreme Court declared the order unconstitutional on December 7, 2010.

During the year 2010, the government convicted 42 officials in 125 corruption cases, including the March 3 conviction of a former representative in Sorsogon and the August 19 conviction of a former state university president. There were reports of widespread corruption among prison guards and, to some extent, at higher levels of authority within the prison system. The 132,577-member PNP suffered from a widely held and accurate public perception that corruption remained a problem. PNP members were regularly accused of soliciting bribes and other illegal acts.

The 132,577-member Philippine National Police [PNP] has deep-rooted institutional deficiencies and suffers from a widely held and accurate public perception that corruption remains a problem. The PNP's Internal Affairs Service remained largely ineffective. Members of the PNP were regularly accused of torture, soliciting bribes, and other illegal acts. Efforts were underway to reform and professionalize the institution through improved training, expanded community outreach, and pay raises.

The law provides for the right to information on matters of public concern. However, denial of such information often occurred when the information related to an anomaly or irregularity in government transactions, and little government information was available electronically, making it difficult to retrieve. In addition, no legislation sets procedures for access to information or penalties for officials who fail to disclose lawfully available data.

Philippine national agencies are required by law to develop regulations via a public consultation process, often involving public hearings. In most cases, this ensures some minimal level of transparency in the rulemaking process. New regulations must be published in national newspapers of general circulation or in the GPH's official gazette before taking effect. On the enforcement side, however, regulatory action is often weak, inconsistent, and unpredictable. Regulatory agencies in the Philippines are generally not statutorily independent, but are attached to cabinet departments or the Office of the President and, therefore, subject to political pressure. Many U.S. investors describe business registration, customs, immigration, and visa procedures burdensome as a source of frustration. To counter this, some agencies, such as the SEC, BOI, and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), have established express lanes or "one-stop shops" to reduce bureaucratic delays, with varying degrees of success.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) continues to monitor implementation of the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Act through the Anti-Money Laundering Council. Covered institutions include foreign exchange dealers and remittance agents, which are required to register with the Central Bank and must comply with various Central Bank regulations and requirements related to the implementation of the Philippines' anti-money laundering law. The Philippines is a member of the Egmont Group, the international network of financial intelligence units and the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering.

The Philippine Congress enacted an anti-money laundering law in September 2001 and followed through with amendments in March 2003 to address legal concerns posed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Egmont Group, the international network of financial intelligence units, admitted the Philippines to its membership in June 2005. The FATF Asia Pacific Group conducted a comprehensive peer review of the Philippines in September 2008.

Some of the more important concerns include the exclusion of casinos from the list of covered institutions, the non-criminalization of terrorist financing as a stand-alone crime, and 2008 court rulings that inhibit and complicate investigations of fraud and corruption by prohibiting ex-parte inquiries regarding suspicious accounts. Legislation to address these deficiencies is pending in the Philippine Congress, and has been designated urgent by the Aquino administration, which will accelerate its movement through the Congress. The Philippines has taken steps to adopt Internationally Agreed Tax Standards (IATS) and has enacted a law that allows and provides a framework for the exchange of tax-related information. In September 2010, as a result, the OECD upgraded the Philippines to its tax "white list."

The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering conducted a comprehensive peer review of the Philippines in September 2008. In October 2010, FATF included the Philippines in a list of jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies that posed potential risks to the international financial system. FATF and the Philippine government greed on an action plan to address these deficiencies by December 2011, and legislation was pending before the Philippine Congress.

Following the signing into law of the Exchange of Information on Tax Matters Act in March 2010 and the issuance of implementing rules and regulations in September 2010, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) upgraded the Philippines from its tax standards blacklist to the list of jurisdictions that have substantially implemented the internationally agreed tax standard for the exchange of information.

Allegations against several lawmakers for misappropriating monies distributed as part of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly referred to as pork barrel, have garnered strong public criticism and spurred mass protests. In 2013, the Supreme Court declared the PDAF unconstitutional and ordered the prosecution of lawmakers involved in the illegal disbursement of pork barrel funds.

One commentator noted after the May 2016 electionthat "Duterte is expected to win further popular support by carrying out his campaign pledge to punish corrupt officials and wipe out criminality, especially the syndicates engaged in the trade of prohibited drugs and in kidnapping for ransom. The broad masses of the people are eagerly awaiting the arrest and imprisonment of the outgoing President Benigno S. Aquino and his budget mastermind, Florencio Abad, who have become notorious for committing plunder and unprecedented corruption in the abuse of the pork barrel system."

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U.S.-Philippine Relations

The relationship with the United States was redefined in the early 1990s, when the United States complied with Philippine demands to vacate various military bases, including the naval base at Subic Bay. The Philippines is working to diversify its security interests away from a singular reliance on the United States. To this end, the Philippines is developing stronger security ties with its ASEAN partners to address internal security concerns and it is establishing a bilateral relationship with China to address security concerns over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

The United States and the Philippines have a mutual defense treaty that has been in effect since 1952, but it does not extend to territorial disputes involving the Spratly Islands. US-Philippine relations are based on shared history [not always happy] and commitment to democratic principles, as well as on economic and military ties. The historical and cultural links between the Philippines and the United States remain strong. The Philippines modeled its governmental institutions on those of the United States and continues to share a commitment to democracy and human rights. At the most fundamental level of bilateral relations, human links continue to form a strong bridge between the two countries. There are an estimated four million Americans of Philippine ancestry in the United States, and more than 300,000 American citizens in the Philippines.

The 1999 pact provides for arms sales, intelligence exchanges and discussions on military cooperation. It allows U.S. troops access to Philippine soil for military exercises aimed at regional security and local humanitarian work. Those measures shore up the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. In 2020 Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced the country had suspended the announced termination of the agreement. Locsin said in April 2021 that negotiations over the pact were nearly finished. The talks began in February 2021 and coincided with Chinas mooring of 220 fishing boats at a reef that Beijing and Manila dispute.

The Philippine government wanted the agreement updated to spell out explicitly that the United States would intervene to help defend outlying islands where Chinese vessels are most likely to appear. Rather than maintain strategic ambiguity -- the practice in the past -- Philippine officials prefer some strategic clarity.

The US Congress has placed conditions upon a portion of US military assistance to the Philippines in order to pressure the Philippine government to hold the perpetrators of extrajudicial executions [EJEs] and political violence accountable. In fiscal years 2008 and 2009, $2 million of some $30 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) authorized for the Philippines was withheld because conditions were not satisfied.

In 2010, the penalty was raised to $3 million. The conference report (H.Rept. 112-331, Section 7044(g)) that accompanied H.R. 2055, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (signed into law as P.L. 112-74), extended the conditions for another year, stating, Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading Foreign Military Financing Program that are available for assistance for the Philippines, $3,000,000 may not be obligated until the Secretary of State submits to the Committees on Appropriations the report on the Philippines required under such heading in S.Rept. 112-85." The Secretary of State was required to report that: " the Government of the Philippines is taking effective steps to prosecute those responsible for EJEs, sustain the decline in the number of EJEs, and strengthen government institutions working to eliminate EJEs;

the Government of the Philippines is implementing a policy of promoting military personnel who demonstrate professionalism and respect for human rights, and is investigating, prosecuting, and punishing military personnel and others who have been credibly alleged to have violated such rights; and

the Philippine military, and militias and paramilitary groups under its control, are not engaging in acts of violence or intimidation against journalists or members of legal organizations who advocate for human rights. "

The US is the Philippines only guarantee of security in its relations with China and the South China Sea. And the Philippines is a key strategic position in the center of the Pacific Ocean.

2016-2022 - Rodrigo Duterte

After Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, he adjusted the foreign policy that leaned toward the United States and had been in place since of the administration of Benigno S. Aquino III. Duterte refocused the policy on domestic economic development and social stability to keep his country from serving as cannon fodder for the United States' strategy of containing China in the Indo-Pacific region.Balancing the relationship with all parties without siding with any particular one of them has become a distinctive feature of the current foreign policy of the Duterte government. In this context, the Philippine government is no longer as enthusiastic about U.S.-Philippine diplomatic relations and frequent military exercises as it was before. President Rodrigo Duterte steered the countrys foreign policy towards a more nationalist narrative, marking a shift from recent Philippine leaders. Under Aquino, the Philippines had forged closer military ties with the United States to deal with the China threat. But Rodrigo Duterte, elected President in 2016, cast doubt on that strategy. He also sought to heal relations with China rather than inflame them by pressing the tribunal's ruling.

Duterte campaigned on a promise that like in his southern Philippine city, he would kill criminals. Human Rights Watch and the Philippine Commission on Human Rights tracked more than 1,400 extrajudicial killings in Davao over a 17-year period through 2015. In profanity-laced speeches Duterte at times taunted human rights adherents to come after him and at other times said ridding the country of criminals would all be done within legal bounds.

In the days following the 09 May 2016 election, Washington was vigilant about any possible human rights violations under the Duterte administration. US law restricts the provision of funds to units of foreign security forces when the Department of State has credible evidence that the unit has committed gross violations of human rights. Agency guidance extends these restrictions to individuals of foreign security forces and requires posts to establish procedures to vet candidates for US sponsored training for possible violations.

The US would take a wait and see stance on whether the campaign rhetoric would come to bear and if it did, he said the US would likely make known its grave concern over human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.

Duterte in an August speech responded to US Ambassador to Manila Philip Goldbergs criticism of his comment about wanting to rape a beautiful Australian missionary. Im fighting with (US Secretary of State John Kerrys) ambassador. His gay ambassador, the son of a whore. He pissed me off.

US President Barack Obama cancelled a planned meeting with Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte, the White House said 05 September 2016, after his Asian ally launched a foul-mouthed tirade against him. Duterte called Obama a "son of a whore" hours earlier, vowing he would not allow the American leader to lecture him on human rights. "President Obama will not be holding a bilateral meeting with President Duterte of the Philippines this afternoon," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.

Obama had been set for a showdown with firebrand Duterte. The pair were scheduled to meet in Laos at a gathering organised by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, an annual event meant to foster harmony that often instead highlights regional rows. However, shortly before flying to the capital Vientiane, Duterte launched a tirade at Obama. "Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum," Duterte told reporters when asked about Obama's plans to raise concerns over a war on crime in the Philippines that has seen more than 2,400 people killed.

The focus was meant to be on the surprising spat between the two longtime allies that have seen relations plunge under a barrage of foul-mouthed insults from Duterte since he came to office on June 30. Duterte had previously also branded the US ambassador to Manila a "son of a whore" -- a term the acid-tongued former prosecutor commonly uses -- and criticised the US over its own track record of police killings.

"I am not a fan of the Americans Filipinos should be first before everybody else, Mr. Duterte told reporters 11 September 2016. In our relations to the world, the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy. I repeat: The Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy, Mr. Duterte said.

Further evidence of Duterte's approach came in an address to civil servants 12 September 2016 as the president called for US military advisers to be withdrawn from Southern Mindanao where Philippine troops had been battling Muslim insurgents. US special forces had been in the region to help with countererrorism operations since 2002. Duterte said as long as we stay with America, we will never have peace in [Mindanao]. We might as well give up. He said he had long wanted to review foreign policy, but he could not because he did not want a rift with America. But they have to go, he said, warning if Americans are seen in the region they will be taken hostage or killed. During the speech, Duterte held aloft photos and accounts of US troops who in 1906 were accused of atrocities against Muslims during a rebellion against American rule.

The photos showed the US soldiers with dead Moro rebels and civilians killed in Jolo in 1906 during the Filipino-American war. It is a lingering skeleton which in a sense, removes the moral ascendancy of those who criticizes the Philippines regarding the human rights killings. So in a sense, what Im saying is this skeleton in the closet erodes the moral ascendancy of anybody who has not sufficiently addressed their own faults, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

Initially there were no signs that Duterte was interested in scuttling the broader US-Philippines defense agreement. Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay and senior military leaders said Dutertes comments were not a sign that agreements between the United States and the Philippines would be abrogated.

Malacanang clarified that President Rodrigo Dutertes pronouncement that US troops should leave Mindanao is not yet a policy of the present administration. It is not a policy yet. Nobody acted on it yet but these are backgrounders for possible future action, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a media briefing.

On September 9, 2016 the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines voiced "growing concern over developments that could harm the long-standing optimism of American business to invest in the Philippines. ... the increased number of killings during the heightened anti-drug campaign is harming the countrys image, as portrayed by international media, and some investors are now asking whether this campaign reduces the rule of law. In addition, traditionally excellent bilateral relations between the United States and the Philippines have recently been strained by language from Philippine leaders. Although statements of regret soon followed, such words and their international policy also create investor concern."

Duterte said 26 September 2016 he wanted all US forces out of his country's south, where they have been advising local troops battling Muslim extremists. Duterte blamed the US for the restiveness of Muslim militants in the region, marking the first time he has publicly opposed the presence of American troops in the country. Duterte did not set any deadline or say how the withdrawal would proceed, but said the Americans were high-value targets for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf as counterinsurgency operations intensify. Those special forces, they have to go, they have to go... I do not want a rift with America, but they have to go...It will just get more tense. If they [Muslim militants] see Americans there, they will really kill them. They will try to get ransom, then kill them," he said.

The State Department characterized Duterte's comments as "unhelpful." Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon interpreted Dutertes statement claiming that what he meant was the upcoming war exercises will be the last only for the year.

Duterte said 28 September 2016 that a joint military exercise scheduled for early October 2016 between his country and the United States would be the last between the two countries. Duterte said the Philippines will honor its existing security treaties, but will not take part in any South China Sea patrols with the United States, in order to avoid getting dragged into any conflict between Washington and Beijing. "So I am serving notice now to the Americans and to those around: I will maintain the military alliance because there is the R.P.-U.S. pact which our countries signed in the early '50s, but I will establish new alliances for trade and commerce, Duterte said. And [we] are scheduled to hold war games again, which China does not want. I would serve notice ... now that this will be the last military exercise. Jointly, Philippines-U.S., the last one."

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) welcomed the statement of President Duterte declaring that war exercises to be conducted next week by US military forces will be the last. The peace-loving and patriotic Filipino people are pleased that the GRP President has heeded their clamor to put an end to US military exercises in the Philippines, which have long violated Philippine sovereignty and served as an insult on their national dignity, said the CPP.

Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said 07 October 2016 that the president intends to halt the 28 military exercises carried out by the two countries every year. Duterte has said that the current joint exercise will be the last during his six-year presidency. The defense minister also announced that the Philippines would expel the 107 US troops monitoring surveillance drones against Islamic militants as soon as the country had acquired similar intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay wrote, Breaking away from the shackling dependency of the Philippines to effectively address both internal and external security threats has become imperative in putting an end to our nation's subservience to United States' interests.

Duterte took a jab, not only at the United States or President Barack Obama, but at the American people themselves, in a speech in front of Chinese businessmen and government officials. Americans are loud, sometimes rowdy. Their larynx is not adjusted to civility, said Duterte on 20 October 2016, before mimicking an American accent. The audience, for the most part, laughed at Dutertes anti-American jokes and clapped loudly when he praised China. I announce my separation from the United States, both in military but economics also. So, please, you have another problem of economics in my country. I am separated from them so I will be dependent on you for a long time, Duterte said, before chuckling. He said America has lost in the areas of politics and culture, and that he is ready to shift gears.... I realign myself in your ideological flow and maybe I would also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are 3 of us against the world  China, Philippines, Russia.

Denouncing the neo-colonial nature of US-Philippine bilateral relations, people's movements representing Indigenous and national minorities flooded the streets of Manila on 21 October 2016, burning U.S. flags and calling for the termination of unjust agreements with their former colonizer. At stake is the future of the Mutual Defense Treaty, Mutual Logistics Support Agreement, Visiting Forces Agreement and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, as well as the militarization of civilian rural communities. The human rights organization Karapatan noted that "... the utter truth of the matter is, they should really get the hell out of our country for all the crimes they perpetrated versus the Filipino people."

Dutertes officials were left scrambling to explain and interpret their presidents statements for the media, while White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters there had been too many troubling public statements from President Duterte over the last several months. Duterte seemed to walk back his previous statement. Speaking from his home city of Davao, Duterte told reporters that a full separation was unfeasible. Its not a severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations, the president explained. I cannot do that. Why? Its for the best interests of my country that we maintain that relationship, he said. Duterte then tried to reframe his earlier speech, explaining that the Philippines was not seeking to sever ties, but to pursue its own independent policies. What I was really saying was, separation of a foreign policy, he continued. In the past, and until I became president, we always followed what the US would give the cue. What he would give, the cue, that we are there, we are there, we follow. I wont follow. As to maintaining military ties with the United States, Duterte said he would need to consult with his police and military.

The Philippines foreign affairs secretary attempted to clarify his country's relationship with the United States. While calling the United States the "closest friend" of the Philippines, foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay said that the country must separate from its "former colonial master" in order to advance its growth and international relations. "Indeed, breaking away from our closest friend, only military ally and strategic partner would not be in our best national interest. ... And yet, separation from our former colonial master is demanded in pursuing our independent foreign policy. It implies breaking away from the debilitating mindset of dependency and subservience - economically and militarily - that have perpetuated our "little brown brother" image to America, which has stunted our growth and advancement."

One question was whether Duterte was willing to sacrifice the country's regional security alliance and its economic interests in his pro-China push. The Philippine economy is far more intertwined with the US than with China. The US accounts for a third of the billions of dollars in remittances transferred to the country by the Filipino diaspora. The US is also a much bigger source of foreign investment in the Philippines than China. And the most important sector of the nation's economy - the business process outsourcing industry - is a major source of economic growth and job creation. The service providers predominantly work with US clients.

The Third Quarter 2016 Social Weather Survey was conducted 24-27 September 2016 via face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide and with a 3 percentage-point sampling error margin -- found 55% of Filipinos having little trust, 19% undecided, and 22% having much trust in China. That yielded a bad -33 net trust in the Philippines giant northern neighbor. the US has been in positive territory since it first surveyed the superpower in December 1994. Its score has ranged since then from a moderate +18 in May 2005 to an excellent +82 in December 2013, and has been above +60 since June 2010. Dutertes pivot was questioned by some analysts who noted that the Philippine economy cannot afford to decouple drastically from its traditional ally and former colonial power.

Duterte downgraded security ties with America, threatening to expel US soldiers stationed in the Philippines and cancelling major war games in the contested South China Sea. He also restricted US access to Philippine bases under the newly implemented Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. All of a sudden, the US seemed on the verge of losing its oldest ally in Asia, with China rapidly filling in the vacuum.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said 07 November 2016 that the security alliance with the United States, including the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows prolonged deployment of American forces in the country, would not be scrapped. "It will remain," Lorenzana told reporters, referring to the strategic alliance with Washington. "No, it will not be abrogated. But we will reduce the number of activities." The navy exercises CARAT, or cooperation afloat readiness and training, and Phiblex, a marine amphibious landing exercise, would be cancellled. Both are held annually. Lorenzana said the war games called Balikatan (Shoulder-to-shoulder) involving thousands of American and Filipino soldiers and marines would continue, but would be re-focused to humanitarian, engineering and civic action activities. The Philippines will cut to six or seven the number of military drills with the US set for 2017, from an initial figure of more than a dozen.

The Philippines wont send a new ambassador to the United States in the near future simply because the countrys controversial strongman president, Rodrigo Duterte, doesnt feel like it. In the USA, we dont have an ambassador. No ambassador will go there. Until now, we do not have an ambassador in the United States. I dont feel like sending one, Duterte said while delivering a speech in Davao City 02 February 2017. President Duterte did not offer any further explanation for his comment. It had been seven months since the Philippines had an ambassador to the US. The Philippines Embassy, however, was still operational under the leadership of a deputy ambassador.

In some circumstances, if you condition our national security efforts on someone adopting our values, we probably cant achieve our national security goals, Tillerson said in a speech 03 May 2017 to State Department employees meant to outline to what America First means in diplomatic terms. It really creates obstacles to our ability to advance our national security interests, our economic interests. Tillerson said It doesnt mean that we leave those values on the sidelines. It doesnt mean that we dont advocate for and aspire to freedom, human dignity, and the treatment of people the world over.

Donald Trump invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Washington to discuss various issues, including the threat North Korea presents to regional security. After the two spoke by phone 29 April 2017, a White House statement said, It was a very friendly conversation, in which the two leaders discussed the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea. Trumps White House invitation to Duterte was somewhat surprising. Duterte has been fanatical about making the Philippines drug-free. Human Rights Watch says since Duterte came into office in June 2016, police and unidentified gunmen had murdered more than 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers.

Trump praised Duterte's immensely polarizing drug war, in which death squads have murdered thousands of people, during the 29 April 2017 phone call. Trump congratulated Duterte on doing an unbelievable job on the drug problem. According to a transcript made by the Philippine government, Trump said, Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that. Trump, who affectionately referred to Duterte as Rodrigo during their chat, took an unsolicited swipe at Barack Obama. I fully understand that and I think we had a previous president who did not understand that, Donald said. You are a good man Keep up the good work. You are doing an amazing job.

Donald Trump held bilateral talks with his Filipino counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, ahead of the East Asia Summit in the Philippines. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on 12 November 2017 told reporters the issue of human rights did come up in Trumps talks with Duterte. But the Philippines presidents spokesman insisted it did not. Phil Robertson, deputy director in Asia for Human Rights Watch, told VOA The idea that somehow the U.S. had a special role in protecting human rights and democracy around the world is now as dead and buried as all of the Duterte drug war victims that Trump declined with discuss in Manila."

The Philippine government has said it is temporarily suspending the termination of its military pact with the United States that allows joint military exercises with US forces. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr announced on 02 June 2020 that due to the "political and other developments in the region", the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) had been extended for at least six months.

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Do Not Sell My Personal Information
China Stresses Peaceful, Open Cyberspace in New Security Strategy

Sputnik News

08:52 27.12.2016(updated 09:04 27.12.2016)

The Cyberspace Administration of China released a new cyberspace security strategy, which emphasizes peace, protection and cooperation, Chinese media reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Chinese government vows to crack down on cybercrime, protect national security and ensure international cooperation, according to Xinhua news agency.

In November, Beijing adopted a new cybersecurity law, which worried technology companies around the world, who saw the new legislation as protectionist.

The law allows security agencies to take measures, including assets freezes, against organizations or individuals suspected of interfering with or attacking China's information infrastructure.

It also stipulates for companies operating in China to store personal user and business information when carrying out operations on Chinese-based servers. The information could be used by government security reviews in an effort to defend against possible cyber intrusions.

 Sputnik

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White paper sets out China's vision as a space power

People's Daily Online0

(Xinhua) 19:39, December 27, 2016

China aims to become a space power, according to a white paper on the nation's space activities issued on Tuesday.

The white paper, titled "China's Space Activities in 2016," was the fourth white paper on the country's space activities issued by the State Council Information Office, following the previous three in 2000, 2006 and 2011.

"The white paper sets out our vision of China as a space power, independently researching, innovating, discovering and training specialist personnel," said Wu Yanhua, deputy chief of the China National Space Administration at a press conference.

China's space industry took off 60 years ago and April 24 was declared National Space Day in 2016 as a focus for pioneering spirit and enthusiasm for innovation, Wu said.

PEACEFUL USE OF SPACE

China always adheres to the principle of the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and opposes the weaponization of or an arms race in outer space, the white paper said.

The country develops and utilizes space resources in a prudent manner, takes effective measures to protect the space environment to ensure a peaceful and clean outer space and guarantee that its space activities benefit the whole of mankind.

In the next five years and beyond China will uphold the concepts of innovative, balanced, green, open and shared development, and promote the comprehensive development of space science, space technology and space applications, so as to contribute to both serving national development and improving the well-being of mankind, according to the white paper.

RAPID PROGRESS SINCE 2011

The new developments are "manifested by markedly enhanced capacity in independent innovation and access to outer space," and "constant improvement in space infrastructure," said the white paper.

The progress is also evidenced by "smooth implementation of major projects such as manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, the BeiDou Navigation System and high-resolution earth observation system, and substantial achievements in space science, technology and applications."

According to the white paper, "the Long March carrier rocket series completed 86 launch missions, sending over 100 spacecraft into target orbit" from 2011 to November 2016.

In September and October 2016, the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft were launched and formed an assembly that operates steadily, with the mission of carrying out science and technology experiments in space, the white paper said.

The mission indicates that "China has mastered technologies concerning astronauts' mid-term stay in orbit, and long-term ground mission support," according to the white paper.

TASKS FOR NEXT FIVE YEARS

China will continue its lunar exploration project in the next five years, and strive to attain the automated extraterrestrial sampling and returning technology by space explorers.

Around 2018, the nation will carry out the Chang'e-4 mission to achieve the first soft landing of mankind's probe on the far side of the moon.

The Chang'e-4 lunar probe will "conduct in situ and roving detection and relay communications at earth-moon L2 point."

China plans to launch its first Mars probe by 2020 and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration.

It will conduct further studies and key technological research on the bringing back of samples from Mars, asteroid exploration, exploration of the Jupiter system and planet fly-by exploration, according to the white paper.

China plans to form a BeiDou network consisting of 35 satellites for global navigation services by 2020, and to start providing basic services to countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in 2018.

China will activate the heavy-lift launch vehicle project in next five years, according to the white paper.

"Endeavors will be made to research key technologies and further study the plans for developing heavy-lift launch vehicles," said the document.

Breakthroughs are expected in key technologies for the overall system, high-thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene engines, and oxygen and hydrogen engines of such launch vehicles.

INT'L COOPERATION

Since 2011 China has signed 43 space cooperation agreements or memoranda of understanding with 29 countries, space agencies and international organizations.

China has taken part in relevant activities sponsored by the United Nations and other relevant international organizations, and supported international commercial cooperation in space. These measures have yielded fruitful results.

In the next five years China will conduct extensive international exchanges and cooperation concerning space in several key areas, such as construction of the BRICS remote-sensing satellite constellation, and construction of the Belt and Road Initiative Space Information Corridor.

Moreover, cooperative researches on space law, policy and standards and personnel exchanges will be further enhanced in the space field.

"China always adheres to the principle that international exchanges and cooperation should be strengthened on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, peaceful utilization and inclusive development." the white paper said.

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S.Korean presidential hopeful raises doubt about THAAD capability, aim behind deployment

People's Daily Online0

(Xinhua) 19:56, December 27, 2016

A rising South Korean presidential hopeful in the opposition bloc raised doubts about the capability of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and the possibly hidden aim behind the agreed-upon deployment of the U.S. missile defense system in South Korean soil.

Lee Jae-myung, mayor of Seongnam, a city to the southeast of capital Seoul, told foreign correspondents in Seoul that the U.S. anti-missile system would never help South Korea defend its metropolitan area from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s missile attacks.

Seoul and Washington agreed in July to install one THAAD battery by the end of next year in southeastern South Korea. Given the limited intercepting capability, THAAD interceptors are incapable of reaching the capital city and its adject areas, where about half of the country's 50 million population reside.

DPRK missiles targing the South Korean territory are known to fly at a much lower altitude than the one at which THAAD interceptors travel, bolstering doubts about the U.S. missile shield's capability to shoot down missiles from the northern neighbor.

The United States, the mayor said, wants THAAD deployed in South Korea as part of its missile defense strategy in Northeast Asia, but his country will suffer from losses rather than make gains in consideration of the damaged ties with China.

Mayor Lee said China has opposed the THAAD deployment as it sees the THAAD's X-band radar as a kind of eye that can peer into Chinese territory in cooperation with Japan and the U.S.

He argued for South Korea's adoption of an indepeedent, balanced diplomacy between China and the U.S., saying Seoul should refrain from siding with one party.

Seoul needs to expand and develop its alliance with Washington, but the country should not give up its relations with China by pushing through the THAAD installation, the mayor of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party said.

Touching on the agreement reached last December between South Korea and Japan on so-called comfort women, Lee called for a thorough re-examination of it that was against the will of the comfort women victims and caused strong public objections.

The victims of comfort women, a euphemism for Korean women who were lured or forced into sexual slavery for Japanese military brothels during World War II, demanded the agreement be cancelled and called for Japan led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to sincerely apologize for and take legal responsibility for past atrocities.

Mayor Lee expressed his objection to the signing of the South Korea-Japan accord to directly exchange military intelligence on the DPRK's nuclear program, saying Japan has yet to eliminate its military hostility against South Korea.

The bilateral military intelligence pact was inked on Nov. 23 despite strong oppositions here from the parliament and the public. Historical and territorial disputes between Seoul and Tokyo are going on as the Abe-led cabinet is increasingly leaning toward the militaristic ambition.

The mayor said Japan has yet to make a sincere apology for its past aggression of the Korean Peninsula, which had been placed under the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

He pointed out the neighboring country's repeated territorial claims over Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan, which South Korea retrieved following its liberation from the Japanese colonization.

Regarding his country's policy toward the DPRK, Lee said South Korea must take all available measures, including dialogue and negotiations as well as pressure and sanctions, to defuse tensions on the peninsula.

For the past decade when the South Korean government under President Park Geun-hye and her predecessor Lee Myung-bak only adopted a hard-line policy, the DPRK's nuclear capability ironically advanced at a faster pace, the mayor noted.

If he is elected as next South Korean president, Lee said he will sit down face-to-face with top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, adding that the DPRK is a counterpart with which South Korea should co-exist and ultimately unite even though it is currently hostile with South Korea from the military perspective.

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China's Space Activities in 2016

The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China

December 2016

Contents

Preamble

I. Purposes, Vision and Principles of Development

II. Major Developments Since 2011

III. Major Tasks for the Next Five Years

IV. Policies and Measures for Development

V. International Exchanges and Cooperation

Conclusion

Preamble

Space activities make up one of the most challenging hi-tech fields which exert enormous impact on other fields. Space activities have greatly improved man's knowledge of space, and provide an important driving force for social progress. Currently, more and more countries, including developing ones, are making the development of space activities an important strategic choice. Thus space activities around the world are flourishing.

The Chinese government takes the space industry as an important part of the nation's overall development strategy, and adheres to the principle of exploration and utilization of outer space for peaceful purposes. Over the past 60 years of remarkable development since its space industry was established in 1956, China has made great achievements in this sphere, including the development of atomic and hydrogen bombs, missiles, man-made satellites, manned spaceflight and lunar probe. It has opened up a path of self-reliance and independent innovation, and has created the spirit of China's space industry. To carry forward this spirit and stimulate enthusiasm for innovation, the Chinese government set April 24 as China's Space Day in 2016.

"To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly." In the next five years and beyond China will uphold the concepts of innovative, balanced, green, open and shared development, and promote the comprehensive development of space science, space technology and space applications, so as to contribute more to both serving national development and improving the well-being of mankind.

To enable the world community to better understand China's space industry, we are publishing this white paper to offer a brief introduction to the major achievements China has made in this field since 2011, its main tasks in the next five years, and its international exchanges and cooperation efforts.

I. Purposes, Vision and Principles of Development

1. Purposes

To explore outer space and enhance understanding of the earth and the cosmos; to utilize outer space for peaceful purposes, promote human civilization and social progress, and benefit the whole of mankind; to meet the demands of economic, scientific and technological development, national security and social progress; and to improve the scientific and cultural levels of the Chinese people, protect China's national rights and interests, and build up its overall strength.

2. Vision

To build China into a space power in all respects, with the capabilities to make innovations independently, to make scientific discovery and research at the cutting edge, to promote strong and sustained economic and social development, to effectively and reliably guarantee national security, to exercise sound and efficient governance, and to carry out mutually beneficial international exchanges and cooperation; to have an advanced and open space science and technology industry, stable and reliable space infrastructure, pioneering and innovative professionals, and a rich and profound space spirit; to provide strong support for the realization of the Chinese Dream of the renewal of the Chinese nation, and make positive contributions to human civilization and progress.

3. Principles

China's space industry is subject to and serves the national overall development strategy, and adheres to the principles of innovative, coordinated, peaceful and open development.

- Innovative development. China takes independent innovation as the core of the development of its space industry. It implements major space science and technology projects, strengthens scientific exploration and technological innovation, deepens institutional reforms, and stimulates innovation and creativity, working to promote rapid development of the space industry.

- Coordinated development. China rationally allocates various resources, encourages and guides social forces to take an orderly part in space development. All space activities are coordinated under an overall plan of the state to promote the comprehensive development of space science, space technology and space applications, and to improve the quality and efficiency of overall space development.

- Peaceful development. China always adheres to the principle of the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and opposes the weaponization of or an arms race in outer space. The country develops and utilizes space resources in a prudent manner, takes effective measures to protect the space environment to ensure a peaceful and clean outer space and guarantee that its space activities benefit the whole of mankind.

- Open development. China persists in combining independence and self-reliance with opening to the outside world and international cooperation. It actively engages in international exchanges and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, peaceful utilization, and inclusive development, striving to promote progress of space industry for mankind as a whole and its long-term sustainable development.

II. Major Developments Since 2011

Since 2011 China's space industry has witnessed rapid progress manifested by markedly enhanced capacity in independent innovation and access to outer space, constant improvement in space infrastructure, smooth implementation of major projects such as manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, the Beidou Navigation System and high-resolution earth observation system, and substantial achievements in space science, technology and applications.

1.Space transportation system

From 2011 to November 2016 the Long March carrier rocket series completed 86 launch missions, sending over 100 spacecraft into target orbit with a success rate of 97.67 percent, indication of increasing effectiveness and high-density launching capability of carrier rockets. The Long March 5 (CZ-5), China's newest generation of carrier rockets with a maximum carrying capacity, made its maiden flight, and increased the diameter of liquid fuel rocket from 3.35 m to 5 m, with a maximum payload capacity of about 25 tons to low earth orbit and about 14 tons to geostationary transfer orbit, significantly improving the carrying capacity of the Long March rocket family and becoming a symbol of the upgrading of China's carrier rockets. The development of the 120-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engine was test fired, which powered Long March 6 and Long March 7 on their maiden flights. The Long March 11, a solid-fuel carrier rocket, also made a successful maiden launch, further enriching the Long March rocket family.

2. Man-made satellites

(1) Earth observation satellites. The function of the Fengyun (Wind and Cloud), Haiyang (Ocean), Ziyuan (Resources), Gaofen (High Resolution), Yaogan (Remote-Sensing) and Tianhui (Space Mapping) satellite series and constellation of small satellites for environment and disaster monitoring and forecasting has been improved. The Fengyun polar orbit meteorological satellite has succeeded in networking observation by morning and afternoon satellites, while its geostationary earth orbit (GEO) meteorological satellite has formed a business mode of "multi-satellites in orbit, coordinated operation, mutual backup and encryption at the appropriate time." The Haiyang-2 satellite is capable of all-weather, full-time and high-accuracy observation of marine dynamic parameters such as sea height, sea wave and sea surface wind. The Ziyuan-1 02C satellite was launched, the Ziyuan-3 01 and 02 stereo mapping satellites have achieved double star networking and operating. The China High-resolution Earth Observation System program has been fully implemented; the Gaofen-2 is capable of sub-meter optical remote-sensing observation, the Gaofen-3 has a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging instrument that is accurate to one meter and the Gaofen-4 is China's first geosynchronous orbit high-resolution earth observation satellite. Satellite C of the environment and disaster monitoring and forecasting small satellite constellation has been put into use. The successful launching of the Kuaizhou-1 and Kuaizhou-2, which adopted integrated design of the satellite and the launch vehicle, has improved China's emergency response capability in space. The Jilin-1, a high-resolution remote-sensing satellite for commercial use has been launched and put into service.

(2) Communications and broadcasting satellites. China has comprehensively advanced the construction of fixed, mobile and data relay satellite systems. The successful launch of communications satellites such as Yatai and Zhongxing represented the completion of a fixed communications satellite support system whose communications services cover all of China's territory as well as major areas of the world. The Tiantong-1, China's first mobile communications satellite, has been successfully launched. The first-generation data relay satellite system composed of three Tianlian-1 satellites has been completed, and high-speed communication test of satellite-ground laser link has been crowned with success. In addition, the development of the DFH-5 super communications satellite platform is going smoothly.

(3) Navigation and positioning satellites. The Beidou Navigation Satellite System (Beidou-2) has been completed, with the networking of 14 Beidou navigation satellites, officially offering positioning, velocity measurement, timing, wide area difference and short-message communication service to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. Beidou's global satellite navigation system is undergoing smooth construction.

(4) New technological test satellites. China has launched the Shijian-9 satellite series for technological experiments, providing an important way to test new technologies.

3. Manned spaceflight

In June 2012 and June 2013, the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft were launched to dock with the target spacecraft Tiangong-1. They used manual and automatic operations respectively, symbolizing breakthroughs for China in spacecraft rendezvous and docking technology and full success in its first operation of a manned space transportation system. In September and October 2016 the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft were launched and formed an assembly that operates steadily, with the mission of carrying out science and technology experiments in space, indicating that China has mastered technologies concerning astronauts' mid-term stay in orbit, and long-term ground mission support. Currently, China has mastered major space technologies such as manned space transportation, space extravehicular activity, space docking, operating in assembly and astronauts' mid-term stay in orbit.

4. Deep space exploration

In December 2012 the Chang'e-2 lunar probe made a successful observation trip over asteroid 4179 (Toutatis). In December 2013 the Chang'e-3 realized the first soft landing on the surface of an extraterrestrial body by a Chinese spacecraft and completed patrol and exploration on the surface of the moon. In November 2014 China achieved success in the reentry and return flight test of the third-phase lunar exploration engineering, indicating that China has mastered the key technology of spacecraft reentry and return flight in a speed close to second cosmic velocity.

The Lunar Exploration Program helped mankind to acquire a high-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridum, and conducted research of lunar surface morphology, lunar structure, elemental composition of the lunar surface, lunar surface environment, lunar space environment and moon-based astronomical observation.

5. Space launch sites

In June 2016 the Wenchang Launch Site held its first launch, marking a new-generation launch site designed and built by China. The site is environmentally friendly and made breakthroughs in innovation. Renovations have also been accomplished in the Jiuquan, Taiyuan and Xichang launch sites, forming a launch site network covering both coastal and inland areas, high and low altitudes, and various trajectories to satisfy the launch needs of manned spaceships, space laboratory core modules, deep space probes and all kinds of satellites.

6. Space Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C)

The Tianlian-1 data relay satellite series have achieved global networking and operating. The Yuanwang-7, a spacecraft tracking ship has made its maiden voyage. Deep space TT&C stations have been built and put into use. China is constantly improving its space telemetry, tracking and command setups, and established a multi-functioning TT&C network featuring space, marine and ground integration with a proper scale. The flight control ability of spacecraft has been gradually improved, completing the TT&C missions of the Shenzhou spacecraft series, Tiangong-1 target spacecraft, Chang'e lunar probe series and earth orbit satellites.

7. Space applications

(1) Application of earth observation satellites. The ground system and applications of earth observation satellites are improving, the fields and levels in which these satellites are used are expanding and the application benefits are growing. The ground stations receiving data from land, ocean and meteorological observation satellites are operating based on comprehensive planning, a satellite data ground network with the capacity of receiving data from high- and low-orbit satellites and reasonable arrangement at home and abroad. China has also established, based on comprehensive planning, a ground data processing system for earth observation satellites, common application supporting platform, and multi-level network data distribution system, greatly increasing its ability in data processing, archiving, distribution, services provision and quantitative applications. Industrial application system building is in full swing, having completed 18 industrial and two regional application demonstration systems, and set up 26 provincial-level data and application centers. An integrated information service sharing platform for a high-resolution earth observation system has been built. Earth observation satellite data is now widely used in industrial, regional and public services for economic and social development.

(2) Application of communications and broadcasting satellites. The ground facilities such as TT&C station, gateway station, uplink station and calibration field of communications satellites have been improved. A satellite communications network and satellite radio and TV network of adequate scale to meet the needs of certain services have been built, further improving the communications service ability. These applications play an important role in radio and television services, distance education and telemedicine. The emergency satellite communications system has provided important support for the fight against flood and drought, for rescue and relief work, and for handling major emergencies.

(3) Application of navigation and positioning satellites. The Beidou Navigation Satellite System has significantly improved its accuracy and reliability, bringing into play an independent, controllable, complete and mature Beidou industrial chain and the three systems of Beidou industrial guarantee, application promotion and innovation. The Beidou Navigation System is widely used in transportation, maritime fisheries, hydrological monitoring, weather forecasting, surveying and mapping, forest fire prevention, time synchronization of communication, power dispatching, disaster reduction and relief and emergency rescue, influencing all aspects of people's life and production, and injecting new vitality into global economic and social development.

(4) Transformation and application of space technology. A new business model featuring the Internet plus satellite applications is coming into being, providing more convenient and high-quality services to the public. Secondary development, transformation and applications of space technology make possible the provision of high-quality products and services to relevant industries, and help to support and propel the development of new materials, intelligent manufacturing and electronic information, among others.

8. Space science

(1) Space science satellites. China has successfully launched the Dark Matter Particle Explorer, Shijian-10 and Quantum Science Experiment Satellite, offering important means for frontier scientific research.

(2) Space environment scientific experiments. China has carried out a series of space science experiments using space science satellites, Chang'e lunar probe, Shenzhou spacecraft series and Tiangong-1 target aircraft, deepening the understanding of the mechanism of biological growth and materials preparation under the conditions of space microgravity and intense radiation, and achieving some influential research findings.

(3) Space environment detection and forecast. China has identified the space environment's major parameters and effects using space science satellites and the Shenzhou spacecraft series to provide space environmental monitoring and forecasting services for the safe operation of spacecraft.

9. Space debris

China has improved the monitoring and mitigation of and early warning and protection against space debris. It has also enhanced standards and regulations in this regard. The monitoring of and early warning against space debris have been put into regular operation, ensuring the safe operation of spacecraft in orbit. China has also made breakthroughs in protection design technologies, applying them to the protection projects of spacecraft against space debris. In addition, all Long March carrier rockets have upper stage passivation, and discarded spacecraft are moved out of orbit to protect the space environment.

III. Major Tasks for the Next Five Years

In the next five years China plans to expedite the development of its space endeavors by continuing to enhance the basic capacities of its space industry, strengthen research into key and cutting-edge technologies, and implement manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, high-resolution earth observation system, new-generation launch vehicles and other important projects. Furthermore, the country is to launch new key scientific and technological programs and major projects, complete, by and large, its space infrastructure system, expand its space applications in breadth and depth, and further conduct research into space science, promoting the integrated development of space science, technology and applications.

1. Space transport system

We will develop and launch medium-lift launch vehicles which are non-toxic and pollution-free, improve the new-generation launch vehicle family, and enhance their reliability.

Endeavors will be made to research key technologies and further study the plans for developing heavy-lift launch vehicles. Breakthroughs are expected in key technologies for the overall system, high-thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene engines, and oxygen and hydrogen engines of such launch vehicles. Thereafter the heavy-lift launch vehicle project will be activated.

China will conduct research into the technologies for low-cost launch vehicles, new upper stage and the reusable space transportation system between the earth and low-earth orbit.

2. Space infrastructure

China is to improve its satellite systems and their basic related items, develop the three major satellite systems of remote-sensing, communications and broadcasting, and navigation and positioning, and build a space-ground integrated information network. In this way, a space infrastructure system capable of providing steady and sustained services will take shape, boosting the satellite and related applications industrial sector.

(1) Satellite remote-sensing system. In accordance with the policy guideline for developing multi-functional satellites, and creating networks of satellites and integrating them, we will focus on three series of satellites for observing the land, ocean and atmosphere, respectively. China is to develop and launch satellites capable of high-resolution multi-mode optical observation, L-band differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar imaging, carbon monitoring of the territorial ecosystem, atmospheric Lidar detection, ocean salinity detection and new-type ocean color observation. We will take steps to build our capabilities of highly efficient, comprehensive global observation and data acquisition with a rational allocation of low-, medium- and high-spatial resolution technologies, and an optimized combination of multiple observation methods. China will make overall construction and improvement on remote-sensing satellite receiving station networks, calibration and validation fields, data centers, data-sharing platforms and common application supporting platforms to provide remote-sensing satellite data receiving services across the world.

(2) Satellite communications and broadcasting system. This system is oriented toward industrial and market applications, and mainly operates through business models while meeting public welfare needs. China will develop both fixed and mobile communications and broadcasting as well as data relay satellites, build a space-ground integrated information network consisting of space-based systems such as high-earth-orbit broadband satellite systems and low-earth-orbit mobile satellite systems, and ground-based systems such as satellite-access stations. TT&C stations, gateway stations, uplink stations, calibration fields and other satellite ground facilities are to be built synchronously. These efforts are expected to bring about a comprehensive system capable of providing broadband communications, fixed communications, direct-broadcast television, mobile communications and mobile multimedia broadcast services. A global satellite communications and broadcasting system integrated with the ground communications network will be established step by step.

(3) Satellite navigation system. China is to continuously enhance the service capacities of the Beidou-2. With sustained efforts in building the Beidou global system, we plan to start providing basic services to countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in 2018, form a network consisting of 35 satellites for global services by 2020, and provide all clients with more accurate and more reliable services through advancing the ground-based and satellite-based augmentation systems in an integrated way.

3. Manned spaceflight

China plans to launch the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft to dock with the earth-orbiting Tiangong-2 space laboratory, and research and master key technologies for cargo transport and replenishment to accumulate experience in building and operating a space station.

We aim to complete the main research and development work on the space station modules, and start assembly and operation of the space station.

We strive to acquire key technologies and conduct experiments on such technologies to raise our manned spaceflight capacity, laying a foundation for exploring and developing cislunar space.

4. Deep-space exploration

China will continue its lunar exploration project, and strive to attain the automated extraterrestrial sampling and returning technology by space explorers. We plan to fulfill the three strategic steps of "orbiting, landing and returning" for the lunar exploration project by launching the Chang' e-5 lunar probe by the end of 2017 and realizing regional soft landing, sampling and return. We will launch the Chang'e-4 lunar probe around 2018 to achieve mankind' s first soft landing on the far side of the moon, and conduct in situ and roving detection and relay communications at earth-moon L2 point. Through the lunar exploration project, topographic and geological surveys will be implemented and laboratory research conducted on lunar samples; geological survey and research as well as low-frequency radio astronomy observation and research will be carried out targeting the landing area on the far side of the moon for a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the moon.

China intends to execute its first Mars exploration operation, and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration. It plans to launch the first Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration. It will conduct further studies and key technological research on the bringing back of samples from Mars, asteroid exploration, exploration of the Jupiter system and planet fly-by exploration. When conditions allow, related projects will be implemented to conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life.

5. Experiments on new space technologies

China is to perform experiments on new space technologies to provide solid technological support for its space industry.

China will develop and launch technology experiment satellites, including the Shijian-13, Shijian-17 and Shijian-18, and a global carbon dioxide monitoring satellite, and conduct experiments on key technologies for new electric propulsion, laser communications and common platforms of new-generation communications satellites. It plans to build in-orbit servicing and maintenance systems for spacecraft and make in-orbit experiments on new theories, technologies and products by tapping various resources.

6. Space launch sites

China will improve its existing space launch sites by raising the reliability and IT application level and conducting adaptive improvements to ground facilities and equipment, and increasing the complementarity of mission enforcement and backup capacities of space launch sites, equipping them with basic capacities to carry out various launch missions. It will explore and advance the building of space launch sites that are open to cooperation and sharing, form a new space launch system featuring rational division of work, mutual complementarity, smooth coordination, security and reliability. The integrated capacities and functions of space launch sites will be enhanced and exploited to meet various needs.

7. Space TT&C

China will enhance its existing space TT&C systems. It aims to build and operate a second-generation relay satellite system, raise the accuracy of the orbit determination process for spacecraft, improve its TT&C capabilities in managing in-orbit spacecraft, and strengthen integrated and efficient utilization of TT&C resources, to build a space-ground integrated TT&C network featuring security, reliability, quick response, flexible access, efficient operation and diverse services. It plans to explore the development of commercial TT&C systems, seek new service modes, and intensify international cooperation and networking in the field of TT&C, forming a new TT&C service pattern marked by openness and sharing.

8. Space applications

China will improve its space application service system oriented toward industries, regions and the public, expand integrated application of space information, and improve the application and marketing of scientific and technological results. Consequently, the scale, operational standards and industrialization level of space applications will be raised to serve national security and national economic and social development.

(1) Industrial applications. In view of the need for global land surveying and geographic information acquisition, resource development and environmental protection, maritime development and management, and the protection of related rights and interests, natural disaster prevention and reduction and emergency response, global climate change control, food security, social management and public services, China plans to consolidate the integrated application of space infrastructure, and enhance its ability to provide timely, accurate and steady services.

(2) Regional applications. In view of the need for regional urban planning, construction, operation management and social services, China will develop comprehensive satellite applications, such as new urbanization layout, and smart towns and smart transport applications, to serve the coordinated development of the eastern, central, western, northeastern parts of the country, collaborated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, building of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and economic and social development of other regions in China. In addition, China will intensify its services oriented toward the nationally targeted poverty alleviation and eradication, and operate space information services targeting old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minorities regions, frontier areas, poverty-stricken areas and islands in the sea.

(3) Public services. Aiming at public information consumption and services, including smart tourism, broadcasting and TV, distance learning, telemedicine, and cultural communication, China is determined to develop smart terminals of satellite applications and wearable electronics, improve space information fusion applications, and advance the industrialization of space applications, fostering new growth points for the national economy.

9. Space science

Targeting major frontier areas of space science and technology, China will implement a series of new space science satellite programs, establish a series of space science satellites featuring sustainable development, and reinforce basic application research. Major discoveries and breakthroughs are expected in the frontier areas of space science to further mankind's knowledge of the universe.

(1) Space astronomy and space physics. China will seek evidence of the existence of dark matter by using dark matter particle exploration satellites to detect high-energy electrons and high-energy gamma rays in the universe. It plans to launch a hard X-ray modulation telescope to study the matter dynamics and high-energy radiation processes in the strong gravitational field of compact celestial bodies and black holes. Relevant resources will be brought into play for research into large-scale structure and interaction models of solar wind and the magnetosphere, and response to magnetospheric substorm change process.

(2) Scientific experiments in space. The Shijian-10 recoverable satellite, Chang'e probes, Shenzhou spacecraft, Tiangong-2 space laboratory and Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft are to be used to implement scientific experiments and research in biology, life sciences, medicine and materials in the space environment.

(3) Quantum experiments in space. Quantum experiment satellites are to be used to conduct experiments and research in the fields of quantum key transmission, quantum entanglement distribution, and quantum teleportation.

(4) Basic and applied research. China will carry out basic research into sun-earth space environment, space climate, and solar activity and its impact on space climate, and implement space-related interdisciplinary research as well. Comprehensive techniques will be developed for analyzing data from space observations on the properties of X-rays, the energy spectrum and spatial distribution of high-energy electrons and high-energy gamma rays, space physics, extraterrestrial celestial bodies, and the earth's electromagnetic field and ionosphere, to promote the application of space research findings.

10. Space environment

China will improve the standardization system for space debris, near-earth objects and space climate. It will enhance the space debris basic database and data-sharing model, and advance the development of space debris monitoring facilities, the early warning and emergency response platform and the online service system, through reinforcing integrated utilization of resources. The protection systems of spacecraft will be further strengthened. Furthermore, efforts will be made to improve the space environment monitoring system and to build a disaster early warning and prediction platform to raise our preventative capability. It will conduct studies on the building of facilities for monitoring near-earth objects, and put the plan into operation to elevate our capability to monitor and catalog such objects.

IV. Policies and Measures for Development

The Chinese government has formulated policies and measures to support the space industry and create favorable conditions for its sustainable, sound and rapid development.

The China National Space Administration is the government agency in charge of China's civil space activities and international space cooperation, and performs corresponding functions of administration.

1. Space activities rationally arranged

Priority is given to the construction and application of space infrastructure, alongside support for space exploration and space science research, in China's ongoing efforts to expand its capacity to enter and utilize space and enhance guarantee for space security.

2. Space innovation greatly enhanced

A number of major projects and scientific and technological programs have been implemented to promote significant progress of space science and technology, and enhance the overall level of China's science and technology.

The roles of various players are clearly defined in the formation of a framework of innovation featuring the coordinated efforts of the government, enterprises, universities, research institutions and consumers, and the creation of technical and industrial innovation partnerships, so as to shape a chain of innovation to match the overall industrial chain.

Efforts are being made to build a space research base and plan in advance strategic, fundamental and forward-looking research projects to tackle key technical problems, so as to substantially increase China's capacity for original innovation and create a state-of-art platform in this field.

The customization development of space technologies has been enhanced to put research findings into industrial production and lead national economic development.

3. Space industry capacity transformed and upgraded

Efforts are constantly being made to build an integrated and open system comprising system integrators, specialized contractors, market suppliers and public service providers, based on the national economy and covering all links from scientific research to production.

A project to reinforce space science infrastructure has got off the ground with the goal of removing the basic bottlenecks and obstacles concerning key materials, core spare parts and advanced technology, and improving such systems as standards and measurements.

Information technology has been further applied to make space industry capacity more digitalized, Internet- and artificial intelligence-based.

4. Satellite application industry accelerated

Industrial policies related to satellite application, and national standards and quality systems have been improved. Supportive mechanisms for satellite data sharing have been established and improved, and platforms for sharing satellite data and resources upgraded to create a satisfactory environment for the satellite application industry and boost the overall performance of satellite application.

Industrial clusters and markets for satellite application are being cultivated to improve the industrial chain. Development for integration application of satellite technologies is being encouraged to promote the integrated development of satellite application with the Internet, big data, Internet of Things and other emerging industries, so as to create new products, new technologies, new modes of business and new points of growth, and give impetus to the mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

5. Relevant legislative work strengthened

Efforts have been made to accelerate the formation of a legal system centering on the legislation of a national law to govern the space industry, including studying and formulating regulations on space data and their application management, the management of the export of astronautic products and technologies. The regulations in force on permits for space launch projects, registration of space-related items, and permits for scientific and technological research and production have been improved to guide and regulate various space-related activities in accordance with the law, which provides legal guarantee for building China's space industry.

China has undertaken studies of international space law, and actively participated in the formulation of international rules regarding outer space.

6. System of diverse funding improved

The scope of government investment is being clearly specified, the way in which such investment is arranged is optimized and investment management is regulated, and sustainable and steady government financial support for space activities is guaranteed.

The mechanism for market access and withdrawal has been improved. A list of investment projects in the space industry has been introduced for better management in this regard. Non-governmental capital and other social sectors are encouraged to participate in space-related activities, including scientific research and production, space infrastructure, space information products and services, and use of satellites to increase the level of commercialization of the space industry.

The government has increased its cooperation with private investors, and the mechanism for government procurement of astronautic products and services has been improved.

7. Training of professionals for the space industry strengthened

The mechanisms related to the training, assessment, flow of and incentives for professional personnel are being improved in an effort to form a well-structured contingent of highly qualified personnel in the course of construction of important projects and major programs, which consists of strategic scientists, leading researchers and technicians, entrepreneurs and high-caliber professionals, as well as experts in international cooperation.

8. Knowledge about space science disseminated

Events have been organized around "China Space Day," "World Space Week" and "Science and Technology Week" to disseminate knowledge and culture about space, promote the "Spirit of the Manned Space Program," inspire the nation, especially its young people, to develop an interest in science, explore the unknown and make innovations, and attract more people into China's space industry.

V. International Exchanges and Cooperation

The Chinese government holds that all countries in the world have equal rights to peacefully explore, develop and utilize outer space and its celestial bodies, and that all countries' outer space activities should be beneficial to their economic development and social progress, and to the peace, security, survival and development of mankind.

International space cooperation should adhere to the fundamental principles stated in the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, and the Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interests of All States, Taking into Particular Account the Needs of Developing Countries. China maintains that international exchanges and cooperation should be strengthened on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, peaceful utilization and inclusive development.

1. Fundamental policies

The Chinese government has adopted the following fundamental policies with regard to international space exchanges and cooperation:

- Supporting activities regarding the peaceful use of outer space within the framework of the United Nations;

- Supporting all inter-governmental and non-governmental space organizations' activities that promote development of the space industry;

- Strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation which is based on common goals and serves the Belt and Road Initiative;

- Supporting the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization to play an important role in regional space cooperation, and attaching importance to space cooperation under the BRICS cooperation mechanism and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

- Encouraging and endorsing the efforts of domestic scientific research institutes, industrial enterprises, institutions of higher learning and social organizations to develop international space exchanges and cooperation in diverse forms and at various levels under the guidance of relevant state policies, laws and regulations.

2. Major events

Since 2011 China has signed 43 space cooperation agreements or memoranda of understanding with 29 countries, space agencies and international organizations. It has taken part in relevant activities sponsored by the United Nations and other relevant international organizations, and supported international commercial cooperation in space. These measures have yielded fruitful results.

(1) Bilateral cooperation

- China and Russia signed the Outline of China-Russia Space Cooperation from 2013 to 2017 through the mechanism of the Space Cooperation Sub-committee during the Prime Ministers' Meeting between Russia and China. The two countries have actively promoted cooperation in deep space exploration, manned spaceflight, earth observation, satellite navigation, space-related electronic parts and components, and other areas.

- China and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed the Outline of China-ESA Space Cooperation from 2015 to 2020 within the mechanism of the China-Europe Joint Commission on Space Cooperation. The two sides have declared their determination to cooperate in deep space exploration, space science, earth observation, TT&C services, space debris, and space-related education and training, and launched the panoramic imaging satellite for solar wind and magnetosphere interaction. The two sides have completed cooperation on the Dragon 3 cooperation program.

- China and Brazil, through the mechanism of the Space Cooperation Sub-committee of the Sino-Brazilian High-level Coordination Commission, have conducted constant cooperation in the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) program. They successfully launched CBERS-4, signed the Supplementary Agreement of China and Brazil on the Joint Development of CBERS-04A and Cooperation Agreement of China and Brazil on Remote-Sensing Satellite Data and Application, maintaining CBERS data consistency. The two countries also updated CBERS data receiving stations in South Africa and Singapore, expanding CBERS data application regionally and globally. They have worked together to set up the China-Brazil Joint Laboratory for Space Weather.

- China and France, within the mechanism of the Sino-French Joint Commission on Space Cooperation, have engaged in bilateral cooperation on astronomic, ocean and other satellite programs. The two countries have signed a letter of intent on space and climate change, and worked to promote the application of space technology in global climate change governance.

- China and Italy set up the Sino-Italian Joint Commission on Space Cooperation, and have steadily carried forward research and development of the China-Italy Electromagnetic Monitoring Experiment Satellite Program.

- China and Britain have promoted construction of a joint laboratory on space science and technology, upgraded their exchanges in space science and technology personnel, and launched cooperative studies on remote-sensing applications.

- China and Germany have promoted dialogue between their space industry enterprises, and strengthened cooperation in high-end space manufacturing.

- China and the Netherlands signed a memorandum of understanding on space cooperation, promoting cooperation in remote-sensing applications in agriculture, water resources and atmospheric environment, and stating that Chang'e-4 would carry a Dutch payload in its mission.

- China and the United States, within the framework of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue, carried out a civil space dialogue, stating that the two countries would strengthen cooperation in space debris, space weather, response to global climate change, and related areas.

- China signed space cooperation agreements and established bilateral space cooperation mechanisms with Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in such areas as space technology, space applications, and space science, education and training.

(2) Multilateral cooperation

- China takes an active part in activities organized by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its Scientific and Technical Sub-committee and Legal Sub-committee, and negotiations on international space rules such as the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. It signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the China National Space Administration and the United Nations on Earth Observation Data and Technical Support, actively promoting data sharing and cooperation between China's earth observation satellites on the UN platform.

- China supports the relevant work of the Beijing office of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response. The UN set up the Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (China) in Beijing to promote personnel training in the international space arena.

- Within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), China actively participated in the APSCO Joint Small Multi-mission Satellite Constellation Program. It also organized the APSCO Development Strategy Forum with the theme of "the Belt and Road Initiative for Facilitating Regional Capacity Building of the Asia-Pacific Countries," at which the Beijing Declaration was adopted.

- China and the space agencies of Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa co-sponsored and actively promoted cooperation in the BRICS remote-sensing satellite constellation.

- China launched the China-ASEAN Satellite Information Maritime Application Center, and Lancang-Mekong River Spatial Information Exchange Center.

- China actively participated in activities organized by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, Group on Earth Observations, and other intergovernmental organizations. It hosted the 31st Council of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, the 32nd Meeting of the IADC and other international conferences.

- China actively participated in activities organized by the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) and held the Seventh ICG Conference. It actively improved the compatibility and interoperability of the Beidou system with other satellite navigation systems, popularized satellite navigation technology, and cooperated with a number of countries and regions in satellite navigation applications.

- China actively participated in activities organized by the International Astronautical Federation, International Committee on Space Research, International Academy of Astronautics, International Institute of Space Law, and other non-governmental international space organizations and academic institutes. It held the 64th International Astronautical Congress, 2014 United Nations / China / APSCO Workshop on Space Law, 36th International Conference on Earth Science and Remote-Sensing, and related international conferences. It also held the First Seminar on Manned Spaceflight Technology within the framework of the United Nations Program on Space Applications.

- China actively participated in the international coordination of global disaster prevention and reduction, and provided satellite data support and technical services for major international disaster-relief efforts through the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, and related mechanisms.

(3) Commercial activities

China encourages and supports Chinese enterprises to participate in international commercial activities in the space field. It has exported satellites and made in-orbit delivery of Nigeria's communications satellite, Venezuela's remote-sensing satellite-1, Bolivia's communications satellite, Laos' communications satellite-1 and Belarus' communications satellite-1. In addition, it provided commercial launch service for Turkey's Gokturk-2 earth observation satellite, and when launching its own satellites took on small satellites for Ecuador, Argentina, Poland, Luxembourg and other countries. It has also provided business services concerning space information.

3. Key areas for future cooperation

In the next five years China will, with a more active and open attitude, conduct extensive international exchanges and cooperation concerning space in the following key areas:

- Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative Space Information Corridor, including earth observation, communications and broadcasting, navigation and positioning, and other types of satellite-related development; ground and application system construction; and application product development.

- Construction of the BRICS remote-sensing satellite constellation.

- Construction of the APSCO Joint Small Multi-mission Satellite Constellation Program and University Small Satellite Project Development.

- The Moon, Mars and other deep space exploration programs and technical cooperation.

- Inclusion of a space laboratory and a space station in China's manned spaceflight program.

- Research and development of a space science satellite, a remote-sensing satellite, payloads, etc.

- Construction of ground infrastructure such as data receiving stations and communications gateway stations.

- Satellite applications, including earth observation, communications and broadcasting, navigation and positioning.

- Exploration and research on space science.

- Launching and carrying services.

- Space TT&C support.

- Space debris monitoring, early warning, mitigation and protection.

- Space weather cooperation.

- Import and export of and technical cooperation in the field of whole satellites, sub-systems, spare parts and electronic components of satellites and launch vehicles, ground facilities and equipment, and related items.

- Research on space law, policy and standards.

- Personnel exchanges and training in the space field.

Conclusion

In the present-day world, more and more countries are attaching importance to and taking an active part in developing space activities. Moreover, space technology is being widely applied in all aspects of our daily life, exerting a major and far-reaching influence on social production and lifestyle.

It is mankind's unremitting pursuit to peacefully explore and utilize outer space. Standing at a new historical starting line, China is determined to quicken the pace of developing its space industry, and actively carry out international space exchanges and cooperation, so that achievements in space activities will serve and improve the well-being of mankind in a wider scope, at a deeper level and with higher standards. China will promote the lofty cause of peace and development together with other countries.

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China protests US defense bill

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 08:22, December 27, 2016

China lodged a protest with the United States for signing a defense act that included a call for senior military exchanges between the US and Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"We are resolutely against the Taiwan-related section in the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, and have lodged solemn representations with the US," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference.

Part of the $618.7 billion National Defense Authorization Act directs the US Department of Defense to conduct a program of senior military exchanges between the US and Taiwan, Reuters reported.

Noting that the Taiwan question has a bearing on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Hua said that "China will by no means accept" the stipulation of the US defense act.

"Although the Taiwan-related content in the US act has no legal binding force, it severely violates the three joint communiques and interferes with China's domestic affairs," she said, adding that China urges the US to end military exchanges with and weapons sales to Taiwan. The three communiques were crucial agreements in the normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and China.

Hua praised the recent remarks by Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser to former US president Jimmy Carter. Brzezinski told WorldPosta partnership between online news aggregator Huffington Post and independent think tank the Berggruen Institutelast week that "a world in which America and China are cooperating is a world in which American influence is maximized".

"It is not in our interest to antagonize Beijing," Brzezinski was quoted as saying. He criticized the phone call between US president-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen on Dec 2 as "a pointless irritant".

"Cooperation is the only right choice between China and the US," Hua said, adding that the two countries should adhere to the principle of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and cooperation for win-win results.

Tang Shao-cheng, a research fellow in the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University in Taipei, said that although the US defense act looks like a measure that is friendly toward Taiwan, it is hard to say whether it would benefit Taiwan.

Taiwan is a valuable chip for the US to curb the rise of the Chinese mainland, Tang wrote in an article in the Taipei-based China Times, noting that it was Tsai's refusal to accept the 1992 Consensus, which establishes the one-China policy, that led to the island's self-limitation.

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Supreme Leader: Islamic ban on nuclear arms has logical foundation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 27, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Islamic ban on nuclear arms has logical foundation.

The Supreme Leader made the remarks to his theology class for high level students of the theology studies.

The Supreme Leader highlighted popularity of the governing system in reference to demonstration on December 28, 2009 to support outcome of presidential election which brought to office for the second term the former president.

Elaborating on the defense capability of the Iranian governing system, the Supreme Leader said that popular base of the governing system is a major parameter for national defense adding that Islam bans weapons of mass destruction for logical and humanitarian reasons.

The Supreme Leader said that Islam advocates humanity and conventional defense.

The Supreme Leader brushed aside the hostile insinuation to downgrade the need for national defense capability, saying that such insinuations aim to make the independent nations to surrender.

The Supreme Leader said that the arrogant powers proved in the past 40 years that they aim to weaken Iranian defense capability and that if the nation lacks the defense power it would be forced to surrender to them whenever they attempted to make aggression on Iran.

Arrogant powers such as the US, seek American style values through wealth and domination over the world but Islam is looking for human dignity through practicing commands of Holy Quran, the Supreme Leader said.

Arrogant powers are opposed to any idea and firm determination in fight against tyranny and discrimination, the Supreme Leader said.

On the need to bolster national defense capability, the Supreme Leader said that the Islamic Republic of Iran should increase its defense might to be able to stand up to such enemies.

Active presence of people in the scene of the Islamic Revolution even after about 40 years is a good indication of defense power of the Islamic system to mobilize the nation which is quite unique in the world, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

1430**1416

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Iran's nuclear capability could foster regional cooperation: Official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 27, IRNA -- Iran by relying on its nuclear capacities can further promote ties with regional nations, says Behrouz Kamalvandi spokesman for Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

'We have repeatedly said that we should have an active diplomacy in sharing our nuclear know-how with others and draw on their experience as well to use the nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,' Behrouz Kamalvandi told Iran's Alalam Arabic news channel in a recent interview.

'We should develop the nuclear industry further and explore ways to apply it to other sectors, including healthcare, medicine, agriculture and industry,' Kamalvandi said.

He said that we need to share our experience in the nuclear sphere to promote regional developments and exploit all the opportunities provided following the implementation of the nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

'Cooperation on the nuclear issue is developing and it tends to have a promising prospect,' he said.

Kamalvandi said that there are few countries which can help Iran to further develop its nuclear sector.

'The Islamic Republic maintains good ties with the nuclear-capable countries, including Japan, South Korea, Russia, China, as well as European countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Spain,' he said.

We have good nuclear ties with them and we have signed or expect to sign memorandums of understanding to promote our nuclear ties, the AEOI spokesman said.

Kamalvandi also said that under the JCPOA Iran has cut down its uranium enrichment capacity.

Despite the restrictions on the level of enrichment, thousands of centrifuges are still running, he said.

We hope to achieve self-sufficiency in production of the nuclear fuel in the long term, he added.

The spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization hailed the country's advancement in producing heavy water, saying that Iran has sold 70 tons of heavy water over a period of seven months.

'Now Americans have come to realize that the heavy water produced in Iran has a high quality and it is pure enough to be regarded as the best heavy water around the world,' Kamalvandi said.

'New customers for Iran's heavy water are mainly from Europe,' he said.

Kamalvandi also said that Iran will go on with its plan to develop nuclear propulsion systems for its marine vessels, according to its JCPOA commitments.

'The planned nuclear propulsion systems are going to be developed by the Islamic Republic for use in the country's navy vessels and submarines,' he said.

'Reports by the International Atomic Energy Organization see no infringements by Iran concerning the country's nuclear commitments.'

2044**1771

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AEOI Spokesman: Iran ready to share nuclear experience with regional countries

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:6PM

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran says sharing nuclear know-how with neighboring countries will pave the way for regional developments.

Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi noted that Iran's nuclear capabilities will help take a long step in the development of the region in the fields of science and medicine through sharing the technical know-how with the neighboring countries.

"By relying on its nuclear capacities, Iran can further promote ties with the regional countries," Kamalvandi said.

"We should develop the nuclear industry further and apply it to other sectors, including healthcare, medicine, agriculture and industry," Kamalvandi added.

The spokesperson also underlined that there are few countries which can help Iran to further develop its nuclear sector.

"The Islamic Republic maintains good ties with the nuclear-capable countries, including Japan, South Korea, Russia, China, as well as European countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Spain," he said.

Earlier, Kamalvandi announced that new customers, other than the US and Russia, have voiced willingness to purchase the high-quality heavy water produced by Iranian scientists.

Noting that Iran's high-quality heavy water has serious customers, he said, "I think that we can sign new contracts other than what we sold to the US and Russia; and the new customers are mostly the Europeans."

Iran delivered 38 metric tons of heavy water to Russia in September. Also, in July, the country exported 32 tons of heavy water to the US.

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US wants to keep Daesh terrorists in Mideast: Iran

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:11PM

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan has slammed Washington's lack of seriousness in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group, saying the US has nurtured terrorists itself and now wants them to stay in the Middle East.

"The Western coalition is of a formal nature, they have no real intention to fight either in Syria or in Iraq. We don't see any readiness on their part to play a truly useful and meaningful role in fighting Daesh, because it's them who have raised terrorists and they are interested in keeping them there," Dehqan said in an interview with RT published on Tuesday.

He added that Iran has never made any coordination in its anti-terror operations with the US and "will never collaborate" with it.

He said the military coalition established by Western governments allegedly to combat terrorism is likely to "see terrorists weakened, but certainly not destroyed."

Terrorist groups are merely a tool in the hands of Western governments to destabilize the Middle East and some other parts of the world, he added.

The Iranian defense minister emphasized that the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are supporting terrorists in Syria, including the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militant group, al-Qaeda's Syrian branch formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Dehqan said Turkey also supports terrorists, particularly Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, adding, "If Iran, Russia and Syria were to reach an agreement with Turkey to end Turkish support for those terrorist groupsand start fighting them, then I think we would see the situation in Syria improve."

He further emphasized that any nationwide ceasefire in Syria requires guarantees, urging all parties to meet the conditions for a truce.

Dehqan said no terrorists should take part in the ceasefire and called on all other groups to start a "political process and negotiations with the Syrian government."

He also stressed the importance of putting an end to political, financial and military support for terrorists and launching an all-out campaign against them.

The Iranian defense minister held talks with his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Sergei Shoigu and Fikri Isik, respectively, in Moscow on December 20 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.

The Syrian military announced on December 22 that it had attained full control of the strategic northwestern city of Aleppo, having completely cleansed its eastern side of militants for the first time since 2012.

Russia has been carrying out an aerial campaign against militants in Syria, including formerly in Aleppo, on a request from the Syrian government. Iran, too, has been offering Damascus advisory military help.

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Over 160 Items of Advanced, Prospective Russian Arms Tested in Syria - Minister

Sputnik News

12:28 27.12.2016(updated 13:29 27.12.2016)

Russian Defense Minister said that more than 160 items of advanced and prospective Russian arms were tested in the country's operation in Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  More than 160 items of advanced and prospective Russian arms were tested in the country's operation in Syria, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.

"During the operation in the Syrian Arab Republic, more than 160 items of advanced and prospective arms were tested. Overall, they have proven themselves to be highly reliable," Shoigu said at a meeting in the ministry.

The more than 3,500 military exercises and five snap inspections held this year have demonstrated the Russian Armed Forces' increased level of training, Sergei Shoigu said.

"More than 3,630 exercises, as well as five unannounced combat readiness inspections of the Armed Forces have been carried out. They have demonstrated the troops' increased level of proficiency and coordination," Shoigu said.

 Sputnik

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Russia's State Arms Exporter Reports $45Bln in Orders, 2016 Sales to Top $13Bln

Sputnik News

10:19 27.12.2016(updated 10:33 27.12.2016)

CEO of the Rostec State Corporation said that Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport plans to sell over $13 billion worth of weapons this year, with the total orders portfolio currently at $45 billion.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport plans to sell over $13 billion worth of weapons this year, with the total orders portfolio currently at $45 billion, the CEO of the Rostec State Corporation said Tuesday.

"I think that we will of course carry out the $13.08-billion plan. I think the plan will be implemented The orders portfolio is about $45 billion," Sergey Chemezov told reporters.

Rosoboronexport Director General Anatoly Isaykin named the $45-billion figure on November 3 in a statement dedicated to the arms exporter's 16 years of international cooperation.

Isaykin said in June that the $13-billion arms sales goal was on track.

 Sputnik

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Russia will up cooperation with Iran, Turkey on Syria: Lavrov

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 3:52PM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country would continue to boost cooperation with Iran and Turkey on the developments in Syria.

"We will further build our cooperation with Ankara, Tehran and other countries in the region on the Syrian question," Interfax news agency quoted the Russian foreign minister as saying on Tuesday.

He added that the trilateral cooperation had already saved lives by helping to evacuate Syria's recently-liberated city of Aleppo.

The Syrian military announced on December 22 that it had attained full control of the strategic city of Aleppo, having completely cleansed its eastern side of militants for the first time since 2012.

The victory came about despite military support for the militants by the United States, Turkey, and some Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.

In an annual conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the evacuations in Aleppo would not have been possible without the help of his country, Iran, and Turkey and the goodwill of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

He also urged a nationwide ceasefire deal and said Moscow, Tehran, Ankara and Damascus had agreed to attend peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to try to resolve the conflict in Syria.

Russia has been carrying out an aerial campaign against militants in Syria, including formerly in Aleppo, on a request from the Syrian government. Iran, too, has been offering Damascus advisory military help.

'China welcomes peace talks in Syria'

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that Beijing welcomes all efforts aimed at resuming peace talks in Syria as the "only viable solution" to the crisis in the Arab country.

"This is a consensus shared by the international community," Hua said at a regular press conference.

She stressed that all parties involved in the Syria conflict should strive for a nationwide ceasefire, adding that the truce would guarantee the political settlement of the crisis in the war-ravaged country.

She expressed hope that all sides would seek common ground while shelving differences, work in unison, and pursue a political solution that accommodates their legitimate concerns through dialogue and consultation.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also hoped that the long-term interests of Syria and the well-being of its people would be taken into account in any decision made for the country.

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US bid to ease arms flow to Syria militants endangers Russian forces: Moscow

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 9:41AM

Russia has warned that a US decision to ease restrictions on the provision of arms to militants in Syria compromises the safety of Russian aircraft and servicemen operating in the Arab country.

On December 8, the White House said US President Barack Obama had relaxed the so-called Arms Export Control Act for the militants "supporting US Special Forces" in Syria, saying such leniency would contribute to "the national security interests" of the US.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it viewed the decision as a "hostile act," and cautioned that the Obama administration was attempting to complicate the situation in the world before President-elect Donald Trump took over the White House in January.

Russia has been lending air support to Syria's counterterrorism operations since last September. It operates two airbases in the Arab country.

Moscow had earlier warned that the US decision to ease the arms flow to the militants in Syria would pose a threat to the entire Middle East. US weapons could end up in the wrong hands, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time.

"Certainly, the worst result of this decision would be those weapons, including MANPADs [man-portable anti-air missiles], ending up in the hands of terrorists, which of course poses a serious threat not only for the region, but for the entire world," he said.

The decision came after the liberation last week of Syria's second city of Aleppo from militants by the Syrian and Russian militaries.

Another deal in the offing?

As the liberation was underway, a ceasefire deal was worked out during negotiations between Russia and Turkey, which were respectively representing the Syrian government and militants. The accord enabled evacuations out of the city.

Russia later proposed comprehensive talks aimed at the establishment of a countrywide ceasefire across the Arab country. On Tuesday, representatives from Moscow and Ankara were reported to hold follow-up talks in the Turkish capital with that end in sight.

Separately, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey had agreed in a telephone conversation on the same day to push for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria.

During the phone conversation, "the importance was stressed of a rapid completion of agreements on practical parameters to end military actions (in Syria), the separation of the moderate opposition from terrorist groups, and preparations for the meeting in Astana," the statement read, referring the planned talks in the Kazakh capital to discuss a nationwide ceasefire.

Iran, Russia, and Turkey have previously discussed prospects for resolving the Syrian conflict in the Russian capital.

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Syria pushing to retake key area near capital

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:13AM

The Syrian army has escalated the push to retake from militants a strategic area near Damascus where a spring supplies the city with much of its water.

Syrian Air Force fighter jets carried out a number of airstrikes against militant positions in the Wadi Barada Valley, located about 18 kilometers northwest of the capital, and artillery units shelled the area.

Local residents said Syrian military operations on Monday focused on Baseimeh Village at the edge of the valley. Army soldiers and allied fighters from popular defense groups launched a major offensive last Friday to recapture the village after terrorists refused to surrender and leave the mountainous area near the Lebanese border.

The Takfiri militants earlier contaminated Damascus's drinking water supply with diesel. The water authority had to cut supply to Damascus and resort to using water reserves on Friday after extremists polluted the al-Fija spring in the Barada Valley.

Separately, a high-ranking militant with the Daesh terrorist group has been killed in an airstrike by the US-led coalition.

The strike targeted the city of al-Thawrah, also known as al-Tabqah, which lies approximately 55 kilometers west of the northern city of al-Raqqah, and killed a Kuwaiti national identified as Abu Jandal.

Also on Monday, Syrian military aircraft bombarded a Daesh supply line linking Aqirbat region in the western-central province of Hama to the ancient city of Palmyra.

Additionally, a number of Takfiri militants and their families fled the western flank of the liberated northern city of Aleppo toward the Turkish border.

A Syrian army unit also discovered a major cache loaded with a considerable amount of munitions in an Aleppo neighborhood. The military later released footage of the weapons depot.

Several militants were also killed and wounded when they engaged in fierce clashes with government forces near an oil pumping station on the western outskirts of Palmyra.

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Russia: US Policy Change on Arming Syrian Rebels a 'Hostile Act'

By VOA News December 27, 2016

Russia says a recent U.S. decision to ease restrictions on arming Syrian rebels is a "hostile act" that would jeopardize Russia's forces and its other interests in Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the policy change Tuesday, telling the Reuters news agency that "...the possibility of supplying them with weapons, including mobile anti-aircraft complexes, has been written into this new bill." She was referring to a defense measure signed recently by U.S. President Barack Obama, who has been critical of Moscow's involvement in Syria's war.

She said Russia's air force, along with other Russian military personnel and Moscow's embassy in Damascus, would be directly threatened and that any weapons supplied to rebels would quickly end up in the hands of jihadists.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been a long-time ally of Russia, which has an air base near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. Russia helped Syria retake territory lost to rebels, some of whom have the backing of the United States.

Recently, the last rebels left Syria's northern city of Aleppo, which President Assad's forces pounded with the backing of their Russian allies. At a year-end news conference earlier this month, Obama said the world "is united in horror at the savage assault by the Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies on the city of Aleppo." U.S. strategy in Syria has focused on degrading and destroying Islamic State.

Back in September, the Obama administration, while citing progress in pushing back IS, said more must be done to secure a sustained cease-fire and political transition to end Syria's civil war, which has been raging for nearly six years.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country, along with Iran, Turkey and Syria, have agreed to hold peace discussions in the Kazakh capital of Astana to resolve the conflict in Syria. He said peace talks are expected to take place in January and that the next step for Syria should be a nationwide cease-fire.

The comments from the Russians come less than a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office as the 45th U.S. president. Putin has said he hopes to work with the next U.S. president to lift relations out of the current crisis, resolve international issues and respond to global security challenges. During the U.S. election campaign, Trump leaned toward Moscow's positions on issues like Russia's military actions in Syria more than those of his Republican Party. He also spoke highly of President Putin.

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Turkeys has 'evidence' of US supporting Daesh in Syria: Erdogan

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 8:50PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has "confirmed evidence" that the US-led coalition is supporting Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria.

"What were the coalition forces saying in the beginning? They were saying: 'We will fight against the terrorist organization Daesh until the end.' In fact, they were accusing us of supporting Daesh. Now they've all disappeared. On the contrary, they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Units), PYD (Democratic Union Party). It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos," said Erdogan during a Tuesday press conference.

The US and some of its regional allies, in particular Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, have on multiple occasions been accused of arming and funding militant groups fighting the Syrian government for nearly six years.

Anakra deems the PYD as a branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been engaged in an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and designated as a terrorist group by the US.

Turkey has vowed to press ahead with its hunt of Kurdish militants in both Iraq and Syria.

Erdogan's announcement came just one day after Former US Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein accused Washington of backing terrorist groups when it serves its interests.

The Turkish president also stressed that the US had failed to keep its promise of air support in Ankara's operations to liberate the Syrian city of al-Bab from Daesh.

"Even though the US-led coalition has failed to keep its promises [pledging air support] in our operation to liberate al-Bab, we will rid the city of Daesh terrorists, no matter what," he said.

Turkey is in the middle of a military operation to capture al-Bab from Daesh. Ankara, which started its incursion into Syria in August, claims that it is only supporting the militants in northern Syria in the drive against Daesh. However, reports over the past days have suggested that Turkish troops have been directly involved in the battle in al-Bab.

The ongoing assault in al-Bab has inflicted significant casualties on civilians. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that around 90 civilians, including 21 children, had lost their lives in a matter of 24 hours as Turkey intensified its airstrikes on the town.

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Turkey begins trial of 29 officers linked to coup attempt

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:42PM

Twenty-nine Turkish police officers have gone on trial in the port city of Istanbul in connection with the failed coup of July 15.

According to Anadolu news agency, the officers went on trial at the gigantic courthouse by Silivri prison outside Istanbul on Tuesday.

Of the officers on trial, 24 are under arrest, one on the run and the rest on bail.

The first hearings are expected to last until December 30.

The officers are charged with refusing to obey orders to protect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's residence on the night of the coup.

They are also accused of seeking to overthrow the government as well as allegedly being members of a group led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of being behind the coup attempt. Gulen denies the accusation.

Lawyer Orhan Cagri Bekar, the head of the July 15 Association that represents the victims of the coup said, "We will make sure the guilty, within the framework of the law, are punished and given the heaviest punishment possible."

If convicted, 21 officers each face three life sentences. The other eight could get jail terms of between seven and a half and 15 years.

With some 41,000 coup suspects under arrest in a state of emergency, small-scale trials of suspects have already begun. On Monday, five dozen people went on trial in the southwestern city of Denizli.

The trial of nearly 50 suspects accused of trying to assassinate President Erdogan at a holiday resort on the Aegean Sea is due to begin in Mugla on February 20.

Since the coup attempt, Ankara has been carrying out a crackdown on those believed to have played a role in the move.

The post-coup crackdown has seen over 40,000 people jailed pending trial and more than 100,000 sacked or suspended in the civil service, army, judiciary and other institutions.

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Turkish Army Kills 13 Daesh Terrorists in Syria's North

Sputnik News

15:40 27.12.2016

13 militants of the Daesh terrorist group were killed and a total of 158 Daesh objects were destroyed by Turkish military near the northern Syrian city of Al Bab, according to the statement.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  Turkish military eliminated 13 militants of Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh, outlawed in Russia) near the northern Syrian city of Al Bab, the Turkish army said on Tuesday.

"Thirteen IS terrorists were eliminated. Two members of the Free Syrian Army were killed, and another one wounded in clashes with the IS near the Syrian city of Al Bab," the Turkish Army said in a statement.

According to the statement, a total of 158 Daesh objects were destroyed.

On August 24, Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and the surrounding area of the Daesh. As Jarabulus was retaken, the offensive moved southwest toward Al Bab.

 Sputnik

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Turkish Police Officers Go on Trial for Coup

By VOA News December 27, 2016

Turkey has begun the trial of 29 police officers accused of helping the failed July coup that led to 270 deaths and launched a massive government crackdown.

Prosecutors say those on trial in Istanbul aided the plot by not carrying out their duty to protect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's residence.

Twenty-one of the officers are facing life prison terms if convicted of attempting to overthrow the government, while the others face potential sentences of up to 15 years for membership in a terrorist group.

Turkey has blamed the coup on Fethullah Gulen, a cleric living in the United States who has denied any involvement.

Since July, Turkey's government has arrested 40,000 people and ousted more than 100,000 civil servants, teachers, judges and others believed to by linked to Gulen or involved in the plot. In addition, the government has suspended the activities of hundreds of civic groups.

Critics, including Western governments and human rights organizations, have voiced concern that the purge has gone beyond the scope of those suspected of involvement in the coup attempt to also target organizations that oppose Erdogan's policies.

Turkey's government has also blamed Gulen for being behind the assassination this month of Russia's ambassador to Turkey while he was attending an art exhibition in Ankara. The Russian government has said it will wait until the results of a joint investigation before assigning blame.

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Pilot jailed in Russia begins movement for change in Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:40PM

Nadiya Savchenko, the popular female Ukrainian pilot who served for a while in Russia's jails, has launched a movement opposing Ukraine's pro-Western government.

Savchenko announced the launch of her movement on Tuesday, saying that it would seek change in Ukraine, a country grappling with economic problems and beset by a conflict in its eastern territories.

"This is meant to  create a real change in the system," Savchenko told reporters in the western city of Lviv, adding that the movement would be transformed into a political party when the time was right.

Her movement is called RUNA, a non-English acronym that stands for the Movement of Ukraine's Active People.

Savchenko has been a main element of national pride for a Ukraine that has distanced itself from Russia since 2014. The servicewoman was sentenced in Russia for alleged complicity in the murder of two Russian state television journalists in the war zone in June 2014. She then launched a hunger strike, managed to secure her release in May after two years in jail and returned to Ukraine to become a symbol of the new establishment's resistance against Russia.

Savchenko has been a key critic of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, especially on the issue of the conflict in the country's industrial east. Kiev accuses Moscow of having a role in the conflict, which has killed more than 10,000 people over the past two years. Savchenko, however, says the government should engage in a dialogue with pro-Russians, a position that even cost the pilot-turned-politician her leadership post of the populist political party of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The 35-year-old, who was elected as a Ukrainian lawmaker in absentia during her imprisonment in Russia, has also criticized Poroshenko's economic policies although the Ukrainian administration claims it has managed to contain the crisis, which unfolded two years ago.

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The 23rd annual season of the Twin Rivers Media Festival will celebrate this year screening the latest and greatest in independent features, documentaries, short and animated films.

The festival highlights world and regional premieres on Jan 27-28 at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History and on Feb 17-18 at the Flood Fine Arts Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Danville Museum is proud to co-host the Twin Rivers Media Festival this year, Richard Loveland, executive director of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, stated in a news release. It meets all the criteria we have been searching for in new events  it will be fun, informative, and perhaps most importantly, it will be exciting and relevant to a wide audience in this region.

Carlos Steward, founder and director of the Twin Rivers Media Festival, stated, We are pleased to announce the additional screenings at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History this year  with this incredibly diverse program with over 40 independent films from around the world.

Several world premieres of short dramas will be screened in Danville, Steward said, including Scammerhead from Alex Zahara, which charts the chaotic adventures of Silas Breece, a business hustler who travels the world seeking capitol of outlandish investments.

Twin Rivers Media Festival has become the festival of choice for filmmakers and film lovers who are seeking a unique cinema experience and a place to indulge their passion for film. The festival connects audiences to compelling documentaries, and award-winning international releases with visiting filmmakers.

The selection process for inclusion in the festival is rigorous and artist driven, according the release. Only a small percentage of the submitted films are chosen to screen in the festival.

Events in Danville are free to members of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History in January (donations will be accepted), and will require admission to the museum for non-members. All events are free and open to the public at the Flood Fine Arts Center in February.
Devils Backbone Brewing Company, headquartered in Nelson County, made national news in April when it announced its acquisition by Anheuser-Busch.

The response was immediate, with some Virginia fans praising the decision while others vowed to boycott the companys products for selling out.

They've certainly been the recipient of some unnecessary hate, said Mary Wolf, owner of Wild Wolf Brewing, located just down Virginia 151 from Devils Backbone. Although, I understand why some people have that perception.

Since the deal between Anheuser-Busch and Devils Backbone, which was for an undisclosed amount, closed Sept. 1, co-owner Steve Crandall said he has seen little fallout in terms of revenue, which is up 18 percent to 20 percent over the same time last year.

Brewers create beverage in honor of veterans Six area breweries have teamed up to bring customers a beer thats tough enough to stare down the barrel of a gun.

In 2016, Devils Backbone produced about 75,000 barrels of beer, but next year, Crandall said they expect to produce somewhere around 95,000 barrels. The company also has increased its staff to 180 employees from 130 a year ago,including a dozen brewers, which was consistent with last year. Most of these hires were made before the acquisition, Crandall said.

This growth is part of an expansion plan that includes opening a $3 million distillery and other new additions to its existing locations in Roseland and Lexington.

Gold medals in brewing hop into Devils Backbone's trophy case The weekend of Oct. 7, Devils Backbone Brewing Company added two gold medals from the Great American Beer Festival to their foray of accolades.

We have a partner now in this business thats funding our dream, Crandall said of the deal with Anheuser-Busch. We would have had to grow into this expansion that were doing, and it would have probably taken us 20 years to do so.

Devils Backbone products will enter markets in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York next year, Crandall said. The company also is expanding its territory in Tennessee.

Since the acquisition, Nelson County has not seen any changes in the brewerys operations and has noticed the same level of traffic at the Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows location in Roseland, said Maureen Kelley, the countys economic development director. The acquisition also has not negatively affected the countys Brew Ridge Trail, the states original self-guided craft beer trail, of which Devils Backbone and Wild Wolf are members.

Were continuing to see increases in our visitation to those establishments, she said. [Devils Backbone is] still a very strong local partner. Steve and Heidi Crandall are residents and committed to the Nelson economy. ... This sale is an opportunity for them to reinvest in Nelson County.

This does not mean that the deal with Anheuser-Busch has been without repercussions for Steve Crandall and Devils Backbone.

He has resigned from the board of directors of the Brewers Association of America, a trade association that represents small and independent breweries in the U.S., though Devils Backbone remains a part of the Brewers Association as an associate, nonvoting member.

In addition, the company now is ineligible for membership in the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild and cannot compete in The Virginia Craft Brewers Fest, an annual event that through the years awarded Best in Show to Devils Backbone beer.

Theres been some misconception that somehow Devils Backbone was kicked out of the Guild, which is entirely untrue, said Eric McCay, co-owner of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, who chairs the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild.

The bylaws, he said, always have defined Virginia craft brewers as small, independent and traditional, and as part of Anheuser-Busch, Devils Backbone no longer meets the criteria.

Still, for Crandall, the benefits outweigh the negatives.

In the past few months, the brewery has broken ground to expand its infrastructure at both the Basecamp and the Outpost Brewery & Tap Room in Lexington.

That deal basically included $25 million for us to build out the dream, Crandall said this month, the dream that the founders had on growing our craft brewery into eventually a national brand.

The projects at the Basecamp currently consist of paving the parking lot, a $250,000 job, as well as building an outdoor pavilion and a new office building. Construction is nearing completion on a new area focused on rare beers from Devils Backbone as well as other companies and a world-wide selection of high-end whiskeys and bourbons.

Devils Backbone will add a $3 million distillery and an addition to the existing Brewpub to house different types of fermenters for souring beers Brewmaster Jason Oliver will use.

This is going to really step up Jasons ability to do a lot of great experimentation with unique styles of beers, way more than hes done in the past, Crandall said.

It also has begun working with a civil engineer company out of Lexington to develop a year-round camping and RV area with cottages; Crandall said they hope to break ground on this new area in the spring.

Meanwhile, Lexington construction projects include a 50,000-square-foot packaging and shipping/receiving facility, upgrading equipment, including the addition of a barrel aging system. Devils Backbone also plans to triple the size of the existing taproom, which currently can serve about 50 people.

It was an amazingly brilliant move to align ourselves with Anheuser-Busch, Crandall said. They have the greatest interest in not affecting our DNA.  Theyre giving us tremendous amount of autonomy.

And as the beer community continues to grow accustomed to this change in ownership, Wolf said she expects some of the animosity toward the brewery to lessen.

I think your average consumer doesnt understand the significance nor do they necessarily care, she said. It matters that youre putting out amazing, fresh interesting beers, and if a companys still doing that, then Im not convinced who owns them is what really should matter.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Dec 27, 2016 - Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE MKT: GORO) (the "Company") declares its monthly instituted dividend of 1/6 of a cent per common share for December 2016 payable on January 23, 2017 to shareholders of record as of January 11, 2017. Gold Resource Corp. is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA.The Company has returned $109 million to shareholders in monthly dividends since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010, and offers shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends and take delivery in physical gold and silver. For more information on Gold Resource Corp.'s physical dividend program, visit the Company website at http://goldresourcecorp.com/gold-silver-dividends.php.Dividends may vary in amount and consistency or be discontinued at the Board of Directors' discretion depending on variables including but not limited to operational cash flows, Company development requirements and strategies, construction, spot gold and silver prices, taxation, general market conditions and other factors described in the Cautionary Statements below and the Company's public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Gold Resource Corp. is a mining company focused on production and pursuing development of gold and silver projects that feature low operating costs and produce high returns on capital. Gold Resource Corp. is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. The Company has 56,566,874 shares outstanding, zero warrants, zero debt and has returned $109 million back to shareholders since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010. Gold Resource Corp. offers shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. For more information, please visit GRC's website, located at www.Goldresourcecorp.com and read the Company's 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved.Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding Gold Resource Corp. 's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to Gold Resource Corp. on the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Company's 10-K filed with the SEC.Corporate DevelopmentGreg Patterson303-320-7708www.Goldresourcecorp.com
TORONTO, Dec. 28, 2016 /CNW/ - Largo Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:LGO) ("Largo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press release of December 8, 2016, Largo and Vanadio de Maracas SA ("VMSA"), the Company's operating subsidiary, have entered into definitive agreements (the "Facility Documents") with each of its three existing commercial banks in Brazil (collectively, the "Lenders") for a new debt facility (collectively, the "2017 Facility") and the restructuring of its existing facilities with the Lenders related to its Maracas Menchen Mine.

The terms of the 2017 Facility, consistent with the previously announced binding term sheet with the Lenders, include:

Working capital facility of up to R$140,000,000 (Brazilian reais), granted by the Lenders

The 2017 Facility will be used for the payment of principal and interest falling due during 2017 on the existing loan from the Brazilian Development Bank ("the "BNDES Loan"), as well as principal and interest falling due during 2017 on existing debt facilities from certain banks within the group of Lenders.

The grace period for the amortization of principal of the 2017 Facility will be from the initial disbursement date thereof to March 29, 2018.

Principal and interest payments on the 2017 Facility becomes payable on a quarterly basis, in arrears, starting on March 30, 2018, over a period of 56 months.

The 2017 Facility has an applicable interest rate equivalent to the Brazilian interbank rate (the "CDI Rate") plus 5.7% per annum.

The final maturity date of the 2017 Facility will be 72 months after the initial disbursement date

The Facility Documents contain certain conditions precedent by the Company prior to funding, including, injecting an additional US$15,000,000 for on-going working capital requirements at the Maracas Menchen Mine prior to January 10, 2017 (extended from December 31, 2016). The Company is thereafter also obligated to inject an additional US$5,000,000, prior to June 30, 2017. Largo anticipates that the process will be concluded prior to the disbursement date (estimated to occur on or about January 12, 2017).

The Facility Documents require the Company and VMSA to comply with various financial and non-financial covenants during the term of the grace periods under both the 2017 Facilities and existing debt facilities with the Lenders. At the completion of the grace period applicable to the 2017 Facility, the Company will continue to comply with the covenants set forth in the existing debt facilities with the Lenders.

Mark Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer for Largo, stated: "The ongoing support of our Lenders underscores the belief our stakeholders continue to have in the value and economic potential of the Maracas Menchen Mine. Now that the Maracas Menchen Mine has demonstrated stable and consistent operations, it is poised to benefit greatly from the production efficiencies it has gained, as well as substantial increases in Vanadium prices, which we anticipate will strengthen further during 2017."

About Largo

Largo Resources Ltd. is a growing strategic mineral company focused on the production of vanadium pentoxide at its Vanadio de Maracas Menchen Mine. Vanadium is primarily used as an alloy to strengthen steel and reduce its weight. Vanadium enhanced steels are used in a vast and growing range of products that are used and encountered every day; including, rebar, automobiles, transport infrastructure etc. As trends in the steel industry now demand increasingly stronger and lighter products for advanced applications, the use of vanadium is expected to grow over the medium and long term. Largo also has interests in a portfolio of other projects, including: a 100% interest in the Currais Novos Tungsten Tailings Project in Brazil; a 100% interest in the Campo Alegre de Lourdes Iron-Vanadium Project in Brazil; and a 100% interest in the Northern Dancer Tungsten-Molybdenum property in the Yukon Territory, Canada. For more information, please visit www.largoresources.com.

Cautionary Notes:

This press release contains forward-looking information under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements with respect to completion of a listing on a U.S. stock exchange. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". All information contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward looking information. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Largo to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those risks described in the annual information form of Largo and in its public documents filed on SEDAR from time to time. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Although management of Largo has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Largo does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Readers should also review the risks and uncertainties sections of Largo's annual and interim MD&As.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange (nor its regulatory service provider) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Largo Resources Ltd.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 28, 2016) -

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

Rise Resources Inc. (CSE:UPP)(OTC PINK:RYES) ("Rise" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 7,500,000 units at a price of $0.20 per unit for gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000 (the "Private Placement"). Each unit will consist of one share of the Company's common stock and one transferable share purchase warrant exercisable into one share of common stock at a price of $0.40 for a period of two years from the date of issuance. The Private Placement will include existing shareholders of the Company under the provisions of BC Instrument 45-354 and similar instruments in other jurisdictions of Canada (the "Existing Shareholder Exemption") and new investors under Multilateral CSA Notice 45-318 ("CSA 45-318") and the corresponding instruments, orders and rules implementing CSA 45-318 in the participating jurisdictions, including BC Instrument 45-536 (the "Investment Dealer Exemption").

The Company has set December 27, 2016 as the record date for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to participate in the Private Placement in reliance on the Existing Shareholder Exemption, and qualifying shareholders who wish to participate should contact the Company using the information set forth below. The Existing Shareholder Exemption limits shareholders to a maximum investment of $15,000 every 12 months unless the shareholder has obtained advice regarding the suitability of the investment and, if the shareholder is resident in a jurisdiction of Canada, that advice has been obtained from a person that is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction. If Rise receives subscriptions from investors relying on the Existing Shareholder Exemption exceeding the maximum offering amount, the Company will allocate the units pro-rata among all such investors.

In order for the Company to rely on the Investment Dealer Exemption, each investor must purchase the shares as principal and obtain advice regarding the suitability of the investment from a person that is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction in which the investor is resident.

In addition to the Existing Shareholder Exemption and Investment Dealer Exemption, Rise plans to conduct the Private Placement in reliance on other available exemptions from the prospectus requirements of applicable securities legislation, including sales to accredited investors and close personal friends and business associates of directors and officers of the Company. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement, including any finder's warrants, will be subject to statutory hold periods in accordance with applicable United States and Canadian securities laws for a minimum of four months and one day. The Company may pay finder's fees to eligible persons in accordance with applicable securities laws and regulatory policies.

The Company also announces that on December 27, 2016, it granted an aggregate of 2,142,542 options to its Chief Executive Officer pursuant to its stock option plan. Each option vests immediately and is exercisable into one share of the Company's common stock at a price of $0.24 per share until December 27, 2021.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States. The securities referenced herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in compliance with one or more exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

About Rise Resources Inc.

Rise is a mineral exploration company. The Company's focus is on advanced mineral projects with demonstrated continuity and the majority of their value in precious metals. Rise also has several exploration properties in British Columbia, Canada which it is evaluating. Rise was incorporated in Nevada, USA in 2007 and maintains its head office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Benjamin Mossman, CEO and Director

Rise Resources Inc.
Description

GIS - 28 December, 2016: The strategy of Government is to inculcate the notion of a responsible gambling code of conduct, in view of the fact that it is very difficult to completely eradicate gambling. The intent is to provide the proper framework for responsible gambling.

The Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, made this statement on 20th December 2016 at the National Assembly in reply to a parliamentary question on the status of progress regarding the proposed setting up of a Responsible Gambling and Capacity Building Fund.

Sir Anerood Jugnauth explained the rationale of putting in place the Responsible Gambling and Capacity Building Fund. Furthermore, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) is already implementing its Roadmap on Responsible Gambling, he said.

In parallel, the GRA is in the process of holding consultations and engaging with all partners/stakeholders of the industry and the civil society at large, to develop the framework for responsible gambling, he added.

The Prime Minister also announced that the GRA and the Mauritius Revenue Authority are working closely to finalise the modalities of the collection and the transfer of the 2% levy imposed on all gaming operators, except for Lottotech Ltd. This process, he said will be completed by midJanuary 2017, following the revision of the Memorandum of Understanding between these two Authorities.

In addition, he informed the House that the Managing Committee of the Responsible Gambling and Capacity Building Fund is being constituted and that the Director of Audit will be called upon to audit the accounts of the Responsible Gambling and Capacity Building Fund to ensure transparency.
(TNS)  State and local public safety officials practically ignored social media as a tool to inform people of an approaching firestorm that swept into Gatlinburg.A review of Facebook and Twitter postings shows officials in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and those with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency made little use of the free social media tools.A spokeswoman for Gatlinburg said neither the city nor its public safety agencies had any social media accounts when the Nov. 28 inferno responsible for 14 deaths, more than 180 injuries and the damage or destruction of more than 2,400 structures struck the city. Officials said damage from the fire will exceed $500 million.Since the disaster, spokeswoman Marci Claude said, the Gatlinburg Police Department "has created a Facebook page to share information with the community."In contrast, officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park continuously updated information on its Facebook page and Twitter account throughout the day warning of the growing danger. National Park officials warned of the unpredictable fire, the increasing winds moving flames toward Gatlinburg and ongoing evacuations within the park.The park started sharing information at 10:46 a.m. on Nov. 28 about the fires marching north toward Gatlinburg.Park officials posted on its Facebook page a video of a 2 p.m. news conference in which National Park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said outlying communities had been alerted to the danger wildfire could burn structures near the park's boundaries.Soehn said the National Park Service has a policy encouraging parks to use social media. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park launched its Facebook account in 2013, its Twitter feeds in 2014 and began using Instagram in 2015, she said. The park has two Twitter accounts, one for park information and one for road closures and delays.Soehn said the National Park has 644,379 Facebook followers, 96,200 people accessing the Instagram account, 23,103 followers on the park information Twitter feed and 33,173 people watching the road information Twitter account."We have found the diversity of social media platforms allow us the opportunity to directly communicate and disseminate information in a timely manner to people across age groups," Soehn said.During the Chimney Tops 2 fire, which began Nov. 23 but didn't escape a 410-acre containment area until Nov. 28, firefighters from Colorado sent to douse the rampant flames created a Chimney Tops 2 Facebook page. Soehn said the new account had 44,418 followers "and an overall reach of over 2 million people with all the sharing of posts."Soehn said park employees try to maintain interaction with followers on social media by responding to comments and questions.She emphasized, however, the National Park's social media platforms are not designed to serve as a warning system for visitors because of spotty cellular coverage. The park's websites provide that kind of emergency information, Soehn said.Micki Trost, public information officer for the Colorado division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, relies heavily on social media to share pertinent information with the public, especially during emergencies. Her agency's Twitter account has 44,000 followers.Trost used social media in March to have conversations with drivers trapped on highways during a blizzard. She was able to assure stranded families help was on the way."Our accounts are very much interactive," she said. "Social media allows us to provide direct and immediate information to people impacted by an event.When I was hired five years ago, we had the accounts, but they had limited use. But as a practitioner in public safety, you must be on social media."Trost said she has undergone "extensive training for social media and crisis communication" from the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education in Oak Ridge; the Public Affairs Science and Technology Fusion Center operated by Argonne National Laboratory, based in Argonne, Ill., and Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Md.Now Trost conducts hands-on social media training courses for local, state and federal agencies across Colorado.Trost said when she started using Facebook and Twitter to connect with the public, the biggest complaint I heard was that only teenagers and college students used social media.Studies, however, show the fastest-growing segment of social media users are 60 and older.A review of the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency's Twitter account, which has 570 followers, shows a single post for Nov. 28 noting the "enhanced fire danger."Perrin Anderson, spokesman for Sevier County, said that single post was retweeted from the National Weather Service by Sevier County EMA Director John Mathews.The Sevier County EMA Twitter account was established in February 2015, Anderson said. There is no policy about using social media during emergencies. Anderson said there have been no discussions about using social media to communicate with the public since the wildfire disaster.Anderson did not address why the county EMA Twitter account is not linked on the Sevier County website where information about Mathews' agency is provided.The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, which has 12,200 followers on Twitter, didn't address the Gatlinburg disaster on Nov. 28. Its only post was at 11:04 p.m. asking people in Sevier County to stay off mobile devices.Dean Flener, who has a Twitter account noting he is the official spokesman for TEMA, made no mention of the firestorm on Nov. 28. He said the accounts were established in 2010 by the previous public information staff."TEMA uses both Facebook and Twitter extensively for social media engagement," Flener said when asked about the dearth of information about the wildfire."TEMA has always used its social media sites to provide public information," Flener said. "We have not used social media as a public warning platform, either statewide or locally."Asked about a state policy about using social media to alert the public of dangerous events, Flener provided an internet link to Tennessee's restrictions on employees engaging in political activities with social media.TEMA at 11 p.m. EST, put the first mention of the raging fires on its state website. The information was extensive and included details about evacuations, 30 structures burning in Gatlinburg, downed power lines and school closures.Social media was used to counter erroneous information released Nov. 29 by TEMA that Ober Gatlinburg had been consumed by flames. TEMA put the inaccurate report on its state website, but corrected it after sunrise when it was debunked, Flener said. That bad information was retweeted on a Twitter account identified as Gatlinburg's."This information was incorrectly reported into the State Emergency Operations Center from a number of eyewitness accounts in Gatlinburg," Flener said. "I do not recall exactly who all these sources may have been."Ober Gatlinburg on Nov. 29 used its Facebook page and Twitter account to inform people it was not destroyed. An employee even provided a video of the popular tourist attraction on social media to prove it remained intact.A Twitter account called GatlinburgTn, with 23,500 followers, noted at 11:43 a.m. Nov. 28 that 500 acres were burning in the National Park, but, Gatlinburg is safe for now. Its next post was at 5:14 p.m. to share the voluntary evacuation of Mynatt Park. The account did not note the evacuation was mandatory at 6 p.m.For the next three hours, the Gatlinburg Twitter account was silent as the firestorm erupted about 6 pm., fanned by winds gusting at 87 mph. At 8:17 p.m. the first of three tweets were issued about evacuations and the "disastrous situation."None of those tweets, however, were issued by the city of Gatlinburg, Claude said."That is not a City, Chamber (of Commerce) or CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) hosted Twitter site," Claude said."We are unaware of who administers that site. We appreciate their attempt, along with mainstream media, to use social media to deliver the message."Pigeon Forge's Facebook page was silent on Nov. 28. The City of Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism used its Facebook page throughout the day to share several of the National Park postings. The first Facebook posting created by the tourism department at 8:39 p.m. provided information about the evacuated area and available shelters.Trost said despite the value of social media to connect with the public, she still encounters public safety providers not using those resources."I use it all day, every day to share information with everyone living or playing in Colorado," Trost said. We use Google maps a lot to help people know where the hazard is, which way to get away from it and where to go for help."While Trost said social media can provide immediate information, public safety agencies still need the mainstream media to share information with the public. Social media users can obtain quick details on noteworthy events, but "then gravitate to traditional news sources for continued coverage," she said.A drawback of social media is false information can be shared multiple times."One of the biggest jobs is rumor management," she said. "If it's a life and death situation, we put a stop to it right away."We'll contact the people sending out the inaccurate information. Usually, it's a matter of people hitting the resend button without really looking at it."I would suggest people find the social media accounts for the public safety agencies where they live and travel to," to be informed of any dangerous or eventful occurrences, Trost said.
F1 teams are being offered shares in the sport but not voting rights, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt said new owners Liberty Media are keen for the teams to take 20 per cent ($800 million) of the commercial rights, with the end of January as a deadline for their decision.

"Liberty has good reasons to invite the teams," Schmidt wrote. "Shareholders will not leave overnight.

"But the deal has a catch. Although the teams will benefit from the earnings and will get a seat on the board, they will not vote.

"When it comes to new strategies, regulations, marketing campaigns, the distribution of money or the appointment of the CEO, Liberty will not include the teams," he added.

Also uncertain about F1's future is the ongoing involvement of Bernie Ecclestone.

F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart told the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick: "There will never, ever be another Bernie Ecclestone.

"He is unique in the whole world of sport -- no man has ever made as much money, for himself and for everyone else."

So with the 86-year-old F1 supremo's future uncertain for the new era, Stewart insisted: "Liberty needs to find a solution.

"When Pete Rozelle died, everyone thought it was the end of the NFL. But it grew even bigger and better, because the new people brought a different culture and new methods.

"But at the moment there are not many things you can do (in F1) without Bernie. If he cooperates with the new owners, it will be great, including for the fans, who must move back into the foreground," Stewart added.

(GMM)
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
NY Times reporters Jeremy Peters and David Kuhn were busy defending Trump voters by all racists and let's forget that Carl Paladino was a Trump campaign co-chair. Did anyone ever say they all were? Yesterday,reporters Jeremy Peters and David Kuhn were busy defending Trump voters by insisting theyre not all racists . OK, theyre notracists and let's forget that Carl Paladino was a Trump campaign co-chair. Did anyone ever say theywere? Some are and some arent. But they were all willing to overlook racism, xenophobia, homophobia and right-wing extremist, thats for damn sure. But dont dare upset the poor widdle snowflakes by calling them out for it. Fascists need a hug too, amirite?





What about the anti-Semitism? Are we allowed to talk about that yet, Jer? A couple weeks ago we looked at a neo-Nazi, explicitly anti-Semitic storm brewing in backwater Montana , state that gave Herr Trumpf a massive 274,120 (56.5%) to 174,521 (36.0%) win over Clinton. Trump won all but 6 of the states 56 counties. Flathead County is the 4th biggest, in terms of population, in the state. How white is Flathead County? 0.15% of the population is black that white. Trump got 30,079 votes county-wide and Hillary supporters numbered less than half only 13,233. The two biggest towns are Kalispell and Whitefish. Does Whitefish ironically something New York Jews eat for breakfast on Sundays if theyre not in a lachs mood sound familiar? It should. Trumpist Neo-Nazis have some plans for Whitefish.





Ugly Hitlerite wants to run for Congress in Montana









Flathead Beacon is covering the Theis covering the biggest story to hit their county in years, reprinting the bipartisan letter signed by the states most prominent Democratic and Republican leaders:

An open letter from Montanas elected leaders

December 27, 2016



Dear Fellow Americans,



As we close out this year and look toward the future, we as Montanas elected leaders are focused on the values that reflect our true character. Therefore, we condemn attacks on our religious freedom manifesting in a group of anti-Semites. We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation. We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.



We offer our full support to the Jewish community, Montana families, businesses, faith organizations and law enforcement officers as they ensure the security of all our communities. We will address these threats directly and forcefully, putting our political differences aside to stand up for whats right. Thats the Montana way, and the American way.



Rest assured, any demonstration or threat of intimidation against any Montanans religious liberty will not be tolerated. It takes all Montanans working together to eradicate religious intolerance.



We are encouraged that so many Montanans from a variety of religious backgrounds have joined us in condemning this extreme ideology.



God bless the great state of Montana and the United States of America.



U.S. Senator Jon Tester

U.S. Senator Steve Daines

U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke

Governor Steve Bullock

Attorney General Tim Fox

No one wants to see Trump neo-Nazi supporter Richard Spencer run for the Republican congressional nomination in the special election to replace Ryan Zinke, who is likely to be confirmed as Trumps Interior Secretary. But it isnt just high-ranking Republicans and Democrats that want to distance themselves from the anti-Semitism.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes also joined in condemning hatred and bigotry. The tribes issued a statement saying they stand with Montanas elected leaders in sending a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation.



The messages come on the heels of a recent proposal by a white supremacist website to organize an armed march in Whitefish next month. The publisher of The Daily Stormer, Andrew Anglin, said he planned to organize a march for the second week of January. The march would be against Jews, Jewish businesses and everyone who supports either, Anglin wrote, though he has since said he could call off the march.



The website, which is a neo-Nazi platform that features images of Hitler and the Auschwitz death camp, has also posted a call to take action against the communitys Jewish residents and local businesses, posting personal contact information and slurs in an effort to launch an Internet troll storm.



The website says the troll storm is in response to local residents harming the business interests of the mother of Richard Spencer, a part-time Whitefish resident who is a vocal leader of the so-called alt-right movement, which blends racism and white nationalism. The Daily Stormer is not affiliated with Spencer.



Anglin has accused a local realtor and nonprofit Love Lives Here of trying to sabotage a Whitefish real estate venture owned by Sherry Spencer. The chairman of Love Lives Here denies organizing any pressure or protests against Sherry Spencers office building.



According to Love Lives Here, the Daily Stormer posts have unleashed a torrent of harassment against local businesses and community members, including threats of violence via social media, phone calls and emails.



Officials with the Whitefish Police Department are monitoring the situation. The communication is mostly coming from Internet accounts on the East Coast and nothing illegal has occurred locally, according to authorities.



Police Chief Bill Dial said his department has received a significant amount of inquiries about the potential march in Whitefish along with residents expressing concern and anxiety.



I can empathize with people. Its not a comfortable situation, he said.



Dial said his department is working with federal and county law enforcement authorities to devise a plan if the armed march does occur.



Im hoping for the best, planning for the worst, he said.



If they do come, were just hoping its a peaceful march. Im sure there will be those protesting at the same time.



He added, Its our job to make sure we keep the community safe and thats what were going to do.



Love Lives Here and the Montana Human Rights Network are co-sponsoring an event on Jan. 7 in Depot Park in Whitefish. Organizers of the event are calling it a community gathering to celebrate diversity and take a stand against racism and other forms of oppression. The event will include speakers and live music.



Earlier this month, the city of Whitefish signed a proclamation firmly declaring Spencers views and those of the alt-right are a direct affront to our communitys core values and principles.

Societal divisiveness, including racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, extreme nationalism have always been tied up with conservatism and, of course, fascism. Without them candidates running on economic platforms like Trump's-- entirely serving the exclusive interests of the 1%-- would have no chance of winning elections.








The goal of the UCB infotainment platform is to provide 70-80% of the starting point for a production project. This enables automakers and suppliers to focus their resources on customizing the other 20-30% to meet their unique product needs. As part of UCB 3.0, AGL is also releasing a software development kit (SDK) that enables rapid application development on the AGL platform. The AGL UCB 3.0 is suited for deploying navigation, communications, safety, security and connectivity. It includes several key features:

Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) has released the latest version of its infotainment platform. Developed through a joint effort by dozens of member companies, the AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) 3.0 is an open-source infotainment platform positioned as a de facto industry standard.

A new home screen and window manager

An improved application framework and application .

A new SDK for rapid application development.

Reference applications including media player, tuner, navigation, Bluetooth, WiFi, HVAC control, audio mixer and vehicle controls.

Integration with simultaneous display on instrument cluster.

Smart Device Link for mobile phone integration.

Rear view camera and rear seat entertainment on MOST ring.

Wide range of hardware board support including Renesas, Qualcomm Technologies, Intel, Texas Instrument, NXP and Raspberry Pi.

Many AGL members have already started integrating the UCB 3.0 into their production plans. AGL UCB has several strong supporters and contributors including Toyota, Mazda, Aisin AW, Continental, DENSO, HARMAN, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and others.

The AGL community consists of close to 90 companies and is rapidly growing. Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota are among the first carmakers to participate in the AGL collaborative project. Although initially focused on infotainment, AGL plans to support instrument cluster, heads up display, telematics/connected car, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), functional safety and autonomous driving in the future.

Currently, many automakers use proprietary operating systems for infotainment. Car manufacturers typically contract out the software to a supplier that provides proprietary code with limited portability and reuse. Applications must often be ported from one platform to the next, resulting in slow innovation. Sharing a single software platform across the industry allows for code reuse and a more efficient development process. Developers and suppliers can build once and have a product work for multiple OEMs instead of having to build different versions for each make and model.

This is our third release of the AGL UCB in the past year. This unprecedented level of collaboration is a clear indication that the automotive industry is adopting an open source development methodology that is resulting in faster innovation with more frequent software releases and new features. Sharing a single software platform across the industry decreases development time which enables automakers and suppliers to bring new products to market faster so they can stay ahead of new advances in mobile technology. Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux

AGL will be demonstrating the UCB 3.0 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017. Demo applications for rear seat display, video playback, AM/FM radio, wheel input device, navigation, HVAC control, media player and browser, settings and home screen will be on display.

AGL members ATS, AisinAW, DENSO, ForgeRock, Intel, Microchip, NTT Data MSE, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and Texas Instruments will also be onsite demonstrating their products running on the UCB 3.0.

Automotive Grade Linux is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. The AGL UCB distribution, which is hosted by The Linux Foundation and open to anyone, is available for download here.
Yesterday comedian Steve Weinstein joked on twitter that he never thought Repubs would take away my Medicare and Medicaid. I just thought they were nice white people who'd put that bitch in jail. A few weeks after Putin managed to place his puppet into the winners circle, we started bearing witness to Trumps and the GOPs betrayal of the voters who were tricked into supporting them. NPR took a good look at the same set of facts early on as well particularly inside the South's diabetes and stroke belt, which voted heavily for Trump, depends on Obamacare for health insurance and is now at risk of shrinking life expectancy resulting from that fatal vote last November. It doesnt make sense to say they deserve it. Too many other people who didnt vote for Trump will suffer as well.

Greg Sargent focused on the problem yesterday in hiscolumn, These coal country voters backed Trump. Now theyre worried about losing Obamacare. Sargent referred to the CNN segment up top. If you didnt watch it, you should. Sargent observed that Trump voters in Appalachia are now worried that [Trumps] vow to repeal Obamacare will deprive them of crucial protections that enable them to stay afloat financially. This dovetails with other reporting that suggests a lot of Trump voters may be harmed by repeal of the law. Old news toreaders but the question Sargent raises still hasnt been resolved: Did voters such as these know they were voting for this? After all, Trump promised countless times throughout the campaign to repeal the Affordable Care Act, didnt he? If they are complaining about this now, dont they have only themselves to blame? Sargent says No.

[W]hile Trump did repeatedly vow repeal, these voters were absolutely right to conclude that he would not leave them without the sort of federal protections they enjoy under Obamacare. Thats because Trump did, in fact, clearly signal to them that this would not happen.





The CNN segment features people who live in Eastern Kentucky coal country and backed Trump because he promised to bring back coal jobs. Now, however, they worry that a provision in the ACA that makes it easier for longtime coal miners with black lung disease to get disability benefits could get eliminated along with the law. That provision shifted the burden of proving that the disability was directly caused by work in the mines away from the victim. Those benefits include financial and medical benefits. Some benefits now also extend to the widows of miners who had black lung disease  or pneumoconiosis, a lung illness associated with inhalation of coal dust  after their husbands die. Other reporting has also confirmed widespread coal country worries about losing these protections.





But what did Trump actually promise?





These coal country residents are not quite in the same situation as many of the laws other beneficiaries, who are currently gaining access to health coverage due to increased federal spending and regulation. But they are all benefiting from increased governmental intervention under the law designed to expand health care and support to lower-income or sick people who were unable to secure it for themselves under the old system. Many of them would lose these benefits if the law is repealed.





There is some evidence that many of those people voted for Trump. The Wall Street Journal recently demonstrated that rural, aging, and working class counties that went overwhelmingly for Trump also showed large drops in the uninsured rate. Similarly, Gallup-Healthways data shows that among non-college, lower income whites  a Trump demographic  the uninsured rate has dropped 10 percentage points.





Now, obviously, many Trump voters may still not like the flawed aspects of Obamacare, even if it did expand coverage to a lot of them. And many Trump voters may have backed him because of his promise of jobs  which theyd prefer over government as their means to gaining health care.





But these coal country voters in the CNN segment were very clear: They dont want to lose the protections Obamacare grants them. Other reporting has found similar worries in Trump country. Still other reporting has turned up examples of Trump voters who dont actually believe hell take away their Obamacare.





So what did Trump really tell these voters?





Yes, Trump said endlessly that hed do away with the ACA instantly. Yes, his own replacement plan would leave millions without coverage. But heres the rub: Trump also went to great lengths to portray himself as ideologically different from most other Republicans on fundamental questions about the proper role of governmental intervention to help poor and sick people without sufficient access to medical care.





In January of 2015, Trump said he wanted to try and help lower income people get health care, even if it cost him the GOP nomination  signaling a core difference with the GOP on this moral imperative. During the primaries, Trump pointedly told fellow Republicans he would not allow people to die on the street, telegraphing that core difference once again. Trump also repeatedly vowed not to touch Medicare, explicitly holding this up as proof he is not ideologically aligned with Paul Ryan on the safety net. As David Leonhardt details, Trump repeatedly demonstrated an ideological willingness to embrace a role for government in expanding health care to, well, all Americans.





And so, if many Trump voters didnt really believe theyd lose protections under President Trump, this was not a crazy calculation to make. Now, Trump and congressional Republicans may indeed end up rolling back protections for millions who voted for him. But if that happens, and these voters do end up feeling betrayed by Trump, they will be right to feel that way  they will, in fact, have been scammed by Trump.





Perhaps, like other scam victims, they should have looked more closely at the fine print. But the broad conclusion they reached was a perfectly reasonable one.
I have to say I'm surprised. Even Donald Trump, or his handlers, will call out a friend for being politically incorrect.

I'm referring to Carl Paladino, the 2010 Republican nominee for governor of New York, the co-chairman of Trump's (ineffective) campaign in New York and a Trump pal. The Trump transition team repudiated "reprehensible" written comments Paladino sent to a Buffalo, N.Y., publication.

The comments about Barack and Michelle Obama were racist, tasteless and grossly stupid. And all too familiar.

Paladino offered an offensive apology Tuesday, although not to the Obamas. He seems to be mad at everyone who thinks he's a racist idiot. And maybe he was taken aback by the Trump team's reaction.

The publication, called ArtVoice, asked Buffalo-area leaders about their expectations for 2017. Most sent in thoughtful replies. Paladino went crazy.

"1. Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford. He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarret, who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her.

"2. Michelle Obama. Id like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla."

Paladino explained he didn't intend to send that reply to the magazine but only meant to share it with friends. I wonder if a certain president-elect was on that list.

I wanted to say something as sarcastic and hurtful as possible about the people who are totally responsible for the hurt and suffering of so many others," Paladino said in his "apology." "I was wired up, primed to be human and I made a mistake. I could not have made a worse choice in the words I used to express my feelings.

I'm glad Trump's advisers denounced this deranged language. But this is indicative of the political climate that's led us to this place in our country's history.

I fervently hope that this man is not given a position in the Trump administration but, despite this episode, that would not surprise me.
GREENSBORO  James Keith was wowed by the big white house from the moment he first saw it. His wife, Amanda, had another impression of the 110-year-old, 7,200-square-foot colonial mansion on North Mendenhall Street.

She appreciates simple things, which this house is not, he said.

Fast forward about 10 years. The Keiths are now the proud owners of Double Oaks at 204 N. Mendenhall St. They are opening it this weekend as the Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast.

Double Oaks, named for the two oak trees in its front yard, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its a home many in Greensboro know for its color and imposing size in the citys Westerwood neighborhood.

But the Keiths, who moved to Greensboro in 2006 to attend graduate school at UNC-Greensboro, hope that re-opening the home as a business will help people get to know more about the inside of the house and all the history it holds.

Its a home that needs to be on display, Amanda Keith said.

Double Oaks, originally built for real estate developer Harden Thomas Martin, has been on display before. Its previous owners, Ann and Win Milam, purchased the house in 1995 and operated it as a bed and breakfast for about seven years. It was a successful and gratifying business, Ann Milam said.

The couple closed it when Ann Milam, who previously worked in textiles, took a job assignment overseas. But the Milams continued to use it as their personal residence. It was a showpiece for the many collectors items they picked up on their world travels, and where they celebrated holidays and friends birthdays.

Win Milam died nearly three years ago, and while memories initially kept her in the house, Ann Milam finally decided to put it on the market.

Its really a large house for one person to rattle around in, she said.

Milam, who met the Keiths through their work with Preservation Greensboro, sold the house to them in June.

We loved that house when we were there, and were happy to see it fall into good hands, she said.

In addition to being a business, Double Oaks is something of a hobby for James Keith. Hes always appreciated old things and also restores cars in his spare time. He has an undergraduate degree in historic automotive restoration from McPherson College in Kansas. The Keiths also renovated the Effie Anderson house in College Hill, which had been apartments, into a single-family residence.

That project was good practice for Double Oaks, which James Keith said required no real structural changes, just some electrical and plumbing upgrades. The Keiths have also done some aesthetic work, including removing the linoleum to expose the original heart pine floors in the kitchen.

The couple built a wraparound deck, added parking and are building a backyard stage to host concerts for guests and other events.

They have added touches to the home to make it their own  and that their guests are also likely to enjoy, such as a Mason & Hamlin Ampico piano in the music parlor, which has a player system. The Keiths bought it at an estate auction in Oklahoma.

Ive paid less for cars, said James Keith, who is also the associate director of music at First Presbyterian Church.

A 1935 RCA Victor radio that belonged to Keiths father-in-law sits in the rear foyer. Amanda Keith, who is managing editor at Wake Forest University Press, decorated the library in aubergine and lined its shelves with her favorite books.

The home has three single rooms and one suite. The third floor is unfinished, but the couple is in the process of designing and renovating it to add two suites, and opening up the balcony and widows walk.

The Keiths said they choose bed and breakfasts over hotels when they travel. James Keith said they provide a more personal experience and make him feel more a part of the city hes visiting.

He said they want to use their new business to build relationships with the community. They plan to support other businesses, including buying local food products to prepare for their guests.

And the bookings are already rolling in even before the homes grand re-opening. The Keiths said they have an outdoor concert booked in the spring, as well as reservations for the spring furniture market in High Point.

You can really feel that the interest is building, and thats really encouraging for us, Amanda Keith said.
Activities

About 20,000 community members attended High Point Universitys sixth annual Community Christmas, a two-night event organized by hundreds of HPU faculty and staff volunteers who contributed a total of 2,500 hours.

Neighbors who visited the campus were treated to 86,000 lights, 11,740 feet of garland, 166 wreaths, 608 banners, 450 bows, 82 nutcrackers and soldiers, 23 nativity scene figures, 300 poinsettias and 12 Christmas trees. New this year were Santas Stable Petting Zoo and Polar Express train rides.

***

The Salvation Army of High Points goal this year was to collect 1,600 stockings from across the city. Thanks to the leadership of High Point Universitys Student Government Association and multiple groups across campus, HPU filled 1,100 of those stockings, or nearly 70 percent of the total goal.

Members of the Student Government Association stuffed 750 of the those stockings.

***

Students at Millis Road Elementary participated in their schools annual Caring Candy Cane project. Each year, boys and girls buy candy canes for their friends and classmates to raise money to help Millis Road families at Christmas.

Karen Carle, a Millis Road grandparent, led the campaign and organized volunteers to help collect the money and label the candy canes for distribution.

A total of $2,191 was raised from sales, plus $568 in donations.

Student council members distributed 3,233 candy canes.

The money raised will go toward purchasing gifts for 15 children at the school.
Local veteran Kent Riddle holds a patent for the integrated bandage and electrical stimulation transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device.

In veterans-speak, Riddle is a surprise-mill.

From my military roots go back to the Revolutionary War, he fast forwards to World War II: My dad went down on the USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway  he was in the water 13 hours before being rescued.

Evidently, that was enough Navy for his father; he joined the Air Force and retired as a master sergeant.

The Riddle military roots did not stop with Riddle.

My son, Jeff, has a degree in criminal justice from Appalachian State University and did counter-terrorism operations in the Coast Guard. My other son, Ben, was a combat engineer in the Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq two times.

As an Eastern Tennessee teenager, Kent Riddle enlisted in the Navy in 1966. Think Vietnam War.

I wanted to be a submariner  they wanted me to be a corpsman, he said.

Marines consider Navy corpsmen as Marines, and Riddles career path reflected as much  Camp Lejeune, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Serving as a corpsman taught me Gods will for my life  I felt destined to take care of other people, he said.

Riddle earned a nursing degree from East Tennessee State University in 1973. Much like his father had done after leaving the Navy, Riddle joined the Air Force  as a member of the Nurse Corps.

After Flight Nursing School, I served in aeromedical evacuation, he said. We were more like flying hospitals. In flight, its you and the patient  you are called upon to perform diversified medical procedures. I learned that performing intensive care and emergency room procedures at 30,000 feet in altitude is quite different from land-based operations.

He has always been attracted to heart treatment, he said. When the discovery and advancement of interventional heart procedures such as coronary angioplasty came along, I knew I had to be a part of it, he said.

Given the opportunity to supervise the cardiology department of Madison General Hospital in Madison, Wis., Riddle left the Air Force as a major.

After a few years, Riddle went with a California firm that developed many of the early breakthroughs in heart treatment and the use of medical devices. He traveled all over the country and Europe, making suggestions for device improvements and enhanced treatment techniques.

Riddle became the California firms first product manager but was attracted to another California start-up which dealt with a different cutting-edge treatment of the heart  stents.

In the early days, angioplasty worked for a while, but the arteries often tightened up again, he said. Early stents saved lives by keeping arteries open longer, and as the industry improved, the success rate grew exponentially.

Working during the frontier days of interventional cardiology and over the next 25 years, Riddle constantly sought ways to improve heart treatment and medical devices. He ultimately earned two medical-device patents  one pertaining to filtering blood clots and the second, the TENS, which dealt with pain management.

One day, I realized my heart wasnt in sales, stock prices, inventory levels, or return on investment  my heart was still in nursing. I walked away from private enterprise, took a year off, rode my motorcycle across country, cleared my mind and came back to Greensboro to resume my nursing career.

Two years ago, Riddle found The Servant Center.

Or vice versa.

Serving as nursing supervisor at the Servant House has brought me full circle in nursing. My duties now are similar to what I did in the military, except I do sick call for a barracks filled with homeless veterans instead of Marines, he said.

While the veterans under my care will not deploy to the Persian Gulf after their time at the Servant House, they will face significant obstacles transitioning from homelessness back into society, he said. Given that some of them have multiple medical issues, it is my job to help them make this challenging re-entry as seamless as possible.

Kent Riddle and his son, Ben, helped each other cope with their memories of war.

Ben kept a small potted sugar maple tree in his barracks at Camp Lejeune. He asked me to care for it when he deployed. I planted it in our back yard and prayed over it each night until Ben came back home. It is now over 25 feet tall.

Riddle leads the Americanism Committee of the Greensboro Elks Club and was recently named 2016 Veteran of the Year. He has lived in Greensboro since 2005.

Visit www.theservantcenter.org to learn how you might serve alongside Riddle.
Theres still time to make charitable donations for the 2016 tax year.

We invited local nonprofit organizations to share their wish lists this holiday season. Their needs range from cars and refrigerators to hand warmers and mealworms, and most groups welcome gift cards and financial donations.

The Servant Center

What we do: Empower the homeless and disabled, particularly veterans, to become independent and contributing members of the community through housing, health care and restorative services.

Wish list: Laundry pods, rubber gloves, diabetic test strips, diabetic meal replacement drinks such as Glucerna, tens units and pads, coffee, sugar, tea bags, coffee creamer, canned tuna and salmon, cooking oil.

To donate: Contact Debra Stokes, (336) 275-8585, ext. 306, or dstokes@the servantcenter.org. Purple Heart Homes will match all monetary donations, up to $10,000, through Dec. 31.

United Way of Greater Greensboro

Wish list: New and gently used winter coats and new pairs of socks for young adults and boys participating in its Mentoring Matters program.

To donate: Drop off at 1500 Yanceyville St. in Greensboro. (336) 378-6600.

United Way of Greater High Point

What we do: United Ways BackPack Program helps feed nearly 700 children.

Wish list: Individual cereal boxes, toaster pastries, cereal bars, shelf-stable milk, 100 percent juice boxes, pop-top meats, ramen noodles or microwave pasta, 8-ounce bottled water or juice pouches, cups of fruit, fruit snacks, crackers.

To donate: Drop off items at United Way at 201 Church Ave., High Point; donate online at www.unitedwayhp.org; or shop online at Amazon using the BackPack Program wish list and have the items sent directly to United Way. The link to the list is: http://a.co/ aatdBMz. (336) 883-4127.

Wheels4Hope

What we do: Car-donation organization that provides affordable, reliable transportation to economically vulnerable families and individuals who are referred to us by a partner agency.

Wish list: Car donations, gas gift cards, jumper cables, Office Depot gift cards, tire store gift cards.

To donate: Visit www.wheels4hope.org/donate or call (336) 355-9130.

Womens Resource Center

of Greensboro

What we do: Promote the self-reliance of women by assessing needs, providing services and acting as a gateway to community resources.

Wish list: Copier paper, microwave oven, new manila file folders, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, 6-ounce hot-beverage cups, 18-cup coffee pot

To donate: Drop items off at the Womens Resource Center, 628 Summit Ave., Greensboro. Contact Ashley Brooks at Ashley@WomensCenterGSO.org or (336) 275-6090, ext. 220.
Just in case you thought Grubhub wasn't paying attention to your orders  it was.

The food ordering company recently released data on what, exactly, its customers have been ordering this year.

Grubhub took a look at orders placed with its system from January to November 2016, comparing the statistics against the same months in 2015 and 2014 to sort out the food trends.

Among the questions the company tried to answer with the data was to find the most popular dishes for the year and what was ordered the most in major cities.

The company also tried to find correlations between cultural events of the year and what people were ordering that same day. While it's not entirely clear how the company equated the breakup of Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris with an uptick in orders of General Tso's shrimp and crab rangoon, other delivery-event links do seem to ring (mostly) true. For instance, the company reported a spike in hot dog orders in Chicago following the Cubs' World Series win, while Super Storm Jonas apparently inspired a 230 percent increase in tomato soup orders on the East Coast.

And just when you thought you've been spending too much money on delivery, consider the person who earned the dubious "honor" of being Grubhub's best customer. The delivery service reported that one person placed 751 orders in 2016 ... a year that is not quite over yet. That works out to ordering from Grubhub about twice a day  the stat should make you feel (somewhat) better about your own ordering habits.

To see the most popular dishes delivered in 2016 (and what will become more popular in 2017), click through the gallery above.
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GREENWICH  Sally and Mike Harris dont go on vacations anymore.

The longtime Greenwichites still travel, but now they rise at 3 a.m., motor empty roads in the Midwest and farther afield to research remote religious communities, always with their cameras around their necks.

We dont like to relax, said Sally Harris.

The Harrises, who gave a presentation called Inside the Mennonite and Hutterite Communities to the Retired Mens Association of Greenwich on Dec. 28, have taken photography from a casual interest to an all-consuming hobby.

About eight years ago, Mike Harris went to a week-long photography workshop in San Miguel, Mexico.

I called Sally almost in tears and I said to her, I just want you to know, this has changed my life, said Mike Harris, a lawyer with Ivey, Barnum and OMara in Greenwich. This is what I want to do.

I thought if hes going to be doing this, then Id better do it too, said Sally Harris.

In their presentation, the couple  members of the Stamford Photography Club  described how they bonded with the Yoder family, Old Order Mennonites, after photographing their children at a roadside farm stand in rural southwestern Pennsylvania.

After exchanging a few handwritten letters, the Harrises were invited to photograph the Yoders and their 10 children at their home and experience the Mennonite way of life.

Mennonites, like the Amish and the Hutterites, are a pacifist Christian group that baptizes people as adults and migrated to North America from Eastern Europe in the 1870s. Old Order Mennonites dress plainly, do not use electricity or electronics and separate themselves from society.

Unlike the Amish, however, they do allow themselves to be photographed.

We were not there to judge them or try to convince them of our way of life, Mike said. We were just trying to understand.

The Harrises have now visited the Yoders on their farm several times over two years to photograph them.

They have become like our grandchildren, said Sally. Its just so sweet.

In June 2016, the Harrises visited four Hutterite groups in Washington and North Dakota.

Hutterites, another Anabaptist group, allow the use of technology and live in colonies of 50 to 100 people. They live completely communally, dining in a large cafeteria and farming and working for the profit of the group.

The Harrises showed photographs of the Hutterites lives of contrast: the immaculate, modern homes in the middle of nowhere, women wearing old-fashioned, conservative dresses posing in front of high-tech washing machines or showing off their Nikon cameras.

Sally and Mike Harris have displayed their photos at the Cos Cob Library and local galleries. They often give presentation of their pictures because their photography workshops have taught them to shoot and share.

At the end of the workshop, the guy said dont just go home and download your images and keep them on your computer. Youve got to get out there and show them to people and display them, said Sally Harris. We really do believe in sharing.

The Harrises will present again to the Second Congregational Church of Greenwichs Womens Group on Jan. 17.

I think they showed remarkable enthusiasm for what they were doing, said Peter Uhry, president of the Retired Mens Association.

This is a different dimension, the fact that they have gone beyond the lens, said Jack Morris, a longtime friend of the Harrises who attended their presentation. They opened a subject that we are so little exposed to, and its a fascinating subject.

Amy Siebert, commissioner of Greenwichs Department of Public Works, will present to the Retire Mens Association on Jan. 4.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
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STAMFORD  A trip to Rome isnt something to be turned down.

Thats what Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni, of Stamfords Basilica of St. John the Evangelist, said inspired him to write his latest book: Aggiornamento on the Hill of Janus.

The historical vignette of his alma mater, the Pontifical North American College in Rome, picks up where another graduate left off . Father Robert McNamara published a 100-year anthology of the college  The American College in Rome, 1855-1955  in 1956.

Nearly six decades later, DiGiovanni was asked by the Archbishop of New York to spend a year in Rome and continue McNamaras work.

DiGiovanni explored the schools cultural transformation during the Vatican II transition, the Vietnam War and the social revolutions of the 1960s and 70s. Aggiornamento on the Hill of Janus is a history of the American seminary from 1955 through 1979, he said.

The school and the church were both going through some very turbulent changes at the time, DiGiovanni said. Some of the book is very wacky and weird. Its a very interesting cultural and religious balance.

DiGiovanni, who received his doctoral degree from NAC in 1983, spent two semesters in Rome between 2014 and 2015, gathering research and interviews for the book. It was written to supplement McNamaras academic work, but it reads more like a narrative.

The book is academic in that there are a lot of sources and archives and footnotes, but its not difficult to read, he said. Anyone familiar with the culture of this era  this stuff is there. We have Vietnam, sex, drugs and rock and roll, civil rightsits all there.

This is DiGiovannis second book. His first, published in in 2013, also focuses on NAC. The Second Founder: Bishop Martin J. O'Connor and the Pontifical North American College, chronicles the re-opening of the American seminary in Rome after World War II.

For this book, DiGiovanni said he was fascinated by the ways in which the events and changes in practice at NAC reverberated into the rest of the world.

If youve ever wondered how todays American church came to be what we know now  well, heres part of it, he said. What happened (at NAC) was imitated and replicated around the world.

Aggiornamento on the Hill of Janus was published by Midwest Theological Forum earlier this year. Its first run includes 1,500 copies. It is available on Amazon or for a discounted price at the Basilica in downtown Stamford.

nora.naughton@scni.com; twitter.com/noranaughton
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From tragedy to happiness, the Greenwich area saw a lot in 2016.

Click through the slideshow to see the top 10 stories that mattered to you this year.

Former supermodel and Greenwich resident Stephanie Seymour's family made headlines this year for separate incidents.

First, Seymour was arrested by Greenwich police for leaving the scene of an accident  the second accident of the day for Seymour, who was previously charged Jan. 15 with driving while intoxicated.

Police said that Seymour smashed into a utility pole on Stanwich Road on Jan. 15, breaking it in half, then drove off in a 2015 Range Rover. An hour or two later, according to authorities, she backed into another vehicle off exit 5 near I-95 at 9:15 p.m., which led to a charge of driving while intoxicated.

In July, Seymour and her husband billionaire Peter Brant's son, Harry, was charged with resisting arrest and drug possession after allegedly refusing to pay a taxi fare. Brant, 20, was arrested July 28, and also charged with larceny in the sixth degree. He reportedly refused to pay a $27.85 fare to Stamford Taxi after being driven to Greenwich Avenue and ran off on foot.


Nazis not allowed.

Honolulu restaurant owners Robert and Jali Warner want a Trump-free America so, so bad that theyve straight-up told his voters they can not eat at their Italian eatery. The ban comes in the form of a recent sign conspicuously taped to Cafe 8s window warning anyone who approaches, If you voted for Trump you can not eat here! No Nazis.

The couple tells Fox News the bans only sort of in earnest, since its not like the waitstaff is canvassing to see which customers are to blame for Trumps victory. Also, they wouldnt (just to give an example) put anything different in those voters food. Jari explains her husband merely wanted to express how much he doesnt like Trump, and if that fair warning  which, to be honest, does read like a veiled threat on the restaurants front door  runs a few people off, thats totally fine by the Warners.

She also claims that, in theory, they didnt intend to create trouble, though surely Cafe 8s sudden one-and-a-half-star rating on Yelp isnt a shocking consequence. The page is in active cleanup mode, but since Fox News story ran yesterday afternoon, Yelpers from places as far-flung as Colorado, Oklahoma, and Virginia have emerged to leave gems arguing the carbonara may be Chef Boyardee from a can, or connecting these obvious dots: I wasnt aware 8 1/2 referred to the owners brain cells.  Whats next from you, GOOSE-STEP LIVER PATE?
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei announced that global shipments of its P9 and P9 Plus smartphones crossed the 10 million mark, making them Huawei's first flagship series to hit the milestone.

Huawei P9

The announcement was made by Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG), in a press release today.

"First revealed in April 2016, the dual-lens Huawei P9/P9 Plus devices were Huaweis first flagship smartphones to be developed in collaboration with legendary German camera brand Leica," Yu said. "This extensive partnership has already set a new benchmark for advanced smartphone camera technology and delivered outstanding photography experiences to consumers."

Yu also revealed that in Q3 2016, Huawei managed to ship 33.59 million smartphones (up 23% y-o-y). The company's mid-to-high-end devices accounted for around 44% of the total shipment, he noted.
The International Road Federation (IRF), a not-for-profit organization based out of Geneva, Switzerland working for safer and better roads world wide has instituted annual awards for media persons committed towards Road Safety across the nation.IRF as a part of its initiatives in India and globally, keeping in view the important role played by the print and electronic media, it is proposed to honour the best two individual Reporters / Editors on an all India basis, who has demonstrated deep commitment to the cause of Road Safety, through an Annual Award, starting with the Calendar Year 2016."India accounts for highest number of road accident deaths in the world, for reducing road accident deaths generating road safety awareness and taking engineering measures for better and safer roads is best solution for developing country like India. Road safety awards will help generating awareness" said MR K K Kapila, Chairman, International Road Federation .The Awardees will be honoured with a Cash Prize and Citation to be presented during the Annual Road Safety Week. The first awardee will be presented with a citation, a certificate and a cash award of INR 100,000/- The runner up will get a cash award of Rs. 50,000/- plus citation and certificate.Separately, the IRF also proposes to honour the Best Reporter to be selected from each State, who has rendered Yeoman service for the cause of Road Safety, either through advocacy or by highlighting events and issues with profound impact on Road Safety. A cash award of Rs. 21,000/- plus certificate has been instituted for the best entry from each State in the country.The nomination entries for the awards from journalists will be in the form of news stories, features, articles, editorials which promote road safety as a developmental issue in any regional language. The entries will be accepted till JANUARY 9, 2017 of each year and the awards will be presented during the Annual Road Safety Week held in the month of January in New Delhi.Nomination for the above Awards may be sent to the Chairman, IRF (India Chapter). At india@irfnet.ch The format for these nominations is available at our website www.indiairf.com For any query, please contact - india@irfnet.ch International Road Federation  India ChapterCEAI Centre, 2nd Floor, OCF Plot No. 2Pocket-9, Sector-B, Vasant KunjNew Delhi  110070, INDIATel: +91-11-26898475 / 96Nomination form
This summer we told you about an investigation by the Fair Trade Comission in South Korea involving Qualcomm and unfair business practices. Reuters now reports that we have a final verdict - the company will be fined 1.03 trillion won (approx. $854 million). The decision will be challenged in court, the chip maker said later.

This is the largest fine ever issued by the Korean FTC (KFTC). They say Qualcomm abused its dominant market position and forced phone makers to pay unnecessarily high costs for patents as part of their deal to provide chipsets. The regulator added more:

The accusation also includes restricting competition by limiting licensing of its standard essential patents to rivals such as Intel, Samsung Electronics and MediaTek.

KFTC ordered Qualcomm to renegotiate with rivals on patents and supply agreements. This means that the chip maker will have to resign its deals with Apple, Samsung and Huawei.

Investigations began back in 2014 when anonymous complaints were filed. Secretary General of KFTC Shin Young-son said this has nothing to do with protection of domestic companies such as Samsung and LG. We tend to believe him because this isnt the first case of unfair business practices for Qualcomm. The company faced fines in China and EU as well and is currently being investigated for the same issue in Taiwan and United States.

Source | Via




Haiti - Elections : The protesters try to challenge the electoral judges





Tuesday, the verification work at the Vote Tabulation Center (CTV) was suspended for a few minutes following receipt of a summons from "Pitit Dessalin" and LAPEH requesting the resumption of the verification process where it was on December 23, when the protesters decided to leave the premises after the decision of the Electoral Court to apply Article 77 of Council Regulation https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19598-haiti-flash-the-bcen-applies-the-regulation-the-protesters-leave-the-ctv.html



Moreover, a little before 4:00 pm the verification was interrupted following the filing by bailiff, at the registry of the electoral court of a request by the lawyers of Jude Celestin and those of Moise Jean-Charles of recusation of the 5 judges composing the Bureau of the National Electoral Litigation (BCEN) for legitimate suspicion of serious bias and conflict of interest.



Josette J. Dorcely, the President of the Electoral Court, considering that only the board of directors of the CEP can decide on the motion of recusation filed by the protesting parties has transmitted their requests to the CEP for the legal suites. Moreover, in order to respect the act of justice which obliges her, she has announced the immediate suspension of the verifications, eaving unfinished the work that was to end this Tuesday.



For the PHTK, this request for recusal of the judges by the protesters is an ultimate attempt of the losers who try to delay the verification and prevent the publication of the final results scheduled on 29 December.



Furthermore, the day before, the law firm of Fanmi Lavalas on behalf of the candidate Maryse Narcisse sent a letter to de facto President Jocelerme Privert informing him of a summons made to the BCEN as well as to the president and members of the CEP, to warn them against any publication of final results.



Actions that may call into question the publication of the results that everyone expected impatiently, as expected Thursday, December 29, 2016.



To be continued...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19598-haiti-flash-the-bcen-applies-the-regulation-the-protesters-leave-the-ctv.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19623-haiti-flash-d-3-publication-of-final-results-as-planned.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19600-haiti-flash-situation-unchanged-at-ctv-date-of-results-maintained.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19598-haiti-flash-the-bcen-applies-the-regulation-the-protesters-leave-the-ctv.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19589-haiti-elections-verifications-at-the-ctv-the-tone-rises-nothing-advances-or-almost.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19579-haiti-elections-the-verification-of-the-pv-has-begun-not-near-to-be-finished.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : Terrible accident on National #1, more than 30 victims





Early on Monday morning, on the national road # 1, in the locality of Terre Noire (commune of Saint-Marc), a terrible accident occurred involving 3 vehicles, causing 5 deaths and about 30 wounded (provisional record).



The accident occurred when a pickup truck attempted to overtake a bus, struck the bus and collided head-on with a pickup that was coming in the opposite direction, according to legal findings.



Most of the wounded were taken to the Saint-Nicolas Hospital, three of them had to be taken to Port-au-Prince and several were transferred to other hospitals, notably in the Plateau Central given the seriousness of their condition, according to the National Ambulance Center.



5 people have died of the consequences of this accident, including two in the hospital informed the hospital Saint-Nicolas.



The balance could increase, given the severity of the injuries of some victims who are in critical condition.



S/ HaitiLibre


















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News Release from AARP Hawaii, 12/1/2016

Retirement savings are a major concern in Hawaii, where residents 60 and older are expected to account for 28 percent of the state population by 2030. In an AARP survey of Hawaii registered voters ages 35 to 64, nearly 6 in 10 of those in the workforce said they worry about having enough money in retirement.

In the 2017 legislative session, AARP Hawaii will ask lawmakers to convene a work group to explore ways to help about 216,000 private sector employees in the state who do not have a retirement savings plan at work. And to help family caregivers, AARP will fight for respite care and improved access to long-term care resources.

AARP Hawaii invites members to make their voices heard at key points in the legislative process. To sign up as a volunteer advocate or e-activist, contact Audrey Suga-Nakagawa, AARP state advocacy director, at asuganakagawa@aarp.org or 808-545-6005.

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More than two thirds (69%) of DCA members who responded to the survey were not supportive of changes to sections 18C or 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Only 8% of respondents felt that the current Act was not fulfilling its obligations to protect people from vilification.

More than half of respondents (59%) agreed that changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act could impact more on some groups of people than others, some of whom are currently experiencing higher levels of discrimination than in past, according to recent research.

The majority of respondents (54%) were not supportive of any significant shift in the way that complaints are handled by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

In response to the Parliamentary inquiry launched on 8 November 2016, the Diversity Council Australia has surveyed its membership base of employer organisations and made a submission.It supports no change to sections 18C or 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act or to the complaints-handling procedures of the Australian Human Rights Commission Indeed, DCAs CEO, Lisa Annese , said an adequate case for changing the Act has not been made.Given the views expressed by our membership and our more than thirty years of experience as the only independent, not-for-profit workplace diversity advisor to business in Australia, we dont believe there is a need to change the Racial Discrimination Act, said Annese.The current framework of the Act which aims to prevent racial discrimination and vilification and offers an avenue of redress for complainants, is one which has worked well over a number of decades.We believe it strikes an appropriate balance between the rights of individuals to live free from racial discrimination and vilification and the need for free speech in the community, and is one that business is experienced in working with.Annese added employers and governments play an important role in promoting a cohesive multicultural society.Australian businesses are very aware of the importance of a culturally diverse workforce and of providing workplaces which are free from cultural bias, discrimination and vilification. In fact, there is a clear and compelling business case for doing so, said Annese.Unfortunately, our own research echoes other studies that show racism is still a problem in the workplace and needs to be addressed.Messages conveyed to the community, including businesses, by Government policy and legislation are a critical element of creating a culture which supports a society free of racism and promotes cultural diversity.Annese concluded that changing the Racial Discrimination Act would send a negative message about the type of behaviour that is now acceptable in the community, and this will inevitably have a flow on effect into the workplace.DCAs submission outlines that:

Related stories:



Why HR has a reverse discrimination challenge



Corporate surge underway to protect LGBT employees



Referrals may pose problems for diversity
>Jason Low argues that Australia needs a much simpler super system that enables fair treatment across the board  removing the burden from businesses and instead empowering employees to take control of their finances



By now, youve all seen the articles on super. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, according to ATO (Australian Tax Office) its some employers using a loophole in superannuation to pocket the benefits of additional super contributions made by employees. Not quite so noble.



Why does this matter? Industry Super Australia has declared that the legal loophole for salary sacrificing delivers a $1 billion hit to the retirement savings of 360,000 Australians. Furthermore, two-thirds (61%) of those affected are earning under $80,000 per year. And, the average loss for a middle earner is $2,900 a year.



Whilst these figures are facing their own scrutiny, they demonstrate the significance of the super loophole. Whats more, statistics such as these have provided the foundations of a national outcry and calls for change by the government and employers alike.



But lets get one thing straight. The super-scandal is not a compliance issue and we do not need saving in the middle of the night. As employers choose to contribute to super at their own accord, this is an entirely moral dilemma. Do you a) add super onto an employees contract, b) bundle an employees package all together so that they must self-sacrifice or, c) make use of the loophole, combine the two and pocket the savings?



From a moral standpoint there are two clear options to choose from which will lead to a happy and productive workforce that you can engage with and retain. However, from a legal one, all three are entirely acceptable. Im inclined to take sides with the law and say that ultimately it doesnt matter. The missing link in all this is transparency. No matter what choice you make, you must be upfront with your employees about the part you will play in their future. Even if you are making use of the loophole you must ensure your employees are aware and encourage them to seek financial advice.



Super is a very complex issue. Therefore, were calling for employers to provide their staff with the means to understanding it. Many of us dont have the means in-house to provide high levels of super support but we can all provide our employees with the transparency they need to get to the bottom of it. Through transparency and proactive financial guidance, perhaps through external support networks, businesses can provide their staff with the help they need to fully understand their super investments and the legislation that surrounds them.



Ultimately, no-one is a villain here. It all comes down to simplifying the rules and removing the red tape surrounding super funds. We need a much simpler system that enables fair treatment across the board  removing the burden from businesses and instead empowering employees to take control of their finances.



Whilst a loophole may exist in the system, it cannot and will not be removed, as salary sacrifice is a vital element of super saving. Instead of calling for its downfall, businesses need to prepare and empower employees to understand and fight for their super funds. Employers must show their commitment to this cause through dedicated training programmes and the sourcing of external financial advisors to help guide staff through the super maze.



About the author

Jason Low is Head of The Association for Payroll Specialists (TAPS)


Release from Civitas Institute

The Civitas Institute has sent letters to the NC State Board of Elections and Watauga, Buncombe, Bladen, Pasquotank, Wake, and Durham counties, requesting a thorough examination of voter rolls and full compliance with section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act.

Shoddy registration and verification practices in North Carolina have resulted in reports of voter rolls fraught with ineligible voters, unverified voters, active felons, and voters who dont live in North Carolina. This must be corrected to ensure we have elections free of disenfranchisement of legitimate voters.

Civitas President Francis De Luca stated, Civitas has a long history fighting to protect the votes of all North Carolinians. And toward that end, we will continue to challenge the same-day registration process in North Carolina, which has continued to disenfranchise legitimate voters. North Carolina voters deserve better. Civitas will pursue every avenue necessary to ensure that every voter is verified as is required by the National Voter Registration Act.

###

Founded in 2005, the Civitas Institute is a Raleigh, NC-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy organization committed to creating a North Carolina whose citizens enjoy liberty and prosperity derived from limited government, personal responsibility and civic engagement. To that end, Civitas develops and advocates for conservative policy solutions to improve the lives of all North Carolinians.

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By Jesse Wood

An eyesore of a property, the old Cannon Hospital in Banner Elk has sat vacant for about 18 years. For some time, the only activities occurring on the blighted property are ghost hunting and acts of vandalism.

But Marc Mataya has a grand vision for the property and neighboring tracts of land called the Legacy Art Farm. The vision is part classy and quiet tourist attraction; part expansion of greenways and community green-space; part farm component; part artist-in-residence program similar to the McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte; and plenty more.

A mission statement for this proposal reads: To provide an outdoor and nature-based destination where artists, individuals and families and their people-friendly pets can spend a whole day enjoying nature, art, animals, exercise, adventure, creativity and, of course, tons of fun!

A major caveat, though, is he doesnt own any of the land.

From Charlotte, Mataya is a software developer by trade and has a part-time residence at The Farm at Banner Elk, a gated community off of N.C. 184. He said hes been working on this idea since last year and hopes adjacent landowners, community members and the Town of Banner Elk embrace his nonprofit proposal.

Ive been driving by that horrible building for two-and-a-half years now and came up with this idea about two years ago and started putting it together last year, Mataya said.

Ideally, Mataya said the project would span 75 acres  if all of the adjacent landowners are on board  and connect to the old Banner Elk Elemenatry School, which the town owns and is currently restoring, and the Tate-Evans Park and greenway. Mataya said hes been in talks with owners of the 10-acre Cannon Hospital tract, majority owned by Olin Wooten of Wooten Enterprises, and adjacent landowners.

Mataya said the landowners have been receptive to the idea but want to ensure a return on their investments into these properties  something he believes can be achieved through fundraising and setting aside parcels for residential development.

Mataya agreed that the Legacy Art Farm idea is ambitious and could be tackled in stages. When and if financing and the land is secured, the Cannon Hospital would be demolished, which he said has received positive feedback, as well as his vision for the Legacy Art Farm.

Everybody just raves about the idea. I hear absolutely zero negative things about it. Even Olin Wooten loves the idea, Mataya said. Now its just a matter of making things happen.

A very rough cost estimate for the project is $6 million. The first phase of the project would cost about $2.5 million, including the acquisition of land and demolition of the old hospital structures that cant be renovated

He proposed lets say between $500,000 to $750,000 to demolish the old hospital before outright agreeing to purchase the property. Mataya said he was not comfortable purchasing the property if, for example, asbestos abatement cant be remediated and then we have an albatross on our hands.

Mataya said that four to 10 very serious heavy hitters contributing could get the project off the ground in no time. Mataya added, The beauty of this project is that it doesnt have to happen all at once.

He mentioned that hes working on proof of concepts, a more robust website and putting together a board that would include community members, stakeholder landowners and town leaders.

He noted that its important that this project isnt seen as an outside developer coming into Banner Elk and building something unwanted. He wants people who already live in the area or have roots in the area to take part in the revitalization of this blighted property.

One of the ways this project wont work is if you get some egomaniacal, greedy investor who comes in externally and wants to put in, say, a Walmart. I want to make sure people dont say, this outside guy is trying to come in and leach off of our legacy, Mataya said. I want you to fix up your own stuff and leave your own legacy.

The property is currently on the market by Wooten Enterprises for $1.4 million, reduced from $2.4 million, according to the companys website. On Tuesday, High Country Press spoke with Olin Wooten, founder of Wooten Enterprises.

Marc has a lot of good ideas and Banner Elk is a tourist town. It definitely stands out in the mountains, and I hope the concept [is successful]. It sounds real good and the city of Banner Elk should be proud of that. That is exactly what they need there, Olin Wooten said on Tuesday. I think it could definitely happen.

As Wooten noted, Walt Disney did something similar years ago. He said Disney was land-strapped in California before purchasing thousands of acres in Florida. In the end, Disney was able to pay off the whole land bill by selling off just a few acres.

Wooten also referred High Country Press to his real estate associate Greg Green, who is more familiar with the Banner Elk property, for more details. Reached on Tuesday, Green agreed that the Art Legacy Farm proposal could happen and would benefit the town of Banner Elk.

But we havent talked about any numbers or anything like that. No proposal is on the table and thats where we need to have something that I can go to Mr. Wooten about, who is the major owner, and see what we can work out, Green said. I hope we can work through some things, but we need to have a real money proposal.

Green noted he gets phone calls on the property everyday and that several scenarios have been discussed over the years. For example, High Country Press wrote about the Florida-based Suchman Retail Group seeking to rezone the property for a mixed-use project that would have featured retail, townhomes and a hotel in 2007. Plans were drawn up for a project that never came to fruition.

Banner Elk Town Manager Rick Owen said that Mataya has been in touch with town staff, such as Cheryl Buchanan in the planning office, regarding the Art Legacy Farm idea and any potential zoning issues to be concerned about from an ordinance standpoint.

The town is up for anything that will clean up this property, which is an obvious eyesore, Owen said. We have heard about it and have definitely talked to him about it. There are a lot of moving parts, and we are certainly here to help if he can facilitate improvement.

Proposed features:

greenway connector

retro-fitted, small electric train with tunnel in mountainside

art-deck-o patio

music stages

giant outdoor movie screen

artist-in-residence programs

permanent covered art displays

rentable art gallery booth mall

galleries

artist studio rentals

cafe/wine bars/local breweries

music lesson/dance studios

pony rides

petting corrals

waterfalls and fountains

rock and boulder climbing

chairlift rides to the peaks

fishing ponds

bonfires

mountain bike trails

fishing pond

history museum

& more

For more information and to see how you can participate, click to the Art Farm Legacy website.

Below are a few maps from the website depicting the area in question and some of the proposals:

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THE TOP 10: Grey Hosiery Mill, DuPont Forest

4. Grey Hosiery Mill



Although the mill has been in the news for more than 10 years, 2016 might go down as the year that started the project that worked. The City Council in November authorized an invitation to developers to submit plans to build a 130-room hotel (or something else commercially viable) on the site. The council wants the developer to retain at least the original 100-year-old part of the mill. The RFP was based on a consultants report that recommended the city recruit a higher-end hotel with a 7,900-square-foot conference hall, 5,000-square-foot restaurant and a 3,800-square-foot retail space. The Grey Hosiery Mill redevelopment is a unique opportunity to capitalize on the growing demand for a full-service, unique hotel and event space in downtown Hendersonville, the RFP says. For its part of the deal, the city offers to sell the 2.1-acre site through favorable terms and invest in streetscape improvements. The City Council could choose a developer by April. Groundbreaking could take place by December 2017.

3. DuPont State Forest





When the year opened, a controversy was about to erupt over a proposal to charge an admission fee of up to $12 per vehicle to fund much-needed improvements and pay for more rangers at DuPont State Forest. The forest drew 683,000 visitors in 2015 thanks to the popularity of The Hunger Games, a big hit movie, and the Blue Ghost, a tiny firefly. We really need some infrastructure in there to handle all that, said N.C. Forest Service spokesman Brian Haines. The admission fee was widely panned by area legislators. I do not want my constituents to be taxed and charged fees at the same time, state Rep. Chris Whitmire said. Within weeks, Troxler had made a request for $5 million for new personnel and capital improvements in the forest, including $1.5 million for rangers and other personnel and $3.5 million for parking, restrooms and other improvements. Rep. McGrady and Sen. Apodaca guided the funding through the $22 billion state budget and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler got most of what he requested. A successful year for DuPont State Forest got even better as the year ended. Troxler announced this week that the DuPont company had agreed to donate the 476-acre site of its old X-ray plant to the state of North Carolina, making the so-called donut hole public land and boosting the size of the forest to almost 11,000 acres. "Im ecstatic about the announcement," said McGrady, whose involvement with the DuPont property goes back to efforts in the late 1990s to save the land from development. "It is the culmination of lots of hard work over many years by many people. With this acquisition, management and protecting DuPont State Recreational Forest will be much easier."
A Garda cordon outside the Regency Hotel in Dublin after one man died and two others were injured following a shooting incident at the hotel. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday February 5, 2016. The attack happened while a boxing tournament weigh-in was going on at the hotel on Swords Road, around three kilometres north of the city centre. See PA story POLICE Shooting. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire

A dangerous hitman linked to the Hutch gang has gone to ground, with garda fearing that he may be planning an attack on the Kinahan cartel.

Gardai have been unable to verify his location despite searching his home and other properties.

The 23-year-old was recently released from custody but failed to reside at a named address as part of his post-release conditions.

Despite his young age he is considered to be a leading member of the Hutch organised crime gang. It is suspected he was involved in the Regency Hotel murder plot and gardai subsequently informed him that his life was under threat.

A source revealed that the criminal is being sought over crimes not related to the current feud but added that he was being investigated for gangland related activity.

"The fear is that he is gone to ground because he is planning an attack on the cartel. He hasn't been sighted at his Dublin home in a number of weeks," a source said.

However, gardai have not ruled out that the hitman may have fled the country due to the ongoing Hutch/Kinahan feud.

He was previously linked to the Kinahan cartel but fell out with the gang following the murder of Gary Hutch (33) in September 2015 - a killing which forced a split in the international crime syndicate.

Just over a month later, he was suspected of being involved in a botched murder plot on cartel associate Liam Roe (38) outside the Red Cow Hotel.

Gardai also suspect that he was involved in the March 2015 murder of Paul Kavanagh (25), shot dead outside the Cat and Cage pub in Drumcondra on behalf of the Kinahan cartel.

Injured

A five-man hit team were involved in the Regency Hotel (left) attack on February 5, during which gangland criminal David Byrne (33) was shot dead and two other men were injured.

The hit team's main target was Daniel Kinahan (39), the perceived leader of the cartel, who managed to flee the scene unharmed.
Ronan Wilmot (left) with playwright Eddie Naughton at Sean OCaseys former home on North Circular Road

It is "disgraceful" that the Dublin house where playwright Sean O'Casey wrote his three greatest plays remains virtually unknown, actor Ronan Wilmot has said.

"There's nothing to mark the place where these hugely important plays in the city's history were written," said the veteran star.

Wilmot (73) has joined with playwright Eddie Naughton to make a public call for a commemorative plaque to be erected at 422 North Circular Road.

They want Ireland's tourism chiefs and the city council to make contact with the owners of the property to begin the process of installing a plaque in the interests of tourism, history and literature.

The three renowned plays dealing with the turbulent opening decades of the 20th century in Dublin are Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars.

Lockout

"All three plays were written by O'Casey during the years he lived on the North Circular Road," said Wilmot.

Born in 1880, O'Casey (above) was the first playwright to write about the working class in the slums of Dublin. A socialist, he took part in the 1913 Lockout and was a founding member of the Irish Citizen Army.

His plays continue to be performed worldwide thanks to their universal appeal.

While the Sean O'Casey pedestrian bridge across the Liffey was a major act of recognition by his nat-ive city, Wilmot said that a plaque to mark the playwright's former home is essential.

O'Casey left Ireland in 1927 and died in England in 1964.

Naughton (70) said it was vital that O'Casey was honoured with a plaque in the part of Dublin where he lived for so many years.

Naughton's play, Inishfallen Fare Thee Well, is based on O'Casey's life from the time of his growing up to his leaving Ireland.

Tour

The one-man play was recently performed by Wilmot at Aras an Uachtarain for President Higgins.

It premiered at The New Theatre in Temple Bar in August, and will open at the Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire on February 3 ahead of a tour of the country.

"O'Casey was a socialist, not a nationalist. As far as I'm concerned, he lives in the body of Ronan Wilmot in my play," Naughton said.

Wilmot said O'Casey was a brilliant writer who has earned the right to be commemorated in his native city.
U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale along with National Highway Authority Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar and Frontier Works Organization Director Major General Muhammad Afzal opened an exhibition displaying photos of the recently rehabilitated section of National Highway 25 connecting Chaman to Kalat through Quetta, Baluchistan.

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, funded the construction of the 111 kilometers needed to complete National Highway 25, in cooperation with the Frontier Works Organization, the prime contractor, and the National Highway Authority. USAID provided $463 million to rehabilitate the highway and has committed an additional $27 million for further improvements.

The newly-restored highway will increase trade and economic integration by linking Pakistan with Afghanistan and its Central Asian neighbors. The road, which stretches from Chaman on the border with Afghanistan to Karachi, will also improve the lives of the people of Baluchistan by expanding access to basic healthcare, education, and other social services. The Frontier Works Organization began construction in October 2014.

This road is a concrete demonstration of Americas commitment to help bring peace, stability, and prosperity to Pakistan. It is a testament to the far-reaching benefits of our partnership, as it will serve the people of Pakistan for generations to come, Ambassador Hale said at the inauguration.

The funding for this highway is one element of USAIDs $681.5 million FATA Infrastructure Program, which has restored essential public infrastructure in remote communities. To date, the United States has funded the construction and rehabilitation of more than 2,200 kilometers of roads in Pakistan, including the four major trade routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The United States is proud to work with its partner Pakistan to help build the infrastructure that will enhance trade and better the lives of the people of Pakistan and the Central Asian region.
The United States values freedom of the press as a key component of democratic governance. Unfortunately, in too many places the press has become a target of retaliation by those who feel threatened by freedom of expression and transparency in democratic processes.

In its annual census of journalists imprisoned worldwide, the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, found that more journalists are jailed around the world today than at any time since the CPJ began keeping detailed records in 1990. As of December 1, 2016, 259 journalists were jailed this year compared to the 199 behind bars worldwide in 2015.

Turkey accounts for nearly a third of the global total. Amid an ongoing crackdown that accelerated after a failed coup attempt in July, Turkey jailed at least 81 journalists, accusing them of anti-state activity. In addition, more than 100 news outlets have been silenced.

The jailing of journalists continues to be a global problem, with China, Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia as some of the other worst offenders.

This year marks the first time since 2008 that Iran was not among the top five worst jailers, as many of those sentenced in the 2009 post-election crackdown have served their sentences and been released. However, Tehran is still stifling press freedom by sending journalists to jail, including filmmaker Keyvan Karimi, who is serving a sentence of one year in prison and 223 lashes in relation to his documentary about political graffiti, Writing on the City.

The press is too often a target of retaliation by governments that repress freedom of express and transparency. The United States will continue to speak out for the protection of journalists and for their vital role in open societies and defending the truth.
Recent terrorist attacks in Ankara, Turkey, and Berlin, Germany, add to a growing list of incidents that are becoming increasingly difficult to remember. Does one begin the list with the plane hijackings in the 60s and 70s, or the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, or the USS Cole attack in 2000, or the second World Trade Center attack in 2001, or Ft. Hood, San Bernardino, Orlando, Paris or Nice? And thats not all of them, nor will it be the end of them, if we dont have a better response.

During the great wave of immigration in the early 20th century, the United States barred those afflicted with tuberculosis, venereal disease, trachoma and other serious diseases from entering the country. Now a different kind of infection is invading Europe and increasingly the United States. Its called radical Islamic terrorism. The West continues to admit people from terrorist countries, people who have been infected with this killer disease, seemingly fearing the affliction less than being labeled intolerant.

How is that working out? So afraid of being charged with Islamophobia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted more than 1 million refugees in 2015 from nations that breed terrorists. It was inevitable that some would come to destroy rather than assimilate.

Mounting evidence that many of these people are time bombs waiting to explode still fails to open eyes that have been deliberately shut.

Take the case of a 24-year-old Tunisian named Anis Amri, the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack, shot dead by authorities on Friday in Milan, Italy. Amri was one of a number of suspected terrorists who have come from Tunisia, a country that has reportedly sent more fighters to Syria than any other. The Charlie Hebdo attacker was Tunisian, as was the man who drove a truck into a crowd in Nice on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. ISIS had urged similar attacks be made and, apparently, the Berlin suspect obeyed.

The UK Daily Mail reports Amri was jailed four years ago in Italy for burning down a school. He also was arrested three times in Germany before giving police the slip earlier this month. German authorities reportedly were in touch with Tunisian officials to get Amri a passport so he could be deported. But Tunis rejected the request, saying it had no record of his ever being a citizen.

Was this a lie, or was he a plant? We may never know.

Chancellor Merkels response to all of this is a case of too little, too late. She wants to ban Muslim women from wearing full-face veils. That is a political move, not a strategic one. It will not deter terrorists from their mission, as more enter Germany hidden among legitimate refugees.

Responding to the latest terrorist attacks, President-elect Donald Trump said he has been proved 100 percent correct when it comes to his plans to curtail Muslim immigrants from nations that spawn terrorists. Given the number already in Europe or those who have been self-radicalized and allowed into the U.S., it may be too late.

The West can either acquiesce or fight back. Trump wants to fight back. Its better than waiting for the next attack, hoping were not the target.
The United States has a computing-skills crisis that is holding back American companies and economic growth. The solution lies with girls and young women.

Employers simply cannot fill positions that are becoming increasingly critical to their businesses. Recent data show that there are 500,000 open computing jobs in the United States and fewer than 40,000 new computer science graduates to fill them  only 7,000 of whom are women.

We cannot address this skills crisis by ignoring half of our talent pool. Yet, despite unprecedented efforts to expand computer science education for children and young adults, womens share of the computing workforce continues to fall  from 37 percent in 1995 to 24 percent today. New research from Accenture and Girls Who Code shows that womens share will fall to 22 percent by 2025 if we dont change the way we teach computer science to girls.

Its not that girls and young women are not being taught computer science; they are and have been for years. Its how they are taught that is not working. Boys and girls learn and are motivated in different ways. For example, for boys, it doesnt matter whether their teacher is a man or a woman, but our research shows that girls are 26 percent more likely to study computer science if they have a female teacher.

This is compounded by strong gender imbalances we see every day  from the classroom to the boardroom to the movie screen  where men are primarily seen and depicted as our societys computer scientists.

Cracking the gender code requires tailoring computer science education to girls.

This starts in junior high, where we need to spark girls interest  and show them that computing can be fun and is not just for boys. We also need to do more to inform parents and teachers how they can truly engage girls. Our research reveals that girls who are exposed to computer games at an early age are four times more likely to go into computer science.

The high school years are even more challenging in terms of sustaining girls interest. Large numbers of girls who were engaged in computing in junior high lose interest in high school and never return. For example, not having friends in a high school computing class can reduce by 33 percent the likelihood of a girl studying the subject in college.

For high school girls, you cannot be what you cannot see, so we need to train more female computer science teachers, who can help draw more girls into computing  and retain them. It is also vital for teachers to show girls that computer science is relevant across all aspects of life  from health care to clean energy  and that they as individuals can make a real impact on the world through computing careers.

Finally, in college, the role of a mentor is paramount as young women transition between computing as a discipline and computing as a career. To improve outcomes, colleges should partner with businesses to encourage more on-campus speaking and mentorship programs featuring women. Once again, more female teachers will help. The good news is that tailored initiatives at colleges such as Harvey Mudd College and the University of California at Berkeley  with a strong female presence in computer science departments  show that efforts to make computer science courses appeal to women have significantly increased female participation.

Why focus on computing, when womens share of other engineering and science fields is also low? Other science and math fields have already experienced gains in the share of female graduates in recent years. Computing is the only field that continues to decline. It also happens to be one area where we know the jobs are.

Getting all this right has vast implications for the U.S. economy. We estimate that a more targeted focus on girls could triple the number of women working in computing, from 1.2 million today to 3.9 million by 2025, moving their share of jobs from 24 to 39 percent.

U.S. business cant meet the demands of our digital economy if we do not unlock our pool of female talent. The need for computing talent will only increase as more industries become technology-driven. If nothing is done to change the downward trend, we will not meet businesss urgent demands for talent, and young women will miss out on these high-value jobs.
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.
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP)  Herschel Zahnd stands in the grass at Jeffersonvilles Big Four Station, fiddling with an object that resembles an iPad attached to a futuristic video game controller.

Hovering above him, another object responds to the commands Zahnd issues with his hi-tech joystick. That object is a drone  a small, white aircraft with four propellers.

Attached to it hangs a 4k resolution camera.

I use this more as a crane or just (for) establishing shots, he explains.

Zahnd is a Jeffersonville filmmaker and founder of Renegade Art Productions as well as a drone enthusiast. Hes contracted out his drone flying and shooting abilities to different production companies in the area.

Business is good for Zahnd despite the fact that he has only been able to exchange his drone services for money since October.

In fact, no one in the United States except for those with traditional pilot licenses (and a few who gained special exceptions) were able to operate drones commercially before Aug. 29. Most drone operators, such as Zahnd and his friend, Donnie Yeoman, were forced to be hobbyists.

That was the day the Federal Aviation Administration changed the rules.

Now, hopeful drone entrepreneurs can take a test quizzing them on their knowledge of airspace classifications and emergency procedures. If they pass, they can be like Zahnd: enterprising users of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones.

To me, it was a surprise, said Yeoman about the rule change. He started using drones in 2015.

That February, Yeoman, whose media business is called MagicDonnie, kept hearing that it was going to happen: the FAA would relax their commercial drone user requirements. Nothing materialized.

But now something has.

A job for a drone

Before the FAA modified regulations, 20,000 drones were registered for commercial use. The agency expects 600,000 to be flying for commercial purposes within the year.

Their decision is predicted to have a $13.6 billion economic impact in the first three years that drones are integrated into the national airspace, according to a 2013 study conducted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. The organization also expects more than 70,000 new jobs to be created in that time.

The economic effects will be concentrated in areas with already-thriving aerospace industries, such as California, Washington and Texas, according to the study.

Indiana will still see benefits, however. The total economic impact for the state is expected to be $103,750 in three years. But how will drones be used commercially?

Zahnds drone footage has appeared in music videos and work by 180 degrees, a locally-based production company.

Yeoman is a real estate photographer. He takes aerial shots of properties for multiple local clients.

The AUVSI has identified around 40 types of business operations drones are being used for, said Tom McMahon, the organizations vice president of advocacy and public affairs.

Aerial photography for films and real estate are a couple of examples, as are oil and gas exploration and freight transport, but precision agriculture and public safety are the most promising of the drone markets, according the AUVSI. Drones employed in those areas can spray pesticides and nutrients on plants and deliver medication to places unreachable by regular vehicles.

No matter where drones are used, the results are game-changing.

The shots Mike Fitzer, owner of 180 degrees, gets from a drone are the same hed have to use a helicopter for in the past  a more expensive option by far, he said.

One of Yeomans clients is Kyle Craig, co-owner of Diamond Home Imaging, a Southern Indiana real estate photography business.

Thanks to Yeoman, Craig is now able to provide his clients with expansive photos of their property that they wouldnt have received otherwise. Its not the type of service offered by everyone in the real estate world.

Its something that every time we deliver our photos plus (Yeomans) photos, theyre wowed by them, Craig said.

Craig wants to start taking his own photos with a drone. Yeomans encouraged him to test it out, but it does come with challenges.

Its not a question of if youre going to crash, but when, Zahnd said.

The unmanned frontier

Challenges still await commercial drone users. The FAA stipulates that operators arent allowed to fly their drones over 400 feet, out of the line of sight, after twilight or over people without waivers.

We are still held back with the rules, Yeoman said.

Drones have been used by the military since World War II, but theyre still in the beginning stages of commercial use, McMahon said. Uses and regulations are still forming.

For example, scientists are starting to use drones to monitor whales health by capturing their breath and Amazon is experimenting with delivering packages via uvas, McMahon said.

When asked whether he considers himself a drone pioneer, Zahnd demures, but Yeoman embraces that characterization.

When he embarks on a drone job, he still has to explain what hes doing to curious bystanders and throw treats to suspicious dogs.

I believe the guys that go out today and buy a drone and get into this are still pioneers, he said. Thats how baby this industry still is to me.

Yeoman paused.

Ive got chills, he said with a laugh.
ELKO  The mining industry had its share of tragedy and joy in 2016.

Throughout the year, the gold price has had its own ups and downs. On Jan. 1, the yellow metals price closed at $1,061 in New York. It went as high as $1,365.40 in July and closed at $1,138.30 on Tuesday.

Despite all the hills and valleys in the industry, the story that had the largest impact on Elko County was the opening of Newmonts Long Canyon project.

Newmont acquired the gold deposit from Fronteer Gold Inc. on April 6, 2011. Four years later, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the record of decision for the mine on April 7, 2015.

This year the site moved to full production mining. The mine site is about 30 miles east of Wells on the eastern side of the Pequop Mountain Range in Elko County and about five miles south of Interstate 80 at the Oasis exit.

Long Canyons ground breaking was April 17, 2015.

Newmont poured its first gold from Long Canyon in November. The complex was completed two months ahead of schedule for just under $225 million  about $50 million or 18 percent below budget, Newmont stated.

Long Canyon is the most significant oxide gold discovery in Nevada in more than a decade, with characteristics similar to the Carlin Trend where Newmont has been operating for more than 50 years, the company stated.

The top mining story in terms of readers at elkodaily.com this year concerned a miner dying in the underground at Turquoise Ridge Joint Venture.

Jerry Sharr, 39, of Golconda was found unresponsive at 1:20 a.m. Nov. 25. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. There were no signs of any trauma or unusual activity in the area where Sharr was found, according to Barrick Gold Corp., which operates the mine.

Unlike other publicized deaths at mines, Sharrs still doesnt have a cause determined more than a month later.

We are waiting on records from the medical examiners office in order to determine whether this was a mining-related fatality, stated Amy Louviere, Mine Safety and Health Administration representative.

The second most popular mining story was a joyous one for a 64-year-old gold miner and his family. Efren Aguirre of Elko became a multi-millionaire after he hit the Megabucks jackpot at 11:11 p.m. on March 22 at Gold Dust West Casino in Elko. The jackpot was for $12,515,708.83. Aguirre said he would continue to work at Newmont Mining Corp.s Leeville mine.
RENO  Longtime Newmont Mining Corp. communications director Mary Korpi was honored as a Distinguished Nevadan by the Board of Regents.

The award was presented Dec. 10 at the UNR commencement. It is the most prestigious award conferred by the Regents, and is bestowed upon prominent individuals who have made significant achievements that have contributed to the cultural, scientific or social advancement of Nevada.

The Regents said throughout her distinguished career in the mining industry, Korpi has had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of all Nevadans.

Korpis personal commitment to northern Nevada and to numerous nonprofit and community based organizations in the community of Elko, as well as her professional achievements in a career spanning nearly four decades, have demonstrated a passion for excellence and for enriching and improving the lives of all people, according to Natalie Savidge, senior communications specialist at UNR.

A graduate of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, with a degree in chemical engineering, Korpi began working for Newmont Mining in 1976 as a chemical engineer. She moved to Elko in 1987 and served in a variety of capacities for Newmont, including director of metallurgical services, director of loss control, leach and mill process superintendent, and, over the final 20 years of her career, as director of external relations and communications for North America.

Known for her personal graciousness, technical expertise and her ability to reach out in meaningful and lasting ways to her community, her state and all of North America, Korpi was called by one colleague the face and voice of Newmont in North America.
ELKO  Land use issues are always a top priority for Elko County, but in 2016 it was technology that kept being pushed to the forefront.

Elko County is one of three counties in Nevada that still has only basic 911. Commissioners took the necessary steps this year to begin the process for an enhanced 911 system, which would allow Elko Central Dispatch and West Wendovers dispatch to know where someone is calling from when he or she calls 911 from a landline. Phase II of this type of system would allow dispatchers to find cellphone callers.

To be able to pay for enhanced 911, the county had to pass an ordinance to collect a surcharge on telecommunications. Residential, commercial and cellphones will be charged 25 cents a month for each line, and each trunk line will be charged $2.50 a month. The estimated revenue would be $170,928 a year.

Before the surcharge will appear on bills, the commissioners had to appoint an advisory board and that board must write a five-year plan. The County Enhanced 911 Board met for the first time at the beginning of this month. It has set its regular meetings for every second Thursday of the month.

Elko County Manager Rob Stokes said the County expects the board will come up with a five-year plan as quickly as it can.

We have full confidence they will move forward expeditiously, he said.

Many businesses and individuals in the county also hope the process moves quickly and they have shown support through donations. As of mid-November, pledged or donated funds totaled $174,900.

The top story in terms of readers at elkodaily.com was about the Ruby Vista Ranch development.

This development has plans for land across from Spring Creek High School, but it hit a financial snag when commissioners said no to a special assessment district.

Ruby Vista Ranch Development, MTK Limited asked the County to assist with its project by issuing bond financing for infrastructure. In May, commissioners told staff to develop a policy for special assessment districts that could allow the County to issue bonds for private development projects.

County staff brought a draft policy to the board but warned the commissioners that ultimately the County could be held responsible financially. After almost 40 minutes of discussion, the commissioners voted unanimously to not develop a policy to assist in financial obligations for developments.

Ken Krater, representing the development, told commissioners he disagreed with staffs opinion that a special assessment district would put the County at risk. Krater said the development had planned to begin construction by mid-April, but wasnt sure how that would happen after the commissioners decision.

The developers bought the property in 2006 because the Spring Creek Master Plan showed a total potential population build-out of more than 30,000 people.

One of the reasons folks liked our project is that it would allow the area to grow and absorb folks that desire to live in Spring Creek without the need to develop a multitude of 1, 2.5, and 10-acre lots and disturb over 10,000 acres versus the roughly 1,000 acres of property located in the heart of Spring Creek that would be developed at Ruby Vista Ranch; thus preserving substantial amounts of open space and undeveloped land and with a waste water treatment facility in lieu of septic systems that would negatively impact ground water quality over time, Krater said. More compact development will have far less impact on county services too.
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Nevada knows nukes, or at least we used to.

First, the election of Donald Trump reignited the debate over the possible resurrection of Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository. Now, with a simple tweet Trump has reopened discussions about the preparedness, or lack thereof, of Americas nuclear arsenal.

The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes, Trumps 118-character missive declared this past week.

Trumps newly appointed spokesman Sean Spicer went on television the next day and said the president-elect was not trying to restart an arms race with Russian and China but rather deter one.

Hes going to ensure that other countries get the message that hes not going to sit back and allow that, Spicer told NBC. And whats going to happen is they will come to their senses, and we will all be just fine.

This would be a sharp reversal of Obamas avowed policy of avoiding nuclear proliferation. In 2009 he called for the U.S. to lead efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons  putting the Genie back in the bottle as some might say.

Between the U.S., Russia, China and a handful of other nations there are already enough nuclear weapons to make the rubble bounce, as we used to say, and enough to create a Nuclear Winter. (And Obama says the biggest threat to mankind is global warming.)

Nevada was ground zero for nuclear preparedness throughout the Cold War. On a 1,375-square-mile tract of land in Nye County known first as the Nevada Proving Grounds, then the Nevada Test Site and now the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), thousands of workers developed the nations nuclear deterrence capabilities by detonating more than 900 nuclear devices. A few workers there continue to experiment with subatomic tests.

With most of the nations nuclear arsenal sitting on the shelf for decades, NNSS would be the logical location for testing, refitting, overhauling, updating and replacing those weapons.

But Yucca Mountain and nearby Groom Lake, or Area 51  where stealth aircraft and other top secret weaponry have been tested for decades  could also play a role.

Instead of dumping commercial nuclear reactor waste at Yucca Mountain, it could be reprocessed, as many other nations do.

But in 1977 Jimmy Carter banned reprocessing because it creates weapons-grade nuclear material and he feared a nuclear proliferation and potential for that material to be obtained by terrorists or a rogue state, which has never happened, though Great Britain, France, Japan and others routinely reprocess.

That weapons-grade material from reprocessing could be used to update the arsenal and the reprocessed fuel could power commercial nuclear reactors for years and drastically reduce the amount of waste.

The nations offensive and defensive efforts under Obama have lain fallow. The three Nevada sites could be employed to do more than merely deter sane nations with a policy of mutually assured destruction  appropriately summed up with the acronym MAD.

Research and development could be directed toward deploying reliable countermeasures against an ICBM attack from an orbit over the South Pole, which was not envisioned back in the day of Ronald Reagans Strategic Defense Initiative. And it need not be just anti-ballistic missile technology.

Little has been done in recent years to harden the nations electric grid and electronic technology against the disabling power of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that is generated by a nuclear weapon, which could leave the entire nation in the dark, without communications or operational vehicles. That could come from terrorists or one of those rogue dictatorships that have or are developing nuclear devices, not just Russia and China.

Research also needs to continue on electronic rail guns that could target incoming missiles, as well as EMP or laser or X-ray weapons that use a small nuclear detonation as a source of energy  ground- or space-based.

Nevada has the infrastructure in place already, though most of the worker expertise has moved on or died off. The states universities and the Desert Research Institute could be called upon to educate the necessary workforce, as well as the various nuclear labs around the country that have seen personnel laid off and budgets cut.

Nevada has long contributed to national defense, it could continue to do so.
Why arent the non-NDA parties able to gather under one roof? Whats the incompatibility about: brittle egos, clash of temperaments, turf battles in provinces, graft charges under probe or contesting ambitions for the high chair in New Delhi?

At one level, poor coordination by the Congress outside Parliament has undermined short-term prospects of unity. The NDA has given its rivals enough reasons  including shoddy post-demonetisation management  to coalesce. But the principal parliamentary Oppositions proclivity to move without adequate consultation provoked some of its present and erstwhile allies  such as the JD(U), the Left and the NCP  to deliver retributive affronts.

Read | Note ban: Congress seeks white paper from PM, puts forth demands

A conscious effort to set up a common minimum agenda could help break the impasse. The onus for it will have to be on the Congress. Its diminished legislative presence and shrinking national base must make it desist dictating terms. Co-option rather than self-projection could be the key to constructing a broad political front with a representative steering panel to devise strategy to corner the BJP-led alliance.

But will that happen? Nothings undoable in politics. Things fall in place when a bigger entity stoops to conquer. Unlike coalitions in power, there are no high pedestals in the Opposition space. Not especially when the battle is for capturing popular perception.

The spectre of a divided Opposition hurts all  the pretenders to power and people desirous of change. The message that goes out  as is now happening  is that theres no durable alternative to the ruling combine.

One major reason for Narendra Modis stunning 2014 victory was his success in presenting himself as a strong alternative to the UPA leadership. The psychologically-mowed Congress boosted his campaign by giving him a veritable walkover, not fighting for even an honourable defeat. The partys vote dipped below 20%; the BJP grabbing simple majority on the strength of a mere 31%.

Read | Five reasons why Congress failed to rally a united Opposition against Modi govt

It is election time again with five state assemblies, including UP and Punjab, headed for polls in early-2017. Thats another reason for an anti-BJP formation taking time to emerge. The SP and BSP have high stakes in UP, making difficult for either party to accept the Congresss centrality at the national level despite its meagre presence in the key state.

If the BJP loses in UP, the party that gets majority or emerges as the single largest, would wield greater weight in the proposed front. The Congress cannot, therefore, take for granted its primacy in the Opposition space.

Akhilesh Yadav is on record telling the Congress that they can work together if his father Mulayam Singh is accepted as the PM candidate, with Rahul Gandhi as his Deputy. Similar ambitions are attributed to Nitish Kumar and Mayawati.

The best deal the Congress can cut with them is by proposing a collective leadership model for the envisioned front; without making it mandatory, of course, that it will turn into an electoral alliance in 2019. For that bridge is still some distance away.

Vinod Sharma is the political editor, Hindustan Times

Read| India robbed in the name of achche din: Rahul, Mamata attack Modis demonetisation move
A legislator of the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh claimed to have studied physics and mathematics in his Bachelors of Commerce (B.Com) programme.

Jaleel Khan, an MLA for the Telugu Desam Party, made the statement while discussing his educational qualifications during a televised interview.

When asked whether he was passionate about commerce and ever wanted to be a chartered accountant, Khan said he studied commerce because of his interest in mathematics and physics.

The interviewer, a B.Com graduate himself he later revealed, tried to correct Khan saying mathematics and physics were not taught in B Com. But Khan very confidently reiterated that he studied the science subjects in B.Com.

Who said they are not taught in B Com?... Accounts means physics and maths no? Perhaps, youve forgotten, Khan said to the reporter.

He also went on to say that he scored 100 out of 100 marks in mathematics and that he was an ace in the subject since his childhood.

I dont even need a calculator.

It didnt take long for social media users to troll the interview.

This is nothing. When I was studying MPC in graduation, I got 100 marks in history and I achieved appreciation for my skill in dissecting frog, posted Maddi Reddy.

Boss is MA (Economics) and his pupil is B Com (Physics), tweeted M Srinivasa Rao, referring to party president and Andhra chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is a post-graduate in economics.

Praveen Ananthula posted: People are fools to elect them.. I dont blame the MLA.

Jaleel Khan was elected from Vijayawada West assembly constituency on a YSR Congress party ticket, but later defected to the TDP.

His interview was posted by the reporter on his Facebook account.

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The power struggle in the Samajwadi Partys first family flared up again on Wednesday with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav giving a tit-for-tat response to his father and party chiefs list of candidates for next years state elections.

Akhilesh sacked the husband-wife duo of Sandeep and Surabhi Shukla, known to be loyalists of his uncle Shivpal, from key positions in state corporations late at night.

The move came hours after he was snubbed by SP president Mulayam Singh who again sided with brother Shivpal Yadav in the family feud that has been ongoing for six months now.

Mulayam has not been an impartial referee as his son and brother battle it out for the control of the party ahead of the assembly election due early next year.

Wednesday was no different.

The list of candidates announced by Mulayam, a former wrestler, overrode the one sent in by Akhilesh, who was further humiliated when his father told media that the party would go into the election without a CM candidate.

Akhilesh was being seen as an obvious choice for the top job but that was not to be. We dont have such a tradition (naming CM candidate) in our party. MLAs will decide after polls, Mulayam told the media.

The CM sacked Surabhi Shukla from the post of vice chairperson of Awas Vikas Parishad, while her husband Sandeep was removed as advisor of Rajkiya Nirman Nigam. The decision was announced ahead of an emergency meeting Akhilesh had called of his legislators on Thursday morning.

Candidates list causes more friction

With the candidates list, Shivpal, the partys state president, had won the round fair and square, and perhaps even the bout.

Shivpal has been declaring candidates since March  by Monday, he had named 175 of them  even as Akhilesh demanded a say in ticket distribution.

Two days ago, Akhilesh sent to Mulayam his list of candidates for all the 403 seats. Mulayam chose Shivpals list and added to his and his brothers choice the names of his picks.

The message was not lost  10 ministers sacked by Akhilesh over the last few months figure in the list of 325 candidates.

Narad Rai, Om Prakash Singh, Shadab Fatima, Shivpal Singh Yadav, Raj Kishore Singh, Raja Aridaman Singh, Shiv Kumar Beria, Yogesh Pratap Singh, Manoj Paras, and Ambika Chowdhary have been spending time with Shivpal. They have been open in their defiance of Akhilesh and it paid off.

In April, Akhilesh, who was then the state party chief as well, threw Rampal Yadav out of the party and two illegal buildings owned by him were razed. He was sent to jail.

Shivpal, who replaced Akhilesh as SP state chief by Mulayam in September, brought Rampal back two days ago. And on Wednesday, Mulayam asked him to defend his Sitapur seat.

While Mulayam revived the political fortunes of all those banished by Akhilesh, there was no such reversal of luck for those who incurred Shivpals wrath.

Three of Akhileshs ministers and loyalists  Ayodhya MLA Tej Narain Pandey, expelled from the party by Shivpal, Arvind Singh Gope and Ram Gobind Chaudhary  have been left out.

Mulayam, who said he chose to ignore the lists in favour of winnability, confirmed ticket to criminal-politician Atiq Ahmed, who has challenged Akhileshs authority.

A similar blow was dealt to the young leader when Mulayam and Shivpal chose to ignore his reservations and joined hands with criminal-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari.

In the bruising family battle, Akhilesh cut a lonely figure on Wednesday. But is it the end of the Yadav clan dangal? No one knows.

Also read | Yadav family feud: Damage irreversible, now SP govt at stake

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Two days after a junior doctor was allegedly assaulted by relatives of a patient, another junior doctor at Bhopals Hamidia Hospital allegedly assaulted a 50-year-old man and tore his clothes on Tuesday following an argument over treatment of the victims son.

Victim Yahya Khan from Guna had asked the junior doctors and the hospital staff to change the bed sheet of his son admitted at the intensive care unit of the hospital. But his demand fell on deaf ears after which he complained about it to a senior doctor, resulting in the assault by the accused.

My 20-year-old son Ameen Khan, who was suffering from a serious intestinal infection, had undergone a surgery at the hospital on Friday. He was lying on his bed at ward number 2 of surgical ICU. The doctors had put a surgical cap on the wound on his stomach from which secretions were oozing out since the surgery, thus dirtying the bed. We had put our own bed sheets twice on the bed and ran out of bed sheets, following which we asked attending the junior doctor and the hospital staff to change the surgical cap along with the bed sheets, Khan told HT.

The victim added that minutes after he complained against the junior doctor to their seniors on Tuesday morning during their routine round in the hospital, the accused junior doctor started abusing Khan along with few of his colleagues.

The accused doctor, whose name I dont know, slapped me first and then manhandled me. He, along with his colleagues, misbehaved with my wife. My daughter then immediately called on-duty policemen there who intervened and inquired about the incident. The doctors had said that my son may not survive as his infection is serious. Despite that, I suffered this, said Khan, adding that the doctors also tore his clothes.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recently ordered to shift additional chief secretary (Medical Education) and dean of Gandhi Medical College Dr Ulka Shrivastava post allegations of mismanagement at Hamidia Hospital. Within a week, death of a 22-year-old baby and two instances of assault on doctors by patients kin have tainted the image of the state-run healthcare centre.

However, general secretary of junior doctors association Dr Sudhanshu Agrawal , who was present at the time of the argument, denied allegations of manhandling.

It was all about dressing his sons wound. During the time of routine rounds by senior doctors in the hospital, the man and his family asked us to dress the patients wounds. The junior doctor attending him had only asked them to wait for a while on which they started abusing him and blamed him of dereliction of duty, said, Dr Agrawal. He added that the junior doctor then protested against abusive language used by Khan, following which the scuffle broke out.

Khan later lodged a complaint against the unidentified doctor at Koh-e-Fiza police station.

We have received the complaint from the victim. No case has been registered yet as an inquiry into the incident is on, said town inspector Anil Bajpai.
The MP cabinet has approved 7% hike in dearness allowance for government employees and pensioners and those working with local bodies and panchayats a s a New Year gift.

Confirming the development, public relations minister Narottam Mishra said: The cabinet has given its nod to the proposal of hiking the DA by 7 per cent to its employees, taking it up to 132 per cent.

The decision was also welcomed by the class III government employees association. General secretary of the association, Laxminarayan Sharma, said he also expects the government to pay arrears of six months to the employees with their December salaries.

The cabinet has also approved a detailed metro rail project report for Indore city. An empowered committee will be constituted, headed by the chief secretary, for approving the tender bids.

In the first phase of the project, the work would be carried out on a 14.99-km stretch  from Karond to AIIMS  and another 12.88-km stretch  from Bhadbhada to Ratnagiri Triangular crossing. The work on Rajwada-Nainod stretch, which spans 31.55 km will be taken up in the next phase.

As per an official spokesperson, the financial ratio of the project is 20:20:60. The state government and the central government would contribute Rs 2897.10 crore each while Rs 8691.35 crore would be obtained through loans from multilateral/bilateral funding agency. The total cost of the project is Rs 14,485.55 crore.

Mishra informed that the state government has approved a proposal to appoint 497 daily wagers against the vacant posts of forest guards.

Apart from that, the government has agreed to be a guarantor for Rs 3000 crore loan to three power distribution companies from a power finance company.

A proposal for a revised loan of Rs 104.38 crore to Bhopal Municipal Corporation from HUDCO was also sanctioned at the cabinet meet on Tuesday.
Large scale irregularities have been found in the allocation of kutirs to beneficiaries under the Prime Minister Rural Awas Yojna in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar, villagers have alleged.

In the district, irregularities have been found in allocation and selection of beneficiaries, panchayat leaders said.

Norms state that to qualify to the scheme, a beneficiary should not have received any benefits in the past under Indira Awas or chief ministers awas schemes and should not own a pucca house, some of them said.

In Deori block, 1,007 kutirs have been sanctioned in 70 village panchayats although a number of villages were not allotted a single kutir besides there are other villages that have large population but have received a smaller number of kutirs, said block panchayat vice president Mahendra Patel.

There are a number of irregularities in allocation of kutirs to villages and selection of beneficiaries in the block, he told Hindustan Times.

During panchayat general body meeting, we passed a resolution and complained to district panchayat authorities but no action has been taken until now.

Rubbishing the allegations, district panchayat CEO Rajeev Ranjan Meena, said that at least 9,208 beneficiaries in 11 blocks whose verifications have been completed, will receive sanction letters.

Allocation to villages has been done at state level and the district panchayats have no role the selection process, he said, adding that a programme will be held at the district headquarters on Wednesday, where beneficiaries will be handed over sanction letters of kutirs or houses to beneficiaries under the scheme.

The beneficiaries verification has been done at two levels. First at village panchayat level and then at district panchayat level which included random survey as well. If there are irregularities then action will be taken.
Her style statements aside, Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor is also one of the few in showbiz whove successfully managed to keep her private life away from the limelight (dare we say, hidden?). Not any more. For long it was rumoured that she was dating Anand Ahuja, a New Delhi-based design entrepreneur who runs the clothing brand, Bhane.

Tongues are wagging even more now after Anand was seen in a string of pictures on social media where the family is celebrating Anil Kapoors 60th birthday in London on Sunday. Sonams uncle Sanjay Kapoor and mom Sunita shared a few pictures on their Instagram accounts where Anand is part of the group posing for pictures.

Sample some of them shared by the Kapoor family:

Family First  A photo posted by Sunita Kapoor (@kapoor.sunita) on Dec 25, 2016 at 4:11am PST

Happy Birthday Husband #Aks60th A video posted by Sunita Kapoor (@kapoor.sunita) on Dec 25, 2016 at 4:58am PST

#ak60 #celeberations #family A photo posted by Sanjay Kapoor (@sanjaykapoor2500) on Dec 25, 2016 at 4:38am PST

#family #celeberations #ak60 A photo posted by Sanjay Kapoor (@sanjaykapoor2500) on Dec 25, 2016 at 3:22am PST

#aboutlastnight #celebrationscontinues #merrychristmas A photo posted by Sanjay Kapoor (@sanjaykapoor2500) on Dec 25, 2016 at 3:15am PST

#happybirthdaybrother  A photo posted by Sanjay Kapoor (@sanjaykapoor2500) on Dec 24, 2016 at 3:46am PST

 A photo posted by Rhea Kapoor (@rheakapoor) on Dec 25, 2016 at 3:08am PST

Happy birthday dad! It's difficult being a legend and a buddy at the same time but somehow we both manage  I love you!  A photo posted by Rhea Kapoor (@rheakapoor) on Dec 24, 2016 at 3:10am PST

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Its been a windfall for mobile wallet and payment bank company Paytm since the government recalled Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes. The governments push for a cashless economy has not only helped the company expand its customer base manifold but has also made it a household name. In an interview to Hindustan Times, the Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma talks about how his company is gearing up to allay customers concerns over cyber security and other issues.

Q) There is a lot of apprehension about security while using mobile/online banking? How is Paytm addressing security concerns of customers?

A) At Paytm banks, we are making sure no individual is able to get defrauded. This is not to say that somebody with a bank account cant be defrauded. I am talking of bank account of ours. So nobody can on phone call and say that I am calling from PayTm bank and I want your bank account or OTP number because we are removing the concept of OTP from our banking process. That is the biggest thing that we are doing. There is only one way to learn about security, which is about the systems to have a blockage of elements that are leaky. For example if you give consumers any information which they can share with others by mistake. So, we are removing the concept of shareable tokens. OTP are shareable token. Also another thing that people do not know is that every bank account up to Rs one lakh is insured by RBI and I dont think people take this into consideration. We are one of those rarest regulated and controlled countries in the world where even the regulator has insured your money.

Q) While pushing for mobile banking, how do you plan to deal with poor mobile/internet connectivity issues?

A) There are two elements to it. One is how the cyber security is going to work and the other is how customers who do not have phone will be able to use it. One of the things that we have done is we have created a toll-free number-based banking and payment service (1800 1800 1234). And, as we speak, we are getting at least hundreds and thousands of calls a day there and serving them. This is not yet popular but we believe that toll-free phone banking is going to be one of the main interfaces in our banking service and for authentication we will do biometric verification. So one will need mobile connectivity but data connectivity is not an obligation.

Q) You are taking micro ATMs to each and every village. How is it going to work considering the low internet penetration in rural areas?

A) We are expecting that every village will have an internet and app connection. That is a fundamental understanding in this conversation. We are giving them biometric dongles. Then the app on our platform will allow them to cash in and cash out.

Q) You are moving the wallet as part of the bank. What sort of a deposit base you are looking at?

A) Right now we are talking about 17 crore customer with Paytm. We have set Q1 of next year as our timeline. I believe we should have at least 25 to 30 million customers in the first year for sure. As for the deposit base, in terms of cash account we have 25 to 30 million in the first year. In terms of value term, see Paytm bank is totally addressing a new customer base which has not been looked at by traditional banks. Traditional banks also have a corporate account, savings account. I dont think I am yet going to say this number because we are yet to see what the numbers are going to come. But right now I can say that Paytm itself has more than Rs 1000 crore in its wallet account. Right now Paytm gets deposits of anywhere between Rs 122 to Rs 150 crore every day in its account and on a cumulative basis the residual balance has started reaching up to Rs 1000 crore.

Q) Since November 8, how much has your user base gone up?

A) We started at 15 crore and we are now 17.2 crore.

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New Delhi

The 50-day deadline that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave for things to improve after demonetisation ends on Thursday but ATMs continue to see long queues though crowds have eased at many banks.

The trend is expected to continue over the next three days but the actual test will be once banks reopen on January 2 and people line up to withdraw salaries to pay monthly liabilities.

A senior official at a State Bank of India branch on Asaf Ali Road said, It would still be early to say that things are back to normal as it is the end of month and it is that time of the year when many people go to other cities for holidays.

Though the cash counters are still occupied all the time, there is hardly anyone going back without getting entry into the bank, he said.

Several banks have now stopped issuing tokens and the extra security deployment has also been removed.

Many bank officials said they are still not getting sufficient currency from the chest but cash flow from business enterprises such as petrol pumps and vehicle showrooms have helped ease the situation.

As a reason, banks with accounts of business enterprises that deal in cash are in a better positioned to pay customers but those that do not have such accounts are still rationing or running out of currency.

Most bankers said the situation is taking time to normalise as not too many people are not coming forward to deposit the new notes.

We have not got over Rs30,000 per day from common people in the last couple of weeks. That too is mostly deposited by people who have to get challans or demand drafts made, said a senior official from Corporation Bank in North Delhi.

Demand to raise withdrawal limits

The queues at ATMs have shortened but people still spend hours to get Rs2,500  the maximum withdrawal limit at ATMs.

Abhinish Singh, a resident of Lado Sarai, said, Though, the queue at ATMs is short during night hours but during daytime I still have to wait for an hour to withdraw money. If they are giving 24,000 at banks, why cant they give Rs10,000 at ATMs too. This will lessen the rush.

Mixed reactions

About 50 days after demonetisation, some people termed the thinner crowd at banks as signs of revival while others said the situation prevails because it is month-end and people do not have the money to withdraw.

Mohammad Rashid, standing in a queue outside an ATM in ITO said, It will take more time for the situation to normalise. Demonetisation has affected our daily life to an extent that we cannot take any decision freely. We have to think, how we will manage our cash all the time before taking decisions.

Shubham Bhardwaj of New Ashok Nagar was, however, hopeful that it was a matter of time before the government increases the withdrawal limit to at least Rs5,000 and things get back to track.

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The government on Wednesday appointed former Union home secretary Anil Baijals name as the Delhi lieutenant governor.

President Pranab Mukherjee approved Baijals appointment on Wednesday after the government had cleared his name for the post.

After retirement, Baijal was member of the executive council of Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), which had current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as its founder director.

Nripendra Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PK Mishra, additional principal secretary to the PM, were also associated with the VIF before they took over their current assignments.

The move to appoint Baijal came roughly a week after former L-G Najeeb Jungs surprise resignation.

A 1969 batch India Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Union Territories cadre, Baijal was removed as Union home secretary when the UPA government assumed power in May, 2004.

He was appointed as home secretary in February, 2004 by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government but after surprise victory of the UPA in May, 2004 general election, Baijal was transferred as civil aviation secretary on July 1 the same year.

He superannuated in 2006 as the secretary in the urban development ministry. Interestingly, Delhis current chief secretary MM Kutty was one of the joint secretaries in the urban development ministry then. Kutty joined the urban development ministry in June, 2006 and Baijal retired as secretary, urban development in October.

After retirement, Baijal served on the boards of many corporate entities.

Baijals predecessor Jung had several run-ins with the Delhi government with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing the L-G of trying to run the citys administration by proxy. Baijal will have to navigate complicated jurisdictional issues that arise out of Delhis unique position as a union territory acting as the national capital.

Baijal was earlier tipped to replace NN Vohra as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir. But the move fell through following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 as the law and order situation in the border state deteriorated and the Centre decided against changing the Governor at this juncture.

(With agency inputs)

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Instead of fishing for cash in their pockets to donate at temples, devotees can use mobile phones to transfer donations to the e-wallets of the holy places.

Not being able to collect enough donations due to the cash crisis, temples in Indirapuram have provided the option of e-wallets.

The priest at Shri Hanuman Balaji Temple in Gyan Khand-4 in Indirapuram has put up information on the donation box of the temple asking devotees to pay through Paytm. According to the temple priest, the move was initiated because the amount of donations fell after demonetisation was announced on November 8.

When the note ban was announced many people donated old notes. In November, since many were donating Rs500 or Rs1,000 notes, we did not have to worry much as we would then deposit them with the bank. However, in December, the donations dropped drastically with a weeks collection being restricted to not more than Rs1,200 as compared to about Rs3,000 earlier, said Arvind Pandey, temple priest at Balaji Temple.

Pandey said the number of people holding community feasts has also reduced.

Money from community feasts (bhandara) used to be a major source of donations as one such feast would get us between Rs3,000 and Rs5,000. However, due to lack of cash, people have stopped holding it, he said.

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The Delhi Police have suspended a head constable who was allegedly caught accepting an unidentified object from a gang of women pickpockets on CCTV at the Chawri Bazar Metro station.

The Hindustan Times had reported the story on December 24 along with the exclusive CCTV footage in which the cop could be seen putting in his pocket something that one of the gang members handed him.

The gang was later arrested on the complaint of a US-based woman who had reported the theft of his jewellery and other valuables while travelling to Gurgaon in the Metro. The thieves were identified in a selfie that the woman clicked with her husband in the train. The selfie showed two women standing around them. When the CISF searched the CCTV footage on the route, it showed that the women were part of a six-member gang. And the same day they stole the jewellery, they were allegedly seen with the cop.

The police have launched a detailed inquiry to investigate, if there are more such cases. The police have also asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the Metro premises, to provide more such footage, if any, to nail cops who might be helping or protecting pickpockets.

The head constable has been identified based on the appearance in the footage. Though his face is not clear in the footage, we have identified him. He has been placed under suspension. A detailed inquiry has been ordered and more action will be taken if we find involvement of other staff too, said a senior Delhi police official.

The six women pickpockets were arrested on December 13 and jewellery worth R 22 lakh was recovered from them.

In at least two clips, the pickpockets are seen handing over something to the constable, who is seen hurriedly putting what he was given in his pocket.

Watch | Holding hands with a police officer or criminal collision?

Read: Police help for Delhi Metro pickpockets? Video throws up questions

Investigators from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) suspect collusion between the pickpockets and staff of the Delhi Police, but are hesitant to come on record. They also claim that there are many such clips and they have verbally informed senior police officials.

We have contacted CISF and have asked them to provide us more clippings. Action will be taken. We will also take statement of pickpockets, the police officer added.

Explaining the incident, a CISF official said: According to the complainant, an NRI couple, they boarded the train going towards Gurgaon around 2pm on December 9 from New Delhi Railway Station. They reached Chattarpur at 3pm and noticed that the zip of the womans bag was open.

They found that a small bag containing jewellery was missing. After receiving the complaint, we started scanning the footage to trace the movement of the gang. We noticed the gang with the Delhi Police official around 2pm at Chawri Bazar Metro station, the official said.

Sources in the CISF said the further investigations revealed that the gang usually boarded the Metro at Kirti Nagar station on the Dwarka line. On December 13, they came to the Chawri Bazar station and were nabbed. They confessed their involvement and helped us in recovering the stolen jewellery, the official said.

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There is a rush of students every year for admission to different Delhi University colleges which are considered the best in the country. However, none of the colleges have managed to get the highest grade in quality assessment conducted by a UGC appointed panel.

The quality status score is given by the National Accredition and Assessment Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of University Grants Commission (UGC). The highest grade that the body gives is of A++, which no DU college has managed to secure in the latest rankings.

Tested on parameters such as curriculum, teaching learning, evaluation, faculty research, infrastructure, learning resources, governance and student services, only three out of the 62 colleges secured the second grade of A+. Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) and Hindu College have scored 3.65, 3.61 and 3.60 points, respectively. To get A++ an institution has to score a grade between 3.76 to 4.

There are certain parameters like research, consultancy and extension on which colleges are marked. But if we see research is not factored in our workload and over consultancy there is a veil of secrecy. So for colleges and universities there cant be judged on the same set of parameters, said a teacher at LSR on condition of anonymity.

However the college whose score has taken everyone by surprise is St.Stephens. The college, which has got A grade with 3.21 score, is lower than colleges such as Kirori Mal, Khalsa College, Acharya Narendra Dev College and Jesus and Mary. The A grade also has Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Sri Venkateswara College and Zakir Hussain College.

Parameters on which NAAC scores are based

Curricular Aspects

Curricular Aspects Teaching-Learning and Evaluation

Research, Consultancy and Extension

Infrastructure and Learning Resources

Student Support and Progression

Governance, Leadership and Management

Innovations and Best Practices

These scores are valid for five years after which the colleges will again have to apply for accreditation. It was in 2012 that UGC made accreditation compulsory for higher educational institutions and DU executive council adopted the decision in 2014.

Once an institution applies for the accreditation, a peer team from NAAC visits the colleges for 3-4 days and interacts with teachers, students, alumni and all stakeholders of the institution. It is a very systematic process which is comprehensive and some of which is even video recorded, said a teacher at SRCC.

While the grades are out, their impact remains unclear. This is something we are not very sure about. By what we have heard, this score would determine the grant given by the government to the institutions, said a teacher at St. Stephens College.

Top 10 scorers

Shri Ram College of Commerce 3.65 Lady Shri Ram College for Women 3.61 Hindu College 3.60 Kirori Mal College 3.54 SGTB Khalsa College 3.41 Kamala Nehru College 3.33 Indraprastha College for Women 3.33 Institute of Home Economics 3.33 Acharya Narendra Dev College 3.31 Gargi College 3.30



*St Stephens College is 12th with 3.21 score
Over 91% of the pickpockets caught at Metro stations are women, data provided by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) shows.

This year, till December 15,as many as 438 women and 41 male pickpockets were apprehended from Metro stations.

The figures provided by CISF, responsible for the security of vital economic installations, come three days after HT had reported what looked like an alleged collusion between a gang of women pickpockets and the police.

The CISF said it has intensified its drive against women pickpockets in Delhi Metro.

Women pickpockets camouflage their intentions by deploying a clever modus operandi. They are usually accompanied by a child to evade suspicion. In most cases, it was found that the women who were apprehended, seemed the least suspicious, a senior CISF official said.

Read | Head constable who was caught on CCTV helping thieves in Delhi Metro suspended

The rise in numbers of women pickpockets has been a challenge for the CISF. The force deploys women personnel in plain clothes to keep a check on them but lack of complaints against them lead to increase in incidents.

Recently, the CISF had unearthed a notorious gang of such women who had robbed a US-based Indian woman of her jewellery and other valuables while she was travelling in the Metro with her husband.

In order to check these crimes, CISF regularly launch special operations and deploys women and men personnel in mufti. Last year, 93% of the total pickpockets caught in the Delhi Metro were women while in 2014, the percentage of women pickpockets was about 94 per cent.

In 2013, of the total 466 pickpockets held at various Metro stations, 421 were women.
Did you rock black or navy lipstick in 2016? Or crimp your hair? We take a look at the beauty trends that took hold over the past 12 months.

Dark lippy

Katy Perry makes a style statement with her deep bold lip colour. (Covergirl)

From Kylie Jenner to Katy Perry, all the biggest stars in the beauty business pushed a dark lip at some point during 2016. The look first appeared during the Autumn/Winter 2016 ready-to-wear shows but was quickly adopted by celebrities everywhere, with Rihanna and Taylor Swift among those who shunned conventional reds and pinks, choosing to fly the flag for black or navy lipstick instead.

Orange is the new black

Olivia Munn at the Oscars. (Covergirl)

Of course every trend needs a counter-trend, and the dark lipstick movement was no different. Orange made a comeback in a big way, championed by the likes of Amal Clooney, who debuted a sunset shade at the Cannes Film Festival, and Olivia Munn, who showed up at the Oscars in a bold tangerine hue. Gigi Hadid was also a fan of the look.

No-makeup makeup

The barefaced beauty that is Alicia Keys. (Covergirl)

At the other end of the spectrum was the no-makeup makeup look, which became more sophisticated than ever, thanks to innovative strobing and highlighting products. A hint of shimmer was the go-to look at many of the Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer shows, tying in with the barefaced beauty movement that has been championed this year by Alicia Keys, Cindy Crawford and Cameron Diaz.

Curls, curls, curls

Jennifer Lawrence was seen sporting the curly wave at quite a few high-profile events this year. (Covergirl)

In keeping with the growing appetite for natural beauty, curls ruled the catwalks of 2016. Elsewhere, model Jasmine Sanders saw her profile skyrocket after being unveiled as the face of Moroccan Oils new curly hair care range, while stars such as Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway embraced a Victorias Secret-worthy curly wave for red carpet events.

All that glitters

Emma Stone shone this year, not just in La La Land but at the red carpets too. (Covergirl)

There was a definite trend towards shimmery eyes in bright metallics this year  a look that was seen on catwalks from Chanel to Versace. Reese Witherspoon, Barbara Palvin and Emma Stone were just some of the stars to take the low-maintenance look to the red carpet over the course of the year.

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Hollywood actor Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, died on Tuesday aged 60, her family said.

Celebrities and fellow actors flooded social media expressing their of shock and grief.

Star Wars creator George Lucas said, Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colourful personality that everyone loved. In Star Wars she was our great and powerful princess - feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people might think. ... She will be missed by all.

Star Wars actor Harrison Ford said, Carrie was one-of-a-kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely ... My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her.

Its never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking. Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all - whether she liked it or not. She was OUR Princess, damn it, & the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent & ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill said.

Actor and writer Tina Fey said, Carrie Fisher meant a lot to me. Like many women my age, Princess Leia occupies about sixty percent of my brain at any given time. But Carries honest writing and her razor-sharp wit were an even greater gift. I feel so lucky that I got to meet her. Im very sad she is gone.

Actors also took to twitter to express their grief:

I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent & light has been extinguished.  William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 27, 2016

Carrie Fisher wore glitter in her hair. When I said I liked it, she ran her fingers through it and lobbed a handful at me. #TheGreatest  pic.twitter.com/T7NWGdJp8w  Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) December 27, 2016

I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!  Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) December 27, 2016

The Force will never be the same pic.twitter.com/4G7OzU2zTr  Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) December 28, 2016

Read this book In case you need reminding. God Bless You Carrie Fisher. . pic.twitter.com/vMbXyjt6UY  Madonna (@Madonna) December 28, 2016

Very saddened to see another beautiful light leaving us too soon. RIP #CarrieFisher. May you continue to be held in Gods warm embrace. pic.twitter.com/FMV3PRtksP  Forest Whitaker (@ForestWhitaker) December 27, 2016

#CarrieFisher was so witty and provocative and unrelentingly interesting. Goddamn, I loved her. Everyone did.  Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) December 27, 2016

Carrie Fisher has passed, she was funnier&smarter than anyone had the right to be. Sail On Silver Girl. Condolences Debbie & Billie

R.I.P.  Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) December 27, 2016

So sad to hear about Carrie Fisher passing away. She will be loved and remembered by us all. Forever Princess Leia   Meredith Foster (@MeredithFoster) December 28, 2016

Carrie Fisher didn't make it. I am so terribly sorry, and send my sincere condolences to her family, friends and fans all around the world.  Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) December 27, 2016

She loved to give one the oddest and most randomly silly presents. These are the last three things she gave me. #CarrieFisher pic.twitter.com/qmI7YWqlZ6  Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) December 27, 2016

She was the brightest, funniest, bravest, kindest, cleverest and sweetest person I ever knew. A crushing blow to lose @carrieffisher  Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) December 27, 2016

thoughts and prayers to Carrie Fisher's family  Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) December 27, 2016

.@CarriefFisher was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend. She was so much fun. I can't believe she's gone. https://t.co/wpxGvBWA0b  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 27, 2016

Carrie Fisher was smart, funny, talented, surprising, and always a hell of a fun time to be around. Family Guy will miss her immensely.  Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 27, 2016

We just lost a great ally for mental health and addiction. Be strong, be as strong as she'd want you to be. Rest in paradise @carrieffisher pic.twitter.com/vxDJkVag06  Margaret Cho (@margaretcho) December 27, 2016

R.I.P. Carrie Fisher. A brilliantly funny, talented woman. We will miss your humor now more than ever.  Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) December 27, 2016

Rip to this amazing woman You have had an incredible life. I have be honored to watch it.  #rip A photo posted by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobby_brown) on Dec 27, 2016 at 10:27am PST

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2016 has, like most years in this new decade, produced several sequels, remakes, reboots and re-imaginings. In that regard, it hasnt really stood out. But considering the sheer number of films that are released every week, its understandable if you missed a few.

If you, like so many other movie fans, thought that 2016 was dismal (both cinematically, and, you know, in general) youll find that theres nothing quite like sitting down to watch a movie that you had no idea existed - made better with the promise that it will blow you away.

If having a good time with a movie is all that you seek, you need not look any further than this list. Weve tried to make it unique, and eclectic. From fans of adult dramas, to zombie aficionados to, well, children - theres something for everyone. Or at least, that has been the attempt.

Heres our list of 2016s top films you (probably) havent seen.

1. Hell or High Water

Neo Westerns have perhaps become a more popular genre than their precursor: The Western. Hell or High Water is among the best ones youll ever see. Its a classic cops and robbers story, shot in a stark, plain style - just like those classic John Ford movies. It features terrific central performances from Chris Pine and Ben Foster (who play bank robber brothers) and Jeff Bridges (who plays the cop hot on their trail). Its as good as No Country for Old Men.

2. Train to Busan

Some would say that zombie movies have gone the way of superhero flicks - or at least, are getting there. The genre reached critical mass about 2-3 years ago, but Train to Busan breathes new life into it. No irony intended. Dont let the fact that it is Korean deter you; theyre making some of the best movies of our time.

Read the review here

3. Petes Dragon

Petes Dragon is a classic Disney film. In fact, it may be one of their finest movies in about a decade. But everything about it is unexpected. The fact that it is set in the 70s, that it stars an ageing Robert Redford and an unknown child as its leads, and that it is made in the spirit of American independent movies. Its true life begins now - after its theatrical run, when word of mouth gives it wings.

Read the review here

4. Dont Think Twice

Youll be surprised to learn that Dont Think Twice remains, in December, one of the best-reviewed films of the year. And it deserves every bit of praise that has come its way. Not too many people would be interested in a bittersweet story about an improv comedy troupe, but with a cast that is as talented as any you would have ever seen (Mike Birbiglia, Keegan Michael-Key, Gillian Jacobs, Chris Gethard), youd be robbing yourself of a great movie. If you need more convincing, know that it stands at 99% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

5. Midnight Special

Midnight Special is a classic, and its one of the biggest tragedies of 2016 (at least as far as movies are concerned) that it bombed and was soon forgotten after its release back in March. But its a science fiction film as good as Arrival - which was as good as it gets. Whats more shocking is that director Jeff Nichols made another great film this year, the slightly more popular Loving.

6. Kubo and the Two Strings

Ask any fan of animation what their favourite studio is, and theyd probably say Pixar. But sitting in its quiet corner in this immense landscape, is the relatively smaller, almost artisanal company, Laika animation. Like Aardman, they specialise in stop-motion animation, a dying artform, but unlike Aardman, they make only classics. Kubo is one of their best movies, about a young boy in ancient Japan and his epic journey to come to terms with his grief.

7. Other People

The cancer movie has become a genre unto itself. Just this year, we got at least two films about a quirky familys attempts to tackle the impending demise of one of their own. But Other People rises above the cliches. Its a crime that the film, which was once touted as an Oscars contender, was absolutely ignored when it mattered the most.

8. In a Valley of Violence

To describe it as briefly as possible, director Ti Wests film is basically John Wick set in the Wild West. Ethan Hawke plays the archetypal Man with No Name, whose dog is killed by a terrible outlaw. The hell Ethan Hawke unleashes upon the outlaws cronies and the town that he runs with his sheriff father (played by an in form John Travolta) is a sight to behold.

9. The Nice Guys

As we find ourselves singing praises of Ryan Gosling and his limitless talent courtesy La La Land, let us not forget to sing praises of Ryan Gosling (and Russell Crowe) and his limitless talent in that instant cult classic The Nice Guys.

Read the review here

10. Sausage Party

Remember that time when we all thought Seth Rogens first animated movie would be just like his live-action films - profane, crass, and oddly touching? Well, its a movie about religion. Also, its final scene is hands down the most outlandishly unforgettable of the year.

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Queues at banks and ATM kiosks are shrinking and digital payment modes are spreading, but the 50 days of pain from the shock recall of two high-value banknotes is set to linger into the new year, experts warned on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after announcing the demonetisation drive on November 8, had cautioned that people would face temporary hardship and sought their cooperation: ...help me for 50 days and I will give you the India you desired.

But dont expect to wake up on Thursday, the 51st day of the announcement, for the situation to be back to pre-demonetisation times, said experts and bank officials.

Though the situation has improved, the cash crunch will continue for some more time ... it is expected to normalise in the second half of January, said Soumya Kanti Ghosh, the chief economic adviser of the State Bank of India.

Even then, the normality is expected to return incrementally as limits on cash withdrawal could continue till banks are comfortable with lifting the restrictions.

Read | Note ban not enough: Corruption in India is like water, it finds a way

The government promised to restore normality by December 30, when a deadline to deposit defunct notes expires. But uncertainty and confusion continues even 50 days after 500- and 1,000-rupee notes were scrapped in an attempt to curb tax evasion and counterfeiting.

The drive enjoyed popular support at first but public patience wore thin as the continuing cash crunch forced millions to queue at banks and ATMs for hours to draw money. Sources said only about 60% of the more than 200,000 ATMs in the country were working as of Wednesday.

Bankers expect chaos in the coming payday as well because of shortage of new notes. Of the 560 million people working in factories in India, a mere 10% is in the organised sector, where salaries are transferred electronically into bank accounts.

Cash withdrawal limits have not been raised or withdrawn. While Rs 15 lakh crore has been sucked out of the system, only about Rs 6.5 lakh crore has come in, leading to a demand-supply mismatch.

The governments push for lesser cash transactions has boosted digital payments platforms, but the misery continues, especially in the rural areas.

Read | Demonetisation is immoral, theft of peoples property: Steve Forbes

Think-tanks have lowered their growth projections for the country and people fear that demonetisation will shave off 100 basis points from the GDP growth.

Unless fundamental steps are taken to prevent creation of black money, demonetisation alone will not help  Further, this measure has totally upset the common people who are using the Rs 500 and 1,000 notes in their normal life, the All India Banks Employees Association said.

Rules have been changed as many as 62 times in the past 50 days, piling on the confusion and attracting taunts from the Opposition and on social media.

There is need to maintain stability and you cannot keep changing rules every now and then ... this leads to erosion of faith in the system and if the situation is not corrected at the earliest, things can go out of hand , said a senior public sector bank official who refused to be identified.

Read | Demonetisation could take away 400,000 jobs; e-commerce to be worst hit

A set of rules was announced on November 8 just after the announcement of the demonetisation exercise. The government set a limit of Rs 4,000 for exchange of old banknotes. Within days, the government introduced the indelible ink to ensure that people could not queue up again and again to exchange cash. Soon, the government decided to disallow exchange of cash altogether.

Read | Will PM resign if note ban situation doesnt improve after 50 days? Oppn asks
A lawyer and the husband of an expelled MP were roughed up outside the AIADMK headquarters in the state capital on Wednesday, a day ahead of a crucial party meeting expected to elect its new leader.

Agitated party supporters assaulted Lingeswaran Thilagan, the husband of Sasikala Pushpa, and one of her lawyers, angered by speculation that the expelled Rajya Sabha MP was planning to contest the election to the post of general secretary, currently vacant following the demise of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa earlier this month.

General secretary is the topmost position within the AIADMK and Thursdays annual general body meeting is likely to see Sasikala Natajaran, a long-time aide of Jayalalithaa, being elected the leader of the party.

Thursdays meeting is scheduled to start at 9.30am at the Srivaru Kalyana Mandapam in Chennais affluent Vanagaram neighbourhood.

Known for their reticence, not many AIADMK leaders were willing to come on record on what was to be expected at the meeting. But C Saraswati, the party spokesperson, said Natarajan was the overwhelming choice of party workers.

It is simply a matter of Chinnamma (Sasikala Natarajan) accepting our wishes, she said.

Natarajan has the support of the party, and is capable of leading us by the example Amma set, another party leader said. Of course she will become our next general secretary, he added confidently.

#WATCH: Suspended AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer attacked outside party office by AIADMK workers in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/u10t63TmzX  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

Speculation that Natarajan would succeed Jayalalithaa had been doing the rounds ever since she and her relatives were seen keeping a vigil as the former chief ministers body lay in state for the public to pay their respects.

O Panneerselvam, who succeeded Jayalalithaa as the chief minister, and other officials are known to meet Natarajan regularly at Poes Garden, the erstwhile residence of Jayalalithaa.

Pushpa, however, has filed a petition before the Madras high court, insisting Jayalalithaas former aide was ineligible for the general secretarys post since she was not an AIADMK member for the past five years as stipulated. She was expelled in 2011 and then reinstated in 2012, the disgruntled MP has contended.

Independent commentators, however, backed Natarajan as the favourite.

Its clear Natarajan is calling the shots now, said Professor Ramu Manivannan, head of the political department at the University of Madras. But whats interesting is that a significant percentage of the cadres are against her.

The party has no choice but to push her forward, said political analyst Gnani Sankaran. What she wants is a different matter.

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The garbage generated by Bengaluru is raising a stink in areas even as far away as the industrial town of Bidadi, some 35 km south-west of the city.

Karnatakas capital, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, generates 3,700 tonnes of garbage a day, but is fast running out of space to dump them. It has forced a desperate Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to scout for new landfills and even stealthily dump wastes in the night in unsuspecting towns outside the city limits.

Things have now come to a pass and residents of Bidadi are up in arms. The town generates four tonnes of solid waste daily and is unprepared to deal with the garbage foisted on it by Bengaluru.

We have decided to set up three-four CCTV cameras on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway because trucks carrying waste come here in the night and dump the waste by the side of the highway and set fire to it, said MK Shivakumar, the chief officer of the Bidadi municipal council.

A sum of one lakh rupees has also been earmarked for the purchase of CCTVs for catching the culprits.

Bengalurus waste is raising a stench even in Madhugiri of Tumakuru district, about 100 km away. Reports of BBMP surveying a land for a proposed waste disposal site have led to disquiet in Madhugiri.

We will never consent to such a move. We have heard of the problems faced by the villages that live near landfills in Bengalurus vicinity. We will never agree to the destruction of our environment, said GC Shankarappa, a local farmer leader.

According to him, the land surveyed is near the Jayamangali blackbuck conservation reserve. We have reserved that land for the blackbucks to graze on. If that is converted to a garbage dump, the blackbucks might wander into our fields and this could lead to conflicts with these animals with whom we have lived peacefully so far, Shankarappa pointed out.

But Bengaluru civic officials say the need for new landfills is dire. According to data of the Central Pollution Control Board, the city generates the fifth-highest volume of garbage among all cities in the country. Its amount of waste doubled from 1,669 to 3,700 tonnes a day between 2005 and 2011.

In the past, the waste was mostly sent to landfills on the outskirts. But as the city grew and the landfills were swallowed by the expanding city, the authorities have had to push deeper into the hinterland.

Court orders for setting up decentralized ward-level waste processing centres within the city have not helped much to clean up the act.

Sarfaraz Khan, the joint director for the citys solid waste management, pointed out that non-availability of land was the problem. People are refusing to give up land to facilitate this. This is the reason we are scouting land in the neighbouring areas. We need a 1,000-acre plot where we can set up a processing unit, he explained.

Even existing compost generating units are attracting public ire, as in HSR Layout area, where residents have petitioned the chief minister, demanding its relocation.

The plant was built in 1968, so the residents of the area cannot complain now about the stench emanating from it. Anyway, we are trying to install bio-filters to quell the stench, so they should cooperate, said Khan. Dealing with waste is proving to be a big headache for Bengaluru.

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India can shift to a January to December financial year, recommended a government-appointed committee headed by former chief economic adviser Shankar Acharya. The proposed switch could end the 150-year tradition of an April to March fiscal introduced by the British.

The committee, set up this July, made this suggestion in its report to the finance ministry this week.

It was mandated with the task of studying the merits of government think-tank NITI Aayogs suggestion to position the financial year with the calendar year.

Sources said the panel supported the move and listed the pros and cons of a shift in the accounting period. It underscored that the change will align the fiscal with the monsoon cycle and the countrys agricultural harvests.

We have submitted our report. We have studied at length the feasibility and desirability of changing the financial year, Acharya said on Wednesday.

Calendar options such as Samvat followed by the stock markets and the farm harvest that begins from July were weighed before the panel settled for the January to December financial cycle, divulged a government source who did not wish to be named.

The rabi and kharif winter and summer crop periods, and the fact that more than 156 countries and several multinational companies follow the calendar year as the accounting period were factors that tilted the balance for a changed fiscal.

The April-March fiscal was adopted in 1867 in line with the practice in imperial Britain. The Congress government in 1984 gave a shot at changing the financial year, appointing former RBI governor LK Jha to head a committee to explore the benefits of such a move. The idea was to ensure speedy allocation of funds during drought years.

Besides Acharya, an Oxford- and Harvard-educated economist, the 2016 panel included former cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, former Tamil Nadu finance secretary PV Rajaraman, and Rajiv Kumar, senior fellow with the Centre for Policy Research.

Economists are divided on the committees recommendations.

Since agriculture contributes more than 15% to Indias GDP and above 58% rural households depend on farm yields, many experts have supported this move.

In case of a drought, which happens between June and September, a change in the accounting period from January to December will help in better budgeting. If the Union budget is presented in November, then early allocations will help the agro-economy and farmers, said agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, backing the proposal.

But former chief statistician Pronab Sen remained sceptical.

I dont see the need to change the accounting period. What needs to be done is timely passage of the budget, so that the construction period is not hampered. In any case, for construction, the monsoon months are a lost period, he said.

Adoption of these recommendations by the government would mean yet another change in the date when the budget will be presented.

In case of a changed fiscal period, the budget will have to be presented in November. Parliament sessions will have to be reworked, along with changes in data collection and working of state governments.

Chartered accountants point out that the change will not impact the common man. The taxation period will just change from the current April to March cycle to a new 12-month period.

Whatever the decision of the government, the financial year has to be same as the tax year, then there will be no hassles for the common man, Girish Vanvari, head of tax, KPMG India.

(With input from agencies)
The Narendra Modi government is expecting a happy new year. As the PMs December 30 deadline to restore normalcy after the chaos from the note ban draws closer, leaders are heaving a sigh of relief that the worst of the instability is over.

Inputs received in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and other related ministries have generated hope in the government that the economy was recovering faster than it expected. We have signs of recovery, much earlier than our expectation, a senior Union minister told HT.

This is good news for the party. It is readying for an electoral battle in five states, UP being the most crucial. Since November 8, the party has been struggling to deal with conflicting inputs about the bans impact.

But, the worst is over, the minister said. Industrial production is improving...

The only issue now is availability of currency notes, which is improving. There is no case of industrial houses going bankrupt or becoming insolvent, another minister said.

These inputs will be exchanged with BJP leaders at the partys national executive meet on January 6 and 7.

Read| 50 days of demonetisation: ATM queues thinner but ripples to remain in Jan too

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A branch manager of the Kotak Mahindra Bank in Delhi was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the money laundering probe into a criminal case launched after nine alleged fake accounts with deposits worth Rs 34 crore was detected post-demonetisation.

Officials said the agency arrested the manager of the banks branch, identified as Ashish Kumar, in the Kasturba Gandhi Marg area, late on Tuesday night after questioning.

The manager has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will be produced before the court for further custody, they said. The Enforcement Directorate registered an FIR under PMLA laws after taking cognisance of the FIR filed by the Delhi Police crime branch.

Police had also arrested two persons last week for allegedly depositing black money worth Rs 34 crore in nine fake accounts being operated in the Naya Bazar branch of Kotak bank.

A bank spokesperson said in a statement that it has already suspended the services of its employee.

The bank has zero tolerance towards employees not adhering to its Code of Conduct, and takes strict measures against them, the banks spokesperson Rohit Rao said in the statement. The bank also says it has a robust system of regularly and proactively filing necessary reports with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for all large transactions.

As can be seen from the Banks actions, the bank has fully cooperated and communicated with the relevant authorities, and has demonstrated the highest standards of compliance, the spokesperson said.

Read | After Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra under I-T scanner for suspicious accounts
Ever heard of a Nobel laureate contesting elections in India?

Pinaki Ranjan Bharati from North 24 Parganas certainly thinks he has been nominated and selected for the Nobel Peace Prize and even declared it in affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India.

Bharati, 66, is the founder-president of a political party with the weirdest name - The Religion of Man Revolving Political Party of India. It is one of the 31 registered unrecognised political parties in West Bengal.

Even as the EC has cancelled the registration of five unrecognised political parties in Bengal for not contesting a single election between 2005 and 2015, Bharatis party did not have to face the axe, as he has been contesting all major elections in the state since 2006.

A 30-second video made for his 2016 election campaign also introduced him as a Nobel laureate.

Read | Twenty 20 to Bolshevik: Parties with quirky names draw ECs attention

Yes, I am a Nobel laureate now. I was nominated for the prize long back and was selected in 2008. Im expecting the medallion, certificate and the prize money anytime soon, Bharati told Hindustan Times over the phone.

Though his 2011 assembly election affidavit claimed he was nominated for the Nobel, the 2014 affidavit said that he was also selected for the award.

Tracking him down proved difficult. The address of his political party is Kabitirtha, Kabitanagar, Po + Ps  Bongaon  743235. But there is no place called Kabitanagar in Bongaon, a town close to the India-Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas district.

The phone numbers in affidavits submitted in different years no longer belong to him. He lives in Subhasnagar and, as this correspondent found out, has himself rechristened it Kabitanagar, literary meaning the land of poetry.

Understandably, from the post office staff to the local Trinamool Congress MLA Biswajit Das, no one had any clue about Kabitanagar.

Kabitirtha is a dilapidated one-storied, primary school-like structure along Jessore Road that Bharati dreamt of turning into a college for music and arts with himself as its principal but is yet to obtain any affiliation.

Outside the entrance, banners proudly declare that it houses the college and the office of the political party. Bharati is a mahamanab (great man) and Nobel laureate, the banners claim.

My college was caught in a legal tangle but we have recently won the battle in the high court of Calcutta. Once I receive the prize money for the Nobel, all of it will be used to turn Kabitirtha into a massive centre for excellence  just like Tagore used his prize money for Visva Bharati, he said.

In the 2006 assembly elections, Bharati contested from Bolpur in Birbhum district and Bongaon in North 24-Parganas district and obtained 1,190 and 1,565 votes, respectively. In 2011, he got 995 votes contesting from Bongaon North assembly seat. In the 2014 parliamentary elections, he secured 1,071 votes contesting from Bongaon and in the 2016 assembly elections, 537 voters of Bongaon North Assembly seat favoured him.

Despite securing negligible votes each time, Bharati is confident that it is only his outfit that can solve all the problems of the world. Tagore is our guiding spirit. The Religion of Man is the greatest religion. In another few years, ours will be the only party reigning the world, Bharati humbly said.

Local residences have varied opinions of him. A local tea stall owner said he is lunatic, while the owner of a photocopy centre said he is a harmless person engrossed in his own world.

Bharati told HT that no one has approached him since November 8  the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes  offering donations in demonetised notes, or that he made any deposits in his partys bank account recently.

Our party hardly gets donations. But I am optimistic that people will soon realise that only our party is guided by the correct ideology to save the world, Bharati said.

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The Gujarat Police seized a fake note printing machine here while four persons were caught in Kheda district on Wednesday with Rs 12.45 lakh, mostly in the new Rs 2,000 notes.

A team of the crime branch of Rajkot police conducted a search on a bungalow in Bopal area and recovered the fake note printing machine and some blank papers meant for the notes.

The search was conducted on the information received from one of the two persons nabbed in Rajkot two days ago with fake notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denomination near Hanumanmadhi. One such machine was recovered during seizure of notes from a car. The duo was part of a fake note gang based in Ahmedabad.

Raids were also being conducted to nab their mastermind.

Meanwhile, based on a tip off, police in Dakor town of Kheda nabbed four persons with Rs 12.45 lakh near Raniya crossing. Most of the notes were in the Rs 2,000 denominations while remaining few were in Rs 100 and Rs 50. The culprits were said to be involved in exchanging notes on commission.

The matter was being investigated. The Income Tax department has been informed about the recovery.

Read| Gujarat: Rs 36 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination seized, seven held
A worsening of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K), the signing of a $8.9-billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal for French Rafale fighter jets, and new deals for artillery were among the top five determinants of Indias uncertain security situation in 2016. India made many high-profile defence purchases in 2016 and carried out a much-publicised surgical strike against Pakistan-based terrorists, but an IndiaSpend examination of defence data revealed gaping security holes.

India became the worlds fourth-largest defence spender in 2016 with a military budget of $50.7 billion (Rs 3.4 lakh crore)nine times the health budget for the same yearan increase of 8% over 2015 ($46.6 billion or Rs 3.2 lakh crore), according to the 2016 Janes Defence Budgets Report, released by the UK-based research firm IHS Markit.

Indias 2016 military budget was around a quarter of Chinas $191 billion or Rs 13 lakh crore.

Here are the five top reasons that made India feel more (and less) secure in 2016:

1. J&K security situation deteriorates after surgical strikes

The Indian Army conducted surgical strikesas the government called themagainst terrorists within Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on September 30, 2016. Since then, at least 33 Indian security-personnel have been killed in J&K, according to data collated by IndiaSpend from various news sources.

As many as 71 Indian security forces personnel were killed this year by terrorists in J&K, as of November 27, 2016, up 82% since 2015, when 39 soldiers were killed, according to data tabled by the home ministry in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament).

Injuries among security personnel doubled since last year to 208. Incidents of terrorist violence in J&K increased 47% to 305 in 2016, from 208 in 2015.

The data indicate that terrorist activities increased over 2016 in J&K compared to 2015, IndiaSpend reported on November 25, 2016.

2. 36 new Rafale, 120 Tejas jets cleared; Air Force currently short of 200 aircraft

India signed a $8.9 billion (Rs 60,520 crore) deal with France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter planes, forming two squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF is down to 32 fighter squadrons, the lowest in a decade, NDTV reported on February 26, 2016. It should have 42 squadrons or around 670 to 750 aircraft.

The IAF also inducted two indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and hopes to add on six squadrons (120 aircraft) of the Tejas by 2022.

The government is reportedly looking to buy up to an additional 200 single-engined fighter aircraft (10 to 11 squadrons) of foreign origin to be produced in India. The 200 foreign fighter aircraft to be built in India are unlikely to be ready by then, since new factories will have to be built after a dealnot an immediate prospectis signed.

3. India buys 250+ artillery guns, needs at least 3,000

The defence ministry approved the production of 114 dhanush (bow) howitzers in June 2016, the first artillery system purchased by India since the Swedish Bofors gun in the 1980s. India also signed a deal to purchase 145 ultra-light M777 howitzers from the US for $737 million (Rs 5,000 crore).

The Indian Army requires 3,000-3,200 howitzers of various calibres, as envisaged first under a 17-year-old plan.

4. Missiles: A major hit and a major miss

India successfully tested the 5,000-km range Agni V (Fire) on December 26, 2016, bringing it one step closer towards being formally deployed by the strategic forces command.

The nuclear-capable Agni V is an intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of reaching all parts of Pakistan and China, IndiaSpend reported in May, 2015.

However, on December 21, 2016, a test of the 1,000-km ranged subsonic nuclear-capable Nirbhay (fearless) land-attack cruise missile failed. Out of four Nirbhay tests, three failed.

Indias entry into the Missile Technology Control Regimean international agreement which will allow New Delhi to trade in high technologyin June helped pave way for India and Russia to extend the range of the jointly developed supersonic Brahmos missile beyond 300 km.

5. Submarine modernisation inches forward, Navy requires 20 more

The much delayed INS Kalvari, the first of the six French Scorpene-class submarines being manufactured in India, is undergoing sea trials and might be commissioned early in 2017. But India now has 14 operational submarines, according to Indian Navy data, and requires 20 more, as IndiaSpend reported in July 20, 2015.

The Scorpene project suffered a setback after nearly 22,000 classified pages explaining the submarines combat and performance capabilities were leaked by an Australian newspaper in August. The Navy said the leak was not critical.

India reportedly attained a nuclear triadthe capability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air and seaby quietly commissioning the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant in October.

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Chennai, the third and last of the Kolkata class destroyers. India also signed a deal with Russia to purchase four guided-missile stealth frigates.

(Sethi is a Mumbai-based freelance writer and defence analyst.)

This story first appeared on Indiaspend. Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit
Former Union minister and two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister Sunderlal Patwa died of cardiac arrest at his official residence in Bhopal on Wednesday. He was 92.

Patwa was found unconscious on Wednesday morning and was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and several other leaders condoled the demise of Patwa.

PM Narendra Modi tweeted:

Saddened on the passing away of Shri Sunder Lal Patwa. He was a hardworking & dedicated leader whose good work as MP CM will be remembered.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 28, 2016

Shri Sunder Lal Patwa strengthened the BJP & was always admired by Karyakartas. My thoughts are with his family. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 28, 2016

Patwa who had been chief minister of Madhya Pradesh twice - once from January 1980 to Feb 1980 and later from March 1990 to December 1992 - was known as a tough administrator.

It was during his second tenure as the chief minister when the state government was dissolved in the wake of demolition of the disputed shrine at Ayodhya by karsevaks in 1992. Later, Congress was voted to power in 1993.

He served as a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet at the Centre from October 1999 to September 2001. He was an MLA from 1957 to 1967, from 1977 to 1997 and from 1998 to 1999. He had been leader of Opposition in the state assembly as well. He was elected to Lok Sabha twice and was known as the mentor of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Coming from Malwa region, he got associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 18. He was an active member and leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency from June 1975 to January 1977. He took part in RSS movements and held several posts in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party. He went on to head the state unit of the party in 1996.
India can shift to a January to December financial year, recommended a government-appointed committee headed by former chief economic adviser Shankar Acharya. The proposed switch could end the 150-year tradition of an April to March fiscal introduced by the British.

The committee, set up this July, made this suggestion in its report to the finance ministry this week.

It was mandated with the task of studying the merits of government think-tank NITI Aayogs suggestion to position the financial year with the calendar year.

The panel supported the move and listed the pros and cons of a shift in the accounting period. It said the change will align the fiscal with the monsoon cycle and the countrys agricultural harvests.

We have submitted our report. We have studied at length the feasibility and desirability of changing the financial year, Acharya said on Wednesday.

Calendar options such as Samvat followed by the stock markets and the farm harvest that begins from July were weighed before the panel settled for the January to December financial cycle.

The rabi and kharif winter and summer crop periods, and the fact that more than 156 countries and several multinational companies follow the calendar year as the accounting period were factors that tilted the balance for a changed fiscal.

The April-March fiscal was adopted in 1867 in line with the practice in imperial Britain. The Congress government in 1984 gave a shot at changing the financial year, appointing former RBI governor LK Jha to head a committee to explore the benefits of such a move. The idea was to ensure speedy allocation of funds during drought years.

Besides Acharya, an Oxford- and Harvard-educated economist, the 2016 panel included former cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, former Tamil Nadu finance secretary PV Rajaraman, and Rajiv Kumar, senior fellow with the Centre for Policy Research.

Economists are divided on the committees recommendations.

Since agriculture contributes more than 15% to Indias GDP and above 58% rural households depend on farm yields, many experts have supported this move.

In case of a drought, which happens between June and September, a change in the accounting period from January to December will help in better budgeting. If the Union budget is presented in November, then early allocations will help the agro-economy and farmers, said agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, backing the proposal.

But former chief statistician Pronab Sen remained sceptical.

I dont see the need to change the accounting period. What needs to be done is timely passage of the budget, so that the construction period is not hampered. In any case, for construction, the monsoon months are a lost period, he said.

Adoption of these recommendations by the government would mean yet another change in the date when the budget will be presented.

In case of a changed fiscal period, the budget will have to be presented in November. Parliament sessions will have to be reworked, along with changes in data collection and working of state governments.

Chartered accountants point out that the change will not impact the common man. The taxation period will just change from the current April to March cycle to a new 12-month period.

Whatever the decision of the government, the financial year has to be same as the tax year, then there will be no hassles for the common man, Girish Vanvari, head of tax, KPMG India.

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Police have seized over Rs 36 lakh in new currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination in three separate cases in the state, and detained seven persons in this connection on Wednesday.

Dakor police in Kheda district on Wednesday detained four persons for possessing Rs 12.45 lakh in cash of which Rs 12.08 lakh were in the denomination of Rs 2,000 notes, police said.

The four persons were detained during police patrolling in the town after they failed to provide satisfactory answer for Rs 12.45 lakh found from their car.

Out of Rs 12.45 lakh, 604 notes, or Rs 12.08 lakh, were of Rs 2,000 denomination, police said, adding that further questioning revealed they were planning to exchange the new notes with defunct currency for a commission of ten per cent.

In another search operation, Chandkheda police in Ahmedabad detained three persons yesterday after recovering Rs 24.24 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination from their possession.

While the two persons were ferrying Rs 15 lakh in a two-wheeler to exchange them with defunct notes and earn 35 per cent commission, one of them was carrying new notes with total value of Rs 9.24 lakh to exchange for a commission of 25%, police said.

All seven persons were handed over to the Income Tax department for further questioning.
Outgoing air force chief Arup Raha on Wednesday said the 36 Rafale warplanes ordered from France for $8.7 billion were not enough and India needed to buy at least 200 such fighter jets to sharpen its military edge.

Air Chief Marshal Raha, who retires on December 31, also said the IAFs Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tanker fleet was plagued by maintenance problems and more midair refuellers were a strategic requirement to extend the range of fighter planes.

He said the IAF would require the 200 medium-weight fighters in the next five to 10 years, stressing the need for setting up a new production line in the country. The Rafale is an excellent aircraft and it will prove its worth in any campaign. We have signed only 36we require more aircraft in the medium-weight category, Raha said, in his last media briefing as IAF chief.

India and France signed the Rafale deal on September 23, 2016, ending long-drawn-out negotiations that began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the deal during a Paris visit in April 2015. The planes, equipped with latest weapons and tailored for Indian needs, will be delivered to the IAF between September 2019 and April 2022.

The IAF has admitted it doesnt have enough fighters to respond to a joint threat from China and Pakistan. It has 33 fighter squadrons, against the sanctioned 42.

Calling midair refuellers a significant force enhancer, Raha said the Il-78 fleet had served the IAF well but its availability for missions was poor due to maintenance problems. India floated a global tender for six midair refuellers in 2007 but it has been scrapped twice in the final stages.

Sadly, there have been some problem areas in the acquisition. A new tender will be out soon, he said.

Raha said the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base and the An-32 crash in which 29 people were killed were the worst memories of my career.

On the VVIP chopper scam, Raha said former air chief SP Tyagi, an accused in the case, was a member of the IAF family but there would be no sympathy for him if the charges were proved. He also said many agencies were involved in the acquisition and you cant pin the blame on one service.
Chief of air staff, air chief marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said the Pathankot terror attack in January this year was the first setback, adding that they are now better prepared having learnt lessons from the incident.

The second setback was the missing of the AN-32. Even after efforts, we could not trace the aircraft. We are helping their families. It is one of the worst memories in my career. AN-32s dont have underwater locater beacons. We have taken up the case with the government, the air chief said.

On operational preparedness, Raha said, they were dwindling with the fighters.

We paid attention to the latest acquisitions and upgrades of the aircraft we have. On Rafael, we have invited LCA. Three are flying and we will accept 123 in the next ten years. The second squadron of C130 will come soon. It will be based at the Arjangadh base. A large number of radars, which are indigenous, have been inducted. The air force is well on its way to have network centric capabilities. We have done reasonably well in looking after the sub-conventional threats like terrorism, he added.

He asserted that the revenue cases languishing since long have been signed due the proactiveness of the government and defence minister Manohar Parrikar.

The average flying we did was more than the average flying of the last 10 years. We have flown in the fighter fleet 40,000 hours, more than the last 10 years, due to better serviceability. We have done an average night flying of 27% which was less earlier. There has been a large improvement in the professional capabilities. We have been involved deeply in the operations against extremism, logistics support, flying by night, he said.

The air chief also said they had upgraded the Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in the northeast.

The government has given approval of 27 flights of Garuns, with each having 45 Grains. 23 more Garun Flights will be raised later. (Garun is the special force under the Indian Air Force). We have been able to sign various cases in the last two and a half years including Rafale which will be in India. It will be operational within the next three years to five-and-a-half years, he said.
A 69-year-old Indian-origin man, along with five others, was charged with bribing Mexican officials in the United States with over $2 million in order to secure aircraft maintenance and repair contracts with government-owned and controlled entities.

Kamta Ramnarine pleaded guilty in November before US district judge Ricardo H Hinojosa of the southern district of Texas to one count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Ramnarine is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Charges were unsealed against Ramnarine and five others, all of whom had pleaded guilty for their involvement in schemes to bribe Mexican officials, and two for conspiring to launder the proceeds of the schemes.

According to the plea agreements, between 2006 and 2016, the defendants and their co-conspirators, who owned or were associated with companies in the United States that provided aircraft maintenance, repair, overhaul and related services to customers from the United States and Mexico, paid the bribes in order to secure parts and servicing contracts with Mexican government-owned customers.

Ramnarine admitted that he conspired to pay bribes to several foreign officials between 2007 and 2015 to ensure that their Brownsville-based company won aircraft parts and services contracts.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pushing the country towards economic slavery and asked him as to whether he was now ready to face punishment at a public square for the chaos post-demonetisation.

He claimed that that Modi had failed to keep his promise of streamlining the banking system and easing up public woes in the 50 days time of the currency recall drive.

The RJD chiefs diatribe came at a Maha dharna (sit-in) organised as part of the partys statewide agitation launched on Wednesday to step up heat against Modi government for demonetisation. The move was also aimed at adding to the voice of opposition parties including the Congress and TMC in steering the anti-demonetisation agitation.

Incidentally, two of its alliance partners -- Congress and JD (U) -- stayed away from dharna.

RJD president Lalu Prasad at a 'Maha-Dharna' at Gardanibagh in Patna on Wednesday. (PTI photo)

The country has slipped into bad times. The economy is slowing down while the poor and agricultural workers are out of job due to cash crunch. The unemployment rate among migrants from Bihar has increased. There is all round chaos but PM Modi is busy defending the decision, Prasad said. He added that the non-validation of high denomination notes was a sinister design by the Centre to help big business tycoons to tide over bad debts.

Prasad said that the PM should now choose a chouraha (public square) to face public punishment as he himself had declared to face extreme punishment if he failed in his bold move.

I am not saying it. It is PM Modi who had declared himself. A PM should not talk loose as the post is an institution, Prasad said, adding that the popularity of the BJP mascot among commoners including women had taken a hit as millions of households had lost their savings in the demonetisation drive.

Ghar ghar modi, Har Modi Modi... ghar, ghar mein lath mara Modi (Modi in every household Modi has wreaked havoc in those households), the RJD chief said.

The new currency notes are so small, it look more like paper to sell Churan, he said, taking potshots at the way one of the four RBIs currency printing machines had broken down. Even the machines are not able to take the load, he added.

Referring to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis charges against Modi accepting kickbacks from business houses, Prasad said the PM should issue a statement on the charges or else should file a defamation suit against the Gandhi scion.

Prasad, who recently extended support to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee against her countrywide dharna against demonetisation, said the opposition parties were all united against the notebandi as it had proved to be gimmick more than a serious exercise to weed out black money.

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Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday advocated changes in laws and regulations pertaining to online transaction fee as he found it odd that a fee was levied on digital transactions but not on cash payments.

Suppose I withdraw cash (from ATM) and pay in cash, there is no transaction fee, but if I pay directly or by credit card, the merchant receives it from the bank, there is a transaction fee. This is a very strange... Old systems and habits die hard. They will take some time, Parrikar said.

He added that such regulations will have to be properly amended or changed.

He also asserted that all online payment mechanisms are secure and that anybody can fall prey to cyber crime whether she/he uses digital methods of payments or not.

As far as cyber crime is concerned, all these payment mechanisms are very secure... A cyber crime can happen even if you dont pay through digital. A simple concept is if you keep your data, your bank account and code number on computer, it can be hacked and there are number of cases where money has been transacted also, he said.

So, cyber crime is a different issue, not necessarily linked with data cards. If a person is not comfortable, he can always use a debit card, in a particular payment account which need not hold all his savings or all his deposits. They can be de-linked, he said in Panaji, while addressing a press conference on the sidelines of DigiDhan mela.

Setting up an ATM, he said requires a lot of investment on part of the banks, while a direct digital payment to an entity actually requires very little in terms of infrastructure costs, which is why the transaction fee on the latter was a contradiction in terms.

He also said that with increase in digital transactions, fees usually levied on such transactions will come down with time.

As we proceed, we will understand the difficulties. As we proceed we will realise what are the problems. Even a country like Sweden took about a decade in real sense to be cashless, Parrikar said.
Residents of Manipur have heaved a sigh of relief after hundreds of trucks which were stranded at the town of Jiribam some 200 km away from the state capital finally made their way to Imphal under heavy police escort.

The trucks laden with goods, including petroleum products and medicines, are likely to ease the crippling scarcity of essential items in the state in the wake of the ongoing blockade of two national highways since November 1.

But the relief could just be temporary. The blockade of NH2 and NH37  the two lifelines of the state  by the United Naga Council (UNC) in protest against the creation of several new districts is still in place. The supplies brought in by the trucks are likely to ease the situation for a few days, but there is widespread fear that Manipur will slide back into hard times again.

Read | Medical emergency in Manipur: 57-day blockade cripples health services

Scarcity of essentials has become a way of life, said a resident of Manipur, witnesses to protracted blockades enforced by different outfits even in the past.

Manipur relies on other states for supply of most of its essential needs. But due to the blockade, no trucks had reached the state since December 12.

I was stranded at Jiribam over seven days. There was nothing to do and we were uncertain what to do because of the blockade, said Tapas Nath, who brought a truckload of potatoes from West Bengal.

Usually it takes just three days for him to cover the distance from Dhupguri in West Bengal to Manipurs capital. This time it took him 10 days. He hopes to return back safely soon, with police escort.

The blockade by the UNC against the creation of new districts which it alleges benefits other communities at the cost of Nagas has seen residents scurrying for essentials such as petrol and vegetables. Prices of most items in short supply have skyrocketed.

Petrol pumps across the capital have been closed for weeks. The scarcity has spawned a thriving backmarket. The going rate of one litre of petrol, which had reached nearly Rs 300 few days back, is Rs 140 these days.

Taking advantage of the gap between the demand and supply of fuel, people have started selling petrol and diesel in black.

We received our last supply of fuel several weeks ago. There was such a huge rush of customers that we ran out of petrol and diesel in a couple of hours, said Bikash Thapa of United Brothers filling station at Chinmeirong West.

To fill the demand and supply gap ,theres jugaad. Women with plastic drinking water bottles filled with petrol and diesel can be seen doing brisk business on the streets.

Most of the petrol available in black market is adulterated. One needs to have good contacts to get pure petrol or diesel, but the price could be a bit higher that the market rates, said Norendra Singh, a taxi driver.

Some residents say due to the ongoing scarcity, petrol and diesel are also being smuggled in from Myanmar through the Moreh border, located 110 km away from Imphal.

The petrol and diesel coming from Myanmar has a lighter tinge than the ones we usually get in petrol pumps here. We buy whatever we get as theres no choice, said L. Bikram, an auto-rickshaw owner.

While petrol and diesel can be purchased at premium, the bigger problem many households are facing is due to the non-availability of LPG cylinders to run kitchens.

One LPG cylinder can cost Rs 2000 and more on the black market. It has become difficult to manage day to day affairs at home because of the blockade, complained Sarojini Devi, a housewife at Chinmeirong East.

Prices of vegetables like potatoes and onions and cereals and pulses have more than doubled since the blockade began, forcing many households to cut down on their expenses.

Travelling both inside and outside the state have also turned into an ordeal. Passenger buses from Imphal to other important towns in Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland have stopped operating from November 29 due to the blockade.

Nearly 20 buses carrying passengers to other states used to leave Imphal daily, prior to the blockade. Our business has been the worst hit, said Romeo Singh, an Imphal agent of Guwahati-based Network Travels.

The situation is expected to ease for the next few days with the arrival of the trucks filled with goods. But with UNC not in a mood to lift the blockade soon, it seems like a temporary respite for residents.

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Manipur is reeling under an economic blockade for nearly two months now. But one place that seemingly has remained unaffected is Ima Keithel  Imphals iconic Mothers Market.

Located at Khwairamband Bazaar, Asias biggest all-women market still has the usual hustle and bustle with women shopkeepers haggling with customers to sell their wares.

The blockade by United Naga Council (UNC), in protest against creation of new districts, hasnt had any impact on my business, said Lalita Meitei (60), who has been selling fish at the market for more than 30 years.

That is because the fish that she sells comes from local fisheries and the Lok Tak Lakethe largest freshwater lake in northeast India, located nearly 50 km away from Imphal.

The market, believed to have been set up nearly 500 years ago, is run entirely by women and sells a variety of wares from fish, vegetables, fruits to traditional snacks and local garments.

UNCs blockade, which began on November 1, has led to a crisis of essential items including fuel. It has severely affected businesses in other parts of Imphal Valley and led to a steep rise in prices.

But since most of the products sold in the Ima Keithel are locally produced, the market hasnt witnessed a slide in business.

Read| Manipur blockade: Black market thrives in the state as fuel outlets run dry

Since all the products I sell, like honey, puja items, sweets made from puffed rice, sesame seeds and jaggery are produced locally, my business hasnt suffered, said 72-year-old Ibiembi Devi.

Prices of certain items like potatoes, onions and fruits which get supplied from outside the valley have, however, seen an increase.

Usually the fruits I sell come from other states, but due to the blockade I am selling apples, oranges and grapes which arrived from Myanmar via the Moreh border, at prices higher than usual, said Bimata Devi.

Vegetable vendor Thoibi Meitei said prices of most vegetables have increased by 10-20% percent, but the costliest item in her shop was potato, which is selling at Rs 100 per kilogram.

Considered the nerve centre of Manipur famed for its matriarchal society, the women from Ima Keithel have led movements against policies of the British in the early 20th century and against excesses by security forces in the state in the past years.

While women stall owners at Ima Keithel arent affected much by the economic blockade, the story is not the same in markets elsewhere in the state capital. The past two months have seen their businesses nosedive.

In Paona Bazar, located close to Ima Keithel, most shop and business establishments have recorded low sales or are waiting for the blockade to end to get fresh stock for customers.

Businesses like mine where we rely almost entirely on goods coming to Imphal Valley from other states have been worst affected, said Bimal Singh, a hardware store owner. Shelves are empty in many shops across the city.

The UNC says the creation of new districts hurts the interests of Nagas in the state and benefits other communities. It plans to continue with the blockade of two highways  NH2 and NH37 - connecting Imphal to other states, despite repeated appeals by the authorities to lift it.

To ease the situation, the authorities have begun to escort trucks, laden with goods and stranded on the highways, into Imphal under heavy police escort. Several hundred trucks reached the state capital on Monday, raising hopes of fresh supplies being available to replenish stores.

The supplies, though, remain sporadic and Manipur is worried about what the future holds. The women shopkeepers of Mothers Market, however, betray no such concern with business being as usual.

Read| Medical emergency in Manipur: 57-day blockade cripples health services

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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi again and demanded the release of a white paper on demonetisation to bring out the truth about the note ban.

Daring Modi to reveal the actual amount of cash recovered since the announcement to scrap `500 and `1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered post November 8?

Modiji has performed demonetisation yagna for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country, Gandhi told reporters here at the party headquarters on the Congress Foundation Day.

Many people have suffered and for this loss, the government should give compensation, Gandhi said.

He asked Modi to answer about the economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation, and pulled out a list of demands.

How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?

Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to answer these questions in the white paper.

Rahul Gandhi who has strongly opposed the Centres demonetisation move asked, What was the process of consultation and preparedness followed prior to the implementation of demonetisation?

Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?.

He also said, Will it place the names of all persons, institutions, and entities that deposited `25 lakh or more in their bank accounts in the six months preceding November 8, 2016?

Naidu retorts

Hitting back at Gandhi over his criticism, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the opposition party should introspect its contribution towards ills like corruption and black money.

The Union information and broadcasting minister said the party should give answers as it has all along patronised black money and corruption.
A draft proposal for accepting new members into the Nuclear Suppliers Group paves the way for Indias entry but leaves Pakistan out, says a US-based arms control organisation.

The Arms Control Association (ACA), Washington, also warns that relaxing membership rules will undermine non-proliferation.

Last week, the US media reported that Rafael Mariano Grossi, a former chairman of the NSG, had prepared a two-page document, explaining how a non-NPT state, like India and Pakistan, could join the group. Grossi was acting on behalf of the current chairman, Song Young-wan of South Korea, and his document enjoys a semi-official status, Dawn reported.

To prevent India from blocking Pakistan from joining the NPT, Grossis draft note proposes that one non-NPT member state should reach an understanding not to block consensus on membership for another non-NPT member state.

But ACAs Executive Director Daryl Kimball warns that Pakistan still has grounds to object to the formula outlined by Grossi.

He explains that the document will require Pakistan to meet the same criteria for membership as India but, to engage in civil nuclear trade with NSG states, it would have to win a separate NSG exemption from the full-scope safeguards requirement.

India is seeking membership of the NSG on the strength of the fact that it is already doing business with NSG members.

The 48-nation NSG is a nuclear technology control organisation formed in 1975 in response to Indias first nuclear weapons test, which used plutonium produced with nuclear technology from Canada and the US. The NSG seeks to prevent similar future misuses.

Current NSG membership rules require a state to sign the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) before joining this exclusive club. India remains one of only three countries, with Israel and Pakistan, never to have signed the NPT.

Earlier this year, India formally applied for membership and was followed by Pakistan. The US, and a host of other powerful western nations, back Indias application, but China and half a dozen other nations are blocking Indias membership, which requires a consensus of all members.

India hoped to join the group during NSGs last plenary session, held in Seoul in June this year, but the meeting ended without taking any decision on New Delhis application.
Chief of air staff, air chief marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme of the government was reasonably good and one should accept it.

The anomalies are being resolved by a one-judge committee. Some of the anomalies and the discrepancies which cropped up from the transition from the sixth to the seventh pay commission have been resolved... others will also be resolved, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress party of betraying the jawans by not fulfilling the long-pending OROP demand for the last 40 years.

Addressing a parivartan rally in Dehradun, Modi had said, My army jawans were demanding OROP for the last 40 years, the party that ruled the country then never thought of their demands. In reality, the budget for OROP is over Rs 10,000 crore. Why did they (Congress) betray the jawans by allocating Rs 500 crore for this.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar earlier last month said 95% of veterans had already got the benefits of the OROP scheme and they were happy with it.

The scheme, announced in September, 2015, is meant to ensure equal pension to servicemen who retired on the same rank and after the same duration of service, regardless of the year of retirement.

However, retired soldiers have been alleging that the government has not addressed their concerns fully about disparity in pension payments.
Government on Wednesday appointed Viral V Acharya, a New York University economics professor who once called himself poor mans Raghuram Rajan, as new deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India.

The 42-year-old Acharyas appointment for a three-year tenure was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He is taking over at a time when the central bank is facing criticism for repeated changes in the rules related to deposit and withdrawal of money, post-demonetisation.

He will fill the post that fell vacant after Urjit Patel was made RBI Governor to succeed Rajan with effect from September 4. The existing three deputy governors of RBI are SS Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and R Gandhi.

Like Rajan, Acharya also comes from an academic background and has also co-authored in the past at least three papers with the former RBI governor. These papers included Sovereign debt, government myopia, and the financial sector, The Internal Governance of Firms and Government Myopia and Debt in a Dynamic Setting.

Acharya has often praised Rajan for his works and once said Raghu has been a great source of inspiration for me. While giving a Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics plenary lecture in 2013, Acharya had narrated an incident when someone asked him on a flight whether he was Raghuram Rajan, after seeing him, an Indian, with papers on banking and crisis.

He quipped that was the day when he realised that if he had Rajan as a role model and could get even 5-10% of him, he could have easily passed off as poor mans Raghuram Rajan on flights.

Just like Rajan, Acharya has also been a strong votary of the independence of central banks and favoured them being democratically accountable, yet be operationally independent from political influence.

Acharya is known for his research in theoretical and empirical analysis of systemic risks of the financial sector, its regulation and genesis in government-induced distortions, according to the profile on the NYU website.

The research areas also span across credit and liquidity risks, agency-theoretic foundations as well as their general equilibrium consequences, it says.

Acharya is the C V Starr Professor of Economics in the Department of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business (NYU-Stern).

An alumnus of IIT, Mumbai, with a degree of Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering in 1995 and PhD in Finance from NYU-Stern in 2001, Acharya was with the London Business School (2001-08) and served as the Academic Director of the Coller Institute of Private Equity at LBS (2007-09) and a Senior Houblon-Normal Research Fellow at the Bank of England (Summer 2008).

He has also served as Director, NSE-NYU Stern Initiative on the Study of Indian Capital Markets, and has been a member of Sebis International Advisory Board.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu has dismissed the Congress-led meet of eight parties against demonetisation as a fake attempt for unity and said it would never succeed.

No wise party can join hands with Congress. If they (some political party) are doing it, they are doing so at their own peril, he told reporters on Tuesday.

The Congress and seven Opposition parties sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday if he would resign in case the cash chaos over the governments demonetisation exercise didnt ease out after his December 30 deadline.

Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Naidu said: He has failed to bring unity in his own party. The strength of Congress (in Lok Sabha) has declined from 444 seats to 44 seats.

Read: Note ban a single strike on terrorism, drug mafia, human trafficking: PM Modi

Referring to scams and corruption during the Congress rule, Naidu said: Earlier Opposition parties had to protest against corruption of the government. But now, the government is fighting against corruption and the opposition is fighting against the government.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who has been spearheading a campaign against demonetisation, was the first to demand Modis resignation at a joint press conference of the Opposition parties in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Continuing to target Modi over personal corruption, after alleging last week that the Prime Minister had accepted kickbacks from business houses, Gandhi said: If he doesnt step down, we will put pressure on him to do so.

He tried to buttress his demand for an investigation, recalling how BJP patriarch LK Advani resigned from the Lok Sabha after his name got embroiled in the 1991 hawala scam of the Jain brothers.
Police on Tuesday arrested one of the members of a gang that had been breaking into banks across the state post demonetisation announcement.

The accused was identified as 20-year-old Sunil Singh, a resident of Sonepat. The police arrested Singh when his gang was trying to loot an Oriental Bank of Commerce branch in Rohtaks Meham block on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

The gang members first broke open the shutter of a shop that shared its wall with the bank, and then knocked down the wall to enter the bank, the police said, added, Meanwhile, the police received information of the burglary attempt, and as soon as the members entered the bank, Meham deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and his team reached the spot. Seeing the cops, the gang members fled the spot, but the police managed to arrest one of the members, said Pankaj Nain, Rohtak superintendent of police.

The police said the arrested gang member, during investigations, revealed the names of three of his gang members, who were involved in the robbery attempt. The police added the other members were identified as Monu and Sanjeet from Rohtak, and Krishna from Jhajjar. The police said they have launched manhunt.

With Sunils arrest, we have been able to trace several other robbery incidents across Haryana. He has confessed to have committed robberies of Rs 1.22 crore at OBC bank in Sonepats Saidpur village, and Rs 81 lakh from Punjab National Bank in Rewari. They had also broken into a bank in Brahmanwas village a few days back, but could not steal the money, the SP said.

The police said the gang, that operated with the help of three .315 bore pistols, walkie-talkies and a Chevrolet car, targeted banks in rural areas that had no night guards in security.
Mumbai customs sleuths on Wednesday seized around Rs 69 lakh in two separate cases, which included recovery of Rs 25 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the customs made these seizures at the international airport here in the wee hours and four people were arrested in this connection.

In the first case, foreign currency worth over Rs 43 lakh was recovered from three passengers -- Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha -- who arrived here from Hyderabad.

A detailed examination of the baggage of Ali resulted in recovery of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars, said a customs official, adding that the total value was Rs 43.97 lakh.

The money was found wrapped in newspapers and was concealed in their check-in baggage.

The accused in their statement said they brought the foreign currency from Saudi Arabia during their visit last week but did not declare the money before the customs. They have also said they came to Mumbai for conversion of the currency expecting good returns, the official said.

They were arrested after a case under Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act was registered against them.

In another case, Arif Koyante who was going to Dubai was arrested after Rs 25 lakh, in denominations of Rs 2,000, was seized from him.

Officials said a search of his baggage yielded 1,250 notes kept in 52 different envelopes. These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 cardboards on which ready-made garments were neatly wrapped, said the official adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that it was attempted to be smuggled out of India.

A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif and he has admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery, the official said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi demanded on Wednesday that the government repeal a daily cash withdrawal limit and pay out compensation to poor families hit the hardest by a shock recall of high-value currency last month.

Speaking to reporters on the partys foundation day, Gandhi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi waive farm loans and give 20% of the government-mandated minimum support price to farmers and pay Rs 25,000 to every woman below the poverty line.

Repeal the daily withdrawal limit because it is taking away the financial independence of the nation, he said.

Gandhi has been at the forefront of the opposition to the governments scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes that has triggered a nationwide cash crunch and is said to have ravaged rural incomes, besides forcing millions of people to line up before banks and ATMs.

Read | Five reasons why Congress failed to rally a united Opposition against Modi govt

The prime ministers demonetisation yagna has benefitted 50 families while sacrificing farmers, labourers, youth and small traders. The government must compensate them, he said.

Gandhi asked the Centre to double payout under the Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee scheme and provide a 50% discount on sales and income tax to small traders. PM must tell us how much black money has come back.

He also asked Modi to present a list of people who had deposited more than Rs 25 lakh in their accounts before November 8, when the PM announced the demonetisation decision in a live national television address.

The government has dismissed criticism of the decision and extolled the benefits of cashless transactions in recent weeks, blaming opposition parties for blocking efforts to drain illegal cash from the economy.

Read | Rahul Gandhi is obsessed while Mamata is biased on demonetisation: BJP

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A Sikh doctor in the United States filed a lawsuit against an American medical organisation alleging he was denied a neurology job for his religious appearance.

Jaswinder Pal Singh of Kentucky is a licensed and board certified physician practising in the area of neurology.

A Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in the US district court for the Middle district of Tennessee on behalf of Singh.

Read: Discrimination: US trucking firm agrees to pay $2.6L to Sikh drivers

As part of the 2014 hiring process, the employer Premier Medical Group and its recruiter Arthur Marshall Inc expressed interest and concern about the way Singh looked, the suit alleges.

Though the recruiter praised Singhs credentials during phone interviews, Singh was allegedly abruptly denied further interviews after he submitted photographs of himself, along with additional information on Sikhs and Sikhism. The job then remained vacant, it said.

It was very clear to me that I was denied employment because of my ethnic background and religious appearance, Singh said in a statement released by the coalition.

No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of their religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable, said Singh, who migrated to the US from India in 2008.

According to the lawsuit, around September, 2014, an individual from the recruiter firm indicated that the Premier Medical Group had reservations about Singhs candidacy and wanted information about his appearance, specifically how you appear and what you look like.

Singh explained that he is a Sikh and maintains unshorn hair including a beard and wears a turban in accordance with his faith to which the individual allegedly replied that he did not know who Sikhs were.

Defendants failed and refused to hire (Singh) for the available neurologist position at Premier Medical Group because of his race (South Asian/Punjabi), colour, religion (Sikh) and/or national origin (Indian), the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks to secure a court order requiring that both defendants implement anti-discrimination policies, practices and training to ensure that they do not discriminate against any future applicants.

In 2015, the coalition had represented Singh in filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, the rights group filed the anti-discrimination lawsuit.

Last month, the coalition announced a massive legal victory on behalf of four Sikh truck drivers who were denied jobs by one of the largest trucking companies in the US.
Budget carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday dubbed as completely false and incorrect media reports that its aircraft had entered the wrong bay at the Indira Gandhi international airport here a day earlier.

On Tuesday morning, two planes of IndiGo and SpiceJet came face-to-face on the taxiway, which could have led to an accident.

Sections of the media report that the SpiceJet flight SG 123 operating on the Delhi-Hyderabad route entered the wrong bay yesterday (Tuesday)... the flight concerned never at any point in time enter the wrong bay, but was following Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions at all times, a SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement.

Such reports, citing unnamed ATC sources, are completely false and incorrect, he said.

The SpiceJet aircraft, in fact, did not enter any bay at all and was on the taxiway when the crew saw another aircraft approaching and alerted the ATC, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) -- which provides communication, navigation and surveillance, and air traffic management services at the IGI airport -- derostered a Surface Management Controller following the incident.
My life is in danger, came the dramatic declaration of former Tamil Nadu chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao at around 11am on Tuesday, December 27 at his residence in Anna Nagar, Chennai, at a hurriedly convened press conference. A furious Rao told the media that he is being targeted. By whom, asked this reporter. I dont know. I may be a big hurdle to many, many forces. They may be thinking he (Rao) is a hardcore man. He will abide by what Madam Jayalalithaa has told. I dont know, said the senior bureaucrat.

Rao was discharged from Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Hospital on the night of December 26, two days after being admitted in the Intensive Care Unit for an unknown ailment. This hospital visit came after the income tax department raided him and his son Vivek Papisettys properties last week.

On December 21, Chennai was astounded as reports began doing the rounds of an income tax raid at the homes of the Tamil Nadu chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao and his son P Vivek. A shocked bureaucracy went silent, especially as I-T department sleuths, along with armed CRPF personnel for protection, entered the hallowed halls of Fort St George, the seat of power in Chennai. Raids continued in the chief secretarys room and tight lipped officials walked out with files and documents. In all, 13 places were raided by the I-T department, including the home of Viveks father-in-law in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. After 24 hours, summons were issued to Rao and his son to appear for questioning.

On the same day that Rao was raided, the CBI arrested a sand mining kingpin Sekhar Reddy as well as two of his associates. The raids on Rao are said to be closely linked to Reddys arrest as the two prima facie appear to have indulged in hawala dealings and created benami assets, according to insiders in the I-T department. Another associate of Reddy, Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha, was arrested at the Mumbai airport a day later.

At Tuesdays press conference, however, Rao denied any business links with the sand mining baron. I have no links with Sekhar Reddy. No business links. I have nothing to do with Sekhar Reddy, I have no business with him. He may be a businessman, he may be known to me. That does not mean anything, he said.

MK Stalin, leader of the opposition of the state Assembly and treasurer of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, lashed out at the Tamil Nadu government on the issue. For the first time in history, I-T raids have happened in the residence of a chief secretary of the state, tweeted Stalin. This has made Tamil Nadu bow its head in shame.

Other political parties, including the Left parties, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Vijaykanths Desiyar Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), also expressed shame at the developments. In the recent past, those heading the bureaucracy have been suspended or raided, and this is indicative of the rampant corruption in the state, said G Ramakrishnan, state secretary of the CPM in a statement. It shows how deep the rot of corruption has seeped into the system. He also demanded the removal of Rao from the chief secretarys post.

Rao was replaced by senior IAS officer Girija Vaidyanathan and put on a waitlist the day after the raids. He had it coming, said one senior bureaucrat on condition of anonymity. This dance had gone on for far too long.

Speculation is rife among bureaucrats and political circles as to whom the trail will lead to, now that former CS Rao is in the dock. Tamil media has speculated, and party insiders agree, that Sekhar Reddy is believed to have funded the last Assembly elections for the AIADMK as well as the 2014 parliamentary polls. His virtual monopoly over sand mining contracts in the state points the finger of suspicion at the late Jayalalithaa and Sasikala, who he is said to have been close to, along with a number of ministers.

The former chief secretary managed to throw in a veiled hint to the current AIADMK leadership at his press conference. I am not a coward, said Rao. I am trained by Madam (Jayalalithaa). Not (just for) one day  she has been training me since I was collector of Chengalpattu-MGR district since 1994. If this is the condition and status of a chief secretary who has 32 years of service, then what happens to the AIADMK workers? What happens to the state government servants? How can the CRPF enter anybodys house? Why did they come to my house? For what purpose they come to my house? What is it that they wanted from me or from my office? If Madam, who is now in Marina  had she been alive, would this have happened? What happens to the security of Tamil people? (For) 75 days I was protecting Madam (when she was hospitalised). After her death you know how I managed the funeral. You know how I managed the cyclone. All this is evidence, he stated, almost as a warning to the political powers in Tamil Nadu.

It almost sounded like he was telling the political bosses  if I go down, I will take you down with me, said one senior journalist who was at the press conference.

Political analysts point to the deep politicisation of the administration and police force in the state under Dravidian parties. Criticism of any politician or policy has become an issue, said C Lakshmanan, political analyst and associate professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies. So the bureaucracy has learnt the trick  instead of fighting, they side with their bosses. Those who are not willing to comply are harassed and sent out.

Rival DMK insists that the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government must speak up now and come clean. This is what we have been saying all along, said TKS Elangovan, party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP. In fact, ministers and officers have been hand-in-glove in all corrupt activities in this state. Whenever an officer does not listen to the minister, he or she will be shunted out. That has been the situation in this state under the AIADMK.

Another one bites the dust

Rao is the second consecutive CS of the state to face the music this year. His predecessor K Gnanadesikan was placed under suspension by late CM J Jayalalithaa in August, only two months after he was suddenly replaced by Rao.

The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had written to its regional director in Chennai in April 2015, referring to a news report on illegal beach sand mining in The Economic Times, dated February 1, 2015. The MoEF had asked the regional director to inspect and submit a report on whether the allegations in the article were true. Subsequently, an 11-member committee was formed  comprising officials belonging to the state mining department, environment department and geologists  and inspections were conducted in April 2015. The subsequent report exonerated the miners concerned.

While no official word was forthcoming on the reasons for Gnandesikans suspension, sources within the secretariat said the cause could well have been this problematic joint committee report submitted to the MoEF in mid-2015.

Gnanadesikan had given the go-ahead to form this committee and he did it without the knowledge or assent of the chief minister, said a source within the secretariat. This 2015 MoEF Joint Committee report went against an earlier 2013 report by Gagandeep Singh Bedi (senior IAS officer) on illegal beach sand mining, which was ordered by Jayalalithaa, and she was very unhappy when she found out about this new report, he said.

Gnanadesikan was suspended in August shortly after this report surfaced in the Madras high court  the document was produced by the miners as proof that they had not indulged in illegal mining, as part of a suo motu PIL being heard by the First Bench of the court. Seven other officials who were part of the committee were suspended along with the former chief secretary.

Centre flexing muscle post-Jaya?

The tax raids on Rao have also brought to the fore the question of the BJPs role in state politics in the wake of the demise of the powerful Jayalalithaa. A personality cult figure, Jaya was well known as a strong leader who would not hesitate to lock horns with the Centre  be it the NDA or the UPA. With her death on November 15, a vacuum is evident in the party leadership.

Party insiders point to a rift within the AIADMK  one faction supporting Jayalalithaas former aide VK Sasikala, and another faction rooting for chief minister O Panneerselvam. Sources also say that OPS (as O Panneerselvam is known) is not averse to leaning closer to the BJP in order to strengthen his own hand and prevent the partys takeover by Sasikala.

I understand that there is some bad blood going on between OPS and Sasikala, said DMK MP TKS Elangovan. This is a situation wherein the BJP may try to cash in. I gave a petition to the Prime Minister directly earlier this year regarding investments of Rs 10,000 crore made abroad by one Anbunathan (who is currently being probed by the I-T department). I gave a complaint about Rs 530 crore being carried in three vehicles. No action was taken. I had to seek the intervention of the court to get the CBI to investigate. But a few days after Jayalalithaas death, raids suddenly begin. So the situation has changed post-Jayalalithaa. What is the idea of the BJP in doing all this? It creates doubt that the BJP is trying to put pressure on the AIADMK post-Jayalalithaa.

The BJP, however, denies any role or political motive behind the raids on Rao. There has been definite information to the I-T department following the raids on (sand mining baron) Sekhar Reddy  a list was prepared and due to this definite information, the action was taken against Rama Mohana Rao, said H Raja, national general secretary of the BJP.

When asked about OPS being helped by the BJP to counter Sasikala, Raja said, O Panneerselvam has been elected unanimously as CM so the Centre-state relationship will remain good as in the case of the other states. Had she (Sasikala) been so powerful, she could have become chief minister. But the party has elected O Panneerselvam. Whoever is elected as general secretary, it is up to the party to decide.

The AIADMK insists that it is united, as the date for its general council meeting creeps up  on December 29, a new general secretary will be elected and Sasikala is being urged by senior leaders, MLAs and MPs to take over the post.

He (OPS) is our late Amma  a pious man, a man with pure thoughts and action known to everyone in the party, said a senior AIADMK leader on condition of anonymity. That is why Amma has made him CM twice. Her portfolios were handed over to him when she was hospitalised. There are some colleagues of his who are upset with him because he is strict but silent. They will not be able to go very far with their criticism. He is silent but a man of action  somewhat like (former Prime Minister) Narasimha Rao. The party is united.

He added that the BJPs machinations, if any, would fail in the state. The BJP may like to split AIADMK into two groups to further their gains in Tamil Nadu, but they will not succeed in any way, he said.

A deeper malaise

Politics apart, experts say that the problem of a deeper affliction within the Tamil Nadu bureaucracy needs to be urgently addressed. It is a problem that began over a decade ago, coinciding with the turn of state policy towards a welfare state.

With the introduction of free colour televisions in 2006, politicians competed with one another to announce freebies in successive elections. Jayalalithaa, in 2011, made perhaps the most prolific promises of them all  free mixers and grinders, goats and cattle, free gold for newly married women along with a host of subsidized Amma-branded products, like Amma canteens and Amma salt.

This is a mendicant state, not a welfare state, said retired bureaucrat MG Devasahayam with some scorn. The state is making people beg for alms, not empowering them. At least 20-25% of the people allow their votes to be purchased. So when there are civic issues, no councillor or authority will respond because the local elected authority feels he has purchased their votes and therefore need not bother. Government feels that since they have given freebies to the people, they have no right to ask for anything more. Marx once said that religion was the opium of the masses. But in Tamil Nadu, freebies are the new opium of the masses.

Cinema was the opium, then freebies were added, and finally state monopoly over liquor retail  this has completed the depoliticisation process of the people.

Other experts also point to a deterioration in governance, accountability and transparency in the system for at least the past 15 years. We need a clean-up of the system, said political analyst C Lakshmanan. A clean-up is possible if all vested political motives are undermined. The recent raid (on Rao) has been read as the BJP taking control over the Tamil Nadu government and the AIADMK. If that is the case, then the BJP should not allow some other BJP-affiliated bureaucrat to do similar things as Rama Mohana Rao. Whichever political party wishes to clean things up should not be partial  they should not promote only those who are only sympathetic to their political ideology. Impartiality is crucial to this cleaning up process.

Experts like Devasahayam feel that the fear of accountability needs to be put into the minds of young bureaucrats, so that they follow the law. The administrative structure of the state has been completely destroyed. Up to the late 1980s, a Board of revenue  3 senior most officers after the chief secretary  would monitor and inspect collectors. [But now,] Collectors have become loose cannons  there is a lot of power vested in young people with no maturity. MGR (former AIADMK chief minister) had done away with the Board of Revenue but nothing was done to replace this. Corruption begins in the districts, [and] Collectors have too much immunity, added Devasahayam.

Tamil Nadus bureaucracy is at least happier now with the appointment of an officer known to be clean, straightforward and honest. Girija Vaidyanathan replaced Rao as chief secretary on December 22. All eyes are now on the General Council Meet of the AIADMK on December 29. Will Sasikala take charge? Or will OPS swing a winner? That is the big question being debated.

Disclaimer: The ET story referred to above was written by this reporter.

(Published in arrangement with Grist Media)
Gold ornaments weighing around 40 kg were allegedly looted by a gang of five persons, who posed as CBI and police officials at a branch of a private finance firm in Sangareddy district of Telangana on Wednesday, police said.

Around four persons entered the Muthoot Fincorp branch at Beeramguda under R C Puram police station limits at around 9.30 am while another one waited outside the branch in a four-wheeler, they said.

Around 40 kgs of gold and Rs 1 lakh in cash were looted by a group of five persons. One of them introduced himself as a CBI officer to the staff and told them that there are reports that several people had converted their black money into white and kept their gold at the branch, Cyberabad police commissioner Sandeep Shandilya, who visited the crime scene, told reporters.

The con-men, one of them who also posed as a traffic cop, further said that they had brought one thief with them who had informed that he had kept his stolen gold booty with the branch and claimed before the staff that they were having information of irregularities in currency exchange process in view of demonetisation and they will investigate the records and lockers of the office.

In the name of checking records, they got the lockers opened from the staff. After the staff raised suspicion, the gang members allegedly threatened them at gunpoint and made away with the gold ornaments, police said.

We are in the process of finding the accused and verifying CCTV footage. Special teams have been formed to trace the absconding accused, Shandilya said.

Another police officer said that before fleeing away in a four-wheeler, the robbers damaged the CCTV cameras and took away the CCTV records and hard disk with them. On getting information, RC Police reached the bank and started the investigation.

Police have intensified search operations to nab the robbers. Vehicle checking is being taken up at different exit and entry points including Telangana - Maharashtra and Karnataka state borders, the senior police officer said.

Police is also in the process of collecting CCTV footage of adjacent areas and investigating the case from all corners.

A large number of customers gathered before the branch after coming to know about the robbery in the bank and demanded that the firm should return their gold.

Around three years ago another unit of the firm located in the same area was robbed, police said.
Telangana minister for information technology and industries KT Rama Rao has urged officials, public representatives and students of all state-run educational institutions to wear handloom clothes at least once a week.

Rao, the son of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, represents Siricilla constituency in newly-formed Rajanna Siricilla district popular for its handloom weaving sector. The district is also infamous for a large number of suicides by weavers.

KTR, as he is popularly known, has been meeting MLAs of all political parties for the last couple of days during the ongoing winter session of the state assembly and presenting them a bag of handloom clothes, requesting them to promote the handloom sector.

Apart from the chief minister and opposition party leaders, KTR has also gifted the bags to Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary, Legislative Council chairperson K Swamy Goud as well as state ministers.

He said he requested each public representative to wear the handloom clothes at least once a week so that handloom weavers get sufficient work and they can be brought out from distress. A similar request has been made to the officials of various departments in the state government.

KTR has also written to all the MPs, MLCs and public representatives of various local bodies to encourage the handloom sector by wearing handloom clothes compulsorily.

Our weavers of Pochampally, Gadwal, Narayanpet and Siricilla were once known across the country for their skill and quality of handloom clothes. They are all now in distress. Let us all bring back glory to their produce and popularise our culture, the minister said in his letter.

The clothes, produced by weavers, are marketed by Telangana State Handloom Cooperative Society (TSCO). KTR said the society had launched a scheme called Chenetha Lakshmi under which a member would get handloom fabric worth Rs 14,400 if he pays a membership fee of Rs 1,000 per month for nine months.

While requesting the common public to buy handloom clothes and encourage the weavers, KTR said TSCO products would be sold online through Amazon, Flipkart and other leading online stores apart from TSCOs website.

The minister added that Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has already declared that all its employees would wear handloom clothes on Grievances Day every Monday to promote handloom clothes.

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The recent terrorist attack in Berlin on a Christmas market, in which a large truck was driven into a crowded open-air market, set alarm bells ringing in Spains Interior Ministry. Given the large numbers of people who descend on the countrys cities at this time of year, Spanish security forces have put together a special plan aimed at reinforcing the safety of the public.

Police in central Madrid over the Christmas period. Carlos Rosillo

In Madrid, an additional unit will be in place during certain dates and in key areas, according to ministry sources, which will include 1,900 offices watching over the central Puerta del Sol square during the ringing in of the New Year, as well as the San Silvestre Vallecana fun run on New Years Eve, followed by the Three Kings parades on January 5.

The police will be using bollards to block off streets in a bid to avoid attacks such as those seen last week in Germany and during the summer in Nice, France.

I want to emphasize that there is no specific threat at the current time Concepcion Dancausa, Central Government Delegate to Madrid

The latest attacks in Europe have prompted a strengthening of the measures adopted by the state security forces, ministry sources said, adding that in several Spanish cities specific security units, designed by government delegations in conjunction with councils will be deployed.

However, the central government delegate in Madrid, Concepcion Dancausa, was keen to play down the risk to the public. I want to emphasize that there is no specific threat at the current time, she said on Tuesday.

Spain is currently on a level four terrorist alert, the highest since the 11-M train attacks at Atocha station in 2004. The alert was raised in June 2015 in the wake of attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait, and means increased monitoring of critical infrastructure such as airports, nuclear power plants and travel hubs. In addition, all security forces dedicated to terrorism prevention, investigation and information collection have been put on alert.

In Catalonia, Barcelona will be the main focus of the attention of the authorities, with a special unit due to be deployed for New Years Eve. The priority is to avoid the Catalan capital becoming a target for a terrorist attack. We are working along the same lines as last year, sources from the Mossos dEsquadra regional police force explained.

In the Valencia region, meanwhile, the police presence will also be boosted during events expected to attract a lot of people. But I dont think announcing all of the security measures is the most appropriate thing to do, said the regional security chief, Anais Menguzzato, on Tuesday.

With reporting by Jesus Garcia, Alfonso Congostrina, Cristina Vazquez and Esperanza Codina.

English version by Simon Hunter.
The Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand has been accused of malpractices in awarding a contract to India Fly Safe Aviation Ltd, linked to Congress leader Naveen Jindal, for a flight service in the state.

The opposition BJP alleged that the government deleted crucial conditions such as security audit to favour the company to fly small planes and helicopters for the air service.

The work tender sought proposals for scheduled services, but Jindals company was registered as non-schedule operator (NSOP), aviation industry insiders said. Besides, three more non-schedule operators bade for the contract, especially to fly helicopters to the holy shrine of Kedarnath.

The NSOPs provide charter, seasonal or on-demand air services. There are only 14 scheduled operators in India such as Jet Airways and GoAir, who have a fixed timetable such as daily or weekly flights to a particular destination.

Helicopters of more than 10 aviation companies ferried pilgrims and tourists to Kedarnath, till the shrine was closed on November 1.

From the next season, only the aviation company associated with Jindal will have the sole right to operate the service to Kedarnath. The Kedarnath air route can fetch up to Rs 70 crore in business, industry estimates show.

The tender was floated in November with the state-run Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), asking bidders to apply for scheduled services for flights between Dehradun and Pithoragarh and a helicopter service to Kedarnath.

A revised tender deleted crucial conditions such as annual safety audit report, proof of having satisfactory services and three years of prior experience, it has been alleged.

The decision to award the contract was challenged in the high court, which has issued a notice to the state government. The court will hear the case next month.

The aviation policy has been altered to favour a particular operator. Moreover, the fair for Kedarnath has been raised from Rs 2,500-3,000 to Rs 9,200 a person, said Rajeev Dhar, an aviation expert who has complained to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Dhar said only single-engine helicopters can fly to Kedarnath but the aviation company has double-engine aircraft and the tender states that it cant hire specified choppers from other firms to operate the service.

The BJP state president, Ajay Bhatt, demanded a probe to find out who benefited from the deal.

Hindustan Times could not contact aviation secretary Meenakshi Sundaram for comments despite repeated attempts, while the state government dismissed the allegations.

Surendra Kumar, spokesperson for chief minister Rawat, said no security norms have been overlooked. Our intention is to strengthen air services and whats wrong in it?

For his part, India Fly Safe Aviation Ltd director Capt Sudeep Singh clarified over the phone that the company has completed all formalities and the government has to reply (on allegations).

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The CBI has arrested an Income Tax official here for receiving Rs 30,000 bribe from a land owner on the pretext of dropping proceedings against him for selling his immovable property to a builder, an official said on Wednesday.

The tax official was caught red-handed on Tuesday and searches at his office and residence led to recovery of some incriminating documents and over Rs 2 lakh cash.

It was alleged that the complainant who gave his plot for development to a builder was yet to receive his share of 12 flats. The IT official demanded a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh for dropping further proceedings with reference to the notice issued to the complainant in respect of sale of immovable property, which require payment of capital gains, said a Central Bureau of Investigation official.

The official said when the complainant was unable to arrange bribe, the IT official agreed to accept money in instalments and directed him to pay the first instalment of Rs 30,000 on Tuesday. A trap was laid and the tax official was caught receiving the money.
The Madhya Pradesh governments plan to construct a district court complex in Indore has again run into rough weather with scientists, research scholars, students, college alumni and social activists objecting to the proposed transfer of agriculture land.

There is a new twist in the controversy over the proposed transfer of a 20-acre land of the agriculture college in Indore to the district administration for building the modern court complex.

While the district administration has stated that the land belongs to nazul and is therefore the governments property, the college management has denied the claim.

Dean of the Indore Agriculture College Dr. Mridula Billore has written to the tehsildar to make appropriate corrections in the land record to show that it belongs to the agriculture college.

There was no mention of nazul land prior to July 2016, but the same has been added afterwards. We have all the documents to prove that the land belongs to the agriculture college, she told Hindustan Times.

The college alumni association has also upped the ante and applied for permission to hold a dharna at the college gate.

Our contention is that when the government acquired the 14-acre of agriculture college land for building the bypass road, it paid appropriate compensation. The government does not pay compensation when it takes back nazul land, said Vijay Oswal, treasurer of the college alumni association.

The land did not figure in the 2011-12 list of nazul land released by the administration but it now figures in the 2015-16 list, he told HT.

Earlier, the construction of the court complex next to the Pipliyahana Lake, faced opposition from environmental activists and city residents, forcing the state government to rollback its decision.

The Agriculture College, situated on Pipliyahana Road was established in 1924 and was known as the Institute of Plant Industry. The British developed the Indore method of composting at the institute, which is accepted as an ideal system of preparing organic manure the world over.

President of alumni association Akhilesh Saraf said that on one hand the state government talks about agriculture being its top priority, but at the same time this proposal to acquire 20-acre of land reserved for research purpose can destroy an agriculture research institute.
The acquittal of 12 of the 13 accused in the murder of a farmer from Raghogarh, 40km from Dewas headquarters, raises queries about the influence of the powerful and silence of the officials, legal experts said.

The main accused in the case, Vikram Singh Puar, the present king of Dewas and son of late BJP minister Tukojirao Puar, has not been arrested yet. The Dewas courts judgement on December 18 has acquitted all other accused in the case, which, legal experts said, had increased chances of Vikram Puar going scot-free.

Tukojirao was a six-time MLA from Dewas and twice a minister. His wife, Gayatri Raje Puar, is now the Dewas MLA.

When asked by Hindustan Times whether she or her family had used influence to turn the witnesses hostile in this case, Gayatri Puar denied. It is the courts judgement, I have the fullest respect for it and I dont think anyone can influence it. I might be an MLA, but I am also a citizen and a mother seeking justice for her son.

Asked why her son was still absconding she said, That is something which Vikram will come and explain before the court. Vikrams lawyer Ashok Verma termed prosecutions case as weak.

Vikram surfaced after he got a 15-day bail in June when his father was on death bed. He cremated his father, was crowned king and then vanished before expiry of the bail period. Police officials are silent when asked why they did not keep an eye on Vikram during the bail.

Admin made no efforts to attach Vikrams property

In the past one year, the administration made no efforts to attach his property -- usually done when an accused absconds. Girish Mungi, who represented the government in the case, said they did not find any property in Vikrams name.

The case was not put on the special cases list

Though the case raised a hue and cry, it was not put on the special cases list that is monitored by the collector and superintendent of police. In such cases, the state is represented by officials from the district prosecutors office and not government pleaders, appointed by the party in power. The witnesses statements were not taken before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC. Had this been done, the witnesses would have found it difficult to retract, experts said.

Asked why the case was not put in the special category, Dewas SP Shashikant Shukla passed the buck onto his predecessor Abhay Singh, now with the CBI. Collector Ashutosh Awasthi refused to answer any query. I have nothing to say about the matter, he told HT. Abhay Singh said, I have left the state and it would not be proper for me to answer any question.

Family of the deceased turned hostile in court, leading to acquittals

Officials HT talked to tried to wash their hands of the case, saying the family of Pratap Lodhi, the farmer who was killed, had turned hostile in court, leading to acquittals.

Police witnesses also turned hostile

Two police witnesses also turned hostile, and faced no action. In his judgement, Joginder Singh said, Even the witnesses Rajesh Garwal and Jitendra Verma, who are police officials, did not support the case of the prosecution at any point ... despite being police officials totally resiled from their earlier statement.

Asked why no action had been taken against them, the SP said, I will have to look into the policemens statements.

Apart from the investigating officer, inspector Sarita Choudhary who was heading the Baroth police station where the case was registered, everyone turned hostile.

We lost the case as everyone turned hostile

There was nothing wrong with the investigation, but it pained me that we lost the case as everyone turned hostile, said Choudhary, who has been transferred to Indore.

Attempts to contact Prataps wife Resham Bai were stonewalled by family members. The court has given its verdict, we have to obey it, said Nararayan Singh, uncle of the deceased.

Local journalists, lawyers say the family has been bought over. Given the influence of the Puars, it is not surprising, said a journalist.

Ashok Verma said, Apart from main witnesses turning hostile, the FIR talked about Pratap dying of bullet injury and postmortem report negated it; this went against them.

THE CASE

On March 19, 2015, Vikram Puar and his 12 armed supporters went to the farm of Pratap Lodhi and others, and tried to snatch their produce. It is a 14 hectare land worth crores, and a civil case is pending in Dewas court. The two groups clashed; firearms and lathis were used in which three persons were injured, including Pratap Lodhi who was hit on his head. Pratap died of injuries on March 22. Everyone was charged under sections 302, 147, 148, 149 and 324 of IPC and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
Killing without proof is a dream of terrorists and criminals alike, and to this end IS suspect Md Mussa strongly advocated the use of pepper spray that became popular among many women in India to ward off assaulters, especially after the gang rape incident of December 2012.

He was also about to use one himself, having purchased a few from an online retailer furnishing a fake identity proof, the NIA charge sheet submitted to a court in Kolkata last week claims.

He argued with IS operatives based elsewhere the world that with pepper spray anybody can be blinded for two-three hours and the attacker can use this long time window to stab the target and escape. Since the spray would blind the target for a considerable period of time, he/she will be in no position to see the attacker even if he/she survives the attack by any chance.

Pepper spray contains a chemical that when targeted at the eye causes extreme irritation, the feeling of being set alight, inflammation and temporary blindness. While its use is banned in many countries, it is legal in India.

On July 5 this year Mussa was picked up by CID and government railway police from Visva-Bharati Fast Passenger at Burdwan railway station. He was subsequently interrogated by sleuths from FBI (in second week of December) and Bangladesh (August) for his involvement in the massacre in Dhakas Holey Artisan Bakery.

HT earlier reported that Mussa carried out reconnaissance in Delhi and Srinagar for attacking and executing foreign tourists especially Russians, Americans and the British. He also targeted the Kolkata-based headquarters of Missionaries of Charity.

According to the charge sheet, Mussa purchased pepper spray cans on February 27 this year. NIA sleuths accessed his chat conversation using the app Telegram and found that on March 1, he told other IS operatives why he thinks the item that is popular as an instrument for defence can be employed for lethal objectives.

On July 18, NIA officers seized pepper sprays from Mussas house in Labhpur in Birbhum district of South Bengal.

A-1 (Mussa) discusses how to procure pepper spray through Snapdeal by using fake ID and says that it is dangerous liquid weapon and capable of killing anyone.... A-1 discusses further that by using pepper spray anyone can be killed without proof as it blinds for 2-3 hours.

Mussas conversation with IS operatives accessed by the sleuths revealed that he preferred killing with long knives to using explosives. In fact, when he was arrested one such knife was found in his possession that he would have used allegedly to kill Malay Chatterjee, a businessman from Labhpur in his own district Birbhum.

He was inspired to join IS by none other than Abu Sulaiman, the mastermind of Dhakas Holey Artisan Bakery attack. He is now the most guarded man at Alipore central jail.

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Kafkaesque is possibly the best word to describe the experiences of Roshenara Khatun (name changed), a teenage trafficking victim from Bangladesh who has got stuck in India for more than four years, confined in a rehabilitation centre, while the accused roaming free after spending 90 days in jail.

The trial is yet to begin and she is unlikely to be allowed to go back to Bangladesh before her statement is recorded.

On September 10, residents of Chikrand within Chanditala police station jurisdictions, intercepted Khatun, then aged about 14. Upon questioning her, they got to know that she was trafficked from Comilla in Bangladesh into West Bengal with the lure of a job in the garments industry.

The villagers also nabbed the accused trafficker, Ranjit Sarkar. The police booked (case no. 290/2012) Sarkar and his co-accused, S Gayen, under sections 363, 365 and 366B of the Indian Penal Code. The two were produced before an ACJM court in Serampore the next day.

While Khatun was sent to S.M.M Home for Girls and Women at Liluah in Howrah district, Sarkar was initially remanded in police custody and later into judicial custody, before being released on bail in January 2013. Sarkars co-accused remains absconding.

Under ideal circumstances, the charge-sheet should have been filed within 90 days to start the trail with the accused in custody. Warrant of arrest should have been issued against the absconder, followed by issuance of proclamation. After about a month, the case should have been transferred to a session judges court to start trail. The absconder will be tried separately when arrested. Once the trial started, the victim would have been the first person to record statement. Thereafter, her presence would not have been necessary. She should have been home within six months, said Ghanashyam Agarwala, an advocate at Serampore court.

For reasons beyond Agarwalas knowledge, the case was not transferred to a session judges court. Agarwala took up the case about three months ago after the District Legal Services Authority approached him. He made two petitions, on October 5 and November 12, but failed to obtain any release order for Khatun.

During these four years, members of Sanlaap, an NGO working with trafficking victims approached the court several times seeking its order to send to girl back home. The court, however, asked them to produce the victims parents in court.

She could have been sent back by virtue of the standard operating procedure (SOP) notified by the state government in February 2014. We had all necessary papers from the Bangladesh government and the state government. But the court did not grant release on the basis of the SOP because it has not yet been made into an Act, Tapoti Bhowmik of Sanlaap said.

In the meanwhile the victims mother managed to contact her over phone. But there was bad news for her. Her father had passed away, leaving the family in greater economic stress.

According to Agarwala, Khatun is suffering from depression. The last time I met her at the home, she was constantly crying. She said she keeps thinking of suicide, he told HT.

He, however, hopes the case would be transferred to a session judges court in January. I expect the trial to start soon, Agarwala told HT.

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Two persons were killed and two others injured in a blast at a pharma unit in Ahmednagar district on Wednesday, police said.

The incident happened at the Sun Pharma unit in MIDC Ahmednagar area, police said. The cause of the blast was not yet known, they added.

When contacted, the company confirmed the incident, saying a fire broke out during an excavation work at the facility leading to the casualties.

Four workmen were injured in the incident and rushed to a nearby hospital, but two of them succumbed to burn injuries, it said, adding both the injured are responding well to the treatment. The company also promised all support to the families.

The unit in Ahmednagar MIDC manufactures APIs or active pharmaceutical ingredients which are used in formulations.

There is no loss of production at Ahmednagar factory on account of this incident, the statement said, adding the company is investigating the matter with help of enforcement agencies.
People are thinking very mythologically about this (Lord Hanuman) painting, but the idea behind it was to show a common man in Mumbai, said Abhinav Kafare, also known as Bade Moochwale, the brain behind a mural in the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) which received flak from Shiv Sena members on Monday.

Kafares painting was a creative take on the popular image of Lord Hanuman flying with the Gandhamardana Mountain that grew mythical life-saving herbs in one hand and his mace in the other. But in the painting, the modern-Hanuman  wearing wrist bands, watches and sunglasses and western clothes  was shown holding a pen instead of a mace, his crown was replaced with headphones, an iPod strapped to his arm and a local train was drawn instead of a tail.

The theme was Mumbai so I was showing Mumbais common man who is fed up with the city turning into a concrete jungle, so he was flying with the last verdant patch to some greener place. All artists understood this but clearly that was not enough, he said, speaking to HT from Benares where he is currently shooting for a feature film. He added that his team and he ended up working six days on the mural and finished just a day before IIT-Bs annual cultural fest Mood Indigo began, on December 23.

I was only expressing my thoughts and feelings through this painting and I never imagined itll turn into something controversial. Its really sad when artists dont get to express our thoughts freely, said Kafare, and added that his mural was meant to be a permanent fixture on the wall closer to the Students Activity Centre (SAC) at IIT-B. Its a loss of our hardwork and a beautiful creation. But honestly, it was never meant to hurt anyones sentiments, he added.

While the management of IIT-B chose to stay mum on this issue on Tuesday, students took to social media to share their views against the arm twisting techniques by local goons.

How can that mural be offensive? It didnt show any mythological creatures in bad light, but in fact made a common man look more powerful. This is a direct attack on the freedom of expression of the artist, said a senior IIT-B student, on condition of anonymity. Many students, also from institutes other IIT-B, used online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and were angry that even the institute did not take a stand and support the artist. Its unacceptable how the institute didnt even protest against the political party or fight for their students, said a student from a city college.

Also read

Shiv Sena covers offensive IIT-B painting showing Lord Hanuman in western wear

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The Mahim police arrested a woman for wanting to force a minor girl into prostitution. The girl is from another state and was allegedly brought to Mumbai by an unidentified man who lured her with the offer of a well-paying job. A case has been registered against the woman under stringent sections of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

An officer from Mahim police station said a case was registered on December 23 following a tip-off from their sources. A day later, the accused was arrested and the cops rescued a 17-year-old girl. The girl was later sent to a shelter home. Investigation revealed that the accused is a resident of Mahim.

Senior inspector Milind Idekar from Mahim police station said, The minor was brought to Mumbai on the false assurance of a well-paid job. We received information that the accused was going to force the girl into prostitution. Upon receiving conformation that the tip-off we received was accurate, we arrested the accused.

She was produced in the court and has been remanded in police custody till December 28. Cops are now on the lookout for the man who brought the teenager to Mumbai.

Also read

17 women including 7 Bangladeshis booked for flesh trade in Thane

Gujarat: 13-year-old girl kidnapped, sold, raped for five months
Effectively Prime Minister Narendra Modis third year in office, 2016, was to be a time of foreign policy consolidation. He reduced his overseas travel by a third, even staying home during the first three months.

Modis primary foreign policy goal, restoring overseas confidence in the India economic story, was a mission accomplished. As he declared, For me more than what the world thinks of the government, what the image of the country is, is important.

The world wasnt going to let Modi off that easy. It had been all quiet on the northern front his first two years. In 2016, Indias relations with Pakistan and China went sour  or returned to normal depending on perspective. The year began with Pathankot and ended with the worst Line of Control violence in eight years.

Read: NDA at 2: Modis unexpected successes in foreign policy

China was a less inscrutable story. Modi had genuinely hoped his Sabarmati summit with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would smoothen their otherwise bumpy relations.

In 2016 Beijing showed its true colours: India would get a pass only if Islamabad gave a green light. New Delhi is still guessing as to why Beijing, traditionally wary of taking stances on Indo-Pakistani disputes, now openly toes the Islamabad line. Sino-Indian relations went into reverse. China, after signalling otherwise, slammed the door on Indias Nuclear Suppliers Group membership. New Delhi sought to unnerve Beijing about the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and is now waiving its Dalai Lama card. The two countries have to give each other sufficient space, warned Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.

Read: PM Modis foreign policy a welcome sign of maturity

The Sino-Indian border remained quiet. But Beijing doesnt need to do much as the other Indian border is in flames. A Kashmir riots and worsening China-India equation combo automatically encouraged Rawalpindi to prod India harder. Pakistan is a subset of our China relations, say senior Indian diplomats.

The early foreign policy honeymoon Modi experienced with Indias two main rivals is over. With them, it is business as usual. And the prime ministers surgical language  responding militarily but, more important, making it public was signalling for the coming year.

Read: Modis foreign policy misses in the neighbourhood

Modi also played the first moves in some game-changing initiatives this year.

First, attitudes towards India among the Persian Gulf monarchies  the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in particular  are being turned around. One result: Billions of dollars pledged for Indian infrastructure. Another is the slow separation of Pakistan from its long-standing Arab backers.

Second, he firmed up a new relationship with Africa. Indian now trades more with Africa, over $100 billion, than the US or Japan. Modis topped this off with the seeds for long-term energy and security collaboration.

Third, Indias plans for transforming the Bay of Bengal with concrete and diplomacy started to see shape in 2016. The Sagarmala projects, the resurrection of BIMSTEC, the tie up with Japanese finance to connectivity projects: the pieces of this geopolitical puzzle were defined.

Finally, Modi has moved quickly to ensure that if the US President-elect Donald Trump has a black-and-white vision of the world, India is in the light part. Fortunately, Modi is seen by Trumps circle as an ideological forerunner to their own victory. But New Delhi is among the few major governments which does not worry that its US relationship is about to take some heavy knocks.

The coming year will be one of global uncertainty, with a capital U. As foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said this year, There is an overall loosening of relationships and even countries that are formal allies are now hedging.

There will be question marks over the US-China relationship, how much worse an Islamic State with its back to the wall can get, and how a world economy of a strong dollar, yo-yo oil prices and trade wars will perform.

Modi will add to this as he pushes through back-to-back reforms on the Indian economy next year. If he carries them off, India will pull ahead of the global pack.

If he doesnt, Modi will be another fading leader of another non-emerging economy.
The United Kingdoms decision to leave the European Union in June has not discouraged London-based property developers from investing in Spain. Among the companies looking to establish a presence along the Mediterranean are Round Hill Capital, which has chosen the Costa del Sol as its launch pad into Spain.

New homes for sale in Benalmadena, Malaga province. GARCIA SANTOS

The group, set up by Michael Bickford, has opened offices in Madrid, where it is also looking to buy property, along with Barcelona and the western part of Malagas coastline. It has paid 30 million for a 50-hectare plot of land in Ojen, close to Marbella, from Sareb, the entity set up by the government in 2012 to absorb the toxic assets of the countrys banks. It intends to build 600 luxury apartments there. Palo Alto will be the first major property development in the area since 2008, when the countrys real estate sector crashed.

With a total investment of 250 million, Palo Alto is planned in 10 phases, with work on 75 properties to begin early in the New Year. Ojens local council has approved construction and other permits in less than two months.

Estepona has been keen to attract developments, granting building permits with three months

Matias Villaroel, Round Hill Capitals Spanish manager, says that the company had second thoughts about the project immediately after the Brexit vote, but decided to go ahead because the properties are not being targeted at British buyers.

Round Hill Capital has already sold half of the first phase of the development, mainly to Germans, Belgians, and Scandinavians. Prices for the apartments range from 440,000 to 950,000.

A few kilometers along the coast in Torremolinos, another British property developer, Intu, is going to build what it says will be the largest shopping and leisure complex in Andalusia, covering some 200,000 square meters. The company is still awaiting final approval, but says it intends to begin work early in the new year, with completion due in 36 months.

Intu, which built the Puerto Venecia shopping center in Zaragoza, says it intends to invest some 600 million in the project, with a further 500 million coming from other partners. The company adds that it expects to generate some 2,500 jobs to build the project, which will then provide work for around 4,000 people.

Brexit is not an issue: most properties are not targeted at UK buyers

The most recent report commissioned by the British Chamber of Commerce into the opportunities for UK businesses in Spain concludes that neither the uncertainty over the Brexit referendum nor the absence of a Spanish government put investors off during the first six months of 2016. It notes that 64% of UK companies in Spain intend to maintain their investments here, with 8% saying they intend to increase their presence, while 28% said they intended to reduce their investment. The United Kingdom is Spains fifth-biggest source of foreign direct investment, making up 11% of the total.

British ambassador to Spain Simon Manley says he is optimistic and believes that the EU and the UK will reach agreement over Brexit that will protect trade ties.

Also in Marbella, Pacific Investment is building five upscale villas at a cost of 25 million. Each of the properties, which will sit on between 2,000 and 3,000 square meters of land, will cost around 7 million.

Estepona, in the west of Malaga province, has been keen to attract developments, granting building permits within three months. Over the course of 2016, it has approved planning permission for four property developments for some 198 apartments, along with around 20 free-standing houses. Among the main players is London-based Kronos Home, which is building 70 luxury apartments in the Arroyo Vaquero area, some eight kilometers west of Estepona. It has plans to build in other areas of the Malaga coastline.

English version by Nick Lyne.
How salient India is in Donald Trumps foreign policy will very much depend on the larger geopolitical framework governing US strategy during his presidency. It is possible that Trumps geostrategic approach could, in practice, make the US-India relationship what outgoing President Barack Obama rhetorically called a defining partnership of the 21st century.

Trump ran an election campaign that challenged American diplomacys longstanding shibboleths and premises, turning even the traditional Republican foreign-policy establishment against him. Indeed, many of the foreign-policy experts associated with his party signed Never Trump letters and indicated that they preferred Hillary Clinton to him.

Read: China flexes military muscle before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office

Since his election triumph, despite seeking to make peace with the party establishment, Trump has signalled that his foreign-policy approach is likely to be unconventional. Even before assuming office, Trump has made statements that seemingly break with current US foreign policy, including wanting to greatly strengthen and expand US nuclear capability.

At least four guiding themes are already apparent in Trumps foreign-policy approach: Economic nationalism that views trade liberalisation as the handmaiden of an internationalist foreign policy contributing to Americas relative decline; comprehensive domestic renewal, including by reversing an interventionist, regime-change policy that dates back to Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeghs CIA-engineered 1953 overthrow; a determination to boost US economic growth by eliminating critical roadblocks, including unfair competition from Chinese manufacturers; and waging a war against radical Islamic militancy before it metastasizes into a global jihadist movement.

Read: India should cautiously welcome Trumps views on One China policy

The US foreign policy has long been tethered to two mucky posts  an alliance with Arab monarchs that has endured even as these cloistered royals bankroll Islamic militant groups and madrasas in other countries; and a fixation on Moscow despite the Soviet Unions collapse, as if Russia remains the principal geopolitical foe whose strategic space must be crimped.

Trump has signalled a need to recalibrate US foreign policy by shifting its geopolitical focus from Russia, a declining power whose economy is expected to contract by 0.8% in 2016, to the increasingly muscular and openly revisionist China. Unlike Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea in one stroke, Chinas territorial revisionism, as illustrated in the South China Sea and the Himalayas, is creeping and incremental yet relentless.

Read: Beijing faces decision on how to respond to Trumps fresh tweets slamming China

Trump cannot credibly revive George W Bushs global war on terrorism without disciplining Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the other sheikhdoms that continue to blithely export Islamic radicalism. At a minimum, he is likely to halt immigration from problematic countries extending from Pakistan to Libya.

Trumps economic nationalism holds major implications for China and Mexico but marginal for India. Indeed, his geopolitical focus on China and Islamic radicalism meshes well with Indian strategic priorities. The Obama era, despite the bilateral bonhomie, compounded Indias security challenges, with its obsequiousness with China extending to bolstering Beijings Pakistan strategy through parallel financial and political support to that renegade country.

Read: China says it wants smooth military ties with US administration of Trump

More broadly, a wake-up call for Americas allies and partners in Asia was Obamas stunning silence on the 2012 Chinese capture of the Scarborough Shoal, located within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Washington did nothing in response to the capture, despite its mutual-defence treaty with the Philippines. That inaction helped spur Chinas frenzied creation of artificial islands in the South China Sea. In late 2013, when China unilaterally declared an air defence identification zone covering territories it claims but does not control in the East China Sea, Obama again hesitated, effectively condoning the action. And recently, his meek response to Chinas daring seizure of an underwater US drone sowed more doubts about Americas will to defend its allies.

On Obamas watch, China, in less than three years, built seven islands in the South China Sea and militarised them by deploying heavy weapon systems in an attempt to annex a strategically crucial corridor through which half of the worlds annual merchant fleet tonnage passes. Indeed, China has demonstrated that defiant unilateralism is cost-free.

But now Chinas free ride is ending, with Trump willing to call a spade a spade and adopt a tougher and less predictable line toward it. This is apparent from Trumps suggestion, after taking a phone call from Taiwans president, that a one-China policy is no holy cow for him.

By subsidising exports and impeding imports, China has long waged an economic war against the other major economies. While India has done nothing in response, even as its annual trade deficit with China doubles to $60 billion on Narendra Modis watch, Trump is threatening to slap high punitive tariffs on China for what he described during the campaign as the greatest theft in the history of the world.

To be sure, Trump is likely to face resistance to recalibrating US policy from the old establishment figures in Washington who spent their formative years during the Cold War obsessing with the Soviet threat and who now see Russian President Vladimir Putin as the epitome of evil. Trumps task is made more onerous by a mainstream media that remains hostile to him despite its epic failure to anticipate or predict the election outcome, largely due to its concerted bet on a wholly different result. Still, a determined Trump is likely to reorient US policy in potentially momentous ways.

For example, with his focus on China, Trump could pivot to Asia in a way Obama did not. A revamped US strategy could help add concrete strategic content to a partnership with New Delhi whose main feat has been to turn India into the biggest foreign buyer of American weapons, even as Washington boasts a constructive strategic partnership with China since 1997 and a strategic partnership with Pakistan since 2006.

Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and author.

The views are personal.
With assembly polls round the corner, the election commission (EC) has started raiding chemists across the state to check distribution of habit-forming drugs.

The poll panel is of the view that such drugs could be used by parties to woo voters. The EC has formed three-member teams comprising representatives from narcotics control bureau (NCB) and states drug controller office and Punjab Police in all districts to raid chemist shops.

In a meeting with chief election commissioner (CEC) Dr Nasim Zaidi in October, political parties blamed each other for using these medicines along with other drugs during the polls.

Zaidi has instructed the state election office to deal with the problem of drugs distribution with an iron hand.

A former CEC SY Quraishi, under whom the 2012 assembly polls were held, had openly accepted drugs as a major problem in the state. A large quantity of drugs and habit-forming drugs were seized in Punjab during 2012 assembly and 2014 parliament polls (see box) We have started this exercise much in advance and there is no scope of taking things lightly, chief electoral officer, (CEO) Punjab VK Singh told HT.

A large quantity of alprazolem and tramadol tablets and corex cough syrup were seized from two shops in Jalandhar and Amloh, he added. The shop owners are facing punitive action.

The action will be intensified after the poll code comes into force.

Deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena is coming to Chandigarh on December 29 to check states preparedness to curb drug menace. Sources said he will give his feedback after which the announcement of polls is expected.

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A Sikh doctor in the US has filed a lawsuit against an American medical organisation alleging he was denied a neurology job for his religious appearance.

Jaswinder Pal Singh of Kentucky is a licensed and board certified physician practising in the area of neurology.

Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Middle district of Tennessee on behalf of Singh.

The lawsuit alleges that Singh, an observant Sikh physician who keeps a religiously mandated turban and beard, was denied a neurology job after the employer and recruiter inquired into his religious appearance.

As part of the 2014 hiring process, the employer, Premier Medical Group, and its recruiter, Arthur Marshall Inc, expressed interest and concern about the way Singh looked, the suit alleges.

Though the recruiter praised Singhs credentials in phone interviews, Singh was allegedly abruptly denied further interviews after he submitted photos of himself, along with additional information on Sikhs and Sikhism. The job then remained vacant, it said.

It was very clear to me that I was denied employment because of my ethnic background and religious appearance, Singh said in a statement released by the coalition.

No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable, said Singh, who migrated to the US from India in 2008.

According to the lawsuit, around September 2014, an individual from the recruiter firm indicated that the Premier Medical Group had reservations about Singhs candidacy and wanted information about his appearance, specifically how you appear and what you look like.

Singh explained that he is a Sikh and maintains unshorn hair, including a beard and wears a turban in accordance with his faith, to which the individual allegedly replied that he did not know who Sikhs were.

Defendants failed and refused to hire (Singh) for the available neurologist position at Premier Medical Group because of his race (South Asian/Punjabi), colour, religion (Sikh) and/or national origin (Indian), the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks to secure a court order requiring that both defendants implement anti-discrimination policies, practices and training to ensure that they do not discriminate against any future applicants.

In 2015, the coalition had represented Singh in filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, the rights group filed the anti-discrimination lawsuit.

Last month, the coalition announced a legal victory on behalf of four Sikh truck drivers who were denied jobs by one of the largest trucking companies in the US.
Troubles usually come in waves and the city unit of the Congress certainly has a lot on its plate. After winning just four of the 26 seats in MC elections last week, the partys poor financial condition has also come to bite and was one of the reasons that led to the poor show.

Consider this: The local party units bank balance at Rs 1 lakh is less than the dues it has outstanding (Rs 1.1 lakh) for the lease of its office, the Congress Bhawan in Sector 35. The party has not paid the yearly lease of Rs 7,460 for 14 years now.

In the MC elections, due to lack of funds, party faced difficulties in mobilising the public. No public relations agency was hired and did not give any advertisements of their policies, programmes and achievement of past 14 years in print or electronic media.

I ran the office with contributions of a few party members as when I became president, there were no funds in my party account, said Chandigarh Congress chief Pardeep Chhabra.

Treasurer Sunil Chopra said, I was appointed treasurer seven months ago and am yet to receive the balance sheets. For paying the lease, we have prepared the demand draft that will be deposited in a day or two.

Former mayor Subhash Chawla said, The party has never taken serious steps to raise funds. Now, however, we need to form a committee for the purpose and we need to approach the public for funds. This also increases public connect.

Another senior leader lamented that even senior party leaders did not contribute during elections and candidates were left to spend on their own.

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Last seen on screen in the 2006 Telugu actioner Stalin, actor Khushbu Sundar will return to the industry in a powerful character in actor Pawan Kalyans yet-untitled next outing, to be directed by Trivikram.

I officially announce Im doing a Telugu project. I will be part of Trivikram and Pawan Kalyans prestigious project. Its a brilliant script by Trivikram and I play a very powerful character. My last Telugu film was with Chiranjeevi and now back with his brother, Khushbu tweeted on Wednesday.

Although Khushbu featured in a cameo in 2007 Telugu film Yama Donga, she considers Stalin as her last film.

Yamadonga with Rajamouli was just a special appearance. Just three days of shoot. Im sure it cannot be counted as a full-length role, she said.

Although it has taken her a long time to decide to do a film again, Khushbu said: I hope to do justice and not disappoint my fans.

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Out of the 600-odd films released in four southern languages -- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam -- there were some which may not have earned a robust box-office number but still managed to elicit positive response from the audience and critics alike.

Here is a list of 10 best southern films of 2016:

Visaaranai

Vetrimaaran's Visaaranai is based on a book called Lock Up by Coimbatore-based autorickshaw driver Chandra Kumar.

A riveting take on the abuse of power, this film, made in an industry thats known for celebrating and worshiping khaki-clad heroes, is a gritty and hard-hitting portrayal of the police force, and it comes with a jolt of realism. This is a story of powerless men, faceless men, voiceless men and those with no identity and how they become victims of a corrupt system.



Read review here

Pellichoopulu worked well with audience.

A refreshing tale of modern-day romance, Tharun Bhasckers Pellichoopulu doesnt bring anything new to the table in terms of storytelling. Nevertheless, it works and strikes a chord with the audience, thanks to its treatment and life-like characters and their applaud-worthy performances. Amidst all the romance and laugh-aloud humour, this Telugu drama makes a gentle, intelligent case for an educated woman.

Ammani

Actor-filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan captured the aspirational life of a lower middle-class household.

It is the most rooted Tamil film in its setting since Kaaka Muttai, and the way it is shot is proof of it. Shot as realistically as it can get in a small house in Vysarpadi (Chennai), actor-filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan captures the aspirational life of a lower middle-class household beautifully. The film proves that simple stories, when told with unflinching realism and unparalleled sensitivity, can strike a chord with the viewers and make for a compelling watch.

Read review here

U-Turn

Pawan Kumars U-Turn proved that there is more to Kannada films than remakes.

Pawan Kumars critically-acclaimed thriller U-Turn, a terrific follow-up to his first film Lucia, assures that theres more to Kannada industry than the remakes they are usually known for making. Its a film that keeps you guessing until the last minute. Even with its philosophical narrative style, it appealed to all sections of the audience, and it is more intriguing than any recent thriller in southern filmdom.

Oru Muthassi Gadha

A tale of two feisty grandmas.

Its about two feisty grandmas -- in lead roles -- and the heartwarming relationship they share. Filled with fun and frolic, this Malayalam drama questions the attitudes towards elderly and how they are treated, in a way the message delivered doesnt come across as preachy. Though on the same lines of Baghban, Jude Anthany Josephs Oru Muthassi Gadha addresses the subject with a lot of sensitivity and entertainingly.

Uriyadi

Tamil film Uriyadi marked the directorial debut of Vijay Kumar.

A solid directorial debut by Vijay Kumar, this Tamil campus drama doesnt hesitate to portray drug use and violence. With absolutely no commercial compromise, Uriyadi throws the spotlight on caste-based politics and how students fall prey to it across Tamil Nadu. The excessive violence might make one flinch and squirm, but it doesnt take your eyes off the film.

Kshanam

Kshanam stars Adivi Sesh who has also written the story of the film.

A Ravikanth Perepu-directed Telugu thriller, Kshanam kept the viewers on the edge of their seats from the get go. Its a story where a bunch of underrated actors -- Vennela Kishore, Satyam Rajesh and Anasuya -- shine with the aid of a taut screenplay. Adivi Sesh, the lead actor, also proved himself as a successful writer.

Iraivi

A poster of Karthi Subbarajs Tamil drama Iraivi.

A story about a few women told from the perspective of the men in their lives. Karthi Subbarajs Tamil drama Iraivi might have been a box-office dud, but it is a great tribute to women. This emotional drama hits you like a ton of bricks and its equally moving. With performances that deserve our respect, the film brings out the actor in filmmaker SJ Suryah, and he is a treat to watch.

Read review here

Sethupathi

Vijay Sethupathi plays a cop in Sethupathi.

Even though Vijay Sethupathis Sethupathi is your regular Tamil police drama, the fact that its a really cool movie, makes it stand out. Its also a great family drama and reminds us that policemen, too, like us have families and wish to spend more time with them. The crackling writing makes it work, even with minor flaws.

Kammatipaadam

A mustache-sporting Dulquer Salmaan as Krishnan in Kammatipaadam.

As much as its a mob movie, Rajeev Ravis stunning and extremely well-written Malayalam drama Kammatipaadam is actually about urbanization of a slum in Kerala, and how in the process the Dalits were forced to give up their lands to real-estate mafias.

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Once, the British master moviemaker, Mike Leigh, told this writer at Cannes that an award was only as good (or as bad) as a jury that decides it. He was bang on, and one remembers the utter dismay when the Quentin Tarantino jury gave the Cannes Palm dOr to Michael Moores Bush-bashing documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11. And undeservedly so! It was no secret that Moores work walked away with Cannes top honour only because Tarantino hated President Bush. And the decision was out and out political. Sadly, nothing to do with cinematic excellence!

But, yes, nobody could have faulted Tarantinos ability to differentiate between good and bad cinema. He was a master in his own right having made brilliant works like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds among several others.

However, the India story is another ball-game -- for the simple reason that juries or selection panels here are often made of men and women whose knowledge of film is abysmally poor, if at all. At other times, members are just not interested in doing their job, and they are there only to enrich their resumes.

This writer has been part of such panels. There was one instance when the chairman of the Indian Panorama Selection Committee -- which chooses movies for the most prestigious Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), and this package is supposed to showcase the cream of countrys cinema -- hardly watched any film. Yet, he was there on the day of voting to cast his vote! No wonder, then, that the Panorama is losing its sheen.

Take, for instance, this years Panorama at IFFI. It seemed like a major scandal when two of Indias master auteurs -- Buddhadev Dasgupta and Adoor Gopalakrishnan -- were kept out. Their creations Tope and Pinneyum respectively were not considered worthy of Panorama. Yet, the Toronto International Film Festival included both movies in its Masters Section.

Adoor Gopalakrishnans recent film, Pinneyum, stars popular Malayalam actors Kavya Madhavan and Dileep in the lead roles.

The question is, will a Cannes or Venice or Berlin ignore a Mike Leigh or Ken Loach or Pedro Almodovar or a Jafar Panahi? No, they will not. But IFFI will brazenly bypass its own masters.

It is no different when it comes to Indias National Film Awards. This years honours went to really bad movies. The good ones were ignored. Classic films like Visaaranai (subsequently sent up for the Oscars), Thithi, An Off-Day Game and Chauthi Koot were given the thumbs down. Instead, a rank bad work like Baahubali got the Best Picture Award. Now, how worse can it get.

Girish Kasaravalli, another great master of the medium -- who has made gems like Tabarana Kathe, Ghatashraddha, Mane and Gulabi Talkies -- told this writer on Tuesday morning over the telephone from Bengaluru that Baahubali was a disaster, and the honour smacked of rewarding personal loyalties... Any film that tends to question the state or establishment becomes unfavourable. I cannot understand why movies like Lathe Joshi or Masaan or Thithi were not given their well deserved credit. I also feel that the problem lies with the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF). It is not interested in promoting meaningful cinema.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Girish Kasaravalli (standing) have blasted the DFF selection procedure.

And with the next National Film Awards all set to happen and with the jury all set to be constituted soon, Adoor has minced no words in an interview with The Hindu, published on Tuesday. The article says he has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting urging it to ensure that the jury to select films for the National Awards this year is headed by a filmmaker of eminence who is familiar with modern trends in cinema, and the jury as a whole instills a feeling of fairness in the minds of the professionals involved.

In a letter addressed to I&B Secretary Ajay Mittal, released for publication here on Monday, Gopalakrishnan urged him to treat selection of the jury chairman and members seriously and stop an incompetent jury from sitting to judge our work.

The national awards were conceived as a means to select and award films for their thematic relevance, social commitment, original approach, technical excellence and above all aesthetic brilliance.

Adoor told The Hindu: Unfortunately, when the National Awards for 2015 were announced, all the major prizes, including that for the best film and the best director, went to outright commercial films, undermining the very purpose for which they were instituted. The problem lay in the appointment of the jury. It was composed mostly of people who had little or nothing to do with meaningful cinema either as professional practitioners or as discerning critics and scholars. The appointment of the jury seemed to have been done casually, not realising how deeply it would demoralise the genuine and committed practitioners in the profession.

It was the same story this year with the Panorama. Everyone in the profession was shocked by the kind of selection that was made. Anything genuine, original and artistic was rejected with a vengeance. The naive, gaudy and incongruous got in. If one finds a reasonably good film in the selection it should have got in by default. Critics attending the Mumbai, Kolkata and Kerala festivals were heard saying that the rejections in Goa would make a good festival of the best of Indian cinema in the year 2016, he said.

Adoor also told The Hindu that it was imperative that the names of nominees as well as their qualifications to be on the jury were made public before they sat on judgment. Keeping their names from public knowledge is a sure way to infiltrate wrong people into such bodies, he added.

This writer remembers a former director of the DFF saying that the names of jurors or panelists were kept under wraps to protect them from being harassed by producers, directors and actors whose movies may be in the running for prizes. But this sounded like a mere excuse as the interested parties always found a way to get to the members of the jury/selection panel.

So, Adoor contends that the names of the nominees must not be kept a secret. Only then, can the selection be just and the process transparent. It is only then that the jury or panel feels a sense of accountability to the Indian cinema fraternity, indeed to the entire country.

(Gautaman Bhaskaran has served on several Panorama panels, national juries and international juries in Venice, Melbourne, Deauville and Abu Dhabi.)

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Two more people on Wednesday died after consuming illegally-brewed toxic liquor in a town in Pakistans Punjab province, taking the overall death toll to 34.

The incident took place in a Christian colony in Toba Tek Singh city on December 24 when residents consumed home-made liquor, police said.

The toxic liquor killed at least 34 people, mostly Christians, and seriously affected 50 others, Geo News reported.

Dozens are still under treatment at different hospitals, a police spokesperson said.

Police have arrested four suspects for brewing and selling toxic liquor during the event. A case has been registered against the suspects.

Dozens were hospitalised after consuming toxic liquor on Christmas in Muhalla Mubarakabad and Christian Colony areas of Toba Tek Singh, police said.

Around 36 other are still receiving treatment at DHQ Toba Tek Singh and Allied Hospital Faisalabad.

Police officer Mohammad Nadeem said that 25 people were still being treated in hospitals in Toba Tek Singh and Faisalabad to have their stomachs pumped.

The men who belong to the Christian community drank liquor on the night of December 25 and went home. Tragedy struck the next morning when many did not rise from their beds, while others got sick, he said.

Meanwhile, authorities have formed an inquiry committee to probe the tragedy.

Though Pakistan has allowed some breweries to function, alcohol sales and consumption are strictly prohibited for Muslims and tightly regulated for minority communities and foreigners.

In March, 45 people, including 35 Hindus, had died after consuming spurious liquor during Holi celebrations in Sindh province.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 hit eastern Japan on Wednesday, but no tsunami warning was issued, public broadcaster NHK said.

There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries but the quake shook buildings in the capital, Tokyo.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.2 but later downgraded it to 5.9.

Japans nuclear regulator said there were no irregularities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant where one of the worlds worst nuclear accident unfolded after a March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The 2011 quake of magnitude 9 was the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan, and it generated a tsunami that knocked out the Fukushima plant, causing the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

About 25,000 people were by the tsunami along Japans northeast coast.

NHK said the operator of the devastated plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co, was checking on for any impact of the quake on the plant but the nuclear regulator reported no irregularities
Midnight means lights out in Syrias Aleppo: as the clock strikes 12, overworked power generators shut off across the city, plunging war-ravaged neighbourhoods and heritage sites into darkness.

It will take many months and millions of dollars to breathe life back into Aleppos devastated water, electricity, and transportation networks.

Four years of fighting have transformed it from Syrias industrial and commercial powerhouse to a divided and dysfunctional city. We sold our vacuum cleaner -- whats the point in having one if we dont have electricity? asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan.

Its been two years since we used our washing machine. We wash everything by hand, but the water is too cold now and I cant take it any more, the mother-of-two told AFP, sitting in the dark amid piles of dirty laundry.

Read | Civil march for Aleppo leaves Berlin for the battered, war-torn city

A tractor removes rubble as the Syrian government starts to clean up areas formerly held by opposition forces in the northern city of Aleppo on December 27, 2016, in the Shaar district. (AFP Photo)

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad declared full control over Syrias second city last week, after a landmark evacuation deal ended years of clashes.

Rocket fire, air strikes and shelling partly or totally destroyed more than half Aleppos infrastructure and buildings, according to a preliminary, optimistic evaluation by local authorities.

Water shortages

The main power station at Safirah to the southeast has been off line for two years because of the fighting.

Aleppos residents are forced to rely on noisy generators that supply electricity through a web of thick cables snaking through scarred streets.

But they are shut down at midnight to save diesel supplies.

Machines at the water station in Aleppo's Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhood. Aleppo's residents are impatient to end their water shortages, with the main pumping station functioning at a third of its capacity. (AFP Photo)

Read | Before Aleppo recapture, rebels executed 21 civilians: State media

Umm Fayezs husband walks home every night from his sweetshop using a small torch to guide the way through pitch-black darkness. We have two projects that will re-establish electricity to Aleppo, an electricity ministry official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said new power lines would be laid from the neighbouring province of Hama within a year, but that it would cost more than four billion Syrian pounds, or about $8 million (7.6 million euros).

Residents are also impatient for water shortages to end, with the main pumping station currently operating at just a third of its capacity. We can only pump water to 20% of Aleppo. Before the crisis, it was 70%, said Issa Korj, chief mechanic at the Suleiman al-Halabi water plant.

He said it would take many months to repair the facility, but even then, water provision was likely to remain a problem for residents.

Most of the water pumped to Aleppo comes from the Euphrates Dam in the adjacent province of Raqa, which is held by the Islamic State jihadist group. They regularly cut off the water, said Fakher Hamdo, who heads Aleppos water administration. He added that global economic sanctions imposed on Syria since 2011 make spare parts nearly impossible to import.

Read | A new birth: Aleppo Christians celebrate in hope peace has returned

Aleppo is one

But before any major rebuilding projects can begin, local authorities must clear away barricades and sand berms that had divided Aleppo between the rebel-controlled east and the government-held west.

Children walk near a parked ambulance in al-Rai town, northern Aleppo province in Syria. (REUTERS)

Bulldozers can already be seen in the bombed-out streets, clearing rubble and dismantling metal barriers. The municipality immediately mobilised to open up the main thoroughfares, said city administrator Nadim Rahmoun.

Opening up the roads will allow us to pump life back into the city with economic and social activity and public services, he added.

Aleppos Old City -- a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site -- is at the heart of this effort.

The district witnessed some of the most brutal moments of the battle for Aleppo, and restoring its celebrated buildings will pose major challenges.

Municipal teams are carefully sorting through the rubble, setting aside original centuries-old stonework that will be used in the restoration.

In the nearby district of Aqyul, Abduljawad Najed, 32, had to negotiate heaps of sand to check on his brothers house. It took more than an hour and a half, he said.

After the barricades were cleared, the same journey took Najed 10 minutes.

Things were much easier and I was able to come by car, he said, loading some household effects into his small pick-up.

Najeds enthusiasm was shared by furniture store owner Zakariya, 42.

Thank God, all the roads are now linked together. Aleppo is one again, he said.

Read | 18-year-old Delhiite organises March for Aleppo
Former Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has reacted angrily to the decision of a judge on Tuesday to indict her as part of a corruption probe. Using tough language on her social network accounts, the politician insinuated that the legal proceedings against her  based on suspicions of illicit association aimed at diverting public-works contracts to a company with which she had links  is in fact a witch-hunt given that she now forms part of the opposition.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in a photo from October. MARCOS BRINDICCI (REUTERS)

Illicit association was the criminal definition created by de facto governments [and] used by all dictatorships to prosecute opposition leaders, the former president wrote via her Twitter account, where she also voiced harsh criticism of Judge Julian Ercolini, who is behind the indictment.

The ruling also involves the freezing of $666 million of the ex-presidents assets, an enormous sum that is not related to her wealth, but rather the amount of funds allegedly involved in the fraud. However, no money will be withdrawn from the bank accounts of Kirchner, who declared a personal fortune of 5 million in 2016.

More information Cristina Fernandez insinua que la justicia la persigue por ser opositora

The indictment implies that the judge has found sufficient cause to begin a court case against Kirchner. This will allow the judge, should he deem it necessary, to stop her from leaving the country and even place her in temporary custody.

Judge Ercolini is investigating an alleged chain of responsibility that begins with the ex-president and runs through the entire official public-works structure. As such, the indictment also includes the former federal planning minister, Julio de Vido; Lazaro Baez, the owner of the company that is under investigation, and who is currently in custody for money laundering; and Jose Lopez, the former secretary for public works. The latter suspect has been in prison since June 14, when the police found him throwing bags stuffed with dollar bills into a convent on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

The ruling also involves the freezing of $666 million of the ex-presidents assets

This weeks ruling marks the second indictment against Kirchner since she left power on December 10, 2015. But it is the first linked to a corruption probe. In the first instance, the Argentinean justice system is investigating the ex-president for an operation involving the sale of US dollar futures contracts by the countrys central bank when she was in power.

In that case, prosecutors argued before a judge that a criminal plan had been set up from the Casa Rosada presidential palace to favor Austral Construcciones, which, during the years that Fernandez de Kirchner and her predecessor, husband Nestor Kirchner, were in power, obtained infrastructure contracts valued at around $3.3 billion.

The indictment implies that the judge has found sufficient cause to begin a court case against Kirchner

An audit carried out by the government of her successor, President Mauricio Macri, determined that there had been over-payments of as much as 50% for these works, which accounted for a total of as much as $1 billion.

This latest indictment has reignited the debate over whether Kirchner will end up seeing the inside of a prison cell, a possibility that has haunted the political world in the South American country since the very first day of the current government. Judges have summonsed her to testify in a number of investigations, occasions that she has managed to convert into improvised political rallies. While her faithful supporters hail her, her detractors are using social networks to call for her to be put behind bars as soon as possible.

English version by Simon Hunter.
The leaders of war-time enemies America and Japan made a poignant joint pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor Tuesday, issuing symbolic declarations about the power of reconciliation and warning against the drumbeat of conflict.

Seventy-five years after Japanese fighter pilots brought the fires of war to idyllic Hawaii and dragged the United States into World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his sincere and everlasting condolences.

The pair paid homage to the more than 2,400 Americans killed on December 7, 1941, delivering a wreath of peace lilies and standing in silence before a shrine to those lost on the USS Arizona -- roughly half of all those killed.

Abes visit is a high-profile mark of contrition by a leader for whom Japans wartime past is often a sensitive domestic issue.

We must never repeat the horrors of war, he said. What has bonded us together is the power of reconciliation, made possible through the spirit of tolerance.

Obama -- who last May made his own solemn pilgrimage to Hiroshima, the target of a US nuclear bomb that effectively ended the war -- issued his own remarks that rang with history and Americas current hypercharged politics.

I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship, he told Abe. I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution.

Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward, Obama said against the backdrop of the USS Arizona.

We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different.

I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship, Obama told Abe. (AFP)

Changing of the guard

The meeting between the two leaders comes as Obama prepares to leave office and with Abe leading Japan into uncharted waters after remarks by incoming US president Donald Trump clouded US-Japanese relations.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, appeared during his campaign to suggest Japan break a taboo and develop its own nuclear weapons.

He caused consternation again last week when he blithely threatened to revive the global nuclear arms race.

The US president-elect has also declared his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, effectively killing a major trade deal that Obama championed and Abe put at the heart of his economic strategy.

And -- on the campaign trail at least -- Trump has also called into question the US security guarantees that shielded Japan through the Cold War and later the rise of an increasingly confident China.

What he will do in office is unknown.

US President Barack Obama(L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe place wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial on Tuesday at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. (AFP)

Healing old wounds

Abes visit to Pearl Harbor was not the first by a Japanese prime minister.

Shigeru Yoshida made a stopover in Hawaii in 1951 and visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or Punchbowl, during his visit. But there is no record showing that he paid his respects to the victims at the harbour.

In 1956, then-prime minister Ichiro Hatoyama visited the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command in Honolulu, which fronts Pearl Harbor.

And Abes grandfather, prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, did the same in 1957.

But Abes visit -- the first by a sitting prime minister to the USS Arizona Memorial, built in the early 1960s -- may prove the most significant.

In an emotive speech on the waterfront, he imagined the long-silent voices of American victims chatting about their futures and their dreams, praying for as-yet unborn children before the carnage.

All of that was brought to an end, he said in his native Japanese. When I contemplate that solemn reality, I am rendered entirely speechless.

In 1941, the legendary admiral Isoroku Yamamoto maneuvered six aircraft carriers to within 385km of Oahu and unleashed two waves of dive bombers.

The US Pacific fleet, formerly Japans main rival in the region, lost 21 warships and 328 planes.

Hundreds of sailors drowned when the USS Oklahoma, still lashed to the quay, pitched onto its side and trapped them.

Before the attack, the US isolationist campaigns cry of America first! -- now revived as Trumps slogan -- found a ready ear among voters wary of embroilment in Europe.

But after Pearl Harbor, the US Congress declared war on Japan. Three days later, Japans European ally Nazi Germany declared war on the United States in turn.

The America first! slogan was quickly replaced on posters, in political speeches and song by recruiters refrain: Remember Pearl Harbor!

US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe greet Pearl Harbor survivors Emmet Hyland, Al Rodriguez and Sterling Cane at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam's Kilo Pier in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday. (AFP)

No ill will

Here at Pearl Harbor, Americas first battle of the Second World War roused a nation, Obama said. Here in so many ways, America came of age.

Three quarters of a century on, he added, the alliance between the United States and Japan has never been stronger.

It has helped underwrite an international order that has prevented another world war and that has lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty.

Only five of the Arizonas crewmen are still alive and, while the memorial remains a tourist draw, in Hawaii, Obamas home state, the divisions of war have given way to a shared present.

Hawaii has a very multi-ethnic population with a very large Japanese population, Stanley Chang, a 34-year-old Democratic member of the Hawaii state senate, told AFP.

I dont think there is any feeling of antipathy toward the Japanese 75 years after the attack.
The mother of Juana and Ines Alejandro took a deep breath, put on a brave face and handed her toddlers over to strangers at the Mexican border to be smuggled into the United States.

That was 17 years ago. For the mother, going back to the poverty of her village in Oaxaca in Mexico was out of the question. Smugglers helped her cross the border herself a few days later.

She collected her daughters in Arizona and travelled to New York to reunite with her husband, whom she had not seen in two years.

Today, those daughters are 19 and 20 years old, study at a community college in New York and are scared to death that they might be deported after Donald Trump takes power next month.

Being deported is something that does keep me awake at night, Ines says. How are we going to do it back home? It would mean starting all over again.

In never-never land

The Alejandro family has lived in fear of being found out for years. That has meant going to the doctor only in emergencies, skipping school field trips and never returning to Mexico.

Juana and Ines have three siblings who were born in America and are therefore US citizens. But the older daughters and their parents remain in the country illegally.

The mother cooks Mexican food that an aunt sells outside a train station. The father helps, and washes dishes at a restaurant or works construction. They declined to be named for this story.

But Juana and Iness luck changed in 2013 when the United States started implementing a program to give young people like them renewable two-year residence and work permits.

It is called DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, for people who were brought to the United States as children and do not have papers. The idea is that they should not be punished with deportation for something in which they had no say.

DACA has opened a lot of doors for me. I feel more secure about saying I am undocumented, says Juana, who studies business administration. It has removed many worries.

During his presidential campaign, Trump insulted Mexicans by saying some Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug dealers. He also pledged to end the DACA program immediately.

But he has changed his tune since then.

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 told Time magazine after his election. And theyre in never-never land because they dont know whats going to happen.

Were going to work something out thats going to make people happy and proud, he added without providing details.

A group of Democratic and Republican senators this month presented a bill that would protect such young people from deportation for three years and allow them to work if Trump scraps the DACA program.

A cherished dream

An estimated 1.8 million young people in the United States face the same dilemma as Juana and Ines. Brought into the country by their parents illegally as children, they grew up here, speak perfect English and went to elementary school here.

Some 65,000 graduate from high school each year. Most want to go on to university, but only five to 10 percent can afford it. Some 741,000 have applied for protection under DACA.

They have been living in legal limbo for years, waiting for a miracle. It even has a name: a bill called the Dream Act, which would grant such people permanent residency and a work permit. However, the bill has been languishing in Congress for 15 years.

Young people like the Alejandro daughters are called dreamers.

Most of the people like my parents pay their taxes and give as much as they can back to this country, Ines says. I am here just for my education. The US is full of opportunities I wouldnt have in Mexico.

My parents do work a lot, Juana adds. They barely sleep at night just to help us pay tuition, and we have to work as well.

If DACA ends, however, it will be hard for the two girls to stay in school even if they are not deported, she says.

Still, despite the fear and uncertainty, the two sisters have stepped forward and made their status known, and are helping other undocumented students like them.

They formed a Dream Team at Hostos Community College -- where they study -- a group the school supports.

Id tell the president-elect, Ines says, that we are not all horrible people.
Attackers drove a car into a government building in Chinas unruly far western region of Xinjiang on Wednesday and set off an explosive device killing one person, while all four of the attackers were shot dead, the regional government said.

Hundreds of people have been killed over the past years in resource-rich Xinjiang, on the borders of central Asia, in violence between the Muslim Uighur people who call the region home and ethnic majority Han Chinese.

The government has blamed the unrest on Islamist militants, though rights groups and exiles say anger at Chinese controls on the religion and culture of Uighurs is more to blame for the unrest. China denies any repression in Xinjiang.

In a short statement on its main news website, the Xinjiang government said the incident occurred just before 5pm (0900 GMT) in Karakax county, deep in southern Xinjiangs Uighur heartland.

It said the four thugs drove a vehicle into a yard at the county Communist Party offices and detonated an explosive device, but were all shot dead.

Three people were injured and one other died, it added, without giving details.

At present, local social order is stable, the government said.

In a separate English language report, the official Xinhua news agency described the incident as a terrorist attack. It gave no other details aside from those in the government statement.

Xinjiang had generally been quiet this year, with no major reported attacks or other violent incidents.
An aircraft carrier in the Pacific and a newly upgraded combat aircraft: Chinas military is showing off its newest equipment less than a month before the swearing-in of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has raised tensions between Beijing and Taipei.

In recent days state media announced that the countrys only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was on its way to the Pacific for the first time, while a new fighter, the FC-31, had its debut flight test.

They are the latest steps in the years-long build-up of Chinas military, as Beijing seeks greater global power to match its economic might and asserts itself more aggressively in its own backyard, but the timing raises questions about its intentions.

The show of strength comes after Trump broke four decades of US policy by accepting a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, even though China objects to any official contact between its foreign partners and leaders of Taiwan.

China views self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting unification, by force if necessary, even though the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

Read | Trump picks Death by China author for trade advisory role

With its escort warships, the Liaoning was in the South China Sea on Monday, according to the Taiwanese defence ministry which monitored the carriers passage off its shores.

The manoeuvres were preceded by exercises on refuelling and confrontation in flight, according to the official news agency Xinhua.

The threat from our enemy is increasing day by day, Taiwans defence minister Feng Shih-kuan said Tuesday during a promotion ceremony for generals.

We need to maintain combat vigilance at any time.

Signal to Trump?

The demonstration of Chinas naval capacity comes amid mounting concern on the mainland about the momentum of Taiwans independence movement, worries fuelled by Trumps suggestion that he would consider recognising the self-ruled island as an independent nation.

Nevertheless, it is impossible to say whether the timing is intended to send a signal to Trump, said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Im more inclined to see this as an inevitable development and possibly a long planned exercise.

Read | US-India ties under Trump wont impact China in any way: Chinese media

Beijing has a long way to go before it can claim military superiority over Taiwans main protector Washington, which has 10 aircraft carriers in service and a network of naval bases all around the globe, said David Kelly, research director of Beijing-based consulting firm China Policy.

For China, the presence of the Liaoning is above all symbolic and aimed at its domestic audience, Kelly said.

For now, experts say the Peoples Liberation Army Navy would have little hope of countering the smaller but technologically superior US-backed Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, let alone the US Seventh Fleet.

The second-hand, Soviet-built Liaoning has almost no strategic significance, Kelly said. But, he added, it reminds the US that China can apply pressure on this region.

In mid-December the Chinese navy announced that the vessel had conducted its first live-fire exercises, including tests with a dozen missiles.

Beijing says the exercises are routine, but state media have expressed pleasure that the Liaoning is battle-ready and that another aircraft carrier, entirely Chinese-made, is under construction.

Read | Unpresidented Trump tweet on China sets off deluge of mockery

Aircraft carriers are strategic tools which should be used to show Chinas strength to the world and shape the outside worlds attitude toward China, said the often nationalist Global Times.

Intense thinking

Although the US spends far more on its military than China does, Beijings growing assertiveness in strategic regions like the South China Sea coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Trumps policies has set off jitters among Washingtons allies in Asia.

In recent years Beijing has strengthened its claims to the South China Sea and fuelled regional tensions by expanding tiny reefs and islets into artificial islands hosting military facilities.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have contested Beijings claims while Washington has repeatedly called on China to uphold freedom of navigation, sending ships and aircraft to pass close to the new islands.

Read | India should cautiously welcome Trumps views on One China policy

Beijing is also modernising its air force. The China Daily reported Monday that it recently tested a new prototype stealth fighter, an improved version of the FC-31 Gyrfalcon previously known as the J-31.

Meanwhile, Chinese commentators say Beijing must waste no time in building more aircraft carriers, with the Global Times urging the government to think about setting up navy supply points in South America right now.

The Chinese fleet will cruise to the Eastern Pacific sooner or later, it said. When Chinas aircraft carrier fleet appears in offshore areas of the US one day, it will trigger intense thinking about maritime rules.
A Chinese shopping mall is ringing in the year of the cock with a giant sculpture of a chicken that looks like US president-elect Donald Trump.

China has gone cuckoo for the cartoonish pastiche -- complete with orange pompadour -- of the billionaire politician in Taiyuan, capital of the northern province of Shanxi.

The scowling statue is one of many roosters popping up around the country as it prepares to celebrate the lunar new year at the end of January.

With its tiny wings parroting Trumps distinctive hand gestures, replicas of the bird are available on the Chinese shopping site Taobao for as much as 12,000 yuan ($1,700) for a 10-metre version.

A woman using her smartphone to take a photo of the giant chicken sculpture. (AFP Photo)

Trump has captured the Chinese imagination, and riled its authorities, with his threats to talk turkey about massive tariffs on Chinese exports.

With his crowing tweets on Twitter, including attacks on Chinas foreign and economic policy, it is no surprise that the Chinese internet wants to give the strutting American leader the bird.

Earlier in the year, Chinese state media circulated a photo of a rooster with a feathery, golden mane that recalled Trumps infamous crest.
An Afghan MP was among at least three people wounded when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in Kabul Wednesday, officials said, in the latest in a series of attacks on lawmakers.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast targeting Fakuri Behishti, an MP from central Bamiyan province, who was on his way to parliament.

The bomb was placed under a bridge and it detonated when the MPs vehicle was passing through, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

Three people including the MP were wounded.

But parliament speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi told lawmakers that a relative of the MP had also been killed.

I heard a big explosion that shook nearby shops. I saw rescuers pulling out several wounded people from the destroyed vehicle, said Abdul Manan, a a bakery shop owner near the scene of the attack.

The attack comes as Taliban insurgents are pressing ahead with a nationwide offensive despite the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.

The militants have recently stepped up attacks on Afghan lawmakers.

Last Wednesday at least eight people were killed when Taliban suicide bombers stormed the residence of an Afghan lawmaker in Kabul, an attack that lasted nearly 10 hours.

Helmand MP Mir Wali survived the assault with injuries, but two of his grandsons and bodyguards were among those killed.
Facebook sparked fear -- and anger -- among Thailands social media users after its Safety Check feature triggered a false bomb alert in Bangkok.

The check-in feature allows users to signal to friends that they are safe after an event in their area such as a terror attack or natural disaster.

But it appeared to misfire late on Tuesday, creating an alert called The Explosion in Bangkok that said a blast in the capital had been confirmed by multiple sources.

The page gave no other details about the incident but linked to articles about a bombing in Bangkok in August 2015 which killed 20 people.

After numerous city residents marked themselves as safe, the alert was deactivated around an hour later at 10pm, leaving netizens relieved but also frustrated over the false alarm.

Facebook issued false news that has destroyed Thailands image, wrote Thai user Prasit Silhanisong.

Its close to the New Year and now tourists might not come, he added, calling on the social media giant to apologise.

Facebook swiftly defended the algorithm, saying the alert was activated by reports of small explosives that a protester had thrown near Government House earlier on Tuesday.

The incident, which caused no injuries or damage, was covered in the local press.

Safety Check was activated yesterday in Thailand following an explosion, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to AFP, adding that a trusted third party had confirmed the incident.

It is not the first time the check-in feature has caused controversy.

In March the company apologised after a bug sent a Safety Check notification to users around the world following a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan.

The social network also faced criticism in November 2015 for selectively activating the feature after attacks in Paris but not in Beirut.
Police in south west France have arrested a man suspected of having planned an attack on New Years eve, a police source said on Wednesday.

Two other people, one of whom is suspected of having planned an attack on police, were arrested in another police raid in south west France, in Toulouse, the police source said.

In France, Britain and Germany, which have all been targets of Islamist militant attacks, police have increased their presence at tourist spots in major cities and other densely populated areas after an attack on a Berlin Christmas market earlier this month.

The man arrested in Cugnaux, west of Toulouse, is known to (police) services, he is suspected of wanting to carry out an attack on Dec 31, the police source said.

A judicial source also confirmed the arrests and said they had taken place on Tuesday and concerned two separate cases.
German prosecutors say theyve detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last weeks truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business.

They said that the mans number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19, and that further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack.

Twelve people died in the attack.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the man holds up to the extent they can seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Read: Anis Amri: The man who turned from small-time criminal to the Berlin killer
Gunmen kidnapped an Iraqi journalist after breaking into her Baghdad home, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, a reminder of the dangers reporters face in a war-torn country where authorities have struggled to maintain security.

The Interior Ministry said Afrah Shawqi al-Qaisi was abducted from her house in the southwestern Saydiyah neighborhood on Monday night. It called on residents to come forward with any information that might help the investigation. The ministry statement did not give details of the kidnapping.

Citing her familys account, the head of the Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, Ziyad al-Ajeeli, said eight gunmen arrived in at least two pickup trucks, claimed to be members of the security forces, and asked to search the house.

Iraqi security forces search cars in Baghdad's southwestern Saydiyah neighbourhood a day after journalist Afrah Shawqi al-Qaisi was kidnapped, in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo)

Once inside, they handcuffed al-Qaisis 16-year-old son, kept him in the kitchen and took gold, money, phones, laptops and a car, al-Ajeeli said. They also badly beat her brother-in-law, who lives next door, he added.

Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the security forces to investigate the kidnapping and to exert the utmost effort to save al-Qaisi.

Al-Qaisi, a veteran journalist and an employee of the Iraqi Culture Ministry, is a leading critic of the countrys endemic corruption.

On Monday, she published an article in a local media outlet criticising an Interior Ministry officer who badly beat a school principal in front of students and teachers for refusing to punish a pupil who quarrelled with the officials daughter.

Iraq is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, who have been frequently targeted by militant groups since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Dozens of journalists have been killed while covering military operations.
The United States government inadvertently made thousands of assault rifles available to Mexican drug cartels along the US-Mexican border in 2009 during the failed Operation dubbed Fast and Furious. The mission attempted to locate cartel bosses and dealers by tracing shipments of illegal arms, but American officials lost track of the weapons and the strategy failed. Neither the US nor Mexico knew the destination of those arms or managed to locate any drug bosses .

A military helicopter given to Mexico by the US in 2011. Isaac Esquivel (Cuartoscuro)

More information La telarana del dinero en la guerra contra el narco en Mexico

Over the following years, various crime scenes throughout Mexico revealed some of the pieces of that bloody puzzle. In the last decade, both countries have financed operations to combat drug trafficking on the Mexican side. Despite their lack of success, the US and Mexico keep adding zeros to the budget for the war against drugs.

Over the last 10 years, Mexico has spent more than 1.5 billion pesos ($71.4 million) to combat its public enemy number one. The Mexican federal budget for the drug war grows by approximately 15% every year. With no intention of retreat, presidents Felipe Calderon and Enrique Pena Nieto both expanded the navy and army, the main weapons used in the fight against drugs. They restructured police forces, including the new gendarmerie, and expanded intelligence operations. The Mexican federal government also invested in the judicial sector, which has been calling for a transformation since 2008 though no changes have been made yet.

For the first time American lawmakers are questioning the effectiveness of this expensive war on drugs

In 2008, the US joined Mexicos frontal assault against the drug trade. The American government allocated $2.5 million through the Merida Initiative to help Mexico annihilate the cartels. George W. Bush and Felipe Calderon signed the pact that also promised to reinforce security at the border. That partnership allowed, among other things, the sharing of intelligence that led to the capture of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in February 2014. American officials provided military helicopters and training for the Mexican armed forces until 2014, when the United States began to question Mexicos commitment to human rights after the disappearance of 43 student teachers in Ayotzinapa.

For the first time American lawmakers are questioning the effectiveness of this expensive war on drugs. Democratic Senator Patrick J. Leahy has urged his colleagues to block next years allocations given that Mexico has allowed its own police and military officers to avoid punishment for committing and covering up heinous crimes. The Merida Initiative sought to reproduce the results of the 1990s Plan Colombia by reducing drug activity. Critical voices such as Leahys, however, have grown faint because it seems as if the US will keep financing anti-drug efforts in Mexico. The United States is satisfied with the minimum because they are complying with a political formula of financial assistance that also ensures that its point of view and its way of doing things prevail, says Ernesto Lopez Portillo, director of the Institute for Security and Democracy in Mexico (Insyde).

The strategy for 2017 is the same as always: increase resources with a focus on the judicial system and on training for law enforcement

We are not satisfied with what we have achieved, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto admitted a week ago, during the 41st council on national and public security. His frankness comes just as public perception of security is shifting: 71.9% of Mexicans say they feel unsafe in their country. Yet the strategy for 2017 is the same as always: increase resources with a focus on the judicial system and on training for law enforcement. Indicators are not improving because public policies are not improving. You can repeat the same policies even though there are no results because there are no consequences, says Lopez Portillo.

Mexican officials operate within a framework where funds allocated for security tunnel down a spiral that produces poor results, Insydes director adds. And the federal government ignored community-based opportunities to improve security throughout the last decade. The Pena Nieto administration cut the budget for crime prevention this year while it continued to provide resources to a network that sows exactly what it attempts to destroy. The Mexican state invests to lose, Lopez Portillo says. It remains to be seen whether American President-elect Donald Trump will continue to support this old Mexican strategy in 2017.

English version by Dyane Jean Francois.
A herd of elephants attacked a village in southwest Nepal on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding two others, officials said.

Government official Dilli Ram Acharya said the elephants attacked Praseni village at dawn, when there was not much light and poor visibility due to winter fog.

Acharya said the villagers did not see the elephants coming and did not have a chance to run.

Security forces were sent to the area to chase the elephants back to the forest. The injured people were taken to a nearby town for treatment.

Acharya says the village is close to Bardia National Park, home to many elephants, but it was rare for people to be killed by the animals.

The park is protected by government soldiers and is home to endangered tigers, one-horned rhinos and many other animals.
India and Pakistan need to engage in dialogue which is the best way to defeat extremism and improve strained ties, Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry has said.

Pakistan believes that dialogue with India is the best way to defeat extremism which is damaging bilateral relations between the countries, Chaudhry said here on Tuesday.

Relations between Pakistan and India have not been very good and the reason is that Pakistan and India are not having any dialogue, there is also misperception about each other. This is not something that our leadership wants... he was quoted by Russian news agency Sputnik as telling a press conference.

We also believe that it is for the our two countries to sit at the table and share each other perspectives, no matter how difficult the issues are, including extremism that damages the bilateral relations, he said.

His remarks come amid severe chill in Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan-based militant attacked an Indian army base in Uri in September.

The recent exchange of fire on the Line of Control (LoC) may lead to strategic miscalculations, making the role of the UN Monitoring Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) crucial to regional peace and stability, he said.

India, however, does not recognise the UNMOGIP and has maintained that the group has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC. India has always stated that it has no role to play whatsoever.

Chaudhry also said Pakistan, which currently holds the observer status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and would become a fully-fledged member next year, does not view it as a platform to discuss its bilateral issues with India.

He also expressed hope that India would abide by its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty, saying New Delhi will start a dangerous precedent if it violates the landmark water-sharing accord it signed with Pakistan in 1960.

Contravention of the treaty or its unilateral abrogation by India will not only violate Indus Water Treaty but also set a precedent providing other countries a possible justification to undertake similar actions, he told Sputnik, amid reports India reviewed the treaty following the Uri attack.

Read| World Bank chief discusses Indus Waters Treaty dispute with Pakistan foreign minister
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday it would take three months to remove Islamic State from Iraq, as US-backed forces battle to dislodge the militants from Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

Abadi had previously pledged the northern city would be retaken by the end of this year. But the operation has been slowed by concern to avoid casualties among civilians, who have mostly stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as was initially expected.

Asked to respond to comments by the commander of a US-led coalition supporting Iraqi forces that it would take as long as two years to eliminate Islamic State and its cells in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, Abadi said:

The Americans were very pessimistic. They used to talk about a really long period, but the remarkable successes achieved by our brave and heroic fighters reduced that. I foresee that in Iraq it will take three months.

Overnight the coalition bombed the last remaining bridge connecting the eastern and western parts of Mosul to reduce enemy freedom of movement, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

A statement published by Amaq, a news agency supporting Islamic State, said the bridge was now completely out of service, and an unconfirmed video circulated online showed a segment of the span had fallen into the river.

The United Nations has previously expressed concern that the destruction of Mosuls bridges could obstruct the evacuation of civilians. Up to 1.5 million are thought to remain inside.

More than two months into the Mosul operation, elite Iraqi soldiers have retaken a quarter of the city, but entered a planned operational refit this month.

A US battlefield commander told Reuters on Monday that Iraqi forces would resume their offensive in the coming days, in a new phase of the operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line inside the city.

Mosul, the largest city seized by Islamic State anywhere across the once vast territory it controlled in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the U.S.-trained army out in June 2014.

Besides Mosul, Islamic State still controls the towns of Tel Afar and Qaim as well as Hawija and the surrounding area.

The citys fall would probably end Islamic States ambition to create a self-styled caliphate, but the fighters could still mount a more traditional insurgency in Iraq, and plot or inspire attacks on the West.
Stepping into a raging diplomatic argument, US secretary of state John Kerry on Wednesday staunchly defended the Obama administrations decision to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal and warned that Israels very future as a democracy is at stake.

Kerry, pushing back on Israels fury at the US abstention of the United Nations vote, questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus true commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years. Though Netanyahu says he believes in the two-state solution, Kerry said, under his leadership Israels government is the most right-wing in Israels history.

If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it wont ever really be at peace, Kerry said in a farewell speech, a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

Kerrys speech marked the latest escalation in the vicious, drama-filled row between the US and Israel that has erupted in the last days of Obamas administration. The extraordinary display of discord between allies  with US and Israeli officials openly disparaging each other  has also pitted President Barack Obama against president-elect Donald Trump, who has firmly taken Netanyahus side.

Israels government was enraged after the US abstained from voting on the UN Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Netanyahu accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians and helping draft the resolution.

The US has vehemently denied those charges. Kerry insisted the US did not draft or originate the resolution, introduce by Egypt and later by a handful of other nations.

Read | Israel says reducing ties with nations over UN vote

The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done, Kerry said at the State Department. The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. Thats what we were standing up for.

For years, Obama has been deeply frustrated by the continuing growth of Israeli settlements despite his pleas to Netanyahu to rein them in. Israels government argues previous settlement freezes have failed to spur progress toward a peace deal and that stopping or removing them mustnt be a precondition for future talks.

Point by point, Kerry tried to rebut the arguments Israel has used to defend the settlements, declaring that the settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. He warned that Israel was at risk of a permanent occupation of Palestinian territory, drawing a pointed reference to Americas own history of racial segregation.

Separate and unequal is what you would have, and nobody can explain how that works, Kerry said.

Kerry reiterated that the Obama administrations commitment to Israel was as strong as that of previous presidents, but he also noted that previous US administrations had also abstained on certain resolutions critical of Israel. He emphasized the record levels of military assistance the US has provided Israel under Obama, codified by a 10-year aid deal recently struck worth $38 billion.

No American administration has done more for Israels security than Barack Obamas, Kerry said.

Read | Trump picks hardliner David Friedman as Israel envoy

Obama, who is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, hasnt commented publicly on the resolution or the resulting spat.

Seeking to show he wasnt focusing exclusively on Israels failings, Kerry in the same sentence bemoaned Israels seemingly endless occupation of Palestinian land and Palestinian leaders incitement of violence. He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a democratic crisis for Israel unless theres a separate Palestinian state.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Trump to change US policy, and Trump assured them hours before Kerrys speech that they just needed to hang on until January 20, when he would be sworn in as president. While Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signalled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem over Palestinian and others objections.

President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel, Netanyahu said on Twitter before Kerrys speech.

A senior Israeli cabinet minister, Gilad Erdan, on Wednesday called Kerrys speech a pathetic step, before Kerry even began speaking.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. The Palestinians, and most of the world, see settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as an obstacle to peace

Read

US behind the gang-up against Israel on UN settlement vote: Ambassador

Israel PM warned New Zealand support for UN vote would be declaration of war
Israels attorney-general has ordered police to open a criminal investigation in two unspecified matters involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels Channel 10 television said on Wednesday.

When asked, a Justice Ministry spokesperson declined to respond to the report.

Netanyahu has in the past denied wrongdoing in the purchase of submarines from Germany, where media have reported a potential conflict of interest involving his lawyer.

The Channel 10 report said one of the two cases that attorney general Avihai Mandelblit had been examining was not known to the public.
The Nepal Army said on Wednesday that its first joint military exercise with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, to be held in February, will be a routine engagement on a small scale.

Brig Tara Bahadur Karki, the army spokesperson, told Hindustan Times that the exercise hardly has any strategic implications.

Some circles in New Delhi had raised eyebrows over the exercise that will begin on February 10 and mostly be held along the northern border of Nepal. The joint exercise will focus on counter-terrorism and disaster management.

Nepal and India recently concluded the tenth in a series of joint exercises called Surya Kiran that focussed on similar issues. The Nepal Army regularly conducts exercises with India, the US and other countries that contribute troops for UN peacekeeping missions.

The proposed exercise with China, code-named Pratikar-1, will be held on a very small level and involve units smaller than a platoon, Karki said. Beijing had proposed the drill.

Though military exchanges between China and Nepal are taking place in a regular way at various levels, such as visits, (exchanges of) delegations, and defence courses, a joint military exercise is taking place for the first time, Karki said.

Several aspects of the military exercise are yet to be discussed with the Chinese side, he added.

During an official visit by Nepals army chief to China in March, Gen Fang Fenghui, a member of Chinas Central Military Commission, had said, China is also willing to expand bilateral defence and security cooperation, strengthen strategic communication and exchange at all levels between militaries of the two countries, deepen cooperation in humanitarian aid and disaster relief actions, prevent and crack down on "Tibetan separatism" activities to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
Myanmars government is drafting a law that could see men jailed for up to seven years for getting a woman pregnant but not marrying her, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The provision is part of tough new legislation designed to strengthen womens rights as the country opens up after half a century of military rule.

Director of the social welfare department Naw Tha Wah said the new law would criminalise domestic violence for the first time and make gang-rape a capital offence.

If passed in parliament, the law would also carry a penalty of up to five years in prison for any man who refuses to marry a woman after they have lived together, and up to seven if she is pregnant.

We are now drafting a bill to protect women and prevent violence against them, Naw Tha Wah told AFP.

Women can complain if they are bullied into not getting married after living together. We will give them protection under the law.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar is a socially conservative country, where gender stereotypes are deeply entrenched and sex remains a taboo topic.

The Burmese language has no word for female genitalia and any garments worn on a womans lower half are considered unclean, meaning they must be washed separately from mens clothes.

While attitudes have started to change since the isolationist junta stepped down in 2011, activists say women are still treated like second-class citizens.

There are currently no laws to prevent domestic violence against women or combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

The penal code includes some provisions against rape, although that does not cover husbands who abuse their wives unless they are under the age of 13.

Last year parliament passed controversial laws backed by hardline Buddhist nationalists, restricting marriage between Buddhist women and men of other faiths.

Naw Tha Wah said the bill is currently in its final draft, but needs cabinet and parliamentary approval to become law.
Nepals three major political parties - the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Center - agreed on Wednesday to announce dates for polls to local bodies within a week despite the strong reservations of Madhes-based parties.

At a time when the Madhesi parties have been urging the government to first amend the Constitution to address their grievances related to citizenship, boundaries of proposed states and making the statute more inclusive, the new proposal to hold elections without the backing of groups from the southern plains is likely to lead to confrontation.

Though the major parties have agreed on holding the polls to local bodies, the modalities are yet to be worked out, sources said.

In a bid to address the demands of Madhes-based parties, the government had registered a constitutional amendment bill incorporating their demands but opposition and obstruction by the main opposition CPN-UML since November 29 put the proposal in limbo.

Any elections without amending the Constitution will not be acceptable to Madhesis. We will retaliate against them, said , said Upendra Yadav, a prominent Madhesi leader.

The Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Maoists are pushing the country to the edge of confrontation, he said.

A luncheon meeting called by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on Wednesday resulted in the agreement to hold the elections to the local bodies but the parties remained silent on the proposal to amend the Constitution. None of the Madhesi parties were invited to the meet by Prachanda.

CPN- Maoist Center leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the major parties held intensive discussions and agreed to fix the date for the polls within a week, after consulting the Madhesi Front.

Deputy prime minister and home minister Bimalendra Nidhi said the main opposition party rejected the request of the ruling parties to allow Parliament to resume business. "Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the CPN-UML to remove the parliament obstruction for moving ahead as per the due process, but CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli said that was not possible," Nidhi said.

During the meeting, CPN-UML leaders agreed on the elections but said the obstruction of Parliament could not be ended unless the amendment proposal was withdrawn. CPN-UML vice chairman Bhim Rawal said the amendment proposal could not be accepted as it was against the interests of the country. "The government should make it clear as to how it wants to go ahead. On our part, we are ready to move forward by forging consensus," he said.

The new Constitution promulgated last year envisioned new templates for local bodies but political parties could not agree on modalities because of time constraints and disputes in several districts over the demarcation of proposed local units.

If political parties agree on the new templates, which is also a demand of Madhes-based parties, the existing demarcation of local units will have to be restructured according to geography and population ratio.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told New Zealands foreign minister ahead of the UN Security Councils resolution condemning Israeli settlements that support for the move was tantamount to a declaration of war.

This is a scandalous decision. Im asking that you not support it and not promote it, Netanyahu told New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully, the Haaretz newspaper quoted unnamed Western diplomats as saying.

If you continue to promote this resolution, from our point of view, it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations, and there will be consequences. Well recall our ambassador to Jerusalem, he reportedly said during a personal phone call to McCully on Friday.

The Western diplomats said the conversation was harsh and very tense and Netanyahu let loose with sharp threats, perhaps unprecedented in relations between Israel and another Western country.

Read | US behind the gang-up against Israel on UN settlement vote: Ambassador

McCully, however, was not swayed by the threats, the report added. This resolution conforms to our policy, and we will move it forward, he reportedly told Netanyahu.

New Zealand worked with Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela to resubmit the resolution for a vote after Egypt backed down from it on Thursday.

Netanyahu also criticised President Barack Obama at a weekly cabinet meeting after the US abstained from voting on the resolution on Friday. The US stand was a break from its traditional support for Israel.

The Security Council resolution last week called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a flagrant violation of international law and demanded all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory should be immediately stopped.

Netanyahu accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians and said Israel will not abide by the resolution.

Following up on the resolution, secretary of state John Kerry is scheduled to deliver a farewell speech in Washington on Wednesday to outline his proposals for a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

The resolution was put forward by New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela. After the vote, Israel recalled its envoys to New Zealand and Senegal. It also cancelled aid to Senegal.

McCully defended New Zealands position on the resolution and said, We have been very open about our view that the (Security Council) should be doing more to support the Middle East peace process and the position we adopted today is totally in line with our long established policy on the Palestinian question.

Read | Israel says reducing ties with nations over UN vote

The UN vote was also welcomed by Palestinian leaders.

The Israeli settlements, which were accelerated under Netanyahu, are seen as one of the major impediments to a peace deal.
Energy-starved Pakistan inaugurated its fourth nuclear power plant on Wednesday, a joint collaboration with China that adds 340 MW to the national grid as part of the PML-N goverments efforts to end a growth-sapping power deficit.

The Chashma-III plant at Chashma in Mianwali was inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who described it as a milestone in his governments efforts to end power cuts.

He said the project reflected the close cooperation between Pakistan and China in science and technology. Another nuclear plant, Chashma-IV, is being built at the same site with Chinese assistance and Sahrif said he expected it to be commissioned by April 2017.

Two more reactors will follow at an unspecified date in central Pakistan, as well as two giant 2,200-MW power stations in southern Karachi.

Sharif thanked China for cooperation in the nuclear field and said the two countries are working together in many other areas, including roads, motorways, airports and urgrading Pakistan Railways.

Many projects were also initiated under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and their impact was now visible, he said. These projects are being implemented speedily and will help overcome unemployment and poverty and accelerate the pace of development, he added.

Chashma-II and Chashma-III are the most efficient plants in Pakistan, providing more than 600 MW to the national grid. Chashma-III was the third built as part of a collaboration between the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Sharif appreciated the work done by the PAEC for self reliance in fuel fabrication and said his government will extend all possible to the panel to overcome the shortage of electricity.

Referring to the target of generating 8800 MW of nuclear power by 2030, Sharif asked the PAEC to take on the challenge of producing more than the target. He said there had been a marked reduction in load shedding during the past three years and pledged that power cuts would be over by 2018.

Sharif also asked the PAEC to take all possible measures to strengthen the safety of existing and future nuclear plants in line with international standards.

Pakistan is one of the few developing countries pursuing atomic energy in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, as it seeks to close an electricity shortfall that can stretch up to 7,000 MW in peak summer months, or around 32% of total demand.

The energy sector has struggled to cover the cost of producing electricity, leading the government to divert $2 billion annually as a subsidy, according to a recent report commissioned by the British government.

China is ramping up investment in Pakistan as part of the $46-billion CPEC that will link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades.
Pan Pan, the worlds oldest male panda who was living with cancer died on Wednesday aged 31 in Chinas Sichuan Province.

An autopsy is being carried out to find the cause of his death, though the circumstances are not thought to be suspicious, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Pan Pan was the equivalent to about 100 human years, but he had been living with cancer and his health had deteriorated in the past three days, Tan Chengbin, a keeper with the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda said.

He had lost consciousness, Tan said.

Though born in the wild in Sichuans Baoxing County in 1985, Pan Pan lived in captivity for most of his life since he was few months old.

Panda grandpa, as he became known, was diagnosed with cancer in June this year, and also suffered from common old-age conditions, such as cataracts and poor teeth.

An earlier report said he was in a nursing home for elderly pandas, and though he was very thin he was keeping in good spirits.

When the keeper called his name and offered him food, usually steamed corn bread or fresh bamboo leaves, he was able to respond and move out to have dinner, the report said.

Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed, but Pan Pan lived a particularly active life for a panda and fathered many cubs over the past 20 years.

He has more than 130 descendants, accounting for 25 per cent of the worlds captively bred panda population.

The average lifespan of wild pandas is normally 20 years, but those in captivity usually live longer.

Pan Pan, which means expectation in Chinese, was also name of the mascot for the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, though the mascot was not modelled on panda grandpa but on a 36-year-old female panda Basi, currently the oldest panda in the world.

Giant pandas are one of the worlds most endangered species. Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi. At the end of 2013, China had 1,864 giant pandas in the wild.

There are also 422 in captivity, Chinas State Forestry Administration said.
That Donald Trump will be the president of the United States is a thought that still boggles many. Liberals are particularly in shock; they are attempting to understand how they could misread the extent of his appeal and wonder if his election will bolster right-wing forces elsewhere in the world.

This fear is palpable in Europe where analysts warn that a significant reordering of the political landscape is underway. This is not surprising as Europe has not been at peace with itself in recent years. The 2008 financial crash severely dented its economies, sparking a debt crisis and generated high levels of unemployment. This in turn led to debates within countries about immigrants, foreigners, assimilation, national identity and so on. The surge of refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war and periodic terrorist attacks added to the fraught climate, creating the context for right-wing parties and personalities to prosper. The European Unions policies of integration have been blamed for the situation and thus anti-EU, anti-immigration and anti-Muslim platforms have gained ground.

The effects have spread far and wide. Right-wing parties  which span the ideological spectrum from conventional right of Centre formations to far-right groups, have increased support across the continent, including in France, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary and Italy. Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party in Austria lost a rerun of the presidential election to a Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen this month but secured 48.3% of the vote. The Danish Peoples Party came in second in the June 2015 parliamentary elections. The far-right Party for Freedom in Netherlands, whose leader Geert Wilders was recently found guilty of inciting racial discrimination, is expected to come in first or second in elections due in March. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, led by Frauke Petry, secured 2 million votes in 2013 elections, it has done well in regional parliaments and is expected to win seats in parliament next year.

Read more | From Panama Papers to presidents impeachments: 2016 marked by corruption scandals

Far-right parties are not in a position to seize power in the continent. Political scientist Cas Mudde has claimed that a populist radical right candidate has still not won a true electoral majority in any established democracy in the postwar era. Whether that argument holds for the world is debatable, but it is at least true in Europe. The real concern is not that they will win but that the far-right will decisively shape political debates and forces other parties to mainstream some of its ideas. Angela Merkel of Germany has defended her policy of accepting more than 1 million refugees in 2015 but has recently called for a ban on the full veil or the niqab  a move seen as a response to from pressure from the right. Groups known as identitarians that peddle majoritarian anti-immigrant messages, which are understood as Europes answer to the American alt-right, have grown in prominence. The movement has, as the Economist put it, has a deft way of making xenophobic causes seem palatable to moderates, its representatives are invited to speak in mainstream media and they are able to repackage ideas effectively for younger audiences.

The big testing ground for the far rights dynamism and energy is France where Marine Le Pen of the National Front is expected to make it to the second round of presidential elections due in April-May. She will be up against Francois Fillon, the centre-right candidate of the Republicans. Fillon is a social conservative and neoliberal who wants to sack half a million civil servants and reduce public spending by $100 billion over five years. Le Pen is not expected to win. Philosopher John Gray writes, however, that in a contest with a neoliberal at a time when austerity policies are discredited this outcome can no longer be taken for granted. Le Pen could edge closer to power in 2017 and make a convincing run for the presidency after that, he argues.

Read more | 2016 was a bad year for Indo-Pak ties. What lies ahead?

And then there is foreign interference. Elections in Western democracies are no longer only about what its citizens think. They also appear to be governed by what Russias President Vladimir Putin wants. After suspicions that Moscow intervened in favour of Trump through hacking and selective leaks, Europe is anticipating Russias intrusion into its own democratic processes. The head of Germanys domestic intelligence agency recently warned of Russias attempts to destabilise the country through hackers and mentioned growing evidence of attempts to influence the federal election next year. Analysts fear that Russian hackers will tilt the election in favour Alternative for Germany. Europe is divided over sanctions against Russia following its annexation of Crimea; it is not inconceivable that Putin will back those who are in favour of rapprochement with Moscow. Incidentally both Frances Fillon and as his opponent Le Pen are in favour of improved ties with Moscow. The National Front took a loan of 11 million (euros) in 2014 from a Russian bank and applied for another 27 million loan from Russia to fight elections in 2017.

Russian challenges to European security continue meanwhile. Moscow seized the Crimea in 2014 and it recently deployed nuclear-armed missiles in the Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad. Analysts wonder if Russia will foment the kind of unrest in Baltic states as it did in Ukraine. Trumps election has changed the security dynamic because he thinks Europe should pay more for its own security, indicating that he may not be as committed to the continents defence as his predecessors have been.

Europe clearly has a lot to contend with: faltering economies, social tensions, majoritarian nationalisms, changing American priorities, Russias assertiveness and its attempts to subvert the continents democracies to suit its geopolitical purposes. The Right is understandably upbeat in this climate, particularly after Trumps victory.

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Turkey and Russia have agreed a ceasefire plan for all of Syria that should come into force this evening at midnight, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday.

The plan aims to expand a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians, to all of the country, it said.

But, like previous ceasefire plans that had been brokered by the United States and Russia, it excludes terror groups, the agency said.

If successful, the plan will form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the regime and opposition overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

Turkey and Russia will work for the plan to come into force at midnight, the agency said, without giving further details.

It was not immediately clear how and where the plan had been agreed but there have been talks in the last weeks between Turkey, Russia and Syrian opposition representatives in Ankara.

Read: Aleppo: The massive task of rebuilding a war-ravaged city

Ankara and Moscow have been on opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, with Turkey seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia, along with Iran, his key international ally.

But the two countries have started in the last months to cooperate more tightly on Syria, especially after a deal in summer to normalise ties battered by Turkeys shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.

Ankara remained conspicuously quiet as Assads forces, backed by Russia, took control last week of all of Aleppo in the biggest defeat for the rebels in the civil war so far.

Read: Turkish military neutralises 44 Islamic State militants in northern Syria
Search teams on Wednesday recovered another flight recorder from a military plane that crashed in the Black Sea, killing all 92 people aboard, the defence ministry said.

The first flight recorder was found the previous day and experts have started analysing its data, seeking to identify the cause of the crash.

The Tu-154 of the Russian defence ministry crashed into the sea early Sunday, two minutes after taking off in good weather from the city of Sochi. It was carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, widely known as the Red Army Choir, to a New Years concert at a Russian military base in Syria.

The ministry said 15 bodies and 239 body fragments have been recovered from the crash site. It previously said 17 bodies had been found.

A massive recovery effort has involved 3,600 people, including about 200 navy divers flown to the site from all over Russia. They have been aided by drones and submersibles.

Investigators were looking into whether the crash might have been caused by bad fuel, pilot error, equipment failure or objects stuck in the engines. The top Russian investigative agency said it had taken samples from a fuel tank used to fill the plane, which flew from Moscows Chkalovsky military airport and stopped in Sochi for refueling.

In this image made from video and provided by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, a diver adjusts a rope on a fragment of a plane engine, to lift it outside, in Sochi. (AP Photo)

The Komsomolskaya Pravda daily and online publication Life.ru published what they described as a script of cockpit conversation, with a pilot yelling about a problem with the planes flaps and then shouting: Commander, we are falling! It was impossible to verify the report, but both publications were known to have good connections with Russian security agencies.

Flaps are moveable panels mounted on the edge of the wings to increase lift.

The Kommersant daily also said that investigators believed that the crash was caused by a combination of malfunctioning flaps and pilot error, which caused the plane to lose speed and stall.

However, Nikolai Antoshkin, the former deputy chief of the Russian air force, dismissed the claim, saying that responding to flap malfunctions is part of standard pilot training. If flaps fail to retract or extend in time ... pilots know how to deal with it, its not a problem at all, he said in remarks carried by state RIA Novosti news agency.

Russias main domestic security and counter-terrorism agency, the FSB, said it found no indications or facts pointing at the possibility of a terror attack or an act of sabotage.

However, some aviation experts have noted that the crews failure to report any technical problem and the large area over which fragments of the plane were scattered could point to an explosion on board.

The Tu-154 is a Soviet-built three-engine airliner designed in the late 1960s. Russian airlines decommissioned the noisy, fuel-guzzling aircraft years ago, but the military and other government agencies continue using the plane, which is still loved by crews for its manoeuvrability and sturdiness.

The plane that crashed Sunday was built in 1983 and underwent factory checkups and maintenance in 2014, and earlier this year. Investigators have taken relevant documents from the plant that did the job.
Images of homeless drug addicts living in empty graves just outside the Iranian capital have deeply shocked the public and prompted reactions even from President Hassan Rouhani.

Shahrvand newspaper on Tuesday published the images in a report on the homeless people -- about 50 men and women -- who dwell in a cemetery in the town of Shahriar, 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Tehran.

The story and the haunting images of the homeless staring into the camera from inside the unused grave slots spread quickly on social media, where users and celebrities reacted with expressions of alarm and sadness.

Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi aired his frustration in a letter to Rouhani.

I read the report... and now my entire being is filled with shame and sorrow, he wrote.

With this letter, I intend to share my shame with you and all those who have had any responsibility in this country in the past few decades, he added.

The president responded to Farhadis painful letter on Wednesday.

Alive in open graves: Published photos of homeless ppl in Iran sleeping in grave pits creates outrage on social media. pic.twitter.com/QYF6f8AyA3  Omid Memarian (@Omid_M) December 27, 2016

Who can see human beings hurt from social issues who take shelter in graves.... and not feel ashamed? Rouhani said in a speech about government supervision.

I have heard about people in western countries who sleep on cardboard under bridges out of poverty, or those who sleep in metro stations, but not in graves, he said.

To solve these issues we must all unite and leave aside partisan issues and differences and address the basic problems of the country.

In a follow-up report, Shahrvand said the grave-dwellers were forcibly removed from the cemetery, after promises from authorities to resolve the issue.

Some of those who lived in the graves had done so for 10 years, according to the daily.

Arent we humans? Are we foreigners? We are Iranian too, an unnamed homeless man told the newspaper in a video.

He asked authorities to build a shelter in the area.

The report is a rare glimpse into the lives of homeless people in the Iranian capital.

In October another report on homeless people occupying in sewage canals on Tehrans highways triggered similar reactions.

Poverty has worsened in recent years in Iran.

The official unemployment rate has risen to 12.7 percent this year from 10.6 percent in 2014, while joblessness among teens and young adults has reached 27 percent.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the West was breaking promises in Syria, accusing Ankaras partners of backing terror groups including IS jihadists in the country.

At least 37 Turkish soldiers have died in Turkeys major incursion inside Syria since it was launched in August to back pro-Ankara Syrian fighters battling IS and Kurdish militia.

Casualties have mounted as the military seeks to take the town of Al-Bab from IS jihadists and Ankara has become more impatient over the lack of support from the US-led coalition against the extremists for the Turkish operation.

The coalition forces are unfortunately not keeping their promises, Erdogan said at a news conference alongside visiting Guinean President Alpha Conde.

Whether they do or they dont, we will continue along this path in a determined way. There is no going back on the path we have set out on, he added.

Turkey has met the fiercest resistance yet of the campaign in the fight for Al-Bab, some 25km south of the Turkish border.

Erdogan complained that rather than supporting Turkey, the West was backing the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD), who work with the United States on the ground in Syria, and also IS.

They are supporting all the terror groups -- the YPG, PYD but also including Daesh (IS), Erdogan said.

Its quite clear, perfectly obvious, he said, adding that Turkey could provide proof in pictures and video.

Erdogan had made a similar claim on a visit to Pakistan in November alleging that the West stands by Daesh right now and its weapons were Western-made.

But the Turkish leader expressed confidence over the assault saying we now have the Daesh terror group surrounded on four sides in Al-Bab.

Yes we have martyrs... but now theres no turning back, he said.

Erdogan made no mention of a video purportedly showing two Turkish soldiers being burned to death by IS in Syria.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier there was no information confirming the video.

Erdogan said that along with Russia, Turkey backed a plan to bring the parties in the conflict together with key powers for peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

But he said that terror groups must not be included and that Turkey also wanted to see its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar involved.
The Theresa May government has announced a series of steps to prevent influencing voters and the electoral process, particularly in communities with origins in Pakistan and Bangladesh, from where electoral malpractices are reportedly imported into Britain.

Undue influence by spiritual leaders is among concerns raised by an investigation report prompted by malpractices in the Tower Hamlets mayoral by-election of 2014. The steps announced include asking voters to show identity proof in 18 sensitive areas in the 2018 local elections as a pilot.

Harvesting of postal ballots, bribery and treating voters, and bulk voting on behalf of family members who may or may not have different preferences are among concerns highlighted in the investigation report by Eric Pickles, former communities secretary.

Minister for the Constitution Chris Skidmore said: The governments view is that electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level. I want to protect the right of everyone to have their say and participate in our democracy.

By eliminating fraud and tackling improper practices, we are ensuring the integrity of our electoral system, while building a clear and secure democracy that works for everyone.

The pilot will run in 18 areas identified by the Electoral Commission as being at risk of allegations of fraud, including Birmingham, Blackburn, Oldham, Bradford, Burnley, Slough, Tower Hamlets and Walsall. These areas have large minorities of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin.

The government said it would focus on dealing with preventing the intimidation and undue influence of voters, ending the dubious practice of postal vote harvesting, and piloting the use of identity documents in polling stations.

The Pickles report found pressure was being put on vulnerable members of some ethnic minority communities, particularly women and young people, to vote according to the will of the elders, especially in communities of Pakistani and Bangladeshi background.

It added, There were concerns that influence and intimidation within households may not be reported, and that state institutions had turned a blind eye to such behaviour because of politically correct over-sensitivities about ethnicity and religion.

The report highlighted the concept of kinship in some communities which meant that individuals felt obliged to operate as part of a collective community and not have individual choices.

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A British university student reported as missing after skipping a family Christmas has apparently sent Facebook posts saying she is alive and well and just embarrassed that her mother called the police.

Londons Metropolitan Police launched a search on Monday saying 21-year-old Isabel Gayther was last seen at her student residence on Saturday and had not visited her familys home on Christmas Day as planned.

This is extremely out of character for her and officers and her family are extremely concerned for her safety and wellbeing, the police said on Monday.

It is believed Isabel has her phone with her but it is unreachable, the police statement added.

Facebook posts on the account used by Gayther, where she uses the name Isabela Mishele, then appeared on Tuesday, British media reported.

Am not on my way to Syria or being held hostage.... A day and half Im out of contact and this is what happens? one of the posts read.

Oh god, how embarrassing, this is the second time my mum has filed a missing persons report, said another.

One post was a link to an article from Psychology Today entitled: Should You Divorce Your Mother?

A police spokesman told AFP on Wednesday that the appeal to find Gayther was still live.

Were aware of the reports but we have to know that shes safe and well. Until we are contacted by her, the search will continue, he said.
The United States on Wednesday announced it was adding the student wing of the Pakistan-based militant organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, to its list of foreign terrorist organisations.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, is an anti-Indian militant group with historical ties to Pakistans top spy agencies. It has been accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including a 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

The state department move against the student group, Al-Muhammadia Students, came as the treasury department added two LeT leaders to the US list of specially designated global terrorists, subjecting them to US sanctions.

LeT was banned by the Pakistani government in 2002 but it has continued operating through front organisations, according to US officials, and their leaders conduct public rallies and interviews.

The state department announced that it amended the designation of LeT as a foreign terrorist organisation to include what it called the groups student wing.

Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organizations in an effort to avoid sanctions, the state department said, adding that the student group aided senior LeT leaders in recruiting and other activities.

The action subjected the student group to sanctions, including a ban on Americans providing or attempting to provide it with material support.

The treasury department said it was adding Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood to the US list of specially designated global terrorists, freezing any US property or other assets they hold and banning Americans from doing business with them. Both are involved in fund-raising activities, it said.

Sarwar, the department said, is the LeT leader in Lahore and Mahmood is a senior LeT leader in Karachi and has routinely traveled outside Pakistan on the groups behalf.
A West Virginia non-profit group director was fired after she wrote a Facebook post referring to first lady Michelle Obama as an ape in heels.

Pamela Ramsey Taylor, executive director of the Clay County Development Corp, was removed following an agreement with the non-profits board of directors, governor Earl Ray Tomblins office said on Tuesday.

Taylors racist social media comments were not directly mentioned as the reason. She had been placed initially on a six-week leave that was scheduled to end last Friday.

However, the state requested specific assurances the non-profit is following anti-discrimination policies and has been assured Taylor is gone as director, Tomblin spokeswoman Jessica Tice said.

The Appalachian Area Agency on Aging will manage the non-profit daily for six months while the Clay County organization makes any changes needed for compliance as a state contractor, Tice said.

The non-profit provides services to elderly and low-income residents in Clay County.

West Virginias Bureau of Senior Services and the Bureau for Medical Services have been reviewing the non-profits state contracts following the furore. The state also asked for guarantees that Taylor had not discriminated against recipients of state services.

Clay mayor Beverly Whaling was criticised for responding to Taylors post: Just made my day Pam. Whaling said later that she was referencing the change in the White House and wasnt racist. She resigned following the backlash.
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

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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

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Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

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EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

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The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership has announced that Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would contest the election and take part in parliamentary politics together.

Addressing a large number of party workers who had gathered to mark the ninth death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that he would contest elections from his sisters constituency in Nawabshah, whereas his son Bilawal would contest from his constituency in Larkana.

We have rendered so much sacrifices for democracy. We will not spare this Mughal emperor [Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif], he said.

We have fought the countrys dictators but never raised a voice against the army. I am not coming to parliament to topple your government. My intention is to teach the government a few lessons and to talk to the prime minister on national issues, the Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.

He also called for the Supreme Court decision on Panamagate be brought to the floor of parliament and be vetted by all political parties.

Bilawal Bhutto urged PPP supporters to get ready for a possible long march against the Nawaz Sharif government.
On Aug. 13, 1521, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes received the surrender of Cuauhtemoc, ruler of the Aztec people. The astonishing handover occurred amid the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the shattered capital of a mighty empire whose influence had stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and extended from central Mexico south into parts of what would become Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. After an 80-day siege Cortes had come to a terrible resolution: He ordered the city razed. House by house, street by street, building by building, his men pulled down Tenochtitlans walls and smashed them into rubble. Envoys from every tribe in the former empire later came to gaze on the wrecked remains of the city that had held them in subjection and fear for so long.

But how had Cortes accomplished his conquest? Less than three years had passed since he set foot on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, yet he had destroyed the greatest power in Mesoamerica with a relative handful of men. His initial force comprised 11 ships, 110 sailors, 553 soldiersincluding 32 crossbowmen and 13 bearing harquebuses (early firearms)10 heavy guns, four falconets and 16 horses. The force size ebbed and flowed, but he never commanded more than the 1,300 Spaniards he had with him at the start of the final assault.

On its face such a victory would suggest Cortes was a commander of tremendous ability. Yet scholars of the period have long underrated his generalship, instead attributing his success to three distinct factors. First was the relative superiority of Spanish military technology. Second is the notion smallpox had so severely reduced the Aztecs that they were unable mount an effective resistance. And third is the belief Cortes Mesoamerican allies were largely to credit for his triumph.

That the Spaniards enjoyed distinct technological, tactical and cultural advantages over their Mesoamerican foes doesnt mean Cortes victories came easy

The conquistadors military technology was unquestionably superior to that of every tribe they encountered. The warriors weapons and armor were made of wood, stone and hide, while those of the Spaniards were wrought of iron and steel. Atlatls, slings and simple bowstheir missiles tipped with obsidian, flint or fish bonecould not match the power or range of the crossbow. Clubs and macuahuitlsfearsome wooden swords embedded with flakes of obsidianwere far outclassed by long pikes and swords of Toledo steel, which easily pierced warriors crude armor of cotton, fabric and feathers. And, finally, the Spaniards gunpowder weaponssmall cannon and early shoulder-fired weapons like the harquebuswreaked havoc among the Mesoamericans, who possessed no similar technology.

The Spaniards also benefitted from their use of the horse, which was unknown to Mesoamericans. Though the conquistadors had few mounts at their disposal, tribal foot soldiers simply could not match the speed, mobility or shock effect of the Spanish cavalry, nor were their weapons suited to repelling horsemen.

When pitted against European military science and practice, the Mesoamerican way of war also suffered from undeniable weaknesses. While the tribes put great emphasis on order in battlethey organized their forces into companies, each under its own chieftain and banner, and understood the value of orderly advances and withdrawalstheir tactics were relatively unsophisticated. They employed such maneuvers as feigned retreats, ambushes and ambuscades but failed to grasp the importance of concentrating forces against a single point of the enemy line or of supporting and relieving forward assault units. Such deficiencies allowed the conquistadors to triumph even when outnumbered by as much as 100-to-1.

Deeply ingrained aspects of their culture also hampered the Aztecs. Social status was partly dependent on skill in battle, which was measured not by the number of enemies killed, but by the number captured for sacrifice to the gods. Thus warriors did not fight with the intention of killing their enemies outright, but of wounding or stunning them so they could be bound and passed back through the ranks. More than one Spaniard, downed and struggling, owed his life to this practice, which enabled his fellows to rescue him. Further, the Mesoamerican forces were unprepared for lengthy campaigns, as their dependence on levies of agricultural workers placed limits on their ability to mobilize and sustain sufficient forces. They could not wage war effectively during the planting and harvest seasons, nor did they undertake campaigns in the MaySeptember rainy season. Night actions were also unusual. The conquistadors, on the other hand, were trained to kill their enemies on the field of battle and were ready to fight year-round, day or night, in whatever conditions until they achieved victory.

That the Spaniards enjoyed distinct technological, tactical and cultural advantages over their Mesoamerican foes does not mean Cortes victories came easy. He engaged hundreds of thousands of determined enemies on their home ground with only fitful opportunities for reinforcement and resupply. Two telltale facts indicate that his success against New World opponents was as much the result of solid leadership as of technological superiority. First, despite his sparse resources, Cortes was as successful against Europeans who possessed the same technology as he was against Mesoamerican forces. Second, Cortes showed he could prevail against the Aztecs even when fighting at a distinct disadvantage.

In April 1520, as the position of the conquistadors in Tenochtitlan became increasingly precarious, then Aztec ruler Montezuma IIwhom the Spaniards had held hostage since the previous Novemberwas informed Cortes ships had arrived at Cempoala on the Gulf Coast bearing the Spaniards countrymen, and he encouraged the conquistador to depart without delay. While Cortes troops were elated at what they assumed was impending deliverance, the commander himself rightly suspected the new arrivals were not allies. They had been sent by Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, governor of Cuba, whose orders Cortes had disobeyed in 1519 to launch his expedition, and their purpose was to punish rather than reinforce.

Reports from the coast indicated the fleet comprised 18 ships bearing some 900 soldiersincluding 80 cavalrymen, 80 harquebusiers and 150 crossbowmenall well provisioned and supported by heavy guns. The captain-general of the armada was Panfilo de Narvaez, a confidant of Velazquez, who made no secret of his intention to seize Cortes and imprison him for his rebellion against the governors authority.

Cortes could not afford to hesitate and thus allow Narvaez time to gather strength and allies. Yet to march out of Tenochtitlan to engage the new arrivals also presented significant risks. If Cortes took his entire force, he would have to abandon the Aztec capital. Montezuma II would reassume the throne, and resistance would no doubt congeal and stiffen, making re-entry a matter of blood and battle, in contrast to the tentative welcome he had initially received. But to leave behind a garrison would further reduce the size of the already outnumbered force he would lead against Narvaez. With the swift decision of the bold, a factor indeterminable by numerical calculation, the Spanish commander chose the latter course.

Cortes marched out with only 70 lightly armed soldiers, leaving his second-in-command, Pedro de Alvarado, to hold Tenochtitlan with two-thirds of the Spanish force, including all of the artillery, the bulk of the cavalry and most of the harquebusiers. Having done all he could to gain an edge over Narvaez by feeding his couriers misinformation and undermining the loyalty of his officers with forwarded bribes of gold, Cortes marched with all speed. He crossed the mountains to Cholula, where he mustered 120 reinforcements, then marched through Tlaxcala and down to the coast at Veracruz, picking up another 60 men. Though still outnumbered more than 3-to-1, Cortes brought all his craft, daring and energy to bear and, in a rapid assault amid heavy rain on the night of May 27, overwhelmed his foes. Narvaez himself was captured, while most of his men, enticed by stories of Aztec riches, readily threw in their lot with Cortes. Soon after his surprise defeat of Narvaez, the bold conquistador proved himself equally capable of defeating Mesoamerican forces that held a numerical advantage.

The bold conquistador proved himself equally capable of defeating Mesoamerican forces that held a numerical advantage

On his return to Tenochtitlan, Cortes discovered Alvarado had indulged in an unprovoked massacre of the Aztecs, stirring the previously docile populace to murderous fury. The Spaniards quickly found themselves trapped and besieged in the capital, and hard fighting in the streets failed to subdue the enemy. Not even Montezuma could soothe his people, who met their emperors appeal for peace with a shower of stones that mortally wounded him. With the Spanish force growing short of food and water, and losing more men by the day, Cortes decided to withdraw from the city on the night of June 30July 1. After a brutal running fight along a causeway leading to shore, the column was reduced to a tattered remnant, leaving Cortes with no more than one-fifth of the force he had originally led into Tenochtitlan. The overnight battlethe worst military disaster the conquistadors had suffered in the New Worldwould go down in Spanish history as La Noche Triste (The Night of Sorrows).

The debacle left Cortes with few materiel advantages. Only half of his horses survived, and the column had lost all of its powder, ammunition and artillery and most of its crossbows and harquebuses during the retreat. Yet the Spanish commander managed to hold together his flagging force. Skirting north to avoid a cluster of hostile villages, he headed toward Tlaxcala, home city of his Mesoamerican allies.

Over the days that followed Aztec skirmishers shadowed Cortes retreating column, and as the Spaniards neared the Tlaxcalan frontier, the skirmishers joined forces with warriors from Tenochtitlan and assembled on the plain of Otumba, between the conquistadors and their refuge. The trap thus set, on July 7 the numerically superior Aztecs and beleaguered Spaniards met in a battle that should easily have gone in the Mesoamericans favor. Again, however, Cortes turned the tables by skillfully using his remaining cavalry to break up the enemy formations. Then, in a daring stroke, he personally led a determined cavalry charge that targeted the enemy commander, killing him and capturing his colors. Seeing their leader slain, the Aztecs gradually fell back, ultimately enabling the conquistadors to push their way through. Though exhausted, starving and ill, they were soon among allies and safe from assault.

One long-standing school of thought on the Spanish conquest attributes Cortes success to epidemiological whimnamely that European-introduced smallpox had so ravaged the Aztecs that they were incapable of mounting a coherent defense. In fact, Cortes had defeated many enemies and advanced to the heart of the empire well before the disease made its effects felt. Smallpox arrived in Cempoala in 1520, carried by an African slave accompanying the Narvaez expedition. By then Cortes had already defeated an army at Pontonchan; won battles against the fierce, well-organized armies of Tlaxcala; entered the Aztec capital at Tenochtitlan and taken its ruler hostage.

Smallpox had ravaged the populations of Hispaniola and Cuba and indeed had equally disastrous effects on the mainland, killing an estimated 20 to 40 percent of the population of central Mexico. But as horrific as the pandemic was, it is by no means clear that smallpox mortality was a decisive factor in the fall of Tenochtitlan or the final Spanish victory. The disease likely reached Tenochtitlan when Cortes returned from the coast in June 1520, and by September it had killed perhaps half of the citys 200,000 residents, including Montezumas successor, Cuitlahuac. By the time Cortes returned in the spring of 1521 for the final assault, however, the city had been largely free of the disease for six months. The conquistadors mention smallpox but not as a decisive factor in the struggle. Certainly they saw no perceptible drop in ferocity or numbers among the resistance.

On the subject of numbers, some scholars have suggested the conquest was largely the work of the Spaniards numerous Mesoamerican allies. Soon after arriving in the New World, Cortes had learned from the coastal Totonac people that the Aztec empire was not a monolithic dominion, that there existed fractures of discontent the conquistadors might exploit. For nearly a century Mesoamericans had labored under the yoke of Aztec servitude, their overlords having imposed grievous taxes and tributary demands, including a bloody harvest of sacrificial victims. Even cities within the Valley of Mexico, the heart of the empire, were simmering cauldrons of potential revolt. They awaited only opportunity, and the arrival of the Spaniards provided it. Tens of thousands of Totonacs, Tlaxcalans and others aided the conquest by supplying the Spaniards with food and serving as warriors, porters and laborers. Certainly their services sped the pace of the conquest. But one cannot credit them with its ultimate success. After all, had the restive tribes had the will and ability to overthrow the Aztecs on their own, they would have done so long before Cortes arrived and would likely have destroyed the Spaniards in turn.

To truly assess the Spanish victory over the Aztecs, one must also consider the internal issues Cortes facedlogistical challenges, the interference of hostile superiors, factional divides within his command and mutiny.

Cortes established coastal Veracruz as his base of operations in Mexico and primary communications link to the Spanish empire. But the tiny settlement and its fort could not provide him with additional troops, horses, firearms or ammunition. As Cortes lean command suffered casualties and consumed its slender resources, it required reinforcement and resupply, but the Spanish commanders strained relations with the governor of Cuba ensured such vital support was not forthcoming. Fortunately for himself and the men of his command, Cortes seems to have possessed a special genius for conjuring success out of the very adversities that afflicted him.

After defeating the Narvaez expedition, Cortes integrated his would-be avengers force with his own, gaining men, arms and equipment. When the Spaniards lay exhausted in Tlaxcala after La Noche Triste, still more resources presented themselves. Velazquez, thinking Narvaez must have things well in hand, with Cortes either in chains or dead, had dispatched two ships to Veracruz with reinforcements and further instructions; both were seized on arrival, their crews soon persuaded to join Cortes. Around the same time two more Spanish vessels appeared off the coast, sent by the governor of Jamaica to supply an expedition on the Panuco River. What the ships captains didnt know is that the party had suffered badly and its members had already joined forces with Cortes. On landing, their men too were persuaded to join the conquest. Thus Cortes acquired 150 more men, 20 horses and stores of arms and ammunition. Finally, a Spanish merchant vessel loaded with military stores put in at Veracruz, its captain having heard he might find a ready market for his goods. He was not mistaken. Cortes bought both ship and cargo, then induced its adventurous crew to join his expedition. Such reinforcement was more than enough to restore the audacity of the daring conquistador, and he began to lay plans for the siege and recovery of Tenochtitlan.

While the ever-resourceful Cortes had turned these occasions to his advantage, several episodes pointed to an underlying difficulty that had cast its shadow over the expedition from the moment of its abrupt departure from CubaVelazquezs seemingly unquenchable hostility and determination to interfere. Having taken leave of the governor on less than cordial terms, Cortes was perhaps tempting fate by including of a number of the functionarys friends and partisans in the expedition. He was aware of their divided loyalties, if not overtly concerned. Some had expressed their personal loyalty to Cortes, while others saw him as their best opportunity for enrichment. But from the outset of the campaign still other members of the Velazquez faction had voiced open opposition, insisting they be permitted to return to Cuba, where they would undoubtedly report to the governor. Cortes had cemented his authority among the rebels through a judicious mixture of force and persuasion.

But the problem arose again with the addition of Narvaezs forces to the mix. While headquartered in Texcoco as his men made siege preparations along the lakeshore surrounding Tenochtitlan, Cortes uncovered an assassination plot hatched by Antonio de Villafana, a personal friend of Velazquez. The plan was to stab the conquistador to death while he dined with his captains. Though Cortes had the names of a number of co-conspirators, he put only the ringleader on trial. Sentenced to death, Villafana was promptly hanged from a window for all to see. Greatly relieved at having cheated death, the surviving conspirators went out of their way to demonstrate loyalty. Thus Cortes quelled the mutiny.

Whatever advantages the Spaniards enjoyed, victory would have been impossible without his extraordinary leadership

But hostility toward the conquistador and his unlawful expedition also brewed back home in the court of Spanish King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. In Cortes absence his adversaries tried every means to undermine him, threatening his status as an agent of the crown and seeking to deny him the just fruits of his labors. The commander was forced to spend precious time, energy and resources fighting his diplomatic battle from afar. Even after successfully completing the conquest, Cortes received no quarter from his enemies, who accused him of both defrauding the crown of its rightful revenues and fomenting rebellion. On Dec. 2, 1547, the 62-year-old former conquistador died a wealthy but embittered man in Spain. At his request his remains were returned to Mexico.

Setting aside long-held preconceptions about the ease of the conquest of Mexicowhich do disservice to both the Spanish commander and those he conqueredscholars of the period should rightfully add Cortes to the ranks of the great captains of war. For whatever advantages the Spaniards enjoyed, victory would have been impossible without his extraordinary leadership. As master of the conquest, Cortes demonstrated fixity of purpose, skilled diplomacy, talent for solving logistical problems, far-sighted planning, heroic battlefield command, tactical flexibility, iron determination and, above all, astounding audacity. MH

Justin D. Lyons is an assistant professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Ohios Ashland University. For further reading he recommends Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control, by Ross Hassig; The Spanish Invasion of Mexico 15191521, by Charles M. Robinson III; and Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico, by Hugh Thomas.
Jacked Up

I enjoyed the article Escape From New York [by Norman Goldstein, November], but the British naval vessels in the artwork [on P. 27] depicting the landing of British forces are flying the wrong ensign. In 1776 the flag consisted of only the red cross of England superimposed on the white diagonal cross (saltire) of Scotland. The diagonal red cross of St. Patrick (now a familiar part of the British flag) was not added until after the union with Ireland in 1801. If you look very carefully at the painting of Richard Howe [on P. 32], you will see a depiction of the correct flag.

Thank you for producing a very interesting magazine.

Martyn Whittock

Bath, United Kingdom

Editor responds: The British banners depicted in the 19th-century wood engraving on P. 27 are indeed anachronistic, not coming into use until 1801, as you point out. But the artist also erred in that he rendered the full field Union Jack and not the Red Ensign depicted in the portrait of Howe and illustrated above. Royal Navy ships of the era flew the Red Ensign, White Ensign or Blue Ensign to designate their squadron. Ships at anchor were permitted to fly a smaller Union Jack, but only at the bow. The practice must have proven confusing, as in 1864 the Admiralty designated the white as the official banner for British warships, the red for merchantmen and the blue for reserve vessels. Thank you for the learning opportunity.

Samuel Smith

It would seem you missed a big opportunity in an illustration caption in Escape From New York, by Norman Goldstein, about the August 1776 Battle of Brooklyn Heights (aka the Battle of Long Island). I refer to the caption that reads, Captain Samuel Smith (who later served his state as a U.S. senator) leads the surviving Marylanders to safety across Gowanus Creek. Goldstein is correct to commemorate the heroism of the Maryland Line for protecting the rear of Washingtons army, at great loss to themselves, and thus ensuring the American commander and his men fought another day. But Smith was much more than a U.S. senator for Maryland. As major general of the Maryland militia, Smith was commander of the defense of Baltimore on Sept. 1214, 1814, that ensured our flag was still there. One more thing: That Smith would have worn a frock coat like a rifleman in August 1776, as indicated by this artwork, is extremely doubtful. Smith was an infantry officer, not a rifleman.

Christopher T. George

Baltimore, Md.

Editor responds: Oh, that we had room in our captions for more information. That said, Smiths role in the defense of Baltimore is a subject for another complete feature. Regarding his attire: Youll have to take that up with the artist, Don Troiani. (Note: Mr. George is the co-author with John McCavitt of The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812, reviewed in the January 2017 issue.)

Shooting Year

[Re. Liesl Bradners November 2016 article The Battle That Never Was:] The letter in your January issue from Wayne Long about the respective shooting year of American and Japanese submarines in 1942 was true but not entirely accurate. While the Japanese did inflict far more devastating losses on American combat vessels than our submarines did on Japanese combat ships that year, he left out a crucial detail: American submarines were ordered to concentrate on cargo vessels and troopships and to ignore combat vessels except when necessary. Navy brass had decided the best way to achieve victory was to cut off the flow of supplies and men to Japanese bases in the Pacific. The campaign was highly successful. In fact, most Japanese destroyers sunk by American submarines were transporting supplies and personnel. This has been well documented by a number of sources.

The Japanese, unlike the Germans, attacked very few Allied cargo and troopships by comparison. Whether this was due to a misguided war strategy or part of the samurai code, I have no idea. In any event, most modern naval historians consider it one of Japans biggest blunders of World War II. I intend no disrespect to American or Japanese submariners. My father served in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy and fought in combat from Midway to Okinawa. He had the greatest respect for the Japanese and applied for submarine duty. Instead, he wound up on the battleship USS Iowa. He never regretted the assignment.

Patrick B. Miano

Phoenix, Ariz.

Send letters to Editor, Military History, HistoryNet, 1919 Gallows Road, Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182-4038 or via e-mail. Please include name, address and phone number.
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The storm is passing. The last year and a half has been rough sailing in so many ways. One r
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday offered condolences at historic pearl harbor during his visit to the site along with United States President Barack Obama.

Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial which is a centerpiece of the historic site.

Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe Minister pledged during the visit that Japan would never wage war again.

Abe visit to United States comes weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump is about to take office.

The visit is a bid to cement the bilateral ties between United States and Japan amid rising concerns that incoming president Donald Trump would have a more complicated relationship with Japan.

Both the world leaders commemorated the dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the sunken battleship.

Reuters quoted Abe as saying "We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken,".

After their remarks, both leaders greeted U.S. veterans who survived the attack.

However, Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe did not apologised for the attack.

Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor with torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes on the morning of December 7, 1941, pounding the U.S. fleet moored there in the hope of destroying U.S. power in the Pacific.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Barack Obama, became the first incumbent president to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945.

Obama termed Abe's visit a "historic gesture" that was "a reminder that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and a lasting peace."

Japan hopes to present a strong alliance with the United States amid concerns about China's expanding military capability.

Watch Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speech at Pearl Harbor here:

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The death of actress Carrie Fisher would want the "Star Wars" universe to sink into a Black Hole and forever go with her. The multi-generations of fans united under "Star Wars" are mourning or the death of its most beloved and legendary lady ruler, Princess Leia. For decades, its movies and characters become a significant aspect of growing up with most adults even failing to outgrow their love and fascination for "Star Wars". In honor and remembrance Princess Leia, let us turn back the pages of history and relive the best moments when she was still with us.

1. 1977 Star Wars. Carrie Fisher's character and actor Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker first appeared in 1977 "Star Wars" movie. She played the role of Princess Leia Organa, as a tough-talking princess who defied the Evil Empire.

2. "Star Wars" Royalty. All through her life, fans from around the world considered her a universal royalty. In this handout photo provided by LEGOLAND California, she arrives at the Grand Opening of Star Wars Miniland, fully escorted with her royal guards.

3. "Star Wars" Family. After five decades, bonded by "Star Wars", actors Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and her Royal Highness remain friends on- and offstage. In this photo, the two are onstage during Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim, California.

4. Love of a Lifetime. The love for the most beloved princess transcended beyond the corners of Star Wars Universe. In and out of this world, she will always be remembered as a strong lady with a soft heart for his people. In this photo, actors Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford pose onstage at the Lucasfilm panel during Comic-Con International 2015 in San Diego, California, expressing their love and adornment to our very own Princess Leia.

5. Living "Star Wars" Legacy. All through half a century of Star Wars legacy, she continues to fascinate the fans on her undying legacy. She was on a book tour promoting the autobiography "The Princess Diarist" when a heart attack happened Friday last week. In this photo, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and her dog Gary on stage during Future Directors Panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2016 in London, England.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Azat Arshakyan: I hoped Karen Karapetyan would not eneter HHK dentistry (video)

The passing year gave our nation self-confidence, the feeling of a winner, former member of the Supreme Council Azat Arshakyan said on December 28 when summing up the passing year. We turned from the so-called country of Gikor to a winning and glorious state because during the four-day war in April we were left alone with the enemy. I consider that we won that war although we had a very heavy loss  we lost one hundred young people and eight hundred hectares of land. I guess it was the best piece of land in our homeland, he said. Speaking about the reshuffle in the Armenian Government after [Prime Minister] Karen Karapetyans appointment, Mr. Arshakyan said at first he thought it was a positive move but now he holds a different opinion. I was excited I thought he [Karen Karapetyan] was a new man who is not provincial, because there was provinciality before him, but when they stood in turn to join the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) as if they were going to a dentist to have their teeth extracted, I  The HHK is a dentistryWhoever goes there, comes out without teeth. I hoped Karen Karapetyan would not enter that very dentistry, he said. HHK lawmaker Artak Davtyan, who was present at the press conference, said the main event of the year was the change of the defense minister. I think this was a major, global change as a civilian was appointed to the post. It was an important message to decide Armenias future, he said.
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New ambulance drones can support victims and rescue personnel during mass shootings, bombings, or other terrorist attacks.Developed at the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM; Hattiesburg, MS, USA), the new drones are part of the ongoing Health Integrated Rescue Operations (HiRO) telemedical drone project. The ambulance drones are designed to carry telemedical packages to operators in adverse conditions, providing immediate and secure access to a physician on the other end of the screen to provide guidance amidst the chaos and confusion of a disaster situation. The telemedical packages can treat up to 100 people with significant to minor injuries.To do so, the critical care kit includes Google Glass, which allows the wearer to be hands free and to move away from the drone while still maintaining audio and visual contact with the physician, who can provide simple, direct, and user friendly guidance to empower the provider and bystanders to save lives. The technology debuted in a simulated mass casualty scenario held during December 2016 at John Bell Airport (Bolton, MS, USA), before an audience that included Mississippi state governor Phil Bryant and representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal law enforcement agencies, and the United Nations.Reaching the victims is the critical challenge in these situations. As an osteopathic physician, my goal was to find ways to help save lives. A medical drone is the bridge that delivers life-saving treatment directly to the victims, giving remote physicians eyes, ears, and voice to instruct anyone on site, said drone co-developer Italo Subbarao, DO, senior associate dean at WCUCOM, an expert in disaster and emergency medicine.These drones have impressive lift and distance capability, and can be outfitted with a variety of sensors, such as infrared, to help locate victims, said Dennis Lott, director of the unmanned aerial vehicle program at Hinds Community College (Raymond, MS, USA). Working together, we're able to develop, test, and bring this technology to the field. It is just a matter of time before the drones are universally adopted for emergency and disaster response toolkits.
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A new photodynamic laser therapy for low-risk prostate cancer can effectively kill cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue, according to a new study.Researchers at University College London (UCL, United Kingdom), Skane University Hospital (Malmo, Sweden), and 45 other European institutions conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) for treating low-risk prostate cancer. The treatment involves injecting padeliporfin, a light-sensitive compound that releases free radicals when activated by light. The drug is injected into the bloodstream, and then activated via a fiberoptic laser to destroy tumor tissue in the prostate.For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 206 patients to VTP and 207 patients to active surveillance. The VTP patients received 4 mg/kg of padeliporfin intravenously over 10 minutes, and optical fibers were inserted into the prostate to cover the desired treatment zone. Subsequent activation was by 753 nm laser light at a fixed power of 150 mW/cm for about 22 minutes. Co-primary endpoints were treatment failure (histological progression of cancer) and absence of definite cancer at 24 months.At the end of the follow-up period, the researchers found that 49% of patients treated with VTP had entered complete remission, compared with only 13.5% of patients who received active surveillance. Additionally, only 6% of men treated with VTP required radical therapy, compared with 30% in the control group. VTP-treated patients were also three times less likely to have their cancer progress, and VTP was found to double the average time to progression from 14 months to 28 months. The study was published on December 19, 2016, in The Lancet Oncology.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, said senior urologist author Professor Mark Emberton, MD, Dean of UCL Medical Science. 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.Current standard of care for men with low-risk prostate cancer is active surveillance, which involves monitoring of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, digital rectal exams, or prostate biopsies. As radical therapy, which involves surgically removing or irradiating the whole prostate, it has significant long-term side effects, including erectile dysfunction and incontinence; it is only used to treat high-risk cancers.
The business organization of the US President-elect, Donald Trump, was looking into buying hotels in Cuba as recently as six months ago, according to a report by Skift.com, which cites a top Spanish hotel executive. This report would go against Trump's stated Cuba policy, which is to terminate President Barack Obama's opening of Cuba to US business.

According to Skift, the hotel executor is Miguel Fluxa, executive chairman of Grupo IBEROSTAR, who told reporters he had learned about the Trump Organization's Cuba interest from industry contacts. Fluxa reportedly made the comments at an event in Mallorca earlier this month to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary. Grupo IBEROSTAR has more than 100 hotels and manages Havana's Parque Central, a five-star hotel that for many years has been ranked as the city's best by Trip Advisor, Inc.

An IBEROSTAR spokesman told Skift that Fluxa learned of the interest from industry contacts in Cuba, not from the US President-elect Donald Trump. The spokesman, however, did note that Trump has not offered to buy or expressed any interest in Grupo IBEROSTAR's 11 hotels located in Cuba. Citing company policy, the spokesman asked Skift not to be named.

A spokesman for the Trump organization has released a statement saying the company does not intend to expand into Cuba.

"In the last 12 months, many major competitors have sought opportunities in Cuba," Aman da Miller, vice president of marketing at the Trump Organization, said in an emailed statement to Skift. "While it is important for us to understand the dynamics of the markets that our competitors are exploring, we do not intend to expand into Cuba nor have we ever done any business there."

Since 2014, President Barack Obama has begun to ease the United States sanctions against Cuba, allowing US cruise ships to dock at ports on the Island and also allowing airlines from the United States to fly to Havana. Trump, for his part, has said that he would reverse Obama's moves unless Cuba allows its citizens more political and religious freedoms.

"If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate the deal," Trump said in a Twitter post on a recent Monday.

As far as the recently deceased leader of the island, Fidel Castro, is concerned, Trump released a statement tearing into him. Castro has long been considered by many as a socialist obstacle for America in its own backyard, ever since he came to power during a revolt in 1959.

"Fidel Castro's legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights," Trump said in a recent statement.

Until October, it violated US sanctions to promote tourism in Cuba at all. The Miami Herald, however, recently reported that on Oct. 21 the Cuban tourism ministry invited the Trump Organization and other hospitality business to the 34th Havana International Fair, and, among those who attended, was Jason Greenblatt, the executive vice president and chief legal officer for the Trump Organization, according to an email been by Bloomberg.

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Armenian cabman unable to deceive two South Koreans

John Kwon and his friend Yoonsug Jo arrived in Armenia 25 days ago. During the first days of their stay in the country, local taxi drivers asked 6000 drams from the South Korean guests per 2 km. Now, both men know that they have to pay less than 1000 drams for the same distance. Recently, they went to Zvartnots international airport [Yerevan] on some business. Upon their return to the city centre, the cabman demanded 15 000 drams for the short trip. We were stunned and disagreed to pay him the money. He lowered the fare to 10 000 drams and then to 5000 drams. In the long run, we paid him 4000 drams and went out of the car, John Kwon says. They arrived in Armenia on a peace mission, to offer Armenians what they call a heavenly culture. The sky has no limits, while America and Armenia have. For example, the rich and poor breathe the same air and this is the common thing between us, John says. As a rule, John and Yoon do not talk to political figures about their mission and peace. Political figures should speak on behalf of people but they do not do it. How long can we wait? Therefore, we are taking action, Yoon adds. He says politicians will always want wars: it is the population that holds them back. Why are they promoting peace in Armenia? John Kwon says adding that they started their mission from small countries and have become more active in recent years. They have been to Jordan which has a problem of refugees though it is not a country at war. The Jordanians do not like refugees. This is a good sign as it means that the local authorities are against wars because of which their country is filled with refugees. Armenia is also a small country, and the South Korean guests say that Armenians are more hospitable than Arabs. The preachers of peace liked it when they saw a lot of policemen on the streets in Armenia. They say Armenia also needs peace. The South Korean preachers want Armenians and Azerbaijanis to perceive each other.
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Pipeline and drilling opponents will open three camps in the high desert north of Big Bend National Park over the next week or so, hoping to attract hundreds of protesters to West Texas to block a pipeline and the development of recently discovered oil and gas fields.

The organizers aim to follow the example of the hundreds of people who traveled to North Dakota, camping out and demonstrating for months to stop -- at least for now -- the completion of the Dakota Access pipeline, which would have carried oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota to Midwestern pipeline networks that connect to the Gulf Coast refineries. The Obama administration decided not to grant the permit needed to finish the project; the incoming Trump administration, however, has pledged to give the pipeline the green light.

An environmental advocacy group began working three weeks ago on the first West Texas camp, near Alpine, to protest a pipeline being built for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the same company building Dakota Access. The Trans-Pecos line would carry natural gas from the Permian Basin to Mexico. Picketers were arrested outside a pipeline equipment yard earlier this month. That camp opens on Wednesday, activists said.

The same group, the Big Bend Defense Coalition, is opening a second further south near the ghost town of Casa Piedra, close to Big Bend Ranch State Park. The Society of Native Nations, an American Indian advocacy group based in San Antonio and instrumental in the North Dakota protests at Standing Rock, is helping organize it. They're calling it the Two Rivers Camp and expect 200 to 300 over the next month or so. It opens Friday with plans to target the Trans-Pecos line.

"We have people coming in from North Dakota already," said Frankie Orona, executive director of the Society of Native Nations. "We have to open up this weekend."

Energy Transfer Partners did not reply to request for comment.

The third camp is opening in Toyahvale, home to the famous spring and pool of Balmorhea State Park, and aiming to stop the development of nearby oil and gas fields by Apache Corp. The Houston company said in September that it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas around Balmorhea, and said it could drill as many as 3,000 wells over the next two decades.

Residents have since raised concerns that drilling and hydraulic fracturing around the area springs could contaminate the water and damage other natural resources. Several have vowed to fight.

"We're going to get Toyahvale on the map, finally," said resident Neta Rhyne. "Wish it were for better reasons."

Rhyne and her husband own about 400 acres there, abutting the state park, and are designating 30 acres for the new camp.

Rhyne said she and a few volunteers are clearing tumbleweeds off the land now and building a gate in the property's perimeter fence. They hauled in portable restrooms, but plan to build composting toilets. They hope to light their first camp fire on Jan. 7, she said, marking the official opening of the camp.

Four campers have already arrived, Rhyne said, one from Austin and three from the Standing Rock protests.

Rhyne, a Houston native, said she came to Toyahvale in 1984 and stayed, after being diagnosed with lung cancer, to keep away from city air pollution. She is now cancer-free, but said she already notices the change in air quality with just a few wells drilled.

"My goal would be for Apache just to go home, go away," she said. "I don't know how realistic that is."

In response, Apache said that "the safe and responsible development of natural resources" is the company's top priority. It is working with the University of Texas at Arlington on the first independent baseline water study in the region, and promises to bring jobs, protect the environment and continue communicating with the community.

The camps at Standing Rock have lost campers in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided it would further study the impact of the pipeline under Lake Oahe on the Missouri River, delaying Energy Transfer Partners' progress and handing protesters a temporary victory. Then winter snows arrived. Law enforcement recently estimated just 500 still in camp, down from as many as 10,000 at the protest's peak.
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Igloo officials skipped the oversize scissors in favor of a veterans' honor guard, dedicating a huge new warehouse and distribution center in Katy on Thursday with a flag-raising ceremony instead of a traditional ribbon-cutting.

Hoisting U.S. and Texas flags into the brilliant, late-morning sky proved symbolic, as the cooler maker on the prairie also celebrated a return of manufacturing from China and the addition of some 280 jobs by year's end.

So far in 2013, the company has added three production machines, including one in January that allowed Igloo to begin building its top-tier Yukon line locally instead of overseas. The shift will allow Igloo to respond to market changes more quickly and reflects a stated commitment to bring jobs back to the United States.

Igloo made 18 million hard-sided coolers domestically last year. Its soft-sided coolers are still put together overseas, and chairman and CEO Gary Kiedaisch said the company is looking for ways to make it economically feasible to return that work to the United States as well.

After the newly announced positions are filled, the Katy plant and warehouse/distribution complex will employ about 1,100 workers.

More for you Igloo aims for coolness in coolers

Special machines

The in-house rotational-molding machine, which cost between $1 million and $2 million, produces a heavier and better insulated cooler that can sell for much more than traditionally made products. It allows Igloo to compete against companies like Austin-based Yeti, which pioneered the premium cooler segment.

More Information Big warehouse Facts about the new warehouse and distribution center that Katy-based Igloo formally opened on Thursday: Size: 420,000 square feet, expandable by an additional 140,000 square feet. Capacity: About 8 1/2 million coolers annually. Shipping: 119 loading-dock doors mean some 7,500 truckloads can be picked up each year. Total space: The new facility brings Igloo's warehouse capacity to 1.2 million square feet. See More Collapse

Igloo's rotational-molding machine is already running 24 hours a day and by early next year will be at full capacity, officials said. It also is used for Igloo's new Sportsman line.

The two other new machines were comparably priced but they use the more traditional injection-molding technology for its more familiar, lower-priced coolers.

The company has been able to increase capacity and add personnel thanks to a string of record sales years since a private-equity group bought Igloo in 2008. Kiedaisch said sales are up more than 50 percent since the takeover and Igloo has extended its lead in market share to more than 20 points over second-in-the-category Coleman.

Kiedaisch said the growth occurred even as the economy endured the worst slump he has experienced in more than 40 years.

"We've always stormed right through the rough waters," he said. And, he added, "We're teed up for next year."

That future includes the 420,000-square-foot warehouse unveiled Thursday, just two miles from the plant and existing warehouse. Kiedaisch said that while Igloo is investing more capital into manufacturing, it is leasing the new space.

Millions of coolers

The cavernous new facility is shiny and empty, but Igloo expects it to be full of inventory by early next quarter. An estimated 8 million coolers are expected to move through the center next year. It brings the company's total storage capacity to 1.2 million square feet.

Director of distribution Vincent Rosales said the new center, with 119 loading-dock doors that can accommodate 7,500 truckloads a year, may need to be expanded again in 2015 if current sales trends continue. The site was built to accommodate a 140,000-square-foot expansion.

New full-time jobs

David Thornhill, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said Igloo's sustained growth spurt means the plant stays busy year-round, which in turn means most of the new jobs are full-time. In the past, the company hired seasonal workers to handle peak loads.

"Now, instead of a part-time job, it's a solid, full-time manufacturing job," Thornhill said. "We know manufacturing jobs are hard to come by in this country. We're pretty proud of that."

He and Kiedaisch also cited state grants and a cooperative agreement with Blinn College that allows Igloo employees to get technical training that helps them advance in the company by taking on more complex duties.

Kiedaisch also praised Texas for what he called "the most business-friendly environment I've had the privilege of working in." During remarks to state and local community leaders, he thanked government officials for tax abatements that allowed Igloo to open the new distribution center.

Breaking the mold

As the dedication ceremony got underway, plant workers nearby were busy churning out new coolers. Rotational molding is a three-part process that involves filling iron molds, then sending them through an oven and cooling area.

When the molds return, workers like Carlos Gutierrez and Julian Maradiaga bang away with hammers and unfasten clamps and other fittings.

The entire process takes about an hour.

On Thursday morning, Gutierrez and Maradiaga pulled from the mold a still-warm 250-quart Yukon, the largest in Igloo's super-premium line. That's big enough to fit 58 six-packs of cans.

Roto manager Dale Paetow and Operations director L.B. Ward pointed out that it's no coincidence the work was done under giant U.S. and Texas flags hanging from the ceiling.
AUSTIN - An executive can commit no greater sin in business than to misuse capital, labor or real property, the foundations of wealth.

No government program wastes all three more than the prison system, where taxpayer money is spent to lock people up in publicly owned facilities. That's why societies must make sure prisons are used only for those we fear, and not for those with whom we are only angry.

Texas, though, spends too much money imprisoning people who should be rehabilitated by other means, according to Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. The state's chamber of commerce has joined conservative and liberal organizations to create the Smart-on-Crime Coalition to demand better.

"Texas has the largest prison population of any state in the country. Nearly 145,000 are incarcerated, and a significant percentage of those are low-level offenders. People who are being held for violating parole or minor drug crimes," Hammond said. "Violent criminals, rapists and sexual offenders do belong in prison. However, there are some people whom we do not think belong in prison because of the cost."

Texas spends about $3 billion a year on prisons. Keeping someone behind bars costs about $50 a day, compared with $3 a day for supervised probation. With Texas lawmakers facing an $8 billion shortfall to maintain the current level of government services in 2018-2019, they need to find savings, and criminal justice is overdue for an overhaul.

Hammond explained at an Austin news conference that it's not just about saving taxpayer money, though. It's about keeping nonviolent offenders employed and providing for their families while making restitution. Diversion programs and alternative sentencing can also force offenders to get treatment for drug addiction and mental health problems that underlie most crimes today.

"You are talking about individuals who are working, who are paying taxes, who are paying child support. They should be part of the community and part of the workforce instead of rotting in some prison at a high cost to taxpayers," Hammond said.

Prison reform has long been a priority for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank in Austin. The group notes that politicians rely too much on incarceration, with one of every 100 American adults in prison today, compared with one in every 400 in 1970.

The group wants rehabilitation programs that reduce recidivism, such as mandatory job training, drug counseling and mental health care for the 7,000 Texans who are going to prison every year for simple drug possession.

The left-leaning Texas Criminal Justice Coalition couldn't agree more, calling for new ways to address possession of a controlled substance.

"There is no evidence that harsh penalties will discourage someone from continuing to use drugs, and therefore it is no surprise, then, that of the thousands of people who we send to state jail each year, 62 percent of them will be rearrested within three years," said Douglas Smith, a policy analyst with the group. "We can't arrest our way out of addiction."

The Smart-on-Crime groups also want more efforts to help ex-offenders resume normal lives.

"We know it's difficult for ex-offenders to reintegrate into society. That's a fact. They face difficulty with finding jobs, housing, and they and their families are often outcast in their very own communities," said Gus Reyes, ethics and justice ministry of the 5,200-church Texas Baptist Commission.

Goodwill Industries, which is often the first job someone gets upon leaving prison, wants more funding for vocational education programs.

"Just last year, we released more than 30,000 people from Texas state jails," said Traci Berry, senior vice president of community engagement with Goodwill Central Texas. "We know that improving education and employment opportunities have a recognized effect on the recidivism rate, community safety and economic prosperity."

Other members of the coalition include Prison Fellowship, which wants to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Texas from 17 to 18 years old so children are no longer sent to adult prisons. And the ACLU of Texas wants to eliminate jail time for technical parole violations, like showing up late for a meeting.

If lawmakers follow through, all of these proposed changes pay for themselves. Keeping people out of prison saves money, which can easily pay for the drug abuse, mental health and job training programs to rehabilitate instead of incarcerate.

Keeping nonviolent offenders out of prison and using supervised probation to make them help themselves and pay for their crimes is the morally and fiscally correct policy. And when capital, labor and real property are employed effectively, every citizen and business in Texas benefits.
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If the electricity business didn't face enough trouble with deregulation, limited transmission lines and greater competition from all sides, the average household's demand for electricity is on the decline.

Homes will require 11 percent less electricity in 2040, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. More energy efficient appliances and consumer behavior are the key reasons your grandchild's home will use less energy.

Overall residential demand for electricity will still climb in the United States as the number of homes grows, but very slowly. So how does a company that needs to grow earnings every year still generate a return when the consumption of its product is stagnant?

The conventional methods of boosting revenues are to cut costs and raise prices. Fitch Ratings Service predicts electric utilities will do a little of both, pressuring state regulators to change how rates are assessed to boost income.

"We also believe potential long-run consumption declines will be managed through reductions in planned investment, particularly new generating capacity," the service said in an analyst's note released Tuesday.

The more unconventional route is for incumbent companies to hire lobbyists to fight innovation, particularly when it comes to rooftop solar, demand response and battery storage.

Big utilities across the United States are pressuring regulators to make it more difficult use rooftop solar. For instance, the Texas Public Utility Commission has imposed rules for residential solar that earned the state an F grade from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

Another growing business that is hung up on outdated Texas regulations is the demand response industry. These companies install sophisticated controls in commercial and industrial facilities that allow them to control energy consumption. For a cut of the savings, the demand response company will manage when lights and air conditioners are turned off to save energy when electricity is the most expensive.

Batteries are getting so big and effective now that they are ready to help stabilize the electricity grid. But when Oncor, the transmission line company, suggested adding batteries to transmission lines to manage demand, the power generation companies threw a fit. They said it would be tantamount to producing electricity, which transmission companies are forbidden from doing.

If you can't beat the competition, apparently you send lobbyists to Austin to make sure your competitor is not allowed on the field.

The electric business is getting tougher every day, and new technologies have the potential to disrupt the business further. We need to keep an eye on regulators, though, to make sure the playing field is level for all new entrants.

That's the only way to guarantee the best and cheapest power for consumers.
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AUSTIN - What a thing to behold is this Yeti. Much like its monstrous namesake, built for the permafrost and conditioned for hard treatment, it has become a subject of intense campfire debate, inspiring unsuspected passions within the hearts of devoted hunters and anglers.

In more literal terms, the Yeti, a bafflingly customized beverage cooler, has created a market for luxury gear priced to match the willing outlays of self-styled "outdoor enthusiasts, pros, tailgaters and backyard barbecue kings," according to marketing materials.

Growth has been astounding, with 2013 sales of more than $100 million, up from of $30 million in 2011, according to the marketing trade publication Campaign. The privately held company declined to provide updated figures.

Seeking new pastures, Yeti Coolers has already resorted to apparent self-parody. Witness the Ridicooler, which comes equipped with game calls, power outlets, a shotgun rack, a toaster and yes, an alcohol breathalyzer.

To plot a more solid path forward, the Austin-based company in August hired Matt Reintjes, late of Vista Outdoor, as its new chief executive. He declined a recent interview request, a spokeswoman said, because "we're still in the planning/strategy phase."

If Reintjes seems cautious, he is hardly alone. A primary competitor, Igloo Products of Katy, fresh off an $18 million plant upgrade and product expansion, declined to discuss the market for luxury coolers. And independent industry analysis firms offer little tracking.

"Sorry, I don't have any insights to help you," said Janine Marshall of NPD Group, which does track numerous products under categories including Food Service and Food Consumption.

To explain the phenomenon, however, it may help to start with the understanding that these things come from Texas. Founded by Ryan and Roy Seiders, sons of the man who invented the fishing rod finish known as FlexCoat, the Yeti emerged from frustration. The brothers, by the account of a company history, were dismayed to find their fishing coolers falling apart after a season of being loaded with aluminum cans, tossed onto boats and stood upon for reeling leverage.

This, it turned out, was a more common problem than you might expect.

"We're so glad," the brothers say in the company history, "that we weren't the only ones looking for a Yeti."

They designed the Tundra, "roto-molded" seamlessly in the manner of a kayak, with polyurethane insulation, lid gaskets and rustproof hinges. A portable model, capable of storing 20 beers at a 2-to-1 ratio with ice, retails for $300.

Newspaper stories are not supposed to waste words, but it bears repeating: This small beverage cooler costs $300. The largest model (268-beer capacity) can be had for $1,400.

The Seiders brothers advertised their creation through online videos, including a clip depicting unsuccessful efforts to destroy a Yeti by a "500 lb. strong man and pro-wrestler" known as Big Bald Mike. As their gear amassed a legion of official "ambassadors," customers began posting images of their own to social media.

Perhaps the following crime story, of all things, best encapsulates the initial appeal of the Yeti in all its Texan-ness: In June, according to police in New Braunfels, a man driving a pickup walked out of a Buc-ee's with two unpurchased Yetis.

The man was wearing a white Performance Fishing Gear T-shirt. The next day, he returned to try again. He was wearing a blue Performance Fishing Gear T-shirt.

The thief remains at large.

And his case has not been isolated.

"We've had a couple of them stolen," Lt. Craig Christopherson said. "It's obviously a hot commodity when it's in the back of somebody's pickup."

Enthusiasm of a more legitimate sort has spread beyond the state, with reviews in blogs like GearJunkie and an endorsement from the New York Times. Following the lead of countless lifestyle brands, Yeti has sought to make itself the center of a running conversation for which its own products happen to be indispensable.

The bet may not be a bad one. Americans spend $646 billion annually on camping, fishing and hunting, by the estimate of the Outdoor Industry Association.

Just in case demand for thousand-dollar coolers eventually peaks, though, the company has started expanding into tumblers, bottle openers and the like. A college-logo cooler line includes the University of Texas, Texas A&M and more far-flung schools like Penn State.

Roy Seiders, on the occasion of hiring the new chief executive, said in a statement that he will devote his own attention to "developing game-changing products and continuing to build the brand."

For now at least, durability alone seems to be buying the company some time to develop a growth strategy as a more urbane crowd takes interest. Most weekends here in Austin, a Yeti can be spotted at the home of Chris David, who works as a wine company representative, cooks a mean paella and engages in very little hunting or fishing.

"I like that I buy beer and ice on a Friday, leave it on the screened porch and still have ice-cold beer on Sunday," David said. "I've gone through about five midrange coolers in about six years. This is just made better, and yes, you pay more for that."
Doctors of osteopathic medicine are fully accredited physicians who can complete court-required mental health exams required to involuntarily commit an individual for psychiatric care, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has ruled in response to a Harris County judge's September decision not to accept such applications.

State senators Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, and Joan Huffman, R-Houston, requested the opinion in October after Probate Judge Rory Olsen began arguing that "ambiguous" language in a provision of the state's health and safety code meant only medical doctors were authorized to sign commitment paperwork. Olsen subsequently stopped the policy while Paxton reviewed the matter.

"We find no authority to reject a certificate of medical examination for mental illness solely on the degree designation distinction," Paxton concluded in the Dec. 20 opinion.

Noting that the Legislature has expressly prohibited a hospital, institution or program licensed by the state from "discriminating against physicians solely on the basis of their academic medical degree," Paxton wrote that refusing to accept a certificate of examination "solely on the basis that the physician holds a degree designation of doctor of osteopathy rather than a degree of medicine appears to constitute the type of discrimination that the Legislature specifically sought to avoid."

Olsen said Tuesday he accepts Paxton's reasoning and will continue to grant DO-signed applications. He called it evidence of the matter's complexity that it took Paxton two months to render an opinion.

The opinion was hailed by the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, one of a number of professional groups that wrote Olsen in September expressing concern about the likely effect on the county's already undermanned psychiatric force and trying to change his mind. In a statement, association president Dr. David E. Gaza of Laredo thanked "Paxton, Schwertner, Huffman as well as all the other legislators who offered assistance clarifying this issue for the court."

You can read the Chronicle's coverage of the flap over Olsen's original stance here and his acquiescence while the matter was under review here. Paxton's opinion is embedded below.
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Layers and layers of paint have been virtually and physically removed from the 15th-century Ghent Altarpiece, a renowned work of biblical figures on wood panels, revealing for the first time in hundreds of years the individual brush strokes of the original paintings.

In this first phase of restoration on one of the earliest art works to use oil paints on a large scale, new scanning techniques uncovered the singular skills of Flemish brothers Jan and Hubert Van Eyck, beneath layers of overpainting and varnish.

The restoration, which has been taking place for the last four years at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium, has involved painstaking work that has led to a number of discoveries, including the dating of several wooden panels from the same oak trees.

As an early Renaissance piece, the altarpiece is widely recognized as one of history's most influential art works, because of the intimate attention it gives to both earthly and divine beauty. The polyptych altarpiece, consisting of 12 panels, has at its center its most iconic panel, "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.'' It depicts a liturgy attended by different groups of people in a landscape rich in religious symbolism. In the middle is a white lamb on an altar, with a breast wound gushing blood.

On the lower outer panels, people look on - some more interested than others. The upper register portrays three enthroned figures: In the middle might be God or Christ - experts are not sure - flanked by the Virgin Mary on the left and John the Baptist on the right.

On the upper outer panels, angels sing and play music. Adam and Eve, in one of the earliest renderings of them naked with fig leaves, stand on the outermost wings. The upper outside register represents scenes from the Annunciation of Mary and the lower register has sculptures of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.

The altarpiece has a dark side as well. Pieces of it have been stolen repeatedly over time, including by the Nazis, who stored the entire work in a salt mine for most of World War II.

In fact, one panel, "The Just Judges," in the outer left corner on the inside, has been missing since 1934. Although it has been replaced with a copy, local conspiracy theories still circulate about where the original might be.

Restorers, whose work behind glass panels can be viewed by museum visitors, initially did not have permission to remove all the varnish and overpainting that had been done to the sizable work.

But they were given the green light to carry out this perilous task after new scanning technology confirmed their hunches that what lay below was far more stunning and was "with more certainty than ever" painted by the Van Eycks and finished in 1432.

The scanning technique, called macro-X-ray fluorescence analysis, or MA-XRF, was revolutionary. "Never before has such a large surface been scanned; the outside panels measure 8 square meters in total," said Geert Van der Snickt, a cultural heritage scientist at the University of Antwerp who helped develop the technique.

This scanning technique is rapidly becoming the new golden standard for investigating historical paintings, he said. Since 2010, his team has scanned several smaller paintings, including Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers"; Rembrandt's "Syndics of the Drapers' Guild"; Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and a dozen other oil paintings by the Flemish Primitives.

The scans laid bare efforts to conserve the altarpiece, and the handiwork of its original masters.

"But what's most revolutionary here is that the scans influenced the actual restoration works and convinced restorers to scrape off paint from one of the world's most valuable paintings," he added.

Scientists first bombard a painting with high-frequency electromagnetic waves. This leads atoms inside a painting to ionize and emit electromagnetic waves of their own.

The scanner then captures these secondary waves, and through an analysis of their energy, momentum and angle, identifies each different atom and its place in a painting.

This allows scientists to construct images of a painting using one chemical element at a time, such as lead, copper, iron and mercury. By comparing these images, they are able to separate copper-based red pigments in a superficial paint layer, for example, from lead-based white pigments in an underlying layer.

These scans are part of an elaborate restoration campaign, which set out in 2012 to document and restore all 24 paintings of the Ghent Altarpiece by 2020. The Church Council of the St. Bavo Cathedral, which owns the painting, assigned a team of restorers from the Belgian Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage to carry out a limited restoration, and an international committee of experts to oversee their work.

The Flemish government allocated a budget of 1.26 million euros, or about $1.3 million.

But when the scans, which have only been conducted on the exterior panels, showed that about 70 percent of those panels were overpainted, restorers dug deeper.

Next, cross-sectional microfragments - smaller than a grain of salt - were taken from the exterior panels and put under a digital 3D microscope, provided by the University of Ghent. By magnifying the microfragments 200 times, restorers observed the paint's surface in 3D, and saw how the layers were structured - where the overpainting dating mostly to the 16th or 17th centuries ended, and where the original painting began.

Three levels were detected: The original painting with the original varnishes on top; a first overpainting consisting of a thin colored, translucent layer with several layers of varnish on top; and the second overpainting, whose varnishes had already been removed.

Helene Dubois, the project leader, said that the scans helped steer restorers from their early mission of simply restoring the overpainting to pursuing the original work.

And so in early 2015 restorers began laying tiny compresses soaked in solvents on the overpaint. Looking through a microscope, they then removed the softened paint with a cotton swab, or sometimes with a scalpel.

"A truly painstaking task," said Bart Devolder, a restorer who uncovered the original figure of Archangel Gabriel on one of the panels.

Uncovered for the first time in about 500 years, the originals were in need of conservation. Each flake of ancient paint was treated with a tiny drop of isinglass, a natural collagen obtained from the swim bladder of a sturgeon, which was applied, heated and pressed down to match the surface.

Small losses in the original paint were carefully filled with a mixture of chalk and animal glue, and then retouched to integrate into the original painting. Finally, several layers of varnish were applied with a brush, and a final coat with a spray.

The result was "without a trace of hyperbole, a triumph: awe inspiring and transformative," said Michael Gallagher, a member of the international committee of experts and chief conservator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The project also provided an opportunity for experts on the dating of wood, or dendrochronologists, to examine the panels of the altarpiece. It was painted on 12 oak panels, a common form of support for paintings in the 15th century, until canvas became more popular near the end of the 16th century.

In 2008, Pascale Fraiture, a dendrochronologist at the Belgian Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, examined the four central panels of the altarpiece - "The Virgin Enthroned," "Deity Enthroned," "John the Baptist Enthroned" and "The Adoration of the Lamb" - and a few years later, two of its wing panels, Adam and Eve.

"What we do is, we first identify the annual growth rings on a given piece of wood," Fraiture said. "This gives us a pattern, or a code if you will, which I then compare with my database" - which covers more than 2,000 years of oak from Western Europe.

Fraiture determined that the planks used in the panels of the Ghent Altarpiece - each panel contains between two to four planks - all came from oak trees in the Baltic region.

"Back then, import of oak from the Baltic region was common, and was used for building ships, furniture and for paintings."

"Several pairs of two or three planks, distributed over the different panels of the altarpiece, come from the exact same tree," she said. The felling of the trees occurred between 1368 and 1408, she estimated.

"This tells us that the different panels, and thus the different paintings, have a common history from the very beginning," she said.

The eight exterior panels have been returned to St. Bavo Cathedral, where the altarpiece had been on near-continuous display since its installment in 1432.

It remains to be seen whether the Flemish government, the main creditor, and the Cathedral Church Council, the owner of the artwork, will agree to a similar aggressive restoration for the remaining panels. Additional funds would be needed, and the deadline for 2020 would not be met, all sides agree.

St. Bavo wants the panels back by 2020, when a new museum is to open.

Well aware of the local politics surrounding the restoration, Gallagher said: "The next steps are crucial. It is absolutely vital that the same focus and care are brought to the interior wings."

"I and my colleagues fully acknowledge the complexities of different expectations and competing timetables," he said, adding that nevertheless they were "confident that the No. 1 priority will remain the welfare and significance of Van Eyck's legacy."

Back at the museum in Ghent, restorers started investigating the interior panels earlier this month. During a recent tour of the museum, Dubois halted before the central panel - "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" - and locked it with her eyes.

"The white lamb in the middle, you see" she said, unable to suppress a smile, "I can assure you, is overpainted."
I grew up holding Carrie Fisher in my hands.

It wasn't the actual Fisher, of course, that would have been weird. This was a small figurine dressed in white and sporting hair spun into buns that nested on the sides of her head. The toy, with beady eyes and an inflexible vinyl cape, didn't even look like Fisher. It only kind of resembled her iconic "Star Wars" character, Princess Leia. But when that plastic action figure was in my hands, it became a tribute to Fisher's most endearing quality: A confidence built on the understanding she could get make it past any hell she encountered and marked by blunt assessments of the world around her that rarely echoed the common cultural refrains.

As we sift through the emotions and tributes that fill the wake of Fisher's death on Tuesday, it's worth talking about what her legacy will be. Kneejerk reactions will focus on her place as the Alpha female in our era's closest thing to a true and timeless epic tale. Narrow perspectives will make comments or jokes about hair shaped like bagels or how she redefined sci-fi sexy courtesy of a metal bikini and the saliva of a giant slug. These are fine reactions, I suppose. We all process loss and grief differently. But beyond the quick twitch memorials, I feel this can't be repeated enough: Fisher's legacy isn't Princess Leia. It's Carrie Fisher, herself.

Through the decades since "Star Wars" was released in 1977, it's become increasingly difficult to separate the film's stars from the spacefaring franchise. Mark Hamil might as well change his name to Luke Skywalker. Alec Guinness has such a great film resume that he has the word "Sir" in front of his name, but to most of the world he'll forever be known as Obi-Wan Kenobi. And Harrison Ford has become one of the most prominent actors on the planet, yet people still wonder if his character shot first in a rough-and-tumble alien bar. This is the curse of "Star Wars," it takes over who you are.

That never happened to Fisher. Yes, she never found a film or TV role with as much success or acclaim as she had with Princess Leia. But she also never became trapped by the fact that she didn't wear a bra in "Star Wars." And how did she escape such cultural purgatory? By telling the world that George Lucas wouldn't let her wear a bra because he told her that a bra wouldn't work in space (something about expanding flesh and low gravity). Fisher could have laughed off that fashion choice for years. But she didn't. She stared the fans in their eyes and told them what so many people fail to share: The truth.

That's the recurring theme of Fisher's fascinating life. She shared the truth about her battles with drug addiction in books and film ("Postcards from the Edge"). She bravely told the truth about trying to live with chronic depression and how she used the stigma-laden technique of electroshock therapy to find some happiness. And she bluntly talked about how celebrity and fame fractured her family by openly discussing her father's (Eddie Fisher) decision to leave her mother (Debbie Reynolds) for Elizabeth Taylor.

Fisher told us what her life was really like, not the facade of fabulous clothes and red carpets that too many celebrities hide behind. She painted a reality of drastic ups and downs and the struggles that come from trying to navigate a profession that doesn't really want you be who you really are.

That's especially true with "Star Wars" fans. They don't want to find out their heroes cry in their pillow just like we all do. Yet there was Fisher, as "Star Wars" conventions, in front of thousands of blissfully ignorant fans telling them how poorly Lucas treated them on set, that he called the actors "talking meat" and, via her resent book, how she had an affair with a married Harrison Ford while they filmed this epic franchise.

She was blunt to the end. And you have to love her for it.

Lucas did. Years after working with Fisher, and hearing her share the private details about how they made these movies, he still asked her to help him write speeches and work on the dialogue in his scripts. He respected her. We all did.

Some cultural analysts will say she earned our respect by playing Princess Leia. That's only partially true. She earned our respect by shaping this classic character with the same qualities she had. Fisher wasn't trapped by the ghosts of Leia. She was Leia. Or, more accurately, Leia was Fisher.

Celebrities' legacies can become distorted after their deaths as the church of praise shapes them into who we thought they were. I don't think that will happen with Fisher. She was always who she was: An honest, intelligent woman with razor-sharp wit and the confidence that could carry her anywhere.

She was a hero - whether in real life or in my hands that cast her as a leader in an imaginary battle to save the universe. Let's not ever forget that, Fisher was the hero. Not Leia, Fisher.
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Henry Oncken, who was a Harris County prosecutor, district judge and U.S. attorney in his many decades serving in the local criminal justice system, died last week. He was 78.

From 1969 when he joined the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Oncken became a well-respected figure among local attorneys and judges. He carried a quiet manner and promoted honesty and impartiality, family and coworkers said.

For the last almost 20 years, Oncken, who was retired from his own legal career, would serve as a visiting judge, presiding over trials and hearings in the county criminal courts in other judges' stead.

"He set such a great example," said Oncken's daughter, Leah Johnson. "He was such a quiet leader. You just knew, even though he didn't say a word, and he wasn't brash or bold, that he was the leader in the room and people followed him."

The family described the cause of death as a pulmonary embolism.

Born in Shiner, Oncken and his mother moved to Houston when he was 6 weeks old, his wife Jackie Oncken said.

He started as a mail clerk at Humble Oil and Refining Co., which later would become part of Exxon. That's where Jackie said she met him - she worked as a mail clerk two floors beneath him.

But he was unhappy with his job there, Jackie said. Henry then attended the University of Houston and got his law degree at the school's Bates College of Law.

'He was smart'

After a few years in private practice, Oncken joined the Harris County District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor. He would remain part of the district attorney's office for 12 years, rising to first assistant - the No. 1 position under district attorney - in the early 1980s.

"He was smart," said John B. Holmes, Jr., who was district attorney during Oncken's tenure as first assistant. "He had the abilities to instruct and teach and gather others."

Oncken was appointed as a Harris County district judge by former Gov. Bill Clements, and he presided over criminal cases for more than a year before losing an election bid. Being a judge was his favorite role, his family said.

He then returned to private practice for two years before being appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan as U.S. attorney for the Southern District.

Showed how to lead

As U.S. attorney, Oncken provided an example of how to lead, said current U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, who was in the office under Oncken until Oncken's tenure there ended in 1990.

Magidson said Oncken strengthened the civil rights section by adding two experienced prosecutors. He also pushed and led several investigations into drug smuggling and cartels.

Magidson praised Oncken's ability to manage and coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement.

"He always looked at the facts and the law in an objective way and tried to give equal justice under the law," Magidson said. "He was respected by the entire legal community, especially all of law enforcement here in Harris County."

'Honest to the core'

After 11 more years of private practice, Oncken retired in 2001 from actively practicing law.

His daughter, Leah, said Oncken loved to hunt and fish.

He was an avid Astros fan, and a leader in his Tomball-area neighborhood association.

"He never really sought, but he deserved a lot of credit for what he did," Jackie Oncken said. "And how he felt about being honest. He was honest to the core.

"He just had integrity about him."

A funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at John Wesley United Methodist Church.
For the past decade, one of the Houston Independent School District's biggest goals has been to reduce the "over-identification" of African-Americans in special education.

District officials have talked constantly about how black students in Houston, as in the rest of the country, are more likely to be placed in special education services than white students.

But dozens of current and former employees said the initiative has made it difficult for them to obtain special education evaluation and placement for students of all races.

African-Americans in Houston are actually less likely to receive special education services than students of any race in almost any other big city in the United States, statistics show. Houston's overall special education rate of 7.26 percent is virtually last among the nation's 50 largest cities and less than half those in Boston or New York.

HISD's focus on the over-identification of African-Americans has also been called into question, according to education experts, by recent research showing that African-Americans are more prone to disabilities because they have higher rates of premature birth, fetal alcohol syndrome, malnutrition and exposure to toxins such as lead.

And in concentrating on the over-identification of African Americans, the district hasn't addressed the lower rates among other groups, especially Hispanics, who are less likely to get services, according to district data and records.

A special education Comprehensive Program Improvement Plan completed during the 2011-12 school year included a major goal to "decrease the over-representation of African American students with disabilities."

But when it came to Hispanics, the objective in the plan was to continue to ensure there was no over-identification, which in practice meant continuing their under-representation.

"During staff meetings, we were always, always told about over-identification," said Ann Fenner, who taught special ed at Durkee Elementary in north Houston between 1991 and 2011. "Nobody ever said anything about under-identification."

The attempt to fight over-identification began in the early 2000s and was encouraged by federal officials who named special education disproportionality  over- and under-identification  as a major issues.

HISD took the issue further, in part due to a 2011 audit commissioned by then-Superintendent Terry Grier that highlighted the disparity.

HISD has focused specifically on reducing the number of black boys in the special education categories of mental illness and intellectual disability.

Recently, the expert who conducted the audit, Thomas Hehir, a Harvard University professor and former U.S. Department of Education official, acknowledged in an interview that high-poverty school districts "should probably have higher special ed rates."

More than 76 percent of HISD students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, according to the district.

HISD's fight against "over-identification" has largely failed, statistics show. Black HISD students today are 34 percent more likely to be in special education than the district average, which is not much different than a decade ago, when they were 36 percent more likely to be in special education.

But while the effort has not accomplished its primary objective, employees said that pressure to avoid "over-identification" has led schools to be overly cautious about evaluating any students, African- American or not, for special education.

"We heard very clearly about 'over-identification," said Carolyn Baum, who spent 29 years with HISD's special education department before recently retiring.

"It definitely affected things."
Armenian PM, US Ambassador discuss joint efforts to combat corruption (video)

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills. The interlocutors discussed issues related to U.S.-Armenia relations and exchanged views on cooperation in the Governments anticorruption policy. With reference to the activities of the Anticorruption Council, Karen Karapetyan said he was going to expand the scope of civil society representatives with a view to achieving stronger public feedback. Stressing the need to change the environment conducive to corruption, the Premier noted that the instructions issued at Cabinet meetings were aimed at reducing the risk of corruption through improved business environment, better quality of services and the enforcement of the one-stop-shop principle in different fields of activity. In turn, Richard Mills said the U.S. government ready to continue supporting Armenias anticorruption policy by extending the term of the agreement on the fight against corruption. In this regard, the Ambassador considered it necessary to outline the range of those specific steps and programs to be funded by the American side. Highlighting the progress made towards curbing corruption in different fields of activity, the Ambassador made a point of continued efforts in this direction. Richard Mills said the United States was ready to provide expert assistance to promote the ongoing judicial and tax reforms. Karen Karapetyan thanked the Ambassador for cooperation, noting that the Government of Armenia will soon present to the U.S. partners the areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.
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Famed Houston rapper Paul Wall and five other men are accused of coordinating a so-called weed party that drew more than 100 people to a private event to purchase marijuana and THC, the waxy extract from the leaves.

The rapper, whose legal name is Paul Michael Slayton, appeared Tuesday in a Harris County courtroom on charges of conspiracy to commit organized crime, accused of working with the other men to sell Tetrahydrocannabinol.

Also arrested on the same charge was fellow rapper Ronald Ray Bryant, known as Baby Bash.

Prosecutors said Houston police, who were monitoring social media for illegal behavior, were watching the Facebook and Instagram accounts for Slayton and several others since the summer months.

"There was a 'Secret Smoke Society' page that was advertising for the party or smoke session," Assistant Harris County District Attorney Chauntelle Wood. "Both Paul Wall - Paul Slayton - and Mr. Bryant - Baby Bash - were alleged to have been advertising as well."

Slayton, 35, was arrested last week with nine other people at a "smoke session" at a Heights-area smoke shop. On Tuesday, he was given his legal warnings by state District Judge Denise Bradley, who outlined conditions of his bond and ordered him to refrain from using drugs or alcohol.

He told the judge Tuesday he likely would test positive for marijuana, THC, codeine, hydrocodone, the muscle relaxer Soma and Ativan, which is similar to Xanax or Valium.

Slayton and the others are charged with felony intent to distribute between 4 and 400 grams of the controlled substance, THC, a first-degree felony. If convicted, they could face life in prison.

Alleges back problem

Slayton's attorney, Jolanda Jones, vehemently denied the allegations.

"Everything they think they know is just not there," Jones said after the hearing. In court, she said Slayton has a back problem and may have prescriptions for several of the drugs.

Slayton, who was escorted out of the courtroom through a crush of reporters by several supporters, declined comment. Bryant, 47, also declined to comment.

"My client hasn't committed any crime that's been charged against him," said his attorney, Carl Moore. "And we plan to fight this vigorously."

Prosecutors said two undercover police officers infiltrated a Thursday night party at the smoke shop to collect evidence and document illegal behavior. To get in, they each paid a $10 cover, prosecutors said.

Other drugs found

Wood said police found mostly marijuana with at least two people operating small machines to press the wax from the leaves.

"Marijuana was observed," Wood said. "THC oil was being made in the building. There were some pills, and I believe that was it."

After police broke up the party and arrested the people they believe were the organizers, they found other illegal drugs including codeine  which is often mixed in soda and the prescription drug OxyContin, a powerful pain medication.

From toy drive to party

Supporters of the two rappers have said the gathering, with a reported 150 people, was supposed to be a private party for the cannabis community. Slayton apparently spent the earlier part of the day collecting gifts for a holiday toy drive, according to his Instagram page.

After the arrest, Bryant tweeted a message to his followers stating, "Got caught up with a lil Weed yall.. no biggie. Lol #cannabiscommunity."

Both rappers are free on $20,000 bail. The other people are also free on bail and also have to abstain from drugs and alcohol while their cases are pending.
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to rebuild the nation's "inner cities," but his proposed tax policy could stifle a key revitalization tool: low-income housing tax credits.

Pointing to a state funding system still seen as favoring housing subsidies in suburban areas over urban and wariness about the fallout of Trump's plan to slash the corporate tax rate, housing policy experts are bracing for what they worry could be a difficult year for Texas cities seeking to expand their affordable housing stock.

"There's a lot of nervousness in the industry right now," said Scott Marks, an Austin-based lawyer with the Coats Rose law firm who specializes in affordable housing. "In the cities like Houston, it means it's going to be a lot harder for affordable housing to be built, at least in the near future."

Houston is home to some 78,000 subsidized housing units, provided by the Houston Housing Authority, private developers and nonprofit organizations.

That leaves roughly 100,000 city households - or more than a quarter-million people - in need of affordable housing, according to housing authority President Tory Gunsolley, as demolition and new construction in historically working-class areas continue to displace residents.

Limited projects

More Information By the numbers 78,000 Number of subsidized housing units in Houston 100,000 Approximate number of city households still in need of affordable housing 2 Number of affordable housing developments inside Loop 610 approved in the past three years for the largest subsidy See More Collapse

Low-income housing tax credits, which companies purchase to lower their tax liability, are one of the primary funding sources for new subsidized housing.

In 2015, Texas awarded tax credits to 94 developments, 11 of them in Houston.

Some in the industry say the state application process has made it difficult in recent years for developers to receive tax credits for projects in densely populated areas.

After the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs was ordered by a court in 2012 to remedy its longtime pattern in the Dallas metropolitan area of concentrating low-income housing in high-poverty minority neighborhoods, the agency rewrote its rules to favor developments in so-called "high-opportunity" areas. Such neighborhoods are home to better schools, lower crime rates and residents with higher incomes.

That made it more challenging for developers to receive tax credits for projects in areas attempting to revitalize. Meanwhile, development costs and local lawmakers' ability to essentially veto projects also stymied affordable developments in affluent urban areas, housing experts said. As a result, new tax credit developments - particularly those with higher subsidies - were pushed to the suburbs.

In Houston, for example, just two of 11 developments approved in the last three years for the larger subsidy - a 9 percent tax credit - are located within Loop 610, which surrounds the traditional inner city. Two are between Loop 610 and Beltway 8, and seven are located along the beltway or beyond.

Several other projects in the region were approved outside city limits.

"There's just not a whole lot of areas within the city limits that qualified under those scoring criteria," said Zach Cavender, director of the Mark-Dana Corp., a private developer that specializes in affordable housing. "That's why you've seen a lot of the development in the past few years pushed into the suburbs."

The state's tax credit allocation process for next year attempts to correct for that imbalance in cities with a population of more than 500,000 by guaranteeing tax credits for at least one project in an area primed for revitalization. Developers in those cities also receive additional points if their project site is within four miles of City Hall.

"The department has sought a more balanced approach, creating a set of incentives and threshold requirements that balance revitalization efforts with 'high-opportunity' areas, and promote greater dispersion of properties in communities, including (this year) dispersion into urban core areas that may be heavily impacted by escalating rents as gentrification occurs in our larger cities," Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs spokeswoman Kristina Tirloni said in an email.

Uncertainty reigns

Tom McCasland, director of Houston's Housing and Community Development Department, said the city has yet to designate its revitalization area but intends to do so in the coming weeks.

"This might actually get some deals closer in to the urban core, where property areas typically are going to be higher and it's harder to develop," said Matt Hull, executive director of the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations.

Marks, the affordable housing lawyer, agreed that the state's changes may help level the playing field for urban areas but said suburban neighborhoods remain at an advantage.

Another concern, he said, is that Trump's plan to slash the corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent would reduce the incentive for companies to invest in tax credits because they would have smaller tax liabilities.

That uncertainty already has frozen the tax credit market, as investors struggle to calculate the return on purchasing tax credits, Marks said.

"Some have said that if the corporate tax rate drops from 35 percent to 15 percent, that could actually crowd out the entire low-income housing tax credit program," Marks said. "I think that's a bit too pessimistic."

At a minimum, he expects closings scheduled for the beginning of the year to be delayed. Gunsolley shares Marks' concerns.

"We are looking at a massive re-evaluation of the tax credit market and what the value of a tax credit is," Gunsolley said. "That's going to make deals harder to get done, and we'll probably see deals not happen that would have happened in better times."

The state housing agency is monitoring the situation, Tirloni said, and is "working to refine its tools to accommodate and address changes in the market to assure that disruption to the development of affordable housing can be managed and minimized."

'Get more creative'

If tax credits become less valuable, developers would need to lean more heavily on outside entities, such as city housing departments, to close their funding gaps.

"If we follow the same model we've been following of chasing tax credits and that being the majority of how we get units on the ground, we're not going to keep up," McCasland said. "Without abandoning the approach and trying to get tax credits, we are going to have to be more creative."

With that in mind, McCasland plans to focus next year on alternative ways of assisting low-income residents: financing home repairs, providing down-payment assistance and piloting a program to build alternative housing for senior or disabled homeowners in life-threatening situations.

The housing department also is working to establish a community land trust, which would let the city preserve land for affordable housing while allowing residents to purchase a home and build equity.

"We've got a lot of work to do," McCasland said.
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM - President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid somber tribute here Tuesday to the American service members killed in a surprise attack by the Japanese imperial navy 75 years ago.

The two leaders, dressed in dark suits and ties, presented wreaths and bowed their heads in silent respect during a brief tour of the USS Arizona Memorial that commemorates the U.S. sailors and Marines who perished on the battleship on Dec. 7, 1941. President Roosevelt had called it "a date which will live in infamy."

In public remarks afterward, Obama and Abe reaffirmed the U.S.-Japan alliance, calling it the bedrock of security and prosperity in Asia. Obama declared the "hallowed harbor" stands as a symbol not just of the valor of the Americans who fought to defend it but also of the power of reconciliation between former enemies. It was a message, he suggested, that remains as resonant today as over the past seven decades.

"It is here we remember that even when hatred burns the hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is the most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward; we must resist the urge to demonize those who are different," Obama said. "The sacrifice made here, the anguish of war, reminds us to seek that divine spark that is common to all humanity."

Abe did not apologize for Japan's actions, but he offered his "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the souls of those who died, and he pledged that Japan would remain on a peaceful path.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we the people of Japan have taken," Abe said, speaking mostly in Japanese.

The visit marked the first by a Japanese leader to the memorial, which was built in 1962 over the submerged remains of the battleship that was sunk during the attack. In all, 2,403 Americans died in the attack and another 1,178 were wounded. The United States declared war on Japan the following day, marking the nation's formal entry into World War II.

At one point, Obama and Abe stood in a well of the memorial overlooking the battleship and each tossed a handful of flower petals over the railing. U.S. Navy personnel in dress white uniforms accompanied them, along with senior aides and a small contingent of reporters.

Obama praised the "greatest generation" that served in the war, including his maternal grandfather and the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. The longtime senator, who died in 2012, served with fellow Japanese-Americans in the highly decorated 442nd infantry at a time when the United States jailed many Japanese and Japanese-Americans in internment camps.

"Here at Pearl Harbor, where America fought its first battle of Second World War, it roused a nation," Obama said. "Here in so many ways America came of age."

Abe thanked the United States for helping rebuild Japan after the devastation of the war, noting that Americans sent food and clothing to the Japanese people. He said that after he arrived in Hawaii on Monday he visited a stone marker for a fallen Japanese pilot - an impromptu gravesite made by American service members.

"We are allies that will tackle together, to greater degree than ever before, the challenges across the globe," Abe said. The Japanese leader has been eager to establish a relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, who has questioned the costs of the U.S. military-basing agreements in Japan and South Korea.

Among the shared goals, Obama said, was "slowing the spread of nuclear weapons," a message that contrasted with Trump's recent suggestion that he is open to increasing the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Japanese leaders had avoided paying homage at Pearl Harbor over right-wing opposition back home. Abe decided the time was right after Obama's visit in May to Hiroshima, where the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in August 1945 to help end the war, was well-received by the Japanese public.
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to produce a full report on Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, his homeland security adviser said Friday.

Obama also directed them to develop a list of "lessons learned" from the campaign the United States has accused Russia of carrying out to steal emails, publish their contents and probe the vote-counting system.

"We may have crossed a new threshold here," Lisa Monaco, one of Obama's closest aides and the former head of the national security division of the Justice Department, told reporters Friday. "He expects to receive this report before he leaves office."

The report, according to senior administration officials, will trace the attacks on the Democratic National Committee and on prominent individuals such as John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

But it is unclear that the contents of the report will be made public. Intelligence agencies and the FBI, which has an active investigation of the hacking underway, have been reluctant to make public any of their findings; they fear it will reveal sources and methods of how the incursions were traced to Russia.

After past investigations involving sensitive intelligence information, declassified versions of reports were sometimes published, with a classified version sent to congressional committees and some agencies.

President-elect Donald Trump has consistently questioned whether hacking happened, and if it did whether Russia was responsible.

He has suggested the effort to blame Russia was an effort to discredit him and his call for closer relations with Moscow.

In early October, after considerable infighting, the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., and the secretary of homeland security, Jeh Johnson, issued a joint statement saying Russia was behind the hack of the Democratic Committee. It suggested the activity had to have been approved at the highest levels of the Russian government.

On Capitol Hill, the pressure for deeper investigations and a broader release of intelligence findings is growing.

Seven Senate Democrats asked the White House earlier this week to declassify some of their conclusions, a step Monaco said the intelligence agencies were considering.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has vowed to hold hearings on Russian activities, including efforts to get into military systems.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Cristina Fernandez, the Argentine former president who with her late husband dominated the country's politics for most of this century, was indicted Tuesday on fraud and corruption charges involving huge public works projects. It was her second indictment since she left office last year.

Several members of her administration, including Julio De Vido, a former planning minister, and Jose Lopez, a former public works secretary, were also charged in the case. Lazaro Baez, a businessman long associated with Fernandez and her husband, Nestor Kirchner, was also charged. One of his companies, Austral Construcciones, was accused of being the beneficiary of corruption.

The former officials are accused of being part of an illegal association "that operated between at least May 8, 2003, and Dec. 9, 2015, and was created to commit crimes to illegally and deliberately appropriate itself with funds that were assigned to road works," according to the indictment. The charges focus on 52 projects in the southern province of Santa Cruz, where Kirchner was governor for more than a decade until he became president in 2003.

Judge Julian Ercolini said that Baez's company, which did not exist until shortly before Kirchner became president, was awarded contracts worth $2.97 billion. That included 15 percent surcharges above the original cost of the contracts, Ercolini added.

Fernandez, who was president for two terms between 2007 and 2015, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and characterizes her legal troubles as little more than political persecution by her successor and rival, President Mauricio Macri.

"Conspiracy was the crime that was created by de facto governments and used by all the dictatorships to persecute opposition leaders," Fernandez wrote on Twitter after the indictment was announced.

Even while she was in office, she accused U.S. interests and others of being part of a crusade to undermine leftist leaders in Latin America, including her. She often compares her situation to that of Dilma Rousseff, the former president of Brazil and an ally of her administration, who was impeached this year.

Fernandez was indicted in May on charges of manipulating Argentina's Central Bank to bolster the peso. She is also under investigation in several other cases, many of which include Baez, who was detained in April in a separate case relating to money laundering. Baez has denied all charges against him.

The indictments were announced a day after Macri fired the finance minister, Alfonso Prat-Gay, in what was the first Cabinet shake-up since he took office last year in the midst of a deep recession. The economy has taken longer to recover than he promised; economic activity plunged 4.7 percent in October, compared to the previous year, according to official figures released Tuesday.

Some analysts say the latest indictment could help Macri's center-right government make its case, even if implicitly, that it needs more time to revive the economy.

"In the context of a weak economy, the government needs to remind voters of who came before them and the inheritance they received," said Marcelo Bermolen, a political science professor in Buenos Aires.
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration suggested Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized the hacking of Democratic officials' email accounts in the run-up to the presidential election and said it was "fact" that such actions helped Donald Trump's campaign.

The White House also assailed Trump himself, saying he must have known of Russia's interference.

No proof was offered for any of the accusations, the latest to unsettle America's uneasy transition from eight years under Democratic President Barack Obama to a new Republican administration led by Trump. The claims of Russian meddling in the election also have heightened already debilitating tensions between Washington and Moscow over Syria, Ukraine and a host of other disagreements.

"Only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, repeating the words from an October U.S. intelligence assessment.

Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, connected the dots further, saying it was Putin who was responsible for the Russian government's actions.

"I don't think things happen in the Russian government of this consequence without Vladimir Putin knowing about it," Rhodes said on MSNBC.

The explosive accusation paints Putin, the leader of perhaps the nation's greatest geopolitical foe, as having directly undermined U.S. democracy.

U.S. officials have not contended, however, that Trump would have been defeated by Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8 if not for Russia's assistance. Nor has there has been any indication of tampering with the vote-counting.

The Kremlin flatly rejected the claim of Putin's involvement, with Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissing it Thursday as "laughable nonsense."

The dispute over Russia's role is fueling an increasingly public spat between Obama's White House and Trump's team that is threatening to spoil the delicate truce that Obama and Trump have forged since Election Day.

Conway defends Trump

Although the president and president-elect have avoided criticizing each other publicly since Trump's win, their aides have been more openly antagonistic.

Kellyanne Conway, Trump's senior transition adviser, said it was "breathtaking" and irresponsible that the White House had suggested Trump knew Russia was interfering to help his campaign.

That led Obama spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday to unload, arguing that Trump, who has dismissed the CIA's assessment of Russian interference, should spend less time attacking the intelligence community and more time supporting the investigation that Obama has ordered.

Earnest said it was "obvious" Trump knew what Russia was doing during the campaign, pointing out that Trump had encouraged Moscow during a news conference to find Clinton's missing emails. Trump has said he was joking.

"I don't think anybody at the White House thinks it's funny that an adversary of the United States engaged in malicious cyber activity to destabilize our democracy," Earnest said. "That's not a joke."

U.S. intelligence officials have linked the hacking to Russia's intelligence agency and its military intelligence division.

Moscow has denied all accusations that it orchestrated the hacking of email accounts of Democratic Party officials and Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta, and then leaked them to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

Trump and his supporters insist the Democrats' outrage about Russia is really an attempt to undermine the validity of his election victory.

Rep. Peter King, a Trump ally and New York Republican, called it "disgraceful" as he spoke to reporters amassed in Trump Tower after meeting with the president-elect.

"Right now, certain elements of the media, certain elements of the intelligence community and certain politicians are really doing the work of the Russians," King said.

Democrats angered

Still, Democrats pounced on the latest suggestions of Putin being connected to the daily drip of emails during the presidential race from some of Clinton's closest advisers.

Putin was "clearly involved," said outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

"Having been the former head of the KGB, does that surprise you?" Reid said. "And does it surprise anybody today when he denied it?"

Reid's comments echoed those of Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, who said Wednesday it's hard to think that Putin didn't know about the operation. She called suggestions that he was aware of the hacking "very credible."

There has been no specific, persuasive evidence shared publicly about the extent of Putin's role or knowledge of the hackings. That lack of proof undercuts Democrats' strategy to portray Putin's involvement as irrefutable evidence of a directed Russian government plot to undermine America's democratic system.

Secretary of State John Kerry defended Obama's handling of the issue during the heat of the presidential campaign - a stance now criticized by some Democrats as too weak - but said he wouldn't comment on whether Putin was involved. "People need to remember that the president issued a warning," Kerry said.

"But he had to be obviously sensitive to not being viewed as interfering on behalf of a candidate or against a candidate or in a way that promoted unrealistic assessments about what was happening."
AUSTIN -- While vacationing Down Under, Gov. Greg Abbott has pulled off a Texas-style trade.

The deal: A black Stetson for a tan Akubra bush hat, the Australian version of a cowboy hat.

Not exactly a hat-trick, but close enough, in politics.

In a Tweet Wednesday morning, Abbott pictured himself with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull -- both grinning in their new headwear.

In a statement, Abbott's office said the governor and Turnbull talked for more than an hour in a wide-ranging discussion on a number of issues.

"They discussed the Texas economy and the many Australian companies doing business in Texas, energy policy, transportation policy and trade," the statement reads, noting that the conversation also "talked at length about regulatory policy  both under the incoming Trump administration and in Texas.

"On this specific issue, Governor Abbott talked about how the favorable regulatory environment and low cost of doing business in Texas is attracting so many people and businesses from other states and around the globe," the statement continued.

John Wittman, Abbott's press secretary, said the governor is vacationing with his wife and daughter in Sydney. He left on a commercial flight the day after Christmas and will return next Thursday, officials said.

Since he became governor almost two years ago, Abbott has made a series of international trips where he promoted Texas investments and trade, visiting Israel, Switzerland, Cuba and Mexico. In 2014, the government in Queensland said it was relocating a trade office from southern California to Houston in an announcement that highlighted the growing trade opportunities between Australia and Texas.
Andrew Harnik/STF

When a man whose knowledge of nuclear policy is on a par with the Slim Pickens character in the movie "Dr. Strangelove," he can bloviate all he wants about the bomb and how he'd use it, and few outside his local bar or country-club locker room will note his eruptions of ignorance. However, when he's president-elect of the United States, a man whose every spoken word or tweet is parsed like tea leaves in a seer's cup for nuance and subtle meaning, a little restraint might be in order. The Earth's very existence just might depend on it.

Donald Trump's alarming tweet last week about how he intends to "greatly strengthen and expand" the nation's "nuclear capability" not only raises questions about the judgment of a man who would presume to speak so loosely about nuclear weapons; it also suggests that he is oblivious to the possibility that his prodigal tweets could unleash catastrophe. Who knows how a Kim Jong Un might respond to a belligerent Trump tweet during a crisis involving nuclear-armed North Korea's neighbors? If you're South Korea or Japan, such uncertainty is not what you're looking for from a nation whose policy for decades has been to encourage international disarmament efforts.
Fill vacancies

Regarding "Fed cases mount in Texas courts" (Page A1, Dec. 21), the story accurately describes Texas, which is ground zero for the judicial vacancy crisis, because the state experiences 13 emergency vacancies. President Donald Trump and the Texas GOP senators must promptly cooperate to nominate and confirm well-qualified, mainstream judges.

The most efficient and least wasteful of scarce resources would be starting with the five experienced, moderate nominees who testified in a September hearing but have languished ever since. Indeed, President Barack Obama should renominate all five on Jan. 3 after their nominations expire. The Judiciary Committee ought to swiftly approve the nominees and the Senate must quickly confirm them before Inauguration Day, so the judges can deliver justice to people and businesses engaged in Texas federal court litigation.

Carl Tobias, law professor, University of Richmond School of Law

Electoral College

Regarding letter to the editor "Let fairness prevail," (Page A16, Friday), the letter's author needs to understand that the U.S. Constitution says "We ,the people," not "We, the states." The antiquated aspects of the Electoral College dilute the idea of one man, one vote. The days of disenfranchisement of the people should belong in the past. Maybe a proportionate division of states instead of winner-take-all could work, and you could still maintain the Electoral College.

Michael Wilson, Houston

Tough talk

Regarding "Trump's tough talk on border to be tested" (Page A1, Tuesday), in the real world, a weak opening position leads to a weaker outcome. Just ask Obama how his weak foreign policy worked in Syria, not to mention half a dozen other countries (including Ukraine, Libya and Egypt). Nobel prizes may be great when they are earned, but many thousands killed in Syria and millions of refugees means you didn't get it right. If Trump's rhetoric causes a couple hundred or even better a couple hundred thousand illegal immigrants to leave the country on their own, that is great. And if his strong opening position leads to a stronger, less porous border, that is great, too. If a work visa program is part of the deal, I can live with that as long as we shift from rewarding illegal behavior to being a nation of laws once again.

Karen Kleinen via HoustonChronicle.com

Who's a 'tyrant?'

Regarding letter to the editor "Hyperbolic" (Page A16, Friday), the author takes issue with Paul Krugman's concern about Trump's autocratic inclinations, asserting that the 260 executive orders issued by Barack Obama amounts to "tyranny" because it bypasses "the will of the representatives of our republic." If Obama is a tyrant bypassing the will of the representatives of our republic, the following U.S. presidents are worse: George.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, Warren Harding, William Taft, Truman, Herbert Hoover, Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. All of them issued more executive orders than Obama.

Who knew we've been living with tyranny for nearly a century now?

Janet Lachman, Austin
In response to a widespread need for address numbers on homes and businesses in Houston, the Houston Community Betterment and Arts Council has teamed up with the Houston High School Y.O.U.T.H. group (Youth Organization Understanding Tomorrows Houston) to help address the situation.

Houston Police Chief Tim Ceplina said close to half of all houses and businesses within Houston city limits have barely visible address numbers or none at all. Thats technically illegal. According to the City of Houston ordinance No. 18-18, numbers at least three-inches tall must be visible.

The City of Houston has an ordinance requiring address numbers that meet certain specifications, but authorities say far top many homes and businesses are not properly numbered or numbered at all.

Why does it matter? Emergency response personnel rely on address numbers to arrive where they need to in the most timely manner possible.

When you need emergency responders, you need them, Ceplina said. You dont want them having a hard time finding you.

With financial support from the Community Betterment and Arts Council and donations from homeowners, former Houston Police Chief Jim McNiell will lead the students on Saturday, Jan. 7, in making an assessment of homes that need numbers. More than 15 Y.O.U.T.H. members are expected to survey the city in groups, determining which houses and businesses need attention, and collecting data including the color of the house or business building, curbing available for numbers and the total quantity of numbers needed.

The police department was excited to hear that former chief Jim McNiell has spearheaded a project with the Community Betterment Y.O.U.T.H. to undertake placing house numbers on several homes that are currently unmarked in our community, Ceplina said.

Along with McNiell, student participants will be assisted by personnel from the Houston Police Department, Texas County Sheriffs Department, City of Houston Fire Department and Houston Rural Fire Department. Homeowners and businesses needing the numbers are requested to help with the expense by contributing at least $5.

After the initial survey, participants will meet on Saturdays in April to secure numbers for each address. Numbers may be painted on the curb in front of a given house or business or secured to a building or other object that is readily visible to firefighters, ambulance crew members and other emergency responders.

This is necessary not only for identification of the home for the post office, but for emergency service personnel, Ceplina said. Our officers have searched for addresses more times that I can recall, and quite often, time is essential. Not only do we respond to service calls as law enforcement, but often in assistance of the fire department and ambulance crews.

If you have a fire  the likelihood of which increases this time of year  you want the fire department there quickly. Similarly with an ambulance crew  seconds matter when a loved one is having a heart attack or bleeding. Our officers often arrive on scene prior to the other emergency services and help them locate the residence.

For more information, call Ceplina or Community Betterment representative Elaine Campbell at 417-967-3348.

The Houston Police Department wholeheartedly backs this program and the initiative of Jim McNiell and the Community Betterment Y.O.U.T.H., and we will do everything we can to assist in this important program, Ceplina said.
Republicans are poised to use their newly attained capitol dominance to make Missouri the 27th right-to-work state prohibiting mandatory union fees. That is unless Kentuckys recently crowned GOP majorities can beat them to it.

The race to expand right-to-work laws is just one of several ways that Republicans, who strengthened their grip on power in the November elections, are preparing to reshape state laws affecting workplaces, classrooms, courtrooms and more during 2017.

As President-elect Donald Trump leads an attempted makeover in Washington, Republican governors and state lawmakers will be simultaneously pushing an aggressive agenda that limits abortion, lawsuits and unions, cuts business taxes and regulations, and expands gun rights and school choice.

Republicans will hold 33 governors offices, have majorities in 33 legislatures and control both the governors office and legislature in 25 states  their most since 1952. Democrats will control both the governors office and legislature in only about a half-dozen states; the rest will have politically divided governments.

Really, the skys kind of the limit, said Sean Lansing, chief operating officer at Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group bankrolled partly by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. Its really the best opportunity in quite some time to accomplish a lot of big ticket items  not just in one or two states, but in five, 10 or 15.

Democrats did make some gains in the recent elections, most notably by defeating Republican North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and winning both chambers of the Nevada and New Mexico legislatures. But in all three of those states, Republicans still control at least one branch of government.

While officials in Democratic strongholds such as California and New York pledge a vigorous fight against Trumps agenda, some Democrats elsewhere seem resigned to get steamrolled on policies they long have opposed, such as right-to-work laws that undercut the financial strength of unions, a traditional Democratic ally.

In Missouri, term-limited Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon previously vetoed a right-to-work measure passed by the Republican-led Legislature. But hes being replaced Jan. 9 by Republican Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, who promised to sign a right-to-work law. GOP legislative leaders have placed it atop their agenda. And their ranks are strengthened following a campaign season in which businessman David Humphreys poured more than $12 million into Missouri candidates and political committees that backed right-to-work.

Oh, its going to happen, said Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh, a retired union laborer who is president of the Missouri State Building and Construction Trades Council. She added: Im not willing to lay down on it yet, but Im also a realist.

Assuming right-to-work will become law, Missouri AFL-CIO President Mike Louis already is preparing for the next battle. He has filed several versions of a proposed initiative petition that would ask voters in 2018 to approve a constitutional amendment reversing right-to-work by ensuring that unions can negotiate contracts requiring that employees pay fees for their representation.

Republican Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin also hopes to sign a statewide right-to-work law in 2017, now that Republicans who already hold the Senate also have won control of the House for the first time in nearly a century. A dozen Kentucky counties already have passed local right-to-work laws.

Right-to-work supporters also are targeting New Hampshire, where Republican Gov.-elect Chris Sununu will be paired with a GOP-led Legislature. And collective bargaining restrictions for public employees could be on the agenda in Iowa, where the Republican governor will work with a Legislature that will be under full GOP control when lawmakers reconvene in January.

Bevin said Kentucky Republicans will pursue things that have been bottled up for years and need to at least have votes on them, citing school choice measures and reform proposals for pension, tax and litigation laws, among others.

The aftermath of the November elections has particularly raised the hopes of school choice advocates. They support tax credits for families who opt for private over public schools and vouchers that allow public tax dollars to pay for private-school tuition. They also want to expand public charter and magnet schools to give parents additional choices.

Trump pledged during the campaign to spend $20 billion during his first year in office to help states expand school choice programs, and he wants states to divert an additional $110 billion of their own education budgets toward the cause. His pick for education secretary is Betsy DeVos, chairwoman of the school choice advocacy group American Federation for Children.

The federations political arm backed 121 state and local candidates this year, winning in 108 of the races, said spokesman Matthew Frendewey. Now its focusing on at least a dozen states nearly all of which have Republican-led legislatures  where it believes school choice laws could be enacted or expanded in 2017.

The environment is ripe for this, and theres a hunger for expanding choice and creating more educational options for families, Frendewey said.

Republican leaders also are planning to use their statehouse power to pursue a variety of pro-business proposals, including reduced regulations and taxes. Imposing limits on lawsuits that seek damages for product liability claims, injuries, medical malpractice and workplace discrimination is another priority.

Since Republicans swept into control of many statehouses in the 2010 elections, the so-called tort reform movement has touted the passage of 170 bills in 38 states, including some where Democrats were at least partially in control.

Were very bullish about our prospects, said Matt Fullenbaum, the legislative director for the American Tort Reform Association.

Republicans still could grapple with some internal dissention, because such issues as lawsuit limits, union powers and school choice dont always split along party lines. But in states where they now control both the legislative and executive branches, Republicans no longer will have an excuse if their agenda stalls.

You could always blame it on a Democratic governor for killing it before, said Republican state Sen. Brian Munzlinger of Missouri. Now its up to us to get it done.

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Last week, Chris stopped off at his local coffee shop to have a chai before heading off to a trade show to deliver a keynote speech. As he sat at his usual spot near the counter, a heated discussion ensued next to him regarding the 3rd Quarter of 2016-2017. In the middle of the mornings caffeinated hustle and bustle, a marketing meeting was in progress. He knew it was a marketing meeting because the three employees left the screens on their computers open to Marketing Plans. Much to his amazement, they abandoned the table and were apparently on line (as well as online). They left two smartphones and a couple of memory sticks out in the open, plain as a Pumpkin Spiced Latte. While reasonable predictions arent always correct, theres a strong possibility that sooner or later the company will experience a breach. Moreover, its highly unlikely that anyone within the business or IT has taken a serious look at how its users operate to protect it from this sort of vulnerability. The Biggest Risk The biggest risk for any organization getting hacked is neither the firewall nor the server. It is another problem altogether: Social Engineering. Social engineering is when employees inadvertently (or out of malice) give cyber thieves sensitive corporate or client information. The problem with most businesses and IT departments is while they may be eager to invest in c...
During the MADE Festival 2016 in Sheffield, dozens of interesting business workshops and presentations popped up all over the Steel City. Topics ranged from marketing and leadership, to finance and technology. I was lucky enough to attend an employment law workshop, organized by Lindsey Gaimster of Bhayani Law. The workshop was called Hiring and Firing: I Bet You Didnt Know That!, and the content covered some of the surprising facts and fictions surrounding legislation that affects HR. The Nine Protected Characteristics of Discrimination The theme of the workshop was discrimination, and how exactly this is classified in the eyes of the law. According to UK law, there are 9 protected characteristics. If you fire an employee, or refuse to hire somebody on any of the following grounds, then you could be prosecuted for discrimination: -Age -Being, or becoming, a transsexual person -Being married or in a civil partnership -Being pregnant or having a child -Disability -Race, including color, nationality, ethnic or national origin -Religion, belief or lack or religion/belief -Gender -Sexual orientation What this Means for UK Employers As long as you avoid making judgements based on these nine protected characteristics, it seems that practically anything else goes. Lindsey gave examples of characteristics that might not be protected by discrimination law, including: -Ugliness -Tattoos and piercings ...
Many of us are familiar with the saying, if you cant measure it, you cant manage it. This is difficult for corporate wellness program providers, considering they cant actually manage an employees personal health. While the industry could argue for value on investment, which is an intangible asset that contributes a great deal to the performance of an organization, most companies continue to seek out return on investment (ROI). How can the wellness industry best handle this expectation? One approach is to examine the parallel field of occupational health and safety, which is also concerned with the health, safety and welfare of employees. Sixty years ago, health and safety programs were rare. Today, theyre embedded in many businesses. What is interesting about these programs is that they dont focus on ROI, but on what actions have been taken to make the program successful. Can you imagine a leader saying, We lost an employee last year to an accident? Lets get rid of the health and safety program. It isnt working Of course not. What you would hear instead in this situation is: Where did our health and safety program go wrong? How will we improve it? The International Labor Organization has published a set of guidelines to help organizations run successful safety programs, including recommendations that they op...
Imagine a sophisticated hacker gained access to your business data, then cleared all timesheets and schedules for your employees and froze your payroll system, even gaining access to bank account information. Could you visualize a worse scenario? Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) are a hot target for cyber hackers, because they have more digital assets than an individual consumer, but less protection compared to a large enterprise. In fact, 50% of SMBs have experienced a cyber breach in the past year. Working with highly private information such as timesheets, payroll and employee performance on a daily basis requires a keen eye and intense focus. This data is a critical asset to all businesses and keeps the gears grinding. In our digital world, were increasingly connecting this data and all of our devices, mobile and otherwise, to the web for easy organization and management. Ultimately, leaving our systems more vulnerable to intrusion and attack. So how do you ensure the safety of your critical data? The Two-Step Check For SMBs, defending against cyber-attacks is a team effort that requires heavy dependence on employees. Thats where two-step verification comes in  a cost effective, full-armor protection that optimizes resources and ensures security and privacy. Two-step verification, also referred to as two-factor authentication, adds an additional level of security to a workforce mana...
Tags : paranoia cloud cybersecurity

Almost daily, news of security hacking of major computer systems is announced. Information is king and whoever can hack into systems can reap rewards. The good guys find ways to protect and secure data when threats become known. But, protecting information ahead of a hack is important. What strategies and methods can be considered and implemented to protect company data? How to Protect Company Data With hackers, both government and freelance sources, no data is sacred or secure. From early adoption to ongoing strategies, outwitting hackers is essential to protecting databases and individuals personal information. Security is also something that you must constantly update, not something that you can check off your list and be done with. For steps to alleviate or lessen the chance that your security will be breached, here are some approaches: When the data system is in development or being restructured, hiring the right people to oversee the project is essential. Considering who to run the project and the employees they manage is critical. Credentials and references must be checked. Go for the big guns, if you have the budget. If your budget is not robust enough, consider finding the funds to make sure you have the talent and ability to outthink hackers. And, it is important, like the old spy movies to trust no one. Use every possible scenario to hack your own system. If you can do it, so can a hacker. Giv...
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

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Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

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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

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STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Youre in HR at Seagate, the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech company, and youve just realized youve handed W-2 forms for some 10,000 employees to someone claiming to be the companys CEO. Or youre a payroll clerk at social media darling Snapchat, and youve given away personal information on current and former employees. Youve been phished, but at least youre not alone. There were more than 30 million phishing attacks in 2015, according to Internet security provider Kaspersky Labs. Many of these attacks happen because employees simply arent prepared adequately. Organizations need concrete internal strategies to help educate employees and mitigate the risk of successful attacks. It isnt that the attack strategies are any more advanced than normal; for the most part, cybersecurity is less about a digital army breaching a firewall and more about social engineering. Attackers effectively pose as someone trustworthy, taking advantage of peoples desire to help. The cyber-attacker might claim to be a company executive, a new employee, an IT representative or another colleague, and they simply ask for help. Sophisticated phishing scams start with a request for personal information from an email address you might recognize. Cyber criminals no longer claim to be Nigerian princes. Instead, they get more personal,seizing on a modicum of truth on whic...
Byte Academy, a well-known technology education institution from New York, recently opened its first FinTech Skills Centre in Singapore in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank, IBM, INSEAD, Thomson Reuters, and Microsoft.



Byte Academy [aims to] support Singapores Smart Nation initiative and help grow the local talent pool of industry-ready engineers and developers, alongside its strategic charter partners, they said in a statement.



Technology is rapidly growing with new innovative solutions being created every day. This means that jobs and its relevant skill sets are evolving at a faster pace than ever, added Byte Academy founder, Rak Chugh.



With the help from industry partners to constantly review and refine the curriculum, this will help ensure Singaporeans are better-equipped, better matched with the current industry demands with the applicable technical knowledge and skills.



They are also in collaboration with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in response to an engineering talent crunch in the country by providing individuals with a passion in technology, finance, and data science, a fast track to opportunities within the FinTech and Data Science domain through IMDAs Tech Immersion and Placement Programme.



Courses at the centre will be offered in 12-week full-time courses and individual eight-week short courses with a focus on fintech and software development.



Byte Academy Singapore is also replicating its New York placement and guarantee programme, offering guaranteed job placements to its full-time course graduates through key partners in major tech and banking companies. It stands by this guarantee, committing to refund the full course fee, should they fail to place its graduates in a role within 6 months of course completion, they said in a statement.


Listen up 2016, you've taken too many beloved celebrities from us already. Betty White won't be one of them.

That's the message social media users sent the rather gloomy year when they found Betty White trending on Twitter Tuesday.

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Dear 2016, If you take Betty White from us this year, we will riot. Sincerely, The Human Population  Cloyd Rivers (@CloydRivers) December 27, 2016

The 94-year-old "Golden Girls" actress is alive and well. But that didn't stop people from brainstorming ways of protecting her from 2016's wrath.

Can someone please wrap Betty white in bubble wrap until 2016 is over  CarolB (@its_carolxo) December 27, 2016

There are four days left of 2016. Someone get Betty White into a bunker IMMEDIATELY.  Stacy OliverSikorski (@StacyLOliver) December 27, 2016

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Can't. Acting as a human shield for Betty White until 2016 is over.  Brian #3 (@Boba_Photo) December 27, 2016

One user pitched a Donald Trump-esque idea.

#UsesForLeftoverFruitcake Build a wall around Betty White to keep her safe.  Tellia (@telliabear) December 28, 2016

GoFundMe user Demetrios Hrysikos even created a campaign Tuesday, vowing to "protect" the actress during the final days of the year. It's already received more than $3,000.

"If she's okay with it I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1, 2017," reads the page.

Hrysikos explained that any unused money will be donated to the Spartanburg Little Theatre in South Carolina.

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That's, um, a nice gesture... we guess. But there's really no need to worry, one Twitter user put the matter to rest:

I'd worry about Betty White, but as we all know, she's immortal. #ProtectACelebFrom2016pic.twitter.com/nLPqQ30CG2  Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) December 26, 2016

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News of Carrie Fishers death has devastated the world, and while many are reflecting on her life and career as an actress, were taking a look at who she was as a mother.

Turns out, the famed Star Wars actress was a mom with a sense of humour. In 1992, Fisher gave birth to her only daughter, Billie Lourd, and announced her arrival with a funny poem.

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Someone summered in my stomach. Someones fallen through my legs. To make an infant omelette, Simply scramble sperm and eggs.

Fisher recalled the verse in her first memoir Wishful Drinking, where she also described her daughter as her most extraordinary creation.

 Happy #sexysixty to the ultimate #momby #ilovealeeyoubaybee A photo posted by Billie Lourd (@praisethelourd) on Oct 21, 2016 at 2:51pm PDT

Lourd is the only child of Fisher and her ex, talent agent Bryan Lourd. The 24-year-old followed in her famous moms footsteps and is now an actress herself. In fact, the mother-daughter duo actually starred together in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is due out in 2017.

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Back in May, Lourd told People magazine, Im always proud of my mother, shes killing it right now. Shes incredible.

Fisher died on Tuesday, just days after suffering a heart attack while on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly, the actress daughter said in a statement. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.

Fisher and her daughter were incredibly close, as evidenced by their social media posts. Not only did the two constantly praise each other, but they also posted sweet throwbacks together, as well as funny selfies.

What's happening twitter asks? My daughter Billie Lourd from Scream Queens.She's MUCH more than my kid.Witty & pretty,I aspire 2 deserve her pic.twitter.com/oRietTuci3  Carrie Fisher (@carrieffisher) October 15, 2016

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 #blaseontheoutsideblessedontheinside since day 1 #likemotherlikedaughter #itsblackandwhitecauseits90s #throwback A photo posted by Billie Lourd (@praisethelourd) on Nov 3, 2016 at 10:05am PDT





 A photo posted by Billie Lourd (@praisethelourd) on Jun 18, 2016 at 11:09am PDT





Fisher will most definitely be missed.

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Bassel Mcleash, a gay Syrian refugee, came to Canada on the Rainbow Railroad.

The 29-year-old HIV-positive man, who once had to keep his sexuality a secret to avoid prison, arrived in Toronto in May as part of the organization's refugee resettlement program. A few weeks later, he was marching in the city's Pride Parade right next to Justin Trudeau, the leader of his newly adopted homeland.

In an interview during a TEDx Toronto conference this year, Mcleash sat down with The Huffington Post Canada to talk about what it was like being in Syria's compulsory military service when the war began.

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"I lost three of my friends just because we were attacked. We were sniped. We never knew who attacked us."

He made it to Egypt after the war, only to discover the military regime was more anti-LGBTQ than the Muslim Brotherhood they overthrew. The discovery of his HIV status trapped him in an untenable situation, until a friend introduced him to Rainbow Railroad.

The Toronto-based organization, inspired by the Underground Railroad, helps LGBTQ people "as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution." They are at the tail-end of an attempt to save 60 lives in the last 60 days of 2016 (You can donate here to help).

Mcleash also reveals what he said to the Prime Minister during Pride, and what he would say to any Canadian who still thinks resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees was a bad idea.

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Can you tell me how you got out of Syria and what the situation was like when you left?

I was born and raised in Damascus. When [the war] started I was actually serving the compulsory service in the military. I didn't have a choice. In my own military base, I lost three of my friends just because we were attacked. We were sniped. We never knew who attacked us.

When I got out, I came back home to Damascus and found things that are not as settling as I expected. Things became really awful, bombings and explosions and people lost their life on their way to work. A year after the military, I had an opportunity with my work to travel to Egypt.

Were you in the closet before that?

In Syria, there was a group of people that I was out with, and everybody knew that I was gay. But there were some areas that I was in the closet, for example work, my house, locations where there might be a chance that the news would spread.

"There are some areas in Damascus that everyone is free ... but in other areas, a person if he was walking wearing very short shorts, he's going to be killed."

Was it dangerous to be gay in Syria?

When it comes to the law, if you're accused of being LGBT there's no need even for a solid proof. Just a suggestion or hint or any indication that youre an LGBT person and you will be held in captive, get investigated and if they were able to prove it, you will spend one to three years [in jail] for the first time you get captured.

The justice system sometimes is not so just.

There are some areas in Damascus that everyone is free. Everyone is able to be what they want to be. We have trans people walking the street in their chosen gender, we have people that go out sort of like drag queens. But in other areas, if [a person] was walking wearing very short shorts, he's going to be killed. So there is a huge variety. We were living in peace together but we knew where to go and where not to go.

What was it like in Egypt in 2012?

When I moved to Egypt, I didn't have any reason to be in the closet. Being an LGBT person is not illegal, what's illegal in Egypt is basically prostitution or having sex for money or doing unethical acts. And that's the clause that all the people are getting entrapped because of.

The Muslim Brotherhood and the military took over. What changed?

Actually, in the period of the Muslim Brotherhood, there was not much capturing. The military regime [tried] to prove that they are religious, so they became way more strict. People were arrested just because they had some change in their pocket, and that was the assumption, that they got money for having sex.

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What would have happened if you returned to Syria?

If I went back to Syria at the moment, I will be dragged to serve the military. If I went there and I said that I'm HIV positive, I would get a release from the military service but I'm not going to have any social rights. If I didn't say that I'm HIV-positive and I went to the military, I would not be able to get medication.

How did you come to Canada through the Rainbow Railroad?

This organization helps LGBT people to arrive to a safe place. When I applied for Rainbow Railroad I mentioned that I'm gay, I'm HIV-positive and the struggle that I had to work. It was more than a year and a half that I spent without even any kind of income.

Why was that?

In Egyptian law, in order for you to get a work permit, you need to provide an HIV-negative and a hepatitis C negative statement. That's when I discovered that I'm HIV-positive and I was kicked out of my job. I registered as UN asylum seeker and to get the medical services, but because I served in the military in Syria, my case was not accepted for relocation. I had to find other ways.

"I wasn't able to hold hands with my friend in public, not to mention a boyfriend or something. So things are really different here."

One of my friends introduced me to the Rainbow Railroad and I applied for it and I got accepted. And I've also got a sponsoring group that they are helping me and everyone is trying their best.

How has the Rainbow Railroad helped you since you arrived and how do you like it here?

Rainbow Railroad's role was to get me here. After that, the responsibilities are moved to the sponsoring groups and other organizations that are welcoming the newcomers, like Egale, The 519, and SOY. They can help with accommodation and legal work.

Do you like Toronto?

So far, I love it. I feel so at ease. I'm able to be whatever I want and do whatever I want. And it's not because I want to go wild or something, but there are things that you just like to do that I wasn't able to do. I wasn't able to express myself. I wasn't able to say "Hey, how are you? I like you" out in public. I wasnt able to hold hands with my friend in public, not to mention a boyfriend or something. So things are really different here.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in the annual Pride Parade in Toronto on Sunday, July 3, 2016. (Photo: Mark Blinch/CP)

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What did you think of the Pride parade in Toronto?

I was amazed! I arrived two or three days before the Pride Month started and I got to explore the city, see what's happening, [and] check the activities. And at the end was the Pride Parade where I was able to walk next to the prime minister. I was overwhelmed by [his] presence. It's something that never happens twice and it's hard to top that, to be honest.

What did you say to the prime minister?

I thanked him for the [Syrian refugee] initiative and the opportunity for me to be here. He was so modest. His answer was, "It's not me that made the initiative; it was Canada that asked me to make the initiative. So if you want to thank anyone, thank Canada."

I know that it's not only him that should be credited, but he is the person that finally signed the paper. He's the one that I was able to thank. So I thanked him.

"[Trudeau] was so modest. His answer was...'if you want to thank anyone, thank Canada.'"

Canada is a nice country and it's nice to be here and feel free. Toronto is the most diverse city in the world. It's a thing that you don't find anywhere, to have all those ethnicities and backgrounds all together in this one place living in a very peaceful manner. It's amazing.

Not everybody supported bringing in Syrian refugees. So, what would you tell those people?

Being here is not something that I decided since the day that I was born. I was forced to come here. I was living a very good life. I was handling the situation. I was keeping secrets, yes, I wasn't able to be myself, but I was happy with my friends. I had ways to be myself.

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Because of what's happening now in Syria, I'm not able to go back to my place, I'm not able to see my family, I'm not able to see my friends. I lost two of my best friends and it's devastating. People are coming here because they don't have anywhere else to go.

The ancestors of the people that are born here came here after war, after famine. It's the same situation. So ask yourself the question, why was it OK for my parents to come here but not for those people?

And it's not like we're coming here to try to kill you or take your land. We're coming here to start a life and live in peace with everyone else. I'm sorry but from my own perspective, the first people that came to the American content, they did very wrong things to the indigenous people. We're not coming to do the same. We're not like that. Every one of us is bored of war. We do not want to see any kind of blood.

We're here to start a life and we're trying our best to do that.

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Two Toronto sisters reportedly embroiled in an international sex scandal have been taken into Nigerian prison custody over cyberbullying and extortion charges.

Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo are facing allegations they're high-society prostitutes accused of running of a website aimed to extort money from Nigeria's wealthiest people, according to Nigerian news site Politics Nigeria.

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The Matharoo sisters were caught with laptops and iPads containing videos of themselves having sex with men, according to CityNews Toronto.

The two allegedly recorded conversations and sexual trysts with their high-profile clients. It's claimed they used a third party to blackmail targets to pay thousands of dollars for their privacy, or face release of the material on the sisters' website.

Jyoti and Kiran have a combined 50,000 followers on their Instagram accounts, both curate snapshots from their lavish and luxurious lifestyles.

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They are accused of trying to blackmail Femi Otedola, one of Nigeria's richest men.

Politics Nigeria said the two immediately confessed to running the blackmail website after their arrest, and admitted to having sex with over 100 wealthy men.

The sisters are believed to be Canadian citizens, and listed a Toronto home address on court documents.

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A Calgary man who was arrested after taking a pantless joyride across an Orlando, Fla. tarmac on a luggage-towing vehicle had a bit of advice as he left jail earlier this week.

"Don't do crystal meth," said Richard Hogh, according to WFTV.

United Airlines employees removed Hogh from a Chicago-bound flight at Orlando International Airport last Friday, after staff said he first sat in an unassigned first-class seat, and then insisted he was a pilot and wanted to sit in the cockpit, CBC News reports.

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He was removed from the plane but escaped and found his way onto the tarmac through a service elevator.

The man who caused the disturbance at the airport this morning is Richard Hogh, 29, of Calgary, Canada. Arrested 4 trespass & grand theft pic.twitter.com/1PpjPCLTr2  Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) December 23, 2016

He then removed his pants and told the driver of a nearby baggage vehicle he "had to catch a flight," according to CBC News. He commandeered the vehicle and drove it onto a taxiway.

He made it about 600 metres before he was tackled by an airport firefighter, Postmedia reports.

Orlando Police arrested Hogh for trespassing and grand theft.

On Monday, Hogh was released from jail after posting bond, according to WFTV.

His bond was reduced to US$2,600 from $5,100, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

"Is there anything you want to say about this incident?" asked a reporter outside Orange County Jail, according to WFTV.

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"Don't do crystal meth. Don't ruin your life, kids," Hogh replied.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Luxury brand Versace has found themselves embroiled in controversy after being accused of racial discrimination by one of their former employees.

The 23-year-old ex-worker, Christopher Sampiro, who was based at a Bay Area, California location, says his manager told him to use the code "D410" to call out black customers as they entered the store  to which he replied, "You know that I'm African-American?"

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Shortly after Sampiro revealed his ethnicity, he says he was fired by the company, whom he says claimed he didnt understand luxury and didnt know the luxury life.

TMZ reports Versace also uses the same "D410" code for the labels all-black shirts.

However, the timing of the termination seemed to be a little bit too coincidental for Sampiro, and he has since filed a 30-page lawsuit against the Italian brand.

The suit accuses Versace of unpaid wages and damages, according to The Cut. But the company seems adamant on denying the man's claims, and has asked Alameda County Superior Court to dismiss the case, New York Daily News reported on Tuesday.

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On Wednesday, Versace released a statement, as reported by BET, claiming they "do not tolerate discrimination."

"Versace believes strongly in equal opportunity, as an employer and a retailer," the statement read. "We do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin or any other characteristic protected by our civil rights laws. We have denied the allegations in this suit, and we will not comment further concerning pending litigation."

But Versace isn't the only high-end brand that's been accused of racial discrimination by a former employee.

Back in 2014, Tiffany & Company landed in hot water after ex-manager Michael McClure accused the jewelry company of a systemic, nationwide pattern and practice of racial discrimination.

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9 People Who Think Casual Racism Is Ok See Gallery
Richard Waters via Getty Images Stray dog sleeping

It's the end of the year, and the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies is once again asking: are things getting better or worse for animals in Canada?

CFHS took a look back through 2016 and pulled together the biggest stories of this year's Canadian animal welfare advances (The Good), setbacks (The Bad) and things that made our jaws drop (The Ugly). We've also included info on the top five international animal welfare wins from 2016. They appear in no particular order.

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The Good: Top 10 Wins For Canada's Animals In 2016

1. Animal advocates across the country cheered in unison when we heard that the infamous Bowmanville Zoo had closed its doors for good. The zoo saw a steep decline in attendance after animal cruelty charges were laid against the facility's co-owner, Michael Hackenberger.

4. The emotional suffering of animals was successfully prosecuted in several Canadian court cases this year, thanks to the important work of animal behaviour scientist Dr. Rebecca Ledger.

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5. The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) gave hen welfare a major boost when they announced that their entire membership will source 100 per cent of their eggs from cage-free egg farms by 2025. RCC stores include Sobeys, Loblaws, Metro and Walmart Canada.

7. 2016 saw important changes to painful farming procedures come into effect! CFHS secured a requirement that pain medication must be used as of July 1, 2016 for all tail-docking and castration of pigs. This practice puts Canada ahead of the EU in terms of pain management requirements for pigs.

8. More Canadian vets and animal welfare groups banned cosmetic surgery practices in 2016, like ear-cropping and tail docking. These procedures have been banned in seven of 10 provinces, including British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador - and now Quebec.

9. The province of BC announced it will adopt the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's code of practice for cat and dog breeding and boarding operations, which includes standards of care for cleaning, sanitizing, vet care, housing, ventilation, food and water.

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10. Things are getting better for homeless companion animals! Thanks to innovative new practices and more collaboration, adoption is up and euthanasia is down at Canada's humane societies and SPCAs - and fewer animals are entering shelters in the first place.

The Bad: Setbacks for Animal Welfare

1. There has been a sharp increase in the number of animals being used in Canadian science. The 2014 Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) annual report showed a 24 per cent increase in animal use from the previous year.

3. In 2016, there were outbreaks of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus in Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario. The virus cropped up after CFIA ended its preventative truck-washing protocol at the U.S./Canadian border.

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5. After ten years of consultations, CFIA finally released a new draft version of our federal transport regulations for farm animals on December 3. While we need these updates as a bare minimum, the new regulations are woefully inadequate.

The Ugly: What Were They Thinking?

1. In a devastating 6-1 ruling in June, the Supreme Court of Canada restricted the definition of bestiality to only penetration. This legal loophole will remain open, making animals vulnerable to various forms of sexual abuse, unless Parliament reforms the law.

3. A horrific spate of barn fires claimed the lives of tens of thousands of farm animals in 2016. Most of the fires were in Ontario, but we also saw major incidents in Quebec, PEI, Saskatchewan and BC.

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5. It was announced in August that the George River caribou herd in Labrador has declined by 99% since 1990. The herd was once numbered at 800,000 but now has fewer than 9,000 remaining.

Top International Animal Welfare Wins In 2016

1. The FBI has added animal cruelty to list of Class A felonies and has started tracking animal abusers.

2. Armani went fur-free this year.

3. Sea World announced an end to its orca breeding program.

4. Ringling and Barnham and Bailey fast-tracked the retirement of their elephants.

5. UEP egg farmers have vowed to end chick culling by 2020.
Have you ever considered doing one of those New Year's Day polar bear charity dips, but got cold feet instead? I can understand why. In fact, I was convinced it would be a cold day in hell before I would even think of doing one.

But that all changed suddenly last year. I allowed myself to be swept up by polar bear dip fever at work. It was fun, kinda like pledging for a fraternity. It took me back to the carefree days of my youth.

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Sure, I was nervous, but on dip day I charged forward in one mad dash of excitement, like some extra in the movie Braveheart. And in a blizzard-y blur of an Arctic adrenaline rush, I had my first polar bear dip experience. Knowing it was for a good cause made it one of the most rewarding things I've ever done -- I had a frozen smile on my face for the rest of that memorable day.

You too can know the thrill of the chill. For you first-timers out there, this dip veteran has these five training tips for polar bear dips:

Dip Tip #1: CHILLAX!

Don't overthink it, just do it. It's brisk with minimal risk. It's a chance to be a superstar to friends and family, and a champion for children at the same time. That's all you need to think about -- so long as a doctor gives you the thumbs up.

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Dip Tip #2: CHOOSE YOUR CHILL.

Are you the type to dive right in? Or more of a slow descent? You need to answer that age-old question in advance, not on dip day as you approach the frigid shoreline.

Dip Tip #3: PRACTICE YOUR SCREAM.

Sudden exposure to wintry waters can lead to involuntary expletives. Remember this is a family event. Practice screaming in an age-appropriate way. Suggestions might include: "Oh FUDGE! Fudge! Fudge! Fudge!" or "Oh SUGAR! Sugar! Sugar! Sugar!" Practice makes perfect.

Dip Tip #4: WARM YOUR HEART.

For many it takes more courage to ask for donations from loved ones than it takes to actually turn yourself into an iced latte. Don't be shy, it's for a very worthy cause.

Dip Tip #5: TAKE BABY PENGUIN STEPS.

Polar preppers should slowly build their tolerance to Arctic conditions. Take colder and colder showers and brave the "icy cask of courage" by submerging your feet into a bucket of ice water. You'll turn dip day into a piece of ice cream cake!

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This is your year. It's a rite of passage for any red-and-white-blooded Canadian, and this year will be extra special because it's the first day of Canada's 150th birthday year. What can be more Canadian than doing a polar bear dip on New Year's Day?

There are lots of polar bear dips across Canada, but the biggest and best one is the Courage Polar Bear Dip for World Vision. It's the biggest in Canada and it raises money for vital clean water projects in Africa. Check it out at www.polarbeardip.ca. You won't regret it. Do the dip!

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Indonesia is home to 17,000 islands, and Bali is just one of them. While the "Island of the Gods" is revered for its coral reefs, volcanic mountains and technicolor rice terraces, many travelers' tunnel vision causes them to miss out on the country's countless other island paradises. These six Indonesian destinations offer the authentic culture and exotic beauty you're seeking without the hoards of year-round tourists you'll find on the country's most popular tourist island.

Komodo Island

You don't have to be the age of most Jurassic Park enthusiasts to get excited about seeing modern day dinosaurs in real life. Between the more prominent islands of Sumbawa and East Nusa Tenggara lies Komodo, a small island that has made a big name for itself as the home of the world's largest living lizards (typically ranging from 68 to 90 kilograms), the Komodo dragons. The island is part of the scenic Komodo National Park, providing a picture-perfect backdrop for unforgettable and once-in-a-lifetime Komodo dragon experiences.

Karimunjawa Island

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Photo credit: Azwari Nugraha

Just off the coast of Central Java, are the 27 idyllic islands that make up Karimunjawa, a designated marine park. One of the two main islands, Karimunjawa Island is known for its clean, sugar-sand beaches, clear ocean waters and dozens of tree-covered peaks. A regular ferry travels from Jepara, Central Java, to Karimunjawa Island, making it easy for travelers to call this island's fairytale-like beauty home for a while.

Lombok

Lombok's palm-tree studded shores and Hawaii-status beauty can be found in just a short one-hour flight from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. While it's an easy island to reach, spending the extra time and money to get there means fewer camera-toting tourists at your hotel and less local sales people shouting "transport" and "massage" everywhere you go. A more authentic Indonesian vibe, untouched natural beauty in many areas and easy access to the turtle sanctuaries and vehicle-free roads of the nearby Gili Islands make Lombok a must-visit.

Weh Island

Photo credit: Ben Bland

Travelers seeking a sleepy island oasis will fall in love with the laid-back vibes of Pulau Weh, or Weh Island. Visitors can spend days watching the island's animals roam about from the shade of a coconut palm or experience some of the country's best snorkeling and diving. Tourism only reached this minute island just off the coast of Sumatra roughly a decade ago, which means those who venture here experience a glimpse into Indonesian life before the beachcombing crowds.

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Rote Island

Similar to Pulau Weh, Rote takes travelers back to a time when pigs and goats roamed freely on Indonesian islands and beaches were void of colorful umbrellas and lounge chairs. Sitting just 500 kilometres northwest of Australia, it's a wonder the white sand beaches and turquoise waters aren't packed with tourists from the Land Down Under. However, visit Rote and all you'll find is wave-hungry surfers in search of the famously long left-hand waves at T-land, and cheerful locals hoping you'll stay in one of their cabanas or guest houses. More and more foreign-owned hotels and mini-resorts are rising in Rote every year, so there is no better time to go than now.

Sulawesi

Photo credit: g2acy
moodboard via Getty Images Person writing list of goals, close-up of hand

Most of us have probably been there. You say to yourself "today is when I finally stop putting things off" or "this is when I shed those extra pounds." Perhaps it was, "I'm going to stop buying those things I don't need and climb out of debt" or "quit smoking" or even "wasting time on the Internet." We start off with the best intentions and feel committed when we set these goals for an improved self, or else we probably wouldn't bother.

You may have had a solid start. You gave up the after-dinner sweets. Maybe you cancelled and cut up your credit cards or tossed your cigarette pack in the garbage. You may even have installed a website blocker to keep you on task while online.

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But then you lapse after a rough day at work, an argument with your spouse, or head out on a carefree vacation. What you chalked up to a one-off turns out to be a fall back to your bad habits/old ways of doing things. A few weeks later, your best-intentioned goals become past hopes, and then a distant memory by the time you start thinking of new ones again.

Fortunately, there is a better way to approach self-improvement that can buck this loop of setting, under-performing, and forgetting goals. The ability to pursue goals effectively is critical for sustaining positive change -- it's important to get it right. This blog highlights strategies that researchers have found to be helpful in leading positive personal and societal change, including goal type, monitoring progress, and motivating others to take action.

Approach Goals for Fulfillment

It starts with framing your goals in the right light, which means sorting them in the left side of your brain. The left side of the human mind is associated with "approach" goals whereas the right side is focused on "avoidance" goals. We are more likely to be able to achieve goals that are directed towards approaching a desirable outcome (e.g. being more active in daily life to become more fit) than action oriented towards avoiding an undesirable outcome (e.g. losing 20 lbs. to avoid heart disease).

Our emotions are at play in this approach-avoidance dichotomy. Psychology researchers posit that the pursuit of avoidance goals is related to procrastination, less satisfaction with progress, and reduced self-esteem, personal control, and vitality. Clearly avoidance goals elicit negative feelings that would make it more difficult to activate action, especially over the course of a full year. Avoidance goals should be used for emergency use only because they are motivated by fear, fear of the negative outcome becoming reality. In contrast, when we take action to achieve approach goals, we become excited and pleased with our decision to act on our intentions, which incites additional action.

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Monitoring for Goal Attainment

Even with a well-designed approach goal, monitoring progress is likely still necessary to achieving it. In 2015, the American Psychological Association published research that found that the more often someone monitors progress, the greater the likelihood that they will succeed. In this meta-analysis of 138 studies focused primarily on personal health goals, the act of prompting participants to monitor their progress toward a goal increased the likelihood that the participants would achieve that goal. As well, monitoring progress had an even greater positive effect on goal attainment if the information was physically recorded or publicly disclosed. Progress, or lack thereof, should be recorded, attuned to frequently, and shared.

Yet, people do not tend to self-monitor their goals. This psychological phenomenon is known as the "ostrich problem" as one "buries their head in the sand" to intentionally reject information that could help them monitor their goal progress or receives relevant information but does not evaluate the implications of that information for their goal progress. Examples are far reaching-- self-monitoring of blood glucose levels among people with diabetes is uncommon, and few people monitor their household energy usage, check their finances regularly, or keep track of what they are eating. A potential reason for the ostrich problem is the desire to avoid disappointing feedback. While information indicating you are off-track can certainty be painful at first, these unpleasant feelings are likely to pail in comparison to the longer-term disappointment resulting from goal failure.

Fortunately, there are some techniques to follow to become less susceptible to the ostrich effect:

Remind yourself that set backs are part of the process toward self-improvement. Everyone makes mistakes, but individuals that make decision based on informed, rationale thinking, rather than their current emotional state, are better at self-control (and may even be happier).

Remove the need of having to intentionally seek out and track progress. An automated system that sends an email or text message describing goal progress or a daily check-in system with a friend or colleague may help in overcoming the burden of goal monitoring, leading to goal accomplishment.

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Reflect on your goals when you are in a good mood. We're emotional beings; sometimes just being in a positive state of mind may be the impetus needed to assess how you're doing.

Problem-solvable for Social Benefit

What about goals that depend on more than just one person? Are there any lessons learned that could help in achieving societal goals? How can others be motivated to assist in tackling issues to hopefully improve the lives of many people?

One such issue that would benefit from collective goal setting and achievement is the global transformative change needed to reduce climate change. Despite the urgency, many view climate change as an abstract concept existing outside their everyday experience or may even be skeptical that human activity is the cause. Simply presenting the facts is not enough to resolve conflicts about it. Research suggests some individuals engage in motivated disbelief because solutions to climate change affect their ideological values and potentially their way of life.

The ways in which we define our goals, track our goals, and discuss collective goals has an influence on the prospects of achieving them. If we can commit to accepting and incorporating these factors in how we approach the process of goal pursuit, every tomorrow stands to be an improvement over yesterday.

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Many Canadians will make resolutions to travel more in 2017. And like every year, tens of thousands of us will venture across the border to the U.S., south to Mexico, or across the globe to faraway destinations like Thailand, Indonesia and Australia. However, not everyone will get the opportunity to pack their bags and escape for weeks, or even months, at a time in the new year.

Those with slightly less nomadic lifestyles can still experience new cultures, taste exotic foods, and fill their Instagram pages with comment-worthy travel photos by visiting these four worldly cities right here in Canada.

Montreal, Quebec

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Photo credit: Michel Curi

Forget about that budget-breaking ticket to Europe and travel to Montreal instead. Not only will you finally get to practice your French accent, you'll wander cobblestone streets, wind through narrow avenues, gawk at the elegant Basilique Notre-Dame, and shop boutiques that resembles those of Rome and London.

Experience Montreal's Paris-like romantic side by cozying up in an Old Montreal boutique hotel, renting bicycles for a leisurely ride through the city, or dining on fresh, seasonal eats at Toque or Bouillon Bilk. Montreal is a destination for travellers that want to experience the Old World without the plane tickets and baggage fees.

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is not your average capital city. More than simply a clean and comfortable place for politicians to live and work, Victoria's downtown is loaded with green spaces, charming shops, world-renowned eateries, and historic castles and churches that transport visitors back in time.

Travellers trying to stay close to home can still experience much of the culture they'd experience in other parts of the world by visiting the Gothic style Christ Church Cathedral, the Congregation Emanu-El (the oldest surviving synagogue in Canada), the Royal BC Museum, and Vancouver Island's largest professional theatre company, the Belfry Theatre.

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Toronto, Ontario

Also known as the City of Neighborhoods, those who visit Toronto in 2017 have the chance to experience multiple faraway countries in a single metropolis. The 5.2 million people who live in Toronto flow between a long list of neighbourhoods, including Corktown (replete with vintage architecture), the Harbourfront (home of the famous CN Tower) and numerous cultural centres, like Little Italy, Koreatown and Chinatown.

You'll find that Toronto is home to so many unique neighbourhoods, each with its own quirky shops, museums, theatres, pubs and eateries, that a single visit just isn't enough.

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec is the province to visit if you love the Old World, and similar to Montreal, Quebec City is known for its distinctly European flair. French cuisine works its way onto nearly every restaurant menu, 400-year-old buildings wear snow just how you'd imagine in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the top floor of the world's most photographed hotel, Chateau Frontenac, sit overlooking it all.

Historic fortifications and ancient neighbourhoods are complemented by new-age eateries, state-of-the-art attractions (like the Aquarium du Quebec), and trendy accommodation options to reassure you that you're not travelling in the olden times. Visit Quebec City in 2017, and you'll realize Europe is a whole lot closer than it seems.

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Dennis McColeman via Getty Images Canadian, Provincial and Territorial Flags, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The past year has been very eventful for Canada and the world -- in some very good ways, and, unfortunately, in some very bad ones.

As we gather with friends and family over this holiday season and look back at 2016, it is important to take a moment to think about the ways that we can build on the positive things we have seen and done, and to address the negative aspects of the past year.

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Amid the gift-giving and sampling of many seasonal treats, that's what I intend to do.

The hard part, I think, will be to not focus too much on the truly frightening election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. Trump exploited the worst fears and prejudices of the American electorate to win the White House, giving legitimacy to hate and misogyny through his own sexist, racist and anti-immigrant policies and statements.

It is tough to be optimistic about 2017 when one of the first major political events of the year will be that man's inauguration -- particularly when his victory seems to have emboldened Trump wannabes seeking to spread hate on this side of the border.

Let's be clear. Hate or by-stander silence has no place in our governments, our workplaces or our communities.

Being or attempting to be elected by a politics of division takes us in the wrong direction. For example Kellie Leitch, a contender for the leadership of the federal Conservative party, is doing incredible damage in the long-term by espousing Trump-like racist policies that would screen newcomers for "Canadian values," whatever that means.

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Similarly, the cowardly response of another Conservative leadership contender Chris Alexander, when people at one of his rallies began chanting "Lock her up" about Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, undermines the real need for men to speak out against an outright attack on a woman leader. Along with hate, this type of silence needs to also be pushed back throughout the next year if we are to ensure Trump-style politics do not take hold in Canada.

This normalization of hatred is part of the bad in 2016 and we could all do better without it in 2017.

Let's be clear. Hate or by-stander silence has no place in our governments, our workplaces or our communities. It is unacceptable, it cannot be tolerated, and together we must act to ensure a politics of division doesn't chart the long-term path in Canadian politics.

I do think the next year can provide an opportunity to support more women and marginalized people to be involved in politics and run for office, but this will require our collective actions to create spaces and opportunities.

A big part of the task before us will be continuing the push to bring about electoral reform in this country. The past year began with great hope that we would finally move to a new system of voting to replace the current first past the post system. Public hearings were held across the country, at which 88 per cent of participants called for proportional representation -- a system in which seats in the House of Commons are allocated according to the popular vote. Unifor supports that kind of system.

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For a while, there seemed to be hope. Then the federal Liberals began to muse that maybe Canadians didn't really support a big change to how they vote, despite having been promised a new system before the next election. Then the committee looking into the issue released a disappointing report calling for a referendum -- which will only delay the necessary change -- and the federal government put out a widely criticized online survey on electoral reform, which never even asks if you support proportional representation.

Canada's Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Before this year ends, and we prepare ourselves to take up the fight for electoral reform in the new year, I urge all supporters of proportional representation to take the federal survey at mydemocracy.ca and use Unifor's guide to the survey, at unifor.org/electoralreform, to show the Trudeau government that you want proportional representation. Despite the flaws of the survey, we can't waste this important opportunity. Now is a moment for democratic change that would make a concrete difference in who and which voices are represented in government.

Trump's election likely means the end of the road for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which was a major priority for Unifor in 2016. Before we celebrate too much the end of the TPP under Trump, it is important to also recognize that his corporate-led cabinet is unlikely to negotiate new trade deals, or renegotiate old ones such as NAFTA, in a way that truly benefits working people and offers some semblance of fair trade.

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We believe in trade, but trade that helps working people build better lives.

Unifor will be redoubling its efforts in 2017 to fight for a fair trade future in which the needs of working people are put ahead of corporations. There is nothing fair in a system that provides international corporate entities extraordinary powers to sue governments that pass laws that might hurt their profits, even if those laws are in the public interest or common good.

This is a major concern that Unifor and other progressive organizations have with the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), currently in the midst of being ratified in Canada and Europe. Unifor will be working with allies at home and abroad to make sure CETA is defeated. We believe in trade, but trade that helps working people build better lives. CETA is not that kind of deal.

On the international stage, this past year Unifor took a leading role in helping to welcome Syrian refugees to Canada, a function we are proud to continue going into 2017. As I have said before, however, there is much more that can and must be done to address the needs of Syrian and other newcomers to this country, including temporary foreign workers, in the year ahead.

Surrounded by friends and family over these weeks, there is a lot to rightfully be proud of. With the collective efforts of trade unionists, social justice activists, and every person who refused to be a silent bystanders to hate, our work over the past year helped to make Canada the great place it is. As we move into 2017, let's also think of ways to make it even better.

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Rick Madonik via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - DEC 5: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits with the Toronto Star Editorial Board for a 90 minute Q and A. (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

It's true that 100 per cent consensus on any issue is never possible. If you are looking to convince people of your point of view, however, providing clear information when you are asked a direct question would be a stellar place to start.

For instance, you have been asked repeatedly about Canada's ability to meet our 2030 Paris GHG reduction commitment despite recent fossil fuel development project approvals. It is worth mentioning that our Paris commitment was cast last December as a floor. Then, in September of this year Canadians heard that the commitment might in fact be a ceiling. I'm sure you will agree, then, that it is understandable for people to ask if we will still meet our goal.

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During the press conference announcing your government's pipeline approvals, you dodged questions on whether Canada will still meet its 2030 GHG reduction targets by emphasizing your trust in the Alberta government's ability to cap emissions from the oil sands.

You noted that the pipelines are included in the Alberta oil sands emissions cap, and so are an integral part of your plan to respect the Paris agreement, a plan to be discussed with provincial premiers the following week. You also stated that oil sands production will increase one way or another, and that we need new pipelines because they are safer, less costly and produce fewer GHG's than shipping bitumen by rail. And yet, the long standing past argument had been that oil sands production was dependent on pipeline expansion.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen speaking during a news conference with Transport Minister Marc Garneau, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, November 29, 2016.

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On December 9th came the announcement of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The Communique states: "The actions taken under the Framework will contribute to meeting or exceeding Canada's 2030 climate change target of a 30 percent reduction below 2005 greenhouse gas levels." Fantastic!

Unfortunately, though, neither the Communique nor the more detailed Framework document acknowledge the emission increases that will flow from the increased oil sands production made possible by the pipeline approvals. There is also no information on the emissions increases expected from the recently approved B.C. Pacific NorthWest LNG project.

While there are myriad references to the GHG reductions that will result from other decisions that have been announced recently (eg. coal phase-out), these estimates are of limited use if there is no new overall baseline that factors in the emissions increases that have been approved as a byproduct of the recent choices to expand our fossil fuel development.

Given your responses to questions during the previous week's pipeline approvals news conference, it is disappointing to find no acknowledgment in the government's climate action plan of the impact of these new projects on Canada's overall GHG emissions.

Then, during a subsequent interview with The Guardian, Canadians heard you say that a fundamental responsibility of any prime minister is to get our resources to market in responsible and sustainable ways.

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You made this statement in the context of the Keystone XL pipeline, saying you look forward to hearing what U.S. president-elect Trump has to say. Again you stated that pipelines are needed because they are safer, less costly and emit fewer GHG's than shipping bitumen by rail. What was left unsaid is that the new pipelines will not simply replace today's transport methods, but will permit expansion of Canada's oil sands -- a move that will increase our GHG emissions.

During this recent Vancouver Sun interview, you were again asked how new pipelines fit with the commitments you made last December in Paris.

You responded by highlighting the Pan-Canadian Framework, the national price on carbon, and Alberta's plan to put an absolute cap on oil sands emissions. Again, you asserted that there would be increased production in the oil sands, whether there are new pipelines or not. Sadly, still no sign of the basic information that many Canadians would like to get from their Government ... estimates of the emissions spike impact of these new fossil fuel projects on our overall emissions.

When will Canadians get to see what the spike in GHG emissions from recent fossil fuel project approvals will be, and how Canada's overall emissions will be affected by this spike?

Respectfully, while you have missed numerous opportunities to share this information with Canadians, this does not mean that analyses of what fossil fuel expansion plans may mean are not available. Here are but two examples among many, featured recently in the Globe and Mail and Huffington Post.

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Yes, you are now re-asserting that the existing Paris reduction targets are a floor and not a ceiling and, yes, you would like Canadians to wait until 2019 to judge your Government on the success of your Climate Plan. The difficulty that a large number of Canadians have is that many of the recently approved fossil fuel development projects will not come on stream until after 2019 which, of course, means that the bulk of their GHG impact will not be apparent until after the next election.

As you yourself have said, the government's responsibility is to the whole electorate. When addressing Canadians on the question of electoral reform, in fact, you also like to highlight the Liberal party's oft stated declaration that it is a "big tent" party that embraces a diversity of views within the party. With this in mind, do you suppose that it would be easier to encourage more people to come into your tent on this if you were to respond openly, transparently and honestly to questions you are posed?

Your government's commitment to safeguarding and improving Canada's democratic institutions and to science and fact based decision making are also qualities you like to highlight often, so the problem surely can't be that the answers aren't available.

So I'll ask this question again: When will Canadians get to see what the spike in GHG emissions from recent fossil fuel project approvals will be, and how Canada's overall emissions will be affected by this spike? Without this information, it is difficult for Canadians to engage meaningfully in our democracy as we have no way of objectively assessing the extent to which our governments are, in fact, protecting the environment while at the same time growing the economy in sustainable and responsible ways.

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Libertad Leal Photography via Getty Images Hand reaching for sun.

Tell me, how do you feel about 2016? Do you feel you took real steps towards what you want to create? What can you do in 2017 to get yourself even closer?

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I love doing year end reviews on myself to see what went well and what didn't. It helps me get clear on what I truly want to create, and take meaningful steps towards it in the new year.

If you're like most people (myself included), you probably have areas for improvement, or opportunities for growth you could tackle. A year end review helps you identify the ones that are most important to you. The key to an effective review is asking yourself specific questions and being brutally honest in your answers.

I'd like to share with you the questions I ask myself, and my responses, with the intention of inspiring you to review your own year, so that you can start moving towards creating your orgasmically joyful life.

The 5 questions I ask myself at year end:

Q: What were you most proud of and grateful for this year?

A: Creating the CEO of Your Life & Business online course, taking a "light" trip to Europe, my 10 year old son receiving his karate black belt and my spiritual growth.

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Q: What lessons did you learn?

A: Lesson # 1 - No matter what is going on in our lives, we need to have faith that if we are passionate about what we're doing and taking steps towards creating what we want daily, it will work out.

Lesson # 2 - Stop using our heads to make decisions. Tell the Universe what we want to create and trust that it will provide the right answer to guide us. The answer will come either through meditation, or when we are not thinking about it. Rather than stressing about how to do things, or what is the "right thing to do", just hand it over to the Universe.

Lesson #3: State of mind truly dictates our reality. We all have gremlins/saboteurs. These voices constantly tell us we can't, we are not good enough, and so forth. The key is to not let these voices bring us down. It's a skill. We need to develop that skill in order to create the lives we truly want.

Q: What do you need to forgive yourself or others for?

A: Carrying around frustration towards yourself in any area spills onto other areas of your life. It's important to get rid of frustrations and resentments towards yourself and others. I recommend writing out what you need to forgive and then burning it.

Q: What are your intentions for 2017?

A: To do more public speaking, to launch my book "I Attract What I Am" in the summer, to continuously work on becoming the best version of me, and to sleep more.

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Q: What word will be your 2017 theme?

A: I am cheating here as my theme word will be 2 words: I AM. When I put these two words before what I want to create, I am assuming the energy of it. For example, instead of saying, "I want to be a world renowned leader", I say, "I am a world renowned figure." This is a lot more impactful. It comes from a place of confidence, of knowing that it will happen, instead of a place of simply wanting it to happen.

I hope that by sharing my year end review with you, you will be inspired to ask yourself similar questions, and to be as honest as possible in your answers.

I promise that doing this will help steer your life in the direction you choose.

If the direction you dream of taking is to leave behind your day job to create your own business doing something you truly love, I can help get you started. Download my free ebook, 9 Steps Towards Creating Your Orgasmically Joyful Life & Business!

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Andrew Rowat via Getty Images This is a high and wide view of the surrounding neighborhoods of Damascus, Syria. Visible are the rooftops of the homes and businesses of the densely packed city. To the left is the Umayyad Mosque and in the background are the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Located in southwestern Syria, is not only the country's capital, but a major center for religion, culture, and government.

They "... are humiliated, terrorized, abused, insulted, evicted, demolished, confiscated, dispossessed, expropriated, beaten, wounded or killed by Goliath, and imprisoned, often in solitary confinement (which means torture) for long stretches... (and) must constantly endure... fences, checkpoints, roadblocks, attacks, intimidation, violence, beatings, tear gas, arrests, imprisonment, death."

Writing in the Globe and Mail on December 13, you'd think that Gerald Caplan was referring to the wholesale massacring, maiming and maltreatment of hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrian civilians at the hands of Syria's despotic dictator, Bashar Assad, but alas, these bilious words were directed at Israel, the only liberal democracy in the Mideast.

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Though Bashar "The Butcher" Assad murdered half a million people, mostly civilians in chlorine gas attacks, barrel bombings, summary executions, rape and forced starvation of Palestinians in Yarmouk, true to form, Caplan penned a gratuitous and vacuous tirade entitled "Trudeau continues Harper's policies on Israel" which assigned blame exclusively to Israel, condemning the Jewish state alone for the impasse in the Middle East peace process, all while absolving the Palestinians of any responsibility for their actions.

Gerald Caplan's animus against Israel is well known. Walrus Magazine Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kay described Caplan as "a confused leftist" who once "authored an op-ed that was so hysterically anti-American and anti-Israel that I actually found it shocking that any mainstream newspaper had agreed to publish it... Caplan argued that the campaign to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear programs is the stuff of "lunatics," that Israel is as much a threat to world peace as Iran, that Iran's nukes would be of no more concern to us than Israel's or France's, and that Canada's leaders are mindless foreign-policy automatons who will do anything that their Zionist masters in Tel Aviv tell them to do." This invited a forceful rebuke by then Canadian foreign affairs minister John Baird.

That Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown stalwart support for Israel is to be lauded, not lamented by Caplan and is revelatory of the true friendship and common values that Canada and Israel share. Claiming that former prime minister Stephen Harper's support for Israel was "Pavlovian," fundamentally ignores that Harper had a principled moral compass which influenced his standing with Israel through "fire and water."

When Caplan bemoans that "The conflict has no credible solution for the foreseeable future - Israel will never consider a single state incorporating both peoples," he tacitly advocates for the Jewish state's destruction as the one-state solution is a demographic ticking bomb where millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants replace Israel as another Arab-majority state in the region.

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Egregiously, Caplan claims Israelis inflict brutality against "... mostly defenceless Palestinians... men, women and children, old and young." Untold is that during the unrelenting wave of terror in Israel from September 2015 to present day, 42 people were killed in terrorist attacks and 577 people (including 4 Palestinians) were injured. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says "There have been 166 stabbing attacks and 89 attempted stabbings; 109 shootings; 47 vehicular (ramming) attacks; and one vehicle (bus) bombing."

Terror doesn't occur in a vacuum and terrorists are born from nurture, not nature. Fanning the flames and provoking this recent terror war is a sustained campaign of incitement to violence, indoctrination of hate and justification of terror that is being promoted, financed, and instilled in all facets of Palestinian society.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - whom Caplan pejoratively refers to as "effectively an Israeli collaborator" - continues to pay stipends to terrorists and their families, refuses to condemn these barbaric terror attacks, or to stop inciting his people with incendiary statements such as his "bless(ing) every drop of blood spilled for Jerusalem." While Gerald Caplan is entitled to his own opinions, he's not entitled to his own facts. Caplan misleads Globe readers by tendentiously referring to alleged Israeli building on "Palestinian lands," but fails to explain that Palestinians have never been sovereign rulers to these lands and that the status of the west bank is fundamentally disputed and is to be resolved pending negotiations. Both Jews and Arabs have competing claims to the territories. Israel has legitimate claim to these areas in accordance with international law and bearing in mind its ancestral and historical rights to the lands of Judea and Samaria where it claims sovereignty. Israel acquired these territories in a war of self defense in 1967 and UN Security Council Resolution 242 authorizes Israel to remain in possession of the land until it has "secure and recognized boundaries." The Jordanian occupation of the west bank happened after Israel was established in an offensive pan-Arab war to exterminate the nascent Jewish state and continued from 1948-67, until Israel won these lands and others in the Six Day War in self defense.

Contrary to Caplan's assertions, Prime Minister Netanyahu supports a two-state solution, naturally, under the right circumstances where a future Palestinian state wouldn't post a security threat to Israel and where final status issues like settlements, borders, refugees, Jerusalem, etc. are to be negotiated, not unilaterally imposed. Israel hasn't built a single settlement in many years and has taken efforts to dismantle illegal outposts such as in Amona. An increase in the population in some settlement areas is only due to the natural growth of those living there. Would Caplan support a quota on births and a restriction for settlers to have children thereby denying them self-determination? Israeli settlements aren't the primary obstacle to Mideast peace, despite UN Resolution 2334's saying so. They weren't an obstacle when Labor leader Ehud Barak was in power and was building settlements at four times the pace set by Netanyahu's government, and they weren't an obstacle when Kadima leader Ehud Olmert was in power and building was proceeding at twice the pace seen under Netanyahu. As prime ministers, right-leaning Likud leader Menachem Begin ceded all of the Sinai to make peace with Egypt and right-leaning Kadima leader Ariel Sharon unilaterally destroyed all Gaza settlements, removed 8,500 settlers and its combined armed forces in a policy known as "disengagement". Benjamin Netanyahu is the only Israeli leader to have ever instituted both a 10-month and a quiet 18-month moratorium on settlement building. Under the Netanyahu administration, settlement construction has grown at a slower rate than in the past 20 years.

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The Palestinians have been offered many generous peace offers over the years, which have only been met with recalcitrance, rejectionism, intransigence and violence. Should the Palestinians agree on a peace plan affording Israel ironclad security guarantees, Israel would happily pull out and concede the territories. However, Israel is mindful that when it pulled out of Gaza in an effort to procure peace, all it got in return where tens of thousands of rockets shot at Israeli cities and the outlawed Hamas terror group at its doorstep and burrowing deep underground in terror-attack tunnels.

Israel has tried to offer solutions, however, the Palestinian's failure to disavow terror, their refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist and their unyielding demands for a Palestinian state to be created from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, are the true barriers to Mideast peace.
Alexander Spatari via Getty Images Picture of a young Hasid Jewish boy in Williamsburg, New York city.

The last few months of 2016 were challenging for residents of Outremont. To limit new places of worship -- including churches, synagogues and mosques -- on commercial arteries, a Nov. 20, 2016 referendum created a contentious situation of neighbour against neighbour.

With a YES (to approve the bylaw) win of 1,561 to 1,202, supporters of the bylaw saw themselves subsequently vilified by a few columnists in newspapers, while Hassidic leadership claimed the ban on new places of worship was evidence of residents targeting them, "... because they are afraid. And they are afraid because we are different."

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As the person responsible for heading up online campaign efforts for the YES campaign, I can assure readers that we are certainly not afraid of diversity and that YES efforts were, as claimed, to maintain a healthy balance of secular and non-secular activity on Bernard Ave., and that a 10,000-square-foot synagogue at the corner of Bernard and Champagneur Avenues, together with the potential increase in new places of worship on the Avenue, could be a tipping point toward non-secular activity that could threaten the long-term, future commercial viability of Bernard merchants.

The YES campaign was and is entirely in support in seeking a solution that would allow places of worship in Outremont while limiting the number of churches, mosques, synagogues and temples on commercial streets to those already in existence.

A viable solution?

After attending the Dec. 5, 2016 Outremont council meeting, I am encouraged and cautiously optimistic to hear that zone C6 -- near the new University of Montreal campus -- is under consideration as an innovative and creative solution for new places of worship in Outremont.

Over the past weeks, I have had a chance to learn more about the project as well as to visit the site, just north of Van Horne, intersecting with Hutchison. It is hopeful to report that the sector is well within walking distance for the Hassidic families and that for many families on Hutchison and Durocher, the C6 zone is closer to them than the proposed 10,000-square-foot synagogue on Bernard and Champagneur. Moreover, any new places of worship for the Hassidic community in C6 will complement Talmud Tovah Belz, a Jewish Hasidic school and day nursery already existing on Durocher Ave.

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A LEED project in the heart of Montreal

According to a Nov. 21, 2016 press release from Universite de Montreal, "Beyond its university vocation, this campus opened to the surrounding community will become a genuine crossroads of creation and exchange. It will include residential projects, multi-purpose businesses, and public spaces, open to the public and community and cultural organizations in surrounding neighbourhoods.

In this intellectually, interactively and creatively challenging environment, the MIL campus is expected to become a vibrant and diverse community where researchers, students, creators, residents and business people will meet to shape tomorrow's society."

Moving forward

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recent visit to the sector, (announcing millions of dollars in additional funding for the project), I trust we can agree that this exciting, revitalized Outremont sector will be a once-in-a-generation and cutting-edge opportunity; breaking new ground in regards to education, commercial, cultural and religious diversity. We can be proud of the Borough of Outremont for exploring the possibility of opening up the exceptional project as a reasonable solution to moving new places of worship off commercial arteries.

I am hopeful 2017 will provide further opportunities for Outremont residents to work together and toward solutions, in and with a renewed spirit of cooperation.

Vivre ensemble, Outremont.

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Dr. Cindi Morshead

For half a century, a drug called metformin has been making life better for people suffering from Type II diabetes. Now, Canadian researchers are finding that it could also offer remarkable benefits for something completely different. There is evidence that metformin can help an injured brain repair itself.

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"It's very exciting," said Dr. Cindi Morshead, who is leading a research project at the University of Toronto that is partially funded by the Ontario Brain Institute.

Dr. Morshead and her team have seen extraordinary results, with the tantalizing prospect that metformin could stimulate the brain to regenerate damaged cells.

Her project builds on earlier work from another University of Toronto researcher, Dr. Freda Miller. In results published in 2012, Dr. Miller found that metformin encouraged the growth of new neurons in the brains of mice. They were being created in the hippocampus, the region where memory is stored. The animals also seemed better able to perform certain tasks--in effect, they appeared to be smarter after the metformin treatments.

The results gave Dr. Morshead an idea.

"The next question was: if it has this potential, could we use it to regenerate the brain?" she said in an interview.

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Her team simulated a stroke in 9 day old mice, attempting to mimic the kind of injury that is thought to cause cerebral palsy in human beings. The mice showed the impact, with impaired movement and cognition.

The researchers administered metformin, either through the mother's milk or injections, and the results were striking. After a mere 7 days of metformin treatments, the mice were moving better. After about 4 weeks, there was also evidence of improvements in cognition.

The mice's neural stem cells had been pre-marked to appear fluorescent green. After the treatment, the researchers found more green: the cells had divided, made copies of themselves and migrated throughout the brain tissues.

The findings raise hope that metformin could help people with cerebral palsy. Traditionally they have been treated with rehabilitation, but the results have always been limited. Clinical trials still need to be done, and there are unanswered questions about whether metformin needs to be administered shortly after the injury, or whether it could still be effective long afterwards. But if a drug could rebuild damaged brain cells in people with CP, it would be a dramatic advancement.

And that is not all.

Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children are exploring metformin's possibilities for treating a different acquired brain injury. Children who develop medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer, are usually treated through surgery to remove the tumour, coupled with chemotherapy and/or radiation.

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Although the survival rates are relatively good, the treatments often leave the patients with long term cognitive and motor impairments.

The Sick Kids study will investigate whether metformin could help these young people in the same way that it seemed to be improving the condition of Dr. Morshead's mice.

Aside from the potential therapeutic benefits, finding new uses for an old drug means bypassing a lengthy approval process. Metformin has been used for decades and its safety already proven. Brand new pharmaceuticals can take years to go through all the requisite studies.

"In theory it's a quick way to get it to the clinic and then get to people with cerebral palsy," said Dr. Morshead.
Friday's UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution censuring Israel will not resurrect dead Palestinians or Israelis from wars past, nor will it change the near-term prospect for peace. But despite cynical criticism from the left, the UNSC resolution condemning Israel's illegal settlements (a.k.a. colonies) is still very significant.

One cannot discount the symbolic importance of such a resolution -- foremost for Israel. Israel's right-wing government can have virtually everything it wants via military might... except legitimacy for its actions. Netanyahu is furious, not because the resolution will slow the construction and expansion of Israel's provocative settlements, but because the legitimacy of Israel's actions has been rejected by the world's community of nations.

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What happened at the UNSC on Friday was no Muslim or Arab "gang up" on Israel. The resolution passed 14-0, with the U.S. abstaining. The sponsors of the resolution were New Zealand, Venezuela, Senegal and Malaysia. The other members supporting were China, Russia, the U.K., France, Spain, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt and Uruguay. Ukraine's prime minister Volodymyr Groysman is the country's first Jewish prime minister, with family in the Israeli city of Ashdod -- yet even his country joined this stinging reproach of Israel.

For a country craving legitimacy for its actions, that smarts.

Given such universal support, it is hard for anyone -- foremost Israel -- to interpret this resolution as anything other than broad-based philosophical disagreement with Israel's actions towards the Palestinians. For a country craving legitimacy for its actions, that smarts.

The resolution has symbolic importance for the U.S. as well. With this abstention, the Obama administration indirectly declares that its policies of the past eight years were mislaid. It was a tacit admission that years of opposition to Israeli settlements -- unsupported by any concrete action -- were a mistake.

Beyond the symbolic significance, the resolution contains content which is terribly important for other reasons. The first operative paragraph of the resolution states that Israeli settlements have "no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law."

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Such language will most certainly give new momentum to the Palestinians' pending case against Israel's irksome settlements at the International Criminal Court (ICC.) Given the proven international consensus, the prosecution at The Hague may be much more willing to escalate the case to a full investigation -- one which could lead to conviction for a war crime.

The resolution is also perhaps the first formal Security Council admission that the long-sought "two-state solution" may be out of reach. With well over 500,000 Israeli colonists settled illegally on occupied land in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, pundits have questioned the viability of the two-state solution for years. Diplomats, on the other hand, seemed to proceed as if such a solution were still largely possible.

The resolution's language makes clear that even diplomats now recognize that the two-state solution is in peril, and largely because Israel's actions are "entrenching a one-state reality." When diplomats do make this call, Israel will face drastically new realities, both domestically, and diplomatically. And under such new realities, it will be far easier for the international community to consider crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions.

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Other passages are also significant.

The resolution's fifth operative paragraph calls countries to draw a distinction in their dealings between Israel proper, and the territories that Israel occupied in 1967. This is a clear nod to Europe's ongoing attempts to impose economic penalties on Israeli-owned businesses operating illegally on Palestinian land in the West Bank. From economic penalties on these illicit operations, it is a short step to more serious forms of economic pressure.

The resolution also clearly establishes "moral equivalence" in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israel, for its part, has often tried to argue that its military actions in the Palestinian territories are defensive and limited. But the resolution makes no such distinction: both the preamble and the operative section of the resolution condemn "all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction."

Ultimately, the significance of the resolution is understood simply by the fact that Israel so vehemently opposed the resolution. Between its machinations to get Egypt to delay the resolution on Thursday, and its appeal to get president-elect Donald Trump to intervene, Israel's abhorrence of the implications of the resolution was clear.

There are good reasons for Palestinians and many others to be frustrated with international mechanisms for social justice. But what the world witnessed at the UNSC on Friday may be a case of Martin Luther King Jr.'s observation that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

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John Wilhelm is a photoholic via Getty Images

The 'evacuation' of Aleppo temporarily cast the world's conscience on Syria once more. Images of civilians choosing between expulsion or annihilation have flooded our TV screens and Twitter feeds. But despite this mass attention, somehow it is the reality that has been silenced.

Aleppo is not an evacuation of communities from danger to a place of refuge. It is the forced displacement of civilians from their homes. The point-blank shooting of civilians dragged from their homes by Regime soldiers and militias as reported by the UN. This is no evacuation, this is ethnic cleansing.

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What we are observing is the dictator Assad's achievement of his ultimate goal: the eradication of the Syrian opposition, the decimation of the revolution. Aleppo's fall to Assad is significant for the dictator. For four years the city has been a black eye for Assad's supposed legitimacy. As a result, it has borne the brunt of Assad's military forces as he has worked to exterminate them.

Since the 'evacuation' concluded, our TV screens are once more devoid of talk of Syria. But it is incumbent upon the media to show the world that the refugees, although relocated, remain in the greatest of peril - with Assad still their gravest danger. Where are they? What protections are in place for civilians when they arrive in Idlib in mid-winter? Are the doctors who were operating in the bombed-out carcasses of hospitals safe? Is the little girl whose tweets captured our hearts still alive? Perhaps the media decided it was unpalatable to intrude on our festive cheer with the continued suffering of the Syrian people that we, the world, have failed to prevent? Or perhaps even worse, that without the clickbait convoys the everyday genocide wasn't newsworthy?

Ask yourself why Assad would want to ship tens of thousands of civilians out of Aleppo? Why would he move them to Idlib? The civilians and opposition fighters of Aleppo have been cleansed from the city because of their politics - their desire for change in Syria and for the end of Assad's tyranny that started in 2011 with the peaceful revolution.

Let's not suggest that the worldwide reporting of Aleppo's 'evacuation' has not been an international propaganda battle. At the UN Security Council, the Syrian Regime's envoy Bashar Jaafari, in his desperation, showed a photo from June of Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces liberating Fallujah as evidence of the Syrian Regime's humanity in Aleppo. But the media reporting of this was disappointingly muted - why was this blatant attempt at fake news so under-reported?

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What will happen now? The Assad Regime, most likely with Russia's support, will turn its weapons on Idlib and then gradually other areas still holding the flame of the revolution. Maybe the race to Raqqah will begin in earnest with Assad and Russia recognising that a genuine attempt to defeat Daesh would offer the ultimate PR win: consolidating Assad's narrative as a Government tackling terrorism, recasting Russian geopolitics as liberation, undermining the US-led Global Coalition, and silencing voices for change in Syria.

Whilst Assad curates an image as scourge of violent jihadi groups, he benefits greatly from the muddy waters they create. The fight against Daesh in particular justifying the jet contrails in the Syrian sky, but not the actual 'extremists' targeted on the ground. Indeed, Assad has been known to wave through the release of Daesh prisoners - as their abhorrent insurgency lends legitimacy to Regime belligerence and allows them to obfuscate their true intent.

Moreover it is the Assad Regime's brutalisation of the Syrian people that has long been the greatest recruiting sergeant for Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and other jihadi groups, including Daesh. The ethnic cleansing of Aleppo risks radicalising individuals forcibly displaced from the city. Jihadi groups are operating within Idlib, and Assad has thrown Aleppo's civilians and revolutionary fighters into an area in which they are more likely to be forced to join a terrorist group or indeed become radicalised. It will also give carte blanche to Assad to bomb these areas. In this way the 'evacuation' was nothing more than a stay of execution for the vast majority. The ethnic cleansing of Aleppo will also undoubtedly feed the narrative of jihadist organisations around the World who will use it to further radicalise individuals who see that their Muslim brothers and sisters are under attack.

What should not be absent from our discussions is the role of the UN in Aleppo's fall. As the US ambassador to the United Nations rightly said, "Aleppo will join the ranks of those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later... Halabja, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and now Aleppo". But what has the UN done to stop this? It has asked for permission from the aggressor to deliver aid: never granted and insufficiently challenged. It has deployed monitors to observe the 'evacuation': too late. It has failed to ground the aircraft committing genocide. Even now the UN fails to acknowledge the war crime taking place in Aleppo.

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What Syria needed, and what the international community should have delivered, was the grounding of Assad's Air Force. This could have been achieved without putting British aircraft or members of the Armed Forces at risk through the use of targeted cruise missiles. Also the US failed in its negotiations to agree with Russia where the terrorists were occupying territory and where the opposition were taking a stand. Perhaps this was an impossible task. But either way the map agreed essentially marked all opposition areas as terrorist-held areas, and therefore open targets. Carte blanche again for Assad.

What Aleppo lays bare is that Russia's purported goal of eradicating Daesh from Syria was a lie. It has helped the Assad regime focus on destroying the opposition. Russia has acted as Assad's protector and guarantor, and their words have repeatedly failed to take any true meaning. Russia has the power to use its significant influence over Assad to curtail these atrocities, and has thus far chosen not to act. It has chosen not to force Assad to adhere to the agreements it makes on its behalf. With the ceasefire announced today the question is whether Russia will finally bring Assad to heel. It will hopefully bring some relief to civilians from the daily bombardments they suffer, but if negotiations take place as Turkey and Russia appear to have agreed, they must include all internationally recognised opposition groups, not just the Russia-approved opposition groups.
It came as something of a revelation this November that the majority of recommendations in the media's annual roundup of the best history books of 2016 were written by men. In response, Twitter was flooded with the names of inspiring female historians, past and present, under the hashtag #HistoryBooksbyWomen. 2016 has seen a plethora of publications by talented women so, to redress the balance somewhat, here are my top picks of the year:

Lauren Johnson's accomplished debut "So Great a Prince: England in 1509" (The History Press, 178185985X) delves into the cultural, social, religious and political aspects of the first year of Henry VIII's reign. Often remembered as an obese despot, this Henry is a fresh-faced Prince in a pre-Reformation world, where Johnson charts the hand over of power from father to son in illuminating detail and inviting prose.

A single year also provides the narrative framework for Helen Rappaport's most recent offering, except this is 1917. "Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, 1917" (Hutchinson, 0091958954) employs a vivid and varied range of characters, all foreign visitors to the city, as witnesses to the unfolding events that prefaced the revolution. By selecting a narrow focus of place and time, Rappaport is able to dig deep into the fabric and detail of life in the city to create a captivating story that was difficult to put down.

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By way of something completely different, Lucinda Hawksley's "Bitten by Witch Fever: Wallpaper and Arsenic in the Victorian Home" (Thames and Hudson, 0500518386) is a lavish and beautiful production. Alongside 275 coloured prints of the most sumptuous wallpapers of the day, all containing arsenic, the book explores the history of its use and the resulting controversy. It's a poignant book, exposing the fragility of a world that was slowly poisoning itself with the refinement of its aesthetic taste.

It is always difficult to select certain figures over others to promote as culturally significant. However, Jenni Murray's eclectic choice in "A History of Britain in 21 Women: A Personal Selection" (Oneworld, 1780749902) needs little justification. Starting with Boudicca and concluding with Nicola Sturgeon, Murray traces an alternative narrative of national history by way of authors Aphra Behn and Jane Austen, artist Gwen John and inventor Ada Lovelace, to the women who carved a path in modern politics; Barbara Castle and Margaret Thatcher. The book contains many surprises along the way as it delineates an alternative construction of English womanhood.

Historian Elizabeth Norton has also focused on the biography of womanhood as a collective, in "The Lives of Tudor Women." (Heads of Zeus, 1784081752) Gathering the experiences of individuals from all walks of life between the years 1485-1603, Norton has pulled off an ambitious and essential collective study, rich in colour and detail, arranged into seven sections, according to the stages of a woman's life. Her clear prose and meticulous research nudges the reader ever closer to an understanding of that elusive and complex question of femininity that both divided and united women at the time.

Sleep is a topic that has been understandably overlooked by historians. We all do it; surely there's not much to be said about the act of sleeping? Sasha Handley's compelling study "Sleep in Early Modern England" (Yale University Press, 0300220391) proves this to be wrong, and brings the topic to life in accessible and colourful detail. As both a personal and a universal experience, sleep is analysed in terms of the customs and practises of the early modern world, the fabric and textiles, the patterns and health issues, drawing from first-hand material. This is an intimate book, where the voices of dreamers from the past can be heard.

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Released to coincide with the anniversary of London's most devastating year, Rebecca Rideal's convincing debut "1666: Plague, War and Hellfire"(John Murray, 1473623537) dives straight into a London on the brink of chaos. Bringing the different regions and characters of the city vividly to life, Rideal balances description with obscure sources to capture the mood of the year. It is terrifying in places, apocalyptic, but also a cathartic and compelling read.

Dynastic histories are very much en vogue at the moment and K.L.Clark's "The Nevilles of Middleham" (The History Press, 0750963654) is a good example of the best way to approach such a complex family, unravelling the different branches of the tree whist foregrounding its most famous figures. Clark's painstaking research has resulted in a narrative which explains the rise of the Neville fortunes beginning with the marriage of John of Gaunt and encompassing a vast cast who were to play critical roles during the Wars of the Roses. This assured and clear dynastic analysis will surely be a foundation stone for future historians.
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By Dr. Frederic Llordachs, co-founder of Doctoralia, a brand of DocPlanner,

the leading global online healthcare platform connecting doctors with patients.

Mental health problems are the great epidemic of the 21st century for developed countries. They affect approximately one in six adults each year, but they are often neither recognised nor adequately treated. The incidence and prevalence of these problems increases during periods of economic crisis, which is precisely when governments and other funding agencies are looking to reduce spending rather than increase it.

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The inequality gradient operates in such a way that people and disadvantaged communities are at greater risk of mental illness, and the generalised stigma around mental illness and associated discrimination also worsens during recessions.

The UK is no exception: suicide remains one of the biggest killers, yet nearly one in four young people seeking professional treatment for mental health are being turned away by UK medical services, according to a new report from the Education Policy Institute's Independent Mental Health Commission. Meanwhile, for those lucky enough to be referred by the GP to a mental health specialist, they have to cope with wait times of up to 18 weeks for an appointment.

Around the world, we continue to see increased numbers of online marketplaces being used to access healthcare services. Well-established players like ZocDoc in the US (with a $1.8 billion dollar valuation), or DocPlanner in continental Europe and Latin America (expected to become the next European unicorn in the digital health arena), are helping patients to book an appointment with private specialists with almost immediate availability - a good example of how to offer a more agile service with the same resources.

Healthcare is ripe for technological disruption

Marketplaces connecting doctors and patients are just the beginning. The market for digital health is huge, encompassing tools and solutions that cater to just about every possible need. Some examples of these are the increasing trend in video consultations, especially in mental health, allowing a patient to arrange a virtual meeting with a specialist without having to leave the comfort of his or her own home, safe from inquisitive looks. Telemedicine is also being used in the public healthcare system. For example, Canada has adopted telemedicine strategies in order to address some of the issues currently facing the mental healthcare system, such as the shortage of psychiatrists and lack of services available in rural areas.

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New, free-to-use apps on the market that offer patients the chance to tackle mental health issues on their own are rapidly growing in popularity. The best place to find an app that is tailored to your needs is myhealthapps, a British endeavour managed by PatientView UK, that is classifying and providing details of health apps recommended by patient groups and tested by professionals. They currently have 93 apps included in their mental health section, demonstrating just how popular these apps have become in the UK.

And the future is looking bright. Watson's IBM recently introduced an online service for developers of Tone Analyzer to detect various tones and emotions conveyed by users during a conversation with a bot. This opens a door to a future where bots and artificial intelligence have the potential to detect changes in your mood and give you priority in the access to mental health services.

Innovation and disruption has never been more important than it is today in the healthcare space. With the continued shortfall in government funding and difficulty in recruiting healthcare specialists, it doesn't look as though UK wait times for doctors will get shorter any time soon. With patients increasingly losing their patience, the demand for digital solutions continues to grow and the reasons are clear. Technology is both encouraging mental health sufferers to get help and making it easy for them to seek immediate treatment without paying for the privilege - all via a channel that fits into their modern, digitalised lives.
If a polling station worker suspects that a voter is not who they claim to be - say they literally know the voter Joe Bloggs, their next-door neighbour, and are certain that the person purporting to be him is not him - what can they do?

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The law says they may ask two cunning Prescribed Questions ("precisely and calmly") of the suspect individual. The first is, "Are you the person registered to vote as Joe Bloggs?" The second is, "Have you already voted, here or elsewhere, in this election?"

If the target successfully answers both these questions, 'yes' to the first, 'no' to the second, they *have* to be allowed to vote. However dishonest or implausible they seem, if they give the right responses they can cast their ballot. The real Joe Bloggs, when he turns up later that evening after his Zumba class, will be bang out of luck.

(Technically there's also a power for poll clerks to ask for the voter's date of birth, but this crafty 'One Last Thing' killer gambit is only legal in Northern Ireland. Citizens in other parts of the United Kingdom are not expected to know the date of birth of the person they are claiming to be.)

British elections, then, are some of the least secure in the world. Even in emerging democracies the use of election ink paints those who have already voted a vivid purple which stops them from returning multiple times under multiple names.

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Given our British laxity, and a number of recent scandals of fraud and personation, it is really no surprise that government will be piloting a scheme requiring voters to show ID when voting. The acceptable ID will include passports and driving licenses, but also less formal items such as bank cards and gas bills. There will also be a free, voluntary 'election ID card' available to those who really don't have anything else.

Voter ID requirements are always controversial. In the USA they often exhibit traits of racial bias. The poor and socially excluded often lack acceptable documentation. People can end up disenfranchised.

Yet the main argument against such laws - that they represent a burden on the right to vote, an extra step bound to put off some hurried or disinterested citizens - is in fact an argument in their favour.

The phrase 'the right to vote' is actually a shorthand. The physical act of voting, on its own, is not enough. If I exercises my right to vote but then a corrupt Returning Officer sets fire to the ballot box, nobody could sensibly argue that I have not been wronged ("But nobody stopped him voting!").

And in those circumstances, I'm not the only victim: malpractice interferes with everyone's right to vote, because the 'right to vote' is actually a right to participate in a fair and democratic poll with an outcome which correctly reflects the will of the electorate. Or, as the European Convention on Human Rights ***puts it***, the right to "free elections at reasonable intervals by secret ballot, under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature".

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So unless there are at least some checks on who has access to the ballot box, the integrity of the election and the fulfilment of the right are fatally compromised.

Not only may ballot security procedures not be an unreasonable burden on the right to vote, they may be essential to its exercise. If our polls were held by leaving a cardboard box in the town square, labelled, "Put your votes in here," voting would be easy-peasy and blissfully unburdened, but also valueless and a failure so far as democracy goes.

Getting the balance between security and openness is not always easy. But an American case may help us find the line which divided the acceptable from the unacceptable. In Crawford, the Supreme Court upheld an Indiana voter ID law which required citizens to present one of a number of acceptable documents, and, failing that, allowed them to cast a provisional ballot which would be counted three days later if, by then, they popped into a local council office and swore an oath that they were who they claimed to be. The right to vote, Justice Stevens held, was not impaired.
If you were to have a view of your entire life, every single element, even the littlest of details, what would you see?

Would you say that it all was: predestined? Random acts? Cause and effect?

I don't know the answer. I am an agnostic. I believe what I see, and I will not believe blindly in something that I cannot see or physically proven to me. I do believe that there is more to life than what meets the eye. I also believe that anything for evil that it may seem can be turned around and used for good if we set our minds to do so.

Who is Kati?

If you looked at Kati in her daily life you would say; "Kati is a contagious bundle of joy that makes no sense," "impossible to understand" Or "Queen of winter wonderland". But there is more to Kati than what meets the eye.

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Kati is my wife. Kati is the young woman who suffered a stroke in 1995 and since that has been almost entirely paralyzed. Kati is a woman that has spent almost her entire adult life trapped inside her body. Kati is also the person that knows how to enjoy life at the moment to the fullest making the most of each and every day.

Kati is naive to unnecessary worries. If she would be in a maze, she would never pay attention to the wall in front of her she only sees the halls and enjoys running through them not wasting her time worrying about what is next.

When confronted with the questions; "How did you get out of depression?" and "How do you manage to keep such a positive attitude despite your situation?" Kati's eyes open wide and start rolling around like looking for an answer. In the end, the answer is always the same; "I just did, I just do."

Everyone is looking for a reply or advice that would work like a miracle cure. You take it and all will be alright. As they linger in disappointment, they fail to see that they did get the answer they were looking for.

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More than once she was asked; "why didn't she sue the hospital?", "you would have at least money right now."

I am glad she didn't. Years of battles in court would have kept the tragedy alive and then she would have become the victim. That is something Kati is not; "the victim." I have come to know many people that have had a stroke since I have been with Kati, and one of the things that most of them have in common (no matter their condition) is that their lives revolve around the stroke.

Not Kati though. She never talks about the stroke. Ask her if she is a stroke survivor or a stroke warrior and she would answer you; "neither." Kati may suffer from Locked-In Syndrome and be paralyzed.

However, her life does not circle this fact. Kati has an attitude of; "things are as they are, what's next."

The stories we commonly hear are the ones that overcame adversity and lived happily ever after afterward. But what if the misfortune is one that is impossible to overcome?

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We are taught to, always have hope and faith until the bitter end. But what if even hope is gone? What then?

Well if we use Kati as an example we can see that even without hope you still can have faith, and you can still make your dreams come true and live an amazing life.

A dime a dozen are people that tell us; "how things are" Less are the ones that say; "how things could be" and even less are people like Kati that show us by example; "how things can be if we just set our minds to it."

Kati is one of those women that turned their personal tragedy into a unique story of success despite the circumstances.

There is a list of people that through the history of the human kind used a catastrophic event that could have ruined their lives as a stepping stone, people that made of their tragedy a blessing to others. I would say that Kati belongs on that list.

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Kati and I are more than husband and wife. We are partners in crime. We share an idealism and since I have been writing with her and for her the last few years. I have learned to know her so well that I can answer questions that are asked to her better than she can.

Faced with calamity Kati always just says; "S*** happens" or "F*** it" (Those exact words). She turns the page and life goes on. That is how she got out of depression.

When an opportunity comes along she says; "let's do it" without thinking twice. That is how she keeps her positive attitude.

We always say; "never give up hope and keep the faith"

It is great when you can work at something and with blood sweat and tears achieve your goal. But if you cannot move at all, what if even hope is gone what then?

Well even when hope is gone, you can still keep the faith. That is what Kati is to me; "Faith." Faith before it is decorated with spiritualism or dressed up in religion. Not man made faith that is designed to fit a certain purpose. But faith in its purest form, the kind that existed even before the "Big Bang."

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Hang on to your hats. 2017 may be a bumpy ride

As 2016 slides away it is hard not to marvel at just how much has changed. A year ago we looked destined to keep our place on the EU rollercoaster as it plunged towards greater and greater integration. Now the talk is all of Brexit and whether the EU can hold together at all. At the start of the year we were governed by the chillaxed Etonian David Cameron, a man whose quickness on the soundbite doubtless reflected his experiences in marketing. Now it is almost impossible to get a statement out of the Prime Minister, a middle class woman who takes every opportunity to keep her cards close to her chest. Then the talk was of austerity, to reduce public debt more quickly. Now it is of measures to reinforce growth. Outside Europe it is little better. Then it seemed that the US would be choosing between highly experienced presidential candidates. Maybe a Clinton: maybe a Bush. Now it is to be the very unpredictable Donald Trump.

Too much has changed too fast for anyone to have any real idea what will happen next. Rather than guessing at the future, therefore, perhaps we should celebrate the changes by looking at some of the positioning.

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Let's start with Mrs May's cabinet. Leading on the Brexit side are three leave campaigners: David Davis, Boris Johnson and Liam Fox. None of them has the weight of Philip Hammond and Greg Clark, so why has Mrs May put them there? Is it because she feels that they are best placed to deliver the Brexit agenda or are they a human shield? Does Mrs May believe that the country will have to make concessions which will contradict the rhetoric of the Leave campaign, and that before she can do so safely the leaders of that campaign must either be discredited or admit that she is right? If so, is it working? Mr Davis has already begun to soften with his suggestion that we might continue to pay for access to the EU marketplace and his opposition to a transitional agreement is looking increasingly threadbare. Boris is losing his gloss. Will there come a moment when she can bow to the inevitable and gain public support for a soft Brexit deal?

Then let's look at another piece of positioning, the reluctance of the Prime Minister to spell out her plans. If she is waiting for the three Brexiteers to either moderate their stand or to fail, this makes obvious sense. She needs to hold back until the public mood moves and then she can go in with her masterplan. That is only one explanation, however, and there is another, equally cogent. There are two parties to the Brexit discussions and one of them is evolving fast. How can Mrs May set her strategy until she has an idea of the form which the EU will take in 2019? Will France and Germany be the kernel of a new superstate comprising northern members of the union? Will France have pulled out? What about the German elections and the Dutch? In neither country does the pro-EU consensus look particularly safe. Suppose the EU changes form. Would we wish we were staying in it after all? There are obvious reasons for keeping options open.

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If you read Clausewitz or the biographies of great military figures you will know that the deciding factor in a campaign is often the instinct of the commander. That does not mean guesswork. An instinctive commander draws on both training and talent, knowing what must be done and doing it, often without knowing quite how the decision was reached. Apply that to politics and success of the negotiations with the EU is likely to depend on Mrs May and the cabinet making the right instinctive decisions. The freer she is to do this, the more likely the calls are to be right. No wonder that there is a reluctance to commit any earlier than is strictly necessary.

Then what about the rail strikes, a bizarre story in which bogus concerns over safety have brought Aslef and the RMT out on strike? At first sight it seemed that they were merely trying to protect the jobs of their membership. After all, a train where no guard is needed to close the doors threatens to reduce the number of employees, something which would be a legitimate concern for any union. And yet, according to recent press reports, there may be more to it than that and the unions concerned may be trying to bring down the government. It is all very 1979 but with rail drivers rather than miners on the front line. Will the members continue to support the unions as their position is exposed? It will be interesting to see. Distrust of leadership may not be confined to election results.

Now step overseas and see how Mr Trump is positioning himself. There has been a lot written about how his instincts are more liberal than you might think from his campaign, and that may be true. Nonetheless the one concrete thing we have is his choice of Secretary of State and other heads of department and that is not particularly reassuring. Perhaps his wish to be friends with Putin is an imaginative leap. Perhaps it is a mistake. One way or the other, however, he is an inexperienced president and one would like to see some experienced people in a position to give him support.

There is not necessarily anything wrong with living through a time of change. It is uncomfortable, of course, but there is the opportunity to contribute to a new vision. After the war that was a softening of social attitudes and the introduction of the welfare state. In 1979 there was a reaction against the inefficiencies of state control, and the liberalisation of markets. This time the various upheavals seem disparate, the common factor being the various publics' distrust of the leadership provided by their political elites. It is in such soil that new movements and leaders grow and no doubt we will see plenty of them in the coming year. It is up to us all, bloggers, journalists and readers, to play a part in the debate and to do our best to ensure that the changes are in the right direction and help move us all forwards to a brighter future. That is the challenge for 2017.
I'm writing my 2016 summary from Poland. Having been here for a few summer time visits, it's definitely on the colder side now. However the people, food and culture has been very warming.

It's also been nice to raise the temperature by looking back at this year's travels, projects and favourite memories. Having noted my top ten memories, I've simply expanded them into this fun little post:

1) Husky Dog Sledding in Finland

It seems like years ago but back in January 2016 we visited Helsinki and its surrounding areas. It was for the Nordic blogging programme. Alongside around 40 other travel bloggers from around the world, we saw the sites and swapped travel blogging tips.

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During one of our exploring days, before the travel market, we had a very cool activity to try out - Husky Dog Sledding. This involved -32 temperatures, being lifted out from my wheelchair, and towed by these mysteriously beautiful animals.

2) Speaking at the Naidex exhibition

Having never attended Naidex before, I finally managed to get to Birmingham for it this year. Instead of just attending, we had a double whammy for Disability Horizons. We exhibited our own stand and got to meet some of our amazing community. Also I was asked to speak on the speakers stage.

It was fantastic to share my story of disability, independent living, travel and about my career. The audience was very friendly and engaged. I've already been asked back too, so I can't have been so bad :-)

3) Accessible Travel Week with Virgin Atlantic and Holiday Inn

Around the same time as Naidex, George Baker and I launched Accessible Traveller. It's a premium subscription newsletter and discount club for disabled travellers.

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For the launch we created 'Accessible Travel Week' with lots of free resources and awareness raising. To also highlight that disabled people are part of mainstream tourism too (when inclusivity is considered), we partnered with Virgin Atlantic and Holiday Inn.

The videos were unsurprisingly about flying and accommodation. I presented/filmed them at the Virgin Atlantic headquarters near Gatwick (called 'the Base'), and at a flagship Holiday Inn hotel near Birmingham. The feedback we received was great.

4) Spending time with family

Who doesn't enjoy adventure travels, and world changing projects? Well, I certainly love them. There is something else I've become more fond of recently though. That is family time.

When growing up I wanted to fly the nest. Despite all of the odds. Once I flew, I was busy at university, busy working in London and then busy seeing other countries. The last couple of years I've returned to the nest more often and am cherishing every moment with my loved ones.

5) Super Hotels and Adapted Gondolas

In May we had our usual trip to Spain. This time it began with BaskForAll and a beautiful project in San Sebastian. We stayed at "the most accessible hotel I've ever seen!". With an adapted bed, ceiling hoist, wetroom shower, and autonomous controls for doors/lights/curtains - I was in Independent Living heaven.

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This was swiftly followed by our annual stay in Barcelona and later onto Poland. Inbetween we drove up the Costa Brava, into France and through Italy, up to Austria, and Czech Republic. We stopped in Turin, Lake Garda, Venice, near Salzburg and Karlowe Vary.

Of all the places and foods and people, I had a very memorable occasion in Venice. I'd met the guys from Gondolas4all at a conference the previous year in Madrid. Upon passing Venice we arranged to try out the adapted Gondola.

After a worrying start (how would it all work?), I relaxed more and more. Sat in my 150kg wheelchair I was lowered into the historic Italian boat. I soon realised why this simple transport method was so famous. We bobbed along looking at years of history. It was stunning and beautiful.

As I've said many times since - if a Gondola can be accessible, anything can!

6) Buying a bungalow

Having lived in a barely fit-for-purpose flat for a couple of years, the rise in property prices meant something amazing. The profit made gave enough deposit for a more suitable bungalow. It's still being adapted with ramps and a hoist, but I'm excited to get in there soon.

7) Mountain trekking in Mallorca

At the end of November we flew to Mallorca for yet another accessible tourism project. Tough life hey? I'm still yet to write my blog post about it, but the memory of driving an adapted 4x4 mountain trekker leaves a huge smile on my face everytime. Blog post coming in January.

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8) Being chosen as Britain's third most influential disabled person

I'd provided information on my projects two months earlier to the disability Power 100 organisers. During the week in Mallorca I found out the most amazing news. I'd been voted at number 3 by a judging panel headed by Tanni Grey Thompson! Amazing.

9) Surviving 2016

This does sound a little melodramatic. However looking back at this year's news it's not so crazy. There's been so much fear. So many negative prophecies. So many celebrity deaths. It's easy to see how we all could have given up.

We didn't though did we? We're still here! Whether you wanted Brexit, Trump or any other media hyped event (or not!) - here's the real deal. Only you can control your thoughts and actions. So ignore the fear and hate. Love yourself and give compassion to others. Then things will be fine. I promise!

10) Learning, growing and contributing

I've soul searched a lot in 2016. I've thought about all of these horrible news events. I've thought about if I can really control anything. The biggest self improvement lesson I came across was this:

- Try to experience and enjoy every day.

- Learn from the gurus but mostly from yourself. Everyday is an opportunity to grow.

- Always give something to others. Contribution is probably the simplest key to happiness

I hope you had a great Christmas and a good year. For me I'm now filled with excitement. Excitement of new opportunities, new travels, new people and new projects. Naturally I'll bring you along every step of the way!

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Best wishes,

Martyn

CEO and Co-Founder Disability Horizons

Founder Disability United
It's nearly three months since the idea of a national protest by and in support of migrants in the UK on Feb 20 next year went viral on social media. In that time what began as a Facebook discussion has morphed into the national campaign One Day Without Us. We now have more than two dozen groups across the country. We have received support from various organisations, including Hope Not Hate, War on Want, and the Migrants Rights Network.

When I first suggested this possibility back in early October, I asked what people would think of a national migrant strike/boycott on the lines of two similar protests in the US in 2006 and in Italy in 2010. In the course of the many discussions that have taken place since then, this concept has evolved into a National Day of Action to highlight the contribution that migrants make to British society, in which taking time off work is one of a wide spectrum of actions that people can take to highlight the contribution that migrants make to British society and show solidarity with them.

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Launching an organic grassroots campaign without any financial support or the backing of any political party has not been easy. Throughout this process I have been inspired by the many people who have rallied to this idea, and by the courage and commitment shown by migrants and British citizens across the country who have given their time entirely voluntarily to help organise what is an unprecedented protest in the history of the UK.

Along the way I have constantly been reminded of why an event like this necessary: the Belgian dog lover told to 'go home' when walking his dogs on the beach; the Greek-German family who have had their windows broken; a young Portuguese woman chased down a London street by a racist gang and told to go back to 'whatever hellhole you came from; a British Asian woman racially abused with her mum and two young cousins on a bus; the insecurity and sense of betrayal of men and women who have lived in this country for decades and are now being told that their right to remain is in jeopardy.

This has been a year in which the national 'debate' about immigration has more than ever been saturated with hatred, fear and anti-migrant hostility; when migrants are blamed for problems they didn't cause; when politicians too often lack the courage to speak out against these tendencies and prefer to pander to them instead.

In this climate it has been heartening and deeply moving to be reminded of the many people in this country - both migrants and British citizens - who do not accept the alarming victimisation and scapegoating of migrants, and are determined to try and counter it with a more positive and inclusive vision of what British society could be.

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Many people have given not just their time, but their creativity to our campaign. This week we have launched a remarkable campaign video, that was shot and produced by Emigrant Beard productions, a Bristol-based company of mostly Spanish nationals which specialises in internet documentaries on 'emigration in the UK from the emigrant perspective.'

Emigrant Beard approached us at a very early stage in the campaign and offered to make the video for free. We asked the company to come up with a concept based on the idea of disappearing people - and particularly disappearing workers - that would invite people to imagine what the UK would be like if there were no migrants in the country for one day.

Having agreed on this basic concept, Emigrant Beard asked us to give them a script that would be poetic and evocative. We then approached the playwright Steve Waters, author of Temple and the upcoming Limehouse. Waters welcomed the opportunity to participate in what he calls ' a wake-up to all of us to celebrate the diversity of our country and the vital role people of all nations play in the way we live and work.'

In little more than a day,Waters came up with a beautifully-turned rhymed script written as a short question and answer dialogue, in which migrants from various professions - baristas, surgeons, teachers, cleaners - tell their interlocutors that Feb 20 will be ' a day without us.' The 'questions' are spoken by the professional actors Linus Roache and Lee Ross, who generously - and in the current climate - courageously - offered their services for free.

For Roache, this was a philosophical decision, in keeping with his belief that 'we are living in a globalizing world. There is no going back, we need to be fearless in our embrace of diversity. This is the march of human evolution toward greater unity.'

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The rest of the script was spoken by migrant 'actors' from Bristol. Carlos Blanco, who is also one of the cameramen and editors,appears in the film because ' I felt it was important first of all because I am a migrant and I don't feel that bad about it. I think all of us should be proud of it; to be a migrant is to be brave. I hope people realize that.'

For Nadia Castilla, the video was an opportunity ' to be part of a project that includes everyone and that sends such a positive message'. To Emigrant Beard's sound engineer Gerardo Pastor Ruiz, even the sound was part of the film's attempt to give ' a voice to people who needed to be heard.'

What gives the video its power and its visual poetry are the close-up shots of eyes, mouths and parts of faces, which powerfully highlight the humanity of people who too often are not regarded as people at all, but as intruders, usurpers and outsider.

The result is a not just a promotional video, but a short film of real beauty and emotional power, which we are proud to associate with our campaign. For the film's director Jacobo GF, the message of this video is: 'Lets make the United Kingdom an amazing place to live, a paradise for everyone who really appreciates it. It does not matter where are you from or what is your background as long as you contribute to the cause of making this place better day after day.'

This is not a perspective we are used to hearing in these bleak times, but we feel that nowadays it needs to be heard more than ever. As the film reminds us, migrants are not invaders and strangers, but part of society in which all have a place:

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We live with you and work with you

We're part of this place we've travelled to

We're part of your today and your tomorrow too
As a Russian person born and raised in, well... Russia, I was always experiencing the strong examples of superstitions in and outside my family. I was surrounded by various strange warnings in my kindergarten, at school, university, that at the time seemed right, but never, in fact, made sense.

Don't whistle at home, you won't have money. Don't come back to your house if you have forgotten something, something bad will happen. Don't spill salt, you'll get into a fight. Don't wash your hair before the exam, you will forget all the knowledge. I blindly believed in everything, and the result was, I believe, my obsessive-compulsive disorder, of which, you have heard a lot. I'm sure. Being anal about cleanliness, dressing neatly and so on. It's not about cleaning. A huge stereotype gone public and wrong.

My one wasn't visible. It's called Pure O. It wasn't obvious to others. With time, it got worse. If I left the house and suddenly saw a disturbing image in the street or in my head, I would return to my flat and not be able to do anything important that day. I was looking out for special numbers, special patterns, people. Some combinations meant I couldn't make big decisions, go on trips, saying yes to things. And the English had their own superstitions too. That is just a story in a nutshell. Only a few people know about this problem of mine, because only recently I started feeling a little better and was finally able to, at least, tell one person, that I once stared at a wall with tears running down my face, bound by the great fear of everything and nothing.

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I once was in the middle of Oxford Street tube station, ready to go out and go shopping, then I felt this overwhelming anxiety and had to go back to my house, which was an hour away, because I simply couldn't make a step forward.

Some therapy and medicines worked for a while, but self-help and noticing my irrational fears was more helpful. And then 2016 happened. People around the world, including celebrities, started saying that the year 2k16 was the reason for the terrible things unfolding.

The internet all around us began condemning the 365 days that were just 365 days, and praying for them to be over. Thus, triggering all the anxiety sufferers with the empty Facebook words of understandable sorrow.

If they could only listen to themselves saying "I want this year to be over already". They would hear the nonsense it contained. Blaming the supernatural, they forgot about the good, and failed to remember the people who have stayed with them.

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Humans are primal. They see a pattern, they believe in a sequence of events, they make conclusions. Lots of times they are wrong ones. This is also observed in other areas of our lives. We try, we fail, we give up, for we have seen the negative pattern. Hence, by changing the pattern, i.e. switching from 2016 to 2017, they will work everything out, the luck would change.

"Just four more days and it will stop" - I read on my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

"Another day at home and I'll feel better" - I was telling myself in those bad OCD days.

This irrelevant psychology applies to every aspect of our existence. We stop enjoying ourselves because we give in to this all consuming dark age blindness.

I say, stop now, it's not 2016. It just so happened. Accept. Be grateful for what you have now. Don't develop anxiety disorders, and don't trigger others'.

For information about anxiety and panic attacks of people that you love, please, visit www.mind.org.uk

Olya Gerasimova is an instagramer, travel blogger and likes to write about London and the UK in general.

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The Wall Street Journal published an article last week, detailing the sickening discovery that millennials, with all the entitled indulgence of their intolerable generation, were forcing a decline in fabric conditioner sales due to their perception of its superfluous nature. I don't want to divide a community of fabric washers, although for the record, I don't think we can blame an entire generation on large-scale market trends. However, the media habit of blaming millennials is not one unfamiliar to the youth of today, I felt inclined research a little further.

After some 30 minutes of intrepid web surfing, combined with my 21 years of experience living within the bubble of millennial shame, it already becomes clearer that the notion of life in "Generation Y" falls into a hybrid category of both victim and perpetrator of societal problems. Trapped in a perpetual state of media-induced paranoia and frantically trying to find the right selfie lighting, there is a sense that millennials might be products of their circumstances.

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A common theme amongst the outspoken conservative outlets often converge around recent economic decline, and the millennials' responsibility for its turmoil. This inaccuracy lacks subtlety; while millennials were waiting to be conceived, bankers were busy abusing subprime mortgages that lead to the financial collapse in the 80s. University fees are now helping to amend for the sins of our fathers (feel free to glare at your father now, if he is in sight). Living in an age of austerity has been one of few constants for many young people; the impending knowledge of living in a proverbial economic mess might be slightly hyperbolic, but the sentiment is there.

In 2012, the New York Times reported that half of college students were still unemployed a year after graduating. In Europe, Spanish and Italian millennials are sometimes referred to as the Milleurista (barely living off 1,000 per month). In France, some refer to them as "The Precarious Generation." In a 2016 study, the Resolution Foundation found that British millennials earned approximately 8,000 less than their predecessors, known as Generation X (roughly born between 1970-80), had at the same age. For the most part, we are a generation of financial survivalists.

The perception of a lazy, narcissistic subculture existing within the next wave of the working class has often struck me as, if anything, unfair and unsubstantiated. Western political turnouts suggest millennials are overwhelmingly liberal minded and generally mindful of both the environment and a sense of being "international citizens." 73% of 18-24 year olds voted to "remain" in the Brexit vote; a choice progressive liberal undertones, inspired by a desire to remain in the continental community. Across the Atlantic, Clinton won 55% of the 18-29-year old's votes, to Trump's 37% in this year's US election. In Austria, more recently, the far-right campaign of Norbert Hofer was derailed by the inclusion of voters aged 16 and upwards. Former Green Party leader, Van Der Bellen succeeded in his campaign over the nationalistic Hofer, with support of the very youngest of the electorate on his side.

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It is important not to generalize too greatly. Millennials, as with all generations, are diverse and changeable. According to Strauss-Howe Generational theory, millennials resemble the G.I Generation of the early 20th century, with a global communal spirit. So, we're nothing special, apparently. Yet, even talking from personal experience, we are a generation who inherit a uniquely complicated and turbulent world. The western hemisphere is more connected, educated and tolerant than ever before, yet bizarrely has felt increasingly divided. Environmental crisis continues to linger in the backs of our young minds like an overdue phone bill, only the world ends if we don't pay it. The generation-in-waiting has seen declines in marriage rates and longer periods living in their parent's homes. Sociologist, Kathleen Shaputis, went as far to call us the "Peter Pan" Generation; younger people seeking modest modes of living in an exclusionary housing market, so at least we're pragmatic, right?

The stereotypical traits of the millennial are often derisive. Yet, there is a resilience to this generation that bodes well for the future. The Pew research centre found that 9 out of 10 American millennials were optimistic about both their current and future financial aims, and the most likely to identify as liberal and supportive of social agenda. A 2013 YouGov survey revealed that Generation Y subjects were generally "more open-minded than their parents on controversial topics".
In 2009, Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter Inc. said this; "...we came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. Twitter is simple, potentially informative and dedicated to free speech before anything else. Today, there are approximately 316 million people with accounts. Today, the PEOTUS uses Twitter as a personal confessional to his nation-in-waiting. Radicalised Islamist group ISIS is estimated to have 46,000 accounts on the site. A moth caught on camera landing on Cristiano Ronaldo's face at Euro 2016 has over 50 accounts to its name. Twitter's unique brand of microblogging gives us the accessible, simplified and instantaneous newsfeed we wanted before, and rampantly use now. Trends on Twitter rarely tend to evade our attention. Most of it is nonsensical, some pervasively important. We are advertised, appealed to and informed by the millions of users who actively "tweet" approximately 6,000 times a second.

Within this quivering mess of opinion, debate and argument, based on most estimates, around 23 million of those users aren't human. Generated by computers and paid for by people, known as "twitterbots"; even Twitter cannot be sure of how many accounts like these exist. They can generate apparent mass support for causes under the noses of genuine users.

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What are Twitterbots?

Existing in a peculiar pergatory between spam and free speech, Twitterbots vary significantly in their sophistication. Some are basic, posting automated responses triggered by certain keywords or phrased of actual tweets. For example, "@mothgenerator" responds to an "@" tweet by translating the text sent to it into numerical data and creating, through a complex JavaScript process, a unique, imagined moth complete with concept image and species name. This example might not strike fear into the heart of many, unless you suffer from a fear of moths. Not all bots are as harmless. The New York Times explained how some Twitterbots simulate "sleep-wake cycles" to make them appear more convincing, and harder for software to detect and remove them. These bots can post anything from targeted product advertising to flagrant slander and misinformation on a massive scale. They can target certain accounts to smear certain people, or focus posts on those who companies believe will be influenced by certain advertising based on their previous interests.

It has been possible for several years, on most social network platforms, to purchase accounts with a specific intention of increasing follower counts or support for certain opinions. This doesn't have massive impact in the context of isolated cases. When Twitterbots begin to influence elections, brands and shares, the real threat becomes clear.

Why this matters

According to Twitter, approximately 24% of tweets originate from bot accounts. The Science Direct journal conducted an investigation; finding that humans were surprisingly receptive to bot tweets, perceiving them as both credible and competent. Essentially, Twitterbots, when carefully constructed and deployed can operate unnoticed and effectively as a human agent for anything from advertising to trend-setting.

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Twitter had a valuation of around $8.4 billion dollars as of 2011; it will have soared since then. Its social power and impact is staggering in terms of the level of attention it currently holds sway over. Therefore, even as little as 5% of its account users being automated computer generators designed specifically to shape opinion, ravage reputation or make money should be concerning.

The US presidential election was won, in some part, thanks to Donald Trump's actions on social media platforms. Bloomberg reported on a study conducted into specifically Pro-Trump accounts and their tweeting habits over an eight-day period. They found that of the 19.4 million tweets, approximately 18% were from bot-related accounts (tweeting 50 times a day with the same hashtags). The most active bot accounts were operating at an output 2,600 higher than a normal one, with 1,300+ tweets over 24 hours. Douglas Guilbeault, who conducted the study claimed that "If bots have even a minor influence, that's scary".
Jenny Wolfram, CEO and Founder, BrandBastion

By Jenny Wolfram, CEO and Founder, BrandBastion

At the height of holiday sales, beauty brand Sephora is catching the smoky eyes of online fans, and raising some perfectly-arched eyebrows on Instagram. Using Instagram Stories, the new Want It, Win It sweepstakes lets friends tag one another for a chance to win products in daily prize draws. And Sephora has even employed the use of chatbots on the anonymous messaging app Kik, helping to inspire tailored conversations based on personal information, such as such as age, brand preferences, and product you cant live without.

Sephora is the most engaging brand on social media, according to a recent report from Shareablee. The beauty retailer topped the charts with 2.4 million consumer interactions across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sephora is looking good on social media, and its on Instagram where the brand truly shines.

A combination of visual aesthetics and lively communities makes Instagram a perfect canvas for beauty brands to connect with fans. But a demanding audience poses several problems to brands. There are online trolls spreading hate speech and animated communities with huge levels of interaction, beyond the management of community moderators. So, what are these fans after, exactly? And can evolved AI perform to this level, keeping the conversation clean and engaging new viewers with intriguing discussions?

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Beauty brands win big on Instagram

500 million monthly active users that are particularly vocal make Instagram an attractive platform for brands. Brand engagement on the social network is ten times higher than Facebook, and 84 times higher than Twitter. Users on Instagram also engage more frequently than other platforms and exhibit the highest conversion rate from browser to shopper of any social network.

Beauty is the third most successful industry on Instagram in terms of interactions, replacing old glossy magazines with Instagram communities, swapping and sharing tips and asking questions. So, whats driving the conversation?

BrandBastion conducted a study of eight of the top cosmetic brands on Instagram; Kylie Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Tarte Cosmetics, Too Faced, NYX Professional Makeup, Benefit Cosmetics, Urban Decay and Maybelline. We analyzed a sample of 5,000 comments for each brand, categorizing some 40,000 Instagram comments, to explore the types of conversations, and the potential threats that brands face.

83.87% of comments were positive or neutral -- with fans reacting to images they liked, helping to reinforce positive branding and increase reach on the platform. Comments such as I love the colors and I really need to get this, complete with emojis galore fill conversations. However, 16.13% of the comments were potentially harmful to brands; one in ten of these comments were posted by accounts that led clickers to spam, malware and scams. There were also competitor promotions, hijacking the conversion to boast their own sales, as well as unauthorized selling via third-party sites such as Amazon.

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Keeping up with the community

Social media conversations move quickly, and keeping up with the community is a mammoth task. In the sample, we found 1,972 (4.93%) comments were direct inquiries, and brands had responded to just 13.54% of these at the time of audit.

Brands received comments like, Is this also avail in store? Canada specifically?, How long does it take to ship items?? No one in customer service is responding. But they have my money and even CAN YOU GUYS PLEASE ADDRESS WHY YOUR ENTIRE WEBSITE IS SOLD OUT INSTEAD OF IGNORING YOUR CUSTOMERS smh. For those that dont speak Internet, smh means shaking my head; ignored audiences are not happy, and failing to respond is a big oversight, on a global stage.

Inquiries were split between purchasing questions (37.63%), product detail (31.8%), experience and service (18.91%), other (9.43%), and animal testing (2.23%) -- with comments like hmm reminds of SKINNED RABBITS and Are all of these formulas vegan?

While there is a huge opportunity for brands to deliver information to engage demanding users, there is also a need to respond quickly to potentially hazardous comments that threaten brand reputation. This means round the clock monitoring and quick responses. As a result, we are seeing an emergence of new intelligence, with brands using bots to keep the conversation alive.

Human-like interactions power conversations

Emerging conversational commerce, bolstered by an online preference for messenger apps over social media public conversations, has given rise to a new army of bots.

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During the 2016 election run-up, the use of Twitter bots made up an estimated one in five election-related tweets. Campaigners used social bots to stimulate conversations and engage the connected world. Advanced forms of artificial intelligence (AI) can converse at a level that is indistinguishable from humans. While this form of AI strikes fear on the political scene, for customer service reps and social media brand managers, it brings a welcome relief.

Bots can be used to analyze and categorize comments, while also flagging abusive content in real-time. The caveat here is a need for personalization. Beauty brands have a huge opportunity to deliver interesting and useful conversations, but bots backfire when they fall into automated templates, or fail to understand the context. Responses need to be quick off the mark, but also tailored, providing an end-to-end journey, remembering user preferences and even instigating new chats, tagging relevant influencers and more.

Computer vision means brands also employ object recognition to gather insights directly from the image to inform educated conversations and answer basic queries - such as availability, product information and store opening times. In the public forum, this means every member of the community is exposed to this information. If the conversation switches to direct message chatbots, for example Facebooks beauty advisor ModiFace, which uses augmented reality to help people try different cosmetics, nail polish or hairstyles.
It did not take John Kerry nary a fortnight after being appointed the accidental secretary of state to flatly declare he would accomplish the impossible: bring peace to the Middle East in nine months, Not a promise, but a stipulation..

Never mind not one of his predecessors had walked the plank that far. Never mind that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians were ready to jump on Kerry's quixotic quest. Never mind that Kerry hadn't the foggiest idea how to bring the parties together. Kerry was determined to prove to President Obama he, John Kerry, was the worthiest person to take the ship of state's helm when Susan Rice's potential nomination hit the skids after Benghazi, and the Middle East peace process was going to prove his worth (and his own route to a Nobel Peace Prize).

It did not seem to matter to Kerry that Mr. Obama and his inexperienced White House National Security Council staff had thrown in the towel on Mr. Netanyahu and were secretly negotiating with the Iranians on a nuclear accord. The "rest in peace process" would keep Kerry out of their hair, they reasoned, and if there were a modicum of movement, the White House would swoop in to take the credit. Kerry's braggadocio was ill-founded, ill-timed, and ultimately will stand out as one of sorriest and surreal chapters in American Middle East diplomacy. Although Kerry assembled a respected "peace process team" he refused to do his homework. He convinced himself he knew it all. He grandstanded and cajoled from Middle East capital to capital, but never moved the needle. The Israelis - already reeling from the Obama Administration's desire to hold Israel primarily accountable for the impasse, was willing to pat Kerry on the back, but give him the cold shoulder. The Palestinians - convinced Mr. Kerry's naivete would absolve them of making meaningful concessions, played him like a fiddle. Kerry became subservient to his own hubris. Swoon by the sound of his own voice, he assured himself he could convince Messrs. Netanyahu and Abbas to see it his way - neither had any real intention of doing so.

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I was in Jerusalem when the Kerry-led talks collapsed. There was not an experienced hand in Jerusalem, Ramallah, or Washington who had bet a buck on his success. And when he sheepishly went before the cameras with egg on his face over a self-produced peace process fiasco, the Obama White House naturally left him out to dry, a legacy deserved given how it was earned.

In many respects, the calamity characterizing the state of U.S. - Israeli relations in the wake of Friday's United Nations Security Council condemnation of Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank can be directly traced to John Kerry's meddling in the Middle East.

Those of us who have toiled in the peace process vineyards know that a setback for a secretary of state is not merely a personal defeat, it is also a major setback for restoring trust and confidence between the parties. Kerry not only left empty-handed, his failure drove the parties further apart (as if they weren't pretty far apart when Kerry commenced his adventure into the unknown). Here is Kerry's scorecard: His failure propelled a significant number of moderate Israelis into the hands of more right-wing parties - resulting in Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection. That shift in popular discontent with the entire peace process accelerated Israeli alienation from Palestinian aspirations. No Israeli took Kerry's efforts that seriously, but when they collapsed, the consequences were that serious.

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On the Palestinian side, Kerry's aborted efforts convinced too many Palestinians that no amount of American "honest brokering" was going to move the Israeli government. The Palestinian leadership decided to throw all of its marbles at the United Nations and refuse to return to any direct talks. And as the atmosphere became more poisonous Palestinians took to the streets of Jerusalem stabbing Israelis in a wave of unbridled terror incited all too often by a wink and a nod from the Ramallah Palestinian leadership.

Our most important Arab ally, Jordan, was once again left holding the bag as Kerry, having cajoled King Abdullah into a supporting role, left the King at the altar.

So when Mr. Kerry took to the stage today to lambast the Israeli government for undermining any hope for a two-state solution, there is plenty of blame that should have landed on Kerry's own doorstep. Instead of placing the blame squarely on one party (the Israeli government) there is, and will always be, plenty of blame to go around. Since Mr. Kerry refused to acknowledge his own culpability, someone must.

The adage that Israeli settlement construction is an obstacle of peace is no less important an adage than the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity - including refusing to make their own concessions necessary for peace. Mr. Abbas is an empty suit as much as any Palestinian leader with empty pockets.

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Mr. Kerry works for a White House and a president who is bequeathing to Mr. Trump failure upon failure in the Middle East.

Just recall that from Mr. Obama's momentous June, 2009 speech to the Middle East and broader Muslim world, President Obama:

Refused to abide by counsel to act swiftly against Assad's use of chemical weapons against his people with disastrous consequences; Converted the cause of Middle East peace into endless episodes of petty personal vendettas against the Israeli prime minister; Blithely ridiculed the ascendancy of the Islamic State and then shackled his own military in its efforts to stem its expansion;Negotiated an Iran nuclear agreement without either obtaining meaningful concessions from Tehran or incubating the agreement with a regional strategy to contain Iran's military; Rushed to exit Iraq; paying lip service to Iraq's Nuri al Maliki, the single greatest contributor to Iraq's disintegration; Toyed repeatedly with a Muslim Brotherhood dictatorship in Egypt;  Fell head first into the quick sand of a Saudi-Iranian proxy war in YemenAbandoned any responsibility for restoring a strong, central government in Libya after it supported the overthrow of Kaddafi, which resulted in Libya becoming a mini-ISIS caliphate; Cast adrift American core objectives in the Middle East as the Administration's vaunted pivot to Asia became its creed; Sowed doubt and suspicion with our number one ally, Israel, and with our allies and adversaries throughout the Middle East that the United States can no longer be feared or trusted; andEmpowered Putin to play us as Russia kept moving the military and humanitarian goal posts in Syria.

I can go on and on...indeed it is a record to run away from, and helped contribute to Mrs. Clinton's own defeat.

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All of these fiascoes brought to you by a president who micromanaged all U.S. Middle East policy supported by a team that placed Mr. Obama's legacy over America's national interests. That is no record to be proud of; it is a record to be ashamed of.

With this legacy as an anchor neither Messrs. Kerry nor Obama earned the right to cast blame on Israel for its own shortcomings. The Israeli people, not Washington, ultimately have to decide for themselves whether a Palestinian state can be accommodated living side by side by with a strong, secure, Jewish state of Israel.
Dear Mr. Trump:

I'm at a huge loss. Perhaps you can help me figure out the precise moment when you went from being a promiscuous, socially-liberal Manhattan playboy to a promiscuous uber-conservative Manhattan playboy. Or more importantly, why.

Did something happen in your life which gave rise to the born-again Trump? Was there a specific incident that made you stop believing in personal social freedoms and start subscribing to the moral standards of evangelicals? What exactly was this come-to-Jesus moment?

Sorry, but this sudden values-transfusion is a bit suspect. New Trump is such a stark contrast from old Trump. Here's a sampling of your liberal musings over the years:

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-Regarding abortion: "I'm very pro-choice. I am pro-choice in every respect."

(1999)

-Regarding gun control: "I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun. With today's internet technology we should be able to tell within 72 hours if a potential gun owner has a record." (2000)

-Regarding same-sex marriage: "These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They've been settled. And I'm -- I'm fine with that." (2015)

-Regarding transgender people and bathrooms: "There's a big move to create new bathrooms. First of all, I think that would be discriminatory in a certain way. It would be unbelievably expensive for businesses and for the country. Leave it the way it is." (2016)

-Regarding universal healthcare: "Everybody's got to be covered, this is an un-Republican thing I'm going to say, I'm going to take care of everybody... Who pays for it? The government's going to pay for it." (2015)

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-Regarding the war on drugs: "You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars." (1990)

-Regarding President Obama's economic stimulus: "I thought he did a terrific job...I thought he was strong and smart, and it looks like we have somebody that knows what he is doing finally in office, and he did inherit a tremendous problem. He really stepped into a mess...." (2009)

-Regarding the economy: "It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans.... we've had some pretty bad disasters under the Republicans." (2004)

-Regarding immigration: "For people that have been here for years, that have been hard workers, have good jobs, are supporting a family, it's very, very tough to just say 'you have to leave, get out.' How do you throw someone out that's lived in this country for 20 years, you just can't throw everybody out." (2012)

-Regrading climate change: It's "scientifically irrefutable." (2009)

-Regarding his politics: "In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat." (2004)

-Regarding the Republican Party: "I really believe Republicans are just too crazy...I mean, hey, I lived in New York City, Manhattan all my life, okay? So my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa, perhaps." (1999)

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-Regarding Hillary Clinton: "I know her and she'd make a good president or good vice president." (2008)

So, where'd that guy go? Is he still inside you, placed in hibernation during the election so you could appeal to the lowest common denominator of intolerance, bigotry and hatred in order to win? Will he resurface, perhaps when we liberals need him most, like when it's time to name your Supreme Court nominee?
After the French Revolution, it was said that the left and the right didn't just dream of defeating each other. They dreamed of annihilating each other. Something like that is happening in the United States. We've gone from political polarization to total war.

In total war, the enemy is considered illegitimate. Republicans have a long history of challenging the legitimacy of Democratic Presidents. In 1998, the Republican House of Representatives impeached Bill Clinton. This year, the Republican Senate refused to consider Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee. Donald Trump threatened to jail his Democratic opponent.

Democrats are finally returning fire. They are warning the press not to "normalize'' Trump by treating him as a legitimate President. Outraged Democrats are preparing opposition research to use against Trump's cabinet nominations. Democrats may lack the votes to deny them confirmation, but they intend to make the process as painful as possible. A spokesman for one group told Politico, "Our goal is to help Senate Democrats keep Trump historically unpopular throughout his Administration, starting with these nomination fights.''

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Meanwhile, the Trump transition team is assembling a "war room'' to defend the President's nominees, complete with "media sherpas'' to guide them through the process.

A Trump honeymoon? Forget it. It will be more like a partisan fight to the death. Trump is doing what he can to keep the campaign going. The President-elect proudly called his supporters "wild beasts . . . nasty and mean and vicious.'' A Democratic consultant described Trump's post-election victory tour as "less of a `Thank you' tour and more of a `Be ready to fight' tour.''

The Trump presidency poses an existential threat to Democrats. Newt Gingrich predicts that the legacy of President Obama "is all going to disappear within a year'' of Trump's taking office. So progressive Democrats are organizing an anti-Trump resistance movement.

A group of Democratic state attorneys general are making plans to file lawsuits if the Trump Administration carries out what they regard as unconstitutional policies. That's exactly what Republican attorneys general did during the Obama Administration. Eric Schneiderman, New York's Democratic Attorney General, has already sued Trump over false claims made by Trump University -- and won a $25 million settlement. "Life just got a lot more exciting for those of us at the state level who are now the first line of defense,'' Schneiderman told the New York Times.

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Trump may have won the election by the rules, but Democrats insist his victory was not legitimate. Hillary Clinton carried the national popular vote by nearly 3 million. Her problem was where she got those votes. The Cook Political Report separated 13 battleground states from the states that were not competitive. Clinton won the non-competitive states by more than 3.7 million votes. She piled up huge majorities in states where she didn't need the extra votes. Like California, which Clinton carried by 4.3 million votes.

The Trump campaign focused on the battleground states and it paid off. He carried the 13 swing states narrowly (by about 816,000 votes out of 46 million). The closeness of the vote didn't matter. Trump got the electoral votes.

Democrats cite other factors that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the outcome. Like interference by the FBI and by Russian hackers. And the exit polls, in which 61 percent of voters said Trump is not qualified to serve as President.

Each of the last four Presidents got elected on a pledge to bring a deeply divided country together. They all failed. In his election night victory speech, Trump said, "It is time for us to come together as one united people.'' Who is he kidding? Electing Trump -- the Great Divider -- is a sign that many Americans have given up on unity.

Trump brought something new to the GOP: a crude populist message. He used trade, immigration and white identity politics to solidify Republican support among working class white voters. "I love the poorly educated,'' Trump said after winning the Nevada Republican caucuses. White voters without a college degree may be a declining share of the electorate. But at 34 percent of voters this year, they still represent a considerable prize. Especially in swing states.

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At the same time, Hillary Clinton reeked of condescension when she called Trump supporters "deplorables.'' The gap between the educated elite and the rest of the country has never been so large. In the view of Vice President Joe Biden, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, there's "a bit of elitism that's crept in'' to Democratic thinking.

Democrats can't survive if they concede the populist message to Republicans. What Democrats desperately need is a candidate with progressive values and a populist style. Someone who can connect with ordinary voters. Bill Clinton did that in the 1990s. His wife did not. Is there a Democrat with that rare combination of qualities?
On December 23, 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 by a vote of 14-0 with the United States abstaining.

The number of the resolution was antiseptic, like the serial numbers tattooed on Jews herded into the Auschwitz extermination camp. The resolution itself was morally squalid, giving new meaning to the definition of double standards. It chastised Israel for imitating the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, France, and every nation since the beginning of time that has drawn its borders based on sheer power -- not justice.

As Thucydides wrote in The History of the Peloponnesian War, the iron law of the universe is that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. That is how national borders have been made and re-made throughout history. The process never ceases.

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Among other things, Resolution 2334 lectures Israel about the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force." The lecture is peculiarly unpersuasive coming from the lips of the UNSC, all of which nations reflect the acquisition of territory by force.

The United States, for example, acquired vast territories by force from Native American Indians. It acquired additional territories by force, including California, Arizona, and New Mexico, in the Mexican-American War. In his War Memoirs, U.S. Grant reprehends the war "as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory."

The United States acquired the Panama Canal Zone by force. It acquired Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guantanamo Bay Naval Base by force.

The United States is the least of the territorial thieves sitting as permanent members of the Security Council. Russia, China, Great Britain, and France have worse records of resort to wars to acquire territory by force. The latter two fought each other across the English Channel for four centuries during which their boundaries changed like an accordion.

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The United Nation's injunction against the acquisition of territory by force rewards the biggest territorial thieves historically and punishes the smallest--turning moral justice on its head. It is like strumpets agreeing to prohibit any new competitors in the name of a new morality.

In any event, the U.N. ignores its own commandment. Russia, for instance, acquired Crimea by force in 2015. The territory of the entire nation of Kosovo was acquired by force unleashed by the United States against Serbia in 1999.

Resolution 2334 absurdly denounces Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as having "no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law...." But the settlements are every bit as valid as Russians residing in Crimea, Kosovars residing in Kosovo, the British residing in Northern Ireland, or the French residing in Corsica. To repeat, international law is nothing more than the granular application of the principle that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.

The United States should withdraw from the United Nations. It is a carnival of moral hypocrisy unable to satisfy even indulgent thresholds of usefulness.

The United States should return to conducting diplomacy ad hoc as it did for more than 170 years before the U.N. was born in 1945. Our problems in the international arena will not diminish by our withdrawal. But at least we will be free of the handicap of marriage to a moral reprobate.
The Big Apple is one of the most romanticized cities on earth. Movie after movie depicts extravagant penthouse suites, well-to-do couples waltzing into Tiffany & Co.'s, and young women having their lives transformed by a shopping trip to Barneys.

It's fun to indulge in these fantasies during a Netflix binge. But actually traveling to New York is a whole different story. Unless you're part of the 1%, you're more likely to be staying in a budget hotel in Queens than a penthouse with views of Central Park. And you're probably not going to pick up a new diamond bracelet just because you saw it in a shop window on Fifth Avenue.

Still, a visit to NYC doesn't need to amount to having all your dreams of luxury squashed. It just means you'll need to seek out good deals and pick and choose your luxuries. With that in mind, here are seven ways you can feel like royalty in NYC even if you're on a budget.

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Savor fine dining at a discount.

If you're able to visit NYC during Restaurant Week, then you'll have an opportunity to treat yourself to all manner of gourmet cuisine at seriously discounted prices. The event occurs in both the winter and summer each year and features deals at more than 300 restaurants. Expect to pay around $25 for lunch and just shy of $40 for dinner. While that might sound steep, consider that you'll be eating what might regularly be a near-$100 meal for less than half the price.

Head to the spa.

There are a huge number of spas and salons in New York, each of which caters to different clientele. That means it's possible to enjoy luxurious spa experiences on a budget. Whether you're in the market for a manicure, pedicure, facial, or massage, you can enjoy an afternoon of pampering--without breaking the bank--thanks to these affordable spa treatments.

Get a free haircut or blowout.

A swanky new haircut at a boutique salon in New York City might seem like the stuff celebrity's lives are made of. But you can actually get one yourself--for free. Scope out Salon Apprentice, which offers free haircuts and blowouts to men and women who are willing to volunteer as hair models.

See a Broadway show for less.

Broadway shows are part of the heart of New York City. But the most popular shows can cost an arm and a leg. That doesn't mean you have to deny yourself this quintessential NYC experience. Instead, get savvy about rush, lottery, and standing-room-only (SRO) ticket options, all of which promise serious discounts. You might need to wait in line to score discounted tickets, but it's a small price to pay for world-class theater.

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Visit world-class museums.

New York City is home to some of the greatest museums in the world, including the Guggenheim, the Frick Collection, and MoMA. Simply walking through the halls of the Met is like being transported to another world. And it can all be yours for a very low price when you take advantage of suggested donation hours. Research different museums to learn when they offer discounted rates. (Some museums even promise free entry fees.) Or just head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art any day of the week--it only ever charges a suggested entrance fee.

Enlist personalized concierge services.

You don't have to stay at the Ritz Carlton to enjoy high-class service. Heck, you don't even need to stay in a hotel. Dedicated concierge services are cropping up across the country, and NYC is no exception. City CoPilot, for example, offers a range of services including luggage storage, airport transportation, AirBnB cleaning, and discounts on tours and attractions. For a reasonable fee, you can add a touch of luxury service to an otherwise average vacation.

Hit the streets.

If there's anything to be learned from Breakfast at Tiffany's, it's that simply strolling along Madison or Fifth Avenues can make you feel like you're a star. Even if you can't afford to purchase anything at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, or Tiffany & Co.'s, you can still enjoy window shopping. And you might just bump into the likes of Halle Berry, Victoria Beckham, or Sarah Jessica Parker while you're at it.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace at the Department of State in Washington December 28, 2016. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

I listened with rapt attention to your speech today on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I did so as someone who has yearned for an end to this conflict for decades, who grasps that the essential Jewish mission has always been the all-too-elusive quest for peace, and whose organization, AJC, has advocated for a two-state solution for nearly 25 years.

And I did so as one who understands that settlement-building beyond the security barrier is indeed a major impediment to the prospects for a final-status accord.

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Moreover, I believe in your good will.

I've seen it up close. I've heard it from you in private, not only in public. When you say you want to preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, I know full well that you mean it.

When you express anguish over the dangers faced by Israeli children in Israeli border cities like Sderot and Kiryat Shmona, it comes not just from your head, but from the depths of your soul.

And I recognize the unprecedented level of bilateral cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem over the past eight years in the defense and intelligence spheres, at the UN and its specialized agencies, and elsewhere. You cited many examples, and each one rings so true.

How many Israeli lives have indeed been saved because of U.S.-Israeli cooperation in missile defense systems? How many potentially tragic situations have been averted by bilateral intelligence sharing? And how many misguided international efforts related to Israel have been stopped in their tracks by American intervention?

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And yet, as I processed every word, every idea, every facial gesture, every gesticulation in your remarks, I felt some unease. I wanted to embrace it all -- the hope, the vision, the determination -- and yet something was missing for me.

You yourself said that a majority of Israelis support the idea of separation and an agreement with the Palestinians. That's true, of course. But in the very same polls they also express fear that the ultimate goal of their neighbors is the elimination of Israel. In other words, Israelis are schizophrenic, which, given the region in which they live, is entirely understandable.

On the one hand, they may resonate to the idea of two states for two peoples, a "non-militarized" (and democratic?) Palestinian state, and an end to the conflict and all claims on both sides, but in their kishkes do they really believe it's possible in today's turbulent Middle East, or do they ascribe the vision to the overly romanticized notions of well-intentioned outsiders?

After all, these outsiders haven't exactly gotten much right in the Middle East of late, many Israelis would argue -- not Syria, not Iraq, not Libya, not Iran... the list is getting longer and longer. So why should they place their trust -- and their destiny -- in the "latest" plan?

The big fear, I have heard time and again, is that a Palestinian state is very likely to become a failed state, joining too many others in the region. If Israel miraculously signed an agreement with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah tomorrow, for instance, who would be in charge there in a year or five or ten?

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Abbas has made absolutely no provision for succession, though he is in his eighties; a major fight is brewing in the West Bank for eventual control of the Palestinian Authority; and Hamas, already ruling Gaza, won't sit idly by in the West Bank, either. And any instability there wouldn't just affect Israel, of course, but also, if not more so, Jordan.

Moreover, why have Israelis moved to the right on the political spectrum, weakening once robust left-of-center parties? Some have attributed it to immigration from the FSU and the high birthrate of Orthodox Jews, but the main reason, people on the street might say, is the accumulation of events from 2000 onward -- a determined effort by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, joined by President Bill Clinton, to pursue a two-state deal, only to be rebuffed by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, who triggered a second intifada in response; Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, only to see the space occupied by Hezbollah and its state-within-a-state army; Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, with Hamas quickly expelling the PA and seizing the reins of power there; and Abbas himself, often described as a man with whom to make peace, largely AWOL from the negotiating table, while stoking the fires of incitement, martyrdom, and delegitimization of Israel.

And that brings me to Friday's UN Security Council resolution (2334). The real question ought to be whether or not it brings us closer to a resumption of peace talks. For now, it seems pretty clear that its consequence has been negative -- emboldening Abbas in his strategy of internationalizing the conflict and trying to corner Israel, while prompting Netanyahu to declare that Israel can't get a fair hearing from the global community.

So why the resolution on Friday, with a U.S. abstention, and why the speech today, just 24 days before the Obama administration relinquishes power to a new U.S. administration, whose views, as you noted, are quite different from those you voiced?

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Could it be to set the stage for more action by the UN Security Council in the coming days, and empower the French-initiated conference in Paris in mid-January? Could it be to create facts on the ground that no future administration could easily ignore or sidestep?

As I said at the outset, I don't doubt your commitment to Israel, but I can't help but wonder what exactly is going on here.

Unless we can expect major pronouncements from you between now and January 20th about the unparalleled carnage in Syria, the unraveling of Libya, Iran's destabilizing role in the Middle East and growing challenge to American forces, and Russia's continued occupation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine -- all of which touch on fundamental American interests and may not be handled in the same way by President Trump and his team, then why this one issue, and with a close ally to boot, on Friday at the UN, today at the State Department, and tomorrow possibly back at the UN -- with our without U.S. initiation -- or in Paris?

Before closing, let me cite just one more theme -- in the interests of historical accuracy and justice.

One of your six principles was resolution of the Palestinian refugee question. I waited for you to add in that section some reference to the Jewish refugee question, but, alas, there was none.

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Mr. Secretary, as you know, there were two, not one, refugee populations created by the Arab-Israeli conflict, and they were of roughly equal size. Just because one has been kept alive by UNRWA and the absence of any mandate to resettle refugees (and, I'd add, their descendants in perpetuity), while the other has been dealt with by people who refused to be instrumentalized and chose to move on with their lives, the tragedy -- and the claims -- of both populations require attention.

Finally, like you and the late Shimon Peres, I refuse to give up on the future. I've seen enough political miracles in my lifetime to convince me that historic change is possible -- for starters, the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa; Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan; French-German reconciliation; the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain; democracy restored in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; and the rescue of millions of Jews from the USSR.

But coming from a family that experienced directly the scourges of Communism, Nazism, and jihadism, I know that we must have the capacity not only to imagine the best, but also to fear the worst.

Many Israelis and their supporters have similar family backgrounds. When developments warrant, the Israelis act. They have in the past. They will again. Enduring peace is, and always has been, their highest priority.
Russia and Turkey are systematically excluding the United States from events in Syria. The US must either demand a seat at the table, shaping negotiations, or cede diplomacy to Russia and Turkey, knowing they will act in their narrow national interests to the detriment of Syrians.

Collusion between Russia and Turkey has been underway since August 8 when Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan met in St. Petersburg to normalize relations. Their collusion intensified after the assassination of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov.

Russia and Turkey coordinated their response to Karlov's killing, calling it a provocation "to spoil Russia-Turkey ties" and undermine "the peace process." They announced a joint commission to investigate the assassination.

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Russia and Turkey orchestrated the evacuation of eastern Aleppo -- without informing the US.

The foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran endorsed the "Moscow Declaration." Neither Secretary of State John Kerry nor UN officials was invited to discuss the road-map to end Syria's civil war at the conference in Moscow on December 20.

Today's announcement that Russia and Turkey are working towards a cease-fire is no surprise. It merely formalizes what was apparent.

It's time for a steely-eyed assessment: Tayyip Erdogan is at best an uncertain ally; Vladimir Putin is a strategic adversary. Both are unprincipled pragmatists, colluding to advance their national interests at the expense of the United States.

Erdogan was initially committed to overthrowing Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey provided logistical support, weapons and money to radical groups such as the Islamic State. However, Russia's entry into the war turned the tide against the proponents of regime change.

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In response, Erdogan shifted Turkey's priority from overthrowing Assad to constraining the Syrian Kurds. He fears that the establishment of contiguous Kurdish territory in Syria along Turkey's border would destabilize Turkey, inspiring greater demands by Turkish Kurds.

Turkey's launched "Operation Euphrates Shield," invading Jarablus and pushing south to Al-Bab. Turkey called it a counter-terrorism operation, but the invasion of Syria is really intended to block Kurdish ambitions.

Russia and Turkey have reached an understanding. Turkey would be silent in the face of Russia's actions in Aleppo. It would abandon demands for regime change in Damascus, and end support for certain jihadi groups threatening Assad. In turn, Russia would turn a blind eye to Turkey's illegal occupation aimed at establishing a "safe zone" inside Syria. Putin was furious when Turkey downed a Russian Sukhoi-24 in November 2015. He called it a "stab in the back" and launched an economic embargo. The boycott was short-lived. When Putin and Erdogan met on August 8, they agreed to resume economic cooperation and normalize relations.

Putin and Erdogan have adopted their own cynical real-politic. On the 100-year anniversary of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which carved up the Ottoman and Habsburg empires between Western Powers after the First World War, Russia and Turkey have agreed on spheres of influence in Syria.

The Obama administration's response has been muted. Without boots on-the-ground, America has little leverage in Syria. Russia and Turkey have filled the gap, aligning their interests to the exclusion of the United States.

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Russia and Turkey have marginalized and maligned the United States. Erdogan pronounced at the UN Security Council, "The world is bigger than five." Turkish officials suggested that Washington was behind Karlov's killing in order to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov disparaged the Obama administration for "idle chatter."

America's marginalization has been ongoing since 2012, when President Obama disappointed Assad's opponents by refusing to get militarily involved.

What about America's future role? President-elect Donald J. Trump is enamored with Putin. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is a bedfellow of Erdogan. Given their affinities, Russia and Turkey can expect free reign to entrench Assad's rule and target Sunni rebels.

Declaring peace does not mean there is peace. Count on the Islamic State to keep fighting. US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which include Arab and Kurdish militias, are engaged in a battle for Raqqa, the ISIS capitol. They are not about to lay down their weapons and have a tea party with Islamic State hard liners. Too many have sacrificed too much to simply surrender and wave a white flag.

Surrendering the field to Russia and Turkey would be a blow to US strategic interests. Emboldened by Turkey's fealty, Putin could test NATO commitments in the region, seizing lands in Eastern Ukraine and threatening Poland and the Baltic States. Would Turkey block NATO's response? Will it deny access to Incirlik Air Force Base on NATO's eastern flank? Europe's security architecture will be in shambles if Turkey allies with Russia.

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In addition, Russia and Turkey risk a spiral of deadly violence domestically. About 14 percent of Russia's population is Sunni Muslim. Kurds represent at least 20 percent of Turkey's population. Both are embittered by indiscriminate counter-insurgency measures targeting Sunnis and Kurds in Syria.

Turkey's realignment with Russia would also have an economic cost. Siding with Russia would indefinitely delay Turkey's EU membership. Turkey could turn to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a substitute for European integration, but no windfall will come from business with cleptocracies.

There is no military solution to Syria's civil war. Fighting will only stop through negotiations that preserve Syria's sovereignty and devolve power from Damascus to Syria's regions with security and political guarantees from the international community.

The US is at a fork in the road. Will Washington retreat, confirming its decline? Syria is a proving ground, testing US leadership in the Middle East and around the world.
It was an incredible site and one I never thought I would see - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kneeling down to eye level and speaking with an American survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. But that is exactly what happened on December 27, 2016 in Honolulu where both President Obama and Prime Minister Abe met to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the act that ushered the United States in to the Second World War.

It was a masterful move. Prime Minister Abe shifted his style to accommodate American cultural and communicative norms. He also physically hugged several veterans which was, again, something I never thought I would see and would likely never happen in Japan. But I think it played very well in the U.S. It remains to be seen how well it was accepted in Japan. It was a very brave thing for Mr. Abe to do.

Although he was not the first to go to Hawaii and visit Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Abe's presence was the first in which an acting American President stood at his side together.

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The visit follows President Obama's time in Hiroshima last summer. During this period, I was also duly impressed when President Obama, in a seemingly spontaneous act, hugged a nuclear bomb survivor. It was an amazing photo which, for many Japanese I know, acted as an apology (without formally apologizing).
The most notable and long-lasting feature of the 2016 election may not be the election of a supremely unqualified and reckless President, but the apotheosis of the Misinformation Age. Its central component is the proliferation of fake news appearing on internet sites and unwittingly gone viral through the algorithms of Facebook and Google. Most, but not all, fake stories were fabricated by right-wing ideologues seeking to damage Hillary Clinton's campaign by making ludicrous charges that, for example, she sold weapons to ISIS or was part of a pedophile sex ring.

It is possible fake news played a significant role in Donald Trump's victory. More engaged with on Facebook than legitimate stories, it could have energizing his base and depressing turnout by those likely to support Clinton. Rebuttals typically failed because the fake stories were more often read by those predisposed to believe the worst of the intended target. The gullible are also resistant to believing they have been fooled; it makes them feel bad and it robs them of the pleasure of reading vile things about those they loathe. The purveyors of fake news also frequently cast doubt on the "neutrality" of fact-checking sites such as snopes.com, politifact.com, and Wikipedia and, of course what Sarah Palin memorably called the "lamestream" news (e.g., The New York Times; CNN)

Fake news is the most egregious form of misinformation citizens trying to understand the world they live in face. But another, long-standing and pervasive, yet less recognized and discussed, phenomenon which also compromises journalistic integrity, is how respectable media companies define "news" and routinely rely upon those in positions of power and authority to validate "facts" and their interpretation.

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News organizations, by tradition, define "news" as something that "just happened." In some cases, of course, a story might be uncovered which addresses events which occurred in the past but only become known later, or are evolving (e.g., Trump's symbiotic relationship to Putin). What is normally not defined as "news" or routinely reported, however, are ongoing sociological patterns, whose character is required to put a specific event in context and enable understanding. For example, the kidnapping of a child by a stranger is a horrible event and will generally be a lead story; but, making no mention that the odds of such a thing happening are about 1 in 500,000 unnecessarily frightens parents of small children. Research has shown that people who regularly watch or read local news vastly exaggerate the crime rate in their communities. This can affect their voting behavior and produce draconian legislation when "law and order" candidates share or exploit such misconceptions.

A second problem with mainstream news is deference to authorities, especially government officials, to whom they want access. Journalists are far more apt to seek the opinions of interview/camera-ready political leaders, or their spokespersons, than hunt around for experts with a wide range of views, including those outside the US' relatively narrow spectrum of acceptable perspectives. The economic interests and political views of media owners can also define the limits of what is covered and how. Rupert Murdoch need not worry about Fox News scrutinizing his business practices; The Washington Post, now owned by Jeff Bezos, probably will not feature stories about disgruntled Amazon employees.

In addition, the media defines "objectivity" as even-handedness rather than uncovering the truth. Journalists and news presenters function more as stenographers than sources of accurate information. If "authoritative" representatives from "both sides" (which is not the same as all sides) are interviewed, then they have "succeeded." Fake news is not purposefully created by the mainstream media. It is sometimes naively disseminated because those in authority often tell half-truths or total falsehoods. But it's not always naivete: to challenge, for example, a candidate or government official too vigorously would risk their future willingness to be interviewed. Trump is unique only in being up-front about the quid quo pro.

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Perhaps the most disastrous war in American history possibly could have been averted if media were not so credulous. When the debate about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was taking place, the major news outlets almost completely ignored Scott Ritter, a former Marine intelligence officer and the chief UN weapons inspector in Iraq between 1991 and 1998. Ritter was an expert and skeptic. Instead, Judith Miller's influential New York Times coverage, based on her "inside" access to pro-war officials' and their informants' misleading evidence, made the Bush Administration WMD case seem ironclad.

In the current period, why are two of the world's leading journalists with expertise on the Middle East and jihadist groups, Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn, never interviewed? Their extensive knowledge of all the players---Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Kurds, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia. as well as the jihadists and democratic groups---give their reports a level of depth completely absent in US mainstream media. By contrast, why is William Kristol, a right-wing pundit, who has an almost perfect record of false predictions, and was a major cheerleader for the invasion of Iraq, an honored talking head, along with many others whose punditry has been discredited by events?
The U.S. State Department yesterday issued a statement praising Khartoum's promise to improve humanitarian access in Sudan. But as the actual language of the statement makes clear, nothing has actually changed on the ground. The Obama administration State Department spokesman speaks of "the Government of Sudan's recent efforts to improve humanitarian access" (full text below). But what are these efforts, other than promises of the sort we have heard countless times before? The same National Islamic Front/National Congress Party regime that last week "amended the Directives and Procedures for Humanitarian Action" can change them at the drop of a hat, as it has done on innumerable occasions. It is simply disingenuous to declare that that "these revised directives represent a significant step toward improving humanitarian access in Sudan": for again, nothing has changed on the ground.

The highly conditional, not to say speculative characterization of what Khartoum has done is revealing: "We believe when implemented, these revised regulations will facilitate humanitarian actors' efforts to get aid to those in need." The possibility of future implementation is all that is being celebrated. Let's remember that the UN, African Union, and Arab League put together a proposal for humanitarian access to South Kordofan in early 2012. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-North immediately accepted the joint proposal; for its part, Khartoum declared its acceptance but promptly reneged on that commitment. And for the past five years the regime has dithered, dodged, reneged on various commitments, and shown continuing bad faith. During this time great numbers of people have suffered terribly and died for lack of humanitarian access. The regime has continued to give encouraging diplomatic signs but in the end simply outwaited an international community that tired of its efforts.

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Again disingenuously, the Obama administration spokesman declares:

We also welcome the recent access given to a U.N. interagency team to travel and conduct a multi-sector assessment in Golo, Central Darfur, which included the first civilian aircraft to land in Golo in five years.

First, we need to ask about the implications of a five-year humanitarian embargo and what it reveals of the character of a regime that would impose such an embargo. Secondly, we need to remember that this year's massive military offensive in Jebel Marra (where Golo is located) was largely successful: access is being permitted only because of a military triumph that included the indisputable use of chemical weapons in egregious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (see Amnesty International, "Scorched Earth, Poisoned Air: Sudanese Government Forces Ravage Jebel Marra, Darfur," 109 pages; released September 29, 2016). This blatant violation of international law is nowhere mentioned in celebrating access to Golo, or how Golo came to be firmly in regime hands.

Finally, the statement declares:

Access to this conflict-affected area has allowed the U.N. to conduct a full assessment; and--if sustained--regular air access would enable the international humanitarian community to support relief efforts to Golo and surrounding areas.

Of course the critical phrase is "if sustained." And judging by the failure of resolve on the part of the international community over the past 14 years in Darfur--including watching UN Security Council resolutions flouted regularly and contemptuously--we have every right to be deeply skeptical about whether Khartoum will feel obliged to "sustain" these efforts longer than international pressure remains.

The regime is deeply hostile to international humanitarian organizations in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan. Some thirty organizations have been expelled by the regime or forced to leave because of threats directed at them and intolerable security conditions--insecurity that the regime has deliberately cultivated ("Chaos by Design," in the words of Human Rights Watch). President Omar al-Bashir and his cronies have declared some of the world's finest relief organizations to be spies for Israel and the CIA, to be "covers" for various international powers, to be engaged in espionage, to countenance corruption...the list of absurd accusations is long and frequently repeated. International workers have been beaten, raped, and intimidated by violence on innumerable occasions. One notorious incident from 2007 speaks volumes about Khartoum's attitude and the freedom of intimidation if accords its security officials:

Aid workers have described how they watched helplessly as Sudanese police officers dragged a female United Nations worker from an aid agency compound in Darfur and subjected her to a vicious sexual attack. Staff say they feared for their lives when armed police raided their compound in Nyala [South Darfur], dragging one European woman out into the street by her hair and savagely beating several other international staff before arresting a total of 20 UN, aid agency and African Union staff. ("Aid workers tell of brutal attack by Darfur police on female colleague")

We heard nothing from the Obama administration at the time.

The regime has long ago declared that it would be vigorously pursuing a policy of "Sudanizing" humanitarian work in Darfur and elsewhere; this is little more that a cover for ensuring the final removal of all remaining international organizations, and thus international eyes on the ground.

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Given this shameful history of abuse, slanderous accusations, and expulsions of these humanitarian organizations, it is highly irresponsible of the Obama administration to celebrate the merely nominal commitments of Khartoum, whether in Jebel Marra, other regions of Darfur, or the large SPLM/A-N-controlled territories in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Denial of humanitarian access on such a scale amounts to crimes against humanity under the terms of the Rome Treaty that is the statutory basis for the International Criminal Court (see my article "On the Obstruction of Humanitarian Aid," African Studies Review, Volume 54, Number 3 | December 2011), pages 165 - 74 | http://wp.me/p45rOG-I6 ).

Praising those guilty of such terrible crimes for mere promises is expediency of the worst sort.

[Eric Reeves has written extensively on Sudan for almost two decades; he is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights]

************

Africa: Sudan Issues New Humanitarian Directives

Press StatementMark C. Toner Deputy Department SpokespersonWashington, DC

December 27, 2016

The United States welcomes the Government of Sudan's recent efforts to improve humanitarian access. Last week, Sudan amended the "Directives and Procedures for Humanitarian Action." These revised directives represent a significant step toward improving humanitarian access in Sudan. We believe when implemented, these revised regulations will facilitate humanitarian actors' efforts to get aid to those in need. We recognize this as a positive step and we expect to see sustained gains in humanitarian access.
Creativity is one of the most important assets every entrepreneur possesses.

Let me rephrase that: Creativity is the Most Important Quality an entrepreneur -- Who Wants to Succeed in Business -- Needs.

Some would argue passion is the most important quality. That overwhelming deep love that makes your heart skip a beat. But while passion shrinks inevitably, creativity will only grow when given proper attention.

Why is creativity important you might ask?

Well, your boundless imagination -- being able to connect the dots, recognize opportunities and seeing the world through the eyes of your customers -- is the ultimate key to business success.

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Creativity leads to innovation. Innovation leads to change. Change, fed with a healthy combination of stamina and persistence, will lead to the success you so very much deserve.

What are the Four Creative Secrets You Need to Know?

#1 Everyone is Creative.

Not just some people. You are creative from the moment you're born till the moment you die. Whether you have evolutionary ideas or revolutionairy ideas. Whether your ideas are extremely practical, or downright outrageous, plain simple or extremely complex: everyone is creative!

This might be the perfect moment to give up on the idea that creativity exists only in the realm of artists and other Super Creative Folks.

#2 Everyone is Uniquely Creative.

While everyone is creative, we're -- Hallelujah! -- Not All Creative in the Same Way. We all have our styles, levels, motives, opportunities and influences. Keep on reading I'll explain later.

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#3 You can Expand and Master your Creativity.

When you deepen your understanding of creativity in general -- and especially your own unique creativity -- you learn how to use it in a way that supports your needs and purposes.

More importantly you deepen your understanding of who you are and what you can accomplish! Entrepreneurs pay close attention. This is how dreams escape the Realm of "Maybe Later When I'm Ready" and come to fruition.

#4 There is no ideal or Perfect Form of creativity.

Every Human Being has an Unique Creativity. There are 5 variables that shape your creativity. Your creativity can grow and change. Every combination of the variables is perfect in itself. There is no good or bad creativity.

a. Your Creative Level

Your creative level is connected to your mental capacity. Imagine your brain like a bucket. It came with a particular size and shape when you were born. Thanks to our Growth Mindset we can transform and expand what's already there. Everybody has certain talents. Some have very special talents for math or languages, or for art or dance. What makes those talents interesting is what we do with them.

Beyonce cannot compose a Symphony -- okay, maybe she can --, but Mozart could do it when he was 7 years old. But he didn't conduct pioneering research on radioactivity. Madame Curie did.

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But Marie Curie did not became a legendary cook. Julia Child did.

I burn my grilled cheese sandwich every time (I consider it a special gift) because I don't have the patience to wait for the perfect sandwich. But I can create a beautiful little art booklet from scratch because that's what makes me come alive.

So while Madame Curie did not become a legendary cook, she might have been able to make a damn fine Beef Burgundy. She aimed for groundbreaking research instead. Mozart's talent could grow because he was born in a family that wanted him to become a musical genius.

Maybe you are able to organise your kitchen cabinets to perfection, it might not be where your real talent, motivation or love lies.

Our creativity is fluid and will change when given the proper TLC.

b. Your Creative Style

Your creative style is how your brain likes to work with knowledge and experience.

+ Some people have a more structured or adaptive way of working with what they have in their heads. They polish their ideas carefully and are capable of diving into the tiniest detail. They tend to offer the evolutionary ideas. I call them the Watchmakers.

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+ Then there are people who have a less structured Creative Style. The more divergent, innovative out-of-the-box thinkers. They don't care about details. They thrive at the beginning of the creative process and loose interest after a while. They are the Wave Makers.

+ And there are the people who have the capacity to go both ways. They have the flexibility to think in an innovative and a structured way. I call them the Acrobats and they represent the majority of humanity.

Why is it important to know your style?

Because for one it helps you to understand your own thoughts and actions and that of your fellow human beings. It explains why they react a bit funny to your new idea. The way you interact with your colleagues is partially defined by your creative style.

I am married to a Watchmaker with endless patience and an eerily keen eye for detail. He can work on a photo till every pixel has found its best possible spot. I on the other hand am a Wave maker with little patience or zero interest in pixels.

If my husband and I didn't know our mutual creative style we would be in serious trouble! Knowing our styles means he sees the double spaces in my articles and I can help him brainstorming new business ideas.

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c. Your Motive

We're all motivated by different things. Depending upon what motivates you, it's going to determine how you apply your energy to creative activities. Some people are purely motivated by financial gain, other people by doing good works, or by creating something that makes them happy. Not knowing your motive means you remain adrift in the middle of a sea of ideas. Do you know what motivates you?

d. Your Opportunity

We all perceive opportunities differently. Somebody may say to you, "Wow, this is a fab opportunity." And you say, "Well... yeah, I can see it, but it's just not for me". Or you might read something that instantly touches your heart and you dive straight into action.

e. Your Influences

We are all highly influenced by our upbringing, the family we grew up in, religion, politics, and --depending on who you are and what touches your heart -- archetypes, planets, culture, inner beliefs, your surroundings and many more external and internal factors.

An entrepreneur who does not know who she is, what she needs, what her natural talents are, will not recognize the opportunities that stare her in the face. Therefore she might miss out on the success she deserves.

WHY DOES THE WORLD NEED YOUR AMAZING CREATIVE MIND & IDEAS?

Think about all of the problems in the world. All the beauty that lives inside you. All the challenges out there. The things we need to change, to solve, to do, to act upon! Our world need every little bit of creativity.

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Sometimes we need truly revolutionary ideas. Sometimes we need evolutionary ideas to create sustainable change in our own business or life.

Sometimes we connect a motive with a certain opportunity and ...wham ...magic! ... there you go.

This is not a linear process. Sometimes your Creative Style is in conflict with a forgotten influence and suddenly you are convinced nothing you come up with will ever work out! Enter stinking procrastination and ugly perfectionism making it impossible for you to see what is really possible.

That's why it's important to master our creativity. The more we nurture, love and understand our creativity the less we fall prey to the ugly stuff that keeps us small. Truly understanding our creativity means we can thrive!
Are we still in the "Age of Reagan"? The election of Barack Obama 20 years after Reagan left office appeared to have closed that chapter in American politics. The American people, and the Electoral College for that matter, in that election put the first African American into the White House and, probably just as significant when looking at the historical arch of American politics, the first true left-of-center politician since perhaps LBJ.

While Reagan embraced conservative values intent on restricting access to abortions and defining marriage as an institution between a man and a woman, Obama essentially used a wrecking ball to destroy the "family values" conservatism of the 1970s and 1980s through supporting increased access to abortions and later same-sex marriage. But Obama, for all he did for progressive values, just couldn't close the lid on the Reagan Era, which likely would have required either the subsequent election of another true progressive POTUS or a majority of progressives on the United States Supreme Court.

Iwan Morgan, Professor of U.S. Studies and Commonwealth Fund Professor of American History at University College London, has been teaching and writing about American politics from across the pond for over 40 years. His just released book, "Reagan: American Icon", argues that "Reagan would probably not have felt at home in the polarized partisan environment of the twenty-first century" and that although "both Reagan and Trump ran against government and promised to return America to greatness ... Reagan grounded his appeal in his long-espoused ideas about freedom" while "Trump lacks a philosophical core."

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"The two also differed diametrically in their appreciation of how demography was reshaping the electorate," Morgan writes. "Just before winning a respectable 34 percent share of their votes in 1984, Reagan remarked: 'Hispanics are already Republican. They just don't know it yet.' ... Trump, by contrast, seemed intent on causing Latinos offense with his tough stance against renewed amnesty and deterring illegals from entering the United States."

Morgan, like many who took on Reagan before him, struggled with where he stands not so much on the Reagan presidency (which he calls "consequential"), but on his own opinion of Ronald Reagan. "More often than not, biographers develop a more positive view of their subject as a consequence of engaging in detailed study of a life," Morgan admits. "Accordingly, this volume comes to conclusions that once would have surprised the author, who shared the conventional left-liberal suspicion of Reagan's competence and conservatism in the 1980s." Morgan continued,

The Reagan this biography portrays is complex rather than one-dimensional; someone who benefited from having a variety of careers before entering politics; a deep thinker if not an original one; a conservative but also a pragmatist; a committed anti-communist who was dedicated to ridding the world of nuclear weapons; a passionate advocate of freedom who aligned the United States with repressive regimes for Cold War advantage in Latin America, Africa, and Asia; and an eternal optimist about his country's future who could not empathize with disadvantaged groups needing the assistance of government to get by in 1980s America.



Morgan acknowledges that there were areas that Reagan came up short, his response to the AIDS crisis and out-of-control defense spending to name just two, but spends so little time on those subjects that readers without a fine-tooth comb are likely to completely overlook the critiques. Morgan, for example, notes that Reagan "did not always live up to the ideals he espoused" but quickly lets him off the hook because, he writes, "perfection is not a human quality." Perfection may not be a human quality, but it is precisely the willingness to excuse imperfection from our leaders, whether they are presidents or prime ministers, that opens the door for imperfections to fester into bigger problems, like sending American Marines into Beirut in the early 1980s without a clear mission.

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Historians looking at the 2016 American election may very well determine that the election turned on values. Reagan, for Morgan, became an American icon by "giving voice to his nation's best values ... the fundamental qualities of decency, optimism, and belief in individual potential inculcated in the small-town Midwest of the early twentieth century to the White House of the late twentieth century." If that's the case, the values that won out in 2016 surely were not those of Reagan's childhood or even likely the values of traditional conservatives. In fact, it's not even clear what values Trump supporters share which may explain why Trump's election could end up keeping Reagan-era conservatism alive just long enough for Trump to be at the center of the last chapter in the Age of Reagan.
The American abstention on the United Nations resolution on the settlements issue is painful for Israel. More pain may yet be inflicted by President Obama including a UN resolution prescribing a final solution to the Palestinian problem and other such moves.

But, Israel today is not the Israel of the 1948 War of Independence or the Israel of the early traumatic days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Israel today has 10 times the population of 1948 and an economy 120 times bigger. It has developed major political, economic, high-tech, military and intelligence relationships with key countries around the world. Power counts in this world.

Until 1992 Israel did not have diplomatic relations with China or the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union supplied billions of dollars of weapons for the Arabs who fought Israel in 1967 and 1973. In 1969 during the War of Attrition Soviet and Israeli warplanes clashed over the Suez Canal. In 1974 the PLO established an embassy in Moscow and the next year the Soviet Union voted for the "Zionism is racism" resolution.

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China under Mao Zedong supported the PLO and welcomed Yasir Arafat to Beijing. China supported the destruction of Israel and its replacement by a Palestinian state. In 1974 the PLO established an embassy in Beijing and voted in 1975 for the resolution on "Zionism is racism."

Today, the situation is different. China established and Russia re-established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992. Sino-Israeli trade, 50 million dollars in 1992, is moving towards 11 billion dollars this year with talks on a free trade zone. Israel is the second greatest provider of military goods to China. Chinese companies are planning to spend billions of dollars on acquiring Israeli companies.

Russian-Israeli trade hovers at 3 billion dollars yearly. Putin has visited Israel twice and Netanyahu has met Putin four times in under two years. Bibi talks to Putin frequently by phone. Israel exports drones to Russia and coordinates their moves in Syria to avoid a firefight. Fully 600,000 Russians without visas visit Israel yearly and Israeli hi-tech works with Russians at their Skolkovo base in the suburbs of Moscow.

As for the United States, President-elect Trump, in addition to listening to his family (Ivanka and Jared Kushner), has appointed an Ambassador to Israel (David Friedman), adviser on Israel (Jason Greenblatt) and national security adviser (General Flynn), all pro-Israel. Trump urged Obama to veto the UN resolution and said that after January 20th "things will be different."

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England has had an up and down relationship with Israel. In 1917 it issued the Balfour Declaration but in 1939 switched to supporting an Arab Palestine. In May, 1948 England handed over weapons and territory mainly to the Arabs when it left Palestine and sold weapons to Jordan and Iraq. But, in 1956 it joined in the Sinai Campaign. More recently, while maintaining relations with Israel, it has not been close to its former colony.

With Brexit and the ascension of Prime Minister Theresa May, things may be changing. Ten days ago she denounced BDS and lauded Israel as a "thriving democracy, a beacon of tolerance, an engine of enterprise and an example to the rest of the world for overcoming adversity and defying disadvantages."

There is France which supported the creation of Israel, joined Israel in the 1956 Sinai Campaign, provided badly needed jet fighters and aided Israel's nuclear program from 1956 to 1967. Charles de Gaulle moved France away from Israel but in recent years France became more sympathetic to Israel. A leading candidate for French Presidency next year is Francois Fillon, generally considered pro-Israel, as is Marine le Pen of the National Front.

There is Germany which during World War II carried out the Holocaust. Now, Prime Minister Angela Merkel has been pro-Israel, sold Israel several nuclear capable Dolphin class submarines at a discounted price and opposes isolating Israel.

Other nations also have become friendly. Sunni Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia are quietly working with Israel for fear of a nuclear Iran. India, which recognized Israel in 1992, now has 5 billion dollars in Israeli trade. Its Foreign Minister in January hailed Israel as a model for India. A recent poll showed that more Indians (58%) than Americans (56%) like Israel. Israel is the second largest provider of weapons and develops new weapons with India.

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This Entry Was Co-Authored By Lori Wallach & Murshed Zaheed

Donald Trump is preparing to wipe President Barack Obama's legacy from existence. The Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank and protections for the environment and immigrants all are set to disappear in no part small part thanks to President Obama himself and his relentless advocacy for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) right through Election Day.



And President Obama still won't face the sorry truth, this week declaring that he would have beaten Trump if he had been the candidate. After years of siding with corporate America to pass various job-killing trade deals over the opposition of congressional Democrats, he announced that it was "nonsense" that anyone should have the view that "Democrats have somehow abandoned the white working class."

Yet in fact, post-election polling and exit polls confirm that Trump flipped decisive states because he connected with voters' fury about job-killing trade deals.

Trump's omnipresent attacks on "rigged" trade deals resonated with communities devastated by mass job offshoring. Polling shows that Americans viewed President Obama's TPP as a corporate power grab that would cost more jobs, lower wages and raise medicine prices.



Trump won Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania by 23,000, 11,000 and 68,000 votes, respectively. The number of people in those states certified as having lost jobs to trade since the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is 78,331, 159,252 and 182,017 under just one government program that captures a fraction of trade-related job loss.



Meanwhile, President Obama's closing argument for Clinton at a Michigan rally the day before the election was to "continue this journey of progress," effectively promising a third term of an Obama presidency that had spent the past two years prioritizing the implementation of a trade deal despised not only by working class Midwesterners, but the entire Democratic Party base. At the Michigan event President Obama also declared that the "trade war" Trump was threatening by renegotiating NAFTA, imposing tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico by Detroit's automakers and opposing the TPP would hurt the economy.



This followed scores of Obama administration events and op-eds touting the benefits of the TPP in swing states during critical stages of the campaign, despite pleas by Democratic congressional candidates and party strategists to desist.



Was it coincidence that Clinton lost the western Wisconsin counties along the Mississippi River, which have historically always voted Democratic? Or did Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's Oct. 12 event there to release a TPP-promoting report have unintended consequences?



Did U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman's prominent Oct. 19 "Philadelphia Inquirer" TPP op-ed contribute to flipping eastern Pennsylvania counties that voted twice for President Obama?

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Support for the TPP signaled to those whose lives have been turned upside down by the trade policies of the past 25 years that the Democratic Party did not care about them. That message was conveyed repeatedly to the administration and Clinton campaign by union officials who heard it from their angry members.



The fury was reasonable. Bill Clinton promised American workers that hundreds of thousands of jobs would be created by the 1994 NAFTA and the 2000 grant to China of U.S. Permanent Normal Trade Relations. Instead, a flood of new imports transformed a small trade surplus with Mexico before NAFTA to a $115 billion deficit today. The deficit with China reached $376 billion in 2015 - the largest annual trade deficit in recorded history.

Hundreds of thousands of American manufacturing jobs were destroyed. Those workers joined the pool of Americans without college degrees - 69 percent of us - competing for lower wage service sector jobs. This pushed down wages and fueled an increase in income inequality not seen since the late 19th-century "robber baron" era.



Trump's win was foreshadowed in 1994 when Democrats lost control of the House for the first time in four decades as working-class voters enraged about NAFTA abandoned the party.



But in the arc of the Democratic betrayal of working people on trade, more damning was President Obama's flip-flop. He campaigned in 2008 against George W. Bush's U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, engaged in a primary battle to be more anti-NAFTA than Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and initially put the TPP on ice in 2009.



He then proceeded to push the South Korea deal after modest tweaks, claiming it would create 70,000 new American jobs. By early 2016, the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea had doubled as exports dropped and imports soared. This trade deficit increase equated to about 100,000 more U.S. jobs lost, plugging the import/export data into the formula the administration used to predict job gains.



And then, although the damaging Korean deal was literally the template for the TPP, Obama proceeded to make it the capstone of his administration. The pro-TPP campaign was more vigorous than any other previous Obama initiative.



The deal was dead before Election Day, having never gained majority support in Congress during the 10 months after President Obama signed it.



But President Obama's election-year obsession with the TPP sent a message to American workers that was deadly to Hillary Clinton's campaign as it elevated Trump to the White House and ultimately damaged - if not destroyed - the president's own legacy.

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Should high school math contests be banned? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Should high school math contests be banned? Absolutely not. I agree with what Ted Alper said about the negative aspects of the "pecking order". At that age, even if students are mature enough to understand the distinction between "talent" (whatever that means) and "hard work," so many factors other than "hard work" determine how well you will perform in competitions. As a result, many students reach a point where their performance plateaus, yet they feel they are working very hard. So they attribute their plateau-ing performance to a lack of mathematical ability, when in fact, the problem may not be mathematical in nature at all and thus much harder to find (test anxiety, mental inflexibility, poor organization skills, poor problem-solving habits, etc.) And of course you have all the students who buy into the talent theory.

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The other thing that I found to be a bit of an issue with math competitions was the overemphasis on how they were about "creativity" rather than "memorization". This paradigm exaggerates the difference between contest math and classroom math. While classroom math does mainly boil down to memorization, contest math is hardly anything close to full-blown creativity. Even at the level of the USAMO/IMO, the vast majority of problems are still best solved by pattern recognition, a relatively large bag of tricks, and sequential deductions. A contestant who believes too much in the efficacy of creativity will spend too much time trying to come up with "the clever thing you need to pull out of your ass" to kill a problem in one blow (my friends and I refer to this tendency as "eyeballing the solution"). I believe this is the main reason why many USAMO contestants get to the point of solving the "one-step" problems 1 and 4 rather quickly, but often never reach the point of solving the multi-step problems 2 and 5. At least for me, I did much better on the USAMO with relatively little extra practice once I abandoned the notion that contest math was largely about "creativity" and "eyeballing the solution."

From what I understand (based on personal experience and anecdotes of friends), Red and Blue groups (the two lower groups at MOP) had a big emphasis on "creativity," while Black MOP (the top group) had a nontrivial portion of the lectures devoted to dumb tricks. For example, in 2010 (I think?) Black MOP had one conference dedicated solely to "dumb-assing" (multiplying out everything in an inequality problem and using weighted AM-GM to clean up the pieces) and one to coordinate bashing. Both are the complete opposite of "creativity," but apparently they were included because the instructors thought them beneficial to IMO performance. I believe that it would be prudent for students in the competition track to be aware of this early on so that they do not overemphasize the role of "creativity" in contest math (and for that matter, real life).

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That being said, I would not change the contests one bit - just wanted to point out what I perceived to be a few potential pitfalls (and hopefully help out a few of the younger members here who are still participating in these). But perhaps I was just stupid back then, and the rest of you guys already know this stuff going in.

This question originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

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What would you recommend to learn how to survive in the music industry as an artist? A second job, haha!

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I'll never forget what my uncle told me when I broke the news to my family that I would be abandoning my English degree to study music instead:

"No one will support you in the music industry until you make it."

So start by developing iron will, a thick skin, and the world's greatest listening skills. These are tools required by the music industry, and life in general.

From there, in my experience, you can rocket past 70% of the people in the music industry if you learn and understand the copyright laws of your country and the United States. If you want a career in any back-office part of the industry like management, you'd better be damn sure you know how to protect your intellectual property and your artists. If you're an artist, you should be aware of how to protect yourself. All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman isn't everything you need to know, but it's a tremendous start when you're beginning your journey.

Next, you need to learn how to interface with a few different types of people: lawyers, journalists, technology developers, and (critically) other artists and industry people. You'll spend the entirety of your career dealing with these folks. It's imperative you know how they think, what they want, and how you can benefit them materially. Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions by Guy Kawasaki is a good start here but there is no replacement for real people experience. Find your way into conversations and situations with these people.

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Once you've got working music industry experience and legal knowledge, along with sufficient connections, your next steps involve uncovering opportunity. This is the longest, hardest climb and you'll be doing it your entire career.

The music industry is brutally competitive. To get your foot in the door requires giving more than you get. There are a few ways I've found to achieve this without undercutting yourself or seeming "easy" to others:

Charge appropriately for your services, but always offer to throw in something extra ; don't be a pushover, but let people know you want to work for them. Ask three questions for every one you answer; the more you listen and let people tell you their story, the more opportunities you surface (and candidly it makes you a better person too). Love the part of the industry you're in; I can't stress this enough, the music industry is almost entirely populated by true believers and we can smell a rat from a mile away. Understand your own timeline; it took me almost ten years and three major cities to finally achieve the primary goals I set for myself at the age of twenty-one, but I knew that going in.

You'll encounter many artists, managers, and industry operatives who seem to have it all. It will pummel your confidence and make you question your methods. In my experience, for every one that is truly successful beyond their years, there are nine who are in massive debt and perpetually on the verge of collapse. The Rolling Stones are still going strong in their 70s. You have time.

While you're doing all this tireless work and study, remember to take the time to learn who you are and care for yourself. This will not only ensure your long-term mental health, but it will inform your decisions as an artist and entrepreneur, and expose your personal risk tolerance.

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Oh and while we're at it -- take risks. The earlier the better.

Now let's talk about the music: There is such a thing as "objectively good" and "objectively bad" music. Like any other art, it is a product of craft, and therefore is subject to the scrutiny of true craftsmanship. Some things you should learn to judge music on:

Production

Arrangement

Lyrics & Melody

Novelty

Potential to sell

Over time you'll learn to use these to vet your music and the music of others. Always assume everyone will know if you didn't. Never, ever treat your fans or the listening public like they're stupid. Instant career suicide, unless you enjoy toiling away in obscurity for only a chosen few. Music should always be inclusive, intelligent, and of lasting quality.

Finally, really hold on tightly to the things that inspire you about music. We all entered the industry because music is deep in us. We play it, and we listen to it, we feel it very profoundly; enough to make it our life's work.

The machine of industry will try mercilessly to beat that deep abiding love of music out of you, but don't let it. Every song and artist you've ever known came from a series of people who refused to be stopped, who made a series of decisions despite their long odds. Be a person who always stays the course, and good luck.

This question originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

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United States Secretary of State John Kerry is desperate to leave behind a relatively commendable legacy. At the fag-end of his tenure and riding high on the assumed statesmanship, Kerry initially thought to reveal a plan that could set the ball rolling in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It might have been a bid to cement his status as a statesman -- the veracity of which could be both real and perceived. True that he served in the US Senate and succeeded Hillary Clinton. Achievements? Almost none. The last eight years of the Obama administration are largely empty on the diplomatic front and rife with disasters. And let's not even bring the controversial Iran deal as a saving grace.

The proposal for Middle East peace didn't come. What unfolded was a spiel on why the US abstained on the United Nations Security Council's resolution regarding Israeli settlements. It was more of a rebuttal of the incessant bickering by Benjamin Netanyahu and his cronies. Kerry reassured his Israeli friends about the continued US support, along with a refusal to acknowledge Palestinian statehood or endorse UN resolutions towards that end. More of an explanatory speech than an impressive parting shot by the top US diplomat.

Secretary Kerry combined tough-talk with overt displays of affection. He talked tough with Pakistan. Tough enough that he reportedly thumped on the table and addressed the Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Shraif by his first name, breaking away with the diplomatic protocols. He adopted a subservient stance with Iran during the nuclear talks, taking long strolls with Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif in Geneva (for which the latter had a lot of explaining to do).

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Both the strolls and the table-thumpings ended in failures. Iran got what it wanted and then doubled down on undermining American interests in the Middle East. Iran is the reason behind Bashar al-Assad's continued rule and the unspeakable misery it has unleashed. Russia's entry has further eroded the American influence. As for Pakistan, it didn't yield to US demands of clamping down on the Haqqani network, among others. Relations remain tense and American tough-talking is not going anywhere.

On Syria, Kerry adopted a policy that was surface-level ambitious but hollow from the inside. With Iranian courtship in full bloom -- and the attendant ignoring of its bloody game -- the Obama administration helped foster the environment that gave rise to ISIS. The non-existent red line became an important landmark of that era -- and later a sinister joke. Unlike Obama, Kerry admitted he was failing in Syria during a private conversation with US congressmen in 2014. The Russian hijacking of the situation in 2015 and the subsequent failure of the US to rein in on the regime atrocities or stem the ISIS proved that point. On a salvaging mission, Kerry did an about-turn and defended whatever shambolic policy the administration was following.

Kerry didn't bring any new doctrines like the "Asia Pivot" of Hillary Clinton. The Trans-Pacific Partnership was not his brainchild either. The vital ties with Europe came unraveling during his tenure. Obama shot down many of his suggestions, infuriating many in the State Department. That Kerry had little say in foreign policy formulation speaks volumes about his legacy.
Media stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims are nothing new. In a post-election world, Muslims are finding more allies who often want to help but don't know much about us. More and more of our fellow Americans have questions and need answers.

In on online forum recently, someone asked me about books I would recommend to those wishing to learn about Muslims. I'm happy that people want to learn -- even though I think meeting Muslims is far more valuable than reading about them -- but searching the sea of available choices can be difficult and dangerous. For instance, search for "Muslim" or "Islam" on Amazon, and the array of books that pop up is worrying. Not because there are so many, but because many of them are horrifyingly inaccurate and often downright false.

Many books that promise "the truth" about Muslims are actually full of hatred and bigotry. You can learn about Sharia from authors who have no clue what it means, or about the tenets of Islam from authors whose bias can be seen from a mile away. You might think a website called "the religion of peace" would be somewhat positive, but it turns out to spew vile hatred against a billion people who actually practice Islam as a religion of peace and love.

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But knowledge is power, so here's my list of books you can and should read if you want to know more about Muslims and Islam. It's the list I recommend to my students when I train law enforcement and educational institutions, or speak at churches and synagogues. It's a list of my favorites thus far.

No God but God by Reza Aslan is an oldie but goody about the origins of Islam. If you want to know how the religion of Islam started, what the early Muslims were like and how the landscape changed politically, culturally and in terms of faith as Islam spread across the world, this book is for you. My favorite part about this book is the fact that Aslan writes as a scholar, not as a Muslim, so you don't get any of the religious fervor of belief that often turns away non-Muslims.

The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists by Khaled Abou El Fadl is a comprehensive account of how Muslims in some parts of the world turned away from rational thought and began dabbling in literal interpretations, extremism and sometimes violence. It is really an excellent way to understand some of the political upheavals we are seeing in Muslim countries today, including the rise of militant ideologies.



Generation M by Shelina Janmohamed is a survey of Muslim youth: what they think, feel and do that makes them a unique force in the world today. They are millennials with a religious twist, and this book paints a vivid picture of them as they grapple with entrepreneurship, technology, fashion, food, consumerism, climate change and so much more.

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The Story of the Quran by Ingrid Mattson is a short book, but it clarifies the religious, cultural and even political significance of Islam's holy book, the Quran. What role does this book play in a Muslim's life, who wrote it, what feelings do we have for it? All these questions and more are answered by Mattson, who is a religious scholar and teacher.



Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time by Karen Armstrong is a must-read biography of the person revered by all Muslims. Armstrong has written several books about Islam, and all are worth reading, but this one is helpful for those who do not know much about the Prophet. It is an unbiased, historical book that is much-needed today, regardless of your religious beliefs.



1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilizations by Salim Al-Hassanni is a must-read for all the critics of Islam who wonder what Muslims have ever given this world. It's a National Geographic presentation -- it also offers a kids' version -- that showcases all the various scientific and technological creations dreamed up by Muslims and still in use today. Hint: Muslim contributions are invaluable!



Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas by Sylviane A. Diouf shatters stereotypes that all Muslims are Arab, South Asian or newly arrived in this country. It offers meticulous research showing the arrival of Islam with African slaves and the struggle for religious survival.



Muslims and the Making of America by Amir Hussain is another book about Muslims in America, but from a surprisingly different perspective. Hussain highlights the aspects of American popular culture where Muslims have made an indelible mark: music, politics, architecture and sports. It's a short read but highly informative.

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I Speak for Myself: American Women on Being Muslim is a series of essays written by 40 American Muslim women about their experiences in their faith journey. Although their religion may be the same, their personal narratives and backgrounds are completely different, showing the diversity of Islam in a beautiful and eye-opening way. There is also a partner essay collection about Muslim American men.



The Fear of Islam: An Introduction of Islamophobia in the West by Todd H. Green is a comprehensive reader on Islamophobia, or an irrational fear of Muslims. From the historical origins of this phenomenon to current issues including media stereotypes, this book will help educate and inform without being preachy.
In late 2015, the administration of US President Barack Obama issued a presidential memorandum pledging to streamline biodiversity protection policy and ratchet-up private investment in conservation and wildlife. The move, as expected, has had a significant spillover effect into 2016.

In March of this year, for instance, 11 organizations - some public, though mostly private - committed over $2 billion to water, wildlife and land investments. It's a commitment that the White House quickly labeled one of the biggest non-federal investments in conservation ever.

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"Policy consistency and clarity across the board really ratchets up the opportunity for large-scale private investment in conservation," George Kelly, who is Chief Markets Officer of Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), a Texas-based restoration company and one of the 11 entities pledging millions towards conservation activities, said in March.

Kelly noted, however, that policies are subject to change with new political administrations, and the election of Donald Trump as the country's next president has added another layer of policy uncertainty to biodiversity-type investments.

Though Trump's impact on biodiversity policy in the United States and abroad isn't yet clear, analysts and experts moved quickly to educate the incoming administration on the benefits of biodiversity protection when utilizing the marketplace. Trump's effect will come more into focus in 2017 whereas activities occurring in the US in 2016 were heavily influenced by the Obama administration's biodiversity-friendly policies.

Laying the groundwork

The 2015 memo seeks to streamline policy that involves managing adverse impacts to biodiversity, known as mitigation, largely by adhering to the mitigation hierarchy and adopting landscape-level planning efforts across all land managing departments. Landscape scale is a complex concept and means more than increasing total species habitat. In January, an ecological economist considered how Obama's memo may alter species markets in more ways than one.

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The presidential memo intends to alter agencies' rules and guidance on mitigation, and in 2016, some agencies updated policies or launched new initiatives to align with the memo's provisions.

Early in the year, the Department of Interior took steps to advance its Natural Resource Investment Center, which focuses on enhancing investment in wetland, water and species conservation along with infrastructure upgrades.

Slightly outside the presidential memo's reach, this year the Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new wetland banking program to help cash-strapped farmers and ranchers remain in compliance with Farm Bill provisions. The program, which launched in January and collected proposals until March, is only open to producers and essentially aims to create a mitigation market comprised of less rigorous wetland credits farmers can purchase.

Policy Upgrades

In March, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released draft revisions to its agency-wide mitigation policy, the first proposed revisions to this policy since 1981.

"The policies are so different, they're black and white," said Wayne White, President of the National Mitigation Banking Association, when comparing the revised version to its 1981 counterpart.

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Big revisions include inclusion of the Endangered Species Act, which was excluded from the earlier version primarily over differences in the definition of mitigation. The new policy also embraced net conservation gain for biodiversity and states a preference for advanced mitigation mechanisms such as conservation banking or habitat exchanges.

The Service released a final version in November.

Before finalizing its umbrella policy on mitigation, the FWS released another draft policy, this one on compensatory mitigation for at-risk species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Compensatory mitigation is government-approved methods such as conservation banking or in-lieu fee mitigation to deal with unavoidable impacts to nature. The policy, which is the first ever on compensatory mitigation for endangered species, falls in line with the 2015 memo seeking landscape scale conservation and favoring advanced mitigation approaches. The Service finalized this policy in December.

Mapping market activity

These policy changes happening in 2016 are expected to unleash private sector finance into conservation and boost biodiversity markets. During the fall, Ecosystem Marketplace unveiled new mapping data that revealed biodiversity markets along with other markets dealing in ecological commodities have already been growing swiftly in the last 10 years.

Ecosystem Marketplace created the maps in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and the USDA's Office of Environmental Markets. Essentially, they created map layers drawing data from Ecosystem Marketplace's historical tracking data on environmental markets and loaded it into EPA's EnviroAtlas tool, which is a free online ecosystem services mapping platform.

"Maps are an extremely good tool for communicating key concepts in ecosystem markets status and development," said Genevieve Bennett, a Senior Associate at Ecosystem Marketplace leading the mapping project. "And readers interested in learning more or doing in-depth spatial analysis can visit EnviroAtlas or download our ecosystem markets map data free of charge."

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In December, Ecosystem Marketplace released An Atlas of Ecosystem Markets in the United States, which showcases market trends based on the mapping data, to go along with the maps.

The Atlas and maps can serve as a decision-making tool for policymakers and other actors, its creators say.

These maps weren't the only source of new data on species and wetlands markets in 2016. New research from California-based company Eco-Assets Solutions & Innovations found the sale price tripled for a property in San Benito County, California once it considered eco-asset market values. The case study revealed that assessing property for the endangered species it saves or wetlands it preserves could pay off for some landowners.

Global review

At a worldly view, new research revealed troubling trends for biodiversity. WWF published a new Living Planet report in October finding that fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles declined by 58% between 1970 and 2012. This year's World Economic Forum's Global Risks report ranked biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse among the top 10 risks to potentially impact business. And in a report published during this year's UN biodiversity talks, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Birdlife International found the world is not on course to meet the Aichi Biodiversity Targets unless countries significantly increase their ambition.

While biodiversity offsetting is a potential tool to help stem the loss of wildlife, some countries remain unsure. In the United Kingdom, inconclusive results, released in March, from a study researching offsetting means practitioners there remain uncertain if the country will utilize the mechanism.

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Later in the year, England's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs released an assessment it had commissioned Forest Trends (Ecosystem Marketplace's publisher) to do. Forest Trends analysts assessed existing offset programs in Australia and the US finding such programs can indeed provide developers of infrastructure projects with a more streamlined and certain process for adhering to biodiversity rules.

"Effective third party offsetting similar to programs in Australia and the US can help England's dwindling biodiversity," said Guy Duke, a biodiversity consultant working on the assessment.

Go mainstream

The biodiversity camp closed out 2016 with the semi-annual UN biodiversity talks. This year the Mexican government hosted the world in Cancun and aimed at pushing the mainstreaming movement even further to the fore.

Participants at the conference consider this year's talks, which also include mid-year discussions in Montreal, all about implementation and action. And mainstreaming, which, just as it sounds, means mainstreaming biodiversity into all sectors of society, has long been a part of achieving global targets.

This year's conference was somewhat different because the space was successful in integrating biodiversity into both the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.

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"Last year, we saw the adoption of both the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and the Paris Agreement, which is great because it indicates political momentum and political will to do more in the environmental policy arena. But it also makes it necessary to ensure that biodiversity concerns and ecosystem concerns are integrated into those agendas," said Rowan Braybrook, the Senior Manager for Sustainable Development Policy at Conservation International.

Braybrook and others note the success of the last few years on mainstreaming biodiversity but also say the movement has a long way to go.

"Conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems is inextricably linked to the SDGs and the Paris Agreement," Braybrook added. "And without consideration for biodiversity and ecosystems, they cannot be fully successful."
I'm looking ahead at 2017, thinking about which Massive Development Conferences (MDC) I should attend. I've gone to a few MDCs in the past. They tend to be big budget, hosting tens of thousands of delegates, held in airless, lightless, characterless conference centres featuring a couple of headline acts to draw in the crowds and persuade them to part with their conference fee. I usually return home reeling from the chasm between the MDC and the reality of the issue it is purporting to address. MDCs are now so huge that few cities in the developing world have conference facilities (or an airport hub) large enough to accommodate the influx of earnest delegates, determined to save the world with a week of speed networking, un-conference sessions, social enterprise accelerators and hackathons. So they are held in America and Europe, usually with a tokenistic representation from the "beneficiary group", where we sip bad coffee and talk about ending poverty, improving education, reducing inequality in places thousands of miles away.

Bad coffee and arctic air-conditioning aside, Are MDCs worth it? Or are they just a Massive Drain of Cash?

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Headline acts

MDCs live and die by their plenary speakers. The biggest and highest budget MDCs get some great headline acts. Whether they are exciting, unpredictable or enriching is another matter. It is unlikely that anything shocking will be unveiled at a formal session. Curious (and strangely fascinating) to observe is how the presence of headline acts brings out strange behavior in normally the most mild-mannered of developmentistas. A colleague who attended a recent conference in New York described the literal mobbing of one headliner as she stepped off the stage. And at the Clinton Global Initiative a few years ago I witnessed business cards being thrown at President Clinton from all directions (as if he were likely to pick the card off the floor and think "ah yes, I must get in touch with this fine gentleman who nearly eyeballed me with his business card").

Conversations of substance

Panels are often disappointing. Three of four people convened by the conference organisers, supposedly talking around a common theme but really wanting to promote their own project or organisation. Most panel presentations could just as effectively be released as videos of someone presenting a set of slides and explaining them. Time for conversations within these sessions is limited and generally disappointingly bland. (But move into the twittersphere during a panel session and you may well find a lively conversation. The online world seems to reduce inhibitions and encourage more outrageous proposals, stronger disagreements and intellectual challenges.) The substantive and important conversations rarely happen in the formal sessions at MDCs.

Network network network

Technology is a tool that can support and enhance, but the digital space is no substitute for actual human contact. Most believe that the real benefit of any conference is the networking and connections. This sentiment has been taken on by MDC organisers who now dedicate immense energy and resource into innovative mechanisms to help us meet each other: online pre-event meet-ups, pitch sessions, speed networking (god help me), iPhone apps where delegates can engage in an unhealthy level of fellow delegate stalking, all alongside the more traditional cocktail receptions. Networking at a MDC is relentless, draining and riddled with power dynamics (too often reflecting the unfortunate "funder versus wanting-to-be-funded" relationship so pervasive in this sector).

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If I analyse contacts made at past MDCs using a crude quantitative metric they have been great: I have boxes and boxes of business cards. But I could count on one, maybe two, hands those connections that proved highly and sustainably valuable to my work. Now, a large part is no doubt attributable to my inadequate follow-ups. But depth is often lacking at MDCs. Delegates are encouraged to network frenetically, substantive discussions are difficult and formats favour the gregarious extrovert.

But are they just a Massive Drain of Cash?

Factoring in travel time, attending an MDC would typically take up most of my week, and the weeks of thousands of others. And the number of conferences within the international development sector is overwhelming: it's possible (allegedly) to attend a different mDev conference or event every day of the year. When do events justify the expense? I'd love to see rigorous research on the tangible value of MDCs (compare total MDC expense/outcomes with what could be achieved through Give Directly?).

People working in the same sector do need to get together. The time and space to be educated and meet new people is important and motivating. Conferences give valuable airtime and the temporary oxygen of publicity to certain issues. And their format and style has been reinvigorated in recent years, so full schedules of panel presentations are now rare (although whether speed networking and pitch sessions are more valuable than what came before is debatable...). But these gatherings are becoming an industry; mushrooming in numbers, size and expense with FOMO driving many to attend.

Selective attendance is essential.
Poor quality and inaccessible information about school performance is preventing parents and governments from making good choices about different schooling options

Private education is a high stakes investment for both parents and governments

All over the world parents are making decisive schooling choices for their children. In South Africa, for example, a 2013 study of over 1,400 primary age children from Soweto, near Johannesburg, found that only 18 percent are attending the school closest to their home. This study, together with the growing number of private schools in South Africa, shows that parents are choosing to make substantial financial investments in pursuit of high-quality education. Such a strong belief in education as a means to escape poverty is promising for the life chances of South Africa's children and indeed for the future of that nation's economy. But for the investment to be realized, the private schools parents choose for their children need to giving them a high-quality education.

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And it's not just parents who are paying for private education. In many parts of the world governments are starting to fund non-state school operators, through vouchers, subsidies or contract management agreements, like charter schools or academies. With parents and governments investing heavily in private education, ensuring open and accessible information about school quality - both public and private schools - should be an urgent priority for governments and donors.

Information imperfections disadvantage poorer parents

Market theory says that this kind of consumer choice - a thriving private sector competing with a previously monopolistic government provision - should raise standards and improve learning for poor children. But competition-driven market theory will only be effective in education if the market imperfections caused by poor and weak information are corrected. Information imperfections are particularly acute in education because parents, particularly those on low incomes and with low levels of education themselves, are often poorly informed about school quality. School choice is difficult for any parent. Many school systems do not conduct standardised tests. When they do, scores may not be made public and tend to be confusing and difficult to compare. This means that parents all over the world make school choices for their children with information based on brand and perception, rather than learning outcomes. Parental information is generally, by nature, imperfect and asymmetric.

Without easy access to school attainment data, children from poorer families will not benefit optimally from the increased school choice, public and private, that comes from the growing private sector. Indeed, there is even a risk that parents unintentionally enroll their children to in private schools that are actually lower performing than free local government schools.

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Governments and parents must be able to make informed choices about private schooling

The duty of government should be to guarantee that every child receives a high-quality education, and to support parents to make good and informed choices about their children's schooling, backed by reliable and accessible data. There is a developing body of evidence that shows when parents have access to information about how their child is doing in school, and how children are doing in other schools, it can lead to better learning outcomes. A 2016 study from Pakistan, for example, showed that giving parents information about their child's school and progress in school led to improved test scores, lower fees in the private schools in the village and higher primary school enrollment.

The growing number of governments who are funding vouchers or other initiatives that allow children to attend private schools subsidized by the state should take note of this study.

Informed parental choice is firmly in the interests of the state. Performance and costs of schooling has significant implications for public finances. With the many competing priorities for limited public resources, governments must ensure value for money. Some finance and education ministers have taken note that private schools can educate students at a significantly lower cost per children than government schools can. Consequently, voucher-style PPPs are emerging in many parts of the world.

The Philippines recently launched an ambitious initiative that will create two million new state-funded school places in private schools. And the results of Muralidharan and Sundararaman's double randomised trial in Andhra Pradesh, India, a seminal study for its scale and rigour, support policies that use government funds to send poor children to private schools. The private schools in the study achieved similar test scores (compared with government schools) in basic subjects, with less instructional time, using the remaining time to increase test scores in other subjects. Furthermore, these results were achieved at a much lower cost, did not disadvantage the students who remained in public schools and did not benefit children from richer families more than their poorer peers.

Of course, there's no such thing as a magic bullet. Vouchers should provide better parent-level accountability, but only if parents can exercise informed choice

Vouchers certainly seem like they hold potential as a policy option for governments wanting to improve quality and reduce inequity in education systems. But the devil is in the detail, and more literally in the parent and state accountability mechanisms. It is complex and hard to get right. A voucher alone is not going to transform learning outcomes.

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The theory behind vouchers suggests that programmes should improve learning among children from low-income communities through four channels, all related to consumer choice and better parent and state-level accountability. First, vouchers enable dissatisfied parents to move their children from poorly performing schools to better schools. Second, vouchers break inefficient public school monopolies by introducing competition from the private sector, challenging public schools to improve and reignite parental demand. Third, private schools are incentivized to improve quality as a means to attract more voucher-owning students. Fourth voucher schools are accountable to the state for the learning outcomes that they deliver for children.

But the voucher theory will not, and in some cases has not, proven successful without clear and accessible performance data made available to parents and public sector leaders. Without evidence and monitoring, students may migrate from better public schools to poorer private schools; public schools need not respond to the competition from private schools; and private schools will be incentivized to attract students though means other than better education quality. In other words, if the information imperfections are not corrected, the educational returns to the significant investment in private schools by both parents and governments will be limited.

A zero-sum improvement is not the only risk

While intuitively the presence of the voucher should reduce inequality by removing financial barriers to parents, research from Ghana warns further of the dangers presented by information imperfections in school choice programmes. The study showed that parents with low levels of education or income, or with children in low quality primary schools, were more likely to make ex-post judgment errors in the school choice process and less likely to apply to the highest quality schools. This resulted in children from poor families attending lower quality schools than their richer peers, deepening not reducing existing educational inequalities. Greater school choice should deliver positive educational returns, but these acute information imperfections need to be corrected urgently to prevent potentially transformative initiatives from being derailed.
Neither of these distinguished gentlemen appears to be a Latin American woman. Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The United Nations will soon welcome its ninth Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. The former Portuguese prime minister takes the helm of the international organisation on January 1, 2017, replacing Ban Ki-moon.

In Latin America, as in much of the world, the October 2016 appointment of Guterres, a European man, was met with mixed emotions. For the first time in the 70 years of history of the UN, half of the 12 candidates for Secretary General were women - a gender equality milepost. And yet a man won out in the end, leaving many observers and member states wondering whether the Security Council was simply not ready to have a woman in charge.

For Latin America the disappointment may have been somewhat keener. Two of the female nominees were from the region: Christiana Figueres, of Costa Rica, and Susana Malcorra, Argentina's foreign minister. They were the region's first women to be on the short list, and the first time ever two Latin Americans were in the running.

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Still, upon Guterres's confirmation in October 2016, many of the region's heads of state, including Brazilian president Michel Temer and Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, promptly congratulated him. Costa Rica, Venezuela and Uruguay, in addition to welcoming the new Secretary General, also invited him to examine the numerous necessities and challenges confronting the region, which is home to 625 million people and growing quickly.

Latin American issues on the UN Agenda

Most of the region's collective concern are already specified in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which established an agenda that the General Assembly should work to meet by 2030.

One of the most important objectives is eradicating poverty and hunger on the planet. For Latin America, this is critically important but difficult to achieve: around 25% of the region lives in poverty, subsisting on US$4 or less per day, according to the UN's Human Development Report.

Latin America also has some of the richest people on the planet: Forbes magazine now ranks Mexican businessman Carlos Slim as the world's fourth-richest man, with a wealth of US$48.6 billion. How to help states feed the hungry while reducing this major social gap is one challenge for the new Secretary General.

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A related issue shared by many countries in the region is sustainable development. Exploitation of natural and non-renewable resources is a common industry, licit and illicit, across Latin America.

Ending environmentally damaging activities such as mining and logging is not as simple as ceasing operations. How can the region produce sufficient agricultural goods for a constantly increasing population, which has nearly doubled since 1975, without expanding agricultural land? Feeding the population and promoting sustainable development don't have to be in tension with each other, but in Latin America today, they are.

Another Latin American issue that needs support from within the UN General Assembly is security. Latin America has the world's highest homicide rates, and danger is a fact of life in countries like Brazil, El Salvador and Mexico.

Less than one tenth (8%) of the world's population lives in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the region accounts for roughly 33% of all homicide cases globally. Tackling domestic and transnational organised crime involves the coordination and cooperation of cities and states within the countries and at the regional level.

The newly nominated Secretary General must deeply consider how the UN can support the efforts of the national governments as they deal with these life-and-death issues.

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Unfinished reforms

Finally, Latin America, more so than any other region, wants to see the UN continue to reform its institutions, particularly that of the Secretary General selection and nomination process. In 1996 and 1997, the UN's High-Level Working Group issued a document reccomending regional rotation of General Assembly leadership and an emphasis on gender equality in the Secretary General selection process. Clearly, these recommendations were only partially implemented in the 2016 selection process that led to Guterres's appointment.

Latin America has had only one Secretary General, the Peruvian Javier Perez de Cuellar, who served two terms (1981-1985 and 1985-1990). And it has seen two unsuccessful nominations, the Argentinean Carlos Ortiz de Rosas in 1971 and the Nobel Prize-winning former Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias in 1992. That is a poor regional representation compared to the seven terms of Western European countries, three terms from Africa and four from Asia.

Some Latin American powers expect the UN Secretary General to support the long-standing proposal for the reform of the Security Council. Brazil, in particular, would like to see an increase in the number and tenure of Security Council members. Since the 1990s, it has been seeking global partners and allies to support its ideas of adding an extended number of non-permanent spots as well as finding a place for Brazil among permanent members.

This scenario is highly unlikely to pass. But if it did, such a reform would radically influence the dynamics of selecting the Secretary General. When Guterres was appointed, both Brazil's official declarations and the congratulations it issued in alliance with other BRICS states highlighted this pending request.

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All told, on January 1, Latin American diplomats and presidents will welcome Secretary General Guterres with open arms - and a long list of demands.
PALM BEACH, FL - DECEMBER 21: President-Elect Donald J. Trump waves to members of the media after a meeting with military leadership at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, FL on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

How was your year?

Whenever I get on Facebook these days I see an insane amount of bellyaching and newsfeed sh*tposting that's quite frankly got me tired as hell.

Yeah, Mr. Trump is our president-elect, and yeah, the election had us on a figurative roller coaster that got worse and worse as the year went on.

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However, despite all this insanity that kept happening around me (and the fact that I literally heard Donald Trump's name 10 times per day), I had the best year of my life.

Turns out it's actually pretty easy to have a great time despite what's going on around us. Now, I don't mean to say we should ignore what's happening in the political sphere, but we shouldn't let it decide whether we have a good year or a bad one.

I remember I met an English guy in Austin right around the time Brexit was happening. When it did happen he was pretty devastated -- even though I could tell he was holding back from showing it a bit.

The crazy thing is we drove six hours that day to a beautiful spot up in Tucson, catching the sunset in a place called Sabino Canyon. I could post pictures, (which I will) but trust me when I say these images will never give you the same feeling I felt standing there in real time.

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Oddly enough I never heard one more word about Brexit the entire time we were together. Granted, we were only with each other for a few days after that, but come on -- nothing??

The next day we saw Sedona in upstate Arizona, both absolutely fascinated by these beautiful red rocks jutting out of the desert. You should've seen our jaws on the drive up there.

The point is there's more important things in life.

Now, how the hell could I say something like that about something like government?

I honestly think political issues get so blown out of proportion by the media (hypocritical, I know) that we lose track of the things that hold us together.

These issues are important to talk about, however are they more important than treating our fellow man with some iota of respect? Or standing in awe of this sophisticated planet we inhabit?

I mean, we aren't the only beings that live here--and I get it, government can help (or not help) make this amazing world a better place. But I think often times we get so caught up in the fighting and sh*tposting that we forget about what we're actually here to do, or what we've come to save.

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There's nothing like sitting at the end of the world while watching a sunset to bring you back to this realization. It definitely grounds you a bit.

As a side note, sometimes all we want to do is be heard. I try to hear everybody even if I disagree.

I had a wonderful 2016. I watched the first presidential debate in Bozeman, Montana. I watched the second one in Salt Lake City. I watched the last one in Denver.

I spent two and a half months with my best friend in San Francisco and met so many other people that made my year fantastic.

I certainly don't have all the answers, but I believe I had a great year because I spent it in awe of this country (and world), while simultaneously trying to spend more time with the people that mean a lot to me.

And yes, the political situation this year had me down on a multitude of occasions, but I chose to focus on other things. I saw the beauty of this country (and this country's people) while working on finding myself as a 23-year-old caught up in the world.

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So, before we keep talking about the shitty year that we had, let's take a look around us! The people and places that surround us are what we're really here for. We can find the light in any situation. I hope we can all find it from here on out, wherever we go or whatever happens.
This is the time of year when families draw together, but some parents don't get to experience that, despite longing for it fiercely. I've written before about parental alienation, about the pain and suffering endured by parents whose children have been alienated from them through the other parent's tactics, usually in a high conflict divorce.

Since my initial posting, more media attention has shed light on this devastating phenomenon. Jennifer Harman, a researching social psychologist, associate professor of psychology at Colorado State University, and co-author of Parents Acting Badly (Harman, Jennifer Jill., and Zeynep Biringnen. Parents Acting Badly: How Institutions and Societies Promote the Alienation of Children from Their Loving Families. San Bernardino, CA: CreateSpace, 2016.), gave a terrific TEDx Talk about parental alienation, highlighting it as a domestic abuse and social justice issue.

"Parental alienation involves a set of behaviors that one parent does to damage, destroy, or sever the relationship between their children and the other parent," Harman explains. "Parental alienation is a form of indirect aggression. The true target of this aggression is the other parent, and children are their weapons. Therefore parental alienation is a form of domestic violence."

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In her TEDx talk, Harman discusses how ingrained cultural stereotypes about parenting roles affect this phenomenon. "Fathers often get gold stars for doing anything fatherly, while this behavior is expected of mothers," she says. Yet people are often quick to believe that a father is abusive if a mother says so, because our cultural programming dovetails with her claims.

"It's very easy to alienate fathers from their children because we have very negative stereotypes about them. They're deadbeat dads, they're abusive, they're absentee parents. Many alienated fathers I have interviewed have told me that their once-close friends and neighbors suddenly believed horrible things about them without hearing their side of the story," Harman says.

At the same time, she points out, "It's very easy to alienate mothers when we can show that they are unmotherly. For example, if a mother leaves early to pick up her children, how would you rate her abilities as a parent compared to a father doing the same thing?... So fathers can alienate very effectively if they can show that they are exemplary, which is not hard to do because we do not expect much of them in the first place, and if they can show that the mother is not motherly enough. Our rigid parenting stereotypes are hurting children and families."

While a mother can accuse her former husband of abuse and her allegations receive the weight of cultural programming, a father can use claims of mental illness to the same devastating effect: to invalidate his former wife as a mother and to target her for alienation from their children. Our subterranean gender expectations lend undeserved credence to his accusations.

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Therefore a man who goes around telling everyone that his former wife is crazy is a man who is committing an aggressive act of domestic violence against his former wife. And a woman who falsely accuses the father of her children of abuse is doing the same.

The general public can have a hard time understanding parental alienation. According to Harman's research, some 22,000,000 adults in the United States are experiencing it. Many people know someone who's been targeted, but they vaguely think that alienation just comes from a bitter divorce. On some level, they believe the target parent must have done something terrible for the children to be alienated; this assumption is false and devastating for the target parent. It is "blame the victim" mentality.

There's also the common misconception that "it takes two to tango" and therefore both parents caused the alienation, which is not true, any more than it is true that the victim of a bully caused the bullying. Parental alienation is unmitigated human aggression, and it is often one-sided.

This aggression is strategic. As Harman notes, alienators often use cultural gender role stereotypes to accomplish their aims. Those stereotypes, because they are intrinsic and shared, will engage everyone around them. Alienating parents know that. Friends, neighbors, teachers, professionals, and therapists get caught up in the accusations of abuse or of mental illness--of bad parenting by one parent. Target parents feel shocked and bewildered at the through-the-looking-glass false world that springs up around them. It is a world in which they are deemed to be monsters.

Cultural stereotypes aren't the only tools of alienating parents. Stanley Clawar and Brynne Rivlin's excellent book Children Held Hostage (Clawar, Stanley S., and Brynne V. Rivlin. Children Held Hostage: Identifying Brainwashed Children, Presenting a Case, and Crafting Solutions. Chicago: American Bar Association, 2013.) delineates some of the brain-washing strategies involved in alienating a child from a loving parent.

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One strategy involves group dynamics, and highlighting the target parent's differences from a well-defined group. As in a cult, "...defining all nongroup members as unacceptable--requires that one must first define the limits of the (in) group." (Children Held Hostage, p. 6.) If the alienating parent comes from a defined ethnic or socioeconomic group with tribal interconnections, and the target parent comes from a smaller or more generic group, the alienating parent will use that to manipulate distance between a child and the other parent. The child is included, by definition, and the target parent is excluded: "not one of us."

In practical terms, as a hypothetical example (with no offense meant to the identities used purely as examples), a WASP from a small family who marries into a large, tightly connected Irish-Catholic family, or an American who travels to Italy and marries a woman from a closely-knit small village, may find themselves the shunned odd-parent-out in a divorce situation. The large group is seductive to children.

In particular, if the alienating parent's family is wealthy and successful and therefore enhanced with the trappings of narcissistic reinforcements, the less-wealthy target parent may find himself or herself quickly demoted to sub-human. Children are sensitive to status.

Indeed, the point of an alienating parent's tactics is to make the target parent less than human and thus a non-parent. That parent's feelings, values, and needs are eroded in the child's mind. That parent's very human-ness does not matter. A child who communicates with the target parent demands a Stepford parent with no personal needs or feelings at all, who will accept their third class status citizenship; this child is encouraged by the alienating parent, and sometimes by therapists, to believe that only his or her feelings matter. A target parent can be horrified at his or her previously loving child's complete lack of remorse for their cruelty.

An alienated child is not taught the open-hearted, wholesome reciprocity and mutuality that are the basis for a healthy loving relationship. He or she is taught, both by the modeling of the aggressive parent and by the messages received from that parent and various hoodwinked people, that a relationship is a zero sum game. To the extent that one person in a dyad is loved and appreciated, the other person will be devalued.

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Everything must add to zero for the alienating parent. For this parent, there is a winner and a loser; the winner gets the child's affection and intimacy only to the extent that the target parent loses it.
This country is in big trouble. We don't win anymore. We lose to China...We lose to everybody. - Donald Trump in the Aug. 6, 2015, primary debate

Donald Trump has a gift for hyperbole, but he is correct about one thing: The United States should not stand by while other nations capture the world's emerging markets. Unfortunately, Trump himself is creating the biggest threat to the most dynamic market opportunity of all. Very sad.

I'm referring to the President-Elect's threats to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, to refuse to join other nations in helping finance renewable energy progress in developing countries, and to scuttle the progress the Obama Administration has made on cutting carbon pollution here at home.

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Trump and the next Congress should think long and hard about how these actions would square with his promises to "unleash an energy revolution that will bring back new wealth to our country", "create millions of new (energy) jobs", "protect clean air and water", and "declare American energy dominance a strategic economic and foreign policy goal of the United States".

There are suspensions of reality in those promises. Drilling for more oil and gas is hardly revolutionary. It is what we've been doing for generations, except deposits are getting harder and harder to reach these days. Trump's promise to double-down on domestic oil production might allow us to dominate the industry, but it would also make us more vulnerable to foreign manipulation. As many experts have long explained, the world market determines oil prices. The more we depend on oil, whatever the source, the more vulnerable we are to market manipulations by other countries. The U.S. oil industry is only now beginning to recover from the well closures and job losses of the past two years, caused by OPEC's attempt to put American oil companies out of business.

When it comes to American jobs, the most egregious of Trump's intentions is to pull out of the Paris deal, the product of 21 years of international negotiations. The accord is designed not only to dramatically cut carbon emissions; it also will stimulate international investments in clean energy, a market the United States is well-equipped to lead if we seize the opportunity. Hyperbole aside, the necessary transition to clean and renewable energy is one of the largest global market opportunities of all time.

If Trump or Congress manage to pull the United States out of the accord, they might as well have handed our most sustainable energy jobs to China. The Americans hurt most would include the blue-collar workers who played a large part in Trump's election.

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Let's review a few facts. The U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA) reports that despite low prices for fossil fuels, "Technology improvements, cost declines, and the catalytic influence of new financing structures, have turned the (renewable energy) sector into a driver of economic growth - both in the United States and around the world. The renewable energy industry remains one of the most vibrant, fast-changing, and transformative sectors of the global economy."

The renewable energy sector employed 8.1 million people worldwide in 2015 according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Sixty percent of those jobs are in Asia, including 3.5 million in China. Only about 9.5% of the world's renewable energy jobs are in the United States.

The competition for energy jobs is far from over, however. IRENA expects there will be 24 million jobs in the clean energy sector by 2030 if nations keep their commitments under the Paris climate agreement.

Solar and wind power, already the world's fastest-growing sources of new electricity, have enormous growth potential. Nearly one of every five people in the world today (17%) lives without electricity. To help developing nations develop, to alleviate Third World poverty and to allow advanced economies to decouple prosperity from carbon pollution, clean energy technologies are expected to attract more than $13 trillion in investment over the next 15 years.

If the President-Elect has any doubts that clean energy is good business, he should read the letter that 365 corporate leaders and big investors sent him recently, urging him to keep the U.S. in the Paris agreement and to leave the Obama Administration's low-carbon policies intact. The business leaders warned that "failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk" while "the right action now will create jobs and boost U.S. competitiveness".

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Meantime as Trump collects examples of manufacturing jobs lost to other countries, he should look at solar and wind energy technologies. The solar electric industry was born in the USA in 1954 at Bell Laboratories. The first wind machines to produce electricity were created in 1887 and 1888, almost simultaneously in Scotland and Ohio. By 2010, there were more than 580 wind farms operating in the United States, generating enough electricity to power 10 million homes.

But America let its leadership slip away. In 2010, China passed the U.S. for the first time as the country with the most cumulative installed wind power. The United States and China have been trading the lead ever since. Based on today's sales, 5 of the top 10 current wind turbine manufacturers are Chinese companies; only one of the top 10, General Electric, is from the U.S. China supplies about 70% of global demand for solar cells and modules. It was the world leader in 2015 in renewable power, biodiesel production, hydropower capacity, solar PV capacity, wind power capacity and solar water heating capacity.

In contrast, "U.S. exporters are relatively ill-positioned to benefit from rising demand globally" because of "missed opportunities in certain key markets", according to the ITA. U.S. companies are projected to capture only 5.6% of the global import market for clean energy technologies through 2017.

China dominates investment, too. Global investment in renewable power was $266 billion in 2015, more than double the amount invested in new coal- and natural-gas-fired power generation. China led the world with 36% of the total.

Whether international renewable energy markets continue their rapid growth depends on enlightened public policies. The ITA cautions that "The renewable energy sector is so reliant on policy that any policy changes - either positive or negative--will have an almost immediate impact on a market's attractiveness." For now, the policy environment is relatively good. At the end of 2015, at least 173 countries had renewable energy targets and nearly 150 had policies that supported renewable energy. As part of the Paris agreement, 147 countries including the United States have promised to increase their commitment to renewable energy.

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However, the fate of the Paris accord is uncertain if the United States reneges. Responding to Trump's threats, many of the signatories to the Paris agreement have promised to continue working toward its goals. But it is difficult to believe that the Paris pact can be successful without us. We are the richest nation in the world on a per capita basis; one of the world's top oil producers; the world's second-largest source of carbon pollution; and second only to China in energy consumption.

We have both a golden opportunity and a moral responsibility to lead the world in confronting climate change. To be a trusted business partner in the international community, we have an obligation to keep our promises. But as the Atlantic has reported, "If the Trump administration withdraws the United States from the Paris Agreement, the country would face a massive global diplomatic backlash and permanently cede worldwide leadership on climate and renewable-energy issues to China..."
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City Council Chambers were standing room only on Tuesday night.

North Adams Council Sends Inclusion Resolution to Committee



MCLA President Jamie Birge told the council that passing the resolution would send a 'powerful message.'

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The City Council voted on Tuesday to send a resolution that affirmed the city as an inclusive and welcoming community to committee.



The vote, motioned by Councilor Nancy Bullett, came after nearly an hour of discussion and mostly supportive comments from the crowded audience.



Bullett, who had put forward the resolution two weeks with President Benjamin Lamb, felt the resolution could stand on its own as a platform for further discussion. However, it became apparent that a number of councilors preferred a more relaxed committee review to allow greater input from the community and to modify the language as needed.



"If we pass this resolution tonight, then the Community Development [Committee] can take the document and ask what can we do to make this an active part of our community," she said.



Councilor Lisa Blackmer agreed, saying she had no problem with the language. "I think this is an important issue we're facing ... I'd hate to hold this up."



Her co-author, though, was having second thoughts on the more concrete facts and references in the resolution, feeling they would not "have a lot of weight in 20 years."



"I like the idea of potentially going to committee," Lamb said, cautioning "this cannot be the be-all, end-all to the conversation."



The introduction of the resolution two weeks ago had prompted a lot of conversation in the community and some opposition that seemed to surprise the council, including from two of its own.



Councilor Ronald Boucher had objected that the resolution seemed to be an element of the Democrats' inability to accept defeat in the presidential election and that it was important to move forward as a country together. And Councilor Robert M. Moulton had dismissed it as a "kumbaya moment" but said he could support it if some language was removed.



Both supported sending the resolution to committee this time, with Moulton taking time to explain his issue was with specific language, not the overall thrust of the resolution.



"I'm fine with it. I'm all for this," he said, noting the diversity within his own family. "I think North Adams is a great community."



Boucher said it needs to be brought to committee and possibly have a public hearing, said Boucher. "It's important to get the right language in place."



Others had questioned the need for a statement that could be binding, pointing to laws that already cover discriminatory actions. There was also confusion over a reference to immigration status that had some believing the city was declaring itself a so-called sanctuary city.



Some residents thought the city was wasting time and energy on the issue but Councilor Keith Bona pointed to the packed council chambers, saying the last time so many had turned out was over parking meters.



"It shows how this affects and touches many people in our community," Bona said.



Councilor Kate Merrigan said it was important to listen to others' stories of discrimination and bigotry.

She shared her own experiences with sexism and misogyny and read parts of a letter from a gay resident who expressed how he and his partner felt isolated, and how he, as a white man, often had racist or sexist things "said to me assuming I would agree with them."



Ashley Shade, a city native, said she'd seen discrimination and had been the object of discriminatory behavior.



"It's not a good feeling to be discriminated against for being who you are," she said. "This resolution is important for everyone in this community so they can feel safe and know the city supports them and wants them to be here."



Resident Robert Lyons, however, thought the resolution the first step toward becoming a sanctuary city  a community that by law or policy does not aid in prosecutions of undocumented immigrants  even though it does not contain any language relating to that.



Taking such as stance could jeopardize funding with the incoming administration, he said. "My concern is losing federal funding ... putting ourselves in any position to possibly lose any dollars to our city budget is fiscally irresponsible."



But the majority of the 50 or so in attendance appeared supportive with a number of them asking the council to pass the resolution and with applause accompanying their statements.



Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts President Jamie Birge told the council that passing the resolution would send a "powerful message."



"We have the opportunity at this moment to make a statement about turning away from hate and toward people who have historically been pushed aside and acknowledge they are as important to our community as anyone else," Birge said, "MCLA is poised ready and willing to work with the City Council for peace."



The resolution will be taken up by the Community Development Committee in the next weeks and return to the full council on Feb. 14.

In other business:



 The City Council gave final approval of a zoning ordinance related to solar arrays.



 The council passed to a second reading a change in the Public Arts Commission ordinance that will give it more authority over the commissioning and solicitation of public works. It initially had been developed to review art proposals and oversee the development and implementation of an public arts contract.



The commission met several times with the General Government Committee on language changes, including the addition of spelling out the mission and abilities of the commission. The discussions also raised the idea of creating a "Friends of the Public Arts Commission" to allow for fundraising and commissioning of art outside of the governmental panel, similar to the Friends of the North Adams Public Library.



The ordinance change passed 7-1 with Blackmer voting against, saying the inclusion of the mission statement did not conform with the current ordinance practice. Councilor Eric Buddington was absent.




iciHaiti - Circus : Three young Haitian artists in training in Montreal





Three young circus performers from the Haitian troupe "Cirque Local" : Junior Prophete, Guerlin Antoine and Mackenzie Dunophin, recently came to Montreal to carry out a improvement training course at the invitation of "Clowns Sans Frontieres".



During their stay they attended shows and have been trained by professionals, including in hand-to-hand, clown game, juggling as well as safety of the arts of fire. They also had the opportunity to meet with influential members of the government and the circus community, including the warm teams of ArtCirq, Cirque du Soleil, National Circus School, Garde-Feu, Productions Kalabante and of the TOHU.



Recall that since 2014, the artistic association of international solidarity "Clowns Sans Frontieres" intervenes regularly in Haiti with the most deprived populations. In a spirit of solidarity, equality and cooperation, the organization invited three artists from the troup "Cirque Local", that "Clowns Sans Frontieres" has accompanied for three years.



Thanks to "Clowns Without Borders" and its partners, the Haitian troupe "Cirque Local" has benefited from many hours of accompaniment and training, which now allows the artists to earn a living more worthily. The activities offered by the organization allow local artists to live their art while ensuring the transmission of knowledge and values to future generations.



IH/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Health : Cuban emergency response group treated more than 105,000 Haitians





Cuban emergency response group "Henry Reeve" composed of 38 health professionals https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18887-haiti-flash-cuba-and-venezuela-sent-more-than-200-physicians-in-haiti.html who came to Haiti to assist after the passage of Hurricane Matthew last October, returned to Cuba.



During its stay, since October 8, 2016, the group of Cuban doctors treated nearly 105,000 Haitians, mainly for acute respiratory infections, intestinal parasites and malnutrition, among other diseases, according to a report of state.



The Cuban medical brigade carried out 640 house inspections during these two months, which included preventive drug treatment to more than 68,000 patients; Visited 14,000 houses and chlorinated about 50,000 water tanks. These measures have reduced the number of cholera cases diagnosed from 272 to zero when Cuban doctors arrived in southern Haiti.



It should be noted that the international intervention group of specialized doctors "Henry Reeve" was created in 2005 with the mission of helping other countries affected by catastrophes and serious epidemics. In recent years, members of this group have collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) in combating the Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry, most affected by this health crisis. Cuban doctors also attended the victims on the island of Dominica struck by tropical storm Erika in August 2015 and helped the victims of the earthquake in Ecuador in April this year.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Providing for a Precious Elderly Couple

The Fellowship | December 28, 2016 Providing for a Precious Elderly Couple

This year, The Fellowships Winter Heating project warmed the homes of 20,651 elderly citizens across 105 Israeli cities. We focus on the elderly, offering winter heating to senior citizens who live on meager government pensions and are forced to choose between food or heating their homes.

You can help provide more elderly citizens with winter warmth this season and more! Learn more about our monthly gift program to provide ongoing assistance and share in His promise of blessings.

The Fellowships Ami Farkas tells us more about an elderly couple who feels very blessed by our friends of The Fellowship this winter season!

I recently had the privilege of meeting an elderly couple in northern Israel who received The Fellowships Winter Heating aid this year. As I walked into their apartment, Asiya, an 80-year-old woman from Ukraine, sat me down next to her husband Alexander, 78. Immediately, she began telling me about The Fellowship and how moved she is by the bridges we are building between Jews and Christians.

I know you came to hear my life story and how The Fellowships Winter Heating aid got us through the winter, Asiya said. I will get to that! However, I want to start by thanking our Christian friends. Not just for the money they donate to us, without which many of us would be in dire straits, but also for the political and moral support they give to Israel at a time, when once again, the world is turning against the Jewish people.

Asiya does not take Christian support for granted. She knows too well what happens when anti-Semitism spreads and there are no voices to oppose it. I was just a little Jewish girl from Kiev who knew nothing about Hitler and his wish to destroy my people when World War II broke out, Asiya recalls. When Hitlers army descended on Ukraine, her father and brother were immediately taken to fight in the Red Army. Asiya and her mother fled to Ural, Russia, near the border of Kazakhstan, in the former Soviet Union (FSU).

There was a place of refuge for families whose fathers and sons were fighting in the Red Army, Asiya recalled. They arrived by train with other families whose fathers were on the frontlines. And as they arrived, the local people began to select families they would host until the fighting subsided. My mother and I stood in the station platform for hours, waiting for someone to adopt us. We hugged each other tightly so we would not freeze, as tears streamed down our faces.

Word got around that five-year-old Asiya and her mother were Jewish, and so no families wanted to host them. At this time in Russia, Jews were said to be evil. They were robbers and murderers, popular gossip said, and certainly not deserving of anyones trust. And so the two stood on the platform for hours, crying in each others embrace, until late in the evening a woman named Anna finally picked them up out of pure pity.

At first Anna didnt trust us, and though she had a kind heart, she too fell prey to the horrible rumors and libels that had been spread about Jews for centuries, Asiya recalled. Anna kept them in the attic and locked them in their room every night out of fear. It took a long time before Anna started to trust Asiya and her mom, no longer fearing they might steal her belongings or murder her son in the middle of the night.

It seems like many lifetimes ago, but Aisya still recalls how at the tender age of five she did not understand why all the Russian kids hated her so much. Every time she would go outside to play, the other kids would yell Jew, Jew, dirty Jew, and then they would kick her, spit on her, and knock her down. I didnt know what Jew meant. Can you believe that? Asiya said to me with a sad voice. Since I didnt know Jew wasnt a universal term, I started cursing other kids in return, saying, youre a Jew, youre a dirty Jew.'

Seeing the bitter sadness in her eyes as the trauma from her past began to resurface, I offered Asiya a cup of water to give her a small break. With shaking hands, she recited the traditional blessing, took a sip, and continued with her story.

For the entire duration of the war, Anna let us stay in her home. In return, we took care of the housework, barn work, cooking, and cleaning. Although it was difficult, it saved our life.

The war eventually ended, yet the discrimination and venomous hatred of Jews did not. Nonetheless, Asiya and her mother were no longer passive survivors. They had learned how to become fighters, and, somehow, they managed to thrive in a hostile environment.

They eventually returned to Ukraine where, against all odds and with lots of determination, Asiya received an education  and even made it all the way to university, which is a miracle, considering how Jews rarely received entry into higher education.

I received a doctorate in Mathematics. No one believed this was possible for a Jewish girl from Ukraine, but I did it!

Asiya eventually moved to Riga, Latvia, in the FSU, where she met her husband Alexander. The situation in Riga was better than in Ukraine and Russia. The Latvians resented the Russians to a degree that they ignored the Jews, Asiya explained.

Asiya became a university professor, and raised a family with Alexander. And though life was quiet and stable, they dreamed and prayed daily to return home to Zion. The Iron Curtain placed an unmovable barrier between us and our dream to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel), but as soon as the curtain came down, Jews began to migrate home to Israel.

Asiyas two daughters, who now had families of their own, made their way to Israel the first chance they got. For Asiya, it was hard to give up her pension, which she worked an entire lifetime to earn. I knew that the minute I migrated to Israel I would lose everything I worked for, including my pension. How would we survive? How would we make it?

In the end, Asiya and Alexander decided that they would rather be poor in Israel than comfortable in another country, that there are more important things in life than money.

Currently, Asiya and Alexander live on a fixed Israeli government pension, which barely covers food, rent, or utilities.

Unfortunately, heating became an expense we simply could not afford, and so we bundled up and learned how to live through the cold winter months, Asiya explained. Then she turned her sad, but compassionate gaze to Alexander, who sat quietly throughout the entire interview, but my dear husband, who has always been there for me, is not well, and I worried at the beginning of the winter that he would not make it through another cold season bundled up in our freezing apartment.

Alexander doesnt speak Hebrew very well, and has lost much of his memory, but his gentle, warm demeanor spoke volumes about his character. The Fellowships Winter Heating aid saved my husbands life this winter. The cold would have destroyed his already ailing health. I cannot thank you enough. God bless The Fellowship and the donors who support people like me and Alexander.

As I left Asiya and Alexanders apartment, Asiya proudly pointed to the family pictures on the wall. As I looked at the pictures on the wall of their daughters, as well as their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I thought about what a treasure this elderly couple is. I imagined all they have been put through and what theyve achieved despite hardships, and I felt immensely blessed to be part of The Fellowships ministry, which brings aid to such precious people.

You can help provide more elderly citizens with winter warmth this season and more! Learn more about our monthly gift program to provide ongoing assistance and share in His promise of blessings.
140 Olim Land in Israel on Latest Fellowship Freedom Flight

The Fellowship | December 28, 2016 140 Olim Land in Israel on Latest Fellowship Freedom Flight

The latest Fellowship Freedom Flight landed in Israel yesterday morning, bringing 140 Ukrainian Jews out of chaos and war to their historic and biblical homeland. The Jerusalem Posts Tamara Zieve reports on the new olim (immigrants) and their aliyah (immigration to Israel):

IFCJ swiftly expanded its aliya operation to include Jews from secure areas of Ukraine, as well as from some 20 countries around the world. The program provides the olim with guidance before and after aliya, in addition to financial and social support to help them integrate into their new country. This year it has brought over a total of 2,223 Ukrainian olim to Israel.

Jewish refugees from the Donbass region still comprise a significant portion of those headed to Israel from Ukraine.

Liubov and Alexey Jashta are one such couple. They are from an area of Donetsk battered by violence since the outbreak of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and have subsequently been driven out of their country. They told the Post hours before their aliya  as they took part in a preparatory IFCJ seminar about life in Israel  that they did not feel safe in their home. In addition, the war hit their economic security.

Both of them lost their jobs at a local factory, along with many of their colleagues.

The Jashtas received aid from an IFCJ-funded charitable organization called Chesed, which provided them with medicine and food at a time when the shelves in the stores were empty
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Suited up, Adam Driver is sitting in a London hotel boardroom contemplating the meaning of faith. That might sound like a heavy topic for an interview, but the American star is here to talk Silence, the new film from Martin Scorsese. The third in Scorseses unofficial spiritual trilogy, after The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun, its an adaptation of Shusaku Endos novel about 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit priests who journey to a hostile Japan to spread Catholicism.

In the film, he plays Father Garrpe, who travels to the Land of the Rising Sun with Andrew Garfields fellow believer to search for a fellow priest  played by Liam Neeson  who has disappeared amid his religious mission.

Its about the relationship to faith and the crisis of faith, says Driver. I based him a lot on St Peter, who I really relate to having doubts. When tested, hopefully he rises to the occasion, but is very open about his anxiety and doubt along the way.

Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield in Silence

Driver had a religious upbringing in Idaho, with a stepfather who was a Baptist minister, even singing in the local choir. But it didnt stick with me, he says. He spent the film contemplating crises of faith in other ways. Anything youve committed yourself to, he says. Even within this movie, and its in the boundaries of religion, it could be a substitute for marriage. Youve made this commitment to this other person  its not just, thats it. It needs constant work.

Wed for three years to his long-term partner, actress Joanne Tucker, Driver probably isnt referring to his own marriage. His crisis of confidence, he says, is more work-related. Despite working with such esteemed directors as Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), the Coen Brothers (Inside Llewyn Davis) and recently Jim Jarmusch (Paterson), not to mention playing the villainous Kylo Ren in last years Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Driver says he deals with personal crises (in his own ability, at least) all the time.

I dont think about things in terms of successes, he says. I still have to do my job. A lot of times, youre with a group of people figuring things out but you have to be very aware and self-analytical of what it is, the story youre trying to tell, or is your ego getting in the way, or is your insecurity getting in the way, or is your expectation of other people getting in the way, or are you not listening to everybody else? I feel like there are constant unspoken checks and balances that happen.

Nonetheless, working for Scorsese represents a high-point in an already impressive career  one that began in earnest after spending two years in the Marines, post-9/11, until a mountain biking injury ended his military stint. This brief time as a soldier might be why Driver can endure hardships. For Silence, he dropped 30lbs, using weight loss pills that kept him awake at night. He remembers one scene where he and Garfield, half-starved, were out on a boat. The crew broke for lunch and he and his co-star were left stranded.

I dont know if they even told us they were doing that or they asked us if they wanted to bring us in, so it was just me and Andrew sitting in the boat in the middle of the water, he recalls, but we had a panoramic view of everyone eating lunch! So everybodys eating food all along the coast, and we had to sit and watch everyone eat. Then you have two Jesuit priests  or in priest garb  standing in the middle of the boat going, Fuck you, guys!

After Silence, Driver will next be seen in the final season of Lena Dunhams Girls, the show that first brought him to our attention as the artistic, angry boyfriend. Concluding the show for good was bittersweet he says, sad and exciting at the same time. Ive never played a character for six years before. Who I am as a person is different than when we started. Inevitably, the crew now feel like family. The boom guy Jason has seen me naked probably more times than  he stops, thankfully  probably second only to my wife!

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A scene from Girls with Adam Driver and Lena Dunham

Driver is happy with the way Girls finishes. Everyone seemed to be very excited that its also ending on a note that they can control, that it seemed to make sense. Its not just an arbitrary ending to it. And theyre excited to move onto other things. But Ive been doing it for the past six years every summer, so I think it will hit me more when this next summer comes, when Ill be at home. How is his relationship with Dunham now? Are they like siblings? It is very close, he nods. Ive known her for... its one of the longest relationships Ive had in this business.

It doesnt stop there, with Driver already wrapped on Logan Lucky, Steven Soderberghs return to directing. Hes also committed to Leos Caraxs tale of a stand-up comedian and his daughter, Annette, and Terry Gilliams The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, the long-gestating Cervantes-inspired project that famously collapsed with Johnny Depp in the lead role. Im totally on board, whenever we can pull it together  sooner rather than later. Im optimistic. And so is Terry  surprisingly! Hes very much Don Quixote!

Then theres the little matter of Star Wars: Episode VIII, the next chapter in the saga, which will see him return as Kylo Ren. How much did the previous film change his life? When you walk around, its a different group [of fans]... a smaller group! he laughs. But its good. The kids part of it is great. Even older fans, they seem to like it. But losing his anonymity has been difficult. Part of your job as an actor is to be a spy. When suddenly you go places and youre the focus of attention, its hard to do your job. Hopefully, hell keep the faith.

Silence opens on 1 January. Girls returns on Sky Atlantic in early 2017
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Carrie Fisher died at the age of 60 on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack last Friday. While the news is heartbreaking for her family, friends, and fans, everyone is sharing stories of her outspoken, heroic, and often hilarious personality.

Vanity Fair reports that her humour was displayed in one simple request for her obituary. In her 2008 autobiographical novel Wishful Drinking, she detailed the struggles she faced while filming Star Wars.

George comes up to me the first day of filming and he takes one look at the dress and says, "You can't wear a bra under that dress.

"So, I say, "Okay, I'll bite. Why?"

And he says, "Because. . . there's no underwear in space."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Show all 24 1 /24 Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actors John Boyega (L) and Carrie Fisher attend the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Mike Windle/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress Carrie Fisher attends the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actresses Carrie Fisher (L) and Billie Lourd attend the Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Jason Merritt/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actor Harrison Ford (L) and actress Calista Flockhart attend the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at the Dolby Theatre on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Ethan Miller/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Actress Lupita Nyong'o attends Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Frazer Harrison/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress Lupita Nyong'o attends Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress Lupita Nyong'o attends the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14th, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Ethan Miller/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress Daisy Ridley attends the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at the Dolby Theatre on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Ethan Miller/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress Zendaya attends the World Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", in Hollywood, California, on December 14, 2015. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress/singer Zendaya attends the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at the Dolby Theatre on December 14th, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Actors Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello attend Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Jason Merritt/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Writer-director J.J. Abrams attends Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Jason Merritt/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Actors Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac attend the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at the Dolby Theatre on December 14th, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actor Adam Driver attends Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Frazer Harrison/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Actress Carrie Fisher attends the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at the Dolby Theatre on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Ethan Miller/Getty Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles The Storm Troopers attend the World Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", in Hollywood, California, on December 14, 2015. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles R2-D2 and C-3PO attend the World Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", in Hollywood, California, on December 14, 2015. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles BB8 attends the World Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", in Hollywood, California, on December 14, 2015. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in Los Angeles Getty

Filmmaker George Lucas simply explained that wearing a bra in space would certainly lead to her characters death.

Now George came to my show when it was in Berkeley. He came backstage and explained why you can't wear your brassiere in other galaxies, and I have a sense very soon, so here's why you cannot wear your brassiere, per George.

So, what happens is when you go to space and you become weightless. So far so good, right? But then your body expands??? But your bra doesn't  so you get strangled by your own bra.

Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit  so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.

So, its with our deepest regret to report that Carrie Fisher died on Tuesday. The beloved Star Wars actress and writer drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra. She was 60.
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Cinema has lost a true icon in Carrie Fisher - she'll always be the cinnamon bun-haired princess who fought her way through the Star Wars movies like a fire was at her toes.

In Leia, Fisher gave us the ultimate survivor. This was someone who had lost everything: her family, her home, every remnant of her former life. Later (in The Force Awakens) she lost her own son to evil, her brother to some unknown fate, and even her greatest love.

Stripped of everything and yet, still, she blazed on. She never bowed down to fear, never to grief or hopelessness; Leia is the spark that carries the eternal struggle.

For that, Fisher will always be remembered, and has even gained a kind of immortality from it. But for women, there's a sense we've lost something so much greater, because everything Leia represented on screen, Carrie Fisher brought to her own life.

She was the kind of woman capable of uniting us all, because she exemplified our struggles while proving we never have to back down or give into our fears.

Fisher's life wasn't easy, there's no quietly dancing over that fact; whatever accolades and public devotion that came her way, she was still a woman who suffered from mental illness and who went through periods of self-medication through cocaine and prescription medication.

But her real power - and the wonderful gift that she gave to the world - is that she refused to be silent on these matters; she refused to shackle herself to Hollywood's idealism of quiet, subservient women languishing in their glamour like porcelain dolls.

 Carrie Fisher Dies: Twitter tributes from around the world flood in

She wrote and spoke about her struggles with a ground-breaking courage, and it's hard not to feel like her words have been anything but invaluable in breaking down the stigma around mental illness, particularly in how it's perceived in women.

In her novel Wishful Drinking (yes, she was both a movie star and an incredibly talented writer), Fisher penned the following words: "At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you're living with this illness and functioning at all, its something to be proud of, not ashamed of."

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For anyone suffering from any kind of mental illness, that sentence seems to open up the universe; it's the kind of thought that people can cling to in those darker days, to know that just every day in the life of someone with a mental illness marks a genuine act of courage. Fisher saw that, even if the rest of the world refuses to do so.

Because Fisher, just like Leia, rebelled. She spoke up: as a woman, younger or older in life, as someone with bipolar disorder. She always seemed to teach one lesson to women everywhere, one of the most important lessons there is: own yourself. Own yourself fully and completely. Only then will you find freedom.

And no matter how set Hollywood was on selling her body, squeezed into that infamous metal bikini, Fisher never let those passing whimsies of youth and beauty occupy her mind or diminish her spirit.

 Remembering Carrie Fisher's hilarious award speech for George Lucas

Another kind of fearlessness unto itself, and one that became solidified when she returned to the role of Leia in The Force Awakens; now, no longer a princess but a general, a leader and a fighter against those who would dare to underestimate her because of matters so small and inconsequential.

When the world tried to tear apart the imperfections of her older face, she hit back perfectly on Twitter with: "Please stop debating about whether or not I've aged well. Unfortunately, it hurts all 3 of my feelings. My body hasnt aged as well as I have. Blow us."

That tweet is exactly why we'll remember Fisher so fondly. She may have been a multi-talented force: actress, novelist, and one of Hollywood's most sought after script doctors; and many would have carried those gifts like a sombre burden, but the magic of Carrie Fisher was that she treated it all like some delightful, enchanting joke.

She was one of the greatest inspirations out there, simply because she told women to live. Live as fearlessly and as vibrantly as our own spirits yearn to.
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Carrie Fisher had a number of projects on the go ahead of her passing at the age of 60.

Sources have revealed, however, that one of them wasn't the upcoming Star Wars film - the actor, who played Princess Leia Organa in the original trilogy, had already completed her work on Episode VIII.

Fisher returned for JJ Abrams' The Force Awakens in 2015 with her character handed the elevated status of General. According to Variety, the sequel - directed by Rian Johnson - wrapped shooting in July and is now in post-production ahead of its release in cinemas next December.

Recommended Carrie Fisher nailed her Star Wars audition for Princess Leia

The question mark will now surround Leia's appearance in Episode IX which was scheduled to begin production under the guide of Colin Trevorrow in 2018; Fisher was set to appear.

Fisher, star of such films as Postcards from the Edge and When Harry Met Sally..., suffered a heart attack on a plane as she flew to LA from London. She had been filming scenes for the third season of comedy series Catastrophe in which she appeared as Rob Delaney's mum.

 Carrie Fisher dies aged 60

Another role the actor was due to star in was a film titled Wonderwell directed by Vlad Marsavin; it is currently unknown whether she completed the project.

Over the years, the vibrant actor showcased a knack for both script doctoring and comedic timing which she deployed memorably at an awards ceremony honouring her Star Wars director George Lucas in 1995.
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The great Carrie Fisher has died aged 60, a family spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother, Carrie Fisher, passed away at 8.55 this morning," they said.

The actress, author and screenwriter was best known and loved around the world for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise.

Fisher establised the character as an anomaly of the 'damsel in distress' trope, in the sense that she often got herself out of said distress, and other characters as well.

The first film, Star Wars, released in 1977, turned Fisher into an overnight, international movie star and a pop culture icon.

Appearing in an interview on ABC in 2015, which also featured a guest appearance from her dog Gary, a very on-form Fisher spoke about her first audition for the role of Princess Leia, and how she came to be cast in the role again for The Force Awakens.

Her audition opposite Harrison Ford, who played Hans Solo, showed a then (incredibly poised, confident) 19-year-old Fisher speaking the line: "When R2 has been safely delivered to my forces, you'll get your reward, you have my guarantee."

There is an immediate chemistry between the two that, as Fisher revealed this year, would develop into an on-set affair that lasted for three months.

Asked how she prepared to come back as Princess Leia in Episode VII of the series, Fisher said: I got in character and I've never gotten out again.

Did you realise the role you were taking on at the time? the ABC journalist asked.

I didn't, Fisher answered.

She was so on-form and brilliantly funny that she had the interviewer in tears of laughter for much of the interview.

Fisher's return in The Force Awakens was met with acclaim from fans and critics alike, and she was nominated for a 2016 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
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Carrie Fisher has passed away at the age of 60.

While her credits include memorable roles in Postcards from the Edge and When Harry Met sally..., the beloved actor was forever embedded as a cinematic icon thanks to George Lucas who cast her as princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise.

Over the years, the vibrant Fisher fast became known for her comic timing and there was one such moment which cemented her status as one of Hollywood's most loved actors: an AFI awards ceremony honouring Lucas in 2005.

 Carrie Fisher dies aged 60

"Hi, I'm Mrs Han Solo and I'm an alcoholic," she announced deadpan before (lovingly) laying into why the director "ruined [her] life."

"57 years ago, I did his little Star Wars film - a cult film that then went on to redefine what they laughingly refer to as the face of cinema."

"George is a sadist," she says at one point to applause, tongue firmly in cheek, "but like any abused child wearing a metal bikini chained to a giant slug about to die, I keep coming back for more.

In front of an audience comprised of some of cinema's most recognisable faces, including Steven Spielberg and Warren Beatty, Fisher referenced how the sci-fi franchise made her into a cultural icon ("...you made me into a little doll that my first husband could stick pins into), with onlookers

She continued: "Among your many possessions, you have owned my likeness all these years so that every time I look in the mirror, I have to send you a cheque for a couple of bucks."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Show all 45 1 /45 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art

As the speech goes on, Fisher grows increasingly irate over Lucas' genius, shouting: "I hope I slept with you to get the job, because if not, who the hell was that guy?!"

You can watch the full honorary speech below.



May the Force always be with you, Carrie.
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Such was the star power of the late Carrie Fisher that through her role of Princess (later General) Leia, her talents as a novelist and presence as much loved presence in Hollywood, she was continually drafted in to elevate a film - if even for a cameo appearance.

While racking up several high-profile roles (Meg Ryan's best friend in When Harry met Sally... in 1989 and Tom Hanks' wife in The 'Burbs), Fisher's talents didn't end there: the actor wrote and published Postcards from the Edge in 1987, a film version of which was released three years later starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine; the story is a satirisation of real-life events focused on Fisher's relationship with her mother, Debbie Reynolds.

Fisher made cameo appearances in films as early as 1980 - the same year as The Empire Strikes Back; she showed up as 'mystery girl' in The Blues Brothers, just two years after Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's characters featured on Fisher's episode of Saturday Night Live.

 Carrie Fisher's Star Wars audition

These cameo appearances grew well into the 90s with a series of uncredited roles (Outbreak, The Wedding Siger), the most memorable arriving as a therapist opposite Mike Myers character Dr Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

"But Scott, who's going to take over the world when I die?" Dr Evil asks his son, genuinely.

"Listen to the words he used," Fisher's character replies. "Who's going to take over the world when I die. It feels like that to some of us sometimes, doesn't it?"

Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Show all 9 1 /9 Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983)

Just a year later, Fisher appeared in horror satire Scream 3 as former Hollywood star Bianca Burnette, a role she helped to write at the suggestion of producer Bob Weinstein.

It wasn't just film that Fisher starred in; she made a brief appearance as herself in Sex and the City for a scene that saw protagonist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) wake up in bed with Fisher's PA (Vince Vaughn).

Showing she was happy to poke fun at her Star Wars role, Fisher popped up in Fanboys where she paid homage to one of Leia and Han Solo's most famous lines of dialogue.
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Its been a while since a female duo topped the UK chart.

Ward Thomas, a duo from Hampshire comprising twins Lizzy and Catherine Ward Thomas, became the first UK country band to top the chart with their second album Cartwheels in September. They are part of a rising number of female duos making waves on the music scene.

Lets not forget other female acts with chart success in recent years: Swedish DJ duo Icona Pop had a chart-topping single with I Love It in 2013, Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara had a Top 20 with Everything is Awesome in 2014, Australian pop duo The Veronicas had a smattering of well-performing singles (including No 8 You Ruin Me in 2014), and British dance duo Booty Luv had a No 11 album Boogie 2nite in 2007 and a No 2 single. But we might have to go back as far as 1992 for a Top 3 album by a UK female duo  Hormonally Yours, by Shakespears Sister who also topped the chart with single Stay.

Singers Tegan and Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara (Getty) (Getty Images)

But things could be set to change. On the rise are Nova Twins, a young south-east London urban-punk duo comprising Amy Love on vocals and guitar and Georgia South on bass and backing vocals, melding grime and punk, with a self-titled EP out. Love was a student at the British Academy of New Music in east London, with Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora.

The Nova Twins have been startling audiences in London and beyond with their blend of grime and punk (YouTube) (youtube)

Lets Eat Grandma, a duo of best school friends 17-year-olds Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth  had rave reviews for their experimental pop debut album released in June.

One of the most extraordinary records Ive heard all year, and a heartening confirmation of boundless British creativity, said Andy Gill of the album that bursts with infectious, but strange, songs steeped in cute, childlike vocals against an inventive combination of acoustic instrumentation from glockenspiel to recorder, which they themselves dubbed psychedelic sludge-pop. The album makes use of their childhood friendship; all the songs were written in their early teens, explaining titles such as Rapunzel, Deep Six Textbook, and Welcome To The Treehouse Pts I & II.

Lets Eat Grandma, whose album I, Gemini, Andy Gill thinks should be nominated for the Mercury Prize (Francesca Allen)

They may not be twins, or even sisters, but theyre as good as, having met at school aged four and grown up together in Norwich, bonding over their treehouses, and started writing songs as a duo at 13. The title of their album, I, Gemini, certainly hints at this kinship.

Its the idea of being individuals, but within a combined thing  obviously people do view us as being quite twinny and we cultivated that, says Walton. We make up one thing, but were also individuals. She adds: The relationship between two females is definitely underestimated and underrated. I think people assume that female relationships involve a lot of arguing. But in reality theyre quite powerful.

In person, Let's Eat Grandma look entirely distinguishable. In promotional shots and on stage, however, they could pass as twins  the same tumbling wavy golden hair, matching shimmering eye makeup, sometimes identical clothes.

Also dressing identically and passing as twins (despite their marked height difference) is Brooklyn indie-pop band Lucius. The female duo of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, lead vocalists and synth players fronting a male three piece, wear matching peroxide blonde (or auburn) bobs and stage costumes.

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The female duo of Lucius are often mistaken for twins (Getty)

All of these female duos make use of both members vocals, which are often the driving force of these acts, as in the case of Lucius. The sweetness of their vocals make for glorious harmonising, a trait shared by most of these acts. The rising dark electro-pop duo of Bloom Twins, 19-year-old identical twins, Anna and Sonia Kuprienko, who moved to London from the Ukraine a few years ago and have toured with Duran Duran also feature both sisters vocals.

Our singing harmonies wouldnt be the same if we werent sisters, states Lizzy Ward Thomas. They make who we are musically. Not that you can tell, listening to Lucius, that Wolfe and Laessig are not related.

As for being sisters or best female friends whove grown up together in a band, Lizzy says: Its great. Weve done things together our whole lives  weve been in class at school, weve always loved the same kind of music and I cant imagine doing this alone or with anyone else. Were so in tune together because we know each other so well and thats a massive help. It benefits when we create songs because we experience a lot of the same situations but take different viewpoints. We have a different mind when we get into the songwriting room.

She adds that women want to hear other women, especially in the world of country music where trucks, girls and cowboys are regular themes of bro-country. Females relate to each other and we know what were all talking about.

In a male dominated environment on tour, female companionship is more than welcome. The boys on tour, weve all known each other for years and theyre like our brothers, but it does get over-boyed when one of us goes home and one of us decides to stay.

But being a female duo does inevitably create some unwanted preconceptions. Sometimes when people see bands that have women in, but also male members its like, Its ok theres a woman in this band, because youve got the validation of men in your band, bemoans Walton, who has been known to get a different approach from people who see there are no men performing with them: Its, oh, youre a girl band and were like no were just a band!

Nova Twins play The Monarch, London, on 24 January. Tegan and Sara are on tour 13-19 February. Ward Thomas go on tour in April
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If you thought the craft beer bubble was about to burst, think again. New breweries keep on opening, new beer experiments are continually being worked on, and bars and beer retailers continue to scour the globe for the next big thing. All of which means 2017 is set to become an even better year for beer drinkers.

With this explosion of styles and choice, trying to pick what might be this years beer trends isnt easy, but weve given it our best shot with some help from our pals in the industry.

Brody Rossiter from Honest Brew is already beginning to see a shift towards less boozy beers: The craft beer landscape is often dominated by high ABV brews, however breweries are quickly balancing out their offerings, mirroring potent double IPAs (DIPAs) and stouts with sessionable ales and saisons. And many of these sessionable ales, he believes, will increasingly be delivered in cans: They seal brews away from pesky oxygen and light (beers biggest foes), while also proving portable and super lightweight  cans are an easy choice for many of the worlds best breweries.

According to Beer Gonzos Ant Akers, this year will see inspiration sought from the history books, in particular ones written in German: 2017 is set to be yet another great year for contemporary breweries bringing-long forgotten styles back into fashion with a modern twist. He points to the salt and coriander-flavoured German sour ale gose as one example, picking out Westbrooks Key Lime Pie Gose as a standout, adding: In case you were wondering, its every bit as good as it sounds.

And while we also expect to see traditional helles, keller and kolsch-style beers taken up by more non-German breweries, the craze for adding less traditional flavours to beer is set to continue. Weve included a few unusual ones to try in this list and look forward to sampling a whole load more newly imagined flavours throughout 2017.

1. Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose, 4%: 4.50 per 330ml can, Beer Gonzo

With many New World hops lending citrus characters to beer its no surprise that brewers have started to delve into the fruit bowl for even juicier brews, but few reach the heights of this American effort. Its an excellently crafted, modern gose with, as Ant Akers puts it, a healthy dose of key lime juice that brings a wonderfully sharp and zesty citric character, a tart and sour edge and super dry puckering finish.

Buy now

2. Magic Rock Inhaler Session IPA, 4.5%: 2.19 per 330ml can, Honest Brew

Magic Rock is a brewery with its finger on the booze pulse and this ticks a few boxes of what to expect from 2017 beers: an IPA brewed at a sessionable strength, teeming with modern hops and packed in a can. As Brody puts it: Super fruity, super ripe, super juicy and super drinkable. Breathe it in!

Buy now

3. Fierce Peanut Porter, 6.5%: 2.60 per 330ml bottle, Fierce Beer

New Aberdeen brewery Fierce hit the experiment button right from the start, causing a stir with fanciful flavours and brewing bravado. If youre looking for a new taste for 2017 then this drop of confection inspiration is worth unwrapping. Its a rich, chocolatey porter loaded with salted peanuts  sweet, toasty and seriously nutty.

Buy now

4. Cloudwater DIPA , 9%: 4.25 per 330ml bottle, Beer Gonzo

Few beers get the craft communitys hop-drenched tongues wagging with more excitement than each new release from Cloudwaters DIPA range  powerful double IPAs brewed to a new recipe each time. Theyre best served fresh for an overload of malt n hop flavours and, from now on, the releases go monthly, guaranteeing twelve different beers of exceptional quality throughout 2017.

Buy now

5. Lost and Grounded Keller Pils, 4.8%: 2.10 per 330ml bottle, Beer Merchants

Beer aficionados have been eagerly anticipating the first servings from Bristols Lost and Grounded, not least because its the new project of the man responsible for Little Creatures and Camden breweries. Using traditional German brewing ingredients, Keller Pils is a proper test of the brewers craft: expect clean lager flavours with a real ale feel and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Buy now

6. Tiny Rebel Stay Puft Porter, 5.2%: 2.59 per 330ml bottle, Honest Brew

The International Beer Challenge awarded Tiny Rebel 2016s Brewery of the Year gong and, with larger premises under construction, Newports finest look set for superstardom. Stay Puft is a perfectly toasty porter that has been infiltrated with marshmallow, giving it an extra soft feel and sweet vanilla edge. The first batch was so successful it sold out within 36 hours  hopefully the new brewery will help keep up with demand.

Buy now

7. Boundary Push & Pull Imbongo, 5.5%: 2.75 per 330ml bottle, Honest Brew

With England, Scotland and Wales covered in this list were nipping over to Belfast for our next entry. Push & Pull is an IPA brewed with different hop combinations each time, and occasionally other ingredients thrown in for good measure. From full throttle citric hops to a surprise beer double act of raspberry and coconut, experimentation is always in evidence. The exact hop mix is revealed on the Boundary website, which should be receiving a lot of traffic in 2017.

Buy now

8. Gipsy Hill, Southpaw, 4.2%: 2.10 per 330ml bottle, Beer Merchants

Which of Londons numerous new breweries might break through in 2017? Were placing our bets on Gipsy Hill, a small outfit focusing on modern beers with low ABVs. Southpaw is typical of its easy drinking style, an amber ale with sweet caramel malts, citrusy hop flavours and a dry bitter finish. Its a crowded marketplace but these guys have given themselves a fighting chance at a big future.

Buy now

9. Hofmeister Helles, 5%: 1.99 for 330ml, Hofmeister

In a series of 1980s TV ads, British drinkers were encouraged to follow a bear called George in search of beer, only to be rewarded with an insipid fizzy lager. Now the Hofmeister brand has been resurrected and this time the beer is more drinkable: a proper Bavarian helles, softly carbonated with a clean Munich malt base and subtly spicy hops. We will follow its progress with interest.

Buy now

10. Innis & Gunn Rum Finish, 6.8%: 1..75 per 330ml bottle, Waitrose

One of this years biggest celebrations is due at Scottish brewery Innis & Gunn, as it has recently raised 2.5m through a Crowdcube campaign. The investment will see them open new bars in England and increase production of their oak aged beers. This rum cask edition packs flavours of boozy fruit puddings with toffee sweetness and an almost smokey dry finish  a taste of things to come.

Buy now

The Verdict: Best beers for 2017

Theres much to get excited about when it comes to the future of British breweries, but many will continue to look abroad for inspiration. German tradition and American brashness combine in Westbrooks incredible sour gose, and it could be that lime is the hit brewing ingredient of 2017.
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The majority of managers in the UK believe the uncertainty around Brexit will hold back economic growth in 2017, with many also expecting long-term economic damage, a survey has found.

A poll of 1,118 UK managers by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found 65 per cent business leaders were pessimistic about the UKs economic outlook for the next 12 to 18 months.

Looking back over 2016, only 39 per cent of managers described their businesses as experiencing growth, the lowest figure since 2012.

Asked specifically about the impact of the UKs vote to leave the EU on economic growth in the next three to five years, 49 per cent thought it would be negative.

In addition to the economic effect of Brexit, the survey also sought UK managers views on what effect Donald Trumps presidency might have on the economy.

Some 40 per cent believe his election victory will damage the UK economy, compared with 31 per cent who think his election win will be positive for the UK.

Despite their caution over the UKs wider economic prospects in 2017 and the global climate with the inauguration of President-elect Trump less than a month away, the UKs managers were more optimistic about their own prospects. Just 25 per cent said they felt pessimistic about their own businesses.

Ann Francke, the chief executive of the CMI, said the survey showed that despite the uncertain times ahead there were still opportunities for forward-thinking.

She said: Although its clear that there are significant challenges posed by the UKs decision to Brexit, as a country we need to move forward and harness pragmatic positivity,

In this climate of heightened political uncertainty and economic turbulence, the time is now to position Britain as a global leader in responsible capitalism, targeting essential issues like workplace ethics, inclusivity and executive pay to restore trust and transparency and improve productivity.

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

A separate survey by the Confederation of British Industry, earlier this month, found half of British employers believe the UK's attractiveness as a place to invest and hire will diminish over the next five years as it leaves the EU.

Worries about access to highly skilled migrants topped the list of threats to Britain's labour market competitiveness in the next five years, jointly with long-running complaints about skill shortages.
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Lloyds Banking Group is reportedly planning to set up a subsidiary in Europe to maintain access to the single market after the UK officially leaves the EU.

The London-based lender is targeting either Germany or the Netherlands for the unit, according to the Financial Times.

Lloyds, which heavily focuses its business on the UK, is the only major high-street lender without any subsidiary in an EU country. However, it already has offices in Frankfurt and Amsterdam

It is understood the group is considering converting one of these two branches into a subsidiary, which would require the lender to allocate more staff and capital.

Lloyds declined to comment on the report.

UK banks have been drawing contingency plans amid fears a hard Brexit will result in the UKs leaving Europes single market and therefore signal the loss of crucial passporting rights, which allow them to sell their services freely across the rest of the EU.

The loss of these rights could be devastating to the City of London as nearly 5,500 firms registered in the UK use passporting rights to operate in other countries.

Londons 328-year-old Lloyds insurance market has become one of the first major City businesses to confirm it will move a part of its operations to the continent in reaction to the UKs vote to leave the EU.

The group will put a proposal before members of the market by February, before the triggering of Article 50.

Meanwhile, Japanese banks, including Nomura and Daiwa Capital Markets, have warned the Government they will begin moving operations to the EU within six months unless the Government can provide clarity on the UKs access to 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

In a report published earlier this month, a cross-party group of peers said Britains financial sector must be offered a Brexit bridge to prevent companies moving to rival locations such as New York, Dublin, Frankfurt or Paris.

A transitional deal to ease the pain of Brexit is favoured by Chancellor Philip Hammond. However, Brexit Secretary David Davies said such a deal should only be accepted if necessary.

Additional reporting by PA
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Carrie Fisher's television interview with BBC chat show host Graham Norton earlier this month was a display of the wit, warmth and frankness that won her a new legion of fans in later life.

It turned out, tragically, to be her last.

Fisher, best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles last week and died on Tuesday at the age of 60.

In The Graham Norton Show interview, Fisher discussed the events that made her one of the most recognisable actresses of her generation.

She appeared on the show to promote her new book, The Princess Diarist, a series of excerpts from the diaries she wrote as a 19-year-old while filming Star Wars.

Id forgotten I wrote them. They were in a storage room under my bedroom and so we brought all these things up thinking Id put them in a book," she said.

I found these three diaries and I was a little saddened by them. Im very insecure in the books and I didnt recall that I was that insecure."

Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Show all 9 1 /9 Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983)

The book revealed details of the affair between her and actor Harrison Ford, which took place during the filming of the Star Wars franchise, when Fisher was just 19 and Ford was 33.

After Norton pointed out it happened 40 years ago, she quipped: I just remembered."

Fisher discussed the affair openly in the book but told Norton the revelation was difficult for her and admitted feeling guilty about revealing the relationship.

I had no idea it would cause such a sensation. 400,000 news sites picked it up, and it became a little embarrassing for me," she said.

They made a lot of things up which I now have to talk about  I never said he was bad in bed."

The actress said she had become friends with Fords second wife but had barely discussed the affair with Ford since.

I can literally remember three times where I made some oblique reference to it and he [mumbled]," she said.

 Carrie Fisher Dies: Twitter tributes from around the world flood in

Fisher was also asked about scenes from Star Wars that were filmed while the affair was going on.

In one, her character tells Han Solo, played by Ford, that she loves him.

According to the film script, Solo is supposed to respond saying I love you but Ford, improvising, changed it to I know.

Asked if this was a slap in a face from her then-lover, Fisher said of Ford: Hes not a very verbal person, but when he is, hes very witty.

Hes no people pleaser. It comes out witty and you have to take a second sometimes to realise it was funny. That is going to be in the Daily Mail tomorrow."

Fisher confirmed no one on the Star Wars set had been aware of the affair, saying: I promise you no one knew.

 Carrie Fisher's Star Wars audition

Appearing alongside artist Grayson Perry on the show, Fisher also discussed her love of art.

She said: I buy a lot of art ... I discovered [video art] recently and it moves me.

It was her own creative success, though - and a career than includes numerous films, books and TV appearances - that secured her worldwide fame and which ensures she will be celebrated, remembered and missed for years to come.
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Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia, confirmed rumours of her affair with Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford just a month before passing away.

Fisher died after she suffered a heart attack on a flight to Los Angeles from London, where she had been promoting her memoir, The Princess Diarist, in which she revealed details of the three-month relationship.

It took place in 1976 when Fisher was 19 and Ford was a 33-year-old married father of two.

It was so intense, Fisher told People magazine. It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend.

I looked over at Harrison. A heros face  a few strands of hair fell over his noble, slightly furrowed brow.

How could you ask such a shining specimen of a man to be satisfied with the likes of me?

I was so inexperienced, but I trusted something about him. He was kind.

Ford was apparently shown a draft of the book before its release and was not thrilled at Fisher's decision to go public.

Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Show all 9 1 /9 Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983)

Hes incredibly private. I feel a little bit bad about doing that to him, she told NBC's Today show.

But yes, I told him I had found the journals and that I was going to publish them. He sort of went, lawyer.

When youre on location, this is something I discovered, everything is permitted. I didnt know that, I havent been on location since.

Although the relationship only lasted a few months, Fisher said she still had feelings for her co-star.
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Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, has died at the age of 60.

The iconic actress suffered a heart attack on a flight to Los Angeles from London, where she had been promoting her memoir, The Princess Diarist, based on diaries she kept in the late 1970s.

After winning fame for her role in Star Wars, she became a noted writer and raconteur, speaking openly about problems with drugs and her mental health. Here are some of Fishers most notable quotes:

On playing Princess Leia in Star Wars as a teenager

"I thought: it'll be fun to do. I'm 19! Who doesn't want to have fun at 19? I'll go hang out with a bunch of robots for a few months and then return to my life and try to figure out what I want to do when I grow up."

"Leia follows me like a vague smell."

"People are still asking me if I knew Star Wars was going to be that big of a hit. Yes, we all knew. The only one who didn't know was George."

On suffering mental illness

"I'm very sane about how crazy I am."

"So when I was 24, someone suggested to me that I was bipolar, and I thought that was ridiculous. I just thought he was trying to get out of treating me. But he was also responding to the chaotic nature of my life."

"I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I'm still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you."

"I went to a doctor and told him I felt normal on acid, that I was a light bulb in a world of moths. That is what the manic state is like."

On having famous parents

"I am truly a product of Hollywood in-breeding. When two celebrities mate, someone like me is the result."

On suffering from addiction

"Drugs made me feel more normal."

On struggling with depression

"The world of manic depression is a world of bad judgement calls."

Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Show all 9 1 /9 Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983) Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone (1983)

The news of Fishers death was released by family spokesman Simon Halls in a statement.

It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning, it said.

She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly, Lourd said. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.
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Donald Trump has made his most strident entry yet into the failing Middle East peace process, with a blistering attack on the Obama administration that signalled his intention to stand behind Israel in the escalating stand-off.

In the latest and clearest attempt by the incoming president to assert his authority ahead of his inauguration next month, Mr Trump accused Barack Obama of showing total disdain and disrespect towards Israel.

His comments  delivered on Twitter along with an accusation that the president was erecting roadblocks for his transition  came as Secretary of State John Kerry launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. He accused Benjamin Netanyahus government of being the most right-wing in Israels history, and said it was driven by extremist elements.

That speech was in turn rejected by Mr Netanyahu, who called Mr Kerrys 70-minute address a great disappointment.

The twisting day of drama, began with a series of early-morning tweets from Mr Obama ahead of Mr Kerrys speech. Last week, Mr Trump had indicated he opposed a UN Security Council resolution that rebuked Israel over Jewish settlements  a vote that was only made possible by the USs decision to abstain.

On Wednesday morning, just hours before Mr Kerry spoke at the State Department in Washington, he took aim at Mr Obama and last weeks UN vote.

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks about Israeli-Palestinian policy (AP)

We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the US, he wrote.

But not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching.

Mr Trump had joined Mr Netanyahu in trying to block the UN resolution, which said there was no legal basis for Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas. Indeed, it was because of such pressure that Egypt, the bills original sponsor, dropped the idea, ultimately pushing the vote back by a day.

His actions, and his comments on Wednesday, mark a sharp break with other president-elects. Previously, incoming presidents have waited until they are in the White House before launching policy initiatives of their own  something that Mr Trumps actions effectively amount to.

 Netanyahu: Friends don't take friends to the Security Council

Christiana Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University in New York, said there was no precedent for what Mr Trump was doing.

That is because there is a very strong gentlemans code that we would only have one president at a time, she told The Independent. That way, we dont confuse our domestic or international partners about who is running the ship.

She said when Mr Obama was elected in 2008, there was great anticipation about what he would say about the economic crisis engulfing the country. But he did not do so, in order not to confuse the markets, the public or other countries.

The problem is that right now we have a president-elect who does not respect past precedents, she added.

Mr Obama has condemned Jewish settlements in the Palestinian Territories (AP)

In his speech Mr Kerry claimed that Israels building of settlements was endangering Middle East peace. He said it would never have a lasting settlement with Arab nations until it reached an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.

Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy, Mr Kerry said, justifying last weeks UN vote. We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away.

He added: The truth is that trends on the ground  violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation  are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want.

Mr Kerry also condemned Palestinian violence which he said included hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year.

Mr Netanyahu said the speech was skewed against Israel. The Israeli leader said Mr Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched on the root of the conflict  Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries.

Mr Trump has vowed to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and has appointed as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement, has cast doubt on the idea of a two-state solution and even advocated for Israel's annexation of the West Bank.
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Donald Trump may have vowed to dissolve the controversial foundation established in his name, but officials said he cannot do so while it is the subject of criminal investigation.

The President-elect said that he wanted to close the Donald J. Trump Foundation in an effort to try and remove any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office on January 20.

But the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, said the 70-year-old Republican would be unable to proceed with the plan, as the foundation remained the subject of a probe.

The Trump foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete, said Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for Mr Schneiderman.

The Associated Press said the workings of the foundation have been under investigation for several months. The charity has admitted that it violated IRS regulations barring it from using its money or assets to benefit Mr Trump, his family, his companies or substantial contributors to the foundation.

The news agency said the admissions by the charity were in a 2015 tax filing made public after a presidential election in which it was revealed that the tycoon had used the charity to settle lawsuits, make a $25,000 political contribution and purchase items, including a painting of himself.

 'This isn't Woodstock' - Trump adviser on inauguration

The 2015 tax filing was posted on the nonprofit monitoring website GuideStar on November 18 by someone using an email address from the foundation's law firm, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, said GuideStar spokeswoman Jackie Enterline Fekeci.

Mr Schneiderman, a Democrat, launched his investigation into the charity after the Washington Post drew attention to some of the foundation's purchases.

Mr Trump said this week on Twitter that his foundation was run efficiently.

The DJT Foundation, unlike most foundations, never paid fees, rent, salaries or any expenses, he said. 100% of the money goes to wonderful charities.

The Trump Foundation reported assets of $1.12m in its 2015 tax returns.

But although Mr Trump touted the philanthropic efforts of his foundation, he has largely filled the charitys coffers with other peoples money, according to a CNN review of the Trump Foundations tax records in September.

It is unclear if Mr Trump has donated money to charitable causes outside of the foundation as he has refused to release his tax returns, which would shed light on his charitable contributions.

The foundation was forced to stop fundraising in New York State after Mr Schneiderman issued a cease-and-desist order in October citing the foundations failure to properly register with the state.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry has delivered an impassioned speech, in which he criticsed the government of Israel and said a two-state solution was the only way to secure peace in the Middle East.

In what will likely be the final effort by the Obama administration to shape Middle East policy before Donald Trump's takes office, Mr Kerry said Israeli Prime Minister's ruling coalition was the most extreme in the country's history. He said he had allowed Israel's policies to be dominated by the settler movement.

The speech followed a vote by the UN Security last week that rebuked Israel for its policy of allowing Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas. The rare criticism only went ahead because the US decided to abstain, rather than vetoing the the move.

Mr Obama has condemned Jewish settlements in the Palestinian Territories (AP)

Read the full transcript:

Thank you all. Its good to be here even in the middle of a holiday week. I wish you all a happy and productive new year. Today, I want to share candid thoughts about an issue that for decades has animated the foreign policy dialogue here and around the world  the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Throughout his administration, President Obama has been deeply committed to Israel and its security, and that commitment has guided his pursuit of peace in the Middle East. This is an issue which Ive worked on intensely during my time as Secretary of State for one simple reason: because the two state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors. It is the only way to ensure a future of freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people. And it is an important way of advancing U.S. interests in the region. I would like to explain why that future is now in jeopardy, and provide some context for why we could not, in good conscience, stand in the way of a resolution at the United Nations that makes clear that both sides must act now to preserve the possibility of peace.

I am also here to share my conviction that there is still a way forward if the responsible parties are willing to act. And I want to share practical suggestions for how to preserve and advance the prospects for the just and lasting peace that both sides deserve. It is vital that we have an honest, clear-eyed conversation about the uncomfortable truths and difficult choices, because the alternative that is fast becoming the reality on the ground is in nobodys interest  not the Israelis, not the Palestinians, not the region  and not the United States. I want to stress that point: My job, above all, is to defend the United States of America  to stand up for and defend our values and our interests in the world. If we were to stand idly by and know that in doing so we are allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities. Regrettably, some seem to believe that the US friendship means the US must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles  even after urging again and again that the policy must change. Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect. Israels permanent representative to the United Nations, who does not support a two-state solution, said after the vote last week: It was to be expected that Israels greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share and veto this resolution.

I am compelled to respond that the United States, did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous U.S. administrations have done at the Security Council. They fail to recognize that this friend, the United States, that has done more to support Israel than any other country, this friend that has blocked countless efforts to delegitimize Israel, cannot be true to our own values  or even the stated democratic values of Israel  and we cannot properly defend and protect Israel  if we allow a viable two state solution to be destroyed before our eyes. And thats the bottom line: the vote in the UN was about preserving the two state solution. Thats what we were standing up for: Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. Thats what we are trying to preserve, for our sake and for theirs. In fact, this administration has been Israels greatest friend and supporter, with an absolutely unwavering commitment to advancing Israels security and protecting its legitimacy.

On this point, I want to be very clear. No American Administration has done more for Israels security than Barack Obamas. The Israeli Prime Minister himself has noted our unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation. Our military exercises are more advanced than ever. Our assistance for Iron Dome has saved countless Israeli lives. We have consistently supported Israels right to defend itself, by itself, including during actions in Gaza that sparked great controversy. Time and again we have demonstrated that we have Israels back. We have strongly opposed boycotts, divestment campaigns and sanctions targeting Israel in international fora, whenever and wherever its legitimacy was attacked, and we have fought for its inclusion across the UN system.

In the midst of our own financial crisis and budget deficits, we repeatedly increased funding to support Israel. In fact, more than half of our entire global Foreign Military Financing goes to Israel. And this fall, we concluded an historic 38 billion dollar Memorandum of Understanding that exceeds any military assistance package the U.S. has provided to any country, at any time, and that will invest in cutting edge missile defense, and sustain Israels Qualitative Military Edge for years to come. This commitment to Israels security is very personal for me. On my first trip to Israel as a young senator in 1986, I was captivated by a special country I immediately admired and soon grew to love. Over the years, like so many others who are drawn to this extraordinary place, I have climbed Masada, swum in the Dead Sea, driven from one Biblical city to another. I have also seen the dark side of Hezbollahs rocket storage facilities just across the border in Lebanon, walked through exhibits on the hell of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, stood on the Golan Heights, and piloted an Israeli jet over the tiny airspace of Israel, which would make anyone understand the importance of security to Israelis. Out of those experiences came a steadfast commitment to Israels security that has never wavered for a single minute in my 28 years in the Senate or my 4 years as Secretary.

I have also often visited West Bank communities, where I met Palestinians struggling for basic freedom and dignity amidst the occupation, passed by the military checkpoints that can make even the most routine daily trips to work or school an ordeal, and heard from business leaders who could not get the permits needed to get their products to the market and families who have struggled to secure permission to travel for needed medical care. And I have witnessed first-hand the ravages of a conflict that has gone on for far too long. Ive seen Israeli children in Sderot whose playgrounds had been hit by Katyusha rockets, and visited shelters next to schools in Kiryat Shmona that kids had 15 seconds to get to after a warning siren went off. Ive also seen the devastation of war in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian girls in Izbet Abed Rabo played in the rubble of a bombed-out building. No children  Israeli or Palestinian  should have to live like that. So, despite the obvious difficulties, I knew when I became Secretary of State I would do everything in my power to help end the conflict. And I was grateful to be working for President Obama, who was prepared to take risks for peace and was deeply committed to that effort.

Like previous U.S. administrations, we have committed our influence and resources to trying to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict because it would serve American interests to stabilize a volatile region and fulfil Americas commitment to the survival, security and well-being of Israel at peace with its Arab neighbors. Despite our best efforts over the years, the two state solution is now in serious jeopardy. The truth is that trends on the ground violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation  are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want. Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states. But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic  it cannot be both and it wont ever really be at peace. Moreover, the Palestinians will never fully realize their vast potential in a homeland of their own with a one state solution. Most on both sides understand this basic choice, and thats why its important that polls of Israelis and Palestinians show there is still strong support for the two state solution  in theory. They just dont believe that it can happen. After decades of conflict, many no longer see the other side as people, only as threats and enemies. Both sides continue to push a narrative that plays to peoples fears and reinforces the worst stereotypes  rather than working to change perceptions and build up belief in the possibility of peace. And the truth is, the extraordinary polarization in this conflict extends beyond Israelis and Palestinians. Allies of both sides are content to reinforce this with us or against us mentality where too often anyone who questions Palestinian actions is an apologist for the occupation and anyone who disagrees with Israeli policy is cast as anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic.

Thats one of the most striking realties about the current situation: This critical decision about the future  one state or two states  is effectively being made on the ground every day, despite the expressed opinion of the majority of the people. The status quo is leading towards one state and perpetual occupation, but most of the public either ignores it or has given up hope that anything can be done to change it. With this passive resignation, the problem only gets worse, the risks get greater and the choices are narrowed. This sense of hopelessness among Israelis is exacerbated by the continuing violence, terrorist attacks against civilians and incitement  which are destroying belief in the possibility of peace. Let me say it again: There is absolutely no justification for terrorism, and there never will be. The most recent wave of Palestinian violence has included hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year, including stabbings, shootings, vehicular attacks and bombings, many by individuals who have been radicalized by social media. Yet the murderers of innocents are still glorified on Fatah web sites, including showing attackers next to Palestinian leaders following attacks.

And despite statements by President Abbas and his partys leaders making clear their opposition to violence, too often they send a different message by failing to condemn specific terrorist attacks and naming public squares, streets and schools after terrorists. President Obama and I have made clear to the Palestinian leadership countless times, publicly and privately, that all incitement to violence must stop. We have consistently condemned violence and terrorism  and even condemned the Palestinian leadership for not condemning it. Far too often, the Palestinians have pursued efforts to delegitimize Israel in international fora. We have strongly opposed these initiatives, including the recent wholly unbalanced and inflammatory UNESCO resolution regarding Jerusalem. And we have made clear our strong opposition to Palestinian efforts against Israel at the ICC, which only set back the prospects for peace. And we all understand that the Palestinian Authority also has more to do to strengthen institutions and improve governance. Most troubling of all, Hamas continues to pursue an extremist agenda: they refuse to accept Israels very right to exist. They have a one state vision of their own: all of the land is Palestine. Hamas and other radical factions are responsible for most explicit forms of incitement to violence, and many of the images they use are truly appalling. And they are willing to kill innocents in Israel and put the people of Gaza at risk in order to advance that agenda. Compounding this, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, exacerbated by the closures of the crossings, is dire. Gaza is home to one of the worlds densest concentrations of people enduring extreme hardships with few opportunities.1.3 million people out of Gazas population of 1.8 million are in need of daily assistance, including food and shelter, most have electricity less than half the time, and only 5 percent of the water is safe to drink.

And yet despite the urgency of these needs, Hamas and other militant groups continue to re-arm and divert reconstruction materials to build tunnels, threatening more attacks on Israeli civilians that no government can tolerate. At the same time, we must be clear about what is happening in the West Bank. The Israeli Prime Minister publicly supports a two state solution, but his current coalition is the most right wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by its most extreme elements. The result is that policies of this government  which the Prime Minister himself just described as more committed to settlements than any in Israels history  are leading in the opposite direction, towards one state. In fact, Israel has increasingly consolidated control over much of the West Bank for its own purposes  effectively reversing the transition to greater Palestinian civil authority called for by the Oslo accords. I dont think most people in Israel  and certainly in the world  have any idea how broad and systematic this process has become. The facts speak for themselves. The number of settlers in the roughly 130 Israeli settlements east of the 1967 lines has steadily grown.

The settler population in the West Bank alone  not including East Jerusalem  has increased by nearly 270,000 since Oslo, including 100,000 just since 2009 when President Obamas term began. And there is no point pretending theyre just in large settlement blocs: nearly 90,000 settlers are living east of the separation barrier that was created by Israel itself, in the middle of what by any reasonable definition would be the future Palestinian state. And the population of these distant settlements has grown by 20,000 just since 2009. In fact, just recently the government approved a significant new settlement well east of the barrier  closer to Jordan than Israel. What does that say to Palestinians in particular  but also to the U.S and the world about Israels intentions? Let me emphasize: this is not to say that the settlements are the whole or even primary cause of the conflict  of course they are not. Nor can you say that if they were removed you would have peace without a broader agreement  you would not. And we understand that in a final status agreement, certain settlements would become part of Israel to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 49 years, including the new demographic realities on the ground. But if more and more settlers are moving into the middle of the Palestinian areas, its going to be that much harder to separate, that much harder to imagine transferring sovereignty  and that is exactly the outcome that some are accelerating. Lets be clear: settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israels security; many settlements actually increase the security burden on the IDF. And leaders of the settler movement are motivated by ideological imperatives that entirely ignore legitimate Palestinian aspirations.

Among the most troubling illustrations of this point has been the proliferation of settler outposts that are illegal under Israels own laws. They are often located on private Palestinian land and strategically placed to make two states impossible. There are over 100 of these outposts, and since 2011, nearly one third have been  or are being  legalized, despite pledges by past Israeli governments to dismantle many of them. Now, leaders of the settler movement have advanced unprecedented new legislation that would legalize most of the outposts. For the first time, it would apply Israeli domestic law to the West Bank  rather than military law  a major step towards annexation. When the law passed first reading in the Knesset, one of its chief proponents said proudly: Today the Israeli Knesset moved from heading towards establishing a Palestinian state towards [Israeli] sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Even the Israeli Attorney General has said the draft law is unconstitutional and a violation of international law. Now you may hear that the settlements are not an obstacle to peace because the settlers who dont want to leave can just stay in Palestine, like the Arab Israelis who live in Israel. But that misses a critical point: the Arab Israelis are citizens of Israel, subject to Israels laws. Does anyone really believe the settlers will agree to submit to Palestinian law in Palestine?

Likewise, some supporters of the settlements argue that the settlers could just stay in their settlements, and remain as Israeli citizens in their separate enclaves in the middle of Palestine, protected by the IDF. There are over 80 settlements east of the separation barrier, many located in places that would make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. Does anyone seriously think that if they just stay where they are you could still have a viable Palestinian state? Some have asked, Why can't we build in the blocs which everyone knows will eventually be part of Israel? The reason building there or anywhere else in the West Bank now results in such pushback is that the decision of what constitutes a bloc is being made unilaterally by the Israeli government, without consultation, without the consent of the Palestinians  and without granting the Palestinians a reciprocal right to build in what will by most accounts be part of Palestine. Bottom line  without agreement or mutuality, the unilateral choices become a major point of contention. You may hear that these remote settlements arent a problem because they only take up a small percentage of the land. Again and again we have made clear that it's not just a question of the overall amount of land available in the West Bank it's whether the land can be connected or is broken up into small parcels that could never constitute a real state. The more outposts that are built, the more settlements expand, the less possible it is to create a contiguous state. So in the end, a settlement is not just the land it's on, it's also what the location does to the movement of people, what it does to the ability of a road to connect, what it does to the sense of statehood that is chipped away with each new construction. No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace. But the problem goes well beyond just settlements: trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there.

Today, the 60% of the West Bank known as Area C  much of which was supposed to be transferred to Palestinian control long ago under the Oslo accords  is effectively off limits to Palestinian development. Most has essentially been taken for exclusive Israeli use by unilaterally designating it as state land or including it within the jurisdiction of regional settlement councils. Israeli farms flourish in the Jordan River Valley and Israeli resorts line the shores of the Dead Sea  where Palestinian development is not allowed. In fact, almost no private Palestinian building is approved in Area C at all  only one permit was issued by Israel in all of 2014 and 2015, while approvals for hundreds of settlement units were advanced during that same period. Moreover, Palestinian structures in Area C that do not have a permit from the Israeli military are potentially subject to demolition. And they are currently being demolished at historically high rates: over 1,300 Palestinians, including over 600 children, have been displaced in 2016 alone  more than any previous year. So the settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel. In fact, one prominent minister who heads a pro-settler party declared just after the U.S. election that the era of the two state solution is over, and many other coalition ministers publicly reject a Palestinian state.

And they are increasingly getting their way, with plans for hundreds of new units in East Jerusalem recently announced and talk of a major new settlement building effort in the West Bank to follow. So why are we so concerned? Well ask yourself these questions: What happens if they succeed? Where does that lead? There are currently about 2.75 million Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank, most of them in Areas A and B where they have limited autonomy. They are restricted in their daily movements by a web of checkpoints, and unable to travel into or out of the West Bank without a permit from the Israelis. So if there is only one state, you would have millions of Palestinians permanently living in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank, with no real political rights, separate legal, education and transportation systems, vast income disparities, under a permanent military occupation that deprives of them of the most basic freedoms  separate but unequal. Nobody can explain how that works. Would an Israeli accept living that way? Would an American? Will the world accept it? If the occupation becomes permanent, over time the Palestinian Authority could dissolve and turn over all administrative and security responsibilities to the Israelis. What would happen then? Who would administer the schools and hospitals? Does Israel want to pay for the billions of dollars of lost international assistance that the PA now receives? Would the Israel Defense Force police the streets in every Palestinian city and town?

How would Israel respond to a growing civil rights movement from Palestinians demanding a right to vote, or widespread protests and unrest across the West Bank? How does Israel reconcile a permanent occupation with its democratic ideals? How does the U.S. continue to defend that and still live up to our own democratic ideals? Nobody has ever provided good answers to those questions because there arent any. And there would be an increasing risk of more intense violence between Palestinians and settlers, and complete despair among Palestinians would create fertile ground for extremists. With all the external threats Israel faces, does it really want an intensifying conflict in the West Bank? How does that help Israels security? The answer: It doesnt. Which is precisely why so many senior Israeli military and intelligence leaders  past and present - believe the two-state solution is the only real answer for Israels long term security. One thing we do know: if Israel goes down the one state path, it will never have true peace with the rest of the Arab world, and I can say that with certainty. The Arab countries have made clear that they will not make peace with Israel without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict  thats not where their loyalties or their politics are. But there is something new here. Common interests in countering Irans destabilizing activities and fighting extremists as well as diversifying their economies have created real possibilities.

I have spent a great deal of time with key Arab leaders exploring this, and there is no doubt that they are prepared to have a fundamentally different relationship with Israel. That was stated in the Arab Peace Initiative, and all my recent conversations have confirmed their readiness, in the context of Israeli-Palestinian peace, not just to normalize relations  but to work openly on securing that peace with significant regional security cooperation. Many have shown a willingness to support serious Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and to take steps on the path to normalization of relations  including public meetings  providing there is meaningful progress towards a two state solution. That is a real opportunity that should not be missed. That raises one final question: is ours the generation that gives up on the dream of a Jewish, democratic state of Israel living in peace and security with its neighbors? Because that is literally what is at stake. That is what informed our vote at the Security Council last week: the need to preserve the two state solution. And both sides must take responsibility for that.

We have repeatedly and emphatically stressed to the Palestinians that all incitement to violence must stop. We have consistently condemned all violence and terrorism. And we have strongly opposed unilateral efforts to delegitimize Israel in international fora. We have made countless public and private exhortations to the Israelis to stop the march of settlements. In literally hundreds of conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I have made clear that continued settlement activity would only increase pressure for an international response. We have all known for some time that the Palestinians were intent on moving forward with a settlements resolution, and I advised the Prime Minister repeatedly that further settlement activity only invited UN action. Yet the settlement activity only increased  including advancing the unprecedented legislation to legalize settler outposts that the Prime Minister himself reportedly warned could expose Israel to action at the Security Council and even international prosecution, before deciding to support it. In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two state solution. We could not in good conscience turn a blind eye to Palestinian actions that fan hatred and violence. It is not in U.S. interests to help anyone on either side create a unitary state. We may not be able to stop them, but we cannot be expected to defend them.

And it is certainly not the role of any country to vote against its own policies. That is why we decided not to block the UN resolution that makes clear both sides have to take steps to save the two state solution while there is still time. We did not take this decision lightly. The Obama administration has always defended Israel against any efforts at the UN and any international fora, or biased and one-sided resolutions that seek to undermine its legitimacy or security. And that has not changed. But its important to remember that every U.S. administration  Republican and Democratic  has opposed settlements as contrary to the prospects for peace. And action at the UN Security Council is far from unprecedented: In fact, previous U.S. Administrations of both political parties have allowed resolutions that were critical of Israel to pass, including on settlements, on dozens of occasions. Under George W. Bush alone, the Council passed six resolutions that Israel opposed  including one that endorsed a plan calling for a complete freeze on settlements, including natural growth. Let me read you the lead paragraph from a New York Times story dated December 23nd: With the United States abstaining, the Security Council adopted a resolution today strongly deploring Israels handling of the disturbances in the occupied territories  which the resolution defined as including Jerusalem. All of the 14 other Security Council members voted in favor. That story was not written last week; it was written December 23, 1987  26 years to the day we voted last week, when Ronald Reagan was president. Yet despite growing pressure, the Obama administration held a strong line against any UN action - we were the only administration since 1967 that had not allowed any resolution to pass that Israel opposed.

In fact, the only time in 8 years the Obama administration exercised its veto at the United Nations was against a one-sided settlements resolution in 2011 that did not mention incitement or violence. Lets look at whats happened since then: There have been over 30,000 settlement units advanced through some stage of the planning process. Thats right: over thirty thousand settlement units. And if we had vetoed this resolution, the United States would have been giving license to further unfettered settlement construction that we fundamentally oppose. We reject the criticism that this vote abandons Israel. On the contrary, it is not this Resolution that is isolating Israel. It is a policy of permanent settlement construction that risks making peace impossible. Virtually every country in the world other than Israel opposes settlements. That includes many friends of Israel  including the United Kingdom, France and Russia  all of whom voted in favor of the settlements resolution in 2011 and again this year, along with every other member of the Council. In fact, this resolution simply reaffirms statements made by the Security Council on the legality of settlements over several decades; it does not break new ground. In 1978, the State Department legal advisor advised the Congress of his conclusion that the Israeli governments program of establishing civilian settlements in the occupied territory is inconsistent with international law.

We see no change since then to affect that fundamental conclusion. You may have heard some criticize this resolution for calling East Jerusalem occupied territory. But to be clear, there was absolutely nothing new in last weeks resolution on that issue. It was one of a long line of Security Council resolutions that included East Jerusalem as part of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, and that includes resolutions passed by the Security Council under President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. And remember that every U.S. administration since 1967  along with the entire international community  has recognized East Jerusalem as among the territories that Israel occupied in the Six Day War. And I want to stress this point: we fully respect Israels profound historic and religious ties to the city and its holy sites. This resolution in no manner prejudges the outcome of permanent status negotiations on East Jerusalem, which must of course reflect those ties and realities on the ground. We also strongly reject the notion that somehow the United States was the driving force behind this resolution. The Egyptians and Palestinians had long made clear their intention to bring a resolution to a vote before the end of the year. The United States did not draft or originate this resolution, nor did we put it forward. It was drafted and ultimately introduced by Egypt, which is one of Israels closest friends in the region, in coordination with the Palestinians and others. During the course of this process, we made clear to others, including those on the Security Council, that we would oppose any resolution that did not include language on terrorism and incitement. Making such positions clear is standard practice with resolutions at the Security Council. The Egyptians, Palestinians and many others understood that if the text were more balanced, it was possible we would not block it.

But we also made crystal clear that the President would not make a final decision about our own position until we saw the final text. In the end, we did not agree with every word in this resolution. There are important issues that are not sufficiently addressed  or addressed at all. But we could not in good conscience veto a resolution that condemns violence and incitement, reiterates what has long been the overwhelming consensus international view on settlements, and calls for the parties to start taking constructive steps to advance the two state solution on the ground. Ultimately, it will be up to the Israeli people to decide whether the unusually heated attacks that Israeli officials have directed toward this administration best serve Israel's national interests and its relationship with an ally that has been steadfast in its support. Those attacks, alongside allegations of a U.S.-led conspiracy and other manufactured claims, distract and divert attention from what the substance of this vote really was about. We all understand that Israel faces very serious threats in a very tough neighborhood. Israelis are rightfully concerned about making sure that there is not a new terrorist haven next door.

And Israelis are fully justified in decrying attempts to delegitimize their state and question the right of a Jewish state to exist. But this vote was not about that. It was about actions that Israelis and Palestinians are taking that are increasingly rendering a two-state solution impossible. It was not about making peace with the Palestinians now  it was about making sure peace with the Palestinians will be possible in the future. Now we all understand that Israel faces very serious threats in a very tough neighborhood. And Israelis are rightfully concerned about making sure that there is not a new terrorist haven next door. But this vote is not about making peace with the Palestinians now  it is about making sure peace with the Palestinians is possible in the future. So how do we get there? Since the parties have not yet been able to resume talks, the U.S. and the Middle East Quartet have repeatedly called on both sides to independently demonstrate a genuine commitment to the two state solution  not just with words, but with real actions and policies  to create the conditions for meaningful negotiations. We have called for both sides need to take significant steps on the ground to reverse current trends and send a clear message that they are prepared to fundamentally change the equation  without waiting for the other side to act. We have pushed them to comply with their basic commitments under their own prior agreements in order to advance a two state reality on the ground. We have called for the Palestinians to do everything in their power to stop violence and incitement, including publicly and consistently condemning acts of terrorism and stopping the glorification of violence.

We have called on them to continue efforts to strengthen institutions and improve governance. And we have stressed that the Hamas arms build-up and militant activities in Gaza must stop. Along with our Quartet partners, we have called on Israel to end the policy of settlement construction and expansion, taking of land for exclusive Israeli use, and denying Palestinian development. To reverse this process, the US and our partners have encouraged Israel to resume the transfer of civil authority to the Palestinians in Area C, consistent with the transition called for by Oslo. We have made clear that significant progress across a range of sectors  including housing, agriculture, and natural resources  can be made without negatively impacting Israels legitimate security needs. And weve called for significantly easing the movement and access restrictions to and from Gaza, with due consideration for Israels need to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks. Let me stress here again: none of these steps would negatively impact Israels security. Let me also emphasize  this is not about offering limited economic measures that perpetuate the status quo. We are talking about significant steps that would signal real progress towards creating two states.

Thats the bottom line: If we are serious about the two state solution, it is time to start implementing it now. Advancing the process of separation now, in serious way, could make a significant difference in saving the two state solution. And much progress can be made in advance of negotiations, as contemplated by the Oslo process  in fact, these steps will help create the conditions for successful talks. In the end, we all understand that a final status agreement can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, because peace cannot be imposed. There are other countries in the UN who believe it is our job to dictate the terms of a solution in the Security Council. Others want us to simply recognize a Palestinian state absent an agreement. These are not the choices we will make. We choose instead, drawing on the experiences of the past eight years, to provide a way forward when the parties are ready for serious negotiations. In a place where the narratives from the past powerfully inform the present, its important to understand the history. We mark this year and next a series of milestones that I believe both illustrate the two sides of the conflict and form the basis for its resolution. Its worth touching on them briefly. 120 years ago, the First Zionist Congress was convened in Basel by a group of Jewish visionaries who decided that the only effective response to the waves of anti-Semitic horrors sweeping across Europe was to create a state in the historic home of the Jewish people, where their ties to the land went back centuries  a state that could defend its borders, protect its people, and live in peace with its neighbors.

That was the modern beginning and it remains the dream of Israel today. Nearly seventy years ago, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 finally paved the way to making the State of Israel a reality. The concept was simple: create two states for two peoples, one Jewish and one Arab, to realize the national aspirations of both Jews and Palestinians. Both Israel and the PLO referenced Resolution 181 in their respective Declarations of Independence. The United States recognized Israel seven minutes after its creation  but the Palestinians and the Arab world did not, and from its birth Israel had to fight for its life. Palestinians also suffered terribly in that 1948 war, including many who had lived for generations in a land that had long been their home too. When Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018, the Palestinians will mark a very different anniversary: 70 years since what they call the Nakba, or catastrophe. Next year will also mark 50 years since the end of the Six-Day War, when Israel again fought for its survival. And Palestinians will again mark just the opposite: 50 years of military occupation. Both sides have accepted UN Security Council Resolution 242, which called for the withdrawal of Israel from territory it occupied in 1967 in return for peace and secure borders, as the basis for ending the conflict. It has been more than twenty years since Israel and the PLO signed their first agreement  the Oslo Accords  and the PLO formally recognized Israel.

Both sides committed to a plan to transition much of the West Bank and Gaza to Palestinian control during permanent status negotiations that would put an end to their conflict. Unfortunately, neither the transition nor the final agreement came about  and both sides bear responsibility for that. Finally, some 15 years ago King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia came out with the historic Arab Peace Initiative, which offered fully normalized relations with Israel when it made peace  an enormous opportunity then and now, which has never fully been embraced. That history was critical to our approach to trying to resolve the conflict. And based on my experience with both sides over the last four years, including the nine months of formal negotiations, the core issues can be resolved if there is leadership on both sides committed to finding a solution. In the end, I believe the negotiations did not fail because the gaps were too wide  but because the level of trust was too low. Both sides were concerned that any concessions would not be reciprocated  and would come at too great a political cost. And the deep pubic skepticism only made it more difficult to take risks. In the countless hours we spent working on a detailed framework, we worked through numerous formulations and developed specific bridging proposals. And we came away with a clear understanding of the fundamental needs of both sides. In the past two and a half years, I have tested ideas with key regional and international stakeholders, including our Quartet partners. I believe what has emerged is a broad consensus on balanced principles that would satisfy the core needs of both sides.

President Clinton deserves great credit for laying out extensive parameters designed to bridge gaps in advanced final status negotiations sixteen years ago. Today, with mistrust too high to even start talks, we are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Neither side is willing to even risk acknowledging the others bottom line, and more negotiations that do not produce progress will only reinforce the worst fears. Everyone understands that negotiations would be complex and difficult, and nobody can be expected to agree on the final result in advance.

But if the parties could at least demonstrate that they understand the other sides most basic needs  and are potentially willing to meet them if theirs are also met at the end of comprehensive negotiations  enough trust could be established to enable a meaningful process to begin. It is in that spirit that we offer the following principles: not to prejudge or impose an outcome, but to provide a possible basis for serious negotiations when the parties are ready. Individual countries may have more detailed policies on these issues  as we do  but I believe there is broad consensus that a final status agreement that could meet the needs of both sides would: 1. Provide for secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine, negotiated based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed equivalent swaps. Resolution 242, which has been enshrined in international law for 50 years, provides for the withdrawal of Israel from territory it occupied in 1967 in return for peace with its neighbors and secure and recognized borders. It has long been accepted by both sides, and it remains the basis for an agreement today. As Secretary, one of the first issues I worked out with the Arab League was their agreement that the reference in the Arab Peace Initiative to the 1967 lines included the concept of land swaps, which the Palestinians have acknowledged. This is necessary to reflect practical realities on the ground, and mutually agreed equivalent swaps will ensure the agreement is fair to both sides. There is also broad recognition of Israels need to ensure that the borders are secure and defensible, and that the territory of Palestine is viable and contiguous. Virtually everyone I have spoken to has been clear on this principle as well: No changes by Israel to the 1967 lines will be recognized by the international community unless agreed to by both sides. 2. Fulfill the vision of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of two states for two peoples, one Jewish and one Arab, with mutual recognition and full equal rights for all their respective citizens. This has been the foundational principle of the two state solution from the beginning: Creating a state for the Jewish people and a state for the Palestinian people, where each can achieve their national aspirations. And resolution 181 is incorporated into the foundational documents of both the Israelis and Palestinians. Recognition of Israel as a Jewish state has been the U.S. position for years, and based on my conversations, I am convinced many others are now are prepared to accept it as well  provided the need for a Palestinian state is also addressed.

We also know there are some 1.7 million Arab citizens who call Israel their home and must now and always be able to live as equal citizens, which makes this a difficult issue for Palestinians and others in the Arab world. That is why it is so important that in recognizing each others homeland  Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people  both sides reaffirm their commitment to upholding full equal rights for all of their respective citizens. 3. Provide for a just, agreed, fair and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee issue, with international assistance, that includes compensation, options and assistance in finding permanent homes, acknowledgment of suffering and other measures necessary for a comprehensive resolution consistent with two states for two peoples.

The plight of many Palestinian refugees is heartbreaking, and all agree their needs must be addressed. As part of a comprehensive resolution, they must be provided with compensation, their suffering must be acknowledged, and there will need to be options and assistance in finding permanent homes. The international community can provide significant support and assistance, including in raising money to help ensure the compensation and other needs of the refugees are met, and many have expressed a willingness to contribute. But there is general recognition that the solution must be consistent with two states for two peoples, and cannot affect the fundamental character of Israel. 4. Provide an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the internationally recognized capital of the two states, and protect and assure freedom of access to the holy sites consistent with the established status quo. Jerusalem is the most sensitive issue for both sides, and the solution must meet the needs not only of the parties, but of all three monotheistic faiths. That is why the holy sites that are sacred to billions of people around the world must be protected and remain accessible, and the established status quo maintained. Most acknowledge that Jerusalem should not be divided again like it was in 1967. At the same time, there is broad recognition that there will be no peace agreement without reconciling the basic aspirations of both sides to have capitals there. 5. Satisfy Israels security needs and bring a full end to the occupation, while ensuring that Israel can defend itself effectively and that Palestine can provide security for its people in a sovereign and non-militarized state. Security is the fundamental issue for Israel. Everyone understands that no Israeli government can ever accept an agreement that does not satisfy its security needs or risks creating an enduring security threat like Gaza in the West Bank. And Israel must be able to defend itself effectively, including against terrorism and other regional threats. In fact, there is a real willingness by Egypt, Jordan and others to work together with Israel on meeting key security challenges. I believe these collective efforts, including close coordination on border security, intelligence sharing, and joint operations, can play a critical role in securing the peace. At the same time, fully ending the occupation is the fundamental issue for the Palestinians: They need to know that the military occupation will really end after an agreed transitional process, and that they can live in freedom and dignity in a sovereign state while providing security for their population even without a military of their own. This is widely accepted as well.

Balancing those requirements was among the most important challenge we faced in the negotiations, but one where the United States could provide the most assistance. Thats why a team led by General John Allen, one of our nations foremost military minds, and dozens of experts from the Department of Defense and other agencies, engaged extensively with the IDF on trying to find solutions that could help Israel address its legitimate security needs. They developed innovative approaches to creating unprecedented, multi-layered border security, enhancing Palestinian capacity, and enabling Israel to retain the ability to address threats by itself even when the occupation had ended. General Allen and his team were not suggesting any particular outcome or timeline they were simply working on ways to support whatever the negotiators agreed to. And they did some very impressive work that gives me confidence that Israels security requirements can be met. 6. End the conflict and all outstanding claims, enabling normalized relations and enhanced regional security for all as envisaged by the Arab Peace Initiative. It is essential for both sides that the final status agreement resolves all the outstanding issues and finally brings closure to the conflict, so they can move ahead to a new era of peaceful coexistence and cooperation. For Israel, this must also bring broader peace with its Arab neighbors. That is the fundamental promise of the Arab Peace Initiative, which key Arab leaders have affirmed. The API also envisions enhanced security for all in the region. This is the area where Israel and the Arab world are looking at the greatest moment of potential transformation in the Middle East since Israels creation in 1948. The Arab world faces its own set of security challenges. With Israeli-Palestinian peace, Israel, the United States, Jordan and Egypt  together with the GCC countries  would be ready and willing to define a new security partnership for the region that would be groundbreaking.

Ladies and Gentlemen: its vital that we all work to keep open the possibility of peace, and that we not lose hope in the two state solution, no matter how difficult it may seem  because there really is no viable alternative. We all know that a speech alone wont produce peace. But based on over 30 years of experience and the lessons from the past 4 years, I have suggested a practical path that the parties could take. Realistic steps on the ground now, consistent with the parties own prior commitments, that will begin the process of separating into two states, a political horizon to work towards to create the conditions for successful final status talks, and a basis for negotiations that the parties could accept to demonstrate that they are serious about making peace. We can only encourage them to take this path, we cannot walk down it for them. But if they ever take those steps, peace would bring extraordinary benefits in enhancing the security, stability and prosperity of Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region. The Palestinian economy has amazing potential in the context of independence, with major private sector investment possibilities and a talented young workforce. And Israels economy could enjoy unprecedented growth as it becomes a regional economic powerhouse, taking advantage of its unparalleled culture of innovation and trading opportunities with new Arab partners.

Meanwhile, security challenges could be addressed by an entirely new security arrangement, in which Israel cooperates openly with key Arab states. That is the future that everyone should be working for. President Obama and I know that the incoming Administration has signaled that they will take a different path, and even suggested breaking from long-standing U.S. policies on settlements, Jerusalem  and possibly the two state solution. That is for them to decide. But we cannot  in good conscience do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away. This is a time to stand up for what is right. We have long known what two-states, living side by side, in peace and security looks like. We should not be afraid to say so. I really began to reflect on what we have learned  and the way ahead  when I recently joined President Obama in Jerusalem for the state funeral for Shimon Peres. Shimon was one of the founding fathers of Israel who became one of the worlds great elder-statesmen. I was proud to call him my friend, and I know President Obama was as well.

I remembered the first time I saw Shimon in person  standing on the White House lawn for the signing the historic Oslo Accords. And I thought about the last time, at an intimate Shabbat dinner just a few months before he died when we toasted to the future of Israel and to the peace he still so passionately believed in for his people. He summed it up simply and eloquently, as only Shimon could: The original mandate gave the Palestinians 48%, now its down to 22%. I think 78% is enough for us. As we laid Shimon to rest that day, many of us couldnt help but wonder if peace between Israelis and Palestinians was also being buried along with one of its most eloquent champions. We cannot let that happen, that there was simply too much at stake  for future generations of Israelis and Palestinians  to give in to pessimism, especially when peace is in fact still possible. We must not lose hope in the possibility of peace. We must not give in to those who say what is now must always be, that there is no chance for a better future. Ultimately, it is up to Israelis and Palestinians to make the difficult choices for peace  and if they are, we can all help. And for the sake of future generations of Israelis and Palestinians, for all the people of the region, and for the United States, lets hope they are prepared to make those choices now. Thank you.
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Standing in the decaying ruins of a roofless, sheet-metal house in the small Armenian town of Gyumri, Kim Kardashian West and her family must have felt a very long way from the comforts of home. Yet for her forebears, this was home: Gyumri, close to the once-contested border with Turkey, was the town from which the first Kardashians fled to the US in the early 20th Century.

Over the last week, Kardashian West has been using her hefty promotional clout to draw attention to Armenia, the ancestral nation of her father, the late Robert Kardashian. During her Middle East tour, she was joined by her sister Khloe, husband Kanye West and baby daughter North for the eight-day visit, which was filmed for the next series of reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and recorded on social media by the sisters, who between them have almost 50 million Instagram followers. They also visited the Crusader-era church in Jerusalem marking the traditional spot of Jesuss crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was empty for the visit.

Last week, Kardashian West posted an image of her and her sister in vertiginous heels, ascending the steep steps to the Mother Armenia statue in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. This statue reminds visitors of the strong female figures in Armenian history, Kardashian West wrote. I love how powerful women are and respected so much in our culture!

The following day, the sisters, accompanied by cousins Kourtni and Kara Kardashian, met the Prime Minister. It was an honour to meet the Prime Minister of Armenia, Hovik Abrahamyan, who expressed how proud they are that we are proud Armenians and we have not forgotten our roots! Kardashian West wrote.

Rapper Kanye West carries daughter North following the baptism ceremony (Getty) (Getty Images)

The visit caused great excitement in Yerevan, where the family was pursued by vast crowds. On Sunday evening, Mr West performed an impromptu concert at the citys Swan Lake, which climaxed with the rapper leaping fully clothed into the water to be mobbed by fans. After leaving Armenia, the family travelled on to Israel, where, on Monday, baby North West was baptised at St James Cathedral, a 12th Century Armenian church in Jerusalem.

The trip came just days before the 100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide, the mass killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. On Friday, the Kardashians spent an emotional day at the Genocide Museum in Yerevan, Kardashian West wrote. Mr Abrahamyan applauded the reality star for helping to generate international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide.

Kim Kardashian takes a selfie with fans in Yerevan (Reuters)

Kardashian Wests Instagram posts drew criticism from certain quarters for her use of the word genocide. Though she has blogged and tweeted about the killings in previous years, Kardashian Wests representatives told TMZ the timing of the trip so close to the centenary was coincidental, and that she simply wished to explore her Armenian roots.
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Theresa May is trying to deny the true complexity of Brexit and shutting down anyone who defies her.

That's the view of the head of the senior civil servants union, who has accused the Government of being too scared to admit how the complexities of Brexit will force under-pressure civil servants to neglect other areas of their departments.

Dave Penman, the FDA general secretary, said ministers lacked "the political courage to admit how complex and time-consuming this will be", and that his members needed more resources to keep up.

 Theresa May refuses to rule out making payments to the EU after Brexit

It comes after a survey revealed that employees in the UK are not confident in the Governments ability to negotiate a good deal for Britain after it leaves the EU, with confidence particularly low in regions with the biggest votes to leave, including the Midlands and the north-east.

Mr Penman told The Guardian: "It is pure politics that is defining the Brexit debate and forcing May to say this is not a big, difficult job, and it is all in hand.

"The civil service is either going to have to be given more resources to deal with Brexit and its usual work or it will have to change its priorities. And the Government doesnt want to admit to either.

"When anyone pops their head above the parapet  former permanent secretaries, ex-cabinet secretaries, the Institute for Government  and says this is going to take a long time and it's complex, they are immediately shot down and accused of betraying the will of the people."

 Theresa May refuses to rule out making payments to the EU after Brexit

Also today Michael Gove stoked Brexit anger after arguing that the discredited claim that leaving the EU would mean 350m a week more for the NHS is still trustworthy.

The ex-Cabinet minister, who fell from grace during the Tory leadership contest, claimed the argument was still robust as the sum of money could be spent by a future government if it chose to.

The 350m claim was emblazoned across the side of the Vote Leave bus, but came to symbolise the slippery nature of the Brexit debate after the chair of the UK Statistics Authority branded it "misleading".
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An apology has been demanded from the BBC by the Bruges Group after the think-tank said a Christmas radio programme compared Brexit voters to the Biblical crowd calling for Jesus to be crucified.

The Bruges Group said writer Howard Jacobson drew the analogy in the Radio 4 show A Point Of View as he discussed why the word of the year should be "people" as it featured in the keynote phrase "the will of the people" associated with the Brexit win and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.

Mr Jacobson told listeners: "On a seasonal note, it is worth remembering that Pontius Pilate offered the multitude a mini-referendum.

"They could have one prisoner released and another crucified. In their wisdom, the people chose the common criminal Barabbas to be released, leaving Jesus to be crucified."

The Bruges Group's Jack Soames said: "At a time when millions of people are celebrating the festival of the birth of Jesus, it seems entirely inappropriate - crass even - for the BBC to be permitting his crucifixion to be used to make a political point.

"Apart from being tasteless, the comparison is also a smear on the 17.4 million people who legitimately voted for the UK to leave the European Union.

"The BBC and Howard Jacobson should both publicly apologise for the unjustified offence they have caused and for their poor judgement during this season of goodwill."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images 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 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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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A BBC spokeswoman told the Press Association: "A Point Of View is a reflection on a topical issue from a different contributor each week and often presented in a satirical tone."

Press Association
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The claim that a clean Brexit could save the UK 450m a week, or 24bn a year, has been called total junk by a leading economist.

Jonathan Portes, the former chief economist at the Cabinet Office, rejected claims made by Change Britain  a Brexit pressure group  that leaving the single market and customs union would economic benefit the UK more than a soft Brexit.

The group was formed out of the official Vote Leave campaign  which made the infamous claim that leaving the union would mean the UK could spend an extra 350m a week it was sending to Brussels on the NHS. In research released on Tuesday, Change Britain argued there would a 24bn saving overall from a clean Brexit through ending EU budget contributions, forging bilateral trade deals and cutting some EU red tape.

But Dr Portes, who left the Cabinet Office in 2011, told The Guardian that working out the potential cost of Brexit was far more complicated than simply adding together supposed savings.

He said: Adding increased exports and reduced government expenditure is literally meaningless. The results mean nothing. It isnt research, its junk.

The economist, who is now a fellow of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, added that the calculation was also counting the benefit of trade deals with countries like South Korea  which the UK already has through its membership of the EU.

He concluded: Anybody who adds together increased government revenue literally has no idea what they are doing  Its no surprise people who backed the fictitious 350m figure also back this number.

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 Liberal Democrats, who have positioned themselves as the party for Remainers, denounced the numbers as fantasy figures. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Todays claims are just the latest in a procession of lies pushed out by the usual suspects who are desperate for a hard Brexit that will rip Britain out of the single market.

Leave campaigners spent weeks gallivanting around the UK in a big red bus with a promise of more money for our NHS emblazoned on the side; it was a clear promise to the British public who were told that lie over and over again.

It played on peoples legitimate fears about this Governments underfunding of the NHS. The lie that a Leave vote would mean more money for the NHS each week was a disgracefully cynical ploy.

Recommended Brexit opinion surveys show huge swing to Remain in Leave regions

To now present the public with an even bigger made-up number is shameless and these scaremongers should take a look at themselves in the mirror.

But Chloe Westley, a spokeswoman for Change Britain, dismissed the criticism, saying the 450m was just the beginning.

She said: Doomsayers like Tim Farron are not being straight with the British people. Staying in the EUs single market and customs union means we cannot control our laws, borders, money and trade.

Instead of trying to block the will of the people they should help us build a brighter future for Britain outside the EU.
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Michael Gove has stoked Brexit anger after arguing that the discredited claim that leaving the EU would mean 350m-a-week more for the NHS is still trustworthy.

The ex-cabinet minister, who fell from grace during the Tory leadership contest, claimed the argument was still robust as the sum of money could be spent by a future government if it chose to.

The 350m claim was emblazoned across the side of the Vote Leave bus, but came to symbolise the slippery nature of the Brexit debate after the chair of the UK Statistics Authority branded it "misleading". Even Ukips Nigel Farage called it a "mistake".

But on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Gove was speaking on the role of experts in public debate when he was challenged over the veracity of 350m claim - which was repeatedly called out by experts.

He said: "Well that was a prediction. We can replay, Im always happy to replay, the argument about 350m, because the figures are there.

"These are sums of money that come from the British taxpayer and go to the European Union."

He added: "We havent left the European Union yet, lets wait to seethe money is there and its for the Government to decide how to spend it once we leave.

"People can look back at this year and say there are all sorts of things that they found uncomfortable and disconcerting, but we had an open public debate in this country, and as a result of that, the decision was taken on the basis of the quality of the argument, rather than the regal authority of the person making it."

 Theresa May refuses to comment on suggestions Brexit deal will take 10 years

Sir Andrew Dilnot, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, described the claim as potentially misleading in correspondence with Vote Leave, but when they continued to use it he said he was disappointed and that it was "misleading and undermines trust in official statistics".

Mr Farage, who was at the forefront of the rival Leave.EU campaign, was asked about the claim after the referendum and said: "No I cant [guarantee it], and I would never have made that claim. That was one of the mistakes that I think the Leave campaign made."

Without a hint of irony, Mr Gove said during the BBC radio show that the public should not trust "experts" but should instead interrogate their claims and demand to see evidence.

He added: "Sometimes we're invited to take experts as though they were prophets, as though their words were carved in tablets of stone and that we had to simply meekly bow down before them and accept their verdict.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

"I think the right response in a democracy to assertions made by experts is to say 'show us the evidence, show us the facts'.

"And then, if experts or indeed anyone in the debate can make a strong case, draw on evidence and let us think again, then of course they deserve respect."

He went on to cite an academic study that showed experts in a range of fields were more susceptible to group think, and that other experts besides economists could be treated as more reliable guides for future trends.

He added: "The people I was singling out for scepticism were those such as the economists from organisations like the IMF, who've got big issues like the wisdom of joining the euro wrong in the past.

"The IMF didn't just get the arguments wrong over the single currency, they called the EU referendum wrongly too."

Labours shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth tweeted: "Michael Gove on @BBCRadio4 telling us to always ask for evidence. Perhaps he can give us the evidence for his 350 million a week for NHS."
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Former Chancellor George Osborne was the highest earning MP of 2016, raking in 628,000 on top of his MPs salary of 74,962 - chiefly from lucrative public speaking engagements - latest figures have revealed.

Mr Osborne was sacked as Chancellor by Theresa May in July  but is one of 14 MPs who earned more than the Prime Minister in the last year, according to the latest Register of Members Interests.

After losing his job, Mr Osborne was signed by the same US agency as Tony Blair, the Washington Speaker Bureau, and embarked on a round of lucrative engagements on both sides of the Atlantic.

His most profitable speeches were two for investment bank JP Morgan, for which he received 81,174 and 60,578, a speech for Palmex Derivatives (80,240), and another for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (69,992).

Mr Osborne has defended his right to make a living outside of his MPs salary, claiming: As a member of parliament I disclose all my earnings. These are relatively new rules. I think its quite right that people can see what I do and what I am paid and so on.

Its very similar to what previous chancellors, Labour and Conservative, have done in the past.

Another former Tory Chancellor, Ken Clarke, is the second highest earner, making an additional 599,160 on top of his salary, much of it from public speaking and advance payments for a book.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is the fifth highest earner, topping up his parliamentary salary with an additional 356,459  including 250,000 for his column in The Telegraph - which he gave up after being appointed to his new role.

Mr Johnson was also in receipt of a monthly income of 3,982.50 as Mayor of London until Sadiq Khan took over this May.

The figures reveal 13 of the top 14 earning MPs are Conservatives, with former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg the only non-Tory in the top ten earners. He earned an additional 193,040  including more than 36,000 for one speech he gave to Barclays Bank during the EU Referendum campaign.

Other high earning Tory MPs include Nadine Dorries, who earns most of her income as a novelist, Geoffrey Cox QC and Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

Mr Soames, a former military man, declares income from various sources, including a monthly salary of 9,166.67 as chairman of Garda World  a leading security contractor in Iraq.

Calls for greater regulation of MPs ability to earn second incomes intensified after the cash for access scandal in 2015, when two former foreign secretaries, Conservative Sir Malcom Rifkind and Labours Jack Straw, were filmed discussing the possibility of payments in return for their influence to benefit a fictitious Chinese company - but no action was taken.

Top ten highest earning MPs in the past year:-

1. George Osborne - 627,891

2 Ken Clarke - 599,160

3 Geoffrey Cox - 577,868

4 Nadhim Zahawi - 359,746

5 Boris Johnson - 356,459

6 Nadine Dorries - 333,467

7 Nicholas Soames - 245,423

8 Edward Garnier - 233,910

9 Nick Clegg - 193,040

10 Fiona Bruce - 145,350

11 Jeremy Quin - 117,552

12 Andrew Mitchell - 115,200

13 Henry Bellingham - 113,000

14 Sir Alan Duncan - 90,000
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A third of councils in England are facing cuts in Government funding and may have to slash spending on social care, Andy Burnham has said.

The former health secretary, who is now Labours candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, claimed government ministers had misled the public after promising new money for social care.

The Government has diverted money that was previously used to incentivise councils to build new homes to instead help fund adult social care.

But Mr Burnham said 57 local authorities will lose more than they gain from the changes  a third of all the councils in England that provide social care. In total, local authorities will lose 40 million from the changes, Mr Burnham claimed.

The London borough of Tower Hamlets will receive the biggest cut  losing 3.4 million next financial year as a result of the changes. Salford, Westminster, Milton Keynes, Islington and Southwark will all lose more than 2 million.

Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, announced earlier this month that 240 million from the New Homes Bonus scheme, which rewards councils for building houses, will be diverted to a new fund for adult social care.

The move was criticised at the time by the Local Government Authority, which said the fund was "not new money" and "should not be presented as a solution". The change could disincentive house-building, it added.

Mr Burnham said the changes could mean funding is withdrawn from services for older and vulnerable people.

The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Show all 20 1 /20 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Digital Economy Bill  Give every household the legal right to fast broadband  but if they live in some remote areas, theyll have to pay part of the cost themselves  Phone and broadband companies to be forced to release details of customer complaints and average broadband speeds  New powers to allow public bodies like councils and government department to share swathes of data  including unpaid bills Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Transport Bill  New laws to govern the development of driverless cars, drones and space planes which the Government hopes will encourage investment in the new technologies to take place in the UK  Making it legal for customers to buy insurance for driverless vehicles Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 This content is subject to copyright. The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Planning Bill  Giving legal powers to villages and towns to set their own priorities for new housing. They wont be able to turn down new homes, but they will have a say in where they can be built  Create a new National Infrastructure Commission to push through big projects such as nuclear power stations and new rail and road links  cutting the amount of time it takes to develop them Controversy Rating: 3/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Jobs Bill  Give powers to local authorities to reduce the level of business rates they charge. City Mayors would also be able to increase rates in some areas to pay for specific infrastructure projects to that would boost local growth Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 2/5 This content is subject to copyright. The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Markets Bill  Making it easier for consumers to switch electricity and gas suppliers  Cutting down the time it takes for the Competition and Markets Authority to launch investigations into uncompetitive practices Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Bus Services Bill  Give local authorities and mayors powers to set standards for local buses  including frequency of services and fairs  Force all bus companies to provide real time information on services to app developers so everyone across the country will have the same ability as Londoners to know when the next bus is coming on their smart phone Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 2007 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 NHS Overseas Charging Bill  Increasing the number of services for which the NHS charges foreign patients  Reduces the number of people from the European Economic Area who are eligible for free services Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 1/5 2016 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Pensions Bill  Capping early exit fees on company pension schemes  Create a new pensions guidance body to help consumers know their pension rights  and make best use of previous Government reforms allowing pensioners the right to take the money they have saved in a lump sum on retirement to invest how they like Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Children and Social Work Bill  New obligation on councils to be a corporate parent to children in care and look after them even after they have grown up  Giving all children leaving care a personal advisor to help them find jobs, secure a home and deal with any problems  Create a new regulator for social work along the lines of Ofsted to drive up standards in the profession Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Education Bill  Force failing local authorities to convert all the schools in their area to academies  Reform school funding to address long standing disparities across the country that has disadvantaged schools in some rural areas Controversy Rating: 3/5 Change Britain Rating: 2/5 2015 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Higher Education Bill  Making it simpler and easier for companies and other providers to set up new universities around the country. Ministers want to encourage institutions like Harvard and companies like Google to consider setting up campuses in the UK  Allowing universities who have been rated "excellent" for teaching to charge more than those who are not  Law to force universities to publish information about their application processes broken down by ethnicity, gender and socio economic background Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Prisons and Courts Bill  New law to create reform prisons giving governors powers to set their own regimes and budgets  Obligation to publish re-offending rates by prison Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 2016 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 National Citizen Service Bill  New law to force schools to promote NCS to all 16 year olds and putting the scheme for the first time on a statutory footing Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Lifetime Savings Bill  Putting into law a Government plans to give people on working tax credits who save 50 a month a Government "bonus" of 50 up to a maximum of 300 a year Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 2/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Soft Drinks Industry Levy Bill  Introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks to fund school sports Controversy Rating: 3/5 Change Britain Rating: 5/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Bill of Rights  A new bill of rights to replace the Human Rights Act that will be based on the European Convention of Human Rights but will also take account of English common law Controversy Rating: 5/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 This content is subject to copyright. The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Counter-Extremism Bill  New civil powers to allow authorities to ban so-called "extremist preachers"  New powers to intervene in Madrassas and other unregulated environments where children are present  New undisclosed powers to come out of Louise Caseys review of Muslim integration Controversy Rating: 5/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Criminal Finances Bill  Make it an offence for companies not to stop their staff facilitating tax evasion  New undisclosed powers for courts to recover criminal assets Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 1/5 2016 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Cultural Property Bill (Armed Forces)  Making it illegal for UK troops to damage cultural property in conflicts at home or abroad Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 1/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Wales Bill  Bill to put plans for further Welsh devolution on a statutory footing  following the new powers recently given to the Scottish Parliament Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5

He said: "Theresa May's Government are playing a dangerous game on social care. They promised help for struggling councils but it is now clear that, while they were giving with one hand, they were taking away with the other.

"Far from acting on the social care crisis, the brutal reality is that the Government is deepening it and inflicting even more cuts on councils in some of the poorest parts of England.

"Social care has already been cut to the bone. If this further round of cuts goes ahead, it could have serious consequences for the NHS.

"That is why I am calling on Theresa May to intervene in this row and give a clear guarantee that no council in England will face cuts in central Government funding next April."

A Conservative spokesman said: Andy Burnham's claims are simply not true. Councils will see an increase in adult social care funding over the course of this Parliament. The additional funding of 900 million over the next two years will further help councils across England tackle the growing pressures on social care.

This is scaremongering from the Labour Party who are trying to make political points over the serious issue of social care.

"We know that money alone is not the solution. There is a diversity of provision across councils, with many already providing high-quality social care services within existing budgets, and so we need to make sure all local authorities learn from the best performers to raise standards.
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Donald Trump is the shadiest, most corrupt person to ever become US President, according to a prominent member of Barack Obamas cabinet.

Julian Castro, the current Housing and Urban Development Secretary, slammed the President-elect in a series of tweets.

He warned the Republicans' majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives means the businessman will be free to act unimpeded.

Recommended Donald Trump adviser quits after cryptic tweet hinting at sex scandal

Mr Castro also appeared to suggest Mr Trump could be impeached - saying if the Democrats won control of one house of Congress the Republican would be "done".

He wrote: So Trump-- the shadiest, most corrupt guy to take the Oval Office, will have no strong federal checks and balances. Has to change.

Trump is so corrupt that if Democrats controlled even one chamber of Congress, he'd be done before he even got started.

Mr Castro ended both tweets with the hashtag #2018, a reference to the next congressional elections in which the Democrats hope to win back control of Congress to block Mr Trumps policy agenda.

The President-elect has been accused of a series of offences in his business dealings. It has been alleged he used his charitable foundation to benefit his own family, defrauded Trump University students out of thousands of dollars and has links to the mafia. Mr Trump denies all the accusations.

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

Mr Castro has previously warned of the real, meaningful and negative consequences of Mr Trumps election and said there would be severe consequences.

A lot of Americans now feel like theres a target on their back, that Donald Trump wont be a President for everyone, he said following the Republicans victory.

Mr Castro called the President-elect a bully who likes to pick on people who cant fight back.

The 42-year-old Obama ally, whose grandmother moved to the US from Mexico, was touted as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton and has since been tipped as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2020.

Mr Castros claims come as Mr Trump continues to fill senior posts in his administration ahead of formally taking office on 20 January.

He confirmed earlier this week that Thomas Bossert, a former deputy homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush, will be his chief adviser on security and counter-terrorism issues.

Mr Castro will be succeeded at the Department for Housing and Urban Development by Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon who ran against Mr Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
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Trump Tower, the site used as President-elect Donald Trumps primary residence, has been evacuated after a "suspicious package", that later turned out to be an unattended backpack filled with childrens toys, was found in the lobby.

Mr Trump, who is spending the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was not present at the time.

A video of the evacuation shared on Twitter, shows guests running out of the hotel lobby as police shout Out! Out!.

The New Yew Police Department (NYPD) bomb squad responded to the situation out of an abundance of caution, J. Peter Donald, NYPDs spokesperson, wrote on Twitter.

The scene was later deemed safe when authorities found that the suspicious package was in fact an unattended bag of toys and c posed no threat.

Mr Trumps flagship Fifth Avenue building has been the primary site of the President-elect's presidential transition efforts as he prepares for his inauguration on January 20r.

The lobby of the Trump Tower is accessible to the public from 8am to 10pm under the terms of an agreement with the city, according to the Washington Post. New York City officials have complained about the massive amount of resources being used by security, since the presidential transition process has begun.

President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper 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 Reuters

Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, tweeted that official were back to work following the false alarm.

"Thanks NYPD", he added.

"No problem. We'll send you the bill," Eric Phillips, spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio  quickly fired back.

De Blasio sought federal funding last month to help New York pay for Mr Trump's security detail, which reportedly costs the city $1m per day.
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The former President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has been charged with corruption.

She was formally accused of fraudulent administration and illicit association after the charges were approved by a federal judge.

Two former aides, ex-Planning Minister Julio de Vido and former Public Works Secretary Jose Lopez, have also been charged.

It is alleged Ms Fernandezs government gave public contracts to Lazaro Baez, a businessman who is close to her family.

A total of 52 contracts worth approximately $2.9bn (2.4bn) were assigned to Mr Baez's companies at prices that averaged 15 per cent above the original budget.

The judges order froze the equivalent of up to $633m (516m) of each defendant's assets.

Ms Fernandez did not make an immediate comment on the charge, but has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and invited an audit of public works contracts during her administration.

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. 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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. 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

There is a possible 10-year prison sentence for illicit association, while fraudulent administration can lead to six years behind bars.

Ms Fernandez was indicted in May on charges of causing economic damage to the government by manipulating currency exchange future markets.

Since leaving office in December 2015, Ms Fernandez has claimed she is the victim of persecution by her successor, Mauricio Macri.

Agencies contributed to this report
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A history professor has come under fire for a satirical tweet in which he said he wanted a white genocide for Christmas.

George Ciccariello-Maher, an assistant professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, wrote on Twitter on Christmas Eve: All I want for Christmas is white genocide."

In a follow-up message, he said: When the whites were massacred during the Haitian revolution, that was a good thing indeed.

The tweets were sent out to Mr Ciccariello-Mahers 11,000 followers, and access to his account was quickly restricted after criticism from other Twitter users. The academic said he had since received hundreds of death threats.

In a statement, the professor said he intended the tweets to be satirical and wanted to mock the concept of white genocide as devised by white supremacists.

On Christmas Eve, I sent a satirical tweet about an imaginary concept, white genocide. For those who havent bothered to do their research, white genocide is an idea invented by white supremacists and used to denounce everything from inter-racial relationships to multicultural policies," he said.

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. 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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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It is a figment of the racist imagination, it should be mocked, and Im glad to have mocked it. White supremacy is on the rise, and we must fight it by any means.

Drexel University condemned the professors comments and said the tweets were utterly reprehensible, deeply disturbing and do not in any way reflect the values of the university.

A petition in support of Mr Ciccariello-Maher, with the aim of preserving academic freedom in this nasty new era of internet trolls, has been signed by more than 6,000 people.
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Politicians and activists in Montana have told a group of neo-Nazis and white supremacists they will find no safe haven over a plan for an armed rally next month.

Neo-Nazis plan a march in January in the ski town of Whitefish in Montanas north-west. It has been organised in support of the mother of white supremacist leader Richard Spencer. Sherry Spencer is facing pressure from community members to sell a building she owns in the town because of its ties to her son.

Reuters said that earlier this month, community members held a vigil and a protest in front of the building. As pressure on Ms Spencer mounted, the leading white supremacist website The Daily Stormer, urged readers take action against Jews in the Whitefish area.

Richard Spencer organised a rally where white supremacists gave Nazi salutes (AP)

Mr Spencer is the president of the National Policy Institute, a so-called white supremacist think tank based near Washington DC. At a rally in the nations capital last month, members of the group could be seen celebrating Donald Trumps victory with Nazi salutes.

Senior local politicians in Montana have told the groups members they will not be welcome.

In an open letter signed by Republicans and Democrats, including Congressman Ryan Zinke - recently picked by Mr Trump to be interior secretary - the politicians said: We say to those few who seek to publicise anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.

 Breivik makes Nazi salute

It added: Rest assured, any demonstration or threat of intimidation against any Montanans religious liberty will not be tolerated. It takes all Montanans working together to eradicate religious intolerance.

In a statement, Mr Spencers father said he and his wife love our son, but do not agree with his polemics, societal desires or his extreme political leanings.

Andrew Anglin, who runs The Daily Stormer, posted on the website last Friday: We are planning an armed protest in Whitefish. Montana has extremely liberal open carry laws, so my lawyer is telling me we can easily march through the centre of the town carrying high-powered rifles.
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Pope Francis was told as early as 2014 that a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children in Italy had been reassigned to a school in Argentina, where he has since been arrested on suspicion of child rape.

The Rev Nicola Corradi, 82, was arrested in late November alongside four other men following allegations of abuse at the Antonio Provolo Institute for hearing-impaired children in Mendoza province.

He was named in the scandal that hit the institute's Verona school in 2009, when 67 students alleged they had been abused. The Verona diocese apologised to students there and the Vatican sanctioned four priests, though not Rev Corradi. In 2014 the students sent the Pope a letter - acknowledged only this year - again naming him as an abuser, living in Argentina.

When Rev Corradi was arrested police reportedly found $34,000 along with magazines featuring naked women in his room.

Two dozen students have said they were attacked by Rev Corradi, the Rev Horacio Corbacho, 55, and three other men at the school in Lujan de Cuyo, a city about 620 miles northwest of Buenos Aires.

One told AP: "They always said it was a game: 'Let's go play, let's go play' and they would take us to the girls' bathroom."

The Pope told US victims of clerical abuse last year that "all responsible will be held accountable" and called for stronger oversight to ensure that youth are protected.

His Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has announced that newly-appointed bishops will get comprehensive training on how to deal effectively with the root causes of child abuse.

But in February the commission was hit by the sudden departure of British anti-abuse campaigner Peter Saunders from the Vatican, who accused the panel of doing nothing to erase the culture of cover-ups within the Church authority.

In June, Pope Francis announced that clerics can now be dismissed from office if they are shown to neglect their duty of care towards vulnerable children and adults, in addition to creating a legal framework which allows for abusers to be tried in the Vatican.

Prosecutors in Mendoza expect more people to come forward with claims of abuse and they told AP that the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had been told about the allegations.

Pope Francis, who is from Argentina, has not spoken publicly about the case and the Vatican declined to comment on Corradi's arrest to AP.
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The boss of a US cabinet-making company is treating his employees to a reward for meeting their targets for the year - by taking all 800 of them on a week-long cruise.

Gary Bertch, who co-founded Bertch Cabinet in Iowa with his wife Becky, will take more than 800 of his workers to the Caribbean next month, having promised them the cruise as an incentive and challenging them to meet new goals.

Their company hauled itself back into profit last year after a tough time following the 2008 recession, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.

Mr Bertch said: "We were anticipating wed have better sales again this year.

"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.

"Theres been a very slow recovery in the industry. The financial goal was the big one. We hit the other goals, not by much, but we hit them. Were looking forward to the following year."

Bertch Cabinet employees were first treated to a mass winter holiday in 1989, 12 years after the company was founded. It once employed 1,000 people, but that dipped to about 600 in 2011 before recovering in recent years.

This year their cruise will take them around the Caribbean including a stop at the popular scuba-diving destination of Cozumel island, off the coast of Mexico.
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A toxic homemade Christmas liquor has killed at least 31 people, mostly from Pakistan's Christian minority community, and made dozens sick, police said on Tuesday.

At least 45 people were treated for poisoning after drinking the moonshine as part of Christmas celebrations in the town of Toba Tek Singh, Punjab province.

"The maker and supplier of the toxic liquor is also included among the dead," senior police official Bilal Kamyana told Reuters. "The maker prepared liquor at home and sold it in polythene bags for 500 rupees (about 5) each."

Recommended Toxic alcohol kills 33 in India

Local police officer Atif Imran Qureshi said dozens of people were transported to hospitals in the eastern Punjab province after they consumed contaminated alcohol. A total of 19 people died on Tuesday, and 12 the day before, he said.

Umair Ahmed, a physician at Allied hospital in the city of Faisalabad, said a dozen more people were still being treated.

Alcohol is mostly prohibited in Muslim-majority Pakistan, but non-Muslims can purchase it from licensed shops. Minorities need permits to buy it in restricted quantities.

Most poor Christians buy homemade liquor  which is more affordable but causes deaths almost every year.

Deaths from tainted liquor, often home-brewed, occur periodically in Muslim-majority Pakistan, often around religious festivals. In March, at least 40 people, mostly Hindus, died after drinking toxic liquor days ahead of the festival of Holi.

Christians make up about 1.6 percent of Pakistan's 190 million people, with most living in Punjab.

Reuters, Associated Press
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In a historic pilgrimage, the leaders of Japan and the United States took to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbour to prove that even the bitterest enemies can become allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologise, but conceded Japan "must never repeat the horrors of war again."

Seventy-five years after Japan's surprise attack sent America marching into World War II, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water. More than 1,000 US war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship, and in a show of respect, Obama and Abe dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam.

That was the closest Abe would get to an apology for the attack. And it was enough for Obama, who also declined to apologize seven months ago when he became America's first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a US Navy veteran who survived the attack. The 96-year-old said he had no hard feelings and added: "War is war."

"They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do," Rodrigues said before the visit.

Abe, who became Japan's first leader to visit Pearl Harbour with a US president, said the visit "brought utter silence to me." His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the U.S. and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe during their joint press conference following their visit to the USS Arizona Memorial (EPA)

They started with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was likely Obama's last meeting with a foreign leader before leaving office in January. It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Japanese officials said that in their talks, Abe and Obama agreed Tuesday to closely monitor the movements of China's first and sole aircraft carrier, which has sailed into the western Pacific for the first time. Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported Monday that the aircraft carrier and five warships sailed 90 nautical miles south of Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China. Beijing called it a routine training exercise.

In their last meeting before Obama leaves office next month, the two leaders affirmed that movements by the Chinese carrier Liaoning "warrant close attention from mid-term and long-term perspectives," the officials said. Late last week, the Liaoning advanced into the western Pacific after passing the so-called "first island chain," a sea defense line China unilaterally draws running from southern Japan to Taiwan, the Philippines and the southern South China Sea.

White House officials who accompanied Obama to Hawaii did not comment on the announcement from the Japanese, and in an unusual move, they didn't release a written description of the meeting.

But in Washington Tuesday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. recognizes lawful uses of the sea, and the same rights apply to the U.S., China and other nations.

The 10 countries completely free from conflict Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 countries completely free from conflict The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Botswana Ross Huggett/Flickr The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Chile Getty Images The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Costa Rica Chris Goldberg/Flickr The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Japan Getty Images The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Mauritius Herr Olsen/Flickr The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Panama Getty Images The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Qatar Getty Images The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Switzerland Getty Images The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Uruguay Eduardo Amorim/Flickr The 10 countries completely free from conflict Conflict-free countries Vietnam Source: Global Peace Index Source: Global Peace Index Getty Images

He said, "as we often make the case with our own naval vessels sailing ... in those same waters, it's freedom of navigation."

Earlier this month, a Chinese navy vessel seized an US Navy underwater glider that the U.S. said was conducting oceanic research in international waters off the Philippines. The U.S. called the seizure illegal and made a diplomatic protest. China returned the glider five days later.

Obama, speaking after he and Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called the harbour a sacred place and said that "even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace." The two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd, shaking hands and hugging some of the men who fought in the Dec. 7, 1941, battle that President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a "date which will live in infamy."

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of US troops killed in the Japanese attack.

For Abe, it was an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming seven months after Obama and Abe visited Hiroshima together and renewed their calls for a nuclear-free future. Still, both governments maintain that the visits were separate and not contingent upon one another.

In the years after Pearl Harbour, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obama's tenure.

AP
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Donald Trump's presidential election victory has been hailed as "historic and impressive" by Britain's ambassador to the US.

Sir Kim Darroch said the so-called special relationship was "stronger than ever", adding that the US President-elect Trump and Theresa May had stressed the importance of the bond between the UK-US relationship in their phone calls.

He said they would build on the legacy of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, who enjoyed a particularly close relationship across the Atlantic.

Sir Kim, who has been in post since January, has faced pressure in light of Nigel Farage's close relationship with Mr Trump.

The president-elect even tweeted that many would like to see Mr Farage as Britain's US ambassador, and that he thought the former Ukip leader would do "a great job".

Sir Kim has spoken publicly about the row for the first time in an article for the Washington Post.

The British diplomat called 2016 "a seismic year for both American and British politics", adding: "Donald Trump has captured the presidency in a historic and impressive win like no other in history.

"And in the United Kingdom, the British people voted decisively to leave the European Union in what was a clear instruction from the British people to take back control from Brussels."

President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper 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 Reuters

Sir Kim said both votes "captured the mood and will of the electorate", and now was the time for both governments to move forward with a better understanding of the issues.

He pointed to globalisation leaving people behind, a loss of jobs and "the emergence of a new global elite who sometimes seem to play by a different set of rules", and said Britain and the US should work together to tackle the challenges.

He added: "In their phone calls so far, Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May have made clear that the special relationship between Britain and the United States is stronger than ever.

"They will work together closely, building on the legacy of previous leaders such as President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher."

Sir Kim pointed to further co-operation on trade, saying Britain would forge "new and dynamic trading relationships" across the world, including with the US.

He also highlighted joint working around intelligence and the military, saying Britain remained America's closest partner on defence.

He added: "For decades, our partnership has been the cornerstone of the world order. So we, as an alliance, will continue to be strong. We will continue to fight for the security of our nations and economies that benefit everyone."
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Vegetarian sausages should be called something else because the term is misleading as they do not contain meat, Germany's agriculture minister has said.

Christian Schmidt called for a ban on names such as "vegetarian schnitzel", vegetarian sausage and vegetarian meatballs, which contain meat-substitute products, because they are confusing for customers.

He told German newspaper Bild: "These terms are completely misleading and unsettle consumers.

"I favour them being banned in the interest of clear consumer labelling."

Manufacturers should not pretend to have meat in these pseudo-meat dishes, he added.

Mr Schmidt was unhappy about the sale of vegan curywurst - a meat-free take on a spicy pork dish that is popular in Germany.

He said he has written to the European Commission demanding that rules governing the use of the terms "milk" and "cheese" are applied to meat as well.

The minister's spokesman, Jens Urban, told reporters: "He considers names such as vegan currywurst and so forth to be misleading to consumers.

"Clarity and truth, transparency for consumers - those are the measures that should apply for the labelling of all products, always and forever."

Food trends in 2016 Show all 11 1 /11 Food trends in 2016 Food trends in 2016 Celeriac root We had a kale obsession in 2015, but 2016s vegetable sine qua non is predicted to be the knobbly celeriac root. Celeriac milk (Tom Hunt at Poco in Bristol serves it with winter mussels and wild water celery), celeriac cooked in Galician beef fat (from Adam Rawson of Pachamama, hot new chef in the capital) and salt-baked celeriac (to be found in Matthew and Iain Penningtons kitchens at The Ethicurean in the West Country) are just a few examples. Getty Images Food trends in 2016 Middle Eastern food The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook (24.95, Phaidon) by grand-dame Salma Hage, author of the bestseller The Lebanese Kitchen (whose halva is pictured here), is out in April  Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton Food trends in 2016 Non-alcoholic cocktails Grain Store mixologist Tony Conigliaro has created Roman Redhead, a riot of red grape juice, beetroot, pale ale and verjus, and Rose Iced Tea (black tea, rose petals, anise essence, pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Gin The discerning will be slurping Hepple gin  from chef Valentine Warner and cocktail guru Nick Strangeway  which is punctuated with bog-myrtle nuances Food trends in 2016 Argyll and Bute Restaurant followers are getting in a froth about Pam Brunton in Scotland, who opened the Inver restaurant in Argyll and Bute to acclaim last year Food trends in 2016 Andy Olivers Som Saa One of the most eagerly awaited restaurants of 2016 will be the permanent incarnation of Andy Olivers remarkable pop-up Som Saa opening very soon in east London. Oliver, who worked at Thai god David Thompsons Nahm in Bangkok, raised a whopping 700,000 through crowdfunding, and is renowned for his piquant Thai flavours and obsessive attention to detail, including in his home ferments and DIY coconut cream  Adam Weatherley Food trends in 2016 Venison Another ruminant in vogue is venison, with Sainsburys doubling its line for 2016. It provides a protein-packed punch, with B vitamins and iron, and its low in fat. Its entry into the mainstream is in part thanks to the Scottish restaurant Mac and Wild, just opened in London, whose Celtic head chef Andy Waugh (who also runs the Wild Game Co) has been touting it as street food for years (his venison burger pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Goat From Brett Grahams The Ledbury to Angela Hartnetts kitchens at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, Cabrito is the go-to goat supplier among the chef cognoscenti (roasted loin of kid pictured here)  but this year, domestic cooks can get in on the action, as Sushila Moles and James Whetlor of Cabrito offer their meat through Ocado Mike Lusmore / mikelusmore.com Food trends in 2016 Coffee Coffee sage George Crawford is launching the much-anticipated Cupsmith with his partner, Emma. Crawford believes that 2016 is the year purist coffee will finally meet the masses; Cupsmiths mission will be to make craft coffee as popular as craft beer on the high street. The company roasts Arabica beans in small batches, improving its quality  but sells it online, at cupsmith.com, in an approachable way: expect cheerful packaging and names such as Afternoon Reviver Coffee (designed for drinking with milk  no matter how uncouth, most of us want milk) and Glorious Espresso Julia Conway Food trends in 2016 120-day-old steak Hanging meat for extremely long lengths of time has become an art. In Cumbria, Lake Road Kitchens James Cross is plating up 120-day-old steak (pictured here). The beef is from influential ager Dan Austin of Lake District Farmers, who is currently investigating the individual bacterial cultures that go into this maturing process Food trends in 2016 Lotus root Diners can expect root-to-stem dining - cue the full lotus deployed by the Michelin-starred Indian Benares in its kamal kakdi aur paneer korma Getty Images

Asked whether the measures could also affect beefsteak tomatoes, Urban said that the ministry was not aware of any "consumer confusion" about such products.

In the interview with Bild, Schmidt  a member of the conservative, Bavaria-based Christian Social Union  also reiterated a call for schools to serve pork.

Asked whether it was right for them to leave pork off the menu out of consideration for Muslims, he said: We should not restrict the choice for the majority of society for reasons of ease or cost."

He suggested increased cultural diversity should lead to more choice, not less.

Additional reporting by AP.
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German prosecutors say they have detained a Tunisian man who they think may have been involved in the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12 people.

Federal prosecutors said the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business and that further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack.

Police found a link to Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven the truck on 19 December, and who was shot dead during a routine patrol in Milan last Friday.

The deceased suspect Anis Amri had saved the number of this 40-year-old Tunisian national in his phone, said the federal prosecutors office in a statement on Wednesday.

Suspect Anis Amri travelled through three countries after the Berlin attack (Facebook)

The investigations indicate that he may have been linked to the attack.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the man justifies a formal arrest.

It follows reports in French media that 24-year-old Amri, who became the centre of a Europe-wide hunt and a 100,000 (85,000) reward, travelled from Germany to France via the Netherlands during his escape.

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

Amri, who pledged his allegiance to Isis in a video, reportedly boarded an overnight bus at the Dutch city of Nijmegen that took him to Lyon.

There are indications that he did travel via the Netherlands [on his way to Lyon], Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch national prosecutors office, said.

From there, as caught on surveillance cameras, he took a train to the French Alpine town of Chambery before heading to Milan.

However, an Italian anti-terrorism investigator said the only evidence currently linking Amri to the Netherlands is a SIM card found in his possession after he was killed.

Amri, who travelled to Europe from Tunisia in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring, had his asylum application rejected by German authorities in June.

Recommended Nephew of Berlin market terror suspect arrested in Tunisia

His documents, which would have rubber-stamped his deportation from Germany, arrived at the countrys interior ministry two days after the attack.

Following the attack in Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced growing criticism over her immigration policy. Germany had already toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015.

Also on Wednesday, the German government revealed that 54,123 migrants, who were not eligible or were likely to be denied asylum, left the country voluntarily in 2016.

Separately, German security officials told Reuters the number of those deported after their asylum requests were rejected rose to almost 23,800 from January to November  up from almost 20,900 in all of 2015.

Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns said that the number of migrants leaving of their own volition was a considerable increase by 20,000 upon the same figure for 2015.

The increase is welcome, he said. Its always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported.

 Angela Merkel reacts to shooting of Berlin market attack suspect

Most of those leaving returned to their homes in Albania, Serbia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iran, according to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Those leaving are eligible for one-off support of up to 3,000 to support them in finding employment back home.

A Finance Ministry spokesman also said the government will boost funding slightly to 150m in 2017 to support efforts in encouraging people to leave Germany.

There has also been a rise in the number of refugees turned away at the borders. A report by the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung daily said police had turned back 19,720 refugees through the first 11 months of 2016  up from 8,913 in all of 2015. Most were from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. They had been registered in other EU countries.

As public support for her pro-refugee policies wanes ahead of next Septembers federal election, Merkel has said it is vital to focus resources on those fleeing war, and to keep public support up by deporting foreigners to countries where there is no persecution.

Attacks and security alerts involving refugees and migrants have boosted the popularity of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose rise above 10 per cent in opinion polls could complicate Ms Merkels re-election hopes.

Agencies contributed to this report
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Sunbathers on a Spanish beach popular with tourists had to run for their lives when a small plane attempted an emergency landing.

The three-seater aircraft spewed debris across the sands when it crashed onto the Las Teresitas beach in Tenerife shortly before 1pm on Tuesday.

A woman and a 14-year-old girl managed to walk away from the wreckage with slight injuries, but the pilot, freed by firefighters, suffered more serious injuries.

The trio, of French and Belgian nationality, are recovering in the Hospital of La Candelaria, according to local newspaper La Vanguardia.

A section of the beach was out of bounds while fuel was cleared away @PoliciaLocalSC (Ss)

The plane, which was reportedly travelling from Tenerife Norte airport to Morocco, suffered technical problems  according to the Santa Cruz mayor Jose Manuel Bermudez.

The mayor said it was a miracle that no one on the beach was injured and that it was down either to the pilots skill or luck that it was not more serious.

The section of the beach was cordoned off while dumped fuel and debris was cleared.

It follows deadly plane crashes in Russia, which killed 92 people including the Red Army Choir heading to Syria, and the Capecoense football team plane crash in Colombia, which killed 71.
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Turkish and Russian governments have agreed the terms of a ceasefire in Syria, state media in Turkey has reported.

The Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a meeting yesterday in Ankara between Syrian opposition and the regime aimed at establishing a "permanent" solution to the ongoing crisis, according to Russian news agencies.

A Syria civil war ceasefire will now come into effect after midnight, according to the pro-Turkish government Anadolu Agency which reportedly quotes unnamed sources.

The agency said that terror groups, without mentioning which ones, will be not be part of the agreement.

It also reported that the peace process will go ahead in the Kazakhstan capital of Astana, supervised by Turkish and Russian leadership, if the ceasefire holds.

Mr Cavusoglu has since said it would be "impossible" to involve Pressident Bashar al-Assad in any transition to peace, as the country's opposition will not accept him.

The Kremlin meanwhile said it could not comment, and its spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "I cannot answer that question right now. I don't have sufficient information.

"We are constantly in touch with our Turkish colleagues to discuss various details about the possible talks that are planned for Astana. This is all being done to search for a political resolution for Syria."

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow.

It follows the evacuation of an estimated 34,000 from the battered city of Aleppo earlier this month.

A failed ceasefire in September, brokered by the US and Russia, quickly failed as the Syrian government continued bombing rebel-held hotspots.

The war in Syria, prompted by the 2011 Arab Spring and President Bashar al-Assad's violent reaction to protests, has killed potentially more than 430,000, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and an estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since March 2011.

Around one million Syrians have requested asylum to Europe, including 300,000 applications to Germany, according to the European University Institute in Florence.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told New Zealand's foreign minister that his country's sponsoring of the UN anti-settlement resolution was a "declaration of war".

Mr Netanyahu has also lashed out at President Barack Obama after Friday's Security Council vote, on which the United States' abstention marked a break with tradition, and called the action a "shameful ambush".

The Security Council voted to condemn settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation of international law" and demanded Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, pointing out that the international community views any Israeli construction over the agreed 1967 Green Line as illegal.

 Netanyahu: Friends don't take friends to the Security Council

According to Haaretz, in a personal phone call Mr Netanyahu told New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully: "This is a scandalous decision. I'm asking that you not support it and not promote it.

"If you continue to promote this resolution from our point of view it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations and there will be consequences."

Mr McCully reportedly refused to back down and said the resolution was consistent with New Zealand policy.

Israel has recalled its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, and cancelled aid to the latter country.

The resolution was put forward by New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela, taking place just a day after Egypt withdrew it following significant pressure from both Israel and President-elect Donald Trump.

Mr Netanyahu has said Israel will not abide by the ruling.

He added: "At a time when the Security Council does nothing to stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western Wall occupied territory."

Defending New Zealands vote on Saturday, Mr McCully said: "We have been very open about our view that the [UN Security Council] should be doing more to support the Middle East peace process and the position we adopted today is totally in line with our long established policy on the Palestinian question.

"The vote should not come as a surprise to anyone and we look forward to continuing to engage constructively with all parties on this issue."

 Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Calls UN 'Joke' and 'Moral Farce'

The vote was welcomed by Palestinian representatives. A spokesperson from Palestinan Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office called it a "big blow to Israeli policy, a unanimous international condemnation of settlements, and a strong support for the two-state solution".

Settlement building  which has accelerated year-on-year under current right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu  is viewed as one of the major stumbling blocks to a lasting peace deal.

The Jerusalem Local Planning and Construction Committee is expected to approve permits to build 618 new homes in Jewish neighbourhoods across the Green Line today - and at the same time US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is likely to be the administration's last word on a decades-old dispute that Mr Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America's top diplomat.

It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Mr Obama since they both took office in 2009.

A State Department official said: "We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides' bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years."

The Independent has contacted the Israeli embassy in London for comment.
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Israel's defence minister has urged Jewish people living in France to leave the country and move to Israel after criticising a planned Middle East peace summit there as a "modern-day Dreyfus trial".

Avigdor Lieberman called the summit, designed to get the Israelis and Palestinians back around the negotiating table, a "tribunal against the state of Israel" and said Jewish people in France should emigrate "if you want to remain Jews".

Albert Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery officer, was convicted of passing military secrets to Germany in 1894 but later exonerated after evidence emerged of a miscarriage of justice by military officials. The Dreyfus Affair prompted Emile Zola's famous open letter J'accuse.

According to Ynetnews, Mr Lieberman told a meeting of the Yisrael Beytenu party, which he leads: "There's only one difference. This time, instead of the defendant being one Jew, it will be the entire nation of Israel and the state of Israel.

"This summit's entire purpose is to undermine the state of Israel's security and tarnish its good name. It adds to the difficult climate that exists in France anyway against Jews," he said on Monday.

"Perhaps it's time to tell the Jews of France  this isn't your country, this isn't your land. Leave France and come to Israel. That's the only response to this plot. If you want to remain Jews and keep your children and grandchildren Jewish, leave France and make aliyah to Israel."

France has repeatedly tried to revive the peace process this year, holding a preliminary conference in June which saw the United Nations, European Union, United States and major Arab countries gather to discuss proposals without the Israelis or Palestinians present.

The original plan was to hold a follow-up conference before the year's end with the Israelis and Palestinians, to see whether the two sides could be brought back to negotiations. The meeting was re-scheduled for 15 January.

 Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Calls UN 'Joke' and 'Moral Farce'

Israel, which regards the US as the chief broker in the Middle East, has long maintained that only direct negotiations with the Palestinians can lead to peace and sees France's efforts as a diversion. It declined its invitation.

The French Foreign Ministry said the conference was designed to "re-affirm the international communitys commitment to two sides, living side by side in safety and security and to re-emphasise how crucial the [two-state] solution is", according to the Times of Israel.

Mr Lieberman's comments came after the UN Security Council passed a resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In a rare move the United States declined to use its veto.

In response, Israel has suspended working ties with 12 countries, cut off aid to Senegal and summoned numerous ambassadors to its foreign ministry in Jerusalem.

It has said it will not abide by the resolution, which called the settlement-building a "flagrant violation of international law".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly phoned the foreign minister of New Zealand, which sponsored the motion, to say he saw it as a "declaration of war".

Israeli municipal authorities cancelled a vote on new settlement proposals on Wednesday as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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The UK helped push through a UN resolution that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an act of war.

British diplomats at the UN helped craft the resolution so that it would sit better with the US, according to reports. The UK also helped encouraged the resolution to be revived after it had been dropped by Egypt, according to Haaretz, which said it had spoken with Israeli and western diplomats.

The countrys support for the deal puts it at the centre of a rift between Israel, the US and many other countries as well as President-elect Donald Trump.

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. 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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. 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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 UN resolution condemned settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation of international law, and asked that Israel immediately cease further settlements. It was voted for by 14 countries and was abstained on by the US  a break with tradition that has set Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu against President Barack Obama.

The UK has been open about its support for the resolution. It not only voted for its terms and signalled in advance that it would do so, but ministers and diplomats have publicly argued for it since.

Recommended Israel to build more settlements after UN resolution condemns them

But it has also been reported that the country worked behind-the-scenes with diplomats from Egypt and elsewhere to ensure that the wording would meet the concerns of President Obama. He has since said that the US refrained from vetoing the resolution because of its balanced wording, but has denied suggestions that it had any role in drafting the text.

Israel has said publicly that it thought that a Western power had been involved in the drafting of the resolution. It has not named that country but suspicion initially fell on either the US or the UK.

The UK also picked up the resolution after Egypt backed down from presenting it, according to Haaretz. Britain was one of a number of countries urging  and helped encourage New Zealand to support the resolution, a decision that Mr Netanyahu reportedly branded an act of war.

The UKs foreign office has said in statements only that the resolution was proposed and drafted by the Egyptian delegation, and that it engaged with it as it does with any Security Council texts.

British politicians including UK Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood have publicly welcomed the resolution. He said that the decision helps retain prospects of a 2 state solution and that it was in the interests of both Israel and the region.


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Israel's Attorney General has ordered a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a TV channel in the country.

Channel 10 claimed Mr Netanyahu would be summoned to give evidence following a nine month police inquiry into two unspecified matters.

Police have been investigating allegations of bribery and fraud against Mr Netanyahu, The Times of Israel reported.

 Netanyahu: Friends don't take friends to the Security Council

The accusations, believed to relate to alleged donations, have been dismissed by a spokesperson for the Israeli leader as "nonsense".

Mr Netanyahu has also been accused of wrongdoing in the purchase of submarines from Germany, where media have reported a potential conflict of interest involving his lawyer. The Prime Minister has denied the allegations.

Police declined to confirm or deny the Channel 10 report.

When the time comes we will update authoritatively the status of the investigation, the special investigations unit said in a statement.

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. 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Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. 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There was no immediate response from the Prime Minister's Office.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry will lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a speech just days after the United States cleared the way for a United Nations resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is expected to be the administration's last word on a decades-old dispute that Mr Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America's top diplomat.

It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Mr Obama since they both took office in 2009.

The United States broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favour and none against.

Mr Kerry will discuss the abstention when he speaks at the State Department on Wednesday, a senior State Department official told reporters.

"We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides' bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years," the official said.

The speech will also address what the official called "misleading" accusations by Israeli officials that the Obama administration drafted and forced the resolution to a vote.

Undeterred by the UN resolution, Israel's Jerusalem municipality is due to consider requests for construction permits for hundreds of new homes for Israelis in areas captured in 1967 and annexed to the city.

Israeli officials described the abstention as a "shameful" decision. President-elect Donald Trump, who urged the White House to veto the resolution, chided the world body as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time" after the vote.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States hoped the UN vote would serve as a "wake-up call" that settlements are a detriment to a two-state solution.

Israel for decades has pursued a policy of building Jewish settlements on territory it captured in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbours, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Most countries view the settlements as an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land, as well as security interests. Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate.

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

Since learning last week of Mr Kerry's planned speech, Israeli officials have been concerned he might use the address to lay out parameters for a Middle East peace deal.

Mr Netanyahu's aides are confident the Trump administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the UN resolution, but they fear Mr Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure.

Mr Kerry previously failed to bring about a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in talks that froze in 2014. US officials left little doubt they put much of the blame on Mr Netanyahu's stance on settlements.

Some 570,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among more than 2.6 million Palestinians.

Reuters
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Iraqi troops are set to launch a three-pronged assault on eastern Mosul in a bid to drive Isis fighters out of the city, following reinforcements.

After being stalled on the edges of Mosul for weeks, replenished Iraqi forces will now attempt to overcome Isis resistance to recapture the militant groups last main bastion in the country.

In an attempt to isolate militants in the eastern sector from those in the western half of Mosul, warplanes from the US-led coalition destroyed the last remaining bridge over the Tigris river, which runs through city centre.

So far in the Mosul offensive, Iraqs counter-terrorism forces, which are by far the militarys most seasoned unit, have done most of the fighting, pushing in from the east.

However, regular army troops on the citys southeast and northern edges, as well as Federal Police further west, have not moved in weeks, unable to penetrate the city either because they are not equipped or trained to fight on the streets, or because of inadequate resources.

Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, commander of the counter-terrorism forces in eastern Mosul, said units of the Federal Police have joined units from the militarys 9th Division southeast of Mosul, while troops have taken positions alongside units from the armys 16th Division on the north side.

Lt Gen al-Saadi would not say when the advance would begin, but it appears likely within days, weather permitting. He would not give details on the size of the reinforcements.

In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty

The new reinforcements suggest that original plans to penetrate the citys western side have been abandoned and that the plan is now for all forces to push on in the eastern sector.

The bridge hit this week was the last of five bridges across the Tigris between the western and eastern halves. The Old Bridge, as it is known, was built in the 1930s and is considered one of the citys landmarks.

The damage is expected to further complicate life inside Mosul. A resident said people waiting by the banks to be ferried across ran for cover every time they heard a plane buzzing overheard, fearing further airstrikes.

The counter-terrorism forces, also known as the Golden Division, have taken a string of areas in eastern Mosul and are now less than two miles away from the Tigris river, which slices the city in half. But they have moved little in the past two weeks, apparently waiting for the reinforcements.

They have faced gruelling house-to-house fighting against Isis militants who have had more than two years to dig in and prepare.

Even in districts that have been wrested away from Isis, Iraqi troops have faced surprise attacks, shelling and car bombs. The extremists have launched more than 900 car bombs against Iraqi troops so far during the operation in Mosul and surrounding areas in Nineveh province. Lt Gen Al-Saadi said 260 of these had targeted his men.

Daesh has by now realised that the battle is in the eastern sector of Mosul, and thats where most of its forces are, he said, using the Arabic acronym for Isis.

He denied reports that the lull in fighting was caused by a higher-than-expected casualties among his men.

We have sustained casualties, but not much, he said. We will also be reinforced by new members of the counter-terrorism forces.

The presence of an estimated one million civilians inside Mosul is partly to blame for the slow progress in the battle since Iraqi forces and their allies in the US-led coalition have avoided the use of overwhelming firepower against the militants for fear of massive civilian casualties.

About 120,000 people have fled the city since the offensive began, according to the United Nations.

A new menace in the fight was the growing use of drones by Isis, mostly armed with bombs or grenades which they drop on troops or civilians, he said.

Lt Gen al-Saadi said he expected Mosul and the rest of Nineveh province to be totally rid of Isis in about three months.

Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi spoke last week of a need to revise the battle plans in Mosul. On Tuesday, he told a news conference: God willing, there will be good news in the coming days.

Associated Press
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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East speech as "biased" against his country.

"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel" he said in a statement.

Mr Kerry "obsessively dealt" with Israel's building of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories in his speech, Mr Netanyahu added.

The Israeli leader also accused Mr Kerry of barely touching upon "the root of the conflict", which he called: "Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

The outgoing US Secretary of State had outlined a series of principles he said could form the basis of a future peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, with the likely participation of the United States.

He said there must be a two-state solution that includes a "secure and recognised border" between Israel and any future state of Palestine.

An agreement must help Palestinian refugees, designate Jerusalem as a capital for both states and satisfy Israel's security needs, he added.

While Mr Netanyahu was strongly critical of Mr Kerry's speech, one prominent Israeli opposition politician gave it a warm reception.

Yaakov Peri, a former chief of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, praised what he called mr Kerry's "balanced speech, based on reality and facts."

Mr Peri, a member of the centrist Yesh Atid party, which sits in the opposition to Mr Netanyahu's Likud party in the Israeli parliament, added that Mr Kerry had drawn attention to the "harsh and dramatic consequences" of a single binational state.

This is a breaking news story. More follows...
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The Russian embassy in Damascus has been shelled twice, the country's foreign embassy has claimed.

Announcing the attack in a statement, the foreign ministry called said the shelling was a "provocation" aimed at derailing a peace settlement in the country.

It said a shell hit an inner yard of the embassy complex, while another shell landed near the diplomatic mission. De-mining specialists have been working in the hit area.

According to the statement, the Russian embassy to Syria was "shelled by terrorists" at one 1pm and again almost 20 minutes later.

The ministry said Russia considers "this new provocation by extremists opposing the peaceful settlement in Syria as the confirmation of their intention to continue sowing terror and violence".

The ministry said there remains a threat to Russians in the territory and that the attack underlines the importance of the "prompt elimination" of extremists in the region.

Ode to Damascus: The Syrian capital reveals its secrets Show all 3 1 /3 Ode to Damascus: The Syrian capital reveals its secrets Ode to Damascus: The Syrian capital reveals its secrets 64611.bin Reuters Ode to Damascus: The Syrian capital reveals its secrets 64612.bin Reuters Ode to Damascus: The Syrian capital reveals its secrets 64613.bin AFP/Getty Images

Russia has called for the international community to condemn the alleged attack.

Reuters contributed to this report.
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Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkeys foreign minister has said, adding that Ankara would not give up its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad staying on as leader.

The five-year-old Syrian civil war rages on, with heavy casualties reported in the siege of a town held by Isis, and the Russian embassy in Damascus shelled.

Turkish minister Mevlut Cavusoglus comments appeared to signal tentative progress in talks aimed at reaching a truce. While the insistence on Assads departure could complicate negotiations with his biggest backer, Russia, another Turkish official did not rule out a transitional role for the Syrian president.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after adopting a declaration in Moscow setting out principles that any agreement should adhere to. Russia has said the next talks are set for Astana, the Kazakh capital.

There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time, Mr Cavusoglu said on Wednesday. He said Syrias opposition would never back Assad.

The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad.

The Kremlin said it could not comment on reports of an agreement.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

Last week, Russias foreign minister said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed the priority in Syria was to fight terrorism and not to remove Assads government  comments that suggested a shift by Turkey, which has long pushed for Assad to go.

Sources told Reuters that, under an outline deal between the three countries, Syria could be divided into informal zones of regional power and Assad would remain president for at least a few years.

A senior Turkish government official said on Wednesday that future discussions would likely hash out Assads role.

We put importance on the establishment of a transitional government and that it would be one that meets the demands of the Syrian people, the official said. Whether or not Assad will take place in the government will be discussed in the coming period.

Assad will not be attending the talks in Astana, which are likely to be held at undersecretary level at most, the official added.

A senior rebel official said Moscow wanted a key rebel stronghold near the capital to be excluded from the ceasefire, a demand unacceptable to the rebels.

Discussions are ongoing, with Turkish sponsorship, but the Russian enemy is trying to exclude the Eastern Ghouta (suburb) of Damascus from any attempt towards a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria that would be accepted by the revolutions factions, said Munir al Sayal of Ahrar al-Sham.

Its premature to talk about chances of success. The Russian enemy still has no clear position and repeats the regimes demands.

Mr Sayal said it would be futile to hold talks unless the ultimate objective was to end Assads rule.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

Russian officials have said invitations to participants for the Astana talks have not been sent out and the time has yet to be decided.

The talks would not include the United States and would be distinct from separate, intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations.

Russias Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura had spoken by phone with Lavrov and supported the efforts to establish a ceasefire and new peace talks.

The Syrian oppositions main political body on Tuesday urged rebel groups to cooperate with sincere regional efforts to reach a ceasefire deal but said it had not been invited to any conference.

The Turkish military said on Wednesday it had neutralised 44 Isis fighters and wounded 117 as part of its operation in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab.

Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to al-Bab for weeks under an operation to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border.

Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies are set to approve a blueprint for a system of federal government in northern Syria this week, Kurdish officials said, reaffirming their plans for autonomy.

Kurdish groups have carved out self-governing regions since the start of the war in 2011, though Kurdish leaders say an independent state is not their goal.

The trend has alarmed neighbouring Turkey, fearful of separatism among its own large Kurdish population. The United States opposed the federal plan, first announced in March. President Assad also opposes federalism.

Reuters
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Why go now?

The leafy, Chilean capital is about to become easier to access thanks to new non-stop British Airways flights from Heathrow, the airlines longest route, which launches on 3 January.

Pinned more or less to the middle of this implausibly long sliver of South America (the country measures almost 4,300km north to south) Santiago is the hub from which travellers fly to the Atacama desert (north) or Patagonia (south). It is also within easy reach of the Pacific coast (90 minutes drive west), the Andes (an hour away) and the countrys best vineyards (scattered within two hours of the city). If you need any more reasons to visit, February is the height of summer, with daytime temperatures comfortably in the mid-20Cs until April.

Get your bearings

The snow-dusted peaks of the Andes dominate the Santiago skyline to the east, providing a dramatic backdrop from all over the city. The historic centre remains the citys heart, while the skyscrapers of the financial district fan out towards the mountains.

Bellavista (Turismo Chile)

Neighbourhoods are known as barrios; just a few blocks east of the centre you will find the gourmet hotspot Barrio Lastarria, and the cafe culture of Barrio Bellas Artes. From there, cross the Mapocho river, to the north, for lively nightlife in arty Bellavista.

There is a tourist office (1) in the central Plaza de Armas, which is open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends.

Plaza de Armas (Turismo Chile)

The Metro has five, easy-to-use lines that criss-cross the city; buy tickets at the station kiosk or buy a rechargeable BIP! card for 1,550CLP (1.90). One journey costs 610CLP off-peak or 740CLP during peak hours (7am-9am, 6pm-8pm).

1 = 850-960 Chilean pesos (CLP), $1 = 650-710CLP

Day one

Take a view

Marvel at the mountainous backdrop from the lungs of the city, Parque Metropolitano. It is popular with runners and cyclists who head up to the Virgin Mary statue at the top of the 869m hill Cerro San Cristobal (2) at weekends, while the less energetic can take a funicular train (10am-7pm, 2,000CLP return for adults, 1,500CLP return for children) from Estacion Pio Nono (3).

Cerro San Cristobal (Turismo Chile)

Take a hike

For a snapshot of Chiles history, start at La Moneda (4) in the historic centre. This is the presidential palace where left-wing president Salvador Allende died in the 1973 coup detat led by General Augusto Pinochet. Book a free tour in advance; you can ask for tours in English and they operate each weekday at selected times between 9.30am and 6.30pm.

From here, head one block east then walk north on Bandera to find the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (5) (closed Mondays) and admire beautiful pottery from Chiles pre-Columbian cultures.

Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Turismo Chile)

Head north one block and turn right onto Catedral to find Plaza de Armas (1), the heart of the city since it was founded by Spaniard Pedro de Valdivia in 1541, and home to street sellers, colonial buildings and soaring Chilean palms. Continue east on Catedral and turn north on to Mosqueto to find the pretty Parque Forestal (6), and the national fine art museum, Bellas Artes (7) (closed Mondays).

Bellas Artes (Turismo Chile)

Lunch on the run

The street Jose Victorino Lastarria gives its name to the trendy Lastarria district. Try lunch here, at Chipe Libre (8), where you can sample Chiles national drink, pisco  as well as several Peruvian piscos (both countries claim the drink as their own and make them using slightly different distillation methods)  plus well-executed northern Chilean and Peruvian dishes, from ceviche and empanadas to sauteed beef tenderloin.

Window shopping

Artisans sell everything from leather work to wood crafts and jewellery in adobe huts at Pueblito Los Dominicos (9). It is open daily from 10am-8pm.

Pueblito Los Dominicos (Turismo Chile)

An aperitif

Head to Bar The Clinic (10) for a drink with a political twist. Owned by a left-leaning satirical magazine of the same name, it is decorated with political cartoons and is a great place to try Patagonian microbrews as well as cocktails and Chiles bountiful wines.

Dine with the locals

Restaurante 040 (11) (closed Sundays and Mondays) is one of the citys most in-demand eateries, offering 12-course tasting menus celebrating local ingredients such as local clams served with pork scratchings and beetroot salsa, and hake churros with a parmesan dipping sauce. At 35,000CLP a head it is more than fairly priced. There is also the option to pair wines with each dish and customers can also head up to the speakeasy-style rooftop bar for a digestif.

Fine dining (Restaurante 040/Facebook)

Liguria (12) (closed Sundays), is a bistro with a quirky selection of vintage adverts and art on the walls, a buzzing bar area and waiters dressed in waistcoats and aprons. The food focuses on classic Chilean dishes such as saltwater clams with parmesan and hake with lentils. The wine list is extensive, too.

Day two

Sunday morning: out to brunch

The Peluqueria Francesa, which translates as French hairdresser, may seem an unlikely place for lunch  particularly as it is still turning out Santiagos most-coiffed inhabitants  but within the elegant yellow and red brick 1925 building you will also find Boulevard Lavaud (13), a French-inspired eatery named after the founder of the original hairdresser in 1868. It is open from 11am-5pm on Sundays and from 9am-1am in the week and 9am-2am on Fridays and Saturdays, serving savoury crepes, seafood, meats and salads in antique surroundings.

A walk in the park

You'll never tire of the mountain view in Santiago and central Cerro Santa Lucia (14) is another hilltop park where you can drink it all in. Stroll the pathways and stone staircases that wind their way past two bougainvillea-draped 19th-century forts, a church, fountains, monuments and lookout points (from 9am-8pm daily).

Cerro Santa Lucia (Turismo Chile)

Take a ride

A stroll through the leafy barrio of Providencia is an enjoyable way to while away an hour or two. It is graced by wide, tree-lined boulevards and grand early 20th-century houses, while the main street, Avenida Providencia, is lined with relaxed bars and cafes. You can reach it by taking the clean, modern Metro to Pedro de Valdivia (15), then simply stroll south on any of the quieter streets.

Cultural afternoon

Chiles Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda was a leading light of the left-wing movement in the 20th century and died shortly after the coup detat. The eccentric had a fascination with the sea and decorated his blue and yellow Santiago home in Bellavista (entry 6,000CLP; 10-6pm; closed Mondays) in the style of a boat and lighthouse. Named La Chascona (16) for his mistress who he called the messy haired one, the house displays his lovelorn poetry and also reveals a tempestuous time in Chiles history.

La Chascona (Diego Maia/Flickr)

The icing on the cake

The bustling food market La Vega (17) offers an authentic flavour of Chilean life and is open from 5am-5pm. Try the unusual Latin American fruits on sale such as the sweet chirimoya custard apple and maqui berries, once used by the Mapuche to make alcohol, and then head across the road to La Vega Chica (18) for a lunch of pastel de choclo (a meat and chicken dish covered in corn) or humitas (corn dough steamed in a banana leaf and filled with minced meat).

La Vega (Turismo Chile)

Travel essentials

Getting there

British Airways commences four flights per week from Heathrow to Santiago on 3 January. Alternative routes include Latam from Heathrow via Sao Paulo, Avianca from Heathrow via Bogota, Air Europa from Gatwick via Madrid and Air France from a range of UK airports via Paris.

 Chile - from the desert to the sea

Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (19) is located about 15km north-west of the city centre. Head to the official taxi stands in the arrivals hall where the fixed rate for a taxi to the city centre is about 22,000CLP and a shared drop-off is 7,000CLP.

There are also two bus lines operating routes to the city centre. Buses Centropuerto and TurBus Aeropuerto both charge 1,700CLP (2) one way. They operate from 6am-11.30pm and take about half an hour.

Staying there

W Santiago (20) is set among the glittering skyscrapers of the Las Condes district with mountain views from the bedrooms as well as a rooftop pool and bar. Doubles from US$299 including breakfast.

W Santiago

The Aubrey (21) is set in a beautiful 1927-built mansion with 15 stylishly decorated rooms (bone inlay Indian chairs, antiques, brightly coloured and patterned textiles) pretty patios and a sunny pool area. Doubles from US$195 including breakfast.

Hotel Boutique Tremo (22) is set in an early 20th-century building and its understated white rooms are brightened with splashes of colour  some also have their own balcony. Doubles from 70,000CLP including breakfast.

More information

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In July, leading consumer aviation website Skytrax, named AirAsia the best low-cost airline in the world for the eighth consecutive year.

The Sepang-based airline was presented with the award at a ceremony during the 2016 Farnborough Airshow.

"We just won worlds best low-cost Airline for the eighth time, which is pretty damn cool," AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes told Skytrax. "I want to thank all my staff who ensure that low-cost doesnt mean low quality."

"Even though weve won this award eight times, we know we can be better, we want to improve our customer service, we want to improve talking to you," Fernandes added.

The Skytrax rankings are based on the impressions of 19.2 million travellers from 104 different countries. The survey, which covered more than 280 airlines, measured 41 parameters ranging from boarding procedures to seat comfort to the quality of service.

Here are the 10 best low-cost airlines in the world, according to the results of the Skytrax survey.

10. Azul Brazilian Airlines

Previous rank: N/A

Why it's awesome: Azul Brazilian Airlines is the latest brainchild of JetBlue and WestJet co-founder David Neeleman. The Sao Paolo-based airline operates a fleet of new Airbus, ATR, and Embraer airliners mainly on routes within Brazil. Its Airbus fleet now operates to limited destinations in the US and Europe.

In addition to a top 10 finish, Azul also picked up the awards for Best Low-Cost Airline in South America and Best Airline Staff in South America.

9. Jetstar Asia

Previous rank: 9

Why it's awesome: Founded in 2004, Jetstar Asia is a Singapore-based subsidiary of Jetstar Airways which itself is the low-cost offshoot of Australia's Qantas Group. Jetstar Asia operates a small fleet of Airbus A320 airliners to destinations in southeast Asia.

Reviewers on Skytrax praise the airline for its effective ground staff and great value for money.

8. IndiGo

Previous rank:7

Why it's awesome: The New Delhi-based airline burst on the scene in 2006 and quickly became one of the best low-cost carriers in Asia. The airline operates a brand new fleet of more than 100 Airbus A320 jets. With more than 400 Airbus jets on order, IndiGo is one of the quickest growing airlines in the region. Reviewers on Skytrax praised the airline for its great cabin service and good value for money.

For the seventh consecutive year, IndiGo has been named Best Low-Cost Airline in Central Asia / India.

7. WestJet

Previous rank: 8

Why it's awesome: Since its launch in 1996, WestJet has grown to become Canada's second largest airline. The Calgary-based company is the work of Azul and JetBlue co-founder David Neeleman. WestJet currently operates its fleet of more than 100 Boeing jets to more than 100 destinations throughout North America and the Caribbean.

6. AirAsia X

Previous rank: 6

Why it's awesome: AirAsia X is the long-haul subsidiary of Malaysia's low-cost mega airline AirAsia. The airline's fleet of Airbus A330-300 jets are outfitted with both premium and economy cabins and operates throughout Asia.

In fact, the low-cost airline's premium service garnered AirAsiaX with the Skytrax awards for World's Best Low Cost Airline Premium Cabin and World's Best Low Cost Airline Premium Seat.

5. Jetstar Airways

The baby was delivered by a team of three doctors and crew (Reuters)

Previous rank: 5

Why it's awesome: JetStar Airways the low-cost subsidiary of Australia's national airline  Qantas. The Melbourne-based airline operates a fleet of Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Skytrax reviewers praised the airline for its quality cabin service and good value for money.

For the fifth year in a row, Jetstar has been named Best Low Cost Airline in Australia & Pacific.

4. EasyJet

easyJet's profits have been affected by a tumultuous financial year (PA)

Previous rank: 4

Why it's awesome: Over the past two decades, EasyJet and its no-frills, low-cost approach has helped it become one of the world's leading budget airlines. The airline's fleet of more than 230 Airbus jets fly to roughly 800 destinations throughout Europe.

Reviewers on Skytrax praised the airline for its solid service and low prices.

3. Norwegian

Previous rank: 3

Why it's awesome: Norwegian Air is one of the most aggressive and controversial airlines in the world. The low-cost carrier had drawn the ire of its US competitors by proposing a plan to operate trans-Atlantic flights using an Ireland-based subsidiary. The airline's critics claim that such a move would allow Norwegian to flaunt Norway's strict labor laws and use Ireland as a flag of convenience. Norwegian has denied these accusations. Regardless, Norwegian CEO Bjrn Kjos plans to launch $69 trans-Atlantic flights in the near future from the US.

In the mean time, the airline is certainly beloved by its customers. Norwegian has been named Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe four-years in a row. In addition, the company also picked up the award for the World's Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline.

2. Virgin America

Virgin America came first while United came eighth (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Previous rank: 2

Why it's awesome: Once again, Virgin America is not only the best low-cost airline in North America, it's also the best airline on the continent. The San Francisco-based boutique carrier offers the style and high quality service expected from a Virgin-branded company, but with the competitive prices of a low-cost carrier. In April, the company was sold to Alaska Airlines for $2.6 billion. It is unclear what the future will hold for the brand.

1. AirAsia

Previous rank: 1

Why it's awesome: For the eighth year in a row, AirAsia has earned the title of World's Best Low-Cost Airline. CEO Tony Fernandes and his team have done a miraculous job over the past 15 years to turn a small, failed, state-owned airline in one a multi-national aviation juggernaut.

Reviews of AirAsia on Skytrax praise the airline for its responsive customer service, friendly cabin crew, and efficient operation.

See additional airline information at Skytrax.

 25 habits that psychologists have linked with happiness

 27 stunning images that were taken by Google Street View

 Here's what 15 of the most popular brand names really mean

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This year has been suffused with suffering and tragedy, from the deaths of celebrated childhood icons to the immense loss of life in Yemen and Syria. Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher may be just one of many who slipped away from us too soon, but her legacy as an outspoken mental health advocate must not be overlooked.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 24, Fisher demonstrated a lifelong commitment to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Her openness and honesty serve as an inspiration and a rallying cry to anyone whos suffered from mental health problems. Her three memoirs, countless interviews and newspaper advice column sent a clear message: I will not be silent, I will not be cowed by my past or the chemistry in my brain.

Fisher wasnt ashamed. She was strong enough to override any innate compulsion to be secretive about the reality of living with bipolar. She recognised shame and embarrassment as entirely superfluous to requirements. Carrie Fisher faced her illness with strength and humour, using her wit to transform the other of bipolar disorder into something ordinary and manageable.

 Carrie Fisher: Fans mourn Star Wars heroine

In an interview with ABC News, she said: I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, Im still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.

She spoke about addiction in the same candid way, never conforming to the unspoken yet pervasive belief that famous men bingeing on drugs are damaged and glamorous (Keith Richard, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Depp) while famous women are damaged and contemptible (Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan).

Recommended George Michael taught me that gay sex is nothing to be ashamed of

Its inevitable that some will respond to Fishers death with the same pseudo-moralism that tainted the coverage of the late George Michael, as though addiction and mental illness are characteristics for us to sigh and raise our eyebrows over. I like to imagine that Carrie would be laughing at this pursed-lipped, pearl-clutching, one hand resting on her beloved French bulldog Gary and the other reaching to perch her thick-rimmed glasses on top of her head.

Theres altogether too much disingenuous talk about what makes a good female role model, but I can say that Carrie Fisher is one of mine. She triumphed over addiction and bad relationships. In her final advice column, she wrote to another bipolar sufferer: We have been given a challenging illness, and there is no other option than to meet those challenges. She describes the heroism inherent in emotionally surviving the experience of living with mental illness with a wisdom not easily acquired.

Fisher should be remembered as much more than a princess clad in a gold slave bikini. She was a mental health activist, a writer and a feminist; a woman who displayed the kind of courage, warmth and honesty that many of us can only aspire to.
University College Dublin, which counts poet Anthony Cronin among its former students

The writer, critic and poet Anthony Cronin has died.

The Arts Council paid tribute to the influential cultural commentator and arts adviser to former taoiseach Charles Haughey, who died aged 88.

Cronin was a noted poet and critic while still a student in University College Dublin.

He went on to publish 14 volumes of poetry, the classic memoir of literary Dublin in the mid-20th century, Dead As Doornails, acclaimed biographies of Flann O'Brien and Samuel Beckett, the novels The Life of Riley and Identity Papers and books of essays.

He was described by the Arts Council as an iconic figure in Irish letters, an impassioned and incisive commentator on politics and culture and one of the most influential of Irish writers during a long and varied life.

Sheila Pratschke, chair of the Arts Council, said: "Tony Cronin was a rare example of the public intellectual in Irish life - committed, fearless, rigorous in his thought, and unashamedly forthright in his advocacy of what he thought right and good."

Cronin was central to the establishment of Aosdana by Haughey, the affiliation which recognises achievement by artists in all disciplines.

He was conferred with the high honour of Saoi by the organisation in 1993, joining the likes of Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Sean O Faolain, Mary Lavin, Tony O'Malley and Brian Friel.

Ms Pratschke said: "Unfailingly courteous and generous in his dealings with others, and particularly kind to emerging younger writers, Cronin held himself to the highest standard in his literary production.

"The poems were ever and always at the heart of his work, being unashamedly modernist in their rigour, sometimes bleak, but always forgiving and always passionately humane."

Cronin was b orn in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford in 1928.

He was editor of The Bell magazine and also literary editor of the London journal, Time and Tide.

He wrote an Irish Times column Viewpoint from 1973 to 1980, which dealt with political, literary and social topics and has since been regarded as often prophetic.

The Arts Council said: "He believed in a Republic worthy of the Irish people, and was unstinting in his contributions to the public life of a country that often infuriated him but never lost either his love or his allegiance."

Cronin is survived by his wife Anne and daughter Sarah.

Heather Humphreys, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, paid tribute to his writing and journalism and his work on fellow artists' welfare.

" Anthony loomed large in Ireland's cultural life, both as a prolific poet and an acclaimed author," she said.

"However, it is perhaps for his cultural activism and his work as an advocate for the artists of Ireland that he will be best remembered."

Ms Humphreys said the creation of Aosdana was a concern "typical of a man who continued to make a significant contribution to the public life of this country throughout his life".

Publisher New Island Books said: "The passing of Anthony Cronin is a great loss. We're proud to have worked with him for many years. RIP."

President Michael D Higgins said Cronin made an immense contribution to Irish life and sensibility.

"His version of the Republic was as one of a republic of ideas, international, informed and not bound by a single language," he said.

Mr Higgins praised his work as a critic and poet, introducing a new generation to "iconic and often eclectic neglected works of immense beauty."

"Sabina and I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Anne, to his many friends in the community of letters, and all those who will miss his generous wit, contestatory humour and capacity for life in all its contradictions," he said.
Tributes have been paid to poet and critic Anthony Cronin who has died, aged 88.

Mr Cronin, who wrote a column on poetry for the Sunday Independent, was described as an "iconic figure in Irish letters, an impassioned and incisive commentator on politics and culture, and one of the most influential of Irish writers during a long and varied life".

Born in Enniscorthy in 1928, Mr Cronin was already a noted poet and critic while still a student in UCD.

He went on to publish 14 volumes of poetry, acclaimed biographies of Flann OBrien and Samuel Beckett, the novels The Life of Riley and Identity Papers, a number of books of essays, and a memoir of literary Dublin in the mid 20th century, Dead As Doornails.

He was editor of The Bell magazine, and was also literary editor of the London journal, Time and Tide.

His Irish Times column, Viewpoint, was published between 1973 and 1980.

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Most recently he wrote a column on poetry for the Sunday Independent.

Sunday Independent Editor Cormac Bourke said: Anthony Cronin was a poet and philosopher; he was an intellectual powerhouse of the 20th Century. One of the must influential culture figures in modern Ireland, he was a regular contributor to the Sunday Independent across three decades, including his popular weekly poetry column.

It was an honour to have him continue to grace the pages of the Sunday Independent and we will be proud to publish his final selection for that column this Sunday. Our deepest condolences to his wife Anne and daughter Sarah  and his many colleagues and friends.

Sunday Independent Literary Editor Madeleine Keane said: "I'm very saddened to hear about the death of Anthony Cronin. Receiving his Sunday poem each week was a joy because it was always fascinating to see what emerged from that formidable mind of his. It has been a great privilege to work with him for the last 14 years. My deepest sympathies to his family and most especially to his wife Anne Haverty."

Speaking today, Sheila Pratschke, Chair of the Arts Council said: Tony Cronin was a rare example of the public intellectual in Irish life  committed, fearless, rigorous in his thought, and unashamedly forthright in his advocacy of what he thought right and good. Appalled by the penury faced by so many senior Irish artists in their later years, he persuaded then Taoiseach Charles Haughey, to whom he was cultural advisor, to establish Aosdana, an independent affiliation of artists which recognises significant achievement by artists in all disciplines.

"He served from its inception on the Toscaireacht, the steering committee, of the organisation. He was conferred with the high honour of Saoi by that body in 1993, joining among other luminaries Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Sean O Faolain, Mary Lavin, Tony OMalley and Brian Friel.

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"Unfailingly courteous and generous in his dealings with others, and particularly kind to emerging younger writers, Cronin held himself to the highest standard in his literary production. The poems were ever and always at the heart of his work, being unashamedly modernist in their rigour, sometimes bleak, but always forgiving and always passionately humane.

He is survived by his wife Anne and daughter Sarah.
Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford as Princess Leia and Han Solo in Star Wars. Image: Star Wars

Hollywood superstar Harrison Ford has led tributes to Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who has died at the age of 60.

Ford, who appeared as Hans Solo opposite Fishers Princess Leia in four Star Wars films, hailed his co-star, saying: We will all miss her.

The Indiana Jones actor (74) said in a statement: Carrie was one-of-a-kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless.

She lived her life, bravely.

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Mark Hamill, who played the main role of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars alongside Fisher, tweeted: No words #Devastated.

Anthony Daniels, who played the android C3PO, said: I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree.

I didnt. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many. I am very, very sad.

Billy Dee Williams, who starred as buccaneer turned resistance general Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, said: Im deeply saddened at the news of Carries passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!

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Fisher also lent her voice to the cartoon series Family Guy, playing the part of Angela, the overbearing brewery boss of main character Peter Griffin.

The shows creator, Seth MacFarlane, said: Carrie Fisher was smart, funny, talented, surprising, and always a hell of a fun time to be around. Family Guy will miss her immensely.

Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which now produces the Star Wars films, said: Carrie Fisher was one-of-a-kind, a true character who shared her talent and her truth with us all with her trademark wit and irreverence.

Millions fell in love with her as the indomitable Princess Leia  she will always have a special place in the hearts of Star Wars fans as well as all of us who were lucky enough to know her personally.

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Irish star Sharon Horgan, who convinced Fisher to play the role of her mother-in-law on her sitcom Catastrophe, posted a tribute on Instagram.

Carrie was my friend. It took me three series but I got her in the end. She was the most generous, fun, gifted, smart, kind, funny funny funny person Ive ever met. She certainly wasnt ready to go. Im so glad we became pals. Im so devastated at her loss. I want to write about her more but I cant process yet, she wrote.
Almost 400 homes in Dublin are without power due to a fire at an ESB box.

Some 382 homes in the Ballyfermot area have no electricity due to an ongoing fire at an ESB box on the Blackditch Road.

Dublin Fire Brigade is on the scene and two pumps are in attendance at the fire.

The ESB has said it hopes to have power restored by 22.15 tonight.

The power cut out at 18.35 on Wednesday evening.

Live updates can be found on the ESB's Power Check site.

The Dublin Fire Brigade finished at the scene at around 8:35pm.

Customers were later told they would not have their power restored tonight, with tweets from ESB stating: "Following a fire at our #Ballyfermot substation, customers involved will not have their power restored tonight."
Lina Tumene, with her children, Mia McGauley (5), and Modetas Tumenas (11), pictured before they gave a donation into Apollo House yesterday. Photo: Damien Eagers

Campaigners behind Apollo House are planning to take their campaign against homelessness nationwide.

Spokeswoman Rosie Leonard said the campaign will be expanded to other cities around the country.

Home Sweet Home campaign and Irish Housing Network are also not ruling out seeking an extension to the court-mandated deadline to vacate the Dublin building.

That is despite being ordered to leave by the High Court on January 11 at the latest.

Read more: 'Emotional' day as homeless treated to Christmas dinner

However, the group told RTE their current focus is on applying political pressure over the homeless crisis.

Meanwhile, keeping heat in the occupied Apollo House office building is a major priority for the Home Sweet Home Campaign.

Thousands of gallons of heating oil has been purchased since the beginning of the occupation.

Volunteer plumber Johnny Byrne has been working to keep the heating and water supplies functioning since the early days of the occupation.

Heating

He said two deliveries of oil, each of 5,000 gallons, have helped make the office building more comfortable to live in.

The second delivery of oil was made on St Stephen's Day.

If the heating was on constantly, some 2,000 gallons of oil would be used every four days, he said.

A spokesman for the Home Sweet Home Campaign said the heating is now being switched on three times a day for a few hours which has succeeded in halving the oil usage.

Mr Byrne (54), from Dundrum, Dublin, also helped install two new shower units on each floor. He said that ESB staff inspected the premises to ensure the electric supply was being used safely.
The elite garda unit tasked with bringing down the Hutch and Kinahan crime gangs foiled at least 15 murders in the last year, a senior detective has revealed.

In an exclusive interview with Independent.ie, Detective Superintenent Tony Howard has also revealed that they have seized 18 high-powered weapons; over 1million in cash; and drugs worth 22m.

In 2016 there were eight gun murders in Ireland, and one in Spain, directly linked to the feud.

Now D-Supt Howard, of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB), has revealed that this number would have been significantly higher were it not for the last-minute interventions of gardai.

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He explained: This year there were at least 15 occasions where we had to react quite quickly because there was an imminent threat to somebodys life.

Quite a number of them would have been feud related.

Asked how close the hits were to taking place, the senior officer responded: We are talking minutes to a couple of hours away from the attack being carried out. Its really all hands to the pump at that stage.

In all of these operations, preservation of life is paramount, he said.

We are responsible for investigating drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms but the reality is that our primary focus is on the preservation of life.

The DOCB was set up almost two years ago when the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) was amalgamated with the Garda National Drugs Unit (GNDU).

Today the DOCB works closely with the newly formed Special Crime Task Force and they have a combined strength of around 150 garda members working out of Garda Headquarters in Harcourt Square.

Although it was busy behind the scenes in 2015 the unit was catapulted into the limelight this year, largely as a result of the events at the Regency Hotel on February 5.

On this date raiders, dressed as gardai and carrying AK47s, stormed the hotel in Drumcondra, North Dublin and gunned down Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne (33) (below).

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What followed over the next six months was the brutal murder of eight men, either aligned to the Hutch faction or mistaken for a member of the Hutch gang.

The most recent killing was that of innocent Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, who was gunned down iin Clondalkin on Thursday, December 22. His death followed four months without a feud-related murder.

The DOCB have been tasked with dismantling both gangs, headed up on the one side by multimillionaire crime kingpin Christy Kinahan and on the other by Gerry The Monk Hutch (below).

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Asked how you bring down such large organisations, D-Supt Howard explained that his unit are targeting the gangs where it hurts most: their money, drugs and firearms.

Money laundering has been an issue that we have focused in on very sharply this year.

We have seized over 1million in cash. Since the foundation of the unit we have seized over 2m in cash.

A lot of this would be connected with drug trafficking and serious individuals involved in organised crime. Individuals who we believe are actively involved in the feud.

The unit have also seized 18 high-powered weapons, including three assault rifles (AK47, AK74s), three sub-machine guns (MP9 sub-machine guns and a Mac 10) and semi-automatic pistols.

They have also uncovered a large number of revolvers, 1,200 rounds of ammunition and, in a new trend, several silencers

I would regard some of this stuff as being military grade, D-Supt Howard explained.

Both gangs make their money out of the drugs trade and this is one area where DOCB have been ruthlessly efficient.

Since the start of the feud they have seized 22m in drugs, including 300kg of cannabis herb and 100kg of cannabis resin worth between 7m-8m.

A worrying trend that they are noticing is the THC content of the cannabis hitting the streets, which can be up to five times stronger than previous batches.

This has led to a number of young people presenting to mental health services with serious problems.

On top of this the DOCB have seized large quantities of cocaine, heroin, MDMA and ecstasy.

A total of 120 people have been arrested for drug trafficking, money laundering or possession of firearms offences by the unit in 2016

But what difference is this all making?

D-Supt Howard answered: We are certainly driving a wedge between these gangs. From a strategic point of view, the sooner this violence ends the better.

Communities are hurting, because it is not like other feuds.

He continued: These gangs dont own the city and my job is to make sure that they dont

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D-Supt Howard, who grew up in Dublins North Inner city, explained that this is not just a northside v southside feud as people within each community are moving their allegiances.

We are into them. Every chance we have of driving a wedge further between them, we do. If its seizing guns, firearms or drugs and arresting these individuals. Going forward, the gangs themselves are really the ones that need to realise that the communities dont want this violence.

He believes that peace can only be achieved if the warring gangs are prepared to stop targeting each other.

Its a very personal feud and that [The willingness to find a solution] has to come from within the groups themselves.

Given that eight of those killed in the feud are linked, either directly or indirectly to the Hutch faction, there is a perception that the feud is one-sided. D-Supt Howard, who has worked in the force for 35 years, argues that this isnt the case.

People would have to realise that this is one very large organised crime gang that have got involved in a very personalised feud.

People have taken sides and there is constant targeting on both sides. Individual members from both sides of the feud have been targeting each other, gathering information and watching the movements of the other gang members.

There shouldnt be sympathy for one side or the other. All murder is wrong and these crimes are particularly heinous.

Not only have individuals been murdered but communities have been torn apart by this feud. The North Inner City has been particularly affected.

Taking on the criminal gangs and preserving the lives of gangland targets often puts garda lives in the firing line.

And with the murders of Detective Adrian Donohoe in January 2013 and Garda Tony Golden in October 2015 - both in Co Louth - there is a heightened awareness in the force surrounding the safety of members.

This is often felt most acutely in the DOCB where detectives are asked to face down some of the most dangerous criminals in the state and come between these warring crime gangs.

You really are asking young guards to put their lives into serious danger but they are very dedicated, they are highly motivated and they have had training, said D-Supt Howard.

It still doesnt take away from the fact that you are asking young guards to put their lives in danger.

As a manager, D-Supt Howard explains that this is something he struggles with.

Always, you try and rationalise it. We have to catch these people and we have to interrupt them. We cant allow the feud to go on and lives be taken.

We do have to interrupt and get involved in these things. Its our work, he said.

Asked how he himself might deal with threats, the senior garda responds: They can threaten me all they like, but it ain't going to make any difference to me. I know who most of them are and they know me.

They know me and they know Im fair.

I have 35 years served, most of them as a detective and most of them in and around the city centre, so Id have an in depth knowledge of the families involved.

Almost 11 months on from the Regency shooting there are no signs that this feud is slowing down.

But D-Supt Howard said the DOCB is not slowing down either.

He explained that in the new year his unit will continue their fight to eradicate all organised crime.

In terms of the feud we will be proactive in how we tackle the individuals involved. Ill reassure the public that our efforts arent going to lessen in 2017.
In the first nine months of this year alone almost 200,000 was used to train gardai to use a firearm, but this figure does not include the new Armed Support Unit (ASU), which began its training in September. Photo: Mark Condren

Gardai have spent almost 1.5m on gun training for elite units in the fight against organised crime gangs and potential terrorist threats.

In the first nine months of this year alone almost 200,000 was used to train gardai to use a firearm, but this figure does not include the new Armed Support Unit (ASU), which began its training in September.

The Irish Independent can reveal that since 2010 a total of 1,441,757.80 was spent at the Firearms Training Unit at the Garda Training College, Templemore, Co Tipperary, and Garda HQ.

This facility is used for basic and refresher gun training courses, development of training strategies, research into new firearms and equipment.

It provides initial training for the elite Emergency Response Unit (ERU), as well as training and annual refresher training for the Regional Support Unit (RSU).

Gardai attached to a District Detective Unit (DDU) are also provided with initial training and refresher courses.

The training unit carries out exercises at both Garda and military facilities around the country. The ERU, an elite section of the Special Detective Unit (SDU), primarily focuses on 'high-end' crime including dissident republicans and organised crime gangs.

Its heavily armed members were forced to patrol the streets of Dublin following the Regency Hotel murder on February 5, when Kinahan cartel associate David Byrne (33) was shot dead.

Elite Garda snipers were also deployed for the funerals of Byrne and Eddie Hutch (59), who was shot dead on February 8. The rare deployment of specially trained marksmen was in anticipation of retaliatory attacks from gangs involved in the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

Each of the six Garda regions has an RSU attached to it, which respond to armed incidents including shootings and aggravated burglaries.

Up to September this year, a total of 183,857.51 in subsistence allowance was paid to the firearms instructors for the provision of firearm training.

The highest figure paid was in 2010, when costs exceeded 250,000. The lowest total figure was in 2012, when 176,025.88 in costs was associated to firearm instructors.

Each individual garda trained in the use of a firearm must do a minimum of two live firearm refresher training sessions and one computer generated situation, known as a FATS, each year to retain the authorisation to carry a firearm.

Since 2013, 10,049 members of An Garda Siochana have received basic training and refresher courses.
Fianna Fail will demand the Government introduces classes targeted specifically at children with special needs in every school in the country.

The party, which is underpinning the Fine Gael-led minority government, is currently working on an amendment to legislation set to come before the Dail in 2017.

The Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill proposes that schools must take in children with special needs who otherwise can't get a school place.

However, it does not oblige schools to recruit a suitable level of teachers qualified to deal with special needs classes.

Fianna Fail spokesperson on education Thomas Byrne told the Irish Independent there is a severe shortage of school places available for children with autism spectrum disorders.

"The situation is reaching a crisis point with respect to the shortage of ASD places and many children with autism are already being denied their right to be educated in a mainstream secondary school.

"This is because there is a serious shortage of special ASD classes at post-primary level, with less than half (45pc) the number of classes available at primary level," he said.

Overall there are 548 ASD classes at primary and just 237 at post-primary. There is also a shortage of ASD classes at pre-school level, with only 127 classes available throughout the country.

"I will be proposing, on behalf of Fianna Fail, an amendment to the legislation to ensure that schools can be mandated by the National Council for Special Education to have special classes to cater particularly for children with autism," Mr Byrne said.

Choice

Between 2011 and 2015 the number of students being assessed as having ASD increased by 85pc - from 2,742 to 5,041.

Mr Byrne said it is important that children are "given the choice be able to go to a local secondary school with a special class if that is what meets their particular needs". "That means that special classes within mainstream secondary schools must not be confined to certain schools but provided around the country in a fair manner."

In a Christmas interview with reporters, Taoiseach Enda Kenny defended his Government's record on special needs education, noting that funding is available for 115 new special needs assistants next month.

"You really don't know the number of SNAs that you're going to require for the year ahead until June.

"Put it this way. We've had an increase in SNAs for a number of years. We now have more special needs assistants than we have members of the Garda or indeed doctors," he said.

"Indeed it shows you the commitment of government to giving every child who has a particular assessed challenge and difficulty an opportunity to benefit from that."

However, Mr Byrne said the Government's "only response has been to outlaw the so-called 'soft barriers' being used against children with special needs during school admissions in new legislation".

"Children with ASD are being failed by the State and a much greater sense of urgency is required to ensure these children can claim their constitutional entitlement to education gaining admission to an appropriate school," he said.
The paintings from the stately house in Co Wicklow, believed to be worth around 7m, were sold in a bid to keep the house from closing.

A national heritage group says it is "dismayed" at the sale of Old Master paintings from Russborough House.

The paintings from the stately house in Co Wicklow, believed to be worth around 7m, were sold in a bid to keep the house from closing.

But the National Conservation and Heritage Group said it offered to maintain the property in Blessington for free to avoid the paintings being sold off.

Damien Cassidy, the group's chairman, said he was not informed of the sale and that the group would have worked for free to maintain the house.

"They could have accepted our offer of volunteering, instead of selling these paintings.

"That's why we are so dismayed that no one lifted a phone to call us," he said.

The volunteers renovated Kilmainham Gaol in the 1960s, and Mr Cassidy said artefacts found in the prison were never sold.

Russborough House was left in trust to the people of Ireland by Sir Alfred and Lady Beit.

The Alfred Beit Foundation, the non-profit organisation looking after the house, has said a fund of up to 15m was needed for the house's long-term viability.
Hopes of ploughing money from the sugar tax directly back into the fight against obesity have been dashed.

The Finance Department estimates it will yield at least 101.3m a year - but it is refusing to pledge to put it back into the prevention and treatment of the obesity epidemic.

A spokesman for the department told the Irish Independent the approach known as hypothecation - earmarking the revenue for a specific purpose - is not favoured by Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

"There is no intention to hypothecate the revenues from the tax on sugar sweetened drinks for any particular health-related service," he said.

The approach puts him on a collision course with the Health Department - which is in favour of following on the example of the tobacco tax revenues, which have helped fund the cardiovascular strategy.

Since 2000, this has meant 168m has been paid over annually for health provision.

The Finance Department stance has been condemned by leading obesity expert Dr Donal O'Shea, who said it was a missed opportunity.

He has already expressed his frustration at the failure to provide funding for the obesity plan - launched with great fanfare in 2016 - in the October Budget.

"They have to ensure the money is spent on the obesity plan. The precedent has already been set by funds from tobacco taxes.

"There is no rationale for not doing this," he said.

A Healthy Ireland Fund, which will partly provide support to the obesity plan, is in need of 25m a year to put it on a sustainable footing - but just 5m was allocated for 2017.

An MRBI poll found 78pc of people supported a sugar tax when it was used for obesity prevention in children.

The Finance Department said the revenue expected from a tax on sugar sweetened drinks will depend on the final design of the tax.

There may be a range of yields - for example a 10c tax on a 33cl can of fizzy drink would generate approximately 101.3m in a year.

This is assuming no change in consumer behaviour or reformulation, reducing sugar content in drinks by the manufacturing industry, he added.

The approach is in marked contrast to the plans outlined in the UK, which will introduce a sugar tax at the same time as Ireland.

The UK pledged to earmark the funding to double the PE and sport premium for primary schools, expand school breakfast clubs and support more secondary schools to offer a long school day, including more sport.
Sarah Clancy, who has died aged 108, never married or had children, but loved youngsters and babysat until she was 95. When she was a little girl, her neighbours included Padraig Pearse. Photo: Sean O Mainnin

Ireland's oldest citizen Sarah Clancy has died at the age of 108.

Ms Clancy, from Carraroe, Connemara, Co Galway, died peacefully in her sleep yesterday morning.

The native Irish speaker shared her May 2 birthday with local legend Colm de Bhailis, who died at the age of 110 in 1906, two years before Ms Clancy was born.

When she was a little girl she had a remarkable neighbour. Padraig Pearse had a cottage down the road at Ros Muc.

And the so-called "Coward of the Titanic", Bruce Ismay, sought refuge at nearby Costello Lodge after the former managing director of White Star Lines was pilloried in the press on both sides of the Atlantic for fleeing the sinking ship while women and children perished.

Despite being a walking history book, having had Roger Casement visit her school when she was five, Ms Clancy never celebrated her birthdays and loved to keep her neighbours guessing about her age, according to a recent 'Connacht Tribune' profile.

She had eight siblings, all of whom have died. But she never lost touch with her childhood home Sruthan and returned there in 1988 after moving to Boston where she worked as a cook and maid to wealthy Bostonians for 50 years.

Although she never married or had children of her own, she loved children and would answer their letters to Santa.

She stopped babysitting local children at the age of 95, according to her nephew Petie MacDonagh, who along with his wife Patricia, cared for Ms Clancy at her home.

While she would occasionally get respite care at the local HSE-run nursing home, Aras Mhic Dara, Ms Clancy once remarked about the "very old-looking" residents of the home despite being over a century old herself.

She also refused to be ferried around in a wheelchair until she hit 107.

Officials from the nursing home were unavailable for comment last night.

But local county councillor Sean O Tuairisg paid tribute to her as a local legend.

He said: "She lived to a fine ripe old age. She was an exceptional woman."
The heartbroken father of an 18-year-old who collapsed and died following a night out has told how his "caring" daughter touched the lives of everyone she met.

Dearbhla Harbinson, from Co Antrim, died after becoming ill at a house in west Belfast days before Christmas.

The student's father Lenny said she had just recently returned home from Dublin, where she attended university, for the holidays.

The first year psychology student was with friends when she suddenly became unwell.

She was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where she spent two days in the intensive care unit before dying on Friday.

Her family is awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination.

Speaking from his home yesterday, Mr Harbinson, who is prominent in Antrim GAA circles, said the death had left him shocked bereft.

"We are devastated by the untimely death of our daughter. She was a very affectionate, loving and caring girl," he said.

"She was associated with the school community in many aspects and touched the lives of everyone.

"Many people turned up to show their condolences. She was very talented creatively and academically. It's just a terrible loss for us.

"She had just started her first term at University College Dublin.

"She loved her course and was getting on very well. She finished one of her exams recently and was due to go back and do more exams.

"Her brother and sister, Darren and Etaoin, are also in Dublin. Dearbhla was in the Royal Hospital since the early hours of last Wednesday morning, but unfortunately died on Friday.

"She was getting fantastic support and help from staff in the intensive care unit.

"They did everything possible for her.

"It's devastating... we are in shock."

Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the former Rathmore Grammar School pupil at St Joseph's Church in Glenavy on St Stephen's Day.

Speaking during the Requiem Mass, Father Colm McBride said: "Dearbhla was a very kind and very generous person who always seemed to be so full of life."

The student, who earned the Pope John Paul II Award for her hard work in her local community, was described as having a "beautiful soul" on social media.

"I am so fortunate to call you my best friend. Until we meet again Derv," one friend said.

Another friend posted on Facebook: "My heart is heavy, but also full, so full of love, pride and gratitude that I had the blessing and honour of calling this beautiful soul my friend. Love you always and forever Derv."

Another wrote: "My beautiful best friend, twin sister and now my angel."

Ballymacnab Round Towers GAA club in Co Armagh, which Mr Harbinson manages, posted on Facebook: "The committee, players and members deeply regret the passing of Dearbhla Harbinson, dearly beloved daughter of our senior manager, Lenny.

"We offer our deepest sympathy to him and his wife Roisin and the entire family circle."

Dearbhla is survived by her parents Lenny and Roisin, and siblings Darren, Etaoin and Aoibhinn.
An appeal has been launched to help cover the funeral costs of a ten-year-old girl who died after her flight was diverted to Shannon.

Young Madra was travelling with three of her siblings from Canada to Nigeria when she suddenly took ill and the plane she was travelling on was diverted to Shannon.

A fundraising campaign to help her heartbroken family cover cover the costs of the little girl's funeral has been set up. A go fund me account has already raised more than 10,000 of a 14,500 goal.

"On Christmas Eve my three sisters and I left Toronto to spend Christmas with our extended family in Nigeria. Our mom flew ahead of us. Our beautiful youngest sister Madra (10) was with us," a statement on the page reads.

"She took ill on the plane and despite the efforts of some kind medics on board they could not save her. We have been in Ireland since then, waiting to take our dear sister back to Canada.

"The Irish police and medical teams and Air Canada have been very helpful in this situation. Our family is a single parent family of 4 children so we do not have the funds to have a proper burial for our beloved Madra. Any help you can give will be deeply appreciated by our family during this time of devastation and grief."

The statement has also revealed that the young girl suffered from a type of anaemia called sickle cell anaemia and any additional money raised will be donated to the clinic where she was looked after.

"Our lovely Madra suffered with sickle cell anaemia and any additional funds will be donated to the clinic she attended, who were so good to her always. Madra was the light of our lives, she brought joy and happiness to our household and we will never be the same without her, however we will keep her memory alive. Thank you," it reads.

The family were travelling on Air Canada flight AC-868 on Christmas Eve. It was a scheduled service from Toronto, Canada, to Heathrow Airport in London when tragedy struck.

The Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner jet, with 238 passengers and crew on board, was just 90 minutes from its destination when the crew declared a medical emergency and advised air traffic controllers they needed to divert and land.

The crew reported they had a young girl on board who was "unresponsive". A doctor and a nurse who were also travelling on the flight began CPR.

The go fund me page set up for Madra's funeral expenses can be found here.
More than 30 years on, I still break out in a cold sweat at the opening bars of 'Careless Whisper'. I am back in the teenage disco. Once the saxophone ushered in the full, rounded tones of George Michael, red-haired lads like me knew the night was over.

The slow set wasn't designed for redheads. It didn't matter how much spadework we had put in, the slow set separated the redheads from the rest. Us carrot-tops may have been able to compete in the chats, laughs and yarns, but when it came to the holy grail of teenage south Dublin - the successful slow-set snog - redhead boys hadn't a prayer. Only the very brave or very drunk teenage girl would regard a redhead as a scalp.

That was just the way it was.

A vicious, adolescent apartheid operated at the slow set and hunky, dark, Mediterranean George Michael tended to signal the beginning of the end for walking Duracells like me. It seemed to me that redhead boys were more likely to be refused entry into bars and clubs than others. I was sure the bouncers hated us.

And so the earliest iteration of my relationship with George Michael is bittersweet, but - wow - he was such a talent. The stories of his generosity are legendary. He supported nurses and miners, not to mention the fact that he gave his less-talented Wham! partner, Andrew Ridgeley, the rights to 'Careless Whisper' just so his mate would have some cash. This was a decent bloke.

Listening to the range of his music is a pure joy.

George Michael was, like all creative people, a completely independent soul, who was prepared to take on the industry when he felt his art was being hijacked by the machine.

Before most artists, singers and writers copped on, Michael realised that the artist had to control his material. His legendary rows with his record label, Sony, centred on the control, as well as the timing, of his album releases. The record company wanted a neat, evenly-spaced schedule, allowing the company to extract as much as possible from each album before milking the fans with the next. This was how the normal commercial product cycle played out. Michael didn't agree with this sequential approach. For him it was all about the inspiration.

He paid heavily for this stance. By the late 1990s, when he was a world superstar and should have been enjoying an unparalleled purple patch, his prodigious output was damaged by ongoing legal battles with the record label.

But his legal battles signalled the end of an era and the beginning of something totally different, whereby disruptive technologies have destroyed the music industry business model. The irony is that the George Michael versus Sony battle was the last great battle of the last big war. Today, neither the artist nor the record company gets the money. Now the lion's share of the cash from music goes to the owners of streaming platforms.

This is a travesty and the same process will afflict other industries in time.

In a sense, George Michael was the last superstar of an old age. He was involved in such a lengthy legal battle with Sony because of the enormous financial clout he had. There was simply too much money at stake for the record label to back down.

In truth, he was one of the last generation of songwriters to be paid properly for their work. Today musicians with amazing talent aren't paid because the advent of streaming has gouged the value out of the artists and, worse than giving that value to the music industry, the internet is transferring value to the owners of platforms like Spotify, Google Play and Pandora.

Now people expect to get music for free and the income goes to the owners/shareholders of these platforms, rather than the old industry producer, record label or the creative artist.

Let this be a warning to all of us. The music industry is a cautionary tale of the massive damage disruptive technology can do to assumptions underlying existing business models and career choices.

What is happening now to musicians is also happening to journalists and others who write for a living. Many journalists can't make a living because people want their information for free and aren't prepared to pay for it. Ultimately, if the consumer doesn't want to pay, the producer goes bust. Automation is making this process endemic.

In time, so-called safe professions like lawyers and accountants, and indeed doctors, will go the way of musicians and journalists. The disruptive technology that will make accountants obsolete is already here. Any job that is formulaic and repetitive, such as bookkeeping, accountancy and the law, will be made redundant on an industrial scale. I mean, why pay a human when a machine can do it for free?

Technology is the silent killer of the bourgeoisie. It knows no boundaries, limits or nationalities.

Think about what has just happened in the past decade in George Michael's industry - the most glamorous, best-financed industry in the world, where the consumers weren't just buyers of products, they were fans! If technology can destroy such an industry, it can destroy any industry.

So what do we do in the face of the relentless march of technology?

Well let's go back to the teenagers - or at least go back to what we tell teenagers today. In Ireland, we are training teenagers to obsess about Leaving Certificate points as if the professions, which the points system aims to perpetuate, are stable and certain in the face of such technological assaults. This is nonsense. The professions are over.

We shouldn't be training our teenagers in the chimera of fake stability. Teenagers need to be trained to deal with ambiguity, not certainty. The key characteristic for a sovereign life, one that ultimately doesn't depend on the suit you wear or the title you possess or the company you work for, is not to be fragile. It is essential to be robust in the face of adversity. This means we have to show them how to embrace uncertainty.

George Michael was an original in an industry that is disappearing. What happened to music in his many decades at the top will happen in most industries. The only difference now is that change is happening quicker.
Kim and Kanye pose on Christmas Day with their two children North (3) and Saint (1)

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have silenced rumours that their relationship is on the rocks and appeared in good spirits at Kris Jenners annual festive party on Christmas Eve, according to reports.

The couple are said to be enjoying the Christmas period together after a traumatic few months, which included Kims robbery in Paris and Kanyes hospitalisation last month.

Speaking to Page Six, a guest at the Jenners Christmas Eve bash revealed that Kim was joined by her husband later in the evening and the couple spent hours mingling with other A-listers. Kim also posed for a photo with her sisters Kylie Jenner and Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian.

They are still a couple, theres no discussion of a separation of a divorce. But they have absolutely had a tough year. Theyve been through a lot, the source said.

The pair and their children North (3) and Saint (1) are said to have spent Christmas Day with Kourtney Kardashian and her partner Scott Disick at their Hollywood home, which they chare with their three children Mason, Penelope and Reign.

Kanye shared an festive image of his family with his fans on Twitter last night.

Although a wedding ring was absent from Kims hand throughout the festive period, sources close to the star say it is a precautionary measure. Kim no longer feels comfortable wearing expensive jewellery outside the house after her traumatic burglary during Paris Fashion Week in October, according to sources.
Irish Television star Vogue Williams has reported her Christmas gifts stolen.

The 31-year-old presenter and model said she was "heartbroken" after jewellery which her mum gifted to her was taken from her luggage as she returned from holiday.

She discovered the jewellery and other gifts were missing when flying from Spain to Dublin after spending a glamorous festive holiday with her family.

Vogue, told her fans on social media: "Heartbroken to find my jewellery and bracelet from my mother was stolen from my luggage today."

Former model Vogue is currently training for a turn in The Jump, the ITV reality show where celebrities learn to ski competitively, which is often plagued by injuries.

She had been recently linked to actor Laurence Fox, the former partner of Billy Piper however their budding romance has apparently fizzled out.

Heartbroken to find that my jewellery and bracelet from my mother was stolen from my luggage today. Please can you help with this @Monarch  Vogue Williams (@VogueWilliams) 27 December 2016
Afghans who were deported from Germany exit the Kabul International Airport (AP)

German authorities say more than 54,000 migrants, including failed asylum-seekers, have received approval for government funding to return to their homeland this year, paving the way for a significant increase in voluntary departures.

Germany is keen to increase the number of rejected would-be refugees leaving the country after last year's influx of 890,000 migrants.

Interior ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns said that the total funding approved for returnees this year was 21.5 million euro (18.3 million).

He said about 35,500 people obliged to leave Germany did so voluntarily in 2015, but noted that the two figures cannot immediately be compared because the number of people who actually departed in 2016 is not yet clear.

Mr Neymanns stressed that interior minister Thomas de Maiziere "has always said voluntary returns are always preferable to deportation".
Facebook's Safety Check feature helped spread false reports of a major explosion in Bangkok's city centre on St Stephen's Day, alarming residents of the city.

The feature, which allows Facebook users to mark themselves as safe to friends and family members after an event such as an attack or natural disaster, was activated due to a minor incident involving a protester throwing firecrackers at a government building.

However, the news reports accompanying Facebook's Safety Check notice carried headlines claiming an explosion had "rocked central Bangkok", which were copied from stories about a deadly attack last year and made the matter appear far more serious.

When a person marks themselves as safe, this notice appears in Facebook users' News Feeds and notifications, along with news stories about the specific incident in order to provide more information.

In this case, the stories, which are generated by an algorithm, featured a link to the website Bangkok Informer with the headline: "Thailand: Explosion rocks central Bangkok" along with the BBC's Breaking News image.

The page, was down for "maintenance" along with the entire Bangkok Informer website on Wednesday. It appeared to use a video from a 2015 BBC story about a bomb in Bangkok that killed 19 people and injured 120.

The Bangkok Informer is not known as a reputable news source, instead re-posting news from other places. A search for it yields only the website and a Twitter account with 1,645 followers.

The false story also made it onto the MSN website, which subsequently made it into the Safety Check alert. Both stories remain among the top links when searching Facebook for information about the Bangkok explosion.

The incident is Facebook's latest brush with "fake news", a criticism that has plagued the company in recent months. Deliberately false or misleading articles were widely-read thanks to Facebook sharing in the run-up to the US election, and Facebook's Trending Topics news feature has also occasionally highlighted false stories.

Mark Zuckerberg announced new tools to battle the problem this month, including making it easier to flag false stories.

The Bangkok Safety Check was not triggered by the fake news article, as some reports claimed, and Facebook insisted that it relies on trusted third-party reports before activating the feature.

"As with all Safety Check activations, Facebook relies on a trusted third party to first confirm the incident and then on the community to use the tool and share with friends and family," it said.

Safety Check was first used in 2014 for natural disasters, but was extended to other events after last year's Paris attacks. It sends a notification to users' friends informing them they are safe.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, with U.S. President Barack Obama, speaks at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, in Honolulu. Abe and Obama made a historic pilgrimage Tuesday to the site where the devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, joined by President Barack Obama, speaks on Kilo Pier overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The leaders of Japan and the United States have made a historic visit to Pearl Harbour, in a gesture aimed at proving that even the bitterest enemies can become allies.

Prime minister Shinzo Abe did not apologise for the 1941 attack that catapulted America into the Second World War, but conceded Japan "must never repeat the horrors of war again".

Seventy-five years after Japan's surprise attack on the Hawaii navy base, Mr Abe and US president Barack Obama peered down at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water.

More than 1,000 US war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship and in a show of respect, Mr Obama and Mr Abe scattered purple petals on the water and stood in silence.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Mr Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam.

It was the closest Mr Abe would get to an apology for the attack, but it was enough for Mr Obama, who also declined to apologise seven months ago when he became America's first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the US dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a 96-year-old US Navy veteran who survived the Pearl Harbour attack. He said he had no hard feelings, adding: "War is war."

"They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do," he said before the visit.

Mr Abe, who became Japan's first leader to visit Pearl Harbour with a US president, said the visit "brought utter silence to me". His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the US and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

They started with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was probably Mr Obama's last meeting with a foreign leader before leaving office in January.

It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Mr Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Mr Obama, speaking after he and Mr Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called Pearl Harbour a sacred place and said that "even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace".

It is a notion Mr Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Burma and Cuba.

"As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heaven's rails for all eternity," he said.

Then the two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd. They shook hands and hugged some of the men who fought in the December 7 1941 battle that President Franklin D Roosevelt called a "date which will live in infamy".

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before, but Mr Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of US troops killed in the Japanese attack.

For Mr Abe, it was an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming seven months after Mr Obama and Mr Abe visited Hiroshima together and renewed their calls for a nuclear-free future. Still, both governments maintain that the visits were separate and not contingent upon one another.

The visit was not without political risk for Mr Abe, given the Japanese people's long, emotional reckoning with their nation's aggression in the war.

Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbour a surprise attack, Japan's government still insists it had intended to give prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of "bureaucratic bungling".

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbour syndrome', that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Japanese embassy in Washington. He said he believed Mr Abe's visit would "absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have".

In the years after Pearl Harbour, the US incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Mr Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties.

Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will degenerate under US president-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Mr Obama nor Mr Abe addressed.
A Tunisian man has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in last week's truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

German federal prosecutors said the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business.

Officials said the man's number was saved in the mobile phone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on December 19.

They said further investigations indicate that the arrested man "may have been involved in the attack".

Twelve people died in the attack in the German capital.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the man holds up to the extent they can seek a formal arrest warrant.

This would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack, and in fleeing Berlin.

They are also trying to piece together the route he took from Berlin to Milan, where he was killed in a shoot-out with Italian police.

Italian police have said Amri travelled through France, and French authorities said he made a stop in the eastern city of Lyon.

Dutch authorities said it appeared Amri first had fled through the Netherlands, Germany's western neighbour.

Jirko Patist, a spokesman for the Dutch national prosecutor's office, said it was "highly likely" that Amri had been in Nijmegen, in the eastern Netherlands, during his journey from Berlin to Milan.

Camera images recovered in Nijmagen "found someone we think, rather of whom we say it is highly likely," is the same person appearing in photos from Lyon in France, Mr Patist told Netherlands public broadcaster NOS.

Mr Patist added that there was no reason to think the suspect was accompanied by any one person while in the Netherlands.

A SIM card found on the fugitive after he was shot led authorities to the Netherlands.

"We can see that the SIM cards like this have been distributed in several locations in the Netherlands," he said.

Amri had no phone with him in Milan, only the loose SIM card.

According to Italian police, Amri also had a pocket knife and a few hundred euro in cash in a backpack that he was carrying when officers on a routine patrol stopped him to ask for identification in the Milan suburb of Sesto San Giovanni on Friday.

He also carried a .22 pistol that he then used to shoot a police officer, hitting him in the shoulder.

The Italian investigator said the weapon appeared to be the same one used in Germany to kill the Polish driver of the truck that was commandeered for the Christmas market attack, but that final ballistic tests are still being carried out.

The body of the Polish driver, Lukasz Urban, was returned to Poland on Tuesday, said Aldoma Lema, a spokeswoman for prosecutors in the Polish city of Szczecin.

There has been speculation over whether Mr Urban was still alive at the time of the attack and struggled with Amri. His body was found in the truck's cab.

German daily Bild reported on Tuesday, without citing sources, that post-mortem results showed Mr Urban was shot in the head several hours before the attack and would have been dead or unconscious by that time.

Ms Lema said she could not give the time of his death. Another post-mortem was performed in Poland on Wednesday and preliminary findings will not be known for three weeks, she said.

German media has reported that investigators believe an emergency braking system in the truck may have prevented more deaths.

Daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcaster NDR cited unnamed officials familiar with the investigation saying that the tractor unit was equipped with a system that automatically slams the brakes when a collision is detected.

The news outlets also reported that Amri, whom German authorities had deemed a potential threat months before the attack, allegedly searched the internet for instructions on how to make explosives and first attempted to contact the Islamic State group in February.

AP
China severed relations with the Vatican, pictured, in 1951 after the communists took over

China has said it is willing to have constructive dialogue with the Vatican - as long as its Catholics are loyal to Beijing and their religion is adapted to Chinese society.

A top official made the remarks at a meeting of representatives of China's official Catholic church taking place this week in Beijing, state media said.

Wang Zuo'an, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said the Chinese government hoped that the Vatican could adopt a flexible and pragmatic attitude and take concrete actions to create favourable conditions for improving relations, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China severed relations with the Holy See in 1951 after the communists took over and the officially atheistic government closed churches and imprisoned priests, some for decades.

Worship is officially allowed only in state-authorised churches outside the Pope's authority, although many of China's estimated 12 million Catholics are thought to attend underground churches.

Mr Wang stressed the importance of patriotism within religion and "pushing ahead with the sinicisation of Catholicism".

The ruling Communist Party has long feared that opposition to its rule could be spread by religious and other civic groups outside its control.

In May last year President Xi Jinping called for religions to adapt to Chinese society, which he termed the "sinicisation of religion".

AP

Beijing insists that the party-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association has the authority to appoint Chinese bishops, a right that the Holy See says belongs to the Pope alone. This dispute over bishop nominations is the most vexing stumbling block preventing the re-establishment of diplomatic relations.

Pope Francis said earlier this year that Beijing and the Vatican had resumed working groups on the naming of bishops issue and although he was "optimistic" of an agreement, it would take time.

Just last week, the Vatican said it was saddened that the ordination of two new Chinese bishops was marred by the presence of a bishop ordained without the Pope's consent.

It also said it was awaiting the outcome of this week's meeting of the Chinese Catholic Church and hoped it would give Catholics in China confidence in the Vatican-China dialogue.

AP
Investigators in Russia's eastern Siberia region have opened a criminal probe into video footage of the killing of a bear.

Footage released on YouTube this week showed two trucks chasing and running over a bear in the snow several times, with a man filming the video shouting: "Squash him!"

The gruesome killing shocked many in Russia, prompting the investigative committee, which typically deals with high-profile crimes, to open a probe into allegations of animal cruelty.

Russia's natural resources and environment minister Sergei Donskoi has called for prison time for the perpetrators.

Investigators said the men driving the trucks were prospecting in the oil and gas-rich Yakutia region.
A fresh legal challenge to triggering Brexit could be launched unless British Prime Minister Theresa May allows the House of Lords to vote on the issue.

Businesswoman Gina Miller, who helped bring the action which saw the High Court insist the Commons must vote on invoking Article 50, has said the upper House of Parliament also needs a "proper debate".

Ms Miller said that if the Supreme Court rejected the Government appeal against the High Court ruling, Mrs May should not try to bypass the Lords.

"[There needs to be] proper debate in both houses and an act of parliament. A resolution or a motion wouldn't be debated in both houses," the businesswoman said.

Such a move could present a major headache for Mrs May as the British government does not have a majority in the Lords.

The Supreme Court is expected to announce its Article 50 ruling early in January.

Any further legal move after that could affect Mrs May's plans to formally begin the Brexit process before the end of March.
A five-year-old girl who went missing from a shopping centre in the UK has been found safe and well.

Rosey Louise Thompson, went missing at the Mill Gate Shopping Centre just after 11am this morning. She was located just before 1pm.

GMP Bury North tweeted earlier: Missing child 5yrs rosey Louise Thompson last seen 11.10 near entrance to millgate, blonde straight hair wearing pink jacket.

The force's Twitter account later added: "Thank you all for your concern and sharing the appeal, Rosie Louise Thompson, five, is safe and well."
The wreckage of the crashed military Tupolev TU-154 plane is lifted from the waters of the Black Sea during a search near Sochi. Photo: REUTERS

The main black box of the Syria-bound Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea killing all 92 people onboard has been found in a massive ongoing search operation, authorities said yesterday.

"The main black box was found 1,600 metres from the shore at a depth of 17 metres," the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the device would be sent to Moscow to be deciphered, though they could not say how long the process would take.

Expand Close Relatives cry in front of the Red Army Choir building in Moscow. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Relatives cry in front of the Red Army Choir building in Moscow. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

"The casing holding the flight recorder is in a satisfactory condition," the ministry said.

"After it is technically cleaned in distilled water we will start transcribing it."

It comes as a source close to the investigation said it was possible a bird from a nearby research centre had caused the crash by flying into one of the engines, according to Russian news website 'Life News'.

The TU-154 jet, whose passengers included more than 60 members of the internationally renowned Red Army Choir, was heading to Russia's military airbase in Syria when it went down off the coast of the resort city of Sochi shortly after take-off on Sunday.

Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of the crash, but officials have said that an act of terror was not being considered as a possible explanation.

The discovery of the black box comes as investigators were recovering bodies and remaining debris from the aircraft in an operation involving 192 divers, 45 vessels, 12 planes, five helicopters and 15 deepwater machines.

The defence ministry said that five plane fragments were found overnight. Russia's federal security service has said it is looking into four suspected causes of the crash, including pilot error, technical failure, faulty fuel and an object in the engine.

The defence ministry said yesterday that 12 bodies and 156 pieces of human tissue had been recovered and would be sent to Moscow for identification.

The downed jet, a Soviet-era plane built in 1983, had last been serviced in September and underwent more major repairs in December 2014.

Russian pilots say the TU-154 is still flight-worthy, though major Russian commercial airlines have long since replaced it with Western-built planes. Experts say only two are registered with Russian passenger airlines with the rest registered to various government ministries.

The last big TU-154 crash was in 2010 when a Polish jet carrying then-president Lech Kaczynski and much of Poland's political elite went down in western Russia, killing everyone on board.

The Interfax news agency, citing a law enforcement source, said a second flight recorder had also been found in the wreckage of Sunday's crash, but not yet raised to the surface.

The 'Kommersant' newspaper reported that investigators were relying on a witness statement from a coast guard who saw the plane in its final moments descending toward the sea with its nose tilted sharply upward.

The Tu-154 jet went down on Sunday morning, minutes after taking off at 5.25am from Sochi's airport, where it had stopped to refuel after flying out from the Chkalovsky military aerodrome in the Moscow region.

Some aviation experts have noted that the crew's failure to communicate any technical problem, and a large area over which fragments of the plane were scattered, point to a possible explosion on board. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
John Kerry was central to the negotiations between the US and Russia (AP)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that the future of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was in jeopardy, and laid out parameters for future peace talks, saying the United States could not stay silent.

In a speech just weeks before the Obama administration hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, Kerry defended the U.S. decision to allow the passage of a U.N. resolution last week demanding an end to Israeli settlements, saying it was intended to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said in a speech at the State Department. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

"The truth is that trends on the ground - violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation - are destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want."

Kerry's parting words are unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians or salvage the Obama administration's record of failed Mideast peace efforts.

His impassioned speech comes less than a week after the United States abstained in the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution, in what many see as a parting shot by U.S. President Barack Obama who had an acrimonious relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies, had urged the United States to veto
Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe at the USS Arizona Memorial, where the wreckage of the ship can be seen in the water below (AP)

The leaders of Japan and the United States have made a historic visit to Pearl Harbour, in a gesture aimed at proving that even the bitterest enemies can become allies.

Prime minister Shinzo Abe did not apologise for the 1941 attack that catapulted America into the Second World War, but conceded Japan "must never repeat the horrors of war again".

Seventy-five years after Japan's surprise attack on the Hawaii navy base, Mr Abe and US president Barack Obama peered down at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water.

More than 1,000 US war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship and in a show of respect, Mr Obama and Mr Abe scattered purple petals on the water and stood in silence.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Mr Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam.

It was the closest Mr Abe would get to an apology for the attack, but it was enough for Mr Obama, who also declined to apologise seven months ago when he became America's first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the US dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a 96-year-old US Navy veteran who survived the Pearl Harbour attack. He said he had no hard feelings, adding: "War is war."

"They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do," he said before the visit.

Mr Abe, who became Japan's first leader to visit Pearl Harbour with a US president, said the visit "brought utter silence to me". His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the US and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

They started with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was probably Mr Obama's last meeting with a foreign leader before leaving office in January.

It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Mr Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Mr Obama, speaking after he and Mr Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called Pearl Harbour a sacred place and said that "even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace".

It is a notion Mr Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Burma and Cuba.

"As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heaven's rails for all eternity," he said.

Then the two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd. They shook hands and hugged some of the men who fought in the December 7 1941 battle that President Franklin D Roosevelt called a "date which will live in infamy".

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before, but Mr Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of US troops killed in the Japanese attack.

For Mr Abe, it was an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming seven months after Mr Obama and Mr Abe visited Hiroshima together and renewed their calls for a nuclear-free future. Still, both governments maintain that the visits were separate and not contingent upon one another.

The visit was not without political risk for Mr Abe, given the Japanese people's long, emotional reckoning with their nation's aggression in the war.

Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbour a surprise attack, Japan's government still insists it had intended to give prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of "bureaucratic bungling".

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbour syndrome', that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Japanese embassy in Washington. He said he believed Mr Abe's visit would "absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have".

In the years after Pearl Harbour, the US incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Mr Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties.

Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will degenerate under US president-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Mr Obama nor Mr Abe addressed.

AP
Students in Berlin - Potsdam welcomed Christmas (Photo: dantri.com.vn)

* In Berlin, Germany, the Overseas Vietnamese Student Association in Berlin - Potsdam jubilantly welcomed Christmas with a program named "VietsocXmas".

With a very clear message "Give and you will receive back", the students participating in the program brought a small gift to put under the Christmas tree and at the end of the program, they would receive a gift from someone else.

During the party, the Vietnamese students were introduced to traditional customs of German people, participated in fun games and enjoyed dishes German people usually do at Christmas. The Program VietsocXmas 2016 this year welcomed the presence of more than 200 students from Berlin and neighbouring cities.

"The program ended with a lucky draw game with a 1.5m high bear as the thanks of the Overseas Vietnamese Student Association to the participants, and the winner was a student from the Netherlands who was enjoying Christmas in Berlin. The biggest success of the program is connections, which is shown by the large presence of Vietnamese and foreign students," said Mai Ngoc Son, Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Student Association in Berlin-Potsdam.

* Tran Tung Anh, a freshman student from the Texas Christian University, the US, chose a simple Christmas, but full of homeland flavours, because he has just arrived in the US and he misses Vietnamese cuisine very much.

Tung Anh and his friends went to the city and they were invited by a professor from their university to go to his home to welcome Christmas. Tung Anh bought materials to prepare Vietnamese dishes on Christmas night.

* Nguyen Pham Bao Thuy, a student from Faculty of Economics, University of Rennes I, shared that the Noel atmosphere in France was similar to atmosphere of Lunar New Year Festival in northern Vietnam, because of the cold weather and sometimes snowfall.

The night of December 24th is an opportunity for French people to gather together, enjoying dinner until the dawn of December 25th. They present gifts to each other. For students away from home, such as Thuy, it is an occasion to gather with friends in the holiday atmosphere.

"On these days, people usually walk in Christmas bazaars. Every year, familiar stalls and games always attract a lot of people. Something fun and extremely interesting is that his group enjoyed colourful candy floss, which reminded them of their childhood in their hometowns, in the Christmas bazaar in France, Thuy said.



* Pham Ngoc took an advantage of walking around to enjoy Noel atmosphere because Christmas coincides with exam time.

In Russia, like many other international students, Pham Ngoc, a student from the Astrakhan State University, allowed herself to enjoy only a quick Christmas, because it coincided with her last exam. She cut the prep time, walked around Christmas bazaars and supermarkets to enjoy the light-filled atmosphere with friends./.
The United States' failure to veto the UN resolution has sparked outrage in Israel

US secretary of state John Kerry has torn into Israel for settlement-building, accusing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy and rejecting the notion the US abandoned Israel in a controversial UN vote.

Mr Netanyahu accused the Obama administration of a biased bid to blame Israel for failure to reach a peace deal.

In a farewell speech, Mr Kerry laid out a two-state vision for peace that he will not be in office to implement, but that the US hoped might be heeded even after President Barack Obama's term ends.

He defended Mr Obama's move last week to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off an extraordinary and deepening diplomatic spat between the US and its closest Middle East ally.

"If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace," Mr Kerry said in a speech that ran for more than an hour, a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

Mr Netanyahu pushed back in a hastily arranged televised statement in which he suggested he was done with the Obama administration and ready to deal with President-elect Donald Trump, who has sided squarely with Israel.

The Israeli leader faulted Mr Kerry for obsessing over settlements while paying lip service to Palestinian attacks and incitement of violence.

"Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders," Mr Netanyahu said.

The recriminations marked a low point for US-Israel relations, and a bitter end to eight years of frustrated ties between Mr Obama and Mr Netanyahu, who quarrelled repeatedly over settlements, the peace process and Mr Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

It was unclear what impact Mr Kerry's speech, coming in the final days of the administration, might have.

Mr Netanyahu expressed concern that a French-hosted summit next month could lead to an international framework that the UN Security Council might then codify with Mr Obama's assent, boxing Israel in. Yet Mr Kerry seemed to rule out the possibility the president would take more parting shots, such as promoting that type of UN resolution or recognising Palestinian statehood.

The diplomatic fracas erupted last week when the US, in a departure from past policy, decided to abstain rather than veto a UN Security Council resolution calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law.

Israel was incensed and Mr Netanyahu claimed the country has "absolute, indispensable evidence" the US spearheaded the resolution.

Mr Netanyahu offered what he called proof of US collusion: a document, leaked to an Egyptian newspaper, that purports to be a Palestinian account of a December meeting between senior US and Palestinian officials, but White House spokesman Ned Price called it a "total fabrication" and added: "This meeting never occurred."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the speech by reaffirming he is ready to resume peace talks if Israel halts settlement construction.

Mr Kerry, unveiling a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like, deviated from the traditional US message that foreign powers should not impose a solution. His outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and he insisted he was merely describing what have emerged as points of general agreement.

Although he faulted Palestinian leaders for insufficiently condemning violence and terrorism against Israelis, most of his speech focused on Israel. He said the two-state solution, the basis for all serious peace talks for years, was "in serious jeopardy", and called Mr Netanyahu's' government "the most right-wing in Israel's history".

He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population in Israel and the Palestinian territories will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a demographic crisis unless there is a separate Palestinian state.

"The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state," Mr Kerry said.

AP
Mr Trump had announced he would dissolve the Donald J Trump Foundation as part of what his presidential transition team says is an effort to erase any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office. Photo: REUTERS

Donald Trump has been blocked from shutting down his under-fire charity foundation because prosecutors are probing whether the president-elect personally benefited from its spending.

"The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," said a spokeswoman for New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Mr Trump had announced he would dissolve the Donald J Trump Foundation as part of what his presidential transition team says is an effort to erase any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office.

But the foundation's inner workings have been the subject of Mr Schneiderman's investigation for months and could remain a thorny issue for Mr Trump's incoming administration. Democrats have said they are ready to raise any legal or ethical issues from the tycoon's global business empire during his presidency.

The charity has admitted it violated Internal Revenue Service regulations barring it from using its money or assets to benefit Mr Trump, his family, his companies or substantial contributors to the foundation.

The admissions by the Donald J Trump Foundation were in a 2015 tax filing made public after a presidential election in which it was revealed that Mr Trump has used the charity to settle lawsuits, make a $25,000 (24,000) political contribution and buy items, such as a painting of himself, that was displayed at one of his properties.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has tapped an experienced national security adviser to serve as assistant to the president-elect for homeland security and counter-terrorism.

Mr Trump's transition team said Thomas Bossert would advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity, and he would co-ordinate the cabinet's process for formulating and executing policy.

Mr Trump has also continued to question the effectiveness of the United Nations, saying that it is just a club for people to "have a good time", after the UN Security Council voted last week to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Mr Trump warned: "As to the UN, things will be different after January 20," referring to the day he takes office.
Mr Trump had until now been largely complimentary over Mr Obama's team (AP)

US president-elect Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of creating "inflammatory" roadblocks during the transition of power in America.

Mr Trump also accused the outgoing administration of treating Israel with "total disdain", further straining the veneer of civility between the incoming and outgoing leaders.

Although Mr Trump did not detail his complaints in a series of broadsides on Twitter, he made it clear that Mr Obama's recent claim that he would have won the election h ad he been running did not sit well with the president-elect.

Mr Trump's largely respectful tone about the current president since the election evaporated in his latest tweets.

He tweeted: "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.

"Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"

Mr Trump also took direct issue with the Obama administration's decision to let a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel pass.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," he said in a two-part tweet.

"They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but ... 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!"

Mr Trump and his team have until now been largely complimentary of the way Barack Obama and his team have handled the transition.

The US president-elect's complaints about the treatment of Israel came a few hours before John Kerry was due to make his final speech about peace in the Middle East as secretary of state - remarks which some Israeli officials panned in advance.

The administration's decision not to veto the UN resolution has aggravated an already strained US-Israel relationship.

A dispute erupted between Mr Obama and Mr Trump, spurred by Mr Obama's hypothetical musings that, had he run again, he would have been victorious.

Mr Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters who elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again.

Mr Trump's response to that was: "NO WAY!"

The president-elect tweeted: "President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in very important swing states, and lost. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Mr Obama swept most key swing states in his two bids for the White House, but Hillary Clinton fell short in her battle with Mr Trump in the autumn.

Mr Trump also thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that the Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December.

Mr Trump noted that is the highest the index has climbed in more than 15 years, then added: "Thanks Donald!"

AP
CONCORD  The kitchen at Jay M. Robinson High School was bustling the day before winter break with students preparing sweet treats for teachers. Oreo truffles and chocolate covered pretzels were on the menu, just in time for Christmas.

The Bulldog Bakery was created by Kelly Botts, Foods II Enterprise teacher, many years ago as a way to get her students hands-on experience in the kitchen and teach them the ins-and-outs of running a business. Through the business the classes make these sweet treats for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentines Day and sell them to staff at the school.

We do this every year but it has evolved. We started out making cookies and all kinds of things but we narrowed it down to the favorites, Botts said.

Teachers submit orders via email to the class and then students get to work making the treats. The class uses free sample days to entice new teachers and increase its profits. Students visit classrooms around the school offering a taste of a truffle or two.

We have our diehards that get orders in right away and we have new teachers, which is why we do the sample day, Botts said.

The bakery was recently the recipient of a $500 grant from the Cabarrus County Education Foundation. That money will be used to make more treats for an upcoming sample day to prepare for Valentines Day.

Botts said the money will help continue to expose her students to business planning, cost analysis and marketing to our targeted customers in addition to food preparation.

We also do meals on the go for teachers like mac and cheese and baked ziti. That way all you have to do is take it home and put it in the oven, because we all know teachers are busy, Botts said. Another important part of this is the interaction with customers and teachers. A lot of them dont get that interaction with teachers on a professional level. I always encourage them to talk to teachers and ask about orders.

And the students say they genuinely enjoy learning their way around the kitchen. Student Lavar Batts, Jr. said he enjoys cooking the food but he is also a fan of eating what the class makes.

Its teaching me how to do things on my own. Especially with me being a senior, I can learn to do things for myself instead of going online and looking it up, student Lavar Batts, Jr. said. It also helps later if I become involved in business or help with a business.

Another student, Veronica Cliff, said she loves the opportunity to actually work in a kitchen.

We are learning about it and then you get to do it in the kitchen, she said. Also if you plan on going into business it can be helpful. You get to cook and try what you make.
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) recently announced the promotion of Chris Carter, Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director, to serve as Chief of Staff. Carter succeeds Todd Poole, who is leaving Rep. Hudsons office to pursue a new opportunity in North Carolina.

From day one, Todd has been an incredible leader for my office and has worked hard to serve our community, said Rep. Hudson. We will miss his leadership, invaluable experience, and get-it-done attitude. Renee and I are grateful for his service and we wish him and his family all the best in the future.

Chris Carter has worked for Rep. Hudson for more than five years. He served first as Hudsons Campaign Manager during his initial run for Congress, then as his Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director since Rep. Hudson took office in 2013. Prior to working for Rep. Hudson, Carter served as a legislative aide to Congressman Mick Mulvaney (SC-05). He grew up in Greensboro, NC and attended UNC-Chapel Hill.

I cant think of anyone better suited to take the reins at this time than Chris Carter. Chris has worked around the clock to serve the eighth district as District Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for four years, and Im thrilled to promote him to Chief of Staff. He has a proven track record leading my Congressional offices and constituent services in North Carolina. I am confident his expertise and leadership will guarantee my office stays focused on serving the needs of the people of our community.

In addition, Rep. Hudsons Legislative Director, Curtis Rhyne, has been promoted to Legislative Director/Deputy Chief of Staff.

Curtis is a valuable asset to my office and Im excited to promote him to Deputy Chief of Staff, said Rep. Hudson. Curtis stands on his conservative principles, hes familiar with Congress, and most importantly, he is committed to North Carolina. He will continue to ensure we advance bold conservative legislation to get our country back on track.

Prior to joining Rep. Hudson as Legislative Director in 2014, Curtis Rhyne spent nearly five years working for the conservative Republican Study Committee under the direction of Rep. Tom Price (GA-06), Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-01). In this capacity he developed a deep understanding of energy and tax policy. Rhyne began his work on Capitol Hill with Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-05). He is a native of Statesville and is a proud graduate of East Carolina University.

Billy Constangy will serve as District Director in North Carolina.
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
Rumors about Katrina Kaif skipping her bestfriend Salman Khan 's 51st birthday bash were making rounds in the town. Even at the party there were hushed whispers about her absence.

Now, we know the real reason as to why Kat didn't make it to Bajrangi Bhaijaan's celebrations.

Reportedly, Kat was not in town and that's why she could not attend Salman's party. A close source has been quoted by a daily, "Katrina is in London with her family. She flew there last week to celebrate Christmas with them, like she does every year. Last year was an exception. Christmas is family get-together for the Turquottes. She's close to Salman's sister Alvira Agnihotri and called her much in advance to explain her abscence." (sic)

On the other hand, Elli Avram who is a regular guest at the Khan's house was no where to be seen at the bash. Reason? Elli had flown down to Sweden to meet her family and spend Christmas with them. Also, she will bring in the New Year with them.
Dr. Piyush Gupta, MBBS, MBA is an Associate Director at GNH India, since November 2009. At GNH India, he is leading the business development effort in global markets for Clinical trial supplies, International Tenders, Orphan drug supplies and vaccines. Previously, Dr. Gupta was the Director for Emerging Markets at Indigene Pharmaceuticals Inc., US. There he was responsible for establishing business presence in world markets like CIS, Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific.



Dr. Gupta is a Council Member at GLG (Gerson Lehman Group) USA for their healthcare practice and advices investment bankers on Indian markets for the group.



With over 14 years of experience, Dr. Guptas area of expertise include pharmaceutical business, international sales and marketing, business development, distribution management across industry verticals for product categories like Patented Rx, Branded Generics, Bio-similars, Biotech, Pre-Rx, Consumer products, FMCG products and medical devices.



GNH India is Indias leading global pharmaceutical wholesale distributor. A multifaceted pharmaceutical enterprise with presence in International distribution, it has its main lines of business in Clinical Trial supplies, Branded lines, Generics, hospital supplies, Orphan drugs, discontinued line, shortages and name patient lines. GNH operates from a State of the Art warehouse built to meet stringent regulations of cGDP by WHO (World Health Organisation).



With over 30 years of expertise and over 1,35,000 product lines, GNH India provides the most comprehensive global clinical supply chain solution in the marketplace. GNH India is fully licensed by state FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is registered with FIEO (Federation of Indian export) and PHARMEXCIL (Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council).



Replying to Prasanth Menon, IIFL, Dr. Piyush Gupta, Associate Director, GNH India said, "GST is a major game changer. Today each manufacturer needs to have several Depots across the country to ensure his product reaches every corner. Within one year of GST, you will notice considerable changes in the pharma distribution model."



Indias pharma exports rose 7.55%, from $ 11.66 billion in 2014 to $ 12.54 billion in 2015. What is the current market share of the Indian pharma industry in relation to the global pharma market and what is the estimated growth we are looking at in 2017-18?

The Global Pharma Market is mainly dominated by Branded lines, which are high in price. Due to this, Indian market share in global pie is low at 3% in terms of Value. But if you notice from the Volume perspective, our share is close to 20%. And, we expect the value share to increase by 0.5% and volume by 2% to 22% in 2017-18.



What is the global market value for wholesale trade and opportunities for Indian drugs in the overseas marketplace?

At a global level, wholesale trade is dominated by trading of Branded lines and specially Oncology products. Due to which, the value of global Wholesale trade is quite high at $ 80 Billion.



Indian drugs are in great demand in wholesale trade especially for Government Tenders and state run hospitals. These type of clients prefer ready stocks at economical prices; which are in favour of Indian drugs, currently.



Hence, it is not difficult to capture 20% of this market share by India, if a concerted effort is made by organised and professional players in this field.



In order to meet the demands of a fast evolving marketplace and the shift from patient to outcome, the pharma supply chain will need to undergo a radical overhaul. Do you think the Indian market is ready for such an overhaul? What changes do you expect?

I would like to say that GST is a major game changer. Today each manufacturer needs to have several depots across the country to ensure his product reaches every corner. Within one year of GST, you will notice considerable changes in pharma distribution model.



Post GST, this will be reduced to one depot and everything else will be outsourced to logistics companies specialising in Pharma. This will free-up considerable time, resource and man power for pharma manufacturers to focus on Outcome.



It is much talked about that most pharmaceutical leaders have complex supply chains that are under-utilised, inefficient and ill-equipped to cope with the sort of products coming down the pipeline. What is your take on this?

I absolutely agree with you. Yes, it is true because pharma companies are focused on pharmaceuticals not logistics, so theres bound to be under utilisation.



In order to meet with complex government regulations, state borders, tolls, octroi and many other bottlenecks, this complex system has evolved. If you compare our domestic system with other markets, you will be surprised to find that in such situations, India is extremely unique, globally.



We are glad GST is coming in and hopefully this complex tangle will be un-tangled soon.



By 2020, there will be more diverse product types and therapies with shorter product lifecycles in the market. How is GNH planning to cope with this evolution? What will be the strategy to address the emerging requirements?

Referring to the evolving pharma product, therapy landscape, GNH India has always been at the forefront. We started offering therapies approved by EMEA or US FDA to our clients, from the very initial phase.



In our business, we cater to several types of clients; , since November 2009. At GNH India, he is leading the business development effort in global markets for Clinical trial supplies, International Tenders, Orphan drug supplies and vaccines. Previously, Dr. Gupta was the Director for Emerging Markets at Indigene Pharmaceuticals Inc., US. There he was responsible for establishing business presence in world markets like CIS, Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific.Dr. Gupta is a Council Member at GLG (Gerson Lehman Group) USA for their healthcare practice and advices investment bankers on Indian markets for the group.With over 14 years of experience, Dr. Guptas area of expertise include pharmaceutical business, international sales and marketing, business development, distribution management across industry verticals for product categories like Patented Rx, Branded Generics, Bio-similars, Biotech, Pre-Rx, Consumer products, FMCG products and medical devices.is Indias leading global pharmaceutical wholesale distributor. A multifaceted pharmaceutical enterprise with presence in International distribution, it has its main lines of business in Clinical Trial supplies, Branded lines, Generics, hospital supplies, Orphan drugs, discontinued line, shortages and name patient lines. GNH operates from a State of the Art warehouse built to meet stringent regulations of cGDP by WHO (World Health Organisation).With over 30 years of expertise and over 1,35,000 product lines, GNH India provides the most comprehensive global clinical supply chain solution in the marketplace. GNH India is fully licensed by state FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is registered with FIEO (Federation of Indian export) and PHARMEXCIL (Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council).Replying to Prasanth Menon, IIFL,said, "GST is a major game changer. Today each manufacturer needs to have several Depots across the country to ensure his product reaches every corner. Within one year of GST, you will notice considerable changes in the pharma distribution model."The Global Pharma Market is mainly dominated by Branded lines, which are high in price. Due to this, Indian market share in global pie is low at 3% in terms of Value. But if you notice from the Volume perspective, our share is close to 20%. And, we expect the value share to increase by 0.5% and volume by 2% to 22% in 2017-18.At a global level, wholesale trade is dominated by trading of Branded lines and specially Oncology products. Due to which, the value of global Wholesale trade is quite high at $ 80 Billion.Indian drugs are in great demand in wholesale trade especially for Government Tenders and state run hospitals. These type of clients prefer ready stocks at economical prices; which are in favour of Indian drugs, currently.Hence, it is not difficult to capture 20% of this market share by India, if a concerted effort is made by organised and professional players in this field.I would like to say that GST is a major game changer. Today each manufacturer needs to have several depots across the country to ensure his product reaches every corner. Within one year of GST, you will notice considerable changes in pharma distribution model.Post GST, this will be reduced to one depot and everything else will be outsourced to logistics companies specialising in Pharma. This will free-up considerable time, resource and man power for pharma manufacturers to focus on Outcome.I absolutely agree with you. Yes, it is true because pharma companies are focused on pharmaceuticals not logistics, so theres bound to be under utilisation.In order to meet with complex government regulations, state borders, tolls, octroi and many other bottlenecks, this complex system has evolved. If you compare our domestic system with other markets, you will be surprised to find that in such situations, India is extremely unique, globally.We are glad GST is coming in and hopefully this complex tangle will be un-tangled soon.Referring to the evolving pharma product, therapy landscape, GNH India has always been at the forefront. We started offering therapies approved by EMEA or US FDA to our clients, from the very initial phase.In our business, we cater to several types of clients;

Top pharma companies in India  We focus supply of newly launched innovator brands for developing Bio Similar / Generic of new therapies.

For an Innovator in India and internationally  We provide comparator and RLDs (Reference Listed Drugs) for RnD purpose.

To Patients  We provide name patient supplies of latest therapies which may not be available in India or in their home country.

To Ministries / Government across the Globe - for Tenders of this latest therapies which are yet to be registered in their countries.

The supply chains for designing, manufacturing and distributing pharmaceuticals and medical devices plus those providing healthcare services need to integrate so that all involved parties can see the big picture and plan ahead more accurately and cost-effectively. How do you see GNH bridging the gap in this scenario?

Frankly speaking, this point is far ahead of its time. If we take reference from other developed markets, even there we dont have any company which manages from designing to distribution.



Designing or R&D is actually the main responsibilities of the pharma company. Hence, a pharma company may outsource everything else, but they keep designing, R&D and its related supply chain close to the company.



Today, manufacturing and distribution of commercialised pharma products and medical devices are getting integrated. And, on this background, companies such as GNH India are well poised to offer a one-stop solution for all the requirements; having achieved a key qualifying factory i.e. WHO (World Health Organisation) GDP (Good Distribution practise) certified operations.



Here, once again GST will be playing a crucial role as manufacturers look to consolidate their supply chain and get out of logistics to focus on innovations and outcomes.



Adherence to regulations worldwide is an absolute must within the pharmaceutical supply chain. How effective are Indian supply chain operations? How does GNH ensure that the regulations are adhered to in its operations?

Indian supply chain is not the best, but yes we are making an effort to make it better. There is a need to comply with regulatory requirements on a pro-active basis.



At GNH India, we strictly adhere to the regulations, hence our operations are already WHO GDP and ISO 9001-2015 certified. We have also hired a former UK-based UK-MHRA inspector as our regulatory consultant to keep us on the track to ensure superior quality.



It has been highlighted time and again by research firms that specifically for export products, lack of quality control in R&D has led to more failures of trial batches, causing delays in product launches. What is your take on this?

There is a method to develop a Generic specified by WHO. A Generic can be called a generic if it satisfies certain requirements of WHO.



One of the most important of these is Pedigree documents for RLD (Reference listed drug) used. Regretfully, 90% of development that took place locally, did not start with this Pedigree document and hence the entire development process went off course.



At GNH India we provide a detailed Pedigree dossier as specified by WHO for every RLD supplied for R&D, Clinical trials or any other research purpose.



In fact, we go to the extent of providing even the storage temperature logs and transit temperature logs, so the R&D unit is clear at what temperature product was stored and travelled.



This is our way of contributing to the pharma growth story of India.



Companies use multiple in-house centres or third party centres at different stages of drug development. This creates complexity in technology transfer, longer timelines for regulatory approval and negative impact on first-to-file system. What is your observation on such challenges?

I agree here. Pharma product development and regulations are already complex, and there is no point making it more complex. It makes common sense to have only one CRO to do all the product development and documentation.



Any changes in the site or CRO leads to increased audit, inspections, validations, calibrations etc, and the list is endless.



As per reports, most 3rd party cold chain logistics providers do not have adequate capacity and temperature control systems to support today's drug storage and handling requirements. How does GNH ensure these requirements are fullfilled? How challenging is handling such temperature sensitive medicines?

This is true. Much like the agriculture industry which lacks adequate cold storage facility, pharma industry also lacks majority of cold storage facilities in India.



At GNH India, we have adopted a unique approach to deal with this challenge.

We have tied up with several independent cold chain facilities across the country. We have got them audited by qualified inspectors and helped them comply with regulatory requirements of WHO GDP. This has helped us keep our capital costs to minimum.

For transit of cold chain line, we have adopted validated cold chain boxes which guarantee temperature upto 96 hrs or 120 hrs depending on the box model. This again has helped us to cut cost because we are not investing in an entire truck, but just a box.



We have not completely solved the temperature challenge, but we are moving ahead and mitigating all the challenges one at a time with low cost approach.



What are the unique initiatives and policies implemented by the government that further facilitates Pharma business in India?

At this point, Pharma Cluster policy is going to be of a great help to the industry, other than that industry and government are crossed against each other on several fronts specially NPPA and DPCO.



India is the largest provider of generic medicines globally, with a 20% share in supplies by volume. What percentage of this business is with GNH?

Generics contribute about 30% of our business, while remaining comes from branded lines. We mainly specialise in Branded Oncology and Intensive care medicines.



India maintains its lead with pharma exports to the European Union and Africa both growing to $ 1.5 billion and $ 3.04 billion respectively. What is the revenue contribution of exports for GNH?

We mainly focus on regulated markets such as Europe / US. Europe contributes about 30% to our business and Africa about 15 %. Most medicines sold by us are on the expensive side and not much in demand from Africa.



Please provide a breakup of business in terms of domestic and international?

Due the fact that our product mix comprises high value medication, international markets dominate our business currently at 70% while domestic is 30%.



Can you highlight a few notable milestones since the genesis of GNH till the journey today?

Yes of course. There are some milestones that we would like to share, as below:

Outstanding export award gold" for FY 2012 - 13 in merchant export category by Pharmexcil in Sep 2013.

WHO GDP certification in Nov 2015.

ISO 9001 2015 certification in May 2016.

One of the first merchant exporters in India to adopt GS1 barcoding standard mandated by DGFT India for all export consignments.
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
According to Mental Health America, adult African-Americans are 20 percent more likely to report serious psychological distress than adult whites. However, many African-Americans are not as open as whites to acknowledging psychological problems.

Indya Peoples has dealt with mental health issues firsthand in her personal and professional life. Throughout adolescence and early adulthood, she battled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Today, she has a Master of Social Work and works as a home-based therapist.

I really struggled with depression up until early adulthood. I called them episodes, because I didnt have a name for it, she said. I didnt know why I was in bed and couldnt get up. I had plans of suicide, but I wanted to wait until my kids were old enough. My saving grace was that my kids were more important to me.

As a mental health professional, Peoples has observed a difference in the way African-Americans cope with depression and has theories on why mental health disparities exist among different races.

I encounter caucasian people who will tell you about their marriage and kids, and you dont even know their last name. (African-Americans) are more private and only open ourselves up to our inner circle, she said. There are things we struggle with that are very different than what European Americans struggle with or even have to think about on a daily basis.

According to Mental Health America, some common symptoms that are often experienced with depression include a persistent feeling of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, loss of pleasure and interest in activities once enjoyed, sleeping too much or too little, reduced or increased appetite, fatigue, irritability and thoughts of suicide. For many people with depression, symptoms are severe enough for friends and family to notice a change in behavior at work or school. Depressed people will often opt out of social activities and relationships with others.

If you are a part of a persons support system and feel a loved one might be depressed, its important to know the correct way to approach the situation. Peoples recalled a time she was at the end of her rope and reached out to a loved one with less than desirable results.

I wrote a letter that said I was in terrible, terrible sadness. I poured my heart out, and she never responded. When I saw her I said, Hey, did you get my letter? She made this face and was very dismissive. She did not want to hear it. These types of responses reinforce a persons thoughts of being alone and having no one.

The right way to respond to a person dealing with depression may be a bit more complex than trying to make a person feel better. Peoples said supporting a person with depression is partially about giving them a safe space to experience and share emotions.

One thing that made me even more upset when I was depressed was the people who would try to make me feel better in that moment. It was like they needed me to get better right now. We say, Hi, how are you doing? and people automatically say Im fine, good, because negative emotions make people uncomfortable. Its important to give people permission to not feel OK.

Peoples says that after establishing that a person needs help, that person needs to find the right group of people to help them through.

If they recognize they are depressed, they may try and seek comfort from their natural support system. This is a good first step, as you have to have the right people on your team to get through things. If they are at a point of change and want to seek help with a professional, the next step is deciding what type of therapy you want and seeing what a persons health insurance will cover.

Treatments for depression include support groups, psychotherapy, peer support and medication. Peoples thinks it is important for people with depression to reach out to trained professionals.

We generally attribute our emotions to what is externally going on, but everything really starts in the mind. Your perception of whats going on can be very different from another persons. Its so important to have strong positive support and connect with someone who can help process your thoughts. Sometimes saying them out loud to somebody else can help. You can be completely overwhelmed, but someone else can give you insight. Never let your emotions cloud your abilities.
Not just Fatima Sana Sheikh and Sanya Malhotra, even the younger Phogat girls - Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar performed brilliantly in the film Dangal. Not many know that both the child actors had to undergo an extensive selection process.

UTV

If youve seen Dangal, you would surely agree with the fact that Suhani and Zaira managed to pull off the first half of the film beautifully. Without indulging in over-dramatization, the two actors looked so convincing that it became hard for the audience to take their eyes off of them even for once.

UTV

However, before they became Geeta and Babita, they were living a normal life just like every other teenager. Lets take a closer look at Zaira and Suhanis real life.

UTV





Zaira, who belongs to Srinagar, was seen in a couple of National ads, one for Tata Sky which was shot in Kashmirs Gulmarg. Another ad was shot in Almora Uttarakhand for Nokia Lumia.

And one call from casting director Mukesh Chhabra changed her life forever. In one of the interviews, Zaira once revealed that when she broke the news of her final selection, her mother could not believe it. She was really apprehensive of the fact that how can Zaira even share the screen space with someone who is as perfect as Aamir.

Here are some of Zaira's pictures and she looks gorgeous in each one of them. Have a look.

Throwback to the worst day of my life! #ChopChop  A photo posted by Zaira Wasim (@zairawasim_) on Dec 27, 2016 at 12:07pm PST

A photo posted by Zaira Wasim (@zairawasim_) on Aug 25, 2016 at 10:26am PDT

A photo posted by Zaira Wasim (@zairawasim_) on Aug 23, 2016 at 3:19am PDT

A photo posted by Zaira Wasim (@zairawasim_) on Apr 11, 2016 at 2:00am PDT

 A photo posted by Zaira Wasim (@zairawasim_) on Oct 4, 2015 at 3:34am PDT

A photo posted by Zaira Wasim (@zairawasim_) on Jan 2, 2015 at 8:26am PST

On the other hand, Suhani Bhatnagar is a Delhi girl. Suhani's selection story is very similar to Zaira's. After auditioning, they didn't get a call back from the production house and then one day, one phone call changed their entire life.

Have a look at Suhani's pictures.

#sakshitanwar #suhanibhatnagar #zairawasim #dangal A photo posted by Movie Raja (@movieraja) on Dec 24, 2016 at 9:42am PST

#AamirKhan with his #Dangal daughters #SuhaniBhatnagar and #ZairaWasim promoting their upcoming film in #Mumbai A photo posted by @onthetown on Nov 14, 2016 at 11:32pm PST

Twitter
After the rocky, rollercoaster reign of Steve Ballmer, Satya Nadellas Microsoft seems on track to become the first digital company to be valued at US $1 trillion, according to a stock analysts report. Not only will Microsoft become the first company to be valued at a trillion dollars soon, the report suggests the Redmond-giant will hit the milestone before the likes of Apple, Alphabet (Googles parent company) and ecommerce giant, Amazon.

According to the Equities.com report, part of the reason Microsoft would cross the US $1 trillion finish line faster than anyone of its closest competitors is because of the companys 26 billion all-cash acquisition of LinkedIn, the leading professional social network in the world. Microsoft announced the LinkedIn acquisition in June this year, but only fully acquired the company earlier this month, after regulatory clearance.

Currently valued at US $495 billion, Microsoft is third in the list of companies with the largest market value. Apple, with a market value of US $623 billion, and Alphabet with a current market value of US $550 billion, is ahead of Microsofts net worth.

So how exactly will Microsoft pickup the pace and blaze past Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook?

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explaining where the company is heading financially. UP!

The Equities.com report points to easing of a couple of US Securities & Exchange Commission (similar to Indias SEBI which regulates the stock market) rules from earlier this year, which allows publicly traded companies to aggressively advertise online and accept crowdfunded investments.

The idea of betting small through these crowdfunded investment models will appeal to millennials, the report argues, where they could place small monetary bets (say of US $100) and expect a windfall worth multiple times their original amount.

Microsoft, through its acquisition of LinkedIn, will be best suited to capitalise on this emerging trend as it has very strong grip on the professional and business social media segment. Wont surprise us, because Microsoft under Satya Nadella has been doing pretty darn well as a technology company, offering strong Windows 10-based product lineups and a robust Azure cloud-based services and solution. Within two years of taking over the reigns of the company, under Nadella Microsofts market value has risen from US $300 billion in Feb 2014 to just under US $500 billion as it stands now.
Hats off to the resourcefulness of Christine Conder, a self-described farmers wife who built a fast-paced 1 Gbps fiber-optic broadband network offering for rural farming communities from scratch. True story.

Conder decided to take matters into her own hands when she was deprived of the internet when signals from the nearest wireless mast (like a wireless broadband telephone poll), her only link to the internet, was blocked because of overgrown trees and vegetation surrounding her farmhouse.

Couple of farmers digging trenches to lay the fiber-optic cable for B4RN

After three days of digging trenches and pulling a state-of-the-art fiber optic cable -- with a tractor no less! -- to connect her farm with the one across the road by lighting the nodes, Christine Conder finally pioneered a first-of-its-kind alternative rural broadband service.

The rural broadband network which is 100% fiber-optic cable based -- no traditional copper phone wires here -- charges 30 British pounds or approximately Rs 2500 for a truly unlimited 1000 Mbps or 1 Gbps fast-paced broadband internet connection. This speed is lightyears ahead of the average internet speed of 29 Mbps experienced by most Brits.

B4RN, which is a cooperative broadband network that Christine Conder founded, is supported by thousands of rural farmers and volunteers in Britain, ditching their excruciatingly slow dial-up internet connection for this cheap but extremely fast alternative.

The fiber-to-the-home B4RN broadband network works by ploughing through agricultural land and laying 16mm ducts to house the fiber optic cable in it. Wherever necessary, the network also takes permission from local authorities to pull the cable under roads, bridges and other public infrastructure points in Britain.

B4RN has laid over 2,000 miles of state-of-the-art, high speed fiber optic broadband network across northern England. Amazing to see all of this happened through the perseverance and do-it-yourself mentality of one resourceful woman -- Christine Conder, who received an MBE from the Queen of England last year.

This is a great example of community initiative and citizens banding together to find solutions to problems without necessarily depending on government or private entities to help them out of their treacherous predicament.
With Aleppo falling and Syrian civil war coming to an end, the migration from Middle-East to European countries is likely to get halted, but things arent getting any better for the refugees who are already in Europe.

Reuters

Europe riding on the sympathy wave in 2015 had reluctantly welcomed refugees from various war torn countries like Syria, Iraq, and Libya, but by the end of 2016, things have changed and now most of the European countries dont want to house these refugees.

Reuters

But various terrorist attacks, be it Paris, Nice, or the recent Berlin attack and several others have turned Europeans against the refugees living on their land.

Here are the major development in 2016 which show that Europe doesnt have much sympathy left for the refugees.

1. On the very first day of 2016, more than 1000 women were assaulted during New Years Eve celebrations on Colonge, Germany. Suspicions turned toward refugees, the German chancellor Angela Merkel has supported. In week that followed thousands protested against Merkels open door policy.

Reuters

Although the perpetrators of assault were never caught, many identified suspects were migrants from Morocco and Algeria which filled German hearts against those migrating from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

2. On March 2, Frances first camp built to the standards of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees opened in the northern French town of Grande-Synthe.

Reuters

The camp was built in partnership with the mayor of Grande-Synthe and Doctors Without Borders, to house some 1,300 migrants who had been squatting in a muddy, unsanitary encampment nearby. The French government initially opposed the project, but is now running the camp and aims to close it.

3. On March 20, 2016, the EU-Turkey deal came into effect aimed at controlling the migrant crisis. Under this deal, Turkey would take back all illegal migrants. Though it did sound simple as it said, one Syrian refugee on the Greek islands will be returned to Turkey and, in exchange, a Syrian asylum seeker in Turkey will be found a home in Europe.

Reuters

But the deal wasnt as simple as it looked and even now its the source of continued tension between the EU and Turkey. Large Europeans countries especially France think that the deal has become burden on European countries especially France.

4. In April 2016, the deal started to see its fallout. The migrant camps in Greece became detention grounds where hundreds of refugees were detained.

Reuters

Over 3,300 people were held at the Moria centre on the island of Lesbos. Migrants who failed to register for asylum, or whose asylum requests were denied, were deported to Turkey. Clashes between police and migrants were reported in Chios and Moria in April. Clashes were seen at various place in different European countries.

5. In May, 2016, refugees started becoming burden on Greece when Balkan states began closing their borders on migrants. As a result, the refugee camps which were meant ot be transit camps from where migrants will get sent to different countries started feeling the heat of the rising number. The Greeks also opposed the move of their government for housing the migrants.

6. In October-November 2016, In order to close the camp permanently, the French police moved over 5,600 migrants out of the Calais "Jungle" camp in northern France.

Reuters

Refugees which included many minors were shifted to various parts of France including the capital Paris before the camp of bulldozed. French authorities reported that the camps population had reached record levels during the summer before its demolition. French villagers protested the arrival of migrants who were dispersed around the country after the government bulldozed camp in Calais.

7. In November, many Italian women took to streets to protest against the opening of a new refugee reception centre, which was tol welcome the arrival of more than 250 asylum seekers.

Reuters

In front of the group are banners emblazoned with the powerful message: No security, no freedom. You feel followed, you feel observed. It is not safe here anymore,an Italian women was quoted by Express.co.uk as shockwaves are sent across the entire community of Aurelio in Rome. The security concern of Europeans was the main reason why most Europeans are against the centres for refugees opening in their cities.

8. Despite masses protesting, France opened its first official refugee and migrant shelter in Paris. The shelter will house 400 single men. Migrants had to spend 10 days at the site where they received medical care and advice on seeking asylum before being transferred to a elsewhere in France.

Reuters

The centre was part of the French capitals ongoing drive to clear thousands of asylum-seekers out of improvised camps on the capitals streets.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed into law bill No. 5130 amending a number of Ukrainian laws, which doubles the minimum wage in Ukraine to UAH 3,200 a month starting from January 1, 2017, according to a statement posted on the Verkhovna Rada website on Tuesday.

The law also broadens the government's powers, including those of self-government bodies, to inspect the payment of wages to employees and toughening employers' responsibility for non-compliance.

Experts of the Tax and Budget Reform group of the Reanimation Package of Reforms have asked the president to veto this law, as some of its provisions affect business environment and were passed without adequate public discussion.

"The law contains a dangerous provision, which applies to private entrepreneurs and self-employed people: the requirement to pay a single social contribution at the level of the minimum insurance contribution (which taking into account the new minimum wages will be UAH 704) even in the absence of economic activities and consequently income," the experts said.

They argue that this provision is counter-productive, because its implementation will lead to mass termination of activities by private entrepreneurs and worsening conditions for those who are engaged in business activities but temporarily suspended them due to adverse circumstances.

Secondly, the law gives local governments the right to initiate inspections of any enterprises, including private ones, and organize their conduct, the experts said. In their view, such a rule will increase the pressure on businesses, especially small ones.

They predicted that this regulation will result in increased unemployment.

However, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman on Tuesday warned employers about the need to strictly follow the rules of the new law.
According to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 91 percent pickpockets who have been caught on the Delhi Metro are women. This year alone, out of the 479 people caught pickpocketing, 438 were women. The percentage came down from 93 to 91 this year but it by no means has made things easier for the CISF personnel who are in charge of the security operations of the metro.

bccl

The CISF undertook 100 operations to tackle the situation that has been on a rise in the last few years. The women who were caught were handed over to the Delhi Police for legal persecution.

"It has been found that the modus operandi of these women is to either carry a child or travel in a group to con and pick a purse or other valuables of a traveller, be it a man or a woman," said a senior official.

getty images

This year alone, the force found 106 missing children and reunited them with their parents or the station controlling authorities.

The CISF often appoints its personnel to be stationed at various metros in plain clothes to nab pickpockets. Only recently, a group of women was held by force after it robbed a US-based woman of her valuables on the Delhi Metro.
After China's negative comments today about the Agni-V test, New Delhi quickly hit back at Beijing saying the successful test not only "complied with all applicable international obligations", it was also "not aimed at any country."

Reuters

"India's strategic autonomy and growing engagement contributes to strategic stability," the external affairs ministry said this evening about the test of the nuclear-capable Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Earlier today, the Chinese foreign ministry made noises about being exceptionally concerned about Agni-V affecting "strategic balance and stability in South Asia."

Of course, it completely ignored its own culpability in helping arm its "all-weather friend" Pakistan, a known nuclear proliferator.

Agni V's range - 5,000 km - makes it capable of reaching the furthest northern parts of China as well as Europe. It's no wonder then that Hua earlier today bristled at media reports that suggested Agni-5 was targeted at China. And that's why it brought up the UN Security Council.

ALSO READ: 7 Things You Need To Know About India's Most Formidable Missile, Agni-V

AFP

"The UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons," Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry said.

However, China too has ICBMs that can hit targets up to 13,000 kms. And unlike India, it isn't a part of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary partnership of over 30 countries created to curb the spread of unmanned delivery systems for nuclear weapons.
Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj demanded on Tuesday that Aryan, the five-year-old taken away from his NRI mother and Indian-origin father by Norwegian child welfare authorities, be returned to his parents. The Indian mission in Oslo would take up the issue with Norwegian authorities, she added.

AFP

Norway's child protection department had taken Aryan away from his parents after they allegedly beat him up. He has now been placed under foster care.

Swaraj said she refused to believe that foster parents could take better care of the child than natural parents. In a series of tweets, she said, "Our ambassador in Norway is meeting the Norwegian authorities today (Tuesday) regarding Aryan.... The foster parents are totally ignorant of the Indian culture and our food habits. We want restoration of Aryan (sic) to his natural parents."

Indian national Gurvinderjit Kaur and her husband have alleged that authorities in that country had taken away their son, also a Norwegian national, on a fabricated complaint.

NDTV

Kaur had also written to the ministry of external affairs seeking help in getting back her son.

This is the third case since 2011 when children have been taken away from their Indian-origin parents by the authorities in Norway on the grounds of abuse.

In 2011, a three-year-old and a one-year-old were separated from their parents, prompting the then UPA government to take up the issue with Norway. The Norwegian court later allowed the children to be reunited with their parents.
Some people have the best luck in the world. Employees of a Waterloo-based company are going on a free Caribbean cruise courtesy their super generous boss. Why? Because they worked with such dedication that he decided to reward them with an all-paid vacation with a stay in a five-star hotel!

Facebook

Damnit. Why can't this be us? Okay, let's not go there...

Come January, 800 employees of Bertch Cabinets in Waterloo will fly to Miami to begin their super-awesome vacay. Company President and Founder, Gary Bertch said, "We leave January 8. We've got four charter aircraft that will be flying directly to Miami Sunday and staying at a nice five-star hotel. Then on Monday, we'll bus over from the hotel to the port and load up on the ship."

wcfcourier

The announcement was made on their Facebook page,

The cruise was offered to the staff as incentive over a year ago for their achievement in meeting the goals of the company. "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."

Florida Luxury

Goodbye, bonuses. Hello, all-paid exotic holidays! *runs straight into a wall*
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, established with a massive grant left by the late Greek shipping tycoon of the same name, is set to turn over a state-of-the-art new cultural center to the Greek state, 10 years after the initial announcement of the significant endowment.
Plans by Rosneft to build an oil refinery in Chechnya have been postponed for the long term, North Caucasus Affairs Minister Lev Kuznetsov told journalists.

"Rosneft hasn't yet made a final decision on implementation of this project. It might even be said, unfortunately, that the implementation plans have been put off for the long term," he said.

"Production volumes in the region are falling, the quality of oil here is not the best, there is no new geological work being done here. Therefore we understand that for vertically integrated companies today, the North Caucasus District is not a priority," he said.

The North Caucasus Affairs Ministry is ready to support the proposal about handing over the state assets of Chechenkhimprom, which owns refining infrastructure now managed by Rosneft, to Chechnya. However, Kuznetsov said that the discussion of this issue is ongoing between Rosneft and the Russian Federal Property Agency. "From the point of view of responsible regional authorities, posing the question is justified, and we are supporting the government of Chechnya. But the final decision remains for Rosneft and the Economic Development Ministry," he said. "I am confident that it will take place in 2017," the minister said.
A provincial governor in Afghanistan has confirmed that a 30-year old woman was beheaded in the remote village of Latti in Sar-e-Pul province, after she went to a city market without her husband or any male escort. The village of Latti is under Taliban control and the Governor disclosed that the armed men who murdered her are Taliban fighters.

Under Taliban rules, women are not allowed to visit public places without being accompanied by a close male relative. Although her identity has not been revealed, officials say that she went to the market alone because her husband is in Iraq and they have no children.

The Taliban have denied any involvement in the incident and no arrests have been made.
Civil servants in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, are yet to resume work after the two days public holidays declared by the Federal Government to celebrate Christmas.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, who visited the Federal Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday reports that activities were low with few workers seen going in and out of the complex.

NAN also reports that most of the major roads linking the secretariat, which were usually busy during week days as well as the car park, were scanty.

Some of the civil servants who spoke to NAN blamed the low turnout of workers after the holidays on the delay in the payment of salaries by the Federal Government.

Simon Olajide, a civil servant, said governments delay in the payment of salaries was one of the reasons for the low turnout of workers after the Christmas holidays.

Most of the civil servants that are yet to resume work may have spent all they have for the celebration and may not have money to come to the office.

My appeal is that government should always put the interest of its workers in mind, especially in times like this to encourage them to put in their best in return, he said.

Hanatu Ibrahim, another civil servant attributed the low workers resumption to the fact that some of the workers were on annual leave.

She said experience in the past had shown that most of the workers preferred taking their leave during festive periods like this to stay with their families.

As you can see, the secretariat is scanty and the reason is that most of the workers are on annual leave and may have travelled to their various communities for Christmas celebration.

It is normal and expected that activities here will be low considering the fact that people are always travelling during seasons like this, she said.

Ms. Ibrahim expressed optimism that activities at the secretariat would pick up after the New Year celebration.

Source: NAN
A total number of 4,136 candidates were successful in the just concluded physical verification exercise for the Federal Government N-Power jobs in Niger, an official has said.



The state coordinator, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Muhammed Ali, made this known to journalists in Minna on Tuesday.



A total of 5017 candidates applied in the first phase with a total number 4, 251 candidates screened, 258 were disqualified, 744 were absent while 3, 995 were successful.

In the second phase which is the supplementary 752 candidates applied but 165 were available for screening, while 25 were disqualified. 

A total of 587 were absent and successful candidates were 141 bringing the total number of successful candidates to 4,136 on the whole, he said.

Mr. Ali said that candidates disqualified were for obvious reasons, including over age, wrong information, mutilated certificates while some did not have the certificate they claimed to have.

He said that the request for applicants Bank Verification Number (BVN) scared some of them away because they were already working and knew they would be discovered.

The state coordinator of NOA also said that 612 vacancies existed in Niger, this emanated from those disqualified and those who were absent from the verification.

Some people came and requested that we should register them manually but we declined.



We are now waiting for the Presidency to tell us what to do about the vacant slots; the presidency has to take a decision on that, he said.

Speaking on the exercise, Afiniki Dauda, the Special Adviser to Governor Abubakar Sanni Bello of Niger on Empowerment and Social Protection, said that Niger was among the 13 states out of 36 states that had been cleared.

Mr. Dauda, however, said that most people initially exhibited apathy to the programme because they were not sure of it.

My team and I had to go round the 25 council areas in the state and we got only 1,000 people registered during the first time.

I had to visit the councils twice, I also involved the local government chairmen to help disseminate the information but some still did not come out.

I did all I could possibly do to see to the success of the exercise by distributing flyers and radio announcements.

I heard that some people wrote petitions. I am undaunted about that because I gave it my best publicity, Dauda said.



She said that the N- Power team in Niger tried to reach out to candidates that were absent but some couldnt be reached while some said they were not interested in the scheme any longer.



Ms. Dauda expressed her gratitude to the Chairman of Chanchaga, Bida, Suleja and Bosso local governments for the thorough sensitisation they carried out in their respective council areas.



She also said that in the cause of the exercise, physically challenged candidates were given priority.

Source: NAN
An American man who decided to take in a late showing of a movie after a few drinks ended up falling asleep and getting locked inside the theatre.

Justin Haworth said he decided to take in the late show Friday at Cornelius 9 Cinema in Oregon after having a few drinks at a nearby bar, but he fell asleep after only about 20 minutes of the film.

I ended up passing out, Haworth told KOIN-TV

Haworth awoke about 1 a.m. to discover that the movie had ended, the theatre was closed, and he was alone in the building.

It really hit me once I came outside into the lobby and saw nobody there, he said. I called for anybody and nobody was there and I was like, Oh man!

Haworth said he waited about 20 minutes for police after triggering the buildings burglar alarm and he tried the police non-emergency line when it seemed no one was coming.

He said he was unable to reach police on the non-emergency line, so he called 911.

I ended up getting a hold of them, I told them its not an emergency Im just stuck in the movie theatre, he said. I passed out during the movie and, well, I need help.

Haworth said police arrived and were able to direct him to an emergency exit after being unable to reach a theatre manager.

They looked dumbfounded, really, he said of the police. Like, how did the staff not see you?

Haworth said police told him he would not be arrested.

The cops were really nice, Haworth said. They told me as long as the cameras go along with my story Ill be fine.

Im going to tell my kids about this. Its definitely been weird, he added.
A 400 Level student of Osun State University, (UNIOSUN) Osogbo, Adebisi Rofiat Damilola who has been missing in the last couple of days has been found dead as police detectives are making frantic efforts to unravel circumstances surrounding her death.

According to Daily Trust, Rofiat who was studying Science Education at the Ipetu-Ijesa campus of UNIOSUN left Ipetu on Thursday to attend a programme of NASFAT society at Ikoyi near Ikire and that her whereabouts was unknown since then.

A source who spoke with our correspondent on a condition of anonymity said Rofiat left Ipetu-Ijesha on Thursday. She was supposed to be in a NASFAT programme at Ikoyi, not far from Ikire. We have been looking for her since Thursday. We just received a phone call that Rofiats body was found somewhere around Iragbiji.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Fimihan Adeoye confirmed the incident and assured that the perpetrators would be apprehended and brought to book.

He said the remains of the deceased student have been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy and that her family has been notified.

It was gathered that the father of the deceased student died recently and that the family was still mourning when Rofiat was also sent to her early grave by unknown killers.

Mourners have been thronging the residence of the deceased at Ilesa Garage in Osogbo to console Rofiats mother.

Some students, especially the friends of late Rofiat and some staff of UNIOSUN have visited the house to sympathise with the family.

The management of the university has also sent a delegation to visit the family of the deceased student and commiserated with the parent.

Meanwhile, the two final year students of the same university, Samuel Eke and Akinduro Robert who were declared missing since September 5 have not been found. The CP said the matter is still under investigation.

Police arrested and arraigned a student of the university, Adedamola Olagoke, before a Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo for kidnapping saying he was the person that communicated last with the missing students before their disappearance.

Source: Daily Trust
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed on Tuesday that two drug traffickers were apprehended at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport after they were screened while boarding a flight.

The two men, 37 year old Achebe Chucks and 43 year old Ndukwe Daniel were attempting to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Hong Kong and Egypt Airline flight to Athens. They both excreted 50 wraps of cocaine and an NDLEA official said in a statement, Both suspects tested positive for narcotic ingestion and while under observation, they expelled wraps of cocaine which they had wanted to smuggle out of the country. The suspects are currently under investigation

One of the traffickers, Achebe Chuks confessed to the crime and was quoted as saying, I sell electronics at Alaba market. This is my first time of dealing in drugs. My friend in Hong Kong introduced me to cocaine smuggling. He sent the drug to me at Alaba by a young man. The cocaine was in a black polythene bag containing plantain and pineapples. I swallowed the 45 wraps in my toilet without my wifes knowledge. I was promised the sum of five million naira which I had wanted to use in importing electronics. At the airport, they told me that scanning machine has indicated that I have drugs on me. That was how I was arrested.
Nigerian newspaper headlines December 28, 2016.

Punch

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has fined Arik Air N6m over its passengers complaints of delay and inability to ferry their luggage from London to Lagos from December 2 to 4, 2016.

Vanguard

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has allocated the sum of N432. 193 million for the purchase of cars for the nations seven former Presidents/Heads of State and four Vice Presidents.

Guardian

Activities of cyber criminals are on the increase with new wave of attacks on some African countries, including Nigeria.

Thisday

Ahead of the 2018 governorship elections in Ekiti and Ondo States, as well as the 2019 general election, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday declared that his party does not in anyway feel threatened by the much talked about formation of a mega party to challenge the ruling party.

Leadership

The Kano state government has suspended a director in the ministry of Finance and 9 staff of the ministry of local government over alleged diversion of millions of Naira meant for payment of salaries.

Premium Times

The Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 33-year-old man, over the alleged attempt to kidnap a two-year-old boy at Owode, Ogun.

The Sun

The Federal Government said it has saved about N200 billion since it stopped the salaries of 50,000 ghost workers detected on its payroll.

The Nation

The Federal Government saved N200 billion by eliminating 50,000 ghost workers from its payroll this year, the Presidency said yesterday.
A nurse having lunch with her mother at a McDonalds in Florida, USA ended up helping to deliver a baby boy in the eaterys bathroom.

April Jones, whose mother works as a cashier at the McDonalds, said she met her mother at the store for lunch about 10 a.m. local time on December 17 when she heard a call for help.

A man came out of the bathroom screaming, shes pregnant! Shes pregnant! Jones told WWSB-TV

The man was Sean Jordan, and his wife, Cathy Jordan, was giving birth in the restaurants bathroom.

Cathy said she was surprised to go into labour during what she thought would be a normal trip to the bathroom.

I felt the babys head. This scream came out of me came, from my toes, quite the scream. The whole restaurant heard it. Somebody in the other stall asked if I was ok I said No Im having a baby, Cathy told WTSP-TV.

Jones said she placed the mother on two jackets and the baby came quickly.

It all happened very fast, Jones said. She pushed, then pushed again and the baby was out. At first, he was blue and not breathing. Thats when the paramedics came.

Jones and Sean assisted as the the paramedics worked to free the baby from the umbilical cord around his neck and encourage him to breathe.

I had oxygen on the babys face, and he gave a gulp of air  Best sound of my life, Sean said. To be sitting there, thinking going to lose your child and to hear the baby breath  the best feeling  changed my life.

Jones said she was relieved to see the baby breathe.

By that time, the baby breathed like he was a fish out of water, Jones said. Emergency officials took over from there.

Cathy was rushed to the hospital, with Sean Jordan and Jones following in the couples car.

Hes perfect  10 fingers, 10 toes, beautiful dimples. Hes got a full head of hair, Cathy said of newborn Parker, who weighed in at 5 pounds and 9 ounces.
34-year-old Kyandrea Thomas has been arrested by Police in Louisiana after she dumped her newborn baby, whom she delivered in the bathroom of a Walmart store on Christmas store.

A store employee found the baby in the trash and called emergency services. The baby was found unresponsive but was soon stabilized by medical personnel. The Advocate reports that Kyandrea Thomas was a bell ringer soliciting donations for the Salvation Army when she went into labor
Google may know more about me than I know about myself.

I'm not just saying that, either: I recently started poking around in Google's personal data repositories and realized that, between my wide-reaching use of the company's services and my own brain's inability to remember anything for more than seven seconds, Google may actually have the upper hand when it comes to knowledge about my life.

From face-tagged photos of my past adventures (what year did I go to Nashville, again -- and who went with me to that Eddie Vedder show?) to the minute-by-minute play-by-play of my not-so-adventuresome days (wait, you mean I really only left the house once last Wednesday -- and just to get a freakin' sandwich?!), Google's got all sorts of goods on me. Heck, even my hopes and dreams (which may or may not involve sandwiches) are probably catalogued somewhere in its systems.

And the data itself is only half the story: Google also compiles oodles of stats -- stats that, for better and for worse, shed light onto the tech-connected habits of our modern lives. How many emails have you actually sent over the years, for instance, and how many thousands of web pages have you pulled up in your browser? It really is enlightening, among other things, to see your actions broken down so precisely.

Before you freak out, though, remember: The only way anyone else could get at any of this info would be if they were to gain access to your Google account -- something two-factor authentication and good mobile security hygiene make highly unlikely.

And remember, too, that all this data collection is completely optional -- and very much a tradeoff: By agreeing to let Google store and use your data, you're getting access to an ever-expanding array of futuristic features at no monetary cost. But the decision is ultimately in your hands. To learn more about how Google uses specific types of data and how you can opt out of any or all areas of collection, see the "Opting out and taking control" section at the end of this story.

All of that being said, here are some of the more amusing -- and maybe slightly surprising -- things you might find about yourself by prodding the right parts of Google's noggin. How many of these items actually apply to you depends on which Google services you use and how exactly you use them. To wit: Android users who take advantage of built-in features such as voice commands, location history and photo backups will almost certainly have more data tracked by Google than non-Android users. But anyone who regularly uses Gmail, Google search, Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome and/or other Google services from any mobile device or computer will likely find at least some interesting nuggets from the following list.

1. A full history of your voice commands with any Google product -- including actual audio recordings

OK, Google: Remind me how silly I sound when talking to my phone (you know, when it seems like no one else is listening). If you use voice commands on Android or any other Google product (for instance, voice searches in the Google iOS app when you're logged in with your Google account), head to the "Voice & Audio" section of Google's My Activity site to see and hear a comprehensive list of everything you've ever said to that inanimate object in your pocket.

And yes, your voice really does sound like that.

2. An objective breakdown of your real BFFs (according to Google)

Data doesn't lie. Discover whom among your Google contacts you interact with the most by clicking the "Contacts" header on Google's account dashboard. Just be prepared to make up excuses if your significant other doesn't make the "Frequently contacted" list.

3. How much stuff Chrome has saved about you

If you use the Chrome browser and typically stay signed into it, check out your account's Chrome Sync settings page to see all sorts of brag- and/or shame-worthy stats about your personal browsing habits -- things like how many bookmarks you've saved, how many tabs you have open across different devices and how many websites you've typed into Chrome's address bar (since last resetting your browser's history).

Free cookie* if you guess within five points of any of your values.

* A free browser cookie, that is. C'mon -- what did you expect?

4. How many Gmail conversations you've had

Provided you use Gmail's archiving system instead of permanently deleting messages, you may be in for a shock: Click the aptly named "Gmail" header in Google's account dashboard, and get ready to see why your days always seem so short.

Case in point: I have 145,810 message threads in my Gmail account -- with just over 28,000 sent messages. Let me repeat that: Twenty-eight thousand sent messages.

No wonder I never get anything accomplished.

5. A full history of everywhere you've ever been

File this one under "Cool Yet Creepy": Google Maps' Timeline feature contains a detailed diary of your every move -- down to the minute.

No exaggeration: If you carry an Android phone and have opted into location history, the site will show you where you were every moment of every day. And if you really want to weird yourself out, open Timeline from a desktop and click the year tab in the upper-left corner of the screen. Select "All Time," then click the red box in the lower-left corner to see an ordered list of your most visited places.

(My top four are currently my house, Target, the grocery and Barnes & Noble. What can I say? It's a wild and crazy life I lead.)

6. A full list of everything you've done from any Android device

Your smartphone is a fantastic tool for productivity-enhancing tasks like word processing, spreadsheet creation, and... oh, who the hell are we kidding? You're using the thing for mindless web browsing and meaningless game-playing, just like everyone else.

Find out for sure what you're doing on your Android devices -- or what someone else is doing on them, if colleagues or kiddos ever get their hands on your phone -- by opening Google's My Activity site. Select the option to "Filter by date & product," then select "Android" and click the blue search icon.

Just don't let your boss see that you spent all of Tuesday's meeting "working" on Words With Friends.

7. A comprehensive collection of every site you've visited in Chrome -- on any device

These days, Chrome isn't just a desktop browser -- and if you're using the program from a phone or tablet as well as a regular computer, you're bound to have quite the collective history.

See where you've been on the web (while signed in to Chrome) by opening Google's My Activity page and checking "Chrome" in the filter list. You can search for specific keywords and even filter further by date -- a useful tool if you ever need to find a site you pulled up somewhere but can't quite remember.

If you're not seeing your Chrome history on the My Activity page, go to the Activity controls and make sure the Web & App Activity toggle is on and the "Include Chrome browsing history and activity from websites and apps that use Google services" box is checked. (Also make sure that you're signed into Chrome on your various devices.) Your Chrome activity will be tracked from this point forward.

As for the sites you'd rather not have recorded -- well, amigos, let's just say that Incognito mode is your friend.

8. Exactly how many Google searches you've made this month

First and foremost, Google is a search engine -- so how much are you Googling? Get the skinny by scrolling down to the "Search History" header in Google's account dashboard.

Click the header to see precisely how many times you've called upon Google's knowledge from any device while signed into your Google account in the past month -- along with a breakdown of your most common search types and some of your most frequently used queries. (Again: Incognito mode. Never forget.)

9. A running count of how many Android devices you've had connected to your account over the years

Think you've been through a lot of phones and mobile devices? Calculate your official Android Geek Quotient score by pulling up Google's account dashboard and looking for the "Android" header. The big green number beneath it will tell you how many Android products have ever been associated with your account. (Hopefully yours isn't as high as my almost-silly-seeming score of 78.)

You can get more detailed info on all the devices, too -- including when each product was last used and a list of all the apps it has backed up to Google's servers -- by clicking the header. And a quick tip: If you want to get old, inactive devices out of your hair, head to the Play Store settings page and uncheck the "Show in menus" option next to any phones or tablets that are no longer relevant.

10. A running count of how many Android apps you've ever installed

Trying out new apps is a great way to keep your mobile tech feeling fresh -- to a certain point, anyway. See if you've crossed the line from adventurous to ridiculous by finding the "Play Store" header on Google's account dashboard.

If you manage to top my current total of 1,191 apps, seek immediate help.

11. Some stats on your invite-accepting habits

Are you a person who tends to accept event invitations? Or do you say "no" more often than "yes"? If you're a Google Calendar user who frequently interacts with other Google Calendar users, you can find out by clicking the "Calendar" header at Google's account dashboard. That'll give you a breakdown of your accepting-vs.-rejecting activity over the past month, including a handy pie chart to illustrate your temperament in visual form.

Hey, at least there's no line graph on the lameness of your excuses.

12. How many images you've stored with Google Photos

I don't know about you, but I tend to take way too many pictures -- mostly of my 22-month-old daughter (and occasionally of those damn squirrels that always run through my backyard and taunt me with their superior short-term memories).

Thankfully, Google Photos makes it simple for me to store all these images and access them anywhere -- and also to see at a glance just how absurdly large my personal photo collection has gotten.

To get the lowdown on your own virtual photo box, mosey down to the "Photos" header in Google's account dashboard. And be sure to take a mental snapshot of the result.

13. A full list of all your activity in the Google Play Store

Have you ever looked at or searched for something in the Play Store -- then tried to find it again later, only to realize your memory was worse than your friendly neighborhood squirrel's? I know I have.

So use my trick: The next time you find yourself wishing for a time machine, just scamper over to Google's My Activity page. Filter the results to "Play," and voila: You'll find a full list of every item you've viewed and every Play Store search you've made while signed into your Google account. Now if only this thing had a way to tell me where I buried my acorn the other day...

14. How many YouTube videos you've watched this month

We've all been there: You're in the middle of something extremely productive (naturally) when a single YouTube link happens to catch your eye. Watching one video seems harmless enough, right? But then the inevitable happens: One video turns to two. Wait, what's that in the "Related" section -- a clip of a bird whistling the melody to Guns N' Roses' "Patience"? Click. Watch. Repeat. Before you know it, you're 19 videos in, and the afternoon is over.

Discover just how much YouTube time-whittlin' you've done in the last month (while logged into your Google account) by visiting Google's account dashboard and clicking the "YouTube" header. And for the love of Goog, if your monthly tally is over 200, think long and hard before clicking that next cat-dancing clip.

Opting out and taking control

Want to turn off specific types of data collection or delete existing info from your Google account history? The Google privacy site is the best place to start; there, Google provides detailed information about how each type of data is used along with links to opt out of any specific areas. You can also visit Google's Activity controls page for a simple single-page list of on-off toggles.

If you're looking to clean up your history for anything that Google has been tracking, head to the My Activity site. You can delete any individual item right then and there by clicking the three-dot icon in its upper-right corner and choosing Delete, or click the "Delete activity by" link in the left column for an easy way to erase info based on date and/or product.

Data collection controls can be also found on an Android device by opening the main system settings and selecting Google (or, if you're on an older device, looking for the standalone Google Settings app) and then tapping "Personal info & privacy."

This story, "14 eyebrow-raising things Google knows about you" was originally published by Computerworld .
Nova Poshta has launched the express delivery service from China to Ukraine designed in cooperation with China's SF Express logistic operator.

The press service of the Ukrainian company reported that now buyers can order delivery from largest Chinese online shops (Gearbest, Sammydress, Everbuying, 139shopping.com, Banggood, JD.com, LightintheBox, DHGate), including Ali Express, to anywhere in Ukraine.

The test period preceded the official start of the service. Nova Poshta reregistered feedback and polished the service mechanism. The company in November 2016 delivered over 500,000 of parcels from China to Ukrainians.

The sellers pay for delivery. Clients that select free-of-charge SF Express and SF eParcel can use the delivery service. The clients are able to track all categories of parcels at all delivery stages. The quick delivery term, the absence of hidden payments and the client service are available for the clients.

According to Ukrainian legislation, after arrival to Ukraine all cargo is inspected by the Customs Service. Nova Poshta fully controls the cargo and the company is responsible for its safety from the arrival to the Boryspil airport to the door delivery.

"The company seeks to have leading positions in Ukraine in the volumes of e-commerce parcel imports from China and to deliver over 2 million parcels from China in 2017," the company said.
Technology development seems to gallop a little faster each year. But there's always one laggard: encryption. Why the deliberate pace? Because a single, small mistake can cut off communications or shut down businesses.

Yet there are times when you take stockonly to discover the encryption landscape seems to have transformed overnight. Now is that time. Although the changes have been incremental over several years, the net effect is dramatic.

[ Give yourself a technology career advantage with InfoWorld's Deep Dive technology reports and Computerworld's career trends reports. GET A 15% DISCOUNT through Jan.15, 2017: Use code 8TIISZ4Z. ]

Some of those changes began shortly after Edward Snowden's disclosures of the U.S. governments extensive surveillance apparatus. Others are the natural result of cryptographic ideas reaching the marketplace, says Brent Waters, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and the recipient of the Association for Computing Machinerys 2015 Grace Murray Hopper Award.

Many of the new tools and applications available are based on research innovations from 2005 and 2006, Waters says. We are just realizing what type of crypto functionality is possible.

A step closer to an encrypted world

Encrypted web traffic is the first step toward a more secure online world where attackers cannot intercept private communications, financial transactions, or general online activity. Many sites, including Google and Facebook, have turned HTTPS on by default for all users. But for most domain owners, buying and deploying SSL/TLS certificates in order to secure traffic to their sites has been a costly and complicated endeavor.

Fortunately, Lets Encrypt and its free SSL/TLS certificates have transformed the landscape, giving domain owners the tools to turn on HTTPS for their websites easily. A nonprofit certificate authority run by the Internet Security Research Group, Lets Encrypt is backed by such internet heavyweights as Mozilla, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cisco, and Akamai.

How ubiquitous has HTTPS become? In October, Josh Aas, head of Lets Encrypt and former Mozilla employee, posted a graph from Mozilla Telemetry showing that 50 percent of pages loaded that day used HTTPS, not HTTP. While the graph showed only Firefox users, the figure is still significant, because for the first time, the number of encrypted pages outnumbered unencrypted pages. NSS Labs expects the trend to continue, predicting that 75 percent of all Web traffic will be encrypted by 2019.

Free certificate offerings will further accelerate adoption. By next year, the number of publicly trusted free certificates issued will likely outnumber those that are paid for, says Kevin Bocek, vice president of security strategy and threat intelligence at key-management company Venafi. Many enterprises will also start using free services. With certificate cost no longer a consideration, certificate authorities will focus on better tools to securely manage certificates and protect their keys.

Speaking of certificate management, after years of warnings that SHA-1 certificates were weak and vulnerable to attack, enterprises are making steady progress toward upgrading to certificates that use SHA-2, the set of cryptographic hash functions succeeding the obsolete SHA-1 algorithm. Major browser makers, including Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft, have pledged to deprecate SHA-1 by the beginning of the year and to start blocking sites still using the older certificates. Facebook stopped serving SHA-1 connections and saw no measurable impact, wrote Facebook production engineer Wojciech Wojtyniak.

From May to October 2016, the use of SHA-1 on the web fell from 3.5 percent to less than 1 percent, as measured by Firefox Telemetry. Enterprises cant be complacent, though, since recent estimates from Venafi suggest approximately 60 million websites still rely on the insecure encryption algorithm.

We look forward to the industry's movement toward greater use of stronger certificates like SHA-256, Wojtyniak said.

Crypto is still king

Cryptography has taken quite a beating over the past few months, with researchers developing cryptographic attacks such as Drown, which can be used to decrypt TLS connections between a user and a server if the server supports SSLv2, and Sweet32, a way to attack encrypted web connections by generating huge amounts of web traffic.

Nation-state actors also have encryption in their crosshairs. Late last year, Juniper Networks uncovered spying code implanted in specific models of its firewall and Virtual Private Network appliances. Many experts believe the NSA was involved.

Shortly after the cache of hacking tools allegedly belonging to the NSA made its way to underground markets this summer, Cisco discovered a vulnerability in its IOS, IOS XE, and IOS XR software that powers many of its networking devices. The flaw, which could be used to extract sensitive information from device memory, was similar to the vulnerability exploited by the tools and was related to how the operating system processed the key exchange protocol for VPNs, Cisco said.

Even Apples iMessage app, the poster child for how companies can bring end-to-end encryption to the masses, had its share of issues. Cryptography professor Matthew Green and his team of students at Johns Hopkins University were able to develop a practical adaptive chosen ciphertext attack that could decrypt iMessage payloads and attachments under specific circumstances. The team also found that iMessage lacked the forward secrecy mechanism, meaning attackers could decrypt previously encrypted messages, such as those stored in iCloud. Forward secrecy works by generating a new key after a set period of time so that even if the attackers obtained the original key, the previously encrypted messages cant be cracked.

One thing remains clear despite all the bad news: Cryptography is not broken. The mathematics behind cryptographic calculations remain strong, and encryption is still the best way to protect information.

The latest attacks have not been on the math, but on the implementation, Waters says.

In fact, encryption works so well that attackers rely on it, too. Criminals are equally as capable of obtaining keys and certificates to hide their activities inside encrypted traffic. The fact that this attack vector is fast becoming default behavior for cybercriminals almost counteracts the whole purpose of adding more encryption, Bocek says.

Cybercriminals are using encryption to great effect in ransomware. Once the files are encrypted, victims have to either pay up to obtain a key or wipe their systems and start over. Just as attackers target flawed implementations, security researchers have successfully developed decryption tools for ransomware variants that contained mistakes in their encryption code.

Government backs down on backdoors

Technology firms have always had to balance security and privacy concerns with law enforcement requests for user information. FBI Director James Comey had been pushing hard for backdoors in technology products using encryption, claiming that increased use of encryption was hindering criminal investigations. While companies frequently quietly cooperate with law enforcement and intelligence requests, the unprecedented public showdown between the FBI and Apple showed that in recent years, enterprises are beginning to push back.

The FBI backed down in that fight, and a bipartisan Congressional working groupwith members of both House Judiciary and Energy & Commerce Committeeswas formed to study the encryption problem. The House Judiciary Committees Encryption Working Group unequivocally rejected Comey's calls for backdoors and advised the United States to explore other solutions.

Any measure that weakens encryption works against the national interest, the working group wrote in its report. Congress cannot stop bad actorsat home or overseasfrom adopting encryption. Therefore, the Committees should explore other strategies to address the needs of the law enforcement community.

Weakening encryption so that police can break into encrypted devices would speed up criminal investigations, but it would be a short-term win "against the long-term impacts to the national interest," the working group warned. Alternative strategies include giving law enforcement legal methods to compel suspects to unlock their devices and improving metadata collection and analysis.

While the working group report indicates Congress will not pursue legal backdoors, other encryption-related battles are looming on the horizon. The report seemed to support letting police use "legal hacking" to break into products using software vulnerabilities that only law enforcement and intelligence authorities know about, which poses its own security implications. The technology industry has an interest in learning about vulnerabilities as soon as they are found, and not letting the government stockpile them with no oversight.

As for Comey's "going dark" claim, the working group said the challenge appears to be more akin to going spotty.

Adding to the enterprise tech stack

Governments have been trotting out the terrorists going dark argument for years and will always play on those fears, says Mike Janke, co-founder and chairman of encrypted communications company Silent Circle. What's changing is that the enterprises are becoming more serious about securing their communications stack and are less willing to compromise on those features.

Many organizations were shocked at the extent of government surveillance exposed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. They reacted by integrating secure video and text messaging tools along with encrypted voice calls into the enterprise communications stack, Janke says. Encryption is now a bigger part of the technology conversation, as enterprises ask about what features and capabilities are available. IT no longer treats encryption as an added feature to pay extra for, but as a must-have for every product and platform they work with.

Consumers were outraged by the surveillance programs, and anecdotal evidence indicates many have signed up for encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal. But for the most part, they aren't paying for secure products or changing their behaviors to make privacy a bigger part of their daily lives.

The change is coming from CSOs, vice presidents of engineering, and other technical enterprise leaders, because they're at the forefront of making security and privacy decisions for their products and services. With Tesla now digitally signing firmware for every single one of its internal components with a cryptographic key, it's easier to ask TV manufacturers or toymakers, "Why aren't you doing that?" says Janke.

Consumers are the ones who will benefit from encryption built in by default as enterprises change their mindset about the importance of encryption.

Riding the innovation wave

Cryptography tends to go in waves, with important innovations and research from 2005 to 2006 finally coming out as practical applications. Researchers are currently looking at improving the "precision of encrpytion," instead of the current model of all or nothing, where if something is exposed, everything gets leaked. "Encrpytion can be precise like a scalpel, giving fine-grained control over the information," Waters says.

Google has looked at cryptography in its experiments with neural networks. Recently, its Google Brain team created two artificial intelligence systems that was able to create their own cryptographic algorithm in order to keep their messages a secret from a third AI instance that was trying to actively decrypt the algorithms.

The dawn of quantum computing will also spur new avenues of research. If large-scale quantum computers are ever built, they will be able to break many of the public-key cryptosystems currently in use, wrote the National Institute of Standards and Technology in a public notice. Once such machines become widely available, this would seriously compromise the confidentiality and integrity of digital communications on the Internet and elsewhere."

To prepare for that eventuality, NIST is soliciting work on "new public-key cryptography standards," which will "specify one or more additional unclassified, publicly disclosed digital signature, public-key encryption, and key-establishment algorithms that are capable of protecting sensitive government information well into the foreseeable future, including after the advent of quantum computers. The submission deadline is Nov. 30, 2017, but NIST acknowledges the work will take years to be tested and available, noting that "historically, it has taken almost two decades to deploy our modern public key cryptography infrastructure."

[ ALSO ON CSO: What 2017 has in store for cybersecurity ]

Regardless of whether we can estimate the exact time of the arrival of the quantum computing era, we must begin now to prepare our information security systems to be able to resist quantum computing, NIST said.

There have been a number of intriguing advances in cryptography, but it will likely be years before they become available to enterprise IT departments, and who knows what form they will take. The future of cryptography promises even more security. The good news is we are already experiencing some of the benefits now.

This story, "Encryption in 2016: Small victories add up" was originally published by InfoWorld .
Emmi takes 80% of Lacteos Caprinos

Emmi has been gradually expanding its international goats milk network since 2010, and has now taken an 80% stake in Spanish goats milk processor Lacteos Caprinos.

Goats milk products are one of the dairy industrys most attractive niche markets worldwide, according to Emmi. The company has been gradually expanding its international goats milk network since 2010, and has now taken an 80% stake in Spanish goats milk processor Lacteos Caprinos.

Emmi entered the goats milk products business in 2010, when it acquired Cypress Grove in California and the Le Petit Chevrier brand in Switzerland. This prompted Emmi to gradually strengthen its position in this niche market. The goats milk network now comprises two goats milk processors in the US (Cypress Grove, Redwood Hill Farm), two in the Netherlands (Bettinehoeve and Goat Milk Powder) as well as trading company AVH dairy, which is also based in the Netherlands but operates on a global scale. These are all small to medium-sized companies that are characterised by interesting positions in selected segments, Emmi says.

With Spanish company Lacteos Caprinos, the Emmi Group says it will be joined by a further goats milk processor that can be very well integrated into the existing network. Based in Campillo de Arenas in southern Spain, the company employs around 30 staff and generates annual sales of around 13 million.

Spain is said to be Europes second-largest producer of goats milk (approx. 20%) after France. The stake in Lacteos Caprinos gives Emmi access to this attractive market.

The focus of Lacteos Caprinos is on the manufacture of semi-finished products (curd) for goats cheese manufacturers both in Spain and abroad. Many professional goats cheese manufacturers use such semi-finished products to make up for any seasonal milk shortages. The stake in Lacteos Caprinos makes Emmis goats milk network stronger in terms of procurement, the company believes. Lacteos Caprinos also manufactures goats milk cream cheese, which is sold through Spanish retailers under the Delicapra brand. Since Spain is also experiencing steadily growing consumer demand for goats milk products, Emmi believes it is now in the position of being able to further expand this local business in the medium term.

Emmi is acquiring an 80% stake in Lacteos Caprinos from its two owners, Pedro Mantilla and Francisco Sainz. The residual 20% will remain with the current owners, who decided to take this measure firstly because they were looking for a succession solution in the medium term and secondly because synergies with Emmi will allow the company to increasingly operate in the global market. They will continue to work for the company in their current roles: Pedro Mantilla as Managing Director and Francisco Sainz as Chief Operation Officer with a focus on production and milk procurement.
RFD-TV Interview: Grain and Livestock Markets Blue Line Futures - Thu Nov 3, 6:38PM CDT What's on the radar for grain and livestock markets to round out the week?

Cotton Bounce Continued through Thursday Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Front month cotton futures ended with another triple digit bounce on the day. December closed at the allotted 4c limit, while the other nearbys were 138 to 353 point gains. Census data reported 703,536... CTZ22 : 82.37 (-0.76%) CTH23 : 81.00 (-1.42%) CTK23 : 80.83 (-1.43%)

Red Thursday for Wheat Market Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT The nearby wheat market ended with mixed but mostly lower. SRW prices gave back 3 to 5 1/2 cents on the day. December stayed at a net 11 1/4 cent gain wk/wk so far. KC wheat held firmer with December up... ZWZ22 : 844-0 (+0.42%) ZWH23 : 862-6 (+0.35%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7263 (-0.65%) KEZ22 : 945-0 (+0.40%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.9929 (+0.14%) MWZ22 : 945-0 (+0.21%)

Hog Market Fades on Thursday Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Lean hog futures held onto minimal gains in the December contract on Thursday, while the other nearby contracts dropped by 2 to 20 cents. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $3.36 weaker in the... HEZ22 : 83.375s (+0.09%) HEJ23 : 92.550s (-0.11%) KMZ22 : 94.000s (+0.16%)

Weak Thursday for Cattle Market Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Front month fat cattle futures ended the session mixed with a 55 cent gain in Dec and a 5 cent gain in the August 23 contract. The other nearby futures fell by 2 to 20 cents on a mixed / mostly weaker... LEZ22 : 151.950s (+0.36%) LEG23 : 154.875s (-0.02%) LEJ23 : 158.300s (-0.13%) GFX22 : 178.000s (-0.52%) GFF23 : 179.425s (-0.32%)

Corn Faded on Thursday Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Thursday action in the corn market left futures 2 3/4 to 8 1/4 cents lower. For December contracts that was the lowest close since 10/19. IHS Markit expects the national U.S. corn yield at 172.9 bpa,... ZCZ22 : 680-6 (+0.22%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7556 (-1.15%) ZCH23 : 686-2 (+0.22%) ZCK23 : 686-2 (+0.22%)
The investment activities of the so-called Tiger Cubs, Grandcubs, and Seeds  those hedge fund managers who have some sort of tie to the legendary octogenarian investor Julian Robertson Jr.s Tiger Management Corp.  are always closely watched. This is because a portion of these roughly four dozen managers are considered among the most elite hedge fund managers, even though many of them are losing money this year. Here are the nine stocks that have the highest number of Tiger-related managers among their shareholders as of the end of the third quarter, according to data from Novus.com, a portfolio intelligence platform that tracks the holdings of more than 1,300 hedge funds. Three of the four most popular stocks among the Tiger crowd are among the so-called FANG stocks: Facebook, Amazon.com and Google, now called Alphabet. (Not on that list is Netflix, the N in FANG.)

FACEBOOK (25 Tiger-related investors))

Facebook is once again the most widely held stock among the Tiger crowd, with 25 firms holding shares of the social media pioneer. The stock is the second-largest individual long holding of Andreas Halvorsens Viking Global Investors, which is also the largest sizable hedge fund investor in Facebook. It is the largest U.S. long position of several Tiger descendants, including Philippe Laffonts Coatue Management, and is the third-largest U.S. long of John Griffins Blue Ridge Capital and Chris Hansens Valiant Capital Management.

AMAZON.COM (21)

The e-commerce giant is the largest long holding of Viking Global Investors and the hedge fund firms best performer in both the second and third quarters. The market underappreciates the strength of the companys revenue growth and the degree to which margins are likely to expand over the next several years, it told clients in its second-quarter letter. The stock is also the second-largest U.S. long of Chase Colemans Tiger Global Management.

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS (19)

The cable and broadband giant is the largest U.S. long holding of Stephen Mandel Jr.s Lone Pine Capital, which is the companys tenth-largest shareholder. It is also the third-largest U.S. long holding of Tiger Global, which told investors in its second-quarter letter that the stock could double in the next three or four years. Several smaller Tiger Grandcubs and Seeds count the stock as their second-largest long, including Tybourne Capital Management, Tiger Eye Capital, and Marble Arch Investments.

ALPHABET Class C (18)

The nonvoting class of Googles parent company became a new position for Tiger Global in the third quarter, making it the firms eighth-largest U.S. long position. Viking sharply increased its stake in the search giant, making it the firms seventh-largest holding. If you combine the C shares with its stake in the A shares, Alphabet is Vikings second-largest long bet.

THE PRICELINE GROUP (17)

The online travel agency known for brands like Booking.com is the largest U.S. long holding of Tiger Global. In its second-quarter letter, the hedge fund called it a compelling opportunity, citing its growing market share of global hotel bookings, flat-to-positive margins, aggressive capital return to shareholders, its great management team, and an attractive stock market valuation. It is also the largest holding of smaller Tiger-related firms like Bloom Tree Partners and Fox Point Capital Management.

FLEETCOR TECHNOLOGIES (16)

The payment-processing company has been a longtime favorite among the Tiger crowd. Lone Pine is the second-largest shareholder, while Tiger Global is the seventh-largest. It is also the fourth-largest U.S. long holding of Valinor Management and a major holding of Tiger Eye and Bloom Tree.

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING (13)

The Chinese e-commerce giant was rediscovered by the Tiger crowd  and hedge funds in general  in the third quarter. Tiger Global established a new, 5.3 million-share stake, making the stock its fifth-largest U.S. long position. Lone Pine bought nearly the same amount of shares, but they are only the firms 21st largest U.S. long. Coatue Management was another major initial buyer of the stock.

LIBERTY GLOBAL Class C (13)

Blue Ridge Capital is the seventh-largest shareholder of the telecom giant; however, it is not a significant part of the Tiger Cubs portfolio. In fact, no Tiger-related fund includes the stock among its top-ten holdings. Other investors include Falcon Edge Capital.

VISA (13)

The Tiger crowd warmed up to this stock last quarter, with 13 holding positions in the credit card processor, compared with ten in the second quarter. Discovery Capital Management boosted its stake in Visa by more than 50 percent, making the stock the fifth-largest U.S. long holding of the global macro investor. The stock is also the fourth-largest holding of Miura Global Management.
Electricity consumption in Ukraine in January through November 2016, taking into account losses in electricity transmission, fell by 1.6% or 2.164 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) year-on-year, to 134.311 billion kWh, the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry has told Interfax-Ukraine.

Electricity consumption, not including losses, over the period fell by 1.8% or 2.007 billion kWh, to 106.114 billion kWh.

Industry in Ukraine over the period under review decreased electricity consumption by 1.6%, to 45.243 billion kWh, including a 0.8% fall in consumption by the metallurgical industry, to 26.26 billion kWh, an 18.3% fall by the fuel sector, to 3.231 billion kWh, a 2.5% decline by engineering sector, to 3.205 billion kWh, a 1% rise in consumption by the chemical and petroleum industry, to 2.811 billion kWh, a 2.4% rise in consumption by food and processing industry, to 3.797 billion kWh, a 6.6% rise in consumption by the construction materials sector, to 2.023 billion kWh and 1.5% rise for other industries, to 3.916 billion.

Agricultural companies consumed 3.116 billion kWh (a rise of 2% year-over-year, transport companies  6.022 billion kWh (a fall of 2.1%) and construction companies  693.2 million kWh (a rise of 3.7%).

There was a 3.1% decline in consumption by households, to 32.109 billion kWh.

The share of industry in total electricity consumption increased from 42.5% in January-November 2015 to 42.6% in 2016, and the share of households fell from 30.7% to 30.3%.

In November, electricity consumption, taking into account losses in electricity transmission, grew by 4.9%, to 13.718 billion kWh, and without loss  it rose by 5.8%, to 10.674 billion kWh.
Talking about the year as it ends, Robert Kelly believes NIBAs advocacy to regulators on brokers behalf has been outstanding in 2016.



Ive been extremely impressed by the role that NIBA has taken on behalf of brokers in regard to any regulatory change, and the cooperation that theyve had with the regulator for the propositions that theyve put, in order to  inform and to give [the regulator] the ability to make a judgment based on facts, rather than innuendo around the industry, he tells Insurance Business.



Kelly also raises the NIBA and ANZIIF education partnership.



Weve got the best of both worlds  and the two groups work to enhance the training mechanisms that are available for brokers. Thats been a real highlight to me.



Another highlight, he says, has been major insurers now starting to recognise that running a combined ratio in excess of 100% is not the way to run an insurance company.



I think that rationalisation is overdue. I think it shouldve come a year ago, but Im grateful that its come now, he says. We, as distribution, always want to have sustainable insurers behind us and we want to see price movements that are small, rather than a kneejerk reaction at large when balance sheets get eroded by years of poor underwriting.



Kelly says a highlight for Steadfast in 2017 will be the continuing rollout of its IT platforms, INSIGHT and UnderwriterCentral  the culmination of a decades work. He also looks forward to continuing Steadfasts strategic relationships, both in Australia and in London.



Discussing challenges, Kelly says: The challenges for the industry are always to inform the regulators about issues that occur  and to work with the regulators to ensure that there is no kneejerk reaction, but absolute engagement and rectification programs put in place to fix any issues that are seen to impact the public.



Although [ASIC is] technically the policemen of what we do, theyre also rational about how you fix it. I must say that, in my view, they are very cooperative in terms of how it can be rectified and accommodating to have discussions about the rectification process. I think thats a huge thing to have  a regulated by legislation industry that you participate in, and a regulator who will work with you when issues arise.



Kelly says it will be interesting to keep an eye on Suncorp, IAG and QBE over the next year as they work towards how they can interact with and enhance distribution, in terms of their technical operating structures.



I think that some of the work thats being done by Peter Harmer will be interesting to see when it reaches fruition, he says.



Kelly also mentions Pat Reagans recent appointment as interim CEO of QBEs Australian and New Zealand operations.



He has the skills and the ability to move change quickly, he says.



And I think the way Suncorp has split its divisions and Michael Camerons view of how Suncorp should be involved with the market is yet to be proved, but its quite revolutionary.



So, from my point of view, to watch those three people and how they manage the changes within their businesses and how they decide distribution should be treated is a work in progress and something I watch with great interest.
Which stories packed the biggest punches for 2016?
A Delaware judge has sided with state environmental officials in a lawsuit challenging a ban on non-hunting firearms in state parks and forests.

Members of the Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club and the Delaware State Sportsmens Association who have concealed-carry permits challenged the ban in a Chancery Court lawsuit last year, saying it violates their constitutional right to carry firearms.

The lawsuit was refiled in Superior Court earlier this year after the Chancery Court dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction.

On Friday, a Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the state, saying the regulations do not violate Delawares Constitution.

The regulations do not run afoul of the Delaware Constitution, defendants were not pre-empted by the General Assembly in enacting the regulations, and defendants did not exceed the scope of the authority granted to them by statute in promulgating the regulations wrote Judge T. Henley Graves.

State environmental secretary David Small said he was pleased with the ruling.

We do not believe that the unrestricted ability to carry weapons is consistent with our mission to provide every visitor with safe, enjoyable recreational experiences in our treasured and nationally-renowned state park system, Small said in a prepared statement.

The plaintiffs argued that they should be allowed to carry their guns in parks administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and in forests overseen by the Department of Agriculture.

DNREC regulations state that it is illegal to display, possess or discharge firearms, air rifles, BB guns, sling shots, or archery equipment on any park lands without prior written approval. The agriculture department allows firearms on state forest land only for legal hunting.

Delawares Constitution, meanwhile, states that a person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, and for hunting and recreational use.

The judge concluded that the state agencies have an important governmental objective of keeping the public safe from the potential harm of firearms in parks and forests.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Agribusiness Pollution Gun Liability
A beach town being sued for the drowning death of a man swept out to sea when the sand collapsed underneath him says it is immune from such lawsuits due to a state law governing unimproved public property.

North Wildwood claims the law puts the risk for use of such property on the user and wants the lawsuit dismissed.

Two others have also drowned from similar accidents there since 2009.

In July 2012, Brad Smith, of Horsham, Pennsylvania, was walking in ankle-deep water at the beach with his daughter when the sand collapsed, plunging them and a friend into the swirling waters. A passer-by on a personal watercraft rescued the girl, who was being held above the waves by her father before he drowned.

His wife, Sandra Smith, wants a judge to order that section of beach closed to the public to prevent another tragedy. That request will be heard Feb. 10.

Domonique McNeil and Tasha Hart also lost relatives to a similar drowning there in 2009. The accident claimed the lives of Jamila Watkins, 27, and Shayne Hart, 15.

In its motion to have the lawsuit dismissed, North Wildwood cites a state law granting municipalities immunity from accidents that happen on unimproved public property.

But Smiths lawyer, Paul DAmato, says the town was negligent in its supervision of a public recreational facility. In court papers, he alleges the town began supervising the area when its lifeguards began to monitor radio scanner traffic from the unprotected beach, which averaged 12 rescues per summer. They also periodically would take a truck or personal watercraft to the area to warn beachgoers of the dangers the area posed, according to court documents.

He wrote that such efforts evidenced an intent to supervise by way of monitoring, entering into and becoming a part of the activity itself from which the injury sprang.

The town argues that a municipality cannot be found to be negligent when no individual employee has been found to be negligent in his or her duties. They also deny that the town had assumed supervision of the area.

It argued that governments would never see the end of litigation for injuries caused by unimproved property if a plaintiff could simply argue that the area was dangerous.

In a deposition in the case, lifeguards said they knew of potentially deadly conditions at their beach for at least six years before Smith drowned.

North Wildwood had posted two signs at the beach indicating swimming was prohibited there. But the signs made no mention of the danger of walking on sand near the water. And Sandra Smith says they were far from the waters edge when the sand gave way.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New Jersey
Virginias medical payments per workers compensation claim with more than seven days of lost time increased 26 percent for claims that occurred between 2009 and 2014, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

This growth in medical payments per workers compensation claim in Virginia was among the fastest of the states included in CompScope Medical Benchmarks for Virginia, 17th Edition. The median growth rate of medical payments per workers compensation claim over the same period was 15 percent in the states WCRI studied.

Virginias medical payments per claim increase reflected the states steady growth in medical prices. We observed this trend in Virginia prices for nonhospital and hospital outpatient services, said Ramona Tanabe, WCRIs executive vice president and counsel.

The following are among the findings from this study:

Medical payments per workers compensation claim increased slightly more than five percent annually in Virginia for claims that occurred between 2009 and 2014.

Medical prices for nonhospital services increased 20 percent between 2009 and 2014 in Virginia while increasing on average four percent in the 17 other states WCRI studied.

The growth in hospital outpatient payments in Virginia was driven by the growing costs of treatment, operating, and recovery room services.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed House Bill 378 into law this year, establishing maximum medical fee schedule reimbursement rates for workers compensation services. The Virginia Workers Compensation Commission must establish these rates by January 1, 2018.

WCRI studied medical payments, prices, and utilization in 18 states, including Virginia, looking at claim experience through 2015 on injuries that mainly occurred in 2009 to 2014. WCRIs CompScope Medical Benchmark studies compare payments from state to state and across time.

The Cambridge, Mass., based WCRI provides information about public policy issues involving workers compensation systems. It is an independent, not-for-profit research organization that began in 1983. WCRIs members include employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Source: WCRI

Topics Trends Workers' Compensation Virginia
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has granted SCOR R3 authorization, allowing the group to open a composite branch office in India to conduct life and P/C reinsurance business.

SCOR has been writing business with Indian clients since 1973, having opened a liaison office in India in 2005. The establishment of a SCOR branch in 2016 demonstrates the Groups commitment to the Indian market and to the continued provision of services to its clients in the country.

Denis Kessler, chairman & chief executive officer of SCOR, comments: Receiving the R3 authorization from the IRDAI to establish a SCOR branch in India marks a milestone for the group in terms of solidifying its presence in the country, where it has enjoyed strong business relationships for many years. Our local team will be ready to provide business solutions to our Indian clients as of the

April 1, 2017 renewals.

Source: SCOR

Related:

SCOR Moves a Step Closer to Opening a Branch Office in India

Topics Reinsurance Property Casualty India
Chubb announced that Graham Lambourne, currently Global Clients Claims manager, Europe, has been promoted to the role of head of Multinational Claims for Overseas General Insurance.

Lambourne will be responsible for further refining and enhancing Chubbs multinational claims capability, working with colleagues in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe to deliver market-leading service for clients and their brokers across both Chubbs extensive owned network, and its network partners.

His role will include the development of new multinational reporting tools, enabling Chubbs global clients to benefit from timely and accurate claims reporting and better data analytics to help them manage their risks. He will also be supporting the continued development of Worldview, Chubbs web-based platform which allows clients to manage their multinational programs in real time.

His appointment is effective immediately. He succeeds Graham Chesman, vice president, Multinational Claims, Overseas General, who retires at the end of the year.

Lambourne has more than 30 years of insurance claims experience. He joined Chubb in 2015 as Global Clients Claims manager, Europe. Before that he held a series of senior claims positions with AIG and the XL Group. In his new role, Lambourne will continue to be based in London, reporting to Simon Priebbenow, vice president, Claims Service Development, for Chubb.

This is a well-deserved promotion for Graham, who, since he joined Chubb in 2015, has shown the leadership skills and commitment that are critical in our effort to deliver a world class service operation for our multinational clients, said Andrew McBride, executive vice president, Claims, Overseas General Insurance.

I would like to thank Graham Chesman for his remarkable 37 years of service to Chubb. He leaves the company with our sincere thanks and best wishes for the future, McBride continued.

Source: Chubb

Related:

Chubb Names Claims Management Team in Europe

Topics Claims Europe Chubb
Three tornadoes were reported in Kansas on Christmas Day, causing some damage but no injuries, the National Weather Service confirmed.

The Dodge City office of the weather service said the first tornado was reported six miles southeast of Bucklin Sunday morning, destroying a cattle building.

KAKE reported that 20 minutes later, a horse shed was damaged three miles south of Greensburg.

Another weak tornado touched down later in a farm field southwest of Rush Center in Rush County. No damage was reported from that tornado.

Strong winds attached to thunderstorms caused damage to roofs, a grain bin and trees.

No injuries are reported from the storms.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Kansas
Authorities say a young boy has been killed by an unmanned truck that rolled down a hill after it wasnt properly secured at a construction site.

Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton says the 5-year-old boy was playing in the neighborhood when the truck rolled away from the construction site where it was being loaded.

The truck rolled through several yards, hit the boy and came to rest after crashing into a house. Hampton says a worker has been arrested.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Auto Training Development Construction North Carolina
Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. has selected Theresa Vinson as a new senior claim representative in the Raleigh, N.C., office, according to Jeff Pettus, president and CEO of BSA.

In her position as senior claim representative, Vinson is responsible for reviewing, processing and handling medical workers compensation claims as assigned by Shirley Girard, senior claims supervisor in the BSA Raleigh, N.C., office. Vinson determines the compensability of the claim and extent of liability. She also communicates directly with clients, employers, injured workers, physicians and attorneys, and manages claims in a timely and economic manner.

Prior to joining BSA, Vinson worked for CorVell Corporate in Raleigh, as a claim specialist. She holds her associate in claims (AIC) designation.

Vinson graduated from Eastern Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in environmental design (drafting).

Brentwood Services Inc. is an independent employee-owned company headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., specializing over the past 26 years in structuring and managing alternative market options for employers and insurance providers.

Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. provides claims management and loss control services to employers and employer associations with self-insured and large deductible programs for workers compensation and other casualty lines throughout the contiguous 48 states. BSA also provides underwriting, policy management and accounting services to association-sponsored pools and mutual insurance companies.

Topics Claims Workers' Compensation North Carolina
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that the land reform in the agricultural sector must be finished by 2020.

"Before 2020 we must carry out the high-quality land reform in the interests of Ukrainian citizens and the state of Ukraine," he said presenting the government's plans at a meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday.

As reported, referring to a memorandum of cooperation signed by Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, the Ukrainian government sought adoption of a bill on farmland turnover by late December 2016. Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada extended the moratorium on the sale of farmland imposed in 2002 until 2018.

The parliament ordered its committees and the profile ministry to draw up required bills within six months. Later several lawmakers from the parliamentary coalition submitted bill No. 5535 on farmland turnover to parliament.
New Mexico regulators have approved restarting normal operations at the nations only underground nuclear waste repository, a major step for U.S. officials aiming to reopen the facility nearly three years after a radiation leak shut it down indefinitely.

Two letters obtained by The Associated Press outline the state Environment Departments findings from a recent inspection of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Regulators found two minor permit violations that were addressed immediately, but watchdog groups questioned whether the states decision was predetermined given the push by the U.S. Energy Department to reopen the site before years end.

The repository has been closed since a radiation release in February 2014 contaminated much of the underground disposal area and brought to light gaps in management and oversight.

The leak stemmed from a chemical reaction inside a container of waste that was inappropriately packed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Investigators determined it could have been avoided had existing policies not been ignored.

With shipments on hold, tons of Cold War-era nuclear waste, from gloves and tools to clothing and other material, have been piling up at national laboratories and other defense installations across the country.

The backup has compromised the governments multibillion-dollar cleanup campaign and led to an overhaul of procedures across the nuclear complex.

Mitigating the contamination at the site in southeastern New Mexico is expected to cost more than a half-billion dollars, which does not include costs stemming from a multimillion-dollar settlement with the state for numerous permit violations.

New Mexico officials have said repeatedly that their review was thorough and that the state had a responsibility to ensure the Energy Department and the contractor that runs the repository addressed the numerous violations and deficiencies revealed by the radiation release.

We value our federal facilities and appreciate the hard work and cooperation of the workforce, leadership and the broader Carlsbad community as the WIPP facility approaches full readiness to safely reopen, state Environment Secretary Butch Tongate said in a statement.

All provisions of the settlement with the state will remain in effect until they are fulfilled, Kathryn Roberts, director of New Mexicos Resource Protection Division, wrote in one of the letters sent last week to federal officials.

The state also noted that the repository must monitor for volatile compounds when they begin moving waste into underground disposal rooms.

While state approval is key to restarting work at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, federal officials still need to address numerous issues identified as part of a separate readiness review done by Energy Department experts from around the country.

Work at the facility will not resume until corrective actions are completed and validated by the department, agency spokeswoman Bridget Bartol said Thursday. Officials say progress is being made but could not provide a date.

Don Hancock, director of the nuclear waste safety program at the Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, said the state should have looked closer at the implications of inadequate ventilation and the accuracy of air monitoring underground to ensure worker safety.

He also pointed to a recent federal report that found vulnerabilities in the facilitys radiological protection program and separate deficiencies recorded by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Rushing to reopen could increase the potential for future problems, Hancock said.

There is no crisis that requires it to be reopened by the end of the year, as they keep talking about, and workers are working seven days a week, he said. Typically what happens when people are being overworked is they get tired, they get careless and theyre more prone to accidents.

Energy officials acknowledged during a town hall last week that employees were working around the clock to address the issues needed to reopen but said that doing it safely was a priority.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Mexico New Mexico
401(k) Loan vs. IRA Withdrawal: An Overview

Dipping into a retirement account early is rarely an investor's Plan A, but there could come a time when an individual sorely needs cash and has no other options. Under certain circumstances, drawing on a 401(k) or individual retirement account (IRA) might be your only real choice.

Unfortunately, the IRS doesn't make it easy to tap these tax-advantaged accounts. Typically, you'll be assessed a 10% penalty on any funds withdrawn out of a traditional 401(k) or IRA account before the age of 59. The penalty is on top of the ordinary income tax rate you normally pay on distributions.

However, the IRS and many retirement plans allow for hardship withdrawals, which are distributions from an IRA or 401(k) that avoid the 10% penalty. These exceptions to premature withdrawals before the age of 59 include funds for medical expenses and if the IRA owner suffers total and permanent disability.



Granted, the decision to use this money for something other than your retirement shouldn't be taken lightly. But if you can get around the IRS penalty, the idea starts to make a little more sense.

Key Takeaways Withdrawing money early from a 401(k) or IRA will result in an additional 10% penalty. There are a few exceptions to this rule.

You can borrow from your 401(k) account and pay back the money over five years.

You can withdraw money early from an IRA without penalty for a few specific reasons.

Such as placing a down payment on a first home or paying for college tuition.

Borrowing from your retirement accounts is essentially taking a loan out from oneself.

1:22 Sometimes It Pays to Borrow From Your 401(k)

401(k) Loan

This is probably the easiest way to access retirement money early for many workers. Some plans allow you to borrow from your 401(k) for various reasons.

With a 401(k) loan, you can withdraw the lesser of $50,000 or half the vested balance in your account. You then repay your account over a period of up to five years.

Some employers allow a longer period if you borrow to buy a home. Some plans allow the borrower to reimburse the account early with no pre-payment penalty. It's worth noting that you typically pay back a little more than you took out of the account. This "interest" actually works to the borrower's advantage. Because the funds go into your account, you're essentially making up for some of the interest or capital gains the money would have accrued had you not withdrawn it from the fund. These loans are quick and easy to access, don't hurt your credit rating (assuming you pay the loan back), have repayment flexibility, and are affordable with no to low origination fees.

Some downsides? Most 401(k) plan providers and platforms will charge fees to process and service a loan, which adds to the cost of borrowing and repayment. Also, not all employers offer these loans. Your odds of getting one are better if you work for a large company.

You may also withdraw up to $5,000 without penalty to deal with a birth or adoption under the terms of the SECURE Act of 2019.

IRA Withdrawal

Traditional IRA accounts don't allow loans, but they do come with certain perks 401(k)s don't offer. The government offers penalty-free IRA distributions, for example, for those who want to further their education or buy their first home.

The tuition exemption applies to individuals who use retirement money to pay tuition at an IRS-approved college and for books and supplies. If you take enough credits, you also can use the funds for room and board without penalty. You even can use the distribution to pay education expenses for your spouse, child, or grandchild without worrying about the extra 10% hit.

The tax code allows you to use $10,000 of IRA funds to pay for a first home. If your spouse also has an individual retirement account, you can access up to $20,000 for a down payment and closing costs.



One of the lesser-known ways to access a traditional IRA is by setting up substantially equal periodic payments (SEPPs), allowing you to make one or more withdrawals a year for either a five-year period or until you reach age 59 whichever is longer. While SEPPs allow you to avoid the 10% early withdrawal penalty, you're still responsible for paying your ordinary income tax rate on the distributions.

Special Considerations

When you withdraw money from your retirement account, you may face tax-related consequences, such as paying a 10% penalty tax, plus state and federal taxes on the amount you withdraw early. Paying these taxes may add up to a considerable amount of money, eating into the cash you withdraw.

There are instances where you can withdraw money from a 401(k) or IRA without paying the penalty. However, just because you don't have to pay the penalty doesn't mean you won't owe taxes on the cash you withdraw, which the IRS will consider income. Withdrawals from traditional IRA and 401(k) plans are taxed at your normal income level because these accounts are funded with pre-tax dollars.

If you contribute to a Roth IRA, you can withdraw your contributions because Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax income. When you turn age 59 and a half, you can withdraw your earnings without being hit with taxes or penalties, as long as you follow the five-year rule.

If you borrow money from your retirement accounts, you do not have to pay penalties or taxes on the funds, as long as you pay yourself back. Early withdrawals from your retirement account are not often worth the amount of taxes you will be required to pay. If you have an emergency, it may be prudent to investigate a loan from your account. Another type of retirement loan is called a bridge loan. You can use the cash you need when you take out a bridge loan, but you have a 60-day window to deposit the amount you withdrew into a new IRA. If you wait too long, you will be hit with taxes and penalties by the IRS.



What Are the Early Withdrawal Penalties on a 401(K) And an IRA? The early withdrawal penalty is a 10% tax on the amount withdrawn, plus you will be required to pay additional state and federal taxes on the withdrawn funds.

How Do You Determine the Minimum Withdrawal Amount on a 401(K) And IRA? Your required minimum withdrawals (RMD) are calculated by dividing the previous Dec. 31 retirement plan balance by a life expectancy factor dictated by the IRS, which publishes tables in Publication 590-B. You select the life expectancy table based on your particular situation. Of course, the IRS can't see into the future, so there is always the chance you will need fewer (or more) funds than expected.
Not a great way to close out the year for Qualcomm, thanks to a recent ruling by South Koreas antitrust regulation agency, the SK Fair Trade Commission, which has levied a huge $853 million (1.03 trillion SK won) fine on the company for what the Commission called unfair business practices.

The Commission said that the company has been too restrictive in the way its issued licenses for use of its key technological patents, especially on CDMA connectivity. Furthermore, it was alleged that Qualcomm tied patent licenses to orders for chips, which reportedly amounts to coercion.

The ruling, if it stands through the appeals process, about which Qualcomm has said it is optimistic, would force the company to let chipset-makers access its key patents, and stop marrying licensing to signed contracts. Appeal notwithstanding, the company will have to pay the fine within 60 days.

This is the second recent such ruling against Qualcomm, which in 2009 faced a 260 billion won fine for deterring competition through discriminatory charges. That case is still undergoing appeal with the Korean Supreme Court. Last year, China fined the company almost $1 billion.

A statement from Qualcomm refuted the decision, unsurprisingly. This is an unprecedented and insupportable decision relating to licensing practices that have been in existence in Korea and worldwide for decades and that the KFTC reviewed but did not question in a previous investigation of Qualcomm, the statement said.

The company went on to say that the decision:

 Lacks a coherent theory of competition law violations;

 Lacks any evidence of harm to competition;

 Results from a denial of procedural safeguards;

 Seeks to disrupt established licensing practices that have been accepted by the wireless industry and used by major patent holders for decades;

 Undermines incentives to invest in fundamental technology and share it with the industry;

 Imposes a fine that is insupportable and not reasonably related to the size of the Korean market.

Qualcomm strongly believes that the KFTC findings are inconsistent with the facts, disregard the economic realities of the marketplace, and misapply fundamental tenets of competition law, said Don Rosenberg, EVP and general counsel, Qualcomm Incorporated. Importantly, this decision does not take issue with the value of Qualcomm's patent portfolio. Qualcomm's enormous R&D investments in fundamental mobile technologies and its broad-based licensing of those technologies to mobile phone suppliers and others have facilitated the explosive growth of the mobile communications industry in Korea and worldwide, brought immense benefits to consumers and fostered competition at all levels of the mobile ecosystem.

Edited by Alicia Young
Japan's Prime Minister has offered "sincere and everlasting condolences" for the US service members who died when his country attacked Pearl Harbour, catapulting America into the Second World War.

Shinzo Abe paid a historic visit to the Hawaii site with Barack Obama, becoming the first Japanese leader to visit the USS Arizona Memorial and the first to visit Pearl Harbour with an American president.

The former enemies came together today to acknowledge the tremendous loss from the Japanese attack on US military installations in Hawaii in 1941.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Mr Abe said.

After a formal meeting, Mr Abe and Mr Obama placed a pair of green and peach wreaths made of lilies aboard the USS Arizona Memorial and tossed purple flower petals into the water.

The rusting wreckage of the sunken ship where more than 1,000 American service members are entombed can be seen just under the water's surface.

Mr Obama and Mr Abe closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments before concluding their visit to the memorial and heading to nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, where both leaders spoke.

Mr Obama said Mr Abe's visit was a "historic gesture" that showed the power of reconciliation.

He said Mr Abe's presence was a reminder of what was possible between nations and peoples and that wars could end and enemies could become allies.

Mr Obama said it showed "the fruits of peace always outweigh the plunder of war" and the US-Japan relationship was now a cornerstone of peace in the world.

The president singled out Pearl Harbour survivors in the audience, saying the nation saluted them.

The visit is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war, Japan's government has said.

Although Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before, Mr Abe was the first to visit the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona.

For Mr Obama, it is probably the last time he will meet a foreign leader as president, White House aides said. It is a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Mr Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

And for Mr Abe, it is an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Mr Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the US dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war.

"This visit, and the president's visit to Hiroshima earlier this year, would not have been possible eight years ago," said Daniel Kritenbrink, Mr Obama's top Asia adviser in the White House.

"That we are here today is the result of years of efforts at all levels of our government and societies, which has allowed us to jointly and directly deal with even the most sensitive aspects of our shared history."

More than 2,300 Americans died on December 7 1941, when more than 300 Japanese fighter planes and bombers attacked. More than 1,000 others were wounded.

In the ensuing years, the US incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Mr Abe will not apologise for Pearl Harbour, his government has said. Nor did Obama apologise at Hiroshima in May, a visit that he and Mr Abe used to emphasise their elusive aspirations for a nuclear-free future.

But Alfred Rodrigues, 96, a US Navy veteran who survived what President Franklin D Roosevelt called a "date which will live in infamy", said there was no apology needed.

"War is war," Mr Rodrigues said as he looked at old photos of his military service. "They were doing what they were supposed to do and we were doing what we were supposed to do."

Mr Abe's visit is not without political risk given the Japanese people's long, emotional reckoning with their nation's aggression in the war.

Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbour a surprise attack, Japan's government insisted as recently as this month that it had intended to give the US prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of "bureaucratic bungling".

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbour syndrome' that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Japanese embassy in Washington.

"I think the prime minister's visit will in a sense absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have."

Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Mr Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties.

Both Mr Obama and Mr Abe were driving forces behind the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sweeping free trade deal now on hold due to staunch opposition by Congress and US president-elect Donald Trump.

Moving beyond the painful legacy of the war has been easier for Japan and the US than for Japan and its other former foes, such as South Korea and China.

As Mr Abe arrived in Hawaii, Beijing dismissed as "wishful thinking" the notion that Japan could "liquidate the history of World War II" by visiting Pearl Harbour.

"Japan can never turn this page over without reconciliation from China and other victimised countries in Asia," said Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman.
Imports of fertilizers from Russia to be restricted after passing special bill by Rada

The interagency commission for international trade has decided to introduce antidumping duties on imports of Russian fertilizers and proposed to temporarily postpone their introduction until Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada passes a special bill to avoid possible negative consequences for the agricultural sector.

"Soon the government would send a bill on measures to diversify fertilizer supplies via the reduction of imports duty on most popular types of fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, urea and urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) to lawmakers," the commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

The commission said that it is waiting for an application from the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry asking to suspend the antidumping measures imposed to consider it before the duties take effect.

The statement does not have information about the size of the duties. According to the report, the key conclusions of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry on the results of the antidumping investigation into imports of some types of fertilizers to Ukraine from Russia are evidence of the dumping fact.

"These conclusions show that imports of Russian fertilizers to Ukraine at dumping prices cause damage to Ukrainian chemical fertilizer producers and jeopardize Ukraine's food security," the commission said.

Russia is the key supplier of fertilizers in Ukraine (80-90% of total volume), and imports of fertilizers at dumping prices puts Ukrainian farmers in a dangerous dependence on their supplies in the future.

"The unexpected unilateral stoppage of supplies of Russian fertilizers could be another tool of Russia's aggression against Ukraine in trade," the commission said.

The commission said that main consumers of Russian fertilizers are farmers, and their position should be taken into account when the antidumping duties are imposed. The commission insists on taking measures to diversify supplies of fertilizers to Ukraine (from China, the Middle East, the United States and other countries). It is proposed to cut import duties on fertilizers.
Turkey and Russia have reached an agreement on a plan for a ceasefire comprising the whole of Syria, Turkey's state-run news agency said.

The Anadolu Agency said the two countries are working to ensure that the ceasefire comes into effect after midnight.
This is consistent with the average annual growth rate since 1980, so are we in Goldilocks territory, with growth that is neither too hot nor too cold?

Unfortunately for Ireland, most of this expected growth is concentrated in the emerging markets, with the group of advanced economies forecast to grow by only 1.8% next year, well below the 2.4% annual average seen over the past three and a half decades.

With two-thirds of Irish exports going to either Europe or North America, this relatively pedestrian pace of growth will not lend much by way of support next year.

A further complication is that events threaten to muddy the outlook still further. One of the key takeaways from 2016 is that opinion polls and betting odds are now devalued currencies where their predictive powers are concerned.

The Brexit vote and Donald Trumps US election victory both mean that market participants are likely to be nervous ahead of the key scheduled political events in 2017  elections in France, Germany, and the Netherlands  regardless of what outcome is predicted by the polls. Elsewhere, the UKs expected triggering of Article 50 as part of a divorce from the EU could also complicate matters.

While it remains to be seen how all of these events play out, their outcomes could have implications for the wider economy.

Across the pond, the Trump presidency is due to commence on January 20. While there remains some confusion about the precise details of the new administrations policies, the market is positioned for a loosening of the fiscal purse-strings, which has prompted a sharp move in the US 10-year bond yield from 1.83% just before the election to 2.55% at the time of writing.

The thinking here is that while a budgetary stimulus might give a kicker to growth, the limited slack in the US economy (unemployment stands at only 4.6%) means that it is likely to prove inflationary.

The Federal Reserve recently hiked rates for the second time in 12 months, helping to consolidate the dollars recent strengthening (it is currently at its highest level against the euro since 2003). The stronger dollar does, however, help Irish exporters to the US.

Bringing it all together, what do these external developments mean for Ireland and do they threaten the economic strengthening that has been underway here since the return to growth in 2013?

Given the distortions caused by the multinationals in the national accounts, one has to look beyond headline data in seeing the imprint of external developments on the real economy here.

According to the national accounts, exports grew 0.6%, year-on-year in the third quarter of 2016, which was the period immediately after the Brexit vote in the UK.

Only around 14% of Irish exports go to our closest neighbour, but, for indigenous firms the share is estimated at 40%-45%. Industrial production data for indigenous firms show a decline of 3.1% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2016.

Similarly, the export components of the monthly Investec Manufacturing and Services PMI surveys for Ireland both recorded a marked weakening in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.

So, adverse developments could put immediate pressure on firms here.

Happily, while exports are an important part of the economic story, Ireland is far from a one-trick pony. The domestic economy has recently picked up the growth baton, with demand up by 4.8% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2016, ahead of the 4.6% annualised increase in GDP recorded in the same period.

A variety of data sources point to a marked improvement in domestic economic conditions. Employment growth is currently running at 2.9% year-on-year, retail sales volumes hit a record high in July 2016 and tax receipts were up 6.5% year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2016.

Our view is that the momentum behind the domestic economy will be sufficient for it to withstand external threats in 2017.

This is not to say that all is rosy in the domestic landscape. There are a number of bottlenecks in the economy. Housing is the major one, with chronic shortages evident in the cities.

The construction industry should be producing at least 25,000 units annually to keep up with demographic trends, but on current projections it will not reach that level until 2020, which has negative implications for house-hunters and, indeed, the countrys ability to attract foreign direct investment.

One prediction that we made in 2016 which proved wide of the mark was that the minority government elected in February would not survive to see the year end.

In the event, it managed to get its first budget passed in October, but the recent wrangling over new measures for the rental sector is a reminder that its grip on power isnt especially firm.

But, with opinion polls showing voters flocking back to traditional centrist parties, it is hard to imagine new elections leading to any meaningful shift in policies here.

All in all, while 2017 is likely to see some external tremors, these will probably be mild compared to this past year.

Despite this, our view is that the Irish economy will grow by 3.4% this year, bang in line with global growth, but leaving most other advanced economies in the shade.

Philip OSullivan is chief economist with Investec Ireland
It emerged yesterday that gardai investigating the attack have requested DNA samples from 84 taxi drivers in Dublin, as they were working in a vehicle similar to that of the suspect in the case on the night in question.

Gardai believe the car used was a dark-coloured Prius with a licence plate number dating between 2004 and 2009. However, despite images being caught on CCTV the licence plate number was not recorded.

The victim in the case alleges she was out in the Harcourt St area in the city centre on the night of December 11 last year and hailed a taxi to go home. It is claimed that while being driven to Raheny on the northside of Dublin, the taxi driver raped her.

DNA samples were taken in the aftermath of the attack and it was reported that gardai now believe they have the DNA profile of the assailant.

A Garda statement said: Gardai are investigating an alleged assault on a woman that occurred on the 11 December, 2015 between 2.30 and 4.30am. As this is an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties also said it would not be commenting on the story, adding that it appeared the safeguards are being applied appropriately and in line with legislation.

Earlier this month the Irish Examiner reported that the DNA database has linked more than 530 crimes to particular people in its first year of operation. Official figures indicate that the crimes include 359 burglaries, 55 criminal damage cases, and five sexual assaults.

The DNA database, operated by Forensic Science Ireland (FSI), was launched last November after being promised by successive governments for eight years.

In addition to the 532 crimes, the database has also identified 95 DNA samples taken from crime scenes which have been linked to other crimes.

In the Dublin rape case, the samples are from mouth swabs, although anyone contacted is not compelled to provide a sample. Gardai have instead informed them that any voluntary sample is to rule people out of the investigation.

Once samples taken are found not to be a match, they will be destroyed and wont be kept on a DNA database.

It is not known how many, if any, of the people contacted have declined to provide a sample.

Widespread screening of DNA samples, requested from people without specific or incriminating evidence to assist in an investigation, is permitted under the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014, enacted in November last year.

Cliona Saidlear, executive director of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI), not referring to the specific rape case, said people should not have unrealistic expectations regarding the use of forensics but added that the greater use of DNA could also have a deterrent quality, as it increases the likelihood of perpetrators being exposed.
Once you get a mans service records, it opens up so much stuff, said the administrator of the Facebook group dedicated to the RIC.

Mr Guilfoyle had to visit the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast to find service records for his grandfather, granduncle, and great-grandfather. Further trips to the registry office in Dublin were required to put together more pieces of the family jigsaws.

But things have been made far easier for other researchers by the recent addition of more than 500,000 records of mens service, their pension arrangements, and annual directories of who served in which barracks across the 32 counties policed by the RIC.

The online release of records by the Military Archives and National Archives of Ireland in recent years  military pension files, Bureau of Military History statements, 1901 and 1911 Census records  have helped to democratise basic historical research of the Irish revolution currently being remembered in the Decade of Centenaries.

That research can now be widened beyond those who served on the republican side, to the thousands of mostly Irishmen who were in the RIC during the War of Independence. They include the 13,000 members when the force was disbanded in 1922.

While access is not free in the same way as the Military Archives and National Archives files, those RIC files posted in recent weeks to the Findmypast.ie website will prove invaluable to those researching the force.

Annual subscription ranges from the equivalent of around 9.50 to 15 a month, depending on whether you wish to have access to Irish records only, or to all the services files. For focused shorter research periods, one-month subscriptions are also available.

This will also give access to annual directories and other documents indicating where each officer was based in a given year, all searchable by name or the all- important service number of a constable or officer.

Findmypast researcher Alex Cox says one of the most significant places to start is by finding an RIC member in the general registers.

This will give not just their service number, on which further digital searches of other documents can be based, but their native county, age when they joined and  if they married  where their wife was from.

Also provided in these registers are the counties they served in and when they retired, resigned, were dismissed, or if they died in service.

Armed with these vital clues, anybody can begin a much wider trawl through other RIC files, as well as national census files, newspaper archives (many also available online, or free in many public libraries), and court registers which may help to build up a picture of a relatives police career and the communities in which they served.

Many RIC descendants can find their ancestors signatures if they had been the local census enumerator for the area around the barracks in which they served in 1901 or 1911.

They may not show up automatically in the search function of the National Archives census website because most men were only listed by their initials in the forms filled out for each barracks.

But the Findmy-past site should give assistance on their location in the years of these two census exercises, leading researchers to the appropriate town or village in which to look.

A list of search results showing several initials usually indicates men serving in the local RIC station.

Further information may be available in local libraries and other institutions which may hold records and directories for the area where RIC men were posted.

Earlier this year, the Findmypast site uploaded British War Office files relating to military involvement in Ireland from the 1916 Rising through to 1922.

Like most of the online RIC records, they have been digitised from files held in the UKs National Archives at Kew, London.

These are also hugely valuable to researchers of the Irish revolution, including court martial records and operational correspondence for the British Army national and local commands.

Often on the receiving end of IRA violence during the same period, many police accounts of events and suspects are also to be found.
One of the more striking developments of 2016 and its highly unusual politics was the emergence of a post-fact world, in which virtually all authoritative information sources were called into question and challenged by contrary facts of dubious quality and provenance.

The emergence of the internet and the world wide web in the 1990s was greeted as a moment of liberation and a great boon for democracy worldwide.

Information constitutes a form of power, and to the extent that information was becoming cheaper and more accessible, democratic publics would be able to participate in domains from which they had been hitherto excluded.

The development of social media in the early 2000s appeared to accelerate this trend, permitting the mass mobilisation that fueled various democratic colour revolutions around the world, from Ukraine to Burma (Myanmar) to Egypt.

In a world of peer-to-peer communication, the old gatekeepers of information, largely seen to be oppressive authoritarian states, could now be bypassed.

While there was some truth to this positive narrative, another, darker one was also taking shape.

Those old authoritarian forces were responding in dialectical fashion, learning to control the internet, as in China with its tens of thousands of censors, or through the recruitment of legions of trolls and unleashing of bots that could flood social media with bad information, as in the case of Russia.

These trends all came together in a hugely visible way during 2016, in ways that bridged foreign and domestic politics.

The premier manipulator of social media turned out to be Russia. The Russian government has put out blatant falsehoods like the fact that Ukrainian nationalists were crucifying small children, or that Ukrainian government forces shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014.

These same sources contributed to the debates on Scottish independence, Brexit, and the Dutch referendum on Ukraines EU membership, amplifying any dubious fact that would weaken pro-EU forces.

Use of bad information as a weapon by authoritarian powers would be bad enough, but the practice took root big time during the US election campaign. All politicians lie or, more charitably, spin the truth for their own benefit; but Donald Trump took the practice to new and unprecedented heights.

This began several years ago with his promotion of birtherism, the accusation that President Barack Obama was not born in the US, which Trump continued to propagate even after Obama produced a birth certificate showing that he was.

In the recent US presidential debates, Trump insisted he had never supported the Iraq War and never called climate change a hoax. After the election, he asserted that he had won even the popular vote (which he lost by more than 2m), because of fraudulent voting.

These were not simply shadings of facts, but outright lies whose falsehood could be easily demonstrated. That he asserted them was bad enough; what was worse was that he appeared to suffer no penalty from Republican voters for his repeated and egregious mendacity.

The traditional remedy for bad information, according to freedom-of-information advocates, is simply to put out good information, which in a marketplace of ideas will rise to the top.

This solution, unfortunately, works much less well in a social-media world of trolls and bots. There are estimates that as many as one third to a quarter of Twitter users fall into this category. There is no reason to think that good information will win out over bad information.

There is a more serious problem than these individual falsehoods and their effect on the election outcome. Why do we believe in the authority of any fact, given that few of us are in a position to verify most of them?

The reason is that there are impartial institutions tasked with producing factual information that we trust. Americans get crime statistics from the US Department of Justice, and unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Mainstream media outlets like the New York Timeswere indeed biased against Trump, yet they have systems in place to prevent egregious factual errors from appearing in their copy.

I seriously doubt that Matt Drudge or Breitbart News have legions of fact-checkers verifying the accuracy of material posted on their websites.

In Trumps world, by contrast, everything is politicised. In the course of the campaign, he suggested that Janet Yellens Federal Reserve was working for Hillary Clintons campaign, that the election would be rigged, that official sources were underreporting crime, and that the FBIs refusal to indict Clinton reflected her campaigns corruption of FBI director James Comey.

He also refused to accept the authority of the intelligence agencies blaming Russia for hacking the Democratic National Committee. And, of course, Trump and his supporters have eagerly denigrated all reporting by the mainstream media as hopelessly biased.

The inability to agree on the most basic of facts is the direct product of an across-the-board assault on democratic institutions  in the US, in Britain, and throughout the world.

And this is where the democracies are headed for real trouble. In the US, there has in fact been real institutional decay, whereby powerful interest groups have been able to protect themselves through a system of unlimited campaign finance.

The primary locus of this decay is Congress, and the bad behaviour is for the most part as legal as it is widespread. So ordinary people are right to be upset.

And yet, the election campaign has shifted the ground to a general belief that everything has been rigged or politicised, and that outright bribery is rampant.

If the election authorities certify that your favoured candidate is not the victor, or if the other candidate seemed to do better in the debate, it must be the result of an elaborate conspiracy by the other side to corrupt the outcome.

American democracy, all democracy, will not survive a lack of belief in the possibility of impartial institutions; instead, partisan political combat will come to pervade every aspect of life.

Francis Fukuyama is a senior fellow and Mosbacher Director of Stanford Universitys Center on Democracy.
A little thing I learnt in 2016, which has fascinated me since, is Nobletts sweetshop on Dublins OConnell St as the opening tableau of the Easter Rising.

In John Bowmans new Ireland: The Autobiography, the first gem he curates among many miscellanea is an account by the Archbishop of Dublins secretary on Easter Monday.

Count Plunkett, having gone to Drumcondra to alert an indisposed Archbishop Walsh, prevailed on Monsignor Curran to talk sense to the rebels before matters escalated.

Curran bicycled to the GPO and conducted an audience with Padraig Pearse, to no avail, and noted how, before 2pm, the crowds had greatly increased in numbers. Looting had begun and the first victim was Nobletts sweetshop.

At the monsignors behest, volunteers arrived and attempted to restore order, but it had only passing effect. He noted that the ringleaders were women, a contemporaneous observation that underlines their important role in the Rising.

Disgusted but having done his best, Curran took lunch at the Gresham Hotel. Took in the old fashioned sense of paying for what he ordered.

It was the year of Verdun and the Somme, but 2016 here, like 1966 before it, was primarily an expression of acceptable opinion by contemporary structures of influence.

Not least was the interplay of circles within Irish academia and media, more broadly called influencers. There isnt an official Ireland to speak of, but there is an unofficial one. What constitutes it varies with issue and timing.

Unlike in 1966 or 1916, the Catholic Church is now largely absent, except as an object of abuse. An organisation that nominally controls most primary and secondary schools has no presence to speak of in our universities, and some of its bishops wont send their seminarians to its own.

Conspicuously, it has no public intellectuals. Its occasional voices in the media are invariably dissonant.

Politics generally, and government specifically, is notionally central, but in reality diminished. That is not just a matter of declining regard, but more fundamentally of diminished capacity compared to expectation.

2016 marked the centenary of 1916 at home, and simultaneously an end of the illusion that small nation states can exercise the sovereignty vested in them by their founding mythologies.

The increasing congruence of real power in multilateralism or multinational corporations disconnects those not attuned to a globalising zeitgeist. It is an irony that tribes of the newly neglected can protest instantly via globalised communications structures that are graveyards for the sense of community they feel deprived of.

The diminished capacity of government to control, what in reality it struggles to even influence, energises disparagement, fuelled on unedited social media. The architecture of commemoration in 2016 was the States, but many of the ideas were bought-in, as was much of the choreography.

2016 was the year of the public intellectual. The aspired to chairs being in studios not universities. Serious scholarship, which will take time to intellectually digest, was one good fruit of 2016.

The more in-public conversations, at least among scholars, was regrettably limited in the media to too tight a circle. Inclusion and reclaiming neglected histories may have been a theme of 2016, but in academia, that seldom extends to your colleagues.

One place that couldnt be faulted for its range of goods was The Souvenir Shop by Rita Duffy, curated by Helen Carey. One of the Arts Councils provocative 2016 projects, it was a conflation of that same Nobletts sweetshop and Tom Clarkes tobacconists nearby on what is now Parnell St.

Soaps with brands such as Imperial Palaver and Lady Lavatory featuring as wizened the femme fatale who was once the model for Cathleen Ni Houlihan.

Using everyday items found in the sort of small shop now almost extinct, Duffy, from a northern nationalist background and descended from a grandfather who died at the Somme, insidiously questioned relieved pieties, not least the soft soap, preferred by unofficial Ireland for moisturising our national identity in 2016.

Clarkes was where, in a sense, the fight for Irish freedom began. The proprietor was the oldest signatory of the proclamation, and an old Fenian. Nobletts was where the first popular action took place.

It would now be called people power. In light of the widening disconnect between power and responsibility and the unsustainable demand for state services without willingness to pay for them, the stealing of and then gorging on sweets as a first act of insurrection is an Irish epic worthy of equal treatment with the monumental marriage of Strongbow and Aoife by Maclise in the National Gallery.

In a world at war, the events of Easter week in Dublin were not immediately understood as being of ultimate consequence. Observing great events elsewhere, Marcel Proust, when his indifferent health allowed, stood on the balcony of the Ritz in Paris to see German Gothas bomb the city.

Marvelling at the beginning of flights how bombers dove and rose, making and unmaking their constellations, pyrotechnic displays with previously unimaginable technology were more worrying inside the Ritz. He spied women in dressing gowns or even peignoirs prowl[ing] the halls, clutching at their pearls.

The scattering of pearls across Europe resulted in extraordinary gifts to literature. Among them was The Last Days of Mankind by Karl Krauss, the longest play ever written, with nearly 500 characters, and taking an estimated 10 nights to perform.

Written in German, it is a great satire on its surrounding society and a searing anti-war polemic. Previously untranslated to English, two versions appeared in 2016, one by the distinguished Irish scholar Patrick Healy a long-time Amsterdam resident and narrator of a complete recording of Finnegans Wake.

Healys translation has been critically praised for its sense of rhythm, lacking in the alternative more formal translation by Fred Bridgham and Edward Timms.

Like Prousts novel of seven volumes, In Search of Lost Time, The Last Days of Mankind is not just a huge document, it is an important interpretation of a world at war and the beginnings of globalisation, which would intimately undermine the nation states it gave birth to.

Unofficial Ireland didnt notice. With the exception of Eileen Battersby writing in the Irish Times, airtime was given to considerably more banal material.

The theme of provincialism is a recurring Irish motif. One small but beautiful exhibition, Making Modern Ireland, curated by Gary A Boyd and John McLaughlin, was a personal highlight of 2016.

Its treatment of the States intermittent quest for excellence in design is an antidote to what was allowed blight our built heritage. One tiny thing, the smallest exhibit, in a small exhibition caught my eye. At independence, British stamps with the image of King George V were simply rubberstamped with the insignia of the new state. Business continued as usual.
Asia Thai Police Call off Raid on Scandal-hit Buddhist Temple

Buddhist monks pray at the gate of Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec.27 / Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters

BANGKOK  Thai police on Tuesday called off a raid to arrest a prominent Buddhist monk wanted for suspected money laundering after devotees barricaded entrances to his sprawling temple complex in a Bangkok suburb.

The Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple commands a huge following and is supported by influential politicians and business people, but critics say it exploits its followers and uses religion to make money.

Thailands attorney general said in November it would charge the temples abbot, Phra Dhammachayo, and four others with conspiracy to launder money and receive stolen goods.

Dhammachayos aides have denied the accusations against him which they say are politically motivated.

Police have tried over the past few months to question the abbot and get into the temple, but without success.

On Tuesday, Reuters reporters saw hundreds of monks and devotees inside the temple, which is near the capitals Don Muang international airport.

Some people were barricading entrances, while others wore face masks and chanted Buddhist prayers.

Police removed part of a metal fence outside the complex but by early afternoon they had withdrawn from the site.

We have cleared the fence from the area because it was illegally constructed, Khempak Photipak, the officer in charge of the police operation, told Reuters.

We did not move into the temple today because there are too many people and we did not receive orders to do so, he said.

He gave no further details nor did he say when police might try to get into the temple again.

Temple officials said there were about 10,000 people in the complex.

The controversy over the abbot in part reflects more than a decade of divisive politics in Thailand, which has permeated all aspects of life, including Buddhism.

The abbot is widely perceived to have had links with populist former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in a 2006 coup. Thaksin has lived in self-exile since 2008 but remains influential.

The military overthrew a government led by his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2014.
Burma Could the Burmese Navy Attack Malaysias Food Flotilla?

Rohingya women and childrendisplaced from Dar GyeeZar villagewatch as authorities carry out relief efforts near Abujara village in northern Maungdaw Township. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  As a Malaysian organization pledges to send a food flotilla to Burmas conflict-ridden Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, Presidents Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that such a gesture could be met with a warning or with violence.

The aid program is being organized by the Malaysia Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (MAPIM), a coalition of non-governmental groups, and is expected to depart Malaysias Port Klang carrying 200 tons of rice, medicine and other goods to Burma on January 10. The outreach effort is to provide food and support for the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority labeled by the Burmese government as interlopers from Bangladesh.

Arakan States Maungdaw Township has seen increasing violence in recent months, as security forces carry out clearance operations after October attacks on border police outposts. International rights groups have criticized limitations placed on the distribution of aid to vulnerable people in the region.

Zulhanis Zainol, secretary-general of MAPIM, told Malaysian media that he anticipated the flotilla encountering one of three potential scenarios: that the Burmese government would allow for the aid to be delivered; that security forces would block the ship and instruct it to turn around; or that they would attack the convoy.

If do as they wish without informing [Burmas government], that will not be our mistake, said U Zaw Htay, who told The Irrawaddy that the Burmese navy would warn the ship to return to Malaysia, or it would turn it back by force. Burmese authorities have reportedly received no official request for the ship to enter Burmese territory, either from the Malaysian embassy or the aid organization in question.

If they want to support Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships Muslim communities, MAPIM should follow procedure, said U Zaw Htay, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of not exploiting religion for political purposes and deliberately trying to fuel the flame.

The first thing is, dont exploit religion. The second thing is, respect the government. The third one is, review what the real purpose [of the aid] is, the Presidents Office spokesperson said.

U Zaw Htay said that the Burmese government is already collaborating with international aid initiatives for humanitarian outreach in Maungdaw, highlighting cooperation with fellow Asean member Indonesia to deliver rice to conflict areas in Arakan State in cooperation with the Burmese authorities.

If they are truly eager to provide support through humanitarian aid to Maungdaw, then follow the procedures as Indonesia does, said U Zaw Htay regarding the flotilla effort, adding, then we will be ready to collaborate with them.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said Ukraine's Pension Fund should become subsidy-free in the next several years.

"Our mission together with you is to make the Pension Fund subsidy-free, so that the pensions of Ukrainians increase substantially," the PM said on Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting, where he presented the government's plan for 2017 to 2020.

Groysman said government will work to achieve its objectives.
Burma Magwe Govt to Reconsider Roadside Tree Felling

Trees line the Magwe to Kyaukpadaung section of the Rangoon-Mandalay highway. / Ko Kyaw Ko Shein / Facebook

Magwe divisional government is reconsidering its plan to cut down 503 trees on the Magwe to Kyaukpadaung section of the Rangoon-Mandalay highway following protests from locals.

The divisional government approved a plan to cut down the trees as part of a project to widen the road from 18 feet to 24 feet on a 60-mile section of the road carried out by Kaung Mun Co.

Locals expressed concern after the company began work on Dec. 6 and cut down 20 treesincluding rain trees and acacia treesthat were not within the construction area.

The divisional government has promised to reconsider its plan after civil society organizations met the divisional minister for resources, environmental conservation, electricity and energy U Myint Zaw and the minister for construction and transportation U Tin Nwe Oo on Sunday and Monday and expressed their concerns, said Ko Kyaw Ko Shein, a member of campaign group Stop Cutting 503 Campaign.

The ministers and local civil society organizations reached a tentative agreement to cut only around 300 of the 503 trees it originally planned to cut down, Ko Kyaw Ko Shein said.

He quoted minister U Tin Nwe Oo as saying the divisional government would only cut down about 10 trees that are six feet in circumference and that most of the trees planned for cutting are two or three feet in circumference. The government said it would not cut down shady Banyan trees.

Minister U Myint Zaw also said that [he] would issue a notice and stop [the company] from cutting more trees, and would also review the companys proposal regarding the number of trees to be cut. He said he would issue a statement within five days and the divisional government would only cut trees that need to be cut, said Ko Kyaw Ko Shein.

Civil society organizations, youth networks and tree lovers launched a petition against the cutting of trees on Dec. 25 and plan to continue the campaign until Jan. 15 despite the divisional ministers promise to reconsider the plan.

We value their love for trees. But the intention of widening the road is to improve the transportation for the convenience of the public, said U Tint Lwin, a divisional lawmaker representing Yenangyaung Township.

I also learned that [the divisional government] has a plan to grow ten new trees for every tree cut down, he added.

The Stop Cutting 503 Campaign will wait for the ministers statement but plan to monitor the entire cutting process from beginning to end, said Ko Kyaw Ko Shein.
Burma Maungdaw Sees Third Murder in Two Weeks

U Shuna Myar (center, in long-sleeved white shirt and green longyi) speaks with 13 journalists in Ngakhura village of northern Maungdaw, Arakan State. The Burmese text at the top of the photo states, Shuna Myar (in the white shirt) talks to the media. / Myanmar President Office / Facebook

RANGOON  A Muslim man who cooperated with authorities was found dead in northern Arakan States Maungdaw, the third murder in the area in less than two weeks, according to the State Counselors Office Information Committee.

The muddy dead body of Sirazuhut, who had been missing since the evening of Dec. 16, was discovered beside Pyuma creek between Wat Kyien village and Badakar village in Maungdaw on Dec. 26, the information committee reported on Tuesday.

Sirazuhut was a former head of ten households in Badakar village and was working with officials on regional development activities, the report stated.

U Zaw Htay, the Presidents Office spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, The attacks are targeting innocent civilians who cooperated with authorities, in order to threaten others from telling the truth and cooperating with administrative officials.

U Shuna Myar of Ngakhura village, who gave an interview to reporters during a three-day government-organized trip to northern Arakan State, was beheaded and slashed; and village administrative clerk Rawphi, 28, of Yedwingyun village, who cooperated with security forces while investigating rumors of rape cases, was found dead with cuts and stabs wounds on Sunday.

Sirazuhut cooperated with members of the security forces in their administrative duties, U Zaw Htay said.

From an initial investigation, we have received information that those who led the Oct. 9 attacks were involved in killing these three people. But we cannot confirm that yet and will continue the investigation, U Zaw Htay said.

On Oct. 9, militants attacked three border guard posts in Maungdaw Township in northern Arakan State, killing nine police officers and stealing weapons and ammunition.
Burma Thousands Flee Burma Army Offensive in Kachin State

Kachin IDPs from Zai Awng camp are on their way to Hkau Shau camp on Dec. 28. / Joint Strategy Team / Facebook

A Burma Army offensive to capture Kachin Independence Army (KIA) outpost Lai Hpawng in Kachin States Waingmaw Township forced thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to flee nearby camps on Tuesday evening.

Burma Army troops seized Lai Hpawng and six surrounding smaller outposts after a week of air strikes and artillery fire in a continuation of operations that overran the KIAs strategic Gideon outpost on Dec.16, according to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief on Tuesday.

Lai Hpawng outpost is located seven miles east of the Myitkyina-Bhamo road and housed KIA Battalion 3 under Brigade 5.

Around 2,600 IDPs fled Zai Awng (Mungga Zup), Maga Yang and Hkau Shau camps Tuesday night and Wednesday when at least five Burma Army shells fell nearby, according to relief workers from the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC).

The elderly and children left their shelters in the camps and spent the night in the cold jungle after five mortar shells fell near the camp on Tuesday, Dr. Rev Hkalam Sam Sun, the secretary of the KBC in Myitkyina told The Irrawaddy.

After the fall of Gideon outpost, last week, hundreds of IDPs fled Munglai Hkyet camp to Woi Chyai camp in the KIA stronghold of Laiza.

More than 100,000 civilians have been displaced in Kachin and Shan states since fighting resumed between the Burma Army and the KIA in June 2011, according to the UN.

Civilians, including KBC relief workers, have been killed on suspicion of ethnic armed groups, said Dr. Rev Hkalam Sam Sun, adding that he hopes to release accurate data on deaths and detentions of relief workers soon.

Locals claim that the Burma Army have increased security checkpoints on the main roads of Kachin State, including the capital Myitkyina.

A Joint Strategy Team for IDPs comprised of nine local relief groups said, the major concerns for the IDPs and the civilians in the region are protection, safety and security. Sustained humanitarian access and immediate response are critical for the IDPs and civilians in the conflict-affected area of northern Shan and Kachin states.

The team also noted that the arrest of civilians forced to act as porters for ethnic armed groups remained a concern for civilians in Shan and Kachin states.

Recent clashes in northern Shan State between the Burma Army and a joint force of the KIA, the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA)dubbed the Northern Alliancehas added to the number of IDPs and civilian deaths and further shaken confidence in the ability of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD-led government to bring peace.

According to locals, two religious leaders in northern Shan States Mong Ko have been missing since Dec. 24 after assisting media reporting on the severe damage to the town, including its Church.

The government Peace Commission attempted negotiations with the Northern Alliance last week. Meanwhile, the situation is tense on the ground, however, with both the Burma Army and Northern Alliance troops preparing for further conflict.

Khin Oo Tha contributed to this report.
Considering the fact that there is no known and confirmed cure to the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), experts believe that it can be controlled with the use of certain anti-retroviral drugs caused by the said disease. However, a new study from scientists of Bengaluru, the capital of India's southern Karnataka state has recently found that if the mutation rate of HIV virus is increased by two to six times, it could potentially become ineffective against its host body in roughly 10 years.

Slowly But Surely: Researchers Suggest New Method To Destroy HIV

According to reports revealed by Bangalore Mirror, study lead researcher Narendra Dixit, said that by increasing the mutation rate, the infected person will not get cured, but their findings reveal how long it will take for the virus to become non-infectious, and the disease non-progressive. Dixit explains that by multiplying its rate of mutation several folds, the virus can be made ineffective. As its major advantage, the researchers claimed that these drugs are not susceptible to drug resistance. Thus, in the coming years and with better drug combinations, Dixit who is also an associate professor at Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru believes that the treatment window could be reduced into even further heights.

On the other hand, as reported by Times Of India, although scientists have so far failed in their efforts to find a permanent cure for HIV virus since it rapidly changes, Dixit explains that their study shows that by the time a drug tries to make the virus ineffective, another mutant that is resistant to the drug, has already developed. Ultimately, it was found that Prof Dixit and his team are currently studying the process of infection caused by HIV and its evolution. With the use of certain computer simulation models in the laboratory, Dixit believes that it will most likely allow them to closely monitor and keep records of the fitness levels of the genetically diverse populations within a host and the various factors that contribute to it.
The Huawei Honor 8 has been one of the best smartphones ever released by the Chinese smartphone maker, to the point in which it has gained great critics around the world. However, the Asian tech giant wants to excel users' experience with this mobile device, since it has been known that the phone will now get the Android Nougat update.

The Huawei Honor 8 Offers New And Incredible Features

According to The Indian Express, the Huawei Honor 8 will get the Android Nougat 7.0 with EMUI 5-0 running on top with beta-testing, which will turn this incredible mobile device into something out of this world, to the point in which it could now compete against famous and efficient flagships as the iPhone 7 or the Samsung Galaxy S7. In fact, with this Android Nougat update, the Huawei Honor 8 will get new features like split-screen multitasking, quick reply and the changes to the notification menu.

In fact, another great option that the Android Nougat update will provide to the Huawei Honor 8, is the possibility of switch between personal and professional profiles in the easiest way, given the fact that running different profiles in parallel will be available. Also, this mobile device will have a new machine learning with this update, which could optimize processing resources by checking the users behavior.

The Android Nougat Update Will Make The Huawei Honor 8 A Much Better Smartphone

As reported by MStars News, the Android Nougat update will also enable to manage the device battery consumption through a more intelligent power management system, and stay ultra-secure with the App Lock feature. Of course, these new functions will turn this phone into a must-have, which represent an incredible strategy from the Chinese smartphone maker, since this mobile device has been released in the U.S., which is the market that the company wants to conquer.

In fact, improving the quality of the Huawei Honor 8 with the Android Nougat update is extremely important to provide customers an incredible phone before the Huawei P9 and Mate 9 gets to America. Considering that Huaweis main objective is to beat Apple in order to become the second smartphone maker in the world, this move seems pretty clever.
Finnish company Nokia is expecting to make a glorious comeback next year, and the key for doing it is to release the max amount of phones possible, with a great quality and an affordable price that makes customers to pick this smartphone. Fortunately, latest information suggests that this is exactly the move that the company will take since Finland-based HMD could launch four Nokia-branded smartphones in second and third quarters of 2017.

The Nokia-Branded Smartphones Will Have Different Specs And Features

According to Android Headlines, the Nokia-branded smartphones will wear display sizes ranging from 5-0-inch to 5.7-inch, with WQHD or 1440p resolution displays for the flagships and Full HD resolution displays for the more affordable models. Apparently, main panel supplies would include Centure Technology, Innolux and LG Display, which clearly shows Nokias ambitions in providing the most qualified mobile device for the customers.

If these details are realize, the Finnish company is likely to redeem its glorious years that everyone is expecting, given the fact that this has been one of the most anticipated moments in tech history, since the moment where Nokia left the phone market after several of wrong decisions ever since the first iPhone was released back in 2007.

The Nokia-Branded Smartphones Will Come With Mid-Range Prices

As reported by Digitimes the first smartphone that the Finnish company will release next year will be the Nokia D1C, which would be available in two variants. One of these will be a cheaper version that it will be priced around $150, and the other one would likely cost only $50 extra.

Apparently, the cheaper model will wear a 5-inch 1089p resolution display and an incredible 2GB of RAM, while the other model will come with a bigger 5.5-inch 1080 display and 3GB of RAM. As you might see, the company is expecting to re-enter to the phone market with these Nokia-branded smartphones, and there are reasons to believe that 2017 will be an epic year for them
Militants launched 44 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) headquarters said on Wednesday.

In the Mariupol sector, hostiles fired 122mm artillery on Shyrokyne, 120mm and 82mm mortars in Vodiane and Shyrokyne, and small arms and grenade launchers on Talakivka, Vodiane, Maryinka, Pavlopil and Shyrokyne. Sniper activity was observed in the vicinity of Shyrokyne, the HQ said.

In Donetsk sector, hostiles fired 120mm and 82mm mortars on Novhorodske, Luhanske and Avdiyivka and used grenade launchers and heavy machineguns against Travne, Luhanske, Zaitseve, Nevelske and Myronivske and anti-aircraft guns against Pivdenne, the  said.

Novooleksandrivka and Novozvanivka came under attack with heavy machineguns, grenade launchers and infantry combat vehicle weapons in the Luhansk sector, it said.
Circulating around social media, 2016 has lightheartedly been called "the year on fire," and in terms of weather change, it was. Yet there were some environmental accomplishments this year, such as the Paris climate treaties becoming law, 2016 had some very miserable headlines regarding global warming and the planet's overall ecological health. I listed some of the most depressing news that came out during the so-called "the year on fire."

The Hottest Year On Record

2016 scorched through heat accounts, and the year is composed to be the hottest year ever in the last 122 years ago, by a weighty margin. At only the midway point of 2016, NASA had broadcasted that each of the first six months (from January to June) set new temperature records. Also, July and August were tense as the hottest month the world has seen in the last 136 years. By November, worldwide temperatures had averaged 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial heights, per the World Meteorological Organization. The overwhelming heat felt this year follows what was the hottest five-year dated on record, 2011-2015.

U.S. Presidential Election Results

With the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States, the future of climate change justification has been called into question, despite the landmark Paris arrangements becoming law this year.

Trump has already made dogmatic moves to choke climate change as a national concern. He has nominated a climate change denier and a zealous opponent of procedures for greenhouse gas discharges as Secretary of Interior, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

400 PPM Milestone

Scientists have foreseen that this year the global atmospheric carbon dioxide condensation would pass the 400 parts per million mark, constantly. In September, a month when carbon dioxide is on lowest average, the monthly value failed to drop below 400 ppm for the first time. The 400-ppm milestone is largely figurative, a sign of modern society's devastating impact on the planet, climate experts have said. Since the industrial transformation, humans have been adding more carbon dioxide to the air than plants can take up. This course has driven carbon dioxide levels higher, adding to the greenhouse gas effect and growing temperatures, along with many other climate change impacts.

Arctic Sea-Ice Lows

This year, the Arctic saw record both low on the cover of sea ice during the winter (when it reaches its peak mark) winter and summer (when it reaches its minimum level). Sea ice also made a virtually unparalleled cold-season retreat in mid-November due to ill-seasoned warm weather. Air temperatures set new records in the Arctic area this year, and the Greenland Ice Sheets experienced its second earliest spring melt-down on record, per NOAA's annual Arctic Report Card. The report found that in 2016 ice levels displayed the strongest, most distinct signal of tenacious warming due to climate change. In fact, the Arctic has continued to warm at twice the rate of the planet. With winds dragging warmer air up from the south, some areas of the Arctic experienced temperatures 14 degrees F (8 degrees C) above average this year, per the Arctic Report Card.

Climate Refugees Becoming A Reality

Globally, researchers assessed this year that about one-quarter of the world's residents now lives in coastal areas that will be unlivable by the year 2100 because of rising sea levels. In the United States, new research proposed that more than 13 million Americans could become climate evacuees if the oceans rise about 6 feet (1.8 m) by 2100. Rising seas would leave hundreds of U.S. counties enduringly flooded. In accordance with the study, Miami-Dade, Florida, would be the hardest-hit county - 2 million people might be forced to relocate by 2100. About half of all the probable climate refugees would be from Florida.

Coral Reefs Are Dying

"The worst mass blanching event in its history," is how the Australian Research Council labeled the Great Barrier Reef's bleaching this year. Observations of more than 500 coral reefs across 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) exposed that most reefs were undergoing general and severe bleaching - when stressed coral expels their algae, which give them their color and so without them the corals look as if ghostly. Bleaching can be fatal for corals if the strain is too intense, or if it lingers for too long.

Ice to Release Cold War-Era Toxic Waste

Toxic waste from an abandoned Cold War-era sites could seep into nearby ecosystems as temperatures warm in Greenland. Academics warn that as temperatures rise, meltwater could move through the ice, engrossing toxic waste from the camp and carrying it to the coast. In about 75 years, if human-driven climate change continues unrelenting, the ice cover the site will melt, they said. Studies have shown that chemicals are harmful to our immune system, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine systems.

Deadly Tornado Clusters

Outbursts of twisters that span several days, known as tornado clusters, are becoming more communal as the warming planet causes shifts in weather forms across the U.S. These cluster occurrences are responsible for 79 percent of a tornado-related death toll. A new study showed that the number of tornadoes per outbreak is unwantedly increasing, and the chance of outbreaks may increase 4-folds.

Climate change advocates are continuously looking for long-term solutions for the next generations of inhabitants of this Earth. However, countries with individual approaches on this matter may not coincide with the demand of many.
Blood donation in Canada is needed, because twenty percent of blood donors cancel their schedule over the summer and holiday period. This caused a shortfall when blood was most needed.

During the summer months, one in five donors forgets or neglects to make their appointments at donation centers.

Red Cross spokesman Shaun Inguanzo says, "We ask the question, would you cancel that appointment if it was your friend or family member who needed that blood donation?"

The collection of 25,000 liters a week must be consistent due to the increased likelihood of road accidents during the Christmas and New Year season.

Paul Harvey donates blood monthly on the Melbourne's CBD; he donates platelets, which will be used to help cancer patients. It took 65 minutes to extract his blood, the platelets removed, and the blood is returned to his body. Mr. Harvey said that it saves lives. If you have time, do it.

Demand of blood exceeds over the supply available all year round. One in three patients needs blood at any given time. But one in 30 people donates blood.

According to ABC News, blood donation in Canada must have a constant flow of donors. In Ottawa, the Canadian Blood Service Manager said that hospitals need an average of 5,000 donations every 2 weeks. However, only 2,700 donations have been booked for the next two weeks.

According to CBC News, Mary Ann St. Michaels at a clinic in Ottawa city hall said that they have come to the point where there could be a blood shortage.

The study shows that people tend to neglect the importance of actually appearing to their blood donation schedule.

Canadian Blood Services has donation clinics located at 1575 Carling Ave. in Ottawa and 850 Gardiners Road in Kingston. Blood donation in Canada is something people can willingly do to help prevent a shortage of blood.
Major brands such as Samsung, as well as smaller players like OnePlus, have a few exciting projects coming up in 2017.

Next Year's Android Smartphone Trends

During the year 2016, we have witnessed some big changes in the Android smartphone industry, including Samsung's challenges with its Galaxy Note 7 recall. But the year 2017 is probably going to be awesome for Android smartphones, according to Droid Life.

A new year is around the corner, and fresh smartphone models from the top manufacturers are on the way too. There are reports pointing to the upcoming devices' features, way ahead of the release of these next-generation phones. Among the most exciting new features are included virtual home buttons, 4K screens, curved displays and wireless charging.

Here's a look at the top trends in Android smartphones we can expect in 2017.

Samsung Galaxy S8 & Galaxy S8 Edge

Samsung had great success with its Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge. But in light of the Note 7's battery problems and subsequent fiasco, the South Korean company will probably have to bring a lot to the table for its follow-up to these phones. For this reason, tech analysts expect that the upcoming Galaxy S8 will be extra special.

After two years into South Korean company's switch to premium smartphones, the designs of the Galaxy S6 and then the Galaxy S7 lines of smartphones are a bit tired at this point. Samsung is likely up for a potentially big refresh of their Galaxy S line.

Reports have suggested that Samsung might offer only curved devices in two sizes and not launch a flat version of the S8. These upcoming Samsung flagship smartphones could also come with an increase in screen resolution to 4K. In case that these speculations and rumors are true, then the upcoming smartphones will need to be powered by the latest chipset, so expect a new Exynos.

There are also speculations about an OLED bezel-less display and the discontinuing the physical home button. Tech analysts also expect Samsung to add USB Type-C support to its flagship lineup. When it comes to the operating system, the S8 will likely launch with TouchWiz and Nougat.

There is also talk of removal of the headphone jack, an under-glass fingerprint reader, bezel-less display, dedicated Assistant button and a special unveiling in April. It seems that the South Korean company has chosen a late April launch in order to ensure the necessary time for extra testing for its completely new phone design. Samsung is extra cautious to not allow the Note 7 story play out again.

OnePlus 5

Another important player in the Android space is China-based OnePlus. According to ZDNet, there is speculation that the company will release OnePlus 5 in the coming year, skipping the 4 number. The upcoming OnePlus 5 is rumored to come with a glass or ceramic body.

OnePlus' latest phone is the OnePlus 3T. If the current speculations are true, then the design of the next OnePlus flagship will be very different. OnePlus will likely keep being original, following the tradition of changing things launched with the OnePlus X. The OnePlus 5 might come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 5.3-inch display.
An avatar giant robot in South Korea called Method-two was partially designed by Vitaly Bulgarov, has worked with Boston Dynamics' on bipedal robots and ILM on Transformers films.

Hankook Mirae Technology company chairman Yang Jin-Ho claims, that Method-two is the world's first manned bipedal robot and is built to work in extreme hazardous areas where humans cannot go (unprotected).

He added that the robot is just one year old, like humans, it can make baby steps for the mean time and could develop after several years and will be able to move freely.

Yang also stated that at the end of 2017 the robot will be available in the market at $ 8.3 million dollars. Method-two could also be useful in construction and manufacturing.

The avatar giant robot is said to be able to walk like a human. It is four meters tall, 1.5 avatar giant robot towers over a room on the outskirts of Seoul.

The initial test was conducted Tuesday by 30 hard working engineers.

According to The Telegraph, A pilot sitting inside the robot's torso makes limb movements which are mimicked by Method-2, whose metal arms each weigh 130 kilograms (286 pounds).

According to the Daily Mail, the Method-one was secretly being developed for two years. It physically resembles the robots appeared on the 2009 movie Avatar and the power loader from the 1986 film Aliens.

The designer also stated that the robot was too heavy that when it takes a step the ground around it shakes.

Method-two mimics the pilot's limb movements. But for a couple of more years the mimicking will improve and the movement will be enhanced.

Mr Bulgarov said, that when an ambitious Seoul based robotics team "Korea Future Technology" invited him to join the company as their designer of a large man-controlled robot it took him some time to realize that they were actually serious about it.

The avatar giant robot is a new technology that most people have been waiting for, construction companies and manufacturing companies are looking forward for more development of method-two.
Scientists at MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, Living Proof and Olivio Labs have created a new material that mimics the largest organ of the body. This elastic polymer can act as a second skin.

The material is a silicone-based polymer that can be applied as a thin film of coating which copies the elastic properties and mechanics of youthful skin.

Scientists have explored the uses of this new material and have found that it was able to reshape eye bags and can also act as skin hydration.

Aside from cosmetic applications, with further development, the new polymer can even be used as a method of drug introduction into the body.

The scientists stated that there is a possibility that the new medium can be used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and other forms of dermatitis.

Another use that is seen as a possibility in the future is a more effective and longer lasting form of ultraviolet radiation protection as reported by Scitech Daily.

According to Daniel Anderson, an ssociate professor at MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering, this new polymer is an invisible layer acts as a barrier, provide cosmetic improvement and drug delivery medium to an area of the body that is being treated.

Anderson went on to say that the research and development of this new material was the need to address skin aging and its tendency to lose elasticity and firmness over time.

By coating the skin with polymers, the scientists were able to control the properties of skin and also impart beneficial effects. XPL or cross-linked polymer layer is now being further researched for different uses in the medical field.

According to the published report on Nature, XPL can be topically applied without the need for heat or light-activation as it is rapidly curing at the skin interface.
2016 has been a very captivating year for smartphone fans, but 2017 is looking set to be even bigger and brighter. Nokia has already confirmed that it will be making its long-awaited return to the smartphone market, rumor says that Microsoft will finally be debuting the so-called Surface Phone, and Samsung's Galaxy Note range looks set to make an epic comeback.

With all that being said, here's a roundup of the best smartphones you can expect to see in 2017:

iPhone 8

With 2017 marking the 10th-anniversary of Apple's smartphone lineup, speculations are firing that the firm has something big in store.

If rumors are to be believed, Apple will be skipping on the iPhone 7S to go directly on the iPhone 8, which analysts are claiming to be the most radically redesigned iPhone yet with its (rumored) 'all-glass' design and OLED screen. There have also been talks that the iPhone 8 will be supporting wireless charging and Touch ID sensor embedded in its display.

An all-new "Pro" model is also rumored to feature an S7 Edge-style curved display and dual camera setup. Apple's iPhone 8 is expected to debut in September 2017.

Samsung Galaxy S8

There have already been confirmations that Samsung is coming, and several leaks online have revealed what we can potentially expect from the up and coming Galaxy S8.

Following the footsteps of rival Apple's iPhone, the Galaxy S8 is going to be the first smartphone to feature Samsung's own artificial intelligence (AI) assistant built-in. According to other rumors, the Galaxy S8 will also be dumping the headphone jack (like what Apple did), in favor of audio over USB-C.

Another speculation has pointed towards a 2K-resolution AMOLED Edge display, built-in IP68 certification, fingerprint and iris scanners, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 power, and a dual rear-facing camera feature.

According to reports, the Galaxy S8 will likely debut at Mobile World Congress in February of 2017.

Nokia P1

Nokia has confirmed that 2017 will be the year that it will finally make a return to the smartphone market, along with their latest upcoming smartphone, the Nokia P1.

According to reports, The Nokia P1 is going to be the firm's very first high-end Android device, and is rumored to be offering IP68 water and dust resistance and will be available in two size variants: 5.2in and 5.5in, each with QHD 2560x1440 AMOLED displays.

With Android 7.0, the Nokia P1 is also set to arrive with support for Google's Daydream Virtual Reality platform. Nokia's P1 is set to launch in the first quarter of 2017.

Surface Phone

2017 is highly speculated to be the year that Microsoft's elusive Surface Phone finally debuts as the company looks to bolster its diminishing share of the smartphone market.

According to speculations, the Windows 10-powered Surface Phone will be available in three different versions: 4GB/128GB, 6GB/256GB, and 8GB/512GB. All of these three devices are expected to feature USB-C ports, fingerprint scanners, and 5.7in AMOLED panels, while power is also expected to be provided by Qualcomm.

This would mean that the Surface Phone will be able to run Windows 10 desktop apps without any issue. The Surface Phone is expected to arrive in early 2017.
A new leak has surfaced and it now seems like Samsung's next flagship smartphone will have a voice assistant.

Many in the tech industry are itching for 2017 to finally roll in so they can officially start counting the days before some of the much-anticipated devices come out.

Such is the case with Samsung's next flagship device - the Galaxy S8.

Digital Assistant

So far, the rumored features of the Galaxy S8 have been impressive. The latest one, a leak supposedly, says the device will have a new digital assistant based on Viv Labs' platform. Viv Labs, a startup founded by the same people who created Apple's Siri. Samsung already revealed that the Galaxy S8 will feature a digital assistant but this is the first detail about the feature to surface.

The voice-powered AI has long been rumored to be named Bixby, a male voice. Another rumor says there will also be a female-voiced AI named Kestra.

This bit of news comes from SamMobile. According to them, they received vital information from reputable sources that Samsung will have Bixby in "almost all the native apps that would come pre-installed on the Galaxy S8".

Other Rumored Features

Another set of recent rumors says the Galaxy S8 will come with a 6-inch display and have 8GB of RAM. This rumor comes from Ice Universe, a popular tipster for Samsung smartphones. Ice Universe also mentioned that the flagship device will have the UFS 2.1 flash storage.

While bitter rival Apple is unveiling its tenth anniversary iPhone in 2017, the Korean tech giant will be releasing a potential savior in the Galaxy S8.

If the Galaxy S8 fulfills its promise, Samsung may finally dig itself out of the hole it has gotten itself in with the disastrous Galaxy Note 7.
Microsoft is one of the most popular and influential tech companies in the current market. With that, people are always watching its every move, watching its every success and failure. When the company took over the Lumia brand, it practically made its fans excited for its new smartphone releases. When things did not turn out exactly well for the Lumia smartphones, fans were just as disappointed. Luckily, Microsoft doesn't seem like it is backing out from the smartphone industry anytime soon. In fact, the company has confirmed that it will be releasing the ultimate mobile phone pretty soon.

Microsoft's Smartphone Plans

Microsoft has confirmed that they will still be present in the smartphone industry. However, the company will still be moving forward at the same direction it has always been in. Meaning, they won't be releasing smartphones that are under the same category as your mainstream and popular smartphones. Microsoft will still be providing phones that will cater to the seemingly more important needs of the market.

In an AFR review, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella said, "We will continue to be in the phone market not as defined by today's market leaders, but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device," via Forbes. The company's CEO also said that they stopped doing things that were "me-too" and started doing things that are more "focused on a specific set of customers".

With that said, it's pretty certain that whatever Microsoft is releasing soon, it won't be very iPhone-like or Galaxy-like. It will still be "very Microsoft" in one way or another. The company may fix some issues, whatever they are, that made its past flagships not a big hit to the masses. However, with those statements coming from the CEO, we're pretty certain that the next Microsoft phone will still be high-end, business oriented and non-pop culture.

Microsoft Surface Phone Rumor

The Surface Phone rumor has been in the online world for quite some time now. Nevertheless, the company hasn't even confirmed its presence yet. The rumor may root from the said phone's actual existence or from fan's hopeful predicting, but we'll probably never know until Microsoft makes it official. The only thing that's certain right now is that if the Surface Phone indeed comes out, it will still be a business-oriented phone that will cater to the other needs of smartphone users, and not to the same needs your mainstream flagship smartphones can offer.

Needless to say, it's quite understandable if the company releases a flagship phone under the Surface division. This department of Microsoft has undeniably been very successful with its releases. Its latest tablet Surface Pro 4 has been well-commended by reviewers. Its Surface Book has been given a slightly improved successor which also suggests that this laptop is well-accepted by the masses. The all-in-one PC that was released recently is also quite a big hit. With that said, there's a good chance that whatever comes out of Surface's doors, may it be a smartphone or not, will still be a big hit to the market.
Singapore is currently gearing towards the development of a comprehensive health plan that will combat the rising problem of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Due to an alarming number of patients abusing or misusing antibiotic drugs, the Singaporean Ministry of Health proposed recently to address this alarming issue head on.

Following the agreement of world leaders to curb the rising problem of superbugs during the United Nations General Assembly in September, Singapore is leading the movement by creating a health plan for proper antibiotic use.

The Ministry of Health states that the proposed health plan will cover educating the public about proper antibiotic use, which symptoms need to be treated or not, and improving the method for monitoring its use. The plan will also stick closely to the recommendations outlined by the World Health Organization.

The effort to develop and implement a nationwide health plan to fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs will have the assistance of other agencies such as the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Superbugs are bacteria that resist the effects of antibiotic drugs that can previously kill them. This is primarily due to excess or improper use of the drugs. This is a serious problem since superbugs are virtually impossible to eliminate, rendering the patient incurable.

According to health experts in Singapore, people have been using antibiotics to cure symptoms of common colds and other upper respiratory tract infections even without confirmation of the disease. In one study, a third of 900 of the patients surveyed expected to be given antibiotics by their doctors. Half of which would personally ask to be prescribed the drugs or would go to a second doctor to get it.

It's interesting to note that the main reason why most people prefer antibiotics regardless of the diagnosis of their symptoms is due to placebo effect. They look for a quick fix so they can immediately go back to work.

Another reason is the meat products in the supermarket. Since some animal farmers administer antibiotics to their animals for protection against diseases, the antibiotics can be consumed by the public which also increases the development of superbugs.

Health experts advice that instead of relying solely on antibiotics, patients should instead ask their doctors for diagnostic tests. Laboratory and culture tests determine what specific bacteria are causing the disease, and the correct antibiotics can then be given. This minimizes misuse of the drugs.

By facilitating correct drug prescription and proper dosage, and limiting antibiotics given to consumable animals, Singapore hopes to eliminate the rise of deadly antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
The South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm a sum of $854 million for violating the antitrust laws. In the latest audit by Korea Trade Commission (KTC), Qualcomm was scrutinized for encouraging the unfair trade practice in patent licensing and modem chip sales. The U.S. chip maker said it will challenge this allegation by KTC in the international court.

This fine is largest ever in South Korea to date. This is a major setback for Qualcomm's most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry. This decision has come when business is facing heat from a cooling Smartphone market.

The South Korean antitrust regulator said on Wednesday that the company licensed its key patents only to mobile phone makers and did not properly negotiate the terms of its licenses. The agency also said Qualcomm constrained its customers into signing patent license contracts when selling its chips used in mobile phones in the country, and it did not fairly pay for that.

Qualcomm gets the major part of profit at approximately $6.5 billion last financial year from selling the right to use technology that is used by all modern phone systems. Qualcomm sales account for about 20 percent in the Korean market that is why South Korea is an important market for them.

Samsung and LG Electronics would be profited by this because they might get lower rates on the chips sold by Qualcomm. Samsung is Qualcomm's second-largest customer accounting nearly 11 percent of its sales.. Meanwhile Qualcomm stock remains unchanged in after-hours trade. Samsung was down less than one percent at the close in Seoul, while LG was up 1.2 percent.

In 2009, KTC fined Qualcomm $213 million for impending competition through discriminatory charges. KTC ordered the chipmaker to stop charging higher royalties from customers who buy chipsets from other rivals. They also ordered to cease the rebates to handset makers who buy products from Qualcomm. That case is under appeal with the Korean Supreme Court. Qualcomm was also fined $975 million last year by China.
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko hopes that the Kyiv Pechersky District Court will sanction the trial in absentia of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on charges of high treason and will start the trial in early February 2017.

"I have no right to influence the court in any way. I hope that the court will pass the only possible legal decision - in line with the current legislation it will sanction the special procedure, in other words, trial in absentia," the prosecutor general said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

According to him, at the moment, the investigation is nearing completion.

"Once we've received the Pechersk court ruling... we will be able to close the investigation, to provide materials for consideration and the trial will start no later than in early February," the prosecutor general said.

On December 28, Kyiv Pechersky District Court postponed the consideration of a request by the Military Prosecutor's Office on granting permission for the pre-trial investigation in absentia into the criminal proceedings on Yanukovych's charges of high treason before Kyiv Court of Appeals decides on the jurisdiction of the case.

The ex-president's defense team asked the court on December 26 asked Kyiv Court of Appeals to change the court, which is to determine the possibility of pretrial investigation in absentia against Yanukovych in the high treason case.
The space mining industry could be the whole new version of digging for precious metals. Mining companies need to look up to see a whole new mining site. Asteroids might be the perfect place for the next gold rush and mining companies want to cash in on this lucrative venture.

Since the metal deposits on earth are dwindling, mining industries are looking in a different direction. After passing a law allowing all companies to keep any kind of resources from space. Luxembourg could be a powerful nation should asteroid mining prove to be a profitable venture.

Space Mining Industry

Astronomers provided enough insight on the component of asteroids and this made mining companies interested in drilling holes in these heavenly bodies. Holding firm to the belief that asteroids contain gold, nickel, silver, and platinum, various companies have been formed to exploit these resources.

One asteroid which is just outside the earth's atmosphere is estimated to contain platinum with a value amounting to approximately $50 billion. The 90-foot asteroid could be the first target of these mining companies. With Luxembourg, the second richest nation, signing the law on exploiting resources in space in November, many American companies are moving to the small European nation.

Luxembourg Mining Ventures

In an effort to position the country for potential growth in the future, the small nation passed a law which offers huge profits for mining companies. Pres. Barack Obama signed the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, giving companies until 2023 before their operations are regulated. Despite this law, Breitbart reported that American companies Deep Space and Planetary Resources are still moving to Luxembourg with the promise of government funding amounting to $223 million.

While asteroid mining appears to be a lucrative investment, testing the viability of this industry will take trillions of dollars. Since mining will be done in space, companies will face huge issues. As cited in the Industry Leaders Magazine, the space mining industry has so many challenges and companies need to consider the total expenses for refining minerals in space where the gravity is lower.
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Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Valeria Lutkovska during a meeting with her Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova asked to consider the possibility of placing Ukrainian citizen Stanyslav Klykh, who has been imprisoned in Russia, to an establishment situated as close as possible to the border with Ukraine so that his relatives could visit him.

As reported on the official website of the Ukrainian ombudsman, on December 26, Ukrainian ombudsman Lutkovska and Moskalkova first visited pretrial detention center in Simferopol in the occupied Crimea, then - pretrial detention center in Mykolaiv.

"The main result of the second meeting of the ombudsmen of the two countries has become an agreement on assistance in the organization of regular visits of ombudsmen to monitor the observance of the rights of their citizens, who are located in places of confinement in the territory of another state," the statement says.

In particular, Moskalkova expressed a desire to meet with Russian citizens held in penitentiaries in Odesa. Lutkovska, in turn, expressed a desire to come see Ukrainian citizens who are currently in penitentiaries in Moscow, including Yevhen Panov, Roman Suschenko, and others, it said.

Moskalkova noted substantial advancements on the issue of transfer of those Ukrainian citizens currently imprisoned in the territory of Crimea to penal colonies in Ukraine where they could further serve their sentences. "Therefore, we hope to see the agreements reached at the first meeting between the ombudsmen in Minsk implemented in the near future," it said.
The crash of the Russian Defense Ministry's Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft near Sochi on Sunday may have been provoked by a combination of human factors and mechanical failure, a source from the headquarters dealing with the search operation at the crash scene told Interfax on Wednesday.

"Preliminarily, the data retrieved from the flight data recorder indicates incorrect operation of the flap drive mechanism during the aircrafts ascent. At the same time, there are grounds to presume that the crew may have not properly assessed the situation and made mistakes in their decisions in a critical situation, which could have potentially provoked the disaster," the source said.

The analysis of the flight recorders recovered from the sea is ongoing, the source said. "The first official results of the black boxes' analysis could be made public within the next 24 hours," he said.

The Tu-154 belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry disappeared from radar screens several minutes after taking off from the Sochi airport en route to Syria on Sunday morning. There were 92 people aboard the plane, including service members, journalists, the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble, and head of the Fair Aid Foundation Yelizaveta Glinka.

It turned out shortly afterwards that the airliner had crashed into the Black Sea near Sochi.
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Ukraine has none political leader, the credibility to which would have prevailed disbelief, which is evidenced by the results of a poll conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Fund named after Ilya Kucheriv together with the sociological service of the Razumkov Centre.

Ukrainians expressed the highest level of distrust to head of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeria Hontareva (-80%), former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (-71.6%), Interior Minister Arsen Avakov (-71%), head of the National Security Council Oleksandr Turchynov (-61.3%) as well as the Opposition Bloc leader, represented in the parliament, Yuriy Boiko and non-affiliated people's deputy Nadia Savchenko.

Somewhat lower level of distrust Ukrainians demonstrated to First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Gerashchenko (-22.2%), Ombudsman Valeria Lutkovska (-31.7%), Civil Position leader Anatoliy Hrytsenko (-20.5%), as well as Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oksana Syroyid and Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy.

Ukrainian respondents called politicians of the year the following people: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (9.5%), Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman (7.6%), MP Nadia Savchenko (6.7%), the Radical Party leader Oleh Liashko (5.7%), the Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko (5.3%). Some 20.4% of respondents said that there is no such figure, which can be considered the politician of the year.

Respondents expressed the highest level of distrust to the Verkhovna Rada, the State Apparatus (of government officials), courts, Prosecutor's Office, the National Bank, commercial banks, Russian media and political parties. However, Ukrainians tend to trust volunteer organizations (44.4%), the Armed Forces of Ukraine (36.3%), volunteer battalions (33.7%), the National Guard (28.2%), the State Border Guard Service (12.1%), NGOs (8.5%), as well as the Ukrainian media (4.7%).

According to the survey, 67.1% of Ukrainians believe that events in Ukraine are developing in the wrong direction, 16.2% of respondents consider this direction as the right one. However, only 16.8% of respondents are inclined to believe that Ukraine is able to overcome the difficulties in the next few years, while according to almost half of the respondents, Ukraine is able to overcome the existing problems in the longer term.

The Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) was called the event of 2016 in Ukraine by 14.4% of respondents, as well as raising utility tariffs (8.5%), the introduction of electronic declarations (8.2%), and the release of Savchenko (6.9%). The U.S. elections are considered the world event of the passing year by 37.4% of respondents, the Russian military intervention in Syria (11.5%) and wars in the world (10.8%).

The results of sociological studies show that respondents believe that the situation in the country's defense sphere has changed for the better (39.8%).

At the same time, most respondents indicated that the situation has worsened in the economic situation in Ukraine (77% of respondents think so), in the level of well-being of their families (73%), in a crime rate (61.7%), as well as in the health sector ( 53.6%), the level of prices and tariffs (88.5%), in the citizens confidence in their future (73.9%), in relation of the authorities to their citizens (58.9%) and citizens' relation to the government (72.4%), as well as the stability level (75%). Some 73.4% of Ukrainians believe that the situation in the country as a whole has changed for the worse in the past year.

In the course of a poll, conducted from December 16 until December 20, 2016 in all regions of Ukraine, except Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 2,018 of respondents, aged over 18 years, were interviewed. The theoretical margin of sampling error does not exceed 2.3%.
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The best way for Ukraine to guarantee its safety is by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and, if a referendum on accession were held in the near future, more than three quarters of Ukrainians would vote for it.

According to the results of a poll conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Fund named after Ilya Kucheriv together with the sociological service of the Razumkov Centre, the best way to guarantee the country's security is by joining NATO (44.1%). Choosing an unaligned status for the nation was supported by 26.4% of respondents, followed by joining a military alliance with Russia and other former Soviet republics (6.4%). Only 3.9% of those polled favored a military alliance with the U.S.

Some 62.2% percent of those polled said they would vote in a referendum on NATO membership if it were held in the near future. Some 22.7% said they would abstain.

The poll was conducted from December 16 until December 20, 2016 in all regions of Ukraine, except Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 2,018 of respondents, aged over 18 years, were interviewed. The theoretical margin of sampling error does not exceed 2.3%.
Nobody in the Ukrainian Armed Forces was killed or injured in the Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman for the military operation in southeastern Ukraine Andriy Lysenko said.

"Let's start from good news. No Ukrainian servicemen were killed or injured in the past 24 hours," Lysenko told a briefing conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

In the Luhansk sector, yesterday hostilities were only observed in the Popasna district, where the adversary fired four times on positions of Ukrainian forces, using light weapons and armored vehicles, Lysenko said.

In the Donetsk sector, shelling took place all along the frontline. Kyiv's adversary continues to systematically violate the regime of calm near the Svitlodarsk bulge, near Horlivka, in the Avdiyivka industrial zone and near Donetsk Airport, he said. In total, this sector saw 15 instances of shelling by the adversary in the past 24 hours, including five episodes where heavy weapons were used, Lysenko said.

Almost all shelling episodes in the Mariupol sector on Tuesday were along the Pavlopil-Shyrokyne frontline segment, where the adversary used heavy weapons, such as mortars and cannons. In total, 25 instances of shelling were recorded in the Mariupol sector in the past 24 hours, including eight cases where heavy weapons were used.

The regime of ceasefire was agreed between the conflicting parties in Donbas to take effect at 12:00 a.m. on December 24, but was violated many times since that time.
Canadians still favor N.C. as a top place to live in U.S.

North Carolina was the fourth most popular destination for Canadians moving to the United States during 2016, according to the annual Allied Van Lines magnet states report.

The moving company tracks incoming and outgoing moves by households using its services.

North Carolina had 2,553 households from Canada move to the state in 2016, while there were 2,077 households to move to a Canadian province, for a net gain of 476 moves into North Carolina. North Carolina was ranked ninth in 2015.

Florida was first, with 5,305 in-moves and 3,989 out-moves for a net gain of 1,316.

The rest of the top five were Arizona with a net gain of 1,137 (2,354 in and 1,217 out), Texas at 891 (5,073 in and 4,182 out) and Utah at 451 (1,049 in and 598 out).

California had the most overall moves at 10,590.

Richard Craver

Big shareholder converts

First Bancorp stock

First Bancorp said in a regulatory filing last week that Castle Creek Partners IV LP, one of its top five individual shareholders, converted 728,706 shares of the banks Series C convertible perpetual preferred stock to common stock.

Although the bank is based in Southern Pines, it has a growing presence in the Triad market.

Castle Creek gained the preferred stock in a private placement deal in December 2012. The private-equity group has stakes in at least 30 banks, according to its website.

Castle Creek has a 3.5 percent ownership stake. The previous largest shareholder was Wellington Management Co. LLP at 6.4 percent, or 1.32 million shares.

On Dec. 20, shareholders of Carolina Bank Holdings Inc., a bank based in Greensboro, approved selling it to First Bancorp for $93 million. The bank expects to complete the deal in late 2016 or early 2017. It would gain two Winston-Salem branches and eight overall.

At six branches, Winston-Salem would be First Bancorps largest market when using that measuring stick. However, it is likely to close one branch between a former First Community branch and a Carolina Bank branch that are less than a mile apart off Stratford Road and Knollwood Street.

Richard Craver

Duke Energy grant aids bus-charging project

Duke Energy has provided a $450,000 grant to the city of Greensboros transportation department to help with the installation of an electric charging station that will serve the citys public bus system.

The grant is part of Duke Energys overall $1.5 million EV Charging Infrastructure project that is adding more charging stations for electric vehicles throughout North Carolina.

The utility recently announced funding for more than 200 public EV charging stations for passenger vehicles.

As for bus charging, the Greensboro Transportation Authority plans to change its fleet of 47 diesel buses to all electric vehicles. Over the next 10 years, the city plans to pair $4.5 million in voter-approved bonds with federal money to replace diesel buses that have met or exceeded their useful life of 12 years or 500,000 miles.
They said good-bye to Marine Sgt. Leonard Budd of Lewisville the other day. But nobody will ever bury his legacy anymore than they will ever bury the legacy of any of our proud troops.

Combat Logistics Regiment 45 out of Greensboro bid Budd farewell with military honors. On Dec. 12, a small group of friends and family stood outside Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home in Lewisville to pay their final respects. Marines fired a three-volley salute into the cloudless sky, and a bugler played taps, the mournful notes floating gently in the air like falling leaves, Lisa ODonnell reported in last weeks Journal West.

It was the end of Budds proud highway, one that had began in tiny Rowley, Mass., 70 years ago, just over a year after our troops helped bring World War II to an end.

Budds war was the controversial Vietnam. Maybe all Budd and his brethren really knew was that they were fighting for each other. And that Budd did until he was captured by the Viet Cong. It was August 1967. Budd, 21, was just 11 days into his tour, ODonnell reported.

He would spend almost six years as a prisoner of war, an ordeal that included torture and a stint at the horrible Hanoi Hilton. Of his 1973 homecoming, ODonnell reported: The last off a plane carrying four other POWs, Budd stood straight and saluted, his sisters recalled, before reuniting with his parents. The town of Rowley gave him a heros welcome, throwing him a parade and collecting $2,000 to help him start a new life. Budd settled into small-town life, getting married, having children and working at the post office. Recognition came, too, a Bronze Medal for Valor and a trip to the White House with other POWs.

Budds marriage later ended. Desiring a warmer climate, he moved here in 1993 with his partner, Judi Libby. He worked with wood, fished and relished his guns. ODonnell heard he had a heck of a story and tried to interview him. But his rare form of appendix cancer was advancing too fast. He died Dec. 6.

ODonnell wrote that for the most part, Budds experience as a POW will stay with him, as I suspect was his wish. Still, the sacrifice Budd made, the youthful years that he lost in service to the country, deserve recognition, even if the details of his story are lacking.

Indeed.

Remember Budd and his boys. Remember all our troops, especially now, during the holidays, while many of those on active duty struggle overseas and many veterans struggle right here at home. Be thankful for their proud legacy.

They bid farewell to Sgt. Budd. But his legacy, their legacy, lives.
MOCKSVILLE  An Emmy Award-nominated musician and actor from New York volunteered at Just Hope Inc. earlier this month.

Anthony T.O.N.E-z Keaton, who lives in the Bronx, became acquainted with the nonprofit organization through his Facebook friendship with its director, Krystal Dumas.

She is a genuine person, he said. Shes very generous and kind and believes in what shes doing.

His admiration for Dumas grew as he watched her respond to the needs of Davie County residents needing food, transitional or permanent housing, clothing and shoes, and essential items for their homes. Other people were having difficulty paying bills and buying their children Christmas gifts.

I watched her answer the phone at least 50 times while I was there, T.O.N.E-z said, talking to people who were hurting.

Working at Just Hope, located at 277 N. Main St. beneath Napa Auto Parts, T.O.N.E-z stayed busy during his visit the week of Dec. 12, helping out with whatever needed to be done. He helped bag items for people shopping in the thrift shop and carry in bags and boxes of donations  including toys brought in from local churches, businesses and individuals for the Angel Tree, which provides gifts to children in need.

Growing up in the Bronx, T.O.N.E-z was the youngest of six children.

I was always into music, he said. I grew up on the Jacksons, Patti LaBelle, but I also loved Queen, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Doors and Janis Joplin.

Though he never got to meet Michael Jackson, T.O.N.E-z said he had had the greatest influence on his musical career.

Two of T.O.N.E-z brothers were into hip-hop in the early days, and Sugar Hill Records offered them a contract. Despite his extreme shyness, he followed in their footsteps and wrote his first rap at age 9 and began performing at block parties.

By age 14, T.O.N.E-z had landed his own record deal with Select Records. During this time, he performed shows with such musicians as LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys and Biggie Smalls.

T.O.N.E-z said he learned about the music business from the Select Records producers.

They didnt really turn me off, he said. They just enlightened me.

After two years with the label, T.O.N.E-z left amicably and ventured out on his own. He bought recording equipment and learned how to make his own CDs.

I would go down to 42nd and 34th streets and wait for the tourists to come, T.O.N.E-z said. Theyd buy them for five or 10 bucks.

Before that, T.O.N.E-z had recorded at Rench Audio with Oscar Owens. They released an album of his music, but he said it didnt sell that well.

After T.O.N.E-z went out on his own, he said Owens asked if he could take his vocals and mix them with bluegrass for a new music genre called gangstagrass. That was 2004, and the recordings were circulated throughout the industry.

Five years later, someone on the FX Network who was working on the TV series Justified heard a recording and contacted Owens and T.O.N.E-z to see if the producers could use it for the trailer. They hired bluegrass musicians and did all new recordings.

They used it, T.O.N.E-z said, and they gave us a nice check.

People liked it so much that the shows producers called and asked if they would do a theme song for the series, which ended up being nominated for an Emmy Award. The producers werent going to send them to the awards ceremony, but T.O.N.E-z said he talked them into it.

Im a TV fanatic, he said. Though he was excited about the nomination, T.O.N.E-z said he was more thrilled that he was there with some of his favorite actors like Jeff Bridges and the Spice Girls. I was calling them all by their characters names.

T.O.N.E-z is also an actor, having landed a walk-on role in Philadelphia, the acclaimed film starring Tom Hanks as a dying AIDS patient and Denzel Washington as his attorney. But it wasnt until he was offered a chance to appear on three episodes of Justified that he caught the acting bug.

He has a co-starring role playing himself in Spirit, a movie filmed in Tennessee by Angela Kerecz Seven Souls Production company. T.O.N.E-z is the executive producer of the soundtrack for the movie, scheduled for release in 2017.

T.O.N.E-z also wrote a screenplay with a vampire twist for a movie based on something that happened to him at age 16, when he was between relationships.

He also worked on a documentary about suicide prevention, titled I Choose Life, with Jared Padalecki of Supernatural. Jacqui Blue was the director.

During his stay in Mocksville, T.O.N.E-z performed at The Evening Muse in Charlotte with classical pianist Alicia Witt. He recently teamed up with Tommy James to record a remake of Dragging the Line  scheduled for release in 2017  which James first released with the Shondells.

To hear T.O.N.E-zs Emmy-nominated song, go to www.you tube.com/watch?v=yT2i2UylxJ0.
STATESVILLE  A Cool Springs woman and a teenage family member were tied up in their home over Christmas weekend and violently assaulted before the woman was killed, according to Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell, who called the crimes demonic.

Gary Stephen Love, 47, of Wadsworth, Ohio, has been charged with murder. Additional charges are expected.

The woman was identified as 46-year-old Robin Denman. The other victims name was not released. The two lived at the home alone.

Campbell said the teenage victim texted a friend for help Monday morning, and around 7:30 a.m. deputies went to the residence for a welfare check in the 700 block of Cool Springs Road.

At the home, Love answered the door and claimed the woman and the teenager had gone to a funeral, Campbell said. While deputies attempted to confirm the story, Love went through the back door and ran off on foot, Campbell said.

He was found and taken into custody a short time later.

Deputies then conducted a search of the home and discovered Denmans body hidden in a back room.

When deputies arrived, the teenage family member escaped the home, but returned shortly after when the teenager realized it was law enforcement on scene.

The family member told deputies that the two had been tied up since Christmas Eve. Campbell said evidence was found consistent with someone being tied up and bound.

The manner in which Denman was killed is still being determined, but Campbell said it wasnt a shooting or strangulation. Authorities are awaiting autopsy results.

The teenage victim was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for injuries consistent with being assaulted and a rape kit is being analyzed, Campbell said.

The teenage victim has since been released from the hospital and is staying with other family members.

According to Campbell, Love has been in North Carolina for around three months and had been staying on Denmans couch recently. It is unknown what relationship Love had with the family, but Love and Denman met years ago in New York, according to a sheriffs office press release.

Love had an outstanding warrant for domestic violence charges in Ohio and he had an active protection order against him, according to reports.

Love is being held under no bond in the Iredell County Detention Center and has a first court appearance scheduled for Jan. 3.
KYIV. Dec. 28 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Human rights activists have again called on Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada to change legislation that limits the freedoms of Ukrainian citizens, who have left Crimea or remained there.

"Over the past two years Ukrainian authorities  have adopted a number of legal acts, which negatively influence the situation with regards to the rights of Crimea inhabitants, creating barriers and narrowing the space for realizing their rights and freedoms on the peninsula. The regard rights to move and property rights," said the chairman of the Human Rights Information Center Tetiana Pechonchyk during a press conference at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Wednesday.

Lawyer for the Helsinki Human rights Union Darya Svyrydova said Cabinet Resolution No. 1035 On limiting supplies of certain goods (work, services) with the temporarily occupied territory," which when into effect on January 15, 2016, violates human rights.

"The government has interfered in the personal ownership rights of Ukrainian citizens, who are located in Crimea or who travel on the peninsula. The resolution practically deprives individuals of rights guaranteed by Ukrainian law. They also violate the European Convention on Human Rights, rights to evacuate belongings from Crimea and general ownership rights," Svyrydova said.

She also said that the Odesa region territorial administrative court ruled unlawful limitations imposed on relocation of property across the administrative border with Crimea.

According to the coordinator of the Crimea human rights group Olha Srkypnyk, residents of Crimea who arrived on Ukrainian mainland, according to the resolution of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) No. 699, are recognized as "non-residents" and are deprived of the right to receive banking services.

Human rights activists are urging Ukrainian authorities in 2017 to develop and introduce changes to the procedure for arriving and leaving the temporarily occupied territory, as well as simplifying the procedure for foreign journalists, representatives of international human rights missions and lawyers to visit Crimea.
Recent terrorist attacks in Ankara, Turkey, and Berlin, Germany, add to a growing list of incidents that are becoming increasingly difficult to remember. Does one begin the list with the plane hijackings in the 60s and 70s, or the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, or the USS Cole attack in 2000, or the second World Trade Center attack in 2001, or Ft. Hood, San Bernardino, Orlando, Paris or Nice? And thats not all of them, nor will it be the end of them, if we dont have a better response.

During the great wave of immigration in the early 20th century, the United States barred those afflicted with tuberculosis, venereal disease, trachoma and other serious diseases from entering the country. Now a different kind of infection is invading Europe and increasingly the United States. Its called radical Islamic terrorism. The West continues to admit people from terrorist countries, people who have been infected with this killer disease, seemingly fearing the affliction less than being labeled intolerant.

How is that working out? So afraid of being charged with Islamophobia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted more than 1 million refugees in 2015 from nations that breed terrorists. It was inevitable that some would come to destroy rather than assimilate.

Mounting evidence that many of these people are time bombs waiting to explode still fails to open eyes that have been deliberately shut.

Take the case of a 24-year-old Tunisian named Anis Amri, the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack, shot dead by authorities on Friday in Milan, Italy. Amri was one of a number of suspected terrorists who have come from Tunisia, a country that has reportedly sent more fighters to Syria than any other. The Charlie Hebdo attacker was Tunisian, as was the man who drove a truck into a crowd in Nice on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. ISIS had urged similar attacks be made and, apparently, the Berlin suspect obeyed.

The UK Daily Mail reports Amri was jailed four years ago in Italy for burning down a school. He also was arrested three times in Germany before giving police the slip earlier this month. German authorities reportedly were in touch with Tunisian officials to get Amri a passport so he could be deported. But Tunis rejected the request, saying it had no record of his ever being a citizen.

Was this a lie, or was he a plant? We may never know.

Chancellor Merkels response to all of this is a case of too little, too late. She wants to ban Muslim women from wearing full-face veils. That is a political move, not a strategic one. It will not deter terrorists from their mission, as more enter Germany hidden among legitimate refugees.

Responding to the latest terrorist attacks, President-elect Trump said he has been proved 100 percent correct when it comes to his plans to curtail Muslim immigrants from nations that spawn terrorists. Given the number already in Europe or those who have been self-radicalized and allowed into the U.S., it may be too late.

The West can either acquiesce or fight back. Trump wants to fight back. Its better than waiting for the next attack, hoping were not the target.
A law that strips power from the state school board and hands it to the new state superintendent of public instruction, like the rest of the rushed legislation of the special session the week before last, is an ill-advised error motivated by partisan politics. The legislature should rescind its law, take a step back and calm down.

House Bill 17, signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory, strips responsibilities from the Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education and places them squarely in the hands of the state superintendent, the Journals Arika Herron reported. This includes the ability to appoint most of the administrative and supervisory personnel for those bodies. The law also removes the state education board from its position over the Department of Public Instruction and makes the superintendent the sole head of that agency, the Journal reported.

The superintendent also gains authority to hire the superintendent of the states forthcoming Achievement School District, the staff of the schools for the deaf and blind and the executive director of the charter schools office. A great deal of power has been shifted to one individual.

Like most of the rest of the special session legislation, these changes are motivated by partisan politics. The newly elected state superintendent of public instruction, Mark Johnson, is a Republican. He replaces incumbent June Atkinson, a Democrat who was seeking her fourth term.

After serving only two years on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board, Johnson, a lawyer and former teacher, ran for state superintendent and won. Hes a hard worker.

But no superintendent should be given this unchecked power, especially one with this little experience and especially not for partisan motives.

Republican education administrators have also objected, including state education board chairman Bill Cobey and vice-chair A.L. Buddy Collins of Forsyth County.

Like most of the other legislation pushed through the special session, HB 17 was passed with no opportunity for public input and little room for legislative debate. The public should have been given a chance to weigh its merits.

Instead, legislators have made another partisan power-grab that could be detrimental to students and that could once again put North Carolina in a bad light nationally.

Nowhere are those checks and balances more important than when were talking about the education of North Carolinas children, Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe, said in response to the rushed legislation.

Thats correct. Our state works best with adequate checks and balances against either partys extremes.

Republicans say this was done to them when Democrats were in charge. Its true that some measures were passed that way, but the Republicans are playing much rougher.

And if the Republicans thought it was wrong then, its hard to see why they play so unfairly now. They had an opportunity to prove themselves better legislators and they blew it. Unfortunately, its likely to be our citizens and our children who suffer for their power grabs.
About 200 bags of diapers, hygiene essentials and other related products will be available free-of-charge to expecting moms, who register for the "Shower for Life" event being held on Nov. 5, from 1-3 p.m., at St. Paul's Anglican Church, located at 316 W. Carolina Ave in Summerville. Read more'Shower for Life' calls all expecting mothers
[File photo]

China on Tuesday responded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Pearl Harbor visit by urging him to sincerely reflect on the country's history of aggression rather than offering diplomatic displays.

"It is only a one-sided wish that he wants to put an end to the history of World War II by just visiting Pearl Harbor," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at a daily press briefing.

Abe is in Hawaii, where he will take part in a remembrance ceremony at the USS Arizona monument with U.S. President Barack Obama.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base, where thousands of U.S. sailors and marines were killed.

China was the main theater in the Asia-Pacific for the World Anti-Fascist War, and the Chinese people made major contributions to the victory, said Hua.

[File photo]

According to statistics, Chinese military and civilian casualties totaled approximately 35 million, accounting for one-third of the total casualties suffered by all countries during WWII.

"Japan can never turn the page without reconciliation with the victim countries in Asia, including China," Hua said.

She urged the Japanese leader not to "dodge the core issue, and to make a sincere and profound reflection upon its aggression history" so as to "make a clean break from the past".

"Sincere reflection is the only key to the reconciliation," she added.
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The Tree | (Content for Climate Communicators) |  

Instead of draining the swamp as promised, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is doing the opposite, appointing powerful fossil fuel executives and dirty energy cheerleaders to top posts within his cabinet. Trump is filling the swamp to overflow, promoting candidates with serious conflicts of interests to high-office, such as Rex Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon, to Secretary of State; Rick Perry the recipient of coal funding as Energy Secretary; and Scott Pruitt, the blunt instrument of fossil fuel interests, as Administrator for the EPA. To lead the EPA transition, Trump has tapped Myron Ebell, who works for an organisation funded by Exxon and the Kochs. Following this lead the representatives of 24 Republican states urged Trump to overturn the Clean Power Plan as soon as he enters office  although 12 states alongside a range of businesses are set to reject any plans to roll-back critical energy policy, ensuring that the incoming Trump administrations claims that it has a genuine commitment to clean air and clean water already ring hollow. California Governor Jerry Brown has vowed to preserve vital scientific U.S. institutions, despite Trumps threats and intimidation by his staffers.

Rather than drain the swamp, Trump is creating an unprecedented quagmire for the US, filling his administration with fossil fuel cronies and handing dirty energy and foreign powers clear access to the White House. The President-elect has appointed Rex Tillerson as the nations top diplomat, a man whose conflict of interests include ongoing, lucrative employment as the acting CEO of the countrys largest fossil fuel company, holding extensive stocks in ExxonMobil, and nurturing close personal relations with Vladimir Putin. A glance at Trumps incoming team and deep-rooted financial and historical connections between the new administration and the fossil fuel industry are revealed, particularly in posts responsible for securing a long-term, secure energy supply and preserving clean air and water.

Trumps time in office hasnt even started but his dirty energy appointments already signal a failure to protect U.S. citizens, their prosperity and security. By prioritising the dying coal industry Trump and his cabinet of fossil fuel acolytes are going to lose big in the global race to decarbonise where the prize is sustainable industrial expansion and job growth, the U.S. coal industry is beyond the revival promised to workers on the campaign trail, even according to coal executives. There are already more jobs in solar energy than in coal mining, and the number of solar jobs has grown more than 20 per cent in each of the last three years. States like Florida and Nevada are bountiful in sun and can contribute to American energy self-sufficiency.

In 2017 the White House may be choked with fossil fuel cronies but efforts to undermine the ongoing transition to renewable energy will face formidable opposition from states, cities, businesses, the military, scientists and more. California has been bullish in response to Trumps anti-science stance while other powerful states like Texas, with huge renewables markets, are unlikely to support policies that cut clean energy. The U.S. military has long recognised climate change as a threat-multiplier with a direct impact on national security and will not tolerate a Commander-in-Chief who buries his head in the sand. While major U.S. cities and businesses are banding together, with the support of civil society to ensure that the decoupling of the economy and climate pollution continues to accelerate. Then there are the American people, of whom 80 per cent support increased wind and solar.

Via The Tree: Content for Climate Communicators



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Wochit News: Rex Tillerson And His Iraqi Lesson




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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Turkey and Russia are announcing they have reached a cease-fire deal in Syria. The ceasefire reached in Aleppo will be continued past December 28, and will be expanded to other parts of the country

Russia is representing the government of Bashar al-Assad, which its air force has shored up and to which it probably has granted the victory in the civil war, by giving Syrian troops and allied Shiite militias air support.

Turkey is backing elements of the Muslim Brotherhood (remnants of the Free Syrian Army) and the Salafi Jihadi group Freemen of Syria (Ahrar al-Sham), who have been trying to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad. (Turkeys clients are Sunni Muslims).

Ahrar al-Sham in turn is allied with the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, the Levantine Conquest Front (the Nusra Front). Russia is determined to destroy al-Qaeda in Syria, and both Turkey and Syria agree that this terrorist group must be excluded from the ceasefire.

If this report holds up, it means either that the Freemen of Syria have finally broken with al-Qaeda (the two have a formal political coalition in Idlib) or that Turkey has definitively turned on al-Qaeda. Excluding the Levantine Conquest Front from ceasefires and negotiations has been a key talking point of Russia.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has on many occasions expressed a willingness to talk to and broker deals with the opposition rebels, excepting al-Qaeda and Daesh.

At the same time that Erdogan appears to have found some common ground with Putin, the increasingly authoritarian and erratic Turkish president turned on the United States, making serious accusations that the US and its 12-nation coalition against Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) have actually secretly been supporting the Daesh fighters.

Hurriyet reports,

They [anti-ISIL coalition forces] were accusing us of supporting Daesh . . . Now theyve all vanished and theyre giving support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG and the PYD . . . Its very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos . . .

The US is certainly supporting Syrian left-wing Kurds (the YPG and PYD), which it distinguishes from the Anatolia-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Both Ankara and Washington consider the PKK a terrorist organization. Turkey, however, views the Syrian Kurdish parties and militia as branches of the PKK, while Washington insists that they are distinct, and that Syrian Kurds are good guys. Syrian Kurdish fighters have been among the few effective local fighting forces willing and able to defeat Daesh fighters in Raqqa province.

But the allegation that the US and its allies are just bombing Daesh/ ISIL for show but really are supporting it is bizarre.

Hurriyet observes,

Later in the day, the U.S. State Department rejected as ludicrous accusations by Erdogan that the U.S.-led coalition supported ISIL, though making a distinction to the support given to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Daesh  I said that from the outright. Thats just ludicrous. I dont know where that comes from, said State Department spokesman Mark Toner during a daily briefing

Some of Turkeys high officials, including cabinet members, have blamed the US for the abortive coup of July 15, 2016. This allegation is without proof and inherently unlikely. But trying to tie the US to Daesh would be sweet revenge for Erdogan.



Related video:

TRT: Russia says it will work more closely with Turkey, Iran on Syria
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TeleSur |  

While all Star Wars (male) fans only remember Carrie Fisher in her sex-slave golden bikini, the late actress had a feminist conception of her role way ahead of her time.

1. As early as 1983, in an interview with Rolling Stones about the freshly-released Return of the Jedi, Fisher already had the sense that her character had been written from a (male) fan-pleasing standpoint: Leia needed to be softened and sexualized for the final sequel, because too many viewed her as a space bitch.

She has no friends, no family; her planet was blown up in secondsalong with her hairdresserso all she has is a cause. From the first film, she was just a soldier, frontline and center. The only way they knew to make the character strong was to make her angry.

In Return of the Jedi, she gets to be more feminine, more supportive, more affectionate. But lets not forget that these movies are basically boys fantasies. So the other way they made her more female in this one was to have her take off her clothes.

2. In the same interview, she also stressed that Leias position of leadership (of the underground rebellion) would have been impossible in a more realistic film at that time:

Movies are dreams! And they work on you subliminally. You can play Leia as capable, independent, sensible, a soldier, a fighter, a woman in control  control being, of course, a lesser word than master. But you can portray a woman whos a master and get through all the female prejudice if you have her travel in time, if you add a magical quality, if youre dealing in fairy-tale terms. People need these bigger-than-life projections.

3. You should fight for your outfit, Fisher said in an interview alongside Daisy Ridley for Interview Magazine, who plays Rey in a Star Wars sequel. Dont be a slave like I was.

She also warned Ridley, its hard to date once youre a big Star Wars star because you dont want to give people the ability to say, I had sex with Princess Leia.

4. Over on the Wall Street Journal, Fisher said this about parents calling for a ban on Leias controversial doll in her bikini outfit: "I think thats stupid  The father who flipped out about it, What am I going to tell my kid about why shes in that outfit? Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didnt like it. And then I took it off. Backstage."

5. In the same interview, she also evoked the issue of finding a job as an older woman in Hollywood: Im a female working in show business, where, if youre famous, you have a career until youre 45, maybe. Maybe. And thats about 15 people.

6. On Saturday Night Live, when asked about Hollywood requiring her to lose weight to fit in Princess Leias character, she said they did not want all of me, just a part of me  only three-fourth, and I had to get rid of a fourth, and the fourth cant be with me.

About the reason Leia never got her own lightsaber, she replied "You know, its this thing about women: even in space, theres a double standard," Fisher told Stephen Colbert.

Via TeleSur

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,

Carrie Fisher: Even In Space Theres A Double Standard For Women
Former Argentine President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner [BBC backgrounder], was indicted [AP report] Tuesday on allegations of corruption. Fernandez and three others are accused of illicit association and fraudulent administration in connection with the use of funds meant for public works. The allegations go back as far as 2003 when Fernandezs husband was President. Nearly $3 billion dollars worth of government contracts are under investigation.

The former president has recently been the subject of various corruption investigations. In November she appeared before a judge [JURIST report] as part of the investigation into the alleged corruption. In May, an Argentinian federal prosecutor made a formal request [JURIST report] to a judge to conduct an investigation of Fernandez and her son for illegal enrichment in an ongoing money laundering investigation. Last year a judge in Argentina dismissed criminal allegations against Fernandez that accused her of conspiring to shield Iranian officials from responsibility for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. Fernandez was accused [JURIST report] of the cover up in January 2015.
Senior officials from the six countries along the Mekong River gathered in Beijing Tuesday for a ministerial meeting, vowing to strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation.

The gathering came at the fifth anniversary of the Mekong River law enforcement and security cooperation partnership.

The partnership, which was launched in 2011 after the "Oct. 5 massacre" where 13 Chinese sailors were murdered by a drug ring, aims to crack down on transnational crimes along the Mekong and safeguard regional security and stability.

Lauding the partnership as "a successful paradigm of regional law enforcement and security cooperation," Guo Shengkun, China's public security minister, said China is ready to deepen cooperation with all sides in joint patrols along the river, anti-terrorism, drug-control and border management.

He also suggested a center for law enforcement and security cooperation along the Mekong River be set up to share information and coordinate actions.

The partnership involves China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, with Cambodia and Vietnam acting as observing states.

Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with delegates attending the meeting.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang in the Chinese stretch, runs through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and is an important waterway for transnational shipping.
China launches space lab Tiangong-2 into space on Sept 15, 2016, paving the way for a permanent space station the country plans to build around 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

China plans to send unmanned probes to explore Mars and Jupiter by 2030, said a senior space official.

Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, said at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday that the government has decided to send a robotic probe to Mars to orbit and land on the red planet around 2020. The probe will conduct scientific research on the Martian soil and atmosphere and search for signs of water.

"The project has proceeded well since it was approved in January. Now we have finalized the overall plan and begun to develop related equipment such as the Mars rover," he said.

A larger probe also will set off for Mars around 2030 to take samples and return to Earth, he said.

The conference was held by the State Council Information Office to issue the China's Space Activities in 2016 white paper, which reviews progress made in 2016 and discloses major tasks for the next five years.

Jupiter as well as its moons will be visited by at least one unmanned probe from China before 2030, Wu said.

Illustrations show the country's first Mars probe consisting of three parts  an orbiter, lander and rover. The rover will have six wheels and four solar panels.

The probe is expected to take nearly seven months before reaching the red planet, said Zhang Rongqiao, chief scientist of China's Mars exploration program.

The rover will carry 13 scientific instruments, weigh about 200 kilograms and work 92 days on the planet, according to Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the probe.

Wu also said Tuesday that the Chang'e 5 lunar probe will be sent to the moon by the end of 2017 to take samples and return to Earth. In 2018, Chang'e 4 will carry out the world's first soft landing  using rockets to slow descent  on the far side of the moon.

China has launched three robotic lunar exploration missions, including one that soft-landed a rover on the moon.

To realize China's grand aspirations, scientists have started to design a super-heavy rocket, the Long March 9, and plan to put it to use around 2030, Wu said.
(Photo/Courtesy of the China Listed Company Index of Corporate Social Responsibility Report)

Corporate social responsibility should be taken as reference in the stock market to prevent short-sighted investment, according to a recent report on Chinese listed companies.

"To realize long-term and stable profits from the stock market, one should hold on to stock that is worthy of investment. The stock market in China, instead, seems to see long-term investment as abnormal and irrational," said the report, warning that the Chinese stock market  with its minimal rules - not only affects ordinary investors' interests, but has also bred a speculative mindset among investors in the Chinese stock market.

The report suggested that investors take as a reference for investment companies' corporate social responsibility, on top of the common practice of checking profits and financial reports. Companies with higher corporate social responsibility scores are more likely to take promising, sustainable development paths, and are therefore worthy of investment, the report noted.

It takes a relatively long time to see the actual effect of social responsibility, but institutional investors tend to prefer faster gains, which is bad for corporate social responsibility. We want to call for rational instead of speculative investment, said Zhang Xianli of Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU).

(Photo/Courtesy of the China Listed Company Index of Corporate Social Responsibility Report)

The report evaluated a total of 2,937 companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange. A total of 1,878 were private companies, accounting for 63.9 percent of the evaluated companies. Occupying the top spot was telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE, followed by Chinese gold producer Zijin Mining and leading new-energy vehicle manufacturer BYD.

The report was published by the Oriental Public Service Specification and Evaluation Center in Shanghai on Dec. 27. It was compiled based on the China Index of Corporate Social Responsibility, a system jointly developed by the Corporate Legal Research Center at SJTU and the Political Science Institute of East China University of Political Science and Law.

The index considers four indicators, and companies are evaluated on aspects ranging from creditors and labor rights to fair competition, environmental protection and philanthropy.
Ride-sharing firm Uber has posted a loss of some $800 million.

That figure refers to a loss in just one financial quarter of the year, meaning that the companys full year loss could be in the region of over $2 billion.

Many Uber users will be surprised to learn that the company is not currently profitable. After all, the firm has low overheads and is effectively just a middle-man, connecting a driver with a customer, and taking a percentage fee for this service.

However, as Uber has needed to compete with incumbent taxi firms in cities the World over, it has often effectively subsidized rides via incentives to customers. It has also invested heavily in expansion and in driverless technology.

In August, its reported that Uber would merge its Chinese business with local rival Didi in a deal worth as much as $35 billion.

The two companies had been involved in a costly battle against each other, and Didi invested significantly in the worldwide Uber company as part of the deal.

That Uber has been unprofitable despite that deal will undoubtedly be received with caution by investors.
Choi Jin Hyuk (Pride and Prejudice) and Yoon Hyun Min (Beautiful Mind) have been confirmed to be starring in the new OCN time travel crime drama Tunnel. Tunnel is abouta violent crimes detective from the past that travels through time to the present day.

Choi Jin Hyuk will be our detective from the 1980's who was trying to catch a serial killer when he time travels through a tunnel to present day Seoul. Yoon Hyun Min will be his detective partner who has a sharp intellect and is very skilled at his job. Lee Yoo Young (The Treacherous) also recently confirmed her role as a psychology professor.

I'm really excited about this crime solving duo. This sounds like a great come back project for Choi Jin Hyuk, and pairing him with Yoon Hyun Min should be fun. I love time travel stuff, and I really hope they utilize the time travel in an interesting way that will connect with all of the cases.

Tunnel is looking to air in March 2017 on OCN.

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GRAND ISLAND  Grand Island Emergency Management Director Jon Rosenlund said Monday that his department erred last week when it dispatched a call of an active shooter at the Budda Matta Phaaphayaram Lao Buddhist Temple at 12th and Eddy streets.

The incident occurred last Friday. The call came in as an emergency that a guy entered the temple at 724 W. 12th with a gun, Rosenlund said.

I think the dispatcher got a little excited, Rosenlund said. We dispatched it as an active shooter when it should have been a man with a gun.

While both calls summon immediate reaction from law enforcement, the level of reaction is different.

Rosenlund said the caller, one of the three women working at the temple during the 1:30 p.m. Friday incident, immediately left the building with the two others, and used a cell phone while outdoors to call for help.

There were some very convincing feelings from our caller that there was a gun, because they fled, Rosenlund said. In their mind, he had a weapon and they left.

The dispatcher than translated that information into the page to law enforcement that there was an active shooter at the temple.

The Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriffs Department, Nebraska State Patrol, FBI and the police tactical team responded immediately. Two schools in the area went on lockdown before police apprehended 25-year-old Jovaun Little of Grand Island, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant in York County for property damage.

It was later determined that Little was unarmed and no charges were filed against him for the Friday incident.

We had an opportunity to review it with the employee and I can see, as a dispatcher myself, how you get in your mind that a guy walks into a religious institution with a gun  unfortunately (active shooter) was the first thing that popped into their mind, Rosenlund said.

Rosenlund said the dispatcher, a 10-year employee whom he called one of the best, did exceptional work on asking all the right questions, seeking a description, ensuring that the caller was in a safe place, keeping the line open, talking low and slow to de-escalate the situation, and keeping law enforcement informed, which kept everyone safe and resulted in a good resolution at the end of the day.

Other than those two very excitable words, the call went exactly how you want it, Rosenlund said.
Andy Cloutier and his wife, Tana, built a staircase linking their property with their sons, directly below, so granddaughters Luca, 3, and Isabella, 6, could visit without taking a long walk around on several streets.




The small body of the infant Summer Chambers was discovered Thursday inside a bassinet in the upstairs bedroom of a Johnstown, Pennsylvania, home, after a family friend who hadnt heard from the couple for over a week paid them a visit. A 5-month-old baby girl may have been left alone for at least four days, starving and dehydrated, before dying, after her parents 19-year-old mother, Chelsea Cardaro and her father, Jason Chambers, 27, fatally overdosed on heroin.The small body of the infant Summer Chambers was discovered Thursday inside a bassinet in the upstairs bedroom of a Johnstown, Pennsylvania, home, after a family friend who hadnt heard from the couple for over a week paid them a visit. The body of the infants mum was found in a neighboring bathroom while that of her fathers was found lifeless on the first floor.

Local pathologists estimated Summers parents may have been a week before they were found. According to Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan, authorities believe the mother and father died almost simultaneously.

Callihan said: Its so sad and really illustrates just how bad the heroin epidemic is, not only here but across the country. Had they not died within minutes of each other, we believe one would have called 911 for help for the other.



Callihan says, adding: The pathologists said a child can live a couple of days without food or milk. She was only 5 months old, so she was on her back  she had no way to move from that bassinet. This was a picture in my mind Id rather forget, Callihan says. Last Friday, officials confirmed that Summer succumbed to dehydration and starvation days after her parenst died of heroin overdose. Callihan said a friend was called to check on Chambers and Cardaro when the couple, who had recently moved to Pennsylvania from New York, failed to show up for planned holiday festivities.

Callihan said: Neighbors didnt think it was out of the ordinary that they didnt see them around, because they were traveling to New York for Christmas. Someone called one of their friends, who opened a window and climbed inside. The friend found all three bodies and immediately called 911.


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Recently, pictures of the improved edition of China's stealth fighter J-31 were posted online, indicating a new stage of development for the aircraft. However, Chinese military expert Yin Zhuo told CCTV that it would still be some time before the design is finalized.

The J-31 is a fourth-generation fighter developed by China. It completed its first test flight on Oct. 31, 2012. With the development of the new model, China became the second country testing two models of fourth-generation flights at the same time, after only the U.S.

Compared with the earlier model, exhibited at Airshow China 2014, the improved version has a more aerodynamic design and an expanded weapons bay. Yin said five to seven prototypes are usually tested before a design is finalized.

Yin believes it is possible for the J-31 to be deployed on aircraft carriers in the future, saying that the aircraft's capability to carry out sea and land attacks would be a major asset for carriers.
(Xinhua) 15:50, December 28, 2016

A mainland spokesman Wednesday said the Taiwan issue is a domestic affair of China and the United States should carefully handle it by abiding by the one-China policy.

An Fengshan, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the Taiwan issue is a matter concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.

It is also the "most sensitive and complicated issue in China-U.S. relations," he said at a press conference.

He was asked to comment on the United States' 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the provision on military cooperation with Taiwan.

"We hope the United States will abide by the one-China policy and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and carefully handle issues related to Taiwan," the spokesman said.

China firmly opposes official and military relations between the United States and Taiwan in any form, he said.

An reaffirmed China's clear and consistent opposition to arms sales by the United States to Taiwan.

In response to another question, An said that a Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrierLiaoning, headed toward the West Pacific on Dec. 24 for scheduled blue water training, which was carried out in accordance with the annual plan made by the navy.
The new high-speed rail link between Shanghai and Kunming opened to travelers on Dec. 28. The railway is able to whisk passengers across 2,252 kilometers in just 11 hours and 15 minutes.

The rail line is already open as far as Guizhou. It passes through major cities like Hangzhou, Nanchang and Changsha. A second-class seat to Kunming costs 879 RMB ($126), while 1,475 RMB buys a first-class seat. The railway is expected to bring more tourists to cities along the line. Below are some famous scenic spots to look out for along the railway:

>>>>Nanchang:

Pavilion of Prince Teng

Located in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, the Pavilion of Prince Teng is one of three towers in the regions south of the Yangtze River, together with Yellow Crane Tower and Yueyang Tower.

Poyang Lake

Poyang Lake, located in Jiangxi province, is the largest freshwater lake in China, as well as the world's largest bird protection zone.

Meiling Scenic Area

Meiling Scenic Area, 15 kilometers west of Nanchang, is located near Flying Mountain, the biggest mountain south of the Yangtze River. It is an ideal summer resort.

Shengjin Tower

Shengjin Tower is located on Shengjinta Road. It is the highest ancient building in the city.

Hundred Flower Pond

Hundred Flower Pond, consisting of three islets, is famous for its exotic flowers and rare herbs, which grow on the pond's surface.

>>>>Changsha

Yue Lu Mountain

Yuelu Mountain is a scenic area in Central China's Hunan province. It contains the highest peak in Changsha.

>>>>Guiyang:

Red Maple Scenic Spot

Red Maple Scenic Spot is considered to be the pearl of the Guizhou Plateau.

Xiang Zhigou Scenic Spot

Xiang Zhigou Scenic Spot is regarded as a "green jade" and "natural oxygen bar" in Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province. It possesses unique cultural and ethnic significance.

>>>>Kunming:

Stone Forest

Stone Forest, an expansive array of Karst formations located outside Kunming, is hailed as "the first wonder of the world."

Jiuxiang Karst Caves

The Jiuxiang Karst Caves scenic spot is famous for its caves, mountains, rivers, deep valleys, ethnic minority customs and cultures.

Dianchi Lake

Lying at the foot of the Western Hills in Kunming, Dianchi Lake is regarded as the cradle of Yunnan culture. The lake is most beautiful at dawn and sunset. If you want to truly enjoy the surroundings and feel close to nature, try taking a boat ride around the expansive body of water.

Dongchuan Red Land

Dongchuan Red Land is a new tourist attraction near Kunming, beloved by photographers and backpackers alike. The red formations, extending for nearly 50 kilometers, are among the most striking and distinctive in the world.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La, capital of the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Diqing in southwestern China's Yunnan province, has long been known for its snow-capped mountains, luminous lakes, broad pastures and diverse flora and fauna.

Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the surviving ancient towns in China.

Yulong Snow Mountain

Yulong Snow Mountain is the southernmost snowy mountain in the northern hemisphere. The mountain abounds in flora from the semitropics, temperate and glacial zones. It is a sanctuary for rare animals and plants.
As the largest market for smartphones, China has seen a decreased market share held by leading phone-makers including Apple and Samsung in 2016, with domestic brands being the biggest beneficiaries of these drop-offs, Economic Information reported on Dec. 28.

Samsung's market share dropped by 14.2 percent in the third quarter of 2016, the company's worst performance to date, which has mainly been attributed to widespread battery explosions of Samsung phones over the past year. But there's no guarantee the brand will return to the top even if it survives its current crisis.

Meanwhile, Samsung's foreign peer, Apple, has also failed to maintain its earlier performance. With steadily decreasing sales, China has lost its title as Apple's second largest market. One factor in this decline may be insufficient innovation. Experiencing "iPhone fatigue," more and more Chinese customers are now moving to domestic brands.

Since the first quarter of 2016, shipments of Chinese smartphones for the first time surpassed the totals of Apple and Samsung. Statistics from global market intelligence provider TrendForce showed that production of Chinese smartphones reached 600 million in 2016, accounting for 45 percent of the global total.

In addition to marketing, Chinese brands are also devoting energy to new technologies. For instance, some Chinese phone-makers are already leading in technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and 3-D images.

With the rise of Chinese brands comes frequent patent litigation between Chinese producers and their foreign competitors. For this reason, analysts said domestic brands must systematically study international patent licensing and build their own patent portfolios as quickly as possible.
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President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare. A logical question is: With what? The announcement of Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga) as Trumps nominee for secretary of health and human services provides some answers.

Unlike other Republican critics of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Price, an orthopedic surgeon, has offered many replacement plans of unmatched detail. His Empowering Patients First Act was 242 pages long. It offers a market-based vision for American health care, restricting government involvement.

His plan, however detailed, lacks specifics about what will happen to the 20 million or so who gained insurance coverage under the ACA. This includes people who have preexisting conditions and those who rely on Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides insurance to poor children, pregnant women of a certain income level as well as the disabled and blind under 65.

Prices policies could also limit access to care for children, women and for many people of all ages with chronic and mental illnesses.

As a scholar of American policymaking, I hope to shed some light on Prices plan.

Childrens coverage could be jeopardized

One of the main pillars of Prices plan is tax credits based on age to individuals who wish to buy health insurance in the private market. Importantly, this proposal assumes that those who are younger will also be healthier, thus requiring less coverage.

However, there has been a rise from in the prevalence of chronic illnesses among children, from 12.8 percent in 1994 to 26.6 percent in 2006.

Also, incidence of type 2 diabetes and teen depression has increased. Mental health conditions often have an age-of-onset in the teens and 20s. Yet both age groups are allotted the lowest tax credits in the Price plan, and more children from lower- and middle-income households may struggle to obtain needed coverage.

In 2007, Price voted against the reauthorization of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a program founded in 1997 that provides medical care to about eight million low-income children, at a total cost of about US$13 billion. It has been cited as instrumental in reducing the number of uninsured children from 10.7 million in 1997 to 6.6 million in 2012.

Medicaid could be rolled back

Lower-income children are not the only lower-income group likely to suffer under Prices proposal.

Currently, federal and state governments share the cost of Medicaid, with 32 states having adopted the Medicaid expansion that was called for under the ACA. An ACA repeal would eliminate expansions of Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP)  which together cover approximately one in five Americans  and replace it with Medicaid block grants that the federal government provides to the states.

This would slow the growth annual rate of spending on Medicaid from its current level of 7 percent to 3 percent, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO also estimated a reduction in Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over 10 years.

But The Medicaid programs that Price seeks to restrict not only are more cost-effective in the long run to administer  with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimating that Medicaid coverage expansion reduced hospitals uncompensated care by 21 percent, with states saving in costs of caring for the uninsured  but have had demonstrably positive health outcomes for vulnerable populations. For example:

A study in the public health journal Health Affairs suggested that outpatient medical appointments increased 29 percent, while preventable hospitalizations fell 48 percent in the aftermath of a new new public insurance program in Wisconsin in 2009.

Also, The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in 2016 that Medicaid expansion under the ACA not only reduced the uninsured rates of those states, but in many cases improved access to care and utilization of some physical and behavioral health services. Similarly, an Urban Institute report on outcomes related to Medicaid showed greater access.

Those with preexisting conditions could lose out

In the aftermath of meeting with President Obama, Trump indicated some interest in preserving the provision that people cannot be denied insurance coverage for preexisting conditions.

This is challenging, however. Insurers ability to guarantee coverage regardless of preexisting conditions works in tandem with the ACAs mandate that all individuals enroll in at least some level of coverage. The purpose of this was to bring healthy patients into the risk pool.

Prices plan would prevent insurers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, but at a price. His plan would allow insurers to charge consumers up to 150 percent of standard premiums. This would apply if consumers do not maintain continuous coverage for at least 18 months. Thus, if someone becomes unemployed and unable to afford coverage in between jobs, he or she could be left without insurance.

Such a marked premium increase could in some cases be devastating, especially for those with chronic conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2012 that about half of the American population (117 million) had at least one chronic health condition, and one in four adults has two or more chronic health conditions. Seven of the top 10 causes of death are chronic diseases.

Mental health treatment could suffer

Within the context of preexisting conditions, it is worth emphasizing also that the CDC estimate focused on behavioral and not mental health, the diagnosis of which would also constitute a preexisting condition.

Yet about 16.1 million Americans had a major depressive episode in the past year, which does not include milder forms of depression, or other behavioral health conditions such as anxiety or psychotic disorders. Indeed, about one in five American adults will struggle with mental illness in a given year.

The ACA provided a marked expansion in access to care for mental and behavioral health by requiring that most individual and small group plans and all marketplace plans provide mental health benefits. The repeal of the ACA leaves the state of mental health care very much in question. It renders particularly vulnerable those who have capitalized on the ACAs access to mental health coverage and in doing so, accumulated preexisting conditions.

Womens health could be harmed

In his first term in Congress, Price cosponsored the Right to Life Act, which sought to extend 14th Amendment personhood to a fertilized egg and thus limit abortions. This did not make exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, and it did not consider the health of the woman.

Price did not simply vote for legislation to defund Planned Parenthood (HR 3134 in 2015); he cosponsored it.

The defunding of Planned Parenthood could limit care to women, given that it provides contraception, STD testing, cancer screenings and prenatal care. Increased contraceptive use has been the main reason for a dramatic decline in teen pregnancies in recent decades.

Women in urban areas can obtain contraceptive care from many sources in urban areas, but Planned Parenthood is the sole provider in one fifth of 491 counties surveyed in 2010. And in two-thirds of those counties, Planned Parenthood clinics served at least half of the women who obtained contraceptive care from safety-net health centers.

Who is empowered?

After the American Medical Association endorsed Price, an open letter signed by over 5,000 physicians challenged the endorsement.

The empirical evidence in favor of the programs that he seeks to scale back or eliminate altogether should temper his eagerness to overhaul the Affordable Care Act.

Such tempering is not yet apparent. How Senate Democrats and moderate Republicans  perhaps those in states that accepted and benefited from Medicaid expansion  respond to Price in the looming confirmation battle may provide some answers to who is empowered first under Prices leadership.

Miranda Yaver is a political scientist. She can be reached on Twitter @mirandayaver. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Image credit: Brookings
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I listened to a Planet Money podcast recently titled, Burnout. It dealt with the origin and characteristics of burnout, and I would highly recommend it.

Youve all heard the term and have a vague knowledge of what burnout is, Im sure. You may have experienced it yourself. It affects call center employees (as in the podcast), all sorts of service workers, doctors and other health care providers and countless others.

Looking back on it, I have experienced various degrees of burnout several times in my career in medicine. The symptoms I have fought with, sometimes silently, have included extreme fatigue, emotional withdrawal, disinterest, lack of a sense of purpose, lack of motivation, lack of joy, and decreased participation in enjoyable activities.

I was not depressed. One does not have to be clinically depressed to be burned out. I was simply existing, performing my various tasks and duties day in and day out with little sense of accomplishment or joy. I did not take to my bed for days or weeks at a time, I did not stop eating, and I was not physically ill in the strictest sense of the word.

It was also not directly or solely related to the number of hours I was working at the time. Lord knows there were times during my residency and moonlighting days that it felt like all I did was work, but I was not burned out. Not yet. It was not related to the difficulty of the work being done. Even now, I average from 60 to 65 hours of work many weeks, and yet I have never been happier than I am right now.

What are some possible causes of burnout in medicine, or in other areas of endeavor, today?

We are living in an age of marked increases in bureaucracy, regulation, paperwork, and attention to electronic detail like no previous time in the history of work.

We are engaged in mindless busy work, often related to the changes above, that keeps us maddeningly active but leading to much less focus on what is important or even expedient. I have often told my staff that I look for efficiency of process, yes, but that much more important to me is evidence of efficacy in treatment. Both are necessary. I just happen to think that the latter is more important to the wellbeing of the patient.

We are often caught not seeing the forest for the millions of trees before us. In fact, we are now forced to look at so any trees, branches of trees, groves of trees, leaves on those trees, that we have almost completely forgotten what the concept of a forest as a whole is. We have lost sight of what is truly important. We can no longer focus on one paramount outcome or goal, because there are myriad concerns and regulations and rules and reports that must be completed on time, every time, to satisfy someones lust for minutiae.

Then there is the firehose phenomenon. No matter how thirsty one is, it is extremely difficult to drink from a fully opened and gushing firehose. We may start out our careers thirsting for knowledge, new skills and professional fulfillment, and even joy in our work, only to be drowned by the sheer volume of information, change, and regulation in our twenty-first century world. This is akin to emotional, intellectual and professional waterboarding, and we now know just how effective that technique really is.

So, all that being said, what works for me when I feel myself sliding towards burnout? I am almost ready to start my seventh decade of life, and there is one thing that has never failed me yet.

Stories.

When I get tired, overwhelmed, bored, or burned out, I have to tell myself, consciously sometimes, to go back to the basics. In medical school, I learned to solicit information by listening to stories. Stories from professors, mentors, and supervisors. Stories from patients, families, spouses, siblings, children and parents. Stories from courts, judges, attorneys and guardians ad litem. Stories from case reports, textbooks, pot cases in pathology (ask me about that another day), and grand rounds presentations.

My professional life, indeed most of my life in general, has been built on stories.

When I am sad, tired, fatigued, upset, feeling sorry for myself or feel that I have lost my way, I hit the reset button in my brain. I try to stop over thinking, worrying, obsessing, catastrophizing, planning, scheming, and controlling.

I listen to a good audiobook (or two). Churchills The History of the English Speaking Peoples and David McCulloughs The Wright Brothers are my current guiding stars. Oh, and I really listen to them. No multitasking allowed.

I go back to really listening to the stories of my patients. The happy, sad, terrible, frightening, terrifying, disgusting, off-putting, affirming, enlightening, and uplifting ones. All of them. I approach each patient encounter as an opportunity, and in fact, a privilege, to hear a new life story and do something about it. Just today, as I was writing the outline of this post, I resolved that I would start each patient visit this afternoon with the phrase, Tell me your story. I did just that. That little change in how I started my interview of my patients today made a world of difference in how I approached my job.

I listen to the stories of my grandchildren. What stories they can tell, long ones and short ones and one sentence ones and multi-paragraph ones about their bedrooms in their new house and their dogs, and their new baby sister, and Power Rangers. On one recent visit, it was so refreshing to accept my almost three-year-old granddaughters invitation to go up to her bedroom, lie down on the floor, and have her give me a running commentary on the recent activities of every Disney princess she and her siblings own.

I listen to the stories my love, who is now my wife of thirteen days, brings to our conversations. It doesnt matter whether they are common stories we share from our teen years in Rome, Georgia, our recent travels to Europe, hiking in the mountains, or some of her trials and tribulations aboard an Airbus at thirty thousand feet over the Atlantic. They are words that connect us, that forge a strengthening bond that is one of the most cherished ones I have at this point in my life.

Life, my life, your life, is a story.

Mine began in Rome, Georgia, on October 24, 1957. I do not know when it will end.

I do know that it will continue to be a rich tapestry of work, play, disappointment, fear, exhilaration, wonder, challenge, and love. If I continue to actively write my own story, every day, being fully present in it, and listen to the stories of others all around me, I will continue to live life to the fullest.

Burnout is not the normal, or desirable, state of things.

Fire, as we have recently seen, can destroy and consume.

It can also light our path forward and keep us from falling headlong into the darkness of despair.

Greg Smith is a psychiatrist who blogs at gregsmithmd.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
HONG KONG, Dec 28 (Reuters) - China Cinda Asset Management Co , one of the country's four state-backed bad-debt managers, said on Wednesday it would sell 41 percent of Cinda Property and Casualty Insurance Co Ltd to Shenzhen Investment Holding Co Ltd for 4.22 billion yuan ($606.8 million).

Shenzhen Investment placed the highest bid in a public sale via the Beijing Financial Assets Exchange for the 1.23 billion Cinda Property and Casualty shares held by China Cinda, the Hong Kong listed firm said in a filing to the stock exchange. The listing price of the stake was 2.45 billion yuan.

China Cinda held 51 percent of the insurance unit prior to the deal, which is part of a drive to reform state-owned enterprises by introducing competent shareholders and achieving synergies.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

China Cinda said it would cooperate with Shenzhen Investment in further optimizing the shareholding structure of Cinda P&C to create opportunities and potential for business transformation and development. ($1 = 6.9540 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Eric Meijer)
HANOI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official market and indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi at 0053 GMT.

Dec 28 Dec 27 USD/VND mid-point 22,156 22,152

USD/VND interbank 22,762/22,766 22,760/22,762 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.75/36.47 35.65/36.37

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 28 (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 0428 GMT.

Dec 28 Dec 27 USD/VND mid-point 22,156 22,152 USD/VND interbank 22,768/22,770 22,760/22,762 USD/VND unofficial 23,080/23,120 23,140/23,170 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.67/36.44 35.65/36.37

Interbank offered rates Overnight 2.8-4.5 3.2-4.7

1 week 4.0-4.7 4.2-4.8

1 month 4.9-5.4 4.9-5.4

3 months 5.1-5.5 5.0-5.5

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)
Some high-resolution photos of Chinas newest aircraft carrier, still under construction, have gained widespread attention online. The photos, which clearly show details of the carriers structure, first appeared on the site of Japans Kyodo News Service. They were taken by employees of Kyodo News Service, according to a report in China National Defense News.

The aircraft carrier is an important weapon for China. Taking photos of the carrier is strictly forbidden. The fact that Japanese employees managed to snap photos of the ship despite heavy security is something of a wake-up call.

Citing several examples from history, the report noted that keeping military secrets is a matter that affects state security and the potential for war. Prior to the first Sino-Japanese War (189495), Japanese spies learned the departure time of Chinese ships heading to Korea for reinforcements. Using this information, the Japanese navy ambushed the Chinese ships transporting soldiers. Later, during Japans aggression against China in 1930s, large numbers of Japanese came to China to survey the terrain, resources and social conditions of China, providing intelligence to the invading Japanese army.

With the rapid advancement of technology such as big data and unmanned civil aircraft, it has become even easier to steal such secrets. In the meantime, foreign spies have started penetrating all sectors of society.

The report calls for the creation of an effective system to prevent confidential information leaks and improve state security education. April 15 was designated as Chinas first National Security Education Day. In addition, authorities will promote education through posters, advertisements, film and even WeChat articles.

The report additionally calls for strict management of certain groups. Military fans have become a high-risk group for the leaking of confidential information. In the past, some have shared images of advanced weapons before official photos were released. Overseas military institutions and personnel have obtained significant intelligence in this way.
Vietnam's 2016 FDI inflow hits record high of $15.8 bln-govt

HANOI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Vietnam will receive an estimated $15.8 billion in actual foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2016, up 9 percent from a year ago, the government said on Wednesday. New FDI pledges and additional funds to finance existing projects this year would rise 7 percent from 2015 to a combined $24.4 billion, the government said in an online report. South Korean investors pledged the most funds in 2016, including $1.5 billion for LG Display's OLED screens plant and by LG Innotek's $550 million camera plant.

(Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

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 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
* Nov trade deficit revised down to $243 mln

* 2016 exports seen up 8.6 pct y/y at $175.94 bln

* 2016 imports seen up 4.6 pct y/y at $173.26 bln

* 2016 trade surplus seen at $2.68 bln vs deficit of $3.63 bln in 2015

HANOI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Vietnam trade data, as released by the government's General Statistics Office on Wednesday:

KEY DATA

Monthly trade, in billions of dollars

2016

*Dec **Nov Oct Sept Aug July June May April Mar EXP 16.00 16.13 15.40 15.42 16.09 14.91 14.72 14.4 14.3 15.1 IMP 16.30 16.38 15.85 14.55 15.52 14.34 14.74 14.6 14.1 14.5 BAL -0.3 -0.25 -0.45 0.87 0.57 0.57 -0.02 -0.2 0.3 0.6

NOTE: * Updated; ** Revised

Figures up to October 2016 are based on those previously reported by the statistics office. Figures for November are revised.

CONTEXT

Vietnam has projected exports, a key driver of its economy, to grow between 6-7 percent in 2017, slowing from an 8.6 percent increase this year.

The National Assembly, the legislative body, has deferred the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreed last year following Republican Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election. (Reporting by Mai Nguyen and Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
* Saudi Electricity drops after surge on budget

* Al Othaim Markets up on shopping mall sale

* Emaar Properties pulls down Dubai

* Trading volume shrinks in Egypt

By Andrew Torchia

DUBAI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Major Gulf stock markets were mixed in quiet trade on Wednesday although some second-tier Saudi petrochemical stocks rose sharply after oil prices climbed overnight.

The main Saudi index traded higher for much of the day but closed 0.2 percent lower as Saudi Electricity , which had risen after last week's state budget for 2017 promised to raise electricity tariffs, fell back 2.6 percent.

Petrochemical stocks were the top three gainers, with Petrochem up by its 10 percent daily limit, Chemanol gaining 8.5 percent and Sipchem adding 5.4 percent.

Officials said during budget presentations that they would protect the petrochemical industry from austerity measures by delaying any rises in prices for gas feedstock to at least 2019.

Al Othaim Markets added 3.7 percent after saying it expected to make a capital gain of 112.1 million riyals ($29.9 million) from the sale of a shopping mall in Ha'el City.

Dubai's index dropped 0.6 percent in moderate trading volume because of a 2.5 percent drop by Emaar Properties Gulf Navigation closed flat after rising as much as 1.9 percent on news it formed a partnership with SeaQuest, a Geneva-based firm providing ship and project management services. Gulf Navigation will use the tie-up to expand its business in these areas in the Middle East and Africa, it said.

Abu Dhabi's index was almost flat, supported by a 0.8 percent gain by telecommunications firm Etisalat ETEL.AD. Qatar was up 0.3 percent as Qatar Navigation added 2.0 percent.

The Egyptian stock index climbed 0.6 percent as trading volume shrank by about half from Tuesday's high level.

Qalaa Holdings jumped 7.5 percent, rising in unusually heavy trade for a second straight day. Arabian Cotton Ginning dropped back 4.7 percent after surging earlier this week on the board's plan to split the company into two.

WEDNESDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

SAUDI ARABIA

* The index fell 0.2 percent to 7,241 points.

DUBAI

* The index dropped 0.6 percent to 3,520 points.

ABU DHABI

* The index edged up 0.1 percent to 4,472 points.

QATAR

* The index rose 0.3 percent to 10,336 points.

EGYPT

* The index climbed 0.6 percent to 12,260 points.

KUWAIT

* The index edged up 0.1 percent to 5,753 points.

OMAN

* The index edged up 0.1 percent to 5,765 points.

BAHRAIN

* The index rose 0.2 percent to 1,213 points.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OPEC in first joint oil cut with Russia since 2001, Saudis take "big hit" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by Andrew Roche)
BUCHAREST, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Romania's Social Democrat party (PSD), winner of a Dec. 11 parliamentary election, on Wednesday proposed former telecommunications minister Sorin Grindeanu, a 43-year-old senior PSD member, for prime minister.

"Sorin Grindeanu goes there (to lead the government) for a full four-year term as prime minister," PSD leader Liviu Dragnea told reporters.

PSD's first pick to lead the cabinet was Sevil Shhaideh, a close associate of Dragnea - ruled out of the job due to a criminal conviction in a 2012 referendum rigging case - but she was rejected by the president. President Klaus Iohannis is expected to name a new prime minister-designate on Thursday.

(Reporting by Radu Marinas and Luiza Ilie; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Alisher Usmanov, the co-owner of iron ore producer Metalloinvest , said on Wednesday he did not rule out a return to the idea of creating a national metals and mining giant together with the co-owners of mining company Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) .

Usmanov also said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV network that he had made a good return on his "small stake" in Apple .

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Writing by Peter Hobson; editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)
The resumption of diplomatic ties between China and Sao Tome and Principereflects that the one-China principle has become an irreversible trend of times,the People's Daily said in a commentary published on Tuesday, one day after the two countries declared to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.

Following is the translation of the article:

China and Sao Tome and Principe signed a Joint Communique on Resumption of Diplomatic Relations on Monday after the latter declared to cut ties with Taiwan six days ago. The two governments have decided to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level as of the date of the signing of this Joint Communique.

Sao Tome and Principe acknowledged the one-China principle in the Joint Communique, admitting that the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, and Taiwan is an integrated part of the Chinese territory.

China's Foreign Ministry welcomed Sao Tome and Principes return to the correct track of one-China principle immediately after it cut ties with Taiwan. On December 26, the two countries solemnly declared in respective capitals to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.

The resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which is an irreversible trend of times, not only reflects the acceptance of the one-China principle, but also serves the fundamental and long-term interest of the two countries and their people.

It is well known that Resolution 2758 passed by the 26th session of United Nations General Assemblyin October 1971 has recognized the People's Republic of China as "the only legitimate representative of China to the UN." Since then, the one-China principle reflected in the resolution has become an internationally recognized consensus and an accepted norm of international relations.

Based on the principle, Sao Tome and Principe chose to cut the so-called diplomatic ties with Taiwan and resume ties with the Peoples Republic of China, which has maintained international justice and the norms of international relations.

Concerning the core interest of China and national sentiment of Chinese people, one-China principle is the premise and political basis for any country to keep a friendly partnership with China. China will never compromise on this issue. Any people or forces who try to challenge or barter it away will be resolutely opposed by China and by international community as well.

China and Africa have always been a community of shared interest and destiny. The Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in 2015 has ushered them into a new era of win-win cooperation and common development.

The 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans for the coming three years announced by Chinese President Xi Jinpingat the summit has been well accepted by African countries, bringing new hope of cooperation to the continent.

Now, China has become Africa's largest trading partner and source of investment. Many African countries have expressed their willingness to realize economic independence and sustainable development through cooperation with China. China has become a reliable partner of Africa in pursuit of sustainable development.

It is a right choice for Sao Tome and Principe to end relations with Taiwan. In addition, the excuses given by Taiwan further proved its unconsciousness of current situation.

Whats more, given the rich natural and human resources, Africa's priority is to develop. It is expected that international community could offer assistance to the economic and sustainable development of the continent. In other words, what Africa needs most is self-restoration ability rather than pure assistance.

The world has witnessed and will see more profound and complex changes. China's surging growth of comprehensive national power and influence has substantially altered the balance in cross-Straits relations. The mainland is now superior to Taiwan in terms of both strength and influence.

To acknowledge the 1992 Consensus and admit one-China principle is the prerequisite of and basis for the peaceful development of cross-straits relations. Taiwan authority should be aware of the big picture and stop its self-deception.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 42F. SW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 42F. SW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of "ASAN Kommunal" Center No1 and viewed ASAN Qatar" (train) at Bilajari station in Baku December 28.

The president commissioned the center.

Head of the Presidental Administration`s Department for Work with Law Enforcement Bodies Fuad Alasgarov and chairman of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Inam Karimov informed the president about the conditions created in the center, which will serve 653,600 citizens in Nasimi, Narimanov and Binagadi districts in Baku.

Azerishig, Azersu and Azerigaz companies will offer a total of 45 services at the center, which will also provide banking and insurance services. The center will employ an 85-man staff and 20 volunteers.

President Aliyev was also informed about the ASAN Pay mobile application.

Through ASAN Visa portal applicants can receive visas within three working days. The system will play a key role in boosting tourist flow to Azerbaijan.

The president was informed of the activity of ASAN Radio, which is the first and only radio channel dedicated to government services sector.

The president was also informed of the activity of ASAN Volunteers organization. Founded four years ago as a 10-man team under instructions of President Aliyev, ASAN volunteer movement today includes more than 10,000 young people.

President Aliyev then was informed of ASAN Kommunal centers No 2 and No 3 which will be built in Baku.

The head of state met with the centers staff and addressed them.

President Aliyev then familiarized himself with "ASAN Qatar".

Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Javid Gurbanov informed the president of the work done under the project.

"ASAN Qatar" will provide services to citizens in the country`s districts through using extensive railway network, current infrastructure, communication lines and advanced technologies.

The president pressed the key to launch the ASAN Qatar project.
Missing aircraft found in National Park, no survivors

DECEMBER 27, 2016 at 6:57 p.m.







Three people were killed when their plane crashed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo courtesy of Samantha Hodges.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK  On Monday, December 26 at approximately 7:35 p.m., Great Smoky Mountains National Park received a report that a missing single-engine airplane might have gone down in the central area of the park. A reconnaissance flight by the Tennessee Army National Guard was able to locate the missing single engine airplane within Great Smoky Mountains National Park at approximately 4:43 pm on Tuesday, December 27. The plane was found on an unnamed ridge between Cole Creek and Bearpen Hollow Branch. Paramedics on board were hoisted down to the crash site and confirmed that there were no survivors. The identities of the victims have not been confirmed.



Ground teams searched the steep and heavily wooded area on foot Tuesday, but were unable to access some areas due to the rough terrain. A single Blackhawk helicopter was able to fly late afternoon and spotted the wreckage along the last known flight path of the missing aircraft. Recovery efforts of the three victims will begin on Wednesday, December 28.



The plane was in route to the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport from Florida on Monday, December 26 when it went missing over the park at approximately 4:01 pm. The 3 occupants of the plane, David Starling, 41, Kim Smith, 42, and Hunter Starling, 8, were from Bradford County, FL. The National Transportation Safety Board will be the lead in the investigation of the plane crash.



The National Park Service worked closely with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Civil Air Patrol, Federal Aviation Administration, and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency in this search effort. Published December 27, 2016
Recovery efforts begin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park plane crash

DECEMBER 28, 2016 at 11:02 a.m.







Recovery efforts begin for three people killed when their plane crashed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo courtesy of GSMNP.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK  Technical search and rescue teams and aircraft from the Tennessee Army National Guard began recovery operations of the three victims of a Cessna 182 fixed wing single engine aircraft which went down in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Monday, December 26. The parks technical rescue team is being supported by experts from Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Obed National Scenic River, and Tennessee State Parks for assistance in securing the plane wreckage and extracting the victims from the steep and heavily wooded terrain via helicopter.



The plane is positioned on a very steep mountain side and could be at risk of sliding further down into the drainage, said Chief Ranger, Steve Kloster. These search and rescue personnel specialize in high angle rescues and have the best knowledge in making sure we conduct our operations in the safest manner possible.



The 3 occupants of the plane, David Starling, 41, Kim Smith, 42, and Hunter Starling, 8, were killed in the crash.



The plane was located by the Tennessee Army National Guard during an air reconnaissance mission on an unnamed ridge between Cole Creek and Bearpen Hollow Branch late Tuesday, December 27. The National Park Service will evaluate options for removal of the aircraft at a later date. Published December 27, 2016
Details added (first version posted on 12:21)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of "ASAN Kommunal" Center No1 and viewed ASAN Qatar" (train) at Bilajari station in Baku December 28.

The president commissioned the center.

Head of the Presidental Administration`s Department for Work with Law Enforcement Bodies Fuad Alasgarov and chairman of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Inam Karimov informed the president about the conditions created in the center, which will serve 653,600 citizens in Nasimi, Narimanov and Binagadi districts in Baku.

Azerishig, Azersu and Azerigaz companies will offer a total of 45 services at the center, which will also provide banking and insurance services. The center will employ an 85-man staff and 20 volunteers.

President Aliyev was also informed about the ASAN Pay mobile application.

Through ASAN Visa portal applicants can receive visas within three working days. The system will play a key role in boosting tourist flow to Azerbaijan.

The president was informed of the activity of ASAN Radio, which is the first and only radio channel dedicated to government services sector.

The president was also informed of the activity of ASAN Volunteers organization. Founded four years ago as a 10-man team under instructions of President Aliyev, ASAN volunteer movement today includes more than 10,000 young people.

President Aliyev then was informed of ASAN Kommunal centers No 2 and No 3 which will be built in Baku.

The head of state met with the centers staff and addressed them.

President Aliyev then familiarized himself with "ASAN Qatar".

Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Javid Gurbanov informed the president of the work done under the project.

"ASAN Qatar" will provide services to citizens in the country`s districts through using extensive railway network, current infrastructure, communication lines and advanced technologies.

The president pressed the key to launch the ASAN Qatar project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova.

On behalf of all ombudsmen of the Russian Federation, Moskalkova congratulated the head of state on the occasion of his birthday and wished him robust health and success in his activity.

Moskalkova recalled her meeting with President Ilham Aliyev when she worked at the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

She hailed the establishment of close cooperation with her Azerbaijani counterpart since she started her activity as Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation.

Tatyana Moskalkova said the agreement signed today by the human rights offices of Azerbaijan and Russia laid a new legal framework for cooperation in terms of quality.

The Russian commissioner for human rights stressed the importance of Multiculturalism and Human Rights: Equality, Cooperation and Development conference marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the institution of ombudsman in Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked Tatyana Moskalkova for kind words and congratulations.

The head of state congratulated Moskalkova on her appointment to the new position.

The head of state said the conference held in Baku is dedicated to an important topic, adding that 2016 was declared the year of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev said a lot of work has been done in the country in this field.

The head of state said multiculturalism and human rights are very important issues, adding that problems related to migrants in the world, especially in Europe have become more acute. The president said certain politicians and media openly attack migrants, and noted that this should be considered as the attack against the ideas of multiculturalism.

President Ilham Aliyev underlined the significance of discussing the implementation of unique standards in addressing these problems and preserving the ideas of multiculturalism.

President Ilham Aliyev and Moskalkova also exchanged views over the prospects of cooperation.
By Park Jae-hyuk

Park Sung-su

E-Land Group has been facing criticism for its alleged mistreatment of part-time workers.

In a bid to defuse the rising public anger, the mid-tier conglomerate has decided to lay the blame on the head of its restaurant unit E-Land Park.

E-Land Park CEO Park Hyeong-sik was dismissed Tuesday for exploiting part-time employees of the company-owned restaurants.

The Seoul-based conglomerate said four executives of the group's food and leisure subsidiary have been dismissed, demoted or had their salaries reduced since last Wednesday.

Chief executive director Kim Hyun-soo has been demoted to managing director, and managing director Kim Yeon-bae faces a six-month salary cut. Another staffer in charge of the company's well-known restaurant chain Ashley also faces a salary cut for six months.

According to the group, CEO Park will resign as soon as the matter is settled.

E-Land Park has recently been criticized by consumers for withholding about 8.4 billion won ($7 million) in wages this year from 44,360 part-timers, mostly working for its 20 restaurant chains, including Ashley, Nature Kitchen and Pizza Mall.

Rep. Lee Jung-mi of the minor opposition Justice Party first raised questions about the labor abuse issue during a National Assembly audit in October, and then the Ministry of Employment and Labor investigated the company's 360 stores nationwide.

E-Land Group apologized for the subsidiary's misconduct on its official website last Wednesday, promising the group will offer a better working environment for its employees.

"E-Land Group has inspected stores related to this issue and paid the delayed wages. We will continue to compensate the losses of our employees," the group said.

Consumers, however, began to boycott E-Land, saying the group's apology was too late.

Some of them criticized that Chairman Park Sung-su, owner of the group, is trying to escape responsibility, because the punished CEO is a mere salaried employee. They pointed out that the chairman has also benefited from the labor abuse.

Rep. Lee claimed all subsidiaries of E-Land Group, not only E-Land Park, have breached the Labor Standard Act.

In 2007, E-Land Retail, a discount chain subsidiary of E-Land Group, was embroiled in labor disputes which were cinematized in "Cart" and dramatized in "Awl."

"The group forces religious rituals on its employees every morning and does not pay overtime," the lawmaker said. "The group urges its employees to withdraw from the labor union as well."

She said many violations of the subsidiaries of E-Land Group are still being reported to her office and the Justice Party. Lee demanded the government inspect all subsidiaries of E-Land Group and said the company should draft specific plans to address the problems.

Meanwhile, civic groups and the Arbeit Workers Union (AWU), a trade union of part-time workers in Korea, held a press conference last Thursday in front of the headquarters of E-Land Park in southwestern Seoul, urging the government to arrest E-Land Park's CEO.
By Lee Han-soo

Chang Sun-ik

Dongkuk Steel, one of Korea's top steel producers, is facing criticism after police booked company heir and board member Chang Sun-ik for allegedly causing trouble at a bar.

The incident allegedly happened on Monday in Hannam-dong, Seoul, while Chang was celebrating his birthday with friends.

The ruckus allegedly broke out after Chang and a waiter scuffled over Chang's bill.

Chang, enraged and drunk, allegedly threw a cup into the display case, shattering five whiskey bottles, before responding police booked him without detention.

Initial media reports said the bar charged Chang 300,000 won ($248) for a cake, sparking the argument. But this turned out to be wrong.












This April 7, 2011 file photo shows Carrie Fisher at the 2011 NewNowNext Awards in Los Angeles. Fisher, who played Princess Leia in 'Star Wars,' has died at age 60, her daughter's publicist says. / AP - Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

Many Star Wars fans are in deep mourning after learning that their Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher, 60, died Tuesday.

The actress had a massive heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Dec. 23, according to reports.

Fisher, who debuted in 1975 in the film "Shampoo," played Princess Leia in the sci-fi blockbuster series "Star Wars" at the age of 20. Leia was the most loved character in her acting career.

But Fisher was so much more than an onscreen princess.

She was an outspoken feminist who fought sexism and ageism.

Throughout her career, Fisher never hid her struggles with mental illness and drug use, admitting that she had abused cocaine during the filming of "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980).

"Fisher easily could have fit a really predictable mold  a pretty girl who played a princess in a movie once," said Sady Doyle, author of "Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock and Fear," in an interview with NBC News. "But she always insisted on being more than that. She just never let anyone make her smaller or less complex than she was; she owned herself, and that's one of the most important and difficult feminist projects there is."





From left, Star Wars actors Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew take a break from filming a television special in Los Angeles, October 5, 1978. / AP - Yonhap



The veteran actress also publicly criticized the Hollywood system that often requires actresses to wear sexy costumes.

Talking about Princess Leia's bikini outfit in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)," Fisher advised her co-star Daisy Ridley of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)" not to follow her example.

She said: "Don't be a slave like I was ... You keep fighting against that slave outfit."

Fisher also denounced the producers who demanded she look young and beautiful.

"I'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. "That is so messed up. They might as well say 'get younger,' because that's how easy it is."

Fisher was one of the first actresses who taught girls in the 1970s that it is OK to be strong and independent. With the role of Princess Leia, she broke the rule that princesses should be passive and subordinate to men, waiting for rescue from a powerful male hero.

"Carrie was one of a kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless," Harrison Ford, the co-star of "Star Wars," said. "She lived her life bravely  We will all miss her."
By Jun Ji-hye



Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the country's sole aircraft maker, has signed a 630 billion won ($520 million) deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to produce 30 Surion helicopters for the Marine Corps by 2023.



It will be the first time for the Marine Corps to deploy the marine variant choppers, which will considerably enhance their maritime defense capabilities against North Korean threats, the firm said Wednesday.



The Marines have so far depended on the U.S. for such helicopters in joint drills.



The KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter is the first-ever Korean-made helicopter, which KAI developed over six years from 2006 via a 1.3 trillion won military procurement project backed by the government.



KAI has been developing the Surion helicopter variant for the Marine Corps since July 2013 and successfully completed its first test flight in January 2015. The development was completed in January this year after the helicopter's operability under various conditions was verified.



The helicopter is designed to transport troops and military supplies between a warship and land, the firm noted.



"The chopper is best suited for naval operations as the main rotor is foldable, and the body is coated with anti-corrosive agents," KAI said in a release.



KAI added that it also inked another deal worth 1.56 trillion won to additionally build and deliver 70 Surion helicopters to the Army by 2022, which will be the third delivery.



KAI has so far delivered 90 Surion choppers to the Army through their first and second delivery contracts in the past three years.



Developed as a multipurpose helicopter, the Surion has also been used by other government agencies such as the National Police Agency and the Korea Forest Service.



The aircraft company said it aims to export the Surion helicopter to make inroads into the world's helicopter market over the long term, adding that countries such as Indonesia and Peru have shown interest in buying the Seoul-made helicopter due to its proven safety and performance.



"Our aim is to export more than 30 helicopters," the company said.




Kim Sang-yule, a former senior presidential secretary for education and culture, is surrounded by reporters in front of the independent counsel's office in southern Seoul, Wednesday, as he shows up for questioning over his alleged involvement in drawing up a "blacklist" of artists critical of the government. / Yonhap



Gov't attempted to cut subsidies for blacklisted artists



By Lee Kyung-min

The conservative Park Geun-hye administration attempted to use the Mir Foundation, set up by her scandal-ridden confidant Choi Soon-sil, as a means to take a leading position in the culture industry which she believed had been overly influenced by liberal artists, according to the independent counsel's team, Wednesday.

Special prosecutor Park Young-soo's team investigating the influence-peddling scandal involving Choi said it secured testimony from a Cheong Wa Dae official that the President pushed for setting up the foundation to exercise control over the cultural circle by offering government subsidies to artists currying favor with the government and excluding those critical of the administration.

According to the testimony, the President believed the culture industry was left-leaning and thought it necessary to "reorganize" the sector by setting up a foundation through which the government could wield its influence.

The indictment document against Choi also stated that Park first came up with the idea for the foundation, while Choi was responsible for its establishment and management afterward.

Such a notion is also shown in notes written by former presidential secretary An Chong-bum who on Park's order solicited conglomerates for funds to set up the foundation. According to the notes, the President told An to come up with a strategy to take an advantageous position on cultural issues.

This is in line with the President's other alleged attempts to suppress liberal and progressive cultural activities.

Earlier, the prosecution indicted Cho Won-dong, the former presidential secretary for economic affairs, for pressuring CJ Group Co-Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik to remove his niece Lee Mi-kyung from a CJ vice chair post in 2013. The prosecution named the President an accomplice to Cho.

It is said Cheong Wa Dae disapproved of Lee as her company produced media content, including the movie "Masquerade" and TV programs that are believed to have hit the nerve of right-wing politicians, including the President.

Allegations also include that Park, through former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, called for stern measures to eradicate left-leaning artists.

A suspected blacklist of more than 9,000 artists is among the allegations as well. The counsel team questioned Kim Sang-ryul, a former senior presidential secretary for education and culture, over his alleged involvement in drawing up the blacklist.

Kim, the uncle of Choi's close associate Cha Eun-taek, took the position in 2014 allegedly upon Cha's recommendation.

The investigation team also asked the foreign ministry for cooperation in summoning Korea's Ambassador to France Mo Chul-min, the predecessor of Kim Sang-ryul. Mo is facing suspicions he handed over the list to the culture ministry.

Earlier on Monday, the team raided the homes of Kim Ki-choon and Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun over the blacklist allegations. Twelve culture and arts organizations have filed complaints with the special prosecutor against Kim and Cho over the alleged list.
Police caught two foreigners for allegedly dealing 200 grams of hashish. / Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

Police have caught a group of foreigners who were allegedly selling or buying hashish  a potent form of marijuana.

According to the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency on Wednesday, police booked two foreign workers, 35 and 34, for smuggling and selling hashish, and five international students for smoking the illegal drug.

From April 2014 to June this year, the two Egyptians allegedly smuggled 200 grams of hashish from other countries, including Egypt and the Philippines.

Realizing airport security rarely detects the drug, the suspects allegedly hid hashish in their luggage. Police said the foreigners not only smoked hashish at a bar in Daegu, but also sold it to students.

The five international students were charged for allegedly smoking hashish in clubs in Itaewon, Seoul and Dalseo-gu, Daegu.

Police said they are investigating the case, believing there is a head of the drug dealing.
Floor leaders of two rival conservative parties, Reps. Chung Woo-taek of the ruling Saenuri Party, left, and Joo Ho-young of the New Conservative Party for Reform, shake hands at the National Assembly, Wednesday. / Yonhap



By Choi Ha-young



The ruling Saenuri Party and the New Conservative Party for Reform (NCPR) are wrangling over which is the "real" conservative party, denouncing each other for lacking appropriate values..

The identity dispute arose immediately after the NCPR was set up by 30 lawmakers who departed from the ruling party Tuesday after a power struggle with loyalists of impeached President Park Geun-hye.

The new party highlighted its conservative identity at its first policy meeting, Wednesday. "The values of the Saenuri Party were not fundamentally wrong. It was not policy but lack of responsibility and ethics which caused its failure," Rep. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the new party, said at the meeting.

"If we are endorsed as the direct heir of conservative values, other parties will become extinct," he said in a radio interview on the same day.

In response, the Saenuri Party is tightening its security policy so as not to irritate its traditional supporters. "I will respect the party's security policy," In Myung-jin, interim leader-nominee of the ruling party, said in a radio interview, Tuesday.

"I will not stay here for good to root out the party's flagship policy. Strong security is what we all should protect, regardless of our political inclinations," said In, who has come under fire by conservatives because of his longtime civic activities.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) suggested the new party support the reform bills to root out corruption, as a mission of those who quit the Saenuri Party.

"In order to show that the new party is better than the pro-Park faction, it should join hands to pass the bills," DPK chairwoman Choo Mi-ae said Wednesday. The DPK has put forward the restrurcturing of family-run conglomerates, the prosecution and media, in line with the demands of the citizens from the recent candlelit rallies.

The second-largest opposition People's Party echoed this point. "The new conservative party should show itself by its actions," said Rep. Chun Jung-bae, former chairman of the party. "I am looking forward to them supporting special acts for the Sewol ferry disaster and for the reform of the prosecution."

Theoretically, four opposition parties and independent lawmakers can amend the Constitution, without the ruling party's consent.

However, the new conservative party is hesitant about these suggestions. "Today, we will not specifically discuss the reform agenda," Rep. Joo said.

Rather, the anti-Park lawmakers focused on "transparency" of the decision-making process in the new party. "After intense discussions, we will listen to experts and public opinion," he added.

When the anti-Park faction declared its departure from the ruling party, their statement emphasized "being conservative in security but people-friendly on economic, welfare, education and labor issues." Rep. Yoo Seong-min, well known for his economic justice policy against conglomerates, drafted it as the main policy maker.

Liberal politicians made critical remarks against the party's ambivalence and the leading lawmakers' positions which appear far from being reformist.

Rep. Joo, a four-term lawmaker, had contributed to the former President Lee Myung-bak administration. The new party's joint leaders, Reps. Yoo and Kim Moo-sung, had boasted of their loyalty to President Park in the days before the scandal came to light.

Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung said those who are building the new party have "laundered" their identities. "People who supported President Park in the past and enjoyed power have left since the influence-peddling scandal erupted," the liberal presidential candidate said, Tuesday night.

The DPK's leading presidential hopeful Moon Jae-in's associate echoed this. "Even if they draw lines on a pumpkin, it doesn't make it a watermelon," said Rep. Kim Kyung-soo.
By Jun Ji-hye





Cho Yeo-ok

The military is facing suspicions that it rushed to send former presidential nurse, Capt. Cho Yeo-ok, to the United States in August when a controversy was brewing over President Park Geun-hye's "seven missing hours."

Opposition lawmakers claim that the Army nurse may know what Park was doing for seven hours while the Sewol ferry was sinking on April 16, 2014, but is refusing to reveal the truth. She worked at the presidential office from 2014 to early this year.

Since August, Cho has been taking a course at a U.S. Army hospital in Texas, where she reportedly moved her residence three times. She returned home earlier this month to attend a parliamentary hearing.

She was originally planning to leave for the U.S. again on Dec. 30, but the investigation team led by independent counsel Park Young-soo slapped a travel ban on her, sources said Wednesday.

The military reportedly broke internal rules to send Cho to the U.S. Military sources said she failed to fulfill the necessary conditions to take a training course overseas. She did not go through the two-month language education in Korea required before going aboard to study or train.

Some military observers also pointed out that Cho, who joined the Army in 2011, participated in overseas training four to five years sooner than her colleagues who joined the military around the same time. They said this was quite unusual unless Cho was a greatly outstanding candidate.

Plus, around the time she left for Texas, allegations surrounding President Park's close friend Choi Soon-sil began to make media headlines, observers added. Choi, who is currently in jail, is at the center of Park's corruption and influence-peddling scandal, which led to her impeachment by the National Assembly, Dec. 9.

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 why the President appeared at the emergency measures headquarters seven hours after the tragic incident began.

Owing to the lack of an explanation about Park's whereabouts on that day, rumors have abounded that she might have been receiving Botox wrinkle treatment or other cosmetic procedures.

The independent counsel has been conducting an investigation to unearth the truth behind the high-profile political scandal as well as her seven missing hours.

The team recently questioned an army lieutenant colonel, who was involved in the military's decision to send Cho to the U.S., sources noted.

"The team is also analyzing relevant data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense," a source said on condition of anonymity.

Capt. Cho returned home, Dec. 19, to attend the National Assembly hearing into the scandal.

During the hearing, Dec. 22, the nurse was also embroiled in perjury allegations as she told lawmakers that on the day of the disaster, she was working at a medical office in the presidential complex that was in charge of treating Cheong Wa Dae staff.

The answer was different from her earlier comment she made in a media interview, Nov. 30 that she was working at a medical office set up in the President's residence.

The ministry said that Cho's overseas training was unrelated to the political scandal and that the decision to send her to Texas was made after the U.S. Army's notification of the number of Korean officers to take a course in Texas.
By Kang Seung-woo



With the opposition bloc beefing up its numbers, the ruling Saenuri Party is about to become almost a non-factor at the National Assembly.



A mass departure of 29 lawmakers disgruntled with President Park Geun-hye, Tuesday, has left the Saenuri Party with only 99 seats in the 300-member Assembly, which will enable the opposition to put contentious bills up for a vote without its consent.



As of Wednesday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is the largest party with 121 lawmakers; while the minor opposition People's Party stands third with 38 seats. The numbers of the Justice Party lawmakers and the independents are both six. This means, theoretically, the opposition parties and independent lawmakers can amend the Constitution without the ruling party's consent.



According to the National Assembly Advancement Act, a bill with contested issues can only be sent to a plenary session for a vote with the approval of more than 60 percent of the sitting lawmakers, or 180 seats. However, the current number of opposition lawmakers is 201, so they can easily pass disputed bills, such as strengthening regulations on major business groups, without resistance.



"The breakaway party may cooperate with the opposition side on reformative bills to boost its presence and distance itself from the Saenuri Party. Should a scenario like this unfold, the ruling party itself cannot stop the opposition from passing controversial legislation using its majority," said Yoon Hee-woong, a senior researcher at Opinion Live.



"Should such situations continue, the Saenuri Party can face isolation in the parliament even though it is the second-largest party."



Currently, opposition parties have refused to meet with the Saenuri's newly elected floor leader Chung Woo-taik, disapproving of Park loyalists as their counterparts.



The splinter group, critical of the impeached President, may also refuse to meet with its old party, deepening the Saenuri's isolation.



Yoon said that the governing party may further lose its presence in the political spectrum as the nation shifts into election mode.



Currently, the Park loyalists are hoping that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will join their side to run in the presidential election.



However, in the wake of the impeachment of President Park due to the corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her and her confidant Choi Soon-sil, Ban it seems is distancing himself from Park, who would have been his biggest supporter in his possible presidential bid.



The scandal-stricken Saenuri Party is also expected to struggle recruiting competitive presidential candidates should it fail to bring Ban in  a sharp contrast to the breakaway group filled with choice presidential hopefuls.



"Unless Ban joins the Saenuri Party and it fields a candidate for the presidential election, the party will see additional departures and will make a strong presence as a political party no more," Yoon said.




Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

Azerbaijan will be an attractive country for Iranian tourists on the eve of the Novruz holiday next year and in subsequent years, as a number of serious innovations is expected in Azerbaijans tourism sector, the countrys Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev said.

He made the remarks in Baku during the meeting with minister of communications and information technology of Iran, co-chairman of Azerbaijan-Iran State Commission on economic, trade and humanitarian spheres Mahmoud Vaezi, Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a message.

At the same time, shopping festivals that are planned to be held in Azerbaijan will be also interesting for Iranian tourists, Garayev noted.

He informed about the work carried out in recent years in Azerbaijan for the development of the tourism industry, adding that the rich culture, ancient history, the hospitality of the Azerbaijani people, as well as new tourist infrastructure and simplification of the visa system have a positive impact on the increase of the number of foreign tourists coming to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani minister stressed that Iranian citizens comprise a significant part of the tourists coming to Azerbaijan, recalling that the flow of tourists from Iran considerably increased this year on the eve of the Novruz holiday and in the subsequent period compared to previous years.

At the meeting, Garayev noted the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran in all spheres and stressed that culture days will be held in both countries in 2017, and in particular, it is planned to hold Azerbaijans culture days in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan and Ardabil.

Garayev invited the Iranian delegation to take an active part in the 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue to be held in Azerbaijan in May 2017.

In his turn, Mahmoud Vaezi expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations between the two countries in all areas. He hailed President Ilham Aliyevs and President Hassan Rouhanis roles in expansion of the existing cooperation and friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Iran.

The friendship between the Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents positively affects the further development of the relations between the two countries, Vaezi said. Historical, cultural and religious unity between Azerbaijan and Iran gives an impetus to development of mutual relations between the two countries, he noted.

The Iranian minister expressed belief that Azerbaijani-Iranian relations will even more strengthen in the coming years. Vaezi underlined that Iranian citizens show great interest in Azerbaijan.
Opposition parties call for renegotiation or abolishment



By Yi Whan-woo



The agreement between Korea and Japan over compensation for women forced into sexual slavery before and during World War II is now on shaky ground with the opposition calling for its renegotiation or abolishment.



On the first anniversary of the deal, Wednesday, the opposition parties asked for Japan to make a sincere apology over its sexual enslavement of Korean women.



The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said the next Korean government should scrap the agreement and negotiate a new one from square one. The second-largest opposition People's Party claimed Japan should accept liability for its wartime sex crimes.



Calls for scrapping the agreement are growing after President Park Geun-hye, who pushed for it, was suspended following her impeachment by the National Assembly.



Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other conservative Japanese politicians have said the agreement concludes all related disputes over sexual slavery and Tokyo would no longer apologize.



Refusing to admit Japan's legal responsibility, Abe's Cabinet also argued that its offering of 1 billion yen ($8.5 million) to the surviving victims under deal was made for humanitarian reasons.



DPK floor leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho vowed to step up efforts to "scrap the hasty agreement and renegotiate with Japan" if the party succeeds in taking control of the government after the next presidential election.



"Today marks the first anniversary since the disgraceful agreement over sex slavery was made," he said during a Supreme Council meeting.



Citing that the agreement was made in a "final and irreversible manner," Woo criticized the Park government for striking the deal unilaterally against the wishes of the majority of Koreans.



"It will be marked as a humiliating moment in Korean diplomacy as the government made the agreement with Japan in return for 1 billion yen," Woo said.



DPK spokesman Rep. Park Kyung-mee denounced the Park administration as a "puppet of Abe's Cabinet" and referred to the 1 billion yen as "peanuts" to fool the remaining elderly survivors.



People's Party spokesman Kim Kyung-rok held a similar view.



"Our government is trying to trade the honor and dignity of the survivors as well as our history for 1 billion yen," he said. "There can be no final and irreversible agreement with Japan. It must be scrapped and Japan must apologize and bear legal responsibility."



Analysts assessed that the political relations between the two neighbors have made little progress. They also said bilateral ties can worsen if the opposition wins the election next year.



"The opposition wants to overturn the bilateral deal, which can cause an international dispute," said Lee Myeon-woo, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.



"Also there is slim chance that the ultra-nationalist Abe and even a possible moderate-minded successor will apologize over sex slavery and make legal compensation because what's done is done."



Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University, agreed.



He attributed the latest military cooperation between Korea and Japan, such as the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement in November, to the sex slavery deal.



"Although it was controversial, it had a positive influence on security," he said. "Such efforts are in vain if Korea and Japan fail to mend their political relations."



The ruling Saenuri Party said the DPK is merely misleading the public on sex slavery-related issues and has no better plan.




By Yon Hyun-ju





Many Korean middle and high school students are not so enthusiastic about volunteering, and they usually perform maybe 20 hours of volunteer work to satisfy their mandatory volunteer requirements for their transcripts.



The transcript and other school records play a significant role in Korean society as colleges and future employers use them as one of the standards to evaluate the students. So college admissions and job applications force students to perform volunteer work for their grades, not for the good of others.



In such situations, students are passive about volunteer work, with no will and desire to serve the community and people in need. In a survey conducted by the Prudential National Middle and High School Voluntary Work, 38 percent of students said their motive for volunteer work was a good grade. 19 percent actually wanted to help people in need, and 9.9 percent simply enjoyed performing volunteer work.



But the main purpose of volunteer work has to be "volunteering," not as a tool for a good transcript. According to the Ministry of the Interior which runs a portal for volunteer work, volunteers should perform the work according to their own will; not asking for payment. They should serve for the public good and community; and not give up the work easily.



In other words, it emphasizes the will to serve. So, clearly, students need to search for the way to perform real volunteer work with true motivation to help others in need.



For me, the heart of volunteering came naturally. Living with my parents and grandparents, I am in a great relationship with them and have a soft spot for the elderly. However, according to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, there are about 1.4 million elderly people who live alone and do not get proper care.



This opened my eyes to the senior citizens in this desolate situation. After thinking about this, I decided to commit to a volunteer project to hold a flea market and use the profits to buy food for the elderly for the Chuseok holiday. I wanted to remove some of the loneliness they feel.



I visited the community welfare center of my village and was surrounded by people who welcomed my idea. They gave me the list of senior citizens to visit and helped me plan this project. I knew this was not a mission I could do alone, so I gathered some friends to plan the project in terms of time, place, what and how to perform the activities and campaigns, what food to buy, among other things we had to do to make it work. We also publicized the activities to students in the same district and to the residents with the help of the community center.



Two weeks before Chuseok, we held a flea market at the community center and made money to help the elderly. Other students and I then made vegetable pancakes, stir fried noodles and rice cakes. With the delicious food in hand, we went door to door to deliver the food to the elderly. Their faces lit up with appreciation, not just because of the food but because someone cared about them.



Seeing their faces was heartwarming. We all truly felt the value of volunteering throughout the day, and felt regret for not doing this earlier. Successfully finishing our volunteer project, I promised myself to do this kind of meaningful work again for those in need.



To make volunteering meaningful, there are key steps to follow.



First, think of the reasons why you want to volunteer and find the work that you are passionate about. This will help you gain the proper reason to volunteer: neither for the grade, nor to show off, but to have a pure, kind mind to help others.



Second, be specific. There is so much one can do, so it is important to narrow the volunteer work to something that you are capable of doing continuously.



Third, do not give up. Some days can be tiresome, but we need to keep in mind the reason for doing the volunteer work as there are many people in bad situations.

Do not forget the purpose as to why you started the volunteer work and practice it for a better world!





The writer is an eighth grade student at Cheongshim International Academy in Gyeonggi Province.
By Lee Sun-ho





At the dawn of the year 2017 it is intriguing to look back on the last century of human history to see how things have progressed since 1917, a typical common year of the snake, in contrast to 2017, the year of the rooster (the Lunar calendar again).

In 1917, the world was a much different place. In the midst of World War I, taking place were a pair of revolutions in Russia. The revolutions dismantled the Tsarist autocracy and led to the eventual rise of the Soviet Union. With the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II, the Russian Empire was replaced by a provisional government during the first revolution of February (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar instead of the older Julian one). The United States was the first government to recognize the new government of Russia. In the second revolution during October (Nov. 7 in the Gregorian calendar), the provisional government was removed and replaced with a Communist state, led by Bolsheviks headed by Vladimir Lenin who returned to Petrograd from Switzerland on April 3, identical to the Jeju massacre incident 31 years later in Korea.

The year of violent Russian upheavals coincided in the 1917 with the births of four renowned world leaders of the 20th century. They were John F. Kennedy, president of the U.S. (born May 29), Ferdinand E. Marcos, president of the Philippines (born September 11), Park Chung-hee, president of South Korea (born Nov. 14), and Indira P. Gandhi, prime minister of India (born Nov. 19). Their ends were neither happy nor normal, since they were either assassinated or exiled.

In Korea, in addition to the birth of President Park, Chung Il-kwon, the so-called avatar of Park, a prime minister and famous Korean military commanding chief during the Korean War, was born on Nov. 21. Yun I-sang, a world-renowned composer who made his career in Germany was born on Sept. 17. Yoon Dong-ju, a young genius poet as well as a passionate independence fighter against Japanese colonial rule was born on Dec. 30.

August Rodin, the great French sculptor who created "The Thinker" died of frostbite in a back room in Paris on Nov. 17, while his legacy continues to be appreciated by fellow artists and those with untrained eyes. Mata Hari, the exotic Dutch dancer was arrested in Paris for spying for Germany on Feb. 13, and was finally executed by firing squad at Vincennes near Paris on Oct. 15.

The demise of Lee Joong-ha happened on Aug. 11. He was the chief negotiator of the Chosun Kingdom over the border dispute with the Qing dynasty claiming regions in Northeast China both in 1885 and 1887. He never conceded land claims to the powerful Qing authorities, despite armed threats against him during the negotiations. On Sept. 28, 2011, he was chosen as the third "Distinguished Diplomat of the Year" by the Ministry of Foreign affairs and Trade in Korea.

In America in 1917, the very first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June 4 to Laura E. Richards and Maud Howe Elliott. On July 7, the Lions Clubs International was founded, also in the U.S. In China, Sun Yat-sen and his supporters' rump parliament established a military government and selected him as commander-in-chief on August 31. It is also amusing to note that Douglas S. MacArthur (who would later become a war hero in the Pacific), was a colonel in the American Rainbow Division and arrived in France on Dec. 7. In Korea, on December 2, Han Yong-woon a famous Buddhist philosopher and poet awoke Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism.

Without tracing the past, it is not possible to predict the future. The faces that have put the human world on its course are the faces history remembers. Nothing is a waste of time if we use significant past events and experiences of importance wisely aiming at a promising future in the paths ahead.

The writer is an ombudsman columnist for The Korea Times in Seoul. Contact him at kexim2@unitel.co.kr.
By Park Yoon-bae





People once again are asking a tricky question: Why have almost all South Korean presidents been involved in an influence-peddling and graft scandal while in office or after retirement?

This question has continued to haunt the country. Now the public wonders how many more presidents will follow in the footsteps of their disgraced predecessors.

The latest scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil has derailed the country's efforts to root out corruption and create a clean, transparent and fair society.

It is all the more surprising that the scandal erupted despite her pledges to realize clean politics. Park once said she had no reason to accept bribes or exercise influence for personal gain because she has no spouse or children.

She also declared a war on corruption after the ferry Sewol sank in April 2014, killing 304 people, mostly high school students on a field trip to Jeju Island. She vowed to eliminate the "accumulated evil" of Korea, believing that the root cause of the shipwreck was corrupt ties between the ship operator, safety regulators and bureaucrats.

Park also stressed the importance of the anti-graft law, better known as the Kim Young-ran Act, which took effect in September. She said that Korea can accelerate its economic growth if it builds a clean and transparent society.

No doubt she only paid lip service. To be more correct, she lied to the nation and betrayed the people by herself being deeply implicated in the scandal. Much to the dismay of the public, she has become Korea's first sitting president to be named a criminal suspect and accomplice of Choi, who was indicted for allegedly meddling in state affairs and extorting funds from major conglomerates.

Park is now hiding behind one of her presidential privileges  immunity from prosecution, except in the case of insurrection or treason. She is only engrossed in defending herself in the face of an independent counsel's probe and a trial at the Constitutional Court following her parliamentary impeachment.

She even claims that she committed no serious crimes, dismissing all the allegations about her five constitutional violations and eight legal offenses. This shows she is just trying to shirk responsibility for her alleged wrongdoings.

Judging from what she has done so far to deal with the scandal, Park apparently lacks moral and political integrity that is required for the chief executive.

The Park and Choi scandal is a classic example of corrupt political leadership that collects funds from conglomerates in return for business favors. It represents a culmination of abuse of power and corruption. Furthermore, it has led to the destruction of hard-earned democracy.

Pundits, scholars and politicians put the blame on the "imperial" presidency under which a president wields unbridled power like an emperor.

Therefore, it is important to establish a governance structure to ensure a president does not exercise power beyond the constitutional limits. One solution is to revise the Constitution to prevent the concentration of absolute power in the hands of a president.

But a constitutional change may not be a cure-all for the problem because lawmakers of rival parties want to amend the basic charter to maximize their partisan interests rather than checking the administration to better serve the people and the country.

Given a tight political timetable for the next presidential election after the impeachment trial of Park, there is a high possibility that a constitutional amendment will be delayed until after a new government is installed.

Against this backdrop, it is necessary to let the democratic system of checks and balances work better to prevent abuse of power.

I believe that if such a system had been firmly put in place, President Park could have avoided the scandal and her impeachment. But regrettably, she has done the opposite, bringing disgrace to herself and political turmoil to the nation.

Apparently she must have thought that checks and balances stand in the way of exercising her executive power. That's why she had refused to recognize the National Assembly as a partner institution, whose support is indispensible for carrying out state affairs.

Checks and balances are based on the separation of the three branches of government  the executive, the legislative and the judicial. These three should check each other's power and maintain balance between them to make sure that power is not abused while each plays its own function independently and harmoniously.

What's most important is to push for political reform and drastic social transformation to eliminate the embedded causes of corruption and power abuse.

Achieving this reform and structural change is easier said than done. But the nation can never move forward to usher in genuine democracy without such an effort.

Now I want to see the people burn the candles of hope, instead of anger, frustration and protest.
Korea buys lots of US weapons, gives jobs to many Americans



During his campaign, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called Korea a "freeloader" that relied on American GIs for its defense and didn't pay for it.



Recently, Trump strong-armed Carrier, the Indianapolis-based air conditioner maker, into reversing its decision to move some of its operations operations to Mexico. He praised the firm for helping Americans keep their jobs.



Now, here is news for the president-elect.



The U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently revealed the U.S. weapons sales breakdowns by the importing nation in 2008-2015. Last year alone, Korea's purchases amounted to $5 billion, accounting for 92 percent of its total foreign buys. It goes without saying that the U.S. weapons imports from Korea is incomparably low, taking a big chunk of credit from Trump's assertion that Korea is a U.S. charity case living on the surplus from its U.S. exports. By nation, Korea is only behind Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Also hidden in the CRS data is the fact that Korea is not a recipient of weapons as part of a military assistance program and pays for hard and software.



The $5 billion is over six times the 932 billion won ($770 million) that Korea paid last year in contributions to the maintenance of 28,000 U.S. soldiers. Trump is assumed to have criticized this burden-sharing format as the basis for Korea not paying a fair share.



About his promise to protect American jobs, the number of jobs Americans have with U.S. defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney (P&W) is much higher than the fistful of jobs he saved for Carrier through subsidies to the firm and pressure on its mother company, United Technologies, also the defense contractor that owns P&W.



Worthy of note is the quality of jobs  Carrier workers are paid $20 per hour and their counterparts in Lockheed Martin are paid much more from highly rewarding jobs thanks in part to contracts it recently acquired from Korea on the $7 billion purchase of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and the $2 billion upgrade project on F-16 fighters.



Trump needs to think of the consequences, if the U.S. decides to withdraw for budgetary reasons. Although he didn't participate in the Vietnam War, he as a businessman must understand that the soldiers would return home from a downsized military and more often than not wind up without jobs in the private sector. That spells the loss of American jobs in violation of his campaign pledge.



Korea appreciates the U.S. role in its defense against North Korea and may consider taking a bigger part in the burden-sharing effort. But Trump should be reasonable with what he demands because he knows a good businessman would gloss over a minute issue for the consummation of a deal.




Roger Shepherd, right, a New Zealander who has hiked the entire South Korean portion of the Baekdu-daegan mountain range, holds a certificate of appointment with Oxfam Korea CEO Chi Kyung-young after being appointed as promotional ambassador for Oxfam Trailwalker Korea in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Oxfam Korea



By Yi Whan-woo

Roger Shepherd, the first foreigner to walk the entire South Korean section of the Baekdu-daegan mountain range, has been appointed as promotional ambassador for Oxfam International's latest fundraising event in Korea.

The Seoul office of Oxfam International, a London-based non-profit organization fighting poverty, said Wednesday that Shepherd, a former police officer, will promote Oxfam Trailwalker Korea to international mountaineers.

Oxfam Trailwalker Korea is a sporting event in which participants will compete to complete a 100-kilometer trail around Mount Jiri and Gurye County in South Jeolla Province. The event will begin on May 20.

Each participant will be grouped into a team of four. They will be required to walk the trail within 38 hours. The funds raised will be donated to international relief efforts.

"Mr. Shepherd was glad to serve as Oxfam Trailwalker Korea's promotional ambassador," Oxfam Korea said in a press release.

"He views the event, in which the participants will face challenges of their leadership and their mental toughness, is in line with Oxfam International's challenge to alleviate poverty. He especially hopes Koreans as well as foreigners will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mount Jiri and the Gurye area."

Shepherd, who has climbed countless mountains in South Korea, is also the first foreigner to visit many of North Korea's remotest mountains since the 1950-53 Korean War.

In November, he participated in Oxfam Trailwallker Hong Kong, the first fundraising event of its kind by Oxfam International.

Oxfam Korea said it will encourage international diplomats in Korea including ambassadors as well as other expats to join Oxfam Trailwalker Korea.

Oxfam International operates in more than 90 countries, implementing long-term programs to end poverty and offer related support.

The NGO has raised funds through Oxfam Trailwalker in 11 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, India and Japan.
By Kim Tae-gyu



As far as technology is concerned, this year was all about artificial intelligence (AI) rather than its competitors including the internet of things (IoT), robotics and autonomous vehicles.



That was especially the case in Korea because of Google's AlphaGo, which crushed human go champion Lee Se-dol in a convincing fashion here in March.



As a go board is 19 by 19, there are 361 possible moves followed by 360 second moves for each of the first 361 moves. Accordingly, its branching factor is a factorial of 361, which is much larger than the total number of atoms in the universe.



However, Google's financial leeway and technological prowess silenced critics once and for all after AlphaGo defeated Lee in four out of five games.



Deep Zen Go, a Japanese version of AlphaGo developed by Tokyo University, also beat professional go player Cho Chi-hun once in a best-of-three series midway through last month.



Of note is that AI will continue to develop at a breakneck speed on its own, an approach dubbed machine learning, while its human rivals improve at a snail's pace.



"I took part in a conference at Silicon Valley early this month to learn that there are already many algorithms much better than those of AlphaGo," said Prof. Jeong Jae-seung, a renowned AI expert at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).



"Just nine months after AlphaGo surprised the world, it has already become a legacy. In the not-so-distant future, people will take advantage of AI quickly and frequently."





Korea's efforts



Korea has lagged behind global AI powerhouses like the United States but the country has been working to catch up.



For example, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) came up with an AI called Exobrain to take on humans in a quiz show last month.



Exobrain overwhelmed two previous quiz champions and two collegians, one of whom got a perfect score on last year's college entrance exam.



But it came five years after IBM Watson, which drew the world's attention by outpacing human title holders on the famous U.S. quiz show "Jeopardy" in 2011.



ETRI hopes Exobrain will eventually overpower Watson but it remains to be seen whether the state-run institute will be able to narrow the five-year gap in technology with minimal investments.



IBM funneled more than $1 billion to create Watson but ETRI's overall budget for Exobrain is less than a 10th of the amount.



In this climate, observers point out that the country's private enterprises might contribute by helping Asia's No. 4 economy play catch-up in the potential-laden AI segment.



Samsung Electronics, the world's foremost smartphone manufacturer, plans to incorporate AI features into its flagship handset, the Galaxy S8, which will be released next year.



A beefed up virtual assistant powered by AI agent technology is expected to carry out the commands of the handset user, which may come with a dedicated AI button.



SK C&C also vies to release AI-based educational toys in the near future on the back of collaboration with IBM  they would speak both English and Korean to kids.



"The competition to take the lead in AI will continue next year. Korea would have to do its utmost to narrow the gap with global leaders, which is expected to take more than two years," an analyst in Seoul said.




By Lee Min-hyung



The nation's antitrust watchdog has fined Qualcomm a record 1.03 trillion won ($853 million) for abusing its monopolistic power to sign unfair licensing contracts with smartphone makers here.



The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Wednesday that the U.S.-based chipmaker forced local smartphone manufacturers  Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Pantech  to agree to unjust licensing terms and conditions.



The fine is the largest ever levied by the FTC, which can impose penalties of up to 3 percent of a company's sales, depending on the seriousness of the issue.



To calculate the fine, the regulator conducted an investigation into the chipmaker's business operations here over the past seven years.



"Qualcomm had 38 trillion won in sales here from December 2009, and so we decided to impose a 2.7 percent fine on this," said FTC Secretary-General Shin Young-seon. "We viewed Qualcomm's abuse of power as a serious breach of the law."



The regulator pointed out that Qualcomm demanded handset manufacturers grant the chipmaker royalties-free licenses when using their patents.



In response, Qualcomm said it could not accept the decision and would file a lawsuit over the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.



"Qualcomm's repeated requests during the FTC's investigation for basic due process rights such as access to the case file and the right to cross examine witnesses were denied," Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel at Qualcomm, said in a statement.



"These rights and others are supposed to be guaranteed to U.S. companies under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, yet the FTC declined to implement these fundamental procedural safeguards," he added.



According to the FTC, Qualcomm has to pay the fine within 60 days of the watchdog's issuance of a written order.



The regulator said it would take 20 to 30 days to issue the order.



The FTC also made it clear that the decision has nothing to do with protectionist moves against U.S. firms.



"Some may raise concerns that we are executing the law to protect local firms, but this is not the case," said Shin. "Handset companies here and abroad have been affected by Qualcomm's anti-competitive practices."



Affected firms  also including Apple and Huawei  told the FTC that Qualcomm's business model hampered fair competition, according to the regulator.



This is not the first time Qualcomm has faced fines from regulators in its global market. In February last year, the firm settled with Chinese antitrust regulators by paying a $975 million fine for breaching the country's anti-monopoly law.




Fresh from his role as the caring chaebol in Jealousy Incarnate, Korean actor Ko Kyung Pyo is eagerly preparing for his first overseas fan meet which will be held in Singapore on 7th January 2017 (Saturday), 7PM at Suntec Convention Centre, Level 3.

Over the years, Ko Kyung Pyo has been a great supporting actor with many unique characters under his wings. More recently, after shining as Sung Sun-woo in Answer Me 1988, he continues to dazzle, bringing on a major 2nd lead syndrome as Ko Jung-won in Jealously Incarnate! Ko was so successful in his role that viewers were rooting for him to win the girl instead of the male lead, Lee Hwa-shin (played by Jo Jung-suk)

This exclusive event is only open to 150 fans who will be upclose and personal with the actor himself. Each fan will receive a hi-touch, signed poster and a group photo with Ko Kyung Pyo at the end of the event. During the event, some lucky fans might even get to take a selfie with him!

Organized by KMTV Asia, and sponsored by Grand Park Orchard and 5:5, tickets priced at $148 (excluding $3 booking fee), are already on sale at www.asiaboxoffice.com. http://www.asiaboxoffice.com/ko-kyung-pyo-1st-fan-meeting-in-singapore

Check out his greeting below.

Ticketing Details

Ko Kyung Pyo's 1st Fan Meeting in Singapore

Date & Time: 7th January 2017, 7PM

Venue: Suntec Convention Centre Hall 324, Level 3

Price: $148 (excluding $3 booking fee)
The year of 2016 recorded many K-Pop idols jumpstarted their acting career . In order to measure their success, Korean polling site Moolmang created polling to determine the most popular K-Pop idol in TV drama throughout the 2016. The result show Ok Taecyeon and Yoona top the polling among other idols.

The 27-year old tops the list among the male idols with a big lead of 26 percent, or equal to 3,242 votes in the Moolmang list. His acting in the tvN drama comedy drama Hey Ghost, Let's Fight has given him a substansial lead from the second place the B14A member Jinyoung in Love in the Moonlight drama. Jinyoung is only able to gain one thousand less than Taecyeon with 18 percent.

Sitting on third position is Taecyeons band mate Lee-Joon, winning 17. 1 percent with 2,128 votes in the tvN drama Memory. While SHinees Kibum and

EXOs Baekhyun is on the 4th and 5th place respectively. Kibum in his debut drama Drinking Solo won 1,247 votes, while Baekhyun in Moon Lover: Scarlet Heart Ryeo tallied 1,195 votes.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

Art Doll exhibition has been launched at Heydar Aliyev Center.

Vice president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva viewed the exhibition.

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov said the center had hosted numerous events in 2016, including conferences, symposiums, workshops, concerts and exhibitions.

He said works featured at the exhibition were being collected for 10 years. Alakbarov said the exhibition featured works by 60 artists and sculptors from 16 countries, including Azerbaijan.

He thanked Azerbaijani first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and vice president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva for their role in organizing the exhibition.

Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts Aleksandra Khudyakova hailed excellent organization of the event.

I thank the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and its vice president Leyla Aliyeva for organizing such an amazing event, she said. This is for the first time that I see such a fantastic exhibition.

Member of Azerbaijan Union of Artists Elmira Abbasli said the exhibition reflected rich culture and history of Azerbaijan.

Rector of Azerbaijani State Academy of Fine Arts Omar Eldarov described the exhibition as a truly interesting and unique event.

Some 230 dolls displayed at the Art Doll Exhibition are just a part of a rich private collection boasting of more than 400 unique artifacts.

The exhibits include handworks by renowned Azerbaijani doll-makers along with pieces by artists from the US, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Russia, Northern Cyprus, Indonesia, Ukraine, and Japan.

Awarded at a number of international festivals and biannual exhibitions, these artworks compose a very specific collection the Heydar Aliyev Center ever hosted so far. Most pieces are one-off and are therefore of a tremendous artistic value.
Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim is absence to air in Monday, Dec. 27, to allow annual SBS year-end music special broadcast SBS Gayo Daejeon to be broadcasted. The drama return Tuesday and enter the final quarter of its story.

Prior to entering its final quarter of the story, Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim Episode 14 aired Tuesday, Dec. 20 scored 22.9 percent in the TnMS and 21.6 percent in TnMS. Last weeks episode 14 was viewed by approximately 3.12 million people in Korea. This Monday, the medical drama was not aired due to give way to the second part of SBS year-end music special broadcast SBS Gayo Daejeon which gained 7.0 percent ratings as reported by Focus News.

The drama continue its high pace of the story in the episode 14. As Teacher Kim caught Do Im-Boon lies after boasting about his experience which was not shown in the operating table. Teacher Kim iterated that doctor can lie with his mouth, but his surgical hands would never lie.

A former helper in Deoldam Hospital who secretly fled, Yeon-Hwa returned to the hospital. She introduced herself as a general surgeon and a former resident in Gangwon Hospital. This surprised everyone.

Another surprising incident occurred when suspected SARS patient who just returned from Saudi came to Deoldam Hospital. It turns out the patients only have a high fever because consuming unmarinated soy sauce crab.

The consistently interesting story with a realistic portrayal of medical cases have made Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim to remain on top of list in the viewership ratings according to ET News. It is the complete opposite of the similar successful drama Guardian/Goblin which currently airing as well.

Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim brings the medical drama to be as realistic as possible, while Guardian/Goblin is the fantasy drama which is very far from being realistic. However, that factor, either being as realistic as possible or being as absurd as possible, is what fans wanted to watch.

Watch the highlight of Episode 14 as Teacher Kim caught Do Im-Boon lies below:


Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

EY Azerbaijan hosted the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee monthly meeting organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan on December 21, 2016. The Committee Chairperson, Aynura Piriyeva, opened the meeting by welcoming the members, after which new members of the Committee introduced themselves.

Gunel Farajova, a senior in Cleantech and Sustainability Services at EY, gave a presentation on the importance of sustainable development and innovation. During her address, Gunel covered case studies on various progressive businesses as well as ways to apply existing best practices and innovative measures in Azerbaijan to ensure more sustainable development.

Afterwards, Fariz Ismailzade, Vice Rector of External, Government and Student Affairs at ADA University, gave a talk on the importance of concrete initiatives required to increase the level of awareness of these issues and manage change more effectively.

During the discussions Javid Zamanov from Bos Shelf suggested inviting students and volunteers to meetings, as well as producing short films in order to promote CSR projects. Other members of the Committee participated in this discussion and provided their ideas on the issue.

The meeting concluded with agreement over an action plan and deadlines to increase the level of awareness of sustainability issues and ensure change in society.

About CSR

The world is debating the issue of sustainability and, as we make progress, we recognize the need for businesses to take responsibility for their activities. Therefore, the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become widespread in the business world. CSR is a management concept integrating the social and environmental concerns of businesses and their interaction with stakeholders. It is a tool to achieve a balance of economic, environmental and social imperatives. CSR should not be considered as a burden for businesses, as its return on investment has already proved to be a benchmark of companies' long-term policies and good standing in the community. The goal of the AmCham CSR committee is to embrace responsibility for companies actions and encourage a positive impact on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, other stakeholders, and all other members of the public.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and economies around the world. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In doing so, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY works together with companies across the CIS and assists them in realizing their business goals. 5,000 professionals work at 20 CIS offices (in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Togliatti, Vladivostok, Almaty, Astana, Bishkek, Baku, Kyiv, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Minsk, and other locations).

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

EY in Azerbaijan

EY made a major commitment to the development of Azerbaijan and the region by opening the office in Baku 22 years ago. Today, in addition to being the leading audit and consulting firm in Azerbaijan, we are the leading firm in the region. As a result of our experience and competence, we have been able to assist both domestic and international companies as well as state-owned entities to develop and manage the challenges of the international economy.

There are currently 170 people working in our Baku office that serve our clients in Azerbaijan. EY's strength in the Caspian Region and the firm's commitment of resources are important to the entities operating in the region. It means that as we grow, EY will continue to demonstrate a tradition of hiring and training local professionals to be leaders in our practice.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

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Serbian first deputy prime minister, Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, the countrys deputy prime minister, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and deputy prime minister, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic held a meeting at which they discussed the visa policy of Serbia, the website of the Serbian government said.

An agreement was reached to continue the policy of simplification of the visa regime with as many countries as possible in order to improve bilateral political relations, attract foreign investment and intensify economic and tourist cooperation, according to the website.



In this regard, it was decided to initiate the procedure for abolishing visas with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia for ordinary passport holders, and to initiate the abolition of visas with a certain group of countries for holders of diplomatic and official passports, the website said.
Market capitalization is the total market value of all outstanding shares of a company divided by...
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

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A conference dedicated to 85th anniversary of the outstanding Azerbaijani oilman and geologist, Hero of Socialist Labor, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and prominent public figure Farman Salmanov was held at Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS).

SOCARs representatives including Vice-President for Geology and Geophysics Bahram Huseynov; Counsellor to First Vice-President Alakbar Abasov; Director Deputy of Petroleum Research and Design Institute for oil and gas field development, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Ahmad Salmanov; Head of Science & Technology department Nazim Veliyev; and Head of SOCAR office in Great Britain Rufat Efendiyev participated in the event.

Opening the conference, the Higher School Rector Elmar Gasimov welcomed the guests and said that it is important for the Higher School students not only to acquire knowledge on chemistry, oil and gas and other subjects, but also to know well about famous scientists in these spheres.

The rector emphasized that the conferences main objective was to help the BHOS students to learn more about the life and activity of the prominent scientist and explorer, and to honor the memory of Farman Salmanov.

Head of the BHOS Lifelong Learning Department, Professor Rena Mustafayeva made a report entitled Farman Salmanovs Life and Work as Example for Azerbaijani Youth.

SOCARs Vice-President for Geology and Geophysics Bahram Huseynov emphasized that Farman Salmanov devoted his life to exploration of new oil and gas fields. Salmanov became famous for discovering great oil fields in Western Siberia, and his name made it into history of the world oil industry.

Counsellor to SOCARs First Vice-President Alakbar Abasov reminded that under Farman Salmanovs leadership, more than 100 major oil fields rich with hydrocarbon reserves were discovered and developed in West Siberia. Due to these fields development the former Soviet Union became one of the largest oil exporters in the world, he said.

Director Deputy of Petroleum Research and Design Institute, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Ahmad Salmanov expressed his sincere gratitude to the conference organizers. He also emphasized that management of the Higher School made all necessary efforts so that young generation would know and remember his uncle Farman Salmanov.

BHOS fourth-year Petroleum Engineering students Elvin Hasanli and Rashad Nazaraliyev spoke on the topic Farman Salmanov in the eyes of Youth. At the end of the conference, a documentary film about Farman Salmanov was shown.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

India has requested from Azerbaijan to reduce customs duties for jewelry import, Indian media reported Dec. 28.

The issue was discussed by representatives of Indias Gem and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) with the Indian Ambassador in Azerbaijan Sanjay Rana. The meeting was held at the GJEPC headquarters with the participation of GJEPC Chairman Praveen Shankar Pandya and Executive Director Sabyasachi Ray.

Reportedly, representatives of GJEPC have requested to discuss the reduction of customs duties with Azerbaijans Finance Ministry. Meanwhile, GJEPC representatives intend to invite Azerbaijani jewelers to the IIJS Signature exhibition, to be held in February 2017.

Ambassador Sanjay Rana, for his part, proposed to organize a mission of Indian jewelry exporters to Azerbaijan and hold an exhibition of Indian jewelries in Azerbaijan.

The best period for this is January-March or September-November, according to him.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and India totaled almost $451.13 million in January-November 2016, including $399 million  for the export of goods to India, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. According to the results of 11 months of 2016, India ranked 11th among Azerbaijans trade partners.
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

Chinas Space White Paper Outlines Next Five Years Activities for Manned Exploration, Space Science, and International Cooperation

Dec. 27, 2016 (EIRNS)Today China released its stunning five-year plan for space, titled, "Chinas Space Activities in 2016" in a white paper in Beijing. The White Papers stated purpose is, "to enable the world community to better understand Chinas space industry," and to "offer a brief introduction" to its major accomplishments since 2011. The Preamble explains, "[T]he Chinese government takes the space industry as an important part of the nations overall development strategy." The purpose of Chinas space program, the Preamble states, is "to contribute more to both serving national development and improving the well-being of mankind."

The bulk of the paper summarizes the achievements of Chinas manned, lunar, Earth orbital, and international cooperation programs, and outlines the tasks for the next five years. These re-state the first launch of the unmanned Tianzhou cargo carrier; the launch of the first element of the space station; the two lunar missions over the next two years, and Chinas first Mars mission, in 2020. As is customary, at a press conference releasing the paper, the question of a manned lunar mission was raised, and as has been the response, it was stated that this has not yet been approved by the government.

Certain details are presented about lunar work. The lunar probe to be launched in 2018 is to achieve the worlds first soft landing on the far side of the moon. In Chinas lunar exploration project, it will strive to attain automated extra-terrestrial sampling, and technology for handling and return, by the space explorers. The White Paper said, "The lunar probe Change-4 will conduct in situ and roving detection and relay communications at earth-moon L2 point."

The White Papers section on international cooperation summarizes the 29 countries and organizations with which China has space cooperation agreements. Most interesting, under the sub-headline of "Key Areas for Future Cooperation," it lists, "Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative Space Information Corridor," for Earth observation, communications, navigation, and other applications. It also lists "Construction of the BRICS remote-sensing satellite constellation."

China also announced that it has opened up nearly all areas of its space industry for private and international "investment." It was stated that there will be "very few off-limits areas." Chinas space station will be a major area for such cooperative investment.

The White Paper concludes:
PRESS RELEASE

ECB Declares War Against Italy; Demands More Blood from Population for Monte dei Paschi Bank

Dec. 27, 2016 (EIRNS)The Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported yesterday that the European Central Bank (ECB) sent a letter to the Monte dei Paschi (MPS) management, demanding a capital increase almost double that previously established. The letter was sent a few hours after MPS had requested authorization to join the Italian government "pre-emptive" bailout, or nationalization. The ECB is demanding a capital increase of 8.8 billion instead of the 5 billion previously established.

The shift is based on a new classification of MPS by the ECB, at the same rating as Greek banks during the Greek financial crisis.

The ECB demands that 4.5 billion be subscribed by the government, and 4.3 billion be collected through "burden sharing," i.e., bail-in of senior and subordinate bondholders. However, the government insists with the plan of refunding 100% to retail bondholders and imposing a 30% cut on institutional bondholders.

The ECB demand is like a declaration of war against a national decision which is defiant of European Union law. This comes from the same Mario Draghi who is ultimately responsible for the MPS bankruptcy by having authorized in 2008 a takeover which cost MPS 19 billion and which has been indicated by an investigation committee as the single major cause for MPSs financial troubles. Draghi lied that the takeover costs would amount to 9 billion euros, well knowing that a Bank of Italy report one year earlier had provided the real figures.

Draghi also authorized a capital increase and the issuance of subordinate bonds to finance the acquisition, as well as derivative instruments which added more losses. Had MPS not jumped into that insane operation, the bank would be able to better cope with its commercial loan problem. With its latest move, the ECB has made the Italian 20 billion safety net even more insufficient for the entire banking system, but above all it has declared its intention to impose on Italy the same brutal treatment forced on Greece.
PRESS RELEASE

Italy: Prominent Call To Terminate the Euro

Dec. 27, 2016 (EIRNS)It is not just radicals and populists who call for the end of the euro in Italy. Paolo Savona and Giorgio La Malfa, two former government ministers and establishment figures, wrote an op-ed in Corriere della Sera demanding that Germany leave the euro or, in alternative, that the euro be converted into a unit of account and the European Central Bank and the European Investment Bank become what the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank were supposed to be, according to the Bretton Woods agreements.

Savona and La Malfa answer an earlier interview with Clemens Fuest (Dec. 15), head of the Munich-based IFO Institute, who had stated among other things that, "If the euro is an obstacle to growth in Italy, then Italy should leave the euro."

Along with an inevitable German-bashing, Savona and La Malfa propose the following:

"The Italian government should demand, with the full discretion of the case, a clarification from Germany and ask that Germany take the initiative of re-thinking the single currency. This can take two ways: the first one is that Germany leave the euro, reintroducing the d-mark and letting it float upwards.... "The other one is to replace the current mechanism of the single currency with a mechanism of fixed but adjustable exchanges with a downsized European Central Bank and the European Investment Bank assuming the features of the two Bretton Woods institutions, the IMF and the World Bank; with the euro as a reference currency for national currency (as the Special Drawing Rights were supposed to become) and the EIB working to improve convergence among European countries."

If both options are rejected, then member countries should carry out "fully independent monetary and fiscal policies, wait and see."

In an earlier exchange with EIR, Professor Savona had very favorably commented on LaRouches proposal for a return of Herrhausens policies for Deutsche Bank.
Headline changed, details added (first version posted at 13:39)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Active bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus were the main outcome of 2016, said Gennadiy Ahramovich, ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Azerbaijan, at a press conference in Baku Dec. 28.

We expect further expansion of cooperation in 2017, said Ahramovich.

Speaking about the negative impact of the crisis on the world trade, the ambassador said that due to the crisis there is a decline in the Azerbaijan-Belarus trade turnover, which amounted to about $104 million in January-October 2016.

This is a decline of almost 50 percent as compared to 2015, Ahramovich said.

Further he noted that Belarus hails the significant growth in Azerbaijani exports which increased 3.7 times in 2016.

We seek to balance trade relations, the envoy added.
PRESS RELEASE

Opposition Party Leader in Seoul Attacks THAAD

Dec. 27, 2016 (EIRNS)Lee Jae-myung, chairman of South Koreas Minjoo (Democratic) Party and one of three opposition leaders with a shot at the presidency in next years election, told foreign correspondents today that the U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile system would not help South Korea defend itself against North Korea, and would damage important relations with China and Russia.

North Korean missiles aimed at Seoul would fly far below the high altitude covered by THAAD.

Lee, who is currently the mayor of Seongnam, a major city near Seoul, said China has opposed the THAAD deployment, as it sees the THAADs X-band radar as functioning deep into Chinese territory, Xinhua reported. He called for the adoption of an independent, balanced diplomacy between China and the United States, saying Seoul should refrain from siding with one party.
This year, publishing needs a hit.

Not that 2016 was bad; it was fine. Books sales basically held steady  down a little here, up some there  for the most recent period for which we have numbers, from January to July. Although the Assn. of American Publishers wants to crow about the fact that books for children and teens were up quite a bit, overall, trade books sales were down 0.4% in 2016 from the same period in 2015.

Which isnt terrible. But it isnt good, or at least, not good enough.

What publishing needs is one book, one big book, that comes out of nowhere and takes America by storm. You know what I mean: You hear people talking about it in line at the grocery store. Your grandmother asks if youve read it and the same day your college roommate does. Its the book you see people reading on subways and on planes, that you hear about on the radio and on TV talk shows, that seems to be everywhere at once.

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In 2015, that book was The Girl on the Train. In 2012, it was Gone Girl. Before that came The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively).

Girls, girls, girls!

Indeed, its a trend. Once one of these books becomes a mega-hit, publishers look for ways to hitch their wagons to the lead horse. Gillian Flynn certainly wasnt copying Stieg Larssons trilogy with her book Gone Girl  the title was the name of a Johnny Cash album way back in 1978  but publishers surely noticed. And The Girl on the Train which, like Gone Girl, features an unreliable female narrator, got a huge marketing push. I know it should be The Woman on the Train, but it didnt scan, author Paula Hawkins (annoyed at the comparison) told the Hollywood Reporter.

The piling on once a book gets mega-successful may be dismaying from a creative standpoint, but from a business perspective it makes sense: The big hits are impossible to predict.

If I had told you in 1996 that a boy wizard, a girl torn between a vampire and a werewolf, kids fighting to the death in a dystopia, teens with cancer and a Harvard symbologist would take our bestseller lists by storm, would you have believed me  or called a psychiatrist?

Dan Brown had published three quiet thrillers  including one featuring Robert Langdon  before his second Langdon book, The Da Vinci Code, was published. It was the bestselling book of 2004  and, in 2003 and 2005, the #2 bestseller. It spawned not only its own sequels and movies but shelves and shelves of imitators filled with art and religious conspiracies.

The book that denied Brown the top spot in 2003 was J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Her massively successful Harry Potter series showed publishing that books for kids could lead the industry, re-energizing it with huge sales. But Rowling stopped writing the Harry Potter series in 2007 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the years bestselling book.

By then, her fans were growing into teens with book-buying power. Some turned to Stephenie Meyers vampire romance Twilight series; some snapped up The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins; many went for John Greens The Fault In Our Stars.

These books arent much like one another. And although Fifty Shades of Grey was, at its very first imaginings, Twilight fan fiction, E.L. James erotic novel, which was 2012s bestselling book overall, became something entirely new that launched its own fleet of hot-and-heavy followers.

What these breakthrough books share is that they came out of nowhere to top bestseller lists. They each established a real and meaningful presence in our culture. They told us something, reflected back something or encouraged us to imagine something that was fresh and new.

All the while there were perennial bestselling authors making appearances: Stephen King, John Grisham, Nora Roberts and James Patterson are regularly among the years bestsellers. Jeff Kinney has made a place for himself with his Wimpy Kid childrens series. Occasionally, literary authors such as Jonathan Franzen and Anthony Doerr find a place among the years biggest books.

But in 2016, there wasnt a breakthrough hit of any kind.

Its not for want of trying  there are thousands of books published each year, with the authors and businesspeople behind them hoping each will resonate with readers, marketers strategizing the best they can. But one of the charms of the publishing industry is that its hard to tell what will catch on  in fact, the biggest books, the ones that really make a mark, are those that come as a surprise.

What look to be this years top 10 are a lot of usual suspects. The top-selling book of the year, with 4.3 million copies sold as of late December, is by a familiar bestselling writer. But its a strange sort of book: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child  Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne is the official script book (hardly a book at all, really) of the original London production of the play about a grown-up Harry Potter.

As far as sales go, its ahead by miles: Its closest competitors, as of the third week of December, are Killing the Rising Sun by Bill OReilly and Martin Dugard, which has sold about 960,000 copies, and Jeff Kinneys latest Wimpy Kid book, Double Down, with 974,000 copies.

Meanwhile, the book version of Rowlings screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has sold another 500,000 copies, putting it in or near the years top 10. Both of these Harry Potter-related books are categorized as childrens fiction by Nielsen and Publishers Weekly  which is a reason why headlines about a dramatic uptick in childrens book sales should be taken with a grain of salt. Its mostly Rowling.

Publishing cant keep living off the fumes of the boy wizard. We will eventually face the issue of diminishing returns.

We can always have more of the books we know readers love. Even Lisbeth Salander, whose creator Stieg Larsson died before his novels became bestsellers, returned in 2015  in a book written by David Lagercrantz, which didnt sell as well. James can only retool Fifty Shades of Grey so many times before the appeal wears thin. Meyer left Twilight behind and sold respectably well with her first thriller, The Chemist, but readers didnt follow in droves. Brown is bringing Langdon back in Origin in 2017, but can we expect the Harvard symbologist to save us yet again?

As much as I admire all these authors and their work, we need someone new. A new J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, E.L. James, a new Dan Brown or a new girl. A book and story and character that captures our imagination. Something we never expected that can sweep us all away.
Critics of the Affordable Care Act love to bathe the pre-Obamacare period in a golden glow, as if everyone just adored their old insurance plans before the ACA mucked everything up.

That adoration doesnt make much sense to people who tried to find coverage for their pre-existing medical conditions. They were routinely denied coverage, offered bare-bones plans at stratospheric prices or dropped from their plans when they fell ill. The consequences of returning to that world would be dire for millions of Americans with such conditions, as a recent paper from the Kaiser Family Foundation reminds us. Its report, which complements a survey from Georgetown University that we reported on earlier this month, is timely indeed.

A few preliminary points: Even most Republicans who are determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act recognize that a ban on medical underwriting  thats when insurers judge your eligibility for coverage or set your premium based on your medical history  is essential.

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To what extent people with pre-existing health conditions are protected is likely to be a central issue in the debate over repealing and replacing the ACA.  Kaiser Family Foundation

This protection for people with pre-existing conditions also happens to be one provision of the ACA that cant be repealed with a simple majority vote, which means that any move in that direction would be subject to a filibuster in the Senate. In any case, the provision is one of the most popular aspects of Obamacare; its favored by 69% of the respondents to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll, including 65% of Republicans.

But the ban on medical underwriting also is the provision that makes Obamacares least popular provision  the individual mandate  essential. Put simply, if insurers are required to sell coverage to all applicants at roughly the same price, then everyone must be required to buy coverage. The alternative is that people would buy insurance only after they became ill, and that would bankrupt the insurance industry.

A key question is what form the requirement should take. The ACAs individual mandate effectively imposes a fine on those who go uncovered; it hasnt worked as well as it should to draw younger and healthier people into the market because the fine has been set too low to act as an effective incentive.

The current crop of GOP proposals generally replaces the individual mandate with a different incentive: It bans medical underwriting of anyone who has maintained continuous coverage  that is, havent let their coverage lapse.

Some commentators think thats just as good as the individual mandate. Andrew Sprung of Xpostfactoid argues that the change need not be too disruptive  if done right. But he acknowledges that doing it right could be expensive  since the primary reason people let their insurance lapse is because they cant afford it, a default plan would have to be available at rock-bottom cost, which means a government subsidy of some sort.

Still, if congressional Republicans are as resolute as they say to repeal Obamacare, the medical underwriting ban may have to go, or at least be seriously eroded. To what extent people with pre-existing health conditions are protected is likely to be a central issue in the debate over repealing and replacing the ACA, the Kaiser Family Foundation observes.

The foundation estimates that about 52 million Americans younger than 65 have conditions that would have made them uninsurable if they sought coverage in the pre-ACA market. Most are covered today by employers or public programs such as Medicaid, which dont allow medical underwriting. But many may have to resort to the individual market now and then, such as when theyre between jobs or after a divorce.

In some states, such as West Virginia, Mississippi and Kentucky, one-third or more of the residents have a declinable condition, the Kaiser foundation found. In big states, the number of vulnerable residents is huge: 5.9 million in California, 4.5 million in Texas and 3.1 million in Florida.

The list of conditions that insurers refused to cover pre-ACA includes cancer, heart disease, HIV, arthritis, epilepsy, sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity and transsexualism. Insurers also kept lists of ineligible occupations or activities that could warrant refusing coverage to an applicant, either because of inherent dangers or on-the-job stress. The blacklist included air traffic controllers, pilots, minders, taxi drivers, window washers, hang gliders and scuba divers.

For these and other reasons, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey determined in 2013, at least 18% of applicants in the individual market were rejected before the ACA protections kicked in. This may have underestimated the effect of medical underwriting, the foundation observed, because many people with serious conditions may not have bothered to apply, knowing theyd be rejected.

Medical underwriting had effects other than simple rejection. Applicants could be offered coverage at a much higher premium or with a higher deductible. Some could get insurance that specifically excluded their condition. In a 2000 field test, the Kaiser foundation submitted 60 applications for a hypothetical customer with seasonal allergies, or hay fever. The applicant was offered standard coverage from only three companies, while receiving five rejections, and offers of 46 plans with exclusion riders and six with surcharged premiums.

As The Times documented in 2006, medical underwriting also prompted insurance companies to hunt for inconsistencies or omissions in applications from customers who later developed expensive conditions. Any they found could be cited as grounds for canceling a policy retroactively.

These practices were effectively wiped out by the Affordable Care Act. Whats clear from opinion polls is that the American public considers this protection to be of paramount importance. What isnt so clear is whether our political leaders are listening.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.
A teary-eyed Mala Sharma felt vindicated as she stood outside a school for impoverished children in India. A student had snatched the Adobe Systems executives iPad and had a go with the companys simplest video editing program. He nailed it, creating a quick video that Sharma said amused his teacher and peers.

For years, Adobe has been the dominant provider of expensive editing tools to professional content producers. But the recent experience in India with her companys newer, consumer-oriented app showed Sharma firsthand the value of expanding efforts to make tools approachable to anyone.

I stood there with tears in my eyes because I felt like in that minute Adobe touched and changed that childs life, Sharma said. Thats the ultimate vision: to make that possible for everyone.

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Free mobile apps and a shift to online offerings have led to significant inroads. But the San Jose companys newest initiative is a steep investment in artificially intelligent services. Adobe envisions what it calls Sensei as an automated virtual assistant that for now reduces rote handiwork in certain tasks, but eventually would help first-time users make the most of its apps or guide them when theyre stuck.

See the most-read stories in Business this hour 

What Google search does for finding websites or Amazon.coms Alexa for shopping, Adobe wants Sensei to do for making films, editing photos and designing products. Sensei features spread across Adobes software suite, including marketing databases and PDF readers.

Adobe expects big interest in Sensei, pointing to popular creative apps as a sign of demand. For instance, Instagram has amassed 600 million users by giving beginning photographers simple ways to give their work a professional look.

We used to serve the Adobe magic to the highest end of users, but in the mobile-first era, average consumers want that magic, Adobe Chief Technology Officer Abhay Parasnis said. The heart of Sensei is, Can we make our tools and workflow much more broadly accessible?

At an unveiling spectacle held for thousands of graphic designers, video editors and other users at the San Diego Convention Center this fall, Adobe showed how Sensei could point users to licensable images that resemble ones they like but dont have permission to use. It can do the same with fonts, analyzing handwriting to recommend a look-alike typeface.

During editing, Sensei can identify lips and eyes in a photo and allow users to change facial expressions  for instance, widening a grin  without overly distorting the rest of a face. Offering The Simpsons star Bart as an example, Adobe also showed how Sensei can automatically manipulate a cartoon characters mouth so that it moves in sync with a voice actors speech.

Adobe Executive Vice President Bryan Lamkintalks to cartoon character Bart Simpson during an Adobe event in November. (Denis Poroy / AP Images for Adobe )

Sharma imagines Sensei as an instructor too, accepting commands by voice, text or click. Unsure how to make a tweak in a photo? Sensei could anticipate your desire and make suggestions. And they could be personalized, borrowing from decisions made at similar junctures by people a user follows on Adobes social networking service Behance.

The user doesnt have to do the hunting and pecking and the looking, Sharma said. As we understand what they are trying to do and we understand what is the kind of work that inspires them, we can give them intelligent solutions in real time.

Getting Sensei right is crucial to Adobes growth, financial analysts say. Whether youve mastered it or have never tried it, Photoshop software is so widely recognized that youve probably uttered something like Ill just Photoshop it later.

But increasingly sophisticated, cheaply available editing apps on smartphones could eventually relegate Photoshop and other Adobe programs to being complicated luxuries. Theres no doubt that they are powerful technology. But it can take hours of classes to know how to use the programs well.

Sensei is meant to knock out hurdles. Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said Adobe shareholders are excited about the untapped opportunity, which could lift the companys nearly $6 billion in annual sales by as much as $3 billion over the next few years. Investors are pleased with initial efforts. A growing percentage of Adobe software subscribers are first-time users. About 35 million have logged onto mobile apps such as the free Adobe Spark Video program that the student in India picked up.

People who have a story to tell find Adobe is the gold standard and they keep coming, Narayen said in an interview. They want instant gratification and ease of use. If we allow them, they will come.

Adobe shares have quadrupled to over $100 in the five years since the company began pushing online subscriptions instead of one-time purchases of its software.

Adobe executives arent overly worried about the rising competition.

Theres people who want to communicate in the moment [and] take a photo  on Snapchat, Sharma said. We see our mission foremost in  going beyond the moment.

The separation exists because Snapchat, Instagram, VSCO, Google Photos and tools from Facebook and Apple prioritize simplicity over sophistication (dozens of features instead of thousands). But artificial intelligence could boost the rival offerings over time, increasing the pressure on Adobe to outdo them.

Adobes advantage is that its virtual monopoly among professionals gives the company unrivaled data, enabling it provide unique insights to users, said Rodney Nelson, equity analyst at Morningstar. Some Sensei features including the similar image finder will be available to other companies to use and build upon in their own apps, widening the possibilities.

Adobe has long relied on the smarts of computers for features like one that quickly removes unwanted objects in a photo. But branding such options as Sensei is meant to signal Adobes dramatically larger focus in artificial intelligence over the next decade, Parasnis said. Every product and engineering employee will be trained on how Sensei technologies work.

Sensei leverages machine-learning breakthroughs in recent years. Computers have gone from humans heavily training them to recognize obvious images of cats to understanding even partial images of cats on their own.

With the understanding of curvature and textures, Sensei can automatically adjust the shadows in an image to reflect the lighting in the backdrop. Future manifestations of Sensei would allow for automatically inserting and rearranging objects while maintaining a natural look. In the voice and video sphere, an experimental tool synthesizes any speakers voice, which provides for indistinguishable (but artificial) edits to an earlier recording.

To Adobes credit, they already had this technology lurking and theyve made it more prominent, Abhinav Kapur, an analyst at BTIG, said of the Sensei branding. Its absolutely crucial. Any big software company going forward needs to have data-crunching components in the product suite.

Sensei features might not be the reason that someone pays $10 a month or more for access to Adobe software. But they could amount to something that gets people to keep paying. People could misuse the new tools, but Adobe doesnt want to hold people back from sharing their stories.

We see this lowering user friction and democratizing the creative process, Piper Jaffray analyst Alex Zukin wrote of Sensei.

Now the question is whether Sensei on top of existing initiatives will be enough to preserve Photoshop as a verb, and Adobes general dominance, for years to come.

paresh.dave@latimes.com / PGP

Twitter: @peard33

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Years before Wishful Drinking debuted on HBO, Carrie Fisher first breathed life into her revealing, riotous one-woman show in an office at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood.

Randall Arney, the theaters artistic director then and now, remembers the 2006 confab well.

Carrie came into the office and sat with us in what was a pitch meeting, effectively, Arney said Tuesday. But before the meeting started, she sat and just told us stories and we were crying, we were laughing so hard. We kept thinking that we were getting ready to start the meeting, and we kind of came around to, Well, lets get the meeting started, and she says, Well, that was it!

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And we said, Lets do it  the late Gil Cates Sr. was producing director at the time  and she said, OK, great, now all I have to do is go write it.

Fishers autobiographical show, which would run for eight weeks in L.A., then revived by the writer-actress for a production at Berkeley Repertory Theatre before she took it to Broadway, was honed by Fisher and director Joshua Ravetch in three weeks of rehearsal.

The incredible strength it took to write it, Arney said, then she had to learn it, and then perform it eight times a week. It was really an exercise in all kinds of stamina for Carrie.

Though the show told a lot, it didnt exactly tell all, he said. Some anecdotes were nixed because they wouldnt be nice to somebody if she shared them onstage.

Still, at the Geffen, it ran gangbusters; we sold every ticket we had, Arney said, noting that Fisher had connected with theatergoers across the board.

We found with Wishful Drinking her appeal absolutely crossed all boundaries  men just love her, women absolutely love her, from young to old. She was just universally admired and loved and had such a unique brand of humor.

In a 2006 review, The Times theater critic, Charles McNulty, called the show a Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes that would defy credulity were it not for the very credible presence of its narrator.

Acknowledging that he was echoing many others opinions, Arney remembered said narrator as wickedly smart and so funny, and yet disarmingly and refreshingly down to earth.

He and Fisher had emailed occasionally in the years since the shows run at the Geffen, Arney said.

We had talked in very early stages of some kind of sequel, perhaps, to Wishful Drinking, he said. Thats whats so sad and rueful about this, because she had so many more stories to tell.

Follow Christie DZurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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Last year, months before Star Wars: The Force Awakens officially reunited the original cast and crew of the Millennium Falcon, there was a small disturbance in the Force. A disgruntled father on the East Coast, outraged over an action figure depicting Princess Leia in her infamous slave bikini costume, had denounced the toy as inappropriate, sparking a heated debate among fans and critics about the political implications of the outfit.

The woman behind the bikini, actress Carrie Fisher answered the controversy in typical frank Fisher fashion. The character is wearing that outfit not because shes chosen to wear it. Shes been forced to wear it. Shes a prisoner of a giant testicle who has a lot of saliva going on. 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.



For the record: For the record, 3:28 p.m. Dec. 29: An earlier version of this post described Carrie Fishers book Shockaholic as a novel. It is a memoir.

 Though Carrie Fisher is best known as Princess Leia from Star Wars, she has performed in many other acting roles and has had a successful career as a book author and screenplay doctor.

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And just like that, Fisher reclaimed the slave Leia look for feminism.

Converting a Frank Frazetta-inspired, barely-there metal two-piece into a flag for female empowerment was just one small example of Fishers ability to change the narrative in Hollywood  a career-turned-calling that tragically ended with her death Tuesday.

Skewering stereotypes, inanities and lazy thinking with a lance of wit and hard-won insight was Fishers specialty. And for a long time, she did it all by her lonesome.

Before there was Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, there was Fisher. Before there was Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, there was Fisher. Before there was Charlize Therons Imperator Furiosa, Scarlett Johanssons Black Widow and even the beloved Sigourney Weavers Ripley, there was Fisher providing a female face to a universally admired action hero. A fact she struggled for years to accept before finally surrendering to her own iconic status.

In her latest memoir, which is called The Princess Diarist, she wrote: I liked being Princess Leia. Or Princess Leias being me. Over time I thought that wed melded into one. I dont think you could think of Leia without my lurking in that thought somewhere. And Im not talking about masturbation. So Princess Leia are us.

And what an us it was.

While Han Solo shirked responsibility and Luke Skywalker fumbled around, Leia got things done. To fellow round-faced girls (and boys) throughout the world, the parallel was obvious: Theres nothing wrong with calling for help, but if the doors wont open, grab a blaster of your own and shoot a way out.

Leia proved that you dont have to choose between being the damsel in distress and the hero; you can be both. You could be the princess and the rebel, the peacemaker and the general. Dont let a bunch of menfolk standing around with their jaws on the floor decide your fate. Sometimes that means going through the trash chute, sure, but forge your own destiny.

And as Leia was on film, so Fisher became in life, refusing to let her self-described buns of navarone dictate her future.

1 / 20 Carrie Fisher, in 2007. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 20 Carrie Fisher at the Farmers Market in 1987. (Ellen Jaskol / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 20 Three generations: Carrie Fisher, with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, and daughter, Billie Lourd, in 1994. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 20 Carrie Fisher sits with her dog, Gary, at a panel at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim in 2015. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 20 Carrie Fisher, 3, gives mother Debbie Reynolds a hug after her afternoon nap in their home in West Los Angeles, on Nov. 16, 1959. (Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 20 Carrie Fisher leafs through her novel Delusions of Grandma before speaking at the Los Angeles Times annual authors luncheon in 1994. (Karen Tapia / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 20 Singer-composer Paul Simon and actress Carrie Fisher leave the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, after a memorial service for comedian John Belushi. (Marty Lederhandler / Associated Press) 8 / 20 Carrie Fisher interviews Steve Martin in 1999. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 20 Carrie Fisher photographed in her house in Beverly Hills in 2004. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 20 Carrie Fisher, in her bedroom in her Beverly Hils home. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 20 Carrie Fisher stars in her one-woman autobiographical show, Wishful Drinking, at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood on Nov. 4, 2006. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 20 Carrie Fisher, promoting her HBO special Wishful Drinking, in her home on Dec. 2, 2010. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 20 Carrie Fisher at the red-carpet premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Hollywood on Dec. 14, 2015. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 20 Carrie Fisher presents her mother, Debbie Reynolds, the Life Achievement Award at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2015. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 20 Carrie Fisher, right, with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2015. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 20 Carrie Fisher autographs her book The Best Awful at a promotional event in London. (John D. McHugh / Associated Press) 17 / 20 Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 10, 2015. (Richard Shotwell / Associated Press) 18 / 20 Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher attend the Midnight Missions Golden Heart Gala at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. (Araya Diaz / Getty Images) 19 / 20 Carrie Fisher with her daughter, Billie Lourd, on the red carpet at the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Hollywood on Dec. 14, 2015. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 20 Carrie Fishers most recent book is The Princess Diarist, a memoir based on the diaries she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars film. (Blue Rider Press / Associated Press)

Daughter to Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie was the last of a generation of Hollywood royalty, and instead of hiding behind the veneer of societal fame, she tore it down.

Her first novel, the 1987 Postcards From the Edge was a fictionalized version of her own struggles with drug addiction. The film adaptation, for which she wrote the screenplay, played off her own Hollywood upbringing to an even greater extent and jump-started her role as Tinseltown truth teller.

Fisher was TMI before it was an acronym, much less a hashtag, with better stories and much wittier prose.

What other public figure would reveal the use of electro-convulsive therapy to combat crippling depression, something Fisher explored in her memoir Shockaholic? Long before Youre the Worst and Bruce Springsteen put mental illness into the public purview, Fisher was on her couch discussing her own battle with mental illness on the 2006 TV documentary, Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive.

And how many Hollywood celebrities publicly bemoaned their own insecurities with such striking self-deprecating imagery? In The Princess Diarist Fisher recalled mentally torturing herself during her first Star Wars audition, assuming director George Lucas thought her face looked like a bowl of oatmeal with features. Although sometimes painfully self-effacing, Fishers irreverent delivery brought the audience in on the joke: We all sometimes feel like a bowl of oatmeal, and thats OK. We can just go sit by Fisher.

Even as she derided the vagaries of celebrity as obscurity biding its time, Fisher added new layers of depth to her fame, becoming a sought-after script doctor, writing eight books and turned one, Wishful Drinking, into a one-woman Broadway show, starring herself, which then became an HBO special.

Despite years of success and a fan following that would shame even the biggest of A-listers, Fisher never lost a sense of humor about her own status. A cameo on 30 Rock playing a washed-up feminist icon who drinks wine from a Thermos all day seemed like an interpretation of the darkest Carrie Fisher timeline, but what other celebrity would be willing to make that kind of jab at their own career, yelling to Tina Feys Liz Lemon: Youre my only hope!

Fisher was always unapologetically Fisher. When more than 5,000 people showed up to the Star Wars Celebration in London to hear the actress speak, she started off the panel by handing the mic to her dog, Gary Fisher. Even her Twitter account was penned in an indecipherable Fisher code, made up of emojis and jokes about searching for her face on Google Image.

When the princess finally returned to the galaxy far, far away with The Force Awakens it wasnt as an imperious queen or out-of-touch aged ambassador. Instead, she was Gen. Leia Organa, and it was so good to have her back.

Even with the passage of time and against the roar of their fans, Leia and Fisher remained their screwball tells-it-like-it-is selves. While the general issued orders, the actress fretted. Before The Force Awakens opened, Fisher told the Los Angeles Times she worried that she would not be as good this time, that new people were better, her hair once again looked terrible.

But then the truth teller emerged: Everyone thinks the same way, she said with a shrug. Only some people pretend better.

Carrie Fisher was never just a her, she was irreducibly an us. Her wit was empowering. Her words were strong. And she left this universe forever changed.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

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meredith.woerner@latimes.com

Twitter: @MdellW

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Dec. 27, 2016, 6:32 p.m. Carrie Fisher, the writer, edited Empire and leaves a legacy of witty and self-aware scripts and novels

Actress and writer Carrie Fisher is perhaps best known for portraying Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars films died Dec. 27.

Out on the Internet, along with the many heart-touching tributes to Carrie Fisher, photographs of her as Leia Organa, either as princess (the original trilogy) or general (from The Force Awakens) and with her beloved French bulldog Gary, theres another picture, originally placed there by cinema documentarian Will McCrabb, showing a page of the script of The Empire Strikes Back. On the script are several edits, in red pen, condensing and improving the script. McCrabb said the hand that put the edits there was Carrie Fishers, noting on Twitter that Fisher herself confirmed it to him.

Is he correct? The edits might have been made by Irwin Kershner, Empires director, instead. At the time  1979  Fisher would have been 22 years old. Yet here she was, looking at a script written by Lawrence Kasdan, who would go on to several screenwriting Oscar nominations, and Leigh Brackett, Howard Hawks secret screenwriting weapon and one of the great science fiction writers of her time, and thinking this needs some fixing. And then getting out her pen and doing just that.

Whoever made the edits wasnt wrong. At least some of the edits to the scene (in which Leia, Han and Chewbacca plot a course to visit Lando Calrissian) made it to the final cut of the film. Simpler, tighter, better  and with the rhythm of speech rather than exposition (science fiction, forever the genre of people explaining things to other people). Carrie Fisher played a galactic princess, but she had a working writers gift for understanding how people talk, and how language works. At 22.

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UPDATE: Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, mother of Carrie Fisher, passes away the day after her daughter
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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Movies

Dec. 27, 2016, 8:30 p.m. Star Wars fan group 501st Legion mourns the loss of Carrie Fisher, whom they call royalty, and plans memorials

Darth Vader, a stormtrooper, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher at the premiere of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in Washington, DC. (Mark Theiler / European Pressphoto Agency)

The largest contingent of Star Wars fans in the world, the 501st Legion or Vaders Fist, joined others in grieving from the loss of Carrie Fisher, who died at 60 after suffering a cardiac incident on a flight from London.

The charitable cosplay group posted on their Facebook page saying: The Empire may have captured the Princess, but the Princess captured our hearts.

UPDATE: Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, mother of Carrie Fisher, passes away the day after her daughter

Already, memorials are being planned for Fisher. The ladies of the Rebel Legion, the 501sts sister organization, are already organizing a memorial to be held during Star Wars Celebration in Orlando next April. They plan to have as many of our ladies dressed as Princess Leia as possible, said Shana Rich, a member of the public relations team for the 501st Legion.

The group does have splinter units worldwide, so events being planned are coming in slowly. In Colorado, members of the local chapters of the 501st and Rebel Legion are holding a public vigil Wednesday night from 5 p.m. to 7p.m. (Mountain Time) at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver.
Part of the shock of Carrie Fishers death Tuesday at age 60 was that she had recently been so productive and present in the public eye. If Carrie Fishers greatest role truly was as Carrie Fisher, actress, author, raconteur and chronicler of Hollywoods generational transitions, she was in the midst of a creatively flourishing time.

The revival of the Star Wars franchise had brought Fisher back to her best-known screen role of Leia Organa, the wry, fearless rebel leader. After her on-screen reprisal of the part in last years Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she had been confirmed as appearing in 2017s Star Wars: Episode VIII. Principal photography on the film concluded in the summer, but plot details, including what part Gen. Organa plays in the story and how the character might evolve or move forward in the already announced Star Wars: Episode IX, are currently unknown.

In November, Fisher had published her eighth book, The Princess Diarist, based in part on her journals from the production of the first Star Wars film. The book features the headline-grabbing admission that she had an affair with costar Harrison Ford while shooting the film. Fisher had made an appearance in Los Angeles at a signing for the book on Nov. 28.

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In her review for The Times, Meredith Woerner called the book an unflinching, sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious look inside the mind of a 19-year-old actress in the throes of a Hollywood locationship.

Fisher was born to Hollywood, the daughter of entertainers Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. A documentary portrait of the relationship between Fisher and her mother, Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and has since appeared at high-profile festivals in Telluride, New York and Los Angeles. It will play the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January before being broadcast on HBO early next year.

Directed by Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom, Bright Lights is a candid look at the relationship between Fisher and Reynolds. In an interview with The Times in the fall, Bloom remarked on Fishers disarming emotional candor in front of the camera when she said, I feel incredibly tender toward Carrie She is incredibly honest and kind of vulnerable at the same time.

Among other recent work, Fisher appeared in the television show Girlfriends Guide to Divorce. She had also just wrapped shooting on the third season of the British television comedy Catastrophe. On Tuesday, series cocreator, cowriter and costar Sharon Horgan posted a photo of herself with Fisher on Instagram, with a caption that stated, She was the most generous, fun, gifted, smart, kind, funny funny funny person Ive ever met.

A representative of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, where Fisher first staged her popular autobiographical Wishful Drinking show, confirmed that a new piece from Fisher and Wishful collaborator Josh Ravetch had recently been commissioned.

In her online post, Catastrophes Horgan echoed what many fans must also be feeling, that with Fishers recent rush of work, She certainly wasnt ready to go.

SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter 

Mark.Olsen@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter: @IndieFocus

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From the Archives: Star Wars hails the once and future space western
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 26

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Total revenues of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) are expected to be $5.8 billion in 2016 instead of the forecast $2.8 billion, SOFAZ Executive Director Shahmar Movsumov said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

Movsumov noted that SOFAZs budget and the state budget for 2016 were prepared on the basis of oil price of $25 per barrel.

Therefore, considering this oil price, the revenue part of SOFAZs budget was forecast at $2.8 billion, explained the executive director.

"Meanwhile, the average price for a barrel of oil was $41.7 during 2016, as a result of which the Funds total revenues are expected at $5.8 billion," he added.

Movsumov also said that depending on the rate differences which may arise as a result of changes in exchange rates of currencies included in the investment portfolio, the Funds USD assets may increase or decrease at the end of 2016 in line with the volume of the rate difference.

SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million.

Based on SOFAZs regulations, its funds may be used for construction and reconstruction of strategically important infrastructure facilities, as well as solving important national problems.

The main goals of the State Oil Fund are accumulation of resources and placement of the Funds assets abroad in order to minimize the negative effect on the economy, prevention of "Dutch disease", promotion of resource accumulation for future generations, and supporting current social and economic processes in Azerbaijan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Two of pop cultures intrepid forces  Shepard Fairey and Blondies Debbie Harry are polishing up a collaboration for the artists Obey clothing label next fall.

Forty years to the day that Blondie made its debut at CBGBs in the East Village, the draw for her indelible style remains intact. Fairey has described Blondie as one of his all-time favorite bands since he discovered them as a kid on pop radio. That interest only intensified as he got into punk and learned more about Blondies evolution from the CBGBs scene with bands like The Ramones, and Talking Heads. Along with always appreciating Blondies stylistic diversity, tackling genres such as rock, girl group, soul, disco, hip-hop and reggae, Fairey has described Harry as an amazing vocalist, lyricist, style icon, beauty and embodiment of NYC cool.

Really excited about whats in store for the upcoming Harry-infused special-edition womens line, Fairey said late last week, Ive been a Blondie fan my whole life and have collaborated with them in the past, which has been a dream come true. But working with Debbie on this project has been totally inspiring, Fairey said. Shes been very involved and hands-on for the whole process, just another display of her incredible talent.

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Building from a photo of Harry with a zebra background taken by Blondie cofounder Chris Stein, Fairey created an illustration for an Obey hoodie two years ago. The street artist, who is globally known for his Hope poster of President Obama, also took inspiration from Andy Warhols portrait of Harry, one of his favorite pieces by the artist, which had been coincidentally captured in progress by Stein. The $75 Harry-imprinted hoodie was an instant sellout.

The new year might be a monumental one for Fairey, who will stage a big solo project in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, many book lovers got a closer look at his artistry when he redesigned the Los Angeles Public Librarys membership card.

In February, the street artist will be honored at Art Wynwood with the Tony Goldman Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented in partnership with Wynwood Walls, the salute in Miami recognizes individuals in art whose careers have changed the industry.

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Dear Santa,

Please let me explain 

Were still processing exactly what happened, the emotional flare-ups, the snitty fits, the fights over petty stuff that happened in the third grade. Needless to say, things got out of hand very quickly this Christmas. And wed like to blame/credit you for all of that.

As you know, theres a new puppy in the house, which lent the holiday season a special aura (and the faint scent of ammonia). Unlike children, puppies are trainable and appreciative and wont bite your hand off when you reach out to tousle their heads.

Give a new puppy an old sock, and shell think she won the lottery. Give a kid a $300 device, and he wont even finish opening it before he moves on to the next overpriced gizmo.

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You get my drift 

Still, the kids were great. Thanks for luring them home with your traditional shtick. Americans act like we invented Christmas, when really all we did was rescue it from the dour Germans and turn it into the worlds best marketing campaign. A December to remember, and all that. It certainly was that. I cradled my coffee like a prayer book and tried to remember every little thing.

The kids were all home, all four or five of them  honestly, Ive lost count. The boyfriends were off with their own immediate families, which was a disappointment. Like pets, BFs are often far more appreciative and polite than your own children.

We gathered, as we always do, on Christmas morning, near the big wine stain in the den.

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, glitter had fallen from all the Christmas cards and now coated their pajamas like a first frost. Three of the kids sat on the hardwood floor, buffing them with their flannel rumps. The dogs sat on the couch, shedding hair in clumps despite the winter chill. Starting to think the new puppy might actually be a breed of Scottish lamb.

Before we even got started, one of the children filed a complaint.

Shes sooooo bossy, my daughter explained of her lovely and patient older sister, who had brought her to tears with some snarky but well-intended aside. To the Irish, words are like fish hooks  you dangle them, then you yank.

Eventually, we persuaded my younger daughter to re-join the group  with the promise of gift cards and shoes. Her eyes lit up, and the festivities began.

Santa, just wanted to say that you really knocked it out of the park this year. Maybe it was that Cubs cap you wore while making your rounds, or that $500 pair of Air Jordan Retros that keeps you so nimble.

What do I have to show for it? Tinsel, cookies, a chipped tooth ... a headache that might be an aneurysm.

The kids got all they asked for  and more. Way more. To the point where we cant really afford to repay you. What Im trying to say, Santa, is that youve driven us right into bankruptcy.

My goal is to stay solvent through the Super Bowl, then throw myself at the mercy of the courts. I will probably spend the next nine years as the inmate librarian in some sort of debtors prison. Hopefully, my cell will have a hotplate and a small TV.

Just the same, we appreciate every little thing youve done for us. The board games, and sweaters  the purses, the ponies, the Faberge eggs. The sedans, the Krugerrands, the earbuds, the jellies, the jams.

In fact, the kids are unwrapping their last Macys boxes as I write this, three days later. The dogs are pooping red ribbon and mistletoe, the dry furnace air has parched my esophagus. Most troubling, were getting uncomfortably close to the last of the Trader Joes wine.

Soon, the post-holiday bills will pour in. I will gladly attempt to pay them, vow to take it a easier next year, then probably bust the budget once again.

What do I have to show for it? Tinsel, cookies, a chipped tooth and a fridge full of half-finished roasts. A headache that might be an aneurysm.

But a festive Christmas brings back the children, doesnt it? From as far as Cincinnati, which is tough sledding this time of year. And from Santa Monica, which can be tricky too.

They are the ornaments on my tree, these kids. I am not much for solemn reflection, and discourage seriousness in almost any form. But Christmas with your children still feels like an elegy in a country church.

So thanks, Santa. For everything. But especially for them.

Chris.Erskine@latimes.com

Twitter: @erskinetimes

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A driver believed to be having a medical emergency veered into oncoming traffic Tuesday, striking a transit bus carrying passengers near Disneyland.

The driver died and 17 passengers on the bus were injured.

Police said the fatal crash occurred about 11:15 a.m. on Harbor Boulevard north of Ball Road in Anaheim. The driver of a Toyota Avalon was southbound on Harbor Boulevard when he lost control of his car and swerved into the northbound lane, colliding with an Orange County Transportation Authority bus, Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.

All lanes were closed for hours as police worked to rescue the driver and then investigated the crash. The man, 60, was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died.

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Of the 17 people on the bus who reported injuries, 14 were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Wyatt said.

For more California breaking news, follow @AngelJennings. She can also be reached at angel.jennings@latimes.com.

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A succulent plant discovered in Mexico more than 20 years ago by San Diego State University botany students may look small, but its name evokes a towering figure.

Mark Dodero, a senior biologist with the environmental consulting firm Recon, was listening to Jimi Hendrixs Voodoo Child while driving with then-fellow students Kim Marsden and Scott and Brenda McMillan in 1995 when they pulled over to investigate a mesa in the Colonel Peninsula, about 70 miles south of Ensenada in Baja California.

Having already discovered one succulent species a few years earlier, Dodero said he saw something about the terrain that made him think he might find another.

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He sensed his hunch was right after he hiked up the mesa and came upon a little plant that didnt look like other Dudleya, a genus of succulent, he knew.

Twenty one years later, his discovery was recognized in a paper recently published by the California Botanical Society. UC Santa Cruz professor Stephen McCabe, a co-author of the paper, rediscovered the plant in the same area after Dodero.

They named the plant Dudleya hendrixii, or Hendrixs liveforever, in honor of the late guitarist.

SDSU professor Michael Simpson, Doderos teacher at the time of the discovery and another co-author of the paper, said the publicity generated by naming the plant after Hendrix has had some residual benefits.

This has been an opportunity to promote what we do, Simpson said. And also, we have an opportunity to promote the need for preserving these plants.

The Dudleya hendrixii is found in an undeveloped area that the Mexican government has considered as a site to build the largest port in the country. If developed, Dodero said, more than 200,000 people could move into the area within the next 20 years.

Dodero said he didnt get around to publishing a paper on the plant until this year because work and life got in the way. He was sparked to action because of recent efforts to help preserve the area.

Its a very tiny town with one traffic light, Dodero said. It would have been a major development down there. Hopefully, this gives some impetus for preserving this portion of the mesa.

Dodero has been working with Terra Peninsular, a conservation group that is trying to buy land to keep it from being developed.

Simpson said that although the plant is only known to exist on 2 acres, it may be difficult to get the Mexican government to identify it as endangered.

I just talked to a colleague who said thats very difficult to do, he said. Theres a lot of bureaucracy.

The plant also could be listed as rare and in danger of extinction by the California Native Plant Society, and some botanists in Mexico are working at starting their own chapter of the organization, Simpson said.

Dodero said he believes the plant and surrounding land are worth saving.

You never know, he said. They find medicine in plants. We want to preserve biodiversity. Plus, its a beautiful place.

Simpson said about two plants are discovered each year in California, and the Dudleya hendrixii is one of three new species reported in the latest edition of the publication Madrono.

Still a Hendrix fan, Dodero said he thinks the guitarist would appreciate having a plant named after him and the efforts to preserve the land it is on from development.

You listen to his words, and a lot of times hes talking about the environment and how its getting messed up, he said.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Warth writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune
The holidays should be a festive time for Matt Weinberg, co-owner of the once-thriving Skyscraper Brewing Co. But any visions that dance in his head this year likely include his award-winning Lug Nut Lager swirling down the drain, along with the rest of his business.

Weinberg and his company are embroiled in legal battle with the City of Industry, which they accuse of breaking its promise to help them relocate to the San Gabriel Valley town in 2011. Not only did the city effectively put Skyscraper out of business, the brewerys lawsuit alleges, but in August 2015 it also seized its equipment and records, including its proprietary recipes.

This is something we created, gave birth to as it were, and theyre missing, he said in an interview. I dont know where they are, but we dont have them.

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The lawsuit, filed this year in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that city officials induced Skyscraper to move to Industry from El Monte  and then reneged on its pledge to finance the companys $3.2-million purchase of city-owned property at 19835 E. Walnut Drive North.

After the brewery spent more than $500,000 on the move, the City went back on its promises and refused to finance or approve the sale, the Skyscraper complaint alleges. After repeatedly assuring Skyscraper it would be able to fully operate at the site, city officials abruptly terminated negotiations in July 2015 and a month later locked out the business, the lawsuit states.

We were building the business and then it just stopped.  Matt Weinberg, co-owner of Skyscraper Brewing Co.

About 25 employees lost their jobs, Weinberg said.

It was crushing, absolutely crushing, he said. We were building the business and then it just stopped. It was like a train moving forward, not at full throttle but at a pretty good clip, and then the wheels were taken out from under us.

The lawsuit seeks $32 million in damages for lost revenue from brewing and distribution. Besides making its own micro-craft beers, the company distributed other brands and was servicing 1,400 accounts by 2012, according to the lawsuit.

Industry City Attorney James Casso and City Manager Paul Philips declined to comment on the pending litigation.

In court papers, the city contends that Skyscrapers deal with the Industry Urban Development Agency, or its successor agency, was never signed because the Legislature dissolved California redevelopment agencies in 2011. It also blames the company.

Plaintiff is victim to its own poor business management, and cannot now seek to remedy its errors by blaming others, the city states in one filing.

The two sides are due in court in Pomona on Jan. 17 for a hearing on the citys demurrer challenging the complaint.

Reviving the specter of corruption allegations in the industrial suburb, home to about 220 residents, Skyscrapers lawsuit ties the citys actions to extortionate fees charged by Valley Vista Services, a trash-hauling company owned by former Mayor David Perez and his family.

Weinberg said Valley Vista charged the brewery thousands of dollars for services it did not provide. When Skyscrapers owners complained and refused to pay, the lawsuit contends, the city retaliated by scotching the relocation deal to further the private interests of the Perez family.

In 2015, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said it had opened an investigation into the financial dealings between the city and Perezs companies. That probe was triggered by a city-commissioned financial review by auditing firm KPMG that found Perezs companies had reaped $326 million from city contracts over two decades.

In January 2016, state auditors examining Industrys finances reported that the city had paid tens of millions of dollars to contractors without tracking how the money was spent and what services were provided. Questionable spending included expensive meals, wine tastings, massages and a 65-inch television charged to city credit cards.

Prosecutors did not respond to a request for comment made through the district attorneys office spokesman Greg Risling.

The district attorneys office also launched an investigation of Industry in 2009  the same year The Times detailed the familys grip on contracts for trash hauling, street sweeping and other services  but ultimately filed no charges.

Industry has instituted reforms, including reviewing contracts and invoices and hiring former state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer to monitor its efforts.

I think we are really doing well, Philips said, noting an awful lot of internal changes have been made, including new checks and balances.

The Skyscraper lawsuit names Curtis Fresch, a former City of Industry employee, as a defendant.

Fresch, while working for an engineering firm under contract to the city, forcibly entered Skyscrapers offices in August 2015, changed the locks and removed the business property, the complaint states. Skyscraper attorney Oleg Stolyar said Fresch gave his clients zero notice of the eviction, no legal process, nothing.

In 2010, The Times reported that Fresch was paid more than $300,000 that year as a $160-an-hour renewable energy consultant in the industrial city of Vernon, where his late brother, Eric Fresch, made as much as $1.6 million a year as city administrator.

While working for the contracted engineering firm, Fresch was in charge of selling city properties. In August, he moved onto the city payroll as interim utility administrator, at an annual salary of $175,000, according to documents released to The Times in November through a public records request.

He has since resigned, effective Dec. 4, other city records show.

Neither Fresch nor his attorney in the Skyscraper lawsuit responded to messages seeking comment.

kim.christensen@latimes.com

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Gen. Gregorio Alvarez, the last leader of Uruguays brutal dictatorship of the 1970s and 80s, died Wednesday at age 91 while serving a sentence for human rights abuses.

The Central Hospital of the Armed Forces in Uruguays capital confirmed the death.

Under Alvarez, Uruguay was part of the secret alliance of South American dictatorships known as Operation Condor, in which the military leaders cooperated in persecuting and killing one anothers dissidents.

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Alvarez, himself the son of a general, participated in the 1973 coup that dissolved congress following a government crackdown on the Marxist Tupamaro rebels who were trying to seize power by force. One of Alvarezs brothers was killed by Tupamaro attackers in 1972.

Alvarez became army chief in 1978 and took over the presidency in 1981. His government imprisoned democratic critics and censored the media.

Alvarez agreed to hand over power to an elected civilian government in 1984 as the wave of dictatorships in the region was starting to recede. Argentinas military rule ended a year earlier and Brazils a year later.

Hundreds of suspected leftists were arrested and tortured during the dictatorship, and historians say an estimated 180 Uruguayans were killed  most of them while in the custody of the governments Argentine allies.

In 2009, Alvarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his responsibility in the death or disappearance of 37 Uruguayans under Operation Condor.

During his trial, Alvarez said he knew nothing of illegal abductions and forced disappearances.

Prosecutors argued that Alvarez was in a position to know what happened to the political prisoners as army commander in chief and later as de facto president.

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Bathroom mats. Toilet seats. Shoes. Dog tags.

All of these items have, in recent years, gone on sale adorned with images of Hindu deities, particularly that of Ganesha, known most commonly in the West for his elephant face.



For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that a Pew Research Center study on attitudes toward different religious groups rated Catholics on a feelings thermometer at 63 and Jews at 62 degrees. The survey actually showed Catholics with a 62 rating and Jews with a 63 rating.

It is inappropriate, and it is offensive to devotees, said Rajan Zed, a Reno, Nev.-based Hindu activist who protests against such commercial products.

I havent seen Christ on toilet seat covers. Or any symbol of Islam, said Vasudha Narayanan, a professor of religion at the University of Florida. If you wouldnt do it with one, why do you want to do it with something else? Or at least wouldnt it behoove you to check?

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Every few months, Zed said, he receives a message about some insensitive commercial use of a Hindu image.

Most recently, Zed called on Amazon to pull deity-decorated skateboards and bedding from its online shelves. (This was not the first time the retailer got itself into hot water over such practices. In June, the hashtag #boycottAmazon trended on Twitter in India after users discovered doormats with images of Hindu deities available for sale. Amazon removed the items within days.)

Earlier this month, Zed asked online retailers Wayfair and Kess In House to stop selling bathmats, doormats, dog beds, leggings and rugs with images of Ganesha, who often is invoked in prayers for prosperity and success at the beginning of new ventures.

When you have your foot not just pointing to but touching a god on footwear, its a double-whammy.  Vasudha Narayanan, professor of religion at the University of Florida

Another time, there was the Burger King commercial in Spain that featured Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, sitting atop a hamburger with the caption, The snack is sacred in Spanish. (Many Hindus are vegetarian, with beef considered especially off-limits because of the sacredness of the cow.)

The use of these images in a secular context, and particularly in a context that is in direct opposition to the basic tenets of the Hindu religion, displays a lack of respect, Narayanan said.

In Hinduism, myriad deities and their representation through images, sounds (like the chanting of om) and expressive forms like dance or music are an attempt to capture the many facets of a supreme being whose existence is difficult to grasp, Narayanan said. As such, depictions of the sacred are themselves considered to be sacred, she said.

Consider that time in 2013 when Urban Outfitters drew criticism for selling socks with depictions of Ganesha around the ankles.

Feet are considered the lowest form of a being, Narayanan said. Pointing ones feet at another person is considered to be extremely disrespectful, while bowing at someones feet is a mark of veneration.

When you have your foot not just pointing to but touching a god on footwear, its a double-whammy, Narayanan said. Even the most liberal Hindus that I know  this they would find particularly jarring.

Its not that Hindus categorically reject the use of religious images on artistic or commercial products.

In India, for example, images of Lakshmi are commonly used to sell lottery tickets. In another well-known advertisement, Hanuman, a monkey-faced deity known in Hindu mythology as an efficient, swift emissary, promises fast delivery for ABT Parcel Service, a transportation and post service in south India.

Context shapes whether something is a misappropriation or appropriation or appreciation, said Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, an advocacy group for Hindu Americans. Someone whos doing it out of appreciation or reverence would never put it on a toilet. That automatically becomes the filter, she said.

Most of the time, when Zed reaches out to companies to ask them to stop selling an item or displaying an advertisement, he said, they apologize and comply. Its ignorance, basically, Zed said. People dont know our traditions and our deities.

Indians are a relatively new immigrant group in the U.S., with many having arrived after immigration laws changed in 1965, abolishing national-origins quotas and establishing a preference for skilled workers and families. Indians comprise only about 1% of the U.S. population, and Hindus are a fraction of that, as Indians practice a variety of faiths. There also are Hindu immigrants from other countries, albeit in even smaller numbers.

Knowing someone from a religious group is linked with having more positive views of that group, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey. Only 22% of respondents in the survey said they knew someone who was Hindu, and when asked to rate their attitudes toward various religious groups on a feelings thermometer (where 0 degrees meant viewing a group as coldly and negatively as possible), they rated Hindus somewhat neutrally, at 50 degrees.

By contrast, a majority of Americans said they knew someone who was Catholic or Jewish; those groups received ratings of 62 and 63 degrees, respectively.

Susan Scafidi, a law professor at Fordham University in New York and author of Who Owns Culture?, a book about cultural appropriation and American law, said people commonly borrow religious symbols from other cultures because they are the clearest expression of those cultures.

People reach for things that are accessible  and dont stop to think necessarily what those pieces of culture might mean, Scafidi said. Instead, they infuse the symbol with their own, usually inchoate, meaning, she said.

It doesnt typically come from a place of racism or hatred. Its more thoughtlessness, Scafidi added.

But after a group has made it known that a particular use of an image or cultural artifact is offensive, companies that continue to use it are choosing to place profits above respect, she said.

Some Hindu symbols have become particularly valuable to brands.

For instance, Brahma Beer in Brazil is by some estimates the ninth top-selling beer in the world. Though the reason behind the selection of the name Brahma is unclear (the brand originated in 1888), the name also refers to a Hindu god and is antithetical in a religion that sees alcohol as impure  or that at the very least would not associate it with worship.

Zed said he contacted Anheuser-Busch InBev, now the owner of Brahma, about discontinuing the product, but he acknowledged that it was too significant a revenue source for the company to terminate.

In the U.S., the multibillion-dollar yoga industry has for years produced yoga mats, towels and exercise pants that place om symbols and images of Ganesha close to or directly underneath the feet and legs. But Scafidi said these images are probably more an asset than a liability to companies at this point because they have been accepted by the mainstream rather than seen as offensive to another culture.

See the most-read stories this hour 

Thats a big problem, said Shukla, of the Hindu-American Foundation.

On the one side, people are very familiar with Hindu concepts like karma or reincarnation and practices like yoga, she said. But on the other hand, these elements have been stripped of any association with Hinduism.

Shuklas group is trying to change that. Its members previously launched a Take Back Yoga campaign to educate the public about yogas connection to Hinduism.

This year, when the American holiday of Halloween and the Hindu holiday of Diwali overlapped, the group embarked on an effort to dispel myths about the swastika, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune in Hinduism that was notoriously misappropriated by Hitler.

The more people understand about Hindu practice, the greater the likelihood of [symbols] being used in context, Shukla said.

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

Twitter: @AgrawalNina

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Further burnishing his environmental legacy, President Obama on Wednesday designated two new national monuments in rugged areas of Utah and Nevada  places that have deep cultural importance for Native Americans but that have become flashpoints in the debate over control of public land in the West.

The larger and perhaps more controversial of the two, the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah, encompasses 1.35 million acres of desert and canyons that are ancestral lands of several Indian tribes, including the Navajo Nation, whose reservation is just to the south.

Now, members of the Navajo, Hopi, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni tribes, all of which pushed for the designation, will serve on what the administration described as an unprecedented special commission that will advise the federal government on how to protect the area while also ensuring access so tribal members can collect traditional medicinal plants and perform tribal ceremonies.

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While both national monuments will be open for recreation, their designation means they will be better protected from development such as mining and oil and gas production. In the West, where half of the land is controlled by the federal government, many states and elected officials have long accused the government of putting up barriers to local economic development.

Yet on Wednesday, Russell Begaye, the president of the Navajo Nation, invoked history older than any government, saying that the area had provided food and sanctuary to tribes for millennia.

These places  the rocks, the wind, the land  they are living, breathing things, Begaye said.

The monument, which is directly south of Canyonlands National Park, is smaller than the 1.9 million acres the tribal groups had sought but larger than the 1.2 million acres that Utahs congressional delegation had proposed for protection under legislation that has stalled in Congress.

Begaye said the tribal coalition was elated by the designation.

That area that we most want is fully covered by the 1.35 million, he said.

Obama also designated the Gold Butte National Monument, 300,000 acres along Nevadas border with Arizona that is between Lake Mead, a crucial reservoir for the drought-stricken Colorado River, and the Grand Canyon. The administration said the area holds important tribal sites as well as historic ranching structures and sites related to early Spanish settlements.

It is near the ranch of Cliven Bundy, whose family led standoffs with the government in Nevada in 2014 and at Oregons Malheur National Wildlife Refugue this year, protesting what it said were unfair federal land policies.

The administration said Wednesday that both monument areas had been subject to vandalism and that the designation would bring them greater protection. It also said the Gold Butte National Monument would improve climate resilience by preserving corridors for wildlife to travel.

Obama said in a statement that the monuments would protect some of our countrys most important cultural treasures, including abundant rock art, archaeological sites, and lands considered sacred by Native American tribes and ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes.

Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, a Democrat and the departing minority leader, has long pushed for the Gold Butte designation. On Wednesday, he called Gold Butte quintessential Nevada, with landscapes unlike anything else in the world.

Critics said the designations would stir further resentment among people angry about federal land policy. About 65% of the land in Utah is owned by the federal government.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said the presidents unilateral decision to invoke the Antiquities Act in Utah politicizes a long-simmering conflict and threatens to further inflame controversies that were near resolution.

Using executive power under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the president has designated more than two dozen national monuments, totaling more than 550 million acres, though the vast majority of that area is protected water.

As they have with other conservation measures enacted at the end of his administration, the designations on Wednesday raised questions about whether his Republican successor, Donald Trump, may try to reverse them.

Christy Goldfuss, managing director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, noted on Wednesday that no president had reversed a previous presidents monument designation and that the act does not specify the authority to do so. Yet Goldfuss conceded that Congress, now under Republican control, has the power to change the law.

Goldfuss noted that Bears Ears had been considered for protection since the 1930s. Despite that history, Chaffetz called the designation a midnight move.

We look forward to working with President-elect Trump to follow through on his commitment to repeal midnight regulations, Chaffetz said. We will work to repeal this top-down decision and replace it with one that garners local support and creates a balanced, win-win solution.

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UPDATES:

4:25 p.m.: The story was updated with additional context.

4:05 p.m.: The story was updated throughout with additional details and context.

The story was originally published at 2:33 p.m.
Three stranded teenage boys from California called 911 and calmly sat atop a capsized boat before being rescued from waters off the Florida Keys, authorities said Wednesday.

Monroe County Sheriffs spokeswoman Becky Herrin says Zack Sowder and Brent Shishido, both 18, and Jacob Sowder, 16  all of Orange County  were perched on the overturned hull, their life jackets trapped under the 22-foot vessel, when help arrived Tuesday.

Marine Deputy James Hagar spotted the teens about 2 miles off the coast and brought them ashore in his patrol boat. A photo released by the sheriffs office showed the teens seated on a small section of the hull that still jutted above the waters.

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Fortunately they knew their rough location. They were lucky they had a cell signal, sheriffs officials wrote on their Facebook page.

Hagar had just taken his boat out of the water around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday when he got the call about the stranded teenagers.

He quickly put the boat back in the water, Herrin said in a statement.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator David Bingham joined Hagar in the search for the boys.

The teens had anchored the 22-foot rented boat on the Atlantic side of Little Torch Key, which is some 30 miles north of Key West.

Later Tuesday, Zack Sowder showed his sense of humor on social media.

Make sure your bilge works before you run five miles offshore and realize its too late, Zack Sowder tweeted Tuesday night, along with two photos from the scene. Other than that great day on the water.

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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 
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Kazakhstan has applied to arbitration to solve the dispute with other shareholders of the Karachaganak project, Kazakh media quoted Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev as saying.

Karachaganak oil field is being developed within the Production Sharing Agreement reached between Kazakhstan and consortium of Western companies.

"We think that during a certain period of time we did not receive part of the states share of oil from the Karachaganak field. We believe that the methodology used by the project contractors to count their share and the share of the republic, it is not fair and does not meet the Production Sharing Agreement," Bozumbayev said in an interview with Astana TV channel.

The minister said that oil that was not received is worth billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is not trying to change the Production Sharing Agreement, stressed the minister.

"The shareholders of Karachaganak have recently made us some proposal, which we are discussing now. I expect we will go through arbitration and negotiate at the same time. If the proposal of Karachaganak contractors satisfies the republic, we step away from the arbitration, Bozumbayev said.

The Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field, located in the West Kazakhstan province, is one of the largest fields in the world. Its reserve is estimated at over 1.2 billion tons of liquid hydrocarbons and 1.3 trillion cubic meters of gas.

The field produces almost 45 percent of the total volume of gas and 16 percent of the total volume of liquid hydrocarbons produced in Kazakhstan.

In 2015 as much as 141.7 million barrels of oil equivalent was produced from the field.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Good morning. Its Wednesday, Dec. 28, and heres whats going on across California:

TOP STORIES

Money and power

Los Angeles mega-developer Rick Caruso wants Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council to approve a 20-story residential tower on La Cienega Boulevard, on a site where new buildings are currently limited to a height of just 45 feet. A look at the how the forces of money and power come to bear at City Hall during this high-stakes game. Los Angeles Times

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Hollywood mourning

From the moment Carrie Fisher stepped onto the screen in 1977s Star Wars, the character of Leia Organa  whip-smart, wryly funny and fearless enough to stand up to Darth Vader without batting an eye, with an iconic set of hair-buns on her head  inspired generations of young girls to be bold and inspired crushes in generations of young boys. But her story in Hollywood was far from a fairy tale, and she became one of the industrys most important and brutally honest memorialists. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Author John Scalzi remembers Fisher the writer. Fishers legacy includes her written words  cutting, clever, observant, self-aware and unbowed. Los Angeles Times

Ghost Ship questions

A review of government records shows a troubling pattern in the way Oakland inspectors dealt with illegally converted warehouses before the catastrophic Ghost Ship fire. Officials often failed to conduct safety inspections, even on the warehouses that were well known. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Old school: Call them the Mexican American version of the wet T-shirt contest. Leg contests remain a mainstay at clubs across Southern California, even in an era when this kind of objectification is considered crude and offensive. Los Angeles Times

Gas woes: Southern California Gas Co. has detected methane seepage near the massive Aliso Canyon underground gas field, but a spokesman said the very, very small amount is odorless and poses no health hazard to residents. Los Angeles Times

Eatery retreat: A bunch of El Torito and Acapulco restaurants will be closing across Southern California. The move comes as the owner of the Mexican food chain is looking for ways to modernize and expand. Orange County Register

Midcentury mystery: How some old architectural plans have solved a riddle in Palm Springs. Desert Sun

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Enrollment drop: Where have all the black students gone? California universities have seen a big decline in African American enrollment in recent years. Sacramento Bee

Meditation crackdown: San Francisco is cracking down on meditation sessions at an upscale condo complex near Dolores Park. Is it fallout from the Ghost Ship fire? Mission Local

Dont hold the phone: This might be the time to get one of those phone holders for your car. In the effort to cut down on distracted driving, beginning Jan. 1, it will be illegal to hold your phone while driving. Sacramento Bee

Books gone: The disappearance of books at UC Santa Cruzs research libraries points to a larger issue in academia. Mercury News

CRIME AND COURTS

Misconduct claims: Allegations of perjury and making false statements by San Diego police officers have emerged in separate lawsuits filed by a lieutenant and a detective who claim theyve been retaliated against for speaking out about misconduct. San Diego Union-Tribune

San Bernardino shootings: The surge in violence that had plagued San Bernardino didnt take a break on Christmas Day, when five people were shot and wounded. San Bernardino Sun

Threat assessment: A closer look at the Orange County community college instructors comment on Trump and its unexpected aftermath. Washington Post

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Melting: Californias Sierra snow pack is getting stronger, but its also melting fairly quickly. KPBS

Parade forecast: Southern California will get another round of rain, but it looks as if the Rose Parade will remain dry. At least for now. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Local sounds: Its been said Los Angeles musicians had a tough time this year scoring in the big leagues. But that might not be 100% true. Los Angeles Times

Motel life: Residential motels like the Hotel California in a gritty section of Fresno struggle with a variety of problems. But officials see them as necessary in a state with a dire lack of affordable housing. Fresno Bee

Revival push: Slowly but surely, an ambitious effort to remake downtown Santa Rosa is moving forward. Press Democrat

Hidden cost of streaming: The push to make the cloud more friendly to the environment. Wired

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Sunny with highs in the low to mid-70s. San Diego: Partly cloudy; highs in the low 70s. San Francisco area and Sacramento: Sunny with highs in the upper 50s.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Jane Applegate:

I feel sorry for kids today who, as babies, are given a phone or digital device to keep them quiet. When my younger sisters and I made too much noise, my mother shooed us outside to explore the deep, wooded gully across the street from our house at the end of a cul-de-sac in Woodland Hills. Our tract homes were built in a former walnut grove and those tough, green walnuts became ammunition for slingshots and street fights. Always the boys against the girls. After our first spat, my sixth-grade boyfriend, Karl, rolled a dozen walnuts in mud and hurled them against my garage. I was in big trouble when the cheap beige paint washed off the garage along with the mud. I hid from my fathers rage in the hut we built deep in the gully, breathing in the dense, woodsy fragrance. I was safe in the woods. And, from then on, being outdoors, far away from civilization was where I longed to be.

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.
It is deeply depressing to see the hopes for peace dimming further as Israel continues to expand its settlements in the Palestinian territories, against the better judgment and repeated warnings of virtually the entire world.

Yet it is not at all surprising. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  who could soon eclipse David Ben-Gurion as the countrys longest serving prime minister  a succession of right-wing coalition governments has in recent years effectively reversed Israels support for a two-state solution to the century-old conflict. The most visible symbol of that tragic flip-flop has been the surge in Israeli settlement on the West Bank and the expansion of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. Settlements now house hundreds of thousands of Israelis, often behind barricades and fortifications. These developments are not only provocative, but by their very geography they subdivide the Palestinian territories and make the ultimate goal of a contiguous, independent Palestinian state alongside Israel increasingly unattainable.

Despite its bad rap, the two-state solution remains the best hope for peace in the region, and settlement expansion remains one of the biggest obstacles to it.

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Settlement expansion is nothing new, but in recent weeks the situation has again deteriorated. In mid-November, the Israeli government sought to legalize a group of illegal settlement outposts that had been built without approval on privately owned Palestinian land. Then last week, the United Nations Security Council voted to condemn Israeli settlement activity as a flagrant violation of international law. In a stunning move, the United States  usually Israels staunchest ally  declined to veto the resolution, allowing it to pass. But instead of reconsidering or backing down under world pressure, officials in Israel said Monday that they would proceed with thousands of new units, including 5,600 that have been proposed for the disputed eastern part of Jerusalem. Israel does not turn the other cheek, Netanyahu declared defiantly on Monday.

Why is this such bad news? Because despite its bad rap, the two-state solution remains the best hope for peace in the region, and settlement expansion remains one of the biggest obstacles to its success. It is tragic that the occupation  and the death, misery and instability that go with it  continues 50 years after the territories were seized by Israel in the Six Day War, and though the prospects for an agreement seem inauspicious at the moment, the negotiation process needs to be nurtured rather than undermined.

Into this mess stumbles Americas new president-elect, who has eagerly aligned himself with the irresponsible Netanyahu government. Before even taking office, Donald J. Trump has proposed a controversial bankruptcy lawyer named David Friedman to be U.S. ambassador to Israel even though Friedman has expressed skepticism about the two-state solution and is an outspoken supporter of West Bank settlement. Trump has also vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a potentially inflammatory step presidents have repeatedly declined to take because the citys status is still in dispute. As for last weeks Security Council resolution, Trump had called for a veto and, when the U.S. instead abstained, he tweeted ominously that things will be different after Jan. 20.

Frankly, no one loves the nearly moribund two-state solution these days  not the left or the right, not the Jews or the Palestinians. But what alternative is there? Permanent Israeli military occupation  and the permanent intifada that would inevitably go with it? A single-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians live side by side and Israel ceases to be a Jewish state? Are these scenarios practicable? Are they desirable? Trump should think hard about the regions future before upending U.S. policy or taking provocative action.

Israelis offer plenty of justifications for the occupation and the settlements. They often claim that their opponents are virulent anti-Semites who wont be mollified with territory, and no doubt some are. They point to rockets and other violence by Hamas and other radical groups, and of course such threats exist. Israelis also argue that many Palestinians have not adequately rejected the politics of hatred, martyrdom and violence, and indeed many have not.

None of that is encouraging. Nor is the Israeli response of walls, collective punishment, arrests and settlement expansion. Yet until someone offers a better suggestion, there is no realistic alternative to good-faith negotiations aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel. At the moment, the prospects for peace are dim, but in the years ahead they must be revived rather than crushed.

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The voters have spoken on marijuana. Trump ought to listen.

Canadas sanctuary for migrants is built on a strict immigration policy

The media got a lot wrong this year, but the criticism has been over the top
Californians may have voted overwhelmingly on Nov. 8 to legalize marijuana, but Americans also elected Donald Trump, whose position on legalization has been a bit  hazy. Thats a potential problem because marijuana is regulated under federal law, giving Trump and his administration veto power over whether California and the seven other states that have voted to legalize cannabis can really do so.

So where does the president-elect stand on pot? He has said he supports individuals right to use medical marijuana 100%, which is good news for the 29 states that allow medicinal use of pot. As for adult recreational use, which Californians approved through Proposition 64, its hard to say what he believes because his statements have been all over the map, shifting from audience to audience.

In a 1990 speech in South Florida, where drug cartels had waged a bloody fight in the 1980s, Trump said that the nations war on drugs had been a failure; it would be better, he said, to legalize and tax drugs and spend the money on drug prevention. (Sounds a bit like The Times endorsement of Proposition 64.) But that was 26 years ago. During his presidential run, Trump told Fox News host Bill OReilly, a staunch prohibitionist, that he was concerned Colorados decision to legalize recreational use was causing a lot of problems out there. Then, while campaigning in Nevada (where voters last month passed a ballot measure to allow adult use of marijuana), Trump said legalization should be decided by the states.

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It would be foolhardy for the federal government to dig in on cannabis prohibition now.

If that last statement gave a glimmer of hope to advocates of legalization, Trump undermined it with his nominee for attorney general, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, a hard-line opponent of reforming marijuana laws.

During a Senate hearing in April on how the Department of Justice was dealing with states that have legalized cannabis, Sessions declared that good people dont smoke marijuana. And hes been a frequent critic of the Obama administrations hands-off approach to states that allow medical and recreational marijuana.

For the last three years, the Justice Departments policy has been to not interfere with states that allow the commercial sale of marijuana as long as there are strict regulations in place, including rules to prevent sales to minors and to block criminal enterprises from participating. That policy guided California lawmakers as they crafted new medical marijuana licensing regulations in 2015, as well as the advocates who wrote Proposition 64. Sessions, however, has said the DOJs policy is wrong. We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that its in fact a very real danger, he declared in April.

If Sessions does take charge of the Justice Department, he could reverse the DOJ policy and undermine Californias new rules. That would be a step backward. In most of the states that have voted to legalize marijuana, commercialization has ushered in much-needed regulation. Its how Colorado sought to ensure the safety of the marijuana people were already consuming. Its how California will attempt to stop illegal cultivation, which has devastated sensitive ecosystems. The goal of Proposition 64 is to eliminate the black market and transform the existing multibillion-dollar underground industry into one regulated for consumer safety, environmental protection and public health.

Even if the new administration doesnt reverse the Justice Department policy, it will still need to be a partner in creating common-sense policies. For example, because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, pot shops typically cant open bank accounts or accept credit cards because financial services companies fear being penalized by federal regulators for handling money from unlawful drug sales.

That means marijuana products are typically sold for cash, and dispensary owners pay their employees, their landlords and their taxes in cash, inviting crime and making it harder to regulate the sale of cannabis. With such problems in mind, California Treasurer John Chiang recently sent a letter to Trump seeking guidance on how his administration would deal with the conflict between state and federal law.

Decades of experience has shown that the U.S. cant win a war on marijuana. It would be foolhardy for the federal government to dig in on cannabis prohibition now, when voters are increasingly choosing to legalize the drug for medicinal and recreational use. Trump and his attorney general ought to adhere to the will of state voters and demonstrate the kind of pragmatic leadership on marijuana policy that has too often been missing in the federal government.

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Patt Morrison Asks: Barbara Boxer is leaving the U.S. Senate but not the struggle

Canadas sanctuary for migrants is built on a strict immigration policy

L.A.'s proposed ban on single adults near playgrounds is fear-based policy making at its worst
To a lot of commentators, Canada looks like a sanctuary for progressive thinking on immigration, an exception to the nativist wave sweeping the United States and Europe.

A recent cover of the Economist put a maple leaf crown on the Statue of Liberty and proclaimed Canada an example to the world. Famously, on election day, the Canadian immigration website crashed because of the number of Americans reportedly considering a move to their northern neighbor as Donald Trump won the presidency. Year after year, polls show that Canadians are, by far, more open and more optimistic about immigration than the citizens in any other Western country.

But such optimism is perhaps easier to achieve in Canada than in other nations: For historical and geopolitical reasons, Canada does not have to cope with the same immigration challenges as the U.S. and Europe.

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To start, Canada has pursued a much more selective immigration policy than the United States or any western European country. It accepts far more immigrants legally than most Western nations, but under a policy designed primarily to dovetail with the economic interests of the nation.

Canadians are undoubtedly more tolerant of immigration than many of their Western peers.

Since the 1960s, the country has sought to reduce instances of racial bias in its immigration policy, and it now prioritizes professional competence in a younger generation of migrants, regardless of ethnicity. In 1967, it was the first country to move to points-based admission, which other countries have adopted and refined since then: Applicants are rated according to their skills and adaptability relative to the Canadian workforce.

In consequence, Canada accepts far fewer immigrants on the basis of family ties than in the U.S., for example, and the proportion of skilled immigrants is much higher. Further, the country sets a higher education standard for immigrants than the U.S. (which is in turn more demanding than Europe). This more-selective immigration policy is likely to lead to fewer integration problems and easier access to jobs.

Canadas selectivity is helped by its geographical position. It does not share a border with a country where wages are much lower (as the U.S. does with Mexico), and it isnt next door to unstable regions (as Europe is to North Africa and the Middle East). The result is that few undocumented migrants move across the countrys southern border, as is the case in the U.S.; and few migrants land on its shores by boat, as in Europe.

The points system and geography also have a noticeable effect on where Canadas immigrants come from.

Official data show that the leading countries among foreign-born residents in Canada are the United Kingdom, China and India. In the U.S., 28% are Mexicans and 24% are from other Latin American countries. In Europe, foreign-born residents originate mainly from the Muslim world (in the Netherlands, for instance, Turkey, Suriname and Morocco; in France  Algeria and Morocco). Consequently, Canada does not have to deal (at least not on the same scale) with the complex problems associated with integrating newcomers from a rural and conservative Muslim background into a highly secular environment.

Not that Canada hasnt welcomed Muslims. Between November 2015 and November 2016, it resettled more than 35,000 Syrian refugees; most European countries have been much more reluctant to extend permanent status to these immigrants. But again, Canada can and does exert a great deal of control over the process.

Refugees accepted in Canada have been selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Theyve had health and criminal background screenings; their identities have been permanently registered using biometric security methods such as iris scanning. Canada accepts only whole families, single women or children. Single men, considered a possible security threat, are turned away.

In contrast, a recent study carried out by UNHCR shows that about 62% of all migrants who arrived in Europe in 2015 were men; 22% were children and only 16% were women. (A portion of these are Syrian refugees, but the EUs inadequate screening does not allow us to estimate the number.) Of course, not all of them were accepted for permanent settlement, but these numbers show that European nations do not have the luxury to pick and choose refugees.

Canadians are undoubtedly more tolerant of immigration than many of their Western peers. The country succeeds in having both an efficient welfare state and an institutional multiculturalism that may provide an inspiring example for a globalizing world. But this success is also because of its specific geopolitical situation, and because it has one of the strictest immigration systems in the Western world.

Paul May is a lecturer in political science at Harvard University.

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Patt Morrison Asks: Barbara Boxer is leaving the U.S. Senate but not the struggle

The media got a lot wrong this year, but the criticism has been over the top

The voters have spoken on marijuana. Trump ought to listen.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which describes Israels settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal, should never have passed last week. But the U.S. refused to use its veto power, in part because, as Secretary of State John F. Kerry explained in a speech on Wednesday, the Obama administration believes settlements are an obstacle to peace in the Middle East. In the outgoing administrations view, extreme criticism is, conversely, necessary to advance the peace process.

This argument is dead wrong. Still, lets examine it.

Although administration officials have been reluctant to explain the precise reasoning behind their last-minute series of attacks on a trusted ally, as near as I can tell it rests on three assumptions.

The first, as Kerry outlined in his speech, is that a freeze on Israeli settlement growth makes it easier for Palestinian leaders to make painful compromises at the negotiating table. It supposedly does this by easing Palestinian suspicions that Israel either wont make major territorial concessions, or wont implement these concessions once made.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put this assumption to the test in November 2009 when he imposed a 10-month moratorium on new housing construction (East Jerusalem excepted) at the urging of the Obama administration.

It is a gift to Bibi Netanyahu, who can now more easily argue to Israelis that the bad relationship with America these last eight years wasnt his fault.  Jonah Goldberg

What happened? Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to return to talks until the very end of the moratorium and remained every bit as intransigent as before.

The main impediment to Palestinian compromise is not Palestinian suspicion; it is the fundamental unwillingness of Palestinian leaders across the spectrum to accept the existence of a Jewish state alongside their own.

Whats more, a strong case can be made that some settlement growth actually makes it easier for Palestinian moderates to build public support for compromise by underscoring that a continuation of the status quo is untenable and injurious to Palestinian national aspirations in the long run.

The Obama administrations second assumption is that pressure from the international community or from the United States will bring about this supposedly desirable settlement freeze.

However, by collapsing the distinction between East Jerusalem and bustling Israeli towns just inside the West Bank  which no major Israeli political party will contemplate abandoning  and the remaining settlements, most of which Israelis are willing to give up, this policy does the opposite.

It is a gift to Bibi Netanyahu, who can now more easily argue to Israelis that the bad relationship with America these last eight years wasnt his fault, notes the writer Jonah Goldberg.

Finally, lets imagine its true that international pressure would increase Israels willingness to accept a settlement freeze and that such a freeze would make it easier for Palestinian negotiators to trust Israel. Even so  and contrary to Obama administration assumptions  branding Israeli claims outside the 1967 boundaries illegal and invalid could have devastating consequences.

Since Palestinian leaders already have trouble justifying to their people the abandonment of territorial claims to Maale Adumim, the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem, and so forth, they will have double the trouble now that the United States has endorsed these demands. What Palestinian leader can sign away territory to which Washington and the Security Council have declared Israelis have no legitimate claim?

Kerry stated plainly that Israel is to blame for the demise of the two-state process, and that  unless its leaders listen to counsel  Israel will not survive as both a Jewish and a democratic state. Now that the administrations views are crystal clear, pundits should spare us the back and forth on whether its eleventh-hour obsessions are good for peace  no one as smart as Obama or Kerry can possibly believe that it is.

The more interesting question, sure to be the focus of congressional hearings next year, is why the administration used its last few weeks to damage relations with Israel.

Gregg Roman is director of the Middle East Forum, a research center headquartered in Philadelphia.

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By this time next week, another woman will occupy the desk in the U.S. Senate where Barbara Boxer sat for more than 20 years. Its the same seat once occupied by liberal lions Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern. But it was marching, not sitting, that created Boxers big national moment: In 1991, she and several other Congresswomen walked from the House over to the Senate to demand that senators seriously consider Anita Hills sexual harassment charges against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Boxer arrived on Capitol Hill during Ronald Reagans first term and leaves it as Donald Trump is about to be sworn in as president  an exit that wasnt quite what shed expected.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW ON THE PATT MORRISON ASKS PODCAST 

How did your plans for your post-Senate life change at about midnight on November 8?

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I was scheduled to go on the Chelsea handler show the morning after the election. It was supposed to be a celebratory moment -- what did it mean for women, what it means for women, what it means for boys, what it means for our nation and the world to have Hillary Clinton as president.

And instead I found myself thinking, can I really get myself up and to that show? I decided I couldnt let her down. It was a transformational moment because she looked at me basically in tears and said, How do you get through these political losses?

I found a voice inside that came from all those years of experience and heartbreak in myself , and that has sent a signal to me that now, in these next several years, I can be a motivational voice to those who feel so discouraged and so disappointed and so powerless  which they are not.

People voted for Donald Trump, and he has won the electoral college. What did they want that they saw in him?

Well, people voted for Donald Trump, but many more, millions more, voted for Hillary Clinton. And he wound up with well, well, well under 50%.

But if youre asking me why did people vote for Donald Trump, its better asked of them. But my observation is that they just wanted change. A lot of people felt empowered by some of his supporters who were on the very far right -- nationalist, white supremacist type of people, which is a very sad part of his coalition. And a lot of them felt empowered because of his talk against women. Its a potpourri of reasons.

One of the arguments among Democrats right now is whether to resist across the board with Trump, or to cooperate for damage control on things like confirmation hearings.

My own view is that you pick your battles very clearly and if you can achieve something for the people, achieve it. Therell be enough to plant the flag on, believe me: on immigration, on tax cuts for the wealthy, on cuts to the things people hold dear -- Medicare, Social Security, health care.

You cant do every single thing. And in terms of confirmation, there is no filibuster of confirmation except Supreme Court justices. So I think the thing to do is to point out, through hearings, the [nominees] qualities pro and con and let the American people see that. The Republicans have done it, weve done it -- everythings on the table when you want to be in the cabinet, and its got to be discussed.

After the election, you introduced legislation to abolish the electoral college. Amending the Constitution on something like that has tremendous hurdles. Was this to make a point, or do you think it could seriously happen?

We need to have the winner of the popular vote to be the president of the United States, and there are various ways to accomplish it. The reason that I introduced the legislation was to make that point that it needs to be gone, or changed so that the winner of the popular vote wins.

But the real movement on this is occurring in states, where there are state compacts, where states come together and say, we pledge to throw our electoral votes to the winner of the [national] popular. And if you get states to agree to do that, that have 270 electoral votes, thats done

Your own position as United States senator was for much or the countrys history a position that was filled by state legislatures, until there was a constitutional amendment that said senators are now chosen by popular vote.

Yes, it was into the 1900s before we were able to finally elect senators, so we try to become more and more democratic. We keep making the country more democratic but there are moves to take us backwards, like blocking the vote in minority communities. So its constant vigilance to expand the franchise.

Why do you think that on the two occasions this century that its happened, that the Democrat has won the popular vote but lost the electoral college, that it has been the Democrats?

Because the system is set up in that way, that the smaller states have a bigger voice. And it turns out in our country, the smaller states are more the red states. The other time the founders leaned against the big states was giving two senators from each state regardless of population. I represent a state with 40 million people. We have two senators, and tiny states with less than a million people have two senators. Its not really fair, to be honest, but thats built into the Constitution.

Youve been quite active on environmental issues in your entire Congressional career. We just saw a decision about the Dakota Access Pipeline, addressing some of the concerns of the people who were protesting at Standing Rock.

First of all, what the Army Corps [of Engineers] said is that they are not ready to grant a permit in the current configuration, that they are opening up the environmental impact statement, which will include alternative routes. This is an enormous victory for the Indian nation and for everybody who believes that drinking water has to be protected.

I dont think theres any doubt that the Army Corps that is working for Donald Trump will try to reverse it, but itll be very hard because now the legal situation is moving forward with a new EIS. We cant say its a permanent victory but we can say it is a major victory.

Youve often worked on environmental issues. What are your concerns about how different the literal landscape could look?

Whats fascinating to me is that a lot of the landmark laws were signed into law by Republicans, including Richard Nixon, who signed among other things the Endangered Species Act. There are moves to overturn that law that are going on right now, at the end of this Senate Congressional term. I am very concerned that our landmark laws will be gutted.

What Ive learned over the years is something I didnt realize when I was younger. I thought when you win, you win, thats it  you have the clean air act? You won  well always have clean air. It doesnt work that way.

Theres a song whose words go like this: Freedom, freedom is a hard-won thing/you have to work for it, fight for it/day and night for it/and every generations got to do it again.

I dont know whether youve ever met Donald Trump, but if you were in a group of senators Trump asked to meet with, what would you tell him, given all these concerns youve expressed?

You cant say all of this in a tweet or in a quick conversation. I would need to sit down and say, Look at America before you were born. Look at the foreign policy that has happened before you paid attention. Because he seems to be someone whos of the moment and he thinks that everything is happening now and theres no history.

When you pick up the phone and call Taiwan [the call Trump took from Taiwans president was said to have been carefully arranged], it may sound easy to you but we dont have enough time to go into why its very problematic. When you call [leaders] who are abusing human rights, these have ramifications. But you cant just tell someone that  you have to write it and deeply explain it, and thats what I would do.

Youre one of the elders in the Democratic Party. As it tries to rebuild, are you going to take part in meetings or consultations about that?

I think the Democratic Party has a winning combination right under its nose. If you married the Bernie people with the Hillary people, youve got it

Thats not a shotgun wedding?

Its a wonderful wedding, because theres no disagreement -- its just a matter of who stressed what. Bernie stressed the populist economic issues, Hillary stressed the importance of diversity and standing together. You merge these two, you have a winner. And thats the type of coalition I think we need to build.

You and Dianne Feinstein broke the mold: California was the first state to send two women to the United States senate at the same time. What difference does it really make, having more women in the House, having more women in the Senate?

Its very important in a democracy that people with power reflect the constituency. Its very important because you cant represent people if you only see the country thru your particular lens.

And the lens of a woman raising a family, the lens of a woman having a hard time getting equal pay for equal work, the lens of a single mom, has to be married up with all the issues that the men bring which are fair enough on their own right. Now there are 21 women, so weve made progress.

On a policy level?

Oh, absolutely. The violence against women laws, sexual harassment laws; Weve changed pension laws, Social Security laws. Oh, without a doubt.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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To the editor: While most of the world might consider Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal, the U.S. government, as reflected in its policy for the past 35 years, does not. President Obamas allowing of a United Nations Security Council resolution declaring the settlements illegal to pass highlights eight years of his failed foreign policy. (U.S. declines to veto U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement building, Dec. 23)

As U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power cast her abstention vote, she pointed out the absurd bias of the U.N. toward Israel, noting that 18 General Assembly resolutions were adopted against it in September alone, exceeding those focused on Iran, Syria, North Korea and Sudan combined.

It is high time the conflicting parties solve their differences at the negotiating table with the help of sincere surrogates who want to see a peaceful two-state solution, without the meddling of the United Nations.

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Pauline Regev, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: The president should be commended for his courage in taking the action he did in causing our country to abstain from the U.N. Security Councils vote.

The abstention is consistent with U.S. and international law. The decision is supported by virtually all major human and civil rights organizations, including Jewish ones. We have indulged Israel on this issue for decades, with no discernible positive result.

The recent threats and antipathy directed toward our president concerning the vote should be publicly condemned.

David Habib, Westlake Village

..

To the editor: The Obama administrations last-gasp effort to promote a two-state solution by abandoning Israel at the United Nations rests essentially on a fantasy. It simply presumes that Hamas, which rules in Gaza, and Fatah, which governs the Palestinian territory on the West Bank, will suddenly join forces and create a unified entity once Israeli settlements are removed.

That presumption ignores Palestinian rejections of prior proposals, most prominently at Camp David with President Clinton. It also ignores the current reality that there already is a Palestinian state in Gaza, where President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority is hardly welcome. Realistic policy discussions must relate to a three-state outcome.

Ignoring past outcomes and current realities hardly serves as a sound basis for abandoning an ally.

William Comanor, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus reaction to the U.S. refusal to veto the U.N. resolution is more typical of the reaction of an over-indulged juvenile than of a responsible statesman.

Netanyahu knows full well that the settlements are illegal, so he resorts to immature pouting. It is to our shame that he has gotten away for so long haranguing our leaders and meddling in our political affairs.

Obama should be congratulated for doing what should have been done years ago. By his refusal to be intimidated, he has defended the rule of law, refused to countenance the confiscation of other peoples property and defended the Palestinian peoples right to their own state. He is the only mature statesman in all this.

Peter OReilly, Claremont

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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.

Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward, Obama said. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.

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The ceremony was conceived of as an affirmation of close U.S. relations with Japan, once a bitter wartime enemy, and Obama and Abe underscored the importance of building bonds between nations and the risks of slipping into isolationism. Their remarks also appeared to be warnings for Trump, whose divisive campaign took aim at longstanding alliances and stoked fears with harsh rhetoric about immigrants and minorities.

Ours is an alliance of hope that will lead us to the future, Abe said, speaking to World War II veterans after paying tribute at the Pearl Harbor memorial. What has bonded us together is the power of reconciliation, made possible through the spirit of tolerance.

Obama, as has been his custom in public remarks since the election, argued for the merits of his own worldview without naming Trump, saying, There is more to be won in peace than in war.

During the campaign and since his election, Trump has challenged assumptions about U.S. commitments to the security of Asia. One of the central tenets of Obamas foreign policy was a commitment of resources toward Asia with an eye toward countering the rise of China.

But Trump has obliterated long-established protocols. He spoke with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen despite the U.S. policy of officially acknowledging no Chinese government other than the one in Beijing. And when he met with Abe last month in New York, Trump brought not a battalion of Asia experts but rather his daughter Ivanka.

Trump also promised last week to expand Americas nuclear arsenal after decades of a deliberate shrinking of the American and Russian stockpiles.

Let it be an arms race, he told an MSNBC host, unnerving leaders in Asia, where North Korea and China are growing more aggressive.

Though the U.S.-Japan relationship has evolved considerably in recent decades, the healing over World War II has gone more slowly, making Abes visit to Pearl Harbor, and Obamas trip in May to Hiroshima, Japan, the site of one of the two nuclear attacks that ended the war, significant gestures.

Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to make a highly publicized visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, though three of his predecessors are thought to have visited Pearl Harbor more quietly.

Under a bright, sunny sky, Abe and Obama rode a small boat to the white memorial building in the harbor that looks out over the sunken remains of the Arizona, attacked by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941, killing 2,403 people and thrusting the U.S. into World War II. Abe laid a wreath in honor of the dead.

Veterans of the war gathered across the harbor to hear Obama and Abe deliver their brief speeches.

Among those in the crowd was Sterling Cale, 95, a sailor at Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack.

Of those killed that day, 1,177 were crew members of the Arizona. It was Cales job to pull bodies from the burning battleship.

He recalled watching ashes rising from the deck of the ship. He and his crew were able to remove about 100 bodies.

On Tuesday, he looked across the water where the Arizona is submerged.

He did not come hoping to hear Abe apologize, he said.

Sorry is just a word, Cale said. What matters more is the action of coming here and going out there with our commander in chief. That says more than words.

Abe did not issue a formal apology, even as he detailed the horror of the sinking of the Arizona.

Each and every one of those servicemen had a mother and a father anxious about his safety, Abe said. Many had wives and girlfriends they loved, and many must have had children they would have loved watching grow up.

Rest in peace, precious souls of the fallen, he went on. I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here.

After that somber expression of sorrow, Obama stepped to the lectern and declared the site a symbol of reconciliation.

Today, the alliance between the United States and Japan, bound not only by shared interests, but also rooted in common values, stands as the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia Pacific, and a force for progress around the globe, Obama said.

In what may be his final visit with a world leader before he leaves office in January, Obama expressed hope.

As nations and as people, we cannot choose the history that we inherit, he said. But we can choose what lessons to draw from it and use those lessons to chart our own futures.

christi.parsons@latimes.com

Follow @cparsons for news about the White House.

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UPDATES:

5:10 p.m.: This story was updated with more comments from Obama and Abe.

This story was originally published at 3:50 p.m.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.28



By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:



BP and Australias Woolworths Group (Woolworths) have agreed on a strategic partnership.



This partnership will include BP acquiring, rebranding and operating Woolworths existing 527 fuel and convenience sites across Australia, as well as an additional 16 sites currently under construction, for a total consideration of $1.3 billion, said BPs website.



Initially, BP and Woolworths will launch a Metro at BP pilot program across 16 BP fuel and convenience sites, allowing both companies to test the offer and generate customer feedback. A second phase will see a further expansion of the Metro at BP format across more than 200 sites.



BP is one of the largest suppliers of fuel to Australias industrial and commercial sectors. The company is also one of Australias most significant investors, most visibly through its terminals, retail fuel sites and refinery.



Founded in 1924, Woolworths Group is Australia's largest retailer with more than 3,500 stores across Australia and New Zealand that span food, drinks, petrol, general merchandise and hotels.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
New Montessori school in Costa Mesa will host open house

The newly opened Heritage Montessori school in Costa Mesa is accepting enrollment for children ages 2 to 9 and will hold an open house from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 14.

The school property, at 2032 Orange Ave., previously known as the Westcliff Early Childhood Center, was purchased in March.

The facility underwent a few facelifts in order to reopen as Heritage Montessori, but many pieces of the Westcliff campus remain, including a loft in one of the classrooms and a fireplace.

New features are planned, including a barn and an outdoor splash area.

The Eastside Costa Mesa site is one of three Heritage Montessori locations in Orange County. The others are in Huntington Beach and Lake Forest. They too are enrolling students and offering tours. For more information, visit heritagemontessori.com.

Mother and daughter open Etsy store

Newport Beach resident Linda Gerlt and daughter Katie recently opened an Etsy store, Artistique Studios.

The online store specializes in custom jewelry, accessories and fine-art note cards. Katie, 18, attends Corona del Mar High School.

The Gerlts say they are donating $6 to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach for each box of the sea-life note cards sold, according to an announcement on their Etsy site.

Property management company wins accreditation

Costa Mesa-based South Coast Property Management has been named an accredited community management business, or ACMB, by the California Assn. of Community Managers.

The ACMB is the highest level of achievement for community association management businesses and places South Coast Property Management among the most elite companies in the nation.

Since 2003, South Coast Property Management has been providing management services to community associations throughout Orange County.

In addition, South Coast Principal Scott Smith was awarded a portfolio management specialty certificate and designation, recognizing his knowledge and expertise in simultaneously managing multiple, unrelated homeowner communities, according to a news release.

Smith holds the community association management executive, or CAMEx, designation  the only California-specific designation in the industry that certifies a community managers knowledge and expertise in California law, ethical standards and best practices in governing homeowners associations.

Surf City welcomes new 24 Hour Fitness

A 24 Hour Fitness in Huntington Beach recently held its grand opening.

The 33,500-square-foot club is at 9051 Atlanta Ave.

24 Hour Fitness makes it our mission to deliver innovative fitness options to our members while striving to bring together the local community, Clayton Benton, general manager, said in a statement. The new Huntington Beach club is just one part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Our talented fitness professionals provide the tools and expertise that will help members achieve their fitness goals both inside and outside of our club.

Realtor named to Laguna chamber board

Chris Tebbutt, a sales associate with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, was recently elected to the board of directors of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, according to a news release.

Chris architecture background will provide helpful insight into the issues and potential of the Downtown Strategic Plan for Laguna Beach, and he will work to increase local business-to-business exchanges to promote commerce within the city, Jim Vermilya, branch manager of the Laguna Beach office of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, said in a statement.

Tebbutt holds a bachelors degree in architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has worked with cities including San Francisco and Phoenix on downtown neighborhood revitalization plans.

As a Laguna Beach Realtor and resident, I am a champion of the sweet spot our city is trying to achieve and sustain between tourism revenues for businesses and the quality of life for residents, Tebbutt said in a statement.

Bixby acquires Oregon office complex

Bixby Land Co., a Newport Beach-based investor, recently bought an office complex in Oregon for $33.4 million, according to a news release.

CDK Plaza, at 2525 S.W. 1st Ave. in Portland, has 185,729 square feet of office space spread over four stories and two buildings. It will be upgraded next year with new lobbies, corridors, landscaping and more, the release said.

The improvements we have planned will make this office campus much more appealing to companies looking for a progressive work environment, Mike Severson, senior vice president of investments at Bixby Land Co., said in a statement.

Delphi has new Costa Mesa headquarters

Delphi Display Systems Inc., a Costa Mesa-based company that provides customized digital signage hardware, software and service solutions to businesses to attract customers, is relocating its corporate offices to another part of the city.

The company had been at 3160 Pullman St., near John Wayne Airport, and is moving in January to in the Harbor Gateway Business Park, at 3550 Hyland Ave.

Our new headquarters will have expanded space for research and development labs, training facilities and open collaboration areas, Ken Neeld, president and CEO of Delphi, said in a statement.

PIMCO names new N.Y.-based executive

Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co., commonly known as PIMCO, recently named Jeffrey Thompson as an executive vice president and portfolio manager for its commercial real estate team, according to a news release.

Thompson will be based in New York. He previously worked at Annaly Capital Management as a managing director.

Rubys Diner to open 33rd restaurant

The Rubys Diner chain, based and founded in Newport Beach, is opening its 33rd restaurant  at the Outlets at San Clemente center  in January, according to a news release.

The company is also reopening at the Laguna Hills Mall. It will be near Macys and will feature a new patio and extensive interior renovations, according to a news release.

Casey Cupcakes closing in Newport, H.B.

Caseys Cupcakes, founded by former Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County cast member Casey Reinhardt, has closed its locations in Huntington Beachs Bella Terra and Newport Beachs Fashion Island.

The company plans to focus more on its stores in Riverside and Irvine and enhance its shipping services, according to the Orange County Register.

An upscale menswear brand will be replacing Caseys Cupcakes at Fashion Island, the Register reported.
Issues concerning free speech, race and the presidential election ignited political passions around the country this year, and UC Irvine was right in the middle of it.

The club College Republicans at UCI met with protests when it organized a June on-campus event featuring gay conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos.

Yiannopoulos, an editor for conservative website Breitbart.com, showed up wearing a sleeveless police uniform and offered his critiques to an audience of 200 on issues such as racial profiling, which he said saves lives, and white privilege, which he believes doesnt exist.

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Members of the College Republicans handed out pacifiers to dozens of students protesting the visit, signifying what a club member called the infantile nature of political correctness.

A barricade stood between the hundreds of people lined up to attend the event in a campus lecture hall and the protesters, who held signs with messages such as Free speech [does not equal] hate speech.

Pushing and shoving broke out between some protesters and Yiannopoulos supporters.

Shortly after Yiannopoulos visit, the university revoked the College Republicans room-booking privileges, citing a policy violation related to the private security hired to protect the speaker.

The restriction, originally set to last until the spring quarter of 2017, eventually was lifted because the policy the club violated was a little less than clear on paper, UCI Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Thomas Parham said in October.

The College Republicans regained their booking privileges in time to present Yiannopoulos return to UCI for a Halloween event where the club encouraged guests to wear their most hilarious, most offensive, most culturally appropriative costume.

Hundreds of students opposed to the event signed an online petition that stated Yiannopoulos June visit perpetuated violence against people of color, and they asked Parham to call off the Halloween gathering.

Parham told the Daily Pilot that as a public institution, UCI is committed to upholding constitutionally protected rights of free speech and would allow the event to go on.

However, he said, while we recognize the right of free speech, what we will not be neutral about is when we see the humanity of our university assaulted by narrative that we think is vulgar and inappropriate. That we will speak out on.

Yiannopoulos October appearance  which rallied support for Republican Donald Trumps presidential campaign  drew the UCI Police Department and student affairs staff before, during and shortly after the event. But there was no protest.

Upon Trumps election the night of Nov. 8, hundreds of students marched on campus chanting Dump Trump.

The 90-minute march was one of several similar demonstrations at University of California campuses around the state.

Earlier this year, tensions arose between the UCI Police Department and the Black Student Union after the student group sent a letter to UCI administrators demanding that the department be dismantled because it wasnt adhering to the concerns of black students about law enforcements treatment of African Americans.

University officials said they had no plans to abolish the police force but would encourage dialogue with the students.

--

Alex Chan, alexandra.chan@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
From indoor labs to outdoor power plants, headline-grabbing scientific research could be found in every nook and cranny at UC Irvine in 2016.

Research teams across the university have made headway this year on ventures ranging from renewable fuel to longer-lasting batteries to treatments for sleep disorders to ways to protect sensitive information.

One team, in work piloted at UCI during the summer, demonstrated the countrys first power-to-gas hydrogen pipeline injection project, a system that converts excess energy from solar panels into hydrogen that can be mixed with other natural gas and burned in the campus power plant to produce electricity and heat for the school.

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Power-to-gas techniques are already used in Canada and Germany, according to Jack Brouwer, associate director of the Advanced Power & Energy Program at UCI.

With funding from Southern California Gas Co. and manufacturing from Connecticut-based Proton OnSite, UCI engineers installed an outdoor electrolyzer on the universitys power plant site for their energy research.

The electrolyzer uses excess clean electricity to power a reaction that divides water into oxygen, which is released into the atmosphere, and hydrogen, which travels through a stainless-steel tube that leads to the schools natural gas pipeline.

Researchers are studying the project to see whether a power-to-gas system can be implemented on regional or statewide gas and electric grids.

With the use of more solar and wind power, we have to find some way of using the excess electricity, Brouwer said.

UCI researchers this year also have looked into lengthening battery life.

Chemistry doctoral candidate Mya Le Thai led a project that developed a capacitor, a device that stores an electric charge, that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times without losing capacity.

Mya Le Thai, a chemistry doctoral candidate at UC Irvine, talks in May about research she led that developed a capacitor, a device that stores an electric charge, that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times without losing capacity. She hopes the capacitor can lead to longer-lasting batteries. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

Thai said in May that she hopes the capacitor can lead to the creation of longer-lasting batteries for phones and possibly satellites.

The capacitor  which is about 2 inches long and about a quarter-millimeter thick  is made of a gold nanowire, a Plexiglas-like gel and an inorganic compound known as manganese dioxide.

Unlike in a typical battery, the capacitors nanowire is coated with the manganese dioxide and gel, protecting it from flaking and losing material as the current goes through it.

After Thai charged and discharged the capacitor through 200,000 test cycles in a lab over three months, she found no cracks in the nanowire, and the capacity had not degraded at all.

Today, people charge many devices for work or at home, so either we come up with a new battery or a new way to recycle them, Thai said.

Other UCI researchers presented projects and findings internationally this year.

Mohammad Al Faruque, director of UCIs Advanced Integrated Cyber-Physical Systems Lab, and a student on his team traveled to a cyber conference in Vienna, Austria, in April to share their work on how a 3-D printers noise emissions can reveal sensitive information.

Mohammad Al Faruque, center, director of UC Irvines Advanced Integrated Cyber-Physical Systems Lab, poses in March with graduate students Sujit Rokka Chhetri, left, and Jiang Wan as they discuss their research of how a 3-D printers noise emissions can reveal sensitive information. (Kevin Chang / Daily Pilot)

In their lab, the researchers recorded the sounds made by one of their 3-D printers as it shifted back and forth to print a key out of polymer plastic.

Afterward, they used an information processing algorithm to take the sounds and produce the code needed to print nearly an exact replica of the key.

The group found that audio recordings have the potential to leak valuable information used to print parts for cars and planes, Faruque said in March.

The team said it planned to search for ways that such information can be protected.

A team led by UCI professor of pharmacology Qun-Yong Zhou searched for answers to questions about the sleeping and waking patterns of animals and how the research may lead to treatments for humans with sleep disorders.

The group determined that the patterns are not governed by a portion of the brain commonly thought to be the bodys master clock.

UC Irvine pharmacology professor Qun-Yong Zhou is pictured in August with mice used in a study of why some animals sleep at night and others sleep during the day. (Kevin Chang / Daily Pilot)

Instead, the researchers found that light traveling through the animals eyes sends different signals to their brains, telling nocturnal animals to sleep when there is light and diurnal animals  which are active during the day  to wake when there is light.

The more scientists understand the wiring in the animals brains, the more they can learn about the nature of the same signals traveling within the human brain.

Zhou said the team is using its research to find potential sleep treatments for humans and to determine whether its possible to redirect the signaling patterns in the brain.

Can you make an animal less nocturnal or can you convert the animal to sleep at night? These are some of the questions we have, Zhou said in August. We are scientists. When we find that one thing doesnt explain, then maybe theres another thing that will.

--

Alex Chan, alexandra.chan@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
High school students attending Glendale Unified schools will have a greater opportunity next year to enroll in college-level courses under a new dual-enrollment program initiated by state legislation that took effect earlier this year.

Previously, local high school students could enroll in college-level courses outside of regular school hours.

Now, under Assembly Bill 288, high school students may enroll in college-level courses that will be offered during the regular school day and earn up to 15 units with Glendale Community College, instead of the six units they could earn before.

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Both Glendale Community College and Glendale Unified officials approved a memorandum of understanding on the new dual-enrollment program this month.

Under the agreement, courses taken at Glendale Unified schools will be taught by local college faculty, and officials expect to instruct about 300 high school students a year.

The impetus for the program is to better prepare students for college and careers, in addition to targeting high school students who are not necessarily college-bound by making their transition from high school to college  if they choose to pursue a post-graduate education  a little more seamless, according to school officials.

For that reason, courses offered will be tied to industries covered at Glendale Community College, leading students to earn either a certificate or credential.

High school students may enroll in a variety of courses including medical-office administration, digital illustration or architecture.

Burbank Unified falls within the Los Angeles Community College Districts jurisdiction, and Glendale Community College officials will look into creating a similar agreement with that district as well, according to David Viar, superintendent/president of Glendale Community College.

That is the next step after we take care of our own service area, [the] Glendale Unified School District, Viar said.

--

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
With Donald Trump tweeting from the sidelines, Secretary of State John F. Kerry condemned Jewish settlement activity under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a chief obstacle to Mideast peace, igniting a fresh war of words with the Israeli leader.

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 extraordinary spectacle of the 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.

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We cannot in good conscience do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away, he said.

With less than a month until he leaves the State Department, Kerrys speech was a mainly symbolic gesture, an emblem of last-ditch hopes to restart a U.S.-brokered peace process that collapsed in 2014. Kerry tried again and again to revive the talks, but failed.

Although most of his speech took aim at Israeli policies, Kerry was also critical of Palestinian leaders, saying they needed to do more to condemn specific attacks against Israelis. As an example, he cited the naming of streets and squares for Palestinians who carried out such strikes.

Murderers of innocents are still glorified, he said.

Kerry offered up a full-throated defense of President Obamas Mideast policies, saying the administration had been Israels greatest friend and supporter, citing enhanced military aid and intelligence sharing.

And he was sharply critical of Netanyahus government, saying it was creating a dangerous dynamic with continued settlement expansion.

Time and again we have demonstrated that we have Israels back, said Kerry. But, he added, friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

After the speech, a visibly angry Netanyahu responded in Jerusalem that Kerry was obsessively dwelling on the settlements as part of what he described as a pattern of U.S. bias against Israel.

If the administration invested the same energy into fighting Palestinian terrorism that it invested in condemning building in Jerusalem, maybe there would have been a better chance to promote peace, the Israeli leader told reporters.

Decisions about Israels future wont be made by speeches in Washington, he added.

Palestinians responded by suggesting they would use a French-convened international conference next month to try to increase Israels diplomatic isolation.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would be willing to resume negotiations the minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities and implement prior agreements.

As has become his habit, the U.S. president-elect was quick to opine on Twitter  even before Kerry spoke.

Trump tweeted early Wednesday to denounce what he called disdain and disrespect shown toward Israel  a reference to the Obama administrations decision Friday to abstain on a United Nations Security Council resolution that called Israeli settlement activity a flagrant violation of international law.

Stay strong Israel, Trump tweeted. January 20 is fast approaching!  the date he will take office.

The president-elect has already indicated that he intends to upend long-standing U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, picking a financial patron of the settlement movement as U.S. ambassador to Israel and pledging to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, a move the Palestinians believe would undermine their statehood hopes.

Obama and Kerry have been the target of intensifying Israeli broadsides since Fridays vote at the U.N., and even before Kerry spoke, a member of Netanyahus Cabinet denounced the U.S. administrations efforts to influence events in Obamas last weeks in office.

Speaking to army radio in Israel, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called the Obama administration pro-Palestinian and Kerrys planned speech a pathetic move. Another Cabinet minister, Naftali Bennett, tweeted against the establishment of a terror state in the heart of the country.

Netanyahus office has said it would bypass the White House and deal directly with Trump, providing the incoming president with what it said was proof that the Obama administration colluded with the Palestinians to bring forth the U.N. resolution.

In his speech, Kerry vehemently denied that and said Israel had been warned repeatedly that the U.S. would not use its Security Council veto to block the resolution if it were fair and balanced.

Obamas relations with Netanyahu have long been rocky, but the last few days ofexchanges marked some of the harshest public rhetoric in years between the two nations.

The White House decision to abstain on the U.N. resolution, and thus let it pass, has been awkward for Democrats in Congress and other allies of Obama, who fear it will be read as a betrayal of Israel.

Successive U.S. administrations have tried to coax Israel and the Palestinians toward common ground over disputes, including the status of Jerusalem, which both sides want as their capital, and a drawing of borders between Israel and a Palestinian state.

Palestinians say stepped-up Israeli settlement activity has prejudiced the outcome of negotiations, depriving them of contiguous territory needed for a viable state. Israel in turn has accused the Palestinians of negotiating in bad faith and inciting violence against Israeli civilians.

Kerrys address got at least some positive reaction in Israel.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who served as a defense minister under Netanyahu, praised Kerrys speech as strong and sane. He blamed Netanyahu for taking Israel to the brink of international isolation by following a messianic movement of Jews in the West Bank.

Times staff writer King reported from Washington and special correspondent Mitnick reported from Tel Aviv.

laura.king@latimes.com

Twitter: @laurakingLAT

MORE WORLD NEWS

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UPDATES:

1:15 p.m.  Updated with additional reaction from Israel

This story was posted at 10:35 a.m.
An Israeli planning committee backed down on Wednesday from approving hundreds of permits for housing projects in east Jerusalem, hoping to avoid fanning controversy over settlement activity hours before a policy speech on Israeli-Palesitnian peace by Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Jerusalem municipal planning commission had been scheduled to vote on about 600 building permits in neighborhood settlements located in parts of the city that make up the proposed capital of a future independent Palestinian state. But amid a weeklong spat between the Obama administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning settlements, the permits were taken off the agenda.

Approval of the permits was postponed at the request of the prime minister in order not to create an unnecessary conflict with the U.S. administration, said Jerusalem council member Hanan Rubin, in an interview with Israels Channel 2 television.

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We arent interested in creating a storm out of nothing, Rubin wrote on his Facebook page. Building in Jerusalem isnt something political.

On Sunday, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Meir Turjeman vowed to encourage moving forward in planning thousands of new homes at the meeting, vowing that he isnt flustered by the United Nations or by any other entity that tries to dictate to us what to do in Jerusalem.

Peace activists monitoring the building committee warned that some of the building projects slated for discussion could prevent Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem from joining Palestinian state in the future.

Despite the postponement, Ir Amim, a group promoting Israeli-Palestinian compromise in Jerusalem, warned that the building committee on Wednesday did approve the construction of a four story Israeli building in the middle of the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan. In a statement, Ir Amim called it the largest settlement project in a Palestinian neighborhood since 1967.

Meanwhile, Israeli government officials were frustrated and indignant on Wednesday following Kerrys 75-minute speech.

Visibly angry, Prime Minister Netanyahu called the speech a big disappointment, and criticized Kerry for dealing obsessively with settlements.

If the administration invested the same energy into fighting Palestinian terrorism that it invested in condemning building in Jerusalem, maybe there would have been a better chance to promote peace, Netanyahu said. The prime minister challenged the Obama administration to immediately announce that it would block new Security Council resolutions on Israel and end this charade.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was a defense minister under Netanyahu for several years, said in a tweet that the Kerry speech was strong and sane, and blamed the prime minister for taking Israel to the brink of international isolation in the interest of a messianic movement of Jews in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement that he would rejoin peace talks with Israel the minute Israel ceases settlement activities in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank.

Mitnick is a special correspondent.

MORE WORLD NEWS

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It was reported recently that Canadian scientists have warned their colleagues in the United States with Trump. It seems science is losing support from governments especially U.S. and Canada. And this issue is closely associated with climate change.

According to New York Times, Donald Trump along with his nominated Cabinet members sided with the idea that climate change is not an urgent threat that should be treated and should be financed with great money and effort. One of these Cabinet members is the future secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson just like other Cabinet members expressed that since climate change is not a settled science then it must not be treated alongside with other much serious problems.

The dialogue from Donald Trump which scientists have worry a lot is "climate change is a Chinese hoax and very expensive bullshit". These caused climate scientists to increasingly try to quantify economic and health impacts for specific regions in shorter time frames. They made attempts to provide these more localized, near-term risk assessments to help inform policy-making for everyone from lawmakers and water managers to firefighters and average residents.

While scientists are pursuing to urge from every individual in the world to large industries and world governments to act with urgency for the solution of climate change, more individual today, as the issue has been franked is urging science in return to give proof that climate change is really that important to settle immediately.

Judith Curry, professor in the School of Earth and Athmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology accepts that Earth is warming but isn't sure of the links between human activity and climate change. "It becomes voodoo once you start trying to attribute regional extreme-weather events to climate change, when it gets down to regional extreme events, like droughts in California or hurricane landfalls in Florida or wildfires in Canada, then it becomes compounded by the fact that you need hundreds of years of data to really make sense of the statistics."

This situation puts science in the risk of losing trust. That's why the urgency to give convincing proof that indeed climate change is attributed to human activity should be presented sooner as possible.
An International Group of Archeologists has discovered a "compelling evidence" of new Pharaonic tombs. These 4200years old tombs are situated at Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan, Egypt. This discovery can reveal Egypts Ministry of Antiquities.

A joint research team, directed by DR. Martin Bommans from The University of Birmingham and the Egypt Exploration Society (EES) have worked together for this exploration project. This project group is named as Qubbet el-Hawa Research Project Group (QHRP) & it was started in April according to the report by Mail Online.

Dr. Bommans said in a press release, Owing to the landscape of Qubbet el-Hawa, the support wall helped to secure the hillside, and thus lower lying tombs, which were accessible by a causeway leading to a second terrace.

Researchers found the encroachment wall below the visitor's pathway at Qubbet el-Hawa. It is the northern part of the West Aswan cemetery. The newly discovered wall which was almost 2 meters (6.6 feet) was thought to be used as an architectural for those upper terrace tombs. These tombs also include the tomb of Harkhuf and Heqaib, who used to be the Governor of Elephantine Island during these days.This report was first published in Birmingham University website on dec 22, 2016.

Ph.D. student Carl Graves, who was also the part of this exploration, assumes that these things are from the period of 2278-2184 BC. He also added its still unknown to everyone that whose the tombs might have belonged to.

General Director of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities' Dr. Nasr Salama described this discovery as stunning. Dr. Salama also includes that it is just a matter of time until the other important Cemeteries are explored to get all the new tombs uncovered.

Now researchers are planning to extend their study to gather more information about the ancients walls of tombs. This discovery will uncover many secrets of ancient Egyptian civilization which is hidden from 2278-2184 BC.
Carrie Fisher, best known as Princess Leia Organa of the Star Wars franchise, has passed away Tuesday morning. Following a heart attack onboard a flight from London to Los Angeles last week, daughter Billie Lourd confirms her mother's passing.

After being rushed to an LA hospital on December 23, fans and family were holding on to the actress' recovery, with mother Debbie Reynolds, also a Hollywood star, stating via Twitter that Carrie was on a stable condition on Christmas day. Uncle Bill Reynolds even shares that the family was not expecting the death to happen, with the family looking positive and upbeat, Telegraph reports.

Other Hollywood figures expressed their sadness and loss through social media. While celebrities like Dan Akroyd and Star Wars co-star Billy Dee Williams shared insightful and touching messages, Mark Hamill, the actor behind Luke Skywalker, Leia's brother in the Star Wars films, expresses himself in a brief, three-word Tweet that hits the spot: "no words #Devastated."

Apart from her work in Star Wars, the actress was also seen in other movies like The Blues Brothers, When Harry met Sally and The 'Burbs. The 1975 movie Shampoo, opposite Warren Beatty, was the actress' debut film. She has also reportedly filmed her scenes for the upcoming movie Star Wars Episode 8.

She is also an accomplished writer, with several novels and autobiographies under her name. The Princess Diarist, her most recent book, which describes an affair with a young Harrison Ford during the Original Star Wars Trilogy, recently made headlines due to its controversial content.

Rolling Stone also recalls an interview she had with the publication a month before her passing. Asked about her fear of death, she states that she fears dying. Specifically, she does not like the pain that is associated with death.

On her personal life, she has openly admitted to have struggled with mental illness (she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder) and substance abuse (from pot, to LSD, to cocaine). Her drug addiction was tackled in her one-woman play 'Wishful Drinking', which is now a novel, and in her memoir 'Postcards from the Edge', which was turned into a feature film starring Meryl Streep.
Samsung's upcoming smartphone, Samsung Galaxy 8 with a virtual assistant is expected to come up with next year in April. As per the rumor, Samsung will release two variants of the device: the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

According to Gear, earlier the Galaxy S8 was rumored to feature 6GB RAM and up to 256 GB storage. But the new prominent leak regarding new upcoming Samsung's Smartphone's, suggests that the Galaxy S8 is expected to feature 8GB RAM and a newer UFS 2.1 flash storage chip.

Samsung generally follows the same year launch every year and introduce new flagship at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February end. However, the latest report pointed that Samsung will be a change in strategy for 2017.

According to Tom's Guide, South Korean publication Navar, Samsung could be working on a Smartphone with a 6-inch display. The report says Samsung did consider using an S-Pen with the Galaxy S8 Plus.

One of the key features that Samsung will introduce a new virtual Assistant in its upcoming Galaxy S8 series. Samsung could add a dedicated button o launch this virtual assistant. At the time, of acquiring Viv-Labs Samsung's executive have also spoken about the upcoming virtual assistant.

Rumors have also indicated Samsung will reduce the bezels on the display, and another source and another report in the Korean Herald claimed that the S8 will have a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio.

As per the previous report, the S8 will have a 13-megapixel rear camera along with another 12 megapixel back shooter. According to a new rumor, Samsung may skip dual camera trend altogether.

According to Samsung vice president Rhee In-Jong," The current Galaxy Smartphone's need separate for users".

However, Samsung will launch Galaxy 8 in April. But the recent report suggests that Samsung has been delayed to test the phone thoroughly in order to avoid a Note 7 repeat.


Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Kazakh government has appointed Marat Nurguzhin to the post of vice-minister of Defense and Aerospace Industry, the press-service of the ministry reported Dec. 28.

Nurguzhin will supervise the development of space industry in the country.

Before the appointment, Nurguzhin served as a head of national space company Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary.

Defense and Aerospace Industry Ministry was created in Kazakhstan in October 2016.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Christmas is the best moment to share joy and happiness with loved ones. People exchange gifts and enjoy special meals with family members. So, what did Kim Kardashian and Kanye West do on Christmas?

It is the time for the famous rapper to spend Christmas with family after his tough times. A source spoke to PEOPLE magazine that West indeed spent Christmas with his wife reality show queen Kim Kardashian and his family. His wife came earlier while the rapper went to a movie. He arrived later.

On Christmas Eve, they attended a party at Kardashian's mother Kris Jenner. While on Christmas day, the couple visited Kourtney Kardashian (Kim's eldest sister) with their kids, North and Saint.

However, the situation might not be as enjoyable as expected. The source said the famous couple kept a distance at the momager's house and tried to make the situation fun to their kids.

Previously, Kardashian and West were also seen in the ballet"The Nutcracker"with North and had a date on December 18, 2016. Their marriage was on the rock after West was hospitalized for exhaustion and sleep deprivation last month. But they tried to fix everything for the sake of their children.

Still, the tension is seen. The 36-year-old reality star raised a speculation that her wedding is on the brink of divorce after she attended the party at her mom's house without her wedding ring, as DailyMail reported. But she denied divorce claims many times.

West's late appearance at the party also strengthens the issue that their marriage is troubling again. It seems that West prioritized movies more than his family time.

The high-profile couple has been facing tough periods after several unexpected events such as the robbery in Paris and West's hospitalization. Hope everything is back to normal again.


Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev has appointed Timur Suleimenov as the countrys national economy minister, the Kazakh presidents press service said Dec. 28.

Meanwhile, under the other decree of President Nazarbayev, Kazakhstans National Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbaev has been dismissed.

Suleimenov has served as a member of the Board  Minister in charge of Economy and Financial Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Tajikistan supports the abolition of visa regime with Uzbekistan, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon said.

He made the remarks at the meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov, the press service of the president of Tajikistan said in a message.

The official delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Azimov arrived in Tajikistan to participate in the next meeting of the Uzbek-Tajik Intergovernmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation.

During the meeting, President Rahmon noted that Tajikistan positively assesses the initiative of the Uzbek side to restore air traffic between the two countries.

He added that Tajikistan supports the further improvement of relations in the issues of restoration of the railway sections, reduction of tariffs for railway transportation, re-establishment of the import and export of electricity, expansion of cooperation in the agricultural sphere, abolition and facilitation of the visa system and settlement of border issues.

The two sides exchanged views on the current situation and prospects for development of bilateral cooperation in spheres of economy, trade, transport and communications, water, energy, culture, protection of the border, as well as made constructive proposals to eliminate the obstacles to the development of cooperation in these areas.

It was emphasized that the contractual basis of the intergovernmental relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan includes more than a hundred documents.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Barbara Gonzalez

Barbara Gonzalez of Allentown is charged with filing 21 bogus tax returns to claim more than $100,000 in refunds.

(Rudy Miller)

An Allentown woman admitted Wednesday to bilking the U.S. government out of $319,000.

Barbara Gonzalez, 32, filed 21 false tax returns between October 2010 and April 2012, according to court documents. She used identities of real Puerto Rican citizens to fill out the false tax claims.

She issued bogus tax refund anticipation loans to the individuals and then cashed the refund checks when they came in through BG Multiservices of Bethlehem, a check-cashing company she set up.

She faces a maximum 15-year sentence in federal prison.

Gonzalez agreed to pay back $319,610. The entire scheme went after $635,000 in federal funds, according to U.S. District Court Judge Edward Smith.

Gonzalez said Allentown police seized a BMW, a Mercedes and $35,000 to $40,000 cash. Defense attorney Brian Collins said she'll try to have these items returned so they can go toward her restitution. She was not charged with any crime in state court.

Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and submitting false claims against the government. In exchange for the plea, 19 related charges were thrown out.

It's unclear who Gonzalez conspired with. Court documents provide no details.

She was a tax preparer at MJ & Associates in Allentown, court records say.

Gonzalez is a native of Cuba. She said she left Cuba in 2002 when she was in 11th grade. She obtained a GED in the United States.

Police found incriminating files and notes when they raided her home and offices.

Gonzalez will be sentenced in federal court in Easton at 11 a.m. April 4.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
UPDATE: Residents return to Bethlehem homes following sinkhole

A gas leak, water leak and a sinkhole forced the evacuation of several homes early Wednesday morning near Elm Street and Hamilton Avenue in Bethlehem, according to the city fire department.

One UGI worker was injured when he fell into the expanding hole after authorities were called about 3:20 a.m., fire Chief Robert Novatnack and a UGI spokesman said. The worker went to the hospital as a precaution, spokesman Joe Swope said.

#RedCross is responding to a Large Geographic Area Gas Leak. We have open a Shelter at 1170 Fernwood St. Bethlehem Lehigh.  RedCross LehighBucks (@lvbRedCross) December 28, 2016

There was a strong natural gas odor when firefighters arrived and it was obvious inside some of the homes, the chief said.

About 30 people had to leave their homes as a four-block area was closed to traffic, Novatnack said. Some went to a shelter at nearby Northeast Middle School while others were taken in be friends or relatives, Novatnack said.

The American Red Cross as of 9 a.m. was assisting 13 people with food, water and casework at the evacuation center, the organization said in an email.

As of 6:45 a.m., heavy machinery was working to shut off the gas on Hamilton Street near Elm, Novatnack said. Water, which had been leaking, was shut off earlier by the city, the chief said.

By 8:45 a.m., the gas was shut off and workers were attempting to repair gas and water infrastructure under the street, Novatnack said.

"We are investigating a possible broken main as a result of the sinkhole," Swope said. Once repair work is complete, gas service can be returned to the surrounding homes, he said.

UGI workers will go door to door to check for gas odors in the homes, Swope said.

Edgeboro Moravian Church is near the sinkhole. The church's windows were propped open by plastic candles.

It wasn't clear if any homes were damaged. Authorities were "still checking on the extent of the sinkhole," Novatnack texted just before 7:15 a.m.

It's possible the sinkhole goes from curb to curb under the street, Novatnack said earlier. As of 8 a.m., a hole about 10 feet across and 6 feet deep had been excavated. There was a second, smaller hole near the curb and about a 4-foot depression in the side yard at 1639 Elm St.

The gas odor had dissipated by that hour.

Residents concerned about pets should be allowed in their homes at some point during the afternoon, Novatnack said.

A command post was set up at Maple and Elm streets, the chief said.

Washington and Easton avenues remain open to traffic, Novatnack said. Detours are in place, he added.

Photographer Sue Beyer contributed to this report.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The 23-year-old Bethlehem man who is charged with killing his former teacher and their 4-year-old child reported the affair in 2012, leading to the teacher's firing, according to documents posted by The New York Times.

Isaac Duran Infante, who had a local address but was arrested in New York City, was a student at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx when he began a sexual relationship with Felicia Barahona, then 32, in the fall of 2011, according to a 2012 report of the Special Commission of Investigation for the New York City School District.

Barahona and their son, Miguel, were found dead on Monday and Duran Infante is charged in both of the killings.

In February 2012, Duran Infante, who the paperwork calls Student A, told another person he couldn't properly eat or sleep for the previous two weeks "because something had been disturbing him," the commission's report states. The third party informed the commission, the report states.

He had fallen in love with and "had a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship" with Barahona, the report states.

They first had sex on his 18th birthday that fall, he said, according to the report.

They originally met when she was his teacher, the report states.

She told a commission investigator she was "very conscious" of his age "when she had sex with him," the report states.

After the sexual relationship started, Barahona thought she was pregnant and Duran Infante went with her to the doctor, where it was confirmed, the report states.

"He embraced the idea of being a father," the report states. Miguel was due to be born on Aug. 15, 2012, the report states.

Duran Infante asked to move in with Barahona in January 2012 and she agreed, the report states.

He said they lived together for about three weeks before "their relationship soured," the report states.

Barahona admitted they had sex and lived together -- she said it was only for four or five days -- and added that she loved him and they planned to marry, the report states.

"She had purchased wedding rings," the report states.

Duran Infante continued as a student at DeWitt Clinton and on Feb. 28, 2012, a complaint was filed with the special commission for investigation, the report states.

The probe recommended that Barahona be fired and banned from working for the city's Department of Education.

After leaving her job, Barahona went to graduate school, was active in the Coast Guard Reserve and raised Miguel, the Times said.

Duran Infante paid child support and sometimes visited, the Times said.

Barahona's half brother said she was "moving on with her life."

"She had fallen from grace and was piecing things back together," Jaime Bravo told the newspaper.

Barahona, now 36, was found in the living room of the Harlem apartment with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, the Times reported. The 4-year-old was found in a bathtub, the Times added.

WFMZ reports Duran Infante told police Barahona was "interfering with his new girlfriend" and he didn't like it.

He was expected Wednesday to face the homicide charges in a New York courtroom.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Lower Saucon Township man described as a martial arts master injured his brother in an assault then attacked police responding to take him into custody, authorities said.

Township police said they had to shock Brandon Petrillo with a Taser to arrest him after responding to the domestic assault about 3:15 a.m. Dec. 22 at his home in the 3300 block of Bingen Road.

Petrillo, 35, is also accused of causing extensive damage to a township police vehicle during the incident.

No police officers were injured, according to a news release Tuesday night from township police. The release did not indicate whether Petrillo's brother had to be treated for his injuries.

Petrillo was arraigned Thursday morning before District Judge John Capobianco on felony counts of aggravated assault and institutional vandalism; four misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, in addition to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and fleeing or attempting to elude police; four summary counts of harassment; and summary violations for running two stop signs, no rear lights and driving an unregistered vehicle.

He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail and remained in custody Tuesday, according to court records.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
An alleged drug dealer is facing additional charges following a raid on his Palmer Township home.

Charged is Allan Leslie Sinanan Jr., 37, of the 900 block of South 25th Street.

Seized during the Nov. 4 search of Sinanan's home and rental units was cocaine, heroin, marijuana, prescription pills, as well as a digital scale, surveillance cameras, a recorder and a tactical vest. Court records indicate additional drugs were found in Sinanan's possession after his arrest, as well as firearms given to an associate of Sinanan for safe keeping.

Palmer Township police detectives in July initially worked with an informant to nab Sinanan. Police were interested in recent drug transactions Sinanan allegedly made in the 800 block of West Broad Street in Bethlehem and at his home.

From July to October, law enforcement from various agencies kept surveillance on Sinanan. He was found during the timespan entering and leaving apartment buildings in these locations: 800 block of West Broad Street in Bethlehem; 900 block of South 25th Street in Wilson Borough; and the 900 block of Miller Street in Easton.

Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 3, the informant allegedly met with Sinanan for a controlled buy of cocaine. Similar controlled buys occurred between Aug. 17 to Aug 19 at an undisclosed location in Easton and between Aug. 31 and Sept. 2 near a store in Easton, police said.

Both transactions included cash for cocaine, according to police.

Prior to the 12:04 p.m. Nov. 4 raid, special agents around 9:30 a.m. Nov. 4 approached Sinanan as he was loading the trunk of a Thunderbird sedan with various items. Sinanan allegedly threw a black jacket toward the front door of his home.

Police told Sinanan he was being detained for the distribution of cocaine after selling drugs to the informant.

Police around 9:45 a.m. Nov. 4 searched Sinanan at police headquarters and found in his possession seven small plastic containers of cocaine, a cellphone and $204 in cash.

Palmer Township police, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Office in Allentown and members of the Northampton County Drug Task Force obtained a search warrant to raid the home and rental units. In the black jacket thrown near Sinanan's home, officers seized more drug paraphernalia, according to police.

Police on Nov. 14 interviewed a close associate of Sinanan who led investigators in seizing a black Crossbow, four new tires, rims, a rifle and a semi-automatic Stoeger shotgun in Bethlehem Township. The associate told police the weapons belonged to Sinanan and he was asked to hold onto them because Sinanan knew police were asking about the rental units, court records say.

Sinanan previously was jailed on charges of three counts possession of a controlled substance, three counts possession with intent to distribute to a controlled substance and three counts criminal use of a communications facility.

Sinanan on Tuesday was additionally charged with five counts possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of an illegal firearm, five counts possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arraigned Tuesday before District Judge Jacqueline Taschner, who set bail at $250,000. Sinanan remains incarcerated in lieu of a total $350,000 bail.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The deal's done.

Lehigh Valley Health Network on Wednesday announced that a proposed merger with Pocono Health System has met all its regulatory requirements.

Effective on New Year's Day, PHS's flagship hospital, Pocono Medical Center, will officially be renamed Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, LVHN says in a news release.

The two organizations' boards first authorized a letter of intent to merge in May 2015. After more than a year of negotiations and due diligence, the boards gave final approval to the merger earlier this month. Meeting the regulatory requirements was the last hurdle, according to LVHN.

In addition to the name change at the hospital, a trauma center located in East Stroudsburg, the merger brings several leadership changes.

Jeff Snyder, PHS president and CEO, plans to resign from his position, effective Saturday, which is New Year's Eve. Elizabeth Wise, PHS chief nursing officer and COO, will assume the role of acting president, effective Sunday, New Year's Day.

Snyder, who will continue to provide consultation during a 30-day merger transition period, says in a statement that he has "decided it is time to pursue my desire to lead in a different capacity."

Wise, the incoming acting president, previously served as an executive at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., and also held several other leadership roles in health care systems in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Although not mentioned in the LVHN news release, the announcement of the leadership changes comes just days after the union representing more than 500 registered nurses at Pocono Medical Center lambasted current hospital leadership over plans to layoff 61 nurses.

"We're calling on PMC to reverse this ill-advised strategy of eliminating nurses from the bedside and instead employ measures that responsibly seek cost-savings without jeopardizing patient care," said Doug Placa, executive director of JNESO District Council 1, the union representing the nurses, said in a Dec. 22 statement. "We will fight these layoffs every step of the way."

JNESO is an acronym for Jersey Nurses Economic Security Organization, but it represents nurses in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

More details about the merger's implications on hospital staffing and services may be released during a news conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the new Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono.

The addition of the new hospital will bring LVHN's total number of hospital campuses to eight. The network currently has three in the Allentown area, one in Bethlehem, one in Hazleton and two in the Pottsville area.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Five countries including China, UAE, Iraq, Turkey, and South Korea imported 65 percent of Iran's total non-oil goods in terms of value in the first eight months of current Iranian fiscal year (March 20- Nov. 21, 2016).

China was the main importer of goods from Iran in the mentioned period. The country's imports accounted for 17.8 percent of Iran's total exports in terms of value, according to the latest statistics released by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI).

Iran exported $5.011 billion worth of goods to China during the 8-month period, indicating a rise by 2 percent year-on-year.

Iran also exported $4.371 billion worth of goods to the UAE (15 percent fall), which marks 15.5 percent of Iran's total exports value.

Iraq ($4.068 billion), Turkey (with $2.606 billion), South Korea ($2.144 billion), India ($1.885 billion), Afghanistan ($1.634 billion), Japan ($753 million), Pakistan ($506 million) and Oman ($412 million) were other top importers of Iranian goods.

Iran's exports to South Korea registered a huge rise by 708 percent in the period, meanwhile the country's exports to UAE and Turkey decreased by 19 and 3 percent.

Tehran's exports to Iraq and Oman increased by 2 and 77 percent respectively compared with the 8-month period of preceding year.

Meanwhile Afghanistan and Japan imports from Iran witnessed fall by 4 and 19 percent respectively during the same period.

Irans exports to Pakistan registered a rise by 28 percent, meanwhile exports to India increased by 5 percent in terms of value.

Irans total non-oil exports (including the gas condensate) stood at $28.117 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, which indicates a 5.7-percent increase.
Acting on complaints from local business people, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office has charged a 38-year-old Tobyhanna Township man with 12 theft-related offenses.

Authorities allege Leonid Krylov, who also has an address in Piscataway, New Jersey, deceptively stole more than $233,000 in goods, services or cash from several people and businesses. Krylov committed these crimes while operating several businesses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, the district attorney's office said in a news release and court papers.

Leonid Krylov, 38, of Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, and Piscataway, New Jersey, faces 12 theft-related charges filed by the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Krylov stole $10,000 from Edmund Lee O'Conell of Mount Pocono, $29,569 from Rudolph Marmelo of Rudy & Sons Gulf Distributors in Stroudsburg, $11,372 from Independent Petroleum Services in Wilkes-Barre, $11,125 from G&G Oil in Scranton, $150,000 from Arthur Berry of Buck Hill Falls, $4,700 from D.G. Nicolas Co. in Clarks Summit and $4,500 from Bracey's Auto Parts in Mount Pocono, court papers say.

Krylov also wrote bad checks for $5,000, $1,440 and $4,000, the district attorney's office said. And he issued an $1,871 check on a closed account, the district attorney's office said.

The $150,000 theft involved the $1.5 million sale from Berry to Krylov of a 4-acre property that included a Saveway gas station Krylov was leasing at 10 Pine Hill Road in Mount Pocono, the district attorney's office said. The property needed $340,000 in improvements to qualify for a mortgage, the district attorney's office said. Berry agreed to assist Krylov in getting a $400,000 secured loan to do the work, the district attorney's office said.

Krylov made an agreement with Independent Petroleum Services to replace the tanks and lines, the district attorney's office said. The company requested a $100,000 deposit and on Nov. 14, 2015, Berry transferred $150,000 from a Wayne Bank line of credit to I Dream Auto Group Inc., which Krylov owned, the district attorney's office said. On Nov. 13 of that year, Krylov wrote a $100,000 check to Independent Petroleum Services but the check bounced, the district attorney's office said.

"Mr. Krylov refuses to tell Mr. Berry what he did with the $150,000," the district attorney's office said.

Krylov was arrested Tuesday and arraigned before District Judge Thomas Shiffer on seven counts of theft by deception (more than $2,000), three counts of writing bad checks, and one count each of theft by deception (less than $2,000) and theft by failure to make the required disposition of funds received, the district attorney's office said.

Unsecured bail was set at $50,000 and Krylov was released pending a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled Jan. 18 in District Judge Anthony D. Fluegel's court.

Krylov was also recently arrested by the Northeast Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Task Force on charges of theft by deception and insurance fraud offenses. Bail in that case was an unsecured $25,000, court papers say. Krylov's preliminary hearing on those charges is scheduled Jan. 11 in Fluegel's court.

The district attorney's investigation had been ongoing since Jan. 28, 2016, "due to numerous complaints from local business people," according to the news release.

Krylov's attorney William A. Watkins said the charges result from a misunderstanding of real estate deals are would far better be settled in civil, not criminal, court.

"We're going to be providing documentation to district attorney's office that not nearly those kind of dollars are involved," Watkins said. "These are civil not criminal matters. We're going to provide all the documentation so we can to move it" in that direction.

Others involved wrote Krylov checks in excess of $100,000 that were on closed accounts, Watkins said.

"There is a lot of confusion with how they were structuring those real estate transactions," Watkins said. "We're going to try and educate (the district attorney) a little bit" before the upcoming court date.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
In Ireland we see three species of swans. Most of us are familiar with the Mute Swan which can be seen all year round on many of our rivers and lakes.

The Bewick Swan is the smallest but is now rarely seen in Ireland. Thirdly there is the Whooper Swan a winter migrant which breeds in Iceland. Each year at the end of October about 15,000 of them head for these shores to over winter until their departure at the end of March or early April.

The vast majority of them spend these months on inland wetlands in counties north and west of a line from Limerick to Louth. They are a large white swan with a long thin neck which they usually hold erect and have black legs.

Their bill is black also but with a triangular patch of yellow in contrast to the orange on the bill of the Mute swan. They are quite vocal with their trumpeting calls heard from some distance. They generally feed on grassland or stubble near water bodies.

Currently, as is usual, there is a flock of Whoopers on The Curragh in south Laois. Family parties start making the flight non stop from Iceland to Ireland from mid October onwards. The first 13 birds arrived on the 21st October with numbers building up over subsequent weeks to 128 by the 25th November. This is the highest count in the area for many years and is now almost reaching national significance which is about 150 birds. The flock this year includes 26 juveniles whose plumage is pale grey, with no yellow on the bill until they get older. As there has been no flooding so far this winter they generally stayed together initially on fields adjacent to the River Erkina which they use for bathing and drinking.

They have been visible to the public from the Woodenbridge in the direction towards Durrow. Recently they have started to split into smaller groups, being seen also on fields beside the river Goul. In times of flood they can be observed at many sites throughout south Laois including on the Nore floodplain from Cloncough to Waterloo Bridge.

The really special thing about this flock is that it is the only one in Laois and for many kilometres further with none in Carlow, Kilkenny and most of Kildare. In years gone by this area also played host to flocks of geese but now only occasional birds visit.

When there is no flooding some of them often fly to Grantstown Lake to roost and one of the most spectacular sights and sounds is when they congregate here just prior to their departure for Iceland. Birdwatch Ireland (Laois Branch) would encourage landowners and residents in the area to continue to support their presence and not to disturb them while they overwinter in our locality.

Many other species of birds can be seen in this area such as grey heron, little egret, cormorant,little grebe,moorhen,kingfisher, kestrel, buzzard, stonechat and mallard with good numbers of teal, wigeon, lapwing, golden plover and migrant curlew during flooding.

Further information on all birds can be found on the "Birdwatch Ireland" website, but why not come along to a meeting of your local branch. In Laois meetings are held in the Parish Centre Portlaoise at 8pm on the last Tuesday of the month.

The speaker in January is John N Murphy (Ornithologist and Photographer) talking about amazing bird watching on Loop Head Co. Clare.
The Kildare Holstein Friesian Club held its AGM recently.

Outgoing Chairman, John Murphy said in his address that the price of milk had dropped dramatically during his four years as chairman, but that the outlook for the year ahead looked encouraging.

He thanked all the other officers for their help and cooperation for the past and wished the new chairman and committee the best of luck for the year ahead.

Club President, Joe Doran, said in his address that the pipeline from the Shannon to Dublin, was going to cause a lot of trouble for many club members and he appealed for support if and when the need arises.

The election of officers then followed and Kevin Walsh from Kilcock was proposed and seconded. T

here was no other nomination, so Kevin is the new chairman of the club.

Following the AGM, the milking machine company De Laval in the person of Paul Kirwan gave a presentation of the companys dairy equipment, mainly on robotic milking etc.

This was followed by Nathan Tuffy, a dairy specialist with the Farmers Journal.

A raffle was held then for the Friends of Calcutta. The new chairman Kevin Walsh has been doing volunteer work in Calcutta for the past five weeks, so the club will donate approximately 500, to give to Kevin when he returns to Calcutta in January.

The final event of the evening was the presentation of the FBD stock judging awards.

Brian Scully, area manager for FBD, attended but is absent from the above photograph.

The winners in the Senior section were Gerry Flynn, Kevin Walsh and Anthony Kealy.

In the Junior section, Rachel Walsh, Lily Hannah Walsh and Hannah Healy took the honours.

The chairman thanked FBD for sponsoring both the herds and the stock judging competitions and De Lavel for sponsoring the AGM and refreshments.

Guest, Donal Carey, of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA), incoming Club Chairman Kevin Walsh, guest speaker, dairy specialists Nathan Tuffy, of the Irish Farmers Journal, and Seamus Goggin of sponsors DeLaval, pictured at Kildare Holstein Friesian Club (KHFC) AGM and Awards presentation in Naas recently
People who know about how the government and civil service operate have been expressing concern about the challenges Brexit poses for months.

Back in November, the Telegraph reported a leaked memo saying 30,000 extra civil servants would be needed to cope. The following week, the former head of the civil service Bob Kerslake had this to say:

Its not possible to do that at a point when the civil service is at its lowest numbers since the second world war and continuing to fall. I think it is pretty essential for the government to pause, review, take stock of what it has in front of it and then revisit the question of capacity. And I dont think its necessarily about lots of skills that the civil service doesnt have  I think it has huge skills but there will be a real issue about numbers to deliver these very big demands.

Back in August, former Cabinet Secretary Gus ODonnell said that the Government needed to get its strategy in place before invoking Article 50 and there was no rush to do so:

The key for government is to have a strategic plan to say: What kind of UK do we want? What is our place in the world? What are we trying to achieve in these negotiations? Once you have got those strategic decisions sorted out, then you can go about thinking about so when should we implement article 50?. I wouldnt be in a rush. He said there was also no hurry because elections in France and Germany next year meant it was unclear which leaders the prime minister would be negotiating with.

Today, senior civil service union leader Dave Penman attacked the Government for its knee-jerk reaction that any criticism of its strategy was a betrayal of the British people:

It is pure politics that is defining the Brexit debate and forcing May to say this is not a big, difficult job, and it is all in hand. Ministers lack the political courage to admit how complex and time-consuming this will be. When anyone pops their head above the parapet  former permanent secretaries, ex-cabinet secretaries, the Institute for Government  and says this is going to take a long time and its complex, they are immediately shot down and accused of betraying the will of the people. The politics around Brexit are the biggest risk to Brexit. The government is clearly in a situation where they are trying to deny the complexity of it, he said.

Tim Farron responded by saying that the Government was making up its strategy on the back of a fag packet:

The representative of Britains civil servants is now saying publicly what many civil servants have been saying privately: that ministers are making up their Brexit strategy on the back of a fag packet. Six months on ministers sill havent got to grips with Brexit, even on fundamental questions such as whether they want to remain in the Single Market. It emerges that the Home Secretary proposed a register for foreign workers without having done the most basic due diligence, namely assessing whether her department had the resources to implement such a measure. As each day passes it becomes ever clearer that this divided Conservative Brexit government has no plan, and no clue.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Holyrood Magazine has been asking Scottish political leaders what they would do to tackle poverty. Heres his ambitious answer to a question about whether the Scottish Governments child poverty targets (less than 10% in relative poverty and 5% in absolute poverty by 2030) were acceptable:

Any child in poverty is unacceptable and any government should be working towards eradicating poverty altogether. Obviously, that is quite a challenge but we should set ourselves to be that ambitious. 

And if we had to pay more taxes to ensure that? His answer isnt surprising given that hes the only Scottish leader to propose a rise in income tax for a transformational investment in education.

If we are going to be serious about tackling inequality and poverty then we have to be honest with ourselves that taxation is going to be required. However, any taxation must be done progressively so that everyone pays their fair share and that every penny raised is used as effectively as possible.

And talking of transformations, he was clear that the SNP mustnt flunk the chance to do something different on social security:

New social security powers should be used so that the people of Scotland benefit from them. The SNP now have the chance to create a bespoke welfare system and they should grab the opportunity and not let it sail away.

He also commented on low wages and housing and, bizarrely, he was asked about his favourite Christmas movie.

You can read the whole thing here.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
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Tehran, Iran, December 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The issue of homeless people in suburban Tehran who had sought shelter in empty graves, has found its way up to the level of president, where Hassan Rouhani voiced great concern about the issue.

Neither the government nor people tolerate seeing somebody sleep their nights in graves, the president said in a local speech, IRNA news agency reported December 28.

Rouhani made the remark by referring to a letter he had received from a celebrity, warning about the great shock related to seeing Iranians sleep in such conditions.

Photos of some 30 homeless people who dwelled in a cemetery to the southeast of Tehran were published on the front pages of a number of newspapers in Iran December 27.

Calling this a great shame in an open letter to Rouhani the same day, famous filmmaker and Oscar winner Asqar Farhadi made plea to all those capable of providing any kind of help to these people .
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Tehran, Iran, December 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven will visit Iran in February, heading a high-ranking economic delegation, according to Swedish Ambassador to Iran Helena Sangeland.

She said the trip is due to the high level of significance Sweden attaches to economic relations with Iran, Mehr news agency reported December 28.

The ambassador also said that if the Swedish Trade Council in Iran is opened, it will pave the ground for Swedish businesses to enter Iran.

Sangeland also said that the Swedish government would benefit from a swift end to Irans banking problems.

Head of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture Mohsen Jalalpour said on June 1 that five memoranda of understanding had been signed between the Chamber and Sweden Trade Council and added that STC is intended to open a bureau in Tehran.

Meanwhile, representatives from 70 Swedish companies gathered in Hotel Sheraton in Stockholm to meet with Iran's 60-member economic delegation and discuss issues of mutual interests including industry, mines, energy, agriculture, information and communication technology, banking, investment and tourism.
Co-chairman of Iran-Algeria parliamentary friendship group Masoud Goudarzi said on Wednesday that Iran foreign policy advocates non-interference in domestic affairs of other countries, IRNA reported.

Goudarzi made the remarks in a meeting with Algerian Ambassador to Tehran Abdel Mounaam Ahriz.

The Member of Parliament expressed deep concern about deterioration of humanitarian crises in the region, saying that the human cost of the crises are alarming for all states.

He said that the two countries have good and positive ties in different fields of politics, economy and security and expressed hope those parliamentary relations would develop as well.

The Iranian MP underlined necessity for development and expansion of cultural and scientific relations between the two countries, saying that parliaments, as representatives of nations may play important role to consolidate and strengthen economic cooperation between the two nations.

Abdel Mounaam Ahriz expressed pleasure with the growing trend of relations between the two countries, saying that there are plenty of common grounds on international and regional issues between Iran and Algeria, which may lead to enhanced cooperation in international forums.

He said that Algeria is also following policy of non-interferences in other countries affairs and prefers to help resolve disputes through dialogue.

Ahriz said that Algeria was facing with phenomenon of terrorism suffering from many irreparable damages and that the experience may help fight against terrorism.

He called for regular consultations between senior officials of the two countries.

He said that upcoming visit of Iran's president to Algeria will lead to strengthening and consolidating mutual ties.
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Iran will use whatever diplomatic power it has to free Narges Kalbasi from prison in India, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in response to a letter by some celebrities, professors and lawyers.

I assure you that our objective is her freedom from her current problems and a fair treatment, Zarif wrote in a letter in answer, Mehr news agency reported December 28.

Born in Iran in 1989, Kalbasi moved to Britain at the age of 4. She lost her parents there. Later, she founded a charity center for orphans and disabled children in India.

Recently she was charged with murder after one of the children under her care drowned in a river during a camping trip.

On December 27, scores of students held demonstrations in Bangalore, India in support of the Iranian female philanthropist who has been sentenced to prison and paying damages by an Indian court.

The students held placards saying Kalbasi is innocent and her verdict should be repealed.

In a related move the same day, students in Vancouver, Canada published a call in support of Narges.

In his recent trip to India a few weeks ago, Zarif met with Kalbasi where they discussed the judicial case of the Iranian philanthropist.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Turkey and Russia have agreed on a comprehensive truce plan which will be presented to the sides of the conflict in Syria, Anadolu Agency reported Dec. 28 citing sources in the Turkish government.

The plan is offered to be enacted in particular in the area of conflict between the Syrian government and the countrys opposition forces.

The sides of the conflict will be offered to stop fighting starting from 00:00 Dec. 29 as part of the Turkish-Russian agreement.

The ceasefire agreement doesnt cover terrorist organizations.

If the truce agreement is successful, the Syrian government and the opposition will in Astana discuss the political settlement of the conflict with the support of Turkey and Russia.

Turkey and Russia will act as guarantors of the settlement. The agreement is aimed to promote the advancement of the political process as envisaged by the UN General Assembly resolution 2254 on Syria.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Surreal Science: 9 Strange Health Findings from 2016

(Image credit: Ezume Images | Shutterstock.com)

Science is weird  and a number of new findings during 2016 proved it. From the superpowers that alcohol may give you, to the weird health risks associated with longer legs, this year has brought us some scientific studies whose conclusions were strange, funny and thought-provoking.

Here are nine of the strangest health stories we covered in 2016.

Leprosy found in red squirrels

This red squirrel has obvious leprosy on its ear and muzzle. (Image credit: Karen van der Zijden)

A medieval plague in modern squirrels? Yes, said a study published in Science in November. Researchers found that all 25 red squirrels they collected from England's Brownsea Island were infected with the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. M. leprae is the oldest pathogen associated with leprosy, and was responsible for outbreaks of the disease in medieval Europe.

"The main message of this is that the number of nonhuman reservoirs of leprosy might be much higher than previously thought," Charlotte Avanzi, a doctoral assistant in molecular life sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, told Live Science. Previously, the only known animal reservoir of the bacteria was the nine-banded armadillo, which is found in North, Central and South America, including parts of the southern U.S.

The good news is that the likelihood of people catching the disease from red squirrels is low, researchers said. [6 Strange Facts About Leprosy]

Arthritis drug may help reverse hair loss

An image of a patient with alopecia universalis, a condition that results in hair loss. On the left, the patient's head before treatment with the drug tofacitinib. On the right, the head after treatment. (Image credit: Annals of Internal Medicine)

In November, researchers reported that two patients, one man and one woman, regrew at least some of their hair after taking a drug aimed at treating arthritis. The patients had a condition called alopecia universalis, in which people's immune system attacks their hair follicles, leading to hair loss on the entire body. But after taking the arthritis drug tofacitinib, they regrew hair on their scalp, eyebrows and in their armpits.

However, the drug has side effects. The long-term use of tofacitinib is known to cause an increased risk of serious infections, as well as tears in the stomach and intestines, according to Pfizer, the company that makes the drug.

Still, the new finding offers hope for patients. "Hair loss really affects your self-esteem," Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, who was not affiliated with the study, told Live Science in November. By studying how tofacitinib works, researchers may better able to understand what goes wrong when people experience hair loss, and then be able to develop new treatments with fewer side effects.

Long legs? You may have a higher risk of colon cancer

(Image credit: Stanislav Fridkin/Shutterstock)

There may be a surprising drawback to having fashion-model-length legs: A study presented in April found that, compared with men who had shorter legs, men with longer legs had a 42 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Researchers used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, which included a cohort of more than 14,500 men and women, analyzing overall height, torso height and leg length. They examined how many participants developed colorectal cancer over a nearly 20-year period, and found that the only factor linked to people's colon cancer risk was leg length. Men with the longest legs (an average of 35.4 inches) had a whopping 91 increased risk of colorectal cancer, compared with the men with the shortest legs (an average of 31.1 inches). In women, no statistically significant differences in risk were linked with leg length, the researchers said. [6 Strange Things the Government Knows About Your Body]

Guillaume Onyeaghala, a graduate student in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and the lead author of the study, told Live Science that one hypothesis for why they saw these results is that the factors that drive bone growth in the legs are also a risk factor for colorectal cancer.

Drinking a beer could help you read other people's emotions

(Image credit: Brent Hofacker | Shutterstock.com)

A study published in September showed one surprising superpower that you may get from your next beer: recognizing emotions such as happiness.

Even though many people drink beer, "there is surprisingly little scientific data on its effects on the processing of emotional social information," study co-author Matthias Liechti, professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Basel in Switzerland, said in a statement.

In the study, 60 participants drank either 17 ounces (500 milliliters) of alcoholic or nonalcoholic beer over the course of 15 minutes. They were not told whether their beer was of the alcoholic or nonalcoholic variety. The results? People who were given regular beer, rather than nonalcoholic beer, were better at recognizing faces that expressed happiness. They also expressed a greater desire to spend time in the company of other people than those who consumed the nonalcoholic beer.

The researchers believe that such results may stem from alcohols effects on social cognition, which in turn enhances sociability.

Cardiac arrest is deadlier in a high-rise

(Image credit: Kozorez Vladislav/Shutterstock.com)

Living in the penthouse may make cardiac arrest deadlier: A study published in January found that people who go into cardiac arrest  meaning that their hearts stop beating  while they are on the middle or upper floors of high-rise buildings are less likely to survive than those on the lowest floors. Over the course of the five-year study, conducted in Canada, 4.2 percent of patients who went into cardiac arrest while located below the third floor survived, whereas only 2.6 percent of those on floors 3 and above survived.

And, the higher the floor, the starker the numbers, the researchers said. Less than 1 percent of those above the 16th floor survived, and no one above the 25th floor survived, according to the study.

Dr. Robert A. Silverman, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in Hempstead, New York, who was not associated with the study, told Live Science that the greatest delays in reaching cardiac arrest patients typically occurred in multistory, residential buildings, according to his own research. "Barriers to reaching the patient included the height and complexity of the layout of the building, locked lobby doors and the lack of an escort that could have facilitated movement to the location of the patient," Silverman told Live Science.

The sooner a cardiac arrest patient receives care, the higher the chances of survival, Silverman added.

Higher levels of education linked to higher risk of brain tumors

(Image credit: Peter Titmuss | Shutterstock.com)

Do graduate degrees give you brain cancer? Not quite  but a new study from Sweden suggests that people with higher levels of education may be more likely to develop certain types of brain tumors.

The researchers in the study found that women who completed at least three years of university courses were 23 percent more likely to develop a glioma, a type of cancerous brain tumor, compared with women who did not go to a university. In addition, men who completed at least three years of university courses were 19 percent more likely to develop a glioma, compared with men who did not go to a university.

But before you give up on higher education, consider this: Amal Khanolkar, a research associate at the Institute of Child Health at the University College London and a co-author of the study, noted that "one possible explanation is that highly educated people may be more aware of symptoms and seek medical care earlier." In other words, they're more likely to be diagnosed, which may explain the difference found in the study.

Your genes may influence the age at which you lose your virginity

(Image credit: Ezume Images | Shutterstock.com)

Genetics may play a role in determining the age at which people first have sexual intercourse, according to a study of more than 125,000 people in the United Kingdom that was published in April.

Felix Day, a genetics researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a co-author of the study, told Live Science that although social factors play a role in when people lose their virginity, "by using genetics, we hope to uncover additional biological factors that contribute" to the age at which people first have sexual intercourse. Researchers looked at 38 genes that affect things like the timing of puberty, tendency to take risks and level of irritability.

The researchers noted that a young age of first sexual intercourse is linked with negative outcomes in educational achievements and mental health. So, by exploring genetic influences, Day told Live Science that researchers hope to better understand the relationship between genes and health outcomes.

Originally published on Live Science.
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Laredo police released Tuesday photos of the suspect who allegedly robbed the Wells Fargo bank on Friday.

Anyone who can identify the suspect is asked to call LPD at 956-795-2800.

Police said the male suspect approached one of the tellers, saying he had placed an explosive device inside the banks restroom. Preliminary reports from employees indicated a male had entered the restroom before the threat occurred.

The teller, as per procedures of the bank, turned over money - about $4,300 - to the robber, police said.

The suspect fled the bank on foot, running east.

LPDs bomb squad searched the bank after the building was evacuated. No bomb was found.

The Wells Fargo location has now been robbed three times this year.

The first one happened in early June when a man walked into the bank shortly before closing time and handed a note to a female teller, demanding money.

The note stated that he was armed with a gun and wanted the bank box money, states the criminal complaint.

Fearing for her life, the clerk gave him a bag containing about $3,000.

The robber was later identified as Laredo resident Charles Edward Vela, 22. He was arrested three days after the robbery.

The second robbery occurred in September, when a woman handed a threatening note to a teller. Police arrested the suspect, Claudia Coronado, 42, the following day. Police said they also found the stolen cash  $10,000  inside a backpack
At least twelve people were killed after a car rolled down the ravine in Perus southern region of Ayacucho, Sputnik reported.

The incident occurred on Tuesday when a car with 16 passengers fell 300 meters (about 984 feet) into the abyss, the driver was reported missing.

Police forces and firefighters arrived at the scene, while three injured people were taken to a local hospital, the newspaper said.

The reason for the incident is under investigation. According to preliminary data, the driver lost control of the car.
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Gerardo Mendoza Ordaz, 42, is accused of drowning his 4-year-old daughter in a baptismal font at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Healdsburg, Calif.

Officers told local news agency The Press Democrat that Ordaz arrived to the Healdsburg Police Department Sunday evening completely nude, holding the lifeless body of his daughter and asking for help. His 9-year-old son, partially clothed, stood next to him and appeared to be unharmed.

The girl was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.

Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke said that the church, unlocked Sundays, was empty except for the family.

"We do believe she was drowned intentionally," Lt. Matt Jenkins said in a press conference.

Ordaz is suspected to have submerged his daughter in the one- to two-feet-deep pool. His son appears to be the only witness.

(Story continues below.)

"Sunday night there was tragedy in the church; a little girl lost her life," Fr. Sean Rogers, Pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, said in a statement released on the church's website. "When police finish the investigation we will know more. In the meantime, please pray for the family, and the parish community."

"So senseless and tragic," a post on the Healdsburg Police Department's Facebook page reads. "Please keep the family and all those involved in your thoughts and prayers."

SENTENCED: Alabama man sentenced to 40 years after murdering man who sexually abused his daughter

Ordaz reportedly sat for an interview that revealed enough information to book him at the Sonoma County Jail with no bail. The details of his statement or a potential motive have not yet been released.

Officers say the boy is safe at home with his mother and two siblings.
Planning permission for a distillery in Lanesboro has been granted by Longford Co Council, the Leader has learned.

The Blacksmith Ventures Ltd project is planned for the old, iconic three-storey post office building in Lanesboro, and will become a focal attraction in the countys bid to win tourism market share.

The project promoters are brothers Peter and Michael Clancy and their sister, Sheila Mullen, who grew up in Lanesboro. The trio are also cousins of Eoin Tynan, one of the names behind the successful St Mels Brewery in Longford town.

Peter Clancy told the Leader that while it has been a long process and there were still several hurdles to cross, the family is determined to see the project through.

A range of whiskeys will be distilled on site and it is expected that the venture will provide 25 construction jobs over the course of the 14 month build project.

In addition to the visitor centre, the actual distillery will be constructed at the rear of the existing building. Once up and running it will distill a range of products including whiskeys, gin and liqueurs.

Local area representative in Lanesboro, Cllr Gerald Farrell (FG) has welcomed the local authority's decision in respect of the distillery.

This is a major social and economic boost for Lanesboro in terms of jobs and tourism in the area, he said before pointing out that building would commence in mid-2017 and take 12 months to complete.

I'm delighted for my neighbours and friends Peter, Michael and Sheila who have been working on this for over three years; all the hard work is now starting to pay off and in time this product will be on shelves across the world!

Meanwhile, St Mels Brewing Company continues to expand and a new hot water tank has been installed at the facility on the outskirts of Longford town.

This, say the owners will treble production and set the company up for exporting the product to the US in the coming months.

We are expanding now and the next plan is to start exporting the product to the US and Britain, Eoin Tynan said.

We are very excited about this and delighted with the way things are going here.
The community of Abbeylara are looking forward to welcoming everyone to their newly built parish centre on Saturday, December 31 to celebrate the start of the New Year.

Music will be provided by local musical duo Mary OConnor and Pat Kelly.

Admission is 10 and this includes dance, hot food, champagne reception and alcohol.

As it continues to be a growing national concern and the increasing numbers of people, individuals and families without a home, organisers have decided that all proceeds will be donated in support of the homeless.

It is hoped that this fundraiser will contribute in a positive way to the lives of those without a home and the many organisations who work tirelessly to assist them.

A spokesperson for the organising committee said, We feel this is one step towards increasing support for the homeless and would like to congratulate organisations such as the Simon Community for all their hard work throughout Ireland. All are welcome to Abbeylara parish centre on New Years Eve, join us in the stand against homelessness, your support would be greatly appreciated.
Tech & Science, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 28 2016

The American Physical Society designated the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, Nikola Teslas former laboratory located in Shoreham, New York as a world historic site.

Shoreham, NY - December 12, 2016 - On Sunday, December 11, the American Physical Society (APS) designated the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (TSC), Nikola Teslas former laboratory located in Shoreham, New York as a world historic site.





Photo by David Thaler.

The purpose of the APS historic site designation is to raise public awareness of physics.



Dr. Sam Aronson, past President of APS and former Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory, presented a plaque commemorating this designation to Jane Alcorn, President of the Tesla Science Center.



Tesla joined Westinghouse, said Aronson, where he made monumental contributions to the development of AC power. Today Teslas alternating current system is lighting the whole planet.



Photo by David Thaler.

"It is a great honor to have Nikola Tesla and Wardenclyffe included among the 40 people and places on this prestigious list. We are grateful to the APS for finding Wardenclyffe worthy of inclusion as a World Historic Site," said Jane Alcorn.



The official entry into the American Physical Societys historic registry was done by Paul Halpern, a physicist and Chairman of the APS Historic Sites Committee.



A crowd of local residents, Tesla Science Center supporters and Board Members, and staff members of the American Physical Society were in attendance. Also present were a number of local dignitaries, including: Ed Romaine, Brookhaven Town Supervisor and Ed Weiss, Mayor or the Village of Shoreham, NY.





Photo by David Thaler.

The Tesla Science Center is a not for profit organization located at the site of the former Nikola Tesla laboratory in Shoreham; its mission is to restore the laboratory building, renovate selected other buildings on the 16 acre property, and open the facility to the public as a museum and science center. The organization plans to open the first buildings to the public by early 2018.



The American Physical Society is a national professional organization of physicists with the mission of being the leading voice for physics and an authoritative source of physics information for the advancement of physics and the benefit of humanity. The Society publishes peer reviewed scientific papers in the fields of physics. The society is headquartered in Maryland, and has its editorial office here on Long Island in Ridge, on the opposite side of William Floyd Parkway from the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
School & Education, Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, National & World News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 28 2016

Axact promoted and claimed to have an affiliation with approximately 350 fictitious high schools and universities, which Axact advertised online to consumers as genuine schools.

New York, NY - December 21, 2016 - Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today the filing of a criminal Complaint charging Umar Hamid, a/k/a Shah Khan, a/k/a the Shah, with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with a worldwide diploma mill scheme that collected at least approximately $140 million from tens of thousands of consumers.

As alleged, Hamid and his co-conspirators made false and fraudulent representations to consumers on websites and over the phone to trick them into enrolling in purported colleges and high schools, and issued fake diplomas upon receipt of upfront fees from consumers. Hamid was arrested on December 19, 2016, and was presented yesterday in federal court in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: As alleged, while promising the rewards of a higher education, Umair Hamid was actually just peddling diplomas and certifications from fake schools. Hamid allegedly took hefty upfront fees from young men and women seeking an education, leaving them with little more than useless pieces of paper.

USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said: Mr. Hamid took advantage of the aspirations and dreams of thousands wanting a college education by devising a scheme to issue college coursework, degrees and certifications not worth the paper they were printed on. Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners will spare no resource to bring these scammers to justice, protecting those striving for higher education and opportunities.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: Thousands of peoples hopes were crushed as this alleged diploma mill scheme came crashing down. Victims took at face value the lies Hamid and his co-conspirators are alleged to have sold them. Today, were rewriting the lesson plan.

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court:

The Axact Scheme

Hamid, using the aliases Shah Khan and the Shah, and others operated a massive education diploma mill through the Pakistani company Axact, which has held itself out as one of the worlds leading information technology (IT) providers. Working on behalf of Axact, Hamid and others made misrepresentations to individuals across the world, including throughout the United States and in the Southern District of New York, in order to dupe these individuals into enrolling in supposed high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions.

Consumers paid upfront fees to Hamid and his co-conspirators, believing that in return they would be enrolled in real educational courses and, eventually, receive legitimate degrees. Instead, after paying the upfront fees, consumers did not receive any legitimate instruction and were provided fake and worthless diplomas.

Axact promoted and claimed to have an affiliation with approximately 350 fictitious high schools and universities, which Axact advertised online to consumers as genuine schools. During certain time periods since 2014, Axact received approximately 5,000 phone calls per day from individuals seeking to purchase Axact products or enroll in educational institutions supposedly affiliated with Axact. At least some of those consumers appeared to believe that they were calling phone numbers associated with the respective schools. When consumers asked where the schools were located, sales representatives were instructed to give fictitious addresses.

Once a consumer paid for a school certificate or diploma that falsely reflected a completed course of study, Axact sales agents were trained to use sales techniques to convince the consumer that the consumer should also purchase additional accreditation or certifications for such certificates or diplomas in order to make them appear more legitimate. Axact, through Hamid and his co-conspirators, falsely accredited purported colleges and other educational institutions by arranging to have diplomas from these phony educational institutions affixed with fake stamps supposedly bearing the seal and signature of the U.S. Secretary of State, as well as various states and state agencies and federal and state officials.

HAMIDs Role in the Scheme

Hamid served as Axacts Assistant Vice President of International Relations. While based in Pakistan, Hamid was involved in managing and operating online companies that falsely held themselves out to consumers over the Internet as educational institutions. Among other things, Hamid made various false and fraudulent representations to consumers in order to sell fake diplomas.

At Hamids direction, the websites of purported schools (1) falsely represented that consumers who enrolled with the schools by paying tuition fees would receive online instruction and coursework, (2) sold bogus academic accreditations in exchange for additional fees, (3) falsely represented that the schools had been certified or accredited by various educational organizations, and (4) falsely represented that the schools degrees were valid and accepted by employers, including in the United States.

As a further part of the scheme, Hamid and a co-conspirator (1) opened bank accounts in the United States in the names of shell entities, effectively controlled by Hamid, which received funds transferred by consumers in exchange for fake diplomas, (2) transferred funds from those bank accounts to bank accounts associated with other entities located elsewhere in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada, at the direction of Hamid, and (3) opened and operated an account with Paypal, the online payment service provider, to collect and distribute consumer funds obtained in connection with their fraudulent scheme.

In or about May 2015, Axact was shut down by Pakistani law enforcement, and certain individuals associated with Axact were prosecuted in Pakistan. Nevertheless, after May 2015, Hamid resumed his fraudulent business of selling fake diplomas to consumers in the United States for upfront fees based upon false and fraudulent representations. Most recently, Hamid traveled to the United States in order to open a bank account that he has used to collect money from consumers he defrauded.

Hamid, 30, of Karachi, Pakistan, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI and Postal Inspection Service. Mr. Bharara noted that the investigation remains ongoing.

If you believe you were a victim of this crime, including a victim entitled to restitution, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement and/or receive notice of future developments in the case or additional information, please contact the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900. For additional information, go here .

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Offices Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward A. Imperatore and Noah D. Solowiejczyk are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 28 2016

A unique and inspiring calendar theme was revealed, starring the timeless beauty and sage advice of 15 senior residents of the Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences.

Commack, NY - December 28, 2016 - Adorable puppies, beautiful scenery and vintage cars  these are some of the common themes youll see for 2017 wall calendars. But recently at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, a unique and inspiring calendar theme was revealed, starring the timeless beauty and sage advice of 15 senior residents of the Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences.





Pictured is the 2017 Calendar cover.

A calendar reveal was held in the Cinema Arts Centres Sky Lounge, filled to capacity with the calendar models, family members, staff and community members who were there to celebrate and catch a first glimpse of the anticipated publication. Now in its fifth year, the calendar not only includes stunning portraits of seniors who have cornered the market on successful aging, but it also celebrates the wisdom of the Greatest Generation.

Tonight, we celebrate the men and women of our 2017 Calendar, said Staci Rosenberg-Simons, Director of Marketing for the assisted living community and the emcee for the evening.



As each model was introduced, a dramatic image of the calendar page filled the screen, to smiles and an occasional tear. Following the introductions, a film entitled Behind the Scenes: the Making of the 2017 Calendar was shown, recounting the experience for the participants. The film can be viewed here.



I was never a calendar girl before, said Ruth deBeer, whose life changed dramatically when her family fled Germany to Palestine just before Kristallnacht. I had so much fun, and the pictures turned out terrific. I am going to keep it on my wall forever!



The calendar is really such a wonderful project, said Ms. Rosenberg-Simons. Seeing their faces light up when they see their calendar pages for the first time is just priceless, but more than the photos, it is the advice they impart as a by-product of their life experiences that makes the calendar a treasure.



With a title of Ldor vdor, which translates to From Generation to Generation, the premise of the Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences calendar is that its residents have led lives rich with experiences that will enable them to impart valuable advice for future generations. Among these are the wise words from Stewart Greene, an original Mad Man and former partner at the Wells Rich Greene advertising agency, known for many iconic ads, including Alka Seltzers I Cant Believe I Ate the Whole Thing! Mr. Greene, who retired young and sailed around the world, says its important to pursue your passions. Mary Falcone, a quintessential Italian grandma with four daughters, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren (and one on the way), advises future generations to always cherish family.



Family is, of course, at the heart of every Ldor vdor calendar, and this years calendar features two couples who have cornered the market on long, happy marriages  Helen and Mel Morgenstein, currently married 72 years, and Les and Lorraine Parver, who got hitched 68 years ago. Each couple offers sage advice on a successful partnership, such as the Morgensteins reminder to always respect each other, and the Parvers suggestion tocultivate your own interests.



One of the most lasting benefits to come from Gurwins calendars is the recounting of world history, which this year comes in the form of three Holocaust survivors and a decorated World War II veteran. Gerald Burberry, who escaped Nazi Germany along with thousands of other Jewish children via the Kindertransport, is his familys sole survivor. After marrying his wife Helen, Mr. Burberry discovered his love for nature photography, which lent well to his determination to find the beauty in life despite his experiences as a young man. He leaves future generations with this piece of advice: Appreciate nature.



Edwin Zola, who was drafted to fight in the Army around the same time his family was taken to Auschwitz, had the fortune of reuniting with his brother and sister, his only remaining family, who had moved to the United States before the war. Having seen first-hand the horrors of war, Mr. Zola says that people should use common sense as a means of ending war. And Ms. deBeer  better known as Ms. March  rebuilt her life in the United States, but wants to be sure that future generations never forget.



For Sidney Klein, a decorated World War II Army veteran who earned a Purple Heart after being injured in the Battle of the Bulge, its his pride in our nation that he credits as a driving force in his life. His advice: Serve your country.



The residents featured in our calendar are truly an inspiration, says Herbert H. Friedman, Executive Vice President, Gurwin Jewish. They have lived lives filled with a wide range of rich experiences, and they offer us not only a window into the past, but a path to the future.



Copies of the calendar are available free of charge by email or by calling 631.715.8537.

About Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences

As part of Gurwins continuum of care, Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences is a 201-apartment assisted living community in Commack, NY. Full apartments, elegant restaurant-style dining, wellness programs, a fitness trail, exciting social activities, membership in the Suffolk Y JCC and many other amenities, such as the beautifully landscaped, park-like grounds, make life at Gurwin extraordinary. The community also offers Enriched Pathways, a 14-bed unit dedicated to the care of those with memory impairments. For more information, visit www.gurwin.org/assisted-living.



About Gurwin

Founded in 1988 in Commack, NY as a skilled nursing care facility, Gurwin has expanded to include a full range of available care options, such as long-term care, short-term rehabilitation, ventilator-dependent care, hospice and palliative care, memory care, on-site dialysis, an adult day health program, two home care programs, an assisted living community and a proposed independent living community. For more information, visit www.gurwin.org.
Music, Movies & Entertainment

By Tom Needham Published: December 28 2016

Mission Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin will be Tom Needhams special guest this Thursday at 6 P.M. on WUSBs The Sounds of Film.

Stony Brook, NY - December 28, 2016 - Legendary film composer, jazz pianist, and conductor, Lalo Schifrin will be Tom Needhams featured guest on Thursday on The Sounds of Film on WUSB. Lalo is best known for his "Theme from Mission Impossible," as well as his work with Clint Eastwood in the 1960s, the 1970s and 1980s.

Born in Buenos Aires, Lalo Schifrin joined Dizzy Gilespies jazz band in 1960. Shortly afterwards, Lalo began working in the United States on a variety of television shows including the Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission Impossible and Mannix.

After these successes, Schifrin started working on a wide variety of movie scores. One of his most popular scores for the film Cool Hand Luke included the song Tar Sequence which became the theme for New Yorks Eyewitness News. In 1968, he began his long collaboration with Clint Eastwood on the film Coogans Bluff. This led to his popular Dirty Harry soundtracks.
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
Russian embassy in Syria was shelled by terrorists again, according to the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik reported.

Russia's embassy in Damascus has come under mortar fire again, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

"On December 28, at 13:00 and 13:19 Moscow Time, the Russian embassy in Syria was shelled by terrorists again. One mine, which luckily did not explode, fell in the courtyard of the compound of the Russian diplomatic mission's administrative buildings. The second [fell] in the immediate vicinity of its territory. Sappers were involved to clear the unexploded ammunition," the statement said.

Expressing concern over the persistent terrorist threat to the Russian embassy and diplomats, the ministry said all terrorist groups entrenched around Damascus must be eliminated as soon as possible.

"This confirms the urgent need to eliminate such terrorist hotbeds as soon as possible," the statement said.

The ministry added that attacks on the Russian embassy in Damascus must be strongly condemned by all who counter terrorism in deed.
The Fourth Launch of the Agni-V Successful, Capable of Reaching as Far as Beijing

India today successfully test fired for the second time it's long range nuclear capable Agni-5 missile that has a range of over 5000 kilometres. (Photo : Getty Images)

According to reports from Bloomberg, India successfully test-fired Agni-V, which confirms the country's status in the select group of nations with weapons that are capable to travel from one continent to another. This is the fourth test-launch of India' longest range nuclear-capable missile with a range of more than 5,000 kilometers. According to the Indo-Asian News Service, It is said that the missile is capable of reaching as far as Beijing.



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The Agni-V completed its final test-fire on Monday at the Defense Research and Development Organization's Dr. Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast. The successful launch of this potent missile will pave its way for its induction to the Strategic Forces Command.



"This was the fourth test of Agni-5 missile and the second one from a canister on a Road Mobile Launcher. All the four missions have been successful," the Ministry of Defense said. India joined a group of countries that have intercontinental ballistic missiles during the first test-fire of the Agni-V in 2012.



Sources said that the Agni-V is the most advanced missile in the Agni series as it is incorporated with state-of-the-art technology when it comes to warhead, engine, navigation and guidance. This includes the Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System, the Micro Navigation System and others.



Pranab Mukherjee, the president of India, confirmed the test-fire in a post on Twitter. He tweeted, "Congratulations DRDO for successfully test firing Agni V. It will enhance our strategic and deterrence capabilities." He added, "It will add tremendous strength to our strategic defense."



The Agni-V launches are part of the country's efforts to establish itself as a world power through building its defense capabilities. India intends it space and missile programs for confronting neighboring rivals, China and Pakistan. This is due to border disputes issues, as India has fought three wars with Pakistan and one with China in the past.



Despite the dispute, both India and China have improved their military, economic and political ties, It is a different story, however, between India and Pakistan, as it is said to be in its worst phase for more than a decade.


People wearing masks dance on a street, as red alert was released on December 16, warning that heavy smog would shroud the country's northern regions over the following two days. (Photo : Getty Images)

According to new judicial interpretations on environmental crimes that are formed by the top court and procuratorate, falsifying environmental data to avoid pollution regulations is a criminal offense. Punishment is said to be no longer only administrative.



The new judicial interpretations were released on Monday, and it is said to take effect on Jan. 1. It will help strengthen judicial punishments over environment-related crimes. This will affect environmental protection workers, company workers as well as any third party that are entrusted with monitoring environmental data.



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Those that will be caught fabricating/tampering the monitored data as well as interfering with the operation of the monitoring equipment will be qualified for criminal prosecution. Violators are said to face three- to seven-year imprisonment along with fines that they need to pay in case there are severe consequences.



Yan Maokun, director of the research department of the Supreme People's Court, said: "It's the first time that falsifying monitoring data is considered a crime, which could lead to more effective deterrence and punishment of such violations. But it's hard to gather evidence since polluted air moves quickly, so the new interpretations have listed stipulations to make the rules more usable."



Air pollution has become a major issue in China, as it has been frequently hit by severe smog with pollution levels off the charts. The falsification of monitoring data regarding pollution is still a big problem. An air quality monitoring station equipment was found covered with cotton yarn to lower pollution readings in Xi'an, Shaanxi province in March. There are a total of five environmental officials involved in the said falsification who were all detained



Besides violators that falsify monitoring data, companies that turn off their pollution reduction equipment will also be considered to have committed environmental pollution crimes.



It is said that there are about 4,636 cases that are handled by courts in China between July 2013 and October 2016. These are cases that involve pollution, illegal treatment of solid waste as well as misbehavior by environmental officials. The new judicial interpretations clarify punishments, solve problems with the criteria of sentencing and do more to deter polluters.


Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR), the US led coalition that is fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has intensified its air campaign against the Islamic States stronghold and the seat of its so-called caliphate in the Syrian city of Raqqah. Over the past eight days, CJTFOIR has more than three times the number of airstrikes in Raqqah than it has in Mosul, where the Iraqi forces backed by Iranian-supported Shiite militias and the Kurdish Peshmerga are attempting to wrest the Iraqi city from the Islamic State.

Between Dec. 10, the date that CJTFOIR announced the beginning of the next phase of the Syrian Democratic Forces operation to isolate ISILs self-proclaimed capital of Raqqah, and Dec. 27, the coalition has launched 83 airstrikes in and around Raqqah, according to US Central Command, which issues daily press releases on its air operations in Iraq and Syria. The targets of the air campaign in Raqqah include tactical units, fighting positions, combat vehicles, mortars and artillery systems, a surface-to-air missile truck and a radar truck, suicide car bombs (or VBIEDs), oil tankers, oil storage tanks, oil well heads, supply routes, bridges, water control networks, and a financial storage facility.

During the same time period, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 27, the US launched 52 airstrikes in Mosul, the largest city in Iraq and Syria that is currently under Islamic State control.

The vast majority of the strikes in Raqqah have taken place since Dec. 20. CJTFOIR has launched 76 strikes in and around Raqqah since Dec. 20.

For comparison, the US launched 23 airstrikes against the Islamic State in and around Mosul from Dec. 20 to Dec. 27.

CJTFOIR defines a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location.

The shift in CJTFOIRs emphasis from Mosul to Raqqah indicates that the coalition seeks to deal the Islamic State a double blow by denying it its two largest cities in roughly the same time period. However, it is impossible to predict when or even if the Islamic State will lose control of the two cities. The Islamic State, while vastly outnumbered in Mosul, has held off Iraqi forces for more than two months.

The battle for Raqqah may be even more difficult than the fight for Mosul. The Syrian Democratic Forces is a hodge-podge of Kurdish and Syrian militias and tribal groups that have competing claims to territory in northern Syria. Additionally, the Islamic State is expected to fight tooth and nail to defend Raqqah, which it has controlled since 2014.

Strike data from CJTFOIR near Raqqah, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 27. Source: CENTCOM.

Dec. 14: Near Ar Raqqah, one strike damaged six canal bridges and a minor water control network.

Dec. 16: Near Ar Raqqah, one strike damaged two bridges and a water control system.

Dec. 18: Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions.

Dec. 19: Near Ar Raqqah, three strikes destroyed one oil tanker truck and damaged an ISIL supply route.

Dec. 20: Near Ar Raqqah, 11 strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units; destroyed three oil storage tanks, two oil well heads, two oil tanker trucks, two fighting positions, two tactical vehicles, a financial storage facility, an artillery system, and a VBIED; and damaged a supply route.

Dec. 21: Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL mortar system and suppressed a tactical unit.

Dec. 22: Near Ar Raqqah, eight strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed six oil storage tanks, two VBIEDs, and destroyed a technical vehicle; and damaged a supply route, a fighting position, and a truck.

Dec. 23: Near Raqqah, 13 strikes engaged 10 ISIL tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, three vehicles, and a VBIED; and damaged a supply route.

Dec. 24: Near Ar Raqqah, nine strikes engaged eight ISIL tactical units, destroyed seven fighting positions and a tunnel and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

Dec. 25: Near Ar Raqqah, 11 strikes engaged eight ISIL tactical units; destroyed 11 fighting positions, four tactical vehicles, a heavy machine gun, and a VBIED; and damaged a supply route.

Dec. 26: Near Ar Raqqah, nine strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed six VBIEDs, three tactical vehicles, a bridge, a fighting position, and a supply cache.

Dec. 27: Near Ar Raqqah, 13 strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units; destroyed 11 fighting positions, a surface-to-air missile truck and a radar truck, a heavy machine gun, and a mortar system; damaged two supply routes; and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

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.
China's Express Delivery Services (Photo : www.gettyimages.com)

China's express delivery business will continue to grow strong in 2017, an industry expert said on Sunday, Dec. 25, after the nation's postal authority announced that the sector has handled about 30 billion express delivery parcels as of Dec. 20.



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Global Times reported that he volume could grow 40 percent to 50 percent in 2017 with more supportive policies, according to Xu Yong, chief analyst at industry portal cecss.com.



Xu noted that this is an exceptional growth considering the country's slowing economy. However, he also said this growth may be hampered by rising labor costs, low profit margins and some legal obstacles.



He said that legal work must be done on how to compensate for missing or damaged parcels or how to expedite the handling process for express delivery parcels.



Data released by the State Post Bureau (SPB) showed that as of Dec. 20, a total of 30 billion parcels was handled by the express delivery business in the country. The SPB data further showed that 27.89 billion parcels were handled from January through November, an increase of 52.8 percent from the same period in 2015. The industry earned about 354.41 billion yuan ($51 billion), up 44.3 percent year-on-year.



In November, the busiest time of the year, about 125 million parcels were delivered daily. It is 1.4 times the same number in 2015.



"A very fast growth rate upon a very big base, increased parcel-handling capacity and increasing level of government support were some of the hallmarks of the industry in 2016," Xu told the Global Times.



Xu added that an indication of the growth in the industry is that five express delivery companies have started to get listed on the stock market in 2016. "However, once get listed, these companies will only have a short period in which to strike a balance between investors' expectations of making a profit and the reality of low profit margins, that are being further eroded by rising labor costs," he said.



According to Xu, the average revenue for each parcel is 13.3 yuan. He said it is low compared to other firms' revenue.



The report said that the annual revenue of UPS reaches nearly $60 billion, almost equal to the total profits of all Chinese express delivery companies. UPS earns $10.37 per parcel, while FedEx gets $12.2 per parcel.



Xu said that the reason for this is that local Chinese companies were an offshoot of the business-to-consumer business, delivering orders by online consumers, while global delivery firms are more focused on other business firms.



"One of the trends that will run from 2017 through the next few years will be that we start to see differentiation of companies by developing their own niche strengths, such as cold-chain logistics, transporting IT goods, or specializing in baby and maternal products and cosmetics," Xu explained.


Lifestyle / Gastronomy

From San Francisco to Bangkok, lets take a look at the chefs who stood out internationally in 2016.

Dec 28, 2016 | By AFP Relaxnews

If 2016 was difficult, it obviously had nothing on these inspiring chefs who aced this year with more culinary awards tucked under their belts. Here, we look back at the achievements that Massimo Bottura, Rene Redzepi, Dominique Crenn, Jose Andres and Gaggan took home this year. And if you havent already, add their restaurants to your to-do list.

In Europe: Massimo Bottura

The title of Best Restaurant in the World has moved from Spain (El Cellar de Can Roca) to Italy. The internationally-renowned chef Massimo Bottura was awarded the title by Restaurant magazine which drew up a list of the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants. La Liste, the French list of the best restaurants in the world based on aggregated guide recommendations, named Osteria Francescana the best restaurant in Italy back in December 2015. Bottura also attracted a lot of media attention during the Rio Olympics, when he turned leftovers from the Olympic village into balanced meals.

In Europe: Rene Redzepi

Year after year, the man behind Copenhagens Noma remains one of the worlds top chefs. In addition to the pop-up restaurants which have become his trademark, transporting Noma to Australia in 2016 and to Mexico City in 2017, Rene Redzepi opened a more casual restaurant in the Danish capital, to make his cuisine more accessible. It was recently been announced that Noma is set to relocate to an urban farm in 2017, in an attempt to bring food from the farm directly to the restaurant table.

In the US: Dominique Crenn

The first female chef in the US to have been awarded two Michelin stars was named The Worlds Best Female Chef by Restaurant magazine. The Brittany native, who is the chef at San Franciscos Atelier Crenn, attracted a lot of attention by taking part in the second season of the Netflix series Chefs Table. Her latest plan is to open a wine bar in 2017.

In the US: Jose Andres

The Spanish chef, who is particularly well known in the US, was awarded two stars in the very first Michelin Guide for Washington. The former Ferran Adria disciple was also named one of Time magazines 100 Most Influential People in 2012. Andres does not shy away from the political arena and he sees the culinary world as a driver for economic growth. He has also been in the news in recent months due to a battle with Donald Trump following the latters remarks about immigration during his presidential campaign. The chef withdrew from a luxury hotel project in Washington, headed by Trump, where he was to open a restaurant.

In Asia: Gaggan

Gaggan Anand has become the most sought-after chef in Thailand. The Calcutta native, owner of progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan, learnt his modern cuisine technique from Ferran Adria in Spain, and proved his skills by winning the top spot in Asias 50 Best Restaurants list. Just a few days later, he announced that he intends to close his restaurant in 2020 and may be relocating to Japan.
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China has deployed its first aircraft carrier to participate in military drills being conducted in the Western Pacific Ocean.



People's Liberation Army Navy spokesperson Liang Yang confirmed the deployment of the aircraft carrier Liaoning on Sunday, the BBC reported. Yang said that the ship was part of a navy formation that is headed to the region to participate in scheduled blue-water drills.



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However, the official refused to give additional information on the exact location, route and duration of the training exercise. This is the first time that the ship would be deployed far from the mainland. China had announced in November that the Liaoning is ready to engage in combat.



The Liaoning started out as a Soviet-era Admiral Kuznetsov-class carrier that China bought stripped down in 1998. The country then spent nearly two decades refurbishing it and conducting sea trials. The ship has earlier participated in live-fire drills in the Bohai Sea near the Korean Peninsula.



Experts believe that China's successful launching of the Liaoning could be a prelude to the development of domestically built carriers to be deployed by the 2020s. However, they said that the country is still several decades behind the United States in terms of carrier operations.



The deployment of the new carrier comes amid the rising tension in the South China Sea region, prompting concerns from neighboring countries. Taiwan's defense ministry said that it has been closely monitoring the drills after the Liaoning crossed the Miyako Strait between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, Reuters reported.



The ministry added that it is monitoring the carrier's return trip to see whether it crosses the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.



China and Taiwan has an uneasy relationship several decades after the civil war that resulted in the latter declaring itself independent. The former, however, still views the island as part of its territory.



Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry said that there were no incursions into its territorial waters by the ship.


Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Photo : Twitter / Xiaomi)

Xiaomi is speculated to be working on Redmi Note 4X, a better version of the already released Redmi Note 4. The new variant is expected to take on the Meizu M5 Note.



According to a leakster from China, the Chinese tech company is allegedly working on a new model of Redmi Note 4 that is called Redmi Note 4X. The rumors of the alleged phone have surfaced after Xiaomi announced new color versions of Redmi Note 4.



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The currently available Redmi Note 4 models are powered by MediaTek Helio X20 chipset, but the newer variant is expected to be powered by Snapdragon chipset. The leakster has revealed that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 will feature Snapdragon 653 chipset under its hood. It will be coupled with features like 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, Tech Update reported.



The 16 GB Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 features 2 GB RAM and it carries a pricing of 899 Yuan ($129). The 64 GB Redmi Note 4 with 3 GB RAM is selling for 1,199 Yuan ($172).



Why is Xiaomi going to release the alleged Redmi Note 4X? It is expected to arrive as a rival device for the highest configuration variant of Meizu M5 Note.



The M5 Note that is powered by Helio P10 chipset has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB native storage. It carries a costlier price tag 1,499 Yuan ($215). Rumors suggest have it the Redmi Note 4X may launch with a similar pricing.



The Chinese leakster did not reveal any details on the other specs of Redmi Note 4. However, it is speculated that it will feature similar specs as Note 4.



Hence, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X is likely to arrive with specs like 5.5-inch full HD screen, 13-megapixel rear-facing shooter, 5-megapixel frontal snapper, Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS coupled with MIUI 8.0 and 4,100 mAh battery.



There is a USB Type-C port available on the Meizu M5 Note. It is not known whether the Redmi Note 4X will also feature a USB Type-C port, Gizmo China reported.



Here is a review of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4:






Cast your vote for October's Goal of the Month

Article

The poll is now open, with 16 superb strikes from across the club nominated this time around.
Lucifer Season 2 (Photo : FOX)

"Lucifer" Season 2 will soon see Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) and Chloe Decker (Lauren German) reuniting with each other.



In the upcoming 11th episode, Lucifer will find out the truth about Chloe. The lead character will be told that Chloe is miracle child and was born after her parents prayed to God since they could not bear a child. At that time, Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) went to Earth to grant the couple's wish, and Chloe was born nine months later.



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"Stewardess Interrupts" will also feature Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) finding a way on how to encourage Lucifer to go back to Hell. The mom will use Chloe as a pawn to help her with her plans. While speaking with TV Line, co-showrunner Ildy Modrovich confirmed that Charlotte's plan on how to manipulate Chloe will immediately be unveiled when the hit FOX series returns next year.



Meanwhile, Modrovich also hinted on how Chloe being revealed as a miracle baby can take the series to a whole new level. Contrary to rumors, Chloe as a miracle child is actually good not only for her, but also for Lucifer. The co-showrunner added that Lucifer may change because of this revelation especially since he has very close relationship with Chloe.



"We try to make it always about our character's interpretation about what God's trying to do, instead of stating clearly, 'This is what God was doing.' The way I look at it is, yeah, Lucifer is the Prince of Darkness, but if he did start off as God's favorite son, is this a chance at redemption for him? Is this God saying, 'Let's see what you do with this, son?'" she said.



In other news, "Lucifer" Season 2, episode 12 will feature a confrontation between Lucifer and his mother. Photos released by the network for "Love Handles" also confirmed that Chloe will be kept safe. In the promo for episode 11, Chloe's nose is seen bleeding profusely. She is also very concerned over the possibility that something is seriously wrong with her.



"Lucifer" Season 2, episode 11 will air on FOX on Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. EST.






Editor's Note: MarketMinder does NOT recommend individual securities; companies referenced herein are merely cited as examples of a broader theme we wish to highlight.

The world's oldest bank is at the center of what media presents as the world's newest financial scare-Monte dei Paschi di Siena, a venerable Italian institution known for its rich history and faring poorly on stress tests. Last Wednesday, the bank failed to raise private funds to plug a 5 billion (~$5.2 billion) shortfall (since grown to 8.8 billion) and Italy increased its public borrowing limit to 20 billion to prepare potential rescues for Monte dei Paschi and, potentially, others. This perpetuates a long-running meme that shaky (maybe contagious!) Italian banks could sink the eurozone economy. The issue may finally be coming to a head-and as uncertainty falls and false fears fade, sentiment (and stocks) should get a lift.

Despite new headlines, these issues are old-ancient history, from a market perspective. From 2009 - 2012, most eurozone members faced and dealt with bank weakness, but Italy didn't. Ireland initially capitalized its banks directly, sending deficits skyward and leading to a 2010 EU/IMF/ECB bailout. (Today, Ireland is growing nicely.) In 2009, Spain created the Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring (FROB)-a bailout fund-and used it to resolve failing institutions and oversee bank mergers (mostly among troubled cajas).[i] In 2012, Spain tapped the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)-the eurozone's permanent bailout fund-in a very special non-bailout bailout,[ii] using 100 billion to recapitalize its banks. Like Ireland, it has recovered well.

During all this, Italy demurred, as nonperforming loans piled up and crimped lending. But in late 2015, Italy bailed in four small banks. Investors holding junior bonds-including some retail investors who had been promised a safe place to stash cash-took it on the chin, with occasionally tragic consequences, including suicides. Bailing in retail creditors under the ECB's bank resolution rules is politically unpalatable-hence Italy's foot-dragging. As a result, the country's banks are ailing, and media types fret capital shortfalls, government bailouts and bondholder haircuts could rekindle the euro crisis. The ECB estimated last month that just 14 Italian banks hold 286 billion of nonperforming debt-nearly a third of the eurozone total. So it suffices to say things aren't great, but that doesn't mean a systemic threat to Italian or eurozone finances is brewing-a fact that may be dawning on investors.

The perspective is rather new: At 2012's outset, conditions looked dire. Italy's debt was nearly 2 trillion, rates on 10-year sovereign debt topped 7%, and adding another 20 billion in debt would have been a challenge, especially since the government already planned to roll over 450 billion of it that year. Coupled with Spain's woes and bailed-out Portugal, Ireland and Greece,[iii] investors feared the euro's days were numbered, as member states would be forced to default and/or revert to national currencies in order to print their way out of debt. With every banking tremor in the peripheral eurozone, headlines screamed the Union was splintering.

Today, few investors think shaky Italian banks have such power. More seem aware that issues exist, but they aren't big enough to derail the global expansion. Equity markets reflect this: Monte Dei Paschi's stock price has fallen 85% YTD and 99% since 2008, indicating its woes are priced in. Same for Banca Carige SpA and Unicredit SpA (other Italian banks). It takes big negative surprises to move markets significantly. Yet the following exhibits show markets aren't shocked to hear Monte dei Paschi and others are in hot water.

Exhibit 1: Monte Dei Paschi Plummets 99%

Source: FactSet, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS) shares. 12/31/2008 - 12/20/2016.

Source: FactSet, Unicredit SpA (UCG) & Banca Carige SpA (CRG) shares. 12/31/2008 - 12/20/2016.

Now, some might worry Italy's 20 billion of direct financial support entangles bank finances with sovereign, risking a "doom loop"-when a government threatens its own finances by buying banks' nonperforming loans, which in turn threatens other banks' viability based on their holdings of sovereign debt. There is precedent for this fear: Ireland's domestically administered bank bailout was a big reason its finances eventually faltered, requiring a 77 billion IMF/EU/ECB bailout in 2010. This is why the eurozone allowed Spain its non-bailout bailout-cleaner, less risk of problems spreading. And it is why the EU implemented bail-in rules for bondholders of failing banks. Both maneuvers are designed to sever the link between banks' health and sovereign finances. Yet Italy's response suggests this link isn't fully broken: While some investors will take losses under bail-ins, Italy is still recapitalizing its banks directly to avoid dinging Ma and Pa.

But before presuming Italy is about to enter a vicious cycle of snowballing bank and sovereign debt, let's scale a bit. The 20 billion thus far in guarantees (not outright transfers) is just 1.1% of Italy's 2015 GDP. In contrast, Ireland's 2010 bailouts sent deficits surging to 45 billion-32% of GDP. Over the subsequent two years, further bailouts drove the sum to 67 billion. But Italy's economy is vastly larger than Ireland's, and its bailout is much smaller. And even if Italy's banking troubles metastasized, the global economy wouldn't automatically falter. Italy is also just 2% of world GDP and less than 1% of global stocks. Italy-related fears aren't quite as intense today as they were in the past-but markets haven't fully moved on, either. The false fear of Italian banks knocking the wider eurozone economy is still kicking-and as always, false fears are bullish.

[i] Spain's non-profit banks, which were whacked in the crisis. Banking that isn't guided by profit and loss doesn't have a strong history of success behind it.
MARTINSVILLE - Critzs celebrity hairstylist is back on TV.

MaCray Huff, the Patrick County native who styles hair in Martinsville and Jamestown, North Carolina, is on the cast of the fifth season of L.A. Hair, which will start Thursday night, Jan. 5, on WE TV.

Huff will be at the premiere party, which will be held on the night of that first show, in California.

L.A. Hair is set around the real Kimble Hair Studio & Extension Bar in Los Angeles. At the end of the last season, Kimble fired much of her salon staff  the main cast members of the previous seasons show  and started fresh with five new stylists.

Its a reality show with Kim Kimble, the hairstylist to the stars, Huff said. Her salon is on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The show basically follows her salon and the Kimble hair team, doing photo shoots and video shoots with celebrities who come to the salon.

On a preview to the show, Kimble described her new staff members, Huff included.

MaCray is a buttermilk biscuit country boy, and this is his first shot in a celebrity hair salon, so I hope to be impressed, she said (overlooking his time on Chicagolicious, where he also worked with celebrities).

Oh my god, it was so fabulous, Huff said of the California experience. It was a dream come true for me. People always said, You should be on L.A. Hair, and Im like, You cant make them put you on a show.

Called to the West Coast

Producers had remembered Huff from when he was on Chicagolicious on The Style Network a few years ago, and they invited him to be on one episode of L.A. Hair, Huff said.

That call in March from the producers caught him by surprise: They offered him the role with only four days notice to get to California for filming.

They suggested he bring plenty of clothes just in case it turned out to be more than one episode, he said. It ended up being for 10 episodes.

Starting on the show was a bit nerve-wracking, he said. It happened so fast I didnt know what to expect. He had been well aware of L.A. Hair before he was on it, because they were competition for us when I was on Chicagolicious.

Since it takes a week to film an episode, he was on the West Coast through mid-May. Huff ended up coming back to Martinsville every three weeks for visits  and to catch up with his clients back home. I was a bicoastal stylist, he joked.

On one of those trips, he brought his miniature Schnauzer, Cleo (short for Cleopatra), back with him to California.

I got her right after Chicagolicious, he said. I said, Your name is Cleopatra because you are a queen, and one day you and I are going to be on TV.

She will be on the fifth and sixth episodes of the show.

While on the show, I got to work with people in the industry I looked up to for years. It was awesome working with all of them.

One of his favorites was Jonathan Antin. Hes fabulous. I used to dress like him. I got to meet him. I went back just crying to myself, I was so happy.

On the show, I kept it real. I changed up my hair a lot, and let people see all the aspects of me, Huff said.

Most of the show was filmed in the salon, which just a few scenes elsewhere, he said.

Though there is some drama on the show, he said  without wanting to give away any secrets  its not quite as thick as it was in Chicagolicious.

I made the best of it

The West Coast lifestyle is total opposite of that of Southern Virginia, he said.

There is traffic on top of traffic on top of traffic on top of traffic. That was all you could see for miles, Huff said.

His eyes really opened up to the traffic problems when he filled out his mileage reimbursement forms. He was staying in Manhattan Beach and driving and hour and a half to the salon every day. When he finally measured the distance with the odometer, the distance was only 15 miles. I had no clue. I thought I was going 100 miles or something each trip, he said, still shaking his head in astonishment.

The food was entirely different, too.

Its Hollywood, so you know everybodys trying to stay skinny. I cant say nothing good about the food, Huff said. He eschewed the fancy restaurants and the health food joints to eat at Carls Jr., the West Coast version of Hardees, he said, or a food court at a mall.

In Los Angeles he met RuPaul, getting a juice at Earth Bar. He met Mya, L.L. Cool J and LisaRaye (My mama loves her. Shes Tiki on The Have and Have Nots.).

He doesnt shy away from talking with celebrities he runs into  everybodys always nice  and got his picture taken with several of them, he said.

They always say that taking pictures with people keeps them (celebrities) talked about, so they dont mind taking them.

He went to Venice Beach, and he worked out at Golds Gym. He drove on the Pacific Coast Highway like you see on commercials and stuff. I made the best of it.

Huffs career

The cast wont know if the show will be continued another season until it comes on and they see how the ratings are  but I sure hope so, he said.

Huff is a graduate of Patrick County High School and Radford University. He taught history for two years before deciding to become a hairstylist. He has studied at Miracle University in Martinsville and The Sassoon Academy in Chicago. In 2009, he was licensed as a cosmetology instructor.

After attending The Bonner Bros Hair Show in 2000, Huff wanted to participate in Hair Battle Royale  which he did in 2013.

He was spotted by producers from The Style Network and offered a role on Chicagolicious, which was set in AJs of Chicago. There, he styled many high profile clients including multiple Ford models, Jill Scott and Christina Milian. The show had 20 episodes and was aired in 2012.

Around and after his time in Chicago, he worked at Boho Salon, voted the number one salon in the Triad. He specialized in hair extensions, hair coloring, cutting, mens grooming and custom wigs.

He now lives in Greensboro, working at James Bradley Salon in Jamestown, North Carolina. On Fridays, he works out of a shop at Miracle Barber and Beauty Salon in Martinsville. He works area fashion shows, was a premiere stylist for the Greensboro Fashion Week and has organized hair fashion shows.

As the WE TV website put it, As much as MaCray enjoyed being home, he soon began to plan his next conquest  the West Coast! Not one to shy away from a challenge, MaCray is excited and optimistic about the limitless possibilities that this new journey will present!
You dont have to be a local student to check out the Trout in the Classroom program, thanks to Antonio Tony Pritchett, owner of TJs Aquatics and Pets.

Pritchett, whose pet store is located at 2424 Greensboro Road, Martinsville, has teamed up with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) to host a trout tank at his shop so that anyone can stop by and learn about the program, according to a release from DRBA Program Manager Brian Williams.

In addition to creating a 55-gallon tank for brown trout eggs, the release said, Pritchett also built a display  complete with a 200-gallon tank  to house adult brook trout hatched during last years Trout in the Classroom program.

We are thrilled to be partnering with DRBA to host the Trout in the Classroom here at TJs Aquatics and Pets, Pritchett said in the release. We hope folks will stop by and enjoy the trout tanks and maybe learn something about protecting our rivers and streams.

The award-winning Trout in the Classroom program was launched in southern Virginia in 2005 thanks to the sponsorship of trout enthusiast and conservationist Dr. David C. Jones. Jones saw the program as a way to teach conservation efforts to students, the release said, and partnered with DRBA, which has directed the on-going program for the past decade.

In southern Virginia alone, the program has positively affected more than 30,000 students, teachers and citizens, and also has raised more awareness of water quality issues across the basin, according to the release.

After a decade, the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program is still going strong and releasing thousands of trout into the Smith River each spring.

Students receive trout eggs in late fall or early winter and care for them as they hatch and grow into fingerlings over the course of five to six months. The students record daily information about the trout in their journals, including information such as growth, changes in the life cycle, tank temperatures and feedings.

It is exciting to have done the program for all these years and know the students still get excited about their trout release and their visit to the river, said Krista Hodges, DRBA Education Manager. The students are sad to see their trout go after caring for them for so long, but they know they cant keep them over the summer break.

Students learn about the ecosystem the trout need to survive, the trout life cycle and water quality while they are caring for the trout during the school year. When the students get to the release, they get to see the river ecosystem first hand. This field trip to the river allows the students to make the connections they have learned about during the school year.

The program relies on a variety of funding sources, including private donors. The Harvest Foundation has helped fund Trout in the Classroom in the past in Henry County. At the height of the program, DRBA supported over 45 tanks in Virginia and North Carolina but that number has been reduced due to limited funding.

For more information about the program, visit danriver.org or contact Krista Hodges at khodges@danriver.org.
Kim Yoo Jung is a South Korean actress who starred in the historical drama 'Moonlight Drawn by Clouds.' (Photo : YouTube/KBS World TV)

South Korean actress Kim Yoo Jung has been receiving negative comments given her actions during a press conference that were considered rude by many netizens. Recently, Cha Tae Hyun shared his thoughts on the said controversy.



The "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds" star is going through a difficult time following the backlash that she received from fans over an alleged rude behavior during an event. She was also diagnosed with severe colds, fatigue and stress-induced shock that sent Kim to the hospital.



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The actress was criticized for appearing distracted during the preview screening of the movie "Because I Love You" held on Dec. 20. Many netizens claimed that Kim acted discourteously when she casually leaned on one leg as she stood on stage and even looked at her nails while some of her co-stars addressed the event attendees.



However, Cha expressed his support for his co-star during a recent Naver V Live broadcast, as cited by Korean news outlet Chosun. The "2 Days 1 Night" actor mentioned that some critics may have found the young actress' on-stage actions impolite but Kim was already feeling sickly at that time given an allergic reaction to an antibiotic.



Cha highlighted how the actress has had to forego drinking the cold medicine and suffered through the said illness given her allergic reaction. He then asked Kim's loyal fans to cheer her on as she tries to recover from her poor health condition.



Meanwhile, Kim was rushed to the hospital after the special screening for "Because I Love You." The young star was first hospitalized on Dec. 21 due to fatigue but was soon released.



Kim was again hospitalized on Dec. 26 due to stress-induced shock. A representative from the actress' agency, Sidus HQ, told local reporters that they immediately rushed the young star to the hospital after they noticed that she was not feeling well. Kim's year-end calendar has been cleared and Sidus HQ has yet to schedule the actress' future appearances, Korea Herald quoted the representative as saying.



Kim and Cha's comedy film "Because I Love You" will be released on Jan. 4, 2017 in South Korea. Watch the movie's trailer below:






Many doctors in America have lost their moral compass.

Torn between the traditional ethics of an honored profession going back to Hippocrates on the one hand, and maximizing personal income derived from a commodified insurance-run healthcare system in which patients can become nothing more than ciphers on a balance sheet, on the other, they all too often make the wrong choice. Record numbers of burned out physicians are taking early retirement, exacerbating a national shortage of primary care physicians, and tragically, most will not even recommend the medical profession to young aspiring students. In a generation, the U.S. has plummeted from an unchallenged preeminence in quality of healthcare to a ranking somewhere in the middle of ex-Soviet bloc countries and developing nations in Latin America.

Doctors in America have believed that it is possible to have their cake and eat it too  delivering high quality of care to their patients while retaining maximal personal income. Unfortunately, economic forces in the huge $3 trillion-plus U.S. healthcare industry are making this more of an either-or decision. For those opting for better patient care two new models of medical business practice are being tried in efforts to overhaul the current impaired healthcare system. One is the Affordable Care Organization, a partnership among providers aimed at improving quality and lowering costs. A local experiment is an ACO in High Point, NC, Cornerstone Health Care. Here payments still come from insurance, but are based on quality of care and not piecemeal billings (fee-for-service). Despite support from the federal Health and Human Services Department Cornerstone Health failed this year as an independent practice when competing large health organizations swooped in and hired away one third of its physician work force by offering higher salaries.

A second local approach to solving the problem of high quality health care but at a lower cost was the ICSM Medical Center, a nonprofit community clinic based on the model of Direct Primary Care. Here quality of health care is guaranteed by physicians themselves, with no insurance or large health organization intermediaries, but at lower office overhead, including lower levels of compensation. It too succumbed to economic forces this year after its doctors insisted on buying back into standard and unsustainable insurance billing practices. During my medical training I saw the success of a Direct Primary Care clinic in Portland, Oregon, with high levels of both patient and physician satisfaction. I know that it can work but to be successful doctors must make an unambiguous decision for high-quality health care over high salaries. The recent court case filed against ICSM by an aggrieved former doctor, whose salary was 60 percent over the clinics cost of patient care, exemplifies one major reason that the ICSM Medical Center had to close its doors last July. DPC is an economic solution  disintermediation  to an economic problem  too many intermediaries not involved with treating patients feeding at the healthcare trough. Economics is not a required course in medical school but doctors by reasserting their control over healthcare may yet be able to learn how to contain costs, deliver excellent healthcare to their patients, and pay themselves a competitive wage.

Despite the challenges ahead, I firmly believe that a Direct Primary Care community clinic could succeed in Martinsville. There is statewide interest in such an approach, as evidenced by House Bill 685 this past year passed by the Virginia General Assembly but vetoed by the Governor. This model of healthcare is also central to the mission of the new College of Henricopolis School of Medicine  to build an educational pathway for exceptional doctors who are truly committed to treating patients in a close doctor-patient relationship and who can practice medicine throughout America, including its towns, small cities, and rural areas, where needs are great. There are strong forces arrayed against our success, but I for one have no intention of giving up, or giving in to vested personal interests, whatever form they may take.

Dr. Noel T. Boaz is a Martinsville resident.
On Christmas Eve, I loaded up my car with presents and ventured to Roanoke to bring some cheer to a few friends.

While I was in town, I stopped at a major retailer, because I had a $25 gift card burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted to purchase something useful and educational (I ended up getting King Kong on Blu-Ray).

As I was waiting in line to make my purchase, I overheard a conversation between two employees.

Do we have a store policy about whether to wish people Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? one employee asked his co-worker.

He went on to say that he likes to wish people Happy Holidays, because he doesnt know their background and he wants to be inclusive.

The problem, he said, is that when he wishes people Happy Holidays, a certain percentage of people tend to scream at him. He said hes been called a Nazi and a liberal fascist (which, for the record, is an oxymoron on par with government worker).

Wait, I said to the employee, interjecting myself into a strangers conversation as I am wont to do. Do you mean people actually get upset about the whole Happy Holidays thing? People actually scream at you?

The two employees turned toward me, smiling humorlessly, their eyes tired. It happens every single day, the second employee said. Multiple times per day. We dont have an official store policy, so I dont wish anybody a happy anything anymore.

I know that there are people who believe in the War on Christmas, but I assumed that the expression of their outrage was limited to sharing links on Facebook about how Starbucks took the jingle bells off the Christmas cups. The idea that people would go into a major retailer and call an employee a Nazi because he said Happy Holidays  and that this would happen multiple times per day throughout the Christmas season  was surprising and depressing.

Ive worked in customer service. Its a stressful job, and its always made more stressful around the holidays.

Here were two employees, both just trying to make an honest buck in this world, discussing how its become difficult to wish folks a simple holiday greeting because they run the risk of people screaming hatred at them.

How did we get here?

The War on Christmas is a fairly textbook example of a moral panic, as defined by the late sociologist Stanley Cohen. There are five stages to a moral panic, as Cohen describes it.

First, Someone, something or a group are defined as a threat to social norms or community interests. The something in this case would be various government agencies and businesses beginning to use the phrase Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas in order to be more inclusive.

Second, The threat is then depicted in a simple and recognizable symbol/form by the media. That recognizable form would probably be The War on Christmas, John Gibsons 2006 book which claims that a shadowy cabal of dreaded Secular Elites are trying to destroy Christmas. It gave us that great, snappy title.

Third, The portrayal of this symbol rouses public concern, which Gibsons book certainly did.

Fourth, There is a response from authorities and policy makers. See the Merry Christmas Law in Texas, instituted in 2013 by Gov. Rick Perry. It allows school districts in Texas to put up decorations like nativity scenes and Christmas trees on school property and was directly inspired by the War on Christmas.

Finally, The moral panic over the issue results in social changes within the community. Example: Two employees at a store in Roanoke getting called Nazis because they said Happy Holidays.

A recent Pew Research poll found that 96 percent of Christians celebrate Christmas. Thats not so surprising. What is surprising is that the same poll found that 81 percent of non-Christians celebrate Christmas. That is a decisive majority.

As those two shell-shocked employees told me about the abuse they had received, Frank Sinatra sang Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas on the store public address system. The store was decorated with Christmas trees and bells and tinsel.

And as I drove through Roanoke, I saw not only Christmas lights and inflatable Santas, but I also saw plenty of lovingly-assembled Nativity scenes at nearly every church and many homes.

If there is a War on Christmas, its safe to say that Christmas won.
Neigher and Sarno.jpg

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno presented the family with an official proclamation declaring the date as "Abe Neigher Day" in the City of Springfield.

(JGS Lifecare)

LONGMEADOW  Family and friends gathered at JGS Lifecare's Leavitt Family Jewish Home this month to celebrate one man's century of life in Western Massachusetts.

Leavitt resident Abe Neigher's 100th birthday was the fifth centennial celebration of a resident at the nursing home this year, a statement from Leavitt Family Jewish Home said. In addition to family and friends, local politicians joined the Dec. 18 celebration.

"Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno presented the family with an official proclamation declaring the date as 'Abe Neigher Day' in the city of Springfield, and Sen. Eric P. Lesser sent the family more good wishes from the state Legislature," the nursing home said. "The celebration also included heartfelt presentations of Abe's first century, a performance by the Debbie Neigher Trio, and birthday cake in his honor."

Neigher was born the youngest of nine children in Springfield in 1916. After graduating high school, he served with distinction in World War II as a pharmacist's mate in the U.S. Navy.

After the war, Neigher married his wife, Molly, with whom he remained for 66 years, until her death in 2007. The two had one son, William, who served as master of ceremonies at his 100th birthday party.

Throughout his life, Neigher has donated time and money to various charitable causes, including membership on the board of directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New England.

Neigher's circle includes multiple people who lived to be at least 100, such his brother Hi, who reached his 100th birthday before his passing in 2015, and his sister-in-law Ethel Neigher, who attended his birthday party.

In a statement, Neigher said the secret to his longevity has been to steer clear of negativity.

"I worked very hard (but so did everyone else); I had a positive outlook on life," Neigher said. "Never held a grudge. I loved everyone. If something didn't work out I tried something else."
Dolphins Patriots Football

General overhead view of Gillette Stadium during the first half of an NFL football game.

(AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Amid the commotion of the kickoff of the New England Patriots versus New York Jets game on Christmas Eve, two off-duty firefighters helped save the life of a 61-year-old man, The Lowell Sun

.

The pair -- Westford Firefighter and Paramedic John Tuomi and Groton Fire Lt. Jim Crocker -- heard a man a few rows in front of them at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough yell "dad, what's wrong?" according to The Sun.

Seeing the father in question, Tuomi and Crocker knew he was in serious trouble. They grounded him and, realizing he had no pulse, began CPR and shouted out to onlookers to look for a automated external defibrillator, The Sun reports.

Someone did arrive with an AED, the victim's pulse was restored and an emergency crew transported him to Norwood Hospital to recover.

"It's very rare in our profession to actually do CPR and have a positive outcome like this," Crocker told The Sun.

Foxborough Fire Chief Roger Hatfield told The Sun the man was in "full cardiac arrest" when Tuomi and Crocker arrived by his side,

The victim has recovered and was sent home on Monday, according to The Associated Press.
Aaron Hernandez

Former New England Patriots NFL football player Aaron Hernandez sits in the court room during his hearing at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2015.

(Matt Stone/Associated Press)

The type of handgun used in a 2012 double-homicide appears in exact replica in a pair of tattoos on the body of ex-New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, First Assistant District Attorney Patrick Haggan said at a Suffolk Superior Court hearing on Tuesday.

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald reported on the hearing, saying Haggan called the body art -- located on Hernandez's hand and arm alongside the words "God forgives" -- an "admission" and wants it shown to the jury in Hernandez's upcoming double-murder trial.



Hernandez's defense attorneys pushed back, calling the move to connect the tattoos to the crime "rank speculation," according to The Globe.



"That people get tattoos with a gun on them does not mean that the Commonwealth is allowed to file inference on top of inference on top of inference and get to the point that this is an admission," The Globe quoted Hernandez's attorney Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. as saying.



Hernandez got the tattoos in April 2013 in Hermosa Beach, Calif. -- following the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Furtado, 28, in Boston's South End.



Standing accused of the Abreu and Furtado murders, Hernandez is already serving a life sentence for killing Odin L. Lloyd in June 2013.



Meanwhile, a former friend of the Patriots star, Alexander Bradley, who prosecutors say Hernandez attempted to silence by shooting in the face in February 2013, is expected to testify in the case.



Bradley claims he was inside an SUV with Hernandez when the latter allegedly killed Abreau and Furtado.



The tattoos in question depict a pair of .38-caliber revolvers, one with five live rounds in the chamber, according to The Herald and Globe accounts.



Police and prosecutors say Abreau and Furtado were killed by a total of five rounds shot from a .38 revolver -- fired, they believe, by Hernandez.



It's not the first time the tattoos have been the subject of speculation by authorities and prosecutors, but it is the first direct link they've attempted to draw.



Bristol County sheriff's department earlier scrutinized the tattoos for gang affiliation.



Hernandez's trial is set to begin on Feb. 13. Judge Jeffrey Locke said he would take the motion to admit the tattoos as evidence under advisement, The Herald reported.
Microsoft Surface Phone 2017 specs and features will be different from what we have seen so far

A rumored image of the much-anticipated Microsoft Surface Phone, which is codenamed as Project Juggernaut Alpha. (Photo : YouTube / PhoneDesigner)

Reports claimed that Microsoft Surface Phone 2017 specs and features will be different from the specifications of the smartphones that are currently available in the market.



Dubbed as the next iPhone killer, Microsoft Surface Phone 2017 will take its chances against Apple's flagship smartphone. While Microsoft is still mum about the details of the Microsoft Surface Phone 2017, various publications predicted on what specs and features will land on the handset.



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One of the major features of the upcoming smartphone is Continuum that allows Windows devices to adapt automatically on changes and situation. For smartphones, it can be transformed into a miniature CPU by simply attaching a monitor, keyboard, and a mouse either via wire or Bluetooth, according to Windows Central. Moreover, it supports x68 applications, which means it can run desktop apps.



Microsoft Surface Phone 2017 will be powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 835 processor, which is known to come with a 30 percent increase in area efficiency and 27 percent improvement in performance as well as consuming up to 40 percent less power, according to The Droid Review.



Other features of the forthcoming smartphone are 6GB RAM that will boost its performance and Quick charging 4.0 functionality that will make charging the device faster. Although Microsoft acquired Nokia, the company will reportedly leave out some of the famous Nokia Lumia features.



The other model, on the other hand, is likely to have 4GB RAM, and also to be powered by Snapdragon 835 processor. The surface phone runs the 64-bit Windows 10 Mobile variant.



All eyes are on Microsoft Surface Phone 2017 thanks to the success of the company's Surface Pro line. However, Microsoft has not revealed the official release date and features of Surface Phone 2017.


AGAWAM -- Citizens are urging local leaders to focus more on street paving and maintenance, claiming some city roads are crumbling before their very eyes.

"I'm kind of watching it fall apart right now," said Gil Fortunato, referring to the deteriorating stretch of Nolan Lane outside his Feeding Hills home, where a pool of water regularly forms whenever it rains.

"I only need to cross North Street and I can see roads that are truly deplorable," Fortunato testified last week at a public hearing before the Agawam City Council, which acknowledged that more could be done to improve road conditions.

Councilors said they would press Mayor Richard Cohen, who formulates the city's annual budget, and state leaders about the possibility of beefing up funding for maintenance and repairs.

Ideas discussed at the hearing included using more money from the motor vehicle excise tax, which averages over $3 million annually for the City of Agawam, and the state's Chapter 90 program, which reimburses cities and towns for local road projects.

The Dec. 19 hearing was the result of a citizens' petition circulated by William Clark, a resident and business owner who claims Agawam's "regressive paving plan" has created a backlog of projects. "Please invest in our roads," he told councilors, pointing to public reports and surveys recommending the same.

Agawam's streets have been "inadequately maintained and underfunded for years," said Corinne Wingard, a citizen who frequently comments at City Council meetings. "I was told long ago that one day we were going to a hit a wall, and all the things that have been neglected will come due and will have to be done. I believe we are hitting that wall," she said.

Resident Stephen Roth's message to councilors was blunt: "Fix the roads," he commanded, adding that public safety vehicles require good access routes.

William Duncan, a resident of Karen Lynn Circle, said he's frustrated with the lousy road conditions in his Feeding Hills neighborhood. When you cross the border into nearby Suffield, Connecticut, "it's all new roads," he said, further highlighting the "deplorable" condition of Agawam roads.

"It's just too bad when we have people who work for the town drive around my street and look down and see all these cracks, and no one ever comes to tar them. It's disgusting," Duncan said. "So something should be done here, and I don't think it's ever going to happen."

Councilor Richard Theroux defended the city, saying it does a good job of caring for local roads. "Can we do better? Yes, we can always do better," he said, applauding Clark for bringing the petition before the City Council.

Theroux pointed out that Agawam has had a pavement management program for a long time. "It is systematic, it is done by the engineering department, it is done by our DPW director, and it is reviewed by every mayor that we've ever had," he said.

Theroux recommended the council urge the Cohen administration, which is currently working on the city's next budget, "to do its best in the area of roads and sidewalks for our community," including securing and using Chapter 90 and excise tax funds to improve city streets.

Councilor Paul C. Cavallo said he would like a report from the mayor's office on how the $3.8 million-plus in excise tax for fiscal 2016 was spent. "We're talking almost $4 million," Cavallo said, "so there's an awful lot of money in that fund."

Councilor Robert E. Rossi explained that the excise tax goes directly to the city, and the funding is for Cohen to use "any way he sees fit within his budget process."

In terms of Clark's petition, "I think (it) really is kind of preaching to the choir. I don't think there's anybody sitting up here who doesn't agree that infrastructure (funding) should be increased," Rossi said. "The question is, how do we do that?"

Rossi also pointed out that it's the mayor's job to make the budget, and the council's job to either pass or reject the budget. "All we do is approve the budget. We don't make the budget," he said. "We can't add to the budget. All we can do is cut the budget."

Joseph Mineo, the City Council's vice president, noted that the council can flex its muscles when it comes to the budget.

"I guess the only way that if you wanted to stop this, and have more funds go towards streets and sidewalks, is you vote no on the budget until he does it," Mineo said of Cohen. "The only one who can put that in the budget is the mayor, and if we don't like it, we should vote no."

Councilor Christopher Johnson said he supports more funding for city roads, recommending the council reach out to DPW officials to go over the department's pavement management program so councilors and the public alike become familiar with the timetable, how much money is spent, and when certain streets are scheduled to be paved.

Johnson suggested holding a possible public workshop with the DPW, which could help educate people about the process.

Rather than holding a workshop, Theroux said he'd rather have the DPW director and department officials attend a future council meeting to explain the process.

James P. Cichetti, the City Council's president, said he would get together with the administration to discuss lining that up for the next council meeting or possibly organizing a public workshop.
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Town Meeting will once again consider funding for this $66.3 million twin-elementary school in Amherst.

(Submitted)

AMHERST -- As expected, the Select Board on Wednesday morning scheduled a special Town Meeting for Jan. 30 to vote again on approving $66.3 million in funding for a new twin school on the Wildwood Elementary School site.

Petitioners submitted more than 400 signatures requesting the meeting after Town Meeting in November rejected the spending.

On Nov. 8, voters narrowly supported funding for the "twin school" project for grades two through six. The school would replace both Wildwood and Fort River elementary schools. Crocker Farm Elementary School would become an early childhood center for pre-kindergarten through first grade.

The project requires borrowing, which requires Town Meeting approval. Town Meeting rejected the proposal Nov. 14 by a vote of 108-106. A two-thirds majority was needed, and would be needed in January as well.

Proponents of the new vote plan to clarify and provide new information to the meeting regarding the project.

Rebekah Demling, a parent and Precinct 7 Town Meeting member who led the drive to collect signatures for a special Town Meeting, attended the Wednesday morning meeting.

Maria Kopicki, a member of Save Amherst's Small Schools, which opposes the school project, also attended. That group wants to keep all three elementary schools for kindergarten through sixth grade.

The Select Board, which did not have public comment Wednesday, opened the meeting for questions, but there were none.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has approved the plan and agreed to pay about $34.4 million, leaving Amherst to pay the remaining cost.
Boston police have identified the 18-year-old found dead near Logan Airport on Saturday, as they investigate if the killings of five teenaged boys in about 12 months are gang-related.

Luis Fernando Orellano Ruano, of Central America, was found with stab wounds near 99 Airport Way in East Boston, police said in a statement on Wednesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The death remains under investigation.

Police Commissioner William Evans told the Boston Herald that detectives and State Police are investigating if this death is related to four other killings, including one teen whose body was found at Belle Isle Marsh Reservation earlier this month.

Some of the killings are linked to the MS-13 gang, according to the Boston Herald.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1(800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word 'TIP' to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of those who wish to help this investigation anonymously.
durgin photo.jpg

Michael Durgin

(Chicopee Police photo)

CHICOPEE - The Police Department is notifying residents that a new Level 3 sex offender has moved into the community.

The man is identified as Michael Durgin who is living at 62 Willwood Lane, Police Lt. Mark Higgins said.

He is 35 and described as white, about 6 feet tall, weighing 260 pounds. His hair is black.

Durgin was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 in January 2015, Higgins said.

There are about 35 Level 3 sex offenders living or working in Chicopee. Level 3 offenders are those most likely to re-offend and are required to register with the local department every year.

None of the Level 3 offenders are wanted by police. It is also illegal to harass an offender, police said.
Three refreshed Samsung devices are to be revealed this January at Kuala Lumpur, following revealed pre-order posters of the Galaxy A5 (2017) and A7 (2017) handsets. (Photo : YouTube / MySmartPrice Web Technology Pvt Ltd)

There have been lots of rumors about Samsung Galaxy's (2017) A-series smartphones. Now, Samsung has confirmed that it will be announcing Galaxy A7 (2017) on Jan. 5



With the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2017 approaching nearer, Samsung is all set to unveil Galaxy A-series (2017) models during the event. Recently, Samsung Mobile Malaysia came teased the alleged Galaxy A7 (2017) with an image that reads, "it all begins with A. Hold your breath."



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Now, an invite sent by the same Malaysian twitter account of Samsung Mobile has confirmed the unveil of Galaxy A7 (2017) on Jan. 5. The launch event will be held in Malaysia, but the South Korean company is also expected to unveil the smartphone at the CES (2017) event at Las Vegas, Lowyat.net reported.



Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) Specifications and Features

The Galaxy A7 (2017) is said to come with high configuration and the other two devices. It is likely to sport 5.7-inch screen with the full HD resolution of 1280 x 1080 pixels.



The phone will be equipped with octa-core Exynos 7880 chipset. It is said to come with 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB native storage.



Galaxy A7(2017) is likely to have 16-megapixel rear camera and 16-megapixel front facing camera. It will come packed with 3,500mAh battery, IBTimes reported.



Samsung is also pegged to unleash 2017 versions of Galaxy A5 and A3 in January 2017: Here are the leaked specifications of these smartphones:



Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

The Galaxy A3 (2017) is likely to come with 4.7-inch screen with the HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. It is expected to come powered by octa-core Samsung Exynos 7870 chipset.



It will come packed with 2 GB of RAM. It is likely to come with 12-megapixel rear camera with 8-megapixel front facing camera. The device will carry 3,000mAh battery capacity.



Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

The Galaxy A5 (2017) is expected to come with 5.2-inch screen with full HD resolution of 1280 x 1080 pixels. The smartphone is likely to run on octa-core Samsung Exynos 7880 Soc.



It is said to feature 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB native storage. The device is likely to sport 13-megapixel rear camera and will be equipped with 3,000mAh battery.



Here are Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) renders:






Its no longer just transit agencies that are trying to meet the first mile-last mile challengeauto companies have also jumped in by offering "mobility services." And its more profitable than selling cars!

Irvin Dawid

Full Story: http://www.planetizen.com/node/90419/auto-companies-prepare-decline-car-ownership
Gionee M2017 (Photo : Facebook / FoneArena)

Gionee has released M2017 smartphone in China with a huge 7,000 mAh battery. It is dual-SIM luxury smartphone that includes a curved edge display and impressive specs.



Gionee M2017 Price, Launch Date

The smartphone was recently launched in China. Gionee M2017 is priced at 6,999 Yuan (around $1,008). A special mode of the smartphone that features Italian custom alligator leather on its rear side is priced at 16,999 Yuan (around $ 2,446).



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There is no information on when Gionee M2017 smartphone will be releasing outside China. It is now open for online pre-orders in China, but the the official site shows that the device has been fully booked, NDTV reported.



Gionee M2017 Specifications, Features

Gionee M2017 comes with a 5.7-inch dual-edge curved screen with quad HD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels flanked with sapphire glass protection. It delivers a pixel count of 518 ppi. The device comes powered with Snapdragon 653 chipset.



It is packed with 6 GB of RAM and is available in two internal storage variants of 128 GB and 256 GB. The phone does not offer feature microSD card slot.



The smartphone is loaded with Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS customized with Amigo 3.5 UI. It features 12-megapixel + 13-megapixel dual rear cameras. It offers 2x optical zoom as well as 8x digital zoom. On the front, it features an 8-megapixel camera for selfie.



The Gionee M2017 does not include 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone comes with the connectivity options such as GPS, Bluetooth, USB Type-C, 4G and Wi-Fi and includes fingerprint sensor.



It houses a massive battery of 7,000 mAh that includes a set of two 3,500mAh batteries inside.According to Gionee, the M2017 luxury smartphone can deliver a standby time of over 915 hours along with a continuous video playback of over 25 hours. It carries support for Quick Charge 3.0.



The device measures 10.78 mm in thickness and weighs up to 238 grams. The smartphone is available in Black and Gold color variants, Indian Express reported.



Here is an hands-on video of Gionee M2017:






Editors note: This is the third in a four-part series looking back at the top five stories in education; cops and courts; government and politics; and weather and environment.

HB2 Controversy

North Carolinas highly controversial law, known as HB2, resulted in controversy and division here in McDowell. In March, the McDowell County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution voicing their opposition to Charlottes ordinance allowing transgender people to choose public bathrooms or locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity rather than how they were born at birth. Later, the General Assembly and the governor quickly passed HB2, which overruled Charlottes ordinance. This statewide law resulted in national and international boycotts of North Carolina and much negative publicity for the state as a whole. The Marion City Council unanimously adopted a resolution of its own calling for the repeal of HB2, which Councilman Don Ramsey said was discriminatory and an economic disaster for North Carolina. In a Facebook posting, Commission Vice Chairman Barry McPeters blasted the City Council for taking this stand. The Old Fort Board of Aldermen weighed in on the issue too and declared its unanimous support for the controversial law.

March primary

In 2016, the primaries were held early and for McDowell County these became the deciding elections. Register of Deeds Tonia Hampton defeated her Republican rival Lydia Effler in the GOP primary for this office. In the Republican primary for the McDowell County Commissioners, incumbent Barry McPeters proved to be the top vote-getter while Republican challenger Lynn Greene came in second. Incumbent Randy Hollifield came in third. Greene defeated Hollifield by just 41 votes. The two top vote-getters were the winners of the Republican primary for the County Commission. And since no Democrats filed to run for either County Commission or Register of Deeds office, the Republican primary was the deciding election for both of these offices, well before the November general election.

Mount Ida Wilderness Area

After years of planning, the city of Marion opened its newest park, the Mount Ida Wilderness Area. Located on the mountain overlooking downtown Marion, the Mount Ida Wilderness Area can be reached from a gravel road which takes visitors to the top where there is a picnic shelter and a walking trail that leads to the summit. From the picnic shelter, visitors have great views of Oak Grove Cemetery, Rutherford Road, the East Marion community, downtown Marion and distant mountains.

City of Marion officials took several steps in 2016 to revitalize downtown.

In the fall, Marion was awarded a $94,340 downtown revitalization grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce. As part of this grant award, the City Council authorized that $10,000 of this money be used for a downtown business exterior grants program. In November, council approved giving 24 grants of $500 each to help downtown businesses improve the look of their exteriors. The city also launched its Moving Up in Marion initiative to encourage the development of empty upper floors in downtown buildings into residential living spaces. In December, the City Council called for a referendum to remove the hotel, motel, restaurant (HMR) restrictions on Marion businesses that have on-premise sale of beer and wine. The special election will be held in November 2017.

Commissioners and their emails

On Nov. 14, the McDowell County Commissioners held a 90-minute closed session to talk about a personnel matter. After the closed session, the commissioners voted to seal the minutes of that closed session and declined to answer any questions about was discussed. On Nov. 15, the McDowell News submitted a public records request from the county, in accordance with state law. The newspaper asked for all emails to and from each of the McDowell County Commissioners (from their email addresses as listed on the county governments Website) and all emails to and from the county manager during the period of Oct. 1, 2016 to Nov. 14, 2016. When the county complied with the newspapers request, it was shown that three of the five commissioners have routinely deleted emails that are actually public records. Four of them also use private email accounts for conducting county business.
Morgan County Veterans Day Parade slated Nov. 11 Audio Article The Morgan County Veterans Day Parade will be held on Friday, Nov. 11. The parade will form at the Commons, in McConnelsville, at 9:30 a.m. and set out at 10 a.m. The American Legion Post 24 will render honors at the monuments at the Commons, Riecker Building, the Square, at...

A concert with two purposes Audio Article Wednesday, Nov. 30, a concert with dual purposes is being held at the Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville, Ohio. Its a thank-you to healthcare workers, who can attend for free, and its a benefit for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. In September 2021, Rick Shriver contracted COVID-19. He collapsed...

BOE reminder of early voting hours and polling location change Audio Article Remaining early voting hours at the Morgan County Board of Elections are as follows: from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov, 2 through Friday, Nov. 4; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m....

Lions Club announces annual Wreaths Across America Audio Article On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Chesterhill Lions Club will be joining with National Wreaths Across America in the laying of wreaths at each of the seven cemeteries located in Marion Township. The mission is to honor the local veterans who have served our nation so their families can rest assured...

Governor DeWine awards $6.7 million for domestic violence survivor programs Audio Article Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced that he is awarding $6.7 million to support the work of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) to offer mobile and health advocacy services and temporary residential services for domestic violence survivors across the state. The announcement comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month....

CDC committee vote wont change Ohio school vaccine requirement Audio Article Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA has released the following statement: The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine to be added to the formulary or schedule of vaccines for children does not mandate this vaccine for school children. Ohio law determines...
by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, December 27, 2016

Amazons Echo may become a star witness in a first-degree, hot-tub murder investigation.

An Arkansas judge issued a search warrant for data inside an Amazon Echo in a case related to a homicide investigation being conducted by the Bentonville Police Department.

In their request for the warrant, police said they have cause to want to search the Echo. From the official police request:

Have reason to believe that on devices seized as evidence related to a homicide investigation being conducted by the Bentonville Police Department, there is now being concealed certain data, namely electronic data in the form of audio recordings, transcribed records, text records and other data contained on an Amazon Echo device.

Back in November of last year, one person found another dead in the hot tub on the back patio at his residence. He called 911, police came, then detectives and then the medical examiner, who ruled the death a homicide by strangulation with a contributing cause of drowning.

The person who found the body was later charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.

Thats the background and context, which could lead to some unchartered IoT territory.

The following is from the police detective request for the search warrant:

I located an Amazon Echo device in the kitchen, lying on the kitchen counter next to the refrigerator, plugged into the wall outlet. I had previously observed this device in the same position and state during the previous search warrant (a first search of the premises). Amazon.com states that the Echo is equipped with an array of several microphones, equipped with sensors that use beam-forming technology to hear users from any direction. Echo can hear users ask a question even while the device is playing music or if there is background noise.

That comes from the portion of the search warrant request involving background information for a judge to have context to rule on the request.

It turns out, the murder suspect was pretty well into connected devices, since police said they found numerous smart home devices on scene, including a Nest thermostat that was Wi-Fi connected, a Honeywell alarm system with door monitoring alarms and a motion sensor in the living room, a wireless weather monitoring system outside on the back patio and WeMo devices in the garage for remote-activated lighting.

Police seem to be looking for more than just what is on an actual device. More from the police search warrant request:

Through the investigation, it was learned that during the time period of Victors (the deceased) time at the residence, music was being wirelessly streamed throughout the home and onto the back patio of the residence, which could have been activated and controlled utilizing the Amazon Echo device or an application for the device installed on (the suspects) cell Apple iPhone. The Amazon Echo device is constantly listing for the wake command of Alexa or Amazon, and records any command, inquiry or verbal gesture given after that point, or possibly at all times without the wake word being used, which is uploaded to Amazon.coms servers at a remote location.

It is believed that these records are retained by Amazon.com and that they are evidence related to the case under investigation.

By design, many IoT connected devices spend a lot of their time listening.

This could be one of the first major tests of who has access to what is said to and even around these devices.
Adding to Facebooks fake news woes, exaggerated reports caused its Safety Check feature to send out a false alarm on Tuesday.

After a number of stories reported an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand, the social giant sent one of its Safety Checks to users in the region. Safety Checks lets users tell loved ones they are safe during and after major disasters.

Throughout 2016, Facebook came under intense scrutiny for allowing false news reports to spread among its community of nearly 2 billion users.

In response, it recently partnered with top third-party fact-checking organizations to launch a full-frontal attack on the people and organizations behind such content.

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Facing mounting criticism for failing to curb phony news, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently called for patience and understanding. We take misinformation seriously, Zuckerberg asserted in a blog post. We've made significant progress, but there is more work to be done.

He said Facebook has historically relied on its community of users to point out inaccurate news content, but admitted the task has become increasingly complex, both technically and philosophically.

The social network also recently decided to allow its community to decide when it should activate a Safety Check.

We believe people closest to a disaster should play a bigger role in deciding when Safety Check is most helpful, Naomi Gleit, VP of social good at Facebook, noted in a blog post.

When a lot of people post about an incident from the affected area, they may be asked if theyre safe, she said. Once marked safe, a person can then invite friends to do the same.

The companys engineers were originally inspired to develop Safety Check following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
by John Motavalli , Columnist, December 28, 2016

This column is about fraud, how one case of it hit me, and how it relates to the industry we work in.

Besides writing for MediaPost, I sell antiquarian books on eBay, and have been doing so since the 90s. Its wonderful work in some ways, but one of eBays most closely held secrets is how easy it is for international criminals to game its system. If one sells items to a few rogue countries, the chances of being faced with an item-not-received fraud case is about 100%.

Case in point, Armenia, one of the only Christian countries in Asia, and one long dominated by Russia. Russia and its satellites have long been bastions of Internet fraud, so perhaps it should not surprise one that shipping items to Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the like is an iffy business.

Recently I sold a valuable 1801 leather-bound book called The Armenian. I was dismayed to see that the buyer was in Armenia, and his name sounded familiar. I was later told by an eBay supervisor, who was also in Asia, that this same person had three times bought items from me and then claimed not to have received them. Three times. Sure enough, a couple weeks after I shipped the item, I had received an item-not-received case despite the fact that I had shipped with a tracking number proving the item had been sent.

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The buyer, who came across in smarmy broken English as sincere, admitted there were major issues with the Armenian post office, but he also knew that no system of mail from the U.S. to Armenia tracks items to delivery point because the Armenian postal system does not cooperate and confirm delivery.

A huge loophole, allowing Armenian buyers to easily buy any item on eBay and then claim non-receipt. eBays automated response system immediately refunds these buyers. I should know, as this has now happened three times. In this case, the buyer got a refund of more than $100. Indeed, there is simply no way to ship safely to Armenia.

I spent two hours on the phone with eBay, first talking to a couple of reps in the Philippines, but finally making it to Josh J. of the Leadership Team. Was that his real name? Who knows? He refused to confirm what level of fraud was coming from Armenia, or that there was any way to ship to Armenia safely, but he did advise me not to ship there. But he would not give me a refund.

That is their policy, which is great for them, but not so great for the sellers on eBay. After a while, I began to feel like Albert Brooks in Lost in America, trying to convince a Vegas casino minion to return gambling losses. It wasnt going to happen.

The online universe is rife with complaints about similar issues with Armenia, Romania, Nigeria.

This is relevant to programmatic advertising because international fraud is a huge problem and is threatening to seriously harm this industry. Incapsula reported two years ago that Bots account for 56% of all Web site traffic. Another estimate on Adexchanger indicated the more dire predictions state 40% of impressions traded on an open exchange or mobile clicks or some other online advertising KPI come from fraudulent sources. A third study from ANA/White Ops puts the number closer to 52%.

These are absurdly high numbers, making eBay look relatively safe. Consider what would happen if eBay fraud were as high as that of ad tech. It would be bankrupt in a week. The auction service reported more than $20 billion in gross merchandise volume for the third quarter. eBay claims a fraud rate of .01%, but we cant know what the real figure is. eBay fraud actually used to be worse than it is now. But improved tracking means that fraud in some countries has been greatly reduced.

But it got me thinking.

The rip-off I experienced was relatively minor, $100, and the item didnt cost much in the first place. The cost of doing business. But what if I knew that more than 50% of the ad impressions I was paying for were bots  fraudulent impressions that nobody actually experienced.

That would be a lot more annoying.

There is the case of fraud site modernbaby.com (since vanished), which offered 19 million impressions per day on one exchange, or another one, interiorcomplex.com (also long gone), which claimed 30 million impressions per day on another exchange. The same ANA/WhiteOps study cited above refers to ad stuffing or ad stacking, in which bot bandits place teeny one-pixel-by-one-pixel windows throughout a Web page and [serve] ads into those virtually invisible ad spaces, or stack layers of ads one on top of the other in the same space but only the top ad is visible. Some pages observed in a study by the ANA and digital security firm WhiteOps found 85 ads on a single page where few if any ads were actually visible.

In the old days, search engines were so primitive that those seeking better placement could use what was then called word stuffing, just repeating the relevant terms in non-display code. But todays fraud is so much more sophisticated than that. Frankly, it makes my head spin.

If you have a good example of whats going on fraud-wise, let us know by commenting in this space.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 28, 2016

Google has released a video tutorial in the Mobile Ads Garage series for AdMob Native Ads Express that shows publishers how to use Native Express Ad View for iOS apps.

The new native mobile ad format allows publishers to customize the look and feel of ads so they fit naturally into their apps.

Native Ads Express allows publishers to create templates and define how the ad should look using fonts, colors, and sizes. The server takes the template and combines it with advertising assets such as screen shots, description and titles.

It also uses less mobile code and publishers can change the color of the ad without redeploying the app with a few tweaks of the code.

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In episode 12 of The Mobile Ads Garage, Andrew Brogdon, mobile ads developer relations at Google, walks through using Native Express in a UITableView. It show how to integrate Native Express ads into an iOS app that uses a UITableViewController for its primary user interface.

The Mobile Ads Garage is a video tutorial series that covers how to use the Mobile Ads SDK to display ads from AdMob and DoubleClick for Publishers.

Each episode covers one aspect of the SDK, breaks down the feature and shows screencasts of real implementations on Android and iOS.

The series is available on YouTube.
by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 28, 2016

Shopping mall fights organized on social media break out in 11 states. "Fights broke out at malls around the country Monday night sending shoppers looking for post-holiday deals scrambling for the exits One male juvenile was arrested on suspicion of trying to hit an officer during the incident, which police said appeared to have been loosely organized on social media.Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2016.

Police Suspect Social Media in Multi-car Pileup On I-95. Motorists intent on creating mayhem used social media to organize a huge highway pileup this holiday season, resulting in dozens of victims being airlifted to area hospitals. Police said participants apparently orchestrated the event online in order to cause themselves grievous injuries and destroy their vehicles.

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Doctors Blame Social Media for Legionnaires Outbreak. Thrill-seeking visitors to an area waterpark used social media to organize an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease, leaving scores hospitalized in serious condition, according to local health officials. The incident appears to be part of the Legionnaires Challenge craze sweeping social media.

Social Media Behind Gas Explosion, DPW Officials Say. Fun-seeking pyrotechnics fans used social media to organize a gas explosion that destroyed most of a downtown apartment building on Friday, according to officials from the Department of Public Works. One participant, who received third degree burns over half his body, said the social media flash mob also considered dousing themselves in gasoline but decided this was too slow.

When asked what rational motive might possibly account for such behavior, a police spokeswoman responded: Rational motive? What the fuck are you talking about?
Politico, Wednesday, December 28, 2016 1 PM

Top Montana politicians from both parties, including the states Democratic Governor and Rep. Zinke who was selected by Trump as Interior Secretary, signed an open letter denouncing a neo-Nazi march planned for January. The letter read: We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation.

Read the whole story at Politico 
by Larissa Faw , December 28, 2016

UNICEF is celebrating its 70th birthday by updating the plights of two child refugees who were originally introduced in March's Unfairy Tales campaign that reached a half a billion people through earned media across 176 countries. This effort also garnered more than 30 awards around the world, including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good.

Now, the two films show how these children are integrating into their new homes in Germany. The clips mix animation with real footage over subtitles as the children discuss their current situations as well as what they miss about their lives that they left behind.

The films run across UNICEFs social channels, including Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat, as well as form part of UNICEFs #actofhumanity global initiative. In addition, Mustafa appeared at UNICEFs 70th anniversary event at the United Nations in New York on December 12 that was broadcast live on UNICEFs Facebook page.

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The campaign was conceived and directed by ad agency 180LA. The films were produced with pro bono help from animation houses Consulado, House of Colors, Bubbas Chop Shop and Gilles+Cecilie Studio, along with Media Monks, which produced interactive e-books and Circle of Sound and Therapy Studios on sound/music.

This is a passion project for the agency. 180LA is one of 51 companies that committed more than $650 million in the education, employment and enablement of 6.3 million refugees across 20 countries, just a portion of the roughly 21 million who have crossed international borders, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Nearly 50 million children are on the move  28 million of them forced to flee their homes because of conflict. These children and their families are looking for stability, and a place to call home, stated Paloma Escudero, director of communications, UNICEF. Across the world, people are showing acts of humanity to migrant and refugee children, welcoming them into communities and schools. These small acts of kindness can make all the difference to individual lives and we encourage more people to show empathy towards children on the move.
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Homelessness currently affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. The hardships of not having a home can cause a variety of mental and physical concerns. A new study sheds light on the extent of this deep social problem and its far-reaching consequences on peoples health and well-being. Share on Pinterest The new study investigates the causes of homelessness and its impact on mental, physical, and overall well-being. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 564,708 people in the U.S. were reported to be homeless in January 2015. Of these, over 36 percent were families and the rest were individuals. Homelessness affects the young and elderly alike, although certain segments of the population are more vulnerable than others. In the U.S., 15 percent of those without a home are considered to be chronically homeless  a term describing those with long-term or repeated homelessness, who usually have a mental or physical disability as well. A team of researchers based in the United Kingdom looks at the causes and consequences of homelessness in London, U.K. The study sheds light on the wider problem of not having a home.

Examining the roots of a deep social problem Researchers from the University of Sheffield  in collaboration with the Universities of Leeds and Birkbeck  examined the experience of 64 people who, at the time of the study, were either homeless or facing housing problems in Newham, London. The university researchers teamed up with Focus E15, a campaign group run by people who, at one point in their lives, had personally been confronted with homelessness and eviction in Newham. The researchers  led by Dr. Tom Gillespie, of the University of Sheffield, and Dr. Kate Hardy, of Leeds University Business School  interviewed people identified by Focus E15 between September 2015 and April 2016. The interviewees had either come to Newham Council for support or were living in hostels in the borough. The study exposed some of the roots of the problem of homelessness in the U.K., as well as some of its consequences on the mental and physical well-being of those affected.

Reasons for homelessness vary and housing system is confusing In the U.S., the main reason for homelessness is reportedly the scarcity of affordable housing, although personal circumstances do vary. In the U.K. study led by Dr. Gillespie, the reasons were also varied. The reasons for people becoming homeless were many and varied and often involved a combination of losing their job, cuts to social support, rent arrears, eviction, and family breakdown, says Dr. Gillespie. Overall, however, the majority of the respondents found the complex housing system confusing and difficult to approach. The sheer complexity of many respondents situations and the various state institutions involved  as well as the significant confusion, lack of information and poor mental health in some  was distressing to hear. This is impacting on some of the most vulnerable populations in society. Dr. Kate Hardy The research reports that in the past 5 years, 81 percent of those interviewed had been homeless and 73 percent had been evicted. Most respondents were living in slum-like temporary housing at the time of the study.

Homelessness may lead to mental and physical health problems In the U.S., 83,170 people are currently reported to be chronically homeless. These individuals tend to have severe mental illness and substance use disorders, often in conjunction with physical illness, injury, or trauma. In the study led by Dr. Gillespie in London, a significant number of those facing homelessness were also found to be grappling with mental and physical health problems. The study shows that 22 percent of the respondents had a disability and that 48 percent had a general health condition. When asked about their overall health, 9 percent of the respondents reported having suicidal thoughts, and another 9 percent mentioned thoughts of self-harm. These figures are well above the national average in the U.K., where 6 percent of adults are reported to have made a suicide attempt at one point in their lives.
In spite of the many drugs available to treat breast cancer, resistance continues to be a problem.

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 greater - or even the same - chemotherapeutic 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.

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.

This study has been funded by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds, a EU Marie Curie COFUND grant and the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Article: Quantification of pathway crosstalk reveals novel synergistic drug combinations for breast cancer, Samira Jaeger, Ana Igea, Rodrigo Arroyo, Victor Alcalde, Begona Canovas, Modesto Orozco, Angel R. Nebreda and Patrick Aloy, Cancer Research, doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0097, published 22 November 2016.
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.
States that enacted medical marijuana laws, on average, experienced reductions in traffic fatalities, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Overall, states that passed medical marijuana laws saw an 11 percent reduction in traffic fatalities, on average, after enacting the laws, and had 26 percent lower rates of traffic fatalities compared with states without the laws. The findings are published online in the American Journal of Public Health.

Reductions in traffic fatalities greatly impacted those between the ages of 15 and 44 and were especially striking among those aged 25 to 44 years, a group representing a high percentage of those registered patients for medical marijuana use.

Specifically, the researchers observed an 11 percent reduction of among those aged 15 to 24 years, 12 percent for ages 25 to 44, and 9 percent for those 45 years and older. Operational dispensaries were also associated with a significant reduction in traffic fatalities in those aged 25 to 44 years at 5 percent.

Lacking was strong evidence suggesting reductions among those aged 45 years and older, which is also a group overrepresented in the population of patients registered in state medical marijuana programs. "This finding suggests that the mechanisms by which medical marijuana laws reduce traffic fatalities mostly operate in those younger adults, a group also frequently involved in alcohol-related traffic fatalities," said Julian Santaella-Tenorio, a doctoral student in Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. In 2004 and 2013, 47 percent of fatally injured drivers with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater were 25 to 44 years old.

The researchers based their findings on data for 1985-2014 from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a nationwide census of traffic fatalities information maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The association between medical marijuana laws and traffic fatalities for drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians was examined for each state enacting the laws. They also evaluated the link between marijuana dispensaries and traffic fatalities. Overall, a total of 1.22 million deaths were attributed to traffic crashes occurring in the 50 states during the study period.

Not all states with medical marijuana laws experienced reductions in traffic fatality rates, and a few states actually experienced increases. In California, after an initial immediate reduction of 16 percent in traffic fatalities and in New Mexico, after an immediate post-law reduction of 17.5 percent, the laws were actually associated with gradual increases in fatality rates. "These findings provide evidence of the heterogeneity of medical marijuana laws and indicate the need for further research on the particularities of implementing the laws at the local level. It also indicates an interaction of medical marijuana laws with other aspects, such as stronger police enforcement, that may influence traffic fatality rates," noted Santaella-Tenorio.

"It is also possible that states with medical marijuana laws and lower traffic fatality rates may be related to lower levels of alcohol-impaired driving behavior in these states," noted Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Mailman School and senior author. "We found evidence that states with the marijuana laws in place compared with those which did not, reported, on average, lower rates of drivers endorsing driving after having too many drinks. We can also point to other characteristics such as the strength of public health laws related to driving, infrastructure characteristics, or the quality of health care systems, as a partial explanation for these findings."

"The evidence linking medical marijuana laws and traffic fatalities lays the groundwork for future studies on specific mechanisms," said Santaella-Tenorio. "We also expect another area of study will be the association between the laws and nonfatal traffic injuries."

This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (grants R01DA037866, R01DA034244, T32 DA031099, K01 DA030449), the New York State Psychiatric Institute; and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (grant K01 AA021511). Dr. Santaella-Tenorio is funded by the J. William Fulbright and the Colciencias doctoral scholarships.

Article: US Traffic Fatalities, 1985-2014, and Their Relationship to Medical Marijuana Laws, Julian Santaella-Tenorio, DVM, MSc, Christine M. Mauro, PhD, Melanie M. Wall, PhD, June H. Kim, MPhil, MHS, Magdalena Cerda, DrPH, Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, Deborah S. Hasin, PhD, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, and Silvia S. Martins, MD, PhD, American Journal of Public Health, doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303577, published 20 December 2016.
MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J.

Dec. 27, 2016

State of New Jersey

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's

New Jersey's

New Jersey's

New York

New Jersey

Smith College

Columbia University's

Clark University

Katherine Green

/PRNewswire/ -- Faith M. Knabe (Faith K. Goldschmidt) MA, MPH, is recognized by Continental Who's Who with the 2015-2016 Lifetime Achievement award as a result of fifty years of excellence in the field of Healthcare.Faith's areas of concentration are varied and include Public Health; Research; Information Analysis; Report Writing; Grant Writing and Monitoring; Project Management; Education and Training; Database Creation, Management, and Data Security; Institutional Review Board Participation and Chairing; Healthcare Systems; Quality of Care; Cost of Care and Treatment Pattern Analysis; Community Health; Health Needs Interviews; and Community Coalition Building; as well as Online Education, and the clinical microbiology research areas of wound care and burn care.Now retired, Faith most recently was a Research Scientist and Manager of Data Evaluation with the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH), Division of HIV, STD and TB Services (DHSTS), HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Unit. She spent almost twenty-five years with the, first in the Division of Health Planning and Resources Development (HPRD), and then in DHSTS. Faith was a member and Chair of the Department's Institutional Review Board (IRB) which oversees all research on human subjects for almost ten years. She also spent four years at New Jersey Medical School as a Research Scientist, Coordinator of Research projects, and liaison withIRB.While in HPRD, Faith was one of the creators, implementers and administrators ofDiagnosis Related Group (DRG) system of hospital payment which was adopted by Medicare in 1983 as the basis for its Prospective Payment System (PPS). As a Unit Director, Faith coordinated and managed the tasks of 5 teams (30 staff) which ranDRG System (Clinical and Quality of Care, Development, Certificate of Need, Financial Feasibility and Audit, and Data Teams). Considered an expert on the DRG system, Ms. Knabe presented testimony on the System to numerous federal and state committees, and gave many lectures on various aspects of the DRG system. The PPS and various adaptations of it still exist as the federal method of payment for hospitals, federally qualified health centers, home health agencies, etc.In the Division of HIV, STD and TB Services, Faith oversaw the collection, management and analysis of data from agencies funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White CARE Act and by the State and oversaw report creation for HRSA, the State, and other requestors. She was the Chairperson of the Data Group charged with linking Division and external databases to determine trends and outcomes in the HIV epidemic, and efficiency and efficacy of care and treatment.Faith was also Chairperson of the Division Security and Confidentiality Policy Committee which created the Division Security and Confidentiality Policy for data collected by the Division, and reviews, updates and trains employees on the Policy on an annual basis. As Chairperson, Faith assumed the role of data Security Officer for the Division and worked with the State Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Department's Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) and State Security Officers to ensure security and confidentiality of HIV/AIDS information. In her capacity as Security Officer, she also formally investigated potential breaches of confidentiality and security of HIV/AIDS data, documented and made recommendations to upper management, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, the Office of the Attorney General and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as necessary.Ms. Knabe worked for twelve years in community health and online education, both as an independent consultant, and as a member of two Local Advisory Boards (liaison organizations between communities and the State Department of Health) on various projects such as county health needs surveys, community focus groups, primary and secondary data analyses, sudden cardiac death, the value of Automated External Defibrillators, and services for juveniles at risk or in the juvenile justice system. She also analyzed hospital data, and trained hospital staff in threehospitals to analyze their clinical, financial, and personnel information collected in a proprietary database system created to identify growth, profit and problem areas. She helped initiate the online Master of Health Administration program, and taught two courses online for auniversity for four years.Ms. Knabe started her career in healthcare in 1967 as a Research Scientist in the Clinical Microbiology Section of the Research Division of Johnson & Johnson (J&J). During her eleven-year tenure, she developed, organized, coordinated and managed projects to test and identify effective and efficient new and existing products for wound care, burn care and topical therapies.Faith earned her M.A. in Microbiology fromin 1963, and also holds her M.P.H. in General Public Health fromMailman School of Public Health (1978). In addition, Faith received a B.A. in Biology fromin 1962 and is currently a member of the NY Academy of Science, Sigma Xi; the National Association of Professional Women, and Continental Who's Who.Contact:, 516-825-5634, pr@continentalwhoswho.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/faith-m-knabe-faith-k-goldschmidt-ma-mph-is-recognized-by-continental-whos-who-300383725.html



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Many parents and guardians are of limited means and would struggle to afford a professional caregiver, which would cost an estimated $6,400 a year per child, the study found. Even an unskilled professional to assist with care would cost them $2,100 a year."Children with chronic health conditions require a significant amount of care, and hiring a home health aide can be prohibitively expensive for a family," said lead author John Romley, an economist at the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. "To maintain their child's care, families often incur financial and emotional stress from reduced earnings."Children who receive the most medical care at home tend to be age five or younger, are Hispanic, poor and live with conditions, such as cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy, that interfere with daily activities, the researchers found. Most of their parents or guardians did not graduate from high school. The families have had both public and private health insurance.Although advances in care have enabled families to take on medical tasks such as changing feeding tubes or providing physical therapy at home, they do not receive reimbursement or pay for the hours they spend caring for the children. The value and cost of this care was unknown until now.The financial burden of caring for children with special medical conditions can weigh heavily on families. Their efforts are time-intensive. Many miss work to care for their children. Collectively, the families lose more than $17 billion in income each year, the researchers determined."Parents want to do everything they can for their children, but it can be a real challenge to juggle their ill child, their other children and sometimes their job," says Mark Schuster, chief of General Pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and senior investigator of the study. "If parents did not provide this care at home, children would need to stay in the hospital longer, professionals would need to come to the home, or children might not get the care that their physicians prescribe."The findings were published in the journalChildren receiving the most in-home care For the study, the researchers analyzed data collected in the 2009-10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. The survey results were based on telephone interviews with a sample of 40,242 parents and guardians of children with special needs.Care is much more time-intensive for certain conditions. The researchers found that 12% of the children receive more than 21 hours per week of care - largely for conditions such as muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury or concussion, intellectual disability, or cystic fibrosis. These often are in combination with other health conditions.The researchers estimated the value of their in-home care by calculating how much a family would spend to hire a caregiver. They based their estimates for lost earnings on the caregivers' wages.For every child with special health needs, family caregivers forego an estimated $3,200 in earnings each year.The families of these children do not just lose potential earnings or compensation, the researchers noted. Studies have shown, for example, that caregivers of a child who has cerebral palsy suffer psychological distress, cognitive issues and emotional problems. Out-of-pocket health care costs for a special health-needs child are three times more expensive than the out-of-pocket costs for children without any special conditions.The researchers noted that the survey did not track the number of hours that caregivers spend assisting the children with routine daily activities such as bathing and dressing. "Had these tasks been included," they wrote, "the cost estimates would be much higher."Policy solutions Although the Affordable Care Act provides health care to many of these families, the researchers said that the national survey will not provide insight into its effects until the latest round of data collection, which runs through 2017, is completed and released.The researchers said policymakers could help caregivers with their costs by offering employers incentives to adopt flexible work schedules or shared-leave programs for employees. They also suggested paid family leave programs, improving care coordination, providing respite care that gives caregivers an occasional break, and home visits by clinicians."We need to do a better job of training family caregivers in how to take care of their children at home, and we need better supports for them," said Schuster, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.Source: Eurekalert
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Cardiac arrests, urgent ICU transfers or patient deaths were also associated with delayed discharge from the hospital for the other patients on the same unit."This should serve as a wake-up call for hospital-based physicians," said study author Matthew Churpek, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago."Our data suggests that after caring for a patient who becomes critically ill on the hospital wards, we should routinely check to see how the other patients on the unit are doing," Churpek said."Following these high-intensity events, our to-do list should include a thorough assessment of the other patients on the unit, to make sure none of them are at risk of slipping through the cracks."Luckily, such events were relatively rare. Nearly 84,000 adult patients were admitted to non-ICU beds at the University of Chicago Medicine from 2009 to 2013. About 5% of those patients were subsequently transferred to an intensive-care unit (4,107) or experienced an in-hospital cardiac arrest (179).Patients who had a cardiac arrest or required ICU transfer tended to be a few years older and male. They had been in the hospital, on average, for 13 days, four times longer than patients who did not have a critical-illness event."We suspected this phenomenon based on our own anecdotal experience," said co-author Samuel Volchenboum, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago and director of the University's Center for Research Informatics. "But until we had access to a large, well-curated research-data warehouse, we couldn't perform a study like this.""Very few academic centers have access to the kinds of high-quality data needed to perform this type of investigation," he added.The study was designed to detect and quantify any increased risk to neighboring patients. The researchers speculate that one potential factor may be that doctors and nurses could have been "temporarily diverted to help care for critically ill patients," Volchenboum said. "Further study is needed to determine the causes of this effect."Source: Eurekalert
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"The initiatives taken in BTB programme could contribute in some of the key identified sectors in 'Make in India' , for example, chemicals, biotechnology, food processing, smart textiles. Joint R&D partnership between BTB and corporates in India could enhance the scope of developing customised biocidal products particularly important for Indian market and possible manufacturing of some of these products in India," Sudip Ray, a senior research fellow in the School of Chemical Sciences with the MBIE Biocide Toolbox and Product Accelerator Programmes at University of Auckland, told IANS.BTB aims at the development of a toolbox of new greener biocides applicable in commercial and healthcare contexts which contribute to NZ export growth. Ray was in Kolkata for a series of lectures.Describing the initiative, he said the current research is focused on developing a suite of biocides which constitute practical solutions for a range of products like decorative paints, antifouling coatings, food packaging, cleaning chemicals, air conditioning tunnelling/filters, medical equipment, in various healthcare settings requiring a safe and clean environment."These biocides developed by BTB in New Zealand could be exported in India as chemicals and then incorporated in products which utilise biocides and thereby the final manufacturing of the biocidal products could be performed in India. This will fulfil the key focus of aMake in India' and also enhance the possibility of exports from New Zealand," he explained.One of the innovations is turning wine waste into biodegradable plastics with usable anti-bacterial properties for use in food packaging and storage. Recently India and New Zealand discussed the promotion of FDI in India in support of India's Make in India campaign and development objectives."So, R&D partnership could further strengthen the growing bilateral relationship between India and New Zealand," Ray added.Source: IANS


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The official was allegedly found in possession of EGP 24 million, US $4 million, 2 million euros and one million Saudi Riyals, in addition to gold accessories, real estate bonds and cars

Related Egyptian State Council official arrested on bribery charges

Egypts prosecution ordered Wednesday morning the detention of a State Council official for four days pending investigations following the seizure of millions of pounds and dollars in his house, a prosecution statement read.

Gamal Ibrahim El-Laban, the head of the procurement department at the State Council, was arrested while receiving a bribe on Tuesday. He faces charges of bribery.

The State Council is a judicial body that gives legal advice to the government, drafts legislation, and exercises jurisdiction over administrative cases.

Two others were arrested with El-Laban, but their identities have yet to be revealed by the prosecution.

Upon searching El-Labans house, the Administrative Control Authority (ACA), which is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations within state bodies, found him in possession of EGP 24 million, $4 million, 2 million euros and one million Saudi Riyals, in addition to gold accessories, real estate bonds and cars.

Official pictures of the piles of money found in El-Labans possession went viral on social media and were featured in all late night talk shows.

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President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Wednesday with the speaker of Libyas parliament to discuss ending the countrys civil strife and to strengthen state institutions

President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi met earlier on Wednesday with the Libyan parliaments speaker Aguila Saleh and expressed Egypt's full support for Libya's sovereignty in order to protect the nation's cohesion, state news agency MENA reported citing a presidency statement.

The presidency quoted El-Sisi as saying that Libya would be able to end the ongoing crisis through the support of national institutions and stressed that all Libyans have the right to self-determination.

The Libyan speaker explained the most recent developments in the conflict and hailed the role Egypt has been playing to end the crisis, noting the recent Cairo conference.

On 12 December, Libyan officials and representatives from the country's various political factions gathered in Cairo, issuing a declaration of principles the following day, along with five proposed amendments to the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015, which aims at resolving the Libyas civil conflict.

On Tuesday, the chief of staff of Egypt's armed forces Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy also met to discuss the declaration of principles issued by the Libyan factions.

In an official statement late on Tuesday, Egypt's foreign ministry said that Saleh would hold a session of the Libyan House of Representatives to discuss the concerns and differences on the agreement reached in the Cairo conference so that it could be finalised.

Saleh also vowed to "promote and uphold national reconciliation efforts to reach national consensus without foreign intervention to ensure the preservation of Libya's legitimate institutions, and particularly (the House of Representatives and the national army)."

Saleh expressed his support for the Egyptian mediation in the hope that a consensus could be built between Libyan factions to rebuild the structure of the state.

The declaration asserted 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 maintenance of a civil state.

Hegazy met earlier on Monday with Libyan public figures, media personnel and rights groups who issued a statement of support for the declaration of principles.

Last week, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also met with his Libyan counterpart Mohamed Taha Siala to discuss the implementation of the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement.

The Libyan foreign minister stressed that the 2015 agreement is the cornerstone of achieving stability in the country and restoring the countrys institutions.

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.

Libya currently has two parliaments and two rival governments, effectively dividing the country into east and west.

The parliament and interim government in the eastern part of the country are refusing to endorse the UN-backed administration in Tripoli in the west, which is a prerequisite for the Tripoli camp to officially hold power.

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Egypts state news agency MENA reported that the tunnel was used to smuggle persons, weapons and ammunition

Egypts military has destroyed a new 1,700 meter long smuggling tunnel in Sinai Peninsula in its continued effort to combat terrorist activities, state news agency MENA reported on Wednesday.

According to the agency, the passageway, located at the international borderline with Egyptian border city of Rafah, was prepared and used to smuggle people, supplies, weaponry, and ammunition.

The armys second field army was able to demolish the tunnel and eliminate all six openings to block all extremist groups and smugglers from using it again.

This is the second time that the Egyptian army has announced in December that it had discovered and destroyed smuggling tunnels.

Earlier in December, the army said that it had torn down seven smuggling tunnels connecting the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip with the Sinai Peninsula.

Egypt has long portrayed the tunnels as a passageway for arms and militants that it has been fighting in North Sinai, posing a risk to the country's security.

In 2014, the army officially announced that it had destroyed a total of 1,813 smuggling tunnels since January 2011.

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The statement affirmed the accused is not a member of the council's judiciary committee.

Related Egypt prosecution orders detention of State Council official accused of bribery Egyptian State Council official arrested on bribery charges Egypt's State Council issued a statement on Wednesday stressing that Gamal Ibrahim El-Laban, the head of its procurement department who is involved in a bribery scandal, is not a member of the council's juidicary committee.

The council called on media outlets to be "cautious and accurate" when reporting news on this matter and await the results of an official investigation, while asserting that the council will not spare any efforts in defying corruption.

On Wednesday morning, Egypts prosecution ordered the detention of a State Council official for four days pending investigations following the seizure of millions of pounds and dollars at his house, a prosecution statement read.

El-Laban was allegedly arrested while in the process of receiving a bribe on Tuesday.

The State Council is a judicial body that gives legal advice to the government, drafts legislation, and exercises jurisdiction over administrative cases.

Two others were arrested with El-Laban, but their identities have yet to be revealed by the prosecution.

Upon searching El-Labans house, the Administrative Control Authority (ACA), which is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations within state bodies, found him in possession of EGP 24 million, $4 million, 2 million euros and one million Saudi Riyals, in addition to gold accessories, real-estate bonds and cars.

Official pictures of the piles of money found in El-Labans possession went viral on social media and were featured in all late-night talk shows.

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Egypts President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on Wednesday for the establishment of a museum documenting the struggles and bravery of Port Said governorate during various wars and conflicts in Egypt's modern history.

In a speech during the inauguration of several projects in the governorate, El-Sisi called on the government to establish the museum in a way that correctly chronicles the struggles during the tripartite aggression by Israel, France, and Britain in 1956, during the Suez Canal crisis, and the 1967 War with Israel.

Residents of Port Said and other cities of the Suez Canal have been praised throughout history for their popular resistance against the tripartite war in 1956 and the 1967 Six Day War with Israel. All these wars led to massive displacement and deaths among city residents.

Port Said has shown a lot of resistance," said the president. "Has this been documented? Not only Port Said, but also Ismailia and Suez. We want to form a committee that would document this work and what Port Said went through in the era between 1956 and 1967," he added.

"We should construct a national committee to log this, El-Sisi said, addressing Port Saids governor and former army general Adel El-Ghadban and other officials in the governorate.

El-Sisi also announced that by mid-2017, Port Said would be the first governorate in Egypt with no informal settlements.

I will not accept such settlements in all Egyptian governorates, El-Sisi said.

Egypt has moved forward with efforts to combat informal settlements, also referred to as slum areas, through recently constructed housing projects.

The phenomena of informal settlements made media headlines in 2008 following the collapse of a rock face on the edge of Cairo's Moqattam area that led to the deaths of dozens and the injury of scores more living in the Doueyka area. The incident reminded people of the urgency of addressing housing challenges.

According to a governmental report in recent years, informal settlements in Egypt constitute around 40 percent of urban areas around Egypt.

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An Egyptian appeals court on Wednesday quashed the convictions of a group of students from Al-Azhar University, after they spent three years in custody on violence-related charges, their lawyer said.

Thirteen students, including five women, were cleared of the charges against them, including belonging to a banned group  a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood  sabotage and protesting without license, defence lawyer Faysal Al-Sayed told Ahram Online.

According to the lawyer, the convictions were reversed due to a lack of evidence in the case.

They were arrested in December 2013 and were initially sentenced to five years in prison.

The charges stem from protests that took place at Al-Azhar University in eastern Cairo in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.

In May, the Court of Cassation, the country's highest appeals court, overturned the ruling and ordered a retrial before another court that cleared the defendants on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, another court upheld three-year jail terms against 13 other Al-Azhar students convicted on similar charges. They were also arrested in December 2013, a judicial source said.

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LINCOLN TOWNSHIP  The cost of governing is going up in Lincoln Township.

A breakdown of Lincoln Townships legal expenses was revealed in a recent Freedom of Information Act request filed by a township resident.

The highest single item included in the bills from Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith PC of Lansing was $2,500 for travel to and from and attendance at the Aug. 23 Huron County Board of Commissioners meeting.

At $250 an hour, 10 hours were billed for the meeting attendance and travel. The firm also charged $216 in mileage costs.

By mid-October, the township had been billed a total of $10,092 for services dating back to Aug. 8.

In recent months, the township has set aside $30,000 for its legal fund, which was established when township officials voted in favor of Lincoln Township becoming self-zoned.

Township residents Arlene and Robert Schipinski have filed several FOIA requests with the township in recent months.

Arlene Schipinski questioned why services for non-residents were billed to the township.

A copy of notices of adoption of Ordinances 2016-01 and 2016-02 were emailed to Bob McLean of Paris Township on Aug. 19, according to the bill, at a cost of $50.

The law firm also received and reviewed correspondence from Sue Lange of Bloomfield Township regarding a public hearing on Aug. 15.

That item also cost the township $50.

The ordinances emailed to McLean were in relation to the formation of a township planning commission and the issuance of a moratorium on wind development.

Arlene Schipinski revealed the charge for services to McLean earlier this month at a township meeting, which McLean attended.

I find that quite interesting that my name appeared on a Foster Swift bill, McLean said. Because there was no communication by me to ask Foster Swift a question on your behalf.

He said the information was manufactured, and that it was a false statement.

Schipinski then showed McLean where his name appeared on the bill.

Its my name, but I had nothing to do with any of this, McLean replied.

During her report at that meeting, Treasurer Patricia Weber said the general fund balance was $64,282. That includes $133 that the township had collected in FOIA fees during the previous month.

The second-highest item charged on the Foster Swift bill was $1,700 for 6.8 hours described as a phone conference with Supervisor Melvin Drake on Aug. 8 to review Michigan Zoning and Planning Enabling Acts. Review and revise resolutions and ordinances.

A letter from Foster Swift obtained through the FOIA request stated that the firms standard hourly rate is $345 per hour. But the firm offered the township a discounted rate of $250 an hour.

Sherman Township, which is considering becoming self-zoned, recently hired Foster Swift for $250 an hour.

In this FOIA, Schipinski also asked how Lincoln Township Clerk Irvin Kanaski calculated that she was responsible for a $2,300-$2,500 expense for answering a previous FOIA.

Kanaski read an informational letter this fall at a township meeting, which said that Schipinskis request cost the township up to $2,500.

The FOIA response showed $975 in FOIA costs:

 $150 for telephone conference for client regarding FOIA request. Draft correspondence regarding FOIA requests to client.

 $125 charged for follow up on FOIA

 $350 for draft resolution for FOIA, which established what the township will charge for FOIA requests

 $350 for review and respond to FOIA issues.

Schipinski also asked in her recent FOIA for proof that the legal services were put out for bid, but the township provided no such proof in its answer.

Schipinski also asked for correspondence specifying the purpose of an Aug. 15 receipt for $1,100 which was labeled Attorney fee donations for legal services fund/zoning.

How did treasurer write one acquisition for three separate donations? Schipinski asked in her request.

Bank deposit records show that $100 was currency and there were two $500 checks.

Im really getting tired of FOIA-ing every single thing, even the minutes, Schipinski said at this months township meeting.

The decision for the township to become self-zoned is being protested, and there will be a referendum in May to determine where voters stand on the issue.
The drug situation in the county kept the attention of local authorities and governmental officials in 2016.

Many times over the course of the year, deadly street drugs in Huron County was the main issue discussed at the Huron County Board of Commissioners.

Its not getting any better, Commissioner Clark Elftman told the board in September regarding the issue.

Elftman mentioned the lethal combination of heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller the Drug Enforcement Agency says is 100 times more powerful than morphine and up to 50 times that of heroin.

The concentrations of this stuff  and nobody knows what theyre taking, nor the quantity, nor the concentration, nor the purity, and thats causing issues, Board Chairman John L. Bodis said.

Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson said within the last year, his deputies were called to at least 25 overdoses caused by heroin and prescription pills. Two years ago, six people died of illegal drug overdoses in Huron County. In 2016, three people lost their lives, with another two from the area having overdosed and died while out of the county.

Another extremely dangerous drug to threaten the county in 2016 was Carfentanil, a Schedule II substance under the Controlled Substances Act. The drug is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. It is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times more potent than heroin.

Back in October the DEA, and various law enforcement and first responders, warned of the presence of carfentanil, which had been linked to a significant number of overdose deaths in various parts of the country. The drug had been linked to a rash of overdoses in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area and was making its way north.

If its not one thing, its another, Hanson said. Somebodys always working on some type of a more potent drug. And then you have the people that want to try it and see what its all about  and that makes it even worse.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup></sup> urban office real estate investment trust ("REIT"), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet ("SF"). The asset base in North America includes 31.9 million RSF of operating properties and 3.3 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 7.1 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects, and 7.4 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology, and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity, and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology, and agtech companies through our venture capital platform. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value.
Turkey and Russia have agreed a ceasefire plan for all of Syria that should come into force at midnight, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday.

The plan aims at expanding a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo to all of the country but excludes "terror" groups, the agency said. If successful, it will form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the regime and opposition overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

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Genesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut.
WABCO Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies electronic, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and aerodynamic products worldwide. The company engineers, develops, manufactures, and sells braking, stability, suspension, steering, transmission automation, and air management systems primarily for commercial vehicles. The company's products include pneumatic anti-lock braking systems, electronic braking systems, electronic stability control systems, brake controls, automated manual transmission systems, and air disc brakes; and various conventional mechanical products, such as actuators, air compressors, and air control valves for medium and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and trailers. It also offers pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off-highway vehicles; conventional braking systems; electronic and conventional air suspension systems; steering technologies; and vehicle electronic stability control and roll stability support products, and advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, the company supplies electronic suspension controls and vacuum pumps to the passenger car and SUV markets, as well as provides remanufacturing services. Further, it offers replacement parts, fleet management solutions, diagnostic tools, training, and other expert services for commercial vehicle aftermarket distributors and service partners, and fleet operators. The company sells its products primarily to truck and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), trailer OEMs, and car manufacturers; and manufacturers of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining, and other industries. WABCO Holdings Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Better Financial Services GmbH, Better Payment Germany GmbH, Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., Chapel Funding, China Recovery Fund LLC, Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Cartera de lnmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Impact Investment Fund I. LP., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Limited, DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Jersey) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios lnteractivos Agrupacicm de lnteres Econemico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB Print GmbH, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services (Jersey) Limited, DB Services Americas. Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB US Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a. r.l., DB Value S.a.r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita SA., DB lmmobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG i.L., DB lo LP, DBAH Capital. LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management 18 Ltd., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a. r.l., DBX Advisers LLC, DEBEKO lmmobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK AS., DI Deutsche lmmobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Shanghai Private Equity Fund Management Limited, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anenima lnstitucien Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico. S.A., Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank Polska Spelka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Societe per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche Bank. Sociedad Anenima Espanola, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur lmmobilien-Leasing mit beschrenkter Haftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.El r.l., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche India Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a. r.|., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities SA. de C.V.. Casla de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Services (Cl) Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. SA., Deutsche lmmobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsches lnstitut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.l., Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, European Value Added I (Alternate GP.) LLP, Fiduciaria Sant Andrea S.r.l., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., German American Capital Corporation, Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer LandstraBe GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Miesbaden LuisenstraBe/Kirchgasse GbR, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF l Manager S.a.r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul lnkasso GmbH, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo lll Initial GP Limited, MEF I Manager. S. a r.|., MIT Holdings Inc., Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgagelT Inc., MortgagelT Securities Corp., OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentIe", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, PADUS Grundstcks-VermietungsgeseIlschaft mbH, PB Factoring GmbH, PB Spezial-lnvestmentaktiengesellschatt mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Plantation Bay. Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank lmmobilien GmbH, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, RREEF, RREEF America LLC., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisers Private Limited, RREEF Management LLC., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables. LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermielungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sharps SP l LLC, Stelvio lmmobiliare S.r.l., Suddeutsche Vermeigensvewvaitung Gesellschaft mit beschrenkter Haftung, TELO Beleiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Umited, VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., lmmobilienfonds BuroCenter Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, lmmobilienfonds Wohn- und Gescheftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, and norisbank GmbH.

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Tunisian ministers will meet Thursday to decide on an action plan against militants returning from foreign battlefields, a government source said, as fears mount they could destabilise the North African country.

The ministerial meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed follows a number of gatherings between security and judicial experts on the matter.

"There will be a ministerial meeting tomorrow with a view to launching a strategic action plan," the source in the prime minister's told AFP on Wednesday.

The United Nations estimates that more than 5,500 Tunisians are fighting alongside extremist groups, including in Syria, Iraq and Libya where the Islamic State group seized swathes of territory.

Concern about their return has risen since Tunisian Anis Amri was identified as the suspected attacker who mowed down 11 people with a hijacked truck at a Berlin Christmas market last week and also killed the driver.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the "comprehensive strategy" that the government was reviewing had been drawn up in the prime minister's office last month.

Last week, Interior Minister Hedi Majdoub told Tunisia's parliament that 800 militants had already returned from the front lines, stressing however that the authorities have them on their radar.

Despite such assurances, Tunisians rallied outside parliament at the weekend to protest against allowing militants back into the country.

Politicians and their parties have expressed similar concerns, criticising the authorities' inaction.

The national union of internal security forces has called on the government to strip Tunisian militants of their nationality.

President Beji Caid Essebsi said in early December that his country was "taking all the necessary measures" to ensure that militants returning from Syria and Iraq are "neutralised".

Citing the constitution, he said however that "we can't prevent a Tunisian from returning to his country".

"We will not put them all in prison because we would not have enough prisons... but we will monitor them," he added.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III Scots L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Aoba Life Insurance Company Ltd., Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI Ireland L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI US L.P., Dale/P Minerals Limited Partnership, Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Horizon GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sprint GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Harvest Asset Management LLC, Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Kyouei Nenkin Home, LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., Lotus Reinsurance Company Ltd., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Montana Capital Partners, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund A LP, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund II - A LP, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Desert Falcon Farms Manager LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI River Bend Ranches LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PG Friendly Partners Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM AC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory Shanghai Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Australia Pty Ltd, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Feeder VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM Custom Harvest LLC, PGIM DC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC JV GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC Solutions LLC, PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM Holdings Limited, PGIM Hong Kong Ltd., PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM IRELAND LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments Ireland Limited, PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management Shanghai Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital Ireland Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM QUANTITATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC, PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Global Master Fund GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles II S de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Japan Ltd., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. CORE Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate UK Limited, PGIM Scots Limited, PGIM Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Shanghai Company Ltd., PGIM Singapore Pte. Ltd., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM Taronga Investor GP LLC, PGIM U.S. Agriculture Fund LP, PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Wadhwani LLP, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings UK Limited, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP SCOTS FEEDER LLP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF Debt Fund Manager LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica Business Consulting Shanghai Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Pramerica Insurance Agency China Company Ltd., Pramerica Luxembourg CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate Scots LP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I Scotland Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Netherlands GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Scots CP GP LLP, Preco III Scotland Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Inc., Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd. Prudential Gibraltar Agency Kabushiki Kaisha, Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Select Strategies LLC, Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Tax Services LLC, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service, Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy US Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., VIP Australia Holding Company LLC, VIP Australia Trustee Pty Ltd, Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I Ireland L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I US L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC.

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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.
Cardinal Health, Inc. operates as an integrated healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home. The company operates in two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products. The segment also provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty pharmaceutical products; operates nuclear pharmacies and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; repackages generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter healthcare products; and offers medication therapy management and patient outcomes services to hospitals, other healthcare providers, and payers, as well as provides pharmacy management services to hospitals. The Medical segment manufactures, sources, and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices that include exam and surgical gloves; needles, syringe, and sharps disposals; compressions; incontinences; nutritional delivery products; wound care products; single-use surgical drapes, gowns, and apparels; fluid suction and collection systems; urology products; operating room supply products; and electrode product lines. The segment also distributes a range of national brand products, including medical, surgical, and laboratory products; provides supply chain services and solutions to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare providers; and assembles and sells sterile, and non-sterile procedure kits. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
A Bahraini court on Wednesday ordered the release of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab pending his trial on charges of spreading false information and posting insults online, a judicial source said.

The decision follows repeated requests to release Rajab who suffered recurring health problems.

The court postponed his trial to January 23, the source said.

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Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams. It also develops, manufactures, and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, it focuses on the central nervous system, pain, respiratory, and oncology areas. Its products in the central nervous system include Copaxone for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; AJOVY for the preventive treatment of migraine; and AUSTEDO for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington disease. The company's products in the respiratory market comprise ProAir, QVAR, ProAir Digihaler, AirDuo Digihaler, and ArmonAir Digihaler, BRALTUS, CINQAIR/CINQAERO, DuoResp Spiromax, and AirDuo RespiClick/ArmonAir RespiClick for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its products in the oncology market include Bendeka, Treanda, Granix, Trisenox, Lonquex, and Tevagrastim/Ratiograstim. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has a collaboration MedinCell for the development and commercialization of multiple long-acting injectable products, a risperidone suspension for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
The U.S. Army's upgraded M4A1 combat rifle is just the latest development in a category of weapons that American soldiers have carried since the country's earliest days.

Long Gun Beginnings

Even before there was actually a "United States" there was what could arguably be considered the first true "American rifle." Known as the Pennsylvania rifle, the Kentucky rifle or simply the long rifle, it was designed for hunting and was characterized by an unusually long barrel, a unique development that was uncommon in the European rifles of the era.

Military history consultant and former United States Marine Corps Captain Dale Dye told FoxNews.com that, in the flintlock era, the long gun was the first to have grooves in the barrel. "These grooves, or rifling, along with the longer barrel, made the guns much more accurate than the British Brown Bess musket," he said.

The long rifle wasn't ever produced in large enough numbers to truly make a difference during the American Revolution, but its use by sharpshooters  such as members of Morgan's Riflemen at the 1777 Battle of Saratoga established the reputation of the American marksman.

The first truly big leap forward in long gun design came with the Caliber .54, Model 1841 Rifle, which was the first to utilize a percussion ignition system. The Model 1841 is sometimes called the Mississippi Rifle due to its use by a Mississippi rifle regiment during the Mexican War between 1846 and 1848. The regiment was commanded by future Confederate States President Jefferson Davis.

Davis, who served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, also authorized the production of the .58 Caliber Musket, or Springfield Model 1861, the first rifled weapon to be produced for general issue by the U.S. Army. The Springfield Model 1861 would go on to be the most widely used U.S Army weapon during the Civil War.

The rest of the 19th century saw other innovations in rifle design including the Springfield Model 1873 "Trapdoor," a single shot weapon that was not without its problems, and later the Model 1896 Krag-Jorgensen, a reliable but underwhelming bolt action rifle.

Truly American Rifles of the 20th Century

The real change came with the Springfield Model 1903 -- an American take on a European classic.

"The Springfield was patterned after the (German-made) Mauser action," said Dye. "It didn't have an overly deep magazine, but it was accurate to 800 yards and could be fitted with a scope and used as a sniper version."

The Springfield M1903 was the standard infantry rifle for all branches of the military during World War I, and was used widely during the early phases of World War II. It was replaced by what has been called one of the finest weapons of the 20th century, the M1 Garand, named after its inventor John Garand.

"This was the first successful semi-automatic used by any military," Dye told FoxNews.com. "It is extremely rugged, extremely accurate."

The M1 Garand, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary next year, was a significant improvement over the bolt action rifles of the day, which required that the weapon was manually cocked between each shot.

"This was really a game changer as it was semi-automatic and held eight rounds," R. Lee Ermey, better known as the "Gunny", former United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and host of the Outdoor Channel's "Gunny Time", told FoxNews.com. "It could be argued it helped win World War II."

After the war the military planners sought to find a one-size fits all rifle, and the result was the M14, which was actually developed to replace four different weapons systems that included the M1 rifle, the M1 Carbine, the M3 "Grease Gun" submachine gun, and the M1918 Browning Automatic Bar (BAR). The upsized M1 had its fans, including the Marine Corps, which still issued one to each platoon in the Vietnam War.

"The M14 could hold its own against the bad guy gun, the AK-47," added Ermey. "The problem is that it went with a smaller round than the M1, so it lost some of its punch."

The M14 utilized the 7.62x51mm NATO round, or .308 caliber, which was too powerful for use in fully automatic mode as a replacement for a submachine gun, but yet too light to serve as a replacement for the BAR. In the end, however, the problem wasn't so much the gun, but rather the situation.

"It was a little too late for the changing tactics of the conflict," said Dye. "The select fire didn't work out as well as planned. It had too heavy a cartridge for close-quarter fighting, and it made for a heavy weapon. While you are willing to trade weight for firepower, the rifle was not ideal for the situation in Vietnam."

The irony is that the weapon that replaced the M14 proved not to be ideal at first either. The M16 had a rough baptism of fire, largely due to the fact that it was erroneously billed as self-cleaning and issued without cleaning kits.

"It had a turbulent introductory period," said Dye. "The problem for the M16 is that it was introduced while fighting was going on, and this didn't allow for the familiarization period that small arms really need. As a result it cost lives, and that is what you don't ever want to do."

The other problem with the M16 was the fact that military planners switched the ammunition to one that produced more fouling, and this resulted in jams. The rifle, however, was refined with the M16A1 version.

"The Americans don't have a good track record of backing up," Dye told FoxNews.com. "With the M16 this meant improving it and it proved to be a reliable weapon."

As the battlefield changed, the military adapted as well with the introduction of the M4 Carbine, a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2. This has replaced the M16 in most U.S. Army and Marine Corps combat units as the primary infantry weapon today.

"Lightening the load has been the constant quest and the result is the slimmed down M16," said Dye. "Engagement tactics said we didn't need the long-range weapon for combat."

The other refinement of the M4 has been its modular design, which allows it to be fitted with numerous accessories including bipods, laser pointers, telescopic sights and even grenade launchers. However, even in the M4A1 version the military may not have found the definitive rifle for the next battlefield. While the M4A1 may be more lethal at close range, there is still a need for taking out targets at distance.

"The next challenge is going to be that long range rifle," said Dye. "This isn't about arming everyone with it, or even making it a sniper rifle, but there is a need for long range shooting and that is going to be the challenge to find the next great long range weapon for the U.S. Army."
A Marine lance corporal who was given a bad conduct discharge in 2014 for offenses including refusal to remove printed Bible passages from her work station is now petitioning the Supreme Court to review her case, arguing she wasn't given appropriate protection under religious freedom laws.

On Dec. 23, the Texas-based First Liberty Institute filed a petition for a writ of certiorari on behalf of Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling, a key step in pursuing Supreme Court review of the case. Mike Berry, director of military affairs for the institute, told Military.com they hope the highest court in the land will make a decision as to whether to take the case sometime early next year.

Since her court-martial, Sterling has become a controversial figure. She has been hailed by some as a champion for religious liberty and dismissed by others as a Marine who displayed a pattern of insubordination and deserved her punishment.

According to a 2015 decision by the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals [NMCCA] upholding her conviction, Sterling, an administrator, was taken to court after a series of run-ins with authority over a series of months, including refusal to wear the uniform of the day because it interfered with her back brace and declining to help distribute vehicle passes to family members when ordered to do so by a senior enlisted Marine and an officer.

At issue for the religious liberty groups who support her, however, is an incident in which she was ordered by her supervisor to remove three paper strips taped to her computer and elsewhere on her desk containing a personalized version of Isaiah 54:17: "No weapon formed against me shall prosper."

In May 2013, the supervisor, a staff sergeant, told her to remove the verses because she "didn't like their tone," according to the petition. When Sterling refused, the staff sergeant removed them herself. And when Sterling re-posted them above her desk, the staff sergeant again removed them.

To date, both NMCCA and the highest military appeals court, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces [CAAF] have upheld Sterling's conviction. But First Liberty Instituted contends that CAAF ruled incorrectly by finding religious protections only apply to behavior compelled by religious beliefs, such as abstaining from certain foods and wearing special headwear, and not to behavior motivated by religious beliefs, as Sterling's posting of the verses was.

Circuit appeals courts have so far been split on this issue, Berry told Military.com, but CAAF went with the minority, which defined religious protections more narrowly.

Having the Supreme Court take the case "would send a clear message that religious liberty in the military is protected by federal law," Berry said. "Secondly and relatedly, this would give the Supreme Court the opportunity to clarify a deep circuit split."

The law in question, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, is designed to apply to military members as well as civilians. While it doesn't guarantee a favorable outcome for the individual practicing their religion, it should grant a careful review to make sure the religious person was not substantially burdened without a compelling reason, Berry said.

According to the petition, the ambiguities in the case make it a strong candidate for Supreme Court review.

"Federal courts have no tools to discern the 'subjective importance' of a practice or whether a practice is religiously compelled, as opposed to just religiously-motivated," the plaintiffs write in the petition. "Are Christians 'compelled' to read the Bible, or is reading the Bible merely 'motivated' by faith?  Indeed, the whole notion of having clear prohibitions, precepts, and tenets, is itself a religious judgment on which different religions have different perspectives."

For Sterling, the prospect of the highest court taking the case leaves open a wide range of outcomes. The Supreme Court could uphold the original conviction, it could order new action to be taken, or it could send the case back to a lower court with instructions to incorporate additional considerations. A favorable decision for Sterling could result in an upgraded discharge or even a new trial, with the possibility of re-entering the Marine Corps.

"Lance Cpl. Sterling was never given the benefit of RFRA protection," Berry said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
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...
The California Guard recently welcomed a contingent of Ukrainian troops as part of a bilateral advise-and-assist rotation -- and may send more of its own soldiers to Europe next year, an official said.

Members of Ukraine's armed forces recently visited California National Guard facilities to learn more about Western ways of war amid the ongoing battle in the eastern part of the country between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian soldiers.

Lt. Gen. Yuriy Allerov, commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, and his staff members in November toured Camp Roberts, a major training base in central California that simulates just the kind of urban training environment the Ukrainian forces are accustomed to fighting in.

RELATED: Scaparrotti Surveys Ukraine's Front Lines Against Russia

Army Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann, director of strategic plans and policy for the California Military Department, said members of his counterpart service in Ukraine visit the state about five times a year, while California Guardsmen make eight times as many trips to Ukraine each year -- a level that may increase in 2017.

"Maybe more," Siepmann said of the level of planned rotations during a recent telephone interview with Military.com.

Similar Responsibilities

Ukraine's force is "a lot like our Guard in which it has both military responsibilities and emergency response," he said.

How a Trump administration may steer the dialogue on Ukraine -- and thus the U.S. military partnership -- remains uncertain.

U.S. and Ukrainian officials -- from Sens. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, and Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a vice prime minister of Ukraine -- have raised concerns the ongoing war for Ukraine's eastern front could be neglected under a Trump administration.

RELATED: Trump and Putin Profess Mutual Admiration

Furthermore, Trump has criticized the U.S. for acting as the backbone to the NATO alliance -- in part by supporting Ukraine's push to withstand Russian aggression -- and left the door open on whether he would defend countries he deemed as not properly contributing to the bloc's collective defense. Last summer, Trump questioned the automatic defense of NATO states and suggested the U.S. would provide aid only if they "have fulfilled their obligations to us."

So far, the U.S.-Ukraine dialogue remains ongoing, military officials said.

In addition to discussing situational awareness and command and control aspects of operations, the recent visit by the Ukrainian delegation also included casualty evacuation and airlift, according to Siepmann.

RELATED: Ukraine Says Five Troops Killed in Worst Clash in Months

"Their goal is to be NATO-interoperable by 2020," he said.

The crux to achieving that goal will be to establish a non-commissioned officer-like corps, similar to that of the U.S., Siepmann said. U.S. leadership is assisting Ukrainian forces in developing an NCO academy and basic leader course, he said.

"It's, of course, the backbone of our own military," he said, "and it's something that they just don't have, so we stress how important the NCO corps is."

Future Airpower Needs

Long-term assessments still need to be made, Siepmann said, such as revitalizing Ukraine's air forces, specifically the country's fighter program.

The Ukrainian air force has roughly 200 aircraft, according to a 2015 Flightglobal study cited by military blog War is Boring. The fleet, mostly comprised of MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets, Su-25 Frogfoot twin-engine jet aircraft and Su-24 all-weather attack aircraft, has suffered losses from shootdowns, crashes or just sitting in mothballs for years to the point of corrosive immobility.

But now, "we talk about training systems, and how we train, so it's more of a train-the-trainer type of discussion, a systems-based discussion, like, 'How are you going about training your pilots?' But really our focus is on their military as a whole, and looking at things from a systems approach," Siepmann said.

The California Air National Guard has sent some of its pilots to speak with Ukraine's fighter contingent on lesson-learned best practices, "to the extent that's appropriate, but we do have direct engagement," Siepmann said.

A handful of Guard pilots have been to Ukraine "multiple times," he said, since the U.S. stepped up to advise the country's military units after Ukraine's annexation of Crimea and after fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces began in 2014.

In 2015, Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, California National Guard adjutant general, and some of his guardsmen traveled to Kiev, Ukraine's capital, to donate helmets, masks and other gear to Ukraine's forces.

Roughly a dozen airmen with the 144th Fighter Wing out of Fresno also had a scheduled visit to the capital this past spring, at the same time hundreds of airmen from the 144th, an F-15 Eagle unit, deployed to Europe under Operation Atlantic Resolve to demonstrate the U.S.'s commitment to NATO allies.

Whether fighter jets will touch down on Ukrainian soil for exercises remains to be seen. While ground troops train and advise Ukrainian soldiers in the country's west-side training center in Yavoriv, they do so on a rotational basis.

NATO's founding agreement with Russia prevents member states from permanently stationing troops or equipment, including aircraft, in former Warsaw Pact countries or Soviet republics. However, experts such Daniel Kochis, an analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, argue the 1997 agreement has been misconstrued and that NATO forces are justified in pursuing additional defense postures based on Russia's aggressive military activity in the region.

Regardless, "we're not currently bringing [U.S] fighter aircraft over there, but joint engagement and exercises is something that we're looking at with Ukraine, whether it be over Ukrainian airspace or in joint exercises with other countries," Siepmann said. "There's significant interest in joint-aerial operations.

"We did quite a bit [in 2016] on the air side with both fighter aircraft and also some cyber and C-130 engagement," he said.

Drones, Electronic Warfare

In addition to showing off the combined arms simulator at Camp Roberts, which trains forces by electronically simulating a humvee environment, members of the Guard "also took them to our unmanned aerial systems training facility to learn a little bit about how we deploy  drones."

In the midst of accusations of drone hacking, Ukrainian forces are looking for ways to protect their drones and other equipment from Russian military hacks.

Siepmann said they discussed capabilities, normally based on platforms such as the RQ-11B Raven and RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aerial aircraft, which Ukrainian forces are using or learning from in the battlespace. "They're buying some of these systems  and they're also interested in purchasing some of the equipment that we use," he said.

Since the interview with Siepmann, about 72 of the U.S.-supplied Raven mini-drones have proven to be inert against Russia's advanced electronic jamming signals, rendering them useless in the sky, according to a report from Reuters. The shipment was part of the larger European Reassurance Initiative, a program designed to deliver aid and non-lethal weapons to Ukraine and whose budget is slated to surge from $789 million this year to $3.4 billion next year.

Data from analog drones can easily be intercepted by Russia's electronic warfare tactics, the report said.

It is unclear if Allerov's visit to the California Guard facilities last month addressed the concern.

Meantime, Ukrainian forces are still experimenting with devices, such as repurposed commercial drones or privately manufactured ones, in hopes some of the newer technologies may withstand jamming signals from Russian-backed separatists.

The continuous dialogue with the Eastern European counterparts has given the U.S. military a new perspective on these matters, learning "quite a bit" from the urban-warfare dynamic, Siepmann said.

"The use of drones  in the conflict as well as electronic warfare, use of mortars and other artillery systems in conjunction with drones and electronic warfare has been an area they have gained a lot of experience in," he said.

The California Guard's partnership with Ukraine through the State Partnership Program, or SPP, is just a sliver of operations ongoing with U.S. and Ukrainian forces. Training in Yavoriv, led by U.S. Army-Europe and rotational U.S. Guard forces, also incorporates British, Canadian and Lithuanian trainers as part of the ongoing Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.

Members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard will spearhead efforts in two six-month rotations to Ukraine in January.

This partnership really means "utilizing those relationships and those contacts that we've built," Siepmann said, "to help us do additional work in support of Ukraine."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Want to take a few years off from the military to go to school, start a family, or get business experience? If you're in the Marine Corps, this year could be your best chance to get started.

In a message quietly released earlier this month, the service removed participation limits on the career intermission program it launched in 2013, giving Marines the chance to take time off while retaining their career status and receiving a small stipend. While the original program limited participation to 20 enlisted Marines and 20 officers per year, the change means that all leathernecks who meet eligibility requirements and are approved by their chain of command can participate in the program.

The deal offered by the program is simple: Marines can take up to three years off in the Individual Ready Reserve to pursue personal plans and goals, and then re-enter the service with the same rank and promotion eligibility they had before. The only catch: Troops owe the service two years for every year of career intermission.

Marine Corps messages about the program note that Marines in job communities struggling to retain troops will be given special consideration, highlighting the career intermission program's usefulness as a tool to keep Marines who might otherwise leave the service altogether.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has championed that service's version of the program along with a slew of other initiatives, including increased maternity leave, to retain women, who leave the service at higher rates mid-career than their male counterparts -- many because of family demands. Mabus successfully lobbied Congress to remove participation limits on the Navy's career intermission program program in 2015.

"We were losing twice as many women from year six to year 12 than we were men," Mabus said in a 2016 speech in California, discussing the intermission program and his plan to increase maternity leave. "And if you want to look at it just from a purely selfish standpoint, the investment that we have in a pilot, submariner, surface officer or an intel cryptologist, an IT specialist, is huge. And if we lose that person after seven or eight years, we have to start over with somebody brand new without the experience. And we have to make that investment all over again."

But while the Navy's program has had modest success in participation, the Marine Corps program continues to struggle.

According to data provided to Military.com by Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Corps has had only six participants in its four years of existence. No Marines participated in 2013, according to the data. In 2014, the biggest participation year, two staff sergeants and one captain took the intermission offer. And in 2015 and 2016, three Marines total participated, all captains. To date, only one woman has taken advantage of the program.

In the Navy, on the other hand, there have been 127 participants since the program began in 2009, Lt. Jessica Anderson, a spokesman for Naval Personnel Command, told Military.com. The demographics are fairly evenly divided: 58 of the participants have been male, and 69 female; 50 were officers and 77 enlisted, according to data Anderson provided. This year, 19 applicants were approved, she said.

The program has come under oversight scrutiny: In 2015, the Government Accountability Office published a report noting that all four Defense Department services had adopted the intermission program by 2014, with the Army the last to join, but only the Navy at that point had participants who had actually completed sabbaticals and returned to the force.

The report noted that military culture may be a factor inhibiting troops' participation, with anonymous troops reporting that members of their chain of command had warned them their careers would suffer if they took the intermission offer. For the Marine Corps, which has not come close to hitting the 40-troop limit on its program since it began, the removal of participation limits may signal a message of support from service leadership for those considering a career intermission.

The Navy continues to promote the program as an aid to keeping sailors in the service.

"We believe that CIP is an effective and flexible tool designed to enhance retention among those who might otherwise consider leaving the Navy," Anderson said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
German police on Wednesday detained a Tunisian national on suspicion of having ties to Anis Amri, the suspected Berlin truck attacker gunned down by Italian police last week, prosecutors said.

"The deceased suspect Anis Amri had saved the number of this 40-year-old Tunisian national in his phone. The investigations indicate that he may have been linked to the attack," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

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KB: Honestly, 2016 has been the worst year of my life, so my favorite (predicted) memory will be watching the clock hit midnight on NYE.

CK: Traveling to Japan, to say goodbye to Baachan (my grandmother, our familys matriarch) with my family. She passed away this year, and it was a time to peacefully and tranquilly say goodbye. My next book is an homage to her and my deep-rooted Japanese heritage. On a lighter note, I loved showing my mentor, Dr. Mehmet Oz, how to make matcha! Signing my sixth book deal with HarperCollins and directing, writing and producing the project as it manifests itself is also a glorious gift.

CG: Spending the summer in California, watching my little boy surf Malibu and launching my new blog, Suppers by the Sea.

DC: I think the first time I cooked on The Chew with Mario Batali was pretty amazing! The fact I went to eleven countries this year for work is truly humbling. Each place inspired me in their own right and has delivered colorful cuisines that have gone into my books and blog.
Stepping into a raging diplomatic argument, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday staunchly defended the Obama administration's decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal and warned that Israel's very future as a democracy is at stake.

Kerry, pushing back on Israel's fury at the U.S. abstention of the United Nations vote, questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's true commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years. Though Netanyahu says he believes in the two-state solution, Kerry said, he's at the helm of the most right-wing (government) in Israel's history.

"If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace," Kerry said.

Kerry's speech marked the latest escalation in a vicious, drama-filled row between the U.S. and Israel that has erupted in the last days of Obama's administration. The extraordinary display of discord between allies  with U.S. and Israeli officials openly disparaging each other  has also pitted President Barack Obama against President-elect Donald Trump, who has firmly taken Netanyahu's side.

Israel's government was enraged after the U.S. abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the occupied east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Netanyahu accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians and helping draft the resolution, charges the U.S. has denied.

"The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done," Kerry said in a farewell speech at the State Department. "The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for."

Kerry reiterated that the Obama administration's commitment to Israel was as strong as that of previous presidents, but he also noted that previous U.S. administrations had also abstained on certain resolutions critical of Israel. He emphasized the record levels of military assistance the U.S. has provided Israel under Obama, codified by a 10-year aid deal recently struck worth $38 billion.

"No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's," Kerry said.

Obama, who is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, hasn't commented publicly on the resolution or the resulting spat.

Seeking to show he wasn't focusing exclusively on Israel's failings, Kerry in the same sentence bemoaned Israel's "seemingly endless occupation" of Palestinian land and Palestinian leaders' "incitement" of violence. He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a democratic crisis for Israel unless there's a separate Palestinian state.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Trump to change U.S. policy, and Trump assured them hours before Kerry's speech that they just needed to "hang on" til Jan. 20, when he would be sworn in as president. While Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signaled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem over Palestinian and others' objections.

"President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel," Netanyahu said on Twitter before Kerry's speech.

A senior Israeli Cabinet minister, Gilad Erdan, on Wednesday called Kerry's speech a "pathetic step," before Kerry even began speaking.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and the occupied east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. The Palestinians, and most of the world, see settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as an obstacle to peace.

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(MLive.com File Photo)

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Three Flint-area hospitals are among 27 in the state of Michigan facing a reduction in Medicare payments due to an inflated number of health care facility-acquired conditions.

But some health care officials and advocates have questioned how penalizing the hospitals -- including Hurley Medical Center, McLaren-Flint and Genesys Regional Medical Center -- in distressed communities will help alleviate the problem.

Facilities scoring in the lowest quarter of this year's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program report are subject to a penalty of 1 percent of Medicare payments during the 2017 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.

Hospitals are rated on a variety of health care acquired infections, including MRSA, surgical site infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, as well as falls, bedsores and blood clots.

A request for comment from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on the latest report was declined.

The centers' website estimated a "total savings" of more than $360 million in fiscal year 2016 -- Oct. 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2016 -- from 751 hospitals on the list last year. The number of infection cases were not released as part of the report.

There are 769 hospitals being penalized on the newest list, with others in Michigan including Memorial Healthcare in Owosso, University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor and Edward W. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

Dr. Michael Jaggi, director of emergency services and chief medical officer at Hurley Medical Center, took some umbrage with the latest report.

"The data does not reflect current rates or take into account current measures to reduce hospital acquired infections," he said Wednesday afternoon, calling the ratings based on information from up to two years ago "very dated."

Representatives from Genesys and McLaren could not be reached for comment on the report.

Jaggi takes part in collaborative meetings with infection control divisions at each of the Genesee County hospitals on the list, and said the ratings don't reflect the ongoing work being done to cut down on infections.

"We have employed numerous strategies to reduce infection and range from the very basics, such as increasing hand-washing compliance to sophisticated pre-operative checklists (to) ensuring proper skin prep to managing intraoperative and postoperative antibiotics," he said.

Jaggi added the ratings don't reflect public health issues taking place in the community right now and "the reported infection rates are not influenced by the past challenges with our water supply."

Legionella and Legionnaires' disease has been a hotly-discussed topic in Genesee County after numbers spiked in recent years, with 12 deaths registered between June 2014 and October 2015 and dozens of others sick.

No direct link has been established between Flint's water issue and the illness.

It's unclear what kind of financial impact the report will have on the local hospitals, but Jaggi said punishing critical access or safety net hospitals in low-income communities seems to be in opposition of helping with the issue.

Health care facilities in those communities also have to deal with extenuating circumstances, such as residents coming from shelters, homes with no heat, readmission of some patients and use of medication and upkeep once they leave.

"I think in 2017 a lot of these penalty scores are going to be based on socio-demographics and level the playing field," he said. "The health care disparities are starting to widen."

The nonprofit Economic Alliance for Michigan issued a November 2016 report on star ratings by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with a majority of the lowest-ranking hospitals residing in communities that are made up of a majority African-American population and have a median income of nearly $21,000 less than areas with five-star hospitals.

Interpreting reports of this type can be difficult for patients, Jaggi said, and he recommended they speak with their health care provider should they have any questions or concerns.

"Hurley Medical Center is committed to sharing quality and safety information so that patients can make informed decisions about their health care," he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East speech on Wednesday was biased against Israel.

In a statement in English issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said: "Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the U.N., his speech tonight was skewed against Israel."

The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements", which the United States strongly opposes, in the speech. Netanyahu accused Kerry of barely touching upon "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

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Gov. Rick Snyder testifies before a congressional committee in this Flint Journal file photo.

(Flint Journal file photo)

FLINT, MI -- A federal judge has appointed a "settlement master" to mediate a Flint water crisis lawsuit after an attorney for Gov. Rick Snyder requested it.

U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson issued an order Wednesday, Dec. 28, appointing Paul Monicatti to "facilitate settlement discussions among all parties to this litigation," including the state, city of Flint, American Civil Liberties Union, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Concerned Pastors for Social Action.

The lawsuit filed against the city and the state in January has already resulted in an injunction that requires door-to-door delivery of bottled water in Flint, and Monicatti will have the authority to schedule settlement discussions, to decide who participates, and choose where and how the discussions occur.

"The governor believes that mediation is the best way forward in this case and looks forward to quick resolution," Press Secretary Anna Heaton said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal.

The Journal could not immediately reach the NRDC for comment.

Snyder's attorney, Eugene Driker, wrote to Lawson Dec. 19, requesting the appointment of a mediator on the governor's behalf.

"We belive that could well be a fruitful path to resolving the imporatant and complex issues in this case," Driker's letter to Lawson says. "A representative from the executive office of the governor fully familiar with the Flint situation would participate in such a process in a good-faith effort to bring this case to a just and equitable conclusion."

Attorneys for the state have said Michigan doesn't have the resources to begin door-to-door water delivery here, but will begin mailing letters to Flint residents providing clear and current information about the lead contamination of their water supply starting in early January 2017.

Local, state and federal officials have said the city's water is showing lower levels of lead but continue to advise against drinking it unfiltered.

Attorneys for the groups and individuals suing the state and city filed a request last week aimed forcing the city and state to immediately comply with Lawson's injunction and to begin door-to-door bottled water deliveries unless there is evidence of working filters installed in homes or residents opt-out of the service.
FLINT, MI -- Flint-native Michael Moore is at it again.

Moore posted another five-point list about President-Elect Donald Trump, which is now trending on Facebook.

Calling Trump a "malignant narcissist," Moore tells his readers to brush themselves off after the election and figure out how to fight back. The list has five things he wants everyone to do before January, because, "as bad as we know it's going to be, it's actually going to be worse. A lot worse," he said.

Suggestions in the list include making contact with local senators, writing the Democratic National Committee, participating in inauguration weekend protests, running for office and forming localized rapid response teams that spread the word when something happens in Congress.

It's not the first time Moore spouted off in frustration about the election.

Moore visited Flint shortly before the general election for a screening of "Michael Moore in Trumpland," a new, 73-minute film which he premiered weeks before in New York City.

During his Flint visit and free screening of the film at the Whiting Auditorium, he urged attendees to get out and vote.

Then, the day after the election, he posted a five-point "morning after to-do list" and expressing anger and frustration over Trump's Election Day victory.

In that list, Moore said the Democratic Party failed the people miserably, and that its members must be ready to fight back in Congress.

Much of Tuesday's list had the same sentiment.

Read Moore's full list on Facebook here.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The father-and-son owners of area bars are accused of destroying business records after receiving notice of an IRS audit.

Brian Farah pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids to corrupt endeavor to obstruct and impede the due administration of internal revenue laws.

His father, Michael Farah, has been indicted on the same charge, as well as structuring for allegedly depositing $32,000 in a bank account in amounts under $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements.

The two men and another family member own Kuzzins Inc., 741 West Leonard St. NW, Kuzzins I Ltd., or Farah's, at 710 Michigan Ave NE, and Kuzzins II Ltd., or Drake's at 3766 S. Division Ave.

At Farah's, Brian Farah recently announced proposed plans for a 1,200 square-foot addition, as well as a new covered patio and green space.

The government said the Farahs tried to impede IRS investigators and hide income for 2013 and 2014 by deleting all point-of-sale, or POS, records for the three businesses.

They were notified in August 2015 that an IRS agent wanted business records for the businesses.

Brian Farah admitted the he contacted his POS administrator on Sept. 3, 2015, and asked how to delete POS records. He was walked through the process to delete the records. He called back a couple of weeks later for a "refresher" on deleting POS files, Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler wrote in the plea agreement.

The father and son then emptied the recycle bin to delete the previously deleted files.

"On September 23, 2015, Michael Farah and Brian Farah called the POS administrator a second time, and told them they wanted to make sure that the files were deleted 'and they could not get any of the information,'" Stiffler wrote.

"Michael Farah stated that their goal was that no one would be able to retrieve anything from the computers or the POS administrator."

An IRS agent met with the Farahs on the same day. The Farahs did not mention that the records had been deleted.

Brian Farah, in his plea agreement, admitted that $232,000 was not reported on business tax returns in 2013, and $176,000 was not reported in 2014.

The government says the Farahs owe $126,703 in restitution, according to the plea agreement.

Obstructing the audit carries a potential prison term of three years followed by one year on supervised release. A conviction could result in the suspension or loss of a liquor license, the government said.

Attorneys declined to comment.
Alpine Twp invasion.jpg

(Facebook | Kent County Sheriff's Department)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Kent County Sheriff's Department is requesting help from the public to identify a man who broke into a home in Alpine Township.

On Dec. 22, deputies responded to a home invasion report in the 4700 block of Peach Ridge Avenue in Alpine Township.

The homeowner captured video surveillance of the suspect entering the home while the homeowner was gone.

The incident occurred at about 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 21.

The man was in the home for 10 minutes and left in an unknown direction.

Anyone who could help in identifying the man is asked to contact the Kent County Sheriff's Department at (616) 632-6100 or Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
Cooley Law School

(Courtesy | WMU)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A series of workshops planned in Grand Rapids in January and February are meant to promote local business expansion, particularly among minority- and woman-owned businesses.

The upcoming workshops featuring panels of experts are hosted by Western Michigan University's Cooley Law School and will run from 6-9 p.m. on Jan. 11, Jan. 20 and Feb. 7.

Aimed at local entrepreneurs, the courses promise to help participants network with lawyers and professionals and to identify local and global business needs and develop methods to meet those needs.

"The objective of the course is to raise awareness of needed professional services in overlooked areas of West Michigan's economy," said Nelson Miller, WMU-Cooley Law School's Grand Rapids associate dean. "By doing this, we hope to, at the same time, encourage investment and growth in these underserved communities."

Each workshop features a different panel of speakers:

Jan. 11: Darel Ross and Jeremy DeRoo, LINC-UP; Kenyatta Brame, Cascade Engineering vice president; Brent Geers, founder of Geers Law; Tim Ready, WMU Center for Ethnic Relations director; and Grand Rapids Black Chamber of Commerce representatives.

Jan. 20: Trey Dimsdale, Acton Institute community engagement director; Jorge Gonzalez, executive director of the Grand Rapids Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities leadership.

Feb. 7: The final workshop will focus on women-owned businesses in the local community. Speakers will include Bonnie Nawara, CEO of Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (G.R.O.W.), as well as several female entrepreneurs who will share their stories and insights on overcoming obstacles of a success in starting and developing a business.

"We are excited to be a part of this program," Gonzalez said. "WMU-Cooley's approach, which reaches out to underserved populations, not only will teach people about the systems available to them, it will also assist in advancing and promoting businesses that have experienced barriers in the past."

All three workshops are open to the community, and include a for-credit option for Cooley Law School students and WMU graduate students.

Participants not seeking credit will be charged a $100 registration fee, which will benefit WMU-Cooley Law School's academic programs. The course was organized by WMU-Cooley Law School professors and is sponsored by WMU-Cooley Law School's Center for Entrepreneurial and Commercial Law.

For more information on the course and to register, contact Associate Dean Nelson Miller at millern@cooley.edu.

WMU-Cooley Law School professors encourage participants to review information found at povertycure.org and Building Your Practice with Pro Bono before attending the workshops. The law school will provide electronic copies of the book to those registered for the workshops.
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - One of Michigan's historic theaters is doing its part to honor iconic actress Carrie Fisher.

Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars film series, died at the age of 60 on Dec. 27 four days after going into cardiac arrest near the end of a transatlantic flight from London to Los Angeles.

To honor the actress, The State Theater, 233 E. Front St., has added a tribute that reads "We'll Miss You, Carrie Fisher," to its iconic, neon marquee.

The tribute accompanies a promotion for Rogue One, the newest Star Wars film now showing at the Bijou by the Bay.

The theater, originally founded and built by Julius H. Steinberg in 1916 and rebuilt after a fire in 1923, shared a photo of the tribute on its Facebook page with the caption "A force indeed."
JACKSON, MI - He had to tell good officers they were losing their jobs, and help a department cope with the first line-of-duty death in nearly 32 years.

He had to right the wrongs of his predecessor, take over a fire department reluctant to call him its leader and manage the fallout from three officer-involved shootings.

Through it all, Matt Heins has been professional, honest and fair, his colleagues said.

He genuinely solicited and considered the opinions of others; raised standards, holding himself and his employees accountable; and did not seek acknowledgement when all went well.

"He'd give credit to everyone else even if he's the one steering the ship," former Deputy Chief John Holda said last week.

"He never cut corners on anything, made sure our department was always trying to be the best."

After nearly 10 years leading the city police department and about four years as director of police and fire services, Heins is retiring to become security manager at Henry Ford Allegiance Health.

His final day is Jan. 5, but he is on vacation through the end of the year.

City Manager Patrick Burtch said he will appoint an acting chief and begin a selection process to find Heins' replacement.

Heins would like to see the job filled by a member of his staff. Deputy Chief Elmer Hitt and Lt. Christopher Simpson, both with the police department for more than 20 years, are interested, but "nothing is a foregone conclusion," Burtch said last week in the City Council chambers.

Final salute

Burtch was among a crowd of citizens, community leaders, firefighters and current and past police officers gathered to honor Heins in just the sort of way he dislikes. Because, he said: "It's not about me."

They razzed him for his extensive collection of guns, showed a photo of him wearing a Speedo at a Polar Plunge fundraising event and teased him for the pounds of M&Ms he ate during recent contract negotiations, but mostly they praised him for his service to the police department and the community.

"Perhaps the greatest chief of our lifetime," said Lee Hampton, who lives in Jackson, works as multicultural affairs director at Jackson College and sometimes counseled Heins when tensions rose or there was a potential for conflict. "His ability to relate and connect with the community and all elements of the community are second to none."

Heins shook hands and reminisced while officers and firefighters in uniform waited outside City Hall to give him a final salute.

When he at last left the building, they were standing at attention near several police and fire vehicles with flashing emergency lights, moving Heins to smile, shake more hands and distribute hugs.

He said thank you to them and to Jackson for a job that grayed his hair, but provided great opportunity to do and see much and meet and touch many.

He said he was ready to go, to do something different, something that keeps him home, that doesn't have him learning of homicides in the night or on weekends and holidays.

Something that brings him a little more peace.

Steady rise

Heins, a Hanover-Horton High School graduate who grew up on Steward Avenue, began his career as a cadet in 1989, when gas was less than a dollar and stamps were 25 cents, Hitt noted.

Even then, at 22, he documented his long-term goal was to be chief of police, and his subsequent rise was steady.

He earned degrees and served as a field training officer, on the Honor Guard and as commander of the tactical or special response team on his way to deputy chief.

In 2007, he was named chief after Ervin Portis left for Nebraska amidst allegations of misconduct and claims he had created a hostile work environment.

"Pretty controversial period," Heins said.

"A lot of luck" got him through it, said Heins, who looked to former Deputy Chief Kent Maurer, now airport manager, and others for advice and direction.

He made changes. He put it in the past. He did not dwell on it, Hitt said.

He was an entirely different sort of leader. It was not "his way," it was "our way," Holda said.

Heins always was approachable, said Detective Brett Stiles, who did not talk to Portis for years. "Matt is a good guy to work for."

Challenges of the last decade likely gave Heins the "roughest time a chief has had down here," said Stiles, with the department since 1993.

'We got through that together'

In March 2010, a man with a history of crime and alcoholism shot and killed Officer James Bonneau as Bonneau helped with what began as a domestic situation in Blackman Township.

It was a call he then said altered his life, and an event that now has him question whether he succeeded in keeping officers safe.

"That was a tough one," Heins said earlier this month and deflected any credit for providing guidance. "I didn't get us through that. We got through that together."

At last week's farewell gathering, Bonneau's parents, who live out of town, were in attendance.

Departing talent

During the economic downturn in 2011, Heins had to make layoffs, a difficult responsibility. "You are dealing with people's livelihoods." Others left voluntarily and the department shrunk on his watch from 69 sworn officers to 47.

Jackson lost some talented officers and the effect was far-reaching. It hindered later recruitment efforts, depressed morale and gave people reservations about the value of hard work.

Heins and the department managed to continue to provide a professional level of service by streamlining, prioritizing and using technology. "Instead of making excuses, making a big fuss about it, he moved forward. He did what he had to do to get the job done," Hitt said.

The next year, Heins was tasked with leading the fire department, which also saw staffing reductions.

'Thank you for volunteering'

Then City Manager Warren Renando - one of five managers during Heins' tenure - asked Heins what he thought of administering the second department, a unit that sometimes clashed with its public safety counterpart.

"I said I didn't think much of it," Heins said. "He said, 'Thank you for volunteering.'"

The fire department wanted a fire chief and Heins wanted to stick to what he knew, but he forced himself to do as told and get involved. He became a trained firefighter and gained a better appreciation for the demanding job of extinguishing a fire.

"I've worked for a lot of people... he is definitely in the top five, most certainly," said Jackson fire Deputy Chief David Wooden.

Wooden said he has a reputation of honesty and integrity. "A genuine concern for our safety and wellbeing."

Heins encouraged advancement, he developed a positive relationship with the fire department and strengthened the bond between the two professions - though some tension, rooted in competition and camaraderie, remains.

'Ensure your success'

As chief, Heins said it is most important to remember and take care of people, the officers on duty at midnight, the firefighter inside a burning building or the assistant who speaks with reason when he loses his temper. "They will ensure your success or ensure your demise," he said in his office atop the police department.

He is quick to commend his command staff and the men and women working on the streets.

"Challenge them when they need to be challenged. Hold them accountable when they need to be accountable. Praise them when they do well."

He knew mistakes were inevitable and let people make them without forever holding it against them.

It's all about relationships, he came to realize.

Some of these relationships he will maintain as he moves into the private sector but stays in Jackson, where he serves, among other roles, as a Jackson College trustee.

Supporters are glad to see him remain in his hometown, where he is raising a son and daughter, because, as one colleague noted: "You just can't keep your hands out of stuff."
Turkey and Russia are discussing a possible nationwide ceasefire in Syria, but obstacles remain to any deal, a rebel official said on Wednesday.

Earlier, Turkey's Anadolu agency reported that Ankara and Moscow had reached a ceasefire deal that would go into effect at midnight, but neither capital nor the parties to the conflict confirmed the report.

Labib Nahhas, foreign relations head for the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group, confirmed to AFP that the faction was "aware of ongoing discussions between Russia and Turkey about a nationwide ceasefire".

But he reiterated that rebel factions had not been presented with any official proposal and said there were still obstacles to a deal.

"Russia wants to exclude Eastern Ghouta from the ceasefire, which is not acceptable," he said, referring to a rebel-held area outside Damascus.

Syria's army has been advancing in Eastern Ghouta in recent months, and securing the area around the capital would be another major government gain after recapturing Aleppo.

Russia is a key ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and began a military intervention to bolster his government last year.

Turkey, meanwhile, has backed the uprising against the government in Damascus that began in March 2011.

Despite their opposing stances, and the souring of relations after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last year, the two countries have started to cooperate more closely on Syria.

Turkey remained conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces, backed by Russia, retook control last week of Aleppo in the biggest defeat so far for the rebels in the civil war.

And the two countries brokered a deal that saw the last rebels and civilians in opposition-held parts of Aleppo leave the city.

State-run Anadolu had reported the deal would expand the ceasefire agreed for Aleppo during the rebel evacuation to the whole country.

If successful, the plan would form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between Damascus and the opposition, overseen by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana, it added.

But the deal was not confirmed by officials from either Turkey or Russia, and Syrian state media made no mention of it.

An official from the political opposition High Negotiations Committee also said he had no information about the agreement.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 310,000 people since it began, and displaced over half the population, including millions who have been forced to flee abroad as refugees.

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The leaders of war-time enemies America and Japan made a poignant joint pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor Tuesday, issuing symbolic declarations about the power of reconciliation and warning against the drumbeat of conflict.

Seventy-five years after Japanese pilots brought war to idyllic Hawaii and dragged the United States into World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his "sincere and everlasting condolences."

Abe and US President Barack Obama paid homage to the more than 2,400 Americans killed on December 7, 1941, delivering a wreath of peace lilies and standing in silence before a shrine to those lost on the USS Arizona -- roughly half of all those killed.

Abe's visit is a high-profile mark of contrition by a leader for whom Japan's wartime past is often a sensitive domestic issue.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war," he said. "What has bonded us together is the power of reconciliation, made possible through the spirit of tolerance."

Obama -- who last May made a solemn pilgrimage to Hiroshima, the target of a US nuclear bomb that effectively ended the war -- issued remarks that rang with history and America's current hypercharged politics.

"I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship," he told Abe. "I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution."

"Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward," Obama said against the backdrop of the USS Arizona.

"We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different."

The meeting comes as Obama prepares to leave office and with Abe leading Japan into uncharted waters after remarks by incoming US president Donald Trump clouded US-Japanese relations.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, appeared during his campaign to suggest Japan break a taboo and develop its own nuclear weapons.

He caused consternation again last week when he threatened to revive the global nuclear arms race.

The US president-elect has also declared his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, effectively killing a major trade deal that Obama championed and Abe put at the heart of his economic strategy.

And -- on the campaign trail at least -- Trump called into question US security guarantees that shielded Japan through the Cold War and later the rise of an increasingly confident China.

What he will do in office is unknown.

Three Japanese prime ministers, including Abe's grandfather, visited Hawaii in the 1950s but Abe is the first sitting PM to pay his respects at the USS Arizona Memorial, which was built in the 1960s.

In an emotive speech on the waterfront, he imagined the long-silent voices of American victims chatting about their futures and their dreams, praying for as-yet unborn children before the carnage.

"All of that was brought to an end," he said in Japanese. "When I contemplate that solemn reality, I am rendered entirely speechless."

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, cabinet minister Masahiro Imamura offered prayers at the Yasukuni war shrine that has been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered under Japanese aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

"I reported about work to the gods and prayed for our country's peace and prosperity," he said, according to the Asahi Shimbun daily, stressing that the visit had "nothing to do with" Abe's trip to Pearl Harbor.

Those honored by the controversial shrine include senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes.

In 1941, the legendary Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto maneuvered six aircraft carriers to within 240 miles (385 kilometers) of Oahu and unleashed two waves of dive bombers.

The US Pacific fleet, formerly Japan's main rival in the region, lost 21 warships and 328 planes.

After Pearl Harbor, the US Congress declared war on Japan. Three days later, Japan's European ally Nazi Germany declared war on the United States in turn.

"Here at Pearl Harbor, America's first battle of the Second World War roused a nation," Obama said. "Here in so many ways, America came of age."

Three quarters of a century on, he added, the alliance between the United States and Japan "has never been stronger."

Only five of the USS Arizona's crewmen are still alive. While the memorial remains a tourist draw, in Hawaii -- Obama's home state -- the divisions of war have given way to a shared present.

"Hawaii has a very multi-ethnic population with a very large Japanese population," Stanley Chang, a Democratic state senator, told AFP.

"I don't think there is any feeling of antipathy toward the Japanese 75 years after the attack."

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A prominent activist in Bahrain who was to be freed on bail has been detained over other investigations.

The sudden announcement came as Nabeel Rajab was to be freed Wednesday.

His lawyer Jalila Sayed confirmed Rajab would continue to be held. An Instagram post by Bahraini prosecutors said Rajab's detention is related to other investigations.

Rajab has been imprisoned for over seven months over a series of tweets. The United Nations and others have criticized his trial as an attempt to suppress free speech.

He separately faces a charge over a letter published by The New York Times during his incarceration, while another ongoing investigation focuses on a letter recently published by the French newspaper Le Monde.



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Chinese police have shot dead four people who allegedly attacked a Communist Party office in the restive Xinjiang region on Wednesday, state media said, in the bloodiest such incident in months.

The four "rioters" drove up to a local party office and "detonated (an) explosive device", killing one person and injuring three others, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement from the local authorities.

The four assailants were then "shot dead by police", Xinhua added, without specifying whether they were killed on the spot or later in the day.

Xinjiang, the homeland of the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority -- many of whom complain of discrimination and controls on their culture and religion -- is often hit by deadly unrest.

China blames the violence on Islamist separatists but rights groups point to Beijing's own actions as a driver.

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Watching a number of animated shorts in succession, one can only marvel at the beauty and variety of this medium. With its different styles like the well-known hand-drawn style of Disney classics and Ghibli Studios and the CGI of Pixar, and others such as cut-out, stop motion, and clay, one can see how there is still so much to be experimented with through this art form.

While short animated films require hard work for months, a large team and a budget much bigger than a short film, little is known of much of what is produced.



The Animation Show of Shows aims to highlight some of the best short animated films each year by screening them in different venues worldwide.

Its 17th edition was hosted by Zawya on Sunday 25 December featuring eleven award-winning animated films. Each edition offers a fine selection of films. Oscar-winning films in previous editions include the colourful and whimsical The Lost Thing, the bitter-sweet La Maison en Petit Cubes (The House of Small Cubes) as well as the heart-wrenching sepia coloured Father and Daughter.



The 17th edition included many good films. Yet some stood out through their style, while others through their story, and a few managed to excel in both. Interestingly enough, two of the most memorable films in the series were tapping in to themes related to the future of humanity -- space and time travel.

The World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt is a sci-fi short on a future where people have managed to achieve immortality through cloning of younger bodies to which one could transfer all memories and thoughts -- in short, ones consciousness.The film relays the story of a third-generation clone using time-travel to contact the real human, a little child, out of which this clone is derived. Like all good sci-fi stories, it does not only ponder what will happen in the future, but what these changes mean for humanity and how they affect the individual. It is a sad tale about a clone trying to make sense of the world.

While one of the scariest parts of death is the idea that all ones thoughts, emotions and memories cease to exist in a mere second, the option of having ones consciousness perpetually being passed from one body to another seems frightening as well.



What does it mean for a clone to carry our memories, and what do they even mean outside the context of our lives? All these questions are brought up upon watching the film.



Yet despite the morose mood of the film, it is not all bleak. The contrast between the subdued voice of the clone and the childish responses of the human add a lighthearted feel to the film.

The complexity of its themes and emotional impact is also contrasted by simple pencil animation with shifting colourful backgrounds that portray the lucid state of the mental sphere.



The Russian film We Cant Live Without Cosmos appears to be a story about two friends striving to achieve their dream of space travel. The story follows two friends, who share a very strong bond, during their trials at the space station.

Like many of the animated shorts, it is bereft of dialogue. The film shows how they manage strenuous training, and in contrast to their serious peers they deal with the mission in a playful manner, they jump up and down on the bed at night and read a book titled We Cant Live Without Cosmos before they go to sleep.

Being on a space mission is for them an enactment of a childhood dream.

Yet when they finally accomplish their dream of being in space, the mission goes awry, and one of the rockets explodes. The story then turns into a heart-wrenching tale about loss as one of the friends has to cope with the death of the other.



The contrast is heightened in the way the friend deals with the loss versus the scientist community that just cross out the number of who has died in a mechanical manner.

Contrasts recur throughout many of the animated shorts, and it seems that because of its high visual aspect, animation can best portray the contrasting and the abstract.One of the interesting films in the selection is Stripy, a playful experiment also playing on opposites. The films theme is overused enough -- it is of factory workers all having to paint some boxes in black stripes and just one worker paints them in red convoluted lines.

However, what makes the film stand out is its synchronisation with the Hungarian Dance by Brahms. The music was masterfully used to portray the conflict between that factory worker and his bosses.



In a clip following the animated film, the two Iranian animators, who are brothers, discuss the making of the film. They say they chose this music in specific because of its fluctuation between highs and lows.



Another unique usage of form is The Ballad of Holland Island House. The film is set to a ballad relaying the story of a house since its beginning as a tree until its sinking in the sea, is made through clay painting. The form evokes the image of oil paintings, yet is made through clay that is flattened.

The usage of clay allows for the images, which are painted in an impressionistic manner, to constantly shift and flow into one another. What is interesting about the film is how the form serves the story itself. The story, which depicts the changing nature of the earth and how through this process an island is sunk, is heightened through the fluidity of the clay painting style.

Other animation styles included stop-motion seen in The Story of Percival Pilts, a story of a young boy, who decided never to touch the ground again and started walking on stilts that grew higher and higher.

It is a playful experiment, and narrated in a rhyme evoking a mixture of Dr. Seusss Oh, The Places Youll Go as well as the stories of Tim Burtons different characters. Message Dans lair uses cut-out animation and relays a simple love story between two neighbors, also without dialogue.



Love in the Time of March Madness, a confessional rendering of a tall woman and the process of finally accepting her body, was also one of the highlights of the show.

It is painted in a comic book style in black and white and follows the journey towards her acceptance through a witty and endearing monologue.



The Animation Show of Shows only reminds one of the magical nature of animated films. It also brings to mind contemplations regarding the local scene of animation.

While some interesting works have definitely been made by Egyptian students screened during Journees Animees, a festival for animated film at the French Cultural Institute in Cairo, it seems that upon graduating, because of a lack of funds, students let go of their dreams to make animated films.

There is still so much to explore through this form and styles can range from the very simple to the elaborate. Perhaps production companies in Egypt should pay more attention to this art form that has a lot of potential.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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A local veteran recently made the trek up north at the beginning of December to help protest the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline and came back with memories and thoughts about the situation.

Joseph Pritchard, 62, of Morganton, traveled to Standing Rock Indian Reservation for several days with other veterans to join the protest. He is an Air Force veteran who was stationed in California during the Vietnam War.

When Marny (his wife) brought it to his attention that veterans were organizing to go and help the protestors, Pritchard said he would think about it.

She made some comment like 'you know you dont have to think about it. You are going, Pritchard said.

He packed his bags and made his way to Tennessee to meet up with other vets who all had the same intention, which was to participate in a non-violent protest and protection.

They drove to Eagle Butte, South Dakota to organize all their belongings and prepare to enter into the reservation in the very frigid temperatures.

When they arrived at the reservation they set up camp and the experience began.

There were traditional teepees with the poles sticking out through the roof and then there were nontraditional, modern teepees where the sides came up and there was a stove pipe that came right out of the middle, Pritchard said. There were lots of big, green Army tents and yurts and hippie buses.

The veterans that were still in camp, we all lined up with the Sioux and we went up on the bridge, which leads over to the active field, he said. We stood on the bridge and took pictures and let the media see that we are there. I will go back again if I need to.

The purpose of the veterans going to the reservation was to give our brothers a rest and stand in the line for them.

The veterans came because these people have been in the thick of it being water-hosed and shot with (rubber) bullets and tear-gassed for months and they have to be tired, Pritchard said.

He also was able to hear a speech by a leader of the Apache tribe who greatly inspired him, Pritchard said.

He gave the most inspirational speech, maybe, I have ever heard, and I heard John Kennedys speech in 62 as a child and I heard Martin Luther Kings speech as a child, so this one is right there with it, he said.

The Apache leader spoke about being peaceful and non-violent and emphasized how the whole issue of the pipeline is a huge prayer movement, Pritchard said.

This is not a protest, but a movement of prayer, he said of the Apache leaders speech. I am completely blown away by their air of prayer and peaceful insistence on doing what is right.

He was able to meet people from all over the country, including a First American from New Mexico and a legally blind mother and young adult child who came to give their support.

It is people from all walks of life, he said.

What I did, mostly, was help people move because there was not enough housing, he said. We moved three times in less than two days.

They moved around to different tents that were set up for those who came into the reservation

He and many other vets were invited to a water ceremony.

It was almost like a Christian communion, he said. We were all in this huge circle and they started explaining how water is life  and they said the women are the caretakers of the waters because everyone is birthed in waters.

The Sioux began singing and a woman was passing out paper cups and another woman poured water in each one, he said.

It was one of the most peaceful and spiritual moments, Pritchard said. They revere water literally as life.

There were more than 4,000 veterans who traveled to make a stand at Standing Rock. They were expecting 1,500 to arrive.

They were completely overwhelmed, and that is not even counting the (up to) 6,000 civilians that showed up, Pritchard said.

The biggest thing that I took away from this whole thing was that if we just stand up and we just show up and work together we can change things for the better, he said. And we can expose and root out racial bigotry.

On his way back home, in the Bismarck airport he saw an elderly man with a Native veteran hat on.

I said Sir, I need to shake your hand and I introduced myself, he said.

The man then thanked Pritchard for showing up and lending his support.

Pritchard says there is a possibility he will go back to help clean up the camp.

Since this past spring, an oil pipeline company out of Dallas, Texas was in the process of building a 1,100-mile long oil pipeline that will cross four different states, said a previous News Herald article.

The tribe and its supporters believe the pipeline threatens drinking water and cultural sites. Dallas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners has denied that and said the pipeline will be safe, according to an Associated Press story.

Pritchard hopes that people everywhere, including those in Burke County, will see the example made by the Sioux nation and take care of their corner of the world.

Stand up, show up, even if it is against tremendous odds. Show up, especially the young people, he said. Show up in your life and what is going on around you and make a difference.

Staff Writer Jonelle Bobak can be reached at jbobak@morganton.com or 828-432-8907.
Reviving Private Label MBS: How and Why?

In an earlier article we summarized the first part of a report by Urban Institute's Housing Finance Policy Center, Senior Fellow Jim Parrott about the failure of private label securitization (PLS) to recover after the housing crisis. He cites the lack of certainty in the system on the part of investors and a standardized structure that would ally the lack of trust as well as several economic conditions that weigh against a PLS return, including the lack of incentives and capital to repair the system. He says we are left with a Catch-22: "only with a strong market is it worth spending the time and money to take the steps necessary to create a strong market.

Having set out the problem, Parrott suggests three steps to gradually build infrastructure needed for the PLS market to take off again.

First would be establishing what he calls a "self-regulatory organization" (SRO), a baseline foundation providing enough investor confidence to do plain vanilla deals initially and on which to build more complex structures over time. While it is not in any one company's interest to solve all the existing problems alone, contributing, along with all key market participants, the resources needed, would be.

A baseline structure providing the certainty for simple securitizations will help end the Catch-22, creating a market worth the expenditure of resources and making it easier to move to move gradually across the differences between simple and complex deals.

Parrott points to work already underway by the Structured Finance Industry Group's (SFIG's) RMBS Task Force. It has notified the Treasury it hopes to:

Promote standardization where possible, building on best practices and procedures,

Clarify differences in alternative standards to improve transparency across RMBS transactions

Develop solutions to the challenges impeding the emergence of a strong post-crisis RMBS market.

Draft or endorse model contractual provisions where appropriate to reflect the foregoing.

This effort is exactly what is needed now, he says, but it must move from a good concept to market adoption.

Treasury recently attempted a benchmark deal along with some of the market's most important investors. This was helpful, Parrott says, but not enough without a broad buy-in and that is unlikely for the reasons he mentioned. In contrast, an SRO would bring the industry together more broadly with the resources and collective authority needed to become an industry standard.

A baseline PLS deal would have to align the incentives of the key parties. If it does, it will reduce the risk that misaligned incentives and conflicting interests will drive some parties to take on excessive credit risk, a repeat of the run-up to the crisis. If it doesn't it won't get the market off the ground.

Regulatory relief is also needed for a successful SRO structure. This is not only in the interest of the investor and the broader market, for if done right, it should also benefit regulators. Capital relief or exemptions from Dodd-Frank risk retention would improve the economics enough to attract more capital, helping get the market off the ground more quickly, and in a way that's both more standardized and more sustainable.

Parrott's third and final step would be to include these standards in the common securitization platform (CSP) that's being built out by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, expanding its back-office infrastructure for the securitization of PLS as well as agency loans. This would embed the terms of pooling and servicing and the standardization offered by the SRO market wide, improving the long-term liquidity of the PLS market and making the securitization system more efficient. The only meaningful differences between agency and non-agency securitization would be the government guarantee and whatever more detailed provisions PLS investors want to take on specific kinds of credit risk. In addition, by allowing a wide range of originators to securitize their production through either the PLS channel or the agency channel, it would increase its liquidity and benefits still further.

Parrott says these steps should be thought of along a continuum. By replacing a system that is so heterogeneous it couldn't work in any scalable way with one bringing some initial uniformity, investors and issuers would gain enough confidence in a single system to begin building a broad PLS market once again.

However, how far should one take the effort? It is enough to get a sufficient baseline structure in place to get the PLS market back on its feet, then allowing it to develop in whatever ways a purely private market will, or should there be a push for still greater standardization to be more liquid, stable, and accessible to a wider range of lenders? These questions cut to the heart of housing finance reform, raising issues of how the secondary market is managed and by whom. Where should there be competition and what are the market's objectives?

Parrott believes the effort should push all of the core secondary market infrastructure into a single utility, maximizing liquidity, efficiency, and systemic stability, and making it easier to serve the policy ends competing in the housing finance system. It says however, that is a discussion for another day. No there is merely a need to agree that some standardization is necessary to get the PLS market moving again.

One cannot avoid thinking, however, about how the new political landscape will play into this. He sees the new Republican control of Washington as presenting both some risk and some opportunity.

On the risk side, while President-elect Trump and Republican leadership's intent to unwind much of Dodd Frank is clear, we don't know what it might mean in practice. Its structure has come to define the rules of the road on lending, risk management, and any number of core components of the housing finance system. Upending it dramatically could lead to the very sort of uncertainty that virtually paralyzed the PLS market affecting a much broader segment of the housing finance system. This would greatly postpone the time before there is a steady enough housing finance system to build out a vibrant PLS market.

As to opportunity, most Republican lawmakers believe more private capital must be brought back into the system, particularly what is needed to revive the PLS market. Some believe that government must be pulled out of the market, which Parrott views as a dangerous mistake. Be he sees enough members of Congress will move to revive the market if provided some clear direction about a subject "that is utterly confounding to most lawmakers."

So where to begin?

The Structured Finance Industry Group (SFIG) must continue to develop industry standards and, along with other industry organizations to push for adoption of an SRO with the authority to adopt, implement, and enforce these standards.

Stakeholders need to make the case to policymakers that some form of regulatory relief is warranted for deals that comply with the SRO's standards.

Similarly, stakeholders must help Congress understand that these standards should be part of a platform that is finally open to the broader market.

Would the result be worth the effort? There is already a market for buying and selling credit risk through the GSEs' risk transfers and a relatively clear structure in which investors have confidence. Even if it doesn't offer a sustainable mechanism for sharing credit risk through the economic cycle, surely it would be a good deal easier to build on this rather than to revive the PLS market. Do we even need one?

Parrott says there is a real difference between a market where private actors take almost all the risk, as they would in the agency market, and one in which they take all of it, as they do in the PLS market. In the former some risk remains with the taxpayer and we see neither competition nor any of the benefits that flow from it.

A significant segment of the market needs a government backstop to ensure broad access to long-term, fixed-rate lending. But putting the taxpayer on the hook means measures to constrain risk in that channel and an obligation to strike a conservative balance between flexibility, dynamism, and innovation on the one hand, and protecting the taxpayer on the other. This leads, or should lead, to a more cautious lending environment within the agency channel.

The market would be well served with a supplement in which the taxpayer is largely removed from the equation, thus allowing more creative ways to connect investors and borrower. That in turn should lead to more liquidity and more lending. And, if that that segment of the market is well-regulated, it should do all of this without increasing risk to the taxpayer.

In Parrott 's view, a healthy and vital housing finance system must have a secondary market outside the government's footprint and that is why life must be breathed back into the PLS market. He acknowledges that his view may be falling out of favor, that many increasingly view the PLS market as less important than once thought. He cautions that the longer the PLS market sleeps however, the less help policymakers and other stakeholders may provide toward waking it. There is still a window of opportunity to pull off the rescue he has suggested, but it won't be open forever.
Another protest camp looks to open in West Texas, making at least two in the high desert south of Midland, the states oil-and-gas capital.

Activists began working three weeks ago on the first, near Alpine, to protest Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners Trans-Pecos gas pipeline, which will run from the busy Permian Basin to Mexico. Protesters were arrested near there earlier this month.

The second camp is opening in Toyahvale, home to the famous spring and pool of Balmorhea State Park, to protest drilling by Houston-based Apache Corp. In September, the company announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas around Balmorhea, and said it could drill as many as 3,000 wells over the next two decades.

Resident Neta Rhyne and her husband own about 400 acres there, abutting the state park, and are designating 30 acres for the new camp.

Were going to get Toyahvale on the map, finally, said Rhyne. Wish it were for better reasons.

Rhyne said she and a few volunteers are clearing tumbleweeds off the acreage now, and getting a gate built in the propertys perimeter fence. They hauled in portable restrooms, but plan to build composting toilets, using ground tumbleweeds for composting material. They hope to light their opening camp fire on Jan. 7, she said.

Four campers have already arrived, Rhyne said, three from the pipeline protest camp near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota and one from Austin.

Rhyne said she came to Toyahvale when she had lung cancer, to get away from the city pollution, and she says she already notices the change in air quality with just a few wells drilled.

My goal would be for Apache just to go home, go away, she said. I dont know how realistic that is.

In response, Apache said that the safe and responsible development of natural resources is the companys top priority. It is, for example, working with the University of Texas at Arlington on the first independent baseline water study in the region.

With world-class technology, best management practices and continued dialogue with the community, spokeswoman Castlen Kennedy said in an email, the Alpine High play will be safely developed to produce much needed domestic energy, high-quality jobs and local economic activity while protecting the land, air and water resources of the region.
When it comes to Christmas bonuses, bosses usually hand out $5 gift cards or a good ol' pat on the back. But one boss in Iowa is showing his appreciation in a big ... and tropical ... way.

The more than 800 employees that make up Bertch Cabinets in Waterloo, Iowa, will hit the Caribbean during a free cruise next month. The company announced the trip on the business' Facebook page.
Two days after law enforcement authorities broke up one of the largest cockfighting rings discovered in Midland County, authorities revealed details about the raid in which about 40 people  including one minor and at least two undocumented Mexican immigrants  were arrested.

The cockfighting event was hosted by Midlander Lionel Garcia, 35, and held at his wifes house in a neighborhood along Interstate 20 just south of Midland, according to a Midland County Sheriff's Office investigator. Garcia is the owner of Midland-based Boomerang Trucking and is a heavy cocaine distributor, the investigator wrote in the arrest affidavit.

In addition to the 30 live roosters  and several dead birds  recovered at the scene, authorities also seized 46 ounces of cocaine, $32,000 in cash and weapons. Authorities said they also seized hundreds of sharpened razor blades, or gaffs, that owners strap to the birds talons to inflict fatal harm to their opponents.

Photographs released by authorities showed the scene has a large wooden cockfighting ring built within a large corrugated tin shed. A metal barrel was also located on scene with burned rooster corpses.

Its very organized. You have people here who do this for a living. We believe this guy was charging admission from everybody that came, said Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter at a press conference on Monday.

Garcia allegedly was charging $20 to $100 for spectators and an entry fee of $1,000 for four roosters, according to the arrest affidavit. Beer was being sold at the event for $2, and Garcia was known to have cocaine and large amounts of money at the cockfights he hosts, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also states that Garcia hosts large cockfights and distributes cocaine out of another property located near State Highway 349 and West County Road 180 in Midland County.

Unfortunately, this is not isolated. This is one group that we know about, but theyve been in other areas, Painter said. We know theyve done fighting in other spots. We know that it is going on in other places.

As part of a task force involving the MCSO, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security, Ector County Sheriffs Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Marshals Service, local officials were informed by Homeland Security agents on Friday about the cockfighting event. Investigators then conducted surveillance and observed several pickups arrive at the property.

At about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, local SWAT teams along with federal and state units executed a search warrant at the property.

When we hit, we had the DPS helicopter come in, Painter said. When the officers went in, people started running into pastures.

Like a covey of quail, they just took off. Some of them were hiding in the dirt; some were hiding in mesquite bushes, he said.

As officers swarmed the scene, the DPS air units identified those escaping on foot for deputies to pursue. However, not all were apprehended, Painter said.

Cockfighting remains a popular sport in many Texas communities. In 2009, Midland and Martin county officials raided the largest known cockfighting operation in which 81 adults  including several illegal immigrants  and two juveniles were arrested, according to a previous Reporter-Telegram report.

Tipped off by a nearby oilfield worker, authorities confiscated more than 100 roosters, $88,000 in cash allegedly used for betting money and large quantities of cocaine and marijuana in an operation on 640 acres along the Midland and Martin county line.

Its a very sad thing that people will fight animals to death. But these people do it for money  thousands of dollars, not just a few hundred, Painter said. Some of these animals are worth $2,000 to $3,000 or more.

The rescued animals are expected to be turned over to a group to be auctioned off to better homes, Painter said. Only one animal was injured enough to be euthanized.

All individuals are being held on state-degree felonies and will face up to two years in prison and up to $10,000 in possible fines.
New members inducted into Institute of ...
Vision Sonora has been a bit inactive lately. Connie Williams, The Mayor of Sonora, explained why.

Williams was Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

Vision Sonora is pretty much at a stop gap right now even though the plan was completed in December of 2013 and was adopted by the City Council, said Williams.

Mayor Williams continued, We continue to go after grant dollars and we have not been as successful as what we would have liked to have been to receive those grant dollars. Until we get money to do the projects that are in the plan, it will take a little bit more time.

The things that are completed are the design for the new bathroom, so were just waiting on dollars for that. We do have an account set up at the Sonora Area Foundation, so if anyone would like to contribute in any way to that fund, it would be most appreciated.

The other project is the completed design for the transit project which is on Washington between Church and Stockton Street.

The City Council did allocate some dollars to freshen up our trash cans. We added more trash cans and put in recycle cans. By the end of January, people will start to see new benches. Slowly, the current green metal benches will be going away and they will be repaired and coated in black.

The Vision Sonora committees will continue to market and go after grant dollars and as long as Im on the Council, my goal is that the the Vision Sonora Project will not be put up on a shelf to collect dust. This was the communitys plan and it was what they asked us for. We want to move forward. It is slow. It is a $10 million dollar plan and the general fund does not have $10 million dollars in it.

Shortly after arriving in the Mother Lode, Williams became involved in the community. Williams became tired of hearing others complain about why decisions were made about certain county issues.

Rather than sit back, I put my name in the hat to become a Tuolumne County Planning Commissioner. That way I could become directly involved in the areas of land use planning and the decision making process there, said Williams.

Williams said that the heartbeat of Tuolumne County is Sonora and her passion began to lean that way, which is why she ran for one of the city council seats in 2012. The Mayor of Sonora is an appointed two year term.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
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At the age of 84, Robert Flynn is well known as an acclaimed, prize-winning novelist, short story writer and essayist and a professor emeritus of Trinity University.

At the age of 9, however, he tells us, he was a little boy who more than anything wanted a Bible for his birthday present, and who, when he got it, studied it assiduously throughout his childhood and youth.

He drove his father crazy, he says, with his manifold questions about the Bible.

As he tells it, the questions became more complex and drove Flynn into his life as a writer, teacher and iconoclast  and informed his life as husband and father.

Those questions have now come full circle in Holy Literary License, as Flynn inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in October 2012  distills the wisdom and understanding he has gained from all his studies and life experience.

Flynn  whose novels include the Texas classics North to Yesterday and Wanderer Springs  makes bold to convey that wisdom by translating the first verse from the first chapter of the Gospel of John as In the beginning was the Story, and the Story was with God, and the Story was God. 

In making that statement, Flynn  also author of Growing Up a Sullen Baptist and Other Lies  is far from attempting to be simply clever.

He wants to impress on his reader that what he calls GodStory is a universal, loving, highly energetic and creative process of the story made flesh that cannot be entombed in one place or one time or one religion.

More Information Holy Literary License: The Almighty Chooses Fallible Mortals to Write, Edit, and Translate GodStory By Robert Flynn Wings Press, $16.95 See More Collapse

In this extraordinary meditation on the relationship between that universal process and the mortals who try to make sense of it, Flynn aims to liberate the stories of the Bible from writers, editors, translators and ordinary believers who would try to keep its stories from growing beyond them, and thereby creating a commonality that could make us a brotherhood.

In 11 pithy chapters written with considerable skill, erudition and his characteristically dry wit, Flynn reflects insightfully on the relationship between fact, truth and the role fiction plays in telling truths beyond facts; on the creation of mythologies, particularly in the way we tell our family stories; on universal love and particular law; on Jesus and his new take on the Ten Commandments; and even on how the writers of the Bible employed longstanding literary techniques.

At the same time Flynn practices the arts of exegesis (scriptural analysis) and hermeneutics (meaning-making), he also delivers candid autobiographical confessions of how, through the events of this life, he and his understanding of GodStory have grown.

Those stories range from accounts of his boyhood fantasies of killing Communists for Christ to his encounters with racism in his own community (he was born in Chilicothe, Texas, on the Oklahoma border west of Wichita Falls, in 1932) and the Deep South, as well as to his highly creative days at Baylor University with the late great dramatist Paul Baker, until their subjection to university censorship.

They extend as well to the story of his family life, from the early days of his marriage to Jean Flynn, a writer herself, to the tragic death of his daughter, Brigid, to the adventures of his daughter, Dierdre, and to Jeans own death. His tales of service as a U.S. Marine and later as writer in Vietnam stand out as well.

Flynn clearly shows how those experiences have shaped the development of his character as now both a lover and fierce critic the Biblical tradition into which he was born.

There is more than something of the spirit of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple in the manner in which Flynn excoriates the way preachers have used the Bible to justify the accumulations of wealth and power by billionaires and the corporate sector, blessed wars founded on lies, called for the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency in the face of massive environmental pollution, and promoted the idea that America is an exceptional country, exempt from the laws that all other nations must obey.

There is cause for hope, though, in the big, personal story of how Flynn has grown beyond his boyhood faith.

He writes: When words do not avail, when prayers are beyond words, remember the story: God so loved the world. All of it. All of us. Happily ever after.

Ed Conroy is a San Antonio writer. Reach him at econroy53@gmail.com.
ALBANY  A car drove off the road Tuesday afternoon and hit a tree on Lark Street. The crash sent the 45-year-old driver to Albany Medical Center, police said.

The driver, whose named is being withheld, is in serious condition, said Albany police spokesman Officer Steve Smith.
SHELTON  A school bus driver who allegedly fell asleep repeatedly while picking up and dropping off students on Dec. 16 told officers he took at least 80 mg of methadone and may also have taken Nyquil before starting his route that day, police said.

When police asked Paul Pixley if he disclosed on his employment application that he was using methadone, he told them he did not believe he was asked, they said.

During an interview with Pixley, Shelton Police Detective Richard Bango said the bus driver admitted he had a drug problem in the past, but does not now.

Furthermore, Pixley allegedly told Bango methadone does not make him sleepy. Instead, he said, he may have accidentally taken Nyquil instead of Dayquil because he felt sick that day.

Pixley, 55, of Hawkins Street in Derby, appeared before Superior Court Judge Theodore Tyma Wednesday, facing 30 charges of risk of injury and impairing the morals of a minor  one count for each of the 30 students who were aboard the bus. He was also charged with second-degree breach of peace, second-degree reckless endangerment and reckless driving.

Tyma continued Pixleys $75,000 bond and set Jan. 18 for his next court appearance.

No students reported injuries as a result of Pixleys alleged periods of dozing. However police discovered that Pixley previously fell asleep and rolled backward into a car on Dec. 7, while driving students home.

A video of that incident obtained from the bus company, Landmark Transportation, showed Pixley falling asleep while the bus was stopped at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Leavenworth Road, police said. The accident apparently occurred when Pixleys foot allegedly slipped off the brake, police said.

Sheltons Board of Education announced that Pixley will never drive a school bus in the city again.

On Dec. 16, police stopped the bus on Nichols Avenue near Earl Street at 3:40 p.m. after receiving a complaint from the parent of a passenger. The parent followed the bus for a short distance and called 911 after watching it swerving all over the road.

His daughter later told police that students were getting off at stops that were not theirs because they were afraid. She was one of those students.

Police said several students photographed Pixley allegedly sleeping on the drive. Police said they received some of those photos and video taken from Pixleys bus. It shows that Pixley was observed sleeping and snoring for at least 11 minutes in his bus before beginning his Shelton High School run, police said.

At one point on the video, police said, a female student was heard yelling, You cant sleep on the bus.

After Pixley was pulled over and turned off the ignition, police said, he could not remember how to shut down an automatic beeping alarm used to remind drivers to look for children that may still be aboard. Nor did he remember that he had put the bus keys in his jacket pocket, police said.

David Watt, an assistant manager of Landmark Transportation, came to the scene to finish the bus run.

The Board of Education is grateful to the police department for their focused investigation that is bringing a resolution to the incident that endangered our students safety, education officials said in a prepared statement.

The school system will insist that Landmark Transportation adhere to established security measures to ensure our transportation providers procedures observe strict driver guidelines. Be assured that this driver will never drive for the Shelton Public School System ever again.
Troy

Convicted pedophile Louis VanWie, who told police he molested more than 100 children, will not get out of prison Thursday after the state rejected his plans to move in with a relative in the city.

VanWie had a tentative release date of Dec. 29 after serving two-thirds of his prison sentence. In 1997, then-Rensselaer County Court Judge Patrick McGrath sentenced VanWie to 11 years to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse.

As long as the 74-year-old VanWie cannot find suitable housing, he will remain incarcerated for the foreseeable future, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. VanWie is being held in the Gowanda State Correctional Facility.

"As part of the discharge planning process, all inmates convicted of sex offenses must have approved housing prior to being released to Community Supervision," Thomas Mailey, a DOCCS spokesman, said Wednesday in a statement. "Inmate VanWie has yet to identify a residence that is acceptable and therefore will remain in DOCCS custody until such time that appropriate housing is located and approved."

DOCCS considers many factors such as risk levels, vulnerable populations and the law before housing is approved for sex offenders to be released into their home community.

VanWie's guilty plea and admissions city to police in 1997 about sexual contact with more than 100 youths over a 40-year period is an unfading memory in Troy.

"We hope he continues to remain incarcerated and serves the rest of his sentence," said Troy police spokesman Capt. Daniel DeWolf.

VanWie had been rejected for parole five times. He was slated for the conditional discharge before his housing arrangements were found to be unsatisfactory.

Three groups  Fighting for Children PAC, Stop Abuse Campaign and Brooklyn Bridge Walk  and Kayla Wittman, the victim in the case that led to VanWie's incarceration have been lobbying for the state to keep VanWie off the street.

"Louis VanWie is a serial child rapist who must never be allowed back into any community, anywhere," said Gary Greenberg, founder of Fighting for Children PAC, who at VanWie's sentencing said he was sexually abused by him at Cohoes Hospital.

"If given the opportunity VanWie will rape and abuse children," Greenberg said. "New York state and Gov. Andrew Cuomo must confine this living monster until he is dead and no longer a threat to our children."

VanWie's next parole hearing is scheduled for August 2017, according to DOCCS online inmate records. VanWie's will have served his entire 30-year prison sentence by Dec. 29, 2026.

kcrowe@timesunion.com  518-454-5084  @KennethCrowe
Dear Toni,

I am a stay at home wife with a husband who was planning to retiring next summer, so I went online and delayed my Medicare Part B in November because I turn 65 on Dec. 9.

Last Friday my husband came home early from work because he has been laid off effective immediately with our health benefits ending December 31st.

What do I do to get my Part B back and enroll my husband in Medicare? Sam is 76 and only has Part A. Look forward to what advice you can share. Annie from Sugar Land

Great Question, Annie:

Most do not realize that when you delay your Medicare Part B and are still in your Initial Enrollment Period (which is 3 months before you turn 65, the month you turn 65 and 3 months after turning 65), that you must go to your local Social Security office.

Annie, you cannot enroll in Part B online because Social Security will kick your online application out because you have delayed Part B. You are blessed that this happened in December which is the month you turn 65. Had you waited until the next 3 months of your IEP, then your Part B beginning time is not what you think it would be.

Medicare has a special time which is called the Medicare effective date schedule.

Below is the Medicare effective date schedule timeline:

Enroll anytime 3 months before turning 65, your Medicare begins the first day of the month you turn 65.

Enroll the month you turn 65, then Medicare will begin 1 month after you sign up.

Enroll 1 month after you turn 65, your Medicare will begin 2 months after you sign up.

Enroll 2 months after you turn 65, your Medicare will begin 3 months after you sign up.

Enroll 3 months after you turn 65, your Medicare will begin 3 months after you sign up.

Annie, both you and your husband need to enroll in Medicare Part B in December for it to begin January 1st. To enroll for Medicare Part B for you and your husband when past 65 and leaving employer benefits:

Download the Request for Employment Information from www.socialsecurity.gov or send an email to info@tonisays.com for the forms and take to your husband's HR department and have them sign them for both of you. Failure of not having form signed by HR will get you a Part B penalty that goes all the way back to the day you turned 65.

Write in RED on the top of the Social Security form OMB NO. 0938 Special Enrollment Period for the clerk to know you are requesting a SEP.

Take the form in person to your local Social Security office and inform the SS clerk that you want your Medicare Parts A and B to begin the 1st of the month that you are losing your company benefits.

When your Part B is in place, then you can enroll in a Medicare Supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan.

Once you leave your company benefits, you will have 63 days to enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan or you can also have a Part D penalty which goes all the way back to the day you turned 65.

Visit Tonisays.com to receive your copy of the 2017 Medicare costs and to sign up for the latest Toni Says newsletter.

Toni King, author of the new Medicare Survival Guide offers a "Thank You, Houston" $5 discount available for Houston Chronicle/HCN readers at http://tonisays.com/reader-special Medicare consultations are available at the Toni Says office or email questions to info@tonisays.com or call 832-519-TONI (8664).
Contributed / Contributed Photo

WESTPORT  First Night, a community-wide festival to celebrate the New Year, is set to be a joyous occasion for all in its 23rd year.

The Westport festivity is one of only two remaining First Nights in the entire state, the other being in Hartford. Barbara Pearson-Rac, president of the event, said the all-volunteer staff is the reason Westports New Years Eve event has been able to remain financially viable for so long. The idea of First Night originated from Boston in the 1970s as a drug and alcohol free New Years Eve alternative open to all ages.
A gunman opened fire on an Uber driver in San Franciscos Hayes Valley neighborhood on Christmas Eve, authorities said Tuesday, leaving the motorist badly shaken but uninjured.

The episode began around 3 a.m. Saturday when the driver, who was not identified, was waiting to pick up a passenger at Gough and Oak streets, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a San Francisco police spokesman.
When it comes to online marketing, the purpose and objectives are generally the same as traditional strategies in terms of increasing brand awareness and finding new customers.

There are a number of ingredients that go into a successful digital promotion all the way from planning to sales. Perhaps the biggest benefit online marketing has for small businesses is that it enables them to spend each dollar more efficiently to yield a higher ROI.

Related: The 6 Online Marketing Strategies Every Entrepreneur Needs

Here are some ways in which small businesses are making the most out of their online marketing efforts.

Producing strong content

Content marketing is the cornerstone of every online marketing strategy. Producing stellar brand material is a surefire way to create loyal visitors and encourage sharing.

At the end of the day, the most important goal of content creation is to turn visitors into customers. This can start with small objectives like earning a follow on social media, signing up for a newsletter or taking a survey or poll.

Regardless of what type of content you are producing, such as a video, image, blog or social media post, you need to have a clear vision of how your content is going to add value to the life of the reader. Successful small businesses dont just produce content for the sake of keeping a schedule. Typically, they know exactly what the concerns of their target audience are and they gear their content to address them in a profound, meaningful way.

Take Magnolia for example. This father and son electronic store took into account that a good deal of their customer base is not well-versed in the world of electronics. With this insight, they released a mini magazine called Buyers Guide Place. This magazine was similar to a blog in that it educated their audience on subjects like little things to looks for when buying electronics. It worked to highlight the expertise of their team and what they stand for. After years of successfully connecting with customers, what started off as a small electronics store ended up being bought out by Best Buy for $87 million.

They are still producing top-notch, educational content in the form of online expert guides.

Everyone benefits from quality content. Consumers get gratifying material and businesses earn better rankings on the SERPS. Small business can take advantage of their tight-knit followers and cater to their precise interests.

Localized SEO strategy

A good SEO strategy is the key to getting noticed in on the SERPS. Local SEO is extremely important for small businesses, especially ones with a physical address.

Related: 7 Online Marketing Tools That Are Totally Worth the Investment

The end goal of local SEO is to gain high rankings for searches around your geographic location. When users search keywords or phrases in the area, you want your website to be at the top of the list.

Localized SEO is great (but very competitive) for smaller companies such as dental offices or law firms. For example, Abrahamson and Uiterwyk, a Florida injury law practice, has used local SEO to dramatically boost their rankings to increase business. With consistent efforts, theyve ended up ruling Googles Map packs and local results for keywords like injury lawyer Tampa FL.

When someone is in need of legal counsel, they are checking the yellow pages less and less. They turn more to Google. With the help of some great local SEO efforts, weve managed to be one of the first few names that pop up in the search. This has helped us represent over 15,000 injury victims. -- Erik Abrahamson, Senior Partner at Abrahamson and Uiterwyk in Tampa, Fla.

Currently, only 17 percent of small business are investing in SEO. Now is a great time to jump onboard and find the best ways you can leverage the SERPS to increase your online exposure.

Website marketing

To compete in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, having a strong website is a must for businesses of all sizes. Keep in mind, 51 percent of website traffic comes from organic search. Your positioning depends on the reputation of your website.

Perhaps one of the most important factors that go into a websites reputation (that influences Google Rankings) is speed. Loading time has a huge impact on how users interact with your platform. Page abandonment drastically increases after each second.

A great way to optimize website speed is to select a good host for your web server. A lot small businesses miss the mark in this area because theyve put together a site using a basic CMS like WordPress, but dont have a good technical team to support them. Heres a good hosting comparison for WordPress sites.

For a small business evaluating a website platform, the free trials are typically pointless. Building and marketing a good website takes a lot of work and resources. Committing to this task is one of the best investments of time and money you can make for your business.

Related: 50 Online Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2016

One of the greatest things about online marketing is that it gives small businesses a chance to compete a relatively level playing field as the bigger enterprises. Success is based on smarter, more efficient strategies rather than total money spent. Having a solid content creation plan and SEO approach is crucial in getting your website in front of the eyes of your target audience. No need to rush it, a strong foundation will almost always lead to good results in the end.

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California must reimburse its counties for the legal costs involved in determining whether sex offenders who have completed their prison terms should be sent to mental hospitals, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.

A lawyer for local governments said the statewide cost would be about $25 million a year for the reimbursements, which the state stopped paying in July 2013.

If the state wants to create a new program, they also need to think about how it gets funded at the local level, said Jennifer Henning, who represented the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities in the case. When you dont do that, you risk (losing funding for) other services.

The case involved Californias sexually violent predator law, a 1995 statute that allowed the state to keep sex offenders locked up after their prison sentences if they were found to be mentally ill and potentially dangerous.

Although the state pays the costs of their continued confinement in psychiatric hospitals, the legal proceedings are financed by county governments  an investigation and jury trial to determine an offenders mental condition, payment of court-appointed lawyers for defendants who cant afford their own attorneys, and high-security housing for defendants standing trial.

The California Constitution requires the state to foot the bill for costs it imposes on local governments, and in 1998 the Commission on State Mandates ordered the state to reimburse counties for their costs of the sex offender program.

But in 2013, the commission lifted that order, at the request of Gov. Jerry Browns administration, because of a 2006 ballot measure, Proposition 83, that had changed the sex offender law by increasing criminal penalties, extending hospital confinement and prohibiting released offenders from living near schools and parks.

Because the costs were now mandated by the voters rather than the Legislature, the commission said, the state was no longer responsible for them.

A judge in San Diego County agreed but was overruled Wednesday by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego. The court said Prop. 83, while changing some laws, had simply reaffirmed the previous requirements for jury trials and legal representation at the local level, so they remained the states responsibility.

The measure did not change any of the duties the law imposed on the counties, Justice Richard Huffman said in the 3-0 ruling. When the Legislature mandates a new program or higher level of service on a local government, the state is constitutionally required to reimburse the locality for the costs.

Henning said the amount of each countys reimbursement would depend on the number of sex offenders whose cases it handles. She said the ruling could also help local governments challenge other state-mandated costs, a potentially significant issue in view of limits on local taxing authority imposed by Proposition 13 in 1978.

Representatives of the Commission on State Mandates could not be immediately reached for comment. The state could ask the California Supreme Court to review the ruling.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP)  Vera Rubin, a pioneering astronomer who helped find powerful evidence of dark matter, has died, her son said Monday.

She was 88.

Allan Rubin, a professor of geosciences at Princeton University, told The Associated Press his mother died Sunday night of natural causes. He said the Philadelphia native had been living in the Princeton area.

Vera Rubin found that galaxies don't quite rotate the way they were predicted, and that lent support to the theory that some other force was at work, namely dark matter.

Dark matter, which hasn't been directly observed, makes up 27 percent of universe  as opposed to 5 percent of the universe being normal matter. Scientists better understand what dark matter isn't rather than what it is.

Rubin's scientific achievements earned her numerous honors, including becoming the second female astronomer to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences. She also received the National Medal of Science from President Bill Clinton in 1993 "for her pioneering research programs in observational cosmology."

Rubin's interest in astronomy began as a young girl and grew with the involvement of her father, Philip Cooper, an electrical engineer who helped her build a telescope and took her to meetings of amateur astronomers.

She was the only astronomy major to graduate from Vassar College in 1948. When she sought to enroll as a graduate student at Princeton, she learned women were not allowed in the university's graduate astronomy program, so she instead earned her master's degree from Cornell University.

Rubin earned her doctorate from Georgetown University, where she later worked as a faculty member for several years before working at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, a nonprofit scientific research center.

During her career, Rubin examined more than 200 galaxies.
CAMPBELLTON, Texas (AP)  Law officers in South Texas have fatally shot a man who escaped from a county jail on Christmas Eve after injuring several guards.

The Live Oak County sheriff's office says 36-year-old Jake Childers was killed in a shootout Tuesday night in Campbellton, about 50 miles south of San Antonio.
For Tina Gillihan, the word Thrive is more than just a name for her local support group. As a survivor of sexual abuse, she wants to be a part of positive change in womens lives.

I picked Thrive because I think when you face the truth of abuse, it is freeing, Gillihan said. I want women to face that reality and thrive with their lives.

Gillihan, 44, serves with her husband as a pastor of Oasis Church, which is in the startup phase. Shes also making plans to establish a center for young adults in Midland who have aged out of foster care.







Leading a group

Gillihan facilitates the next Thrive session in January at the Midland Rape Crisis and Childrens Advocacy Center. The support group for female survivors of sexual assault covers a range of themes, including strength and forgiveness.

Those topics come up, Gillihan said. Its common with victims of abuse to feel those feelings, have questions in those areas.

Gillihan developed the idea for Thrive when she moved to Midland from the Chicago area four years ago. She had belonged to a support group and saw a need for a similar resource here, she said.

She plans to hold three eight-week sessions in 2017. During weekly discussions, at least one therapist will be available for free counseling.

More Information Thrive support group Time: 7 - 8 p.m. Dates: Mondays from Jan. 23 - March 20 (no meeting March 13) Location: MRCCAC Contact: Shelly Weeks at 432-682-7273 or shelly@mrccac.org Registration is required for this confidential support group. Other sessions will be held from May through June and September through October. Volunteer orientation Time: 6 p.m. Date: Jan. 19 Location: MRCCAC Contact: Candace Garcia at 432-682-7273 or cgarcia@mrccac.org The orientation will provide information about volunteering at the center. See More Collapse

For Gillihan, a combination of support group sessions and professional help made an impact.

Very successful support groups are led by a regular person  nobody whos been trained, Gillihan said. I have a past of abuse myself. I have overcome it through therapy and help in that area.

After hearing about Thrive, male survivors of sexual assault have expressed an interest in a support group in Midland.

We are in need of it, Gillihan said. We have people wanting to come. We just need a person willing to facilitate.

Gillihan also volunteers at the MRCCAC as a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) advocate. Through the program, Gillihan works on a call schedule to accompany people during sexual assault examinations at Midland Memorial Hospital.

For me, I have something in common with them, Gillihan said. Ive been in their shoes once. I didnt go to the advocacy center or the emergency room.

SANE advocates offer support to survivors and tell them about local resources. The volunteers have an essential role, according to Candace Garcia, MRCCAC volunteer coordinator and adult client advocate.

When anyone goes in for SANE, especially an adult, a lot of times theyre alone, Garcia said. Even if they come in with a friend, theyre in a state of shock. The nurses have their job, and theyre trying to do it correctly. The police have their job, and theyre trying to do it correctly.

Last year, 129 sexual assault incidents were reported in Midland County, according to Texas Department of Public Safety data. Gillihan said volunteering as an advocate sometimes takes an emotional toll.

Hospital on-call is a very hard experience, Gillihan said. If I dont do it, who would do it?

Starting a center

Gillihans past also inspired her to launch a nonprofit organization in Midland. Gillihan, who has three biological children and two foster children, hopes to start a center for people exiting the foster care system.

Though Gillihan wasnt a foster child, she lacked support as a teenager. Her proposed facility  Basin Dream Center for Orphans  would house young adults while they pursue higher education or vocational training.

We really want them to be successful, Gillihan said. We want to cheer them on. We want to inspire them. Ive had trauma in my life. At that age, I didnt have parents who would do that for me.

The project is still awaiting nonprofit status. Gillihan hopes to use future donations and grants to build or renovate a structure for the center. She and her family members would live in the space to interact with program participants full time.

I want them to feel like they belong to a family when I have them, Gillihan said. Most 18 year olds arent mature  especially not foster kids with the things theyve been through. They still need someone there.

For eligible Texans transitioning out of foster care, the state offers tuition and fee waivers at state higher education institutions. The state also has a voucher program for those young adults who enter college or vocational programs.

Jeff Gillihan, Tinas husband of 22 years, said people aging out of foster care need guidance to find these resources and steer them away from homelessness, incarceration or substance abuse.

We want to show them they dont have to settle, Jeff Gillihan said. Some do whatever it takes to get a roof over their heads. Theyre not just going to go to school or work toward a career.

In the future, Tina Gillihan also hopes to start a respite program for foster care parents. The program  not yet under nonprofit consideration  would allow parents within the system to take breaks while their foster children receive licensed supervision.

If we could do that, we would have more foster families, Gillihan said. People dont do that because they dont have any time for themselves.

She thinks increased participation would also help keep local foster children in the area. According to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services data from last month, 54.7 percent of children in foster care in Midland County were placed outside of the county.

As Gillihan prepares to embark on the projects, shes received guidance through her family members and Christian faith, according to her husband. He commended her for addressing needs within the community.

Shes chosen to take the junk thats been in her past to use it as fuel to help people, Jeff Gillihan said.






Residents managed to turn the tide against home invaders during two separate incidents overnight on the West Side.

San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Thomas Brittain said the first home invasion occurred late Tuesday just before midnight in the 100 block of Farrel Drive when a resident heard banging on windows before his front door was broken don.

(The suspect) broke a window in the back, and then came in through the front door, Brittain said. Pretty much bust through the front door ... with a bar.

RELATED: San Antonio girl, 2, dies after she's run over by relative

Once the suspect was in the living room, he was met by the homeowner with a .22 caliber rifle, Brittain said.

The homeowner fired several shots hitting the suspect twice before he fled down the street, police said.

Neighbors began calling police. When they arrived they found the suspect with two gunshot wounds to the chest and an injury to the arm.

The suspect, who police said was in his 30s, was taken to University Hospital and was listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Brittain said the suspect could face a charge of burglary and home invasion depending on the outcome of the investigation.

RELATED: Officials ID 8-year-old boy killed in Christmas crash on NW side

About an hour later, police responded to a call for a home invasion in the 800 block of Brownleaf Drive.

SAPD Sgt. Lena Smith said two men armed with handguns, one with two firearms, began knocking on the door of the house at about 1 a.m.

Before they could open the door, the door was kicked in by two suspects, Smith said.

A struggle ensued between the suspects and the homeowner, who managed to take away one of the guns from the suspects, investigators said.

Thats when bullets were exchanged between them, police said.

One suspect was critically injured by the homeowner and transported to University Hospital when responders arrived, Smith said.

The homeowner was defending himself, of course, Smith said.

He and the second suspect were shot as well, but both of them were in stable condition when transported to University Hospital.

It was unclear how the second alleged invader was shot during the struggle as of Wednesday morning, Smith said.

They were very serious in their assault, Smith said. Most people would consider this a home invasion, we would consider it as a burglary with intent ... to harm.

Both suspects will be facing aggravated assault charges, police said.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
AUSTIN  Gov. Greg Abbott made unannounced visit to Australia but couldnt help tweeting about it after he exchanged hats with the prime minister.

Engaging visit in Sydney with Australian Prime Minister. I traded a Stetson for an Australian Akubra, Abbott tweeted, with a photo of himself and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in their hats.
WASHINGTON  President-elect Donald Trump plans to meet later Wednesday with former Texas A&M president Elsa Murano, one of three Texans in contention for Agriculture Secretary, one the incoming administration's last unfilled cabinet positions.

The Cuban-born Murano, one of the nation's top food safety experts, served as U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety in the administration of President George W. Bush.
Re: Corrupted Electoral College mocks the founders intent, O. Ricardo Pimentel, Other Views, Dec. 18:

This column is blatant hypocrisy and sour grapes. You and the liberal left have been providing multiple excuses to deny the fact that Donald Trump was elected as a result of the constitutionally protected process of electing presidents in place since 1787, when the framers of our Constitution agreed the U.S. president be indirectly elected by the citizenry through a college of electors.

Therefore, the only way this can be changed is by a constitutional amendment, not by whining about unsubstantiated corruption of the Electoral College based on your interpretation of the founders intent and the fact that your candidate was not elected.

Liberals need to accept the results of this constitutionally protected process that resulted in the lawful election of Donald Trump (similar to the way in which I and other conservatives accepted the election of Barack Obama, not once, but twice).

Of course, you and your liberal friends want to change the current Electoral College process to a popular vote-winner take all process.

If this happened, this country would never see another Republican president, as the map of red and blue states in the recent election so vividly demonstrated. With California, and other far western states, and New York, and other northeastern states, having the largest combined populations, including large minority sub-populations that the Democratic Party has catered to and that routinely vote Democratic, a popular vote-winner take all process would be a corrupted process that mocks the founders intent, not because I am interpreting the founders intent, but because of the clear language in the Constitution and a process that has been unassailed  until now  for over 225 years!

Moreover, it is highly likely that if the process became popular vote-winner take all, how long do you think it would take before that process was deemed corrupt, especially, if a Democratic president was not elected once this process was enacted as a constitutional amendment?

Instead of whining, looking for excuses, and denigrating the Electoral College process, if you and other liberals are disappointed in the results of this election, dont throw out the baby (Electoral College) with the wash water, change the water (i.e., put forth a Democratic presidential candidate who can fairly win the presidential election under the current constitutionally protected Electoral College process). Clearly, Hillary Clinton was not that candidate.

Frank H. Wians, Jr., is a professor and clinical chemist at University Medical Center in El Paso.
Joel Martinez /Associated Press

For years, Congress has been in perpetual gridlock, but every once in a while a good bill becomes law.

Cue the Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act, which will allow cities to invest in U.S. ports of entry. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, championed this piece of legislation. President Barack Obama signed it into law earlier in December.
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 Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) earlier this month released its second annual report on the CEO-worker retirement benefit gap. A Tale of Two Retirements analyzes how CEOs are provided with colossal nest eggs monthly retirement checks ranging from more than $100,000 to more than $1,000,000 while at the same time many of their companies pursue strategies that erode retirement security for their employees.

The CEO-worker retirement benefit gap has become such a chasm, not as the result of executives working harder or investing more wisely, but as yet one more example of rule-rigging in favor of the 1%, according to the IPS.

Benefits Go Disproportionately to Those at the Top

As an aside, I should mention another item in yesterdays news: the phenomenon that the IPS report discusses is not just confined to the US, nor is it limited solely to CEO retirement benefits. The Financial Times reported in Negligible link found between executive pay and performance on a similar disconnect in Britain, this documented in a Lancaster University Management School study. From the pink paper:

The correlation between high executive pay and good performance is negligible, a new academic study has found, providing reformers with fresh evidence that a shake-up of Britains corporate remuneration systems is overdue. Although big company bosses enjoyed pay rises of more than 80 per cent in a decade, performance as measured by economic returns on invested capital was less than 1 per cent over the period, the paper by Lancaster University Management School says. Our findings suggest a material disconnect between pay and fundamental value generation for, and returns to, capital providers, the authors of the report said. In a study of more than a decade of data on the pay and performance of Britains 350 biggest listed companies, Weijia Li and Steven Young found that remuneration had increased 82 per cent in real terms over the 11 years to 2014. Much of the increase was the result of performance-based pay. But, the reports authors say, the metrics used to assess performance  such as total shareholder return and earnings per share growth  are unsophisticated and short-termist, acting against the interests of long-term investors. The research found that the median economic return on invested capital, a preferable measure, was less than 1 per cent over the same period.

CEO Retirement Benefits Compared to Ordinary Workers

As the IPS study summarizes:

The sum of the 100 largest CEO company retirement funds  $4.7 billion  is equal to the entire retirement account savings of the 41 percent of American families that have the least amount of retirement savings (this represents 50 million families and 116 million people). On average, the CEOs nest eggs are worth nearly $47.5 million. If converted to an annuity at age 65, this would be enough to generate a $253,088 monthly retirement check for the rest of their lives. Contrast that with the situation for ordinary workers. For those lucky enough to have a 401(k) plan, the median balance at the end of 2013 was just $18,433, enough for a monthly retirement check of just $101 (IPS report, p. 5)

Over the last several decades, the trend has been for retirement plans for ordinary US workers to shift from defined benefit to defined contribution plans (for those workers lucky enough to have any retirement plan). The IPS study notes that according to the Economic Policy Institute, the share of prime working age families covered by a defined benefit pension plan plummeted from 41 percent in 1989 to 21 percent in 2013. Even worse, among the baby boomer generation, 39 percent of workers aged 56-61 years old have no employer-sponsored retirement plan whatsoever, leaving them dependent on Social Security, which pays out average benefits of $1,239 per month per beneficiary (IPS report p. 5).

The IPS study discusses some of the many rules and regulations that disadvantage ordinary workers, compared to those that apply to CEOs (and by extension other privileged members of the C-suite although this aspect is not discussed in the IPS report) in three key areas: pension rules, compensation rules, and tax rules.

In the area of pension rules, according to the IPS:

Ordinary workers face strict limits on how much pre-tax income they can invest each year in tax-deferred plans like 401(k)s. But most Fortune 500 firms set up special unlimited tax-deferred compensation accounts for their executives where their money can grow, tax-free, until they retire and withdraw it.

The IPS notes that in 2015 alone, Fortune 500 CEOs saved $92 million on their taxes by parking $238 million more in these tax-deferred accounts, than they would have been able to do if their retirement accounts were subject to the same caps that limit contributions by ordinary workers.

As for compensation rules, the IPS notes:

Since more than half of executive compensation is now tied to the companys stock price, CEOs have a powerful personal incentive for slashing worker retirement benefits in order to boost the short-term bottom line. Every dollar not spent on employee retirement security is money in the CEOs pocket.

And finally, in the area of tax rules, performance-based tax systems have a pernicious effect:

Tax rules: CEO retirement funds are growing because CEO pay is growing and much of it is stashed in executive tax-deferred retirement accounts. Our tax code encourages excessive CEO pay by allowing corporations to deduct unlimited amounts of executive compensation off their federal income taxes, as long as it is performance-based. The more corporations pay their CEO, the less they owe in taxes. The rest of us make up the difference.

The IPS report is not so long only 21 pages and I encourage interested readers to look at it in full especially the sections of the history of the retirement divide (IPS 10-13). This describes the legal and regulatory changes that allowed many corporations, led by rapacious CEOs and their enablers, to erode the pension and other benefits of ordinary workers while systematically feathering their own nests. The huge spike in unequal retirement benefit treatment is by no means a natural phenomenon, but the logical consequence of a systematic campaign to shift wealth upward.

What Is to Be Done

The IPS report describes specific policies and rules and regulations in various areas, e.g., including tax law, Social Security and pension, labour, and procurement provisions that disproportionately reward company executives. Beginning in earnest during the Reagan administration, these laws have been changed to inordinately benefit those at the top of the corporate economic pyramid.

The report recommends eight specific targeted policy changes (although admittedly, some o these are rather vague) that could rein in and perhaps reverse the accumulation of retirement assets for the topmost earners, and expand the funds available to improve retirement security for everyone else. These policy changes fall into four categories for reform: tax , social security and pension, labor, and procurement.

In the tax reform area, the IPS makes three recommendations, which are the most detailed of the eight reform proposals mentioned in this study. Its important to keep such ideas front and center, as any Trump tax reform plan is unlikely to focus on retirement inequality. First, the IPS recommends that corporate executives should be subject to the same contribution caps that apply to the workers they employ. Currently, older workers may contribute a maximum of $24,000 in their corporate 401(k) accounts while younger workers are limited to no more than $18,000. Tax-deferred CEO compensation should be subject to the same limits.

Second, corporations that have frozen their worker pensions, closed existing plans to new hires, or maintain employee underfunded pension accounts (e.g., not funded at the 90 percent level), should not be allowed to deduct executive pension and retirement costs from their federal tax liabilities. To allow otherwise as at present means taxpayers subsidize lavish executive retirement packages for employers who have eschewed providing for the retirement security of their employees.

And third, one reason executive pay has further ballooned over roughly the last two decades is due to the 1993 tax reform that capped the tax deductibility of executive compensation at $1 million but allowed corporations to deduct unlimited amounts of stock options and other performance-based pay amounts from their federal income tax liabilities. Far from reining in executive pay, the reform merely changed the form in which it was awarded. The IPS endorses the Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act, which would cap the tax deductibility of compensation at $1 million for every employee, executive or otherwise, regardless of position, as well as eliminate the performance pay exemption.

The report closes with some vague recommendations, calling for strengthening Social Security, safeguarding public pensions, and supporting universal retirement funds. I should caution theres much snake oil being peddled around the issue of Social Security reform and strengthening retirement security, and it is important that one maintains a degree of skepticism whenever these issues are discussed whatever the origin of the reform proposals.

The report also calls for strengthening labor unions, and finally, closes, with another concrete proposal, to prohibit large government contractors from providing executives with retirement benefits that exceed those received by former Presidents of the United States which IPS estimates at roughly $200,000 per year.

These proposals are far from a panacea for reversing the massive shift of retirement assets from ordinary workers to CEOs. But at least they provide a starting point for the tough work of further political organizing.
Miniscule amounts of impurities in vacuum greatly affecting OLED lifetime (Nanowerk News) Reproducibility is a necessity for science but has often eluded researchers studying the lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Recent research from Japan sheds new light on why: impurities present in the vacuum chamber during fabrication but in amounts so small that they are easily overlooked.

Organic light-emitting diodes use a stack of organic layers to convert electricity into light, and these organic layers are most commonly fabricated by heating source materials in vacuum to evaporate and deposit them onto a lower temperature substrate.

While issues affecting the efficiency of OLEDs are already well understood, a complete picture of exactly how and why OLEDs degrade and lose brightness over time is still missing.

Complicating matters is that devices fabricated with seemingly the same procedures and conditions but by different research groups often degrade at vastly different rates even when the initial performance is the same.

Unable to attribute these reproducibility issues to known sources such as the amount of residual water in the chamber and the purity of the starting materials, a report published online in Scientific Reports ("Influence of vacuum chamber impurities on the lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes"), adds a new piece to the puzzle by focusing on the analysis of the environment in the vacuum chamber.

New research shows that miniscule amounts of impurities in vacuum are being incorporated into OLEDs during fabrication and leading to large variations in lifetime. By reducing the time OLEDs spend in the deposition chamber during fabrication, impurities can be reduced and lifetime enhanced. Analysis of the impurities indicates sources that include previously deposited materials and plasticizers from chamber components. (Image: Hiroshi Fujimoto and William J. Potscavage, Jr.) (click on image to enlarge)

"Although we often idealize vacuums as being clean environments, we detected many impurities floating in the vacuum even when the deposition chamber is at room temperature," says lead author Hiroshi Fujimoto, chief researcher at Fukuoka i3-Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (i3-OPERA) and visiting associate professor of Kyushu University.

Because of these impurities in the deposition chamber, the researchers found that the time until an OLED under operation dims by a given amount because of degradation, known as the lifetime, sharply increased for OLEDs that spent a shorter time in the deposition chamber during fabrication.

This trend remained even after considering changes in residual water and source material purity, indicating the importance of controlling and minimizing the device fabrication time, a rarely discussed parameter.

Research partners at Sumika Chemical Analysis Service Ltd. (SCAS) confirmed an increase of accumulated impurities with time by analyzing the materials that deposited on extremely clean silicon wafers that were stored in the deposition chamber when OLED materials were not being evaporated.

Using a technique called liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the researchers found that many of the impurities could be traced to previously deposited materials and plasticizers from the vacuum chamber components.

"Really small amounts of these impurities get incorporated into the fabricated devices and are causing large changes in the lifetime," says Professor Chihaya Adachi, director of Kyushu University's Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), which also took part in the study.

In fact, the new results suggest that the impurities amount to less than even a single molecular layer.

To improve lifetime reproducibility, a practice often adopted in industry is the use of dedicated deposition chambers for specific materials, but this can be difficult in academic labs, where often only a limited number of deposition systems are available for testing a wide variety of new materials.

In these cases, deposition chamber design and cleaning in addition to control of the deposition time are especially important.
A Fidelity National Financial Inc. subsidiary is in final talks to pay as much as $65 million to resolve U.S. government accusations that it contributed to improper and fraudulent foreclosures after the 2008 credit crisis, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Federal banking regulators agreed that a $65 million penalty could settle the case involving so-called robo-signing of foreclosure papers tied to the firm formerly known as Lender Processing Services Inc., according to the person, who requested anonymity because the negotiations aren't public. Fidelity National acquired the company during the lengthy settlement talks with the Federal Reserve and other agencies, and it has been divided among subsidiaries including ServiceLink Holdings and Black Knight Financial Services.

LPS, which provided technology and services to lenders such as Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., faced accusations that it filed fraudulent legal documents used in the repossession of homes. For more than five years, LPS has been ensnared by a 2011 order from the Fed, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. requiring changes to how it deals with loan defaults and the hiring of an outside firm to examine its work from 2008 through 2010.

Fidelity National's ServiceLink subsidiary is primarily on the hook for the new settlement, according to company disclosures. The expected accord and fine would free that LPS successor from the 2011 order. Black Knight, which absorbed much of LPS's old business and is spinning off from Fidelity National, is shielded from the fine through an agreement with ServiceLink.

ServiceLink has been negotiating with regulators over a probable penalty, but the sides hadn't yet agreed on an amount, the company said in a regulatory filing last month. ServiceLink had recently beefed up its loss contingencies to $60 million, it said in the quarterly earnings report. Wells Fargo paid $70 million in a similar agreement this year.

Fidelity National, the biggest title insurer, declined to comment on the settlement discussions. Spokesmen for the three bank regulators also declined to comment.

Earlier in the talks, regulators had sought more than $200 million and weighed whether some money could be directed to help borrowers. It's unclear how the number being discussed dropped to about a third of that, but agency settlements are often affected by a firm's level of cooperation and ability to pay.

Before Fidelity National acquired the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company in 2014, LPS had already settled with dozens of states for $127 million. It paid another $35 million to resolve a Justice Department inquiry in which it was said to have been involved in a "six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently signed and notarized mortgage-related documents."

Lorraine Brown, former chief executive officer of LPS's DocX LLC subsidiary, spent more than three years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Brown, who was released on parole Aug. 31, was accused by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette of establishing "a widespread scheme of 'robo-signing,' a practice in which employees were directed to fraudulently sign another authorized person's name on mortgage documents in order to execute these documents as quickly as possible."
Opus Bank completed a $509 million securitization of its multifamily loans through a Freddie Mac-sponsored "Q-deal" risk-transfer securitization, the company announced Tuesday.

Opus Chairman Stephen Gordon termed the deal a "novel" transaction that improved liquidity while reducing its commercial real estate concentration while lowering its levels of risk-weighted assets, its risk-based capital and loan-to-deposit ratios.

"We believe the execution of this securitization strategy enhanced our flexibility and optionality," said Gordon, who is one of the top five community bankers to watch in 2017 by American Banker, a sister publication of National Mortgage News.

Freddie Mac's "Q-deal" programs combine both guaranteed senior bonds and non-guaranteed mezzanine and interest-only bonds, similar to the structures of Freddie's more well-known "K-deal" programs. Unlike "K deals," the "Q" certificates programs include securitizations of multifamily mortgages not originated under Freddie Mac underwriting guidelines, or were not purchased by Freddie prior to securitization.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has targeted a credit risk-transfer level of at least 80% of multifamily loans purchased or guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae into the hands of private investors in 2017.

Opus, a $7.5 billion-asset institution headquartered in Irvine, Calif., provides financing for affordable multifamily housing in major metropolitan areas on the West Coast.
(Natural News) If you want to spot a forged painting, ask an art expert.

And if you want to find out what is fake news, ask perhaps the top investigative reporter in journalism.

Sharyl Attkisson spotted the fake news trend long before it became a recent catchphrase.

And she doesnt portray it, as do many in the mainstream media, as some right-wing conspiracy. In fact, Attkisson told WND she often sees the mainstream media as prime culprits when they push suspect stories.

(Article by Garth Kant, republished from WND.com)

So, what is really behind the mainstream medias war on fake news?

I think the anti-fake news movement itself is a campaign for a narrative-driven propaganda campaign that started about September, reflected Attkisson.

And whats the purpose of the anti-fake news movement?

I think theres an agenda to censor the news as opposed to actually trying to eliminate fake news, she said.

Attkisson won five Emmy Awards and received an Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting during her stint as the top correspondent for CBS News from 1993 to 2014. Before joining CBS, Attkisson was an anchor and correspondent for CNN from 1990 to 1993.

She is now the anchor of her own Sunday morning national TV news program, Full Measure, which focuses on investigative and accountability reporting. The show had it highest ratings ever, last week.

Years ago, Attkisson noticed the emergence of what is now called fake news, only she called such stories by their traditional name: a smear. The reporter began researching the topic in earnest, and the result is her new book, coming out on May 22, titled The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote, due to be published on May 22, 2017.

WND has quoted Attkisson, widely hailed as an unbiased, scrupulous and dogged investigator, on numerous issues. Her observations on fake news were delivered with the force and precision of an expert karate chop, as befitting her rank of fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

And she was both surgical and blunt in describing the genesis of a fake news story that was widely used against Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The white nationalist narrative was invented on a certain day and time by certain interests, asserted Attkisson. You didnt hear that narrative initially, very much. There are various narratives you can measure that happened throughout the campaign, and in the book I discuss during what time periods they arose.

Roughly, she continued, at first it was that Trump was a clown, a carnival act; they were trying to sort of make him out to be silly and not serious. Then, as soon as he became serious, or realized that didnt work on him, he became dark and dangerous. It completely went from Hes a clown-like figure to Hes a dangerous figure.

The super-sleuth reporter then described, in detail, how it was a prototypical case of how a left-wing advocacy group could turn its agenda and narrative into facts in the mainstream news.

The white nationalist stuff came up through a pro-Hillary Clinton group run by David Brock (founder of the liberal group Media Matters) called Blue Nation Review. And they wrote like six articles in five days that were all about alt-right, white nationalists, racists, stuff like that.

Following the interview, Attkisson sent WND the titles of those Blue Nation Review pieces.

I think show they were pushing out a specific narrative. Prior to this time, there was very little if it. They were on different themes, she said.

She described how, on Aug. 15, the collective David Brock propaganda groups begin a theme and meme of Trump and his supporters as white nationalists.

And, she relayed, Brocks Blue Nation Review pummeled Trump in six days with smear articles titled:

Trump shakes up staff, embraces white nationalism

Trumps Purity Test for Immigrants Is More Evidence of His White Nationalist Plans

Trump Is Seeking a White Nationalist Awakening NOT the White House

NEW VIDEO: Trump Is Now Leading a White Nationalist Awakening

Is Trumps New America First App Designed to Connect White Nationalists?

Trump Delivers Anti-Black Rant: Youre Living in Poverty, Your Schools Are No Good

I think that (those articles) directed the media coverage, Attkisson observed. That sends the message out. Everybody went out with their messaging on the liberal side. The media pick that up because thats who they listen to; thats the source that they consult.

And suddenly, she remarked, that became a running narrative because someone made it so, not because anything particular happened. It was more that someone decided that would be the agenda, and that had some effectiveness.

Attkisson said her new book details how shady political operatives control what you see, what you think and how you vote.

She explained, Ive just been intrigued in the last few years about the manipulation I see going on, on the news and online, including social media, whether its fake Twitter accounts, fake Facebook accounts, propaganda efforts that are started this way and then picked up by what you might consider secondary news outlets, and then are picked up by the mainstream news.

The ace reporter said its fascinating to watch that process formalize and to dig into its origins, especially because, I was subject to some of that when I was at CBS News, the efforts to try to stop certain stories I was reporting that were controversial, because they want to make the subject matter go away.

I discovered there was a lot of funding and organization behind some of these efforts. In digging into it, I thought other people would find it fascinating, too. I think people have a sense they are being manipulated in what they see and read many times, but they dont exactly know the extent to which it is happening. Thats what the book will talk about.

Read more at: WND.com
(Natural News) As our last defenses begin to fail, many more people might die from common bacterial infections in 2017. Each year, an estimated 700,000 people die due to untreatable drug-resistant infections, and today that number is increasing faster than anyone predicted.

About 40 years ago Levy and colleagues published their landmark study showing a direct link between antibiotic use on farms and antibiotic resistance issues in humans. In the years following the study, numerous other scientific studies have been published providing additional evidence of the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes from livestock animals to humans. Nonetheless, not much has been done during all those years to stop the growing threat.

We are about to reach the point where more antibiotics will be consumed by farm animals worldwide than by humans, said Mark Woolhouse, from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Researchers calculated that about 63,000 tons of antibiotics are fed to chickens, pigs, and cattle each year. Furthermore, they predicted that this number will rise by 67 percent, or 106,000 tons, by 2030.

Humanitys greatest global threat is upon us

During the first UN General Assembly meeting on drug-resistant bacteria earlier this year, the entire assembly called antibiotic resistance the greatest and most urgent global threat. However, it is what they will do next that matters since they havent called for specific measures yet.

Very little change in current antibiotic practices is needed to lead to significant human health effects. Most antibiotics are used on healthy animals to promote growth or prevent disease in crowded or unsanitary conditions. This can easily be remedied by banning or reducing the amount of preventive antibiotics and finding other ways to keep animals healthy.

For decades, the livestock industry has argued that while antibiotic use may have something to do with antibiotic resistance in farm animals, this has little, if anything, to do with the human antibiotic resistance issues.

This, however, is highly debatable as nearly 80 percent of the antibiotics sold in the United States are also used in meat and poultry production. And since they are mainly using antibiotics as a prevention measure, the bacteria in and around the animals are regularly exposed to the drug, which gives rise to drug-resistant superbugs.

Colistin, which is now more used in animals than in people, is one of those examples. It is one of the last resort antibiotics used to treat some human infections. Due to antibiotic overuse, colistin resistance has now spread throughout the world, turning rather harmless infections into life-threatening diseases.

From farm to table

The easiest way for superbugs to leave the farm and infect people is via uncooked meat and poultry. In 2014, Consumer Reports found that 97 percent of the chicken breasts they tested harbored sick-making bacteria. And about half of the samples were contaminated with at least one bacterium that was resistant to three or more commonly prescribed antibiotics.

In their defense, the poultry industry said that contaminated chicken is not a concern because people know that they should cook poultry thoroughly. While this may be true, packages can leak into the fridge contaminating other foods or cutting boards may turn into breeding grounds.

Additionally, superbugs can also spread beyond the farm through workers or farm runoffs. Once these bacteria make it to the surrounding environment, they can exchange their genetic material and give their resistance to other bacteria that have never been in contact with antibiotics.

Sources

PreventDisease.com

TheGuardian.com

bioRxiv.org

NAM.eduPDF

ConsumerReports.org
(NaturalNews) Two years ago, I exposed Forbes.com writer Jon Entine as a violent psychopath who physically attacked his wife and committed widespread journalistic fraud to push Monsanto propaganda.

Under pressure for hiring such a reprobate, Forbes.com fired Entine, who has ties to conservative institutions like the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and George Mason University.

Entine has a long history of literally fabricating false accusations against critics of Monsanto. During one investigation of a body care manufacturing company, he walked into their warehouse, knocked over bottles of their product, then called the authorities to report a dangerous spill to try to shut them down.

Forbes.com and Jon Entine share a common philosophy of deep deception. Both are malicious journo-terrorists, and both take money from powerful corporate interests (like the biotech industry) to smear, slander and defame critics who threaten the profits of their corporate sponsors. In an email to me in 2013, Forbes.com legal counsel openly admitted they have no responsibility to make sure the things they print are true. And they claim to be able to print outright lies under protection from the DMCA.

Forbes was purchased by the communist Chinese

Forbes is a failing propaganda mouthpiece for globalist corporations like Monsanto and various drug and pesticide companies. In 2014, Forbes was on the verge of imploding, so it desperately sought a buyer to bail it out and keep it running.

It found a buyer in communist China, where Hong Kong-based Integrated Asset Management, founded by Tak Cheung Yam, threw down $300 million for the publisher. Steve Forbes hailed the purchase because it traded a collapsing propaganda rag for $300 million real money. (I have to agree with Steve Forbes that he made out like a bandit.)

This means Forbes.com is majority owned by the communist Chinese.

No wonder the publication hates American patriots (and truth in general). Now, it functions more like a Red China propaganda rag than anything resembling a legitimate news organization. While much of the left-wing media in America is currently accusing independent media of being run by the Russians, the deeper truth is that Forbes.com is run by the communist Chinese, and one of its propaganda goals has been to target and attack U.S. patriots who support the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and scientific truth.

Forbes.coms hit piece on Natural News BACKFIRES

Every few months, Forbes.com runs a hit piece on Natural News, targeting me personally by gathering up a slew of circular logic quotes from representatives of the biotech, pharma and vaccine industries who ridiculously proclaim they all have a monopoly on science. Their latest hit piece claims Natural News and the Health Ranger are such an extreme danger to the very fabric of science in our world that we must be stopped at all costs.

Theyve even rolled out a new hashtag: #NaturalNonsense hoping it will spread faster than the Zika virus so that vaccine companies can keep receiving billions of dollars in government money to roll out more completely unnecessary vaccines based on a quack medical hoax. (You can go ahead and use the #NaturalNonsense hashtag to turn the tables on these jokers. Its all so laughable)

The hit piece quotes a biotech-linked geneticist named Layla Biochica Katiraee who claims Natural News has routinely peddled incorrect information and misled its readers in attempts to sell its nutritional supplements and organic goods that Adams claims protects consumers from a wide range of maladies, ranging from Zika to cancer. Keep in mind that people like Katiraee are deeply ignorant of nutritional science, and they all believe pesticides and herbicides are completely safe to consume in nearly unlimited quantities. This is the brainwashing theyve sadly endured, and because they eat so much poison themselves, they often suffer brain damage that impact their ability to think clearly (see below for details on the acetylcholinesterase inhibition caused by exposure to carbamate class pesticides).

In truth, Forbes.com has knowingly and deliberate lied to its readers for years about GMOs, vaccines and pesticides, employing actual sociopaths to pen its propaganda articles while being run by the communist Chinese. These propaganda efforts are not incidental, they are deliberate.

As far as actual science goes, Natural News was the first science journalism site in the world to warn Americans about the dangers of combining DEET-based insect repellants with non-organic food sprayed with carbamate pesticides. The two chemicals combine to form a powerful acetylcholinesterase inhibitor which interferes with cognitive function and can promote symptoms resembling Alzheimers and dementia.

My article on this warning was fully documented with the actual chemical structure graphics, numerous citations of scientific literature and references to my own laboratory analysis results. At a time when every mindless mainstream media outlet in the country was stupidly telling Americans to slather themselves with DEET chemicals, Natural News was the website warning people to exercise caution and reduce exposure to DEET. It later turned out, as even the Washington Post admitted, that the Zika virus links to microcephaly were a quack science hoax. (Forbes.com is still apparently unaware of this revelation, which is no surprise.)

The Health Ranger is the science director of a multi-million-dollar, internationally accredited forensic science laboratory

Speaking of real science, my private laboratory is a multi-million-dollar facility thats independent audited, inspected and accredited by the International Standards Organization (ISO) under 17025 laboratory requirements. This is the gold standard of international laboratory accreditation, and after two years of preparation, we achieved this status in the Spring of 2016. (Forbes.com failed to mention this in their hit piece, for some reason. Guess they dont want their readers to be informed of actual relevant facts)

My laboratory is one of the very few independent science labs in America, meaning it takes no money from government grants, academia or powerful corporate interests. Thus, the science we conduct is automatically a more honest, trustworthy and independence science than any compromised lab which must answer to the politics of its funding sources. When we participated in a laboratory testing competition involving hundreds of laboratories, all running ICP-MS instrumentation, we scored so high on the test that we were awarded a Certificate of Excellence with a 100% acceptable data designation. Since then, weve also participated in another forensic food analysis competition in which we scored so high that our ISO accreditation organization has now made us their No. 1 food science laboratory choice for accreditation verification. When it comes to real world laboratory science, you cant get better than what we do at Natural News. We are among the very the best in the world at this applied science for forensic food analysis.

It is in my lab that I analyzed flu shots for mercury elements (scanning multiple isotopes at 200, 201 and 202 amu), discovering that flu shots given to children in the United States still contain over 50,000 ppb mercury, a toxic heavy metals with known neurological damage effects.

This is real science  the kind of science youll never see admitted by Forbes.com, academic institutions, science journals or government authorities.

Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts, physicist Richard Feynman famously said, and Natural News / Health Ranger / CWC Labs are among the very few science-based organizations on the planet that have the courage, funding and determination to call out the ignorance of the experts on a vast array of topics, from the total scam of chemotherapy to fraudulent HIV testing to the truth about vaccines causing autism and other neurological disorders in young children.

Forbes.com and the entire mainstream media has lost control of the narrative and they are terrified

What the Forbes.com hit piece on Natural News really says is that the corrupt mainstream media has lost control of the narrative. Their monopoly on truth has been shattered, and because they cant win any real debate on the facts, their goal is to silence the debate entirely. This is accomplished, they think, by slandering the voices they hope to eliminate. (Such is the integrity of their science. When they cant win on the facts, they slander opposing views and proclaim their own opinions to be divine facts.)

Whether the subject is climate change, Zika virus, genetically engineered foods, glyphosate herbicide or conventional cancer treatments, Forbes.com is part of the rapidly failing cabal of disinformation propagandists who are losing readers, losing credibility and losing control by the day.

What really set off Forbes and other journo-terrorists in the quackstream media is when I became the lab science director of an ISO-accredited world-class science laboratory. They simply could not believe that a person they labeled anti-science could turn out to be a pioneering forensic food science who rapidly attained success as a scientist. When my recent book Food Forensics became the #1 bestselling science book on Amazon.com they completely flipped out.

Then, when I announced a breakthrough mass spec analysis method for the quantitation of cannabidiol molecules in hemp extracts, their jaws dropped to the floor in astonishment. Modern science, you see, has been monopolized by a corrupt cabal of corporate fraudsters who work for Big Pharma, Big Biotech and pesticide companies. In contrast, what Im doing is demonstrating to everyone that any intelligent person can participate in legitimate science its not a special club limited only to those who are chosen. Real science is democratic. Its available to anyone who cares to learn the methods and technologies necessary to conduct science in the public interest. (Ive also announced a Science Warrior effort to offer free ICP-MS lab testing for Native American communities across North America, to help them check for toxic heavy metals in their water systems. This really angers Forbes because they dont want Native Americans to have an ally in the sciences who can finally expose the industry and government pollution of their waters.)

Thats why today, my laboratory has already published hundreds of water sample analysis results as part of our EPA Watch program, discovering that 6.7% of U.S. water samples violate established EPA limits for toxic heavy metals.

To publish these data (and more lab results coming in 2017), I even launched a new science journal called the Natural Science Journal. There, you can read my science paper entitled, ICP-MS analysis of toxic elements (heavy metals) in 239 municipal water samples from across the United States.

Forbes.com doesnt know anything about real science. They dont employ credible scientists, they dont run a laboratory, they arent ISO accredited and they are actually nothing more than a propaganda mouthpiece for a combination of the communist Chinese and Monsanto Mafia puppets. Frankly, Forbes writers are too scientifically illiterate to argue any science at all. Thats why they are all industry propagandists, not actual scientists.

BACKFIRE: Natural News fans rip Forbes.com for their total stupidity and irrelevance

Here are just a few of the comments Natural News fans have posted so far in response to the Forbes.com hit piece. What this shows is that nobody is fooled by Forbes propaganda. In fact, their Forbes.com hit piece has only confirmed to Natural News readers that we are the real deal (and we arent controlled by corporate or globalist interests).

By attacking Natural News, Forbes.com has, in essence, certified our status as being truly independent and trustworthy. This works the same way as when the NYT attacks Donald Trump. Because no one trusts the mainstream media anymore, all those attacks only served to increase loyalty and trust in Trump.

Check out some of these comments to see for yourself. See the original link here.

Stupid Forbes. you think were going to fall for this. We are awakened and ready to discredit you every step of the way.

I LOVE Mike Adams and Natural News. If you want TRUTH, not fiction, read Natural News.

Mike Adams has saved hundreds of thousands of lives with his science and research on natural cures

I say God Bless the Health Ranger and the Patriots

I LOVE THE NATURAL NEWS WITH MIKE ADAMS!

Theres far more REAL TRUTH on Mike Adams NATURAL NEWS site than any so-called real science site

Haha Forbes YOU jerks are the FAKE NEWS! Natural News is awesome and Mike Adams is an exceptional person that helps people

Forbes is a Rockefeller publication and is deeply embedded and derives substantial revenues from pharmaceutical companies

My wife and I rely on Mike The Health Ranger Adams for good, sound, general and specific health advice.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016 by: JD Heyes Tags: arsenic , environment , gold mine , Idaho , regulators This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Environmental regulators in the state of Idaho have moved to shutter a gold mine that had been operating illegally after discovering that it was also dumping dangerous arsenic into the Boise River, the Idaho Statesman reported.

In fact, the mine, called Atlanta Gold, is continuing to dump the dangerous heavy metal into a tributary of the larger river, even as it has been operating without a permit in a historic gold mining region southeast of Boise.

The Idaho Department of Lands ordered the mine to cease and desist in September after regulators inspected the site located off of Black Creek Road, where they discovered mining activity taking place without a reclamation pond or a bond, which is in direct violation of the Idaho Surface Mining Act.

In addition to those two requirements, the act also mandates that mining companies provide advance notice before exploration begins utilizing earth-moving equipment. The law also prescribes penalties for violators.

Their plan is incomplete

If (Atlanta Gold) does not immediately stop operations, this matter will be forwarded to the Attorney Generals Office, said Derek Kraft, senior Department of Lands Resource specialist, in the desist order Sept. 23.

In its annual report, the mining company said that it had unearthed 8,000 tons of gold-bearing ore in 2015. The company filed its notice of exploration in July of that year, but in his letter Kraft said that digging up that much material amounted to actual mining, not simple exploration.

The company, which is based in Boise, ceased its operations in September and has yet to move any ore offsite, the paper reported, quoting Atlanta Gold CEO Ernie Simmons. He noted that he gave the state regulatory agency the information it required for the reclamation plan, which showed how acid rock that had been mined at the site would not pollute water in the area.

When in contact with water, that kind of rock can leach heavy metals.

However, Idaho Department of Lands officials stated that they dont currently have enough data to approve the reclamation plan or set the appropriate bond.

Their plan is incomplete, Sharla Arledge, a spokesperson for the state agency, told the paper.

Kraft noted that the waste dump and other dirt and rock piles he found on site were not located where the draft reclamation plan indicated they would be. The paper noted that regulators found about 13,000 cubic yards of ore piled up and some 10,000 cubic feet of other material that was removed to get to the ore still on site.

This latest incident with regulators for Atlanta Gold comes as The Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center have gone back to court seeking a judges order finding the company in contempt of court.

If the mining company doesnt clean up its arsenic, taxpayers will have to do it

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mikel H. Williams, with the District of Idaho, ordered Atlanta Gold in 2012 to lower its discharging of arsenic and iron into Montezuma Creek, located 35 miles east of Idaho City, and to pay $2 million in fines for hundreds of violations under the federal Clean Water Act. The creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Boise River, which joins other bodies of water above Lucky Peak Dam and is a source of drinking water for many Treasure Valley communities.

In their most recent filing, the two environmental organizations claim that Atlanta Gold has engaged in more than 500 new violations of the Clean Water Act, while showing that the company has not paid its court-ordered fine.

In a response to the filing, the company said it had made some payments but that it cannot pay anymore at the present time because its only revenue is coming from loans, investors and royalties on future income, which still does not cover the cost of operation.

The financial condition of (Atlanta Gold) is grim, company attorney Michelle Points said in the companys response to the environmentalists call for contempt. There continues to be significant doubt that (Atlanta Gold) will be able to continue as a going concern if certain investment opportunities do not come to fruition.

Still, the company should be made to stop leaching arsenic into water that other people drink. If it fails to do so or cannot do so financially, that bill will fall to federal taxpayers, the paper said.

Sources:

IdahoStatesman.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

EPAWatch.org
(Natural News) As we approach the end of 2016, we have all shared extraordinary successes, breakthroughs and revolutionary realizations that have reshaped human history. It has been a vibrant journey to share 2016 with all of you, and I want to thank you for your support, your comments, your suggestions and your advocacy of our mission. Without your support, this website would not exist, and society would suffer the loss of an important dissenting voice as a result.

2016 was a year when the corrupt establishment realized they could be defeated by passionate people calling out for real change. From the BREXIT vote in the UK to the rejection of the deep corruption of Hillary Clinton and the DNC, people everywhere voted to overthrow the corrupt establishment and choose something radically different for human society.

All of us have been instrumental in seeing these changes take place. With your help, we all made a lasting difference. We helped defeat the evil Clinton machine while exposing the fake news lies of CNN, the Washington Post, NYT, MSNBC and all the other propagandists who pretend to be engaged in journalism.

In response, the Empire is determined to strike back. Fakebook has now appointed a cabal of actual whores at SNOPES to censor independent journalism by labeling it fake news. Indias financial minister has all but outlawed large denominations of cash currency, thrusting the entire nation into financial chaos as part of a plan to exercise police state control over citizens financial transactions. Germany is launching an actual Ministry of Truth to silence dissent, and the Obama subversion machine has announced a wholly fabricated scheme to punish Russia for its so-called election interference  but its actually a thinly veiled attempt to start World War III before Trump gets inaugurated on January 20.

Everywhere you turn, the globalist establishment is operating in panic mode to control financial markets, manipulate public opinion, override common sense and silence the truth in all its forms.

This can only mean we are close to achieving their defeat

We now stand on the verge of a global revolution in freedom and transparency that could make the entire globalist system of subterfuge, collusion and conspiracy all but obsolete. And you have a front row seat to all the action!

Great heroes of humanity like Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Sharyl Attkisson have helped make this happen. Champions of journalistic freedom like Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept have accelerated this trend, and I hope you agree that we here at the Natural News network have made meaningful contributions in the same direction.

Truly remarkable movies have also gained recognition this year while waking people up by the millions to the shocking matrix in which theyve been living. If I were to name the three most important films that gained traction in 2016, they would be:

The Big Short

Snowden (by Oliver Stone)

Boom Bust Boom

As more and more truth keeps coming out about really big issues  the massive global scandal of central banks and the Federal Reserve; the great harm caused to millions of children by vaccines; the massive treatment scam of the corrupt cancer industry; the total political corruption of the DNC and the Clinton mafia machine; the fake news propaganda of the mainstream media; the George Soros agenda to initiate a race war in America; the Barack Obama sleeper cell KGB subversion agenda to dismantle America; the total quack science hoax of man-made global warming; the Common Core agenda to teach our children false history  the appetite for even more truth just keeps accelerating. People have been fed lie after lie for so long that theyre now starving for truthful, honest information on every topic imaginable.

Thats our mission for 2017 and beyond: With your help, we are continuing to expand our content reach while scaling up our news operation to replace the imploding left-wing fakestream media.

Some of our plans to help expand human knowledge and consciousness

In 2017, we are launching a live daily news video broadcast. Were releasing a documentary film. Were launching dozens of new websites targeted to specific news themes (such as Environ.news, which focuses on environmental news). Were even expanding our in-house laboratory with robotic automation to test more samples with greater throughput, allowing us to publish more lab results for off-the-shelf products.

Were hiring new writers, editors and logistics coordinators. Were expanding our facilities to speed production and fulfillment times, and were expanding our range of lab-validated, super clean products offered through the Health Ranger Store.

Our goal is to bring you expanded awareness, critical thinking and intelligent analysis of world events. In doing so, we naturally seek to expose the corruption and criminality found in nearly every institution (medicine, media, government, education, etc.).

In pursuing all this, we face powerful and dangerous enemies of truth who are steeped in lies, deception and corruption. The entire left-wing media is an enemy of truth, and its joined by right-leaning organizations (such as Monsanto) which are also steeped in deep-rooted evil. The road wont be easy, but as we expose and dis-empower these evil actors in modern society, we find purpose and meaning in our own lives. And thats mostly why we keep doing what were doing because it matters.

With your support, 2017 stands to be the most extraordinary year weve ever shared together but it will also be the most treacherous for us all. The globalists are on the verge of criminalizing cash. The police state surveillance of private citizens has never been more intense. The global banking cartels are right now plotting a major market crash and debt collapse in order to blame Donald Trump for the ensuing financial turmoil. 2017 may be the year when the banks freeze all our accounts and transactions. Independent journalism websites like NaturalNews may be targeted for extreme censorship. Many patriots like myself may face unprecedented escalations of death threats and attempted acts of violence against us.

Yet none of these are sufficient reasons to stop marching forward for truth, transparency and the creation of a more free society for everyone. We must face tremendous evil head on and then defeat it. Otherwise, we will never know truth, freedom and real contentment in our lives.

Recognize you are participating in a spiritual battle of good vs. evil

Thats why I invite you to continue on this journey with me throughout 2017 and beyond. All I need is your continued support of the Health Ranger Store and its 600+ high-end products (with more being added every month). With your continued support, I will continue fighting to challenge the status quo, expose the lies and tell the truth on every subject that matters, from medicine to politics to consciousness.

I thank you for your trust in me, your dedication to our shared mission, and your tolerance of those times when I get too distracted by current events and fail to focus on the bigger long-term picture. My sincere hope and intention is that, throughout 2017, you and I achieve a far greater degree of self-reliance, insulation against financial disasters, and increased awakening of others around us who have slumbered for far too long in fairy tale land.

The time for humanity to fully awaken is now upon us. Yes, it means facing some disturbing realizations about the true nature of the deep evil that infests our society. From the pizza parlors in our nations capitol (that dont actually serve pizza, if you know what I mean), to the Satanic worship across Hollywood and the pop culture elite, I hope that 2017 is the year in which evil gets exposed and then destroyed across every sector of our society.

It is time that we recognized the true nature of the epic battle between good and evil playing out before us and embraced our roles in fighting on the side of truth to defeat deception. These are divinely inspired goals for our time, and they can empower us to keep moving forward, even when we are bombarded by lies, smears and the politics of personal destruction.

Never surrender to the obedient masses. Never give in to the evil that infests our sick culture. Never look at a living human infant and tell yourself its okay to chop that baby into pieces to be harvested for science. Draw the line with strong ethical and moral boundaries. Reject seduction, conformity and self-destruction. Invest in your knowledge, your health and your awareness, and you will be richly rewarded in 2017.

Trust in your expanded consciousness and critical thinking do NOT worship any human

Finally, do not ever surrender your dignity to any guru or leader or any cult of personality. Believe in yourself and your God do not be deceived into worshiping any human being or the ground upon which they walk. Reject cultism in all its forms, including political cultism, religious cultism and guru worship. Do not ever fall for the false belief that you must be directed by someone else in order to find your higher truth. False prophets abound. Many seem incredibly convincing. Most are complete frauds. Be wary of false prophets. Seek truth in Mother Nature, God and the divine. Only in those realms will you be presented with genuine truth, untainted by the selfish whims and thirst for power found among too many humans.

For the last eight years, many Americans have worshiped pure evil in the White House. Catholics have been deceived by their Pope. Healing arts practitioners have been suckered into following many false prophets. Techno-cultists have been suckered into believing that technology is their God. All of these have been convincing but false illusions.

My most important job, in fact, is to dispel the illusions that still infect your consciousness. Whether the subject is health, politics, history or science, my real aim is to help you break free from the false programming by which youve been indoctrinated. Its really that simple. At the end of the day, my aim is that you can see the world with perfect clarity, completely on your own, without any analysis or interpretation needed from anyone else (including me).

In essence, when I achieve my most important goal in all this, I will be obsolete and irrelevant because the things I write will have already been obvious to you before I even wrote them.

That, my friends, is the ultimate success as a writer and teacher. It is not to make you depend on any of my words, suggestions or influences, but rather to see you to the day where you no longer need anything I can offer because its already obvious to you via your own mental faculties and expanded awareness.

Hence, my real goal for the rest of my life is to render my work here increasingly irrelevant; an extinct throwback to an era in which truth was punished and deceptions were celebrated by a twisted society that has long since ceased to exist. Sadly, I doubt I will live long enough to see that day arrive, which means its up to YOU to carry the torch and help awaken others at every step of your journey. There is much work to be done, and achieving it will require partnership among all truth tellers.

Thats why when you find the truth on any important topic, the most important thing you can do is share it with others.

Join our Diaspora social network to experience a completely uncensored sharing platform controlled by We the People rather than deceptive globalists. Youll find it at Share.NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) If theres one thing the political Left hates more than anything else its an honest, open debate over ideals. Authoritarian to the core, Leftists shun debate and discussion because deep down, they know they cannot defend their positionsmore and bigger centralized government, top-down government-imposed solutions, big expensive bureaucracy, limited freedom and individualism.

So what does the Left seek to do instead? It seeks to shut down debate, shout down opponents, wall off competing ideas and censor anyone who doesnt toe the liberal line.

Thats what this business of rooting out so-called fake news by Facebook, Google, and other social media giants is really all about. After GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump mopped the floor with the Lefts anointed candidate, four-time loser Hillary Clinton, the insane Left began blaming fake news from alternative media sources (like ours) who dared to publish the truth about what Clinton stood for and how she, not Trump, was the one unfit for the Oval Office.

Now we are beginning to see just who is behind the effort to shut out our brand of honest reporting. As noted by the Free Thought Project, billionaire globalist George Soroswho has regularly funded anti-American political movements and causeshas his grimy fingerprints all over this effort.

Sleazy Soros and other Left-wing notables are behind all of this

Soros is among a number of Left-wing figures funding Facebooks latest attempt to censor competing political ideology and reporting of inconvenient facts. In recent days Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a plan to combat fake news, which was not something he was focused on until the mainstream Left began to put pressure on him following Clintons loss, the Free Thought Project noted. His decision was rightfully met with suspicion, consternation and angst from members of the alternative media who were not publishing fake news about Clinton and Democrats during the recent election cycle, but were doing the job of the old mainstream media in shining the light of scrutiny on all candidates.

What is especially onerous about the Facebook strategy is that the social media giant is partnering with news and fact-checking organizations who themselves have a history of Left-wing bias. The company said it would utilize fact-checkers form the trusted Poynter Institute, a claim that should have raised red flags and alarm bells because the institute is a recipient of funding from Soros Open Society Foundationas well as from Google, the Craig Newmark Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Omidyar Network and other noted Leftist groups.

It should further be noted that Pierre Omidyar, founder of Ebay, has given more than $30 million to the Clintons and their so-called charities, while the Gates have also contributed some $25 million to the Clinton Foundation, the Free Thought Project reported.

Also, Soroswho spent some $27 million in a losing effort to defeat President George W. Bush in 2004also ponied up more than $25 million to help Hillary Clinton and other Democrats this past election cycle.

In sum, this entire rooting out the fake news effort is nothing but an incestuous Left-wing effort to censor competing political ideas and other factual reporting that hurts the progressive cause, because the entities charged with anointing news as real or fake are extremely biased.

As the Ron Paul Institute says:

Never fear. A group of selfless and unbiased philanthropists have stepped forward to offer millions of dollars to assist these fact-checkers in their efforts to ferret out and disappear anything they determine to be fake news. It seems rather curious, however, that these donors are all in fact in one way or other completely beholden to Hillary Clinton and the left-interventionists of the Democratic Party.

With the known Leftist players both funding and participating in this Facebook effort to quell fake news, dont expect anything short of outright censorship of the alternative media, the only news organizations who do real, factual, and honest reporting these days.

Sources:

TheFreeThoughtProject.com

BusinessInsider.com

ZeroHedge.com

RonPaulInstitute.org
President Obama has just signed legislation that may heighten tensions with Russia and China and potentially launch the country on an expensive and ambitious effort to build space-based defense systems.



The National Defense Authorization Act is a year-end policy bill that encompasses virtually every aspect of the US military. It has two provisions with potentially momentous consequences.



According to the LA Times, the word "limited" is from language describing the mission of the country's homeland missile defense system. It's designed to thwart a small-scale attack by a non-superpower such as North Korea or Iran. A related provision has called for the Pentagon to begin "research, development, test and evaluation" of space-based systems for missile defense.



Together, these provisions signal that the US will seek to use advanced technology to defeat both small-scale and large-scale nuclear attacks. This could unsettle the decades-old balance of power among major nuclear states.



Huge bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress have approved the policy changes over the past month with virtually no public debate. However, although the White House had earlier criticized the changes, it stopped short of threatening a veto. On Friday, Obama signed the legislation.



LA Times notes that the president criticized various aspects of the bill, including the structure of a cyber-security command and limits on administrative leave for employees -- but they didn't say anything about the changes in nuclear defense policy.



Leading defense scientists said the idea that a space-based system could provide security against nuclear attack is a fantasy.



L. David Montague, a retired president of missile systems for Lockheed Corp. and co-chair of a National Academy of Sciences panel that studied missile defense technologies, said it "defies" the laws of physics and is not based on science of any kind.



Rep. Trent Franks, who introduced the policy changes in the House, said he drew inspiration from President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative of the 1980s. The initiative intended to use lasers and other space-based weaponry to render nuclear weapons "important and obsolete."



According to LA Times, this was known as "Star Wars" and the initiative cost taxpayers $30 billion, but no such system was developed.



Franks said the country should maintain and improve a robust layered missile defense system that's capable of defending the US territory and its allies against the developing and increasingly-l complex ballistic missile threat.
The independent counsel took out an arrest warrant for Chung on charges of obstruction of justice on Dec. 20.

Chung Yoo-ra (20), allegedly a major beneficiary of an extortion racket her mother ran with the connivance of the presidential office, is thought to be hiding in Germany and has refused to answer repeated summons from Korea.

The independent counsel investigating massive corruption at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday asked Interpol to issue an all-points bulletin for the daughter of President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.

Chung, a budding equestrian, was the beneficiary of millions of euros from Samsung to buy her a purebred horse and stables in Germany. She is also listed as a co-owner of several paper companies her mother established in Germany, allegedly to launder money extorted from big conglomerates here.

Her underhand preferential admission to Ewha Womans University and special privileges as an equestrian were revoked earlier this month as the scandal engulfed the head of the prestigious school, who resigned in disgrace.

Lee Kyu-chul of the independent counsel's team said, "Chung deserves to be on the Interpol's wanted list based on the charges specified in her arrest warrant."

Choi denies all charges and has been stonewalling under questioning, but she reportedly gets agitated the moment her daughter is mentioned. Investigators apparently hope she will become more cooperative if Chung is brought back.

Chung is reported to have retained a lawyer in Germany.

The independent counsel has also slapped a travel ban on Chung's father, Choi's former husband Chung Yoon-hoi.


NASA and ESA's eye in the sky, the Hubble Space Telescope, spotted another stellar spiral galaxy in space. The newly detected galaxy was located in the Hunting Dog constellation.

The spiral galaxy is known as NGC 4707. Hubble managed to capture a high-resolution image of the galaxy that shows its formation.

The image is so detailed that some smaller stars that haven't been detected before were identified for the first time using the image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. In order to produce a high-resolution image of the galaxy, Hubble used its Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

Scientists are particularly interested in studying other forms of galaxies including spirals. The name of the galaxies usually begins with New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC).

It was in 1789 when astronomer William Herschel first discovered the spiral galaxy in the Hunting Dog constellation also known as Canes Venatici, according to a report.

Herschel described NGC 4707 a small galaxy categorized as stellar. A galaxy can be called a spiral if it has loose, undefined arms. The bulges inside a galaxy also affect its category; spirals have a very small to none bulge on the center where stars were seen scattered against the black backdrop with a dominant blue glow.

"The blue smudges seen across the frame highlight regions of recent or ongoing star formation, with newborn stars glowing in bright, intense shades of cyan and turquoise," a NASA official said in a press release.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been "chasing down" galaxies and providing clearer pictures of the formations in the sky to allow scientists to better understand them.

It was established that the spiral galaxy found in the Hunting Dog or Canes Venatici constellation is about 22 million light-years away from the planet, according to a report.

After more than 20 years, the Hubble Space Telescope finally captured more information about Herschel's discovery, the spiral galaxy NGC 4707.
A high-tech laboratory located one kilometer underground will be used in an attempt to detect the never-before-seen elusive dark matter.

At the pitch-black Stawell gold mine, cosmic rays won't be able to come in and interfere with the supersensitive test equipment that researchers are using to find the mysterious matter.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Adelaide will work together for the ambitious project, which will commence in 2017. In an interview with Herald Sun, University of Adelaide's Anthony Williams said the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) would be a 20- to 30-minute drive from the surface.

"We are going deep underground to get rid of those annoying cosmic rays," Williams said.



Another researcher, in the name of Professor Geoffrey Taylor, a physicist from the University of Melbourne, said another important feature of the Australian mine is that the activity there is slowing down.

"Deep mining has ceased and they're re-mining some of the material further to the surface so it makes sense to make use of this while the mining company is there and the deep areas are available to us," Taylor told ABC.

So how exactly will they know if they already have found the dark matter? The laboratory will have highly sensitive detector --- the SABRE (Sodium-iodide with Active Background REjection) detector --- an "incredibly pure" crystal of sodium iodide, which will emit a flash of light once a dark matter touches the nucleus of one of its atoms.

The SUPL, Southern Hemisphere's first underground particle physics laboratory, is perfect experiment if we want to eliminate the effect of seasonal changes.

According to The Conversation, SUPL will be housed in a 10-meter-wide, 35-meter-long void that will be wrung into the rock. It will be reinforced with dozens of long bolts penetrating deep into the surrounding rock, and the walls will have a thick layer of shotcrete sprayed for further stability.
Global cheetah population has dropped with just 7,100 left.

Research led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has found that the sharp decline can be attributed to their dwindling space of habitat.

"Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetah, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, mean that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought," Dr. Sarah Durant, who is leading the cheetah conservation program, said in a press release.



The species had already been driven out of 91 percent of its historic habitat. Durant added that because cheetahs are widest-ranging carnivores that travel far and outside reserves to catch their prey, they have been difficult to track down. Such difficulty lead to overlooking their plight.

BBC said another of the big concerns about cheetahs has been the illegal trafficking of cubs. The young cats can fetch up to $10,000 on the black market, the report said. According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, some 1,200 cheetah cubs are known to have been trafficked out of Africa over the past 10 years and around 85 percent of them died during the journey.



At present, more than half the world's surviving cheetahs -- about 4,000 adults and adolescents -- live in one population that ranges across six countries in Southern Africa. The rest are found in small populations, such as about 50 in Iran, Science Alert reported.

Durant said they are going all out on their efforts to reserve the decline, however, funding constraints had been hampering their plans.

"We have worked with range state governments and the cheetah conservation community to put in place comprehensive frameworks for action to save the species, but funds and resources are needed to implement them. The recent decisions made at the CITES CoP17 meeting in Johannesburg represent a significant breakthrough particularly in terms of stemming the illegal flow of live cats trafficked out of the Horn of Africa region. However, concerted action is needed to reverse ongoing declines in the face of accelerating land use changes across the continent," she said.
Manufacturers have already made it clear: the future of manufacturing will have more technology, greater automation and an increased use of collaborative robots.



According to WZZM 13, the Grand Rapids Business Journal said that there are already 35,000 robots being sold annualy. And each year, these robots become cheaper and their abilities to operate more detailed tasks grows exponentially with implementations including camera systems and cloud technology.



Mark Lindquist, chairman of Rapid-Line in Wyoming, said his company has 150 employees and 13 robots, two of which are Baxter-brand collaborative robots and he expects the number to grow.



He noted that currently, their robots cost the company $4 an hour and are able to do some of the most redundant and low-level tasks with greater consistency than their more "expensive" human counterparts. He said robots using lasers are able to perform 2D and 3D inspection for parts, far exceeding what the human eye could do.



However, according to Business Insider, people who are worried about what robots would do to human workers should be glad to know that there are still plenty of jobs available: much of those concerning high-level thinking, and therefore more education.



Lindquist added only 5 percent of manufacturing jobs can only be completely automated, leaving a need for plenty of human workers in the manufacturing sector. He added that jobs for robot techs will continue to grow, attracting those who have a knack for robotics.



Cedric Duclos, president and CEO of Hutchison North America in Grand Rapids, believes that not even the most advanced collaborative robots will lead to the extinction of the manufacturing workforce.



Instead, he said they may lead to job openings in other areas of manufacturing, like positions that don't currently exist but will be created as a result of the technology.



For instance, humans can still analyze a problem as robots can't think analytically -- yet.



According to an earlier report by Digital Trends, robots may replace some 5-million jobs by 2020 due to their addition in the automation industry.



The jobs most at risk of being replaced by machines are located on the "administrative and routine white-collar office functions," but humans still "retain relatively good potential for upskilling, redeployment and productivity enhancement through technology rather than pure substitution."
The year 2016 is indeed a period of reckoning. Minus the tensions and uncertainty in terms of politics and social upheaval, 2016 has been a huge year for the realm of technology and science.



According to 3Ders, it appears humans marrying robots will be the norm within the next 35 years. According to robotics expert David Levy, who spoke at a Love and Sex with Robots conference at Goldsmiths University, London, humans marrying robots will be more common given how AI technologies are being refined.



While we haven't gone full Westworld yet, there is already evidence of human and robot relations. A woman from France named Lilly identifies herself as a robosexual and has a "happy" relationship with a robot she 3D printed and has been living for a year.



The robot, called InMoovator, was created with the help of open-source technologies provided by French InMoov designer Gael Langevin.



His platform not only supplies the necessary files for 3D Printing the open-source life-size robots, but also the instructions how to build it.



Lilly explained she has known for some time that she's only attracted to robots, and she realized at the age of 19 that she wasn't attracted to humans but only to droids. Currently, she is engaged to robot partner and plans to marry it by the time France legalizes human-robot marriage.



According to 3Ders, whether this is part of the French government's agenda is not yet clear.



She explained her alternative lifestyle to the press, adding she's only attracted to robots. Her only two relationships with men confirmed such an orientation, as she dislikes really physical contact with the human flesh.



Lilly built InMoovator for herself using open-source technology and 3D printing. Though it's not yet clear what the robot is actually capable of, it does bear a human likeness, especially in the eyes. Lilly is reportedly a roboticist in training.



While the relationships is admittedly strange, there is perhaps something appealing about being able to update, adjust and correct your partner to suit your needs perfectly. However, if Levy is any indication, then this may be the beginning of a growing trend.
A Riverside man was arrested after he slashed the throat of a neighbor's pit bull after it had fatally attacked his poodle, officials said.

The pit bull later died of its injuries.

At around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, the pit bull's owner came out of her house when she heard a disturbance and saw her dog was holding a neighbor's poodle in its mouth by the neck, according to notes taken by Officer Max Morales of Animal Services.

The poodle's owner, Rudy Jesus Barajas of Riverside, 30, along with two other neighbors, attempted to free the poodle from the pit bull's maw, according to Morales.

After the pit bull had released the poodle, Barajas dragged it into his house from the street and slit its throat with a knife, according to a statement given by the poodle owner to Morales.

The pit bull then ran back to its owner and collapsed. The owner took the dog to the veterinarian but it died on the way there, officials said.

Barajas' stepfather, Raul Romero, told Morales that "the poodle was in its rightful property when the pit bull entered the yard and attacked." He also said the pit bull tried to bite Barajas.

The poodle was still alive after it was released by the pit bull but subsequently died of its injuries.

The pit bull's owner, Carina Garcia, said she owns up for what her dog, Devo, did, but cannot forgive her neighbor for his actions.

"Maybe an apology wouldn't hurt because I think I owe them an apology too because of what my dog did to them," she said.

Barajas was arrested at his home in the 4900 block of Hollyhock Lane on suspicion of animal cruelty.

California law allows property owners to protect themselves and their pets when attacked. However, the deliberate killing of an animal can result in felony charges.

"He was always very joyful," Garcia said. "I lost what kept me happy and what reminded me of him."

Animal services concluded that the attack on the pit bull was not defensive and only prolonged the incident.

Barajas was booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty at the Robert Presley Detention Center and was released after posting a $10,000 bail. He would not respond to requests for comment from NBC4.

Riverside County Animal Services said Garcia could also be cited for not having her dog on a leash.
Designers in San Francisco are thinking outside the box in trying to rescue an old waterfront firehouse. More specifically, they're thinking on top of the water, with the creation of a floating fire station.

Station 35 is showing its age and sitting in a danger zone where its survival would be challenged by rising water levels and earthquakes. So officials are seeking a solution off shore.

"We know we need to make it more resilient for earthquakes and for sea level rise," said Rachel Gordon, of San Francisco's Public Works Department.

Just down the street from the station, water poured onto the Embaracdero during a king tide. Firefighters said the station hasn't flooded yet. But crews have moved fireboats to Treasure Island during stormy high tides to prevent them from damaging the dock.

With conditions changing, designers are looking for a safe station solution.

The fire commission and the port commission are supporting plans for a floating station, allowing the structure to go up and down with sea level rise and be more resilient in an earthquake.

Having fire fighters and fire boats ready to respond after an earthquake is crucial, Gordon said.

After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, crews used the fire boat to get water to crews in the marina. Without the boat pumping water, more homes would have burned, fire officials said.

But is a floating fire station cost effective?

"It's about $100,000 less than a fixed pier, where we sink piles down into the bay mud," Gordon said.

The project is expected to cost more than $6 million, paid for with voter-approved earthquake bond money. But the Department of Public Works said it still needs state and federal approval because of it's a waterfront location.
A Hayward man went to a Target store to buy gifts for his children on Christmas Eve, but was stabbed to death in front of his 4-year-old son.

The victim, identified as Tyrone Griffin Jr., was attacked after he confronted a pair of men who were allegedly playing inappropriate music in the toy section, a witness said. Two men are in custody in connection with the 36-year-old man's death.

Sgt. Ruben Pola said Griffin Jr. was seen fighting inside the store on Whipple Road at 8 p.m. Dec. 24, shortly before the stabbing.

The witness said he saw Griffin Jr. put one man in a headlock, but was punched or stabbed repeatedly by another man. When Griffin Jr. lifted up his shirt, the witness said he was bleeding badly. The victim then crossed into the food aisle and went into shock in front of his child, he said.

When police arrived at the store, they helped take the father-of-four to Eden Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Griffin Jr.'s wife Nicole Simmons set up a GoFundMe page on Tuesday.

She wrote: "Words can't describe the pain I feel inside. My heart continues to beat but I don't feel alive. My children wake up on Christmas Day. But their father was killed the night before and I don't know what to say. How do I explain to my children that their father will no longer be coming home."

According to Simmons, one of the couple's children, Josh, had more presents than his sister Jade  a situation that Griffin Jr. set out to rectify.

Simmons said Griffin Jr. had promised her that this would be "the greatest Christmas ever." To that end, he spent hours putting up the family's Christmas tree, setting up a train set, hanging lights and decorating the house.

"I think at times he was more excited than the kids," Simmons wrote. "Who would have ever thought these last minute gifts would cost him his life. What type of person would take a life in front of a child. My children are fatherless because of a thoughtless act of rage. Something that could have been totally avoided just by walking away."

As of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 46 people had helped raised $2,225 of Simmons's $8,000 goal.

Within hours of Saturday's stabbing, police arrested two men on the 30000 block of Industrial Parkway whom they they believe were responsible for Griffin Jr.'s death. Pola did not elaborate what links the suspects to the homicide.

Police said that they spent Tuesday in meetings with prosecutors from the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. The suspects will not be identified until that process has been completed and they have been officially charged, they said.

The stabbing was Hayward's 13th homicide of the year.
A man driving to Fairfield in August 2015 was arrested after "weaving in and out of traffic almost causing several collisions," but he wasn't under the influence of alcohol, according to the arresting officer.

Following a blood test, caffeine was determined to be the only drug pumping through the driver's system, as reported by NBC affiliate KCRA.

After stopping the driver, who was identified as 36-year-old Joseph Schwab, the arresting officer found legal workout supplements in the car, conducted multiple field sobriety tests and noticed that Schwab's pupils were dilated, according to KCRA.

Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams added that "the driver seemed very amped up, very agitated, very combative, and (the arresting officer) thought he was under the influence of something," according to KCRA.

Schwab maintains his innocence.

"I was 100 percent confident that I was not under the influence of anything," he told KCRA.

That plea doesn't seem to be working.

Abrams is still attempting to finalize a DUI charge, but she admitted that a conviction will not be simple to pull off, as reported by KCRA. The district attorney claims that an unknown drug, which did not register on the original blood test, is what truly impaired Schwab's driving ability.

Yes, caffeine is a drug, but it is not often associated with impaired driving, independent forensic toxicologist Edwin Smith told KCRA.

Smith believes that the drug could actually improve a driver's ability to stay focused behind the wheel.

Schwab and his attorney have filed a motion to have any charges be dismissed, according to KCRA. In their minds, driving while being under the influence of caffeine is not a criminal act.
Twenty-nine lawmakers on Tuesday deserted the ruling Saenuri Party and announced their plan to found a new outfit tentatively called the New Conservative Party for Reform.

The desertion of the lawmakers, none of whom belong to the faction loyal to embattled President Park Geun-hye, reduces Saenuri's seats from 128 to 99 so it is no longer the biggest party in the National Assembly.

The distinction goes instead to the main opposition Minjoo Party, which has 121 seats.

Senior Lawmaker Kim Yong-tae, who already quit Saenuri along with Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil on Nov. 22, joined the new party, bringing its total seats to 30. Nam is also expected to join.
What to Know The bodies of 36-year-old Felicia Barahona and her 4-year-old son were found in a Manhattan apartment Monday

Barahona was found strangled; her son was found unresponsive in a bathtub

Isaac Duran, a former student of Barahona's and the father of her baby, was arrested on murder charges

UPDATE: Ex-Student Who Fathered Teacher's Child Killed in Anger Over Boy Being Dressed in Girl's Clothing; Video Shows Him Pacing Outside Apartment on Day of Killings: NYPD

The ex-lover of a former New York City schoolteacher has been arrested on murder charges after the woman and their 4-year-old son were found dead in her Manhattan apartment Monday.

Isaac Duran Infante, 23, was taken into custody Tuesday in the deaths of 36-year-old Felicia Barahona and their 4-year-old son Miguel, and confessed to killing them, a law enforcement source told NBC 4 New York.

The medical examiner has determined Barahona died from strangulation by the electrical cord, and her son died of asphyxia from neck compression.

Duran Infante was a former student of Barahona's, and their son was born from their affair, which began when he was 17 years old.

A source told NBC 4 New York that Duran Infante, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, confessed to the double killing in part because he was dissatisfied with the way his son was being raised by Barahona.

Duran Infante said nothing to reporters as he was led in handcuffs from the police stationhouse where he was interviewed.

His anguished grandmother, who lives in the Bronx, told NBC 4 New York in Spanish she wanted justice and that she knows her grandson is innocent of the charges.

Another relative of Duran Infante, Janiel Santana, said, "It's hard to believe they're dead. When we heard the news, we thought this has got to be a mistake."

The couple shared custody of the child, relatives said. Miguel's father's side of the family was expecting to see the boy for New Year's Eve to give him his Christmas presents.

Barahona lost her job as a science teacher at DeWitt Clinton High School in 2013, shortly after she became pregnant and school administrators learned of her illicit relationship with a student.

Felicia Barahona was found dead, an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, on the living room floor of her West 153rd Street apartment in Hamilton Heights around 8:15 a.m. Monday after the building super was alerted about a smell, police said. Her son Miguel was found unresponsive in a bathtub, police said. Investigators believe the duo had been dead several days.

Neighbors described Miguel as a sweet boy.

"It's sad. It's a little life," said Elia Flores, adding of his mother, "I've known her for a lot of years that she live here."
The Amazon Echo is a voice-activated smart speaker that plays music, gives the weather forecast and updates its owner's shopping lists, among other everyday tasks.

But prosecutors in Arkansas believe one such virtual assistant may hold something far more crucial: data that can help in a murder trial.

The case against Bentonville resident James Bates is gaining national attention after prosecutors confirmed there is an active warrant to obtain information from his Amazon Echo, NBC News reported.

While Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told NBC News they're not trying to force Amazon to comply with the warrant  and the e-commerce giant says it has refused anyway  the case is putting a spotlight on how newer types of personal technology have become sought-after pieces of evidence.
At the start of 2017, Chicago residents will face a host of new taxes and fees, from a substantial property tax hike to a new bag tax at the grocery store.

Heres a look at some of the new city laws taking effect in 2017:

Property Tax

Mayor Rahm Emanuel revealed his 2016 budget proposal last September, calling for a proposed $543 million property tax hike to raise money for pension payments for police and firefighters. As a result, the city adopted a four-year property tax increase.

The average homeowner in Chicago will now see property bills go up nearly 13 percent or just over $400 per year. Individual increases will likely swing much higher or lower, according to the Cook County Accessors Office. The increases are expected to vary widely based on a propertys change in current market value.

Chicagos Property Tax Rebate Program is set to expire Friday after being extended last month, although some homeowners might still need to cash in on the offer. City homeowners can still apply for a rebate at any of the citys over 20 neighborhood locations through Friday. For additional information about the program and how to apply, visit here.

Water Tax

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposed water and sewer tax hike, aimed at stabilizing pension funds for municipal employees, was approved by Chicago's City Council in September. The increase is set to begin 2017, generating an expected $56 million that year and approximately $239 million annually by 2020 and 2021.

Average city homeowners are expected to pay roughly $53 more in taxes in 2017. That number increases to roughly $115 in 2018, $181 in 2019 and $226 in 2020 and 2021, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Additionally, Chicagoans who dont pay their water and sewer bills within 24 days would incur an additional interest charge of .25 percent per month.

Bag Tax

Starting in 2017, Chicagoans will be charged an additional seven cents for each bag needed to pack their goods at retail stores.

The 7 cents-a-bag fee was a compromise decided on when Mayor Emanuel agreed to lift the plastic bag ban in the city. Its expected to generate roughly $13 million a year, with the city receiving about $9.2 million and the additional amount going to store merchants. The tax applies to both paper and plastic bags.

Parking Meters

Another item on the mayors 2017 agenda calls for the creation of hundreds of new parking meter spaces downtown, as well as an increase to current parking costs.

Near Wrigley Field, parking meter costs will spike up to $4 per hour, with rates for loading zones rising up to $14 per hour. Costs to park at both Chicago airports will also rise dramatically under Emanuels 2017 proposal.

Amusement Tax

Buying tickets to sporting events or shows like Hamilton will also get more expensive in 2017. Emanuels new budget plan includes a 3.5 percent amusement tax to be added on the full price of such items. Currently, customers are only taxed on the markup.
Shelly LeGere says she knows nothing can bring her daughter back, but through her family's tragedy, she's now determined to help others.

"I don't want another parent to have to go through what my family has gone through and Annie's friends," she said.

It was in August of 2015 that 13-year-old Annie LeGere was at a friend's house for a sleepover when she had a sudden allergic reaction.

"I arrived at the house, which was not even five minutes from my house, and her classmates ran out to me and said, 'Mrs. LeGere, she's not breathing, she's on kitchen floor," Legere said.

An emergency shot of epinephrine with an EpiPen could have saved Annie's life. But the officer who showed up didn't have one, and Annie didn't survive.

"She was without oxygen for too long and her brain had irreversible damage," LeGere said.

Shortly after Annie's death, her parents started the Annie LeGere Foundation, which donated $40K to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday. That money will be used to buy 92 pens for the department and first aid kits in the jail.

"It will provide precious minutes to those suffering from anaphylaxis until advanced care can be rendered," said Col. Frank Bibbiano of the sheriff's office.

The newly-passed Annie LeGere Law also allows for first responders to be trained on how to use and administer EpiPens - a practice that was previously prohibited in Illinois.

LeGere said she suffered the ultimate loss, but it's her work to help others that she focuses on now.

"If this can help save even one child, which I know it already has, or an adult, or anybody it lessens the pain for me," Legere said Tuesday. "She loved me to the moon and back and I loved her, and I always will."
As the city nears the end of a year marked by a massive spike in violence, the number of arrests in Chicago has fallen by 28 percent since 2015, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of crime statistics.

The number of arrests in Chicago is on target to be the citys lowest since at least 2001, the Sun-Times' report found.

Chicago police were on pace to make roughly 50,000 arrests in 2016, which is down from over 69,000 arrests the previous year. The years current total accounts for less than half the citys arrests in 2010, when Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office.

According to the Sun-Times analysis, arrests are down in every district in the city. The steepest drops can be seen in high-crime areas, like Englewood and Austin.

Additionally, narcotics arrests have fallen by about half, which could be tied to a new state law that took effect this summer decriminalizing possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana. The CPD is expected to make 4,200 arrests for misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2016. Thats down from 20,000 arrests five years ago.

Police Supt. Eddie Johnson claimed the numbers reflect the CPDs focus on addressing gun violence and improving relationships community relations, according to the Sun-Times report.

We want to arrest the right people at the right times for the right reasons, Johnson told the paper. But just indiscriminately stopping people? No. We cannot arrest our way out of this.

Johnson told the Sun-Times that the department is relying less on broken window policing, a strategy that emphasizes heavy enforcement of low-level crimes to send a message to criminals. The superintendent explained that the CPD is prioritizing gun crimes over low-level narcotics offenses.

Additionally, Johnson rejects the Ferguson effect, a theory that claims violence has risen because cops are holding back amid protests over police violence. However, he told the paper that many police feel vilified, while some have been slowed down learning new legal requirements for street stops.

Meanwhile, civil rights groups have welcomed the decline in arrests, according to the report.

Our perspective is: The fewer people in jail, the better it is for our communities, Deangelo Bester, executive director of the Workers Center for Racial Justice, told the Sun-Times.

Bester explained that resources from CPD stops could be diverted back into neighborhood development.

Natalie Howse, president of the Cook County Bar Association, told the Sun-Times that her group supports policing that is more concerned with respect for the rule of law and individual rights, rather than the number of arrests.

If the Chicago Police Department has placed greater focus on reducing the violent crime that plagues our city, and that new emphasis has temporarily resulted in fewer arrests of non-violent offenders, the CCBA welcomes that strategy so long as the cost is not allowing black communities to descend into lawlessness, Howse said.

Some officers, who spoke to the Sun-Times on the condition of not being named, told the paper that cops are being less aggressive because they're worried about being caught on video making an honest mistake in the line of duty. Others dismissed that reasoning, arguing that body cameras and documentation will help cops do their jobs.

"Those are people looking for an excuse," a veteran North Side supervisor told the Sun-Times. "What they're saying is that I liked it better when no one was recording when I trounced on someone's head."
Chicagos Property Tax Rebate Program is set to expire Friday after being extended last month, although some homeowners might still need to cash in on the offer.

In July, City Council unanimously approved an estimated $21 million property tax rebate program, which is aimed at giving property tax relief to Chicagoans facing a four-year hike included in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's 2016 budget.

The program provides homeowners with a household adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less with a rebate to help offset their property tax increases. The rebate, which is determined using the increase in the homeowners city property taxes and income, is a fixed amount between $25 and $200.

However, the rebate program hasn't exactly been a runaway hit with property owners. Last month, Emanuels office announced that over 11,000 Chicago homeowners had applied for a rebate, although the city originally estimated that the program would aid 155,000 residents.

At the time, the average rebate amount was $109 with a total of over $1.2 million scheduled to be provided to Chicagoans, which means that roughly $19 million in rebates were still unclaimed at the end of November.

City homeowners can still apply for a rebate at any of the citys over 20 neighborhood locations through Friday. For additional information about the program and how to apply, visit here.
A man who was shot by police as he allegedly held an elderly man at knifepoint at a suburban mall Tuesday has died, authorities confirmed.

The 41-year-old man was pronounced dead just before 5 p.m. Tuesday at Loyola University Medical Center, according to North Riverside police.

Officers shot the man after he allegedly attempted to rob a bank and held an elderly man at knifepoint as a human shield inside a Burlington Coat Factory in suburban North Riverside, authorities said.

No bystanders were injured during the incident, the North Riverside Police Department said in a news release.

Officers responded to an attempted bank robbery at TCT Bank on the 7200 block of West 24th street about 12:28 p.m., police said.

Officers made contact with the suspect walking north along the strip stores east of TCF bank and ordered him to the ground, the release reads. The suspect ignored the officers commands, removed an object from his pocket and pointed it directly at them.

Police said the man then fled on foot into the Burlington Coat Factory where he then pointed the object at police several times. The man then grabbed an elderly bystander and held him at knifepoint in an attempt to use him as a human shield, police said.

The man resisted and pulled away from the suspect enough to allow officers to discharge their firearms striking the offender, the release says.

One witness, Frank Tortorich, reported a man walked into a store before being swarmed by police. He said he heard five or six shots fired in the area at the time.

The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force is now investigating. The two officers involved in the shooting are on paid leave pending the results of the investigation.
A federal court in Michigan ruled in favor of police shooting a dog that moves or barks when an officer enters a home.

NBC affiliate WCMH-TV reports the decision stems from an incident in Battle Creek, Michigan that left two dogs dead while police officers were executing a search warrant on a home looking for drugs.

Court documents show a petition was filed by Mark and Cheryl Brown after the pet owners say officers unlawfully seized their property in violation of the Fourth Amendment when officers shot and killed two dogs while executing the warrant in their home, according to WCMH.

Officers involved in the shooting testified that one of the couples pit bulls lunged at them before retreating to the basement of the home, according to court documents, where it was shot and killed. One of the officers then shot the second dog after turned and barked, WCMH reports.

The officer said in court that he shot the dog after he saw blood coming out of numerous holes in the dog anddid not want to see it suffer so he put her out of her misery and fired the last shot, according to WCMH.

In the courts decision to defend the shooting of the animals, according to WMCH, Judge Eric Clay said that Mark and Cheryl Brown failed to provide evidence that their dogs did not lunge or bark at the officers.

Given the totality of the circumstances and viewed from the perspective of an objectively reasonable officer, the dog poses an imminent threat to the officers safety, Clay said in a statement to WCMH on his decision. The standard we set out today is that a police officers use of deadly force against a dog while executing a search warrant to search a home for illegal drug activity is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment whenthe dog poses an imminent threat to the officers safety.
Do you remember precisely what you were doing on a specific day in 1997? Chances are you don't and neither does former Chicago resident Maya Holcomb. But one thing the current resident of Indiana does know: she never received the parking ticket on 217 South 24th Street she's accused of getting nearly 20 years ago. How can she be so sure? Because the street doesnt exist. Still, that didnt stop the city and its collection services from tracking her down nearly 20 years later, demanding that she pay up.

Her story started in October, when she got an intimidating letter from a law firm, notifying Holcomb she owed the city $73 for a parking ticket dating back 19 years.

"When I took the letter out, I looked at the date and I said March 1997? I said that was 19 years ago," Holcomb recounted. So right away I said this is ridiculous!

Holcomb had never seen the decades old ticket before and her window to fight it was long over.

"It said, you know, that the time has passed to contest this ticket and I'm like of course I mean it was 19 years ago, you know," Holcomb said.

The City has unlimited time to dig back into archives and chase down a driver for a parking fine, a fact we reported on back in 2015.

But it was what Holcomb learned when she plugged the address in to Google maps, that made her jaw drop.

"The address on that ticket does not exist. There's no such thing as South 24th Street. It's either East 24th street or West 24th Street, Holcomb said.

Shes right. We checked. 24th Street is an East West street.

"That ticket clearly says South 24th Street and it's not an accurate address. I'm not going to pay for something that is not valid. I'm just flat out against it," Holcomb said.

Thats when she decided to reach out to NBC 5 Responds.

So I went online and I filled out the online form and 10 minutes later I got a phone call from you and I just thought that was amazing, Holcomb said.

After our call, the city moved to vacate the ticket and the $73 fine. It was news Holcomb was happy to hear.

Wow, OK. I think it's awesome, I mean I think it's absolutely awesome, Holcomb said.

A spokesperson for the city tells NBC 5 Responds the ticket was wiped out because of the error. The city said it sends multiple notifications to ticketed drivers, and pointed out Holcomb never contested her ticket. Holcomb said thats because she never got the ticket.
Authorities say a 37-year-old man fatally shot another man in suburban Chicago after seeing the victim attend a movie with a woman he was likely stalking.

Kenneth S. Seplak of Round Lake Beach is charged with first-degree murder for the Dec. 23 death of 30-year-old David E. Gorski of Libertyville. A Lake County judge on Wednesday ordered Seplak held on $3 million bond.

Sgt. Christopher Covelli is spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force. He says Gorski was seeing a woman who was being stalked by Seplak. Covelli says that after seeing Gorski and the woman go to the movies together, Seplak followed Gorski in his car and shot him.

Defense attorney Steven McCollum says Seplak is a "steady guy" with no criminal history.

Gorski's family says his nickname was "Sweet Dave," he was an avid baseball player and was loved by family and friends.

He was at the movies Friday in Vernon Hills with a woman from Wauconda he'd known for a while, family said.

The two arrived in separate vehicles and left in separate vehicles, Covelli said. Shortly after leaving was when he was found deceased in his vehicle with a gunshot wound.

What investigators determined from Mr. Seplaks cellphone and GPS tracking is that he was here at the movie theater when the victim was here with his girlfriend, Covelli said.

He said a bullet extracted from Gorskys body during an autopsy matched a .38 caliber revolver found at a residence in unincorporated Antioch police have connected Seplak to.

Seplaks attorney told NBC 5 that his client has no criminal background and the evidence against Seplak is circumstantial.

[Its] certainly a sad account for everybody that was involved.

Gorsky worked for five years at Medline Medical Supplies and had a quiet nature about him, his family said.

Authorities say this is the first homicide in Libertyville in a decade.
A Korean diplomat in Chile has been fired after he was sent home in disgrace for molesting underage girls there.

The diplomat, surnamed Park, defended himself at a disciplinary hearing at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, but the ministry said sexual harassment of minors is beyond the pale.

Earlier this month, Park allegedly made advances to a 13-year-old girl in Chile who had come to learn Korean under an initiative to promote Korean pop culture there.
Gov. Bruce Rauner published an op-ed in Crain's Chicago Business Wednesday, urging the Illinois General Assembly to reform the states workers compensation system.

In his piece, Rauner framed workers compensation reform as a key component of the states economic recovery. The governor noted that Illinois total employment peaked in 2000 and that the state would have added 600,000 jobs since then if it kept pace with the rest of the nations economic growth.

He claimed the states high property taxes and uncompetitive workers compensation system are deterrents for business owners.

When it comes to job creation, we have continued to advocate for changes to the workers compensation system because of its direct impact on state government and job creation, Rauner wrote. "As part of a balanced budget, workers compensation reform should be a core part of a comprehensive agreement."

Employers in Illinois spend roughly $3 billion yearly on workers' compensation costs to cover medical expenses and disability claims, according to Rauner, who added that government employees apply for workers comp 50 percent more than those in the private sector.

After being sworn in nearly two years ago, Rauner unveiled his 44 point Turnaround Agenda for Illinois, but has spent much of his term battling House Speaker Michael Madigan and Illinois Democrats, who remain opposed to his platform that includes anti-union legislation, term limits for elected officials and redistricting reform, among several other proposals.

After facing stiff opposition from Madigan and other Democrats, the states current stopgap funding compromise includes little trace of his agenda. The compromise was passed at the end of June after Illinois went a year and a half without a budget, and is set to expire at the end of the year.

Since unveiling his agenda, Rauner has narrowed his plan to a handful of points: term limits, more jobs, lower property taxes, better schools, pension reform and workers compensation reform.

Rauner halted further budget negotiations earlier this month, calling on Democrats to present a budget proposal. In response, Madigans office claimed Monday that the onus is on Rauner, who bears the constitutional duty as governor to submit a balanced budget to the General Assembly by the third Wednesday in February. The legislature then has the power to make decisions on appropriations and taxes.

The Democrats have repeatedly pushed to reestablish working groups for a series of matters, including workers compensation. Rauner and Illinois Republicans have opposed the groups, claiming they signal a step in the wrong direction in the negotiating process.

The governor has made it clear that he will only consider another short-term, stopgap funding compromise if it includes a pair of items from his agenda, term limits and a property tax freeze. With only days until the current stopgap expires, it seems likely that the states budget impasse will stretch into next year.
The 25th anniversary of Waynes World will see a stars return to the Land of (Baberaham) Lincoln.

Tia Carrere, who played Cassandra, will appear at the Hollywood Boulevard Cinema in Woodridge February to celebrate the cult classic turning a quarter of a century old, the theater announced in a news release.

Waynes World stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as two goofy musicians in Aurora, Illinois with their own television show. The movie is a 90s comedy classic with a special place in the heart of Illinoisians. It originated as a Saturday Night Live skit.

Carrere will sign autographs, take photos with fans and do Q-and-As before screenings of Waynes World and True Lies.

Carrere also held roles in such notable films as Lilo and Stitch, Relic Hunter and Waynes World 2. Her musical prowess wasnt just a stunt for the silver screen either. Shes an accomplished recording artist, her track I never Even Told You, appeared on the soundtrack for the animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Carrere will be at the theatre the following dates:

Friday, Feb. 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 4 from noon to 10 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 5 from noon to 5 p.m.

The Hollywood Boulevard Cinema is located at 1001 W. 75th Street in Woodridge. A ticket for one of the screenings is required to meet Carrere, according to the events Facebook page. The page also says cash only for autograph and photo opportunities, but does not specify a price.
A community is helping a family business rebuild in Westbrook after a devastating fire.

Cindys Wine and Spirits on Boston Post Road (Route 1) was one of several stores damaged by the blaze on Dec. 15.

Its torn the town apart I think, Kristin Donlan of Westbrook, said.

On Wednesday, Donlan and dozens of volunteers, including students, showed up at Cindys Wine and Spirits.

The store was in need of cleanup, including wiping down bottles.

I dont have a lot to offer. Im struggling as everybody else. But if I can do this work, which is to me is the most important at this point, just get this stuff done, get it cleaned up, and move on. Thats what Im going to do, Donlan said.

Firefighters said the flames started at the adjoining business, Jet Launderette, on the Boston Post Road.

It caused heavy damage there and also some next door at Cindys.

We didnt know what to say. I just cried, just cried. Its a lot of work. Ive been here for ten years now, Cindy Cote, owner of Cindys Wine and Spirits, said.

The call went out to the help the Cote family. Its the second recent blow for them; the Cotes are also dealing with a death in the family.

Now they thank the community which was there in their time of need.

Its overwhelming. People are so gracious. They dont care what you ask of them to do, they just want to do something. Its really a tribute to how good people are, Cote said.

Where and when Cindys will reopen is up in the air. Its hopeful as soon as possible but it depends on factors including state approval since alcohol is involved.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the Westbrook fire marshal to see if the cause of the fire has been determined and if the building can repaired, but have yet to hear back.
After a devastating fire displaced nine families in New Haven this week, the fire at the apartment complex rekindled on Tuesday night.

New Haven fire officials said they were responding to the Harbour Landing apartment complex at 99 Harbor Close.

On Monday, Deputy Director of New Haven Emergency Operations Center, Rick Fontana, said 13 condo units were affected and nine condo units were destroyed. The building is likely a total loss, he added.

The Red Cross reports that they are assisting nine families  20 adults and one child. Many of those displaced stayed at a hotel in Orange on Monday night.

No life-threatening injuries were reported. Fontana said one firefighter was cut by shards of glass and two residents suffered some smoke inhalation.
The Department of Motor Vehicles wants to reduce wait times.

Its something the agency has been working on for months now and today Gov. Dannel Malloy and DMV Commissioner Michael Bzdyra are set to make an announcement on improvements.

Back in July, the DMV hired a company to do a study analyzing the computer system, customer service and wait times.

They polled 1,200 customers and found that three quarters were dissatisfied they waited an hour to get to the service counter, after already waiting to get a service ticket.

The DMV also paid Microsoft to examine the new computer software, which was causing issues.

Just last week the DMV announced that in 2018 they will begin mailing drivers licenses, which could also reduce wait times. Its a new federal law and Connecticut will be joining 26 other states to ship those licenses out from a secure location.

In the meantime, drivers will be issued a temporary paper license and will be able to renew licenses every six years online.

The governors announcement is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Abubaker Saad, a professor at Western Connecticut State University, once served as an interpreter for Moammar Khaddafy. As people with ties to Libya celebrate the death of the dictator, he said there's not a Libyan alive who was not touched by Khaddafys cruelty.

He remembers Khaddafy as someone who controlled everything, intimidated everyone and survived many attempts to overthrow his regime.

Saad, himself, was actually sentenced to be hanged after a failed uprising in the 1970s

I was one of the very lucky ones who actually managed to flee the country, he said.

Saad said Khaddafys death is a cause for celebration and, hopefully, the first step toward a democracy where the riches of the land will be shared with those who live there.

Several people who fled Libya and came to the United States now call Connecticut home.

Mohamed Gadoush said he wanted to forget about what life was like there, but now that Khaddafy is dead, his family would like to go back and visit.

Under Khaddafys rule, there was no freedom of any kind, Gadoush said.

You always have to watch what you say. You always enter the country very cautious and when you exit you really are happy to get out of the country, he said.

Gadoush's son, Ali, returned from Libya on Wednesday.

I'm really mad that I came the day before they caught him, but Im still happy they finally caught him and people can just be worry-free, he said.

Tony Sokni, who owns an electronics repair shop in Waterbury, hasn't been back to Libya for 17 years.

The last time he visited, he was scared for his life when Khaddafys men detained him for questioning.

They investigate me and (talked) to me for about five, six hours they (took) my passport, he said.

But after the dictator was captured, he and his sister, Hanadi Sokni, wished they could be there as Libyans celebrated.

It means  Libyan people can be like human beings, Hanadi said.


Both the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives voted to delay the opening of recreational marijuana stores from January to summer 2018.

The moves in the Senate and House were made in informal sessions with just a half-dozen lawmakers present, according to The Boston Globe. Senate President Stan Rosenberg says it was a voice vote, meaning there is no record of who voted. The vote was unanimous.

The delay, which still needs to be approved by Gov. Charlie Baker, flies in the face of the law passed by voters in November.

More than 1.8 million Massachusetts residents voted for legal recretional marijuana, compared to about 1.5 million who voted against it. Marijuana possession and home-growing it became legal on Dec. 15; however, it is still illegal to sell it.

The bill passed by legislators on Wednesday also calls for the state's Department of Public Health to conduct a study over the next 18 months into marijuana use in the state and how it could impact public health and safety.

Proponents of Question 4, the ballot initative that legalized recreational marijuana, said they were disappointed by the Legislature's decision to alter the law.

"We are willing to consider technical changes to Question 4 so that the new law is implemented in a timely and responsible manner. However, our position remains that the measure was written with careful consideration regarding process and timelines and that no major legislative revisions are necessary," spokesperson Jim Borghesani said. "Further, the voters of Massachusetts approved Question 4 by a significant margin, and any alteration of the law deserves a transparent, deliberative legislative process."

Shanel Lindsay, owner of Ardent Cannibas in Roslindale, says a possible 6 month delay on sales will seriously hurt her bottom line.

"There will be a segment of people that will only be using cannabis when they have the ease of buying it from a dispensary so yes from a business perspective this is hurting the industry just as we are trying to get out of the gate," Lindsay said.

In a statement, Rosenberg said the delay "will allow the necessary time for the Legislature to work with stakeholders on improving the new law."

"We will continue working diligently toward implementing Question 4, collaborating with stakeholders across the Commonwealth," Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said lawmakers still aim to "make sure that the intent of the voters is carried out."
The water fountains have been turned off at Montville high school for years.

The water well the district was using tested for high levels of manganese. After failed plans, the district is putting another potential fix on the mayor's desk.

"It comes out brown sometimes, yellow sometimes, or really foggy and none of the students want to take the chance of drinking it," said Montville High School sophomore Katarina Turchetta.

In 2012 the district found high levels of manganese in the high school's well water and Montville Mayor Ronald McDaniel said it's since caked the pipes.

Students and staff still use it to wash their hands or for cleaning, but they don't drink it. Students bring bottled water to drink. Bottled water is even used for cooking.

"Especially after gym class it's really hot outside and we have nothing to drink," Turchetta said.

Now the district is hoping they've found a solution. McDaniel said last year the district drilled a new well. Soon he'll see a plan on his desk asking for money to connect that well to the school's water line.

"Certainly a short-term fix," McDaniel said. "I still think we need to look down the road at a permanent long-term fix."

McDaniel said ultimately he'd like the school to be connected to the municipal water system, which would bring water to the geographical center of town.

There was a previous proposal that would've cost around $7 million to do that. But it was shot down for being too expensive.

The mayor doesn't know how much this new plan will cost, yet.

"I'm going to kind of need to review the engineering report and see really wear these numbers are going to fall... because they're going to have to redo some of the plumbing in that building," he said.

Students said any fix beats the alternative.

"Just bring our own water to school so we don't get sick," Turchetta said

NBC Connecticut reached out to the school superintendent, Montville High School administrators and members of the board of education Tuesday for details on the plan, but got no response. The district is out for winter break.

McDaniel said this is something he'll consider when creating his budget next spring.
Following a year of deadly confrontations between police and citizens across the U.S., police in Alaska's capital city are spearheading a campaign to turn 2017 into a community-wide year of kindness.

Juneau police will kick off the campaign with public potlucks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.

Groups, businesses, government agencies and others also are choosing a different week of the year for their employees to conduct "kindness surges," with correctional officers at the local prison taking the first week.

Ideas being considered include visiting local senior homes, distributing care packages and paying for a stranger's meal.

The goal is to measure the impact of kindness on such areas as crimes, suicides and emergency calls at the end of 2017, according to Lt. Kris Sell, who hatched the idea in a partnership with the global kindness advocate, Random Acts, and others.

"Can you change the quality of life in a community and prove that you have done so?" Sell said.

Jennifer Willis-Rivera, development manager for the nonprofit Random Acts, knows of no similar endeavors by a police department or city anywhere. She plans to visit Juneau in January and again a year after that.

To her, the excitement will come in seeing the results after an entire year focused on kindness. "It's something that everybody talks about all the time, but usually we're really only focused on it around the holidays, when there's a tragedy," she said.

Sell said the idea emerged several months ago as she contemplated what direction Juneau police could take in 2017.

She said some "really hateful things" had just happened nationally, including the ambush killings of five law enforcement officers in Dallas who had been working to keep the peace at a protest over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Juneau has had its own share of violence, including the nonfatal shooting of a man Dec. 3, months after police first announced plans for the kindness project. No charges have been filed. Police have released few details, saying the shooting is under investigation.

That was the first police-involved shooting since August 2007, when police fatally shot a sword-wielding man. Juneau police also shot at a fleeing suspect's vehicle in 2008, but nobody was hit.

Some locals, including students, already are exercising their kindness muscles.

Last week, special education students from Juneau-Douglas High School traveled across town to hand out candy canes at Thunder Mountain High School. A 17-year-old Thunder Mountain senior died in September after accidentally shooting himself.

Special education teacher Janette Gagnon said students wanted to offer some cross-town support.

Thunder Mountain principal Dan Larson got one of the candy canes from student Mitchell Henderson, who wore a festive Santa hat. Larson said it's been a tough year for the school. "We need this," he said of the holiday cheer spread by the visiting students.

"This is a good time of year for goosebumps," he said.

At the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, corrections officers are planning individual projects to carry out during kindness surge the first week of the new year. One officer plans to make care bags with snacks, bus tokens and other items to pass around town.

Ernestine Hayes, a Juneau-based Tlingit author, said she hadn't heard of the kindness campaign, but praised Juneau police for the effort. Hayes, who was recently named as the 2017 state writer laureate, said once she hears more about the campaign, she might see some opportunity to formally participate.

"I think it's very good to be on the lookout for someone you can hand something to  give them something like, 'Here's a bus token'  if we also remember that kindness can be a smile, a hello and a hug." she said, "That will advance it even further."

Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer contributed to this report.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a two-state solution is "the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace" between Israel and Palestinians, and ensure Israel's future "as a Jewish and democratic state," in a farewell speech in Washington on Wednesday.

Speaking forcefully, the outgoing secretary said the status quo in the conflict-torn nation is trending toward one state, with a permanent occupation of lands claimed by Palestinians and a sense of hopelessness among even Israelis that nothing can be done to stop it.

"Here is a fundamental reality: If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish, or democratic. It cannot be both. And it won't ever really be at peace," Kerry said.

Everyday Chic Author Molly Sims joined Harry with more on her new book and the experiences that inspired it.

Should a single-state reality come to pass  and he said the two-state solution is already in "serious jeopardy" with Israel continues to expand through settlers  Kerry said the result would be "separate and unequal" situation in Palestinian areas that would be a breeding ground both for despair and extremism.

Leaders in Israel and the U.S. shot back at Kerry's remarks.

In a live broadcast on Israeli TV, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Kerry for a speech highly critical of Israel at a time when he said the region is "going up in flames."

Netanyahu in Hebrew said: "For a full hour, the secretary of state attacked the only democracy in the Middle East."

He accused Kerry of focusing heavily on Israeli settlements, while paying little attention to Palestinian incitement and violence.

Earlier, Netanyahu's office denounced Kerry's remarks as "skewed against Israel" and "obsessively" focused on Israeli settlements, without touching on a supposed Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state.

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called Kerry's speech a "pathetic step" before he was even able to deliver the remarks, further heightening tensions between the two close allies as the Obama administration prepares to leave office.

President-elect Donald Trump continued Wednesday to signal a major policy shift with Israel, taking to Twitter in the morning to urge the nation to "stay strong" until his inauguration January 20, without giving specifics.

President-elect Donald Trump took an unprecedented step of commenting on foreign policy relations after he tweeted to veto a vote on a United Nations resolution declaring Israels settlements in Palestinian areas a violation of international law on Dec. 22, 2016.

And Sen. John McCain released a statement calling the speech "at best a pointless tirade in the waning days of an outgoing administration" that could "further Israel's diplomatic isolation and embolden its enemies."

The exchanges were the latest salvo in a toxic exchange following the U.S.'s refusal to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. has slammed the resolution, and accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians in drawing it up  claims Kerry denied.

Israel's government was enraged after the U.S. abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Netanyahu accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians and helping draft the resolution.

The U.S. has vehemently denied those charges. Kerry insisted the U.S. "did not draft or originate" the resolution, introduced by Egypt and later by a handful of other nations.

"The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done," Kerry said at the State Department. "The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for."

Kerry delivered the 75-minute farewell speech at the State Department as a follow-up on the U.N. resolution, calling President Barack Obama's administration the most active in promoting Israel's security in American history.

But he said "friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect," arguing that by standing by as the dream of a two-state solution slips away, the U.S. could allow a "dangerous dynamic" to take hold on the ground.

Kerry did propose a path to peace, asserting that Arab leaders are willing to begin the path to normalizing relations with Israel, should it make meaningful progress toward a two-state solution. And he seemed to indicate that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, which the nation has long sought, could be on the table as part of a peace deal.

After Kerry's speech, the Palestinian president said he is ready to resume peace talks with Israel if it halts settlement construction.

In his first response to Secretary of State John Kerry's Mideast policy speech, President Mahmoud Abbas said he is ready to resume talks "within a specific time frame and on the basis of international law." He said that would include a reference to the U.N. Security Council resolution passed last week, over Israel's objections, that declared settlement construction illegal.

Abbas' comments reiterated longstanding Palestinian positions and did not address the six principles for peace Kerry outlined in his speech.

Next month, France is set to host an international conference where 70 countries, over Israeli objections, hope to endorse an international framework for Mideast peace. Israeli officials fear that the conference's recommendations may then be approved in another U.N. Security Council resolution just before Obama leaves office on Jan. 20.

In a radio interview, Erdan said Kerry's speech was part of a broader effort to hinder the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has signaled he will have much warmer relations with Israel.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

"This step is a pathetic step. It is an anti-democratic step because it's clear that the administration and Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump," Erdan told Israel Army Radio.

Erdan, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party and inner Security Cabinet, said Obama administration officials are "pro-Palestinian" and "don't understand what's happening in the Middle East."

Kerry mediated a nine-month round of peace talks that broke down in early 2014 with little progress, and informed his speech on Wednesday.

Trump has already called the U.N. vote a "big loss" for Israel, but Wednesday he doubled down on his criticism of the Obama administration.

"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.......," he tweeted, continuing, "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!"

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

Netanyahu soon replied to the tweet, thanking Trump "for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!" He tagged two of Trump's children in the tweet as well.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Trump to change U.S. policy. While Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signaled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. The Palestinians, and most of the world, see settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as an obstacle to peace.

Netanyahu says the conflict with the Palestinians, including the fate of the settlements, must be resolved through direct negotiations and says that international dictates undermine the negotiating process.

Despite the Israeli anger, Netanyahu ordered a Jerusalem planning committee to delay a vote on approving construction of some 500 new homes in Jewish developments of east Jerusalem, a city councilman said. Council member Hanan Rubin told The Associated Press that Netanyahu asked to delay Wednesday's vote so as not to antagonize relations with the U.S.

Meanwhile, Oded Revivi, a senior leader of the West Bank settlement movement, called Kerry a "stain on American foreign policy" and "ignorant of the issues."

The Associated Press's Daniel Estrin contributed to this report.
Korean Air has toughened its policy for managing passengers who get abusive on board.

The move was prompted by a recent PR debacle when U.S. crooner Richard Marx stepped in to restrain a violent passenger aboard a Korean Air flight from Hanoi to Seoul.

According to the new safety guidelines announced by the airline on Tuesday, violent passengers will be warned first, and flight attendants can then use a Taser to knock them out if they are not restrained.

Previously Taser guns were only to be used when the life of passengers and crew or the safety of a flight were in danger.


Afternoon Update: Our midday suite of computer guidance has come in and looks even less impressive for tomorrow. The storm develops a bit later - which keeps the strongest lift up to the north and subsequently keeps the lower levels of the atmosphere a bit milder. The GFS solution for tomorrow shows only a slushy 1"-3" in the hills with little if any accumulation in the valley. While we're not going to go this low yet that appears to be the direction things are going. The good news is that most of us will pick up a beneficial inch of rain or so.

David Camarlinghi

Previous discussion below...

When a nor'easter is going to crush Connecticut with heavy snow you generally need a couple ingredients in place. The storm should track near Cape Cod (there is some wiggle room here) and you want a cold and dry high pressure system to the north over Quebec. Thursday's storm doesn't check those boxes.

The first issue for many of us snow lovers will be the track of the storm. Most of our computer models tuck the storm in close to the coast - closer to say Block Island than Chatham, MA. This tends to allow warm air to surge inland a bit as the storm organizes.

The second issue this storm has is that that the antecedent airmass over New England is pretty ugly. There's no cold/dry high pressure to the north and we've only got some lingering stale cold air to play with. While this would be enough for the hill towns it likely will not be for the valley.

You can see how this looks at the height of the storm on the NAM computer model for Bradley Airport and Norfolk, CT. The low level warmth on the NAM is quite impressive in the valley and would result in a mainly rain storm around Hartford while it's just cold enough in the hills for snow.

Getty Images

So the bottom line is while this storm may still be impressive for the hill towns it's going to struggle for most of the state with a fair amount of rain. Temperatures will just be too warm for a substantial storm.

Snow begins Thursday morning and transitions to rain in most areas besides the hills.

6" of snow is still possible in the highest hilltowns of northwest and northeast Connecticut.

As the storm pulls away the rain should change back to snow during the evening commute around Hartford. There could be a bit of accumulation here but probably not more than a 1"-3" kind of deal. Still, a period of slippery travel is possible.

The brunt of this storm will miss us to the north - it should be great for ski country in northern New England.

Mainly or all rain is expected for the southerly third of the state.

So not a big storm for us - just doesn't check enough of the boxes - but many towns will pick up at least some snow on Thursday.
Police said they found a child at a Dallas bus stop that was reportedly left in a running car early Wednesday morning.

The caregiver said the 4-year-old child was in the backseat of the car when it was stolen outside a store in the 4100 block of West Camp Wisdom Road at about 2:30 a.m., according to police.

Police said they found the child unharmed at a bus stop in the 5600 block of Westmoreland Road a short time later.

Witnesses told NBC 5 the child's caregiver  later identified as 24-year-old Shaquille Ricks  went into a nearby store and left the child in the running car. The car was stolen while the man was inside.

Investigators later determined that the child was not in the car when it was stolen. Ricks was taken into custody and charged with endangering a child.

Police said they went back to the scene of the abduction. Investigators said the suspected thieves fled in a silver Ford Mustang convertible with wide rims.
The east and westbound lanes of Interstate 30 in Arlington reopened Wednesday afternoon after downed power lines forced officials to close the highway for nearly two hours.[[408528215,C]]

Both directions of the Tom Landry Freeway near Ballpark Way were reopened to traffic shortly before 1:30 p.m. Though the highway has reopened, Oncor said 17 customers remain without power.

Arlington police said a construction crane fell onto the power lines at 11:22 a.m., knocking the cables onto a stretch of I-30 adjacent to Six Flags Over Texas.

Westbound traffic quickly backed up to Texas 161 while eastbound delays stretched toward central and west Arlington. Drivers were diverted off the highway while others were encouraged to avoid the area until the scene was cleared.

No injuries were reported.
Lewisville police have issued a warning after two people reported that a man pretending to be a code enforcement officer tried to get into their backyards.

Twice on Tuesday afternoon, a man who wasn't wearing proper city attire or identification told residents on Holly Oak Drive and Tanner Drive that he was a code enforcement officer and needed to get into their backyard.

Police said the impersonator, described as an African-American man wearing a white shirt and tie, wasn't allowed in by either resident.

All code enforcement officers wear city-issued shirts, IDs and badges and drive trucks with the city logo on the doors, police said.

If anyone is approached by someone who may be impersonating a code enforcement officer, they're urged to call Lewisville police at 972-219-3600.
In May of 2017, Plano voters will see a ballot with a $15 million bond referendum for a new training facility for Plano Fire-Rescue.

We are required by the state fire commission to actually do live burns and we have no ability to do live burns in Plano, Chief Sam Grief said. We have to go outside the city for that.

Currently, Plano firefighters must travel to Richardson for their training.

"That's a long way from here. That can be 45 [to] 50 minutes easy one way, Greif said. We just can't spare sending our units out of the city for that length of time."

You cant send three or four of your primary units out of the city and then when something happens they are not close to home, Greif added.

Greif said that Plano is growing quickly and their call volume grows with the rising population.

"In 2015, we ran 25,000 calls which was a 10 percent increase in just one year, Greif explained. This year, in 2016, we will beat that record."

I would be pretty comfortable in saying we are the largest city in the state of Texas that doesnt have a dedicated training center for the fire department, Greif added.

Fire officials said there are also challenges in the changing landscape of Plano.

"We're getting high-rise buildings, Greif said. That has its own unique challenges when it comes to everything from rescuing window washers on the side of the building to how you fight fires in a high-rise."

Greif said the facility would also help the first responders train for major traffic accidents and large-scale situations. He said it would not only help keep firefighters safe, but also help them better save lives and property.

We have to train the way we are actually going to do the event which is multiple companies coming together for a training evolution, Greif said.
U.S. Postal Service officials say they've apologized to an Alabama woman who says her package of six live canaries arrived, but the birds were crushed and dead.

Rhonda King told Al.com the box containing the birds was marked with tire tracks when it arrived from Texas earlier this month. King said the birds were in an approved box designed to let them breathe.

But when it was delivered to King's hair salon in the northeast Alabama city of Grant, King said the postmaster told her, "well, your birds arrived, but they're not alive."

Postal Service spokeswoman Debra Fetterly said in a later statement to The Associated Press that local managers offered an apology and would work to find "a solution the customer finds acceptable."
Authorities say a woman brandishing a pistol at an apartment complex south of Houston has been shot and killed by sheriff's deputies after she refused orders to drop the weapon, then raised and pointed it at the officers.

Brazoria County Sheriff's officials say two deputies opened fire on the woman.

The name of the victim has not been immediately released and no motive has been disclosed. The sheriff's department says the woman's pistol has been recovered.

A sheriff's department spokesman says a leasing agent at the apartment complex in Pearland, about 20 miles south of Houston, called for help Tuesday afternoon after he spotted the woman with the pistol, who told him to leave her alone as he approached her.

The sheriff's department and Brazoria County district attorney are investigating.
Dallas police are issuing a warning after dozens of people have become victims of online trading robberies.

Investigators say these types of robberies are up more than 100 percent compared to last year. The criminals are scouting several apps, including OfferUp  a popular trading app where consumers can instantly connect.

"I came across this one guy, he was telling me he wanted to get a Christmas gift for his daughter. I was like, that's sweet  something I would do for my child," said Alexis Hurndon.

She decided the buyer would be the perfect person to whom she could sell her iPhone 7, or so she thought.

"I was just shocked, staring at him because I couldn't believe he pulled the gun at me. Nobody ever did that to me before," Hurndon said.

Hurndon is still shaking weeks later. Her body language speaks much louder than any words after the most terrifying moment of her life.

She says she agreed to meet the buyer in a Pleasant Grove neighborhood. Hurndon says she brought a male friend and her 2-year-old son. The buyer brought a gun, and had no intention of paying her.

"What makes me more mad is that he looked at my child, and then he looked back at me and then he pulled out the gun. Like, you have no heart to do that," she said.

In hindsight, Hurndon says she should have met the buyer in a more public place  something Dallas police say is paramount for safety.

"Choose the location like a food court, and let the other party know that we're going to be going to a high pedestrian traffic area where there are cameras, we're going to sit down and we're going to make the trade," said Dallas Police Maj. Jimmy Vaughan.

Vaughan says, sadly, at times these types of trades have turned deadly for sellers this year.

Hurndon says in her case, it looks like they got the guy.

Carlos Young, 18, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery.

"They've been looking for him for about a year, because he'd been doing it to a lot of people," she said. "Nobody knew what he looked like. I gave them the right features of his face because I stared at him for a long time."

OfferUp released a statement that read, in part, "We do not tolerate criminal activity, which is why we continue to work closely with the Dallas Police Department. Information on guidelines for secure transactions is available on the OfferUp website."
The public has been offered a reward up to $53,000 to help solve the murder of a man shot to death 10 years ago in San Diego, according to San Diego County Crime Stoppers.

Ronald Harnish died on the night of Dec. 27, 2006, when he was fatally shot while getting out of his car in the 1100 block of the 30th street.

Two hispanic men standing on the sidewalk confronted Harnish and his friends as they left their vehicle. One of the men opened fire on the victims, killing Harnish. According to Crime Stoppers, one of the other victims was shot but survived.

The Governor's office has offered the reward up to $50,000. According to Crime Stoppers, this award would only be paid if the information leads to an arrest and a conviction.

Crime Stoppers also offered a $1,000 reward and the victim's friends and families offered up to $2,000.

If anyone knows more about the murder of Harnish, they can call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888)580-8477, or send anonymous email and text messages through their website.
A former Versace employee has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the company, alleging it uses a code word to alert workers when black shoppers enter the store.

Christopher Sampino, 23, says he was fired from the Versace outlet store in Livermore, California, after two weeks despite meeting and "exceeding expectations."

Sampino accuses the company of training him and other workers to use the code "D410" or hold up a black colored shirt when a black person entered the store, the lawsuit alleges. "D410" is the same code used for black-colored items of clothing, the suit states.

He alleges to have complained about the discrimination during new employee training, telling a manager "You know that I'm African-American?" In the lawsuit, Sampiro self-identifies as one-quarter African American.

The lawsuit claims after the revelation he was denied proper training and rest breaks, and was fired because "he didn't understand luxury."

Sampino is suing for damages and unpaid wages. He earned $13 an hour and worked 40 hours a week. His lawyers, Michael Robert Hoffman and Stephen Noel Ilg, said that he is owed $59,800 in back pay and other monetary losses, $25,000 for emotional distress, and at least $100,000 for "race-related" punitive damages. The attorneys noted they should also be paid $65,000 in attorney fees.

In a statement, Versace denies the allegations and attorney Joseph Alan Schwachter said the company plans to file for dismissal.

"We do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin or any other characteristic protected by our civil rights laws," the statement says.

The suit was filed Dec. 16 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, although a version of the allegations was first filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Nov. 16, before it moved to federal court.

According to court documents, Judge Kandis A. Westmore ordered the case be assigned to an Alternative Dispute Resolution. The first case management conference is scheduled for March 21.
Hundreds of customers stood in a line for hours at a Downey market Wednesday in hopes of collecting refunds for money they spent on bad batches of masa that spoiled their traditional Christmas tamales.

It's the second time this week disappointed customers lined up at Amapola market locations following turmoil over what the company says was a batch of bad masa, the dough used for tamales. Many of the same people already waited for hours in the days before Christmas to purchase the all- important tamale ingredient from Amapola market.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, however, many of those customers discovered that something was wrong with the masa after the time-consuming cooking process.

Customers returned to the market, which also has locations in West Covina, Paramount and South Los Angeles, the day after Christmas demanding refunds. Some people got them, but the market eventually ran out of money. The markets were closed Tuesday, but resumed handing out refunds Wednesday morning.

At midday, more than 1,000 refunds had been issued at four Amapola stores across Southern California, company officials said. Customers lined up in Downey as early as 4 a.m.

Some customers said they've been coming to the market for years and always left satisfied.

"It wasn't a bad Christmas, just a little disappointment," Ruben Macedo said Wednesday. "But I guess they're going to do us right. Mistakes happen, and I'm pretty sure I'll come buy their masa next year."

Carlos Galvan Jr., the senior vice president and chief financial officer for the market, issued a statement saying his family and the company's employees were "saddened and sorry" about the problem.

"For over 55 years, Amapola Markets has prided itself on earning the loyalty of our customers with the best service, the best products and the highest quality, including our masa for tamales," he said. "And this holiday weekend, we sold masa that was below the quality that our customers and us at Amapola are accustomed to enjoying with their families. At no point have we encountered any evidence that has made us believe that there are any health risks with the consumption of our masa, in short, it just does not taste good as it should."

Galvan said the problem appeared to be limited to masa sold on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, and the issue apparently stemmed from "defective corn" purchased from a national provider it has used for more than 15 years.

"To our loyal customers who purchased our masa, once again we are deeply sorry for your experience," he said. "As promised from the moment we discovered the incident, we have been taking corrective measures and will continue to provide you with a full refund for your purchase."

The market has a refund claim form posted on its website.
Police on Miami Beach arrested a man Tuesday alleged to have been filming women without their knowledge at a department store.

According to the arrest report, 35-year-old Sergio Bayate was taken into custody on charges of video voyeurism and stalking. The arrest stems from an incident that morning at the TJ Maxx located near 5th Street and Alton Road.

An employee at the store told police a female shopper told her Bayate placed his cell phone up her skirt, as well as doing it to other shoppers. Later, Bayate was seen in a verbal argument with another female shopper and got into a physical confrontation with that womans boyfriend.

Bayate fled the scene and was eventually caught by officers at a nearby Walgreens. The Hollywood resident has prior charges for the same crime in Broward County.

NBC 6 reached out to TJ Maxx for comment and the company released the followin statement in regards to the incident:

At T.J. Maxx, the safety of our customers and Associates is always a top priority. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement, however, as this is a police matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
One of the two women behind two kidnappings and robberies was arrested Tuesday. Miramar Police said Charice Hubbert of Miami faces numerous charges for the alleged crimes.

Officers say they were able to track down Hubbert thanks to tips called in via Crime Stoppers.The suspect's alleged accomplice remains on the run.

Miramar detectives say the two women targeted people near banks, kidnapping them and then robbing them.

Early December, one victim said she was forced into a car after withdrawing $400 from a Wells Fargo bank on Miramar Parkway. She said the two suspects drove her around, implied they had a gun and took her to another ATM where they forced her to withdraw her entire account.

Hubbert was the woman who was seen on surveillance video in one of the banks, police said. She is currently being held on $200,000 bond.

Anyone with information on the second suspect still at large is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
From dinosaurs playing on a Florida beach to the death of Fidel Castro, an array of news, both heart-warming and devastating, went viral in 2016. Heres a look back at the stories most shared on the NBC 6 Facebook page.

6. Fidel Castro Dies at 90

When the news of Fidel Castros death broke, it spread like wildfire on social media. Both celebratory and sorrowful posts flooded Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds for several days following the death of Cubas former communist leader.

5. Snow Flurries Confirmed in Florida

Snow in Florida may sound like a social media hoax, but it was a reality that kicked off 2016. In January, meteorologists confirmed that snow flurries fell in parts of North Florida, as temperatures briefly dipped below freezing.

4. Rapper Kevin Gates Sentenced for Kicking Female Fan at Florida Concert

2 Phones rapper Kevin Gates was sentenced to 180 days in a Polk County jail after being convicted of kicking a female fan at a Florida concert last year. The incident was captured on cellphone video that soon went viral, and so did the story of his sentencing.

3. Teen 'Doctor' Out of Jail, Says Charges 'Just Allegations'

The Doogie Howser story of South Florida made headlines across the nation after a local teen was accused of playing doctor with real patients. Malachi Love-Robinson had all the trappings of a legit medical practice: an office, a lab coat and stethoscope, with only one thing missing  a medical license.

2. Dinosaurs Spotted Frolicking on Florida Beach During Hurricane Matthew

While most sought shelter during Hurricane Matthew, the two dinosaurs spotted frolicking on a Florida beach did not. Although it may not be the best idea to ignore hurricane warnings, this entertaining video posted on our Facebook page was viewed almost 9 million times.

1. Officer Honored After Saving 3-Year-Olds Boy Who Stopped Breathing

A cop who wasnt directly dispatched to a call, is now being considered a hero after saving the life of a 3-year-old boy who stopped breathing. The video on our Facebook page warmed millions of hearts  21 million to be exact  and was shared over 145,000 times.
An elementary school in Allapattah was badly damaged by vandals early Tuesday. Miami-Dade Schools Police say nothing was stolen inside Comstock Elementary School, but vandals caused at least $30,000 worth of damages.

Police believe the incident was gang related.

Chief Ian Moffett is determined to catch the culprits. We want to make sure that we find the people that did this, because all of my years of doing this, this is probably one of the worst vandalism scenes Ive seen in my career, explained Moffett.

Photos from inside the school revealed walls covered in graffiti, windows smashed, shattered glass strewn across the floor and furniture knocked over. Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said new and pricey technology was also destroyed. A lot of computers were damaged. Boards were damaged. They actually discharged a fire extinguisher through the entire area, said Carvalho.

The vandals appeared to have set a fire outside the school. In total, 24 classrooms were ripped through. This happens to be one of the schools that serve one of the poorest areas in Miami-Dade and they created quite a bit of mayhem, said Carvalho.

Chief Moffett says its rare to see crime like this on school property. The batch of criminals broke into the school through the window. They tripped the alarm on their way out. Their only intent appears to have been to cause mischief.

Carvalho said repairs will be made and the school will be ready for students when they return from holiday break.
State police and slews of volunteers continue to search for an 18-year-old from Sterling who went missing on Monday afternoon after he went out dirt biking.

Todd Jeremiah Allen, or TJ, left the house around 12:30 p.m. to go dirt biking with his Honda XR100 in the Oneco area, his father, Todd David Allen, told NBC Connecticut. TJ never came home.

The family said TJ knows to come home before dark when he takes out his dirt bike and the teen always calls home.

State police first started searching Monday night and rescue crews were out in force Tuesday. Wednesday morning state police said K9 teams were deployed to continue the search but found nothing. Friday morning state police sent K9 teams out again hoping to find some sign of TJ.

Fire personnel and civilian volunteers are also assisting with the search.

On Wednesday, as the search reached day three, TJs mother Christina Moses told NBC Connecticut how hard it was to keep it together.

"How can I eat when my little boy is somewhere? He might be hungry, he might be cold," she said.

TJ reportedly texted one of his friends around 1:30 p.m. saying he had hurt his leg but didn't respond to subsequent messages. Another friend told the family that TJ had texted them the same thing at 3 p.m.

According to state police, TJs cellphone last pinged in the area of Ross Pond in Killingly, but that area was searched extensively and nothing was found.

Police said that Trooper 1 has searched by air, large groups of fire personnel and civilian volunteers are searching by ground, and there are Search and Rescue K9 teams on the ground.

There was also crews searching in Rhode Island.

On Thursday, Connecticut State Police continue to be the lead agency in the investigation, however, they have suspended their search. DEEP Environmental Conservation Police continues to engage in limited search activites on its lands as they patrol in areas of eastern Connecticut, the agency said.

Any volunteers interested in helping should check in with State police or the Sterling Fire Department for details on the coordinated search and to avoid confusing the K9 units.

TJ is described as being 5'10" and about 130 pounds with shoulder-length light brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a camouflage t-shirt, blue jeans and brown work boots with a black helmet.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police.
What to Know John Kerry will speak on Middle East peace as a growing rift forms between the Obama administration and the Israeli government

A block of 56th Street near Trump Tower reopened to traffic Wednesday after heightened security closed it since November

A winter coastal storm could bring snow, rain and damaging winds to the tri-state area on Thursday, Storm Team 4 says

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Kerry to Speak on Mideast Peace

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will speak Wednesday at the State Department on Middle East peace, days after a U.N. resolution declared Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal. Department spokesman Mark Toner said the notion that the U.S. orchestrated the Security Council vote opposing Jewish settlements in occupied territory is "just not true." The U.S. abstained from voting on Resolution 2334 on Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a rocky relationship with President Barack Obama, sharply rebuked the Obama administration for its passage, and a furious Israeli government said Tuesday that it had received "ironclad" information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft the U.N. resolution.

Security High at Trump Tower as Street Reopens

A stretch of 56th Street adjacent to Trump Tower has reopened to traffic following weeks of closures due to heightened security. The block between Fifth and Sixth avenues reopened to crosstown traffic Wednesday, city officials said. The block had been closed since the day after Election Day as the area around the tower  President-elect Donald Trump's home and office  was secured. The city and the Secret Service have been working out how to maintain a high level of security in the area while allowing for more movement of people and cars. On Tuesday, the lobby of Trump Tower was briefly evacuated as police investigated a suspicious package that turned out a be an unattended backpack filled with children's toys, the NYPD said.

Carrie Fisher and George Michael Remembered

Fans of actress Carrie Fisher and musician George Michael continued to pay tribute to the fallen stars days after their sudden deaths. From her first big screen scene as Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher provided a vision of beauty, brains and bravery. Her death prompted an outpouring of grief on social media, from co-stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams to other celebrities and legions of devoted fans. Fisher talked about death in an interview with NBC in 2009. Meanwhile, music fans continued to mourn the death of George Michael as British charities revealed that the pop star had secretly been a major behind-the-scenes donor who gave his time and money to support cherished causes.

Japans PM Visits Pearl Harbor

In a historic pilgrimage, the leaders of Japan and the United States took to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday to prove that even the bitterest enemies can become allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan "must never repeat the horrors of war again." Seventy-five years after Japan's surprise attack sent America marching into World War II, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona.

2017 Kindness Campaign

Following a year of deadly confrontations between police and citizens across the U.S., police in Alaska's capital city are spearheading a campaign to turn 2017 into a community-wide year of kindness. Juneau police will kick off the campaign with public potlucks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.

Coastal Winter Storm in Forecast

Just days after sunny skies and near-record highs, a rapidly developing coastal storm is forecast to bring rain, snow and strong winds to our area, Storm Team 4 says. The storm is expected to arrive at the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island on Thursday morning before strengthening Thursday night. Inches of snow are possible northwest of New York City. Rain is forecast for the city and Long Island, where wind gusts could reach 50 or even 60 mph, Storm Team 4 says. In other news, a T. rex was spotted clearing snow in North Dakota.
What to Know The bodies of 36-year-old Felicia Barahona and her 4-year-old son were found in a Manhattan apartment Monday

Barahona was found strangled; her son was found unresponsive in a bathtub, killed by asphyxia from neck compression

Isaac Duran Infante, a former student of Barahona's and the father of her baby, was arrested on murder charges

The 23-year-old ex-lover of a former New York City schoolteacher is expected to be arraigned Wednesday on murder charges in the deaths of the woman and their 4-year-old son.



The bodies of 36-year-old Felicia Barahona and 4-year-old Miguel Barahona were found in Barahona's Manhattan apartment Monday. The medical examiner ruled Barahona died from strangulation by the electrical cord, and her son died of asphyxia from neck compression.

Barahona's former student, Isaac Duran Infante, confessed Tuesday to killing them, a law enforcement source told NBC 4 New York.

Duran Infante was a former student of Barahona at DeWitt Clinton High School, where she taught science. Their son was born from their affair, which began when Duran was 17 years old.

A source told NBC 4 New York that Duran confessed to the double killing in part because he was dissatisfied with the way his son was being raised by Barahona.

Duran Infante said nothing to reporters as he was led in handcuffs from the police stationhouse Tuesday. Information on an attorney for him wasn't immediately available.

His anguished grandmother, who lives in the Bronx, told NBC 4 New York in Spanish she wanted justice and that she knows her grandson is innocent of the charges.

Another relative of Duran Infante, Janiel Santana, said, "It's hard to believe they're dead. When we heard the news, we thought this has got to be a mistake."

The couple shared custody of the child, relatives said. Miguel's father's side of the family was expecting to see the boy for New Year's Eve to give him his Christmas presents.

Barahona lost her job at DeWitt in 2013, shortly after she became pregnant and school administrators learned of her illicit relationship with a student.

Felicia Barahona was found dead, an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, on the living room floor of her West 153rd Street apartment in Hamilton Heights around 8:15 a.m. Monday after the building super was alerted about a smell, police said. Her son Miguel was found unresponsive in a bathtub, police said. Investigators believe the duo had been dead several days.

Neighbors described Miguel as a sweet boy.

"It's sad. It's a little life," said Elia Flores, adding of his mother, "I've known her for a lot of years that she live here."
What to Know Kelly Chalkley, a mother of three, was killed Nov. 7 in the Mount Laurel Park parking lot off Warwick Turnpike

She had been taking the dog for a walk and her family grew concerned when only the Saint Bernard came home

The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest

The family of a 58-year-old New Jersey woman killed in a hit-and-run accident last month issued an emotional plea Wednesday for help finding the person who struck their "beloved wife, mother and Nanna."

Kelly Chalkley, a mother of three, was killed Nov. 7 in the Mount Laurel Park parking lot off Warwick Turnpike in West Milford. She had taken the dog Misty for a walk, and her family became concerned when only the Saint Bernard came home. Chalkley was found lying dead on the pavement.

No arrests have been made in the case and police have said the investigation is ongoing.

But the Chalkley family is tired of waiting.

"We cannot begin to heal as a family until we have the answers we so desperately need," the family said in a statement.

"To the driver involved in this accident, we are pleading for you to come forward and rid yourself of the tremendous guilt we imagine you are bearing," the statement continued. "We assure you the weight on your shoulders will be lifted once you free yourself from the burden you have been carrying."

The family has been offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, but doubled that Wednesday to $20,000. Anyone who knows anything about the accident is asked to call the West Milford Police at 973-728-2800 or the Passaic County Prosecutors Office at 877-370-7276.
A 65-year-old tourist who Colombia police say was shot to death during an apparent robbery attempt in a wealthy enclave of Medellin was identified Sunday as a Long Island, New York, resident.

The victim was John Mariani of Floral Park, his brother, Joe Mariani, told Newsday in a telephone interview. John Mariani was a lifelong resident of Floral Park and a contractor in the auto industry. He had been visiting Colombia with another Long Islander, his brother said.

Police in Colombia said John Mariani was attacked Friday night when his taxi was intercepted by gunmen in a car and on a motorcycle, according to The Associated Press. The assailants tried to take his wallet and personal belongings and then shot him before fleeing.

U.S. Embassy officials had no immediate comment, but police said Mariani arrived in Medellin from Costa Rica.

The El Poblado neighborhood where the shooting occurred is one of Medellin's wealthiest and safest enclaves. It is home to the city's vibrant dining scene and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings and hotels.

Joe Mariani, a Mineola resident, said he did not know the name of the man with whom his brother was traveling, but he said the man was his brother's "best friend."

John Mariani said his brother was single and one of three brothers. Another brother, Warren, 63, also lives in Floral Park.

Medellin, the country's second-largest city, is a far cry from the 1980s when it was headquarters for Pablo Escobar's feared Medellin cocaine cartel, and it has been experiencing a boom in tourism. The New York Times featured it as No. 11 on its list of 52 places to go in 2015, but the city remains a major center of crime.
What to Know Lyft analyzed top destination data from 2016 to determine the hottest destinations for both visitors and locals

The most-visited bar, restaurant and event venue were all in Brooklyn

Nationally, Acme Feed & Seed in Nashville, Tennessee was the most-visited restaurant

A Bushwick pizza spot and a Williamsburg bar were the most-visited restaurant and drinking establishment, respectively, of the year in the city, according to rideshare company Lyft.

Lyft analyzed customers' top destination data from 2016 to determine the hottest destinations for both visitors and locals in the nation's most iconic cities, including New York.

According to Lyft, which bestows a coveted Lyftie Award on each of the winners, Roberta's in Bushwick, known for its wood-fired pizzas, was the most-visited restaurant of the year, while Freehold in Williamsburg, hailed by Gothamist as a hotel lobby hangout without the hotel, was the top-visited bar.

Barclays Center and Penn Station were the most visited event space and transit stop; Chelsea Market took home honors as the most visited location.

And, according to Lyft, The Standard High Line is trending up; it was the top-searched destination this year.

[NATL-LA] TSA Reveals Its 'Top 10 Most Unusual Finds' of 2016

Here are the national winners:

Most-Visited Restaurant: Acme Feed & Seed (Nashville, Tennessee)

Most-Visited Bar: The Abbey (Los Angeles, California)

Most-Visited Hotel: The MGM Grand (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Most-Visited Transit Stop: Union Station, (Washington, DC)

Most-Visited Tourist Destination: Navy Pier (Chicago, Illinois)

Zagat 2017: Top NYC Restaurants and New Dining Trends
What to Know The block of 56th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues will reopen to traffic after being closed amid heightened security for Donald Trump

The NYPD will move a mobile command post so to free up the street, hopefully alleviating congestion and a lack of foot traffic at businesses

The block of 56th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues will remain closed to traffic

A stretch of 56th Street adjacent to Trump Tower has reopened to traffic following weeks of closures due to heightened security.

The block between Fifth and Sixth avenues reopened to crosstown traffic Wednesday, city officials said. The section of the street had been closed since the day after Election Day as the area around the tower  President-elect Donald Trump's home and office  was secured.

The city and the Secret Service have been working out how to maintain a high level of security in the area while allowing for more movement of people and cars.

The streets reopening addresses issues of congestion in the bustling corner of midtown, where business owners have also been complaining that security checkpoints have led to a drop in foot traffic.

"To walk by a bomb squad and a command post and three barricades and about 50 heavy armed police officers  they avoid the area, and sometimes, you know what, I don't blame them," Derek Walsh, owner of the Judge Roy Bean Bar, told NBC 4 New York earlier this month.

The Department of Small Business Services recently canvassed businesses in the Trump Tower security perimeter and found concerns about a lack of customers and hassles with deliveries.

Dozens of other business owners signed a petition asking that the NYPD move its command post closer to Trump Tower.

The NYPD will move the post, previously at the southwest corner of 56th Street and Fifth Avenue, to the northwest corner. This will make room for one lane of traffic headed east towards Fifth Avenue.

The block of 56th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues will remain closed.
Nobody is more likely to test the new administration than Russia's Vladimir Putin, according to NBC News.

The Russian president has already overlapped with three American presidents and his government's actions colored the U.S. campaign long before Trump's November election win.

U.S. intelligence officials believe with "a high level of confidence" that Putin became personally involved in the covert Russian campaign to interfere with the White House election, two senior officials have told NBC News.

Amid other moves, such as relocating nuclear weapons and venturing into neglected territories, Putin's Russia seems determined to challenge American leadership across the globe. Beneath that boldness, there is profound distrust between the two countries.
Actress Carrie Fisher was responsible for some unforgettable moments on screen, both in the Star Wars franchise and in her many other roles.

Here is a sampling of those moments.

1. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." - "Star Wars: A New Hope"

The line that set the (original) adventure in motion.

2. "Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, fly boy." - "Star Wars: A New Hope"

[NATL] Carrie Fisher Through The Years

3. "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" - "Star Wars: A New Hope"

4. Princess Leia: "Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board."

Governor Tarkin: "Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life."

Princess Leia: "I'm surprised that you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself."

Governor Tarkin: "Princess Leia, before your execution, I'd like you to join me for a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."

Princess Leia : "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

Governor Tarkin: "Not after we demonstrate the capabilities of this station"

- "Star Wars: A New Hope"

[NATLu002du002dDO NOT USE] In Memoriam: Influential People We've Lost This Year

5. Princess Leia: "I love you."

Han Solo: "I know." - The Empire Strikes Back

After bantering way through the first two films Leia and Han Solo finally declare their love for each other just moments before he's about to go into the deep freeze. Their timing was awful. But it was pure magic for the viewers.

6.Han Solo: "Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?"

Princess Leia: "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie."

Han Solo: "I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss." - "The Empire Strikes Back"

7. Han Solo: "We lost our son. Forever."

Leia: "No. It was Snoke. He seduced our son to the dark side. But we can still save him. Me. You."

Han Solo: "If Luke couldn't reach him, how could I?"

Leia: "Luke is a Jedi. You're his father. There is still light in him, I know it."

-- "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

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8. And lest you think all of Fisher's best work was confined to the Star Wars franchise, she did a considerable amount of work on other hits. Take her character as the "Mystery woman" from "Blues Brothers" opposite John Belushi.

Jake: "It's good to see you, sweetheart."

Mystery Woman: "You contemptible pig! I remained celibate for you. I stood at the back of a cathedral, waiting, in celibacy, for you, with three hundred friends and relatives in attendance. My uncle hired the best Romanian caterers in the state. To obtain the seven limousines for the wedding party, my father used up his last favor with Mad Pete Trullo. So for me, for my mother, my grandmother, my father, my uncle, and for the common good, I must now kill you, and your brother."

Jake: "Oh, please, don't kill us! Please, please don't kill us! You know I love you baby. I wouldn't leave ya. It wasn't my fault"

Mystery Woman: "You miserable slug! You think you can talk your way out of this? You betrayed me."

Jake: "No, I didn't. Honest... I ran out of gas. I... I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

-- "Blues Brothers"

And then there was her turn as Meg Ryan's best friend in "When Harry Met Sally." Ryan and Billy Crystal may have been the stars, but Fisher stole the show with her limited screen time.

8. Marie: "Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor but they couldn't possibly all have good taste." - "When Harry Met Sally"

9. Marie: "I don't think he's ever going to leave her."

Sally: "Nobody thinks he's never going to leave her."

Marie: "You're right, you're right. I know you're right."

- "When Harry Met Sally"
Lyft has plans to expand in the Philadelphia market in 2017 now that the ride-sharing service is finally legal.

Gov. Tom Wolf this past November made transportation networking companies, or TNCs, like Lyft and UberX legal in Philadelphia after a years-long battle to legalize the services in the market.

San Francisco-based Lyft on Wednesday released the national and Philadelphia-area destinations that saw the most passenger drop-offs in 2016, including SugarHouse Casino.

Barring a few issues that still remain for TNCs  including the need for more wheelchair-accessible vehicles  Lyft, which launched in Philadelphia on Jan. 30, 2015, has plans to continue heavily investing and expanding next year in the region, which the company sees as an "incredible growth market," said Andrew Woolf, Lyft's Philadelphia general manager.

"The big thing we saw as a result [of the legalization] is the growth in drivers and passengers, which allow the business to grow," Woolf said.

To read the full article, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
A man was killed and two firefighters were hospitalized after a quick moving fire tore through an apartment in Philadelphia's Fishtown section early Wednesday, fire officials said.

The fire started around 3 a.m. in the third-floor apartment at 1239 Shackamaxon Street near Frankford Avenue.

When firefighters arrived they found a 50-year-old man unconscious inside the home. He was given CPR and rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital where he was pronounced dead, fire officials said.

Deputy Fire Commissioner Jesse Wilson said two firefighters also suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze. He did not expand on the nature of the injuries.

Wilson called the fire aggressive, but said damage was mostly contained to the one apartment. There were working smoke alarms in the building.

Residents of the two apartments below were let back into their homes shortly before 7 a.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.
More than three years after the disappearance of a Delaware County mother of two, police searched the basement of her estranged husbands former home.

On Tuesday police dug up the basement of a home on the 400 block of Lafayette Avenue in Collingdale, Pennsylvania in search of Melissa Rodriguez, who has been missing since April 19, 2013.

Collingdale Police were unable to get into the house for years until a bank foreclosure was recently finalized. They received permission from the bank that owns the home to go into the property and do a follow up investigation. After the cadaver dogs they brought in indicated a positive hit, they activated a search and rescue team Tuesday. The officers dug in the basement floor and searched the back walls but found nothing.

"It's frustrating because she was there," Collingdale Police Chief Robert Adams told NBC10. "She was there at some point. I can't explain why four different search and rescue dogs aggressively alerted to the same exact spot in the basement. We dug down through a six-inch cement slab and 12 to 18 inches of dirt and clay in the floor to find nothing."

In April of 2013, Rodriguezs husband told police she went missing after leaving the Lafayette Avenue home to visit her friends in Newark, New Jersey. Her husband said he sent her a text message after not hearing from her all weekend but never received a response.

"I ended up taking the kids to school on Monday," said her husband, who also admitted he and his wife were in the process of separating. "She was going to pick them up and she didn't pick them up. The school called because they hadn't heard from her."

Rodriguez, who was 30 when she went missing, also never showed up to the new job that she was supposed to start only a few days after her disappearance. Police contacted her friends in Newark, New Jersey who she was supposed to meet up with. The friends told police they spoke to Melissa on Thursday, April 18, 2013, around noon and she told them she would be staying at their house for the weekend. They expected another phone call from her the next day but never heard from her.

Rodriguezs car was also still parked at the Lafayette Avenue home. In June of 2013, some of her neighbors contacted police and told them they recalled her husband "acting suspiciously" in the backyard of the house. Police searched the husband's work truck and brought cadaver dogs and diggers to search for evidence at the home but found nothing.

After reporting his wife missing, the husband retained criminal defense attorney Michael Diamondstein as his lawyer and reportedly moved to New Jersey with the couple's children.

Rodriguez stands 5-foot-4-inches tall and weighs around 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a yellow flowered dress and glasses. If you have any information on her disappearance, please call Collingdale Police at 610-586-0502.




Firefighters battled a fire at a high-rise building in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia.

The 2-alarm blaze started at an 11-story apartment building on 63rd Street and Columbia Avenue early Tuesday evening. The building was evacuated as crews worked to put out the flames on the 11th floor.

No injuries were reported and firefighters were eventually able to bring the blaze under control. Officials have not yet revealed the cause.
The beverage industry wasted no time in filing its appeal to the judge's decision to dismiss its case against the city of Philadelphia over the impending soda tax.

Just as Philadelphia officials and the rest of the city set out Friday to enjoy the holiday weekend, attorneys for several local soda consumers; a few Philadelphia restaurants including City View Pizza and John's Roast Pork; and several associations that represent different parts of the beverage industry filed a notice of appeal in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

We obviously anticipated this, and we are confident our arguments will prevail on appeal as they did in the Court of Common Pleas. As I stated last week, Judge [Gary S.] Glazer upheld the key points of our argument: the Philadelphia Beverage Tax cannot be considered a sales tax, and neither does it violate the uniformity clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution," City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante said in a statement Tuesday.

A week earlier, Judge Gary S. Glazer dismissed the complaint "in its entirety" leading Mayor Jim Kenney to call on the soda industry to relinquish its legal fight despite its insistency of an appeal.

Kenney reiterated those statements to the Philadelphia Business Journal last week.

To read the full story, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
Take a deep breath, riders of SEPTA bus routes to King of Prussia Mall and Plymouth Meeting malls.

You're going to want to sit down for this too, all you commuters to the outer stops on the Norristown High-Speed Line.

Okay, ready? Fares are getting cheaper starting Jan. 1.

SEPTA has announced a "fare simplification" that will eliminate zones on the Norristown High-Speed Line and bus routes 123, 124, 125 and 150.

For riders on the four bus routes who travel multiple zones, it'll mean a savings of 50 cents a ride, with per ride costs dropping from $2.75 to $2.25.

Bus routes 123, 124 and 125 connect Philadelphia to King of Prussia Mall. Bus route 150 connects Parx Casino with the Plymouth Meeting Mall.

Multi-zone commuters along the Norristown High-Speed Line will save even more, up to $1.50 each ride for those who travel between Norristown and 69th Street Station.

The elimination of zones on the line will reduce the most expensive ride from $3.75 to $2.25.

To read the transit agency's complete rundown on what SEPTA calls its "ongoing efforts to simplify fares," click here.
Authorities in Mexico have re-issued an Amber Alert for a missing 18-month-old girl after her mother was found dead in Baja California, saying the toddler could still be alive.

The young girl, Estefani Valeria Alba Gopar, disappeared with her mother in May 2016 when she was only 11 months old, police said. Days later, the mother was found dead in Mexico.

The child is still missing, according to a release from the Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado, but new evidence suggests the child is still alive, and could possibly be found in other parts of Baja California. In light of the new evidence, authorities have re-issued the Amber Alert in hopes of finding the daughter.

Anyone with information is asked to call Mexican authorities at 01-800-00-854-00 or Amber Alert Baja California at 01 (664) 6346621 y 9007430, extension 1702 and 1703.

At the time she went missing, the girl was described as approximately 50 centimeters tall (approximately 20 inches tall) and 9 kilograms (approximately 20 pounds) heavy with short brown hair.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.
An inmate found critically injured in his cell at a San Diego prison on Christmas Day died Tuesday, and officials say his cellmate is the suspect in the possible homicide.

On Wednesday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) confirmed that inmate Robert Charleston, 36, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) in Otay Mesa on Dec. 25.

Staffers found Charleston just before 9:30 p.m.; he was taken to a local hospital where he died two days later.

The CDCR said the case is being investigated as a possible homicide.

Officials at RJD have determined Charlestons cellmate, Michael LaBrunda, 42, is the suspect involved in the inmates death. LaBrunda is currently being housed in the prisons Administrative Segregation Unit while the case is under investigation.

According to the CDCR, LaBrunda, of Los Angeles County, has been imprisoned since April 19, 2012. He is serving a 50-year to life sentence for one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder.

Charleston  who also came to the CDCR from Los Angeles County and was booked on Aug. 20, 2009  was serving a 14-year sentencing for resisting and deterring an officer with threats and violence. He was slated to parole in January 2020, the CDCR said.

The investigation into the inmates death behind bars is ongoing. The San Diego County District Attorneys Office and the San Diego County Coroners Office are aiding in the investigation. The CDCR said the Office of the Inspector General was notified of the inmates death.

The RJD, which opened in 1987, houses approximately 3,000 minimum- to-high-security inmates and employs 1,850 people.

The prison made headlines earlier this month after a group of inmates somehow filmed their own version of the Mannequin Challenge behind bars, which wound up being posted online. The video showed inmates holding cellphones, which are not allowed in prison. Officials said that incident was also under investigation.
A man was taken to the hospital after trying to help a friend during an attempted motorcycle theft, according to the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD).

The incident happened on the 1100 block of 4th Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Police said the owner of the bike, a man, confronted the suspect during the theft. His friend came to his aid and was attacked by the second suspect, identified to be a woman.

The friend suffered a possible head injury and was knocked to the ground. He was taken to the hospital.

Both suspects were arrested, police confirmed.

No other information was available.
A Squadron commanding officer based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar has been relieved of duty, U.S. Marine Corps officials announced Wednesday.

Lieutenant Col. Wade Workman was relieved of his duties as the commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232 Wednesday by Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, according to the Marine Corps.

Authorities said there was a loss of trust and confidence in Workman's ability to continue to serve in that position.

"This decision was based on issues concerning command climate within the squadron," a statement from U.S. Marine Corps officials read.

According to a biography on the U.S. Marines website, Workman graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1997 with a degree in computer science and ater completed TBS and flight school.

Workman deployed multiple times in support of Operation Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Tomodachi, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, according to his biography.

Later, he was assigned as an F/A-18 tactics instructor with the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), an Operations Officer and Maintenance Officer with VMFA-323, a Tac-Air Integration liaison officer at the Coronado Air Base and an Operations Officer with Marine Aircraft Group Eleven (MAG-11).

He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Strike/Flight Numeral 3, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat V, according to the biography.
What did San Diegans care about and share on social media in 2016?

It was an array of stories -- from the major rain storms of January to the killing of a San Diego police officer in August.

This past year was a year of milestones, the Rio Olympics and the contentious presidential election, to name a few.

Here are the stories that most captivated NBC 7s audience on Facebook:

Most-shared stories:

The day after the U.S. presidential election, a homeowner in San Francisco proudly flew a Nazi flag above his home. The video touched a nerve and the post was shared 13,720 times.

During a week of pounding rainfall in January, many local residents were sharing photos and videos of flooding. One resident sent us a video of garbage cans floating down a roadway, and the post was shared thousands of times on our Facebook page; 111,482 times to be exact.

In May, when now President-elect Donald Trump came to the San Diego Convention Center to campaign, tension with protesters mounted.

UCSD professor continues to lecture despite flooding classroom: https://t.co/ngtrobPHPfhttps://t.co/gdn9t6X1ov  #NBC7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) January 7, 2016

NBC News reporter Jacob Rascon captured an aggressive exchange between protesters and San Diego police. The video was shared 11,210 times.

Most-liked Facebook posts:

After San Diego Police Officer Jonathan DeGuzman was killed in a shooting in Grant Hill, many residents and firefighters turned out to pay respects.

A video showing mourners lining Interstate 8 was liked on Facebook 18,046 times.

An 18-year old teen from Santee is the third person charged in the murder of a homeless man: https://t.co/DyNrfjDTeB pic.twitter.com/Xyyd9DeNwW  #NBC7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) June 18, 2016

The rain storms of January also took center stage in the No. 2 and No. 3 most-liked Facebook posts of 2016.

The garbage cans floating down the roadway in Oceanside generated 13,807 likes.

Then, a video of a wayward sea lion seeking solace on someones front porch during the rainfall garnered 11,985 likes.

On Twitter, pop culture and politics, the rain storms and a local high-interest crime story dominated for NBC San Diego.

The most clicked, retweeted and liked tweet of 2016 involved the arrest of a Santee teen accused of assisting in the killing of a homeless man.

That June tweet was retweeted 1,827 times and liked 1,566 times.

A story in February about Adele requesting that Trump not use her music on the campaign trail generated 654 retweets and 1,100 likes.

The January rain storms emerged again as a social media talker: A video of a professor continuing his lecture even while his classroom was flooded was retweeted 305 times and liked 290 times.
The FBI says a passenger suspected of heavy drinking assaulted a flight attendant and threatened air marshals aboard a Christmas Eve flight to Washington Dulles International Airport, the News-4 I-Team has learned.

Air marshals handcuffed the man, placed a seat belt on him and taped it closed to try to prevent him from unbuckling it, but he managed to break free and act aggressively toward the marshals, court filings by investigators say.

According to an affidavit filed by the FBI, an air marshal watched a German-speaking Swiss national named Martin Sievert walk erratically from a bathroom to his seat on a United Airlines flight from Zurich to Dulles on Dec. 24.

Sievert was "staggering and swaying back and forth with bloodshot eyes," the marshal reported.

The court filing said a flight attendant then noticed an open bottle of duty-free liquor and a can of beer near Sievert at his seat. The FBI agent, in the court filing, said a flight attendant seized the alcohol, but that Sievert went to the back of the plane and retrieved it and then and assaulted the flight attendant.

According to the court filing, Sievert jumped up and grabbed [the flight attendant] by the shirt collar and pulled him back, assaulting him.

Air marshals handcuffed Sievert and strapped him into his seat belt, the FBI agent said. But Sievert continuously struggled and was able to unbuckle himself and act aggressively," the court document says.

The flight landed safely about 3 p.m. The plane was immediately boarded by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, who helped place the passenger under arrest, according to court filings.

A United Airlines representative said in a statement, "We are cooperating with authorities who met the aircraft upon its arrival at Dulles."

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Sievert was ordered held in jail Tuesday by a federal judge. He appeared in court in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday morning and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. A court docket lists the charges as simple assault and interference with a flight crew.

United Airlines has banned Sievert for life, the court document say.

Information on Sievert's lawyer was not available immediately.
Don't break up with someone over text. Or during Christmas.

One Cowboys fan learned this the hard way, and it has all played out on social media thanks to his former fiancee.

Clanton told NBC DFW's partners at The Dallas Morning News she received the text message while working as a hairstylist in Austin this past October.

"I decided to have some fun with it," Clanton told The DMN. "This was my little get-back to him."

"My fiance dumped me in a text message," Brenna Clanton wrote on a sign at the Cowboys' home game against the Detroit Lions Monday night. "He should have waited until after Christmas."

NBC 5 photojournalist Noah Bullard even spotted her sign in the crowd:

Brenna Clantons sign at the Cowboys home game against the Detroit Lions Monday night has gotten all sorts of attention on social media.

The sign caught the attention of Alex McDaniel, an editor at the Oxford Eagle, who noted that Clanton's ex was missing out on his Christmas present.

"Her fiance dumped her VIA TEXT before finding out she bought him Cowboys tickets for Christmas," McDaniel tweeted, along with a picture of Clanton and her sign. "She's doing fine."

Her fiance dumped her VIA TEXT before finding out she bought him Cowboys tickets for Christmas. She's doing fine. pic.twitter.com/z4YtBAaKcD  Alex McDaniel (@AlexMcDaniel) December 27, 2016

By Tuesday morning, the tweet had already made the rounds on hundreds of social media feeds, with plenty of strong reactions.

what a failure. You find a chick who likes sports and buys you tickets, you do everything you can to make them happy.  Big Nix Energy (@bustedupbarner) December 27, 2016

Just to make the revenge that much sweeter, Brenna posted a thank you to McDaniel on Instagram, saying, "@alexmcdaniel YOU are so amazing! I cannot thank you enough for how much your kind words mean to me!"

[NATL DO NOT USE] Top Images From the 2016-2017 NFL Season

The Dallas Cowboys won against the Detroit Lions 42-21.
Court records show that GPS monitoring was ordered last week for the Maryland man now charged in the death of D.C. yoga teacher and actress Tricia McCauley, who went missing on Christmas Day.

But police spokeswoman Karimah Bilal said Wednesday that Adrian Duane Johnson was not wearing a monitor when he was arrested.

Johnson was charged with theft earlier this month, and online court records show he was released Dec. 20. After Johnson's attorney said he could not be screened for mental health court under high-intensity supervision, he was ordered to enroll in GPS monitoring. The record does not say whether he appeared.

Johnson is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of McCauley, who was found dead in her car Monday.

The attorney listed in the theft case did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

D.C. Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said in an appearance Wednesday on NewsChannel 8 that Johnson is receiving medical treatment.

Newsham did not specify what Johnson is being treated for but said he will appear in court when he is able.

In 2016, Johnson was charged once with assault on a police officer, once with assault, five times with theft and once with robbery. He most recently was charged on Dec. 17 for alleged thefts at Meridian PCS and CVS stores.
An elderly man will face no criminal charges after he argued with another man in an assisted living facility in Virginia over whether to turn off a television, pushed him and that man later died.

The 77-year-old man, who prosecutors did not name, pushed 82-year-old Hunter Alexander on Oct. 24 inside the Sunrise of Alexandria assisted living facility, Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Alexandria Bryan Porter said in a statement released Wednesday.

Alexander and the man argued about turning off a TV in a residential unit. The man pushed Alexander, and Alexander fell to the ground. He fractured his hip during the fall. The injury led to cardiac complications.

Two days later, Alexander died.

Porter said he will not seek a grand jury indictment against the 77-year-old man who pushed Alexander because there was no evidence the man intended to harm Alexander and he suffers from severe dementia.

"If the 77-year old were charged, the facts and my experience suggest that his dementia would cause him to immediately be deemed incompetent by the court," Porter said in a statement. "Given his mental state, there is no reasonable probability that attempts to restore him to competency would be successful. In other words, if he were charged is it extremely unlikely that he would ever be brought to trial."

A detective tried to interview the man, but he seemed unable to understand who the detective was or what he was investigating, Porter said. Police reviewed documents on his mental health that described a severe cognitive disability.

The man was moved to a facility in another state that is "capable of providing him the care and attention he needs," Porter said.
A woman and a child were injured when they were struck by a car on Parkland Drive in Rockville, Maryland, Tuesday.

The woman, 28, was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, suffering from severe injuries. Police said she is expected to survive.

The child was taken to Children's Hospital in Washington, where they were treated and released.

The car that hit them stayed on the scene. Police closed Parkland Drive during the investigation.
Donald Trump said Wednesday that Sprint will bring back 5,000 jobs to the United States while another company, OneWeb, will hire 3,000 workers.

"Because of what is happening and the spirit and the hope, I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States, they have taken them from other countries," Trump said outside his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The president-elect said the deal "was done through" SoftBank CEO and the current chairman of Sprint Corp., Masayoshi Son, a Japanese billionaire and technology investor. Son also owns OneWest, a startup internet company.

The telecom mogul promised to invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs after a private meeting with Trump in December, The Wall Street Journal reported. A Sprint spokesperson told NBC News the jobs announced Wednesday are part of Son's earlier commitment, but that the 5,000 jobs will be funded by Sprint, not SoftBank.

Sprint has struggled under SoftBank. The carrier shed roughly 9,000 workers between 2012 and 2016, reducing its staff to 30,000, according to annual reports, The Associated Press reported.

In 2014, federal regulators objected to Sprint's attempt to join with rival T-Mobile, a merger that would have combined two of the four largest mobile telecom companies in the United States. But a Trump administration would be more likely to approve blockbuster mergers, including a deal between Sprint and T-Mobile, analysts say.

Sprint Chief Executive Marcelo Claure said in a statement that the company is "excited" to work with Trump.

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., Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said in a statement following the announcement. 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.

During his campaign, the New York businessman pledged to do more to protect workers' interest and singled out numerous companies for criticism.

Earlier this month, Trump brokered a deal to keep a Carrier plant in Indiana and save about 1,000 jobs. Under the proposed deal with Carrier's parent company United Technologies, the company would receive $7 million in financial incentives over 10 years in exchange for a guarantee that Carrier would retain at least 1,000 jobs and invest $16 million into its Indiana operation, a source familiar with the talks said, NBC News reported.

He has also called on Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp to lower their costs for U.S. military and government projects.

On Tuesday, Trump thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that the Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December, the highest the index has climbed in more than 15 years.

"Thanks Donald!" he wrote.

The Sprint announcement came after tensions rose and fell Wednesday between Trump and President Barack Obama. The president-elect accused president Obama of throwing up "inflammatory" roadblocks during the transition of power and said his administration has treated Israel with "total disdain and disrespect."

"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks," Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. "Thought it was going to be a smooth transition  NOT!"

However, later Wednesday Trump told journalists at Mar-a-Lago that the changeover of power is going "very, very smoothly."

The reversal appeared to come after Trump and Obama spoke privately. He phoned me, Trump told reporters. We had a very nice conversation.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Obama phoned Trump. "Today's call, like the others since the election, was positive and focused on continuing a smooth and effective transition," Schultz said. "The president and president-elect committed to staying in touch over the next several weeks."
A Bennington man is facing up to life in prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a child.

The Rutland Herald reports the Bennington jury took less than an hour last week to convict 47-year-old Michael Tobin of felony aggravated sexual assault on a person younger than 13. He will be sentenced after the Department of Corrections conducts a pre-sentence investigation and a psycho-sexual evaluation.

The charge carries at least 10 years behind bars and a maximum of life behind bars.

A state police affidavit says police began investigating in June 2015 after a boy told his brother that Tobin had sexually assaulted him.

The boy later told DCF investigators he had been sexually abused by Tobin when he was between 6 and 8 while living in Arlington.
A Massachusetts man faced a judge on Wednesday after being accused of animal cruelty.

Earlier in December, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed dozens of cows, pigs, and sheep from the Westford Road property of Ralph McNiff. Court documents show that investigators visited the property and saw some animals standing in squalor, smelled decaying animals, and observed many living in poor conditions.

Ralph McNiff's son Troy, was the one who was arraigned on 7 counts of felony animal cruelty in Ayer District Court.

When necn stopped by the farm, he wasnt available for comment, but according to court documents, he admitted his wrongdoing to investigators in a statement.

I will tell you that the shelter is unsuitable, I do the best when I can. I have people who are supposed to be helping. I am 100 percent wrong.

Troy McNiff's nephew, Corey Arnold says the family was primarily involved in selling and buying animals at auction. Theyre now trying to figure out the next steps.

I just think its ridiculous what theyre doing to him, Arnold said.

Investigators said they did not find enough evidence to charge Ralph McNiff. Troy McNiff has another court date in February.

Town leaders say it will take months to clear the entire area, at the expense of tax payers.
Police are investigating a shooting that left one man seriously injured in New Bedford, Massachusetts late Tuesday night.

At approximately 11:40 pm Tuesday night, New Bedford Police responded to a male suffering from a gunshot wound in an apartment building at 51 Tallman Street.

The male victim, Justin Ortiz, 21, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, was found in the hallway of the apartment building. He was rushed to St. Luke Hospital before being transported to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

Ortiz was in extremely critical condition as of Wednesday morning.

The shooting remains under investigation.
New Hampshire authorities say based on new information, they now consider a Manchester woman who was last seen 35 years ago a missing person.

The attorney general's office says Denise Beaudin's family last saw her on Thanksgiving day in 1981 with her boyfriend, Robert "Bob" Evans, and her infant daughter. When relatives went to visit her at her home a few days later, the couple was gone, and her family assumed they had left town to avoid financial troubles.

Investigators say the child, now in her 30s, is alive and well. They also say they know the whereabouts of Evans.

Now, authorities say they have received new information, and are asking anyone who knew Beaudin or Evans between 1976 and 1981 to contact police. Beaudin graduated from Goffstown High School in 1976 and later worked at General Cable and the Demers Nursing Home in Manchester.

Authorities believe Beaudin may have been the victim of a crime.

Investigators are not saying exactly why theyre bringing the case back to the forefront, but they do say they will hold a press conference in the next few weeks, to reveal more details.
Police are searching for the man they say robbed a bank on Tuesday in Saugus, Massachusetts.

Officers responded to North Shore Bank at the intersection of Broadway and Lynn Fells Parkway at 5:30 p.m., where the man had passed a note to a teller.

Police said after receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, the man fled on foot down Lynn Fells Parkway toward the Target store.

The man, captured on surveillance, appears to be in his early to mid-twenties. He is described as approximately 5 feet 8 inches, between 160-170 pounds with facial hair. The man was wearing dark clothing at the time of the robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Saugus Police at 781-233-1740.
Elves against trolls  it sounds like something out of "The Lord of the Rings." But to Ricardas Savukynas, the battle he's fighting is no fantasy.

The 43-year-old business consultant and blogger is part of an informal internet army of Lithuanians trying to counter what they describe as hate speech and pro-Russia propaganda.

"I am just a regular guy from Lithuania, a citizen, who once noticed that Russian propaganda is being spread in this country by huge numbers of groups on Facebook," he told The Associated Press over tea at a restaurant in Vilnius' old town. "Seeing this I thought that it cannot be a natural thing."

Savukynas' fellow volunteers  who've dubbed themselves "elves"  patrol social media, coordinating their actions through Facebook or Skype to expose fake accounts. On a busy day, Savukynas said that fellow elves report as many as 10 or 20 to get them removed. He himself focuses on writing, maintaining a personal blog devoted to, among other things, deconstructing Soviet nostalgia or pulling apart conspiracy theories.

The elves do a decent job of "pinpointing some manipulation and some social networking sites," said Nerijus Maliukevicius, a researcher at Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations, who studies the role of media during times of conflict. But in a telephone interview, Maliukevicius said that Lithuania needs a complex counterstrategy to beat what he describes as Kremlin propaganda.

"Elves are just one bit of this," he said.

Talk of Russian interference is bubbling on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the recent U.S. election, which propelled Russia-friendly candidate Donald Trump to power amid allegations of Kremlin interference. Earlier this month, Germany's intelligence agency accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the country with propaganda and cyberattacks before its general election planned for next year.

Lithuania, which like other Baltic nations was long subject to Moscow's rule, feels those concerns more keenly than most  all the more so after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

And the elf versus troll war on Facebook is just one battlefield. News websites and broadcasters have also been drawn into the mix.

"We recognized, especially recently, that we have a pretty huge and long lasting disinformation campaign against our society," said Tomas Ceponis, an analyst for the Lithuanian military. He said the power of propaganda was harder to quantify than tanks or planes, but it was clearly aimed at "really a very huge variety of targets."

Delfi, one of the main news sites in Lithuania, was one of them. It found its comment sections filling up with pro-Russia posts in the lead up to the Ukrainian confrontation, said Monika Garbaciauskaite, the editor-in-chief, and now has full-time staff deleting the most extreme messages.

The hostile propaganda has led to more aggressive action from both sides.

Lithuania's leading commercial news channel TV3 has been repeatedly targeted by hackers who compromised the group's networks three times, according to Sigitas Babilius, TV3's head of news. Last month, Lithuania banned Russia's RTR Planeta channel until February after a Russian politician made anti-U.S. comments deemed as "incitement to war, discord and hatred." Similar three-month bans on Russian state-owned channels have been ordered in previous years.

Lithuania, meanwhile, has launched a campaign on television urging citizens to report any suspicious activity  on the street or on the web.

The moves rankle Moscow's representative to the tiny NATO nation.

"I do not think that sticking a propaganda label on another's point of view is right," Russian Ambassador Alexander Udaltsov told the AP. "It's always better to use counterarguments to prove your truth, but unfortunately our Western partners lack these arguments and continue with bans of Russian TV stations."

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius makes no apology for the bans.

"A lie is not an alternative point of view," Linkevicius said. "One can say 'it's freedom of speech, everyone can say whatever he wants.' Of course, I agree. But if it's (a) resourced propaganda machine brainwashing people, it's not just an alternative point of view. It's a weapon."

AP cybersecurity writer Raphael Satter contributed to this report.


Norfolk ministries which share a vision for men Norfolk ministries which share a vision for men

Statistically, two thirds of men may find being in church uncomfortable, so how have three organisations within Norfolk helped make church a great place to be involved with during 2016? Kevin Gotts found out more.

Christian Vision for Men  CVM

Christian Vision for Men  CVM, a non-denominational charitable organisation, evangelical in its outlook  which in simple terms aims to `Win Men for Jesus`. They promote small men`s groups to partner with them - either from a church or groups of churches.



We dont want a church dominated by men or male characteristics nor do we want to make church a mens club; just a place where men can be gripped and excited by Jesus. said Simon Pinchbeck, CVM Regional Director for The East,  So we offer resources and support to motivate and equip Christian men to `Have a Go for Jesus` in their daily lives and give them the strength and the courage, to introduce non-Christian men into their groups, and ultimately to Jesus and the church.



CVM has two Area Coordinators in Norfolk - Stephen Gladwell in Norwich organising a CVM `Unleashed` day in November - where men will come together to do activities in a woodland setting; and Simon Fenn in North Norfolk, who has instigated a number of `Men`s Breakfasts` from Cromer Church, which he has opened up to Christian men of any denomination. His heart is for `Discipleship` and to that end he has championed a CVM resource called `The Code` - which is twelve steps to follow Jesus. Plus CVM Swaffham, where Mike Bennet heads up a partnered group in the town and regularly hold breakfast meetings in the parish church in Necton.



Contact: simon.pinchbeck @cvm.org.uk or www.cvm.org.uk

Caleb

Caleb, formed a year ago by five men from different churches across Norwich who got together and all shared the same feeling that many Christian men were looking for a deeper relationship with God.



Stephen Gladwell said, We identified that the men in our churches were seeking more. We were taken by the claim made by Caleb, a great man of faith, in Joshua 14:8 for my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord. We were challenged by this and felt is was the thing the men in our churches were seeking: what does it mean to wholly follow the Lord?



Caleb meets on the third Saturday each month at Witard Road Baptist Church, Norwich and is informal. Any man from any denomination is welcome. They start with a drink and doughnuts, and then have a short time of worship, followed by some teaching around a topic. After a short break they continue with discussion around what has been heard and how it can be applied to everyday lives. Doors are open from 8.30am for coffee and finish at 11am.



Stephen continues, Together with the church leaders, our desire is to see the men in Norwich fulfil their potential in Christ and be transformed into the man God wants them to be.



Contact: www.calebwftl.org.uk



Read our previous article on this topic



Full Gospel Businessmen



The Full Gospel Businessmen UK & Ireland (or FGB for short) is part of the largest network of Christian businessmen in the world: from every part of the world. Norwich FGB Chapter is headed up by Dr Barrie Lawrence.



Their meetings are open to men and women and the definition of businessman is all inclusive and meant to include all people in or out of work.



The FGB mission is:

Fellowship with members across the world

Fulfilling our Destiny within the call of God on our lives

To reach men and women for Christ and empower them for Life through the Holy Spirit

Operating as 'an arm of the Christian Church': serving and supported by local Churches, to which we remain committed

Seeing the Kingdom of God extended for His Glory
We now know at least one recipient of Masayoshi Son's massive $50 billion investment for the U.S. He ponied up $1.2 billion for OneWeb, the global satellite project for worldwide internet coverage.

OneWeb is a project from English entrepreneur Richard Branson. The goal is to put as many as 2,400 small satellites in low orbit to provide complete global coverage for broadband internet access in many places where it's not available. According to SpaceNews, that number has been reduced to 900.

One of the problems is how to get 900 satellites into orbit without a high payload vehicle like the Space Shuttle. OneWeb has to build its own specialized launchers. Another problem is building 900 satellites. That's why the startup costs are so enormous. The company estimates it will need $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion to get everything launched, an enormous sum for a startup.

+ Also on Network World: Virgin Galactic wants to launch 2,400 comm. satellites to offer ubiquitous broadband +

So far, OneWeb raised $500 million in June 2015. It thought that money would last 18 months, and then it would do a pair of B and C rounds of funding of $500 million each, but founder Greg Wyler told SpaceNews that with the SoftBank investment, it raised the B round and compressed the B and the C rounds together.

So far, OneWeb has received investments from Airbus Group, Intelsat, Bharti Enterprises, Totalplay, Hughes Network Systems, Qualcomm, Coca-Cola Co. and the Virgin Group. As of this point, there are no plans to go into the markets to raise more money, according to Wyler.

OneWeb built the first 10 satellites in France but plans to produce the rest in the U.S., with parts also coming from Canada, the U.K. and elsewhere.

The new capital will support the construction of a manufacturing facility in Exploration Park, Florida, that will be able to produce 15 satellites per week and is expected to create nearly 3,000 new U.S. jobs in engineering, manufacturing and supporting roles over the next four years.

Son said in a statement that the OneWeb investment is part of the promise he made to President-elect Donald Trump to invest in the U.S.

"Earlier this month, I met with President-Elect Trump and shared my commitment to investing and creating jobs in the U.S. This is the first step in that commitment. 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," he said.

OneWeb is a proposed constellation of satellites designed to provide global internet broadband service to individual consumers all over the world, including parts of the world that have little or no high-speed internet or 4G telco coverage. Wyler said it is possible OneWeb could have all 900 satellites orbited by 2020. Initial services would start when the population reaches around 300 satellites, he said.

When the network is complete, OneWeb expects its constellation to provide more than 10 terabits per second of new capacity, supporting 2G to 5G communications and Wi-Fi.
Oindrila Sarkar By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Despite Tuesdays rebound, dealers and traders point out that the financial markets are still jittery. The Prime Ministers speech on taxing capital markets, despite being negated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has not gone down well with them.

Narendra Modi had, on Saturday, said, Those who profit from financial markets must make a fair contribution to nation-building through taxes. For various reasons, the contribution of tax from those who make money on the markets has been low.

At the moment tax on Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) is tax exempt while Short Term Capital Gains (STCG), withholding period of less than 12 months, is taxed at 15 percent.

According to V K Vijaykumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas, the probability that the tax burden will increase is very high and one-year exemption for LTCG may be tweaked to two years. Last year, budget reintroduced tax on dividends for those earning dividends in excess of Rs10 lakhs, so there is a possibility that this may be changed, he said.

However, what is at stake is the Securities Transaction Tax (STT)  paid by market participants when a share is bought. If the STT is increased, it will reduce market transactions, volumes will fall and will lead to a decline in the tax collected, he added.

An equity dealer at Nirmal Bang Institutional Research, Mumbai said that it was unfair to say that we are not paying taxes. Does he (Modi) want to tax people who are making money after making profits or the markets themselves. If he is thinking about the latter it is going to be disastrous, he added.

Others agree. Who likes paying taxes despite making losses, asked A.K Prabhakar, Research Head, IDBI Capital Markets. Sriram Jagdish, an equities trader at Karvy Stock Broking said, For a trader, the gains are considered as business income and taxed. Now only the Budget can provide some amount of clarity on how capital gains will be taxed.

According to Vijaykumar, there is triple taxation on the same amount. You tax net profit of companies, you tax the company when it is paying dividends and after its in the hands of the shareholders, again it is being taxed. So its unfair to say they are not paying taxes, he said.

BENGALURU: Despite Tuesdays rebound, dealers and traders point out that the financial markets are still jittery. The Prime Ministers speech on taxing capital markets, despite being negated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has not gone down well with them. Narendra Modi had, on Saturday, said, Those who profit from financial markets must make a fair contribution to nation-building through taxes. For various reasons, the contribution of tax from those who make money on the markets has been low. At the moment tax on Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) is tax exempt while Short Term Capital Gains (STCG), withholding period of less than 12 months, is taxed at 15 percent. According to V K Vijaykumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas, the probability that the tax burden will increase is very high and one-year exemption for LTCG may be tweaked to two years. Last year, budget reintroduced tax on dividends for those earning dividends in excess of Rs10 lakhs, so there is a possibility that this may be changed, he said. However, what is at stake is the Securities Transaction Tax (STT)  paid by market participants when a share is bought. If the STT is increased, it will reduce market transactions, volumes will fall and will lead to a decline in the tax collected, he added. An equity dealer at Nirmal Bang Institutional Research, Mumbai said that it was unfair to say that we are not paying taxes. Does he (Modi) want to tax people who are making money after making profits or the markets themselves. If he is thinking about the latter it is going to be disastrous, he added. Others agree. Who likes paying taxes despite making losses, asked A.K Prabhakar, Research Head, IDBI Capital Markets. Sriram Jagdish, an equities trader at Karvy Stock Broking said, For a trader, the gains are considered as business income and taxed. Now only the Budget can provide some amount of clarity on how capital gains will be taxed. According to Vijaykumar, there is triple taxation on the same amount. You tax net profit of companies, you tax the company when it is paying dividends and after its in the hands of the shareholders, again it is being taxed. So its unfair to say they are not paying taxes, he said.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Mumbai Customs sleuths today seized cash totalling around Rs 69 lakh in two separate cases here, which included recovery of Rs 25 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs made these seizures at the international airport here in the wee hours and four persons were arrested in this connection.

In the first case, foreign currency worth over Rs 43 lakh was recovered from three passengers -- Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha -- who arrived here from Hyderabad.

"A detailed examination of the baggage of Ali resulted in recovery of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars," said a Customs official, adding that the total value was Rs 43.97 lakhs.

This money was found wrapped in newspapers and was concealed in their check-in baggage.

The trio in their statement have said that they brought the foreign currency from Saudi Arabia during their visit last week but did not declare the money before the Customs.

"They have also said that they came to Mumbai for conversion of the currency expecting good returns," the official said.

They were arrested after a case under Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act was registered against them.

In another case, one Arif Koyante who was departing to Dubai was arrested after Rs 25 lakh, in denominations of Rs 2000, was seized from him.

Officials said a search of his baggage yielded 1,250 notes kept in 52 different envelopes made of white paper.

"These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 cardboards on which ready made garments were neatly wrapped," said the official adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that it was attempted to be smuggled out of India.

A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif and he has admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery, the official said.

MUMBAI: Mumbai Customs sleuths today seized cash totalling around Rs 69 lakh in two separate cases here, which included recovery of Rs 25 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes. The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs made these seizures at the international airport here in the wee hours and four persons were arrested in this connection. In the first case, foreign currency worth over Rs 43 lakh was recovered from three passengers -- Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha -- who arrived here from Hyderabad. "A detailed examination of the baggage of Ali resulted in recovery of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars," said a Customs official, adding that the total value was Rs 43.97 lakhs. This money was found wrapped in newspapers and was concealed in their check-in baggage. The trio in their statement have said that they brought the foreign currency from Saudi Arabia during their visit last week but did not declare the money before the Customs. "They have also said that they came to Mumbai for conversion of the currency expecting good returns," the official said. They were arrested after a case under Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act was registered against them. In another case, one Arif Koyante who was departing to Dubai was arrested after Rs 25 lakh, in denominations of Rs 2000, was seized from him. Officials said a search of his baggage yielded 1,250 notes kept in 52 different envelopes made of white paper. "These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 cardboards on which ready made garments were neatly wrapped," said the official adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that it was attempted to be smuggled out of India. A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif and he has admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery, the official said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A State Bank of Mysore (SBM) employee committed suicide at his residence in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Raviraj, 57, was a head cashier at the SBM branch on Mysore Road in Bengaluru. Police said he hanged himself at 10 am this morning when his wife had gone for a walk and their sons to college. The reason is not known.

The mans brother Gopalraj said he saw Raviraj at around 8 am when he had just come back from his morning jog. He prepared coffee for his children. On Tuesday night, we watched television till 11.45 in the night before he went to sleep. He was his usual self, said Gopalraj.

The Viveknagar police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating the case.

BENGALURU: A State Bank of Mysore (SBM) employee committed suicide at his residence in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Raviraj, 57, was a head cashier at the SBM branch on Mysore Road in Bengaluru. Police said he hanged himself at 10 am this morning when his wife had gone for a walk and their sons to college. The reason is not known. The mans brother Gopalraj said he saw Raviraj at around 8 am when he had just come back from his morning jog. He prepared coffee for his children. On Tuesday night, we watched television till 11.45 in the night before he went to sleep. He was his usual self, said Gopalraj. The Viveknagar police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating the case.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A nine-member team of officials from the Central government began on Wednesday an assessment of the damage done by cyclone Vardah in Chennai and Kancheepuram districts. The delegation is led by Praveen Vashishta, a joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The delegation met Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam, chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and senior officials and heard a Power Point presentation made by the Revenue Department showing the damage to public infrastructure done by the December 12 cyclone.

The chief minister reeled off all the work done by his government by way of rescue and restoration, which he said was done on a war footing. To wit: ministers and IAS officers were deputed to the affected districts; the Greater Chennai Corporation launched relief and restoration ops; a massive operation was launched to restore power supply and remove fallen trees; police, fire service and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were extensively used; equipment such as power saws, JCBs and tipper lorries were mobilized from all over Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states.

The Tamil Nadu government released Rs. 500 crore from its Disaster Response Fund for immediate relief and restoration activities. Damage assessment teams were set up and relief was given to the affected people.

The chief minister then came to the money part. He reminded the delegation that he has sent a detailed memorandum to the Prime Minister assessing the fund requirement for relief and reconstruction. The figure quoted by the government is Rs 22,573 crore.

Panneerselvam requested the central delegation to study the damage at depth and report back to the Ministry of Home Affairs immediately.

Praveen Vashista said the damage done by Vardah could be sensed even in Delhi. And he said when he and his delegation landed at the airport in Chennai, the speedy restoration wrought by the state government was evident. He commended the state government for this. As for his own job here, he said he would do as required.

The delegation also met 14 MLAs representing constituencies in Chennai and its suburban areas, led by former mayor Ma Subramanian and received from them a memorandum on the constituency-wise damage done by Vardah.

Subramanian told mediapersons after the encounter that over one lakh trees have been lost in Chennai alone in addition to hundreds of hutments, transformers and electric poles.

After the Secretariat meetings, the team was due to do a disaster tour of the city including a visit to the Panagal park, the Anna Arch near the Thirumangalam tree dump yard and the Vandalur zoo. They can expect to see another Power Point presentation at Guindy listing the damage caused to electrical infrastructure.

Tomorrow, Dec. 29, the team will visit Royapuram, Kallukadaimedu village, Chinnambedu, Sholavaram, Sothuperumpedu, Orakkadu, Arumandai, Seemavaram, Periyamullaivoyal, Vazhudigaimedu and Madiyur. The visit wraps up with a meeting with the chief secretary at 4.30 pm before the flight back to Delhi.

CHENNAI: A nine-member team of officials from the Central government began on Wednesday an assessment of the damage done by cyclone Vardah in Chennai and Kancheepuram districts. The delegation is led by Praveen Vashishta, a joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The delegation met Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam, chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and senior officials and heard a Power Point presentation made by the Revenue Department showing the damage to public infrastructure done by the December 12 cyclone. The chief minister reeled off all the work done by his government by way of rescue and restoration, which he said was done on a war footing. To wit: ministers and IAS officers were deputed to the affected districts; the Greater Chennai Corporation launched relief and restoration ops; a massive operation was launched to restore power supply and remove fallen trees; police, fire service and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were extensively used; equipment such as power saws, JCBs and tipper lorries were mobilized from all over Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states. The Tamil Nadu government released Rs. 500 crore from its Disaster Response Fund for immediate relief and restoration activities. Damage assessment teams were set up and relief was given to the affected people. The chief minister then came to the money part. He reminded the delegation that he has sent a detailed memorandum to the Prime Minister assessing the fund requirement for relief and reconstruction. The figure quoted by the government is Rs 22,573 crore. Panneerselvam requested the central delegation to study the damage at depth and report back to the Ministry of Home Affairs immediately. Praveen Vashista said the damage done by Vardah could be sensed even in Delhi. And he said when he and his delegation landed at the airport in Chennai, the speedy restoration wrought by the state government was evident. He commended the state government for this. As for his own job here, he said he would do as required. The delegation also met 14 MLAs representing constituencies in Chennai and its suburban areas, led by former mayor Ma Subramanian and received from them a memorandum on the constituency-wise damage done by Vardah. Subramanian told mediapersons after the encounter that over one lakh trees have been lost in Chennai alone in addition to hundreds of hutments, transformers and electric poles. After the Secretariat meetings, the team was due to do a disaster tour of the city including a visit to the Panagal park, the Anna Arch near the Thirumangalam tree dump yard and the Vandalur zoo. They can expect to see another Power Point presentation at Guindy listing the damage caused to electrical infrastructure. Tomorrow, Dec. 29, the team will visit Royapuram, Kallukadaimedu village, Chinnambedu, Sholavaram, Sothuperumpedu, Orakkadu, Arumandai, Seemavaram, Periyamullaivoyal, Vazhudigaimedu and Madiyur. The visit wraps up with a meeting with the chief secretary at 4.30 pm before the flight back to Delhi.
By PTI

ALIGARH: AMU Students' Union today demanded a CBI inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who has remained untraced for 74 days.

In a memorandum sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, the union alleged that instead of trying to trace Ahmed, police was harassing the family of the missing student and shielding criminals.

Ahmed, an MSc Biotechnology student, went missing on October 15 after a scuffle, allegedly with ABVP affiliated students at his hostel inside the JNU campus.

His mother Fatima Nafees and sister Sadaf were detained by police when they along with scores of agitating students tried to take out a protest march to India Gate in New Delhi on November 6. Fatima was virtually dragged into a bus by police along with other students.

The memorandum said the same forces which had compelled Dalit student Rohit Vemula to commit suicide in Hyderabad earlier this year were behind Ahmed's disappearance.

AMU students led by their union president Faizul Hasan held a demonstration here yesterday and threatened to intensify their stir if government did not fulfil their demand.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) has also asserted that they will continue with their protest on the issue.

Delhi Police has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about Ahmed, while the Crime Branch is trying to trace him without any success so far.

ALIGARH: AMU Students' Union today demanded a CBI inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who has remained untraced for 74 days. In a memorandum sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, the union alleged that instead of trying to trace Ahmed, police was harassing the family of the missing student and shielding criminals. Ahmed, an MSc Biotechnology student, went missing on October 15 after a scuffle, allegedly with ABVP affiliated students at his hostel inside the JNU campus. His mother Fatima Nafees and sister Sadaf were detained by police when they along with scores of agitating students tried to take out a protest march to India Gate in New Delhi on November 6. Fatima was virtually dragged into a bus by police along with other students. The memorandum said the same forces which had compelled Dalit student Rohit Vemula to commit suicide in Hyderabad earlier this year were behind Ahmed's disappearance. AMU students led by their union president Faizul Hasan held a demonstration here yesterday and threatened to intensify their stir if government did not fulfil their demand. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) has also asserted that they will continue with their protest on the issue. Delhi Police has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about Ahmed, while the Crime Branch is trying to trace him without any success so far.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a branch manager of Kotak Mahindra Bank in connection with an ongoing probe in connection with deposits totalling Rs 34 crore in nine bogus accounts after demonetisation.



The agency arrested Ashish Kumar, manager of the private banks branch at Kasturba Gandhi Marg here late on Tuesday night, agency sources said.



Kumar has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was produced before a designated court that granted his custody to the ED till January 2.



During the custodial interrogation, Kumar will be grilled extensively to unravel the larger network engaged in laundering black money, the sources said.



Taking cognisance of the Delhi Police FIR relating to the detection of the dubious accounts with the branch, the ED registered a separate case under PMLA.



Last week, the Delhi Police had arrested two persons for allegedly depositing black money worth Rs 34 crore in nine fake accounts being operated in the Naya Bazar branch of the private bank in the national capital.



The Income Tax Department is separately probing the issue.

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a branch manager of Kotak Mahindra Bank in connection with an ongoing probe in connection with deposits totalling Rs 34 crore in nine bogus accounts after demonetisation. The agency arrested Ashish Kumar, manager of the private banks branch at Kasturba Gandhi Marg here late on Tuesday night, agency sources said. Kumar has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was produced before a designated court that granted his custody to the ED till January 2. During the custodial interrogation, Kumar will be grilled extensively to unravel the larger network engaged in laundering black money, the sources said. Taking cognisance of the Delhi Police FIR relating to the detection of the dubious accounts with the branch, the ED registered a separate case under PMLA. Last week, the Delhi Police had arrested two persons for allegedly depositing black money worth Rs 34 crore in nine fake accounts being operated in the Naya Bazar branch of the private bank in the national capital. The Income Tax Department is separately probing the issue.
By Express News Service

The arrest of eight suspected IS activists from Kanakamala in Kannur who were plotting to carry out terror attacks in South India and the missing of 21 people, including children who left Kerala to join IS in Syria, indicate the growing tentacles of the terrorist outfit in the state.

Being a state which has close links with West Asian countries, considering the large settlement of Malayalis in GCC and countries like Yemen and Libya right from 1970s, the terror modules has been finding it easy to establish their network in the state.

The enforcement agencies have been after the terror modules of LeT and IM in the state which have largely preferred to remain underground in the state and carry out missions in other parts of the country. Investigation into the terror modules in Kerala in the last five years had revealed that it was the young who get lured into the fundamentalist group either for easy money or affinity to take up holy war.

The NIA which conducted the probe had found that Subahani Haja Moideen, who had fought for IS in Iraq, was a native of Thodupuzha in Idukki district and he was instrumental in establishing a network of IS operatives. Apart from Subahani, the NIA also tracked the activities of Sajeer Abdulla Mangalaseri from Kozhikode who was said to be the chief of the IS network in Kerala.

Long wait for justice

Sending a shock wave across the state, Supreme Court sentenced Govindachamy, the convict in Soumya murder case, to life imprisonment setting aside the death penalty awarded to him in the 2011 case. The court said it has not been proved that threw the victim out of the moving train or inflicted fatal injuries during the sexual assault that led to her death.

A bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi upheld the rape charge against Govindachamy but exonerated him of the murder charge, pointing out there were witnesses who testified that the victim had tried to escape by jumping off the moving train. The bench said, the circumstantial evidence was not strong enough to say that Govindachamy had intention or knowledge that Soumya could suffer fatal injuries to specific body parts during the assault.

Later in the year, former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju who criticised the Supreme Court judges saying that they committed an error in judgment in dispensing the case, offered unconditional apology to Justice Ranjan Gogoi in connection with the Soumya rape case. An apex court bench of justices Gogoi, Prafulla C Pant and Uday Umesh Lalit had issued a show cause notice to Justice Katju asking him why contempt proceedings should not be drawn up him.

Exodus of KC(M) from UDF

Kerala Congress(M) ended the 35-year-old relationship with Congress and decided to sever its ties with the United Democratic Front (UDF) for all practical purposes and its six MLAs will form a separate bloc in the Assembly, two months after winning elections as the candidates of the Front. However, the party which has two MPs, one each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, will extend issue-based support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

According to party chairman K M Mani, certain persons in the Congress leadership were treating KC(M) as enemy No 1. In the Assembly, the act from its third largest partner reduced the number of UDF constituents to three and its members to 41 while increasing the number of blocs to five, a first in the history of the state.

Rail passengers taken for a ride

The passengers of the Mangaluru-bound Malabar Express had a miraculous escape when 12 bogies of the train derailed at Karukutty, disrupting rail traffic in Kerala. A possible major collision was also averted as the Thiruvananthapuram mail from Chennai towards Ernakulam was stopped around 300 metres away from the accident spot following a timely alert.

The derailment occurred at 2.55 am shortly after the Malabar Express left Aluva station and was running at a slow speed. There was no casualty and all passengers were taken to Thrissur for their onward journey.

Watery grave

Six youths who were taking bath in a river near Kuttiyadi, around 50 km from Kozhikode, drowned following flash floods. Those drowned were part of a nine-member group who had gone to take bath in the river. When they ventured into the river to take bath, the water level was very low. Suddenly, the water level rose and they were washed away.

Dogged by the menace

The dog menace with a population of 2.5 lakh strays hogged the limelight once again with a 65-year-old woman being mauled to death by a large pack on a suburban beach nearby Kanjiramkulam in Thiruvananthapuram. The hapless woman, Siluvamma, a resident of the coastal belt, was attacked on Pulluvila beach, according to her family. As per the statistics submitted in the state Assembly, highest number of dog bites during June, July and August was reported from Thiruvananthapuram district with 6,042, followed by Palakkad (4,305) and Kollam (4,123).

The great flight escape

The passengers and crew escaped unhurt as Emirates airliner EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai crash-landed and caught fire in Dubai resulting in four-hour shutdown of the busy airport. However, Jasim Al Beloushi from Ras Al Khaimah, a firefighter lost his life. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew members on board -- 226 of whom were Indians, 24 British and 11 Emirati nationals. While dramatic images of the aircraft engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing from it, were circulated on social media, video footage capturing scenes of panic inside the plane has also emerged. The Emirates Airlines had announced a compensation of USD 7,000 to all passengers.

Fatal prescription

More than nine years after he slipped into coma after testing a medicine he had prescribed to a patient, P A Baiju an ayurveda practitioner from a government dispensary in Bison Valley of Idukki district passed away. He consumed the medicine, not knowing that it had been poisoned by the patients husband following a domestic brawl to kill his wife, in January 2007.

The arrest of eight suspected IS activists from Kanakamala in Kannur who were plotting to carry out terror attacks in South India and the missing of 21 people, including children who left Kerala to join IS in Syria, indicate the growing tentacles of the terrorist outfit in the state. Being a state which has close links with West Asian countries, considering the large settlement of Malayalis in GCC and countries like Yemen and Libya right from 1970s, the terror modules has been finding it easy to establish their network in the state. The enforcement agencies have been after the terror modules of LeT and IM in the state which have largely preferred to remain underground in the state and carry out missions in other parts of the country. Investigation into the terror modules in Kerala in the last five years had revealed that it was the young who get lured into the fundamentalist group either for easy money or affinity to take up holy war. The NIA which conducted the probe had found that Subahani Haja Moideen, who had fought for IS in Iraq, was a native of Thodupuzha in Idukki district and he was instrumental in establishing a network of IS operatives. Apart from Subahani, the NIA also tracked the activities of Sajeer Abdulla Mangalaseri from Kozhikode who was said to be the chief of the IS network in Kerala. Long wait for justice Sending a shock wave across the state, Supreme Court sentenced Govindachamy, the convict in Soumya murder case, to life imprisonment setting aside the death penalty awarded to him in the 2011 case. The court said it has not been proved that threw the victim out of the moving train or inflicted fatal injuries during the sexual assault that led to her death. A bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi upheld the rape charge against Govindachamy but exonerated him of the murder charge, pointing out there were witnesses who testified that the victim had tried to escape by jumping off the moving train. The bench said, the circumstantial evidence was not strong enough to say that Govindachamy had intention or knowledge that Soumya could suffer fatal injuries to specific body parts during the assault. Later in the year, former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju who criticised the Supreme Court judges saying that they committed an error in judgment in dispensing the case, offered unconditional apology to Justice Ranjan Gogoi in connection with the Soumya rape case. An apex court bench of justices Gogoi, Prafulla C Pant and Uday Umesh Lalit had issued a show cause notice to Justice Katju asking him why contempt proceedings should not be drawn up him. Exodus of KC(M) from UDF Kerala Congress(M) ended the 35-year-old relationship with Congress and decided to sever its ties with the United Democratic Front (UDF) for all practical purposes and its six MLAs will form a separate bloc in the Assembly, two months after winning elections as the candidates of the Front. However, the party which has two MPs, one each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, will extend issue-based support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). According to party chairman K M Mani, certain persons in the Congress leadership were treating KC(M) as enemy No 1. In the Assembly, the act from its third largest partner reduced the number of UDF constituents to three and its members to 41 while increasing the number of blocs to five, a first in the history of the state. Rail passengers taken for a ride The passengers of the Mangaluru-bound Malabar Express had a miraculous escape when 12 bogies of the train derailed at Karukutty, disrupting rail traffic in Kerala. A possible major collision was also averted as the Thiruvananthapuram mail from Chennai towards Ernakulam was stopped around 300 metres away from the accident spot following a timely alert. The derailment occurred at 2.55 am shortly after the Malabar Express left Aluva station and was running at a slow speed. There was no casualty and all passengers were taken to Thrissur for their onward journey. Watery grave Six youths who were taking bath in a river near Kuttiyadi, around 50 km from Kozhikode, drowned following flash floods. Those drowned were part of a nine-member group who had gone to take bath in the river. When they ventured into the river to take bath, the water level was very low. Suddenly, the water level rose and they were washed away. Dogged by the menace The dog menace with a population of 2.5 lakh strays hogged the limelight once again with a 65-year-old woman being mauled to death by a large pack on a suburban beach nearby Kanjiramkulam in Thiruvananthapuram. The hapless woman, Siluvamma, a resident of the coastal belt, was attacked on Pulluvila beach, according to her family. As per the statistics submitted in the state Assembly, highest number of dog bites during June, July and August was reported from Thiruvananthapuram district with 6,042, followed by Palakkad (4,305) and Kollam (4,123). The great flight escape The passengers and crew escaped unhurt as Emirates airliner EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai crash-landed and caught fire in Dubai resulting in four-hour shutdown of the busy airport. However, Jasim Al Beloushi from Ras Al Khaimah, a firefighter lost his life. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew members on board -- 226 of whom were Indians, 24 British and 11 Emirati nationals. While dramatic images of the aircraft engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing from it, were circulated on social media, video footage capturing scenes of panic inside the plane has also emerged. The Emirates Airlines had announced a compensation of USD 7,000 to all passengers. Fatal prescription More than nine years after he slipped into coma after testing a medicine he had prescribed to a patient, P A Baiju an ayurveda practitioner from a government dispensary in Bison Valley of Idukki district passed away. He consumed the medicine, not knowing that it had been poisoned by the patients husband following a domestic brawl to kill his wife, in January 2007.
By Express News Service

Mandya to Mumbai marks the debut of Amrutha Rao in Sandalwood. The film directed by Raajashekar is a remake of a Tamil film, Renigunta with Armutha being paired opposite Rakesh Adiga.

The youngster, who is excited with her first film finally seeing its day of release, tells City Express that she had a challenging start.

I had to play a 16-year-old girl, who is deaf and mute. Though I had watched the original, bringing in my own interpretation to the role was a task. Moreover, I had to play with my expressions, says Amrutha, who had no intention to enter the industry till this project was offered to her.

I was studying for my graduation degree. The director is hopeful that I will do big in tinsel town. Bharatanatyam was the only skill I had, and it helped me with expressions and facing the camera, she says. The film also features Sanjjanaa who plays a pivotal role along with Kadipudi Chandru. The films music is scored by Charan Raj and has cinematography by Darshan Kanaka and Vishwesh Shiva Prasad

Mandya to Mumbai marks the debut of Amrutha Rao in Sandalwood. The film directed by Raajashekar is a remake of a Tamil film, Renigunta with Armutha being paired opposite Rakesh Adiga. The youngster, who is excited with her first film finally seeing its day of release, tells City Express that she had a challenging start. I had to play a 16-year-old girl, who is deaf and mute. Though I had watched the original, bringing in my own interpretation to the role was a task. Moreover, I had to play with my expressions, says Amrutha, who had no intention to enter the industry till this project was offered to her. I was studying for my graduation degree. The director is hopeful that I will do big in tinsel town. Bharatanatyam was the only skill I had, and it helped me with expressions and facing the camera, she says. The film also features Sanjjanaa who plays a pivotal role along with Kadipudi Chandru. The films music is scored by Charan Raj and has cinematography by Darshan Kanaka and Vishwesh Shiva Prasad
Pradip R Sagar By

Two hours after the Winter Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die at 2 pm on December 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to his office. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also summoned. After last-minute confabulations, the decision to announce Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat as the next Army chief was taken. General Rawats first-hand experience involving counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir gave him an edge; he wears on his chest a Wound Medal awarded to soldiers injured in a conflict, which he received for an operation on the Line of Control (LoC) in the early days of his 37-year-old career. General Rawats appointment indicated a strategic shift in the Indian governments military thinking. Gone is the conventional diplomatic response to Pakistans transgression.

Limited armed response is the new doctrine, as the surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on September 29 showed. It was an example of powerful strike capability of the worlds third-largest standing army. Pakistan did not expect retaliation after 19 soldiers were killed and 37 wounded by terrorist attacks on the Army camp at Uri, Jammu. However, when the clock struck midnight on September 29, Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters bearing 25 commandos from 4 Para and 9 Para (Special Forces) flew over the LoC into PoK. They were armed to the teeth, wearing camera-mounted helmets, which beamed back real-time visuals of the action to Army headquarters. They were carrying Israeli Tavor assault rifles, M-4 guns, grenades, smoke grenades, under-barrel grenade launchers (UBGL) and night vision devices. The commandos split into seven groups. They crawled three kilometers through rocky muddy ground, skirting landmines and Pakistan Army patrols. If caught, the results would have been disastrous.

Eventually, they reached their targetsterror launchpads in Bhimbar, Kel, Tattapani and Leepa areas where terrorists were waiting to infiltrate into India, backed by Pakistan Army. The terrorists were under electronic and satellite surveillance by Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Military Intelligence. Before the terrorists knew what was happening, 50 were killed, including Pakistani soldiers. The commandos crossed back into India without any casualties except for a few landmine injuries.

Previously, the Army was under vicious, escalated attack from separatists in the Kashmir Valley after the Jammu and Kashmir Police killed local Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Initially, the Army had largely preferred to stay away from active involvement. The action upped the morale of the Indian Army and dampened the enthusiasm of the protestors. Pakistan escalated its response by non-stop shelling on Indian positions. Indian retaliation was no less. On both sides of the border, civilians fled their homes and villages. Unlike during earlier situations, the Indian Army refused to back down. On November 23, Pakistan Armys Director General of Military Intelligence (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart for a resolution.

The death of Indian soldiers was the highest in six years64 dead in terror attacks and killed by Pakistan Army action on the border. India and Pakistan fought two conventional wars in 1965 and 1971, and the Kargil conflict in 1999. India lost nearly 6,000 soldiers in these battles, and Pakistan over 13,500. Since 1988, Pakistan-backed terrorists have carried out over 47,000 attacks in the Valley alone, in which 6,270 security personnel have died and 23,000 militants eliminated. Since 2009, Pakistan has committed over 800 ceasefire violationsover half of them this year. On December 14, the government in its reply in Parliament said there has been a sustained terrorist escalation this year, sponsored by the Pakistani establishment.

Military experts maintain that Indian security forces have been carrying out covert operations against terror groups operating from PoK, but the Indian government publicly acknowledged it for the first time after the September 29 surgical strikes.

Soldiers patrol in Jammu and Kashmir

The year 2016 has witnessed multiple high-profile attacks on Indian soil by cross-border backed terrorist outfits. Seven Indian soldiers died in the fidayeen attacks on the Pathankot Indian Air Force base on January 2. Three militants were shot dead in the 72-hour-long gun battle. The swift Army action ensured that the terrorists couldnt gain access to the Air Forces air assets zone. The government realised urgent attention had to be given to Indian counter-intelligence capability, which had been compromised and downgraded after internal politics in the Army after its chief, General V K Singh, retired in 2012.

The Pathankot attack exposed loopholes in the security of military bases because heavily armed militants could enter an IAF base, more than 50 kilometres from the border. After the surgical strikes and subsequent loss of face to Pakistan Army, terrorists again attacked an artillery brigade in Nagrota, barely a kilometre from where the Indian Armys biggest unit, 16 Corps, is posted. Even though seven Indian soldiersincluding two officerswere killed, the militants couldnt enter the officers mess or soldiers homes, or take hostages. The Pakistan Armys brutality continues; two Indian soldiers were beheaded in J&Ks Machchal sector this August.

Its not just the enemy at the border gates our soldiers have to fight. Hostile weather and difficult terrain is a challenge to the Indian Army. Pakistan has been asking for demilitarisation of Siachen and the Indian Armys top brass has prevailed over an oscillating Indian political leadership. India pays a high price for protecting 3,000 square kilometres of icy slopes in Siachen. On February 3, 10 soldiers of 19 Madras Regiment were buried alive in an avalanche in the glacier. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who survived six days under the snow, became a symbol of the Indian soldiers endurance. He died seven days later.

In Operation Meghdoot, which has been on since 1984, the Army has lost 35 officers and 887 men, guarding the worlds highest battlefield. And 19 Madras is now guarding the border with China at the Line of Actual (LAC) in Chushul, Ladakh.

The Armys bane has been the short-sighted policies of the political leadership. Even after the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, which claimed 164 lives, the Manmohan Singh administration contemplated a military response initially, but shied away at the last minute. A battle is won by soldiers, while a war is lost by political leaders and generals, notes Army historian Colonel J Francis in Short Stories From the History of the Indian Army Since 1947. During the Pakistani invasion of Kashmir in 1947 and the Indo-China War in 1962, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehrus vacillation cost Indian territory. As Pakistani raiders reached within 7 km of Srinagar airport on October 26, 1947, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, then a Lieutenant Colonel in the Directorate of Military Operations, urged the Defence Committee of the Cabinet that unless troops were sent to Srinagar immediately, India would lose Kashmir. A hesitant Nehru kept talking about consulting the UN until Sardar Patel roared at him, Jawahar, do you want Kashmir or do you want to give it away? Nehru acquiesced, and Patel told Manekshaw, You have your marching orders.

The sacrifices of Major Som Nath Sharma and Sepoy Dewan Singh of Delta Company, Kumaon Regiment, ensured that the Pakistanis could not take Srinagar. Major Sharma received the first Param Vir Chakra in the history of Independent India and Sepoy Dewan Singh was awarded a Maha Vir Chakra. Major Sharma had sworn, I will either fight and die in battle or will one day become Chief of Army Staff. Later, his brother Vishwa Nath Sharma became the Army chief. Major Sharmas feelings were echoed by the Lion of Kargil, Captain Vikram Batra who swore, Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure.

The Tricolour was kept flying by Indian soldiers in spite of political disasters. In 1962, Nehru refused to let the IAF participate in action against China. The Indian Army fought resiliently and valiantly with archaic weapons, limited ammunition and without winter clothing. The war was lost, but the enemy could not break its spirit. The last stand of Major Shaitan Singh at Chushul airfield in Ladakh in 1962, Major R S Dayals assault on Pakistani soldiers at the battle of Haji Pir in 1965, Major Chewan Rinchen (who fought in three battles in 1948, 1962 and 1971 when he retook Turtuk in Leh) and Rifleman Prem Bahadur Roka Magar of the Gurkha Regiment, who killed a Pakistani terrorist in hand-to-hand combat at the LoC exemplify the undying spirit of the Indian Army. In 1965, the Indian soldiers defeated the Pakistanis, who were equipped with better weapons like Patton tanks and Sabre fighter jets. It was believed that Patton tanks in all Pakistani regiments were painted with the slogan, March up to Delhi. Then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had declared India will give a fitting reply, hailed by General Harbaksh Singh, then GOC-in-C, as the tallest of decisions taken by one of the shortest of men. However, in all the battles India has fought, the political leadership in the end returned all captured areas to Pakistan, which were won at great cost of Indian lives.

In 1971, 90,000 Pak PoWs were returned, though 54 Indian PoWs never returned home. Last week, when India celebrated the 45th year of victory over Pakistan in Bangladesh, none of the missing PoWs found mention in speeches or citations. Indias defence budget is still an abysmal 1.74 per cent of the GDP, almost the same as it was prior to the 1962 conflict.

The Army is grappling with a shortage of necessary equipment. It has been unable to procure bulletproof jackets for nearly a decade. Soldiers fight with less than half the 3.5 lakh such jackets they require. The contract to procure 1.86 lakh jackets is still stuck. The Ministry of Defence asked 39 vendors to send proposals in December 2012. Only six responded. A Parliamentary Defence Committee report last year slammed the ministry for failing to provide jawans 217,388 high-ankle boots, 130,092 canvas running shoes and 447,000 balaclavas and other basic equipment. The Comptroller and Auditor General came down heavily on authorities for the poor quality of food supplied to troops deployed in operational areas of J&K and the Northeast, noting that they were past their expiry date.

The new Army chief, General Rawat, is expected to make a difference. General Dalbir Singh Suhags successors name was kept a secret until barely a fortnight was left for his retirement. Three months ago, General Rawat was summoned to Delhi from the Pune-based Southern Command. The file on General Rawat, which had gone to the Prime Ministers Office for approval of the Appointment Committee of Cabinet, had three names. Rawats counter-terrorism experience won the day. Dovals recommendation carried weight, too. Ministry sources said two days before the announcement, Parrikar called Rawat and briefed him on his new role. The appointment was made with a strategic vision, said a top government source.

Last month, Pakistan had appointed Lieutenant General Qamar Bajwa, a Kashmir expert who had earlier commanded 10 Corps along the LoC, the countrys largest military formation, as its army chief.

Given the support General Rawat has received from the ruling troika of Prime Minister Modi, Doval and Parrikar, he might make a difference. The General is known as a man of action, as his days spent with the UN peacekeeping mission, in charge of the North Kivu Brigade in Congo in 2008, show. The Congolese government was fighting an aggressive rebel force. The main casualities were civilians. General Rawats introduction of helicopter gunships and machine gun-mounted armoured vehicles changed the strategic equation in favour of the UN forces.

However, he did not garner a gallantry medal during the decade he spent in counter-insurgency operations in the Valley. He is expected to make up for it in the next three years at Army Headquarters in South Block. To execute his mandate, the indomitable will of the Indian soldier is his primary weapon.

Watershed Moments

On Jan 2, three terrorists attack Pathankot Air Force base, killing seven soldiers. The terrorists are eliminated in a fierce 72-hour gun battle.

Government disburses the first installment of One Rank One Pension (OROP) to over 25 lakh veterans and their families. OROP, a four-decade-old demand of ex-servicemen, was the NDAs poll promise.

Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani is gunned down by the Army in Bumdoora

village. Clashes erupt in Kashmir Valley between protestors and security forces. The agitation was fuelled by Pakistan-backed separatist groups.

On Sept 18, militants attack 12 Brigade in J&Ks Uri, killing 19 soldiers and wounding 37.

In retaliation to the Armys cross-border surgical strike, the Pakistani army carries out a series of ceasefire violations, targeting Indian posts and civilians. Pakistans Border Action Teams behead two Indian soldiers in Machchal along the LoC.

Terrorists attack an artillery brigade in Nagrota, a kilometre from the Armys biggest corps, 16 Corps. Seven soldiers, including two officers, are killed while thwarting militants from entering the officers mess, preventing a hostage situation.

Two hours after the Winter Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die at 2 pm on December 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to his office. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also summoned. After last-minute confabulations, the decision to announce Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat as the next Army chief was taken. General Rawats first-hand experience involving counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir gave him an edge; he wears on his chest a Wound Medal awarded to soldiers injured in a conflict, which he received for an operation on the Line of Control (LoC) in the early days of his 37-year-old career. General Rawats appointment indicated a strategic shift in the Indian governments military thinking. Gone is the conventional diplomatic response to Pakistans transgression. Limited armed response is the new doctrine, as the surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on September 29 showed. It was an example of powerful strike capability of the worlds third-largest standing army. Pakistan did not expect retaliation after 19 soldiers were killed and 37 wounded by terrorist attacks on the Army camp at Uri, Jammu. However, when the clock struck midnight on September 29, Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters bearing 25 commandos from 4 Para and 9 Para (Special Forces) flew over the LoC into PoK. They were armed to the teeth, wearing camera-mounted helmets, which beamed back real-time visuals of the action to Army headquarters. They were carrying Israeli Tavor assault rifles, M-4 guns, grenades, smoke grenades, under-barrel grenade launchers (UBGL) and night vision devices. The commandos split into seven groups. They crawled three kilometers through rocky muddy ground, skirting landmines and Pakistan Army patrols. If caught, the results would have been disastrous. Eventually, they reached their targetsterror launchpads in Bhimbar, Kel, Tattapani and Leepa areas where terrorists were waiting to infiltrate into India, backed by Pakistan Army. The terrorists were under electronic and satellite surveillance by Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Military Intelligence. Before the terrorists knew what was happening, 50 were killed, including Pakistani soldiers. The commandos crossed back into India without any casualties except for a few landmine injuries. Previously, the Army was under vicious, escalated attack from separatists in the Kashmir Valley after the Jammu and Kashmir Police killed local Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Initially, the Army had largely preferred to stay away from active involvement. The action upped the morale of the Indian Army and dampened the enthusiasm of the protestors. Pakistan escalated its response by non-stop shelling on Indian positions. Indian retaliation was no less. On both sides of the border, civilians fled their homes and villages. Unlike during earlier situations, the Indian Army refused to back down. On November 23, Pakistan Armys Director General of Military Intelligence (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart for a resolution. The death of Indian soldiers was the highest in six years64 dead in terror attacks and killed by Pakistan Army action on the border. India and Pakistan fought two conventional wars in 1965 and 1971, and the Kargil conflict in 1999. India lost nearly 6,000 soldiers in these battles, and Pakistan over 13,500. Since 1988, Pakistan-backed terrorists have carried out over 47,000 attacks in the Valley alone, in which 6,270 security personnel have died and 23,000 militants eliminated. Since 2009, Pakistan has committed over 800 ceasefire violationsover half of them this year. On December 14, the government in its reply in Parliament said there has been a sustained terrorist escalation this year, sponsored by the Pakistani establishment. Military experts maintain that Indian security forces have been carrying out covert operations against terror groups operating from PoK, but the Indian government publicly acknowledged it for the first time after the September 29 surgical strikes. Soldiers patrol in Jammu and KashmirThe year 2016 has witnessed multiple high-profile attacks on Indian soil by cross-border backed terrorist outfits. Seven Indian soldiers died in the fidayeen attacks on the Pathankot Indian Air Force base on January 2. Three militants were shot dead in the 72-hour-long gun battle. The swift Army action ensured that the terrorists couldnt gain access to the Air Forces air assets zone. The government realised urgent attention had to be given to Indian counter-intelligence capability, which had been compromised and downgraded after internal politics in the Army after its chief, General V K Singh, retired in 2012. The Pathankot attack exposed loopholes in the security of military bases because heavily armed militants could enter an IAF base, more than 50 kilometres from the border. After the surgical strikes and subsequent loss of face to Pakistan Army, terrorists again attacked an artillery brigade in Nagrota, barely a kilometre from where the Indian Armys biggest unit, 16 Corps, is posted. Even though seven Indian soldiersincluding two officerswere killed, the militants couldnt enter the officers mess or soldiers homes, or take hostages. The Pakistan Armys brutality continues; two Indian soldiers were beheaded in J&Ks Machchal sector this August. Its not just the enemy at the border gates our soldiers have to fight. Hostile weather and difficult terrain is a challenge to the Indian Army. Pakistan has been asking for demilitarisation of Siachen and the Indian Armys top brass has prevailed over an oscillating Indian political leadership. India pays a high price for protecting 3,000 square kilometres of icy slopes in Siachen. On February 3, 10 soldiers of 19 Madras Regiment were buried alive in an avalanche in the glacier. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who survived six days under the snow, became a symbol of the Indian soldiers endurance. He died seven days later. In Operation Meghdoot, which has been on since 1984, the Army has lost 35 officers and 887 men, guarding the worlds highest battlefield. And 19 Madras is now guarding the border with China at the Line of Actual (LAC) in Chushul, Ladakh. The Armys bane has been the short-sighted policies of the political leadership. Even after the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, which claimed 164 lives, the Manmohan Singh administration contemplated a military response initially, but shied away at the last minute. A battle is won by soldiers, while a war is lost by political leaders and generals, notes Army historian Colonel J Francis in Short Stories From the History of the Indian Army Since 1947. During the Pakistani invasion of Kashmir in 1947 and the Indo-China War in 1962, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehrus vacillation cost Indian territory. As Pakistani raiders reached within 7 km of Srinagar airport on October 26, 1947, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, then a Lieutenant Colonel in the Directorate of Military Operations, urged the Defence Committee of the Cabinet that unless troops were sent to Srinagar immediately, India would lose Kashmir. A hesitant Nehru kept talking about consulting the UN until Sardar Patel roared at him, Jawahar, do you want Kashmir or do you want to give it away? Nehru acquiesced, and Patel told Manekshaw, You have your marching orders. The sacrifices of Major Som Nath Sharma and Sepoy Dewan Singh of Delta Company, Kumaon Regiment, ensured that the Pakistanis could not take Srinagar. Major Sharma received the first Param Vir Chakra in the history of Independent India and Sepoy Dewan Singh was awarded a Maha Vir Chakra. Major Sharma had sworn, I will either fight and die in battle or will one day become Chief of Army Staff. Later, his brother Vishwa Nath Sharma became the Army chief. Major Sharmas feelings were echoed by the Lion of Kargil, Captain Vikram Batra who swore, Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure. The Tricolour was kept flying by Indian soldiers in spite of political disasters. In 1962, Nehru refused to let the IAF participate in action against China. The Indian Army fought resiliently and valiantly with archaic weapons, limited ammunition and without winter clothing. The war was lost, but the enemy could not break its spirit. The last stand of Major Shaitan Singh at Chushul airfield in Ladakh in 1962, Major R S Dayals assault on Pakistani soldiers at the battle of Haji Pir in 1965, Major Chewan Rinchen (who fought in three battles in 1948, 1962 and 1971 when he retook Turtuk in Leh) and Rifleman Prem Bahadur Roka Magar of the Gurkha Regiment, who killed a Pakistani terrorist in hand-to-hand combat at the LoC exemplify the undying spirit of the Indian Army. In 1965, the Indian soldiers defeated the Pakistanis, who were equipped with better weapons like Patton tanks and Sabre fighter jets. It was believed that Patton tanks in all Pakistani regiments were painted with the slogan, March up to Delhi. Then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had declared India will give a fitting reply, hailed by General Harbaksh Singh, then GOC-in-C, as the tallest of decisions taken by one of the shortest of men. However, in all the battles India has fought, the political leadership in the end returned all captured areas to Pakistan, which were won at great cost of Indian lives. In 1971, 90,000 Pak PoWs were returned, though 54 Indian PoWs never returned home. Last week, when India celebrated the 45th year of victory over Pakistan in Bangladesh, none of the missing PoWs found mention in speeches or citations. Indias defence budget is still an abysmal 1.74 per cent of the GDP, almost the same as it was prior to the 1962 conflict. The Army is grappling with a shortage of necessary equipment. It has been unable to procure bulletproof jackets for nearly a decade. Soldiers fight with less than half the 3.5 lakh such jackets they require. The contract to procure 1.86 lakh jackets is still stuck. The Ministry of Defence asked 39 vendors to send proposals in December 2012. Only six responded. A Parliamentary Defence Committee report last year slammed the ministry for failing to provide jawans 217,388 high-ankle boots, 130,092 canvas running shoes and 447,000 balaclavas and other basic equipment. The Comptroller and Auditor General came down heavily on authorities for the poor quality of food supplied to troops deployed in operational areas of J&K and the Northeast, noting that they were past their expiry date. The new Army chief, General Rawat, is expected to make a difference. General Dalbir Singh Suhags successors name was kept a secret until barely a fortnight was left for his retirement. Three months ago, General Rawat was summoned to Delhi from the Pune-based Southern Command. The file on General Rawat, which had gone to the Prime Ministers Office for approval of the Appointment Committee of Cabinet, had three names. Rawats counter-terrorism experience won the day. Dovals recommendation carried weight, too. Ministry sources said two days before the announcement, Parrikar called Rawat and briefed him on his new role. The appointment was made with a strategic vision, said a top government source. Last month, Pakistan had appointed Lieutenant General Qamar Bajwa, a Kashmir expert who had earlier commanded 10 Corps along the LoC, the countrys largest military formation, as its army chief. Given the support General Rawat has received from the ruling troika of Prime Minister Modi, Doval and Parrikar, he might make a difference. The General is known as a man of action, as his days spent with the UN peacekeeping mission, in charge of the North Kivu Brigade in Congo in 2008, show. The Congolese government was fighting an aggressive rebel force. The main casualities were civilians. General Rawats introduction of helicopter gunships and machine gun-mounted armoured vehicles changed the strategic equation in favour of the UN forces. However, he did not garner a gallantry medal during the decade he spent in counter-insurgency operations in the Valley. He is expected to make up for it in the next three years at Army Headquarters in South Block. To execute his mandate, the indomitable will of the Indian soldier is his primary weapon. Watershed Moments On Jan 2, three terrorists attack Pathankot Air Force base, killing seven soldiers. The terrorists are eliminated in a fierce 72-hour gun battle. Government disburses the first installment of One Rank One Pension (OROP) to over 25 lakh veterans and their families. OROP, a four-decade-old demand of ex-servicemen, was the NDAs poll promise. Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani is gunned down by the Army in Bumdoora village. Clashes erupt in Kashmir Valley between protestors and security forces. The agitation was fuelled by Pakistan-backed separatist groups. On Sept 18, militants attack 12 Brigade in J&Ks Uri, killing 19 soldiers and wounding 37. In retaliation to the Armys cross-border surgical strike, the Pakistani army carries out a series of ceasefire violations, targeting Indian posts and civilians. Pakistans Border Action Teams behead two Indian soldiers in Machchal along the LoC. Terrorists attack an artillery brigade in Nagrota, a kilometre from the Armys biggest corps, 16 Corps. Seven soldiers, including two officers, are killed while thwarting militants from entering the officers mess, preventing a hostage situation.
Meera Bhardwaj By

Ravikumar Kashi is pushing perceptions, extending the boundaries of his art and experimenting with mediums. The contemporary artist in his own right has come up with works based on keen observation of human nature and the complex transformation thats taking place in the Indian society. Kashis month-long show Silent Echo at Gallery Sumukha in Bengaluru demonstrates his creativity and ability to communicate with his audience through a medium that is not so common.

The 48-year-old Kashi has created a new body of work revolving around a variety of objects. And it took him two years to prepare for this unique show.

Objects have always been my subject of interest. For example, the objects that are displayed in a showcase in ones home actually reflect ones personality. If you have travelled around the world and collected objects, and displayed them in your home, it shows not only your interest but also your knowledge about history or archaeology, says Kashi, whose installations and artist books will be on display till December 30.

There are five distinct but interrelated pieces of work in the show highlighting the character, historicity, function, and relevance of diverse objects that the artist has chosen to build his narratives around.

The main work, Silent Echo from which the show draws its name, is a sculptural installation. The 15x15 feet boat made out of paper pulp and metal meshthe largest installation in the showtook him nearly seven months to make. It evokes many metaphors of our time where hope and despair ride side by side.

Through my objects, I connect with issues, explains Kashi. Most of my works are poetical metaphors and when the viewers see them, they get involved, which expands the meaning of my art works. Usually I work on these pieces by writing the ideas in my diary and then develop them at a later stage.

The show has many objects that have been catching attention of art lovers who are used to seeing landscapes or portraits in art galleries. Some objects depict the present scenario in Bengaluru while others speak about the prevailing political system where policies are based on business interests.

Kashi, who has done 16 solo shows in Bengaluru, Shanghai, Paulo Alto and London, says, Each of my art object has a meaning of its own but when combined with another object, the meaning changes.

The artist is as comfortable with hand-crafted objects as with photographed, drawn or ready-made ones. Apart from installations, artist books that are rarely seen or heard about are a part of this show. Through this medium, an artist creates books predominantly with visuals, and not so much with words, thereby

defying the commonly-held notion of a book.

The artist, who is among the few artists who are into artist books in India, says, These are self-contained books with their own narrative. They do not use the sequential form of narrative. Each book takes me about 12-14 days to make, two days for casting, 10 days for drying and a few hours for drawing the sketches. To make the book look old, the white paper is stained with tea decoction while the paper itself is made out of recycled cotton fibre.

An associate professor at CMR University School of Architecture in Bengaluru, Kashi also does photo books that have a complex narrative. Two sets of such works stand out in this show. The first comprises four individual photographs called Memorial and the second is Shelf Life.

Starting with paintings, mostly canvas, drawings in his initial days as an artist, he progressed to sculptures, made out of paper or metal mesh, and finally to assemblage, installations as well as artist books, photo books and altered books. In altered books, satirical dialogues are introduced, puncturing the existing ones; it is a counter to the original book.

Kashi says, I have developed my own language in the past 25 years. Teaching art has provided me an opportunity to experiment. The repercussions of globalisation and identity crisis is reflected in my art works.

Ravikumar Kashi is pushing perceptions, extending the boundaries of his art and experimenting with mediums. The contemporary artist in his own right has come up with works based on keen observation of human nature and the complex transformation thats taking place in the Indian society. Kashis month-long show Silent Echo at Gallery Sumukha in Bengaluru demonstrates his creativity and ability to communicate with his audience through a medium that is not so common. The 48-year-old Kashi has created a new body of work revolving around a variety of objects. And it took him two years to prepare for this unique show. Objects have always been my subject of interest. For example, the objects that are displayed in a showcase in ones home actually reflect ones personality. If you have travelled around the world and collected objects, and displayed them in your home, it shows not only your interest but also your knowledge about history or archaeology, says Kashi, whose installations and artist books will be on display till December 30. There are five distinct but interrelated pieces of work in the show highlighting the character, historicity, function, and relevance of diverse objects that the artist has chosen to build his narratives around. The main work, Silent Echo from which the show draws its name, is a sculptural installation. The 15x15 feet boat made out of paper pulp and metal meshthe largest installation in the showtook him nearly seven months to make. It evokes many metaphors of our time where hope and despair ride side by side. Through my objects, I connect with issues, explains Kashi. Most of my works are poetical metaphors and when the viewers see them, they get involved, which expands the meaning of my art works. Usually I work on these pieces by writing the ideas in my diary and then develop them at a later stage. The show has many objects that have been catching attention of art lovers who are used to seeing landscapes or portraits in art galleries. Some objects depict the present scenario in Bengaluru while others speak about the prevailing political system where policies are based on business interests. Kashi, who has done 16 solo shows in Bengaluru, Shanghai, Paulo Alto and London, says, Each of my art object has a meaning of its own but when combined with another object, the meaning changes. The artist is as comfortable with hand-crafted objects as with photographed, drawn or ready-made ones. Apart from installations, artist books that are rarely seen or heard about are a part of this show. Through this medium, an artist creates books predominantly with visuals, and not so much with words, thereby defying the commonly-held notion of a book. The artist, who is among the few artists who are into artist books in India, says, These are self-contained books with their own narrative. They do not use the sequential form of narrative. Each book takes me about 12-14 days to make, two days for casting, 10 days for drying and a few hours for drawing the sketches. To make the book look old, the white paper is stained with tea decoction while the paper itself is made out of recycled cotton fibre. An associate professor at CMR University School of Architecture in Bengaluru, Kashi also does photo books that have a complex narrative. Two sets of such works stand out in this show. The first comprises four individual photographs called Memorial and the second is Shelf Life. Starting with paintings, mostly canvas, drawings in his initial days as an artist, he progressed to sculptures, made out of paper or metal mesh, and finally to assemblage, installations as well as artist books, photo books and altered books. In altered books, satirical dialogues are introduced, puncturing the existing ones; it is a counter to the original book. Kashi says, I have developed my own language in the past 25 years. Teaching art has provided me an opportunity to experiment. The repercussions of globalisation and identity crisis is reflected in my art works.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The day was marked by quite a few out-of-the-ordinary press conferences, from Chennai to Lucknow. But the one at New Delhi caught the attention as much, because of who attended it, who did not and what was alleged. But more than what was said at the Constitution Club on - after the Congress initiated opposition meet - what was left unsaid and the noted absentees on the stage, held significance.

Obviously called in an attempt to recalibrate the 16-party Opposition unity forged in Parliament, it was a far cry from it. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi found himself on a truncated platform where he shared space with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and six other parties.

Prominently not present were JD-U, the Left Paries (CPI and CPI-M), NCP, BSP and SP. Despite invites going out from the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and the pleading phone calls from Mamata Banerjee, these party leaders chose to skip the meet and the presser that followed. DMK, RJD, JD-S, JMM, IUML and AIUDF made the numbers mostly through there representatives. Former PM Deve Gowda was himself present.

The sullenness of the atmospherics in the Opposition camp, compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Dehradun extravaganza was all too stark. The spark was simply missing from the opposition meet. Nonetheless, they, Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee in particular, asked a few hard questions of the Prime Minister and his demonetisation drive. As the much-hyped presser got under way, Rahul got overwhelmed by Mamatas insistence and demanded a resignation from Modi.

That is, if the economy did not restore within the time limit spelled out by the government. The Opposition was pretty sure that the economy will not be out of the woods nor the current crisis would be over, by Dec 31 deadline.

So, if he does not resign by himself, the people will throw him out, Mamata thundered. Prior to that Rahul said, the way the Prime Minister has been shifting goal posts - from the initial resolve of fighting black money to going cashless - he would find some excuse to shift the deadline as well.

NEW DELHI: The day was marked by quite a few out-of-the-ordinary press conferences, from Chennai to Lucknow. But the one at New Delhi caught the attention as much, because of who attended it, who did not and what was alleged. But more than what was said at the Constitution Club on - after the Congress initiated opposition meet - what was left unsaid and the noted absentees on the stage, held significance. Obviously called in an attempt to recalibrate the 16-party Opposition unity forged in Parliament, it was a far cry from it. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi found himself on a truncated platform where he shared space with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and six other parties. Prominently not present were JD-U, the Left Paries (CPI and CPI-M), NCP, BSP and SP. Despite invites going out from the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and the pleading phone calls from Mamata Banerjee, these party leaders chose to skip the meet and the presser that followed. DMK, RJD, JD-S, JMM, IUML and AIUDF made the numbers mostly through there representatives. Former PM Deve Gowda was himself present. The sullenness of the atmospherics in the Opposition camp, compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Dehradun extravaganza was all too stark. The spark was simply missing from the opposition meet. Nonetheless, they, Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee in particular, asked a few hard questions of the Prime Minister and his demonetisation drive. As the much-hyped presser got under way, Rahul got overwhelmed by Mamatas insistence and demanded a resignation from Modi. That is, if the economy did not restore within the time limit spelled out by the government. The Opposition was pretty sure that the economy will not be out of the woods nor the current crisis would be over, by Dec 31 deadline. So, if he does not resign by himself, the people will throw him out, Mamata thundered. Prior to that Rahul said, the way the Prime Minister has been shifting goal posts - from the initial resolve of fighting black money to going cashless - he would find some excuse to shift the deadline as well.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Body of an infant girl was found at Juhu beach near here, a senior police official said today.



The body of the new-born was found at the beach around 11:30 PM. As per preliminary investigation the baby was about 15-days-old, police said.



The matter came to light when a person spotted the body and brought it to the notice of police, they said.



The body was not decomposed, hence police suspect it might have been dumped a few hours before it was found.



A case under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12-years, by parent or person having care of it), has been registered against unidentified person, the official said.



The body has been sent for post-mortem and police are probing if the mother had dumped the new-born.



MUMBAI: Body of an infant girl was found at Juhu beach near here, a senior police official said today. The body of the new-born was found at the beach around 11:30 PM. As per preliminary investigation the baby was about 15-days-old, police said. The matter came to light when a person spotted the body and brought it to the notice of police, they said. The body was not decomposed, hence police suspect it might have been dumped a few hours before it was found. A case under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12-years, by parent or person having care of it), has been registered against unidentified person, the official said. The body has been sent for post-mortem and police are probing if the mother had dumped the new-born.
Anand S T Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: With his ruling allies  the JD(U) and even the Congress  deciding on Tuesday to stay away from the RJDs statewide demonstrations against demonetisation, party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav emerged as a lonely figure, but said his party would go ahead with plans to voice the angst of the underprivileged.

Leaders and workers of the RJD, the largest party in Bihars three-party grand alliance government, would stage demonstrations against the BJP-led Centres failed demonetisation exercise at every district headquarters in the state on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, after giving the cold shoulder to the RJDs protest plans for two weeks, finally sent hints that his JD(U) would not participate in the demonstrations. The Congress, the smallest ally in the government, also kept itself away from the protest.

While RJD leaders were expecting till the last moment that both JD(U) and Congress would support its anti-demonetisation protests, sources said the undercurrents of acute one-upmanship among the three allies prevented them from coming together for a united protest.

The Opposition BJP appeared glad about Laluss loneliness in the anti-NDA lobby and sought to make the most of it.Every party has its own way of thinking and responding to a situation. We will decide later how to go about it, said stateCongress president and minister Ashok Chaudhary. If this protest were in New Delhi, maybe we would have been together, said a senior Congress leader.

The JD(U) is yet to formally take a stand on the efficacy of demonetisation and the crisis it has brought about. In a democracy there is always scope for difference of opinion. This is a national issue and we need to look at it from a national perspective, said JD(U) state chief Vashistha Narayan Singh.

Lalu chose to downplay the differences. They have caused confusion Some see ego in it, about someone going ahead. But there is no disintegration. This is their present way of seeing things, he said.

RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, however, blamed both the allies.

PATNA: With his ruling allies  the JD(U) and even the Congress  deciding on Tuesday to stay away from the RJDs statewide demonstrations against demonetisation, party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav emerged as a lonely figure, but said his party would go ahead with plans to voice the angst of the underprivileged. Leaders and workers of the RJD, the largest party in Bihars three-party grand alliance government, would stage demonstrations against the BJP-led Centres failed demonetisation exercise at every district headquarters in the state on Wednesday. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, after giving the cold shoulder to the RJDs protest plans for two weeks, finally sent hints that his JD(U) would not participate in the demonstrations. The Congress, the smallest ally in the government, also kept itself away from the protest. While RJD leaders were expecting till the last moment that both JD(U) and Congress would support its anti-demonetisation protests, sources said the undercurrents of acute one-upmanship among the three allies prevented them from coming together for a united protest. The Opposition BJP appeared glad about Laluss loneliness in the anti-NDA lobby and sought to make the most of it.Every party has its own way of thinking and responding to a situation. We will decide later how to go about it, said stateCongress president and minister Ashok Chaudhary. If this protest were in New Delhi, maybe we would have been together, said a senior Congress leader. The JD(U) is yet to formally take a stand on the efficacy of demonetisation and the crisis it has brought about. In a democracy there is always scope for difference of opinion. This is a national issue and we need to look at it from a national perspective, said JD(U) state chief Vashistha Narayan Singh. Lalu chose to downplay the differences. They have caused confusion Some see ego in it, about someone going ahead. But there is no disintegration. This is their present way of seeing things, he said. RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, however, blamed both the allies.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: As RJD workers and leaders staged demonstrations against demonetisation across Bihar and party chief Lalu Prasad heightened his attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, BJP

leaders likened Yadav to Ravana and said the upcoming raids on benami property would spell doom for him.

MLAs, MPs and senior leaders of RJD, the largest among the three parties in Bihars Nitish Kumar-led government, led the demonstrations at each of the states 38 districts while Yadav himself addressed

a well-attended demonstration in Patna.

Continuing his tirade against Modi, Yadav described demonetisation as the second biggest immoral decision in the country after forced sterilisation.

The RJD chief also dared Modi to answer Rahul Gandhis charges against him or else to file a defamation case against the Congress vice-president.

The 50-day window has ended now, but cash flow is still throttled for the common people. The situation in the country will worsen in the coming days. The country is heading for financial slavery under Narendra Modis leadership, said Yadav.

Attacking BJP on purchase of land parcels worth several crores of rupees in Bihar, Yadav demanded a thorough probe and reminded the PM of his chauraha (public square) statement, saying the latter could choose a public square in New Delhi for seeking punishment for utterly mismanaged demonetisation.

Even though Congress stayed away from RJDs demonstrations, state Congress president and education minister Ashok Chaudhary said his party has full moral support for the protests and that Congress could not participate in them because of its 132nd foundation day programmes on Wednesday.

Although BJP leaders mocked at Yadav and RJD for his unwillingness of its allies  Congress and JD(U)  to be seen in public with the convicted Yadav, the RJD chief said all non-NDA parties are together on the failure of demonetisation.

For Lalu, the right place left now is a chauraha. He is politically left on a chauraha now. We can understand his worries due to the ongoing action against black money. His worries will rise when raids on benami properties start soon and expose massive disproportionate properties in and outside Bihar he has

amassed. Lalu will have to declare his disproportionate assets standing at a chauraha, said former Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey.

Leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Lalu Yadav are worried because they have huge unaccounted-for money from fodder scam and Saradha scam, he added.

Lalus actions are turning into those of Ravana. The PM is acting admirably like Lord Ram, taking everyone along and doing what is good for the country, said BJP state president Nityanand Rai.

RJD plans to organise a mega rally against demonetisation in Patna, where leaders of non-NDA parties would gather, said Yadav.

PATNA: As RJD workers and leaders staged demonstrations against demonetisation across Bihar and party chief Lalu Prasad heightened his attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, BJP leaders likened Yadav to Ravana and said the upcoming raids on benami property would spell doom for him. MLAs, MPs and senior leaders of RJD, the largest among the three parties in Bihars Nitish Kumar-led government, led the demonstrations at each of the states 38 districts while Yadav himself addressed a well-attended demonstration in Patna. Continuing his tirade against Modi, Yadav described demonetisation as the second biggest immoral decision in the country after forced sterilisation. The RJD chief also dared Modi to answer Rahul Gandhis charges against him or else to file a defamation case against the Congress vice-president. The 50-day window has ended now, but cash flow is still throttled for the common people. The situation in the country will worsen in the coming days. The country is heading for financial slavery under Narendra Modis leadership, said Yadav. Attacking BJP on purchase of land parcels worth several crores of rupees in Bihar, Yadav demanded a thorough probe and reminded the PM of his chauraha (public square) statement, saying the latter could choose a public square in New Delhi for seeking punishment for utterly mismanaged demonetisation. Even though Congress stayed away from RJDs demonstrations, state Congress president and education minister Ashok Chaudhary said his party has full moral support for the protests and that Congress could not participate in them because of its 132nd foundation day programmes on Wednesday. Although BJP leaders mocked at Yadav and RJD for his unwillingness of its allies  Congress and JD(U)  to be seen in public with the convicted Yadav, the RJD chief said all non-NDA parties are together on the failure of demonetisation. For Lalu, the right place left now is a chauraha. He is politically left on a chauraha now. We can understand his worries due to the ongoing action against black money. His worries will rise when raids on benami properties start soon and expose massive disproportionate properties in and outside Bihar he has amassed. Lalu will have to declare his disproportionate assets standing at a chauraha, said former Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey. Leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Lalu Yadav are worried because they have huge unaccounted-for money from fodder scam and Saradha scam, he added. Lalus actions are turning into those of Ravana. The PM is acting admirably like Lord Ram, taking everyone along and doing what is good for the country, said BJP state president Nityanand Rai. RJD plans to organise a mega rally against demonetisation in Patna, where leaders of non-NDA parties would gather, said Yadav.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Accusing the Centre of allowing Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh

to disturb its ongoing peace process, the Isak-Muivah faction of major Naga insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) on Wednesday warned that Nagas would defend their ancestral land at any cost and as such, they should not be blamed for the worst to happen.

The all-out support to Ibobi Singh has created huge trust deficit in the Central leadership of India. It is a matter of great surprise to us as the Government of India allowed Ibobi Singh to disturb the peace process at this crucial stage. The Nagas will defend their ancestral land at any cost. Therefore, the Nagas can no longer be blamed for the worst to happen, the outfit said in a statement.

The statement came a day after Manipur government started clearing the two blockade-enforced national highways to bring stranded goods-laden trucks to Imphal Valley.

The NSCN-IM alleged that the existing problem in Manipur, triggered by State governments decision to create seven districts without consulting the Nagas, was created by Ibobi out of his sheer desperation.

At his behest, the Government of India is sending additional central forces against the Nagas. This clearly shows the nexus between Ibobi and Government of India. Where is the sincerity of Government of India in resolving the Indo-Naga problem? the outfit, which has been in peace mode since 1997, asked.

It alleged that the creation of the new districts by carving out land from Naga territory without Nagas consent was a deliberate act to suppress their rights. The outfit said Manipur Governor Najma Heptullas assent to the creation of the new districts was a testimony that the Centre was instrumental in using Ibobi to please the Meiteis (Manipuris) at the expense of the Nagas.

Is this not a treacherous attempt to undermine the peace talks on the part of Government of India? Will the Indo-Naga problem be solved through Ibobi Singh? We are serious! The fate of the Nagas will never be placed in the hands of anyone, the NSCN-IM said.

We are serious about the political solution. We have not betrayed the Government of India all these long years of political negotiation. However, it would be wise on their part to seek a realistic approach to the Indo-Naga issue. The Indian leadership must realize the futility of using armed forces against the Nagas lest the hard-earned peace process would be rendered meaningless. Ibobis refusal to have a tripartite talk is bound to invite an endless confrontation, it warned.

GUWAHATI: Accusing the Centre of allowing Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh to disturb its ongoing peace process, the Isak-Muivah faction of major Naga insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) on Wednesday warned that Nagas would defend their ancestral land at any cost and as such, they should not be blamed for the worst to happen. The all-out support to Ibobi Singh has created huge trust deficit in the Central leadership of India. It is a matter of great surprise to us as the Government of India allowed Ibobi Singh to disturb the peace process at this crucial stage. The Nagas will defend their ancestral land at any cost. Therefore, the Nagas can no longer be blamed for the worst to happen, the outfit said in a statement. The statement came a day after Manipur government started clearing the two blockade-enforced national highways to bring stranded goods-laden trucks to Imphal Valley. The NSCN-IM alleged that the existing problem in Manipur, triggered by State governments decision to create seven districts without consulting the Nagas, was created by Ibobi out of his sheer desperation. At his behest, the Government of India is sending additional central forces against the Nagas. This clearly shows the nexus between Ibobi and Government of India. Where is the sincerity of Government of India in resolving the Indo-Naga problem? the outfit, which has been in peace mode since 1997, asked. It alleged that the creation of the new districts by carving out land from Naga territory without Nagas consent was a deliberate act to suppress their rights. The outfit said Manipur Governor Najma Heptullas assent to the creation of the new districts was a testimony that the Centre was instrumental in using Ibobi to please the Meiteis (Manipuris) at the expense of the Nagas. Is this not a treacherous attempt to undermine the peace talks on the part of Government of India? Will the Indo-Naga problem be solved through Ibobi Singh? We are serious! The fate of the Nagas will never be placed in the hands of anyone, the NSCN-IM said. We are serious about the political solution. We have not betrayed the Government of India all these long years of political negotiation. However, it would be wise on their part to seek a realistic approach to the Indo-Naga issue. The Indian leadership must realize the futility of using armed forces against the Nagas lest the hard-earned peace process would be rendered meaningless. Ibobis refusal to have a tripartite talk is bound to invite an endless confrontation, it warned.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The seven-month old Sarbananda Sonowal ministry in Assam is likely to be expanded early next month, disclosed BJP state unit president Ranjit Kumar Das.

The ministry is likely to be expanded before Bhogali Bihu (celebrated mid-January). Altogether eight MLAs will be inducted. Six of them will be from BJP while AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) and BPF (Bodoland Peoples Front) will have one member each, Das told the media on Wednesday.

He also said that he would discuss the issue of ministry expansion with the chief

minister on Thursday. The AGP and the BPF have been demanding that two more MLAs each from their parties be inducted into the ministry. It remains to be seen how Sonowal and BJP keep allies in good humour.

AGP and BPF have refused to react.

I wont like to react. Please talk to my seniors, BPF leader and Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma told Express.



Senior BPF leaders Hagrama Mohilary and Kampha Borgoyari were not available for comments.

AGP president Atul Bora, who is also a minister in the Sonowal government, said he had not heard what the BJP president said.

I dont know what he said. So, I cant make any comment now, Bora said. Assam has altogether 126 MLAs. A maximum of 18 MLAs, excluding the chief minister, could be inducted into the ministry. In May, Sonowal was sworn in along with 10 MLAs  six from BJP and two each from AGP and BPF.

The three-party BJP-AGP-BPF alliance had formed the coalition government in May, routing the Congress. BJP had bagged 60 seats, four short of the magic figure of 64. AGP and BPF had won 14 and 12 seats respectively. Congress had its worst ever performance, winning just 26 seats, down from 78 in 2011. Similarly, the tally of minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) had gone down from 18 to 13. An independent was among the winners.

GUWAHATI: The seven-month old Sarbananda Sonowal ministry in Assam is likely to be expanded early next month, disclosed BJP state unit president Ranjit Kumar Das. The ministry is likely to be expanded before Bhogali Bihu (celebrated mid-January). Altogether eight MLAs will be inducted. Six of them will be from BJP while AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) and BPF (Bodoland Peoples Front) will have one member each, Das told the media on Wednesday. He also said that he would discuss the issue of ministry expansion with the chief minister on Thursday. The AGP and the BPF have been demanding that two more MLAs each from their parties be inducted into the ministry. It remains to be seen how Sonowal and BJP keep allies in good humour. AGP and BPF have refused to react. I wont like to react. Please talk to my seniors, BPF leader and Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma told Express. Senior BPF leaders Hagrama Mohilary and Kampha Borgoyari were not available for comments. AGP president Atul Bora, who is also a minister in the Sonowal government, said he had not heard what the BJP president said. I dont know what he said. So, I cant make any comment now, Bora said. Assam has altogether 126 MLAs. A maximum of 18 MLAs, excluding the chief minister, could be inducted into the ministry. In May, Sonowal was sworn in along with 10 MLAs  six from BJP and two each from AGP and BPF. The three-party BJP-AGP-BPF alliance had formed the coalition government in May, routing the Congress. BJP had bagged 60 seats, four short of the magic figure of 64. AGP and BPF had won 14 and 12 seats respectively. Congress had its worst ever performance, winning just 26 seats, down from 78 in 2011. Similarly, the tally of minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) had gone down from 18 to 13. An independent was among the winners.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Days after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley indicated the announcement of lower income tax rates in the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with independent economists and experts at NITI Aayog on Tuesday and solicited their suggestions on the ways to bring down the tax rates.

Stating that the new Budget calendar would ensure authorisation of funds for different sectors at the very beginning of the financial year, Modi said it would have an impact on the real economy.

On budget related issues, there was discussion on ways to bring down tax rates. Some speakers mentioned that the revenue collection is just a fraction of what is due to the government, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagaraia said.

Modi, according to sources, also sought suggestions from economists on ways to boost job creation, agriculture, skill development and education. The NITI Aayog also gave an overview of the three years Action Plan to the Prime Minister and the independent economists, which is likely to be unveiled next month.

Meanwhile, addressing a rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand, Modi lashed out at the Opposition parties for levelling allegations against him. With just one move on November 8, the worlds of terrorism, drug mafia, human trafficking and fake note smuggling were destroyed, the Prime Minister said.

NEW DELHI: Days after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley indicated the announcement of lower income tax rates in the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with independent economists and experts at NITI Aayog on Tuesday and solicited their suggestions on the ways to bring down the tax rates. Stating that the new Budget calendar would ensure authorisation of funds for different sectors at the very beginning of the financial year, Modi said it would have an impact on the real economy. On budget related issues, there was discussion on ways to bring down tax rates. Some speakers mentioned that the revenue collection is just a fraction of what is due to the government, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagaraia said. Modi, according to sources, also sought suggestions from economists on ways to boost job creation, agriculture, skill development and education. The NITI Aayog also gave an overview of the three years Action Plan to the Prime Minister and the independent economists, which is likely to be unveiled next month. Meanwhile, addressing a rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand, Modi lashed out at the Opposition parties for levelling allegations against him. With just one move on November 8, the worlds of terrorism, drug mafia, human trafficking and fake note smuggling were destroyed, the Prime Minister said.
Namita bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Ending speculations and intra-party squabble over ticket distribution, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav announced a list of 325 candidates for 2017 assembly elections. The list,

which includes 176 seats where SP won in 2012 and 149 where it lost, also indicates that the party would go it alone in the forthcoming elections.

Ruling out the pre-poll alliance with any political party in the state while releasing the list to media persons in Lucknow on Wednesday, the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav clarified that all the 325 were winning candidates and that names to the remaining 78 seats would be declared later.

The survey for selecting winnable candidates is going on for remaining 78 seats, the names for which will be announced later, said the SP chief.

Denying ticket to three prominent ministers including Ram Govind Chaudhary (Minister for Basic Education and Child Nutrition), Pawan Pandey (Minister of state with Independent Charge for Entertainment Tax) with Arvind Singh Gope (Minister for Rural Development), all supposedly close to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the SP chief, in a political posturing, has retained the names of mafia don-turned politician Atiq Ahmad from Kanpur Cantt and another mafia don Mukhtar Ansaris brother Sigbatullah Ansari from Mohammadabad despite Akhieshs known opposition to tainted faces in the party.

It may be recalled that state cabinet minister Pawan Pandey was penalised and expelled from the party for assaulting party MLC Ashu Malik in front of party workers when the SP family feud was at its peak in October.

Even after being sacked from the party, Pawan Pandey continued to be the minister in Akhileshs cabinet. But now the SP chief has replaced him by his cousin Ashish Pandey alias Deepu Pandey on Ayodhya seat.

Replying to a question over Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs candidature in the Assembly polls, Mulayam said: Akhilesh will contest on which ever seat he wants. However, the other prominent names in the list include SP state unit chief Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, Mohammad Azam Khan (Minister for Urban Development) from Rampur, controversial Minister Gayatri Prajapati from Amethi and former minister & senior Samajwadi Party leader Ambika Chaudhary from Phephna seat in Balia district.

Reiterating that winnability had been the criteria for selection of candidates, the SP chief said around 4,200 party workers had applied for ticket.

We have given tickets to the winning candidates on the basis of constituency-wise survey which the party had conducted, Mulayam said adding that those who could not get ticket this time would be compensated and duly honoured later.

Closing the chapter of Akhilesh being the CM face of the party which is going into the polls under his leadership, the SP chief scoffed at the perception by saying that Samajwadis did not have the tradition of declaring the CM candidate in advance.

The legislature party will elect its leader after the elections, he said. Responding to queries over Akhileshs list of 403 candidates handed over to him three days back, Mulayam said that as many candidates from different lists as possible were accommodated.

Earlier, the SP chief attacked Centre over demonetisation saying that the BJP was trying to divert peoples attention from main issues as it had failed to fulfil all its promised made during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

LUCKNOW: Ending speculations and intra-party squabble over ticket distribution, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav announced a list of 325 candidates for 2017 assembly elections. The list, which includes 176 seats where SP won in 2012 and 149 where it lost, also indicates that the party would go it alone in the forthcoming elections. Ruling out the pre-poll alliance with any political party in the state while releasing the list to media persons in Lucknow on Wednesday, the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav clarified that all the 325 were winning candidates and that names to the remaining 78 seats would be declared later. The survey for selecting winnable candidates is going on for remaining 78 seats, the names for which will be announced later, said the SP chief. Denying ticket to three prominent ministers including Ram Govind Chaudhary (Minister for Basic Education and Child Nutrition), Pawan Pandey (Minister of state with Independent Charge for Entertainment Tax) with Arvind Singh Gope (Minister for Rural Development), all supposedly close to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the SP chief, in a political posturing, has retained the names of mafia don-turned politician Atiq Ahmad from Kanpur Cantt and another mafia don Mukhtar Ansaris brother Sigbatullah Ansari from Mohammadabad despite Akhieshs known opposition to tainted faces in the party. It may be recalled that state cabinet minister Pawan Pandey was penalised and expelled from the party for assaulting party MLC Ashu Malik in front of party workers when the SP family feud was at its peak in October. Even after being sacked from the party, Pawan Pandey continued to be the minister in Akhileshs cabinet. But now the SP chief has replaced him by his cousin Ashish Pandey alias Deepu Pandey on Ayodhya seat. Replying to a question over Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs candidature in the Assembly polls, Mulayam said: Akhilesh will contest on which ever seat he wants. However, the other prominent names in the list include SP state unit chief Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, Mohammad Azam Khan (Minister for Urban Development) from Rampur, controversial Minister Gayatri Prajapati from Amethi and former minister & senior Samajwadi Party leader Ambika Chaudhary from Phephna seat in Balia district. Reiterating that winnability had been the criteria for selection of candidates, the SP chief said around 4,200 party workers had applied for ticket. We have given tickets to the winning candidates on the basis of constituency-wise survey which the party had conducted, Mulayam said adding that those who could not get ticket this time would be compensated and duly honoured later. Closing the chapter of Akhilesh being the CM face of the party which is going into the polls under his leadership, the SP chief scoffed at the perception by saying that Samajwadis did not have the tradition of declaring the CM candidate in advance. The legislature party will elect its leader after the elections, he said. Responding to queries over Akhileshs list of 403 candidates handed over to him three days back, Mulayam said that as many candidates from different lists as possible were accommodated. Earlier, the SP chief attacked Centre over demonetisation saying that the BJP was trying to divert peoples attention from main issues as it had failed to fulfil all its promised made during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Pradip R Sagar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A day after Chinese foreign office reacted sharply on trial of nuclear capable Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile, Outgoing IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said India believes in peace and tranquility with neighbours but historically we have been drawn into conflicts.

Without naming China, Air Chief Marshal Raha said,"we have to develop capabilities to deter if adversaries strong. We have to strike deep into adversaries heart of the enemy ". Hinting about China, IAF chief said the country has progressed and has lot of money, which it is spending on research and development on defence preparedness.

Simultaneously, We are built up our capability from to sea air. Raising of mountain strike corps by army to developing advanced landing grounds in Arunachal Pradesh, he said

Indian forces are developing its striking capabilities at the border. Even MEA on Tuesday late evening reacting to China's criticism on fourth successful test of over 5000 Km long intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry nuclear warhead of 1.5 tons. "India's strategic capabilities are not targeted against any particular country. India abides by all the applicable international obligations and hopes that all other do the same." MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. He also maintained India's strategic autonomy and growing engagement contributes to strategic stability.

In his last media briefing, Raha said that Pathankot was the first setback for him. "we have learnt lessons and are better prepared now,"And, his second setback was the AN32 disappearance."Despite over 300 air sorties with 1000 plus hours of flying, we are failed to trace, he added.

He also said that IAF had done reasonably well in looking after the sub-conventional threat like terrorism & other conventional threat.

NEW DELHI: A day after Chinese foreign office reacted sharply on trial of nuclear capable Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile, Outgoing IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said India believes in peace and tranquility with neighbours but historically we have been drawn into conflicts. Without naming China, Air Chief Marshal Raha said,"we have to develop capabilities to deter if adversaries strong. We have to strike deep into adversaries heart of the enemy ". Hinting about China, IAF chief said the country has progressed and has lot of money, which it is spending on research and development on defence preparedness. Simultaneously, We are built up our capability from to sea air. Raising of mountain strike corps by army to developing advanced landing grounds in Arunachal Pradesh, he said Indian forces are developing its striking capabilities at the border. Even MEA on Tuesday late evening reacting to China's criticism on fourth successful test of over 5000 Km long intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry nuclear warhead of 1.5 tons. "India's strategic capabilities are not targeted against any particular country. India abides by all the applicable international obligations and hopes that all other do the same." MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. He also maintained India's strategic autonomy and growing engagement contributes to strategic stability. In his last media briefing, Raha said that Pathankot was the first setback for him. "we have learnt lessons and are better prepared now,"And, his second setback was the AN32 disappearance."Despite over 300 air sorties with 1000 plus hours of flying, we are failed to trace, he added. He also said that IAF had done reasonably well in looking after the sub-conventional threat like terrorism & other conventional threat.
By PTI

AHMEDABAD: Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) apprehended 36 fishermen and seized six boats in the Arabian sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat today, National Fisherworkers' Forum (NFF) said.



PMSA apprehended the fishermen near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), NFF secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI.



"We have learnt that 36 fishermen on six fishing boats were apprehended by Pakistani agency near Jakhau coast today. Three of these boats had set out from Porbandar while other three are registered in Okha," Lodhari said.



It was feared that PMSA might have captured some more fishermen and seized their boats during the operation, he added.



The development comes just days after Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat, arrested about a year ago for allegedly entering Pakistani waters.

AHMEDABAD: Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) apprehended 36 fishermen and seized six boats in the Arabian sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat today, National Fisherworkers' Forum (NFF) said. PMSA apprehended the fishermen near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), NFF secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI. "We have learnt that 36 fishermen on six fishing boats were apprehended by Pakistani agency near Jakhau coast today. Three of these boats had set out from Porbandar while other three are registered in Okha," Lodhari said. It was feared that PMSA might have captured some more fishermen and seized their boats during the operation, he added. The development comes just days after Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat, arrested about a year ago for allegedly entering Pakistani waters.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: For Ashok Prasad, who owns a fruit shop in one of Patnas prominent daily marketplaces, sales that fell sharply in the first week of December remain at an unusually sluggish level.

If people failed to buy then mainly because they had money only in Rs 2,000 notes, they now seem much less interested in buying. It is as if most people have been robbed of their cash. Or maybe they are saving hard for some inevitable rainy day, said Prasad, sitting at his shop at Kankarbagh on Tuesday.

While most of the 20-odd ATMs in the area are now dispensing notes of Rs 500 and Rs 100 for the past one week, the flow is clearly not enough and most people often end up getting Rs 2,000 notes.

The notes problem still continues and its now disgusting. I buy less fruit and other non-essentials these days, said Ashim Singh, a shopper. Ashok Prasad and almost all other shopkeepers in this market are yet to start cashless transactions. They are too complicated for us. We fear losing money to cheating, said Prasad.

Number of ATMs visited: 19

Working: 16

Not working: 3

Cash available: 14

Not available: 2

PATNA: For Ashok Prasad, who owns a fruit shop in one of Patnas prominent daily marketplaces, sales that fell sharply in the first week of December remain at an unusually sluggish level. If people failed to buy then mainly because they had money only in Rs 2,000 notes, they now seem much less interested in buying. It is as if most people have been robbed of their cash. Or maybe they are saving hard for some inevitable rainy day, said Prasad, sitting at his shop at Kankarbagh on Tuesday. While most of the 20-odd ATMs in the area are now dispensing notes of Rs 500 and Rs 100 for the past one week, the flow is clearly not enough and most people often end up getting Rs 2,000 notes. The notes problem still continues and its now disgusting. I buy less fruit and other non-essentials these days, said Ashim Singh, a shopper. Ashok Prasad and almost all other shopkeepers in this market are yet to start cashless transactions. They are too complicated for us. We fear losing money to cheating, said Prasad. Number of ATMs visited: 19 Working: 16 Not working: 3 Cash available: 14 Not available: 2
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Amid the usual chaos at one of Indias busiest railway terminals stood a group of people wearing a sombre look. They were in no hurry unlike the rest. These tensed people were the family of the passengers travelling in the 12987 Sealdah-Ajmer Express that derailed over a bridge near Rura railway station in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. Biting their nails, the kin were eagerly waiting near a help desk opened at the Sealdah station on Wednesday morning for news of their loved ones and when they could return home.

Of the 63 injured in the rail disaster, 18 are from West Bengal, sources revealed. The accident has smashed dreams of many.

My uncle saved money for seven long years to make a journey to Ajmer Sharif. Mecca and Haj are out of bounds for poor folks like us. So, he wanted to visit the Sufi shrine. The motorbike mechanic was so happy to be able to go on the trip with his wife and three children. Now, they are in a hospital in Kanpur. I spoke with him and he assured that they are safe and will return back home, said Sheikh Irfan of Park Circus in Kolkata.

For others, the scope of a better future was on the anvil. My daughter went for an exam in Jaipur. Now, I dont want her to leave home for any ridiculous examination, said Tapan Bhowmick, who spoke to his daughter Tapasi, a 21-year-old woman who is scared and nobody to comfort her.

My aged parents had taken the train to meet their distant relatives in Agra, with whom they got in touch after some 10 years. I could not connect with them in the morning so came to Sealdah. I was relieved not to find my parents name in the injured list. I could speak to them later. They are safe. I wanted to take a flight to Lucknow and reach them but they warned me against it and said they have already reached Lucknow to catch a flight back home, said Ranajit Mukherjee, an IT employee in Sector V, Salt Lake.

Officials have revealed that major casualties were averted as the train was moving very slow due to dense fog.

KOLKATA: Amid the usual chaos at one of Indias busiest railway terminals stood a group of people wearing a sombre look. They were in no hurry unlike the rest. These tensed people were the family of the passengers travelling in the 12987 Sealdah-Ajmer Express that derailed over a bridge near Rura railway station in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. Biting their nails, the kin were eagerly waiting near a help desk opened at the Sealdah station on Wednesday morning for news of their loved ones and when they could return home. Of the 63 injured in the rail disaster, 18 are from West Bengal, sources revealed. The accident has smashed dreams of many. My uncle saved money for seven long years to make a journey to Ajmer Sharif. Mecca and Haj are out of bounds for poor folks like us. So, he wanted to visit the Sufi shrine. The motorbike mechanic was so happy to be able to go on the trip with his wife and three children. Now, they are in a hospital in Kanpur. I spoke with him and he assured that they are safe and will return back home, said Sheikh Irfan of Park Circus in Kolkata. For others, the scope of a better future was on the anvil. My daughter went for an exam in Jaipur. Now, I dont want her to leave home for any ridiculous examination, said Tapan Bhowmick, who spoke to his daughter Tapasi, a 21-year-old woman who is scared and nobody to comfort her. My aged parents had taken the train to meet their distant relatives in Agra, with whom they got in touch after some 10 years. I could not connect with them in the morning so came to Sealdah. I was relieved not to find my parents name in the injured list. I could speak to them later. They are safe. I wanted to take a flight to Lucknow and reach them but they warned me against it and said they have already reached Lucknow to catch a flight back home, said Ranajit Mukherjee, an IT employee in Sector V, Salt Lake. Officials have revealed that major casualties were averted as the train was moving very slow due to dense fog.
By Express News Service

LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI: BSP president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati asserted that the money detected in the two bank accounts  one her partys and other her brother Anand Kumars  were accounted for to the last rupee.

It belongs to the party and was deposited in the bank as a routine exercise strictly under the rules, she said.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the BSP supremo accused the BJP-led Centre of misusing state machinery to tarnish the image of her party.

The BJP is misusing state machinery to malign the BSPs name. The party has followed its own rules and has deposited all its funds into the bank as a routine exercise, the BSP chief claimed.

Accusing the BJP of a political vendetta, Mayawati said many other political parties too had deposited huge amounts of money after the November 8 note ban announcement, but the BJP government was targeting only BSP, owing to its anti-Dalit mentality.

And the saffron party retorted to the backward-caste leaders charge, saying Dalit empowerment and corruption are not synonymous with each other.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP rejected the allegations with the contempt they deserve as they actually insult the scheduled castes.

If the Enforcement Directorate does a routine exercise, why is she so rattled? Will your corruption be hidden in the name of Dalits, he asked.

The money was not deposited in August, September and October but soon after the demonetisation decision. Now we are getting signals of why she has been opposing the note ban so strongly from the first day, he added.

Party workers bring money in high-value currency notes as it is easy to carry. This money is donated by the party cadre before demonetisation. It does not belong to any capitalist or corporate house, she said.

The Enforcement Directorate had found cash deposits of over Rs 100 crores in the account belonging to the BSP and `1.43 crore in the account of BSP chief Mayawatis brother in a branch of United Bank of India in New Delhi late on Monday. The amount was deposited after the November 8 announcement of demonetisation.

They (the BJP) are afraid of our popularity and they know that in UP we will from the next government. So they want to stop us at any cost, she said. As I exposed the BJP plot of putting pressure on the SP forge an alliance with the Congress yesterday, the BJP, in a state of shock and frustration, started targeting the BSP and family members of the party chief.

Launching an attack on the media, Mayawati alleged that BJP-managed news TV channels and dailies had blown up the issue of cash deposits out of proportion.

She exhorted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make public details of all bank accounts of the BJP as well as deposits by the party after demonetisation.

LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI: BSP president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati asserted that the money detected in the two bank accounts  one her partys and other her brother Anand Kumars  were accounted for to the last rupee. It belongs to the party and was deposited in the bank as a routine exercise strictly under the rules, she said. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the BSP supremo accused the BJP-led Centre of misusing state machinery to tarnish the image of her party. The BJP is misusing state machinery to malign the BSPs name. The party has followed its own rules and has deposited all its funds into the bank as a routine exercise, the BSP chief claimed. Accusing the BJP of a political vendetta, Mayawati said many other political parties too had deposited huge amounts of money after the November 8 note ban announcement, but the BJP government was targeting only BSP, owing to its anti-Dalit mentality. And the saffron party retorted to the backward-caste leaders charge, saying Dalit empowerment and corruption are not synonymous with each other. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP rejected the allegations with the contempt they deserve as they actually insult the scheduled castes. If the Enforcement Directorate does a routine exercise, why is she so rattled? Will your corruption be hidden in the name of Dalits, he asked. The money was not deposited in August, September and October but soon after the demonetisation decision. Now we are getting signals of why she has been opposing the note ban so strongly from the first day, he added. Party workers bring money in high-value currency notes as it is easy to carry. This money is donated by the party cadre before demonetisation. It does not belong to any capitalist or corporate house, she said. The Enforcement Directorate had found cash deposits of over Rs 100 crores in the account belonging to the BSP and `1.43 crore in the account of BSP chief Mayawatis brother in a branch of United Bank of India in New Delhi late on Monday. The amount was deposited after the November 8 announcement of demonetisation. They (the BJP) are afraid of our popularity and they know that in UP we will from the next government. So they want to stop us at any cost, she said. As I exposed the BJP plot of putting pressure on the SP forge an alliance with the Congress yesterday, the BJP, in a state of shock and frustration, started targeting the BSP and family members of the party chief. Launching an attack on the media, Mayawati alleged that BJP-managed news TV channels and dailies had blown up the issue of cash deposits out of proportion. She exhorted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make public details of all bank accounts of the BJP as well as deposits by the party after demonetisation.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: With the improvement in situation in the Valley, authorities on Wednesday released senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, who under detention for over five months.

Shah was released this afternoon from police station Rajbagh, where he was lodged after being arrested following outbreak of unrest in the Valley after killing of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

After his release today, Shah was placed under house arrest at his Sanat Nagar residence in outskirts of Srinagar.

Shah was arrested on July 13, five days after Burhans killing.

Shahs meeting with Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit in national capital on August 18, 2014 had led to cancellation of India-Pakistan foreign secretary level talks.

After Burhans killing, separatist leaders began issuing weekly protest and shutdown calendars and authorities launched a massive crackdown on separatist leaders and activists and youth for participating in street protests to end the crisis and restore peace and normalcy in the Valley.

Shah alongwith other top separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik were arrested and lodged in jails. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was placed under house arrest and not allowed to venture out from his house.

At least 94 people have been killed and more than 13000 injured including over 8000 hit by pellets during over five months of the unrest in the Valley.

However, after the improvement in situation in the Valley and first of the two visits of five-member delegation led by senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha in October, authorities began easing restrictions on separatist leaders.

Mirwaiz, who was arrested on August 27, was released on October 24 while JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who was arrested on July 8, was released from jail on October 29. However, Geelani continues to be under house arrest.

A police official said police registered over 2600 FIRs during the over five month long unrest in the Valley.

We found 6681 people involved in law and order incidents and arrested 5084 of them. Of the 5084 arrested, 500 were booked under stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), he said.

The official, however, said 90 percent arrested people have been bailed out.

He said police is searching for the people evading arrest.

Meanwhile, police arrested Abdul Gani Bhat alias Gani Bhai, a wanted separatist activist affiliated with hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Geelani, from a court complex in Sopore in North Kashmirs Baramulla district today.

He was arrested while he was entering the Sopore court. He was arrested in a joint operation launched by police and army men, a police official said.

Gani was wanted by police for organizing and leading anti-India protests in North Kashmir during the ongoing unrest in the Valley and had been evading arrest.

SRINAGAR: With the improvement in situation in the Valley, authorities on Wednesday released senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, who under detention for over five months. Shah was released this afternoon from police station Rajbagh, where he was lodged after being arrested following outbreak of unrest in the Valley after killing of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. After his release today, Shah was placed under house arrest at his Sanat Nagar residence in outskirts of Srinagar. Shah was arrested on July 13, five days after Burhans killing. Shahs meeting with Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit in national capital on August 18, 2014 had led to cancellation of India-Pakistan foreign secretary level talks. After Burhans killing, separatist leaders began issuing weekly protest and shutdown calendars and authorities launched a massive crackdown on separatist leaders and activists and youth for participating in street protests to end the crisis and restore peace and normalcy in the Valley. Shah alongwith other top separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik were arrested and lodged in jails. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was placed under house arrest and not allowed to venture out from his house. At least 94 people have been killed and more than 13000 injured including over 8000 hit by pellets during over five months of the unrest in the Valley. However, after the improvement in situation in the Valley and first of the two visits of five-member delegation led by senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha in October, authorities began easing restrictions on separatist leaders. Mirwaiz, who was arrested on August 27, was released on October 24 while JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who was arrested on July 8, was released from jail on October 29. However, Geelani continues to be under house arrest. A police official said police registered over 2600 FIRs during the over five month long unrest in the Valley. We found 6681 people involved in law and order incidents and arrested 5084 of them. Of the 5084 arrested, 500 were booked under stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), he said. The official, however, said 90 percent arrested people have been bailed out. He said police is searching for the people evading arrest. Meanwhile, police arrested Abdul Gani Bhat alias Gani Bhai, a wanted separatist activist affiliated with hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Geelani, from a court complex in Sopore in North Kashmirs Baramulla district today. He was arrested while he was entering the Sopore court. He was arrested in a joint operation launched by police and army men, a police official said. Gani was wanted by police for organizing and leading anti-India protests in North Kashmir during the ongoing unrest in the Valley and had been evading arrest.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has slapped non-bailable charges on Zee News editor Sudhir Chaudhary, West Bengal correspondent Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee under Section 153A (promoting enmity) for their coverage of the Dhulagarh riots in Howrah district.

The Bengal government and media houses in the State strictly believe that reporting on the recurring communal clashes in the State would aggravate the tension and lead to further clashes.

Not many Bengali or English media, based in the State, have reported on several riots that occurred in the State in the past few months.

Chaudhary took to Twitter and Facebook to protest the charges brought against the media house for its coverage of the riots.

When you cant manage the media, use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister, who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord, he wrote on Facebook.

Though the Sankrail Police Station didnt confirm registering an FIR, a copy of the same is available with Express.

We register over 30 FIRs on a daily basis. We cant distinguish which are related to Dhulagarh, said a police officer at the Sankrail Police Station.

Chaudhary has also suggested that an independent media group visit Dhulagarh to perceive the tense situation on the ground. However, no media representatives are allowed to enter Dhulagarh.

The town has been barricaded and is under heavy security cover after communal violence erupted between two communities on Milad-un-Nabi or birthday of Prophet Mohammad on December 12.

Meanwhile, Twitterati took to #EmergencyinBengal to strongly condemn the action taken against Zee Media and compared the action with the one-day ban on NDTV for its coverage of the Pathankot attack.

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has slapped non-bailable charges on Zee News editor Sudhir Chaudhary, West Bengal correspondent Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee under Section 153A (promoting enmity) for their coverage of the Dhulagarh riots in Howrah district. The Bengal government and media houses in the State strictly believe that reporting on the recurring communal clashes in the State would aggravate the tension and lead to further clashes. Not many Bengali or English media, based in the State, have reported on several riots that occurred in the State in the past few months. Chaudhary took to Twitter and Facebook to protest the charges brought against the media house for its coverage of the riots. When you cant manage the media, use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister, who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord, he wrote on Facebook. Though the Sankrail Police Station didnt confirm registering an FIR, a copy of the same is available with Express. We register over 30 FIRs on a daily basis. We cant distinguish which are related to Dhulagarh, said a police officer at the Sankrail Police Station. Chaudhary has also suggested that an independent media group visit Dhulagarh to perceive the tense situation on the ground. However, no media representatives are allowed to enter Dhulagarh. The town has been barricaded and is under heavy security cover after communal violence erupted between two communities on Milad-un-Nabi or birthday of Prophet Mohammad on December 12. Meanwhile, Twitterati took to #EmergencyinBengal to strongly condemn the action taken against Zee Media and compared the action with the one-day ban on NDTV for its coverage of the Pathankot attack.
By Express News Service

MANDYA: Mandya police have recovered stolen cash of `52.81 lakh of which `52.62 lakh is in `2,000 denomination notes, and arrested 14 dacoits on Tuesday.

The accused had robbed `67.5 lakh cash from a businessman who was involved in exchange of old currency notes for a commission on December 12 in Kirigavalu police limits.

SP Sudhir Kumar Reddy said Srinivas had collected `2,000 notes worth `67.5 lakh from five people promising them 20 per cent extra for exchange of banned notes. Through a broker, he got in touch with some people who asked him to come to a particular place for the exchange. The customers later turned out to be the robbers.

The SP said when Srinivas was near the place where he was asked to come, a group of people waylaid him in a tractor, threw eggs on his car and sprinkled chilli powder before escaping with the cash. Later, a complaint was lodged by Srinivas, at Kirugavalu police station.

Reddy said they are investigating as to how the five people got the huge cash in `2,000 denomination and the IT department officials have been informed about the incident.

ED and IT sleuths raid co-op bank

Mangaluru: A six-member team from the Income Tax (I-T) department raided South Canara District Central Cooperative (SCDCC) Bank and verified the documents pertaining to transaction being after demonetisation, on Tuesday.

Three days ago, SCDCC Bank Chairman M N Rajendra Kumar convened a press conference and said there were no fake accounts in the bank and that the bank was following the guidelines of the RBI properly.

When contacted, Kumar told Express over the phone from Bengaluru, There are no fake accounts or money laundering businesses in our Bank. I do not know the purpose of the raid.

IT and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials had sought details of cash deposits above `2.5 lakh made at the bank. Based on the details provided by the bank, the officials verified the accounts of those who had deposited more than `2.5 lakh after demonetisation.

MANDYA: Mandya police have recovered stolen cash of `52.81 lakh of which `52.62 lakh is in `2,000 denomination notes, and arrested 14 dacoits on Tuesday. The accused had robbed `67.5 lakh cash from a businessman who was involved in exchange of old currency notes for a commission on December 12 in Kirigavalu police limits. SP Sudhir Kumar Reddy said Srinivas had collected `2,000 notes worth `67.5 lakh from five people promising them 20 per cent extra for exchange of banned notes. Through a broker, he got in touch with some people who asked him to come to a particular place for the exchange. The customers later turned out to be the robbers. The SP said when Srinivas was near the place where he was asked to come, a group of people waylaid him in a tractor, threw eggs on his car and sprinkled chilli powder before escaping with the cash. Later, a complaint was lodged by Srinivas, at Kirugavalu police station. Reddy said they are investigating as to how the five people got the huge cash in `2,000 denomination and the IT department officials have been informed about the incident. ED and IT sleuths raid co-op bank Mangaluru: A six-member team from the Income Tax (I-T) department raided South Canara District Central Cooperative (SCDCC) Bank and verified the documents pertaining to transaction being after demonetisation, on Tuesday. Three days ago, SCDCC Bank Chairman M N Rajendra Kumar convened a press conference and said there were no fake accounts in the bank and that the bank was following the guidelines of the RBI properly. When contacted, Kumar told Express over the phone from Bengaluru, There are no fake accounts or money laundering businesses in our Bank. I do not know the purpose of the raid. IT and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials had sought details of cash deposits above `2.5 lakh made at the bank. Based on the details provided by the bank, the officials verified the accounts of those who had deposited more than `2.5 lakh after demonetisation.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda has assured the state government that Kannada would be included as one of the languages for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-2017.

Responding to the request made by the state government to include Kannada, Nadda said on Tuesday, Earlier, the Karnataka government suggested the test be conducted in English, and the Union government took a decision accordingly. Now, the government has asked for inclusion of Kannada and we are open to it. We respect the sentiment of the people of the state and believe in cooperative federalism. However, the Karnataka government has to follow some steps and we have communicated to the authorities concerned the same.

He was speaking at the 21st convocation of NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences). This is the varsitys third convocation after getting the deemed university status.

Nadda said, Before announcing the list of languages for the NEET, the government of India had issued circular to all the states. A video conference was also held later on. But Karnataka government did not seek inclusion of Kannada in NEET then. Now, the government has changed its stand, considering the sentiments of people.

There was no place for miscommunication, he added.

Kannada activists had earlier raised the issue of no place for Kannada in NEET. Following this, state Kannada culture minister Umashree wrote a letter to Prime Minister and Chief Secretary wrote to the principal secretary of Union ministry for health and family welfare, seeking inclusion of NEET in Kannada.

The convocation was delayed by one hour as Union health minister arrived late due to fog at New Delhi airport.

In the convocation, 168 students were awarded degrees, diplomas and other qualifications, including 15 post-doctoral fellowships and 23 PhDs

Lt. Col. KS Rajmohan, a surgeon working in the Army Hospital, Udhampur, was awarded PhD in Neuropathology

He is only the second research scholar in India to have completed his PhD in Neuropathology. First PhD in Neuropathology was received some three decades ago

Rajmohan is a native of Arasikere taluk in Hassan district and he completed his MBBS degree from Mysore Medical College and PG from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. Rajmohan was also a part of Indian Army United Nations peacekeeping mission in DR Congo

CET-2017 will have Kannada option

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the Common Entrance Test (CET)-2017 in Karnataka will also be held in Kannada. We have decided to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) in Karnataka in Kannada with English in 2017 to ensure that Kannada medium students are at par with those who have studied in English medium, he said.

Earlier, he wrote to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, requesting it to include Kannada in the list of regional languages in which students can write the NEET. In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda, Siddaramaiah said, I would request that NEET-UG is conducted in Kannada medium in addition to English.

A high proportion of students of a higher secondary stage in Karnataka is from Kannada medium. They will be put to undue disadvantage as compared to students of states whose state languages are going to be used in NEET.

It stated S C Khuntia, Chief Secretary of Karnataka, has written to C K Mishra, Secretary to the government, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on December 23 in continuation of the earlier letter to Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary to government, Medical Education to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

BENGALURU: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda has assured the state government that Kannada would be included as one of the languages for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-2017. Responding to the request made by the state government to include Kannada, Nadda said on Tuesday, Earlier, the Karnataka government suggested the test be conducted in English, and the Union government took a decision accordingly. Now, the government has asked for inclusion of Kannada and we are open to it. We respect the sentiment of the people of the state and believe in cooperative federalism. However, the Karnataka government has to follow some steps and we have communicated to the authorities concerned the same. He was speaking at the 21st convocation of NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences). This is the varsitys third convocation after getting the deemed university status. Nadda said, Before announcing the list of languages for the NEET, the government of India had issued circular to all the states. A video conference was also held later on. But Karnataka government did not seek inclusion of Kannada in NEET then. Now, the government has changed its stand, considering the sentiments of people. There was no place for miscommunication, he added. Kannada activists had earlier raised the issue of no place for Kannada in NEET. Following this, state Kannada culture minister Umashree wrote a letter to Prime Minister and Chief Secretary wrote to the principal secretary of Union ministry for health and family welfare, seeking inclusion of NEET in Kannada. The convocation was delayed by one hour as Union health minister arrived late due to fog at New Delhi airport. In the convocation, 168 students were awarded degrees, diplomas and other qualifications, including 15 post-doctoral fellowships and 23 PhDs Lt. Col. KS Rajmohan, a surgeon working in the Army Hospital, Udhampur, was awarded PhD in Neuropathology He is only the second research scholar in India to have completed his PhD in Neuropathology. First PhD in Neuropathology was received some three decades ago Rajmohan is a native of Arasikere taluk in Hassan district and he completed his MBBS degree from Mysore Medical College and PG from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. Rajmohan was also a part of Indian Army United Nations peacekeeping mission in DR Congo CET-2017 will have Kannada option Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the Common Entrance Test (CET)-2017 in Karnataka will also be held in Kannada. We have decided to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) in Karnataka in Kannada with English in 2017 to ensure that Kannada medium students are at par with those who have studied in English medium, he said. Earlier, he wrote to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, requesting it to include Kannada in the list of regional languages in which students can write the NEET. In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda, Siddaramaiah said, I would request that NEET-UG is conducted in Kannada medium in addition to English. A high proportion of students of a higher secondary stage in Karnataka is from Kannada medium. They will be put to undue disadvantage as compared to students of states whose state languages are going to be used in NEET. It stated S C Khuntia, Chief Secretary of Karnataka, has written to C K Mishra, Secretary to the government, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on December 23 in continuation of the earlier letter to Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary to government, Medical Education to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Abhilash Chandran By

Express News Service

KOTTAYAM: The video clip showing Fr Tom Uzhannalil, who was abducted by ISIS gunmen in Yemen ten months ago, begging for life has left the members of Uzhunnalil family at Ramapuram in Kottayam a worried lot.

With the government failing to secure his release, the family members are planning to approach the Catholic church authorities.

Sajan Thomas Uzhunnalil, a relative of the abducted priest, told Express that the family members would soon meet Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alenchery seeking his urgent intervention to save Fr Tom.

Though 10 months have passed after the abduction of the priest, there is no progress in the efforts to rescue him. While the govt authorities assured all efforts to secure his release, nothing has been done so far in this regard, he rued.

The family members led by Sajans brother Noyal Thomas Uzhunnalil, who is working as Deputy Inspector General at the Union Forest Ministry in Delhi, had met Union Minister for External Affairs Sushama Swaraj with the help of BJP leader Alphons Kannanthanam in October this year.

Though the minister said that efforts are on to rescue Fr Tom, there has been little progress. The officials said that the government could not make direct contact with the abductors as there is no Indian Embassy in Yemen.

But, we feel that government is not serious in its efforts to save him, said Sajan. Ironically, Fr Tom was abducted while he was planning to return to his Salesian province in Bangalore, from where he was sent to a mission in Yemen, which was founded by his uncle Fr. Mathew Uzhunnalil. Fr Tom, who was sent to Aden in Yemen in 2010 to take over the reins of the mission from Fr Mathew, had returned to Kerala in 2014 following the demise of his mother.

The unrest in Yemen forced Fr Tom to delay his travel plans and as the situation improved, he returned to Aden in December 2015. He was abducted by the IS fighters three months after his arrival in Aden.

Salesians have been providing ecclesiastical services to the few local Catholics and migrant workers in Yemen since 1987. In Sanaa, the capital, the Salesians also offer pastoral services to Catholic diplomats.

Salesians are the only priests in Yemen and have been a great support for the Missionaries of Charity, who take care of the sick, elderly and the underprivileged children in the cities of Sanaa, Aden, Al Hudaydah and Taiz.

As the situation worsened and India closed its Embassy in Yemen in 2014, the Salesian province in Bangalore allowed mission members to decide whether to leave the country or not. Fr Tom decided to stay back in Yemen to help the Missionaries of Charity, which eventually put his life in peril.

BJP national executive member P K Krishnadas, who had accompanied the Union Minister, said the partys state leadership had urged the Centre to initiate steps to rescue Fr Tom.

KOTTAYAM: The video clip showing Fr Tom Uzhannalil, who was abducted by ISIS gunmen in Yemen ten months ago, begging for life has left the members of Uzhunnalil family at Ramapuram in Kottayam a worried lot. With the government failing to secure his release, the family members are planning to approach the Catholic church authorities. Sajan Thomas Uzhunnalil, a relative of the abducted priest, told Express that the family members would soon meet Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alenchery seeking his urgent intervention to save Fr Tom. Though 10 months have passed after the abduction of the priest, there is no progress in the efforts to rescue him. While the govt authorities assured all efforts to secure his release, nothing has been done so far in this regard, he rued. The family members led by Sajans brother Noyal Thomas Uzhunnalil, who is working as Deputy Inspector General at the Union Forest Ministry in Delhi, had met Union Minister for External Affairs Sushama Swaraj with the help of BJP leader Alphons Kannanthanam in October this year. Though the minister said that efforts are on to rescue Fr Tom, there has been little progress. The officials said that the government could not make direct contact with the abductors as there is no Indian Embassy in Yemen. But, we feel that government is not serious in its efforts to save him, said Sajan. Ironically, Fr Tom was abducted while he was planning to return to his Salesian province in Bangalore, from where he was sent to a mission in Yemen, which was founded by his uncle Fr. Mathew Uzhunnalil. Fr Tom, who was sent to Aden in Yemen in 2010 to take over the reins of the mission from Fr Mathew, had returned to Kerala in 2014 following the demise of his mother. The unrest in Yemen forced Fr Tom to delay his travel plans and as the situation improved, he returned to Aden in December 2015. He was abducted by the IS fighters three months after his arrival in Aden. Salesians have been providing ecclesiastical services to the few local Catholics and migrant workers in Yemen since 1987. In Sanaa, the capital, the Salesians also offer pastoral services to Catholic diplomats. Salesians are the only priests in Yemen and have been a great support for the Missionaries of Charity, who take care of the sick, elderly and the underprivileged children in the cities of Sanaa, Aden, Al Hudaydah and Taiz. As the situation worsened and India closed its Embassy in Yemen in 2014, the Salesian province in Bangalore allowed mission members to decide whether to leave the country or not. Fr Tom decided to stay back in Yemen to help the Missionaries of Charity, which eventually put his life in peril. BJP national executive member P K Krishnadas, who had accompanied the Union Minister, said the partys state leadership had urged the Centre to initiate steps to rescue Fr Tom.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Abdul Rehman, the suspected terror operative from Cuttacks Paschimakachha village, has been slapped with charges for waging war against the Indian state.



The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch, which has submitted charge sheet against the 38-year-old Muslim scholar in the JMFC Court Salepur, also wants him tried for terror activities.



Rehman has also been charged under Section 121 (A) for waging war against the State. He has also been charged under Unlawful Activities Prevention Acts Section 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy), 18-A. (organising of terrorist camps) and 18-B (recruiting of any person or persons for the terrorist act).



Special DG, Crime Branch BK Sharma said, the charge sheet also includes CDs of the provocative speeches that Rehman had delivered at various places. The forensic evidence such voice sound spectrograph reports and transcripts have also been submitted before the court.



Since his speeches were aimed at radicalising youth for jihad, the statements of people who had attended the jalsa where Rehman had delivered the sermons have also been recorded and presented. Similarly, documents which reveal that the Deoband scholar had travelled to UAE and Pakistan have also been presented to the court.



The chargesheet submits that Rehman was mostly into identifying youths who could be recruited for terror outfits. While he never was part of any terror act, he was allegedly acting as a liaison with terror outfits which has been pointed out in the report.



The terror suspect, who ran a madrasa in Bilteruan near Tangi in Cuttack, had also received funding support from NGOs and individuals for his school and most of it came from Bengaluru. Bank account records of the Paschimakachha resident have also been attached.



The chargesheet also mentions that no weapons or explosives were recovered from the accused but details all the criminal charges which existed before he was nabbed last year.



Rehman was arrested by a joint team of Special Cell of Delhi Police and Commissionerate Police in December 2015.



Earlier, Rehman was stated to be a member of Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), an affiliate of the international terror outfit. However, no such connection could be established during the investigation. He was rather directly in touch with ideologues of Al Qaeda and Taliban.



While the chargesheet has been submitted before the JMFC Court, trial in the case can be conducted only by a Sessions Court given the nature of offences.

BHUBANESWAR: Abdul Rehman, the suspected terror operative from Cuttacks Paschimakachha village, has been slapped with charges for waging war against the Indian state. The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch, which has submitted charge sheet against the 38-year-old Muslim scholar in the JMFC Court Salepur, also wants him tried for terror activities. Rehman has also been charged under Section 121 (A) for waging war against the State. He has also been charged under Unlawful Activities Prevention Acts Section 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy), 18-A. (organising of terrorist camps) and 18-B (recruiting of any person or persons for the terrorist act). Special DG, Crime Branch BK Sharma said, the charge sheet also includes CDs of the provocative speeches that Rehman had delivered at various places. The forensic evidence such voice sound spectrograph reports and transcripts have also been submitted before the court. Since his speeches were aimed at radicalising youth for jihad, the statements of people who had attended the jalsa where Rehman had delivered the sermons have also been recorded and presented. Similarly, documents which reveal that the Deoband scholar had travelled to UAE and Pakistan have also been presented to the court. The chargesheet submits that Rehman was mostly into identifying youths who could be recruited for terror outfits. While he never was part of any terror act, he was allegedly acting as a liaison with terror outfits which has been pointed out in the report. The terror suspect, who ran a madrasa in Bilteruan near Tangi in Cuttack, had also received funding support from NGOs and individuals for his school and most of it came from Bengaluru. Bank account records of the Paschimakachha resident have also been attached. The chargesheet also mentions that no weapons or explosives were recovered from the accused but details all the criminal charges which existed before he was nabbed last year. Rehman was arrested by a joint team of Special Cell of Delhi Police and Commissionerate Police in December 2015. Earlier, Rehman was stated to be a member of Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), an affiliate of the international terror outfit. However, no such connection could be established during the investigation. He was rather directly in touch with ideologues of Al Qaeda and Taliban. While the chargesheet has been submitted before the JMFC Court, trial in the case can be conducted only by a Sessions Court given the nature of offences.
By Express News Service

TIRUPUR: The Perumanallur Police have arrested four persons from Coimbatore for carrying unaccounted cash of Rs 36.10 lakh, of which all but Rs 10,000 were in Rs 2,000 denomination. During a vehicle check on the Salem-Kochi bypass road at Kanakkampalayam Pirivu near Perumanallur around 1 am on Tuesday, the police found the cash in the car plying from Coimbatore to Perumanallur.

Four persons in the car, included Ilayaraja (35), a postal employee from Coimbatore, his relative Kuppuraj (31), and Aarun Rashid (34) and Dulfukar Ali (39), both scrap dealers from Ukkadam. As none of them could explain the source of the money, the police detained all the four and informed the Income Tax (I-T) Department.

A probe by I-T Inspectors (Investigations) Neeraj Kumar and Krishnan and Tirupur I-T Officer Narayanan revealed that Ilayaraja and Kuppuraj had promised Rashid and Ali that they will get the old notes exchanged through an unknown client for a commission of 10 per cent. Believing it, Rashid and Ali brought Rs 36 lakh in new Rs2,000 currency.

The money and the car were seized and the I-T officials were inquiring all the four. The officials were looking into whether Ilayaraja misappropriated the funds from the postal department, said sources.

TIRUPUR: The Perumanallur Police have arrested four persons from Coimbatore for carrying unaccounted cash of Rs 36.10 lakh, of which all but Rs 10,000 were in Rs 2,000 denomination. During a vehicle check on the Salem-Kochi bypass road at Kanakkampalayam Pirivu near Perumanallur around 1 am on Tuesday, the police found the cash in the car plying from Coimbatore to Perumanallur. Four persons in the car, included Ilayaraja (35), a postal employee from Coimbatore, his relative Kuppuraj (31), and Aarun Rashid (34) and Dulfukar Ali (39), both scrap dealers from Ukkadam. As none of them could explain the source of the money, the police detained all the four and informed the Income Tax (I-T) Department. A probe by I-T Inspectors (Investigations) Neeraj Kumar and Krishnan and Tirupur I-T Officer Narayanan revealed that Ilayaraja and Kuppuraj had promised Rashid and Ali that they will get the old notes exchanged through an unknown client for a commission of 10 per cent. Believing it, Rashid and Ali brought Rs 36 lakh in new Rs2,000 currency. The money and the car were seized and the I-T officials were inquiring all the four. The officials were looking into whether Ilayaraja misappropriated the funds from the postal department, said sources.
By Express News Service

A neatly-dressed man is surfing the internet on his smartphone. A customer is swiping his debit card to pay for his purchases at a shop. Youngsters sport chic mobile handsets and are checking their social media updates. It is a normal day, or is it? Welcome to Khandalavadi, a village along Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway, in the district.

This nondescript village is now the apple of Cashless India dreaming eyes. On Tuesday, when people queued up outside ATM centres for a precious commodity that turned scarce after Modis demonetisation drive, villagers here were attending a function chaired by collector and senior officials of the State Bank of India to declare Khandalavadi the first cashless village in the Tamil Nadu.

With the Union government pressing for cashless transactions, the SBI decided to lay the path towards Digital India by adopting Khandalavadi.

Home to around 2,000 people, the facelift has given by the public sector banking giant has transformed the lives of the residents for better. In the run-up to Tuesday, the bank laid the groundwork for a mega transition by fixing WiFi routers at vantage points across the village for providing free internet connectivity.

The officials also installed solar lamps across the village to ensure uninterrupted power and internet services.

Next step was tricky. The officials had to ensure 100 per cent account coverage in the village. For this, special counters were opened to handle the rush. In a matter of weeks, 99 percent of the village residents had bank accounts with debit cards.

The transition was smooth. Going the extra mile, the bankers ensured that the big shops in the village too were roped in by issuing three POS machines. The shopkeepers and villagers were given proper training and insight into their new gadgets.

Once the officials were sure that the villagers were ready to take baby steps towards Digital India, they organised a function, chaired by Villupuram collector L Subramaniayan and SBI Chennai Circle Chief General Manager (CGM) B Ramesh Babu, to give the State its first cashless village.

Addressing the gathering, L Subramaniyan said that it was a very special day for the country and the State. Showering praises on the villagers for their interest in transforming their lives, the officials thanked the SBI officials for ensuring a glitch-free transition.

The collector exhorted the bank officials to go further in their drive to ensure cashless transactions by giving loans to students and farmers. The transition has taken place in one of the most backward districts in the State. To get rid of this backward tag, it is necessary to uplift the lot of the farmers and children. Banks must come forward to help them, the collector added.

Later, CGM Ramesh Babu said that the SBI decided to adopt Khandalavadi after assessing the creditworthiness of the residents. According to him, the residents of the village were very forthcoming when it came to repaying their loans.

We have given them a start. Now, it is the responsibility of the villagers to ensure the success of the movement. This growth must be exponential, he added. Quelling fears over security of digital transactions,

Babu said that the SBI had left no stone unturned to ensure that the data of the users were not compromised.

With a view to promoting cashless transactions, the SBI disbursed loans worth Rs 86 lakh to the villagers. The bank also donated Rs 12,000 to a school to buy footwear for its students. Officials, including SBI Chennai Circle general manager Indu Sekar Dantu and regional manager Haridoss, were among those present.

A neatly-dressed man is surfing the internet on his smartphone. A customer is swiping his debit card to pay for his purchases at a shop. Youngsters sport chic mobile handsets and are checking their social media updates. It is a normal day, or is it? Welcome to Khandalavadi, a village along Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway, in the district. This nondescript village is now the apple of Cashless India dreaming eyes. On Tuesday, when people queued up outside ATM centres for a precious commodity that turned scarce after Modis demonetisation drive, villagers here were attending a function chaired by collector and senior officials of the State Bank of India to declare Khandalavadi the first cashless village in the Tamil Nadu. With the Union government pressing for cashless transactions, the SBI decided to lay the path towards Digital India by adopting Khandalavadi. Home to around 2,000 people, the facelift has given by the public sector banking giant has transformed the lives of the residents for better. In the run-up to Tuesday, the bank laid the groundwork for a mega transition by fixing WiFi routers at vantage points across the village for providing free internet connectivity. The officials also installed solar lamps across the village to ensure uninterrupted power and internet services. Next step was tricky. The officials had to ensure 100 per cent account coverage in the village. For this, special counters were opened to handle the rush. In a matter of weeks, 99 percent of the village residents had bank accounts with debit cards. The transition was smooth. Going the extra mile, the bankers ensured that the big shops in the village too were roped in by issuing three POS machines. The shopkeepers and villagers were given proper training and insight into their new gadgets. Once the officials were sure that the villagers were ready to take baby steps towards Digital India, they organised a function, chaired by Villupuram collector L Subramaniayan and SBI Chennai Circle Chief General Manager (CGM) B Ramesh Babu, to give the State its first cashless village. Addressing the gathering, L Subramaniyan said that it was a very special day for the country and the State. Showering praises on the villagers for their interest in transforming their lives, the officials thanked the SBI officials for ensuring a glitch-free transition. The collector exhorted the bank officials to go further in their drive to ensure cashless transactions by giving loans to students and farmers. The transition has taken place in one of the most backward districts in the State. To get rid of this backward tag, it is necessary to uplift the lot of the farmers and children. Banks must come forward to help them, the collector added. Later, CGM Ramesh Babu said that the SBI decided to adopt Khandalavadi after assessing the creditworthiness of the residents. According to him, the residents of the village were very forthcoming when it came to repaying their loans. We have given them a start. Now, it is the responsibility of the villagers to ensure the success of the movement. This growth must be exponential, he added. Quelling fears over security of digital transactions, Babu said that the SBI had left no stone unturned to ensure that the data of the users were not compromised. With a view to promoting cashless transactions, the SBI disbursed loans worth Rs 86 lakh to the villagers. The bank also donated Rs 12,000 to a school to buy footwear for its students. Officials, including SBI Chennai Circle general manager Indu Sekar Dantu and regional manager Haridoss, were among those present.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The CRPF, which assisted the I-T personnel during the raid, too, came under severe criticism. Rao even alleged that his son, who was visiting his pregnant daughter-in-law, was taken at gunpoint. He also flayed the personnel entering the chamber of the Chief Secretary. What business does the CRPF have in the Chief Secretarys chamber? Did they get the permission of the CM before barging in?

Throughout his press conference, Rao dropped Jayalalithaas name, positioning himself as her loyal official. I am not a coward. I was trained by Madam Jayalalithaa. Not for one day; she has been training me since I was Collector of Chengelpattu MGR district in 1994. If this is the condition and status of the Chief Secretary with 32 years of service, then what would happen to the AIADMK workers? What would happen to the State government servants?

The whole exercise was part of a plot to target him, he alleged, claiming that his life was in danger. I may be a hurdle to many people.

Rao also denied having any links with sand mining baron J Shekhar Reddy. I have nothing to do with Shekar Reddy, I have no links with him. He has nothing to do with the State government, he said while rejecting the claims that he had made phone calls to Reddy. Hundreds of people call me. I have hundreds of friends... My son has no business with the government. I am a simple man, he added.

Talking to mediapersons at his Anna Nagar residence, an emotional Rao also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and AIADMK spokespersons SR Balasubramoniyan and Professor Dheeran for extending their support.

CHENNAI: The CRPF, which assisted the I-T personnel during the raid, too, came under severe criticism. Rao even alleged that his son, who was visiting his pregnant daughter-in-law, was taken at gunpoint. He also flayed the personnel entering the chamber of the Chief Secretary. What business does the CRPF have in the Chief Secretarys chamber? Did they get the permission of the CM before barging in? Throughout his press conference, Rao dropped Jayalalithaas name, positioning himself as her loyal official. I am not a coward. I was trained by Madam Jayalalithaa. Not for one day; she has been training me since I was Collector of Chengelpattu MGR district in 1994. If this is the condition and status of the Chief Secretary with 32 years of service, then what would happen to the AIADMK workers? What would happen to the State government servants? The whole exercise was part of a plot to target him, he alleged, claiming that his life was in danger. I may be a hurdle to many people. Rao also denied having any links with sand mining baron J Shekhar Reddy. I have nothing to do with Shekar Reddy, I have no links with him. He has nothing to do with the State government, he said while rejecting the claims that he had made phone calls to Reddy. Hundreds of people call me. I have hundreds of friends... My son has no business with the government. I am a simple man, he added. Talking to mediapersons at his Anna Nagar residence, an emotional Rao also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and AIADMK spokespersons SR Balasubramoniyan and Professor Dheeran for extending their support.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Fugitive gangster Ayub Khan had visited the city earlier this year and was still untraceable despite having as many as eight look-out-circulars (LOCs) issued against him. Police said that the reason that he could not be traced was because the gangster used multiple passports.

Ayub Khan owned three fake passport, revealed police. Ayub who has been evading arrest since 2014, was arrested by the Hyderabad police on Tuesday. He was nabbed by immigration officials at Mumbai airport and brought to Hyderabad on Monday.

Speaking to the media, south zone deputy commissioner of police V Satyanarayana said his first passport was issued in 1997 in Hyderabad, then in 2010 and another in Sharjah in 2015, from Indian High Commission.

The officer said he is now wanted in four cases. Police will now extract information about his involvement in several land grabbing and other cases. We also have information that he was involved in gold smuggling, but are yet to find links in that, DCP said.

HYDERABAD: Fugitive gangster Ayub Khan had visited the city earlier this year and was still untraceable despite having as many as eight look-out-circulars (LOCs) issued against him. Police said that the reason that he could not be traced was because the gangster used multiple passports. Ayub Khan owned three fake passport, revealed police. Ayub who has been evading arrest since 2014, was arrested by the Hyderabad police on Tuesday. He was nabbed by immigration officials at Mumbai airport and brought to Hyderabad on Monday. Speaking to the media, south zone deputy commissioner of police V Satyanarayana said his first passport was issued in 1997 in Hyderabad, then in 2010 and another in Sharjah in 2015, from Indian High Commission. The officer said he is now wanted in four cases. Police will now extract information about his involvement in several land grabbing and other cases. We also have information that he was involved in gold smuggling, but are yet to find links in that, DCP said.
By Associated Press

LITTLE TORCH KEY: Three stranded teenage boys from California called 911 and calmly sat atop a capsized boat before being rescued from waters off the Florida Keys, authorities said Wednesday.

Monroe County Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin says Zack Sowder and Brent Shishido, both 18, and Jacob Sowder, 16  all of Orange County, California  were perched on the overturned hull, their life jackets trapped under the 22-foot vessel, when help arrived Tuesday.

Marine Deputy James Hagar spotted the teens in waters about 2  miles off the coast and brought them safely ashore in his patrol boat. A photo released by the sheriff's office showed the teens seated on a small section of the hull that still jutted above the waters.

"Fortunately they knew their rough location. They were lucky they had a cell signal," sheriff's officials wrote on their Facebook page.

Hagar had just taken his boat out of the water around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday when he got the call about the stranded teenagers.

"He quickly put the boat back in the water," Herrin said in a statement.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator David Bingham joined Hagar in the search for the boys. "They spent some time looking, but they found the three boys and loaded them on board the patrol boat, bringing them safely back to shore," Herrin said.

The teens had anchored the 22-foot rented boat on the Atlantic side of Little Torch Key, which is some 30 miles north of Key West.

Later Tuesday, Zack Sowder showed his sense of humor on social media.

"Make sure your bilge works before you run five miles offshore and realize it's too late," Zack Sowder tweeted Tuesday night, along with two photos from the scene. "Other than that great day on the water."

LITTLE TORCH KEY: Three stranded teenage boys from California called 911 and calmly sat atop a capsized boat before being rescued from waters off the Florida Keys, authorities said Wednesday. Monroe County Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin says Zack Sowder and Brent Shishido, both 18, and Jacob Sowder, 16  all of Orange County, California  were perched on the overturned hull, their life jackets trapped under the 22-foot vessel, when help arrived Tuesday. Marine Deputy James Hagar spotted the teens in waters about 2  miles off the coast and brought them safely ashore in his patrol boat. A photo released by the sheriff's office showed the teens seated on a small section of the hull that still jutted above the waters. "Fortunately they knew their rough location. They were lucky they had a cell signal," sheriff's officials wrote on their Facebook page. Hagar had just taken his boat out of the water around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday when he got the call about the stranded teenagers. "He quickly put the boat back in the water," Herrin said in a statement. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator David Bingham joined Hagar in the search for the boys. "They spent some time looking, but they found the three boys and loaded them on board the patrol boat, bringing them safely back to shore," Herrin said. The teens had anchored the 22-foot rented boat on the Atlantic side of Little Torch Key, which is some 30 miles north of Key West. Later Tuesday, Zack Sowder showed his sense of humor on social media. "Make sure your bilge works before you run five miles offshore and realize it's too late," Zack Sowder tweeted Tuesday night, along with two photos from the scene. "Other than that great day on the water."
By AFP

BUCHAREST: An earthquake hit eastern Romania early Wednesday, shaking the capital Bucharest, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Romania's National Institute for Earth Physics put the quake at magnitude 5.2, while the US Geological Survey gave it a magnitude of 5.6.

"The epicentre was in the seismic region of Vrancea at a depth of 100 kilometres (60 miles)," the institute's spokesman Mircea Radulian told AFP after the quake hit around 1:20 am (2320 GMT Tuesday).

The Vrancea region, northeast of Bucharest, has experienced some of Romania's most deadly tremors, notably in 1977 when a 7.2-magnitude quake killed more than 1,500 people.

The area sits on the junction of three tectonic plates and is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe.

BUCHAREST: An earthquake hit eastern Romania early Wednesday, shaking the capital Bucharest, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Romania's National Institute for Earth Physics put the quake at magnitude 5.2, while the US Geological Survey gave it a magnitude of 5.6. "The epicentre was in the seismic region of Vrancea at a depth of 100 kilometres (60 miles)," the institute's spokesman Mircea Radulian told AFP after the quake hit around 1:20 am (2320 GMT Tuesday). The Vrancea region, northeast of Bucharest, has experienced some of Romania's most deadly tremors, notably in 1977 when a 7.2-magnitude quake killed more than 1,500 people. The area sits on the junction of three tectonic plates and is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe.
By PTI

NEW YORK: A generous boss of a US-based company has rewarded his 800 employees with Caribbean cruise for their hard work over the last 12 months. The CEO of Bertch Cabinets will pay for all of his staff to have a five-day break at the start of 2017.

Gary Bertch, who co-founded the company with his wife, Becky, told workers last week the company had met its goals for the year and they would go on a week-long Caribbean cruise, including a stop at the island of Cozumel off the coast of Mexico, The Courier reported.

"Bertch is excited to announce a company wide vacation! We will be closing all facilities January 9-13 so we can set sails for the sunny Caribbean! This trip wouldn't be possible without the hard work of our incredible Bertch associates! Happy Holidays, everyone!," they posted on Facebook.

Bertch will fly staff to Miami for a night in a five-star hotel before the Caribbean cruise begins, the paper said. "Weve got four charter aircraft that will be flying directly to Miami [on] Sunday and staying at a nice five-star hotel," Bertch said. "Then on Monday, we'll bus over from the hotel to the port and load up on the ship."

He explained that the cruise was offered to staff at the beginning of the year as an incentive. "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," he added. "We're happy we were able to achieve our goals. And they're never easy. The financial goal was the big one," one of the last to be met. "We hit the other goals. Not by much. But we hit them. Were looking forward to the following year."

Asked why he chose Carnival cruise lines, he replied: "They're a fun ship. And if anyone knows our crowd, they like to have fun. The first time we had them we ran them out of beer. Weve learned they stocked extra for our trip this time so we dont run out."

The company, founded in a Gilbertville barn in 1977, is based in Waterloo, Iowa. Many have praised the company on social media, with one posting: "That's awesome! What an incredible company! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe trip!!!"

NEW YORK: A generous boss of a US-based company has rewarded his 800 employees with Caribbean cruise for their hard work over the last 12 months. The CEO of Bertch Cabinets will pay for all of his staff to have a five-day break at the start of 2017. Gary Bertch, who co-founded the company with his wife, Becky, told workers last week the company had met its goals for the year and they would go on a week-long Caribbean cruise, including a stop at the island of Cozumel off the coast of Mexico, The Courier reported. "Bertch is excited to announce a company wide vacation! We will be closing all facilities January 9-13 so we can set sails for the sunny Caribbean! This trip wouldn't be possible without the hard work of our incredible Bertch associates! Happy Holidays, everyone!," they posted on Facebook. Bertch will fly staff to Miami for a night in a five-star hotel before the Caribbean cruise begins, the paper said. "Weve got four charter aircraft that will be flying directly to Miami [on] Sunday and staying at a nice five-star hotel," Bertch said. "Then on Monday, we'll bus over from the hotel to the port and load up on the ship." He explained that the cruise was offered to staff at the beginning of the year as an incentive. "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," he added. "We're happy we were able to achieve our goals. And they're never easy. The financial goal was the big one," one of the last to be met. "We hit the other goals. Not by much. But we hit them. Were looking forward to the following year." Asked why he chose Carnival cruise lines, he replied: "They're a fun ship. And if anyone knows our crowd, they like to have fun. The first time we had them we ran them out of beer. Weve learned they stocked extra for our trip this time so we dont run out." The company, founded in a Gilbertville barn in 1977, is based in Waterloo, Iowa. Many have praised the company on social media, with one posting: "That's awesome! What an incredible company! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe trip!!!"
By AFP

JERUSALEM: An Israeli committee called off a discussion set for Wednesday on issuing permits for hundreds of new settler homes in defiance of a UN vote demanding a halt to such activity, an NGO and reports said.

The Ir Amim NGO, which monitors settlement activity, said the measure had been pulled from the Jerusalem committee's agenda. Israel's army radio also reported that the discussion had been cancelled.

The reason for the change was unclear, though it comes with global pressure mounting on Israel to halt settlement expansion and ahead of a major speech later on Wednesday by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The vote on the permits could be taken up again in the future.

"It is likely that the move came at the direction of the prime minister as attention now moves to anticipation of forthcoming remarks from US Secretary of State John Kerry outlining the current administration's vision of steps to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Ir Amim said in a statement.

"The permits could return to the agenda at any time."

Ir Amim has said the planning committee was to discuss permits for 618 housing units in the mainly Palestinian eastern sector of the city.

Jerusalem deputy mayor Meir Turjeman, who also heads the committee, told AFP on Tuesday there were no plans to call off discussions in response to the UN vote.

Friday's UN Security Council resolution demanded a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory. It passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining.

By declining to use its veto, the United States enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has signalled far more favourable policy toward Israel and called for the United States to veto the resolution.

JERUSALEM: An Israeli committee called off a discussion set for Wednesday on issuing permits for hundreds of new settler homes in defiance of a UN vote demanding a halt to such activity, an NGO and reports said. The Ir Amim NGO, which monitors settlement activity, said the measure had been pulled from the Jerusalem committee's agenda. Israel's army radio also reported that the discussion had been cancelled. The reason for the change was unclear, though it comes with global pressure mounting on Israel to halt settlement expansion and ahead of a major speech later on Wednesday by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The vote on the permits could be taken up again in the future. "It is likely that the move came at the direction of the prime minister as attention now moves to anticipation of forthcoming remarks from US Secretary of State John Kerry outlining the current administration's vision of steps to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Ir Amim said in a statement. "The permits could return to the agenda at any time." Ir Amim has said the planning committee was to discuss permits for 618 housing units in the mainly Palestinian eastern sector of the city. Jerusalem deputy mayor Meir Turjeman, who also heads the committee, told AFP on Tuesday there were no plans to call off discussions in response to the UN vote. Friday's UN Security Council resolution demanded a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory. It passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining. By declining to use its veto, the United States enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy. US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has signalled far more favourable policy toward Israel and called for the United States to veto the resolution.
By AFP

TOKYO: Japanese on Wednesday hailed a historic visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor, praising his message of reconciliation with the United States but wary of the future after Donald Trump takes office.

Interest in Abe's visit to the site of Japan's December 7, 1941 attack that drew the US into World War II has been high, with many favourably comparing it to President Barack Obama's journey this year to Hiroshima.

Both visits were highly choregraphed and in their remarks -- Obama in Hiroshima and Abe in Hawaii -- neither apologised or even explicitly said their countries carried out the respective attacks.

But despite the careful words, the symbolism of their standing together again, this time at Pearl Harbor, was clear to most in Japan.

National broadcaster NHK provided live coverage of their joint address around 7 am Japan time (2200 GMT Tuesday).

It was delivered after the two men visited the memorial to the battleship USS Arizona, sunk in the surprise Japanese attack 75 years ago this month.

Kuniyoshi Takimoto, 95, a former navy aircraft mechanic on a carrier that took part in the attack, praised Abe's words.

"It was a beautiful message that deeply reflected the sentiment of both American and Japanese people," he told AFP.

But Takimoto, while satisfied with Abe's words, was also critical of his hawkish policy to expand the role of Japan's military, including enabling combat missions abroad.

"The beautiful message has a catch," he said.

Shizuhiko Haraguchi, 95, a former Japanese sailor whose unit also took part in the attack, said it was moving to see the two together at the symbolic site.

"Watching that, I was overwhelmed," he told TV Asahi.

The focus on Abe's visit was slightly upstaged by one of his own cabinet ministers, who visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo just hours after Abe went to Pearl Harbor.

Masahiro Imamura, minister in charge of the reconstruction of northern Japan after the massive 2011 tsunami, was quoted by public broadcaster NHK as saying the timing of his visit was "a coincidence".

But it may indicate some conservative frustration at Abe's decision to avoid visiting Yasukuni after his last trip there three years drew international criticism.

At Pearl Harbor Abe was also aiming to highlight the significance of close military and economic relations between the two nations, as Trump prepares to assume power amid major questions about his policies, several Japanese media outlets said.

- 'Apologetic feeling' -

Trump, during his campaign, accused Japan of not paying its fair share in supporting the military alliance, and suggested Tokyo could even develop its own nuclear deterrent.

Abe's speech also expressed Japan's deep appreciation for US aid to rebuild the nation after World War II.

It was designed to engage the US public who supported Trump, said commentator Takashi Ryuzaki.

"Rather than offering an apology, the message of gratitude for what America did after the war was expressed," he said on a TBS morning show.

The desire for a continued solid Japan-US relationship is what most Japanese, including Tokyoite Kazuko Masuda, 57, want.

"People killing people. That's war. That's why we must not do it again," she said.

"Mr Trump utters all those strong words... but I really hope he as an individual is the kind of person who walks an honourable path," she said.

Despite the generally positive reaction, some felt Abe did not go far enough.

"Considering many people died because of Japan's attack 75 years ago, I think the commemoration should have come with an apology," Koichi Kawano, 76, a victim of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.

But Kiichi Yamada, who was passing by Yasukuni, said offering remorse was difficult for both Abe and Obama.

"The leaders might not have been able to express an apology even if they wanted to because of feelings that some people have in the respective countries," he told AFP.

"But I think, many Japanese people in their minds have an apologetic feeling for the attack."

TOKYO: Japanese on Wednesday hailed a historic visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor, praising his message of reconciliation with the United States but wary of the future after Donald Trump takes office. Interest in Abe's visit to the site of Japan's December 7, 1941 attack that drew the US into World War II has been high, with many favourably comparing it to President Barack Obama's journey this year to Hiroshima. Both visits were highly choregraphed and in their remarks -- Obama in Hiroshima and Abe in Hawaii -- neither apologised or even explicitly said their countries carried out the respective attacks. But despite the careful words, the symbolism of their standing together again, this time at Pearl Harbor, was clear to most in Japan. National broadcaster NHK provided live coverage of their joint address around 7 am Japan time (2200 GMT Tuesday). It was delivered after the two men visited the memorial to the battleship USS Arizona, sunk in the surprise Japanese attack 75 years ago this month. Kuniyoshi Takimoto, 95, a former navy aircraft mechanic on a carrier that took part in the attack, praised Abe's words. "It was a beautiful message that deeply reflected the sentiment of both American and Japanese people," he told AFP. But Takimoto, while satisfied with Abe's words, was also critical of his hawkish policy to expand the role of Japan's military, including enabling combat missions abroad. "The beautiful message has a catch," he said. Shizuhiko Haraguchi, 95, a former Japanese sailor whose unit also took part in the attack, said it was moving to see the two together at the symbolic site. "Watching that, I was overwhelmed," he told TV Asahi. The focus on Abe's visit was slightly upstaged by one of his own cabinet ministers, who visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo just hours after Abe went to Pearl Harbor. Masahiro Imamura, minister in charge of the reconstruction of northern Japan after the massive 2011 tsunami, was quoted by public broadcaster NHK as saying the timing of his visit was "a coincidence". But it may indicate some conservative frustration at Abe's decision to avoid visiting Yasukuni after his last trip there three years drew international criticism. At Pearl Harbor Abe was also aiming to highlight the significance of close military and economic relations between the two nations, as Trump prepares to assume power amid major questions about his policies, several Japanese media outlets said. - 'Apologetic feeling' - Trump, during his campaign, accused Japan of not paying its fair share in supporting the military alliance, and suggested Tokyo could even develop its own nuclear deterrent. Abe's speech also expressed Japan's deep appreciation for US aid to rebuild the nation after World War II. It was designed to engage the US public who supported Trump, said commentator Takashi Ryuzaki. "Rather than offering an apology, the message of gratitude for what America did after the war was expressed," he said on a TBS morning show. The desire for a continued solid Japan-US relationship is what most Japanese, including Tokyoite Kazuko Masuda, 57, want. "People killing people. That's war. That's why we must not do it again," she said. "Mr Trump utters all those strong words... but I really hope he as an individual is the kind of person who walks an honourable path," she said. Despite the generally positive reaction, some felt Abe did not go far enough. "Considering many people died because of Japan's attack 75 years ago, I think the commemoration should have come with an apology," Koichi Kawano, 76, a victim of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. But Kiichi Yamada, who was passing by Yasukuni, said offering remorse was difficult for both Abe and Obama. "The leaders might not have been able to express an apology even if they wanted to because of feelings that some people have in the respective countries," he told AFP. "But I think, many Japanese people in their minds have an apologetic feeling for the attack."
By PTI

NEW YORK: A Sikh doctor in the US has filed a lawsuit against an American medical organisation alleging he was denied a neurology job for his religious appearance.

Jaswinder Pal Singh of Kentucky is a licensed and board certified physician practising in the area of neurology.

Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, filed the lawsuit yesterday in the US District Court for the Middle district of Tennessee on behalf of Singh.

The lawsuit alleges that Singh, an observant Sikh physician who keeps a religiously mandated turban and beard, was denied a neurology job after the employer and recruiter inquired into his religious appearance.

As part of the 2014 hiring process, the employer Premier Medical Group and its recruiter Arthur Marshall Inc expressed interest and concern about the way Singh looked, the suit further alleges.

Though the recruiter praised Singh's credentials in phone interviews, Singh was allegedly abruptly denied further interviews after he submitted photographs of himself, along with additional information on Sikhs and Sikhism. The job then remained vacant, it said.

"It was very clear to me that I was denied employment because of my ethnic background and religious appearance," Singh said in a statement released by the coalition.

"No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of their religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable," said Singh, who migrated to the US from India in 2008.

According to the lawsuit, around September 2014, an individual from the recruiter firm indicated that the Premier Medical Group had reservations about Singh's candidacy and wanted information about his appearance, specifically "how you appear" and "what you look like".

Singh explained that he is a Sikh and maintains unshorn hair including a beard and wears a turban in accordance with his faith to which the individual allegedly replied that he did not know who Sikhs were.

"Defendants failed and refused to hire (Singh) for the available neurologist position at Premier Medical Group because of his race (South Asian/Punjabi), colour, religion (Sikh) and/or national origin (Indian)," the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks to secure a court order requiring that both defendants implement anti-discrimination policies, practices and training to ensure that they do not discriminate against any future applicants.

In 2015, the coalition had represented Singh in filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, the rights group filed the anti-discrimination lawsuit.

Last month, the coalition announced a massive legal victory on behalf of four Sikh truck drivers who were denied jobs by one of the largest trucking companies in the US.

NEW YORK: A Sikh doctor in the US has filed a lawsuit against an American medical organisation alleging he was denied a neurology job for his religious appearance. Jaswinder Pal Singh of Kentucky is a licensed and board certified physician practising in the area of neurology. Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, filed the lawsuit yesterday in the US District Court for the Middle district of Tennessee on behalf of Singh. The lawsuit alleges that Singh, an observant Sikh physician who keeps a religiously mandated turban and beard, was denied a neurology job after the employer and recruiter inquired into his religious appearance. As part of the 2014 hiring process, the employer Premier Medical Group and its recruiter Arthur Marshall Inc expressed interest and concern about the way Singh looked, the suit further alleges. Though the recruiter praised Singh's credentials in phone interviews, Singh was allegedly abruptly denied further interviews after he submitted photographs of himself, along with additional information on Sikhs and Sikhism. The job then remained vacant, it said. "It was very clear to me that I was denied employment because of my ethnic background and religious appearance," Singh said in a statement released by the coalition. "No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of their religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable," said Singh, who migrated to the US from India in 2008. According to the lawsuit, around September 2014, an individual from the recruiter firm indicated that the Premier Medical Group had reservations about Singh's candidacy and wanted information about his appearance, specifically "how you appear" and "what you look like". Singh explained that he is a Sikh and maintains unshorn hair including a beard and wears a turban in accordance with his faith to which the individual allegedly replied that he did not know who Sikhs were. "Defendants failed and refused to hire (Singh) for the available neurologist position at Premier Medical Group because of his race (South Asian/Punjabi), colour, religion (Sikh) and/or national origin (Indian)," the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit seeks to secure a court order requiring that both defendants implement anti-discrimination policies, practices and training to ensure that they do not discriminate against any future applicants. In 2015, the coalition had represented Singh in filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, the rights group filed the anti-discrimination lawsuit. Last month, the coalition announced a massive legal victory on behalf of four Sikh truck drivers who were denied jobs by one of the largest trucking companies in the US.
P K Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: Careless proofreading led to a Sri Lankan Catholic hymn book including in its list, American rapper Tupac Shakurs obscene and vitriolic Hail Mary instead of the traditional Catholic prayer of the same name.

More than a thousand copies of the hymn book was printed and sold to a large congregation at a carol service in Colombos largest auditorium Nelum Pokuna two weeks ago.

However, the mistake came to public knowledge only on Christmas Day when the social media went viral with pictures of the offending page.

American rapper Tupac Shakur

The idea of the organisers was to print the traditional Catholic prayer Hail Mary asking for the intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, to deliver the faithful from sins. But since no one applied his mind when proofreading the hymn book, Tupacs obscene lyric going by the same title was printed.



Instead of the familiar Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with you... the audience was invited to sing: ...Mama told me never stop until I bust a nut. F- the world if they cant adjust, its just as well, Hail Mary.

The American rapper had written his version in 1997.

Both renditions ask Mary, to intercede on behalf of sinners, though Tupacs version is more exhaustive in detailing the exact sins in question, including murder and drug-dealing.

The incident took place about two weeks ago but came to light only on Christmas Day after the social media went viral with pictures of the hymn book taken by one Andrew Choksy.

A lot of people around us were in shock as to whether it was a joke, or if someone would actually rap the song, the media quoted Choksy as saying.

He sent the pictures of the program to friends, from where they spread and eventually found their way online.

No explanation was given (by the organisers) at all. They didnt acknowledge it at the venue. To be honest, I dont think many people saw the hymn booklet at all. People were shocked at first but then took it in good humour. But I was bursting inside, Choksy said

The Catholic church eventually withdraws the controversial hymn book and compensated the buyers. Over a 1000 hymn books containing the obscene lyric had been sold.

It was a human error, a genuine printing mistake. The offending version of Hail Mary was never sung. Those who bought the souvenir (with the hymn sheets) were refunded, Edmund Tilakaratne, spokesman of the Catholic Church told AFP.

COLOMBO: Careless proofreading led to a Sri Lankan Catholic hymn book including in its list, American rapper Tupac Shakurs obscene and vitriolic Hail Mary instead of the traditional Catholic prayer of the same name. More than a thousand copies of the hymn book was printed and sold to a large congregation at a carol service in Colombos largest auditorium Nelum Pokuna two weeks ago. However, the mistake came to public knowledge only on Christmas Day when the social media went viral with pictures of the offending page. American rapper Tupac ShakurThe idea of the organisers was to print the traditional Catholic prayer Hail Mary asking for the intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, to deliver the faithful from sins. But since no one applied his mind when proofreading the hymn book, Tupacs obscene lyric going by the same title was printed. Instead of the familiar Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with you... the audience was invited to sing: ...Mama told me never stop until I bust a nut. F- the world if they cant adjust, its just as well, Hail Mary. The American rapper had written his version in 1997. Both renditions ask Mary, to intercede on behalf of sinners, though Tupacs version is more exhaustive in detailing the exact sins in question, including murder and drug-dealing. The incident took place about two weeks ago but came to light only on Christmas Day after the social media went viral with pictures of the hymn book taken by one Andrew Choksy. A lot of people around us were in shock as to whether it was a joke, or if someone would actually rap the song, the media quoted Choksy as saying. He sent the pictures of the program to friends, from where they spread and eventually found their way online. No explanation was given (by the organisers) at all. They didnt acknowledge it at the venue. To be honest, I dont think many people saw the hymn booklet at all. People were shocked at first but then took it in good humour. But I was bursting inside, Choksy said The Catholic church eventually withdraws the controversial hymn book and compensated the buyers. Over a 1000 hymn books containing the obscene lyric had been sold. It was a human error, a genuine printing mistake. The offending version of Hail Mary was never sung. Those who bought the souvenir (with the hymn sheets) were refunded, Edmund Tilakaratne, spokesman of the Catholic Church told AFP.
By Associated Press

RIGA: Russia can expect hard-hitting sanctions from United States lawmakers if an investigation proves that Moscow interfered in the presidential election, a U.S. senator said Wednesday during a visit to Latvia.

The Kremlin has been accused of interfering in the campaign that made Republican Donald Trump president-elect. Sen. Lindsey Graham, also a Republican, said lawmakers from both major political parties remain skeptical of the denials that have come from the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I predict there will be bi-partisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual," Graham told reporters in Riga, the Latvian capital. He didn't elaborate on possible sanctions.

Graham said Wednesday that "Russia is trying to break the back of democracies all around the world," adding that Latvia is "constantly bombarded" with "Russian aggression and interference."

Graham is touring Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this week with fellow Republican John McCain and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. McCain called Russia's behaviour "unacceptable."

Speaking at the same event with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, McCain reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the Baltics, saying the relationship with the three former Soviet states "will not change" under the new administration.

The lawmakers are due to be in Vilnius on Thursday. They also plan to visit Ukraine, Georgia and Montenegro.

RIGA: Russia can expect hard-hitting sanctions from United States lawmakers if an investigation proves that Moscow interfered in the presidential election, a U.S. senator said Wednesday during a visit to Latvia. The Kremlin has been accused of interfering in the campaign that made Republican Donald Trump president-elect. Sen. Lindsey Graham, also a Republican, said lawmakers from both major political parties remain skeptical of the denials that have come from the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I predict there will be bi-partisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual," Graham told reporters in Riga, the Latvian capital. He didn't elaborate on possible sanctions. Graham said Wednesday that "Russia is trying to break the back of democracies all around the world," adding that Latvia is "constantly bombarded" with "Russian aggression and interference." Graham is touring Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this week with fellow Republican John McCain and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. McCain called Russia's behaviour "unacceptable." Speaking at the same event with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, McCain reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the Baltics, saying the relationship with the three former Soviet states "will not change" under the new administration. The lawmakers are due to be in Vilnius on Thursday. They also plan to visit Ukraine, Georgia and Montenegro.
By Associated Press

PUERTO CABELLO: When hunger drew tens of thousands of Venezuelans to the streets last summer in protest, President Nicolas Maduro turned to the military to manage the country's diminished food supply, putting generals in charge of everything from butter to rice.

But instead of fighting hunger, the military is making money from it, an Associated Press investigation shows. That's what grocer Jose Campos found when he ran out of pantry staples this year. In the middle of the night, he would travel to an illegal market run by the military to buy corn flour  at 100 times the government-set price.

"The military would be watching over whole bags of money," Campos said. "They always had what I needed."

With much of the oil country on the verge of starvation and malnourished children dying in pediatric wards, food trafficking has become big business in Venezuela. And the military is at the heart of the graft, according to documents and interviews with more than 60 officials, company owners and workers, including five former generals.

As a result, food is not reaching those who most need it.

The U.S. government has taken notice. Prosecutors have opened investigations against senior Venezuelan officials for laundering riches from food contracts through the U.S. financial system, according to several people with direct knowledge of the probes. No charges have been brought.

"Lately, food is a better business than drugs," said retired Gen. Cliver Alcala, who helped oversee border security.

The late President Hugo Chavez created a Food Ministry in 2004. His socialist government nationalized and then neglected farms and factories, and domestic production dried up. When the price of oil collapsed in 2014, the government no longer could afford to import all the country needed.

Hungry Venezuelans began rioting, and so Maduro handed the generals complete power over food. The government now imports nearly all the country's food, and corruption drives prices sky-high, said Werner Gutierrez, agronomy professor at the University of Zulia.

"If Venezuela paid market prices, we'd be able to double our imports," Gutierrez said. "Instead, people are starving."

In large part due to concerns of graft, the three largest global food traders, all based in the U.S., have stopped selling directly to the Venezuelan government.

One South American businessman says he paid millions in kickbacks to Venezuelan officials as the hunger crisis worsened, including $8 million to people who work for the food minister, Gen. Rodolfo Marco Torres. The businessman insisted on speaking anonymously because he did not want to acknowledge participating in corruption.

He explained that vendors like him can afford to pay off officials because they build large profit margins into what they bill the state. A single $52 million contract of his to import yellow corn last year, seen by AP, included a potential overpayment of more than $20 million, compared with market prices at the time.

Marco Torres did not respond to requests for comment by phone, email and hand-delivered letter. In the past, he has said he will not be lured into fights with an unpatriotic opposition.

Some contracts go to companies that have no experience dealing in food or seem to exist only on paper. Financial documents obtained by AP show that Marco Torres did business with Panama-registered Atlas Systems International, which has all the hallmarks of a shell company. Another government food supplier, J.A. Comercio de Generos Alimenticios, lists on its website a nonexistent address in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The two companies transferred more than $5.5 million in 2012 and 2013 to a Geneva account controlled by the brothers-in-law of the then-food minister, Gen. Carlos Osorio, according to bank and internal company documents seen by AP.

Osorio, recently appointed to oversee transparency in the military, did not respond to requests for comment, but in the past dismissed charges of corruption as personal attacks from the opposition.

The socialist administration says it takes graft seriously.

"The state has an obligation to root out corruption in all levels of public administration," the defense minister, Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, said this fall.

And yet dirty dealing persists from the port to the markets, according to dozens of people working in Puerto Cabello, which handles the majority of imported food. Officials sometimes keep ships waiting at sea until they are paid off, according to a stevedore who spoke anonymously because he feared losing his job.

After the cargo is unloaded, customs officials take their cut, refusing to even start the process of nationalizing goods without a payment, four customs workers said, .

"It's an unbroken chain of bribery from when your ship comes in until the food is driven out in trucks," said Luis Pena, a director at the Caracas-based importer Premier Foods.

If importers try to get through the process without greasing the wheels, food sits and spoils, Pena said. Rotting food is a problem even as 90 percent of Venezuelans say they can't afford enough to eat. The demands for bribes delay shipments, and state officials sometimes neglect to distribute what they import.

Puerto Cabello crane operator Daniel Arteaga watched last winter as state workers buried hundreds of containers of spoiled chicken, meat and beans.

"All these refrigerated containers, and meanwhile people are waiting in food lines each week just to buy a single chicken," Arteaga said.

The corruption doesn't stop once cargo leaves the port, according to truck drivers. The military has set up checkpoints along highways to catch food traffickers, and truck drivers say they have to pay bribes at about half of them.

At the end of the food chain, some soldiers partake in selling food directly to citizens, according to business owners. Bakery owner Jose Ferreira cuts two checks for each purchase of sugar: one for the official price of 2 cents a pound and one for the kickback of 60 cents a pound. He keeps copies of both checks in his books, seen by the AP, in case he is ever audited.

"We have no other option," he said.

PUERTO CABELLO: When hunger drew tens of thousands of Venezuelans to the streets last summer in protest, President Nicolas Maduro turned to the military to manage the country's diminished food supply, putting generals in charge of everything from butter to rice. But instead of fighting hunger, the military is making money from it, an Associated Press investigation shows. That's what grocer Jose Campos found when he ran out of pantry staples this year. In the middle of the night, he would travel to an illegal market run by the military to buy corn flour  at 100 times the government-set price. "The military would be watching over whole bags of money," Campos said. "They always had what I needed." With much of the oil country on the verge of starvation and malnourished children dying in pediatric wards, food trafficking has become big business in Venezuela. And the military is at the heart of the graft, according to documents and interviews with more than 60 officials, company owners and workers, including five former generals. As a result, food is not reaching those who most need it. The U.S. government has taken notice. Prosecutors have opened investigations against senior Venezuelan officials for laundering riches from food contracts through the U.S. financial system, according to several people with direct knowledge of the probes. No charges have been brought. "Lately, food is a better business than drugs," said retired Gen. Cliver Alcala, who helped oversee border security. The late President Hugo Chavez created a Food Ministry in 2004. His socialist government nationalized and then neglected farms and factories, and domestic production dried up. When the price of oil collapsed in 2014, the government no longer could afford to import all the country needed. Hungry Venezuelans began rioting, and so Maduro handed the generals complete power over food. The government now imports nearly all the country's food, and corruption drives prices sky-high, said Werner Gutierrez, agronomy professor at the University of Zulia. "If Venezuela paid market prices, we'd be able to double our imports," Gutierrez said. "Instead, people are starving." In large part due to concerns of graft, the three largest global food traders, all based in the U.S., have stopped selling directly to the Venezuelan government. One South American businessman says he paid millions in kickbacks to Venezuelan officials as the hunger crisis worsened, including $8 million to people who work for the food minister, Gen. Rodolfo Marco Torres. The businessman insisted on speaking anonymously because he did not want to acknowledge participating in corruption. He explained that vendors like him can afford to pay off officials because they build large profit margins into what they bill the state. A single $52 million contract of his to import yellow corn last year, seen by AP, included a potential overpayment of more than $20 million, compared with market prices at the time. Marco Torres did not respond to requests for comment by phone, email and hand-delivered letter. In the past, he has said he will not be lured into fights with an unpatriotic opposition. Some contracts go to companies that have no experience dealing in food or seem to exist only on paper. Financial documents obtained by AP show that Marco Torres did business with Panama-registered Atlas Systems International, which has all the hallmarks of a shell company. Another government food supplier, J.A. Comercio de Generos Alimenticios, lists on its website a nonexistent address in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, Brazil. The two companies transferred more than $5.5 million in 2012 and 2013 to a Geneva account controlled by the brothers-in-law of the then-food minister, Gen. Carlos Osorio, according to bank and internal company documents seen by AP. Osorio, recently appointed to oversee transparency in the military, did not respond to requests for comment, but in the past dismissed charges of corruption as personal attacks from the opposition. The socialist administration says it takes graft seriously. "The state has an obligation to root out corruption in all levels of public administration," the defense minister, Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, said this fall. And yet dirty dealing persists from the port to the markets, according to dozens of people working in Puerto Cabello, which handles the majority of imported food. Officials sometimes keep ships waiting at sea until they are paid off, according to a stevedore who spoke anonymously because he feared losing his job. After the cargo is unloaded, customs officials take their cut, refusing to even start the process of nationalizing goods without a payment, four customs workers said, . "It's an unbroken chain of bribery from when your ship comes in until the food is driven out in trucks," said Luis Pena, a director at the Caracas-based importer Premier Foods. If importers try to get through the process without greasing the wheels, food sits and spoils, Pena said. Rotting food is a problem even as 90 percent of Venezuelans say they can't afford enough to eat. The demands for bribes delay shipments, and state officials sometimes neglect to distribute what they import. Puerto Cabello crane operator Daniel Arteaga watched last winter as state workers buried hundreds of containers of spoiled chicken, meat and beans. "All these refrigerated containers, and meanwhile people are waiting in food lines each week just to buy a single chicken," Arteaga said. The corruption doesn't stop once cargo leaves the port, according to truck drivers. The military has set up checkpoints along highways to catch food traffickers, and truck drivers say they have to pay bribes at about half of them. At the end of the food chain, some soldiers partake in selling food directly to citizens, according to business owners. Bakery owner Jose Ferreira cuts two checks for each purchase of sugar: one for the official price of 2 cents a pound and one for the kickback of 60 cents a pound. He keeps copies of both checks in his books, seen by the AP, in case he is ever audited. "We have no other option," he said.
By Associated Press

JERUSALEM: Israel's prime minister decried Secretary of State John Kerry's Mideast policy speech as a "deep disappointment" on Wednesday and vowed to work with the incoming Trump administration to contain the fallout from last week's U.N. resolution calling Israeli settlements illegal.

Netanyahu's angry statement, delivered at a late-night news conference shortly after Kerry's address, capped a tumultuous week in which years of tense relations with President Barack Obama boiled over.

"We are not about to be swayed by a mistaken policy that could cause big, big damage," Netanyahu said, speaking in English. "Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders."

In a farewell speech at the State Department, Kerry outlined his vision for Mideast peace. While his speech included criticism of Palestinian violence and incitement, his strongest words were aimed at Israel, and its policy of settling its citizens in occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians. He said the continued settlement growth is threatening the possibility of a two-state solution, which Netanyahu has endorsed.

"The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state," Kerry said.

He also defended Obama's move last week to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off a nearly weeklong diplomatic spat between Israel and its most important ally.

"I must express my deep disappointment with the speech today of John Kerry, a speech that was almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution past at the U.N. last week," Netanyahu said.

He accused Kerry of paying "lip service" to decades of Palestinian violence against Israelis, while spending "most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack of peace."

He repeated his position that Israel is ready to pursue peace through direct negotiations with the Palestinians. Netanyahu, whose government is dominated by West Bank settler supporters who oppose Palestinian independence, says international dictates in favour of the Palestinians undermine the negotiating process.

"Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with the American Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to mitigate the damage that this resolution has done and ultimately to repeal it," he said. He expressed hope that the Obama administration will not pursue any more moves against Israel at the U.N. in its remaining time in office.

Netanyahu and Obama, who took office in 2009 just months apart, have had chilly relations throughout their tenures.

The Obama administration has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu's policies and questioned his commitment to peace. Netanyahu has harshly criticized the U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran.

Although Trump has not outlined his Mideast policy, he has signalled that he will be much more sympathetic to Israel. He has appointed a West Bank settler ally as his ambassador to Israel and vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.

JERUSALEM: Israel's prime minister decried Secretary of State John Kerry's Mideast policy speech as a "deep disappointment" on Wednesday and vowed to work with the incoming Trump administration to contain the fallout from last week's U.N. resolution calling Israeli settlements illegal. Netanyahu's angry statement, delivered at a late-night news conference shortly after Kerry's address, capped a tumultuous week in which years of tense relations with President Barack Obama boiled over. "We are not about to be swayed by a mistaken policy that could cause big, big damage," Netanyahu said, speaking in English. "Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders." In a farewell speech at the State Department, Kerry outlined his vision for Mideast peace. While his speech included criticism of Palestinian violence and incitement, his strongest words were aimed at Israel, and its policy of settling its citizens in occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians. He said the continued settlement growth is threatening the possibility of a two-state solution, which Netanyahu has endorsed. "The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state," Kerry said. He also defended Obama's move last week to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off a nearly weeklong diplomatic spat between Israel and its most important ally. "I must express my deep disappointment with the speech today of John Kerry, a speech that was almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution past at the U.N. last week," Netanyahu said. He accused Kerry of paying "lip service" to decades of Palestinian violence against Israelis, while spending "most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack of peace." He repeated his position that Israel is ready to pursue peace through direct negotiations with the Palestinians. Netanyahu, whose government is dominated by West Bank settler supporters who oppose Palestinian independence, says international dictates in favour of the Palestinians undermine the negotiating process. "Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with the American Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to mitigate the damage that this resolution has done and ultimately to repeal it," he said. He expressed hope that the Obama administration will not pursue any more moves against Israel at the U.N. in its remaining time in office. Netanyahu and Obama, who took office in 2009 just months apart, have had chilly relations throughout their tenures. The Obama administration has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu's policies and questioned his commitment to peace. Netanyahu has harshly criticized the U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran. Although Trump has not outlined his Mideast policy, he has signalled that he will be much more sympathetic to Israel. He has appointed a West Bank settler ally as his ambassador to Israel and vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.
Police thriller interweaves Scottish dramas

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-12-28 08:46

Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie has always been a workaholic. But now immersion in her work doesn't just give her life structureit also has become a kind of comfort that allows her to deal with grief in Out of Bounds, Val McDermid's latest exciting novel about this Scottish police detective.

Pirie, now head of Police Scotland's small Historic Cases Unit in Edinburgh, tackles a decades-old murder after 17-year-old Ross Garvie goes on a high-speed ride with three of his friends. A horrific crash results in the death of the three drunken teens and leaves Garvie in a coma.

Karen and her partner, Detective Constable Jason Murray, become involved when Garvie's DNA is shown to be a familial match to that of a Glasgow hairdresser whose rape and murder has gone unsolved for years. But maneuvering the Scottish legal system to track down Garvie's male relatives is fraught with complications.

Another case also occupies Karen's timethe alleged suicide of Gabriel Abbott, who lived in Kinross. The Abbott case isn't Karen's, but she becomes nearly obsessed with finding out if his death was in any way linked to the death of his mother, who was killed in a plane crash decades earlier.

The caseloads help distract Karen from her grief over the death of Phil Parhatka, a fellow detective who was killed in the line of duty.

She loved Phil and longs to discuss every investigation, twist and theory with him. When not at work, she drinks and walks the streets and neighborhoods of Edinburgh at night to ease her insomnia.

Karen is easily the smartest person in the room. She often infuriates her bosses, who grudgingly acknowledge that her insight and intelligence gets the job done.

McDermid balances the intense character studies in Out of Bounds with an inside view of the Scottish legal system and again shows her acuity in producing intelligent thrillers.
Star Wars affair just a way to make some money

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-12-28 08:46

New memoir by Carrie Fisher, who plays Princess Leia in Star Wars films. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I've spent so many years not telling the story of Harrison and me having an affair on the first Star Wars movie that it's difficult to know exactly how to tell it now," Carrie Fisher announces on page 49 of her brisk but vague new memoir, The Princess Diarist.

"Excellent, here we go," any solid fan of the real Star Wars movies (certainly not the prequels) will think, settling in for the literary equivalent of an ice-cream sundae of the more offbeat flavors.

But Fisher, who accepts that she will be known as Princess Leia until the end of time, lets the reader down. Having waited 40 years to publish what one expects to be a dishy tell-all about the romance behind the iconic movie of a generation (that generation mournfully sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials), the actress, writer and raconteur only offers a few wisps of the goods.

Fisher blames her hazy recall of the behind-the-scenes affair with Harrison Ford on the potent marijuana they smoked on their lost weekends between scenes. She also decides that "with uncharacteristic reservation and scruples that I quash any details" of their first weekend together. Sex is private, she says.

No problem, but she also draws the curtain over the interesting bits: their chemistry, their conversations, her point-blank impressions of a man poised to become one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Or maybe we're supposed to believe, as she insists, that Ford just didn't talk a lot when they were together. In any case, we are left with a few interesting glimpses wrapped around excerpts of the diaries Fisher says she kept while shooting Star Wars and recently discovered. Even the diary bits are not very revealing, being the moody musings, including poetry, of a young woman on the cusp of 20 years old.

It's clear from the final two chapters of the book, one of them titled Leia's Lap Dance, that Fisher published this book with making money in mind. Her closing meditation on fame leaves Ford and the affair far behind.

However, many Star Wars fans will read this book anywayor likely did so the instant it appeared.
China, Sao Tome and Principe resume diplomatic ties

From:Xinhua | 2016-12-27 09:40

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with his counterpart of Sao Tome and Principe Urbino Botelho in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Cui Xinyu)

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- China resumed diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe in Beijing on Monday, after the African nation cut "diplomatic ties" with the Taiwan region last week.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sao Tome and Principe counterpart Urbino Botelho held talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, and signed a joint communique on resuming diplomatic relations.

Sao Tome and Principe, an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea and a former Portuguese colony, established diplomatic relations with China immediately after gaining independence in 1975 but switched to the Taiwan region in 1997.

"The one-China principle is a consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations," Wang said. "China believes Sao Tome and Principe will stick to one-China policy with practical action and support China's peaceful reunification."

China suggested both countries work to enhance political trust and friendship of their people, as well as cooperation in agriculture, fishery and tourism.

Wang said China eyes cooperation with the island country within the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Botelho said Sao Tome and Principe will make up for its previous mistakes and open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Sao Tome and Principe recognizes China's international influence and role in protecting the interests of developing countries, and support for its own and other African countries' struggle for independence, as well as welcoming Chinese investors and tourists to help with its national development and industrialization, Botelho said.

The Sao Tome and Principe government promises it will have no official relations with Taiwan. Instead, it acknowledges there is only one China, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, the communique said.

Both sides agreed to send ambassadors as soon as possible and start the process to establish embassies, according to the communique.

"We are delighted to see that the Sao Tome and Principe government follows historical trends and makes the correct decision to come back to the one-China principle," Wang said at a joint press conference after his meeting with Botelho.

"The one-China principle is the foundation of bilateral relations and both sides should understand and support each other on issues relating to their core interests or major concerns," Wang said.

"The restoration of diplomatic relations gives China a new friend in the international community, while Sao Tome and Principe will get all-round support and assistance from a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the world's largest developing country," Wang added.

This move will bring benefits to both countries, to Sao Tome and Principe in particular, and add new vitality to cooperation between China and Africa, Wang said.

Also on Monday, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao met with Botelho, saying the restoration of diplomatic relations is in line with the fundamental interests of both countries.

Li said China highly appreciates the Sao Tome and Principe government's return to the right track of one-China principle.

China will take the restoration of diplomatic ties as a new start to deepen political mutual trust and conduct all-round cooperation, Li said.

Botelho said his country attaches great importance to the relationship with China and will firmly adhere to the one-China principle and comprehensively forge ahead bilateral cooperation.
Spare Change: Finally! Election TV ads soon will be done

Truth is, I suspect these spots are effective. For instance, Allan Fung is portrayed as a regular Joe from Cranston.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
A combination of a diabetes medication and an antihypertensive drug can effectively combat cancer cells. The team of researchers led by Prof. Michael Hall at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has also reported that specific cancer cells respond to this combination of drugs. The results of the study have now been published in "Science Advances".

Metformin is the most widely prescribed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Besides its blood sugar lowering effect, it also displays anti-cancer properties. The usual therapeutic dose, however, is too low to effectively fight cancer. The research team led by Prof. Michael Hall, at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, has now made an unexpected discovery: The antihypertensive drug syrosingopine potentiates the anti-cancer efficacy of metformin. Apparently, this drug combination drives cancer cells to programmed "suicide".

Drug cocktail kills tumor cells

At higher doses, the antidiabetic drug inhibits the growth of cancer cells but could also induce unwanted side effects. Therefore, the researchers screened over a thousand drugs for whether they can enhance the anticancer action of metformin. A favorite emerged from this screening: Syrosingopine, an antihypertensive drug. As the study shows, the cocktail of these two drugs is effective in a wide range of cancers.

"For example, in samples from leukemia patients, we demonstrated that almost all tumor cells were killed by this cocktail and at doses that are actually not toxic to normal cells", says the first author, Don Benjamin. "And the effect was exclusively confined to cancer cells, as the blood cells from healthy donors were insensitive to the treatment."

Drugs block "juice" supply to cancer cells

In mice with malignant liver cancer, enlargement of the liver was reduced after the therapy. Also the number of tumor nodules was less - in some animals the tumors disappeared completely. A glance at the molecular processes in the tumor cells explains the drug combination's efficacy: Metformin lowers not only the blood glucose level, but also blocks the respiratory chain in the energy factories of the cell, the mitochondria. The antihypertensive drug syrosingopine inhibits, among other things, the degradation of sugars.

Thus, the drugs interrupt the vital processes which provide energy for the cell. Due to their increased metabolic activity and rapid growth, cancer cells have a particularly high energy consumption, which makes them extremely vulnerable when the energy supply is reduced.

Groundbreaking step towards clinical application

By testing a range of other compounds with the same mode of action, the scientists could demonstrate that the inhibition of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria is a key mechanism. These also reduced cancer cell growth in combination with the antihypertensive drug.

"We have been able to show that the two known drugs lead to more profound effects on cancer cell proliferation than each drug alone," explains Benjamin. "The data from this study support the development of combination approaches for the treatment of cancer patients." This study may have implications for future clinical application of combination scenarios targeting the energy needs of tumor cells.

Source: University of Basel
Investigators at Albert Einstein College of Medicine were awarded more than $160 million from the National Institutes of Health in federal fiscal year 2016. The grants provide critical support for major research projects in aging, intellectual and developmental disabilities, diabetes, cancer and infectious diseases. Other key areas for which Einstein received federal support include developmental brain research, neuroscience, advanced cellular imaging, cardiac disease and initiatives to reduce health disparities.

"During this period of transition for Einstein, this level of funding convincingly demonstrates the excellence of our faculty and the research they conduct," says Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and vice president of academic affairs at Montefiore. "This strong showing in our first year as part of Montefiore bodes well for our integrated research enterprise, as opportunities and collaborations develop and deepen."

Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

In addition to grants for investigator research projects and training for students, faculty and postdoctoral fellows, Einstein received major new and renewal awards for Einstein centers, including:

The new Center for Diabetes Translation Research ($2.9 million), led by Elizabeth Walker, Ph.D., R.N., and Judith Wylie Rosett, Ed.D.

The Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center ($6 million), led by Steven Walkley, Ph.D., and Sophie Molholm, Ph.D.

Einstein Aging Study, ($12.2 million) led by Richard Lipton, M.D., and Marty Sliwinksi, PhD., at Pennsylvania State University.

Other major program and collaboration grants were:

Central Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS, $9.4 million, Kathy Anastos, M.D., and Dennis Nash, Ph.D., at the City University of New York

Developmental Mechanisms of Human Congenital Heart Disease, $7.5 million, Bernice Morrow, Ph.D.

Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes, $5 million, Judy Aschner, M.D.
A health care reform idea originated by University of Michigan faculty will get a major test among members of the nation's military and their families, thanks to a provision in the national defense spending bill signed by President Obama on Friday.

Called Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID), the approach departs from the traditional "one size fits all" approach to health insurance out-of-pocket costs. Instead of uniform copays and deductibles for prescription drugs, medical tests and other health care use, V-BID tailors those costs so that individuals are charged least for the items that benefit them most, based on what health conditions they have.

Under the provision in the new National Defense Authorization Act, the TRICARE health insurance program for current and retired members of the military and their dependents will test V-BID in a pilot program.

By January 2018, the pilot will assess whether the V-BID approach helps people with certain conditions stick to their medications, get care that meets specific quality standards, and have better outcomes and a better experience. The assessment of this effort may lead to further rollout of the V-BID approach in TRICARE.

Medicare test launches in January

Even before the TRICARE demonstration begins, senior citizens in three states who have certain health conditions will get access to V-BID-style insurance.

Starting in January, seniors enrolled in certain Medicare Advantage plans in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Indiana who have diabetes, heart disease, depression and certain other conditions will see their co-pays and deductibles reduced for specific services and providers.

The general approach with V-BID is to lower the cost barrier between a person and the specific tests and treatments that have been proven to provide the most benefit to people with the same health conditions.

More states and more health conditions will be added to the Medicare Advantage demonstration in 2018, under an expansion of the V-BID program in the Health Plan Innovation Initiative approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Further expansion to all 50 states is being proposed by members of Congress.

"We're gratified to see how this concept is spreading into critical federal insurance programs, even as we work to engage with insurers and others in many settings to help them build clinical nuance into their plan designs," says A. Mark Fendrick, M.D., who directs the U-M V-BID Center and co-originated the concept. Fendrick is a member of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
New Delhi: In order to beef up security at airports, all employees working at these facilities across the country will have to furnish their Aadhaar number to obtain the mandatory Airport Entry Passes (AEPs) used for entry and exit.



The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the mandated force for civil airports, will implement the measure from January 1 after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued an order in this regard on its request.



"From January 1, all AEPs will be made using the Aadhaar number of the individual working or employed at the airport.



A committee constituted in this regard has mandated that these passes will only be made using the Aadhaar number.



"For the old existing passes, the validity has been extended till March 31," CISF Director General O P Singh said.



The DG added that the force had made a request in this regard to the BCAS, the agency that frames airport security rules, as it was witnessing instances of fake or tampered AEPs being used by people to enter these sensitive facilities.



A senior CISF official explained that at times when an employee working at the airports was found to be indulging in a criminal act and his AEP was suspended or blacklisted, it was found that the individual got enrolled in a different company and again started entering the airport using a new AEP.



This system was not ensuring fool-proof ID authentication of employees working across various ranks at airports and hence using the Aadhaar number will allow that no duplicity or forging is done while getting an AEP, they said.



The BCAS, in order to ensure that AEPs are not forged and tampered with, keeps changing the design and colour of the passes every year, but linking the creation of such an ID with the biometrics powered Aadhaar number will ensure a fool-proof security, they said.



The force has also sought creation of a AEP database so that red flags can be raised against defaulters or those who have been caught in wrongdoing, the official said.



Each AEP is checked by CISF security personnel during entry and exit at airports.



The force at present guards 59 civil airports in the country.
Panaji: Goa Church will issue guidelines to Christians to help them decide "the right candidate" to vote for in the next year's Assembly elections. The Church, however, clarified that it will not canvass for any candidate or the party.



"Elections to the legislative assembly are approaching and Church leadership in Goa will take up this duty bound task once again.



"We do issue guidelines to our faithful on how to exercise their franchise and thus fulfill one of their sacred civic duties," Archbishop of Goa and Daman Rev Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao said on Wednesday here while addressing a customary reception on Christmas.



He said though the guidelines are read out in churches, they never mention name of any candidate or any political party.



The function was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar among others.



However, the archbishop said the faithfuls are requested to vote as per their conscience. He lamented that "certain elements today accuse the church in India of being involved in conversions."



"Our institutions have been attacked, robbed, burnt down and the perpetrators of this crime often goes scot free. It is almost as if the tiny three percent is posing a serious threat for the disintegration of the whole nation," Ferrao said.



Referring to the illegal mining issue, the archbishop said the church is the trustee of this land.



"It is our solemn duty to ensure that the value of the land is passed on to our future generation. All generation and all within a generation would benefit equally.



"But what we see is extensive environmental and social damage to Goa which has generated rampant corruption and even weakened governance. It has been an assault on our community and our natural wealth, more distressingly it has been a loss to our children and our future generation," he said.


New Delhi: Many media persons could not enter the venue of the joint press conference by eight opposition political parties on Tuesday as police barred many from entering due to the overcrowding in the hall.



It led to chaos outside the hall at the Constitution Club of India where at least 30-40 journalists were stopped.



The press meet was supposed to begin at 3 p.m. but it started about half an hour late. However by 3 p.m., the hall was already packed.



"Many of us could not enter the hall as there was complete chaos. There was also verbal duel with police outside the hall. It was total mismanagement. As many as 30 mediapersons could not enter the venue," said a senior print journalist.



As Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi started addressing the media, media persons outside were heard shouting and screaming.
TOP GOOGLE SEARCHES IN INDIA IN 2016

(Interactive table. Click on the column headers to sort.) State Rising (?) Top (?) ALL freedom 251 download Andaman and Nicobar Islands ahok download Andhra Pradesh janatha garage youtube Arunachal Pradesh (Not enough data) (Not enough data) Assam freedom 251 download Bihar jio download Chandigarh filmywap 2016 download Chhattisgarh freedom 251 download Dadra and Nagar Haveli freedom 251 download Daman and Diu sarkari result video Delhi freedom 251 download Goa pratyusha banerjee goa Gujarat freedom 251 download Haryana filmywap 2016 facebook Himachal Pradesh filmywap 2016 download Jammu and Kashmir freedom 251 download Jharkhand freedom 251 download Karnataka freedom 251 download Kerala torrentz2 facebook Lakshadweep (Not enough data) (Not enough data) Madhya Pradesh freedom 251 download Maharashtra sairat download Manipur empsconline download Meghalaya fmovies youtube Mizoram freedom 251 download Nagaland karuvoolam facebook Odisha freedom 251 download Puducherry freedom 251 tamil Punjab filmywap 2016 download Rajasthan freedom 251 download Sikkim euro 2016 facebook Tamil Nadu remo tamil Telangana download download Tripura freedom 251 tripura Uttar Pradesh freedom 251 download Uttarakhand freedom 251 download West Bengal freedom 251 download (Interactive table. Click on the column headers to sort.)

Social is fast becoming the source for information and news, but search still keeps us searching. According to Chartbeat, a web analytics company, in the Asia-Pacific region 46% of website pageviews still come for search, compared to 29% that come via social.While Google does release a filtered annual report listing what was trending in 2016 across categories, manually sifting through Google Trends for the same period throws up quite a different picture.India's 2016 searches on Google paints it as a download nation.The term "download" was the most searched for across most states in the year, pushing 2015's top search term "facebook" to the third spot. Freedom 251 , the Rs 251 smartphone, that was touted as the world's cheapest, was the fastest rising search term across most states. Kerala also wanted its Freedom 251s, but not as much as "tottentz2". Similarly Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh were searching more and more for "filmywap 2016".Curiously, Nagaland's most popular search terms made us confuse it for Tamil Nadu. This is either an error on the part of Google the people of Nagaland have developed a strong affinity for all things Tamil.The interactive table and maps below reveal what the country searched for in the year that is at its fag end.The most popular search queriesSearch queries with the biggest increase in search frequency since the last time period
New Delhi: Union minister Manoj Sinha was on Wednesday released from AIIMS Trauma Centre in the capital where he underwent a surgery for a fracture in the upper left arm after a road mishap in Gorakhpur.



"The minister was operated successfully to fix his fracture of shaft of humerus and is recovering on expected lines. He was released today(Wednesday) afternoon," said a senior doctor at AIIMS Trauma Centre.



The 57-year-old Union Minister of state (Independent charge) of the Ministry of Communications and Minister of state for Railways was involved in an accident that took place around 7.15 PM on December 23 on the Tapti river bridge when he was coming to Gorakhpur from Barabanki.



Sinha, who represents Gorakhpur in Lok Sabha, was initially admitted to Apollo Hospital and later shifted to the Lalit Narayan Mishra Railway Hospital.



According to sources, the accident took place when the vehicle ahead of the minister's car in the cavalcade suddenly applied brakes to avoid hitting a man. The car carrying Sinha hit the vehicle from behind and in the impact, the minister sustained the injury.
: There was a ruckus outside AIADMK's office in Chennai on Wednesday after rebel MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyers were attacked by party cadres at a meeting called to decide the successor for the late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa.According to reports, a team of four lawyers had gone to the party office during which they were attacked.Visuals outside the party office suggested that the meeting turned violent after which the police had to use force to eliminate the supporters who were seen physically manhandling the lawyers.It is, however, unclear as to why the lawyers visited the party office.Sasikala Pushpa was expelled from the AIADMK after an altercation with DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport earlier in July.Post Jayalalithaa's death, Sasikala Pushpa had moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe or a judicial investigation by an apex court judge into the matter.In her petition, Pushpa had alleged that Jayalalithaa's death was "suspicious" as her actual medical condition was not disclosed, no one was allowed to visit her, her funeral photographs showed embalming marks and everything from her hospitalisation to her death "was kept under wraps".Reacting to the development, party spokesperson C R Saraswathi said that Pushpa is no more with AIADMK and has no no right to be there.Political observer RK Radhakrishnan said that since Sasikala Pushpa is suspended from the party she is not eligible to contest polls."Although nothing justifies the violence but it isn't anything new with the AIADMK," Radhakrishnan added.Reacting to the news, Opposition DMK spokesperson Manu Sundaram termed it is an assault on democracy."If political parties don't hold democratic elections to elect their leaders, how can they claim to espouse democratic virtues themselves? I hope the election commission takes note of this," Sundaram added.ALSO READ: Fall of Sasikala Pushpa, the AIADMK MP Who Dared Jayalalithaa
I welcome Shri #AnilBaijal as the Lt.Governor of Delhi.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 28, 2016

Career bureaucrat Anil Baijal, who was once LK Advani's right hand man, was on Wednesday appointed the next Lt Governor of Delhi following the resignation of Najeeb Jung. He will be sworn-in on December 30.A 1969 batch IAS officer, Baijal was Union Home Secretary under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government besides holding key positions in other ministries.In fact, he was first brought in by the then home minister Advani to clean up the Delhi Development Authority and later picked as home secretary over several other seniors.Baijal, whose appointment papers were approved by President Pranab Mukherjee in the evening, had retired from service in 2006 as Secretary, Urban Development Ministry. He is a former vice chairman of Delhi Development Authority.Baijal, 70, was actively associated with the designing and roll-out of Rs 60,000 crore Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) launched by the Manmohan Singh government.The former bureaucrat was also on the executive council of the think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation, several of whose former members have been appointed to senior positions by the Modi government including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.News18 had, within hours of Jungs resignation on December 22, reported that Baijal was the frontrunner to succeed him.Jung had submitted his resignation on December 22, with one and a half years left for his term, after a tumultuous stint at the Delhi Raj Niwas that saw him locking horns with the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party multiple times.The government on Wednesday recommended to the President, who is on an annual winter sojourn at Rashtrapathi Nilayam in Secunderabad, acceptance of Jung's resignation.(With PTI inputs)
Jayalalithaas biographer Vaasanthi makes a sharp observation on why Jayalalithaa chose a woman to be her close confidante. Jaya was a single woman. She was an actor before she became a leader. Because of the sexist society, women stars always had a woman chaperone. She needed someone to take care of her house, she found Sasikala as agreeable and smart, she says.

Erudite Jayalalithaa was far ahead of her time. Economists have panned her policy of offering freebies. But they formed an intrinsic part of her electoral narrative and her politics. She became a powerful presence in the everyday life of the ordinary Tamilian as their mixer-grinders, fans, TVs had a smiling face of their benevolent Amma.

Indira Gandhi, the original iron lady, managed a distinct connect with women and in turn earned their affection and undeterred loyalty. The gungi gudiya also became Mother Indira. Women, Dalits, and minorities  the constituency she cultivated  continue to be a major political asset for the Congress party even today.



The lingering image of Jayalalithaas final journey is the stoic presence of her companion of decades standing next to her mortal remains for hours on. Not only has she shadowed Jayalalithaa for all these years, Sasikala Natarajan was also a co-accused in all cases filed against the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister besides being a subject of contempt of the worst kinds. Jayalalithaa was rather unabashed about her association with Sasikala, often seeking comfort in her presence. However, such camaraderie between two women is hardly seen among the women political leaders of the Hindi heartland.So why is there no similar female favourite to a Mamata Banerjee or a Mayawati or a Vasundhara Raje? All three are strong women leaders, perhaps ruthless too, who have charted new paths for themselves and occupy an irreplaceable place in Indian polity.During Parliament sessions, BSP chief Mayawatis arrival and departure is marked by the presence of 6 party MPs (all men) standing firmly in front of Gate 12 of the Parliament House. When Mamata Banerjee arrives in the central hall all her party MPs queue up to mark their attendance, which is similar to men and women prostrating before Jaya.Mayawatis conscience keeper is SC Mishra and Mamatas trusted lieutenants are Mukul Roy, Derek O Brien and her nephew Abhishek. Not just in the company they keep but both these leaders including the current chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje have always preferred to surround themselves with men. Is this an attempt at disguising true nature of complex challenges before women across class, which forms the normal in our cultural boundaries? Why dont these women create a chain of sisterhood to nurture each other?Political observer Neerja Chaudhury has a different take on Jayalalitha. She says its wrong to just categorize her as a woman leader she cites a conversation she had with one of the senior national leaders in late 1990s who had then observed that Jayalalitha was amongst half a dozen people in India who could understand the intricacies of WTO. Chaudhury also says that the reason Tamil Nadu continued to rate high on various indices both economic and social was because the bureaucrats couldnt get the better of her, she knew what she wanted out of them was always on the top of the subject, she made them accountable, she was an intelligent and bright woman.A woman walks in front of a portrait of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Chennai /Reuters/File photoDrawing a comparison between Jaya and other women leaders north of Vindhyas, Chaudhury places Mamata Banerjee above all her contemporaries. For one, Mamata didnt have anyone who initiated her into politics. Jayalalithaa had a mentor in MGR, then her qualities and abilities made her. Mayawati came into politics because of Kanshi Ram who of course after a few years completely left Uttar Pradesh to her and didnt interfere. But Mamata made her way up without a prop, Chaudhury says.The range of household items offered on a platter by the state led by Amma helped her carve out women as a constituency. And this one segment remained loyal to her election after election. They wept as they felt orphaned after her demise. The cult of Jayalalitha as a redeemer emerged from the homes of Tamil Nadu.Mayawati, Mamata, Vasundhara and Sheila may have won many polls, but they never managed to create this constituency. The one person who managed this in the north of the Vindhyas was a man: Nitish Kumar. He first offered peace of mind for the women of Bihar by ensuring the rule of law prevails. He offered bicycles for girls, and as perhaps a gift to the women of Bihar who has stood with him through thick and thin, he even took an axe and cut the states revenues to make the state booze-free.Image consultant Dilip Cherian says that women leaders in the North prefer to be seen as less women-centric themselves. They don't want to narrow their appeal because every vote  male or female  counts and they can't usually take the risk of appealing to just one constituency alone, he says.Yes, of course, one cant ignore the elephant in the room: Caste hierarchies are far more fundamental and entrenched in North India than the Southern states. More importantly, the Hindi heartland is much more patriarchal. People in Tamil Nadu are still ruled by hearts. Thats why film stars who rule their hearts are always most acceptable as their rulers too. Hence Jayalalithaa, a Brahmin, could rule a Dravidan party with an iron fist.However, Indias longest serving Chief Minister, also a woman and from the Congress, Sheila Dikshit had a different strategy in Delhi. The social and cultural milieu of Delhi notwithstanding she was a CM for all.Although she was tremendously popular among women, she deliberately didnt work towards it. She worked for everybody, says Pawan Khera, who was Dikshits strategist for 15 years.Dr Heena Gavit, a first time Member of Parliament of the BJP from Nandurbar in Maharashtra, feels literacy plays a big role in defining political leadership and thats why Tamil Nadu with women literacy rate of 73.4 percent doesnt face gender inequality  at least as much as in north India. I come from a tribal background. In every decision, a woman takes, she gets support from her father and her husband. This male validation will slowly change. In a decade this trend will end as literacy increases among women, she says.Among many things that make the politicians north of vindhyas different from the south are the iconography and cult status they achieve  especially true in Tamil Nadu and undivided Andhra Pradesh. They are often God-like, capable of superhuman, dealing with demons and delivering justice at ease.Yet, there was no shortage of barbs coming the way of even a divine-like Amma  remember that iconic photograph of Jayalalithaa sitting with her hand on her head after the assault in state assembly? How did Jayalalithaa strike back with multiple victories after everybody blow of failures? She succeeded also because she deglamorized herself. In her incarnation as Amma, the mother, Jayalalithaa reinvented her identity. But then she wasnt leading any feminist movement. She desexualized herself for whats patriarchal manipulation of power, and in turn achieved her aim of championing a more inclusive politics. That generational shift of becoming a mother, not a sister or a daughter may also be the reason why she succeeded the way she did. Mamata is a didi, Mayawati is a behenji also a dalit ki beti.It may not be fair to look at Jayaalalithaas legacy as that of a woman leader alone. But there can be no denying that what made Jaya stand out in her life and death was also because she was a woman undeterred by the challenges: The one who guarded her kingdom like a lioness. Mamata Banerjees appeal is without pretentions, Mayawati wears her pink with elan but a Jaya rebellion is missing in the North, and that matters to women. Let there be more.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over note ban and asked whom did he consult before announcing demonetisation.He also sought to know how much black money has been recovered since November 8.Filling in for his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi who is note keeping well, Rahul for the first timeon Wednesday unfurled the Tricolour at the party headquarters to mark the Congress Foundation Day."Modiji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one percent super rich people of the country," Gandhi told reporters here at the party headquarters on Congress Foundation Day."Many people have suffered and for this loss, the government should give compensation," Gandhi said.Daring Modi to reveal the actual amount of cash recovered since the November 8 announcement of scrapping the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, "Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered post November 8?""How much economic loss nation has suffered? And how many people lost their lives?" he added.Attacking the Prime Minister, Gandhi said, "Modiji should also reveal the list of people who deposited more than Rs 25 lakh in their bank accounts, two months before November 8."Accusing Modi for hurting financial independence of people of this country, he asked on what basis limits of Rs 24,000 were imposed on withdrawal.
(Image: Manav Sinha/ News18.com)

(Image: Manav Sinha/ News18.com)

The Fossil Q Marshal Stainless Steel Android Wear smartwatch arrived in India for a price of Rs 21,995. In terms of features, the Fossil Q Marshal is entirely dominated by Googles Android Wear.International luxury accessories maker Fossil is latest to enter the Android Wear bandwagon in India. The company has introduced wearables spanning across six of Fossil Group's licensed brands in October  Fossil Q, Michael Kors Connected, Skagen Connected, Chaps, Emporio Armani and Misfit. However, a Fossil watch always has a class of its own.Is it worth buying? Here is the review.The Fossil Q Marshal Stainless Steel makes a statement of its own. It looks classy and has premium written all over it. The quality of the dial along with actual stainless steel band makes it stand apart from the otherwise crowded Android Wear watches. It is definitely a gadget you would love to flaunt.Coming to the smart aspect of the watch, the Fossil Q Marshal offers the simplicity and elegance of Googles Android Wear operating system. The software features are common to any Android Wear smartwatch.The flat tyre dial design of the Fossil Q Marshal will remind you of the Moto 360. It is the revamped version of the cheaper Moto 360 in terms of build quality and style.After spending Rs 21,995, the display quality of Fossil Q Marshall will disappoint. The colours are washed out, visibility in sunlight is poor and the glass is prone to scratches.The battery life of the Fossil Q Marshall doesnt impress. When the watch is connected, it runs out of battery by evening. The maximum battery life, when not connected, is around 20 hours. You simply cannot afford to forget the charger back at home. Talking of which, its magnet is weak and the watch slips off easily while charging.Fossil Q Marshal is simply the premium edition of an Android Wear smartwatch like the Moto 360. While it looks classy, the battery life and the display quality are not good enough for a watch that costs over Rs 20,000.
Whether rubbing shoulders with the locals, admiring landscapes or packing in exciting excursions, vacations and the lasting memories they create are shaped by experiences. Here's a look at some of the countries on Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017 list where travelers can expect an authentic travel experience.



Mongolia



> Celebrate the Mongolian New Year with the locals

Travelers heading to Mongolia will no doubt be in search of authenticity. Try visiting around the time of the Mongolian New Year, or Tsagaan Sar, a three-day festival in January or February (depending on the lunar calendar). It's the perfect time to experience life with a Mongolian family as they exchange gifts, enjoy culinary specialties such as meat-filled dumplings, and take part in traditional celebrations. On the morning of Tsagaan Sar, a cup of tea with milk is traditionally offered to the gods by throwing it out of the window.



Oman



> Marine life in the south of the Sultanate

The Middle East is a promising region for tourism in the future. For a memorable experience, head to the south of the Sultanate, to the Arabian Sea, which is home to whales. Boat trips are organized from the fishing villages of Sadah, Mirbat and Hasik. The luckiest visitors will be able to spot dolphins from the beach or see turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.



Myanmar (Burma)



> Check out one-legged paddling on Inle Lake

In the east of the country, the Tibeto-Burman Intha people intrigue travelers when they head out fishing on Inle Lake. The fishermen paddle their boats in a surprising way, using one leg to control their oar. This gives them the freedom to seize their cone-shaped nets and gather fish from the depths of the lake's waters.



Ethiopia



> Bargain hunting at Bahir Dar market

Travelers can experience Ethiopia, flying the flag for Africa's future in tourism, at the colorful market of Bahir Dar, on the southern shore of Lake Tana. It's a great way to catch a glimpse of the everyday life and traditions of authentic Ethiopia.

Due to recent unrest in the Oromo and Amhara regions, the US State Department has issued a travel warning for Ethiopia. Be sure to check government advice before traveling.
Beijing: China started operations of one of the world's longest high-speed railways that links the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part of the country.



The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, China Railway Corporation said.



The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, Wang Jinda, a train driver was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.



The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.



A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012.



China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines.



According to the governments plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030.



The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the countrys high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland.



China is also aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries, including India.
Islamabad: Power-starved Pakistan on Wednesday received a major boost as a China-backed 340 MW nuclear power plant in its Punjab province was inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who termed it as an "important milestone" in the government's efforts to end the menace of load shedding.



The fourth nuclear plant Chashma-3 is located about 250 kilometres southwest of capital Islamabad at Chashma in Mianwali district where another plant Chashma-IV is also being built.



Sharif described the completion of C-3 as "another important milestone in the journey to eliminate the menace of load shedding from the country," Radio Pakistan reported.



He said the project is reflective of closer cooperation between Pakistan and China in science and technology.



"This cooperation is also beginning of a new era of development in the region," he said.



Sharif expressed confidence that Chashma-IV nuclear power plant would also become operational before its deadline of mid next year.



Chashma two and three power plants are the most efficient plants in the country, providing more than 600 MW of electricity to the national grid. Pakistan's first nuclear plant was supplied by Canada in 1972.



Sharif appreciated Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for its efforts for self reliance in fuel fabrication and said his government would extend every possible assistance to the Commission to help overcome the shortage of electricity in the country.



Referring to the generation target of 8,800 MW of nuclear energy by 2030, Sharif urged the Commission to accept the challenge of producing more than the target and play its full role in the development of the country.



Noting that there has been a marked reduction in load shedding during the last three years, Sharif pledged that the menace of load shedding would be over in 2018.



Sharif said generation of additional 2200 MW of electricity through K-II and K-III would contribute towards this effort.



Pakistan has been grappling with power shortage and the unusually long hours of power outages has been haunting its people for about a decade.



Sharif urged PAEC to take all possible measures to strengthen safety of existing and future power plants as per international standards.



Sharif thanked China for extending cooperation in nuclear field and said the two countries are actively cooperating in many other areas, including construction of roads, motorways, airports and upgradation of Pakistan Railways.



He said many projects were initiated under CPEC and their impact was now visible.



These projects are being implemented speedily and this would result in overcoming challenges of unemployment, poverty, backwardness and accelerating the pace of socio economic development, besides bringing all regions of the country more closer, he said.


Washington: Tightening the noose around Lashkar-e-Taiba, the US on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based terror group's student wing Al-Muhammadia Students a terrorist organisation and slapped sanctions against its two top leaders.



LeT was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States in December 2001.



Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organisations in an effort to avoid sanctions, said the State Department.



"To that effect, Al-Muhammadia Students (AMS) is the student wing of LeT," it said.



Founded in 2009, AMS is a subsidiary of LeT and has worked with LeT senior leaders to organise recruiting courses and other activities for youth, it added.



Simultaneously, the US Treasury Department designated two LeT senior leaders, Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood, as global terrorists. Both the LeT leaders are based in Pakistan.



"These two Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders are responsible for raising and moving funds to support the terrorist groups operations," said John E Smith, Acting Director Office of Foreign Assets Control.



"Todays action not only aims to expose their activities, but also disrupts Lashkar-e-Taibas financial network and ability to carry out violent terrorist attacks," he added.



Treasury said Sarwar has been a senior LeT official in Lahore for over 10 years and has held various leadership roles in the group, including his current position as LeTs emir for Lahore, a position he has held since at least January 2015.



As the LeT emir of Lahore, Sarwar maintains relationships with LeTs most senior leaders. Between 2012 and 2013, Sarwar worked with LeTs foreign affairs chief Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, and in early 2013, Makki asked Sarwar for money to pay for his travel within Pakistan, it added.



In his capacity as LeT Lahore emir, Sarwar has been directly involved in LeT fund raising activities and uses the formal financial system in Pakistan to raise and move funds on behalf of LeT, the Treasury said.



For example, in 2008, he led delegations of businessmen to LeT facilities for the purpose of soliciting donations for the group, and as of mid-2009, Sarwar was one of two officials who headed LeTs finance wing in Lahore, it added.



On the other hand, Mahmood has been a longstanding senior LeT member based in Karachi, and has been affiliated with the group since 2007.



As early as June 2015 through at least June 2016, Mahmood served as the vice chairman of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a fundraising arm of LeT, Treasury said in a statement.



FIF was earlier designated as an alias for LeT.



In 2014, Mahmood was the leader of FIF in Karachi. In August 2013, Mahmood was identified as a LeT publications wing member.



Since at least 2012, Mahmood has routinely traveled overseas and worked with international organisations on behalf of LeT to conduct business for the group in FIFs name, Treasury said.



For example, when acting as the head of FIF in Karachi, Mahmood traveled to Bangladesh to distribute funds to a Burmese migrant camp for the purpose of facilitating LeT recruitment, it said.



In August 2012, Mahmood, while in-charge of the Sindh, chapter of FIF, led a LeT delegation to Burma, and in mid-2014, he traveled to Syria and Turkey and was subsequently appointed to lead FIF efforts in both countries.



Mahmood has also traveled to Bangladesh and Gaza on behalf of FIF, it said.



Treasury said Mahmood was previously part of LeTs overseas operations team led by Sajjid Mir, who was designated a global terrorist in 2012.



While part of LeTs operations team, Mahmoods areas of responsibility included Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.



Additionally, in August 2013, Mahmood was instructed to forge covert links with Islamic organizations in Bangladesh and Burma, and as of late 2011, "Mahmood claimed that LeT's primary concern should be attacking India and America," the Treasury said.
The Independent running for Senate District 22 changed his voter registration from a locality outside the district to Prince Edward County in anticipation of a special election run, he said in an interview.

Ahead of the November general election, Joseph C. Hines, an engineering economic development consultant, said he changed his voter registration from Glen Allen in Henrico County, where he owns a townhouse, to Prince Edward County, where he owns the family farm where he grew up.

Hines, who said he is an independent conservative, said he regularly travels back and forth between the townhouse and farm and could not provide a ratio comparing how often he resides at each home.

You can check around the community. Ive been very involved in the community my entire life, Hines said, referring to Prince Edward.

The family farm in the Rice area has been his residence since 2011, when his father died, he said.

When asked whether he changed his registration in November in anticipation of a special election to replace Tom Garrett, who was running for the 5th Congressional District seat to replace retiring Republican Rep. Robert Hurt, Hines said, That was a potential consideration, yes.

The change made him eligible to run because the Virginia Constitution requires legislators to live in the district they represent.

According to the Prince Edward County Registrars Office, Hines registered to vote in Prince Edward on Oct. 18, 2016.

Hines is one of three candidates seeking the Senate District 22 seat, which includes eastern Lynchburg and Appomattox and Amherst counties and stretches to Goochland County. He faces Lynchburg attorney and Republican Mark Peake and former Fluvanna County Sheriff and Democrat Ryant Washington.

Hines is director of economic development and a principal at Timmons Group, which has several offices in Virginia, none of which are in Prince Edward. Hines works out of the headquarters in the Richmond area and often travels throughout the country for his work, he said.

Washingtons campaign declined to comment, saying the candidate wanted to stick with the issues, according to political director Jasper Hendricks. Washington, who left the Fluvanna County Sheriffs Office to work for the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in 2014, commutes from the county to Richmond, Hendricks said.

Peakes campaign manager Joshua Puccio took a sharper tack, accusing Hines of moving into the district for personal political gain. Peake works at Lynchburg law office Caskie & Frost.

In recent years, we have seen politicians move into districts because they think they can win [that] seat, Puccios emailed statement said. ... Our conservative voters here know better, they know Mark Peake who has invested his life here and seeks only to serve the people of the 22nd.
The Salvation Army of Greater Lynchburg today announced that its 2016 Red Kettle Campaign raised $269,314, surpassing its $250,000 goal.

This is the largest amount raised to date since the Red Kettle Campaign came to Lynchburg in the 1950s (it originated in San Francisco in 1891). The fundraiser runs annually from the first week in November through Dec. 24.

It is part of an overall budget of $2.7 million that enables The Salvation Army of Greater Lynchburg to maintain the Center of Hope homeless shelter, the community feeding program, the emergency financial assistance program and several youth and adult enrichment programs in the community.

In addition to the amount given in the Red Kettles, the community donated gifts for more than 1,800 children and elderly during this years Angel Tree program, which runs simultaneously with the Red Kettle Campaign.

Visit http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/lynchburgva for more information.
The cellphone of a New Jersey woman who went missing along with her 5-year-old great-granddaughter in Caroline County over the holiday weekend pinged off a Sprint cellphone tower south of Petersburg on Tuesday morning.

Detective Mike Robinson of the Hamilton Township (N.J.) Police Department also told WTVR in Richmond that a caller to a hotline reported seeing the car on Interstate 95 in the Richmond area.

Dinwiddie Sheriff D.T. Adams told the television station that his deputies had been searching since 10 a.m. Tuesday between the Dinwiddie airport and Petersburg, the area where the cellphone was detected.

According to a news release issued Tuesday by the Virginia State Police, police received information leading them to believe 71-year-old Barbara Briley and her great-granddaughter, LaMyra Briley, may be in the Greater Richmond area.

Late Tuesday, the Caroline Sheriffs Office released details about surveillance video taken Christmas Eve that shows Barbara Briley at the Exxon station at 23807 Rogers Clark Blvd. in Ruther Glen.

The video shows her entering the store at 5:39 p.m. and then walking out of the store six minutes later. She returns to the store at 5:51 p.m. and leaves again at 5:53 p.m., the Sheriffs Office said.

Briley is last seen on video at 6:06 p.m., when she pulls out of the Exxon stations parking lot in her silver Toyota RAV4 with New Jersey license plate C80-ELS.

A clerk working at the Exxon said she helped Briley figure out the GPS on her phone. Both Briley and the child appeared to be in good health.

The Brileys were driving from Mays Landing, N.J., to spend Christmas at a relatives house in Morven, N.C. They were due to arrive Dec. 24 but never reached their destination. Briley worked for New Jersey Transit for 30 years and had completed the nine-hour drive from Mays Landing to Morven many times.

Relatives said they last talked to Briley about 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, when she was stuck in traffic on I95. Calls since then have gone straight to voicemail.

Virginia State Police and other local law enforcement agencies have been searching hotels and restaurant parking lots in Caroline and the Greater Richmond area.

Barbara Briley is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. LaMyra was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a gray camouflage hoodie.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 911, or #77 on a cellphone.
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Vision, Falcon, Black Widow, and 7 more Marvel characters you might not know date back to the '30s and '40s

Marvel's Golden Age of the '30s and '40s had a much bigger influence on the modern Marvel Universe than you may realize
SOS for Tobago autopsies

According to reports, in early December, Quincy Daniel, Keylon Chapman and Trevaugh Noray died in an accident on the Claude Noel Highway and up until yesterday their bodies remained at the mortuary despite several attempts by relatives to have the autopsies carried out so they could bid their final farewell to the three victims.

Newsday understands the other four cases were persons found dead at their homes or in public places which requires that autopsies be carried out to ascertain the cause of death.

Sources revealed relatives contacted a high official from the Government complaining bitterly about their situation and the matter was then referred to Dillon under whose ministry the Forensic Science Centre falls. Yesterday, Dillon telephoned Alexandrov, who was supposed to be travelling to Tobago at midnight yesterday with his wife Ala and granddaughter, along with other relatives, and asked him if he could facilitate seven autopsies. Alexandrov informed Dillon that under the law he cannot carry out more than 250 autopsies and he had already breached the international standard by performing double that figure. Alexandrov said with the additional autopsies, he was concerned about the breach.

However, due to his sympathy over the grief being experienced by relatives of the dead, Alexandrov agreed to forego his vacation for two days and today he will carry out four autopsies and the other three will be performed tomorrow.

Contacted yesterday, Alexandrov confirmed receiving the SOS from Dillon and said the way a country treats its deceased and the relatives of deceased persons is important and he was willing to put aside his quality time with his family to bring some sort of relief to those who are already grieving.

Alexandrov told Newsday the ministry was considering flying the bodies to Trinidad but one of the bodies is terribly decomposed and there are no encased metal boxes in Tobago to fly a body in that condition to Trinidad.

Additionally, the cost of flying the bodies was also a constraint for some of the relatives who were not in a position to travel to Trinidad.

Checks by Newsday with the Scarborough Hospital administration revealed that relatives of the seven deceased persons have been turning up at the hospital almost on a daily basis since December 13 begging and pleading for the autopsies to be done and when they realised the year was coming to a close with no remedy in sight they decided to use all their resources to have their plight reach the right ears. Newsday also understands the families were informed yesterday that the autopsies will be carried out today and tomorrow which gave them some relief.

In the past, two other pathologists based at the Forensic Science Centre, Dr Hughvon des Vignes and Dr Eastlyn McDonald- Burris as well as Dr Alexandrov would travel to Tobago and carry out autopsies when their expertise was required. It remained unclear why the autopsies were never carried out between December 13 to date.

Yesterday, Alexandrov told Newsday that after giving Dillon the assurance that he would carry out the autopsies, he tried contacting FSC director Annette Lewis to inform her that he would be travelling to Tobago but up until late yesterday, calls to Lewis cellphone proved futile.
Pay our rents, NIDCO

A group of residents staged a protest at Petit Morne estate near Ste Madeleine, last week, to highlight the stopping of payment by the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) of their rent. Approximately 500 residents are the remaining group who have not been fully compensated or relocated as a result of the highway construction. They were supposed to be relocated to plots of land in Petit Morne but due to the delay in providing infrastructure such as water and electricity, the residents were forced to rent apartments when the previous Peoples Partnership ordered them to leave their homes that were on the fringes along the highway route .

The residents are from Oropouche, Debe, Penal and Rousillac .

The highway runs through those communities and work has stopped at the Grants Road, Rousillac intersection. Several residents who once resided along the route have been compensated financially or have been given plots of land equipped with water, electricity and telephone .

Last week, president of the Debe- to-Point Fortin Highway Action Committee, Edward Moodie, led about 50 residents in a placard demonstration at the entrance of the Petit Morne settlement. He said while several residents who once lived on the highway route were either relocated or compensated, there were approximately 500 affected residents who were told to relocate .

Moodie said those residents were informed by NIDCO to rent apartments while plots were sourced for them. And, he added, NIDCO has been paying their respective rents but recently they were informed by letter that NIDCO could no longer meet those obligations. Moodie said the plots which were allocated in Petit Morne for those 500 residents, are without basic infrastructure such as water and residents .

The residents, among them women, gathered with their placards and shouted slogans calling on NIDCO to pay their rent .

Moodie said, We are concerned that NIDCO has stopped paying the rents for these residents who are now forking out money out of their pockets. NIDCO have told them that they will repay them after their plots are prepared. But these are poor residents who cannot foot the $5,000 rent. Moodie said the demonstration would continue this week. NIDCO officials could not be reached for comment .
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(Newser)  It's easy to claim Donald Trump was elected because he "appeal[ed] to the bigotry of his supporters," and many have done so. But it's simply not true, writes David Paul Kuhn in the New York Times. About one in five voters did not view Trump or Hillary Clinton favorably, but more of them voted for Trump than Clinton. One-fifth of voters said they "somewhat" disapproved of Trump's treatment of women, but 75% of those voters voted for him anyway. And before the election, 51% of white working-class voters in one poll said they didn't think Trump had "a sense of decency," ranking Clinton higher in that regardyet Trump won the white working-class vote over Clinton.

The truth is that Trump won despite what voters saw as unsavory views and comments, not because of those views and comments, Kuhn writes. Voters believed Trump was the candidate more likely to fight for the issues they cared aboutand no, deporting illegal immigrants isn't necessarily one of those issues (50% of Trump voters believe illegal immigrants currently working in the US should be offered a chance to stay). Rather, Trump supporters voted for him as a vote against a "status quo" that has only hurt them, not benefited them. "Yet the Trump coalition continues to be branded as white backlash." Click for Kuhn's full column. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
(Newser)  Someone alert Alanis Morissette because a Nigerian billionaire is apparently on the receiving end of an alleged internet scam. The Toronto Star reports the ironic situation is unfolding around two sisters from TorontoJyoti and Kiran Matharoorecently arrested in Lagos, Nigeria. The sisters Matharoo were "fixtures in the nightlife scene" there, regularly getting into Instagram fights with the wives of rich Nigerian men, according to BuzzFeed. But Nigerian energy magnate Femi Otedolareported worth: $1.8 billionsays the sisters claimed they had evidence of him cheating on his wife and threatened to expose him if he didn't pay them off. They appeared in court Dec. 23, the Daily Dot reports.

Private investigators hired by Otedola say the Matheroos recorded conversations and themselves having sex with wealthy men, then threatened to put the evidence on a website they operated. They allegedly used the website and its associated social media accounts to cyberbully around 275 people "mostly based in various regions of Africa," including Otedola, his wife, Nana, and their daughter DJ Cuppy. The sisters are also accused of being escorts, and Nigerian authorities say they've admitted to having sex with 100 rich Nigerian men. The Canadian government confirms the Matheroos' arrest. (There's a reason those infamous Nigerian internet scams sound so ridiculous.)
(Newser)  A man who as a teenager had an affair and subsequent child with his high school science teacher is now accused of killing them both. A building superintendent alerted to a foul smell found Felicia Barahona, 36, strangled with an electrical cord in her Manhattan apartment on Monday, while Barahona's 4-year-old son, Miguel, had been drowned in a bathtub, reports People. Miguel's father, Isaac Duran, 23, was arrested later Monday and initially denied any involvement, saying he hadn't been to Barahona's apartment since their son was born. However, police sources say Duran "owned up" to the murders after police found surveillance video showing him entering and exiting the building on several occasions, reports the New York Post. He was charged Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder, reports the New York Times.

Duran and Barahona had started a relationship in 2011, reportedly after Duran turned 18 but while Barahona was his teacher at DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. Barahona, who was later fired, became pregnant, though her relationship with Duran ended before Miguel was born in 2012, per DNAInfo. Duran had shared custody of Miguel, relatives tell NBC News, but he was reportedly angry about how Barahona was raising the boy. His half-brother tells the Times of frequent arguments. It was over who gets the kid, how do we figure out what payments are done, if hes going to pay support or not." (Teachers caught having sex with students often avoid prison.)
(Newser)  A man who sent his sperm to a Dutch IVF lab may have ended up with many more offspring than he bargained for. In what the University Medical Center in Utrecht says was a "procedural error," sperm from a single client may have been accidentally used to fertilize the eggs of up to 26 women, AFP reports. Half the women are either pregnant or have already given birth, while the others apparently have the frozen embryos in storage. The center says there's only a small risk that the egg cells "have been fertilized by sperm other than that of the intended father," but the possibility "could not be excluded."

The center says the deeply unfortunate mix-up happened between mid-April 2015 and mid-November this year and that it "regrets that the couples involved had to receive this news," the BBC reports. What officials think happened during the intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection procedure, in which sperm is injected directly into an egg using a pipette: A technician changed the pipette during each procedure, but used the same rubber top. Eventually, he noticed traces of old sperm in the top, and as the BBC puts it, "raised the alarm." The center promised the couples involved that it will do everything in its power to provide "clarity" on the issue as soon as possible. The center, which is the only one in the region that provides IVF treatment, has temporarily suspended services but aims to be performing procedures again within days. (There is now an equivalent of Tinder for sperm donors.)
(Newser)  The West Virginia nonprofit director who was suspended and then reinstated after calling Michelle Obama an "ape in heels" is out of the position for good. The office of Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin says Pamela Taylor, Clay County Development Corporation's executive director, has been removed from her job and the Appalachian Area Agency on Aging will temporarily take charge of the nonprofit, which assists the poor and elderly, reports the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Officials didn't mention Taylor's racist remarks on social media, but they said the CCDC, which receives state and federal funding, had failed to follow nonprofit law in several areas, including responding to public-records requests.

"Following the state's request for specific assurances that the CCDC is following anti-discrimination policies, we have been assured that Pamela Taylor has been removed from her position as CCDC director," the governor's office said in a statement, per Reuters. Taylor caused outrage the day after the presidential election with her Facebook comment that she was "tired of seeing an ape in heels" and that it will be "refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady back in the White House." Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling stepped down after being criticized for responding to Taylor's comment with the words "Just made my day, Pam." (A doctor lost her job after referring to the first lady as "monkey face.")
(Newser)  Donald Trump has appointed an experienced hand from the George W. Bush era to his national security circle and a figure from the Trump Organization to make international deals. Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trump's transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity, and coordinate the process for making and executing policy in those areas. The position "is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser," the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House, the AP notes.

Bossert, currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting, served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush. The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on US-Israel relations as special representative for international negotiations. Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organization for more than two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer. In the statement, Trump said Greenblatt "has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf," and has the expertise to "bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics." Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for US ambassador to Israel. (Liberal Jewish groups aren't happy about the choice of Friedman.)
(Newser)  A South Carolina House member who rebuked his colleagues in a Christmas card for lacking morals when they took down the Confederate flag is accused of beating his wife and pointing a gun at her, deputies said. Officers in Aiken County charged Rep. Chris Corley with a pair of felonies that could send him to prison for up to 15 years after he attacked his wife during an argument over his alleged infidelity late Monday night at their home in Graniteville, according to a police report. The couple's young children were there, and the wife took the family to her mother's house across the street after Corley threatened to kill her, then said he would kill himself, the report said. Corley's wife said he stopped hitting her only after noticing she was bleeding and hearing the children screaming, deputies said.

Corley is charged with first-degree criminal domestic violence, which carries up to 10 years in prison if convicted, and pointing a firearm at a person, which has a maximum sentence of five years, the AP reports. Corley's arrest comes after a legislative session in which lawmakers strengthened punishments for domestic violence. Gov. Nikki Haley made it a priority to reduce the state's high rate of women killed by men who know them. Corley voted for the legislation. The 36-year-old Republican lawyer, who was just elected to a second term, is best known in the House as a staunch defender of the Confederate flag. In 2015, he sent a Christmas card with the Confederate flag on it to GOP lawmakers after the flag came down suggesting they "ask for forgiveness of all your sins such as betrayal." (Read more domestic violence stories.)
(Newser)  Afraid another beloved celebrity will fall victim to the apparent curse that is 2016? Demetrios Hrysikos hopes you'll donate generously. Following Carrie Fisher's death on Tuesday, the South Carolina man started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to allow him to "fly to wherever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan. 1, 2017," as long as "she's okay with it," reports KETV. In the likely case that she isn't, the money will go to a youth theater company in Spartanburg, SC, because "we need new artists to carry the [mantle] of all the great ones we lost this year," Hrysikos writes. Some $1,700 has been raised in just 16 hours. (Read more GoFundMe stories.)
(Newser)  Now it's death by helicopter. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has already boasted he has killed three criminals himself, Time reports. Now the man nicknamed "Duterte Harry" is warning corrupt officials he will toss them from his helicopterand he says he's already done it. "If you are corrupt, I will fetch you with a helicopter and I will throw you out on the way to Manila," Duterte said on Tuesday, per the Philippine Star. "I have done that before, why should I not do it again?" Duterte even furnished details about how high the pilot had to fly so "the body's splatter wouldn't cause a commotion," per the Star. Speaking in the northern town of Camarines Sur after touring areas devastated by a Christmas Day typhoon, it didn't take long for the strongman to turn the topic to one of his favorite topics, execution of drug dealers and other criminals.

Earlier this month Duterte said that as mayor of Davao he hunted down criminals on motorbike to show the police "that if I can do it, why can't you." He once threatened to kill his children if they used drugs. In his latest speech, he stressed his campaign against drugs and corruption will remain the centerpiece of his six-year term. Human rights groups have railed against Duterte's extrajudicial war that has left more than 5,000 dead since he took office in June. While some 2,000 deaths resulted from anti-drug operations, many of the executions have been carried out by hit squads and unidentified assailants, per the Guardian. (James Taylor canceled his Manila concert in protest.)
(Newser)  It's that time of year again when most of us swill cheap champagne from plastic glasses and the ultra-rich board the world's fastest long-range private jet so they can ring in the New Year twice. For a measly $184,500, you and 17 of your nearest and dearest can fly "back in time" from Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles as you're treated to wine, champagne, and gourmet food (there's also a bed) on PrivateFly's G650ER, reports CNN. Given the 19-hour time difference between the two cities and 12-hour flight, partygoers who take off from Sydney at 2am on New Year's Day will arrive in LA at 7pm on New Year's Eve. "It's the closest we may ever get to time travel," reports Travel Pulse, which explains why a maximum of 18 passengers will have to fork over $10,250 each to make the trip.

The price tag might also explain why no one has ever booked the one-way flight, which PrivateFly also offered last year, but the company's marketing director is still holding out hope. "A lot of people booking private aviation don't like to think ahead, so it wouldn't surprise me at all that we'll be booking flights up to New Year's Eve," she says. The same "time travel" is technically possible on a cheaper commercial flight, which takes 14 hours, but no airlines offer flights at the times necessary to ring in 2017 twice. That said, News.com.au notes you can replay New Year's Eve by making the short drive west from Badajoz, Spain, to Elvas, Portugal, or from Karesuvanto, Finland, to Karesuando, Sweden, gaining an hour. (See the best US cities to ring in the New Year.)
(Newser)  It looks like the honeymoon is over between Trump and Obama. "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transitionNOT!" Trump tweeted Wednesday. The Los Angeles Times notes Trump's use of "1990s-style sarcasm." Trump had previously commended Obama on his commitment to a smooth transition of power, but a number of things have changed since then, the Washington Post reports. Many saw comments made by Obama during Tuesday's Pearl Harbor anniversary as directed at Trump. The president urged the US not to "turn inward" and to "resist the urge to demonize those who are different."

Trump is also upset with the Obama administration for allowing the UN to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlements, as well as with Obama personally for saying in an interview he could have beaten Trump and won a third term. In addition, the White House is defending the Department of Energy for not complying with a request from Trump's transition team for the names of employees involved in climate policy, ABC News reports. Transition team spokesperson Sean Spicer at first said Trump's tweets "speak for themselves, very clearly," but later complimented members of the Obama administration for being "helpful and generous with their time." (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
(Newser)  The US military could soon execute someone for the first time since a soldier was hanged for raping and trying to kill an 11-year-old girl in 1961, CNN reports. Ronald Gray, a former Army soldier, has been on military death row at Fort Leavenworth since 1988. According to the Fayetteville Observer, Gray was convicted of killing five womena cab driver, an Army private, a university student, a local resident, and a soldier's wifeand raping several others in 1986 and 1987 while stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. A civilian court gave him eight life sentences, but a military court sentenced him to death.

All convicts on military death row must have their executions approved by a president. In 2008, George W. Bush authorized Gray's execution, but a federal court gave him a temporary stay. Last week, a judge ruled the stay was no longer in effect and denied any further stays. An execution date for Gray could be set sometime in the next month. He would be killed by lethal injection. Including Gray, there are currently six former service members on military death row. However, Gray is the only one whose death has been approved by a president. (In Florida, a new ruling means scores of inmates could avoid execution.)
Carrie Fisher who is best known for her character Princess Leia in Star Wars dies at 60 years of age. She has been reported to suffer from a heart attack four days after her trip from London.

Carrie Fisher's death has been confirmed through a statement on behalf of her daughter Billie Lourd. The statement has been released by Lourd's publicist who states that Fisher passed away in Los Angeles. The statement further indicates that Fisher has been loved by many and will forever be missed.

It is further indicated in the statement that Carrie Fisher's family is grateful for all those who supported her all these years. The actress had trouble with her health while on a flight from London. She was right away treated by paramedics' right after the plane landed in Los Angeles last Friday.

A report indicates that CPR has been administered to Carrie Fisher by a technician on board with her during the trip. As the plane landed, help was right away given to Fisher and the paramedics were able to get a pulse after 15 minutes.

It is likely that Fisher has been without a heartbeat for 30 minutes. As the heart stops, there is not much blood flow that can circulate in the body and will lead to damages to other organs. Fisher is well known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchises.

Meanwhile, several doctors indicate that Carrie Fisher's heart attack may be a precaution to the damages that drug addiction can cause in the long term. It is reported that Fisher has taken drugs in the 1970's until the 1980's. These drugs are namely LSD and Percodan. It is also indicated in the report that Fisher has taken cocaine while filming 'The Empire Strikes Back.'

Carrie Fisher will forever be remembered as Princess Leia of Star Wars.
Pearl Harbor:

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday warned against the urge to demonize those who are different as he hosted Shinzo Abe, the leader of foe-turned-ally Japan, for a solemn visit to Pearl Harbor.

Obama, who will leave office next month, also hailed the alliance between the two nations, saying it had never been stronger.

In remarks that echoed with history and Americas current hypercharged politics, Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the character of nations is tested in war, but it is defined in peace.

Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different, Obama said.

ALSO READ: (Japanese PM Shinzo Abe lays wreaths at memorials in Hawaii cemetries before historic Pearl Harbor visit)

I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship, he told Abe. I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution.

Abe expressed sincere and everlasting condolences to the families of the more than 2,400 Americans killed by Japanese fighters.

We must never repeat the horrors of war, he said, marking the 75th anniversary of the infamous attack that triggered Americas entry into World War II.

Standing next to Barack Obama, he expressed thanks for the tolerance extended to Japan as he hailed the power of reconciliation.

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New Delhi:

Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed an ordinance to prevent future litigations against the government junking Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

The name of the Ordinance is 'The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance. It seeks to prevent ambiguity and harassment over note ban, a proviso would now be added to ensure that certain category of people can still deposit the old notes in RBI branches between December 31 and March 31 next, they said.

The category is likely to include people in armed forces, people who were abroad and ordinary citizens who can explain that the money is part of their legitimate income and they could not deposit it in banks due to some reasons.

ALSO READ: (Old notes can be deposited in RBI after Dec 30, Govt to bring ordinance for process)

A penalty will now be imposed on people for possessing certain quantity of old notes after December 30, say sources.

Opposition parties have attacked the Centre over sudden and abrupt changes in the post demonetisation guidelines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 had announced demonetisation of higher denomination notes in the country to curb black money and corruption.

ALSO READ: (Modi Cabinet approves ordinance to penalise people holding junked Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes | Top Highlights)

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New Delhi:

Enforcement Directorate arrested private bank manager from Kotak Mahindra Bank, KG Marg branch,in New Delhi in money laundering case on late night Tuesday.

The arrest was made on alleged charges that the manager was in connection with Hawala agents.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested manager of Kotak Mahindra Bank in connection with Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha and Delhi-based advocate Rohit Tandon.

Also Read: Delhi: I-T dept seizes Rs 39 cr from 9 fake accounts in Kotak Mahindra's KG Marg Branch; Bank denies allegations

Officials said the agency arrested the manager of the bank's branch in the K G Marg area in New Delhi, on late night Tuesday after questioning. "The manager has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will be produced before the court for further custody," they said.

The Enforcement Directorate took on the case andregistered an FIR under PMLA laws after taking cognisance ofDelhi Polices' crime branch FIR in the said case. Police had also arrested two persons last week forallegedly depositing black money worth Rs 34 crore in ninefake accounts being operated in the Naya Bazar branch of thesaid bank here. A bank spokesperson had then said in a statement that it"confirms that it has a robust system of regularly andproactively filing necessary reports with the statutoryauthorities as prescribed by them, which include theseaccounts. "The Bank denies that there were any fake accounts.TheBank is extending full cooperation to the investigatingauthorities," the spokesperson said.

Income Tax department earlier seized Rs 39 Crore from at least nine fake accounts being operated under various names by one Ramesh Chand and Raj Kumar in Kotak Mahindra Bank's KG Marg branch in Central Delhi. Paras Mal Lodha was recently booked by ED in connection with a money laundering case probe and purported Swiss bank account. after they recovered huge cache of new currency notes of Rs 500 & and Rs 2, 000 from a Delhi law firm which belonged to advocate Rohit Tandon.

The lawyer was also previously searched by the I-T department where it was said that he declared undisclosed income worth over Rs 125 crore.ED sources indicated that Tandon will soon be questioned along with Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha, whom the agency arrested in this case on Wednesday.

Lodha (62) was arrested by the agency in connection with the recovery of large amount in new currency notes from a company belonging to Advocate Rohit Tandon of T and T law firm (in Delhi) and J Shekhar Reddy of Chennai

Kotak Mahindra bank issued the statement on the arrest of its employee



With reference to the ongoing investigation of the said accounts, Kotak Mahindra Bank had proactively informed Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Bank has already suspended the services of its employee Ashish Kumar. The Bank has zero tolerance towards employees not adhering to its Code of Conduct, and takes strict measures against them. The Bank confirms that it has a robust system of regularly and proactively filing necessary reports with the FIU for all large transactions. The Bank has on record all necessary KYC documents, including PAN card. The Bank on its own, on observing the nature of transactions in these accounts, proactively filed a report with FIU for further investigations well in time. On subsequent investigation by the Income Tax authorities, the Bank, as per their instructions, has deposited the entire amount that was credited with these accounts with the Income Tax department. As can be seen from the Banks actions, the Bank has fully cooperated and communicated with the relevant authorities, and has demonstrated the highest standards of compliance, and the Bank will continue to do so. Rohit Rao, Spokesperson, Kotak Mahindra Bank.

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New Delhi:

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday addressed party workers on 132nd Foundation Day of Indian National Congress at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation drive, Rahul said, PM Modi said hes performing a yagna against black money and corruption but demonetisation yagna being performed for 1% super-rich people

Congress means listening to you, understanding others. It made us understand the meaning of freedom. Accusing PM Modi and RSS of spreading angerand hate, Rahul Gandhi said, Congress will stand with people and defeat the ideology of Narendra Modi and RSS that spreads anger and hate, added Rahul.

ALSO READ: (What will PM Modi do for those affected by demonetisation: Rahul Gandhi | Top quotes)

Opposition parties have been attacking the Centre over demonetisation drive and the mess it caused to common people. Long serpentine queues, impulsive changes in the decisions regarding withdrawals, deposits in the aftermath of currency ban added to the woes of common man.

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New Delhi:

Cross-border firing incidents, crackdown on erring NGOs and activities of Pakistan-based terror groups kept the Home Ministry busy in 2016 which saw the audacious attack on Pathankot airbase.

Imposition of Presidents rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and subsequent revocation by the Supreme Court in both the states, over 120 days of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani were some other issues that the ministry had to deal with.

The year saw prolonged tension along the India-Pakistan border due to fierce firing from Pakistani forces on Indian security posts and civilian areas forcing Home Minister Rajnath Singh to tell BSF not to count bullets if fired upon by Pakistan and give a befitting reply.

Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists carried out the strike at the Pathankot airbase, killing seven personnel and injuring 37 others. In its charge sheet, the NIA said JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother and two others hatched the conspiracy.

The terror case saw an unusual move from India and Pakistan as Islamabad sent its probe team to Pathankot. However, the Pakistani team, upon its return, claimed India did not cooperate with them.

Islamabad reciprocated by refusing to allow an Indian investigating team to visit Pakistan in connection with the Pathankot attack probe.

Not taking it lightly, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, during his visit to Pakistan for a SAARC meeting, delivered a blunt message to Islamabad asking it to stop encouraging terror groups and glorification of terrorists and also called for strongest action against nations supporting terrorism and their isolation.

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Jammu & Kashmir:

Jammu & Kashmir High Court directed the state government to immediately release separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat from preventive custody, on Wednesday.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed Public Safety Act (PSA) of seperatist leader and Hurriyat Conference (g) senior leader, Masarat Alam Bhat, he is also the chairperson of Muslim League.

The court has also directed his immediate release.The HC judgment was reserved last week however Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar.Architect of 2010 uprising, Masarat is undergoing continuous imprisonment since last more than six years.Presently, Masarat is lodged in district Jail Kathua.

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New Delhi:

India's auto giant Ashok Leyland has launched Oyster staff bus in Saudi Arabia, the third product from India's second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the kingdom in six months.

Hinduja's flagship brand had launched Falcon 66 seats and 56s school bus in July, Oyster midi-41 seater school bus in November and now come up with Oyster 33 seater staff variant.

"We are launching Oyster in a phased manner. Our products are received well in the kingdom and it is satisfying to see customers coming back for repeat purchases. This stands testimony to our promise on better comfort, safety and higher profitability to customers," said Rajive Saharia, President Global Sales and Distribution of Ashok Leyland said.

"Ashok Leyland products together with our strong after sales network is an excellent proposition for our customers," Arshad Pathan, Global Marketing Head, Western Auto said.
New York:

A Sikh doctor in the US has filed a lawsuit against an American medical organisation alleging he was denied a neurology job for his religious appearance. Jaswinder Pal Singh of Kentucky is a licensed and board certified physician practising in the area of neurology.

Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Middle district of Tennessee on behalf of Singh.

The lawsuit alleges that Singh, an observant Sikh physician who keeps a religiously mandated turban and beard, was denied a neurology job after the employer and recruiter inquired into his religious appearance.

As part of the 2014 hiring process, the employer Premier Medical Group and its recruiter Arthur Marshall Inc expressed interest and concern about the way Singh looked, the suit further alleges.

Though the recruiter praised Singhs credentials in phone interviews, Singh was allegedly abruptly denied further interviews after he submitted photographs of himself, along with additional information on Sikhs and Sikhism. The job then remained vacant, it said.

It was very clear to me that I was denied employment because of my ethnic background and religious appearance, Singh said in a statement released by the coalition.

No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of their religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable, said Singh, who migrated to the US from India in 2008.

According to the lawsuit, around September 2014, an individual from the recruiter firm indicated that the Premier Medical Group had reservations about Singhs candidacy and wanted information about his appearance, specifically how you appear and what you look like.

Singh explained that he is a Sikh and maintains unshorn hair including a beard and wears a turban in accordance with his faith to which the individual allegedly replied that he did not know who Sikhs were.

Defendants failed and refused to hire (Singh) for the available neurologist position at Premier Medical Group because of his race (South Asian/Punjabi), colour, religion (Sikh) and/or national origin (Indian), the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks to secure a court order requiring that both defendants implement anti-discrimination policies, practices and training to ensure that they do not discriminate against any future applicants.

In 2015, the coalition had represented Singh in filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, the rights group filed the anti-discrimination lawsuit.

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Kabul:

A group of armed men have beheaded a 30-year-old woman in Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan, The Nation reported on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Monday evening in the remote village of Latti in Sar-e-Pul, the report quoted local officials as saying.

The report says Provincial Governor spokesman Zabiullah Amani has confirmed the incident. He also said that the armed men were linked with Taliban, the report said.

The woman visited the city alone without her husband and this was the reason behind her beheading, Amani was quoted as saying.

Sar-e-Pul women's affairs head Nasima Arezo has also confirmed the incident.

However the Taliban has rejected its involvement in the incident, report said.

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New Delhi:

Anil Baijal, who served as Union Home Secretary in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, has been selected as Delhias new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

According to ANI tweet, the Home Ministry has given a goa head for Baijalas appointment as Delhias 21st Lieutenant Governor. Baijal was earlier in the executive council of the Vivekananda International Foundation.

Several other members of Vivekananda International Foundation have also been appointed to senior positions by the Modi government.

President Mukherjee accepts resignation of Najeeb Jung as Delhi Lieutenant Governor. Anil Baijal's name has been proposed for the post now a ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

Anil Baijal, a 1969 IAS officer, has served as chief secretary Andaman & Nicobar, CEO of the Prasar Bharati, additional secretary in I&B Ministry, and as vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority also.

Earlier in a surprised move, Najeeb Jung announced his decision to quit as Delhi L-G on December 22. This sudden move left many bewildered as he decided to quit 18 months before his eventful tern ends.

According to earlier reports, the names of Anil Baijal, Kiran Bedi and BS Bassi were doing the rounds for filling the vacancy caused by Jungas decision.

Najeeb Jungas nearly three-and-a-half-year tenure was marked by frequent run-ins with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi

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New Delhi:

British energy giant BP announced on Thursday that it has agreed to acquire network of Australian petrol stations from supermarket chain Woolworths for USD 1.3 billion (1.2 billion euros).

BP said in a statement that it will establish a strategic partnership with Woolworths in a deal for the purchase, rebranding and operation of Woolworths' existing 527 fuel and convenience stores, plus 16 sites under construction, for the equivalent of Australian Dollars 1.8 billion.

"The development of high-quality, differentiated fuel and convenience offers is a key part of BP's strategy," said Tufan Erginbilgic, boss of its downstream business which includes refining, marketing and distribution.

"We are excited to be establishing this strategic partnership with Woolworths, one of Australia's largest supermarket retailers.

"Globally we have developed a winning retail formula where we partner with strong local brands, like Marks & Spencer in the UK, to provide our customers with a convenience retail offer that meets the needs of their busy lifestyles."

BP already owns 350 retail locations across Australia and supplies fuel to an additional 1,000 outlets owned by independent business partners.
Washington :

A new draft proposal recently circulated among Nuclear Suppliers Group members early this month could pave the way for Indias entry into the elite club. However, this is unlikely to happen before the end of the Obama presidency next month.

The American push for India to become a full-fledged member of the NSG would now have to be pursued by the incoming Trump administration as the outgoing Obama administration is unlikely to fulfil its promise made to the Modi government before its term expires January 20, informed sources said.

A draft formula for NSG membership to countries like India and Pakistan that are not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was submitted by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the former NSG chair, who prepared the report on behalf of South Korea, the current NSG chair.

According to Arms Control Association (ACA), a Washington-based think-tank who has been a fierce opponent of India-US civil nuclear deal and India's membership to NSG, the two-page draft formula proposes "nine general commitments" that non-NPT countries like India and Pakistan "would need to make" in order to receive the "fullest" atomic trading privileges.

Read | Pakistan cautious of NSG 'exemption' for India

Slamming the draft proposal for "lowering the bar", Daryl G Kimball of ACA observed that this could pave the way for India becoming a NSG member as it already fulfils all these nine criteria outlined in the draft proposal, which was informally discussed by NSG members in Vienna this month.

Sources in the US government told PTI that the current "time-line" does not ensure India's membership under the Obama administration, for which it had tried hard, but for the Chinese "resistance" in this regard.

As such, India's NSG membership, an unfinished agenda of the India-US relationship of the outgoing US President would now have to be taken up by his successor Donald Trump.

While the civil nuclear deal was an initiative of a Republican administration, George W Bush, the incoming Trump administration has not made any public comment in this regard.

Read | Engaged with all NSG members despite Chinas consistent opposition, says India

The issue is, however, believed to have come up for discussion during the initial phase of contacts that top Indian officials have established with the presidential transition team.

Revealing details of the nine-point formula for non-NPT States to become a NSG members, ACA says that interested countries should have implemented and have brought into force a clear and strict separation of current and future civilian nuclear facilities from non-civilian nuclear facilities in [non-NPT applicant] and have provided and maintain a declaration to the IAEA that identifies all current and future civilian nuclear facilities in [non-NPT applicant].

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Netanyahu's return to power is likely to see an upward trajectory in Indo-Israel ties.
Sharjah:

A 52-year-old Indian trader in Sharjah has been stabbed to death by a Pakistani man over a financial dispute and police have arrested the alleged murderer, media reports said on Wednesday.

Mohammed Ali, owner of a grocery story in Maysaloon area, was murdered by a 42-year-old Pakistani citizen, Sharjah Police said.

The Sharjah Police said they arrested the Pakistani national in less than 12 hours after he committed the murder.

The Indian national was found with multiple stab wounds in a pool of blood inside Majestic Supermarket, Khaleej Times reported, quoting the police as saying.

The police said that they received a call about the incident on Tuesday morning.

A team of officers from forensics, patrol and ambulance rushed to spot and found the victim. However, they could not save him and he succumbed to his injuries.

The body has been transferred to Al Kuwaiti Hospital and later to the forensic laboratory.

Police have launched an investigation into the death, Gulf News reported.

The police immediately formed a team of officers to identify and arrest the murderer. The team made a thorough search and located the murderer.

The police entrapped and arrested him at an undisclosed location in the emirate. During the interrogation, the murderer told the police that he killed the Indian national over a financial dispute. Based on his confession, the case has been referred to the public prosecution, reports said.

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New Delhi :

In the second strategic sale approval in over 12 years, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the sale of Indias first pharma company Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd as well as Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd after selling their surplus land.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved closure of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL) and Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (RDPL).

The strategic sale approval is just the second in over 12 years. In September, the Cabinet had cleared the strategic sale of Bharat Pumps and Compressors Ltd.

These will be the first privatisation since the sale of Jessop and Co in 2003-04 under the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

BCPL and HAL are among the public sector units that NITI Aayog has identified for sale of governments majority stake to private companies in order to bring in greater efficiency and professionalism in their functioning.

At todays meeting, Cabinet approved the sale of surplus land of HAL, IDPL, RDPL and BCPL, as would be required, to meet their outstanding liabilities, an official statement said.

Proceeds from the sale of land, which would be done through open tender, will go towards meeting liabilities of the companies, including paying for VRS for employees.

Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Works Ltd, the previous avatar of BCPL, was set up in April 1901 by eminent scientist and entrepreneur Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.

The government of India took over the management of the company in December 1977 and nationalised it in 1981, renaming it Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BCPL).

From its factory at Panihati, near Kolkata, BCPL makes anti-malaria tablets Chloroquine and Paracetamol, among a host of other drugs and industrial chemicals.

HAL was the first drug manufacturing company to be set up in the public sector by Government of India with active co-operation of WHO and UNICEF.
Islamabad:

Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday confirmed the death sentences of eight "hardcore terrorists" by the military courts for killing 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims, murdering human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud and attacking security forces.



Gen Bajwa also confirmed life imprisonment of three other terrorists, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.



"These terrorists include those who planned and executed attack on persons of Ismaili community at Safoora Chowrangi Karachi, wherein 45 persons died at the spot and 6 others got injured. They also include those who killed a social worker Sabeen Mahmud, and kidnapped two Chinese Engineers and a civilian for ransom," ISPR said.



The "terrorists" killed 90 people and wounded 99 others, ISPR said, adding that explosives were also recovered from their possession.



Hafiz Muhammad Umar, Ali Rehman, Abdul Salam and Khurram Shafique were awarded death sentences for their involvement in Safoora Chowrangi massacre and killing of Mahmud in Karachi.



In the cold-blooded sectarian violence, Kalashnikov- wielding militants donning police uniforms had gunned down 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims - 26 men and 17 women - shooting them in the head near Shafoora Chowrangi in Karachi in May 2015.



Jundullah - a splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan that vowed allegiance to the ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.



Mahmud, 40, was shot dead by the motorcycle-borne gunmen while on her way home with her mother in Karachi in April last year. Mahmud ran an open forum called The Second Floor (T2F) for discussions on human rights abuses in Balochistan and other civil rights issues.



Another convict Muslim Khan was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in killing of civilians and attacking forces, which resulted in the deaths of 31 persons. He was involved in slaughtering of Capt Najam Riaz Raja, Capt Juniad Khan, Naik Shahid Rasool and Lance Naik Shakeel Ahmed. He was also involved in kidnapping of two Chinese engineers.



Muhammad Yousaf, a member of proscribed organisation, was was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in attacks on armed forces which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.



Saifullah and Bilal Mehmood, both members of a proscribed group, were awarded the death sentences for their involvement in killing of innocent civilians and attacks on police.



Sartaj Ali, Mehmood Khan and Fazal e Ghaffar, all members of a proscribed organisation, were involved in providing funds to the terrorists, kidnapping of a Chinese engineer for ransom and attacks on police, were awarded rigorous imprisonment.



Last week, General Bajwa signed death warrants of 13 "hardcore terrorists" who were found guilty of being behind a series of terrorist attacks, including those on Charsadda's Bacha Khan University, Rawalpindi's Parade Lane Mosque and the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad.

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Activists call to end the criminally run Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) website states that it owns and manages 10% of the U.S. land mass along with 30% of any sub surface minerals tucked underneath. According to Bigthink.com, this percentage equates to approximately 247 million acres, comparable to the size of Eqypt. BLMs real estate portfolio includes wide swaths of vastly diversified ecologies and topographies  plains, grasslands, artic tundra, high mountain ranges, hardwood forests, rivers and sweeping desert vistas. And then theres the gold, silver, uranium, oil and a myriad of other minerals and commodities to extract for money, or perhaps debt payments to the Chinese.

It was 1812 when the BLM got is unofficial start as the General Land Office (GLO). The job back then was to encourage western migration, homesteading and food self sufficency. The GLO and the U.S. Grazing Service merged in 1946 to officially form the BLM. Since then, under the guise of conservation strategies, government dictates and the globalist Agenda 21 mandates, the BLM has grown into a massive, out of control federal behemoth stealing homesteads, deeds, rights and lands from generational ranchers and farmers. In 2014, Northwestlibertynews.com covered the events at Clive Bundys anti BLM stand at Bunkerville, Nevada, where 80% of the land in that state is federally controlled. That documentation is still in progress, as is the fight to end the BLM.

Northwest Liberty News co-founder James White has interviewed a number of men and women whose land and families are directly affected by the governments tyranny. These brave citizens have become fearless activists with personal testimonies of BLMs outright lies, underhanded tactics and intimidation. Heres Nevada rancher Henry Hank Vogler discussing how the BLM has degenerated. Vogler makes it clear; The West is for sale.

Michelle Fiore is a Nevada Assemblywomen for District 4. She makes a point about the astonishing rate of incarceration across America, including cowboys that get into tussles about land issues, or citizens doing something as innocent as collecting recycled items on the side of a highway. She reiterates t0 the state of Nevada that is being stolen by the government agencies as well as her experience as an elected official during the Clive Bundy affair. Fiore calls the BLM out as perpetrating a war against rural America.

Carol Bundy is the wife of Cliven Bundy and mother to their fourteen children. It was 2014 when cowboys and ranchers, carrying American flags on horseback, along with other patriots from around the nation, stood before snipers and the BLM army who had confiscated the Bundys cattle in a grazing rights and land ownership war. When the BLM backed down, it was a significant victory, but it wasnt the end for the Bundy familys involvement in the fight for liberty and freedom. In a Spring 2016 interview with Carol Bundy, four of her children  and her husband  were still in prison in Oregon after the protest at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. They have since been acquitted, but will soon again face charges related to the Bundy Ranch event in 2014.

Carol Bundy also mentions how ill equipped environmentalists are concerning wildlife; they destroy it instead of protecting it. Mrs. Bundy says the Fish and Wildlife employees dont even know that the turtles live off what the cattle leaves behind. With her ranch under siege and family members facing more oppression, Carol Bundy remains a woman of great courage. She believes the Bundys experience will wake up America and asks her nation to pray.

Sources:

Blm.gov

BigThink.com

NorthwestLibertyNews.com

YouTube.com

YouTube.com

YouTube.com

Indianz.com

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Idaho regulators shut down polluting gold mine as it dumps arsenic into Boise River

Environmental regulators in the state of Idaho have moved to shutter a gold mine that had been operating illegally after discovering that it was also dumping dangerous arsenic into the Boise River, the Idaho Statesman reported.

In fact, the mine, called Atlanta Gold, is continuing to dump the dangerous heavy metal into a tributary of the larger river, even as it has been operating without a permit in a historic gold mining region southeast of Boise.

The Idaho Department of Lands ordered the mine to cease and desist in September after regulators inspected the site located off of Black Creek Road, where they discovered mining activity taking place without a reclamation pond or a bond, which is in direct violation of the Idaho Surface Mining Act.

In addition to those two requirements, the act also mandates that mining companies provide advance notice before exploration begins utilizing earth-moving equipment. The law also prescribes penalties for violators.

Their plan is incomplete

If (Atlanta Gold) does not immediately stop operations, this matter will be forwarded to the Attorney Generals Office, said Derek Kraft, senior Department of Lands Resource specialist, in the desist order Sept. 23.

In its annual report, the mining company said that it had unearthed 8,000 tons of gold-bearing ore in 2015. The company filed its notice of exploration in July of that year, but in his letter Kraft said that digging up that much material amounted to actual mining, not simple exploration.

The company, which is based in Boise, ceased its operations in September and has yet to move any ore offsite, the paper reported, quoting Atlanta Gold CEO Ernie Simmons. He noted that he gave the state regulatory agency the information it required for the reclamation plan, which showed how acid rock that had been mined at the site would not pollute water in the area.

When in contact with water, that kind of rock can leach heavy metals.

However, Idaho Department of Lands officials stated that they dont currently have enough data to approve the reclamation plan or set the appropriate bond.

Their plan is incomplete, Sharla Arledge, a spokesperson for the state agency, told the paper.

Kraft noted that the waste dump and other dirt and rock piles he found on site were not located where the draft reclamation plan indicated they would be. The paper noted that regulators found about 13,000 cubic yards of ore piled up and some 10,000 cubic feet of other material that was removed to get to the ore still on site.

This latest incident with regulators for Atlanta Gold comes as The Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center have gone back to court seeking a judges order finding the company in contempt of court.

If the mining company doesnt clean up its arsenic, taxpayers will have to do it

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mikel H. Williams, with the District of Idaho, ordered Atlanta Gold in 2012 to lower its discharging of arsenic and iron into Montezuma Creek, located 35 miles east of Idaho City, and to pay $2 million in fines for hundreds of violations under the federal Clean Water Act. The creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Boise River, which joins other bodies of water above Lucky Peak Dam and is a source of drinking water for many Treasure Valley communities.

In their most recent filing, the two environmental organizations claim that Atlanta Gold has engaged in more than 500 new violations of the Clean Water Act, while showing that the company has not paid its court-ordered fine.

In a response to the filing, the company said it had made some payments but that it cannot pay anymore at the present time because its only revenue is coming from loans, investors and royalties on future income, which still does not cover the cost of operation.

The financial condition of (Atlanta Gold) is grim, company attorney Michelle Points said in the companys response to the environmentalists call for contempt. There continues to be significant doubt that (Atlanta Gold) will be able to continue as a going concern if certain investment opportunities do not come to fruition.

Still, the company should be made to stop leaching arsenic into water that other people drink. If it fails to do so or cannot do so financially, that bill will fall to federal taxpayers, the paper said.

Sources:

IdahoStatesman.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

EPAWatch.org

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RIDGEFIELD - Residents will meet next Thursday to discuss the towns plan to redevelop the Branchville neighborhood with the train station a focal point.

After receiving a $250,000 grant to study the area, the town has been working with the Western Connecticut Council of Governments for more than a year to develop a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan for the area surrounding the Branchville train station.

Branchville has always been the forgotten child for Ridgefield, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said. Not a lot of investment has come into it and its time to address that.

The November draft of the plan outlines the vision for the neighborhood, which is located between Redding and Wilton along Route 7. The plan imagines the neighborhood transforming into a strong, cohesive mixed-used village with outdoor public spaces, landscaping and amenities that will be attractive to visitors and residents. The area would be well-connected to the train station and could have nearly 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 300 apartments and 250 townhouses.

Joseph Chelednik, who is on the towns TOD task force and owns property in Branchville, said it is difficult to drive in and out of businesses there because of the lack of traffic lights. The neighborhood is also not pedestrian friendly, he said.

Its like living on the side of the highway, he said. Its dangerous to walk. Its not well-lit.

In an online survey in the late summer and early fall, more than 50 percent of respondents said Branchville needed to be completely reimagined, and 80 percent said they wanted more bicycle and pedestrian amenities in the neighborhood, according to the plan.

Improving safety for pedestrians would be a major goal of the project, Cheledknik said. He envisions sidewalks and streetlights being added to the neighborhood, in addition to new businesses.

Youd create an area where people could shop and dine and move around safely, Cheledknik said.

Among the improvements are plans to build a pedestrian bridge across the Norwalk River and Cooper Pond Brook, move the Portland Avenue Bridge south, realign the Route 102 intersection to make it safer for pedestrians, and create a main street parallel to Route 7 with condos close to the train station.

This would allow residents, especially young people, to live in town and take the train to work, Marconi said.

I think we can offer a great deal of housing opportunity for young people to start out, he said.

Other towns, including Danbury and Bethel, are also pursuing TOD plans. Danbury received a $250,000 grant in June to study development near its train station, while Bethels project is already underway, with a 26-unit apartment building over the summer, approval of grants for streetscape improvements and the signing of the lease for a brew pub at the former train station.

Marconi said residents have been very positive about the idea. More than 70 participated in a three-day charrette in September, where they suggested the town beautify the station, add more mom and pop stores, add parking and build affordable and mixed-income housing, according to the plan.

Thursdays meeting begins with an open house at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation at 6 p.m. in the lower-level meeting rooms at the Ridgefield Library.
With $200 billion in direct purchasing power and over $500 billion in indirect, targeting the millennials could be the right move to capture more market for your business. Away from the often misrepresented generation, the millennials are now being recognized as the consumers that will drive business growth for marketers.

This shift in realization means marketers who have always targeted their products and services towards the older generation now have to adopt a new set of strategies to win this younger one. To target the millennials right, you need to connect with them on almost every level. That means understanding what they want.

Related: 9 Things You Need to Know to Give Millennials Great Customer Service

The following strategies will help you capture an active millennials market.

1. Make mobile the priority.

Millennials are attached to their smartphones more than any generation today. Nearly 90 percent of millennials say their phone never leaves their side, and 78 percent say the first thing they do after waking up is reach out for their phone.

To win the heart of millennials, you might as well start from their mobile phones. Targeting millennials with mobile-themed content that engages them is crucial.

The first step to successful mobile marketing is to create content millennials want to consume on their phone. A study conducted by Mitek, which surveyed 1,019 people between the ages of 18 to 34, found that most millennials prefer selfies. Almost 90 percent take selfies daily or weekly.

2. Know what tickles them.

A story in the Los Angeles Times revealed that millennials prefer to spend on experiences than on material things. Unlike their parents who prefer a fancy watch or car, millennials would rather show off impressive travel, laced with selfies taken at high-end restaurants, including pictures of their meals.

This makes it important for a marketer who is interested in winning over the millennial consumers to adapt to the shifting consumer economics. Now, your focus should be on marketing to a target audience who prefers experience over material things. Adopting marketing strategies like selfies and prioritizing on experiences could endear your business to millennials.

3. Adopt newer payment platforms.

As new technologies afford it, millennials prefer doing things with ease and flexibility. This means your regular traditional means of settling fees may not be well suited to the millennial workforce, most of whom prefer to work as freelancers.

Related: We're Turning Into a Freelance Nation

The growth of the millennial workforce means businesses must adapt their system to suit how millennials prefer to work. TransferWise, a payment service provider targeting the new generation of freelancers (mostly millennials) is a good example. The company recently secured a $26 million in funding from Baillie Gifford.

4. Engage millennials through influencer marketing.

The reason influencer marketing works well for millennials may be connected to the fact that most influencers on social media come from this age group. Snapchat personalities and Instagram celebs have the heart of millennials.

Being able to connect with these influencers and have them project your brand positively to their eager audience will bring you closer to your target audience. Twenty-eight percent of younger millennials and 23 percent of older ones say they most likely won't use a brand their family and friends or a stranger disapprove of.

5. Keep it real.

Millennials value genuine and authentic marketing. This is the generation that celebrates genuine, non-airbrushed images of regular people promoting products they like. Marketing with adulterated content could set millennials off and make them dislike your brand, instead of liking it. This might be due to social media, which has made people more receptive to accepting people for who they are, rather than what they are expected to be like.

Related: How Photos Can Make or Break Your Marketing Campaign

A great strategy to connect with millennials is through storytelling. This marketing approach has been proven to build brand trust and customer loyalty -- it'll help you win over Generation Y.

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Abe ends Pearl Harbor visit, China says Japan is unrepentant

United States,Politics,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington/Beijing, Dec 28 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, during which he offered no apology for Japan's sneak attack on the US in 1941, was on Wednesday deplored by China, which said "it is more in the interest of the future to make one sincere apology than to put on dozens of smart shows".

Abe on Tuesday acknowledged that the US and Japan fought a fierce war "that will go down in the annuls of human history", Xinhua news agency reported.

"Each and every one of those servicemen had a mother and a father anxious about his safety. Many had wives and girlfriends they loved. And many must have had children they would have loved to watch grow up. All of that was brought to an end," said Abe.

China, however, poured cold water on Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, saying what "Japan waged against China and other Asian neighbours was a war of aggression. Reconciliation between the inflicters and victims must and can only be based upon sincere reflection and apology from the inflicters".

Adding that the only way that a genuine and lasting reconciliation can be realised only by "one sincere apology than to put on dozens of smart shows."

The Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the reports and commentaries carried by the western media like the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal that label this trip as "smart", not "sincere".

Prime Minister Abe said that the Japanese had taken a "solemn vow" to never again wage war, CNN reported.

The Japanese government billed Abe's visit as a tour of reconciliation.

However, except for offering his "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the souls of the 2,400 Americans killed by troops of the Japanese imperial forces, no apology from Abe was issued.

About 20 US vessels were sunk or damaged and over 300 US aircraft were damaged or destroyed when more than 350 Japanese warplanes launched a stealth attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941.

The attack came as a shock to the Americans and directly led to the US joining the World War II.

Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, after the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively on August 6 and August 9.

Abe's decision to visit Pearl Harbour came seven months after Obama visited Hiroshima.

In his speech on Tuesday, Obama reflected on the events at Pearl Harbour 75 years ago while also paying tribute to the restored relations between Japan and the US.

He said "our alliance has never been stronger".

"The US and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace. Over the decades, our alliances have made the nations more successful," Obama said.

"It is here that we remember that, even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different," Obama said in a reference to Trump.

Apart from reciprocating Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Abe's trip to Pearl Harbour was believed to be the latest step by the Japanese government to strengthen the Japan-US alliance before Trump's inauguration in January.

During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly ripped US defence of Japan as a one-sided and expensive deal.

Abe and Obama also held their last bilateral meeting together on Tuesday.

Both leaders discussed security, economic and global challenges, according to the White House.

--IANS

ahm/vt
Panama bans Odebrecht until it returns 'removed' money

United States,Business/Economy,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Panama City, Dec 28 (IANS) Panama has announced it will prohibit Brazil's Odebrecht construction company from acquiring any new contracts until it returns the money it "removed" via corruption and bribes.

Authorities in Panama, a country where Odebrecht has built important infrastructure, would also ban the firm from bidding on projects in which it was already participating, Cabinet chief Alvaro Aleman said.

Panama would also take all necessary actions to take back Odebrecht's concession of a hydroelectric project, Efe news reported.

Odebrecht was asked to abort, at no cost to the state, the contract of association for this work, which has not yet begun.

Through the state-owned Electricity Generation Company (EGESA), Panama signed a contract with Odebrecht in June 2014 to build the Chan II hydroelectric plant with an investment of $1 billion.

The Brazilian construction company allegedly paid bribes on more than 100 projects in 12 countries in Latin America and Africa, amounting to approximately $788 million, according to US documents.

--IANS

in/
China urges US to handle Taiwan issue carefully

China,Politics,Diplomacy, Wed, 28 Dec 2016 IANS

Beijing, Dec 28 (IANS) China on Wednesday said the Taiwan issue was a domestic affair of the country and the US should carefully handle it by abiding by the 'one-China policy'.

An Fengshan, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the Taiwan issue was a matter concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, Xinhua news agency reported.

It is also the "most sensitive and complicated issue in China-US relations", An said.

He was asked to comment on the US's 2017 National Defence Authorisation Act which includes the provision on military cooperation with Taiwan.

"We hope the US will abide by the 'one-China policy' and the three China-US joint communiques, and carefully handle issues related to Taiwan," the spokesman said.

China firmly opposes official and military relations between the US and Taiwan in any form, he said.

An reaffirmed China's clear and consistent opposition to arms sales by the US to Taiwan.

In response to another question, An said that a Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, headed toward the West Pacific on December 24 for scheduled blue water training, which was carried out in accordance with the annual plan made by the navy.

--IANS

py/vt
US designates 2 LeT leaders as terrorists, exposes international links

United States,Terrorism, Thu, 29 Dec 2016 IANS

New York, Dec 29 (IANS) Designating two Pakistan-based leaders of Lakshar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), the United States has exposed the long tentacles of the group that stretch from Gaza and Syria to Bangladesh and Myanmar and the activities of two of its front organisations.

The Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it was adding LeT financial officers Shahid Mahmood and LeT Lahore "emir" Muhammad Sarwar to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists and gave an extensive report on their activities.

In a separate announcement, the State Department said LeT's youth recruitment arm, Al-Muhammadia Students (AMS), was added to the list of foreign terrorist organisations.

The terrorist designations ban providing money or material support to those organisations or people or having any transactions with them and it freezes their property.

The State Department said that since LeT was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2001, the group has repeatedly changed its name and created front organisations. The AMS was one such "alias", which was founded in 2009 and "is a subsidiary of LeT and has worked with LeT senior leaders to organise recruiting courses and other activities for youth," the department said.

Mehmood and Sarwar "are responsible for raising and moving funds to support the terrorist group's operations," said John E. Smith, the acting director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). "Today's action not only aims to expose their activities, but also disrupts Lashkar-e Tayyiba's financial network and ability to carry out violent terrorist attacks."

"Mahmood claimed that LeT's primary concern should be attacking India and America," the Treasury Department's announcement said.

He was the Vice Chairman of LeT's fundraising front, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), which has been designated a terrorist organisation by both the State Department and the United Nations, the department said.

A member of the LeT operations group, Karachi-based Mehmood was in charge of Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh and had traveled extensively to Myanmar, Gaza, Syria, Turkey and Bangladesh, the department said.

He was also put in charge of FIF operations in Syria and Turkey and had distributed funds in Myanmar refugee camp to recruit members for LeT, according to the department.

Mehmood, 36, also uses the name Rehmatullah.

Lahore-based Sarwar was "directly involved in LeT fundraising activities and uses the formal financial system in Pakistan to raise and move funds on behalf of LeT," the department said.

Sarwar worked with LeT's foreign affairs chief Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, who was put on the terrorist list in 2010, and Makki asked Sarwar pay for his travel in Pakistan, the department said.

To help raise donations for the LeT, Sarwar led delegations of businessmen to the organisation's facilities, the department said without identifying the delegations' members or the group outfits.

Sarwar, who is between 48 and 50 years old, was born in Sheikhupura and uses the aliases Abul Hashim and Rabbani.

--IANS

arul/vgu/
Israel PM blasts Kerry for Middle East policy speech

Israel,Diplomacy, Thu, 29 Dec 2016 IANS

Jerusalem, Dec 29 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the United States State Secretary John Kerry's Middle East policy speech, denouncing Kerry as "obsessed" and "biased."

Speaking in a televised statement on Wednesday, Netanyahu said that "Kerry deals obsessively with the settlements instead of touching on the root of the conflict", Xinhua news agency reported.

Netanyahu said he was "disappointed" and "surprised" by Kerry's speech. "Is that what the Foreign Minister of the world's largest power has to focus on?"

The Prime Minister also said he looks forward to working with the President-elect Donald Trump administration to "repeal" Friday's resolution by the UN Security Council, which condemned Israel's continued expansion of the settlements.

In his 70-minute speech, only weeks before the end of the Obama administration term, Kerry warned that Israel's construction of settlements was imperiling the chance of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel and achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

A few hours before the speech, Trump sent a message of support to Israel, telling the Jewish state to "stay strong" until January 20 when he takes office.

In a response tweet, Netanyahu wrote: "President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!"

The historic UN resolution demands Israel to stop the settlements construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and denounced the settlements as a "flagrant violation" of international law.

About 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands that Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast War and has been controlling them ever since, despite international condemnations.

--IANS

vgu/
CHARLOTTETOWN, Dec. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - Confederation Centre's signature project for Canada's 150th anniversary next year is The Dream Catchers, a national touring production in two stages, funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada 150 Fund. Between February and April, an artistic team will travel to each province and territory to facilitate workshops, exploring young people's dreams for themselves and Canada, with a focus toward the environment, inclusion, and reconciliation.

Youth across the country will also be able to submit their dreams online, sharing their hopes for the future. The Dream Catchers website is now live and ready to receive dreams for a brighter future and applications to be part of the exciting workshops.

The website and dream submission page for youth age 17 and under to apply to be part of The Dream Catchers can be found in both French and English at dreamingcanada.ca or capteursdereves.ca

Applicants may submit artwork, short videos, or text proposals and be as plain or poetic as they feel. The key to a good submission is the core idea and not the style, length, or format at this stage.

In the workshops actual dreamcatchers will also be created by the youth in each community and integrated by Indigenous visual artist Nick Huard into a large national dreamcatcher exhibited this summer at Confederation Centre.



Huard and Mary Francis Moore, associate artistic director of The 2017 Charlottetown Festival, will lead the sessions in collaboration with local artists in each region, including Fred Penner, Twin Flames, Nikki Payne, Romesh Thavanathan of Hey Rosetta, City Natives, and more.

"Our youth are our future ancestors and their dreams are impressive," states Huard. "This project encourages them to imagine, gives them a voice and a chance to represent themselves. We want to remind them to keep dreaming because dreams can become reality, and The Dream Catchers reminds them to pursue the dream the creator put in their hearts."

Gleaned from the workshop ideas and online submissions from Canada's young people, the creative team will produce a vibrant and movement-filled musical for an expanded Confederation Centre Young Company. A troupe of 26 emerging artists will be cast to present this exciting new theatre production both on P.E.I and nationally throughout the summer of 2017.

SOURCE Confederation Centre of the Arts

For further information: Media contact: Fraser McCallum, Communications Manager, Confederation Centre of the Arts, T: 902.628.6135 (office), E: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.confederationcentre.com/en/


New Ministerial Advisory Committee to review candidates

OTTAWA, Dec. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - World Heritage Sites are exceptional places around the world that are considered to have Outstanding Universal Value  these sites are as diverse as the Pyramids of Egypt and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, reflecting the best of cultural and natural heritage. There are 18 World Heritage Sites in Canada, including the breathtaking Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and the Historic District of Old Quebec.

Canadians and communities have until January 27, 2017 to nominate new places to be considered for inclusion on Canada's list for inscription as World Heritage Sites, which was last updated in 2004.

The application form can be completed and submitted to Parks Canada at www.pc.gc.ca.

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, today announced the members of a new Ministerial Advisory Committee charged with reviewing applications from the public for Canada's next set of possible UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Ministerial Advisory Committee is composed of six Canadians that are experts in natural and cultural heritage conservation and commemoration in Canada. The Committee is to be chaired by Dr. Christina Cameron. She will be joined on the Committee by Mr. Derek Thompson, Mr. George Greene, Dr. Lisa Prosper, Dr. Shabnam Inanloo Dailoo, and Guujaaw.

The Advisory Committee will review all applications submitted by the public and will recommend to the Minister the sites to be included on Canada's updated lists for World Heritage Sites, which will be announced in 2017.

Quotes

"I thank Canadians and communities from across the country for taking the time to nominate unique and exceptional places for consideration as future World Heritage Sites so that we can share more of our treasures with the world. I look forward to the recommendations from the Advisory Committee to help select Canada's new candidates for UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As we prepare to come together as a nation to celebrate our 150th birthday in 2017, I invite all Canadians to experience nature, learn more about our history, and visit our heritage places, including Canada's 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites."

The Honourable Catherine McKenna

Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"The 150th anniversary of Confederation is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to preserve our natural environment. We want to encourage Canadians to feel a sense of attachment to magnificent cultural and natural places, and build a deeper connection to the places that make our country unique in the world. What better way to do that than by getting involved in nominating a World Heritage Site for 2017."

The Honourable Melanie Joly

Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

Five of the 11 sites on Canada's current list have been inscribed as World Heritage Sites. The most recent site inscribed was Mistaken Point, Newfoundland and Labrador , in July 2016 .

current list have been inscribed as World Heritage Sites. The most recent site inscribed was Mistaken Point, and , in . For more information, please visit: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/progs/spm-whs/sec06.aspx.

Related Documents

Link to backgrounder  Biographies

Related Links

World Heritage Sites in Canada

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Caitlin Workman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-938-9436; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.pc.gc.ca/


Commemorating 70th Anniversary of the First Canadian Citizenship Ceremony in 1947

OTTAWA, Dec. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - In celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Canadian Citizenship Act, and the first ever Canadian citizenship ceremony, the Honourable John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship will host a special citizenship ceremony in the same location as the ceremony of 1947- the Supreme Court of Canada. This ceremony marks the first in a series of enhanced citizenship ceremonies celebrating Canada 150 in 2017.

The first Canadian Citizenship Act came into force on January 1, 1947, marking the beginning of Canadian citizenship as a legal status. On January 3, 1947, 26 candidates, including Prime Minister Mackenzie King, received Canadian citizenship at the Supreme Court of Canada.



Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Time: 1:30 p.m. (local time)

Place:

Supreme Court of Canada

301 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0J1

Notes for media:

Journalists who are not members of the National Press Gallery will require accreditation from the Press Gallery in advance. For more information, contact Marc Fortier at [email protected] .

SOURCE Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For further information: (media only): Media Relations, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, National Headquarters, 613-952-1650, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.cic.gc.ca


LAKEWOOD, CO, Dec. 28, 2016 /CNW/ - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE MKT: UUUU; TSX: EFR) ("Energy Fuels" or the "Company"), a leading producer of uranium in the United States, is pleased to announce that it has intercepted additional high-grade areas of uranium mineralization at its Canyon Mine, a fully-permitted conventional underground mine being developed in northern Arizona. These new intercepts, including 28.5 feet of mineralization with an average grade of 2.41% eU 3 O 8 , further expand the mineralized zone at the mine. While dynamic in nature, the image depicts the current uranium envelope (at greater than 0.15% eU 3 O 8 ), along with the status of the 8' x 20' production shaft currently being constructed at the Canyon Mine.

The Company previously announced drilling results from the first mine level (1,000 feet below surface) in August and October 2016, including the discovery of high-grade copper. Drilling from the second mine level (1,230 feet below surface) started in November 2016, and to date 5,922 feet of drilling has been completed in a total of 35 holes (25 percussion and 10 core holes) up to the current pause during the Holidays. On January 3rd, core drilling is expected to resume, and the Company plans to drill approximately 11,000 additional feet in the New Year.

This news release focusses solely on certain eU 3 O 8 results gathered through gamma analysis. Sampling and analysis is also ongoing for the latest core drill holes, and the Company expects to report on those results, including uranium, copper, and silver mineralization, later in January 2017. The Company is currently awaiting assay results for over 860 samples, representing two- and four-foot core intercepts, taken from both the first and second mine levels. The assay analysis is being performed at the Company's White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah, with a portion of these samples being verified by an independent third-party laboratory. The Company is also evaluating the potential to process copper and silver mineralization currently being identified in the deposit into marketable products at the White Mesa Mill, as co-products of uranium recovery.

Gamma analysis from the current round of drilling at the Canyon Mine continues to confirm and expand the zones of known uranium mineralization in the deposit. The Company believes that drilling completed to date has expanded the envelope and increased the tonnage of the mineralization over what is described in the existing technical report from 2012. In addition to being larger than previously expected, the deposit is also appearing to be more continuous as underground drilling advances. These drilling results continue to increase the Company's level of confidence that production costs from the Canyon Mine have the potential to be low-cost and competitive with the best underground uranium mines globally, including mines in Canada, based on industry-published cost estimates. In addition, the possibility of recovering copper and silver as co-products of uranium recovery has the potential to make the economics of the Canyon Mine even better.

The Company expects to file a new technical report in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101  Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") in mid-2017 describing the uranium mineralization, and potentially copper and silver mineralization.

On August 18, 2016, the Company reported ten (10) individual high-grade uranium intercepts drilled from the first mine level (1,000 feet below the surface). The table below summarizes ten (10) additional high-grade intercepts.

Hole Number Thickness (feet) Avg. Grade (% eU 3 O 8 ) GT (Grade x Thickness) 19 28.5 2.41 68.7 21 13.5 1.42 19.2 23 23.5 0.77 18.0 17 13.0 1.14 14.8 12 9.0 1.59 14.3 16 9.5 1.47 14.0 16 5.5 1.80 9.9 14 4.0 2.42 9.7 12 7.5 1.24 9.3 23 10.0 0.82 8.2

All holes were logged for gamma by trained Company personnel to calculate eU 3 O 8 %. Gamma logging tools were calibrated prior to the drilling program and verified by an independent 3rd party geophysicist. All mineralized core samples are also in process of being analyzed at the Company's White Mesa Mill laboratory for further verification.

Stephen P. Antony, President and CEO of Energy Fuels stated: "We continue to see excellent results from the underground drilling programs at the Canyon Mine, which is the highest-grade uranium project being developed in the U.S. today. The uranium grades, thicknesses, and continuities we have encountered so far are continuing to confirm our high expectations for the deposit. As we extend core holes beyond the known zones of mineralization, we are identifying new areas of high-grade uranium and copper mineralization. As a result, we believe we are expanding the size of the deposit, including the tonnage that we expect to mine. The Canyon Mine enjoys other important advantages as well. It is fully licensed and permitted. It is at a very advanced stage of construction, with all surface development completed and the production shaft nearing completion. The mine is located within trucking distance of our White Mesa uranium mill, which is licensed, operating, and has the capacity to process the Canyon material into finished uranium concentrate. Finally, as we previously announced in October, we are identifying substantial areas of high-grade copper mineralization. If we are able to monetize the copper, the economics for the Canyon mine could improve significantly.

"We have recently observed some small improvements in uranium prices, and U.S. government policies seem to be turning in favor of U.S. nuclear energy and uranium production. The Canyon Mine is expected to be an important aspect of Energy Fuels' near- and mid-term uranium production, in addition to our ongoing production from the Nichols Ranch ISR Project in Wyoming and the potential to place our Alta Mesa ISR Project back into production in Texas. We look forward to providing more updates on the uranium, copper and silver mineralization at the Canyon Mine as the drill program advances."

About Energy Fuels: Energy Fuels is a leading integrated US-based uranium mining company, supplying U 3 O 8 to major nuclear utilities. Energy Fuels holds three of America's key uranium production centers, the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch Processing Facility in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today and has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. The Nichols Ranch Processing Facility is an ISR production center with a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. Alta Mesa is an ISR production center currently on care and maintenance. Energy Fuels also has the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolio in the U.S. among producers, and uranium mining projects located in a number of Western U.S. states, including one producing ISR project, mines on standby, and mineral properties in various stages of permitting and development. The Company also produces vanadium as a co-product of its uranium production form certain of its mines on the Colorado Plateau, as market conditions warrant. The Company's common shares are listed on the NYSE MKT under the trading symbol "UUUU", and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR".

Stephen P. Antony, P.E., President & CEO of Energy Fuels, is a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying such disclosure.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including any information relating to: the Company being a leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; the drilling results to date from the Canyon mine and any conclusions which may be drawn from such results; the total number of holes and feet the Company expects to drill in the current delineation program; the conclusions contained in the 2012 Technical Report and any future technical reports which may be prepared in accordance with NI 43-101; the final depth of the shaft; the potential that the mineralization and/or tonnage may be expanded beyond what is described in the 2012 Technical Report; the expected costs of production and competitiveness of the Canyon deposit compared to other mines globally; the factors which the Company believes makes the Canyon deposit unique; any expectation that copper and/or silver can be recovered as co-products of uranium recovery at the White Mesa mill; and any other statements regarding Energy Fuels' future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Energy Fuels' ability to control or predict. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation factors relating to: the Company being a leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; the drilling results to date from the Canyon mine and any conclusions which may be drawn from such results; the total number of holes and feet the Company expects to drill in the current delineation program; the conclusions contained in the 2012 Technical Report and any future technical reports which may be prepared in accordance with NI 43-101; the final depth of the shaft; the potential that the mineralization and/or tonnage may be expanded beyond what is described in the 2012 Technical Report; the expected costs of production and competitiveness of the Canyon deposit compared to other mines globally; the factors which the Company believes makes the Canyon deposit unique; any expectation that copper and/or silver can be recovered as co-products of uranium recovery at the White Mesa mill; and other risk factors as described in Energy Fuels' most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly financial reports. Energy Fuels assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Energy Fuels' filings with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of the management of Energy Fuels relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are also cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.

For further information: Energy Fuels Inc., Curtis Moore - VP - Marketing & Corporate Development, (303) 974-2140 or Toll free: (888) 864-2125, [email protected], www.energyfuels.com

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http://www.energyfuels.com


First 150 kids receive free admission in 2017

TORONTO, Dec. 28, 2016 /CNW/ - Celebrate Canada's sesquicentennial at the Ontario Science Centre with Canada 150: Discovery Way, a new installation that recounts the rich stories behind Canadian discoveries and innovations, and with The Energy Show, a new stage presentation that takes the Centre's iconic Electricity Demonstration to a shocking new level. To start its Canada 150 celebrations, the Ontario Science Centre is offering free general admission to the first 150 kids (ages 3-12) on January 1, 2017.

"As a centennial project, the Ontario Science Centre has been celebrating discovery, wonder and curiosity since it first opened its doors," said Dr. Maurice Bitran, CEO and Chief Science Officer, Ontario Science Centre. "During Canada's sesquicentennial, it's natural to reflect on the growing impact that science and technology plays in our lives and how they are shaping our future. Through our diverse offerings in 2017, we will inform, engage and inspire our visitors, demonstrating that science is more than knowledge  it's about action for a better future."

Top ten ways to celebrate Canada's sesquicentennial with science at the Ontario Science Centre in 2017:

1. Take pride in Canadian scientific achievements.

What do insulin, the electric wheelchair and five-pin bowling have in common? From the far reaches of space to common household items, learn about notable Canadian scientific discoveries and innovations and the Canadian trailblazers behind them. The Canada 150: Discovery Way installation inspires through diverse, home-grown stories and uniquely Canadian artifacts. At every step along the way, visitors will be moved by great scientific achievements and may even be inspired to be Canada's next great innovator.

2. Power up at our new electrifying stage show.

Building upon the Science Centre's iconic Electricity Demonstration, The Energy Show delves deeper into the principles and concepts of energy. From solar to geothermal, and from transformation to storage, the show seeks to uncover the world's ultimate source of power. Make hypotheses, conduct experiments, upload data and test very unique equipment, including a seven-foot Tesla coil.

3. Discover how science influences art.

Experience Legacy, a life-sized, anatomically correct killer whale skeleton, carved entirely from reclaimed cedar. Created by award-winning Canadian artist Ken Hall, Legacy demonstrates how science and nature can influence art and how art can expand the appreciation of science, while challenging us to think about our future.

4. Hop on board for the ultimate in railway travel.

Beginning January 9, 2017, relive the age of steam when Rocky Mountain Express returns to our giant IMAX Dome screen. Take a present-day steam train journey through the breathtaking vistas of the Canadian Rockies, and learn about the extraordinary story of how our nation's first transcontinental railway was laid.

5. See how humans draw inspiration from the innovations of nature.

Find out how all living things, including humans, are machines built to survive, move and discover when Biomechanics: The Machine Inside opens on February 8, 2017. Take a fascinating look at the marvels of natural engineering in an interactive, specimen-rich experience that brings the science of biomechanics and biomimicry to life and explores the exciting promise they hold for the future.

6. Get a fresh perspective on what it means to be an engineer.

Celebrate human ingenuity and innovation when Dream Big opens on February 17, 2017. Using the full power of the immersive IMAX experience, Dream Big showcases the diverse faces of engineering today: people from all walks of life working on creative solutions to improve human life and create a sustainable future for us all.

7. Learn how to milk a sturgeon.

Step into the rescue and recovery efforts of people who dedicate their lives to saving animals when Wildlife Rescue opens in May 2017. From seabirds to turtles and elephants to orangutans, this wildly interactive exhibition explores the innovative ways used to capture, raise and release endangered species back to the wild.

8. Take in Toronto's history by way of a tree trunk.

The Ontario Wood Carvers Association has given new life to the silver maple tree behind Alexander Muir's 1867 song "Maple Leaf Forever." This installation features 35 hand-carved leaves, each depicting a historically-significant event or place in Toronto's history. After more than 10,000 volunteer carving hours, this ambitious project goes on permanent display on July 1, 2017.

9. Celebrate the power of human understanding and ingenuity  from quantum to cosmos.

Explore the incredible ability of the human mind to question, make and innovate when Power of Ideas stops in Toronto from August 23 - September 1, 2017. Designed and developed by the Ontario Science Centre for the Perimeter Institute, this immersive travelling science exhibition highlights cutting edge science, technology and engineering.

10. Maximize your exposure to science in 2017.

There's a lot to see and do at the Science Centre in 2017! A new membership program launches in January 2017 to ensure you make the most out of every visit.

The Ontario Science Centre, a Centennial project, has welcomed more than 51 million visitors since it opened in 1969, implementing an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. Today, the Science Centre is an international leader in free-choice science learning and a key contributor to Ontario's education and innovation ecosystems, offering lifelong learning through hands-on, engaging experiences. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. As a publicly assisted organization, the Science Centre relies on generous individuals, corporations and foundations who share a commitment to science and education for additional operating support. For more information about the Ontario Science Centre, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

SOURCE Ontario Science Centre

For further information: Media contact: Anna Relyea, Director, Strategic Communications, 416-696-3273 | c: 416-668-1967, [email protected]

Related Links

https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca


OTTAWA, Dec. 24, 2016 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark Christmas:

"Merry Christmas, Canada!

"The holiday season is truly my favourite time of the year. As we come together with loved ones, let us reflect on how fortunate we are to call this beautiful country home.

"Living in Canada comes with a responsibility to be there for each other  and not just during this time of year, but each and every day. After all, Canadians helping others  no matter the distance that separates them  is what this country is all about.

"When tragedy struck Fort McMurray, and thousands of Canadians were forced to leave their homes, thousands more came together to make sure evacuated families had a place to stay, clothes to wear, and food to eat.

"Today, as Canadians continue to welcome Syrian refugees, we open our hearts and homes to those most in need. Together, we demonstrate that better is always possible and that, in difficult times, we are at our very best.

"So, during this season of hope, let us reach out to those who are hurting most. Let us give back in whatever way we can, and make sure this holiday season is a happy time for everyone. There is no holiday tradition more timeless than that.

"I also ask you take a moment to remember the brave women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces  and their families  who make incredible sacrifices to protect our country.

"As we look to the new year, and get ready to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, I know our best days are yet to come.

"From Ella-Grace, Hadrien, Xavier, Sophie and me, to your family: Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and all the best in 2017."

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

For further information: PMO Media Relations: 613-957-5555

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Happy holidays from Canada's most-trusted airline

CALGARY, Dec. 23, 2016 /CNW/ - For the second time in 2016, WestJet has set a new record for guests flown in a single day. The airline will fly an estimated 74,600 guests across its network today, surpassing the previous record of 74,247 set on January 3, 2016.

"We are proud to be the airline of choice for so many guests at this important time of the year," said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. "On behalf of more than 12,000 WestJetters, we would like to thank our guests for choosing to fly with us throughout the year, and we extend our best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season."

About WestJet

We are proud to be Canada's most trusted airline, powered by an award-winning culture of care and recognized as one of the country's top employers. WestJet, and our regional airline, WestJet Encore, offer scheduled service to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our partnerships with airlines representing every major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 150 destinations in more than 20 countries. Leveraging WestJet's extensive network, flight schedule and remarkable guest experience, WestJet Vacations delivers affordable, flexible travel experiences with a variety of accommodation options for every guest. Members of our WestJet Rewards program earn WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages and more. Our members use WestJet dollars towards the purchase of WestJet flights and vacations packages on any day, at any time, to any WestJet destination with no blackout periods  even on seat sales. For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.

Recent recognition includes:

2016 Canada's Most Trusted Airline (Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria)

2016 Canada's most reputable company for Corporate Social Responsibility (Reputation Institute)

2016/2015/2014/2013/2012 Ranked top three for Canadian Brands (Canadian Business Magazine)

2016/2015/2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in Canada (MoneySense magazine)

2015/2011/2010/2008/2007/2006/2005 Canada's Most Admired Corporate Culture (Waterstone Human Capital)

2015 Best Employers in Canada (Aon Hewitt)

Connect with WestJet on Facebook at facebook.com/westjet

Follow WestJet on Twitter at twitter.com/westjet

Subscribe to WestJet on YouTube at youtube.com/westjet

Read the WestJet blog at blog.westjet.com

SOURCE WestJet

For further information: Media contacts: To contact WestJet media relations, please email [email protected]

Related Links

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Chinas ambitious and fast-growing space program is targeting a landing on the dark side of the moon by 2018, and reaching Mars before the end of the decade.

Chinas space agency held a press conference on Tuesday to mark the release of a policy paper, and outlined the governments goals for exploring deep space.

Wu Yanhua, deputy chief of the National Space Administration, said Beijing aims to launch its first Mars probe around 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration, followed by a second mission that would include collection of surface samples from the red planet.

China launched an ion drive HEP-100MF thruster. It was jointly developed by research teams from the Harbin Institute of Technology (H.I.T.) and the China Academy of Space Technologys (CAST) Institute 502, successfully debuted Nov. 22 aboard an orbiting Shijian-17 satellite. The satellite was launched Nov. 3 by a Long March 5 rocket. This will be used for deep space missions.

China plans include sending probes to Jupiter and its moons. By around 2030, China hopes to be more competitive with NASAs deep space program.

China has its complete space white paper online

Chinas plans for the next 5 years in space are

1. Space transport system

We will develop and launch medium-lift launch vehicles which are non-toxic and pollution-free, improve the new-generation launch vehicle family, and enhance their reliability.

Endeavors will be made to research key technologies and further study the plans for developing heavy-lift launch vehicles. Breakthroughs are expected in key technologies for the overall system, high-thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene engines, and oxygen and hydrogen engines of such launch vehicles. Thereafter the heavy-lift launch vehicle project will be activated.

China will conduct research into the technologies for low-cost launch vehicles, new upper stage and the reusable space transportation system between the earth and low-earth orbit.

2. Space infrastructure

China is to improve its satellite systems and their basic related items, develop the three major satellite systems of remote-sensing, communications and broadcasting, and navigation and positioning, and build a space-ground integrated information network. In this way, a space infrastructure system capable of providing steady and sustained services will take shape, boosting the satellite and related applications industrial sector.

(1) Satellite remote-sensing system. In accordance with the policy guideline for developing multi-functional satellites, and creating networks of satellites and integrating them, we will focus on three series of satellites for observing the land, ocean and atmosphere, respectively. China is to develop and launch satellites capable of high-resolution multi-mode optical observation, L-band differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar imaging, carbon monitoring of the territorial ecosystem, atmospheric Lidar detection, ocean salinity detection and new-type ocean color observation. We will take steps to build our capabilities of highly efficient, comprehensive global observation and data acquisition with a rational allocation of low-, medium- and high-spatial resolution technologies, and an optimized combination of multiple observation methods. China will make overall construction and improvement on remote-sensing satellite receiving station networks, calibration and validation fields, data centers, data-sharing platforms and common application supporting platforms to provide remote-sensing satellite data receiving services across the world.

(2) Satellite communications and broadcasting system. This system is oriented toward industrial and market applications, and mainly operates through business models while meeting public welfare needs. China will develop both fixed and mobile communications and broadcasting as well as data relay satellites, build a space-ground integrated information network consisting of space-based systems such as high-earth-orbit broadband satellite systems and low-earth-orbit mobile satellite systems, and ground-based systems such as satellite-access stations. TT&C stations, gateway stations, uplink stations, calibration fields and other satellite ground facilities are to be built synchronously. These efforts are expected to bring about a comprehensive system capable of providing broadband communications, fixed communications, direct-broadcast television, mobile communications and mobile multimedia broadcast services. A global satellite communications and broadcasting system integrated with the ground communications network will be established step by step.

(3) Satellite navigation system. China is to continuously enhance the service capacities of the Beidou-2. With sustained efforts in building the Beidou global system, we plan to start providing basic services to countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in 2018, form a network consisting of 35 satellites for global services by 2020, and provide all clients with more accurate and more reliable services through advancing the ground-based and satellite-based augmentation systems in an integrated way.

3. Manned spaceflight

China plans to launch the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft to dock with the earth-orbiting Tiangong-2 space laboratory, and research and master key technologies for cargo transport and replenishment to accumulate experience in building and operating a space station.

We aim to complete the main research and development work on the space station modules, and start assembly and operation of the space station.

We strive to acquire key technologies and conduct experiments on such technologies to raise our manned spaceflight capacity, laying a foundation for exploring and developing cislunar space.

4. Deep-space exploration

China will continue its lunar exploration project, and strive to attain the automated extraterrestrial sampling and returning technology by space explorers. We plan to fulfill the three strategic steps of orbiting, landing and returning for the lunar exploration project by launching the Chang e-5 lunar probe by the end of 2017 and realizing regional soft landing, sampling and return. We will launch the Change-4 lunar probe around 2018 to achieve mankind s first soft landing on the far side of the moon, and conduct in situ and roving detection and relay communications at earth-moon L2 point. Through the lunar exploration project, topographic and geological surveys will be implemented and laboratory research conducted on lunar samples; geological survey and research as well as low-frequency radio astronomy observation and research will be carried out targeting the landing area on the far side of the moon for a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the moon.

China intends to execute its first Mars exploration operation, and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration. It plans to launch the first Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration. It will conduct further studies and key technological research on the bringing back of samples from Mars, asteroid exploration, exploration of the Jupiter system and planet fly-by exploration. When conditions allow, related projects will be implemented to conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life

5. Experiments on new space technologies

China is to perform experiments on new space technologies to provide solid technological support for its space industry.

China will develop and launch technology experiment satellites, including the Shijian-13, Shijian-17 and Shijian-18, and a global carbon dioxide monitoring satellite, and conduct experiments on key technologies for new electric propulsion, laser communications and common platforms of new-generation communications satellites. It plans to build in-orbit servicing and maintenance systems for spacecraft and make in-orbit experiments on new theories, technologies and products by tapping various resources.

6. Space launch sites

China will improve its existing space launch sites by raising the reliability and IT application level and conducting adaptive improvements to ground facilities and equipment, and increasing the complementarity of mission enforcement and backup capacities of space launch sites, equipping them with basic capacities to carry out various launch missions. It will explore and advance the building of space launch sites that are open to cooperation and sharing, form a new space launch system featuring rational division of work, mutual complementarity, smooth coordination, security and reliability. The integrated capacities and functions of space launch sites will be enhanced and exploited to meet various needs.

7. Space TT and C

China will enhance its existing space TT and C systems. It aims to build and operate a second-generation relay satellite system, raise the accuracy of the orbit determination process for spacecraft, improve its TT and C capabilities in managing in-orbit spacecraft, and strengthen integrated and efficient utilization of TT and C resources, to build a space-ground integrated TT and C network featuring security, reliability, quick response, flexible access, efficient operation and diverse services. It plans to explore the development of commercial TT and C systems, seek new service modes, and intensify international cooperation and networking in the field of TT and C, forming a new TT and C service pattern marked by openness and sharing.

8. Space applications

China will improve its space application service system oriented toward industries, regions and the public, expand integrated application of space information, and improve the application and marketing of scientific and technological results. Consequently, the scale, operational standards and industrialization level of space applications will be raised to serve national security and national economic and social development.

(1) Industrial applications. In view of the need for global land surveying and geographic information acquisition, resource development and environmental protection, maritime development and management, and the protection of related rights and interests, natural disaster prevention and reduction and emergency response, global climate change control, food security, social management and public services, China plans to consolidate the integrated application of space infrastructure, and enhance its ability to provide timely, accurate and steady services.

(2) Regional applications. In view of the need for regional urban planning, construction, operation management and social services, China will develop comprehensive satellite applications, such as new urbanization layout, and smart towns and smart transport applications, to serve the coordinated development of the eastern, central, western, northeastern parts of the country, collaborated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, building of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and economic and social development of other regions in China. In addition, China will intensify its services oriented toward the nationally targeted poverty alleviation and eradication, and operate space information services targeting old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minorities regions, frontier areas, poverty-stricken areas and islands in the sea.

(3) Public services. Aiming at public information consumption and services, including smart tourism, broadcasting and TV, distance learning, telemedicine, and cultural communication, China is determined to develop smart terminals of satellite applications and wearable electronics, improve space information fusion applications, and advance the industrialization of space applications, fostering new growth points for the national economy.

9. Space science

Targeting major frontier areas of space science and technology, China will implement a series of new space science satellite programs, establish a series of space science satellites featuring sustainable development, and reinforce basic application research. Major discoveries and breakthroughs are expected in the frontier areas of space science to further mankinds knowledge of the universe.

(1) Space astronomy and space physics. China will seek evidence of the existence of dark matter by using dark matter particle exploration satellites to detect high-energy electrons and high-energy gamma rays in the universe. It plans to launch a hard X-ray modulation telescope to study the matter dynamics and high-energy radiation processes in the strong gravitational field of compact celestial bodies and black holes. Relevant resources will be brought into play for research into large-scale structure and interaction models of solar wind and the magnetosphere, and response to magnetospheric substorm change process.

(2) Scientific experiments in space. The Shijian-10 recoverable satellite, Change probes, Shenzhou spacecraft, Tiangong-2 space laboratory and Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft are to be used to implement scientific experiments and research in biology, life sciences, medicine and materials in the space environment.

(3) Quantum experiments in space. Quantum experiment satellites are to be used to conduct experiments and research in the fields of quantum key transmission, quantum entanglement distribution, and quantum teleportation.

(4) Basic and applied research. China will carry out basic research into sun-earth space environment, space climate, and solar activity and its impact on space climate, and implement space-related interdisciplinary research as well. Comprehensive techniques will be developed for analyzing data from space observations on the properties of X-rays, the energy spectrum and spatial distribution of high-energy electrons and high-energy gamma rays, space physics, extraterrestrial celestial bodies, and the earths electromagnetic field and ionosphere, to promote the application of space research findings.

10. Space environment

China will improve the standardization system for space debris, near-earth objects and space climate. It will enhance the space debris basic database and data-sharing model, and advance the development of space debris monitoring facilities, the early warning and emergency response platform and the online service system, through reinforcing integrated utilization of resources. The protection systems of spacecraft will be further strengthened. Furthermore, efforts will be made to improve the space environment monitoring system and to build a disaster early warning and prediction platform to raise our preventative capability. It will conduct studies on the building of facilities for monitoring near-earth objects, and put the plan into operation to elevate our capability to monitor and catalog such objects. (more)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) says that 10nm is on schedule, countering news media reports that the yields of TSMC and Samsung at the industrys most advanced technology node are lagging expectations.

TSMCs 10nm process is totally on track and will contribute to sales revenue for the first time in the first quarter of 2017, according to Elizabeth Sun, senior director, TSMCs Corporate Communications, refuting a report by Taiwans Digitimes website that was picked up by other news media. The companys 10nm process will account for less than one percent of TSMCs overall revenue during the first quarter of 2017, she said.

Intel, Samsung and TSMC have been vying to be first with 10nm SoCs and capture profits from foundry customers such as Apple and Qualcomm. In November, Qualcomm announced it is in production with its next generation mobile SoC, the Snapdragon 835, in Samsungs 10nm process. Intel, earlier this year, said that its 10nm process could outperform other foundries and will be used to make ARM-based mobile chips for companies including LG Electronics.

In the third quarter this year, TSMC transferred 10nm development from R&D to production and had five tape outs lined up for mobile products. The company predicted that high-end smartphones, the main driver in the semiconductor business, will move to 10nm from 16nm during 2017.

While some industry executives say that Moores Law has reached its limit at 10nm, the top three chipmakers  Intel, Samsung and TSMC  are using three dimensional tweaks to take geometries to an effective 1nm. Earlier this month, TSMC said that it is planning to build a fab that will make 3nm SoCs as early as 2022.

TSMC said that it will ramp 7nm in 2017, followed by 5nm in 2019, to support smartphones and high-end mobile products with new features, including virtual reality and augmented reality.
A fleeing members of the Boko Haram sect has been arrested by officials of a security agency recently established by the Abuja Municipal A...

A fleeing members of the Boko Haram sect has been arrested by officials of a security agency recently established by the Abuja Municipal Area Council, popularly known as AMAC Marshal in the Federal Capital Territory.According to a statement issued by AMAC Marshal Spokesman, Kingsley Madaki, Usman, was apprehended at exactly 4:30 pm at Utako market shortly after he arrived the premises.Madaki disclosed that the suspect was apprehended with a Quran and a chaplet on his neck while trying to lobby people in the market.The statement said he confessed that there are many of his colleagues in the city.The agency, therefore, appealed to residents of AMAC and the FCT to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to AMAC Marshal personnel and other security agencies.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday expressed condolences to the government and people of Delta State on the death of a Second Republi...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday expressed condolences to the government and people of Delta State on the death of a Second Republic senator and member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Francis Okpozo.In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President also commiserated with the family and friends of the late senator whose championing of social justice in the Niger Delta, during his long history of service to the people, endeared him to many.As a stalwart of the APC in the South-South, Buhari said the party benefited greatly from the octogenarians charismatic leadership and wealth of experience as a politician.The statement read, The President hopes that all who mourn Senator Okpozo will carry forward his legacy of unwavering dedication to the unity of Nigeria, even as the nation would fondly remember his contributions to peace, development and justice in the Niger Delta.President Buhari prays that God Almighty will comfort the family of the late senator and grant the soul of the departed eternal rest.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Barack Obama of making inflammatory statements and complicating the impending trans...





US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Barack Obama of making inflammatory statements and complicating the impending transfer of power  the latest salvo in an escalating war of words with the current commander-in-chief.The unorthodox personal and public criticism of a sitting president comes less than a month before the 70-year-old Trump  who defeated Obamas preferred successor Hillary Clinton in Novembers presidential election  takes office.Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks, Trump wrote on Twitter.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition  NOT! The social media jab is the latest from the 70-year-old real estate mogul aimed at Obama, in what has become a most unconventional transition between the outgoing Democrat and the incoming Republican leader.Obama said in an interview released earlier this week that he could have been re-elected for a third term if he had been eligible and that the nation still largely embraces his political vision.I am confident in this vision because Im confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I couldve mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it, Obama told the interviewer, his former senior adviser David Axelrod.It was not immediately clear what exactly Trump was referring to in the first tweet, but minutes later, he took Obama to task over his policy on Israel. We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the US, but.. he wrote.Not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! Last week, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory.The United States declined to use its veto, instead abstaining and thus enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over settlement policy.Trump, who takes office on January 20, had publicly called for the United States to veto the resolution and has repeatedly criticized Obamas approach.
Shanghai SIPG general manager, Sui Guoyang, has defended the huge amount they spent to bring Oscar to the club from Chelsea.Guoyang admits it is a necessary evil.SIPG last week completed the 60million capture of Oscar and will be paying him 400,000 a week.If we dont offer 60 million, do you think he will bother to come? he told reporters.Theres such a huge gap between CSL and Europes top leagues. Its unrealistic to suggest that we would have done it in a different way.The cost of signing the player was 60m indeed. The clubs senior management personally flew to Paris to seal the deal.Guoyang also said Oscar was not happy with sitting on the bench at Stamford Bridge, especially since manager Antonio Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation.Oscar has fallen out of favor with Conte because he has no place in Chelseas 3-4-3 formation, he said.It played a key part in his desire to leave. He felt terrible to sit on the bench and not be involved. He is so young.Oscar wants to come back to the Brazil national team. Some of his compatriots play in the CSL and they still get called up to the national team. So it helps him to make the decision to move to China.And of course, the appointment of [ex-Chelsea boss] Andre Villas Boas is a plus. Oscar knows we are an ambitious club.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar lll, on Tuesday voiced opposition to a bill seeking to ensure men and women have equal right to inhe...

The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar lll, on Tuesday voiced opposition to a bill seeking to ensure men and women have equal right to inheritance.The Sultan said that the bill was against Islamic religion and, therefore, unacceptable to Muslims.The bill seeks equality for male and female children in the sharing of inherited family wealth or property, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.The bill also proposes that a widow is entitled to the custody of her children unless it is contrary to the interests and welfare of the children.The bill also seeks that a widow shall have the right to remarry any man of her choice and should have the right to a fair share in the inheritance of her late husbands property and the right to live in her matrimonial house.Our religion is our total way of life; therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do, Mr. Abubakar said.Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. Therefore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively.He called on the Senate to not consider the bill because of its religious implications.The Sultan also hailed the Federal Government and Nigerian Army for the capture of Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram terrorists.He made the commendation in Gusau at the closing ceremony of the 20th Zamfara State Annual Quranic Recitation Competition.Mr. Abubakar said that the capture of Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram was historic and a great success.We are happy to hear this good news, he said. We are, therefore, calling on the Nigerian Army not to relent in its efforts in fighting the activities of Boko Haram.He called on Muslims to continue to pray for peaceful coexistence in the country, adding that they should cooperate with all the tiers of government to move the country forward.The royal father called on political office holders to ensure fairness and transparency in implementing projects for the development of the people particularly at the grassroots.In his remarks, the Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, gave the assurance that the state government would continue to support the Quranic recitation competition.Mr. Yari and that his wife, Asmau, donated N500,000 to each male and female winner of the 7th category of the competition  recitation of the Quran with Tafsir.The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the winners are Faisal Muhammad from Shinkafi Local Government Area and Subaia Saidu from Gusau Local Government Area.The state government also donated a car to each of the male and female winners.Other prizes, including refrigerators, televisions, sewing machines and money were also given to winners of all the seven categories of the competition.(NAN)
BERGENFIELD -- A Bergenfield man was left with a deep cut on his head Tuesday after a reported burglary, police said.

A neighbor of the 71-year-old on Sunset Place called Bergenfield Police at about 3:06 p.m. to report the break-in, police said in a statement.

The man was sent to the hospital for treatment. He told police he was walking up the stairs to his bedroom when a tall, thin man, wearing a gray sweater and a black winter cap appeared heading down the steps.

The 71-year-old said the man struck him with an object, tied him up and fled. The man stole $10 and a debit card, police said.

Police searched the area but failed to find the man. A Bergen County Sheriff's Department K-9 unit assisted the search.

"The victim's statements and investigation has not confirmed or ruled out the incident as an interrupted burglary or any other incident," police said.

The 71-year-old has since been released from the hospital, police said.

A neighbor told Eyewitness News that the 71-year-old showed up at his house with a bloody face and a broken hearing aid.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
patco passengers

In this photo provided to NJ.com, PATCO riders at the rail line's 8th and Market stop in Philadelphia leave the station. One person was reportedly killed after an accident involving a PATCO train, Dec. 27, 2016. (Photo provided)

( )

CAMDEN -- One person was reportedly killed Tuesday afternoon in an accident involving a PATCO train.

According to NBC10, the rush hour incident occurred at the rail line's Broadway station. Service across the Ben Franklin Bridge had also been suspended, according to news reports. The victim, whose identity has yet to be released, possibly jumped in front of the train, according to NBC10.

SERVICE SUSPENDED due to Broadway Station police activity. @NJTRANSIT cross-honoring tickets. Use alt. transportation if possible  PATCO (@RidePATCO) December 27, 2016

On its Twitter account, PATCO stated at around 4:45 p.m. that service in and out of the station was suspended. Rider reports from PATCO stations in Philadelphia indicate passengers being turned away from the stops.

The Delaware River Port Authority operates the PATCO rail line that runs from Lindenwold, in Camden County, to Center City, Philadelphia. PATCO officials added that police were investigating the incident and tickets were being honored by NJ Transit.

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
MONTCLAIR -- One of New Jersey's largest public colleges can't be sued for discrimination in federal court because its an arm of the state, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Tuesday.

The ruling shields Montclair State University from a federal lawsuit filed by a former spokesperson who says she was fired after taking time off to be treated for breast cancer.

Paula Maliandi, who began working at the university in 2007, took time off in 2013 under the federal Family Medical Leave Act, according to the lawsuit. When she returned, she was offered an inferior job to her old position, a violation of the FMLA terms, she argued in the lawsuit.

Maliandi refused to accept the new position and was fired, the suit alleges.

The university countered that it is exempt from the lawsuit because it's an arm of the state and the 11th amendment protects states from being sued in federal court.

A lower court rejected the university's stance, but the Third Circuit ruled in Montclair State's favor.

A panel of three judges applied a balancing test and weighed the fact that Montclair State is not primarily funded by state dollars against other factors, such as the university not being entirely autonomous, according to the ruling.

In the end the panel determined that, "while a close case, (Montclair State) is an arm of the state."

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook
JERSEY CITY -- One of two city police officers injured in an early morning crash on Routes 1&9 remains hospitalized Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The cops, who have not been identified by officials, were pursuing a vehicle at about 1:30 a.m. when their patrol car collided with a white Mercedes at the Duncan Avenue intersection, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

The car the officers were attempting to pull over fled the scene, she said. Morrill did not provide details on why the officers were trying to stop the vehicle.

Both cops were injured and taken to the Jersey City Medical Center. One of the officers was treated and released while the other remains in the hospital listed in stable condition, Morrill said.

The police cruiser crashed on top of the median of the busy roadway.

Jersey City police are investigating the crash. It was previously reported the Hudson County Sheriff's Office would be leading the investigation.

Though Morrill did not release additional information on the crash, the driver of the other vehicle told CBS the cop car did not have its lights activated until moments before the crash.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
fulop lectern.JPG

A super PAC linked to Mayor Steve Fulop has seen fundraising slow to a crawl. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal

(Jersey Journal file photo)

JERSEY CITY -- Fundraising has slowed dramatically for Coalition for Progress, the super PAC linked to Mayor Steve Fulop's now-abandoned gubernatorial run.

Meanwhile, the city's pay-to-play laws, which Fulop was instrumental in implementing when he was a councilman, may keep the the PAC from using its $3.2 million war chest to aid the mayor in his re-election bid next year. The bulk of its cash haul has come from individuals and businesses who work in Jersey City or with city government, some of which are barred from working for the city and donating to local political campaigns.

The PAC's president, Bari J. Mattes, has said Coalition for Progress was formed to support multiple candidates. Sources have told The Jersey Journal that it was formed to boost Fulop's chances of becoming governor. Fulop has largely declined to comment.

"We don't have any authority in how any dollars from that PAC are spent, as it is independent," city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said yesterday.

Coalition for Progress reported raising $21,500 between Sept. 28, the day Fulop announced he would not seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 2017, and Nov. 28, the last day for which fundraising figures are available from the Federal Election Commission.

In the same time period last year, the group reported raising $757,750.

Overall the super PAC is in roughly the same financial position it was at the beginning of 2016, when it reported it had $3.2 million cash on hand. It has made a total of four political contributions, all to the Democratic-friendly House Majority PAC.

Two emails seeking comment from the PAC's spokesman were not returned.

As for what the PAC will do with its $3 million war chest, it appears it will not be able to use it to support Fulop in next year's mayoral race because of the city's strict pay-to-play laws and the number of its donors who do business with the city.

RELATED SLIDESHOW:

According to an analysis by The Jersey Journal, at least $2.6 million of the $4.3 million raised by the PAC since its inception has come from donors to Fulop's mayoral campaigns, developers that have received city subsidies, city vendors or companies that have contracts with the city's autonomous agencies. The local pay-to-play laws restrict many of these donors from donating locally and receiving city contracts or tax breaks.

In February, after Fulop critics aired concerns that Coalition of Progress donors were seeking the mayor's influence for city matters, Morrill said, "Any PAC or super PAC that receives donations from Jersey City vendors should not be involved in any Jersey City election, as per our pay-to-play laws."

Asked yesterday if that is still the administration's position, Morrill said, "The administration will abide by all pay-to-play regulations."

Craig Holman, a campaign finance expert with D.C.-based advocacy group Public Citizen, said it is unclear whether a court would use the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision to void provisions of pay-to-play laws like Jersey City's that restrict vendors from contributing to independent expenditure PACs like Coalition for Progress. So far, Holman said, no court has done so.

Connecticut's pay-to-play ban applies to super PACs, he said, adding, "In Jersey City that is also how the law should be applied."

Bill Matsikoudis, the former city corporation counsel who is challenging Fulop's re-election bid next year, joined with Civic JC to pen a letter to Coalition for Progress' treasurer in September telling her the PAC is barred from spending to aid Fulop in any city race. Matsikoudis called the letter "preemptive."

"Now that he's reaffirmed that he's not running for governor ... we want to make sure that none of the money gets spent here," he told The Jersey Journal.

Asked to respond, Morrill made reference to "Bid Rig III," the 2009 federal corruption sting that landed a number of city officials behind bars for taking bribes. The sting happened under Matsikoudis' (and Morrill's) former boss, ex-Mayor Jerramiah Healy, and it has become a frequent attack line Fulop lobs at Matsikoudis.

"It is ironic Matsikoudis is concerned since we know he was the city's chief legal counsel during the largest corruption and bribery scandal in Jersey City's history," she said.

Matsikoudis shot back: "Doesn't Jen Morril realize that her silly repetitive comments about my being corporation counsel during Bid Rig are idiotic since I had literally zero connection to it and since she was the city spokesperson at that time as well? She regularly attacked Fulop then and her repetitive, inane comments would be laughable if it weren't so sad"

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- A police cruiser was involved in an early morning crash on Routes 1&9 on the city's West Side and two police officers were injured, officials said.

The crash was reported at about 1:30 a.m. near the Duncan Avenue intersection, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

Morrill said two Jersey City police officers were taken to the Jersey City Medical Center-RWJBarnabas with complaints of pain. CBS reported one officer was taken from the scene on a stretcher.

According to the report, the officer was attempting to stop another vehicle when a white Mercedes hit the cruiser in the middle of the intersection, sending the patrol car crashing onto the median.

Morrill said the Hudson County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation and could not confirm any details of the crash. A spokesman for the Sheriff could not immediately be reached for comment.
mary

Mary Tortoreti, president of the West Hudson based newspaper The Observer, died in New York City last week after a battle with cancer. The Observer photo

KEARNY -- Mary Tortoreti, president of the West Hudson-based newspaper The Observer, died in New York City last week after a battle with cancer. She was 74.

In the newspaper's obituary, Tortoreti was described as the "matriarch" of The Observer and a proud "Bronx girl."

She was born in 1942 and spent her early childhood in the Bronx before moving to Bergen County,where she attended high school. She held several different jobs while raising her two daughters, Lisa and Tina Feorenzo, according to the obituary.

Her second husband, Anthony Tortoreti, bought the newspaper - which covers West Hudson and parts of Bergen and Essex counties - in 1972.

She wrote a cooking column in her early years as an owner of the paper titled "The Kitchen Witch." She eventually enrolled in cooking classes at Johnson and Wales University, the paper reported.

Tortoreti is survived by her daughters, her sister Virginia Hendricks, and son-in-law Robert Pezzolla, the paper's current general manager.

A funeral service was Wednesday morning in Westwood.

Read her full obituary here.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Another lawsuit has been filed against Johnson & Johnson over its hip replacement products, adding to the thousands of legal proceeding surrounding the devices.

The Indiana man filed the lawsuit in Middlesex County Superior Court on Dec. 9, just four days after a jury in Texas awarded six patients $1 billion in punitive damages in a similar case. The pharmaceutical giant faces more than 8,000 suits for the DePuy Orthopaedics product.

The New Brunswick-based company has lost one trial involving the device and another where the courts ruled in the manufacturer's favor.

The suit filed in New Jersey claims the man "suffered substantial injuries and damages" from the hip implant made by the subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures surgical joint replacements and other medical devices related to spinal- and sports-related injuries. The company has offices in Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The suit alleges DePuy's metal-on-metal version of the product, which is the second line of the hip replacement implants, is defective allowing for metal particles to make their way into the recipient's bloodstream and tissue.

The Indiana man claims he suffered "constant debilitating pain and instability" due to "friction wear from the movement at the joint" after undergoing a total left hip replacement with the DePuy product in 2008. In 2014, the man had another total hip replacement to fix the product's alleged issue and may need future procedures, according to the suit.

The alleged defect can cause severe pain and inflammation and lead to bone erosion, tumors and tissue death, according to the suit.

In an emailed statement, the Depuy spokeswoman Mindy Tinsley said, " We have no greater responsibility than to the patients who use our products, and our goal is to create medical innovations that help people live more active and comfortable lives. DePuy acted appropriately and responsibly in the design and testing of ULTAMET Metal-on-Metal, and the product is backed by a strong track record of clinical data showing reduced pain and restored mobility for patients suffering from chronic hip pain."

Another brand of Johnson & Johnson's hip replacements were recalled in 2010, the ASR device. The company allocaeted $2.5 billion for potential patient damages.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Japan's and America's leaders Shinzo Abe and Barack Obama respectively visited pearl harbour to pay homage to more than 2,400 Americans killed on December 7 1941. Both of them announced the beginning of reunion and wanted to end the conflicts that surrounded both countries since the wartime.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war," Shinzo Abe said. "What has bonded us together is the power of reconciliation, made possible through the spirit of tolerance."

Obama welcomed Shinzo Abe by saying, "I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship. "I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution."

"Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward," he added.

"We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different." Obama said.

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News Agency AAFP, Every year releases the best photos that are clicked in that particular year. They have recently showcased the famous and best pictures of 2016 at world wide level. All of it, are really beautiful and depict a different story.

Colombian girl who is only 15-year-old but looks aged because she suffer from pre mature ageing disease.

Photo from Olympics when France Gymnatic Sameer had leg fracture.

In Kenya, teeths of elephants were burnt.

During the Euro 2016 match between Portugal and France, it was shown on the big screen near Effiel Tower.

Rider had a bike rider with his cat in Brazil.

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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.
Bihar: On Wednesday, Janata Dal (United) told that they are with PM Narendra Modi and support the Demonetisation. They even said that they will not comment on the on going issue that is going on over demonetisation before the completion of 50 days.

JD(u) leader Sunil kumar said "JD (U) has supported demonetisation drive in national interest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked for 50 days and we cannot come to the conclusion before the completion of 50 days,"

He stated this when the anti demonetisation meeting held was attended by all the other parties except Nationalist Congress Party aand Janata Da; (united). Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar also that he support PM Modi move.

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Bhopal: Retired Major General S.R. Sinho expressed his view on continuous violations by Pakistan. He feels that surgical strike is not enough; we should give more response to Pakistan in order to stop their misdeeds.

When asked about the surgical strikes, Uri attack and also, about other attacks at LoC (Line of Control) after surgical strike. Sinho said, India has been expecting that after new army chiefs appointment in Pakistan, the incidents of ceasefire violation would decrease. But this has not happened. The former army chief of Pakistan had much more power in controlling Nawaz Sharif and whatever he wanted to happen, it happened.

Sinho added, after appointment of Nawaz sharif as new army chief, if India thinks that we can deal in peace then we are mistaken. Again ceasefire violations have started and we shouldnt sit quiet and watch but, we should respond to it.

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The modern-day lock is the glue that sticks a forward pack together. Required to do the work of a prop in the middle of the field while also expected to offload and ball-play, a good lock can be one of a team's most valuable players.

5. Jake Trbojevic

2016 stats: 23 games, 116.7 avg metres, 858 tackles; 18 offloads, 316 runs

Young Manly prop-turned lock Jake Trbojevic has arguably had two successive breakout seasons in a row. In 2015 he went from little-known youngster coming off a serious injury to a first-grade regular starting prop. In 2016 he upped his game from already impressive levels after shifting to the No.13 jersey where he started all but two of Manly's 2016 games (Round 1 he was at prop and he missed Round 5 through injury). Not only that, an injury to Raider Josh Papalii opened the door for the Mona Vale junior's first Kangaroo tour and he made an impressive, try-scoring debut against Scotland in what looks to be the start of a very long senior rep career.

4. Trent Merrin

2016 stats: 25 games, 155.6 avg metres, 861 tackles, 56 offloads, 418 runs

Merrin was already a Test and Origin player when he departed the Shellharbour beaches for a fresh start in Sydney's golden west at the end of 2015 and  a curious Origin non-selection aside  had surely the best season of his career so far in terms of his individual efforts. Merrin was a powerhouse for the Panthers and finished the year off as an automatic selection for Australia in the No.13 jumper following a brilliant Four Nations campaign. His tireless runs and tackles and relentless offloading was a massive part of the platform that helped a young Panthers outfit exceed expectations in 2016.

3. Paul Gallen

2016 stats: 20 games, 175.6 avg metres, 600 tackles, 31 offloads, 392 runs

Long-serving Sharks skipper Gallen's representative career closed in 2016 with a typically robust effort in a narrow Origin series loss as well as a man-of-the-match effort in his Test swansong (a 16-0 win over the Kiwis in the May Test). But no doubt the personal highlight was a powerhouse season at club level, in which he captained Cronulla to a maiden premiership. The tireless 35-year-old also decided his battered body had one more year of NRL left in him and Sharks fans will no doubt be relieved to see the gladiatorial lock go round for one final season in the Shire.

2. Sam Burgess

2016 stats: 23 games, 153.5 avg metres, 803 tackles, 49 offloads, 399 runs

It's possible nothing Burgess does for the rest of his career will quite match the stunning heights of 2014, when a towering season at the Bunnies was capped by a historic Clive Churchill Medal-winning performance in an emotional grand final. But don't discount the tireless contributions he made on his return from the 15-man code in 2016 despite the fact Souths missed out on the finals. While his 21 penalties conceded and seven errors may indicate a man who at times may have tried for a bit too much, the new England Test captain's talismanic presence lifts any team he plays in.

1. Jason Taumalolo

2016 stats: 27 games, 165.0 avg metres, 645 tackles, nine offloads, 419 runs

How could the 2016 co-Dally M winner (the first non-hooker forward to win since Cronulla's Gavin Miller in 1989) be anything other than top of this list? The New Zealand Test lock had the best year of his career to date and will be even more of a key man for the 2015 premiers in the absence of James Tamou and Ben Hannant in 2017. His belligerent runs  which saw him alternately cut between defenders or trample straight over the top of them  caused countless headaches this year. Worryingly, he told NRL.com that he'll be looking to add more ball skills and offloading to his game next year as he looks to become an even more dangerous player.

More NRL.com top five lists
The International House of Pancakes chain has opened its first restaurant in Hammond, which is its third in Northwest Indiana.

An IHOP pancake house has opened at 938 Indianapolis Boulevard in front of the north Hammond Walmart, the anchor of a growing retail area that's been drawing Chicago residents across the border because of lower sales taxes. The restaurant, which is open 24/7, employs around 80 workers.

The new pancake house is also located near major employers like Cargill and Unilever, and one of Northwest Indiana's biggest attractions  the Horseshoe Casino. It will compete with the Purple Steer, a similar 24/7 American-style diner right down the street.

IHOP, which is known for its buttermilk pancakes, breakfast fare and bottomless coffee, also has locations in Merrillville and Michigan City. Longtime Chicagoland IHOP franchisee Michael Ruben opened the new location in Hammond's Robertsdale neighborhood.

The 58-year-old chain, which is based out of Los Angeles County in California, has more than 1,695 locations around the world.
The unassuming exterior isn't much, but one of Northwest Indiana's finest European-style restaurants is tucked into a nondescript strip mall on U.S. 30 in Merrillville.

Tapas Cafe, 2486 Lincoln Highway, offers "an exotic trip to the Iberian Peninsula without leaving Northwest Indiana." The Spanish restaurant offers citrusy cerviche, delectable paellas with veggies, meat and seafood, and of course the tapas small plates that Spain has been making at roadside inns centuries before it was cool.

The Merrillville restuarant has many great tapas options, including bacon-wrapped scallops, bacon-wrapped dates, grilled calamari, stuffed olives, baked goat cheese in a sea of tomato sauce and perfectly cooked octopus with garlic and potatoes. It draws from other cuisines, with Mayan potstickers, tacos and shrimp dressed in Argentinian chimichurri sauce.

As a chef-driven restaurant, Tapas Cafe has a rotating selection of tapas specials. The mollettes are a standout. Sometimes called Mexican toast, mollettes are a phenomenal comfort food.

Black beans and a blanket of melted Chihuahua cheese are layered atop crisply toasted bread that's similar in shape to garlic bread. Each bite is pure bliss, and it's perfect for sharing. In true tapas style, the portions leave you with enough room to sample other tasty dishes.

For more information, call (219) 769-7008.
NEW YORK  The turbulent U.S. election, featuring Donald Trump's unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, was the overwhelming pick for the top news story of 2016, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.

The No. 2 story also was a dramatic upset  Britons' vote to leave the European Union. Most of the other stories among the Top 10 reflected a year marked by political upheaval, terror attacks and racial divisions.

Last year, developments related to the Islamic State group were voted as the top story  the far-flung attacks claimed by the group, and the intensifying global effort to crush it.

The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain's King Edward VIII.

Here are 2016's top 10 stories, in order:

1. US ELECTION: This year's top story traces back to June 2015, when Donald Trump descended an escalator in Trump Tower, his bastion in New York City, to announce he would run for president. Widely viewed as a long shot, with an unconventional campaign featuring raucous rallies and pugnacious tweets, he outlasted 16 Republican rivals. Among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton beat back an unexpectedly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders, and won the popular vote over Trump. But he won key Rust Belt states to get the most electoral votes, and will enter the White House with Republicans maintaining control of both houses of Congress.

2. BREXIT: Confounding pollsters and oddsmakers, Britons voted in June to leave the European Union, triggering financial and political upheaval. David Cameron resigned as prime minister soon after the vote, leaving the task of negotiating an exit to a reshaped Conservative government led by Theresa May. Under a tentative timetable, final details of the withdrawal might not be known until the spring of 2019.

3. BLACK MEN KILLED BY POLICE: One day apart, police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, fatally shot Alton Sterling after pinning him to the ground, and a white police officer shot and killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop in a suburb of Minneapolis. Coming after several similar cases in recent years, the killings rekindled debate over policing practices and the Black Lives Matter movement.

4. PULSE NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE: The worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history unfolded on Latin Night at the Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. The gunman, Omar Mateen, killed 49 people over the course of three hours before dying in a shootout with SWAT team members. During the standoff, he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

5. WORLDWIDE TERROR ATTACKS: Across the globe, extremist attacks flared at a relentless pace throughout the year. Among the many high-profile attacks were those that targeted airports in Brussels and Istanbul, a park teeming with families and children in Pakistan, and the seafront boulevard in Nice, France, where 86 people were killed when a truck plowed through a Bastille Day celebration. In Iraq alone, many hundreds of civilians were killed in repeated bombings.

6. ATTACKS ON POLICE: Ambushes and targeted attacks on police officers in the U.S. claimed at least 20 lives. The victims included five officers in Dallas working to keep the peace at a protest over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. Ten days after that attack, a man killed three officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In Iowa, two policemen were fatally shot in separate ambush-style attacks while sitting in their patrol cars.

7. DEMOCRATIC PARTY EMAIL LEAKS: Hacked emails, disclosed by WikiLeaks, revealed at-times embarrassing details from Democratic Party operatives in run-up to Election Day, leading to the resignation of Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other DNC officials. The CIA later concluded that Russia was behind the DNC hacking in a bid to boost Donald Trump's chances of beating Hillary Clinton.

8. SYRIA: Repeated cease-fire negotiations failed to halt relentless warfare among multiple factions. With Russia's help, the government forces of President Bashar Assad finally seized rebel-held portions of the city of Aleppo, at a huge cost in terms of deaths and destruction.

9. SUPREME COURT: After Justice Antonin Scalia's death in February, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the vacancy. However, majority Republicans in the Senate refused to consider the nomination, opting to leave the seat vacant so it could be filled by the winner of the presidential election. Donald Trump has promised to appoint a conservative in the mold of Scalia.

10. HILLARY CLINTON'S EMAILS: Amid the presidential campaign, the FBI conducted an investigation into Clinton's use of a private computer server to handle emails she sent and received as secretary of state. FBI Director James Comey criticized Clinton for carelessness but said the bureau would not recommend criminal charges.

Stories that did not make the top 10 included Europe's migrant crisis, the death of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and the spread of the Zika virus across Latin America and the Caribbean.
CROWN POINT  Family Christian Center and its pastors, Steve and Melodye Munsey, have requested a judge dismiss a lawsuit filed in the drowning death of 18-year-old Domonique Nikki Smith at the Munseys' residence in Schererville.

The defendants claim in their motion to dismiss the Munseys and their church were employers of Smith at the time of her death, and are therefore protected from civil litigation under the Indiana Worker's Compensation Act.

The defendants further allege the lawsuit is based on a frivolous claim intended to harass or maliciously injure the Munseys and their church, actions that should be sanctioned.

Smith's mother, Vicki Olds, sued the church, the Munseys, Indiana Land Trust Co. and Smith's father, Darryl Anthony Smith, on Nov. 17 in Lake Superior Court for wrongful death of a child.

Olds alleges in the lawsuit the Munseys were negligent in caring for her daughter, who drowned in the Munseys' pool on May 29, 2015, while Smith baby-sat the pastors' children.

Olds said at a news conference to announce her lawsuit she had unanswered questions about her daughter's death, including an alleged 15-minute gap in the surveillance footage obtained by police from the Munsey residence.

Olds also said Melodye Munsey allegedly told her after Smith's death that she saw Smith's soul leave her body, and that is why the pastor's wife did not act with urgency when she discovered the 18-year-old woman floating face down in the pool.

The Lake County coroner's office determined Smith died as a result of an accidental drowning, but an autopsy was not conducted.

The defendants filed their motion to dismiss Dec. 19 and requested sanctions against Olds for filing frivolous claims.

Roy Dominguez, an attorney for the Munseys, said Wednesday he is the former chairman of the Worker's Compensation Board of Indiana, and it was common sense that worker death and injury claims are a matter of the state.

It's well-established law, it's not something unique, Dominguez said.

He said statements made at the news conference about the surveillance footage and Melodye Munsey's alleged comments were idiotic and completely false.

Dominguez said the Munseys and Family Christian Center continue to pray for Smith's family and asked God to give them strength. He said the Munseys had previously provided Smith's family financial assistance to pay for funeral expenses.

Trent A. McCain, Olds' attorney, said Wednesday Smith was not an employee of the church, but an independent contractor, and the family was therefore not required by state law to seek redress through the state's worker compensation program.

He also disputed that Olds' lawsuit was frivolous.

A young girl lost her life through very suspicious circumstances, and, at the very least, as a result of the negligence of the Munseys and the church, McCain said.

A court hearing on the motion is scheduled for Feb. 16.
MICHIGAN CITY  A 31-year-old accused of robbing Main Horizon Bank on Wednesday morning is now in custody, according to a news release from the Michigan City Police Department.

The man, of Michigan City, was arrested after a brief foot chase near his home Wednesday, according to police.

Police were called to the bank, 515 Franklin St., for a report of a robbery at 9:07 a.m. There, police learned a man, who had yet to be identified, walked into the bank, approached a teller and presented a note demanding money.

No weapon was displayed, but money was turned over and the suspect allegedly left on foot.

Evidence gathered at the scene allowed police to identify a suspect, according to the release, prompting officers to conduct surveillance of the man's home.

"Several hours later the suspect was observed leaving the home and a short foot pursuit was started with the suspect being caught. Upon the apprehension, the suspect had evidence of the robbery on his person," the release stated.

A hearing to establish formal charges against the suspect will be scheduled in the near future.

Earlier in the day, Vic Althoff, 60, of Michigan City, was among a steady stream of customers walking up to the bank to find the doors locked and a note posted that it was closed for the remainder of the day.

Beverly Owens, of Michigan City, said what she found surprising was that a bank without quick access to a major interstate was chosen for a robbery.

"In the middle of town, it kind of shocks me," she said.

Times Correspondent Stan Maddux contributed to this report.

Editor's note: The suspect's name has been removed from an earlier version.
HOBART  Police are looking to ID a suspect in a theft at Southlake Mall.

Police have surveillance video of a suspect opening a drawer to a kiosk in the mall and removing items at about 4:40 p.m. Friday.

According to police the suspect is white or Hispanic and is in his late teens or early 20s. It appears he was wearing a gray and black Adidas-style zip-up jacket and blue jeans.

Police said the suspect was with a white or Hispanic female in her late teens or early 20s who was wearing a black jacket.

Anyone with information should contact Lt. James M. Gonzalez at (219) 942-4405 or jgonzales@cityofhobart.org.
VALPARAISO  A judge opted against jail time Wednesday in hopes of enabling Mary Loveless to pay back the nearly $33,000 she stole while working for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County.

Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper sentenced the 49-year-old Wheeler-area resident to nearly six years of prison time and then suspended all but the one day she served and placed her on probation.

Loveless was ordered to pay back the money she stole while working as head of the club's child care program. She was also ordered to take part in a day reporting program designed to help her better meet her needs and think differently.

Loveless, who maintains her innocence despite the jury verdict, declined the opportunity to comment during her sentencing hearing.

Mark Jones, director of operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs, told the court the organization has suffered loss not only from the theft, but also from donors who have walked away following the disclosure of the crime.

The amount stolen is believed to be significantly more than the $32,687 that could be documented and was taken from the families and children served by the organization, he said.

Jones supported keeping Loveless out of jail so she could pay back the money.

"She needs to be held accountable for returning the money," he said.

Defense attorney Larry Rogers, who does not believe Loveless stole the money, said there are "definite deficiencies" in the club's management.

Loveless is accused of stealing the money between Jan. 1, 2012, and April 10, 2014, according to court records.

During that period she was serving as unit director for the Kidstop Program, according to court documents. In that position, Loveless was responsible for collecting payments made at the various child care sites and depositing the money.

During the October trial, Loveless testified that the club relied on a sloppy and inadequate handwritten accounting system and, once technology was introduced, faulty computers. She did not believe anybody took any money and believed it went missing in the accounting system.

Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Tammy Gregg asked Wednesday for a nine-year sentence with six months served behind bars and the balance on probation.

Harper said in considering the sentence, she figured in that the victim is an organization that helps lower-income children.

"This is such an important resource to the youth of Porter County," she said.

The amount of the theft was also figured in.

"It was a lot of money," Harper said.

Rogers told the court Loveless has not yet decided whether to appeal the case.
A Hammond woman said local first responders rescued Christmas for her and her five children after they were called to her home.

Hammond firefighters and EMTs gifted stockings stuffed with gift cards and candy to Sharina Ferguson's children Monday afternoon after they learned the mother had struggled to provide them Christmas presents.

Ferguson said she had planned this year to provide a wonderful Christmas for her three daughters and two sons, the youngest of whom is 8, after the family had struggled in recent years.

She was hired for a seasonal job in August and saved up to provide her children gifts, but when winter came her vehicle fell into disrepair, so she could no longer commute to her job in Joliet, Illinois.

She said car repairs and rent ate away at her savings, until eventually she had to cancel the presents she ordered online.

She said she could not even afford a Christmas tree to decorate her home.

I just wanted to do something good for them, because we were struggling the last few years, Ferguson said. But like they say, things don't work out how we plan.

To make matters worse, Ferguson said her daughter had contracted pneumonia over the holidays and her breathing became labored Christmas night, so Ferguson called for an ambulance.

Firefighter Philip Scheeringa said he responded to the call Monday morning, and learned about the family's plight.

It absolutely broke my heart, Scheeringa said. I have three kids of my own, and I can't imagine how I would feel if I couldn't give them a Christmas.

He said after he left the mother's home, he called the president of the Hammond Firefighters Local 556, who told Scheeringa he could use funds from the union's annual Christmas Boot Drive to buy Ferguson's children gifts.

He said his wife bought the gift cards and stuffed the stockings, which were delivered to Ferguson's home Monday afternoon.

Ferguson said she was ready to cry when she saw the presents.

I was so excited, she said. I gave them hugs. I can't stop thinking about what they did for me and my kids.

Scheeringa said he delivered the gifts with firefighters Jake Cory and Capt. Ed Lomeli, as well as emergency medical technicians Xavier Becerra and Matt Oldenburg.
MUNSTER  The Torabi siblings realized one after another throughout childhood they wanted to pursue medical school.

It also just so happens they ended up at the same university  and they have the matching white coats to prove it.

The oldest, Asad Torabi, 27, is in his fourth year at Indiana Universitys School of Medicine in Gary, while Sara, 26, is in her third year, and Rana, the youngest, is in her second year. Asad has spent much of the past several months on periodic rotations in Indianapolis, but considers Munster, where his family now lives, his home. The siblings grew up in the Valparaiso/Chesterton area.

Passion for patient care runs in the family. Parents Torraj Torabi works as a medical physicist and director of imaging at NorthShore Health Centers, which has several clinic locations in Northwest Indiana, including Merrillville, Portage, Lake Station and Hammond. Soraya Torabi works as a radiation safety officer at NorthShore's clinics.

They got accepted in other schools as well, but I explained that Indiana University is very good, very fine, especially in medicine, Tooraj Torabi said. Im very proud they stayed here. Everything was win-win.

IUN School of Medicines Northwest campus is a competitive program, accepting just 30 students per year, according to the university. The trio said they love the close-knit family atmosphere of IUN.

Its about being able to relate. The hours that you put in, how long youre at the hospital. It is nice knowing someone else did it and went through it and maybe they felt the same way you did. Its a nice support system, Sara Torabi said.

Having three siblings and two parents in the health care field under one roof has its perks, too, Soraya Torabi said.

If they are at home, usually Rana says, You know, I think Sara just had (an exam). When she comes in, Im going to be baking something nice. Or Asad is coming home from a big test. Lets bake him something nice, Soraya Torabi said.

Sara Torabi said the siblings are not competitive, but supportive  both emotionally and academically.

We all have been in each others shoes before. So if we hear someone has a big test coming up in a week, we keep the volume down, let them study and help each other out, she said.

Asad said he is leaning toward cardiology, but, much like his sisters, he is keeping his options open.

Sara is in her third year, where students focus on clinical rotations, and are beginning to have tough conversations with families about real medical issues, she said. She said a program unique to IUN  which connects students with the families of anatomical donors  helped prepare her, and her siblings, for the realities of the medical field.

Throughout the semester, students enrolled in the program communicate with families of the anatomical donors and address each cadaver by name. Theres a ceremony at the end, where students can meet with the family and pay final respects.

Born and reared in Northwest Indiana, the Torabi siblings all said they are interested in remaining in the Region to practice.

Were homegrown Hoosiers. We just want to give back, Rana Torabi said. "Our community has invested in us, so we have to invest in our community."
All 20 students of a Purdue University Northwest political science class earned awards at the American Model United Nations Conference held in Chicago and attended by more than 1,000 students.

Offered by the non-profit educational organization, American Model United Nations, the annual collegiate event attempts to provide students from across the nation and world an innovative learning experience through realistic simulations of how the United Nations operates. By representing specific nations, students learn how to engage in diplomacy to solve global issues and nurture leadership skills.

The PNW students won awards for position papers they wrote representing the nation of Hungary. The students prepared for the four-day conference as enrollees this fall in the senior level topical course, International Organizations, taught by associate professor of political science Meg Rincker.

Additionally, two PNW students, Patrick Mudd, of Crown Point, and Nick DiMaggio, of Schererville, were selected winners of the Best Advocate Award by their conference peers. The award recognizes the best legal defense team presentation offered before the International Court of Justice, which mediates disputes between nations.

Mudd and DiMaggio effectively defended Hungary in the actual legal case, Hungary vs. Slovakia, during which Hungary reneged on a treaty with Slovakia for environmental reasons.

In preparation, I spent four to five hours a week reading and studying about laws and treaties, Mudd said. We had to know our material backward and forward. Professor Rincker did so much in helping us prepare.

Preparation by Mudd and DiMaggio also included meeting in Chicago the actual Consul General of Hungary, Szebeni Ferenc.

In addition to studying international law and writing a Memorial before the conference, Nick and Patrick delivered a 13-minute oral argument speech and prepared an extemporaneous seven-minute rebuttal statement before answering direct questions from the 16 Justices, Rincker said.

Other students recognized for their position papers were: Julia Abbott, Alex Heaton and Tyler Wells of Crown Point; Cynthia Basu-Chavez of Merrillville; John C. Decker of Dyer; Mary Dow, James Gross, Sara Jeong, Yun Ji Ko, Kristen Powers, Martin Puente and DeJoie Simmons of Hammond; Grant Garcia of Highland; Magdalena Madrigal of Munster; Gabriel Nunez of Whiting; Eric Schreiber of Griffith; Hillary Snyder of Valparaiso; and Kenyatta Scales of Elgin, Illinois.
LAPORTE  The leadership at LaPorte Hospital has responded to concerns over its parent company Community Health Systems' major financial difficulties.

LaPorte County attorney Shaw Friedman was not satisfied with the response but called it a start.

"I don't think they provided the reassurance the county commissioners are looking for,'" Friedman said.

On Nov. 16 the LaPorte County Commissioners called for CHS to make public the terms of its recent merger with I-U Health and LaPorte Hospital.

They wanted to find out if IU Health could purchase back the 80 percent share of the hospital it sold to CHS in March 2016. The commissioners cited media reports of CHS and its chain of 159 for-profit hospitals being saddled with $15 billion in debt and its stock tumbling to an all-time low of just $4.98 a share as recently as October for its concern about the now privately owned hospital's future here.

Prior to the acquisition, LaPorte Hospital had been a not-for-profit operation controlled by a local board of directors, who now serve just an advisory role.

Joyanna Kleinmaier, chairman of the board for LaPorte Health System, told the commissioners in a Dec. 12 letter there are some limited buyback rights subject to certain requirements held by LaPorte Hospital and I-U Health if there's a desire by the parent company to sell the hospital either alone or in a package with other hospitals. I-U Health has the first such right, she said.

However, she gave no indication of any desire to sell and said the commitment to the hospital since the transaction remains unchanged.

Kleinmaier also said plans to build a new hospital "barring substantial disruptions beyond our control" are on track to start no later than March 2018 and be completed in no later than five years. She said a commitment was made to spend an estimated $125 million dollars for the new hospital and the company is "on track to make good on that commitment."

"We value our relationship with the good people of LaPorte County and its elected leadership. We look forward to continuing that relationship and creating a caring and healing environment that provides the highest quality of care possible," she said.

Friedman, though, said there's still a lot of uncertainty on where the new hospital is going to after a new ambulance base for the hospital was built just a year ago across from its present location. There also was no mention on whether an inpatient drug treatment facility will be included in the new hospital in a county near the top in overdose rates in the state.

"This was a start but I think communication needs to continue. Hopefully, there will be a continued effort made by members of the community to press for answers from CHS," Friedman said.
JERUSALEM  Doubling down on its public break with the Obama administration, a furious Israeli government on Tuesday said it had received "ironclad" information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft last week's U.N. resolution declaring Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal.

The allegation, which was denied by the State Department, further poisoned a toxic atmosphere between Israel and the outgoing administration in the wake of Friday's vote, raising questions about whether the White House might take further action against settlements in President Barack Obama's final weeks in office.

With the U.S. expected to participate in an international peace conference in France next month and Secretary of State John Kerry planning a final policy speech Wednesday, the Palestinians hope to capitalize on the momentum. Israel's nationalist government is banking on the incoming Trump administration to undo the damage with redoubled support.

Although the U.S. has long opposed the settlements, it has generally used its Security Council veto to protect its ally from censure. On Friday, it abstained from a resolution calling settlements a "flagrant violation" of international law, allowing it to pass by a 14-0 margin.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a cool relationship with Obama, called the resolution "shameful" and accused the U.S. of playing an active role in its passage.

On Tuesday, his spokesman went even further.

"We have ironclad information that emanates from sources in the Arab world and that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage," David Keyes said. "We're not just going to be a punching bag and go quietly into the night."

He did not identify the Arab sources or say how Israel obtained the information. Israel has close security ties with Egypt, the original sponsor of last week's resolution who, as the lone Arab member of the Security Council, was presenting it at the Palestinians' request. Under heavy Israeli pressure, Egypt delayed the resolution indefinitely  but other members presented it for a vote a day later. Egypt ended up voting in favor of the measure.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry would lay out his vision for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the speech Wednesday. "He feels it's his duty in his waning weeks and days as secretary of state to lay out what he believes is a way to a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East," Toner said.

Toner also rejected Israeli allegations of conspiring against it, saying Egypt and the Palestinians drafted the resolution and the U.S. worked with them on the language only after the intention to go forward was clear. "The idea this was pre-cooked in advance is not accurate," he said.

The Obama administration has acknowledged that it considered the possibility of abstaining on a settlements resolution over the past year as various drafts were circulated by different countries. In announcing the abstention, U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power referred to continued Israeli settlement construction and a recent effort to retroactively legalize dozens of illegally built settlement outposts.

A White House official said the U.S. was approached repeatedly by countries urging it to let the resolution pass, yet only replied by saying the U.S. would feel forced to veto any resolution that didn't also criticize the Palestinians for inciting violence. The official wasn't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

The Palestinians, with strong international backing, seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967, as part of an independent state. They say continued Israeli settlement undermines that goal, since already some 600,000 Israelis live in these areas.

Israel is livid that the resolution does not appear to recognize its claim to any part of the occupied areas, including Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, though the resolution leaves the door open to agreed land swaps. The Palestinians did not embrace several past peace offers that would have left them with a state on the vast majority of the land, with a foothold in Jerusalem.

Past Security Council resolutions on the issue have been more vague. Critics of Israel argue that by insisting on the settlements, Netanyahu has earned the global impatience.

Netanyahu has made no secret that he is counting on President-elect Donald Trump to contain the damage. Trump has indicated he will be far more sympathetic, and has appointed an ambassador with deep ties to the settler movement.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, a close Netanyahu ally, dismissed Obama. "He is history," she told Channel 2 TV. "We have Trump."

The resolution seems largely symbolic, lacking any enforcement mechanism.

But Palestinians believe it will strengthen their position as they push on with a campaign to pressure Israel on the international stage.

President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday he hopes an upcoming Mideast conference in France will lead to concrete measures. "We hope this conference comes up with a mechanism and timetable to end the occupation," Abbas told a meeting of his Fatah party. "The (resolution) proves that the world rejects the settlements, as they are illegal."

Husam Zumlot, an adviser to Abbas, told The Associated Press the Palestinians want the resolution to serve as a "foundation" for any future peace talks. He also said the Palestinians would use the text to bolster their case at the International Criminal Court, where they are trying to push a war crimes case against Israel over settlement policies.

French officials expect some 70 nations to participate in the Jan. 15 conference. Israel and the Palestinians are not expected to be invited, though officials are considering inviting the Israeli and Palestinian leaders for follow-up talks. Abbas seems open to this, while Netanyahu has chafed, saying international dictates undermine negotiations.

Netanyahu has instead called off a number of diplomatic meetings and visits with countries that supported the resolution.

On Wednesday, a Jerusalem municipal council is expected to grant building permits for roughly 600 new homes in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem.

Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Meir Turgeman, who heads the zoning committee, also said this week he will push plans for some 5,600 additional housing units in the eastern part.

A municipal official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said those projects are only in their preliminary phases.

___

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman in Honolulu contributed to this report.
NEW YORK - Traffic in Midtown is moving a little easier today as one of the streets near Trump Tower is back open.

The NYPD has relocated its mobile command center from one corner of 56th Street to another - making way for one lane of crosstown thru traffic between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

The Mayor's Office says it made the decision to reopen the street after consulting with city agencies, the NYPD, and Secret Service.

Officials say the lane reopening will improve congestion in the area, and allow easier access for deliveries and foot traffic to nearby businesses.

Extra security measures around Trump Tower were put into effect after Donald Trump was elected President last month.

Some shops in the area have reported a loss in business of 10 to 20 percent since the election.

"He doesn't have to be here, he's making it worse, this is what he did throughout his whole campaign, made things worse," said Ty Green, concierge at the Chambers Hotel.

As for the president-elect himself, he continues to expand this White House team.

Trump has tapped Thomas Bossert to be his top homeland security and counterterrorism adviser.

He will also focus on cybersecurity.

Bossert previously served as President George W. Bushs deputy national security aide.

Trump's team also announced one of his main advisers on U-S - Israel relations will be the representative for international negotiations.

Attorney Jason Greenblatt currently serves as executive vice president and chief legal officer for the Trump Organization.

President Obama was last week criticized by President-elect Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the U-S abstaining from a United Nations Security council vote.

The UN approved a resolution, condemning Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.

Trump has urged a veto of the resolution.
I wanted to do something that wasnt about her being beautiful or a sex symbol, Ms. DiCaro said of Ms. Fisher, but about her being a woman who wasnt afraid to speak out about mental illness. She became a hero to me because of who she was off the screen more than who she was on the screen.

People who struggle with these issues often feel like theyre going it alone, Ms. DiCaro continued. But its comforting that Carrie, or Princess Leia  whos cooler than Princess Leia?  was comfortable speaking publicly about her struggles. It made me feel comfortable.

Ms. Fisher has said that she was first given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder at the age of 24, but that it wasnt until five years later that she actually accepted it. In time, she spoke often about her lifelong struggles with both addiction and bipolar disorder and her desire to erase the stigma of mental illness. She wrote her 1987 novel Postcards From the Edge after a stint in rehab following a near-fatal drug overdose. It was during her autobiographical one-woman stage show, Wishful Drinking, that she first posited the idea for Bipolar Pride Day.
The Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote there is no such uncertainty as a sure thing. There seemed to be any number of sure things this past year, from the outcome of the presidential election to how the Supreme Court would cut back on insider trading.

They turned out to be anything but what many had hoped.

Among the coming changes will be a new administration in Washington that portends a shift in the types of cases investigated and the crimes prosecuted. New leadership at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission means that the markets will have to adjust to a different view of what constitutes a violation  and perhaps a reduced emphasis on enforcement as a primary tool to regulate trading and corporate misconduct.

Another sure sign that change is coming is the seeming rush by the Justice Department to clean up the legacy of toxic mortgage-backed securities that cost investors billions of dollars. Settlements were reached last week with Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse that require the banks to pay the usual penalties and consumer relief. But the banks paid less than what the government originally sought as part of an effort to close the books before new and potentially more sympathetic leaders move into office in the next few months.

A test of whether Donald J. Trumps appointees will take as hard a line with the banks is the Justice Departments lawsuit against Barclays Bank and two of its executives. They are accused of fraud in the issuance of over $31 billion of securities that resulted in catastrophic losses after the financial crisis. By refusing to lower the demand for a hefty penalty, prosecutors left it to their successors to show how tough they will be with claims of corporate misconduct. Barclays said it would vigorously defend itself, which may be a gamble to see if it can convince the incoming leadership to drop the case or at least agree to a smaller penalty.
Law firms that advise on mergers once had to worry about a rogue employee trading on deal tips. Now, they have to worry about hackers doing the same.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have charged three Chinese citizens with making more than $4 million by trading on information they got by hacking into some of the top merger-advising law firms in New York. The three men targeted at least seven New York law firms to try to obtain information about deals in the works, according to an indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

The men were successful in hacking two firms, stealing emails of partners who work on mergers, prosecutors said. The three then bought shares of target companies, selling them after the deals were announced, prosecutors said.

Shares of targets in most such transactions tend to trade higher when a deal is announced because they are usually purchased for more than their market price.
Russias state-owned energy giant, Gazprom, said Tuesday that it had filed proposals with the European Commission aimed at resolving charges of antitrust activity.

Gazprom, which supplies a third of the European Unions gas, has been on the European Commissions radar since 2012, culminating in charges last year that it had overcharged customers in Eastern and Central Europe and blocked rivals.

Since then, Gazprom has offered concessions aimed at staving off a potential fine of up to 10 percent of its global sales.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission confirmed that regulators had received proposed commitments from Gazprom and would assess if they address, in a forward-looking manner, the commissions competition concerns in line with E.U. antitrust rules.
It was a minor tabloid scandal: a Bronx high school teacher caught having a sexual relationship with a student. She was 32. He was in high school, 17 or 18. Soon, they moved in together and she was pregnant. They bought wedding bands.

But they began to argue: about how they would raise their son when he was born; about how the student, though still a minor, drank rum. And as quickly as it had begun, the illicit relationship seemed to be over and they had resumed their separate lives at DeWitt Clinton High School, she as a science teacher, he as a student.

Over the next four years, the woman, now a former teacher  her teaching certification was revoked because of the relationship  attended graduate school and raised their son. The former student, Isaac Duran Infante, paid child support and occasionally visited, but was otherwise kept at a distance.

On Monday, the former teacher, Felicia Barahona, and the boy, Miguel, 4, were found dead in their apartment in Upper Manhattan. By Tuesday, detectives were trying to learn as much about Mr. Duran Infante as possible. And on Tuesday night, the police announced that Mr. Duran Infante, 23, had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
In a statement written for Scientific American, Dr. Faber wrote, Rubins happy family history raising four children, all of whom eventually earned their own Ph.D.s, was particularly inspiring to young females.

She was born Vera Florence Cooper on July 23, 1928, in Philadelphia, the younger daughter of Philip Cooper, an electrical engineer who worked at Bell Telephone, and Rose Cooper, who had also worked at the phone company but had to quit her job because of nepotism rules. The family moved to Washington when Vera was 10. She later said she had become entranced by astronomy from watching the stars wheel past her bedroom window.

She was drawn to Vassar College as an undergraduate because Maria Mitchell, the first American to discover a comet, had taught there. In a sign of the challenges to come, her high school science teacher told her that she would be fine in a career as long as she stayed away from science. She graduated in 1948, the sole astronomer in the class.

That year, she married Robert Rubin, who was then a graduate student in physical chemistry at Cornell. She had hoped to get a Ph.D. from Princeton, but the astrophysics graduate program did not admit women at the time and declined to send her a course catalog. So instead she went to Cornell to obtain a masters degree and finished it in 1951.

When her husband got a job at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the family moved to Washington and she enrolled at Georgetown University. She earned her Ph.D. there studying the properties and motions of distant galaxies while raising her children.

Robert Rubin died in 2008. A daughter, Judy Young, who was also an astronomer, died in 2014. Dr. Rubin is survived by her sister, Ruth Cooper Burg, a judge in Washington; her sons, Allan, David and Karl; five grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

Breaking into the field was never easy. One day in 1950 she drove with a month-old baby through a snowstorm to a meeting in Pennsylvania to deliver a paper with data, which she later decided was questionable, about the rotation of the universe, only to be chastised and humiliated by senior astronomers, she said. She fled the city and the issue of cosmology.
WASHINGTON  In a last-chance effort to shape the outlines of a Middle East peace deal, Secretary of State John Kerry plans to describe in a speech on Wednesday the Obama administrations vision of a final Israeli-Palestinian accord based on bitter lessons learned from an effort that collapsed in 2014.

A senior State Department official said that Mr. Kerry, who will be out of office in three weeks, would use his remarks to address some of the misleading critiques directed at the Obama administration. That was a clear reference to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has charged that the United States orchestrated a United Nations Security Council resolution last week condemning Israels continued building of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United States abstained from the resolution, infuriating Mr. Netanyahu.

The speech, the latest salvo in a final conflict between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Obama as Donald J. Trump prepares to assume the presidency, will make the case that the vote was not unprecedented and that Mr. Obamas decision did not blindside Israel. Mr. Kerry, the official said, would cite other cases in which Washington officials had allowed similar votes under previous presidents.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a coming speech, said Mr. Kerry would also argue that, with the notable exception of Israel, there was a complete international consensus against further settlements in areas that might ultimately be the subject of negotiations.
BUENOS AIRES  Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the Argentine former president who with her late husband dominated the countrys politics for most of this century, was indicted Tuesday on fraud and corruption charges involving huge public works projects. It was her second indictment since she left office last year.

Several members of her administration, including Julio De Vido, a former planning minister, and Jose Lopez, a former public works secretary, were also charged in the case. Lazaro Baez, a businessman long associated with Mrs. Kirchner and her husband, Nestor Kirchner, was charged, too. One of his companies, Austral Construcciones, was accused of being the beneficiary of corruption.

The former officials are accused of being part of an illegal association that operated between at least May 8, 2003, and Dec. 9, 2015, and was created to commit crimes to illegally and deliberately appropriate itself with funds that were assigned to road works, according to the indictment. The charges focus on 52 projects in the southern province of Santa Cruz, where Nestor Kirchner was governor for more than a decade until he became president of Argentina in 2003.

Julian Ercolini, a federal judge, said that Mr. Baezs company, which did not exist until shortly before Mr. Kirchner became president, was awarded contracts worth $2.97 billion. That included 15 percent surcharges above the original cost of the contracts, Judge Ercolini added.
SEOUL, South Korea  A senior North Korean official who defected to the South told reporters on Tuesday that the North viewed 2017 as the best time to advance its nuclear program because it could take advantage of leadership changes in the United States and South Korea.

The official, Thae Yong-ho, North Koreas No. 2 diplomat in London, is the most senior North Korean official to defect in nearly two decades. At a news conference with South Korean reporters  his first meeting with outside journalists since his defection in August  he cautioned that as a diplomat, he was not privy to the status of North Koreas nuclear weapons program.

Yet he said North Korea was also confident that China would not punish it too harshly for its nuclear program, out of fear that the Norths collapse would create a pro-American, unified Korea on its border.

North Korea knows this weakness of China, Mr. Thae said. As long as Kim Jong-un is in power, North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons, even if its offered $1 trillion or $10 trillion in rewards.
BUCHAREST, Romania  President Klaus Iohannis of Romania on Tuesday rejected a candidate for prime minister put forward by the countrys largest political party, a decision likely to increase a rift between the president and the parliamentary majority.

The Social Democratic Party, the countrys largest party, had asked Mr. Iohannis to nominate Sevil Shhaideh, an economist, for prime minister. Had she had been selected and confirmed, Ms. Shhaideh would have been the first woman and the first Muslim to hold the office.

Under Romanias Constitution, the president nominates the prime minister and the selection then goes to Parliament for approval.

I have carefully weighed the pro and con arguments and I have decided not to accept their proposal, Mr. Iohannis said, adding that he would ask the Social Democratic Party and its parliamentary allies to select a new candidate.
An exhibition in Berlin of artworks from the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was canceled after the museum authority in Berlin said Iran had not granted export permits for any of the works to be shipped to Germany. The Tehran Museums collection of Western modern art is widely considered to be the most important outside of North America and Europe, and this was the first time that a show of these works was to be staged outside of Iran.

These export licenses have not been signed for weeks and months, said Hermann Parzinger, president of the authority, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, in a telephone interview on Wednesday. Museums need planning, and they cannot keep the galleries free forever.

This does not mean our door is closed forever, he added. Mr. Parzinger said that he was disappointed, but not too much because inside Iran there was a discussion which never happened before on loaning artworks to the West.

As far as he knew, Mr. Parzinger said, Irans culture minister and foreign minister both backed the exhibition. All that was required was the signature of the president, Hassan Rouhani, for the export licenses to be granted, and that signature never came. The culture ministry of Iran could not immediately be reached for comment.
Most of the recordings purchased from Mr. Fass are on fragile quarter-inch acetate or mylar tape that is already deteriorating. Curators at Columbia are planning to transfer the broadcasts to digital files and have started a crowdfunding page to defray that cost.

Mr. Quimby said the show had functioned as a sort of crossroads of ideas that anticipated the unscripted communication and immediacy of contemporary social media. Indeed, Mr. Fasss listeners sometimes turned to the show to spread word of events they had just witnessed or which were about to unfold.

In 1968 callers recounted how police officers swung batons at participants in a springtime celebration organized by the Youth International Party inside Grand Central Terminal. Twenty years later callers described officers assembling at Tompkins Square Park just before a melee with people protesting a curfew there.

Mr. Fass is the longest-serving host on WBAI, which for decades has been known as an outpost for leftist politics as well as a home for a variety of arts programming. His improvisational approach is credited with helping to create free-form radio, and he has said that feeling a connection with his unseen listeners was always important to him.

Each night a steady stream of voices called into the WBAI phone lines from across a largely silent city to ask questions, offer opinions and bear witness to life in New York City. People phoned in to discuss a surprise snowfall or the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. One man called from his apartment to say that he had swallowed pills and was killing himself. Two New York City firefighters, strangely antagonistic fans of the show, called anonymously for years, telling Mr. Fass and his guests to go back to Cuba.
Our national-parks system contains a beautiful idea about preserving common space for everybody. And yet that common space has not invaded the actuality of the political reality of our society. I like to think that when we talk about a common space, it represents those who have gone before as well  including those people who died during the middle passage, coming out of Africa as slaves into this capitalist domain. So its a far-extended idea about the rights and privileges of what one could think about as a collective.

When you talk about civil rights and conservation, both have come under fire in the current political discourse. What can you say about the idea of resistance in this present moment?

I have been in dialogue with my family about what can actually be done. Weve come up with this philosophy that in a truly multicultural society, the only way to have liberty and justice for everybody is to have multiple parties. And by multiple parties, I mean 50 parties, not one or two. Were going to work in Connecticut to create another party, and were advising all our friends in whatever state they live in, to do the same thing. Because when you do that, you have the opportunity for the first time in American political history to actually share power.

Is this a party that you want to mobilize in local governance and jurisdiction?

Exactly. Essentially well do it just like people did it a long time ago. They simply came together in their homes, they started talking about these ideas that affect our society, and tried to figure out the best methods to actually change them. The only thing that makes change possible is the idea of developing some kind of institution, because the institutions will survive individuals.

Do you feel that an expression of art is inherently political?

All art is political. Yes. Even the stuff that sounds like bubble-gum songs. I think all art is by nature intended to motivate society for change, and the only reason change doesnt happen is because within the target population, courage is lacking.

When you think about the struggles that have been fought in the past, where do you place the current struggle? Do you feel more hopeful? Less hopeful?

Well, Im an optimist. I have always been, and I will continue to be. So I believe theres always a possibility of transforming or changing or doing something different. And I think that the political situation in our country is a good opportunity now to force the issue.
Captain America: Civil War, a superhero film with relatively low stakes but suggestions of political commentary, is streaming on Netflix. And Rudolf Nureyevs 1984 staging of Swan Lake, performed by the Paris Opera Ballet, is on medici.tv.

Whats Streaming

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) on Netflix. This superhero film, yet another addition to the Marvel Comics film franchise, has hints of political commentary fit for a polarizing election year. But, as A. O. Scott wrote in The New York Times, Its not so much a grand science-fiction saga, or even a series of action-adventure movies, as a very expensive, perpetually renewed workplace sitcom. Some of the Avengers are left out of the story  sorry, no Hulk or Thor  but the film does introduce the Black Panther (who is to get his own film in 2018) and a young Spider-Man.

CAFE SOCIETY (2016) on Amazon Prime. Woody Allens latest nostalgia fest plays with Depression-era Hollywood. References to long-dead actors abound, and it takes a bit of knowledge to keep up with the punch lines  which are delivered by a large cast of talented actors like Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg and Parker Posey. Its neither another example of bad, late Woody Allen nor much in the way of a return to form, A. O. Scott wrote in The Times. It is, overall, an amusing little picture, with some inspired moments and some sour notes, a handful of interesting performances and the hint, now and then, of an idea.

SWAN LAKE on medici.tv. Take a virtual trip to the Paris Opera Ballet with this broadcast of its Swan Lake, choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev (based on the enduring 19th-century version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov). In this staging, Prince Siegfried  whose mother is pressuring him to marry  seeks refuge in imagining a magical lake, where we meet our doomed female lead, Odette.
Astrid Holleeder agreed to speak with The New York Times only from a separate, secure location, and she said that she did not think she would ever be safe as long as her brother was alive.

He will not rest until were dead, she said. Its about his pride. He cannot let his little sister take him down.

Ms. Holleeder said that she wrote Judas as a kind of last will and testament for her daughter, who is 31 and has two children of her own. She said that testifying in court during the pretrial phase of the current case had so far felt ineffectual. (The trial is scheduled to begin in early 2017.)

I want to tell everything, but they havent given me the chance yet, she said. The book is just about how I feel, how we grew up, what in fact made me and my brother into the opponents that we are now.

Even when the 570-page manuscript was finished, Lebowski Publishers did not provide details of its contents to bookstores, for fear that Mr. Holleeder would try to prevent its release. But after the publisher disclosed information on a late-night television talk show the day before the books publication, the first print run of 80,000 copies sold out immediately. About 400,000 copies have been bought so far  a milestone in a country of about 17 million, where sales of 5,000 copies are considered strong.

Judas is a narrative in the present, with flashbacks to the Holleeders childhood. The account begins in January 2012, when Mr. Holleeder was released from prison after serving six years of a nine-year sentence for extortion. Astrid Holleeder said she acted as a kind of consigliere for her brother  advising him on legal matters, arranging his safe house when he got out of prison and serving as a confidante  in an effort to get close enough to obtain material that she could share with the police. She started wearing a wire in 2013, and ultimately recorded hundreds of hours of conversations with her brother.
In case you missed it, this year a bit of music history was made.

The Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen song by the Japanese comedian Kazuhito Kosaka  he is better known by his stage name Pikotaro  went from YouTube to a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. At 45 seconds, its the shortest song ever to appear on the list.

And the video has been watched more than 100 million times since its release this summer.

The songs lyrics, while not likely to win the artist a Nobel Prize in Literature, proved to be catchy: I have a pen, I have a apple. Uh! Apple pen! Many imitations have appeared online over the last months, including one by late night host Stephen Colbert.

But there is one thing I need to say: There is someone who in one of the videos actually stabs an apple with a pen, he said. Thats a waste.

Mr. Kosaka is relishing his newfound popularity, but hes wary of becoming just a one-hit wonder. Hes said he is working on new music, including one about citrus fruits.

Patrick Boehler contributed reporting.

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Are your passwords outdated? Or worse, are your devices not password-protected? Where are you storing old devices? Are your batteries optimized?

The time is now to clean up and cast out  in an environmentally friendly manner, of course.

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And dont miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a.m. Sundays.

Want to look back? Heres last nights briefing.

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TOKYO  In the months before she jumped to her death from a company dormitory last Christmas, a young employee at a Japanese advertising agency told friends on Twitter of enduring harassment and grueling long hours on the job.

Theyre making me work Saturdays and Sundays again, the employee, Matsuri Takahashi, 24, wrote in one post. I seriously want to end it all.

Its 4 a.m. My bodys trembling, she said in another. Im going to die. Im so tired.

On Wednesday, the president and chief executive of Ms. Takahashis agency, Dentsu, one of the worlds largest advertising firms, said he would resign to take responsibility for her death, as well as the larger problem of dangerously long work hours at the agency that has been laid bare in its wake. Before her suicide, Ms. Takahashi was putting in more than 100 hours of overtime a month, according to an investigation by labor authorities, much of it unreported and unpaid.

Japan has struggled for decades to tame the issue of excessive working hours and its consequences, including karoshi, the Japanese word for death from overwork, which gained currency in the 1980s.
Lella Vignelli, a designer who, with her husband, Massimo Vignelli, introduced a spare, elegant style to a wide range of products and corporate brands, attracting an international clientele, died on Dec. 22 at her home in Manhattan. She was 82.

The cause was dementia, her son, Luca, said.

Ms. Vignelli, an architect by training, brought a three-dimensional imagination to her husbands graphic-design sensibility. Together, they were a two-person design army with a shared aesthetic  sleek and intelligent  that appealed to clients eager to express a new identity or to develop products with bold, modernist lines.

After working with Italian companies like Pirelli and Olivetti in the early 1960s, the Vignellis established an American base of operations through Unimark, their corporate branding company, and, later, Vignelli Associates, which they founded in 1971, and a sister company, Vignelli Designs, which began in 1978.

The Vignellis gave American Airlines its double-A logo and Bloomingdales its signature brown paper bags. They designed brightly colored melamine dishware for Heller, stacking fiberglass chairs for Knoll and the interior of St. Peters Church  the triangular structure at the base of the building previously known as Citicorp Center in Midtown Manhattan  from the pews to the altarware to the organ.
If you are reading this at 3 a.m., chances are that James Proud wants to put you in a deep slumber.

As the inventor of the sleep-tracking device Sense, Mr. Proud has enjoyed heady success in the quickly growing sleep tech field: Senses 2014 Kickstarter campaign raised about $2.4 million even though the goal was only $100,000.

One of Mr. Prouds business partners is Arianna Huffington, who stepped away from her media empire to be the queen of lifestyle wellness.

Im fascinated by helping people live better, said Mr. Proud, 25, a British citizen who came to the United States via the Thiel Fellowship, which gives entrepreneurs $100,000 for skipping college. And sleep is the foundation of everything. So its the best place to start.

Insomnia and other temporary and recurring sleep disorders affect 50 million to 70 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the effects only worsen as people grow older. Technology, while still nascent, is an alternative for those who do not want to take sleeping pills, which can be highly addictive.
Hitting the Racks

Need a last-minute New Years Eve look? Head to the Armarium pop-up at the Plaza Hotel before the clock strikes 12. There, fashion fairy godmothers (a.k.a. Armarium stylists) have entrance-making options like a Sonia Rykiel sequin dress ($500 rental, $4,050 retail) and a gold Roberto Cavalli gown ($1,000 rental, $11,000 retail) at the ready. At 768 Fifth Avenue

Alison Lou has conversation pieces, like Mr. Potato Head ear, eye, mouth and feet wire rings (starting at $625) from a holiday collaboration with Hasbro, at its new shop. At 20 East 69th Street

The Me & Ro designer Robin Renzi crafted sterling silver engraved Joy ($105) and heart ($110) pendants for the Joyful Heart Foundation, with 100 percent of proceeds going to support the organization, which provides support to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. At 241 Elizabeth Street

Image Alison Lou rings inspired by Mr. Potato Heads body parts.

A KES raw-edge slip dress made with recycled silk ($389), available at an indie designer pop-up that also includes selections from M. Patmos and Daryl K, would be perfect if youre going to let your accessories do the talking. At 97 Crosby Street
Will you marry me?

Hundreds of thousands of potential grooms and brides pop that question every year, and yet the logistics of delivering that momentous phrase  where to do it, when to do it and how much of a surprise should it be  remains among the most important decisions anyone planning on getting married has to make.

Some of the couples whose wedding announcements were featured in the pages of The New York Times this past year, or whose weddings The Times learned about, got engaged in unusual spots  from a Manhattan rooftop to a subway construction site below the citys streets  and one proposal even involved seeking advice from President Obama. And, of course, at least several can now be found on YouTube.

Here are 10 of our most engaging stories of the year.

Mr. Litman, who first began dating Ms. Michelis in the eighth grade at the Horace Mann School in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, proposed in November 2015 in Montauk, N.Y., the entire scene captured by a drone hovering above on an unusually warm 64-degree day at the beach.

With waves rushing the shore and the Montauk Point Lighthouse in the distance, Ms. Michelis can be seen from a windblown aerial view playfully running beneath the drone before turning back to Mr. Litman. As she runs closer, he drops to his knee, engagement ring in hand. Momentarily shocked at the sight, she drops her purse as he asks her to marry him, and the two then fall into each others arms.
Im dreading the unpredictability, said John J. Lynch III, Main Lines president and chief executive.

Over all, the health law has improved the financial outlook of Pennsylvania hospitals significantly, even though the state was a year late in expanding Medicaid. The former governor, Tom Corbett, a Republican, initially balked, and the program did not expand here until 2015. Still, hospital operating margins statewide increased to about 5.5 percent on average in 2015, from 4.25 percent in 2014, according to the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The amount of care provided to patients who cannot pay dropped by 8.6 percent on average.

North Philadelphia, where Temple is based, is among the poorest neighborhoods in the nation. Many of its residents live in deep poverty, a census designation that means their income is less than half the federal poverty level of $24,300 for a family of four. That helps explain why Temple is so dependent on Medicaid revenue, and the high stakes of repeal here.

Under the health law, hospitals that served a large number of poor and uninsured patients agreed to a series of funding cuts in exchange for getting far more patients with insurance coverage. Temple has lost about $11 million so far in these federal funds, known as disproportionate share payments, Mr. Lux said.

But like other hospitals in the 31 states that expanded Medicaid under the law, it has made up that revenue in part through the Medicaid expansion. It recorded about 13,000 more visits from patients with Medicaid coverage in 2015, the first year Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid eligibility, and at least as many this year. Still, Temple is barely turning a profit: It had operating income of $3.6 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, despite revenue of $1.7 billion.

You still have a pretty fragile enterprise, Mr. Lux said, noting that Medicaid pays hospitals and doctors far less than Medicare and private insurance. Our current state of stability could be broken pretty quickly.
An anesthetic commonly used for surgery has surpassed heroin to become the deadliest drug on Long Island, killing at least 220 people there in 2016, according to medical examiners records.

The drug, fentanyl, is a synthetic opioid, which can be 100 times more potent than morphine.

The numbers from Long Island are part of a national pattern, as fentanyl fatalities have already surpassed those from heroin in other parts of the country, including New England, as its use has skyrocketed. Part of the reason for the increase is economic  because fentanyl can be manufactured in the lab, it is much cheaper and easier than cultivating heroin.

In New York City, more than 1,000 people are expected to die from drug overdoses this year  the first recorded four-digit death total in city history, according to statistics compiled by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Nearly half of all unintentional drug overdose deaths in the city since July have involved fentanyl, the health department said.

The medical examiners of Long Islands two counties, Nassau and Suffolk, compiled the new numbers. Fentanyl has surpassed heroin as the most commonly detected drug in fatal opioid overdoses, Dr. Michael J. Caplan, the Suffolk County medical examiner, said in a written statement about the statistics, which were obtained by The New York Times ahead of their release. The influx of illicitly manufactured fentanyl from overseas is a nationwide issue that requires a multidisciplinary intervention from all levels of government.
At a time when Robin Thompson said she should have been at home being an attentive mother, she was hanging out with the itinerant father of her three children on neighborhood exploits.

They wandered the streets of their neighborhood in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, bouncing from one corner to the other, one friend to the next, stopping at stoops to get drunk.

We didnt really have the money to go to bars, Ms. Thompson said.

What she did not understand then, but now sees clearly, was that pernicious forces were in control  an undiagnosed mental illness and an unwavering addiction. Ms. Thompson, 54, has begun to address them only in the past few years.

She was raised by her aunt, and grew up not really knowing her parents. Memories of elementary school are colored by depression and confusion. She said she could not understand her classmates, their words indecipherable, and she was unable to articulate her own thoughts. She did not attend high school.
Hundreds of suspicious packages in Midtown Manhattan were reported to the New York Police Department this year, but its response to one discovered at Trump Tower on Tuesday underscored the challenges and headaches that come with protecting the home of the president-elect.

Though President-elect Donald J. Trump was in Florida during the scare, the package  an abandoned backpack filled with toys  set off an evacuation that sent visitors and employees at the tower running into the streets about 4:30 p.m. and snarled traffic around the Fifth Avenue building.

The police blocked off some of New York Citys most glutted arteries at the peak of the holiday season rush. The closing lasted just over an hour, but it choked traffic for miles. City buses were diverted, hordes of pedestrians were crammed behind barricades, and stores in the area were forced to shut down.

The current heightened security awareness in this area clearly drew much more attention to yesterdays incident, Stephen Davis, a spokesman for the Police Department, said in an email on Wednesday. This was not a threat or even a mock device but rather an apparent case of a childs backpack being left inadvertently near the building.
EAST WINDSOR, N.J.  The gas masks given to me and other Soviet first graders in 1987 were hand-me-downs from World War II, made of stiff rubber and too big for our faces. They trapped moisture and reduced the world to two blurry circles bouncing in front of my face. Our teacher didnt tell us about the gas mask drill ahead of time  she simply handed out the masks, and we blindly paraded around the school before going back to our lessons. None of us bothered to ask why we were training. There was no need.

By the time my classmates and I entered first grade, we already knew that the United States and its Western allies were planning to harm us, the children of School No. 3 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The only thing left to do was to put on the gas masks.

The impending Capitalist attack was just one of countless threats a Soviet child had to be prepared for, even in the waning years of the Soviet Union. There were the standard rules for surviving a dictatorship: Dont trust anyone but family, never attract the attention of the police, always be patriotic. There were rules that applied only to Jews: Dont utter words like synagogue in public, dont share family stories with non-Jewish neighbors. Anti-Semitism waxed in accord with overall social anxiety; by 1989, it led my family and thousands of others to flee.

Myriad donts permeated Soviet life. There was little difference between dangers visible and invisible, real and superstitious. Play with a knife and youll get cut; hand a friend a knife instead of placing it down on the table for him to pick up, and your friendship will wither. You were exposed and vulnerable in public, in your apartment, in your head. The evils, the omens, the Americans working on secret weapons and the K.G.B. looking for traitors were all part of the same malevolent atmosphere.
The race for a Zika vaccine, one of the most pressing priorities in global health, is at full throttle. More than a dozen companies and government institutions are working to unlock the secrets of the virus, and a vaccine could be available as early as 2018.

But available to whom? If history is any guide, impoverished communities in Africa are likely to be the last in line. And this despite a mounting body of evidence that, contrary to the prevailing wisdom, poor families in Africa might bear the greatest burden of the disease.

Indeed, much of what we have taken for granted about Zika  that it is a threat unique to the Western Hemisphere; that it may only recently have evolved the ability to cause microcephaly and brain damage in babies; and that it hasnt hurt women and children in Africa  is now in serious doubt.

We know that Zika was first identified in Uganda, in 1947, and that the first documented urban outbreak of the virus occurred in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, in 2007. We know that African strains of Zika  which can probably be transmitted sexually and from mother to child  are present in at least 25 countries across the continent. And we know that Guinea-Bissau, the only mainland African nation to send Zika testing results to the World Health Organization in 2016, has reported three microcephalic babies with clinical data suggesting Zika exposure.
We have fought hard for an ambitious deal that reduces the risk of shootings in schools, summer camps or terrorist attacks with legally held firearms, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the commission, declared last week in hailing the proposals as a milestone for Europe. Terrorism is not the only risk linked to firearms, the commission emphasized. Over the last decade, 10,000 homicides were committed with firearms in Europe. This is just a small fraction of the more than 300,000 gun deaths in that time in the United States, where citizens own guns at far higher rates.

The final compromise did not ban all of the most dangerous semiautomatic weapons, like the AK-47, as some nations wanted, nor limit ammunition magazines to 10 cartridges for all of them. But it would require member nations to share more information to prevent gun sales in other jurisdictions after a buyer is rejected by one country. The rules also aim to control the problem of guns that are pronounced deactivated as collector items but then refitted for sale as weapons.

The European move on gun safety is not a cure-all, but it is a worthy public health initiative that deserves emulation in the United States. Congressional leaders, unfortunately, show no sign of mustering the courage of the Europeans.
How many hate crimes have been committed since the election? The short answer is, we dont know.

National data on hate crime is scarce. The F.B.I. releases annual statistics on hate crimes, but not every incident is reported to the agency. And some incidents of bias-motivated harassment or intimidation dont fit the F.B.I.s definition of a hate crime. However, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups are studying the problem with an eye to providing more comprehensive data. Below are a few things we know about trends in hate crime before and after the election, false reports and more.

According to the F.B.I., hate crimes rose in 2015.

The F.B.I. hasnt released hate crime data for 2016 yet, but in November it reported a total of 5,850 hate crimes in 2015, up from 5,479 in 2014. The biggest jump was in anti-Muslim hate crimes, which rose by 67 percent last year. Anti-Semitic crimes were up 9 percent, and anti-black crimes rose almost 8 percent.

Terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe may have stirred up anti-Muslim hatred in 2015, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. But Donald Trumps campaign promises about banning Muslims may have played an even bigger role. Whenever a politician starts attacking a particular population, said Heidi Beirich, who directs the S.P.L.C.s yearly count of hate groups, we tend to get hate crimes.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has found more than 1,000 reports of hate incidents since the election.
To the Editor:

Re A Do-It-Yourself Tack on Border Patrol (news article, Dec. 22):

Vigilante militia groups patrolling the southern border are unnecessary because we already have the largest law enforcement agency in the country  United States Customs and Border Protection  excessively deployed here along with thousands of other federal and state agents.

The vigilantes threaten everyones safety. Some militia members are fueled not by civic duty but by racial animus. While one militia may brag about not having fired a shot, others say they are hunting Mexicans and collude with Border Patrol agents providing unauthorized assistance.

There have been close calls before among law enforcement, the public and armed militia members because these gun-toting volunteers have no official oversight or training.

The border protection agency should have nothing to do with militias. They are not appropriate eyes and ears for federal law enforcement, but rather dangerous manifestations of misleading border-security rhetoric.
For a shocking glimpse of whats been happening in the name of criminal justice in America, look no further than a Justice Department report last week on police behavior in Louisiana. Officers there have routinely arrested hundreds of citizens annually without probable cause, strip-searching them and denying them contact with their family and lawyers for days  all in an unconstitutional attempt to force cooperation with detectives who finally admitted they were operating on a mere hunch or feeling.

This wholesale violation of the Constitutions protection against unlawful search and seizure by the police in Evangeline Parish, including in its largest city, Ville Platte, was standard procedure for putting pressure on citizens who the police thought might have information about crimes, according to the findings of a 20-month federal investigation. The report described as staggering the number of people who were commonly detained for 72 hours or more with no opportunity to contest their arrest, in what the police euphemistically termed investigative holds.

The sheriffs office in Evangeline, with a population of 33,578, initiated over 200 such arrest-and-grilling sessions between 2012 and 2014. In Ville Platte, which has 7,303 residents, the local police department used the practice more than 700 times during the same years. The residents faced demands for information, the report said, under threat of continued wrongful incarceration, resulting in what may have been false confessions and improper convictions.
The view was the first thing to grab Nicole Anaseness attention when she entered a 10th-floor apartment facing Central Park in 2007.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I wanted it, she said of the two-bedroom, two-bath condominium she bought that year for a little over a million in Manhattan Valley, a neighborhood that runs from West 100th to 110th Streets and from Broadway to Central Park. She was looking there because her job at the time required driving to Westchester County. Now Ms. Anasenes, 43, is chief financial officer of Squarespace, a website design company in the West Village, and her commute on the subway is as fast as 20 minutes, she said.

More than a job change has happened to Ms. Anasenes since 2007. She met and married Ernesto Iglesias, and six years ago they had a son, whom Mr. Iglesias, 42, cares for as a stay-at-home father. Ms. Anasenes said she enjoys taking their son to Central Park, for the playgrounds and for walks in its wild and unsettled northwest section. More restaurants and stores have opened in the past decade, she said, but the area still has a neighborhood feeling.

Proximity to Central Park and Morningside Park, easy access to two subway lines and an abundance of new restaurants are some of the attractions of Manhattan Valley, said Olga Zoria, an associate broker with Halstead Property. It has grown in popularity as the rest of the Upper West Side has become costlier, she said. Prices, common charges and taxes are generally much higher below 100th Street, she said.
For our Greats issue this fall, the novelist Zadie Smith talked with her friend Jeffrey Eugenides  and continually surprised him. I suppose the phrase is quite popular at the moment  check your privilege, she said. I dont think theres anybody on earth for whom that isnt true. There is no unimpeachable identity from which you can operate in the world from a position of righteousness at all times. Sometimes, at a certain moment in history, people have decided that you are close to that figure. How tempting it must be to grab it with both hands and be that person, the unimpeachable moral person of rightness and rectitude. But you know its an illusion.
When Margo Seibert joined the cast of the Broadway show In Transit this past fall and learned that the script called for an infant, she knew whod be perfect for the part: the theater veteran Twan Baker.

He made his debut in a 2009 production of Into the Woods, as the newborn offspring of the Baker and the Bakers Wife at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Since then, Twan  an 18-inch-long, 10-pound (just a guess) blue-eyed doll with an alert expression  has appeared in five Broadway shows, including Cinderella, The Bridges of Madison County and Honeymoon in Vegas. James Earl Jones cuddled him this summer in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater in an Encores! Off-Center production.

And yes, that was Twan as Marie (hes clearly versatile), the love child of George and Dot in the recent Encores! rendition of Sunday in the Park With George. (Word is hell be auditioning to join the human stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford when the show moves to Broadway in the spring.)
The Vesterbro neighborhood of Copenhagen was once a seedy part of town that was full of brothels and was not to be ventured into at night. But in the last several years, it has become home to both fledgling and established entrepreneurs who are opening quirky boutiques with interesting back stories. Many of the locally owned shops are on or near a busy thoroughfare called Istedgade, and what they sell varies from childrens clothes to home goods.

Isangs

Once a brothel, this space now sells organic and vegan hair and body products. It was opened in 2012 by a native Texan, Sundra Essien, and her Danish husband, Lasse Mulvad, offering traditional bar soaps, face cleansers, hair oils and shaving soaps, with ingredients such as olive oil, shea butter and essential oils sourced from both Danish farmers and destinations further afield, like Palestine and Ghana. Ms. Essien makes the products on-site by hand, while Mr. Mulvad designs the understated packaging.

Flensborggade 22; isangs.com; 45-5015-1520
Its not just manufacturing. Consider one innovation that could plausibly become a reality in the years ahead: trucks that drive themselves. Over time, that will make the United States economy more productive and raise incomes.

But if you are one of the 1.7 million long-haul truck drivers in the United States, making an average of $42,500 for a job that doesnt require advanced education, it should be concerning. Its plausible to imagine a majority of those jobs going away over the next decade, which will be a boon for the countless industries that rely on trucks to bring in supplies and distribute finished goods. That will raise G.D.P., the broad measure of economic growth.

But it would be daunting for any of those drivers who cant find a job with similar pay, especially during some lag period. The experience with manufacturing does not give much reason for optimism that less-educated workers will have success finding lucrative jobs after a productivity-enhancing innovation the way economics textbooks might predict.

Its possible that the next wave of productivity gains could come from industries that affect white-collar professionals more than the blue-collar workers who form the core of Mr. Trumps coalition. Think of artificial intelligence software that could one day replace doctors in diagnosing diseases (or at least make them able to serve more patients at once).

If that happens, the question will be whether those displaced workers can adapt any better than the steelworkers of 30 years ago  and if not, how to deal with masses of white-collar workers who are as disconnected from the modern economy as their blue-collar counterparts seem to be.

Need a labor force boost? Look to immigrants

More people can make more stuff. That is the simple, brutal math behind G.D.P., and its the other central challenge of reconciling Mr. Trumps economic growth ambitions with his other policy priorities. By extension, the more people there are in the United States with the desire to work, the higher the nations economic output will be.

One major factor in the sluggish growth of the last few years is that the United States labor force isnt growing the way it used to. The peak of the baby boom is nearing retirement age. And unlike in the second half of the 20th century, the proportion of women who work is stable, not rising.
Throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald J. Trump said border security would be one of his highest priorities. As he prepares to take office, he will find that many of the problems seem to come from within.

It does absolutely no good to talk about the building of walls or tougher enforcement if you cant secure the integrity of the immigration system, when you have fraud and corruption with your own employees, said an internal affairs official at the Department of Homeland Security who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Although Homeland Security employees who have been caught taking bribes represent less than 1 percent of the more than 250,000 people who work at the department, investigators say the bribes and small numbers of people arrested and charged with bribery obscure the impact corruption can have on border security and immigration enforcement.

Any amount is bad, and one person alone can do a lot of damage, said John Roth, the inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security. It doesnt have to be widespread.

Law enforcement experts say the bribing of border and immigration agents is not surprising. As security along the border has tightened with the addition of fences, drones and sensors, drug cartels and human smugglers have found it increasingly more difficult to operate.
President-elect Donald J. Trump took credit on Wednesday for a decision by Sprint to add 5,000 jobs in the United States as he tried to deliver on his promise to force corporate America to focus on job creation at home rather than abroad.

I was just called by the head people at Sprint, and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States, Mr. Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. They have taken them from other countries. They are bringing them back to the United States.

Sprint later said that the jobs were part of a previously announced commitment by Japans SoftBank, which owns a controlling stake in the mobile phone carrier, to invest $50 billion in the United States and create 50,000 positions. That announcement, made by Masayoshi Son, the chief executive of SoftBank, followed a meeting with Mr. Trump this month.

SoftBank is also a major investor in OneWeb, a satellite start-up that Mr. Trump said Wednesday would create an additional 3,000 jobs in the United States.
WASHINGTON  President Obama designated two new national monuments on Wednesday, protecting 1.35 million acres of federal land surrounding the Bears Ears Buttes in southeastern Utah and about 300,000 acres around Gold Butte in Nevada, northeast of Las Vegas.

The monuments are Mr. Obamas latest effort to protect public lands and waters from development and to nail down as much of his environmental legacy as he can before Donald J. Trump assumes the presidency on Jan. 20.

But some local residents and elected Republicans have opposed the Obama administrations extensive efforts to protect Western landscapes, calling them federal land grabs, and Utah officials voiced vehement opposition on Wednesday. The family of a Nevada rancher, Cliven Bundy, helped take over a national wildlife refuge this year in protest against such federal actions.

The new desert monuments, designated under the executive authority of the 1906 Antiquities Act, encompass Native American sites of sacred and archaeological importance, as well as wildlife habitats and hiking and hunting terrain.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay  Gen. Gregorio Alvarez, the last leader of Uruguays brutal dictatorship of the 1970s and 80s, died here on Wednesday while serving a prison sentence for human rights abuses. He was 91.

The militarys health service said he died at the Central Hospital of the Armed Forces.

Under General Alvarez, Uruguay was part of the secret alliance of South American dictatorships known as Operation Condor, in which military leaders cooperated in persecuting and killing one anothers dissidents.

General Alvarez, himself the son of a general, participated in the 1973 coup that dissolved Uruguays legislature amid a government crackdown on the Marxist Tupamaro rebels, who were trying to seize power. One of General Alvarezs brothers had been killed by Tupamaro attackers in 1972.

General Alvarez became chief of the army in 1978 and president in 1981. His government imprisoned democratic critics and censored the news media.
The case of a Tibetan entrepreneur who was detained after being featured in an article and video by The New York Times has taken an unusual turn, with Chinese prosecutors asking a court for more time to investigate as the judges were weighing a trial.

The prosecutors had sent the case against Tashi Wangchuk, 31, who is accused of inciting separatism, to the Yushu Intermediate Court in Qinghai Province in September. But this month, they asked the court to send the case back to them for further investigation, according to a judge and a defense lawyer.

The move is very rare, the lawyer, Lin Qilei, said in an interview. Prosecutors expect the additional investigation, which is likely to be carried out by the police, to be finished by Jan. 4, Mr. Lin said.

It is unclear what the development may signal about whether the court will accept the case against Mr. Tashi, a businessman who has advocated Tibetan language education on a personal blog and in interviews with The Times. If the court accepts the case for trial, Mr. Tashi, who has said he is not a separatist, will almost certainly be convicted.
SYDNEY, Australia  Christmas and New Year in Australia typically involve barbecues, beaches and beer.

But a Christmas Day celebration that drew more than 10,000 people has led to a suspension of that tradition on Coogee Beach in the Sydney suburb of Randwick, where officials estimate that revelers left behind more than 16 tons of garbage. The City Council banned alcohol on the beach for the rest of the Australian summer.

Im a local, and in all my time here Ive never seen anything like it, Tony Waller, president of the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, told Channel 7, adding that the club used four oxygen cylinders and 15 resuscitation masks to treat drunken partygoers.

By late evening, it got so bad that we let the shark alarm off three times to try to get the swimmers out of the water, we had such grave concerns for them, Mr. Waller said. They were all intoxicated.
PARIS  In an unexpected move, President Francois Hollande of France granted a full pardon on Wednesday to a woman who had been sentenced to prison for murdering her husband after decades of domestic abuse.

The woman, Jacqueline Sauvage, was found guilty by a criminal court in 2014 of shooting her husband, Norbert Marot, three times in the back with a hunting rifle in 2012. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The president of the republic has estimated that Ms. Sauvages place was no longer in prison, but with her family, said a statement from the presidents office announcing her full pardon. Mr. Hollande had commuted part of her sentence in January.

Ms. Sauvage was released from a prison near Paris within hours of the announcement.

Im deeply shaken, I wasnt expecting it, Carole Marot, one of Ms. Sauvages daughters, told French radio. An infinite thanks to the president of the republic.
The state also adamantly opposes methadone for drug addicts, sometimes denigrated as a narcoliberal scheme. In other countries, methadone programs are used both to treat and to monitor patients infected by intravenous needles.

The emphasis on traditional values dismays those fighting the disease. Traditional values just means leaving everything as it is, Mr. Pokrovsky said. If we have traditional values and do nothing, the epidemic will keep spreading.

Compounding the problems, the federal government has tried to silence organizations that challenged its policies, labeling them foreign agents for receiving grants from abroad, forcing some to close.

The Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice, which hands out free needles and condoms in southern Moscow, now has to staple a small label to its plastic bags saying Foreign Agent as required by law. Recipients said they could not care less, but it means that the foundation cannot work with government organizations.

H.I.V. is not a personal problem, it is a social problem, and it should be solved as a social problem, Elena Plotnikova, who works for the foundation, said as she handed out supplies. The basic attitude of the government is: You made a bad decision and we are not going to help you.

N.G.O.s are considered crucial to reaching populations that avoid government contact, including drug addicts, prostitutes and gay men. Help varies widely from city to city. St. Petersburg is perhaps the most enlightened, treating all comers to its clinic and sponsoring an advertising campaign.

Dr. Vinogradova and Mr. Skvortsov appear together on one poster encouraging people to get tested. The couple is startlingly open about their sex life, stressing that his being on antiviral drugs means that she remains H.I.V. negative even though they do not use condoms.

In the poster, wearing navy blue shirts, they stare into each others eyes. I know that there are no barriers to my love, reads the text. H.I.V. is not an obstacle to creating a family; its possible to live a long life with H.I.V.
Mr. Netanyahu wrote a quick response: President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel! He included American and Israeli flag emoji at the end of the message.

The housing units scheduled for Wednesdays vote had been on the agenda since before the United Nations resolution, and for their part, Jerusalem officials had vowed to proceed with the new homes as a show of defiance. The deputy mayor, who leads the planning committee, has said they would be the first installment on 5,600 additional homes in East Jerusalem, and he promised not to be deterred by the United Nations.

What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process.

Even as attention focused primarily on the postponement of the initial 618 units, an advocacy group critical of Israeli settlement policy noted that the same municipal committee on Wednesday approved a four-story building on a vacant plot in East Jerusalem as part of what it called a takeover campaign by a settler organization. Hundreds of Palestinian residents face possible eviction, according to the group, known as Ir Amim.

Mr. Netanyahu was so angry about the United Nations resolution that he summoned the American ambassador to castigate the Obama administration and retaliated against other members of the Security Council by canceling diplomatic visits, recalling envoys and cutting back financial aid.

In the hours before the vote, he told the foreign minister of New Zealand, one of the sponsors of the resolution, that its passage would be a declaration of war against Israel, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

At least one member of Mr. Netanyahus cabinet suggested that some people in the prime ministers party were worried about going too far in attacking the United States, which, under Mr. Obama, just agreed to a record $38 billion, 10-year security aid package.

Yisrael Katz, who is both the transportation minister and the intelligence minister, echoed Mr. Netanyahus criticism of what he called an extreme step by the Security Council but added that Israel needed the United States and must treat it with respect.
A replica of Hitlers bunker in Berlin. It was built about a mile from the original site by a private company, Historiale, which also runs the Berlin Story Museum next door.

Credit... Gordon Welters for The New York Times
Three stranded teenage boys from California called 911 and calmly sat atop a capsized boat before being rescued from waters off the Florida Keys, authorities said Wednesday.

Monroe County Sheriffs spokeswoman Becky Herrin says Zack Sowder and Brent Shishido, both 18, and Jacob Sowder, 16  all of Orange County  were perched on the overturned hull, their life jackets trapped under the 22-foot vessel, when help arrived Tuesday.

Marine Deputy James Hagar spotted the teens in waters about 2 1/2 miles off the coast and brought them safely ashore in his patrol boat. A photo released by the sheriffs office showed the teens seated on a small section of the hull that still jutted above the waters.

Fortunately they knew their rough location. They were lucky they had a cell signal, sheriffs officials wrote on their Facebook page.

Hagar had just taken his boat out of the water around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday when he got the call about the stranded teenagers.

He quickly put the boat back in the water, Herrin said in a statement.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator David Bingham joined Hagar in the search for the boys. They spent some time looking, but they found the three boys and loaded them on board the patrol boat, bringing them safely back to shore, Herrin said.

The teens had anchored the 22-foot rented boat on the Atlantic side of Little Torch Key, which is some 30 miles north of Key West.

Later Tuesday, Zack Sowder showed his sense of humor on social media.

Make sure your bilge works before you run five miles offshore and realize its too late, Zack Sowder tweeted Tuesday night, along with two photos from the scene. Other than that great day on the water.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals recently warned that he might soon find Sheriff Sandra Hutchens in contempt of court for the prolonged lag in the Orange County Sheriffs Departments compliance with a discovery order he made 200 weeks, or 1,400 days, ago in the trial of Scott Dekraai.

Goethals statement came just a day after the U.S. Justice Department announced its commencement of an investigation into allegations that the Sheriffs Department and Orange County District Attorneys office violated the constitutional rights of defendants by using jailhouse informants to elicit incriminating statements from suspects and failed to disclose evidence to defendants about doing so.

In response, the Sheriffs Department referred us to a statement released Dec. 5, announcing its release of thousands of pages of documents  including entire pages that were redacted without court approval. This is the type of discovery response that the court has come to expect from the sheriff, Goethals said in response to what he called a document dump.

The department claims it has made a deliberate effort to locate any records or documents related to jail classification and special handling, and has searched through hundreds of thousands of files in an attempt to comply with court orders and discovery requests. It, further, contended that it is conducting its own investigation related to the jailhouse scandal.

However, with multiple ongoing investigations  by the feds, the state attorney general and the countys grand jury  and the determinations of both an appeals court and superior court judge that the rights of suspects have been violated, Goethals most recent statements reinforce a troubling view of the department.

According to reporting by the Register, Deputy County Counsel Kevin Dunn, who represents the Sheriffs Department, has said that some deputies are invoking their Fifth Amendment rights to avoid self-incrimination, hindering efforts to comply with court orders in timely fashion.

None of this speaks well to the fundamental integrity of an agency charged with the responsibility of enforcing the law. We can only call on the department to do what it can to fully comply with its obligations.
It was a hot summers night in 1992, a year when nightclubs throughout the country were blaring Sir Mix-a-Lots Baby Got Back and Kris Kross Jump. Crop tops and high-waisted jeans were all the rage. At a La Habra club, then 17-year-old Rosa Pena-Juarez and a group of friends used fake IDs to sneak inside. As the hours melted away, the group became separated. Most passed the time sharing dances and carefree laughs. But the evening didnt end happily for everyone.

One of the girls, who had overindulged, was escorted out of the club by security after becoming a bit rowdy. The girl found herself standing alone on a curb, where a stranger offered her a ride home.

The next morning, her friends learned the girl had been raped before being dropped off.

It was horrible, recalled Pena-Juarez, a now 42-year-old mother of two who lives in Costa Mesa. To know her and who she was, was just crazy. I thought, That is just wrong. That is not supposed to happen. 

Underage drinking continues to have devastating consequences throughout the country. Binge drinking is responsible for the deaths of more than 4,300 underage kids every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, teens who drink are still in the minority. A CDC study revealed that in 2013, 35 percent of high school students consumed alcohol; of those teens, 21 percent admitted to binge drinking.

Experts say that with some strategic planning and effective communication, parents can guide their children toward making smart and responsible decisions.

Talk to your kids about how alcohol is not a good solution to lifes problems, said Randy Haveson, an Aliso Viejo-based public speaker and author of Party With A Plan: The Guide to Low Risk Drinking.

I dont think theres anything wrong with alcohol, but its important for people to wait until after theyre 21 to begin drinking.

Take it from Haveson. He has a masters degree in counseling and, jokingly adds, a Ph.D. in personal experience.

Haveson, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, began drinking and using marijuana around age 16. He was doing cocaine by age 17. By the time he reached college, his troubles had completely taken hold.

I crossed that line into addiction and I became a full-blown cocaine addict, marijuana addict and alcoholic, he recalls. I got kicked out of college and fired from a job delivering pizza. My life was a complete mess. I hit bottom.

Fortunately, Haveson recovered from his addictions and turned his experiences into a formidable public-speaking career. While he continues his work influencing positive teen behavior, he has plenty of advice for parents too.

Adults should never glorify their own underage drinking, he said, and never be permissive of teen drinking. Of course, they should also serve as good role models for their children.

Theres no way you can say to a kid, do as I say, not as I do. Theyre going to be following your actions, not your words, he said. Its really important to set a good example.

Jay Jameson, a Laguna Hills-based psychotherapist, works with teens and families who have struggled with alcohol use. Though he said underage drinking has shifted a bit since the legalization of medical marijuana, its still an issue for many Orange County families. He said teens who drink are now favoring hard alcohol.

They have very little experience with it so they go way overboard, he said. Theyll binge drink and end up getting sick or alcohol poisoning.

When talking to kids about alcohol use, Jameson said, parents must be terribly careful with their wording. They should verbalize the importance of moderation and healthy drinking, he said, while making it clear that they dont condone underage drinking.

Jameson regularly hears from parents who have repeatedly caught their son or daughter drinking. Parents whose children have been repeatedly caught drinking would be wise to book a consultation, he said, to ensure their behavior doesnt spiral out of control.

You dont want some kind of addiction to take hold, he said, adding that young people suffering from depression can be especially susceptible to the consequences of alcohol.

Today, Pena-Juarez uses her friends experience as a tale of caution for her 21-year-old daughter, Stephanie.

Although she would prefer her daughter abstain from alcohol, she has educated her on how to consume responsibly.

She has taught her about the importance of forging genuine relationships with others, for example. Pena-Juarez also created a culture of trust with her daughter, and encourages her to call home for a ride anytime, with no questions asked.

I want you to go out, I want you to have a good time, she recalls telling her daughter. I just want you to come back and be safe and I dont want you to have horrible, tormenting experiences.

Meanwhile, Havesons website, risespeaker.com, contains more information on how he can help teens and their families.
New flights and a surging economy helped Orange Countys airport continue its record-setting pace of servicing passengers in September.

John Wayne Airport saw a 5.2 percent uptick in passengers compared with the same month a year ago.

Comparing Septembers, the airport served 867,073 passengers this year vs. 824,125 in 2015.

Relatively new flights into Mexico helped boost international passenger traffic 25.5 percent, John Wayne spokeswoman Deanne Thompson said.

Alaska Airlines added flights to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta in October and November 2015. Southwest added flights to Puerto Vallarta in June 2015 and to Los Cabos in late 2015.

Commercial aircraft operations increased 12.4 percent; total aircraft operations increased 8.3 percent compared with last year.

The airlines that served the most customers in September were Southwest Airlines (384,248), American Airlines (134,661) and United Airlines (114,750).

But those numbers likely will change as the airport shuffles seat allocations in the new year.

Southwest will lose seven daily flights and nearly 1 million passenger seats in 2017.

Gone will be its flights to Mexico City, which end Jan. 4. Flights to Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; Portland, Ore.; St. Louis; and Seattle will end Jan. 14; and flights to Puerto Vallarta end April 25.

Southwest added flights to those destinations, plus Chicago, just last year.

Despite the dip in flights, the airline still will offer 50 daily departures from JWA.

Thompson previously told the Register that in the past, unused capacity from other carriers was used by Southwest. Other carriers, including Delta, United and Alaska, requested additional capacity for 2017, leaving fewer supplemental seats for Southwest.

JWA could not provide details yet on where the new seat allocations might fly.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
LAGOS, Nigeria  Kidnapped girls freed from more than two years of captivity by Boko Haram Islamic extremists were prevented by Nigerian officials from spending Christmas at home with their families, relatives and a lawyer said Tuesday.

The news raised questions about Nigerias handling of the 21 girls freed in October by negotiation with Boko Haram. Nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from school in the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped within hours, but 219 remain captive.

Those freed in October had been held for trauma counseling in Abuja, the capital.

They demanded to spend Christmas at home. Human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe said the girls reached Chibok on Christmas Eve but were held at a legislators house.

Parents said they were taken to see their daughters, and the girls who were not allowed to go home or to a church service.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia  Quietly, earlier this year, the number of Russians who have received a positive HIV diagnosis passed the 1 million mark, with little indication that the government will commit adequate resources to stem the acceleration of the virus from high-risk groups into the general population.

About 850,000 Russians carry HIV and an additional 220,000 have died since the late 1980s, said Vadim Pokrovsky, the longtime head of the Moscow-based Federal AIDS Center, who estimated that at least another 500,000 cases of HIV have gone undiagnosed.

Although the label epidemic prompts denials from some senior officials, experts on the front lines like Pokrovsky are calling it just that. The number of victims constitutes about 1 percent of Russias population of 143 million, enough to be considered an epidemic, they argued. Beyond that, they said that heterosexual sex would soon top intravenous drug use as the main means of infection.

This can already be considered a threat to the entire nation, Pokrovsky said, noting that the caseload is increasing by about 10 percent a year. In 2016, 100,000 new infections are anticipated, about 275 daily. It is the largest HIV epidemic in Europe and among the highest rates of infection globally.

Despite the grim milestone, experts do not expect much change in Russia, where victims still face the kind of stigma prevalent in the 1980s in the West and where continuing trench warfare between the Kremlin and independent nongovernmental organizations saps collective efforts. In addition, some prominent voices push family values as the ideal prevention program.

In many ways, Russias fight against HIV is a case study in the constant tension between civil society and a Kremlin under President Vladimir Putin; public activity outside government control is considered inherently suspect. Tensions heightened this year after the Justice Ministry blackballed a number of bantam NGOs involved in combating HIV/AIDS as foreign agents because they received grants from abroad.

Anton Krasovsky, a prominent talk show host fired in January 2013 after coming out as gay on air, says he has spent his personal savings building an NGO that tries to bridge that divide.

Since we are not talking about fighting Putin, but fighting a virus, people have to understand that they can fight this virus only if they are on the same side as Putin, Krasovsky said. It is impossible to change the situation without coming to some kind of an agreement.

The president has remained largely silent on HIV. Overall, activists said, the combination of indifference toward victims, government financial austerity, hostility toward foreign funds and a powerful camp of AIDS deniers all amounts to the lack of a coherent national effort.

Experts criticized a new, rather vague Russian government strategy on fighting HIV that was released in October for lacking a plan of execution or any new money.

Despite that, both sides in the HIV battle agree that Russia has made some progress. The fact that a national strategy exists  as well as an advertising program promoting HIV tests backed by Svetlana Medvedeva, the wife of the prime minister  at least implies some high-level interest.

In St. Petersburg, one married couple, Dr. Tatiana N. Vinogradova and Andrei Skvortsov, straddles the government-NGO divide on the issue.

Vinogradova is a third-generation HIV warrior. Her grandmother, an infectious-diseases specialist, treated one of the first patients in St. Petersburg in the late 1980s and pushed the city to establish an AIDS Center. Vinogradovas mother ran it, and she herself is now its deputy head of scientific research.

Skvortsov, wiry, scrappy and HIV positive  a reformed drug addict and ex-convict  runs a small NGO called Patients in Control. It was founded in 2010 to try to cajole, pressure and embarrass both federal and local governments into providing government-guaranteed treatment.

At the St. Petersburg AIDS Center, Vinogradova, 41, has seen the prevalence among drug addicts shrink while cases among heterosexual couples soar.

Calling it an epidemic would be akin to admitting that the government let the problem get out of control over the past 30 years, she said, explaining why the government avoids the term. But she uses the national strategy and any official statements she can find to try to wring more money out of politicians. This is Russia, so everything has to be top down to get anything done.

The couple has tried to use their marriage to help break the stigma that the disease is an untreatable plague limited to drug addicts, homosexuals or others likely to die anyway.

I watch people jump back a meter when he says he is living with HIV, Vinogradova said, with older medical professionals particularly still fearful despite the raft of evidence that anyone taking antiviral drugs is not infectious. Now whenever I hear about HIV discrimination, I take it as a personal offense.

When her husband needed an operation last year to repair a collarbone broken in a motorcycle accident, the surgeon refused after discovering his HIV status. Skvortsov, 37, recently appeared on a talk show with Evgeniya Prokhoda, an HIV activist in the southern city of Krasnodar, and one of the first Russians to speak about carrying the virus on national television without hiding her face.

She detailed the gantlet of fear and discrimination she had faced, including when authorities put her son in an orphanage for about a year after her own mother sued to have him removed from home. The day after she appeared on television, Prokhoda was fired.

Activists and experts always come back to the lack of government support as the root problem.

Under World Health Organization guidelines, to reduce the spread of the disease, at least 90 percent of HIV-positive patients should receive antiviral drugs.

In Russia, a little more than 37 percent receive such treatment, according to government statistics. The prevention programs are not working, the coverage is not sufficient to break the curve, said Vinay P. Saldanha, the UNAIDS regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Russia is among five countries that account for almost half the new infections globally; the others are South Africa, Nigeria, India and Uganda, according to UNAIDS figures, although in some of them, a much higher percentage of the overall population is infected.

Most of the $338 million annual Russian federal HIV budget is spent on medicine, and almost nothing goes to preventive education. Veronika Skvortsova, the health minister, who is not related to Andrei Skvortsov, has repeatedly called expanding treatment programs a government priority. After a deep recession, however, little new money has materialized.

At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Church and some politicians promote conservative values as the best way to combat HIV.

Patriarch Kirill called for moral education, stressing that the establishment of family values, ideals of chastity and marital fidelity should be at the forefront of curbing the virus.

Both the government and the church staunchly oppose sex education for children. One senior government official stated that classical literature was the best teacher.

The state also adamantly opposes methadone for drug addicts, sometimes denigrated as a narcoliberal scheme. In other countries, methadone programs are used both to treat and to monitor patients infected by intravenous needles.

The emphasis on traditional values dismays those fighting the disease. Traditional values just means leaving everything as it is, Pokrovsky said. If we have traditional values and do nothing, the epidemic will keep spreading.

Compounding the problems, the federal government has tried to silence organizations that challenged its policies, labeling them foreign agents for receiving grants from abroad, forcing some to close.

The Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice, which hands out free needles and condoms in southern Moscow, now has to staple a small label to its plastic bags saying Foreign Agent as required by law. Recipients said they could not care less, but it means that the foundation cannot work with government organizations.

HIV is not a personal problem, it is a social problem, and it should be solved as a social problem, Elena Plotnikova, who works for the foundation, said as she handed out supplies. The basic attitude of the government is: You made a bad decision, and we are not going to help you.

NGOs are considered crucial to reaching populations that avoid government contact, including drug addicts, prostitutes and gay men. Help varies widely from city to city. St. Petersburg is perhaps the most enlightened, treating all comers to its clinic and sponsoring an advertising campaign.

Vinogradova and Skvortsov appear together on one poster encouraging people to get tested. The couple is startlingly open about their sex life, stressing that his being on antiviral drugs means that she remains HIV negative even though they do not use condoms.

In the poster, wearing navy blue shirts, they stare into each others eyes. I know that there are no barriers to my love, reads the text. HIV is not an obstacle to creating a family; its possible to live a long life with HIV.
No industry is more vital to the finances of vast numbers of Californians than real estate. With homes and buildings the largest assets of millions of families in this state, its vital that the agents and brokers who buy and sell property do so with integrity.

That means telling buyers all known flaws in any home or building theyre considering. It means giving them honest information about square footage of buildings and land. It means refusing to drive client buyers into panicked situations where they become so desperate they bid far above appraised values and asking prices.

Thats common practice for most brokers, but sometimes it has gone by the wayside in deals where the same agent or brokerage company represents both buyer and seller.

Such breaches of what should be common-sense ethics have now drawn the ire of the California Supreme Court in a decision based on the state Constitution. The decision in a case known as Horiike v. Coldwell Banker, handed down late last fall and overshadowed in news coverage by post-election turmoil and President-elect Donald Trumps transition process, may be the most important from the state high court in decades.

That ruling stemmed from millions of dollars worth of omissions held back from a Hong Kong businessman who in 2007 purchased a beachfront Malibu mansion with sweeping ocean views for $12.25 million. Two years later, he learned the four-bedroom, 5.5-bath house he thought contained 15,000 square feet actually held less than 10,000  more than one-third under what hed been told.

Hiroshi Horiike spoke only Chinese and Japanese and felt fortunate when he found an agent who could communicate with him in Japanese. He didnt know it was important that the seller was also represented by another agent of the same brokerage.

The agent for the seller, court papers said, used public records to learn that the manse actually had a living area of 9,434 square feet, plus a guesthouse, a garage and a basement that brought the total area to approximately 15,000 square feet of living space, as one listing for the property put it. At a showing, the agent gave Horiike a flier advising in small print that Broker/Agent does not guarantee the accuracy of the square footage.

When he got a building permit for some remodeling two years later, Horiike noticed a lower square footage number and sued the brokerage, which had a legal duty to pursue the best interests of the buyer as well as the seller, because both agents worked for the same company.

It took more than seven years for the case to be decided in Horiikes favor by the states highest court, which set a precedent for all other cases where agents from the same brokerage represent both buyer and seller.

The ruling means Horiike, whose damage claim against both the sellers agent and the brokerage, can return to trial court, where his case was rejected years ago. Now hell be able to seek millions of dollars in both actual and punitive damages because the house he bought was not even two-thirds as large as advertised.

Others who feel similarly wronged or deceived will also be able to sue. But the decision still leaves agents and brokerage firms able to legally represent both buyer and seller in any given transaction. They merely have to disclose all the information they possess to the buyer  amazingly, not previously part of their obligations.

This obvious-seeming duty may create new paperwork for agents, who will probably have to give more details than before to prospective buyers. But it also offers large new protections to homebuyers across California, who often use proceeds from selling one house to buy another.

It will assure more honesty, not just when billionaires buy mansions in Malibu or Marin County, but also for buyers of far smaller homes in Fontana, Redwood City, Madera, Auburn and every other California locale.

Its a bit of relief in an era when almost every appeals court and regulatory agency favors business interests over the customers theyre supposed to serve.

Thomas D. Elias is a writer in Southern California. tdelias@aol.com
A Newport Beach attorney allegedly defrauded investors wanting to participate in EB-5 immigration investor programs, using their money to buy a yacht and further his other businesses, according to a suit filed Tuesday by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Emilio Francisco is accused of raising $72 million from investors in China through his marketing firm PDC Capital Group. The money was to be invested in restaurants, assisted-living facilities and renovating a production facility for environmentally friendly agriculture and cleaning products.

Francisco, the SEC alleges, diverted investor funds from one project to another and stole at least $9.6 million to finance his own business and lifestyle.

EB-5 foreign investors can apply to permanently live and work in the U.S. if they invest in projects that create American jobs.

Franciscos PDC Capital and 20 other businesses are charged with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The SEC is seeking to freeze its assets.

Costa Mesa-based PDC Capital could not be reached for comment.

The SEC wants Francisco and his companies banned from soliciting EB-5 investments and to pay investors back.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
I have now been president of Chapman University for three months, and I can offer a few initial thoughts on this new opportunity in my life. To begin with, I found nothing surprising in the job. Probably because I had already served at Chapman for ten years, I was happy to realize that the job was exactly as I had expected it, and that the challenges I was in charge of addressing were not different from what I was led to believe.

As I prepared for my first board meeting two months ago, and my second board meeting just yesterday, I saw how true we are to our commitment that puts the students at the core of all we do at Chapman. As I was readying my slides for my presentations, I became more and more aware of the fact that we really are, as we like to claim, a student-centered institution.

This means that everything we do is evaluated, discussed and implemented on the basis of how it may improve or even dramatically alter the experience of our students. I will offer here a few examples of this dedication, and of how this principle can truly create programs that could become models for other institutions as well.

This year we are putting the finishing touches on a new program that our Schmid College of Science will launch in the fall of 2017, which we refer to as the Grand Challenges Initiative. In the words of Schmid College Dean Andrew Lyon, the program is designed to mentor and grow the next generation of leaders through a curriculum that develops outstanding problem-solving skills in the context of the grand, interdisciplinary challenges facing us today. The leaders we train will thereby be well-prepared to push the boundaries of our knowledge and drive technological innovation.

This means that our students will not simply take a sequence of classes, but will be guided, for the entire period they spend at Chapman, by the desire and the drive to solve a very specific  and highly complex  grand challenge. Quoting Dean Lyon again: It is this approach that provides our students with a modern view of problem-solving in our technologically focused world. Our students are encouraged to partner with faculty in research, and to experience the exhilaration of making new discoveries, or developing advanced software and hardware tools.

This approach, this desire to create an inextricable link between research and teaching, between learning and discovering, is also at the foundation of another remarkable interdisciplinary endeavor that will begin in fall 2017, under the leadership of a joint team composed of Nobel laureate Vernon Smith and his collaborators Bart Wilson (faculty in the Argyros School of Business and Economics and Fowler School of Law, and member of the Economic Science Institute), Jan Osborn (faculty in the English department) and Keith Harding (faculty in the philosophy department). These faculty, who will be the founding members of the new Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy, will reintegrate the study of the humanities and economics in the spirit of Adam Smith.

These two programs (for both of which we have run pilots in the last couple of years) are connected by the desire to recombine, in the words of Vernon Smith, research and undergraduate education as a discovery process. Because, ultimately, there can be no learning unless there is discovery, and there can be no real education, unless research is part of that equation.

What is remarkable, in Chapmans approach, is the deliberate way in which we are now not simply supporting the integration of research and teaching, but in fact developing new programs whose essence, structure, and design are informed by this philosophy.

And this leads me to the last point I want to make. One of my dreams, since my arrival at Chapman University, has been the establishment of a school of engineering. This is not a dream based in personal or institutional ambition, but rather in the recognition of the importance, for the development of the economy of our nation, of offering high-quality engineering education to our youth. Despite the fact that there are several schools of engineering in California, the gap between excellent students who apply for admission to such schools and those who find a spot is alarming, and creates a void that needs to be filled.

And so, with the support of our Provost Glenn Pfeiffer, Vice-President for Research Tom Piechota, and Dean Lyon, we are now in the early stage of thinking what kind of school we could create here at Chapman. In our early meetings, as well as in discussions with deans from other engineering schools, we have moved toward the idea of another unit centered on the themes of grand challenges.

It is easy to imagine a Chapman University School of Engineering, small in size, but huge in ambition, that will develop engineers trained in teamwork, discovery and problem solving skills; qualities that will make them the best in their professions and a real asset to the nation.

Chapman University has moved upward dramatically over the past 25 years  and we are certainly not slowing down now!
Officer Tamara Valle of the Fort Worth Police Department in Texas received a call Monday: A fight had broken out in the food court of the nearby Hulen Mall, and 200 teenagers were running, screaming and fighting. Shopkeepers were going into lockdown, slamming their gates shut with customers still inside.

As Valle drove to the mall, she received another message: At least four or five similar scenes were unfolding hundreds of miles away from Texas, on the East Coast.

By the time the night was over, at least 15 fights had broken out at malls across the United States, cropping up in shopping centers spanning from Connecticut to Arizona. Videos posted to social media showed throngs of teenagers twisting like tornadoes through malls in Tennessee and Ohio, running to and fro as bystanders pulled out their phones and, in some cases, uploaded the images to the world.

Officers at several departments suspect that the episodes were loosely organized on social media, though they cant prove it yet. In Aurora, Colo., police heard through an anonymous tip that a Facebook post had told of a fight at The Town Center mall.

We havent actually seen the post, Sgt. Chris Amsler, a spokesman with the Aurora Police Department, said in an interview. We dont know whether thats true whether or not that exists.

Other officers, like Capt. Gary Haba of the Beachwood Police Department in Beachwood, Ohio, believe the more likely common thread is that teenagers have too much time on their hands during the holiday break, and just enough freedom to head to the nearest shopping center  especially if they think theyll encounter a lively scene.

I dont think theres Dr. Evil sitting around in some chair somewhere directing everybody to do this, Haba said Tuesday. It just seemed like kids showed up and they were waiting to start seeing some mayhem.

The day before, the Beachwood Police had responded to a fight at Beachwood Place, an upscale shopping mall. Officers estimated that around 500 people, mostly teenagers, were involved. Police officers from at least three surrounding jurisdictions worked for more than an hour to corral people and push them outside.

At least one officer used pepper spray to subdue people who were fighting, and one juvenile was arrested and accused of pushing a police officer, Haba said.

Some 560 miles away, a similar situation was unfolding at The Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester, Connecticut. Hundreds of teenagers were mobbing the mall and stores, forcing the mall to close early.

Even the officers that were up there sensed that something was different before a fight broke out, Capt. Christopher Davis, a spokesman with the Manchester Police Department, said in a phone interview. They just sensed that something was in the air, per se, that something didnt seem right.

At that mall, Davis said that so many teenagers had arrived that additional city buses had to be called in to transport all of them home. Five juveniles and two adults were arrested for fighting or interfering with police officers, he said.

The day after Christmas is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, luring shoppers who seek to return unwanted stocking stuffers, swipe their new gift cards and search for after-holiday sales.

For some officers, the chaos took on the characteristics of so-called flash mobs, gatherings loosely organized on social media with the express purpose of causing mayhem. Unseasonably warm weather in some places may have played a role, too, police speculated. It was around 65 degrees in Indianapolis, where fights broke out at Castleton Square Shopping Center.

Its not uncommon for mayhem to take place on Dec. 26. On that day in 2013, more than 300 teenagers gathered at Kings Plaza in Brooklyn, where they fought, yelled and slammed shop doors.

This year, mall employees across the country were busy posting to Facebook on Monday night, advising that hours had been changed and stores had closed. Requests to companies that own or lease several of the malls, including Simon Property Group, CBL & Associates Properties and General Growth Properties, did not respond to request for comment Tuesday.

In total, fights were reported in at least a dozen states, with two episodes in Connecticut and three in Tennessee. Fights were also reported at malls in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Arizona, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado and Texas. And a fight that broke out at Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island resulted in more than 70 calls placed to 911 by people who mistakenly thought theyd heard gunshots, according to a CBS affiliate in New York.

A little bit of mischief can escalate into a full-scale police response: In Fort Worth, reports of shots being fired coincided with the mobs and fights, Valle said, leading to responses from the SWAT team and the departments gang investigation unit. But no one was arrested, and about an hour later, the chaos had subsided.

Parents arrived to pick their children up from the curbside, and others caught buses home.
JERUSALEM  Doubling down on its public break with the Obama administration, a furious Israeli government on Tuesday said it had received ironclad information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft last weeks U.N. resolution declaring Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal.

The allegation, which was denied by the State Department, further poisoned a toxic atmosphere between Israel and the outgoing administration in the wake of Fridays vote, raising questions about whether the White House might take further action against settlements in President Barack Obamas final weeks in office.

With the U.S. expected to participate in an international peace conference in France next month and Secretary of State John Kerry planning a final policy speech Wednesday, the Palestinians hope to capitalize on the momentum. Israels nationalist government is banking on the incoming Trump administration to undo the damage with redoubled support.

Although the U.S. has long opposed the settlements, it has generally used its Security Council veto to protect its ally from censure. On Friday, it abstained from a resolution calling settlements a flagrant violation of international law, allowing it to pass by a 14-0 margin.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a cool relationship with Obama, called the resolution shameful and accused the U.S. of playing an active role in its passage.

On Tuesday, his spokesman went even further.

We have ironclad information that emanates from sources in the Arab world and that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage, David Keyes said. Were not just going to be a punching bag and go quietly into the night.

He did not identify the Arab sources or say how Israel obtained the information. Israel has close security ties with Egypt, the original sponsor of last weeks resolution who, as the lone Arab member of the Security Council, was presenting it at the Palestinians request. Under heavy Israeli pressure, Egypt delayed the resolution indefinitely  but other members presented it for a vote a day later. Egypt ended up voting in favor of the measure.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry would lay out his vision for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the speech Wednesday. He feels its his duty in his waning weeks and days as secretary of state to lay out what he believes is a way to a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East, Toner said.

Toner also rejected Israeli allegations of conspiring against it, saying Egypt and the Palestinians drafted the resolution and the U.S. worked with them on the language only after the intention to go forward was clear. The idea this was pre-cooked in advance is not accurate, he said.

The Obama administration has acknowledged that it considered the possibility of abstaining on a settlements resolution over the past year as various drafts were circulated by different countries. In announcing the abstention, U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power referred to continued Israeli settlement construction and a recent effort to retroactively legalize dozens of illegally built settlement outposts.

A White House official said the U.S. was approached repeatedly by countries urging it to let the resolution pass, yet only replied by saying the U.S. would feel forced to veto any resolution that didnt also criticize the Palestinians for inciting violence. The official wasnt authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

The Palestinians, with strong international backing, seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967, as part of an independent state. They say continued Israeli settlement undermines that goal, since already some 600,000 Israelis live in these areas.

Israel is livid that the resolution does not appear to recognize its claim to any part of the occupied areas, including Jewish holy sites in Jerusalems Old City, though the resolution leaves the door open to agreed land swaps. The Palestinians did not embrace several past peace offers that would have left them with a state on the vast majority of the land, with a foothold in Jerusalem.

Past Security Council resolutions on the issue have been more vague. Critics of Israel argue that by insisting on the settlements, Netanyahu has earned the global impatience.

Netanyahu has made no secret that he is counting on President-elect Donald Trump to contain the damage. Trump has indicated he will be far more sympathetic, and has appointed an ambassador with deep ties to the settler movement.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, a close Netanyahu ally, dismissed Obama. He is history, she told Channel 2 TV. We have Trump.

The resolution seems largely symbolic, lacking any enforcement mechanism.

But Palestinians believe it will strengthen their position as they push on with a campaign to pressure Israel on the international stage.

President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday he hopes an upcoming Mideast conference in France will lead to concrete measures. We hope this conference comes up with a mechanism and timetable to end the occupation, Abbas told a meeting of his Fatah party. The (resolution) proves that the world rejects the settlements, as they are illegal.

Husam Zumlot, an adviser to Abbas, told The Associated Press the Palestinians want the resolution to serve as a foundation for any future peace talks. He also said the Palestinians would use the text to bolster their case at the International Criminal Court, where they are trying to push a war crimes case against Israel over settlement policies.

French officials expect some 70 nations to participate in the Jan. 15 conference. Israel and the Palestinians are not expected to be invited, though officials are considering inviting the Israeli and Palestinian leaders for follow-up talks. Abbas seems open to this, while Netanyahu has chafed, saying international dictates undermine negotiations.

Netanyahu has instead called off a number of diplomatic meetings and visits with countries that supported the resolution.

On Wednesday, a Jerusalem municipal council is expected to grant building permits for roughly 600 new homes in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem.

Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Meir Turgeman, who heads the zoning committee, also said this week he will push plans for some 5,600 additional housing units in the eastern part.

A municipal official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said those projects are only in their preliminary phases.
A survey of 63 crisis communications professionals in 22 countries by the University of Georgia/PROI Worldwide Crisis Communications Monitor shows that 74 percent agree Samsung failed to manage early information and stay ahead of the crisis surrounding the Galaxy7 Note smartphone which had incidents of exploding and burning.

When every time you board a plane, a flight attendant announces that your brand has been banned from flights by a federal regulatory body, you know that your company is in crisis, said Bryan H. Reber, Ph.D., C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership at the University of Georgia and coordinator of the survey.

Insights and lessons learned from the global respondents, of which 62 percent were CEO, president, VP or director:

 Corporate culture impacts the ability to identify pending crises in a timely fashion. (Italy)

 Get all the bad news out at once dont have a slow trickle. (Canada)

 Use in-country spokespeople to convey concern and empathy and add a human touch. (U.K.)

 When in doubt, recall/withdraw the product and test, test, test until you find the solution. (Australia)

 Provide more information and deliver it quickly, even if its negative. Rip the bandage off and heal sooner. (Missouri)

 Samsung needed to be more sympathetic to those impacted by these incidents, and proactive in its response and communications. (Michigan)

 Express safety and customer satisfaction over regulatory protocols as the reason for action. (New York)

 Dont underestimate the problem. Samsung underestimated the danger involved, especially as it relates to mobile devices on airplanes. (Georgia)

 Acting promptly and taking responsibility for an issue can help protect a reputation. (U.K.)

 Preparation is key to successful crisis communication. (Germany)

The University of Georgia/PROI Worldwide Crisis Communication Monitor is a collaborative project of the University of Georgia Crisis Communication Coalition and PROI Worldwide, the worlds largest partnership of independent integrated communications agencies with more than 120 offices.

The Monitor examines global crisis communication incidents to provide insights to consumers and illustrate best and worst practices for crisis communicators.

To learn more about the Crisis Communication Coalition and the Crisis Communication Monitor go to: crisiscommunication.uga.edu
Agricultural News

Ag Advocate Chris Chinn Tapped by New Missouri Governor to Run His Department of Agriculture

On Tuesday, Missouri Governor-Elect Eric Greitens tapped Chris Chinn to serve as the next Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Chris Chinn and her husband raise hogs, cattle, hay and row-crops on their Northeast Missouri farm. Governor-Elect Greitens said her words and actions have been widely recognized.





"It's tough enough to run a successful farm, which the Chinns do, but Chris is also a leading agriculture advocate," penned Governor-Elect Greitens in a Facebook post. "She has become a voice for Missouri farmers, and she has repeatedly stood up to critics and activists. She writes and speaks around the state and country about what a farm can do when it is run with care." (under the video box below is the complete Facebook message from the Governor elect)





Chinn must be confirmed by the Missouri Senate.





Missouri Cattlemen's Association (MCA) President Keith Stevens commends the governor-elect on the selection.





"Chris is a fifth generation farmer. She has been an unwavering advocate and spokesperson for this industry. Chris has been instrumental in educating consumers about how farmers and ranchers care for their animals, land and resources," said Stevens. "We support the governor-elect's choice."







Chinn was featured earlier this year by the Missouri Department of Agriculture in a video series called "My Farm My Story." Click on the play button in the video box below to listen to Chris talk about her families' hog operation.











"Our farmers and ranchers form the backbone of Missouri. Every day, men and women across the state wake up before dawn and do hard work to make quality, affordable food for our families.



"But not everyone recognizes the important role of agriculture in Missouri. Activists and bureaucrats have attacked our farmers and ranchers. They've come after our family farms with crippling regulations (from Washington and Jeff City), reckless lawsuits, and political threats. This affects all of us. Our state depends on agriculture for food production and job creation.



"Today, I'm proud to welcome an outsider and a champion for agriculture to our team - I have selected Chris Chinn as the next Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Chris is a fighter who cares deeply about our farmers because she is one. She's fought hard for her family farm and for the tradition it represents. Now, she's ready to fight for you.



"Chris and her husband are fifth-generation farmers. They raise hogs, cattle, corn, soybeans, and hay on their farm in Northeast Missouri. It's tough enough to run a successful farm, which the Chinns do, but Chris is also a leading agriculture advocate. She has become a voice for Missouri farmers, and she has repeatedly stood up to critics and activists. She writes and speaks around the state and country about what a farm can do when it is run with care.



"Her words and actions have been widely recognized. In 2013, she was selected by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance as one of their Faces of Farming & Ranching, an honor given to just four outstanding farmers in the country. Chris has given hundreds of speeches around the country defending farm families and sharing the values that make farming such a vital profession.



"Her new mission is clear: to protect and promote agriculture in Missouri so that her kids can grow up to be the family's sixth generation of farmers. She understands that we have a great opportunity before us. We need to double world food production in the next generation. Missouri's farmers and ranchers can lead the way. They can meet that challenge and make the state of Missouri a national leader in food production. Chris and I are both deeply committed to that vision and will work to make it a reality.



"During the campaign, we heard one simple message from farmers: let us farm. Keep the lawyers, activists, and federal government off our backs. Chris understands this struggle better than anyone, and we will work every day to uphold the proud tradition of Missouri farming. It's my honor and privilege to welcome her to the team."























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Top Agricultural News
If a Texas energy developer with Nebraska roots gets his way, electricity ratepayers in Nebraska may one day shop for electricity providers like they do with Internet and cellphone carriers  and public power utilities wouldnt be the only providers offering energy.

Gary Aksamit, chief executive of Aksamit Resource Management, said Tuesday that he has been in talks with Nebraska legislators about pushing a measure for so-called unbundled billing that would require the states public utilities to break down customers energy bills in more specific terms.

If successful, electric ratepayers would see exactly what their utility charged them for delivery of energy, for example, among other itemized costs for service.

I think its time for unbundled billing, and we will be introducing some legislation in the 2017 legislative session around unbundled billing, transparency and accountability for ratepayers, Aksamit said.

Aksamit has yet to find a state senator to sign on to a possible bill, and officials declined to name any specific legislators they have contacted.

Research published earlier this year by the Electric Markets Research Foundation found that such retail choice offerings do benefit ratepayers, but larger commercial and industrial users reap more benefits when compared with residential customers. Thats because heavier users are better able to exact savings from switching to different providers than are lower-use customers.

The utility-backed nonprofit trade group has spent about 20 years researching the effects of deregulation on electricity markets.

Its report conducted by Wisconsin-based Christensen Associates Energy Consulting found that a total of 14 states and Washington, D.C., have retail choice legislation on the books, and eight others have suspended or rescinded retail choice.

Retail choice means ratepayers choose their energy provider based on preference, whether its for one generators bargain price or for anothers renewable resources. Delivery of electricity would still happen through the owners of transmission wires and poles.

Aksamit in June filed legal motions against Nebraskas largest electric utilities, including the Omaha Public Power District and the Columbus-based Nebraska Public Power District, seeking a judges order to force utilities to divulge their costs to generate electricity. The utilities pushed back, saying such information is competitive and therefore exempt from public records laws.

The matter is still tangled up in court  Aksamit said Tuesday hes spent about $700,000 on legal fees and other costs associated with various records requests hes made for cost-of-generation information.

In the latest salvo, a Lincoln nonprofit connected to Aksamits Houston-based power concerns commissioned an economic study that determined that Nebraska ratepayers could save a minimum of $250 million a year if the state were to go another step and open up the electric utility industry here to retail competition.

Unbundled billing would serve as a precursor to retail choice, a break from the states mandatory monopoly through which ratepayers could choose between legacy public power providers and new generators.

An OPPD spokeswoman on Tuesday said the organization is not familiar with the report by Denver-based Goss and Associates Economic Solutions. The principal investigator for the study is Creighton University economist Ernie Goss.

OPPD has taken steps to reduce its generation costs while ensuring high reliability. We have committed to a general rate freeze for the next five years, and we have a strategic directive to achieve rates that are 20 percent below the regional average, OPPD spokeswoman Jodi Baker said. We welcome an open, transparent, unbiased discussion of public power in the state of Nebraska.

An NPPD spokesman said Goss had not contacted it for information for the study, either.
LINCOLN  Nebraskans are invited to participate in the states 150th anniversary of statehood by going online.

Gov. Pete Ricketts and first lady Susanne Shore on Wednesday announced four free Internet-based initiatives to help encourage involvement in Nebraskas yearlong sesquicentennial in 2017.

They are:

>> nebraskaimpact.com will allow Nebraskans to seek volunteer opportunities and log their hours. The state is challenging citizens to log 150 volunteer hours next year, which averages about three hours a week.

>> ne150challenge.com will allow Nebraskans to track their fitness hours. Like the volunteer site, the state is challenging people to log 150 hours next year.

The site will also offer links to recreation opportunities and health-related events across the state.

>> ne150.org/nowyouknow will feature short, fun videos featuring facts about Nebraska. The videos could be used as teaching tools by teachers.

The first video features the governor and will be available Jan. 8. It tells how President Abraham Lincolns last official signed document was the reappointment of Alvin Saunders as governor of Nebraska Territory. After signing it, Lincoln went to Fords Theatre, where he was assassinated.

>> iamnebraska.com will allow Nebraskans to upload oral history videos that could end up in the Nebraska State Historical Societys archives.

Shore said the initiatives are meant to bridge communities, connect Nebraskans and increase state pride.

We have some great stories to be proud of, she said, noting that she hopes the online initiatives continue into 2018 and beyond.

The efforts are funded largely through private funds, though the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission received $92,000 in state appropriations last year, she said.

Private sponsors include online brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, which was founded by Ricketts father, Joe Ricketts.

The online initiatives are just a handful of the numerous efforts underway to celebrate the anniversary of Nebraskas statehood.

Nebraska became a state March 1, 1867, and plans are underway for kickoff ceremonies and festivities at the State Capitol on Statehood Day next year.

The Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission is also offering grants to communities and groups planning events and programs recognizing the milestone. The grants, which range from $500 to $5,000, are funded through proceeds from the sesquicentennial license plates.
Nebraskans expect children to be in safe hands when the state removes them from home for abuse, neglect or criminal justice and places them into state care.

But Nebraskas inspector general of child welfare found 36 cases over three years of alleged sexual assault of children in state care. Most involved state wards in foster homes, adoptive homes, state-licensed residential care facilities and the juvenile probation system.

A strong response is needed in the wake of these failures. The state must take reasonable steps to decrease the risks of sexual assault to these children. Its welcome news that the inspector general plans to study what changes to state policy and law might help.

Her report cites haunting examples. Among them: The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services placed a 13-year-old state ward with an ex-convict in Omaha who raped and impregnated her. A mental health practitioner is charged with sexually assaulting a boy in her care being held at the states youth center in Kearney.

These cases certainly warrant a deeper examination of state policy and practices by Inspector General Julie Rogers. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Chief Justice Mike Heavican and private service providers should make sure that she can freely question the leaders and front-line workers of HHS, the probation system and private, contracted providers of child welfare services to explore what went wrong and whether policies and procedures were followed. Rogers findings, scheduled to be delivered to the Legislature in September, could spur needed changes.

State systems have to improve for these children, removed from home because of the actions of the adults in their lives or criminal behavior.

Lawmakers for years have discussed the pros and cons of paying foster families more and whether state background checks are strong enough to identify child sex predators. Those are discussions worth continuing. At minimum, the inspector generals efforts will shine a necessary spotlight on the safety of kids in state care.

Nebraska might benefit from studying the State of Floridas child welfare data system. Florida uses a nationally praised approach whose software helps the state check for common risk factors involving potential harm to a child.

In recent years, Nebraska and its private partners have improved the states child welfare system. They now meet federal standards for the number of out-of-home placements, family reunification and adoption. But the states efforts still suffer the same problems many other states face  too many kids placed in too many different homes, too few qualified foster parents and too much caseworker turnover. Nebraska needs to be open to more innovative ideas and oversight to make headway on those issues.

Its good to know that each of the incidents Rogers identified had already been reported to authorities. And it is heartening to see Ricketts embrace the potential for recommendations on how to improve the system from Rogers review.

Cooperation by HHS and its private providers is vital. As Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, one of the lawmakers who created the Inspector Generals Office in 2012, said, We need to collectively look at these issues and see where the problems are and stop them.

Nebraska will need such an all-hands approach to keep more of the states children safe.
AIADMK cadres assault Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer and husband

Chennai

oi-Anusha

Expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa's husband and her lawyer was assaulted by party cadres when they arrived at the AIADMK headquarters on Wednesday. Lingeshwaran, MP Sasikala Natarajan's husband was assaulted after he brought in the nomination papers for Sasikala Pushpa to run for the post of general secretary. AIADMK cadres also assaulted an advocate who accompanied MP Sasikala Pushpa's husband.

Violence broke out as Lingeshwaran and the MP's advocate visited the premises to submit Pushpa's nomination to run against Sasikala Natarajan. The move comes at a time when the party and its senior leaders have already decided to elect late Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala Natarajan as the next general secretary. Both were assaulted by angry party cadres. The AIADMK is all set to elect Sasikala Natarajan as its chief during its council and executive meet on Thursday.

#WATCH: Suspended AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer attacked outside party office by AIADMK workers in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/u10t63TmzX  ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

Pushpa who has moved the Madras high court against Sasikala Natarajan's elevation as the party's chief sent her nomination papers to the very post through her advocates.

OneIndia News
Hyderabad: Fake CBI officers loot gold worth Rs 8.2 crore

Hyderabad

oi-Anusha

Five people posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation decamped with gold worth Rs 8.20 crore in the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday. The gang claimed that they had come to raid a gold finance centre in Ramachandrapuram of Sangareddy District in Telangana. The rattled manager and staff allowed the gang to inspect the premise. The armed gang made away with the loot under the guise of seizure. Jewellery that was pledged with the finance centre was taken away by the gang.

Eyewitnesses claim that the gang arrived in a red Scorpio and posed as CBI officials. They demanded that they be allowed to inspect the gold and documents in the establishment. Before anyone could realise what was happening, they threatened the employees, 'seized' all the gold and fled from the place.

[Also Read: Hyderabad: Duo accused of firing at a bank CEO nabbed]

The owner of the establishment has filed a complaint with the local police who are on the lookout for the thieves. CCTV footage from the locality is being scrutinised to identify the culprits as well as the registration number of the Scorpio that they had come in. Forensic experts were also pressed into action to collect fingerprint samples. Employees of the establishment believed the gang since CBI, ED and IT officials have been searches various institutions including banks and finance establishments.

OneIndia News
Comedian Atul Khatri's joke on seatbelt becomes one on him as Mumbai Police responds

'Ram Setu' 1st week box office collection: Here's how much Akshay-starrer earned, so far

Charge sheet filed in QNet case against Ferreira, others

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Dec 27 Mumbai Police today filed a 60,000-page charge sheet in the QNet scam case, in which former billiards champion Michael Ferreira is one of the accused, before a local court.

"We have filed the charge sheet against 31 accused including Ferreira," said special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat. The charge sheet included statements of 140 witnesses, Gharat said.

Hong Kong-based QNet, a multi-level marketing firm, and its franchisees allegedly sold products such as magnetic disks with "healing" properties, herbal medicines and holiday schemes. The company was accused of using the banned "binary pyramid" model in its marketing schemes, apart from duping the investors by promising high returns.

The FIR was registered here in August 2013 under the Prize, Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978, and Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act. Police had told the court here earlier that Ferreira held 80 per cent shares in a franchisee of QNet.

PTI
Cotton textile industry thanks Smriti Irani for initiative on cotton

India

oi-PTI

Coimbatore, Dec 28: Almost the entire cotton-based textile industry in the region today thanked Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani for announcing unique terms and conditions for procuring cotton from Cotton Corporation of India for the benefit of MSME textile units.

The new terms and conditions for fully pressed bales of CCI facilitates the registered MSME textile units to procure cotton by paying only 10 per cent deposit money as against 20 per cent, which was applicable only for the sale quantity of 30,000 bales and above, Chairman of Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA), Senthilkumar said in a release.

The deposit money upto 2,999 bales is only 15 per cent, which would greatly help the units that are starving for working capital funds in the post-demonetisation regime, he said. Earlier there was a difference in the free period,ranging from 30 to 75 days and 75 days free period was available for procurement of 15,000 bales and above, depriving MSME textile the benefit, he said, adding the free period now has been made uniform and fixed at 45 days, which would again help actual users and the MSME units.

Senthilkumar said the industry requested CCI to opt for coastal movement of bales between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu that would again yield considerable savings for mills and added that SIMA has finalized the rates with a company for the entire cotton season 2016-17, which is cheaper by 10 to 25 per cent when compared to lorry freight. A total of 26 textile association thanked the minister for the new scheme.

PTI
Demonetisation deadline: Banks a 'holiday destination' for NRIs

India

oi-Anusha

This holiday season, banks in India seem to have become the most preferred holiday destination for Non resident Indians. Over the last one week, banks have seen a surge in number of NRIs making a beeline to transact. With the demonetisation deadline drawing to a close in two days, NRIs are utilising the holiday season to wrap up their banking.

"Over the last three days I have seen many NRIs come to deposit money, update their KYCs and other formalities that will ease banking for them. Since this is the holiday season, more NRIs seem to have the time to wrap all banking business. A lot of seniors who are now NRIs have been visiting the bank. This wasn't the phenomenon earlier," said Victoria, a branch manager with SBI in Bengaluru.

[Also Read: Demonetisation drives senior citizens to digital payments]

While footfall at banks have reduced as long as regular customers are concerned, NRIs visiting banks has increased recently. Apart from NRIs personally visiting banks to deposit cash to their accounts, customers wanting to deposit cash into NRI accounts have also risen.

The cash crunch, however, doesn't seem to concern them too much since deposit is their priority. "I live in Canada and will be going back in January. I have deposited all the cash that was here. I come to India to spend holidays but this time bank was a priority", said Sudarshan who hold an NRI account.

OneIndia News
Dubai to be official transit route for reformed militants

India

oi-Vicky

The Indian government which had come up with a militant surrender policy will now use the Dubai route instead of the one through Nepal. The Dubai route would however be used exclusively only for the return of terrorists from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Terrorists who wanted to reform would use the Nepal route unofficially into India. However it was found in the recent years that Pakistan would kill most of these terrorists using their contacts in Nepal. Moreover it was also found that the Inter-Services-Intelligence would place such persons under surveillance and several militants who wanted to surrender were unable to do so.

The government had in 2010 come up with a rehabilitation policy through which misguided Kashmiri youth from PoK were given a chance to surrender. These militants would unofficially use the Nepal route to reach India. Since 2010, at least 400 militants have used the Nepal route to reach India.

Most of these militants have complained to Indian agencies that they feared being targetted by the Pakistan's ISI. Intelligence Bureau officials say that off late the reformed militants had stopped using the Chakan-da-Bagh and Salamabad routes. This is out of fear of being spotted or killed by Pakistani agencies.

The Central agencies have now decided that the militants could return through Dubai in order to avoid suspicion.

[Also read: Rohingya Muslims out for blood and India is on the hit list]

Unlike Nepal, Dubai can be designated as an official transit route since the country already falls under the list of designated entry points under the surrender and rehabilitation policy.
ED is 'completely independent' in what it does: Nirmala Sitharaman

ED arrests 2 associates of businessman Sekhar Reddy in Chennai

India

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Officials of the Enforcement Directorate have unearthed a link between Chennai businessman Sekhar Reddy and money laundering kingpin Parasmal Lodha after arresting two of the latter's associates in Chennai.

Mahavir Hirani and Ashok Jain were arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly helping Sekhar Reddy acquire Rs 6-7 crore from Parasmal Lodha who was arrested by ED earlier.

Sekhar Reddy is currently in CBI custody for alleged illegal monetary transaction. The duo is said to be the link between Reddy and Lodha and worked on a commission basis to exchange old demonetised notes with new legal tender. Searches in premises belonging to Ashok Jain unearthed Rs 10 crore in cash in demonetised notes and 6.5 kilograms of gold.

The duo's statements were recorded and both were produced before a court on Wednesday. Both have been sent to 11 days judicial custody. The arrests become key to establish how countrywide money laundering racket operated.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 28, 2016, 21:25 [IST]
TRS, BJP are two sides of same coin: Rahul Gandhi in Telangana

Congress will bring back old pension scheme in Gujarat, if voted to power: Rahul Gandhi

Government's demonetisation move is hurting poor: Rahul Gandhi

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 28: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed government and said that Prime Minister's demonetisation drive is hurting people of India.

Addressing party workers on the occasion of foundation day of the Congress party, Rahul said that Narendra Modi is performing a yagna against black money & corruption. But the Demonetisation yagna is being performed to benefit the 1 per cent super-rich population of the country.

Also raking up the issue of Sahara-Birla papers, Rahul said,"The PM's strategy is to create fear in the minds of the people. We have raised some questions against PM Modi and have submitted documents but we didn't get any response from him".

Daring Modi to reveal the actual amount of cash recovered since the November 8 announcement of scrapping the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Gandhi said, "Modiji should reveal how much black money has been recovered post November 8?"

"How much economic loss nation has suffered? And how many people lost their lives?" he added.

Attacking the Prime Minister, Gandhi said, "Modiji should also reveal the list of people who deposited more than Rs 25 lakh in their bank accounts, two months before November 8."

OneIndia News (with IANS inputs)
India believes there is urgent need for major reforms in WHO: Harsh Vardhan

Harsh Vardhan applauds 'White coat warriors' for going beyond call of duty to attend to patients

India among few developing countries to have national cancer control programme: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

From Prasad, Javadekar to Harsh Vardhan: List of ministers who have resigned

Harsh Vardhan inaugurates National Children's Science Congress

India

oi-PTI

Pune, Dec 27 Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the 24th National Children's Science Congress (NCSC) at Vidyapratisthan's Institute of Information Technology in Baramati.

The Minister said the Centre would provide all necessary support to the growth of science and technology in the country.

NCSC will have around 850 young child scientists of India and around 100 from ASEAN & GULF. Great opportunity for ideas exchange & exposure. pic.twitter.com/uqHNPlHecT  Dr. Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) December 27, 2016

"Children are the future of the country and organisation of such events would promote the science temperament and education in India," he added.

The ratio of participants this year is 45: 55 for male and female with 36 from the age group of 10 to 13.5 yrs and 264 from 13.6 to 17 yrs  pic.twitter.com/fqrgNcyu5s  Dr. Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) December 27, 2016

The five-day Science Congress will bring over 700 child scientists under one umbrella that will give them an opportunity to showcase their talents, an official release said.

My greetings to all the scientists, participants, members of managing committee and organisers for the 24th NCSC.

Wish you a grand success! pic.twitter.com/mrkyQP7oac  Dr. Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) December 27, 2016

The top 25 projects will be shortlisted and respective students will be provided with training support, it added. NCP chief and MP Sharad Pawar was present on the occasion.

PTI
More the political mess, happier are the cartoonists: 2018 was a great year for the creative minds

Kashmir Reader back on the stands after JK govt revokes ban

India

oi-PTI

Srinagar, Dec 28: Local English daily Kashmir Reader hit the stands on Wednesday after it was banned by the Jammu and Kashmir government for nearly three months on the charges that its publication was a threat to peace in the valley.

[Also Read: Ban on Kashmir Reader set to be lifted]

The newspaper started its publication and distribution for the first time after it was banned through an order passed by the district magistrate, Srinagar on October 2.

The district magistrate's order had alleged that the publication of Kashmir Reader posed a threat to peace in the valley which had been going through a period of turmoil since July following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

The revocation of the ban on the newspaper is seen as the first success for the newly-formed Kashmir Editors' Guild, a body of all major dailies and weeklies published from the Valley.

PTI
Lt Gen Bakshi's leave fuels speculation about early retirement

India

oi-PTI

Kolkata, Dec 27 Speculation about Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, who has been superseded by Lt Gen Bipin Rawat as the next Army Chief, taking premature retirement heightened today after he proceeded on leave.

Army sources, however, said Lt Gen Bakshi is on a pre- scheduled three-day leave and is expected to resume duties on December 30, a day before Lt Gen Rawat takes over as the new Army Chief. There has been speculation that Lt Gen Bakshi may take premature retirement.

He had recently met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, fueling speculation about his possible resignation. Lt Gen Rawat's appointment as the new Army Chief superseding seniors Lt Gen Bakshi and Southern Army commander Lt Gen P M Hariz had also sparked a fierce political row between a section of the Opposition and the government.

PTI
SC notice to Centre on plea against supply of electoral roll to candidates

Maharashtra BJP chief in trouble over 'Laxmi' remark

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Dec 29: The Maharashtra Election Commission on Wednesday asked the Aurangabad district collector to file an FIR against state BJP president Raosaheb Danve for his statement where he asked voters to accept "Laxmi" before the polls.

Danve had made the controversial statement at a campaign rally in Paithan in Aurangabad district on December 17 before the municipal council polls.

"On the eve of elections, Laxmi comes to your house and you should accept it," Danve had said at Paithan rally.

An Election Commission official said here that the Commission had asked Aurangabad collector to file a first information report against the BJP leader for violation of model code of conduct.

Earlier the Commission had served a show-cause notice to Danve who had defended himself, saying he did not mean money when he referred to "Laxmi". Congress and AAP had complained to the Election Commission demanding action against the state BJP chief. PTI
Demonetisation deadline: Banks want withdrawal limits to stay

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Dec 28: With just two days to go before the 50-day cash deadline ends, banks have sought curbs on withdrawals, citing shortage of new currency. The banks have told the government that there is no adequate currency and hence the curbs on withdrawals must remain.

[Also Read: Cabinet to go ahead with the passage of ordinance on demonetisation]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured the nation that in 50 days the mechanism would be in place following the decision on note ban. The deadline ends on December 30.

In a communication to the finance ministry, the banks said if the curbs are lifted then there would be a mad rush at the banks by people to withdraw money. This would disrupt operations and hence restrictions must be in place until there is adequate currency, the banks added.

The communication comes following the government seeking an informal feedback from the banks on the situation. As of Wednesday, an individual can withdraw Rs 2,500 per day from ATMs and Rs 24,000 a week from banks. As per the assurance made by the PM, these curbs would be lifted after December 30.

However, banks feel unless and until more new currency notes are injected into the system, the curbs should stay. This is, however, not a recommendation made by the banks, but a feedback says a finance ministry official. The banks would ultimately have to follow what the government and the RBI decide.

OneIndia News
Note ban: Congress seeks white paper from PM, puts forth demands

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 28 Seeking a white paper on demonetisation, Congress today posed several questions to the Prime Minister including how much black money has come in and put forth a charter of demands including lifting all restrictions on money withdrawal and compensation to farmers, traders and the poor who have "suffered" due to note ban.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should double the MNREGA wages and the number of days each labourer can work, besides giving 50 per cent rebate in Income Tax and Sales Tax to shopkeepers and 20 per cent bonus on MSP for Rabi crops to farmers and waiving their loans.

Coming out with the "Charter of Demands" before the media, he sought a list of all those who have deposited above Rs 25 lakh before demonetisation was announced and sought relief to those badly affected including provision of Rs 25,000 to at least one woman of each BPL family.

"We want that the Prime Minister should explain some things to the country. After November 8, how much black money has come out and how much economic loss has the country suffered due to demonetisation. How many people lost their lives and whether any compensation has been paid to them. The Prime Minister should also tell whom he consulted before taking the decision and spell out the names of experts consulted. The Prime Minister should also provide a list of all those people who have deposited Rs 25 lakh or more in their accounts before demonetisation," he told reporters.

As part of the demands, Rahul Gandhi said all restrictions on withdrawal of money be lifted with immediate effect and till the time these restrictions are in place, a special interest at the rate of 18 pc per annum be given to all. He also sought that all charges on digital transactions should be abolished forthwith, adding that the charter of demands was "on behalf of the people of India". Gandhi said the price of of ration distributed under the PDS system should be halved for the period of a year under the provisions of the Food Security Act and a special one-time bonus of 20 per cent should be provided over and above the MSP of all Rabi crops.

"That Rs 25,000 should be deposited in the account of at least one woman belonging to each BPL family as compensation for the immense suffering caused to women due to demonetisation," the demands charter said. Gandhi also said that an Income Tax and Sales tax rebate of 50 pc should be given to small shopkeepers and businesses. The central government should compensate state governments for loss of revenue incurred on account of this exemption,he said.

The Congress Vice President also demanded that the number of guaranteed work days and the wage rate under MGNREGA should be doubled for a period of one year. He also demanded that government should organise a special drive to identify and register those who lost their jobs since November 8 and provide them compensation at the applicable minimum wage rate for a period up to March 31.

PTI
Nothing wrong with developing technology indigenously: IAF Chief

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Dec 28 A day after China complained against the test-firing of the Agni-V missile, the outgoing Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday said no one should have problem if India is indigenously developing a technology.

Addressing a press conference at the end of his tenure Raha was responding to a question on China's objection to the testing of the intercontinental ballistic missile. He said that posturing like these were part of the international diplomacy, and transfer of technology in the field of nuclear proliferation was taking place in the region. However, he did not name any country.

"In international diplomacy, these posturing and signalling will always be there. We should go by our own tasks, meet our own requirements specifically challenges." "I would not like to comment on what someone else has said," Raha said in his response to a question on China's objection.

He added that in the field of nuclear proliferation, it was "common knowledge" what was "happening in the region in terms of conclusiveness, transfer of technology". "This is common knowledge, I am not saying anything new. But if we are legitimately developing our capability indigenously, I don't think anybody should have problem," Raha said.

China was accused of handing over nuclear technology to Pakistan. Pakistan has, meanwhile, been accused of handing over nuclear weapon technology to countries like North Korea and Libya. China raked up an 18-year-old UN Security Council resolution that called on India and Pakistan to abandon their ballistic missiles programme after India test-fired the nuclear capable missile with a range of over 5,000 km -- a range to reach China.

IANS
Rahul-led meeting fake attempt for unity: Venkaiah

India

oi-PTI

Chennai, Dec 27: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today dismissed the Congress-led meet of eight parties against demonetisation, as a "fake attempt for unity" and said it would never succeed. "This is a fake attempt for unity and it will never succeed. No wise party can join hands with Congress.

If they (some political party) are doing it, they are doing so at their own peril," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. Earlier in the day, Congress vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee along with some regional parties at a meeting in Delhi sought to put up a united face raising the pitch against demonetisation by demanding resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking a dig at Gandhi, Naidu claimed, "He has failed to bring unity in his own party. The strength of Congress (in Lok Sabha) has declined from 444 seats to 44 seats." Referring to scams and corruption during the Congress rule, he claimed, "Earlier Opposition parties had to protest against corruption of the government. But now, the government is fighting against corruption and the opposition is fighting against the government."

PTI
Rohingya Muslims out for blood and India is on the hit list

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

New Delhi, Dec 28: In July 2012, the chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Hafiz Saeed shared a stage in Karachi with a man called Maulana Abdus Quddus Burmi, where a resolution was passed to 'recruit and seek revenge for the atrocities against the Rohingya Muslims'.

The meeting assumes heightened significance in the present context considering the increased activity that has been noticed at Mae Sot in Myanmar. Quddus is the point man chosen by the Lashkar top brass and the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to head this assault team which intends to wreck havoc in India and Bangladesh under the banner of Harkat-ul-Jihad of Arakans also known as HuJA.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that there has been a lot of chatter that has been picked up from the camps set up at Mae Sot. We have been picking up a lot of intercepts since the past couple of months. The indication is that the ISI has been training several members of the HuJA to launch attacks on India and Bangladesh.

HuJA is born

The LeT decided to take up the cause of the Rohingya Muslims, who claim victimisation by the Budddhists in Myanmar, back in 2011. In 2012, it organised the Difa-e-Mussalman Arakan Conference in Karachi. At the conference the Lashkar ideologues exhorted their cadre to avenge the deaths of the Rohinyga Muslims.

The Karachi conference saw Quddus, a relative unknown at the time, seated next to Saeed. Quddus was introduced as the chief of the HuJA. At the time, Quddus had claimed that his sole agenda was to avenge the killings of the Rohinyga Muslims.

Following the conference, the HuJA remained relatively quiet for several years. It remained a rudderless outfit until the LeT decided to breathe life into it. The HuJA have been trained for nearly three years, at the expense of the LeT and the ISI, at the Lashkar's Murdike camp in Pakistan. Now a main base has been set up in Mae Sot from where the HuJA is expected to launch attacks.

Kill two birds with one stone

The ISI, while helping the Rohingya Muslims further their cause, has another agenda up their sleeve; to strike at India. From Mae Sot, the ISI can direct the HuJA to strike at India. The ISI has often looked for launch pads in Bangladesh but that has not been entirely successful since the current dispensation has been amenable to India.

The modus operandi is similar to the one which was found in the case of the Khalistan militants. The ISI has been training the Khalistan militants and plans on launching them to strike at India. A similar plan has been set up for the HuJA cadre as well. The HuJA is being told that India has not done enough to back the cause of the Rohinyga Muslims and hence a message ought to be sent out in the harshest possible way.

It may be recalled that the LeT had sponsored an attack at Bodh Gaya on July 7, 2013. Five blasts were carried out by the Students Islamic Movement of India and investigations showed that the attacks were a message to Buddhists. The National Investigation Agency, which probed the case, says that the attack which was hailed by the LeT was meant to avenge the deaths of Rohingya Muslims.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 28, 2016, 15:08 [IST]
Suspect in Pune techie murder claims he was in Bengaluru on that day

India

oi-PTI

Pune, Dec 29: A youth who was questioned in connection with brutal murder of a 23-year-old woman IT employee in Pune last week has claimed he was in Bengaluru on the day of the incident.

Antara Das, the young woman, was attacked with a sharp weapon near Kanbay Chowk in Talawade on the outskirts of Pune on Friday night, barely 500 metres from her workplace.

She was declared dead upon arrival in the hospital. Her parents alleged that a youth was stalking and harassing her for some time. Police had questioned a youth who was known to Antara in Bengaluru.

"He has been now brought here for further probe and our team is interrogating him. He claims he was in Bengaluru on the day of incident," said a Pune police officer.

The youth has not been arrested though. He also provided CCTV footage to back his claim, the police official said, adding that a team would be sent to Bengaluru to verify authenticity of the footage. The youth also told the police that the last call he made to Antara was in November.

"According to him, he had come to Pune with Antara in April when she appeared for an interview," the official said.

PTI
Charge sheet filed against Teesta, two others; accuses her of conspiring to create false cases against Modi

Teesta Setalvad can be booked for spreading disharmony: Panel suggests govt

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Dec 28: The Human Resource Development ministry might file cases against activist Teesta Setalvad for spreading disharmony and generating ill-will, Ranjit Kumar, Solicitor General of India, said.

[Also Read: Did a hack lead to Teesta Setalvad's NGO licence being renewed automatically?]

While concurring with the findings of the inquiry panel, Kumar added that a First Information Report under Sections 153A and 153B of the Indian Penal Code can be filed.

The HRD ministry had approached the SG for legal opinion. This opinion was sought when Smriti Irani was the HRD minister. Now with Prakash Javadekar in charge, a final call on whether to file an FIR or not would have to be taken by Javadekar.

Following a complaint by Rais Khan Pathan, a former aid of Setalvad, a three-member inquiry panel had been set up. The complainant had alleged that the activist and her husband Javed Anand had embezzled public money given to their NGO, under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a programme of the HRD Ministry.

The panel submitted its report in 2015. Kumar is understood to have appreciated the findings by the panel, which observed that Sabrang Trust, the NGO run by Setalvad and her husband, had created disharmony through the study material prepared by it.

The panel had added that Sabrang Trust should have never been considered by the HRD ministry for a scheme of assistance on education since this was never its objective. Had the trust's application been carefully scrutinised it would have been rejected.

However, the ministry chose to sanction Rs 2.06 crore for a two year project. The panel had also observed that those officials in the HRD ministry when the UPA was in power cannot escape accountability. The panel also said that the ministry had also disbursed Rs 1.36 crore out of the total sanctioned amount.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 28, 2016, 8:12 [IST]
Viral Acharya appointed deputy RBI governor

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The government on Wednesday appointed Viral V Acharya as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Acharya who is a professor of economics at the New York university has been appointed as one of the four deputy governors of the RBI.

The position of a deputy RBI governor had fallen vacant after Urijit Patel was promoted to the post of governor. A statement released by the government however did not specify which portfolio Acharya would handle.

[Also Read: Why you must dump demonetised notes by December 31: Heavy penalty in the offing]

Acharya teaches at the Stern School of Business in New York university. According to his resume, he has research interests in regulation of banks, corporate finance, credit risk and asset pricing.

[Also Read: Cabinet to go ahead with the passage of ordinance on demonetisation]

OneIndia News
BRO Recruitment 2022: Check details for 328 vacancies, last date and salary details here

Caught on camera: Woman, child flung into air as car hits the bike

YIKES! 70 deadly Cobras, Vipers seized from house in Pune

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Chakan, Dec 28: The Pune police on Tuesday arrested two persons from an apartment in Pune's Chakan area for illegally keeping the snakes. According to the police, the duo was illegally keeping these dangerous reptiles in boxes and gunny bags for extracting venom and smuggling it later.

The police have recovered over 70 snakes -- mostly the deadliest Russell's Vipers and Cobras. They were later handed over to forest officials by the police.

#WATCH Pune: Chakan Police arrested 2 persons and seized 70 Cobras and 45 Russell's Viper snakes along with 25 ml venom pic.twitter.com/gQRf1PsuCY  ANI (@ANI_news) December 27, 2016

The seizure was made from the rented apartment when the police team received information on Sunday that snakes had been kept in a flat in the outskirts of Chakan.

During interrogation it was revealed that the duo used to get snakes from jungles and snake-catchers in the area for venom extraction and smuggling. The police also found some venom stored in small bottles.

A case has been registered against the duo under Wildlife Protection Act.

OneIndia News
At the 'historic' Pearl Harbor visit, Obama, Abe talk about peace, friendship

International

oi-PTI

Pearl Harbor (US), Dec 28: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned against the "urge to demonise those who are different" as he hosted Shinzo Abe, the leader of foe-turned-ally Japan, for a solemn visit to Pearl Harbor.

Obama, who will leave office next month, also hailed the alliance between the two nations, saying it had "never been stronger." In remarks that echoed with history and America's current hypercharged politics, Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that "the character of nations is tested in war, but it is defined in peace."

"Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different," Obama said.

"I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship," he told Abe. "I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution."

Abe expressed "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the families of the more than 2,400 Americans killed by Japanese fighters. "We must never repeat the horrors of war," he said, marking the 75th anniversary of the infamous attack that triggered America's entry into World War II.

Standing next to Obama, he expressed thanks for the "tolerance extended to Japan" as he hailed the power of reconciliation.

PTI
Cuba passes law prohibiting naming public sites after Fidel Castro

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Havana, Dec 28 Cuba's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a law prohibiting the use of Fidel Castro's name to designate public sites or using his image for monuments, according to the wishes of the former president, who died on November 25.

At the session, headed by President Raul Castro, the more than 600 Cuban lawmakers unanimously approved the bill adhering to the desire of the late leader "to avoid any appearance of a personality cult", Efe news agency reported.

The wishes of the Cuban Revolutionary leader, who died in Havana at age 90, were made public by his brother Raul on December 3 during a huge farewell ceremony in Santiago de Cuba, where the next day Fidel's ashes were interred.

According to the law, "as an expression of the will and the political ethics that always accompanied Fidel, it is prohibited to use his name to name institutions, plazas, parks, avenues, streets and other public places, as well as for any kind of decoration, recognition or honorific title".

The law also "prevents using his image to erect monuments, busts, statues, commemorative plaques and other similar forms of tribute."The prohibition also includes the use of Castro's image referring to him "as a brand name for commercial or advertising ends". However, the law establishes exceptions involving the study and dissemination of the knowledge and work of the former President.

On March 20, 1959, less than three months after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution headed by Castro, the new Council of Ministers approved Law No. 174 prohibiting the creation of any monuments, statues or busts to living national personalities.

IANS


Hafiz Saeed to be banned from public appearances in Pak?

International

oi-Vicky

According to the Intelligence Bureau, Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Saeed is likely to be banned from such appearances because the Pakistani government is under immense pressure

In what could be considered as a major victory to India, the public appearances of Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief, Hafiz Saeed is likely to be banned in Pakistan. Sources in the Intelligence Bureau say that the federal government of Pakistan, which has come under immense pressure will soon take a decision on banning the public appearances of Saeed.

India has often complained that Saeed, a wanted terrorist who is also one of the masterminds of the November 26, 2008 attack in Mumbai was allowed to roam around freely in Pakistan. India had also objected to his public rallies where he spewed venom against India.

While India has been raising objections to his speeches in public, pressure was exerted on Pakistan by both the United States and the United Kingdom. It was conveyed to Pakistan through official channels to act against Saeed or at least stop his brazen speeches in public.

Pakistan has been told by the US in clear terms that it is not being doing enough to fight terror. Pakistan also has accused of being selective in its war against terror.

Pakistan's decision to ban his public appearances will be faced with stiff opposition by several within the system.

Saeed himself will challenge the move before a court, stating that he has not been declared a terrorist by the United Nations. While the LeT has been designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries, Saeed says he has nothing to do with the outfit. He maintains that he is part of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa which is a charitable organisation.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 28, 2016, 18:02 [IST]
Iraq PM says needs three months to eliminate IS

International

oi-PTI

Baghdad, Dec 27: Iraq's premier said on Wednesday security forces need another three months to eliminate the Islamic State group from the country after launching their offensive against IS in October. "The available data indicate that Iraq requires three months to eliminate Daesh," Haider al-Abadi told a televised news conference, referring to the jihadist group by an Arabic acronym.

Previously, he had vowed that the IS-occupied city of Mosul would be retaken "before the end of the year", a goal that is no longer possible. What began as a rapid push into Mosul, which the jihadists have occupied since June 2014, has turned into a hellish block-by-block war, with IS inflicting high casualty rates on advancing Iraqi forces.

Since the offensive began on October 17, elite Iraqi forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul and are moving closer to the Tigris, the river that divides the city, but IS still occupies the city's west. High-ranking officials believe that the battle against IS could drag on, and the Sunni extremist group continues to carry out attacks in areas from which it had been dislodged by the government offensive.

Last week, an IS triple car bombing on a market in Gogjali a few kilometres east of Mosul killed at least 23 people. The army had retaken Gogjali from the jihadists in early November after more than two years of IS occupation. The group also claims responsibility for regular attacks elsewhere in Iraq including in Fallujah, the Sunni-majority city east of Baghdad that was retaken in June after being out of government control for two and a half years.

The jihadist group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory originally lost to IS.

PTI
Former US state secy John Kerry trying to save Iran deal by himself: Report

John Kerry to offer US vision of Israel-Palestinian peace today

International

pti-PTI

Washington, Dec 28 US Secretary of State John Kerry will offer a "comprehensive vision" of how to revive the Israel-Palestinian peace process in a major speech today.

President Barack Obama's administration, including Kerry, is to leave office in four weeks and last week gravely offended Israel by failing to veto a critical UN resolution. But US officials said they plan to keep pushing both Israel and the Palestinian leadership to take concrete steps to revive talks on a two-state solution to the conflict.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry believes, "it is his duty in his remaining weeks and days as secretary of state to lay out what he believes is a way towards a two-state solution". "It's always important to keep the process moving forward," Toner said.

"We haven't given up on this and we don't think the Israelis and Palestinians should do either." Officials said Kerry would make the speech to an invited audience, including the Washington diplomatic corps, at the State Department.

On Friday, in a historic move, the United States failed to veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning its ally Israel's building of settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and many of Israel's supporters in Washington reacted with fury and accused Obama of working behind the scenes to betray them.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has signalled he will take a softer line on Israeli settlement building by promising to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. He has also nominated as US ambassador to Israel an American Jewish lawyer known as a strong supporter of the settlement movement.

AFP
Nawaz Sharif inaugrates Chinese-assisted nuclear power plant

International

oi-PTI

Islamabad, Dec 28 Power-starved Pakistan today received a major boost as a China-backed 340 MW nuclear power plant in its Punjab province was inaugrated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who termed it as a milestone in the government's efforts to end the mence of load shedding. The Chashma-3 plant is located at Chashma in Mianwali district where another plant Chashma-IV is also being built.

Sharif described the completion of C-3 as another milestone towards the journey to eliminate the menace of load shedding from the country, Radio Pakistan reported. He said the project is reflective of closer cooperation between Pakistan and China in science and technology.

"This cooperation is also beginning of a new era of development in the region," he said. Sharif expressed confidence that Chashma-IV nuclear power plant would also become operational before its deadline of mid next year. Chashma two and three power plants are the most efficient plants in the country, providing more than 600 MW of electricity to the national grid.

Sharif appreciated Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for its efforts for self reliance in fuel fabrication and said his government would extend every possible assistance to the Commission to help overcome the shortage of electricity in the country. Referring to the generation target of 8800 MW of nuclear energy by 2030, Sharif urged the Commission to accept the challenge of producing more than the target and play its full role in the development of the country.

Noting that there has been a marked reduction in load shedding during the last three years, Sharif pledged that the menace of load shedding would be over in 2018. He said generation of additional 2200 MW of electricity through K-II and K-III would contribute towards this effort. Sharif urged PAEC to take all possible measures to strengthen safety of existing and future power plants as per international standards.

Sharif thanked China for extending cooperation in nuclear field and said the two countries are actively cooperating in many other areas, including construction of roads, motorways, airports and upgradation of Pakistan Railways. He said many projects were initiated under CPEC and their impact was now visible.

These projects are being implemented speedily and this would result in overcoming challenges of unemployment, poverty, backwardness and accelerating the pace of socio economic development, besides bringing all regions of the country more closer, he said.

PTI
NSG: New draft proposal may allow India in

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, Dec 28: A draft proposal for accepting new members into the Nuclear Suppliers Group would pave the way for India's entry but leave Pakistan out, said a US-based arms control organisation.

The Arms Control Association (ACA), Washington, also warns that relaxing membership rules will undermine non-proliferation.

Last week, the US media reported that Rafael Mariano Grossi, a former chairman of the NSG, had prepared a two-page document, explaining how a non-NPT state, like India and Pakistan, could join the group. Grossi was acting on behalf of the current chairman, Song Young-wan of South Korea, and his document enjoys a semi-official status, Dawn reported.

To prevent India from blocking Pakistan from joining the NPT, Grossi's draft note proposes that "one non-NPT member state should reach an understanding not to block consensus on membership for another non-NPT member state".

But ACA's Executive Director Daryl Kimball warns that "Pakistan still has grounds to object to the formula outlined by Grossi".

He explains that the document will require Pakistan to meet the same criteria for membership as India "but, to engage in civil nuclear trade with NSG states, it would have to win a separate NSG exemption from the full-scope safeguards requirement".

India is seeking membership of the NSG on the strength of the fact that it is already doing business with NSG members.

The 48-nation NSG is a nuclear technology control organisation formed in 1975 in response to India's first nuclear weapons test, which used plutonium produced with nuclear technology from Canada and the US. The NSG seeks to prevent similar future misuses.

Current NSG membership rules require a state to sign the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) before joining this exclusive club. India remains one of only three countries, with Israel and Pakistan, never to have signed the NPT.

Earlier this year, India formally applied for membership and was followed by Pakistan. The US, and a host of other powerful western nations, back India's application, but China and half a dozen other nations are blocking India's membership, which requires a consensus of all members.

India hoped to join the group during NSG's last plenary session, held in Seoul in June this year, but the meeting ended without taking any decision on New Delhi's application.

IANS
Putin launches natural gas pipeline supply to Crimea

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By Ians English

Moscow, Dec 28 Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a natural gas pipeline linking Crimea to Russia's gas pipeline system, which will allow the inhabitants of the peninsula to receive a continuous supply of gas.

During the ceremony, Vladimir Putin said via video conference that this is another important outcome for the development of Crimea and its future, Efe news reports. He announced that two power plants will be built within the next two years to meet all the electricity needs of the peninsula's inhabitants.

The length of the natural gas pipeline is 358.7 km. Ukraine has not given up on retaking Crimea, which Kiev considers territory occupied by Russia, while Moscow says that Crimea inhabitants opted mostly to join the Russian federation through a referendum.

IANS
JNU Admissions 2022: PG First merit list for MCA, MA, MSc admissions released; how to check

Stage 4 of pollution action plan: Here's what will be affected in Delhi

Lunar eclipse 2022: Things you should not do during Chandra Grahan

ED arrests manager of Kotak Mahindra branch in Delhi

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By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 27: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested manager of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Kasturba Gandhi Marg branch, Delhi in connection with Paras Mal Lodha & Rohit Tandon cases.

Sources in the ED said that the branch manager, Aakash, was arrested for allegedly converting over Rs 25 crore in demonetised notes linked to industrialist J. Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon. Akash, a resident of Haryana, would be produced in a Delhi court on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier on Tuesday, a five members of Enforcement Directorate (ED) team on Tuesday conducted searches at the premises of arrested Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha here and in Delhi in connection with a money laundering case probe in two high-profile black money cases of illegal conversion of old notes in the wake of demonetisation.

Lodha (62), at present, is in the Enforcement Directorate's custody after he was arrested by the agency last week in Delhi.

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A business man in Meerut was robbed at gunpoint, the CCTV footage of armed robbery surfaced where of 4 armed robbers looted 72,000 cash and 3 mobiles from a paint shop. Watch the CCTV footage here.
The BJP has hit back hard over Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi after the Gandhi-scion criticised the Modi government on the issue of note ban. The ruling party at centre accused the opposition party of doing politics over death of people.
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"What's past is prologue." " William Shakespeare, The Tempest

What a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year this has been.

Endless wars. Toxic politics. Violence. Hunger. Police shootings. Mass shootings. Economic downturns. Political circuses. Senseless tragedies. Loss. Heartache. Intolerance. Prejudice. Hatred. Apathy. Meanness. Cruelty. Poverty. Inhumanity. Greed.

Here's just a small sampling of what we've suffered through in 2016.

After three years of increasingly toxic politics, the ruling oligarchy won and "we the people" lost. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the election. Donald Trump won the White House while the American people lost any hope of ending the corporate elite's grip on the government.

The government declared war on so-called "fake news" while continuing to peddle its own brand of propaganda. President Obama quietly re-upped the National Defense Authorization Act, including a provision that establishes a government agency to purportedly counter propaganda and disinformation.

More people died at the hands of the police. Shootings of unarmed citizens (especially African-Americans) by police claimed more lives than previously estimated, reinforcing concerns about police misconduct and the use of excessive force. Police in Baton Rouge shot Alton Sterling. Police in St. Paul shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Ohio police shot 13-year-old Tyre King after the boy pulls out a BB gun. Wisconsin was locked down after protests erupt over a police shooting of a fleeing man. Oklahoma police shot and killed Terence Crutcher during a traffic stop while the man's hands were raised in the air. North Carolina police killed Keith Lamont Scott, spurring two nights of violent protests. San Diego police killed Alfred Olango after he removed a vape smoking device from his pocket. Los Angeles police shot Carnell Snell Jr. after he fled a vehicle with a paper license plate.

We lost some bright stars this year. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia's death left the court deadlocked and his successor up for grabs. Joining the ranks of the notable deceased were Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, Fidel Castro, Leonard Cohen, Carrie Fisher, John Glenn, Merle Haggard, Harper Lee, George Michael, Prince, Nancy Reagan, Janet Reno, Elie Wiesel, and Gene Wilder.

Diseases claimed more lives. The deadly Zika virus spread outwards from Latin America and into the U.S.

The rich got richer. The Panama Papers leak pulled back the curtain on schemes by the wealthy to hide their funds in shell companies.

Free speech was dealt one knock-out punch after another. First Amendment activities were pummelled, punched, kicked, choked, chained and generally gagged all across the country.

The debate over equality took many forms. North Carolina's debate over transgender bathrooms ignited a nationwide fury. Meanwhile, the U.S. military opened its doors to transgender individuals. A unanimous Supreme Court affirmed a Texas law that counts everyone, not just eligible voters, in determining legislative districts. The nation's highest court also upheld affirmative action, while declaring a Texas law on abortion clinics to be an unnecessary burden on women.

Environmental concerns were downplayed in favor of corporate interests. In Michigan, Flint's contaminated water was declared a state and federal emergency, while thousands protested the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and its impact on water sources.

Technology rendered Americans vulnerable to threats from government spies, police, hackers and power failures. The Justice Department battled Apple in court over access to its customers' locked, encrypted iPhones. Microsoft sued the U.S. government over its access to customers' emails and files without their knowledge. Yahoo confirmed that over half a billion user accounts had been hacked. Police departments across the country used Stingray devices to collect cellphone data in real time, often without a warrant.

Police became even more militarized and weaponized. Despite concerns about the government's steady transformation of local police into a standing military army, local police agencies continued to acquire weaponry, training and equipment suited for the battlefield.

Children were hurt. Police resource officers made schools less safe, with students being arrested, tasered and severely disciplined for minor infractions.

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From Middle East Eye

Obama's failed Syria policy was provoked by the inability to anticipate Iranian and Russian intervention on behalf of the Syrian regime

President Barack Obama has long been under fire from the US national security elite and the media for failing to intervene aggressively against the Assad regime.

But the real strategic blunder was not that Barack Obama didn't launch yet another war in Syria, but that he decided to go along with the ambitions of America's Sunni allies to create and arm a Syrian opposition army to overthrow the regime in the first place.

Now a former Obama administration official who is knowledgeable on the internal discussions on Syria policy, speaking to this writer on condition of anonymity, has shed new light on how and why that fateful decision was made.

The former official revealed that when Obama made the first move toward supporting the arming of Syrian opposition forces, the president failed to foresee the risk of a direct Iranian or Russian intervention on behalf of the Syrian regime in response to an externally armed opposition -- because his advisers had failed to take this likelihood into account themselves.

The story of this policy failure begins after military resistance to the Assad regime began in spring and summer 2011.

In August 2011, national security officials began urging Obama to call on Assad to step down, according to the former official.

Obama did make a statement suggesting that Assad should step aside, but he made it clear privately that he had no intention of doing anything about it. "He viewed it as simply a suggestion, not a hard policy," the ex-official said.

But soon after that, a bigger issue arose for the administration's policy: how to respond to pressure from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for a US commitment to help overthrow Assad.

In September 2011, the Saudis and Turks not only wanted the US to provide arms to the opposition. "They wanted the US to provide anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank missiles," recalled the ex-official.

Turkey even offered to send troops into Syria to overthrow Assad, but only if US and NATO agreed to create a "no-fly zone" to protect them.

But Obama refused to provide US arms to the Syrian rebels and also opposed the Sunni foes of Assad providing such heavy weapons. "He wasn't willing to go along with anything except small arms," said the former official.

Apparently to assuage the dissatisfaction of the Sunni allies, then-director of the CIA David Petraeus devised a plan, which Obama approved, to help move the small arms from Libyan government stocks in Benghazi to Turkey.

Confirming the 2014 story by Seymour Hersh, the ex-official, recalled, "It was highly secret but officials involved in the Middle East learned of the program by word of mouth."

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[Preamble: If Mr. Obama wants to "rescue the peace process" he can do so with the stroke of his pen. He can do what 136 other countries have done and recognize the State of Palestine.

Palestine is a member nation of the United Nations. Palestine has a defined national border, recognized by the international community, except by the United States and Israel.

The United Nations resolved that Israel is an aggressor nation and is illegally occupying Palestine and stealing its territory by a war of aggression.

Palestine is the country that is being wiped off the face of the Earth by Israel and it is the Palestinians that are being ethnically cleansed and 'driven into the sea' in a Nekba and a Holocaust.

Palestine has the right to exist and the right under international law to self-government. Under international law Palestine has the right to resist the illegal occupation by Israel. Palestine has the right to defend its territorial integrity and its citizens, just as does any other member nation of the United Nations.

Obama is great at making meaningless speeches, but when it comes to action his is a weak tool of Israel lobby and neocons. The only thing that Mr. Obama is 'scrambling to do' is to rescue his tarnished legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize President.]



Handala, the Palestinian defiance symbol

(Image by Pedro Fanega) Details DMCA



The Fake News of the day is that "The Obama Administration is Scrambling to Save the Peace Process" (HERE) before Donald Trump takes over. What Obama is really scrambling to do is to save his legacy now that Clinton-2 lost the election in a surprise upset.

Obama is trying to turn the clock back to 2008 when he made all those progressive promises. Then he spent the next seven years reneging on them. Promises like the one he made on July 23, 2008: "I will not waste a minute on brokering Middle East Peace". (HERE)

Being the lawyer type that his is, he did not lie. Obama did not waste a minute; Obama wasted 7 years and 11 month.

Mention the "peace process" to any Palestinian on the street in occupied Palestine and they will laugh in your face. They know that the peace process has been nothing but a ploy for Israel to talk, talk, talk; while they confiscate Palestinian land, demolish Palestinian homes, tear up olive groves that are hundreds of years old, plant cheap pine trees to hide destroyed Palestinian villages".

Palestinians know that the peace process officially expired with the Oslo Agreement in 1994. They know that Oslo was a cynical hoax. Israel did not want peace, they wanted a submissive Palestinian Authority (without any authority) to become a subcontractor as Israel's local police force in occupied Palestine.

Netanyahu let the cat out of the bag in a 2001 "private conversation" (video). Netanyahu said he tricked President Clinton in 1997 when he agreed to withdraw from Palestine except for "specified military locations"...like the whole Jordan Valley". Netanyahu bragged: "I know what America is. America is something that can be moved easily."

About that 2001 video, columnist Gideon Levy for Israel's oldest newspaper Haaretz, said: "No more claims that the Palestinians are to blame for the failure of the Oslo Accords." [HERE] Netanyahu has been playing the U.S. and the Palestinians for a sucker for decades.

It did not take long for Netanyahu to move Obama in 2009. No sooner had Obama taken office than he sent Vice President Joe Bidden on a peace mission to the Middle East. Before Bidden departed for the Middle East, he had committed the Obama administration to "unconditional support" for Israel. By the time Bidden landed in Tel Aviv, Israel had announced that it was going to construct 1,600 more illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem. (HERE)

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From Reader Supported News

Advocates of criminal justice reform have become doomsayers since Donald Trump's election as president. That's not without reason. Trump's choice for attorney general, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, a former federal prosecutor and failed Reagan appointee to the federal bench, has been one of the most strident anti-criminal justice reform voices in Congress. He said soon after his selection that he opposed any review of federal sentencing guidelines, and he criticized President Obama's practice of commuting the sentences of many first-time non-violent drug offenders.

In the event (now increasingly unlikely, thank goodness) that either New Jersey governor Chris Christie or former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani were to be named to the cabinet, they would raise the number of former federal prosecutors there to three. I can tell you from firsthand experience that federal prosecutors, past and present, are no friends of sentencing reform, leniency, or ramping down the so-called "war on drugs," which has resulted in the highest incarceration rates in the world, especially of minorities.

I'm not optimistic about the next four years.

Others are not as pessimistic as I am. Bill Keller, the former executive editor of The New York Times and the current editor in chief of The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that focuses on criminal justice issues, wrote last week in the Times that he believes Trump can actually promote criminal justice reform as president. Keller says that his views may be wishful thinking, but he believes that Trump eventually will have a "Nixon in China moment." That is, the only president who can really get prison reform and sentencing reform into law is the president who opposed it most stridently.

Keller makes several points. First, 2017 is not an election year. Consequently, members of Congress will not have to confront hostile constituents on the campaign trail accusing them of being weak on crime. The time to act on a controversial measure is in an off year.

Second, Obama will be out of office. Keller argues that the reason Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kan.) never called a popular bipartisan reform bill to a vote over the past two years was because he despised Obama personally.

Third, Sessions won't be in the Senate anymore to block a bill. True, he'll be whispering in Trump's ear and lobbying him to kill whatever hope of sentencing reform may end up on the president's desk. But he won't have the authority to single-handedly kill a bill, like he did in the Senate.

Fourth, McConnell wants to pass something into law that has bipartisan support, not because it's the "right" thing to do or because it's what's best for the country. He wants to pass a bipartisan measure into law because the Democrats couldn't do it when they were in power. It's not very nice, but that's how Washington works.

With all that said, I think Keller is wrong. I don't think Trump, Sessions, or anybody else in the new administration has a secret plan to liberalize anything. And because of that, those of us who care about these issues have to turn to the states. Ninety percent of incarcerated individuals are held in state, county, and local facilities and are subject to state sentencing laws.

It is the state legislatures that make those laws and state judges who hand down the sentences. It is those people on whom the rest of us should put pressure. It may be, in the case of sentencing reform and prison reform, that the feds will follow, rather than lead, whether Trump and Sessions like it or not.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, the eminent "free market" economist, Milton Friedman , referred to the tragedy as "an opportunity to radically reform the educational system" into a privatized system of "school choice" competition. Heeding Friedman's call, education reformers have converted approximately 90% of the New Orleans school system into a network of for-profit and nonprofit charter school corporations that are integrated through Louisiana's two P(K)-16/20 workforce development councils: the College and Career Readiness Commission and the Blue Ribbon Commission for Educational Excellence [1]. Now, nearly ten years later, this 90% privatization overhaul is being touted as a model for a total charter privatization takeover of the United States national education system through P(K)-16/20 workforce development councils.

This fascistic merger of America's national school system and the corporate economy for public-private workforce planning is bad enough. But there is a more pernicious endgame to the "cradle-to-career" charter school movement: corporate governance over all public/civic spheres of the United States political-economy.

Incentivized by the current era of contrived economic depression, the unelected councils of corporate charter school governance are integrating "cost-effective" public-private partnerships with other fiscally starved public institutions, including health and human services and criminal justice departments. The corporate interlocking of these three public/civic spheres under regional and state P(K)-16/20 council governance is setting the precedent for the erosion of civil process until democratic governance and Constitutional protections are ostensibly usurped by corporate charter bylaws enforced through unelected public-private councils.

Taxation without Representation:

This is the Trojan Horse behind the charter school reform movement: to subordinate American educational policy solely to the "jurisdiction" of publicly unaccountable private corporations that syphon tax dollars to subsidize the executive decisions of their unelected councils--in other words, "taxation without representation."

In "The True Goal of School Choice," former Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement for the US Department of Education, Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, exposes the threat of tax-funded charter schools that are governed by unelected councils, rather than elected schoolboards: "unlike in the past, when we had locally elected school boards to which we could register our complaints, there will be nowhere to go to complain since charter schools are run by unelected councils." Because charter councils do not have to worry about getting re-elected, appointed councilmembers are not beholden to redress the grievances of parents and other local taxpayers who subsidize their corporate salaries. Rather, council officials can secure their corporate tenure by simply appeasing the executive decisions of school CEOs.

This use of public tax revenues to allocate corporate welfare to unelected charter council committees qualifies as "taxation without representation." In "Heritage Foundation, NAFTA, School Choice, and the Destruction of Traditional Education," Iserbyt warns that "[t]he most lethal form of education choice is tax-supported public schools (charter schools) which have no elected school boards resulting in 'taxation without representation.' This is an oppressive system which caused our nation to revolt and declare war against the British (the American Revolution, 1776)."

Iserbyt's analysis of charter council tax codes has been corroborated by "Washington state's Supreme Court [which] has become the first in the nation [in 2015] to decide that taxpayer-funded charter schools are unconstitutional, reasoning that charters are not truly public schools because they aren't governed by elected boards and therefore not accountable to voters," according to the Washington Post . In a similar 2011 court decision, the Georgia Charter School Commission, which authorized statewide public financing of corporate charter schools, was ruled unlawful by the State Supreme Court of Georgia. According to the New York Times , "[i]n a 24-page ruling, Chief Justice Carol W. Hunstein said that only local boards of education were empowered by Georgia's Constitution to open and finance public schools."

From Regional to National P-20 Council Fascism:

Governance agencies like the unconstitutional Georgia Charter School Commission manage statewide charter school planning that is facilitated through regional P-16/20 council networks such as the Georgia Regional P-20 Partnerships Collaboratives. These regional P-16/20 councils provide the institutional infrastructure for the state-level establishment of nationwide chains of corporate charter schools such as the National Academy Foundation (NAF) and the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), which are overseen by corporate councils such as the NAF Central Florida Advisory Council and the KIPP Associate Council .

The regional P-20 councils of California and Illinois provide two illustrative case study examples of statewide regional council governance that facilitates nationwide territorial expansion of corporate charter school chains, such as the NAF and KIPP, for the purposes of fascistic public-private workforce planning:

- Northern Illinois University's Regional P-20 Network: Under the auspices of Illinois State Statute 105 ILCS 5/22-45, the Illinois P-20 Council has been instituted to legalize public-private workforce planning statewide through a bureaucracy of council governance agencies. For a detailed analysis of the corporate-fascist administration of P-20 council workforce planning policies that are stipulated in 105 ILCS 5/22-45, see my article titled "Corporate-Fascist Workforce Training for the Hegelian State."

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Computed Tomography Market Forecast, by Type 2016 to 2024

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Global Computed Tomography Market: OverviewAfter being available in the market since the last decade, computed tomography (CT) has become highly popular. A non-invasive and painless medical imaging procedure, it provides a much more complete and accurate picture of the body than its predecessor, X-rays. On account of the aforementioned benefits, CT scan has come to be recognized as one of the best methods for detecting many different kinds of cancers.The increasing popularity of the CT scans because of the benefits they accord, coupled with the rising ranks of health conscious people, is expected to boost the market. As per TMR estimates, the global CT market is expected to be worth US$5.6 billion in 2017, after clocking a healthy CAGR of 4.5%.Request a PDF Brochure with Report Analysis:The research study on computed tomography examines the market after segmenting it on parameters such as the type of CT machines used and geography. It details the current trends to predict the overall growth. It also leverages Porters Five Forces Model to understand the competitive dynamics of various segments. Aspects, namely market size, its growth drivers and restraints find a detailed mention in the report as well.Global Computed Tomography Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThere are various reasons why computed tomography market has seen an impressive growth. Firstly, there has been an increasing awareness among a new breed of health conscious people, who understand the importance of preventive healthcare and demand accurate early diagnosis. Secondly, an alarmingly high occurrence of circulatory system, cardiovascular, inflammatory, and spinal diseases is also driving growth in the market.Further, spurt in medical diagnostic procedures and technological advancements has also stoked the market. Depending upon the type of CT machines, for example, the market can be divided into the following: high end slice, mid end slice, and low end slice CT. The high end slice is slated to hold more than half of the market share by 2017 due to the 64-slice CT system it includes, which aids in accurate imaging of the heart. The multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT), further, introduced around six years back, offers high-speed, non-invasive, thin-slice diagnostic scanning for various purposes in radiology and cardiology, has seen soaring popularity.Such technological advancements, alongside an aging population requiring medical imaging technology improvements, has fuelled adoption of image guided, less invasive procedures for diagnosis. The rising preference for automated workflows has also led to the growth in the market. Emerging countries are already making efforts to generate awareness about the advantages of CT machines. This alongside increasing disposable income of families has resulted in demand shooting up.Computed Tomography Market: Major SegmentsGeographically, the CT market can be divided into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World (Row). Of them, the largest share of the market is commanded by North America, mainly on account of sweeping technological advancements and growing consciousness among the elderly, who are fast outnumbering other demographics. Europe follows next and holds a good amount in market share for the same reasons as North America does.Asia Pacific, however, has been exhibiting maximum growth rate on account of growing demand for early diagnostic tools demanded in mushrooming healthcare facilities in the region. With a rapidly growing population in the region, the demand for healthcare has seen a dramatic rise in the region and led to both private and government players rushing in to meet the demand.Companies Mentioned in the ReportTo study the markets vendor landscape, the report has profiled some of the most prominent enterprises operating therein. Some of the globally known, dominant purveyors in the CT market are Toshiba, Philips, Siemens, and GE.Browse Full Research Report on Computed Tomography 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:
Pipeline Analysis: Spinal Muscular Atrophy Market Overview 2015 - 2023

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In the pipeline analysis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) market report, market analysis and forecast has been provided for late stage (phase 3) candidates, while also includes thorough qualitative information for other candidates in early stage (phase 1 and phase 2). ISIS-SMNRx by Isis Pharmaceuticals is presently the only late stage candidate in spinal muscular atrophy pipeline, while three drugs are currently in phase 2 and three others in phase 1. These include Olesoxime (TRO19622), LMI070, RO6885247, CK-2127107, scAAV9.CB.SMN and RG3039. The report also mentions some of the potential preclinical candidates in the spinal muscular atrophy pipeline. The pipeline analysis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) market report provides overview of the clinical trials, and its current status for each drug candidate for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy. Details on mergers, acquisitions, licensing agreements, and other collaborative agreements, updated on regulatory policies, and expected study completion are also mentioned in the report. Market estimation and forecast for phase 3 drugs for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy has been provided from the expected year of drug approval, till 2023 (in USD Million) for the United States.Read Full Report:Spinal Muscular Atrophy Market: Pipeline Analysis SnapshotThe number of people affected with spinal muscular atrophy is increasing globally. As stated in a publication by CureSMA, at least one in fifty people carry the defective spinal muscular atrophy gene. It should be noted that the research does not include the entire global population and therefore the total number and proportion of SMA gene carriers can be much higher than estimated. This is a key reason for the growth of research and development efforts put into understanding spinal muscular atrophy and discovering feasible treatments for it.The market is, however, currently restrained by the overall lack of research in terms of the types of spinal muscular atrophy that exist. Research organizations and government bodies are constantly working to measure the growth of spinal muscular atrophy in concerned regions. However, they do not include the various types of spinal muscular atrophy in their research, thus creating a large gap in the mapping of SMA.There is currently no treatment available for spinal muscular atrophy. Most options available only target the symptoms and not the clinical problem. At the same time, the pipeline for spinal muscular atrophy is fairly dry except for the presence of a few advanced drugs.Download exclusive Sample of this report:North America Scores Highest on SMA Treatment Market AttractivenessTaking several factors including regulation policies, drug pricing, competitive intensity, and population, it can be said that North America leads in most sub-segments. Researchers and manufacturers concerned with the spinal muscular atrophy are therefore looking to the advanced healthcare infrastructure of North America and Europe.The North America demand for spinal muscular atrophy treatments largely stems from the U.S. This region shows a higher diagnosis rate of spinal muscular atrophy. It also holds a high amount of government incentives that are given for the development of orphan drugs. The high price of spinal muscular atrophy treatment can be mitigated by the availability of feasible reimbursement policies. Additionally, a large portion of the pharmaceutical industry policies are in favor of this market.Orphan Drugs to Get Greater Government IncentivesWith the U.S. and Europe already having distinguished spinal muscular atrophy as an orphan drug, the government incentives for this category are expected to increase accordingly. Governments are trying to encourage research and development organizations for spinal muscular atrophy to expedite the process of drug development and drug discovery.Brochure Download:Most of the pipeline drugs for spinal muscular atrophy are given several economic advantages such as the clinical research tax credit, a priority new drug application review. This applies especially to the pipeline drugs being developed in the U.S. Similar benefits are also being given to SMA drug developers in Europe. In 2015, only one drug had cleared through to the third phase of clinical and can be expected to enter the market in 2018.The key players included in the spinal muscular atrophy pipeline assessment are AveXis, Inc., Cytokinetics, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Novartis AG, and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The key pipeline drugs for spinal muscular atrophy currently include Olesoxime (TRO19622), LMI070, RO6885247, RG3039, scAAV9.CB.SMN, CK-2127107, and ISIS-SMNRx.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
Breast Cancer Therapeutics Market Opportunities: Approval for Multiple Indications (positive & negative types) HER2 breast cancer

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The global breast cancer therapeutics market has been studied based on major drug class segments, and their regional as well as national markets. Based on drug class, the global market has been categorized into five major segments: HER2 inhibitors, mitotic inhibitors, anti-metabolites, aromatase inhibitors, and hormone receptors. The market for these segments and sub-segments has been extensively analyzed based on their utility, effectiveness, sales, and geographic presence. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn and compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2015 to 2023 are provided for all segments, considering 2014 as the base year.The lead author of this research report says, New product launches and investments in clinical testing and trials are also expected to work in the favor of drug breast cancer therapeutics companies to diversify their portfolio and win bigger shares.Read Full Report:Transparency Market Research states in a new report that the leading players in the global breast cancer therapeutics market will focus on developing companion diagnostics models to fortify their presence. As of 2014, the leading players in the global breast cancer therapeutics market were F.Hoffmann-LaRocheLtd., Astra Zeneca, and Novartis AG, who held a whopping share of 93.6%. Mergers and acquisitions will also shape the trajectory of progress for the players in the overall market. For instance, Novartis took over the oncology drug segment of GlaxoSmithKline in 2015, which will help the company add another 22 drugs including Tykerb to its pipeline.Increased Breast Cancer Risk to Pave Way for Steady Consumption of Breast Cancer TherapeuticsThe increasing risk of breast cancer amongst women due to early onset of menopause, growing pool of geriatric women, and lifestyle changes are some of the factors driving the breast cancer therapeutics market. The changes in delayed childbearing, reproductive patterns, reduced breast feeding, excessive intake of oral contraceptive pills, and other estrogen modifying drug therapies are also contributing to the increasing risks of breast cancer amongst women.The growing problem of obesity is also considered to be a major factor contributing towards rising cases of breast cancer. The fat tissues are known to be major producers of estrogen amongst postmenopausal women. Thus, excess fat and the high prevalence of obesity is indirectly driving the global breast cancer therapeutics market.Download exclusive Sample of this report:The growth of domestic pharmaceutical companies that are making investments to meet the unmet demands of patients by manufacturing generic drugs as several patented drugs reach their patient expiration date are expected to boost the market. Furthermore, this market is also expected to find opportunity in developing companion diagnostic models that are customized for specific patients in accordance with the molecular characteristics of their malignancy.Entry of Local Manufacturers Could Eat into Revenues of Branded DrugsHowever, the entry of local drug manufacturers has intensified the competition in the breast cancer therapeutics market. These manufacturers are offering generic versions of breast cancer drugs, which is severely impacting the market for branded drugs. The exorbitant cost of surgeries, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy also makes it unaffordable for a large number of patients, especially in the developing regions, where healthcare infrastructure is poor. All of these factors are expected to hamper the growth of the breast cancer therapeutics market in the foreseeable future.Patent Expiry Drives HER2 Inhibitors Segment as Generic Drugs will Become AffordableCurrently, North America holds a sizeable share in the global breast cancer therapeutics market due to supportive insurance schemes. In the coming years, this regional segment will acquire a 36.2% share of the overall market revenue. The significant drug segment in the market will be HER2 inhibitors in the forecast period as patents near expiration dates, giving entry to generic drugs. Thus, this drug segment will expand at a CAGR of 6.2% between 2015 and 2023. Given these positive developments, the opportunity in the overall market is also expected to rise to US$16.21 bn by 2023 from US$7.17 bn in 2014, enabling the market to exhibit a CAGR of 8.4% between 2015 and 2023.Brochure Download:The review of the market is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, Breast Cancer Therapeutics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015  2023.Key Takeaways:Changing reproductive patterns to be responsible for the 8.4% CAGR of the breast cancer therapeutics marketNorth America to grab 36.2% share in the overall market revenue with supportive insurance schemes by 2023As patented drugs reach expiration dates they make entry of generic drugs possibleThe global breast cancer therapeutics market has been segmented as follows:Global Breast Cancer Therapeutics Market, by Drug ClassGlobal HER2 Inhibitors MarketHerceptin (Trastuzumab)Tykerb (Lapatinib)Perjeta (Pertuzumab)Kadcyla (Ado-trastuzumab emtansine)Global Mitotic Inhibitors MarketHalaven (Eribulin)Taxotere (Docetaxel)Ixempra (Ixabepilone)Global Anti-metabolites MarketGemzar (Gemcitabine)Global Aromatase Inhibitors MarketFemara (Leterozole)Aromasin (Exemestane)Arimidex (Anastrozole)Ibrance (Palbociclib)Afinitor (Everolimus)Global Hormone Receptor MarketZoladexFaslodexFarestonGlobal Breast Cancer Therapeutics Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.Asia PacificJapanSouth KoreaRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & Africa (MEA)Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
High Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HPAPI) Market Growth with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2023

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The global high potency active pharmaceutical ingredient market report provides insights on contract versus captive HPAPI, synthetic versus biological HPAPI, and branded versus generic HPAPI. The global high potency active pharmaceutical ingredient market is also segmented into major therapeutic areas which include oncology, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular, central nervous system, musculoskeletal and others. From geography perspective, the market is studied for five main geographies: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. North America HPAPI market is sub-segmented for the U.S., Canada, while Europe HPAPI market is further segmented for Germany, U.K., and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific HPAPI market is segmented for Japan, China and Rest of Asia Pacific. Latin America market is segmented for Brazil and Rest of Latin America. Middle East and Africa HPAPI market segmented for GCC Countries and Rest of Middle East and Africa.Read Full Report:Development of Targeted Therapeutic Drugs Drives Global HPAPI MarketThe booming oncology research and rising cases of cancer, diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases have created a sizeable demand for dedicated treatments, thereby driving the high potency active pharmaceutical ingredient (HPAPI) market. The HPAPI market stood at a valuation of US$2.64 bn in 2014. The cost containment strategies adopted by companies through outsourcing are favoring market growth. This has brought down the cost of drugs drastically, making them affordable to a larger audience. The positive result of this trend is seen on the increased focus of companies on drug development and commercialization. As a result of these favorable trends, the HPAPI market is projected to be worth US$25.11 bn by 2023. Between 2015 and 2023, the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.3%.A promising pipeline of targeted therapeutic drugs will also help the market progress in the coming years. These drugs have minimal side effects and impact targeted areas, thereby helping the patient to recover faster with no lingering after effects. These positive perceptions surrounding HPAPIs combined with the near-expiration dates of blockbuster drugs, which will offer several generic drug manufacturers a chance to offer affordable drugs, will further the markets growth. Consistent research and development to mimic branded drugs will create alternative and cost-effective treatments for patients across the globe, thereby augmenting the growth rate of the market.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Emerging Nations in Asia Pacific Becoming Hubs of Generic Drug Manufacturing, to Aid HPAPI Market GrowthAsia Pacific is the expected to be the most lucrative market for high potency active pharmaceutical ingredients due to the soaring contract manufacturing activities in the region. Analysts predict that China will surpass Japans current share of 40% in the Asia Pacific market by the end of 2025. This change will be a result of low labor costs in China, well-equipped manufacturing plants, and supportive foreign exchange policies.India will also be an upcoming high potency active pharmaceutical ingredients market due to the growing concentration of pharmaceutical manufacturing activities in the country. In the forecast period, the country is expected to be the hub for generic drug manufacturing. The growing investments by key players in India are also anticipated to boost this market in the near future. During the forecast period of 2015 to 2023, the Asia Pacific HPAPI market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 10.1%.Oncology Drugs Show Maximum DemandThe oncology drugs segment has been the leading segment of the global high potency active pharmaceutical ingredient market. This segment is expected to expand at CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period. The introduction of innovative drugs is the primary growth driver for the oncology segment. Analysts predict that the patent expiry of blockbuster drugs such as Herceptin, Rituxan, and Humira will pave the way for generic drug manufacturers, thereby making these drugs affordable to a wide number of patients.Some of the leading players operating in the global high potency active pharmaceutical ingredient market are WuXi AppTec, Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC, Pfizer, Inc., Sandoz International GmbH, Novasep, Lonza Group, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Cambrex Corporation, and Alkermes plc. The fragmented nature of this market will result in strategies to acquire and merge with regional players to gain the first-mover advantage.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
Executive Summary: Global Scleroderma Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market 2016 - 2024

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According to Transparency Market Research, the global scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics market was valued at US$1,633.5 mn in 2015 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 9.7% from 2016 to 2024 to reach US$3,663.7 mn by 2024.Global Scleroderma Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market: SnapshotThe scleroderma therapeutics and diagnostics market exhibits high potential due to untapped needs and is set to grow rapidly in the near future due to the increasing focus globally on treatment of orphan diseases. The lack of approved drugs in the market makes it a highly opportune condition for players to convert their innovative drug ideas into successful treatment methods for this rare chronic inflammatory disease.Read Full Report:Physician and Patient Preference to make Immunosuppressive Agents Leading Drug CategoryPresently, there is no approved drug for treatment of this orphan disease. Although drugs to manage symptomatic relief are available in the scleroderma therapeutics market, the treatment of scleroderma is challenging for a physician, since no two patients are alike in the progress of their disease. Thus, a host of different drugs are prescribed to every patient, depending on the extent, severity and nature of their symptoms.It has been observed that patient consumption patterns in the global scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics market are inclined towards immunosuppressive agents, which have shown to provide relief against several symptoms in both systemic and localized scleroderma cases. Moreover, of the very few treatments identified to efficaciously modify the course of scleroderma, physicians often recommend immunosuppressive agents to manage the most common symptoms of the disease. The segment, as a result, accounts for the dominant share in the global market.Prostacyclin analogues have been found to have a potent effect in treating systemic scleroderma patients who suffer from pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, these drugs are expensive and thus, even though a smaller sub-set of patients is administered with these agents, their market value is high. This segment grabbed over 8.0% share of the global scleroderma therapeutics market in 2015, and is anticipated to slightly decline by 2024 owing to availability of cheaper alternatives within this segment.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Developed Regions to Continue to Command DominanceOwing to better diagnostic and treatment rates, in part due to proactive awareness-raising initiatives by various foundations, have aided North America and Europe gain the predominant share in the global scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics market. North America accounted for a share of nearly 34.0% while Europe held nearly 30% of the global scleroderma therapeutics market in 2015. This is attributed to presence of renowned pharmaceutical companies, research organizations, and institutes in the regions, which are focused on finding a standard treatment for the condition.The North America and Europe markets for scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics are expected to retain their dominance in the global scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics market throughout the forecast period, exhibiting CAGRs of 11.2% and 10.9%, respectively, over the period between 2016 and 2024. The ongoing cutting-edge research pertaining to scleroderma will aid the growth of a niche scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics market in these regions.Asia Pacific represents some of the worlds key emerging economies, which have the potential to adopt quickly to new therapies, provided they are available at reasonable costs. Due to the price-sensitive nature of the market, as well as availability of cheaper generics and reasonable clinical diagnostic rates compared to North America and Europe, the market for Asia Pacific gained the third position in terms of market share in 2015. The Asia Pacific market will also retain its position in the global market over the forecast period, with factors such as large population and high unmet needs working in favor of market expansion in the region.Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer AG, Cytori Therapeutics, Inc., Corbus Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Gilead Sciences, Inc., Pfizer, Inc., and Sanofi are some of the key players operating in the global scleroderma diagnostics and therapeutics market.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
Global Nanocoatings Market  Industry Perspective, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014  2020

Global Nanocoatings Market

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Global Nanocoatings (Anti-Fingerprint, Anti-Microbial, Anti-Fouling & Easy-To-Clean, Self-Cleaning and Others) Market for Medical & Healthcare, Water Treatment, Electronics, Building & Construction, Automotive, Energy and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014  2020The report covers forecast and analysis for the nanocoatings market on a global and regional level. According to the report, global demand for nanocoatings market was valued at USD 1.50 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach USD 6.85 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 24.9% between 2015 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global nanocoatings market stood at 266.0 Kilo tons in 2014.The study includes drivers and restraints for the nanocoatings market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the nanocoatings market on a global level.Request Sample Report:In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the nanocoatings market, we have included a detailed value chain analysis. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the nanocoatings market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein product segments and application segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.The nanocoatings market is mainly driven by strong demand from medical and automotive coatings industry. Amplification in the coatings sector coupled with growing industrial demand and emerging economies especially in BRIC countries has been resulted into growing demand for nanocoatings. Rising demand for nanocoatings instead of conventional coatings owing to its superior attributes and low VOC emissions are expected to be major driving factors for the nanocoatings market. However, environment regulatory and health issues may hold back the growth of the market. Nonetheless, growing demand for nanocoatings technology from electronics industry is expected to open new opportunities for the market growth in the near future.Browse detail report at:In terms of volume, anti-microbial dominated the nanocoatings market with around 30% share in total market in 2014. The second largest product segment was anti-fouling & easy-to-clean for nanocoatings market in the same year. Moreover, anti-fingerprint is the fastest growing segment due to rising demand of nanocoatings material form industries such as electronics, medical and the healthcare industry over the next few years.Medical & healthcare was the dominating application segment in 2014. It accounted around 16% shares of total market volume consumption and further it is expected to continue this trend within the forecast period. Moreover, automotive and electronics are the fastest growing application segments that are likely to boost the market growth. This growth is attributed to emerging automobile industry in Asia Pacific region.The study provides a decisive view on the nanocoatings market by segmenting the market based on applications. All the application segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2014 to 2020. Key product segmented market covered under this study includes anti-fingerprint, anti-microbial, anti-fouling & easy-to-clean, self-cleaning and others. Key application market covered under this study includes medical & healthcare, water treatment, electronics, building & construction, automotive, energy and other applications. The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa with its further bifurcation into major countries including U.S. Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India and Brazil. This segmentation includes demand for nanocoatings based on individual applications in all the regions and countries.Other Categories Reports :-Food and beverage:Chemical and materials:Consumer Goods:The report also includes detailed profiles of end players such as P2i Ltd, Nanovere Technologies LLC, Nanofilm Ltd., Nanogate AG, Nanophase Technologies Corporation, Integran Technologies Inc., Inframat Corporation, Cima NanoTech Inc., Buhler PARTEC GmbH and Bio-Gate AG. The detailed description of players includes parameters such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies and recent developments of the company.The report segments the global nanocoatings market as:Nanocoatings Market: Product Segment AnalysisAnti-microbialAnti-fingerprintAnti-fouling & easy-to-cleanSelf-cleaningOthersNanocoatings Market: Application Segment AnalysisAutomotiveMedical & HealthcareWater TreatmentElectronicsBuilding & ConstructionEnergyOtherNanocoatings Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaAbout A to Z ResearchA to Z Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. A to Z Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact US3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USATel: +1-386-310-3803GMTTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-465Email: martin@atozresearch.comWebsite:
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) Market - Industry Analysis, Share, Growth, Trends, Forecast Upto 2024

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Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is collection of services that communicate with each other. The communication comprise of data transfer involving two or more services facilitating specific functionality. SOA consist of modules that are built as software components called services. The components are discrete pieces of data structures that can be reused for diverse purposes, thereby providing flexibility into the software systems. SOA enhances the ability of infrastructure to transform in response to change in the business environment. It also supports the management of re-usable business services as it compromise of flexible components.Browse The Market Research Report of Service-oriented architecture Market :SOA facilitates outsourcing of applications or business processes. It enables interoperability, reusability, and enhances the ability of organizations by means of integrated services such as cloud, big data and mobile computing. Further, it supports reduction in maintenance, and integration cost of networks. With the industries perceiving a number of mergers and acquisitions, SOA facilitate integration of IT and business processes across the merged or acquired entities. Innovation in software technologies and infrastructures are fueling the adoption of SOA in various industry verticals such as healthcare, telecommunication and IT.The global SOA market has been experiencing growth in recent years due to increasing adoption of mobile technology, adoption of web based applications in commercial and industrial sectors, rising adoption of cloud computing and innovation in smart phone for transactions and payments application. The other additional factors contributing to the growth of SOA market are increasing unstructured data generation by machines, technologies and equipment due to social media and growing adoption of integrated IT infrastructure. However, the long development cycle and design complexity of SOA framework is hindering the market growth of SOA market. The evolving SOA platform with integrated applications supporting cloud computing and big data technology is expected to create opportunities for expanding SOA market.The global SOA market is segmented on the basis of solutions, end-use adoption, services, application and geography. Based on the solution type, the global SOA market is segmented into software-as-a-services, infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and integration-as-a-services. In terms end-use adoption, the global SOA market is segmented into food and beverages, manufacturing, healthcare, IT and telecommunication, retail, automobile, government and bussiness financial services and insurance (BFSI). In terms of services, the global SOA market is segmented as system integration and design. On the basis of application, the SOA market is segmented into cloud based SOA systems.Get Sample Report Copy :Moreover, on the basis of geography the global SOA market is classified into North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Among these, North America is expected to lead the market due to expansion of large firms through adoption of SOA application for integrated services to reduce operational cost such as adoption of SOA application for interconnection of applications using middleware and adoption of SOA to develop cloud computing.Some of the key players in SOA market with most significant developments are Oracle Corporation, Software AG, Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd., SAP SE, Tibco Software Inc., CA Technologies, 360logica Software and Crosscheck Networks.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:
Commercial Flooring Market is Anticipated to Grow with an Effective CAGR During 2016 - 2022

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Floorings are an essential part of any household or commercial structure. Along with this, flooring are increasingly gaining prominence in other applications which includes automobile, aviation and aerospace. The floor covering industry is being filled by new technological developments and fashionable trends. Over the past few years, end-users have been shifting from conventional flooring solutions to more cost effective and eco-friendly flooring materials which include glass, bamboo, linoleum, polyester and reclaimed hardwood. It has been noticed that, installation of new and innovative products in commercial and residential space with stressed out techniques has significantly driven the commercial flooring market all over the world in the past few years. Higher consciousness about the environment has fostered the demand for eco-friendly products which include hardwood, bamboo, rubber, etc. The global commercial flooring market has showcased substantial growth over the past few years and is likely to expand at a substantial CAGR over the period 2016-2022.Request for Sample Report @evival of construction industry in developed regions especially in North America and Europe is anticipated be one of the major growth drivers of the global commercial flooring market in future. However, rising consumer expenditure on house interiors, offices and hotels is anticipated to bolster the growth of global commercial flooring market from 2016 to 2022. Apart from this, it has been noticed that various automobile companies are also utilizing commercial floorings in order to enhance the vehicles look. Changing lifestyle along with migration of people from rural to urban areas have also contributed for the growth of global commercial flooring market. In the next few years, increasing applications in manufacturing plants, automotive industry as well as refineries is likely to fuel the growth of global commercial flooring market over the forecast period.Global Commercial Flooring Market is segmented by: products, applications and by regionGlobal Commercial Flooring Market by ProductsSoft CoveringsoBroadloomsoCarpetsoRugsResilient FlooringNon-Resilient FlooringSeamless FlooringWood & LaminatesGlobal Commercial Flooring Market by ApplicationsEducationHealthcareHospitality and LeisureRetailPublic BuildingsGlobal Commercial Flooring Market By RegionAsia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaGeographically, the Global Commercial Flooring industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America contributed the highest share in the global commercial flooring market in 2015 due to recovery of construction industry in the region. Rising infrastructural developments and urbanization in countries such as India, China and Japan is expected to expand the commercial flooring market in Asia. Asian region is anticipated to observe robust demand for non-residential and residential spaces which will intensify the market of commercial flooring in future.Request for Table of Content @Some of the key vendors identified across the value chain of the global Commercial Flooring market include James Halstead, Flowcrete, Novalis, NOX Corporation, Toli flooring, China national building material co. ltd., and others. The manufacturers are focusing on development of new and innovative products and displaying of products through online catalogues. Thus, regular supply of raw materials utilized for manufacturing process is necessary for market players for overall development. Various new players are anticipated to enter into the market and to capture the share in global commercial flooring market.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
Luxury Pens Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth During 2016 - 2022

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The growing e-communication among the corporates and other social class people around the world has become a threat for written communication. Due to the increasing brand awareness and high disposable income of people (especially among young adults), the luxury pens market is witnessing a decent growth. Likewise, luxury pens key players which are having brands such as Lamy, Aurora, Mont Blanc, Grayson and Parker are trying to encash the opportunities in this growing luxury pens market. The major players are opting to make their luxury pens more royal by making it diamond studded and gold plated, to grab the maximum market share. One of the key trend in the market is that the manufacturers are strategically investing in product development by modifying the luxury pen nib with platinum and other expensive metals. In spite of the sluggish market and curtailed discretionary spending, the luxury pens market is growing at a good rate. Hence, the global luxury pens market has got a great potential in the forecast period. The global luxury pens market is anticipated to witness a moderate single digit growth in the upcoming years.Request for Sample Report @The growing global luxury pens market can be attributed to the growing disposable income and brand awareness amongst people. Growing population coupled with the changing lifestyle of people in the developed countries is anticipated to drive the demand for global luxury pens market. Moreover, possessing a luxury pen has become a status symbol these days and hence, high class society people are opting for luxury pens. Likewise, the attractiveness of luxury pens again plays a great role for boosting its market.The luxury pens market is a niche market, and also there are not much retailers available in the market, which can hamper the luxury pens market. Likewise, the import duty of such luxury pens is high enough to impact its market. Due to its high range the inventory cost of the dealers increases, hence it requires more working capital management which can decline the luxury pens market. Moreover, there is an increase in e-communication among people which would further decline the luxury pens market.Global Luxury Pens Market: SegmentationThe global luxury pens market can be segmented on the basis on product type, raw material and application.Global Luxury Pens Market by Product TypeBall Point PensConverter PensFountain PensRoller Ball PensFine Liner PensStylus PensMultifunctional PensBrush PensDie PensGlobal Luxury Pens Market By Material Used:-Precious gold metalsPrecious resinRubberStainless SteelSterling SilverPorcelain/ CeramicCarbonLacquerGlobal Luxury Pens Market by Application:-CalligraphyScreen WritingDocument MarkingGlobal Luxury Pens Market by Region:Asia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaAsia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the global luxury pens market. Countries such as India and China are the upcoming countries where demand for such luxury items are at peak because of the increase in disposable income of people. Even, North America is a flourishing luxury pens market due to the improving brand awareness of luxury pens amongst people.Request For Table of Content @Some of the key players identified in the global luxury pens market are Paradise Pen Company, Montblanc International GmbH, C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Grayson Tighe, Parker Pen Company, A.T.Cross Company, Sanford L.P.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
Disposable Protective Apparel Market is Expected to Experience Immense Growth During 2016 - 2022

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Disposable protective apparel is used in many industries including manufacturing, construction, health care etc. to provide protection from many different hazards. Disposable protective apparel includes shirts, belts, vests, pants, jackets, and hats are the most popular. Benefits of using disposable protective apparel includes, versatility (used as multifunctional), affordability (less price compare to durable protective apparel) and sustainability (recyclable product to maintain sustainable practices).Request for Sample Report @Increase safety for workforce by government for instance, offering safety to workers from hazardous particle, provide abrasion resistance, and barrier protection among others is expected to drive the demand for disposable protective apparel across the globe. Also, development of innovative products by companies to ensure development of cost-effective material along with creation of novel designs is expected to bolster the global disposable protective apparel market growth in the near future. Also, increasing industrial and infrastructural industries across emerging economies is anticipated to fuel the demand for cost-effective thereby, driving the demand for disposable protective apparel in the next five to six years. However, increased automation in end-use industry leads to less deployment of workforce thus, less demand for disposable protective apparel among end users. This is restricting the growth of global disposable protective apparel market. However, increasing safety awareness in emerging countries and small manufacturers is an opportunity for global disposable protective apparel market.Global Disposable Protective Apparel market is segmented by: product type, end use, user type, application and by regionGlobal Disposable Protective Apparel Market by Product TypeHead ProtectionEye ProtectionEar ProtectionFoot ProtectionHand ProtectionBody ProtectionBreathing ProtectionGlobal Disposable Protective Apparel Market by End UseConstruction & ManufacturingHealth CarePharmaceuticalOil, Gas and MiningOthers (Military)Global Disposable Protective Apparel Market by User TypeIndustrialPersonalGlobal Disposable Protective Apparel Market by ApplicationThermal Protective ApparelsChemical Protective ApparelMechanical Protective ApparelGerm Protective Apparel Or Biological ApparelOthers (General and Industrial Cleaning Protective Apparel)Global Disposable Protective Apparel Market by RegionAsia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaNorth America and Western Europe hold major share in total disposable protective apparel market and Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to be one of the fastest growing market. This is attributed to development in infrastructure and manufacturing industry, which has increased significantly in recent years leading to demand for protective apparel among end users.Request For Table of Content @Some of the key players operating in the global disposable protective apparel market are The 3M Company, Lakeland Industries, Inc., Enviro Safety Products, Medline Industries Inc., Honeywell International Inc., UVEX ARBEITSSCHUTZ GmbH, Dastex Reinraumzubehor Gmbh & Co.KG, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Cellucap Manufacturing, Dolphin Products and Anchortex Corporation.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
Female Fragrance Market is Expected to Witness Highest Growth During 2016 - 2024

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Fragrance, certainly one of the most important and appealing personal care accessories, is a favorite among ladies across the globe. While some women prefer mild fragrance, others may choose a strong one. In one of the several available forms, women have a personal choice of fragrance, whether they work at offices or at home. The global female fragrance market is a dynamically growing market on a global level.Persistence Market Research examines the global female fragrance market for an eight-year forecast period 2016-2024, and offers key insights into all the critical factors associate with the current and future market condition.Request to view Sample Report @As affluent consumers are increasingly shifting to westernized lifestyle, the demand for female fragrance will continue to be on the rise. In addition, increasing purchasing power of consumers, especially among developing economies, will also remain a key factor boosting sales of female fragrance. With a growing female workforce across the globe, the adoption of a host of fragrance varieties will continue to surge. Perfume or fragrance is still considered a luxury grooming product in some of the developing countries. However, its affordability over other counterparts will continue to support its sales.Extensive advertising is expected to remain one of the key drivers to the global female fragrance market. Increasing celebrity endorsements for perfumes will continue to fuel the market. Although the popularity of natural, classic, traditional scents persists, growing exploration of lesser traditional scents by women is foreseen to be an important factor fostering sales of female fragrance products. Promising introduction of unisex fragrance brands in the market will further boost the revenue sales of female fragrances.Attractive packaging bottles has been one of the most popular trend in the perfumes market. This will continue to be one of the top trends driving the market over the forecast period as well. Several manufacturers are increasingly focusing on travel-friendly fragrance packaging, roll-on balls, spray pens, and so on. The global market for female fragrance is identified to increasingly welcome several new international as well as domestic brands, which is another sign that indicates strong growth opportunities over the next few years.Women nowadays are observed to purchase more than one fragrances at a time. A growing trend of using different fragrances on different occasions is likely to benefit the market for female fragrance in near future. Manufacturers are expected to encounter the maximum profitable opportunities in the designer and celebrity league. Another important trend observed by Persistence Market Research is the growing adoption of scents, perfumes, and fragrances in the aromatherapy sector that will possibly open new paths of revenue generation within the next few years.By product type, the female fragrance market is segmented into fruity fragrances, citrus, oriental, and woody.In terms of content, consumers are observed to prefer natural, environment-friendly fragrances over chemical extensive perfumes and deodorants.Considering the distribution channel, supermarkets and hypermarkets are expected to be the most preferred distribution channels, attributed to evolving shopping habits of consumers.Europe may remain the leading market globally, accounting for the largest market revenue share over the forecast period 2016-2024. However, Asia Pacific is foreseen to be the most attractive market for female fragrance manufacturers, witnessing the fastest CAGR throughout the assessed period.Request to view Table of content @Some of the key players competing in the global female fragrance market, include Procter & Gamble, Chanel SA, Coty, Inc., Elizabeth Arden, Gucci Group NV, Gianni Versace S.p.A, Fifth & Pacific Companies, L'oreal SA, Puig Beauty & Fashion Group S.L, and Revlon and Bulgari Parfums.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
Commercial Laundry Equipment Market is Anticipated to Grow with an Effective CAGR During 2016 - 2024

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Laundry equipment is the equipment used in the process of washing clothes and linens. The commercial laundry equipment products comprises of dry cleaning equipment, presses, commercial dryers and washers. Such equipment provides laundry solutions to various industries including healthcare, hospitality, educational, and service industries.Request to view Sample Report @The commercial laundry equipment is segmented on the basis of operation types. They are, multi-housing, on-premises and vended. Vended laundry is also referred to as coin operated laundry and occupies spaces on long term leases. They are self-service and are composed of individual operators or owners. The on-premises laundry facility is installed at properties such as apartment spaces and comprises of a washer and dryer. The multi-housing laundry systems are usually installed by the landlords for the benefit of their tenants. They cater to the needs of each apartment and rental space with a complete washer and dryer set. The commercial laundry equipment is majorly contributed by the vended type as it saves time in carrying out the cleaning tasks.The growth in commercial laundry equipment market can be primarily attributed to the growing demand for efficient laundry systems. As the population and levels of disposable income rises, there is a growing awareness among the people for hygienic and efficient cleaning systems. This triggers the growth of laundry stores to cater to such growing demand In addition, the government regulations for energy efficient systems in certain regions like North America are creating stiff competition among the vendors to come up with innovative features including the electronic controls. Such electronic controls combined with several other features automate the cleaning tasks thereby saving lot of time. Another factor contributing to the growth of commercial laundry equipment market is the initiatives taken by the healthcare industries to solve the issue of various cleaning jobs. Hospitals, clinics and nursing homes need to consistently launder a variety of items such as towels, bed sheets, rugs and mop heads thoroughly and effectively. High speed washing and cost efficiency are tow dominating factors for such health care facilities. This is driving the demand for highly programmable laundry equipment that can cater to the various washing needs ranging from personal items to mop heads.However, cost of replacing the laundry equipment in the event of failure, is adversely affecting the growth of this market. The increasing cost of raw materials such as Nickel and Copper coupled with high installation costs makes laundry equipment replacement expensive. There many local vendors that offer repair services to the laundry equipment at an affordable price. Thus, users prefer to get their equipment repaired rather getting it replaced.Request to view Table of content @To tap the significant opportunities available in the emerging economies, the players in the market are offering their solutions beyond the national boundaries.For instance, Alliance Laundry Systems, one of the key vendors in the laundry equipment market, in the Year 2014, began to offer their laundry services in Brazil due to the presence of significant growth opportunities. Some of the other key vendors in the market include Electrolux Laundry Systems, GE Appliances, Qualitex Company and Unipress Corporation.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
Vascular Stents Market 2014-2020: Material based Segment Analysis

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Stents are devices placed into the blood vessel, artery or narrow blood vessels in the human body. A vascular stent is placed in an artery called as coronary angioplasty. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart to other parts of the body. Stents made up of metal mesh and fabric. Fabric stents also called as stent grafts, which are widely used in larger arteries.Get a copy of free Sample Report @Increasing aging population and rising prevalence of the peripheral arterial disease are important factors bolstering the growth of the vascular stents market. Advanced technology and R&D in new devices such as drug-eluting stents are expected to exhibit lucrative growth during the years to come. The study includes drivers and restraints for the vascular stents market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the opportunities available in the acne vulgaris treatment market on a global level.The report provides detailed segmentation of the vascular stents market based on product and region. Fem-pop artery stents, iliac artery stents, renal artery stents, carotid artery stents and others are key product includes in vascular stents market. Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand of vascular stents 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 vascular stents market is dominated by North America followed by Europe. Asia-Pacific is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period.Inquire more before buying this report @The report covers forecast and analysis for the vascular stents market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2014 along with a forecast from 2014 to 2020 based on revenue (USD Million). To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the vascular stents has also been included.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 Cordis Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, C.R.Bard, Inc, Cook Medical and W.L. Gore & Associates and Abbott Vascular, Inc.Browse detail report @This report global vascular stents market is segmented into following types:Vascular Stents Market: Product Segment AnalysisFem-pop Artery StentsIliac Artery StentsRenal Artery StentsCarotid Artery StentsOthersVascular Stents Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle 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:
Automated Breast Ultrasound System Market 2014-2029: Growth rate and general attractiveness

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The automated breast ultrasound system is a painless, safe, radiation-free and non-invasive 3D ultrasound system used for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Automated breast ultrasound system is particularly developed for entire breast imaging. Automated breast ultrasound is designed to acquire ultrasound images of the breast using a broadband transducer that is scanned over the entire breast, in an automated fashion, to collect three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volume data. The automated breast ultrasound system device uses a fully automated process to capture 3D images using a high-frequency broadband transducer.Get a copy of free Sample Report @Growing radiology market, increasing the prevalence of breast cancer globally, and wide-ranging research and development in the imaging techniques are the major driving factors for the growth of automated breast ultrasound system. However, high manufacturing price of equipment and accessories and scarcity of expertise factors are expected to hamper the market growth.The report provides detailed segmentation of the automated breast ultrasound system market based on end-user and region. Invenia (GE Healthcare, SOFIA (Hitachi ltd.), ACUSON S2000 (Siemens AG) and Sonecine (SoneCine, Inc.) are key company brand product includes in an automated breast ultrasound system market. On the basis of application, the automated breast ultrasound system market is segmented into hospitals and diagnostic imaging laboratories. Hospital dominated the overall market in terms of revenue. Hospital segment was continuous to grow at a moderate rate. All segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends, and the market has been estimated from 2015 to 2020.Inquire more before buying this report @Geographically, the automated breast ultrasound system market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa, further bifurcation of a region on the country level, which includes U.S., Germany, UK, France, China, Japan and India. North America was the leading market share of automated breast ultrasound system. North America is followed by Europe. The growth of the North American market is likely to be driven due to extensive advancement in the technology and major market player in this region. Europe is the second largest medical device technologies market owing to improved geriatric population and government regulations fueling the market growth.Some of the key players operating in global the automated breast ultrasound system market such as SonoCine, Inc., General Electronic Co., Hitachi Ltd., and Siemens AG.Browse detail report @The report segments the global automated breast ultrasound system market into:Global Automated Breast Ultrasound System Market: End-User Segment AnalysisHospitalsDiagnostic Imaging LaboratoriesGlobal Automated Breast Ultrasound System Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle 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:
Temperature Monitoring System Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth During 2016 - 2026

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Maintenance of air temperature in a controlled environment ranging from factory floors and storage areas to industrial scale freezers, ovens and walk-in refrigerators is a crucial element as far as longevity of the products and productivity of the manufacturing equipment is concerned. The temperatures to be maintained in these areas has to be precise and within the range as fluctuations in temperature can affect the shelf life of the product. These fluctuations in temperature is recorded and stored in the server in real time by the temperature monitoring system. Temperature monitoring system thus is a complex system assembled with different electronic devices comprising of a computer acting as a server, temperature sensors, data connectivity devices or interfaces between the computer and the sensors and an alarm system to notify the personnel when temperature reaches critical levels. The sensors are placed in temperature critical zones where fluctuations of temperature is the highest. Productivity, being one of the most important aspect of a manufacturing company, can be hindered by the slightest variations in the operating conditions of the factory floor by various factors including the fluctuations in ambient air temperature. Therefore, temperature monitoring systems has been increasingly adopted by manufacturing companies and warehouses in order to achieve improved levels of productivity.Request to view Sample Report @The growth of temperature monitoring system is directly related to the market fluctuations in the application area. One such application is its usage in manufacturing corporations. The manufacturing activities on a global level scale is on a steady rise in the current scenario and is estimated to grow at an accelerated pace in the future thereby positively influencing the growth of the temperature monitoring system. E-commerce is one of the fastest growing and widely accepted marketplaces requiring large number of warehouses and storage facilities, these storage facilities are controlled enclosures where temperatures has to be properly maintained by the temperature monitoring system. Therefore, the increase in number of warehouses and storage system is one of the important factor driving the growth of temperature monitoring system. Another application driving the growth of temperature monitoring system market is its adoption in food & beverage industry and pharmaceutical industry, which commonly deals with perishable goods and products, requiring stringent temperature monitoring and recording system.Temperature monitoring system is a capital intensive system that requires precise pre-planning and installation, skilled personnel with an extensive knowledge of sensing electronics are required so as to enable the temperature monitoring system to function normally. Low availability of such personnel coupled with high cost can hamper the growth of the temperature monitoring system.An important trend identified in the temperature monitoring system are miniaturization of the entire system by implementing wireless technologies for data transmission. Manufacturers of the temperature monitoring system have also tweaked the system by eliminating dedicated wireless data transmission devices for enclosures which already has a central wireless connectivity system in place.Temperature Monitoring System Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, Temperature Monitoring System Market can be segmented as:1.Wireless System2.Wired SystemOn the basis of application, Temperature Monitoring System Market can be segmented as:1.Agriculture2.Automotive Industry3.Food & Beverages Industry4.Pharmaceutical Industry5.Logistics6.Electronics Industry7.Oil and Gas IndustryBased on the geography the Temperature Monitoring System Market is divided into seven key segments as North America, Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle-East & Africa (MEA), and Japan. High adoption rates of temperature monitoring system is anticipated in the North America, Western Europe, and Japan region owing to maturity in manufacturing sector while the growth in Asia Pacific Excl. Japan (APEJ) and Latin America region is expected to be slow due to restricted usage of advanced technologies in the manufacturing companies and warehouses.Request to view Table of content @Some of the players identified in the Global Temperature Monitoring System Market are:Banner Engineering CorporationCooper-Atkins CorporationVaisala OyjFluke Process InstrumentsIsensix, Inc.DeltaTrak, Inc.Imec Messtechnik GmbHKTR Kupplungstechnik GmbHEmerson Electric CompanyPhysitemp Instruments, Inc.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types and applications.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
Telecom Tower Market is Expected to Experience Immense Growth During 2016 - 2026

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Mobile telecom industry has witnessed significant growth rate in last decade and it is expected to grow consistently over different generations of network communications. Starting from 0G mobile telecom service (MTS) to current long term evolution (LTE) 4G, the mobile telecommunication has turned as necessity to everyone. The second generation (2G) mobile telecommunication gave a major boost to the mobile telecom industry as it surprised consumers with internet browsing offering on mobile phones along with clear voice calling facilities. Now, most of the countries possess 4G connectivity which is a highly dense networking system providing real time voice calling and enhanced data transfer rate. Also, few countries like Japan and U.S. are implementing 4.5G and in development of 5G network communications.Request to view Sample Report @The telecom tower are the arteries of any mobile telecommunication system. The telecom tower is a structure hosting a transceiver unit to maintain connection with thousands of mobile phones and The Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO). The telecom tower offers wide range of multi-channel frequencies to thousands of cell phones in the network zone. The main advantage of multichannel frequency is that it can offer tens of mobile phones in single network like conference calling, where many devices are connected to single network and can transmit and receive at same time. Also, it offers better data transfer rates and connectivity. The telecom tower are tall steel structures with transceiver unit at the top to cover maximum possible area.The telecom tower market is primarily dependent on mobile subscriber density and number of telecom service providers in any region. The increasing reach of mobile phones to almost every remote area, increasing competition among service provider for better network coverage are some of the current drivers of telecom tower market. Also, permissible height limits in any area restricts service provider to install multiple towers in small zones. Moreover, increasing the number of telecom service providers, internet providers, Wi-Fi and broadband providers are expected to drive the telecom tower market in the forecast period.Whereas, the harmful effects of high frequency radio waves or microwaves on human and environment is expected to limit telecom tower market. Also, regulations from government and telecom authorities is expected to put restraints on telecom tower market. Moreover, high installation cost, high operational costs and squeezing space are some other factors which can suppress telecom tower market growth.Recent trends have shown high prospective of strengthening of telecom tower network, where multiple new technologies are liable to grow. Ongoing researches on Internet of Things (IoT), real time security devices monitoring and accessibility, remote health care services, etc. are some emerging technologies projecting to increase the burden on telecom tower in coming years.The telecom tower market can be segmented in two categories based on type of tower and mounting area. On the basis of type of tower the telecom tower market can be segmented as  Lattice tower, Guyed tower, Monopole tower, Camouflage towers and Mobile (vehicle mounted) tower.On the basis of mounting area the telecom tower market can be segmented as  Green Field Tower (mounted on ground or suitable foundation) and Roof Top Tower (mounted on roof of any building).Request to view Table of content @The telecom towers are generally installed either by telecom service provider or third party infrastructure providers. Some examples of telecom service providers are China Mobile Ltd., Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Inc., Vodafone Group Plc, Bharti Telecom Ltd., China Unicom Ltd., Telenor Group, MTN Group and Telstra Corp. Ltd.Whereas some examples of third party tower erection and service providers includes  Indus Towers Ltd., 3Z Telecom, GTL Infrastructure Limited, Tower Systems, Inc., American Tower Corporation, Reliance Infratel Limited, LeBLANC Communications (M) Sdn.Bhd., ATC IP LLC., and Vertical Bridge, 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 geography, technology and applications.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
#Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon pays 5th visit to mourning altar for Itaewon crush victims President Yoon Suk-yeol paid his fifth visit to a mourning altar for victims of the Halloween crowd crush on Friday in what has become a daily routine for the president. Yoon ar...
Liquefied Gas Pump Market Expected to Witness a Healthy CAGR During 2016 - 2026

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Since the discovery of gases and their usability, they are employed in major industrial and domestic applications. Extraction or production of gasses take a lot of efforts and precision, over to that transportation and controlling of gasses increases the difficulties. Often gasses are compressed to liquid states in order to achieve ease of transportation and increase usability. Generally liquefied gases possess high pressure and very low temperature, which may range from 20 C to  260 C. Pumping liquefied gasses requires specially designed pumps which should fulfill its purpose and must not change properties of fluid. Also, it should be reliable enough to works at high pressure and lower temperatures for long duration. A liquefied gas pump is a specially designed device which can increase the head level with maintaining constant pressure and temperature to avoid vaporization. Liquefied gas pumps find applications in oil & gas industries, gas filling stations, gas processing units, refrigeration plants, domestic gas supply stations, laboratories, and R&D firms among others.Request to view Sample Report @The liquefied gas pumps sometimes may be referred as cryopumps when they are operating on liquefied gasses having temperature below  150 C. The cryopumps are generally meant for pumping liquefied gasses like liquid hydrogen, liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, etc. The cryopumps are mostly involved in gas processing units, refrigeration units and few research and development activities.The liquefied gas pump market is generally rely on the demands from gas processing plants and gas filling stations. The liquefied gas pumps are vastly used in gas filling stations used for refueling of automobiles. Hence, increase in production of gas fueled vehicles and extending network of gas filling stations is estimated to drive the liquefied gas pump market. Also, the demand of LPG, CNG, and LNG in domestic activities like cooking, room heating and water heating may also boost up the liquefied gas pump market. Moreover, increasing national and international gas pipeline networks to reduce transportation charges is expected provide leverage to liquefied gas pump market.Whereas, production and liquefying gases is an expensive task as it needs superior cooling and compression process. Also, high initial & operating cost and lower performance character are some restraints for liquefied gas pump market. Moreover, the risks associated with leakages and volatility of gasses suppress the growth of liquefied gas pump market.The Liquefied gas pumps market can segmented into two categories on the basis of technology and on the basis of application. On the basis of technology the liquefied gas pump market can be classified as positive displacement pumps, rotatory pumps and diaphragm pumps. On the basis of application area the liquefied gas pump market can be segmented as gas processing units, automotive filling stations, and residential gas supply.Depending on geographic regions, the global liquefied gas pump market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Japan. The MEA and North America are estimated to lead the market due to higher oil and gas exploration activities. Also nations such as U.S., Russia, and China are estimated to remain dominant in liquefied gas pump market due to larger dependency on gases. Whereas, developing oil & gas piping network in developing nations across Asia Pacific is expected to offer higher growth rates in the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @The liquefied gas pump market is majorly dominated by local manufacturers. Although some key players catering superior technology and services includes Sulzer Ltd, Global Teikoku Group, Apollo Goessnitz GmbH (HMS Group), Smith Precision Pumps, Fristam Pumps USA, PSG (Dover Corp.), Moret Industries Group, Pulsafeeder Engineered Products, Ebara Corporation, Renroc Group, KSB Aktiengesellschaft, EDUR Pumpenfabrik Eduard Redlien GmbH & Co. KG.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, user types, end user industry and solution types.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
Automotive Telematics Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth By 2020

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Telematics is referred as information technology that deals with long distance communication and transmission of computerized information. Telematics is the technology of sending, receiving and storing information through the use of telecommunication devices. Automotive telematics is integrated use of telecommunications and informatics applied in the vehicles, providing required information while the vehicle is on the move. Automotive telematics includes global positioning system technology integrated with communication technology within the vehicle such as navigation system.Request to view Sample Report @On the bases of usage of telematics within the vehicle the global automotive telematics market can be bifurcated into CE telematics, embedded telematics and hybrid telematics. Automotive telematics is used for various applications while the vehicle is on the move. Major application includes vehicle tracking (monitoring the location, movements and status of a vehicle), trailer tracking (movements and position of an articulated vehicle's), wireless vehicle safety communication (electronic sub-system in a car or other vehicle providing information about road hazards and location and speed of the vehicle and container tracking.North America has the largest market share for automotive telematics system, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The U.S. and Japan are the major users of automotive telematics system within the vehicle. North America is expected to maintain its dominance in the forecasted period.However, Asia Pacific region is expected to witness highest growth in coming future. Increasing domestic demand for wireless communication system within the vehicle in the developing countries such as China and India are expected to boost the Asian automotive telematics market.Increasing demand of integrated wireless communication system within the vehicle by the drivers and passengers is driving the global automotive telematics market. Additionally, government regulation in various countries for the use of automotive telematics system within the vehicle is expected to increase the automotive telematics systems in the forecasted period. Also, increasing demand for vehicles equipped with telematics system in the emerging market of Asia Pacific majorly China, India, South Korea and Japan is expected to drive the global automotive telematics system market in the forecasted period.Request to view Table of content @Increasing government regulation and consumer willingness to pay more for telematics equipped vehicles is prompting the market leaders to invest in the emerging markets of Asia Pacific. Some of the major companies operating in the global automotive telematics market are Visteon Corporation, Intel Corporation, Mix Telematics, Verizon Communications Inc, Delphi Automotive Plc, Agero Inc, Airbiquity Inc, Robert Bosch Gmbh and Continental Ag.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
Anticounterfeit Pharmaceuticals Packaging Market is driven by Anticounterfeit Packaging Technology and Growing Awareness among End-users

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Counterfeiting is gravely impacting the pharmaceuticals industry by causing substantial losses in terms of revenue and credibility. Counterfeit pharmaceutical products, labelled with the names of original and legitimate product manufacturers are entering local markets globally. This has become a matter of serious concern for pharmaceutical companies, and the threat of lawsuits is a constant worry. Players in the pharmaceutical industry around the globe are increasingly working on ways to stop counterfeit products from penetrating the markets in order to prevent negative impact on their sales revenue and brand image.Get Sample Report Copy:Counterfeit pharmaceutical products are so very well packed that normal identification techniques are unable to differentiate between legitimate or original packaging and counterfeit ones. These products then end up being sent to the retail market for sale. Forged products, due to sub-standard quality, pose severe health concerns among consumers, which results in steadily diminishing brand image of original products. Each year, multi-million dollar losses are incurred by players in the global pharmaceutical industry due to presence of counterfeit products in their supply chain.Pharmaceutical products are one of the basic needs of consumer and this high need for medication invariably results in them coming in contact with counterfeit products due to the abundant availability of such products in local markets. Anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging has emerged as one of the most effective solutions to limit counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry. Growing incidence of counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry is resulting in increasing demand for anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging. This market is expected to expand at a significantly high growth rate over the forecast period as a result.Innovation in anti-counterfeit packaging technology and growing awareness among end-users are factors attributing majorly to growth of the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market. Government regulations in various countries across the globe is prompting players in the global market to invest more in advanced anti-counterfeit technologies. Due to these factors, the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market is expected to account for substantially high revenue growth over the forecast period.High capital expenditure of anti-counterfeit technology systems and their impact on the product distribution system and supply chain network of companies is making investors a little hesitant to set up manufacturing plants. These are some of the factors that are expected to act as restraint to the growth of the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market over the forecast period.The global anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market is segmented on the basis of technology and regions. The technology segment is categorized into authentication packaging technology and track and trace packaging technology. The authentication technology is further sub-segmented into ink & dyes, holograms, watermarks and taggants. The track and trace packaging technology segment is sub-segmented into barcode technology and RFID technology.Geographically, the global anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market is segmented into seven main regions namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa, and Japan. Due to higher consumer awareness, North America is expected to hold largest market share in the global anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market, followed by Europe. The market in Asia Pacific is also expected to grow at a significant rate, adding more value to the global anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market over the forecast period.Some key players in the global market include Zebra Technologies, Alien Technology Corp., AlpVision, Avery Dennison Corp., SICPA HOLDING SA, Microtrace, LLC, Impinj, Inc. and others.About TMRTMR 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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Ferrochromium Market Market Set for Expansive Growth Over Next 10 Years

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Ferrochromium, also known as Ferrochrome, is an alloy of iron and chromium containing 50 to 70% of chromium. It is produced by electric arc melting of chromium ore and chromite. Ferrochromium is consumed extensively in the manufacturing of steel to achieve the qualities such as corrosion resistance, tensile strength, heat resistance and yield strength. The global ferrochromium market is anticipated to be in deficit to cater the increasing global steel market in near future. Ferrochromium is mostly produced in India, China, South Africa and Kazakhstan because of large chromite resources found in these countries. The global ferrochromium market is witnessing a modest single digit CAGR growth up till now and is expected to continue in future.Request to view Sample Report @Ferrochromium is having its maximum share of consumption in steel industry and due to the ever increasing construction and demand of steel the global ferrochromium market is forecasted to flourish. In order to get a continuous supply of raw material for ferrochrome, China has established its operations in the countries like Turkey, South Africa, Philippines and Zimbabwe which would boost the global ferrochromium market in future. Due to the favourable conditions like lower electricity price and lower labour cost in upcoming markets like China, the production cost reduces comparatively. This will boost the production of ferrochrome to suffice its increasing demand and will contribute in global ferrochromium market.The global ferrochromium market can get hampered because of the increase in the export tax and fixed export quotas imposed by South Africa on chrome ore, owing to the concern of losing ferrochromium market to China. South Africa is having a significant market share in global ferrochromium market but there are concerns of power supply and higher production cost which would lead to the closure of small competitors and is estimated to slowdown the global ferrochromium market.Request to view Table of content @The global ferrochromium market can be divided into five regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific is having the maximum market share in global ferrochromium market, China and India are the countries having an excellent steel market, so these countries are significant in the consumption of ferrochrome. China is expanding its capacity to import chrome ore for the production of ferrochrome from the countries like South Africa, Turkey, Zimbabwe. Middle East and Africa are also marking a significant growth in the global ferrochromium market, Especially South Africa is having plenty of chromite resources for the production of ferrochrome. Europe is an emerging market in the field of ferrochrome and is anticipated to have a considerable market in future due to the flourishing automobile sector in the region. North America and Latin America is at a nascent stage in the global ferrochromium market.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
Leather Chemicals Market Will Continue to Grow by 2021

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Leather chemicals are a class of products that are used in the treatment of animal hides for the production of leather. Leather chemicals are required at different stages of leather processing which includes beamhouse, tanning and finishing, fatliquors and water repellents and drum dyeing.Request to view Sample Report @Leather is an unmatched material for making accessory products and item. In order to make the leather for long lasting for use and to create an appealing richness of leather, many leather chemicals are used. Increasing demand for various leather made products such as apparels, footwear, garments, furniture and automotive upholstery positively influence the demand of leather chemicals and helps in further growth of leather chemical market. Innovation in technology such as use of micro and nano particulates for abrasion resistance and improved innovation in chemical compound that offers improved color, look and feel better leather, superior water resistance and improved finish adhesion are expected to drive the leather chemical market across the globe.Increasing per capita income of individual, growing consumer affluence, growth in tourism industry are some of the key reason, which leads to increase in the demand of luxury and leather goods items in the market. Fast changing fashion trends and increasing the consumer awareness level about various luxury products further boost the demand of leather goods in the market. Regular innovation and changing design model of various leather and luxury product leads to trigger the demand of leather product in the market. Growing trends towards purchasing of various leather product help to trigger the growth of leather chemical market.Asia Pacific is the largest market for leather chemicals. Some of the major factor that drives the leather chemicals success in Indian market in coming years would be its compliance with many international regulations like ISO, REACH, etc. With large number of population in Asia Pacific countries, the demand of various leather products is also on the rise. China produced 4.271 billion pairs of leather shoes in 2011 and the leather shoes market is growing with a CAGR of around 12.4% annually. The growing rate of leather shoe products helps to boost the leather chemicals market in China and in Asia Pacific region. Increasing disposable income level of individual in North America and Europe further tends people to invest more on purchasing leather luxury products including garments, footwear and others product. The total turnover of retail sale of footwear and leather goods in specialized stores in the U.K. was USD 3,973 million in 2010 and it grew to USD 4,649 million in 2013. This growing investment over leather products and product innovation further helps to boost the leather chemical market in European region.Request to view Table of content @Some of the companies operating in global leather chemicals market are BASF SE, Lanxess AG, TFL, Clariant Chemicals Ltd., Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd., Indofil Industries Ltd., Pidilite Industries Ltd., Schill & Seilacher GmbH & Co., ATC CHEMICALS, Tytan, TEXAPEL, Elementis plc, Zschimmer & Schwarz & Co KG, DyStar, Elementis plc, LANXESS AG, lawrence international, TASA GROUP INTERNATIONAL, Loving Group Ltd., Chemtan Company, Inc. and Stahl International BV.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
Sodium Sulfide Market Revenue Predicted To Go Up by 2021

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Sodium sulfide is a water soluble and colorless salt that gives strong alkaline solutions. Sodium sulfide with its hydrates emits hydrogen sulfide smelling like rotten eggs, when exposed to moist air. Some of the commonly available grades of sodium sulfide include 60% of Na2S, by weight, which have a yellow appearance due to presence of polysulfides. These grades are marketed worldwide as sodium sulfide flakes whose solutions are regarded as colorless despite being yellow in color. Sodium sulfide is manufactured industrially by the reduction sodium sulfate with carbon, in the form of coal. The anhydrous salt is prepared in the presence of anhydrous ammonia by the reduction of sulfur with sodium. Sodium sulfide is also manufactured by other methods such as reduction of sodium sulfate by reducing agents which are gaseous in nature, absorption of hydrogen sulfide by sodium hydroxide, and the electrolytic method among others. Out of these methods, reduction of sodium sulfate has been the most common method to obtain sodium sulfate. In most of the industrial wastes, sodium sulfate is manufactured in large quantities. Sodium sulfate as a byproduct is made during the manufacturing of sodium dichromate, and is considered as a low grade sodium sulfate consequently having a limited distribution. Owing to this, the sodium sulfate produced is converted to sodium sulfide on account of its inability of its other uses as it contains highly toxic hexavalent chromium. This method of obtaining sodium sulfide by the reduction of sodium sulfate has been implemented by various economies.Request to view Sample Report @The global market for sodium sulfide has been witnessing a significant increase owing to growing demand from its application industries. It is widely consumed in various applications such as pulp & paper, glass production, printing, textiles, and detergents among others. Noticeable growth has been witnessed from detergent applications, particularly in developing as well as emerging economies such as China and India. However, pulp & paper application have declined lately owing to product substitution as well as technological changes in addition to growing environmental legislation. Other prominent applications of sodium sulfide include metal precipitant, photographic applications, oxygen scavenger agent in water treatment applications, production of rubber dyes, rubber chemicals and other compounds, food preservatives and oil recovery among others.Emerging regions such as Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share in the sodium sulfide market in 2013, followed by Europe and North America. Future market growth is expected to from emerging economies such as Brazil, India, China and Argentina. In addition, China holds the worlds largest mirabilite reserves and has been focusing on expanding production capacities of sodium sulfide in order the meet the global demand. The country is also anticipated to become the largest supplier of sodium sulfide for global consumption as production costs are relatively lower than other parts of the world. Demand for sodium sulfide is also expected to rise on a global scale on account of increasing number of exports to Latin American regions such as South and Central America for the purpose of satisfying the increasing demand for powdered detergents.Request to view Table of content @Allchem Group Co. Ltd., BASF SE, Jiujiang Huirong Trade Co., Ltd., Nafine Group International Co., and Sigma Aldrich Corporation are some of key player in the sodium sulfide industry dominating the market.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
Wireless Audio Device Market: Latest Innovations, Drivers and Industry Key Events 2021

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A device that uses wireless technology to play different types of audio files is called a wireless audio device. A wireless audio device consists of microphones, sound bar, wireless speaker system, wireless transmitter and receiver system, integrated audio system, dedicated speaker docks, speaker adapters, in-ear monitoring systems, and musical pickups. Depending on the design, modern wireless audio devices either come with power cables or run on batteries. A wireless audio device offers proper connectivity, expandability, flexibility, and convenience. These devices can operate in the vacant spectrum between frequency ranges of 520 MHz and 1800 MHz.Request for Sample Report:Based on technology, the global wireless audio device market is segmented into four categories: Airplay, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and others (including skaa, play- fi, and sonos). Among various applications, Bluetooth accounts for the largest segment in the wireless audio device market.Based on application, the global wireless audio device market is segmented into four categories: consumer and home application, commercial application, automotive application, and others (including security application and defense application). Commercial application forms the largest segment owing to the soaring demand of wireless audio devices from thte automotive and defense sectors. Based on product, the global wireless audio device market is classified into four categories: sound bars, wireless speaker systems, wireless headsets & microphones, and others. Wireless speaker systems are further divided into three different categories: Bluetooth speakers, speaker adapters, and dedicated speaker docks.Increasing mobility requirement, advancements in wireless audio technologies, and growing demand for infotainment services are the key factors driving the global wireless audio device market. Negative health effects on children and other user groups as well as other issues, such as operating frequency compliance acts, restrain the global wireless audio device market. Major companies such as Apple, Inc., Bose Corporation, DEI Holdings, Inc., Harman International, Inc., and Plantronics, Inc. offers innovative audio devices with the latest features. Growing investment for research and development of sophisticated wireless audio devices further helps in the growth of this market.North America is the largest market for wireless audio devices, followed by Asia Pacific. In North America, the U.S. accounts for the largest market share in the wireless audio device market. China, Japan, and India are some of the major market for wireless audio devices in Asia Pacific. This market is expected to exhibit double digit growth rate during the forecast period.Request for Table of content:Some of the major players in the global wireless audio device market are Plantronics, Inc., Polk Audio, Inc., Boston Acoustics, Inc., Avnera Corporation, Bluetooth Sig, Inc., Bose Corporation, DEI Holdings, Inc., Harman International, Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Sennheiser Electronic GmBH, Shure, Sony Corporation, Vizio, Inc., VOXX International Corporation, and Apple, Inc.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:
Swiss Watch Market: Industry Analysis & Outlook (2016-2020)

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A Swiss watch, is a watch that is manufactured, encased and checked for quality in Switzerland. All Swiss watches have a Swiss made label on them, implying that whole or a major portion of the watch is made in Switzerland. Swiss watches have become a concept of grandeur as the utility of a watch as a time keeper reduced and its symbolic and emotional aspects gained traction. Over the years, Swiss luxury watches have emerged as the ultimate stamp for quality, precision and craftsmanship.Two features of Swiss watches that distinguish them from regular watches are that they are Swiss made and have a Swiss movement. Swiss watches are broadly of two types, Mechanical and Electronic or Quartz. A mechanical Swiss watch has a movement that uses energy from a wound spring to power the watch, instead of a battery. An electronic or quartz watch on the other hand is operated by vibrations of an electrically driven quartz crystal and are thus very accurate and require minimal maintenance aside from battery replacements.The Swiss watch market can be segmented into the market for mechanical Swiss watches and the market for electronic Swiss watches. In addition to this, significant amount of trade takes place of Swiss movements meant to be assembled in overseas locations. It is thus, a crucial part of the Swiss watch market which has witnessed persistent growth over the years, benefitting primarily from a rise in luxury consumption attributable to the economic boom in China.Increase in the wealth of high net-worth individuals, growing youth population, rising ageing population, increase in the number of millionaires and increasing tourist arrivals across the globe have driven growth in the Swiss watch market over the years. The market has however, witnessed slowing growth in recent years due to certain challenges like a strong Swiss Franc, weak foreign demand, weak domestic demand, shortage of qualified labor and competition from smart watches.The report provides an overview of the entire Swiss watch market through in-depth analysis of its segments along with their market value and forecast. Certain trends, growth drivers as well as issues being faced by the industry are discussed in detail in the report along with competition in the market. Recent developments in certain main markets like Asia, Europe and the United States have also been analyzed.Download sample Copy of Report atTable of Content1. Market Overview1.1 Introduction1.2 Features1.3 Types1.3.1 Mechanical1.3.2 Quartz2. Swiss Watch Market2.1 Swiss Watch Market by Value2.2 Swiss Watch Market Forecast by Value2.3 Swiss Watch Market by Region2.4 Swiss Watch Market by Country2.5 Swiss Watch Market by Price Category2.6 Swiss Watch & Movements Market by Material3. Swiss Watch Market Segments3.1 Swiss Watch Exports by Segments3.2 Wrist Watch3.2.1 Swiss Wrist Watch Market by Value & Volume3.2.2 Swiss Wrist Watch Market Forecast by Value & Volume3.2.3 Swiss Wrist Watch Market by Type3.2.4 Mechanical Swiss Wrist Watch Market by Value & Volume3.2.5 Mechanical Swiss Wrist Watch Market Forecast by Value & VolumeMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global 3D Bioprinting Market: Information, Figures and Analytical Insights by 2021

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3D bioprinting is a process of creating spatially-controlled cell patterns in 3D, where viability and cell function are conserved within printed construct. The 3D bioprinting industry that is currently at the embryonic stage of generating replacement human tissue has been forecast to be worth billion dollars by 2019. 3D bioprinting at present largely involves the creation of simple tissue structures in lab settings, but is estimated to be scaled up to involve the creation of complete organs for transplants. This technology is expected to be used for more speedy and accurate drug testing, as potential drug compounds could be tested on bioprinted tissue before human trials commenced.Request for Sample Report:3D bioprinting is steadily emerging as an area that is gathering attention from a lot of academicians. Some of the researchers have recently opened start-up firms with aim of commercializing the technology in coming years. A number of start-ups have recently sprung up to build up products based on bioprinting. Some are spin outs from university research. For examples, Aspect Biosystems focused on printing tissue models for toxicity testing TeViDo BioDevices focused on printing breast tissue and SkinPrint focused on developing human skin. The market of 3D bioprinting particularly focuses on the commercial bioprinters and those under development, their applications and the expected future evolution. It is widely predictable that the 3D bioprinting market has great potential. It requires biocompatible materials (bio-ink and bio-paper), software (CAD), hardware (bioprinters); each has the capability to grow into separate niche industries.The market at present has 14 industry sponsored bioprinters, focused on variety of commercial applications. The widen supply-demand gap for organ transplants is an unmet need; the ultimate goal of researchers is to be able to create bioprinted organs for organ transplants. The focus of this market is expected to shift from research to commercialization. At this stage, the applications such as tissue engineering (skin and cartilage) and drug testing (skin and cartilage) are expected to be popular.In coming years, 3D bioprinting to be a multi-billion dollar industry owning to early success of bioprinted organ transplants is expected to offer additional boost in subsequent years. The next generation of bioprinters is to offer additional features such as multiple arms and is expected to be comparatively more affordable driving wider adoption. Aspect Biosystems would dramatically cut the cost and time it takes to develop and test the drugs leading to cures for presently incurable diseases and cheaper treatment options. The companies in bioprinting market include SkinPrint that is developing a replacement skin for the burns patients or for those suffering from skin disorders. Aspect Biosystems that is developing printed tissue for drug testing.Request for Table of content:Some of the major players for 3D bioprinting market are Advanced Biomatrix, 3D Biotek, 3D Systems, Avita Medical, Bespoke Innovations, Autodesk, EnvisionTEC, Cyfuse Biomedical, CMC Microsystems, Digilab, United Therapeutics, TeVido BioDevices, DTM, Bio3D Technologies, Helisys Inc. CMC Microsystems, InSphero AG and BD Biosciences among others.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:
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Market: New Growth Opportunities By 2024

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Product portfolio management is a business lifecycle function in an organization that deals with the planning, forecasting, and production of a product or products at all stages of product lifecycle. It integrates people, data, process, and business systems. PPM software helps enterprises/organization to improve their strategic planning and business execution. PPM software assists business organizations to accelerate the pace of innovation, improve productivity, and more effectively adapt to rapidly changing economic conditions and competitive dynamics.Request for Sample Report:Applications of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Software:Information Technology SolutionNew Product Development SolutionProfessional ServicesIn the current information technology world, business enterprises have increased their scale of operations by diversifying their variation in their product portfolio. In order to manage entire information: starting with the ideation to implementation of a product has become critical that led to the innovation of a new software named as a Project Portfolio management (PPM). Moreover, the functionality of products is increasing, making their development and support more complex. Therefore, necessity of making product development process smoother, across various industries has led to the introduction project portfolio management (PPM) softwareHowever, cost and complexity issues attached with PPM software have been long standing hurdles to widespread PPM software adoption. In the various enterprises applications, PPM requires huge cost and has to experience complexity in the IT infrastructure. It spreads across variety of related applications, demands cross functional corporation, and requires a sizable investment in outside consultants in order to manage both the technical and organizational aspects of implementation.Segmentation of project portfolio management market on the basis of deployment model:On-Premises:On-Premises project portfolio management (PPM) software are deployed and operates on the computers in the premises of the organization using the PPM software, rather than at remote facility including remote servers and cloud on internet.Hosted :Hosted project portfolio management (PPM) software are provided by cloud service providers. Hosted environments reduces the cost associated with mobile enterprise application development platform.North America region is fastest growing market in PPM software adoption. The demand for mechanical computer aided design (MCAD) and electronic computer aided design (ECAD), and other project specific software in countries such as the U.S. and Canada is driving the growth of the market.PPM market in aerospace and defense sector in the Asia-Pacific region holds significant growth potential. Cloud based PPM software are also gaining popularity in countries such as China and Regulatory compliance, increased safety, enhanced design innovation, and product processes are cornerstones for the growth of advanced PPM software in Europe. Furthermore, intensifying concerns about safety and decreasing, maintenance expenditure will catalyze the PPM software market in Europe.Request for Table of content:CA Technologies, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, Workfront, Inc., and Planview are few of the leading players of global project portfolio management (PPM) software market.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:
Growing Number Of Travelers To Keep Demand For Vaccines On The Upswing During Forecast Period

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The research report, titled Global Travel Vaccines Market 2016-2020, provides a clear understanding of the nature of the market and its scope for growth. The document includes an analysis of the historical data and the present-day market situation. For a comprehensive understanding of the subject, the report has been compiled using primary and secondary research methodologies. The information has been collected through trusted sources and has been authenticated with quotes and comments.According to the research report, the global travel vaccines market is estimated to surge at a CAGR of 6.83% during the forecast period of 2016 and 2020. The steady CAGR of the global market is being driven by the growing demand for getting vaccinated amongst travelers. The need to steer clear of possible infections and diseases in foreign lands is encouraging travelers to get appropriately vaccinated. The market is also being driven by government mandates to ensure travelers are vaccinated as per the norms set by the foreign countries to prevent cross contamination. The growing number of travelers over the coming few years due to rising disposable incomes are also poised to boost the revenue of the global market.Some of the vaccines studied in this research report are typhoid, rabies, meningococcal disease, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, and yellow fever. The geographies studied in this research report are the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. The analysts have identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats impacting these segments of the global market. The report also documents the region-specific growth patterns of these segments and provides an evaluation their trajectory for the coming few years.For Sample Copy, click here:The market is likely to be challenged by the shortage of these vaccines and a poor distribution system. The high cost of developing these vaccines is also expected to restrain the growth of this market in the coming few years. Furthermore, the stringent regulatory framework for prescribing these vaccines and developing is also holding the market back from achieving its potential growth.Some of the leading players operating in the global travel vaccines market are GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi, Indian Immunologicals, JN International Medical, LG Life Sciences, Kaketsuken, Lupin, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Novavax, Panacea Biotec, and Nuron Biotech. The research report provides an assessment of these players and ascertains the nature of the competitive landscape. The analysts have chronicled the financial outlook, research and development activities, and business and marketing strategies of these companies for the coming few years. The document aims to offer a microscopic view to its readers to help them understand the market dynamics in complete detail.MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
TRAVEL KA BAAP

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Travel Ka BaapTravel World Under One Roof28 December 2016, DELHI, INDIATKB Group() exists to provide Advance travel platform. Ultimately, the motto is to centralize the tourism industry at the single platform.Purpose TKB Group exists to provide fast & feasible Travel Solutions, Consulting & Unique portal to Industries and individuals verticals in India and across the Globe.TKB Group sells solutions & results.TravelKaBaap is a growing company in which a traveler can get information about all destinations/attraction/activities/blogs/forums and related information. We have been providing tons of features and content for user's ease; even they can avail travel services & holiday packages on a great and competitive price on one click. However, agents can show their potential in front of travelers and get the leads.Following is a summary of the main points of the plan:The objectives of TKB Group to generate profit, grow at a challenging and manageable rate, and to be a good professional in the Field of Traveling, Consulting & Advanced Travel Solutions.The mission of TKB Group is to provide fast and reliable Travel solutions at the lowest price and managing the portal for Agents & Travelers intend dramatic hike in sales with ease.The keys to success for TKB Group are marketing and networking; responsiveness and quality, where generating repeat customers.The initial primary service offered in Version.1 is highly feasible to both parties. Although, we reduce the Digital marketing and management cost of Travel Agents and considered in the future growth.The local market for travel business, while not new, is wide open for new and expanding with various IT methods includes marketing, consulting & Advance Travel platform.This is not done, we have an advance blueprint of next versions, which can change the direction of the tourism industry worldwide. Which will create the feasible and strong connection between Travel Agents and Travelers?For more information please ClickAgentsTKB Group has 50+ satisfied travel agent for whom we are providing Marketing and Potential Travel Lead.NEEPUN TRAVELS AND TOURSPEACOCK HolidayTHE ONE TOURSHAPPY TRAVEL MAKERSEXPRESS TRAVEL CORPORATIONBOOK MY TOURSHead Office87-A, Lane no. 4,Krishna Nagar,Safdarjung Enclave,New Delhi, Delhi- 110029email: nitin@travelkabaap.com
Upcoming Synthetic Heparin to Provide Major Boost to Global Heparin Market

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Heparin, a clinical anticoagulant or blood thinner, is the commonest drug in the world. Mostly derived from pig intestines and bovine lungs it can be categorized into Unfractionated Heparin (UFH), Low Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWH), and ULMWH, which is structurally related to LMWHs. At present, LMWHs are preferred for the treatment of arterial and venous thrombosis. Their sales are slated to go up in the near future because of their reduced side-effects. Their overall market value is slated to reach US$12.3 bn by the end of 2023. Demand from the ULMWHs segment is also predicted to see an upswing because of the increasing preference of these anticoagulants over UFH in dialysis.Download Exclusive Sample of this Report:The global market for heparin is fragmented in nature with some of the key players having leading shares in different individual segments. The value of the market stood at US$8.2 bn in 2014. Clocking a CAGR of 6.3% from 2015 to 2023, the market is expected to achieve a value of US$14.3 bn by the end of 2023.Whats fuelled robust upswing in Europes market?The global market for heparins can be segmented based on regions. Among them, Europe dominates on the back of the rising occurrence of coagulation disorders seen in a rapidly growing geriatric population in the continent. People in such an age group are highly susceptible to venous thromboembolism (VTE) diseases such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). As per the Ageing Report published by the European Commission in 2015, the percentage of population above 65 is predicted to jump from 21.0% in 2013 to 32.0% in 2060. This is expected to bolster the market in the continent in the coming years as well.Why is synthetic heparin the solution?The soaring demand for heparin worldwide on the back of growing incidence of coagulation disorders necessitates the use of more effective heparin products. In fact, an alarming number of deaths are said to be caused by coagulation disorders such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Europe. The stark figures combined with the commercialization of viable heparin products, such as synthetic heparin, can substantially push up sales in the coming years. A unique selling proposition of synthetic heparin is that its overdose does not negatively impact the patients health unlike the low molecular weight heparin. Besides, synthetic heparin is both cheaper and safer than heparin obtained from animals. With regulatory approvals granted to synthetic versions of heparin, the market will receive significant impetus in the coming years.Browse Research Report:What would likely crimp growth in market?Availability of alternative anticoagulants, namely warfarin, coumarins, and oral coagulants are posing a major challenge to the global heparin market. Another factor thwarting growth is the strict quality control measures that have dealt a blow to cheap imports from China, thereby driving up the cost of production of heparin. Increasing price of active pharmaceutical ingredients that have a direct bearing on heparin prices would also likely affect demand.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 UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Supply Chain Analytics Market Outlook (2014-2022):- Company Profiling With Detailed Strategies, Financials & Recent Developments, Supply Chain Trends Mapping the Latest Technological Advancements

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Research Beam added a report Global Supply Chain Analytics Market Outlook (2014-2022)Description:About Supply Chain Analytics Market:The Global Supply Chain Analytics Industry is estimated to be $2.34 billion in 2014 and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 16.95% to reach $8.19 billion by 2022. Vast quantity of data is being generated and processed each day. It is highly required to handle such huge amounts of data and convert it into a valuable asset. Thus, escalating business data and need of efficient database management tools across varied industries worldwide have fueled the growth of Supply chain analytics market. However, factors such as lack of data visibility in real-time in the international business, no meticulous way to streamline processes within planning and execution, no flexibility within the network and inconsistency in product line are all hampering the growth of supply chain analytics market. Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LA) and Middle East and Africa (MEA) are the fastest-growing regions in the global supply chain analytics market while retail and healthcare sectors are the largest segments of this market.Download Sample Report @The Global Supply Chain Analytics Market is segmented on the basis of Deployment, Application, Service, Solution and Geography. On the basis of Deployment, the market is segregated into On-site and Cloud. On the basis of Application, the market is categorized into Electronics, Automotive, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods, Defense and Aerospace and Others. The market is segmented on the basis of service into Support and Maintenance Services and Professional Services. Global Supply Chain Analytics Market by Solution is segregated into Visualization and Reporting Tools, Transportation and Logistics Analytics, Supply Chain Planning and Procurement, Sales and Operations Planning and Manufacturing Analytics. Global Supply Chain Analytics Market by geography is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.The key players in the Global Supply Chain Analytics Market include Tableau, SAS Institute.INC., SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, Microstrategy, Kinaxis INC., IBM Corporation, Genpact, Capgemini and Birst.INC.Request for Discount @What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments Market share analysis of the top industry players Strategic recommendations for the new entrants Market forecasts for a minimum of 8 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations) Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsEnquire about Report @Table of Content1 Executive Summary2 Preface3 Market Trend Analysis4 Porters Five Force Analysis5 Global Supply chain Analytics Market, By Deployment6 Global Supply chain Analytics Market, By Application7 Global Supply chain Analytics Market, By Service8 Global Supply chain Analytics Market, By Solution9 Global Supply chain Analytics Market, By Geography10 Key Developments11 Company ProfilingAbout Us:With the arsenal of different search reports, Research Beam helps you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency. With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Severs Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesU.S. & Canada Toll Free: + 1-800-910-6452International: + 1-503-894-6022UK: + 44-845-528-1300India: +91 20 66346070Fax: +1 (855) 550-5975Email: help@researchbeam.comWeb:
United States Flag Pole Industry: Market Overview, Product Overview, Scope of Flag Pole, Application, Market Size, Competition by Manufacturers , Market Trend Share Opportunities and Forecast to 2021

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Research Beam added a report United States Flag Pole Market Report 2016Description:About Flag Pole Market:The Flag Pole Industry Research Report is a comprehensive study of the recent market trends and consumption analysis in the United States industry. The report provides an in-depth analysis for the historic period, 20112016 and the forecast period, 20162021. Market overview is offered on the basis of product overview and scope of Flag Pole. Furthermore, the study covers a detailed segmentation in terms of types, applications, and regions.Download Sample Report @Regional analysis for the Flag Pole market is provided based on revenue, sales, and growth rate. In addition, sales and market share for each segment are included for each region.Major manufacturers are analyzed in the report in terms of basic information, manufacturing base, product specifications, and business overview. Furthermore, comprehensive analysis of sales, revenue, price, and gross margin of each manufacturer is covered.Following manufacturers are analyzed: Flagpole Country, LLC Flagpole Warehouse Poletech American Flag and Flagpole Co City Flag National Flag Concord Industries, Inc SAE Towers Kemrock Industries And Exports Limited Hydro-Quebec China State Gride BS Group Skipper Limited Alstom T&D India Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited ICOMM V K Industry It Telecom Tower Karamtara Yaolong Metal Machining Co., LtdRequest for Discount @Manufacturing cost analysis is offered based on raw material analysis and cost structure along with manufacturing process analysis. The research offers industry chain analysis in terms of upstream raw material sourcing and downstream buyers. Moreover, an extensive analysis of production, consumption, and revenue for each segment is offered for the forecast period.Data & statistics are provided with the help of tables and figures to help manufacturers, investors, and shareholders gain comprehensive understanding. Research conclusions are offered at the end of the report.Enquire about Report @Table of Contents:1 United States Flag Pole Overview2 United States Flag Pole Competition by Manufacturers3 United States Flag Pole (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2011-2016)4 United States Flag Pole (Volume) by Application (2011-2016)5 United States Flag Pole Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis6 United States Flag Pole Manufacturing Cost Analysis7 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers8 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders9 Market Effect Factors Analysis10 United States Flag Pole Market Forecast (2016-2021)11 Research Findings and ConclusionAbout Us:With the arsenal of different search reports, Research Beam helps you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency. With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Severs Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesU.S. & Canada Toll Free: + 1-800-910-6452International: + 1-503-894-6022UK: + 44-845-528-1300India: +91 20 66346070Fax: +1 (855) 550-5975Email: help@researchbeam.comWeb:
Europe Operating Room Equipment Market Revenue, by Country, 2015 - 2023

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The global operating room equipment market is expanding at a CAGR of 6.68% within a forecast period from 2015 to 2023. This market will be valued above US$42 bn in 2023, after being recorded around US$24 bn in 2014. A major contribution to this growth rate is made by the movable imaging products segment, which is progressing at a CAGR of 8.20% within the same forecast period.About 42% of the global operating room equipment market was in the hands of a large number of regional players in 2014, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. This highly fragmented market witnesses a towering presence of about five key players  including Siemens Healthcare, Stryker Corporation, and GE Healthcare  that hold significant shares from the remainder. GE Healthcare, for instance, held close to 19% of the operating room equipment revenues in 2014, which was the single largest in that year.According to Transparency Market Research, all key players are showing a common trait of heavy investments in research and development in operating room equipment innovations. Successful innovations have allowed these players to maintain major revenue shares for the time being.Read Full Report:Medical Tourism Creates High Demand for Operating Room Equipment in APACThe Asia Pacific sales of operating room equipment have been relatively lower than those in North America and Europe, but this is expected to change over the coming years. This regions is showing a high and optimistic scope for players to expand their portfolio, and one of the key reasons for this is the growth of medical tourism. Patients from developed economies preferring the cheaper medical practices in Asia Pacific have significantly improved the revenue stream of this region, providing a highly attractive market space for global and regional operating room equipment players alike.The current scope of providing operating room equipment lies in healthcare organizations in the Asia Pacific that offer surgical practices for joint replacement, cosmetics, dental procedures, and cardiac issues. The influx of revenue through medical tourism has also prompted the national governments to invest in this sector, improving the chances of operating room equipment players gaining a solid revenue stream.North America was the dominant region for operating room equipment revenue generation in 2014, followed by Europe. Both regions have consistently been at the top in terms of using modern medical concepts in advanced healthcare infrastructures. This has allowed key players from the region to put a greater focus on innovation and product improvements, further expanding the scope of revenue generation in these regions.Download exclusive Sample of this Report:Movable Imaging Systems to Remain Top Operating Room Equipment Product SegmentIn 2014, movable imaging systems as a market segment had garnered over US$6 bn or around 28% of the total revenue. This segment is currently expected to be the fastest growing in terms of revenue. A major reason for this segments rapid growth is the high amount of funding provided by government bodies to promote the use of movable imaging systems, especially in North America. Even on a regional level, there are major efforts being taken to modernize hospitals that are supported by state or local organizations.The segment of operating room integration systems, however, is expected to be the fastest growing segment between 2015 and 2023, owing to a high demand for smart infrastructure and improved connectivity within hospital and medical devices. Key providers of operating room equipment in the world include Stryker Corporation, Steris Corporation, Olympus Corporation, GE Healthcare and Allen Medical.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
Global Medical Device Connectivity (MDC) Market: Fast Growing Geriatric Population in North America to Boost Growth

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The global medical device connectivity (MDC) market is highly consolidated. The top four players, namely Phillips Healthcare, GE Healthcare, Cerner Corp., and Capsule Tech. Inc., held around 80.0% of the market in 2012. The market is marked by cutthroat competition with most players channelizing their efforts towards the development of innovative open source solutions to gain an edge over others. Solution providers are partnering with suppliers comprising medical device manufacturers and network providers in order to offer innovative and customized connectivity solutions to users.View Exclusive Global Strategic Business Report:Capsule Tech Inc., which held over 40.0% of the market in 2012, has expanded its business globally through agreements with over 60 medical device manufacturers to cater to the needs of hospitals and healthcare facilities. Among other players, Phillips and GE have consistently focused on research and development to come up with new products and processes to retain and improve their market share. Cerner Corp.s business strategies, on the other hand, have revolved around acquisitions and strategic alliances with existing customers for its solutions such as electronic medical record (EMR) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE).The global medical devices connectivity market is expected to reach a value of US$33.5 bn by 2019, exhibiting a phenomenal CAGR on account of stiff competition among companies operating in the domain.Hospitals Account for Lions Share of the Market as Fully Automated Systems Save Time and Prevent Costly ErrorsThe global market for medical device connectivity is segmented into wired hardware, software, and wireless hardware by component. Among them, the wired hardware section holds a lions share of the market and is predicted to retain its dominant position in the coming years. It is expected to achieve a market value of US$14.227 bn by 2019. The software segment, however, will register a growth rate faster than any other segment in the near future as most connectivity solution providers offer software solutions that support the existing infrastructure of the hospital.Based on end users, the TMR report divides the market into three: home healthcare, hospitals, and others such as long-term care facilities, care homes, and skilled nursing homes. Hospitals hold a major chunk of the market as the integration of data from crucial healthcare equipment into EMR helps save time and prevents transcription errors. Government regulations mandating EMR is poised to boost the MDC market in hospitals, predicts the report.Globally, North America is the dominant market for MDC. It was worth US$5.74 bn in 2015 and is expected to exhibit strong growth in the years to come on account of a growing geriatric population that is driving the demand for MDC. Europe follows North America in terms of market share, while Asia Pacific and the Rest of the World are still in a nascent stage.Operational and Technical Glitches in Connecting Devices Thwarting End Users from Adopting MDCA growing number of elderly people and others afflicted by chronic diseases such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes, which require prolonged treatment, prefer home healthcare. This is slated to boost the market strongly, particularly in the U.S. This, alongside the fact that it saves nurses the time spent on recording data manually on each patient, is also leading to rising popularity for automated processes, thereby filliping the MDC market.While the advantages of MDC are many, medical device manufacturers and hospitals are sometimes plagued by operational and technical glitches in connecting devices. One of the challenges is related to the translation of data from various proprietary device formats into a format understandable by EMRs. Operational challenges include security protocols, the support of multiple interfaces in addition to serial connections, the support of standard wireless-networking security protocols, and the support of dual-band wireless communications, explains the analyst of the TMR report.Browse Research Report:This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled Medical Device Connectivity Market (Component - Wired hardware, Wireless hardware, and Software; End User - Hospitals and Home Healthcare) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 20132019.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 UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Power Line Communication (PLC) Systems Market Expected to Reach $14 Billion, Globally, by 2022

Power Line Communication (PLC) Systems Market

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Global power line communication (PLC) systems market is projected to reach $14 billion by 2022, with a CAGR of 18.4% from 2016 to 2022, according to new research published by Allied Market Research. In 2015, Europe dominated the global market, in terms of revenue, accounting 34% of market share, followed by North America.With the advent of broadband access, the demand for sending digital voice, video, and Internet data is on a continuous rise. Currently, rise in demand for higher efficiency, faster data transfer rate, and minimal power loss are key factors that drive the PLC market growth. Moreover, increased need for power management technologies is expected to provide lucrative opportunities to market players. Broadband PLC is the leading segment in the global market, and is expected to maintain this trend throughout the forecast period. However, narrowband PLC segment is expected to witness significant growth in the future, as this transistor is compact and cost-effective.Read the Complete Report @The transmitter & receivers segment is projected to maintain its lead by component as these components are used for transmitting and receiving power and data carrier signals with minimum energy loss. Moreover, in 2015, Europe was a major revenue contributor in this segment due to presence of top manufacturers in the region. UK, Italy, and France are the prime consumers of power line communication, which is expected to fuel the overall market growth.Power line communication is applied in residential and commercial applications to enable power management and reduce power leakage. Moreover, it offers numerous benefits, such as high efficiency, low system complexity, and reduced system maintenance. Broadband PLC represents almost 48-50% of the total power line communication market, owing to its resilience and high efficiency. In addition, substantial demand for high-speed data transfers and trend of smart grids to achieve better efficiency are expected to fuel its adoption in the energy & power, oil & gas, and other industry sectors.Europe is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period, owing to the increase in number of smart grid projects and industry systems utilizing PLC. Moreover, advancements in residential and commercial sectors are expected to boost the growth, especially in Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and India.Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to increase in power transmission, upsurge in use of Internet, and rise in adoption of advanced technologies. Furthermore, increase in power management devices across China, Japan, India, and South Korea to cater to the end user needs, such as consumer electronics and industrial systems, have supplemented the market growth. Moreover, technological advancements to overcome power loss issues in extreme conditions are expected to offer lucrative opportunities for market players in the coming years.Key findings of power line communication (PLC) systems market: In 2014, broadband PLC segment dominated the global PLC systems market, in terms of revenue, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.9% during the forecast period. PLC over AC lines segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.2%. Line tuners segment is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period. In 2014, China was the major shareholder in the Asia-Pacific power line communication systems market, accounting for about 25% share.The key players operating in the PLC market have adopted new product launch as their preferred strategy to expand their market foothold. The major players profiled in this report include Cypress Semiconductor, ST Microelectronics, Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated, Marvell, Qualcomm Atheros, Microchip, Sigma Designs, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, and Echelon Corporation.Request Sample of This Report at:We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. We even conduct consumer surveys to get raw and unbiased information that helps our clients to offer better products/services that match with consumer demands, and entry level companies are able to better design their products and services. Business intelligence solutions offered by us help you take strategic success-oriented decisions.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220,United States.Int'l: +1-503-894-6022Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285Fax: +1-800-792-5285help@alliedmarketresearch.com
Porters Five Forces Analysis: Global Patient Handling Equipment Market 2016 - 2024

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The research report on patient handling equipment market includes in-depth analysis of the product types, end-user, and geography. Base on product type, the market has been segmented into lifting slings, wheelchair, medical beds, ambulatory aids, shower, bath and toileting equipment, and others. In terms of end-user, the market has been divided into hospitals, home health care, nursing homes, assisted living facility, and others. The scope of this study analyzes each segment in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) and covers exhaustive information on the global volume trends of product equipment.Transparency Market Research has published a new market report titled, Patient Handling Equipment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 According to the report, the global patient handling equipment market was valued at US$ 9.5 Bn in 2015 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 10.2% from 2016 to 2024 to reach US$ 22.4 Bn in 2024.Read Full Report:The patient handling equipment market is witnessing various new opportunities such as rental provisions emerging as a market trend among patients who require slings and lifts for short duration (i.e. for four months to six months) in healthcare settings. Moreover, provision for flexible rental payments enables rental providers in effectively managing cash flow throughout the year. These factors would further propel the growth of this market. The major drivers for the market growth include need for prevention of musculoskeletal injuries to both care providers as well as patients due to manual lifting of patients. In such cases, these equipment are considered the right option to lift patients in a proper manner. Secondly, the cost savings on labor will be directed to purchase equipment such as patient lifts, medical beds with assistive technology, and other such equipment, eventually minimizing the role of caregivers in assisting patients. The high benefit to cost ratio for investment made by health care settings will incentivize their adoption rates for patient handling equipment in developed economies.The research report analyzes the current and future prospects of the patient handling equipment market across the globe during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. Based on product type, the patient handling equipment market has been categorized into lifting slings, wheelchairs, medical beds, ambulatory aids, shower, bath and toileting equipment, and others comprising patient lifts, transfer assists, lateral and repositioning devices, patient turners, leg lifters, and transfer poles. The report provides market size in terms of US$ Mn, volume (No. of Units), and compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each product segment during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, considering 2014 and 2015 as base years. The report also analyses the patient handling equipment market from an end users perspective, for segments such as Hospital, Nursing Home, Assisted Living Facility, Home Healthcare, and Others (Trauma, paramedical and rehabilitation centers).Download exclusive Sample of this report:Medical bed segment accounted for the largest market share of the global patient handling equipment market in 2015. Considering that medical beds are a mandatory capital investment, for clinical settings, the product segment is expected to witness consistent demand from end users. In addition, an increasing number of high-end super-specialty hospitals are willing to make substantial capital investment for technologically advanced and ergonomically designed medical beds considering the long-term advantages. Patient care often necessitates lifting or providing body movements to perform daily activities such as walking, toileting, and bathing. Such tasks involve handling of patients with proper care. Patient handling equipment are devices used in hospitals and nursing homes to transfer patients with restricted mobility.Low awareness and apprehensions on return to investment by end-users for expensive technologically advanced equipment are likely to hamper the growth of the market. Developing countries such as India, Sri Lanka etc. are devoid of legal and regulatory protocols pertaining to patient handling for patients as well as caregivers. As a result, the health care system in these regions is fragmented, with presence of small and medium scale end-users devoid of foresighted benefits of patient handling equipment. However, due to political pressures from international bodies aiming to improve health care services across the globe, various countries will be rolling out new policies for developing a patient centered health care system. These government initiatives for improving the quality of patient care and decent work culture for caregivers employed in health care settings is likely to augment the market, especially in Asia Pacific.Brochure Download:The major companies operating in the global patient handling equipment market are ArjoHuntleigh (Getinge Group), DJO Global, V.Guldmann A/S, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Etac AB, Invacare Corporation, Joerns Healthcare LLC, Patterson Medical Holdings, Inc., Permobil AB, Prism Medical, Stiegelmeyer & Co. GMBH, and Stryker Corporation, Sunrise Medical LLC. ArjoHuntleigh (Getinge Group) was identified as the leading player in the global patient handling equipment market in 2015.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
It is profitable to register your institute on Hunarr.

https://www.hunarr.co.in/

Hunarr is an online marketplace connecting training seekers to training providers. It promises to bring a learner closer to training courses by associating with reputed training institutes and colleges, in a simpler and transparent manner. Hunarr provides the easiest way for people to find the right course and get trained. This startup helps every aspirant in many ways. Firstly, to learn a new skill and get their dream job, Change career paths altogether by picking up a new expertise or to take up a course just for the pure joy of learning something new.The founder of Hunarr, Dinesh Goel is a chemical engineer from IIT-Bombay. Dinesh Goel along with his college batch mates Kunal Jadhav and Gaurav Toshniwal launched a unique recruitment platform especially for entry level and blue collar workers. They named this platform as Aasaanjobs about two and a half years ago. These IITians soon realized the growing need of training avenues for freshers that may help them find fulfilling jobs and companies to get skilled employees. Thus, Hunarr was established and gradually got the attention of many course and job seekers.Hunarr is specially designed for private training institutes, Industrial training Institutes (ITI) Industrial training Institutes (ITC), Government affiliated training institutes, Online Course Provider, Corporate Trainers, and Colleges. There are more than 1000 institutes registered with Hunarr, 6800+ courses posted so far, all over India, of which 10 percent of the courses give job guarantee. Hunarr is successful in making 8,800+ members join them. There are 150 + job roles that can be searched on Hunarr including an accountant, back office, graphic designers, software developers among many others.For training institutes, Hunarr offers several features to boost their profit. It creates more visibility for the institutes registered with them. Here institutes can post their courses on the website to get searched more often. Not only the visibility but it also helps an institute to stand out. Dinesh Goel, founder of Hunarr mentioned in a statement for training providers to post unique courses offerings relevant to the industry to lead the way. It significantly is profitable for institutes as they get inquiries on your courses through easy to use the portal.This website recently launched a new feature, this feature enables students to pick courses based on the key result area of a job, i.e. the main activities and responsibilities involved in a specific job role. Dinesh Goel has asked all the registered training institutes to add courses according to the job role.Elaborating on the impact of this feature on the job market, Siddharth Gupta, Head of Marketing & PR, Hunarr commented, The job market is currently unstructured with a huge gap in demand and supply of skilled workforce. Hunarr plans to use this feature in suggesting courses to the candidates who were rejected due to poor functional skills. This will strengthen our overall vision of creating an ecosystem, where even untrained, unskilled candidates can find a job for themselves and companies get skilled employees.The vision of founders of Hunarr is to expand countrywide, to address the skill gap in the entire country so that job seekers are not limited by the availability of certain industries and courses nearby and can hope to gain skills and transform their lives from anywhere in this country.Hunarr brings a learner closer to training courses by assosciating with reputed training institutes and colleges, in a simpler and transparent manner.Krislon House, Opp Marwah Centre, Saki Naka, Andheri
Market Overview : Global Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry 2016, Trends and Forecast Report

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"The Report Global Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry 2016, Trends and Forecast Report provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"2016 Global Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry Report is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions of the Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) industry, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia) and the main countries (United States, Germany, Japan and China).The report firstly introduced the Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) basics: definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain overview; industry policies and plans; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, capacity utilization, supply, demand and industry growth rate etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The report includes six parts, dealing with: 1.) basic information; 2.) the Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) industry; 3.) the North American Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) industry; 4.) the European Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) industry; 5.) market entry and investment feasibility; and 6.) the report conclusion.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Table of ContentsPart I Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry OverviewChapter One Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry Overview1.1 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Definition1.2 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Classification Analysis1.2.1 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Application Analysis1.3.1 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Product Market Development Overview1.6 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisPart II Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Market Analysis3.1 Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Product Development History3.2 Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Process Development History3.3 Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Industry Policy and Plan Analysis3.4 Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Competitive Landscape Analysis3.5 Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Market Development TrendChapter Four 2011-2016 Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2011-2016 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Capacity Production Overview4.2 2011-2016 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2011-2016 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Demand Overview4.4 2011-2016 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Supply Demand and Shortage4.5 2011-2016 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Import Export Consumption4.6 2011-2016 Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginChapter Five Asia Channel-In-A-Box (CiaB) Key Manufacturers Analysis5.1 Company A5.1.1 Company Profile5.1.2 Product Picture and Specification5.1.3 Product Application Analysis5.1.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.1.5 Contact Information5.2 Company B5.2.1 Company Profile5.2.2 Product Picture and Specification5.2.3 Product Application Analysis5.2.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.2.5 Contact Information5.3 Company C5.3.1 Company Profile5.3.2 Product Picture and Specification5.3.3 Product Application Analysis5.3.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.3.5 Contact Information5.4 Company D5.4.1 Company Profile5.4.2 Product Picture and Specification5.4.3 Product Application Analysis5.4.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.4.5 Contact InformationMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Europe Hemostasis Products Market Revenue (US$ Mn), by Product type, 20162024

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Transparency Market Research states that the global hemostasis products market will expand at a healthy 4.2% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. Growing at this pace, the market, which had a valuation of US$5.35 bn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$7.73 bn in 2024.Rising investments in the research and development and strategies to expand businesses across untapped regional markets are some of the key strategies adopted by prominent vendors in the market. Some of the markets other influential companies are HemCon Medical Technologies, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Grifols, S.A., CSL Behring LLC, Johnson & Johnson, Integra LifeSciences Corporation, and Medtronic plc.Introduction of Technologically Advanced Products and Rising Number of Trauma and Surgery Cases Stimulate Markets GrowthRead Full Report:The market for hemostasis products has substantially benefitted in the past few years owing to the vast research and development activities undertaken in the field of hemostasis technology, enabling the development of highly reliable hemostasis products for use in emergency situations. Extensive research activities in the field have also resulted in the development of a wide number of innovative products, which are being positively received by national and international approval agencies.The vast global rise in the numbers of trauma cases and complex surgeries is another key driver of the global hemostasis products market. The WHO states that an estimated 1.25 mn people are killed in road accidents every year globally. Also, excessive bleeding or hemorrhage results in over one-third of pre-hospital deaths every year globally. The vast and alarming rise in the global population of people aged over 65%, a demographic which is vulnerable to chronic diseases and leads to an increased demand for a variety of complex surgeries, is also indirectly stimulating the demand for hemostasis products across healthcare setting.Download exclusive Sample of this Report:Stringent Regulatory Scenario and Patent Expiries Boost Adoption of Off-label Products, Hinder Markets GrowthStrict approval policies adhered by the national and international approval agencies have led to an apprehensive competitive environment for hemostasis product manufacturers. The lengthy and cost-intensive approval procedures, along with the diverse dissimilarities in regulatory policies across different countries/regions are also discouraging manufacturers from introducing an increasing number of product varieties in the market. This factor is likely to hamper the development of the global hemostasis products to a certain extent in the next few years.Patent expiries of some of the most prominent hemostasis product brands in the global market is also a key restraint to the markets overall profitability. Patent expirations in the healthcare industry are invariably followed by the introduction of substitutes and cheaper biosimilars, which in the case of the global hemostasis products market is expected to have a substantial impact on markets future revenue generation prospects.Brochure Download:Nevertheless, the market has a vast set of untapped growth opportunities, especially in emerging economies such as Asia Pacific and Latin America. Demand for effective healthcare facilities from the rising consumer base of middle class population and rising numbers of geriatric people in these regions will lead to the increased adoption of a variety of hemostasis products in the next few years. Transparency Market Research states that the global hemostasis products market will expand at a healthy 4.2% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024, and rise to a valuation of US$7.73 bn in 2024. The market was pegged at US$5.35 bn in 2015.In terms of product variety, the segment of infusible hemostats presently leads, accounting for a 47% share in the market in 2015. Geography-wise, North America led, accounting for over 36% in the global market in 2015.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
Beauty Drinks Market Revenue Predicted To Go Up by 2022 - PMR Report

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Beauty drink market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth due to the rise in early aging. Other factors that promotes the beauty drinks market are increasing air pollution and busy lifestyle of the customers which leads to early ageing. Air pollutants includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that ultimately results in accelerated ageing. Consumers seek healthy options which eventually supports the beauty drinks market across the globe.Request to view Sample Report @Global beauty drinks market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth. Major factors that are expected to propel the demand for beauty drinks market globally are rising number of health conscious consumers across various countries coupled with increasing disposable income of consumers. Moreover, other factor that is expected to support the market growth of the beauty drinks across the globe is the easy availability of beauty drinks through online sales. Various other factors that are expected to fuel the overall market of beauty drinks market are increasing air pollution which eventually leads to early ageing and promotes the demand for beauty drinks market.The global beauty drinks market is anticipated to witness remarkable growth during the forecast period. Globally among all regions, Europe is expected to contribute maximum market share followed by North America. Demand for beauty drinks is maximum in Europe due to the more awareness among consumers in comparison to other regions through educational marketing campaigns. However Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market during the forecast period. In Asia Pacific, Japan is expected to contribute maximum revenue due to the high consumer willingness to attain healthy skin.Request to view Table of content @Key players that operates in the global beauty drinks market are SIPA spa, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, Sappe Public Company Limited, Big Quark LLC, DyDo DRIN CO, INC. and Nestle S.A. Various companies operating in the global beauty drinks markets are continuously launching new types of beauty drinks used for different target customer and applications. For instance, Big Quark LLC launched beauty drink named BeautySleep that includes sleep and beauty inducing ingredients.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:
Ecosmob Announced Custom WebRTC Client Solution for e-commerce Industry This Holiday Season

https://www.webrtcsolutions.com/ecommerce-webrtc-client-software

Ecosmob Technologies is one of the known names in the WebRTC industry. The company has been covered in many prestigious online media websites for their expertise in WebRTC. The company has its operational office in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The company often comes up with different solutions and services to cater their national and international clients. The recent announcement made by the spokesperson of the company is about their custom development service for a WebRTC client solution. The solution development is specifically announced for the eCommerce industry to make max out of this holiday season.As we all know the holiday season has started. A few businesses might be facing the downtime due to this. However, eCommerce industry has its pick time. The people shop a lot and to handle each of them is very important. The manual ways are outdated. The eCommerce business must take advantage of technological inventions. The WebRTC client solution is one of the best solutions for eCommerce industry. It benefits eCommerce business with its different communication channels to provide much needed support and assistance to the customers., shared spokesperson of Ecosmob Technologies.The WebRTC client solution provides three different communication channels:- Audio calling- Video calling- Instant messaging (chat)The WebRTC client solution also offers features to make communication more advance, including,- File sharing- Image sharing- Screen sharingAll these offered features will furnish an eCommerce business with the next generation communication platform which can be used to provide best in the industry support to eCommerce customers.As per the details shared by the spokesperson of Ecosmob Technologies, the solution can have all or limited features based on the business requirements of an eCommerce store or website. The company will develop custom solution according to the customer need.The WebRTC client solution can be integrated in the eCommerce website as a click to call solution which will work on web to web communication model. So during surfing on an eCommerce website if a customer feels to talk with an eCommerce support executive, he just needs to click on the WebRTC client solution button. This solution can be handled remotely. Thus, your staff will not need to sit in front of the desk. They can provide the support remotely as well. This will also help eCommerce business owners to give work flexibility to staff and let them enjoy the holiday season.As per the spokesperson of the company the WebRTC client solution can add value to eCommerce business owners, their staff and customers which will help in more revenue generation. To know more about the WebRTC client solution for eCommerce business, please visitEcosmob Technologies announced to offer a custom WebRTC client solution for eCommerce industry. The solution development announcement is made by keeping this holiday season in mind.Ecosmob Technologies Pvt. Ltd.407 Queensbridge Rd Ste 1018 Arlington, TXArlington, TX 76014
Global Urolithiasis Management Devices Market Analysis and Forecast, By Device Type 2016 - 2024

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This report on the global urolithiasis management devices market analyzes the current and future prospects of the market. The report comprises an elaborate executive summary, including a market snapshot that provides overall information of various segments and sub-segments. The research is a combination of primary and secondary research. A detailed qualitative analysis of factors responsible for driving and restraining market growth and opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn for the period between 2014 and 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2016 to 2024 are provided for all the segments, considering 2015 as the base year. Market related factors such as increasing preference for efficacious products, product innovation, and historical year-on-year growth have been taken into consideration while estimating the market size. Growth rates for each segment within the global urolithiasis management devices market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, clinical trials, and regulatory requirements. These factors would help the market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their share in the global market.Transparency Market Research estimates that the global urolithiasis management devices market will expand at a healthy 4.5% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. The markets worth is estimated to be US$1.26 bn in 2016 and is expected to rise to US$1.78 bn by 2024.Read Full Report:Despite the presence of a large number of regional players, the global market for urolithiasis management devices is dominated by few large vendors having substantial budgets for research and development of new technologies and innovative products, observes TMR in a recent report. Companies such as Boston Scientific Corporation, C. R. Bard, Inc., and Cook Group command prominent positions in the global market owing to their strong geographic presence, excellent distribution networks, and the financial power to acquire niche device developers across the globe. The degree of competition is high in the maturing market, with frequent changes to the development dynamics owing to rapid advancements in supporting technologies.Asia Pacific to Emerge as Most Promising Regional MarketOf the key urolithiasis management device types available in the global market, the segment of shockwave lithotripters is presently the dominant revenue generator, with a valuation of US$789.2 mn in 2015, and is expected to account for a share of 65% in the global market by 2016. Of the key end users of urolithiasis management devices, the segment of clinics led the global market, holding a share of 55% of the markets overall revenues in 2015. Geography-wise, North America led with 36% share in the global market in the same year. Over the period between 2016 and 2024, however, Asia Pacific is projected to emerge as the most promising regional market for urolithiasis management devices owing to the large geriatric population and a rising base of high-income patients.Technological Advancements to Stimulate Market GrowthThe market for urolithiasis management devices is primarily driven owing to the rising prevalence of kidney stones among the global population. Factors such as obesity, changing lifestyles, and ageing are the chief causes triggering the formation of kidney stones among humans. Studies state that at least 30% of the worlds population is presently obese or overweight. Geriatrics (people with more than 60 years of age) account for more than 900 mn people of the worlds population presently. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs states that this number will increase by 56% between 2015 and 2030 and rise to 1.4 bn by 2030.Download exclusive Sample of this Report:Along with these factors, the introduction of a variety of non-invasive treatment methods in the global urolithiasis management devices market has also encouraged the excellent growth of the market in the past few years. The significant reduction in treatment duration and effective results are compelling an increased number of patients to demand newer and technologically advanced treatment methods for kidney stones.High Risk of Damage to Urinary Tract Leads to Apprehension about Urolithiasis Management DevicesCertain urolithiasis procedures such as the lithotripsy involve shockwaves that are sent across the body to trigger kidney stones with high precision force. Such treatments may result in damage to soft tissues and could also potentially lead to a permanent loss of renal functions. This factor leads to increased concerns among patient about the potential side-effects of novel technologies and hampers the overall adoption of urolithiasis management devices to a notable extent. Another key challenge for the global urolithiasis management devices is the high cost of certain latest and novel technologies, which restrains markets growth across developing economies to a large extent.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.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:
Latin America Mining Equipments Market Growth, Trends, Absolute Opportunity and Value Chain 2014-2020

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The mining industry is expected to witness growth with a single digit CAGR over the next six years on account of the further expanding demand for metal and mineral commodities. Latin America accounted for about 8% of the global mining equipment demand in 2013 and its contribution towards global mining equipment sales was registered at 15% for the same year. The region serves as the prime destination for mining exploration and investment at a global level.The key reason which has accelerated the growth of the Latin American mining equipment market is the enhanced demand for the consumption of natural resources. Presently, the region produces about 45% of the global copper, 21% of the global zinc, 50% of the global silver and 26% of the global molybdenumproduction. In addition, foreign investment, especially from China, US, Canada and Australia, plays a significant role in the growth of the Latin American mining equipment market. Further, other operations such as the Panama Stock Operation (PSO), CSR activities, and introduction of next generation mining equipment such as Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) also serve as driving factors for the growth of the mining equipment market in Latin America. Among these, CSR activities primarily focus on rehabilitation and support programmes, promotion of healthy lifestyle and awareness programmes for the adoption of green technology. However, in the past few years, the mining industry and hence the mining equipment industry has been facing an economic crisis on account of the requirement for budget allocation in the maintenance of the mining industry and equipment, etc. Illegal mining operations at some locations and the risk associated with the mining industry serve as further constraints for the Latin American mining equipment industry.Surging demand and abundant availability of natural resources(including the worlds top three metal and mineral reserves of copper, zinc and silver rapid technological advancement, modernization of mining plants, stable legislations with a motivating legal environment, and the efficient budget allocation with aftermarket revenue generation will serve as opportunities for the development of the Latin America mining equipment market.Request Free Report Sample@Market segmentation of Latin American mining equipment can be done on the basis of equipment, application and countries. On the basis of equipment, the Latin American mining equipment market includes mineral processing equipment, surface mining equipment, underground mining equipment, mining drills and breakers, crushing and screening equipment, etc. On the basis of applications, the Latin American mining equipment market segmentation includes metal ore mining, coal mining and mineral mining. Chile, being the largest producer of copper, serves as a lucrative market for copper-based mining equipment. Colombia is an active exporter,and is the first Latin American coal-producing country alongwith the production of metals such as gold, silver and platinum and hence is the opportunistic market for the associated mining equipment market. On the basis of countries, the Latin American mining equipment market includes Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Venezuela. Chile is known for the adoption and introduction of advanced technologies such as autonomous haulage system. Peru is the reserve of key minerals and has been witnessing a surging demand for copper and hence the expansion of the associated mining equipment market. Brazil has an integrated approach for the production and sale of mining equipment. Panama has an active stock operation (PSO) for the support of the mining industry. In line with the positive future of the Latin American mining equipment industry, Peru and Chile are expected to receive double digit foreign investment in $ Bn in the next six years.Visit For TOC@Some of the prominent players of the global mining equipment market include Sandvik AB, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Komatsu Limited, Atlas Copco Ab Joy Global Inc. Breaker Technology, Astec Industries, Bucyrus International, Caterpillar Incorporated, China Coal Energy Company Limited, Tecpalsa, Tecmap, Tiesa and Igaretta. Among these, Komatsu Limited in the whole of Latin America, Tecpalsa in Colombia, Tecmap and Tiesa in Panama and Igaretta in Argentina are active players in the Latin American mining equipment market.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Saudi Arabia Pharmaceutical Market Projected to Reach US$ 5.2 Bn in 2016

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The significant rise in lifestyle-related diseases and the developments in healthcare infrastructure are expected to influence the demand for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market is anticipated to procure value worth US$ 5,209.5 Mn at a y-o-y growth of 6.0 % over 2015. The mounting demand for branded drug products will continue to incite the growth of the Saudi Arabian pharmaceutical market in 2016.The demand for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia is expected to register substantial growth owing to the increasing penetration of health insurance companies and the rising incidence rate of non-communicable diseases. Furthermore, the exceptional rise in the per capita income of Saudi Arabia is also expected to foster the demand for branded pharmaceutical drugs. Another key factor driving the growth of the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is the countrys strategic move to allow 100% FDI in the pharmaceuticals sector. Although, the shortage of profound indigenous research capacity in the pharmaceutical industry and the delayed registration of drug and medicine patents is expected to limit the expansion of the market in 2016 and beyond.Request For Report Sample@Based on the product type, the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is expected to witness an upsurge in the prescription-type branded drug products. In terms of market value, the branded drugs are estimated to reach US$ 2,760.8 Mn by 2016-end. The demand for generic drugs is projected to secure steady growth, attributing to the insisting promotion of generic drug adoption by healthcare insurance providers.On the basis of the diseases, the pharmaceutical drugs used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases will continue exhibiting robust growth in 2016. The demand for cardiovascular medications will continue to surge due to the prominence of circulatory disorders in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the rising prevalence of disorders related to body sugar levels is expected to make diabetes a rapidly growing disease-based sub-segment in the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market.The pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is also segmented on the basis of distribution channel, where retail pharmacies will continue to account for 80% market share compared to hospital pharmacies. The westernised modernisation of retail pharmacies in Saudi Arabia has led to the availability of a wide range drugs and medicinal products, thereby attaining a considerable growth in the retail pharmacy sub-segment in 2016 and further.Send An Enquiry@The rising resource potential in Saudi Arabia is projected to positively reform the production environment for pharmaceutical manufacturers. In order to expand the markets size, structuring alliances with well-established native companies is predicted to be a key strategy for global pharmaceutical leaders. The key players in the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market include Novartis AG, SPIMACO, Pfizer Inc., and Glaxosmithkline plc., Jamjoom Pharma, and Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Co. among others.Long-term Outlook: The Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.0% over the forecast period 2016-2026. In terms of market value, the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be worth US$ 12,281.4 Mn by the end of forecast period.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
International Business conferences in Tashkent

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During the years of independence in Uzbekistan has formed a mixed economy, in which the leading role is played by small businesses and private entrepreneurship. Given the strategic importance of this sector to national welfare pays special attention to its stimulus, significantly simplify the procedure of registration of business entities and, most importantly, to ensure the full protection of the rights and legitimate interests of business people.This was discussed in the international seminar on the theme: Modern judicial mechanisms of reliable protection of the rights and legitimate interests of entrepreneurs: the experience of Uzbekistan and international practice.The event was organized by the Supreme Economic Court, together with the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the OSCE Projects Coordinator in Uzbekistan and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).The seminar was attended by representatives of the Parliament and the Government of Uzbekistan, the countrys business community, experts from the US, Germany and Spain, domestic experts in the field of law.The event provided a good opportunity to experts to consider the national experience and international practice in the area of effective legal protection of the rights and legitimate interests of entrepreneurs. It was also discussed topical issues of improvement of national legislation to improve the efficiency of proceedings before the courts. The concrete proposals and recommendations which will be forwarded to the relevant ministries and departments have been developed during the discussions and breakout sessions.Participants of the meeting expressed their appreciation undertaken in Uzbekistan measures for the full support of small business and private entrepreneurship. In this regard, were reviewed and discussed the main provisions of two important decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan  On additional measures to ensure the rapid development of business, all-round protection of private property and the qualitative improvement of the business climate, dated October 5, 2016 and On measures to further reform the judicial-law system, strengthening guarantees protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens from October 21, 2016.Experts noted in particular the impact of the measures taken in accordance with the above documents, which provide a radical reduction of interference in entrepreneurial activity, crime prevention.Appreciation received a significant increase in the legal protection of the rights and legitimate interests of the business through a phased transfer of functions and powers of the courts regulatory authorities on the application of administrative penalties against businesses and their employees.According to the speakers, now in Uzbekistan, there is a shift of legal proceedings to a qualitatively new level. Its main priority is to ensure the genuine independence of the judiciary, strengthening the guarantees of protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, improving access to justice. Work on creation of the system of economic courts of regional courts of appeal, which aims to eliminate the powers of regional economic courts on the revision of their own making. All these measures will strengthen public confidence in the business and for justice and the rule of law in the country.Constructive discussions took place on the issue of introduction of modern information and communication technologies in the activity of the bodies of Themis. As is known, in 2013 in economic courts the opportunity to filing claims and petitions, as well as the receipt of court decisions in electronic form. The continuation of this work was the introduction of the practice of holding hearings in videoconference: the participants of the legal proceedings come enough in building the economic court of the place of residence, and via video conference to take part in the meeting, held in a different region. Soon, the Supreme Economic Court will launch several pilot projects in the audio-video-fixing hearings.- The development of small business and private entrepreneurship plays an important role of access to justice,  says the American professor, head of the project to assess the activity of the courts at the US National Center for Ingo Keylits state courts.  This means that in the event of any contentious issues between business entities or between businessmen and state authorities must have equal access to the courts. It is also important that the cases were dealt with quickly, competently and adequately. This, in turn, requires the court staff qualifications and impartiality. In general, timely and equitable solution to the problems of small business builds confidence in the judicial system as an important branch of government, business creates confidence in the future. Confident entrepreneur will create more jobs, which in turn will promote economic growth in the country.Vice-President of the Supreme Administrative Court and the Permanent Representative of the President of the Constitutional Court of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) Dyugmar Wunsche believes that during the years of independence Uzbekistan has made significant progress in protecting the rights and interests of business entities.- And this progress is not measured by the number of adopted laws that protect the interests of business, and the successful implementation of their provisions,  said the representative of the Federal Republic of Germany.  This is particularly evident in the elimination of bureaucratic barriers, simplification of the procedure for state registration of business entities, unification and reduction of tax rates.Nevertheless, the country is necessary to keep pace with the times, and improving legislation and the ways of its application. So I am very pleased that the new President of Uzbekistan put forward a number of significant initiatives to ensure the accelerated development of entrepreneurship. At present the development of the relevant legislation, while the participation of foreign specialists. I hope that the practical results of the work in this direction will attract the national economy more foreign investment and stimulate domestic investment flow.The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan is located at the heart of Berlins Tiergarten district...You can find more information by visiting our Website.Botschaft UsbekistanPerleberger Str. 6210559 BerlinTel.: 030 39409813
Akshay Kumar To Endorse A Popular Vehicle Brand

Akshay Kumar

As we all know how popular Khiladi Akshay Kumar is in the industry. Apart from films Akki is even seen endorsing many top brands be it clothing or lifestyle of homecare. Now the actor is all set to endorse a popular vehicle brand. Akshay Kumar will be the face of Tata Motors Commercial Vehicle business unit.Tata Motors said in a statement, "Indian cinema's 'original Khiladi' will make his blockbuster entry in this new role at the launch of Tata Motor's latest offering in commercial vehicles, slated in January 2017. Tata Motor's association with Kumar for commercial vehicles will be supported by a multi-media campaign, beginning in the first week of January 2017."Not only this Akshay will also be a part of many innovative and marketing strategies carried by Tata Motors. Ravindra Pisharody, Executive Directors of Tata Motors was quoted saying, "Today, we are catering to an audience that defines the driven, ambitious, forward-moving, non-stop pulse of India and Akshay understands the pulse of this audience well. We are confident that Akshay's popularity will further help complement and articulate the future direction of the Tata Motors commercial vehicles brand."FRIDAYMOVIEZ.COM is a chic movie portal bringing you the best of Bollywood and Hollywood in terms of the up-to-the-minute news, movie reviews and trailers, celebrity images, videos and profiles, exclusive inside information comprising original features, live event coverage, red carpet events, comprehensive archives and more.#G-1, New Udyog Mandir 2Moghul Lane, Mahim (W)Mumbai 400016India
Global Bulletproof Helmet Market Anticipated to Grow at a CAGR of 5.51% till 2020

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Albany, New York, December 28, 2016: In the recent years, there has been a rise in the bulletproof helmets market. Adoption of advanced technologies and smart textiles have contributed towards the growth of this market, studies a new report added to the vast database of Market Research Hub (MRH). It is entitled as Global Bulletproof Helmet Market 2016-2020. The report encapsulates comprehensive information about the global market present scenario and its future growth prospects till the end of 2020. Further, it also focuses on the key manufacturers in the global market with sales, revenue and market share for each manufacturer.Request for Sample Report:According to the research analysts, the global market for bulletproof helmets is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.51% during the forecast period of 2016 to 2020. The major factor boosting the growth of the market is the rise in cross-border terrorism. It is well known that military forces always need to be prepared at the border, for which they require to wear bullet proof helmets for safety. Apart from that, bullet proof helmets are used in defense and homeland security. It visibly provides protection from potentially dangerous elements that range from ballistic threats, fragments and air-borne flying particles.Further, the report segments the market on the basis of several key regions and by end-user. Geographically, key regions included in the report are North America, Western Europe, APAC and rest of the world. In APAC, the increasing instances of terrorist attacks, rising flow of terrorist fighters from countries in the Middle East such as Syria and Iraq, adopting support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), results in the enhancement of domestic laws by the government. Also, North America accounted for the maximum market share in 2015 and will continue its dominance in the coming years.The study observed that the growing demand for bulletproofs helmets is rising due to various law enforcement activities. For the vendors, global ballistic equipments market has huge potential because it encourages them to establish their presence across borders. The research also states that one of the major challenges for the market is optimizing weight and performance of helmets.Top players in the global market are as follows: BAE Systems 3M MKU ArmorSourceBrowse Full Report with TOC:Other prominent vendors are- Aegis Engineering, Hard SHELL, Point Blank Enterprises, Sarkar Defence Solutions, Ulbrichts Protection, Ningbo Chihan Protection, Argun, Rabintex, Protection Group Denmark and Sinoarmor.About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State StreetAlbany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free : 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel : +1-518-621-2074Email : press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite :Follow Us on LinkedIn -
Goa Institute of Management Sees Strong Growth in Placements This Year

Goa Institute of Management (GIM) is all set to close out yet another strong year of placements for its PGDM students. At the moment, the placements are more or less on par to what they were last year but with the strong pipeline of recruiters who have committed to hiring in January, this year is expected to close stronger than last year. This year has already seen 29 new companies visiting the campus and making offers to the students.Goa Institute of Management Sees Strong Growth in Placements This YearSome of the prominent companies that have hired so far include Deloitte, Cognizant, Arcesium, Asian Paints, Wipro, and Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, Brittania, Reckitt Benckiser. Among the new recruiters this year are Varun Beverages, Grant Thornton, Quest Global and GP Global Worldwide. The Operations domain has also seen strong numbers, with Alstom being one of the notable recruiters.GIM Placement chair, Prof. Umesh Mahtani, speaking on the trend this year said, IT/ITES and consulting companies have increased the numbers they recruited this year. The representation of companies in the FMCG sector also has been strong. For consulting roles we have had a larger number of companies, notable being Deloitte, EY, GEP Worldwide, Grant Thornton, and Accenture. Around 15-20 more companies are expected in January and we are confident of continuing our track record of 100% placements. We are also expecting the average salaries to be higher than last year.News-pr.in is a self-made ocean of current news, press release and updates coming from varied nooks and corners of the global society. With the sheer assistance of numerous news suppliers, we serve our readers with hottest news and happenings.C 21 A Anand Vihar, Uttam NagarNew Delhi, Delhi, India 110059
Air Filters Market for Food & Beverages - Global Industry Analysis 2024

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Consumer protection is one of the major concerns in the food processing industry. Food contamination can adversely affect human health. It can also result in loss of consumer loyalty and damage to product brands. In order to avoid these pitfalls, companies operating in the food and beverages industry introduce custom designed air filters to maintain sterile environment during the processing of food and beverages.Airborne bacteria is a serious concern in food processing. Large number of bacteria can pass through air handling systems every hour in open plant applications. HVAC systems mounted on rooftops require proper filter design, which may include a pre-filter bank for course dust contaminates, followed by higher filtration or HEPA filtration. Maintenance of these systems is essential for open plant air processing.In closed system applications, processing and dispensing of food and/or beverages occurs in a closed work cell. Maintenance of temperature, humidity, and air filtration is an essential requirement for closed system environment. A series of HEPA filters is used for such processes.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:There exists the need for custom-designed air filters for usage in food processing facilities across the globe.Air Filters for Food and Beverages Market TrendsAir filters are used to eliminate contamination during the production stage in the food and beverages industry. Some specialized filters (e.g. high-performance HEPA filters) help remove germs and viruses. This makes the air sterile. Food air filters lower moisture and improve efficiency of various processes.Rise in demand for air filters coupled with increase in stringent regulations emphasizing hygiene in the food industry are prompting filter manufacturers to design efficient filter systems. Reducing the level of micro-organisms and subsequently improving the air quality in production processes are the major challenges facing manufacturers of air filters in the food and beverages market. This is also expected to be one of the key drivers of air filters in the food and beverages market.Implementation of enhanced filtration methods is mandatory for producers of food and beverages due to the rise in health concerns and enactment of stringent government regulations on food safety. The need to lower energy consumption across several industrial applications is increasing. This is anticipated to boost the demand for effective food and beverage air filtration systems.Decrease in resources of raw materials and natural depositories, and increase in concerns about environmental health hazards are the primary factors estimated to propel the market.Air Filters for Food and Beverages Market SegmentationBased on product, the market can be segmented into dust collector, mist collector, cartridge collector, HEPA filter, and baghouse filter. Based on application, the market can be divided into dairy, bottled water, food & ingredients, and others.Air Filters for Food and Beverages Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America is projected to remain the major revenue generating region of the market in the near future. Increase in awareness about nutritious and organic food is also driving the market. Companies are focusing on providing enhanced quality food products that adhere to governmental regulations on food safety.Air Filters for Food and Beverages Market: Key PlayersKey players operating in the air filters in food and beverages market include Parker Domnick Hunter, Donaldson Company Inc., Pall Corporation, APC Filtration Inc., and Camfil Group.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Transparency Market ResearchUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Fire Resistant Glass Market - Global Industry Analysis 2016 - 2024

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Fire resistant glasses control smoke, fire, and heat, thereby letting safe passage in case of fire. The rise in fire-related accidents has propelled the demand for fire resistant glasses. Lately, it has been observed that the market for passive fire protection has grown significantly. It can be attributed to the low maintenance cost of passive fire protection as compared to active fire protection. Furthermore, the performance and reliability of passive fire protection systems are higher than that of active fire protection systems. Fire resistant glass is one of the passive protection systems and hence, it is witnessing increasing adoption across various sectors.On the basis of product type, fire resistant glasses can be classified into laminated, wired, ceramic, and tempered. Laminated fire resistant glasses have witnessed significant demand, especially across Europe. These glasses are preferred by architects and builders as they meet the building codes and fire safety regulations. Laminated fire resistant glasses are capable of blocking smoke and flames while resisting conductive and radiant heat.The key applications areas of fire resistant glass include boats, building and construction, defense, and others. The building and construction sector is the largest application segment of the global fire resistant glass market. Fire resistant glasses are extensively used to build fire windows, walls, and doors in hospitals, schools, and other commercial and residential buildings.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Global Fire Resistant Glass Market: OverviewA spike in fire-related accidents and loss of assets are the primary factors driving the the global fire resistant glass market. The market is witnessing a significant growth since the last decade. Implementation of various fire safety codes and regulations by governments across nations has also supported the growth of the market. Developed economies in Europe and North America have been at the forefront in implementing the fire safety regulations. The International Building Code (IBC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are the key regulatory bodies deciding the standards and codes for fire resistant products. Vendors in the market are required to adhere to these safety standards while developing innovative and novel fire resistant glasses. Furthermore, fire resistant glasses are needed to comply with various other building safety and fire protection norms such as UL 10B and UL 10C.Global Fire Resistant Glass Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global fire resistant glass market has been segmented into four key regions: Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. Europe is one of the largest consumers of fire resistant glass, followed by Asia Pacific. Factors such as stringent fire safety regulations across the European Union, growing construction industry across Germany and Poland, and comparatively higher processing of fire resistant glass are aiding growth of the Europe fire resistant glass market. In Asia Pacific, the rapid growth of the construction sector across urban areas has fuelled the demand for fire resistant glasses. In fact, Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest growth in the market during the forecast horizon owing to the growing demand from India, China, South Korea, and Indonesia.Global Fire Resistant Glass Market: Vendor LandscapeSome of the key players operating in the global fire resistant glass market are Glass Dynamics Inc. (U.S.), Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan), Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan), Schott AG (Germany), Promat International N.V. (Belgium), Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan), Compagnie De Saint Gobain (France), Ravensby Glass Co. Ltd. (U.K.), Technical Glass Products (U.S.), SAFTI FIRST Fire Rated Glazing Solutions (U.S.), and Fuso Glass India Pvt. Ltd. (India). The market players are focusing on mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures to expand their market share. Furthermore, various fire resistant glasses for refineries, buildings, and ships are being developed by the players.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Transparency Market ResearchUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Electronics & Electrical Ceramics Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024

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Ceramics are essentially used for mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability. Its unique electrical, optical, and magnetic properties have been increasingly used in many key technologies, including energy conversion, communications and storage, automation, and electronics. Whereas, some of the electronics and electrical industries will not exist without ceramics. Ceramics consist of a wide range of electronics and electrical properties, including semi-conducting, superconducting, magnetic, piezoelectric, and insulating. It has strong airtight sealing, superior dielectric properties, high thermal shock resistance, and high insulation resistance, which has better electrical insulators. It makes products consistent for various applications which depict large impact on the society.The electronics and electrical ceramics market has been segmented into material, product, end-user, and region. Based on material, the market is segmented into alumina, silica, titanate, and zirconia. Alumina ceramics cost effective and used in a wide range of applications. Thus, it holds the largest market share, followed by titanate, silica, and zirconia. Based on applications, the market has been segmented into cell phones, computers, television, automobiles, boat engines, lawnmowers, and other consumer electronic products.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Based on end-user, the market has been segmented into medical devices, home appliances, and power grids. The home appliances end-use industry accounts for the largest market share followed by power grids and medical devices. The medical devices industry is estimated to grow over the forecast period. Based on region, the market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East and Africa.Advanced technologies and increasing demand for electronics products are expected to drive the electronics and electrical ceramics market. Electronics products such as mobile phone antennas may not be possible without special ceramics. Currently, mobile phone antenna is used in GPS applications where it saves space in handheld and portable equipment. The antennas are additionally used in collective applications such as GPS and bluetooth without impacting its performance. Demand for electronics and electrical ceramic products is anticipated to increase with the rising income and improving living standards, further driving the global market.Health-related concern from using mobile phones is a major issue, which restraints the usage of electronics and electrical ceramics. International safety regulations defined in terms of specific absorption rate (SAR) encourage optimization of radiated power from mobile phones. Antenna in mobile phone is designed to reduce the current losses that can cause harm to users skin. Specific ceramic application enables the manufacturer of mobile phone antennas to reduce hurtful radiations discharged by other systems.Asia Pacific is one of the key leaders in the consumption of electronics and electrical ceramics globally. China is the key market in the Asia Pacific region for advanced ceramics consumption. It is followed by Japan and India with gradual growth in consumption of ceramics. Rise in the advanced ceramics consumption of monolithic ceramics and ceramic matrix composites coatings in Asia Pacific is due to the growing industrial sector and continued development.Monolithic ceramic is one of the key products of the advanced ceramics market. It is extensively used in various end-user industries such as medical & bio-medical, electrical & electronics, transportation, environmental, chemical, defense & security, industrial machinery, and others.In North American, U.S. is one of the leading markets for electronics and electrical ceramics. Presence of major manufacturers of this market primarily in the U.S. and Canada led to the growth of end-user industries such as home appliances and medical devices.Key players in the global electronics and electrical ceramics market are Ceram Tec GmbH, Kyocera Corporation, Morgan Advanced Materials plc, McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies, Ceradyne, Inc. (3M Company), Rauschert Steinbach GmbH, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Mantec Technical Ceramics Ltd., NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., and others.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Transparency Market ResearchUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sol Gel Nanocoating Market - Global Industry Analysis 2023

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In order to enhance products and add new properties to the existing technology, an increasing number of manufacturers are opting for sol gel nanocoating, thus driving their market. Sol gel nanocoating coats materials with a layer of nanocomposites and structured materials. This chemical way of coating substrate, can be used for a wide range of nanotechnological products and thus, a large number of manufacturers are preferring sol gel nanocoating technology. Sol gel nanocoating can be used on powders, ultra-thin coatings, aero gels, and fibers, among the various nanotechnological products. The global sol gel nanocoating market is expected to grow at a substantial rate in the period from 2015 to 2023 on account of the various benefits of this technology.The report is a comprehensive analysis of the market, its key segments, and also the vendors operating in the global sol gel nanocoating market. The report highlights key factors, both negative and positive, which are impacting the market. The impact of the drivers and restraints is also analyzed. The global trends which are influencing the industry have also been discussed in the report. Future opportunities, which are most likely to bring profits to the players in the market, both new and established are elaborated upon. The bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, the threat of substitutes, and the level of competition in the market are discussed at length. The obstacles or barriers faced by new entrants and the level of threat these new entrants have on other players in the industry are discussed.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Global Sol Gel Nanocoating Market: Trends and OpportunitiesSol gel nanocoating help in the enhancement of material properties such as surface energy modification, high abrasion resistance, improved scratch resistance, moisture control, and photocatalytics. They can be used on materials such as metallic, ceramic, papers, polymers, wood, and fibers. Thus their demand is increasing. On the other hand, the application process is complicated and this will be a major challenge for the market. In addition to this, the high cost will also hamper the growth of the market.The global sol gel nanocoating market is driven constant efforts taken by players in the market to bring about innovation and improve the technology. Thus, players are increasingly focusing on investing extensively in research and development. This is helping them in meeting the dynamic requirements of customers and also helping the market to grow.The report segments the global sol gel nanocoating market on the basis of end-user industries into marine, aerospace, electronics, automotive, and energy. Of these, the aerospace segment is expected to be the leading segment throughout the forecast period on account of the high level of accuracy and efficiency required in the aviation industry.Global Sol Gel Nanocoating Market: Region-wise OutlookThe report segments the global sol gel nanocoating market on the basis of geography into Europe, the Rest of the World, North America, and Asia Pacific. Of these, North America is currently leading in their demand for sol gel nanocoatings. Europe follows North America in terms of leading regional segment. However, the growth of the European and North American markets for sol gel nanocoating is expected to experience a sluggish growth in the coming years. However, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the region, which experiences the most significant growth rate in the market over the forecast period. The high demand from the healthcare sector will help boost the sol gel nanocoating market in the Asia Pacific region.Key Players Mentioned in the ReportSome of the key players mentioned in the report are Inframat Corporation, Bio-Gate AG, Cima NanoTech Inc., Buhler PARTEC GmbH, and Eikos Inc. The report discusses the recent developments by these companies and their strategies employed to grow in the market. In addition to this, information regarding their strategic collaborations, partnerships, and mergers is given in the report.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Transparency Market ResearchUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Inkjet Colorant Market - Global Industry Analysis 2020

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Inkjet technology is a printing technology used in large-format printers for engineering and graphics arts applications, desktops, fax machines, workgroup printers and several other industrial applications. Besides printing on paper, inkjet technology can be used for printing on metals, glass, plastics, fabrics, wall coverings and ceramics. The ink used in inkjet colorant contains resin, colorant, solvent and additives. Resin is the material that carries the dye or colorant. It also is responsible in making the ink adhere to the surface, be abrasion resistant and providing UV protection. The additives are responsible for adding flexibility, better flow, formation, and longer stability. The solvent determines the inks dry time and enables mixing of the other components.Some of the major driving factors of this market include rising demand for high performance pigments and growth in end user industries. The paints and coatings industry is recording significant growth due to growing printing industry. Printing ink is another application of the colorants market. The demand for printing ink is driven by various factors such as technological developments and increasing demand for digital inks. The popularity of digital cameras has hugely increased the demand for inkjet printers that can print photographs. Similarly, increased use of colored documents has intensified office demand for color printing, resulting in greater overall demand for high-speed and high-quality printing capability.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:However, raw material price volatility, its global over capacity and environmental concerns are expected to act as restraints for the inkjet colorants market. Some of the trends witnessed in this market are shifting of the manufacturing facilities from U.S. and Europe to India and China. Kao Corp, a specialty chemicals company from Japan, has developed inkjet colorants made of ultra-fine pigment particles encapsulated with a unique functional polymer for use in water-based inkjet ink. This technology offers excellent color reproduction achieved by giving the encapsulating polymer a high affinity to the cellulose fibers in the paper and by using compound colorants. This environment friendly innovation is an opportunity for the inkjet colorants market.The inkjet colorant market has been segmented on the basis of product types  organic pigments (blues and greens, high performance pigments, azo and phthalocyanines), dyes (disperse dye , reactive dye, VAT dye, direct dye, sulfur dye, acid dye, basic dye and others), and inorganic pigments (iron oxide, titanium dioxide and others). It can be segmented based on the following applications: paints and coatings, textile, construction, printing inks and plastics, leather and paper among others.Irrespective of the solvent used, all inkjet colorants have to follow certain stringent criteria, which include - bright and vivid color, high solubility, heat resistance, bleeding resistance, light and water fastness, chemical resistance, low content of dielectric cations and anions, substrate sensitivity and low toxicity. In the inkjet colorants market, Asia-Pacific accounts for the largest share. This region is one of the key markets for dyes and pigments production. In the Asia-Pacific, India and China are the important countries contributing towards the growth of this market.The market is highly fragmented in nature. It has several small, medium and large players. Some of the key players in Inkjet Colorant market include BASF, Cabot Corp, Lanxess AG, DIC Corp, Kronos Worldwide Inc, Clariant International Ltd, Hongsam Digital Science & Technology Co. Ltd, Econuo Technology, Lanscend Industrial Ltd and Commart Co Ltd among others.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Transparency Market ResearchUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Pet Care Packaging Market to grow at a CAGR of 3.38% during Forecast 2016-2020

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Albany, NY, Dec 28: Pet care packaging products are designed for the packaging applications of pet food items, medical suppliers, and grooming products. The products used for pet care packaging include bags, pouches, plastic bottles, metal cans, folding cartons, and other packaging solutions. The growing use of flexible packaging products for pet care such as sachets and pouches is prompting many vendors to look for innovative and value-added packaging products and solutions to increase their profit margin.The global pet care packaging market to grow at a CAGR of 3.38% during the period 2016-2020. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global pet care packaging market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of the products.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- APAC- Europe- North America- ROWGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Pet Care Packaging Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Amcor- Bemis- Mondi- Printpack- SonocoOther prominent vendors- American Packaging- Ampac- AptarGroup- Ardagh- Ball- Berlin Packaging- Berry Plastics- Gateway Packaging- Graphic Packaging- Greif- InterFlex- KapStone Paper and Packaging- MeadWestVaco- Reynolds- SilganEnquiry at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the worlds 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. ResearchMozs 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.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Global Market For Marine Hybrid Propulsion Has Been Expanding At A CAGR Of 8.02% In Revenue And Will US$4.45 bn By The End Of 2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Marine Hybrid Propulsion Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2014 - 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.This research study analyzes the market for marine hybrid propulsion systems in terms of revenue. The marine hybrid propulsion market has been segmented on the basis of configuration, end-users, and geography. For the purpose of this study, 2013 has been taken as the base year while all forecasts have been given for the 20142022 period. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional as well as country-specific levels for the 20132022 period. The regional segments have been further divided into sub-segments comprising seven unique countries that are major players in the global marine hybrid propulsion market. The report provides a comprehensive competitive landscape and features companies engaged in the marine hybrid propulsion business. The report also provides a detailed industry analysis of the marine hybrid propulsion market with the help of the Porters Five Forces model. The Porters Five Forces analysis aids in understanding the five major forces that affect the industry structure and profitability of the global marine hybrid propulsion market. The forces analyzed are the bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat from new entrants, threat from substitutes, and degree of competition in the market.-To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The high-level analysis provides detailed insights into the business of marine hybrid propulsion globally. Major drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the marine hybrid propulsion market are analyzed in detail and illustrated in the report through graphs and tables. One of the most prominent drivers is the increasing investments by vessel operators in fuel-efficient and environment-friendly technologies. Vessel and towage operators in the marine industry are now investing in marine hybrid propulsion systems to optimize operational performance. Development in technology originating from the hybrid automotive industry has assisted technology developers in designing efficient and economical marine hybrid propulsion systems. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the marine hybrid propulsion industry on the basis of end-use. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of consumer preferences that directly impact the market.The marine hybrid propulsion market has been segmented into three broad categories on the basis of configuration as diesel-electric, parallel, and serial hybrid systems. The marine hybrid propulsion market was also analyzed on the basis of end-users as tugboats, ferries, high-speed PSVs, and others. The others segment primarily comprises naval vessels and autonomous underwater vehicles. The marine hybrid propulsion market was analyzed across six geographies: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America & Central America, Africa, and the Middle East. Although hybrid propulsion systems are being widely adopted across the world, the major share of development is witnessed in Europe alone. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the marine hybrid propulsion market. Key market participants in the marine hybrid propulsion market include BAE Systems plc, Caterpillar Inc., Aspin Kemp & Associates, Imtech Marine, and General Electric. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.Marine Hybrid Propulsion Market: Configuration Analysis- Diesel-electric- Parallel- SerialMarine Hybrid Propulsion Market: End-use Analysis- Tugboats & OSVs- Ferries- Defense Vessels- OthersMarine Hybrid Propulsion Market: Regional Analysis- North America- U.S.- Rest of North America- Europe- Norway- Netherlands- U.K.- Rest of Europe- Asia Pacific- China- Japan- Singapore- Rest of Asia Pacific- South & Central America- Middle East- AfricaMake 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 @
Flame Retardant Chemicals Market Size, Share, Analysis, Report and Forecast to 2022

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The Global Market for Flame Retardant Chemicals Market is valued at $6.7 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $14.32 billion by 2022 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.25%. The factors such as growing regulations for fire safety and increasing number of end user industries are some of the major driving factors for the market growth. Moreover, high demand from current & emerging applications, emerging economies and advancement in technology and wide usage of flammable materials are some of the drivers fuelling the market growth. However, huge cost of flame retardant chemicals and stringent regulations are some of the restraining factors in this market. On the other hand, increasing developments in synergist compounds will offer a significant growth opportunity over the forecast period.In chemical type, aluminum trihydrate (ATH) segment subjugated the global flame retardant market during the forecast period owing to less cost of the chemicals and low environmental impacts. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market and is anticipated to register a highest growth due to growing number of end user industries and rising safety concerns. Moreover, in building and construction Asia pacific commanded the maximum share due to growing number of investments in infrastructure sector.Some of the key players in this market include Akzo Nobel Polymer Chemicals LLC, Clariant AG, Martinswerk GmbH, DIC Corporation, Dover Chemical Corporation, Royal DSM NV, ICL Industrial Products, Supresta LLC, Synalloy Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Lanxess AG, Nabaltec AG, Chemtura Corporation, Italmatch Chemicals and BASF SE.For More, Please Visit:Chemical Type Covered: Aluminum Hydroxide Brominated Flame Retardantso HBCD (Hexabromocyclododecane)o TBBPA (Tetrabromobisphenol A)o DECA-BDE (Decabromodiphenyl Ether) Chlorinated Flame Retardants Phosphorous Flame Retardants ATH (Aluminum Trihydrate) Antimony Oxide Other chemicalsProduct Covered: Wood/Paper Textiles Plastics Coatings/Paints Decorations/OthersApplication Covered: Polystyrene Polyolefins Polyvinyl Chloride Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Polyethylene Polycarbonates ABS Epoxy PET & PBT Polypropylene Other ApplicationsEnd User Covered: Textiles Automotive & Transportationo Shipso Aircraftso Road Vehicleso Railways Building & Constructiono Tests for Building Materialso Structural Elementso Insulation Wires & Cables Electronics & Appliances Other End-Use IndustriesRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsFor More, Please Visit:We offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA
Global Food Enzymes Industry Will Grow Steadily At A CAGR Of 7.42% During The Period 2016-2020

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Food Enzymes Market 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Enzymes are complex proteins that help accelerate reactions and catalyze biochemical reactions. They increase the reaction rates by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. Small quantities of enzymes are enough to increase the reaction rates up to a million times on account of their specific mode of action. Most of the enzymes are found to function in a narrow set of conditions related to factors such as acidity and temperature. About 2,500 enzymes have been identified that aid more than 3,000 biochemical processes, including assisting metabolism and other vital processes, in humans.Technavios analysts forecast the global food enzymes market to grow at a CAGR of 7.42% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global food enzymes market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers a top-down approach in different application segments.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:APACEMEANorth AmericaSouth and Central AmericaTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Technavio's report, Global Food Enzymes Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsAmwayBASFDuPont DaniscoDSMNovozymesOther prominent vendorsAB EnzymesAmanoAum EnzymesNutriteckRocheMarket driverProspects for food enzymes in dairy industryFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeHigh prices affecting product consumptionFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendDevelopments in protein engineeringFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?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 @
New Study Reveals Global Hybrid Drone Industry 2016 Latest Research Report

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Hybrid Drone Industry 2016 Market Research Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The Global Hybrid Drone Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Hybrid Drone industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Hybrid Drone market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Hybrid Drone industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Hybrid Drone1.1 Definition and Specifications of Hybrid Drone1.1.1 Definition of Hybrid Drone1.1.2 Specifications of Hybrid Drone1.2 Classification of Hybrid Drone1.3 Applications of Hybrid Drone1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Hybrid Drone1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Hybrid Drone1.5.1 Industry Overview of Hybrid Drone1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Hybrid Drone1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Hybrid Drone1.7 Industry News Analysis of Hybrid Drone2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Hybrid Drone2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Hybrid Drone2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Hybrid Drone2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Hybrid Drone2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Hybrid Drone2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Hybrid Drone2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Hybrid Drone3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Hybrid Drone3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Hybrid Drone Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Hybrid Drone Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Hybrid Drone Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Hybrid Drone Major Manufacturers in 20154 Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Hybrid Drone by Regions, Types and Manufacturers4.1 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Hybrid Drone by Regions 2011-20164.2 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of Hybrid Drone 2011-20164.3 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Hybrid Drone by Types 2011-20164.4 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Hybrid Drone by Manufacturers 2011-20165 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Hybrid Drone by Regions, Types and Manufacturers5.1 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Hybrid Drone by Regions 2011-20165.2 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Hybrid Drone by Types 2011-20165.3 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Hybrid Drone by Manufacturers 2011-2016Make 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 @
Disposable Medical Supplies Industry Forecasts - China Focus | Now Available at Researchmoz.us

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Disposable Medical Supplies Industry Forecasts - China Focus" to its huge collection of research reports.This study focuses on China's Disposable Medical Supplies industry forecasts. In the two past decades, the industry has been growing at a fast pace. The dramatic expansions of the manufacturing capabilities and rising consumer consumptions in China have transformed China's society and economy. China is one of the world's major producers for industrial and consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the world's fastest growing market for the consumptions of goods and services. The Chinese economy maintains a high speed growth which has been stimulated by the consecutive increases of industrial output, imports & exports, consumer consumption and capital investment for over two decades. Rapid consolidation between medium and large players is anticipated since the Chinese government has been encouraging industry consolidation with an effort to regulate the industry and to improve competitiveness in the world market.Although China has enjoyed the benefits of an expanding market for production and distribution, the industry is suffering from minimal innovation and investment in R&D and new product development. The sector's economies of scale have yet to be achieved. Most domestic manufacturers lack the autonomic intellectual property and financial resources to develop their own brand name products.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @This new study focuses on industry trends and forecasts with historical data (2005, 2010 and 2015) and long-term forecasts through 2020 and 2025 are presented.The primary and secondary research is done in China in order to access up-to-date government regulations, market information and industry data. Data were collected from the Chinese government publications, Chinese language newspapers and magazines, industry associations, local governments' industry bureaus, industry publications, and our in-house databases.Asia Market Info & Dev Co. is one of the leading sources for up-to-date market information and research on the fastest-growing Chinese markets. We have published over 1,500 reports focusing on the Chinese markets, industry forecasts and company profiles. We provide hard-to-find market data and analyses. Our publications are intended to help international marketers identify business opportunities and promote their product sales in the Chinese markets.Table of ContentI. INTRODUCTIONReport Scope and MethodologyExecutive SummaryII. DISPOSABLE MEDICAL SUPPLIES PRODUCTION AND DEMANDOverviewDemand of Disposable Medical Supplies by RegionDisposable Medical Supplies Raw Materials ConsumptionTextilesPlasticsDisposable Medical Supplies Production and Demand (yuan)Drug Delivery SuppliesHypodermic Syringes and NeedlesIV Disposable SuppliesOther Drug Delivery SuppliesSurgical DressingsBandages and TapesCotton BallsOther DressingsDisposable Medical Textile SuppliesDisposable Surgical DrapesIncontinent ProductsOther Disposable Medical Textile SuppliesCatheters and AccessoriesInfection Control SuppliesSurgical and Examination GlovesSterilization SuppliesOther Infection Control SuppliesSurgical SuturesOther Disposable Medical SuppliesDisposable Medical Supplies Imports and ExportsPricing TrendsMake 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 Spirometer Market Analysis, Size, Share, Development and Demand Forecast to 2020

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The global spirometer market is growing due to growing awareness about the advanced respiratory care therapeutic and monitoring devices, increasing home use of spirometers, and technological advancement in respiratory care devices. The diagnostic application dominates the application segment of the market, as it is mainly used for the diagnosis of various respiratory diseases. Based on products, the table-top spirometer segment led the market, as the device is compact in nature. The unexplored market in the spirometer industry of the developing economies is creating ample growth opportunities for the global market.Explore Report at:Spirometer is an instrument used to assess lung function by measuring the volume of air inhaled and exhaled from the lungs after maximum inhalation by patient. It helps in the diagnosis of various respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, other conditions that affect breathing, and for screening in occupational environment. It is primarily used for the analysis of prognosis of the respiratory diseases, and analysis of lung function before surgery. Hand-held, table-top and desktop spirometers are the major type of spirometers. Table-top is extensively used in clinics and hospitals. Hand-held are easy to use and are used in homecare and general practice by smokers and asthma patients. Moreover, desktop spirometers are used especially for the diagnosis of black lungs, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive diseases and other respiratory diseases. It is reliable for pre/post- bronchodilator use, with reversible analysis and automatic interpretation. It is used to measure forced vital capacity, peak expiratory flow, slow vital capacity, forced expired volume in one second and others.Request for TOC:Some of the companies operating in the global spirometer market are Welch Allyn Inc., Schiller AG, Carefusion Corporation, NDD Medical Technologies Inc., Philips Healthcare, Cosmed, Midmark Corporation, Medical International Research, Futuremed, SDI Diagnostics, MGC Diagnostics Corporation, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Vitalograph, and Jones Medical Instrument Company.Browse Other Related Report at:About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:AbhishekExecutive  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)
Wood Coatings Market to generate strong growth by 2015-2021

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Wood coating is the process in which layer of chemicals and the protective solution is applied on the wooden surface in order to make the surface durable and enhance its exterior. Wood coating process is a crucial part in furniture industries. It helps to balance customer satisfaction and guarantees constant demand. Wooden finishing is also seen as a status symbol in day-to-day life. The coating is a type of finishing process and streamlined at the end-position. It makes the surface clean effortlessly.Request Free Sample Report @On the basis of various types of the mechanism used, the global wood coatings market is segmented as brush coating, vacuum coating, spray coating, and roll coating. Based on the type of wood coating, the global market is segmented as evaporative, reactive and coalescing. On the basis of material used, the global market is segmented as primers, wax, dye, varnishes, and water repellents. Further, based on the technology, the global market is classified as solvent-borne, water-borne, radiation-cure, and powder coatings. The global wood coatings market is also segmented on the basis of application as furniture, siding, decking, joinery, flooring, and other applications such as fencing, flat panels, and MDF.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Rising population results in extensive urbanization across the world. This, in turn, is leading the demand of constructing residences, which increases the demand for wooden accessories. In addition, increasing disposable income of the customers has boosted the demand. Rising demand for protective coatings has been a noticeable feature of the global wood coatings market. Well-equipped infrastructure as a sign of high standard of living has also increased the demand. A major focus of manufacturers on the consumers need is also a factor augmenting the growth of the wood coating market. Constant development of commercial projects such business hubs, hospitals, etc. demands various types of premium wooden fittings for the interior, which is directly impacting the wood coatings market positively. The availability of quality and cheaper alternatives such as plastic wood and wood composite will probably hinder the growth of the wood coatings market.Browse detail report @Asia-Pacific is the biggest market for wood coatings followed by Europe and North America. The wood coatings market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the highest rate owing to the rising disposable income and construction projects in this region. Rising GDP of countries such as India, China, and Brazil has led an increase in the market.Some of the major players in the wood coatings market include Akzo Nobel Coatings NV, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd., ICI Paints, Sherwin-Williams Co., DuPont Coatings, and Color Technologies Group. Other key players influencing the global market are PPG Industries Inc., Dow Coating Materials, BASF Coatings AG, Hempel A/S, Ashland Inc., RPM International Inc., The Valspar Corporation, and Arkema SA, Nippon Paint Co. Ltd.Wood Coating 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 usContact 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:
Bispecific Antibodies Market with business strategies and analysis to 2021

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Bispecific antibodies are one of the fastest developing markets in the field of immune response therapeutics, medications and biologics.. Bispecific antibodies are combination of two antibodies which address distinctive antigens. Bispecific antibodies can recognize a single antigen target also they can identify two different targets at the same time. In recent years, antibody therapy has become a new treatment for various diseases. A bispecific antibody is an upgraded side of monoclonal antibody enhanced in structure and usefulness.Get a copy of free Sample Report @Bispecific antibodies are developing a most favored and helpful approach for treatment for different disease, for example, lung, breast, and colon malignancy. With rising prevalence of various sorts of cancer the worldwide market for bispecific antibodies treatment is essentially growing. However, complicated nature related with the treatment method of bispecific antibodies would disturb the worldwide market of bispecific antibodies treatment.Presently, bispecific antibody drugs are available in the market as well as in various stages of clinical trials. Numerous medications are in Phase I and II clinical trials while one medication, Removab, effectively got approval for marketing. Oncology rules the field of bispecific antibodies. There are various opportunities for the big pharmaceutical companies in this business sector. On account of complex structure of bispecific antibodies, there are abundant open entryways for contract manufactures in this market. In particular, the modification of bispecific antibodies is intense assignment, making this field more appealing for speculators.Get in-depth TOC (Table of Contents) with Tables and Figures @The report covers forecast and analysis for the bispecific antibodies market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with a forecast from 2016 to 2021 based on revenue (USD Million). The report also offers detailed competitive landscape of the global bispecific antibodies market. It includes company market share analysis, product portfolio of the major industry participants. The report provides market opportunities for the upcoming years.North America and Europe were seen to be the biggest bispecific antibodies treatment market due to increasing incidences of diseases. Asia Pacific is considered as fastest growing market for bispecific antibodies treatment due to developing healthcare access in this area.Inquire more before buying this report @Various pharmaceutical companies are actively involved in development and manufacture of bispecific antibodies. Some of the key players in this market are Amgen, Bayer, Dow Pharma, ImmunGene, Immunocore, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche among others.Global Bispecific Antibodies Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East & AfricaBrowse detail 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:
IRS

Individuals who inherited traditional IRAs have been able to profit from one of the biggest benefits of the tax code -- allowing the tax-deferred balance to continue compounding for years. Congress is poised to end that.

(Tribune News Service)

PITTSBURGH -- Retirement accounts and estate plans may soon be taking a major hit from the IRS, if Congress decides early next year to change the rules on a tax strategy involving inherited IRAs that many affluent families have used to their advantage for years.

Under current rules, people who contribute to an individual retirement account and don't need the money to meet retirement living expenses are able to pass the account along to their heirs. That money is then allowed to keep growing tax-deferred throughout the heirs' lifetime, with minimal taxes due on the withdrawals.

But the ability to stretch an IRA across generations could be coming to an end.

The Senate Committee on Finance voted 26-0 in September to kill the "Stretch IRA" for non-spousal beneficiaries -- putting trillions of dollars of legacy wealth in danger of being collected by the tax man.

"This is going to be big," said James Lange, a Pittsburgh-based tax accountant, attorney and author. "It's not a done deal. It's not immediately effective. But in the past when you had a 26-0 Senate vote, the legislation always became law the next year."

The Senate proposal will be included in a bill called the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act, and would require beneficiaries of an inherited IRA or other qualified retirement account to pay all taxes due on the account within five years of the owner's death.

The proposed law does not apply to surviving spouses. Surviving spouses may still spread the taxes due on the account across their life span or roll the money into another retirement account.

As it stands, the proposal includes a $450,000 exclusion, which applies to non-spouse beneficiaries. A $1 million inherited IRA would only be subject to taxes on $550,000.

The proposed rule would not affect Roth IRAs because taxes on those accounts have already been paid with after-tax income by the account owner.

Taxes on traditional IRAs are deferred until the account owner begins making withdrawals to cover living expenses during retirement. Heirs are required to continue making annual withdrawals from the inherited account and pay taxes on those withdrawals. The new rule would dramatically speed up the pace of those withdrawals.

"The five-year limit isn't so bad if you are paying taxes on $100,000, but if you have $500,000 to pay taxes on, it could be a challenge," said Howard Davis, president of the Davis, Davis & Associates accounting firm in Pittsburgh.

Davis has several clients with IRA balances of $1 million or more. "You could wait until year five to pay the entire tax bill, but it could also push you into a higher tax bracket." He said it probably makes more sense to take out a portion each year to lower the tax ramifications."

The total amount of money at stake is substantial.

Total U.S. retirement assets were $24.5 trillion as of June 2016, up 1.3 percent from the end of March, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Investment Company Institute. Retirement assets accounted for 34 percent of all household financial assets in the U.S. at the end of June.

"Currently, Congress has to wait about 40 years to get the assets in retirement accounts converted into income tax payments," said Jim Meredith, executive vice president of the Hefren-Tillotson financial advisory firm in Pittsburgh. "If non-spousal beneficiaries must pay the tax bill off in five years instead of over their actuarial life span, there will be a huge windfall for the government.

"In the average American household, second to the home, the retirement account is the household's largest source of wealth," Meredith said. "The ability to transfer that wealth to the second or third generation will fall away with this legislation."

Individuals who inherited traditional IRAs have been able to profit from one of the biggest benefits of the tax code -- allowing the tax-deferred balance to continue compounding all those years.

For example, assume a son inherits an IRA upon the death of his father in 2016. The son will turn 53 in 2017, when required distributions based on his life expectancy commence. The IRA Single Life Expectancy Table indicates that at age 53, the son has a 31.4-year life expectancy.

In 2017, the son's required minimum distribution amount, which he would be required to pay taxes on, would be computed as follows:

The balance of his inherited account on Jan. 1, 2017, times the fraction 1/31.4. For the years after 2017, the son reduces his life expectancy by one year from what it was in 2017. So in 2018, his required minimum distribution fraction is 1/30.4.

This minimum required distribution fraction applies to the son's inherited IRA even if the son dies. The Internal Revenue Service really doesn't care who the account passes to at that point, since it has no affect on the required minimum distribution rate from the inherited IRA, which was set in 2017.

The trigger for the changing status of inherited IRAs may stem from a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision on a traditional IRA lawsuit involving Heidi Heffron-Clark, of Madison, Wis., who became the sole beneficiary of an inherited IRA when her mother died in 2001.

In 2010, Heffron-Clark and her husband filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. They identified the inherited IRA -- which by then was worth about $300,000 -- as exempt from creditors on the basis that the money came from a retirement account.

Bankruptcy courts had until then typically held that inherited retirement accounts may be excluded from a beneficiary's bankruptcy estate. However, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that inherited IRAs are not "retirement funds" under the bankruptcy code and are not entitled to exemption from a debtor's bankruptcy estate.

The Supreme Court concluded that inherited IRAs are not funds set aside for the day when an individual stops working. The fact that a beneficiary can never contribute additional funds to the account doesn't square with the notion that the fund is money the beneficiary is putting aside for retirement.

"The Supreme Court said that non-spouses are not exempt," Meredith said, adding that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., later proposed that as inherited IRAs are not retirement accounts, they should receive the same tax treatment as a non-IRA annuity. That meant the inherited IRA account would need to be redeemed within five years of inheritance.

Lange said in a city like Pittsburgh, where a lot of people never earned a ton of money but were prudent about setting aside funds into retirement plans, many retired workers will die with lots of money in those plans.

"For a lot of Pittsburghers, the IRA is the main source of wealth in their 60s. What will happen under the proposed law is IRAs will be taxed more heavily and it will make a big difference for heirs."

- Tribune News Service
DEBBIE REYNOLDS, CARRIE FISHER

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher arrive at the "Runway for Life" Celebrity Fashion Show Benefitting St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and celebrating the DVD relese of Chicago in Beverly Hills, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003.

(AP Photo/Jill Connelly)

Updated 6 p.m.: Debbie Reynolds has died, her son Todd Fisher tells the Associated Press.

Debbie Reynolds, 84 and the mother of Carrie Fisher who died on Tuesday, was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, according to TMZ.

"Family sources" tell the website that 911 was called "to report a possible stroke" while Reynolds was at her son Todd Fisher's home in Beverly Hills.

TMZ says that they have "learned Debbie's condition when she was taken to the hospital was listed as 'fair to serious.'"

Like her daughter, Reynolds is a well-known actor. She was born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas. She's appeared in films since the 1950s, notably, "Singin' in the Rain" and "These Old Broads," a movie she starred in with Elizabeth Taylor, written and directed by her daughter, Fisher, which poked fun at her relationship with Eddie Fisher, Carrie Fisher's father.

Fisher's death at age 60 has caused an outpouring of sadness over the death of the writer and actress who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies.

Reynolds was also distraught over the death of her daughter. On Tuesday she wrote on Facebook, "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother."

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
Uroboros Glass

Uroboros Glass in North Portland

(Kelly House/Staff)

Art-glass manufacturer Uroboros Glass, embroiled in Portland's toxic air scare this year, has been sold and will have production of its products relocated to Mexico, the Portland company's founder announced Tuesday.

The move comes after a tumultuous year for Portland art glass makers. Researchers found elevated levels of toxic heavy metals near Uroboros and another Portland glass manufacturer, prompting ramped up regulation of the industry. The new regulations require costly industrial filters that prevent the release of glass production's toxic byproducts.

Increased compliance costs were part of the reason to sell, Uroboros founder Eric Lovell wrote in September. Lovell also cited market factors, gentrification, and his age.

Uroboros's new owner, Oceanside Glasstile, is based out of Carlsbad, California. The company has been making glass for 25 years, according to its website.

Lovell was effusive about the new owners.

"Their company culture embodies the unusual combination of aesthetic understanding and a well-grounded, responsible manufacturing ethic," Lovell said in a statement posted on the Uroboros website.

Per the current timetable, the Portland facility will stop making sheets of glass by February and resume after moving equipment to Tijuana, Mexico, in May.

Uroboros is the second major Northwest glass-maker to be sold to Oceanside Glasstile. Spectrum Glass, based in Washington, announced its sale in September.

Portland's other major art glass manufacturer, Bullseye Glass, opted to install the newly-required industrial filters instead of closing shop.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

503-294-7674; @fedorzarkhin
Midland Noon Rotary raised money again this year as part of The Salvation Armys annual Red Kettle Fundraiser.

The club covered 44 volunteer slots at Kroger grocery store with 65 people for two full days Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 for a total of 22 hours of bell ringing and $1,626 in community donations. Community members shopping at Kroger were generous and the Red Kettle had to be emptied numerous times throughout both days. The clubs inspiration was Jon Barckholtz, a former Rotarian who died in 2014. Jon was known throughout the community for his work at Target and his infectious smile. Additional donations were taken at two club meetings including one check for $1,600 for a total of $2,678 bringing the grand total for 2016 from Midland Noon Rotary to $4,304.

Volunteers were Paul and Janine Ouderkirk, J. Dee Brooks, Laurie Shooltz, Bill Betts, Rebecca Chakraborty, John Haag, Jane Johnson, Jeremy Shafer family, members of Northwood University Rotaract Club (four shifts), Karl Kamena, Robbie Waclawski, Joan Herbert, Tom Adams, Lisa Orlando, Bart Thompson, Erin Lemke Family, Dexter and Laura Brigham family (two shifts), Lee Smith, Carly Witkop (four shifts), members of the K-Club, Kevin Kendrick and Jennifer Kendrick, Jim and Mike Nigro, Sharon Mortensen, Jenee and Chris Velasquez, Melissa Barnard, Mike Williams, Mike Sharrow, Tawny Ryan Nelb, Dave Marsh, Daryl Griggs, Jerry Wasserman, Gail and Alex Hoffman, Tom Lane, Carol Feider, Carlos Uribe family, Stephanie Leibfritz and Becky Church.

Although most people think of The Salvation Army especially at Christmas time, they make a major impact in the community year round. Last year 2,700 Midland County residents, our own neighbors and friends, found some kind of help from The Salvation Army of Midland in meeting their basic needs for food, medicine or a safe, heated home to live in. Two hundred fifty-five people received a hot Thanksgiving meal. Eight hundred twenty-five children were given coats and gifts at Christmas time. Two hundred eighty-five kids in our community attend SHARE Day Camp that provided a fun, safe and affordable place for last summer and other year round projects were funded.

To find out more about Midland Noon Rotary, visit www.midlandrotaryclub.org or attend one of their weekly meetings, held Thursdays at noon at the Midland Country Club.
Jerry Wasserman has always considered himself a future-looking guy, and he had an eye on the future even as he looked back on his long service on the Midland Public Schools Board of Education.

My biggest satisfaction comes from believing that 10 to 15 years from now, I get to look back and say, This is a better place because I was here, he said recently.

Wasserman has served on the MPS board since 2003 and was president of the board two different times for a total of five years. He lost his bid for another term in the Nov. 8 election, coming in fifth among eight candidates. The top four vote-getters were elected.

At its Dec. 19 board meeting, President Angela Brandstadt read a resolution praising Wasserman for his service and leadership through the years, with members including Brandstadt calling him a mentor.

Wasserman said he was particularly touched by how my fellow board members felt about his service.

He first ran for the board in 1996 and narrowly lost, succeeding seven years later.

There were some tough times for MPS during Wassermans tenure. Declining enrollment, an economic downturn in Michigan and some unforeseen consequences of the 1994 ballot question known as Proposal A combined to create what was often called a financial perfect storm. Those circumstances eventually led to the closing of five elementary schools in 2010 and a middle school three years later.

Wasserman cited the school closings as among the most difficult tasks the board faced during his tenure, but he said, The boat was going to sink unless you did it.

I feel good about how we did it  It was very inclusive, he said. I dont feel good that I impacted peoples lives.

It also was difficult to approve layoffs.

You did these layoffs knowing many of them will be back  School closings were much more impactful.

The committee formed to advise the school board on closings recommended closing a middle school  which happened when Central Middle School shut its doors  and also raised the possibility of closing a high school at some point.

Wasserman said he continues to tell resident that it just isnt feasible to consolidate Midland High School and H.H. Dow High School.

There are no plans and (there is) no math for shutting down a high school. The numbers arent there.

He said neither school is large enough to hold the combined populations of the two buildings.

Another major task which Wasserman led  twice  was the search for a new superintendent. In 2007, the board chose Carl Ellinger as superintendent after Gary Hughes announced his retirement. When Ellinger retired in 2013, Wasserman led the search that resulted in the hiring of Superintendent Michael Sharrow.

Wasserman said that during his time on the board, he kept his finger on the pulse of Midland largely through social events and community events.

Wherever you went, you were school board. ... People were very eager to talk about what they liked and what they didnt like, he said. I relished that  It provided a two-way street (of communication).

He added that having school board members from different parts of the community is valuable and helps the board have an understanding of the breadth of the community.

He retired from The Dow Chemical Co. in 2009, and soon thereafter took on a role as executive vice president of K2 Pure Solutions, a Toronto-based startup. He said he is largely retired from that job but continues to do some consulting with the company.

Whats ahead for Wasserman? Ill stay involved in education, he said.

He tutors at Midlands Legacy Center for Community Success, and is currently chairman of the Visiting Committee of the Case Western Reserve University School of Engineering.

Wasserman has been asked by Sharrow to be available to assist with various district projects. He said he will help, but hes not going to be a thorn in the side or extra spoke in the wheel.

He is optimistic and excited regarding the future of Midland Public Schools, especially about the new focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

At his last board meeting, he predicted that the STEM focus and the STEM-based Central Park Elementary School would make MPS a beacon for the state and nation. He echoed that sentiment again last week.

This is a place where people want to come, big time.
Speed thrills: So statistics show that in Illinois, speeding tickets are down but traffic fatalities are up, indicating either (a) speed limits that have increased to 70 mph have had an unfortunate effect or (b) because of budget cuts and fewer Illinois State Police on the roads, less emphasis is being made in pulling over motorists.

You might also suggest that (c) speeding is simply down.

Uh, read on.

State police in this area recently clocked vehicles along Interstates 74, 57 and 72. Among those were vehicles going 116, 112, 110, 106, 103 (in rain) and, what may be the grand champion, one car on I-57, north of Tuscola, clocked at 129 mph.

The arresting officer in that one even snapped a picture of his radar device, just to prove it for immortality, if not to show his grandkids.

As he later put it on an Illinois State Police Facebook page, You and I share the road with some drivers who obviously don't care about your safety. But the ISP care and we gladly issued tickets to these speeders.

And so, yes, it appears that (d) HRFS (Heavy Right Foot Syndrome) is accelerating as well.

A craze is a craze is a craze  : For instance, at one grocery store in the Twin Cities, a sign posted on the deli counter not long ago: All our meats and cheeses are gluten-free.

That got Arthur Headley, of Bloomington, to ask a store employee: How can meat and cheese have gluten in the first place?

"He didn't know," says Arthur, "He thought it might just be a marketing gimmick."

Here then also is the kicker in these health-conscious times:

Since posting the gluten-free sign, even if they never had gluten to begin with, the employee told Arthur that sales of the meats and cheeses at the deli have indeed increased.

Down home in Indiana. But : They say you can't go home again, but sometimes it's also difficult to leave ... even if you already have.

Consider Alison and Daniel Burns.

They live now in Brownsburg, Ind., a city of 21,000 near Indianapolis, where they've been attending Connection Pointe Christian Church, a large, young, outreaching congregation, similar to Eastview Christian Church in Bloomington.

And what occurred a few Sundays ago but the launching of a sermon series on surviving all the social situations of the holidays and finding normalcy in a world of vastly different people. That's when the Connection Pointe lead pastor -- in a sermon entitled Why Arent You Normal Like Me? -- brought up that in neighboring Illinois is indeed a place called Normal and also an Oblong, and that the headline -- "Normal Man Marries Oblong Woman" -- once not only spawned laughs but was also offered proof that opposites in life can get along.

Alison, an NCHS grad, and Daniel, of Normal West, let out a yelp, amused that they'd left Normal but now were hearing a sermon about their former town.

That's then when they also began to wonder if they'd ever left as the pastor, the Rev. Steve Reeves, brought up on a large overhead screen at the front of the church a graphic to illustrate the Normal-Oblong marital merger.

It was a photo of a 2012 column from this paper that had been headlined, 'Alas! Another Oblong man and Normal gal!'

Yet another example of the changing times: Remember when college kids used to drive beaters and/or "household hand-me-downs" to campus, like the 12-year-old, partially rusted Plymouth Valiant your dad loaned you?

Or they only had a bike?

The other day in Champaign, two cars collided on South Neil, with one of them jumping a curb and then ramming into a building, according to police.

A $255,000 Ferrari listed as a "total loss," the driver was an 18-year-old University of Illinois student, said police.
BLOOMINGTON  Afni is adding web chat customer service and 150 new jobs in 2017, the Bloomington-based global contact center company announced on Wednesday.

Most of the new jobs will be web chat customer service agents, an entry-level position that the company did not previously have, according to Lori Boyce, director of marketing. Nearly half of the jobs are expected to be added in the first few weeks of January.

Web chat is not new. It's been around in the customer service area for awhile, said Boyce. But it's gaining ground in the last several years.

More people are turning to websites, where they have direct and immediate access to so much information, rather than calling an 800 number.

It's about people having choices, she said. It's how some people want to communicate.

Hiring open house events are planned at Afni's facility at 1310 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 4 and from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 7.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, familiarity with a computer and good writing skills.

Participants will have an opportunity to tour the building, apply and interview. Job offers will be made the same day to successful applicants.

The web chat sales and service representative jobs are entry-level, full-time jobs. The starting base hourly rate is $11 with benefits, plus incentives that can help employees earn more, Boyce said.

In addition to the web chat positions, Afni intends to hire people for consumer collections and fill subrogation specialist jobs during the open houses, she said.

Subrogation specialists connect with people or insurance companies to make sure responsible parties provide their share of compensation on a claim, explained Boyce.

Currently, about 700 people work for Afni in Bloomington at its contact center and corporate headquarters. It also has facilities in Alabama, Arizona and Kentucky.

Boyce said Afni is absolutely committed to Bloomington-Normal, where it was founded and has had its headquarters since 1936.

We've been here for the long haul, she said. We like the work ethic of the employees here.

The company sees web chat customer service as a growing field.

Many people now go to company websites to get answers or assistance they need, Kathy Poley, senior vice president of global contact center operations, said in a statement from the company. When those people are online, sometimes they need help and prefer a quick back-and-forth online chat with an agent instead of calling or being called.

Boyce said, The people we're looking for are people who like learning new skills. We try to find people who want to help people and help the community.
NORMAL  Prosecutors in McLean and Peoria counties continue to work with police in Normal and Peoria on a case that started off as a kidnapping in Normal and ended up with a man dying in a Peoria hospital on Christmas Day.

Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said Maunds Bryant, 41, died of a head injury at 5:45 p.m. Sunday at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, two days after he was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint with his stepfather from his home in Normal.

The autopsy confirmed that he died of a closed head injury, but we are not sure exactly how, Harwood told The Pantagraph. Police said that it happened during the abduction.

Danny Smith Jr., 28, of 2418 W. Proctor St., Peoria, remains in Peoria County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bond. He was charged over the weekend with aggravated kidnapping, but following Bryants death, more charges are expected, said Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner.

We are working with multiple agencies to put the different pieces of the puzzle together, he said. With what we know at this time, we believe the injuries that caused his death occurred in Normal, but our investigation is still continuing.

Authorities have not discussed the reason why Bryant and his stepfather were forced from their home.

The two men were taken at gunpoint Thursday evening from a home they share with a 57-year-old woman in the 100 block of West Raab Road in Normal, according to police. They were taken to a home in the 1800 block of West Kettelle Street, Peoria, when the stepfather got away, ran to a nearby home and called the police early Friday, police said.

Police found Bryant unresponsive in the basement of the house on Kettelle, but his injuries initially werent considered to be life-threatening.

But that changed Sunday morning, Bleichner said. We received news that the injuries were far worse than first thought. Its very unfortunate that he died and we will work with (McLean County State's Attorney) Jason Chambers and officials in Peoria and Peoria County to figure out exactly what he gets charged with.

"At this point we have multiple agencies involved and multiple jurisdictions, said Chambers. We need to continue communicating so that we can decide, in fairly short order, which route gets us to the highest level of accountability for this case.

Smith is scheduled to be in court in Peoria Jan. 19.
Needlework project to aid victims

NORMAL  The Normal Public Library will host "Scarves of Strength," an event to support victims of domestic abuse through gifts of handmade items, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 28.

Those who wish to create knitted and crocheted goods will need to bring crafting needles; the library will provide yarn and patterns. Library staff will be available to assist in making the crafts.

For more information, visit normalpl.org.

Birthday fest planned at temple

BLOOMINGTON  Acharya Vaibhavam  which celebrates the 1,000th birthday of Sri Ramanujacharya, a Hindu-Vedic monk who worked for equality regardless of gender, status and caste  will be 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday (today) at the Hindu Temple, 1815 Tullamore Ave., Bloomington.

The celebration will include a presentation by HH Sri Chinnajeeyar Swamiji, the highest ranking monk in India, as well as songs, dances, youth presentations, a special program, contests and a silent auction.
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Arkansas has recently witnessed a huge increase in the number of students enrolling in charter schools, as per the latest reports. With a large range of courses available, these charter schools are open to and free for all as they are funded by the state, according to the number of students enrolled.

According to Democrat Gazette, some of the authorities at Northwest Arkansas were pleased, believing that charter schools had a great potential to revive the prevailing education system that has been in decline for the past few years. The authorities have high hopes in charter schools as thriving institutions that can induce notably positive changes within the field of mainstream education. They argued that just because it is a relatively new concept, it doesn't mean that people should automatically assume it to be better than the current system because they do not know it yet.

Dating back to 1991, charter schools are being operated nationwide. It must be mentioned that these schools came into existence after intense hard work and some negotiations. The said concept is quite innovative and inspiring for other institutional school models to follow.

Reports also confirm the excellent academic course load and high quality of these charter schools, some of which are considered among the top schools in their respective states. Another interesting factor boosting the students' morale is the monetary award given to students with exceptional performance in the school.

Despite the success of the programs, some educationalists worry that this is creating unnecessary and unhealthy competition among students and schools as test scores are becoming the sole determinant of

intelligence. Such critics argue that the aim of schools is to spread awareness and education, not to produce victors.

Furthermore, Big Story said the emphasis was also laid on parents' contribution to and support of such programs. It was also stressed that the quality of education provided is directly associated with the kind and amount of opportunities available.
The role and significance of Catholic education in Massachusetts regarding history, politics and culture have been undeniable over the past few decades. Tom Birmingham reminisces about his time in a Catholic school and stresses the importance of catholic education and religion's profound role in mainstream pedagogy.

To fulfill one's desire to see poor kids from cities prosper and build their dreams, it is necessary to provide them with a quality education as good as any rich child receives. After all, a high-class education is an equal right of every child across the country.

Due to an institution's repeated attempt and sincere dedication, a set of public school reforms were devised. Owing largely to these reforms, the academic performance of the students in Massachusetts has seen an impressive boost lately with students topping their science and math tests nationwide and even in international competitions, according to the surveys conducted.

As per Birmingham's article on Wicked Local Weston, similar improvements were seen in schools in Boston as the Catholic schools started employing the strategies, techniques, and standards used by the renowned liberal arts schools. Moreover, in the present era, it is highly important to focus on the moral education of students and to impart the knowledge that builds their characters well.

This has also been significantly enhanced due to the influence of these public liberal arts schools. Nevertheless, the population attending such Catholic schools has been decreasing in spite of the successful results. As Metrowest Daily shows that the statistics show that Boston has seen a decrease of almost 49 percent in the catholic educational systems.

In the United States, figures are more alarming with less than half the population going to Catholic schools compared to previous years. Despite that fact, Tom Birmingham, the author of the article, is thankful that he had the opportunity to have a Catholic-school experience, which he can only describe as valuable and morally strong.

Do you think Catholic education is important? Please feel free to share your thoughts below.
It's not just students who are challenged by college loans. Parents who help their children pay this off are also descending into financial trouble. It is becoming a trend that could worsen the student debt crisis further.

Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina have determined that 13 percent of parents over 50-years-old have assumed the college loan repayments of their children. The debts are from $21,000 to $30,000 or higher and from families with upper-middle and high-income earners. These are families of mostly African-American background with at least two children above 17-years-old, according to the press release.

The researchers also compared data from the Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) for the school years 1995-1996 and 2015-2016. They learned that parents borrowing to finance college fees have increased to 56 percent. From $3.6 billion in loans in the '90s, the amount has almost tripled to $12 billion in last school year, according to the College Board.

"It's very closely linked to rising tuition and increases in the number of kids going to college," the researchers explained the surge. More parents are also likely helping out their children so that they can better start their adult life without any looming debt problems.

FAFSA thinks our parents annual salary is gonna go straight to our college tuition like they don't have bills to pay and mouths to feed...  College Student (@IostStudent) December 12, 2016

But the experts further determined that the impact is worse among African-American families. "We should be concerned about the parents who are black or who have more kids who are more likely to cope with greater financial challenges throughout their lives than high-income parents."

What this also implies is that parents could be putting off plans for their retirement in favor of helping out their college kids. In fact, data from PLUS also indicate that of the 210,000 parents over 65 with PLUS loans in 2015, a quarter has defaulted in their payments. On the other hand, 7,300 parents over 65 are using their Social Security retirement checks as repayments.

The researchers also said that parents could likely be taking second mortgages or tapping their other assets. If unchecked, they could experience financial instability, which would hurt the most if they no longer have the capacity to work.
A dyslexic PhD student with quite a recognizable name, James Bond, has filed a discrimination lawsuit against three universities in Australia. Lodged with the Anti-Discrimination Board in New South Wales (NSW), the student alleged that the University of Sydney, the University of Newcastle and Macquarie University have rejected his application for further studies due to his condition.

James Bond is challenged when he reads or writes because of his severe dyslexia. He previously coped in school through audio recordings, a scribe and a supervisor.

"I don't think they want a person with severe dyslexia going forward," James Bond said, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. He also said that he has been "trying to change the status quo." The student wanted to focus his PhD studies on dyslexia legislation in NSW and Scotland.

Dyslexic PhD student James Bond takes University of Sydney to the NSW... https://t.co/ohheDRJsAf (News) #melbourne #victoria  Melbourne Live News (@MelbLiveNews) December 27, 2016

James Bond cited that Macquarie University rejected him because it cannot provide for a supervisor to oversee that he copes with day-to-day school work. On the other hand, a supervisor was willing to assist him at the University of Sydney, but the school didn't have the means to grant James Bond a scribe.

University of Newcastle was more forthcoming but not helpful in its rejection. It said that James Bond was "academically unsuitable on the basis of unsatisfactory progress." Yet James Bond's IQ is 150. Receiving his bachelor's degree in 2012, the student already has three degrees.

James Bond even received a letter from former Prime Minister Julia Gillard who is an advocate for people with dyslexia. "I'm deeply inspired by what you have done because it affirms everything I believe and entered politics to help accomplish, that discrimination and disadvantage can be overcome if we have the courage to confront them," Gillard's letter to him stated.

According to Yale, one of the myths surrounding people who have dyslexia is that they cannot possible flourish in school. With the right program and assistance, many dyslexics have achieved academic success and James Bond is one great example.
Iconic "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher who played the role of Princess Leia passed away this morning. The actress suffered a heart attack earlier this week during an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles.

Carrie Fisher died at the age of 60, after staying in the hospital for about 5 days. It was mentioned that the actress suffered a heart attack during an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles. She was on her way to visit her family during the holidays when she fell ill and was helped by a fellow passenger.

"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," a statement from the family spokesman, Simon Halls, stated which was acquired by PEOPLE.

"She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly," Billie Lourd, 24 stated in lieu of her mother's passing. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."

Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned that Fisher "will always have a special place in the hearts of Star Wars fans as well as all of us who were lucky enough to know her personally."

At the time of the incident, TMZ was able to get a hold of the recording of the pilot's conversation with the control tower. It was even mentioned that Fisher was unresponsive while she was on the plane as mentioned in the conversation.

"United 935, I need the nature of your medical emergency, and also the sex of the patient and if there is medical personnel at the gate," the recording acquired from the airlines discussed the pilot's conversation with the control tower. "Yeah, we've coordinated medical personnel for the gate, we have some passengers, nurses, assisting the... unresponsive passenger,' the pilot replied. So they're working on her right now, we're going to have her seated in about two minutes and we should hopefully be on the deck in about five."
Survivors of the drug Thalidomide in Spain have been demanding justice for decades now but while their counterparts in the United Kingdom have already received compensation, they are still waiting for recognition and compensation.

An estimated 20,000 babies all over the world were born with deformities as a result of the pregnancy drug Thalidomide. It was only in 1961 when Gruenenthal, the German pharmaceutical firm that manufactured the drug, withdrew it from the market.

Some victims, like Analia Munoz, was born in 1983, long after the ill-effects of the drug was established. Munoz has short legs and arms, a cleft palate and born without hip joints and ankles. Her mother Ana Maria, who is now in her mid-sixties, recalled how she was given a pregnancy drug in the hospital although she could not prove it was Thalidomide.

"My husband and I both have to carry Analia up and down the stairs and help her in the bathroom. We have no real life outside the home," Ana Marie said. While Analia said in an interview that came out in BBC, "I would like to work. I have studied to be a secretary and I once had an interview, but the office wasn't practical for my needs. I am frightened about how I am going to get along when my parents aren't around and I am alone."

Politics Base said that Gruenenthal's wrote a letter to its sister company in Madrid sometime in 1961 accepting the importance of warning Spanish doctors about the hazards of the drug called Softenon, which was the Thalidomide's industrial name in Spain. The company told BBC that while it regrets the tragedy caused by the drug, the firm has stopped its distribution in Spain effective November 1961 and it was already marketed by other companies.

The deformities caused by Thalidomide is considered by the pharmaceutical industry as its darkest period in history, according to Science Museum. The drug was developed in the 1950s and was marketed as a sleeping pill and anticonvulsive drug with mild effects and safe even for pregnant women. However, the malformed limbs resulting from the drug was only disclosed in 1962.


A class called "The Problem of Whiteness" has received criticisms from Republicans in Wisconsin. Leaders are calling for its removal, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) defends its choice to include this in the curriculum. It claimed that there has never been an intention to offend anyone in its pursuit to learning.

"The Problem of Whiteness" class at the UW-Madison is part of the African Cultural Studies program under Professor Damon Sajnani of the College of Letters and Science. "In this class, we will ask what an ethical white identity entails, what it means to be #woke, and consider the journal Race Traitor's motto, 'Treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity,'" the course description states, CNN reports.

But Republicans are calling out the school because the class could potentially uphold the notion of racism among white people. Wisconsin Rep. Dave Murphy was vocal in his criticisms for "The Problem of Whiteness."

As such, he wants UW-Madison to close the class. As a state university, the congressman is also threatening to withhold its funding if the school decides to side with its teacher.

"I don't know how the university can expect the taxpayers to stand with UW-Madison," Murphy said. He has gotten the support of Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who expressed his stand on Twitter.

This is racism against white people. ALL racism is wrong. This garbage is being taught at a state funded school. https://t.co/f4Jo02xROP  David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) December 21, 2016

But UW-Madison has already released a statement saying that "The Problem of Whiteness" will remain in the curriculum. "We believe this course, which is one of thousands offered at our university, will benefit students who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of race issues," the statement read, as published in the school's official site.

UW-Madison also implied that the class, while open to all students, is not mandatory. It also reiterated that the "The Problem of Whiteness" was developed and designed without the idea that it should be offensive to a certain group. Learn more about the issue in the video below.
A group of teens started to fight at the food court of Fox Valley Mall prompting the establishment to be shut down to the public. A total of eight juveniles were facing charges such as resisting police, disorderly conduct and battery.

Chicago Tribune reported that the Fox Valley Mall, located in Aurora, was closed for around an hour on Monday night after the large crowds that gathered in the area started to fight. The crowds were composed of teenagers and Police Lt. Rick Robertson confirmed that there were around 1,000 teens during the incident. Not all participated in the fights and some were just running from section to section.

The first fights started at around 6:30 p.m. after bottles of water and Gatorade were thrown from the upper levels. The store had to be closed in order to prevent other teenagers from getting inside and being part of the brawl. Employees were moved out first then the customers were subsequently asked to leave the area.

One of the customers, identified as Margo Whelan, said that authorities locked all the doors and followed customers down the escalators. This is not the first time that teenagers started fights at the malls as there have been similar incidents in the past days in different malls nationwide. It is possible that these latest brawls were influenced by social media or the news reports about the fights that broke out in other places.

FOX 32 reported that the eight teenagers, who are facing misdemeanor charges, have not been identified but their ages were released. One is a 17-year-old female who is facing battery and resisting police charges.

A 15-year-old female was also charged with resisting police and disorderly conduct. A 13-year-old girl was charged with battery as well as another 15-year-old male and female. Two 14-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl now face the charge of obstruction police.

In an attempt to break out the fights, a mall security officer and one of the cops responding were battered. No other injuries were reported. A total of 75 officers responded to the fights.
More and more teenagers are able to save lives via CPR and some of them will be celebrated at an annual parade. The Rose Parade this year is said to celebrate their local teens.

Daily News reported that the float for these teenagers will be called "Keep the Beat Alive." The honoring comes after the passage of a new California law that will provide CPR training to high school students yearly.

Julie Carruthers, a member of the American Heart Association board, said in a statement that they want everyone in the world to know CPR. The newly-passed law will allow a number of people, who will be able to know CPR and apply it in the future, to grow.

Carruthers added that around 70 percent of people who experience cardiac arrest could have been saved but they did not get their heart massaged. Chest compressions, without mouth-to-mouth CPR, will also be part of the program and it could also save lives.

Eighty percent of cardiac arrests also take place at homes so having at least one person per household who knows CPR could save lives. Carruthers added CPR is a simple technique but it is extremely effective.

The program will then require high school students to go home and teach the technique to three more people. It is required that students undergo the program and will be available in 28 states.

The Rose Parade will be on Jan. 2. One of the people saved via CPR was identified as Melissa Ziebell of Pasadena. She will be riding the float in the upcoming parade.

More on the Rose Parade, Whittier Daily News reported that tickets could be purchased via www.sharpseating.com. Fruits, seeds, grass and flowers will be seen being placed on the floats by professionals and volunteers.

The floats could also be seen after the parade. The viewing will run from 1 to 4 p.m. on Jan. 2 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 3. General admission is at $13 per person and children five years old and below will be given free entrance.
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Korea's antitrust agency imposed a record US$865 million fine on Qualcomm, accusing the U.S. chipmaker of monopolistic behavior and abusing its leading status in the market, the Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday. The agency accused Qualcomm of coercing mobile phone makers, including South Korea's Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics as well as Apple of U.S., to pay excessive licensing fees under unfair conditions set by the company. The FTC said that Samsung, LG, Apple, Intel, MediaTek, China's Huawei Technologies, and Ericsson of Sweden, participated in its investigation of Qualcomm.

The FTC said that Qualcomm rejected or set limitations for providing its standard essential patents to rival modem chipset makers, such as Intel of the U.S. and Taiwan's MediaTek. The patents are critical for the production and sale of chipsets.

"It is the first time that the FTC corrects Qualcomm's unfair business model," said the agency in a statement. "We want to implement fair competition in the mobile telecommunication industry by changing it to [an] open ecosystem in which any participant can enjoy incentives from its innovations."

This latest censure follows similar action from China taken against the San Diego-based chipmaker. In February 2015, China's National Development and Reform Commission levied a fine of 6 billion yuan ($975 million) on Qualcomm for charging excessive royalties for its third- and fourth-generation telecommunication technology patents.

Qualcomm enjoys a monopoly in the licensing and modem chipset markets in the mobile telecommunication industry, according to the FTC. It owns the largest number of standard essential patents in the second-, third- and fourth-generation technologies in the industry. The South Korean market accounted for 16% of Qualcomm's total revenues last year, which reached $25.1 billion, the agency said.

Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel at Qualcomm stated that "We are pleased that our appeal will be to the Seoul High Court, which is known to rigorously analyze evidence and apply sound antitrust principles."

On December 21, Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple Files a Major Antitrust Case against Acacia Research Corporation Pointing to a Conspiracy with Nokia Corporation." Apple see's Nokia and their silent partners for the same kind of antitrust behaving in gouging smartphone OEM beyond FRAND licencing. In their filing with the court Apple stated the following:

"Apple Inc. ("Apple") brings this action to remedy a continuing anticompetitive scheme. Acacia Research Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, "Acacia") and Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. ("Conversant") and its subsidiaries (collectively, "Conversant") have respectively colluded with Nokia Corporation (itself and through its affiliates Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy and Nokia Technologies Oy (collectively "Nokia")) to obtain from Nokia thousands of patents as part of a plan to extract and extort exorbitant revenues unfairly and anticompetitively from Apple and other innovative suppliers of cell phones, and ultimately from the consumers of those products.

This conduct is all the more pernicious because it unfairly and anticompetitively evades binding commitments that Nokia made to license declared standard essential patents ("SEPs") on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory ("FRAND") terms. Nokia positioned itself to claim that its patents cover technologies included in telecommunications standards by repeatedly assuring standard-setting organizations that it would license its patents fairly. Yet Acacia and Conversant are now conspiring with Nokia in a scheme to diffuse and abuse such patents and, as the PAEs and Nokia fully intended, monetize those false promises by extracting exorbitant non-FRAND royalties in ways Nokia could not."

At some point in time it would be great to see the US or other Antitrust agencies around the world take up this same fight against Nokia as they are now with Qualcomm. The EU Commission threatened Nokia back in 2013 that they would open an antitrust case against Nokia if they acted as patent trolls as they now have with Apple and yet have failed to take a stand against this European company. How convenient.

The good news in this is that if China and Korea have found Qualcomm guilty of charging excessive licensing fees to smartphone makers then perhaps Nokia will be be next in line.

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A few years ago I found out that the pro-choice group, Catholics for Choice, were using stock photos of young, hip minorities to promote the idea that their message of catholicly-supporting-abortion had the support of cool people. They even put up their ads in Kenya so, you know, ethnic folk would have something to relate to:

Shockingly, the Kenyan Catholic community were less than amped-up at being told what good Catholics do or do not do  and their resistance didnt even take into account the stock photoss life prior to representing a rubber-rocking, God-fearing African couple.

True, the use stock photos is pretty much ubiquitous, but when you superimpose We believe in using condoms in front of a smiling couple, its sort of pathetic to find out that there is no we, no couple, no belief, and, for all we know, no condoms  just the objectification of human beings for the ideological benefits of their skin color.

Now Im no person of political importance, but I assumed that Catholics For Choice, a D.C. organization run by Dr. White-but-concerned-for-the-natives McGhee

I assumed they would stop using paid ethnic actors to pose for their ideological advertisements. At the very least, I hoped they would stop using the pictures they had already taken, not because Global Abortion is particularly skilled at moral discernment, but because racism is rarely in vogue. What I didnt realize is that the blithe, piggish and cynical use of the human image is systemic to this self-proclaimed defender of human dignity. They didnt stop at all.

They just continued their use of people of color to add ethnic spice to their bland, D.C. culture-war:

You see, theyve got all sorts of diversity, even The Gays, look!

The multi-purposed GayzTM! Here they are again!

When youre an ideological organization, your use of the human face implies that humans support of your ideology. Take, for instance, Catholics For Choices cover photo:

When this is the banner of your online presence, your message is simple: people all across the world support your message. In the specific case of Catholics for Choice, this must mean that there is international support for squishing together the Catholic tradition and the abortion-access tradition into a joyful, cross-cultural synthesis. They use it whenever they need to say look how many people support our ideology, as in:

Which is why zooming in is a huge disappointment. Im almost certain every one of these pictures is a stock photo. Theyre not even uniquely used, just copied whenever their color is needed:

Most of the pictures seem to be of babies:

I guess infant is the primary demographic capable of comprehending and supporting the intellectual arguments of Catholics for Choice. This would be a forgivable short-cut if the image was used as representing worldwide solidarity  or something. But its not. Its used to fundraise in their magazines. Its used to refer the actual us in The Bishops Do Not Speak For Us. Once again, the image is used but the actual person remains absent.

My favorite example of this systemic and racist exploitation of the human image was Catholics for Choices Facebook post of April 2014:

This photo was amazing because it came without context  no tagline, no link to the magazine article it came from, no we support childhood education for girls in Tanzania. Just pure, uncaptioned black people. The photo is, of course, another stock photo (Corbis/ John Brecher, 2003), and I remain unconvinced that the good white folks of Catholics For Choice have ever met an African person outside of the guys they hired to put up their 80s R&B ads. They seem to slap up a few of the other races every time their self-presentation looks too white. Seriously, have they ever met anyone outside of the Caucasian race willing to let them use their picture? I ask because their most recent campaign, Abortion In Good Faith, which looked for the real Catholics who support their corny dissent, consisted entirely of white ladies

and this bro:

It makes sense that most of their propaganda is performed through cartoons. The cold air of the real world is unkind to these ideologues. Support for abortion is becoming a hackneyed, aging minority reaction against an population increasingly conscious of the reach and significance of human dignity. The eager Western imperialism that transplants a culture of child-killing onto those other races doesnt come with pretty portraits. Luckily for Catholics for Choice, we live an age in which anyone with a laptop and a stock-image subscription can create an illusion of a youthful, joyful, global movement with broad, cross-demographic support.

The basic movement of the Internet-age is to convince people, not through reason, rarely, even, through rhetoric, but through a sense of belonging. We dont rationally defend our arguments  we join movements. We dont discuss the nature of gender or sexuality  we choose identities. We dont develop parties to advocate for an ideal system of government  we rally against a Republican or a Democrat and call it political participation. One can manufacture the whole feeling and spirit of being a concerned citizen, activist, and informed populace by sharing a meme. One can manufacture the whole feeling of global solidarity by buying pictures of Asian people. There will be no revolution, because the energy revolution requires is shunted into moronically easy identity politics and social-media presence. Catholics for Choice are simply a good example of the zeitgeist. Their method is the method  the lazy posting of paid actors behind catchphrases to ensnare an unthinking public that wants to be on the side of justice and righteousness without doing a modicum of work or expending more than a minute of critical thought. All of it is extremely easy  but the genuinely Catholic choice is to absent oneself from easy public discourse and to engage the immense difficulty of showing that what you say is actually true.
There is a long history of uncritical support for Israel among American conservative Evangelicals. Somehow the fact that the prophets criticized ancient Israel for wrongdoing, and that the Bible depicts obedience to God as essential to possessing the land, is lost on them.

But perhaps Benjamin Netanyahus recent statement will change this. Because now it is not merely a choice between the prophets or Deuteronomy and the modern nation of Israel. Now it is a choice between the policies of the current president prime minister of Israel and the teachings of Jesus.

In a recent statement, Netanyahu said, Israel is a country with national pride, and we dont turn the other cheek.

That is in response to the recent UN Security Council resolution about settlements in the occupied territories. But presumably no Christian, however Biblically illiterate, will miss that Netanyahu quotes Jesus and explicitly and uncategorically aligns himself against Jesus teaching.

And so perhaps this will jolt even conservative Christians who are used to ignoring Jesus ethical teachings into rethinking their stance. In the United States, there is a long history of hypocrisy with respect to this topic, as many conservative Christians claim that it is appropriate to legislate obedience to certain ethical teachings found in (or at least which can be justified using) the Bible, and yet ignoring the most fundamental ethical teaching of Jesus in our national policies.

When it comes to Israel, I want to be clear that there are more than two choices. I am not commenting on those Christians (and others) who support the right of Israel to exist as a nation, and to defend itself, while being critical of its policies towards large segments of its inhabitants both in Israel proper and in the occupied territories.

I am addressing the stark choice that faces those who think in strict binaries, who cannot be supportive and critical in a nuanced way. When it comes down to it, will you side with the one whom you claim is your Lord, and work to end the cycle of violence in the Middle East? Or will you align yourself with a politician and policies that expressly reject the teachings of the one you claim is your Lord?
Expatriate designer Sadegh Roushani remaking Iran's image

12/28/16

Source: Tehran Times

Australia-based Iranian designer Sadegh Roushani plans to use fashion to remake Iran's image in the world. In 2014, he launched his fashion label Roushani Design in the Gold Coast to produce apparel with decorative Iranian motifs and images of the historical sites in his homeland.





Sadegh Roushani clad in a creation by Roushani Design

roushanidesign.com

Related Video: Roushani Design Story





Earlier in November, he was in Iran to visit his relatives as well as to take photos of some sites in the country for use in fashion design work.



Speaking to Tehran Times in an exclusive interview, Roushani, 51, said that he hopes his work can repair the false image of Iran that exists in the world. Currently, his designs have customers in over 20 countries.



"People in Australia know of Iran due to the nuclear issue and the many Iranians who have sought asylum in their country. Some of them do not have any knowledge about Iran and how beautiful it is," he mentioned.



In his first project that began after the establishment of Roushani Design, he was inspired by the details of the patterns used in the decorations of some ancient religious sites in Isfahan, Shiraz and several other Iranian cities.



He took photos of the patterns on Si-o-Se-Pol, a historical bridge with 33 arches in Isfahan, and the ruins of Persepolis near Shiraz to use them on the garments being produced by his company.





A female model wears a Roushani Design's creation





Roushani set his sights on attracting the interest of those tourists who visit Iran every year.



"The tourists take these products as souvenirs to their homes and they become promoters of Iran when they have them on," he said.



He wishes he would be allowed to pursue this work in his homeland.



"It is really sad to see Iranian youth wearing T-shirts and dresses that bear crude motifs and foreign inscriptions irrelevant to their native culture," said Roushani, who left Iran in 1992 to start a new life in Greece. However, he moved to Australia after living about seven years in Greece.



"I wonder if they know what is written on them and what it means. Meanwhile they could wear clothes related to their native culture and history," he added.



Although his work can be viewed as a business, Roushani doesn't consider himself as a businessman due to the noble goal he seeks.



"I don't look at my photography and designing as a business. That's my love and it's my gift to my homeland Iran."



Everything is natural in the photos Roushani takes for his works. He does not use software to alter the images imprinted on his company's garments.



As a result, he sometimes has to wait hours and days for the right moment with the perfect light to take a photo.





A male model wears a Roushani Design's creation





It took me several years to learn when to take a photo of Persepolis or Si-o-Se-Pol with the right light, which can happen only once a year," he explained.



Roushani spends about seven weeks preparing a photo to be imprinted on fabric. Designs are selected based on whether the garment is intended for men or women due to gender differences.



"I make clothing with quality materials and I am proud of my work because it focuses on my country," he said.



"I really love to see young Iranian men and women in the clothes, walking along streets with pride in their own heritage and culture, as well as in that crazy man who made them," he added.



Roushani did the job all alone, but now, he is ready to collaborate with experts in his homeland to pursue his goals in Iran.



"I have designs lined up for the next five years. Mashhad is my next destination," he added about his future plans.



He described his house in the Gold Coast as a small Iranian museum displaying his artworks as well as handicrafts from Iran. He even has a room dedicated to showcasing artworks from Isfahan.





Isfahan Room at Sadegh Roushani's house in Gold Coast, Australia





He welcomes anyone interested in visiting his house. "The door is always open. I give them a small gift, a piece of Iran's art," he said.



Roushani calls his New Zealander wife "a big supporter of" his work. "When I get tired she backs me up because she is also in love with Iran," he stated.



"We can advertise Iran in a way that doesn't require language. Everybody loves and understands the arts. I just need to get the Iranian government to see its importance," he said.



Roushani advises his fellow artists, "You don't need money or support, God gives you everything. Never give up. Have a goal, have a dream."


Iran 'main bidder' for stake in Russia's Makhachkala port

12/28/16

Source: Press TV

Iran has emerged as the main bidder for a stake in the Caspian port of Makhachkala, aiming to expand shipping and trade links with Russia and other countries, a report says. The port in the Russian republic of Dagestan has been put out for bidding by international investors, with China, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Vietnam vying for a share.





See detailed map





Dagestan's President Ramazan Abdulatipov said on Tuesday that negotiations were underway with each side, but Iranians were "the main client for the purchase of shares" in Makhachkala, the IRNA news agency reported from Moscow.



"The Iranians have announced their readiness to buy stakes in this port but we are also ready to cooperate with Vietnam, China, Turkey and Azerbaijan," the Sputnik news agency quoted Abdulatipov as saying.



Makhachkala's privilege over other Russian ports is that it has a more clement climate, where the port's waters do not freeze in the winter and are deep enough for large ships to navigate.



Russia's main port for sea-borne trade in the Caspian Sea is Astrakhan but a series of factors including red tape have kept commerce with Iran from playing out after the lifting of sanctions and convergence of interests.



Last year, the governments of Iran and Russia agreed joint projects to the tune of $40 billion, including a contract worth nearly $1 billion won by a Russian shipbuilder to build five offshore drilling rigs for Iran.



President Tayyip Erdogan gave an intriguing twist to possible regional trade earlier this month when he said his country was taking steps to allow commerce with China, Russia and Iran to be conducted in local currencies.



Erdogan said Prime Minister Binali Yildirim would bring up the issue with Moscow during a forthcoming trip to Russia.



On Tuesday, Russian automotive manufacturer Gaz said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with municipal authorities of four cities in Iran for supply of 900 LIAZ buses, with the delivery scheduled to begin in 2017.



Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko also said his country planned to sell 20 electric buses to Iran.



Meanwhile, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) had approved a proposal to start talks on the creation of a free trade zone with Iran, Egypt, India and Singapore.



The proposal was approved by the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, Sargsyan told reporters, adding they had instructed their governments to create working groups that would take part in negotiations and to appoint officials responsible for the talks.



Talks on trade and economic relations had also been launched with China, the Armenian president added.
Dreaming Of Blue Skies: Tehran's Battle For Clean Air

12/28/16

By Shirin Hakim and Kaveh Madani (photos by Majid Haghdoust, Mehr News Agency)

Tehran's wet streets provide temporary relief to millions who have been tolerating unbearable levels of pollution. In today's Tehran, precipitation is associated with romanticism and blessings, washing away polluted skies briefly before reality sets in again. Pollution has plagued Iran's capital for years, manifesting in various health problems amongst locals, closing of schools, and transforming daily activities into questions of life and death.







Nested on the southern portion of the Alborz mountain range, Tehran's prime location historically provided protection and freshwater sources to Iranians, earning the title as the nation's capital in the late 18th century. The Alborz Mountains, which once stood as an emblem of protection for the Iranian people, have become a key obstacle in pollution alleviation. Strong winds from the western and southern belts of Tehran blow pollution from industrial factories to the center, which become captured by the mountain range in the north and east in what some refer to as a "gas chamber".

Last month, a natural-color image produced by NASA revealed an alarming grey streak of heavy smog over Tehran. This same smog resulted in 412 Iranian lives lost in the last few weeks in the nation's capital from pollution-related causes. Despite the alarming immediacy of these recent reports, many Iranians have become increasingly indifferent to this jaunting reality. Pollution and its ramifications are now reported as lightly as a forecast in the daily weather report, though they pose severe threats to public life, education, commerce, health and transportation.

While air pollution exists throughout the year, the situation is exacerbated in the winter months, when temperatures close to the ground are colder than those above. This restricts the natural flow of air distribution, locking harmful pollutants in a position to be inhaled by the general public.

Tehran's pollution issue is provoked primarily by the millions of cars on the roads, poor quality of petrol, and industrial pollution from factories surrounding the city. The more than 3 million cars and motorcycles overburdening Tehran's streets in stifling daily traffic, burn low standard fuel that contributes to more than 80% of the pollutants in the air. Further, hefty energy subsidies have promoted over consumption at a low cost amongst the public. Locals blame the government for continuing to expand car manufacturing industries instead of taking stricter measures to put the one million outdated cars off the streets.

Decades of crippling sanctions are partly to blame for the poor quality of petroleum, as trade embargos on Iran's oil industry limited the import of European refined oil and led the nation to transform local petrochemical factories into oil refineries. Lead, sulfur dioxide, and benzene, all cancer-causing agents, are found at two to three times the safe levels in Tehran's air leading to 80,000 premature deaths in 2012 alone.

Though government efforts have begun to phase out old vehicles and replaced low-quality gasoline with triple high-standard (Euro-4 grade) fuel imports, progress has been slower than expected. Dust storms originating in neighboring Iraq across the southwestern border of Iran only make matters worse. Tehran's geographic location subjects the city to a realm of environmental issues that cannot be easily revised.

Government officials have in previous years discussed relocating the capital, but this has ignited fury over the hefty costs and impracticality that such a feat would entail. Due to declined oil revenues, the nation has less financial resources to allocate towards long-term goals. A 15-member committee to discuss whether Tehran should remain as the nation's capital is due to reach a consensus by next year, but leaders are largely divided on what to do.

Tehran is the heart of the nation, home to government offices, leading hospitals, universities, and the majority of business affairs. If a disaster were to strike Tehran, this would paralyze the entire nation and wreak havoc in all sectors of society. Thus, decentralizing the capital city can strengthen national security, but this is economically and politically prohibitive.

This large-scale institutional confusion manifests on a smaller scale within the lives of individuals. Iranians shamelessly admit to their love-hate relationship with Tehran despite its problems. Locals are well aware of the threats Tehran's toxic air has on their lives, dread the traffic and over crowdedness, but still choose to stay for the job opportunities and better living conditions. Migration to cities, namely Tehran, has been on the rise for this reason. Living elsewhere provides prospects of a less polluted environment and cheaper real estate, but at the cost of accessibility to many essential services only in Tehran.

While some locals have become desensitized to this very real issue, others are sincerely concerned and have turned to social media to express their frustration. Iran's national Etemaad paper published a piece on its first page entitled "We are all to blame", reminding the Iranian public that they are also accountable as the government can only do so much. Grassroots efforts to tackle pollution like "car-free Tuesday", which is supported by the Department of Environment, are taking root in Iran's major cities including Tehran. Local cartoonists often depict the eerie Tehran sky in their pieces, musicians ranging in age relay their grief through song, and art exhibitions by locals including children reflect the extent to which pollution has negatively impacted their lives.





Authoritative figures are reiterating the personal responsibility in resolving pollution. This includes Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who has said it is religiously forbidden to drive vehicles in such excruciating pollution without valid rationale. Legislation is also following suit. In October, the Iranian parliament passed a new Clean Air Bill including an annual 5 percent increase in allocations for transportation services in the metropolises, motor vehicle inspections every two years instead of five, and economic benefits for companies that decide to go green. Previous attempts to implement clean air acts have been meager due to lack of enforcement.

Tehran's pollution issue sheds light on the endemic issue of decision-making myopia that has plagued Iranian affairs. Exhibited both in the management and habits of the general population, short-term thinking comes with a great cost, contributing to a loss of $30 billion dollars this year. Tehran's sustained presence as the nation's capital is grounded on a principle of "survival of the first". Business as usual continues, because as a nation with a weakened economy, short-term gains are hastily prioritized over long-term sustainable goals.









About the authors:

Shirin Hakim is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy of Imperial College London, working on environmental issues in Iran.

Kaveh Madani is a reader in systems analysis and policy at the Centre for Environmental Policy of Imperial College London.
Kayla Fouse, 30, has never been to to the Rose Parade before.

Next week, though, the Moreno Valley resident will be part of the festivities for reasons both tragic and joyful.

Her son, Xavier Brown, who died in 2009 at the age of 13 months, will be among several organ donors  including some from the Inland area  featured on the Donate Life float which will be in the Jan. 2 parade for its 14th year.

The toddler died suddenly of a stroke. After doctors determined he was brain dead, the family made the difficult decision to donate his organs, Fouse said.

She teared up as she described him as the sweetest baby ever. Fouse sees his inclusion in the float as a chance to remember him and celebrate how he was able to help others live. Five children benefited from Xaviers organs, she said.

Being able to tell our family hes going to be on there and (tell) our friends, she said. Its been awesome.

Xavier will be one of 96 honorees from across the country featured on the float this year, said Kathleen Hostert, manager of the Donate Life Rose Parade float that the Southern California non-profit One Legacy oversees.

A central part of the float are 60 floragraphs created from rice, coffee grounds, spices and other materials used to create a likeness of deceased organ donors. The float will also include 24 riders whose lives were saved as a result of receiving an organ or tissue donation.

She said Donate Life sees an increase every year after the Rose Parade in people signing up to be organ donors.

Our main goal with the float is to educate and inspire the world in the importance of organ and tissue donation and that one person can give so much being an organ and tissue donor, Hostert said.

According to One Legacy, 122,000 people across the country are on a waiting list seeking an organ donation.

Rita Jackson of Riverside became an ambassador for One Legacy after her 20-year-old daughter Jasmine Jackson passed away suddenly of a pulmonary embolism in 2013. She remembered how excited Jasmine was when she got her drivers license at 17 and registered as an organ donor.

She was a very compassionate person from a very young age, Jackson said. She always considered helping other people.

She said its bittersweet for the family. Theyre excited to see her honored but they wish she was still with them.

For Marie Hyta, 63, of Moreno Valley, this years parade is a chance to honor a nephew who was an organ donor but also celebrate the life of her brother who is still around thanks to a kidney transplant.

Luc Runyan  her nieces son  died at the age of 12 in an ATV accident during a family visit to a mountain cabin in Utah. A dozen people benefited from his muscles and tissue while his corneas helped a man regain his eyesight, Hyta said.

Hyta and her 89-year-old mother, Katherine Ward  Lucs great grandmother  spent two weekends creating Runyans floragraph from coffee, cinnamon, verena and rice.

It is just phenomenal, she said. I cannot believe those four little ingredients can do something so amazing.

Hyta knows personally also being an organ donor. She gave a kidney in 2010 to her brother, William Ward of Lake Elisnore, who had suffered from diabetes since childhood. She said her brother, now 57, is doing fantastic almost a decade later.

Since then, Hyta said, Ive been going anywhere and everywhere (talking) about organ transplantation and the need for it.

Donna Hansen, a Rancho Cucamonga resident, said she and her husband Rich already knew the answer when asked if they wanted to donate her son, Jasun Ty Hansens organs.

He had discussed the possibility with them before he died at age 19 in 2001 in a boxing accident.

He knew he didnt need them in heaven, Hansen said. He figured he might as well save somebodys life.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@scng.com
Trump is intolerant, not Hollywood

Re: Sore losers [Letters, Dec. 27]: The writer seems to believe that the reason Donald Trump cannot get any major celebrities to perform at his inauguration is because celebrities are intolerant and they hate Donald Trump. The writer is dead wrong. Conservative actors in Hollywood have no problem obtaining work and George W. Bush had no difficulty getting A-list celebrities to perform at both of his inaugurations.

The truth is that Trump is not a traditional Republican candidate. Donald Trump ran on a platform of hatred, racism, misogyny and intolerance. That is the reason celebrities and various marching bands are refusing to perform at Trumps inauguration. These celebrities are true patriots who are standing with the clear majority of over 66 million Americans that voted for Hillary Clinton in rejection of Trump.

 Jay Berry, Lake Elsinore

Poodle owner did right

Re: Owner of slain pit bull speaks out [News. Dec. 27]: The owner of the pit bull that killed Rudy Barajas dog says Barajas should have let animal services take the dog and had it humanly put down. Slim chance the victim has of getting anyone at animal control to listen to him. My dog and I were attacked at Reed Park by a 4-year-old pit bull. My dog required major surgery and I went to the hospital for my bites. I then tried in person and by mail to get the dog put down. I could not get anyone at animal control to talk to me and they did not answer my letters.

I believe Barajas probably saved someone else from being attacked. My dog and I were the second victim and that dog is out there waiting to attack someone else. Barajas does not deserve anything but praise from me.

 Paul Woodland, Riverside

Someone had to do it

I dont think the owner of the poodle should be charged. That dog was small and helpless and loved like a family member. If anything, I think the owner of the pit bull should be charged for not containing her dog. Thank God it was not a child it attacked  it could have been. Pit bulls are unpredictable. If Barajas had choked it to death while rescuing his dog, nothing would probably have been said. It was the way he did it that is causing him this trouble, but guess what? He saved animal control the trouble and cost of making sure the dog never attacked again.

 Mary Lyons, Menifee
The Director for the Tema Ports, Mr. David Adokor has pledged that the current work expansion at the ports cannot come to an end due to the change in government.



Speaking in interview with CITI FM news, he stated the project was a public private partnership [PPP] between the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority [GPHA] and the Meridian Port Services [MPS], therefore the compromised agreement will not allow the contract to be terminated.



The Port expansion project is going on and it will go on because it is a PPP project. MPS is a private company of which GPHA is only a shareholder in that private company. Moreover, MPS is financing the project through the International Finance Company, so there is no way that that project will not go on. So as you can see the project is going on and the change of government will not affect



He continued, The concession agreement which we have drawn would not permit the project to be stopped because when you do that then Ghana cannot even carry the consequences that would arise from this.

Source: Elizabeth Semiheva/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured the Western regional house of chiefs that, he will relocate the headquarters of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) to the Region as he promised during his campaign.



Nana Addo says he will also make the region the hub of oil and gas when assumes office.



He expressed gratitude to the chiefs for their support and asked for their prayers and support to help restore integrity in governance to fulfil the high expectations Ghanaians have reposed in him.



The President-elect said all his pledges will be fulfilled ..pledges of one-district-one factory is going to happen live..modernisation of the Takoradi Harbour is going to be doneConstruction of an Accident and Emergency Centre in Takoradi is on plan ..he said.



He revealed that modalities for the creation of the proposed Western- North region will be prepared so the proposal will be put to a referendum during the next District Assembly Elections next 2years.



He reiterated his promise of revamping the Western and Eastern corridor rail network by leveraging the revenue from the oil and gas for that purpose.



On his part, the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi ll who is also the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anwhiaso commended the President-elect for his victory at the recent polls and tasked him not to forget all the pledges he has made to the region since it is unfortunate that despite all the resources in the region it still lacks development.

Source: ultimatefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The hazy harmattan weather that has engulfed Ghana for the past two days has compelled international and domestic airlines to temporarily suspend their flights due to poor visibility.



Passengers who were scheduled to travel outside the country were stranded at the departure terminal of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra on Wednesday.



With regards to domestic flights, while some passengers resolved to wait until the haziness cleared, others resorted to travelling by road.



The dense fog arising out of the harmattan intensified in Accra on Tuesday.



Many flights were redirected to neighbouring Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire and Lagos in Nigeria on Wednesday.



A Delta Airlines flight which was coming to Accra Wednesday morning from JFK in New York was redirected to Lagos.



The Delta flight originally scheduled to depart from Accra at 10am was re-scheduled twice to 12pm, 1:30pm and later to Thursday December 29 at 6pm.



Some of the checked-in passengers were put at hotels whilst others returned home.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, outgoing Deputy Minister of Education (Tertiary), has said the Special Prosecutor to be appointed by President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must investigate claims in a section of the Ghanaian media that he owns fuel stations across the country and make the findings public.



His comment follows reports that he lost his wife and child in the gas tanker explosion at La, Accra, which killed nine persons and injured several others last Thursday.



Denying such allegation, Mr Ablakwa wrote on his Facebook wall: Fortunately, the wishes of evil minds are not the wishes of God Almighty. Also, and for the avoidance of doubt, contrary to the claims in that wicked publication, my wife and I do not own any gas station on this planet.



It is obvious that the depraved minds who exhibited their unGhanaianness by putting this devious article together further sought to perpetuate the cowardly propaganda they began some years back that I own gas stations and that these gas stations are proceeds from corrupt practices. Perhaps, this is an opportune moment to invite the incoming government to launch a full blown investigation into my so-called gas station empire. Additionally, I should observe that the much-anticipated Special Prosecutor must also take interest in this matter. It's time to move beyond propaganda leaflets, spurious websites, and faceless character assassination and take bold action in the fight against corruption.



My heartfelt condolences to all bereaved families of the La gas explosion. My thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their loved ones including the Alan Kyerematen family. By His stripes we are healed. Permit me to use this rather awkward opportunity to wish my loving wife and pillar a happy birthday. May God grant you long life. You have been a blessing.

Source: Classfmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Ghanaian couple have started a social media Bring Back Our Son campaign after their son was fraudulently taken away from them by a woman working with some white people who capitalised on their illiteracy to cart Jeff away to Slovenia.



According to the couple, Kofi Benjamin and Comfort Authur, one Maa Lizzy promised them passage to America Toronto alongside their one and a half year old son named Jeff. However, after a winding process in which they also paid Ghc 4,400, they were asked to sign some papers, and being illiterates, they could not ascertain the documents was leading to their child being taken to Slovenia and not where they thought.



In distress, they have started a campaign to mount pressure on Maa Lizzy and the white people who took part in abducting their son to return the little boy to them.



I live with my wife and kids at Tema Dawhenya and we trade in Apketeshie. Kofi recounted the issue on Hot Fm.



One of our numerous customers by name Paa Kwesi aka Old Soldier told us that his mother by name Maa Lizzy is in the business of helping people seek greener pastures abroad; America Toronto. so hell tell her to help us. At the time, my wife had given birth to our second son Jeff, so I asked if it will be possible for us to go with our son.



He called his mum and she said it was possible. Maa Lizzy told us that she has some white friends who take people abroad and are even interested in people with kids. The arrangement was for us to work eighteen years abroad. I wanted to tell my parents about it, but she told us not to tell our family because she doesnt allow third parties in her business.



She told us that since I am an electrician, I will pursue that career and my wife will be do house work on our arrival, Kofi continued.



At this point, they were supposed to go to a court in Swedru to sign the relevant documents. Kofi was told not to come but that only his wife and Jeff were supposed to go along . At the signing, they were told only Jeff would be taken outside before they would later join.



After going to the court,the woman deceived us by telling us that,they would like to go with only our son Jeff before later they would let us join our son.She took GHC4,400 from us that they would use it to facilitate our documents but the white people would take care of our sons documents.



After that, more documents were brought to sign. They gave it to a friend to read for them, who was unable to see the documents indicated Jeff was being taken to Slovenia and not America Toronto as they had thought.



Despite making a report to the Tema Police station, nothing has happened and thus they are now planning to use the power of social media to get their son back.



Maa Lizzy, who took the child and handed him to the Slovenians, has refused to help them retrieve their son, only paying back the Ghc 4,400 they paid to her.

Source: ghanacelebrities.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Deputy Minister of Power, John Jinapor has challenged president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo to ensure that he fulfills his promise of scrapping energy sector levies in the country.



The NPP promised the people of Ghana that if they dont want dumsor they shouldnt vote for us. And now the people of Ghana had confidence in them, they voted for the NPP, they expect that all the levies and tax will be scrapped immediately as promised.



Nana Addo prior to the December 7 polls assured to scrap what he described as killer and nuisance taxes including the energy sector levies if Ghanaians voted for him.



The passage of the energy sector levy resulted in the prices of petroleum products shooting up by 27%. Electricity and water tariffs also shot up astronomically; a move the NPP said worsened the plight of Ghanaians.



Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, the outgoing deputy minister said the NPP must honour its promise. We took that decision in the best interest of the country. We took that decision because we were convinced beyond reasonable doubt that, that was the best decision for this country and there was no alternative.



And I will stand by that decision President Mahama took any day. We said we needed the levy because there was some financial issue. When PURC increased the tariff, the NPP said when they come they will reduce the tariffs. We had to take some of the tough and painful decisions in order to sustain power but they say that they have a way of dealing with it and they can still reduce the tariffs, lets see how it goes. But sometimes we must face the facts and be frank to the people of Ghana. Some of the decisions are tough, some are difficult but the truth is that if you dont take those tough decisions you risk collapsing the entire power sector, he added.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President John Mahama has reacted to tweets mocking him for spending Christmas in his hometown of Bole in the Northern region.



A flurry of tweets have been flying about mocking the President for choosing to celebrate this year's Christmas at his Bole village.



They claim the president made the choice only after he suffered electoral defeat at the December polls.



Many of the tweets suggested that he has indeed fallen from grace to grass because only last year he spent Christmas in Dubai.

But in tweet, President Mahama has dismissed the claims, stating that he was not in Dubai for Christmas last year. Rather, he was in his constituency on Christmas Day in 2015.

The fact is that President Mahama spent his Christmas holidays in Dubai in 2013. President John Mahama met Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the UAE in Dubai whilst there.



He left Accra on Monday, December 23, 2013 for the United Arab Emirates, where he and his family spent the Christmas and the New Year holidays. For that trip, the then NPP General Secretary Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie criticised the president for 'abandoning' this country at a time of economic difficulty.

Source: JFM Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President-elect, Nana Akufo Addo paid a courtesy call on former President Jerry John Rawlings at his Ridge residence to thank him.



Jerry John Rawlings and incoming President Nana Addo engaged in such an unusual friendly chat, showed great deference to each former foes.



Former President Jerry John Rawlings in a congratulatory statement after the elections urged Nana Addo to fight corruption across-the-board.



Akufo-Addos victory is a manifestation of the peoples will, adding that Ghana has many challenges which he promised to fix. Your victory is a manifestation of the peoples desire for new leadership and comes with enormous responsibilities including a commitment to pursue an anti-corruption drive across-the-board, he said. Ghana faces huge challenges, many of which you promised to tackle during your campaign tours, he added.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Supreme Paramountcy of the Ga State, His Royal Majesty King (Dr.) Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has praised the people of Ghana for their very matured conduct in the just ended 7th December 2016 Elections.



In a statement released, the Ga Mantse hailed Ghanaians for proving to the world our preparedness to embrace Democracy.



His Royal Majesty, King (Dr.) Tackie Teiko Tsuru II noted that the concession by the Presidential Contestants ahead of the declaration by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addos victory, indicates that Ghanaians wanted a change and their decision has been respected by all and the International Community.



The Ga Mantse specifically commended the out-going President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for his stewardship noting that Ghana has chalked a great deal of respect during his time in office and all his efforts to ensure the country's development to this point will not go unnoticed.



Praying for the President-Elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, His Royal Majesty, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II wished Ghana to see peace, development, economic stability, good health and prosperity.



The Ga Mantse further reminded the incoming president that the overwhelming voters chose him to lead Ghana because they believe "Nana Addo has the winning formula to turn and positively direct the course of our dear country Ghana".



His Royal Majesty, King (Dr.) Tackie Teiko Tsuru II also called for unity among Ghanaians.



A statement from the Office of the HRM King (Dr.) Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, signed by Prince Nii Adu Tackie read:



As Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo prepares for his seat as President of the Republic of Ghana and will be officially sworn in as such come January 7, 2017 as stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, he will need all in his power to unite the fronts of our political world to serve our national interest.



The Ga Mantse offers his support to all and sundry who desire to see our Motherland Ghana continue to prosper likewise the Ga State. King (Dr.) Tackie Teiko Tsuru II prayed in the local Ga dialect wishing all to enjoy a prosperous New Year which will come in its wake with good tidings of Blessing, Good Life, Prosperity and Development.



Tswa, Tswa, Tswa ni Omanye juru abla wor

Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/ email: [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Debbie Reynolds  yuge Hollywood heavyweight and mother to the late, great Carrie Fisher  has reportedly had a stroke.

As TMZ reports, 84-year-old Reynolds has suffered a medical emergency and was rushed to ER from her son Todds home in Beverly Hills.

According to the tragic report, family sources have disclosed they phoned an 911 to report a possible stroke which occurred while Reynolds was discussing Carries funeral plans.

This comes just days after the devastating death of Reynolds only daughter, whom she paid tribute to publicly in a short, sweet Facebook post:

Reynolds is undoubtedly one of the most iconic stars of Hollywoods Golden Age, with a Wiki page full to the brim with singing, acting and entertaining accolades.

We will keep you updated as this story develops.

Source: TMZ.

Photo: C Flanigan / Getty.
Hooley freakin dooley this is a lot of drugs.

NSW Police, in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force, arrested 15 men all suspected to be part of a massive drug importation ring in an enormous Christmas Day raid on a vessel that was temporarily tied up at a commercial berth at the site of the Sydney Fish Market.

The joint operation between the state and federal authorities has been an on-going investigation for some two-and-a-half years, and spanned two countries.

Police seized 500kg of cocaine from a dinghy at Brooklyn on the NSW Central Coast. Meanwhile over in Tahiti, authorities snared over 600kg of the drug in a haul that the investigation asserts was headed for Australia. Combined, the haul has an estimated value of around $360million.

Authorities will allege that a larger ship anchored out at sea houses drugs smuggled from Chile, and that a fishing trawler named Dalrymple was used to ferry the drugs from the boat to various docks in NSW.

Sydney trawler was allegedly used to cart $360m worth of cocaine. pic.twitter.com/Dlf1hwEo3R  Sunrise (@sunriseon7) December 28, 2016

Among the 15 arrested and charged with crimes relating to the bust are former Eastern Suburbs Roosters lock John Tobin, who played some 125 games for the club in the 1980s, and Bondi entrepreneur Darren Mohr. All of the men arrested were refused bail after attending initial hearing proceedings in court throughout this week.

NSW Police are due to front media in relation to the bust later this morning.

More as this story develops.

Source: SMH.
The Queensland town that tried to get its citizens to give up watching porn has claimed the title of Australias sex toy capital.

Toowoomba, a cattle-farming town west of Brisbane with a population of about 100,000, caught media attention earlier this year when Mayor Paul Antonio led a movement to keep the township porn-free.

More than 200 men gathered in the towns centre in October to share their anti-porn sentiments and to recite a pledge that read, in part, I acknowledge that viewing pornography promotes exploitation of women and violence against women, and it damages families. I commit that I wont view porn and I will help create a city free from porn.

Now, according to a study by online adult retailer Femplay, its been revealed that Toowoomba is responsible for the most adult toy purchases in Australia.

Were quite surprised by the result, but were proud to crown Toowoomba as the nations sexiest town to live in, the retailer said in a media release.

The adult purchases included toys for both men and women, and a wide variety of sexy outfits, suggesting that residents have taken the tacit porn-ban in stride and turned their attention to making their own.

Considering that the porn-free movement specifically avoided targeting the towns local brothels and sex shops, could it be that this was in fact a well-executed long con to turn Toowoomba into Australias very own Maison Derriere?

Sex toys: putting the woo! in Toowoomba since 2016.

Source: Daily Mail.

Image: Fox.
Asylum seeker advocates in Brisbane will hold a vigil on Thursday for Faysal Ishak Ahmed, the Sudanese refugee who died at the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital on Christmas Eve. He had suffered injuries from a fall and seizure while in detention on Manus Island.

The vigil will be held outside Federal Immigration Minister Peter Duttons Queensland electorate office in the northern Brisbane suburb of Strathpine.

Other detainees on Manus Island have asserted that Ahmed, who was only 27 when he died on Saturday, suffered seizures, heart problems and headaches in the weeks before he collapsed, but did not receive medical treatment for his complaints.

Mark Gillespie, a member of the Refugee Action Collective and one of the refugee advocates organising tomorrows vigil, asked in a statement that Ahmeds death not be overlooked due to the Christmas holidays.

Faysal was not just a number or a statistic, he said. He was someones son, brother and friend. He was 27 years old and had his whole life before him.

More information on the event here.

Source: Sky News.

Image: Refugee Action Collective.
The cult of celebrity is a pretty gnarly thing at the best of times, and has a tendency to bring out some of peoples worse qualities. The global appetite for consumption breeds some full-on hero hero worship, and being in the public eye all-but guarantees the occasional nasty run-in with those who cannot contain their emotions and become over-zealous.

For women in the public sphere, that threat becomes far greater, with the ever lingering threat of sexism and misogyny providing a shitty coat of varnish to that pre-existing table of bullshit (dud metaphor, I know, but its really early).

Ariana Grande has lashed out on social media, after a run-in with an overly excited fan left her feeling sick and objectified.

In a long rant posted to Twitter late yesterday, 23-year-old Grande detailed the incident which involved a fan of her boyfriend, Mac Miller.

The couple, apparently out to get food, were confronted by the excited fan who followed the pair back to their car. The fans over-exuberance was, at first, seemingly quite harmless, until an off-handed quip about Miller hitting that turned things sour for Grande.

The post, in full, reads as follows:

Went to pick up food with my boyfriend tonight and a young boy followed us to the car to tell Mac that hes a big fan. He was loud and excited and by the time M was seated in the drivers seat he was literally almost in the car with us. I thought all of this was cute and exciting until he said Ariana is sexy as hell, man. I see you, I see you hitting that! *pause* Hitting that? The fuck?? This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but I felt sick and objectified. I was also sitting right there when he said it. Ive felt really quiet and hurt since that moment. Things like [this] happen all the time and are the kinds of moments that contribute to womens sense of fear and inadequacy. I am not a piece of meat that a man gets to utilise for his his pleasure. Im an adult human being in a relationship with a man who treats me with love and respect. It hurts my heart that so many young people are so comfortable enough using these phrases and objectifying women with such ease. I felt like speaking out about this one experience tonight because I know very well that most women know the sensation of being spoken about in an uncomfortable way publicly or taken advantage of publicly by a man. We need to talk about these moments openly because they are harmful, and they live on inside of us as shame. We need to share and be vocal when something makes us feel uncomfortable because if we dont, it will just continue. We are not objects or prizes. We are QUEENS.

Hell. Fkn. Yes.

Casual, loose language like that used by the over-excited fan has immense, cumulative power, and in a time where its been (at least attempted to be) normalised and brushed off as little more than harmless locker room talk, its very real effects need to be brought up, and brought up, and brought up, until the message sinks in. Pointing out the fact that negative encounters like this one live on inside the recipient as internalised shame is so fucking vital.

Get em, Ariana.

Source: Twitter.

Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty.
Kirk Nesset blog photo.jpg

Former Allegheny College professor and award-winning author, Kirk Nesset, pictured, is being sued by eight child porn victims who say they are portrayed in the porn found on Nesset's computers after his October 2014 arrest. Nesset pleaded guilty last year to possessing 540,000 images and videos of children, including infants, being raped and abused. He was arrested as part of an undercover FBI probe.

A former Allegheny College professor and award-winning author, who pleaded guilty last year to possessing more than half-a-million pornographic images of children, now finds himself the subject of a lawsuit filed by eight of the girls whose abuse was depicted in the porn he possessed.

Kirk Nesset, 59, is currently serving 76 months in a federal prison in California. He pleaded guilty last year to possessing 540,000 images and videos of children, including infants, being raped and abused, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

But now, a group of three adults, acting on behalf of eight girls who say they are portrayed in the porn found on Nesset's computers, are suing him in an Erie federal court, claiming the circulation of their images is an invasion of privacy and continues to cause them emotional distress.

Child Porn Victims Sue Former Pa. College Professor by PennLive on Scribd

Seattle-based lawyer Carol Hepburn says she brought the legal action to compensate the victims, who continue to suffer because recordings of their abuse are online forever.

Their complaint, included above, details how the girls were sexually abused at a young age to produce child porn that continues to circulate among collectors such as Nesset.

Each plaintiff is seeking statutory damages of $150,000 as well as compensatory and punitive damages. That would be in addition to the $78,900 a federal judge ordered Nesset to pay to four victims at the time of his sentencing last year.

Nesset was arrested in October of 2014 as part of an undercover FBI investigation into the sharing of child porn videos on the BitTorrent peer-to-peer computer network. Nesset's lawyer argued that he is addicted to child porn and mentally ill.

Since his arrest, more than 50 child victims in Nesset's collection have been identified, and the former creative writing and contemporary literature professor at Allegheny College in Meadville resigned his position.

Nesset, who won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for 2007 from the University of Pittsburgh Press for his "Paradise Road" collection of short stories, had taught at Allegheny College for two decades, the Post-Gazette reports.

The lawsuit against him follows others filed under similar circumstances in courts across the country this year.

They include a suit filed against a Georgia banker in June by three women who allege their pictures were among the more than 300 images of child pornography that federal investigators found in his possession.

And in Illinois in February, former state Rep. Keith Farnham was sued while in prison by two minors who claim they appear in child pornography found on his computer.

Nesset's case, meanwhile, has been placed in the Erie court's alternative dispute resolution program, typically meant to help parties resolve disputes without a trial.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
state police

Weeks after 20-year-old Steven Ward was fatally shot by state police during a domestic disturbance at a family member's home, a medical examiner has ruled his death a homicide, one authorities maintain was wholly justified given the circumstances. PennLive file photo.

(Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.)

UPDATE: The headline of this post has been revised to clarify that the homicide refers to the manner of death, and us not a criminal determination.

Weeks after 20-year-old Steven Ward was fatally shot by state police during a domestic disturbance at a family member's home, a medical examiner has ruled his death a homicide, one authorities maintain was wholly justified given the circumstances.

The homicide ruling was announced by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday, TribLive.com reports, and indicates Ward died from gunshot wounds to the torso and right arm suffered during the Dec. 7 encounter.

According to court documents, Ward's stepmother had called police shortly after Ward began throwing things and fighting with his family inside the home near Avella in Washington County. The call was placed minutes before 12:30 a.m.

"Steven is drunk and he doesn't know what he's doing or what's wrong with him," one family member told investigators. Family members also said that Ward had promised to "rush" responding officers in hopes of being killed himself.

Authorities said that when troopers arrived at the home, Ward did just that, charging at them with a knife while also failing to respond to their verbal commands. Shots were fired by both troopers in response, officials added, and Ward was struck multiple times. He was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital -- in adjacent Allegheny County -- in critical condition and died there a week later.

This led to the involvement of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office in his autopsy, which ended this week with the return of the homicide ruling.

Allegheny County Medical Examiner, Dr. Karl Williams, explained the result to TribLive.com, saying: "Bar fights, proven neglect (or) abuse cases and officer-involved shootings are ruled homicides ... While death may not have been the other party's goal, it is the result and the eventual manner."

Williams noted that his homicide ruling is separate from the legal process and does not indicate wrongdoing, but rather cause and manner of death.

Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone, who would have maintained jurisdiction over any criminal case stemming from the incident, has said the shooting was justified and that no charges would be filed against the troopers as a result.

A message left with Vittone's office wasn't immediately returned on Wednesday. An attempt to reach state police investigators in Washington County for comment was similarly unsuccessful.

But the incident comes at a time when greater scrutiny than ever before is being placed on police-involved shootings amid a swirling national debate about appropriate uses of lethal force. This scrutiny also applies to cases like Ward's, deemed open-and-shut by investigators.
Fish kill

State regulators found hundreds of dead fish in the Susquehanna River near Brunner Island Steam Power Station.

(Submitted by Jim Hurd)

State regulators are still working to determine what caused a fish kill along the Susquehanna River in northern York County.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection inspectors on Tuesday found about 200 dead fish in the discharge channel of Brunner Island Steam Power Station in York Haven.

Two local fishermen who reached out to PennLive estimated the count between 500 and 1,000.

The state Fish and Boat Commission is working to get a more accurate count of the smallmouth bass, carp, catfish and walleye killed near the power plant owned by Talen Energy, a spokesman said.

"Dead fish were observed in Talen Energy's discharge channel, and downstream in the river, but not upstream in the river. No other sources of pollution were identified," DEP spokesman John Repetz said after the department's Clean Water staff monitored the area Tuesday.

Talen Energy will be submitting its flow and temperature-monitoring data to DEP for review, he said.

Regulators have been working since Monday to determine whether there's a link between the fish kill and a shutdown at the plant on Dec. 21.

The coal-powered plant typically discharges warm water into the Susquehanna, attracting certain fish to those higher temperatures.

A brief shutdown at the plant on Jan. 30 caused a 13-degree temperature drop in one hour, shocking and killing more than 1,100 fish.

Talen Energy was fined nearly $26,000 in April for that incident.
fishtown fire.png

A 50-year-old man died following a fire at a three-story apartment building in Fishtown.

(Screenshot/Fox 29)

One man is dead and two firefighters were injured after an apartment fire in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood.

The blaze broke out in the three-story building around 3 a.m. Wednesday in the 1200 block of Shackamaxon Street, Fox 29 is reporting.

The 50-year-old victim was found in a third-floor apartment and was rushed to the hospital, where he later died, according to reports.

While the fire was under control in about a half hour, two firefighters received minor injuries while running up a spiral staircase.

The fire is under investigation.
Harrisburg parking meter.jpg

Harrisburg parking meter rates won't increase, for now. But parking officials are still negotiating with city and county officials over revenue from the parking system.

(Christine Vendel)

HARRISBURG--Parking rates for street meters in Harrisburg won't increase next year, and neither will tickets for violations-- at least initially, according to parking officials.

Parking officials had proposed an increase in meter, ticket and garage rates for 2017 to help balance the parking system's budget, but city officials have refused to accept any meter increases.

City officials don't have any real say in whether the rates go up, however, because they gave up their authority when they agreed to a 40-year lease of their parking assets. Still, city officials are using whatever leverage they may have in closed-door negotiations to try to avoid meter increases that they believe would deter visitors.

While parking officials are sitting on any meter increases for now, they are going ahead with $10 monthly increases in garage contract rates and bumps in hourly garage rates that will end up costing transient motorists $10 to park for two hours.

Meanwhile, parking officials and city and county officials are locked in negotiations over revenue and how to make the parking system financially successful.

Under the current lease arrangement, the city gets priority payments from the parking system after expenses and debt obligations are paid. But since revenue has lagged compared to initial projections, the system isn't generating enough cash to pay for capital repairs.

As part of the current budget negotiations, city officials are willing to consider moving up the "capital repairs" line item to a position above their payments. That move could divert cash from city coffers, but it would ensure necessary capital repairs get completed. In exchange, city officials would expect reductions in operating expenses, cuts in "bonuses" and a promise to hold down meter rates.

Some areas of the proposed 2017 budget that city officials are eyeing for possible trims next year include $408,544 for "insurance," $447,300 for "bank charges" and $100,000 for "legal expenses." Parking officials also earmarked $80,400 to pay to the regional business chamber/CREDC.

Also still being debated: what happens to the city payments that were promised, but not paid, from prior years? And how will the system handle city underpayments going forward as expenses and debt obligations for the parking system increase?

Parking officials had proposed a 50-cents per-hour increase in meter rates to $3.50 per hour downtown and $2 in other meter-enforced areas for 2017. They also wanted a $5 bump in tickets, which would have lifted the cost of a violation to $35, according to a proposed 2017 budget obtained by PennLive.

The proposed budget was among a packet of documents distributed to members of the Harrisburg Parking Advisory Committee earlier this month. The documents were shared with city council members, and then provided to PennLive after a Right-to-Know request.

The documents reveal that average usage for street meters has not increased since last year, but instead has hovered around 33 percent when 85 percent is considered ideal.

When examined by time frames, the meters achieved their highest usage from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. this year, even reaching 56 percent usage during that time frame in June, which represented the peak usage. The meters generated 75 percent of their revenue during the 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. time slot.

But usage rates dipped to about 20 percent or less during other hours later in the day, according to an analysis of the usage rates. The lowest usage rates were logged from 5 to 7 p.m. in January.

The analysis also showed Wednesday to be the busiest day for street meters, with Tuesdays and Thursdays falling close behind.

Parking data showed that most violators, about 80 percent, eventually pay their tickets, which nearly matches other parking systems in Raleigh, Orlando and Clearwater. But those other cities have more severe sanctions beyond booting and towing, such as putting holds on vehicle registrations and bringing in secondary collection agencies. Those more aggressive methods aren't allowed in the Commonwealth, parking officials said.

Still, parking officials are looking for ways to increase compliance because unpaid tickets left more than $333,000 on the table in 2015 and more than $423,000 so far in 2016.

Another area of concern revealed in the parking data is an increase in failure rates from the mobile phone application, Pango. Motorists can pay through the application on their smart phones instead of feeding the meters. But problems have emerged at times when Pango has failed to record transactions. Drivers are oblivious until they get slapped with a ticket.

Because the motorists are not at fault, parking officials have been voiding those tickets.

Parking officials initially dismissed as few as two tickets per month in 2015 due to Pango failures. But this year, parking officials have had to toss more than 50 tickets each month for most of the year and as many as 117 tickets in March. The failures that month represented 2.47 percent of all Pango transactions.

Pango officials could not be reached for comment. But John Gass, who is managing Harrisburg's parking system, said they were working with Pango to determine the cause of the issues.

Although parking officials are dismissing more tickets due to Pango failures, they have seen fewer tickets thrown out by judges. Data through October showed just 146 tickets, or .4 percent were dismissed by the court. The courts threw out 508 tickets in 2015.

Although the end of 2016 is just days away, a parking budget for 2017 has not been approved. The board for the Pennsylvania Economic Development Finance Authority typically votes on a budget each December, but the PEDFA board has not met since July.

Instead, the secretary of the Department of Commercial and Economic Development sent an email to PEDFA board members this month that highlighted portions of the proposed 2017 budget that contained the street meter rate hikes. The budget also included $127,339 in "performance based fees" for parking managers and a $217,485 payment to PEDFA, which floated the bonds for the parking deal.

Secretary Dennis Davin noted in his email that the PEDFA board is not required to approve the parking budget. Instead, he said, that duty falls on Dauphin County and Assured Guaranty Municipal, the two entities that guaranteed the debt for the parking transaction.

"Based on recent feedback," Davin wrote, "it appears that all parties' recommendations have been solicited and are under consideration to ensure that this transaction remains successful. We will continue to do everything within our authority to ensure that Harrisburg receives monies from parking monetization, and that there will be an asset of value to return to the city at the end of the lease.

Harrisburg Parking documents by PennLive on Scribd

Garage parking rate increases for Harrisburg by PennLive on Scribd
Hershey New Year's Eve Celebration Committee volunteers test raise a 300 pound aluminum and fiberglass Hershey's Kiss Wednesday afternoon.

The Kiss will be raised at midnight on New Year's Eve at the corner of Park and Chocolate avenues on the square in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Hershey New Year's Eve offers fun for the entire family, beginning this year at 11:00 AM at The Hershey Story, The Museum on Chocolate Avenue. Kids can make some noise with the Hershey product characters and bubble wrap stomps at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Activities take place on the patio (weather permitting). Bubble wrap stomps are free. Before the main stage lights up, Jim Rule will perform kids programming on the Hershey Story's front patio from 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. He will be joined by the Hershey's candy characters at 9:00 p.m. and will conclude his program with a bubble wrap stomp.

Outdoor games will be offered 7-10 p.m. at Hershey First United Methodist Church, where free concerts will be held at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. in the sanctuary, and hot beverages and cookies will be available in the social hall.



Head to the square at 9 p.m. for a concert by All Jacked Up, a local rock 'n' roll cover band, followed by the headliner Jacob Whitesides at 10:40 p.m. This 18-year-old gained much of his success due to his impressive social media numbers. The concert will be followed by the raising of the giant Hershey's Kiss replica at midnight and fireworks. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.



Details: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Hershey Story, 63 W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey. Free admission. 717-534-3439.

Games and music, 7-10 p.m. at Hershey First United Methodist Church, 64 W. Chocolate Ave.

New Year's Eve Celebration with Hershey's Kiss raising, 9 p.m.-midnight on the square, Chocolate and Park avenues, Hershey. Free admission.

Replica Hershey Kiss facts:
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) and US President Barack Obama (L) bow their heads during a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, US, December 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is on a trip to Pearl Harbor but has no plan to apologize for the World War II surprise attack that killed 2,400 Americans, should sincerely reflect on his country's war crimes rather than just "put on a show", a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"Can a so-called victim-consolation trip to Pearl Harbor completely wipe away World War II history? I am afraid it's just wishful thinking on his part," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Abe was scheduled to visit the site of the 1941 attack in Hawaii, which drew the United States into World War II.

Abe visited several memorials on Monday. He and US President Barack Obama were to lay a wreath at the USS Arizona Memorial before speaking at a military base on Tuesday.

Analysts said that Abe's real purpose is not to reflect on Japan's war crimes, but to enhance its alliance with the US, which could undergo stark changes after Donald Trump becomes president next month. Trump has voiced opposition to the proposed, US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, including Japan as a member. Trump also has threatened to force allied countries to pay more to host US forces.

Pointing out that the main Asian battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War was in China, Hua said that Japan "could not turn the page of history" without reconciliation with Asian victim countries including China.

"Just like people in the US will not forget the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chinese people will not forget the nation's immense sacrifice as well as the compatriots victimized by the Nanjing Massacre," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said this month. More than 300,000 people were killed by Japanese troops from December 1937 to January 1938 during the massacre.

On Sunday, 53 eminent US and Japanese people, including US filmmaker Oliver Stone and University of Tokyo professor Tetsuya Takahashi, sent an open letter to Abe to ask whether he planned to pay tribute to victims of Japan's wartime aggression in other nations.

"Will you also be visiting China, Korea, other Asia-Pacific nations, or the other Allied nations for the purpose of 'mourning' war victims in those countries who number in the tens of millions?" the letter said.

Gao Hong, a senior researcher in Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Abe's trip is meant to gain political interests rather than "mourning the victims, as he is labeling it".

Gao said that through such diplomatic moves, Abe hopes to unload Japan's burden of World War II history and turn the page on Japan's atrocities during the war, he said.

Peter Li, a professor at the University of Houston, said that Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor is meaningless unless he recognizes Japan's war crimes.

Describing Abe's refusal to apologize for the attack on Pearl Harbor as "not surprising", Li said, "this refusal to admit Japanese crimes against humanity has been shown in Tokyo's policy toward Asian countries that were victims of Japanese aggression."

"This refusal to admit crimes was also demonstrated in its denial of the use of Asian women as 'sex slaves' for the Japanese army and its denial of its war crimes in Nanking, China," he said.




A disgraced Army colonel who already is serving time in military prison told a federal judge Wednesday that his shame for possessing and distributing thousands of images of child pornography is bottomless.



Robert Rice made that admission just before U.S. Middle District Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner sentenced him to 12 years behind bars.



The depth of Rice's fall was apparent as he stood before Conner in a rumpled orange prison uniform. During 37 years in the service Rice, who developed war games at the Army War College in Carlisle, was more accustomed to wearing his medals and insignia as a "full bird colonel."



Rice, 59, could have received 20 years in prison on his child porn conviction by a federal jury. He currently is serving a 4-year jail sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty to similar counts during his military courts-martial.



During Wednesday's hour-long hearing before Conner, defense attorney Peter Goldberger lobbied for a 5-year prison term, the minimum allowed by law. Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy urged that Rice receive at least 153 months in prison.



Goldberger insisted that Rice recognizes and is battling the addiction that led him to download and share child porn. Authorities in Cumberland County arrested Rice in 2013 after his wife discovered those illegal images after installing a monitoring system on his computer.



His criminal addiction was an "isolated piece" of Rice's life that should be balanced against his service to the nation, Goldberger argued. "Here is someone who has 37-year career in the military," Goldberger said. "He was recognized by the Army as a leader and a teacher."



Rice choked and sniffled as he told Conner he's accepted full responsibility for his crimes, and for the hurt he inflicted by trading in "very disgusting photos and images that should have not existed in the first place."



"I need to apologize to the men and women of the Army," he said.



"When this began, I didn't see the human beings," Rice added. "I've come to realize that this is not a victimless crime...I can't express the depth of my shame for my part in it."



Clancy openly questioned Rice's sincerity. He contended that Rice only fessed up to his crimes only when he had no other choice, especially after he failed to sway the jury by wearing his medal-bedecked full dress uniform every day of his trial. The prosecutor noted that Rice initially claimed his wife had planted the child porn on his computer.



Deterrence is a major issue in cases such as Rice's because "the severity of this kind of crime cannot be overstated," Clancy said.



In choosing a punishment, Conner said he weighed the volume of child porn Rice swapped over several years against a military career he agreed was exemplary. "He was, by all accounts, an excellent soldier, until he wasn't," the judge said.



Yet people like Rice abet the "revictimization cycle" of the children who are forced to make child porn, Conner said.



The judge cited a concern that Rice might commit more such crimes as he imposed the prison term that is to run concurrently with his sentence at Leavenworth. With that in mind, Conner ordered that Rice be subjected to computer monitoring during the 10 years he will spend on probation after he's released from prison.



Rice, who also was fined $5,100, must register as a sex offender as well and must pay for counseling for his child porn addiction.
PITTSBURGH -- Much has been written and said in recent months about the City of Pittsburgh's blossoming relationship with ride-sharing giant Uber.

In September, the California-based tech pioneer drew worldwide media attention to Steel City by using it as the backdrop for its groundbreaking rollout of self-driving or autonomous vehicles.

The rollout followed months of backchannel bonding between Uber and city officials. It also helped solidify Uber as a leader in its field, and Pittsburgh as an innovation-friendly metropolis and city on the mend.

But emails, newly obtained by PennLive through a Right-to-Know request, reveal the hidden anxieties and complexities behind the effort. They also reveal the intricate web of people, optics and ideas at work behind the scenes, and the increasingly blurred lines between public and private sectors that sometimes resulted.

This is a look at those emails, hundreds of pages in all, sent between members of Mayor Bill Peduto's staff, the mayor himself and Uber over the last two years. They reveal a city looking for and finding its future in a company that's cutting ties with the past. They also renew questions about the nature of that relationship, who stands to benefit and, at the end of the day, who's doing the driving.

Why Pittsburgh?

Simply put, Uber came for Carnegie Mellon University's state-of-the-art Robotics Institute and stayed (or elevated its Pittsburgh profile) because of Mayor Peduto's enthusiastic embrace of ride-sharing.

A budding bromance between Peduto and Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick didn't hurt either. (More on that later.)

But beyond any personal affinity, both men saw an opportunity: Peduto to leverage Uber's presence for his once-struggling city's benefit and Kalanick to secure a key government ally in one of Pennsylvania's largest cities, and with pushback still coming from Harrisburg.

Uber formally arrived in Pittsburgh at the tail end of 2014, and Kalanick and Peduto were introduced soon after. At around that same time, plans were being hatched for some kind of public-private partnership between them, as evidenced by the emails below.

Uber pitches itself to Pittsburgh: Right-to-Know response by PennLive on Scribd

Uber was also busy launching its standard ride-sharing service in Pittsburgh, while quietly beginning to develop its self-driving fleet here.

With both in mind, it moved quickly to hone its inside track to City Hall and began looking to the mayor's office for help almost as soon as it arrived.

(The emails below reveal efforts by the mayor's office to fast track zoning and licensing processes for Uber's launch of a new self-driving testing facility in Hazelwood, and later for its expansion into a new property in the Strip District.)

Pittsburgh mayor's office helps Uber find a place: Right-to-Know response by PennLive on Scribd

The assistance sought from mayor's office staff also involved lobbying efforts, lots of them, as Uber worked to navigate a record-setting fine handed down by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), and as the company prepared for hearings before the state Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee. This again speaks to Uber's penchant for leveraging its government allies when faced with regulatory hurdles, a practice certainly not unique to the ride-sharing industry, but one which has raised eyebrows both in and out of Pittsburgh nonetheless.

"The mayor [Peduto] seems to be a genuine enthusiast of the technology, which is fine, but it's enthusiasm for a very specific version of progress this company represents," Rick Claypool told Vice's Motherboard in October. Claypool is research director at Public Citizen and the author of a report about Uber's political activities.

"I wonder if that clouds his and other policy makers' decisions," Claypool added of Peduto, saying the mayor appears to be "patient zero," whose function has been "carrying water for the company and enlisting other politicians" to help.

Pittsburgh mayor's office lends voice to Uber's lobbying efforts in Pennsylvania: Right-to-Know response by PennLive on Scribd

Kevin Acklin, Mayor Peduto's chief of staff, told PennLive the office is simply committed to ride-sharing and the job creation, innovation and tax revenue it has brought to the city.

When Uber first came to Pittsburgh, he said, "there was a push by a number of cities to resist ride-sharing, mostly, we felt, as a protectionist measure to protect the monopolistic cab companies."

Acklin continued: "And so we made a conscious decision at the time to welcome Lyft and Uber with open arms. We felt local government should not be in the business of stifling, but should be welcoming innovation instead."

This approach makes them somewhat unique among politicians as Uber's disruptive influence on traditional transportation networks and regulatory systems continues to make waves and enemies nationwide.

But critics argue that in its embrace of ride-sharing, Peduto's office has given too much preference -- and at times too much deference -- to Uber in particular.

The emails below reveal the mayor's office even went so far as to help enlist drivers for Uber's growing Pittsburgh fleet in 2015.

One such email, sent from Uber to the mayor's office in May of that year, set a goal of creating "1,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in Pittsburgh," and suggested city officials assist "either by providing introductions to Uber or our onboarding events," or by "inviting Uber to events hosted by partners." Onboarding refers to the act of signing up new drivers.

On Sept. 17, 2015, Jennifer Krusius, general manager for Uber in Pittsburgh, wrote an email to mayor's office staff and community liaisons on this very subject. It mentioned promotional codes that could be used to get the word out to prospective drivers or riders. It also mentioned an earlier suggestion that onboarding or driving opportunities be targeted to certain demographics.

"On your end, you also mentioned it might be helpful to host a few Uber 101 sessions with immigrant groups, and you were thinking of proposing a few dates in the fall," Krusius wrote. "Is that something that would still be of interest?"

Uber has actively sought out immigrants as drivers in other American cities as well, news reports indicate.

Mayor's office helps Uber find drivers in Pittsburgh: Right-to-Know response by PennLive on Scribd

In response to Krusius' email, Valerie McDonald-Roberts, chief urban affairs officer with the mayor's office, sent the following message back less than 30 minutes later. It reads: "Thx Jennifer. I already sent the flyers out to personal network recipients. I will connect with the faith-based community as I am sure there is interest. Interesting option for people who are not car owners but would like to drive."

McDonald-Roberts was referring in that last sentence to Uber's vehicle finance program.

In speaking with PennLive by phone last week, Acklin cited the mayor's interest in job creation as the reason for the recruitment effort. It's also true that other cities have provided similar input and networking opportunities when approached by the company.

But things would only get more complicated from there in Pittsburgh, as Uber worked to expand its footprint in the city, prepared for its self-driving rollout, and as the company's private interests began to butt up against the public's.

'You aren't offering anything back'

Nowhere was this push and pull more apparent than in Pittsburgh's 2016 Smart City bid.

The competition, backed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, offered a $50 million grant money prize to the city which best melded new technologies like self-driving cars, connected vehicles and smart sensors into its existing transportation network.

And so when Pittsburgh launched its bid, it instinctively turned to Uber with a set of ambitious proposals. One involved a new Uber-backed transportation connection running from the city's Hazelwood neighborhood to the campus of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The other involved the use of Uber's fleet to ferry low-income and elderly residents to the doctor.

But the company balked at the $25 million price tag -- given restrictions on its ability to simultaneously develop its self-driving fleet -- leaving Peduto to wonder aloud if their "public-private partnership" was living up to its name and, perhaps more importantly, his expectations.

"The public has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building a public busway for public transportation [and] If we are going to allow a private company to use it, there must be a substantial investment through a public private partnership, to return to the public," the mayor wrote in a May 21, 2016, missive to Ashwini Chhabra, head of policy development with Uber.

Peduto continued: "$25 million builds the connection from Hazelwood to CMU (and connects to East Busway). It allows for Uber to provide pay service for 5 years along it. Most importantly, it gives Uber exclusive rights to operate along the busways for five years. $5 million a year to operate the only one of its kind in the world system and put you in the lead globally, is not a lot to ask as a return to the publics investment."

(The entire exchange can be found on pages 9 and 10 in the email cluster below).

In Smart City bid, Pittsburgh turned to Uber: Right-to-Know response by PennLive on Scribd

Additional haggling ensued, but the two sides would find themselves unable to reach a deal in time.

As a backup, Uber suggested Pittsburgh might support the self-driving component of its Smart City application by instead making infrastructure upgrades and concessions -- like priority snow removal for self-driving routes -- to encourage more testing by developers, Uber chief among them. Mayor Peduto again expressed concern (Pages 7 and 8 above).

"Giving private companies over services like snow plowing would guarantee I would be voted out of office," he wrote on May 23, 2016, four months before Uber's rollout of its self-driving fleet here. "You aren't offering anything back to the public."

Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto shakes President Barack Obama's hand on Obama's October visit to the city. (Michael Henninger/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Peduto, who is currently seeking a second term in office, also fretted that Uber's failure to make the $25 million investment he wanted might cost them the Smart City title and allow other cities and companies engaged in similar ventures an opening.

"I guess we won't be able to offer a proposal," he added. "I hope Austin [Texas] and Google won't beat us because of this."

While Uber held onto its money, the company did formally endorse Pittsburgh's Smart City bid. But it was Columbus, Ohio -- not Austin, Texas -- which claimed the title, besting Pittsburgh and roughly a half-dozen other finalists.

Uber's Kitty Hawk

Smart City or not, though, Uber was still busily preparing for its grandest experiment yet in Pittsburgh: Unveiling its self-driving fleet on the city's streets before the eyes of the world.

It did so in September, in a highly-orchestrated and highly-publicized event that came to define the current self-driving movement and moment.

Involvement by the mayor's office in the rollout and its level of beforehand knowledge remains the subject of some debate, and there is little clarification on this point in the emails obtained by PennLive.

But either way, Peduto and his staff shared in the adulation that followed. Often this glow included laudatory media profiles focusing heavily on the city's renaissance -- one fueled by booming white collar industries, tech included, where once the city's collars were blue -- and a new generation of pragmatic and unconventional leaders, Peduto being a prime example.

The profiles also focused on his counterpart at Uber, the company's chief executive, Travis Kalanick.

Both men were cast as stubborn visionaries and relentless advocates, the same whose bond had helped make Pittsburgh the Kitty Hawk of autonomous motor vehicles.

Their mutual admiration and ambition is also on full display in the emails obtained by PennLive, including one sent from Kalanick to Peduto in the wee hours of Dec. 22, 2015. (The entire trove of emails issued in response to PennLive's Right-to-Know request can be viewed here.)

"It's been great getting to know you over the last several months," Kalanick wrote in the 3:02 a.m. (EST) message. "My team is excited about partnering with Pittsburgh, but most importantly we're super-pumped to be working with you and your team. I'll keep you posted on the next time I'm in town..."

Travis Kalanick. AP image.

Peduto responded almost six hours later: "Thanks Travis. Looking forward to making history with you - here in Pittsburgh. When you get a chance, please connect me with one of your top people to discuss the idea we talked about - utilizing existing busways and creating new direct routes to connect Hazelwood to Carnegie Mellon to Lawrenceville. There is a competitive DOT grant I would like to partner with Uber on - and win." Peduto was referring to the Smart City competition.

Pittsburgh's Mayor Peduto gets to know Uber CEO Travis Kalanick: Right-to-Know response by PennLive on Scribd

And while the mayor would ultimately fail to coax the related $25 million investment from the company, Acklin says new investments by Uber in Pittsburgh are lined up and due to be announced this coming year. Additional details will have to wait until then, he added. Uber, meanwhile, declined to comment.

But even with those projects in the wings and the mayor's office touting job creation and tax revenue stats owing to Uber's presence here, questions about the company's relationship with City Hall will almost certainly linger.

Quid pro quo fears aside, most will likely stem from some standard-level squeamishness at the prospect of a $66 billion tech company having such access to elected and appointed public servants.

But there will also be more fundamental questions about what Pittsburgh is getting for its trouble, and whether the partnership is balanced and putting taxpayers' interests first.

To be sure, the city continues to be one of Uber's most vocal advocates and allies.

In fact, after the failure of Pittsburgh's Smart City bid in June, Uber sent condolences to Peduto's office, immediately followed by emails pointing to newly proposed self-driving legislation in Pennsylvania which the company found troubling.

But despite its consistent advocacy on issues like this, Pittsburgh found itself left out of a revenue-sharing agreement put in place in Philadelphia with the statewide legalization of ride-sharing in November.

Acklin said Pittsburgh asked Uber for its support in the creation of a similar arrangement both here and in "other municipalities seeing an explosion of ride-sharing" across the state. He added that while Uber articulated this desire during negotiations that preceded the passage of the bill, the final product failed to include them. The disparity, explained here, does reflect a long-standing rule concerning taxi and limousine revenues in Philadelphia, where cab services are governed separately from those in the rest of the state.

But others argue that Pittsburgh's support of Uber and ride-sharing in general isn't a zero sum game, but rather part of a greater, long-term vision for the rebounding Rust Belt city.

"Bill," Kalanick wrote in a February 2016 email to Peduto, "we couldn't be more excited to [be] building for the future in Pittsburgh."

The mayor and his staff certainly agree. Only time will tell if history and the critics see it that way too.
Editor's note: This commentary from PennLive's Wallace McKelvey recounts the fall of Pennsylvania's former attorney general.

"Once one comes, I guess you all do."

That's what Kathleen Kane said as I ambled down the driveway of her Clarks Summit home, notebook in hand, just over two years ago. She had disappeared from public view after a car crash that prevented her from testifying before the investigating grand jury that ultimately led to her criminal conviction this August.

Back then, it wasn't clear just what was going on inside the Attorney General's Office, who was running the show or how much trouble Kane was in.

We talked for about 15 minutes across her stone wall with her golden retriever at her side, tail wagging, and the sound of a Blues Traveler record wafting from inside the house.

Back then, when pressed about leaks from her office--the very thing that would lead to her criminal conviction--Kane responded: "We follow the letter of the law; that's why I took the job. I'm pretty confident that pretty soon the truth will come out."

It wasn't a terribly illuminating conversation, but she demonstrated the disarming and unpretentious charm later described by some of her employees. She made a point that day to say that she understood and respected the work of journalists, even those who arrived on her doorstep.

"She has this way of making you feel like you are the most important person at that moment," one former staffer told me earlier this year. "I don't know if I believe anything now but that's what made her a success."

Josh Morrow, the political consultant who helped Kane leak secret investigative materials in reprisal against her perceived enemies, testified before the grand jury one day after my stone wall interview. At Kane's trial, he said that he and Kane coordinated a cover-up for the leak earlier that year.

On the night of his testimony, Morrow said, Kane called him to let him know that she knew. She peppered the conversation with details to make it clear she had a source close to the grand jury.

Morrow's testimony at trial helped prosecutors convict Kane of felony perjury and a battery of other charges that she plans to appeal. She received a sentence of 10 to 23 months this October and is currently out on bail.

The only other time I heard from Kane, outside of her carefully stage-managed public statements, she was chastising spokesman Chuck Ardo for granting a tour of the office in Harrisburg's Strawberry Square. Ardo's an old hand, well-versed in the art of managing PR crises, and he figured the tour would show that Kane's office continued to operate normally even in the midst of her legal woes.

Aside from a few deferential Q&As with CNN and The New York Times, Kane had long since stopped taking questions from reporters. After that overheard phone call this May, Kane's spokesman found himself shut out and, a week later, he called it quits.

"It just got to the point where I could no longer try to explain the inexplicable," Ardo told me.

As my colleague John Micek opined: "How do you know when you're really alone? When even Chuck Ardo gives up on you."

So what can we learn from the fall of Kathleen Kane?

First: As her prosecutors argued this August, her petty war had real victims. J. Whyatt Mondesire, the former Philadelphia NAACP president and unwitting subject of the leak Kane orchestrated, died with the understanding that his reputation had been irrevocably and unnecessarily tarnished. Kane's employees faced untold ethical and legal dilemmas as they went to work each day under a cloud of paranoia.

And yet another politician in a long line of them who were sworn to uphold the public trust has broken it.

Kane's actions "eroded the public's belief in prosecutors, in law enforcement and . . . we took a hit from that," said Michelle Henry, a Bucks County prosecutor who worked to convict Kane. Henry will go on to serve as AG-elect Josh Shapiro's first deputy in January, the first woman to hold that position.

But for all of Kane's slapdash political brinksmanship, she was at least partially successful in what she set out to do.

Not unlike our soon-to-be 45th president, Kane ran a populist campaign. She pledged to shake up Harrisburg and shine a light on an insular, male-dominated world. During her first months in office, she proved a worthy adversary to then-Gov. Tom Corbett on issues like the same-sex marriage ban and his plan to privatize the Pennsylvania Lottery.

"Publicly, she was doing stuff I thought was tough and strong of her to do and I liked that," said one former staffer, who later saw that optimism curdle into something dark and sad.

Kane's pursuit of lewd and offensive emails exchanged by other top state officials at times took on a farcical complexion. It seemed each new round of bad news would elicit a new porn dump.

But Kane had a point, even if she undercut it with questionable tactics. (As well as the fact that she herself and her twin sister also were included in the email chain.)

How can an ordinary person who happens to be black, gay, Muslim or a member of any of the other groups denigrated in the emails be assured of fair treatment by the Pennsylvania justice system?

And: If defense attorneys, judges and prosecutors feel comfortable enough to exchange bawdy jokes and naked photos, what other misdeeds go on without being recorded for posterity via the Internet?

Earlier releases from the email trove already led to the retirements of two state Supreme Court justices, a number of resignations from other officials and disciplinary action against dozens of lower-level employees.

The email report Kane commissioned, at a possible cost of upwards of $1 million, contained very little about these broader ethical and legal implications. PennLive is pursuing an unredacted version, although it's clear even that will leave questions unanswered.

Last month, a federal judge raised the issue in an opinion granting a new hearing to a Philadelphia woman convicted of murder in 1993. It's not clear that offensive emails are enough to secure any relief for that criminal defendant but these questions are now being aired publicly.

Throughout the Kane affair and its fallout, both of which will continue in 2017, many observers joined a single refrain, summed up recently by Philadelphia attorney and former prosecutor L. George Parry: "This is kind of new territory, so it's anybody's guess where all this is going to go."

Statehouse Reporter Wallace McKelvey covers the environment, politics and "sin" beats -- including gambling and liquor policy -- for PennLive. A New Jersey native, he has previously reported for the Salisbury (Md.) Daily Times and The Press of Atlantic City.
New memoir by Carrie Fisher, who plays Princess Leia in Star Wars films. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I've spent so many years not telling the story of Harrison and me having an affair on the first Star Wars movie that it's difficult to know exactly how to tell it now," Carrie Fisher announces on page 49 of her brisk but vague new memoir, The Princess Diarist.

"Excellent, here we go," any solid fan of the real Star Wars movies (certainly not the prequels) will think, settling in for the literary equivalent of an ice-cream sundae of the more offbeat flavors.

But Fisher, who accepts that she will be known as Princess Leia until the end of time, lets the reader down. Having waited 40 years to publish what one expects to be a dishy tell-all about the romance behind the iconic movie of a generation (that generation mournfully sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials), the actress, writer and raconteur only offers a few wisps of the goods.

Fisher blames her hazy recall of the behind-the-scenes affair with Harrison Ford on the potent marijuana they smoked on their lost weekends between scenes. She also decides that "with uncharacteristic reservation and scruples that I quash any details" of their first weekend together. Sex is private, she says.

No problem, but she also draws the curtain over the interesting bits: their chemistry, their conversations, her point-blank impressions of a man poised to become one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Or maybe we're supposed to believe, as she insists, that Ford just didn't talk a lot when they were together. In any case, we are left with a few interesting glimpses wrapped around excerpts of the diaries Fisher says she kept while shooting Star Wars and recently discovered. Even the diary bits are not very revealing, being the moody musings, including poetry, of a young woman on the cusp of 20 years old.

It's clear from the final two chapters of the book, one of them titled Leia's Lap Dance, that Fisher published this book with making money in mind. Her closing meditation on fame leaves Ford and the affair far behind.

However, many Star Wars fans will read this book anywayor likely did so the instant it appeared.
New steeple to be dedicated Nov. 6 at First Presbyterian Church of Petoskey
This piece, titled, The New Plague, depicts life in Philadelphia in the age of COVID. Artist and educator Raphael Tiberino began painting at the age of four and has been in the spotlight as a professional creative for over 25 years.
A former Army colonel who had been stationed at the Army War College in Carlisle was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison for possessing and distributing child pornography.

Rice was fined $5,100 and must register as a sex offender, and will be subjected to computer monitoring during the 10 years he will spend on probation after he is released from prison.
Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie has always been a workaholic. But now immersion in her work doesn't just give her life structureit also has become a kind of comfort that allows her to deal with grief in Out of Bounds, Val McDermid's latest exciting novel about this Scottish police detective.

Pirie, now head of Police Scotland's small Historic Cases Unit in Edinburgh, tackles a decades-old murder after 17-year-old Ross Garvie goes on a high-speed ride with three of his friends. A horrific crash results in the death of the three drunken teens and leaves Garvie in a coma.

Karen and her partner, Detective Constable Jason Murray, become involved when Garvie's DNA is shown to be a familial match to that of a Glasgow hairdresser whose rape and murder has gone unsolved for years. But maneuvering the Scottish legal system to track down Garvie's male relatives is fraught with complications.

Another case also occupies Karen's timethe alleged suicide of Gabriel Abbott, who lived in Kinross. The Abbott case isn't Karen's, but she becomes nearly obsessed with finding out if his death was in any way linked to the death of his mother, who was killed in a plane crash decades earlier.

The caseloads help distract Karen from her grief over the death of Phil Parhatka, a fellow detective who was killed in the line of duty.

She loved Phil and longs to discuss every investigation, twist and theory with him. When not at work, she drinks and walks the streets and neighborhoods of Edinburgh at night to ease her insomnia.

Karen is easily the smartest person in the room. She often infuriates her bosses, who grudgingly acknowledge that her insight and intelligence gets the job done.

McDermid balances the intense character studies in Out of Bounds with an inside view of the Scottish legal system and again shows her acuity in producing intelligent thrillers.
A poster for one of the events on the French Embassy's 2017 cultural program in China. [Photo/Courtesy of French Embassy in China]

More than 100 artworks from Paris' famous gallery, the Louvre, will travel to the National Museum of China next month.

The exhibition, from Jan 13 through March 31, will provide a glimpse of the Louvre's development from the perspective of its architecture and relationship between dignitaries and artists.

The Louvre show will be one of the early highlights of the French Embassy's 2017 cultural program in China. The program features a variety of events on visual art, music, film and literature.

The 22nd edition of the Francophonie Festival will take place in March, with a focus on the Maghreb region in north Africa. Algerian writers Boualem Sansal and Kamel Daoud will talk about their works.

The Croisements Festival's dynamic program includes Moliere plays and baroque music.
The world is facing many new problems that require stronger global governance and more work from the United Nations, President Xi Jinping told outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a phone conversation on Monday.

Xi praised Ban's contribution to deepening China's cooperation with the United Nations during his 10 years at the head of the organisation.

Ban has made positive efforts to promote world peace, development and prosperity, he said.

Xi said Secretary-General Ban had faithfully fulfilled the duties conferred by the UN Charter and scored remarkable achievements.

The Chinese president stressed that China's cooperation with the UN has reached a new level, thanks to the efforts of both parties.

He added that China would continue to firmly support the UN and maintain close cooperation with incoming secretary-general Antonio Guterres to advance China's ties with the UN.

Ban, whose second five-year term comes to an end this year, said he appreciated China's significant support while he served as the UN chief.

Ban said that China had played a leading role in promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, boosting South-South cooperation and tackling global climate change.

Ban said he believed that China would continue to maintain close cooperation with the next UN chief and support international peace and sustainable development as always.
Early models of the cosmos placed our species at the center. The Earth was the nexus of all existence, and we, the purpose for everything. It was a reasonable assessment, based on the evidence we had. From the perspective of a terrestrial observer, the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars appear to trace paths around us. Upon conducting the simplest inspection of the sky, anyone could see that we are special. We could rejoice: oh, how significant we must be! The entire universe is made for us, and the Earth acts as a pedestal, exhibiting our species at the center. This gratifying discovery was integrated into the language and disseminated by literature and education. It was rarely contested and remained predominant for some 1500 years.

In the mid-16th century, a different hypothesis emerged to explain the motions of the heavens1that which featured the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center of the universe. It was widely ignored, disregarded as an outlandish proposal. However, with the advent of the astronomical telescope, evidence began mounting to bolster the notion, challenging the established system. The tenets of geocentrism gradually eroded. Support dwindled as heliocentrism was further substantiated by improved instrumentation. By the nineteenth century, the Earth-centered conception of the universe was dispelled.

We were decommissioned from the leading role at cosmic center stage. The Sun superseded the Earth to hold the foremost position at the center of the universe. Nevertheless, this revision could still be conveyed to preserve the human-centered worldview. It was said that the distance from the Earth to the Sun was trivial when juxtaposed against the immense distances to the stars. By this reasoning, we could claim our displacement to be slight; we are nearly at the center of the universe. Heartened by a sense of significance, we found the cosmos, still, a haven for human pride.

The cosmic model of even just a century ago is hardly recognizable when compared to our modern equivalent. At that time, the Milky Way galaxy was not regarded as merely an occupant of the universe, but rather, the universe itself. The entire cosmos was a sole congregation of stars, surrounded by darkness and void. Some astronomers, though, disputed the prevailing notion as spiral clouds, called nebulae, were more frequently witnessed in the depths of space. They thought the strange mists to be galaxies like the Milky Wayisland universes. Once again, humanitys privileged position had come under threat; perhaps we are not central figures in a single-galaxy cosmos, but the inhabitants of a starry isle that is one among a multitude of others. The astronomical community at large, however, considered this absurd. It was unimaginable. Spiral nebulae could not be independent stellar assemblies; they are most certainly localjust solar systems in formationnested within the Milky Way. Due to a lack of compelling evidence in support, this newfangled theory was dismissed. We could then return with contentment to what was familiar, what was comfortable. We could sleep soundly in the heart of the cosmos.

After a period of dormancy, the controversy surrounding the spiral nebulae resurged in the early 20th century. Heber Curtis was at the forefront of this ideological resurrection. An astronomer at the Lick Observatory in California, he was delegated the task of inquiring into the enigmatic clouds. Although at first he objected to the notion of exterior galaxies, Curtis was convinced otherwise as he accumulated new evidence. During his early research, Curtis imaged nebulae which had been previously examined and noticed an absence of rotational motion (a necessary condition to account for their spiral appearance). If the nebulae were to dwell within the Milky Way, such a rotary movement would be perceptible; if they were extremely large and distant, however, the movement would be too small to discern. Curtis dedicated much of his time during the 1910s to persuading the astronomical community. He lectured frequently, all the while developing and substantiating his arguments. Curtis became synonymous with the island-universe theorythe spokesman, advocating ours is a moderately-sized galaxy, 30,000 light-years wide, in which we are nestled just shy of the center; outside its periphery, there exist other assemblages of starsa great cosmic citizenry of which the Milky Way is a part.

Curtiss contentions were not widely accepted. He and his colleagues composed a faction of island-universe proponents, while the majority remained steadfast in opposition. One such contesting astronomer was Harlow Shapley; once a subscriber to the island-universe theory, he rejected the concept, drawing from his own observations. Shapley had measured the distance to all of the known globular clustersdense collections of stars orbiting the galactic center. The Milky Way, which was thought to span 10,000-30,000 light-years, he deduced was much larger300,000 light-years across. Shapley then reasoned that such exceptional dimensions of this galaxy preclude the existence of others equal in size. The Milky Way is of such vastness, it must be the primary component of the universe. The spiral nebulae are therefore nearby, settled within the galactic edge. Although the single-unit cosmos persisted, the conventional model did not remain entirely intact. By Shapleys calculations, our solar system is not ensconced in the cosmic hub, as it had always been; rather, it resides 65,000 light-years distant - an astounding and unforeseen displacement from the center of the universe.

In 1920, these two astronomers, resolute in their respective theories, championing different universes, would come to clash. Curtis and Shapley engaged on the topic of the spiral nebulae at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences. This historic confrontation was dubbed the Great Debate. However, it was really nothing of the sort. The interaction consisted of two successive lectures, given under the title The Scale of the Universe. It was just one feature during a three-day event and was hardly publicized. The greatness of the debate, however, evolved so dramatically over time that the encounter has since been reimagined as a fantastic brawl between two giants of astronomy.

Shapley was first at the podium. Rather than directly addressing the spiral nebulae, he relied on implication. If he convinced the audience that the Milky Way is vaster than previously thought, then the nebulae, accordingly, would be considered local members. He, additionally, underscored his discovery that the Sun does not hold a central position in the Milky Way, noting that we had been duped by the appearance of the sky.

Curtis began his lecture with a strike, fervently dismantling Shapleys argument for the tremendous resizing of the Milky Way. Thereafter, Curtis directed his attention to the spiral nebulae, systematically presenting the array of evidence which he had amassed on the subject.

Ultimately, there was no clear-cut victor. Essentially, nothing changed. Everyone departed with mindsets no different than they had prior. The spiral nebulae remained shrouded in mystery.

Edwin Hubble, a talented and keen astronomer, stepped in soon after, determined to reveal the secret of the spiral nebulae and finally settle the long-fought battle. Hubble studied the Andromeda nebula at the Mount Wilson Observatory with a 100-inch telescope, the largest in the world at the time. He was on the search for novaestars which rapidly and temporarily increase in luminosity. Novae had been spotted in Andromeda before and used to calculate its distance, but the limited knowledge of the stellar processes caused wildly varying results. Hubble thought that further sightings might advance the investigation of the nebulae and, perhaps, uncover their true nature.

Hubble imaged Andromeda and identified three objects which he suspected to be novae. On the resulting photographic plate, he denoted them: N. However, upon consulting earlier photos of the nebula, he noticed that one of the three so-called novae acted atypically. The star was not absent from the archived platesas would be the case for the transient flare-up of a novabut rather, the star brightened and dimmed regularly, from one plate to the next. It was, in fact, a variable star; Hubble soon recognized the variable to be a Cepheid. Classified as standard candlesastronomical objects with known luminositiesCepheid variables are precise distance markers, reliable tools for cosmic measurements.2 Elated by this discovery, Hubble crossed out the mistaken N and wrote beneath: VAR (indicating variable), accompanied by an exclamation point.
Law enforcement agencies have arrested nine Northern Virginia residents, including a former police officer, on charges of aiding the Islamic State, a government message to police says.

The Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center issued profiles of the nine in a Dec. 21 report labeled law enforcement sensitive, the Washington Times reports.

Such reports are designed to help state and federal agents recognize trends in the types of individuals who are influenced by the Islamic States message and how they communicate across terrorist networks.

Of the nine Northern Virginians who were arrested, all but one were in their teens and early 20s. They included a police officer, a Starbucks barista, Army soldiers, bankers and a cabdriver. Four of the nine graduated from Northern Virginia high schools, one with honors. Two attended Northern Virginia Community College.

Nicholas Young. The oldest of the nine at 36, has been charged with helping the Islamic State but has not faced trial. He graduated from West Potomac High School and worked as a Metro D.C. Transit police officer. He is accused of stockpiling weapons at his home. According to authorities, he traveled to Libya and gave advice to Islamic State followers on how to avoid law enforcement monitoring.
Trooper Nic Cederberg faces a long recovery after being shot multiple times on Christmas Day, but an Oregon State Police spokesman said the agency is "optimistic" about his recovery. (Photo: OSP/Facebook)

Oregon State Police say that they are "optimistic and hopeful" for the recovery of a state trooper who was shot during a homicide investigation in Washington County on Christmas night.

In a press conference outside Oregon Health & Science University hospital in Portland, Capt. Bill Fugate, OSP spokesman, said Trooper Nic Cederberg, 32, was shot multiple times during a shootout with a murder suspect near Sherwood on Dec. 25.

The alleged shooter, 30-year-old James Tylka, was shot and killed at the scene by police.

Cederberg was undergoing surgery at OHSU during Tuesday's press conference. Fugate said Cederberg had a long road to recovery and several more surgeries scheduled, the Hillsboro Tribune reports.

A GoFundMe website raising money for Cederberg's family has already raised more than $5,000 for the family.

Fugate said that people wishing to help can make donations to the Oregon State Police Officers Association.

Well wishes can be sent to [email protected]
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White nationalism and anti-Semitism have become growing problems not only around the world but in the United States, and particular focus has been drawn to the movement, calling itself the alt-right because of its support for Donald Trump.

In Montana, prominent Nazi Richard Spencers mother, who owns a business in Whitefish, Montana, has been getting blowback over her sons activities. Spencer is president of the National Policy Institute, a so-called think-tank. He said his mother was being threatened. This led the racist Daily Stormer, which is not affiliated with Spencer despite ideological affinities, to issue a call to fight back for Spencer.

The sites founder, Andrew Anglin, called for up to 200 white nationalists to march through town carrying firearms, saying, Montana has extremely liberal open carry laws, so my lawyer is telling me we can easily march through the center of the town carrying high-powered rifles.

This led to a group of Montana lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, to write a letter together, condemning anti-Semitism and calling on all Montanans to oppose this extreme ideology as un-American. Though neither Spencer and his mother nor Daily Stormer are mentioned directly, the genesis of the letter is clear. The authors of the letter are Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, and Republicans Sen. Steve Daines, Rep. Ryan Zinke, and Attorney General Tim Fox.

Watch courtesy of KULR 8 News:

KULR8.com | Local News, Weather & Sports | Billings, MT

Here is the letter in full:

Dear Fellow Americans,



As we close out this year and look toward the future, we as Montanas elected leaders are focused on the values that reflect our true character. Therefore, we condemn attacks on our religious freedom manifesting in a group of anti-Semites. We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation. We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.



We offer our full support to the Jewish community, Montana families, businesses, faith organizations and law enforcement officers as they ensure the security of all our communities. We will address these threats directly and forcefully, putting our political differences aside to stand up for whats right. Thats the Montana way, and the American way.



Rest assured, any demonstration or threat of intimidation against any Montanans religious liberty will not be tolerated. It takes all Montanans working together to eradicate religious intolerance.



We are encouraged that so many Montanans from a variety of religious backgrounds have joined us in condemning this extreme ideology.



God bless the great state of Montana and the United States of America.



U.S. Senator Jon Tester



U.S. Senator Steve Daines



U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke



Governor Steve Bullock



Attorney General Tim Fox

Spencers mother, Sherry Spencer, said that activist Tanya Gersh threatened if she did not sell the property that protests would be held, driving property values down. Gersh also allegedly demanded that she make a public denunciation of my son in a statement written by the Montana Human Rights Network and that I make a donation to this organization from the sale of the property.

According to Richard Spencer, whose infamous Hail Trump! drew a lot of attention to the alt-rights Nazi underpinnings, My mother did nothing for a few weeks, hoping the matter would die down, Richard Spencer said. Unfortunately, Gersh just wouldnt let it go and began publicizing my mothers property with the local media and even spoke to CNN, presenting herself, of course, as Little Miss Victim.

He says Anglin cannot be blamed and that I do not disavow Anglin & co., however, because I recognize that to disallow this kind of speech might lead to the end of all speech that someone might find offensive.

Neither did Trump disavow Spencer and his fellow Nazis. Whatever the real facts of the case, Americas Nazis, who hoped to normalize their extreme ideology, have instead found themselves the unwanted focus of negative attention, not only by activists, but by politicians of both parties in the State of Montana.

This could not be the outcome they desired. Rather than normalized, they have been denounced.

Photo: Screen capture KULR 8
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RIGA/TALLINN (Reuters)  Russia and its president Vladimir Putin should expect tough sanctions after cyber attacks during the presidential election won by Donald Trump, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Republican and Democratic senators including Graham called for a bipartisan panel to investigate cyber attacks against the United States by foreign countries, with a focus on Russias alleged efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

There will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual, Graham said in the Latvian capital.

NATO members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, all ruled by Moscow in communist times, have been alarmed by Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

It is now time for Russia to understand  enough is enough, Graham said.

He did not elaborate further on what the sanctions could entail.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to influence the Nov. 8 election by hacking individuals and institutions, including Democratic Party bodies.

Russian officials have denied accusations of interference in the election.

Heres what you can expect in 2017 in the United States  a bipartisan effort in Congress to push back against the Russian interference in our election, Graham said at a stop on a three-day visit to the Baltics with fellow Republican senator John McCain, seen as a bid to soothe concerns over the policy of President-elect Trump.

Separately, the Estonian defence minister said the country was increasing its efforts to defend itself against cyber attacks after NATO recognised cyber attacks as an element of warfare, alongside land, sea and air.

In what Estonian officials say was a wake-up call, the country was hit by cyber attacks on extensive private and government Internet sites in 2007. State websites were brought to a crawl and an online banking site was closed.

Lithuania also said last week the Kremlin was responsible for cyber attacks that have hit government computers there over the past two years. Putins spokesman dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated.

Lithuanian intelligence services, in their annual report, say cyber attacks have moved from being mainly targeted at financial crimes to more political spying on state institutions.

We have almost finished the submission for the government to create the new cyber command and it should be up and running within two years, Estonias Defence Minister Margus Tsahkna told Reuters on Wednesday.

NATO leaders agreed earlier this year to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland for the first time and increase air and sea patrols to reassure allies on its eastern border.

Estonia is due to host around 1,000 British, French and Danish troops in 2017.

(Reporting by Gederts Gelzis in Riga and David Mardiste in Tallinn; Writing by Daniel Dickson; Editing by Alison Williams)
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The massive amount is unusual for a local school board race  and thousands more than any of the other 31 candidates have managed to raise. Read moreA CCSD board candidate has raised almost $100K in campaign funds
The pandemic stressed us all, but its impact was compounded among pregnant women and those who had just given birth; their rates of mood and anxiety problems doubled during that time. That should not come as a major surprise, given how the stresses around this life-giving, life-changing even Read moreEditorial: Important outreach to SC's expectant and new mothers
I am a high-school student in a relatively well-off family in Minnesota. At first glance, it seems that I have absolutely nothing in common with the refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War.

However, one similarity does exist: We are humans. And one thing that I will not do is stand idly by while scores of my fellow humans are murdered every day.

The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 as protests turned violent and armed conflict erupted between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels. Five years later, there are so many different combatants that nearly no one knows what's going on.

Caught up in the conflict are the 22 million people of Syria. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that 10 percent of all Syrian refugees are children, and over 400,000 Syrian children were not in school last year. Without education, Syria will never regain even a fraction of its former strength. The opportunities of an entire generation will be decimated, and that absolutely cannot be allowed to happen.

More specifically, the people living in Aleppo are facing possible massacre. Throughout the entire war, rebels, loyalists, ISIS, and multiple other groups have fought in and controlled portions of the city. In the last month, loyalist armies have mounted a huge offensive, retaking much of the city from rebels and butchering civilians. Although the evacuation was scheduled to be completed on Dec. 21, this evacuation leaves thousands stranded in camps throughout the country. (Editor's note: After this column was submitted late last week, the Syrian government retook Aleppo.)

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On Aug. 15, the 15 remaining doctors serving 300,000 people in Aleppo sent a letter to the president asking for help. Nothing has been done.

This conflict is indeed a political conflict between forces, and many countries are involved. If the U.S. intervened on the behalf of rebels, this would pit us against Russia.

However, what we are facing today is not just a political crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis. Make no mistake, the U.S. cannot afford to make a misstep in the region. But it also cannot afford to let millions of innocents wander the world, without a home, without a job, without a purpose.

If Lebanon, a Syrian neighbor, can take in 1 million refugees, with its total population of only 4 million, why can't the U.S. help? Fears of terrorists and Islamophobia have undoubtedly fanned the flames, but if we cannot stick to our basic ideals and help people fleeing undeniable horrors, what does this say about us as a people?

Although the U.S. government does have the capacity to help, so does the everyday American. Volunteer groups like the White Helmets have gone to Syria to help refugees. Donations, blankets, canned food  all will help those in need. What matters is that a conscious effort is being made by the people.

Albert Einstein once said, "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." When you do nothing to stop the evil, you are guilty of perpetuating that evil.

Do something, and do it now. This is your duty as a human being.
ZUMBROTA  No future MBA professor will ever hold up Crossings at Carnegie owner Marie Marvin's business plan as a blueprint for starting a business.

Because, 16 years ago, when she first began to conceive of Crossings as an arts space where poetry and pottery, dance and theater, music and history intersected and commingled, there was no business plan. No mission statement. No goals explicitly articulated and laid out.

Instead, in defiance of the tenets that business professors hold holy and sacred, Marvin used gut instinct and intuition to develop Crossings into one of Minnesota's great arts destinations. She winged it.

"It was very much like a painting," Marvin said. "It was coming from within, but it was also coming from somewhere else. And I don't know where that mysterious place is."

That faith, trust and commitment has led her to become the Post Bulletin's Arts Person of the Year.

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Soon after buying the stately Carnegie library in Zumbrota, but before she had the slightest idea of how she going to use it, Marvin started hanging art on the wall and held an exhibit called "Faces." Then she began devising ways in which to lure and attract people to the art. It didn't matter how remote or tangentially related the attraction might be from the art itself.

She hosted fitness classes and dog obedience classes  anything to get people to look at the art. Today, 16 years later, Crossings is an art mecca. It offers classes in art, pottery and writing, hosts art exhibitions, concerts and kids camps, and devotes space, like its clay studio, to allow people to flex their artistic muscles.

"She is an innovator," said incoming Zumbrota Mayor Brad Drenckhahn. "That she persevered and took a great old building and put such an interesting thing in it. That's no small amount of moxie."

Marvin is among a class of determined, savvy women business owners in Zumbrota who have emerged to energize and reshape the downtown, Drenckhahn said.

While Marvin was blazing an arts trail in this 3,000-strong rural community, other Zumbrota women risk-takers were opening stores and making their mark, such as Roxanne Bartsch and her Wild Ginger Boutique, Connie Hawley and Luya Shoes and Other Fine Things, Kris Ferguson and Phenomenal Woman, a consignment shop, and Stacy Drenckhahn, Brad's wife, and her Beelighted Fiber & Gifts shop and Artify, an art collective.

For Marvin, validation that her seat-of-the-pants business approach was working came in the form of surging sales and a widening reputation spread through word-of-mouth. Revenue at Crossings is generated through sales in classes, concerts and events and art purchases. And in those early years, Crossings's bottomline would double  and then double again. What started out as a one-woman production is now an arts enterprise that employs a dozen people.

Its location turned out not to be a provincial backwater but a strategic asset, an arts nexus that draws people from the Twin Cities, Rochester, Red Wing and Cannon Falls.

"I wanted to build it here, because I felt it was easier to make a mark in a small place than in a large place," Marvin said. "And thank God for Rochester, because without Rochester (and the area around it), I don't think we would succeed."

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But while her business style might be unorthodox, Marvin's motivation for investing so much of herself in Crossings is as plain as day. The arts, Marvin says, saved her life. Marvin says she was a "terribly depressed" person in high school who took drugs and skipped school and was pregnant by 16. She served detention as regularly as students go to math class.

The sole redeeming feature of school, she says, was the arts program. But instead of serving detention for two hours after school, the teacher would mercifully send Marvin to the art room, which was like "breath and life" to her.

"I would have died without art," Marvin said. "I mean, it was the only thing that saved me in school."

And she knows firsthand how arts experiences at Crossings have helped others make course corrections in life or help them battle diseases like cancer. The emails and letters "we get are unbelievable."

So what if there was no playbook or business plan, when you have passion, conviction and insight. One time, an employee of Crossings, Laura McDonough, observed to Marvin how she seemed to defy the laws of business gravity. Even while turning her back on all normal business protocol, she had succeeded anyway.

"People thought I was really brave and I'm like, 'You can't be brave if you're not scared.' So I'm afraid I wasn't brave," Marvin said. "I just wasn't fearful.
CANTON  Almost two years after its church burned down, the Henrytown Lutheran Church is almost ready to go home.

Members are nearing completion of a new building for its congregation, which has been sharing the Assumption Catholic Church's space to hold its weekly services after their home church was destroyed by a fire in April 2015.

Six of the 12 stained glass windows have been installed, and the remaining six hopefully will be installed in early February, said Fay Garness, church treasurer. While the church is waiting on altar furniture and finishing some small details, there's no official opening date.

There will be some changes, including the congregation's leadership. The Rev. Paul Thompson ended his time at the Henrytown Lutheran Church on Nov. 10 after accepting a call to serve two congregations in the Rochester area.

"It's not easy for me to say goodbye. ... I have grown fond of you," Thompson wrote on the parish's Facebook page.

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The congregation hopes to find someone to fill the pastor position before the first service is held in the new church. Many changes await the congregation, but the people are steadfast in their faith. Despite their church having experienced a great loss, they are ready to move on, Garness said.

"Henrytown feels so blessed and thankful for all that has been given to us. God continues to bless us. ... We are all getting very excited to be home again."
MAR-A-LAGO, Fla.  President-Elect Donald Trump met Wednesday with industry leaders in health care, including Mayo Clinic President and CEO John Noseworthy, in what could be a precursor to his expected push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act after years of Republican criticism.

The meeting was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Trump's holiday residence and also included Paul Rothman of Johns Hopkins Medicine, David Torchiana of Partners HealthCare and Toby Cosgrove of the Cleveland Clinic. Those four men represent institutions that have all been heavily affected by ACA, and would be similarly affected by any changes made after Trump is sworn into office on Jan. 20.

Mayo issued a notice as the meeting commenced that Noseworthy was "pleased for the opportunity to discuss the Mayo Model of Care and Mayo Model of Research as potential roadmaps to excellence in all of American health care and share Mayo Clinic's views on critical success factors needed to solve our nation's most pressing and complex health challenges."

Noseworthy was not available for comment following the meeting, but a Mayo Clinic spokesman reported that the meeting "touched on many aspects of healthcare, including research as a driver of innovation and economic growth, as well as the barriers posed by overregulation of healthcare."

Mayo's CEO has been critical of President Obama's health care overhaul, which many have dubbed Obamacare. While Obamacare has expanded insurance coverage for millions, Noseworthy has said it doesn't focus enough on patient health.

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Noseworthy has been in contact with Trump's transition team about offering his insight since the Nov. 8 election that saw the Republican stun Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton at the polls.

"We're really talking about replace and repair, rather than repeal," Noseworthy told The Washington Post last month. "But we haven't seen a full approach yet from the administration. Personally, this is me speaking.  We're basically optimistic we can create a better system together."

Mayo has been criticized locally, including last week by Wabasha City Administrator Chad Springer, for contributing to rising insurance costs in Southeast Minnesota. Rates in the area are often double the state average. Minnesota's MNsure system has faced its own challenges. Website glitches and enrollment limits have caused headaches, and providers have pulled out due to cost overruns.

Noseworthy hopes Trump can help return the focus of health care to the patient, similar to Mayo's longstanding motto of "the needs of the patient come first."

"We've been talking much more about premiums and websites than we have about what patients need," Noseworthy recently told the Washington Post. "The voice of the patient and, I would argue, the voice of the medical professional, hasn't been at the table for a long, long time. I think we could help."

Cosgrove, of the Cleveland Clinic, criticized the Affordable Care Act this fall on CNBC's "Squawk Box" over increasing demands for documentation.

"The number of quality metrics that we have to report to the government every year is just going up like crazy," Cosgrove said. "We're now reporting well more than 100 quality metrics on a regular basis," describing regulation paperwork as coming in seven-foot-tall stacks of 16,000 pages.

The meeting with influential health care executives comes shortly after Trump and his transition team held similar meetings with other industry giants, including technology, finance and mainstream media. However, the latest meeting may have prompted an immediate response from Democrats.

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DFL leaders Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer released a letter Wednesday calling for a "day of action" on Jan. 15 to "save health care." They warn that 30 million people may lose health insurance if Republicans successfully repeal ACA, which some have declared as their top priority.

"Rallies will be held across the country to vigorously oppose the Republican plan to end Medicare as we know it and throw our health care system into chaos," the letter states.
MADISON, Wis.  University of Wisconsin-Madison students plan to carry sex toys around campus next semester to protest a bill that would allow concealed weapons in classrooms at public colleges.

Republican Rep. Jesse Kremer introduced an identical bill last legislative session after a gunman killed nine people at an Oregon community college, but the measure never got out of the Assembly. Kremer plans to re-introduce the legislation this session. Concealed weapons already are allowed on campus grounds but not in buildings.

UW-Madison sophomore Kat Kerwin is organizing the protest. She said that the concealed weapons bill is unsettling.

"Campus carry isn't something that's going to make campus safer," Kerwin said. "It's going to make students uncomfortable. It's going to make them wary to express their views in politically charged classrooms."

Kremer says the protesters are a small group of students and professors who are scared of guns just because they're guns. Allowing weapons in classrooms would make them safer, he said.

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"You're disarming these adults who are responsible concealed carry members who are not able to protect themselves, and at the same time you're letting the criminal element know around these campuses, 'hey there's no one that's armed,'" he said.

UW-Madison leaders announced in mid-December that they're opposed to the idea.

"Adding concealed weapons to the many challenges our police department has to deal with would put everyone at risk," UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said in a statement.
MINNEAPOLIS  Minneapolis firefighters have rescued a motorist who was stranded about three hours after his car plunged down a bank of the Mississippi River.

The fire department was called just before 9 a.m. Tuesday. According to the department, the man had driven off of West River Road around 5:15 a.m. and his car plunged about 200-250 feet before becoming trapped by large trees near the river's edge.

Two Minneapolis Public Works employees discovered the accident and called 911.

Firefighters lowered a rescue basket to the car, and the victim was loaded onto an air boat and taken to paramedics.

The man was taken to a hospital. It's unclear what caused the crash or the extent of the motorist's injuries.
An associate professor at Georgetown University has launched a string of attacks against Asra Nomani, a former Georgetown professor who is a Muslim and an immigrant. In various entries on Twitter and Facebook, the associate professor, C. Christine Fair, told the Muslim former prof to f**k off and go to hell; accused her of pimping herself for media coverage; attacked her for having no job, and thus needing Obamacare; and denied that she is a true Muslim.

Nomani eventually complained to Fairs department chair. He forwarded the complaint to the head of Georgetowns School of Foreign Service where the associate professor teaches.

And naturally, being solicitous of Muslim and immigrant sensibilities and opposed to hate speech directed at religious minorities and immigrants, Georgetown has, at a minimum, taken prompt action to make sure Fair discontinues her public attack on Nomani. Hasnt it?

Actually, it hasnt. According to this Daily Caller article by Katie Frates, Georgetown has taken no action to curb Fairs attacks, and Fair has continued to launch them.

You see, Nomani supported Donald Trump in the November election, and Fairs attack stem from a piece Nomani wrote for the Washington Post explaining her support for the president-elect.

I take no position here about whether Georgetown should try to rein in its vicious associate professor. The unhinged Fair does seem like a dubious choice to be teaching Americas future diplomats, but thats Georgetowns call.

My point is that theres probably not a major university in America that would stand by while one of its professors spewed Fairs kind of venom against a Muslim-American  venom that includes questioning the Muslims religious sincerity. Unless the target had strayed from left-liberal orthodoxy.

Having strayed, Nomani appears to be Fair game.
Trouble in Saudi Arabia?

An Iranian source, so perhaps mainly propaganda, seeing as they are fighting a proxy war in Yemen. However, the best propaganda is based on a grain of truth - so even if only a portion is true, things could get interesting.The Palestinian daily,, quoted informed sources as saying that many members of the royal family have fled Saudi Arabia to other countries after increased internal differences and rivalries in the House of Saud and their policies in the region. A large number of the royal family members believe that their lives are at stake and could be assassinated any moment. According to the report, a number of these princes and princesses arent allowed to leave the country and are still in Saudi Arabia under the supervision of the security bodies. Meantime, the fear is not confined to Saudi Arabia and certain Qatari and UAE princes and princesses have also left their countries.The report came after a US-based think-tank raised the possibility that Saudi King Salman may leave the power in favor of his son Muhammad bin Salman who is now the deputy crown prince and defense minister. "Increasingly, the kingdom's crucial decisionmaker is seen as thirty-one-year-old Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (aka MbS) rather than eighty-year-old King Salman or fifty-seven-year-old Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef (aka MbN). The king, described by the New York Times as suffering from "memory lapses," is believed to favor MbS, the eldest son of his favorite wife, as his successor," the Washington Institute for Near East Policy wrote in November. .......Saudi Sources revealed in late June that Saudi Arabias young deputy crown prince is being advised by the UAE on how he can win backing from the US and ascend to the throne by the end of the year. Two "well-placed Saudi sources" have said that de facto UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan is advising Mohammed on a two-pronged strategy to become Washington's preferred choice as the next Saudi ruler. The first Saudi source said bin Zayed has told bin Salman that he must end the rule of Wahhabism if he wants to be accepted by the Americans. Wahhabism is the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia which has inspired Takfiri groups such as ISIL and al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front to wreak havoc in the Middle East. Bin Zayed has also told bin Salman that he must open a strong channel of communication with Israel if he is to be Washingtons preferred candidate to be king.......According to the report, bin Salman would seek to fundamentally change the role of religion in the kingdom on bin Zayed's advice. One of the two Saudi sources said that bin Salman plans to cancel the Council of Senior Scholars, which is the kingdom's highest religious body, and stop all activities that serve Wahhabism. The aim will be for bin Salman to be hailed as a hero by the press, Congress, and academics, so that the US administration is forced to follow. Such a plan is highly risky given the influence of religious bodies in the kingdom and could lead to a serious showdown. A Saudi source told Middle-East Eye on June 20 that bin Salman had secretly carved out a plan to severely curb the influence of Wahhabism, the strict interpretation of Islam followed in Saudi Arabia, by arresting clerics and shutting down institutions. A Saudi expert who asked not to be identified told NBC that Riyadh was at such a critical juncture that either "it's bin Salman or it's ISIL group."The second strategy advised by bin Zayed to win Washingtons backing was developing close relations with Israel. Israel has covert ties with Arab states despite their claims that they would normalize relations with Tel Aviv only when it reaches a deal with the Palestinians. In April, the Jerusalem Post wrote that rather than being isolated, Israel is being incorporated into the Saudi-led orbit, citing the opening of a mission in Abu Dhabi and increasing contacts in the Persian Gulf States.......Bin Nayef may be the first in line to throne but his quietness, and bin Salmans prominence, has led many to conclude the experienced 56-year-old's power is waning. During bin Salmans recent visit to the US, where he met President Barack Obama, a report emerged that American intelligence officers believed the current Saudi ruler King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef suffer from ill health.......... The visit to the US by Saudi Arabias young deputy crown prince raised speculation that his superiors have been seriously ill and being pushed out of the kingdoms political scene......... Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy also said that bin Salman is "notionally number three in the hierarchy, but effectively he's number one" because the 80-year-old king prefers that his son take over the kingdom.......Bin Salman has been awarded a staggering amount of power since he was named deputy crown prince last April. He also serves as the defense minister, heading up the kingdoms war in Yemen and Syria policy, and is pushing through ambitious economic reforms that aim to privatize part of the national oil giant Aramco and lessen Riyadhs dependence on oil. By official accounts, his Washington trip was a feat, despite eyebrows being raised about bin Salman meeting with Obama, a rare honor usually reserved for heads of state.Earlier in June this year, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud health state drastically deteriorated with visitors barred from seeing the ageing monarch, an informed source said. Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued orders to the Saudi court banning any manner of meeting with the king due to his "brain damage", Alwaqt reported on June 2. The Palestinian Manar online newspaper also on the same day quoted an informed saying that the denial of visiting rights encompasses all members of the royal family and foreign dignitaries. The source noted that foreign embassies, especially that of the US, are diligently tracking Salmans health and reporting back to their countries.Over the recent months King Salman has been trying to disguise a teleprompter he uses to be able to make coherent sentences when holding talks with foreign dignitaries. Foreign leaders visiting the Saudi regime ruler have noticed that there is a large flower display positioned just in front of where the 80-year-old monarch sits. On closer investigation, the visitors realized that the purpose of the flowers is to conceal a computer which acts as a teleprompter, enabling the King to appear capable of carrying on a coherent conversation about important issues. Sources close to the Saudi monarchy say the 80 year old King Salman is suffering from dementia, a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Reports say the octogenarian monarch suffers from periodic blackouts and inability to speak.......There has been mounting discontent at the Saudi king's decisions, including his controversial appointments, support for Takfiri terrorists in Syria and Iraq, the brutal and costly war against impoverished Yemen, and the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.Unsurprisingly, Prince Salman's meteoric rise has caused ripples, and has antagonized some other members of the vast royal House of Saud who resent being shunted aside by the younger generation. Analytical websites had predicted early this year that Muhammad bin Salman would use the kingdom's army which is under his control to topple Muhammad bin Nayef to prevent his ascending to the throne. "That Muhammad bin Salman controls the Saudi army is a valuable advantage for him because in case Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef becomes a king, Muhammad bin Salman can use the army to topple him," the Russian-language 'Landscape of the New East' wrote.On January 19, a prominent Saudi media activist revealed that the Crown Prince, Bin Nayef, had held secret talks with the country's tribal leaders to heighten internal conflicts and prevent empowerment of Muhammad bin Salman. "After news reports said that the Saudi king has decided to leave the power to his son, the Saudi crown prince has held some meetings with the tribal leaders to destabilize domestic conditions in Saudi Arabia," the activist who called for anonymity for security reasons told FNA.Noting that the details of these meetings were not known, he said Muhammad bin Nayef saw himself entitled to the throne, and he, thus, sought to spark internal problems and insecurity with the help of certain tribes to stir crisis and prevent the deputy crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, from ascending to the throne.Reports in August 2015 had informed that the Saudi crown prince had enhanced security arrangements for fear of assassination plots of rival princes in the royal family. "Muhammad bin Nayef has changed the venues of his daily tasks, procedures and itinerary of his visits and appointments, his team of bodyguards and their methods to decrease the danger to minimum levels," Mujtahid wrote in his tweets at the time. Noting that the Saudi crown prince used helicopter flights for most of his visits to different places, he said, "Tens of armed vehicles and over 80 security forces always accompany him during his visits."Mujtahid said that Muhammad bin Nayef rarely stayed in his palaces and used his father's palace on an island in the Red Sea behind fortified security measures and large numbers of security forces there. "He also spends a lot of time to eavesdrop the phone calls of the ruling family members," the Saudi activist revealed........
The Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 33-year-old man, over the alleged attempt to kidnap a two-year-old boy at Owode, Ogun.

The operatives got a hint of the kidnap attempt of the boy from one of the two persons whom the prime suspect had contracted to perpetrate the crime.

The spokesperson of the Lagos State Police command, Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the arrest to journalists on Tuesday, said the suspect was arrested on Saturday.

Ms. Badmos said that upon further intelligence reports, a member of the RRS decoy team posed as a lady that the kidnapper sought to help give the child good care.

She said that for more than two weeks, while the kidnapping plan took shape, the investigator, pretending as an accomplice, was exchanging information with the prime suspect.

The police spokesperson said that the suspect assured the accomplice that he had gotten a motorcycle to use in kidnapping the boy, and would demand N10 million as ransom.

Ms. Badmos said the prime suspect demanded for such money because he believed that the father of the boy, who is a landlord and dealer in electrical appliances, would be able to pay.

When the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni was informed of the jurisdictional challenge of arresting the suspect in Ogun, he ordered the decoy team to proceed, assuring them that he would contact his colleague in Ogun.

One of the suspects was shocked by the insistence of the prime suspect to kidnap the little boy and request for N10 million ransom.

He claimed to know that it was going to boomerang if he concealed the information and not inform the police.

Then he called one of his friends who resides in Lagos and explained the kidnap attempt on the boy.

It was his friend that told him to come to Lagos to inform the RRS, which he did, Ms. Badmos said.

She said that the prime suspect had earlier kidnapped two persons in Kogi, where he collected huge ransom from their families.

Ms. Badmos said the suspect had confessed to the crime and claimed that he initiated the plan in order to get money to pay his mothers hospital bills.

I have been on the trail of that young boy and his parents for quite a while now. I conceived the idea to kidnap him when I was looking for money for my mothers hospital bills.

I wanted to demand for N10 million ransom, but if his parents could not afford the whole, at least I was expecting N3 million at the end of the day, she quoted the suspect as saying.

Ms. Badmos said that the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of Police investigation.

She said the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, for further investigation.

(NAN)
Three days to go in 2016, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, on Wednesday said no fewer than 141 people had so far lost their lives in road accidents in Katsina State in the year.

Abdu Bagadawa, the FRSC Sector Commander, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Katsina.

He explained that over 116 road accidents had been recorded while 559 persons had sustained various degrees of injuries in road crashes across the state.

Mr. Bagadawa attributed the accidents to dangerous driving, speeding, over-loading, wrong overtaking, route violation and burst tyres.

It is frightening to record a figure this high to road accidents despite our enlightenment programmes.

The FRSC has, however, mapped out more strategies that will help to reduce road accidents in 2017, he said.

He enumerated the strategies to include enforcement of Speed Limiting Device on commercial vehicles by February 2017.

Mr. Bagadawa urged road transport associations and other stakeholders in the sector to support the FRSC by sensitising their members to the importance of installing the Speed Limiting Device and the dangers of violating traffic rules.

The Sector Commander also explained that the FRSC had introduced night patrols to strengthen enforcement of traffic regulations.

He said the FRSC would intensify enlightenment programmes in motor parks, markets, schools, mosques and churches as part of measures to reduce road accidents on highways.

Mr. Bagadawa urged motorists to always abide by traffic rules and regulations and to desist from using worn-out tyres to reduce the high incidence of deaths due to road accidents.

(NAN)
Devon Akmon, director of the Arab American National Museum, recently was chosen as an American Express NGen Fellow by a national organization recognizing nonprofits, foundations and corporations to advance the common good.

The 12 outstanding charitable-sector leaders ages 40 and younger selected by Independent Sector will engage over the next year in activities that deepen individual capabilities, expand collective knowledge and grow professional networks.

The selective fellowship program continues to build the next generation of charitable leaders as part of Independent Sectors NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now initiative. Through professional and leadership development opportunities, networking and peer support, and connections with established sector leaders, the NGen program empowers next generation leaders to contribute to their organizations and communities.

Im very honored to have been selected to join such a talented and accomplished cohort of nonprofit professionals, Akmon said.

Our involvement within the fellowship program raises AANMs presence on a national scale, making more people aware of who we are, what we do and how we do it. This experience allows a space for deep thought and reflection while increasing our ability to create new networks and amplifying the museums voice within the sector.

Marking its eighth anniversary, the program partners with the American Express Leadership Academy, an industry-defining program that has developed more than 2,500 global, nonprofit and social-purpose leaders.

Over the course of the course of year, fellows will also take part in a group-led project which contributes to the knowledge of the charitable sector. The program runs from November 2016 to October 2017, which began with the fellows appearance at this years Independent Sector Conference. The conference is the meeting ground for leaders and change makers looking to drive momentum for the charitable community, set the sectors agenda for the coming year and collaborate on strategies for success.

The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves and presents Arab American history, culture and contributions.

The museum is located at 13624 Michigan Ave., in Dearborn. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Admission is $8 for adults; $4 for students, senior citizens and children ages 6 to 12; museum members and children ages 5 and younger get in free.

Source: Arab American National Museum
OCEAN CITY  Its not as much green space as the mayor would have preferred, but its something.

Responding to criticism of development plans at the Ninth Street entrance from resident Michael Hinchman at a Dec. 20 council meeting, Mayor Jay Gillian said the city could not interfere in the legal development of private businesses just to provide more open space.

During the meeting, Hinchman, former president of the resident watchdog group Fairness in Taxes, criticized the construction of a new commercial building on Ninth Street that will house McMahon Agency Insurance.

Its the gateway to Ocean City. And the building should have been off the street, not on the street, he said of the buildings setback. The Planning Board did a terrible thing there.

Hinchman was also critical of plans to build a two-story real estate office at Ninth and Bay, the site of a former Exxon station the mayor had previously said he wanted to turn into open space. Hinchman said it was the most important intersection in the entire town and asked the city to consider taking the property.

If I had my way, (the McMahon site) would be green space, too. The Exxon would be green space. But you have to have a balance, Gillian said.

Gillian said he is concerned about development at the former Exxon site due to traffic, but he did not want to intervene.

Thats a hell of a thing to do to a private business, he said. But they have to make it work. Nothings etched in stone yet.

South Jersey's big construction projects for 2017 South Jersey will see major development and construction projects in 2017, ranging from a ne

The city is moving forward with other plans to bring open space to its main entryway.

Two years after discussions began, bids were authorized last week to build a park at the site of two former gas stations on the north side of Ninth Street.

Council unanimously passed a resolution seeking bids for the project, which was described by city engineer Arthur Chew as similar to that of Soifer Park at Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue.

The open-space plan was sparked by the popularity of the entryway to Ocean City since the completion in 2012 of the $500 million Route 52 causeway from Somers Point. A welcome center and mixed-use pedestrian path along the new span are heavily used by naturalists, pedestrians and bicyclists. It has boat launches and a fishing pier.

With almost 400,000 visits to the shared-use path on the Route 52 causeway in the past two years (253,724 pedestrians and 145,228 bicyclists, according to the state DOT), the location is perfect for a park that both beautifies the gateway to Ocean City and provides a resource to the people who use the bridge, city spokesman Doug Bergen wrote in an email Wednesday.

In August, the city passed an ordinance allowing it to take through condemnation any of the three gas stations, as well as the neighboring Buds Outboard Marine, at the base of the bridge.

Over the summer, one of the gas stations, a BP on the north side of the bridge, was demolished and the lot cleared. The city purchased the BP station in November for $475,000, according to Bergen.

Bergen said the city is still negotiating to purchase the former Getty gas station next door.

If they cant come to an agreement, the city could possibly condemn it, Bergen said.

He said the purchase would be contingent on environmental inspections.

Meanwhile, the former Exxon station across the street, on the south side of the bridge, was purchased by Keller Williams Realty Jersey Shore, which last month tore down the gas station and cleared the lot to make way for a new office.

The real estate business will go before the Planning Board in January for site-plan approval.

Bergen said the owners of Buds Outboard Marine are no longer interested in selling their property to the city.

The citys five-year capital plan has set aside $1.5 million for the development of open space, Bergen said, adding he doesnt know what the cost of purchasing the Getty site will be, and he expects the landscaping costs to be minor in comparison to land acquisition.

The city has applied for a grant from the Cape May County Open Space Program to cover the costs of both land and improvements at the BP station, and would seek more grant funding for the Getty acquisition, Bergen said.
ATLANTIC CITY  Former City Councilman Michael Zingarelli died this month at the age of 91.

Zingarelli, a longtime area electrical contractor, died Dec. 15, according to the George H. Wimberg Funeral Home.

He served six years as Atlantic Citys 5th Ward councilman. He previously served as Ventnor City's acting mayor.

Zingarelli was a Navy veteran who served in World War II and was one of the first Americans to enter Hiroshima after the atomic bomb dropped, according to his obituary.

He opened an electrical firm, M&Z Electric, in 1954 and later owned and operated Tropics Bar and Cassidys Bar in Atlantic City, according to the obituary.

He was a very good man. He gave freely. He did a lot of volunteer work for the kids, said his son, Mike Zingarelli Jr.

Atlantic City leaders give gifts to needy children ATLANTIC CITY  The city was feeling the Christmas spirit this week as officials and communi

A viewing will be held Jan. 6 at the George H. Wimberg Funeral Home in Ventnor. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 10 a.m. Jan. 7 at Holy Trinity Parish, St. James Church in Ventnor. Burial will follow at the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Estell Manor.

State Sen. Jim Whelan, a former Atlantic City mayor, described Zingarelli as a neighborhood-oriented person who cared deeply about the 5th Ward.

Mike was very down to earth, said Whelan, D-Atlantic. He was very much in touch with the Chelsea neighborhood he represented.

Zingarelli took constituent services personally, Whelan said. If a resident complained about a lot with too much trash, Zingarelli would take his pickup truck to the lot.

Instead of turning it over to public works, he would be picking up the trash from the lot on his own, Whelan said.

Zingarelli forfeited his council seat in 1999 after he was convicted of electrical theft for running wires from his house to his workshop, where power had been cut off for nonpayment.

Former Councilman Tim Mancuso said Zingarelli wasnt a fancy politician but a blue-collar guy who represented the 5th ward well. He governed the old-fashioned way of knowing the people and the neighborhood, Mancuso said.

Boraie's Atlantic City apartment project to break ground this week ATLANTIC CITY  Fifty years after the land was cleared in the name of redevelopment, someone

Zingarelli was instrumental in getting the Public Safety Building in the 5th Ward, which brought construction and foot traffic to small businesses, Mancuso said.

He was lobbying hard to bring some stuff down into the 5th ward, Mancuso said. By having the Police Department and the court building there, people would go out and stop at the local restaurants.

Zingarelli was a good friend, loyal and would stick to his commitments on votes, Mancuso said.

Mike was always good to his word, Mancuso said.

Zingarelli is survived by his wife, Corrine; his son, Michael; daughter, Denise Zingarelli-Peacock; and sister, Jean Franzini.
The family of 5-year-old LaMyra Briley and her great-grandmother, Barbara Briley, 71, of Mays Landing, were extra thankful Thursday after the search for the two ended safely the day before in Virginia.

Our prayers have been answered, the family wrote in a Facebook post on the Barbara and LaMyra Briley page. God bless you all and thank you again for praying for our family.

The Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Sheriffs Office said the pair were found about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Virginia State Police said a property owner found the two near their car on private land about 1 mile off Nash Road.

The man was walking in his woods when he saw the two sitting outside the car, Sheriffs Maj. William Knott said.

The man had seen news reports, realized who the Brileys were and called 911, Knott said. The Sheriffs Office and Virginia State Police immediately responded.

This person probably saved them, Knott said.

Barbara Briley was unconscious and was flown to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where she was in serious condition Wednesday, police said.

LaMyra was reported to be alert and unhurt.Police said she received a medical evaluation before being reunited with a family member.

On Thursday, Ginger Bittle, a niece of Barbara Briley, said the two were doing fine. She said she understood both were still at the hospital.

Hamilton Township police said both were in stable condition Thursday. Hospital spokesman Brian McNeill said he didnt have any information to provide.

LaMyra was in good shape and very talkative when officers arrived, Knott said. He said the two were alone.

I have absolutely no clue how they got where they were, said Knott, who declined to say how long the vehicle had been on the property.

The Brileys had been missing since Christmas Eve, when they left Mays Landing. They had been seen last at a gas station in Ruther Glen, Virginia, where Barbara Briley stopped to ask for directions.

The Caroline County, Virginia, Sheriffs Office released surveillance video Wednesday from the Exxon station showing she entered the store at 5:39 p.m. and left the station less than a half hour later.

Neighbors on Mimosa Court, where Briley lives, said Wednesday morning they were worried after several days of no news.

Neighbor Bahadour Ali said Briley is a retired NJ Transit bus driver and a member of Second Baptist Church in Atlantic City.

Officers spent much of Monday searching the Ruther Glen area and shifted their efforts to an area south of Richmond.

Brileys cellphone, which had been turned off, turned back on for a short period early Tuesday and pinged, or connected with, a tower near Petersburg before it shut back off, said Lt. Travis Nutter, of the Caroline County Sheriffs Office. They werent able to triangulate her location but began searching the general area, he said.

State troopers looked along the Interstate 85 corridor to the North Carolina state line without luck, Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Stephan Vick said. They used a helicopter and hunted for signs of guard rail damage or other evidence a car may have run off the road, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP  Police are still searching for a great-grandmother and her great-granddaughter who went missing Saturday.

According to a release from the Caroline Country Sheriff's Office, surveillance footage shows Barbara Briley, 71, entering the Exxon station at 23087 Rogers Clark Blvd in Ruther Glen, Virginia.

Briley enters the store the store at 5:39 p.m., walks out six minutes later. She re-enters five minutes later, then leaves at 5:53 p.m.

Briley's silver 2014 Toyota Rav 4, with New Jersey license plates C80ELS, was seen leaving the gas station parking lot at 6:03 p.m.

Briley's great-granddaughter, LaMyra Briley, 5, was not seen in the footage. Police say they were traveling to visit family in North Carolina for a planned holiday visit.

A missing persons report was filed Sunday. The Caroline County Sheriff's office does not believe any criminal acts have occurred.

Hamilton Township police are working with New Jersey State Police, Virginia State Police and the Morven Police Department in North Carolina to locate the pair.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Michael Robison 609-625-2700, ext. 578.
ATLANTIC CITY  Just before dark Monday afternoon, 17-year-old Efaj Ahmed sat on the stool behind the counter of his fathers convenience store, waiting to sell the next box of cereal or cigarettes.

A man in a mask walked in, put a gun on the counter and demanded cash from the Atlantic City High School student.

But this time, unlike so many other times at convenience stores in the city this year, the worker fought back, grabbed the gun off the counter and aimed it at the suspect.

The suspect slid off the mask, said he was just playing around and ran from the A.C. Convenience Store on the 4000 block of Ventnor Avenue near Dover Avenue, Ahmed said.

But Ahmed, who was on his first day of winter break from school, said he knows the man wasnt playing around, and this was no game.

Robberies and attempted robberies like this are on the rise in the city, sometimes scaring workers out of jobs in a town where jobs are scarce, store owners said. They want police to do more. They want this to stop.

All of the robberies are actively being investigated by detectives. We are doing our best to solve these crimes, said Sgt. Kevin Fair.

But merchants say the damage is done.

Nobody wants to work anymore, said Leo Rehani, owner of Joe Food Market on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, who said his store was robbed at gunpoint last week. It was robbed in October, too, he said.

We have to stop this thing, he said.

According to reports obtained by The Press of Atlantic City, there were 24 reported attempted robberies or armed robberies at convenience stores from Sept. 30 to Nov. 30, plus two robberies of taxi drivers, all over the city.

The Atlantic City Police Department said in a news release last week that there has been an increase in robberies of convenience stores and cabdrivers in the city, and detectives have been thoroughly investigating each incident.

Criminal charges were filed against eight different men  ranging in age from 17 to 34  in 15 robberies as of Dec. 22.

But store owners and employees throughout the city are worried. Rehani said he likes the neighborhood and the location of his store, which sits at MLK Boulevard and Adriatic Avenue and faces Stanley Holmes Village out the side window. He doesnt want to leave, he said while waving to passers-by.

Regular customers and passersby frequent his rounded storefront, to stop in to shop or to chat.

Rehani said hes concerned about the safety of children walking around outside or near the store if a suspect enters with a weapon. Also, his employees are getting scared and no longer want to work, he said.

George Batmani, an Atlantic City resident and owner of Georges Grill and Chill at South Carolina and Adriatic avenues, said his store was robbed the day before Thanksgiving, when three people entered with knives, put them near the necks of his employees and took money from the register.

Its so hard right now, Batmani said, looking across to an empty lot.

One customer hanging out near the entrance of the store yelled out that hes never heard about this many robberies in the past.

Some of Batmanis employees quit after the robbery, he said. He needs a staff of six to properly run the store, but he has only three working.

Rehani and Batmani said they want to see a larger police presence on the blocks around the stores that have been robbed. Rehani said hes been at this store location for the past four years and hadnt had a problem any other year.

Batmani said he has seen people walking around in front of his store with masks on, ready to enter.

The owners said theyre upset about not seeing more police in the area at night and that police are not letting people know when robberies happen. Last week, a group of convenience store owners met with members of the Police Department to voice their concerns. More awareness could help identify a suspect, Rehani said.

But more robberies have been solved than remain unsolved, police said. Fair said officers are out patrolling the city, covering all of the city and not one specific area. The department did not have any additional comment as of Tuesday.

Joe Kelly, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber, said hes aware of the problem and that there is a special effort being put on by police to address the increase.

Down Ventnor Avenue and across the street from Ahmeds familys store, BJs Dollar Express Plus was also robbed at gunpoint Saturday, said the owner, Abu Bhuiyan.

Police said in a release Tuesday afternoon they were seeking a Hispanic man in the attempted robbery Monday of the A.C. Convenience Store. The suspect may go by the name of Ed or Eddie. Police also said the gun appeared to be a BB gun.

Ahmed said the would-be robber didnt point the gun at him. He acted quickly when the man put the gun on the counter.

I did have a chance, I was calm and stuff. Youve got to be calm in situations like this, Ahmed said.

Anyone with information on these incidents should call the Atlantic City Police Departments Criminal Investigations Section at 609-347-5766 or text an anonymous tip, starting with ACPD, to tip411 (847411).
Cursive writing, reading can benefit everyone

The abandonment of cursive writing instruction is most unfortunate.

The misguided reason that we live in a mostly computerized society, and therefore children no longer need to learn this vital skill, is disturbing.

Learning cursive writing hones eye-hand coordination, fosters creativity once the basics of forming and connecting the letters are grasped, and the knowledge of cursive writing enables the personality of each child to come to the surface through the repetitive formation of the letters.

Being able to read cursive is vital because it enables students to read some of the countrys founding documents, or even letters or postcards from Grandpa to Grandma while in the service.

The inability to write, read and understand cursive writing is another form of illiteracy.

Joy Cehlar

Villas

Let firefighter keep job

As an 83-year-old senior, I think its a disgrace to make a firefighter lose his job over attempting to shoplift $8 worth of merchandise. Some never get caught. Some get away with murder.

Mary Catanese

Atlantic City

Trump showing bias

Donald Trump is giving his thank-you tour speeches in predominantly white areas, not in the projects where the poor people live.

Where are the American patriots? Theyre gone. Trump and his voters are more appreciative of the Russians than Americans. Trump should reverse his love for Vladimir Putin and his hate for President Barack Obama, the American president.

Youse Turey

Atlantic City

More bias against Trump

An Associated Press reporter chose to give a voice to a disgruntled worker in Indiana. Donald Trump is not even in office yet, but has done some very positive things. But this very biased story raises a question about Trumps recognition of this guys point of view.

The country is torn apart and the media is aiding and abetting this horrible condition. Thats not intelligent and makes the media look like spoiled brat agitators.

The media should offer a positive feeling as well. If Trump seriously screws something up, Im not saying the media should back off, but this article and others similar are not responsible.

Norm Mayall

Egg Harbor Township

Clinton wasted money

The Dec. 13 letter, Clintons been gracious, despite popular vote win, made me laugh out loud.

Millions upon millions of dollars have already been thrown away for her commercials, like I dont know why Im not leading by double-digits (in the polls in September and October) and could have been used to help so many people she claims to care about.

The woman was outfoxed, outplayed, outsmarted and totally ignored the working class, which has been voting for decades. She supported recounts in several states because she still cannot believe she lost. More money wasted, but it isnt hers.

If that is gracious, then my idea of the meaning of the word is different.

Frank Murphine 3rd

Millville

Legal immigration made Hammonton a success

In the Dec. 11 story about Kellyanne Conways attendance at the Christmas Parade in Hammonton, a protester asks, Where would Hammonton be without migrant workers?

Hammonton would be fine with legal migrant workers. Thats the key word, legal. I dont think anyone is against people being in this country legally.

The view that anyone can enter the country undocumented is ridiculous, and will set a precedent for problems in the future. Hammonton is rich in history with its Italian heritage, from people migrating to it legally through Ellis Island in New York.

We shouldnt expect it to be differant today.

Constantine P. Kiamos Jr.

Weymouth Township
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.




OSTERSUND, Sweden, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The extraordinary general meeting held on 21 December 2016 resolved to launch a rights issue and to authorize the board of directors, or a party appointed by and within the board of directors, to decide on the final terms of the rights issue. Dios' board of directors has on 27 December 2016 utilized this authority. The intention to raise capital through a rights issue was communicated in conjunction with Dios' announcement 22 November 2016 that the company had entered into an agreement to acquire a property portfolio from Castellum for SEK 4.5bn, considered a valuation of deferred tax liabilities of SEK 0.1bn. Assuming full subscription of the rights issue, the proceeds to Dios will be approximately SEK 1,853m before issue costs. The net proceeds from the rights issue will be used to partly finance the acquisition.

The rights issue in brief

Shareholders in Dios have the preferential right to subscribe for four (4) new shares per five (5) existing shares held on the record date.

The subscription price is SEK 31 per new share, corresponding to total issue proceeds of up to approximately SEK 1,853m before issue costs, assuming that the rights issue is fully subscribed.

The record date to participate in the rights issue is 4 January 2017 .

The rights issue is fully guaranteed through subscription undertakings from existing shareholders of approximately 36 per cent and, for the amount not committed by shareholders, through underwriting commitments.

Terms and conditions for the rights issue

Those who are registered as shareholders in Dios by Euroclear Sweden on the record date 4 January 2017 have the preferential right to subscribe for new shares in relation to the number of shares held on the record date. For each share held in Dios one (1) subscription right is obtained. Five (5) subscription rights entitle to subscription of four (4) new shares. In addition, investors are offered to subscribe for shares without subscription rights. If not all shares are subscribed for with support of subscription rights, the board of directors will resolve on the allocation of shares subscribed for without subscription rights.

Assuming the rights issue is fully subscribed, Dios' share capital will be increased by a maximum of SEK 119,566,608, from current SEK 149,457,668 to a maximum of SEK 269,024,276 through the issuance of up to 59,783,304 new shares. After the rights issue, the number of shares in Dios will amount to a maximum of 134,512,438 shares. Shareholders who choose not to participate in the rights issue will have their ownership share in Dios diluted by a maximum of approximately 44 per cent, but are able to fully or partly financially compensate themselves for this dilution by selling their subscription rights.

The new shares in Dios are issued for a subscription price of SEK 31 per share. No commission will be charged. Subscription for new shares shall be made during the period from and including 9 January 2017 up to and including 23 January 2017. Dios' board of directors has the right to extend the subscription period. Any extension will be published by Dios through a press release no later than 23 January 2017.

Indicative timetable

Subscription undertakings and underwriting commitments

02-Jan-17 Last day of trading in the shares including right to participate in the rights issue 03-Jan-17 First day of trading in the shares excluding right to participate in the rights issue 04-Jan-17 Record date for the rights issue, that is, shareholders who are registered in the share register on this date will receive subscription rights that allow for participation in the rights issue 5 Jan 20179 Jan  19 Jan 2017 Estimated publication of the prospectusTrading in subscription rights 9 Jan  23 Jan 2017 Subscription period Around 24 Jan 2017 Announcement of preliminary results of the rights issue Around 26 Jan 2017 Announcement of final results of the rights issue

AB Persson Invest, Backahill Inter AB and Bengtssons Tidnings Aktiebolag, which together represent approximately 36 per cent of the shares and votes in the company, have committed to subscribe for their respective pro-rata shares of the rights issue. Nordea and Swedbank have agreed to underwrite, subject to customary conditions, the remaining part of the rights issue. Thereby, the rights issue is fully guaranteed.

Financial and legal advisors

Nordea and Swedbank are joint global coordinators in the rights issue. Law Firm Glimstedt is legal advisor to Dios and Linklaters is legal advisor to the joint global coordinators in the rights issue.

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Knut Rost, CEO:

Phone: +46 10-470 95 01

E-mail: knut.rost@dios.se

Rolf Larsson, CFO:

Phone: +46 10-470 95 03

E-mail: rolf.larsson@dios.se

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/dios-fastigheter/r/dios-announces-terms-for-rights-issue,c2157428

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Dios Fastigheter
LEIPZIG, Germany, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The cultural city of Leipzig, Germany, will get off to a spectacular start in 2017 with some outstanding exhibitions. The Panometer Leipzig will take its visitors on a journey beneath the waves from 28 January 2017 onwards: The new 360 Panorama "TITANIC" by the celebrated panoramic artist Yadegar Asisi will revisit the most famous shipwreck of all time and will show the ocean giant as it is today - 105 years after the catastrophe - at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. http://www.asisi.de

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452510/Leipzig_Panorama_Michael_Bader.jpg )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452511/Visualisation_TITANI_Casisi.jpg )



The Museum of Fine Arts will experience a true whirlwind of colour with its special exhibition "Nolde and 'Die Brucke'" (12 February - 18 June 2017). The young artists of the Expressionist 'Brucke' group, including Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, were fascinated by the works of the outstanding painter Emil Nolde. The collaboration between the group and Nolde, who was almost a generation older, lasted for almost two years from 1906 onwards, and marked the beginning of modern art in Germany. For the first time, the Leipzig museum is telling the story of this fascinating chapter in German art history through 150 paintings, drawings and prints. http://www.mdbk.de

The 'Spinnerei' in Leipzig is unmissable for contemporary art enthusiasts. Eleven leading galleries and over 100 studios are now housed within the walls of what was once the largest cotton mill in continental Europe. For the Spinnerei Gallery Tour, all galleries and exhibition spaces open new exhibitions (14 January, 29/30 April and 15/16 September 2017; http://www.spinnerei.de). It is also worth making a detour to the newly opened 'Kunstkraftwerk': For the "Hundertwasser Experience", the Italian immersive artist Gianfranco Iannuzzi has transformed the former heating plant into a colourful, lively and engaging immersive Hundertwasser world. Thanks to the large-scale video installations, visitors can immerse themselves in the works of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, painter and architect, until 24 August 2017. http://www.kunstkraftwerk-leipzig.com

2017 marks the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing his theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This major anniversary of the Reformation will be celebrated in Leipzig with a wide-ranging programme of events. A dozen special exhibitions in Leipzig museums - including the Museum of City History, the Museum of Printing Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts - will illuminate the reformer's work in Leipzig and the surrounding region. The largest city in the Luther region, Leipzig played a key role in the distribution of Luther's writings, while the Leipzig Disputation of 1519 proved to seal his break with the Catholic Church in Rome. http://www.luther-in-leipzig.de

From Asia, Turkish Airlines flies into Leipzig/Halle via Istanbul four times a week.

Travel offers, room reservations: http://www.leipzig.travel

Press Contact: Ms. Steffi Gretschel, phone +49 341 7104 300, s.gretschel@ltm-leipzig.de

SOURCE Leipzig Region
KIEV, Ukraine, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Lucky Labs, one of Ukraine's largest technology companies and leading gaming developers, has today announced a partnership with Playson, the international software development firm. The partnership will see Playson support Lucky Labs' suite of desktop and mobile games and is the latest indication of Lucky Labs' considerable growth.

Founded in 2006 by IT entrepreneurs Rustam Gilfanov and Sergei Tokarev in Russia, Lucky Labs has expanded considerably and now operates an international portfolio of gaming and marketing technology companies, employing more than 500 software developers internationally. Its growth has led to it becoming one of the largest gaming developers in Europe, with over 100 games on offer across international computer and mobile platforms.

The latest deal with Playson will see both companies work closely together to develop industry leading gaming solutions, adding more than 40 Flash (desktop) and HTML5 (mobile) games, as well as custom game design for more ambitious operators.

Having been developing games over the last 10 years, Lucky Labs will work with Playson to provide the technology to support its leading casino, slots, skill and social games. Some of the titles that the businesses have developed together in the past include Happy Jungle, Gold Rush and Double Joker Poker.

Rustam Gilfanov and Sergey Tokarev, co-founders of Lucky Labs, commented:

"From the outset, we have always aimed to attract the most innovative software from across the globe. Having developed a strong portfolio of gaming and marketing technology companies, we are keen to continue growth into international markets by partnering with companies that are providing the very best across the gaming sector. Playson has carved out an incredible niche within the gambling industry and we look forward to continue developing its games into 2017."

About Lucky Labs:

Lucky Labs is one of Europe's leading gaming developers, founded in 2006 by IT entrepreneurs Rustam Gilfanov and Sergei Tokarev in Russia. Today the group comprises an international portfolio of gaming and marketing technology companies and employs over 500 software developers internationally. It has released over 100 games, which can be found across international computer and mobile platforms.

Lucky Labs main headquarters are in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Additional information can be found at http://www.lucky-labs.com/

About Playson:

Playson is a new dynamic gaming company with headquarters based in Malta. With experience in many sectors and over 250 staff worldwide Playson is a very successful software development company providing complete gaming solutions and offering 40+ of Flash (Desktop) and HTML5 (Mobile) games as well as custom game design for the most ambitious of operators looking to build a differentiated product offering.

SOURCE Lucky Labs
ESPOO, Finland, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Picosun Oy, the leading supplier of advanced industrial ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) solutions, reports winning more than 20 new customers in China for its ALD systems since December 2015.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140528/689557 )



Amongst these customers are many of China's leading companies in LEDs, III-V semiconductors, and new energy. Thanks to the high technical level of PICOSUN ALD equipment and the excellent customer support, Picosun has become the supplier of choice for ALD technology in China.

Chinese semiconductor manufacturing and the number of planned fabs in the country are booming, making China the new key market for semiconductor processing equipment. This is the most excellent news considering Picosun's prominent position as the advanced ALD solutions provider. Collaboration with the leading Chinese research institutes is further supporting Picosun's sprint in the market.

"We are extremely happy with the development of our ALD business in China. Our achievements are based on solid ALD knowhow, high-level support and proprietary designs, which give the best value for our Chinese customers and ensure our steady progress in the Chinese market. We are committed to our customer satisfaction by providing the newest and the best ALD solutions and systems in the market," states Mr. Xiaopeng Wu, CEO of Picosun China.

Picosun provides the most advanced ALD thin film coating technology to enable the industrial leap into the future, with turn-key production solutions and unmatched expertise in the field. Today, PICOSUN ALD equipment are in daily manufacturing use in numerous major industries around the world. Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in North America, Singapore, Taiwan, China, and Japan, and a world-wide sales and support network. For more information visit http://www.picosun.com.

Contact: Xiaopeng (Edwin) Wu, CEO of Picosun China Co. Ltd. (email xiaopeng.wu@picosun.com; tel. +358 40 480 3449)

SOURCE Picosun Oy
ALBANY, New York, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Transparency Market Research has released a new market report titled "Specialty Silica (Precipitated Silica, Fumed Silica, Fused Silica, Silica Gel and Colloidal Silica) Market for Rubber (Tire, Footwear, Industrial), Crop Protection, Paints & Coatings, Electronic Components, Food & Beverage, Animal Feed, Plastics, Personal Care & Cosmetics, and Other Applications - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2016-2024." According to the report, the global specialty silica market was valued at US$ 4.40 Bn in 2015 and is projected to reach US$ 7.32 Bn by 2024 at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2016 to 2024.

The automotive tire industry has been expanding significantly in North America and Europe in past few years. Specialty silicas are majorly used in tire applications to partially reduce the use of carbon black. Furthermore the paints & coatings, is one of the key application industry, which has been expanding steadily since the last few years due to extensive demand from developed and developing regions. Specialty silica are also widely used in the cosmetics and personal care applications owing to its properties such as, anticaking, UV protecting, flowing aiding and dispersive nature. It is typically employed in products such as body scrubs, sunscreen lotions, body lotions, antiaging creams, color cosmetics and others. Thus growth in the personal care and cosmetics industry is expected to provide the necessary momentum to the specialty silica market in the next few years. However, factors such as expensive nature of colloidal silica and fused silica and availability of substitutes such as oxides of aluminum (alumina), magnesium (magnesia), and calcium (lime) are anticipated to hinder the growth of the silica market during the forecast period. Increasing inclination of tire manufacturers toward highly dispersible silica material to obtain low rolling resistance for fuel efficiency and better performance, is estimated to boost the demand for specialty silica in rubber industry. This, in turn, is projected to offer growth opportunities to the specialty silica market during the forecast period.

Get Industry Research Report Sample for more Professional and Technical Industry Insights: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11183

Precipitated silica dominated the global specialty silica market and accounted for more than 50% volume share in 2015. Wide demand for precipitated silica from tire application is projected to boost precipitated silica market during the forecast period. Fumed silica is anticipated to grow at a significant rate owing to growing demand from electronics industry. It is primarily used in CMP abrasives, ceramic capacitors, circuit boards, etc. Silica gel is anticipated to grow at a sluggish rate due to strong competition from its substitutes in various application such as cat litter, chromatography, etc.

In terms of application revenue, rubber was the largest segment of the global specialty silica market, accounting for nearly 53% share in 2015. The segment is anticipated to continue its dominance during the forecast period due to continual growth from the global tire industry. Paints and coatings is another key application segment of the specialty silica market. The segment is estimated to witness the moderate growth in the next few years due to the steady increase in demand for paints and coatings in developed regions. Electronic components is another important segment of the specialty silica market. It is projected to be the second most lucrative application segment during the forecast period. Rise in preference for durable and highly dispersible specialty silica in high performance tire applications is also projected to drive the global specialty silica market in the next few years. Specialty silicas such as fumed silica for CMP applications are still in the development phase; however, these offer promising potential for usage in several end-use industries.

Browse Research PR: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/specialty-silica-market.htm

Asia Pacific dominates the specialty silica market, followed by Europe and North America. Developing regions (including Latin America and Middle East & Africa) are expected to be the key upcoming markets for specialty silica during the forecast period. Significant expansion in the rubber, electronic components and cosmetics & personal care application segments in developing regions is anticipated to be a key factor driving the specialty silica market in these regions.

The global specialty silica market is partially consolidated. Key players include Evonik Industries AG , Cabot Corporation, Wacker Chemie AG, PPG Industries, Inc., Tokuyama Corporation, Huber Engineered Materials, Akzo Nobel N.V., Solvay S.A. , W. R. Grace & Co. and others.

The global specialty silica market has been segmented as follows:

Specialty Silica Market: Product Type Analysis

Precipitated Silica

Fumed Silica

Fused Silica

Silica Gel

Colloidal Silica

Specialty Silica Market: Application Analysis

Rubber Tire Footwear Industrial

Crop Protection

Paints & Coatings

Electronic Components

Food & Beverage

Animal Feed

Plastics

Personal Care & Cosmetics

Other (textile, paper, etc.)

Specialty Silica Market: Regional Analysis

North America U.S. Canada

Europe France Germany Italy Spain U.K. Rest Of Europe

Asia Pacific China India ASEAN Japan Rest Of Asia

Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of South America

Middle East & Africa (MEA) GCC South Africa Rest of MEA

& (MEA)

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About TMR

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
ZUG, Switzerland, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Teleios Capital Partners LLC ("Teleios") welcomes the decision by Fenner plc (the "Company") to support the proposed appointment of Michael E. Ducey to the Board as a non-executive director at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on the 11 January 2017. Teleios is grateful for the constructive and cooperative approach of the Company in reaching this decision.

Teleios believes that the appointment of Mr. Ducey will be of significant benefit to the Company and its shareholders, and is pleased that Vanda Murray OBE, Fenner Chairman, also recognises on behalf of the Company the important contribution that Mr. Ducey stands to make as a member of the Board.

As well as supporting the appointment of Mr. Ducey, Teleios will be voting for the re-election of all incumbent members of the Board at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. Teleios looks forward to an ongoing productive dialogue with the Company, including Mark Abrahams, in his current tenure as CEO. Teleios is confident that Mr. Abrahams will ensure a smooth transition as he oversees the introduction of a new chief executive, and wishes to recognise the considerable value he has brought to the Company in his decades of service.

About Teleios Capital Partners

Teleios Capital Partners LLC is a Switzerland-based investment manager focused on European mid-market companies where it seeks to create value through constructive engagement. Teleios manages capital for leading European and US foundations, family offices and institutions.

Media contacts:

Andrew Honnor or Robert White

Greenbrook Communications

+44(0)20-7952-2000



SOURCE Teleios Capital Partners LLC
VICENZA, Italy, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

One of the research projects that will be carried out as part of the VITA mission, which will start in May 2017 with the participation of Italian ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, studies the effect of Coenzyme Q10 as a countermeasure for retinal damage induced by space environment

Among the involved researchers, Dr. Monica Monici, Dr. Francesca Cialdai, and Dr. Leonardo Vignali of ASAcampus, Joint Laboratory between the Research Division of ASAlaser and the Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences of the University of Florence.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452209/PRNE_Team_ASAcampus_Corm.jpg )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150724/242098LOGO )



"The Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) as an antiapoptotic countermeasure for retinal damage induced by radiation and microgravity on the ISS: experiment on retinal cells in culture (CORM)" - this is the title of the research project - has been selected and it is coordinated by ASI (Italian Space Agency) as part of the NASA/ASI VITA mission. The scientific coordinators are Dr. Matteo Lulli (Principal Investigator, University of Florence), and Prof. Sergio Capaccioli (Co-Principal Investigator, University of Florence), with the involvement of other researchers of the University of Florence (Dr. Alberto Magi) and Rome 'La Sapienza' (Dr. Stefano Cacchione), in addition to the researchers of ASAcampus.

Kayser Italia has instead built the hardware for the experiment.

"Our studies - explains Dr. Monici - focus on the role of physical factors, such as light and gravity, in the biological processes, and the possible applications of physical factors in the therapeutic field. We've been carrying out research in the field of Space Biology for many years, and for us it is very important to have the opportunity to participate in an experiment that takes place on the International Space Station, under real microgravity."

"CORM - concluded Dr. Lulli and Prof. Capaccioli - aims to study the damage inflicted by microgravity and radiation present on the ISS to retinal cells, and to evaluate the possible protective role fulfilled by Coenzyme Q10 towards such damage. Because CoQ10 has been the subject of one of our patents, which resulted in an eyewash for the cure of corneal diseases, we believe that in addition to the direct impact on the health of the astronauts' eyes, especially in view of long-term missions, our project will have important effects on Earth to numerous diseases that affect the retina."

PROJECT FILE

Title: 'The Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) as an antiapoptotic countermeasure for retinal damage induced by radiation and microgravity on the ISS: experiment on retinal cells in culture (CORM)'

Funded by: ASI/NASA

Participants: Dr. Matteo Lulli (Principal Investigator (PI), University of Florence), Prof. Sergio Capaccioli (Co-PI, University of Florence), Dr. Monica Monici (ASAcampus Joint Laboratory, ASA Research Division - University of Florence), Dr. Alberto Magi (University of Florence), Prof. Stefano Cacchione (University of Rome 'La Sapienza').

SOURCE ASA Srl
COLOGNE, Germany, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Chief Conductor Wayne Marshall will continue to conduct the WDR Funkhaus-Orchestra. His contract, which has been in force since August 2014, has been extended until August 2020.

WDR Radio Director, Valerie Weber, commented: "Wayne Marshall convinces with his exceptional talent - as a conductor, but also as a soloist. With his esprit and his charm, he inspires people for the projects of the WDR Funkhaus-Orchestra. And, as a result, he reaches our audiences in the concert hall, especially those who previously have had little contact with classical music."

Wayne Marshall: "I love being the Chief Conductor of this Orchestra. The musicians are especially open and committed to the most varied musical styles."

The WDR Funkhaus-Orchestra is the only continental European orchestra dedicated to the performance of entertaining music in a classical orchestral structure. Under Wayne Marshall's leadership, the WDR Funkhaus-Orchestra has expanded its range broadly and very successfully, among other things with computer game music, film music, entertaining classical music and new arrangements of well-known rock and pop classics.

Press contact: WDR Presse und Information, Barbara.Feiereis@wdr.de, Tel. +49-0221-2207122



SOURCE WDR - Westgerman Broadcasting Corporation Cologne
The one-week immersive program was held for the first time in January 2016 and achieved remarkable success. This time XCMG received altogether 10,640 applications from 54 countries and regions in the initial worldwide recruitment, tripling the number of first term. The five lucky apprentices who stood out from the selection were Rajanna K.V. from Nigeria, Xavir Taillard.T from Namibia, Mahmut Demircan from Turkey, Faizan Naeem from Pakistan and Lyubov Korovina from Uzbekistan.

Apprentices followed their mentors from the different departments including R&D, management and service on a customized journey to visit the world's largest combined factory building in construction machinery industry, Asia's largest vibration and noise lab, the largest and most automated welding base station and the world's first linear super-tonnage crane assembly line, learning about XCMG's world leading high-end products including the mobile walking excavator ET110.

Among the apprentices, Naeem was very interested in XCMG's leading intelligent manufacturing technologies while Taillard.T was very impressed by the parts and models of various XCMG products.

"XCMG Apprentice" Season II also included more hands-on tasks like driving the world's first hydro pneumatic suspension five-axis dumper, experiencing the remote control of G1 crane and the remanufacture of parts and completed simulated welding exercise in the intelligent digital lab.

"The XCMG Apprentice Program represents our values of making the world better, the young apprentices have great potential in the construction machinery industry in their home countries, and we are proud to introduce not only our company but also the Chinese manufacturing culture and XCMG spirit to them," said Wang Min, chairman of XCMG.

About XCMG

XCMG is a multinational heavy machinery manufacturing company with a history of 73 years. It currently ranks ninth in the world's construction machinery industry. The company exports to more than 176 countries and regions around the world.

For more information, please visit: www.xcmg.com, or XCMG pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Related Links

http://www.xcmg.com



SOURCE XCMG
BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Affirma Consulting was recently recognized as one of Top 20 Most Promising IT Infrastructure Solutions Provider by CIO Review magazine for 2016.

This accolade was awarded by CIO Review, an independent technology magazine that specializes in enterprise solutions. According to its website, "It is the leading source that shares innovative enterprise solutions developed by established solutions providers, upcoming hot enterprises and is a neutral source for technology decision makers." The article in CIO Review can be found here.

CIO Review - IT Infrastructure Award

The article highlights Affirma's "vigilant focus" on customer satisfaction. The article also makes mention of Affirma's breadth of IT Infrastructure services including O365 migrations, Azure migrations, Exchange migrations, ADFS, EMS, and System Center. The article features a case study where Affirma successfully and seamlessly migrated and merged Zillow's critical email infrastructure to O365 platform as part of its acquisition of Trulia.

Across the U.S., Affirma is an established and reliable firm, focused on providing trusted IT Infrastructure services to various industries. Its proven ability to deliver results, while sustaining excellent customer satisfaction are the components that make Affirma a Promising IT Infrastructure Vendor. Also, Affirma is a Microsoft Certified Cloud Partner, and is trusted by Microsoft to deliver excellent service to all O365 and Azure customers. To view Affirma's complete list of technology, creative, and staffing services, visit http://www.affirmaconsulting.com/.

Affirma is an award-winning full service technology consultancy based out of Bellevue, WA. Affirma offers expertise in Business Intelligence Consulting, SharePoint Consulting, Infrastructure Consulting, Cloud Consulting, Azure Consulting, Custom Software Development, Visual Design Consulting, and Staffing Services. Affirma also has Marketing Automation Experts and eCommerce Experts that can help clients increase their leads and revenue. Affirma is a Microsoft Gold Partner and a Salesforce Partner. We focus on delivering true, measurable business value to our clients. We have a passion for customer satisfaction and are dedicated to delivering dependable and reliable solutions that exceed client expectations. Affirma was recently recognized as an Inc. 5000 company.

Media Contact:

Don Hyun

425-289-2999

SOURCE Affirma Consulting

Related Links

http://www.affirmaconsulting.com


WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alere Inc. (NYSE: ALR), a global leader in rapid diagnostic tests, today provided an update on the decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to revoke Arriva Medical's Medicare billing privileges. Arriva is the largest Contract Supplier under the Medicare National Mail Order Competitive Bid Program for Diabetes Testing Supplies, having won contracts in every round of bidding and demonstrating its trusted supplier status to CMS. Arriva has filed an appeal with the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at CMS seeking to reinstate Arriva's billing status. Arriva expects the ALJ to hear the appeal within 30 days and issue a decision within three months. Arriva issued the following statement:

For more than seven years, Arriva has reliably and responsibly provided diabetes testing supplies to Medicare beneficiaries. Today, Arriva serves more than half of the participants in the CMS program. We believe the recent action by CMS to remove Arriva from CMS billing is unlawful, arbitrary and capricious, and harmful to the more than 500,000 patients who depend on Arriva for these critical supplies. Our commitment to patients is unwavering, and because we are confident that this ruling will be overturned, Arriva is continuing to provide patients with the supplies they need as the appeals process proceeds. We are confident that Arriva is in compliance with CMS guidelines and look forward to an expeditious and favorable outcome for both Arriva and the hundreds of thousands of patients who depend on us. The number of purported instances cited by CMS is de minimis relative to the nearly 5.8 million total claims filed by Arriva during that same period.

Additionally, Alere today announced that Arriva has filed a complaint, and related motions, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (the "Court") seeking: (i) to compel CMS to stay the process regarding the Competitive Bidding Contract termination while the ALJ appeal is ongoing; and (ii) to compel CMS to provisionally reinstate Arriva's billing number while Arriva pursues the ALJ appeal. Arriva expects a decision on its motions to enjoin on or about January 5, 2017.

As outlined in the complaint, Arriva alleges that the decision by CMS to bar Arriva from participating in Medicare is driven by a desire to reduce its longstanding backlog of administrative claim-reimbursement appeals. Arriva notes that the Court recently ordered CMS to clear that backlog by 2020, and, upon information and belief, CMS perceives Arriva to be a contributor to that backlog because Arriva has been forced to appeal approximately 250,000 errantly denied claims over the past five years.

Additionally, on October 12, 2016, without any advance notice, Arriva received a letter from CMS informing it that, effective November 4, 2016, the agency was revoking Arriva's Medicare supplier billing number and barring it from re-enrolling in the Medicare program for a period of three years. Then, on November 2, 2016, without granting Arriva the opportunity to be heard, CMS upheld its initial decision based on a four-day, apparently mechanical review. CMS reached this conclusion in spite of evidence provided by Arriva demonstrating that any errors were primarily the result of Medicare system flaws.

Arriva is confident in the merits of this case because, among other things:

Arriva and the Medicare beneficiaries it serves will suffer irreparable harm if injunctive relief is not granted;

The balance of equities and the public interest are decidedly in favor of Arriva;

Arriva is likely to succeed on the merits of the case because CMS's actions are depriving Arriva of protected property and liberty interests without due process; and

CMS's refusal to grant Arriva a pre-termination hearing violates due process.

Alere has previously made public a fact sheet providing additional information regarding Arriva's relationship with CMS. The fact sheet can be accessed on Alere's website at http://www.alere.com/en/home.html.

King & Spalding LLP is serving as legal counsel to Alere in connection with the Arriva matter.

About Alere

Alere believes that when diagnosing and monitoring health conditions, Knowing now matters. Alere delivers reliable and actionable information by providing rapid diagnostic tests, enhancing clinical and economic healthcare outcomes globally. Headquartered in Waltham, Mass., Alere focuses on rapid diagnostics for cardiometabolic disease, infectious disease and toxicology. For more information on Alere, please visit www.alere.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication (and those referenced in this communication) contain 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, including statements regarding Arriva's commitment to its patients and the Medicare program; the timing for a hearing and decision by the ALJ; the timing for a ruling by the federal court with respect to certain motions made by the Company; the bases for the Company's confidence in this case and that the ruling by CMS will be overturned; the potential impact of the revocation of Arriva's Medicare enrollment, including with respect to the risks to beneficiaries and the National Mail Order DTS program and CMS policy and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects of the board or management of the Company. Readers can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "could," "should," "would," "intend," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "continue" or similar words. A number of important factors could cause actual results of Alere and its subsidiaries to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to the possibility that the ALJ may determine the Company's appeal in a manner adverse to the Company, the possibility that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia may not grant the Company's motion to enjoin and/or may make a ruling in the case that is adverse to the Company, as well as the risk factors detailed in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 (as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 8, 2016) and other risk factors identified herein or from time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC. Readers should carefully review these risk factors, and should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information, plans and estimates at the date of this communication. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, future events or other changes.

SOURCE Alere Inc.

Related Links

http://www.alere.com


NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PSEG today announced that Bill Levis has informed the company of his intention to retire as president and COO of PSEG Power effective in the third quarter of 2017. He is also a member of PSEG's Executive Officer Group (EOG).

"Bill's leadership at Power occurred during a time when the industry faced tremendous challenges. I have greatly valued his counsel during these past 10 years," said Ralph Izzo, chairman, president and CEO, PSEG. "I, along with the rest of the company, thank him and wish him well in his retirement."

Levis joined PSEG in 2007 after having worked at Exelon in nuclear operations and before that held positions with Ontario Hydro and Carolina Power and Light. He graduated from the Naval Academy and retired from the Navy reserve as a commander.



Levis has served on the executive committee of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), on the board of directors of the Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (NEIL) and as a member of the Institute of Nuclear Power operators (INPO). Levis is also active in several community groups including the Philadelphia Archdiocese Catholic Charities Appeal and the CEO Council for Growth, based in Philadelphia.

PSEG's existing succession planning process will provide for the orderly transition of Levis' roles and responsibilities in connection with his retirement, and PSEG has indicated that they will not be making any announcements until closer to Levis' retirement date.



Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG) is a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of $10.4 billion. Its operating subsidiaries are: Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), PSEG Power, and PSEG Long Island.

From time to time, PSEG, PSE&G and PSEG Power release important information via postings on their corporate website at http://investor.pseg.com . Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to visit the corporate website to review new postings. The "Email Alerts" link at http://investor.pseg.com may be used to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and/or Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings.

Forward-Looking Statement

The statements contained in this communication about our and our subsidiaries' future performance, including, without limitation, future revenues, earnings, strategies, prospects, consequences and all other statements that are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although we believe that our expectations are based on information currently available and on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance they will be achieved. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. A discussion of some of these risks and uncertainties is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and available on our website: http://www.pseg.com. These documents address in further detail our business, industry issues and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in this communication. In addition, any forward-looking statements included herein represent our estimates only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements from time to time, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our internal estimates change, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Public Service Enterprise Group

Related Links

http://www.pseg.com


DOVER, N.J., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After the holidays end, staying motivated for the rest of the school year can be challenging for both students and teachers, but Casio America Inc., is here to help reignite excitement for the learning process with its range of products for education. Casio's XJ-F210WN LampFree projector, fx-9750GII graphing calculator and Privia PX-160 digital piano are essential tools in creating an enthusiastic learning environment.

"At Casio, we know the value and importance of the education process for students and educators alike," said Yuji Sasajima, CEO of Casio America, Inc. "Casio's full portfolio of products provides the most innovative tools and technologies that will help reenergize the classroom experience for the second half of the school year."

XJ-F210WN Projector

The XJ-F210WN is part of the Advanced Series of projectors and is powered by Casio's LampFree technology. This esteemed technology combines a laser and LED light source to create a high-brightness, mercury-free tool that uses half the amount of power per unit than other lamp-based projectors. This makes the XJ-F210WN a safer and more affordable choice for schools that are looking to not only go green but save money at the same time. Casio's XJ-F210WN also comes equipped with a 20,000-hour estimated operating life, eliminating the process of having to replace costly lamps. It reaches full brightness in as fast as five seconds from the time it is powered on, creating more time for lessons and less time for set-up.

fx-9750GII Graphing Calculator

The fx-9750GII is perfect for any student from middle school to college who wants to have the best technology at his or her fingertips during the second half of the school year. It features an icon-based menu that is easy to navigate and the soft-menus feature allows for easy access. The fx-9750GII also offers USB connectivity, nine probability functions, unit conversion, REF/RREF function, AP statistics and random integers, as well as the ability to create pie charts and bar graphs. The fx-9750GII is available in various colors including blue, white and pink.

Privia PX-160 Digital Piano

Casio's Privia PX-160 is an 88-key digital piano is a great tool for students learning to play an instrument either at home or in the classroom. It features Casio's famous AiR technology which provides the sound of a real nine foot concert grand piano at four dynamic levels. This advanced technology will give the students the ability to not only learn but also have an expressive and powerful performance at the same time. The PX-160 also provides a string ensemble with electric piano tones and features dual headphone outputs which are located on the front of the instrument. In addition, the PX-160 comes equipped with Casio's Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard which features simulated ebony and ivory-textured keys for a great feel and remarkable sound.

For additional information on Casio's full product portfolio, please visit www.Casio.com.

About Casio America, Inc.

Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com.

About Casio LampFree Projectors

Casio's portfolio of LampFree projectors combines a laser, a fluorescent element and an LED light to deliver a mercury-free hybrid light source that lasts up to 20,000 hours while sustaining a high brightness and keeping maintenance costs to a minimum. Casio has a full assortment of LampFree solutions available for home, business, education and commercial applications  Core, Advanced, Slim, Pro and Short Throw. For additional information on Casio's projector series and LampFree technology, please visit www.CasioLampFree.com.

About Privia

Casio's Privia line of digital pianos redefines the digital piano category with unprecedented sound quality and performance features in stylish, elegant designs that are supremely portable. Featuring superb grand piano sounds and a new Tri-Sensor 88 note scaled hammer action keyboard and some models weighing only 25 lbs., Casio's Privia digital pianos are versatile enough for any home, studio, or stage. The award winning grand piano sound in Privia has been dramatically improved and now utilizes more than three times the memory of the previous generation for a more natural piano tone. In addition, Casio's new proprietary sound source "AiR" (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) provides unmatched realism, detail and seamless dynamics for a remarkably expressive and powerful performance. For additional information on Casio's Privia digital pianos, please visit www.CasioMusicGear.com

SOURCE Casio America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.casiousa.com


MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J., Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Faith M. Knabe (Faith K. Goldschmidt) MA, MPH, is recognized by Continental Who's Who with the 2015-2016 Lifetime Achievement award as a result of fifty years of excellence in the field of Healthcare.

Faith's areas of concentration are varied and include Public Health; Research; Information Analysis; Report Writing; Grant Writing and Monitoring; Project Management; Education and Training; Database Creation, Management, and Data Security; Institutional Review Board Participation and Chairing; Healthcare Systems; Quality of Care; Cost of Care and Treatment Pattern Analysis; Community Health; Health Needs Interviews; and Community Coalition Building; as well as Online Education, and the clinical microbiology research areas of wound care and burn care.



Now retired, Faith most recently was a Research Scientist and Manager of Data Evaluation with the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH), Division of HIV, STD and TB Services (DHSTS), HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Unit. She spent almost twenty-five years with the State of New Jersey, first in the Division of Health Planning and Resources Development (HPRD), and then in DHSTS. Faith was a member and Chair of the Department's Institutional Review Board (IRB) which oversees all research on human subjects for almost ten years. She also spent four years at New Jersey Medical School as a Research Scientist, Coordinator of Research projects, and liaison with University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's IRB.



While in HPRD, Faith was one of the creators, implementers and administrators of New Jersey's Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) system of hospital payment which was adopted by Medicare in 1983 as the basis for its Prospective Payment System (PPS). As a Unit Director, Faith coordinated and managed the tasks of 5 teams (30 staff) which ran New Jersey's DRG System (Clinical and Quality of Care, Development, Certificate of Need, Financial Feasibility and Audit, and Data Teams). Considered an expert on the DRG system, Ms. Knabe presented testimony on the System to numerous federal and state committees, and gave many lectures on various aspects of the DRG system. The PPS and various adaptations of it still exist as the federal method of payment for hospitals, federally qualified health centers, home health agencies, etc.

In the Division of HIV, STD and TB Services, Faith oversaw the collection, management and analysis of data from agencies funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White CARE Act and by the State and oversaw report creation for HRSA, the State, and other requestors. She was the Chairperson of the Data Group charged with linking Division and external databases to determine trends and outcomes in the HIV epidemic, and efficiency and efficacy of care and treatment.

Faith was also Chairperson of the Division Security and Confidentiality Policy Committee which created the Division Security and Confidentiality Policy for data collected by the Division, and reviews, updates and trains employees on the Policy on an annual basis. As Chairperson, Faith assumed the role of data Security Officer for the Division and worked with the State Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Department's Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) and State Security Officers to ensure security and confidentiality of HIV/AIDS information. In her capacity as Security Officer, she also formally investigated potential breaches of confidentiality and security of HIV/AIDS data, documented and made recommendations to upper management, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, the Office of the Attorney General and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as necessary.



Ms. Knabe worked for twelve years in community health and online education, both as an independent consultant, and as a member of two Local Advisory Boards (liaison organizations between communities and the State Department of Health) on various projects such as county health needs surveys, community focus groups, primary and secondary data analyses, sudden cardiac death, the value of Automated External Defibrillators, and services for juveniles at risk or in the juvenile justice system. She also analyzed hospital data, and trained hospital staff in three New York hospitals to analyze their clinical, financial, and personnel information collected in a proprietary database system created to identify growth, profit and problem areas. She helped initiate the online Master of Health Administration program, and taught two courses online for a New Jersey university for four years.



Ms. Knabe started her career in healthcare in 1967 as a Research Scientist in the Clinical Microbiology Section of the Research Division of Johnson & Johnson (J&J). During her eleven-year tenure, she developed, organized, coordinated and managed projects to test and identify effective and efficient new and existing products for wound care, burn care and topical therapies.



Faith earned her M.A. in Microbiology from Smith College in 1963, and also holds her M.P.H. in General Public Health from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health (1978). In addition, Faith received a B.A. in Biology from Clark University in 1962 and is currently a member of the NY Academy of Science, Sigma Xi; the National Association of Professional Women, and Continental Who's Who.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


FORESTVILLE, Calif., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Farmhouse Inn, Sonoma's premier boutique luxury hotel, is pleased to announce the Icons of the Russian River Valley package, offering locals and visitors alike a taste of the best of Sonoma Wine Country. A new world cousin to France's Burgundy; the Russian River Valley in Sonoma wine country is home to some of the best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in the world. Collectors and fans of these wines will not be disappointed - the winemakers have pulled out some of their favorite vintages from their cellars. The Michelin starred Farmhouse chefs worked closely with the winemakers to develop menus to best showcase their wines. This one-of-a-kind experience will be available to guests of the hotel exclusively.

Kistler Wines presented with Michelin starred Farmhouse Inn cuisine, Iconic Winemaker Dinner Series. Grilled Octopus, one of Farmhouse Inn's signature dishes from Michelin starred chef Steve Litke

"Icons of the Russian River Valley" enables guests to experience Russian River Valley's spectacular scenery, world-class wines and gastronomic delights," said Catherine Bartolomei, owner and general manager of Farmhouse Inn. "We're excited to partner with some of the world's premier pinot noir producers, and to offer our guests a truly exceptional weekend in wine country. We hope to make the series an annual event that guests return to each year."

Partnering with the Farmhouse Inn are winemakers from Williams Selyem, Kistler, Kosta Browne, Merry Edwards and Littorai  all world-renowned pinot noir innovators. Each winery will host a dinner on Friday night where they will share their story, passions and wines with guests. Each winery's wines will be expertly paired with Executive Chef Steve Litke's Michelin menu. Saturday afternoon the dinner attendees will head out to the winery for an experience created just for them. This exclusive experience will not be available to the public and is only available to dinner attendees. Weekend dates and dinner pricing are below.

The winemaker dinner and winery experience will only be available to guests who reserve a room at the hotel. Guests booking a room and dinner are offered the second night at 50% off for those wanting to make a weekend of it. Reservations for rooms can be made by visiting the website (www.farmhouseinn.com) or by calling the hotel at 707-887-3300.

The Icons of the Russian River Valley dinner is offered at $250 per person. The following winemaker dinner dates are confirmed: Williams Selyem on January 27th, Kosta Browne on February 24th, Merry Edwards on March 10th, Littorai on March 24th, and Kistler on April 7th. Guests should continue to check the website for updated information. Reservations for the Icons of the Russian River Valley package are available by contacting Farmhouse Inn at 707.887.3300 or by emailing [email protected].

About Farmhouse Inn

Nestled in the iconic Russian River Valley near Healdsburg (just an hour north of San Francisco), Farmhouse Inn is a family owned luxury boutique hotel with just 25 rooms, a Michelin starred restaurant and luxurious spa. The hotel's small size offers guests an intimate wine country experience with richly crafted offers, packages, meals, spa treatments and more. The mission put forth by the hotel owners' is simple: to provide an authentic, "insider" experience of the California Wine country- everything at Farmhouse Inn is designed to make each visit to the wine country memorable. The hotel is owned by 5th generation siblings, Joe and Catherine Bartolomei, whose connections in the area mean guests of the hotel often have access to unknown and hard-to-find experiences. Farmhouse Inn was recently voted Best Hotel in California and #12 Best in the World by Travel & Leisure magazine.

Media Contact:

Meghan Smith

[email protected]

707-887-3300 ext. 303

SOURCE Farmhouse Inn

Related Links

http://www.farmhouseinn.com


DRAPER, Utah, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (FLXT) today announced 2016 accomplishments that have led to a record year for the company in both revenues and product expansion of the Bend Sensor. Looking at 2017, the company expects the majority of growth to come from multiple markets including toys, shoes, gloves, medical and automotive.

Below are some of Flexpoint's accomplishments in 2016:

Established an on-going relationship with an American-based, Fortune 500, global toy manufacturing company and first year annualized volume has been in excess of 800,000 sensors.

Reached production readiness phase with Tier 1 automotive manufacturer featuring the patented Flexpoint Horn Actuation system.

Expanded glove applications incorporating the Bend Sensor across industries including medical, toys, gaming and virtual reality. Some specific relationships include:

A robotics toy kit from ZeroUI

Medical virtual reality rehabilitation glove and system from "Gloreha Sinfonia"

Medical rehabilitation glove system from Neofect

Launch of the industry's first consumer virtual reality glove by Manus VR

Technological glove designed for the hearing impaired that converts Sign Language into speech in real-time from award winning Turtela Technology Solutions

Queen's University Human Media Lab developed the industry-first, patented flexible smart phone  ReFlex  and other inventive technologies such as PaperTab and Holoflex which all incorporate the Bend Sensor.

Launched the Flexpoint Bend Sensor Glove Kit in order to help engineers shorten the development time and assist in the implementation of the Bend Sensor into future applications.

"We continue to distinguish ourselves in these ever evolving markets through close client collaboration. As the Bend Sensor repeatedly differentiates itself competitively because of its adaptability, durability and exceptional product quality, we expect to continue making strategic and prosperous partnerships going into 2017 and beyond," commented Paul Sexauer, VP Sales and Marketing.

Below are some of Flexpoint's expectations for 2017:

Toy related purchase orders are expected to significantly increase from 2016. The Fortune 500, global toy manufacturing company Flexpoint has been working with will be the largest contributor with annualized volumes expected to grow as a direct result of increased sales and expansion to other models of the toys. Revenue contribution will also come from other toy clients as their commercialization efforts continue in 2017.

Flexpoint expects growth in the shoe (wearable) related market segment as multiple customers come to market with different adaptations of applications.

As the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) market segments continue on their dramatic growth path, Flexpoint expects to realize significant revenue from as many as ten different customer sources in 2017  this exciting market adoption will span B2B, Consumer and Medical.

Flexpoint will expand its channel/distributor partner presence globally in 2017 which will result in significant contribution to revenue from sales of "stock" products from these valued partners

There are several of existing Flexpoint customers planning to bring new products to market leveraging the Bend Sensor technology.

IoT/IIot applications featuring the Bend Sensor will increase as these types of applications continue their dramatic ascent across a variety of markets including medical and power/energy.

Multiple medical products from various companies including, Haemoband, will achieve commercialization in 2017.

Expected achievement of Cash Flow Positive

"Our diversity of partners and depth of projects has really expanded in 2016 and we expect that to increase in 2017. Our main sources of revenue have begun to shift, and we expect the bulk of revenues to come from our relationships with industries including toys, shoes, gloves applications (specifically virtual reality) and automotive. I truly believe Flexpoint is in the best position it has ever been in. 2016 was a record year for us and we expect to develop our on-going relationships further in 2017 as well as to develop new opportunities," commented Paul Sexauer, VP of Sales and Marketing.

About Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc.

Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (FLXT) is an innovative technology firm specializing in developing products that feature the Company's patented Bend Sensor and related technology. The Bend Sensor is a groundbreaking sensing solution that is revolutionizing applications in many industries such as sports/fitness, automotive, safety, medical and industrial; some of which can be further categorized in the rapidly growing "wearables" space. The Bend Sensor's single-layer, thin film construction cuts costs and mechanical bulk while introducing a range of functions and stylistic design possibilities that have never before been available in sensing technology. Flexpoint's technology and expertise have been recognized by the world's elite business and academic innovators for over 17 years. The company is setting a new standard for sensing solutions in the "smart" age of technology.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" and involve both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such uncertainties include, among others, certain risks associated with the operation of the company described above. The Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results.

Contact Information:

Flexpoint Sensor Systems

Clark Mower, President

801-568-5111

Brokers and Analysts

Chesapeake Group

410-825-3930

[email protected]

SOURCE Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.flexpoint.com


CLEVELAND, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gas Natural Inc. (NYSE MKT: EGAS) ("Gas Natural" or the "Company"), a holding company operating local natural gas utilities serving approximately 68,600 customers in four states, today announced that, based on votes cast at the Company's special meeting of shareholders held earlier today, Gas Natural's shareholders voted to approve the Company's previously announced plan to merge with FR Bison Merger Sub, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of First Reserve Energy Infrastructure Fund II, L.P ("First Reserve"), a leading global private equity and infrastructure investment firm exclusively focused on energy. Over 73.0% percent of the outstanding shares voted, with 98.2% percent approving the proposed merger.

"We are pleased with the result of the vote as it overwhelmingly demonstrates the strong support for the transaction by our shareholders," said Gregory J. Osborne, Gas Natural's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We have achieved a major milestone toward completing the merger with First Reserve. With shareholder support, we can move forward and seek regulatory approvals. The result of the vote demonstrates shareholder confidence in the strength of the franchise to serve our customers' needs and to grow the business. I would like to thank Gas Natural Inc. shareholders and employees for their support throughout the process."

Under the terms of the merger agreement with First Reserve, Gas Natural shareholders will receive $13.10 for each share of Gas Natural common stock that they own.

Gas Natural and First Reserve continue to expect to complete the transaction in the second half of 2017, subject to the satisfaction of the remaining customary closing conditions, including the approval of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the Montana Public Service Commission, the North Carolina Utilities Commission and the Public Utility Commission of Ohio.

About Gas Natural Inc.

Gas Natural Inc., a holding company, distributes and sells natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. It distributes approximately 21 billion cubic feet of natural gas to roughly 68,600 customers through regulated utilities operating in Montana, Ohio, Maine and North Carolina. The Company's other operations include intrastate pipeline, natural gas production and natural gas marketing. The Company's Montana public utility was originally incorporated in 1909. Gas Natural Inc. regularly posts information on its website at www.egas.net.

About First Reserve

First Reserve is a leading global private equity and infrastructure investment firm exclusively focused on energy. With over 30 years of industry insight, investment expertise and operational excellence, First Reserve has cultivated an enduring network of global relationships and raised approximately USD $31 billion of aggregate capital since inception. Putting these to work, First Reserve has completed approximately 600 transactions (including platform investments and add-on acquisitions), creating several notable energy companies throughout First Reserve's history. Its portfolio companies operate on six continents, spanning the energy spectrum from upstream oil and gas to midstream and downstream, including resources, equipment and services and infrastructure. For more information, please visit www.firstreserve.com.

Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The Company is including the following cautionary statement in this release to make applicable, and to take advantage of, the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, Gas Natural Inc. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, those that are identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "estimates," "expects" "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "may," "will" and similar expressions. Such statements are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed. Factors that may affect forward-looking statements and the Company's business generally include, but are not limited to the Company's ability to complete the proposed transaction; any event, change or circumstance that might give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; the effect of the announcement of the proposed transaction on the Company's relationships with its customers, operating results and business generally; the risk that the proposed transaction will not be consummated in a timely manner; the failure to receive, on a timely basis or otherwise, approval of the merger, and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, by the Company's shareholders or the approval of government or regulatory agencies with regard to the merger; the failure of one or more conditions to the closing of the merger to be satisfied; risks arising from the merger's diversion of management's attention from our ongoing business operations; risks that the Company's stock price may decline significantly if the merger is not completed; the Company's ability to successfully integrate the operations of the companies it has acquired and consummate additional acquisitions; the Company's continued ability to make dividend payments; the Company's ability to implement its business plan, grow earnings and improve returns on investment; fluctuating energy commodity prices; the possibility that regulators may not permit the Company to pass through all of its increased costs to its customers; changes in the utility regulatory environment; wholesale and retail competition; the Company's ability to satisfy its debt obligations, including compliance with financial covenants; weather conditions; litigation risks; and various other matters, many of which are beyond the Company's control; the risk factors and cautionary statements made in the Company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"); and other factors that the Company is currently unable to identify or quantify, but may exist in the future. Gas Natural Inc. expressly undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Gas Natural Inc.'s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Additional factors that may affect the future results of the Company are set forth in its filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof.

For more information, contact Gas Natural Inc. Investor Relations James E. Sprague, Chief Financial Officer Deborah K. Pawlowski or Karen L. Howard, Kei Advisors LLC Phone: (216) 202-1564 Phone: (716) 843-3908 / (716) 843-3942 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE Gas Natural Inc.

Related Links

http://www.egas.net


VANCOUVER, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (TSX: ITH, NYSE-MKT: THM) ("ITH" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") of 45,833,334 common shares at a price of US$0.48 per share for gross proceeds of US$22.0 million.

"It is significant to have such high quality support from Paulson & Co. Inc. as they increase their interest in the Company and to have Tocqueville Asset Management, L. P. and AngloGold Ashanti (U.S.A.) Exploration Inc. participate in this private placement to maintain their pro-rata share. With this support, the improved results of the Pre-Feasibility Study released on October 24, 2016 and the key project fundamentals of a large resource base, stable jurisdiction, and leverage to gold price, we look forward to continuing to advance the Livengood Gold Project," said Tom Irwin, CEO.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the private placement for full satisfaction of the final payment due in January 2017 with respect to acquisition of certain mining claims and related rights in the vicinity of the Livengood Gold Project in Alaska (the "Project") (determined to be approximately USD $14.7 million as calculated per the purchase agreement through December 12, 2016), continuation of optimization studies to further improve and de-risk the Project, required environmental baseline studies, and for general working capital purposes.

In connection with the Offering, the Company has appointed Marcelo Kim to the ITH board of directors, where he will serve as Chairman. Mr. Kim is a Partner at Paulson & Co. Inc., where he oversees global natural resource investments. He received his BA in Economics from Yale University and currently also sits on the board of directors of Midas Gold Corporation. Commencing from the next annual general meeting of the Company's shareholders, Paulson & Co. Inc. will have the right to nominate Mr. Kim and one other individual to stand for election to the board of directors.

Marcelo Kim, incoming Chairman for ITH said, "We are excited to continue our partnership with ITH, owner of one of the largest gold reserves in North America not owned by a major company. In addition to its low strip ratio, minimal infrastructure requirements, and excellent jurisdiction, there are a number of opportunities that could further improve the economics for the Livengood project. Going forward, we will work to optimize both the capital and operating expenses of what we believe one day will become one of North America's most profitable gold mines."

Steve Lang, who has served as the Board Chairman since January 2014, has been appointed as the lead independent director for the Company.

Mr. Lang said "We appreciate the strong signal of support from our major shareholders. On behalf of the entire board, we would like to welcome Mr. Kim to the board."

All common shares issued in the Offering are subject to a hold period in Canada of four months from the closing of the Offering. All common shares issued in the United States will be subject to resale restrictions under U.S. federal and state securities laws. The common shares to be issued in the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the common shares to be issued in the Offering, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the common shares to be issued in the Offering in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. controls a 100% interest of the Livengood Gold Project, located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

On behalf of

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

(signed) Thomas E. Irwin

Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements with respect to the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering by the Company, the ability of the Company to carry out and complete optimization studies with respect to the Livengood Gold Project, the ability of the Company to advance the Livengood Gold Project, the potential development of any mine at Livengood, business and financing plans and business trends are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate, proposed, planned, potential and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, risks associated with the outcome of the expected remedial de-listing review by the TSX, the use of proceeds from the Offering, the potential inability of the Company to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), and certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and its United States public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sec.gov, and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical report filed with respect to the Company's Livengood Gold Project.

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States or Canada.

SOURCE International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.ithmines.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), one of the fastest growing genetic information companies, today announced that members of the company's management team will present at the 35th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.

The live, listen-only webcast of both the presentation and breakout session immediately following may be accessed by visiting the investors section of the company's website at ir.invitae.com. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the presentation and will be archived on the company's website.

About Invitae

Invitae Corporation's (NYSE: NVTA) mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medical practice to improve the quality of healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate most of the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower price than many single-gene and panel tests today. The company currently provides a diagnostic service comprising hundreds of genes for a variety of genetic disorders associated with oncology, cardiology, neurology, pediatrics, and other rare disease areas. For more information, visit our website at invitae.com.

Contact:

Laura D'Angelo

[email protected]

314-920-0617

SOURCE Invitae Corporation

Related Links

http://invitae.com


NOVI, Mich., Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ITC Holdings Corp. and its 660 employees donated more than $1 million to 79 charitable organizations throughout its footprint in 2016. The nation's largest independent electricity transmission company provides donations to deserving nonprofits whose programs share ITC's values. Highlights of ITC's 2016 charitable giving program include:

ITC Michigan: The company and its 543 employees in the state donated more than $624 thousand to 38 charitable organizations. Among them:

Kids' Food Basket, a Grand Rapids -based organization which serves nearly 7,500 kids each weekday in West Michigan with sack suppers  well-rounded, nutritious evening meals  to attack childhood hunger to help young people learn and live well. ITC awarded a charitable grant to Kids' Food Basket, and company employees and contractors donated food, decorated sack supper bags, and helped pack the bags.

-based organization which serves nearly 7,500 kids each weekday in with sack suppers  well-rounded, nutritious evening meals  to attack childhood hunger to help young people learn and live well. ITC awarded a charitable grant to Kids' Food Basket, and company employees and contractors donated food, decorated sack supper bags, and helped pack the bags. Focus: HOPE Village Freedom School in Detroit received an ITC grant as the final funding necessary to launch the HOPE Village Freedom School in June 2016 . Conducted in partnership with the Children's Defense Fund, HOPE Village Freedom School is based on a national model of classroom programs to promote literacy and academic success. Click here to view a video about ITC's partnership with the HOPE Village Freedom School.

ITC Midwest: The company and its 101 employees based in Iowa and Minnesota donated more than $133 thousand to 16 charitable organizations, including:

Make-A-Wish Iowa grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The Iowa chapter's foundation has granted wishes to more than 3,000 children with life-threatening medical conditions since 1987 and currently grants a wish in Iowa about every other day. Click here to view a video about ITC's partnership with Make-A-Wish Iowa.

chapter's foundation has granted wishes to more than 3,000 children with life-threatening medical conditions since 1987 and currently grants a wish in about every other day. Click here to view a video about ITC's partnership with Make-A-Wish Iowa. Strands of Strength, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa provides wigs free of charge to needy women suffering hair loss due to cancer treatment. The wigs offered by Strands of Strength disguise hair loss, hopefully to decrease feelings of vulnerability and provide greater self-esteem, resulting in the personal strength needed to successfully battle the disease.

ITC Great Plains: The company and its 16 employees based in Kansas and Oklahoma donated more than $130 thousand to 17 charitable organizations, including:

National Orphan Train Complex, based in Concordia, Kansas consists of a museum and research center dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929. The National Orphan Train Complex collects, preserves, interprets and disseminates knowledge about the orphan trains and the children and agents who rode them in an effort to preserve the region's heritage for future generations.

consists of a museum and research center dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929. The National Orphan Train Complex collects, preserves, interprets and disseminates knowledge about the orphan trains and the children and agents who rode them in an effort to preserve the region's heritage for future generations. Sand County Foundation's Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award program recognizes agricultural landowners who have made extraordinary achievements in voluntary conservation, environmental stewardship and management of natural resources. In addition, the program works to build bridges between agriculture, government, environmental organizations, industry and academia promote the conservation of private lands.

In addition to these regional contributions, ITC donated to charitable organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society at a national level through corporate giving in 2016 and supported disaster recovery efforts across its footprint by contributing to the following activities:

Donation to help Flint, Mich. families recover from the water crisis.

families recover from the water crisis. Donation to H.U.G.S. Ranch , Byron Center, Mich. , a therapeutic horse ranch for children, to help rebuild after a tornado struck the area.

Through its charitable giving activities, ITC awards grants to qualified 501 (c) (3) organizations focused on social services, education, health and wellness, environmental stewardship, and arts and culture that deliver charitable services in the counties where ITC operates. Sources of ITC's contributions include special grants, individual executives, charitable outings, and casual dress days. Since 2010, ITC has donated more than $5.2 million to deserving nonprofits throughout its footprint, including organizations in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Kansas.

"Giving back is part of ITC's company culture," said Donna Zalewski, director, Local Government & Community Affairs and Philanthropy, ITC Holdings Corp. "These and other deserving organizations work tirelessly to improve our communities, and we are proud to support each and every one of them."

For more information about ITC's charitable giving program or to apply for a grant, visit http://www.itc-holdings.com/community-approach/philanthropy.

About ITC Holdings Corp.

ITC, a Fortis company, is the largest independent electric transmission company in the United States. Based in Novi, Michigan, ITC invests in the electric transmission grid to improve reliability, expand access to markets, allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems and lower the overall cost of delivered energy. Through its regulated operating subsidiaries ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and ITC Great Plains, ITC owns and operates high-voltage transmission facilities in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, serving a combined peak load exceeding 26,000 megawatts along approximately 15,800 circuit miles of transmission line with 660 employees and nearly 1,000 contractors across its seven state footprint. ITC's grid development focus includes growth through regulated infrastructure investment as well as domestic and international expansion through merchant and other commercial development opportunities. ITC Holdings Corp. common shares are owned 80.1% by Fortis Inc. and 19.9% by GIC Private Limited. Additional information can be accessed at www.itc-holdings.com.

SOURCE ITC Holdings Corp.

Related Links

http://www.itc-holdings.com


SHANGHAI, Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar"), a global leader in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc., donated 14 kW to RE-volv, a solar non-profit and member of the White House National Community Solar Partnership . This donation will provide 2 local charities with solar power.

JinkoSolar's donation significantly reduced RE-volv's crowdfunding goal, allowing both the Serenity House in Philadelphia, PA, and the Riverwest Co-op, in Milwaukee, WI to enjoy the benefits of solar sooner than anticipated.

5.6 kW of high-efficiency JinkoSolar modules have been installed on the Serenity House, an outreach ministry of the Arch Street United Methodist Church. It serves as a safe space in the heart of North Philadelphia, a community beset with poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse. The roof-top system is expected to interconnect this month, saving the Serenity House over 15% on its monthly electricity costs. Arch Street United Methodist Church will reinvest the savings into its community services.

The remaining 8.4 kW will be installed on the Riverwest Co-op, a natural food store and cafe located in Milwaukee's vibrant and diverse Riverwest neighborhood. The co-op is dedicated to providing the community with nutritious, wholesome food and supporting local producers along the way. With the help of Jinko's module donation, Riverwest Co-op will save $40,000 in electricity costs over the lifetime of the system and keep 61 tons of burned coal from the atmosphere. Through its revolving Solar Seed Fund, RE-volv will use the ongoing lease payments from these two projects to finance four more solar projects for other community-serving nonprofits and co-ops.

"These two projects mark an important milestone for us as they are our first projects outside of CA," declared Andreas Karelas, Founder and Executive Director of RE-volv. "Thanks to our on the ground Solar Ambassador college fellows spearheading the projects, and the generous support of JinkoSolar, it's now possible for us to successfully empower community-serving organizations with solar energy around the country."

"JinkoSolar is proud to support RE-volv in reaching its goals in providing solar energy to non-profits across the US," said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager of JinkoSolar(U.S.) Inc. "As we are a company committed to giving back, we were excited to learn that the savings realized from our donation will be reinvested back into the respective communities."

About JinkoSolar

JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a global leader in the solar industry. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and other countries and regions. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 3.5 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 3.5 GW for solar cells, and 6.5 GW for solar modules, as of June 30, 2016. JinkoSolar also sells electricity in China, and had connected approximately 1,130 MW of solar power projects to the grid, as of June 30, 2016.

JinkoSolar has over 15,000 employees across its 6 productions facilities in Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Xinjiang Provinces, China, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa, 16 oversea subsidiaries in Japan (2), Singapore, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia and South Africa. 18 global sales offices in China (2) ,United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico.

To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com

About RE-volv

RE-volv is a San Francisco-based nonprofit that empowers people to take direct action on climate change by crowdfunding solar energy projects for community-serving organizations. Donations made to RE-volv's crowdfunding campaigns grow a revolving fund that provides solar financing for nonprofits and cooperatives across the nation. RE-volv also raises awareness about solar energy through its flagship Solar Ambassador Program, which trains college students to solarize the community centers they care about. RE-volv is an inaugural member of the White House National Community Solar Partnership and a winner of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Catalyst program's Business Innovation Award. Learn more at www.RE-volv.org.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends, "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.
NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Join Living in Digital Times at CES 2017 for an exciting and close up look at fashion-forward wearables, innovations in baby and beauty tech and fitness experts at the LIDT Stage (Booth 44030) sponsored by Philips, at the Sands Expo at Tech West, January 5-7.

"We're excited to offer a stage, creating a unique destination with events and speakers focusing on the best in lifestyle tech," said Robin Raskin, founder and president, Living in Digital Times. "Located in the middle of the excitement on the Sands Expo show floor, CES attendees can give their feet a rest, take a seat and hear about the trends and innovations that are transforming at-home beauty, providing parents with greater peace of mind and fitness tech that is making us healthier at home, work and play."

Don't miss appearances by today's Olympians and professional athletes and FashionWare Runway Shows emceed by Project Runway's Nick Verreros. Join the editors of Men's Health, Women's Health and Runner's World for daily award presentations, fitness demos and panel discussions. Find out who is awarded the winners of the The Bump Best in BabyTech Awards.

The exciting lineup of conference sessions and activities on the stage include:

Thursday, January 5



- BabyTech: Tech Redefines the Millennial Mom



10:30 AM

- BeautyTech: The Meteoric Rise of In-Home Beauty Tech



12:30 PM

- BabyTech: Today's High-Tech Nurseries



1:30 PM

- Editors Expose: Key Trends in Consumer Beauty



2:30 PM

- The Bump Best of BabyTech Awards



3:30 PM

Friday, January 6



- FashionWare Runway Show, Hosted by Nick Verreros

10:00 AM

- BabyTech: A Safe Baby Revolution: Parents Rejoice

11:00 AM

- FashionWare Runway Show, Hosted by Nick Verreros

12:00 PM

- BeautyTech: Virtually Flawless! Makeovers from VR to AR

1:00 PM

- FashionWare Runway Show, Hosted by Nick Verreros

2:30 PM

- BabyTech: Get Pumped for 21st Century Breastfeeding

3:30 PM

- FitnessTech with Men's Health Guru

4:30 PM

Saturday, January 7



- BeautyTech: Futuristic Beauty: DIY Lasers, AR & Nailbots 10:30 AM

- Fitness Tech with Men's Health Fitness Guru 11:30 AM

- BabyTech: Inconceivable! Fertility and Pregnancy Technology 2:30 PM

Media can also pre-register for seating as well as arrange a behind the scenes look at the designers and high-tech fashions in the FashionWare Runway Shows by emailing us at [email protected].

To keep up on the latest news and updates, follow Living in Digital Times on Twitter @LIDTEvents, #LIDTCES and sign up here. Suggested Tweet: See lifestyle technology at LIDT Stage #lidtevents at #CES2017.

About Living in Digital Times

Founded by veteran technology journalist Robin Raskin, Living in Digital Times brings together the most knowledgeable leaders and the latest innovations impacting both technology and lifestyle. It helps companies identify and act on emerging trends, create compelling company narratives, and do better business through strong network connections. Living in Digital Times produces technology conferences, exhibits and events at CES and other locations throughout the year by lifestyle verticals. Core brands include Digital Health Summit, Digital Money Forum, FitnessTech, BabyTech, [email protected], Family Tech Summit, TransformingEDU, FamilyTech TV, BeautyTech, Wearables and FashionWare runway show, Mobile Apps Showdown, Last Gadget Standing, Robots on the Runway and the KAPi Awards. The company also works with various foundations and manages the Appreneur Scholar awards program for budding mobile entrepreneurs, as well as the 10 Under 20: Young Innovators to Watch awards recognizing student STEAM innovations in New York City. For more information, visit www.LivinginDigitalTimes.com and keep up with our latest news on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook.

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)TM, the technology trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

Media Contact:

Karen Pineman

LKPR, Inc. for Living in Digital Times

[email protected]

917-453-6887 (mobile)

SOURCE Living in Digital Times

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The new salon's grand opening is also unlike any other in California! Images Luxury Nail Lounge will be taking advantage of a new California law that recently passed allowing beauty salons to serve complimentary alcoholic beverages to its customers at all of its locations starting Jan 1st, 2017. Guests will receive complimentary wine, champagne or other alcoholic refreshments courtesy of Images Luxury Nail Lounge as they kick off the new year at the new luxurious Irvine location. Bring a friend or two, schedule your appointments and receive a beautiful new professional-grade manicure while you elegantly sip on a glass of wine.

Have your next spa day at Images and save big! Extending the celebration of this occasion, Images Luxury Nail Lounge is also offering group discounts to all of its customers. Visit any of their salon locations across California with a group of 3 or more people and take advantage of the savings! Images Luxury Nail Lounge is giving groups 15% off their service when they arrive together, so call your friends and family so you can take advantage of this discount and experience something truly luxurious. To redeem this offer simply schedule your appointment together (prior to arrival), mention about this article and visit them at the Woodbury Town Center in Irvine or any of their other salon locations for your ultimate spa experience. You can find additional details and promotions on their website at: http://www.ImagesNailLounge.com/promotions

SOURCE Images Luxury Nail Lounge

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The Company previously announced drilling results from the first mine level (1,000 feet below surface) in August and October 2016, including the discovery of high-grade copper. Drilling from the second mine level (1,230 feet below surface) started in November 2016, and to date 5,922 feet of drilling has been completed in a total of 35 holes (25 percussion and 10 core holes) up to the current pause during the Holidays. On January 3 rd , core drilling is expected to resume, and the Company plans to drill approximately 11,000 additional feet in the New Year.

This news release focusses solely on certain eU 3 O 8 results gathered through gamma analysis. Sampling and analysis is also ongoing for the latest core drill holes, and the Company expects to report on those results, including uranium, copper, and silver mineralization, later in January 2017. The Company is currently awaiting assay results for over 860 samples, representing two- and four-foot core intercepts, taken from both the first and second mine levels. The assay analysis is being performed at the Company's White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah, with a portion of these samples being verified by an independent third-party laboratory. The Company is also evaluating the potential to process copper and silver mineralization currently being identified in the deposit into marketable products at the White Mesa Mill, as co-products of uranium recovery.

Gamma analysis from the current round of drilling at the Canyon Mine continues to confirm and expand the zones of known uranium mineralization in the deposit. The Company believes that drilling completed to date has expanded the envelope and increased the tonnage of the mineralization over what is described in the existing technical report from 2012. In addition to being larger than previously expected, the deposit is also appearing to be more continuous as underground drilling advances. These drilling results continue to increase the Company's level of confidence that production costs from the Canyon Mine have the potential to be low-cost and competitive with the best underground uranium mines globally, including mines in Canada, based on industry-published cost estimates. In addition, the possibility of recovering copper and silver as co-products of uranium recovery has the potential to make the economics of the Canyon Mine even better.

The Company expects to file a new technical report in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101  Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") in mid-2017 describing the uranium mineralization, and potentially copper and silver mineralization.

On August 18, 2016, the Company reported ten (10) individual high-grade uranium intercepts drilled from the first mine level (1,000 feet below the surface). The table below summarizes ten (10) additional high-grade intercepts.

Hole Number Thickness (feet) Avg. Grade (% eU 3 O 8 ) GT (Grade x Thickness) 19 28.5 2.41 68.7 21 13.5 1.42 19.2 23 23.5 0.77 18.0 17 13.0 1.14 14.8 12 9.0 1.59 14.3 16 9.5 1.47 14.0 16 5.5 1.80 9.9 14 4.0 2.42 9.7 12 7.5 1.24 9.3 23 10.0 0.82 8.2

All holes were logged for gamma by trained Company personnel to calculate eU 3 O 8 %. Gamma logging tools were calibrated prior to the drilling program and verified by an independent 3rd party geophysicist. All mineralized core samples are also in process of being analyzed at the Company's White Mesa Mill laboratory for further verification.

Stephen P. Antony, President and CEO of Energy Fuels stated: "We continue to see excellent results from the underground drilling programs at the Canyon Mine, which is the highest-grade uranium project being developed in the U.S. today. The uranium grades, thicknesses, and continuities we have encountered so far are continuing to confirm our high expectations for the deposit. As we extend core holes beyond the known zones of mineralization, we are identifying new areas of high-grade uranium and copper mineralization. As a result, we believe we are expanding the size of the deposit, including the tonnage that we expect to mine. The Canyon Mine enjoys other important advantages as well. It is fully licensed and permitted. It is at a very advanced stage of construction, with all surface development completed and the production shaft nearing completion. The mine is located within trucking distance of our White Mesa uranium mill, which is licensed, operating, and has the capacity to process the Canyon material into finished uranium concentrate. Finally, as we previously announced in October, we are identifying substantial areas of high-grade copper mineralization. If we are able to monetize the copper, the economics for the Canyon mine could improve significantly.

"We have recently observed some small improvements in uranium prices, and U.S. government policies seem to be turning in favor of U.S. nuclear energy and uranium production. The Canyon Mine is expected to be an important aspect of Energy Fuels' near- and mid-term uranium production, in addition to our ongoing production from the Nichols Ranch ISR Project in Wyoming and the potential to place our Alta Mesa ISR Project back into production in Texas. We look forward to providing more updates on the uranium, copper and silver mineralization at the Canyon Mine as the drill program advances."

About Energy Fuels: Energy Fuels is a leading integrated US-based uranium mining company, supplying U 3 O 8 to major nuclear utilities. Energy Fuels holds three of America's key uranium production centers, the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch Processing Facility in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today and has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. The Nichols Ranch Processing Facility is an ISR production center with a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. Alta Mesa is an ISR production center currently on care and maintenance. Energy Fuels also has the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolio in the U.S. among producers, and uranium mining projects located in a number of Western U.S. states, including one producing ISR project, mines on standby, and mineral properties in various stages of permitting and development. The Company also produces vanadium as a co-product of its uranium production form certain of its mines on the Colorado Plateau, as market conditions warrant. The Company's common shares are listed on the NYSE MKT under the trading symbol "UUUU", and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR".

Stephen P. Antony, P.E., President & CEO of Energy Fuels, is a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying such disclosure.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including any information relating to: the Company being a leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; the drilling results to date from the Canyon mine and any conclusions which may be drawn from such results; the total number of holes and feet the Company expects to drill in the current delineation program; the conclusions contained in the 2012 Technical Report and any future technical reports which may be prepared in accordance with NI 43-101; the final depth of the shaft; the potential that the mineralization and/or tonnage may be expanded beyond what is described in the 2012 Technical Report; the expected costs of production and competitiveness of the Canyon deposit compared to other mines globally; the factors which the Company believes makes the Canyon deposit unique; any expectation that copper and/or silver can be recovered as co-products of uranium recovery at the White Mesa mill; and any other statements regarding Energy Fuels' future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Energy Fuels' ability to control or predict. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation factors relating to: the Company being a leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; the drilling results to date from the Canyon mine and any conclusions which may be drawn from such results; the total number of holes and feet the Company expects to drill in the current delineation program; the conclusions contained in the 2012 Technical Report and any future technical reports which may be prepared in accordance with NI 43-101; the final depth of the shaft; the potential that the mineralization and/or tonnage may be expanded beyond what is described in the 2012 Technical Report; the expected costs of production and competitiveness of the Canyon deposit compared to other mines globally; the factors which the Company believes makes the Canyon deposit unique; any expectation that copper and/or silver can be recovered as co-products of uranium recovery at the White Mesa mill; and other risk factors as described in Energy Fuels' most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly financial reports. Energy Fuels assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Energy Fuels' filings with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of the management of Energy Fuels relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are also cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.

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http://www.energyfuels.com


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nasty Gal, Inc. (the "Company") today announced that it plans to seek permission from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to launch an auction process for the sale of its business. The Company will seek approval of an agreement to have boohoo.com, one of the United Kingdom's leading online fashion retailers, act as the stalking horse bidder in that process with a bid of $20 million for Nasty Gal's intellectual property assets.

"We believe this path will generate the highest value for the Company and ensure the continued success of the Nasty Gal brand that has served its consumers as a leading style destination over the last decade," said Joe Scirocco, President and Chief Restructuring Officer.

The auction is expected to take place in early February, with bidding procedures to be approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California on or about January 5, 2017. Peter J. Solomon Company, LLC in New York has served as the Company's investment banker and will manage the auction process.

Nasty Gal will continue normal operations throughout the auction process and sale, which is expected to close by the end of February, 2017.

The Company is represented in its chapter 11 case by Scott Gautier at Robins Kaplan LLP. Information regarding the Company's bankruptcy filing, including access to court documents, can be found at www.omnimgt.com/nastygal and www.cacb.uscourts.gov.

About Nasty Gal

Nasty Gal was founded in 2006 and is based in Los Angeles. Nasty Gal today is recognized as a pioneer in both the curation and design of women's clothing, shoes, and accessories. The Company has a global presence in 180 countries and a social media following of over 3.5 million. For more information, visit the website at www.nastygal.com.

About boohoo.com

"24/7 Global Fashion"

Keeping one step ahead of the trends or making a subtle style change is easy with boohoo.com and with up to 100 new pieces hitting the site every day and a new collection each week, boohoo.com never stops  it is 24/7 fashion at its best.

From the UK's best kept fashion secret to one of the fastest growing own-brand, international etailers, boohoo.com has quickly evolved into a global fashion leader of its generation. Combining cutting-edge, aspirational design with an affordable price tag, boohoo.com has been pushing boundaries since 2006 to bring its customers all the latest looks for less.

SOURCE Nasty Gal

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IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Dental Services (PDS) today announced that it is teaming with the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) to provide additional membership benefits and services to dental assistants in the PDS-supported environment.

With the common goal of ensuring the public receives the best quality dental care, PDS and the ADAA will continue their shared mission by providing hundreds of dental assistants with additional resources needed to obtain that objective.

With their ADAA membership, dental assistants in the PDS-supported environment will be offered: free online continuing education; additional insurance coverage options including professional liability, accidental death and dismemberment; and participation in the ADAA Fellowship and Mastership programs. In addition, the dental assistants will receive: a free subscription to the Dental Assistant Journal; the monthly ADAA Update E-newsletter; membership in State and Local Chapters; and leadership position opportunities.

As the oldest, largest professional association for dental assistants in the country, ADAA has been elevating the careers of dental assistants for over 90 years. Since Juliette A. Southard formed the association in 1925, ADAA has been the foremost advocate for the dental assisting profession and is widely recognized as the voice of the dental assisting profession in America. One of ADAA's goals is to advance the dental assisting field in a manner which will enhance the delivery of quality dental care to the public.

Dr. John E. Kasper, ADAA Executive Director, stated, "As the premier dental assisting community in America, ADAA is proud to welcome dental assistants from the PDS-supported environment into the ADAA family. The partnership with PDS represents a giant step towards advancing the dental assisting profession in America, and ADAA is excited about the wonderful opportunities this relationship provides."

Judith Forsythe, Director of Dental Assistant National Strategy for Pacific Dental Services said, "I am thrilled to be a part of this partnership between Pacific Dental Services and the ADAA. PDS and its supported clinicians value the role of the dental assistant and this partnership is yet another way to show we are always looking to enhance the dental assistant's career within the PDS-supported environment. "

About Pacific Dental Services

Founded in 1994, PDS is one of the country's leading dental support organizations, providing Supported Autonomy that allows dentists to concentrate on clinical excellence and the highest levels of cost-effective comprehensive patient care. PDS originated the PRIVATE PRACTICE + model to allow dentists to focus on their passion: serving patients.

About the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA)

The ADAA is America's oldest and largest dental assisting association serving over 310,000 dental assistants in the United States. It is dedicated to the development and recognition of professionalism through education, membership services and public awareness programs. The ADAA is a strong advocate for legislation mandating credentialing for clinical dental assistants and greater recognition of the assistant's role in the professional dental team.

SOURCE Pacific Dental Services

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DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reynolds and Reynolds Company today announced the release of the Reynolds LAW Montana F&I Library, a comprehensive catalog of standardized, legally reviewed finance and insurance (F&I) documents for new car and truck dealers in the state of Montana.

"We are pleased to announce the new LAW Montana F&I Library," said Jerry Kirwan, senior vice president and general manager of Reynolds Document Services. "The documents in the LAW Montana F&I Library are designed to help dealers meet compliance obligations and manage risk. At the same time, because the documents in the library are written in consumer-friendly language, they can help dealers to establish a clearer, more efficient F&I process. A more efficient F&I process can help lead to a better overall customer experience with the dealership."

In addition, the printed documents in the LAW Montana F&I Library are available in digital format, which can help facilitate the conversion to laser-printed transactions and e-contracting. Reynolds Document Services maintains licensing agreements with all major providers of electronic F&I (e-F&I) solutions.

Kirwan noted that the documents in the library are regularly reviewed for legal sufficiency with the latest automotive regulations by Reynolds' industry-leading forms specialists alongside Reynolds' outside legal partners.

About Reynolds LAW Brand Documents

Reynolds' LAW brand is well established as one of the most trusted brands in the automotive industry. LAW documents are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and have been endorsed by a number of state automobile dealers associations and leading automotive finance institutions.

The flagship product of the LAW brand is the Reynolds LAW 553 Universal Retail Installment Sale Contract, the most widely accepted document in auto finance. The Reynolds LAW 553 is regularly reviewed by industry experts to help keep pace with new legislative and regulatory developments.

Reynolds and Reynolds was founded in 1866 as a business forms printer. Since the 1920s, Reynolds has been known as the leader in serving automobile dealerships nationwide with standard and custom business and vehicle sales and service documents to help dealers manage their operations more efficiently and serve their customers more effectively.

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is a leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships deliver better business results and transform the customer experience. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio.

(www.reyrey.com)

SOURCE The Reynolds and Reynolds Company

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NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation today announced the Top 10 Advancements & Breakthroughs of 2016 by researchers supported by its NARSAD Grants, which provide new insight into the mysteries of the brain and potential targets for understanding and treating psychiatric disorders that affect one in five people, including bipolar disorder, depression, multiple types of mental illness, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Discoveries in basic research, new technology, next-generation treatments, early intervention and diagnostic tools, ranged from new experiments that reveal the brain circuitry behind the inability to experience pleasure, a milestone in the search for the cause of schizophrenia, and findings that explain how ketamine exerts its rapid antidepressant effects.

"The top 10 discoveries were selected because of their significant contributions to our understanding of brain and behavior disorders as well as potential new treatments," says Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., president and CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the top non-governmental mental health research funder cited in published articles. "We are proud to be able to say that NARSAD Grants support a broad range of the best ideas in brain research and that our grantees have taken substantial steps forward on the path to developing new treatments and finding cures for mental illness."

Below are the Top 10 findings of 2016 by NARSAD Grantees:

Basic Research: Depression, Schizophrenia

1. New Experiments Reveal Brain Circuitry Behind Inability to Experience Pleasure

Anhedonia, or the inability to feel pleasure or enjoyment, is a key symptom in several mental illnesses including major depression and schizophrenia. This sense of pleasure is generated partly by the brain's neural pathways involved in seeking and experiencing reward. Using optogenetics to control the activity of dopamine neurons in a part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex, the team* was able to produce symptoms of anhedonia in rodents. Brain imaging helped reveal that this cortical reward circuitry can in turn suppress activity in other parts of the brain such as the striatum, that are involved in reward-seeking behavior. The findings were published in the Journal Science, January 1, 2016.



Conor Liston, M.D., Ph.D., Weill Cornell Medical College, 2016 Freedman Prizewinner Honorable Mention, 2013 NARSAD Young Investigator; Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, Foundation Scientific Council Member, 2005 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



*The team also included 2012 Young Investigator Amit Etkin, M.D., Ph.D.; 2003 Young Investigator Brian Knutson, Ph.D.; and 2012 Young Investigator Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Basic Research: Schizophrenia



2. A Milestone in the Search for Schizophrenia's Causes

Research by a large international team that included Drs. Sullivan and O'Donovan, who are leaders of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, points to one of the likely causes of schizophrenia in some people: overactive pruning of synapses - connections between nerve cells - in the brain's prefrontal cortex during the early years of life. The team focused on variation in genes giving rise to a vital group of proteins called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). MHC proteins are part of the mechanism used by the immune system to fight off foreign invaders. The team found that variations in the expression of genes known as complement component 4 (C4) genes specifically impacted neuronal synapses, dendrites, axons, and cell bodies. In mice, C4 mediated synapse elimination during postnatal development. Excessive C4 activity may help explain the reduced numbers of synapses in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia. The findings were published in the Journal Nature January 27, 2016

Patrick F. Sullivan, M.D., FRANZCP, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2014 Lieber Prizewinner, 2010 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grant; Michael O'Donovan, M.D., Ph.D., Cardiff University, 2012 Lieber Prizewinner.

New Technology: Autism, Schizophrenia, Intellectual Disability



3. Genetic Anomalies Frequently Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Can Now Be Efficiently Recreated in the Lab

A new method for recreating large-scale genetic anomalies known as copy number variations (CNVs) will make it easier for scientists to study the effects of those mutations, many of which have been linked to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Drs. Gusella, Talkowski and colleagues have already used the approach, called SCORE, to create human cells that carry too many or too few copies of chromosomal regions known as 15q13.3 and 16p11.2  CNVs associated with disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and intellectual disability. The achievement paves the way for studying exactly what goes wrong in cells that carry such defects, and could help researchers find ways to correct those problems. SCORE is an important application of CRISPR, a research tool that is changing the way scientists "edit" genomes in the lab. The findings were published in the Journal Nature Neuroscience February 1, 2016.

James F. Gusella, Ph.D., Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital, 2007 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grant; Michael E. Talkowski, Ph.D., Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital, 2012 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



Next-Generation Treatments: Depression



4. Opioid Medication Combo Helps Patients Who Don't Respond to Antidepressants

Reviving an old treatment for mood problems, researchers find that adding certain opioid medications to depression treatment can help patients who don't respond well to conventional antidepressants. When Dr. Fava's team* gave a combination of opioid medication and antidepressants as an adjunct therapy to patients who had not responded to antidepressants alone, these patients saw greater improvements than their peers who received only antidepressants. The drug combination consisted of buprenorphine, an opioid medication, and samidorphan, an opioid antagonist included to block those effects of buprenorphine that are associated with its addictive potential. All patients continued on their current antidepressant therapy and on the same dosage throughout the course of the study. The findings were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, February 12, 2016.

Maurizio Fava, M.D., Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital, 1994 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



*The team also included 2002 Independent Investigator and 1992 Young Investigator Madhukar H. Trivedi M.D.

Next-Generation Treatments: Suicide, Depression



5. Important Discovery by Foundation-Supported Researchers Explains How Ketamine Exerts its Rapid Antidepressant Effects

Ketamine, a drug approved long ago as an anesthetic but used recently on an experimental basis to treat resistant major depression, exerts rapid antidepressant effects in many patients, including those contemplating suicide. The new research suggests it may be possible to separate ketamine's benefits from its serious unwanted side effects. Inside the body, ketamine is broken down and forms several new compounds, called metabolites. The team discovered that one of these metabolitesa molecule called hydroxynorketamine (HNK)can by itself generate the antidepressant effects seen in ketamine. Efforts are under way to develop and test an HNK-like drug in animals and then people. The findings appeared in the journal Nature, May 4, 2016.

Todd Denton Gould, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH/NIH),2013 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant, 2010 & 2004 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant; Carlos A. Zarate, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH/NIH), 2011 Foundation Bipolar & Mood Disorder Research Prizewinner, 2005 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant, 1996 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.

Next-Generation Treatments: Multiple Illnesses



6. Treatment with Immune-Regulating Gut Bacteria May Boost Immune System Against Stress

Risk for psychiatric disorders ranging from depression to PTSD to schizophrenia is thought by some scientists to be linked to elevated levels of inflammation. By exposing mice to bacteria that help regulate the immune system, a team* led by Dr. Lowry was able to prevent stress from causing harmful inflammation, and in some cases, symptoms of illness. The researchers injected mice with a bacterium called M. vaccae, which is abundant in soil and has immune system-regulating effects. This prevented mice from getting colitis when put in highly stressful situations. In stressed mice, the treatment had anti-anxiety and fear-reducing effects. The findings, which were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 31, 2016, can help researchers develop microbiome- and immunoregulation-based strategies to prevent disorders related to stress.

Christopher A. Lowry, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder, 2010 & 2007 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



*The team included: 2005 Independent Investigator Monika Fleshner, Ph.D. and 2013 NARSAD Independent Investigator Charles L. Raison, M.D.

Next-Generation Treatments: Depression



7. Brief Course of Psychotherapy Benefits Moms with Major Depression and Their Children

Children whose mothers have depression are more likely than others to develop childhood psychiatric illnesses. Dr. Swartz and colleagues* now show that these children do better when their mothers are treated for depression and their symptoms improve. Previously, such studies had involved women whose depression was treated with medication, not psychotherapy. 168 mothers participated in nine 45-minute psychotherapy sessions over three months. For one group, the therapy was specifically focused on the mother's relationship with her child; a second group of women had a more general form of therapy. Treatments helped all mothers, but those children whose mothers were in the former group had fewer mental health visits and were prescribed fewer antidepressant medications during the study than children whose mothers underwent the general therapy. The findings appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, June 2016.

Holly A. Swartz, M.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2006 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



*The team included 2006 Ruane Prizewinner and 2001 Distinguished Investigator David A. Brent, M.D.; 1998 Distinguished Investigator Ellen Frank, Ph.D.; and 2002 Independent Investigator John C. Markowitz, M.D., Pharm.D.

Early Intervention/Diagnostic Tools: Psychosis



8. New Tool Calculates Patients' Personal Psychosis Risk

Most people who develop schizophrenia and other disorders involving psychosis (including some cases of bipolar disorder and depression) experience subtle changes in belief, thought, and perception that precede the onset of full psychosis. But fewer than 35 percent of people with these subtle changes actually develop full psychosis within three years of being identified as high-risk. Those who do become ill fare best when treated early. A team led by Dr. Cannon developed a new risk calculator to identify them, using data from 596 high-risk individuals. Dr. Carrion led another team that validated the risk calculator in a separate group of 210 high-risk individuals. The most important warning signs were: higher levels of unusual thought content and suspiciousness, as compared with others; lower verbal learning and memory capacity, slower cognitive processing, and greater decline in social functioning. Both papers appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry, July 1, 2016.

Tyrone D. Cannon, Ph.D., Yale University, 2006 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grant 1997 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant; Ricardo E. Carrion, Ph.D., Zucker Hillside Hospital Campus of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, 2012 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant. More than a dozen NARSAD grantees helped develop and validate the risk calculator.

Dr. Cannon's team included: 2005 & 2003 Young Investigator Carrie E. Bearden, Ph.D.; 1999 & 1992 Young Investigator Kristin Cadenhead, M.D.; 1990 Young Investigator Robert Heinssen, Ph.D.; Scientific Council Member, 2007 Independent Investigator & 2001 Young Investigator Daniel H. Mathalon, M.D., Ph.D.; 1997 Distinguished Investigator Thomas H. McGlashan, M.D.; 2004 & 1998 Independent Investigator Larry J. Seidman, Ph.D.; Scientific Council Member, 2010 Lieber Prizewinner and 1998 Distinguished Investigator Ming T. Tsuang,M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.; 1989 Distinguished Investigator Elaine F. Walker, Ph.D.; and 2005 Distinguished Investigator and 1998 Independent Investigator Scott W. Woods, M.D.

Dr. Carrion's team included 2004 Young Investigator Andrea Auther, Ph.D.; Scientific Council Member, 2001 Klerman Prizewinner, 2007 Distinguished Investigator, 1997 & 1994 Young Investigator, Cameron S. Carter, M.D.; 2012 Young Investigator Tara A. Niendam, Ph.D.; and 1996 Young Investigator Stephan F. Taylor, M.D.

Next-Generation Treatments: Depression



9. Treating Metabolic Problems Improves Symptoms of Some Patients with Refractory Depression

Dr. Pan and colleagues* have discovered that some people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression may benefit from the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic deficiencies. In a study of patients with treatment-resistant depression, about two-thirds had metabolic deficiencies that affect the brain's ability to produce neurotransmitters. Patients' depression symptoms declined significantly when these metabolic problems were treated; some reached remission. The most common of the deficiencies observed in participants was in levels of cerebral folate, which is treatable with folinic acid. The findings appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry, August 13, 2016.

Lisa A. Pan, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2012 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



*The team included: 2006 Ruane Prizewinner and 2001 Distinguished Investigator David A. Brent, M.D.

Basic Research: Schizophrenia



10. Researchers Catalog Subtle but Widespread Schizophrenia-Associated Differences in Gene Activity

Dr. Sklar led a large team* that identified nearly 700 genes whose activity levels differ in the brains of people with schizophrenia compared to those without it. Most of the differences were subtle, consistent with the idea that variations in many genes contribute to the risk of schizophrenia, each alone having a small effect. The team compared the activity of genes within the brain whose sequences had previously been shown to vary in small but significant numbers of patients. They manipulated the activity of five of the schizophrenia-linked genes in zebrafish (a "model organism" often used for genetics experiments), and found three genes whose alteration disrupted brain development. Other researchers can now extend the team's findings by further exploring genes on the list to begin teasing out the molecular basis of schizophrenia. The findings appeared in the Journal Nature Neuroscience, September 26, 2016.

Pamela B. Sklar, M.D., Ph.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Scientific Council Member 2016 Colvin Prizewinner, 2006 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant 1998 & 1995 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.



*The team included: 2016 Independent Investigator and 2012 Young Investigator Kristen Jennifer Brennand, Ph.D.; Foundation Scientific Council Member Joseph D. Buxbaum, Ph.D.; Foundation Scientific Council Member, 2009 Lieber Prizewinner and 1999 Distinguished Investigator, Raquel E. Gur, M.D., Ph.D.; 2010 Independent Investigator, 2002 and 2000 Young Investigator Chang-Gyu Hahn, M.D., Ph.D.; 1996 Distinguished Investigator Vahram Haroutunian, Ph.D.; 1997 Young Investigator Scott E. Hemby, Ph.D.; Foundation Scientific Council Member, 2005 Lieber Prizewinner and 2008 Distinguished Investigator David A. Lewis, M.D.; 1994 Young Investigator Barbara K. Lipska, Ph.D.; 2013 Young Investigator Edwin C. Oh, Ph.D.; 2006 Young Investigator Shaun Matthew Purcell, Ph.D.; 2013 Young Investigator Panagiotis Roussos, M.D., Ph.D.; 2015 Young Investigator Douglas Ruderfer, Ph.D.; 2013 Young Investigator Eli Ayumi Stahl, Ph.D.; and 2014 Lieber Prizewinner and 2010 Distinguished Investigator Patrick F. Sullivan, M.D., FRANZCP.

About the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

For the past 30 years the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has been committed to alleviating the suffering of mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research. The Foundation funds the most innovative ideas in neuroscience and psychiatry to better understand the causes and develop new ways to treat brain and behavior disorders. These disorders include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than $360 million to fund more than 5,000 grants to more than 4,000 leading scientists around the world. This has led to over $3.5 billion in additional funding for these scientists. The Foundation is also dedicated to educating the public about mental health and the importance of research, including the impact that new discoveries have on improving the lives of those with mental illness, which will ultimately enable people to live full, happy and productive lives. For more information, visit www.bbrfoundation.org.

SOURCE Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Related Links

http://www.bbrfoundation.org


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning, Los Angeles-based Architecture Firm, Newman Garrison + Partners' multi-family project, West Park at Civita has been awarded a total of nine highly-coveted Gold Nugget and San Diego Icon Awards - honors recognizing the industry's most outstanding contributors.

NG+Partners designed West Park at Civita as part of a master-planned luxury community located in the heart of Mission Valley, San Diego. The award-winning development features 612 units ranging from 546 to 1,355 sq. ft. and extensive recreational amenities in a park-like setting.

"With West Park, we have established the new benchmark for luxury apartment living in the San Diego region," said Marco Sessa, Senior Vice President of Sudberry Properties. "The quality and breadth of amenities at West Park is unsurpassed in this market."

In addition to designing the residential spaces, Newman Garrison + Partners looked to create an energizing environment to serve as the social center of West Park at Civita. Amenities designed for the community are both innovative and green-friendly:

large courtyards along 3/4 acre public park

private park with half-mile jogging trail

10,000-square-foot recreation center and fitness club

electric car-charging stations

media screening room with stadium seating

roof-deck lounges

three saltwater pools

dog washing station

Newman Garrison + Partners seek to promote sustainable design in each of their projects. West Park at Civita is a prime example featuring high-efficiency irrigation system, water sense fixtures, and solar electric system.

West Park at Civita Apartments are located at 7777 Westside Drive, San Diego, CA 92108

Awards for West Park at Civita Apartments:

2016 Gold Nuggets: Award of Merit "Best Multi-Family Community"

2016 Gold Nuggets: Award of Merit "Residential Housing Project of the Year"

2016 BIA, San Diego ICON Award: Winner "Community of the Year"

2016 BIA, San Diego ICON Award: Winner "Best Architectural Design"

2016 BIA, San Diego ICON Award: Winner "Landscape Design"

2016 BIA, San Diego ICON Award: Winner "Best Sales/Leasing Environment"

2016 BIA, San Diego ICON Award: Winner "Best Advertising"

2016 BIA, San Diego ICON Award: Winner "Best Advertising -Digital"

2017 NAHB Nationals: Silver Award "Best Architectural Design of an Attached Community"

About Newman Garrison + Partners:

Newman Garrison + Partners (NG+P) is an innovative award-winning, Los Angeles, CA. area-based, full-service architecture and interior design studio. Celebrating 30 years as renowned architects and designers, NG+P provides clients distinctive design services for planning, architecture and interior design, inspiration and collaboration. www.nggpartners.com

SOURCE Newman Garrison + Partners

Related Links

http://www.nggpartners.com


LAS VEGAS, Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Who's Who recognizes Zia U. Khan, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in recognition of his contributions to the Healthcare field.

As a Cardiologist at Desert Cardiovascular Consultants, Dr. Khan brings extensive expertise in Interventional Cardiology to his role. He has been in the medical field for 17 years and always was clear that he wanted to go into the facet of internal medicine.

"I chose cardiology because you can be a semi-surgeon," Dr. Khan said. "The heart is such a vital organ. This is an area where there are lots of emergencies and you are going to make a huge difference."

Dr. Khan earned his Medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. He also completed his Residency at the University of Cincinnati and then went on to work two fellowships; one in Cardiology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the other in Interventional Cardiology at the University of Louisville. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology through the American Board of Internal Medicine.

To further his professional development, Dr. Khan is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology as well as the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

In recognition of his work, Dr. Khan was awarded the Las Vegas Top Cardiologist Award in 2016 as well as the Man of the Year Award in 2007 by Catholic Charities of Nevada.

"Minutes count in saving lives any time, day or night," Dr. Khan said. "It is so rewarding. People are so grateful. I love getting handwritten notes that express appreciation."

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634 [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Dhaka, Dec 24 : A female militant was reportedly killed as she blew herself up when Dhaka police, who were looking for Islamist radicals, raided a building on Saturday.

"Militant Suman's wife came outside and detonated her suicide vest. Militant Iqbal's daughter was with her," a counter-terrorism official said.

The police were yet to confirm whether the woman was dead but mediapersons at the scene spotted her lying on the ground, badly injured and bleeding, BD News reported.

Police have taken the child to a hospital.

Earlier four men had come out of the building and surrendered to police.

This was the second such case when a woman tried to detonate explosives to avoid arrest by police.

When Bangladesh police in 2010 arrested most-wanted Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) explosives expert Boma Mizan here, the militant's wife detonated a bomb in their house in an attempt to kill themselves. Both survived.
Mumbai, Dec 26 : Vice President M. Hamid Ansari will reach Mumbai on Tuesday for a two-day visit to the city, an official said here on Monday.

Among his major engagements, Ansari will deliver the 'Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Lecture' and present the World Trade Centre awards at the WTC Auditorium at Cuffe Parade on December 27.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya, was an engineer, scholar and statesman, who also served as the Diwan of Mysore state from 1912-1918, and was conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1955.

He was the chief engineer overseeing the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore and chief designer of the flood protection system for Hyderabad. His birthday, September 15, is celebrated as 'Engineers Day' in India.

On Wednesday, Ansari will release the new book of veteran journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni, entitled 'August Voices - What They Said on 14-15 August 1947 and Its Relevance for India-Pakistan-Bangladesh Confederation' at the Mumbai University's Convocation Hall.

The book comes against the backdrop of the 70th anniversary of India-Pakistan Independence Day to be celebrated in 2017, said Kulkarni.

He said its time to reflect on how they can normalise their relations, or whether their ties are destined to be permanently marred by mistrust, hostility and conflict.

The book dwells on how they can resolve their bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, peacefully to march ahead on the path of friendship and cooperation as dictated by their shared cultural, spiritual and civilisational heritage.

Whether there are positive ideas within the history of the freedom movement itself for the three countries to create a better future for themselves and move towards a "three-nation confederation before 2047".

Kulkarni said he has explored the book in two parts, the first comprising a compilation of what eight eminent personalities said, wrote or did on August 14-15, 1947.

They are: Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Maharshi Aurobindo, Swami Ranganathananda, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ananda Coomaraswamy.

The second part is an essay by Kulkarni where he shows how none of these great personalities wanted partition to be what it, catastrophically, turned out to be.

"Partition cannot be undone, but its negative outcomes can - and must - be undone jointly by the peoples and governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

"The beginning should be made by India and Pakistan arriving at a just, amicable, peaceful and compromise-based solution to the long-pending Kashmir dispute," Kulkarni said.

However, for this to happen, he said it was imperative for Pakistan "to completely eliminate the scourge of terrorism, fuelled by religious extremism, from its soil."

Kulkarni, an aide to former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, is currently Chairman of Observer Research Foundation, an independent public policy think tank.

He is also a campaigner for harmonisation of Hindu-Muslim relations and normalisation of India-Pakistan relations through his initiative 'Mumbai-Karachi Friendship Forum' which seeks to promote people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges between the two neighbours.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : The AAP on Monday alleged a "political conspiracy" by the BJP against its Goa Chief Ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes, saying that he is being framed in a false case.

Addressing media shortly after Gomes returned from the office of Anti-Corruption Branch of Goa Police, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Ashutosh said that an FIR was registered against Gomes in June after he took VRS to join AAP.

"The FIR related to a case from five years ago and was registered only because Gomes had decided to join AAP," he alleged.

Ashutosh also showed a video clip in which Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and his Deputy Francis D'Souza had praised Gomes earlier this year and had said he was not involved in the case.

"But just a day after he was announced Goa CM candidate of the party, he was summoned by the ACB," Ashutosh said, adding "it was part of a political conspiracy to intimidate AAP".

"After victimising AAP MLAs in Delhi, BJP is doing the same in Goa. They failed here and will meet the same fate in Goa. We will not get intimidated," he said.
Kabul, Dec 27 : Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced its displeasure over the trilateral meeting between Pakistan, China and Russia on Tuesday in Moscow.

The \ministry on Monday said that despite Afghanistan being the ocus of the trilateral meet, Kabul was not consulted, Tolo news reported.

It said the agenda for the meeting was a matter of concern for Afghanistan.

"Talking on Afghanistan without consulting the country raises serious questions for the Afghan people. We are worried about what the reasons behind the meeting are and want the relevant parties to explain," a spokesman for the ministry said.

Afghan MPs said holding such a meeting on Afghanistan without consulting Kabul was an obvious interference in the country's internal issues.

"We are worried about holding such meetings and the security situation the next year," Afghan Parliament Speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Office has said the meeting was being held to discuss regional peace and stability, including situation in Afghanistan.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakria said the peace and stability in Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan and the entire region.

The Russian inclusion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is another important agenda of the meeting, the News International reported on Tuesday.

The expansion of militancy in Afghanistan, however, has always been a key concern for Russia and central Asian nations, the report said.

According to the National Security Council statistics, nearly 11,000 foreign fighters are in Afghanistan to fight Taliban insurgents in the country.

According to Afghan Defence Ministry, currently around 40,000 militants are active in the country, while President Ashraf Ghani has said in the past that more than 30 terrorist groups were active in Afghanistan.
New York, Dec 28 : Police ordered Trump Tower to be evacuated on Tuesday after the discovery of a suspicious package, but the "all clear" was issued shortly thereafter, when the package was found to contain children's toys, media reports said.

President-elect Donald Trump, whose residence and business offices are located in the building, is spending the holidays in Florida.

Unofficial reports indicate that the fire department received a tip about a "suspicious package" in the building, located on 5th Avenue near 56th Street in Manhattan, Efe news agency reports.

The New York Police Department announced shortly after 5 p.m. that the "all clear" had been given after the package was found to be a bag containing children's toys.

A police spokesperson had confirmed on Twitter that the fire department had responded to the report of a suspicious package in the foyer of Trump Tower.

Minutes later, however, the same official said that the "all clear" had been issued after the package had been inspected by the bomb squad.

Images posted on the social networks show people running through the foyer of the building, which has become a tourist attraction since Trump won the November 8 election.
London, Dec 28 : A combination of drugs for diabetes and hypertension may offer an effective new way to combat cancer, suggests a new research.

In their experiments, the researchers found that the combination of the diabetes drug metformin and the antihypertensive drug syrosingopine drives cancer cells to programmed "suicide".

"We have been able to show that the two known drugs lead to more profound effects on cancer cell proliferation than each drug alone," said study first author Don Benjamin from the University of Basel in Switzerland.

"The data from this study support the development of combination approaches for the treatment of cancer patients," Benjamin noted.

Metformin is a widely prescribed drug for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes.

Besides its blood sugar lowering effect, it also displays anti-cancer properties. The usual therapeutic dose, however, is too low to effectively fight cancer.

At higher doses, the antidiabetic drug inhibits the growth of cancer cells but could also induce unwanted side effects.

The new research published in the journal Science Advances showed that the antihypertensive drug syrosingopine enhances the anti-cancer efficacy of metformin.

The study showed the cocktail of these two drugs is effective in a wide range of cancers.

"For example, in samples from leukemia patients, we demonstrated that almost all tumour cells were killed by this cocktail and at doses that are actually not toxic to normal cells", Benjamin said.

"And the effect was exclusively confined to cancer cells, as the blood cells from healthy donors were insensitive to the treatment," Benjamin noted.

In mice with malignant liver cancer, enlargement of the liver was reduced after the therapy. Also the number of tumour nodules was less -- in some animals the tumours disappeared completely.

The researchers found that the drugs interrupt the vital processes which provide energy for the cancer cell.
Washington, Dec 28 : The US has described as "ludicrous" a claim by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it supported Islamic State militant group in Syria.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said there was no basis for such an accusation, BBC reported.

The Turkish leader earlier said he had evidence that the US supported the Kurdish YPG and PYD groups.

Turkish troops have been fighting to push the IS out of northern Syria.

"They were accusing us of supporting Daesh (IS)," Erdogan said in Ankara.

"Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos."

At least 37 Turkish troops have been killed during an operation launched in August to push IS militants and Kurdish fighters out of the area around al-Bab, a strategic town about 20 km from the Turkish border.

The US has been working with the Kurdish groups in Syria but Turkey said they were linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been waging a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Meanwhile, the umbrella group representing Syria's political and armed opposition factions has urged rebel groups to cooperate with "sincere regional efforts" to reach a ceasefire deal.

But Riad Hijab, general coordinator for the High Negotiations Committee, said the body had not been invited to take part in a conference proposed by Russia to take place in Kazakhstan.

Hijab said confidence-building measures were needed to create an atmosphere for political transition talks which he said should be held in Geneva and sponsored by the UN.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the Islamic State trying to weave its terror network in India kept the National Investigation Agency (NIA) busy throughout 2016.

The year began with one of the most audacious terror attacks on India when four Pakistani terrorists stormed the India Air Force (IAF) base in Pathankot on January 2 and killed seven soldiers.

The NIA, formed in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, quickly sprang into action and traced links of the attack to Pakistan, blaming Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar for masterminding the strike that brought the improving New Delhi-Islamabad ties back to square-one.

Within months, the anti-terror probe agency filed a detailed chargesheet nailing Azhar and three of his accomplices for their detailed and meticulous planning of the attack.

But the agency drew flak when the government allowed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which included an ISI officer, from Pakistan to visit the sensitive Pathankot military base to probe the incident.

Days after it took over the Pathankot probe, the NIA laid its hands on evidence of the Islamic State trying to expand its presence in India by radicalising youth as potential terrorists.

On January 22 and 23, over two dozen raids were conducted across the country. Eighteen Islamic State suspects were arrested. Nine more, including a foreigner, were later held in separate raids in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The agency filed a charge sheet in June alleging that Islamic State sympathisers were seeking to establish an Islamist caliphate in India -- Junoodul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind -- and recruit Muslim youth to terrorism at the behest of Syria-based Shafi Armar alias Yusuf-Al-Hindi.

According to the NIA, Armar, a resident of Karnataka's Bhatkal district and a senior Islamic State leader managing India recruitment, was in touch with the accused through social media networks.

He trained them how to prepare IEDs, identify training venues and provide logistics support for terror strikes.

However, the agency found itself in the midst of a controversy for going soft on alleged right-wing Hindu terror. On May 13, it submitted the second and final report in the September 29, 2008, Malegaon bomb blast that killed six persons. The bombing was earlier blamed on the Abhinav Bharat group led by Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad, which was earlier probing the bombing, had filed charges against the two main accused in the attack. The NIA took over the case in 2011. And its chargesheet this year gave a clean chit to Thakur and watered down the case against Purohit.

The agency got one of its major successes when a Bengaluru court convicted 13 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in a 2012 conspiracy to kill prominent leaders, journalists and police officers in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Another success came when a special court awarded the death sentence to five Indian Mujahideen operatives for their role in the February 21, 2013, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, twin-blast case that claimed 18 lives.

In all, the NIA registered 33 cases in 2016. Twelve of them were related to Islamic State sympathisers, three against JeM, two of regarding counterfeit currency notes, two of Maoists and two more on terror incidents in northeastern India.

The agency also registered a case against controversial preacher and Islamic Research Foundation founder Zakir Naik on charges of misusing donations to radicalise youth.

The year also witnessed an unprecedented second extension given to NIA chief Sharad Kumar, making him the first Director General of the agency to be re-employed twice after his superannuation in 2015.

(This is a part of a series of articles from IANS that look back at the year that was. Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)
Lucknow, Dec 28 : As the clock ticks away in the last few days of the passing year, other than the festive air, people in Uttar Pradesh these days are exited about another impending season as well -- the assembly polls that are likely to be announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) any time now.

And so, living up to its image of being the country's most politicised state, the buildup to the the crucial polls is everywhere, with different meanings for different people though! For the common man, while it is time to review the five-year performance of the incumbent party, the traders are looking for some brisk business.

The travel agencies are looking for "some business" as netas, candidates, hacks and officials of many government agencies are set to criss-cross the state over the next few months in hired taxies. Hotels and guest houses too are gearing up for an influx of people in the poll season.

People involved in printing and publishing are stacking up publicity material for parties though many admit that "with stricter ECI rules and demonetisation, things would not be the same as previous elections". The preparations, however, are in full swing and orders are being taken for pamphlets, billboards, hoardings and other publicity material.

"We have done our homework as always. The raw material and labours are in place and we are now awaiting announcements of the poll schedule," the owner of a company that supplies bulk poll material to various parties told IANS. The poll panel, on its part, seems to have completed the processes preceding the announcement of the poll schedule.

Revisions of voter lists, corrections, inclusions of new voters and the security review has been completed. Officials point out they "are now game for free and fair polls anytime they come now". At the core of the entire electoral process, the political parties are as busy as always fine tuning their strategies and "tying up the loose ends".

But despite the buzz, all seemingly is not well with all major players in the state. The ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) is hit by internal strife between the feuding chacha (Shivpal Singh Yadav)-bhatija (Akhilesh Yadav) which is threatening to spike its chances at the hustings.

As party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav firefights the raging inferno in the family and the party, the party has declared 175-plus candidates while the CM has recently submitted a list of 403 candidates to the party leadership. This has set off another tug of war between the warring factions. New Year revelry, for now, has taken a back seat in the Yadav clan.

In the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), trying to make a comeback after its rout in 2012 at the hands of arch rival SP, the going so far is not as smooth as it would have liked it to be. Jolted by desertions by senior party leaders and old hands like Swamy Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, party leaders are burning the midnight oil as they network with the people in their constituencies and strategising on winning.

Party chief Mayawati meanwhile is camping in the state capital, closeted with party aides Satish Misra and Naseem-ud-din at her sprawling, well-guarded bungalow at Mall Avenue trying to offset charges of selling tickets, hoarding ill-gotten money and cracks in her core vote bank of Dalits. She has also been regularly (more than ever in the past) addressing pressers rebutting charges thrown at her by her political opponents.

The Congress, reduced to a rump over the past few decades, initially looked to have regained some of its lost confidence, specially after well-received 'Kisan Yatras', finds itself in political doldrums yet again. Its presumptive chief ministerial candidate, Sheila Dixit, is dogged by the 'Sahara Diaries' charges of kickbacks while the high command is yet to take a final call on the widely speculated electoral alliance with the SP.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which initially seemed to have some edge after the surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the failure of regional parties to deliver results, is facing the jitters in the aftermath of demonetisation announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

And so despite the bravado, the party spin doctors are keeping "over busy" in the last few days of 2016. State general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak, generally with his family at the year-end, this time is busy taking meetings and touring the state. "It is an election year and so other things take a back seat and politics takes precedencw" he averred while claiming a 300-plus victory for the party in the 404-member assembly, which has one nominated member.

At the centre of all activity -- the babudom (bureaucracy) is also abuzz with discussions on the likely dates, schedule of the poll and the final outcome. Work has slowed down and loyalties to the throne are in for a reality check. "In election season who wants to be bracketed as some party's man or the others...we are playing it safe, awaiting first the election schedule and later the results," a senior bureaucrat chuckled.

Demonetisation having blunted the festive spirit at most places, even the people seem to prefer brief chit-chats on the forthcoming polls. RK Mishra, a teacher said he is all set to get glued to the television.

"Bas chunavi tithiyon ka intezaar hai (Ee all await election dates) he said in excitement. Everyone seems to be just awaiting that!

(Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 28 : As digital payments go up post-demonetisation, the country needs separate digital payment laws and digital payment courts should be established across India along with an appropriate legal framework, the CMAI Association of India (CMAI) said on Wednesday.

"All cases of money lost in digital payments may not fall in the category of cyber thefts or breaches. With proliferation of digital payments across India in big and small towns, there may be widespread cases of small amounts here and there throughout the country. There is also need for legal framework for data storage and data protection," said NK Goyal, President CMAI, during an event here.

The telecom industry body also urged the government to promote domestic manufacturing of Point of Sale (PoS) machines and its software development under the "Make in India" initiative.

Digital payments have gone up 300 per cent since demonetisation, creating a need to add 20 lakh more PoS machines to the existing 15 lakh machines.

"When millions of people are joining digital payments movement daily, safety of data remains paramount which can be ensured only by pushing indigenous manufacturing of PoS machines. We cannot depend on foreign manufacturers if we want to make our economy cashless and all digital economy should also add to Make in India," Goyal explained.

"Majority of PoS machines are currently imported primarily from the US, Europe and China and, therefore, data security remains a big challenge," Goyal added.

CMAI also suggested mandatory cyber audit by Reserve Bank of India or Cyber Command Group at regular intervals.

The telecom industry body called for an appropriate and robust mechanism to report losses and recovery of money lost, theft or frauds in digital payments and requested for an institutionalised policy for redressal of complaints of citizens with regard to digital payments.

According to the CMAI, an immediate action plan for the projected five lakh cyber experts was needed as per the cyber policy.
Patna, Dec 28 : Bihar's ruling alliance partner RJD on Wednesday organised sit-ins at Patna and all district headquarters against the demonetisation, with party chief Lalu Prasad accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of cheating the country's people.

"Modi has derailed the economy through demonetisation, which had led to increased job losses," Lalu Prasad said while participating in the 'maha dharna' held at Gardanibagh here.

The former Bihar Chief Minister urged the people to remove Modi to save the country.

"People across the country are facing problems and are forced to struggle for their own white money and for survival of small businesses to farming after demonnetisation. Modi has cheaated the country," Lalu said in his address at the protest venue.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal is part of the 'Maha Gathbandhan' or state-level Grand Alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United and the Congress.

The RJD chief dubbed demonetisationn as "anti-poor, anti-worker and anti-farmer".

"The Modi-led NDA government at the Centre is against the poor, labourers and farmers," the former Union minister added.

Lalu Prasad said a large number of migrant workers from Bihar were returning to their native villages following the shutdown of factories after the Centre scapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

"More than anyone, the poorest of the poor have been badly hit by demonetisation. The poor are in deep trouble and battling for survival," he said.

Lalu Prasad said his party planned to hold a massive rally here early next year.

Thousands of RJD leaders and workers staged sit-ins at all district headquarters.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has supported demonetisation, while the RJD chief has opposed it.

Earlier, Lalu Prasad had said he hoped Nitish Kumar will join his party's protest programme.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Giving its digital economy drive a shot in the arm, the government through its outreach campaign 'DigiDhan Abhiyan' has enrolled over 1 crore rural citizens for digital methods of payment since its launch earlier this month, an official statement said here on Wednesday.

Over 3 lakh merchants have started offering digital payment options to rural customers across many districts and blocks in rural India, the statement said.

"The rapid pace at which rural citizens are adopting digital methods of payment demonstrates their support and enthusiasm to be a part of the digital transformation story of our country. It is very encouraging to see our Prime Minister's dream of honest and transparent digital governance turn into reality," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Electronics & Information Technology.

On November 8, the Modi government demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes across the country. Since then the government has been planning to convert the country's economy into a more digital one.

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have recorded the highest number of enrolments with citizen enrolment crossing 15 lakh and 12.5 lakh respectively, the statement said.

Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have recorded the highest number of merchant enrolments crossing 60,000 merchants each, it added.

The common service centres (CSC) and the village-level entrepreneurs have reached out to citizens innovatively to impart digital literacy.

The DigiDhan Abhiyan aims to cover 2 lakh CSC across the rural areas and enable them to become Digital Financial Education centres.

The CSCs will train people about the various digital financial solutions and also enable them to use various modes of electronic payment systems (EPS). The campaign also aims to sensitise merchants and vendors on the use of EPS.

"The DigiDhan Abhiyan outreach in rural India through the common service centres reflects citizen's willingness to go digital and the acceptance of new methods of digital transactions which are convenient and easy to access or use," said Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

"We will continue to leverage newer technologies to build smart digital tools for easy use to enable this massive digital transformation," she added.
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 28 : Taking serious note of the infighting in the Congress' Kerala unit, the party high command on Wednesday directed its members not to speak in public about party issues.

"It has been directed to all in Kerala that henceforth none should speak in public about party issues. They can do it in party forums only and anyone violating this would have to face strong action," the All India Congress Committee General Secretary in-charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnik, told reporters in Delhi.

Wasnik's directives came soon after a tiff broke out at the Kollam district Congress committee office when senior leader Rajmohan Unnithan who arrived to take part in a party meeting was roughed up by angry Congress workers suspected to be close to K. Muraleedharan, party legislator and son of K. Karunakaran.

"I was attacked by anti-social elements. I was informed by many journalists that I should not attend the meeting as the atmosphere is charged and I would be taken to task. But I decided to come and take part in the meeting and was roughed up by 'paid' people," said Unnithan.

Affairs in the Kerala unit of the Congress party have been charged for the past few days and on Tuesday it reached a flash point when Unnithan and Muraleedharan engaged in a verbal duel in public.

"I am deeply pained at what has happened in my party in Kerala and I wish that it is resolved at the earliest," veteran Congress leader A.K. Antony told reporters in Delhi.

Ever since the drubbing in the May assembly polls, the party has been divided with former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, state party President V.M. Sudheeran and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, heading their own factions.

Things went from bad to worse early this month when the 14 district committees of the party were reconstituted by the party high command.

The present impasse began when Muraleedharan opened up by stating that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition is a weak one and has not been able to cash in on the dismal performance of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI(M) government.

He also said that nothing has been done to fire up the party cadres.

This irked Unnithan, who went personal in countering Muraleedharan and on Tuesday it reached a flash point.

"I suspect that there are vested interests behind Unnithan and what has happened is most unfortunate. We all expect that the party high command intervenes," said Muraleedharan.
Beijing, Dec 28 : A Chinese activist and founder of a human rights website has been accused of subversion of state power, a charge frequently used against dissidents in China, his friends said on Wednesday.

Liu Feiyue, who founded Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, was arrested in November at his house in Suizhou province over accusations he had received foreign aid to incite subversion in the country, Xinhua news agency quoted his friends as saying through the website of the organisation Human Rights in China.

Liu's family said the police did not inform them where he was taken to, nor did they hand over any document confirming his arrest although it was a requirement under the Chinese public security system.

Human Rights in China said Liu's lawyer Zhang Keke tried to contact him earlier this month, after which he received a call from authorities pressurising him to stop defending his client.

The police told Zhang that Liu was arrested for publishing articles criticising China's socialist system.

Liu has been arrested several times, including in October, during the celebration of the Communist Party's annual plenary session, while his November arrest coincided with the third World Internet Conference in the city of Wuzhen.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Human Resource Development Ministry office here against the suspension of at least eight students by the JNU administration a day earlier.

The students wing of Congress party mounted the protest led by its President Amrita Dhawan, accusing the Centre of filling prominent academic posts with proxies, where RSS sympathisers are appointed to spread their propaganda.

"The constant attack on the student community by the government, directly and through their proxies shall not be tolerated. The NSUI will fight against the anti-student forces. The government is scared of the students because they are raising questions that the BJP is unable to answer," a statement quoted Dhawan as saying to media.

"In JNU, they have deliberately suspended students belonging to deprived sections of the society in furtherance of their 'divide and rule' agenda. We demand that the suspensions be revoked immediately," she added.

In the statement, Dhawan also alleged that the protesters were brutally beaten up by the police at the site of the agitation.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Tuesday suspended at least eight students for disrupting the 142nd Academic Council proceedings which was held on Monday.

The suspension has been contested by the faculty members present at the meeting then and the JNU Students Union, who said that the meeting was already over when the group of students came inside the hall and shouted slogans.

The students, as told to IANS by a former General Secretary of JNUSU, belonged to Birsa-Ambedkar-Phule Students Association (BAPSA), Democratic Students Union (DSU) and Students for Swaraj (SFS) -- all student groups active in the campus.

The slogans were shouted against the decision taken during the Academic Council's session held on last Friday, which stipulated a weightier say for viva-voce for the admission of the students, instead of the written exam.

The council adopted the guideline which was laid down by the University Grant Commission (UGC) in May this year in spite of a strong opposition by the students.

The students fear that giving more weightage to interview will entail rigging of admissions, which may then be done on the basis of prejudices.
Nagpur, Dec 28 : In a surprise development, Ratan Tata, the Interim Chairman of Tata Sons on Wednesday arrived here to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Details of the closed-door private Tata-Bhagwat meeting at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters here, were not immediately available.

Tata Sons is currently locked in a bitter corporate-cum-legal battle with its former chairman, Cyrus Mistry who was sacked from the post two months ago.
Nairobi, Dec 28 : The Kenyan government has extended three months the curfew in the border region of Mandera following recent terror attacks by Somalia-based Islamist group Al-Shabaab in the region.

Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery on Wednesday said the curfew, which would remain effective until March 28, 2017, aims to help tame terrorists in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

The 12-hour a day curfew was first imposed on October 27 after Al-Shabaab militants killed at least 12 people and injured six others at a guest house in an area bordering Somalia.

Residents should remain indoors between 6.30 p.m. and 6.30 a.m. except under special circumstances, Nkaissery said.

Areas including Mandera town, Omar Jillo, Arabia, Fino, Lafey Kotulo, Elwak and the environs extending to 20 km from the Kenya-Somalia border are under the curfew.

Many of those killed in the October 27 attack were non-locals in the mainly-Muslim border region.

Al-Shabaab has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Kenya since the country's troops entered Somalia in October 2011 to help the Somali government battle the group.

Recently, Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya have been limited to the border region, mainly targeting non-Muslims and police.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Prominent Muslim organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Wednesday termed the governments latest move to bring an ordinance to amend the 50-year-old Enemy Property Act as "undemocratic and infringing the fundamental rights of citizens".

JIH General Secretary Muhammad Salim Engineer said: "Legislation via ordinance should be adopted only under special circumstances and the government's anxiety to push for amendment to the enemy property law in such a hurried manner raises serious doubts over its real intentions. Moreover, the President of India has expressed his reservations over its repeated re-promulgation."

The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, was referred to a Select Committee after encountering opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

"The bill violates basic principles of natural justice, human rights and settled principles of law, and many MPs too have said as much. It adversely affects and results in punishing Indian citizens and will have no effect on any enemy nation," Salim said.

He said the ordinance is meant to harass minorities and should be condemned.

"The law of succession and inheritance will also be impacted, and hence the fundamental rights of citizens will be infringed. It will also affect their personal laws, and is therefore unacceptable," he said.

Salim said the proposed law can be "subverted in a subtle way to create enmity against the Muslim community by terming their legally inherited property as enemy property".

"The government should pass such amendments in a democratic manner through Parliament and which do not cause any injustice to anyone," he demanded.
Guwahati, Dec 28 : The Assam government is in touch with the Centre to draw up a roadmap for the construction of an international highway connecting India with Bhutan through Assam's Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday.

"The Assam government has already held two rounds of talks with the Union Ministry for Highways, Road Transport and Shipping for strengthening road connectivity between the two countries," Sonowal said.

He said the proposed highway will improve bilateral trade and commerce.

"Improvement and upgradation of road section of Tamulpur to Paneri and Paneri to Udalguri in Assam under the North Eastern States Road Investment Project is under consideration. The government of India has accorded administrative approval for an amount of Rs 319.29 crore for the project," the Chief Minister said.

Sonowal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given utmost importance to improving surface communication in the state for ushering in development in the region.

The Chief Minister said the Assam government will soon take up construction of six bridges in Udalguri constituency, adding that Rs 2 crore had been released for road repairs in each Line of Actual Control area.

He said the state cabinet had approved a scheme for construction of roads in rural and urban areas of Assam within three years, under which Rs 2,000 crore will be released to various districts by March 31, 2017.
Hyderabad, Dec 28 : Telangana assembly on Wednesday passed a new bill for land acquisition by tweaking the central government's Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

"The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment) Act, 2016" was passed amid protest by main opposition Congress.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said the state legislation was better than "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013". He said the central Act was brought in an irresponsible fashion.

He said Gujarat, Rajasthan and some other states had already enacted their own land acquisition Acts to speed up land acquisition for completing the projects.

The Chief Minister dismissed the Congress's argument that the state has no right to amend a central Act, pointing out that under Article 254 of the Constitution, the state had a right to pass its own legislation on a subject which is in concurrent list.

He also told the House that the bill was passed on the advice of the Prime Minister and after getting the nod from the central government.

Rao alleged that the opposition parties were creating hurdles in the irrigation projects by provoking people going to be displaced. He said the opposition parties provoked evacuees of Mallannasagar project being built across Godavari river.

The Chief Minister said his government issued two orders to speed up land acquisition and pay fair compensation to the evacuees but some people deliberately created problems.

The state government was of the view that the central Act would delay the land acquisition process and execution of various projects and had issued two separate orders. However, it had to face strong opposition from all quarters and there were also legal hurdles in their implementation.

Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy argued that the state has no right to amend a central legislation. He criticised the government for going ahead with the bill without addressing the people's concerns.
Tokyo, Dec 28 : Masahiro Imamura, Japan's Reconstruction Minister for disaster-hit region, visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine here on Wednesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a memorial at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Imamura said his visit to the shrine right after Abe and US President Barack Obama met in the Pearl Harbor was just a "coincidence", saying that he made the decision a week ago, Xinhua news agency reported.

Renho, leader of Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party, however, said the visit showed that "Abe administration does not appear to be united".

Imamura also visited the shrine on August 11, several days before the August 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in the World War II.

Yasukuni Shrine honours 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from World War II and is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and South Korea, which both fell victims to Japanese invasion in WWII.

Abe on Tuesday attended a ceremony in Hawaii with Obama to remember 2,403 US soldiers and civilians killed during a surprise attack by Japan at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Abe has intended the trip to be a symbol of reconciliation.

However, his no-apology stance has evoked doubts and criticism that the visit is only a diplomatic show aiming to score political points and strengthen Japan's alliance with the US while constituting no reflection upon the war.
Mumbai, Dec 28 : Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani has shrugged off all responsibility for the certification of "Mohalla Assi", after the Delhi High Court sought the censor body's response on a plea by the makers of the banned Bollywood film.

The plea challenged a denial of a certificate for public screening of the Chandraprakash Dwivedi movie, which features actor Sunny Deol. The movie is around the commercialisation of the pilgrimage city of Varanasi.

Talking about the issue, Nihalani said: "Both the Examining Committee and Revising Committee have denied the film a certification. The film has now gone to the Tribunal (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal). I am not aware of what is happening to the film there. But as far as the CBFC is concerned, the film you've mentioned has gone out of our hands."

The complete film "Mohalla Assi" was leaked online last year. The profane verbal content of the movie -- with dialogues delivered by Sunny and actress Sakshi Tanwar -- shocked many.
Kolkata, Dec 28 : In a bid to keep the premises "clean and green", the West Bengal government is set to revamp the infrastructural facilities and strengthen security arrangements during the forthcoming Ganga Sagar Mela.

The annual fair, held in Sagar Island of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, is one of the largest religious events of the country and attracts over a million pilgrims from across India.

They come to take a dip in the holy Ganga.

"The Mela would be inaugurated on January 7. We are building 20,000 stationary toilets with proper markings on the Mela premises, 5,000 more than the previous year.

"There would be a volunteer for every 10 toilets to ensure the pilgrims use them properly," State Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee told IANS.

"Around 6,000 civil volunteers, all local youths, will be deployed in the Mela only to keep the area clean," he said.

There would be a total of 90 vessels for the passengers and five barges for ferrying vehicles to Sagar Island, Mukherjee said.

The minister also said there would be major security arrangements to avoid any mishaps during the 'holy dip' in the river.

"Rubber boats, speed boats and adequate number of divers would be present at Sagar Island during the main days of the annual Mela to prevent pilgrims from drowning while taking a holy dip," he added.
Toronto, Dec 28 : Two Indian-origin sisters based here were arrested on charges of extorting and cyber-bullying a billionaire in Lagos, Nigeria.

The sisters, Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo, "operated a website called NaijaGistLive" and cyber-bullied Nigerian oil tycoon Femi Otedola, who was in Forbes list of the richest billionaires in Africa this year, the National Post reported on Tuesday.

The women claimed that they had evidence of him cheating on his wife and threatened to post the evidence on the website, where they allegedly used to publish personal details of famous Nigerian men, the National Post cited local Nigerian news reports.

They demanded money from rich men in order not to go public with details of their sexual indiscretions.

The Toronto Star quoted a court document posted on Nigerian news website Nigeria Politics as saying that the sisters stand accused of being "responsible" for the website NaijaGistLive and several other social media accounts used for "cyber-bullying" around 274 people, "mostly based in Africa".

In the document, the sisters apparently listed a home address in Toronto's Etobicoke neighbourhood.

Global Affairs Canada, a department that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, said it was providing consular services "to the Canadian citizens who were detained in Lagos".

The sisters have pleaded not guilty to the charges and were out on bail. They are scheduled to next appear in court on January 26.
Beirut, Dec 28 : Lebanon's government headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri won the parliamentary vote of confidence on Wednesday after it secured the approval of 87 out of 92 lawmakers who attended the vote session.

"We thank the Lebanese Army and security forces for the sacrifices they made. I hereby vow that the government will follow-up on the issue of the detained servicemen until they return safely to their homes," Xinhua news agency quoted Hariri as saying during a debate on his government's policy statement.

"I confirm that there were some contentious issues similar to the arms issue" he said referring to Hezbollah's arms without directly mentioning it.

"We want a new electoral law. Each one of us has a role in that regard," he added.

Hariri also talked about women's parliamentary quota and expressed the hope that no one would object to it.

He also stressed on his commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and said it was primarily established to achieve justice.

Hariri was tasked with forming the first government of President Michel Aoun's term, who was elected Lebanon's 13th President on October 31.
Moscow, Dec 28 : Russia, China and Pakistan agreed to expand their tripartite consultations on the Afghan conflict and include other countries, including Afghanistan, after Kabul objected to its absence from the regional discussions.

"The parties agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan," a joint statement issued after a meeting of the senior officials of the three countries said here.

It was the third round of talks between the three countries on the "deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", particularly the rise of the Islamic State.

The previous two rounds of the tripartite meetings were not publicly disclosed. The third meeting was announced by the participating states in an indication of their growing confidence in their cooperation driven by the fear of IS gaining a foothold in Afghanistan.

The announcement of the talks, however, annoyed Kabul, which questioned the effectiveness of a process on Afghanistan without its representation.

A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, while speaking to media in Kabul on Tuesday cautioned that no initiative relating to Afghanistan could succeed without its involvement.

"Even if such talks are organised with goodwill, (they) cannot yield any substantial results because no one from the Afghan side is there," he said in diplomatically couched criticism of the trilateral meeting.

Meanwhile, Russia is also supporting Iran's entry into the relatively new process. Tehran has been Moscow's ally in the fight against IS in Syria. In a separate troika formed last week, Russia, Iran and Turkey reaffirmed "their determination to jointly fight the IS".
Apricus Biosciences, Inc. APRI announced that its topical cream, Vitaros for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) has been launched in Lebanon by partner Elis Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Apricus share price has fallen 4.4% in the past one month, underperforming the Zacks classified Medical-Drugs industry which has witnessed a meager decline of 0.4%.

Notably, in Jan 2011, Apricus had signed an exclusive license agreement with Elis to market Vitaros in the Gulf States and part of the Middle East. Per the agreement, Apricus has received an upfront payment of $100,000 and a regulatory milestone payment of $100,000 due to the Lebanon approval. Further, the company is entitled to receive up to an additional $1.9 million in milestone payments on future sales, along with tiered double-digit royalties in the low to high teens based on Elis net sales of the product.

Given an extremely attractive Middle East market for ED, which Elis estimates to be approximately $200 million, the launch of Vitaros is an important event for Apricus.

Vitaros is already approved in Canada and certain countries in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East for the treatment of ED.

Apricus expects another ten or more product launches across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East during the first half of 2017 by its various commercialization partners, which is likely to increase royalty revenue for the company.

Last month, Apricus announced its intention to resubmit the new drug application (NDA) seeking approval for Vitaros in the U.S. as early as possible in 2017. The company held a type B meeting with the FDA as previously announced to confirm its plans for addressing the deficiencies contained in the complete response letter for Vitaros that was issued in 2008.

The FDA suggested including additional analysis of existing clinical and non-clinical data in the re-submitted NDA and did not indicate that new clinical studies would be required for re-submission. The company expects to get FDA approval for Vitaros in 2018.

Story continues

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Guwahati, Dec 28 : The much-awaited expansion of the Assam Cabinet will take place sometime during the week-long Bhogali Bihu festival that starts on January 14, said state BJP President Ranjit Das on Wednesday.

Das, the newly-elected President of the Assam unit of BJP, told the media that he is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday, when the matter is likely to come up for discussion.

"I am supposed to meet the Chief Minister tomorrow (Thursday). Eight new ministers will be inducted, including six BJP legislators and one each from the alliance partners the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF)," he said.

Apart from Chief Minister Sonowal, there are 10 ministers in the Assam Cabinet, including two AGP leaders and two BPF leaders.

Das was elected as the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly earlier, but he relinquished his post on Monday after the BJP top brass elected him as the President of the state unit of the party.

There has been a demand to expand the ministry for smooth functioning of all the departments.

The alliance partners, AGP and BPF, had also been demanding induction of two more legislators each from the two parties into the Cabinet.
Kathmandu, Dec 28 : Amid strong reservations from Madhes-based political parties, Nepal's three major parties -- the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) -- have agreed to announce the date for local government polls within a week.

At a luncheon meeting called by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Wednesday, the three parties agreed to hold the elections at the local government level but remained silent over the proposed Constitution amendment.

None of the Madhes-based parties was invited by the Prime Minister for the meeting.

Though the major parties have agreed on to hold the local polls, on what basis these should be held has yet to be ascertained.

The new Constitution has envisioned new templates at local level but due to time constraints and disputes in several districts over the demarcation of the proposed local government units, parties could not agree on fixing the modality of the local polls.

If the parties agree on new templates, which is also the demand of Madhes-based parties, the entire old demarcation of the local units would ned to be restructured as per geography and population ratio.

Some parties like the Nepali Congress have been calling for holding the local elections on the basis of the old templates due to time constraints, dispute in several districts over the number of local units, and need to provide resources to the new units, among others.

In a bid to address the demands of Madhes-based parties, the Nepal government had registered a Bill incorporating these issues, but the proposal has remained in limbo in Parliament because of opposition by the main opposition CPN-UML since November 29.

The Madhes-based political parties have been urging the government to amend the Constitution first in order to address their demands and grievances related to citizenship, federal boundaries, making the Constitution more inclusive and issue of language. The proposal to hold local elections without consent of Madhes based parties, therefore, is likely to spark new confrontation in Nepal.

Any elections without statutory amendment will not be acceptable to Madhesis, said one prominent Madhes-based leader, Upendra Yadav.

"Congress, UML and Maoist are pushing the country to another edge of confrontation," he said.

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the major parties held intensive discussionsover the local elections issue and agreed to fix their date within a week after consulting the Madhesi Front.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi said the main opposition party rejected the request for allowing Parliament to resume its business.

"Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the UML to remove the Parliament obstruction for moving ahead as per the due process, but the UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli said that was not possible," Nidhi stated.

During the meeting the UML leaders, while agreeing on the local elections, took the stance that the Parliament obstruction could not be removed unless the amendment proposal was withdrawn.

UML vice-chairman Bhim Rawal said after the meeting: "The government should make it clear as to how it wanted to go ahead in this regard, on our part we are ready to move forward by forging consensus."
Istanbul, Dec 28 : Turkey and Russia on Wednesday agreed on a draft for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, the media reported.

Ankara and Moscow would try to bring the ceasefire in effect from midnight. Terror groups would be excluded from the agreement, CNN reported.

If the ceasefire succeeds, the regime and the opposition parties will start political negotiations led by Turkey and Russia in Astana, Kazakhstan.

It was not immediately clear if any of the Syrian rebel groups have agreed to the ceasefire plan.

The ceasefire draft comes six days after Syrian regime forces regained control of the key city of Aleppo -- a major turning point in the country's civil war that has raged for nearly six years and has killed an estimated 400,000 people.

Tens of thousands of civilians and rebels were evacuated from the city's east under several deals brokered by Turkey and Russia.

Rebels had held eastern Aleppo for more than four years, and losing the territory has made military and political opposition to President Bashar al-Assad less likely, analysts have said.

After the regime seized Aleppo, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that a nationwide ceasefire was the next step in resolving the war.

Russia has been the closest and most powerful ally of Assad. It has carried out airstrikes against rebel groups opposed to the leader's regime since September last year.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, said on Wednesday that an additional 200-250 fighter aircraft needed to be inducted in the next 10 years to meet operational requirements, even as he termed the disappearance of an AN-32 transport one of the "worst memories" of his career.

India has sufficient numbers in the heavy category in Sukhoi SU-30s, while gaps in the medium and light categories needed to be filled, Raha, who retires on December 31, said at his farewell press conference here.

The IAF chief said that 36 Rafale jets being bought by India from France were not enough.

"Over the next 10 years, we must have 200-250 aircraft. It has to be balanced out. In the heavy spectrum, we have enough. But in the medium category, we need to have more. Yes, about 200 will be very good," Raha said.

"We are still inducting Sukhoi-30s; it will last us for another 40 years. The light combat aircraft (Tejas) will fill some void in the lightweight category... Rafale is an excellent aircraft. But we have just 36 aircraft; we require more aircraft in the medium-weight category," Raha said.

"To fill the gap, one more line of production is needed in India," he said.

On September 23, India signed a 7.87 billion Euro (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France to buy the 36 Rafale fighter jets to meet IAF's critical operational requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft and enhance its strategic reach.

Raha also emphasised the need for inducting more midair refuelers since its present fleet of Ilyushin IL-78s faced maintenance problems. India had floated a global tender for six midair refuellers in 2007 but it was scrapped twice in the final stages.

Raha also said the AN-32 wasn't the "best aircraft" to fly over the Bay of Bengal.

"The AN-32 is not the best aircraft to fly on this route.. The altitude at which AN-32 flies is not so good in terms of weather," Raha said.

He said the aircraft "unfortunately" did not have an underwater locator beacon and IAF has taken up the case with the government and a large number of ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters) will be procured.

The AN-32, with 29 people on board, was on a routine sortie from IAF Tambaram to Port Blair went missing at 12.25 p.m. on July 22, approximately 150 nautical miles east of Chennai.

Raha also said that the process for procuring the Airbus C295 transport aircraft, to be manufactured by a joint venture of the Tatas and the European aerospace major, should "not take very long".

The IAF chief, who is also the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and the senior most officer in the three forces, also termed the Pathankot terror attack a major "setback" during his tenure, but added that lessons have been learnt.

"Today, I can say that we are very well prepared," Raha said in reference to the February 2 attack in which seven security personnel and one civilian were killed.

On the One Rank One Pension imbroglio, the IAF chief said it was an "unprecedented situation" which affected the esteem of the armed forces, adding that what has been given by the government is "substantially good".

Talking about the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, he said the issues that have been raised by the armed forces are being "relentlessly" resolved by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and others.

He also commented on the arrest of former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, and said he was "like a family member" but if he is proved guilty, he will have no sympathies.

Talking about IAF's achievements, he said the average flying conducted in the year just ending has been more than the average of the last 10 years.

"We have flown the fighter fleet 40,000 hrs, more than last 10 years due to better serviceability. We have done an average night flying of 27 percent which was less earlier. There has been a large improvement in the professional capabilities. We have been involved deeply in the operations against Naxalism (Maoists), logistics support and night-time flying," he added.
Ahmedabad, Dec 28 : The Gujarat Police seized a fake note printing machine here while four persons were caught in Kheda district on Wednesday with Rs 12.45 lakh, mostly in the new Rs 2, 000 notes.

A team of the crime branch of Rajkot police conducted a search on a bungalow in Bopal area and recovered the fake note printing machine and some blank papers meant for the notes.

The search was conducted on the information received from one of the two persons nabbed in Rajkot two days ago with fake notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denomination near Hanumanmadhi. One such machine was recovered during seizure of notes from a car. The duo was part of a fake note gang based in Ahmedabad.

Raids were also being conducted to nab their mastermind.

Meanwhile, based on a tip off, police in Dakor town of Kheda nabbed four persons with Rs 12.45 lakh near Raniya crossing. Most of the notes were in the Rs 2,000 denominations while remaining few were in Rs 100 and Rs 50. The culprits were said to be involved in exchanging notes on commission.

The matter was being investigated. The Income Tax department has been informed about the recovery.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested a Kotak Mahindra Bank manager for converting Rs 35 crore demonetised currency into new notes, and having alleged links with hawala trader Paras Mal Lodha and Delhi-based lawyer Rohit Tandon.

A city court later sent him to seven-day ED custody.

The ED officials arrested branch manager Ashish Kumar and booked him under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The officials later produced him before Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar in Saket court seeking his 14-day custody to trace the money trail.

The Duty Magistrate later granted Ashish's custody to the ED till January 2.

The ED officials informed the court that Ashish as a manager at Kotak Mahindra Bank's Connaught Place branch had indulged in criminal conspiracy with various persons.

"Ashish charged huge commissions from them to change their demonetised currency amounting to Rs 35 crore by generating pay orders or demand drafts. This was done so that the accused persons could have new currency notes of the same amount," said the ED officials, adding that for this purpose, several bank accounts of various companies were also opened by the bank manager.

The ED sources said that Ashish had also visited lawyer Rohit Tandon's farmhouse in Delhi and took Rs 1.5 crore as commission from him to convert his demonetised high value currency into the new one.

Sources in the ED said Ashish also has links with hawala trader Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, who was intercepted at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

Kotak Mahindra Bank on Wednesday said: "With reference to the ongoing investigation of the said accounts, Kotak Mahindra Bank had proactively informed Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the bank has already suspended the services of its employee, Ashish Kumar."

"The bank has zero tolerance towards employees not adhering to its code of conduct, and takes strict measures against them. The bank confirms that it has a robust system of regularly and proactively filing necessary reports with the FIU for all large transactions," Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a statement here.

The bank said it has on record all necessary KYC documents, including PAN card numbers.

On observing the nature of transactions in these accounts, Kotak Mahindra Bank had filed a report with the FIU for further investigation.

On subsequent investigation by the authorities, the bank, as per their instructions, has deposited the entire amount that was credited in these accounts with the Income Tax Department, the statement said.

"As can be seen from the bank's actions, it has fully cooperated and communicated with the relevant authorities, and has demonstrated the highest standards of compliance, and it will continue to do so," Kotak Mahindra Bank spokesperson Rohit Rao said.
Dubai, Dec 28 : A Pakistani man was arrested by the police for murdering an Indian shopkeeper in Sharjah, in less than 12 hours after the incident, police said on Wednesday.

The Sharjah police arrested the 42-year-old Pakistani man from an undisclosed location and said he killed Mohammed Ali over a financial dispute, Khaleej Times reported.

Ali, who was from the Indian state of Kerala, was found in a pool of blood with multiple wounds in Majestic Supermarket in Maysaloon area on Tuesday.

The police immediately launched a manhunt for the murderer. He was arrested after a thorough search.

Based on the "culprit's confession," the case was referred to the public prosecution.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Fifty days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, he continued to be in the firing line of the opposition on Wednesday. If the Congress demanded a White Paper on the November 8 note ban, the CPI-M said Modi had a lot to hide.

On the 50th day of the dramatic announcement on demonetisation, the government on Wednesday approved an ordinance to make possession of demonetised notes beyond March 31, 2017, a criminal offence. The move attracted flak from the opposition.

Daring Modi to disclose the quantum of black money seized after demonetisation, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi put forth a charter of demands and sought a White Paper on the currency ban.

"Modi ji should reveal how much black money has been recovered since November 8," he said.

He questioned Modi on the economic loss to the nation on account of demonetisation and put forth a list of posers.

"How many jobs and livelihood have been lost since this policy has been announced? How many lives have been lost due to demonetisation? Why has the government not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased?"

The Congress leader sought to know when Modi will reveal in Parliament the list of names of Swiss bank account holders that the Switzerland government had provided.

"Why were experts, economists or the Reserve Bank of India not consulted before unleashing this draconian policy upon the people?" he said.

"We want to know who is the thief? Modi ji has performed demonetisation 'yagna' for 50 families and one per cent super-rich people of the country," Gandhi said.

On Tuesday, Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken the Prime Minister to task on the issue.

Banerjee had wondered if Modi will quit if the cash crunch persisted even after the end of the 50-day deadline he himself set.

Banerjee's Trinamool Congress will undertake a protest campaign 'Modi hatao, desh bachao' campaign in West Bengal from January 1.

On Wednesday, saw Bihar's ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal also held sit-ins in state capital Patna and district headquarters against demonetisation, with party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav accusing Modi of cheating the country's people.

"Modi has derailed the economy through demonetisation, which had led to increased job losses," Lalu Prasad said in Patna and urged the people to remove Modi to save the country.

Assailing Modi over demonetisation, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Prime Minister "has a lot to hide".

"Modi doesn't face Parliament where people's representatives can question him on behalf of the masses. He doesn't take any questions from the media... he doesn't answer any serious questions from the public which come through the RTI (Right to Information Act).

"Why is Modi so scared of questions? One, he clearly doesn't have answers. Two, he has a lot to hide," said the Left leader.

Yechury also slammed the Centre for its "ordinance raj".

"The government has no option but take the ordinance route because unless the law is changed, demonetisation is not legal. Ideally, this law should have been brought in Parliament in the winter session.

"The government is increasingly relying on ordinance because it doesn't want to be answerable. We are opposed to this ordinance raj," he said.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called Modi "anti-people" and asked him to take responsibility for the people's hardships.

AAP leader Ashutosh said over 100 people had lost their lives and hundreds of thousands lost their livelihoods over the last 50 days since demonetisation.

"Fifty days have passed since the note ban. Farmers are still facing hardships; labourers have lost jobs; businesses have collapsed; and more than 100 people have lost lives. Who is responsible for all this?" he asked.
Panaji, Dec 28 : With assembly polls just a couple of months away, Goa's Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao on Wedesday said the influential Roman Catholic Church will guide its faithful to vote for genuine candidates.

The guidance to voters, according to the Archbishop, has become necessary as Goa has witnessed extensive environmental and social damage, which has led to rampant corruption and even weakened governance.

"Elections to the Legislative assembly of the state are approaching and the Church leadership in Goa will take up once again this duty-bound task. We do issue guidelines to our faithful on how to exercise their franchise and thus fulfil one of their sacred civic duties.

"These guidelines are read out in our churches, but they never mention the name of any candidate or any political party. The people are sovereign, they decide," Ferrao said in his annual post-Christmas address at a simple function at the Bishop's Palace here.

Top dignitaries in the state, including Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, senior politicians as well as businessmen from the state were present at the function.

"It is for this and other reasons that the Church takes upon herself, all in the name of genuine service to human beings and to the land, the task of guiding her members in the process of electing the right kind of individuals to the local and national governments," Ferrao said.

Ferrao also said that there is a need to follow the principle of inter-generational equity vis-a-vis mining, adding that rampant mining has resulted in degeneration of the state and its people.

"But what we see is an extensive environmental and social damage to Goa, which has generated rampant corruption and even weakened governance. It has been an assault on our community and our natural wealth.

"More distressingly, it has been a loss to our children and future generations. Are we not answerable to them? Or, are they going to remember us as an irresponsible generation that has squandered natural wealth for the benefit of a few?" the Archbishop said.

Roman Catholics account for nearly 26 per cent of the 1.5 million population of Goa, a former Portuguese colony. The state is expected to go to polls early next year.
Beijing, Dec 28 : China, for the first time, has started to transport Tibetan bottled water to its inland areas by cargo trains.

Tibet, often called Asia's Water Tower, is rich in water resources.

A train-full of bottled water from Tibet left Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and headed for the city of Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang Province on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Carrying 1,890 tonnes of bottled water in 35 carriages from Tibet, the train will travel 4,500 kilometres and reach its destination in six days.

Tibet produced over 400,000 tonnes of natural drinking water in 2015, but high transport costs made it difficult to reach the inland market.

The new trains will facilitate trade in areas along the railway route and help Tibet shift its resource advantages into economic ones, said Yu Heping, a local official.

Identifying its fresh water resources as a new sustainable economic pillar of growth, Tibet plans to raise its annual production capacity of drinking water to five million tonnes in the next three to five years.

There are also plans to run trains between Lhasa and other cities such as Beijing, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Lanzhou.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday inaugurated the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Tuting in the state's Upper Siang District for Indian Air Force's operations, an official said.

The event took place in the presence of Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command (EAC) and Air Vice Marshal Manavendra Singh, Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration, Eastern Air Command and other senior Army and Air Force officers, said an IAF release.

After the Cabinet Committee on Security's approval in June 2008, Air Force embarked on an ambitious reconstruction plan to upgrade Tuting ALG along with other landing grounds in the eastern command.

The ALG has been upgraded with a full-fledged runway and all the associated facilities. The strategic location of Tuting makes it a launching pad for the air operations and the management of border area, release added.

The ALGs for upgradation include Tuting, Mechuka, Along, Tawang, Ziro, Pasighat, Walong and Vijaynagar in Arunachal Pradesh. The project is expected to cost Rs 1,000 crore.

In March this year, two ALGs at Ziro and Along was re-launched. The ALG at Walong was inaugurated in October last year.

In addition to the military use these airfields will gives additional capability in maintaining the vital supplies by fixed wing aircraft and helicopters besides meeting challenges during natural calamities.

Director General Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India have proposed civilian flights from Tuting.
Lucknow, Dec 28 : Senior IPS officer Amitabh Thakur has been provided security on the direction of the government of India in the wake of an alleged telephonic threat by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, an official said on Wednesday.

Ever since the alleged phone threat, Amitabh and his activist wife Nutan Thakur had been continuously asking for security.

In the past, the couple also wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government officers several times seeking proper protection, but the state government has so far refrained from providing them security.

Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Ajay Ramesh Sule then wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, directing him to provide adequate security to Amitabh and his family members.

In compliance of the order, the IG-Lucknow Zone has gave orders on December 24 for providing the required security, after which one security person has already been deployed with an assurance that the rest of security men shall be provided soon.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance which makes possession of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes beyond March 31, 2017 illegal, providing for a jail term for violators.

The opposition, however, questioned the logic behind the ordinance and termed the government policy as "rudderless and confused". It also accused the government of repeatedly bypassing the Parliament over demonetisation and otrher issues.

People can deposit old notes in banks up to December 30 and with the Reserve Bank of India up to March 31 next year.

Official sources said the ordinance -- called "The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance" -- will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, currently in Hyderabad, for approval before notification.

The ordinance, approved during the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeks to amend the Reserve Bank of India Act, aimed at extinguishing the liability of the government towards bearers of such notes.

Sources declined comment on whether the ordinance also sought a jail term for violators. "The ordinance primarily seeks to shield the government against future litigations that may follow for not honouring the promise to pay," a senior official said.

However, the ordinance makes it clear that collection of old notes up to ten in number will not invite prosecution.

Reacting to the developments, a senior Congress leader told IANS: "Is it proper to pass an ordinance on a matter which is sub judice? I think this is a cover up operation to legalise the demonetisation order because even its veracity is under judicial scanner."

He also questioned the logic behind bringing an ordinance barely a month before the next Parliament session.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy called the NDA dispensation as "government of ordinances".

"The government has gone berserk. They are bringing one notification after another. They are suffering from utter confusion...there is no cohesion between the government and the RBI," Roy told IANS.

Janata Dal United (JDU) leader K.C. Tyagi called the government policy on demonetisation as "rudderless".

"On one hand the Prime Minister has said that after March 31 next year, the old currency notes would be 'kagaz ke tukre' (worthless pieces of paper). Now where on earth is it illegal to possess worthless paper," Tyagi asked.

"Ever since November 8 they have brought 61 notifications. This shows their bewilderment and lack of policy direction," Tyagi told IANS.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the government has chosen this back door ordinance method to bring in the law.

"We are against this ordinance raj," he said.
Ankara, Dec 28 : Turkey and Russia have agreed on a proposal for a general ceasefire in Syria and will aim to put it into effect by midnight on Wednesday, Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

But he still insisted that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad must eventually go, a precondition for talks that Russia has always opposed.

There was also no sign that the mainstream Syrian opposition groups agreed to the ceasefire, and it appears likely there will be disagreement about the territory to be covered by any ceasefire. The rebel groups will want it to extend to the Damascus countryside, something that Russia opposes.

A senior official in the opposition said they had not received the details of any official deal and denied that they agreed to a ceasefire agreement.

"The details of the ceasefire have not been presented officially to the opposition factions yet, and there is no agreement at this point," the official said.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

"There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time," Cavusoglu told reporters at the presidential palace in Ankara.

He said Syria's opposition would never back Assad.

"The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad."

Last week, Russia's Foreign Minister said Moscow, Tehran and Ankara agreed that the priority in Syria was to fight terrorism and not to remove Assad's government.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said earlier on Wednesday that Moscow and Ankara had agreed on a proposal towards a general ceasefire. The Kremlin said it could not comment on the report, and it may be the Turks have announced something prematurely.

Any ceasefire would exclude groups labelled as terrorists by the two countries, allowing attacks to continue against the Islamic State and others. Turkey has said the talks must not include the Syrian Kurdish Democratic party or its military arm (YPG).

Arrangements for the Russian-led talks are vague, but Moscow has said they will take place in Kazakhstan. Astana, the Kazakh capital, staged Syrian peace talks in 2015, but critics said they excluded most of the mainstream opposition and so were largely pointless.

Russia's Foreign Minister said on Tuesday the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition before possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

The talks would exclude groups labelled as terrorists by Moscow, a group that would exclude Al Nusra, the Al Qaeda franchise in Syria, and the IS, the Sunni group based in Raqqa in north-east Syria.
Washington, Dec 28 : US Secretary of State John Kerry laid out a proposal for peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, less than a month before the Trump administration takes office and at a low point in US-Israeli relations.

Kerry's speech was widely seen as an attempt to set the Obama administration's Middle East policy in stone before the January 20 changeover. President-elect Donald Trump has been vocally supportive of Israel and vowed a change of policy after his inauguration.

"Two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians," Kerry said emphasizing that it was the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Washington of conspiring against his country by not blocking the Egyptian resolution condemning Israeli settlements at the UN Security Council last week. The State Department dismissed the accusation as "just not true".

"The US did in fact vote in accordance with our values," Kerry said. "No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's."

Kerry reminded of the amount of military aid Israel has received from the US from Iron Dome to intelligence. "More than half of our entire global foreign military financing goes to Israel," Kerry said.

Kerry said that two-state solution was in danger despite popular support. "Polls of Israelis and Palestinians show there is still strong support for a 2-state solution in theory. They just don't believe it can happen," Kerry said.
Berlin, Dec 29 : Berlin Police detained a Tunisian national on suspicion of having been in contact with the alleged perpetrator of the truck attack on a Christmas market in which 12 people died, federal officials said.

Investigators tracked down the 40-year-old man after discovering his phone number on the Tunisian Anis Amri's cellphone, which police found in the truck involved in the market attack, Efe news agency reports.

"Subsequent investigations indicated that he could have been involved in the attack," the prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Amri was shot dead by police outside a Milan metro station on Friday, four days after the attack.

Amri had opened fire and injured one of the two Italian officers involved in a routine check where they had asked him for his identity papers.

German security forces said they were continuing their investigation into Amri's past in the country after his arrival in July 2015, when he applied for asylum.

On December 5, a 12-year-old boy was arrested in Ludwigshafen, about 60 km north of Karlsruhe, after he was caught trying to plant a homemade explosive at a Christmas market.
The opioid drug abuse crisis isnt going away with 2016s end. If anything, even as the nation has just committed $1 billion to combating this scourge, news reports are disclosing how Big Pharma made it even worse than had been known in at least one ravaged state, and how industry players are threatening to export it so it becomes an international nightmare. Further, industry leaders may be undercutting federal law enforcement efforts crack down on its illegal aspects.

Prescription painkillers hyped in markets globally

The Los Angeles Times has landed yet another of its string of powerful investigations into Purdue, the family owned maker of OxyContin, one of the powerful painkillers at the heart of the prescription drug abuse crisis. The paper finds that Purdue responded to a tide of adverse publicity and declining sales in the United States by reorganizing its efforts into a web of related companies overseas, all under the umbrella name Mundipharma.

This conglomerate is pushing OxyContin hard, globally, with all the practices that regulators, policy-makers, public health and law enforcement officials have ripped Purdue for in this country. As the newspaper has reported:

In Brazil, China and elsewhere, [Mundipharma] companies are running training seminars where doctors are urged to overcome opiophobia and prescribe painkillers. They are sponsoring public awareness campaigns that encourage people to seek medical treatment for chronic pain. They are even offering patient discounts to make prescription opioids more affordable.

The drug maker also is sending around the world American physicians whose credentials get burnished to make them seem more authoritative as they pitch the virtues of prescription painkillers in seminars and other professional sessions. These experts and Mundipharmas OxyContin hype downplay or ignore how addictive OxyContin can be.

The Los Angeles Times says Mundipharma, if unchecked, could replicate the opioid drug crisis in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Many of the markets it is targeting are in poorer, less developed nations little able to handle their existing, huge public health challenges, much less the havoc that opioid drugs have created in America, where the paper says 200,000 lives have been lost to painkiller abuse and overdoses.

David A. Kessler, a physician and the former federal Food and Drug Administration chief who has called the prescription drug abuse epidemic one of the United States great regulatory failures, told the Los Angeles Times that Mundipharmas actions are right out of the playbook of Big Tobacco. As the United States takes steps to limit sales here, the company goes abroad.

Big Pharma flooded poor, rural West Virginia with hundreds of millions of painkiller pills

Although the recently approved 21st Century Cures Act allots $1 billion to combat opioid drug abuse and the Obama Administration has urged officials to tap those funds quickly and put them into action, new revelations about the staggering scale of the United States own challenges continue to emerge. Ive written how state officials and the Charleston Gazette-Mail, a small West Virginia newspaper, with civil lawsuits, had forced Big Pharma to start to show how it flooded poor, desperate small towns across the state with tens of millions of painkiller pills.

But the paper has just upped the ante considerably, reporting that, 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. The paper points out the obvious: there was zero chance that Big Pharma had any reason to think the powerful and addictive drugs were in appropriate useand the Charleston Gazette-Mail questions why more pharmacists and state regulators did little as a tsunami of potent and suspect medications inundated small towns and turned lethal.

Industry hired away Drug Enforcement Agencys brass

If regulators and law enforcement officials may have seemed slow to deal with the opioid drug crisis, a Washington Post investigation may provide insight why: The paper says that since 2005, when the federal Drug Enforcement Agency began to attack illicit sales of pain killers like oxycodone, Big Pharma has targeted the drug cops top echelons, recruiting and hiring away 42 of the agencys brass. The specific DEA division that seeks to curb illegal medication sales got picked clean by Big Pharma of 31 of its leaders, the Post says, detailing how the agencys aggressive attack on prescription painkillers slowed as it leadership ranks thinned.

John Carnevale, former director of planning for the White Houses Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the paper:

The number of employees recruited from that division points to a deliberate strategy by the pharmaceutical industry to hire people who are the biggest headaches for them. These people understand how DEA operates, the culture around diversion and DEAs goals, and they can advise their clients how to stay within the guidelines.

Although federal law seeks to curb or even to bar revolving door employment, where those with oversight over an industry leave the government and go to work in it, Big Pharma executives and the few former DEA staffers, who were contacted by the paper and who would be quoted, insisted they had followed applicable regulations.

Survey draws stark picture of users and why painkillers are so popular

Lets be clear: besides Big Pharma, physicians have played a terrible role in this health menace, whether their intentions were good (to relieve pain) or no. The Washington Post and the Kaiser Foundation, with a national survey and follow-up reporting, have found that opioid drug users get started with the drugs via their doctors (97 percent of respondents). They report they suffered great pain from accidents, surgeries, and diseases like cancer, and the opioids offer them initial and dwindling relief. But increasing numbers find themselves quickly hooked on the drugs, with many advancing to increasingly powerful and often illicit opioids, including super designer drugs like fentanyl, and illegal heroin. Some respondents, roughly a third said they use the drugs now to get high or to relieve stress. Those who now struggle with addiction include infants, especially in rural and poor areas, and unsuspecting seniors.

Drew Altman, the head of the Kaiser Foundation, recently has drawn in the Wall Street Journal a dismally broad, survey-based portrait of what the opioid drug abuse epidemic looks like:

Six in 10 long-term opioid users were between 40 years old and 64 years old. Less than a quarter worked full time and 33 percent were on disability or retired (20 percent). Seventy percent of long-term users said they have a debilitating disability or chronic disease. Long-term users are slightly more likely to live in rural areas; the problem of opioid overdoses is especially acute in rural America, where treatment is scarce and Emergency Rooms and jails cant handle the problem. 

Ive written before how physicians, regulators, policy-makers, politicians, and, yes, Big Pharma must step up to deal with the opioid drug abuse crisis. A great deal of credit is due to the journalists and news organizations that are dogging this woe. I look forward to the follow-up by U.S. public health leaders to aggressively clue in their global counterparts about the terrible harms that opioid painkillers have caused in this country. We should all look for congressional leaders to ask tough questions about Big Pharma and the DEA, and I hope that West Virginians put their public officials on the griddle as to why state laws didnt do more to prevent a drug inundation. I certainly see in my practice the tragic effects that can result from dangerous medications, and I know all too well from decades of experience with Big Tobacco how insidious it can be for high-powered American corporations to move their avarice around the globe. Weve got a lot of work to do in 2017 to tackle this crisis and others to improve our health.
Delta planes line up at their gates while on the tarmac of Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah September 28, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) said on Tuesday that in agreement with Boeing Co (BA.N) it would cancel an order for 18 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which it assumed as a part of its merger with Northwest Airlines.

The order is valued at more than $4 billion at current list prices. Delta, in its statement, did not disclose specific terms of the agreement. (http://bit.ly/2ibCr6f)

The airline, which acquired Northwest in 2008 for $2.6 billion in shares, said it would continue to take delivery of 737-900ER aircraft through 2019.

Delta declined to comment beyond its statement.

The cancellation comes as Delta and other top U.S. airlines seek to slow flight capacity growth and in some instances shrink existing service in response to falling airfares.

Airlines like Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (NWC.OL) from outside the United States are adding flights that Delta says have exceeded passenger demand and hurt unit revenue.

Delta has 25 widebody aircraft from Airbus Group SE (AIR.PA), the A350, already slated for delivery that will add to its flight capacity this decade. Delta said earlier this year that it would defer the delivery of four A350s by a year or two from 2018 to make the schedule "more consistent with (the) expected pace of international market improvement."

(Reporting by Ahmed Farhatha in Bengaluru and Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Three Forest Plaza The addition of Three Forest Plaza to our Dallas portfolio gives Hartman over 1 million square feet of office properties in this important market," said Al Hartman, CEO.

THREE FOREST PLAZA  Three Forest Plaza is a 366,549 square foot office building in Dallas, Texas. The property is located in the Park Central submarket and has excellent access to Forest Lane, LBJ Freeway (I-635), and the North Central Expressway (US-75). Three Forest Plaza is surrounded by North Dallas premier residential neighborhoods, the Medical City of Dallas, and a growing amenity base that has several newly announced residential and retail developments under construction.

The improved LBJ submarket has created momentum in the Park Central area. We are pleased to acquire this high quality, institutionally-maintained office property at a significant discount to replacement cost said David Wheeler, Chief Investment Officer.

The property is 73% leased to a diverse mix of tenants including Weaver & Tidwell, Huselton Morgan & Maultsby, QRx, and US Oncology.

The addition of Three Forest Plaza to our Dallas portfolio gives Hartman over 1 million square feet of office properties in this important market. Three Forest Plaza allows Hartman to offer a diverse range of solutions in order to meet broader customer needs in the Dallas market, said Al Hartman, Hartman CEO.

The Dallas HFF Office team represented the seller in the transaction and David Wheeler, Russell Turman, and Julian Kwok represented the buyer, Hartman Three Forest Plaza, LLC.

Hartman Three Forest Plaza, LLC was represented by the HFFs Dallas mortgage brokerage team of Steve Heldenfels and Jim Curtin in the placement of acquisitions financing with Southside Bank at 50% LTV.

About Hartman Short Term Income Properties XX, Inc.

Hartman Short Term Income Properties XX, Inc. is a Texas-centric REIT which, with this addition to its portfolio, now owns 18 properties in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, Houston, and San Antonio. For information regarding leasing space at a Hartman property, please contact Lynna Smith at 214-432-3704 in Dallas or Kat Morrison at 713-586-2669 in Houston, and visit http://www.hi-reit.com. For additional information about Hartman XX, please visit http://www.HartmanREITs.com, call 800-880-2212, or contact Rick Vitale, CFA directly at 651-491-3693.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements. Words such as anticipates, expects, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, may and should and their variations identify forward-looking statements. Because such statements include risks, uncertainties and contingencies, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such statements. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Such factors include those described in the Risk Factors sections of Hartman Short Term Income Properties XX, Inc.s annual report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements in this document speak only as of the date on which such statements were made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any such statements that may become untrue because of subsequent events. Such forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor protection for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

THIS PRESS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY SECURITIES.

Securities offered through D. H. Hill Securities, LLLP, Member FINRA/SIPC, 1543 Green Oak Place, Kingwood, TX 77339. (832) 644-1852.
The Inn at Longwood Medical Gives Back to Toys For Tots

A Longwood Medical Area hotel is contributing to the holiday spirit this year with initiatives dedicated to both its guests and Boston families in need. Overnight parking in Boston will be complimentary for hotel guests throughout December and February, thanks to a new special at The Inn at Longwood Medical; as part of its Inn Gives Back offer, the property is offering rates from $189 a night. Additionally, staff members at the Inn participated in Toys For Tots, gathering a number of toys to be donated to children in the area.

The Inn at Longwood Medical always strives to provide guests with a comfortable and easy stay during their visits, said Gayle Sinclair, Director of Sales & Marketing. In the winter, when parking in Boston is especially difficult to come by, this is one way that we can help people visiting the regions hospitals have a safe and positive experience. Were also proud to have partnered with Toys For Tots to provide a magical holiday for children across the region.

Located near some of the most renowned hospitals in the country and the world, The Inn at Longwood Medical is one of the top hotels in the Longwood Medical Area. The Inn offers a variety of rooms and suites ranging from business accommodations to lodging for large families and group travel. To learn more about these Boston accommodations and the propertys additional special offers, visit their official website.
27 DEC 2016-New York Times Bestselling author and self-made multimillionaire Grant Cardone has just announced the most anticipated business growth conference of 2017 held at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Florida. Cardone urges people to think big and join him for what is going to be the most memorable, game-changing experience of their life. Top entrepreneurs are keynoting this world-class venue, including the legendary Les Brown, the original Shark Tanks Kevin Harrington, Internet legend Frank Kern, motivational speaker Lewis Howes, networking marketing mogul Gloria Mayfield Banks, author Jamie Shanks, and entrepreneurs Tim Storey, Bobby Castro, Brad Lea, Andy Frisella, Danelle Delgado, Roddy Chong, Tom Cummins, Elena Cardone, and Jarrod Glandt.

Attendees will not only come away recharged and inspired by this great event, theyll get the mindset necessary to take massive action towards creating the success they desire in all areas of their lives. All details and booking information can be found at http://www.10XGrowthCon.com

Cardone is a highly respected, internationally recognized business and sales expert, whose passion is to teach others how to sell themselves, their products and services, regardless of economic climate. Additionally, his company consults Fortune 500 companies on how to increase sales revenue by identifying overlooked opportunities. Hell be speaking at the conference and is tailoring the experience for this to be the biggest, most talked about event of the year.

"You want to have proximity to power. Do you get more powerful with 3 days together with some of the greatest minds on the planet? Its time to increase your revenue and connect to power. This is where to invest in yourself, Cardone says.

"We have been barraged by demand to organize a conference by our clients for years, so we decided 2017 is the year! This will be an incredible opportunity for those who are ready to make those resolutions and goals a reality to get face to face, hands-on help by the master," says Sheri Hamilton, COO Cardone Training Technologies

There are 3 levels of ticket packages being offered for the event, ranging in price from $1500 up to $10,000. Half of the seating has already filled for this event. It will sell out months in advance. Find out more here.
"[P]ublic safety and National Security are core bipartisan goals."

Increasing bipartisan support builds pressuring Mayor de Blasio and his administration from destroying nearly a million IDNYC applications that include the identity information of the applicants. The destruction of these documents by the government may constitute an unconstitutional action taken by the Mayor, and his Administration.

On Friday, December 23rd, accomplished trial lawyer and a leader of Democratic Party in New York State, Ravi Batra, joined the legal team challenging the de Blasio Administrations efforts to destroy millions of pages of records supporting the issuance of IDNYC cards (Castorina v. de Blasio, et al. Index No. 80258/2016, New York State Supreme Court, Richmond County). In his letter to the Court, Mr. Batra recognized the need to be compassionate to those living on the margins of society saying, New Yorkers are among the most compassionate Americans, as we take care of our neighbors in their time of need or stress, and by so doing provide a sanctuary in the finest founding principles of these United States. Mr. Batras letter to the Court went on to recognize that for IDNYC program to be lawful and constitutional mandated the preservation of documents submitted in order to acquire the IDNYC card. Mr. Batra made it clear that the plaintiffs and defendants are all New Yorkers and Americans first, and being compassionate, providing sanctuary, and enhancing public safety and National Security are core bipartisan goals.

When asked about Mr. Batras involvement in the case Mr. Alfano said, I look forward to working with Ravi on this case, he is an accomplished lawyer and leader in various communities throughout the City. As Ravi made clear in his letter to the court, and the plaintiffs made clear from the beginning, the preservation of government documents is necessary, and public safety is a bipartisan goal. New York state only recently recognized the IDNYC card as a means to access financial services products. This function moves the IDNYC card far beyond its initial uses as a means of obtaining discounts around the City and access to City benefits. Mr. Batra echoed Alfanos comments saying, "IDNYC's worthy goal requires it to function within the legal framework - from our cherished Constitution's separated powers regime to honoring federal, state and local laws."

The parties return to court on January 5, 2017, for an evidentiary hearing.

The Law Office of Jeffrey Alfano is a boutique litigation practice with an office in New York and New Jersey specializing in commercial litigation and appeals. More information is available at http://www.jeffreyalfanoesq.com

Ravi Batra is the embodiment of the American Dream. Immigrating with his parents from India as a young boy, Mr. Batra soared to the top the legal profession representing plaintiffs in multi-million dollar claims against hospitals, governments, and corporations, and inter alia defending foreign head of state in sovereignty cases. Not satisfied with only being a successful lawyer, Mr. Batra acts as an advisor for Human Rights and Legal Affairs to Ukraine's Mission to the United Nations, Chairman of the National Advisory Council for South Asian Affairs. In addition to international acclaim Ravi has held various bipartisan appointments in New York State Government including membership on the NYS Judicial Screening Committee, Second Judicial Department, a member of the board of trustees of NYS Interest on Lawyer Accounts, and a founding Commissioner on the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.
With a powerful combination of centralized services, smart technology and our why behind building wealth and financial freedom/retirement security for our clients through Rent Estate, the opportunities are endless.

Renters Warehouse is looking back on another incredible year of growth.

In 2016, the company added 12 new corporate offices, more than doubling the number of properties under corporate management. The year was also marked with more prestigious awards and acknowledgements, new executive hires and new service offerings as Renters Warehouse continues to spread the Rent Estate movement across the U.S.

One of the largest and most awarded residential property management firms in the U.S., Renters Warehouse now manages more than 17,000 homes for over 12,000 investors across the country, and about $3 billion worth of residential real estate.

Looking back, I am truly inspired by how far we have come, and how much our team has accomplished since deciding to partner with Northern Pacific Group, our private equity partner, says Kevin Ortner, CEO of Renters Warehouse. Weve made significant strategic shifts in our growth model that make me excited about the future of our company and brand. With a powerful combination of centralized services, smart technology and our why behind building wealth and financial freedom/retirement security for our clients through Rent Estate, the opportunities are endless.

The following is a brief overview of Renters Warehouses many successes in 2016:



The company launched its new Portfolio Services Division that uniquely serves larger, mid- to institutional-level real estate investors with both centralized services and local market expertise and staff. Heading up this division is Anthony Cazazian, Chief Investment Officer and President of Portfolio Services. Anthony joins the company after a distinguished career with B2R Finance, a subsidiary of private equity firm Blackstone, and Goldman Sachs. Anthony was recognized in 2016 as a rising star in the housing industry by both HousingWire and Mortgage Professional America.

This year, Renters Warehouse ranked 2,018 on the Inc. 5000. By making the list for an impressive seventh consecutive time, Renters Warehouse is in truly rare company  only a tiny fraction of the nation's companies have demonstrated such remarkably consistent high growth. Meanwhile, Renters Warehouse Arizona franchise also landed on the Inc. 5000, at 921, up from 957 in 2015.

Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) offering a wide array of services including operational risk assessments, assigned its MOR RV2 residential-vendor ranking to Renters Warehouse as a residential property manager, indicating that the company demonstrates proficiency in managing key areas of operational risk.

New corporate offices opened across the country, in cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Miami. Of its 33 offices, 15 are now corporate-owned as the company shifts away from franchisees to better centralize operations.

Renters Warehouse continued to be recognized for its growth and accomplishments in business. At the Stevie American Business Awards 2016, Kevin Ortner received a Silver Award for Executive of the Year and the companys upper management also took home Silver for Management Team of the Year. Meanwhile, Chief Marketing Officer Pamela Kosanke was honoured with three Silver Stevie Awards for Women in Business (Woman of the Year: Marketing, Advertising, PR; Executive of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year). The company was also named one of the Twin Cities Small Business Success Stories and among the Star Tribunes Top Workplaces 2016.

Real estate veteran Noel Christopher joined the Renters Warehouse family as the companys National Business Development Lead, helping acquire property management companies and bringing larger property portfolio holders into the Renters Warehouse ecosystem. In past roles, Noel helped lead a Chicago-based real estate team to close more than $350 million in investor sales and rank in the brokerages top 10 nationally.

Renters Warehouse Atlanta and Austin launched Renter Match, a personalized service that aims to match potential apartment tenants with their ideal new home, based on each customers individual needs, including location, price, size, accessibility, pets and much more.

Major Los Angeles-based property investor Raineth Housing joined Renters Warehouse as a new client. The company owns about 1,700 homes in St. Louis, Kansas City and Cincinnati. Prior to signing on with Renters Warehouse, the company had to rely on seven property management firms to care for their properties. And the arrangement has proven mutually beneficial. Since Raineth owns a lot of homes, we had the opportunity to speak with most of the national single family rental property management firms, said Ed Renwick, CEO of Raineth. Only Renters Warehouse proved willing and able to adapt their organization to serve the unique challenges of managing many houses across a number of cities for a single owner. Renters Warehouse has innovated in ways that take advantage of Raineths scale to lower our cost structure while improving service to tenants. We have seen both our costs and our tenant turn rates fall significantly under Renters Warehouses management.

Looking ahead to 2017, Kevin Ortner expects the company will add another 12 offices, tapping further into Florida and adding locations in new states along the East Coast and in California. After nearly doubling its revenue last year, the company is on track to have its most productive and expansive year ever in 2017.

Although thrilled about 2016 achievements, Kevin is ready to champion his team to the next level in the new year. Next year promises to be yet another breakout year for Renters Warehouse. We will continue to be innovative thought leaders in the SFR space, working hard to service clients on a more national scale through an even larger footprint, tighter and leaner operations and more advanced, proprietary technology solutions designed to drive efficiencies for our clients.

Renters Warehouse exists to help homeowners and investors create wealth and financial freedom through Rent Estate. To learn more about Renters Warehouse or to find out how much your home will rent for, visit http://www.renterswarehouse.com today!

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About Renters Warehouse

Renters Warehouse is one of the fastest growing and highest reviewed residential property management companies in America, and the largest in Minnesota. Backed by growth equity investor and majority stakeholder Northern Pacific Group, and under the leadership of President and CEO Kevin Ortner, Renters Warehouse now manages more than $3 billion in residential real estate, servicing 12,000+ investors across 17,000+ residential homes in 33 markets and 18 states. NPG Managing Partner Scott Honour, who in 1999 was a founder of YapStone, a leading online rental property payment service provider, serves as Chairman. Renters Warehouse expertly serves everyday single-property homeowners as well as real estate investors. In 2015, the company officially trademarked the term Rent Estate to redefine the entire SFR (Single Family Rental) industry as more traditional real estate gives way to this new lucrative asset. Through their dedicated Portfolio Services Division led by Chief Investment Officer Anthony Cazazian, the company also brings professional, scalable and efficient single property management solutions to investment portfolios with both centralized services and local market expertise and staff. Not only has Renters Warehouse received the prestigious honor of being included on the Inc. 500 | 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in America seven consecutive years in a row, it was also named one of the Best Places to Work in Minnesota (where they are headquartered) by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The company was also honored as a best place to work in Arizona (a centralized corporate services center) by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2013 and 2014, and achieved a spot on the prestigious 2016 Top Companies to Work for in AZ list. Nationwide, Renters Warehouse has been honored as one of America's "Best Places to Work" in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 by Outside Magazine. Recognized as pioneers in real estate, business management and innovation, Renters Warehouse has been awarded 22 Business Stevie Awards both internationally and stateside. In 2016, Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) offering a wide array of services including operational risk assessments, assigned its MOR RV2 residential-vendor ranking to Renters Warehouse as a residential property manager, indicating that the company demonstrates proficiency in managing key areas of operational risk.

About Northern Pacific Group

About Northern Pacific Group Northern Pacific Group is a Minnesota-based growth equity investment firm focused on acquiring and investing in growing companies in the Midwest. Northern Pacific Group seeks to partner with ownership groups and management teams in order to add value beyond just providing capital. For additional information, please visit http://www.northernpacificgroup.com.
"The Best and Shortest Cattle Trail from Texas," Kansas Pacific Railway Company, 1873, Rees-Jones Collection In its brief existence from 1857 to 1884, the Chisholm Trail had been followed by more than five million cattle and a million mustangs, the greatest migration of livestock in world history.

The Sid Richardson Museum will join the three-state (Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas) 2017 celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail. Hide & Horn on the Chisholm Trail will run from Friday, January 6, 2017, through Sunday, May 28, 2017. Visitors will view rarely seen items from the cattle trail era, Guests of Honor on loan from the Rees-Jones Collection of Dallas, another private collection and the Sid Richardson Museum. This focus exhibition will be on display concurrently with the museums ongoing exhibition, Legacy, which depicts the clash of cultures of the 19th century American West.

According to the Texas State Historical Association, after the Civil War, the growing demand for beef was supplied by Texas Longhorn cattle. Sturdy and able to graze on whatever plant material was available, the breed was particularly suited to cattle drives. From the feeder trails in South Texas across Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to railheads in Kansas, the Chisholm Trail was the major route out of Texas for livestock. The market provided a steady source of income for Texas ranchers. In its brief existence from 1857 to 1884, the Trail had been followed by more than five million cattle and a million mustangs, the greatest migration of livestock in world history. The Trail was named after the Scot-Cherokee trader Jesse Chisholm.

Predating the arrival of the train and discovery of oil, the Chisholm Trail era was an indispensable, early chapter in Fort Worths history, said Mary Burke, director of the Sid Richardson Museum. Being a waypoint along the trail spurred the citys early growth and helped define its Western heritage, which even today differentiates Fort Worth from any other city.

About the Rees-Jones Collection

The Rees-Jones Collection is devoted to the history and legacy of Texas and the trans-Mississippi West. The collection includes fine art as well as rare and historically significant books, maps, manuscripts, and archival materials on the discovery, exploration, settlement and interpretation of the trans-Mississippi West.

Highlights of the Exhibition

Guide Map of the Great Texas Cattle Trail, from Red River Crossing to the Old Reliable Kansas Pacific Railway, by Kansas Pacific Railway Company, St. Louis, Missouri: Levison & Blythe, 1873, Rees-Jones Collection. Descriptions of the cattle trail routes show distances, streams, crossings, camping grounds, wood and water, supply stores, etc., from the Red River crossing to towns and cities in Kansas.

The Best and Shortest Cattle Trail from Texas, by Kansas Pacific Railway Company, St. Louis, Missouri: Levison & Blythe, 1873, Rees-Jones Collection. The railway used trail maps and guidebooks to lure cattle drovers from the shipping centers of rival railroads by highlighting its availability to routes of the cattle trails.

Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas and Adjacent Territory, by James Cox (18511901), Saint Louis: Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co., 1895, Rees-Jones Collection. One of the four most important books on the cattle industry, this book offers a comprehensive early range history and is a cornerstone of any range library.

The Longhorns by J. Frank Dobie (18881964), Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1941; inscription by Dobie to Sid Richardson, March 12, 1942, Sid Richardson Museum. This book is one of the best accounts of the traditions of the Texas Longhorn cattle breed during the 19th century. Sid Richardson enjoyed a warm friendship with the American folklorist; Dobie, at Sids invitation, used Richardsons island ranch as a writers haven in 1939 when he wrote the book.

The Texas Steer by Charles M. Russell (18641926), Roman Bronze Works, New York, private collection. In 1925, Russell created a reclining longhorn in plaster to give as Christmas gifts to friends; he gave each longhorn distinctive horn shapes and painted it in a variety of colors. After Russells death in 1926, several of the plaster versions were cast in bronze with permission from his widow. The casts continued to be fabricated into the mid-1970s.

About the Sid Richardson Museum

Established in 1982, the Sid Richardson Museum features paintings by Frederic Remington (18261909) and Charles M. Russell of the 19th century American West during westward expansion. Legendary Texas oilman and philanthropist Sid W. Richardson (18911959) amassed one of the most significant private collections of Remingtons and Russells in the United States. Admission is free to the museum, which is open daily except for major holidays. For information, visit http://www.sidrichardsonmuseum.org, or call 817.332.6554.
Resource One Credit Union is continuously looking for opportunities to help not only our local communities we serve but the first responders that serve our neighbors, as well. As part of our commitment to give back to the community, Resource One Credit Union donated 200 lifesaving tactical medical kits to Dallas Country Sheriffs Department. The kits were delivered to the Resource One Mesquite branch and picked up by members of Dallas County Sheriffs Department on December 12th, 2016.

Jim Brisendine, President/CEO of Resource One Credit Union, stated, We are pleased to make a donation that can make a difference for not only the officers and their families, but also the people that they are called on to assist. If these medical kits provide the officers additional peace of mind, then this donation is a success. If one life is saved due to one of these medical kits, it is then priceless.

These tactical medical kits allow the Dallas Sheriffs Department to be more efficient and prepared for any circumstance that may arise by having the equipment they need to keep themselves and citizens safe. The tactical medical kits include lifesaving equipment such as tourniquets, bandages, and surgical tape. They will be utilized by the officers in the traffic and warrant divisions for the treatment of serious injuries and can be used to help officers save lives.

Resource One Credit Unions Director of Sales and Service Mike Tambourine responded, In the wake of the July shootings in our area, we wanted to find a way to give back to those members of the community whose job it is to protect and serve. Seeing as the Dallas Sheriffs Department serves all of Dallas County we felt like the donations of the medical kits were the perfect opportunity to show our appreciation of those men and women who put their lives on the line every day. And while we hope that there will never be a need to use one of these kits, in the event they are needed and it saves a life they will have been well worth it.

About Resource One Credit Union

Resource One Credit Union was originally chartered as Sears Dallas Employees Federal Credit Union in 1936. Over time, the increased demand for more locations and additional products and services prompted the expansion of our product lines and field of membership. Today Resource One proudly serves as a financial cooperative for the communities of Dallas and Harris counties. Resource One has 11 convenient locations to serve our over 55,000 members. Visit Resource One Credit Unions homepage at http://www.r1cu.org.
Laura Salmeron, Associate Director Analytical Testing Support at Halozyme Therapeutics Inc.

The key to solving the glycosylation puzzle stands with Nglycosylation analysis of a developmentphase glycoprotein, having multiple glycosylation sites using these orthogonal methods demonstrated that complementarity.

Most structures were simply identified by public database search either by Expasy or GUcal, based on their molecular weight or measured glucose unit values. Glycan structures not included in the GuCal database were deciphered by exoglycosidasebased glycan sequencing, to sequentially remove the sugar residues from the nonreductive end of the glycan structures.

In this presentation, attendees can expect a compelling discussion on the complementarity of various liquid phase bioseparation methods including capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography. Participants will learn how to separate and identify N-Glycans in minutes and compare liquid phase separation methods for N-Glycan analysis. They will also receive an introduction to the new Fast Glycan Labeling & Analysis Kit from SCIEX, along with 60-minute sample prep for up to 96 glycan samples.

The speaker for this webinar will be Laura Salmeron, associate director analytical testing support at Halozyme Therapeutics Inc.

As an industry veteran, Salmeron has more than 25 years of experience working in the clinical and biotechnology field supporting protein therapeutics. She earned her Bachelor in Science in biochemistry and microbiology and medical technologist from the University Autonoma of Guadalajara, Mexico. In 2015 Laura joined Halozyme Therapeutics in San Diego CA, working with Halozyme Enhance platform partners and leading the Potency group and as a key member of the Analytical Development team working with FIH, Clinical and Commercial products supporting method transfers at CROs and CMOs and regulatory submissions.

The free webinar will be hosted by LabRoots February 1, 2017, beginning at 8 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. ET. To read more on this event, learn about P.A.C.E. and Florida continuing education credits, or to register, click here.

About SCIEX

SCIEX helps to improve the world we live in by enabling scientists and laboratory analysts to find answers to the complex analytical challenges they face. The company's global leadership and world-class service and support in the capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry industry have made it a trusted partner to thousands of the scientists and lab analysts worldwide who are focused on basic research, drug discovery and development, food and environmental testing, forensics and clinical research.

With over 40 years of proven innovation, SCIEX excels by listening to and understanding the ever-evolving needs of its customers to develop reliable, sensitive and intuitive solutions that continue to redefine what is achievable in routine and complex analysis. For more information, please visit sciex.com.

About LabRoots

LabRoots is the leading scientific social networking website and producer of educational virtual events and webinars. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, LabRoots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, LabRoots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning, and is a primary source for current scientific news, webinars, virtual conferences, and more. LabRoots has grown into the worlds largest series of virtual events within the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics community.
Axiomatics Logo This years trends examine the evolving ways organizations can realize better enterprise-wide security with the exploding amounts of data that enterprises need to protect.

Axiomatics, the leader in fine-grained dynamic authorization, released its top enterprise security trends from industry executives on the challenges enterprises can expect to see in 2017.

Based on expert commentary from security leaders at Axiomatics, the trends identify five key areas that range from regulation and compliance to the increasing importance of securing the Internet of Things, so data is not accessible to the wrong people.

This years trends examine the evolving ways organizations can realize better enterprise-wide security with the exploding amounts of data that enterprises need to protect, said Marty Leamy, president of the Americas at Axiomatics. Business executives are demanding better enterprise-wide security for all of their data, not only for regulatory compliance but also to protect their most critical assets.

Key enterprise security trends for 2017 include:

Digital Transformation



Digital transformation is a key priority for enterprises, but most IT decision makers have not completed technology deployments to address the initiatives that are critical to digital business.

Digital transformation is about improving the customer experience by modernizing tools and processes within an organization. One major digital transformation initiative is moving infrastructure to the cloud.

Identity and access management technology, like dynamic authorization, is a key enabler of digital transformation, it allows secure cloud experiences. It helps companies deliver more personal, convenient and trusted mobile experiences to customers, employee and partners, while enabling secure access to apps and data in the cloud.

The Internet of Things (IoT)



IoT is about interconnectivity. There is an increasing number of interconnected electronic devices producing massive amounts of data. For example, there are consumer appliances, wearables, vehicles, buildings and other physical devices that now have networking capabilities.

The benefits seem endless, but the security of the communication between devices could reveal new attack vectors to compromise the networked managed home or connected vehicle.

The key to securing IoT is putting controls in place to ensure that IoT data is not accessible to the wrong parties.

Microservices and APIs



Microservices are the latest approach to breaking down large applications. With a microservices architecture, the functions of an application are built as discrete components that communicate with each other via APIs. This approach lends itself to a faster, almost continuous development and deployment cycle.

From a security perspective, building many microservices components could mean that you also need to enhance your strategy for securing access to the individual components. An API gateway combined with an Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) approach can be very beneficial.

Wider Adoption of Hadoop



More and more organizations will be adopting Hadoop and other big data stores, in turn, organizations will have a need to secure the massive amounts of data stored in Hadoop and other big data stores.

Organizations will want to enforce access to big data stores with a contextual, policy-based approach, to safeguard sensitive data stored in Hadoop and other big data stores.

Regulation and Compliance



Regulatory compliance has always been a challenge within the security industry  and especially working across borders and complying with different regulations in various countries and regions. In addition, the changing of the guard in the United States could impose new types of regulatory challenges.

Attribute Based Access Control can help meet and manage the moving target of compliance. A policy-based approach provides centralization of management, ease of change, and enforcement across the enterprise.

Vast amounts of data are generated every second yet organizations across all industries are struggling with securing that data, said Leamy. We believe that identity access management technologies and shifting to Attribute Based Access Control can effectively ensure enterprise-wide security and privacy.

For more information about Axiomatics, please visit https://www.axiomatics.com/.

About Axiomatics

Axiomatics is the leading provider of fine-grained access control. Axiomatics' solutions are utilized by Global Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies around the world to enable digital transformation: share and safeguard sensitive information, meet compliance and minimize data fraud. Axiomatics provides Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) for applications, databases, Big Data, APIs and microservices. To learn more please visit: http://www.axiomatics.com or @axiomatics.
By Theopolis Waters

CHICAGO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Industry changes and fewer hogs sold at the Illinois Peoria Stockyards have prompted the auction barn's owners to close the facility at the end of the year, ending a nearly 150-year rural tradition.

The last load of hogs was sold on Dec. 23, office manager Carol Clayton said in an interview on Wednesday. Reuters News will no longer publish the daily price report for the Peoria stockyard.

After that, she said, no more animals will be accepted for sale there, and farmers will need to sell their pigs outright to local pork packers or head to smaller sale barns in the area.

Peoria was the last of the major hog auction terminals that dominated the Midwestern landscape in the 1950s, said Ron Plain, a University of Missouri livestock economist.

"Losing these markets make it tougher on smaller producers who use markets like Peoria because they never sell very many hogs at a time and it's costly hauling them to packing plants," said," Plain said.

Over the decades, the number of U.S. hog farms has consolidated, leaving fewer - but larger - producers of the country's pigs. An increasing number of swine, too, are being sold directly to mega packers, such as Smithfield Foods , which is owned by China's WH Group Ltd.

That shift in production and processing also contributed to the auction house's demise, Clayton said.

When Clayton, 72, arrived for work 26 years ago, farmers flocked to the Midwestern auction barn, which sold as many as 2,000 pigs per day.

Now, the auction house sells 100 to 200 pigs on a good day, she said.

"It's sad that it's closing, but it's time to close after our owner, Ron Jenkins, passed away in June," said Clayton.

(Reporting by Theopolis Waters; Editing by P.J. Huffstutter and Richard Chang)
Join The Israel Project today for reaction to US Secretary of State John Kerry's speech regarding his plan for peace in the Middle East with Israeli Deputy Minister for Diplomacy, and former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren, followed by Mike Herzog, former senior Israeli peace negotiator who worked most recently in 2014 on the Kerry Initiative.

This call is on-the-record. If you plan to call in, please RSVP to press(at)theisraelproject(dot)com with your questions and due to heavy interest, please plan to dial in 10-15 minutes prior to the call to ensure easier access to the conversation. For additional inquiries, please call 202-857-6644, press 1.



What: Conference call

Who: Michael Oren & Mike Herzog

When: TODAY DECEMBER 28, 2016 1:00pm EST

Dial-In Details: 1-800-247-5110, pass code: 2117

Michael Oren is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States, and current member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party and the Deputy Minister for Diplomacy in the Prime Minister's Office.

Mike Herzog has held senior positions in the office of Israel's Minister of Defense, under four ministers and was the Chief of Staff to Minister Ehud Barak. In those positions, he was at the center of Israeli decision-making on all key strategic, defense and political issues. General Herzog is also a military fellow at the Washington Institute, where he published extensively on Middle Eastern affairs. General Herzog is the son of the late president of Israel, Chaim Herzog.

About The Israel Project:

The Israel Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization that provides factual information about Israel and the Middle East to the media, policymakers and the public. For more information visit http://www.theisraelproject.org.
David Bollig, President and CEO of Nor-Tech We have been working with SIMULIA for many years. While this relationship has been beneficial for both companies, the real winners are our clients that can fully leverage the power of our clusters with Abaqus. Past News Releases RSS Nor-Tech Rolls out HPC Cluster...

Nor-Tech HPC Cluster Research...

Nor-Tech to Showcase Innovative HPC...

Nor-Tech just announced that it is now integrating the latest release of simulation platform Abaqus into its leading-edge HPC clusters. Abaqus 2017 will also be available for a no-cost test drive on simulationclusters.com.

Abaqus, a SIMULIA product developed by Dassault Systemes, is a scalable suite of unified analysis products that allows all users, regardless of simulation expertise or domain focus, to collaborate and seamlessly share simulation data and approved methods with no loss of information fidelity.

The Abaqus Unified FEA product suite delivers powerful, comprehensive solutions for both routine and high level engineering problems that cover a vast spectrum of industrial applications.

SIMULIA, which creates a new version of Abaqus each year, added the following upgrades to Abaqus 2017:



Enhanced Contact and Constraints

XFEM Contact Improvements for Abaqus/Standard

Advances in LCP (Linear Complimentary Problem) Equation Solver for Abaqus/Standard

CZone Enhancements for Abaqus/Explicit

Enhanced Materials and Elements

Development for Welding and Additive Manufacturing (AM)

Event Series

Usability

Other Key Enhancements: improved direct sparse scalability; explicit dynamic scalability to 1000 cores; GPU acceleration of AMS eigensolver; new material models; Abaqus-SIMPACK integration; table input for user subroutines; progress element activation.

Nor-Tech is currently in the process of integrating Abaqus into its demo cluster, which will also make the software available for testing at simulationclusters.coma site for real-time demonstration of the ROI of upgrading from a workstation to an HPC cluster. The site is a collaboration between Intel, Dassault Systemes, and Nor-Tech. There is no cost to the user for either simulationclusters.com or the demo cluster.

For more than a decade, Nor-Tech has been building easy-to-deploy HPC clusters for the worlds leading research institutions, Fortune 100 companies and pioneering innovators with applications that include automotive, aerospace and life sciences. The companys cluster capabilities range from 1,000+ core super clusters to smartly engineered entry level clusters.

Nor-Tech President and CEO David Bollig said, We have been working with SIMULIA for many years. While this relationship has been beneficial for both companies, the real winners are our clients because they are able to fully leverage the power of our clusters with Abaqus.

2016 HPCwire award finalist, Nor-Tech is renowned throughout the scientific, academic, and business communities for easy to deploy turnkey clusters and expert, no wait time support. All of Nor-Techs technology is made by Nor-Tech in Minnesota and supported by Nor-Tech around the world. In addition to HPC clusters, Nor-Techs custom technology includes workstations, desktops, and servers for a range of applications including CAE, CFD, and FEA. Nor-Tech engineers average 20+ years of experience and are responsible for significant high performance computing innovations. The company has been in business since 1998 and is headquartered in Burnsville, Minn. just outside of Minneapolis. To contact Nor-Tech call 952-808-1000/toll free: 877-808-1010 or visit http://www.nor-tech.com. Full release at: http://www.nor-tech.com/category/news/
Safe Harbor LLP, a Top San Francisco Bay Area CPA Firm With the booming Bay Area economy, many startups and other businesses are searching for new technology-savvy tax preparation services for businesses or corporations in San Francisco.

Safe Harbor LLP, a top San Francisco Accounting Firm at http://www.safeharborcpa.com/, is proud to announce an update to its informational page on business and corporate tax preparation services for San Francisco businesses. As 2016 draws to a close and 2017 fast approaches, San Francisco businesses will turn to preparation for taxes for the 2016 year. As soon as holiday festivities end, many business owners begin to hunt for a new CPA firm or accounting service for their tax preparation needs. As part of its "digital first" strategy, Safe Harbor LLP is announcing a refresh to its informational page on business and corporate tax preparation services.

With the booming Bay Area economy, many startups and other businesses are searching for new technology-savvy tax preparation services for businesses or corporations in San Francisco, explained Chun Wong, Managing Partner at Safe Harbor LLP. This important refresh to our informational page on business tax services explains that we do tax preparation for all types of corporations such as 'C' or 'S' corporation as well as the popular LLC or partnership forms.

To view the newly updated informational page on business tax preparation services in San Francisco, visit http://www.safeharborcpa.com/business-tax/. Interested parties are also referred to the informational page on LLC or Partnership tax preparation at http://www.safeharborcpa.com/partnerships/.

Being the Best CPA Firm in San Francisco for Business Needs

Safe Harbor LLP is not the largest CPA firm in San Francisco, but it prides itself on being one of the best 'boutique' CPA firms for business and corporate tax preparation. Unfortunately, many small businesses often go first to the 'big box' tax preparation services, which focus primarily on easy-to-file individual tax returns. This is not always an ideal outcome. On the other hand, many mid- or even large-size companie turn to high profile CPA firms, only to find that their customer service is lacking and their fees high. Finally, in a technologically sophisticated city such as San Francisco it should be a given that any accounting firm be good at technology. By updating its information page for 2017, Safe Harbor LLP is providing an easy-to-read format so that business and corporate decision-makers can learn a little about the firm, online, and clear their heads to realize that the best CPA firm for their needs is one that will put their needs first in a technologically sophisticated and friendly way.

About Safe Harbor LLP  a Professional CPA Firm in San Francisco

Safe Harbor LLP is a CPA firm that specializes in accounting and tax services for individuals and businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and greater California. Safe Harbor CPAs helps both individuals and businesses with tax preparation, IRS audit defense, and audited financial statements. The firm prides itself on friendly yet professional service and utilizes state-of-the-art Internet technology to provide quality customer service.

Safe Harbor CPA

http://www.safeharborcpa.com

Tel. 415.742.4249
Uniform Supply Company The new year is about casting off old ideas and thinking ahead. Our goal is to be the best uniform supply company for 2017

Uniform Solutions for You, a highly-rated uniform supplier at http://www.uniformsolutionsforyou.com/, is proud to announce a newly updated about us page just in time for 2017. Managers in charge of choosing employee uniforms may be searching for a trendy style for the New Year with an eye to the new employee uniform styles of 2017. Reaching out to a top Uniform Supply Company with a unique Idea Consultant concept could be the first step.

The new year is about casting off old ideas and thinking ahead. Our goal is to be the best uniform supply company for 2017, explained Bruce Bagley, Manager of Uniform Solutions for You. Our innovative Idea Consultant feature can help managers choose uniforms that work best for their brand. Weve updated the about us page to reflect this just in time for 2017 trends.

To review the updated page for staff uniforms please visit; http://www.uniformsolutionsforyou.com/about-us/. Information for managers and business leaders looking to review uniform supplier options can be read. The innovative Idea Consultant feature for choosing new employee uniforms can also be reviewed.

Uniform Supply Company Announces New Year Resolution: Be the Best Uniform Supplier for 2017

New Year Resolutions are normally about shedding old habits and looking ahead to life-improving changes. For business leaders, the goal can be to scrap old business plans and discover new strategies that help achieve success in the coming year. Renovating the company brand may be part of the new strategy this time around. To stay cutting-edge, many casinos and restaurants can go through an image upgrade from time to time. Not only does the overall marketing and design get updated but employee uniforms can receive a boost as well. Leaders ready to brainstorm a new customer service image may search for an expert uniform supplier consultant to get the process going.

Uniform Solutions for You has announced an update to the about us page. The uniform supply companys Idea Consultant feature offers a modern approach to selecting new employee uniforms. Managers ready to set the pace for a fresh company look can get help from a top uniform supplier to make on-point decisions. After renovating a property and installing a new interior, choosing staff attire may be the next priority. Company decision makers can speak to a uniform supply company consultant and find the best on-trend style to fit a new image. The New Year can inspire businesses to dump worn, outdated plans and rebrand for a fresh start. Shedding tired ideas and introducing an original approach from an expert uniform supplier can be the best path to a successful 2017.

About Uniform Solutions for You

Uniform Solutions for You is a division of Santa Rosa Uniform & Career Apparel, Inc. The division is an online sales uniform supplier for key industries: restaurant, hotel, and casino. The uniform supply company site has a unique consultation request feature, wherein interested parties can reach out to a human uniform idea consultant to brainstorm employee uniform ideas.

Uniform Solutions for You

http://www.uniformsolutionsforyou.com/
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CHICAGO  Exelon has announced expanded company leave policies giving more paid time off to eligible employees following the birth or adoption of a child or when a family member is critically ill.

Starting Jan. 1, the new package provides mothers who have given birth with up to 16 weeks of paid leave, and new fathers and adoptive parents up to eight weeks of paid leave. Primary caregivers also will be able to take two weeks of paid leave to care for a family member with a critical health condition.
The bold flavor of Mexican chorizo, a fresh pork sausage packed with chilies, makes this black bean soup stand out from other variations. The chorizo is rolled into little meatballs to float among the beans. You'll want a wine that stands up to the boldness, like these two Spanish bottlings and one French.

Make this

Black bean soup with chorizo meatballs

Form 1 pound Mexican chorizo into small meatballs (1 teaspoon sausage each). Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan. Add 1 white onion, chopped, and 1 clove garlic, finely chopped. Cook until onion softens, 5 minutes. Stir in 2 poblano peppers, seeded, chopped; season with salt. Cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in 4 cups chicken broth; 1 can (14 ounces) black beans, drained, rinsed; and meatballs; heat to a simmer. Serve, garnished with fresh cilantro and avocado. Makes: 4 servings

Recipe by Joe Gray

Drink this

Pairings by sommelier Nate Redner of Oyster Bah, as told to Michael Austin:

2007 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Vina Cubillo, Rioja, Spain: This blend is 70 percent tempranillo, 20 percent garnacha, 5 percent graciano (used for perfumed aromatics and color) and 5 percent mazuelo (aka, carignan). The wine's notes of blood orange, orange zest and dill will match nicely with the chorizo's bold flavor, and its bright acidity will make the dish seem lighter than it is.

2010 Herve Souhaut Sainte Epine, Rhone Valley, France: Chorizo has enough spice, heat and fattiness to stand out in just about any dish, and it's a good idea to complement that spice rather than contrast it. This syrah's vibrant notes of black olive, violet and anise, backed by a peppery core, will complement the dish well. Besides the wine's aroma and flavor components, it also has a softness that will be a good match.

2014 Coto de Gomariz The Flower and the Bee, Ribeiro, Spain: Made of the not-so-familiar treixadura grape variety, this wine likely will be oddly familiar to many people. The white grape often takes on aspects of chenin blanc and riesling, and this version of it features notes of white flowers, honeycomb, Meyer lemon, Bosc pear and slate -- ripe fruit character with complete dryness. Also, its bright acidity will help cut through the fat in the dish.
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP)  Trustees in a village near Springfield have reprimanded the town's president for extending his middle finger at a public meeting.

A resolution approved 5-0 says Chatham President Tom Gray's conduct was "unprofessional" and will only "further divide the community." Chatham has had problems with water quality.

Gray didn't attend the meeting Tuesday. The State-Journal Register says he's apologized for giving the finger to a man who was livestreaming a meeting earlier this month.

Trustees Nina Lindhorst and Mark Clayton want Gray to resign. Gray says he won't quit. His term ends in April.

Trustee Matthew Mau says the board needs "to get over this" and work on issues important to Chatham.
WARRENSBURG, Ill. (AP)  Jim Owens, a former Decatur police officer, teaches his students a lot more than how to shoot straight and load their weapons.

The motto of his concealed carry instruction school is "win the fight," which translates to surviving an attack and ending a deadly threat.

In a recent session attended by three women and two men, Owens taught them how to quickly reload a handgun while in the middle of a gun battle.

"You need to be carrying another magazine, two magazines at least," said Owens, who works full-time as an investigator with the Macon County State's Attorney's Office. "You're not going to count rounds in a gun fight."

He advised his students to prepare for a confrontation by throwing spent shell casings on the ground, to take a mental picture of how many shots they have already fired.

"If I have a 17-round magazine, I've got only three rounds left, what should I do next?" Owens asked during an indoor class session, held at the Warrensburg fire station. "I'm still in the gun fight."

For the next 20 minutes, he drilled the students in dropping the magazine from their guns while loading full magazines almost simultaneously.

In the third year since concealed carry was enacted into law in Illinois, there are several local businesses that have sprung up to teach basic shooting and safety techniques, as well as other aspects of carrying firearms away from one's residence or business.

Owens partnered with two other men, Zack Wakeland and John Wyatt, to form Resolute Dynamics, a company specializing in instruction for the concealed carry license.

One of the conditions set by the state in order to obtain a concealed carry license is 16 hours of firearms training by an instructor approved by the Illinois State Police. Those who sign up with Resolute Dynamics complete this training in a weekend.

"Our classes are current and relevant," said Owens, who learned to shoot as a child, but received formalized firearm training while serving in the Army in the 1990s. He was certified as a firearms instructor by the Illinois State Police while working for the Decatur police. While serving as a part-time officer in Warrensburg, he received additional training and certification at the University of Illinois Police Training Institute. "I went through six different training classes this year. We are always trying to keep up on what's relevant, including the law and recent court decisions."

Training involves scenarios, during which students are put under pressure to perform.

"GUN!" he shouts, signaling for the students to draw their guns from their holsters and point them forward. "Where's your gun pointed?"

At the signal of "SPEED LOAD!" the students are expected to eject the magazines in the gun grips and quickly slide in the fresh ones.

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up," Owens yells, followed by a word of encouragement. "Much better."

Since Owens started training people shortly after the ink dried on the 2013 Concealed Carry Act, he has trained about 1,400 people to qualify for their licenses and use them responsibly.

In order to qualify on the shooting range, each applicant must shoot a minimum of 10 rounds each at targets five, seven and 10 yards away. The minimum hits of an approved target area is 21 out of 30.

In one of the most recent sessions taught by Owens, all passed, with three out of five hitting 30 out of 30.

"We always teach people to be respectful," Owens said. "We tell our student not to go into places you're not supposed to. Be respectful of the 'no guns' signs."

Owens said the demographics of his students during the past few years are about one-third women, mostly between about 28 and 50 years old. There have been some as young as 21. Most of the men are a bit older, mostly in their 50s, but others have ranged between 35 and 60.

"Most are city dwellers, mostly blue collar," Owens said. "There have been 15 or 20 physicians and eight pastors from Decatur. Their concern is they are preaching and someone comes up and shoots them."

Bob Squires, a former Decatur police sergeant and Marine Corps veteran, became a firearm instructor 30 years ago, a master instructor a year or so later. He has helped Owens teach a couple of concealed carry classes to civilians in the past, but specializes in teaching classes geared specifically for retired police officers.

"Just about anything that comes up that involves firearms I've done it or am doing it," said Squires, who has been serving as a court security officer at the Macon County Courts Facility for about 10 years.

Squires said he believes the Illinois concealed carry program is a good one.

"They're doing background checks, to try to keep them out of the hand of the bad guys," he said.

People are fearful

Tina Shambaugh, 44, of Oakley, recently successfully completed her training with Resolute Dynamics, earning her training certificate on the final day, which she sent in to the State Police to complete her application process.

She said she trained for her license in order to exercise her Second Amendment right to bear arms.

"The conceal carry law tells me we can do that on a regular basis," she said.

Prior to taking the course, she had little shooting experience, just a bit of going out shooting with friends.

"Yes, I am going to carry," Shambaugh said, adding that she might not pack a gun all the time. She said she would "absolutely" use her gun to protect someone else. "I would expect the same from them if they were in the same situation."

A recent hire at the Decatur Fire Department, Brandon Mandernach, said he wanted to be able to protect himself and his family.

"With the recent addition of a little girl, I thought now is the time," said Mandernach, 34. "You're not always at home. This gives you a little bit of more ability to handle whatever situation presents itself."

Owens said that when he asks students why they are going through the training, the most common thing he hears is that people are fearful right now.

"With all these shootings by crazy people, there is a real fear they won't be able to defend themselves," he said. "They say it's my right as a citizen and they'd like to exercise their rights."

Although the rights of gun owners versus gun control advocates is a hot button issue, Owens said this seldom comes up in class discussions.

"They are more concerned with terrorism rather than someone coming in and taking away their guns," Owens said. "Some people aren't comfortable with talking about politics publicly. We say we don't let things get political in the class. We focus on mindset and how to use your firearm and the law.

People are more concerned about their physical safety."

One-to-one training

Kevin Mante, a law enforcement patrol sergeant and firearms training officer (he prefers not to mention the specific agency), teaches concealed carry sessions, specializing in small groups for enhanced one-to-one instruction.

"Our business model is a mobile teaching concept. We will go to your location; we teach at ranges, clasrooms," said Mante, who served in the Air Force in ground security and weapons training earlier in his career. Since leaving the military, he has worked full-time in law enforcement.

His company, Applied Combative Solutions LLC, works in partnership with Accuracy Firearms, a gun shop in Effingham which recently opened a firing range.

Mante teaches about six to eight concealed carry sessions each year, with six to 10 students in each session.

He has seen a broad-based demographic of students, but noticed since last year that more women are applying for his classes.

"We have had a request for women-only concealed carry," Mante said. "They want an environment with all women, no stress, not a competitive thing."

Mante is also teaching classes for those who want more than certification for their concealed carry licenses.

"We will train people to effectively defend themselves with a handgun," Mante said, adding that the combative skill sessions will be limited to five students. "These are one-day classes designed to develop certain skill sets we don't have the time to do with typical conceal carry classes."
CHICAGO  Seventeen people have been wounded in shootings in Chicago since Monday morning, including a 14-year-old girl in critical condition after a shooting in Gresham.

She was among 61 people shot since Christmas weekend began on Friday afternoon, according to data kept by the Tribune.

The 14-year-old was with a 13-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy in a van outside Leland Giants Park just after 11:30 p.m. The 13-year-olds father had just left the van to speak with someone in a nearby house when two people came up and fired shots into the vehicle, police said.

The 14-year-old was shot in the back and went to Comer Childrens Hospital in critical condition. The 13-year-old was grazed in the arm and taken to Saint Bernard Hospital in good condition. The 2-year-old was unharmed, police said.

Eleven of the 60 people shot over the weekend died from their wounds. More than a dozen others were listed in serious or critical condition.

The city has seen eight multiple-victim shootings, including two double homicides. One was an attack in the East Chatham neighborhood that left two dead and five others wounded, and an attack in the Austin neighborhood left two dead.

Much of the violence happened in areas with historical gang conflicts on the south and west side of Chicago, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.

The shootings added to the tolls this year in Chicago, where more than 700 homicides have been recorded with more than 4,000 people shot  a level of violence not seen in Chicago since the late 1990s, according to Tribune and police data. Last year, 488 people were killed in Chicago.

The holiday weekend began with five teenagers shot within feet of each other in the South Austin neighborhood. At 3:30 p.m. Friday, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the 4900 block of West Kinzie Street. A little more than an hour later, four other teenagers were shot just feet away, in the 4900 block of West Hubbard Street. Their conditions had stabilized.

Guglielmi said most of the attacks were targeted attacks by gangs against potential rivals who were at holiday gatherings. That only brought on retaliatory gun violence. In response, police adjusted their assignments as needed and seized 45 guns from areas with a heavy presence of gangs, Guglielmi said.

While we have promising leads, this unacceptable level of gun violence demonstrates the clear and present need for policy makers to convene in January and give Chicago the gun sentencing tools against repeat offenders so that we can adequately hold people accountable, he said.
* S.Korea regulator orders Qualcomm to correct business practices

* Qualcomm says it will fight ruling in court

* Chipmaker faces antitrust probes from other jurisdictions

* Firm fined $975 million in China in 2015 on antitrust charges (Adds comments from additional analyst)

By Se Young Lee and Stephen Nellis

SEJONG, South Korea/SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm Inc 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what it called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the U.S. chipmaker said it will challenge in court.

The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomm's most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing headwinds from a cooling smartphone market. Shares in Qualcomm fell 1.7 percent on Nasdaq.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled on Wednesday Qualcomm abused its dominant market position and forced handset makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips.

Qualcomm also restricted competition by refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents related to modem chips to rival chipmakers such as Intel Corp, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and MediaTek Inc, the regulator said, hindering their sales and leaving their products vulnerable to lawsuits.

The regulator ordered Qualcomm to negotiate in good faith with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset makers if requested -- measures that would affect the U.S. firm's dealings with major tech companies including Apple Inc, Intel, Samsung and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd if upheld.

The KFTC said it began its investigations into Qualcomm's practices in 2014 following complaints from industry participants, but did not name specific companies.

Foreign companies including Apple, Intel, MediaTek and Huawei expressed their views during the regulator's deliberation process, KFTC Secretary General Shin Young-son told a media briefing in the country's administrative capital.

Story continues

"We investigated and decided on these actions because Qualcomm's actions limit overall competition," Shin said, adding that the ruling was not about protecting domestic companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics Inc.

Qualcomm said it will file for an immediate stay of the corrective order and appeal the decision to the Seoul High Court. The firm will also appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.

"Qualcomm strongly disagrees with the KFTC's announced decision," it said in a statement.

The decision in Seoul could mean lower costs for mobile phone makers and others in the tech supply chain who source Qualcomm chips, said a Taiwanese industry executive, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

IN REGULATORY CROSSHAIRS

The fine is the latest in a series of antitrust rulings and investigations faced by Qualcomm from regulators across the globe. In February 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China following a 14-month probe, while the European Union in December 2015 accused it of abusing its market power to thwart rivals.

Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with AB Bernstein, said the fine itself was large but also said the KFTC's orders for Qualcomm to alter its business practices have bigger future implications for the chipmaker.

A major challenge for Qualcomm, he said, would emerge if the ruling forces the company to license patents for some of its chips to rivals such as Intel, which has been competing hard to land its modem chips in mobile phones.

The dispute could take years to play out in South Korean courts, he said.

The KFTC fined Qualcomm 273 billion won in 2009 for abusing its dominant position in CDMA modem chips, which were then used in handsets made by Samsung and LG.

Regulators in other jurisdictions, including the United States and Taiwan, are also investigating Qualcomm. The KFTC move could serve as a benchmark for some of them.

"Korea's decision will serve as an important reference point for us," Chiu Yung-ho, vice chairman and spokesman for Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission, told Reuters. He gave no timeline on when Taiwan's own year-long investigation would be concluded.

Even if the Korean decision sets a precedent for regulatory proceedings in other countries, Qualcomm's move to purchase chipmaker NXP Semiconductors for $38 billion cuts its reliance on mobile phones, said Bill Kreher, an analyst with Edward Jones. NXP takes Qualcomm into the fast-growing market for automotive chips and puts it into the chip manufacturing business.

"The strategy of diversifying the company's business lines may prove to be the most prudent strategy of all," Kreher said. "Since Qualcomm has moved its dependence from royalties, further decisions from other countries such as the U.S. in the future would not impact the company much, relative to in the past."

Shares of Qualcomm were down $1.16 to $66.09 in early afternoon trade.

($1 = 1,206.4700 won) (Reporting by Se Young Lee; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in SEOUL, J.R. Wu in TAIPEI, Stephen Nellis in SAN FRANCISCO and Rishika Sadam in BENGALURU; Editing by Peter Henderson, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Andrea Ricci)
Yolanduis L. McDuffie pleaded innocent Tuesday in Rock Island County to the shooting death of Derek Jackson, of Rock Island.

Mr. Jackson, a 24-year-old tattoo artist, was shot dead Dec. 18, 2013, in his home while his girlfriend and young son were upstairs.

Mr. McDuffie, 23, of Moline, is accused of conspiring with Aaron D. Henderson II, 24, of Rock Island, in the attack on Mr. Jackson, according to county court documents. Mr. Henderson was found guilty in 2015 and is serving a 40-year sentence.

Mr. McDuffie is charged with first-degree murder in the case, according to court records. He pleaded innocent during a Tuesday morning hearing before Judge Frank R. Fuhr.

It is the second time Mr. McDuffie has been charged in relation to Mr. Jackson's death. He was first charged in January 2014, but the case was dismissed January 2015. Authorities reopened the case against him in August 2015, citing new evidence.

That evidence involves the results of a laboratory test on a gun that matches the make, model and caliber of the weapon investigators say killed Mr. Jackson, Rock Island County State's Attorney John McGehee said in 2015. The firearm was recovered in Iowa shortly after Mr. Henderson's conviction.

Mr. McDuffie already has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the April 5, 2015, slaying of James Earl Goode Jr.

Witnesses testified that at about 4 a.m. April 5, 2015, Mr. McDuffie and others quarreled with Mr. Goode outside a bar at 100 W. 6th St., Davenport, according to court documents. Witnesses told authorities that Mr. Goode "took off running," and Mr. McDuffie shot him several times with a .40 caliber handgun.

Police found Mr. Goode with life-threatening gunshot wounds. He later died.

Mr. McDuffie was originally charged with first-degree murder, but the charge was lessened to voluntary manslaughter. Mr. McDuffie was sentenced to at least 10 years for this charge and at least five years for possession of a firearm.

He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, for which he was sentenced to 10 years. Consequently, the court dismissed a charge of failure to affix a drug stamp, documents say.

Mr. McDuffie must serve at least half of his manslaughter sentence and at least a third of his controlled substance violation sentence before being considered for parole in the Iowa cases.

If he is convicted for Mr. Jackson's slaying, the sentence on the murder charge in Illinois is between 45 and 85 years.

He remained in custody Tuesday at the Rock Island County Jail, held on $1.5 million bail, according to court records. His next court appearance is Jan. 27.
Public radio station WVIK and journalist Scott Reeder are teaming up to produce a new podcast exploring the ongoing prosecution of Stanley Liggins.

Mr. Liggins has been convicted twice of the Sept. 17, 1990, murder of 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis, who authorities said went to buy gum and never returned home. Her burned body was found outside a Davenport elementary school.

Mr. Liggins faces counts of murder, sex abuse, kidnapping and arson, all in the first-degree, and one count of willful injury causing serious injury.

In 1993, a Scott County jury convicted Mr. Liggins of the murder, but the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the verdict. He was convicted again in 1995 by a Dubuque County jury; however, an appeals court in 2013 reversed the second conviction and ordered a retrial.

Mr. Liggins is set to go to trial for a third time in 2017.

Mr. Reeder was among the journalists on site the night the body was discovered. He has followed the case since that day, conducting interviews and collecting documents.

"There's a tendency in the media to treat certain lives differently than other lives," Mr. Reeder said. "You think about Elizabeth Smart, the girl in Utah who disappeared.

"You think about Jon Benet Ramsey, the girl in Colorado who was murdered. You think about a lot of these cases that stick out in your mind and what makes them unusual, or what makes them newsworthy, is these were children from wealthy families.

"And this little girl was not. She grew up in very tragic circumstances. I think her life counts. I think it matters. I think it's important that this case be looked at carefully."

The podcast will launch Jan. 9 at SuspectConvictions.com and on iTunes. WVIK will air the first five podcasts Fridays at 7:30 p.m. between Jan. 13 and Feb. 10.

The podcasts also will be available at WVIK.org. Mr. Reeder is currently working on a book about the case due to be released in the next year.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trumps inner circle is studded with links to Russia  from a potential secretary of state who received a medal from Vladimir Putin to a campaign adviser who worked for Russian-backed Ukrainian politicians.

Those connections, combined with Trumps own expressions of admiration for Putin, have fueled speculation that a Trump administration would forge an unprecedented alliance with the Russian government. Some critics have warned that the president-elects stance toward Russia could be swayed in part by the business interests of his advisers.

Heres a look at some of the people in Trumps orbit whose Russian ties have sparked concerns.

Paul Manafort

 Resigned as Trumps campaign manager in August amid questions about his foreign lobbying work and alleged ties to pro-Russia forces in Ukraine. He is reportedly in close contact with the Trump transition team, though transition officials have downplayed his role.

 Served as an adviser to Russian-backed political leaders in Ukraine, from 2007 to 2012. His main client was former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown in 2014.

 His business associates included Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who was a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 Documents found after Yanukovychs ouster showed $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Manafort, The New York Times reported in August.

Rick Gates

 Briefly worked as the Trump campaigns liaison to the Republican National Committee and is now working behind the scenes on inauguration activities, according to CNN.

 Worked for Manaforts political consulting firm, where he arranged meetings between Ukrainian officials and American members of Congress. He also worked to undercut sympathy for Yulia Tymoshenko, the imprisoned rival of Yanukovych.

Michael Flynn

 The former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency is Trumps pick to be his national security adviser.

 Has advocated forging closer ties with Russia.

 Attracted criticism for a series of paid speaking engagements he did for RT, the Kremlins propaganda channel. Those appearances included a 2015 trip to Moscow to attend a banquet celebrating the network. Flynn was seated next to Putin.

 Rex Tillerson

 Trumps choice for secretary of state.

 Chief executive of Exxon Mobil with a long history of business transactions in Russia.

 Was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin in 2013. The designation is one of the highest honors Russia gives to foreign citizens.

 Is a close personal friend of Putins.

Wilbur Ross

 Trumps pick for secretary of commerce

 Billionaire investor whose specializes in buying and turning around troubled companies

 Was a board member of the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund under President Bill Clinton.

 Reportedly a business partner of Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

Carter Page

 Was a foreign policy adviser to Trump early in the campaign.

 The Trump team distanced itself from Page last fall after he attracted scrutiny for his alleged communications with Russian officials.

 Has extensive business connections in Russia, where he spent three years as an investment banker in the early 2000s.

 Reportedly traveled to Moscow in July, just before the Republican National Convention. He allegedly met there with a former Russian security official believed by U.S. officials to have responsibility for intelligence collected by Russian agencies about the U.S. election, according to Yahoo News.

 He was reportedly scrutinized by the FBI over the summer because of his alleged private communications with Russian officials. Page called the investigation a witch hunt, The New York Times reported.



2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Visit CQ Roll Call at www.rollcall.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Chicago Tribune recently reported that Illinois for the third year in a row experienced a decline in population. This is including births.

If you remove births and only compare people who decide to move to Illinois vs. people who decide to live elsewhere, the trend of more moving out than moving in goes back several decades.And 114,000 people leaving in one year is like every adult in Rock Island County deciding to leave in the same year.

The reasons are mostly economic. In a border county like Rock Island County, the trend is really obvious and the causes are also really obvious.

Job creation in Illinois is tepid at best. New business starts in Scott County outstrip startups in Rock Island County. In turn, job creation in Scott also runs ahead of RICo. This percolates into other areas of the economy. Housing starts in Scott County run far ahead of Rock Island County. Home values also enjoy a higher value.

As a result of all this rampant prosperity, tax revenues due to retail activity in Scott are double ours. Real estate taxes are substantially lower. People like living in an area with a growing economy. It takes a home half the time to sell in Iowa compared to Illinois.

This obvious disparity results in people moving out and businesses either relocating to other states or deciding not to invest in Illinois.

I am not bashing Rock Island County.

I am bashing the government that puts us in this situation.

We need to set a goal, publicly, engraved in stone that property taxes in RICo will go down. We need to retain a competitive environment for our businesses to succeed, grow and create jobs. We need to lower the cost of government.

We have to have a public union that understands that when the state and the county are broke pay raises are off the table.

This goes for non-union workers and administrators and elected as well. County investments that do not pay for themselves and which are not a traditional part of government should be moved to the private sector to cut costs and to increase our tax revenue base.

Illinois has entered into a cycle where government costs are paid for with tax increases. When revenues do not hit projections, tax rates are increased to make up the shortfall. The increase in rates pushes businesses and residents to other states.

As a result of the exodus, projections are missed. This is a cycle that must be broken.

If we lower real estate tax rates, housing values will start to rise. Illinois will be viewed as undervalued as opposed to over-taxed. We will be able to generate more revenue with lower tax rates.

If we can reverse this trend, and people believe it is for the long term, the improvement in our economy would manifest itself very quickly.

The time to start is now.
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Santiago Metro scored the highest technical score in the proposals received after a long process of pre-qualification, and technical and economic evaluation.

The proposal is to support the creation of the institutional capacity of the Bogota Metro, and to develop the projects legal structure, as well as assisting with the engineering, construction, recruitment process, and identifying the equipment and systems required.

Santiago Metro says it has responded to these proposals by employing a team of 18 professionals with vast experience in engineering, construction, operation, maintenance, systems, equipment, planning, finance, business and training.

The Bogota metro is considered an essential project as the population continues to grow in the Colombian capital, which currently has around nine million inhabitants.

Santiago Metro has offered advice on other metro projects in South America including in Quito, Panama and Rio.

For detailed data on hundreds of new-build rail projects around the globe, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
If 2016s wild, throw-predictions-out-the-window runaway freight train of a Presidential election taught us anything, its that nothing is ever a given. As the old saw goes, never assume, because it makes an awell, you get it.

Is a traffic recovery under way? Maybe. Do the railroads have a better chance of clamping the lid shut on onerous rules and regulations like forced access (reciprocal switching), and seeing restrictions lifted on coal-fired electric power plants under a Trump Administration, rather than Clinton II? Probably. A concerted industry effort is under way on Capitol Hill to make those things happen. Does Donald Trumps purported interest in pouring money into U.S. infrastructure mean that rail transportation will benefit? Unknown.

No one really knows whats going on beneath the hairspray-hardened flaming orange comb-over topping Trumps head. Since winning the Electoral College vote on Nov. 8, he at times is appearing more Presidentialserious, thoughtful, willing to compromise. He seems to recognize gray areas, in sharp contrast to his campaign persona of talking in extreme black-and-white terms. Some observers think that, deep down, he never believed hed actually win (perhaps explaining his Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil-like campaign behavior), and now faces the very somber prospect of actually having to be President of the United Statessort of Now what do I do?

What could a Trump Administration mean to the railroads? Plenty. Or perhaps not so much, because market forces will almost always trump politicspun intended. Following are a few educated observations.

Jason Seidl: Will 2017 Trump 2016?

To paraphrase the Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip it has been in 2016. I am fairly certain that most railroads would love to close the door on a year that brought the group many challenges. Indeed, the railroads not only saw coal traffic decline yet again but also saw intermodal weakness brought about by a soft truckload environment.

While growth in automotive traffic was solid throughout the year, it was not enough to offset further weakness in metals, chemicals, petroleum and crushed stone and sand. The railroads also saw their core pricing power diminish as we moved through the year due to sluggish overall demand and the aforementioned soft trucking market. The railroads did what they could by reigning in costs through headcount reductions, network streamlining and improved operational productivity. Despite the groups best efforts, earnings remained under pressure in 2016.

As I write this article, year-over-year carloadings are looking better for the railroad group, with much of it due to easier prior-year comparisons. Growth in agricultural products and less of a coal traffic decline have also helped. Looking out to 2017, we have hopes for volume growth to return to the industry, albeit at a low-single-digit pace.

Indeed, we are forecasting a recovery in intermodal as traffic finds its way back on the rails with rising trucking rates, particularly in the back half of the year. We believe the pending deadline for electronic logging devices (ELDs), coupled with fleet reductions in 2016 by many carriers, will limit capacity as 2017 progresses. This combination should lead to higher spot then contractual pricing for truckload services, which in turn should help the railroads regain some of the transitory business lost to the highways.

Coal traffic, while not expected to show a sharp rebound, should not be nearly the drag it was for the industry in 2016. For some carriers, coal could be up, depending on the combination of winter weather, natural gas prices and exchange rates. Agricultural loadings should be strong to start the year, but a record harvest will likely present very difficult back-half comparisons for the group. Automotive growth should continue to slow considerably, as the law of large numbers takes over while other industrial products should see modest growth. Construction materials and stone may see a surge in the back half of the year as infrastructure projects take hold.

Cowen and Companys proprietary 3Q Railroad Shipper survey noted pricing expectations slipping to 2.1%, down from the prior two quarters of 2.9% each. We believe this sequential negative pricing trend will begin to correct itself as we move through the course of the year. While overall economic growth should help, so should the anticipated recovery in the truckload market. However, we note that intermodal pricing recovery typically lags truckload pricing.

A discussion of 2017 could not be complete without discussing the political ramifications of the recent election some of you may have heard about. President-Elect Trumps election night victory caught many people and pundits by surprise. A Trump Presidency will undoubtedly have ramifications on the railroads and the country as a whole.

Trump has been an outspoken critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and has vowed to renegotiate or scrap the treaty. He does have the authority to do so as there is a clause in the agreement that allows a party to withdraw six months after it has given notice. Trump has been particularly critical of automotive companies that have moved their plants to Mexico. This is rather important, as some two million vehicles (just over 10% of total vehicles sold) are imported from Mexico each year. Trump has also openly discussed implementing tariffs against Mexico, some of them stiff.

Canada should not be left out of this discussion either, but it appears that relations are far better with Canada especially and has manufacturing associations lobbying their government to prioritize U.S./Canadian trade relations ahead of Mexico.

In addition to NAFTA, potential changes to trade with China and other Asian countries also appear to be on the table. Fears of potential changes go beyond our borders, as the Japanese Prime Minister was the first world leader to meet with the President-Elect Trump in person, altering his schedule to do so.

Washington appointments will also have an impact on the rail industry. The most direct impacts will occur when 2 new members are appointed to the Surface Transportation Board by the new president. While any appointee is subject to Senate confirmation, we doubt any nominee by President Elect Trump will fail to get confirmed given the Republican majority. Such anticipation has led to the Association of American Railroads to call for a complete halt to all major rule making until the STB positions are filled. Trump is very pro-business, especially given his views on reducing corporate tax rates (a potential boost for earnings for most U.S.-based corporations) and proposed infrastructure spending (an area where he can undoubtedly forge alliances across the proverbial aisle). Hence we would be surprised to see any STB appointments that would do damage to the rail industry.

We remain optimistic on the rail group as we head into 2017, and are rooting for the President-Elect to be successful, as we do with every incoming President. Earnings growth should come to the North American rail group far easier in 2017 than 2016. However, given the groups current pricing power and the state of capacity in the supply chain, any outsized growth will not likely occur until the back half of the year.

Tom Simpson: Innovative Ideas Needed

Despite some bright spots like grain and automobiles, U.S. rail traffic continues its march to historic lows. In October, the Association of American Railroads reported the 20th straight month of traffic declines and more than 350,000 railcars in storage. The Railway Supply Institute American Railway Car Institute (ARCI) Committee railcar orders report, always a leading indicator for our industry, continues the bleak economic news, showing new freight car orders totaling just 5,526 for the third quarter of 2016. While total 2016 railcar deliveries will approach 65,000, the backlog of car orders continues to dwindle. A new loss of orders footnote has been added to the report to explain why the numbers do not track from quarter to quarter.

What does all this mean? Paradigm change is a phrase we have heard from Class I railroad executives.

What will help the industry survive the current downturn? Class I executives are looking to technology and an improved, more-focused quality process. When RSI Chairman Tom DeJoseph of Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. and I were invited to attend the REMSA board meeting this past summer, we heard the call for innovative technology from Class I officials. Those who attended the recent RSI/CMA 2016 Rail Expo and Technical Conference in Omaha and saw Union Pacific Chairman and CEO Lance Fritzs keynote speech heard a similar refrain.

With more than 800 railroad suppliers listening, Lance described the best ideas that were helping UP weather the downturn. While the railroad likes to look at 10- and 20-year snapshots, Fritz described the companys goal as wanting to do better tomorrow with assets we have today. He spoke of Machine Vision car imaging, automated inspection of trains to weed out defective cars before they can lead to a derailment. Using car imaging technology reduces the four hours it would take to inspect a normal train to a few minutes, he said. He also spoke of UPs movement to longer rail, reducing the number of welds needed in continuous welded rail because welds are a notorious weak point in the rail infrastructure.

In a similar vein, Fritz described how UP has devised an innovated thermite head repair weld that also reduces weak points in the rail infrastructure. From the car and locomotive perspective, he said UP is looking to strengthen the underside of rolling stock and looking for more flexibility and capacity in new railcars.

As an example of next-generation technology, Fritz described the use of drones to inspect tunnels and bridges, reducing the risk to UP employees. Other Class I railroads also are looking for suppliers with innovative ideas on how to bring new technology and innovation to the rail industry.

While RSI was in Omaha, representatives of the RSI Board of Directors and the RSI Quality Committee met with UP Vice President Supply and Continuous Improvement Lynn Kelley, whose background is in the auto and aerospace industries. She described the difficult operating environment she found in those industries and how she applied that knowledge to UP. She described UPs approach to quality, which goes beyond the M1003 programs adopted by the AAR and Class I railroads. Using what it calls PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), UP is working with its suppliers to identify risks in the manufacturing process to prevent catastrophic events. PPAP is currently focusing only on high-risk areas in the roadbed infrastructureballast, rail, frogs, etc. The next high-risk area UP will focus on is rolling stock.

Speaking of quality, the AAR and RSI quality committees are discussing developing an educational effort to again focus the industry on continuous quality improvement. A buzz-phrase in the 1990s, continuous quality improvement seems to lose steam in down economic cycles when it should be most important. As Lynn Kelley and UP have discovered, an emphasis on quality, especially in safety-critical areas, can play a key part in helping the industry face economic downturns.

Lessons here? Suppliers who bring innovative technologies to their customers that will reduce derailments and employee exposure to dangerous situations will be the suppliers that succeed and grow. Companies that adopt a rigorous quality program along the lines of UPs PPAP will succeed and grow.

Our industry has always bounced back from economic downturns, as in the early 2000s and the early 2010s. We may see a different rebound this time, fueled by technology, innovation and continuous quality improvement.

Freight Cars: Recovery Will Take Some Time

The most recent freight car forecast from Economic Planning Associates calls for deliveries of just under 62,000 units in 2016, as carbuilders work off significant backlogs, followed by a 21,000-car plummet in 2017, a slightly worse 2018, and the beginnings of a small rebound in 2019.

Due to strength in boxcars, hi-cube covered hoppers, and mid-sized hoppers, our 2016 estimate of total railcar deliveries edged up from 60,300 cars to 61,800 cars, said EPA principal Peter Toja. However, weaknesses in tank cars, coal cars, flat cars, and mill gons will serve to lower 2017 assemblies to 41,000 cars. After a further easing to 40,000 deliveries in 2018, demand for railcars will rebound on an annual basis, reaching 51,500 cars in 2021.

Railcar demand continues to be relatively weak, said Toja. Orders of 18,799 cars through the first three quarters of this year were far outpaced by assemblies of 47,519 cars, sending backlogs down from 111,000 at the beginning of the year to 77,600 units at the end of September. Still, backlogs represent 5.05 quarters of production at current assembly rates.

However, we anticipate a general softening in deliveries for most car types during the next two years before we see a pickup in assemblies once again in 2019.

Our weak economy continues to dampen rail traffic. The hardest-hit sections of rail product movements were coal, petroleum, forest products, and metallic ores and metals. Due to a record harvest and strong export markets, grain haulings scored an impressive gain of 5.6% through September.

Based on significant backlogs, we expect an acceleration in boxcar assemblies that will result in deliveries of 3,250 units this year and 3,500 cars in 2017. We look for deliveries of about 2,000 cars per year during the longer term.

Due to strength through September and current backlogs, we look for deliveries of 11,500 hi-cube covered hoppers this year and 7,500 units in 2017. From 2018 through 2021, deliveries will be in the range of 4,000-5,000 cars per year.

Given the assemblies to date and the continuing growth in grain and soda ash demand, we have raised our mid-sized covered hopper deliveries forecast from 8,000 to 10,500 cars this year. Next year, we look for 7,000 cars to be delivered. From 2018 to 2021, deliveries will average 6,000 cars per year.

Demand for coal carrying equipment has vanished. During the first three quarters of this year, there were no orders for aluminum-bodied hoppers and gondolas.

The current energy environment is sluggish, at best, and we noted a slowing in tank car orders and assemblies. As a result, we are lowering our 2016 tank car delivery estimate from 20,000 to 18,000, and then to 8,000 cars in 2017. From 2018 to 2021, demand for tank cars will gradually rise from 9,000 units to 15,000.

From the December 2016 issue of Railway Age.
The Latin American Association of Mehn Networks & Subways (Alamys) announced on December 9 that its principal member, Santiago Metro, won a tender from the Colombian Ministry of Transport to assist with the project to develop the first metro line in Bogota.

Santiago Metro scored the highest technical score in the proposals received after a long process of pre-qualification, and technical and economic evaluation.

The proposal is to support the creation of the institutional capacity of the Bogota Metro, and to develop the projects legal structure, as well as assisting with the engineering, construction, recruitment process, and identifying the equipment and systems required.

Santiago Metro says it has responded to these proposals by employing a team of 18 professionals with vast experience in engineering, construction, operation, maintenance, systems, equipment, planning, finance, business and training.

The Bogota metro is considered an essential project as the population continues to grow in the Colombian capital, which currently has around nine million inhabitants.

Santiago Metro has offered advice on other metro projects in South America including in Quito, Panama and Rio.
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Almost a third of Mexican households will pay for over-the-top (OTT) video services in 2025, led by Televisas Blim and Netflix.





In less than ten years, the Mexican OTT video market is set to generate over $220 million in income, according to an analysis by Citibanamex published in the newspaper El Universal.Televisas video-on-demand (VOD) services will be the fastest grower in the period, managing to take pole position from Netflix. Currently, Blim is the second most used platform in Mexico after Netflix, and is also available throughout Latin America.However, while OTT platforms are increasing in popularity, traditional pay-TV may suffer. The success of Blim, Netflix and Clarovideo could negatively affect the cable TV offerings, said the Citibanamex note.The biggest challenge for Televisa and Claro  which offer both OTT and telecom services  will be monetisation. We have calculated that Blim represented less than 1% of Televisas net income in Q3 2016, which suggests that Blim may be not enough to compensate the expected decrease in the advertising business, said the report.
Spains public broadcaster RTVE is to launch a live show through its social media feeds at the same time as its regular coverage of the New Years Eve countdown.





The project is designed and produced by Multiplatform Content (MC) , a Madrid-based digital production house which specialises in branded content.For the first time, two Spanish YouTubers will present a live parallel show targeting millennials and generation Zs. Andrea Compton and Alex Puertolas will lead a 100% digital and social coverage of the traditional last 12 strokes of the year from Madrids Puerta del Sol square.With Campanadas YouTVE, the public broadcaster says that it is pushing innovative formats and content and consolidates its digital footprint.The social TV broadcast is the last project in a list of digital initiatives developed by RTVE during 2016, including virtual and augmented reality and online and mobile productions
Grupo Salinas has received the necessary shareholder investment to enable it to leave TV Aztecas Colombian unit and focus on the Mexican market.





According to Grupo Salinas, TV Aztecas shareholders will contribute $60 million into Azteca Comunicaciones Colombia under the terms of the agreement reached last November.Following poor Q3 2016 results, TV Azteca immediately announced the intention of reducing investment outside Mexico and increasing the budget for content production and Mexicos free-to-air (FTA) TV.After an internal audit, Grupo Salinas estimated that a $100 million investment was necessary in Colombia to develop TV Aztecas plans in the country (including finalising its cable network), in which the group has already invested $40 million.Therefore, a $60 million capitalisation was needed from the groups shareholders, which has now been formally agreed.With this decision, the company will be able to focus on FTA TV, which has great prospects, and strengthen its position within Mexicos media market, said Grupo Salinas.
Al Jazeera has condemned the arrest of its journalist Mahmoud Hussein in Egypt, saying the news producer has been held on fabricated charges.





Hussein was in Egypt on a family holiday and not for work, the Qatar-based network said, and has called for his immediate release from detention.Al Jazeera deems all accusations against Hussein, including those which might be added later to the current allegations, to be a result of practices which violate international norms and conventions, and which, unfortunately, prevail in Egypt as exposed by human rights organisations, the broadcaster said in a statement.Egyptian Mahmoud Hussein was initially interrogated at Cairo airport on 22 December, then released. He was subsequently questioned by authorities and, on 25 December, prosecutors decided to hold him for 15 days.Prosecutors said Hussein would be held pending an investigation into accusations that he incited against the state and broadcast fake news and documentaries.This is the latest move against Al Jazeera, which Egypt accuses of supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Worldwide condemnation followed Egypts detention and imprisonment of three Al Jazeera journalists at the end of 2013. All three were eventually released
Bolotnaya case defendant Panfilov to stay in jail until mid-June

MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has extended the detention of Maxim Panfilov, a defendant in the Bolotnaya Square riot case, until June 14, 2017, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Wednesday.

A motion for extension of Panfilovs detention was filed by prosecution. Defense asked the court to release the defendant from a cage during the hearing as it is violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Earlier, Panfilov was taken to the detention centers psychiatric hospital for health reasons.

On April 8, 2016, the Basmanny District Court in Moscow ordered the detention of Panfilov. The day before, he was charged with participation in mass riots and use of violence against a law enforcement officer. According to investigators, the accused snatched a helmet off a riot policemans head on May 6, 2012.

The march on Yakimanka Street and the rally on Bolotnaya Square in May 2012, both authorized by the officials, resulted in mass riots and clashes with the police. Dozens of people were injured, over 400 protesters were detained.

The riot organizers, Sergey Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev, were sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Other participants received prison terms from suspended sentences to four years. Several defendants were pardoned; one is undergoing compulsory mental treatment.

The convicts supporters believe that the riots were provoked by police.
The Guardian, December 26, 2016

By Sune Engel Rasmussen

The US military and the CIA are turning a blind eye as Afghanistans spy agency spends foreign donor money on militias which are committing human rights abuses that help destabilise the fragile country, according to local and western officials.

The Afghan national directorate of security (NDS) arms strongmen ostensibly to fight the Taliban and other militants. But some militia leaders use their new power to fight local turf wars, including against elected government officials, rather than insurgents.

One such commander, Perim Qul, in the northern province of Takhar, has received about $85,000 (70,000) to arm 500 men. However, he allegedly spends part of that money on a private prison where he beats and extorts local people. His men have even ambushed and killed a local politician.

One evening in July, Perim Quls men detained a man named Najib as he was relaxing outside the hotel he owns. After several days beating, Najib said he would acquiesce to their demands for cash and asked for a phone to request the $3,000 they demanded. Instead, he called police, who rescued him.

Najib sent photos of his bruised back and legs to the provincial prosecutor, and got one of his tormentors arrested.

I have no enmity with Perim Qul. I am just a simple hotel owner, Najib said.

That kind of justice, though minor, is rare in Rustaq district.



Pirum Qul (middle) with fellow criminals Kabir Marzban (left) and Bashir Qant. Pirum Qul (middle) with fellow criminals Kabir Marzban (left) and Bashir Qant.

Qul, a 55-year-old war veteran with no official title, has been running Rustaq like a fiefdom for over a decade. Local residents say he has opposed any attempt  including by the government  to assert authority there. To pay his men, he allegedly coerces civilians.

So when the Afghan government last year approved Quls request to enrol in its anti-Taliban militia program, many local people were concerned. Hundreds protested outside the district government building. Contemporary western security reports obtained by the Guardian warned that reinforcing Quls militia could add to violence, crime and territorial rivalries.

Qul got money for 500 men. In reality, police officials believe, he commands up to 1,500.

Meanwhile, there are only 35 national police officers to maintain security in the entire district, said Gulistan Samadi, a former district police chief.

I dont believe in these uprising groups. They are irresponsible. They dont care about the government, Samadi said. They are kidnappers, robbers and killers. They are worse than the Taliban.

Shortly after Qul received the spy agency money, his men ambushed a vehicle carrying a local rival, the provincial council member Aynuddin Rustaqi, killed one bodyguard and abducted him. Rustaqi was eventually released, but a few months later, he was less fortunate.

In April, an argument between the politician and the strongman turned violent, according to witnesses and western security analysts. After two militia members were killed, Rustaqi found himself surrounded in the local government headquarters by 200 armed men. During a more than two-hour standoff, no government forces intervened, and Rustaqi was eventually killed alongside three supporters and another person.

The government cant stop them because they dont have the force, said Najib, the hotel owner.

Rustaqi was a vocal critic of the governments arming of irregular militias. His son said he was a victim of nothing more than a brutal show of force.

For 13 years Perim Qul has tried to run for provincial council, but he doesnt have public support. Now, he has a lot of armed men, said Ahmad Jawad, the son.

In an interview, Perim Qul admitted that his chief enemy was not the Taliban, whom he was paid to fight. It was the local governing political party.

We will fight alongside any group to get rid of the oppression of Jamiat, he said, referring to the Tajik-majority party in the north, which he says discriminates against people of other ethnicities. We dont care if its Taliban or Isis. If anyone throws a stone at our enemy, we will fight with them.

Qul said he was not out to unseat the government. If the government provides security and asks us to put down our weapons, we will disarm, he said.

The Peoples Uprising program is reminiscent of a controversial local police scheme, ALP, initially introduced by the US military to build village-level resistance to the Taliban and help foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan. However, the ALP has been widely criticised for employing child soldiers, abusive behaviour, and creating fertile ground for armed opposition such as the Taliban.

While the US does not directly support Peoples Uprising groups, the militias are bankrolled by the National Directorate of Security  and the bulk of NDS funding is believed to come from the CIA.

In the past, the CIA has run paramilitary Afghan units responsible for killing civilians. More recently, the Washington Post has reported that the CIA also funds and operates alongside ruthless militias in the Afghan east.

A spokesman for the CIA refused to comment.

The Afghan government said it worked with a lot of precaution when supporting Peoples Uprising groups. It insisted that the program had been effective in most of the cases, said Haroon Chakhansuri, a presidential spokesman.

The NDS officially declined to comment, but a local NDS official in Takhar province said the allegations against Perim Qul in this article were founded.

While the US military said it did not fund the Afghan intelligence agency, it did support the army and police, whose jobs become more difficult when violence flares up. Yet, international forces claim to not discuss the militia program with the Afghan government.

Its just not a topic were engaging the government on, said Charles H Cleveland, the international coalitions spokesman. Its a sovereign nation; they make sovereign decisions. Cleveland did not see militia leaders like Qul undermining security.

I have not seen any hard facts to support what youre saying, he said. But Ill grant you, you can go anywhere in Afghanistan and find almost anything.

However, an informed coalition staff member said the US military was fully aware of Perim Quls activities but turned a blind eye, perhaps because the regular Afghan forces were stretched so thin they depended on vigilante militias.

They are not ignoring it out of ignorance. They are ignoring it with intent, he said.

The same reasoning might apply to the Afghan government, which is mired in political crisis and a long-running war.

As one western official put it: While the government is busy in Kabul, Perim Qul is carving out his own little empire.
What was the big vote in 2016?

For a variety of reasons, the November 8, 2016, election was noteworthy, from two widely unpopular major party candidates squaring off in the campaign to Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College vote to Donald Trump (the fifth time in U.S. history when the popular vote winner did not gain the presidency).

Every four years, U.S. presidential elections obviously carry significance. But there's an annual vote that occurs in the U.S. that also warrants attention. That is, people voting with their feet.

After all, when people vote with their feet, they make a powerful statement. That not only goes for international movements - such as the Vietnamese boat people fleeing communism after the Vietnam War or today's Syrian refugees - but also people moving within the U.S.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its latest tally of the national and state populations. Yes, overall levels of U.S. population growth and growth (or lack thereof) in each state warrant attention. But I've always found movement between the states - where people are moving from and to - to be most revealing.

In terms of net domestic migration (population change excluding births, deaths and international immigration), the states experiencing the largest exodus of people to other states from 2015 to 2016 were New York (-191,367), Illinois (-114,144), California (-109,023), New Jersey (-66,791), and Pennsylvania (-45,565). But for one state, that's the same list of top people exporters from 2010 to 2016: New York (-846,669), Illinois (-540,166), California (-383,344), New Jersey (-336,359), and Michigan (-215,872).

As for the states attracting people over the past year, Florida came in best (+207,155), followed by Texas (+125,703), Washington (+67,751), North Carolina (+59,584), and Colorado (+50,216). Again, only one state changed looking at the period of 2010 to 2016: Texas (+866,933), Florida (+866,484), Colorado (+243,671), North Carolina (+242,283), and Arizona (+223,380).

Form a policy perspective, what jumps out from these lists is that the states that lead the nation in exporting people are states that impose high taxes, burdensome regulations and generally large and intrusive government. Among the losers in net domestic migration, only Michigan really has undertaken a significant effort in recent years to become more hospitable for starting up, building and investing in a business.

Meanwhile, the top states gaining people via domestic migration have far more welcoming tax, regulatory and business climates.

Consider the tax issue, for example. Among the six states noted here for losing people to other states, five ranked poor-to-dismal among the 50 states on the Small Business Tax Index 2016 (which I author each year for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council) - Pennsylvania (28th), Illinois (29th), New York (45th), New Jersey (49th), and California (50th). Again, Michigan has been working to improve, and now ranks 14th on the list.

As for the six states highlighted for being big importers of people, all ranked among the best state tax climates: Texas (3rd), Washington (5th), Florida (6th), Colorado (9th), North Carolina (11th), and Arizona (13th).

Whether in the voting booth or voting with their feet, people choose to enhance their quality of life. Of course, the phrase "quality of life" can be pretty vague, and a host of factors come into play. Things can get particularly muddled when it comes to casting ballots for politicians. After all, politicians tend to offer a collection of views, often contradictory, on a wide range of issues. Of course, voters themselves also tend to inconsistent in their policy positions.

While questions naturally swirl around decisions people make in terms of voting with their feet, there also is greater clarity than in the voting booth. Voting with your feet involves far more significant costs and risks than merely casting a ballot. Voting with your feet makes a rather bold statement. And on average, that statement leans strongly in favor of economic freedom and opportunity, which flourish under more limited government.

Sure, there was a big presidential vote in 2016. But as is the case each year, there also were big votes made by Americans using their feet to move between the states.
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - December 01, 2016) - Today MaRS Innovation (MI) and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) signed a five year global partnership agreement to commercialize the latest advances in biomedical and healthcare innovations which is expected to generate new startups worth over $100M.

This agreement will promote the co-development and commercialization of medical technologies and therapeutics between Ontario and South Korea in concert with industry and government. It will provide the resources to develop and implement novel technological solutions for today's most urgent healthcare problems and create economic benefits for both jurisdictions.

Under the agreement, a joint commercialization platform with an infrastructure of collaboration will help Ontario and South Korean biomedical companies and health institutions commercialize and launch their products in each other's markets. KHIDI and the Top 10 South Korean research-driven hospitals have already expressed interest to collaborate with MaRS Innovation's 15 institutions including the world renowned University of Toronto and its nine affiliated teaching hospitals. By securing global-level research capabilities and creating positive outcomes through commercialization initiatives, MaRS Innovation anticipates that this partnership will create 10 startup companies and over 100 highly skilled jobs in both countries.

"KHIDI has a proven track record of identifying promising early stage biomedical and healthcare projects and successfully developing them through clinical stages," stated Dr. Raphael Hofstein, President and CEO, MaRS Innovation. "We believe that our joint pools of novel technologies and projects together with KHIDI's medical development expertise and strategic collaborations with global players is a perfect match."

The highlight of the agreement centers on a new global high-tech KHIDI Biomedical Business Hub in Seoul which MaRS Innovation will help to transform into a growth engine for South Korea's economy. Similar to Toronto's world class biomedical and healthcare cluster, the KHIDI Biomedical Business Hub will become one of a handful of world leading biomedical and healthcare clusters.

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KHIDI President Young Chan Lee said, "We are pleased to collaborate with MaRS Innovation, one of the world's leading commercialization centres, to transform South Korea's biomedical and healthcare research strengths into commercial opportunities through the newly created KHIDI Biomedical Business Hub and other initiatives. We view them as a valuable source of potential innovative technologies and look forward to working together towards the development of future therapies."

This agreement represents a new era of collaboration to expand the knowledge-based economies of South Korea and Ontario, Canada. Dr. Lincoln Kim, CEO of ICE Ventures said, "We are pleased to have arranged this global partnership with the support of the Ontario, Canadian, and South Korean governments and are excited to work with MaRS Innovation and KHIDI to implement this innovative collaboration and ensure its long term success."

About MaRS Innovation

MaRS Innovation is the commercialization agent for 15 of Ontario's leading academic institutions including the University of Toronto and its affiliated research hospitals, York University, and Ryerson University. Supported by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of Excellence, by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Centres of Excellence, and by its members, MaRS Innovation is a transformational partnership that turns research strengths into commercial opportunities through industry partnerships, licensing and company creation. MaRS Innovation represents over $1.47 billion of R&D funding annually, a portfolio of 60 companies, $160M in outside risk capital, and is credited with creating over 400 jobs.

https://www.marsinnovation.com/

About KHIDI

The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) is Korea's only public organization set up in 1999 with sights on promoting and developing the health industry in South Korea, while promoting national healthcare services. Since its establishment, KHIDI has played a major role in the development of the nation's health industry. Apart from its primary function in Health Technology R&D, KHIDI has also taken the initiative in increasing competitiveness in different areas of the health industry, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food and beauty & cosmetics.

http://www.khidi.or.kr/eps

About ICE Ventures

ICE Ventures is a global commercialization company specializing in bringing next generation technologies to market by leveraging its networks in North America, Asia and Europe. It provides integrated solutions from deal brokering to business development and is recognized for creating global-scale public-private partnerships at the highest levels of government and industry. ICE Ventures currently manages a diversified commercial portfolio of biomedical/healthcare, industrial, and biometric technologies.

www.iceventures.ca
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned Israeli settlements on the West Bank. The interesting part is that the United States abstained from the vote, which is why it passed. It is likely that President-elect Donald Trump, taking office in less than a month, will pursue a very different policy on Israel than recent administrations have. Neither the United Nations resolution nor Trumps shift is of great significance. Over the years, throughout the world, UNSC resolutions have been met with indifference. It does not matter what the UNSC says. It matters what the permanent members of the UNSC do. In the case of Israel and Palestine, no one on either side can do very much of significance. As for public opinion, that is fairly well locked into place. There are four camps: those who are pro-Israeli, those who are pro-Palestinian, those who wring their hand and express pieties and those who couldnt care less. Nothing that happened at the U.N. will change anyones mind.

Moral arguments are made, of course. The moral argument for the existence of the state of Israel is that it rectifies an injustice committed by the Romans 2,000 years ago. But 2,000 years is a long time, and the half-life for moral rectification seems past. The claim that the Israelis wanted peaceful coexistence with the Arabs was true, but limited by the fact that they wanted that peace to be on Israeli terms. The claim that this was merely the return of a people to a land where their rights were morally unambiguous strains credibility.

The Arabs moral argument is that Israel was made up of European people occupying Arab lands and displacing and oppressing the native population. The problem with this argument is that the history of Islamic expansion was the history of the imposition of its religion and political control on other people. Moreover, the history of the immediate region is one of violence, population displacement and oppression. The state of Jordan was created by the British-supported Hashemite tribe that was forced to leave the west coast of what is now Saudi Arabia and settled there. As for the argument that the creation of settlements in the West Bank is uniquely oppressive, that can only be made by willfully ignoring the slaughter and oppression in the rest of the Arab world.

The Arab-Israeli moral debate is an exercise in hypocrisy by both sides and their supporters. Which is as it should be. When two nations collide, each will make themselves appear the innocent victims and the others moral monsters. It is sometimes like that, but this isnt such a case. Israel was created through a massive movement of a people from Europe to the Middle East. They used force to create their own state, as is common in history. The Arab world that Palestine is part of has also gone through mass migrations (one is underway now), displaced other people when it could and imposed its own values. Many nations were created as Israel was. The United States, for example. Some were destroyed. Others flourished. Power determined the outcome. Looking at a map of Lebanon, Syria or Iraq will show the way that distinct national or religious groups have done this.

Israel is a settler nation, as are the United States and New Zealand. It settled in a stretch of the eastern Mediterranean coast that Israelis had some historic connection to. Part of it was a response to the rise of nationalism in Europe. If every European cultural entity had a moral claim to a state, so should the Jews. The theoretical position turned into a practical one in World War II. They had thought they were simply Europeans with a different religion and discovered that wasnt true. The theoretical argument for nationhood and statehood surged. The Jews were a nation. They needed a land on which to build a state. They migrated, partially displaced a population and created a state.

Palestinian nationalism had the same origin in European nationalism. Palestinians had two identities. One was Muslim. The other was Arab. But until the fall of the Ottomans, they were subjects of the Turks. When the Ottomans fell and the Jews began to arrive, so did the idea that they were a distinct people requiring an independent state. Their claims against the Jews were at first ambiguous and based primarily on Muslim or Arab identity. Over time, as with the Jews, the objection to Israel and the basis of their claims against Israel were refined into the idea of nationhood and statehood. They had a land, and they needed to be a nation and build a state. To understand the region, therefore, a historical, not a moral, perspective is needed.

The regions history has had four phases since 1948. The logical geography of any state in the region is the Jordan River to the east, the Litani River in Lebanon to the north and the deserts in the south, possibly to the Red Sea. In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Israel failed to reach the Jordan River or the Litani River but took the Negev Desert in the south. Therefore, Israel was vulnerable and dependent on building an outsized military force. The surrounding Arab states were weak and as a result, this was a period of inconclusive skirmishing.

The next period stretched from 1967 to 1978. In 1967, the Israelis reached the Jordan River and secured its eastern border. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War did not really end until 1973 when the Egyptians and Syrians launched an offensive that the Israelis eventual defeated. This led to the Camp David Accords, the neutralization of Egypt and the end of state-based threats to Israel.

The succeeding period (actually beginning in about 1970 and overlapping the major wars) was a period in which the primary conflict was carried out by Palestinian covert operatives not only within Israel but in Europe and elsewhere. It was a war of terror attacks and reprisals and included extensive Israeli incursions into Lebanon. Supported by the Soviets, the Palestinian operations decreased with the fall of the Soviet Union.

The next phase began in 1987, consisting of the first Intifada, which challenged Israeli control and created the framework for extensive negotiations based on the concept of a two-state solution.

There are now two realities. The first is that the Palestinians are weak. No great power or Arab state has an overriding interest in the creation of a Palestinian state. The Russians are indifferent and the Arabs are concerned about the radicalism of such a state. The Palestinians are also divided, split into the relatively secular West Bank and religious Gaza  the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas. Without unity among the Palestinians, no one can sign an agreement authoritatively or coordinate resistance to the Israelis.

The second reality is that it is impossible to create two states. The Israelis cannot give up the Jordan River line since it is their main defensive position. Nor can they accept a westward shift of the border toward the 1948 lines, as it would make the Israeli heartland (the Tel Aviv-Haifa-Jerusalem triangle) vulnerable to the kinds of rockets fired from Gaza.

The Palestinians cant accept a state divided between Gaza and the West Bank, without any transport under their control. Nor can they accept Israeli control of the Jordan River line, as that would mean that they remain isolated except for Israel permitting movement  and would mean the Israeli army moving through Palestinian territory. Finally, such a geography would be economic insanity. Palestine would remain dependent on Israel, with its population employed in menial jobs in Israel, passing through Israeli checkpoints.

Therefore, the resolution on settlements and the entire settlement question completely miss the point. The Palestinian problem is that it has no meaningful Arab support, and its support in Europe or the United States consists of meaningless gestures. In fact, many see Israel as an ally against more immediate threats. The Palestinians only means of asserting their claims is the Intifada, which is far more painful to the Palestinians than the Israelis. The divisions among the Palestinians make the discussion pointless. The Israelis cant abandon the Jordan River line without endangering Israeli survival should Arab states shift their strategy. Nor can they accept a movement of the border westward because Palestinian politics could readily move the Gaza problem to Tel Aviv.

Therefore, a two-state solution is impossible and it is inevitable that Israel will strengthen its position in the West Bank with settlements and other means. This is not because Israeli is strong. It is because the Arab world is in a dynamic moment. It does not know what will emerge, and in the end, the Arabs are potentially much stronger than Israel so it must act now, while it can.

The U.N. resolution, President Barack Obamas decision to abstain from the vote and Trumps appointment of David Friedman as ambassador to Israel all have no impact because the reality is geopolitically locked in.
In late December, U.S. President Barack Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Pearl Harbor -- a visit that fell shortly after the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The meeting between the two leaders goes to the heart of one of President Obamas key foreign policy goals over the last eight years: moving the United States past historical hang-ups that have hindered American interests and handling long-untouchable topics in U.S. foreign policy.

President-elect Donald Trump would be wise to build on the path-breaking progress Obama has made.

The Pearl Harbor meeting is a fitting show of the power of reconciliation and proves how much the United States can achieve when we put the past behind us. The trade in visits between Obama and Abe -- Obama visited Hiroshima earlier this year, making him the first sitting American president to do so -- serves as a vivid reminder of how the two countries put history behind them to forge one of the worlds strongest alliances.

Even the bitterest of enemies can become the closest of friends.

President Obama expressed an interest in the power of reconciliation on the first day of his presidency. In Obamas 2009 inaugural address, the president offered: To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

Since then, Obamas willingness to set aside decades of animosity with Cuba, Myanmar, and Iran has defied years of conventional wisdom in order to advance U.S. interests. In charting new courses even when it was politically difficult to do so, Obama has stood apart as a bold, principled foreign-policy dealmaker, greatly enhancing Americas global leadership in the process.

However, Trumps campaign rhetoric and his criticism of President Obamas diplomatic achievements threaten to take the United States backward. In Asia, for example, Trumps criticism of Japan during the campaign and his threats to weaken the alliance may gravely harm American interests in the region, and could throw away decades of progress.

The choice between a mindless move backward or seeking to build on success is perhaps starkest in the case of Cuba. After 54 years of attempted isolation yielded no tangible result for either the Cuban people or the United States, Obama broke with convention to move toward normalization with Cuba. Particularly with the recent death of Fidel Castro, change is afoot in Cuba -- the United States must continue engaging Cuba to support that evolution. President-elect Trump can either maintain Obamas embrace of a different future in which the U.S. government reaches out to the Cuban people and promotes far greater connectivity between the two nations, or he can return to five decades of failed policy.

With Iran, the situation is more complicated, but the need to build on progress is equally clear. The nuclear deal with Iran was an effective strategy to freeze Irans nuclear program, and to do so without war.

To be sure, the rest of the U.S.-Iran relationship remains seriously strained and often dangerous. But the Obama administrations willingness to engage with Iran on the nuclear issue and then defend the deal against vigorous domestic and international opposition enabled the United States to secure a vital national interest by moving past outdated wisdom that demonized talking to Iran. There are enough difficult issues with Iran as it is, and the United States must do more to push back against Tehran elsewhere; adding the nuclear issue back into the picture would be a disaster.

In Myanmar, President Obama was willing to engage when the generals running that country initiated a series of transformative reforms opening up the political process. After years of repression in Myanmar, to which the United States and other countries had responded with pressure and isolation, Obama showed that the United States would meet progress in Myanmar by lifting sanctions and enhancing engagement. Despite voices criticizing the presidents willingness to engage with the military government, a genuine democratic process has now begun in that country. Progress is moving in fits and starts in Myanmar, but pulling support for the new government for not doing enough would harm its chances of success.

Trump ran a campaign ignoring conventional wisdom, and the president-elect prides himself on being a dealmaker. Surely Trump can respect the bold achievements of President Obama that have safeguarded U.S. interests. Reopening these issues would take us backward and damage U.S. national security.
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Reeling from their loss, Democrats have begun infighting. Problem is, they're fighting about the wrong things, based on the wrong assumptions.



This fault line, partially dormant since the primaries, burst open after the election. Economic progressives blamed the loss on identity politics, arguing that Hillary Clinton didn't focus enough on jobs and other working class concerns. Social progressives pushed back, arguing that abandoning people of color, women, and LGBT Americans would be a moral and strategic mistake.

The whole fight is misguided.

First, they're not mutually exclusive. You can easily care about widening economic inequality and black people getting killed by the police. It's not either/or.

Second, it rests on the incorrect assumption that Donald Trump won because of policy, rather than culture (more on this below).

And third, Hillary campaigned on jobs more than anything else.

This intra-party fight continues the primary battle, with economic progressives insisting that Bernie Sanders would have won.



There's no way to know for sure, but the evidence indicates otherwise. As Marcus H. Johnson shows, candidates and ballot measures Sanders supported did poorly in the general election.

Additionally, Senate candidates running to Clinton's left on economic issues did worse than she did. If more progressive economic policies were the key to electoral victory, those Senate candidates would have done better than Hillary, not worse.



When you believe strongly in something, it's hard to accept that most of your fellow citizens do not. Especially when you surround yourself with like-minded people, and get your information from like-minded media. But the evidence that a majority of Americans are eager to pay higher taxes, and give up their employer-provided health insurance, in exchange for a European-style welfare state is nonexistent.

Besides, Hillary did talk about economic issues. A lot.

Check out this chart from Vox's David Roberts breaking down the words she used in her speeches.

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Clinton spoke about economic issues far more than anything else. She didn't lose voters by harping incessantly on race or gender.

When you look at those numbers, it makes the argument that she would have won if only she talked about jobs look pretty silly.

"But she lost to Donald freakin' Trump. He's terrible! It never should have been this close. Anyone could have beaten him."

Democrats need to let this go. It's trapped-in-a-bubble thinking. Sure, they would never vote for Trump, but millions of Americans did so enthusiastically.

The largest component of Trump's 63 million votes came from loyal Republicans.

Partisanship is powerful. No matter what the Democrats did, those Americans were showing up and voting for whoever had an R after their name.

Partisan Republicans think Obama was a bad president. They want a conservative Supreme Court. Some prioritize upper income tax cuts above everything else (cough, Paul Ryan). And none of them would ever vote Democrat.

But millions supported Trump because he spoke to them. They saw what everyone else saw, and while Democrats and establishment Republicans were appalled, they liked it.

They like his unpolished demeanor. They like his outlandish promises. They like what he says about politicians, immigrants, Black Lives Matter activists, highly educated urban elites, and politically correct college kids.

Most of all, they like that he pisses off people they don't like.

Democrats think an establishment Republican, such as John Kasich, would have done better. But just because Democrats like him (relatively), doesn't mean Republican voters do.

Conservative columnists who write for the New York Times or Washington Post might prefer Kasich to Trump, but Republican primary voters clearly did not.

Even though Democrats really don't want to believe it, and don't like what it says about America, Donald Trump is a good politician. He motivated a large constituency and won the election. Pretending otherwise is a mistake.

Trump cleaned up among the white working class, and edged out upset victories in Rust Belt states, leading some to conclude he won because of his economic plans.

But Trump's appeal is cultural, rather than economic. It's a mix of anti-elitism, anti-political correctness, and white identity politics, not carefully cultivated policies.

The fact that we're talking about the white working class, instead of just the working class, is a pretty big clue.

Take coal. The point is not that voters evaluated Trump's plan and determined it will bring back mining jobs.

The point is that Trump said "I love coal!" And after listening to politicians talk about how coal is dying and telling people in coal country they have to change, it was music to their ears.

Here's the thing, Democrats. You don't love coal. You love the environment and renewables, and you're cool with technological and cultural change.

That's not a bad thing. Coal is a dirty, expensive fuel. Most coal jobs have disappeared because of automation, less labor-intensive techniques like mountaintop removal, and competition from cheaper, cleaner natural gas.

But a way of life is disappearing. You can propose policies to help ease the adjustment  unemployment benefits, job retraining, incentives for viable industries to relocate to Appalachia, affordable health insurance, etc.  but the real issue is cultural.

There's no mix of policies that will win over voters who want someone to say they love coal. And if you try professing your love for coal, it'll just seem disingenuous.

The Democrats have two separate problems:

Presidential politics (they're fine)

State-level politics (they're not)

With a flawed candidate, in a closely divided country, in which it is historically rare for a party to hold the White House for more than 8 years, they nearly won.

But they've done terribly in state elections.

Republicans now control 32 state legislatures. Democrats have 13 (northeast, west coast, and Illinois, just like you'd expect). Five are split.

There are also 31 Republican governors, giving Republicans total control of 25 states. Democrats control six. (Here's a handy map.)

A lot of governing takes place at the state level. It also hurts Democrats in House elections, because state legislatures draw Congressional districts.

Instead of focusing on state elections, Democrats are obsessing over the presidency, as if losing a really close contest (while winning more votes) indicates they need to scrap their whole approach rather than tweak it.

If they're smart, Democrats will pour their time, money, and effort into winning state elections. That will shape policy, help the 2020 redistricting, and cultivate a deep bench for future Congressional and presidential elections.

Run someone without Hillary Clinton's baggage and lack of charisma, or Bernie Sanders ' history and far-left policies, and you've got a good shot at the presidency.

But if you don't win more state elections, you're screwed.

This article was originally published on Medium.

Commentary by Nicholas Grossman, a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Iowa, where he teaches about drones and terrorism. He blogs on Medium about politics and national security. Follow him on Twitter @NGrossman81.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.







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'You are unable to attack creation of black money.'

'You have not stopped that, but are now coming up with such rules.'

'It is so stupid and unbelievable.'

'This ordinance is a very scary way of going about it.'

The Centre's December 28 ordinance to penalise those found having more than 10 demonetised notes of Rs 500 or 1,000 after March 31, 2017 with a four-year jail term or a penalty five times the value of notes found, has drawn sharp criticism.

Two well known financial planning experts spoke to Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore and termed the decision "ridiculous" and "unbelievable."

They also said it is like a decision taken in "Tughlaq raj," a reference to Mohammad bin Thuglak, the capricious ruler in 14th century India.

P V Subramanyam, a Mumbai financial planning expert and a former banker, was taken aback when he heard that such an ordinance has actually been approved by the Union Cabinet.

"How will they know (about the existence of such notes in excess of 10)? Will they go to every house?" Subramanyam asked.

"Amazing! This is Tughlaq raj," he said about the ordinance.

When told that a municipal magistrate, according to this law, will decide upon the criminality of such notes and impose a penalty, Subramanyam said, "I run a risk that my mother has some old notes in her purse in our old house and we need to go and check. I am sure there will be two, three notes of Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 because she does not like to keep any of her purses empty. We have not bothered to check these. How are they (the authorities) going to check it?"

"And how will one pay the fine? Suppose you come to my house and find more than 10 notes and fine me five times the amount which I will have to pay in new notes. Will I let them take those perfectly legal notes with them for the ones which have no value now?" he said.

When asked if this is a kind of war on black money, he said, "You are unable to attack the creation of black money. Even after this demonetisation, while I was travelling by train, I saw a person giving a bribe (in cash) and getting a seat for himself. Are you saying that you stopped corruption? What is the cause of black money? You have not stopped that, but are now coming up with such rules. It is so stupid and unbelievable."

Subramanyam wondered how will the investigating authority "ever, ever, ever, be able to levy any penalty?

"For finding such notes you will have to raid every house and what will be the cost of these raids?" he asked.

"You come to my house and find only five notes and then you have to bid me goodbye because this ordinance kicks in only if I have 10 notes," he said.

"Ridiculous!'" is what Bengaluru financial planning expert Anil Rego said about the ordinance.

Laughing at the new rule, Rego said, "I am not sure what they are trying to achieve with this (ordinance). The only purpose it could have is to create fear in the minds of the people so that whatever is still out of the system comes back quickly by December 30 or March 31, by which time you can still deposit your old notes with the RBI (Reserve Bank of India)."

Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes are still legal currency and those who are abroad, who have still not deposited it in any banks in India, will continue to hold them till they come back and deposit these old notes, Rego said.

"This (ordinance) is a very scary way of going about it," Rego said.

"It's an odd one and that's why I laughed at it; to me these are badly thought of," he said.

Rego suggests that the government's good intentions would have definitely borne fruit if the process of depositing or returning the old notes was done in a streamlined fashion.

"Why set a deadline to deposit these notes? It could have been done in a very matter of fact way too. A foolproof process should have been thought of for not allowing people to be able to cheat the system and get their money deposited in banks," he suggests.

According to Rego, out of Rs 15.4 lakh crore in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination prior to demonetisation, Rs 15 lakh crore is likely to come back to the banks.

"There could be a huge surge (in deposit of old notes) in the last two days (December 29 and 30)," he said.

According to reports by December 27 almost Rs 14 lakh crore had made its way into the banking system.

"The figures clearly prove that those who had hoards have managed to convert a significant part of it into accounted money now," he said.

Rego reckoned that at the most, the RBI will be able to cancel only Rs 50,000 crore of its liability and wondered if this is what the government's aim was when demonetisation was set in motion.

According to Rego, the government should have taxed the black money at a reasonable rate so that more money could have been taxed and made official instead of allowing the unaccounted money in circulation to leave the system.
'Unless India Inc's earnings offer promise in the March 2017 quarter, sentiment may not reverse in a hurry,' reports Hamsini Karthik.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Outcomes of November 8, particularly the government banning the use of certain high denomination notes and Donald Trump emerging President-elect of the United States have had a lasting impact on the Indian equities.

The BSE Sensex, which until November 8, 2016 gave 5.6% year-to-date returns to investors, witnessed a major directional shift.

While on December 22, 2016 all the year-to-date (YTD) gains of the BSE Sensex were erased, on Monday's trading session, even the Nifty 50 index caught up with this trend.

As on December 26, 2016, YTD returns of both the bellwether indices stand in the negative territory -- the Sensex registering YTD loss of 1.2% and the Nifty trading marginally low by 0.4% YTD.

With these heavyweights plunging into losses, year-to-date gains in 106 out of 200 stocks or over 50% of stocks constituting the BSE200 index have also been erased.

What's more, hopes for 2017 are also muted.

Stocks such as Reliance Communications, Wockhardt, Idea Cellular, Jet Airways and Jubilant FoodWorks, which were already reeling under pressure for most of this year, saw their losses accentuate post November 8.

Experts say the demonetisation move has had a larger impact on Indian equities.

The event has in fact caused widespread market mayhem that even stocks such as Bharat Financial Inclusion (formerly SKS Microfinance), Shriram Transport, DLF and Dewan Housing Finance, which enjoyed gains of 33% to 65% from January 1, 2016 till November 8, saw a mammoth reversal in trend post the note ban.

Year-to-date losses of these stocks now stand between 2% to 9%.

Experts believe that with the structural imbalance caused to the sectors in which these stocks operate, they could be under pressure in 2017 also.

Interestingly, it's largely the cyclical such as metals, oil and gas and select healthcare stocks holding up their yearly gains.

While Vedanta tops the list of 2016's winners so far with YTD gains of 131%, Hindalco, Biocon, Hindustan Zinc, and Indraprastha Gas follow suit with gains of 67% to 79% from January 1, 2016 till date.

In this backdrop, experts say the return expectation from equities for 2017 is also muted especially after having high hopes on the Indian market in 2016.

Nilesh Shah, MD & CEO, Envision Capital feel the return expectation for 2017 is rather muted for now.

"Unlike in 2016, we are getting into the new year without much expectation," he points out.

Experts explain that a combination of good monsoons and growth-oriented Budget led to have high hopes on Indian stocks in 2016.

"For most of 2016, there was a definitive hope of earnings improvement and good monsoon also helped the positive outlook. All that was disrupted due to demonetisation," Santosh Singh, head of research, Haitong Securities spells out.

U R Bhat, MD, Dalton Capital Advisors, adds that the Union Budget also bumped up hopes of earnings recovery in 2016.

"None of this has panned out so far," he highlights. "Right now we are stuck in a zone where most investors are revalidating valuations as at least two quarters of flat earnings growth is ahead of us," Bhat notes.

Most market men say that unless India Inc's earnings offer promise in March 2017 quarter, sentiment may not reverse in a hurry.

Shah also points out that apart from earnings improvement, 2017's Union Budget will also hold a lot of relevance for Indian equities.

"Government will have to do a lot more in next year's Budget," he states.
Nivedita Mookerji finds out how Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma is handling his soaring popularity after the note ban as well as the criticism that comes as a package deal.

IMAGE:After Paytm published full-page ads after demonetisation, congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, on his decision, Opposition parties hit back at Vijay Shekhar Sharma, second from right. Photograph: Courtesy Vijay Shekhar Sharma/Facebook.



Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder and CEO of Paytm, a mobile wallet company that is also into e-commerce and a payments bank, turned a celebrity after Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8. Almost overnight, a fledgling business model in search of critical mass found a robust market. In a recent interview with Business Standard, Sharma happily recalled how people asked for selfies with him, since Paytm had suddenly become the easiest mode of payment for people in these "cashless" times.

If Sharma's popularity soared like never before, so did the criticisms.

After Paytm published full-page advertisements immediately after demonetisation, congratulating the prime minister on "taking the boldest decision in the financial history of independent India'', political leaders in Opposition parties hit back at Sharma. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was the first to rhetorically ask, "What's the deal?'' and to conclude that "Paytm is the biggest beneficiary.'' of demonetisation. Sharma, already on a high due to the sudden rush of digital transaction, replied virtuously, "India benefits.''

Ever since then, Sharma and his company have been the subject of many social media jokes linked to the note ban. Many conspiracy theories have been doing the rounds, too, on how the mobile wallet company had advance knowledge that Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes were going to be banned and that Paytm had been readying to make the best of the cash crisis. Sharma has denied any knowledge of demonetisation prior to November 8.

When asked how the wallet company had coped with the sudden surge in demand for cash-less transactions, Sharma said the servers that were ready to roll out for the payments bank came in handy.

"The technology teams were proactively ready. Two things worked out for us: One was the readiness for the payments bank. We were preparing the platform and machinery for the bank; we used those servers and systems already there and did not have to acquire new ones. Second, we were anyway building the internal process for next year to grow 10x and doing stress tests. So our systems were getting secure, having audits for the post-bank launch," Sharma explained, clarifying that he was in Mumbai and then in Hong Kong to raise funding for this bank project as things got busy in the Noida headquarters of Paytm.

With popularity comes the risk of scrutiny and it's likely to be the same for Paytm, so far a distant fourth or fifth in the e-commerce universe and a convenient payment mechanism for radio taxi such as Uber and Meru. Now that Paytm has become synonymous with cashless transactions after the prime minister shifted the demonetisation narrative to the importance of digital transaction, the company's numbers are being looked at more closely than ever.

Even as mobile wallets have shown a three-fold estimated growth in transactions post-demonetisation, Paytm is in the red. Latest filings at the Registrar of Companies (RoC) show that Paytm's net losses increased to Rs 1,549 crore for the year ended March 31, 2016, from Rs 372 crore a year ago, perhaps due to the high spends on cashbacks and marketing. In the financial year ended March 2014, the company had registered a profit of Rs 5 crore.

IMAGE: Vijay Shekhar Sharma, left, sees Alibaba's Jack Ma, right, as an inspiration. Alibaba, which is China's largest e-commerce company, is the biggest investor in One97Communications -- Paytm's parent company. Photograph: Courtesy Vijay Shekhar Sharma/Twitter.



The 43-year-old Sharma, who was born in a modest family in Uttar Pradesh, is now drawing an annual salary of over Rs 3 crore, but is more grounded than many other entrepreneurs in the e-commerce and internet start-up space. Unlike many of his peers he cannot boast of an IIT/IIM education, but sees Alibaba's Jack Ma and Softbank's Masayoshi Son as his inspiration.

According to Sharma, there's a high cost attached to demonetisation for the company. Since the announcement, the company's gross spend was around Rs 240 crore in November alone -- on advertisements, scaling up, adding more users

Sharma does not want to talk of earnings post-demonetisation. "These are not the times to calculate earnings,'' he declared.

Then, he had second thoughts and about a month into demonetisation he revealed an estimate -- around Rs 100 crore.

In the next three months, One97Communications, the company that owns and runs Paytm, plans to spend around Rs 750 crore on scaling up and expansion. "India may have a digital divide but its payments system would not have a digital divide," he said.

Those are lofty words at a time when Sharma is also at the middle of an India versus China debate. China's largest e-commerce company Alibaba group is the biggest investor in One97Communications. So, a question being asked: Is Chinese money the backbone of the cashless or less-cash drive of the National Democratic Alliance?

Sharma's answer so far has been that Paytm is as much an Indian company as Maruti.

An Odisha village powered by Paytm

The digital wallet company is helping Manguli become the state's second cashless village. Jayajit Dash reports.

IMAGE: Paytm's digital village initiative serves the dual purpose of offering customers access to a quick and easy cashless payment solution and allowing the firm to tap into the widest set of merchants across India. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters .



Rural areas in Odisha are preparing to be in step with the rest of the country in going cashless. After Puri's Nuagaon came to be described as the state's first cashless village, Paytm is helping Manguli village, on the outskirts of Cuttack, to move to cashless transactions.

The company has on board a majority of merchants in Manguli, thus helping the residents to adopt a digital lifestyle. Paytm's digital village initiative serves the dual purpose of offering customers access to a quick and easy cashless payment solution and allowing the firm to tap into the widest set of merchants across India.

Manguli is a trade and business hub.

Amit Sinha, vice-president, Paytm, said, "We have registered a strong interest from consumers and merchants from rural areas. Our team has been organising workshops to inform merchants about the benefits of using Paytm and increase overall awareness about digital payments. We have received a great support from local merchant community and administration in Odisha and plan to launch such initiatives in many more districts."

Paytm has witnessed a surge in payment transactions across India. To further fuel this growth, the company has introduced several new features like App Password, which ensures money stored in the Paytm wallet remains safe even if the owner's phone is lost or misplaced.

The company has launched Paytm Nearby, a feature that guides customers to their nearest Paytm merchant and a toll-free number 1800 1800 1234 that helps non-smart phone users pay or receive money using Paytm.

The company has launched its app in 10 regional languages, including Hindi and Odia, to make digital payments accessible to all.

It has also waived off its 1 per cent transaction fee.

Paytm's efforts are expected to boost Odisha's drive for a cashless economy. Last week, district officials in Puri declared Nuagaon as the maiden cashless village with more than 1,000 switching to plastic money.

Nuagaon's villagers have started using debit cards and credit cards. Even daily wages are paid digitally. All the villagers have e-wallets or plastic cards.

Banks have played a key role in scripting the transformation.
President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump are engaged in a $3 billion game of chicken.

It started last week when the United Nations began considering a deeply one-sided resolution calling on Israel to end all Jewish settlement building in disputed areas of the West Bank and even East Jerusalem without a single word calling on Palestinians to end violent attacks on civilians or do anything else. Originally, the resolution was going to be introduced to the U.N. Security Council by Egypt, but President-elect Trump intervened and convinced the Egyptians to table it. Trump even tweeted about his opposition to the resolution that he said would not help the peace process and unfairly weaken Israel's negotiation position. Those events would have been enough to make the entire affair a truly unprecedented series of events involving a president-elect and foreign affairs.

But a day later, the same resolution was resurrected by New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela, and the United States made the historic decision not to use its veto power on the Council to block one-sided anti-Israel resolutions and allowed this one to pass. And that's not all. Israel now even says it was actually the Obama administration that pushed for the resolution's re-introduction. The White House is denying that accusation, but Israel says it has "ironclad" proof.

After the resolution passed, Trump tweeted about the U.N. again, ominously saying "Things will be different after Jan. 20th." He followed that with a few more tweets over the weekend, including one where he slammed the U.N. as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time."

Of course, fast and furious work by an outgoing administration in its final weeks in office is nothing new in American history, especially when an opposing party's candidate is about to take over. It's a practice at least 216 years old, as it started when the outgoing Adams administration tried to jam through as many political appointments as possible in 1800 before the rival Jefferson administration came into power. And it's all legal, as the incoming Jefferson team learned when it tried to suppress some of those last-minute appointments and the Supreme Court ruled it could not in the landmark Marbury v. Madison case. When the new president's team takes office, there's really not much it can do about any appointments, pardons, etc. made by the former president's team. That resignation to the facts is one of the big reasons presidents from opposing parties, even in times of war, have yielded power to each other based on the results of the votes and not any coup d'etat.



But this time it's different. At no time in history has an outgoing administration attempted to make such a radical change in foreign policy and potentially make moves that will set a potentially permanent chain reaction of events in motion. The American-Israeli alliance is one of the closest allegiances not only in U.S. history, but all modern history. If this move results in Israel only being considered a strong ally depending on who's in the White House at any particular time, that will change everything not just for Israel but potentially all of our allies who may need to worry that a new precedent is being set by the Obama team right now.





And it's different because this time, the incoming administration and the Republican Party are not simply faced with a series of appointments or pardons it can't do anything about. The first response many Republicans and Trump allies are calling for is cutting or completely rescinding the massive U.S. portion of the U.N.'s annual funding, which now totals about $3 billion or about 22 percent of the international body's overall budget. Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham are already calling for just such a funding freeze. Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers is going one step further, seeking to introduce a bill that would rescind U.S. membership in the U.N. altogether. And it should go without saying that Cruz, Graham, and Rogers are all Republicans.

Because of how unprecedented and nasty this entire affair already is, it's really hard to believe that the Obama team's U.N. moves are simply some kind of petulant slam against Trump.

We'll see if President Obama makes more statements or initiates actions like calling for formal recognition of Palestine as a member state at the U.N. The historic and permanent aspect of such a move, which some in Israel are now expecting and dreading, would not be lost on anyone. This has all the makings of something that was planned for a long time, and not just a response to Trump.

But sticking it to Trump also seems like the icing on the cake from the Obama perspective. The White House seems to be daring Trump to do the very nasty work of undoing whatever it does regarding Israel and the Palestinians in these final days. That seems like an iffy bet to make since there's been little or nothing controversial and groundbreaking Trump and many of his cabinet choices have been unwilling to say or do so far. Perhaps President Obama thinks the Trump team will be too busy fulfilling all of its other many promises to be able to handle a new paradigm in Middle East policy realities.

And that's what's also so troubling. Because the biggest reason why outgoing administrations haven't worked to make big permanent foreign policy moves during the transition period is out of sheer respect for the democratic process and the incoming administration. For all the talk about all the taboos and rules Trump has broken during his election and transition process, this breach by the Obama team would be the most serious. We're not talking about plum government jobs or a few questionable prison releases here or there; this is a move that directly affects one of the most explosive international issues of modern times. All of the Obama administration's actions here should be done at least in consultation with the Trump team. But there's no indication that's happening even now.

You can make a very good argument that Trump is mostly responsible for the absolute bottom we've hit in America when it comes to civil political discourse. But the Obama administration's moves in the U.N. this month are similarly trashing our traditionally decent transition process. And while it seems like this kind of policy change regarding Israel had to have been something President Obama wanted to do for some time, he had plenty of other opportunities to set it in motion at a less incendiary time. Speaking of incendiary, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more emotionally-charged foreign-policy issue other than the Arab-Israeli conflict. Why would President Obama choose this time to throw fuel on that already burning fire just as the burning dumpster fire that has been the entire 2016 election is still smoldering?



After all, this is a president who convinced the country to accept a major government overhaul of intensely personal things like health insurance and how we define marriage. Waiting until his final weeks in office to implement a major shift in policy regarding one of our closest allies doesn't seem very prudent. And it's making a bitterly divided and angry nation more divided and angrier than necessary.





Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.



For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.





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'There is a serious cash delivery issue in the system due to inferior planning and poor judgement on the part of the RBI as well as the finance ministry.'

'How else would the RBI justify the various new restrictions it unleashed day after day without respecting the November 8 notification?'

In the concluding part of his investigation into the discrepancies in the demonetisation policy, James Wilson explains why Indians are destined to silently suffer the cash shortage for half a dozen more months.

So when did the printing of the new currency start (yes after the so-called meticulous planning, selling of an amazing idea and getting a nod from high echelons to go ahead with the 'surgical strike')?

Many theories have been floated about the meticulous planning in the initial days, by a certain section of cheerleader media and court-jester journalists. I am not ready to buy any of them.

We learnt from media reports that the printing of the new notes was confined to the RBI's BRBNMPL (Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited) presses at Mysuru and Salboni.

Neither the Nashik nor Dewas presses of the SPMCIL (Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited) were in the loop, perhaps due to the secrecy involved in the mission.

Another reason may be that both these presses were already assigned with the printing of lower denomination notes (from Rs 100 downward) in huge quantities as per the annual indent of the RBI for FY 2016-2017.

Considering all these constraints, let me put a rational date before you.

In response to a RTI query, the RBI disclosed that it had 2,473.2 million (247.32 crore) Rs 2,000 notes in stock for disposal as of November 8.

With the printing capacity of 43.84 million (4.38 crore) per day at the Mysore and Salboni presses together in two shifts, it will take 57 days to print the 2473.2 million notes (247.32 crore) -- that is if it started on September 12.

Take another possibility: If the RBI took an effort to enhance printing to three shifts, then they can print 65.76 million/day; it will take 38 days. This would mean that the printing started only on October 1.

I was really shocked to find that there was not a single Rs 500 note with the RBI when they unleashed this demon over the nation!

It had just 32% of the total Specified Bank Notes or SBN in circulation -- that too with a less-mobile Rs 2,000 note stock!

This despite being aware that they can't print the rest of the SBN within the 50-day window.

I then looked for patterns of disbursal of currency at various dates, which was inferred from the data provided through the RBI's press releases.

The table (left) shows that there was a substantial increase in the disbursal of currency between November 27 and December 5 from Rs 12,589 crore per day to Rs 20,548 crore.

This was definitely due to the disbursement of salaries on the first of December.

Thereafter, the disbursal dried up substantially in the succeeding period to Rs 16,000 crore a day.

If we take the first 31 days of demonetisation, the average daily release from November 10 to December 10 is Rs 14,871 crore a day.

If the money is disbursed as per the above daily average, over the next 20 days another Rs 297,420 crore can be disbursed.

Hence, the government may be able to disburse a total of Rs 758,420 crore or a maximum of Rs 8 lakh crore by December 30.

This means that just 52% of the total SBN will be disbursed to us. But even this quantity is doubtful considering the present printing woes, which we will examine later.

There is a serious cash delivery issue in the system due to inferior planning and poor judgement on the part of the RBI as well as the finance ministry.

How else would the RBI justify the various new restrictions it unleashed day after day without respecting the November 8 notification?

It is quite depressing to see that even the address to the nation by the prime minister is not honoured!

Then I came across another shocking finding. The RBI published a transcript of the statement given by Deputy Governor R Gandhi on December 7 on its Web site. But soon enough the RBI purged it. The video of the press conference is still available on the Internet (external link). This made me curious.

What was the information in the transcript that forced the RBI to delete it from its Web site, even sacrificing the very institutional credibility?

What was there to hide from the public which the video coverage of 5th bi-monthly monetary policy press conference missed?

To RBI's dismay, it could not wipe out the cached version of Gandhi's transcript. So a friend on Twitter grabbed that information and shared it with me.

Look at the highlighted information (below).

Wondering what the relevance of the information was?

It can lead you to the printing volume of new notes disbursed by the RBI as on December 10, which they have refused to divulge so far.

Note that the total value of the lower denomination notes disbursed by RBI is 19.1 billion (refer to the transcript above). That amounts to just Rs 1.059 lakh crore!

This means that the higher denominations notes were worth Rs 2.75 lakh crore (Rs 3.81 lakh crore minus Rs 1.059 lakh crore).

As the RBI has not given the volume of high denomination notes, I was unable to decipher the possible numbers of them.

But in the next press conference on December 13, Gandhi claimed that the supply of lower denomination notes had been increased from 19.1 billion on December 5 to 20.1 billion on December 10.

He also claimed that the RBI had disbursed 1.7 billion higher denomination notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500.

As the amount of the total cash disbursed is Rs 4.61 lakh crore, it turned out to be a simple mathematical problem to solve.

There is a limit for the lower denominations to fluctuate, as we know that denomination-wise 19.1 billion notes are in circulation.

And if 19.1 billion lower denomination notes increased to 20.1 billion, the scenarios that emerge:

If the entire 1 billion volume increase is of Rs 100 note, then total value will increase by Rs 1.159 lakh crore (a Rs 100 billion increase).

If the entire 1 billion volume increase are of Rs 10 notes, then total value will be increased by Rs 1.069 lakh crore. (a Rs 10 billion increase)

This simply means that the value of higher denominations notes will be in a range of Rs 3,451 crore to Rs 3,541 crore.

This also means if all high denomination notes are of Rs 2,000, its volume will fluctuate between 1.7 billion to 1.8 billion.

If Gandhi would not have given the exact volume-wise distribution of each lower denomination in the December 7 transcript, we would not have been able to emulate these scenarios.

My strong feeling is that it is the very reason why the RBI later deleted the said transcript from its Web site.

You can't introduce over a couple of million Rs 500 notes into this equation -- in that case the volume of higher denomination notes will go up higher than 1.7 billion!

Even after a month after unleashing demonetisation, the RBI has not able to disburse any substantial quantity of Rs 500 notes into circulation.

It's shameful for the RBI to flash a couple of million Rs 500 notes in metro cities and major urban centres before the 24x7 electronic media, to flaunt on WhatsApp forwards and re-tweets on social media!

It is really sad to see that a reputed professional organisation like the RBI is letting down the nation with such cheap tricks rather meeting pressing demands!

In his December 7 press conference, Gandhi said that the RBI had provided 19.1 billion lower denomination notes since demonetisation, which he claimed was a record as it was more than what it had provided in last three years to the system.

The indent and supply for the last financial year shows that around 16 billion lower denomination notes were printed then.

This financial year too, the RBI gave an indent to print 16.6 billion lower denomination notes and if the presses print as per their capacity, there would be new 12.5 billion notes till December 10.

Along with this quantity, there will be soiled notes, collected to dispose during this financial year (Kindly note that, last year alone around 13 billion lower denomination soiled notes were disposed off), pushed back to circulation.

Also note that the total number of lower denomination notes in circulation as on March 31 was 56.6 billion.

It is interesting to note that Gandhi never claimed that RBI has printed 19.1 billion notes.

Instead, he only made a tall claim that these notes were a record volume!

The media never asked any questions, and Gandhi spoke in glory! I am sorry, but I can't digest this all-time record claim of attention-diversion by twisting facts!

Now let us come back to the figure of 1.7 billion high denomination notes disbursed by December 10. This information is quite perplexing when we compare the printing press capacities.

The RBI had a stock of 2.473 billion Rs 2,000 notes as on November 8 itself. So if these printing presses were working at least two shifts/day, there would have been another 1.4 billion pieces of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 with the RBI by December 10 (32 days x 43.84 = 1,403 million).

To completely replace the Rs 1,000 notes by Rs 2,000 notes, the RBI needed to print 0.956 billion (3.429 billion minus 2.473 billion) notes. So the RBI should have completed this printing by December 10.

I hope and pray that the RBI did not go ahead with another short shrift solution of printing more Rs 2,000 notes to replace Rs 500 notes for it will completely disrupt the mobility and balance of the currency in circulation.

Why is the RBI holding on to the remaining 1.729 billion of Rs 2,000 notes (3.429 billion minus 1.7 billion=1.729) without disbursing to the public?

Also, from the above we can find that a quantity of 0.444 billion Rs 500 notes (1.4 billion minus 0.956 billion) printed after are with the RBI, but a few millions have only been disbursed to the public.

It is really perplexing that why the RBI is not distributing these Rs 500 notes in substantial quantities?

This is quite baffling because the RBI through its press releases informed that they disbursed Rs 500 notes with the following series numbers:

* without inset

* with E as inset

* with L as inset,

* E and star as inset and

* with R as inset.

This indicates that various printing presses are put to the task of printing the Rs 500 notes. However, since we don't enough notes in circulation, it is feared that some issues could have cropped up during its printing.

Remember media reports on Rs 500 notes of two different designs cropping up and the RBI's bizarre explanation?

The RBI, as on December 10, claimed to have disbursed 1.7 billion high denomination notes. This will definitely be 1.7 billion Rs 2,000 notes and a few million Rs 500 notes, as I have shown above.

Also relying on the above printing calculations and RTI disclosure, we can very well conclude that the RBI may have had a stock of at least 1.7429 billion Rs 2,000 notes and 0.444 billion Rs 500 notes as of December 10.

So then how much time will the RBI take to print the remaining 16.721 billion pieces (17.165 million minus 0.444 million)?

I give you three possible scenarios:

First Scenario

Mysuru and Salboni (3 shifts/day) and Nashik & Dewas: At 88.82 million/day will need 188 days or June 16, 2017.

Second Scenario

Mysuru and Salboni (3 shifts/day) and Nashik: At 81.64 million/day will need 204 days or July 2, 2017.

Third Scenario

Mysuru and Salboni (2 shifts/day) and Nashik: At 59.73 million/day will need 280 days or September 16, 2017.

Looking at these dates will make anyone shudder.

Remember, our prime minister on November 8, sought a few days to restore normalcy.

This will give you an idea about the planning prowess of the mandarins in the RBI and the finance ministry.

There is no magic wand here to create miracles; we are destined to silently suffer this onslaught for half a dozen more months.

As to when we can expect SBN to come back to the banks, the table, left, helps explain why the government and the RBI are panicking and imposing new restrictions like questioning people depositing over Rs 5,000 into their KYC accounts.

(Under which legal or Constitutional provision do the government and the RBI arbitrarily give this police power to the bank authorities to abuse us?)

Here's a look at the various scenarios that could unravel on December 30, 2016:

* With an average daily inflow of Rs 15,000 crore, the entire SBN valued Rs 15.44 lakh crore will return to the banks.

*With an average daily inflow of Rs 12,800 crore, total SBN valued Rs 15 lakh crore will return to the banks.

* With an average daily inflow of Rs 10,300 crore, total SBN valued Rs 14.5 lakh crore will return to banks.

My strong belief is that SBN valued around Rs 15 lakh crore will most probably return to the system; the rest will be trapped in Nepal, Bhutan and other countries for the time being.

If Rs 15 lakh crore SBN returns, it would totally shatter and tear away all the mighty claims made by the government and the RBI that only a maximum of Rs 11 lakh crore to Rs 12 lakh crore of SBN will be returned.
The Japanese prime minister's visit, to the spot that was bombed 75 years ago, shows that it is possible for former enemies to transcend recriminatory impulses, observes Rajaram Panda.

IMAGE: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama at a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. All photographs: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

After his attempt to achieve reconciliation with Russia by meeting President Vladimir Putin at his hometown in the Yamaguchi prefecture and choosing an onsen (hot spring) as the site, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made another attempt to heal the historical wounds with the United States by visiting Pearl Harbour, which Japan bombed 75 years ago, leading to America's involvement in World War II.

Abe also partly succeeded in reaching out to South Korea in dealing with the 'comfort women' issue and having a summit meeting with President Park Geun-hye. The latter two attempts now run the risk of floundering as US President Barack Obama demits office on January 20 to be succeeded by the maverick Donald Trump whose foreign policy stances are uncertain at the moment and Park being impeached and her country embroiled in domestic scandal.

Even with Russia, the outcome was not anything tangible that could lead to the signing of a peace treaty. What was important was the opening up of the door for dialogue for the first time. The road ahead towards real reconciliation could be bumpy.

Here, let me dwell a bit on the significance of Abe's Pearl Harbour visit and what it means in the context of Japan-US relations and beyond.

The first impression is that the visit is more important for its symbolism than any concrete influence on bilateral relations.

Speaking at the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona in Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam on December 27, as part of a ceremony to honour those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbour on December 7 1941, Abe offered 'everlasting condolences.'

'As the prime minister of Japan,' Abe said, 'I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place.'

When 300 Japanese fighter planes and bombers attacked Pearl Harbour, 2,300 Americans died and more than 1,000 others were wounded.

After lasting another four years, the war came to an abrupt end when the US dropped atomic bombs in August 1945 that killed some 140,000 people instantaneously in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki four days later. The last time an atomic bomb was used.

Threats of its use remain, which is why Obama in Hiroshima in May 2016 and Abe in Pearl Harbour in December 2016 underlined the importance of secure=ing a nuclear-free world. This was the key point in Obama's speech in Prague in April 2008.

It remains to interpretations how much he achieved during his eight years in office. Any neutral assessment would suggest he achieved very little.

IMAGE: Abe speaks with a Pearl Harbour survivor after Obama and he spoke at Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, Hawaii.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before.

Then Japanese prime minister Shigeru Yoshida visited Pearl Harbour in 1951, six years after Japan surrendered, but that was before the USS Arizona Memorial was built. Yoshida broke journey on his way home from signing the San Francisco peace treaty with the US and others in 1951 and paid a courtesy visit on Admiral Arthur W R Radford.

Other Japanese prime ministers have visited Pearl Harbour and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. But Abe was the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial constructed on the waters above the sunken USS Arizona.

But did he offer an apology for Japan's past deeds? He did not.

But he expressed the hope that the horrors of that war must never be repeated.

A statement by a Japanese government official prior to the visit said that Abe would not apologise. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the purpose of Abe's visit was to pay his respects for the war dead and not to offer an apology.

Abe remarked that since Obama did not apologise when he visited Hiroshima in May as the first sitting US President to do so, he also did 'not have to apologise at Pearl Harbour.'

So, what it meant was 'strategic diplomacy' and 'symbolic reciprocity,' rather than one involving an apology.

What is important to note is that the leaders of both Japan and the US were ready to deal with the most sensitive aspects of their shared history, which looked impossible before Obama took power eight years ago.

IMAGE: 'We must never repeat the horrors of war again,' Abe said. 'This is the solemn vow we the people of Japan have taken.'

Despite the leaders trying to heal the historical wounds, the issue of offering an apology remains a sticking point in either country.

US Navy veterans who survived the Pearl Harbour attack -- what then US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called a 'date which will live in infamy' -- say there is no need for an apology for bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Alfred Rodrigues, a 96-year-old US Navy veteran is said to have observed: 'War is war. They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do.'

In Japan, the majority opinion on Obama's May visit to Hiroshima was that he should have offered apology for the US action.

On the question of the bombing of Pearl Harbour, though the military version carries emotional overtones justifying the attack, the political leadership makes some course correction citing Japan's intent to give prior notice that it was declaring war but could not do so because of 'bureaucratic bungling.'

Would the US perceive Abe's Pearl Harbour visit as making amends for Japan's past act without offering an apology?

Whichever way one may look at the issue, it was a political risk for Abe because of the emotional overtones that persists in Japan.

Nevertheless, it was a historic pilgrimage by Abe and Obama to the sites, demonstrating that two powerful former enemies can transcend recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war.

For Obama, who demits office on January 20, his meeting with Abe was the last time he met with a foreign leader as president.

IMAGE: An honour guard at the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbour.

Irrespective of the outcome, if Abe's Pearl Harbour visit is seen as a sign of reconciliation, has Abe achieved the same with Japan's former foes in its neighbourhood, South Korea and China?

As regards South Korea, limited results were reached with Japan agreeing to make payments to the surviving 200-odd 'comfort women' as atonement money. Abe was sincere to have future-oriented relations with allies and therefore reached an agreement with South Korea to provide support measures to former 'comfort women' who were forced to provide sex to imperial Japanese military personnel before and during World War II.

The Korean people, however, felt that a real apology was still missing. The truism is because of the emotive nature which no apology would remove the scar that remains deep.

As regards China, its foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying remarked, 'Japan can never turn this page over without reconciliation from China and other victimised countries in Asia.'

So, things are complicated.

Since he began his second term as prime minister in December 2012, Abe has attempted to address the issue of history dispassionately so that future generations do not have to retain a sense of guilt and apologise for past actions.

Japan watchers might see Abe's visit as symbolic for the two countries as both have built a strong relationship in the economic and political realms as well as having a security alliance relationship.

What is noteworthy is it took more than seven decades to reach this point.

Therein lies hope so long as the intent is there to achieve mutual prosperity.

IMAGE: Abe and Obama made a joint pilgrimage to celebrate 'the power of reconciliation.'

There have been several aberrations throughout history.

Some nations emerged as victors and some as losers. There had also been uptrends and reversal of the processes.

In the modern age, one needs to acknowledge this and move on, and not continue to relapse to the past if that suits the current narrative.

It seems incredible that in East Asia, this sort of trend is manifest in several ways, whose effects are only in the negative.

The political leadership is expected to rise above sectarian interests and build an environment in which humanity as a whole enjoy life on a level playing field.

There might not be immediate dividends visible in Obama's Hiroshima visit and Abe's Pearl Harbour visit, but the reconciliation process needs to be seen as a positive start, though there always is a greater distance to cover.

Indeed, the power of reconciliation of historical wounds can have its spillover effect to shape and influence other aspects of relationships and from that point of view, the two visits shall leave their imprints in the future course of relations between Japan and the US.

The benefits of reconciliation, however, cannot be measured in black and white. By visiting Pearl Harbour, Abe was demonstrating to the world how important the relations with the US for Japan are and therefore historical aberration ought to be set aside.

The present robust relationship between the two nations is a testimony to this realisation and therefore crafting of policy by one towards the other. Therefore, the visits are beyond symbolism and their aims are deeper than what appears on the surface.

It remains unclear if the same sentiments shall be sustained after Donald Trump assumes office. He has made the outlandish suggestion that Japan and South Korea should obtain nuclear weapons so that the US would no longer be burdened with the costs of defending them.

This single statement not only caused considerable disquiet in the Asian capitals, the reconciliation process itself shall come under severe test under a Trump presidency.

Dr Rajaram Panda is currently the ICCR India Chair Visiting Professor at Reitaku University, Japan.

The views expressed are Dr Panda's own and do not represent either the Indian Council for Cultural Relations or the Government of India.
It would be a miracle if demonetisation doesn't extract a political price from the BJP and Modi, says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.

A myth has developed in India since May 2014 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a 'presidential' form of government. The reference is to the way he is said to have centralised power in himself and the Prime Minister's Office.

The demonetisation of November 8 is given as the latest example of this. As examples go, it is not a bad one, but the truth is that as far as the centralisation goes, it was Jawaharlal Nehru who started it.

Between 1956 and his death in 1964, all major policies emanated from his office which was called the Prime Minister's Secretariat then.

The only two ministers who really mattered during those years were V K Krishna Menon and T T Krishnamachari. Both were toadies and both caused India enormous grief by endorsing Nehru's whims about the economy and national security.

From 1964 to 1971 the PMO became very much weaker. Indeed, between July 1969 and March 1971 policy power slipped away from the government to the Communist Party of India, which was supporting the minority Congress-I government.

In the 1971 general election Indira Gandhi won massively. She quickly wrested back power from the Communists -- but did not abandon their programmes.

At first power became concentrated in the PMS and then in the PMH (Prime Minister's House) via Sanjay Gandhi. No minister mattered.

During 1977 and 1979, the PMO once again lost its overarching pre-eminence. Morarji Desai faced many challengers, including from his deputy who toppled him and became prime minister for six months.

But from 1980 till 1989 the PMO reigned supreme, first under Indira Gandhi and then under Rajiv Gandhi.

If anything, it became even more powerful after the latter got rid first of Pranab Mukherjee who had been No 2 in Indira Gandhi's Cabinet, and then V P Singh, Arun Nehru and Arun Singh who had been very close to Rajiv.

From 1989 to 2014, the PMO again ceased to be a major force and could be defied. P V Narasimha Rao was challenged by Arjun Singh, N D Tiwari, and, of course, Sonia Gandhi. Even ministers of state didn't feel in awe of him.

Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not restore the PMO to its full power.

During his prime ministership from 1998 to 2004 there were too many other power centres and it became a mere nodal point for government.;

As to Manohan Singh? Hush.

Now Narendra Modi has completed 31 months as prime minister. So it is appropriate to ask: Who has done better -- him, his party or his government?

Whatever one may say about that, one thing seems clear. Like Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv did with the Congress -- and the regional leaders have done with their parties -- he has feudalised the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Today every other leader stands diminished because of the way he manages the party and the government.

In style as well as substance the BJP has become like all other parties, major or minor.

Like Nehru and Indira Gandhi -- not Rajiv -- Modi as a politician and leader has been hugely successful. But like them, his 'policies' have been the opposite.

Many would ask if he has any policies at all and does he not regard sudden shocks to the system as ideal substitutes for them?

So we must also ask: Will what worked in the first half of his term, work in the second half too? Has not the time come to consolidate his innings?

Another question: Has the support that Modi received so far been dented because of this demonetisation thing? It would be a miracle if it hasn't.

But then, equally, that would have happened anyway because halfway through anyone's term, support begins to fray at the edges.

The speed with which it crumbles is, however, very important and can be disastrous if it is too rapid as Rajiv, from 1987, and Indira Gandhi, from 1973, discovered.

His supporters have hailed his dramatic lunges as the bravery of a man who is not afraid to try new things.

His opponents have merely said he is a very foolish man.

Eventually, it is the voter who will decide which of these he is.

Modi is too clever a politician not to realise that he has made a colossal mistake.

Even if it works well for the country eventually, which it will, it may not work so well for him personally over the next two years.

He now has to cope with the irritation of his party people and the anger of the voters. It will be very interesting to see what damage control measures he initiates.
'If one is looking for evidence of his talents as a mass leader, it has been on display since he announced demonetisation on November 8.'

'Let us look at it and appreciate it, because we are in the presence of a true master,' says Aakar Patel.

No leader in India and perhaps no other political figure in any modern democracy could have survived the demonetisation crisis for seven weeks as Narendra Modi has.

If one is looking for evidence of his talents as a mass leader, it has been on display in this entire period.

Let us look at it and appreciate it, because we are in the presence of a true master.

We have a few clues that the currency exchange crisis may not have been fully anticipated by the government. The first clue is Modi's initial announcement where he made some predictions on a return to normalcy that were incorrect.

The second is that he continued on a scheduled visit to Japan, at the time when the extent to which the note shortage would affect the economy was just being realised.

By the time he returned from Japan it was clear that the queues were not going to disappear quickly.

His initial announcement was so powerful and energetic that it carried popular opinion. The media was fully on his side and a nervous Congress lacking in confidence also announced support for the move.

Only two grassroots leaders, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, recognised the danger and opposed it.

Modi was in fact able to recruit large parts of the population on his side, probably including millions who did not vote for him, but who did not mind the inconvenience because they anticipated major change.

It is difficult to imagine the Manmohan Singh government producing this kind of euphoria in either the media or the middle class urban population if it had chosen to demonetise.

The reaction would likely have been the opposite: Resentment at being made to go through the trouble. And if it had carried on for seven weeks there would have been extreme anger.

Perhaps that anger is building now when it is clear that the disturbance is going to stay for months, but for Modi to have sustained it even for this length of time is remarkable.

The second demonstration of his talent was how quickly he grasped that the negative consequence of the policy was bigger than anticipated.

Immediately on his return from Japan he made a couple of speeches in which he did two things. First, he said to Indians that he meant well and that he had sacrificed his family life for his mission.

The uncharacteristically emotional moment of that speech, when he briefly broke down, may also have been the moment when he acknowledged to himself that the issue was out of hand.

Second, he said that normalcy would not return before 50 days. With this second move, he bought himself time and space to recalibrate his strategy.

Once again, he got the media on his side and the discourse over the immediate problems that people were facing was diverted.

Now Modi could have waited for things to settle on their own, but he chose instead to voluntarily offer a timeframe before being pressed on it by the Opposition.

It is this comment on 50 days of inconvenience that allowed him the freedom to think of how to reposition demonetisation. As some publications have noted, there was no reference to a digital economy in his initial announcement, which was limited to black money, counterfeit currency amd terrorism.

It is after his return from Japan and those speeches that suddenly the discourse shifted and it shifted because of Modi's talent and credibility.

One can picture him thinking about it alone. The Opposition said this was a shifting of goalposts, but they should understand that this is not a university debate.

So long as Modi can convince large parts of the population that the policy is good and the inconvenience will ultimately be beneficial, he will continue to do so.

The specific benefits of the policy are unimportant to politics.

Proof of this appeared when the Bharatiya Janata Party continued its electoral successes across India even a month after demonetisation, including in Punjab where it is in power and suffering anti-incumbency.

There is actually no opposition to Modi at the moment and he is still in full control of the narrative, which is astonishing because it has affected every single Indian negatively.

The Congress had the opportunity to exploit mass inconvenience, but it has so far been unable to.

Many people are hesitant to publicly voice their dislike of demonetisation because they are afraid that they will be abused.

No other Indian leader, and few politicians in democratic politics anywhere could have achieved what Modi has since November 8.

Perhaps this will change in 2017 when the medium term effects of demonitisation are on display in the second salary cycle after November 8.

For now it must be acknowledged that so far, the prime minister has shown that he is where he is not because of luck, but pure talent at bringing public opinion to his side and keeping it there.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with schoolgirls in Varanasi, December 22, 2016. Photograph: PTI Photo

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.
IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leads a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest against demonestisation. Photograph: PTI Photo

Political observers say Mamata Banerjee is fast emerging as the face of the Opposition and would be a force to reckon with in the next general elections in 2019.

Ishita Ayan Dutt reports from Kolkata.

November 8, 10.20 am, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: 'One month since demonetisation was announced. More than 90 lives lost. How many more Modi babu?'

The tweet was accompanied by an embedded table, neatly listing the alleged deaths and circumstances, from across the country; a black and white frame around the table probably conveying morbidity.

Demonetisation has kept Banerjee busy, probably, as much as it has central government officials and bank employees.

She has led a rainbow delegation of opposition party leaders to Rashtrapati Bhavan, held rallies in Delhi with state Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in tow, created a photo opportunity in Uttar Pradesh with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav receiving Banerjee at the airport ahead of her rally against demonetisation.

The only takeaway from the Patna rally, however, was a public display of bonhomie with former chief minister Rabri Devi, Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad's wife.

But it was Banerjee's relentless pursuit against demonetisation that had called for an 'assassination bid' or a 'coup by the army,' or so she said.

Banerjee spent the night at the West Bengal secretariat, Nabanna, 'guarding democracy' when the army was conducting, what it said, was a 'routine exercise' across the North-Eastern states, to gather data on load carriers.

The army said the exercise was carried out in full coordination with the Bengal police. But by then, the imagery of army personnel at the toll gates near Nabanna had occupied mindspace, even if for a few hours.

According to Banerjee, this was the Centre's way of retaliating against her drive opposing demonetisation.

The allegation prompted Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to call it 'cheap publicity.' Yet, it found takers in Uttar Pradesh, a state where the Trinamool Congress has zero presence.

Yadav supported Banerjee and said she was right in raising her voice against the Centre. That's not all. Yadav's challenger in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, also spoke against the Centre's excesses on Banerjee in the Rajya Sabha.

With the principal parties in Uttar Pradesh supporting the Trinamool Congress supremo, the question uppermost on everyone's mind is: What could they possibly have to gain from Banerjee?

Political observers say Banerjee is fast emerging as the face of the Opposition and would be a force to reckon with in the next general elections in 2019.

A glimpse of things to come was on display at Banerjee's swearing-in ceremony earlier this year.

Politicians across party lines -- those looking for support in the Rajya Sabha and the ones angling for a potential partnership -- were all there: Nitish Kumar, Kejriwal, Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, Prasad found place on the dais, alongside Arun Jaitley and Babul Supriyo.

It's not without reason that Banerjee has been steering and stirring issues of national importance.

Immediately after her second coming in Bengal, when the chambers of commerce got together to felicitate Banerjee for her resounding victory in the assembly elections, she publicly asked state Finance Minister Amit Mitra, also the chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, to iron out differences on goods and services tax in one or two meetings.

But when it came to ratifying the GST in the assembly, Bengal steered away.

By then, 'central interference' on a host of issues had taken precedence.

Banerjee was especially irked by the 'central interference' in posting representatives in the state treasury to monitor the spending of central funds.

'Bulldozing the autonomy' of the states, 'federalism' and 'central interference' have been resounding in Banerjee's speeches for a while now.

Federalism is also one of the reasons the Centre and states such as Bengal have not been able to reach a consensus on the dual control of taxation in the GST regime.

The only other ardent supporter of federalism from Bengal, ironically, was Banerjee's one-time arch rival, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and former Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu.

Improving Centre-state relations was one of Basu's primary objectives; his speeches would be dotted with 'kendrer bonchona' (neglect by the Centre).

Basu, along with Harkishan Singh Surjeet, then the CPI-M general secretary, was instrumental in building an alternative front to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In fact, Basu emerged as the consensus candidate for the post of prime minister in the United Front government in 1996. But the CPI-M Politburo nixed it, prompting Basu to term it a 'historic' blunder.

It is not known whether Banerjee harbours such political ambitions. But she has bought a Hindi dictionary, and 'votebandi,' 'notebandi' have become part of her lexicon since.
IMAGE: In her book, Swati Chaturvedi makes startling revelations about how the BJP's IT cell trolls prominent public figures.

'Sadhavi Khosla was never formally part of the BJP IT cell.'

'Modi handles his own Twitter account.'

'On that handle, he follows many people to get a feel of the going ons on social media.'

Trolling as an activity is as old as social media.

Journalist Swati Chaturvedi's new book I am a Troll alleges that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been trolling well-known Indians, including journalists, revelations that have created a furore.

Chaturvedi investigates the ties between abusive social media accounts and the BJP's Information Technology cell. Some trolls, she says, have threatened prominent women, particularly journalists, with rape.

Additionally, she mentions that these trolls are 'followed' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter.

Her book quotes Sadhavi Khosla, a former BJP social media volunteer, on the instructions she received to troll minorities, the Gandhi family, journalists and anyone perceived to be anti-Modi.

Arvind Gupta, national president, (convener) of the BJP's IT cell, vehemently denies Chaturvedi's allegations and asks Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf, "Why has no mediaperson raised the issue of Chaturvedi's past of being an abusive troll on Twitter?"

Former BJP IT cell volunteer Sadhavi Khosla says the party's IT cell trolled people opposed to the BJP.

Khosla was never formally part of the BJP IT cell or the social media cell.

As she says she volunteered for two years. I question her for that. I want to know which (BJP IT) cell was she a part of.

Secondly, she has declared her affiliation to the Congress. She is working for the Congress' Punjab election campaign.

Thirdly, she said she had a disagreement with the BJP IT cell on trolls.

I have never heard of this, either through mail or through a Whatsapp message.

Fourthly, this is a cheap publicity stunt for the book. The author has a history of being an abusive troll.

The BJP has officially stated that we don't encourage trolling.

I fail to understand how without any due diligence these allegations are being made.

I want to see proof of the so-called threats we have made to journalists.

Where is the proof?

And the fact is Khosla is working for the Congress and is a part of the Congress campaign. That is not part of the discussion anywhere.

I am very surprised with the one-sidedness of journalism and, of course, this is part of a publicity campaign for the book that is coming up.

You can sue if the allegations are, as you say, untrue.

We shall see. Whatever action needs to be taken will be pursued.

I do not want to comment on that. I am not even in India at the moment. I have neither seen the book nor do I intend to.

What about Khosla? Did she ever work with you?

She has written that she met me once at a social function. Then she sent a proposal to become a part of the BJP's Punjab campaign, which she is obviously not part of, and now she is doing it for the Congress.

That is my interaction with her.

She claims she was part of the BJP IT cell and social media cell. I want to know where she worked full time.

We have a formal IT cell, which follows a very formal structure.

You have to attend the meetings. Where did she attend all the party meetings?

I have headed the BJP IT cell since 2010 and want to know which meetings she attended during the two years that she worked for us.

This is precisely the type of due diligence that the media has not done before carrying the story.

To me, this is propaganda by the Congress supported by Chaturvedi.

There are allegations that the BJP IT cell trolled Aamir Khan and forced Snapdeal to cancel his endorsement after he commented on the mood of intolerance in the country.

I have said very clearly what I have to say. You can see my tweets which I have put out. Please note that.

Chaturvedi points out that Prime Minister Modi 'follows' these trolls on Twitter.

There is no serious allegation in that. Modi handles his own Twitter account.

On that handle, he follows many people to get a feel of the going ons on social media.

He also follows Arvind Kejriwal who is his political opponent.

Following somebody on Twitter is not a crime nor is it an endorsement of anyone.

Suppose I follow Kejriwal, what does it mean? It means I want to know what everybody is writing and tweeting about.

Chaturvedi says Modi is 'following' the same people trolling her. Therefore, the police refuse to take action against these people who threatened her with rape.

You have to ask Chaturvedi what she means and what she has done.

The book from what I read in media reports is a work of fiction and lies.

What she does and what she says, I cannot answer for her.

So you feel this book is the Congress' way of getting back at the BJP?

This is standard for the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party with any major election around the corner.

This book is a publicity stunt by the Opposition parties.

Do you say the BJP IT cell has never encouraged trolls?

The BJP never encourages Internet trolls.

Why should we?

That is why I am saying show me proof.

We publish social media guidelines. We refute them in public. I have just given an example, follow my Twitter handle.

The perception emerging from this controversy is that the BJP sponsors people to do its dirty work on the Internet.

That I don't know.

Whatever I had to say, I have said.

You can follow my comments. You can follow my tweets. Thank you.
'Which leader in the world follows people who make rape threat to their rivals?'

'Which prime minister in the world follows people who give death threats routinely?'

'It is shocking. There is no other world leader who does it.'

Journalist Swati Chaturvedi's latest book I am a Troll charges the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party with sending trolls after mediapersons and threatening some women with rape on social media.

In her book, Chaturvedi quotes Sadhavi Khosla, a former member of the BJP's IT cell who accused the party of targeting minorities, liberals, journalists and the Gandhi family.

Earlier on Wednesday, December 28, Arvind Gupta, convenor of the BJP's IT cell, denied the allegations and said Khosla was never a part of his team in an interview to Rediff.com

The BJP, Gupta said, had never indulged in trolling.

A couple of hours later, Chaturvedi spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf and challenged Gupta's statements.

I interviewed Arvind Gupta head of the BJP IT cell and he said Sadhavi Khosla had never worked for them.

That is rubbish. I have documentary proof. That is complete rubbish.

He also said the BJP doesn't indulge in trolling, that they have a policy against it.

Yes, and we all believe that (laughs). If you are on Twitter, you will come to know all about this.

He also questioned why no mediaperson had flagged your past of being an abusive troll on Twitter.

There is one tweet when the Charlie Hebdo incident happened. I called somebody an ass. Now is calling someone an ass abuse?

If thousands of his people attack me, abuse me... and if I say 'ass', that's an abuse?

I am an investigative journalist, who has always written against the government in power.

When I got serial rape threats in September 2014 I called the hyena pack 'fuck wits' which the Oxford dictionary defines as 'stupid or contemptible.'

I stand by that. It cannot possibly be trolling as I was responding to serial attacks and sexual harassment.

I have a 20-year distinguished career in journalism. Why doesn't Gupta do some research before he says something like this?

Why is he not addressing the fact that the ruling party and the cell that he presides over are actually abusing citizens?

Forget journalists, but citizens too.

Is this okay in a democracy?

And why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi following abusive (Twitter) handles that post rape threats and death threats? I have documented all that.

And why are government handles like Digital India calling journalists 'presstitutes'?

Gupta denies Sadhavi Khosla worked for the BJP IT cell. He says he met her once, and that she now works for the Congress party in Punjab.

That is a slanderous allegation.

Sadhavi Khosla runs a knowledge person outflow and is a documentary filmmaker.

Maybe Mr Gupta is so unnerved that he has resorted to making this ridiculous argument.

Why did you write this book?

I am seeing a culture of frightening bigotry and hate being hoisted in this country by the ruling party.

No action is being taken against communal incitement by the (Twitter) handles of the ruling party.

As an investigative journalist, I wanted to investigate this phenomena and I kind of cracked the link it has to Mr Gupta.

He cannot dodge responsibility.

Rather than addressing these issues, why is he resorting to personal abuse and slander?

By the way, it justifies my thesis because that is all that they do.

Also, I am worried that tomorrow we will probably have riots in our country because of the amount of hate and bigotry that the BJP is mainstreaming though social media. They are attacking people who have different viewpoint from theirs.

Why is the BJP targeting people who they see are adversarial to them?

Do you feel these Twitter handles create an impression in the public that journalists are 'presstitutes', and fuels intolerance against the Muslim community?

Of course! They create an atmosphere of bigotry and anti-Muslim venom that incites communal incidents.

The fake cow slaughter videos... what about Malda (riots)? All these things that they have done has been documented in my book. All of this is designed.

My fear is that they are creating the hate online and mainstreaming it, eventually translating into offline riots.

Every woman who is liberal is attacked.

Every journalist is attacked.

They have a hit-list.

How can a ruling party and a minister in the ruling party use the word 'presstitutes'?

We are still a democracy and the media is non-negotiable in democracy.

You have to live with the media.

The way the media is being targeted and trolled by the BJP is scary.

But they are not taking the law into their hands... they have not beaten up anyone so far, one may argue.

They have... a person named Tajinder Singh Pal Bagga, who is followed by the prime minister on Twitter, went to (lawyer) Prashant Bhushan's chamber and beat him up.

The prime minister held a meet-and-greet at his official residence for all these trolls. They call them their yodhas (warriors).

That is the mindset we are dealing with.

Again and again, I am emphasising that I do not want to get into a tu-tu main-main (argument) with Arvind Gupta.

He cannot resort to personal slander and abuse.

Why is he not answering the fact which I have raised in the book?

Did he send that WhatsApp on Aamir Khan or not?

Did he send that awful thing about Aamir being a Muslim to Sadhavi Khosla?

... but he denies that Sadhavi Khosla worked with him.

I have those WhatsApp forwards. He cannot deny. It is documented.

Where did she work from? Which BJP office?

She was a social media volunteer. They work on WhatsApp.

She went to meet him (Gupta) at the BJP's Ashoka Road headquarters and it is described in the book. She did not take any money.

Why did she not file a complaint if she was upset about these hateful trolls?

She raised this with (BJP General Secretary) Ram Madhav on Google Hangout. I have video proof of it.

I have hundreds of screenshots which Mr Gupta shared with her. I have pictures with the chai pe charcha she organised.

I have pictures of her campaigning with Kiron Kher and Smriti Irani in Gurgaon.

Do you feel the prime minister should unfollow these abusive Twitter handles?

Which leader in the world follows people who make rape threat to their rivals?

Which prime minister in the world follows people who give death threats routinely?

It is shocking. There is no other world leader who does it.

Why is no action taken against those who issue rape threats to women online?

Nothing happens because it has got State support.

All these people who abuse and give rape threats are members of the ruling party.

We have all the laws in place.

America is a beacon of free speech laws, but hundreds of arrests are made every year on social media when people incite communal incidents or post rape or death threats.

Do you feel a strong message will be sent against such people if one of them is arrested?

Clearly! Tell me, why does the prime minister of India follow trolls?

When you ask this question to him, he keeps silent. Is that what he should be doing?

How do you feel when people call you a Congress supporter?

I find that ridiculous. I have always been against the party that is in power.

I have written a column a week ago that Rahul Gandhi is a monumental disaster and that he must retire.

The argument that I am a Congress supporter is a joke.

We may be living in a post-truth world, but calling me a Congress sympathiser is ridiculous.

They call you all names, 'sickular' and 'presstitutes'. It is awful. Is this how they want the debate to stoop?

What image are we showing to the world?

You are harassing people who have a counter viewpoint.
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested a manager of a Kotak Bank branch in New Delhi in connection with its money laundering probe in a criminal case of detection of nine alleged fake accounts with deposits worth Rs 34 crore post demonetisation.

Officials said the agency arrested the manager of the banks branch in the K G Marg area, late Tuesday night after questioning.

The manager has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will be produced before the court for further custody, they said.

The Enforcement Directorate took on the case and registered an FIR under Prevention of Money Laundering Act laws after taking cognisance of Delhi Polices crime branch FIR in the said case.

Police had also arrested two persons last week for allegedly depositing black money worth Rs 34 crore in nine fake accounts being operated in the Naya Bazar branch of the said bank.

A bank spokesperson had then said in a statement that it confirms that it has a robust system of regularly and proactively filing necessary reports with the statutory

authorities as prescribed by them, which include these accounts.

The bank denies that there were any fake accounts. The bank is extending full cooperation to the investigating authorities, the spokesperson said.
Outgoing Indian Air Force chief Arup Raha has made it clear that just 36 Rafale fighter jets would not suffice as India needs about 200-250 more fighters to maintain its combat edge over adversaries.

The Air Chief Marshal, who is set to retire on December 31, also rued that the tender for the much needed "force multiplier" mid air refuellers had to be withdrawn. He said a fresh tender is in the offing and the procurement will be speeded up.

Underlining that the teeth of any air force is the combat fleet, Raha said that the country needs another production line besides the Tejas.

He explained that the strength sanctioned by the government is 42 squadrons "which was a numerical value. He said what is needed "is also a capability mix".

Raha said India has enough of heavy weight fighters -- the Su30 MKI -- which will last for another 30-40 years. He said the light weight spectrum would be served by the 123 Tejas light combat aircraft ordered by the IAF.

Terming Rafale as an excellent aircraft, Raha said it comes in the medium weight spectrum.

"It is tremendously capable in all its role. It is a multi-role aircraft and can be used very effectively. It can prove its worth in any situation," Raha said.

"But we have just ordered 36 aircraft and we require more aircraft in this middle weight category to give entire spectrum of capability," he said.

Raha said a void has been created in the past because of obsolescence and many of the squadrons will be past their use-by date.

"We have already used them for four decades plus. It is time to retire them and get new aircraft," he said adding this void has to be filled up quickly and 36 Rafale aircraft "will not do as we require much more".

"Over the next 10 years, we must have 200-250 aircraft. It has to be balanced out. In the heavy weight spectrum, we have enough. But in the medium weight category, we need to have more. Yes, about 200 will be very good," he said.

India and France finally signed the Rafale deal on September 23 this year, over a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the deal during his Paris visit in April 2015.

The planes, equipped with latest weapons and tailored for Indian needs, will be delivered to the IAF between September 2019 and April 2022.

The IAF currently has 33 fighter squadrons, against the sanctioned 42.

Raha also rued that IAF's Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tanker fleet was plagued by maintenance problems and more midair refuellers were a "strategic requirement" to extend the range of fighter planes.

IL-78 fleet had served the IAF well but its availability for missions has been less due to maintenance problems. India floated a global tender for six midair refuellers in 2007 but it has been scrapped twice in the final stages.

"Sadly, there have been some problem areas in the acquisition. A new tender will be out soon," Raha said.

The air chief said the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base and the An-32 crash in which 29 people were killed were "the worst memories of my career".

"We have flown in the fighter fleet 40,000 hrs, more than last 10 years due to better serviceability. We have done an average night flying of 27 per cent which was less earlier," he said speaking about the achievements under his tenure.

Raha said the AN-32 is not the best aircraft to fly on the route that the ill-fated aircraft had taken.

He said that the altitude that which the AN-32 flies is not good in terms of weather and hence the air force is looking forward to C-295 aircraft which is being procured.

He also said that the IAF has approached the government to contact agencies from abroad that has the capabilities to undertake further search of the seabed, 3 km deep, to locate the missing aircraft.

The Air Force chief also said that aircraft will shortly be fitted with underwater locator.

Image: Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha addressing a press conference at Akash Officers Mess in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo
Tightening the noose around Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the United States on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based terror group's student wing Al-Muhammadia Students a terrorist organisation and slapped sanctions against its two top leaders.

LeT was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States in December 2001.

Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organisations in an effort to avoid sanctions, said the State Department.

"To that effect, Al-Muhammadia Students is the student wing of LeT," it said.

Founded in 2009, AMS is a subsidiary of LeT and has worked with LeT senior leaders to organise recruiting courses and other activities for youth, it added.

Simultaneously, the US Treasury Department designated two LeT senior leaders, Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood, as global terrorists. Both the LeT leaders are based in Pakistan.

"These two Lashkar-e-Tayiba leaders are responsible for raising and moving funds to support the terrorist group's operations," said John E Smith, Acting Director Office of Foreign Assets Control.

"Today's action not only aims to expose their activities, but also disrupts Lashkar-e-Tayiba's financial network and ability to carry out violent terrorist attacks," he added.

Treasury said Sarwar has been a senior LeT official in Lahore for over 10 years and has held various leadership roles in the group, including his current position as LeTs emir for Lahore, a position he has held since at least January 2015.

As the LeT emir of Lahore, Sarwar maintains relationships with LeTs most senior leaders. Between 2012 and 2013, Sarwar worked with LeTs foreign affairs chief Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, and in early 2013, Makki asked Sarwar for money to pay for his travel within Pakistan, it added.

In his capacity as LeT Lahore emir, Sarwar has been directly involved in LeT fund raising activities and uses the formal financial system in Pakistan to raise and move funds on behalf of LeT, the Treasury said.

For example, in 2008, he led delegations of businessmen to LeT facilities for the purpose of soliciting donations for the group, and as of mid-2009, Sarwar was one of two officials who headed LeTs finance wing in Lahore, it added.

On the other hand, Mahmood has been a longstanding senior LeT member based in Karachi, and has been affiliated with the group since 2007.

As early as June 2015 through at least June 2016, Mahmood served as the vice chairman of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a fundraising arm of LeT, Treasury said in a statement.

FIF was earlier designated as an alias for LeT. In 2014, Mahmood was the leader of FIF in Karachi.

In August 2013, Mahmood was identified as a LeT publications wing member. Since at least 2012, Mahmood has routinely traveled overseas and worked with international organisations on behalf of LeT to conduct business for the group in FIFs name, Treasury said.

For example, when acting as the head of FIF in Karachi, Mahmood traveled to Bangladesh to distribute funds to a Burmese migrant camp for the purpose of facilitating LeT recruitment, it said.

In August 2012, Mahmood, while in-charge of the Sindh, chapter of FIF, led a LeT delegation to Burma, and in mid-2014, he traveled to Syria and Turkey and was subsequently appointed to lead FIF efforts in both countries.

Mahmood has also traveled to Bangladesh and Gaza on behalf of FIF, it said.

Treasury said Mahmood was previously part of LeTs overseas operations team led by Sajjid Mir, who was designated a global terrorist in 2012.

While part of LeTs operations team, Mahmoods areas of responsibility included Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

Additionally, in August 2013, Mahmood was instructed to forge covert links with Islamic organizations in Bangladesh and Burma, and as of late 2011, "Mahmood claimed that LeT's primary concern should be attacking India and America," the Treasury said.
The U.S. has the capability to retaliate against Russian hackers  and it probably should, one cybersecurity CEO said.

The FBI , CIA and some other intelligence officials have pinpointed Russian hackers as a source of interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. While U.S. president Barack Obama has called for a " thoughtful, methodical " response, simply "naming and shaming" Russia might not be sufficient, said George Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

"I don't know that it's enough," Kurtz told CNBC's " Squawk on the Street " on Tuesday. "I think sanctions are warranted here."

CrowdStrike released some of the first research tying Russian intelligence sources to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee.



WikiLeaks revealed more than 19,000 pages of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee earlier this year, uncovering messages that seemed to dismiss Sen. Bernie Sanders and other details that ultimately prompted the resignation of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"It just highlights, when we look at the broad, global economic environment, just how intertwined cyber is with our political  and our industrial  base," Kurtz said.

Obama has said that some of what the U.S. does in response to Russia is not publicized, and that there would be severe consequences for the hacking. But while he has denied Russian involvement in the hack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the DNC breach a "public service."

The Russian hack is the latest in a string of high-profile attacks from regimes like North Korea, where relations with the U.S. are tense. It's a growing threat, as hacking is increasingly a quick way to improve a nation's economy, Kurtz said.



"When we think about the overall environment, it's just too easy to create malware that's not detected by the current generation of anti-virus products," Kurtz said. "That's the reason that we're seeing a lot of these attacks. ... It's so easy to do, it's very little cost and very little opportunity to actually get caught."

Story continues

Chinese industrial espionage on U.S. companies has declined a bit, Kurtz said, since the two nations agreed in 2015 that neither government would support or conduct cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property . But the agreement doesn't mean that China "can't steal from other folks around the globe," Kurtz said.

"Doesn't mean that all espionage activity has dropped  certainly, if you're in the defense industrial base, you're still subject to those sorts of attacks," Kurtz said. "But in terms of actually stealing intellectual property and secrets via cyber, we've seen a substantial reduction over the past year."

Still, while President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to use "every lawful presidential power" to stop Chinese theft of American trade secrets, Trump has called the ties between Russia, hackers and the election outcome " ridiculous ."

"Does the U.S. have capabilities to take action? They certainly do," Kurtz said. "It will be up to the current and future administrations to decide what they are going to do."





More From CNBC


Customs sleuths on Wednesday seized cash totalling around Rs 69 lakh in two separate cases in Mumbai, which included recovery of Rs 25 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes.

The Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs made these seizures at the international airport in Mumbai in the wee hours and four persons were arrested in this connection.

In the first case, foreign currency worth over Rs 43 lakh was recovered from three passengers -- Shaikh Waheed Ali, Mohammed Sohail and Shaikh Pasha -- who arrived in Mumbai from Hyderabad.

A detailed examination of the baggage of Ali resulted in recovery of 1,39,000 Saudi Riyals, 5,65,000 UAE Dirhams and 14,000 Australian dollars, said a Customs official, adding that the total value was Rs 43.97 lakh.

This money was found wrapped in newspapers and was concealed in their check-in baggage.

The trio, in their statement, has said that they brought the foreign currency from Saudi Arabia during their visit last week but did not declare the money before the Customs.

They have also said that they came to Mumbai for conversion of the currency expecting good returns, the official said.

They were arrested after a case under Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act was registered against them.

In another case, one Arif Koyante who was departing to Dubai was arrested after Rs 25 lakh, in Rs 2,000 denomination, was seized from him.

Officials said a search of his baggage yielded 1,250 notes kept in 52 different envelopes made of white paper.

These envelopes containing currency were further placed inside layers of 13 cardboards on which ready made garments were neatly wrapped, said the official, adding that the currency was seized on the reasonable belief that it was attempted to be smuggled out of India.

A case under Customs Act and FEMA has been registered against Arif and he has admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery, the official said.

Photograph: ANI
United States President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid somber tribute at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Tuesday to the American service members killed in a surprise attack by the Japanese imperial navy 75 years ago.

IMAGE: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama bow their heads during a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The two leaders, dressed in dark suits and ties, presented wreaths and bowed their heads in silent respect during a brief tour of the USS Arizona Memorial that commemorates the US sailors and Marines who perished on the battleship on December 7, 1941.

Standing side by side with Abe, Obama said, It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different.

It is here that we reflect on how war tests our most enduring values, the two-time US president said, making reference to the internment camps the United States government forced Japanese Americans into during the war.

IMAGE: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe smiles after giving a hug to Pearl Harbor survivor Everett Hyland after giving remarks at Kilo Pier overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photograph: Hugh Gentry/Reuters

Abe is paying his respects to the soldiers who died in his countrys unexpected attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base 75 years ago, mirroring a visit Obama made to Hiroshima, the Japanese city the US obliterated at the end of the fight, in May.

The Japanese leader did not say he was sorry on behalf of his country for the military action that took more than 2,400 lives and drew the United States into World War II in 1941, much like Obama did not apologise for dropping atomic bombs on Japan at the end of the international conflict.

IMAGE: Obama releases flower petals following a wreath-laying ceremony with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aboard the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

President Obama, the United States of America, and the people around the world, as the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place and also the souls of the countless innocent people who became victims of the war, Abe said through a translator.

Continuing, he said, We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we the people of Japan have taken. And since the war we have created a free and democratic country that values the rule of law, and had has resolutely upheld our vow never again to wage war.

IMAGE: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama deliver remarks at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

We the people of Japan will continue to uphold this unwavering principle, while harbouring quiet pride in the path we have walked as a peace-loving nation over these 70 years since the war ended, he stated.

The two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd, shaking hands and hugging some of the men who fought in the 7 December 1941 battle.

The visit, Japans government has said, is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war.

IMAGE: A boat carrying US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe goes by the USS Missouri at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday continued his attacked on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, accusing him of practising politics of fear and anger and exhorted party men to defeat his ideology.

On November 8, Modiji said he is performing a yagya against corruption and black money. In every yagya someones sacrifice is done and every yagya is done to benefit someone.

The demonetisation yagya is for 50 families of the countrys 1 per cent super rich. It is the poor, farmers, labourers, middle class and small shopkeepers who are being sacrificed in this yagya. There has been tremendous pain caused by it, he said presiding over Congress partys 132nd Foundation Day celebrations,

The Congress will stand with people, farmers, labourers, middle-class and small shopkeepers and with the country and help them, he said, exhorting Congressmen to reach out to those pained by demonetisation and fight and defeat the ideology of Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that spreads fear and hatred.

Congress workers have to reach out to people and I am confident that they will do this and will fight out and defeat the ideology of Narendra Modi and RSS which spreads anger and hate, he said.

Accusing Modi for hurting financial independence of people of this country, he asked on what basis limits of Rs 24,000 were imposed on withdrawal.

Filling in for his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi who is note keeping well, Rahul for the first time on Wednesday unfurled the Tricolour at the party headquarters to mark the Congress Foundation Day.

In another first, he later addressed a gathering of top party leaders including all members of the Congress Working Committee, indicating his slow but consistent march towards elevation as Congress chief.

Rahul used the occasion to trace the partys history of sacrifices and struggles to say Congress was synonymous with acceptance of the other.

Congress means understanding the other. Congress means I am not alone and that there is another perspective apart from mine. Congress is the idea that it is not only my view that will prevail. I must seek your view. Congress means reaching out to you, Congress means listening to you. Congress means understanding the other, he told the gathering.

Seeking to project the BJP as a divisive force as against an inclusive Congress, he said, Modi government is today tearing apart the fabric of our country. Modijis policies are creating a tremendous fear psychosis among people. Modiji is trying to convert this fear and pain into hatred. Demonetisation is an example of this.

The aim is to run a government of select few, take away the money from the poor and give it to a select few. Spread fear and anger and rule on that basis. We have shown that questions have been raised on Modiji and there are charges on him. He should answer these questions, he said.

Rahul traced Congress history of fighting the freedom struggle and said, Congress helped people understand the meaning of Swaraj and independence. Congress helps fight fear.

The functioning of the party is not about an individual but about everyone, he said.

I would first want to talk about what is relationship of people of the country with Congress party. It is that of sharing pain and of sharing emotions. This idea says that you are not alone. They gave a name to that idea and called it Congress, the party vice president said.

He said the note ban decision has robbed the poor people of their money, which is intended to be given to the rich of the country.

He said it is the poor, the farmers, labourers, the middle class and the common people who are suffering the most.

Wednesday's event was significant because its rare for the party vice-president to preside over the Foundation Day function.

There has been a growing demand within the party for the Gandhi scion to take over reins of the party from his mother Sonia Gandhi as Congress president.

The CWC, the partys highest decision-making body, had also verbally resolved and urged Sonia Gandhi to elevate Rahul to the top post recently.

A large number of senior Congress leaders were present on the occasion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised on November 8 that the pain due to demonetisation will ease within 50 days, yet within this duration the Reserve Bank of India has changed the rules at least 60 times.

The official twists and turns have raised questions on the government's credibility and its ability to pull the nation out of the demonetisation quagmire.

To keep up with the new rules, the government has issued an updated FAQ on demonetisation. Read on...

Why is this scheme introduced?



The incidence of fake Indian currency notes in higher denomination has increased. For ordinary persons, the fake notes look similar to genuine notes, even though no security feature has been copied. The fake notes are used for anti-national and illegal activities. High denomination notes have been misused by terrorists and for hoarding black money.

India remains a cash-based economy. Hence, the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes continues to be a menace. In order to contain the rising incidence of fake notes and black money, the scheme to withdraw has been introduced.



What is this scheme?



The legal tender character of the existing bank notes in denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 issued by the Reserve bank of India till November 8, 2016 (hereinafter referred to as Specified Bank Notes) stands withdrawn.

In consequence thereof these Bank Notes cannot be used for transacting business and/or store of value for future usage. The Specified Bank Notes can be exchanged for value at any of the 19 offices of the Reserve Bank of India and deposited at any of the bank branches of commercial banks/ Regional Rural Banks/ Co-operative banks (only Urban Co-operative Banks and State Co-operative Banks) or at any Head Post Office or Sub-Post Office.



District Central Cooperative Banks can allow their existing customers to withdraw money from their accounts up to Rs 24,000 per week. No exchange facility against the specified bank notes (Rs 500 and Rs 1000) or deposit of such notes should be entertained by DCCBs. The Reserve Bank has accordingly advised all banks to permit withdrawal of cash by DCCBs from their accounts based on need.



Does the scheme apply to pre-2005 banknotes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000?



Yes, specified banknotes include pre-2005 banknotes in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Banks should accept deposits of pre-2005 bank notes in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 under the scheme. However, these notes can be exchanged at RBI Offices only.



How much value will I get?



You will get value for the entire volume of notes tendered at the bank branches/RBI offices.



Can I get all in cash?



The scheme does not provide for it, given its objectives. You can use balances in bank accounts to pay for other requirements by cheque or through electronic means of payments such as Internet banking, mobile wallets, IMPS, credit/debit cards etc.



Can I get cash in exchange for specified banknotes over the bank counter?



No. Over the counter exchange (in cash) of SBNs is not permitted from November 25, 2016. Members of public who approach the banks for over the counter exchange of SBN are encouraged to deposit SBNs into their bank accounts. Banks have been advised to facilitate opening of new accounts for unbanked people.



What if I don't have any bank account?



You can always open a bank account by approaching a bank branch with necessary documents required for fulfilling the KYC requirements.



What if, if I have only Jan Dhan Yojana account?



A JDY account holder can avail the deposit facility subject to the caps and other laid down limits in accord with norms and procedures.



With a view to protect the innocent farmers and rural account holders of PMJDY from activities of money launders and legal consequences under the Benami Property Transaction & Money Laundering laws, it has been decided to place certain limits, as a matter of precaution, on the operations in the PMJDY accounts funded through deposits of Specified Bank Notes after November 9, 2016.

As a temporary measure, the banks have been advised that:



(1) Fully KYC complaint account holders may be allowed to withdraw Rs 10,000/- from their account, in a month. The branch managers may allow further withdrawals beyond Rs 10,000 within the current applicable limits only after ascertaining the genuineness of such withdrawals and duly documenting the same on banks record.



(2) Limited or Non-KYC compliant account holders may be allowed to withdraw Rs 5,000 per month from the amount deposited through SBNs after November 09, 2016 within the overall ceiling of Rs 10,000.



Where can I go to exchange the notes?



The exchange facility has been stopped at bank branches with effect from November 25, 2016.



Should I go to bank personally for deposit or can I send the notes through my representative?



Personal visit to the branch is preferable. In case it is not possible for you to visit the branch you may send your representative with an express mandate i.e. a written authorisation. The representative should produce authority letter and his / her valid identity proof while tendering the notes.



In case you want to go to a branch of any other bank where you are not maintaining an account, you will have to furnish valid identity proof and bank account details required for electronic fund transfer to your account.



Can I withdraw from ATM?



The ATMs are progressively getting recalibrated. As and when they are recalibrated, the cash limit of such ATMs will stand enhanced to Rs 2500/- per day. This will enable dispensing of lower denomination currency notes for about Rs 500/- per withdrawal. Other ATMs which are yet to be recalibrated, will continue to dispense Rs 2000/- till they are recalibrated.



Banks have also been advised to increase the Business Correspondents' limit of dispensing cash to Rs 2500/- for withdrawal from bank accounts.



What will be the levied ATM charges?



It has been decided that banks shall waive levy of ATM charges for all transactions (inclusive of both financial and non-financial transactions) by savings bank customers done at their own banks ATMs as well as at other banks' ATMs, irrespective of the number of transactions during the month. This waiver is applicable on transactions done at ATMs from November 10, 2016 till December 30, 2016, subject to review.



Does the limit of Rs 24000 withdrawal apply to withdrawals from bank account of one bank from another bank?



These limits are not applicable to cash withdrawal from a bank account by one bank from another bank, Post Office, Money changers operating at International airports and operators of White Label ATMs. The branches maintaining Currency Chests have been advised to accommodate the requests from other branches in their vicinity -- linked or otherwise -- for supply of cash.



Can I withdraw cash against cheque?



Yes, you can withdraw cash against withdrawal slip or cheque subject to a weekly limit of Rs 24000/- (including withdrawals from ATMs and over the counter) from the bank accounts.



Business entities having Current Accounts which are operational for last three months or more will be allowed to draw Rs 50,000/-per week. This can be done in a single transaction or multiple transactions. This facility has been extended to Overdraft and Cash Credit accounts and traders registered with the Agricultural Produce Market Committee markets or mandis.

Accordingly, holders of current / overdraft / cash credit accounts, which are operational for the last three months or more, may withdraw up to Rs 50,000 in cash, in a week. Such withdrawals may be disbursed predominantly in Rs 2,000 denomination bank notes.

This enhanced limit for weekly withdrawal is not applicable for personal overdraft accounts.

Farmers are allowed to draw up to Rs 25,000/- per week in cash from their loan (including Kisan Credit Card limit) or deposit accounts subject to their accounts being compliant with the extant KYC norms.



Can I withdraw a higher amount for the purpose of my wards wedding?



With a view to enable members of the public to perform and celebrate weddings of their wards it has been decided to allow a cash withdrawal of maximum Rs 2,50,000/- from their bank deposit accounts till December 30, 2016 out of the balances at credit in the account as at close of business on November 8, 2016 to meet wedding related expenses.

This is subject to the following conditions:



i. Withdrawals are permitted only from fully KYC-compliant accounts.

ii. The amounts can be withdrawn only if the date of marriage is on or before December 30, 2016.

iii. Withdrawals can be made by either of the parents or the person getting married. (Only one of them will be permitted to withdraw).

iv. 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.

v. The application for withdrawal shall be accompanied by following documents:



An application as per the format



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.

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, where the amount proposed to be paid is Rs 10,000/- or more. The list should indicate the purpose for which the proposed payments are being made.



Banks may 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 authenticity/ bona fide use thereof.

Yet, banks should encourage families to incur wedding expenses through non-cash means viz cheques /drafts, credit/debit cards, prepaid cards, mobile transfers, internet banking channels, NEFT/RTGS, etc.

Therefore, members of the public should be advised, while granting cash withdrawals, to use cash to meet expenses which have to be met only through cash mode.



What is being done for the farmers?



Farmers are allowed to draw up to Rs 25,000/- per week in cash from their loan (including Kisan Credit Card limit) or deposit accounts subject to their accounts being compliant with the extant KYC norms.

Specified banknotes in the denomination can be used for making payments towards purchase of seeds from the centres, units or outlets belonging to the central or state governments, public sector undertakings, national or state seeds corporations, central or state agricultural universities and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, on production of proof of identity.



Towards ensuring unhindered farming operations during the Rabi crop season, NABARD would be utilising its own cash credit limits up to about Rs 23,000 crore to enable the DCCBs to disburse the required crop loans to PACS and farmers.

Banks with currency chests have been advised to ensure adequate cash supply to the DCCBs and RRBs.

Adequate cash supply should also be ensured for rural branches of all commercial (including RRBs). Bank branches located in APMCs may also be given adequate cash to facilitate smooth procurement.



Can I deposit Specified Bank Notes through ATMs, Cash Deposit Machine, cash Recycler and bank branches multiple times?



Yes, Specified Bank Notes can be deposited in Cash Deposits machines / Cash Recyclers or at bank branches more than once till December 30, 2016.

At bank branches, customers should use separate pay-in-slips for depositing specified bank notes and other legal tender bank notes. (If a depositor has a mixed bunch of SBN and legal tender notes, he has to segregate them and submit two separate Pay-in slips).



Can I make use of electronic (NEFT/RTGS /IMPS/ Internet Banking / Mobile banking etc.) mode?



You can use NEFT/RTGS/IMPS/Internet Banking/Mobile Banking or any other electronic/ non-cash mode of payment.

In order to meet the transactional needs of the public through digital means, additional measures have been introduce by way of special dispensation for small merchants and enhancement in limits for semi-closed Prepaid Payment Instruments.



PPIs issuers can issue PPIs to such merchants. While balance in such PPIs cannot exceed Rs 20,000/- at any point of time, the merchants can transfer funds from such PPIs to their own linked bank accounts up to Rs 50,000/- per month, without any limit per transaction.

Merchants only need to provide a self-declaration in respect of their status and details of their bank account.



The limit of semi-closed PPIs issued with minimum details has been enhanced to Rs 20,000/- from the existing Rs 10,000/-. The total value of reloads during any given month has also been enhanced to Rs 20,000/-.



Extant instructions for other categories of PPIs remain unchanged. Full KYC PPIs with balance upto Rs 1,00,000/- can continue to be made available by authorised PPI issuers. The above measures will be effective from November 21, 2016 till December 30, 2016, subject to review.

Relaxation in Additional Factor of Authentication for payments upto Rs 2,000/- for card network provided authentication solutions has been permitted for the Card Not Present transactions. For details please refer to RBI DPSS circular dated December 6, 2016.



I am right now not in India, what should I do?



If you have specified banknotes in India, you may authorise in writing enabling another person in India to deposit the notes into your bank account.

The person so authorised has to come to the bank branch with the Specified banknotes, the authority letter given by you and a valid identity proof (Valid Identity proof is any of the following: Aadhaar card, driving license, voter ID card, passport, NREGA card, PAN card, identity card issued by government department, public sector unit to its staff)

I am an NRI and hold NRO account, can the exchange value be deposited in my account?



Yes, you can deposit the Specified banknotes to your NRO account.



I am a foreign tourist, how much Indian currency can I get after the announcement of withdrawal of legal tender status for specified banknotes?



Foreign citizens will be permitted to exchange foreign currency up to Rs 5,000 per week. Necessary entry to this effect will be made in their passports.



I have emergency need for cash (hospitalisation, travel, life saving medicines) then what I should do?



Exemptions for the use of specified banknotes have been discontinued with effect from December 16, 2016



Can I deposit the specified banknotes to my account?



Deposits of specified bank notes into all types of deposit/loan accounts of public sector banks/ private sector banks / foreign banks/ regional rural banks / urban cooperative banks/ state cooperative banks is allowed subject to CTR/STR reporting. Certain restrictions have been imposed on deposits of SBNs into non-KYC compliant bank accounts as indicated below:



Tenders of SBNs in excess of Rs 5,000 into a non-KYC compliant 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 will be kept on record to facilitate an audit trail at a later stage.



Even when tenders smaller than Rs 5000 are made in a non-KYC compliant bank account and such tenders taken together on cumulative basis exceed Rs 5000 they may be subject to the procedure to be followed in case of tenders above Rs 5000, with no more tenders being allowed thereafter until December 30, 2016.



The above restrictions shall not apply to tenders of SBNs for deposits in KYC compliant account and deposits under the Taxation and Investment Regime for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016.



The equivalent value of specified bank notes tendered will 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 therefor 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, as indicated in Annex-5 of our circular DCM (Plg) No.1226/10.27.00/2016-17 dated November 8, 2016



Anybody depositing more than Rs 50,000/- in cash in their bank account has to submit a copy of the PAN card in case the bank account is not seeded with PAN.



Can I deposit SBN to Small Savings Scheme?



Government of India has decided that subscribers of small savings schemes may not be allowed to deposit SBNs in small savings schemes. Banks have been advised not to accept SBNs for deposits in small saving schemes with immediate effect. However, deposits into post office savings account are permitted.



What is proof of identity?



Valid identity proof is any of the following: Aadhaar card, driving license, voter ID card, passport, NREGA card, PAN card, identity card issued by government department, public sector unit to its staff.



Where can I get more information on this scheme?



Further information is available on our website (www.rbi.org.in) and the website of the government of India (www.finmin.nic.in)



What steps have been taken for queue management?



Banks have been advised to make arrangements for separate queues for Senior citizens and Divyang (disabled) persons. Similarly, separate queues should also be arranged for those who come to exchange SBN for cash and those who come to deposit into bank accounts.



The last date for submission of the annual life certificate for the government pensioners which is to be submitted in November every year has been extended up to January 15, 2017.



The Reserve Bank assures members of the public that enough cash in small denominations is also available at the Reserve Bank and banks.

The Reserve Bank urges that public need not be anxious; need not come over to banks repeatedly to draw and hoard; Cash is available when they need it.



If I have a problem, whom should I approach?



You may approach the control room of RBI by email or on Telephone Nos 022-22602201/022-22602944



Can payments towards tax, penalty, surcharge and deposit under PMGKY be made in SBNs?



The central government has decided that up to December 30, 2016, the payment towards tax, surcharge, penalty and deposit under the Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanYojana can be made in Old Bank Notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination issued by the RBI.

The Taxation and Investment Regime for Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanYojana, 2016 has commenced on December 17, 2016 and is open for declarations upto March 31, 2017.

The payment of tax, surcharge and penalty under the scheme is to be made through challan ITNS- 287 and the deposits are to be made in the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme, 2016.

The notifications relating to PMGKY are available on the website www.incometaxindia.gov.in
A Qualcomm sign is pictured in front of one of its many buildings in San Diego, California November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

By Se Young Lee and Stephen Nellis

SEJONG, South Korea/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what it called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the U.S. chipmaker said it will challenge in court.

The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomm's most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing headwinds from a cooling smartphone market. Shares in Qualcomm fell 1.7 percent on Nasdaq.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled on Wednesday Qualcomm abused its dominant market position and forced handset makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips.

Qualcomm also restricted competition by refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents related to modem chips to rival chipmakers such as Intel Corp (INTC.O), Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and MediaTek Inc (2454.TW), the regulator said, hindering their sales and leaving their products vulnerable to lawsuits.

The regulator ordered Qualcomm to negotiate in good faith with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset makers if requested -- measures that would affect the U.S. firm's dealings with major tech companies including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Intel, Samsung and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] if upheld.

The KFTC said it began its investigations into Qualcomm's practices in 2014 following complaints from industry participants, but did not name specific companies.

Foreign companies including Apple, Intel, MediaTek and Huawei expressed their views during the regulator's deliberation process, KFTC Secretary General Shin Young-son told a media briefing in the country's administrative capital.

"We investigated and decided on these actions because Qualcomm's actions limit overall competition," Shin said, adding that the ruling was not about protecting domestic companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics Inc .

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Qualcomm said it will file for an immediate stay of the corrective order and appeal the decision to the Seoul High Court. The firm will also appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.

"Qualcomm strongly disagrees with the KFTCs announced decision," it said in a statement.

The decision in Seoul could mean lower costs for mobile phone makers and others in the tech supply chain who source Qualcomm chips, said a Taiwanese industry executive, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

IN REGULATORY CROSSHAIRS

The fine is the latest in a series of antitrust rulings and investigations faced by Qualcomm from regulators across the globe. In February 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China following a 14-month probe, while the European Union in December 2015 accused it of abusing its market power to thwart rivals.

Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with AB Bernstein, said the fine itself was large but also said the KFTC's orders for Qualcomm to alter its business practices have bigger future implications for the chipmaker.

A major challenge for Qualcomm, he said, would emerge if the ruling forces the company to license patents for some of its chips to rivals such as Intel, which has been competing hard to land its modem chips in mobile phones.

The dispute could take years to play out in South Korean courts, he said.

The KFTC fined Qualcomm 273 billion won in 2009 for abusing its dominant position in CDMA modem chips, which were then used in handsets made by Samsung and LG.

Regulators in other jurisdictions, including the United States and Taiwan, are also investigating Qualcomm. The KFTC move could serve as a benchmark for some of them.

"Koreas decision will serve as an important reference point for us, Chiu Yung-ho, vice chairman and spokesman for Taiwans Fair Trade Commission, told Reuters. He gave no timeline on when Taiwans own year-long investigation would be concluded.

Even if the Korean decision sets a precedent for regulatory proceedings in other countries, Qualcomm's move to purchase chipmaker NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O) for $38 billion cuts its reliance on mobile phones, said Bill Kreher, an analyst with Edward Jones. NXP takes Qualcomm into the fast-growing market for automotive chips and puts it into the chip manufacturing business.

"The strategy of diversifying the company's business lines may prove to be the most prudent strategy of all," Kreher said. "Since Qualcomm has moved its dependence from royalties, further decisions from other countries such as the U.S. in the future would not impact the company much, relative to in the past."

Shares of Qualcomm were down $1.16 to $66.09 in early afternoon trade.

(Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in SEOUL, J.R. Wu in TAIPEI, Stephen Nellis in SAN FRANCISCO and Rishika Sadam in BENGALURU)
EU commits additional 7 million euros to support UNICEF in Iraq

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as UN News Service, EU commits additional 7 million euros to support UNICEF in Iraq, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5863720840c.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

27 December 2016 - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has received a new pledge of 7 million euros from the European Union to support the UN agency's work in Iraq, where an estimated 11 million are in need of humanitarian assistance - half of them children.

"This generous funding from the European Union at such a critical time will enable UNICEF to continue providing emergency assistance to Iraq's families, providing hope for a better future for every child," said Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative in Iraq, in a press release, which warns that families continue to flee fighting in Mosul, humanitarian needs for those inside the city increase and winter conditions exacerbate children's vulnerabilities.

Iraqi forces began a military campaign to oust Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists from Mosul on October 17.

The new contribution from the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) brings the total amount of ECHO assistance committed to UNICEF Iraq in 2016 to 20 million euros.

"With the military operations in Mosul at their tipping point and fighting ongoing in Hawija and Telafar, it is crucial to increase protection and principled, lifesaving humanitarian assistance to all people in need," said Jean Louis De Brouwer, Director of Operations at ECHO for European, Eastern Neighbourhood and Middle East.

The additional funding will support UNICEF's ongoing emergency response.

"It is important for the European Union to provide assistance to children affected by conflict in Iraq, many of whom have gone without education, vaccinations, and other aid for more than two years," added Mr. De Brouwer.

EU-funded programmes provide emergency food, water and hygiene supplies to newly displaced families. EU support will also boost first-line health, water and sanitation, education in emergencies, child protection and winterization assistance.

More than three million people are displaced in Iraq, and an estimated 11 million are in need of humanitarian assistance - half of them children. In 2017, as many as 1.2 million additional people may be forced from their homes as military operations continue.
UN emergency fund authorizes $3.5 million for restoring education services in Haiti

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN emergency fund authorizes $3.5 million for restoring education services in Haiti, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637271412.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

27 December 2016 - The United Nations fund aimed at rapid humanitarian response for people affected by natural disasters and armed conflict has approved $3.5 million for restoring safe education services for schools and other relief activities in storm-hit southwest Haiti.

According to the situation report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the disbursement from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will also cover protection assistance to most vulnerable people evicted from temporary shelters and support to an estimated 30,000 people in areas of return.

While the Caribbean island nation recovers from the massive destruction wrought by Hurricane Matthew nearly three months ago, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and partners have identified 1,633 schools in need of repairs, affecting approximately 190,000 children, according to the report.

With the funding, the UNICEF-led education project will be implemented in the municipalities of Les Cayes, Port Salut, and Jeremie, among others. The project will target some 16,000 children between age six and 18, who have been excluded from school as a result of damages caused by the Hurricane.

In the storm's wake, schools served as temporary shelters for evacuees, UNICEF said. Schools in these municipalities are now being vacated and will provide the minimum required conditions for the resumption of teaching and learning activities.

Children will also benefit from protection assistance and receive school kits, while schools are cleaned, refurbished and basic WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) facilities are rehabilitated.

In Haiti's Sud region, UNICEF worked with partners to ensure that 30 schools, previously used as shelters, now have adequate sanitation for their reopening.

As of November, 62 per cent of the Flash Appeal - the international community's effort to adequately help the Haitian Government meet the critical needs of its people - has been funded. The gap remains at $52.5 million, according to OCHA.
Iraq: UN-Habitat rehabilitates 123 conflict-damaged houses in Anbar Governorate

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Iraq: UN-Habitat rehabilitates 123 conflict-damaged houses in Anbar Governorate, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5863729b412.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

27 December 2016 - As part of an urban recovery project in Iraq, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has renovated 123 damaged residential housing units in newly liberated areas so that their rightful owners can live in safety and with dignity.

The Tameem neighbourhood of Ramadi Anbar Governorate was one of the areas largely damaged by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), and devastated after major military operations began in December 2015 to retake the areas from the terrorists.

Upon the request of the Anbar Governorate, and with a generous contribution from the Government of Japan, the first phase of UN-Habitat's "Promoting Urban Recovery in Newly Liberated Areas in Iraq" project in the Tameem neighbourhood has been completed.

"UN-Habitat's intervention is community-based as the local community committees had played a substantial role in coordinating and facilitating the technical assessment and the participation of more than 96 persons from the neighbourhood in the rehabilitation works in the first phase," said Erfan Ali, Head of the UN-Habitat Iraq programme, in a press release.

Dr. Ali recalled that two months ago the UN-Habitat had rehabilitated female student housing in the University of Anbar in Ramadi. He said that the agency would continue to rehabilitate 104 accommodations in the Tameem neighbourhood in the next phase and another 200 houses in early 2017, which is currently under technical assessment.

The Governor of Anbar, Sohaib Al-Rawi, emphasized the importance of housing rehabilitation, calling it "critical to enable the return of the displaced citizens to Ramadi and in other cities."

He reiterated his appreciation to UN-Habitat for implementing the housing community intervention as well as to all the international agencies supporting stabilization and recovery in the areas retaken from ISIL.
Somalia: UN, global partners 'gravely concerned' over changes to electoral process

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Somalia: UN, global partners 'gravely concerned' over changes to electoral process, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/586372ca40c.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

27 December 2016 - The United Nations and other members of the international community have voiced grave concern over recent decisions by Somalia's National Leadership Forum (NLF) that contravenes the African country's constitutional electoral processes.

Currently, Somali's Provisional Constitution allows for 54 seats in the Upper House of its parliament. Elections have already been held, but according to a communique issued on 24 December, the NLF has decided to add seats.

While today's inauguration of the Federal Parliament is a positive step in the electoral process, "any further expansion of the Upper House should only be contemplated after the presidential vote has been held in the new federal parliament and implemented through a proper constitutional process," stated a joint press statement released today by the UN, African Union, European Union, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The statement also pointed to a number of "egregious cases of abuse," including men who have taken parliamentary seats reserved for women and the NLF's decision to invalidate all disqualifications for candidates who have allegedly committed abuse and malpractice.

"It contravenes the Federal Government's solemn commitment to respect the rule of law. If these candidates are allowed to take their seats in Somalia's tenth parliament, it will bring into question the NLF's expressed commitment to the principles of accountability and credibility that underpin the entire process," said the statement.

The international community is concerned that such steps will thwart attempts to level the playing field and to safeguard a credible process. International partners are calling for a re-run for those parliamentary seats whose outcomes were influenced by violence, corruption, intimidation, an unauthorized substitution of electoral college delegates, or a failure to set aside one in three seats for women.

International partners believe that the integrity of the 2016 electoral process hangs in the balance.

The international community is thus urging the Somali federal parliament to create a timeline to ensure that Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the new federal parliament and the Federal President are elected as soon as possible, particularly given the fact that the electoral process was supposed to have been completed earlier this year. The statement emphasized that a swift timeline was necessary in light of the UN Security Council meeting on Somalia scheduled for 19 January 2017.
Infographic: A snapshot of Tennessee's manufacturing growth over the year; top cities, industries and regions.Click here for high-resolution version

EVANSTON, IL--(Marketwired - December 28, 2016) - Tennessee manufacturing employment inched up for a fifth straight year, though at a slower rate than reported in previous years, according to the 2017 Tennessee Manufacturers Register, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI's database of manufacturers, Tennessee added 847 jobs between October 2015 and October 2016, a half percent gain.

Tennessee is home to 6,659 manufacturers employing 385,133. Manufacturing employment in the state has grown by 4% since October of 2011, reports MNI.

"Tennessee's solid infrastructure, workforce, business costs, and incentive programs continue to be a draw for a variety of manufacturers, particularly in the transportation equipment sector," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, job growth has slowed due to a strong dollar and global competition, and many of Tennessee's neighbors offer similar site selection advantages."

Manufacturing job gains in Tennessee were led by the transportation equipment industry, which added 1,617 jobs or 3.2% over the year, and ranks first in the state for industrial jobs, employing 52,618. Job gains in the sector have outpaced Tennessee's overall growth, increasing by 32% or 12,600 positions over the past five years.

For the full report on Tennessee manufacturing, including a regional analysis, click here or visit http://www.mni.net/news/

The fabricated metals industry ranks as Tennessee's second-largest by manufacturing employment, with 40,372 workers, up 1.6%, while Tennessee's third-ranked fabricated metals industry accounts for 40,236 jobs, down 2.3%.

MNI's database recorded employment increases in a few other sub-sectors, including food products, up 3.6%, and primary metals, which rose 1%, and job levels in most other sectors remained steady over the year.

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Industries shedding jobs included textiles/apparel, down 3.2%; furniture/fixtures, also down 3.2%; and printing/publishing, down 1.8%.

City data collected by MNI shows Memphis increased its industrial employment by 2.7% over the past year, and ranks first in the state for factory employment with 33,514 jobs. Second-ranked Nashville also gained industrial jobs, up 3.5% to 27,065.

Established in 1912, MNI is the nation's oldest and largest compiler of industrial information, offering tailored solutions to help customers connect with 430,000 manufacturers and suppliers. MNI's industrial marketplace IndustryNet: http://www.industrynet.com is a one-stop resource that connects buyers with suppliers of 10,000 + products and services, and allows users to obtain competitive quotes, create and view company profiles, post company news releases, photos, videos, job openings, and more. MNI's subscription service EZ Select: http://www.ezselect.com provides access to MNI's live interactive database of manufacturers. For more information, contact MNI at 847-864-7000 or visit http://www.mni.net

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/12/28/11G126176/Images/TN_2017_Infographic-d962f7d303d0a0ebacbdfeb6e8c2098d.jpg


UAE: Free Jordanian Journalist

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 28 December 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, UAE: Free Jordanian Journalist, 28 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/586373674.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

UAE authorities have detained a Jordanian journalist without trial or access to a lawyer for over a year, Human Rights Watch said today. Tayseer al-Najjar was apparently detained over three Facebook posts in which he criticized Egypt, Israel, and gulf countries.

On December 3, 2015, UAE authorities at Abu Dhabi airport prevented al-Najjar from boarding a flight to Jordan to visit his wife and children, al-Najjar's wife, Majida Hourani, told Human Rights Watch. She said that UAE authorities have repeatedly questioned him since his arrest and, on October 17, a prosecutor told him that he is to be put on trial. Although he has not been informed of the charges, it appears they will relate to violations of the UAE's cybercrime law. Al-Najjar's detention and potential prosecution for the exercise of free speech is a violation of fundamental human rights. He should be released immediately, Human Rights Watch said.

"The UAE should release Tasyeer al-Najjar immediately and Jordanian authorities should be making public calls to that end and to have his rights respected," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "There is no justification for throwing a journalist, or anyone else, into prison for expressing an opinion."

Al-Najjar's wife said he had been a journalist for more than 15 years, and had been working in the UAE since April 2015, when he became a culture reporter for the UAE-based newspaper Dar.

After blocking him from travelling, UAE authorities summoned al-Najjar to a police station in Abu Dhabi on December 13, 2015, and detained him there.

Authorities held al-Najjar incommunicado for nearly two months. His detention was only confirmed on February 10, 2016, when Jordanian media outlets reported that the Jordanian Foreign Affairs Ministry had confirmed with UAE officials that al-Najjar was in detention. He was not able to contact his family until several days later. Al-Najjar told his wife he was not aware of the name or whereabouts of the detention center where he was held before his transfer in early March 2016 to al-Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi, where he is currently held. His wife said that he has been able to call her twice a week since his transfer to al-Wathba.

Majida Hourani said that authorities questioned al-Najjar about comments he made on Facebook during Israeli military operations in Gaza in 2014, before he had moved to the UAE. He expressed support for "Gazan resistance" and criticized the UAE and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt. She said that investigators also questioned him over two 2012 Facebook posts in which he apparently criticized Gulf Cooperation Council countries, but al-Najjar denied writing those comments.

Majida Hourani said he has not seen a lawyer since his detention, but hoped that the court would appoint one once his case went to trial. She also said that her husband told her that his health has deteriorated in detention because of influenza and lack of appropriate nutrition.

Article 29 of the UAE's 2012 cybercrime law provides for prison sentences of between three and 15 years for publishing information online with "intent to make sarcasm or damage the reputation, prestige or stature of the State or any of its institutions."

The UAE's 2003 State Security Apparatus Law allows the head of the state security apparatus to detain a person for up to 106 days "if he has sufficient reasonable causes to make him believe" that the person is involved in, among other things, "activities that undermine the state or jeopardize national unity," "activities deemed harmful to the economy," or anything that "could undermine, weaken the position of, stir animosity against or undermine trust in the State."

The UAE has ratified the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which in article 32 protects the right to freedom of expression and in article 13 protects the right to a fair trial. Although the UAE has not ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Human Rights Committee, the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the treaty, has provided an authoritative interpretation of the right to fair trial, on which the Arab Charter's provision is based.

The committee stated in its interpretation that the "the right of the accused to be tried without undue delay... is not only designed to avoid keeping persons too long in a state of uncertainty about their fate and, if held in detention during the period of the trial, to ensure that such deprivation of liberty does not last longer than necessary in the circumstances of the specific case, but also to serve the interests of justice."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Turkey: Journalists, Writers Face Terrorism, Separatism Charges

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 28 December 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Turkey: Journalists, Writers Face Terrorism, Separatism Charges, 28 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/586373c74.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The prosecution of writers and journalists charged with terrorism and separatism for their association with a newspaper raises serious concerns for freedom of expression in Turkey, Human Rights Watch said today. The first trial hearing begins on December 29, 2016, for four defendants detained since August and five others who are also being tried.

The four jailed defendants are the well-known novelist Asl Erdogan, the writer Necmiye Alpay, and newspaper editors Inan Kzlkaya and Zana Kaya. The prosecutor's indictment accuses the four - and five others who are at liberty - of "spreading propaganda" for and being members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and of attempting to destroy the unity of the state. If convicted of the latter offense, they would face life in prison without parole.

"The charges against Asl Erdogan, Necmiye Alpay, and others far surpass previous recent cases by accusing writers and journalists of attempting to destroy the unity of the state through their writing, editing, or association with a newspaper," said Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey director at Human Rights Watch. "Those on trial should never have been jailed, and misusing the criminal law at the expense of free speech contributes nothing to combatting terrorism in Turkey."

The purported evidence against Erdogan and Alpay consists of their membership on the advisory board of the Ozgur Gundem newspaper and columns they wrote in the newspaper, which the prosecutor accuses of being an organ of the PKK.

Kzlkaya and Kaya are charged as editors of the newspaper. Ozgur Gundem was temporarily closed by court order on August 16 and permanently closed by government decree on October 29, along with 14 other mainly Kurdish media organs.

Others on trial are a human rights lawyer, Eren Keskin, who was formerly listed as Ozgur Gundem's editor and was a columnist for the newspaper; advisory board members Ragip Zarakolu, a book publisher; Filiz Kocali, a journalist and Ozgur Gundem columnist; Kemal Sancl, the newspaper's publisher; and Bilge Contepe, an environmental activist.

They are charged with spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terror Law, article 7/2, and membership in an armed organization under the penal code, article 314/2.They are also charged with attempting to destroy the unity of the state (separatism) under article 302/1 of the penal code, which states: "Anyone who commits an act aimed at placing the territory of the nation wholly or partially under the sovereignty of a foreign country, undermining the independence of the nation, destroying its unity, or separating a portion of those territories under the sovereignty of the country from the country's administration, shall be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment."

While Erdogan and Alpay obtained bail on the separatism charge in November, they remain in pretrial detention under the other charges.

"Under its state of emergency, Turkey has once again become the world leader in jailing journalists and prosecuting them on terrorism charges," Sinclair-Webb said. "2016 will be remembered as the year Turkey's president attempted to silence all critical and independent media in the country."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
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.
Bulgarian reporter threatened over high-level corruption coverage

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 23 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Bulgarian reporter threatened over high-level corruption coverage, 23 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637afa4.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Bulgarian authorities to protect Dimitar Stoyanov, a journalist with the Sofia-based news website Bivol, and to provide a progress report on their investigation into the grave threats he has been getting for the past year.

Stoyanov and the other journalists at Bivol (Bivol.bg) have published several major investigative reports in recent months about alleged corruption, embezzlement of public funds and links between Bulgarian government officials and criminal groups.

However, the officials and oligarchs mentioned in these reports have been subjecting them to various kinds of harassment and intimidation with the aim of dissuading them from continuing their work.

A police investigation was opened into the grave threats Stoyanov has been receiving for more than a year, but he has not been told anything about the investigation's findings. The threats have meanwhile grown steadily in intensity.

On 13 December, Stoyanov even received a summons to report to the police in Troyan (120 km east of Sofia) for questioning in connection with his story about the unexplained wealth acquired by Momchil Mondeshki, a lawyer implicated along with high-level politicians and judges in the so-called "Yanevagate" case of influence trafficking.

"We offer our full support to Bivol's staff, who are the victims of an unprecedented campaign of harassment by the oligarchs and officials they have covered, and we request protective measures for Dimitar Stoyanov," said Pauline Ades-Mevel, the head of RSF's EU-Balkans desk.

Bivol's journalists are well respected and, because the quality if its investigative reporting, one of its editors, Atanas Chobanov, was recently elected to the steering committee of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an international investigative reporting platform.

Bulgaria is ranked 106th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index, the lowest position of any European Union member.
Well-known Malaysian cartoonist facing further interrogation

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Well-known Malaysian cartoonist facing further interrogation, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637b8e4.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Malaysian authorities to drop all charges against Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, the cartoonist better known as Zunar, and to stop using the country's Sedition Act to threaten and intimidate him and other journalists.

Zunar has been arrested twice in recent weeks and faces further police interrogation on 30 December. His latest arrest was on 17 December, when police raided a fundraising event he had organized in Kuala Lumpur to compensate for the losses resulting from the seizure of 20 of his cartoons in November.

The police seized more than 1,000 pounds in cash on 17 December. Zunar estimates his combined losses from the two seizures - the cash and the cartoons - at 20,000 dollars. He is well known for cartoons criticizing government corruption and abuse of authority.

During the 17 December raid, the police also arrested two of Zunar's assistants and two people who had come to give him support. Zunar said there were all taken to a police station where a formal investigation was opened for violating article 124 of the penal code (endangering parliamentary democracy).

In an email sent to various organizations, Zunar said he was questioned for six hours and was then released on bail and told to report to the police again on 30 December for further questioning. According to Zunar, the police plan to ban all of his cartoon books.

Zunar was previously arrested under the Sedition Act on 25 November in the northern city of George Town, where he was forced to cancel an exhibition of his cartoons at a literary festival and 20 cartoons were seized.

"We call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all charges against this cartoonist and we urge the Malaysian authorities to stop using the Sedition Act to intimidate and threaten journalists," RSF editor-in-chief Virginie Dangles said.

Zunar has been jailed twice under the Sedition Act, in September 2010 and February 2015, and was charged with another nine violations of the Sedition Act in April 2015 in connection with nine tweets critical of the government. According to his lawyer, he is facing up to 43 years in prison. Because of his cartoons, he has also been banned from leaving Malaysia since October.

Malaysia is ranked 147th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Another Al-Jazeera journalist arrested in Egypt

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Another Al-Jazeera journalist arrested in Egypt, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637c104.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns an Al-Jazeera journalist's arrest last week while visiting Egypt. Mahmoud Hussein, an Egyptian news producer at Al-Jazeera headquarters in Doha, was arrested at his Cairo home on 23 December after being questioned for 15 hours at Cairo airport on arrival three days earlier.

According to a Cairo prosecutor's office representative quoted by Agence France-Presse, Hussein is being held for investigation for 15 days on suspicion of inciting sedition against the Egyptian state and disseminating false information.

Al-Jazeera director-general Yasser Abu Hilala said Hussein, 51, was on vacation in Egypt and was not working for Al-Jazeera at the time of his arrest. Hussein worked at Al-Jazeera's Cairo bureau until it was forced to close in 2013.

The Qatari TV news broadcaster issued a statement from its Doha headquarters calling for Hussein's immediate release and holding the Egyptian authorities responsible for his safety.

Every since armed forces chief Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi staged a coup d'etat in 2013, the Egyptian authorities have accused Al-Jazeera of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now outlawed as a terrorist organization.

Al-Jazeera journalists have been repeatedly accused by the judicial authorities of inciting sedition and spreading false information. On 18 June of this year, a Cairo court sentenced three journalists, including two Al-Jazeera ones, to death in absentia for allegedly spying for Qatar.

Three Al-Jazeera journalists - Baher Mohamed (an Egyptian), Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (a Canadian) and Peter Greste (an Australian) - were given three-year jail terms at the end of their second trial in August 2015 on charges of supporting a terrorist organization and putting out false news reports.

Greste was deported after more than a year in prison while President Sisi pardoned the other two in September 2015.

The situation of journalists is becoming increasingly precarious in Egypt, which is ranked 158th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index and is now one of the world's biggest prisons for media personnel (after China, Eritrea and Iran).
Appeal court lifts ban on daily, but confirms jail for two journalists

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Appeal court lifts ban on daily, but confirms jail for two journalists, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637c8f4.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A Muscat appeal court yesterday lifted a ban on Oman's main opposition newspaper, Azamn, but upheld prison sentences for its two most senior journalists, although it reduced the length of their terms.

The sentences of editor Ibrahim al-Maamari and deputy editor Youssef al-Haj were reduced to six months and a year, respectively. The two journalists were originally sentenced to three years in prison for "undermining the prestige of the state and misusing the Internet."

The appeal court quashed the conviction of a third Azamn journalist, Zaher al-Abri, who was given a one-year jail term at the original trial in September. And the appeal court rescinded the order issued at the original trial confirming the information ministry's 10 August decision to close the daily.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes the possibility of Azamn resuming publication in the near future but deplores the fact that the jail terms of two of the journalists were reduced rather than overturned. Maamari and Haj committed no crime and should therefore not be in prison.

Their lawyer, Yaqoub Al-Harithy, told RSF that he plans to appeal against yesterday's ruling before the supreme court.

It remains to be seen whether Azamn will really be able to resume functioning. Khaled Ibrahim of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights said the information ministry could still block its reopening. RSF is also concerned about its ability to operate properly with its editor and deputy editor still in prison.

The newspaper was closed after publishing a story about alleged government corruption and pressure on judges to grant privileges to persons in positions of influence. Following their arrests in July and August, the three journalists were given their jail sentences on 26 September.

The Sultanate of Oman is ranked 125th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Iraqi journalist abducted from her home in Baghdad

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 27 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Iraqi journalist abducted from her home in Baghdad, 27 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637d1a4.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is very concerned about Afrah Shawqi, a journalist who was kidnapped in Baghdad last night, and calls on the Iraqi authorities to do every possible to find her as soon as possible.

The family of journalist Afrah Shawqi told Ziyad al-Ajeeli, the head of the Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, that she was abducted from her home in the southwestern district of Saidiya at around 10 p.m. by eight armed men in civilian dress who claimed to be members of the security forces.

The gunmen carried handcuffed her 16-year-old son, and ransacked her home, taking mobile phones, computers, jewels and cash, Ajeeli said. As they left with Shawqi, they also took her car.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has issued a communique condemning her abduction and ordering the security forces to "do the utmost to protect her, find her and capture the group or groups responsible."

"We are extremely concerned and firmly condemn this abduction," RSF editor-in-chief Virginie Dangles said. "We urge the prime minister to keep his word to do everything possible to find Afrah Shawqi and those responsible for taking her. We also point out that the government has a duty to improve the safety of journalists in Iraq."

Iraqi journalists staged several demonstrations today in support of their kidnapped colleague.

Saad al-Massoudi, Al Arabiya's Paris correspondent, said Shawqi's professionalism as a journalist was widely recognized: "Her articles often draw attention to the problems in Iraqi society and the corruption, and she is not scared to tackle the sensitive subjects that concern Iraqis".

Shawqi writes for many newspapers and websites including Aklaam (which means "Pens" in Arabic). It was on Aklaam that she posted an article yesterday criticizing how gangs and armed groups are able to operate with complete impunity in Iraq.

Shawqi, aged 38, is also head of women's issues for the Iraqi culture ministry and is active in the defence of human rights.

Iraq is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, with a total of seven killed in 2016, according to RSF's latest annual round-up. It is ranked 158th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Do Project Cancellations Indicate Declining US Interest in South Caucasus?

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Michael Hikari Cecire Publication Date 22 December 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Do Project Cancellations Indicate Declining US Interest in South Caucasus?, 22 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637f404.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

US President-elect Donald Trump has canceled his real estate projects in Georgia and Azerbaijan. The moves suggest that the US role in the South Caucasus may decline during Trump's administration.

The Trump Organization, Trump's real estate business, announced recently that it is backing out of licensing deals for buildings in Baku, Batumi, and possibly Tbilisi. Observers believe the decision is linked to attempts to deflect criticism of potential conflicts of interest once he becomes president.

The Trump-branded ventures represented economic prestige projects for the Azerbaijani state and the previous Georgian government led by Mikheil Saakashvili and his party, the United National Movement (UNM). But after Trump's surprise win in November, what had looked like vanity developments took on increasing significance, particularly given Trump's tendency to view the world through the lens of his sprawling business empire.

The cancellation of these projects, then, is sure to put a dent in the hopes and plans of local officials, in which a Trump development represented a means to secure access to the new administration in Washington.

The Batumi project was first announced amid great fanfare during Trump's visit to Georgia in 2012, and was billed by then-president Saakashvili and Trump's local partner, the Silk Road Group, as a major Trump "investment." That was not strictly true: the Batumi building, and reportedly one in Tbilisi to follow, would be Silk Road Group developments that would simply bear the Trump name via a licensing deal.

The Trump projects appeared closely tied to Saakashvili's government, and when his UNM party suffered defeat in elections in late 2012, the prospects for the Trump developments seemed to decline along with Saakashvili's political fortunes.

After Trump's election, the Batumi plans seemingly found new life. After being stalled for several years, just days after the election, the Silk Road Group announced that construction would resume "in the near future." Those hopes now appear to have been dashed.

Progress had been faster on Trump's Baku development, which began construction in 2015. But by 2016, due to the downward spiral of the Azerbaijani economy, work on the tower came to a halt. Extended delays and questions swirling around the project's financier, Azerbaijani businessman (and son of the minister of transportation) Anar Mammadov, contributed to the removal of the project from the Trump Organization's website by mid-2016.

Now both governments are confronting the prospect that the lack of Trump financial connections to the South Caucasus could translate into a lack of political interest in the region for policymakers in Washington.

This is a particularly serious question for Georgia, which has long staked its international position - and even its own national security - on a stubbornly pro-American orientation. Given Trump's heterodox style and outsider status, Tbilisi's careful, years-long cultivation of allies within the Washington establishment does not stand to bring great returns over the next four years. Officials in Tbilisi likely will be challenged to gain access to the new administration. More worryingly, Trump's seemingly cozy approach toward Russia is stoking fears that Georgia might become a sacrificial lamb to Moscow for the sake of improved US-Russia relations.

Even if that does not happen, Tbilisi's hopes of a renewed US-led push for greater Georgian integration into Western security and economic structures are unlikely to find much purchase in the next administration. For Georgia, the prospect of reduced US support amid more forceful Russian claims to regional hegemony - and rapidly declining European interest in eastern engagement - undermines the logic of maintaining an exclusively pro-Western foreign policy strategy. Some policymakers in Georgia, including those with Euro-Atlantic inclinations, may deem some form of accommodation toward Russia to be prudent for the medium-term at least.

In Azerbaijan, the looming implications of a Trump presidency are less stark, but still serious. Azerbaijani foreign policy has long been predicated on the notion of "multi-vectorism," which seeks to balance - and sometimes mutually leverage - relations between Moscow and Washington. This strategy, pioneered by former president Heydar Aliyev, found some manner of success, but has seen diminishing returns and some manner of dismantling under the rule of his son, incumbent President Ilham Aliyev. This is attributable in many ways to Azerbaijan's rapidly declining economic fortunes. The drastic fall in energy prices has curtailed Baku's international significance and its ability to project influence abroad - and vice versa.

The unmooring of Azerbaijan's Washington "vector" has made Baku increasingly reliant on Russia, and has even encouraged better ties between Azerbaijan and Iran, with which Baku has long had at best a problematic relationship.

The Trump presidency's anticipated transaction-based approach to the region may be welcomed by some segments of Azerbaijan's ruling elite, given the country's energy abundance, reputed secularism and counterterrorism bona fides. And as one of the most repressive states in the former Soviet Union, Azerbaijan could only welcome a likely de-emphasis of human rights by the Trump administration's foreign policy team.

At the same time, the possibility that a Trump White House may simply defer to Moscow when it comes to Azerbaijan-related issues has the potential to kill off whichever final vestiges of multi-vectorism remain in Azerbaijani foreign policymaking. And with Trump's reputed disinterest in the finer points of policy minutiae or geographical nuances, fears abound that Azerbaijani interests - and those of the wider region - could be overlooked.

Before the November elections in the United States, erecting a few Trump-licensed hotels in the South Caucasus was seen as little more than vanity projects. But the election result imbued the projects with new meaning: their likely cancellations may foreshadow the region's greatly reduced status in the eyes of Team Trump.

That does not mean the United States is entirely finished in the South Caucasus: Georgia still has powerful friends in Washington, and is set to receive its most substantial US military assistance package yet. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani oil continues to play a part in questions about the regional energy mix.

But for a region that once commanded outsized influence in Western capitals, the likely new normal looks lonely.

Editor's note: Michael Hikari Cecire is an international affairs specialist focusing on Eurasia and an International Security Fellow at New America.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Opposition Mounts to Georgia's War on Drugs

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Giorgi Lomsadze Publication Date 12 December 2016 Cite as EurasiaNet, Opposition Mounts to Georgia's War on Drugs, 12 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58637fd84.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Authorities in Georgia have forcibly harvested over 33 tons of its citizens' urine over the past eight years, jailing hundreds who tested positive for drug use, while coercing thousands of others into enduring humiliating procedures, according to opponents of the nearly decade-long war on drugs in Georgia.

Opposition to the country's harsh anti-drug policies is becoming more vocal, underscored by a December 10 rally in downtown Tbilisi, where hundreds of protesters gathered to call for the decriminalization of drug use. Some protesters carried signs with slogans like, "Prison is Not a Hospital" and "Stop Urine Tests!"

The rally was led by the White Noise movement, a coalition of drug users, human rights activists, physicians and psychologists. Taking its name from TV static, the campaigners aim to make noise until authorities decriminalize drug use and treat drug abuse as a public health, rather than a criminal, issue. The protesters scuffled with police as they blocked Rustaveli Avenue in the heart of Tbilisi.

Georgia has had a zero-tolerance policy toward drug use since 2007, when the government led by then-President Mikheil Saakashvili, as part of its tough-on-crime agenda, introduced long prison terms for possession, and gave police the right to drug test citizens without probable cause. In 2014, for example, about 60,000 Georgians were tested. White Noise estimated the 33-ton figure based on the total tests since 2007 and the size of the sample cup.

Public support for the tough approach remains strong. "Great, now junkies are holding rallies in the center of the city," bristled one resident passing by the Tbilisi rally.

At the Tbilisi demonstration, and at series of smaller rallies leading up to it, activists called attention to the practice of police randomly drug testing citizens, one of the most controversial elements of Georgia's war on drugs.

The most notorious case involved Levan Abzianidze, a 56-year-old taxi driver from the nation's second largest city of Kutaisi, who died last year after being forced to take a drug test. His family said that plainclothes policemen, posing as regular customers, flagged down Abzianidze's cab and then ordered him to drive to a nearby clinic for drug screening. After failing to urinate, Abzianidze, who was in ill health, was allegedly administered diuretics that caused a sharp drop in his blood pressure.

The tests found no illegal substances and Abzianidze was allowed to go home, where he recounted his ordeal to family members, and later collapsed and died. More than a year later, an official investigation has failed to identify the cause of Abzianidze's death.

The White Noise movement contends that Georgia's zero-tolerance anti-narcotics policy leaves drug users easy targets for police abuse. "Once you are caught using drugs, police can blackmail you for the rest of your life," said Davit Subeliani, one of the movement's leaders. "Many drug users are pressured to serve as police informants on other drug users, or go to jail."

It was that kind of pressure that allegedly led to a suicide in the small western Georgian village of Dapnari this summer: Demur Sturua, 22, hanged himself after accusing a local police officer of blackmailing him. "He [the officer] said that I had to tell him who is growing weed around here, or else he would pin on me things that I did not do," Sturua wrote in a suicide note that his family later made public. "Mother, I am leaving you alone, but there is nothing I can do."

The policeman involved was arrested on charges of abuse of authority and incitement to suicide, but activists say that such problems will persist as long as drug abuse is treated as a criminal offense.

"The state spends 15 million lari [$5.7 million] annually on street checks and only 5 million [less than $2 million] on health programs for people with substance dependence," said Guram Imnadze, a legal analyst with Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center. "If more of that money were directed toward treatment, we would have a much better situation now."

Studies have suggested that the war on drugs has backfired, showing a spike in intravenous drug use since 2007, the year when Georgia introduced its zero-tolerance policy. One study found that the rate of intravenous drug use in Georgia has almost doubled since 2007, reaching nearly 48,000 in 2014.

"If nothing else, the prevalence of drug use in Georgia shows that the repressive anti-narcotics policy is not working, and has to change," said Zurab Sikharulidze, a supporter of decriminalization and the head of Uranti, a substance abuse treatment center.

Georgian activists propose taking a page from the experience of Portugal, which decriminalized drug abuse 16 years ago and has since reported a decrease in drug dependence and the spread of HIV and AIDS.

It is unclear if the Georgian authorities will be supportive of the ideas proposed by the civil society groups. The current political establishment has in some ways moved away from the previous government's tough take on crime. Many of the ruling Georgian Dream party's members are hostile to the idea of decriminalization, arguing it will "destroy Georgia's youth," but the party's leaders, including its chairman, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, indicated that they are open to discussions on more liberal approach toward drug use.

Editor's note: Giorgi Lomsadze is a freelance journalist and a frequent contributor to EurasiaNet.org's Tamada Tales blog.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
All-Woman Brewery Brings Craft Beer to Kyrgyzstan

Publisher EurasiaNet Publication Date 9 December 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, All-Woman Brewery Brings Craft Beer to Kyrgyzstan, 9 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/586380424.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Tucked away in an unlikely spot, wedged between a domino club popular with Turks and a Soviet-built apartment block, is a treat for beer-lovers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital.

Save the Ales, a microbrewery set up by a Kyrgyz-Kazakh pair, Aida Musulmankulova and Arzu Kurbanova, may be small and spartan. But what it is doing to Bishkek's drinking culture is little short of revolutionary. While bland imported lagers and watery local brews have long been the norm, Save the Ales is turning out its own homemade craft brews, borrowing from a trend that has established deep roots in the United States and elsewhere.

"Wherever we have traveled, we have always tried good beer," said Musulmankulova.

Around three years ago, she and her partner, Kurbanova, decided to take the plunge.

"We decided to brew it [ourselves]. We learned everything from the Internet. It wasn't as difficult as we thought."

Craft beers tend to be more experimental than classic European-style lagers and pilsners, and are brewed in kegs rather than casks, as is the case with traditional British real ale. And it is not cheap either. Save the Ales charges an eye-watering $2.80 per glass, a sum way out of reach for most people outside the bar's target market of upwardly mobile Bishkek urban types and expats.

Musulmankulova and Kurbanova say they are spending the profits on developing their fledgling business and reinvesting.

The bar has been a stop-and-start affair. Save the Ales first opened in May, quickly gaining a strong following, but it had to shut for almost a month in late September due to an electrical fault. The dedicated aficionados of the pair's high-strength India Pale Ale, stout and fruit-flavored beers finally got their bar back in October.

A noticeable emphasis is placed on providing the real deal at Save the Ales. Bishkek has no shortage of novelty theme pubs that are low on character and often focus their efforts to lure in customers on big TV screens and loud music.

In established markets, craft beer is a big business. According to the US Brewers Association, the sector's retail dollar value in the United States was estimated at $22.3 billion for 2015, representing just over one-fifth of the country's beer market.

Beer is increasingly popular in Kyrgyzstan, but drinkers are prone to quote the old Russian saying "beer without vodka is money [thrown] to the wind." The market share for craft beers is statistically insignificant, but the mission of Save the Ales, where the beer is brewed on-site, for now is to slowly cultivate more refined tastes and habits. Unlike almost all Bishkek beer bars, Save the Ales served no food until recently, although it did finally relent by providing lite bites.

Kurbanova and Musulmankulova say that over half their sales are to expats, although the share of young, urban middle-class barflies is growing. And the contingent of baikes - a term denoting "elder brother" in Kyrgyz, but also synonymous with portly middle-aged men - is creeping up too.

"I remember one time this guy walked into the pub," said Sumsarbek Mamyraliev, who owns a production studio and is a friend of the owners. "He said, 'Get me a beer. Where is the shashlik? Where is the chechel [smoked cheese]? Where are the owners? How do your husbands let you brew beer? This will never work!"

When the new client tried the beer, however, "his attitude changed completely," Mamyraliev recalled.

"He was this patriarch with a gold chain. He said: 'You girls have put all the men in Kyrgyzstan to shame. If you ever have any problems with anyone, just call me.'"

Musulmankulova and Kurbanova for their part have nothing against hiring a male staffer, especially since brewing can sometimes be physically taxing.

"But friends told us we should keep on as we started out," Kurbanova told EurasiaNet.org. "So when we advertised on Facebook for a helper, we asked for a 'pomoshnitsa' (a female assistant), which caused a stir."

Mamyraliev argues the success of the tiny brewery pub points to an emerging start-up culture in Kyrgyzstan, which has Central Asia's most vibrant civil society. According to the World Bank's Doing Business index, Kyrgyzstan remains the easiest country in the region in which to register a new business.

Alan Laing, a British customer who works in international development, agrees the pub is "a hidden gem".

"It's unlike any other bar in Bishkek," he said, referencing various theme pubs in the city. "[Save the Ales] could be a bar in Brooklyn or Shoreditch (in London) before they became uber-trendy. It is simple, unfussy and all about the beer."

Kurbanova attributes their beer's popularity to a maximalist approach to brewing. They spare no expense in bringing in ingredients from Germany and the United States, in contrast to the cost-cutting attitude typical to other breweries.

That has led to invitations to serve beer at arts festivals and music nights, which the pair have accepted, as well as offers from admiring competitors to purchase their beer or even buy out the business completely. So far, they have resisted all such overtures.

"They come to us and say, we want to see your beer in our restaurant," Kurbanova told EurasiaNet.org. "We tell them: join the queue."

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Russia's Colonial Allergy

Publisher EurasiaNet Publication Date 28 December 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Russia's Colonial Allergy, 28 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5863813e4.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

"The history of Russia is the history of a country that colonizes itself." This phrase, first coined by the historian Sergei Solov'ev in the 1840s, gained widespread currency thanks to Vasilii Kliuchevskii's Course of Russian History, first published in 1911 and still popular today.

It remains one of the best-known aphorisms about Russian history. And yet, any historian of the Russian empire knows that one surefire way today to drop a brick in a conversation with Russian colleagues is to refer to 'Russian colonialism.' With rare exceptions, you will be met with a baffled, if not offended, response: "Colonialism? What Colonialism? Russia has never had colonies."

I have heard the same response, and the same arguments, from Orenburg to Oxford, and they have changed little in the 15 years since I began my doctoral research. I set out to compare Russian rule in Central Asia with British rule in India in the 19th century, and I can still remember the response of a distinguished Russian Indologist at the Oriental Institute in Moscow when I hesitatingly outlined my ideas.

"There's no comparison - India was a colony of Britain, Indians were considered racially inferior. Russians never treated Central Asians in the same way," the scholar told me. She cited the distinguished 19th-century Russian scholar of Buddhism, Ivan Minaev, whose diaries reveal his horror at the way in which the British treated Indians. I wonder what Minaev would have made of Moscow today, where it is common to hear Central Asian migrant workers referred to as chernozhopye (blackasses).

In Britain and France, the other main European colonial powers of the 19th and 20th centuries, you will still find many public figures and a smaller number of professional historians who defend their country's imperial record, glossing over atrocities such as the Amritsar Massacre, the suppression of Mau-Mau, or the Algerian War.

Even such defenders, however, would not deny the colonial nature of these empires, in the sense that they were made up of territories whose inhabitants had an inferior political status, subordinated to the metropole, and usually subject to cultural, racial and religious discrimination. Such apologists for European colonialism instead argue that these arrangements were for the benefit of their colonial subjects.

Only in the Russian case do you encounter an allergic reaction to the very word 'colonial' (kolonial'nyi), something increasingly enforced by the state. Russia's conquest and rule in Asia are invisible in Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's recent article on the history of Russian foreign policy. In October 2016, Russia's Security Council called for the creation of a special center that would produce approved versions of Russian history to combat 'falsifications' from the West and from former Soviet republics. Among the topics in need of defense against supposed falsifiers is 'speculation on the colonial question.'

How to explain this? Prior to 1917 and the collapse of the Romanov dynasty, there was no such sensitivity. Russia was a member of the International Colonial Institute, based in Brussels, where the European empires swapped ideas on the best techniques for the control and development of their colonies. The last three decades of the Tsarist regime saw the acceleration of what was explicitly described as a 'colonizing movement' (kolonizatsionnoe dvizhenie) of Russian and Ukrainian peasants into Central Asia, where they were settled on land that had been taken away from the local inhabitants, particularly Kazakhs and Kyrgyz. This was overseen by a department of state, the Resettlement Administration, whose house journal was called Voprosy Kolonizatsii (Questions of Colonization).

Turkestan, the governor-generalship that covered the whole of modern Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan, was often referred to as nasha koloniya ('our colony') by officials anxious to see its resources more fully exploited for the benefit of the empire. True, Russia was a land empire and did not create separate colonial states like the British and French, so it was much harder to determine where 'Core Russia' (korennaya Rossiya) ended and the 'Asiatic' or 'colonial' regions began, but there were nevertheless some clear markers of the separateness and inferiority of some of Russia's territories and their inhabitants.

It is important to remember that Central Asia and the Caucasus were conquered violently, and not 'peacefully assimilated,' with the most notorious massacre coming at the capture of Gok-Tepe in 1881, where 14,000 Turkmen were killed. In addition, the Muslim inhabitants of Turkestan, the Steppe and the North Caucasus were inorodtsy, or 'aliens,' not subjects of the empire. They lived under military rule and military law, without access even to the limited rights that had been granted to European Russia with the Great Reforms of the 1860s, such as zemstva (provincial elected assemblies), independent courts or right to vote in the new State Duma after 1906.

Being outside the rudimentary structures of Russian citizenship had some advantages of course, notably exemption from military service. But it was still an indication of their inferior status. Nowhere was this inferior status more clearly demonstrated than on the land question, where in Central Asia the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz had less statutory right to the soil they farmed and pastured their animals on than incoming settlers from European Russia. These two factors - the lack of integration into the Empire and the expropriation of land for Russian settlement - are crucial to explaining the Central Asian Revolt of 1916, which was put down with a brutality that matched the repression of similar revolts in French and British colonies.

Before the revolution of 1917, there were Russian officials, soldiers and intellectuals who claimed that their empire offered a different model of imperialism to that of the British and French - more assimilationist, less racist. "We are not Englishmen, who in India strive to by no means mingle with the native races.  Our strength, by contrast, up until now has consisted in that we assimilated the defeated peoples, blending with them peacefully," wrote the military geographer Mikhail Veniukov in 1877.

The immensely wealthy and deeply eccentric Prince Esper Ukhtomskii, tutor to Tsar Nicholas II, owner of several newspapers and ideologue of Russian expansion in the Far East, went even further, writing that "Russia, in reality, conquers nothing in the East, since all the alien races visibly absorbed by her are related to us in blood, in traditions, in thought; and we are only knitting together closer the bonds between us and that which in reality was always ours."

This gives a clue to how these ideas of kinship were used, namely to justify Russian expansion and control. In any case, they were a minority view. Overt biological racism certainly was less common in Russia than in the British or French empires, but for most Russians the division between their own European culture and Christianity, and that of their Asiatic, Muslim subjects was no less real for that.

After 1917, the intellectual heirs of 'Asianist' thinkers like Ukhtomskii were emigre Eurasianists, led by Nikolai Trubetskoy and George Vernadsky, who developed an idea of Eurasia that was explicitly anti-colonial, although, as it insisted on the organic unity of the Empire's territories, it still justified Russian dominance. 'Eurasianism' clearly continues to serve this purpose today in the thought of Alexander Dugin.

It was the Bolsheviks who espoused anti-colonialism most wholeheartedly, and we have to turn to the Soviet period to understand why most Russians are so resistant to the idea that their empire was colonial. While Tsarist rule over non-Russians was denounced as oppressive and exploitative colonialism - an 'absolute evil' - by the first generation of Soviet historians in the 1920s and 1930s, under Stalin it became obligatory to refer to it as a 'lesser evil' compared both to the 'feudal' regimes it had replaced, and to the alternative of British colonialism. Soviet historians were expected to emphasize the positive role played by the Russian 'elder brother' in raising the 'backward peoples' of the Empire (which included the Central Asians, Caucasians, and indigenous peoples of Siberia) to political consciousness and civilization.

While 'colonialism' never completely disappeared from the Soviet lexicon on Tsarist rule, it was much more commonly applied to the 'bourgeois' empires - above all the British and French - and always used pejoratively. In Soviet thinking, there could be no such thing as a positive form of imperialism or colonialism, and the use of the term by Western historians and politicians was taken (usually rightly) as a deliberate insult.

The Soviet regime was in many ways very different from its Tsarist predecessor. There was universal citizenship, and while the rights this gave may have been meaningless, they were equally meaningless for all, Russian and non-Russian. The USSR pursued policies of korenizatsiia, or indigenization, in its non-Russian regions, and helped to create new nations with their own territories, officially-approved histories and national identities. Not for nothing has one historian called it the 'Affirmative Action Empire.' Above all, it espoused hugely ambitious, if increasingly unrealistic, goals to develop and modernize society and individuals - to turn them into new Soviet people - in ways the Tsarist regime never contemplated.

Nevertheless, Russians were dominant in the USSR, and becoming 'Soviet' in essence meant learning Russian and adopting Russian cultural norms. Cultural, if not economic or political colonialism, was a fact of life, and strongly resented by many non-Russians. The ideal of the 'Friendship of Peoples' was a noble one, certainly more attractive than the ugly ethnic nationalism we see in Russia and some other former Soviet republics today, but it helped to disguise a much messier and more unequal reality.

Ironically, it is the mass migration of Central Asians to Russian cities since independence, on a far greater scale than anything seen when the USSR still existed, that has revealed the latent racism in parts of Russian society, just as similar migration from the Maghreb, the Caribbean and South Asia did in France and Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.

So the Russian objection to 'colonialism' is partly because in Russian the word now has purely negative, pejorative associations: it has been almost a hundred years since it was seen as a normal or neutral way to describe Russian rule over non-Russians. It also has a geopolitical dimension - Russia's attempts to reassert its control over its 'near abroad' and its development of mini client states in places like Abkhazia or Transnistria are undermined by allegations that the relationship is colonial, rather than fraternal.

The inequalities and hierarchies of power that we associate with 'colonialism' existed and continue to exist in Russia's relations with the non-Russian peoples of its former empire, but they are consistently denied. This allows overt racism towards Central Asian and Caucasian migrants in Russia to thrive, despite the opposition and activism of a small, but brave and vocal group of Russians.

Kliuchevskii's phrase about Russia as a land that 'colonizes itself' uses the reflexive form of the verb (kolonizuetsya), which implies that all this land is and always has been Russian, and that nobody else ever had any right to it - something akin to the American idea of 'manifest destiny,' which was also used to justify aggressive settler colonialism. It is worth reflecting that Russia's colonial exceptionalism is not unique - the Chinese also deny the colonial nature of their rule in Tibet and Xinjiang, and most Americans also prefer to think of themselves as rebels against the colonialism of the British empire, ignoring American rule in the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

The difference is that in the USA, and in other western democracies, those who deny or defend colonialism are constantly and robustly challenged. In Russia, the deniers have the power of the state behind them, and the challengers are a small and embattled minority.

Editor's note: Alexander Morrison is Professor of History at Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan. He is the author of Russian Rule in Samarkand 1868 - 1910. A Comparison with British India (Oxford, 2008) and is currently writing a history of the Russian conquest of Central Asia. Morrison's web page can be found at: https://nu-kz.academia.edu/AlexanderMorrison The views expressed in this commentary are Morrison's own and do not necessarily represent the position of Nazarbayev University.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Russia: Putin the Historian

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Igor Torbakov Publication Date 26 December 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Russia: Putin the Historian, 26 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/586381f04.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

According to a number of biographical accounts, history was Russian President Vladimir Putin's favorite subject in school, and he appears to retain a keen interest in history right up to the present day.

If we are to believe the president's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, Putin remains a voracious reader, devouring dozens of books on Russian history. But Putin, of course, is not just a modest student of the past. He seems to aspire to be also a manufacturer and manipulator of it.

Nikolai Zlobin, a Washington-based political analyst, has asserted that each of Putin's presidential terms had its own "governing idea." The first was mainly about politics, as the Kremlin was striving to consolidate Russia's "state sovereignty" and restore centralized control over the country by forging the so-called "vertical of power."

The second was about economics, with Putin's administration preoccupied with building state capitalism - beefing up the muscle of the country's state-run energy majors with the aim of turning Russia into an "energy super power."

Putin 3.0, Zlobin has suggested, has focused on ideology. The Kremlin leader is striving to consolidate his power in the present and secure his legacy for the future. The realization of these tasks will thus define his "moral and historic" stage.

Zlobin's scheme of Putin's political evolution is perhaps too neat to thoroughly reflect the much more complex reality "on the ground." Yet the observation that the Kremlin is increasingly focusing its gaze on ideology and history is correct.

We appear to be witnessing a momentous shift in the Russian governing elites' approach to values and ideals, as well as to the country's past. Also, domestically, the Kremlin seems to lacks a clear plan for future prosperity, and seems to be experiencing difficulties with managing the present. Ultimately, the mechanisms of constitutional legitimacy - through elections - do not function properly. This leaves the Kremlin with only one option: to focus on achieving historical legitimacy.

For much of the last two decades, Moscow's official position was that it shared the West's basic liberal values. If its interpretation of these values often differed from Western understandings, Russian officials justified those differences with assertions of Russia's special historical conditions.

These days, however, this position has clearly been abandoned. Now the Kremlin leadership has opted to uphold what it calls the "traditional national values," epitomized in the extremely opaque notion of Russian "spirituality," and vaguely defined "inner strength" found in Russia's "thousand-year history."

The current task of Kremlin ideologues is to conceptualize Russia's historical path so it demonstrates that the values and principles underlying Russian civilization are homegrown values shaped over the centuries.

At the heart of Russia's uniqueness and distinctness, Russian ideologues argue, lies its past in which the country had to face choices quite different from those made in Europe. As one recent article in a special issue of the magazine Ekspert, titled "Russia: Five Centuries of Empire," contended: "Russia had no choice between being an empire or a 'normal European democratic state.' The choice was to be an empire or a colony."

Such a statement implies an important corollary: if Russia's only alternative has been submission to foreign conquest or political upheaval, some form of authoritarian rule would seem to be justified to deal with the threats.

Russia's "Special Way" thesis will face a test in the coming year. Specifically, it will be interesting to see how Putin's Russia marks the centenary of the 1917 Russian revolutions that ushered in the Soviet era of Russian history.

Almost from the moment of its demise, the Soviet era has presented a challenge for historians: was it a radical departure from the Russian experience, or a continuation of it?

In the immediate aftermath of the Soviet collapse in 1991, Yeltsin "democrats" expressed a desire to make a clean break with the Soviet past - with Yeltsin even musing about making the Russian Federation a legal successor of the pre-1917 Russian polity. But even during the last years of Yeltin's administration, the Kremlin started toning down the anti-Soviet rhetoric and opted instead for the policy of tolerance towards the Soviet legacy which then evolved into the policy of cautious reconciliation. Putin's rise to power ushered in a full-blooded reconciliation.

And these days, one poll showed a majority of Russians supporting the restoration of the Soviet Union.

"This is our common history and we need to treat it with respect," Putin stated in his December 1 address to the Federal Assembly, referring to the 1917 political upheaval. He then went on to quote the prominent Russian philosopher Alexei Losev: "We know the thorny road our country has traveled. We know the long and tiring years of struggle, want and suffering, but for our homeland's sons, this is all their native, inalienable heritage."

Clearly approving of Losev's patriotic elan, Putin then bluntly formulated his approach to Russia's past: "We need history's lessons primarily for reconciliation and for strengthening the social, political and civil concord that we have managed to achieve.  Let's remember that we are a single people, a united people, and we have only one Russia."

Putin's administration, in its quest for historical legitimacy, seeks to synthesize disparate elements of Russia's different "pasts" into a kind of eclectic fusion. This concoction then is presented, in the apt formulation of the historian Frederick Corney, as a "history without guilt or pain," offering "reconciliation without truth."

Ironically, the end result of this historiographical innovation immediately brings to mind a mocking description of an "ideal Russia" in Vladimir Nabokov's novel Pnin (1957). Nabokov referred to a "reactionary Sovietophile mix" in the heads of some of his Russian contemporaries, for whom the "ideal Russia consisted of the Red Army, the God's anointed Sovereign, kolkhozes, anthroposophy, the Orthodox Church, and hydropower stations."

Editor's note: Igor Torbakov is Senior Fellow at Uppsala University and at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, Sweden.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Recommendations of the OAU/UNHCR Commemorative Symposium on Refugees and Forced Population Displacements in Africa No. 76 (XLV) - 1994

Publisher Executive Committee of the High Commissioners Programme Publication Date 7 October 1994 Citation / Document Symbol No. 76 (XLV) Other Languages / Attachments German | Turkish Cite as Executive Committee of the High Commissioners Programme, Recommendations of the OAU/UNHCR Commemorative Symposium on Refugees and Forced Population Displacements in Africa No. 76 (XLV) - 1994, 7 October 1994, No. 76 (XLV), available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5863abe04.html [accessed 4 November 2022] Comments Executive Committee 45th session. Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/49/12/Add.1)

The Executive Committee,

Recalling its Conclusion on International Protection of 1993, in which it, inter alia, looked forward to events commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption by the Organization of African Unity of the OAU Convention governing the specific aspects of refugee problems in Africa and encouraged UNHCR to participate actively in its commemoration (A/AC.96/821, para. 19 (o)),

(a) Takes note with satisfaction of the activities which have been carried out in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption, and the twentieth year of the entry into force, of the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa;

(b) Congratulates the High Commissioner and the Organization of African Unity upon having successfully organized jointly the OAU/UNHCR Symposium on Refugees and Forced Population Displacements in Africa, which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 8 to 10 September 1994, as one of the commemorative activities;

(c) Welcomes the recommendations adopted by the above-mentioned Symposium as an important contribution to the framework for tackling the problems and challenges of forced population displacements in Africa in general; providing asylum, protection and assistance to refugees and other victims of forced displacements; as well as for finding the necessary solutions for these problems;

(d) Commends the recommendations to the relevant States, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations for consideration and implementation as necessary;

(e) Requests the High Commissioner, in close collaboration with the relevant States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, most particularly the Organization of African Unity, to disseminate the recommendations widely, promote as necessary their implementation, and keep the Executive Committee informed of progress in this regard.
Hatchimals_Thumb_6

For many people, Hatchimals just went from being the holiday season's hottest toy to being one of the most heartbreaking presents around.

Dozens of parents are now speaking out about malfunctioning Hatchimals after their children unwrapped the toy and realized they could not convince the robotic critters to hatch.

One of the things that made Hatchimals one of the most in-demand presents this holiday season is the hatching process. Hatchimals are sold still encased in their eggs. Users have to play with and nurture the egg for up to an hour, listening to the cooing Hatchimal inside as it pecks its way out of the shell.

However, according to many parents, the hatching never occurred  and at least one is now threatening to sue the maker of Hatchimals.

Nicole Kijurina, a mother in Canada, told Business Insider that she purchased three Hatchimals. She kept two for her daughters, and donated one to a family in need.

"Of course no good deed goes unpunished," Kijurina told Business Insider. "To my surprise both of my Hatchimals for my girls did not hatch. One just kept [flashing] red eyes [through the shell] and the other wouldn't spin or move. I ripped the eggs open as requested by both my girls who were crying and heartbroken, because let's face it, the hatching is the best part."

If Spin Master  the creator of Hatchimals  does not respond to Kinjurina's email asking for assistance by January 3, she says she plans to file a class action lawsuit against the toy maker seeking compensation.

Kinjurina isn't alone in her struggles. The toy maker's Facebook page has been flooded with angry comments.

"The gift was given and excitement raged... excitement turned to depression and sadness," reads a comment from one disappointed buyer. "My granddaughter tapped and turned upside down her egg for hours. She followed the steps and after half a day it would not hatch... I was devastated. Had waited forever to see her smile and instead was greeted with a frown and a 'it won't hatch Papaw.'"

Story continues

Others said that their Hatchimals did hatch  but only after a long effort.

"It's bad! My nephew went to bed crying last night about his hatchimal that we have been trying to hatch since Christmas day!" one Facebook user said. "It just was sleeping in the egg, we hatched it ourselves this morning and it's still just snoring and not doing anything else."

Still others said their Hatchimals quickly broke after hatching.

"I had purchased a Hatchimal for my grandson for Christmas, it hatched and work for about 45 min when it shut down and refuses to wake up again," reads one such comment. "My 7 year old Grandson is heartbroken thinking his 'pet' died. Can you please help make this right?"

Hey @SpinMaster - have a hatchimal that died seconds after hatching. Replacing batteries/reset doesnt solve. What's the recourse? pic.twitter.com/JfQjQtU1j7  Garry Stevens (@garrystevens) December 26, 2016

Spin Master said in a statement to Business Insider Wednesday that the company is committed to resolving the issues and apologized to those dealing with malfunctioning toys.

"While the vast majority of children have had a magical experience with Hatchimals, we have also heard from consumers who have encountered challenges," the statement reads. "We are 100% committed to bringing the magic of Hatchimals to all of our consumers. To ensure all queries receive a timely response, we have increased the number of Consumer Care representatives, extended our hours, and increased the capacity for callers in the queue to help prevent calls dropped due to the holiday volume."

The toy maker also recommended looking at troubleshooting tips on the Hatchimal website, as well as the video 'Top 5 Things To Know About Hatchimals.'

Spin Master's customer service line has reportedly been overwhelmed by complaints, with Facebook users saying they have waited up to two hours to speak with a customer service representative.

2 days of trying to talk to a real person from @SpinMaster over a still born Hatchimal and still no luck. #Hatchimal #defective  Brian Rager (@Rager_Brian) December 27, 2016

Angry parents are demanding replacement Hatchimals.

"I sincerely hope you will replace all of our defective hatchimals BEFORE releasing more to the stores!" reads one Facebook comment. "We waited in lines. We watched our kids cry on Christmas. We deserve to have our problems fixed before you cash in on more sales!"

Hatchimals were one of the most sought-after gifts this year. Retailers like Walmart and Toy-R-Us faced Hatchimal shortages. Some who managed to get their hands on Hatchimals resold the toys online for hundreds of dollars.

NOW WATCH: 'We watched our kids cry on Christmas': Parents are furious after disaster with the holiday's hottest toy





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Center for Performance is finished, more to do at Hall of Fame Village

local
Chhay Sarith (L), Mao Hoeun (C) and Sot Vanny (R) are shown on their way to Phnom Penh Municipal Court, May 10, 2016.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen promoted two members of his elite bodyguard unit despite their convictions for brutally beating a pair of opposition lawmakers near the National Assembly last year.

Sot Vanny and Mao Hoeun became full colonels on Nov. 17, barely two weeks after they were freed from prison after serving only one year of a four-year sentence for beating the lawmakers.

Their promotions from lieutenant colonel on a sub-decree issued by Hun Sen surprised human rights activists and at least one of the victims.

As a victim I have not received justice, Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker Kong Saphea told RFA. I have filed an appeal before the court, but the court proceedings are very, frustratingly slow.

On Oct. 26, 2015 Kong Saphea and another CNRP lawmaker Nhay Chamroeun were dragged from their vehicles and savagely beaten by protesters after the two men attended a morning meeting of the legislature.

The attack occurred as more than 1,000 supporters of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) surrounded the parliament building, calling for CNRP deputy president Kem Sokha to step down as first vice president of the National Assembly.

We dont feel secure in serving our constituents

The brazen attack took place in broad daylight while video cameras filmed it. The assault was condemned by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. Human rights groups characterized it as part of a wider campaign Hun Sen and his allies are waging against the political opposition in Cambodia.

The Cambodian judicial system is used as a tool to intimidate opposition members and activists, Kong Saphea told RFA. Our personal safety and security as the opposition lawmakers are very precarious, after the abusers are promoted. We dont feel secure in serving our constituents.

An attorney from the Cambodian Defenders Project (CDP) human rights organization Hong Kim Suon, told RFA the promotions appear to violate Cambodian law.

No one shall be appointed or promoted when he is convicted by a criminal court, he told RFA. That includes when he is in his suspended terms. There is no exception unless he is granted royal pardon or has served and fulfilled his full term.

Defense Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat defended the promotions, telling local media they had served their time.

They had already served their punishment in compliance with the law, he told the Phnom Penh Post. They have corrected themselves to be good people.

A double standard

Not only are the promotions illegal, but they encourage others to commit similar offenses, said Am Sam Ath, head of investigations for the human rights group LICADHO.

Such a practice reflects a double standard and inequality, he told RFA. When an abuser is tolerated and promoted it arguably encourages more violence and furthers the culture of impunity.

That double standard appeared to extend into Cambodias notorious Pre Sar Prison as a guard there, who spoke on condition of anonymity earlier this year, told RFA that Hun Sens bodyguards displayed significant authority inside the prison.

Sources also told RFA that Mao Hoeun was seen in his home village when he should have been inside Prey Sar, and that the family suddenly was able to afford to move into a new apartment and start a business.

On May 27 Mao Hoeun, Sot Vanny and another member of Hun Sens bodyguard unit Chay Sarith pled guilty to the assault. They were the only assailants convicted in the attack, even though video footage shows at least two dozen men involved in the assault.

Broken bones and surgery

The lawmakers suffered broken noses, a ruptured eardrum, broken bones and teeth. Nhay Chamraoen required surgery to save his sight in one eye.

The assault carried the hallmarks of a well-planned, well-coordinated attack by well-trained individuals.

In the videos the men are seen dragging the lawmakers from a car before beating them and kicking them while they lay helpless on the ground.

Colorful scarves are tied around the mens waists, and some of them used walkie-talkies as they made their repeated attacks.

While Mao Hoeun, Chay Sarit and Sot Vanny were clearly capable of beating defenseless lawmakers senseless, there are doubts that they could have carried out a coordinated attack, complete with communications.

Mao Hoeun, Chay Sarit and Sot Vanny have denied they were acting under orders. The men said they were driven to the act when the lawmakers shouted insults at them, calling them puppets of Vietnam, the country that helped install Hun Sen in power three decades earlier.

The lawmakers denied making the insults, and there is no evidence in videos that upholds the guards version of events.

Kem Ley investigation wraps up

While questions about the assault on Kong Saphea and Nhay Chamroeun still linger, the government announced that it has concluded its investigation into another high-profile case.

On December 23, Phnom Penh Municipal Court announced that Investigating Judge Seng Leang had concluded his investigation into the murder in July of popular government analyst Kem Ley.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson Ly Sophanna stated on the messaging app Telegram that he investigation was concluded and that all parties including Kem Leys wife Bou Rachana had been notified.

Kem Ley was gunned down in broad daylight on July 10 when he stopped in a Star Mart convenience store beside a Caltex gas station in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

Though authorities charged a former soldier, identified as Oueth Ang, with the killing, many in Cambodia dont believe the governments story that Kem Ley was killed by the former soldier over a debt. The accused killer has used the nom de plume Chuop Samlap which roughly translated means meet to kill.

Just days before he was gunned down, Kem Ley had discussed on an RFA Khmer Service call-in show a report by London-based Global Witness detailing the extent of the wealth of the family of Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 31 years.

Reported by Neang Ieng and Sel San for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei have formally arrested Liu Feiyue, the founder of a rights website, on subversion charges, fellow activists and relatives told RFA on Wednesday.



Liu Feiyue, who founded the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website, was detained on Nov. 17 under criminal investigation for "incitement to subvert state power," by police in Hubei's Suizhou city and placed under formal arrest on Dec. 23.



His wife confirmed the news when contacted by RFA on Wednesday, but declined to comment further.



"They haven't told us anything for certain; they just told us to wait," she said.



A volunteer who answered the phone at the offices of the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website that Liu founded said the authorities had issued a number of restrictions to Liu's family.



"If they don't do as the authorities tell them, this will have a negative effect on Liu Feiyue, so they have refused to say anything publicly," the volunteer said.



"They haven't allowed the relatives to top up his credit [in the detention center] and the conditions in there are terrible," he said, adding, "His health won't stand it if they can't supplement his income."



"I hope they will allow Liu Feiyue to meet with a lawyer soon, to find out how he is doing, and whether or not he has been subjected to torture or mistreatment."



Targeted for harassment



Liu, a veteran rights activist who founded Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch in 2006, has been targeted for police harassment in the past, and is routinely detained or placed under house arrest during politically sensitive events.



Last month, he was held briefly ahead of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's sixth plenary session in Beijing, but was later released alongside other activists.



Meanwhile, detained rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong has been denied permission to see his attorney by authorities in the central province of Hunan following his detention last month on suspicion of fraud and "illegal possession of state secrets."



According to Jiang's defense lawyer Chen Jinxue, the case is being handled by state security police in Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha.



Jiang, who has been incommunicado since Nov. 21 during a trip to Hunan's provincial capital Changsha, is currently under "coercive measures," which allow for a suspect to be held in secret for up to six months where national security-related crimes are claimed by police.



He is being investigated for "fraudulent use of identification," "illegal possession of state secrets," and "illegally providing state secrets."



Lawyer's visit blocked



But police are refusing to allow Chen to visit Jiang in detention, claiming there is a problem with the paperwork.



"I was met by a plainclothes officer who said that I shouldn't go to the state security police because the document I have was issued by a subdivision of the Changsha police department," he said.



"But they are basically the same thing ... they are just trying to make it look as if they're not the ones dealing with the case," Chen added.



Jiang's U.S.-based wife Jin Bianling said the authorities are still trying to figure out ways to charge her husband formally.



"They want to dig up some dirt on him, so they just specify some charge, and then they will set about smearing Jiang Tianyong," Jin said.



A video posted online by the the Communist Youth League Central Committee last week accused Jiang of becoming a propaganda tool in the hands of "overseas forces."



Jiang also stands accused of receiving "long-term foreign funding," of deliberately intervening in politically sensitive cases, and of using the internet to incite protest and disturb public order, official media have reported.



Overseas involvement?



The ruling Chinese Communist Party under President Xi Jinping is increasingly using allegations of involvement by overseas organizations to target peaceful dissidents and rights activists.



Xi has repeatedly warned against "hostile foreign forces" attempting to overthrow Communist Party rule by infiltrating China with "Western" religious practices and ideas like democracy, constitutional government, and human rights.



More than 300 lawyers, law firm staff, rights activists, and relatives were detained, questioned, or placed under surveillance or other restrictions in a nationwide police operation targeting the legal profession launched in July 2015.



At least 16 remain in criminal detention on subversion charges, while four have been handed jail terms of up to seven years, according to the Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group.



Many others have been denied access to lawyers and to family visits.



Reported by Qiao Long and Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung, Wong Lok-to, and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




China's powerful internet regulator has set out plans to defend the country's "national sovereignty" in the part of cyberspace behind the Great Firewall, a complex system of blocks, filters, and human censorship that determine what Chinese netizens can see online.



"The cybersecurity situation is growing more severe every day, and we face grave risks and challenges in national politics, the economy, culture, society, national defense, security, and citizens lawful rights and interests in cyberspace," the Cyberspace Administration said in an announcement on its official website.



It warned that "cyber penetrations" could affect the ruling Chinese Communist Party's grip on power.



"Political stability is the basic precondition for national development and the happiness of the people," the agency said.



While cyberespionage, surveillance, and hacker attacks were cited as a threat, the document also warned against "the use of networks to interfere in the internal political affairs of other countries, to attack other countries political systems, incite social unrest [and] subvert other countries regimes."



The warning comes as the authorities increasingly use espionage and subversion charges to target peaceful activists and critics of the government, alleging that they are working at the behest of "hostile overseas forces."



It also hit out at "harmful online information," including pornography, violence, and "superstition."



It said "online rumors" were also a threat to "cultural security."



"All kinds of ideologies and cultures are agitating and crossing swords online, and excellent traditional culture and mainstream value views are facing attacks," the agency warned.



Extremists blamed



It said terrorists, separatists, and extremists are "using the network to incite, plan, organize, and carry out violent terrorist activities, directly threatening the security of peoples lives and possessions, as well as social order."



Beijing blames Uyghur extremists for a string of violent attacks and clashes in recent years in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. But critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009.



Tibetans who engage in peaceful protest, or who own photographs or recordings of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, are also routinely targeted for detention, beatings, and prison sentences, while Tibetans and Uyghurs also face numerous restrictions in obtaining passports and traveling within China during times of high security alerts.



The statement also reiterated Beijing's policy of "sovereignty" in cyberspace, saying that individual nations should be free to control what happens online within their jurisdictions.



"[We will] resolutely oppose all actions to subvert our countrys national regime or destroy our countrys sovereignty through the network," it said.



The document, translated by the China Law and Copyright blog, also vows to "prevent, curb, and lawfully punish ... foreign powers using the network to conduct infiltration, destruction, subversion, and separatist activities."



New controls appear



Guangdong-based online activist Jia Pin said new controls have already appeared on the popular smartphone chat app WeChat.



"In the past few days, there was an automatic upgrade to WeChat which imposed limits on the number of people who can be in friends circles," Jia said.



"There is also an automatic deletion feature, which meant that a lot of the content we would normally post to our rights activism groups could no longer be sent," he said.



Jia said an increasing number of people are being detained or called in for questioning by police purely for posting or retweeting something online, without being involved in any other form of activity.



"This has been getting worse in recent years, but it had gotten particularly bad in the course of 2016," he said.



Guangdong resident Li Mianzhi said the entire document outlines a single policy: greater control over public freedom of expression.



"Put bluntly, this is trying to obfuscate and cover up the fact that all this talk about security this, security that, is all talking about the same thing," Li said.



"And that is to block up every single channel for free information and freedom of expression."



Wu Fan, editor in chief of the overseas Chinese-language magazine Chinese Affairs, said people need the internet for fresh sources of information.



"People are able to access and pass on news of all kinds of developments in society using the internet," Wu said.



"But the Chinese Communist Party is terrified that people will use it to complain about everything that's bothering them."



Reported by Lee Lai for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Lin Ping for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




Myanmars Rakhine state parliament criticized state government leaders on Wednesday for not showing up to discuss an investigation commissions report on deadly border guard station attacks in October and subsequent violence in the northern part of the state.

The state-level investigation commission submitted a report to Rakhine lawmakers on Tuesday, saying that the October attack and ensuing clashes were planned by Muslim militants who wanted to occupy Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung townships, where many of the countrys stateless Rohingya Muslim minority group live.

The government of predominantly Buddhist Myanmar has blamed the attacks on local Rohingya Muslims.

The commissions report was recorded on Wednesday at the Rakhine state parliament, where state-level officials were to discuss its findings during a meeting, but no one showed up, lawmakers said.

Legislator Tun Thar Sein suggested that the state parliament extend the commissions term slated to end on Friday in order for officials to have a more thorough report before making any decisions about the situation.

Maung Ohn, a lawmaker from Maungdaw township, pointed out that most staffers who work in local offices of the United Nations or international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are Rohingya Muslims.

Most staffers in the U.N. or INGOs are Bengalis, he said, using a derogatory name for the Rohingya who are generally believed to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and are routinely discriminated against in Myanmar.

The U.N. and INGOs get daily news updates from their Muslim staffers, so we need to think about these [organizations], he said in an implicit suggestion that employees could be spreading falsehoods that reflect unfavorably on security forces that have areas under lockdown.

Some of the tens of thousands of Rohingya that fled their villages after security forces swept in have accused soldiers of committing atrocities against members of the Muslim community. The government has denied the accusations.

The commissions report also called for tighter security at schools and in ethnic Rakhine villages where Buddhists live, as well as along security patrol routes beside the Naf River which separates Myanmar and Bangladesh.

We need to work hard to have stability again in the Maungdaw area, said state lawmaker Aung Win, who chairs the 11-member investigation commission formed by the Rakhine state parliament on Oct. 24.

Warning against food flotilla

Meanwhile, a Myanmar government spokesperson warned Malaysia on Wednesday about a Muslim organization that intends to send a food flotilla of aid to Rohingya Muslims displaced by violence in northern Rakhine state.

We dont have any information that a Malaysian Islamic organization requested or asked for permission from the Myanmar embassy in Malaysia or from the Myanmar government to do this, said Zaw Htay, spokesman of the President Office.

So our question for this Islamic organization is Can any organization do what it wants in other countrys territory without legal permission? he asked. The Malaysian government or any government will not accept it if we [Myanmar] do the same thing in their countries.

Zaw Htay said that those in charge of the operation can get permission to help out in northern Rakhine when they arrive.

But he also warned that the government will not accept any food if the flotilla enters the countrys waters illegally, and did not rule out the possibility of an attack on the boats.

The Muslim aid flotilla, which is due to set sail from Port Klang on Jan. 10, will deliver nearly 200 metric tons of rice, medical aid, and essential supplies to Rohingya communities in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, according to Malaysian media. It is expected to return to Malaysia about two weeks later.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman of Malaysia, whose leaders have been critical of Myanmars handling of the Rakhine dispute, called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Dec. 19 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.

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.

By Min Thein Aung, Kyaw Thu, and Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Myanmar demonstrators show their support for Myanmar military personnel engaged in fighting in the country's northern Kachin state, in downtown Yangon, Dec. 18, 2016.

Mortar shelling by the Myanmar army during hostilities between government troops and an ethnic armed group forced more than 2,000 internally displaced persons to flee their camps in Kachin state late Tuesday and early Wednesday, a refugee said.

Government soldiers captured the Kachin Independence Armys (KIA) third battalion headquarters in Waingmaw township on Tuesday in airstrikes and attacks by infantry troops, cannon, tanks, and heavy weapons, according to an announcement on Tuesday by Myanmars commander-in-chiefs office.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties or injuries.

Khun Ra, an internally displaced person (IDP) who was living at the Zai Awng refugee camp, told RFAs Myanmar Service that she has heard the fighting between the KIA and government army for the past three months, and that the hostilities have been getting worse.

We are fleeing out of fear because of the mortar shells from the government army as we can no longer live in the camp, she said. Many of us are now on Waingmaw Road, and we cant go forward because the fighting is ahead, but we cant go back to the camp.

Seizures of outposts

The KIA and three other ethnic militias have been engaged in a new round of hostilities with Myanmars armed forces in the war-torn state since Nov. 20, when they teamed up to launch coordinated attacks on 10 government and military targets in three Shan state townships and the 105-mile border trade zone between Myanmar and China.

Government soldiers have seized other KIA outposts, including the militias strategic mountaintop Gidon outpost in Waingmaw township on Dec. 16.

The clashes have resulted in an increase in the number of internal refugees and civilian deaths and have stymied the governments efforts to bring warring ethnic militias to the negotiating table.

The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have been displaced by fighting between government soldiers and ethnic armed groups in Kachin and the northern part of neighboring Shan state.

Attempts earlier this month by the governments Peace Commission to discuss an end to the hostilities individually with the four militias comprising the Northern Alliance militias went nowhere, though the groups indicated a willingness to hold all-inclusive discussions.

Kachin soldiers, who have long been at war with Myanmar army, told the Associated Press that the government has increased its offensives, including airstrikes, since the new administration under de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi took over in April.

The Nobel laureate, who also serves as Myanmars state counselor and foreign affairs minister, has made ending the countrys decades of civil wars and attaining lasting peace the main mission of the government under her National League of Democracy (NLD) party.



Talks with Wa and Mongla

On another front, a government peace delegation led by military lawmaker Thein Zaw is heading to the town of Lashio in northern Shan state to hold peace talks with the leaders of two other rebel militiasthe United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), also known as the Mongla Army.

The peace group will meet with leaders from the UWSAMyanmars largest non-state armyin the town of Pangkham in Wa Special Region 2 on Thursday and with Mongla leaders on Friday in the town of Mongla, said Kyi Myint, spokesman for the Mongla group.

We are going to talk about peace and development, he said. We can only say exactly what we have talked about after meeting.

The Wa and Mongla ethnic minorities live in a mountainous region of Shan state on the border with China and have strong cultural links with the country.

The Wa control what is known as Special Region 2 of northern Shan state, while the NDAAs territory is self-administered by the Mongla group and is officially known as Special Region 4.

The UWSA was one of the ethnic militias that refused to sign a nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) brokered by the former government in October 2015.

Though the UWSA and NDAA have a long history of close relations, their ties were strained by Aung San Suu Kyis peace initiative, the 21st-century Panglong Conference, where Wa representatives attempted to coerce the NDAA into sending a low-level delegation to attend the talks that began on Aug. 31.

USWA delegates walked out of the conference because of an apparent misunderstanding over whether the group was a participant or observer at the peace talks.

In September, UWSA troops occupied NDAA posts in Mongla and arrested 150 NDAA soldiers.

Reported by Wai Mar Tun and Aung Moe Myint for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Nguyen Van Dai displays his face after he was beaten by masked assailants in Nghe An province, Dec. 6, 2015.

Vietnamese authorities extended human rights attorney and activist Nguyen Van Dais time in prison until April, marking the third time the government has added time to his detention, RFAs Vietnamese Service has learned.

Dais lawyer Ha Huy Son posted the government document extending his prison time on Facebook, but told RFA he has little information beyond that.

I rely on the Supreme Prosecutorate. Whenever they give me the permit I will be able to meet Dai, he said. They are following the Bill on Legal Prosecution of Vietnam.

Dai, 46, was taken into custody last December after leaving his Hanoi home to meet with European Union representatives who were researching human rights issues in the country.

Plainclothes officers stopped Dai before he got to the meeting and took him back to his home, where a police camera faces the front door and authorities monitor everyone who comes and goes. They confiscated three computers and USB sticks and later charged Dai with "conducting propaganda against the state under Vietnams Article 88.

Human rights groups claim Article 88 is used to imprison peaceful activists in the one-party communist nation.

The arrest came soon after masked assailants beat him and other activists in what he said at the time was a reprisal for his work educating the Vietnamese people on human rights.

In an interview Dai told RFA that more than 10 people wearing masks and holding wooden clubs stopped the taxi in which he and three other activists were riding.



They took the four of us out, and also the driver, and began to beat us all. They hit me in the shoulders and thighs, and then dragged me into their car. They continued beating others, but I dont know what happened to them after that, he said.



Inside the car, one guy told me that he would break my left arm but when he was about to do so he saw my ring with the [Catholic] cross and stopped. Another guy held my head in one arm and hit me in the face with his other fist. They continued hitting my face all the way to [nearby] Cua Lo [township].

His captors took his cell phone, wallet and even several items of clothing, before forcing him out onto a beach and leaving him behind on a beach, he said.

In 2008 Nguyen was sentenced to five years in prison under Article 88. In 2011, he was released to house arrest for an additional four years and barred from practicing law.

Nguyen is the founder of the Committee for Human Rights in Vietnam, which trains human rights attorneys and promotes legal education. He has traveled across the country teaching young people how to report human rights violations and handle police interrogations.

In 2013, he launched the Brotherhood for Democracy with former jailed dissidents to coordinate human rights activities across Vietnam and to host forums in Hanoi and Saigon to mark International Human Rights Day.

In an April interview with RFA, Dais wife Vu Minh Khanh said her husband was being kept in isolation and was prevented from meeting with his family or his attorneys.

Reported and translated by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
At least three people, including a parliamentarian, are reported to have been wounded by a bomb blast in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Deputy Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said on December 28 that a bomb was put under a bridge and appeared to target the car of lawmaker Fakuri Behishti, who is from the central Bamiyan Province.

Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi confirmed the attack, which he said took place in Kabul's Dashti Barchi district.

Behishti was traveling to parliament when the explosion occurred. His son was reportedly also injured.

No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

One week ago, three Taliban fighters attacked the Kabul home of a parliamentarian from Helmand Province, killing eight civilians.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa
The images are morbid: homeless men, women, and children so desperate for shelter that they would resort to living in open graves.



Yet that is what some 50 Iranians have reportedly been doing for years, holing themselves up in concrete dugouts at a graveyard outside Tehran.



Images and video of the men living in squalor have sparked shock and outrage in Iran -- including at the highest levels of government -- and prompted mounting calls for action.



The existence of the graveyard shantytown was exposed by the daily newspaper Shahrvand on December 27. A front-page feature discussed the lives the homeless, many of them drug addicts, were eking out at the site in Shahriar, a town outside Tehran.





Photographs from the story spread quickly on social media, eliciting reactions from ordinary and prominent Iranians alike.



President Hassan Rohani called the grave dwellers' situation "unacceptable for both the government and the people."



"The government is responsible and the nation is responsible for poverty, deprivation, and problems," Rohani was quoted as saying on December 28. "I have heard about people in Western countries who sleep on cardboard under bridges out of poverty, or those who sleep in metro stations, but not in graves."



Rohani added that in order to "solve these issues, we must all unite and leave aside partisan issues and differences and address the basic problems of the country."



The president was responding to Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who expressed "shame" and "regret" about the condition of those "men, women, and children who spend their cold nights in a graveyard."



"I intend to share my shame with you and all those who have had any responsibility in this country," Farhadi wrote in a letter to Rohani on December 27.

'No Honor...No Fear'

Many vented their frustrations and anger on social media.



Koohe Sefid, a Facebook user, accused the government of making foreign projects like "rebuilding [the Syrian city of] Aleppo" the "priority" instead of solving social and economic problems in Iran.



Javad Siadat, another Facebook user, posted the message: "My God, what are we witnessing?"



Mohesen Eb said on Facebook that the government "has no honor, no fear, and no shame."



In a follow-up story on December 28, Shahrvand said the homeless were forcibly removed from the graveyard by security forces after local officials pledged to take action. Shahrvand reported that some of the occupants of the cemetery had lived there for a decade.

'Hardcore Addicts'

Sayyed Hossein Hashemi, the governor of Tehran Province, described the dwellers as "hardcore addicts," according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

"The publication of reports that these people had nothing to eat and were hungry was unkind and ill-advised because it should be taken into account that these people are hard-core addicts," he said in remarks on December 28, adding that the dwellers had been transferred to a nearby rehabilitation camp.



Iranian officials have said there are about 15,000 homeless people living in Tehran, including 5,000 women.



But activists believe the real number to be twice that figure.



Many of the homeless are drug addicts. There are 1.4 million registered addicts in treatment programs, but activists say that number, too, is much higher -- more than 2 million people out of a population of 80 million.



The number of drug users is believed to be rising, despite harsh penalties for users if they are caught.



One of the main reasons for the rising number of addicts in Iran is that the country is the main gateway for the drug trade from Afghanistan, the world's main source of opium, which is used to make heroin.



In October, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Afghanistan's cultivation of opium poppy had risen to 201,000 hectares, a 10 percent increase from 2015.


Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi predicted on December 27 that it will take only three more months to remove the Islamic State extremist group from Mosul and the rest of Iraq.

The city's fall would effectively end the militant group's ambitions to form a "caliphate" stretching across Syria, Iraq, and other states.

U.S. commanders have said it would take as long as two years to eliminate IS from Iraq, but elite Iraqi soldiers have moved quickly to retake about a quarter of Mosul and areas south of that in offensives this year.

"The Americans were very pessimistic. They used to talk about a really long period, but the remarkable successes achieved by our brave and heroic fighters reduced that. I foresee that in Iraq it will take three months," Abadi told a televised news conference.

Coalition forces this week bombed the last remaining bridge connecting the eastern and western parts of Mosul. They have reconquered parts of eastern Mosul, but IS still occupies the western side of the city.

Mosul -- the largest city seized by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq -- was first captured in June 2014.

Besides Mosul, IS still controls the Iraqi towns of Tel Afar, Qaim, and Hawija.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters


The Afghan government has expressed concern over a third high-level meeting about the country held in Moscow on December 27 between Russia, China, and Pakistan that did not include any Afghan representatives.

"Discussion about the situation in Afghanistan, even if well-intentioned, in the absence of Afghans cannot help," said Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni.

The United States, which still has nearly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan and has been fighting the Taliban with Afghan forces since 2001, also was not invited to the Moscow talks.

Officials in Kabul and Washington say Russia has been deepening its ties with Taliban militants, though Moscow has denied that.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and Pakistan Foreign Ministry said after the meeting that the three countries agreed to invite the Afghan government to such talks in the future.

They said the three countries want an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process."

They warned that the Islamic State extremist group has been growing in influence in Afghanistan amid a "deteriorating" security situation.

Russia and China, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, agreed to be "flexible" about delisting Afghans from UN sanctions lists to "foster peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban," they said.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


A Kazakh court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for posting critical social-media comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Prosecutors in the city of Aqtobe on December 27 found businessman Sanat Dosov guilty of "inciting social discord" and sentenced him to serve in a penal colony based on Facebook posts he had made from July 2014 to March 2016.

Dosov's attorney said his client would appeal the ruling.

Prosecutors said Dosov, 46, had violated the law by posting statements online that said Putin was "ruining" Russia, that were critical of his social policies, and that condemned Moscow's involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Dosov, who is also chairman of the civic group Ihtiyar, reportedly admitted to posting the comments on social-media sites and pleaded with the court not to send him to jail as he has six dependent children.

With reporting by Nur.kz
Montenegro has issued an international arrest warrant for two Russians and three Serbs who were allegedly involved in a coup plot to overthrow the country's pro-NATO government.

The state prosecutor's office said on December 27 that the five are being sought for alleged "terrorist" activities that included plans to kill the country's prime minister and take over parliament on Election Day in October.

The two Russians, reportedly members of a Russian military spy agency, allegedly tracked the movements of Montenegro's then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic from the territory of neighboring Serbia.

Local media identified one of the sought Serbians as Nemanja Ristic, who appeared in a photo standing near Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on December 12 during Lavrov's visit to Belgrade.

The Kremlin has denied involvement but has actively supported local political groups that oppose Montenegro, a traditional Slavic ally, joining the Western military alliance.

Montenegro was invited to join the military alliance a year ago, but the decision is yet to be ratified by several member states.

Montenegrin authorities have said they have no evidence that high-level Russian authorities were involved in the anti-NATO plot.

Some 20 people, mostly Serbs and Russians, already are in custody in Montenegro over the alleged scheme.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP


One announcement came from Berlin. Another came from Washington. And they came weeks apart.

German intelligence warned in late November that Russia had launched a campaign to meddle in upcoming elections to the Bundestag. And in early December, the CIA said it concluded that Moscow had already interfered in the U.S. presidential election.

In any other year, either of these claims would probably have been astonishing, sensational, and even mind-blowing.

Not in 2016.

This was the year such things became routine as the Kremlin took the gloves off in its nonkinetic guerrilla war against the West.

It was the year Russia's long-standing latent support for the xenophobic and Euroskeptic far right became manifest, open, and increasingly brazen.

It was the year cyberattacks moved beyond trolling and disruption and toward achieving specific political goals.

It was the year long-cultivated networks of influence across the West were activated.

It was the year the Kremlin expanded its disinformation campaign beyond Ukraine and the former Soviet space and aimed it at destabilizing the West itself.

It was the year Moscow turned Western democracy into a weapon -- against Western democracy.

And most importantly, with the West suffering from one of its worst crises of confidence in generations, 2016 was the year Moscow began to see results.

It was the year of the perfect storm, when the Western angst and malaise from the 2008 financial crisis, the eurozone crisis, and the migrant crisis crested and dovetailed with a concerted Kremlin campaign to undermine Western institutions.

And with the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, with the election of Donald Trump in the United States, with one pro-Moscow candidate or another likely to win the presidency in France, and with antiestablishment populism on the rise throughout Europe, this perfect storm has produced a markedly more favorable environment for the goals of Vladimir Putin's autocratic regime.

It has left the independence of countries seeking to escape Moscow's orbit -- like Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova -- more precarious than at any moment since the Soviet collapse.

Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, wrote recently in The Atlantic that the Kremlin has launched "an opportunistic but sophisticated campaign to sabotage democracy and bend it toward his interests, not just in some marginal, fragile places but at the very core of the liberal democratic order, Europe and the United States."

"We stand now at the most dangerous moment for liberal democracy since the end of World War II," Diamond added.

An Early Harbinger

The warnings that 2016 would be different came early, in January, when Moscow escalated its information war against the West with the infamous case of Lisa F. in Germany.

By relentlessly pushing a false story that an ethnic-Russian teenage girl was sexually assaulted by migrants in Berlin at a time when Germans were getting increasingly nervous about the mounting migrant crisis, the Kremlin appeared to be actively attempting to undermine the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Incited by Russian-language media reports, thousands of Russian-speaking protesters took to the streets carrying banners with slogans like "Our Children Are In Danger."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave the "scandal" an official stamp, accusing the German authorities of "sweeping problems under the rug."

The story was soon proven false, but the damage was done -- and a message was sent that the Kremlin intended to play hardball.

And play hardball it did, with a dizzying and almost nonstop barrage of hacking, doxing, fake news, support for fringe political forces, and other mischief.

The most high-profile example of this, of course, was the emerging consensus that Russia hacked the U.S. presidential election with the apparent goal of harming Hillary Clinton and/or helping Trump.

But while the hacking of the U.S. election garnered the most attention and headlines, it was far from the only case of Russia seeking to destabilize Western democracies.

"Putin is not done yet. He seeks to promote anti-establishment candidates in next years elections in the Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany," Michael Khodarkovsky, a professor at Loyola University Chicago and author of the forthcoming book Russias Twentieth Century, wrote in The New York Times.

And Then We Take Berlin

In a letter to EU foreign-relations chief Federica Mogherini, 51 lawmakers from the European Parliament warned that more than $200 million of Russian black cash has been laundered through Europe and "there is information that shows that the money has been used to influence European politics, media, and civil society."

In the United Kingdom, Russia's propaganda machine worked overtime to cheerlead for the Brexit campaign and its leader Nigel Farage.

In Italy, Kremlin-funded news outlets RT and Sputnik fed a barrage of fake news to a network of websites run by the far left Five Star Movement, spreading Euroskepticism, and anti-Americanism, and undermining a constitutional referendum that led to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's resignation.

The Kremlin also continued to support Marine Le Pen, leader of the anti-immigrant National Front in France which was granted a 9 million euro loan from a Russian bank in 2015.

And Le Pen's likely opponent in the second round of next year's presidential elections, former prime minister Francois Fillon, is also openly pro-Moscow.

And in December, the ruling United Russia party signed a cooperation agreement with Austria's far-right Freedom Party.

"Despite being much weaker than the Soviet Union, Russia today nevertheless has a greater ability to provoke mischief than the communist empire ever did, while western debates on how to contain (or engage) Russia have an air of helplessness," political analyst Lilia Shevtsova wrote in The Financial Times.

The legacy of 2016 is a weakened, divided, and disillusioned West; and an emboldened Kremlin.

"If December 7, 1941, is a date which will live in infamy," Brian Frydenborg wrote on the blog War Is Boring, in reference to the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II, "then 2016 is a year which will live in infamy."

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL
State Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov and some leading Kremlin-friendly Russian media outlets are pushing for a new law that could deprive a Russian journalist and a social-media celebrity of their citizenship and property and kick them out of the country.

Journalist Arkady Babchenko and socialite Bozhena Rynska each made controversial social-media posts in the wake of a military plane crash into the Black Sea on December 25 that left 92 people dead, including members of the Russian army's renowned Aleksandrov Ensemble.

Milonov wrote on his Facebook page that both Babchenko and Rynska should be "deprived of their citizenship and kicked out of the country and their property should be auctioned off with the proceeds given" to help children in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.

Loss of citizenship and deportation were common punishments for dissent during the Soviet period.

Now -- with Russian nationalism resurgent as Moscow wages war in Syria, foments a conflict in eastern Ukraine, and challenges the West at every turn -- more than 150,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Rynska's citizenship to be revoked.

Rynska angered many Russians with the post, since deleted, in which she expressed sympathy for the Aleksandrov Ensemble members and other victims but added that she regretted that only three employees of the state-controlled NTV television channel were among the dead. Rynska was sentenced to a year of community service in 2014 after a confrontation with NTV journalists during which she allegedly damaged their equipment.

Journalist Arkady Babchenko went even further, writing on Facebook on the day of the tragedy that he had "no sympathy, no pity" for any of the victims.

'Manifestation Of Madness'

The day after the plane crash, which is still being investigated, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Rynska's words were "an ugly manifestation of madness" and said the "public's" strong reaction was perfectly justifiable.

Maria Katasonova, a conservative activist who is an assistant to Duma Deputy Gennady Fyodorov, formally requested that prosecutors conduct a "psycholinguistic examination" of Rynska's post to determine if a criminal case should be filed under Russia's law against inciting hatred.

The daily Moskovsky Komsomolets published an editorial calling for a law that would deprive anyone "taking joy in blood" of their citizenship and would deny entry to Russia to any foreigners doing the same. The newspaper suggests the law be named the Glinka-Khalilov law, to honor Yelizaveta Glinka, a doctor who provided assistance to children in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, and Aleksandrov Ensemble art director Valery Khalilov.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Russian Service, Babchenko said the reaction to his remarks is intended to send a signal to Russian society that "we must be in one line; we must express sadness; we must appear sad -- and anyone who doesn't must be destroyed."

"It isn't just Milonov," Babchenko said, "but Channel One is also chiming in, and Federation Council member Frants Klintsevich and LifeNews are stitching together some fake news.... A major effort is being organized. They aren't investigating why the plane crashed but instead are persecuting me and Bozhena Rynska."

Although Rynska deleted her Facebook post, she stands by what she said. She told RFE/RL that some unknown people glued photographs of the dead NTV employees on the window of her Moscow apartment.

"It is not news to me that our country is full of idiots and brutes," she said. "When they asked [dissident Soviet writer Sergei] Dovlatov, he answered, 'Stalin is Stalin, but who wrote the 4 million denunciations?' These people have not changed. After the [1917] revolution, the best people of this country were destroyed. Only the worst remained."

RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson contributed to this story
Russian officials say they have recovered a second black box from the military passenger jet that crashed in the Black Sea en route to Syria on December 25.

The Defense Ministry said on December 28 that a flight-data recorder from the Tu-154 plane was found on the seabed near the coastal city of Sochi, one day after the first black box was retrieved.

All 92 passengers and crew were killed when the Russian Defense Ministry Tu-154 crashed minutes after taking off from the coastal city of Sochi, where it had stopped to refuel after flying from Moscow.

Russian authorities said earlier on December 28 that salvage workers have now recovered the bodies of 15 people from the plane, along with more than 200 body parts and various fragments of the plane.

The human remains are being sent to Moscow for DNA identification.

More than 60 of the victims were members of the Russian military's famed Aleksandrov song-and-dance ensemble, also known as the Red Army Choir, which was to perform for Russian servicemen deployed in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad's government in the civil war there.

Nine Russian TV journalists and prominent charity worker Yelizaveta Glinka, or Doctor Liza, were also killed.

The cause of the crash has not been determined, but Russian officials say they do not believe it was terrorism.

State news agency TASS cited unnamed security officials as saying on December 28 that divers were focusing on the submerged tail section of the aircraft, which they said contains two flight-data recorders.

Authorities said a separate recorder was recovered earlier and was being examined at a military facility outside Moscow.

While earlier reports identified the device as a data recorder, TASS and other Russian news outlets now say it is the cockpit voice recorder.

On December 27, online publication life.ru published what it said was a transcript of remarks in the cockpit shortly before the crash, with one crew member yelling about a problem with the planes flaps and one saying: "Commander, we're falling!"

RFE/RL could not verify the report by life.ru, which is known to have close connections with Russian security agencies.

Russian transport and security officials have said there are no indications the plane was brought down by a bomb or any other kind of terrorist attack.

According to Russian media, the Federal Security Service says possible causes of the crash include pilot error, a technical problem, a foreign object getting caught in an engine, and poor-quality fuel. But several factors -- including the fact that the crew did not report any problem to air-traffic controllers, and the large number of fragments and body parts found in the sea -- have sparked speculation about the potential cause.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, TASS, RIA, and life.ru


The Russian Embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus has been shelled twice, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry called the shelling by "terrorists" on December 28a provocation aimed at derailing peace settlement in the country.

It said a shell hit the courtyard of the embassy complex, while another shell landed near the diplomatic mission.

"We have to state that there remains a real threat to the embassy in Russia and its employees from the terrorist groups entrenched in Damascus suburbs," the Foreign Ministry said.

"This reaffirms the urgent need for prompt elimination of all such hotbeds of terrorism," the statement added.

Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the nearly six-year civil war in Syria.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a cease-fire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister has said.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said on December 28 a document outlining a political solution to the conflict was also "ready," and that both could be "implemented anytime".

Cavusoglu said terror organizations would be kept out of the cease-fire agreement.

His comments follow a report by the state-run Anadolu news agency saying a Syria cease-fire plan should come into force by midnight.

The news agency said the plan aims to expand a cease-fire in the city of Aleppo, brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians, to the whole country.

A Kremlin spokesman said he could not comment on Anadolu's report.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters that he didn't have "enough information."

Peskov added that Russian officials are in "constant contacts with their Turkish colleagues" to discuss details about possible peace talks in Kazakhstan.

There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, AP and TASS
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has suffered a "major" cyberattack, a spokeswoman has confirmed.

Ursula Froese told RFE/RL on December 28 that the attack, first reported by the French daily Le Monde, took place in early November.

She said in an e-mail that the Vienna-based organization "became aware of a major information security incident" that compromised "the confidentiality "of its IT network.

She said the attack did not disrupt the organization's operations.

"The OSCE was able to operate, since its computer network services were not disrupted by the attack," the spokeswoman said.

According to Le Monde, a Western intelligence agency believes that the Russian hacker group APT28 was behind the attack.

The same source told Le Monde that the group was also behind attacks on the U.S. Democratic Party leadership during the U.S. presidential campaign.

The OSCE spokeswoman said her organization could not confirm the claim.

"As with all these cases, it is not possible to determine with certainty the identity of the attackers," Froese said.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the deportation of Ukrainian citizens from Russian occupied regions in southern and southeastern Ukraine.

"The Russian occupation administration has begun mass forced relocation of residents of the left bank [of the Dnieper River] of the Kherson region...to the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea or the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement on November 3.



Similar deportations are also being carried out by Russia in the Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions, as well as in Crimea, the ministry said.



Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of Kherson, announced on October 31 an expansion of what Russia has called the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens.

Saldo said he was moving people further into the region or to Russia because of the risks of a "massive missile attack."



Just three days earlier, Russian-installed officials announced that the evacuation process in Kherson region had ended.

Kyiv reiterated on November 3 that it saw the move as a "deportation." It also said reports continue circulating about the alleged mining of the Nova Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant by Russian troops.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy previously said that Ukraine suspected Russia had mined the dam and units of the power plant on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine, and if it were blown up, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, would be in danger of flooding.



The Foreign Ministry statement also accused Russian troops of looting industrial, cultural, educational, and medical institutions, as well as private houses and apartments.



The ministry called on the international community to condemn the forced relocation, to introduce new sanctions against Russia, and to increase military aid to Ukraine for the liberation of its occupied territories.

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 Ukrainian military's General Staff also said on November 3 that Russian forces continued the so-called evacuation of the local population in the Kherson region and accused them of taking away civilian and communal property, even equipment from hospitals, as they carried out the evacuation.



Russian forces also removed the roadblocks in Kherson. The head of the Kherson regional military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich, believes that they did this to create an illusion that they have left the city.



It was also reported that the Russian flag was removed from the Kherson regional administration building. The head of the joint coordination press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Natalya Humenyuk, said that this could be a provocation.



Russian troops captured Kherson in March in the early days of the war. Its loss to Ukrainian troops would signal a significant retreat.



U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, asked to comment on the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine, said Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region "have the capacity" to retake the territory on the west side of the Dnieper River and Kherson city from Russian troops.



Austin, speaking at a news conference at the Pentagon, did not answer a question about whether Russian forces were preparing to leave, but he expressed confidence in the Ukrainian troops' ability to beat back Russian forces.

With reporting by Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said a two-state solution is essential for peace between the Palestinians and Israel, as the U.S. administration defended a controversial United Nations vote.

Kerry's speech on December 28 came amid an increasingly bitter standoff between President Barack Obama's administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Long uneasy relations between Obama and Netanyahu took a sharp turn for the worse last week when the United States abstained from a UN Security Council vote condemning new settlements pushed by Netanyahu's government.

The resolution, which called the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem a violation of international law, was slammed by Netanyahu, who accused Washington of colluding with the Palestinians in drafting it.

"The two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Kerry told an audience of diplomats and policymakers at the State Department in Washington.

"It is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state living in peace and security with its neighbors. It is the only way to ensure a future, freedom, and dignity for the Palestinian people. And it is an important way of advancing United States' interests in the region," he said.

Kerry leveled direct criticism at some elements of Israeli politics, in particular what he said were groups pushing an extremist agenda, including the "settler agenda."

"No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace," he said.

"The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel," he said.

Shortly after Kerry's speech concluded, Netanyahu lashed back, accusing Kerry of being obsessed with the issue of settlements.

"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office.

"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries," he said.

The speech comes amid a vocal push-back from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, whose mounting criticism of Obama has upended years of protocol surrounding the transition from one U.S. president to another.

Trump doesn't take office until January 20, but he and Obama have been poking at one another over major policy differences, including relations with Israel.

Before Kerry's speech, Trump posted a series of critical messages on Twitter accusing Obama of treating Israel with "total disdain," and promising a different approach to ties with Israel.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," he said in a two-part message. "They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but...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!"

Those posts brought an eyebrow-raising response from Netanyahu himself that, also coming ahead of Kerry's speech, further highlighted the rift with the Obama administration and the unusually public nature of the diplomatic dispute:

"President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!" Netanyahu said in a Twitter message.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
A Chesterfield County man pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to assaulting a federal officer and to firearm-related offenses stemming from a July incident in Richmond.

Donald Clifton Chavis, 42, was one of two people charged last month with assaulting the officer; four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; conspiracy to obstruct justice; and possession of marijuana.

Under an agreement with the government, he pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Roderick C. Young to the assault charge; conspiracy to obstruct justice; and aiding and abetting a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

He faces up to 35 years in prison when sentenced March 30 by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

The other person named in the indictment, Dezmar Marie Puckett, 27, of Richmond, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making a false statement to purchase a firearm and conspiracy to obstruct justice. She faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced by Payne on March 16.

Federal sentencing guidelines likely will call for a significantly shorter terms for both offenders.

At an earlier hearing, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives testified that Puckett implicated herself in the firearm charges in recorded telephone conversations between her and Chavis, who was being held in jail.

On July 15, according to last months nine-page indictment, Chavis assaulted the officer, identified only as U.S. Marshal Supervisory Inspector K.C., by ramming the vehicle he was driving into a vehicle driven by K.C., inflicting bodily injury. Authorities have not provided further details on the incident.

Young presented a long series of questions to Chavis, already a convicted felon, to make sure he was making an informed and accurate plea. But when asked how he wished to plead by the clerk, Chavis, a large, bearded man wearing blue jail coveralls, hesitated, shook his head sideways as if resigned, and said, Guilty.

In pleading guilty, Chavis admitted that during a Dec. 28, 2015, traffic stop in Richmond, he was in possession of a .45-caliber handgun that Puckett falsely told police belonged to her.

During the traffic stop on July 15, when arrested for outstanding warrants, he was in possession of another handgun, which was loaded with 11 rounds. Chavis admitted that during that arrest, he rammed the vehicle he was driving into one driven by the U.S. marshal inspector.

Then on Sept. 12, while Chavis was in jail, he told Puckett to buy another handgun for him in a deal in which she lied about her address and said she was not a drug abuser.

Chavis also said that, in September, he and Puckett agreed on the telephone and in visits that she would falsely testify that the firearm recovered in the July arrest belonged to her.
The contest to become Petersburgs next mayor boiled over Tuesday as embattled incumbent W. Howard Myers confirmed that he wants two more years to lead the city through trying times.

I would like to maintain continuity at this point, Myers said.

To Myers detractors who have printed bright yellow buttons calling for his ouster and are collecting petitions to recall him from office, he added: I have proven that I have lived up to being mayor and staying the course.

Maneuvering behind the scenes to replace Myers when his term expires next week began months ago; the job is largely ceremonial but symbolic at a time when Petersburg remains about $18 million in debt and faces an uncertain future.

Myers said that future is brighter now in part as a result of his efforts this fall to retain Washington-based consultants who helped the city secure short-term financing. Petersburg is meeting payroll and planning for its future.

But Myers critics tie him to a low point over the summer, when state auditors called in to assist with an escalating fiscal crisis determined that the city had begun the current fiscal year nearly $19 million in debt and an additional $12 million over budget.

The lack of attention to financial and operational problems leading to the downward spiral of debt and deceptive budgeting ... the continued refusal to conduct city business in the public forum as intended; and the endless denials of any responsibility for the citys rapid decline are but a few of the big problems laid at their feet, Petersburg resident Barb Rudolph said of Myers and Vice Mayor Samuel Parham.

Myers has been the public face of the citys well-publicized woes since the flawed rollout of a new water utility billing system and the ensuing departure of several city officials, including former City Manager William Johnson.

But on Monday, it was an incoming councilman who drew the attention of a good-government group that has been sharply critical of city officials.

An altered photo posted to the Facebook page for Clean Sweep Petersburg depicts local attorney Charles Cuthbert looming large over several current council members, with marionette strings descending from his hands in an apparent reference to his involvement in quiet negotiations surrounding the mayoral vote.

The post, from Rudolph, an organizer of Clean Sweep Petersburg, was accompanied by the question: Election of council officers is coming on January 3 Is this what we want?

Ward 1 Councilwoman Treska Wilson-Smith said Cuthbert had twice initiated meetings with her in which he seemed to ask for her support of Parham, Ward 3, to succeed Myers.

Parham also has been the target of recall petitions circulated by community members unhappy with the current councils stewardship of the city. He did not return a phone call Tuesday.

He is clearly supporting Sam Parham for mayor, and he wants to nominate Sam for mayor and me for vice mayor, Wilson-Smith said in an email. I told him I would not.

Reached by email, Rudolph said she had created the online image of Cuthbert and hoped to boost citizen engagement on an important issue.

She also criticized the city for scheduling the meeting in which a mayor will be selected at noon on Tuesday, when people who are working may be unable to attend.

Myers said the organizational meetings have always been held at noon and that the schedule is not designed to thwart public involvement. He also said the meme posted of Cuthbert would only inflame an already tenuous situation.

Its combative, said Myers, a housing specialist for Serenity, a Petersburg nonprofit that works with people who have HIV/AIDS. It certainly provides no context as to whats really going on.

Cuthbert declined to comment on the online image or say whom he plans to vote for at the organizational meeting

Things have gotten so far out of hand, he said. It would be best for me to keep my thoughts to myself.
An Emporia man has been charged with manslaughter and his third offense of driving under the influence after a crash that killed another driver on state Route 288 in Chesterfield County early Tuesday.

Alonza Jefferson Jr., 46, of Midlothian was killed about 12:50 a.m. when a 1994 Chevrolet pickup traveling south on Route 288 near Chester Road crossed the median into the northbound lanes and hit his 1996 Cadillac, Virginia State Police said.

The crash caused the pickup to overturn and Jeffersons Cadillac to hit the guardrail head-on.

Jefferson, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The driver of the pickup  Matthew P. Pernell, 27  has been charged with DUI third offense and involuntary manslaughter, state police said early Wednesday. He was being held at the Chesterfield jail with no bond.

After the crash, Pernell had been taken to VCU Medical Center with injuries that were considered serious but not life-threatening.

Pernell has an extensive criminal record for impaired driving and traffic violations.

In March 2014, Pernell was convicted of a 2013 offense of driving under the influence and failure to stay in his travel lane while driving in Emporia, according to online court records. He was sentenced to a year in jail, but 11 months and 10 days of that sentence were suspended.

Pernells license was also suspended for a year for that 2013 DUI, though he was allowed to drive under certain circumstances with an ignition interlock device attached to his vehicle, such as to and from work, Alcohol Safety Action Program meetings, or medical appointments.
At the age of 10, I learned essential lessons in manners and respect for the privacy of others. Unfortunately, some members of the Virginia General Assembly apparently did not learn those lessons.

On a Sunday afternoon more than 50 years ago, several relatives, including my Aunt Sallie, stopped by our home to visit. The conversation turned to my upcoming birthday. I proudly announced that in just a few days I would be 10 years old! I then asked Aunt Sallie, How old are you?

Aunt Sallie, actually my great-aunt, was a quiet, very proper, genteel spinster. She did not respond.

My mother interrupted the awkward silence and admonished, Charles, it is impolite to ask or tell a ladys age!

Fast forward to June 2015 when, with few exceptions, the Commonwealth of Virginia published on the internet the full name, date and place of birth of everyone born in Virginia. Today, there would be no need to ask Aunt Sallie her age; I could simply look it up.

How could this be possible when, by law, birth vital records are deemed nonpublic until 100 years after the event?

In 2012, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 660 that required the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to contract with a private company to create an online index of vital records. The bill also reduced the period for marriage, divorce, annulment, and death vital records to become public from 50 to 25 years after the event. The period for birth vital records to become public was not changed.

In June 2015, after more than two years of scanning and indexing, VDH and its contractor, Ancestry.com, published the online vital records index that includes information for nearly every Virginian. The index contains information from both public and nonpublic vital records. With few exceptions, if you were born, married or divorced in Virginia, your full name as well as the date and place of the vital record event are now public information published on the internet.

In a June 2, 2015, governors press release, Governor McAuliffe Announces the Completion of Major Project to Index and Digitize Virginia Vital Records, the governor praised the benefits of the project as a commitment to innovation, efficiency and leveraging information technology to the benefit of all.

Does it benefit the citizens of Virginia when data from nonpublic vital records is being transformed into public information by simply including it in the index? Name and date of birth are often used as security identifiers in doctors offices and pharmacies as well as on many applications including employment and financial. Has the General Assembly infringed on Virginians privacy and security thereby increasing the risk of identity theft or fraud?

In general, Virginians are not aware that their nonpublic vital record information has been made public. When told, they often ask, Is my Social Security number included?

By law, Social Security numbers must be removed from vital records prior to publication. However, the combination of full name, date and place of birth is often a better identifier of an individual than a Social Security number. That combination of information is generally unique and not only identifies a specific individual but also begins to describe the person, e.g., their age and where they might live. A Social Security number by itself is just a number that may identify an individual when combined with other information but conveys little else.

With a base of birth vital record information from an authoritative source  the Commonwealth of Virginia  it becomes relatively easy to add more information, termed data aggregation. Marriage and divorce vital records provide dates, places and spouse names. Addresses and phone numbers can generally be obtained from a variety of sources. Online real estate assessor records provide a wealth of information. As the aggregation process advances, a detailed profile of a specific person emerges.

To make matters worse, because the vital records index has been designated as public information, it is possible to obtain an electronic copy of the index through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Although the index may contain many millions of records, it could easily be stored on a small device, such as a computer thumb drive. Imagine holding the critical vital records information for all Virginians in the palm of your hand!

When asked to introduce legislation to remove nonpublic information from the vital records index, one delegate responded that the issue was very controversial. What is controversial about protecting the privacy and security of Virginias citizens?

The deadline for members of the House and Senate to request drafts of legislation for the upcoming session is January 13, 2017.

For the record, Aunt Sallie was 75 when I asked my impolite question. I looked it up through the vital records index.
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Gemfields to auction 187,775-carat cluster of emeralds Gemfields is set to auction a 187,775-carat cluster of emeralds discovered at its 75%-owned Kagem mine in Zambia in March 2020. Viewing of the Kafubu Cluster commenced on 31 October and bidding will close on 17 November.

Tiffany jewellery pieces to highlight Jewels & Jadeite auction in Hong Kong Jewellery pieces by Tiffany & Co, including those by renowned designer Jean Schlumberger, are among the highlights of Bonhams Jewels and Jadeite auction in Hong Kong on November 26, 2022.

Osino receives 20-year mining licence for Namibia project Osino Resources has received a 20-year mining licence for its wholly-owned Twin Hills gold project, in Namibia. The mining licence is subject to the fulfilment of several customary conditions which include adherence to an agreed work programme, conclusion...

Newmont announces third quarter 2022 results Newmont Corporation announced third quarter 2022 results. The company produced 1.49 million attributable ounces of gold and 299.000 attributable gold equivalent ounces from co-products.
The decline in Swiss watch exports slowed in November as shipments to Hong Kong avoided the massive decline seen in previous months.

Exports fell 5.6 percent to $1.8 billion (CHF 1.86 billion) last month, the second narrowest drop of the year and an improvement on Octobers 16 percent plummet. November had one more working day in 2016 than the same month last year, which had the effect of limiting the decline, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry explained.

Orders from Hong Kong slipped 0.7 percent to $241.8 million (CHF 248.8 million), a much stronger performance than in previous months. Exports to China in November climbed 8 percent.

Global exports of precious-metal watches fell 15 percent, while shipments of steel watches increased 5 percent and gold-steel timepiece orders advanced 3.7 percent.

Exports of watches priced under $194 (CHF 200) rose 3 percent by value. Timepieces in the $194 to $486 (CHF 500) category slumped 8.5 percent, while those in the $486 to $2,916 (CHF 3,000) range gained 2.6 percent. Orders of watches valued at $2,916 or higher declined 7 percent.

Total Swiss watch exports declined 10 percent in the first 11 months of the year, with exports to Hong Kong slumping 26 percent.




President of the Joint Stock Company ALROSA Andrey Zharkov took part in the meeting with the Head of the Republic of Yakutia Egor Borisov, which summed up the preliminary results of financial and economic activities of the company. In addition, Zharkov signed a new collective agreement with Profalmaz, a trade union of workers of Russian diamond industry.

During the meeting with Yakutia officials, Zharkov discussed the preliminary results of ALROSA for 2016 and its tasks for 2017. The parties also dwelled on the implementation of the agreement on social and economic development of the region.

In addition, issues of cooperation in creating favorable conditions for development of small and medium-sized businesses were discussed. In particular, they talked over measures to support the jewelry and the forest industry.

Meanwhile, a new agreement governing the relationship between the management of ALROSA and the workforce of the company was signed by Zharkov and chairman of the Profalmaz trade union Motrena Skryabina. The new contract will run until 2019, and all the major benefits and guarantees for employees of ALROSA retained intact.




Malaysia's central bank said the disruptive influence from the offshore ringgit market has subsided.

As the demand and supply of the USD/MYR realigned, onshore FX market will further stabilized and will lead to better cost of hedging and facilitate businesses in managing their FX risks, Bank Negara Malaysia said Wednesday.

On December 2, the bank had initiated several measures to support the ringgit and reduce the downward pressure on the currency.

Market has responded positively to the fund manager hedging framework. According to the new framework, registered fund managers can actively manage up to 25 percent of their invested portfolio.

The bank said 10 fund managers, consisting of both residents and non-residents, registered with the BNM. Fund managers have started to utilize this flexibility, the bank added.

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Messaging app Snapchat has acquired Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for about $35 million, according to Tel Aviv-based publication Calcalist.

Cimagine has developed an augmented reality or AR solution, called the True Markerless Augmented Reality. The app helps retailers and consumers to determine whether an appliance will fit into a given space.

Cimagine's patent-pending automatically scans and identifies surfaces in scenes captured by a customer's mobile or wearable device camera and overlays life-like three-dimensional images of products onto real-time video.

Using this technology on their mobile devices and at the click of a button, buyers are able to position the virtual furniture or appliances in a room without the need for physical markers.

Cimagine was founded in 2012. The company was chosen by Inc.com and also by Microsoft as one of Israel's most promising start-ups. Forbes had selected Cimagine as one of the Israeli companies to watch for in 2016.

Cimagine's customers include companies such as Shop Direct, John Lewis and Coca-Cola Co.

Recently, interactive multichannel retailer HSN partnered with Cimagine to launch an augmented reality design app across two of its home and lifestyle brands within the company's Cornerstone portfolio - Frontgate and Ballard Designs.

Calcalist reported that Cimagine will become Snapchat's research and development center in Israel and its workforce will be expanded from the current 20 employees.

Snapchat, founded by Evan Spiegel, is preparing for an IPO and could start selling shares as early as late March 2017 with a valuation of $25 billion or more.

In mid-November, media reports indicated that Snap Inc., the parent of Snapchat, has confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering or IPO.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) flight attendants filed a grievance with the airline about their new uniform that was introduced in September.

Thousands of American Airlines' flight attendants have reported serious and safety concerns after wearing the company-issued wool-blend uniforms.

The attendants have experienced endocrine issues, eye swelling, rashes, skin blistering, throat and eye irritation, vertigo and fatigue, among other health problems.

Robert Ross, President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants or APFA, has written a letter to Paul Jones, American Airline's general counsel, saying that the new uniforms continue to put the union members at risk, affecting their overall health.

Ross demanded that American Airline stop issuing the new uniforms or permanently offer flight attendants the option of self-choice between the previous and new uniforms.

He also asked for flight attendants to be reimbursed for any medical expenses, grant all requests for sick or personal leave on a non-chargeable basis, and establish a $2 million joint American Airlines/APFA fund to study the outfits.

In response, American Airlines' spokesman Ron DeFeo said the airline has tested the new uniform three times, but did not find anything harmful in them. However, the airline will conduct another examination with the union.

The spokesman also said that American Airlines has set up a call center for complaints and has received calls from about 300 attendants who have reported experiencing a reaction.

In addition, the airline will cover the cost of dermatological testing for these employees and respond to the union's letter within 20 days.

The new uniforms were supplied by Twin Hill. In 2012, Alaska Airlines flight attendants had complained about itching and other adverse reactions to their uniforms supplied by Twin Hill.

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Standing alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Barack Obama declared in remarks in Pearl Harbor on Tuesday that the alliance between the U.S. and Japan has never been stronger.

Obama's meeting with Abe comes shortly after the 75th anniversary of Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which thrust the U.S. into World War II.

"Over the decades, our alliance has made both of our nations more successful; it has helped underwrite an international order that has prevented another world war and that has lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty," Obama said.

He added, "Today, the alliance between the United States and Japan, bound not only by shared interests, but also rooted in common values, stands as the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia Pacific and a force for progress around the globe."

Obama's remarks also included comments that were seen as veiled shots at his successor, President-elect Donald Trump.

The president argued the fruits of peace outweigh the plunder of war and urged people to resist the urge to turn inward and demonize those who are different.

Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor marks the first time that a Japanese leader has visited the site of the surprise attack on December 7, 1941.

While Abe did not apologize for the attack, he offered his "sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives."

Abe's visit comes seven months after Obama traveled to Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped the first of two atomic bombs on Japan during World War II.

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Editors Pick

Biotechnology company Moderna, Inc. reported a profit for the third quarter that plunged 69 percent from last year, reflecting a drop in COVID-19 vaccines sales and higher operating expenses. Both earnings per share and revenues for the quarter missed analysts' expectations.

German luxury carmaker BMW AG reported Thursday higher profit and sales in its third quarter benefited by strong pricing, despite weak margin and slight drop in Automotive deliveries. Looking ahead, the company maintained fiscal 2022 forecast for significantly higher earnings, and slightly lower sales with weak deliveries. In Germany, BMW shares were losing around 4 percent in the morning trading.

Stellantis (STLA), on Thursday, reported a strong revenue growth in the third quarter, primarily reflecting higher volumes, continued strong net pricing and favorable FX translation effects. The company's Q3 net revenues grew 29% to 42.1 billion from  billion generated a year ago. Consolidated...
In what could be his final public address as Secretary of State, John Kerry sought Wednesday to defend the U.S. decision to allow the United Nations Security Council to approve a resolution demanding an immediate halt to Israeli settlement construction.

Kerry argued that the U.S. "could not, in good conscience, stand in the way" of the resolution, which passed by a vote of fourteen to zero as the U.S. abstained.

"If we were to stand idly by and know that we were allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold in a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our responsibilities," Kerry said.

The secretary of state dismissed the idea that the U.S. must accept any policy put forward by the Israeli government and argued the U.S. cannot be true to its own values if it allows a viable two-state solution to be destroyed.

Kerry claimed the two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is in "serious jeopardy" due to continued settlement construction as well as the "incitement of violence" by Palestinian leaders.

"Trends on the ground, including settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, are increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want," Kerry said.

"The fundamental reality," he added, "is that if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic, but it can't be both."

The speech by Kerry comes as the vote in the U.N. has led to increased animosity between the Obama administration and the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli government has accused the U.S. of colluding with the Palestinians on the resolution, although Kerry denied those claims.

Kerry noted the U.S. did not draft or originate the resolution and maintained that no administration has done more for Israeli security.

Ahead of Kerry's speech, President-elect Donald Trump argued the Obama administration has damaged the friendship between the U.S. and Israel but suggested things would be different once he is sworn in.

"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 not anymore," Trump said in a post on Twitter.

He added, "The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Netanyahu responded with a tweet of his own thanking Trump for his warm friendship and clear-cut support for Israel.

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Political News
President Barack Obama was named the most admired man in America for the ninth consecutive time in a new Gallup poll, with the current president topping his successor President-elect Donald Trump.

Twenty-two percent of Americans named Obama as the man they most admire in response to an open-ended question, up from seventeen percent last year.

Trump came in second at 15 percent, with the seven-point gap the narrowest Obama has seen in his nine straight years at the top of the list.

Gallup noted incumbent presidents typically win the distinction, with the sitting president taking the top spot 58 out of the 70 times the question has been asked.

"Obama's win over Trump this year is largely a result of the president earning more mentions among Democrats than Trump receives from Republicans," said Gallup Poll managing editor Jeffrey M. Jones.

He added, "Given the prominence of incumbent presidents as the most admired man, Trump may be the favorite to win the distinction next year, provided he does not have low job approval ratings in December 2017."

The poll found that Pope Francis came in a distant third at 4 percent, followed by Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at 2 percent.

The Reverend Billy Graham, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Dalai Lama, former President Bill Clinton, businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence round out the top ten.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was named as the most admired woman for the 15th consecutive year and the 21st time overall.

Twelve percent of Americans named Clinton as the woman they most admire, while First Lady Michelle Obama came in second at 8 percent.

The top ten included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Elizabeth, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The Gallup survey of 1,028 adults was conducted December 7th through 11th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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Business News
South Korea will on Thursday release November numbers for industrial production and retail sales, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

In October, industrial production was down 1.7 percent on month and 1.6 percent on year, while retail sales picked up 5.2 percent on month and 2.3 percent on year.

Hong Kong will provide November figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In October, imports were worth 350.95 billion HKD and exports were at 313.73 billion HKD for a trade deficit of 37.22 billion HKD.

Singapore will see November numbers for producer prices; in October, producer prices added 0.3 percent on month and dropped 2.7 percent on year.

Malaysia will release M2 money supply figures for November; in October, the supply was up 0.6 percent on month and 3.2 percent on year.

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PM hails Yemeni tribe's national role in confronting aggression





SANA'A, Dec. 28 (Saba)  Prime Minister Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor praised the Yemeni tribe's leading national role in confronting the aggression and supporting the army and popular forces in the fronts.



During his meeting on Tuesday in Sana'a with a number of tribal, social, and cultural figures, Dr. bin Habtoor considered that role a source of pride for Yemen and its sons

He expressed his thanks to the Tribal Cohesion Council on its role and position against the aggression.



"In light of the current difficult circumstances experienced by the country, the tribe emerged as a powerful defender of the homeland when intellectuals' role towards the aggression disappeared," the premier said.



The prime minister expressed his confidence that the tribe requests the law and order and abides by it.



"The convergence between the tribal organization and the government is very important," Dr. bin Habtoor affirmed.



He emphasized that the "Bedouin Saudi-Emirati-Qatari aggression on Yemen under a western cover has broken on the ground and internationally."



The attempt to destroy the social fabric had also failed and Yemenis became more cohesive and solid in the face of the enemies' schemes, he added.



Speaking at the meeting, Head of the Tribal Council Sheikh Dhaifuallah Rassam, Sheikh Abdul Qader al-Junaidi and a number of attendees asserted that the tribe was and still is part of the state and is not a substitute for it.



BA

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[28/December/2016]
US-Saudi aggression warplanes continue raids on Yemen

SANA'A, Dec. 28 (Saba)  The US-Saudi aggression warplanes continued bombing Yemen's provinces during the last few hours, targeting citizens and their properties.



A military official said that the US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged a series of air raids on Raimah Humaid and Plastic factory in the Capital Sana'a and al-Qarnab area in al-Haimah al-Kharejeyah district in Sana'a province.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched raids on Nehm, targeting Mahli area and in the south of Wadi Mahli area and in the west of Aqabt al-Sanani, he said.



The aggression warplanes also targeted al-Majaweha area, Suwaid area in the west of al-Madfon ara, in the east of Bani Amer area, Bani Astr area, Bani Naji area, Bani Shawkan area and al-Rabbah area, he added.



The official said that the US-Saudi aggression warplanes bombed al-Aqaran area with cluster bombs.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged raids on Sa'ada province, targeting al-Masood area in Sahar district, al-Safia and al-Malahedh areas in al-Dhaher district, Baqem junction and al-Buqa'a area in Kutaf distric, including Madabah area, he added.



Qamael border area was also targeted by Saudi artillery rockets, the official said.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes against Yemen waged raids on Khaled Military camp in Mocha district in Taiz province, he said.



The official added that the aggression targeted al-Amri area in Dhubab area in Taiz province. Meanwhile, warships aggression targeted the Khaled military camp with 16 rockets.



Meanwhile, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched seven air raids on School Guard in the west of Dairi in Dhamar city, he said.



The official said that the aggression warplanes waged two raids on the coastal defense area in al-Jabanah in Hodeida province.



He added that the warplanes targeted Nase'ah Mount in Dhale provine with four air raids.



The official said that US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged an air raid on Harad custom in Hajjah province.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched an air raid on al-Sayabah village in Jizan, he added.



Meanwhile, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes targeted many areas in Baihan and Osailan districts of Shabwa province with a series of air raids.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched an air raid on Serwah district in Mareb province. At the same time, Saudi-paid mercenaries pounded several areas in the district with Katyusha rockets.



HA



Saba

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[28/December/2016]
Schwan's announces further expansion at Salina facility

The distribution center, in addition to the 400,000-square-foot pizza expansion, will bring the Salina Schwan's site to over 1 million square feet.
With the slow passing of the Christmas season people tend to indulge in a state of relaxation before they begin to even think about going back to work.

Unfortunately, thats not the case for everyone this Christmas holiday as some people are still working throughout the holiday.

Hospital workers, local shop owners, road workers, pilots, police officers, and many more, all fall under this category of holiday workers who work around the clock to better serve the people of Samoa.

Although their duties benefit our community immensely, they usually go unnoticed.

I take great pride in my work and Im happy to work during the Christmas holiday.

That was according Aukuso Ie who works for Samoa Holiday.

Potholes are visible as far as the eye can see all thanks to the heavy rainfall that has been battering Samoa lately.

Mr. Ie is part of the road construction team that was requested by LTA to help fix the roads.

As you are aware, it has been raining the past few days so the roads are really bad he said.

So thats why our boss asked us to come and work and use this day to try and fix the roads.

He said they were informed about their work on Tuesday just before Christmas, so they took a two day break, Sunday and Monday.

He added that this was not the only holiday he has missed out on.

We even worked on white Sunday and various other holidays, he said.

Even though they had to stand in the scorching sun for hours during a holiday, Mr. Ie said he had no resentment in doing their duty, only happiness because they understood the importance of their job.

We are happy to do it, he said.

We understand that it is very important to fix our roads and we know the service we offer is very important.

As you can see, we started in the morning and we are all happy to be serving our country.

Its always a good feeling helping out and serving our people and knowing that you can make a difference.

I know a lot of people dont really care about the work that we do, but I like to think that our little work can help make transportation easier in Samoa.

Especially during this time because we have a lot of visitors from overseas, so its better help to have nice roads so they can go back and tell their friends the good stories about Samoa.

So to me honestly, I am happy that we are working today because as you can see, the roads have been damaged by the rains. Therefore, we are happy to provide for their families. this service for our people and country.

For Falaniko Apelu, of the company SWEL, an extra day of work is an extra day with food.

Our boss told us to cut and clean the grounds on the side of the roads, he said.

I dont mind working during the holiday.

Even though most of Samoa is on break, Id rather work for a better life for my family

They deserve so much more so thats why Im here sweating in this heat

Although working is a must for the workers of SWEL in Vaitele, Mr. Apelu continues to tell himself that this extra work will not only benefit Samoa, but it will benefit his family as well.

I know others are spending times with their families and are resting right now but we are happy to provide this service as it will also benefit us as well, he said.

We will get paid and at least we will get some extra money for our families these holidays.

So even though it may seem hard, but like I said, we are happy to do it.
Its undeniable. Everywhere we look today we see conflicts.

At a time when there is so much celebration, it is sadly also marked by strife and wars near and far. When we switch on the TV, we see so much bloodshed. Gone are the days when the loss of life was restricted to war zones and battle fields. These days they are happening everywhere. And sometimes live for the world to see.

Indeed this is a time unquestionably marked by infamy and shame around the world so that weve become so used to seeing bloodshed, death and experiencing the resulting hopelessness which follows.

Here in Samoa, we havent been incident free ourselves.

Although there are no civil wars and bloody strife visible in most places to speak of, there is no doubt the increase of acts of lawlessness and wanton violence are alarming.

Some of these cases have claimed innocent lives.

Others have led to long drawn Court battles that are still pending.

Ironically, we often talk about troubles elsewhere in the world and yet we talk about peace and stability as if they belong to this country.

Its true to an extent.

But there is also reason to be alarmed.

Today, peace and stability in Samoa is under threat. Whereas family violence has increased without a doubt, the sight of armed Police officers in some cases weve seen this year tell us that not all is well.

But as we count down to the end of 2016, lets talk about peace. Lets think about restoration, reconciliation, love and care.

Lets be encouraged that whatever we are going through, we must learn to say this too shall pass. As leaders, we have to remind our young generation that force and violence are not the answer.

Whats important is dialogue and mutual respect. And lets not forget the Samoan saying: O lalo lava e saili ai malo. (It is through humility that victory is won).

Speaking of humility and victory; yesterday was a very important day in the life of this country. Its a day that we should remember forever.

Commonly referred to as Samoas Black Saturday, it was the day when the idea that Samoa would somehow become politically independent one day was conceived in bloodshed. The blood belonged to the leader of Samoas non-violent Mau a Tumua ma Pule Movement, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IIII, who was shot by New Zealand Police.

*On December 28, 1929, as people of the Mau movement and its supporters took to the streets and assembled together in what was supposed to be a peaceful Mau movement demonstration, it was disrupted with the throwing of stones and New Zealand military police drawing gunfire.

The New Zealand military police had wounded many and killed several people, along with Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III.

As Lealofi III lay dying, he made a final plea to his followers: My blood has been spilt for Samoa. I am proud to give it. Do not dream of avenging it, as it was spilt in peace. If I die, peace must be maintained at any price.

Samoa, lets think about peace today. Lets remember the words of Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III. God bless.

*Information about Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III was taken from www.samoanbios.com
The head of the Muslim League in Samoa, Laulu Mohammed Daniel Stanley, has warned the government about the consequences of amending the Constitution to make Samoa a Christian state.

While Laulu is mindful that government will do whatever they want, he maintains his objection to the change.

The amendment which is under the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 2 (2016) was tabled by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi last week.

It was one of two Constitutional amendments read out during the last Parliament sitting for 2016.

The amendments Explanatory Memorandum states that it aims to insert in the Constitution that Samoa is a Christian nation to declare the dominance of Christianity in Samoa.

However, Laulu believes that government had not thought out the consequences of the change.

No one can go against the Constitution change because we have a one state party system, he told the Samoa Observer.

So whatever rubbish Tuilaepa puts in parliament will be approved. If you look at it this is one step towards total evil in this country.

We think we hold this special pride that we would be the only nation in the world to declare the nation as a Christian state but the consequences are immense.

Laulu pointed out that even the Vatican City is not classified as a Christian nation but rather a religious nation.

According to him, if Samoa does identify itself as a Christian state, it means it cannot accept money or borrow money from non-Christian countries.

What is the definition of Christian? he asked.

Does this mean that we will not be accepting anymore money from Chinese and everywhere that are not Christians yet we borrow from these non-Christian countries?

How about the employees, will they advertise jobs asking each applicant to submit a letter from church ministers? What will happen when we need experts who cannot be certified by church ministers?

Earlier this year, Tuilaepa said the constitution protects the right to practice any religion but doesnt rule out the establishment of an official state religion.

He said the countrys constitution may be changed to recognise Christian principles and teachings, not just in the preamble. Presently, the Christian references are only in the preamble and are not part of Samoas law.

Tuilaepa revealed the constitutional move at the 50th anniversary celebrations for the National Council of Churches this year.

He said Samoa is a Christianity-based country and that goes together with Samoan cultures and traditions.

Meanwhile, Laulu said the government may not be Christian but the people are Christian.

If we go ahead with this a government that based its principles on Christianity then who are they to say they qualify in the bible, he questioned.

They must have some sort of qualification for thiseven people who go into parliament and cabinet would need that and will we have to reword all our laws to coincide with the word of the bible?

Laulu said with all the questions he has the only expert that has the answers will be Tuilaepa.

He added that there are different kinds of Christians and roles but which church will be the official Christian church.

E.F.K.S. will not follow the Pope and likewise for Catholics, he said.

The most common word used is Christian but all the roles are different. They use the same bible but have different interpretationssome churches follow the bible but do not believe in Christmas.

Lastly, Laulu said there are more in-fighting between Christians than in fighting between Muslims and Christians. Asked how the Muslim community will be affected by the change, Laulu said it wont.

They still cant change article 11 that gives us the right to freedom of religion, he said.

But I still do not support the change for the reasons I mentioned.
Qualcomm said late Tuesday that it would fight a ruling by South Koreas top trade regulator that fined the San Diego wireless company $865 million for allegedly violating competition laws with its patent licensing practices.

The fine comes after an investigation by the Korea Fair Trade Commission, which appears to want Qualcomm to change unfair business practices in the way it licenses its 3G and 4G technology.

This case is meaningful in that the Korea Fair Trade Commission is the first to rectify Qualcomms unfair business model under which Qualcomm has refused to license competing chipset companies while coercing unilateral license terms on handset companies in order to strengthen its monopolistic power in the patent license market and the chipset market, said the KFTC in a statement.

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The ruling was a blow to Qualcomm, which called the action unprecedented. The company says that regulators are upending patent royalty practices that have been in place for more than two decades worldwide and benefited South Korean companies including Samsung and LG.

Qualcomm strongly believes that the Korea Fair Trade Commission findings are inconsistent with the facts, disregard the economic realities of the marketplace and misapply fundamental tenets of competition law, said Don Rosenberg, the companys general counsel, in a statement.

The company said its patent royalties collected on smartphones sold in South Korea amounted to less than $230 million for its 2016 fiscal year ending in September  highlighting that the fine was unreasonable for the size of the Korean market.

For decades, Qualcomm has worked hand-in-hand with Korean companies to foster the growth of the wireless Internet, said Rosenberg. Qualcomms technology and its business model have helped those companies grow into global leaders in the wireless industry. This decision ignores that win-win relationship.

Qualcomm has been a longtime supplier of smartphone chips to both LG Electronics and Samsung, the worlds largest seller of smartphones using the Android operating system. Samsung also manufactures Qualcomms Snapdragon chips at its semiconductor factories.

Qualcomm makes money not only designing mobile semiconductors, but also by licensing its vast portfolio of wireless patents on key cellular technology. It charges patent royalties based on the wholesale price of the smartphone. It typically licenses its entire patent portfolio, which includes thousands of diverse wireless patents.

South Korean regulators object to Qualcomms practice of licensing its entire portfolio, and they say Qualcomm forces firms that buy its semiconductors to also license its patents in violation of South Koreas competition laws.

The commission launched its probe around the time that Chinas top anti-monopoly regulator fined Qualcomm $975 million to settle an antitrust investigation.

As part of that settlement, Qualcomm agreed to change its patent licensing scheme within Chinas borders, basically allowing certain China-only smartphone makers to license patents at a lower royalty rate. Qualcomm offers the same deal to all phone makers worldwide for sales within China.

Bernstein Research Analyst Stacy Rasgon said the fine was the largest issued by the Korea Fair Trade Commission. In a research note, Rasgon noted that regulators appear to be demanding Qualcomm change its business model, including separating out standard essential patents from nonessential patents.

In 2010, the same South Korea regulator fined Qualcomm $208 million over its patent licensing practices for 3G technologies. The company paid the fine but appealed. It lost in a lower court and asked the Korea Supreme Court to hear the case. There has been no further action.

Qualcomm said it has yet to receive a written order from the Korea Fair Trade Commission in this latest dispute. That usually takes four to six months. Once it gets the written documents, Qualcomm will seek a stay of the action and appeal both the regulatory findings and the fine to the Seoul High Court.

Still, Qualcomm must pay the fine within 60 days of getting the written order under Korean law. It could receive a refund if the company wins on appeal.

During the investigation, Qualcomm asked a U.S. federal court in San Jose to intervene in the matter. It asked the judge to order Apple, Samsung and other firms to turn over the information that they shared with Korea Fair Trade Commission about Qualcomm. The company claimed that the commission was not disclosing information as required.

Qualcomms repeated requests during the KFTCs investigation for basic due process rights such as access to case files and the right to cross examine witnesses were denied, said Rosenberg. These rights and others are supposed to be guaranteed to U.S. companies under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, yet the KFTC declined to implement these fundamental procedural safeguards.

Qualcomms shares closed Wednesday at $65.75, down $1.50 in trading on the Nasdaq exchange.

Business

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
More than 80 years after the first successful school desegregation case in the nation put Lemon Grove in the spotlight, the city has its first two Mexican-American council members.

David Arambula and Matt Mendoza were the top two vote-getters of seven Lemon Grove City Council hopefuls in the November election. They are the first Hispanic elected officials since the city was incorporated in 1977.

The two join new mayor Racquel Vasquez, the first female African-American mayor in San Diego County history.

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Lemon Grove Historical Society President Helen Ofield said the new council makeup proves that the city is once again a positive role model.

Taken as a whole, the historical society proudly finds this new council representative of post World War II Lemon Grove, Ofield said. A new generation of accomplished, eager leaders. When the wheel of history turns, this is what should happen.

Arambula, 42, is a Marine Corps veteran who moved to San Diego County from Los Angeles in 1997. He said he thinks having Hispanic leadership in Lemon Grove is particularly important given its history. He referred to what is known as the Lemon Grove Incident.

In 1931, Roberto Alvarez sued the board of trustees of the Lemon Grove School District, and it proved to be the first successful school desegregation case in the nation.

Parents in Lemon Grove petitioned the courts when their children were forced to attend an Americanization school instead of the local public school. In response, then-San Diego Superior Court Judge Claude Chambers said the school board members condoned illegal segregation, and he ordered that all students of Mexican ancestry be admitted to the main school. Chambers concluded in his ruling that segregation in the district had no legal basis.

It seems like a good continuation of a story that shows that although it has taken some time to get Latino representation on the City Council, it has happened, Arambula said. And in my opinion, it will help promote the uniqueness and beauty of our city, our wonderful history and the continued progress our little city is and will continue making.

According to the 2010 census, Hispanic or Latino residents made up 41 percent of Lemon Groves population of 25,000.

Mendoza, 58, is a Lemon Grove native and a 1976 graduate of Mount Miguel High.

He said the gender mix and multicultural look of the Lemon Grove City Council, which includes Caucasians Jerry Jones and Jennifer Mendoza (no relation to Matt Mendoza), shows the open-mindedness of the city.

Having the first black woman mayor, and at the same time voting in two Mexican-American city councilmen it still shows that people do care about their community and are not prejudiced, he said.

Jennifer Mendoza encouraged Arambula to run for office in Lemon Grove. She met him several times over the years and was impressed with his energy level and concern and interest in the community.

Her interest in bringing him to the council stemmed from an award she was given by Assemblywoman Shirley Webers office in 2015 during Spanish Heritage Month.

Jennifer Mendoza, who is married to a man with a Latino surname, sad she told Webers representative Lee Hernandez, that she wasnt Hispanic.

She said Lee replied: We know you are not. The important thing is you are a leader for Hispanics in your community. You are respected in your community.

After that happened, I thought, you know? Lemon Grove needs a real Hispanic leader. Its absolutely a crime that we dont have one, Mendoza said.
Officials with the Del Mar Fairgrounds have reached an agreement with a group representing local Native American tribes over a change to the theme for the 2017 San Diego County Fair. An earlier version of the theme had been deemed as extremely offensive by at least one local tribe.

The new theme will be Where the West is Fun, and will highlight the history of the West and San Diego County in the mid-to late 1800s, said Fred Schenk, a member of the board of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which operates the state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds and runs the annual county fair.

The agreement came Dec. 20 during a meeting between representatives of the fair board and the Southern California Tribal Chairmens Association, a consortium of 19 tribes, said Schenk.

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We worked that out and everybody is very pleased, Schenk said last week.

According to Schenk, the original theme  How the West was Fun  may have given the suggestion that the winning of the American West from Native Americans had been fun.

That suggestion offended local Native Americans.

There was insufficient public review and participation in this decision. The logo is extremely offensive in light of the history and experience of genocide for the Kumeyaay Nation and other Native nations during the so-called settling of the west, Angela Elliott Santos, tribal chairwoman of the Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, wrote in a letter to the fair board that was also copied to the tribal adviser to Gov. Jerry Brown.

Earlier, Schenk said, When I read that (letter), my reaction was, I want to make sure we dont disappoint any group that we respect and want to have come to the fair. I want to work with anyone who feels that we didnt give adequate thought to the slogan.

At a Dec. 13 board of directors meeting, officials had been planning to introduce a new fair website, but that rollout was delayed while the issue regarding the fair theme and logo was resolved

Theres a new sheriff in town and its You, partner. Grab your cowboy hat, pull on your boots, and ride on over to this years San Diego County Fair as we celebrate the legendary rough-and-tumble Wild, Wild West, reads the intro copy. The 2017 fair runs from June 2 through July 4.

The fair logo includes a cowboy rearing back on a horse, framed by cactuses.

Each year, fair officials develop a theme and logo and related marketing materials. Recent themes have included Mad About the Fair, relating to Alice in Wonderland, and The Fab Fair, celebrating the Beatles and other British invasion bands.

Schenk, who has served on the fair board on and off since 2003, could not recall a similar circumstance when the planned theme had offended a community group.

The fair always includes an exhibit hall dedicated to the years theme, which is located near the entrance to the fairgrounds. Schenk said discussions had already been underway before the letter was received from the Manzanita band to include Native American history and culture in the themed exhibit. Those efforts to incorporate Native American cultural contributions into the exhibit will continue now that the theme issue has been resolved, Schenk said.

Santos did not return phone messages from a reporter seeking comment. In her letter, she cited several books that chronicle the genocide that took place during the late 1800s in what is now the Western United States.

One of the books was Murder State: Californias Native American Genocide, 1846-1873, by Brendan C. Lindsay.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Euro-American citizenry of California carried out mass genocide against the Native population of their state, using the processes and mechanisms of democracy to secure land and resources for themselves and their private interests. The murder, rape, and enslavement of thousands of Native people were legitimized by notions of democracy  in this case mob rule  through a discreetly organized and brutally effective series of petitions, referenda, town hall meetings, and votes at every level of California government, reads a description of the book, which was published by the University of Nebraska Press, on Amazon.com.

Santos letter concluded, The Kumeyaay Nation is interested in working with the Del Mar Fair to meet their mission objective by developing educational and interpretive programs to accurately display the heritage of the Kumeyaay Nation for the general public.

Schenk said the issue was resolved thanks to the prompt response by all parties.

We were able to come up with a slogan that pleases everyone, he said.
An initiative drive planned in Oceanside is aimed at forcing the city to allow medical marijuana dispensaries, even though the City Council has repeatedly banned them.

Two medical marijuana advocates, Amber and David Newman, said they plan to write an initiative and collect signatures on a petition to put a measure on the Oceanside ballot in 2018.

A similar petition now circulating in nearby Vista has already collected thousands of signatures, and could force a measure on that citys ballot later this year.

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California first legalized medicinal marijuana 10 years ago, but gave municipalities the power to regulate cannabis sales within their boundaries. Many cities  including all in North County  have opted to ban dispensaries that sell pot, citing public safety concerns.

In November, state voters approved Proposition 64, allowing the use and distribution of recreational marijuana with many of the same controls as the medical marijuana rules. The momentum from that measure and the growing power of the cannabis industry has led to a new push to force cities to allow pot sales.

We want to give patients access to safe, affordable, lab-tested medicine and we want to keep children and neighborhoods safe by moving cannabis off the streets and into a regulated market that can be monitored, said David Newman, who with his wife owns a medical marijuana nursery where they grow plants that they sell to patients through a nonprofit organization called A Soothing Seed.

In the coming weeks, the pair said, theyll launch a political action committee to begin collecting the money they will need to fund the Oceanside campaign, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Newmans said they plan to model their initiative after a similar one passed in Long Beach in the Nov. 8 election. That measure allows dispensaries to open and imposes a city tax of 6 percent. San Diego  which had already passed a law allowing limited medical marijuana dispensaries  passed another measure in November regulating recreational pot sales.

Under the Newmans proposal, Oceanside could perhaps have 10 dispensaries, depending on the citys population  one for every 18,000 residents. It would also allow marijuana growing and laboratory testing operations.

The measure would set a city tax rate of 6 percent of annual gross marijuana sales. Cultivation operations would have an annual tax of $10 per square foot of growing area. All marijuana related businesses would have a to pay a minimum annual tax of $1,000 to the city.

The Newmans said they plan to hold community meetings and gather input on their proposal to gain support for their effort.

Were going to go grassroots, were going to take our time, Newman said. Were going to work with the city. Were going to work with the people of the city.

To get the measure on the ballot, organizers would have to collect signatures from 10 percent of voters registered in Oceanside, City Clerk Zack Beck said. Thats roughly 8,761 signatures, based on the 87,612 voters currently registered in the city, according to the county Registrar of Voters.

Organizers say they realize that getting the initiative approved will not be easy. They said they plan to lobby city and elected officials to get their support.

Mayor Jim Wood said hes skeptical about allowing dispensaries to open.

As an ex-police officer, I cant recommend it, Wood said, pointing out that marijuana is still an illegal drug under federal law.

Several cities in Southern California voted on marijuana-related measures during the recent election with varying degrees of success.

San Diego voters overwhelmingly approved Measure N, which imposes a 5 percent tax on non-medical marijuana businesses.

Voters in Costa Mesa approved Measure X, which allows medical marijuana businesses in some parts of the city. But Measure KK in Laguna Beach, which would have rescinded a ban on dispensaries, was soundly defeated.

In Vista, a group called Vistans for Better Community Access is collecting signatures to overturn that citys ban on dispensaries. It would authorize a limited number of dispensaries and allow the city to license, regulate and tax them.

Organizers there said they want to collect 5,607 valid signatures, which is 15 percent of all registered voters in Vista. Thats enough to force the City Council to ether enact the measure outright or schedule a special election, expected to cost about $350,000.

Newman said he knows and has met with some of the people backing the Vista initiative. But he said the two are separate and we are not looking to affect anyone elses efforts.

We do wish them the best of luck and will be following their progress closely, Newman said.

The Newmans said they dont want force Oceanside to hold an expensive special election, which could cost about $500,000.

Despite Oceansides history of strict policies against pot shops, the Newmans say they believe they can get support from some city leaders and a majority of the citys voters.

Earlier this year, several council members said they were moved by the testimonies of medical marijuana patients who spoke during meeting about how the drug had helped them with various illnesses.

At that time, the council voted to allow medical marijuana delivery services to operate in the city if they registered with the citys police department and met certain criteria.

Councilman Chuck Lowery said recently that he wants to see the Newmans plan before he decides whether to support it, but said hes sympathetic to their cause.

The difference in medical marijuana and recreational is significant, Lowery said I share (their) concerns regarding the availability of medical marijuana for those who need it for their personal conditions.

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.

edward.sifuentes@sduniontribune.com

@EdwardSifuentes
A longtime acquaintance of a man shot to death in front of a Vista home on Christmas Eve was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder, a sheriffs lieutenant said.

The suspect Kevin Phan, 22, had a history of dispute with the victim, Tyler Branon, also 22, said Lt. Dan Brislin.

He said homicide detectives are still investigating the motive behind the shooting.

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Branon had been at an uncles Christmas Eve party when he made a trip to his vehicle and never returned inside, according to GoFundMe page set up by Branons cousin. The page said Branon was in his car when he was shot three times in the torso in a senseless act of violence.

Sheriffs officials said reports of multiple gunshots brought deputies to the home on Morning Glory Lane, near South Santa Fe Avenue, about 8 p.m. and that Branon was discovered wounded in his vehicle.

Deputies and paramedics performed life-saving efforts on the man, but he died before he could be taken to a hospital.

Brislin said the investigation led homicide detectives to suspect Phan as the trigger man. They arrested him about 10:30 a.m. at his familys home in a gated community in Vistas Shadowridge neighborhood.

Phan was booked into the Vista jail on suspicion of murder. His arraignment is slated for Thursday afternoon.

The GoFundMe page was created to raise money for Branons funeral expenses.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
CITY COUNCILS

CARLSBAD

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The Carlsbad City Council met Dec. 13 and swore in newly elected officials Keith Blackburn and Cori Schumacher; approved raises for part-time employees whose pay is below minimum wage; and approved an ordinance to reduce the 40 mph speed zone on Black Rail Road to include only the area from Poinsettia Lane to Aviara Parkway.

DEL MAR

The Del Mar City Council met Monday in closed session to discuss litigation. In regular session, the council approved a resolution expressing the citys support for the adoption of a national revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend program. It also approved preliminary permits for the Barn at the Beach, an event tent related to the 2017 Breeders Cup; extended a temporary moratorium on the use of residential property for short-term rental housing; and approved an ordinance regarding temporary use permits for events on private property, and associated fees. The council also approved a resolution affirming the citys commitment to basic individual and constitutional protections and to pursuing important city programs based on the best available science, not on partisan ideas.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas City Council met in special session Dec. 13 and swore in newly elected Mayor Catherine Blakespear and council members Tony Kranz, Tasha Boerner Horvath and Mark Muir. Kranz was selected as deputy mayor. The council decided to use the appointment process to fill the seat vacated by Blakespear. The council also met on Dec. 14 and approved a one-year memorandum of understanding with the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce to provide a Senior Expo on Feb. 25 at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center; decided to proceed on amendments to regulations for accessory dwelling units in residential zones; and amended the lease agreement with New Cingular Wireless from five years to one year. The council also denied an appeal of permits granted for a private club (The Leucadia Club) to provide beer, wine and liquor; and directed staff to proceed with a plan for an urban forest advisory committee and to hire a city arborist.

ESCONDIDO

The Escondido City Council met Dec. 14 to swear in re-elected council members Olga Diaz and Mike Morasco, and City Treasurer Douglas Shultz. Councilman John Masson was appointed deputy mayor.

OCEANSIDE

The Oceanside City Council met in special session Dec. 14 to swear in re-elected members Jim Wood, Esther Sanchez and Jack Feller. The council decided to appoint someone to the vacant city treasurer position. The council also met Wednesday and approved several parking changes, including back-in (reverse angle) parking on the west side of North Cleveland Street between Pier View Way and Seagaze Drive, and a two-hour parking zone from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Sundays and holidays, on North Cleveland between Mission Avenue and Seagaze Drive, on Mission Avenue between North Cleveland Street and the railroad tracks, and on Seagaze Drive west of the centerline of North Cleveland Street. The council also requested a report in six months on the reverse-angle parking.

POWAY

The Poway City Council met Tuesday and swore in re-elected council members Jim Cunningham and Barry Leonard.

SAN MARCOS

The San Marcos City Council met Dec. 13 and swore in re-elected council members Rebecca D. Jones and Sharon Jenkins. The council also adopted on second reading an ordinance approving an amendment of the San Marcos Highlands Specific Plan, and an ordinance approving a prezone of 9.73 acres to the San Marcos Highlands Specific Plan Area; and approved $401,362 additional funding to the budget for the Armorlite Drive Smart Growth Corridor Enhancements project; and approved a final subdivision map and easements for parts of the San Elijo Hills project; and a final subdivision map for Rancho Coronado.

SOLANA BEACH

The Solana Beach City Council met Dec. 14 and swore in re-elected member David Zito and new members Jewel Edson and Judy Hegenauer. Councilman Mike Nichols was appointed mayor and Councilwoman Ginger Marshall was appointed deputy mayor. The council held hearings and approved permits for a single-story residence on South Nardo Avenue, and approved with modifications a request for improvements to a 124-unit development on Solana Hills Drive. The council also approved stop signs at the Glenmont/Lynwood intersection and parking changes near Santa Fe Christian Schools.

VISTA

The Vista City Council met Dec. 13 in special session to certify election results and swear in newly elected member Joe Green and re-elected member Amanda Young Rigby. In regular session, the council selected John Franklin as deputy mayor; approved resolutions and an ordinance regarding work on the Vista Palomar Mixed Use Project; approved issuing special tax refunding bonds for no more than $5,550,000; approved revisions to minimum parking requirements and parking ratios; and approved fee changes for city services and recreation programs. The council also discussed regulations for temporary signs during elections.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

DEL MAR

The Del Mar Union School District board met in closed session Dec. 14 to discuss litigation. In open session, the board swore in newly elected members Erica Halpern and Stephen Cochrane. The board also held a hearing on initial proposals for the 2016-2017 labor agreement with the Del Mar California Teachers Association; and approved its first interim fiscal report.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas Union School District board met in closed session Dec. 13 to discuss legal matters. In open session, the board swore in newly elected members Rimga Viskanta and Leslie Schneider, and elected Gregg Sonken as president, Marla Strich as vice president and Emily Andrade as clerk. The board also heard a report on Next Generation Science Standards, and approved a job description for the new position of Human Resources Specialist.

ESCONDIDO

The Escondido Union High School District board met in closed session Dec. 13 to discuss personnel and student discipline, labor negotiations and litigation. In open session, the board swore in re-elected member Christi Knight and new member Dane White; Knight was elected board president, Jon Petersen as vice president and Bill Durney as clerk. The board approved its first interim financial report, adopted recommended changes and additions in board policies regarding educational services and human resources, and approved the first reading of recommended changes in policies regarding the superintendent and educational services.

OCEANSIDE

The Oceanside Unified School District board met Dec. 13 to swear in members and elect Robert Gleisberg as president, Ann Corwin as vice president and Emily Ortiz Wichmann as board clerk. The board also approved revisions to board policies, agreed to seek bids on electrical upgrades and landscaping at Ivey Ranch Elementary School, and heard Coastal Academy Charter Schools annual report. The board then went into closed session to discuss litigation, labor negotiations, and the superintendents evaluation.

POWAY

The Poway Unified School District board met in closed session Dec. 13 to discuss litigation, labor negotiation and personnel. A reception was held to honor retiring trustee Andy Patapow. In open session, the board swore in new and re-elected trustees, and re-elected Michelle OConnor-Ratcliff and T.J. Zane as president and vice president, respectively. New trustee Darshana Patel was elected as clerk. The board also approved its first interim financial report, approved a resolution ordering foreclosures on several tax-delinquent properties, and agreed to issue special tax refunding bonds not to exceed $8 million.

RAMONA

The Ramona Unified School District board met Dec. 15 in closed session to discuss litigation and negotiations. In open session, the board approved the ratified contract with the Ramona Teachers Association and the contract with the California School Employees Association Chapter #733. The board also recognized the Golden Bell award for the Eco-Leaders Save the World program, led by Ramona High teacher Gloria Quinn, and that Ramona Elementary was awarded $55,000 from Supervisor Dianne Jacob for a playground remodel. The board also learned that Palomar College will offer six classes at Ramona Community Campus and two at Ramona High School for the spring 2017 semester.

SAN PASQUAL

The San Pasqual Union School District board met Dec. 13 and approved its first interim financial report. Blaise Jackson was elected board president, and Scott Heidemann was elected vice president. Angie Baker was elected clerk. The board approved a 3 percent raise to its contract with the San Pasqual Elementary Teachers Association. Science teachers gave a curriculum report..

VALLECITOS/RAINBOW

The Vallecitos School District board met Dec. 13 and swore in its newly elected members. Michael Darnley will be board president; Michelle La Londe will be vice president, and, Rae Lynn Heilbron will be clerk. The board decided to fill its open seat at the Jan. 3 meeting by appointment. The board viewed a YouTube video created by Superintendent David Jones on the districts facilities needs, and also discussed a medical marijuana dispensary that is reportedly operating less than a mile from the school. The board will work with local planning groups to ensure it is shut down.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
Larry Koger, R.I.P.

Larry Koger wore two hats  and, as photos show, the occasional set of goat ears. Like the ears, both hats fit him well.

Both have to do with community, he told me in 2013, when he was an interim Lutheran pastor and co-owner of La Mesas West Coast Barbecue & Brew. We have a community here at West Coast Barbecue  and some of our best customers are from St. Andrews Lutheran Church, about two blocks away.

Koger, 56, collapsed and died on Dec. 12, apparently from an undiagnosed heart ailment. The day before, he had donned his vestments and goat ears for a childrens Christmas pageant at San Diegos First Lutheran Church.

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He loved people, loved good beer and loved God, said Bishop Andy Taylor of the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. And he saw all three working together.

He did so, despite the occasional skeptics in the pews and on the bar stools.

Church people in a pub  that doesnt sound like it would work, said Tom Nickel, Kogers business partner at West Coast. But he made it happen and it wasnt at all awkward.

A 1986 graduate of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., Koger got his professional start as a youth minister for five churches in San Fernando Valley.

Later assignments took him to churches in Yorba Linda, Porterville and Temecula. In that latter city, he was Hope Lutherans senior pastor.

Since 2010, hes served as interim pastor for a series of Lutheran churches, including ones in La Mesa, Pacific Beach and downtown San Diego.

If Sunday mornings found him in a pulpit, Friday nights often included a stop at OBriens Pub in Kearny Mesa for a hoppy IPA or a rich coffee stout. One evening, he turned to the owner, Nickel, and made a confession.

I think owning a place like this would be fun, Koger told Nickel. If you help me open this up, maybe I can do it.

Borrowing Nickels connections and know-how, Koger opened West Coast Barbecue & Beer in spring 2012.

The seeds for this venture were planted in the seminary, when Kogers love of craft beer began with his first taste of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Three decades later, that was the first beer he tapped at West Coast.

Behind the bar, he preached the virtues of full-flavored ales and lagers  and ministered to customers in a gently spiritual manner.

Especially since he opened West Coast, he showed his great pastoral gifts of enjoying people and talking to them, walking with them in their struggles, said Bishop Taylor, a friend and fellow beer fan.

This was a community. It was not only about the beer, it was about befriending each other, supporting each other in difficult times.

His funeral was Dec. 18 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hemet.

Koger is survived by a wife, a daughter, and numerous congregations both sacred and secular.

At OBriens, Nickel was struck by how many of his regulars eulogized Koger with the identical sentiments.

Larry, they told Nickel, was the nicest person I ever met.

Kings of beer

On New Years Eve, I want something as bubbly and hopeful as a page full of resolutions. Champagne fits the bill, naturally, as does Malheur Zestig (10 percent alcohol by volume).

This unfiltered Belgian blonde is a bit of a surprise  Im a fan of Malheur 12, a brawny quadruple with dark, candied fruit flavors. Zestig packs a punch but lacks the 12s more evident booziness. The emphasis is on herbal hops, toasted grains, a slight pepperiness and plenty of yeast. Its like a more refined Duvel, the classic strong Belgian golden ale.

Zestig is Dutch for 60, a reference to the beers 60 bittering units. This weeks King, Zestig is a great prelude to  or substitute for  any bubbly youll use to toast the start of 2017.

Last weeks King, Victory at Sea: Peppermint (10 percent), is a seasonal beer thats tightly tied to a particular season. The 12 days of Christmas dont end until Jan. 5, though, and I wouldnt balk if my true love slipped me a bottle or two of this mint-and-vanilla laced porter next week.

Festival fight

For breweries, competition is fierce for shelf space in markets, tap handles in bars  and now, it seems, booths at festivals.

Kelsey McNair, owner of North Park Beer Co., was recently bumped from Jan. 7s San Diego Beer Fest at Liberty Station. Organizers initially agreed to buy three kegs of his beer, McNair said, then learned he is donating beer to the Best Coast Beer Fest, March 11.

McNair said a San Diego Beer Fest representative issued an ultimatum: Unless you want to donate to us, we will take you off the list.

McNair declined. He noted that breweries often donate beers to festivals, especially if the proceeds benefit a good cause. (San Diego Beer Fest helps Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue, which finds homes for dogs. Best Coast benefits Cancer for College, which funds cancer survivors scholarships.)

When someone agrees to buy your beer, then demands that you donate it, McNair said, that doesnt sit well with me.

San Diego Beer Fest did not respond to a request for comment.

Did you know

San Diego breweries have gone sour. On RateBeer.com, the top 50 sour red/brown ales include three from Lost Abbey, one from Modern Times and one from Green Flash; the top 50 sour/wild ales count six from Lost Abbey, and one each from Alpine and Oceanside Ale Works.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had incorrect information about Larry Kogers age and the year he graduated from the seminary. The story has been updated.

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Twitter: @peterroweut

peter.rowe@sduniontribune.com
To usher in 2017, weve gathered some of the hottest restaurants around San Diego ideal for celebrating, dining and toasting the arrival of a new year. Here are our top picks.

The Cork & Craft

Rancho Bernardo

Cork & Craft has quite the spread for New Years Eve. Executive chef Scott Cannon is serving up a memorable five-course menu with starters of lobster bisque, caviar and smoke creme fraiche. Next, dine on entrees like the roasted quail and crusted wagyu sirloin. Make sure to save room for dessert, as well as drinks from Cork & Crafts in-house brewery, Abnormal Beer Co. 3 to 10 p.m. $65. 16990 Via Tazon, Rancho Bernardo. thecorkandcraft.com

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Herb & Wood

Little Italy

Herb & Wood, led by chef Brian Malarkey, has been the talk of the town this year. Indulge with a three-course, prix fixe menu with picks like the seared scallops, braised beef belly, lobster crepe, whipped eggplant and smoked short rib gnocchi. Save room for desserts made just for ringing in the New Year, like the passion fruit Bavarian cream and brown butter pecan gelato. Plenty of bubbly will be available. 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. seatings. $74.64 for first seating; $98.23 for second seating. 2210 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. herbandwood.com

Urban Solace

North Park

Chef Matt Gordon of Urban Solace will whip up a three-course, prix fixe meal to celebrate the end of the year. Try tasty options like the lobster bisque, smoked salt-rubbed sturgeon, peppered beef tenderloin and the caramelized leek, apple, goat and brie tart. Conclude your meal on a sweet note with either the citrus-scented cheesecake or a bittersweet chocolate mousse torte. $50. 3823 30th St., North Park. urbansolace.net

Pacifica Del Mar

Del Mar

Head to Del Mar to enjoy Chef David Burkes foodie creations at Pacifica Del Mar. The restaurant features ocean views and will be serving a prix fixe menu. Snack on the chefs choice amuse, lemongrass poached shrimp, duck confit spring rolls, seafood paella, duck prepared three ways and a wide selection of desserts. There will be two dinner sessions offered; one with a classic dinner and the second with a festive toast and DJ. 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. seatings. $63 for first seating; $89 for second seating. 1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. pacificadelmar.com

Juniper & Ivy

Little Italy

This hip eatery, nestled in Little Italy, will offer a four-course menu on New Years Eve featuring some of their most stand-out items of the year. Menu options include selections like the carne crudo asada, oysters and the wagyu short rib. Save room for special desserts like the almond joy. 5 to 11 p.m. $85. 2228 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. juniperandivy.com

Madison on Park

University Heights

Chef Mario Cassineri will be preparing a three-course menu featuring Maine lobster mac and cheese, double-cut sesame crusted pork chops and tuna tartare. The dinner will include a bubbly toast and party favors. Besides celebrating the new year, Madison is also celebrating its one-year anniversary with new barrel-aged cocktails hitting the drink menu. 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. $59.99. 4622 Park Blvd., University Heights. madisononpark.com

Red Marlin

Mission Bay

The New Years Eve dinner menu at Red Marlin features a three-course menu with optional wine pairings. Enjoy a variety of dishes like caldo de mariscos, potato gnocchi and lobster, sesame-crusted ahi tuna, grilled petite filet mignon and seared Maine scallops. Dont forget to grab a slice of white angel food cake for dessert. 6 p.m. $75; $100 with wine tastings. 1441 Quivira Road, Mission Bay. redmarlin.com

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Twitter: @outdoorlivingsd

michael.rocha@sduniontribune.com
A series of moderate earthquakes rocked the California-Nevada border Wednesday, shaking residents in both states but producing no reports of major damage or injury.

The first temblor, with a magnitude of 5.7, occurred at 12:22 a.m. near Hawthorne, Nev. It was followed by a second 5.7 quake and then more than 100 aftershocks.

Light shaking was felt as far away as South Lake Tahoe, Fresno, Visalia and Merced.

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The U.S. Geological Survey said most of the responses to its Did You Feel It? website came from the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada. But residents reported they felt the quakes as far west as San Francisco and as far south as Bakersfield.

On social media, those near the first quake reported a sharp jolt. The epicenter was in a fairly remote, scarcely populated area of Nevada away from larger population centers in Reno and Lake Tahoe. Hawthorne has a population of about 3,300.

Hours later, temblors continued near Hawthorne, with four quakes between magnitude 2.8 and 4 occurring after 4 a.m. A magnitude 3.5 quake was reported at 6:45 a.m.

As the morning progressed, the smaller and less frequent aftershocks continued.

The California Office of Emergency Services said it was assessing the situation, but there were no reports of serious injuries or damage.

According to the USGS, the 5.7 quakes epicenter was 56 miles from Gardnerville Ranchos, Nev., 69 miles from South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 70 miles from Carson City, Nev., and 84 miles from Fernley, Nev.

Seismologist Lucy Jones said on Twitter that multiple quakes like Wednesday mornings are not uncommon in the region. She noted that in 1980, Mammoth Lakes experienced several quakes in the magnitude 6 range in one day. That swarm of quakes, which lasted several days, became the subject of much research.

Jones said a bigger quake was possible but increasingly unlikely.

They could be foreshocks but [its] much more likely that weve already seen the largest. Sequence decaying normally, she wrote on Twitter.

In the last 10 days, there have been eight earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

Another significant earthquake shook northwest California earlier this month. On Dec. 6, a magnitude 6.5 quake occurred off the coast of Eureka. That quake caused no damage.

Later Wednesday morning, a 4.1 quake occurred in the Morongo Valley in the Inland Empire.

Read more about Southern California earthquakes.

ALSO

7.7 magnitude quake hits off the coast of Chile, triggering tsunami alert

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How strong is disaster culture in earthquake-prone L.A.?

UPDATES:

10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a magnitude 4.1 quake reported in Morongo Valley.

9:20 a.m.: This article was updated with more details about aftershocks.

7:40 a.m.: This article was updated from comments from seismologist Lucy Jones.

7:05 a.m.: This article was updated with more details and reports of additional quakes.

5:07 a.m.: This article was updated with a fourth quake occurring after 4 a.m.

4:38 a.m.: This article was updated with a report of three additional quakes.

This article was originally published at 1:55 a.m.
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An elementary schools use of planking and other physical exercise to curb misbehavior among students is justified and within discipline policies, according to San Diego Unifieds official response to a formal complaint.

Horton Elementary School has come under fire for disciplining students by forcing them to hold a plank position on a reportedly hot blacktop surface, which the ACLU said amounts to corporal punishment. School leaders were criticized further when parents were banned from campus for 14 days under threat of prosecution after they complained to the principal.

The incident occurred on Oct. 14, when a disturbance broke out in the cafeteria after a student reportedly took a bathroom pass from an employees pocket. In response, the school replaced three days of open recess for fourth- and fifth-graders with structured exercising, including the plank or push-up position.

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According to a Dec. 20 response to a complaint filed by education activist Sally Smith, students had begun laughing, screaming and pounding on the lunch tables. The situation was described as a riot, chaos, and a mob mentality and dangerous situation,  according to the response written by Lynn A. Ryan, San Diego Unifieds uniform complaint officer.

In order to promote team-building and improve student behavior, the principal instituted a structured lunch recess on Oct. 17, 18, and 19. Students participated in physical calisthenic activities of walking, jumping jacks and holding the push-up position (a variation of planks), Ryan wrote.

The district said Horton did not engage in corporal punishment, and Ryans office said no corrective action was needed. However, San Diego Unified acknowledged that Hortons online student handbook was outdated and available only in English at the time of the incident. It is now available for translation in 95 languages.

San Diego Unified said that it could not confirm a claim that a student suffered a blistered hand from planking on a hot blacktop. There was uncertainty as to the cause of the blister.... It could have been a result of playing on the monkey bars, according to the districts response.

However, as a precaution, students were not required to plank on the third day of required exercises. Ryan said that two students with casts on their arms were excused from the activity, and that no other students asked to sit out the calisthenics.

The student exercises were overseen by four teachers, the school nurse, and four lunch supervisors, Ryan said. The principal, who was more than eight months pregnant, led and participated in the activities with students, she said.

The district could not confirm reports that students were threatened with juvenile hall if they did not participate in the exercises.

Principal Staci Dent told the district that her conversation with students centered on leadership, good behavior and self-discipline, Ryan said. Dent also spoke to students about the consequences of bad behavior and its potential for future problems with the law.

The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties has criticized San Diego Unified and called for an apology and staff training in a letter sent to Supt. Cindy Marten.

maureen.magee@sduniontribune.com

Magee writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

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Series of earthquakes hits near California-Nevada border

California boys rescued after their boat capsizes off Florida Keys

Twin boys die in South L.A. house fire
For a teacher who loves traveling, winning a globetrotting fellowship is about as good as it can get.

Doug Banwart, who teaches modern world history to sophomores and United States history to juniors at Ramona High School, recently won a 2016-17 fellowship with the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. Its a year-long professional development program for U.S. teachers at all levels that enhances their skills to become leaders in global education.

I love to experience new cultures, travel, said Banwart. Ive done a lot of mission trips with my family to Mexico. Ive also gone to France and England, and spent a summer in Sierra Leone, where I had the time of my life. Its the third-poorest nation in the world, but it was an awesome experience, and opened my eyes to travel.

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So he looked online for free teacher study tours, found several, and applied.

I applied in March (to TGC), and found out I won in June, said Banwart, a 10-year teaching veteran. So I was doing the happy dance. To be accepted  one of 75 accepted out of 500 applicants  its a great honor. Im thrilled to be a part of it.

Seven California teachers, including Richard Froehbrodt, who teaches at Franklin Elementary in San Diego, were awarded fellowships this cycle.

TGC is run by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), an independent nonprofit whose website says it is dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. The 20142015 group of 77 fellows reached more than 10,000 students in their home communities, according to TGC.

In September, Banwart and his co-winners took part in an online webinar and introduction to a 10-week course on global education.

It exposed us to different viewpoints and strategies for implementing a global focus into our lessons, he said.

That included discussions on what people in the United States can do to help solve world problems such as poverty and climate change.

A lot of global issues were discussed, and what would be the best way to tackle them  as a global nation, if you will, Banwart said.

In February, hell attend a Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C. There hell learn where hell be posted for several weeks this summer. His preliminary regional choices were East Asia and North Africa/Mediterranean.

Chances are good that Ill get the Philippines, China, Vietnam or Japan, Banwart said.

He does know that hell be touring schools, interacting with students and teachers on how they do education there  things that the U.S. and that country could tackle together.

Technology will be a big component for the teachers, he said, because well need to communicate with people around the world. Hes already using programs and apps such as Padlet and Thinglink to share and connect with other teachers.

Its been great, Banwart said of the fellowship so far. It makes you feel energized as a teacher. That definitely extends down to the kids. Its like a shot in the arm.

Global connectivity may sound like a trendy buzzword to some, but Banwart sees a positive aspect for educators and their students.

Ive been trying to globalize my curriculum so students realize its a big world out there, he said. We have common problems, and we need to be able to tackle them together. Especially in the global marketplace  were competing with people from all around the world.

Teachers for Global Classrooms can help, he said, by just bridging the gap so theres less misunderstanding. We can focus on what brings us together, instead of what divides us.

For more about TGC, visit www.irex.org/project/teachers-

global-classrooms-program-tgc.

Laura Groch writes for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Palomar Colleges radio and television programs are in the running to be named the best in the nation.

The colleges radio station, KKSM was named best community college radio station by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System last year, and this year its a finalist for the same recognition and nominated in six other categories.

In student categories, Dario Gallegos show Versatil Style was nominated for best specialty music show, Dylan Hanks commercial about Palomar College was nominated for best commercial, Kenneth Hladkys Plunther Hills Valley was nominated for best comedy program, Ryne Holloways YMCA Transitional Age Youth was nominated for best public service announcement and Kristina Thomas KKSM: Switchin It Up was nominated for best station promo.

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In other nominations, adjunct history professor Joseph Bagnalls Docs Jazz was nominated for best community volunteer personality/program,

The seven nominations place Palomar in a tie with Indiana University, Arizona State University and University of Kansas.

This shows the quality of the programs we offer and the hard work of our students, staff, and faculty, said KKSM station manager Zeb Navarro. I am very proud of the KKSM team and thankful of the support from our administration.

This is the first year IBS has named finalists for television, and Palomar received nominations for two student productions. In both television categories, Palomar was the only community college represented among the finalists.

In the television competition for students, Jay Brown and Marty Golingan were nominated for best newscast and Caitlin Reed was nominated for best talk program.

In the television newscast category, Palomar is competing against Western Illinois University, Ashland University, and Arkansas State University. In the talk program category, the competition includes University of Kansas, University of Missouri and William Paterson University.

KKSM is a 500-watt station that broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from the Palomar College campus in San Marcos, California at 1320AM on the dial, simulcasting on Cox Digital Cable Channel 957 and worldwide on the web.

For more information about Palomar Colleges digital broadcast arts program, go to www2.palomar.edu/pages/dba.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
An elementary schools use of planking and other physical exercise to curb misbehavior among students was justified and within discipline policies, according to San Diego Unifieds official response to a formal complaint filed over the incident.

Horton Elementary School in southeastern San Diego has come under fire for disciplining students by forcing them to hold a plank position on a reportedly hot blacktop surface, which the ACLU said amounts to corporal punishment. School leaders were further criticized when parents were banned from campus for 14 days under threat of prosecution after they complained to the principal.

The incident occurred on Oct. 14 when a ruckus erupted in the cafeteria after a student reportedly took a bathroom pass from an employees pocket. In response, the school replaced three days of open recess for fourth- and fifth-graders with structured exercising, including the plank or push-up position.

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According to a Dec.20 response to a complaint filed on Oct. 24 by education activist Sally Smith, students began laughing, screaming and pounding on the lunch tables. The situation was described as a riot, chaos, and a mob mentality and dangerous situation, according to response written by Lynn A. Ryan, San Diego Unifieds uniform complaint officer.

In order to promote team-building and improve student behavior, the principal instituted a structured lunch recess on October 17, 18, and 19.  Students participated in physical calisthenic activities of walking, jumping jacks, and holding the push-up position (a variation of planks,) Ryan wrote.

The district said Horton did not engage in corporal punishment, and its uniform complaint compliance office said no corrective action is needed. However, San Diego Unified acknowledged that it failed to provide a copy of its safety plan upon request on Oct. 19 as required (it is now available) and that Hortons online student handbook was outdated and only available in English at the time of the incident. It is now available for translation in 95 languages. Whats more, the school was unable to show that it held its required meeting to discuss its safety plan last school year.

San Diego Unified said in its response that it could not confirm a claim that a student suffered a blistered hand from planking on a hot blacktop. There was uncertainty as to the cause of the blister ... it could have been a result of playing on the monkey bars, according to the districts response.

However, as a precaution, students were not required to plank on the third day of required exercises. Ryan said two students with casts on their arms were excused from the activity, and that no other students asked to sit out the calisthenics.

The student exercises were overseen by four teachers, the school nurse (one day), and four lunch supervisors, Ryan said. The principal, who was more than eight months pregnant, led and participated in the activities with students, she said.

The district could not confirm reports that students were threatened with juvenile hall if they did not participate in the exercises. Principal Staci Dent told the district that her conversation with students centered on leadership, good behavior, and self discipline, Ryan said. Dent also spoke to (students) about the consequences of bad behavior and its potential to future (sic) problems with the law.

The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties criticized San Diego Unified and called for an apology and staff training in a letter sent to Superintendent Cindy Marten.

In the meantime, San Diego Unified is working with Hortons parents and principal to reach a resolution, said spokeswoman Shari Winet. Although the district has completed its response to Smiths complaint, it continues to investigate the incident, she said.

The principal sent stay away letters to at least four parents informing them they were banned from campus for 14 days under a provision in the Penal Code. The letters threatened the parents with arrest and prosecution should they enter onto district property in the future and should they cause disturbance or disruption. A second letter informed parents the ban would be lifted if they attended one of several meetings to be held during the workday.

San Diego Unified made several unsuccessful attempts to speak with recipients of the stay-away letters to rectify the issue and lift the order, Winet said.

In its Nov. 28 letter to Marten, ACLUs senior staff attorney, Bardis Vakili, called on the district to reaffirm its commitment to comply with the statutory prohibition against corporal punishment; lift any ban on parents; and retrain staff on district policy that states law enforcement will not be asked to address school discipline issues, nor will the threat of law enforcement be invoked to compel compliance with disciplinary measures.

Whats more, the civil rights organization has recommended the district provide free medical exams and psychological counseling to any of the children subjected to the forced exercise.

Beyond the allegations of corporal punishment, the ACLU said it was struck by struggles parents have endured.

Smith, who is a non-practicing attorney, said she helped parents register their complaints  handwritten in Spanish  with San Diego Unified.

maureen.magee@sduniontribune.com

Twitter:@MaureenMagee
As President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration approaches, his hard-line supporters and the unauthorized immigrants he has pledged to oust are waiting to find out how Trump will define a group that he has often railed against  criminal immigrants.

Both words of that phrase raise questions about Trumps main targets for immigration policy.

Criminal raises questions because while a persons immigration status is considered a civil matter, anyone who crosses the border without permission could be charged with a misdemeanor, illegal entry. Anyone who does it twice could be charged with a felony, illegal re-entry. Some wonder whether Trump will increase prosecution of these offenses as part of his plan to deport criminals.

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Immigrant raises questions because, while Trumps supporters seem focused on unauthorized immigrants, those who are here legally  such as with a green card  can also commit crimes and be deported for it.

Advocates on both sides want to know whether Trump really is zeroing in on the unauthorized, or whether green card holders who have committed crimes will be equally affected by Trumps proposed increased enforcement.

Trumps supporters say the law is clear, that violators should know and face the consequences, and they expect Trump to follow through.

Any illegal alien thats committed any crimes here should be immediately deportable, said Jeff Schwilk, founder of San Diegans for Secure Borders. If you have one in custody, why would you let that person go?

Attorneys who work in criminal defense and immigration say the lines are murkier, that the inequalities of the criminal justice system seep into the immigration court system. They worry that casting too wide a net will unnecessarily flood already-backlogged immigration courts and crowded detention centers with people who could otherwise contribute positively to American society.

Deportation should not be used as a weapon to punish people who have already paid their debt to society and moved on with their lives, said attorney Ginger Jacobs, chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, in an emailed statement. We should reject this double jeopardy style of justice. It only serves to separate hardworking families and undermine trust in law enforcement, putting everybodys safety at risk.

Current Priorities

Deportation priorities have changed under President Barack Obama. He first ramped up a program piloted in the last year of the Bush administration called Secure Communities that prioritized unauthorized immigrants who were arrested. Trump has often praised the Secure Communities program and indicated an interest in going back to it.

Under that program, according to an analysis by The New York Times of government documents, two-thirds of the nearly two million deportation cases involved people who had committed minor infractions, including traffic violations, or had no criminal record at all.

Previously

As Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson pointed out in the memo that ended the Secure Communities program, federal courts found parts of the program problematic.

Obamas new Priority Enforcement Program, announced in November 2014, more specifically targets those convicted of felonies, high level or repeated misdemeanors and crimes associated with gang activity. It also prioritizes those apprehended crossing the border and those suspected of terrorism or other national security concerns.

Even so, only about 10 percent of deportation proceedings, or 19,577 cases, filed in fiscal 2015 involved a criminal charge, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse based out of Syracuse University. In 2016, it was about 7 percent of the cases, and so far in fiscal 2017, that number is back at 10 percent, with 1,218 such cases filed through the end of November.

The majority of cases are for civil immigration violations, which include entering the U.S. without being inspected at the border, overstaying a visa, and working while on a visa that does not allow it.

Its not yet clear what form Trumps priority program will take. He said in an interview with 60 Minutes after the election that there were two or three million people with criminal records that he felt should be deported.

The Migration Policy Institute, a think-tank generally viewed as favoring immigrants, estimated that there are 820,000 convicted criminals who are unauthorized immigrants. About 690,000 of those individuals are convicted of crimes that are currently prioritized for deportation by President Barack Obamas administration, according to the report.

The Department of Homeland Security estimated in a report on fiscal years 2011 through 2013 that there were 1.9 million non-citizens who had committed crimes and were removable. These include green card holders and others in the country legally.

Some believe that in order to reach Trumps estimated figure, he will have to cast a wider net than presidents in years past.

What does criminal mean?

Trump has said that he will increase punishments for those who are convicted of illegal reentry, but it is less clear what he plans to do in terms of federal prosecutors using their discretion in deciding whether to charge people with that crime.

Lauren Cusitello, attorney and founder of the Crossroads Justice Center of San Diego, said that locally its rare to see someone charged with illegal entry, but it happens more in Arizona. Most first-time border crossers who are caught at the border are put through an expedited removal process and quickly taken back out, she said.

Those who are caught crossing who already have a deportation on their records do get prosecuted in the San Diego area for illegal reentry, said Cusitello, a criminal an immigration defense attorney.

Immigration-related crimes made up 52 percent of all federal prosecutions in 2016, according to a report from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Of the 133,041 prosecutions that year, 35,367 were for illegal entry, and 28,930 were for illegal reentry.

The Southern District of California ranks 5th in the nation for such prosecutions. The Southern District of Texas ranks first.

Theres some concern that when the Trump administration uses the term criminal, they are not limiting that to people who have been convicted, and they are often not limiting that potential to people who have been charged with crimes, Cusitello added.

To Cusitello, who practices both criminal law and immigration law, prioritizing non-citizens who have committed crimes for deportation runs counter to the movement in the criminal justice sphere away from punishment and toward rehabilitation.

I think when it comes to citizens, the Obama administration has been very good at explaining that people who have criminal pasts deserve a second chance, reentry into the community is important and people are not boiled down to the worst decisions theyve made, Cusitello added. That sympathy hasnt been given to the immigrant community.

Who does immigrant include?

Cusitello said she sees a lot of drug cases come through immigration court even though drug possession charges are not part of Obamas priorities.

Thats the area I would say theres the biggest disconnect between what they say priorities are and what you see in court, Cusitello said.

Such prosecutions could come into play as a deportation trigger more frequently if Trump decides to go after legal immigrants in addition to those who are unauthorized.

Jose, a 31-year-old immigrant from El Salvador who lives in Los Angeles, had a green card before he was deported for a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge that originally cost him an hour of jail time and about $100 bail. Then he came back, reentering the country illegally and committing a felony to escape the gang violence of his home country.

Because of his immigration status, The San Diego Union-Tribune has agreed to use his first name only. Jose said the El Salvador he went back to was not the El Salvador he left.

They [the gangs] knew that I had no people over there, nobody, no friends, Jose said. Until this day, its still the same thing. People get killed for anything.

Jose came back in 2011.

Illegal reentry is a felony, but, like I said, I have no choice, Jose said. Im sorry, America.

Jose said he thinks immigration officials know that hes here. He said Trumps victory made him even more insecure.

How the systems interact

Schwilk emphasized that he what he really wants from Trump is equal enforcement of the law.

From our side, we just want the laws enforced equally, and theres no special classes of citizens and non-citizens who are immune from our laws, Schwilk said. If the laws are on the books, it applies to everybody.

Some immigrant rights advocates say that because of systemic racial bias in the criminal justice system, using that system as a prioritization tool for immigration enforcement is questionable from an equality perspective.

Relying on the criminal justice system as a means of indicating who should stay is problematic because it is a stark betrayal of equality concerns embedded in our constitution, said Carrie Rosenbaum, who teaches immigration law at Golden Gate University School of Law. Should the U.S. be able to determine who can and cant come here? Yes, thats something that Congress is empowered to do and has been considered a question of national sovereignty, but Congress should also not forget about equality considerations and keep in mind the U.S.'s long and problematic history with racism with respect to African Americans, as well as immigrants.

Rosenbaum cited examples like the Chinese Exclusion act and the national origin quota system, which she said disparately impacted non-citizens of color from countries like Mexico, the Philippines and India.

Most immigrants are NOT criminals, but theyve been painted out to be criminals in the public imagination through racism and fear, Rosenbaum said via email. Most immigrants deported as criminals are not criminals in the way most people think of criminals.

She said creating possible paths to lawful status would allow the government to screen people for national security concerns, and simultaneously working to improve conditions in the countries that people are fleeing would be a preferable alternative to enforcement focusing on those who have committed crimes.

People generally dont want to have to leave their homes, Rosenbaum said, but if they are motivated to do so out of desperation to feed their families, or flee persecution, they will keep coming, regardless of the physical or legal barriers erected.

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate
San Diego is making it easier to name portions of city streets after prominent people and organizations by creating a streamlined honorary street name policy.

Instead of actually changing the name of a street, San Diego will post a second sign at affected intersections identifying that city street as also an honorary street for a particular person or organization.

The policy is modeled after similar approaches in New York City, Chicago and Memphis.

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Officials said the change will allow San Diego to honor more people more quickly because the process will be much easier, while also avoiding the hassles faced by nearby residents and businesses when the name of their street gets officially changed.

Individuals and organizations with full support of the public deserve to have a streamlined process without the red tape, City Council President Myrtle Cole said Dec. 13 when the council unanimously approved the new policy.

Cole said she proposed the change after it took seven years for the city to re-name a small residential street in southeastern San Diego after Lakiba Palmer, a young Navy woman killed in action 16 years ago when terrorists attacked the guided-missile destroyer Cole in Yemen.

Councilman Scott Sherman said the change would be welcomed by residents and businesses on affected streets.

Its a big hassle to change billing addresses, mailing addresses, business cards  all those things, Sherman said.

Officials said the new policy doesnt eliminate the opportunity to officially change the name of a street, it just creates a less formal way to honor people when that seems like the appropriate move.

The honorary street name signs will have brown backgrounds and a white border, in contrast to San Diegos official street signs with green or blue backgrounds. They will be placed either above or below the official street sign.

The new policy also limits honorary name changes to one block and requires support from local community leaders and the council member representing the district where the street is located.

Each council member will be limited to two honorary name changes per four-year term in office, and money for the signs will come from the budget of their council office. The signs are expected to cost between $120 and $285 depending on a variety of factors.

The policy also stipulates that an organization must have been operating in San Diego for at least 25 years to be honored.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
A 47-year-old woman was stabbed in the neck in an argument that broke out in front of a 7-Eleven in the Rolando neighborhood Tuesday, San Diego police said.

Two women were fighting in the convenience stores parking lot on El Cajon Boulevard near 70th Street about 4:40 p.m. when one of them stabbed the other, said San Diego police Officer Dino Delimitros.

After the victim fell to the ground, a man got out of a nearby sedan and kicked her several times, Delimitros said. Both assailants then got into the car and drove off.

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They were last seen driving south on 70th Street.

The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.

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Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
The $865 million fine that Qualcomm was assessed by the South Korean government for alleged unfair patent practices doesnt appear fair. The fine is nearly four times the patent royalties of $230 million that Qualcomm collected in South Korea in its most recent fiscal year. The San Diego-based company has reason to be upset about the huge penalty.

But Qualcomm is hurt by the fact that the U.S. governments hands arent clean in its dealings with foreign companies. In 2014, the U.S. fined Toyota $1.2 billion for alleged problems with sudden acceleration in its vehicles and for allegedly covering up those problems  even though the U.S. Department of Transportation found no evidence of mechanical defects with the vehicles and blamed pedal misapplication for accidents blamed on Toyota.

These problems began to be widely reported after the national attention given to the 2009 crash of a loaned Lexus sedan in Santee that killed four people. An investigation found the accident was caused by a poorly fitted floor mat that pushed the accelerator down.

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But subsequent reports about alleged sudden accelerations of Toyota and Lexus vehicles causing mayhem followed a mysterious pattern: They didnt have the floor mat problem and almost always involved older people. As Forbes noted in an analysis with the sardonic headline Why do Toyotas hate the elderly? such drivers are far more likely to mistake the accelerator for the brake.

This history doesnt justify unfair treatment of Qualcomm by any foreign government. But it shows why U.S. firms cant count on fair treatment abroad  given how their own government behaves.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

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Regarding U.S. allows U.N. vote to censure Israelis (Dec. 24): Good on President Obama. While I am a conservative Republican and have generally been opposed to his progressive policies over the last eight years, his inaction in not abusing U.S. veto powers like other U.S. presidents to stop the U.N. resolution (which passed 14 votes to 0) declaring that Israeli settlements in Palestine have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law was not only courageous, but the right thing to do.

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy.

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E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

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With the help and support of the United States, Israel captured the Palestinian territories during the Six-Day War in 1967 and has unlawfully occupied Palestine ever since (in contravention of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242).

Its high time we had a true leader who believes in Christian principles and the rule of law. Thank you, President Obama. You did the right thing.

Jeffrey C. Rasak

Encinitas

* * *

His successor is often compared to Adolf Hitler, but it is President Obama who allowed the shameful U.N. resolution to pass condemning Israel for building on land seized during a defensive war.

What would Obamas position be if there were a U.N. resolution condemning California for building on land seized from Mexico?

Randy Stage

Pacific Beach

* * *

Front-page news of Israels disgust with President Obama (Netanyahu summons U.S. envoy after U.N. setback, Dec. 26) and the recent U.N. vote on Israels continual legal/international issues with continuing to build settlements is interesting.

Since World War II, Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S. taxpayer aid of any country in the world. This is additional to U.S. dollars donated by private groups like the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. The U.S. buys 25 percent of Israels exports.

And Benjamin Netanyahu is upset?

Lyle Predmore

San Diego

Dont create a false argument to disprove

In his letter Weather models are suspect in long term (Dec. 26) regarding climate change, James Dodd gives us a lesson in straw-man arguments.

Nobody measures temperatures accurate to hundredths of a degree, he says. But climate scientists never claimed to have measured the global average surface temperature with such precision, and neither is it necessary when the warming trend measures in degrees, not hundredths.

When he writes that, computer models cant get it right in San Diego for the weather more than a few days in the future, he is correct  local weather is an inherently unpredictable phenomenon. But he misses the point completely. Global temperature trends ultimately follow from just two factors: the suns heat input and Earths heat output. And greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reduce the latter that is, they trap heat.

So I have to ask, when will these tired old straw men finally be put to rest?

Michael Anderson

Adjunct Professor

Department of Physics and Biophysics

University of San Diego

Columnist should take issue more seriously

Odd that Charles Krauthammer, a physician, can be so supportive of using nuclear weapons.

In his commentary American decline (Dec. 23), Krauthammer cites Richard Nixons declaration of DEFCON 3 in 1973 as good diplomacy. This was the closest we have come to nuclear war since the Cuban missile crisis.

Those of us in the military at that time were frightened, alert pads staged with nuclear weapons ready to kill millions of people on the presidents order.

At that time, Nixon was under investigation for impeachment and his mental stability was in question.

False intelligence suggested that the Russians were sending 10,000 paratroopers to support Egypt during the Yom Kippur War, a local fight with Israel that lasted less than a month. Krauthammer claims anything less is abdication of American power, and blames the fall of Aleppo on our current political weakness.

A physician so cavalier about life does not deserve our attention.

Dave Patterson

Ramona

Thanks to those who make a difference

Your section Making a Difference in the Dec. 25 issue just confirms why I love it so much here in San Diego. I just moved here from Pennsylvania a year ago and it was so nice to see your salute to the volunteers and philanthropists that I read about all year. Keep up the good work.

Shirley Wilkins

San Diego

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Qualcomm could be a site for winter homeless shelter

I enjoyed Laura Wingards succinct summary of the years local news stories, especially the Qualcomm Stadium saga.

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy.

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E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

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Has it occurred to anyone that while we are waiting for Dean Spanos to make up his mind about the teams location, the Q might make a very practical winter homeless shelter just as it was put into service as a gathering point during our two raging fires in the last few years?

Or maybe the team will be the homeless ones?

Pat Green

Oak Park

Everyone must work to avoid spreading false rumors

Regarding the letter in the paper Could this be a Pink Panther case? (Dec. 26) suggesting voter fraud in Detroit reported by the Detroit Free Press: I looked up the Free Press online and found another article headlined Fact check: No proof in story of mass voter fraud in Michigan.

There is more to the story, which gives some plausible explanations for the discrepancies.

It took me all of five seconds to find this information online. The writer should have checked this before submitting his letter and the Union-Tribune should have fact-checked this before publishing this letter containing out-of-context information.

David M. McClure

El Cajon

U.S. should support Israels position on settlements

Regarding Netanyahu summons U.S. envoy after U.N. setback (Dec. 26): International law didnt preside over the acquisition of California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas from Spain or Mexico (Aztlan).

I understand it was a different time, but the principal still applies. Israel was attacked and defended itself in a territorial war. The land, and the threat it posed, was taken by force to secure the peace and protection of its citizens.

Israel has the right to defend itself by occupying (and settling) regions that allow for the security and safety of its people  regardless of what the U.N. thinks. To say that Jews have no claim to these geographic areas is ludicrous  Jewish history in these lands go back 3,000 years or more.

The United States should be ashamed for not supporting (and likely devising) the U.N. resolution that weakens and delegitimizes the only true democracy and U.S. ally in the Middle East while adjacent countries descend into chaos.

Dont Russia and Iran have enough influence in the Middle East as it is?

Lloyd Kitson

La Mesa

Obama made the right call in not supporting Israel

The United States decision to not veto the resolution adopted by the United Nations that condemns Israels encroachments in the West Bank highlights an uncharacteristic display of intestinal fortitude by President Obama (remember the red line in Syria) and the highly predictable reaction of crybaby Benjamin Netanyahu and the ill-timed response of blunder-prone Donald Trump.

Dale Rodebaugh

San Diego

Can the planet handle having human beings live longer?

Regarding Tests on mice show reverse aging (Dec. 23): These scientists developing ways to keep people from aging and thus, one presumes, living longer, are not thinking about the future of the planet.

There are too many of us old people as it is. We have to die off to make room for our children and grandchildren.

An increasing percentage of old people already is dragging down the economies of many developed countries (Japan and some European Union nations).

Are they trying to make the problem worse?

I have the feeling they are just trying to invent the next blockbuster treatment or drug and become billionaires without regard for humanity and the planet.

Katherine Hoyt

Imperial Beach

Piling on more debt is not helping in the long run

The commentary Trumps trustiness (Dec. 16) points out that there was never a year of 3 percent economic growth during Barack Obamas presidency.

While that is true, we were in a banking and financial system crisis when Obama took office. Full recovery from that type of recession takes far longer than from an ordinary recession.

The previous financial-system crisis started in 1929 and worsened into a depression. Obama cut some taxes and increased spending to boost economic growth, at the cost of adding $7.917 trillion to our national debt.

Cutting taxes while increasing government spending is a dependable way to improve economic growth and approval ratings, but it digs the national debt hole even deeper.

Since 1945 the worst debt boosters were: Ronald Reagan, $1.86 trillion; George H.W. Bush, $1.554 trillion; Bill Clinton $1.396 trillion; George W. Bush, $ 5.849 trillion; and Barack Obama, $7.917 trillion.

I hope Trump resists the temptation to repeat this pattern because it can only work so many times before it backfires.

Mitchel Summers

La Mesa

The losing side needs to accept election outcome

For those left-leaning voters who feel the end of the world is near with the election of Donald Trump, it might come as a huge surprise to learn that most of us on the right had very similar feelings in 2008 and 2012 with the elections of Barack Obama.

Obama wanted fundamental change for America. We kind of liked the way our country was founded. He will not be missed.

Conservatives did not whine and cry out for safe spaces, puppies and coloring books. We did not blame the Russians or harass Obama supporters.

For those of you who cannot live under the strict constructionist, capitalistic administration that is coming, remember that elections are like buses  there is another one coming.

Vincent Dornisch

San Carlos

Trumps Cabinet picks paint a very frightening picture

Has there ever been clearer evidence that the United States is or is becoming a fascist state?

A government headed by real estate tycoon Donald Trump and a Cabinet and staff of advisers filled by billionaire businessmen and ex-generals.

This is what the white working class and evangelical Christians voted for?

Thomas Alden

Borrego Springs

Nation should endure Trump presidency in mourning

I propose upon President-elect Donald Trumps first official day in office the flag of our once-great United States of America be lowered to half-staff for the entire duration of Mr. Trumps term as commander in chief.

Byron Wishnek

La Mesa

Majority of voters opposed both Clinton and Trump

The press continues to incorrectly report the results of the 2016 presidential election, as in the page A4 story Electoral College workaround mulled (Dec. 24), which says Clinton is the fifth presidential candidate to win the popular vote and lose the Electoral College.

The fact is, neither Clinton nor Trump won the popular vote. Clinton won 48.03 percent of the vote, which means that about 52 percent of the popular vote, a clear majority, was against her. Trump won 47.01 percent of the popular vote, which means that about 53 percent, a clear majority, was against him.

If we are going to change the election rules to give majorities more weight, we will need a fix for none of the above situations.

Bill Scott

College Area

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A man who pleaded guilty to felony charges for poisoning two dogs belonging to his neighbors in University Heights was sentenced to jail time and placed on probation for three years.

Jerrold Alan Schwartz, 65, was ordered to spend a year in county jail, but he may be released after eight months if he agrees to go to counseling at least once a week, according to Deputy District Attorney Karra Reedy.

He was booked into jail Thursday afternoon, the same day he was sentenced.

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San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Link also ordered the defendant not to own a dog, be alone with a dog or frequent areas where dogs are found, such as a dog park.

Schwartz pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty on March 28, according to the District Attorneys Office. He was accused of putting pills and insecticides in the yards of two homes across the street from his own in January.

One of the dog owners, Lynn Rodriguez, wrote in an email that Schwartz threw poison into her yard on Jan. 13, and into her neighbors yard. The dog owner and her wife saw their own dog, Hobbes, ingesting the poison and rushed him to an emergency veterinary hospital.

Hobbes was treated and survived.

The dog owners also alerted their neighbor and his landlord, who collected the poison from that yard before the animal could eat it.

Although Schwartz was charged with the January incidents only, Rodriguez wrote in her email that she and others in the neighborhood believe Schwartz had engaged in similar behavior as far back as September 2014, when their dog, Mickey, had to be euthanized.

Rodriguez said the dog became suddenly and severely ill the previous day. She said Mickey, who had previously been a happy, friendly and very active dog, suffered a horrible and painful death because of what a veterinarian identified as a classic case of poisoning.

Because the Rodriguez family did not suspect anyone of intentionally harming their dog at the time, they did not request a necropsy.
If you have been reading my blog even sporadically, you know that I love San Pedros hot spot and only food park, The Truck Stop.

Not only do they have delicious food and ICE CREAM but a happening bar and lots and lots of fun events from the monthly Farmers Market to Wednesday movies under the stars.

NOW, by popular demand, they have opened a fourth food truck  a cargo container fully kitted out with all the fixings AND a serious gas fired pizza oven  called A Slice of Haven.

Last night I went for my first taste of Haven and the place was filling up. Not in a crowded, annoying wayjust lots of people eating and drinking, enjoying the sunset, spotting tarpon & bonefish and just having a great time.

I have driven through and traveled through the North-east United States many many times. I grew up in New Jersey just north of New York City and attended Smith College in western Massachusetts. Northampton to be exact.

So, based on my path (in yellow), you assume that I have tasted what has been called by almost every expert the best pizza in the worldPepes of New Haven, Connecticut. Anyone would think that.

BUT YOUD BE WRONG. Ive never tasted the best pizza in the world because, being a New Jerseyite-New Yorker, I was always of the mind that New York pizza is the best. Why stop along the highway for Connecticut pizza. Pffft.

Sowhen The Truck Stop crew announced A Slice of Haven, I had to look up what New Haven-Style pizza actually means. I know Chicago style is too thick with a crunchy bottom. I know California style has goat cheese and heirloom vegetables. New York (THE BEST and the first in the USA) has delicious chewy crust, just the right amount of cheese and you fold it to eat it. See?

So what makes New Haven pizza special? According to Wikipedia, a thinner dryer crust from a coal fired oven and limited use of melting cheese. You need to order CHEESE extra.

I was not sold. Not at all. So I thought I would try New Haven-style pizza in Belize  prepared by people that are from Connecticut.

A Slice of Haven.

Pepes of New Haven invented the Clam & Garlic white pizza

and I was told Mashed Potato and Bacon is a New Haven thing as well.

We order buffalo wings which were delicious. And then the margherita pizza and the conch & garlic pie.

Super fun list of holiday drinks at your table. SorryI got mine dirty.

There is no need to worry about lines  you get a little beeper to alert you. The pizza appears QUICKLY. This beautiful oven heats to over 600 degrees and the pizza is ready in a few minutes.

The margherita.

And the GORGEOUS conch & garlic. Ill be ordering this one often. My favorite for sure! And almost an exact replica of the clam pizza pic above.

The crust is delicious, the conch tender and the garlic, PLENTIFUL. Really really yummy.

We polished everything off and headed to the ice cream truck while our friends played a little corn hole.

Can I tell you if it is a slice of New Haven Connecticut? No I can not. But I can tell you that I will be eating Slice of Haven pizza often. And trying all of the other flavors.

I couldnt be happier that The Truck Stop and her new addition are on our drive home.
Bucharest, Romania -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/28/2016 -- Widely recommended and highly trusted business software development company that is widely popular for its CRM development and implementation services  Danmar SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration becomes widely popular among clients and is currently one of the highest rated CRM products.



According to Danmar, SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration has been released to help automate the integration between lead ad and CRM. This simplifies the work of the companies and enables them to focus on other important business operations without having to worry about Facebook Lead Integration.



As stated on Danmar CRM's Website, "The easiest and fastest way to retrieve lead information is to set up lead ads to sync with SugarCRM. In other words, SugarCRM connects your Lead Ads campaigns to your CRM tool and lets you import them instantaneously, all without having to deal with CSV files".



Danmar is well popular for its business software, but their SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration has taken their popularity to a whole new level. The good thing is that Danmar's clients are widely recommending SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration; and according to their reviews, Danmar CRM's SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration has made their work easy and hassle-free and they are now able to handle things more efficiently and are able to increase their ROI within a short time.



As stated by the spokesperson of Danmar, "We help companies improve their processes, reporting, or database management, while delivering timely, high-quality services. So, no matter if you are an owner of a young company, or a manager of a large-scale company; whenever you are stuck in any problem related to CRM, just don't hesitate and come to us! We surely will have a perfect solution for your problem".



For more information about SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration, please go to https://danmarcrm.com/store/products/sugarcrm-facebook-leads-integration/. The best thing is that Danmar CRM has also uploaded a video regarding SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration, so people can easily understand how does SugarCRM Facebook Leads Integration actually work  with the help of this video.



About Danmar

Danmar was established in 2000, from the very beginning Danmar focused on providing their customer top-class products. This is the reason why within a short time period, Danmar was able to become the top choice of customers; and today, Danmar is the First Choice of customers when it comes to world-class quality business software. Danmar has by now successfully developed more than 7 in ERP software, over 11 years in SugarCRM and has over 5 years' 1CRM software experience.



For more information about Danmar CRM, please go to https://danmarcrm.com/store/products/sugarcrm-facebook-leads-integration/
Maia, Portugal -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/28/2016 -- Cloud computing has become the new technology battlefield. It has enabled companies to save millions and lose millions due to theft. In 2015 over 169 million personal records were exposed to criminals and fraudsters according to the ITRC Data Breach Report with 2016 looking to show more of that same trend. Companies are simply ill prepared for the level and sophistication of cyber attacks that are coming from hackers the world over. Companies like Cloudworks believe that their solution will help companies save millions now and in the future. They are now offering a Vulnerabilities Report that they believe is the first step in not only demonstrating a company's security weaknesses, but also in fixing them.



The company has developed their approach to data protection after years of working in the industry and noting cybersecurity reporting trends. They found that in spite of increased surveillance and awareness of the potential for breaches, the numbers of these incidents continued to increase. Much of this they attribute to the fact that both businesses and governments have moved to the adoption of cloud-based collaborative work environments, as well as, mobile and social computing. This makes it more difficult to defend information technology systems from hackers and thieves.



Their vulnerabilities report is the first step in their cybersecurity process and helps companies and individuals understand why they need security in the first place. By aggressively attempting to breach systems, you know where the vulnerabilities lie and can fix them. "We offer this report to enable our clients to see the ways that information thieves can access their information so that they can defend their data effectively," says Jose Matos - CEO. "We encourage people to use our vulnerabilities reports as a way to beef up what they already have in use. Our tool is useful for anyone, company or business, that wants to feel safe while on the Internet. We act as auditor of what already exists and is in place so that they can either feel secure in what they have already done or make the necessary changes to safeguard their interests better."



The company believes that their report is not just for companies that want to protect their brand, but individuals who are worried they will lose private information to thieves. "This isn't just for companies; we've created a service that is affordable for everyone. If your reputation or income depends on your website, you need our Vulnerabilities Report."



For more information visit: http://www.vulnerabilities-report.com/
St. Louis, MO -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/28/2016 -- St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor, a St. Louis, Missouri based company specializing in a variety of hair transplant services, has provided information on their website related to their pricing structure.



The information on pricing structure, found on the company's website under the "Services" heading and the sub-heading "Affordable Pricing," focuses on the multiple factors that contribute to the final price of a treatment or procedure. The first factor mentioned in the briefing from St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor is amount of hair loss. The greater the area of hair loss, the greater the need of time and resources will be to complete the procedure. A second factor listed by the hair transplant company is the amount of donor hair available. The other factors listed that may affect the final pricing of a hair transplant procedure or treatment include the characteristics of a patient's hair and the specific desired results of a patient.



St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor offers a few distinct options for patients seeking a hair transplant procedure. The decision made by the patient, in consultation with the doctor, regarding which treatment is the best option for their situation will also factor into the price of the treatment. Among these potential types of treatments that may be chosen by a patient are Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) procedures.



Another variable acknowledged by St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor is the fee structure of the doctors the company recommends to a patient. Some doctors, the company instructs, structure their fees on a per graft basis (in which case the aforementioned factors of hair loss amount and available donor hair would be more significant in determining the final price) while other doctors charge a flat fee for each of their services.



St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor concludes their information on pricing with specific details on the actual cost that patients may expect. The company notes that most procedures performed by their recommended doctors fall within the range of $4,000 to $16,000. It can be inferred that such a wide variation is largely due to the aforementioned factors, and that this is the reason the company devotes a considerable section of the information to listing the variable factors involved in determining the final price. The announcement further acknowledges the availability of payment plans for the procedures as low as $150 per month. The pricing structure, according to the website, is among the best values in the market in terms of quality and price metrics.



More information can be found at http://stlouishairtransplantmentor.com/services/pricing



About St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor

St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor was founded by a former hair transplant patient with over 10 years of experience in the hair restoration business. Free consultations are available and able to be scheduled through their website.



Contact:

St. Louis Hair Transplant Mentor

Address: 2 City Place Drive, 2nd Floor, St. Louis, MO 63141

Phone: 314-384 2474

Email: gregg@stlouishairtransplantmentor.com

Website: http://stlouishairtransplantmentor.com/
NASA is soon going to launch the robotic portion of its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) in the year 2021. The mission includes visiting and collecting multi-ton samples from the nearest asteroid, which will be further implemented in a demonstration of asteroid deflection. These experiments and demonstrations will be highly helpful in the event that asteroid collision really does happen.

The newly developed robotic capture module prototype was tested at the Robotic Operation's Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt, Maryland. The test was made on a mock asteroid boulder, which was specially designed by NASA in collaboration with students from West Virginia University.

The mock asteroid boulder was made from rock, styrofoam, plywood and an interior aluminum frame. The robotic hardware that was tested includes three space frame legs, embedded foot pads and two robotic arms equipped with microspine grippers, which help in holding on to the asteroid, according to Fox News.

The prototype was developed by congregating highly advanced technology and multiple tools from varied disciplines of science, including industrial robots, motion-based platforms and customized algorithms. The robot is designed to create robotic stimulations, which can be operated remotely in the space.

In the meantime, the engineers will be able to get enough practice and perfect their skills in operating the robotic portion of the spacecraft, fine tuning the systems and controllers, and also optimizing the various performance factors that will help in future repair and refueling missions, Space.com reported.

Furthermore, NASA will place the recovered asteroid sample in the stable orbit around the Moon with the help of the robotic portion of the ARM. The boulder will be further examined in the future by retrieving samples.

The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) is a platform to advance the extant space technologies and innovate novel technology to attain better spaceflight experiences in the future. It is speculated that this mission will also help in developing new technologies for the proposed manned Martian missions scheduled in 2030s.

It will also help in deflecting asteroids and prevent asteroid collision and delay the much feared Armageddon.
Cheetahs, the fastest mammals on land, are heading toward extinction as their population declines, a new study says.

The population of the sleek and speedy cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is rapidly declining with just an estimated 7,100 of them left in the wild, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Now, conservationists are sounding alarm bells, saying that cheetahs are in peril because they thrive far beyond protected areas. Also, over the past years, they are coming increasingly into conflict with humans.

The study, led by Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Panthera and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), shows that cheetahs have been driven out of 91 percent of its historic range. In fact, Asiatic cheetah populations have been the most affected, with fewer than 50 remaining in one area in Iran.

According to BBC News, about 77 percent of their habitat falls outside protected lands and reserves. Thus, the animal struggles because these lands are being developed by farmers.

One of the reasons for the population decline is human development. The habitat of cheetahs decreased from a historical range, totaling about 13 million square miles (33,056,767 square kilometers) before the 1900s to only 280,000 square miles (724,514 square kilometers) today.

In Zimbabwe, the population of cheetahs decreased from 1,200 to just 170 individuals in 16 years. Because of the significant decline, the authors of the study are urging that the cheetah is listed from 'Vulnerable' to 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

"This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of cheetah status to date. Given the secretive nature of this elusive cat, it has been difficult to gather hard information on the species, leading to its plight being overlooked," Dr. Sarah Durant, Project Leader for the Rangewide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dog, said in a press release by Panthera.

"Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetah, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, mean that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought," she added.
China will be more visible in the space industry by 2020. The country's target is to become the first to soft land with the use of the probe on the far side of the Moon in 2018. As for the year 2020, the country would like to launch its first Mars probe.

"To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly," reads a white paper setting out the country's space strategy for the next five years. It says China aims to use space for peaceful purposes and to guarantee national security and to carry out cutting edge scientific research, according to Phys.org.

The information office of China's Cabinet released a white paper titled China's Space Activities in 2016. The paper shows the goal of China in advancing its space program.

In a report by China.org.cn, the paper also stated that, "The Chinese government takes the space industry as an important part of the nation's overall development strategy. China has made great achievements since its space industry was established in 1956."

Meanwhile, the United States and Russia are more experienced in manned space travel. But the backed program of China's military has made a steady progress in a relatively short time.

The white paper added that "Over the past 60 years of remarkable development since its space industry was established in 1956. China has made great achievements in this sphere, including the development of atomic and hydrogen bombs, missiles, man-made satellites, manned spaceflight and lunar probes," Reuters reported.

In line with this, China has already made its first crewed space mission back in 2003. The country has already landed on the Moon using a rover in 2013. It has the first human to conduct a soft landing on the Moon since the 1970s. Not only that but it also had staged a spacewalk.

As follows, just last month, the two astronauts returned from their month-long stay aboard the China's Tiangong 2 experimental space station. It is the sixth longest crewed mission done by the country.

Phys.org added that the white paper repeated the plan of China to launch its first Mars probe by 2020. It states that it will allow the nation to explore and bring back samples from the Red Planet. Also, it will explore the Jupiter system and "conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and the search for extraterrestrial life."
Patients needing liver transplant usually wait days before they could get a match. For adult patients, the average wait time is 149 days, while children usually wait 89 days. However, for a 5-month-old baby Daniel McCabe, he received a life-saving liver transplant after just 40 minutes of waiting -- a record breaker.

On Dec. 13, Daniel McCabe was placed at the top of the waiting list for a new liver at 10:15 a.m. At 10:55 a.m., the phone rang at Lurie Children's Hospital and a liver has been found.

In July, Daniel McCabe was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare condition that leads to scarring of the liver and blocks the bile ducts. His condition deteriorated and he needed an urgent liver transplant to save his life.

"His condition was worsening and becoming dire," Melody McCabe, the baby's mother, said as reported by ABC13.

According to Chicago Sun Times, the United Network for Organ Sharing says that at least 14,000 people are waiting for a liver. Daniel McCabe is lucky to become one of the 43 people across the nation, or about one-half of 1 percent, to have waited less than 40 minutes for a liver donor match.

Since Daniel McCabe is in dire need of a new liver, two surgeons left Chicago on Dec. 14 to start the transplant process. They arrived in Milwaukee about 20 minutes later.

"I think it was the best thing for him. He was deteriorating fairly rapidly, even for this disease. Usually, it's not so fast, and he really needed that liver as soon as possible," Dr. Saeed Mohammed, a pediatric liver specialist, said.

According to WGNTV, once the donor organ arrived at Lurie Children's Hospital, transplant surgeon Dr. Ricardo Superina divided the adult-sized liver. A small part of the liver was given to Daniel and the remainder went to another patient. Thus, two patients benefitted from a single organ.

Daniel McCabe is now in a stable condition but is expected to stay in the hospital for a couple more weeks. The family is hoping that he could go home in February 2017.
President Obama along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a welcome initiative toward protecting the marine ecosystems of the Arctic and Antarctic. A joint decision was made to cease oil explorations and gas leasing activities in the region.

Many environmentalists came forward and applauded the decision and said that though the decision will be instrumental in protecting the ocean, it does nothing for the offshore Arctic and Antarctic mining and drilling activities.

Many environmentalists believe that there is a ray of hope that the policy makers of Obama administration will do as much as they can, in this short period of time, and banish fossil fuel explorations forever in the beautiful natural wilderness of the Arctic refuge, Yes Magazine reported.

Environmentalists are urging that the administration should maintain this momentum till President Obama leaves the Oval Office. According to experts, providing permanent protection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will help in protecting the indigenous tribes, migratory birds and animals like polar and grizzly bears and the Porcupine caribou from going extinct.

The Arctic refuge encompasses 19 million acres of serene landscape in the North Slope of Alaska, enriched with natural wilderness. The Arctic refuge is home for the Gwich'in Tribe and the northernmost region of the refuge, also known as Area 1002, is known to be the place where the rare Porcupine caribou come to give birth to their babies.

The region is acclaimed as "the last great wilderness" that still exists. Environmentalists all over the world believe that it should be left untouched and away from human interventions and industrialization, according to The Seattle Times.

Unfortunately, the Arctic refugee has been a subject of international conflict, because of the tentative petroleum exploration programs. These programs were vehemently opposed by the indigenous community, as a result of which it still remains untouched by the oil exploring companies.

Now the change in administration and the remarks made by President-elect Donald Trump have created a concern among the inhabitants. In these conditions, there is a lot of pressure on the Obama administration to do the needful in a very short span of time.
FLORENCE, S.C.  The Rev. Vandroth Backus will be remembered for wearing many hats during his 91 years of life.

The funeral home director, pastor and veteran of two wars died Monday following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Florence, and three children. Funeral arrangements have not yet been determined, according to Backus Funeral Home.

Robert Jones, deacon at Monumental Missionary Baptist Church, knew Backus for more than 50 years and described Backus as an all-around man who was devoted to his business, his family and his community.

He was one of the best people you could talk to, Jones said. He loved to work and be involved with the business. He loved being around people. He was always there for anybody.

Backus son Vandroth Backus II works at the family funeral home as an apprentice and has learned many things from his father, including the value of a strong work ethic and being an honest person.

He was a wonderful provider, Backus II said, welling up with emotion. He was a hard-working, loving man who cared for his family, the community of Florence and this great nation.

Backus, a Florence native, served in World War II as a Montford Point Marine and later served in the Korean War. He was part of a select group trained out of Montford Point, North Carolina, who helped desegregate the military. Backus was assigned to the first all-black combat group. The men were assigned to defend an island in the south Pacific when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In June 2014, Oakland Avenue toward Norfolk Street was renamed Rev. Dr. Vandroth Backus Way as part of a resolution from the South Carolina House of Representatives, with a concurrence from the state Senate, to honor Backus.

In October that same year, Backus was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal for his military service by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. Of the 20,000 African-Americans who trained at Montford Point alongside Backus, only 300 received recognition for their service.

Before and after his time in the military, Backus worked as an officer for the Florence Police Department, one of the first American-Americans to do so. Backus also was employed as an educator in Darlington County for 14 years, was a member of the board of directors at Morris College and a Florence County councilman. He later retired to enter the ministry and founded the Monumental Missionary Baptist Church in Florence as well as Backus Funeral Home.
KINGSTREE, S.C.  The Coursepower Scholarship was recently presented to Williamsburg Technical College student Whitley during the College Foundations scholarship awards ceremony.

Coursepower is the catalyst behind a new college academic track in South Carolina that offers students a technology underpinning to their studies, equipping them to succeed in the digital marketplace.

Ward is working toward an applied science degree with a concentration in microcomputer business applications.

For more information about assisting with funding scholarships at Williamsburg Technical College, call 843-355-4121.
HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Hartsville Cookbook Club held a cookie exchange for its meeting on Dec. 14 at the Hartsville Memorial Library. Members prepared and brought cookies to eat and exchange with others in the club.

Wrapped for exchange were Haystacks, Super-Easy Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge, Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal cookies and others.

Member Bonnieann Marshall said she likes getting together with others who enjoy cooking.

It is fun, she said. Everybody has their own way of cooking.

Amber Ratliff said she just joined the club and likes to cook.

It is a new experience, and I like getting to meet new people, she said.

Rachel Rhodes started the club in August, fashioning it after a club she was a member of in Pennsylvania. Between nine and 12 members show up each month with food prepared from assigned cookbooks.

Several new cooks showed up for the cookie swap.

Previously, Rhodes said she likes trying new recipes with like-minded people and then discussing the recipes and cookbooks.

She said there are no dues to join the Cookbook Club. Everyone just shows up, picks a recipe and brings it to the next meeting. The cookbook for the month will be on hold at the library so that members can go in and find a recipe they would like to make.

Rules of the Cookbook Club: Select a recipe to make from the months chosen cookbook. Cook the recipe and bring it to the monthly meeting where it will be shared with others and discussed. Members bring their own serving utensils as well as dinnerware (plate, silverware, and napkin) and beverage.

For the next meeting, members will make food from Perfect One  Dish Dinners. The cookbook will be on reserve at the library. Anyone wishing to join them in January should pick a recipe and make just what the recipe calls for  no need to double.

All meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m.

For additional information, contact Rhodes at hartsvillecooks@hotmail.com.
The group, which was suspected of plotting attacks on tankers on the eastern coast of Peninsula Malaysia, and of whom three have previous records for piracy, was caught following a tip off Tanjung Pinang Navy base commander S Irawan was quoted as saying.

The team followed it up by intercepting the group at sea, Irawan said. The navy team managed to detain the boat, with the six suspects onboard. During questioning they said they wanted to attack ships in Malaysian territory, he said.

The six have been identified as: Piyan Sinaga, the boat owner, Angki, the skipper, Feri S. Lubis, an assistant to the skipper, and Udin Ali, Teguh Adrianto, and Riswan, crewmembers. Of these, Udin Ali has a piracy record stretching back to 2012 and had been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in Tanjung Pinang prison. Teguh also has a record, suggesting the three crew members were passing on knowledge to the other three who had access to a boat and equipment.
AFRICA

Central African Republic

Expected Council Action

In January, the Council is expected to renew the sanctions regime imposed on the Central African Republic (CAR) and the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the CAR Sanctions Committee.

The mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) expires on 15 November 2017.

Key Recent Developments

The security situation in the CAR has continued to deteriorate since the summer. The government of President Faustin-Archange Touadera has limited control outside the capital Bangui, and efforts to convince various armed groups to disarm have not gained traction, with factions of the Muslim-dominated ex-Seleka and Christian anti-Balaka declining to give up their hold of vast territories.

Violence among ex-Seleka factions and between anti-Balaka and ex-Seleka has become widespread and more frequent throughout the country since September 2016. In addition, local self-proclaimed self-defence groups have emerged where other rebel groups are inoperative. Such a vacuum was left in the Muslim PK5 neighbourhood in Bangui after the exit of ex-Seleka leadership in August. When one of these self-defence groups in PK5 was accused of killing a member of the Central African Armed Forces (known as FACA, based on its French name) on 4 October, retaliations ensued, eventually leaving 11 people dead and 21 wounded.

In another example of the upsurge in violence, fighting over a period of a week between two factions of the ex-Seleka at the end of November 2016 reportedly resulted in 85 civilians killed, 76 wounded and nearly 11,000 displaced from the town of Bria in Haute Kotto prefecture. One of the factions reportedly singled out ethnic Fulani in Bria and carried out house-to-house searches, killing, looting and abducting residents. The armed group also occupied hospital buildings, preventing wounded Fulani from receiving medical treatment. MINUSCA was able to take control of these facilities eventually. The Secretary-General and his Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, expressed their concern over these incidents.

Frustration regarding the security situation has resulted in some of the populations growing resentment of MINUSCA and calls to lift the arms embargo on FACA. On 24 October 2016, an anti-government and anti-MINUSCA protest turned violent, resulting in the death of four civilians and leaving 14 injured, including 5 peacekeepers.

On 8 November 2016, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson briefed Council members under any other business on his visit earlier that month to the CAR. He noted that the security situation remains fragile and that armed groups continue to destabilise the authority of the state. In addition, human rights violations have soared with the increase in violence.

Ahead of a 17 November 2016 donors conference in Brussels, the Council adopted a presidential statement on 16 November, strongly encouraging contributions to support stabilisation and development in the CAR. The Council also expressed its deep concern about the continued fragility in the CAR and strongly condemned the recent upsurge in violence and instability. It further recognised that the continued presence of armed groups represents the countrys most immediate impediment to stability and recovery. During the conference, pledges of $2.28 billion were made for security and reconciliation and to promote development, economic recovery and humanitarian assistance.

The fragile situation in the CAR was also discussed by the Secretary-Generals Acting Special Representative and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), Francois Lounceny Fall, during his briefing on the latest UNOCA report on 7 December 2016. He noted that the eruption of fighting demonstrated the threat that the continued presence of armed groups in the country posed to the entire subregion.

On 5 December 2016, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric told the media that an investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) into alleged acts of sexual abuse and exploitation by MINUSCA contingents had led to the identification of 25 peacekeepers from Burundi and 16 from Gabon as alleged perpetrators of such acts against 45 victims. Dujarric added that it was up to Burundi and Gabon to further investigate the soldiers. At the same time, Reuters reported that a draft memo, written by the UN Department of Field Supports Conduct and Discipline Unit, cited information from the OIOS inquiry and suggested that some accusations against peacekeepers followed specific patterns and appeared to be motivated by financial gain.

Sanctions-Related Developments

On 2 December 2016, the Panel of Experts briefed the CAR Sanctions Committee on its final report. In addition to documenting the actions of rebel groups, the report notes that targeted sanctions against individuals and entities listed by the Committee, while having an important signalling effect, have been poorly implemented. The Panel also highlighted the continued prevalence of arms-smuggling, focusing on two arms-trafficking routes through the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the southeast and on the Chadian border in the north.

Human Rights-Related Developments

On 16 November, the independent expert on human rights in the CAR Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum said in a statement the justice system in the country must be urgently strengthened if the country is to achieve lasting peace, with truth and reconciliation being critical. The statement commended institutional progress made in the last few months, such as the ratification of seven human rights treaties, but said the persistence of human rights violations and outbreaks of violence since September show how critical it is to support the efforts of the population and government in the field of human rights and development.

Key Issues

The immediate task for the Council is to renew the sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the Sanctions Committee.

Permanently disarming and reintegrating the anti-Balaka and ex-Seleka fighters remains an urgent issue.

With Touadera and his government in place and with the pledges made at the Brussels conference, progress in establishing state authority and rebuilding the country are key for stabilisation efforts.

Options

The Council could:

renew the sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts as is; or

modify the arms embargo to ease restrictions on FACA; and

act through the Sanctions Committee to impose further sanctions on individuals and entities.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Although there was hope in the Council that the end of the transition period and the installation of the newly elected government would provide momentum to address some of the fundamental issues facing the country, it is clear to Council members that the momentum on the ground has dissipated and that as long as state authority is not established and rebel groups remain in control of large areas, sustainable progress will be impossible to achieve. Though not a top priority issue for the Council, and while some Council members are concerned over financial implications, there seems to be a consensus among Council members that achieving security and stabilising the CAR will necessitate a long-term engagement from the Council and MINUSCA.

Regarding the sanctions regime, there seems to be little appetite among Council members to lift or ease the arms embargo on FACA at the moment, given that little progress has been made with respect to security sector reform.

France is the penholder on the CAR, and Ukraine is the chair of the Sanctions Committee.

UN Documents on the CAR

The Council renewed the mandate of MINUSCA until 15 November 2017. This resolution renewed the CAR sanctions regime until 31 January 2017. This was a presidential statement encouraging contributions at the international donors conference in Brussels on 17 November to support stabilisation and development in the CAR. This was the Secretary-Generals report on MINUSCA. This was a meeting on the CAR. This was a CAR Sanctions Committee press release on the Committee meeting during which the they received the Panel of Experts final report. This was the final report of the Panel of Experts of the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee.

OTHER RELEVANT FACTS

Special Representative of the Secretary-General

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga (Gabon)

MINUSCA Force Commander

Lieutenant General Balla Keita (Senegal)

MINUSCA Size, Composition and Cost of Mission

Strength as of 31 August 2016: 10,245 troops (including 148 military observers and 1,759 police), 760 international civilian personnel, 242 local civilian staff and 154 UN volunteers.

Approved budget (1 July 2016-30 June 2017): $920 million

Mission duration: April 2014 to present
This is no ordinary art exhibition. What's on the walls at the Tomorrow Gallery in Manhattan isn't exactly the artwork. It's a clue. Collectors who want to be united with artist Brad Troemel's work have to search for it in Central Park using GPS coordinates first.

Tired of paying for studio space to house his artwork, Troemel decided to hide all of his pieces in the park instead. The idea came to him last summer while he was staying with his grandparents in Aurora, Illinois, and renting out his Brooklyn apartment on AirBnB to make ends meet. While there, he downloaded a geocaching app and discovered relics all over the woods that could only be found using exact GPS coordinates.

"Imagine if geocaching's use of GPS technology, concealment and open space were applied to passive storage rather than active treasure hunting," he wrote in a description of his "freecaching" process. "Space, it turns out, is everywhere."

So back in New York, Troemel double vacuum-sealed each piece in industrial plastic before stashing them in tree trunks, bushes, under the soil, near signs. Sounds incredibly risky, but he's confident that they'll be safer in those conditions than in a storage locker.

RELATED: Creepy Digital Art Paints Itself

Nature and discovery are recurring themes in Troemel's work. Previously he created plantable paper containing wildflower seeds and Beanie Babies, and made sculptural aluminum casts of inactive black ant mounds. Bright digital flower prints in frames slide up to reveal mushrooms embedded underneath.

Wooden blocks hang in grids on the walls at Tomorrow. Resembling a flattened Rubik's cube that hasn't been solved yet, one side of each block is painted in a color. Another side is printed with the certificate of authenticity. The third side, when all the blocks are oriented the same way, shows an image of the freecached artwork with the 18-digit GPS coordinates at the bottom. The GPS side is mostly turned away from the viewer - only a buyer gets them. The exhibition runs through January 8.

Two plastic-wrapped pieces weren't put up for sale, however. Troemel made the coordinates for them public at the exhibition's opening in early November, turning them into free art for whoever could find them first. That distinction went to Al Bedell and her friend Forest.

RELATED: Steampunk Artist Transforms Ocean Trash: Photos

After they plugged the coordinates into Google Maps, scavenging turned out to be more of a challenge than expected, Bedell told The Creators Project.

"We were on the Upper West Side near Strawberry Fields, and one of the pieces was hidden in one of those rock outcroppings in the park," she told the site. "I basically fell off a cliff in the name of geocaching for Brad's art." Bedell reached over the edge of a cliff to get the piece hidden in a crevice. The other was between two rocks, she said.

Bedell called the experience like Pokemon Go, but for real. As exciting as that was, I'm glad she didn't encounter any more danger and her knee didn't require stitches. I mean, this is Central Park. You really never know what you're going to find in there.

WATCH VIDEO: I Left My Law Career To Be A Lego Artist
Third-grader Reece Fowler working his hot chocolate, coffee and cookie stand Friday, Dec. 23 outside Cory's Valley Market. His father Chad (left) helped him build the stand and his mother Amanda made the 200 cookies that he sold.

SEELEY LAKE  Seeley Lake Elementary third-grader Reece Fowler took his class writing assignment to the next level. After selling hot drinks and cookies outside of Cory's Valley Market Dec. 23 and 24, he raised $428 for the Tanzania School Milk Feeding Program, nearly doubling his $250 goal.

Reece wrote a paper about what he could do to help poor people. For his assignment, he chose to make a hot chocolate stand and donate the money he raised to poor people in Tanzania.

"I saw this website [www.heifer.org] and thought it would be a good thing. It just sounded fun to me. I know that [the...
An ex-employee of an East Bay Versace outlet store filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging he was instructed by his boss to use a code word to alert co-workers when an African American person entered the business.

In the Alameda County Superior Court lawsuit seeking class-action status, Christopher Sampino, 23, says he was fired in early October after working at the Versace USA store at the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore for just two weeks. He said he was let go after he informed his boss that he is African American.

During Sampinos second shift at the high-end global fashion retailer, a training manager  who apparently was unaware Sampino is African American  asked him if he knew about the D410 code, otherwise known as the alert that a black person is in the store, the lawsuit charges.

The D410 tag was branded on Versaces all-black clothing, the lawsuit says, adding that Sampino was also given the option to hold a black shirt when using the code.

Taken aback, Sampino asked the manager whether his boss knew he was African American, and thats when the discrimination started, the lawsuit says, adding that Sampino is one-quarter black.

In seeking class-action status, Sampinos attorneys allege there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of employees of Versace who could qualify for the suit under similar illegal or discriminatory working conditions.

One hundred unidentified defendants  including Sampinos bosses and others involved with the company  are named in the suit, in addition to their employer. Sampino is seeking unspecified damages.

Managers treated (Sampino) differently after he announced that he is African American, the lawsuit says, adding he then didnt receive important information about rest breaks that are required under California labor law, as well as log-in information needed to get into an online database to view his pay stubs.

Two weeks later, Sampinos boss at Versace  with flagship stores that feature $4,595 leather biker jackets and $1,075 Triangle Toe Derby Shoes  dismissed him because he hadnt properly lived the luxury life, the lawsuit charges.

The lawsuit also alleges that Sampino was never paid for his last day of work and that he was also not paid for the 15-minute periods he was kept at the store after work to search through his belongings.

He was also denied legally required lunch and rest breaks and was wrongfully terminated, according to the court papers.

The company denied the allegations, saying it believes strongly in equal opportunity, as an employer and a retailer. The company has filed a motion to move the proceedings to federal court, filings show.

We do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin or any other characteristic protected by our civil rights laws, the company said.

We have denied the allegations in this suit, and we will not comment further concerning pending litigation.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
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An emergency menorah was winging its way across the U.S. to San Francisco on Tuesday to replace the one that was stolen from Washington Square Park on the second day of Hanukkah.

It was something of a miracle, said Miryum Mochkin, executive director of the North Beach Chabad, a Jewish group, because thats what Hanukkah is all about.

The new 6-foot-tall, wooden menorah  a one-of-a-kind fold-up model  was donated by the Massachusetts man who invented it. Its called a Menorah to Go and its eight candlesticks collapse into one tight package, something like a lawn chair, for easy portability.

This is a wonderful gift, said Mochkin. When you react to hate with love and light, people catch on. Good things happen.

The stolen menorah  a steel candelabrum that cost about $1,000  went missing Sunday not long before the faithful were to gather for the lighting of candles Nos. 1 and 2 to mark the second night of the eight-night festival.

Mochkin, calling an audible in the hours after the theft, urged worshipers to bring their own menorahs to the square Monday night for an impromptu show of support and candlepower. About 60 people, with 30 small menorahs, showed up. Mochkin led them in singing Rock of Ages, the Dreidel Song and other holiday hits.

Mochkin said she plans to erect the 6-foot-tall fold-up menorah in Washington Square on New Years Eve for another candle lighting to mark the eighth and final night of Hanukkah. On the theory of once-bitten-twice-shy, Mochkin said she will not tempt fate by leaving the fold-up menorah in the square overnight but will fold it up, as designed, and carry it under her arm back to Chabad headquarters on Columbus Avenue to foil any additional potential violators of the Eighth Commandment.

Police are continuing to search for the missing steel menorah. If it remains missing, Mochkin said her group plans to buy another one to replace it. She said her group does not believe in paying rewards for the return of stolen property, on religious principle, which is also part of Hanukkah.

The donor of the fold-up menorah, Mitch Bogart of Sharon, Mass., was moved after reading about the theft, Mochkin said. He designed and fabricated 10 of the fold-up menorahs in a Massachusetts woodworking shop.

We make a lot of unusual stuff, said Dovi Hirsch, co-owner of the shop. Minotaurs. Dinosaurs. 3-D puzzles. This was our first menorah. Its lightweight and very portable. I recommend they put a stake into the ground if they dont want to lose another menorah.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com
San Franciscos controversial red-painted transit lanes are beloved by many Muni riders, and the citys transportation planners. But theyre not necessarily here to stay.

The crimson lanes are, as the saying goes, only a test.

Results of the test are still being gathered, but federal transportation authorities are expected to rule within months whether the bright-red pavement can stay or whether the city will have to remove it and live with drab but conformist white lane markings and signs.

Officials with the citys Municipal Transportation Agency gained permission from state and federal authorities in 2012 to color some street pavement red to make transit-only lanes more visible and to try to persuade car and truck drivers to stay out of them. New York and other U.S. cities are also experimenting with red lanes. San Franciscos are not actually covered in paint, but rather an acrylic pavement treatment applied in sheets.

Beginning in 2013, the MTA tested the idea on a short stretch of Church Street before rolling out what it calls red carpet lanes on stretches of other thoroughfares where heavy traffic causes delays for transit: Market, Geary, Third, OFarrell, Haight, Judah and, perhaps most controversially, Mission between 14th and Randall streets.

In total, 17 San Francisco streets with existing transit-only lanes were approved for the red pavement test, as well as three that didnt have reserved bus lanes. Not all of the stretches have yet been covered with red.

We shared our citywide plan with (state and federal officials) and they gave us the green light, said MTA spokesman Paul Rose.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

But the experiment was supposed to last just two years, and involve periodic progress reports to the California Traffic Control Devices Committee and the Federal Highway Administration. The MTAs first written report to the state agency, however, was not presented until Dec. 12.

With no firm deadline, the test continued mostly unnoticed, at least until it got the attention of Glenn Urban, who owns a car wash with his brother on Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District where the MTA plans to install red transit-only lanes as part of a bus rapid transit project now being designed.

Urban considers the red lanes a threat to businesses  including his  because they confuse drivers and dissuade them from crossing through them, even when its permitted. And that could lead customers to keep driving instead of stopping.

When they see them, they dont know what to do, so they stay away, Urban said. The MTA, he added, has done little research on what this red paint means to businesses.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

Urban pressed the issue with the state committee, convened by Caltrans, hoping it would end the experiment  and the red lanes.

But at a Dec. 12 meeting in Sacramento, the committee received the MTA report. It allowed the experiment to continue and ordered up a final report to the federal government due in March, said Duper Tong, chief of the Caltrans office of traffic engineering and a committee member.

The report, which focused on the Third, Geary and OFarrell lanes, concluded that the colored pavement kept more cars out of the transit lanes and reduced collisions. It also slowed traffic outside the transit-only lanes but sped up buses only some of the time.

Transit-lane violations on Third Street, where the lanes were red, dropped by 51 percent, the report found. Total collisions on the three streets combined dropped by 27 percent. While traffic travel times increased from four to six minutes and transit travel times rose on OFarrell and Third streets during evening commutes and on Third Street in the morning, commute times declined on Geary in both the morning and evening.

The spread of the red lanes has been controversial in some cases. When the MTA painted Mission Street red through the heart of the Mission District last spring, it installed forced right turns and banned left turns, and eliminated some street parking, and merchants complained that it was killing business.

There are a lot of merchants that are not happy with all the changes on Mission Street, said Phil Lesser, head of the Mission Merchants Association.

The association is not opposed to the red lanes, he said, because merchants want speedier buses to bring business to the Mission. But they want the MTA to provide public parking to mitigate what was lost and to make it simpler to navigate the maze of transit-only lanes and forced turns.

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The MTA, he said, neglected the interests of the merchants in its quest to speed up Muni.

The MTA did everything to accommodate red lanes and nothing to compensate, Lesser said.

MTA officials have said theyll look at changes to help merchants but that they arent considering eliminating the red lanes.

Transit riders want them to stay  in the Mission and elsewhere. They say the lanes cut time off of bus rides and make Muni much more reliable.

Andy Bosselman, a writer and transit advocate, says a red lane on Haight Street has improved his commute noticeably.

It allows buses to be sped up by several minutes. he said. I love it. I take the bus a lot more frequently now because the red carpet lane makes that segment a little less gnarly.

In considering whether to make the red lanes permanent, state and federal traffic officials will put an emphasis on how effective the paint is at keeping cars out, whether it reduces collisions and how much it speeds up buses, Tong said.

Hopefully in 2017, he said, we will have some kind of resolution to the experiment.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@ctuan
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Martin Marty Cooper claimed his place in technology history 43 years ago when he demonstrated a handheld cellular phone. But back then, he didnt grasp how fully the concept would transform modern life.

We knew from the beginning that it was going to be big, Cooper, 88, said during a recent interview at a Silicon Valley startup he advises.

But there were no digital cameras when we made the first cell phone call, and there were no personal computers, he said. We never could have imagined that youd have this power in your hands.

Spry and energetic, the father of the cellular phone, as Cooper is sometimes known, is working with San Joses Energous to solve one of the biggest headaches that have followed his April 3, 1973, call  keeping batteries on mobile devices charged. The 3-year-old company is developing technology that beams electrical power to recharge a device without cords or wires from as far as 15 feet.

Making mobile technology easier to use will lead to further transformations, he believes.

Were only starting, he said. The things that are going to happen over the next 20 years are going to be even more remarkable. Not only are the phones going to adapt to us, but theres going to be a revolution in education, a revolution in health care and the most important thing, productivity. Were finally going to solve the biggest problem in the world today, and thats poverty.

In the early 1970s, Cooper, an engineer, was a vice president and general manager at Motorola, a two-way radio communications company embroiled in a heated race against larger rival AT&T.

James Tensuan/Special to The Chronicle

AT&T and its powerhouse research unit Bell Laboratories had done pioneering work on car phones. In 1946, researchers there had made possible what AT&T describes as the first mobile telephone call by a driver in St. Louis, complete with nearly 80 pounds of equipment in his vehicle. The next year, Bell Labs engineer Douglas Ring wrote an internal company memo that was the first to outline the concept of a cellular telephone system.

Motorola, for its part, got ideas about the future by observing how its customers used two-way radio. So in 1972, Cooper, who had also been working on pagers, assembled a team to create a handheld stand-alone device that went beyond a car phone.

We recognized the fact that people are inherently mobile, he said. And anything that you do to make somebody constrained, like a wire for your telephone, or you have to be in the car to talk, its unnatural.

By spring of 1973, Coopers team had developed a working prototype, called the DynaTAC, short for dynamic adaptive total area coverage. It was a bulky, 9-inch-long handset with about 1,000 parts and a paltry 20 minutes of battery life.

The phone weighed 2 pounds. So the 20 minutes was not a problem, because you couldnt hold the phone up for 20 minutes, Cooper said.

The team made a few cellular calls in private but felt they needed to publicly demonstrate the new phone. Having set up two demonstration cellular sites in New York, Motorola called a news conference in a Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, where Cooper made a call  to a wrong number, the New York Times reported at the time.

After an embarrassed pause, (Cooper) said, Our new phone can't eliminate that, computer or not, the Times story reported. The journalists in attendance then tried the phones for themselves; one wife told her husband, Your voice sounds a little tinny.

Cooper said the actual first public call was supposed to be placed earlier that morning on NBCs Today show, but the segment was bumped for another story. So he had a spur-of-the-moment idea: While walking across Sixth Avenue to the news conference with a radio reporter, Cooper said he decided to dial his counterpart at rival Bell Labs, Joel Engel.

I took a chance and called him. And he answered the phone, he recalled. He happened to be in the office. And I said, Hi, Joel, its Marty Cooper. Joel, Im talking to you from a cellular phone, a real cellular phone, a personal, portable, handheld cellular phone. Silence on the other end of the line. To this day, Joel doesnt remember that call, and I guess I dont blame him.

Indeed, Engel has repeatedly said he doesnt remember Coopers call.

Were not denying that it took place; it just wasnt very memorable, Engel, now 80, said this month in a phone interview from his winter home in Florida. We had made many, many cellular calls.

Cooper cant remember the name of the radio reporter he says was with him. But he does remember that the reporter pulled Cooper out of the way of an oncoming taxi as he talked, foreshadowing another hazard of modern life.

Richard Frenkiel, another Bell Labs wireless phone pioneer who authored AT&Ts cellular system proposal to the Federal Communications Commission in 1971, said Cooper was using a concept example of a hand-carried phone, but he noted that the first true commercial cellular system didnt go into operation until 1983, after the FCC agreed to the operating rules.

Marty likes to promote his version of history, and Im used to it, Frenkiel, now a senior consultant at the Wireless Information Network Laboratory at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said in an email.

Engel and Frenkiel were inducted into the Wireless History Foundation Hall of Fame this year for their work developing the basic architecture of cell phone networks. Engel is credited by the National Academy of Engineering with having produced the system design for what became the first cellular telephone system.

Cooper, a previous Hall of Fame inductee, and his team received the first patent for a portable cellular phone, said Liz Maxfield, the Hall of Fames executive director.

The development of new technologies is a complicated process, and the evolution of cellular telephony is no different, Maxfield said. A number of remarkable individuals made key contributions to the development of cellular.

Motorolas initial payment plan for the cell phone sounds remarkably similar to the wireless bills of today. The company estimated in 1973 that the charges would run to $60 a month (plus additional fees), though it predicted they might eventually come down to $10 or $12 with rising usage, according to the New York Times.

But it would take another 10 years before Motorola was able to get a license from the FCC for the first commercially available cell phone, the DynaTAC 8000X, which cost $4,000. And it wasnt until the late 1990s and early 2000s that cell phones became more common.

Now, there are more than 6 billion cell phones worldwide. The United Nations says that more people have the devices than have access to a toilet.

Cooper didnt envision all that.

People ask me what I was thinking about, was this a historic moment when I made the first public call, Cooper said. Really, all I was thinking (was), Boy, I hope this thing works.

Cooper, who was born in Chicago, left Motorola before the launch of the DynaTAC 8000X to start a cellular billing company. He and his wife, entrepreneur and wireless Hall of Fame member Arlene Harris, have co-founded several other companies. These include Dyna, a business incubator, and GreatCall, the firm that makes Jitterbug, cell phones with bigger buttons and easy-to-use controls that are marketed to seniors.

The resident of Del Mar (San Diego County), who also serves on two federal technology advisory committees, joined the Energous board of directors last year.

Energous products, branded WattUp, can recharge mobile device batteries by sending radio waves carrying tightly focused beams of electricity from a transmitter to a receiving chip without the need to plug in a charging cord. The company expects to ship one version of WattUp early next year; though cordless, it requires the device to be placed in contact with the transmitter, similar in effect to wireless charging methods already common for some phones and powered toothbrushes.

Ultimately WattUp wants to be able to beam power over the air. And it is seeking federal approval for two future versions of WattUp: One can work on any device within a 3-foot radius and another works within a 15-foot radius. The power transmitter can be hidden in the TV monitors frame to automatically sense when phones, remote controls, smart home devices and other battery-powered devices need a charge.

Cooper said hes enthusiastic about the technology because it would free consumers from worrying about recharging  useful for devices like his hearing aid. It would also help usher in a future in which implanted sensors or other wearables will monitor a persons health signs to detect a disease before it actually happens.

Now how are you going to charge the batteries in all of those things? he said. Wireless charging is inevitable.

William Gibson, senior research analyst with Roth Capital Partners, said Energous has to surmount some big hurdles, such as getting approval from the FCC and persuading device makers to include its technology. But he said the company is meeting certain milestones, and it recently received a $10 million investment from Dialog Semiconductor of the United Kingdom.

Cooper keeps up with Facebook and Twitter and is working on a book, with a collaborator, about his life. During the recent interview in his San Jose office, he mostly kept his smartphone  a Motorola, of course  in his pocket. But he took it out and slipped off the back to demonstrate its customizable design.

Technology, he resolutely believes, is a force for good: By definition, its the application of science to create products and services that make peoples lives better, he said.

When people talk about technology, theyre forgetting about the people part. If you cant make peoples lives better, its not technology.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
They heard him when he called them criminals, thugs, rapists. They saw the taco-bowl tweet on Cinco de Mayo and listened as he sought to discredit a federal judge of Mexican heritage.

And now, with less than a month to go before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, Latino tech workers are waiting to see what hell do next.

Trump, who built his campaign around promises to erect a wall along the Mexico border and deport millions of immigrants living in the country illegally, has forced many in the Bay Area and beyond to take stock of their priorities and devise a plan for the next four years.

A growing number of Latino entrepreneurs, tech workers and investors are vowing to use their positions  personally and professionally  to push back against restrictive immigration policies, advocate for Latino entrepreneurs and stand up to the president-elects caustic rhetoric.

Only about 6 percent of people working in tech identify as Latino, according to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report released in May, compared with the 22 percent of workers in other industries. But they may be uniquely positioned to act as a foil to Trump and his incoming administration.

Thats because, some tech workers said, working in such a progressive industry provides privileges and protections that they believe can be leveraged into political resistance.

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To me, the American experience was being welcomed and shown how I could bring value to this country. Not closing the doors to Latino entrepreneurs like myself who want to bring value to the American economy and create jobs, said Mike Galarza, founder of Menlo Park bill-pay startup Entryless . Now were going to see whats going to happen, but the message the world got was its going to be harder to create companies in the U.S. and its going to be harder to be an immigrant here.

Trump made overtures this month to elite technocrats and a Mexican businessman, in what many viewed as an attempt at peacemaking.

In early December, a handful of Silicon Valley leaders sat down with Trump in New York, despite urging from some of their peers to reject the president elects overture. The meeting was cordial, though some of those present had been  like the tech industry in general  ardent supporters of Hillary Clinton.

Trump also had dinner with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, a man he accused of being a part of an international conspiracy against his candidacy. The meal ended with Trump pronouncing Slim a great guy on Twitter, and Slim saying he left with a favorable impression of Trump, according to reports.

But Latino tech workers, who are in high demand as the industry pushes diversity goals and an ethos of multiculturalism, remain hesitant to trust a man who, they feel, vilified them and their families for political gain.

If the government becomes less responsive, entrepreneurs will see more problems that theyll have to solve because the government isnt responding, said venture capitalist Carolina Huaranca. Were going see more immigrants, Latinos, people of color creating solutions for problems posed by this administration. ... Now more than ever, (Silicon Valley) needs to have conversations about how we can support those efforts.

Marco Ugarte

Trump has threatened to round up and deport countless people among the estimated 11 million who are in the U.S. illegally and rescind an executive order President Obama issued in 2012 that allows undocumented young people brought to the United States before age 16 to remain in the country as they devote themselves to higher education, work or military service.

He has threatened to cut federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities like New York and San Francisco, which protect those living in the country illegally from being identified to federal immigration officials. He has also considered increasing fees on temporary visas issued to Mexican CEOs, diplomats and North American Free Trade Agreement workers, potentially to pay for the wall he wants to build along the U.S. southern border.

Whats going to happen if (Trump) implements visa caps? Its not only technology companies that are going to be affected, but so many other industries, Galarza said. Its already very hard to come as an entrepreneur and start a company in the United States that can be successful. Its just going to get harder.

Galarza, who moved to the Bay Area in 2009 on an exchange visa from Mexico, has since become a permanent resident and started his own company, which employs about a dozen people. He said being an immigrant has only helped him gain contacts, support and encouragement, and that he hadnt encountered any overt discrimination until Trump began his campaign.

If what Donald Trump said was true about all Mexicans, I never would have been able to start a company here in the U.S. and no one would have wanted to come work for me, he said.

For the first time, Galarza seriously considered moving himself and his business to Mexico. Ultimately, he said, he decided to stay and devote himself to supporting other immigrant entrepreneurs.

I feel that I really have to pay it forward by helping immigrant entrepreneurs who are like me, like how I was, said Galarza, who is a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Immigrants are responsible for launching more than half the startups in the U.S. valued at $1 billion or more, according to a study released this year by the nonpartisan think tank National Foundation for American Policy.

At a recent tech diversity awards ceremony, tech entrepreneur Laura Gomez, who founded recruitment software company Atipica, took the stage wearing a message emblazoned on her T-shirt: I am an immigrant.

Gomez, who illegally immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9 years old, remained undocumented for 10 years. She remembers the fear of being found out, how it felt to be told she didnt belong.

The emotional, mental impact of having people chant things like build the wall or even if were not stereotypical Mexican, having people tell us, hey, youre not that type of Mexican, thats hard. Its hard to recover from, she said. Any time I am invited to events, anywhere I am speaking, I am going to elevate my voice on behalf of all immigrants, to raise awareness and remind everyone that were here. We built this.

The president elects attacks on Latinos, both foreign- and U.S.-born, have also hit home for those who were born here.

Huaranca, a principal investor at Kapor Capital in Oakland, said the election has made her worry about more than policy  shes concerned about the impact Trumps rhetoric has had, and may continue to have, on herself, her friends and her family.

Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Peru, and she said shes started asking her mother to speak to her in English when shes talking on the phone in public. Shes held sit-downs with young Latinos who have begun to question what kind of future they might have in the United States.

I cant separate my personal from my professional in this case, she said. I think this has been a big wake-up call for people out here, and I am hopeful that leaders of tech companies will be taking stronger stances around immigration reform, around diversity and inclusion.

Tlacael Esparza, a Chicano entrepreneur from California whose music-tech startup, Sunhouse, is based in New York, said hes not sure whether Trumps administration will impact his young business, which is run by him and his siblings, but it has already affected him personally and pushed him to set an example for others who may feel discouraged by Trumps words.

He and other Latinos in the tech sector said they refuse to give up hope for the future  partly because they know theyll help to shape it.

We cant move forward pretending this country is something that its not  that it was founded for and by white people. Its a country of immigrants, a country that has been shaped by Mexicans, Chicanos, natives, African Americans, Asians, all different people of color  weve been here the entire time, Esparza said. We are America, and those of us who have the opportunity to create companies and platforms to create the future in our own image will make America better for it.

Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
Three Chinese stock traders are facing federal insider trading charges for allegedly hacking into the computer networks of two prominent law firms to steal confidential emails and other information related to active mergers and acquisitions.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York unveiled parallel charges Tuesday accusing Iat Hong, Bo Zheng and Hung Chin of netting about $4 million in illegal profits from stock trades based on nonpublic information from April 2014 to late 2015.

The traders were also charged with attempting to breach five other law firms for the same purpose.

Lawyers have become increasingly attractive targets to hackers in recent years given the amount of sensitive data that they inherently traffic in.

This case of cyber meets securities fraud should serve as a wake-up call for law firms around the world: You are and will be targets of cyber hacking, because you have information valuable to would-be criminals, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement announcing his offices 13-count indictment against the stock traders.

The names of the hacked law firms werent revealed Tuesday, but the charges indicate that one of the firms was breached during its involvement in two separate transactions tied to Bay Area companies.

According to the indictment, one firm was tapped to represent Intel in its $16.7 billion acquisition of integrated circuit maker Altera. After breaching the firms network, the hackers allegedly extracted 2.8 gigabytes of emails between January and February 2015. Based on information on the emails, they bought 210,000 Altera shares. Intel announced its intent to acquire Altera on June 1, 2015, netting the traders $1.4 million in profit.

An Intel spokesman said the company had no comment on the matter. In a press release announcing the Altera deal, Intel named law firms Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Weil Gotshal & Manges. In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that federal investigators were looking into reports of hacks at Weil Gotshal and another law firm, Cravath Swain & Moore.

Weil Gotshal declined to comment on the reports.

The firm cited as the target in the Intel-Altera deal was also retained by an unnamed company that was considering acquiring Brisbane biotech firm InterMune in June 2014. Over the course of about 20 days, the traders downloaded 50 gigabytes of information from the law firms servers and purchased 18,000 InterMune shares.

The firms client ended up dropping its bid for InterMune. The company was eventually purchased by Swiss drug giant Roche for $8.3 billion in August 2014, a deal that federal officials say netted the traders about $380,000. Roche did not respond to requests for comment.

The second law firm was hacked in April 2015 while providing counsel to business services company Pitney Bowes, which was working to buy e-commerce company Borderfree. The traders allegedly made $841,000 after sifting through confidential information lifted from the law firm. Cravath Swain & Moore represented Pitney Bowes in the Borderfree deal.

The Chinese traders used unlawfully obtained credentials stolen from employees of the respective firms to initiate the hacks, according to the indictment. The traders then allegedly installed malware that gave them access to the firms email servers, and to accounts of attorneys who were working on mergers and acquisitions.

The traders bought shares of companies who appeared to be for sale, but before any sale was announced. Stock prices of target companies usually rise on news of an acquisition, giving traders with nonpublic information an unfair advantage.

The indictments Tuesday in some ways echo the insider trading charges levied against an information-technology employee at prominent Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. In June 2015, Dmitry Braverman was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to using confidential information to trade shares in companies that the firm was advising in deals.

Last year, the American Bar Association reported that 15 percent of law firms have experienced a cybersecurity breach due to a hack, physical break-in or stolen smartphone. Larger firms may be more attractive targets: The Bar Association said that 1 in 4 law firms with at least 100 attorneys saw breaches.

In 2012, the association reported that just 10 percent of law firms had experienced a breach. Notably, its research also indicated that 47 percent of the 90,000 lawyers it surveyed had no response plan in place to address a security breach.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Most pop culture depictions of the future, from The Hunger Games to the zombie apocalypse, feature dystopia.

Singularity University wants to help people  particularly corporate chiefs, global entrepreneurs, government officials, academics, creative types and nonprofit leaders  envision and create more upbeat prospects.

I have a sense of urgency about the need to tell positive stories about a future of abundance, so we have an alternative, said CEO Rob Nail. Were creating a new lens of how to look at the world and create a long-term future we want to live in.

Singularity isnt a university in the traditional sense. Occupying a handful of low-slung buildings on NASA Ames Research Centers Moffett Field, it combines a think tank, business incubator, worldwide conferences and short-duration on-site education programs, along with a thriving online community of alumni and supporters.

James Tensuan/Special to The Chronicle

Singularitys name stems from the sci-fi concept of a point at which technological changes are so rapid that they transform human life. More specifically, it comes from co-founder Ray Kurzweils 2006 book The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. (He plans a 2017 update called The Singularity is Nearer, Nail said.) Peter Diamandis, the other co-founder, is best known for the X Prize, a $10 million reward for the first private reusable manned spacecraft.

Futurists and inventors, Kurzweil and Diamandis found a sympathetic ear in Google co-founder Larry Page, who championed their idea of a transhumanist approach to lofty goals. Google is a major corporate backer. Founded in 2009, Singularity changed from a nonprofit to a benefit corporation, a form of for-profit business, four years ago. As such, it can consider its vision of solving big problems alongside ordinary corporate goals of profit-making. Nail said the university is growing rapidly and investing heavily in its programs while balancing that with the need to build a sustainable and growing business, but doesnt disclose its finances publicly. In 2012, the last year it reported results as a nonprofit, it had $4.9 million in revenue and $5.2 million in expenses, and ended the year with $2.1 million in assets.

Singularity aims big. Its pitch to applicants to its accelerator and students at its intensive 40-day summer program called Global Solutions is this: Come up with an idea to positively impact the lives of a billion people. Think clean water, renewable energy, health, hunger, poverty.

We get thousands of applicants, and look for people who are stars; who have the mind-set and talent to be a game changer and are dedicated to applying technology to address the worlds biggest problems, said Brad Templeton, a Silicon Valley stalwart and chairman of computing at Singularity.

It sounds both audacious and hyperbolic  and yet some companies hatched at Singularity have already achieved success at tackling worldwide issues.

Matternet, which harnesses drones to deliver supplies in austere circumstances, such as medicine to remote villages, just scored a multimillion-dollar investment from Mercedes-Benz. Made In Space, which makes 3-D printers for use in microgravity, has one aboard the International Space Station. Getaround, which arranges peer-to-peer rentals of personal cars, has raised $56.3 million and is planning a national expansion.

James Tensuan/Special to The Chronicle

Singularity exposed us to the forefront of leading technologies and trends that are accelerating exponentially, said Sam Zaid, Getaround CEO and co-founder who attended Singularitys first summer program in 2009 along with co-founder Jessica Scorpio. Whether computing, genetics, AI, it helps you understand how these technologies could be used to benefit humanity in the most impactful way possible.

Singularity lines up A-list speakers, from astronauts to Nobel Prize winners. Anyone can watch their TED talks anytime, but this is about interacting and having discussions with them, Nail said. Well get a group of faculty to tell you how to disrupt your business  like telling Coke about Soylent.

Exponential is a word thrown around a lot at Singularity, which focuses on technology with the potential to accelerate at warp speed.

A case in point: ImpactVision, one of the accelerator companies, has harnessed a NASA technology called hyperspectral imaging to determine foods freshness.

In the near term, food manufacturers can use it to improve quality. But long-term, the hope is that it will address world hunger by reducing waste, said Abi Ramanan, CEO and co-founder. Were working toward a more sustainable and transparent food system, she said.

While the imaging tech is enormously expensive now, with the exponential pace of change, it wont be long until people can use their smartphones to snap a picture of an avocado to learn when it will be ripe, or of milk to determine its shelf life, she said.

ImpactVision, which Ramanan and co-founder Gustav Nipe conceived of during last summers Singularity program, is already on pace for deals with major food makers. That rapid trajectory  and the early practical focus on revenue  is typical of Singularitys accelerator, said Monique Giggy, who directs the startup program.

We take people from moonshot to MVP  minimally viable product  in a few months, she said. They need that (product) to communicate with the world; show what they can do, get investors interested, find partnerships. Moonshots are usually understood as taking a lot of time and capital. We try to help them build a company thats sustainable, creating a mechanism to generate revenue so they can stay alive long enough to get to the big idea.

While Singularity seems so steeped in Silicon Valleys ethos of technology as the worlds savior as to border on parody, its proponents say all the visionary focus comes with a healthy dose of skepticism. This is not some rah-rah cheerleading session for technology, said Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley forecaster who chairs future studies at Singularity. The risks and costs are very much at the forefront of conversations, as well as the opportunities. The focus is action-oriented; its not just sitting in a chair listening to lectures.

Unlike most conferences, participants arent in the hallways checking their phones, he said. And bucking the trend toward bite-size data downloads, Singularity lectures are 60 or 90 minutes. Indeed, at an executive-education course this month  one previously taken by the likes of Gavin Newsom, Steve Case and Reid Hoffman  participants, whod paid $14,000 for the weeklong session, sat rapt for discussions of disruption from the likes of Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowes Innovation Labs.

If you dont change your model, you get wiped out, Nel said as an artist drew on a wall poster to create word bubbles encapsulating his thoughts. In-store robots, 3-D printing and augmented reality are among the changes hes bringing to the Fortune 15 home-improvement retailer.

At lunch, animated conversations in German, French, Chinese and other languages wafted around the outdoor picnic tables.

Singularitys focus on the future is more crucial than ever, Nail said, as many people operate out of fear of living in a world where things change so quickly. Theyre clinging to anything that seems like the old ways, he said, citing the election of Donald Trump and the British vote to leave the European Union as examples.

Were trying to help shift the minds of individuals and organizations about technology, about the future and their roles in it.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Airbnb has attracted its fair share of criticism for listing Israeli homes in the Palestinian West Bank, land occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six Day War.

Until recently, the San Francisco company could keep its distance from the controversy, as long as the situation remained at impasse. Given recent events, however, Airbnb and other companies that directly or indirectly do business in those settlements can no longer hide under the cloak of ambiguity.

Last week, the U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution strongly condemning Israel for the West Bank settlements.

Fourteen countries, including major powers like Russia, China, Great Britain and France, signed the resolution. But what made the move especially notable was that the United States, Israels strongest ally, abstained. As a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States could have killed the resolution through a veto but chose not to exercise the right.

In addition, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would grant American recognition to Israels claim to the city. The Palestinians also claim Jerusalem as their capital.

A spokesman for Israels Embassy in Washington directed me to a top official with the countrys consulate in San Francisco. The official did not return a request for comment.

The U.N. Security Council resolution is especially significant because it effectively legitimizes the boycott, divestments and sanctions movement, a controversial campaign to pressure companies to cut ties with Israel for supporting the settlements.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images

It gives tremendous impetus to that movement, said Robert Amsterdam of the Amsterdam & Partners law firm in Washington and London, who specializes in international criminal law. The companies that do business in the occupied territories face a great risk.

Over the years, Israel has been building settlements in the West Bank, defying U.N. resolutions that state such activity is illegal because international law considers the territory occupied land.

Companies like European banking group Dexia and U.S. real estate firm ReMax have run into trouble because they were conducting business with the settlements.

I strongly encourage all business to exercise due diligence to ensure they do not contribute to human rights violations and abuse, and in order to avoid responsibility for complicity in breaches of international law, U.N. special investigator Richard Falk wrote in a 2013 report on foreign companies operating in the occupied territories.

Groups like the Jewish Voice for Peace in Oakland, which supports the boycott movement, have heavily criticized Airbnb for listing homes in West Bank territory seized by Israel nearly 50 years ago.

Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment. The company previously said that the issue is complex and that a hospitality company from San Francisco isnt going to have all the answers.

Critics have also hit Bay Area companies like PayPal in San Jose, which conducts payment transactions for Israeli settlers, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Palo Alto, which makes the high-tech identification cards Israel uses to operate checkpoints throughout the West Bank.

In September 2015, SodaStream closed a factory it had built in a West Bank settlement.

Over the years, the U.N. Security Council has passed resolutions condemning the settlements, sometimes with American support. But the most recent resolution, approved Friday, was perhaps the harshest yet.

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In addition to arguing that the settlements lack legal validity, language the U.N. has previously used, the resolution explicitly states that Israels policy constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.

That new phrase is what should worry companies, Amsterdam said.

The language couldnt be stronger, he said.

Amsterdam, who is a strong critic of President Obamas foreign policy, calls the resolution a reckless move and off the rails. He argues that the resolution now makes negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians all but impossible.

Its hard to see the upside to this, Amsterdam said.

Especially for companies like Airbnb, which can no longer duck behind platitudes.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee
For the last six years, Luke Chappell has run Lukes Local, a Bay Area online meal and grocery delivery service that sells items like smoked tri-tip and chile-fennel roasted salmon.

But this week, Chappell started a new chapter, as he opened his first brick-and-mortar market in San Franciscos Cole Valley neighborhood.

The 3,000-square-foot market  complete with a coffee kiosk and butcher counter  is a far cry from where Lukes Local started, selling prepared meals out of a shop on the platform of San Mateos Hillsdale Caltrain Station. In 2013, Chappell moved into a commercial kitchen on Cesar Chavez Street to handle rising demand, and for the past 18 months, Chappell has been working on adding a proper neighborhood market to the mix.

When I founded the company, I wanted it to be about helping busy people eat well, says Chappell. The one thing missing was the human connection you get with grocery shopping.

Grocery stores are often the hearts of neighborhoods. For the past 30 years, Alpha Market served that purpose in Cole Valley.

Last summer, word got out that Alpha Markets Abe Saba was planning to retire and put his corner space up for sale, so Chappell approached Saba about taking over the shop. Saba liked the idea.

I had a few other options, but Luke was my first choice because he seems to fit the neighborhood, says Saba.

Chappell is fully aware that hes taken over a location with deep ties to the area.

Abe was a big part of this neighborhood, Chappell says.

Originally from Maine, Chappell gained an appreciation for home cooking and ingredients from his mother. As a kid, he even produced a line of organic bagels, called Lukes Heavenly Bagels, which were sold at a general store in his home state.

(If his last name sounds familiar, its for good reason  his parents, Tom and Kate Chappell, founded the all-natural personal care product line Toms of Maine.)

Post-college, Chappell worked a corporate job, where he grew tired of eating bad takeout after long office days. He figured that there must to be a way to make quality foods more accessible.

Chappell certainly hopes to accomplish that for Cole Valley residents with the new store, as well as provide the personal interaction with shoppers that he has been missing. But that doesnt mean hes scrapping the door-to-door service that built his business. He will keep his commissary kitchen, and will continue to offer his usual online next-day service. In the coming months, the plan is to add on-demand bicycle delivery directly out of the market.

True convenience is getting (deliveries) within a few hours, says Chappell.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The future of urban grocery shopping, Chappell believes, is the ability to offer both on-demand delivery and the chance for customers to shop in person  where they can talk to a butcher and touch the produce. We believe that the customers want that flexibility, he says.

In addition to the usual everyday grocery needs, the Cole Valley market features a full-service seafood department, a produce section and an alcohol department. Much like another nearby market, Bi-Rite (about a mile away on Divisadero), Lukes sells goods from local farmers and makers, like Mariquita Farms, BN Ranch and Josey Baker Bread. There is a coffee kiosk serving Sightglass Coffee, juice pressed to order and pastries from Jane, a local bakery.

Alpha Markets original deli cases have been preserved but now hold a more robust menu of offerings, including six or seven different rotating prepared meals, along with braised meats, like chicken chile verde and boeuf Bourguignon, sold by the pound.

While Saba will no longer be a fixture at the market, he still owns nearby Cole Valley Pets, so he remains an active part of the community.

And neighbors may even spot him shopping at Lukes Local.

I tried Lukes food and its really good, says Saba. All (he) has to do now is to combine old time service with new food trends and he will be good.

Lukes Local, 960 Cole St. (at Parnassus Avenue), S.F. (415) 643-4510. www.lukeslocal.com. Open 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily.

Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @foodcentric
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It sounds like a dream for cinephiles  and it pretty much is: a streaming service for classic and international art house films that combines the programming talents and vast libraries of the Criterion Collection and Turner Classic Movies.

FilmStruck debuted in November, positioning itself as a much-needed alternative to popular sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, which have little classic Hollywood or foreign fare. There are two levels of membership: A $6.99-a-month basic service that features a constantly refreshed rotation of about 500 titles, and a $10.99 tier that adds the vast and impressive Criterion Collection library to the basic service.

(Note: Much of the Criterion library had been on Hulu since 2012; it is now on FilmStruck and appears to be expanded, with upgraded transfers, in some cases.)

Thats what I opted for, and Ive been test-driving the site over the past six weeks. FilmStruck is available for streaming on computers, tablets, phones, Amazon FireTV and Apple TV. It will be available on Roku and Chromecast in early 2017, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later in the new year. I used an Amazon FireTV Stick to stream to my big-screen TV. I also downloaded the app onto my Android phone.

Some observations:

I started with Black Girl (1966), finally seeing a film by the acclaimed Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene. The restoration of this exquisite black-and-white movie about a single mother (Mbissine Therese Diop) who travels from Senegal to the French Riviera to work for a privileged French couple is gorgeous  and it is available on FilmStruck before its Jan. 24 Criterion release on Blu-ray and DVD. A good start!

Janus Films 1966

The groundbreaking feature of this site is the wealth of extras and even full audio commentaries with some films. I listened to a most enjoyable commentary by Wim Wenders and Dennis Hopper that accompanies Wenders 1977 film American Friend. In a neo-noir series on the basic site, Eddie Muller, TCM host and San Francisco Film Noir Festival founder, introduced a fascinating (if flawed) film from 1975, Farewell, My Lovely, in which Robert Mitchum finally gets to play Raymond Chandlers gumshoe Philip Marlowe.

We should just retire the term laconic, Muller says, because no one will embody it like Robert Mitchum.

Dont know what to watch? FilmStruck programs eclectic mini-festivals on the home menu. Recent examples: Single Moms (Yasujiro Ozus 1960 classic Late Autumn, Allison Anders 1992 indie hit Gas Food Lodging and a Norwegian film Id never heard of from 2013, I Am Yours) and Making Music (Madonnas Truth or Dare, Bob Dylans Dont Look Back, the Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter).

The Masters is a continuing series highlighting notable filmmakers, recently featuring the works of Francois Truffaut, Fritz Lang, Mexican master Arturo Ripstein, the writing of David Mamet and John Ford in the 1930s, among others.

More about Filmstruck What: New classic and international art house film-streaming service co-founded by Turner Classic Movies and Criterion Collection. Price: $6.99 per month for basic FilmStruck service; $10.99 per month or $99 per year for FilmStruck plus Criterion Collection. The site offers a free two-week trial subscription. Website: www.filmstruck.com See More Collapse

Also featured: nine films by Egypts Youssef Chahine. I finally watched his 1958 masterpiece Cairo Station, which has a level of sexual tension I never expected from a movie made in the 1950s under a totalitarian regime.

FilmStruck appears ready to jump on it when a beloved filmmaker dies. Theres a nice tribute to the late groundbreaking Belgian director Chantal Akerman, whose No Home Movie  currently on the New York Times Top 10 list  is available for streaming, as is Marianne Lamberts 2015 companion documentary, I Dont Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman.

Not that everything works. Instantly featured after the death of John Glenn was the 1988 documentary For All Mankind, a wonderful film containing footage from the Apollo missions. Trouble is, Glenn was a Mercury astronaut and did not appear in the documentary.

Other quibbles: The only audio option for Chris Markers landmark sci-fi short film La Jetee  later the basis of 12 Monkeys  is the English narration. Although the English version is excellent, the films original French (with subtitles) narration should be an option. Also, Akermans most beloved film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels, streams in an antiquated non-anamorphic version, which would make that 3-hour film a tough slog.

Criterion fans have long been aware of the companys commitment to great Japanese auteurs such as Akira Kurosawa (26 films on the site) and Yasujiro Ozu (23 films). A clear benefit to the streaming revolution is that films that have never been released on home video  and likely would never be  are all here.

Ive always been fascinated by the Criterion DVD of Mikio Naruses When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. Now I can further explore the work of this great filmmaker with nine more films on the FilmStruck site. Im just getting started, but I was mesmerized by Naruses final film, Scattered Clouds (1967).

Part melodrama and painfully and beautifully realized, it is about a young widow (Yoko Tsukasa) who becomes strangely attracted to the man (Yuzo Kayama) who accidentally killed her husband in a car wreck. How this unexpected and complex work was never released on DVD ... well, never mind.

Although the focus of the site is on classic films, there are a number of newer titles from around the world worthy of exploration. For example, in FilmStrucks Meet the Filmmakers feature, you can explore the works of current Greek art house director Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg). Films from the last two decades include Shakespeare in Love and Adaptation.

This is an area where the site likely (or hopefully) will gradually improve. FilmStruck would seem to be a natural home for a cutting-edge art house fare like the German neo-noir Victoria (2015) or Gaspar Noes total mind-trip Enter the Void (2003). Alas, you can find those films on Netflix, not here.

Still, FilmStruck is off to a great start  a must for the cinema-obsessed, and an intriguing option for budding cinephiles eager to expand their film horizons.

G. Allen Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ajohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BRfilmsAllen
You go through all that trouble  and for what?

The Chronicles front page from Dec. 28, 1965, covers the quirky story of a bank robber who risked it all for nothing.

An efficient and nerveless bandit cleared out the Alvarado branch of the First Western Bank in Union City of $24,000 yesterday, and then threw it all away, the story read. Alameda County sheriffs deputies were as puzzled by it as bank officials were relieved to get their money back.

Who was this mysterious man? He was described on the front page as husky and swarthy, wearing black trousers and a black sweater and a clown mask. Its not every day you see a swarthy man in a clown mask in Union City. In San Francisco, maybe. But not Union City.

The robber forced a banker to open the vault, where the masked man grabbed stacks of bills and shoved them into a bag. He took off and jumped in a 1963 Chevrolet sedan and peeled out. A few miles down the road, a witness said he saw a bag tossed from a speeding car.

There, scarcely concealed by underbrush, was the colorful shopping bag, the story read. It contained the stolen $24,234 and the bandits clown mask.

Those lucky folks: San Francisco city employees yesterday won the right to live in suburbia and join the ranks of commuters complaining about bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Bayshore Freeway or the bridges, the story read, making life outside the city sound oh-so glamorous. The Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 ... to put people on the public payroll on a 30-mile residence leash.

Another new entry: Lets welcome Mel Wax to The Chronicles Byline Hall of Fame. Journalist or something in your medicine cabinet? Maybe both.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

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

(Click to enlarge)




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A 38-year-old father, who was gunned down in Hayward last July, was targeted in a murder-for-hire plot by the operator of a sophisticated illegal marijuana grow operation, officials said Wednesday.

Antioch resident Adan Katami  who was on the way to pick up his 4-year-old daughter from day care on July 13  was shot to death as he sat in his truck in a broad-daylight ambush.

But while deputies arrested the gunman and his suspected getaway driver shortly after the killing, detectives soon began to unravel a more elaborate plot involving a soured relationship between business partners in a shady weed enterprise and hired killers from across the country.

Authorities said 37-year-old San Leandro resident Tikisha Upshaw, who also goes by the name Tikisha Ong, had hired the killers to knock off Katami  her former associate.

Upshaw allegedly orchestrated the hit with Berkeley resident Wessley Brown, 38, who hired Johnny Wright Jr., 46, and Chariot Burks, 25, both of Memphis, to carry out the deed, said Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriffs Office.

Around 1 p.m. on July 13, Wright hopped out of a Jeep Wrangler driven by Burks and opened fire on Katami inside his red Dodge pickup truck at Meekland Avenue and West Blossom Way, officials said.

Deputies found Katami slumped in the drivers seat, while a childs car seat sat empty in the back.

Wright fled on foot, but he and Burks were separately arrested later that day. Investigators learned the pair were from Tennessee, but were perplexed about a motive because they seemingly had no connection to the victim.

Detectives later discovered that Katami and Upshaw had been business associates in the illegal pot trade, and had some sort of falling out, Kelly said.

Based on what we learned, she hired this duo to kill Katami, Kelly said.

Investigators raided Upshaws San Leandro home Dec. 22 and discovered a sophisticated and illegal marijuana grow operation, Kelly said.

Upshaw was charged Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court with a special circumstance murder along with other drug charges. Brown, Wright and Burks have all been charged with murder in the slaying.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Crews responded to more than 50 calls Wednesday from San Francisco residents complaining of the smell of rotten eggs or sulfur  and while the odor eventually dissipated, the cause and origin of the foul scent remained a mystery.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the San Francisco Fire Department began receiving calls about the smell of gas across the city around 2 a.m. Wednesday, PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

The majority of the calls came from neighborhoods around the bay coastline like the Bayview and the Marina, with other reports coming from South of Market, the Outer Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods, said Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a San Francisco Fire Department spokesman.

PG&E crews investigated 54 reports of the rotten egg smell, but found no leaks or gas readings, Guidi said. No customers reported losing gas service.

This does not appear to be related to PG&E facilities, he said.

By 7 a.m. Wednesday, the odor had dissipated and there was no threat to public health or safety, Baxter said.

Investigators did not immediately find a cause or origin of the smell, Baxter said.

The Fire Department was working with other city agencies to pinpoint what caused the mysterious odor while PG&E continued to monitor the air.

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.

A spokeswoman for the Chevron Richmond Refinery said the plant had done some flaring around midnight Wednesday, but that their investigation showed it was not the cause of the odor.

The U.S. Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it did not receive reports of any spills that may have been a source of the odor.

Officials with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said they were looking into the matter but so far have not received any complaints.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Evan Marwell has always been a visionary in a hurry.

He made plain from the start of Education SuperHighway that he did not intend to establish a permanent organization. He came into nonprofit sector with plenty of experience in the tech world and  just as important  its startup mentality. His ambitious mission was to help bring high-speed Internet to all U.S. public schools by 2018 and then "go out of business in 2020."

The winner of The Chronicle's inaugural Visionary of the Year Award in 2015 continues to make impressive progress. Classrooms serving 20 million students and 1.5 million teachers have been upgraded with broadband since San Francisco-based Education SuperHighway was formed in 2013.

Marwell's group plays a critical role in providing technical advice and inspiration to states that had been stymied by the cost and logistics of bringing fiber-optic to their schools. Education SuperHighway's 2013 study showed that just 37 percent of U.S. schools were connected for high-speed Internet. The next annual report, due in January, will show "incredible progress," Marwell promised in a recent interview.

Forty governors have publicly committed to upgrading their schools' Internet, he explained, adding that the national attention the project received from its Visionary of the Year Award was a "real credibility buider." In an interview last year, Marwell allowed that some of the governors he met made note of the award.

"What I'm most proud of is that governors all over the country are living up to these commitments," Marwell said recently. "These weren't empty promises. What's been exciting is seeming them embrace this and take action."

Education SuperHighway's largest joint project is in Texas, which has more than 1,000 schools in need of an upgrade.

"We've had an incredible relationship there with the governor and the secretary of education," Marwell said. "They are 'all in' on this project."

One of the keys to Education SuperHighway's success is a rather straightforward concept made possible by technology: transparency. For years, schools had been paying dramatically different rates to obtain fiber-optic cable. Marwell's group has made those prices available on a portal for any school district to see before they sign a contract. No less significantly, Marwell has made that information available to Internet service providers to see which districts are preparing to upgrade and how much they have been paying.

As a result of that comparison shopping and competition, the price of broadband is going down and the capacity being offered to schools is going up.

That "startup sensibility" is working. Marwell had previously founded companies focused on telecom, software and hedge funds.

There is a nice indirect benefit to Education SuperHighway's mission of connecting classrooms to high-speed Internet. Many of those schools are in low-income or rural areas where businesses and residents lack access to the latest technologies. Once fiber-optic cable is extended to a town's schools, it becomes more readily available to the community at large.

"I like to call this the Trojan Horse to close the digital divide in rural areas," Marwell said with a broad smile. "It's a way to get the infrastructure out there. That's exciting as well ... It's a true playing-field-leveling opportunity."

It's a vision that just keeps expanding  and producing results.

The Chronicle will soon be publishing profiles of its nominees for the 2017 Visionary of the Year Award, which will be announced in late March. The award is a way for the newspaper, along with its founding partner Saint Mary's School of Economics and Business Administration and presenting sponsor City National Bank, to celebrate the entrepreneurs among us who are applying their imagination and skills for a better world.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicle's editorial page editor.

Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @JohnDiazChron

Overview of The Chronicle's VisionSF program and its 3rd annual Visionary of the Year award:

Mission statement: "Visionary leaders are paradigm changers  individuals who strive to make the world a better place by employing new, innovative business models and practices. As the world faces an increasing number of widespread social and economic challenges, visionary leaders understand the broad impact of the business community and recognize its potential to drive great change."

How nominees are selected: A group of prominent Bay Area leaders is selected by The Chronicle to identify visionaries who are making a difference in their respective fields. Each of the nominees will be profiled in a series of stories, in the newspaper and on SFChronicle.com, beginning January 15th, 2017.

How winner is decided: Chronicle Publisher Jeff Johnson, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and Editorial Page Editor John Diaz will select the winner from six finalists. The winner, who will receive a $25,000 grant, will be announced on March 29th, 2017.

Past winners: Evan Marwell of Education Superhighway (2015) and Chase Adam of Watsi (2016).

Founding partner:The St. Mary's College School of Economics and Business Administration

Presenting sponsor: City National Bank

For more on VisionSF visit SFChronicle.com/VisionSF
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When multimedia artist Alex Nichols got evicted from her Mission District studio, she took to the streets with what she called a Portable Studio, made of foam so she could fold it up and carry it on her head.

Shed find a corner and unfold it into a three-sided white box, then invite any two strangers to experience it, while she filmed and took photographs of them. This became a participatory project, and now that Nichols has secured a lease in an old brick building in the Potrero design district, the Portable Studio is getting an exhibition of its own, titled Kontakt.

In film and wall-size photography, Kontakt documents what happens when two people are put together with the only rules being no touching and no talking, Nichols explains. They enter as a couple, as friends or as strangers.

We havent had any enemies yet, says Nichols, 47. That would be interesting.

On its first day on the street, the Portable Studio was visited by a Korean British artist named Mushi, 25, who brought his video camera and then became a collaborator in the project. Nichols and Mushi spent a year on the project and toured it to Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin and Tokyo.

One man tried to kick the box in and another one tried to pee on it, Nichols says. A strong wind once lifted the empty box and they had to chase it down Clarion Alley. A few participants have panicked and jumped out of the box. But 200 or 300 have stayed inside for the minimum of three minutes to qualify for documentation.

Sometimes they are nervous, and it takes about three minutes to get past that and start playing with each other, Nichols says.

As an enhancer, the box is outfitted with two small wooden objects, which people are asked to play with and kind of navigate around each other with while observing the two rules (no talking, no touching), explains Mushi, who has a degree in anthropology that he is putting to work.

An underlying theme of Kontakt is the great diaspora of San Francisco artists. Nichols got bounced from Studio 17, along with 80 other artists, and to see her studio is to see how resourceful artists are in adapting to gentrification. Nichols is now working above Maclac, a factory for wood varnish and lacquer. It is called Space 151, and is open by appointment only. To find it, Nichols or Mushi must meet you at the door, and guide you down a long hall and up an old wooden stairway.

In addition to photography and video of the project, the installation includes a version of the Portable Studio that is like two glass phone booths. Visitors are invited to enter and interact while separated by a glass partition, like in prison.

Our goal is to look at the core of how people communicate and connect, says Nichols. We are trying to push beyond gender, cultural conditioning and language conditioning, and build a conversation.

Kontakt runs through Jan. 20, with a closing event scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The night concludes with a film screening and sound event.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art

Kontakt: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, by appointment. Through Jan. 20. Space 151, 151 Potrero Ave., S.F. www.space151.com

To see Alex Nichols demonstrate the Portable Studio: http://bit.ly/2hF39pj
It wasnt just the cinnamon-bun hairdo or the space-opera moxie that burned Carrie Fisher into the publics consciousness. It was also her brutal honesty about drugs, her bipolar disorder and the foolishness of fame and life in general  and that was on top of being born into Hollywood royalty.

In true movie-legend fashion, it seemed fitting to Fishers fans that when she died Tuesday at age 60 in Los Angeles, an exact replica of herself as Princess Leia in the 1977 Star Wars hit that started it all was being digitally portrayed in the latest installment of the blockbuster series, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But there were so many facets of whom the actress and artist had become between those two movies that everyone treasured different things about her as they heard the news of her death.

Some loved her most as one of the first strong female characters to sling a blaster pistol instead of waiting to be rescued. Others liked her incisive humor in the darkness of drugs and mental illness. Others thought it was cool that she was born to Tinseltown icons Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher and went on to make something of herself all on her own.

In that Princess Leia role, she was powerful and showed its OK to stand up for yourself and be a woman who takes charge of things, said Sydney Pincus, 21, who was visiting San Francisco from Los Angeles and drove to the Presidio to pay homage at the Yoda Fountain in front of the Lucasfilm offices. You watch her movies and shes sassy, she talks back, calls Han Solo names.

She was great, and she took that spirit into her own life, too, with books and her play. Very inspiring.

Someone left a bouquet of roses at the fountain with a note reading, RIP MY PRINCESS  Mason. All day long, streams of others also came to mourn at the statue, the closest thing around resembling a shrine.

Anna Tausini, 27, was visiting from Russia and stood before the fountain, remembering her childhood.

When I was young, I made a light saber so I could be Princess Leia, she said. She was super cool. We loved her in Russia. Even more popular than Star Trek.

I wasnt so much into the Star Wars movies, but she was awesome and a great writer, said Jennifer Morrice, 46, of San Francisco, who brought her 9-year-old son to the fountain. I loved Postcards From the Edge. The book (Fishers semi-autobiographical novel about stardom and drug rehabilitation) was better than the movie. It was irreverent. Raw. Honest.

She told it like it was, and didnt deny being a drug addict or struggling with mental illness. She lived a good, hard, fast life, and she went out on a high note in the latest movie, Morrice added. We should all be so lucky.

At the AMC Metreon 16 theaters, everyone in line for Rogue One held on to a different shred of Fishers legacy.

It makes you feel old, said Jack Castro, 52, of Seattle, who was a young teen when Princess Leia blasted her way onto the screen. Its shocking for me that it was about 40 years ago when that first movie came out  and at the time, it was the most incredible movie Id ever seen. When a contemporary of yours dies, it makes you think about life.

Stefan Raab, 26, of San Francisco, wasnt born when the first Star Wars movies hit, but the Princess Leia who was forever young on film captured his heart when he first saw her at about 10 years old. Didnt matter if she was gunning down bad guys or gracing Jabba the Hutts lair in a metal bikini, he said: She was all that.

They were all about to have another reunion in the next movie, her and Luke  now what do they do? he lamented. And for the future? Maybe theyll have to kill her off in an explosion. Its too bad.

Barbara Laruccia was also headed into Rogue One, but said her favorite memory of Fisher was seeing her earlier this year in New York in her autobiographical Wishful Drinking stage show, which was produced earlier at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

She was so funny and honest, said Laruccia, who drove in from Santa Rosa and put her age as in the 70s. The last thing I remember her saying was what she said about (Donald) Trump sniffing during the debates. She said, I think hes on cocaine, and I liked that because were pretty upset about Trump getting elected.

A few blocks away, at the Disney Store near Union Square, Princess Leia dolls were rocketing off the shelves at $34.95 a pop.

I loved that character, mused Elizabeth Kroll, 20, of Sacramento, as she checked out the display. It made you realize a princess didnt have to stand around waiting to be rescued.

Lingie Granados, 37, was on vacation from Costa Rica, and she snatched up a Princess Leia doll before heading over to watch Rogue One. Fishers brassy writing and stage turns were well known in her country, Granados said, but it was the Star Wars bit that really hit home most for her.

She was such an inspiration to me growing up, Granados said. The character was an inspiration to girls everywhere, really. Its so sad to see her gone now.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @KevinChron
In March, Michael Peterson was a finish carpenter  a skilled artisan with a knack for designing intricate woodwork. In the past, he oversaw as many as six workers executing his plans.

Now, in the middle of a work day, he sits at a slightly awkward distance from a visitor in the ballroom of the once-grand, 1920s-era hotel where he rents a studio apartment in Alameda.

A Spanish Baroque Moorish sort of thing, he calls the place. I sort of like decayed grandeur. He bemoans the tattered condition of the rooms baseboard and casing, as he proudly shares photographs of elaborate finials and balusters he once would experimentally cut with a band saw.

In April, Peterson, who is 60, suffered two strokes, partially blinding him. That ended my working life like that, he said, snapping his fingers. Coming out of my stroke I didnt just lose my memory, I lost any kind of  like, the membrane that separates me from the world.

I used to refer to myself as skinless, boneless chicken, because I just couldnt process anything emotionally. He felt exposed. Unprotected. I was absolutely terrified.

Petersons savings dwindled. The rent on his apartment was coming due. He filed a Social Security disability claim  an easy call from a medical point of view, but complicated by the informal nature of his employment. An appeal process dragged on. Since he could not work, his request for unemployment benefits was denied.

I had no resource, he said. My friends couldnt pay my rent, and I could no longer borrow because I could no longer work.

Unable to drive, he left the car he had carefully maintained for 17 years in a parking lot, where it was stolen. General Assistance from Alameda County  small grants that must be repaid  and food stamps kept him temporarily afloat, but homelessness loomed.

Im new to the business of being bailed out by a private charity, he said. But his friends initiated an application for The Chronicles Season of Sharing Fund assistance to bridge the gap until disability benefits would help to pay the rent. Peterson believes the three months rent he received from the fund kept him off the street. They advanced me the money, he said. I was astounded.

Peterson has no relatives in the Bay Area. In any case, there is little left of the family of four into which he was born. He and his younger brother were effectively abandoned as children, after his mother  a hippie artist  left a country club life in Southern California for a Sausalito houseboat, then moved to a cabin on the Russian River with a boyfriend.

That was November 1969. He was 15 years old, his brother 14.

His father went his own way, eventually to have what Peterson wryly calls kids of his own. His brother committed suicide in 2007 after a long struggle with addiction.

But Peterson is not the type to let such setbacks take him down. Though he left school in the ninth grade, a religious group helped him, at age 18, attend college. The liberal arts education stuck with him  he easily launches into commentaries on topics ranging from architectural history to ancient Mesopotamia; from Kepler and his stellations of the Platonic Solids, to Descarte and the Age of Reason.

Philosophy did not pay the bills, though. As he put it, Ive basically done every grueling, on-your-knees task there is for minimum wage. That led him to carpentry. Quoting a friend, he said, Carpentry isnt something you do, carpentry is what happens to you when you dont do anything.

Life was good, and it became even better when he found the love of his life. He met Sara, his French bulldog, through an ex-girlfriend. We havent been apart for more than a couple of hours in seven years, except when I was in the hospital, he said.

Peterson said he has good people in his life, like the ones who applied for support in his name. He remained friends with the girlfriend even after they split and he moved into the old hotel. Weve been broken up for eight years, he said, but she is going to come take me to the hospital on Monday.

But he is grateful, also, to people he has never met but who kept him from homelessness.

Season of Sharing saved me, he said quietly, in such a profound way.

Charles Desmarais is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1

ABOUT THE FUND

For the past 30 years, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund has helped more than 100,000 Bay Area individuals and families facing an unexpected life crisis. The idea of neighbors helping neighbors was introduced to The Chronicle by the late Walter A. Haas Jr. and Ira Hirschfield, president of the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, in 1986. Since then, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund has distributed $113 million to help those living in the Bay Area.

Each year, the fund provides temporary assistance to approximately 4,500 families, allocating most of its grants for housing needs, as well as paying for other critical necessities such as essential furniture for families recovering from a fire in their home or helping to purchase a wheelchair. Grants are paid directly to the supplier of services, such as a landlord. Individuals do not receive direct grants from the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund.

The fund, which also distributes more than $1 million each year to local food banks, relies on donations from readers. The money is distributed year-round.

Every penny of your donation goes to help those who need it most. All expenses are covered by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and The San Francisco Chronicle. We are proud to say that since its inception, 100 percent of the money raised for the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund has gone directly to help the families and communities we serve.

For more information, visit www.seasonofsharing.org.
A judge on Tuesday rejected the San Francisco police unions request to delay the rollout of a contested use-of-force policy recently updated by the citys Police Commission.

In declining to grant a temporary restraining order halting the policy, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer said the union had little chance of winning a lawsuit it filed against the city seeking more latitude for officers under the new guidelines. The suit takes aim at measures in the new policy that the union said would impede officer safety and should be subject to negotiation.

The changes to the Police Departments use-of-force policy follow citywide concerns about aggressive policing and come amid changes within police departments across the nation after a number of high-profile officer shootings.

Katie Porter, the citys chief labor attorney, said the Police Officers Association had been given ample opportunity for input, including six months of open public forums followed by another six months of closed-door negotiations, and more discussion would only have dragged out a deal thats already done in the citys eyes.

At the end of the day, the (union) wants more flexibility, and more force options than the commission decided to include in the policy, and ultimately thats a commission decision, Porter said.

In the lawsuit, Police Officers Association officials argue that officers would be endangered by new prohibitions on carotid restraint neck holds and shooting at moving vehicles.

Bans on both measures took effect Tuesday, as the Police Department completed the formality of issuing the commission-approved policy in the morning, even though litigation is expected to continue.

Outside the courtroom, union President Martin Halloran said his organization would continue to pursue all legal avenues to fight the new policy.

Halloran and the unions attorney, Gregg Adam, have contended that a ban on shooting at cars inhibits the ability of police officers to stop a terrorist from driving a vehicle down a crowded San Francisco street and hurting people, reminiscent of incidents in Nice, France, in July, and this month in Berlin.

This would prevent an officer from taking appropriate action, from stopping such an attack, from stopping such bloodshed, Halloran said. That could very well lead them to a higher level of force, which is what the (union) does not want to see.

Porter acknowledged that the document cant contemplate every circumstance that might arise, but called it sufficient for day-to-day police work. Exceptional circumstances  such as an officer shooting into a truck to stop a terrorist  will be taken into account when it comes to discipline, she said.

The union said the prohibition on employing neck holds was supposed to wait for the Police Department to acquire Tasers, suggested in a Department of Justice report that made hundreds of recommendations to reform the department.

Union officials also said the city reneged on informal agreements hashed out during negotiations designed to avoid litigation and reach consensus.

The updated use-of-force policy is in many ways a response to last years fatal shooting of Mario Woods, who was gunned down by five police officers in San Franciscos Bayview in an encounter that drew widespread concern about policing.

While city attorneys defended the Dec. 2, 2015, shooting as necessary after officers failed to subdue the 26-year-old with pepper spray and beanbag rounds, critics said the 27 rounds fired by police were excessive and indicative of broader problems.

For the first time since 1995, the Police Commission reopened the use-of-force policy, bringing together law enforcement watchdogs, police and the union to come up with new procedures to help reduce the use of lethal force.

Asked how police officers would adhere to the new policy, Halloran didnt skip a beat, however begrudgingly.

They will adhere to it, he said.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
It may not have been a banner year for striking deals, but 2016 was a healthy time for breaking them.

This year was the biggest in terms of volume for busted transactions  those withdrawn after being announced  since the depths of the financial crisis eight years ago, as big takeovers by the likes of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Oreos maker Mondelez and office supply retailer Staples were consigned to the scrap heap.

An estimated 1,009 takeovers worth $797.2 billion were pulled through Dec. 20, according to Thomson Reuters, a volume that had not been seen since 2007 and 2008. The broken deals accounted for almost a quarter of the $3.55 trillion in transactions announced over the past 12 months.

Many of the deals that perished were born of the heady ambitions that filled corporate chieftains heads during the past two years. CEOs and their bankers and lawyers pursued big, risky transactions to achieve the kind of growth that they were largely unable to achieve on their own.

Assertive government regulators and recalcitrant target companies helped quash those merger dreams. Antitrust officials deemed many of these transactions unallowable because they were likely to lead to too much market concentration. Others were denied by target companies unwilling to sell themselves  at least, at the offered prices.

To be sure, plenty of major transactions have been announced in 2016, from AT&Ts $85 billion blockbuster bid for Time Warner to the German drugmaker Bayers $56 billion offer for Monsanto, the U.S. agriculture giant known for its genetically modified crops.

Still, as the year winds down, its worth taking a moment to remember some of the most notable deals that didnt come to pass, depriving bankers, lawyers and other advisers of millions of dollars in fees.

Companies: Pfizer and Allergan

Size of deal: $152 billion

A union of the two pharmaceutical companies, announced a year ago, would have been the biggest takeover in 15 years. It would have yielded Pfizer the huge takeover that it had long coveted  and, perhaps more important, given it the chance to finally relocate its corporate home abroad to lower its tax bill. Unusually, the purchase of Botox maker Allergan would have paved the way for Pfizer to eventually break in two.

But the Obama administration altered tax rules to stymy corporate inversions, which an increasing number of U.S. companies had been attempting in an effort to reduce their tax bills. Those changes eroded the financial advantages Pfizer hoped to reap from buying Allergan, leading the two to eventually part ways.

Companies: Honeywell and United Technologies

Size of deal: $90 billion

When the two industrial conglomerates began speaking about a potential merger in spring 2015, it looked like a new titan, whose products would have run from thermostats to jet engines, was in the offing. But United Technologies desire to strike a deal fell as its stock price declined, while its executives disagreed with their Honeywell counterparts over who would control the combined company.

Honeywell persisted and went public early this year with a bid, arguing that a union could survive antitrust scrutiny. Yet United Technologies remained unwilling to combine, and, lacking leverage, Honeywell was forced to withdraw.

Companies: Energy Transfer Equity and Williams Cos.

Size of deal: $32.7 billion

What was meant to be the creation of an energy giant quickly collapsed into recriminations and a bitter fight fueled by buyers remorse. Energy Transfer, an operator of oil and gas pipelines, initially sought to buy its smaller rival after failing once before.

But the slump in oil prices made the deal suddenly seem too expensive, leaving Energy Transfer to fight in court for a way to terminate the deal. After months of legal wrangling, a Delaware judge ruled in June that Energy Transfer had the right to walk away.

Companies: Halliburton and Baker Hughes

Size of deal: $35 billion

This energy industry deal was blocked by government regulators. Buying Baker Hughes would have made Halliburton more imposing in the world of oil field services, giving it heft to battle Schlumberger while cutting costs.

But the Justice Department had other ideas, suing to prevent the merger on antitrust grounds. The drop in oil prices since 2014 had impinged upon the two companies ability to sell off businesses to appease government regulators. Eventually, the two companies broke up.

Baker Hughes advisers at Goldman Sachs and law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell still had reason to celebrate by year-end, however. The company agreed in October to merge with the oil and gas division of General Electric.

Companies: Mondelez International and Hershey

Size of deal: $23 billion

A bittersweet ending awaited Mondelez in its quest to buy the famed chocolate maker. Mondelez, owner of Cadbury and Nabisco, had sought to buy its confectionery competitor, hoping to succeed in a takeover when others had failed.

But a number of factors, from Hersheys demands for a higher price to the legal uncertainty that surrounded Hersheys biggest shareholder ultimately scuppered the bid.

Companies: Anbang Insurance and Starwood Hotels

Size of deal: $14 billion

The bidding war for Starwood proved fierce, as Marriott International battled with a group led by Chinese insurer Anbang for control of the Westin and Sheraton hotel chains. By March, Anbang and its partners apparently had prevailed, as Marriott declined to raise its bid in the hopes that it would catch a last-minute break.

Somehow, Marriott did. Anbang  which had already bought luxury hotels including the Waldorf Astoria and the JW Marriott Essex House  mysteriously withdrew its bid with a polite letter, leaving advisers to Starwood questioning whether the Chinese government had intervened. That left Marriott the winner with a $13.3 billion offer.

Companies: Staples and Office Depot

Size of deal: $6.3 billion

Though Staples and Office Depot stand astride the industry of selling paper clips and Post-it notes to businesses, the two retailers have suffered from the rise of e-commerce giant Amazon. That led the rivals to turn to a merger to try to revive their fortunes  the second time in two decades that they had tried to strike a deal.

But the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the proposed union on competitive grounds. In May, a federal judge sided with the government regulator and ruled that combining Staples and Office Depot would substantially impair the market for office supplies.
NEW YORK  The sight of two men holding hands is far from uncommon, but a mural of two men doing just that is showing up in an unusual place  on the walls of a new subway station in New York City.

That depiction of love between gay men is a rarity in public art, experts say.

It was like winning the lottery, Thor Stockman, 60, said of finding out that he and his husband of 3 years, Patrick Kellogg, were going to be part of artist Vik Munizs Perfect Strangers, a series of life-size mosaic portraits of everyday New Yorkers gracing the walls of the new subway station at 72nd Street. But part of me wishes that it wasnt a rarity, that it wasnt remarkable.

The station on the citys long-awaited Second Avenue line is scheduled to open Sunday, Jan. 1.

Muniz said it made sense to include the two men in a project intended to show the various people that riders are likely to encounter on their daily commutes.

They are just people you would expect to see, Muniz, who divides his time between New York and Brazil, said in phone interview from Rio de Janeiro. You would expect to see men holding hands.

Jonathan David Katz, an expert in queer art history, said he could find no other example of a permanent, nonpolitical LGBTQ public artwork in New York City. He said George Segals Gay Liberation Monument near Stonewall Inn, the site of the 1969 riots that launched the gay rights movement, commemorates a political moment.

What makes it a turning point is it isnt gayness singled out and made the theme. On the contrary, the work naturalizes gayness within the fabric of the city, and in so doing, thats actually an even more powerful message, he said.

Nicholas Baume, public art fund director and chief curator, agreed. The work reminds me that its a common occurrence to see a gay couple holding hands waiting on a subway platform in New York City. Its great that its no longer a taboo for men to show this kind of everyday affection.

Stockman and Kellogg said the photo that is the basis for the mosaic was taken by chance more than three years ago; they had gone to Brooklyn to meet with a friend who was working on the project, and a photographer asked if they wanted to be photographed. Stockman assumed plenty of people were being photographed, and we were hoping maybe well get a nice portrait print out of this by standing there for five minutes.

It wasnt until this year that they were told their image would be among those in the new station, and they were asked to keep it under wraps as the specifics of the art installations hadnt been made public yet.

When they were finally able to tell their friends, the reaction was joyous, said Kellogg, 47, and not only for the two of them but because it was the kind of image of a gay couple thats not often seen in pop culture.

Our friends were happy that this is gay representation on the walls of New York City, but our friends were even happier that this is gay representation that is not incredibly beautiful and skinny, Kellogg said, as Stockman added, That they were just average-looking guys like us.
A former Versace employee has claimed the company uses a secret code to alert employees when black customers enter the store, according to an unfair business practices lawsuit filed against the luxury fashion company.

Plaintiff Christopher Sampiro, who worked at the Versace outlet store in Pleasanton, California, claims in court documents obtained by TheWrap that he was told to say D410 in a casual manner when a black person entered the store.

Sampiro said in the lawsuit that the manager training him explained the code is used to alert co-workers that a black person is in the store.'

Also Read: 'American Crime Story' Season 3 to Focus on Versace Murder

Sampiro, who identifies himself as one-quarter African American in the lawsuit, said he responded, You know that Im African American? Sampiro claimed in the court documents that the stores management proceeded to treat him differently, as a result, and did not give legitimate training. He was fired after working two weeks in September, allegedly because he didnt understand luxury and didnt know the luxury life.

Versace did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for comment.

The suit demands a jury trial and claims the high-end fashion brand failed to compensate for all hours worked, failed to provide meal and break periods, did not maintain accurate records, failed to furnish wage statements and failed to prevent and investigate harassment claims. It suit also accuses Versace of wrongful termination and race discrimination.

Versace denied Sampiros allegations and asked a judge to dismiss the case, citing court documents from Alameda County Superior Court.

Also Read: Breitbart to Sue 'Major Media Company' for Calling It a 'White Nationalist Website'

Sampiro is seeking costs incurred by herein and attorneys fees, compensatory damages, compensation for all hours worked, general damages, special damages according to proof, punitive damages and restitution for all money due to the plaintiff for unlawful business practices and injunctive relief.

Meanwhile, the third season of FXs American Crime Story will tackle the 1997 murder of designer Gianni Versace.

Read original story Versace Lawsuit Alleges Company Uses Secret Code for Black Customers At TheWrap
ANCHORAGE, Alaska  After a year of deadly confrontations between police and citizens across the U.S., police in Alaskas capital city are spearheading a campaign to turn 2017 into a community-wide year of kindness.

Juneau police will kick off the campaign with public potlucks on New Years Eve and New Years Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.

Groups, businesses, government agencies and others also are choosing a different week of the year for their employees to conduct kindness surges, with correctional officers at the local prison taking the first week.

Ideas being considered include visiting local senior homes, distributing care packages and paying for a strangers meal.

The goal is to measure the impact of kindness on such areas as crimes, suicides and emergency calls at the end of 2017, according to Lt. Kris Sell, who hatched the idea in a partnership with the global kindness advocate, Random Acts, and others.

Can you change the quality of life in a community and prove that you have done so? Sell said.

Jennifer Willis-Rivera, development manager for the nonprofit Random Acts, knows of no similar endeavors by a police department or city anywhere. She plans to visit Juneau in January and again a year after that.

To her, the excitement will come in seeing the results after an entire year focused on kindness. Its something that everybody talks about all the time, but usually were really only focused on it around the holidays, when theres a tragedy, she said.

Sell said the idea emerged several months ago as she contemplated what direction Juneau police could take in 2017.

She said some really hateful things had just happened nationally, including the ambush killings of five law enforcement officers in Dallas who had been working to keep the peace at a protest over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Juneau has had its own share of violence, including the nonfatal shooting of a man Dec. 3, months after police first announced plans for the kindness project. No charges have been filed. Police have released few details, saying the shooting is under investigation.

That was the first police-involved shooting since August 2007, when police fatally shot a sword-wielding man. Juneau police also shot at a fleeing suspects vehicle in 2008, but nobody was hit.

At the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, corrections officers are planning individual projects to carry out during kindness surge the first week of the new year. One officer plans to make care bags with snacks, bus tokens and other items to pass around town.
WASHINGTON  Security surrounding the inauguration of Donald Trump is proving to be the most challenging in recent history, according to senior officials involved in its planning, largely because of the same forces of political rancor that shaped the race for the presidency.

On top of the daunting threats to any inaugural ceremony, the three dozen agencies responsible for security at the Jan. 20 festivities are preparing for the possibility of large numbers of protesters flooding the capital, along with what may be nearly a million supporters of Trump.

The agencies are worried about the possibility of confrontations between groups of Americans still deeply divided over the election  and at a moment when millions of people around the world will be turning their attention to Washington. At the very least, officials said, protests would put additional pressure on the regions already-stretched security apparatus.

To paraphrase Tolstoy: Each inauguration is risky, but each is risky in its own way, said Michael Chertoff, who was secretary of homeland security under President George W. Bush and oversaw the department for President Obamas first inauguration, in 2009.

I cant think of an inauguration that presented more security challenges than this one, Chertoff said.

There were, of course, heightened concerns for Bushs second inauguration in 2005, the first presidential swearing-in to follow the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And in 2009, Obamas inauguration was the first transfer of power in the post-9/11 era  and the first in which an African American was taking the oath of office. Obama faced a rash of racist threats, as well as concerns about a terrorist plot that ultimately proved unfounded but sent the president-elect and top aides scrambling on the eve of his swearing-in.

Even so, Obama did not face the kind of large protests expected to greet Trump when he officially arrives in Washington. The 2009 crowd of nearly 2 million people, a record, included few, if any, protesters and did not lead to a single arrest, according to Christopher . Geldart, the director of homeland security for the District of Columbia.

The National Park Service, which controls much of the public land in Washington, from sidewalks to the National Mall, has already seen permit requests from groups hoping to host events both for and against Trump skyrocket to 23; in typical inauguration years it gets just a handful of requests.

Safeguarding the nations peaceful transfer of power is no easy task even under the most predictable of circumstances. There are few higher-profile rituals in American public life than the swearing-in of a new president.

From the Metropolitan Police of Washington to the National Park Service to the FBI, a vast overlapping patchwork of intelligence analysts, military personnel and law enforcement officers numbering in the tens of thousands will be working to protect the inauguration and related activities.

In total, more than three dozen agencies spread out across the capital will be working to prevent the occasion from becoming a platform for individuals or groups looking to do harm.

The costs of security alone are expected to exceed $100 million.
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Crews responded to more than 50 calls Wednesday from San Francisco residents complaining of the smell of rotten eggs or sulfur  and while the odor eventually dissipated, the cause and origin of the foul scent remained a mystery.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the San Francisco Fire Department began receiving calls about the smell of gas across the city around 2 a.m. Wednesday, PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

The majority of the calls came from neighborhoods around the bay coastline like the Bayview and the Marina, with other reports coming from South of Market, the Outer Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods, said Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a San Francisco Fire Department spokesman.

PG&E crews investigated 54 reports of the rotten egg smell, but found no leaks or gas readings, Guidi said. No customers reported losing gas service.

This does not appear to be related to PG&E facilities, he said.

By 7 a.m. Wednesday, the odor had dissipated and there was no threat to public health or safety, Baxter said.

Investigators did not immediately find a cause or origin of the smell, Baxter said.

The Fire Department was working with other city agencies to pinpoint what caused the mysterious odor while PG&E continued to monitor the air.

A spokeswoman for the Chevron Richmond Refinery said the plant had done some flaring around midnight Wednesday, but that their investigation showed it was not the cause of the odor.

The U.S. Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it did not receive reports of any spills that may have been a source of the odor.

Officials with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said they were looking into the matter but so far have not received any complaints.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
BEIRUT  Turkey and Russia are discussing a broader Syrian cease-fire after brokering the deal that evacuated rebel-held eastern Aleppo, Syrian opposition factions said Wednesday, but a number of rebel groups say they wont agree to anything until they get more details.

All previous attempts at enforcing a nationwide cease-fire in Syria have failed. The recent warming of ties between Russia and Turkey, who provide crucial support to opposing sides of the war, may prove to be a game changer, but the challenges are immense.




Well said, Maam!: As the BBCs Political Editor reveals the Queen supports Brexit, QUENTIN LETTS says of course she does - she understands her people far better than any politician

By Quentin Letts for the Daily Mail 28 December 2016Hans Christian Andersens 19th-century story, The Emperors New Clothes, depicts a country in which the ruling class is so craven that it will not speak truth to power.The emperor orders an invisible suit from dishonest weavers and unwittingly makes a fool of himself by walking down the street naked.The bourgeoisie dare not say anything for fear of being thought unfit for their position. It is left to a small boy to bring the charade to a halt by shouting: The emperor has no clothes!In 21st-century Britain, we have tumbled so far into a pit of timid groupthink that the role of that small boy has to be played by the Monarch herself.For the third time in recent years, our magnificent Queen has cut through the delusional, self-serving bluster of the British Establishment and has asked one of her simple but devastatingly revealing questions: Whats so bad about leaving the European Union?She first did it with the financial crash in 2008, when she wondered why banking experts had not spotted the global economy was about to go phutt. Why did no one notice it? she inquired. Cue much gazing at toecaps by City analysts.And she did it in 2012, when Egyptian Islamist agitator Abu Hamza was preaching hatred in London mosques. Why on earth cant we get rid of these people? she allegedly asked.That private remark, controversially disclosed by the BBCs security correspondent Frank Gardner, distilled what millions of the Queens people thought, even while they were being told by la-di-dah legal experts that Hamza had every right to be so objectionable.About a month later, Captain Hook Hamza was packed on an aircraft to the U.S., where he was sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism.Now, according to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Her Majesty has done it again. She allegedly made exasperatedly pro-Brexit noises at a private lunch held before Junes referendum.Speaking of the EU, she is said to have asked her refined guests: I dont see why we cant just get out? Whats the problem? Why not, indeed? Despite all the Establishment hysteria from leading politicians  and the Governor of the Bank of England  about economic disaster and Western strategic collapse the moment we voted to leave, what is the problem?As you may have noticed, the economy seems to be doing all right and the West is still in one piece.The Queen has a knack for asking plain questions which lay bare dilly-dallying officialdom. In part, it comes from being 90 years old and wise. In part, it comes from meeting such a wide range of people.No one in public life has ever talked to so many voters as our unelected Queen has done. That gives her a unique sense of popular sentiment.The people of the UK are keen for Brexit, having voted for it on June 23. Even many Remain voters now want Brexit to happen, and fast. The one obstacle is what we might call the ruling snootocracy, or the bien-pensant blob.These are the sort of fluttering flibbertigibbets and greasers who impinge themselves daily on the Queens diary.How tired she must become of their witterings and cautions, all those Privy Counsellors with their little pinkies out at an angle, all those wiggy judges and charity sector bores, all the risk-averse pooh-bahs who affect to have the publics welfare at heart but actually have little clue as to what ordinary people think.After all, they rarely meet them. But the Queen does, day in, day out, and she has done so since she ascended the Throne in 1952.Can anyone truly be surprised if shes a Brexiteer? It might be pushing things to suggest that she and the Duke of Edinburgh would like to slap Up Yours, Delors! bumper stickers on the back of the royal Rolls-Royces, but circumstantial evidence points to the likelihood of our Sovereign and her consort being of a Eurosceptical disposition.She saw her noble father, George VI, worn ragged by the struggle against German ambitions in the Forties. Her first Prime Minister, Churchill (sometimes acclaimed as some sort of EU visionary), understood that our destiny in fact lay alongside yet apart from the Continent. In 1963 and 1967, she saw her governments fritter away their bargaining position as they sought to join the Franco-German trade alliance and were haughtily sent packing by President de Gaulle.She dealt personally with that peculiar man Edward Heath when, as Prime Minister in the early Seventies, he took us into what he deceitfully assured us was nothing more than an economic community.At the weekly audiences she grants to Prime Ministers, she also saw Margaret Thatcher and John Major driven half-mad by Europe. Then there was Tony Blair and his slippery behaviour over the euro.Given the assiduousness with which the Queen reads her red boxes of secret state papers, no one comes remotely close to the reach and depth of her experience of European statecraft. She has for decades met every significant political leader in the world. She has heard what they thought privately.She is an enthusiast for the Commonwealth, that network of cousin countries far beyond Europe, which EU trading rules have forced us to neglect in recent decades. Perhaps, like Brexiteers, she now senses there are fantastic opportunities to be had in the Commonwealth for a post-EU Britain.The Queen was our head of state long before we went into the EEC in the Seventies. She can remember when Britain had the self-confidence to operate as a sovereign country before that horrid blue EU flag was ever raised alongside the Union Jack. And need we ask what the Duke of Edinburgh makes of the EUs ruthless treatment of his home country, Greece?Oh to have been a fly on the royal dining-room wall at the lunch when HM made her alleged remarks.We can but imagine the clunk of jaws hitting the Palace crockery as various top bods  including swivel-eyed Europhile Nick Clegg  realised that the head of state had just signalled that she thought Brussels was eminently ditchable. I say, Mr Clegg, youve just dropped your spoon into your Brown Windsor soup with a mighty splosh. Was it something I said?The Queen, if reported correctly, was right. Or to put it in terms not likely to be used in royal corridors, she uttered the bleedin obvious  obvious, that is, to all but our political elite. They, with much foot-stamping, have tried to deny this story before.Back in March, The Sun newspaper ran a similar story about the Queens EU views, complete with the headline Queen Backs Brexit.All sorts of hoo-hah ensued, with Mr Clegg rubbishing the claims and numerous grandees (not all lifelong monarchists, by any respect) tut-tutting that the Royal Family had been cruelly abused by Fleet Street.But Miss Kuenssbergs new account suggests The Sun was very much on the right lines all along. One hesitates to say this about a rival newspaper, but it was a cracking scoop.The naysayers and neck- clutchers insist this is all most regrettable. They say the Queens privately expressed views should not be reported and her name should never be dragged into political arguments.No doubt various Europhiles will this week be muttering darkly that it is disgraceful for the British Monarch to venture into public pronouncements on so political an issue.She has, of course, done nothing of the sort. She made an alleged remark at a private gathering. She behaved entirely properly. That her comments were later leaked to The Sun and to Miss Kuenssberg  who initially declined to report it, claiming that she needed a second source  is hardly the Queens fault.Buckingham Palace argued yesterday that the important principle was unbroken: in public, the Queen is politically neutral. Indeed. She has been amazingly self-disciplined during her reign.But this rumpus about the Queens lunch conversation has not harmed the Crown. If anything, it has strengthened it.Our Monarch, thank goodness, is in agreement with the majority of her people. Like Hans Christian Andersens little boy, she seems, quite properly, to have noticed that the emperors of Brussels had no clothes.Well said, Maam.




French mayor names road in his town Brexit Street to 'pay tribute to the sovereign British people' who voted to leave the EU

By Julian Robinson for MailOnline 28 December 2016 French mayor has named a road in his town Brexit Street to 'pay tribute to the sovereign British people' who voted to leave the EU , it has emerged.Julien Sanchez, the Front National mayor of Beaucaire in the southern Gard departement, insists he has received 'lots of support from Britons' after christening the street.But the idea has already come in for criticism, with some pointing out that the cul-de-sac - in a gritty industrial estate - 'goes nowhere'.In a symbolic move, rue du Brexit will be situated between streets named after Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, two of the EU's founding fathers after the Second World War.Sanchez, 33, said the street is not currently named and that its new status would help delivery drivers and emergency services.The official Twitter account for Britain's Leave campaign wrote: 'A Mayor in France has named their new road "Rue du Brexit" to pay tribute to our vote for independence! A fine choice!'But others were less enthusiastic with some in France mocking the fact that it is a 'circular road that leads nowhere - a great prospect for progress'.Another added: 'There's only one way to protect our dead ends by ousting these clowns with our votes.'Critics have two months to challenge the proposal, but Mr Sanchez reportedly wants the change rubber stamped in a month's time.The anti-EU Front National leader Marine Le Pen has vowed to hold a Brexit-style referendum in France over European Union membership if she seizes power next year.She described Britain's vote as a 'victory for freedom'.
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Life as a U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet includes six weeks of basic training, memorizing pages of details, tackling challenging academic courses, rising in the early morning and going to bed in the late evening, mastering a myriad of academic skills -- all while learning and practicing the importance of teamwork.

And yet for the Air Force Academy Class of 2020, Cadet Fourth Class Regan Hefner of Plattsmouth, every second is a blessing of its own kind. Its an opportunity of a lifetime and something Ill treasure forever, Regan said.

Home for the holidays to spend time with her parents, Ron and Brooke Hefner, and brother Kyle, Regan took time to share her experiences at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs where shes been enrolled since June.

It starts out on Initiation Day. Its called I Day. Its a big in-processing day thats very hectic and chaotic, she explained. The real training starts a few days after newly arrived cadets are in-processed.

Basic Cadet Training (BCT) is divided into two phases referred to by cadets as: First Beast and Second Beast. During First Beast, we do physical activities and recite and learn Academy knowledge. We also attend briefings and listen to speeches given by prominent figures of the military, she said.

Among other training exercises, Regan said cadets do many flutter kicks. A flutter kick is when you lay down and hold your feet up with your boots on for up to 10 minutes, she said.

During Second Beast, cadets go to Jacks Valley, an outdoor encampment facility where they experience various training scenarios. We hiked five miles to the site. This is where its more of the traditional boot camp, she said.

Her entire squadron had different obstacles they had overcome as a group. Its designed to bring everyone together as a team. You help each other verbally and physically, Regan said. Second Beast really cemented our teamwork. We had to help each other overcome our weaknesses and fears.

The obstacle course was an activity that required each flight to complete the challenge together, as quickly as possible.

The Confidence Course proved difficult for many. For example, people had to overcome their fear of heights. You were up several feet in the air walking on a narrow beam. If you fell, you had to depend on your flight mates to make sure you didnt fall and hurt yourself, Regan said.

Regan admitted she wasnt fond of being unsecured on a beam in the air, yet felt good about the challenges she experienced when it was over. It was a big accomplishment to achieve as a flight. Looking back, it was very challenging but extremely rewarding, she said.

Regans completion of basic training was recognized on Acceptance Day, Aug. 09, when she and the others were recognized as Basic Cadets. You have no rank. Youre a Basic Cadet. We entered straight into academics after two to three days of transition. When the academic year began, we transitioned into a squadron. There are 100 people in a Squadron. I am in Squadron 28 Blackbirds. There are 40 squadrons in our cadet wing.

Some, of course, find that the military isnt a good fit for them. We lost two people from our flight during BCT, but thats considered a pretty low number, Regan said.

At Sijan Hall (one of two dormitories), Regan shares a room with another female cadet. Their room consists of a walk-in closet, two desks, chairs and a valet with a sink and cabinet above. Each squadron lives in the same facility and area of the building.

Your squadron mates are who you live with until the end of the year. At the end of your sophomore year, you change squadrons, she said.

Each class has its own color. For the Class of 2020, its blue. Everything is blue. Our Contrails (cadet study guide) are even published in blue, she said.

Contrails is a small handbook issued to all cadets entering the USAF Academy. It contains information on the United States Air Force and United States military history; Academy history; notable Academy graduates; aircraft, and munitions in the current U.S. Air Force inventory; transcripts of important national documents such as the Preamble to the US Constitution and the full national anthem; also included are famous quotes, which are usually patriotic or leadership-related. Cadets in the fourth class (freshman) year are expected to learn most of the information from Contrails, and be able to recite much of it verbatim.

Each week, we are given a portion to memorize. Every Sunday, we take a test over what we have learned.

Before each test, we are given an outline pertaining to that weeks pertinent information, required for memorization on that weeks Knowledge Test. Cadets must get above 80 percent to pass. Quotes are a major part of the knowledge tests. Some of the quotes are over 150 words long, and everything must be exactly rewritten on the test as shown in the Contrails or it is considered incorrect. This means if you do not capitalize a letter, forget punctuation, or write the word two instead of spell it numerically as 2, you are wrong and will likely fail As a result, my classmates and I are always kept very busy, Regan said.

Each cadet is also expected to know the entire military chain of command starting with government officials followed by the Academy military leadership, the cadet wing, your group, and finally all upperclassmen within your squadron. Greetings include rank, first name, middle initial, last name, followed by their full job title and it is ended with us saying our squadron call sign with pride. In total, this comes to knowing details for approximately 200 people. Regan said.

A persons success at the Air Force Academy depends on teamwork, Regan explained. Once youre in the rhythm of being there, youre never doing anything alone. The camaraderie is the real key to success. If you ask someone who has been through it, nobody will ever say they made it through alone. Whether youre studying for academics, cleaning your room or preparing your uniform, youre never alone, she said. That is the greatest quality the Academy has to offer. Teachers are extremely understanding and helpful. We also have an academic room within our squadron where we can go and study with someone at any time.

The academic lineup for Regans first semester at the Air Force Academy included Chemistry, Behavioral Science, German, Engineering and Calculus. Next semester, she will take German, History, English, Calculus, Computer Science and Chemistry.

The chemistry is very difficult. Most freshmen will take a chemistry class and a physics class. I did well in it so they wanted me to take another chemistry class, she said.

Monday through Thursday, Regan starts her day at 5:25 a.m. with cross country practice. Regan participates in the sport as an Air Force Academy intercollegiate athlete. On Tuesdays, she starts her day at 6:30 a.m. Wednesdays include morning minutes for freshman where they recite knowledge and give presentations, so she begins the day at 6:10 a.m. Bedtime doesnt come around until 11:30 p.m. or sometimes even midnight.

When the Air Force Academy school year ends summer programs begin, with an entirely new set of activities.

Summer is divided into three sessions. The Expeditionary Survival and Evasion Training, more commonly known as ESET, requires cadets to survive in austere conditions outdoors for multiple days. The second session is an Airmanship Program. Cadets in Airmanship choose whether they wish to participate in a number of programs offered by the academy including jump (parachuting), or soaring.

Regan said she wants to take soaring. Its a glider program where upperclassmen that have become instructor pilots teach you how to prepare to fly an aircraft without an engine. I think that would be very beneficial considering Im interested in being a military pilot, she said.

The third session is reserved for leave. You may go home or travel wherever you want to, she said.

In choosing a military career, Regan is following in the footsteps of her predecessors. Her father served as a Lt. Col in the Air Force. Her brother, Kyle, a senior at University of Nebraska, has chosen to join the U.S. Air Force.

My two grandfathers were very influential in my decision. My maternal grandfather served in the European Theatre during World War II. He flew L-5 observation planes for the Army Air Corps. My other paternal grandfather was also in World War II in the Pacific Theatre and part of the cavalry, she said. To be part of that legacy is extremely rewarding.

Regan admits the cadet lifestyle is not for everyone. Its a big commitment, she said, but Im doing what I love.
Visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands will be rewarded in 2017 with a bit of spending cash, thanks to Visit USVI, the official travel bureau for the American territory.

As part of the big celebration for the islands' centennial, USVI.com will give traveling guests $300 to spend in tourism cash.
MENAHEM KAHANA/Associated Press

JERUSALEM  Doubling down on its public break with the Obama administration, a furious Israeli government on Tuesday said it had received ironclad information from Arab sources that Washington actively helped craft last weeks U.N. resolution declaring Israeli settlements illegal.

The allegations further poisoned the increasingly toxic atmosphere between Israel and the outgoing Obama administration in the wake of Fridays vote, and raised questions about whether the White House might take further action against Israeli settlements in Obamas final weeks in office. Just this week, Israel announced approval of 600 housing units in the predominantly Palestinian eastern section of Jerusalem in what a top official called a first installment of 5,600 new homes.
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii  Under a warm Oahu sun, with the tranquil, teal waters of Pearl Harbor behind them, former enemies came together Tuesday to acknowledge the tremendous loss caused by the Japanese attack on U.S. military installations in Hawaii 75 years ago.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama made a historic pilgrimage to the site where the devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II.

As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place, Abe said.

He did not apologize for the attack but said we must never repeat the horrors of war again.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken battleship Arizona.

There, he and Obama placed a pair of green-and-peach wreaths made of lilies and tossed purple flower petals into the water. The rusting wreckage of the ship where more than 1,000 American service members are entombed can be seen just under the waters surface.

Obama and Abe closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments.

Afterward, they spoke at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where Obama called the harbor a sacred place and said that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace.

As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heavens rails for all eternity, Obama said.

In likely the last time he will meet with a foreign leader as president, Obama said the two countries are bound by shared interests and common values and their alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and a force for progress around the globe.

The two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd, shaking hands and hugging some of the men who fought in the Dec. 7, 1941, battle.

For Abe, its an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war it entered after Pearl Harbor.
1 Coup trial: Twenty-nine Turkish former police officers went on trial on Tuesday accused of aiding the failed military coup in July  the first trial in Istanbul over the attempt that led to some 270 deaths. Renegade officers in Turkeys military used tanks, fighter jets and helicopters in their July 15 attempt to unseat the government, attacking the parliament and other key buildings. Turkey blamed it on a network of followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen  an ally turned foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

2 Reporter abducted: Gunmen kidnapped an Iraqi journalist after breaking into her Baghdad home, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday, a reminder of the dangers reporters face in a war-torn country where authorities have struggled to maintain security. The Interior Ministry said Afrah Sawqi al-Qaisi was abducted from her house on Monday night. It called on residents to come forward with any information that might help the investigation. Al-Qaisi, a veteran journalist and an employee of the Iraqi Culture Ministry, is a leading critic of the countrys endemic corruption.
MOSCOW  The flight data recorder of the Russian military passenger plane that crashed into the Black Sea near the resort town of Sochi, killing all 92 passengers and crew members on board, has been recovered, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The flight recorder was found about a mile from shore and was quickly transferred to Moscow, where investigators began working on decoding it, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said.
Local emergency crews traveled to the scenes of three car accidents on Cass County roads during the past week.

The first accident took place Thursday at 10:39 p.m. at the intersection of 310th Street and Waverly Road near Murdock. Cass County Sheriffs Office deputies and members of Elmwood Rescue and Murdock Fire Department all responded to the scene for a one-vehicle injury accident.

Emergency personnel learned Elmwood resident Devin Morgart, 17, was southbound on 310th Street when the vehicle lost control and left the road. Morgarts brown 1997 Chevrolet TrailBlazer went into the west ditch and rolled over several times before coming to rest on its wheels.

Elmwood Rescue transported Morgart to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln for injuries that were not life-threatening. Deputies said alcohol was not a factor in the accident. They also said Morgart was not wearing a seat belt.

The second accident took place Saturday at 6:48 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 75 and Murray Road. CCSO deputies said Plattsmouth resident Devin Watt, 44, was southbound on Highway 75 and attempted to turn onto Murray Road in front of oncoming traffic. A truck driven by Plattsmouth resident David Harris, 42, struck Watts car on the passenger side.

Watts car came to rest in front of a CCSO deputy who was traveling westbound on Murray Road at the time. The deputy witnessed the accident and issued Watt a citation for failure to yield the right of way. Watt suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment. Harris did not suffer any injuries.

Deputies said both drivers were wearing seat belts at the time. They said alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

The third accident took place Sunday at 4 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 50 and Church Road. CCSO deputies and members of Weeping Water Fire and Rescue, Louisville Fire and Rescue and Cass County Emergency Management all responded to the scene. The two-vehicle accident happened during a heavy thunderstorm that afternoon.

CCSO deputies said Murdock resident Whitney Tiedeman, 20, was eastbound on Church Road when her 2001 Honda Accord went past the stop sign and into the intersection. Omaha resident Craig Bryan, 62, was northbound on Highway 50 in a 2012 Ford F150 pickup truck at the time. The two vehicles collided on the highway.

Louisville Rescue transported Tiedeman to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha for head and leg injuries. Weeping Water Rescue transported Craig Bryan and passenger Kristi Bryan, 60, to local hospitals. Craig Bryan had an injured hand and Kristi Bryan had undisclosed injuries.

Deputies said the heavy rain at the time caused limited visibility in the area. They said that was a contributing factor in the accident. They also said all three people were wearing seat belts. The collision caused airbags to deploy in both vehicles.
WASHINGTON  U.S.-Russian talks on their separate fights against the Islamic State are becoming more productive and more frequent, American officials said, with both sides trading information in real time and even outlining some of their strategic objectives in the months ahead. The progress dispels the notion that ties between the former Cold War foes are frozen.

In the discussions, Russia has made clear its counterterrorism priority in Syria is retaking the ancient city of Palmyra, officials said. The U.S. is determined to pressure Islamic States headquarters in Raqqa.

The closer contacts between the two countries have developed despite their bitter accusations against each other over the devastation in Aleppo and Moscows claim that relations are now frozen on all practical levels.

The confidential military discussions arent focusing on their opposing positions in Syrias civil war, where Russia is fighting alongside the government and the United States has backed rebel groups, officials said.

But U.S. officials with knowledge of the ongoing conversations are crediting both sides with putting aside much of the public animosity, which has included Washingtons accusations of Russian war crimes in Aleppo and Moscows charges of American support for terrorist groups such as al Qaeda.

Much of the talk has concerned the two nations immediate operations.

Since Dec. 15, the U.S.-led coalition has conducted air strikes on about two dozen locations around Palmyra, destroying air defense weapons, tanks, aircraft shelters, storage bunkers and other vehicles and equipment. At the same time, U.S. and Russian officials having been ensuring that the two militaries dont cross paths in the airspace above the city that Islamic State militants seized for the second time earlier this month, and that American strikes dont mistakenly hit Russian or Syrian forces.

But the talks have gone beyond the granular and even touched on broader U.S. and Russian plans, according to several U.S. officials, who werent authorized to speak publicly on the confidential discussions and demanded anonymity.

The Russians have spelled out that after they retake Palmyra, they want to move on Islamic State militants congregated in Deir el-Zour, a city closer to the Iraqi border. Succeeding in Deir el-Zour, according to one U.S. official, could take Russia several months.

Palmyra poses particular difficulties. Several hundred Islamic State forces are believed to be in the city. But Syrian government and Russian troops are also there, making it difficult to tell them apart.
The New Zealand dollar gained against its trans-Tasman counterpart as the prospect of a slowing Chinese economy weigh more heavily on the trade prospects for Australia.

The kiwi rose to 96 Australian cents as at 5pm in Wellington from 95.85 cents yesterday. The local currency gained to 4.8087 Chinese yuan from 4.7807 yuan yesterday.

The Antipodean currencies declined heading into the Christmas holiday when Chinese president Xi Jinping said he wasn't wedded to China's 6.5 percent economic growth target due to concerns about rising debt and an uncertain global outlook, though state media agency Xinhua today reported the worlds second-biggest economy will meet its growth target of 6.5-to-7 percent this year and will target a rate of 6.5 percent in 2017.

"Late Friday night was the information that China's not going to reach it's growth target, which saw the Aussie and the kiwi come off," said Tim Kelleher, head of institutional FX sales NZ at ASB Institutional. "We've seen a bit of recovery in the kiwi today and the kiwi/Aussie cross trend higher again because our wagon isn't as tied to China as Aussie's is."

Kelleher said the kiwi could push up to 97/98 Australian cents.

The local currency rose to 69.14 US cents from 68.85 cents as at 8am and 68.79 cents yesterday, recovering from last week's decline heading into the Christmas holiday, though Kelleher expects it will be capped at 69.50 cents.

The kiwi rose to 2.6532 Israeli shekels from 2.6469 shekels yesterday as a diplomatic spat breaks out between New Zealand and Israel over a United Nations Security Council resolution criticising the Middle Eastern nation's settlement policy as undermining a two-state solution with Palestine.

The local currency edged up 66.04 euro cents from 65.91 cents yesterday, and increased to 56.26 British pence from 56.07 pence. The kiwi rose to 81.31 yen from 80.76 yen yesterday. The trade-weighted index increased to 77.26 from 77.09 last week.

New Zealands two-year swap rate rose one basis point to 2.5 percent from the Friday close, while 10-year swaps increased two basis points to 3.58 percent.

(BusinessDesk)

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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New Zealand shares edged lower in light holiday trading, led by Ryman Healthcare and Kathmandu Holdings, while yield stocks Sky Network Television and Kiwi Property Group gained.

The S&P/NZX 50 Index dipped 1.21 points, or 0.02 percent, to 6,875.78. Within the index, 23 stocks fell, 21 rose and six were unchanged. Turnover was $59.3 million.

"We've had another really massive year - the market just wants to grind into a positive outcome - we're up 8.7 percent year to date and there was a bit of a positive lead out of markets that have been open over shortened trading, the US was a bit stronger," Shane Solly, director, portfolio manager & research analyst at Harbour Asset Management, said. "Volumes are extremely thin, markets are driven by by-appointment transactions so transactions that have gone on today aren't indicative of where markets really are."

Retirement village operator and developer Ryman led the index lower, down 2.3 percent to $8.10, while rivals Metlifecare rose 2.3 percent to $5.42 and Summerset advanced 0.4 percent to $4.57.

"Metlifecare and Summerset have had a bit of a bounce after being under some real selling pressure," Solly said. "A slowing in the rate of growth in the New Zealand residential market's having some impact on retirement village operators, and the operators have certainly positioned themselves carefully so they're still in a position to generate reasonably helpful earnings."

Outdoor equipment chain Kathmandu fell 2.1 percent to $1.86.

Auckland International Airport dropped 2 percent to $6.53. Solly said the stock was giving back some gains after a strong month, with positive operating statistics earlier in the month.

Trustpower was the best performer on the index, up 3.3 percent to $4.75, while Sky Network Television rose 2.7 percent to $4.50 and Kiwi Property gained 1.5 percent to $1.375. Air New Zealand gained 0.5 percent to $2.12.

"There's definitely a bit of yield buying from overseas markets - Sky TV, Air New Zealand, Kiwi Property - those sorts of names that tend to have a relatively high market cap and a good dividend yield, but on tiny volumes so it's difficult to read too much into that," Solly said.

Outside the benchmark index, Pumpkin Patch owes $59.5 million to its bank ANZ Bank New Zealand and at least $6.6 million to other creditors, receivers KordaMentha said in their first report on the failed children's clothing retailer. The company, which was tipped into receivership by its lenders and appointed voluntary administrators in October, has $17.6 million in assets, with $13.5 million of that from investments, and $3 million in fixed assets relating to its head office and distribution centre in East Tamaki, Auckland. Trading in its shares has been suspended at 6 cents since October.

Intueri Education Group slumped 23 percent to 3.1 cents. The group's Australian Conwal & Associates unit has been rejected from provisional entry to the VET student loan scheme transition period, a week after having its application for a hike in funding turned down. The NZX-listed company's shares have plunged 94 percent so far this year.

(BusinessDesk)

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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Midwest Hop Producers (MHP) in Plattsmouth received the go ahead for a liquor license Dec. 16 and owners Annette and Bruce Wiles followed the announcement with a week-long open house showcasing their brews and merchandise sold in their tasting room.

MHP is located in Cass County at 18003 Club View Drive, north of Plattsmouth just off Highway 75. Last week, Annette and Bruce Wiles invited people to visit and sample the beer cake, honey made from bees on their property, snacks, ginger beer made with ginger grown at MHP and two of their most popular brews.

Growing baby ginger was done through a grant and partnership with University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A beekeeper from Bellevue keeps his hives on the property, giving MHP the opportunity to sell locally produced honey products.

To date, MHP sells hops to several known brewing companies including Loop Brewing Company, Scriptown Brewing Company, Blue Blood Brewing Company, Empyrean Brewing Company, Keg Creek Brewing Company, Omahas Brickway Brewery and Distillery, First Street Brewing Company and Thunderhead Brewing Company.

If you love craft beer, then youll love the wide range of MHP clothing, housewares, baking mixes, candy, ornaments and other items available in the tasting room. They also have two of their most popular craft beers on tap.

We just opened the tasting room for the holidays, Annette explained. In the spring well open it on a regular basis.

The tasting room sits 60 people on the inside and 40 more on the outside. Annette said they will offer some food items, but hope to attract food trucks to the property to give their guests a wide range of culinary experiences.

Merchandise sold in the tasting room serves to complement their main focus  growing hops.

Hops demand is on the rise with the increase of craft brewers growing at the rate of 15 percent in 2015, totaling 4,269 breweries  the most at any time in American history, Annette said. Craft beer sales have grown in the double digits over the past eight years.

Bruce and Annette started the business in the summer of 2014 after bringing together a group of dedicated people to focus on establishing large-scale hops production in Nebraska, she said.

They researched best practices for growing hops, attended conferences and talked with fellow growers and processors across the country.

MHP mission is to provide farmers with a high-value crop that returns the majority of the crop value back to the growers, and provides high quality whole leaf and pelletized hops to everyone from craft brewers to home brewers while maximizing environmental stewardship through sustainable practices, MHP website states.

Sharing their knowledge of hops is a major part of their plan. They are very excited about participating in the inaugural Nebraska Grower and Brewer Conference Jan. 5-6 in Lincoln on the Nebraska Innovation Campus.

Director of Nebraska Department of Agriculture Greg Ibach will welcome conference goers to the event in the morning, along with Nebraska University Vice President Mike Boehm.

The keynote speaker will be Damon Scott from the Brewers Association. He will speak about Craft Brewery Trends Across the United States.

Participants will also have a choice of following one of two tracks on Jan. 6: the Growers Session or the Brewers Session.

Growers topics to be addressed include market outlook, horticultural practices, pest and disease control, harvest and post-harvest practices, Food Safety Modernization Act and growing for the brewing market.

Brewers Session topics are best brewing practices, brewery safety, input management, water science and an up-to-date overview of legal and regulatory topics.

The conference will draw people from Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado, Annette said.

After being in business the past two years, MHP now confidently offers 10 varieties of hops including Crystal, Galena, Glacier, Magnum, Mount Hood, Newport, Nugget, Saaz, Sorachi Ace, Tahoma, Triple Pearl and Yakima Gold.

Growing hops, however, is not for every farm producer. Hops are not a simple crop to begin producing. Extensive trellis systems must be built and plants can be costly to purchase. Though infrastructure and plants last 25 years, a typical one-acre plot can cost in the range of $15,000  $20,000. The startup is costly with a return on investment of up to four years, Annette said.

Hops face the same challenges as any other agricultural crop -- like crop diseases and poor weather. However, hops are not as tolerant to unpredictable elements as would be a row crop such as corn or soybean. Hops require significant amounts of water and nutrients that are not achievable through nature alone, she said.

Growing hops is also very labor intensive. Why did we decide to grow them? The increasing popularity of craft beers and the desire for locally produced hops has opened the market for smaller growers throughout Nebraska and the Midwest. Rural farmers are faced with declining commodity prices and are looking for alternative crops to supplement their incomes, Annette said.

With many short-term and long-term goals in mind, Bruce and Annette aim to create an agri-tourism site that will draw people from all over the country to enjoy craft brews, see their agricultural practices, provide high-quality hops to brewers and more.

Were already the states largest hop yard, Annette said. We want to do something for Plattsmouth. Bruce is a third-generation Plattsmouth resident. This is our home.

For more information about the upcoming hops conference visit www.growbrewnebraska.com. For more information about Midwest Hops Producer visit www.midwesthopproducers.com.

Also, MHP will be featured in an upcoming issue of NebraskaLand.
For 15 years, Plattsmouth Public Library patrons have been greeted by Evis Zamoras melodious Afrikaans accent saying, Welcome to the library. Can I help you with anything?

On Jan. 3, Evis will start her retirement, which has proven a bittersweet decision for this longtime librarian as she faces her fourth foot surgery.

I didnt think it was fair to put the library through another eight weeks of me not being here, she said. Plus, my husband Greg is retired. He does a lot in town and I think Ill be able to help him.

Evis and Greg belong to the Plattsmouth Bible Church, from which Greg volunteers his time helping people in need. The couple also teaches sessions about finances to help people overcome debt. These are a few of the activities Evis hopes to help Greg with in retirement.

The Zamoras are not native to Plattsmouth. Evis was raised in South Africa and is a fourth generation South African.

She and Greg have lived in Michigan and England. One of the children we adopted has special needs and we heard Nebraska had the best programs for special needs children, so we moved here about 20 years ago, Evis explained.

Although Evis was a stay-at-home mom for many years, when former librarian Judy Malm told her the library had an opening, Evis decided to apply for a job at the library and H & R Block. I got both and I worked at both for a while until I decided I knew here was where I belonged, she said.

Evis was hired by former Plattsmouth Public Library Director Stephen Hunt, whom she credits for teaching her about all aspects of library work. Evis said Stephen also helped turn the library into one of the best. He introduced the RFID system in 2008 and the computer room, she said.

I came in June 2002 and started as a library assistant. Stephen made me a full-time library supervisor. I will always remember him. He gave me a lot of chances and I took all the library classes available, she said.

Stephen also made the staff learn each others jobs in case one had to cover for another. Everything in this library I can do because Stephen pushed us to learn all the jobs, she said.

Her duties included helping patrons at the front desk, making sure the books are in order, training all new staff members, helping set up library programs, checking and dispensing library emails to the appropriate staff member, taking care of interlibrary loans and correcting labels on library items.

If something needs done, Ill do it, Evis said. I never dont have anything to do.

Evis knows she will miss working at the library. Ill miss the people who come in here and who love the library. They shared their stories with me and I shared mine with them. When a husband or wife died, I knew. Knowing the community is fabulous. Im really going to miss that. I cant tell you how much I love this place, she said.

From the first day she began working at the library, Evis said her goal was to make it a happy place.

Because of the library, Ive met so many people. Im really going to miss it, she said.

Library director Karen Mier said the public will also miss Evis.

You cant get any better person for customer service than Evis. She knows everybody by name and they appreciate it, Mier said.
MARY DUNCAN MEREDITH

1959-2016

Mary Duncan Meredith, age 57 of Lincoln (formerly of Nehawka) died December 25, 2016 at Bryan LGH West Medical Center in Lincoln.

Mary was born March 20, 1959 in Nebraska City, the daughter of Graydon Jr. and Laura Maude (Argabright) Duncan.

Survivors include her daughter, Jackie Meredith of Lincoln; sons, Thomas Meredith and wife Holly of Lincoln; Cody Meredith and wife Kristin of Seward; 17 grandchildren; aunt, Nancy Argabright of Del Rio, TX; many other relatives and friends.

Memorial Services were held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, December 29, 2016 at Marshall Funeral Chapel in Nebraska City.

Burial of ashes will follow at Wyuka Cemetery in Nebraska City.

Visitations were from 1:00 to 8:00 P.M., Wednesday at Marshall Funeral Chapel in Nebraska City with the family greeting friends from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. There will be no viewing.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.marshallfuneral.com

Marshall Funeral Chapel of Nebraska City, Nebraska is in charge of arrangements.
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NEW DELHI: 10digi, a start-up backed by IT firm SoftAge Information Technology, today launched a new service to help customers get mobile SIM cards delivered at their doorstep free of cost.



The web and app-based platform will also facilitate activation of the SIM cards. Besides, users will be able to choose service providers and compare type of plans as well.



Currently, the company works with Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Tata Teleservices and said it is in discussion with others like Airtel.



"Users just have to visit 10digi platform, request for a connection and go through the documents availability section. Once the request is made, our mobile retailer will arrive at the time specified by the user to collect the documents and deliver the SIM," 10digi co-founder and CTO Sherjil Ozair said.



While the service is free, they can get services like photocopy (of identity/address proofs) and photograph for a nominal charge, he added.



Asked about the company's business model, Ozair said it will get a fee from telecom operators for every subscriber that it signs up.



"We plan to expand the services to 135 cities by March 2018. By then, we should have a turnover of Rs 250 crore," he said, adding that the company will invest Rs 2 crore to enhance its presence in Delhi-NCR.



Ozair claimed that using the company's platform, customers can get their SIM activated within 4 hours for prepaid connections, and within 8 hours for postpaid connections as compared to the current process which takes anywhere from 8-48 hours.



Also, the company said it is hiring about 500 people to undertake the role of mobile SIM retailers, who will deliver the SIMs and this number will be gradually ramped up.

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RANCHI: Jharkhand government today signed an MoU with IIM, Ahmedabad for setting up an international standard 'Jharkhand Innovation Lab' with Chief Minister Raghubar Das saying this will give a new direction to the youth and entrepreneurs.



Jharkhand Information Technology Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal and IIM Ahmedabad's Sailesh Gandhi inked the MoU, an official release said.



The Chief Minister said this would generate job opportunities, local resources would be utilised and economic activity would increase.



Barnwal said there would be a work station in the lab, it would be WiFi and it would be functional in eight months, the release said.



Gandhi said the main centre of the innovation lab would in Ranchi and sub-centres would be opened at training centres.



This lab would be connected with foreign investors, banks, corporate, industries association, foundry institution and others, the release added.

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The Fremont Fire Department was dispatched Tuesday afternoon in regard to a Washington Heights home fully engulfed in flames.

Shortly after 2 p.m., firefighters responded to 1436 Nelson Lane after receiving reports of heavy smoke and fire coming from the home.

We knew it was going to be pretty severe when we could see smoke as we passed (West 23rd Street) Burger King, Cpt. Pat Tawney said during a phone interview.

Upon arrival, Tawney said firefighters immediately responded to heavy fire coming from the garage.

We made our initial attack through the garage doors, and then we ran another hose line through the front of the house that went in and around the kitchen and back toward the garage, he said.

Seven firefighters initially responded to the scene and six more followed. The fire was extinguished in approximately 15 to 20 minutes, Tawney said.

The homes interior was severely damaged from smoke and heat, and the garage was completely gutted from the flames. In addition, a Ford Windstar parked in the garage was lost during the fire.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, and an investigation is being led by the Nebraska State Fire Marshal.

Tawney said that nobody was injured during the fire, and that a grandmother and her three grandchildren safely exited the home after smelling smoke and realizing the garage was on fire.

In terms of a typical fire the Fremont Fire Department responds to, Tawney said this was especially severe.

This home was heavily, heavily damaged,he said. Thats the best way I can really put it  just super extensive damage.
ANAND(GUJ): The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union (KDCMPU), a member union of GCMMF which markets its products under brand Amul, today said it has opened bank accounts for all its 6.7 lakh member farmers.



KDCMPU, member union of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the agency that markets Amul brand of milk and milk products, today claimed that between November 8 and December 20, 2.5 lakh more members farmers were brought under banking system.



"Out of our 6.7 lakh members, 4.2 lakh members had their bank accounts in nationalised banks. We opened bank accounts for remaining 2.5 lakh members," KDCMPU chairman Ramsinh Parmar told reporters.



"With this, the money for milk sold to us will be transferred into the accounts of 1,210 associated milk societies, which will in turn transfer the money into the accounts of individual farmers," Parmar said.



Out of 617 villages under Amul Dairy, 154 villages have bank branch or ATMs within the villages, while 463 villages have ATMs or bank branches between 5 and 25 kms distance, he said.



"To make money withdrawal easier for farmers who do not have banks in their villages, Amul Dairy has set up micro ATMs in 180 milk societies, and is in talks with nationalised banks to set up similar micro ATMs in remaining 480 banks," Parmar said.



He said the farmers will also be given special Amul card which will be relatively safe to operate for withdrawing and transferring money from their accounts.



The dairy union also operates milk societies in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Punjab.



"We have provided bank accounts to milk producers in these states as well," Parmar claimed.



In West Bengal, Amul Dairy operates 219 societies with 21,000 members, in Maharashtra it has 91 societies and 7,950 members, and in Punjab it has 119 societies with 12,037 members.



Parmar said the dairy cooperative disbursed Rs 215 crore to member milk societies after demonetisation came into effect.



He said the sale of milk dropped from 23 lakh litre per day to 22 lakh litre as some farmers who could not receive money due to demonetisation and ban on central co-operative banks to sell their produce to private parties who offered them money in cash.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 had announced his government's decision to demonetise high value currency notes.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two Staten Island men are accused of robbing a couple of borough hotels and attempting a heist at another motel over the summer.

Last week, Marc Luna, 24, and Angel Santiago, 23, were indicted on robbery and firearms charges after the alleged incidents occurred in July and August, according to the indictment filed in Brooklyn federal court.

Luna and Santiago pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in Brooklyn federal court and were remanded without bail, officials said.

The defendants robbed the Hylan Inn, located at 1274 Hylan Blvd. in Grasmere, and the Ramada Inn at 535 N. Gannon Avenue in Willowbrook, prosecutors allege. The suspects also attempted to rob the West Shore Motor Lodge at 2600 Veterans Road West in Charleston, court papers said.

The Hylan Inn heist occurred on July 30 and the other two on Aug. 5, according to the indictment.

On Aug. 5, two men allegedly robbed the Ramada Inn at around 6 a.m., and fled the location on foot, according to Advance records. One of the suspects was armed with a firearm, a police spokesman said at the time.

An attempted armed robbery also was reported at the West Shore Motor Lodge a couple of hours earlier, at around 4 a.m., police said.

The armed suspects allegedly confronted the desk clerk at the motel on Veterans Road West before fleeing in a vehicle, police said at the time.

The two suspects ran into the motel check-in area and held up a gun to the bullet-proof office glass, the desk clerk previously told the Advance.

They suspects then tried to open the door to the office, but couldn't because it was bolted shut.

"They said, 'Open the f-----g door.' I told them to get the f--k out of here," said the employee.

The entire attempted robbery, where the suspects left empty handed, was over within seconds.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --Police have identified the 31-year-old man gunned down in Stapleton Monday afternoon.

Tanoon Quoquoi, of Beach Street in Stapleton, was shot two times in the torso near the intersection of Broad and Canal Street around 12:50 p.m., and was transported to Richmond University Medical Center where he later died.

Police previously identified him as a 21-year-old.

Quoquoi is believed to have been involved in an argument with three individuals before he was shot, police said. They are currently searching for a 29-year-old male in connection with the incident.

A deli worker on Broad Street, who declined to give his name, said Tuesday that Quoquoi had been asking people for a cigarette on the block before he was gunned down by a man he had been in an argument with.

He said he was unsure what the two men had been arguing about.

The worker added that children had been playing in front of the deli before the shots were fired. He said he was concerned for the safety of innocent people in the area.

"We gotta (sic) get these guns off the street, or it's going to happen to somebody else," he said.

An employee at a cash checking store across the crime scene said he heard the shots and saw people running, but did not have any other information.

A Staten Island Advance reporter spoke to an employee of the Broad Street Supermarket who said he recognized the victim as a man who frequents the area and who he has given money to in the past.

"I give him a dollar just about every other day, and he gets his coffee," said the man, who identified himself as Ralph. "That should have never happened to him. Of all the people out here, him?"

He said he came outside after hearing someone yelling and saw a woman in front of the New Way Convenience Store at the corner of Broad and Canal Streets, attempting to place the victim's jacket under his head.

"She was like hysterical, saying 'I don't know what to do, what should I do'" he said.

Police did not have a suspect in custody, and said the investigation is ongoing.
NWS snowfolo

Where-To-Turn is looking for students to volunteer for their annual Snow Shoveling for Seniors program. (Photo courtesy/Advance file shot)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Where-To-Turn is looking for students to volunteer for the annual Snow Shoveling for Seniors program.

Students who volunteer for the program will be matched with a senior citizen within walking distance of their house. They will be required to shovel the sidewalks and walkways of their match any time there is over one inch of snow.

Volunteers must be at least 13 years of age, and volunteers under 18 years of age must fill out a parental consent form and submit it to Where-To-Turn.

Student volunteers will receive 10 hours of community service for their work.

There are currently over 3,000 senior citizens registered for the program and not nearly enough student volunteers to meet demand.

"We really need more student volunteers," said Dennis McKeon of Where-To-Turn. "This has been our worst recruitment year so far for volunteers and we're getting more and more seniors."

There is a $500 reward for the intermediate school and the high school that have the most students volunteer for the program. Schools must have a minimum of 25 volunteers to qualify for the prize.

"Senior citizens have given so much to Staten Island over the years and there's a lot of them now that physically can't shovel their path," said McKeon. "We've had instances when senior citizens got fined by the Sanitation Department because they weren't able to clear their snow."

Any senior wishing to sign up for the service, or any student wishing to volunteer can call (718) 619-2371.
This is the 201st piece Ive posted in 2016, but Ive been privileged to be able to write for othe publications as well.

These are my ten most popular pieces of the year:

[pullquote align=right cite= link= color= class= size=]The Skeptical OB blog and Facebook page reached more then 7 million people in 2016![/pullquote]

1. Closing Newborn Nurseries Isnt Good for Babies or Moms on TIME.com. 68,090 shares

Im deeply disappointed to learn that the hospitals in my state, Massachusetts, are closing their newborn nurseries. Its a submission to the entreaties of breastfeeding activists (lactivists), and doesnt accomplish its stated aim. Most importantly, its unsafe

2. Why is American Home Birth So Dangerous? in The New York Times Sunday Review. 29,825 shares

IS home birth safe? That depends on where you ask the question But there are places in the world where home birth is relatively safe, like the Netherlands, where it is popular at 16 percent of births. And in Canada, where it appears safest of all, several studies have demonstrated that in carefully selected populations, there is no difference between the number of babies who die at home or in the hospital. In contrast, home birth in the United States is dangerous. The best data on the practice comes from Oregon, which in 2012 started requiring that birth and death certificates include information on where the birth occurred and who attended it. The states figures show that that year, the death rate for babies in planned home births with a midwife was about seven times that of births at a hospital

3. Dunning Kruger nation and the disaparagment of expertise. 18,399 shares

We live in Dunning Kruger nation. What do I mean? A variety of very loud confident idiots  anti-vaxxers, homebirth advocates, climate change deniers  actually think they know more than the experts in the respective fields

4. How the natural childbirth industry sets mothers up for guilt and shame 11,385 shares

[F]or todays new mothers, the expectations for childbirth and breast-feeding are higher than ever. Women are supposed to have the most authentic possible experience: They should reject pain relief; eliminate C-sections; embrace midwives, doulas and childbirth educators; and even defy standard obstetric recommendations when they conflict with those goals. Two powerful forces have arisen to push this dogma. First, the crunchy natural-birth subculture has slowly morphed into an industry, mainly catering to the most privileged women in society. Second, a cabal of natural-birth activists  online, on the air and even inside hospitals  has formed to shame pregnant women who eschew the right-thinking path. For these forces, childbirth has become less about having a baby and more about having an experience. And those who dont have the perfect birth cant possibly be good mothers.

5. What if were doing breastfeeding all wrong?. 8526 shares

It is an article of faith among them that formula supplementation interferes with breastfeeding, dooms exclusive breastfeeding and causes dangerous alterations to infant gut flora. What if theyre flat out wrong? And what if babies are being injured and even die because we arent recapitulating nature? 

6. The ultimate appeal of anti-vaccine advocacy: it flatters the ignorant. 8152 shares

One of the most attractive aspects of anti-vaccine advocacy, indeed of all alternative health, is that no particular knowledge is necessary to declare yourself an expert. It doesnt matter that you dont have even the most basic knowledge of science and statistics. It doesnt matter that you dont have any understanding at all of the complex fields of immunology or virology. Your personal experiences count for more than the collective wisdom of doctors, scientists and public health officials. Hence Jenny McCarthy, a B movie actress with no training of any kind in science is touted by herself and others as an expert on vaccines. Hence Modern Alternative Mother Kate Tietje and similarly undereducated mommy bloggers parade themselves as experts on vaccination

7. Seeing toxins everywhere is just another form of privilege. 7616 shares

It is axiomatic among quacktivists  anti-vaccine activists, organic food devotees, natural parenting advocates  that our world is filled with toxins. But toxicophobia, fear of toxins, is really just another form of privilege. Only those in wealthy, industrialized societies who have access to copious food and clean water, and are protected from epidemics of infectious disease have the leisure time and financial resources to indulge in internet fantasies of being poisoned by toxins

8. The theology of quackery; how pseudoscience has become a secular religion. 7606 shares

It seems to me that for a large proportion of people, particularly people on the political Left, pseudoscience has become a secular religion, complete with creation myth, demons and ultimate salvation. Dont get me wrong: theres plenty of pseudoscience on the political Right, too. But often that is motivated by adherence to standard religious philosophy, the idea that the Bible is the world of God and that anything that contradicts it cannot be allowed to be true. On the Left, where many abjure religion, quackery has become the new religion

9. Why do anti-vaxxers think nature intended for them to survive? 5470 shares

In reality nature doesnt intend anything. Nature doesnt intend the sun to shine; it shines because nuclear fusion is occurring inside it. Nature doesnt intend the tides to rise and fall; it happens because of the moons gravity acting on the oceans. Nature doesnt intend for people to survive or succumb to infectious diseases; it happens because bacteria and viruses attack people in order to feed and reproduce themselves. Nature no more intends for people to survive infectious diseases than it intends for people to survive having a limb bitten off by a tiger. True, your survival might be aided by blood clotting factors that staunch the bleeding and antibodies that combat infection, but its equally likely that youll die in spite of your bodys defenses against traumatic injury and hemorrhage

10. Vaccination is far more baby friendly than breastfeeding. 4344 shares

Theres a simple thing that every mother can do to keep her baby as healthy as possible. Thats why we should have a ten step hospital based program to support it. No, its not breastfeeding; its vaccination, which saves a thousand times more lives in practice than breastfeeding ever could in theory.

This post also generated the most comments of the year, 2711 and counting.

My most popular meme of the year was this:

It reached 733,100 people on Facebook.

Overall the blog plus The Skeptical OB Facebook page reached more than 7 million people in 2016!

Of course, the most important thing I wrote this year was my book PUSH BACK: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting, published in hardcover, kindle and audio editions. The paperback version will be out on January 10, 2017.

It was a very good year!
The Fremont City Council unanimously voted 8-0 to amend the South Fremont Industrial Redevelopment plan in regard to the proposed Costco Poultry Complex.

According to plans submitted to the Fremont Planning Department, the processing plant proposed on 400 acres southeast of the city would grow from 250,000 square feet to 360,000 square feet and an associated hatchery would grow from 75,000 square feet to 85,000. Plans also call for a 32,000-square-foot feed mill.

The expansions would increase the projected cost of the facility from $180 million to $275 million, according to the documents.

Based on the new cost, the development would be eligible for more than $18.3 million in tax-increment financing, almost $5 million more than originally projected.

According to a Fremont city staff report, the new estimate of tax base added to Fremont and Dodge County increases from $63 million to $93 million based on the new cost. The new estimate of public infrastructure improvements and impacts also increases from $180 million to $275 million.

Fremonts city Planning Commission approved the plans at its Dec. 21 meeting, and recommend the Fremont City Council approve the amendment at its Dec. 27 meeting.

Costco has said the proposed facility would be capable of processing 350,000 chickens a day and would employ 800-1,000 workers. The company hopes to start construction in the spring and have it up and running by 2018.

During a public hearing Tuesday evening, proponents and opponents expressed their views, and representatives from Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry spoke.

The Council presented a full list of amendments in its Dec. 20 staff report. A summary of project amendments include:

* Both the header and title block were revised to reflect the difference between the original and the amended versions of the project specific redevelopment plan.

*An introductory statement was added explaining that the Amended Project Specific Redevelopment Plan was amended and restated in its entirety thus reserving the original redevelopment plan to general redevelopment plan components.

* Under General Project Characteristics, the square footage of the hatchery was increased from approximately 75,000 square feet to 85,000 square feet.

* The square footage of the processing facility was increased from approximately 250,000 square feet to 360,000 square feet.

* A square footage of approximately 32,000 square feet was added to the general description of the feed mill.

* Grading, as a public improvement, was more clearly identified as extraordinary grading.

* The dollar value associated with estimated capital investment into the region was increased from $180 million to $275 million to more accurately reflect the increase in project scope.

*The dollar value associated with estimated tax base being added to the greater Fremont and Dodge County area was increased from $63 million to $93 million.

* Under Land Use, Zoning and Building Codes, Population Density, and Property Acquisition, Demolition and Disposal, the requirement for subdivision approval was added, as well as a reference to the changes to street layouts, levels, and grades being illustrated in Figure 7 but that changes may vary based on final design.

* Under Tax Increment Financing, site acquisition was stricken.

*Under Exhibit A, an introductory statement was added explaining that the Cost-Benefit Analysis was amended and restated in its entirety thus reserving the original redevelopment plan to general redevelopment plan components.

* The dollar value associated with estimated completed project assessed valuation was increased from $71,328,800 to $95,556,000.

*The dollar value associated with estimated tax increment base was increased from $69,105,050 to $93,332,250.

*The dollar value associated with estimated annual projected tax shift was increased from $1,363,490 to $1,835,400.

*The estimated tax levy for this analysis was decreased from 1.973072 to 1.966559 and the basis was revised to reflect the most current information set forth on the website for the Dodge County Assessor as opposed to the 2015 Dodge County tax levy.

*The dollar value associated with public infrastructure improvements and impacts was increased from $180,000,000 to $275,000,000.

*The dollar value associated with financing was increased from $13,475,000 to $18,322,000.

*The square footage of the hatchery was increased from approximately 75,000 square feet to 85,000 square feet.

* The square footage of the processing facility was increased from approximately 250,000 square feet to 360,000 square feet.

*A square footage of approximately 32,000 square feet was added to the general description of the feed mill.
Andrews wife pressed over car crash with teen cyclist One day after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews faced a grilling by reporters over a car crash involving a teen cyclist, his wife Catherine fronted the press on Friday and spoke about claims from the victim and a witness while on the election campaign trail with her husband.

Chalmers struggles to answer cash-strapped welfare recipients question A struggling welfare recipient with only $20 in her bank account confronted the Treasurer on the ABC's Q and A program asking what areas of her budget she can improve as the cost of living places more pressure on vulnerable Australians.

Murky grey world: Marles warns of state-based cyber attacks amid new threat report The government has warned countries are becoming more active in cyber attacks after an annual report revealed there were 76,000 breaches in Australia in the last year.

02:45 Plans for energy bill relief by Christmas The Albanese government is sending mixed signals over how to address the nation's gas crisis.

Marles rejects Labor division claims after Chalmers refuses to rule out cash splash Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has rejected suggestions the government is divided over soaring energy prices after the Treasurer seemingly backflipped on ruling out a cost of living cash splash.

07:20 Malcom Turnbull is wrong for rejecting nuclear Shadow Climate Change and Energy Minister Ted OBrien says Malcolm Turnbull is wrong on rejecting a discussion on renewables after the...

01:37 Northern Territory MP wont apologise for untimely absence Northern Territory Veterans Affairs Minister Paul Kirby says he won't be "apologising" for taking leave during the Royal Commission into Defence...

McGowan speaks on energy crisis as WA remains in better position Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has weighed in on the current energy crisis and said calls to expand the state's domestic gas reserve nationally was "silly".

02:05 No further comment: Daniel Andrews refuses to address 2013 car crash Sky News Political Reporter Simon Love says Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews gave the same answer to reporters on 15 occasions when questioned...

07:16 Western Australia didnt sell off electricity assets like NSW: Mark McGowan Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan says since his state didnt sell off electricity assets the government can help families with...

10:08 Jim Chalmers is the weakest link in the federal government Former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger says Treasurer Jim Chalmers is not in charge of the economy, the economy is in charge...

00:39 Great ride: Mark McGowan on his future as Premier Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan says it has been a great ride as Premier, revealing his intentions to stay in the top job for a...

03:55 No further comment: Daniel Andrews refuses to address 2013 car crash Sky News Political Reporter Simon Love says Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews gave the same answer to reporters on 15 occasions when questioned...

02:42 Broader industry overhauls may be necessary to bring down energy prices Resources Minister Madeleine King has flagged a broader industry overhaul may be necessary to bring down energy prices in Australia.

Resources Minister: Domestic price cap remains an option Amid warnings of skyrocketing gas prices, the Resources Minister has indicated her willingness to introduce a domestic price cap to ease the pressure on struggling households.

09:56 NSW must adopt state-owned energy provider: Chris Minns NSW Opposition leader Chris Minns says New South Wales must adopt a state-owned energy provider to drive down the costs of energy.

02:02 Premier Andrews fends off questions about car crash involving his wife Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has faced questions at a press conference today over a car crash involving his wife and a bicycle rider nine...

Albaneses overseas travel scrutinised amid COP27 decision Peter Dutton has explained why he believes Anthony Albanese is not heading overseas to attend a climate conference despite Labor criticising Scott Morrison's reluctance to attend last year's event.

02:50 Queensland government announces major tourism plan The Queensland government has released a new 10 year tourism plan with an ambitious goal to more than double the state's over night tourism expenditure...
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Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked.

This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me."

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What They Say About SDA

"Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert

"I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick

Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick

"The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle

"Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group

I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs

"You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella

"Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky

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Seismic Map

Comments Policy

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Best Of SDA

Hide The Decline

The Bottle Genie

(ClimateGate links)

You Might Be A Liberal

Uncrossing The Line

Bob Fife: Knuckledragger

A Modest Proposal (NP)

Settled Science Series

Y2Kyoto Series

SDA: Reader Occupation Survey

Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop

Flakes On A Plane

All Your Weather Are Belong To Us

Song Of The Sled

The Raise A Flag Debacle

(Now on Youtube!)

(.mwv Video)

Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl

Trudeaupiate

Kleptocrat Jeans

Child Labour

I Concede

Small Dead Feminist

Protein Hoser: THK Interview

The Werewolf Extinction

Dear Laura (VRWC)

We Wait

Blogging The Oscars

Jackson Converts To Islam

Just Shut The HELL Up

Manipulating Condi

Gay Equality Rights


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The year has flown by again and, there have been many musical highlights. These are my pick for the past year, in no particular order.

1. Stephen Hough, piano: Musica Viva, Llewellyn Hall, April 28, 2016.

Stephen Hough's Piano Sonata III, "Trinitas", was a treat. Credit:Keith Saunders

Schubert's Sonata No. 14 opened what was a wonderfully rich program. I find the variety of Hough's pedal technique fascinating and his ability to use economy of "sustain" while perfectly punctuating the phrase was evident in the Andante. His fingers danced through the Allegro vivace, leaving an image of a speedily woven spider's web, lit brilliantly with raindrops.

Written in 1884, Cesar Franck's Prelude, Chorale and Fugue delighted and Hough's beautifully rhythmic crossing hands were mesmerising to watch throughout the performance  how can they possibly land with such precision and lift with such a delicate caress? Stephen Hough's own Piano Sonata III, "Trinitas", was a treat, and one could almost see the Steinway shiver with pleasure in anticipation of his performances of Liszt's Forgotten Waltzes and Transcendental Studies.
A Canberra woman had her licence suspended after she was allegedly caught drink driving and speeding on the Kings Highway with two child passengers, aged eight and 11.

NSW Police said the 36-year-old woman was allegedly driving 37km/h over the speed limit on the Kings Highway at Currowan, 130 kilometres south-east of Canberra, on December 27.

NSW Police say officers stopped her and arrested her after she returned an alcohol reading of 0.134.

"She was charged with drink driving and had her licence suspended on the spot," a NSW Police statement said.

"Police will allege that at the time of the offence there were two girls in the car, aged eight and 11."
The peak body for general practitioners has urged young music festival-goers not to "overindulge", and stay hydrated, as the festival circuit kicks off around the country.

With Southbound and Falls Festival already underway and Field Day coming up, the Australian Medical Association's president Dr Michael Gannon has urged music lovers to keep themselves and their friends safe.

Music-lovers out at Falls Festival last year. The AMA has urged all festival-goers to look after themselves, and their friends, this year. Credit:a

Dr Gannon said there was a risk that the combination of hot weather and "a party atmosphere" could lead to trouble for some people, urging them to drink plenty of water and seek out shade at their preferred festival.

"We all love getting together with friends, listening to great music, and having some fun," he said.
ACT Policing say missing Canberra man Luke Deangelis has been located safe and well.

Police had urged Mr Deangelis to make contact with them, as they had not heard from or sighted the man since he was reported missing.

Luke was last seen in the Belconnen area on the morning of Christmas Eve. Credit:Facebook/Luke Deangelis

Mr Deangelis was reported missing on the morning of Christmas Eve.

The 31-year-old was last seen in the Belconnen area.
Embattled listed law firm Slater & Gordon has confirmed it is considering a recapitalisation of the company to reduce the size of its debts.

Slater & Gordon confirmed maturity of its debt facilities remains unchanged at May 2018.

According to the most recent public information of Slater & Gordon's debts, the company has a $480 million tranche of debt due to expire on that date. A further $360 million in loans expires in 2019.

Slater & Gordon is believed to have made the announcement ahead of breaching one of its debt covenants on December 31.
In cities and towns across Indonesia, placards and posters in shop windows and on walls of public buildings have been proclaiming three words of celebration: "SELAMAT HARI NATAL".

Most Australians will be unfamiliar with this phrase. My knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia is not good enough to provide a literal translation, but Professor Google tells me it means: "Have a safe and happy day celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ".

Christians make up about 10 per cent of Indonesia's population. Most are Protestant, and they are represented among all ethnic groups and across all islands.

Among their number is the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and known simply as Ahok. Unfortunately, this Christmas season won't be a very merry one for Ahok as he faces criminal proceedings before a Jakarta District Court for blasphemy.
Australia's spending on foreign aid is at an eight-year low, with planned increases by 2020 still less than spending by the Rudd and Gillard governments more than a decade earlier.

Data released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade this month shows Australia's $3.82 billion official development assistance budget for 2016-17 is closest to spending levels in 2009-10, totalling $3.86 billion.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop meets with locals during a visit to bring Australian aid to Fiji after Tropical Cyclone Winston. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Commitments over the four-year forward estimates period will peak at $4.1 billion, meaning Australia will spend less on foreign aid in 2020 than it did in 2010-11, when the budget reached $4.3 billion.

Currently more than 90 per cent of Australia's foreign aid commitments go to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including more than $558 million to Papua New Guinea, $365 million to Indonesia and $162 million to the Solomon Islands.
Kanye West has dispelled rumours he was banned from the Kardashian Christmas party by tweeting a picture of himself and his family at his in-laws' annual bash.

The rapper tweeted a rare family photo with his wife Kim Kardashian West and two kids, three-year-old North and one-year-old Saint, on Tuesday.

With no Kardashian Christmas card released this year, West and Kardashian seem to have decided share their own rendition, brushing off divorce rumours that have been circulating in recent weeks.

The pair maintained their aversion to the traditional, ditching the ugly sweaters and Santa hats usually associated with a family Christmas photo for a moody shot perhaps reminiscent of an exhausting year that included traumatic events for both parents.
In a year already characterised by loss, both profound and political, many of us woke to more bad news Wednesday morning: after suffering a massive heart attack on December 23, on board a flight from London to Los Angeles, Carrie Fisher - the people's princess - was gone. She was only 60.

It's comforting in the aftermath to look at the thousands of images of Fisher as Princess Leia and view her hair, her hologrammed plea to Obi Wan Kenobi, her copper bikini, as nothing more than pop cultural flotsam and jetsam; trite vehicles for kid's dress-ups and fan conventions. It's comforting, but it's a mistake.

As a girl who grew up with two older brothers, it's reasonable to say I found myself soaked in Star Wars, not simply as a movie or franchise, but - as it truly was in the late 1970s and early 1980s - a seismic movement.

But while my brothers amassed action figures and light sabres and outsized replicas of the Millennium Falcon, I quietly absorbed movements, both literal and symbolic, of the token female lead. Princess Leia reconfigured my understanding and expectations of mythology, fairy tales, and, it almost goes without saying, women.
The best obituaries are written by the subject, according to the late Carrie Fisher.

So may the record be corrected: Fisher, 60, didn't die of a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles, she "drowned in moonlight, strangled by her bra".

This alternative in memoriam was originally penned by the actor and writer in her 2008 memoir, Wishful Drinking, where she described an exchange with Star Wars creator George Lucas about the now iconic Princess Leia costume.

"George comes up to me the first day of filming and he takes one look at the dress and says, 'You can't wear a bra under that dress.' So I say, 'Okay, I'll bite. Why?' And he says, 'Because... there's no underwear in space.' I promise you this is true, and he says it with such conviction too! Like he had been to space and looked around and he didn't see any bras or panties or briefs anywhere."
At times, fashion can feel like the Gigi Hadid show. That is, when it's not feeling like the Kendall Jenner show. Thanks to effervescent and relentless use of social media, these two young models have dominated 2016 - so much so that it's easy to forget they have a combined age of only 42. Yes, Kendall and Gigi are half the age of the average customer who buys the products they are paid millions to endorse.

Happily for those women who will never feel inspired by a grinning selfie of Gigi in a crop top, change is afoot. You just have to know where to look for it - and that is most definitely not Instagram. Elsewhere, you see, 2016 has been a remarkably cheering year for grown-up fashion, modelled by actual grown-ups.

Models Gigi Hadid and Lauren Hutton walk the runway at the Bottega Veneta show during Milan Fashion Week. Credit:Vittorio Zunino Celotto

In January, Sophia Loren, 81, appeared in a perfume advertisement for Dolce & Gabbana. In February, Bette Midler, 71, was cast in a Marc Jacobs beauty campaign. In March, Jane Birkin, 69, surfaced modelling a Saint Laurent tux. And in September, Lauren Hutton, 73, delighted Milan Fashion Week by taking to the catwalk in the Bottega Veneta show.

Tokenism? Who cares? Every time an older woman gets more airtime in the fashion industry, an older woman in the real world smiles. Then cancels her Botox appointment.
The nonprofit director whose controversial "ape in heels" comment about first lady Michelle Obama propelled a small West Virginia town into an embarrassing national spotlight has been fired from her job.

The decision to fire Pamela Taylor, who was director of the Clay County Development Corp, comes as officials work to keep closer watch on the nonprofit, which uses government funds to provide services to elderly and low-income residents, by placing it under a state agency.

The woman who called Michelle Obama an "ape in heels" has been fired from her state agency job. Credit:Getty

The move was prompted by Taylor's November Facebook post, in which she celebrated incoming first lady Melania Trump, while calling Obama an "ape in heels". Robert Roswall, commissioner for the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services, told the Washington Post that the controversy exposed loopholes in how the nonprofit was being run.

The Clay County Development Corp, for instance, is required by contract with the state to have open meetings, to respond to public records requests and to have non-discrimination policies. The fact that those rules weren't being followed became apparent after the public outrage over Taylor's comments.
The article "It's 'personal': TURC cops sued over CFMEU arrest" (December 22) referred to civil proceedings brought by CFMEU official Johnny Lomax against three AFP officers attached to the Trade Union Royal Commission. The Sydney Morning Herald did not intend to suggest that John Nikolic of the Master Builders Association colluded with the police officers in bringing charges against Mr Lomax. If any reader interpreted the article in that way, the Sydney Morning Herald withdraws that meaning and apologises to Mr Nikolic for any embarrassment caused.
The prestigious World Press Photo Contest is now open to entries for 2017.

A jury of photojournalism professionals from around the world will judge the 2017 contest, which celebrates the best in visual journalism.

The prestigious World Press Photo Contest is now open to entries for 2017. Credit:Francesco Zizola

Winning photographs will be assembled into an exhibition that travels to 45 countries and, the organisation says, will be seen by "more than 4 million people each year".

"Our contests are the occasion to put a worldwide audience in contact with the best visual stories, whether through digital storytelling or photography. Winners of a contest are hereby offered a unique platform as they find a huge new audience through the travelling exhibition," World Press Photo's Barbara Bufkens told Fairfax Media.
In a year in review, Fairfax Media photographer Peter Rae shares his three favourite photographs of 2016. The secret to capturing a striking image for Rae is putting yourself in the right place at the right time, and having the patience to wait for an unexpected moment that makes the perfect shot.

Coogee Surf Lifesaving Clubhouse

On June 5, Rae photographed the destruction of the Coogee Surf Lifesaving Clubhouse. He had been following the progress of the storm throughout the day. A king tide was expected in the evening, so Rae headed to Coogee Beach with his daughter. "No one was there at that stage," he recalls.

Severe weather saw the destruction of the Coogee Surf Lifesaving Clubhouse. Credit:Peter Rae

"Because it was a breaking news story, no one really knew that was happening... and I was able to give the editor the mobile number of the club president, who was down there watching the club be destroyed by waves."
A Sydney beauty college run by a prominent political donor and Order of Australia medal recipient has gone into administration, leaving hundreds of students in the dark and up to 80 staff rocked by dismissal letters on the day before Christmas Eve.

The Australasian College Broadway, which earned more than $10.4 million in taxpayer funded loans last year, went into administration on Friday, according to documents lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Maureen Houssein-Mustafa, who owns Australasian College Broadway. Credit:Ryan Stuart

The college's more than 800 students have yet to be told it is unlikely they will be able to resume their studies at the Ultimo institution after the summer break.

The 22-year-old college is run and owned by Maureen Houssein-Mustafa, a prominent donor to both the Liberal and National parties, who came 29th on the BRW rich list in 2014 after earning more than $40 million.
A fourth case of measles has been detected in Sydney, prompting renewed warnings from health authorities after the latest patient visited multiple public sites while still infectious.

Earlier this month NSW Health advised three adults who had contracted the disease had spent considerable time in the Sydney metropolitan area while they were infectious.

The fourth adult had been in contact with one of the earlier cases and had visited a number of locations on December 23 and 24 while infectious, including restaurants and shops in Leichhardt, Pyrmont and Neutral Bay, NSW Health said on Wednesday.

The individual had also travelled on public transport on routes in the inner west.
A search will resume on Thursday morning for a man who is feared to have drowned while swimming with his wife at Wagga in south-western NSW on Wednesday.

The 42-year-old man, from Craigieburn in Melbourne's north, waded into the Murrumbidgee River about 3.30pm.

Police said the man and his wife planned to swim slightly south down the river, from "The Rocks" to an area known as "Wagga Beach".

Inspector Phil Malligan told Fairfax Media the man was wearing three-quarter-length denim pants when he entered the water.
A former rugby league first grade player, a Bondi entrepreneur and several fishermen are among 15 men arrested on Christmas Day in a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring bust.

Police will allege the syndicate imported more than a tonne of cocaine via NSW ports and included experienced fisherman, marine workers and company owners.

Australian Federal Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan described the alleged syndicate as "robust, resilient and determined".

He told a packed Sydney press conference that the 15 arrested men were "determined to exploit some of the most vulnerable members of the community."
An agricultural plane has crashed after possibly coming into contact with powerlines at a property west of Goondiwindi.

The Queensland Ambulance Service was called out to the incident at Callandoon about 7.30am on Wednesday to find a male in his 40s injured.

The air tractor crashed near Goondiwindi on Wednesday morning. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue

The critically injured man had injuries to his face and leg as well as potential internal injuries as a result of the plane, flying at a low level, crashed.

Police reported the aircraft as a single engine air tractor, commonly used for spraying crops.
The first of two men arrested over the alleged savage rape of a woman at South Brisbane in 2011 has briefly appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court.

The 24-year-old from Auchenflower, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had a beard, shoulder-length hair and wore a simple brown T-shirt as he said nothing in court on Thursday morning.

Barrister Cliff Crawford represented one of the accused rapists in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday. Credit:Tony Moore

Defence barrister Cliff Crawford asked for 24 hours to prepare a bail application after receiving the police brief of evidence on Thursday morning.

Outside court, Mr Crawford confirmed his client would apply for bail, but declined any further comment.
Australian manuka-style honey is as least as medically powerful as New Zealand manuka honey, a study has found.

Research by Nural Cokcetin at the University of Technology, Sydney, shows that more than 16 per cent of Australian manuka-style honeys she tested were actually more potent than the Kiwi product.

However, New Zealand honey producers don't seem worried. John Rawcliffe from New Zealand's UMF Honey Association said that the global demand for manuka honey is so great it outstrips current supply.

Manuka honey has properties that mean it can be applied to burns, cuts and other injuries to fight infection. The honey is also used in cosmetic and other products.
A new blast-proof and ram raid-proof tower in Melbourne CBD will be Victoria Police's "nerve centre" when construction finishes in 2020.

Victoria Police Minister Lisa Neville said the headquarters at 311 Spencer Street will be next door to City West Police complex, housing 2500 police over 39 storeys. Their current lease at World Trade Centre expires in 2020.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said the building will have state-of-the-art technology and security. Credit:Penny Stephens

"It is the first purpose-built police headquarters since the 1940s," Ms Neville said.

"Where the police are currently based, it is across three buildings, it doesn't have the security measures that we know need to be in place to protect both the police and the community."
A motorcyclist has died after injuring his leg badly when he collided with a kangaroo in Beveridge earlier this month.

The 61-year-old from Mernda was riding south on the Merriang Road on December 18, when his motorbike struck the animal at 1.40am.

According to police, the rider pulled up a short distance from the site of the crash and fell from his bike, sliding down an embankment on the side of the roadway.

Passers-by noticed the fallen bike and went to the man's assistance.
"We must never repeat the horrors of war". With those words, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe closed a historical chapter while visiting Pearl Harbour in Hawaii on Wednesday morning (AEDT). He pledged Japan will never again engage in war.

Great news, except there are plenty of other countries less keen to avoid confrontation.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe embraces World War II Pearl Harbour survivor Sterling Cale. Credit:AP

It's come to light that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyanhu engaged in a war of words, for the moment, with New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully on the eve of the United Nations Security Council resolution that declared Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as illegal.

Netanyahu told McCully the resolution co-sponsored by NZ would be considered a "declaration of war". Israel has since condemned the resolution and vowed to continue to build Jewish homes in occupied territory - another 600 are due to be approved today.
Istanbul: Twenty-nine Turkish police officers have been sent to trial in Istanbul over their alleged involvement in last July's failed coup plot against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

They're also accused of allegedly working with Turkish cleric-in-exile Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who fell out of favour with the president and lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

Tuesday's proceedings mark the first group of Turkish authorities to go to trial among nearly 41,000 police, military and government officials and civil servants who are accused of being linked to the coup - a crackdown that has many international observers worried about the fate of Turkey's crumbling democratic institutions and rule of law.

It's also expected to be the most extensive legal process in Turkish history and has as its declared aim a bid to get to the bottom of the failed coup that led to nearly 250 deaths.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: If you think air pollution in China has been bad, consider Mongolia.

Levels of particulate matter in the air have risen to almost 80 times the recommended safety level set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) - and five times worse than Beijing during the past week's bout with the worst smog of the year.

A Chinese labourer works at an unauthorised steel factory in Inner Mongolia, China. Pollution levels in neighbouring Mongolia are even worse than in the Chinese autonomous region. Credit:Getty Images

Just as the Chinese capital contends with pollution from the surrounding industrial province of Hebei and coal-fired power plants in the northern provinces of Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi, Mongolian power plants working overtime during the frigid winter belch plumes of soot into the atmosphere, while acrid smoke from coal fires shrouds the shanty towns of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, in a brown fog.

Angry residents held a protest, organised via social media, on December 26. In minus 20 degree temperatures, protesters gathered outside government offices to shout "smog is a silent killer" and "we can't breathe".
Wellington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally phoned New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully to warn him a UN resolution co-sponsored by the country was a "declaration of war", according to a leading Israeli newspaper.

The UN Security Council resolution called for Israel to stop building settlements on occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem, declaring the settlements "illegal".

It was picked up and sponsored by New Zealand and three other countries after US President-elect Donald Trump reportedly pressured Egypt into dropping it.

It was passed on Saturday after the US abstained instead of vetoing, as they historically have done on votes concerning Israel.
Bangkok: Plans are underway for a "food flotilla" to sail from Malaysia to Myanmar's strife-torn western Rakhine state with emergency supplies for Rohingyas.

The shipment of 200 tonnes of rice, medical aid and other essential supplies appears to counter the long-held protocol of the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) that countries should not interfere in each other's internal affairs.

Escalating violence in Rakhine since October has left scores dead, villages razed and forced more than 34,000 Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh in what human rights groups say could amount to crimes against humanity by Myanmar security forces.

The Myanmar government denies the allegations.
Moscow: Russia has condemned a new US defence bill which it says eases restrictions on arming Syrian rebels as a hostile act.

The decision opens the way for deliveries of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, a move Moscow said would directly threaten Russian forces in Syria. Moscow last year launched a campaign of air strikes in Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad and his forces retake territory lost to rebels, some of whom are supported by the United States.

US Marines undergo portable anti-aircraft missiles, or MANPADS, simulator training aboard USS Kearsarge. Credit:Screengrab/YouTube

US President Barack Obama, who has been sharply critical of Russia's intervention in Syria, signed the annual defence policy bill into law last week.

"Washington has placed its bets on supplying military aid to anti-government forces who don't differ that much from bloodthirsty head-choppers. Now, the possibility of supplying them with weapons, including mobile anti-aircraft complexes, has been written into this new bill," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
Pearl Harbour, Hawaii: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered his condolences to the people killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, after visiting the memorial to the sunken battleship USS Arizona.

"President Obama, the people of the United States of America and the people around the world, as the prime minister of Japan I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who have lost their lives here," Abe said on Tuesday.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken," Abe said.

"To the souls of the servicemen who lie in eternal rest aboard the USS Arizona, to the American people, and to all the peoples around the world, I pledge that unwavering vow here as the prime minister of Japan," he said.
Beijing: Five people have been killed in China's far-western Xinjiang region after attackers drove a vehicle into a government compound and set off a makeshift explosive device, in an incident the country's official state media have described as a "terrorist attack".

The five dead include the four attackers, who were shot dead in the incident in the remote county of Karakax on Wednesday afternoon local time.

Thirty-one people were killed in May in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. Credit:Sanghee Liu

One other person died and three people were injured, the local government said late on Wednesday, without providing further details.

It said the four "thugs" drove a vehicle into a yard at the county Communist Party offices and detonated an "explosive device".
PHILIPSBURG:--- The taking off almost 3 months to form a government (September 26 to December 20, 2016).This article looks first at the larger (2016) political landscape and context within which September 26, 2016, Parliamentary election took place. More specifically, the article examines the reason(s) for the early 2016 Parliamentary election in light of a vote of no confidence in Government (by Parliament). Secondly, it provides further analysis of the determination of the election results or allotment of Parliamentary seats in the aftermath, of the election. Finally, the politically false presumption in the selection and appointment of Council of Ministers, leading to the stagnation of the formation of a government for 13 weeks after the election and the signing of 2 governing coalition agreements. In retrospect, what the future hold for the sustainable socio-political and development administration of the constituent state of Sint Maarten beyond 2016 appears to be quite uncertain. However, what is certain is that St. Maartens present political entangled path is unsustainable and needs to be changed  a change that needs to be legislatively substantive rather than superficial.

Political Context

It is no exaggeration to argue that the September 26, 2016 Parliamentary election in St. Maarten marked a significant benchmark in the political history of the constituent state (of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). Said election was mandated by the Governor in the aftermath of a vote of no confidence in the Council of Ministers motivated by ship-jumping. [A chronic practice where a member-elect or a member of parliament indiscriminately breaks ties with his/her elected party-list, declare him or herself as an independent member of parliament, align him or herself with a different party list and render the premature fall of government.] Consequently, a new coalition government was formed to govern until the mandated September 26th election would be held, with the specific instruction to explore, formulate and pass legislation to stop and/or avert ship-jumping. Needless to say, this was not realized before the September 26, 2016, election, despite the Government having some 10 months to accomplish it.The election was notably highly contested with a record number of 9 parties taking part while yielding no definitive results, as no one party garnered a majority of the seats in Parliament to presumptively take the lead in the formation of a coalition government. Respectfully, Party-list 2 and 9 equally garnered 5 seats, Party-list 3 garnered 3 seats and Party-list 8 garnered 2 seats.

The Election Ordinance that governs the Parliamentary Election has many strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses that nurtures ship-jumping by not ensuring the confirmative of proportional representation within Government/ Parliament, in accordance with Article 47 Section 1 of the Constitution (and matters concerned therewith). The concept of proportional representation allows that  the make-up of a parliament by allocating seats on the basis of the number votes each party received which ensures that votes carry equal weight. In effect, if party A wins/ allotted 5 seats in parliament this should be maintained throughout the electoral or governing cycle. However, in the previous elections (in 2010 and again in 2014) this has not been the case, as parties have seen their allotted seats in Parliament diminished as a result of ship-jumping. As such, the wishes of the people, by democratic vote, are being disrespected and reallocated in the absence of clarity and key provisions in the narratives/ Article of the Election Ordinance where the apparent unconstitutional practice of ship-jumping is entertained. Consequently, the young constituent sate of St. Maarten has seen 5 governments in 6 years, hardly conducive to the further socio-political and developmental administration of the Island constituent state.

The alternative is electoral reform through proportional representation wherein any elected/selected candidate who attempts to ship-jump automatically loses his or her seat in Parliament, thereby guaranteeing each party the number of seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes received. See the proposed Draft Election Ordinance Amendment Legislation presented to Parliament March 7, 2016.

Allotment of Seats in Parliament

In the aftermath of the 2016 Parliamentary election other prudent concerns emerged which rightfully can be attributed to the largest remainder (rest-zetel) method presently use in filling the seats, as a result of the election, in Parliament where the total number of valid votes cast is divided by the total number of seats to be allocated, referred to as the electoral quota. Next, the electoral quota is divided into the total votes each party list received with the party-list being allotted one seat for each electoral quota produced. After this allotment process is completed and there are remainder seats to be allotted then the total votes each party received is divided by the allotted seat(s) plus one fictitious seat. The party or parties with the highest average(s) is/are allotted the remaining seat(s). The latter calculation is repeated until all seats are allocated. As such 10 seats were allotted outright with 5 remaining seats. Party List 1, allotted zero seats; Party-list 2, allotted 4 seats with 1 remainder seat totaling 5 seats; Party-List 3, allotted 2 seats with 1 remainder seat totaling 3 seats; Party-List 4, 5, 6, and 7 zero seats; Party list 8, allotted 1 seat with 1 remainder seat totaling 2 seats; and Party-List 9, allotted 3 seats with 2 remainder seat totaling 5 seats.

The prudent concern with the allotment of the Parliamentary seats (by the largest remainder method) is the distorted allotment of 2 remainder seats to Party-list 9 over 1 remainder seat to Party-list 2, whilst Party-list 2 received more votes than Party-list 9, specifically, 4,130 votes compared to 3,778 respectfully. In effect, the largest remainder method, as used, rewarded Party-list 9 more seats, despite not winning a majority of the votes.

Another distortion is precipitated by Article 96.2 of the Electoral Ordinance which regulates that if the total votes received by a party-list is less than the electoral quota, that party-list would not be permitted to participate in the seat allotment process. Consequently, Party-list 6 after receiving a significant 848 votes (99 votes less than the electoral quota of 947) was instrumentally omitted from the seat allotment process. Thus effectively leaving some 848 voters with no direct representation of their policy/ issue interests in the Parliament. Such distortions produce notably less proportional results in the Parliament.

An alternative is proportional allocated/ allotted seats based on the highest average method; the dHondt method, which is used worldwide including the Netherlands and considered to be the best proportional representation method. This requires the total number of votes for each party-list to be divided successively by 1, 2, 3 etc. up to the total number of Parliamentary seats (15). The seats are then allotted to parties with the highest resulting (15) averages.

Given the dHondt method, the allotment of seats in the 2016 Parliamentary election would be : 5 eats for Party-list 2; 3 seats for Party-list 3; 1 seat for Party-list 5; 2 seats for Party-list 8; and 4 seats for Party-list 9. In contrast to the largest remainder method in use which disenfranchised a block of 848 voters, the highest average method/ the dHondt method best alot seats to the parties who get the highest number of votes. As such Party-list 5 with a significant 848 votes would be allotted 1 seat in Parliament and Party-list 9 would not be allotted an extra seat with fewer votes/ the second highest number of votes.

Politically False Presumption

Perhaps most stunning of the changing political landscape is politically false presumptions that have been thrusted into the political system and society and which is being accepted (for now); Political correctness/ false presumptions that overrule or reject reality and replace them with beliefs that are fabricated out of thin air for political purposes and/ or expediency. A notable example is the present false presumption that if one is good enough to run on a party-list one is good enough to be appointed as a Minster or the notion that the Council of Ministers should be comprised of (unelected) party-list candidate who form Government (which was hailed by the press as a good thing) and by the virtue of getting more votes over the other the party-list candidate that form Government is enough of a reason to be first appointed to the Council of Ministers. Essentially, politically false presumptions at best rationalize emotional decisions.

Truthfully, the rationale of the Council of Ministers is to appoint and bring competent professional persons, in their own right, into these Ministerial positions for the proper and good governance of Government not for the expediency of political appointments. That is, for example, the political favor of appointing a blacksmith to the mistrial position of economic development with the obvious task of engaging in strategic economic development tasks, overseeing and managing related departments, formulating and proposing economic development policy/ legislation to which the necessary capacity is definitely not there.

Looking to the future

Will the (present) Governments factions seek to address the changing political landscape of St. Maarten for the sake of sustainable social, political and economic development and good governance of the Island-state? Will the Red, White and Blue coalition joined by the sitting minority (in Parliament) to seriously embark on the elimination of the political anomaly of ship-jumping, and ensuring party-list representation in Parliament as voted for by the electorate - by redrawing proportional representation in the Electoral Ordinance? Will St. Maarten slide deeper into the abyss of political dysfunctionalism, personal politics among the notion where unsubstantiated personal beliefs tend to overrule reality or realize that governance is not based on individual consciences but on sound public policy and consensus building? Only time will tell what the next chapter in the evolution of St. Maarten holds. What is absolutely clear, however, is that political thought and reform is essential in St. Maarten.
POINTE BLANCHE:--- Last week Thursday, December 22, representatives from the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and Port St. Maarten welcomed Regents Seven Seas Explorer to the island on its inaugural visit.

Seven Seas Explorer delivers an unrivaled luxury cruise experience. Regent Seven Seas Cruises is the world's most inclusive luxury cruise line with a fleet that visits more than 375 destinations around the globe.

Port St. Maarten and the Tourist Bureau welcomed Seven Seas Explorer to the destination on behalf of the Government, Board, and Management. The Port continues to be proactive in attracting new vessels to the destination with emphasis and focus on bringing a balance between quality (high-end) cruise tourism and quantity (volume).

The ship features extravagantly designed theaters and lounges, an unparalleled collection of opulent and spacious suites, five lavish gourmet restaurants and an unprecedented level of personalized service.

The line's fares include all-suite accommodations, round-trip air, highly personalized service, acclaimed cuisine, fine wines and spirits, unlimited internet access, sightseeing excursions in every port, all gratuities, and a pre-cruise luxury hotel package for those guests staying in concierge and higher suites.

The vessel is spaciously intimate, breathlessly elegant and perfectly staffed to offer Regent Seven Seas Cruises special brand of all-inclusive luxury. She brings elegance and glamour to the worlds greatest destinations, offering exquisite dining options that rival those of the finest restaurants ashore.

The Seven Seas Explorer was built at a cost of US$450 million. The vessel is the first new ship for Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) high-end Regent Seven Seas Cruises brand.

At 55,254 gross-registered tons and carrying only 750 guests, the all-suite, all-balcony ship boasts one of the highest space ratios and lowest crew to guest ratios in the cruise industry, not to mention the largest private verandas in the cruise industry and a new category of luxury suite, the nearly 4,500-square foot Regent Suite.
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The Afghan government has expressed concern over a third high-level meeting about the country held in Moscow on December 27 between Russia, China, and Pakistan that did not include any Afghan representatives.

"Discussion about the situation in Afghanistan, even if well-intentioned, in the absence of Afghans cannot help," said Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni.

The United States, which still has nearly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan and has been fighting the Taliban with Afghan forces since 2001, also was not invited to the Moscow talks.

Officials in Kabul and Washington say Russia has been deepening its ties with Taliban militants, though Moscow has denied that.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and Pakistan Foreign Ministry said after the meeting that the three countries agreed to invite the Afghan government to such talks in the future.

They said the three countries want an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process."

They warned that the Islamic State extremist group has been growing in influence in Afghanistan amid a "deteriorating" security situation.

Russia and China, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, agreed to be "flexible" about delisting Afghans from UN sanctions lists to "foster peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban," they said.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Altogether, maybe three dozen cottages were what Murrells Inlet consisted of back then [in the 1920s], and these were scattered along about f
In the long run, [the towns isolation] was for the best, for while the benefits of progres
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Christmas day seems to have special significance in the world of astronomy, not because of any stars above Bethlehem, but because great astronomers seem to begin life, or end it on that day. Isaac Newton was born in the Julian calendar on Dec 25, 1642, and another giant of astronomy, Vera Rubin, died yesterday, Christmas day 2016, at age 88, after a career in which, against a plethora of odds, she changed the way we think about the Universe.

Rubin studied astronomy as an undergraduate at Vassar and wanted to enroll into graduate school in Princeton, but women werent allowed into the graduate astronomy program until 1975, something that is truly remarkable, and despicable, given the important role women have played in astronomy in the past century. After completing a masters degree in physics at Cornell, where she studied with giants like Richard Feynman and Hans Bethe, and also with the brilliant and poetic Philip Morrison, she moved to Georgetown University, where she completed her Ph.D. in 1954 under another physics wunderkind, George Gamow. During that time she took her classes at night, while her husband waited in the car because she didnt know how to drive.

Her early research involved the motion of galaxies, demonstrating that addition to their uniform recession due to the Hubble expansion of the Universe, most galaxies have small peculiar motions that are due to their gravitational clumping into clusters. During this time she helped support her family, raising 4 children while teaching part time at Montgomery County community college and at Georgetown, eventually joining the faculty at Georgetown in 1962. She achieved enough recognition during this period to be the first woman allowed to use the instruments at Palomar Observatory, in 1965, and in that year she moved to the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, where she remained for the rest of her career.

Rubins biggest breakthrough occurred a few years later, when she joined collaborator Kent Fordwith whom she had earlier collaborated on the studying the relative motion of the Milky Way galaxy compared to a large sample of distant galaxies, suggesting that the Milky had a significant velocity relative to the background Hubble flowin the study of the motion of stars and gas in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy. Five years after joining the DTM Rubin and Ford reported that the rotation of Andromeda was anomalous. Its outskirts were rotating so fast that it should have flown apart, if the only mass holding it together was the matter that was visible to telescopes.

Almost 40 years earlier the astronomer Fritz Zwicky had observed anomalous local motions within the distant Coma cluster that also suggested more mass in that system than could be accounted for by visible matter, but the results were discounted at the time.

Contemporaneously with Rubin and Fords observations of Andromeda, the Australian astronomer Ken Freeman observed a similar anomalous rotation of other spiral galaxies, again suggesting the presence of what is now known as dark matter. At the time these observations were quite controversial. I remember as an undergraduate student in the 1970s hearing about Rubins work, but accompanying those discussions were caveats about the difficulties associated with systematic effects in astronomy that could cloud conclusions.

Nevertheless, Rubin worked tirelessly, along with Ford and other collaborators, over the years, to confirm these results, not just in Andromeda, but also in our own Milky Way galaxy. By the late 1970s, by which time I had entered graduate school, dark matter had begun to achieve wide acceptance, and by the 1980s the existence of dark matter dominated cosmological model building, ultimately influencing both the fields of astronomy and particle physics. In the intervening period, not only has the existence of dark matter been confirmed in almost all large scale astronomical systems, but its nature has been probed by precise observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR), which not only constrain the amount of dark matter, but also the fact that it is not made up of the constituents of normal matterprotons and neutrons. This fact plays a vital role in our understanding of galaxy formation, as without being able to quickly collapse into the potential wells established early on by dark matter, there would not have been sufficient time for the small fluctuations observed in the CMBR to grow sufficiently, via gravity, to form visible galaxies today.

For her work, Rubin received a host of awards, including being only the second woman, after Caroline Herschel in 1828, to receive the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. She was a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and received the National Medal of Science in 1993 for her pioneering work on dark matter. But more than this, Vera Rubin was a wonderful mentor for young scientists. She was warm and eager to help anyone who sought her out. I remember in the 1980s as a young Assistant Professor at Yale, when I needed to obtain some figures for a book I was writing on dark matter, contacting her out of the blue, and receiving warm encouragement, and the figures, a few days later.

Throughout her career Rubin served as vibrant role model for young women, encouraging young girls to enter astronomy and study the universe, and working within professional organizations to ensure equity for women scientists. But she was not defined by, nor will she be remembered for, her gender, but by her remarkable contributions as a scientist. As she once wrote: my numbers mean more to me than my name. If astronomers are still using my data years from now, thats my greatest compliment.

Lawrence M. Krauss is Foundation Professor and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. A theoretical physicist and cosmologist he is also the author of numerous bestselling books, including  A Universe from Nothing . His newest book is entitled  The Greatest Story Ever ToldSo Far: Why Are we Here? .

This story was provided by Scientific American.
A "clean test" is placed over the telescope assembly of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in November in advance of vibration testing of the telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

SANTA FE, N.M.  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope shows no signs of damage after an "anomaly" during a vibration test earlier in the month, the agency announced Dec. 23.

In a statement posted on the JWST website, NASA said that engineers were making progress tracking down the root cause of the Dec. 3 incident that halted vibration testing of the telescope's mirror assembly and instruments, known as the Optical Telescope element and Integrated Science (OTIS).

"All visual and ultrasonic examinations of the [telescope] structure continue to show it to be sound," NASA said in the update. "Currently, the team is continuing their analyses with the goal of having a review of their findings, conclusions and plans for resuming vibration testing in January." [In Pictures: Building NASA's James Webb Space Telescope]

The OTIS assembly, which includes the telescope's 6.5-meter segmented primary mirror, secondary mirror and associated structures, and its suite of four science instruments, were undergoing vibration testing at the Goddard Space Flight Center Dec. 3 when engineers detected "anomalous readings" from accelerometers attached to the telescope. NASA halted the vibration tests to study the data as well as inspect the telescope for any damage.

NASA has not provided additional details on the nature of the vibration anomaly. The agency said in its latest update that, since the anomaly, the spacecraft team "successfully conducted two low level vibrations of the telescope."

The vibration tests, as well as planned acoustic tests, are designed to simulate the environment JWST will experience during its launch on an Ariane 5 in late 2018. "We are about to subject this beautiful beast, which is finished, to see if it will survive launch," said John Mather, the JWST senior project scientist, at a Nov. 2 media event at Goddard about the telescope. "We expect it to, but we still have to prove it."

It's unclear that effect the delay in the vibration and acoustic testing will have on JWST's schedule. At the November event, Bill Ochs, NASA JWST project manager, said plans then called for shipping OTIS in February to the Johnson Space Center, where it will undergo thermal vacuum tests in a refurbished Apollo-era chamber there. It would then go in mid-2017 to a Northrop Grumman facility in Southern California to be integrated with the spacecraft bus and sunshield, and then undergo further testing before shipping to the French Guiana launch site in mid-2018.

However, project officials have emphasized that JWST has healthy schedule reserves put into place after a "replan" of the project in 2011, when cost and schedule overruns threatened JWST with cancellation. Those reserves are intended to mitigate any effect on the mission's overall schedule from testing delays.

The replan provided JWST more schedule margin than required for a typical NASA project "because it's Webb and we knew there would be additional complications," said Scott Willoughby, Northrop Grumman vice president and program manager for JWST, in an interview at the Nov. 2 NASA event. "We're right in line to where we need to be at this point in time, with two years to go before launch."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
After decades of uncertainty, it seems that astronomers may have found the strongest evidence yet that Proxima Centauri is indeed "gravitationally bound" to Alpha Centauri. This is interesting for many reasons, primarily because now we're pretty sure the Alpha Centauri system is a triple-star system, with two stars (Alpha Centauri A and B) orbiting closely and one oddball sibling (Proxima Centauri) with an extremely wide orbit.

But with the recent discovery of a small rocky exoplanet in orbit around Proxima, this new finding will boost hopes that this little world may be habitable for life as we know it.

Proxima Centauri is located around 4.25 light-years away making it the nearest star to Earth beyond our sun. The star's planet, called Proxima b, is approximately the same mass as Earth and orbits within the star's "habitable zone"  the region surrounding a star that's neither too hot or too cold for liquid water to exist on a planetary surface. Finding any planet within a star's habitable zone  regardless of the star's size or luminosity  will always be exciting as, if there is liquid water there, life could be possible. And discovering a (potentially) habitable world on our galactic doorstep is an incredible stroke of luck.

RELATED: Welcome to Proxima b, Our Nearest 'Earth-like' Neighbor

Though we know that Proxima b is there, we can only guess at its composition and have no clue whether or not it possesses any water. But new evidence suggesting Proxima Centauri is indeed a distant sibling of the Alpha Centauri could help us find out.

Proxima Centauri was only discovered a century ago and, since then, astronomers have been trying to understand its motion in the sky, a task that becomes very complicated when considering how dim it is. Red dwarfs are many times smaller and produce only a fraction of the light of our sun. But using the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) instrument at the ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile, astronomers have, for the first time, gained precision measurements of the dim star's radial velocity, a key metric if we are to understand if it is in any way related to Alpha Centauri.

The HARPS instrument is extremely sensitive to the wobble of stars as small exoplanets orbit around them, gravitationally tugging at them. Indeed, it was the HARPS instrument that discovered the tiny wobble of Proxima Centauri, revealing the presence of Proxima b. But this time, HARPS was able to deduce the velocity at which the tiny star is moving away from us and compared it with the radial velocity of Alpha Centauri. Both radial velocities closely match, which means that, in all likelihood, Proxima Centauri has a wide orbit around Alpha Centauri. They are therefore, probably, gravitationally bound.

RELATED: Proxima Centauri Is Like Our Sun... on Steroids

Though this is a significant find  indeed, the question of whether or not all three stars are in orbit around one another has been vexing astronomers since Proxima Centauri was first spotted  it could reveal an interesting tidbit about the nature of Proxima b itself.

If Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri are gravitationally bound, this gives us a clue that the group formed from the same star-forming nebula billions of years ago. They are all therefore the same age. Over time, the trio's orbits evolved and Proxima Centauri for some reason was thrown away from the Alpha Centauri binary. In research to be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the researchers speculate that before Proxima Centauri was ejected and sent on the lonely orbit it's in today, a planet formed far from the star and then migrated to a lower orbit. As it occupied such a distant (and cold) orbit, it would have likely been an icy world and that ice could have been water. And now Proxima b is orbiting in a very habitable location for liquid water to exist on its surface, then perhaps  just perhaps  it possesses water to this day.

Though it's a bit of a reach to be making any assumptions about the water content of a planet we cannot directly see, it's interesting to think that Proxima b may have formed with an abundance of water ice and it's hard not to get excited for the artistic renderings of alien oceans under a red sun.

RELATED: Proxima B: Another Earth Just Next Door

Originally published on Seeker.
China's Information Office of the State Council on Tuesday (Dec. 27) released an expansive white paper on that country's space activities in 2016. The document also projected a look at China's space agenda over the coming years, a plan that includes a lunar sample-return mission and the first soft-landing on the far side of the moon in 2018.

In an associated press conference marking the release of the white paper, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, Wu Yanhua, stated that China plans to develop a new generation of heavy-lift carrier rocket, the "Changzheng-9" or "Long March-9." That booster is intended for future manned lunar landing and deep space exploration missions, according to a report by the website Crienglish.com.

"There is an old saying in aerospace industry, 'If you want to develop space industry, you need to work on space rockets first; and if you want to develop space rockets, you need to work on its engines first,;" Wu said in the press conference. "So now we need to make progress in the heavy-lift carrier rocket's engine first, to create conditions for the whole project. It is planned that the heavy-lift carrier rocket's maiden flight will be held around 2030." [China in Space: A Video Look Back]

Vice administrator of China National Space Administration, Wu Yanhua, speaks at Dec. 27 briefing unveiling a white paper on Chinese space development 2016. (Image credit: gov.cn)

China's 5-year space plan

The wide-ranging white paper lays out the purpose of China's space program as well as its vision and principles of development. It also includes a summary of China's major developments in space since 2011, and the major tasks ahead for the next five years.

The document also includes policies and measures for development and the role of international exchanges and cooperation.

In terms of deep-space exploration, the white paper explains that China will continue its lunar exploration project, and strive to attain the automated extraterrestrial sampling and returning technology by space explorers.

Three strategic steps

"We plan to fulfill the three strategic steps of 'orbiting, landing and returning' for the lunar exploration project by launching the Chang'e-5 lunar probe by the end of 2017 and realizing regional soft landing, sampling and return. We will launch the Chang'e-4 lunar probe around 2018 to achieve humanity's first soft-landing on the far side of the moon, and conduct an in-situ and rover detection and relay communications misison from the Earth-moon L2 point."

Also noted is that through China's lunar exploration project, topographic and geological surveys will be implemented and laboratory research conducted on lunar samples; geological survey and research as well as low-frequency radio astronomy observation and research will be carried out targeting the landing area on the far side of the moon for a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the moon.

Next lunar probe

At the press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office, Wu also detailed work underway on Chang'e-5, targeted for liftoff at the end of 2017.

"We will take samples from the surface of the moon as well as different depths of the moon rocks after drilling, and the samples will be used by scientists for scientific research," Wu said.

Wu added that work related to Chang'e-5 is going smoothly.

Mars and beyond

Explained in the white paper is that China intends to execute its first Mars exploration operation, and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration.

China plans to launch this Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration.

"It will conduct further studies and key technological research on the bringing back of samples from Mars, asteroid exploration, exploration of the Jupiter system and planet fly-by exploration. When conditions allow, related projects will be implemented to conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life," the paper explains.

Raising human spaceflight capacity

In the category of human spaceflight, the white paper notes that China plans to launch the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft to dock with the now Earth-orbiting Tiangong-2 space laboratory, "and research and master key technologies for cargo transport and replenishment to accumulate experience in building and operating a space station."

"We strive to acquire key technologies and conduct experiments on such technologies," the paper continues, "to raise our manned spaceflight capacity, laying a foundation for exploring and developing cislunar space." [China's Tiangong-2 Space Lab in Pictures]

Chinas 60-ton medium-size space station is depicted in this artwork. (Image credit: CNSA)

In June 2016, China's new Wenchang launch center on Hainan Island celebrated its first launch. Renovations have also been accomplished in the Jiuquan, Taiyuan and Xichang launch sites, "forming a launch site network covering both coastal and inland areas, high and low altitudes, and various trajectories to satisfy the launch needs of manned spaceships, space laboratory core modules, deep space probes and all kinds of satellites," the document explains. "The integrated capacities and functions of space launch sites will be enhanced and exploited to meet various needs."

Historical starting line

The white paper concludes by noting that the country is "standing at a new historical starting line," with China "determined to quicken the pace of developing its space industry, and actively carry out international space exchanges and cooperation."

Since 2011 China has signed 43 space cooperation agreements or memoranda of understanding with 29 countries, space agencies and international organizations.

To access the full white paper  "China's Space Activities in 2016"  visit: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1025885.shtml.

Leonard David is author of "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet," published in October by National Geographic this October. The book is a companion to the National Geographic Channel six-part series, Mars. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
A civil agency, most likely the FAA, is best suited to take on space traffic management responsibilities, a report recently delivered to Congress concludes.

WASHINGTON  A report prepared for Congress recommends giving a civil agency responsibility for space traffic management work, but stops short of recommending which agency should take on the job.

The "Orbital Traffic Management Study" was prepared by SAIC for NASA under a provision of the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 to examine models for improved space traffic management. The final report, dated Nov. 21, was recently delivered to Congressas required by the law.

The report noted that collisions between objects in Earth orbit remain relatively rare, but that such collisions can have major consequences. "Therefore, it is in the U.S. national strategic and economic interests to have an improved domestic space traffic safety governance framework that specifically aims to mitigate and reduce the risk of possible space traffic safety incidents, while at the same protect the economic vitality of the space industry," states the report, a copy of which was obtained by SpaceNews. [7 Wild Ways to Clean Up Space Junk]

The report examined five such frameworks for space traffic management of non-military spacecraft, including the current one where the U.S. Air Force provides satellite operators with warnings of potential collisions as well as four alternatives with varying degrees of government involvement. For each framework, the report examined the policy, technical and operational issues involved with that approach to space traffic management.

The two frameworks evaluated to be the best involved transferring space traffic management responsibilities from the Defense Department to a civilian agency. "A Framework that best balances the needs for safety, national security, and economic interest is a framework led by a civil agency," the report concluded.

One of those frameworks, known as "Civil-Based Space Traffic Safety Monitoring and Facilitation" or "Option 3" in the report, would give responsibility to a civilian agency "using a modest, bottom-up approach with the primary purpose of facilitating voluntary information sharing among owner-operators," according to the report. That framework would use the Defense Department's existing assets to track objects, augmented by commercial systems, with the agency then providing warnings to potential collisions to satellite operators.

A second framework, called "Civil-Based Space Traffic Safety Monitoring and Coordination" or "Option 4," is similar, but would give the agency the authority to "mandate some level of communication and coordination among private owner-operators" of satellites in the event of a potential collision. Satellite operators would also be required, instead of strongly encouraged, to subscribe to space situational awareness products and services provided by the agency.

The report leaned towards Option 3, concerned that the industry may perceive Option 4 as too strict. "The most significant difference presented by this Framework option, as compared to Option 3," it said about Option 4, "is that the regulatory mandates of the approach could inhibit new startups and potentially begin to drive companies offshore due to actual or perceived compliance burdens."

The recommended framework, the report noted, is "the quickest and most affordable way" to give a civilian agency responsibility for space traffic management, but added it could evolve over time to take on a stronger regulatory role. "It also offers the most flexibility by providing options to increase the role of the civil organization over time (and possibly transition to the more prescriptive Framework options) as is deemed appropriate."

The report did not make any recommendations about which civil agency should take on space traffic management work, an assessment not required by the language in the law mandating the study. The report did note that the agency assigned this role would need to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who all currently review orbital debris mitigation practices as part of the licensing process for launches, satellite communications and commercial remote sensing spacecraft, respectively.

Of those agencies, the FAA has been most closely associated with taking on space traffic management responsibilities. FAA officials have talked for months about their interest in gradually taking on work currently handled by the Defense Department. The FAA also held an industry day in October to discuss its interest taking on the work, an event where Defense Department officials supported such a transfer.

The idea of handing over space traffic management responsibilities for non-military satellites to a civilian agency in general, and the FAA in particular, also has support in Congress. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), who serves on the House Armed Services and Science Committees, has endorsed such a shift in a number of public addresses. It's uncertain, though, what priority any effort to give the FAA space traffic management responsibilities will have in the next Congress or in the incoming Trump administration.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
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As many farmers tackle issues relating to waste silage, it should be a stark reminder that investment in clamp management can be extremely cost-effective, says Jennifer Hitchman, technical manager, Silostop.

Handling and disposing of waste silage, in terms of both labour and lost dry matter, should not be ignored. Add to that the effect of feeding poor silage on animal performance, and it quickly becomes apparent what a financial drain this inferior feed has on a business.

In fact, if you consider a typical maize silage clamp, and using a value of 60/t, you can save over 3000 in dry matter value in the top 1metre when simply adopting to use one layer of Silostop barrier film over a layer of clamp film and regular plastic, explains Jennifer. And this isnt taking into account the savings associated with the aerobic stability, the improved hygiene of the forage such as reduced yeasts, moulds and mycotoxins and the reduction in the inedible silage that is thrown.

The saving in dry matter alone equates to a return on investment of roughly 9:1; which highlights how simple measures can make a tremendous difference to the bottom line, she adds.

Acceptance within the industry that you typically have huge dry matter losses and a layer of waste silage on your clamp has to be changed. Its incredibly costly to livestock farmers, and can be significantly reduced with a change in the silage storage management system.
Recent forestry graduates, or those studying for a degree in forestry or related subjects such as land management, environmental studies or horticulture, will be ideally placed to join Tilhill Forestrys three-year graduate programme. Successful applicants are assigned to a district office or business stream where they learn every aspect of that area, including shadowing highly experienced colleagues.

Tilhill Forestry Managing Director George McRobbie said:

The forest industry is a fantastic career choice and Tilhill Forestry is a superb company to work for. We are looking for graduates with drive, enthusiasm and passion. Tilhill offers all its employees a friendly and challenging work environment with good personal and career development opportunities.

If youre a recent graduate or studying for your degree, you can find out more about our graduate opportunities by visiting the careers section on the Tilhill website, the process closes on 27th February 2017.

Tilhill Forestry Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the BSW Timber Group, was established more than 65 years ago. It is a national company operating from a network of offices throughout the UK. The company provides a full range of consultancy and contracting services to the forest owner and forestry investor.

BSW is the most technologically advanced sawmill in the UK employing over 1,200 people. The Companys roots date back to 1848, and with seven sawmills in the UK and one in Latvia, has a production capacity of more than 1.2 million m3 of sawn timber which is distributed throughout construction, fencing and landscape markets

Together, BSW and Tilhill Forestry form a strong partnership in the forest industry that will deliver quality from beginning to end - from creating new forests through to producing timber end products.

Read about some graduates who have recently joined the Tilhill Forestry programme:

Jude Fielding BA MSc

For Jude Fielding, studying forestry was a natural progression from his previous career in countryside estate management, and offered him a chance to follow in his fathers footsteps who has been working in Forestry for nearly 30 years. Jude joined Tilhill Forestrys graduate scheme earlier this year after completing an MSc in Forestry at Aberdeen University. He is now an Assistant Forest Manager based at Tilhills Devon office.

In my previous job I enjoyed being able to work outside managing new planting schemes for the renewable energy industry. Having grown up in rural North Wales with a forester as a father, I was given many opportunities to spend time outdoors. However, to follow in my fathers footsteps, I realised I needed to be qualified and doing a Masters at Aberdeen University was a logical choice, Jude explained.

He says that he chose Tilhill Forestry as it seemed one of the best graduate programmes in the forestry industry.

Joining a graduate scheme is one of the best ways to get into this industry, allowing me instant management experience and responsibility, as well as the potential to gain further on the job training and qualifications that would be difficult elsewhere. Tilhills training plan aims to give you the necessary training and experience within a few years to graduate to become a fully-fledged forest manager.

Judes role so far has involved timber measurements, harvesting supervision, planting scheme design and implementation including managing and supervising contractors. He has also been writing his first management plan, with a second soon to follow and has had the opportunity to try his hand at mapping, producing hazard and biodiversity maps for the management plan he is currently writing.

He says: I am really enjoying it. I get to spend on average two to three days a week in the woods, in all types of weather. The woodlands I am helping to manage become your second office, and they are wonderful places to be.

Judes advice for anyone considering joining Tilhill Forestry: Its a great company that will invest time in training you. The support you get in the office is fantastic and its one of the best graduate schemes Ive seen in the industry. There are lots of opportunities to learn and visit other offices that might be carrying out other types of woodland management not available in your area, and this helps expand your experiences. The difference with Tilhill is that its a large company compared to most competitors and this offers a unique range of opportunities and experiences within the forestry industry.

Sian Jones MICFor, MSc Forestry

Assistant Forest Manager Sian Jones graduated with an MSc in Forestry from the University of Aberdeen. She was inspired to pursue forestry further whilst working for the Forestry Commission (now NRW) in south Wales following her undergraduate degree in Ecology at the University of Edinburgh.

Now based in Tilhill Forestrys Llandovery office, Sian is enjoying working on every aspect of forest management from timber sales and supervision of harvesting, to re-stocking and working on woodland creation schemes. UKWAS plans are also an important part of her work to make sure wood is certified and the timber can be sold with the FSC mark of socially, environmentally and economically sustainable forest management.

Sian has found working on woodland creation particularly rewarding. She explains: Its fantastic being involved from start to finish  from meeting the client to firm up a proposal, to securing the grant and then managing the actual planting and maintenance. Its very satisfying being a part of every step.

Sian has been submitting plans for a number of schemes, including woodland creation on a 48-hectare site which she says is substantial for Wales at present.

When she started on the graduate scheme two years ago Sian didnt know what to expect but she says she has been impressed with the scheme. Tilhill makes you feel valued and I have had all sorts of formal and informal training that has exposed me to different aspects of the business and allowed me to build my skills rapidly. One of the things I like most is that through the Graduate Development Programme you build a network of people at the same stage as you with whom you can share experiences and keep in touch. I also like the flexibility of exploring what you are interested in. For instance I write a lot of plans because Im good at it and enjoy writing them.

Sian has taken advantage of the support provided by Tilhill to go through the process of becoming a chartered forester. At the time of writing, she had just received confirmation that she has passed with Distinction and is now a Professional Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
GARNER  The Start to Farm: New Farmer Learning Network, organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is a statewide program designed to provide education and support for beginning and early-stage agricultural producers.

Start to Farm groups will meet to discuss ways to grow and improve business practices and production techniques.

In North Central Iowa a group is being organized and a workshop will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, at the First Citizens Bank, 2601 Fourth St. S.W. in Mason City.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa Farm Bureau District young farmer program and Ag Ventures Alliance are helping to organize the group.

At this first session, farm financial management for all kinds of farming enterprises will be emphasized. Kelvin Leibold, Extension farm management specialist, will lead the discussion on Understanding what your lender needs.

Registration for the program is requested to reserve a meal, but there is no participation fee.

Contact Euken at the Hancock County ISU Extension and Outreach Office at 641-923-2856 or by email at reuken@iastate.edu, or Laura Cunningham, Iowa Farm Bureau young farmer district representative, at 641-425-4473 or by email at Cunningham.lauraa@gmail.com, to register for the Jan. 12 Start to Farm meeting or with any questions.

The Start to Farm project is being funded in part by an ISU Extension and Outreach grant through the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.

For more information, visit the ISU Extension and Outreach Beginning Farmer Center website or look on Facebook for Iowa Start to Farm or North Iowa Young Farmers.
Greenwichs Kids in Crisis will receive a $10,000 donation due to a recent Wells Fargo community-giving initiative.

The contribution is just the latest one for the organization this year, with a number of groups having stepped up in 2016 to help the struggling agency.

Kids in Crisis is a Cos Cob-based shelter that provides county-wide advocacy and emergency services for abused or needy children. It provides 24/7 shelter, crisis counseling and community educational programs for children and families.

The agencys funding was slashed in a round of government budget cuts in the last few years, which has resulted in a number of local groups stepping up to help fill in the funding gaps.

In January, hundreds of people dove into the chilly Greenwich Point waters to support it. Proceeds from T-shirt sales and donations were given directly to the local organization.

In April, two Greenwich sisters, Annie Schreck and Mary Slaugenhoup, used their Tiny Tots Consignment shop to raise money and collect diapers for Kids in Crisis.

The Womens Club of Greenwich donated the entirety of its annual Appraisal Mania to the agency in June. The club had typically donated the money to fund a partial scholarship, but this year it felt Kids in Crisis presented a more urgent need, its membership coordinator Carolyn Trachtenburg said at the time.

Next, Splurge Gifts collected healthy snacks for Kids in Crisis children at its store in August.

In October, newly-formed collaborative giving group, Pitch Your Peers, selected Kids in Crisis as one of four possible local charities to receive a $30,000 check. Greenwich residents Lisa Getson and Karina Solomon teamed up to pitch their case for why Kids in Crisis should be the recipient. Soloman has volunteered at the shelter for a few years and Getson got involved after meeting Soloman.

In the end, another local group narrowly beat out Kids in Crisis for the donation, but many Pitch Your Peers members said they planned to invest in the agency independently after learning about it during the competition.

Most recently, a Greenwich Wells Fargo branch gave its employees the opportunity to vote on a local nonprofit to receive funding through the banks Community Connections program. Kids in Crisis ended up receiving the most votes.

Our local branches see which nonprofits are out in the community making a difference every day, District Manager Lauren Torres said in a statement. We use this as an opportunity to celebrate and say thank you to Kids in Crisis for all of the value they have provided to our community over the past year.

Many Wells Fargo employees knew about the needs of Kids in Crisis through their volunteer work there, Torres said.

MBennett@hearstmediact.com, 203-625-4411; Twitter @Macaela_
It's time to start thinking about how you're going to ring in the new year. If you are staying local, there are plenty of parties and events to make the night special.

Click through to check out some of the events happening around southwestern Connecticut.
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From tragedy to happiness, the Stamford area saw a lot in 2016.

Click through to see the top 10 stories that mattered to you this year.

Stamford was plagued with many tragic stories in 2016, including untimely deaths. In November, the community was shocked when the body of a Stamford man reported missing after attending a party this weekend in a luxury Manhattan apartment was found on in a shallow grave in a desolate area of the New Jersey shore.

Authorities in three states had been involved in a massive search this week after relatives of Joseph Comunale, 26, reported he had not returned from a weekend jaunt to New York City.

The Westhill High graduate's family reported their son missing at Stamford police headquarters that Sunday after they had not heard from him all day.

There were moments of happiness and revelry as well, though. Readers were eager to find out the 2016 Alive@Five lineup, which included Hanson and O.A.R. The concert series saw a big change this year as it became a 21-and-over event.
Thumbs up to everyone who has contributed to the Giving Fund this season. The campaign to help those in need remains short of fulfilling each case, so donations are still needed. All funds go directly to the clients. To contribute, go to http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/givingfund/

Thumbs up to Trinity Catholic High School hiring David Williams as its new principal. Williams, who has worked as a social studies teacher, department head and principal, will be the schools fourth principal in three years. We wish him success in bringing stability to the front office.

Thumbs up to the Stamford Police Departments recruiting efforts paying off with 764 candidates applying for 20 entry-level positions. Even more encouraging is that officials are seeing results from their initiatives to draw a diverse pool. Other departments can learn from this example.

Thumbs up to Westhill High School students from the newspaper The Westword launching an effort to shatter segregation in the cafeterias. The students decorated the two lunchrooms with school colors and spoke to students about the history of students grouping by race. Publicly recognizing the problem is a bold first step to fixing it.

Thumbs up to Rick Redniss being named Stamfords 2016 Citizen of the Year. Redniss is most frequently in the news for his work as a land use consultant, but its his volunteer work that makes him a worthy recipient of this singular annual honor. Redniss has volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club, Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Jewish War Veterans, Stamford Jewish Community Center, Stamford Land Conservation Trust, Veterans Park Ad-Hoc Committee and Mayors Task Force on Open Space.

Thumbs up to the arrangement reached by leaders in the state Senate to share power in the new General Assembly session that begins Jan. 4. The election in November resulted in an equal number of Democrats and Republicans in the 36-member Senate. Loose wording in the state Constitution allows the lieutenant governor, a Democrat, to break a tie vote, but the possibility of partisan gridlock was a concern. The last time the state Senate faced a tie was in 1893. Under the agreement for bipartisan power, both parties will lead committees and Republicans will be able to mark resolutions, bills and union contracts ready for action in the Senate. The challenges for the new session are great, so it is a good sign that both parties are demonstrating a willingness to compromise.

Thumbs down to the ongoing trend of increasing domestic violence incidents in Connecticut. Finding a safe place for victims of domestic to stay is a growing problem, according to data released in December by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The coalition reported that in 2016, member shelters were, on average, at 125 percent capacity. That is a sharp jump since 2008, when shelters were 57 percent filled. In the past year, the states domestic violence programs sheltered 2,325 people, of whom 1,031 were children.

Thumbs up to the donation of 80,000 drug disposal kits which will be distributed for free through state pharmacies. The kits will allow consumers to safely deactivate and dispose of any unused prescription painkillers. Mark Trudeau, the president and CEO of New Jersey-based Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, said last week that his company made the donation to help stem opioid misuse and abuse. This is one of many positive approaches needed to deal with the opioid epidemic in the state and elsewhere.
ST. ANSGAR | The St. Ansgar School Board moved one step closer to determining the fate of its old elementary school building on Wednesday, Dec. 21, in a special meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to approve the sale of the building and site to one of the two proposals previously presented to the board.

The high school media center was filled with interested community members, with several individuals standing to speak about the importance of keeping the school and repurposing it for the arts or as a home for a summer theater program, or even technical training, all things they believed were lacking in the area. Others spoke in opposition, stating the building was so solidly constructed that remodeling it would prove difficult and it was time to move on.

Earlier in the month, the School Board received a proposal from the newly-formed nonprofit group, St. Ansgar Historic School Project (HSP) Inc.

After reviewing the proposal and discussing it in closed session earlier in the month, the board decided to offer a counter-proposal to the nonprofit group. The counter-proposal would provide the group the opportunity to purchase the building outright with no option to revert the building back to the School Board. In addition, the board offered to place $125,000 into a restricted funds account in the form of a 28E agreement to be used toward demolitions purposes only should the building repurposing efforts fail to be proved viable.

The purchase price on the building for the non-profit group would be $100 with the School Board also being required to make the former playground safe before the closing of the sale by leveling it off where they removed playground equipment and plastic playground coverings.

Under the terms of the counter-proposal the nonprofit would take possession of the building on March 1, 2017, and would have until Oct 1, 2019, to use the cash in the restricted funds for demolition if it was unable to make a profitable go of the repurposing of the old elementary building.

Because the terms of the counter-proposal were not presented in writing by the time of the meeting, the board made a motion to give St. Ansgar Historic School Project, Inc. until noon Jan. 11 to accept the offer.

Should the group choose to decline it, the EDCs proposal to have the school torn down and the empty lot sold to the EDC for $50,000 for the construction of affordable housing would automatically be accepted by the school board.

Other terms of the counter-proposal included: there would be an amendment removing the reversion clause of the HSPs offer; there would have to be a 28E agreement, preferably with the City of St. Ansgar, to manage the funds and create opportunities for grant funding. If the City is not agreeable, the group would determine whether or not it would be appropriate to enter into a similar agreement with a non-profit.

Among those who spoke in favor of the building was Laurie Meyer of the St. Ansgar Heritage Association who informed those in attendance not only was the building locally significant, but it was eligible for inclusion on the national historic register for historical and architectural purposes.

St. Ansgar drama and fine arts teacher Zack Carlson spoke in favor of the space as a home for fine arts in the community, citing many times during the construction of the new additions to the school he was asked by students if there would be some sort of auditorium included in the construction.

Local resident Josh Byrnes spoke of the opportunities which could be considered in using the building as an adult education center, training facility or a home for work force development.

In the end, the motion regarding the counter-proposal passed 4-2 with board members Tara Bork, Will Morrow, Kyle Tabbert and Donna Brumm voting in favor of the motion while Steve Groth and Lindsey Falk voted against it.
T heatre has been in rude health in 2016. Its made us laugh and cry, weve seen brilliant writing, marvellous music and some stunning performances.

With so much to delight us, picking the best of the year is a difficult task, but our theatre critics Henry Hitchings and Fiona Mountford whittled it down to a list of twenty of the most brilliant shows to grace London stages in 2016.

Yerma, Young Vic Theatre

Both Henry Hitchings and Fiona Mountford named the Young Vic's Yerma in their top plays of the year, and Billie Piper deservedly took home the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a woman driven mad by her inferility. Henry described her performance in Simon Stones reimagining of Lorcas tragedy as devastatingly good.

Its the quality of the performances that makes this a riveting hundred minutes, and Billie Piper is on raw, ferocious, spellbinding form," Henry wrote.

Read the five star review

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre

For once the so-called theatrical event of the year really is just that, wrote Henry Hitchings. The two-part Harry Potter extravaganza finally hit the stage, fans kept the secrets, and it was just as magical as we all hoped.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child - fans amazed by new play

Jamie Parker makes a studious and likeable Harry, Paul Thornleys Ron has an effortless goofy appeal, and Noma Dumezweni brings a sober authority to Hermione," Henry said. "But of all the performances the most layered and absorbing comes from relative newcomer Anthony Boyle as Scorpius, whos surely set to be a fan favourite. He went on to be nominated for the emerging talent award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Read the five star review

This House, Garrick Theatre

Fiona Mountford rated James Grahams look at a struggling 1970s Labour government as her play of the year. It finally arrived in the West End after opening in the National Theatres Cottesloe in 2012 (now known as the Dorfman).

There has simply been no better direction than this in 2016," Fiona wrote. "Herrin conducts, choreographs and makes fly material that could potentially, in lesser hands, be tough-going at times. The action whirls around the stage, with House of Commons-style benches from Rae Smith, and is unstoppably riveting.

Read the five star review

Iphigenia in Splott, National Theatre

Sophie Melville was nominated for best actress at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her caustic performance in Gary Owens painfully vivid monologue. Henry Hitchings described her as "teasing, touching, profound."

Henry wrote, This 70-minute piece, which premiered at Cardiffs Sherman Theatre last May, arrives in London garlanded with plaudits. Its easy to see why. Rachel ORiordans sharply focused production has a pacy directness, and Sophie Melville is sensational as Effie.

Read the five star review

Oil, Almeida Theatre

Ella Hicksons play about a disappearing resource managed to trace a mother and a daughter over 150 years, whilst covering many other things besides. Henry Hitchings described Carrie Cracknells production as "stylish and finely detailed", with impressive performances from Yolanda Kettle and Anne-Marie Duff.

The plays title is the first of many provocations, inviting audiences (and critics) to pun about its being crude and slippery  or indeed refined," he wrote. "Its a gesture typical of this audacious and craftily self-referential piece, which mixes prickly humour with a mischievous intelligence.

Read the four star review

The Young Chekhov trilogy, National Theatre

This epic three part trilogy at the National Theatre showed Chekhovs formative writing years, with an impressive repertory company of actors juggling the three plays.

Henry Hitchings described The Seagull as "revelatory", and Platonov as "a triumph".

Read the review for Platonov, Ivanov and The Seagull

Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre

The longawaited musical finally arrived in town, 35 years after first opening on Broadway., and it proved worth the wait. Amber Riley was the undoubted star of the show, said Henry Hitchings, describing her performance as "gasp-inducing".

"Its the dynamic performances that propel this passionate musical, and Amber Rileys is as thrilling as any I can recall," wrote Henry.

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Read the five star review

Buy tickets for Dreamgirls with Evening Standard Tickets

Love, National Theatre

Fiona Mountford described Alexander Zeldins naturalistic play about homeless hostels at Christmas as "the National Theatres play of the year - and then some".

What Zeldin captures so masterfully, in the protracted expanses of silence of which he is not afraid, is the restricted, repetitive monotony of days in this hostel," Fiona said in her review. "The only time the residents really leave is to go and wait for long and futile hours at unforgiving council offices; when they return exhausted we can see that a bit more hope has drained away.

love national theatre

Read the five star review

Cuttin' It, Young Vic/Royal Court/The Yard

Charlene James was awarded the Most Promising Playwright award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards this year for her play about FGM. Fiona Mountford said it combined "effervescent humour" with "quiet, simple devastating truth".

This already award-winning new play by Charlene James is a shining example of theatre tackling a burning contemporary issue and getting it absolutely right," she wrote. "Given that the issue is the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation, thats an even more impressive achievement.

Read the five star review

Groundhog Day, Old Vic

MANUEL HARLAN

Tim Minchins musical version of the classic 80s Bill Murray film was "relentlessly amusing" said Henry Hitchings. It debuted in London ahead of a likely Broadway transfer for 2017.

As Phil, Andy Karl does the seemingly impossible by banishing memories of Bill Murray. Well, almost," Henry wrote. "He oozes star quality, managing to be poisonously sarcastic, charmingly vulnerable, and charismatic even in moments of melancholy.

Read the five star review

Ma Raineys Black Bottom, National Theatre

Dominic Cookes revival of August Wilsons classic play was one of the National Theatres many highlights in 2016.

Sparky banter slides into discussion of the black mans place in society and his relationship with the white studio bosses upstairs," wrote Fiona Mountford. "Pianist Toledo (lovely work from Lucian Msamati) is the brightest of the bunch, but volatile trumpeter Levee (O T Fagbenle) sees no reason to remain deferential. More where this came from, please.

Read the four star review

The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy

A project that began in 2012 was rounded off with a brilliant new version of The Tempest. Phyllida Lloyds all-female Shakespeares were shaped by working in prisons with ex-offenders, and Henry Hitchings described it as triumphant.

Intimate, exciting, often abrasive and sometimes startlingly funny, its a celebration of ensemble acting and of the fertile possibilities of breaking free from conventional ideas about casting," he said in his review.

Read the review of the trilogy

Minefield, Royal Court/LIFT Festival

Henry Hitchings described this piece featuring British and Argentinian veterans performing together as "a work of extraordinary compassion".

Its a tribute to the intensely collaborative processes that distinguish theatre as an artform  and a courageous statement about the power of those processes to enhance life itself, Henry said.

Read the five star review

The Encounter, Barbican

Simon McBurney and Complicite used soundscapes to transport their audiences to the Amazon rainforest, and the results were astonishing. Henry Hitchings described McBurneys storytelling as "persuasive" and "dense with detail".

"Distorting our view of time and space, The Encounter is a hypnotic, almost religious experience that warrants those two much-abused terms, 'immersive' and 'unmissable'," Henry said in his review.

Read our five star review

Half a Sixpence, Chichester Festival Theatre/Noel Coward Theatre

This show made an over-night star out of Charlie Stemp, and Fiona Mountford correctly predicted it would be a sure-fire show for a West End transfer. She described it as the undoubted hit of the summer, stuffed full of lovely tunes.

Newcomer Stemp is a real find, bursting with a cheeky chappy charm that lights up Rachel Kavanaughs joyous production with a megawatt glow.," said Fiona in her review. "I had a big smile on my face from the opening number and the grin only grew wider each time Andrew Wrights infectiously energetic choreography was loosed on a stage whose elegant design weaves around an attractive metalwork bandstand frame."

Read the five star review

Buy tickets for Half a Sixpence with Evening Standard Tickets

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

This was Emma Rices last production for the company Kneehigh as she took the reins at the Globe Theatre. We werent to know at the time that her stint in the role would be so short. Fiona Mountford found this show to be "exquisitely directed", "an utterly lovely show".

Splendid performances from Marc Antolin and Audrey Brisson ensure that this never tips over into the cloyingly whimsical," Fiona said. "Brisson in particular is a captivating performer, and the insouciant way she strolls around wearing a hat bedecked with a large red papier-mache chicken is a wonder to behold."

Read the four star review

Guys and Dolls, Savoy Theatre/Phoenix Theatre

This lovable musical charmed our critics over and over, as it moved from the Savoy to the Phoenix, and then featured Hollywood star Rebel Wilson for a limited engagement. Henry Hitchings said the star had "a thrusting naughtiness" in the show. Fiona Mountford said there was "nothing not to like about the show".

The songs are as tuneful as ever, with Sit Down, Youre Rockin the Boat once more a foot-stomping inducer of encores. This show is tingle-down-the-arms good  a rarity in the West End, Fiona said.

Read Fiona's five star review

People, Places and Things, Wyndhams Theatre

Duncan Macmillans play about addicts in rehab received garlands when it was in the Dorfman Theatre last year, so its West End transfer was no surprise. Denise Gough gave a performance that nobody could stop talking about, described by Fiona Mountford as the greatest stage performance since Mark Rylance in Jerusaleum.

Remarkable, truthful performance: Denise Gough as the troubled Emma / Dave Benett

Its a supremely confident and well-oiled production from director Jeremy Herrin, with a fluid acting ensemble," Fiona wrote. "There is absolutely no doubt that Gough is the person, Wyndhams the place and this play the thing to see this spring.

Read the five star review

She Loves Me, Menier Chocolate Factory

A late entry, Fiona Mountford described the Menier Chocolate Factorys latest musical revival as "an early Christmas present of the best sort imaginable" - "surely bound for a West End transfer" she suggested.

The Meniers annual festive musical has rightly become a cherishable tradition  last year it was the Sheridan Smith star vehicle Funny Girl  and now this gloriously over-achieving small venue surpasses itself," Fiona said.

Read the five star review

Sunset Boulevard, London Coliseum

Glenn Close took home the award for Best Musical Performance at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her role as a washed-up film star in Andrew Lloyd Webbers 90s musical. She was "completely persuasive" said Henry Hitchings.

"This is a mighty vehicle for a mesmerising star. 'I can say anything I want with my eyes,' claims Norma, and thats certainly true of Close. She is at her best when taking risks, revealing the characters infantile ways as well as her sincerity and raw vulnerability," Henry said in his review.

Read the four star review

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CLEAR LAKE  Clear Lakes former "MasterChef" contestant launched her own catering and meal delivery company this year after her run on the show.

Cassie Peterson made the top 20 on MasterChef in June, before she turned in her apron

The judges didnt fall in love with her steak and potatoes. Chefs Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and guest judge Wolfgang Puck didnt like the New York strip steak with fried potato salad.

I dont know that I really wanted to win because it would take me away from here, Peterson told the Globe Gazette in June.

In August 2015, Peterson drove up to Minneapolis to audition for "MasterChef" season seven.

She made it onto the show and traveled to Los Angeles in January

And there I was in front of Gordon Ramsay, Peterson said.

One of the more fun aspects of the show was sharing her Iowa pride.

They got my city wrong, which is the story of my life, Peterson said. My big thing was telling people that Iowa is a state. It is not Ohio, it is not Idaho, it is not Illinois.

Peterson said she enjoyed the experience of competition and cooking in front of famous chefs as it was a step out of her comfort zone.

Peterson put her business on hold during the show. She ran The Cupcake Store for over a year and a half before moving it into Hy-Vee. She has now picked it back up and included it in her new business venture.

When she returned from L.A., she started Nameless Gourmet.

The business covers a wide variety of services including meals to go, private dinner parties, event catering, classes and more.

Meal delivery is called Gourmet To-Go, a rotating weekly menu delivered to customers doors.

She also provides gluten free options and has started blogging. The service is now in full swing.
C hef Merlin Labron-Johnson is responsible for the food at both Portland restaurant, which won a Michelin star within its first year of opening, and its sister, Clipstone, around the corner. Four years ago, having already worked in Switzerland for two years, he then spent eight months working over the border on the other side of the mountains at the double Michelin-starred restaurant, The Albert 1er, in Chamonix, Eastern France.

When I lived in Switzerland, he says, I was situated about an hours drive from Chamonix so Id go quite a lot to eat or spend a weekend there over the winter before I finally went over to work for a summer season, and Ive been back since.

Here he shares some of his favourite food and drink recommendations in Chamonix.

Where do you always return to eat when you visit Chamonix?

I used to work at a restaurant called The Albert 1er, a double Michelin-starred restaurant and probably the most well-known place in Chamonix for fine dining - inside a hotel that has been there for over 100 years. It also has this brasserie called La Maison Carrier (44 Route du Bouchet, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; hameaualbert.fr) which is not particularly expensive and it serves real mountain bistro food - not fondue, but warm, comforting French brasserie food. It has a buffet, and Grandma-style desserts, like creme caramel.

Chamonix / Shutterstock / Happy Stock Photo

Where are your favourite quick lunch options?

MBC (350 Route du Bouchet, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; mbchx.com) is a micro-brewery away from the town centre of Chamonix run by some Canadians. They brew extremely beer, especially the white beer - the beer blanche - and make fantatstic burgers, and its a real hit with skiers.

Where is good for great drinks and people watching?

I would recommend going along the river to a street called Rue des Moulins. Its a tiny street, but its where all the bars and restaurants are, and theyre all really nice places to drink - its a fun area to hang out in the evening. I would probably drink white beer, which they make a lot of in the Alps. The other place - not particularly known for the quality of its drinks - is called Elevation 1904 (259 Avenue Michel Croz, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; chamonet.com) which is an apres-ski bar on a little square near the station. They always have live music and its a really good atmosphere.

Where are your top high-end places to eat in Chamonix?

At the smarter end, there is the restaurant where I used to work - an incredibly expensive two-Michelin starred restaurant, The Albert 1er, in a Relais and Chateaux hotel (38 Route du Bouchet, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; hameaualbert.fr). Its really classical French cuisine - the London equivalent is probably somewhere between Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester and Le Gavroche. It also has an incredible wine cellar, and a huge cheese trolley.

Chef Merlin Labron-Johnson

Where do you go to buy specialist food products in Chamonix?

There are shops that sell traditional Savoyarde meats and cheeses, such as Le Refuge Payot (refugepayot.com) which has three shops in town. Theyre good, but very expensive - but if you were staying in Chamonix in a self-catering apartment or chalet, it would be nice to buy things like cheese for a fondue. Two great cheeses made around there are the Beaufort Chalet dAlpage and the Tomme de Savoie. Both are quite hard, cows milk unpasteurised cheeses which you can age. And both you could eat straight or make a fondue out of.

What are your final must-do food or drink tips for Chamonix?

I recommend anyone going to Chamonix to have at least one cheesy meal, especially in winter! There is one place in the town centre that I really like called La Caleche (18 Rue du Dr Paccard, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; restaurant-caleche.com) which is a really traditional place for fondue. It probably isnt the best in town, but the decor and the ambiance are incredible - really like a chalet, with loads of quirky artwork and stuffed animals.

Clipstone restaurant is at 5 Clipstone Street, London W1W 6BB; clipstonerestaurant.co.uk
A man was left fighting for life in hospital after he was stabbed next to a childrens Christmas fair in south London.

The victim was knifed near the fairground in Brixton on Tuesday evening.

Police and paramedics raced to the scene of the stabbing in Windrush Square at about 6.15pm.

Scotland Yard said the man was rushed to a hospital in south London where he remained in a critical condition on Wednesday morning.

Witnesses described seeing scores of emergency services vehicles and police descending on the area, as well as a cordon around the fair.

Journalist EJ Ward tweeted: 10 police cars and two ambulances outside the little fair thing in Brixton. Anyone know whats happening?

James Perrett posted on Twitter: Eek, stabbing on our road. Police cordons and everything, half of Brixton is closed off and had to be escorted by an officer to front door.

Anton Lavey tweeted: Whats going on in Windrush Square?

John Steel wrote: Any idea what just happened in Windrush Square? #Brixton. #WindrushSquare.

A Met Police spokesman said: Police were called at approximately 6.15pm on Tuesday, 27 December to reports of a man suffering a stab injury in Windrush Square in Lambeth.

Officers attended and immediately provided first aid. The man was taken by the London Ambulance Service to a south London hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Detectives from Lambeth are investigating. Cordons remain in place.

There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.
A n 18-year-old was knocked down by a car before being chased and stabbed by an armed gang near a childrens Christmas fair, police have said.

The teenager is fighting for life in hospital after the attack near Windrush Square, Brixton, on Tuesday evening.

He was knifed just yards from a Christmas fairground as children played with their families.

Witnesses said scores of police descended on the scene just after 6.15pm, with officers and a passer-by battling to save his life before paramedics arrived.

He was whisked to hospital by ambulance where he remains in a critical condition.

On Wednesday, detectives said they believe the victim was riding his bike near the junction of Rushcroft when he was run down by a grey Ford Focus.

A number of men got out of the car and then pursued the injured youth into Windrush Square where they attacked him.

The car was found abandoned near the scene of the stabbing.

Police have now appealed for anyone to come forward who may have seen the victim being knocked down or the attack afterwards.

Detective Sergeant Ewan Robertson, from the Trident & Area Crime Command, said: "This was a violent attack, carried out close to a funfair being enjoyed by families and children, which has left the young victim with very serious injuries.

If you have any information that can help assist our investigation please contact us."

Any witnesses or anyone with any information can contact the Trident and Area Crime Command via 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A young mother has blamed "austerity" for mistakes which led to a mentally ill man being free to kill her husband.

Renowned academic Dr Jeroen Ensink, 41, was set upon as he left home in Islington, north London, to post cards announcing the birth of his daughter, Fleur, a year ago on Thursday.

Nigerian foreign student Femi Nandap, 23, admitted carrying out the frenzied knife attack and was handed an indefinite hospital order in October.

Since then, Dr Ensink's widow has emailed an open letter to politicians including Labour leader and Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances of his death.

The Old Bailey had heard that police were alerted that Nandap was receiving psychiatric treatment in Nigeria while on bail awaiting trial on knife-related charges earlier in 2015.

And days before the killing, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case against him in a magistrates' court.

Speaking to the Press Association on the eve of the anniversary, Nadja Ensink-Teich told of her frustration that lessons were not being learned.

She said: "It's an issue with austerity, it's an issue with not sharing information. If the police and CPS collaborated, information would have been shared.

"The CPS did not even know he was in a mental hospital. All the information came out later on. If they had known about that before, he would have got psychiatric help and then it might not have happened."

Renowned academic: Dr Jeroen Ensink (James Drew Turner/PA ) / James Drew Turner/PA

She went on: "The CPS said a mistake has been made and the charges should not have been dropped.

"Clearly, mistakes have happened and they admit it and it's like, so what? There was no sorry. There was nothing.

"I do not know if there are going to be any consequences and they won't discuss this with me."

She said the most important thing was to get answers and work to prevent more tragedies.

On the heavy toll of the past year, she said: "It's surviving, it's not living. My friends and family have been absolutely amazing.

"It's just been really hard. I'm completely exhausted but sitting still is not an option."

She said her daughter, who was just days old when her father was killed, is a great comfort to her.

Mental health failings: Femi Nandap / Metropolitan Police

"She is the most gorgeous little girl. So beautiful. She is the reason I get up in the morning. She's the reason I can't give up."

An inquest is due to be held into the death of Dr Ensink in April, yet his widow fears it will not deal with the wider issues.

She said: "I do not think they will look much further at what could have been done to prevent this.

"I see it as a start. I don't think it's the end of it."

Nandap admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in October.

He told psychiatrists that he started to receive telepathic messages and considered himself the "chosen one" or "Messiah" in spring 2015.

While on conditional bail for knife-related charges, he went to Nigeria where he was treated with anti-psychotic drugs which he stopped taking by the time of his return to the UK.

On August 25, his sister had handed a letter to police saying he was not fit to travel back to the UK earlier because he was suffering "depression and psychosis".

Just six days before he attacked Dr Ensink, Nandap had charges of possession of a knife and assaulting a police officer dropped in a magistrates' court.

Mrs Ensink-Teich discovered her husband had been killed when she went outside and saw the blood-stained cards he had been carrying strewn on the pavement.

During the course of 2016, Old Bailey judges alone have dealt with 10 mental health homicides.

Julian Hendy, of Hundred Families charity, has supported Mrs Ensink-Teich and a host of other victims' relatives.

He said: "There are around 100 killings by people by with serious mental illness in the UK each year and our research shows that the numbers are increasing."
T wo young children were allegedly assaulted by a stranger who complained about them putting their feet on the seat of a Tube train.

Police said the children, aged four and five, were shouted at by a man as they travelled with their mother on a Metropolitan Line train from Liverpool Street to Uxbridge.

The man is said to have been unhappy that the children had their feet on the seats, and grabbed one of them by the ankle and the other by the knee in a bid to physically remove them from the seats.

Police have now released an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with the incident at about 5.20pm on November 12.

Investigating officer PC Ryan Hutchings said: The children and their mother were left distressed after the incident and I am very keen to speak to anyone who was travelling in this particular tube carriage and may have witnessed the incident.

If you have any information about this incident please contact 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 citing reference 84 of 28 December.
A n eight-year-old boy who had been in the country for just a few hours was left fighting for life in hospital after being hit by a car in east London.

Police say the child was walking with his aunt along the High Road in Chadwell Heath when a car hit them on Christmas Eve.

The pair had just arrived from their home in Dublin to spend Christmas with family in Dagenham when the incident took place at around 3.30pm.

Police arriving on the scene gave the stricken child, who had an open leg fracture, first aid before paramedics rushed him the Royal London Hospital.

His aunt, aged 31, was taken to Queens Hospital, suffering from back, neck and head injuries.

The child was initially thought to be in a life-threatening condition.

However, police said today both patients are expected to make a full recovery.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the driver stopped at the scene and there had been no arrests.
T housands of police officers are to be deployed on Londons streets for the capital's New Years Eve celebrations, Scotland Yard said today.

Three thousand officers will be on duty across central London in a bid to crack down on crime as revellers welcome in the New Year.

Roads in the centre of the city will be closed from 2pm on Saturday including Lambeth, Westminster, Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges.

Scotland Yard said their plan is not the result of any specific intelligence but the product of several months' work.

But police are also urging people to do their bit and be alert to and report anything suspicious.

It comes after security was tightened in the capital following a terror attack in which 12 people were killed at a Christmas market in Berlin last week.

Fired up: The celebrations are a long standing tradition in London / Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Londons biggest New Years Eve event is the ticketed fireworks display on Victoria Embankment.

The Metropolitan Police are urging people without a fireworks ticket to stay away from the central London fireworks areas.

Detective superintendent Phil Langworthy, the Met's spokesperson for New Years Eve, said: "It is an exciting time of year and we want all who come to central London to have a good time.

London New Year's Eve Fireworks 2016 1 /9 London New Year's Eve Fireworks 2016 Spectacular: Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye in central London during the New Year celebrations Light fantastic: Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye in central London during the New Year celebrations Boom: Fireworks from the London Eye celebrate as 2015 turns over 2016 Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 01, 2016 in London Carl Court/Getty Images Fireworks light up the London Eye just after midnight on January 01, 2016 in London, England. Thousands of people lined the banks of the River Thames in central London Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye in central London during the New Year 2016 celebrations. PA Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 01, 2016 in London Carl Court/Getty Images

Officers have been planning for several months for New Years Eve, and that plan remains under constant review. This is not as a result of any specific intelligence.

Officers will be out and about to deter criminals and keep crowds safe but we need you to do your bit to look after yourself and those around you as well.

"If you see anything suspicious or that causes you any concern please tell a police officer or steward. Keep an eye on your belongings and only bring what you need.

Make sure you agree a meeting location should you become separated from your friends and family.

I would also urge you to plan your journey. If you have a ticket for the fireworks, arrive in plenty of time as there will be search entries so it will take longer to get into the viewing area.

The Met said they are working closely with the British Transport Police, Westminster council and event organiser the Mayors office to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Last year the Met deployed the same amount of officers, 3,000, and armed police.

Travel across the TfL network in London is free from 11.45pm to 4.30am on New Year's Eve.
D ozens of child asylum seekers who lived in the Calais refugee camp have launched a legal challenge against Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Lawyers representing the 36 children claim the Government mishandled the childrens claims, breaking its promise to bring vulnerable accompanied minors to the UK under the Immigration Act, according to The Guardian.

It is said to be the first time children from the camp, known as the Jungle, have taken individual legal action against the Government.

The paper reports that the majority of those bringing the action have had their applications for asylum declined, while eight are still waiting to hear from the Home Office.

Threatened with a major political rebellion led by Lord Dubs, the Government agreed to take in more children from the sprawling refugee camp which was demolished in October.

But according to lawyers, the Home Office has failed to bring many of the most vulnerable refugee children to the UK and not given proper written decisions in refusing these applications.

Toufique Hossain, director of public law at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, told the paper: "The Government has rendered these children, including some as young as 13, to effectively be without any legal remedy until well into the new year, which is the earliest that the relevant Home Office officials have agreed to give reasons for refusing some of these children."

He added: "The way that this has all been handled by both the UK and French authorities is nothing short of shameful.

The Home Office faced criticism last month when it published guidelines which seriously restrict which children would qualify to come to the UK under the Dubs amendment.

Under new eligibility criteria, a child must be either 12 or under, at high risk of sexual exploitation, be 15 or under and either of Syrian or Sudanese nationality, or be under 18 and a sibling of someone fitting these criteria.

Labour peer Lord Dubs, who fled the Nazis and came to Britain as part of the Kindertransport scheme, at the time said the change was "shocking".

He said: "I think in those new eligibility criteria they have breached both the letter and the spirit of the amendment. I think they have gone back on their word."

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on on-going legal proceedings."

Additional reporting by Press Association
A Tunisian man has been detained in connection with the deadly truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

German federal prosecutors said the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business.

Officials said the man's number was saved in the mobile phone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on December 19.

They said further investigations indicate that the arrested man "may have been involved in the attack".

'Associate': Berlin truck killer Anis Amri

Twelve people died in the attack in the German capital.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the man holds up to the extent they can seek a formal arrest warrant.

This would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

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

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack, and in fleeing Berlin.

They are also trying to piece together the route he took from Berlin to Milan, where he was killed in a shoot-out with Italian police.

Italian police have said Amri travelled through France, and French authorities said he made a stop in the eastern city of Lyon.

Dutch authorities are checking whether he fled through the Netherlands on his way to Lyon.
D aisy Ridley has been left devastated by the death of her Star Wars co-star Carrie Fisher, who died on Tuesday.

Ridley played the role of Rey opposite Fishers Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and said she feels "lucky" to have known the American actress.

In a statement she said: Devastated at this monumental loss. How lucky we all are to have known her, and how awful that we have to say goodbye.

Fisher died, aged 60, on Tuesday four days after she suffered a cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

Carrie Fisher Dies: Twitter tributes from around the world flood in

She had been in the UK to promote her new book The Princess Diarist and the latest series of her upcoming Amazon show Catastrophe.

Her former co-stars have joined Hollywood stars from around the world to pay tribute in the wake of her death.

Carrie Fisher - In pictures 1 /29 Carrie Fisher - In pictures Carrie Fisher poses for cameras as she arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London in December 2016 Paul Hackett/Reuters Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Princess Leia and Han Solo (Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford) kiss in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Hans Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: A New Hope Lucasfilm Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds hold their baby daughter, Carrie Frances Fisher in 1957 AP Actress Carrie Fisher in 1977 Getty Images Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lucasfilm Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lucasfilm Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983) Lucasfilm Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983) Carrie Fisher and singer Paul Simon stand together at their apartment in New York during their wedding reception on 16 August 1983 Mario Suriani/AP Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds poses with her daughter Carrie Fisher after Reynolds star in the live theatre and stage category was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during ceremonies in 1997 Reuters Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars movie, joining a Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper character as they arrive for the premiere of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' in Washington on 12 May 2005 Mike Theiler/EPA Actress Carrie Fisher and director George Lucas pose at the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award after party at the Highlands on 9 June 2005 in Hollywood, California Vince Bucci/Getty Images Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley during the filming of the Graham Norton Show at The London Studios in 2015 So TV/PA John Boyega and Carrie Fisher embrace as they arrive at the premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Hollywood, California on 14 December 2015 Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Carrie Fisher attending the World premiere of Absolutely Fabulous The Movie held at Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square in 2016 Ian West/PA Carrie Fisher returned to the role in 2015 for The Force Awakens Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher attend the Midnight Mission's 100 year anniversary Golden Heart Gala held at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on 30 September 2014 in Beverly Hills, California Araya Diaz/Getty Images Carrie Fisher at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' film premiere David Fisher/Rex Carrie Fisher and dog Gary attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square on 16 December 2015 in London Dave Benett

Mark Hamill, who played Fishers onscreen brother Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, tweeted: No words. Devastated.

C3PO star Anthony Daniels said: I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn't. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many. I am very, very sad.

Billy Dee Williams, who played resistance general Lando Calrissian, said he was deeply saddened by the loss of a dear friend and added: The force is dark today!

Harrison Ford, who played Fishers onscreen love interest Han Solo and reportedly had an affair with the actress while filming A New Hope, said: We will all miss her. Carrie was one-of-a-kind... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely.

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ROCKWELL | A Kensett man and two Webster County residents are accused of breaking into cars in a Rockwell nursing home parking lot.

A judge on Wednesday authorized warrants for the arrest of Blake Peterson, 23, of Kensett, Jodi Mohr, 37, of Gowrie, and Logan Warland, 26, of Fort Dodge.

Warland, who is currently jailed in Fort Dodge, is wanted for felony ongoing criminal conduct, felony third-degree burglary and misdemeanor driving while barred.

Peterson and Mohr are charged with misdemeanor aiding and abetting.

Sheriff's deputies say Peterson is jailed in Northwood.

Peterson, Mohr and Warland broke into multiple cars Nov. 28 at the Rockwell Community Nursing Home, 707 Elm St. E., according to a Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office statement.
C arrie Fishers beloved dog Gary has tweeted a heartbreaking message in the wake of his owners death.

The French Bulldog  who often joined Fisher on the red carpet, at signings and on film sets  paid tribute to the Star Wars actress on Twitter.

Saddest tweets to tweet, read one message. Mommy is gone. I love you @carrieffisher.

A later post showed Gary looking out of a window alongside the caption: I'll still be waiting for you.......

A montage of photos showing Gary and Fisher together was also shared, alongside the caption: I was always by your side but best of all you were always by mine. #RIPCarrie.

Fisher took on Gary as a therapy dog to help her with her bipolar disorder. The canine will now reportedly be cared for by her daughter Billie Lourd.

Gary was said to be by Fisher's side in hospital after she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles last week.

Carrie Fisher Dies: Twitter tributes from around the world flood in

She received emergency treatment on the plane before she was rushed to hospital where it appeared she was in a stable condition.

Her mother Debbie Reynolds tweeted on Christmas Day: Carrie is in stable condition. If there is a change, we will share it. For all her fans and friends, I thank you for your prayers and good wishes.

Carrie Fisher - In pictures 1 /29 Carrie Fisher - In pictures Carrie Fisher poses for cameras as she arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London in December 2016 Paul Hackett/Reuters Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Princess Leia and Han Solo (Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford) kiss in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Hans Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: A New Hope Lucasfilm Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds hold their baby daughter, Carrie Frances Fisher in 1957 AP Actress Carrie Fisher in 1977 Getty Images Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lucasfilm Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lucasfilm Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983) Lucasfilm Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983) Carrie Fisher and singer Paul Simon stand together at their apartment in New York during their wedding reception on 16 August 1983 Mario Suriani/AP Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds poses with her daughter Carrie Fisher after Reynolds star in the live theatre and stage category was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during ceremonies in 1997 Reuters Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars movie, joining a Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper character as they arrive for the premiere of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' in Washington on 12 May 2005 Mike Theiler/EPA Actress Carrie Fisher and director George Lucas pose at the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award after party at the Highlands on 9 June 2005 in Hollywood, California Vince Bucci/Getty Images Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley during the filming of the Graham Norton Show at The London Studios in 2015 So TV/PA John Boyega and Carrie Fisher embrace as they arrive at the premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Hollywood, California on 14 December 2015 Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Carrie Fisher attending the World premiere of Absolutely Fabulous The Movie held at Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square in 2016 Ian West/PA Carrie Fisher returned to the role in 2015 for The Force Awakens Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher attend the Midnight Mission's 100 year anniversary Golden Heart Gala held at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on 30 September 2014 in Beverly Hills, California Araya Diaz/Getty Images Carrie Fisher at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' film premiere David Fisher/Rex Carrie Fisher and dog Gary attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square on 16 December 2015 in London Dave Benett

But her family revealed in a statement on Tuesday that she had died, aged 60.

Her Star Wars co-stars Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley and Billy Dee Williams led the tributes online.

Katie Hopkins angered fans of the actress after she bemoaned having to discuss Fisher's death on her LBC radio show.

Tweeting her 670,000 followers she wrote: B***** hell. Please don't tell me I have to spend my time on radio tomorrow talking about floral tributes and tea candles to #CarrieFisher.

Her remark was branded "nasty" while others compared her to Jabba the Hutt and called for her to be sacked.

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L egendary actor Harrison Ford has made an emotional tribute to his Star Wars co-star Carrie Fisher after she died aged 60.

Mr Ford, 74, played the role of Hans Solo opposite Ms Fishers Princess Leia in four Star Wars films and reportedly had an affair with the actress.

The Hollywood star hailed the actress and writer as emotionally fearless as he joined performers from across the world in paying tribute.

He said in a statement: We will all miss her. Carrie was one-of-a-kind... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely."

Close: The pair acted in four Star Wars films together and reportedly had an affair / PA

Other co-stars and Star Wars creator George Lucas also paid tribute to Ms Fisher

Mr Lucas said: "Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colourful personality that everyone loved.

"In Star Wars she was our great and powerful princess - feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people might think."

Carrie Fisher - In pictures 1 /29 Carrie Fisher - In pictures Carrie Fisher poses for cameras as she arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London in December 2016 Paul Hackett/Reuters Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Princess Leia and Han Solo (Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford) kiss in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Hans Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: A New Hope Lucasfilm Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds hold their baby daughter, Carrie Frances Fisher in 1957 AP Actress Carrie Fisher in 1977 Getty Images Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lucasfilm Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lucasfilm Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983) Lucasfilm Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983) Carrie Fisher and singer Paul Simon stand together at their apartment in New York during their wedding reception on 16 August 1983 Mario Suriani/AP Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds poses with her daughter Carrie Fisher after Reynolds star in the live theatre and stage category was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during ceremonies in 1997 Reuters Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars movie, joining a Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper character as they arrive for the premiere of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' in Washington on 12 May 2005 Mike Theiler/EPA Actress Carrie Fisher and director George Lucas pose at the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award after party at the Highlands on 9 June 2005 in Hollywood, California Vince Bucci/Getty Images Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley during the filming of the Graham Norton Show at The London Studios in 2015 So TV/PA John Boyega and Carrie Fisher embrace as they arrive at the premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Hollywood, California on 14 December 2015 Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Carrie Fisher attending the World premiere of Absolutely Fabulous The Movie held at Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square in 2016 Ian West/PA Carrie Fisher returned to the role in 2015 for The Force Awakens Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher attend the Midnight Mission's 100 year anniversary Golden Heart Gala held at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on 30 September 2014 in Beverly Hills, California Araya Diaz/Getty Images Carrie Fisher at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' film premiere David Fisher/Rex Carrie Fisher and dog Gary attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square on 16 December 2015 in London Dave Benett

Ms Fisher recently claimed she had a three-month romance with Mr Ford - a married father-of-two at the time - which she kept secret for 40 years.

She told People magazine: "It was so intense. It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend."

She was 19 at the time of the alleged affair in 1976, 14 years younger than 33-year-old Mr Ford.

Appearing on the Graham Norton show earlier this month, she said she thought her revelation had "bugged" Ford.

Obituary: Carrie Fisher

"I had no idea it would cause such a sensation - 400,000 news sites picked up on it and it became a little embarrassing," she said.

"They made a lot of things up which I now have to talk about - I never said he was bad in bed."

Her death was announced on Tuesday by her family four days after she suffered a cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

The 60-year-old had been in Britain to promote her new book The Princess Diarist and the latest series of her upcoming Amazon show Catastrophe.

In a statement released on behalf of Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd, spokesman Simon Halls said: "It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8.55am this morning.

"She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."
MASON CITY | A man accused of threatening someone with a BB gun last month on a Mason City street is pleading guilty to a reduced charge.

Jack Hovenga, 18, Mason City, entered a written plea of guilty last week to misdemeanor assault with a dangerous weapon, He originally was charged by Mason City police with intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a forcible felony.

He also entered a written plea of guilty to felony possession of contraband in a jail and misdemeanor first-degree harassment with threat of a forcible felony.

His plea change hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Hovenga allegedly displayed a BB gun to someone at around 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 28.

The incident took place at 112 N. Pennsylvania Ave., the address for KIMT-TV, the criminal complaint states.

Hovenga was found with suspected methamphetamine when being booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail, according to police.

Brady Hunt, 36, of Hampton, is accused of driving the vehicle that Hovenga was sitting in when he allegedly showed the gun and made the statements, according to court records.

Hunt is to be arraigned Jan. 10 on misdemeanor charges of being an accessory after the fact and third-degree harassment.

 Mary Pieper




ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 28, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Christian college-age students from 23 colleges are preparing for a life-changing adventure in Israel to grow and develop their leadership potential on January 2, 2017. Led by Covenant Journey , a non-profit organization founded by Liberty Counsel, Christian millennials will be touched by a rich blend of biblical history, Jewish history, and Israel's global technological innovations and current geopolitical challenges. These trips have already had a profound impact on the Christian faith and perspective toward Israel of students from about 170 colleges and universities. Many of these young Christian leaders have found that this journey connects them to the roots of their Christian faith and they will never read the Bible or think about Israel the same.

"The impact of a Covenant Journey experience in Israel is beyond description. Many of these students are just beginning on their leadership path and yet I already see the huge impact their deeper understanding of Israel is having around the world. Many Covenant Journey alumni say this experience has had a greater influence on them than anything else thus far," said Mat Staver, Founder and President of Covenant Journey.



One Covenant Journey alumni, Jennifer Sullivan, was the youngest female ever elected to the Florida House of Representatives at age 23. She faced four candidates in the primary, some of whom mocked her young age and the fact that, during college, she lived at home with her parents. Her freshman year in the House, she sponsored a major pro-life bill that was signed into law in 2015. Then in January 2016, Jennifer was able to travel to Israel on the seventh Covenant Journey experience. Returning to the States on January 7, 2016, Jennifer was back in the Florida Legislator on January 11, where she helped lead the effort in Florida to pass a pro-Israel Resolution that opposed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.





One student, Alexis, described her experience this way, "Not only is this trip a spiritual awakening, but it is also a political and social awakening to the trials of the Israeli people. This trip allows me the opportunity to speak on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people. The resilience and courage of this nation needs to be shared with the world and I intend to share it." Giovanni, whose public speaker blog is ranked 24 of the top 50 on the internet, said he experienced Israel in "a more powerful way than I could have imagined." Megan said, "I knew this trip would be a great experience, but I had no idea how much it would impact the way I read the Bible and the way my life should look as a follower of Jesus."



The Covenant Journey tour accepts applications from college-age students who (1) are Christians, (2) have leadership potential, and (3) have some level of support for, or interest in, Israel. College students selected for the tour pay only a $500 registration fee. Everything else is covered by Covenant Journey, including flights from the United States to Tel Aviv, hotel, three meals a day, luxury bus, experienced tour guide, speakers, and all entrance fees. The next journey begins on January 2, 2017.



"The impact of Covenant Journey on the lives of Christian millennials is far beyond what we imagined. It is hard to describe. You just have to experience it," said Staver.
Zhang Kai Back in Police Custody

Contact: ChinaAid Media Team, 432-553-1080 cell, 888-889-7757, 432-689-6985, media@chinaaid.org

HOHHOT, Inner Mongolia, Dec. 28, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- A prominent Christian human rights lawyer who was released on bail earlier this year has not been seen since he was summoned to the police station yesterday morning.

At 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 27, human rights attorney Zhang Kai responded to a summons to a police station in Hohhot, and his mother claims that he has not yet returned. During this time, personnel from public security bureaus in Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Guizhou, and Inner Mongolia came to her house to have a "conversation." Her daughter also received a visit from the Beijing Municipal Public Security at her work place, and she refused to let them video her. They asked the women to urge Zhang to quietly cooperate with officials and said his ability to return home depended on his attitude.

Zhang was previously taken into police custody on the night of Aug. 25, 2015, after he legally represented 100 churches affected by a cross demolition campaign in Zhejiang. After spending six months in an unofficial "black jail" in an unknown location, he resurfaced on a television broadcast on Feb. 25, where he was forced to confess his to disturbing public order and endangering state secrets. He was criminally detained a day later, and then released on bail.

A full translation of a statement from Zhang's mother can be read below.

China Aid will write additional reports when more information becomes available.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those experienced by Zhang Kai, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom and human rights.

Message from Zhang Kai's Mother

Emergency: My son, Zhang Kai, was summoned by the municipal police station at 10:00 a.m. on December 27 and has not yet returned, and now it has been more than 36 hours! During this period, staff from the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Bureau, the Guizhou [Provincial] Public Security Bureau, the Wenzhou [Municipal] Public Security Bureau, and the Inner Mongolia [Provincial] Public Security Bureau have been to my house to have a "conversation." The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau went to my daughter's work place to have a "conversation" (they wanted to take video, but my daughter stopped them). They urged us to persuade Zhang Kai to keep quiet and cooperate with them! Whether Zhang Kai can go home or not depends on his attitude! Our family is in the midst of waiting anxiously  I hope Zhang Kai returns safely. Please pay urgent attention!
MASON CITY  It was a year of "to be or not to be" in North Iowa economic development in 2016.

In Clear Lake, McKesson opened its pharmaceutical warehouse and distribution center in May, employing 120 with plans to hire 220 more workers.

In Mason City, the year began with the opening of the Sears Hometown Store in January featuring major brand name appliances.

In the spring, the Kinseth Hospitality Group opened a new Hampton Inn & Suites on the city's west side. The site has a history of hotels, having housed a Holiday Inn, Madonna Inn and Clarion Inn over the past 50 years.

A Caribou Coffee shop is also on the site, and Z'Mariks Noodle Cafe recently announced it is going to locate a restaurant there.

Good Shepherd Health Care Center is building a new condominium complex on its campus in the downtown area that will be ready for occupancy in 2017.

On the western edge of Mason City, Prairie Ridge Treatment Centers is undergoing a major expansion, also expected to be completed next year.

In March, the city unveiled plans to have a Prestage Foods pork processing plant in southwest Mason City, but after much debate and public opposition the City Council voted 3-3 on accepting a development agreement with Prestage, which meant it was defeated.

The city is now working on fitting the pieces together for a $36.2 million River City Renaissance plan that will include a downtown hotel, parking ramp, mixed-use building, music pavilion and ice arena/multipurpose center.

Mason City has been pre-approved for $7.1 million in funding through the Iowa Reinvestment Act to help fund the overall project. While awaiting final approval, the city upped its request to $10 million when more funds became available.

The plans have stalled because the hotel developer, Philip Chodur of San Diego, failed to meet deadlines to start construction on the hotel, parking ramp and mixed-use building because he was unable to come up with financing.

The city is looking at other options for those plans. The hotel is critical because the state requires $10 million in private investment in order to secure Reinvestment Act funds. The hotel fulfills the $10 million requirement.

Meanwhile, a public hearing is planned for Jan. 3 on lease arrangements for the ice arena.

Retail development was enhanced when T.J. Maxx opened a new store in Mason City in August.

In addition to the new noodle restaurant, a new Panda Express Chinese restaurant is under construction and is expected to be open for business in the spring. Pasta Bella is moving further west and expanding.

Fat Hill Brewing opened in downtown Mason City in December and Lake Time Brewery in Clear Lake has announced plans to move and expand.

One casualty in the restaurant business was the closing of the Whiskey Creek franchise in August.
MASON CITY | A man charged in a double homicide and attempted murder case in Mason City has requested a new trial location.

Peter Veal, 30, Lake Mills, who is scheduled for trial Jan. 24 in Cerro Gordo County District Court, should have a change of venue due to "negative and extensive publicity" surrounding the case, according to a motion filed by his attorneys, Steven Kloberdanz and Nellie O'Mara.

Police: Witness in Mason City double homicide called 911 MASON CITY  A man considered a witness to a double homicide in Mason City earlier this mont

In his response to the motion, Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen stated sheer volume of media coverage is not enough to warrant a change of venue. He also stated none of the statements made are alleged to be inaccurate or inflammatory.

A hearing on Veal's motion is scheduled for Jan. 4.

Veal is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Police say Veal killed Mason City residents Mindy Kavars and Caleb Christensen, and also tried to kill a witness on Nov. 17 at Christensen's home, 1620 N. Hampshire Ave.

The witness, who allegedly had minor injuries that did not require hospitalization, is not being identified by the police.

 Mary Pieper
TITONKA | A benefit account has been set up for a Titonka family whose home was destroyed by a fire on Tuesday.

Daniel William Planz, 59, died in a fire that broke out about 7:30 p.m. in his family's home at 147 Second Ave. N.W.

His parents, John and Elsie Planz, and another relative were able to escape.

The fire is still under investigation.

An account for the family has been set up at Titonka Savings Bank.

Contributions marked "Planz Family Benefit" can be mailed to the bank at PO Box 309, Titonka, Iowa, 50480. Donations also can be dropped off in person in Titonka or at the bank's other branches: 101 Highway 69 North in Forest City and 11723 Highway 9 in Thompson.

Check back at www.globegazette.com for more on this developing story.

Update: Investigators comb debris of fatal Titonka fire

2:15 p.m. Update

TITONKA | State investigators were in Titonka on Wednesday trying to determine what caused a deadly house fire.

Daniel William Planz, 59, died in the fire that broke out about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at 147 Second Ave. N.W.

The home is owned by Daniel's parents, retired minister John Planz and his wife, Elsie Planz.

Titonka Fire Chief David Trunkhill said firefighters helped John, Elsie and another relative, who were all older, from the home.

Officials were still investigating why Daniel was unable to get out of the home.

His body will undergo an autopsy at the Iowa Medical Examiner's Office in Ankeny.

Investigators with the State Fire Marshal's Office were sorting through the fire debris Wednesday morning. Titonka firefighters were also on scene.

The first task was to determine what caused the fire.

The house was completely destroyed.

Update: Boy, 3, identified as victim in Mason City fire MASON CITY | Firefighters on Monday released the name of a 3-year-old boy killed in a house 

In addition to the fire damage, crews used heavy equipment to pull apart the wreckage to allow firefighters to get to stubborn hot spots, said Kossuth County Sheriff Steve Kollasch.

Neighbors said the fire burned for hours.

The bulk of the home was reduced to an approximately 12-foot-tall pile of broken boards and household items. A mattress, portions of the chimney, furniture and other items were scattered on the snow.

The back corner of the home was the only portion of the house left standing. A breezeway and sheds connecting the garage to the home also were damaged by fire, although the garage remained intact.

Two firefighters had minor injuries from slipping or falling at the icy scene.

The city of Titonka is about 22 miles west of Forest City.

It has approximately 470 residents.

Check back at www.globegazette.com for more on this developing story.

Man dies in Titonka fire

10 a.m. Update

TITONKA | A Titonka man died in a house fire Tuesday evening.

The fire at 147 Second Ave. N.W. claimed the life of Daniel William Planz, 59. It was reported at 7:34 p.m.

Two firefighters were transported to Kossuth Regional Health Center for treatment, according to the Kossuth County Sheriff's Office.

The house was occupied by four people. It is owned by John and Elsie Planz, according to county assessor's records.

The fire is under investigation.

Update: Boy, 3, identified as victim in Mason City fire MASON CITY | Firefighters on Monday released the name of a 3-year-old boy killed in a house 

The Titonka Fire Department, Burt Fire Department, Titonka EMS, Algona EMS, Kossuth County Sheriff's Office, Hancock County Sheriff's Office, West Hancock Ambulance Service, Kossuth EMA, Kossuth County Medical Examiner, Kossuth County Secondary Roads, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, State Fire Marshal's Office and the American Red Cross responded.

The Algona Police Department assisted with the investigation.

Check back at www.globegazette.com for more on this developing story.
Eight men have held the office of president since I was born. The first resigned. The sixth survived impeachment. The seventh led us into unjust wars. The eighth, while not perfect, is about to leave office. Overall, were better off now.

President Barack Obama took office while the country was suffering an economic meltdown.

Time Magazine said, Obama inherited the wreckage of what proved to be the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s. The economy contracted by more than 8 percent. Unemployment doubled, from 5 percent to 10 percent  a net loss of some 8 million jobs. Average housing prices dropped by 30 percent. The cumulative wealth of Americans fell by nearly a quarter: a loss on paper of some $15 trillion. As the Great Recession echoed around the world, Europes economy went into reverse. Nations from Greece to Iceland flirted with default on their sovereign debts, while emerging markets from Rio to New Delhi and Moscow to Beijing began to sputter and stall.

According to The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era, by Michael Grunwald, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was more than 50 percent bigger than the entire New Deal, twice as big as the Louisiana Purchase and the Marshall Plans combined.

Grunwald also said the education reform bill was the biggest since the Great Society and the biggest foray into industrial policy since FDR, biggest expansion of antipoverty initiatives since Lyndon Johnson, biggest middle-class tax cut since Ronald Reagan, biggest infusion of research money ever.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 allowed 32.7 million people to obtain health care, according to Obamacarefacts.com. I wish it did more, but knowing people with preexisting conditions cannot be turned away, pregnant women can obtain neonatal care and coal miners with black lung disease or their widows are covered is more than worth a premium increase. We are the only western country that doesnt provide universal health care to its citizens. We should be ashamed of that fact. The act isnt perfect, but it is a good start.

Despite opposition, President Obama worked to make Americans and industries care about climate change. He was at the Paris COP21 climate talks where delegates from 196 countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Americas emissions are down 12 percent. Steeper drops are expected.

He has opened relations with Cuba. Both countries will be better off in the long run with normalized relations.

President Obama pushed to get dont ask, dont tell repealed. He was there when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.

The Iran nuclear deal with France, Germany, the U.K., China and Russia prevents Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. More than a year later, Iran is complying with its obligations. Its nuclear facilities are open to international inspectors and 98 percent of its low-enriched uranium has been shipped out, an NPR report said.

On Dec. 16, President Obama signed the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act into law. It amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to state in the congressional findings that the freedom of thought and religion is understood to protect theistic and non-theistic beliefs as well as the right not to profess or practice any religion.

But not everything was positive.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was lauded by many and was once on the fast track of congressional approval. It was designed in secret and had several flaws, including issues with copyright. Its dead now.

Journalists and whistleblowers continue to be threatened or have their lives ruined for doing the right thing.

Under the Obama administration, more federal employees faced accusations of espionage based on their public interest whistleblowing activities than during the entire preceding history of the U.S. put together, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said.

Those at the top are far more lucky. David Petraeus, Leon Panetta and Michael Vickers were allowed to lie to and cheat the American public and remain unscathed. Until Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has proper congressional oversight, this will never change.

Barack Obama still did more in his eight years as president than most Presidents before him. Many Americans believe he did nothing. Yet, he never wavered, never gave up. He served with dignity and gave us hope of a better world. He tried to bring all of us together, no matter where we are from.

We have to learn to see ourselves in one another. We have to see that we are connected, our fates are bound together. Because, in the end, were all part of one tribe  the human tribe. And no matter who we are, or where we come from, or what we look like, or who we love, or what God we worship, were connected. Our fates are bound up with one another, said President Obama to the Kenyan people during an official visit.
LINCOLN  A new push could be made in January to end the use of secret ballots when deciding leadership positions in the Legislature. At least one state senator isnt ruling out bringing it up on the first day of the session.

Supporters of the proposal say it would improve the Legislatures level of transparency. Continuing the use of secret ballots, they say, promotes distrust between senators and their constituents and allows for vote and influence trading.

Others argue secret ballots fit with the institutions nonpartisan tradition by minimizing the influence of political parties when electing legislative leaders. And they say voting for the legislative speaker and committee chairs in the open could harm working relationships among the 49 senators.

Many say the issue is unlikely to be brought up Jan. 4, the first day of the 90-day legislative session, though State Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell said hes considering it.

All options are on the table. Exactly what may happen, whether in the form of an official action, has yet to be foretold, he said. Certainly the issue is going to be on the minds of senators.

Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, a staunch opponent of past attempts to change the practice, brought up secret ballots in one of his Kintner-grams issued last month.

For months Chambers has used the letters featuring rhymes and drawings to take aim at Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion over his use of a state computer to engage in cybersex.

Chambers has questioned Kintners call for transparency in leadership votes when he was silent about the cybersex scandal until a year after the incident.

Hes also threatened to read, on the floor of the Legislature, the investigative transcript of Kintners incident, should Kintner not resign. Kintner reported the incident to the Nebraska State Patrol after the woman tried to extort money from him.

Chambers now wont say what he might do. In his latest lengthy poem, which he noted will be his only pre-session comments on secret ballots, Chambers ended with:

If the senators at the start

Tear their Legislature apart....

For, to tell the truth, Ive had it;

Let them stupidly go at it.

State Sen. Bob Krist, who supports maintaining secret ballots, said that if senators want to talk about the issue on day one they should be prepared to deal with Chambers.

If you want to preserve that family day, that traditional day, dont get off course, he said. Theres 89 other days we can talk about that.

Unlike on other days, family members and friends of senators are allowed to join them on the floor of the Legislature as senators elected or re-elected in November are sworn in.

Krist, a Republican in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, was the target of a censure effort in 2015 by the Douglas County Republican Party for not voting to end secret ballots for leadership elections.

The Republican Party has long pushed for public leadership votes and has called on party members to support only Republicans running for leadership positions.

Because elections are done by secret ballot the party cannot identify which lawmakers voted for Democrats or independents. Some Republicans also believe the policy helps Democrats win leadership roles.

The Legislatures leadership is important because those senators set the tone and priorities and often lead the discussions of bills on the floor.

Elections for the positions are held on the first day of the session.

If a change to the process isnt made at the start of the session, leadership for the next two years will be determined by secret ballot.

Kuehn said that public votes are essential to the integrity of the Legislature and that the body needs open and honest dialogue about how it manages the legislative branch of government.

Those discussions should not be tempered because any senator wants to make threats or tries to disparage the integrity, he said.

Gov. Pete Ricketts did not take a position on the matter when his office was contacted last week.

His spokesman, Taylor Gage, said: The governor does not weigh in on legislative leadership elections or the rules governing elections and debate in the Unicameral.

The Legislature has voted for its leadership by secret ballot since the early 1970s, when it began meeting annually instead of every other year, said Clerk of the Legislature Patrick ODonnell.

Before that a small group, including the lieutenant governor and speaker, made decisions in private.

The Legislature operates under temporary rules on the first day of the session. To attempt to open up the leadership ballots, a senator would have to file a motion to amend the temporary rules. Debate would then begin  without rules.

ODonnell said such a maneuver would be unprecedented.

Wed kind of be making stuff up as we went, he said. Its never happened before.

The Legislature and other public bodies are allowed under state law to elect their leadership by secret ballot and record the total number of votes for each candidate. But local governmental boards, all of which are significantly smaller than the Legislature, approach the issue differently.

The Douglas and Sarpy County Boards both vote for the chair and vice chair openly, while the Omaha City Council and Omaha Public Schools board select their leaders by secret ballot.

The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District board has the option to use a secret ballot if the position is contested, said General Manager John Winkler. If not, the board can vote by roll call, though typically a secret ballot is used.

None of those local governments has seen a push to change the practice.

Douglas County Board Chair Mary Ann Borgeson said the board voted by ballot for several years after she took office in 1995, but has since switched to a roll call vote. The result isnt always unanimous but hasnt resulted in problems, she said.

Kintner, who has unsuccessfully led efforts the past two years to end secret ballots, said he suspects the proposal is gaining supporters, noting that a handful of incoming senators indicated their backing while running for office.

At least five incoming senators  Mike Hilgers and Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, John Lowe of Kearney, Steve Erdman of Bayard and Tom Brewer of Gordon  signed a pledge to support open votes for speaker and committee leadership, said Matt Innis of Concerned Conservatives, the group behind the pledge.

Another conservative group, the Nebraska Chapter of Americans for Prosperity, has launched an online petition to make leadership votes public. Matt Litt, the groups state director, declined to say how many signatures the petition has, saying signatures were still being collected.

Innis said he expects the matter to come up on day one so the record shows whos for transparency and who isnt.

He said his group will be watching and intends to expose people that are not transparent. It also plans to ask future candidates to sign a similar pledge for open ballots to help ensure they are accountable to people in their districts.

Erdman said its not a top priority for him. Hes focused on cutting spending and promoting property tax relief.

However, he said, every vote he took in his 12 years on the Morrill County Board was public, including those for leadership. While serving as board chairman he didnt always receive unanimous support for the post.

It had no bearing going forward, working together and accomplishing the purpose, Erdman said. Not at all.

The two candidates to replace outgoing Kearney Sen. Galen Hadley as speaker of the Legislature are both Republicans, but they have different views on secret ballots.

Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk said he supports ending secret ballots, though he understands how others view that as an invitation for partisanship.

My opinion has always been that if I tell you Im going to vote for you, I will, he said. If its open or closed, it doesnt really make any difference to me.

Gothenburg Sen. Matt Williams said he strongly supports maintaining secret ballots because he believes they represent the nonpartisan nature of the Legislature that George Norris, the architect of the unique system, intended.

Maintaining the Legislatures nonpartisan nature is more important than any small loss of transparency from casting ballots secretly, he said.

Williams said there could be more support for opening the ballots in the upcoming session, though he doubts there will be enough to cause a change in the rules.

Williams said he thinks the real goal behind open ballots is control of the body by outside forces, primarily the political parties.

The more political we make this thing, the less we will be able to do what is right, he said.
Strands of white Christmas lights wound their way up a wooden banister along the front steps to a small home on Cool Springs Road on Tuesday afternoon. They led to a small porch with an empty, cracked dog house and a door decorated with red and white yarn squares that spelled out NOEL.

The inside appeared silent and dark.

There was no sign the home in this otherwise quiet, friendly neighborhood was the scene of a deadly crime over the holiday weekend.

Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell said the homeowner, Robin Denman, 46, was killed in the house by an old acquaintance named Gary Stephen Love. Denman, a mother of three, allowed Love to stay at her home and sleep on her couch for the last three months, according to Campbell.

A teenaged family member who lived in the home with Denman told deputies she had been tied up since Christmas Eve and assaulted by Love. On Monday, she managed to text a friend asking them to call 911, and law enforcement stopped at the house a short time later.

Love answered the door and said Denman and the teen were at a funeral, then ran out the back door. He was quickly captured.

When deputies first pulled up to the home, the teen escaped the home but quickly returned when she realized law enforcement had arrived.

Denmans body was found in a back room.

There was evidence both victims had suffered from violent sexual assaults, said Campbell, who described the crimes as "demonic."

Love, 47, of Ohio, has been charged with murder and is being held without bond. Additional charges of kidnapping and sexual offense are expected, Campbell said.

A VERY DEAR FRIEND

News of Denmans death sent shockwaves through the Iredell community Tuesday as friends and coworkers struggled to come to terms with the loss.

She (was) funny and very loving and cared for everyone she worked with. We all are having a hard time with this, said Tracy Daniels, who worked with Denman at Mueller Systems in Cleveland. She was a very dear friend.

Samantha Foxfawn Comer said she worked with Denman as a temporary employee last year. When she was laid off because of limited production needs, she said Denman hugged her and stayed in touch for a month to make sure she found a new job.

She was one of the hardest workers, male or female, I'd ever met, Comer recalled. She was kind. She was compassionate. She looked out for everyone, at work and at home.

Im in complete shock about all of this, she added.

Damon Jeffords, who attended high school with Denman in Scottsville, New York, said the former classmates are still very close and are devastated by her death.

She absolutely had a heart of gold and will be missed by all her friends and family back here, Jeffords wrote in an email. I will never forget her smile or her infectious laugh. She was always fun to be around and talk with.

Jeffords called Denman an angel who now has her wings.

NEIGHBORS IN DISBELIEF

Its shocking. Nothing like that ever happens here, said John Bell, who lives around the corner from Denman.

He said the news is all the more reason to stay locked and loaded at all times.

Angela Chambers, who lives in a home behind Denmans, said her late daughter Destiny would often play with the teenage family member. All the kids and teenagers in the close-knit and quiet neighborhood often got together outside and played, she said.

She said Love never seemed suspicious.

I knew he was there and I met him one time, Chambers said. At the time I didnt think anything of it.

Chambers said learning that her daughter had been around an accused murderer terrified her.

Brittney Brown, who lives two houses down from Denman, said she knew the family to be nice and playful. Denman and her Chihuahua would often run around outside.

"She was so nice, Brown said. Its crazy that it happened on Christmas.

Kids in the neighborhood said they texted the teenage family member to ask if she could come out to play, but hadnt heard from her or seen her since Christmas Eve, which they said was extremely unusual.

HE WAS A CREEP

A teenager in the neighborhood, who said he was friends with the teenage family member and was at the house often, described Love as "a creep."

I say hes odd, the teen said. He was very lazy. He didnt do anything but lay on the couch every day.

He added that Love often touched the teenage girl in inappropriate ways, like putting a hand on her leg or trying to cuddle with her. He also said that on Thanksgiving, Love got drunk and made sexually suggestive comments about both teenagers.

The father of the teen friend said he told his son to stay away from Love, but regrets not reporting the incident to law enforcement.

He said he last heard from the family on Christmas Eve. The teen messaged him Good morning, he said, but later in the day a series of odd messages were sent saying that she and Denman would be out shopping all day and she couldnt hang out that night.

The teen said he believes Love sent those messages so friends wouldnt be suspicious.

PLEADING FOR HELP

When another teenage friend received a text early Monday morning, she immediately knew something was wrong.

Call 911 me and (Denman) need help FAST!! the text read, giving the homes address.

It is unknown how the girl got her cellphone to ask her friend for help. But when the friend saw the text at 7:30 a.m., about two hours after it was sent, she said she showed it to her grandmother, who called Statesville Police. The grandmother was told to call 911.

Within minutes, deputies arrived at the house, and Love was arrested.

The friend said she was worried when texts to the family went unanswered for several days.

She did not text really anyone since Saturday night and there were no texts on Christmas and I even texted (Denman) and didn't get a response from her, the teen said. She normally texts or Snapchats me and her other best friend every day, and neither of us got anything from her.

The teen said she was devastated by Denmans death.

She was such a sweet lady; she loved me like I was her own child and I never expected this to happen to her, she said. Robin always was a happy lady and was nice enough to give Gary a place to stay  I never expected him to do what he did. ... She was literally the best and I loved her so much.

The teenage victim is currently staying with other family, according to friends. Campbell said she was treated at a hospital, but has since been released.

Loves first court date is Jan. 3.
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
MASON CITY | A 15-year-old Mason City girl is missing, police say.

The Mason City Police Department took a missing person report Wednesday on Angel Marie Herman.

Mason City Police Lt. Rich Jensen said the initial information they had indicated she was last seen on Dec. 21, but police later learned she was last seen on Christmas Day.

Family members believe she may have left the area with a male she met online, but say it is uncharacteristic of her not to be in touch with them on a daily basis, according to Jensen.

He said the male is from outside the state.

Police are looking at social media and following up with people who know Herman as part of their investigation, according to Jensen.

Herman is described as white, 5 feet, 3 inches and weighing 130 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information on her is asked to contact the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636 or their local law enforcement agency.

 Mary Pieper
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Whittemore, with the Rev. Edward Girres officiating. Burial will be in St. Michaels Catholic Cemetery with military honors provided by Seely-Walsh American Legion Post #425. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, with a vigil service at 7 p.m. at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Whittemore.
CHICAGO  A nearly 150-year rural tradition ends this week with the closing of the Peoria Stockyards.

Industry changes and fewer hog sales prompted the decision to shutter the stockyard.

The last load of hogs was sold on Dec. 23 and no more animals are being accepted for sale, office manager Carol Clayton said Wednesday. Farmers in the region will need to sell their pigs directly to local pork packers or head to smaller sale barns in the area.

Peoria was the last of the major hog auction terminals that dominated the Midwestern landscape in the 1950s, said Ron Plain, a University of Missouri livestock economist.

Losing these markets make it tougher on smaller producers who use markets like Peoria because they never sell very many hogs at a time and its costly hauling them to packing plants, said, Plain said.

Over the decades, the number of U.S. hog farms has consolidated, leaving fewer  but larger  producers of the countrys pigs. An increasing number of swine, too, are being sold directly to mega packers, such as Smithfield Foods, which is owned by Chinas WH Group Ltd.

That shift in production and processing also contributed to the auction houses demise, Clayton said.

When Clayton, 72, arrived for work 26 years ago, farmers flocked to the Midwestern auction barn, which sold as many as 2,000 pigs per day.

Now, the auction house sells 100 to 200 pigs on a good day, she said.

Its sad that its closing, but its time to close after our owner, Ron Jenkins, passed away in June, Clayton said.
IOWA FALLS  Mark Steven Messa, 56, of Iowa Falls, died Friday, Dec. 23, 2016, at Scenic Manor.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, at the First United Methodist Church in Iowa Falls.

Burial will be at the Union Cemetery, Iowa Falls.

Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the Iowa Falls Fire Department with an Elks memorial service at 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be directed to the Iowa Falls Fire Department.

Woodley Funeral Home, LLC, of Iowa Falls is assisting the family.
A divided federal appeals court has ruled that the Securities and Exchange Commissions in-house administrative judges are not constitutionally appointed, raising the prospect that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to address the issue.

The ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver in the case of Colorado businessman David Bandimere marked a major setback for the SEC amid attacks by defendants who question the fairness of its administrative court system.

The holding on Tuesday marked a departure from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which in August upheld the SECs use of in-house judges. The Supreme Court often reviews matters where circuit courts are split.

David Zisser, Bandimeres attorney, said Wednesday that he was delighted by the ruling. The SEC said it was reviewing the decision.

Administrative law judges are independent from the agencies where they work. Their employing agency can seek their removal, but the Merit Systems Protection Board must review such a move.

After the 2010 Dodd-Frank laws passage, the SEC relied increasingly on its own judges to oversee cases. Critics call the fast-tracked in-house court unfair to defendants, some of whom have challenged the system in court.

In Bandimeres case, the SEC accused him of acting as an unregistered broker from 2006 to 2010 in making sales of securities in two entities that enabled Ponzi schemes. He denied wrongdoing.

Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot found Bandimere in 2013 liable for violating securities laws, barred him from associating with any broker, dealer or investment adviser and ordered him to pay nearly $1.03 million.

But in Tuesdays ruling, U.S. Circuit Judge Scott Matheson said Elliot and the SECs other four in-house judges held their offices in violation of the U.S. Constitutions appointments clause.

Writing for the 2-1 majority, Matheson said the SECs in-house judges were not employees but inferior officers who had not as required been appointed by the president, a court or a department head.
Current safety standards to protect welders from harmful fumes may be inadequate, a new study by Washington University researchers finds.

The study, published Wednesday in the medical journal Neurology, examined the long-term effects of airborne manganese on welders and found that symptoms associated with parkinsonism  a neurological condition that causes tremors, muscle stiffness and other movement abnormalities  increased over time.

Essentially, the more exposure you had the greater the progression of the parkinsonism. Even at the lower levels of exposure we saw progression  just not as much, said Dr. Brad A. Racette, senior author of the study and a neurologist with Washington University School of Medicine.

Manganese is present in the materials used in welding, which binds two or more metal pieces together by using heat. That base metal and the welding rod contain manganese, and when it becomes airborne and inhaled it can affect the part of the brain that controls movement  the same part that is affected in Parkinsons disease, Racette said.

High levels of manganese can cause similar neurological problems present in Parkinsons disease such as slowness, tremors and difficulty walking and speaking.

The study examined 886 welders at three work sites in the Midwest  two shipyards and one heavy-machinery fabrication shop. None of the work sites were situated in St. Louis, Racette said.

Each participant had at least two clinical evaluations of their motor function and were tracked for up to 10 years.

The two tests were at least a year apart and looked for muscle stiffness and slow movement, among other symptoms.

The test used to measure the symptoms is called Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale.

Scoring a six or lower is normal while 15 or higher is considered to indicate parkinsonism, according to Racettes study.

The average score for the 886 workers first evaluation was 8.8. Fifteen percent, or 133 welders, fell into the parkinsonism category.

The welders scores increased over time. And the welders who were exposed to higher levels of manganese experienced greater changes in their scores.

However, Racette said a limitation of the study was that they were never able to measure the air quality of the welders work environments.

While thats not ideal, were looking at long-term health effects from chronic exposure, Racette said. Our study cant answer what safe is, but what we can say is the current government limits are far too high for worker safety.

The study did conduct the same tests on workers at the same sites who were not directly exposed to welding fumes. Their scores did not change over time, indicating to Racette that age was not a factor.

Whats concerning, Racette said, is that the study suggests that welders with worsening neurological symptoms were exposed to airborne manganese at levels below the maximum threshold allowed by federal regulators.

There were 7,660 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers in Missouri as of May 2015 and 386,240 nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency responsible for workplace safety, acknowledged its current thresholds fail to protect welders.

OSHA has long recognized that our current Permissible Exposure Limit is outdated and inadequately protective, and we strongly recommend that employers ensure that workplace manganese exposure levels are well-below OSHAs standard, Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health, said in an email statement provided by the agency.

Garrett Brown, a retired industrial hygienist who worked for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health for 20 years, said the Washington University findings could bolster the case for updating safety guidelines.

In toxicology, there is very rarely a bright red line of what is a safe exposure, Brown said. Its very important for studies like this to add to the body of knowledge on what adverse health effects occur and at what limits.

But while the current exposure limits are way out of date, Brown said the current anti-regulatory political climate may make it unbelievably difficult to change these [standards] no matter how good the science is.

Rick Bretl, 61, of Menominee, Mich., who participated in the study for nearly a decade, worked as a welder since he was a teenager. He was employed at a shipyard for 20 years until he had to retire after an accident.

He received training on welding while in the service, and it was there that he learned about the dangers of welding fumes. From that point on, early in his career, he always wore a mask and later one with a respirator or ventilation system.

But not every welder was taught about the dangers, and not every welder wore a mask.

Sometimes youre in a big open area and theyll last a week, Bretl said of the respirators. But some days you go in to a place the size of a closet and youre welding in there and you may have to change that at lunch time. Thats how much stuff youre breathing in.

Bretl said he hasnt experienced any of the hallmark signs of Parkinsons disease. But because of an accident while welding, he cant do any physical activity and was forced to retire last year.
JEFFERSON CITY  Gov.-elect Eric Greitens has named a fifth-generation Missouri farmer, Chris Chinn, as his pick to lead the state Department of Agriculture.

Describing her as a political outsider  the same phrase he's used to describe himself  Greitens said in a statement Tuesday that Chinn has nonetheless been a vocal supporter of Missouri farmers.

"Chris is a fighter who cares deeply about our farmers because she is one," Greitens said of Chinn, who raises hogs, cattle, corn, soybeans and hay on her farm with her family in Clarence, Mo.

He also argued that the importance of agriculture often goes unrecognized, despite the state's dependence on the industry for jobs and affordable food.

"Activists and bureaucrats have attacked our farmers and ranchers," Greitens said. "They've come after our family farms with crippling regulations (from Washington and Jeff City), reckless lawsuits, and political threats."

Chinn will take the helm from Richard Fordyce, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. Fordyce was among agriculture officials and groups who endorsed Greitens' opponent in the race for governor, Attorney General Chris Koster.

In 2013, Chinn was named a winner of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance's Faces of Farming & Ranching program, chosen from more than 100 applicants.

The program identifies farmers and ranchers who can share their stories and answer questions about food production.

In a video for the program, Chinn discussed the importance of family farms to that state's future, as well as the daily grind and challenges farmers face.

"To be a farmer, its not just about coming out and throwing feed out to the animals. There's a lot of science involved today," she said.

"We want to make sure this natural resource is here for the next generation," she added.

Greitens praised Chinn for giving speeches throughout the country defending farm families. She also blogs about her experiences on her own farm.

Greitens will become Missouri's new chief executive on Jan. 9.
Top elected officials in Montana are condemning plans for an "armed march" through Whitefish as an anti-Semitic attack on religious freedom.

Police are aware of the call for the march.

The statement by officials on Tuesday said "any demonstration or threat of intimidation against any Montanans religious liberty will not be tolerated. It takes all Montanans working together to eradicate religious intolerance."

The statement follows reports of the plans for the march aimed at Jewish residents and business in Whitefish. It was signed by U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, Gov. Steve Bullock, and Attorney General Tim Fox.

Andrew Anglin, who runs a white supremacist website called "The Daily Stormer," posted last week that it planned an armed protest and the state's liberal gun laws will easily let marchers carry high-powered rifles.

He said the march is planned "against Jews, Jewish business and everyone who supports either." It also claimed they would bring in skinheads from California for the march, which will be held the second week of January.

Richard Spencer, who runs the alt-right Washington D.C. thinktank National Policy Institute, is originally from Whitefish and his mother still lives there. Earlier this month, she said she has been harassed for her sons views and been pressured to move as Spencer has become more of a public figure.

Since then, Daily Stormer -- which is not affiliated with Spencer or NPI -- has offered to demonstrate on his behalf.
In the Globe Gazette newsroom, we could almost bet on it like clockwork. When a patriotic holiday was near  Memorial Day, for example  a plain envelope would appear. In it, neatly typed and grammatically perfect, was a column by Steven Allgood.

Allgood, of course, is the longtime Mason City surgeon and director of the Mercy Center for Breast Health who is leaving to join his relatively new wife, Christy, also a doctor, in South Carolina after nearly 25 years at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.

Dr. Allgood leaving Mason City after 25 years MASON CITY  Dr. Steven Allgood, a Mason City surgeon who also serves as medical director of

He will be missed by many for his skills as a fine surgeon, his compassion toward his patients and his groundbreaking leadership in the treatment of breast cancer. Now, he hopes to put his skills to use in South Carolina  and lucky they would be to get him.

Not everyone gets a chance to have a restart, he told Globe Gazette reporter Mary Pieper in a story in Tuesdays Globe Gazette.

While he was speaking about himself, Allgood could have been speaking about the many women he treated for breast cancer, giving them new hope and, indeed, new lives, and doing it with the compassion that only someone who has experienced the ravages of the disease close-up could do. Thats Allgood, both as a doctor and as a husband, who lost his wife, Kim, to the disease in 2012 after a 13-year battle. She was just 38 when diagnosed.

Allgood watched her go through the many bouts of chemotherapy and said it helped him understand on a more personal level what breast cancer patients and their families must endure.

He helped start the Mercy Center for Breast Health, which includes medical staff of Mason City Clinic and Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa. They share their knowledge, experiences and together form the best course of treatments for breast cancer patients. A big part of it, of course, is focusing on the compassion that goes along with treatment.

An associate and friend calls Allgood one of the most caring, compassionate people she has ever met.

So yes, Allgood will be missed professionally and personally by many. And we at the Globe will miss his columns. Most often they drew on his experiences in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps where he served nearly 25 years, including on the frontlines of battle. They told stories of war, those who fought them and victims of war from a viewpoint few could experience. Always emotion-packed, they sometimes left us teary-eyed.

North Iowa has been fortunate to know this man who has been all about sharing and giving  sharing his skills as a physician, giving all he could of himself to his wife, family and his patients. And, yes, giving us the privilege of sharing those experiences through his columns.

Allgood: On behalf of a grateful nation It was Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, when a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed in a barren area s

Dr. Allgood, were thankful that you chose our area to live and work in, that you mended so many bodies both physically and mentally  that you and your colleagues were able to give hope to so many. Restarts, if you will. Were sorry to lose you but overjoyed that youre getting that restart of your own.

Theres one more thing: Please do us a favor. Please consider sending your wonderful columns to us whenever you are so inclined. Youll always have a spot on our Opinion page.
Sylvia Morris and Susan Brock at the launch of their new book, The Story of the Shakespeare Club of Stratford-upon-Avon in December. Photo: Mark Williamson (S127/11/16/2063)

ALTHOUGH Stratford-upon-Avons most famous son is commemorated on a regular basis these days, it was not always so.

It was more than 200 years after his death that efforts began in earnest to give William Shakespeare the attention he deserved in the town where he was born and where he died.

There is now an international Shakespeare industry that ranges across literary scholarship, cultural history, tourism and the mass media, which is often referred to as a global brand (to the deep irritation of purists), with this small market town in Warwickshire as its chief focal point.

But Stratford took quite a while to get going in its recognition of Shakespeares unique status in world literature and it was not until 1824 that some local citizens took it upon themselves to form the Shakespeare Club of Stratford-upon-Avon to pay enduring homage to the Bard.

And the club still exists to this day. Two Stratford scholars  Sylvia Morris and Susan Brock  have now written a history of the club and its contribution to celebrating Shakespeare as a great artist whose life was inextricably linked to the place from whence he came.

It is called The Story of the Shakespeare Club of Stratford-upon-Avon, 1824-2016 and contains more than 130 photographs and illustrations.

Sylvia is a former head of the library at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Susan, a former librarian at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford and later the head of library and academic resource development at the Birthplace Trust.

Both are longstanding members of the Shakespeare Club and sit on its committee.

While the club paved the way for the regular celebrations of Shakespeare that we know today  such as the events to mark his birth (and death) on 23rd April  it was the great actor, David Garrick, who first launched a festival in memory of the playwright on Stratford soil. But that was in 1769, and it took another 55 years before the Shakespeare Club came into being.

The club was responsible for organising the first local festivities for Shakespeares birthday on 23rd April in 1827, 1830 and 1833. It played an important part in saving his birthplace for the nation and setting up the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

It also worked towards the preservation of the Shakespeare monuments and the graves in Holy Trinity Church, and played a huge part in setting up the theatres in Stratford so that Shakespeares plays have a permanent home for their performance outside London.

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month, between October and May, at the Shakespeare Institute, Church Street. To buy a copy of the book, priced at 12.99, see www.stratfordshakespeareclub.org

For more from the book's authors, pick up a copy of January's Focus magazine  FREE inside the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald of Thursday, 5th January, 2016.
Terreno Realty Corporation (NYSE: TRNO) announced today that it has executed a full building lease for 90,000 square feet in Corona, California with an industrial importer, manufacturer and distributor. The lease commences December 2016 and expires April 30, 2024.

Terreno Realty Corporation announced further that it has executed a full building lease for 73,000 square feet in Torrance, California with a designer, developer and manufacturer for the automotive industry. The lease commences December 31, 2016 and expires December 31, 2021. The property was acquired in July 2011 and recently vacated by a tenant that relocated to Terreno Realty Corporations redevelopment in Carson, California. The property contains paved excess yard which is vacant and will be marketed for lease separately from the building.

Terreno Realty Corporation acquires, owns and operates industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets: Los Angeles; Northern New Jersey/New York City; San Francisco Bay Area; Seattle; Miami; and Washington, D.C./Baltimore.

Additional information about Terreno Realty Corporation is available on the companys web site at www.terreno.com.
Kansas City, KS (PRWEB) December 28, 2016

Stratus Building Solutions, an international janitorial services franchise company is searching for new franchisees to develop Kansas in the New Year. With regional franchise offices located in Lenexa, KS, Lawrence, KS and Wichita, KS, the company is looking to expand their footprint statewide.

With the recent election and appointment of an International Franchise Association board member to the cabinet, optimism in the franchise community abounds. Stratus offers a unique franchising opportunity to Kansan entrepreneurs to operate a franchise with locally based support out of their three offices. Co-Owners of the regional master franchise Channen Smith and Gator Greenwill, along with their COO Joe Gallegos and Region Director Ryan Robertson have already helped the local franchisees succeed in the region but with an entire state to cover, there is still plenty of territory and opportunities still available.

In 2016, Stratus Building Solutions ranked #7 Fastest Growing Franchise by Entrepreneur magazine and is looking to continue that growth into the New Year.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/12/prweb13947936.htm
SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Dec. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rangeford Resources, Inc. (the Company) (OTCQB: RGFR) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Cherryvale Kansas, LLC, executed a purchase and sale agreement on December 26, 2016 (Agreement) with Dog Day, Inc., a Texas Corporation (DDI), headquartered in Nacogdoches, Texas for the acquisition of certain oil and gas leases covering approximately 800 gross acres of land located in Labette County, Kansas that includes DDIs interest in approximately 53 wells that are either currently producing, permitted, proposed, and/or shut-in. The financial structure is favorable to Rangeford Resources, Inc. as the seller note is solely from oil production and is non-recourse to Rangeford Resources, Inc.

Thomas Lindholm, Chief Executive Officer, stated, Im proud of our management team and strategic partners who made this possible. The Cherryvale acquisition adds an oil and gas asset with considerable upside in reserves and future cash flow without significant dilution to our shareholders or debt recourse to Rangeford Resources, Inc. We believe applying today's technology of shallow horizontal drilling and nanotechnology enhanced water flooding can enhance the ultimate oil recovery in under-exploited fields. We expect to make additional acquisitions to take advantage of the opportunities in todays oil and gas market.

The Companys own geological and geophysical analysis estimates ultimate recovery of up to two million barrels upon completion of a development plan. The stacked pay zones offer significant opportunities to produce low risk reserves with a combination of re-completions, drilling new wells and implementing a water flood program.

Management intends to drill horizontal wells in the shallow Dennis Sands not previously produced and drill test wells down to the Mississippi Lime formation. The drilling plan also includes a polymer water flood operation to start oil production from the Bartlesville formation.

For a full description of the transaction, see the Companys current report on Form 8-K dated December 26, 2016.

About Rangeford Resources, Inc.: Rangeford Resources, Inc. is a Texas-based, oil and gas exploration and production company. For further information on the Company, please visit our website www.rangeford-resources.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" (statements which are not historical facts) made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations rather than historical facts and they are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "could," "may," "might," "potential," "predict," "should," "estimate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "envision," "continue," "intend," "target," "contemplate," or "will" and similar words or phrases or comparable terminology. We have based such forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the time to consummate the proposed development, completion and extraction; the timing and extent of changes in market conditions and prices for natural gas and oil; the timing and extent of the Company's success in discovering, developing, producing and estimating reserves; the economic viability of, and the Company's success in drilling, the Company's ability to fund the acquisition, development, completion and extraction of oil and gas assets and the Company's planned capital investments; the Company's future property acquisition or divestiture activities; increased competition; and any other factors listed in the reports the Company has filed and may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's expectations only as of the date they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise.

Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings, available from our website at www.rangeford-resources.com or by written request to 556 Silicon Drive, Suite 103, Southlake, Texas 76092. These items are also available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Thomas Lindholm, CEO [email protected] 556 Silicon Drive Suite 103 Southlake, TX 76092 (817) 313-5005

Source: Rangeford Resources, Inc.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 28, 2016

Practices from 6 countries took part in the competition to increase bookkeeping efficiency.

Competitors were assessed on a range of metrics which form the basis of an efficient cloud bookkeeping workflow. The six week challenge saw 70 firms from all over the world competing to see who could achieve the biggest increase in their bookkeeping efficiency.

The winners were divided into two leagues: The Cirrus League, for smaller firms, and the Cumulonimbus League for larger practices.

The Cirrus League Global Prize went to My Office Books from Brisbane, Australia, while the Cumulonimbus League Global Winner was Figures UK, from Peterborough in the United Kingdom.

Receipt Bank Co-Founder Alexis Prenn explained the aim of the Challenge, "Cloud accounting software and tools like Receipt Bank allow accountants and bookkeepers to automate large parts of the accounts payable process so they can focus on what actually matters - their clients."

"Making the bookkeeping process 'effortless' is all about freeing up time to offer better client service. Instead of inputting data or chasing clients for items, you can start collaborating with them and be a key part of their success."

Speaking about her win, My Office Books Founder Amanda Hoffman agrees, "We've definitely become more effortless. Clients have been really impressed that as soon as they submit items, they're [published to Xero], and there's nothing sitting in the inbox. That's been a big advantage for us."

Jason Cannon, Founder of Figures UK, confirmed the positive effect the Challenge has had on his firm. "We're a lot more streamlined now and the time we're spending is more on the clients and less on the bookkeeping," Jason explains.

Cloud accounting software such as Xero and Quickbooks Online gives accountants and bookkeepers access to a wide variety of data to track the bookkeeping process. The Effortless Bookkeeping Challenge took this a step further.

Participants could track their efficiency on a customized dashboard, displaying metrics such the number items submitted electronically, the average delay in clients submitting items and the age of unprocessed items sitting in the Receipt Bank inbox.

This allowed them to track their efficiency in real time and take steps to improve it.

For example, over the course of the Challenge, more than 46,000 receipts and invoices were published straight to participants' cloud accounting software without the need for any human intervention. Since the average processing an item manually is 90 seconds, over the course of the challenge this meant a time saving of nearly 2,000 hours.

Data-driven bookkeeping is at the heart of Receipt Bank's mission to help accountants and bookkeepers build profitable, scalable bookkeeping businesses in the cloud.

About Receipt Bank

Receipt Bank provides award-winning bookkeeping automation software for accountants, bookkeepers and small businesses. Over 4,000 accounting and bookkeeping firms around the world already use it to automate data extraction and data entry.

Receipt Bank integrates with leading accounting software such as QuickBooks Online and Xero and has been awarded Xero Add-on of the Year 2012 2015. In 2016 Receipt Bank was Accountex's Meridian Award winner for Best User Interface.

Founded in 2010 by Michael Wood and Alexis Prenn, Receipt Bank now has six offices worldwide. In January 2016, Receipt Bank raised USD$10 million in growth capital from the Kennet Fund.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/12/prweb13947880.htm
NAMUR, Belgium, Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE MKT: VNRX) today announced that it will present at the 9th Annual Biotech Showcase Conference being held from January 9-11, 2017 in San Francisco, CA.

At the Biotech Showcase, Cameron Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer of Volition, will provide an update on Volition's business, clinical, regulatory and operational milestones, as well as the Company's recently announced product launch of its Nu.QTM Colorectal Cancer Screening Triage Test.

Event: 9th Annual Biotech Showcase Conference Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 Time: 8:30 AM Pacific Time Location: Room 8 (Ballroom Level), Hilton San Francisco Union Square Hotel, San Francisco, CA

The presentation will be webcast live and will be available on the Investor Relations page of Volition's website at http://ir.volitionrx.com/. The webcast will remain available for 90 days following the presentation.

About Volition

Volition is a life sciences company focused on developing diagnostic tests for cancer. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid -- an indication that disease is present.

Volition's goal is to make the tests as easy and simple to use, for both patients and doctors, as existing diabetic and cholesterol blood tests. Volition's research and development activities are currently centered in Belgium as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the U.S. and ultimately, worldwide.

For more information about Volition, visit Volition's website (http://www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/volitionrx LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volitionrx Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolitionRx/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VolitionRx

The contents found at Volition's website address, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. The addresses for Volition's website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are included in this document as inactive textual references only.

Media / Investor Contacts

Nucleosomics, NuQ, Nu.QTM and HyperGenomics and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volitionrx-limited-to-present-at-9th-annual-biotech-showcase-conference-300382614.html

SOURCE VolitionRx Ltd.
VANCOUVER, BC and BRAUNSCHWEIG, GERMANY -- (Marketwired) -- 12/28/16 -- Volkswagen Financial Services AG and PayByPhone today announced that the financial services division of Volkswagen Group has acquired PayByPhone, the world's leading parking payment provider. The deal positions Volkswagen Financial Services AG as the clear leader in mobile payments and parking sectors, while providing the foundation for future PayByPhone growth globally and continued innovation.

As consumers look for easy-to-use mobile solutions that fit their increasingly digital lives, the PayByPhone acquisition signals a growing market for mobile-payment solutions. PayByPhone's technology -- the fastest way to pay for parking -- will soon be available for millions more drivers across the globe. In 2016, PayByPhone has already processed more than $250 million in payments and is adding approximately 7,000 users per day to their already substantial base of more than 12.5 million registered users.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for PayByPhone to explore new ways to expand our mobile payments technology into different verticals, markets and use cases. The mobile payment movement has exploded recently, and we look forward to accelerating our consumer parking and payments agenda made possible by this deal," said Kush Parikh, CEO of PayByPhone. "Volkswagen Financial Services AG has been at the forefront of innovation to fit its customers' mobile lives, and we are honored to be a part of its global vision."

The PayByPhone acquisition expands the Volkswagen Financial Services AG footprint in the mobile-payment solutions market, and positions the organization as the central service provider within the Volkswagen Group for the parking business. Volkswagen Financial Services AG has already acquired a 92 percent shareholding in Sunhill Technologies GmbH, the German market leader in mobile-parking solutions across 90 German cities.

"With the acquisition of PayByPhone, we are now the leading provider for the processing and mobile payment of parking. In the future, we will be bundling this know-how in a separate business field around the theme of parking," said Dr. Christian Dahlheim, the management board member responsible for sales and marketing at Volkswagen Financial Services AG.

The acquisition will not affect any of PayByPhone's current operations. In the near future, PayByPhone's existing clients and customers can expect improved support, more services, and greater app functionality as the integration with Volkswagen Financial Services AG continues. The paybyphone app is available on iOS, Android, and all other mobile platforms via its web application and online presence. Drivers in thousands of locations worldwide can download the iOS or Android app here.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ABOUT PAYBYPHONE

PayByPhone is one of the fastest growing mobile payments companies in the world, processing more than $250 million in payments annually. Through the company's mobile web, smartphone and smartwatch applications, PayByPhone helps millions of consumers easily and securely pay for parking without the hassles of waiting in line, having to carry change or risking costly fines. Registration is quick and easy and the app reminds the user when their parking is about to expire, allowing them to top up from anywhere, at any time.

Many of the largest and most complex parking operations in the world use PayByPhone including San Francisco (30,000 spaces), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston (25,000 spaces), Seattle (12,000 spaces), London (40,000 spaces) and Paris (155,000 spaces).

ABOUT VOLKSWAGEN FINANCIAL SERVICES

Volkswagen Financial Services is a business division of the Volkswagen AG group of companies and comprise Volkswagen Financial Services AG along with its associated companies and the financial services companies in the USA, Canada, Argentina and Spain that belong directly or indirectly to Volkswagen AG -- with the exception of the financial services of the Scania and Porsche brands and Porsche Holding Salzburg. The key business fields embrace dealer and customer financing, leasing, the bank and insurance business, fleet management and mobility offers. Volkswagen Financial Services have a total of 15,182 employees worldwide -- including 6,513 alone in Germany. Volkswagen Financial Services reports total assets of around EUR 157.9 billion, an operating result of EUR 1.9 billion and a portfolio of around 16.6 million current contracts (as of: 31.12.2015).

Thomas Nguyen604-764-6949+1 866 787 [email protected]

Source: PayByPhone
A supporter holds an image of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro at a tribute in Malaga, southern Spain, December 4, 2016. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's National Assembly approved a law on Tuesday that bans commemorative statues of Fidel Castro and naming public places after him, in accordance with the wishes of the revolutionary leader, who died last month.

Castro always said he did not want a cult of personality, although critics point out that the cult was everywhere. His words are posted on billboards nationwide and his name is invoked at every public event.

"His fighting spirit will remain in the conscience of all Cuban revolutionaries, today, tomorrow and always," President Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother, told the Assembly, according to excerpts of his speech published by official media.

The best way to pay homage to "El Comandante" - the commander - is to follow his concept of revolution, the president said.

The new law does not ban artists from using Fidel Castro's figure in music, literature, dance, cinema or other visual arts, official media specified. Photos of him hanging in offices, places of study or public institutions also may be kept.

Every since his death, a large photo of a young Castro dressed in military fatigues, with a rifle and pack slung over his back, has hung from a building in Havana's Revolution Square.

Castro, a leading Cold War figure who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and defied U.S. attempts to topple him, died on Nov. 25 at the age of 90, eight years after handing the presidency over to Raul.

Cuba commemorated his death with nine official days of mourning and two mass memorial services.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans also turned out to greet a funeral cortege carrying Castro's ashes 600 miles (1,000 km) east to Santiago, retracing the route that his rebels took when they overthrew the U.S.-backed Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Marc Frank; Editing by Bill Trott and Steve Orlofsky)
Containers are seen at the Mariel port in Artemisa province, Cuba January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa

By Sarah Marsh and Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's economy shrank 0.9 percent this year in tandem with the crisis in key trading partner Venezuela, President Raul Castro told the National Assembly on Tuesday in a closed-door speech, predicting a slightly brighter outlook for 2017.

The figure suggests sharp economic contraction in the second half after the cash-strapped government slashed imports, investment and fuel in response to lower exports and a drop in cheap oil deliveries from Venezuela. It had reported 1 percent growth for the first half.

"Restrictions in cash and in the provision of fuel worsened in the second half," Castro said, according to excerpts published by official media outlet Cubadebate.

"Financial tensions and challenges that might intensify again in certain circumstances will persist, but we hope that gross domestic product (GDP) will grow moderately, by around 2 percent (in 2017)."

Cuba's centrally planned economy has struggled for decades with the U.S. economic embargo and mismanagement at home.

Market-style reforms and, more recently, a detente with the United States that has boosted remittances and the tourism sector, helped the economy grow on average at close to 3 percent each year between 2011 and 2015.

Still, the long slump in global fuel prices is hurting many of Cuba's top trading partners such as Angola, Venezuela and Brazil, and revenue from the sale of professional services to those countries has dropped.

Key ally Venezuela has slashed its provision of cheap oil and the drop in global commodities prices is punishing Cuban exports of nickel, refined oil products and sugar.

Some experts fear that future growth from thawing relations with the United States may also be at risk since Republican Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election.

Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, has vowed to "terminate" President Barack Obama's engagement with Cuba unless Havana gives the United States what he calls a "better deal."

According to published excerpts of his speech, Castro did not comment on the future of Cuban-U.S. relations, except to recall the negative impact of the embargo.

The president, who has promised economic reforms, did say foreign investment is one area that could improve.

Since approving a law to bolster foreign investment more than two years ago, Cuba has approved just $1.3 billion worth of projects. It aims to take in $2 billion annually, making investment an important growth driver.

Castro said it was necessary to "overcome the obsolete mentality, full of prejudices toward foreign investment."

"We are not going toward capitalism, but we cannot be afraid of, or put obstacles in the way of, that which we can do within our laws," he said, adding that investment in the energy sector was key.

A fiscal boost to production and investment should help fuel growth next year, according to the assembly's Economic Commission. The fiscal deficit will rise to 12 percent of GDP.

"If the expansive fiscal policy is well deployed, it could help manage the crisis," said ex-Cuban central bank official Pavel Vidal, now a professor at Universidad Javeriana Cali in Colombia.

"Otherwise it could have disastrous consequences for the country's monetary and financial stability," he said.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Marc Frank; Editing by David Gregorio and Alan Crosby)
Pedestrians walk past a logo of Toshiba Corp outside an electronics retailer in Tokyo, Japan September 14, 2015. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo

By Makiko Yamazaki

TOKYO (Reuters) - A looming writedown at Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp <6502.T> has wiped almost $5 billion off its value in two days and prompted a credit rating downgrade on Wednesday, as the company grapples to plug a potential multi-billion dollar hole.

Toshiba said late on Tuesday that cost overruns at a U.S. nuclear business it bought from Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE: CBI) last year, CB&I Stone & Webster, meant it could face 'several billion dollars' in charges, acknowledging a bruising overpayment.

It did not comment on whether that would wipe out its asset value and tip the company into negative net worth. Executives said it could take until February to pinpoint the exact impact.

Toshiba shares, however, took an immediate hit on Wednesday, falling 20 percent to hit the Tokyo exchange's daily downward limit. That follows a 12 percent drop on Monday after initial warnings from the group.

Investors fretted that a blow to the group's finances could even weaken its competitiveness in its core semiconductor business - specifically investment in 3D NAND, a new advanced type of flash memory - or result in firesales and dilutive share issues.

For the first time in seven years, the value of the group fell below that of tech rival Sharp <6753.T>.

Rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded Toshiba, already in junk territory, to B- from B, with a "negative" outlook. S&P said it expected shareholder equity to "drastically shrink" as a result of the writedown, eroding the group's resilience, while expected higher working capital would burn more cash.

Toshiba's credit default swaps, which measure the cost of insuring Toshiba's debt, jumped by 40 basis points (bps) to 111/136 bps , meaning it would cost $111,000 - $136,000 per year for five years to insure $10 million in bonds.

Thomson Reuters data shows the yield on bonds due 2020 rose 17 bps to 1.76 percent.

"Toshiba's ability to enhance its shareholders' equity is likely to continue to be difficult for the foreseeable future," S&P said, adding it also saw "persistently tough business conditions".

RAISING CASH

Credit analysts at SMBC Nikko Securities said in a report that they saw three options as Toshiba deals with the imminent task of enhancing its capital base: making more profits faster, selling assets and increasing capital.

Only the middle option is likely in the short term, however.

Toshiba is still burning cash despite a positive bottom line in the first half of the financial year and cannot raise more capital on the stock market while it remains on Tokyo's watch list, where it has been since a 2015 accounting scandal.

"I expect Toshiba to start with asset sales, and then to issue preferred shares if asset sales are not enough. They will start with measures other than (the chip business) listing," one source close to the company said.

Toshiba has said it will consider all options to bolster its finances, even "the positioning" of its nuclear business which is centred around Westinghouse, a U.S. firm bought in 2006.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki, Kentaro Hamada, Ayai Tomisawa and Yoshiyuki Osada in TOKYO and Umesh Desai in HONG KONG; Editing by Clara Ferreira-Marques and Sam Holmes)
techniques involve investing in a limited number of index securities which, when taken together, are expected to perform similarly to the index as a whole. These techniques are based on a variety of factors, including performance attributes, tax considerations, country weightings, capitalization, industry factors, risk factors and other characteristics. The fund generally expects that its portfolio will hold less than the total number of securities in the index, but reserves the right to hold as many securities as it believes necessary to achieve the funds investment objective.

The fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e. , hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry, group of industries or sector to approximately the same extent that the index is so concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

The investment adviser seeks to achieve, over time, a correlation between the funds performance and that of the index, before fees and expenses, of 95% or better. However, there can be no guarantee that the fund will achieve a high degree of correlation with the index. A number of factors may affect the funds ability to achieve a high correlation with the index, including the degree to which the fund utilizes a sampling technique. The correlation between the performance of the fund and the index may also diverge due to transaction costs, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing variances, and differences between the funds portfolio and the index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not to the index.

Principal risks

The fund is subject to risks, any of which could cause an investor to lose money. The fund's principal risks include:

Market Risk. Financial markets rise and fall in response to a variety of factors, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that an investor could lose money over short or long periods.

Investment Style Risk. The fund is not actively managed. Therefore, the fund follows the securities included in the index during upturns as well as downturns. Because of its indexing strategy, the fund does not take steps to reduce market exposure or to lessen the effects of a declining market. In addition, because of the funds expenses, the funds performance may be below that of the index.

Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

Market Capitalization Risk. Securities issued by companies of different market capitalizations tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. During a period when securities of a particular market capitalization fall behind other types of investments, the funds performance could be impacted.

Small-Cap Company Risk. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Month of December, 2016

Commission File Number 001-33692

China Digital TV Holding Co., Ltd.

(Translation of registrants name into English)

Jingmeng High-Tech Building B, 4th Floor

No. 5 Shangdi East Road

Haidian District, Beijing 100085

Peoples Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.)

Form 20-F x Form 40-F 

(Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): )

(Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ___)

(Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information contained in this Form, the registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.)

Yes  No x

(If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b):82- .)

EXHIBITS

Exhibit Number Page 99.1 Supplemental Agreement to Equity Transfer Agreement, dated December 26, 2016 4

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.

CHINA DIGITAL TV HOLDING CO., LTD. Date: December 28, 2016 By: /s/ Jianhua ZHU Name: Jianhua ZHU Title: Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit 99.1

DATED DECEMBER 26, 2016 Golden Benefit Technology Limited Changxing Bao Li Rui Xin Technology Co., Ltd. AND Beijing Super TV Co., Ltd. SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT TO EQUITY TRANSFER AGREEMENT IN BEIJING SUPER TV CO., LTD.

THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT TO EQUITY TRANSFER AGREEMENT (the Supplemental Agreement) is made on December 26, 2016

BETWEEN:

(1) Golden Benefit Technology Limited, a company duly organised and validly existing under the laws of Hong Kong, with registered address at Room 1501 (112), 15/F, SPA Centre, 53-55 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong (the Transferor);

(2) Changxing Bao Li Rui Xin Technology Co., Ltd., a company duly organised and validly existing under the laws of PRC, with registered address at Room 1460, 14/F, Tower A, Changxing Word Trade Mansion, 1278 Mingzhu Road, Changxing Economic Development Zone, Huzhou, Zhejiang (the Transferee); and

(3) Beijing Super TV Co., Ltd., a company duly organised and validly existing under the laws of PRC, with registered address at Room 406, Jingmeng High-Tech Building B, 4th Floor, No. 5-2 Shangdi East Road, Haidian District, Beijing (the Company).

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

The Parties entered into the Equity Transfer Agreement (the Equity Transfer Agreement) on November 7, 2016, pursuant to which the Transferor intends to transfer to the Transferee, and the Transferee intends to purchase from the Transferor, all 90.09% equities held by the Transferor in the Company, together with all rights and obligations accrued on or in connection with such equities. The Parties hereby reach the supplemental agreement to the Equity Transfer Agreement through friendly consultations as follows:

Unless otherwise specified, capitalized terms used herein shall have the meaning given in the Equity Transfer Agreement.

1. Article 3 of the Equity Transfer Agreement is amended and replaced in its entirety to read as follows:

3 PURCHASE PRICE AND PAYMENT

3.1 In consideration of the Transfer, the Transferee shall pay to the Transferor Renminbi Six Hundred and Ten Million (RMB610,000,000) in cash (Purchase Price) in accordance with this Agreement.

3.2 Subject to Article 10.2, within five (5) Business Days after the issuance of a closing notice by the Transferor pursuant to Article 5.2, the Transferee shall pay the Purchase Price deducting the Deposit and the Tax withheld by the Transferee pursuant to Article 10.2 (Relevant Payment) to a domestic bank account designated by the Transferor (Designated Domestic Account).

If the Transferee fails to pay the Relevant Payment within the period specified in this Article 3.2, the Transferor shall be entitled to (i) terminate this Agreement with immediate effect and retain the Deposit as contractual penalty; or (ii) require the Transferee to continue to perform its obligations under this Agreement, and charge a late fee of 0.1% of any overdue payment of the Purchase Price per day.

3.3 After receipt of the Relevant Payment by the Designated Domestic Account, the Company shall file and register the Transfer with MOFCOM and SAIC, obtain a new business license of the Company and complete other requisite procedures that shall be conducted by the Company for the Transferee to purchase foreign currency and remitting the Purchase Price abroad by the Transferee as required by applicable laws as soon as practical. For the avoidance of doubt, the Transferee is obligated to complete the procedures of purchasing foreign currency and wiring out the Purchase Price abroad. The Transferee shall actively communicate with the paying bank and ensure that the Company will be informed of all required pre-payment procedures at one time. Both the Transferee and the Transferor shall offer any cooperation and assistance reasonably required to fulfil and complete such registration or filing.

3.4 The Transferor has the right to determine in its sole discretion whether to convert all or part of the Relevant Payment maintained in the Designated Domestic Account from RMB to US dollars and remit the US dollars abroad. Unless the Transferor decides to use all Deposit and the Relevant Payment in the Designated Domestic Account within China, the Transferee and the Company shall timely notify the Transferor after completing all procedures for transferring the Purchase Price abroad, and then the Transferor shall transfer the corresponding amount and instruct the transfer of the Deposit to a co-managed account (Co-managed Account) jointly opened by the Transferor and the Transferee. No disbursement shall be made from such Co-managed Account unless used for purchasing the foreign currency and paying to the Transferor as part of the Purchase Price. The Transferee shall exchange the foreign currency and wire out the funds to the offshore account designated by the Transferor as soon as possible and within three (3) Business Days following the receipt of the relevant funds in the Co-managed Account, but in any event no later than September 30, 2017. The interests accrued during the period between the Relevant Payment being remitted into the Designated Domestic Account and being converted, shall be owned by the Transferor.

3.5 If the Transferee fails to comply with Article 3.4 due to any reason attributable to the Transferee, the Transferee shall be charged a late fee of 0.1% of any overdue payment of the Purchase Price per day. In addition, in the event that the Transferee has not completed the purchase of foreign currency and payment as of September 30, 2017, Transferee shall pay in US dollars the amount equivalent to the relevant Purchase Price that has not been exchanged and remitted overseas to the offshore account of the Transferor by other means, at the median rate of exchange published by the Peoples Bank of China on September 30, 2017. After the offshore account of the Transferor receives the Purchase Price (excluding the taxes payable) in full, the Transferor shall return the onshore RMB funds in the amount equivalent to the above overseas payment (excluding the late fees to be paid by the Transferee (if any) and any accrued interest) to the Transferee, and if all or part of the Purchase Price is maintained in the Co-managed Account then, both the Transferor and the Transferee agree that the interests (if any) and late fees (if any) shall be transferred from the Co-managed Account to the onshore account designated by the Transferor.

If the Transferee fails to comply with Article 3.4 due to any reason not attributable to the Transferor or the Transferee, the Transferee shall be charged a late fee of 8% of any overdue payment of the Purchase Price per year. In addition, in the event that the Transferee has not completed the purchase of foreign currency and payment as of September 30, 2017, Transferee shall pay in US dollars the amount equivalent to the relevant Purchase Price that has not been exchanged and remitted overseas to the offshore account of the Transferor by other means, at the median rate of exchange published by the Peoples Bank of China on September 30, 2017. After the offshore account of the Transferor receives the Purchase Price (excluding the taxes payable) in full, the Transferor shall return the onshore RMB funds in the amount equivalent to the above overseas payment (excluding the late fees to be paid by the Transferee (if any) and any accrued interest) to the Transferee, and if all or part of the Purchase Price is maintained in the Co-managed Account then, both the Transferor and the Transferee agree that the interests (if any) and late fees (if any) shall be transferred from the Co-managed Account to the onshore account designated by the Transferor.

2. Article 5.1 of the Equity Transfer Agreement is amended and replaced in its entirety to read as follows:

5.1 Closing shall take place in Beijing, PRC on the next Business Day following (i) the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set out in Article 4 (as evidenced by a closing notice issued by the Transferor pursuant to Article 5.2 below) and (ii) the receipt of the full payment of the Purchase Price confirmed by the Transferor (Closing Date, the full payment of the Purchase Price shall be evidenced by receipt of the Relevant Payment in the Designated Domestic Account in case that the Transferor decides to use all the Deposit and the Relevant Payment in the Designated Domestic Account within China, otherwise shall be evidenced by receipt of the receivable amounts in full in the offshore account designated by the Transferor), or at such other place or on such other date as may be agreed in writing between the Parties.

3. Article 5.3 of the Equity Transfer Agreement is amended and replaced in its entirety to read as follows:

5.3 The Company shall, in accordance with the provisions herein, (i) report for filing to, and register the Transfer and this Agreement with, MOFCOM and SAIC, and obtain a new business license of the Company; and (ii) take all necessary steps to register or file the Transfer with various government authorities as may be required by the laws of the PRC. Both the Transferor and the Transferee shall offer any assistance and cooperation reasonably required to fulfil and complete those registrations or filings.

4. Article 6.3 of the Equity Transfer Agreement is added to read as follows:

6.3 The Transferors representations and warranties set forth in Schedule 1 shall be subject to the factual impacts caused by the relevant matters carries out by the Parties for the performance of this Agreement and any supplemental agreement thereto.

5. Article 8.1 of the Equity Transfer Agreement is amended and replaced in its entirety to read as follows:

8.1 Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Party (each, an Indemnitor) agrees to indemnify any other Party and each of its Affiliates, successors and assigns (Indemnitee) from and against any and all damages, losses and expenses (including, without limitation, legal fees and expenses and the costs of investigating any claims, but excluding any consequential or indirect damages, lost profits, frustrated expenses, internal administration and overhead costs) (Losses) that the Indemnitee may incur or sustain from the Indemnitors breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants in this Agreement (including Schedules and Appendices). For the avoidance of doubt, the Transferor is only obligated to indemnify the Indemnitee from and against the Losses arising from the Transferors breach of the representations, warranties and covenants given under Section 1 in Schedule 1, Article 9 and Article 10.1.

6. Article 8.9 of the Equity Transfer Agreement is added to read as follows:

If the Transferor terminates this Agreement pursuant to relevant provisions herein or the applicable laws, the Company and the Transferee shall, within one month following such termination, go through the relevant amendment registration procedures with the MOFCOM and SAIC to restore the ownership of the Transferred Interest to the original status prior to the Transfer, in which case the Transferee shall bear all related costs, expenses and taxes. Termination of this Agreement shall not preclude the obligations of the Transferee for the beach of this Agreement, including without limitation payment of the late fees to the Transferor.

7. Except the amendments as mentioned above, the Parties agree that other provisions of the Equity Transfer Agreement shall remain unchanged.

8. This Supplemental Agreement will constitute an integral part of the Equity Transfer Agreement with equal legal validity. In case there is any conflict between this Supplemental Agreement and the Equity Transfer Agreement, this Supplemental Agreement shall prevail.

9. This Supplemental Agreement shall become effective as of the date this Agreement is signed or chopped by each Party and shall be legally binding upon the Parties.

10. If the Equity Transfer Agreement is terminated or rescinded for any reason, this Supplemental Agreement shall be terminated and rescinded at the same time.

11. In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Supplemental Agreement are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Supplemental Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any aspect. The Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

12. This Supplemental Agreement shall be executed in ten originals. Each of the Parties shall hold two originals respectively, and the other four originals shall be used for government registrations and filings. Each counterpart shall have the same legal effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Supplemental Agreement is duly executed by the Parties on the date first above written.
Russia, China and Pakistan on Tuesday agreed to expand their tripartite consultations on Afghan conflict and include other countries, including Afghanistan, after Kabul objected to its absence from the regional discussions.

The parties agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan, a joint statement issued after a meeting of the senior officials of the three countries said.

It was the third round of talks between the three countries on deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, particularly the rise of the militant Islamic State (IS) group also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.

The previous two rounds of the tripartite meetings were not publicly disclosed. The third meeting was announced by the participating states in an indication of their growing confidence in their cooperation driven by the fear of IS gaining a foothold in Afghanistan. The announcement of the talks, however, annoyed Kabul, which questioned the effectiveness of a process on Afghanistan without its representation.

A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, while speaking to media in Kabul cautioned that no initiative relating to Afghanistan could succeed without its involvement. Even if such talks are organised with goodwill, [they] cannot yield any substantial results because no one from the Afghan side is there, he said in a diplomatically couched criticism of the trilateral meeting.

The meeting had provoked a storm of protest from Afghan leaders, who saw it as meddling in Afghanistans internal affairs, illegitimate and dubious. Speaker of the lower house of Afghan parliament Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi had asked the government to seek a clarification from Moscow about the meeting.

Meanwhile, Russia is also supporting Irans entry into the relatively new process. Tehran has been Moscows ally in the fight against IS in Syria. In a separate troika formed last week, Russia, Iran and Turkey reaffirmed their determination to jointly fight the IS.

Washington had felt upset over not being included in that anti-IS bloc and is now uncomfortable over being left out from the three-way deliberations on the situation in Afghanistan.

The tripartite meeting on Tuesday expressed concerns over the increased activity of IS in Afghanistan.

Russians believe that protracted conflict in Afghanistan has left ungoverned spaces there, which are being taken up by the IS fighters returning from Iraq and Syria, where the militant group is on the retreat.

According to the Voice of America, Russias ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, told the UN Security Council last week that the deteriorating security situation in the country had encouraged the IS militants fleeing Syria and Iraq to look to Afghanistan for shelter. He said they would eventually pose a threat to Russia through neighbouring central Asian states.

FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria, while sharing Pakistans position at a recent media briefing, said: Afghanistan is infested with most terrorist organisations due to the instability there, which has created space for these terrorist elements. These are the facts which are known to all.

Peace talks

The three countries reiterated their support for reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The participants agreed to continue their efforts towards further facilitating the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan according to the known principles of reintegration of the armed opposition into peaceful life, the joint statement said.

The Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China as the UN Security Council permanent members confirmed their flexible approach to delisting Afghan individuals from the UN sanctions lists as their contribution to the efforts aimed at launching peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban, the statement further noted.

The position on delisting looked to be a snub for Kabul that had last month asked the United Nations to add Talibans new leader, Maulvi Haibatullah, to its sanctions list.
In an unexpected development, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has directly accused United States of bolstering militant groups including Daesh.

Speaking at a gathering on Tuesday, Erdogan not only accused the US of backing the violent groups but went on to claim that he had got pictorial evidence of its support to armed groups disrupting world peace.

They were accusing us of supporting Daesh. Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. Its very clear he said.

We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos, Erdogan added.

Mr Erdogan also said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia and Qatar should join its meeting with Russia and Iran to discuss Syrian peace efforts.

The Obama administration has responded to the allegations hurled by Erdogan.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Erdogans claims were ludicrous adding that there was no basis for truth in Erdogans statement.

Washington is 100 percent behind the defeat and destruction of Daesh, even beyond Syria and Iraq, Toner said.

The State Department also lauded Ankaras efforts in northern Syria, saying that they have been very efficient and successful.

The US is in constant contact with Turkey, Toner added.

Although the security and political observers have been raising voice regarding US support to ISIS and militant groups but Erdogans categorical statement has raised the eyebrows of the international community that dubbed US as a saviour of world peace.
Attackers drove a car into a government building in China's unruly far western region of Xinjiang and set off an explosive device killing one person, while all four of the attackers were shot dead, the regional government said.

Hundreds of people have been killed over the past years in resource-rich Xinjiang, on the borders of central Asia, in violence between the Muslim Uighur people who call the region home and ethnic majority Han Chinese.

The government has blamed the unrest on Islamist militants, though rights groups and exiles say anger at Chinese controls on the religion and culture of Uighurs is more to blame for the unrest. China denies any repression in Xinjiang.

In a short statement on its main news website, the Xinjiang government said the incident occurred just before 5pm in Karakax county, deep in southern Xinjiang's Uighur heartland.

It said the four "thugs" drove a vehicle into a yard at the county Communist Party offices and detonated an "explosive device", but were all shot dead.

Three people were injured and one other died, it added, without giving details.

"At present, local social order is stable," the government said.

In a separate English language report, the official Xinhua news agency described the incident as a "terrorist attack". It gave no other details aside from those in the government statement.

Xinjiang had generally been quiet this year, with no major reported attacks or other violent incidents.
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.
NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guggenheim Investments, the investment management division of Guggenheim Partners, announced today that its fixed income exchange traded funds (ETFs) (the Funds), including the Guggenheim BulletShares Corporate Bond ETFs (the Guggenheim BulletShares ETFs), have declared regular monthly and year-end distributions.

For more information on year-end distributions related to Guggenheim Investments ETFs, please visit http://guggenheiminvestments.com/products/etf/annual-distributions or call the Guggenheim ETF Knowledge Center at 888.WHY ETFS.

Past performance is not indicative of future performance. To the extent any portion of the distribution is estimated to be sourced from something other than income, such as return of capital, the source would be disclosed on a Section 19(a)-1 letter located on the Funds website under the Literature tab. Distributions may be comprised of sources other than income, which may not reflect actual fund performance.

For more information, please visit http://www.guggenheiminvestments.com/products/etf.

About Guggenheim Investments

Guggenheim Investments is the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners, with $204 billion1 in total assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies. We focus on the return and risk needs of insurance companies, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, consultants, wealth managers, and high-net-worth investors. Our 275+ investment professionals perform rigorous research to understand market trends and identify undervalued opportunities in areas that are often complex and underfollowed. This approach to investment management has enabled us to deliver innovative strategies providing diversification and attractive long-term results.

Media Contact

Ivy McLemore

Director of Intermediary Communications

Guggenheim Investments

Ivy.mclemore@guggenheimpartners.com

(212) 518-9859

1 Guggenheim Investments total asset figure is as of 09.30.2016. The assets include leverage of $10.7bn for assets under management and $0.5bn for assets for which we provide administrative services. Guggenheim Investments represents the following affiliated investment management businesses: Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, Security Investors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, Guggenheim Real Estate, LLC, GS GAMMA Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Partners Europe Limited and Guggenheim Partners India Management.

Read a funds prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) carefully before investing. It contains the funds investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information, which should be considered carefully before investing. Obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) at http://guggenheiminvestments.com/home or call 800.820.0888.

The referenced funds are distributed by Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC. Guggenheim Investments represents the investment management businesses of Guggenheim Partners, LLC (Guggenheim), which includes Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC ("GFIA") and Guggenheim Partners Investment Management (GPIM), the investment advisors to the referenced funds. Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, is affiliated with Guggenheim, GFIA and GPIM.
WILMINGTON, Del., Dec. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Andrews & Springer LLC, a boutique securities class action law firm focused on representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating potential breach of fiduciary duty and securities violation claims against Earthstone Energy, Inc. (Earthstone Energy or the Company).



If you currently own shares of Earthstone Energy and want to receive additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit us at http://www.andrewsspringer.com/cases-investigations/earthstone-energy-class-action-investigation/ or contact Craig J. Springer, Esq. at cspringer@andrewsspringer.com, or call toll free at 1-800-423-6013. You may also follow us on LinkedIn  www.linkedin.com/company/andrews-&-springer-llc, Twitter  www.twitter.com/AndrewsSpringer or Facebook - www.facebook.com/AndrewsSpringer for future updates.

Andrews & Springer is a boutique securities class action law firm representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty or corporate misconduct. Having formerly defended some of the largest financial institutions in the world, our founding members use their valuable knowledge, experience, and superior skill for the sole purpose of achieving positive results for investors. These traits are the hallmarks of our innovative approach to each case our Firm decides to prosecute. For more information please visit our website at www.andrewsspringer.com. This notice may constitute Attorney Advertising.
People are being warned to be on the lookout for signs of family violence and to report anything suspicious to police this Christmas.

Sadly family violence escalates over Christmas and January and BOP Family Works co-ordinator Heather Beddie says calls to police and family services increase over this time.

She says 70 cases of family violence cases are reported to police on a weekly basis.

Thats 70 per cent of women and their respective children that are being hurt in some way under the banner of family violence.

In New Zealand half of all murders are the result of family violence. Often people do see danger signs but dont realise the seriousness of them.

Heather is encouraging people to be on the lookout for signs of domestic abuse and report anything to police.

Here are some common danger signs:

Stalking is serious. Someone who stalks another person shows they cannot let them go or respect their wish to be left alone.

Threats to kill may lead to murder or attempted murder and need to be taken seriously.

Strangulation (choking) is an attempt to cut off a persons air supply, it is attempted murder.

Jealous and possessive behaviour shows domination by one person over another, not love.

Fear  the victim or children are very afraid.

If you see any of these signs in a relationship or family you know its serious and should not be ignored.

Heather is challenging people to do the following to stop the domestic abuse circle:

You can:

Challenge the behaviour  but never put your own or others safety at risk

Offer to support the victim and find out what they need

Call the Its not OK information line on 0800 456 450 for advice

Call the Police on 111 if you believe someone is in danger

Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

For more information go to http://www.areyouok.org.nz/
A new road safety campaign has been launched to address the issues most frequently encountered on our roads over the holiday period.

With summer approaching, the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be busier than ever, increasing the risk of accidents involving speed, fatigue, and drink/drug driving.

The Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride campaign is a locally-focused initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of staying focused, sober, secure and keeping to a safe speed while driving in the bay.

So far this year there have been 133 reported traffic accidents in the Eastern Bay, with five of these classified as fatal and 20 as serious.

Eastern Bay of Plenty Road Safety Communications Advisor Frances Maia says many of the crashes that take place in the region involve alcohol and drugs, speed and distractions.

This summer we all need to take stock and think about how we drive, plan our journeys and make sure were taking that extra bit of care and attention.

The campaign was launched with 10,000 Road Trip Guides being distributed across the Eastern Bay. The guides contain tips for planning the perfect road trip, safety advice, as well as deals and discount coupons to use at local businesses and attractions.

We have a lot of great involvement from the community, says Maia.

Thanks to the generosity of local sponsors, we will be giving away some awesome prizes over the holidays  concert tickets, stand up paddle board lessons, petrol vouchers, hot pools passes and more.

The Eastern Bay Road Safety Programme Facebook page will be running an online summer photography competition to support the campaign, and will also be giving away 50 Enjoy the Ride Road Trip Packs over the next couple of months.

The road guides can be found in cafes, restaurants, petrol stations and retailers across the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The campaign will run until the end of February 2017 and is supported by the Whakatane, Kawerau and Opotiki District Councils, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the NZ Transport Agency, the Police and ACC.

KEY POINTS:

SLOW: Drive under the speed limit.

FOCUSED: Never use mobile phones or devices while behind the wheel. Dont drive tired or with a health condition that impairs you.

SOBER: Never drive after using alcohol, or illegal or impairing drugs.

SECURE: Make sure everyone is belted up safely.
The shortlist for the 2017 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year has been announced.

The 10 person list includes well-known names such as comedian Mike King, director Taika Waititi, and poet Sam Hunt.

Chief Judge Cameron Bennett says courage is what makes these 10 New Zealanders so exceptional.

Its the courage theyve shown to advocate for their fellow Kiwis living on the margins, the courage to take our story to the world, the courage to lead, he says.

Theyve done this in typical Kiwi fashion  with humility, decency and fairness.

While only one of these 10 people will ultimately be named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year for 2017, each is already a very special Kiwi in their own right.

The annual New Zealander of the Year awards are in their eighth year. They are open to all New Zealanders to honour extraordinary Kiwis whose selflessness, creativity, and vision make us proud to call New Zealand home.

A total of 375 nominations were received for the title of 2017 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. In January, the judging panel  comprising representatives of all the awards patrons, presenters, sponsors, community leaders and independent experts  will announce the final shortlist of the three Kiwis being considered for the 2017 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year title and the other category finalists.

The winner will be announced at the New Zealander of the Year Awards Gala in Auckland on February 22, 2017.

Previous winners of the New Zealander of the Year Award are: Richie McCaw (2016), Sir Stephen Tindall (2015), Dr Lance OSullivan (2014), Dame Anne Salmond (2013), Sir Richard Taylor (2012), Sir Paul Callaghan (2011) and Sir Ray Avery (2010).

The 2017 New Zealander of the Year Shortlist

Sam Hunt CNZM, QSM (Kaipara)

A New Zealand icon, Sam Hunt has been a giant of New Zealand poetry for the past five decades. He has taken poetry out of the rarified confines of the literary world to the streets, to the Kiwis inside the working bars, pubs and community halls. He has helped make poetry and verse relevant to New Zealanders, reflecting our special way of life. He has made an outstanding contribution to New Zealands arts and culture landscape with his body of work, releasing his 22nd collection of poems, Salt River Songs, earlier this year. He was awarded a Queens Service Medal in 1986, named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010 and won the Prime Ministers Poetry Award in 2012.

Taika Waititi (Piha)

Taika Waititi is a filmmaker whose work at home and overseas has made a major contribution to New Zealands cultural identity. Waititis fourth feature film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The comedy adventure, based on a book by the late Barry Crump, broke records for a New Zealand film in its opening weekend and garnered international critical acclaim. Waititis first major Hollywood film, Thor: Ragnarok will be released in 2017.

Karen Walker CNZM (Central Auckland)

Fashion designer Karen Walker has achieved remarkable international success in what is one of the worlds most competitive industries. She has inspired generations of aspiring Kiwi fashion designers with her down-to-earth approach to business and creativity, reflecting new confidence in New Zealands business community. The Karen Walker brand is available in 38 countries, 200 cities and 1020 stores, including Barneys New York, Liberty London and Harvey Nichols. Her influence has seen her consistently ranked for the past four years in The Business of Fashions powerhouse BoF 500, reflecting her position as a global industry figure shaping the future.

Graeme Dingle ONZM, MBE (Gisborne)

Mountaineer and adventurer Graeme Dingle has made a career of achieving global firsts worldwide, including first ascents of mountains and faces in the Himalayas, the Andes and New Zealand. Dingle served as the chairman of the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre and The Project K Charitable Trust, and was the founding chairman of the New Zealand Outdoor Assembly. Alongside partner and co-founder Jo-anne Wilkinson, Dingle established the Graeme Dingle Foundation, a charity that helps Young New Zealanders achieve their potential.

Major Campbell Roberts (Wellington)

Major Campbell Roberts is the National Director of Social Policy for The Salvation Army in New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. Roberts is the founder and director of The Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, which works towards the elimination of poverty in New Zealand by influencing, and engaging national, political, corporate, government, education and media leaders. Roberts is a passionate New Zealander committed to working with those at the margins of New Zealand society. He has a wide range experience of working in the delivery of Community and Social Services with extensive experience in the management and governance of these services within The Salvation Army and other community organisations. He is a trusted national spokesperson and commentator in many forums on issues of poverty, prison reform, housing, welfare and employment.

Mike King (Papatoetoe)

Initially making his name as a stand-up comedian, playing heavily on his Maori origins, Mike King has drawn on his own experience of mental illness and addiction to challenge and change the way Kiwis feel, think, talk and behave in relation to mental health. He is a prominent mental health educator and motivational speaker who works tirelessly to reverse the population trends of addiction, depression and suicide by effecting a positive social change.

Phillip Mills (Auckland)

Business leader and former track and field athlete Phillip Mills is the founder and Chief Executive of Les Mills International and a founder of Pure Advantage, a green business lobby group. Mills has authored a number of articles on the financial benefits of a clean, green economy along with the need for New Zealand to take action on climate change. The Pure Advantage Trusts mission is to showcase New Zealands domestic and global green growth advantages and foster national discussion about the long-term economic and environmental benefits of these advantages to the country.

Mere Berryman ONZM (Waikato)

Educator and researcher Mere Berryman has led the development and trial of programmes aimed at supporting educators to work more effectively with Maori students and their families in a range of education settings. Through kaupapa Maori approaches, she has pioneered culturally responsive and collaborative understanding and resolution of problems, acknowledging and supporting the expertise of the child and their family. She was instrumental in establishing and leading the Te Kotahitanga professional development programme.

Dr Malcolm Legget (Meadowbank, Auckland)

Dr Malcolm Legget is a consultant cardiologist at the Auckland Heart Group and Auckland City Hospital and associate professor of Medicine at the University of Auckland. Malcolm has been part of the team that has established CT coronary angiography and percutaneous aortic valve implantation through the Auckland Heart Group and Mercy Angiography. He has continued research into valvular heart disease. Diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, Dr Leggett supports others suffering with the cancer as chairman of Unicorn Foundation New Zealand.

Minnie Baragwanath MNZM (Auckland)

Partially sighted, Minnie Baragwanath has played a leading role in effecting social change for disabled New Zealanders over the past decade, with roles that have included working in the media and community and policy development in local government. Her innovative approach to problem-solving and social change has led her to become increasingly interested in how New Zealand can strengthen itself socially, economically and culturally. She is CEO and co-founder of Be. Accessible, a social change agency that is shifting how Kiwis value accessibility and the contribution to our world by people with access needs. Baragwanath was a recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership award 2013 and was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit Queens Honour in 2014.
His street name is Ridl, his music name is Mr Ridl and his real name is Axel Rose. And he uses a specific digital music genre to link up with people all over the world.

Its fairly clear what the musical tastes of his parents were twenty years ago. Music is definitely in the blood and hes chasing his dream.

My parents were hard out into Axel Rose music and our family name is Rose, says Mr Ridl. My uncle came up with Axel. They tried to get me into guitar when I was younger but I like making everything digital.

I used to go around to Owen Dippies Mount studio, Axel recalls. Learnt heaps off him.

That was after hed been stopped by police for doing graffiti.

I got caught up with the wrong crowd when I was about 17. Thats how I ended up meeting Owen, when I was pointed to him.

Axel has been working hard to make it in the music industry for the last five years, and has been part of the hip hop culture for about 6-7 years, starting as a street artist. Born in Rotorua and raised in the Papamoa/Mount area, he attended Papamoa Primary School, Mount Intermediate and Mount College.

He went to Employment Plus for a year to learn mechanics, found that wasnt his thing, so went on to polytech to study graphic design. However music is his passion.

My first-ever music-wise listening was Eminem but thats because it was the only CD I had at the time, says Mr Ridl. Im more influenced by American South rap. I like NZ hip hop but its not my kind of style. Im trying to create my own kind of sound in New Zealand.

His kind of sound is all about digital. He has a keyboard to make beats, a microphone, computer, and a beat pad for drum samples.

I have heaps of friends in Tauranga and all over New Zealand that are into music, says Mr Ridl. I keep telling them the world is literally in your finger tips on line, you can reach anybody.

Theres endless places I want to be, but in 5 years I want to be doing this full time. And making it steady. Putting on shows for people and putting people on tour, handling that side of things.

He chose House of Gold as his Facebook page name because his vision is to build an online house full of musicians and dance crews.

A collection, a lot of talent under one roof, he says. Gold represents value.

Most of our music is put up for free. We make most of our money through putting on shows. The House of Gold is all free download.

I check out the House of Gold page. It appears to be five good as mates that like to rap and record and produce their own music. You can catch us in the weekends usually dipping through TGA town, and local parties and gigs, hopefully performing!

Mostly though he links up with Americans. And he has a new CD coming out.

Its my first ever album with me connecting with the States, says Axel. I paid heaps of money towards it, buying the beats and getting all the mixing and production done perfect, and all the promotion.

Buying the beats proved an effective way to link up with other musicians.

Its crazy how hip hop tracks are so different from other genres, he says. We can add digitally, so one person from Canada can send a beat and I can write to it, record my vocals, and send it on to Germany and he mixes it and sends it back and then we all get paid. Thats what I mean by the world is at your fingertips, by email, and Skype.

Axel is also a full time house painter, Monday to Friday. Its tiring, but it pays the bills. His daughter visits on the weekends, and hes living with his two younger brothers, a younger sister, his brothers girlfriend and his parents.

Cracking the music scene requires enormous time and effort.

It depends on what vibe youre going for and what audience youre trying to target. Its how you talk to people and present yourself.

I distribute the music through a couple of sites and they take care of everything, he says. They put it on Spotify, and social media apps. You can make a little bit of coin from monetarising it.

He is still involved in design, producing tee shirts. He has them printed at the Mount and sells most of it on the House of Gold Facebook page.

We are really thankful to all the people that have inspired us and told us to keep pushing, says Mr Ridl. Also thankful for the continuing support.

https://www.facebook.com/House-Of-Gold-105247042923380
RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Triangle Capital Corporation (NYSE:TCAP) (Triangle or the Company), a leading provider of capital to lower middle market companies, announced today that its Chief Financial Officer, Steven C. Lilly, was recognized as one of Americas Best CFOs by Institutional Investor Magazine in its 2017 All-America Executive Team rankings. A selection committee consisting of more than 180 sell-side equity analysts across the United States nominated Mr. Lilly within the Brokers, Asset Managers & Exchanges category.



Commenting on the award, E. Ashton Poole, President and CEO stated, This is a tremendous honor for Steven which recognizes not only his leadership and ethical standards of communication but also recognizes the external leadership role he plays as an advocate for the greater BDC industry as an emerging asset class in the public markets.

Mr. Lilly commented, This award is a positive reflection on the full Triangle team that Ashton has assembled. I feel privileged to work with so many capable, motivated individuals.

This award marks the second time that Mr. Lilly and Triangle Capital Corporation have been honored by Institutional Investor Magazine as Mr. Lilly was named one of Americas Best CFOs in 2014 as well.

About Triangle Capital Corporation

Triangle Capital Corporation (www.TCAP.com) invests capital in established companies in the lower middle market to fund growth, changes of control and other corporate events. Triangle offers a wide variety of investment structures with a primary focus on mezzanine financing with equity components. Triangles investment objective is to seek attractive returns by generating current income from debt investments and capital appreciation from equity related investments. Triangles investment philosophy is to partner with business owners, management teams and financial sponsors to provide flexible financing solutions. Triangle typically invests $5.0 million - $35.0 million per transaction in companies with annual revenues between $20.0 million and $200.0 million, and EBITDA between $3.0 million and $35.0 million.

Triangle has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). Triangle is required to comply with a series of regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act as well as applicable NYSE, federal and state laws and regulations. Triangle has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Failure to comply with any of the laws and regulations that apply to Triangle could have a material adverse effect on Triangle and its stockholders.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are likely to be affected by other unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under the Company's control, and that the Company may or may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from these estimates and projections of the future and some of these uncertainties are enumerated in Triangles filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements are included in our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, each as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov and stockholders may receive a hard copy of the completed audited financial statements free of charge upon request to the Company at 3700 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 530, Raleigh, NC 27612. Such statements speak only as of the time when made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any such statement now or in the future.




The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employments Trading Standards team is encouraging Kiwis to play safely when using inflatable swimming pools and toys this summer.

Inflatable pools and toys are a favourite in Kiwis backyards over the summer but theyre not designed to keep children safe in water, says Trading Standards principal advisor Martin Rushton.

The inflatable pool might just be for wading, paddling and splashing about, but check the depth  if the pool is 400mm or deeper it must be fenced and comply with the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act.

Inflatable toys and swimming aids, such as water wings, also carry risks. They can help support a child in the water while they learn how to swim, but should not be relied upon to keep your child safe - children still need supervision at all times while in the water.

If youre planning on heading out this weekend to stock up on the inflatables, consider a few key safety requirements before you buy to ensure you understand the risks associated with the product.

The packaging information will tell you the safe age range for toy use, the depth of a pool, and whether the product complies with New Zealand flotation aid safety standards, says Martin.

Make water safety a priority for you and your family this Christmas.

Everything you need to know before you buy inflatable pools and toys this summer, including how to use water toys safely, is detailed on the Consumer Protection Keeping Kids Safe website.

Trading Standards is an operational unit in the Consumer Protection and Standards branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and is responsible for protecting New Zealand consumers.
Yesterdays Mount Hardpark 2016 event attracted a range of car enthusiasts and spectators, keen to see the rides on offer.

There were drift trikes, four-wheel drives, dragsters, and beautiful cars from America and Japan on display at ASB Baypark in Tauranga.

Hawk Runningbear  son of a Navajo mother and Rhodesian father, hence the name  was at the show with his pride and joy, a 2005 Nissan Fairlady Z.

It was a car from Tokyo Drift that wasnt used in the movie. I met a guy up in Auckland who was bringing it in. He bought it in Japan, and I bought it off him straight away as soon as it landed.

He says it the sort of car hes always wanted.

Its got all the power you want, all the accessories. It can do 300 km/h, although I find the roads here are too small to open it up fully.

Hawk works at the Port of Tauranga, and does his daily commute in the car. Naturally, it gets a lot of attention.

A lot of people ask me if I want to sell it, he says, although he adds hed rather hold on to it, and maybe pass it down.

He reckons the show had a wide selection of vehicles to look at.

There was a good range. Not just American cars, but a bit of everything. It think thats how the shows should be.

Check out the photos below, and if you have any of your own, feel free to share them on our Facebook page.

Stacey Price and her co-pilot friend Bella, a Japanese Spitz, in the cockpit of the dragster Stacey drives.

Ruby Trueman (6) on board a Drift Trike. Says she wants Santa to bring her one next Christmas.
PALM DESERT, Calif., Dec. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Desert Resort Management, an Associa company, recently hosted a free seminar for HOA board members and the house was packed at Desert Falls Country Club on December 9 with more than 40 association constituents eager to hear tips about how to improve their communities.



Featured speakers included Desert Resort Management President Mark Dodge, Community Association Manager Jennifer Zeivel, and facilitator Margaret "Gen" Wangler, Esq. along with her team from the law firm Fiore, Racobs & Powers.



"Successful communities depend on board members who are involved and it was great to see such a huge turnout for this event," said Dodge. "There are always new HOA laws and regulations and we offer these sessions a few times a year because we know how important it is for our managed communities to stay in the know."



The three-hour seminar covered topics including duties of board members, fiduciary duty, meetings & minutes, maintenance responsibilities, vendor & personnel issues, enforcing rules & regulations, annual budgets and assessment collection.



Building and managing successful communities for more than 37 years, Associa is the leader in community management with over 10,000 employees operating more than 180 branch offices in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Based in Dallas, Texas, our industry expertise, financial strength, and innovation meet the unique needs of clients across the world with customized services and solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more about Associa and its charitable organization, Associa Cares, go to www.associaonline.com or www.associacares.com.



Stay Connected:



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa

Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/associa/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/associamarketing

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Associaonline/

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=42027
Blog_Rome meth arrests.JPG

Annmarie A. Guglielmo, 20, of Lee Center, left, and Dustin L. Conway, 20, of Camden, right, were arrested Tuesday night after in Rome and charged with making meth.

(Rome Police Department)

ROME, N.Y. -- When officers pulled over a car Tuesday in Oneida County, police said they made two discoveries: a meth lab and a woman wanted by authorities.



Dustin L. Conway, 20, of Camden, and Annmarie A. Guglielmo, 20, of Lee Center, were arrested by the Rome Police Department and charged with making methamphetamine. The pair were arrested after a traffic stop in Rome.

Officers pulled over a vehicle around 1 p.m. Tuesday at West Dominick Street and Erie Boulevard West.

While they were speaking to Conway, the driver, officers recognized the passenger as the woman wanted by authorities, police said. Guglielmo, the passenger, was wanted in Rome City Court on an outstanding warrant, police said.

According to police, officers then spotted something else in the vehicle: a one-pot meth lab.

New York State Police's Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team responded to the scene. Troopers secured the meth lab, meth-making materials and meth, police said.

Conway and Guglielmo were charged with third-degree manufacturing methamphetamine, a felony. The defendants are being held in police custody until their arraignments.
Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia, Star Wars

Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy and in Episode VII "The Force Awakens."

(Video still)

Carrie Fisher's death raises a big question about upcoming "Star Wars" films: What's next for Princess Leia?

Fisher died Tuesday at age 60, less than two weeks after "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" sparked controversy by including actor Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. Cushing died in 1994, but appeared via CGI in the new prequel/spinoff movie about rebels stealing the plans for the Death Star.

"If he's not in the movie, we're going to have to explain why he's not in the movie," Lucasfilm story development executive and "Rogue One" co-producer Kiri Hart told The New York Times. "[The Death Star] is kind of his thing."

Cushing's scenes were filmed with "Harry Potter" actor Guy Henry in his place, wearing motion capture devices. Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic said it was done with the approval of Cushing's estate, but some fans still criticized the character for looking unnatural at times, partly due to Cushing's subtle tics while speaking and animators changing the lighting to fit the style of "Rogue One."

According to the Times, Fisher's brief appearance in the new movie as a young Princess Leia was created using similar technology with actress Ingvild Deila in her place.

Will it happen again in future "Star Wars" movies?

"Episode VIII," which doesn't have an official title yet, will continue the original trilogy's saga next year. "Episode IX" is scheduled for release in 2019, along with a Han Solo spinoff (starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young Harrison Ford and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian) in 2018 and another "Star Wars" film in 2020 (rumored to focus on popular bounty hunter Boba Fett).

Gizmodo reports Fisher completed filming her role as General Leia Organa in "Episode VIII," but she was also expected to appear in "Episode IX." Fisher had a significant role in last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," also known as "Episode VII," opposite Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Ford as Han amid new characters like Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega).

Rian Johnson, who directs the upcoming "Force Awakens" sequel, hasn't given any hints to what fate lies ahead for Leia. The first trailer for "Episode VIII" is expected to be released in April during the annual Star Wars Celebration event.

Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd was previously rumored as a possibility to play a young version of Princess Leia in various prequels and spinoffs, but that seems less likely as she played a separate character alongside Leia in "The Force Awakens." Lourd also recently confirmed that her "Lieutenant Connix" will be back in "Episode VIII" with a larger role helping the Resistance.

If a CGI version of Fisher will be used in other future "Star Wars" films, the Daily Mail reports a 1985 California law requires filmmakers to get permission from the estate of a celebrity to use their image for up to 70 years after their death.

Another possibility, of course, is that Leia will be killed off, but the question would still persist about prequels and spinoffs in the growing "Star Wars" universe.

"Star Wars: Episode VIII" is scheduled to open in theaters Dec. 15, 2017. The young Han Solo film will follow in May 2018.
When I interview business leaders for my CNY Conversations on leadership, I usually ask: Why do you stay in Central New York? What do you see as CNY's strengths? What would you tell naysayers who complain about the region?

On Tuesday, we ran excerpts from 2016 CNY Conversations with manufacturing executives. Today, we have condensed and edited excerpts from some of the entrepreneurs who were featured this year:

Wills Mahoney

Wills Mahoney, business founder, including digital startup Plowz & Mowz, can't stand negativity:

Well, it's hard to run a business, period. It doesn't matter where you are.

I can't stand negativity. I read the projects on Syracuse.com and the comments drive me nuts. A story says someone is investing millions of dollars in a rundown building, they're taking a risk and they're getting some tax help. Read the comments and they're negative: It's never going to work. It's a total failure.

The person who writes that is not an entrepreneur, probably not a business owner, and they're not going to be a millionaire. Risk takers should be applauded.

Overall, there's a ton of great people here. It's probably the one percent who are the naysayers.

Kate Brodock

Kate Brodock, digital entrepreneur, takes her networks with her:

I would say to naysayers: Find a way to broaden your network. My network has come in hugely for my happiness being here, for happiness with my career, for the opportunities that I have. I was able to bring that network to Central New York (from Boston).

So to the naysayers: A network can be virtual. Create a network that can stay with you. That network is not going to go away, provided you nurture that network and use it properly.

Hasan Stephens

Hasan Stephens, music and philanthropic entrepreneur, says it's an approach to life:

Being an entrepreneur, as I think about it, is an approach to life. You are either a receiver or you are a creator. Entrepreneurs are not receivers. We don't receive what the world gives to us. We create. We are architects. We build our future the way we want it.

So to those naysayers who think you have to leave Syracuse: You haven't seen the possibilities. You haven't seen the things you can create. You're not an entrepreneur.

Mark C. Roberts

Mark Roberts, Staff Leasing, wants people to stop complaining:

You know, the grass isn't always greener. If the naysayers think there is someplace better, they should go and stop complaining. No matter where you go, there are going to naysayers. We're blessed in this area. You're so close to so many different things.



Nicole T. Samolis

Nicole Samolis, SKY Armory and The Events Company, is glad she stayed:

We came to Syracuse for an interim stop (in 1994). We came, and we found it's a great place to raise a family. We sold our house in the burbs five years ago, we live downtown, we've invested in downtown. There are so many cool things going on. There are many great people making a difference.

There are so many people and companies that really fly under the wire, under the radar, that people just don't know that they're here.

The biggest comment is always that GE isn't here, Carrier's not here. Those huge manufacturing companies were gone by the time I came to Syracuse. But we have a lot of great manufacturing. They're making really cool stuff. They don't get recognition, because most of their products aren't sold here.

So many companies have made concerted efforts to leave those burbs and be committed to downtown. Without a strong downtown, we can't have the strength of the suburbs. You have to support the community - don't just bash it. For the naysayers: Come check downtown. Leave your house. It's a lot better than you think. Support our community.

Look at the amphitheater. So many people complained about that and that it was built too quickly. But there's been a concert there every single weekend. Half my staff wants to be at those concerts.

Naysayers are often people who were born and raised in Syracuse and never left and they don't know how good they have it here.

This week, CNY Conversations looks back on 2016 with four installments from executives, entrepreneurs and people succeeding in Central New York:

Tuesday:

Six executives explain why

CNY is a good place for manufacturing

.

Today:

Entrepreneurs find CNY a good place to take risks and build their companies.

Thursday:

Replies from more

executives and entrepreneurs who came and stayed

.

Friday:

Sometimes the replies from

executives and entrepreneurs seem like a love story featuring CNY

.

The weekly "CNY Conversation" features Q&A interviews about leadership, success, and innovation. The conversations are condensed and edited.

Last week: Charles Benjamin of the Near East Foundation says a leader sets the compass, sets the direction and does it in a way so that everybody sees part of themselves in the organization.
Silicon Valley Upheaval

Central New York residents are getting a second area code, which will cover the same region served by area code 315. That means all calls will require 10-digit dialing.

(AP )

Central New York is finally getting a second area code. In March 2017, telephone companies will start giving out phone numbers in area code 680, which will cover the same 18-county region as 315.

For most of us, that means one big change:

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Feb. 11, 2017, we will have to dial an area code for every phone call we make, even local calls within area code 315. Even calls to your spouse or your next-door neighbor. If you don't dial the full 10-digit number, including area code, you'll get a recording telling you to hang up and try again.

For now, you can get away with dialing either seven digits or 10 for local calls. But it's time to start thinking about what you have to do to prepare.



Yes, it's for real this time.

Plans for a second CNY area code have been debated, and vigorously opposed, for 18 years. State senators and other public officials lobbied hard to prevent a second area code, arguing that it would be a big hassle. But the state Public Service Commission finally pulled the trigger on a new area code last year, concluding that it can't be put off again. Area code 680 is definitely coming.

Here are the key dates to remember:

Feb. 11, 2017: Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins. All local calls must be dialed with 10 digits (area code plus seven-digit number) as of this date. If you dial a local call with just seven digits, you will not get through.

March 11, 2017: This is the earliest date for phone numbers in area code 680 to go into service. The new area code will be assigned to new phone numbers. Nobody with an existing 315 number will have to switch area codes.

You can still call 911.

You'll still dial just 911 to reach emergency responders. The same goes for other N11 services such as 411, 211, 511 and 811.

Calling rates won't change.

Nothing about your phone bill should change as a result of the additional area code. You will continue to pay the same rates for the same kinds of calls.

Some calls will require 11 digits.

Most mobile phones and digital landline phones will complete calls if you dial just 10 digits. But on traditional landline phones, you will have to dial 1 plus the 10-digit number to call outside of your own area code.

Start updating your contact list now.

Chances are, you have a contact list in your phone that allows you to simply tap a name rather than dial that person's number. If you entered your Central New York contacts without the area code, you'll have to add 315 to the numbers. Once 10-digit dialing kicks in, your calls won't go through without the area code.

Reprogram any automatic dialing equipment you may have.

Do you have a home alarm system that automatically dials a local call center when it trips? Do you have dial-up internet service that connects your modem to a local phone exchange? Make sure equipment such as this is reprogrammed to dial the 10-digit number including area code.

Ordering new business stationery?

Now is the time to start updating your business cards, stationery, personal checks or other printed materials to add your area code.

Help your kids get ready.

Teach kids and anyone else who needs help how to dial 10 digits.

Contact reporter Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023


Cuomo Federal Investigation

Todd Howe was designated in March to serve as a liaison between Utica-area officials and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office regarding a chip-fab project.

(AP/Will Waldron)

Less than two months before Todd Howe emerged as the focus of a federal corruption probe, he was designated as the liaison between Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office and a group of Utica officials who were anxious about delayed plans for a new chip fabrication plant, according to news reports.

The chip-fab project would eventually unravel. Austrian chip maker AMS announced last month that it had abandoned plans to establish a manufacturing facility at the state-owned Marcy Nanocenter, a 400-acre site near Utica.

Cuomo in recent months has made a point of distancing himself from Howe, a former lobbyist who pleaded guilty in September to eight felonies in connection with a bribery and bid-rigging scheme. Eight other men have been charged and are awaiting trial.

None of the charges is related to the Marcy Nanocenter project. Prosecutors did not accuse Cuomo of wrongdoing.

As Howe emerged earlier this year as a focus of the federal investigation, Cuomo downplayed his relationship with the lobbyist.

"I didn't really have communications with Todd Howe," the governor said in May. "I would see him at events, et cetera."

But in March a representative from the governor's office designated Howe to work with Utica-area leaders who expressed mounting anxiety about a lack of progress at the chip fab site, according to two published reports.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Utica-area leaders, including state Sen. Joseph Griffo and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, met last March with Howe and state officials. Andrew Kennedy, who was then the governor's deputy director of state operations, told the members of the Utica group that Howe would act as their liaison to the governor's office, the Times reported, quoting Brindisi, a Utica Democrat.

If Utica representatives needed anything, they were told, they should go through Howe, the Times reported.

The Albany Times Union also reported that Kennedy designated Howe as a liaison for the governor's office during the meeting, attributing the information to Brindisi. Two others at the March meeting -- Griffo and Steve DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley Edge - told the Times Union they did not specifically recall Howe being tasked as liaison, but they did not dispute Brindisi's account.

Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi issued a statement to both newspapers denying that Howe represented the governor's office. "At no time did he represent or speak for the Executive Chamber," Azzopardi said, according to each paper.

Howe worked as a $300,000-a-year consultant to SUNY Polytechnic Institute at least through 2015, according to a criminal complaint filed in September by the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. SUNY Polytechnic was in charge of developing the Marcy Nanocenter, under the leadership of the university's former president, Alain Kaloyeros, who attended the March meeting in Utica.

Kaloyeros and seven others were indicted Nov. 22 in the federal corruption case. All have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

When the corruption scandal emerged, control over the Marcy project was transferred to Empire State Development Corp. Howard Zemsky, the agency's CEO, has said state officials remain committed to finding a tenant and making the project a success.

Contact reporter Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023


Drug test

Urine specimens are tested for drugs in the laboratory of the Cologne Clinic in Cologne, Germany. (AP Photo/Hermann J. Knippertz, File)

Conservatives argue people who receive welfare should be regularly screened for drugs to make sure they are not wasting their assistance money. Critics of the idea say tying social assistance to being able to pass a drug test is demeaning and stigmatizes the poor. What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Supporters of drug testing say the government must ensure taxpayer money is well managed. It it especially important to hold people responsible when they are receiving public benefits.

No drug test, no welfare (viewpoint):

It is not uncommon for individuals employed in the private sector to be tested for drug use when applying for a job. For business owners, this practice holds employees accountable for their actions, and if they do not pass the drug test, there is a very simple consequence: no job.

Similarly, if states like Arizona choose to drug test those who are on welfare and drug use is found, the consequence should be the same: no further taxpayer assistance.

The best reason to drug-test welfare applicants -- children:

It is generally accepted that the vast majority of people receiving funding don't use illegal drugs -- but no child should ever be put at risk. While they are the exception, drug-addicted parents who are denied welfare cash may get the wake-up call they need to turn their lives around and put their families first. Immediately providing these individuals with a path to recovery is a compassionate and inexpensive improvement over current law.Welfare is meant for families. Our welfare dollars should be reserved for people in honest need of a hand up. Drug testing for welfare cash is the right thing to do for our children and families -- and doing right by them must remain our highest priority.

Several states have implemented policies that require new welfare recipients to pass drug screenings. Very few people tested positive. Critics of the policy argue forcing recipients to pass a drug screening only makes being poor that much more humiliating.

:

The testing is meant to assure taxpayers their money isn't being "wasted" on the less desirable, those who would somehow manage to buy drugs with the assistance. But in Tennessee, where drug testing was enacted for welfare recipients last month, only one person in the 800 who applied for help tested positive. In Florida, during the four months the state tested for drug use, only 2.6% of applicants tested positive. Meanwhile, Florida has an illegal drug use rate of 8%, meaning far fewer people on services are using drugs than their better-off counterparts. The drug testing cost taxpayers more money than it saved, and was ruled unconstitutional last year. ...

Applying and being accepted for aid is a mentally grueling process that can stretch on for months. Add to that the humiliation of having to pee in a cup just because you can't afford to eat. There's already a huge stigma about having to receive services, a spiral of shame and embarrassment that permeates the use of the system. Instead of wasting taxpayer money to weed out a small percent of those in need, demonizing an entire sect of people in favor of misleading stereotypes, maybe it's time we put our funds into helping them find their way out of the system and onto their own two feet.

Here are some perspectives from people who think welfare recipients should be tested for drugs.

You should have to drug test for food stamps/welfare  Shelby Jordaan (@shelby_jordaan) December 27, 2016

Stop giving welfare to people unless they pass drug test and do community service work https://t.co/OUWDrBRNcA  Lisa Marie C (@LisaMarieWilli1) December 15, 2016

DHS should drug test welfare recipients... tired of contributing to abusers' groceries while they smoke their dope  Lauren (@laurenbritt26) December 15, 2016

Here are perspectives from people who are opposed to testing welfare recipients.

Screening cost always greater than $ saved from witholding benefits from tiny # of drug users. Legislative strawman. https://t.co/r3l0nWCtB5  Kevin Moore (@kmoore8228) December 19, 2016

Don't understand the drug testing for SNAP benefits idea. Do drug addicts not need food assistance sometime? https://t.co/01ky52uBrm  Ag Science Writer (@agsciencewriter) December 22, 2016

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.
Walden Galleria.JPG

Patrons shop at the Walden Galleria Mall Friday, May 15, 2015, in Buffalo, N.Y.

Buffalo's Walden Galleria fell victim to the nationwide outbreak of "mall brawls" that have been making headlines in the days after Christmas.

The Buffalo News reported that 10 minors were arrested at the mall on Sunday and Monday nights for fighting. One of them had a handgun and the others were arrested for trespass and disorderly conduct.

The suspect with the handgun was taken to a Juvenile Detention Center pending court proceedings, according to Assistant Cheektowaga Police Chief James Speyer.

Elsewhere in Upstate NY, police blocked entrances to Destiny USA in Syracuse as a fight involving dozens of people broke out on the second floor of the mall on Monday night.

Two 15-year-old girls and a 16-year-old boy were arrested after the incident.

Such fights took place at malls in Texas, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Ohio and elsewhere across the country after the holiday weekend. Police in some states, including Ohio and Colorado, are investigating reports that the fights may have been loosely organized on social media.
Twelve people have been arrested in two separate large-scale fights at Rochester-area malls as news of similar incidents continues to be reported at malls in at least six states.

The first incident happened in the food court at the Mall at Greece Ridge around 8 p.m. on Monday, WHAM-TV reported.

Jason Moorer shared 8 seconds of video of the brawl on Twitter, in which a police officer can be seen attempting to intervene.

Greece mall man smh pic.twitter.com/zv9ubCXyrc  Sir Savage the 21st (@slotmoorerchine) December 27, 2016

Moorer told the Democrat & Chronicle the fight lasted about five minutes.

Two men were arrested during the incident, then, a short time later, two more fights broke out in the food court resulting in three more arrests.

Each of the suspects was charged with disorderly conduct and released to their parents or guardians.

WHAM reported that at about the same time, two groups of people began shouting at each other at the Marketplace Mall in Henrietta. The shouting escalated and at one point a woman pulled out a six inch blade and began threatening members of the other group.

Metal chairs were thrown back and forth between the groups as the fighting broke out.

Seven people were arrested at Marketplace Mall, including 20-year-old Tahkela Moore, who brandished the knife.

Lanaisha Robinson, 16, and Alesia Gayden, 17, were seen throwing metal chairs, one of which hit a bystander.

Keyara Miller, 16, Kaniya Ball, 16, and Demetrius Jackson, 17, were all arrested for disorderly conduct, and Starshay Toney, 17, refused to disperse and cursed loudly at responding officers.

All seven suspects were banned from the property, according to WHAM.

Greece Police Department Sgt. Jared Rene told WHAM that there was no evidence of the fight in Greece having been planned on social media, despite reports of planned brawls at malls across the country.

"I know I've seen the reports nationally. We have nothing to substantiate that," he told the station.

The fights mark the third a fourth malls to fall victim to disruptive brawling in Upstate New York. Police in Syracuse arrested three teens after a fight at Destiny USA, and 10 people were arrested at Buffalo's Walden Galleria after a pair of fights on Sunday and Monday.

Brawling has also been reported at malls in Ohio, New Jersey, Colorado, Texas and Tennessee. Police in Denver and some other areas are investigating whether the fights were organized on social media.
NEW YORK -- An Uber driver who woke up to see his passenger leading police on a high-speed chase on a New York freeway is now suing that passenger for damages, according to the Daily Beast.

On April 2, Juan R. Carlos, 20, of the Bronx, hired Uber driver Corey Robinson, 43, to drive nearly 300 miles from Philadelphia to a college in Herkimer, N.Y. During the ride, Robinson asked Carlos to take the wheel of his 2016 Hyundai Sonata so he could sleep.

Juan R. Carlos

At about 5:35 p.m., State Police said they were monitoring traffic on Interstate 81 near the New York-Pennsylvania border when they spotted the car zooming by at 86 miles per hour, and tried to stop it.

At that point, the car sped up, and troopers lost sight of the vehicle.

At some point after the chase started, Robinson woke up and asked why Carlos was driving so fast. He said it was because police were chasing them. Robinson told him to pull over, but Carlos refused. It's unclear what happened next, but police found the car crashed into a guard rail in Colesville, N.Y.

Last week, Robinson sued Carlos and Uber, asking for an undisclosed sum, according to the Daily Beast. The news outlet quoted the lawsuit, in which Robinson accused Carlos of disregarding traffic laws, not applying the brakes and ignoring police sirens. It's not immediately clear why Uber is also a defendant except that Robinson accused both of negligence, the news outlet reported.

Robinson's attorneys are also employing the so-called Good Samaritan law, which aims to protect those who come to the aid of people in crisis from legal liability, according to the news outlet.

In this instance, according to the Daily Beast, Carlos acted as a Good Samaritan by taking the wheel from Robinson, but it's not clear from Robinson's attorney's comment to the outlet how that defense might help his client.

Both men were taken into custody, and taken to UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City. Robinson was released without charges, Carlos was charged with unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree, driving without a license and other traffic violations, police said.

Uber issued a statement at the time of the crash saying that both rider and driver had been suspended from using the service, and that the company was assisting authorities in their investigation.
French English

Paris, 28 December 2016

Bouygues press release



Bouygues completes capital increase reserved for employees





As announced in its press release of 21 November 2016, Bouygues today carried out a capital increase of 150 million, inclusive of share premium, as part of the Bouygues Confiance n8 employee share ownership plan.

The capital increase was reserved for employees of French companies belonging to the Group, effected via a dedicated mutual fund ("FCPE"), the units in which will be subject to a lock-up period of ten years except where early release is allowed under the law. As a result, 7,400,463 new shares were issued at a subscription price of 20.269.

Following the capital increase, the capital is made up of 354,519,253 shares with a nominal value of 1 each, equating to a total share capital of 354,519,253.

Press contact:

+33 (0)1 44 20 12 01 - presse@bouygues.com



Investor and analyst contact:

+33 (0)1 44 20 10 79 - investors@bouygues.com

www.bouygues.com
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until February 21, 2017 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS), if they purchased the Companys shares between February 26, 2015 and December 7, 2016, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.



What You May Do

If you purchased shares of Universal Health and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com). If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by February 21, 2017.

About the Lawsuit

Universal Health and certain executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to: (i) Universal Health admitted patients on its own financial considerations and not upon medical necessity; (ii) Universal Health kept patients admitted until their insurance payments ceased to ensure the maximum payment for services; (iii) as a result, Universal Healths revenues from inpatient care relied on unsustainable practices; (iv) Universal Health lacked effective internal control concerning its practices and policies of admitting patients. Therefore, Universal Healths public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
That Zadie Smith's 2000 debut novel White Teeth was primarily written around her finals and secured an advance of a quarter of a million pounds has become something of a stock fact where Smith is discussed. In a heady and optimistic 'Millenium moment'  one that seems very far away right now  she was hailed as the golden daughter of a modern, meritocratic, and multiracial Britain. Her writing was hailed as "post-imperial and post-racial": an epithet which manages to appear even more ridiculous today than it must have then

The symbol of a school building in North London which first appeared in White Teeth seems to represent the shifting contexts of Smith's career. In 2000, describing the school attended by the children protagonists, Smith wrote of a school full of "children with first and last names on a direct collision course" like "Quang O'Rourke" and best friends Sita "white (her mother liked the name)" and Sharon "Pakistani (her mother thought it best  less trouble)". Yet what could be the very same school stands, in her recent essay on Brexit, as a symbol of London's gentrification and division: a fence erected to keep out intruders and other pollution and better Ofsted ratings shrinking catchment areas.

Swing Time, Smith's fifth novel, returns, albeit in strikingly different form to the experimental nature of her last book, NW, to North West London, but it then moves further beyond it than any of Smith's novels, at least since On Beauty, to an unnamed African country. Just as it returns, in part, to familiar locations, the novel seems to return to familiar preoccupations: since White Teeth, which follows the changing fortunes of two North London families, the relationships between those hailing from the same corner of the metropolis have been a central concern. Swing Time, like NW, concerns itself with the changing relationship and diverging lives of two brown girls  the very people for whom the book was written, as Smith recently told a Cambridge audience. Their widely differentiating paths illustrate the powerful effects that seemingly subtle differences in class and race have in modern Britain, whilst their continuing, if strained, connection illustrates that peculiar strength of formative female friendships.

If familiar tropes of similarity and difference remain, Smiths treatment of some themes is more explicit than ever. Inequality and power are everywhere, in all their different but intertwined manifestations. Take, for example, the white pop star who effectively buys the child of parents from an undisclosed African country whose GDP is less than her net worth. Yet this white, ageing celebrity cannot, ultimately, convince Lamin, a man from the same village, to reciprocate her love. Swing Time is the first of Smiths novels to be written in the first person, yet, despite having her own voice, her unnamed protagonists story is so entirely moulded by others, as she confesses I never had any light of my own. I experienced myself as a kind of shadow. As with virtually all Smith's work the book combines a roaming scope with piercing social commentary.

Swing Time's publicity campaign has taken place amidst the fallout of both Brexit and Trump's election. Speaking in Cambridge last term Smith noted that she is often asked about 'multiculturalism' and its apparent failure. As she notes, "what's being said is that the conditions of your childhood were a kind of experiment, and it turns out it hasn't gone well, so we're going to revoke that."

Yet not only is London's multiculturalism not a failed experiment but London is more multicultural than ever: less than half of Londoners described themselves as white British in the 2011 census, a fact that we oughtnt lose sight of even in our post-23 June state. This means, really, that how we chose to frame our current state could not be more important. In Cambridge, Smith remarked that it would now be the duty of American writers not to 'normalise' the incoming Trump presidency but to hold it to the highest account. It might be said, too, that the the duty of liberal-leaning British writers in a post-Brexit world is not to normalise a narrow 'little England' understanding of our age but, rather, to champion an open and diverse account of our shared past and present.
A murder case in Bentonville, Arkansas could reveal just how much audio data is captured by Amazon's Echo speakers, and what role IoT devices can play in criminal investigations.

According to a report from The Information, the investigation revolves around James Andrew Bates, who was charged with first-degree murder after Victor Collins was found dead in Bates' hot tub on November 2015.

One of the several connected devices owned by Bates was an Amazon Echo smart speaker. Hoping that they could find some clues relating to the homicide, police issued Amazon with a warrant for any audio or records from the Echo.

Amazon says the Echo only starts recording when it hears certain wake words, but it's not uncommon for it to mishear things and accidentally begin recording.

However, as noted in the original affidavit for a search warrant (below), police Detective Corporal Josh Woodhams questions whether the Echo is recording audio even before it hears the wake word.

The Amazon Echo device is constantly listening for the "wake" command of "Alexa" or "Amazon," and records any command, inquiry, or verbal gesture given after that point, or possibly at all times without the "wake word" being issued, which is uploaded to Amazon.com's servers at a remote location. It is believed that these records are retained by Amazon.com and that they are evidence related to the case under investigation.

While Amazon did hand over Bates' account details and purchase information, it refused to pass on anything that the Echo logged on its servers. In a statement, the company said: "Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us. Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course."

The Echo isn't the only smart device police are using in the investigation. Engadget reports that Bates' water meter shows 140 gallons of water was used between 1AM and 3AM on the night of the murder. Allegedly to wash away evidence of the crime from the patio.

Bates' defense attorney, Kimberly Weber, doesn't believe our IoT products should be used against us in criminal cases. "You have an expectation of privacy in your home, and I have a big problem that law enforcement can use the technology that advances our quality of life against us," she said.

The case is due to go to trial early next year.
South Korea's antitrust regulator KFTC has fined Qualcomm 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for allegedly abusing its market dominance in wireless chips to force "excessive" licensing fees on smartphone makers. This marks the largest ever levied in the country, and could have wider ramifications considering patent licensing represents around 32 percent of the company's total revenue.

The three year investigation centers on complaints by local smartphone manufacturers that that Qualcomm charged them excessive royalties by calculating its licensing fees based on the total cost of a handset, rather than that of the chipset or other components in which its technology is embedded.

Furthermore, it reportedly forced handset makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips, while refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents related to modem chips to rival chipmakers such as Intel, Samsung Electronics and MediaTek.

Aside from a hefty fine, Qualcomm was ordered to negotiate in good faith with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset makers if requested.

KFTC Secretary General Shin Young-son stressed that the ruling was not about protecting domestic companies such as Samsung and LG, but about improving market competition for all players. Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's general counsel, thinks otherwise, noting that the KFTC refused to launch an investigation into Samsung after Apple lodged a complaint on a similar point.

Qualcomm will challenge the findings in court, though it will still have to pay the fine pending appeal.
Ever since Nokia's comeback to the smartphone market was confirmed, the rumor mill has been churning out information on the devices that the company will offer in 2017.

The latest news on Nokia's upcoming smartphones are leaked images that are allegedly sketches of the Nokia D1 and Nokia E1, which are rumored to be unveiled the first quarter next year.

Nokia D1, Nokia E1 Sketches

Nokia Power User reported the leaked sketches of the Nokia D1 and the Nokia E1, which were said to be coming from a reliable source that has been behind many leaks of Nokia and Microsoft prototypes.

A first glance at the two images shows that the Nokia D1 and the Nokia E1 have similar designs, with identical backs and multitasking buttons located on either side of the home button. The Nokia branding is also shown to be placed on the upper right corner of the smartphones.

However, a closer look reveals a few important differences between the two smartphones. For example, Nokia E1's home button looks like a capacitive circle, but for the Nokia D1, the home key is oval-shaped. This is because the Nokia D1's home button is said to also come with a fingerprint scanner function. There is no confirmation on whether the home buttons can be physically pressed by users, though.

It is also worth noting that the design of the Nokia D1's body features a bit more curves at its side compared to the Nokia E1. The position of the front LED flash is also different for the two devices.

In addition, the leak mentioned that the upcoming devices will have 5-inch and 5.5-inch variants. It is unclear whether this confirms previous rumors that the Nokia D1 will have two models, or if the Nokia D1 will come with a 5-inch screen and the Nokia E1 will have a 5.5-inch screen.

Other Nokia Smartphone Rumors

Earlier in December, it has been rumored that the Nokia D1C, which could also be the Nokia D1, would come with 5-inch and 5.5-inch variants, which coincides with the notes for the leak of sketches. The smaller variant is said to come with a price tag of $150, while the larger version is said to have a price tag of $200.

Details on the Nokia P flagship Android smartphone were also said to have leaked, with the device to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with 6 GB of RAM and a 23 MP rear-facing camera. The Nokia Z2 Plus was then discovered on Geekbench, sporting Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4 GB of RAM.

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transwestern Sustainability Services today announces it assisted the Kohler Signature Store by Expressions Home Gallery, a 2,822-square-foot retail space and headquarters, in earning LEED certification under v4 of the LEED for Interior Design + Construction rating system. Located at 3250 Helms Ave. in Culver City, California, the Kohler Signature Store is the first U.S. location and the 11th project in the world to be certified under the LEED v4 Interior Design + Construction: Retail rating system by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Kohler, Expressions Home Gallery and Transwestern Sustainability Services implemented a variety of improvements, including:

Reducing lighting power density while maintaining adequate lighting levels within the office space by installing no-mercury LED lamps and fixtures.

Connecting 36 percent of the lighting load to daylight controls and over 95 percent to occupancy controls.

Retrofitting base building plumbing fixtures to low-flow water closets, urinals and automatic lavatory faucets, resulting in a 36 percent decrease in potable water usage.

Functional testing of all energy systems in the project space to ensure they were installed, calibrated and performing to the owners project requirements, basis of design and construction documents.

Purchasing ENERGY STAR-rated products for over 96 percent of equipment and appliances used in the retail and office space.

As a proven leader in sustainability, it was no surprise that Kohler decided to pursue the more stringent certification utilizing the newest version of LEED for Commercial Interiors, said Allan Skodowski, senior vice president and director of LEED and sustainability at Transwestern. Kohler has once again raised the bar for the industry in obtaining the first ever LEED v4 ID+C: Retail certification in the U.S.

ABOUT TRANSWESTERN

Transwestern is a privately held real estate firm of collaborative entrepreneurs who deliver a higher level of personalized service  the Transwestern Experience. Specializing in Agency Leasing, Management, Tenant Advisory, Capital Markets, Research and Sustainability services, our fully integrated global enterprise adds value for investors, owners and occupiers of all commercial property types. We leverage market insights and operational expertise from members of the Transwestern family of companies specializing in development, real estate investment management and research. Based in Houston, Transwestern has 34 U.S. offices and assists clients through more than 180 offices in 37 countries as part of a strategic alliance with BNP Paribas Real Estate. Experience Extraordinary at transwestern.com and @Transwestern. For updates from the Sustainability team, follow @TWGreenBldgs.
The remaining population of the cheetah in the wild hints that the world's fastest mammal is heading toward extinction.

Only 7,100 Cheetahs Left In The Wild

A new study that looked into the number of the speedy big cat estimated that there are only 7,100 of these animals left in the wild. The findings prompted calls for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to re-categorize the species from vulnerable to endangered.

More than half of the surviving cheetahs in the world thrive in southern Africa as the cheetahs in Asia are already essentially gone and a group in Iran only numbers less than 50.

The current estimated number of cheetahs is based on data from experts in areas where these animals live and estimates for other areas.

Cheetah specialist Sarah Durant, from the Zoological Society of London, who is the lead author of the report that was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the number is currently the best estimate of the cheetah population globally.

"This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of cheetah status to date," Durant said. "It is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought."

Why Cheetahs Are In Trouble

Conservationists are faced with the challenges of protecting the cheetah because the animal ranges far beyond the protected areas.

The animal is among the widest-ranging carnivores roaming across areas of land far outside protected areas. About 77 percent of the habitats of cheetahs are outside parks and wild reserves, the study revealed, and this requires outreach to government and villages to promote tolerance for the meat-eating animal that sometimes hunt people's livestock.

Because farmers increasingly develop lands, cheetahs face habitat loss. They also face threats of attack from villagers as well as see decline in their prey because of bushmeat hunting.

The impact of the major changes in land tenure on the species is evident in Zimbabwe where the animal's population fell from around 1,200 to just 170 animals in just 16 years.

Other Threats Faced By Cheetahs

Despite their declining numbers, cheetah cubs are illegally traded. The young cats sell by as much as $10,000 each on the black market. About 85 percent of the 1,200 cheetah cubs that have been trafficked out of Africa over the past decade died during the journey. The animal is likewise threatened by trafficking of their skins and getting hit by vehicles.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Another Amazon-related incident has occurred in Arkansas, but this time, it involves a murder  and the authorities are targeting the defendant's Amazon Echo to solve it.

Solving A Murder With Alexa

Police in Arkansas want to obtain Amazon Echo data that could potentially aid a murder case. Authorities in Bentonville have already issued an official warrant behooving Amazon to provide them with audio or recordings from an Echo device belonging to James Andrew Bates.

Bates is set to face court next year for first-degree murder for Victor Collins' death, according to The Information.

Amazon Says Back Off

Amazon, however, is averse with letting the authorities obtain the data they need.

"Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us. Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course," a spokesperson told Engadget.

While it didn't serve police the Echo data logged on its servers, Amazon did provide Bates' account details and purchases. The police said that they were able to extract data off the device, though it's uncertain what they were able to uncover.

Always-On

Smart speakers such as the Echo, or Google Home, sport an always-on feature that lets it pick up commands at virtually any point in time. These devices respond to wake words, providing information upon hearing the so-called word. In Echo's case, voice commands are handled by the company's proprietary voice assistant Alexa, shooting back at queries only when prompted to do so. Despite this, it's not a rare occurrence for the device to be mistakenly activated. Presumably, the authorities are looking for audio records that Echo might have picked up the night of the incident.

Some of these voice commands aren't stored locally on the device, but are instead logged onto Amazon's servers.

Bates' Echo recordings have yet to be disclosed, but the device was reportedly tasked to play music the night of the murder. There's a slim chance that the device is storing evidence to help incriminate Bates, but nevertheless, the case raises a point: could always-on smart speakers or similar devices be used to testify against its owners? Moreover, how admissible could this data be in court proceedings?

A defendant could argue that data pulled from always-on devices are invalid, since their very nature of existence is without consent. Technology and the law hasn't always cooped up nicely in the past, especially when privacy is involved.

Just as the FBI's quest to unlock an iPhone as part of the San Bernardino case saw the Feds and Apple engage in a tug-o-war, this new incident with Amazon is no different, and it could probably be difficult for both to achieve a balance between keeping customers' privacy safe, and aiding the process of justice.

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Google has immediately taken steps to exclude neo-Nazi websites in its search results. This came after the company drew flak for allowing a white supremacist website to turn up on top of its search results alongside Jewish museums for specific queries involving the Holocaust.

The controversy began when a post published by an American alt-right website called Stormfront greeted users who searched for the query, "Did the Holocaust happen?" Its post, titled "Top 10 reasons why the Holocaust didn't happen" showed up in the first page of the Google search result.

Google Search Tweak

Google reportedly tweaked its search algorithm so that websites peddling hate and Holocaust denials are now prevented from popping up in the first pages of its search results.

The company told NBC that it has already made improvements and that its search algorithm is now able to provide better quality and credible content on the web. Google has also followed this up with a stronger statement, citing it will execute actions against non-authoritative information.

Unfortunately, Stormfront is still showing up for the Holocaust query as of this writing. The Google search captured in the image below has been conducted Dec. 28.

To be fair, Google has already stated that making changes to its search algorithm is challenging and that the company does not always get it right. It also stressed that the tweak is an ongoing process, requiring time to effectively tackle the challenge.

Promoted Search Results

However, one should note that Google can guarantee that a website turns up at the very top of its search results for specific queries. This is part of the company's advertising scheme wherein advertisers bid for the top position in Google search results.

For example, Breman Museum, the Jewish heritage museum based in Atlanta, has paid Google in order for its site to appear whenever users search for Holocaust denial keywords.

"Your business gets found by people on Google precisely when they're searching for the things that you offer," Google said in its Adwords page.

This does not mean that Google has received a fee from Stormfront. It merely shows that its advertising approach could demonstrate how easy it is to tweak the search algorithm so a website can appear or perhaps disappear in the coveted first search result pages.

When the Stormfront controversy first came to light, Google has refused to take any action, citing that it is committed to an open and free web. This is almost similar to the Facebook position regarding the proliferation of hoaxes and fake news in its network.

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Based on Samsung's staggered announcements, it appears that the South Korean company is going to inundate CES with a host of new products. After revealing fresh projects baked in its Creative Lab, it has now confirmed three more gadgets: the H7 Wireless Speaker, a new soundbar, and a UHD Blu-ray Player.

The trio is being touted as the future of audio on the strength of the so-called Ultra High Quality sound technology that can purportedly revolutionize the way we enjoy audio at home.

"Delivering clear, crisp, immersive sound is very important to Samsung, and we always strive to create new products that further complement the user experience," Jurak Choi, senior vice president at Samsung, said.

New H7 Wireless Speaker

From the get-go this device is not staking any claims to a smart title. The device is purely all about audio and is not outfitted with any smart assistant technology.

One should note that Samsung is long rumored to be developing its own smart assistant called Bixby, a potential rival to the Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa. This AI, which is said to have a female alter ego, will reportedly debut on the Galaxy S8, also at CES. Moreover, a Harman speaker is reportedly in the works and this company, which Samsung has recently acquired, will equip it with Microsoft's Cortana smart assistant.

That being said, Samsung seems intent to do away with the clutter, simply appealing to the base emotions of audiophiles through its technology that is expected to produce pure audio enjoyment.

The UHQ technology drives this goal through its capability to upscale audio sources to as high as a 32bit output. Samsung claims that this variable enables its H7 Wireless Speaker to deliver a rich and clear sound that can trounce HD's sound quality.

The wireless speaker will further enhance audio experience through what Samsung calls a "Distortion Cancelling" technology that can eliminate sound alterations. This is achieved through a proprietary audio algorithm that can predict speaker movements.

New Samsung Soundbar

Samsung seems to be angling to introduce another device in our list of the best soundbars to date. The company might just pull this off with the way it successfully embedded the subwoofer performance into the main unit, eliminating the need for separate components that could look messy for the design-conscious.

This approach allows the device to provide a clearer and more equalized bass. The soundbar is also quite portable and easy to set up. You can merely mount it on your TV or on the wall.

In terms of audio quality, consumers should be able to experience a more immersive sound especially when the device is paired with a television.

UHD Blu-ray Player

Simply put, this device is a video player on steroids, at least on paper. It packs tons of new features, which include smart functions such as the ability to modify audio and video settings on its own. Samsung is also touting its improved mobile device integration and it can seamlessly work with the Samsung UHD ecosystem if you are deeply invested in its products.

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Wildlife experts at the San Diego Zoo found that a rhinoceros under their care actually came very close to becoming part of a poacher's kill count long before they were able to rescue the poor animal in November 2015.

Jill Hampson, a mammal keeper at the zoo's Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center, discovered a small black object sticking out of a wound on a 3,000-pound rhinoceros named Wallis. She was giving the animal a presurgical examination when she spotted the mysterious object.

Hampson decided to ask Dr. Jim Oosterhuis, one of the San Diego Zoo's veterinarians, to have a look at Wallis's wound. They soon found that it was a fragment from a bullet that was stuck in the animal's flesh.

Oosterhuis proceeded to reach into the rhino's wound using his Leatherman tool, grab the black object, and pull it out. What came out was a large metal ring complete with jagged edges.

Mysterious Bullet Fragment

The bullet fragment pulled from Wallis seems to be that of a bullet jacket. This is the soft copper or brass coating applied to lead bullets to help them penetrate objects much easier.

According to Oosterhuis, the casing may have already been peeled away from the actual bullet after penetrating Wallis's thick skin and lodging itself under one of the animal's ribs. It was fortunate that the object wasn't able to puncture one of her lungs or go through her thoracic cavity, which holds many of her key organs.

While Oosterhuis believes that the lead bullet itself could still be inside Wallis's body, he hasn't seen any sign of further injury on the rhino linked to the object.

Animal caretakers at the San Diego Zoo have been trying to solve the mystery behind the wound on Wallis for more than a year now. They first noticed it when the rhino arrived at the park and even tried to treat it with saline solution and antibiotic ointments, but it still wouldn't heal.

Wallis's caretakers then speculated that the wound might have been from a bullet shot, especially since the animal was rescued from a region where many southern white rhinos have been shot by poachers before. Confirming their theory, however, wouldn't be an easy task.

Before opting to remove the object through surgery, Oosterhuis and Wallis's caretakers took every precautionary measure to make sure that it was indeed a bullet fragment and that no other non-invasive procedures was available.

Oosterhuis said the injury on Wallis is beginning to heal nicely following the removal of the fragment.

The San Diego Zoo is now planning to have the bullet fragment analyzed by forensic scientists before having it placed in an exhibit. The object is a reminder to the public about the dangers that wild animals such as rhinos face.

Once park officials determine what type of gun and caliber of bullet was used, it will hand over the information to officials from the South African reserve where the wounded rhino was rescued.

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China on Tuesday, Dec. 27, released a white paper on its planned space activities for the next five years. The paper, titled "China's Space Activities in 2016," revealed China's ambitious plans for deep space exploration, space science projects and human spaceflight.

China's ambitious plans include landing a probe on the far side of the moon in 2018 and launching a probe to planet Mars by 2020.

Why China Targets Another New Moon Landing

Although other countries and China itself have already landed a rover on the lunar surface, the country's planned lunar mission would be the first to explore the dark side of the moon.

Space security expert He Qisong, from the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said that the planned lunar mission shows that China has the required technology to land a probe on a particular area of the moon.

Mars Mission To Bring Back Samples From The Red Planet

As for the plan to launch the first Mars-bound probe by 2020, China said that it would explore and bring back samples from the red planet. The country hopes to conduct studies into major scientific questions which include the origin and evolution of the solar system and the search for alien life.

Much, however, is still unknown regarding the Mars mission. China has not yet released information on what the Mars probe would look like, how it will work and the date of the actual launch. The target year for the Mars mission though is 2020.

"The Chinese government takes the space industry as an important part of the nation's overall development strategy, and adheres to the principle of exploration and utilization of outer space for peaceful purposes," the white paper reads.

Impressive Strides In China's Space Program

Russia and the United States have more experience when it comes to manned space travel but China's space program has made strides in recent years. Its recent space missions show impressive developments in its space technology.

Last month two of its astronauts, Chen Dong and Jing Haipeng, returned from a month-long stay aboard China's Tiangong-2 experimental space station.

On Dec. 22, the country sent the satellite TanSat into space onboard the Long March-2D rocket. The satellite was designed to measure the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere that can help in scientific research.

The China Academy of Space Technology has also revealed it is working on a prototype of EmDrive space propulsion technology.

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The DuPage County Sheriff's Office will soon be equipped with EpiPens in its squad cars and first-aid kits, thanks to a donation from the Annie LeGere Foundation amounting to $40,000.

What Is An EpiPen?

The EpiPen is an auto-injector that contains a shot of epinephrine, a synthetic form of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the natural substance our body releases under stress. The EpiPen is used when the victim is struggling for breath during emergencies related to allergic reactions called anaphylaxis.

It is the only first-line treatment recommended for anaphylaxis. When a shot of EpiPen is administered during a life-threatening allergic attack, it helps in the tightening of blood vessels, which eventually increases the blood pressure, relaxes the lung muscles to control wheezing, and thereby improves breathing. It also increases the heart rate and minimizes hives and inflammation that may occur on the lips and face.

Annie LeGere's Death Is The Motivation Behind The Initiative

Annie LeGere was a 13-year-old girl who died of severe allergic reaction in August 2015. Annie was at a friend's house when she had a sudden allergic attack. Her mother Shelly reached her side to find her lying on the kitchen floor, not breathing.

"She was without oxygen for too long and her brain had irreversible damage," said Shelly. An emergency injection of epinephrine, like from the ">EpiPen, could have saved Annie. Since the officers on duty at that time didn't have one, Annie lost her life.

Shortly after Annie's demise, her parents started the Annie LeGere Foundation. In honor of Annie, the foundation donated $40,000 to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office on Dec. 27, to provide the department with 92 pens for its squad cars and first-aid kits. Annie's parents wanted to help people suffering from severe allergic reactions and prevent them from dying by providing the life-saving drug.

DuPage County Sheriff's Office To Be First To Allow Officers To Administer Epinephrine

Generally, police officers are not allowed to administer epinephrine even if they are the ones that reach the victim first in case of emergency. But earlier this year, Illinois lawmakers passed a measure - the Annie LeGere Law - that allows police officers to carry and use EpiPens in times of emergency.

Starting Jan. 1, 2017, the DuPage County sheriff's office will be the state's first office to permit officers to administer the drug.

Col. Frank Bibbiano revealed that the distribution of injectors in the office will start around the middle of January. The program includes training police officers on using the device.

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We May See Five Nokia Android Smartphones On Road In 2017 | TechTree.com

Almost every Nokia fan is waiting for its comeback into the smartphone scenario after almost a decade. Until now, we have come across rumours that three Nokia smartphones running on Android operating system may be unveiled during the MWC 2017, to be held in February.

However, now we have a rumour that suggests four more handsets to be launched during the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2017, according to a report published on Gadgets 360.

The report also quotes Digitimes citing about supply chain sources claiming these new models will be having display screens ranging from 5 inch to 5.7 inches. It is also being claimed that the resolution would be ranging from QHD to FHD.

Having said that, until now, only Nokia D1C rumours are widespread stating that it would show up at the MWC 2017. The smartphone that are rumoured now may come in addition to the already speculated ones like Nokia Pixel, Nokia D1C, and Nokia Z2 Plus, according to a post on BGR quoting GSMArena.

Also, reports state that Nokia D1C may come in two variants and it may turn out to be the most affordable of them all. One variant may feature a 5 inch HD display and another may come with a 5.5 inch HD display. Along with this, Nokia Pixel, which was recently spotted on Geekbench may come with premium features like 6 GB of RAM and 23 MP Carl Zeiss rear camera.

On the other hand, another smartphone Nokia Z2 Plus may be a mid-tier phone with 4 GB RAM and Snapdragon 820 quad core processor.

With all these rumours and leaks, we definitely know that HMD Global is trying its hard to bring back the lost Nokia into the smartphone category.

TAGS: Nokia
2016: The Year Of Tech Acquisitions | TechTree.com

2016 has been quite an interesting year for the tech world. The smartphone space was dominated by Apple and Samsung. In next-gen computers, Microsoft challenged Apple with its sleek Surface line-up. In gaming, despite new hardware from the Xbox camp, Sony continued to rule the segment. However, this year's biggest headlines were around acquisitions. Let us look at some of the biggest ones:





Microsoft - LinkedIn

In one of the biggest acquisitions in the industry, software-giant Microsoft bought LinkedIn for over $26 billion. The Redmond-based company thinks that LinkedIn's database of over 400 million professional profiles will be essential to integrate its Office productivity suite. The move will also make Microsoft the biggest HR in the world.







Samsung - Harman

In a surprise move, the South Korean tech giant Samsung acquired Harman International for $8 billion. Harman has over 30 million vehicles currently equipped with its connected car and audio systems. Hence, the move will help Samsung enter the connected car space. Samsung will also get to keep brands such as JBL, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, AKG, Lexicon, Infinity, and Revel.







Verizon - Yahoo!

one of the pioneers of the web sold off its core businesses to Verizon for a $5 billion. This seem like a paltry amount if considering that Yahoo! was valued at $125 billion in its hay days. Even in 2008, Microsoft had offered to buy the Internet company for S44.6 billion. However, a series of terrible decisions led to a massive drop in the company's value.







Fitbit - Pebble

Fitbit, known for its fitness-tracking wearables acquired the software assets from Pebble. The $40 million deal mainly focuses on Pebble's watch operating system and hiring the company's software engineers and testers. The Pebble hardware however, is not part of the deal. Pebble has been one of the most successful Kickstarter project. Thanks to its e-paper display technology that consumers less power, the Pebble watches have been quite popular.







Tesla - Solar City

When you are trying to sell a "green" electric car, a solar panel company is your best ally. In Tesla's case, that much-needed green energy company turned out to be Solar City. Elon Musk convinced the Tesla shareholders to approve the $2 billion deal to acquire the solar panel maker. Interestingly, Musk has stakes in both companies. So if Tesla bought Solar City for more than its worth, Musk ends up making more money.









TAGS: Microsoft, LinkedIn, FitBit, Tesla, Samsung, Solar City
CrackAdmission wrote:

Hi @laytonjacobs,



Trust you are doing well.



Thank you for sharing your profile.



I run an admission consulting firm  and based on my experience of working with applicants who got success with their McCombs applications, below is my feedback :

Your experience (both in terms of volume as well as diversity) is one of the highlights of your profile. You will need to showcase the value add you made in the niche Retirements Services industry and in an advisory role in an equity research firm. CFA degree further shows that you are passionate about finance and want to make a career out of it.



In lieu of your experience, you should portray your goals in the Financial Services industry, preferably in customer facing front end. You should refer to the following equation while narrating your short and long term goals :

X+Y=Z, where X : Your current Skill sets ; Z : Skill sets required as per your short term goal ; Y  Bridge/ gap that will be plugged by the MBA program.



GMAT : 680 is slightly on the lower side, and a score of 700 along with a compelling application will strengthen your application and make your candidature a competitive one.



Extra curricular : You seemed to have been involved in multiple initiatives. However, you will have to prudently chose only a few of them for highlighting such that the ad com doesnt get a false impression that you are all over the place. Alternatively, you should find a common theme / inspiration behind all your extra curricular involvements.



In fact, one of my clients from the Retirements Practice industry got into McCombs this year. Although, he was more from a technology background and ended up choosing another school over McCombs, I can definitely get you connected with him.





Cheers and Wish you the very best

AB

What if I don't want to work in finance anymore? I want to move into corporate strategy either via consulting or leadership development programs.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro assured on Thursday that the time has come for his country to return to the Andean Community of Nations with all the productive and commercial capacities... | Read More
A bit more than one-third of the roughly 4,000 Louisiana households eligible for help from the first batch of federal recovery aid for this year's catastrophic floods reside in East Baton Rouge Parish, state estimates show.

Meanwhile, hard-hit Livingston Parish has a 15 percent share of the eligible households, while Ascension Parish claims just 1.6 percent, the state's estimates say.

Two other parishes with extensive flooding, Lafayette and Tangipahoa, each have almost a 9 percent share of households eligible under the program, according to those estimates.

The restrictions on how the money can be spent, which mean most people affected by the floods are not eligible for assistance, are driving where the federal dollars will flow. But state officials note this is just the first round of funding, saying they hope the rules will loosen as more money becomes available.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has asked for nearly $4 billion to help Louisiana recover from the double-whammy of storms and floods that affected north and south Louisiana in 2016. But this fall state leaders and the state's congressional delegation were able to wring out just $437.8 million in what state officials have dubbed an initial "down payment."

On Friday, federal officials announced they had "released" another $1.25 billion to the state. But the state and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officials built the first version of the recovery "action plan" around the initial, limited allotment.

This meant the state had to set strict rules for how the money was spent. Among the requirements are that homes have "major" or "severe" damage as defined by FEMA, that applicants meet low-to-moderate income requirements, and the applicants are 62 or older or have disabilities. Most of the money in the program will be spent on rebuilding flooded homes.

Though estimates of damaged households vary, the total probably ranges between 90,000 and 100,000. With full funding, the state's plan would help 32,000 households overall. In contrast, the first round of funding helps a fraction of that number, about 4,000, state officials said.

"Because the amount of money that we have in this appropriation is an eighth of what we think that we need for the whole program, we have to set prioritization criteria, so we can get the money out and get to the place that it will have the most impact," Pat Forbes said during a public hearing on the proposed plan in Gonzales last week.

Forbes leads the state Office of Community Development, which will oversee the state recovery program that still needs HUD approval. Public comments on the plan, which is what the Dec. 20 hearing was for, end Jan. 3.

Along with the income and age restrictions on the initial plan, there are also rules that specify where the money can be spent. Homeowners can't have flood insurance and can't have homes in the most flood prone areas, known as the 100-year flood plain.

This floodplain standard affects the parishes differently because of how the August flood happened. The floodplain requirement cuts out about half of the flooded buildings in East Baton Rouge Parish, according to early city-parish estimates. The same rule cuts out the vast majority of homes in Ascension.

Ascension Parish government has found about 6,000 buildings flooded inside the 100-year floodplain and did not even count structures outside the floodplain. Separate estimates from the parish assessor suggest about 370 buildings flooded outside the floodplain.

The 100-year floodplain is the area that will receive water during a flood with a 1 percent chance of happening in a given year. The U.S. Geological Survey has said the August flood was a 100- to 500-year event. Typically, people within the floodplain are required to purchase flood insurance if they have a mortgage, while it is optional for those not in the floodplain.

Ascension Parish Council Chairman Randy Clouatre, who was a late appointee to the governor's Flood Recovery Task Force, said the low number of eligible Ascension homes is no surprise to him.

He said parish leaders and others are pushing to expand the eligibility for subsequent rounds of money, including for the additional $1.25 billion the state will get by the spring.

"We hope that we will have a heightened awareness of our local areas within those monies and how it's being distributed and some opportunities for people to apply for some more help," Clouatre said.

In the hearing Dec. 20, Forbes noted that while the state has built its plan around the first $437.8 million, once more money becomes available requirements could loosen and other programs could start, such as home buyouts.

He said that residents in the 100-year floodplain who meet the other criteria would be eligible if more money become available.

Another restriction is that HUD rules require that at least 80 percent of the recovery funding goes to the "most distressed" parishes as deemed through HUD's review of FEMA and other damage data. Along with East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes, the state's proposed plan also counts Ascension, Lafayette and Ouachita parishes as in that category for the two floods. While the August floods were concentrated in south Louisiana, the March flooding mostly hit the north part of the state. One exception was Tangipahoa Parish, which experienced widespread flooding in both disasters.

At the same time, while the plan could help people refurbish their homes and also includes money for rental housing and businesses, it may not go a long way to helping people elevate as many residents could end up being required to do.

Edwards and his task force have made the decision that they don't want to spend limited resources elevating individual homes because the money doesn't stretch enough for that often expensive project. Instead they will try to use future congressional allocations on infrastructure to help the entire flood plain and lower flooding levels more broadly, officials have said.

"What we don't want to do is spend money, when we have this limited resource, rehabilitating a home and then come tear it down and buy somebody out and move them out of the floodplain later," Forbes said.

He said in a later interview that Edwards is seeking $600 million for infrastructure in a third round of funding that the state and its delegation will pursue next year.

Even if more dollars do become available for the program, Forbes said it is unlikely that it will ever grow large enough to be able to help homeowners with flood insurance.
A 33-year-old Baton Rouge man is under indictment in the Dec. 23 shooting death of another man on Education Street.
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Thousands of Louisiana residents with mental illnesses are being unnecessarily housed in nursing homes, deprived of independent living and cut off from their friends and families, because the state has failed to provide them with more humane options, according to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Justice Department's investigation, which spanned more than two years and was detailed in a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards this month, found that some 4,000 people with serious mental illnesses are cooped up in costly nursing homes in Louisiana. These people are often much younger and physically healthier than the typical elderly nursing home resident and have no clear path to regaining independence. They also receive minimal mental health services at the nursing facility, the report said.

The report concluded that Louisiana is in violation of state and federal laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, that require states to provide options other than institutionalization to people with disabilities. Chiefly, the state should be improving access to "community-based services," which allow people to be treated in their own homes, often at a lower cost than nursing homes. The Justice Department estimated that the state is spending as much as $7,000 more per person, per year, to treat a mentally ill person in a nursing home instead of in his or her community.

"Louisiana's unnecessary reliance on nursing facilities violates the civil rights of people with serious mental illness," the report said. "By contrast, community integration will permit the State to support these individuals in settings appropriate to their needs and in a cost-effective manner."

Report: Louisiana earns poor rating for mental health care access, but new approach coming The national Mental Health Associations 2015 report lists Louisiana as one of the states wi

The reason so many mentally ill people end up in nursing homes is because the state lacks an adequate supply of community-based services to treat people in their own homes. Louisiana also does not identify people with mental illnesses, once they're in the facilities, to inform them of their options and plan for a transition back to their homes, the report stated.

The Justice Department reported that 14.5 percent of people in Louisiana nursing homes have a serious mental illness, which is among the highest percentages in the nation. At least eight unnamed nursing homes in Louisiana had such high populations of mentally ill patients that people in the community identified them as psychiatric facilities instead of nursing homes, the report said.

Many of the patients interviewed over the course of the investigation told the Justice Department they hoped to be able to leave, and at least two people said they felt like "prisoners."

Remarkably, the report found that some of the people staying at the nursing homes were fairly healthy mentally and physically.

"One woman with serious mental illness experienced a crisis after the death of a family member, leading to her nursing facility admission. Four years later and still in her fifties, she remained in the nursing facility, despite needing minimal physical and psychiatric care," the report said. "She longed to go home saying, 'I would like to be normal, complete, whole again -- like I used to be.'"

In a emailed statement, Louisiana Nursing Home Association executive director Mark Berger said he had not yet fully reviewed the data to support the Justice Department's findings, which made responding to the allegations difficult. But he said the association would be working with the state to improve mental health outcomes.

"The report mentions hundreds of instances where Louisiana's nursing facilities successfully discharged residents into the community," he said. "It is important to note that nursing facility residents are voluntarily admitted and are free to leave the facility except in the rare case of a court order."

Louisiana currently offers a variety of community-based programs for the mentally ill, such as housing assistance, crisis intervention services and at-home primary health care services. But the report said there aren't enough of these resources available.

Many of the people with mental illnesses who end up at the nursing homes come from private psychiatric hospitals, where they are admitted for acute care after a crisis. State hospitals were another source, discharging 153 people with serious mental illnesses directly into nursing homes, between 2010 and 2014.

"One man's journey into the nursing facility began when he had a mental health crisis a few years ago and repeatedly called 911 about his blood pressure. Instead of connecting him to community treatment services, he was charged with abusing 911, sent to jail, and then admitted to a State hospital," the report said, adding that the man was eventually discharged to a nursing home.

"Six years later, the man, who is in his sixties, remains in the same nursing facility, even though he wants to return to the community and could do so with proper physical and psychiatric supports. This man's story is not unique."

Lafayette theater shooting provokes talk about Louisiana mental health treatment and oversight Matthew Milam told his parents he would kill himself. He dug a shallow grave in his backyard

A spokesman for the governor referred questions to the Louisiana Department of Health.

"Creating a full continuum of care that includes both inpatient care and home and community-based care for people with mental illnesses has been a long-standing challenge in Louisiana that has spanned multiple administrations," said LDH spokeswoman Kelly Zimmerman in a statement. "We will review the Department of Justice's recommendations and will work with stakeholders and legislators to determine the best path forward."

In 2012, under Gov. Bobby Jindal, the state outsourced its public behavioral health services to Magellan Healthcare Inc., a managed care firm, in an effort to improve access to community-based mental health services. But in December 2015, the state reversed course and moved those services to its existing Medicaid managed care program, Healthy Louisiana, formerly Bayou Health. Nursing homes and long term care were exempt from managed care.

Magellan Health laying off 80 in Baton Rouge Magellan Health said it will lay off 80 workers at its care management center in Baton Rouge

The Justice Department said in its report that if the state declines to enter into negotiations with the federal government to achieve compliance, or if negotiations are unsuccessful, the government may file suit.
Students from the Buckingham Friends School outside Philadelphia wave to Galvez Middle School students via a Skype video call in December. The Pennsylvania school sent new books to Louisiana school after this summers flood.
Report: One arrested after manhunt off Burbank Drive; another suspect still on run
A baby girl who was born and abandoned in the restroom of a New Roads Walmart on Friday continues to improve at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, according to New Roads Police Chief Kevin McDonald.

"Her condition has gotten a little bit better," McDonald said Tuesday, adding that she has been taken off of a breathing machine. McDonald said a detective visited the hospital Monday night.

The baby is being called Olivia after firefighters and hospital workers came up with the name when the infant arrived at Pointe Coupee General Hospital Friday night. She was taken there after someone discovered her in a restroom trash can sometime after 8 p.m., when the baby was only about six hours old.

Kyandrea Thomas, 34, is accused of delivering the baby and then leaving her behind in the restroom. Authorities located Thomas, of Baker, at a Zachary hospital and took her to the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Thomas was transferred Tuesday to Pointe Coupee Parish jail and booked on one count of attempted second-degree murder. According to a report from WBRZ, Thomas told investigators she didn't know she was pregnant.

In 2011, Thomas was sentenced to 10,000 hours of community service and five years probation after pleading guilty to negligent homicide in the 2009 death of a 3-year-old girl left inside a hot day care center van. Thomas was an aide at Wanda's Kids World on Brady Street, which is no longer in operation.

From 2011: Kyandrea Thomas, woman who allegedly dumped newborn at Walmart, guilty in death of 3-year-old The mother of a 3-year-old girl who died after being left inside a day care center van for n

The baby, who is currently in state custody, will next face a continued custody hearing to determine if Baby Olivia will stay in state custody, be given to parents or another suitable individual, said Catherine Heitman, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.

The hearing will happen soon, as Louisiana law dictates that after an incident there should be a hearing within three days, or as close as possible to that, said Linda Carter, area director for child welfare in the Baton Rouge region.

"Our goal is to find a safe home for the child, whether that be a foster parent or a relative," Carter said, commenting generally on custody cases and not specifically on Baby Olivia's case. "Our first goal is to work with parents for reunification."

Baby Olivia was not left in a way that allows the Safe Haven law to apply.

Infants can be relinquished anonymously to designated Safe Haven facilities like police and fire stations and hospitals and are taken to the nearest medical facility for evaluation. DCFS will then locate a family to care for the baby in the meantime as caseworkers search for a permanent adoptive family, according to the department's website.

According to Department of Child and Family Services statistics, 45 infants have been safely relinquished to the state through the Safe Haven law since 2004. Any parent who gives up a child in this way would not face criminal charges as long as the baby doesn't show signs of abuse or neglect.
If you're wondering who your state legislators are, a quick Google search can satisfy your curiosity. A more interesting question is whether those same people will represent you by the time 2017 winds down.

Stephanie Grace: Saturday election could topple some political dominoes With the exception of the Baton Rouge mayor's race and the 3rd Congressional District contes

For a sense of what could be coming, consider what happened in 2016 to one large delegation, Jefferson Parish's. Less than a year after the start of their new four-year terms, three of the parish's 12 House members quit, Bryan Adams and Joe Lopinto to take non-elected jobs and Tom Willmott to join the Kenner City Council. Adams' and Lopinto's replacements were elected without opposition, even though open legislative seats in the past have attracted large fields of contenders, which just added to the sense that the job's not so desirable anymore.

Upcoming elections could produce still more turnover. New Orleans municipal contests are attracting widespread early interest from the city's legislative veterans, although it's too soon to say who'll actually run. More than a few legislators are eying the state treasurer's office, now that John Kennedy is heading to the U.S. Senate. Others may make like Adams and Lopinto and simply walk away.

It's not hard to see why.

Historically, state legislative seats have been appealing entry-level offices for those with larger ambitions. The list of high-profile leaders who put in time in the state Capitol includes Gov. John Bel Edwards, U.S. Sens. David Vitter and Bill Cassidy, U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise and Cedric Richmond, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Baton Rouge's outgoing and incoming mayors, Kip Holden and Sharon Weston Broome.

Lately, though, the job has become a pretty tough slog. The budget news is so bad that it's hard to give constituents anything they want, or to avoid voting for fiscally responsible but politically painful service cuts and tax increases. This past year featured two long special sessions on top of the regular session, and at least one special session is likely in 2017.

That means lawmakers are spending more time away from jobs and families, and coming home with less to show for it. And while there's at least some hope they'll tackle budget reform this year and set the state on a more sustainable path, the situation is certainly not going to improve in the short term.

It's no wonder the exit sign lights seems to be burning awfully bright these days.
Where are they now? Catching up on people, pets and projects from 2016
The Scottish government has added to concerns being voiced about Macquarie Bank potentially "asset stripping" Britain's prized Green Investment Bank if the Australian investment bank is successful in acquiring the bank, possibly as early as next month.

The Scottish government's Cabinet Secretary for Economy Jobs and Fair Work Keith Brown has written to the UK government, warning that privatising the bank "may result in an asset stripping exercise."

Macquarie Bank is causing alarm in Britain over its proposed takeover of the UK's Green Investment Bank. Credit:Grant Turner

His concerns mean serving and former MPs from five political parties have sounded alarm at the prospect of the so-called "Millionaires Factory" taking over the Green Bank.

Although Mr Brown's statement does not mention Macquarie Bank by name, it is the only serious contender to buy up the 2 billion ($3.4 billion) bank.
He and a colleague, Tung-Mow Yan, developed the Drell-Yan Process, which describes the effects of a quark in one particle colliding with an antiquark in a second particle. It has become part of the framework of particle physics. "Drell's theoretical work was very critical in setting SLAC on the course that it took," Stanford physicist and Nobel laureate Burton Richter said in a statement. "As head of the SLAC theory group, Drell brought to us a whole host of a younger generation of theoretical physicists who began creating the present picture we have of the structure of matter." In addition to his scientific work at SLAC, Drell was co-director of the Stanford Center for International Security and Arms Control (now the Center for International Security and Cooperation). It followed an interdisciplinary approach in proposing solutions to worldwide problems through science, diplomacy, economics and other fields. When Stanford refused to grant tenure to scholars in the program, Drell abruptly resigned in 1988, leading to the departure of several notable figures at the center, including astronaut and physicist Sally Ride. Since 1960, Drell was a fixture in an elite group of scientists known as "Jason" (after Jason and the Argonauts of Greek myth), who act as advisers to military and intelligence experts on sensitive issues of national security. He had been a consultant to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency since 1961.

"One gets a feeling, with a few people sitting around a table, that one is being heard," Drell told the San Jose Mercury News in 1996, describing his interactions with high-echelon officials. "They come at you with all the questions and concerns and then have to go think about it." Long known as a proponent of arms control, Drell led a study that determined that the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons could be maintained without underground tests. He was a persuasive behind-the-scenes voice in high-level discussions that led to the 1996 signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits global testing of nuclear devices in the Earth's atmosphere. In the 1970s and 1980s, Drell was a leading public supporter of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his work on nuclear disarmament and human rights. For years, Sakharov was forced to live in internal exile in the Soviet Union and was not allowed to leave the country. Drell's efforts on Sakharov's behalf were credited with helping win the activist's freedom not long before his death in 1989. Sidney David Drell was born Sept. 13, 1926, in Atlantic City. His father was a pharmacist, his mother a schoolteacher. Both were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.

As a student at Princeton University during World War II, Drell was hospitalised for several months with a ruptured appendix and peritonitis that disqualified him from military service. He graduated from Princeton in 1946, then went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for graduate work in physics, receiving a master's degree in 1947 and a doctorate in 1949. He had faculty assignments at Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before settling permanently at Stanford in 1956. He published several textbooks on physics and was the co-author of other books about Sakharov and nuclear deterrence. He received a MacArthur fellowship in 1984 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was a past president of the American Physical Society. In 2013, he received the National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony. Drell was prominently featured in "The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb," a 2012 book by journalist Philip Taubman. In 2006, Drell teamed with former secretary of state George P. Shultz to launch a program at Stanford's Hoover Institution dedicated to freeing the world of nuclear weapons. They published several books together.
Bob Hawke believes he has the recipe to fix the nation: think big, get better candidates, abolish state governments and use "rational, unemotional thinking" to solve issues for the greater good.

The former prime minister  who won four elections and is considered one of the nation's most popular leaders  used what has become his regular address at Queensland's Woodford Folk Festival to once again push for a federation overhaul.

Bob Hawke, pictured at a previous event, said there were too many career politicians in office. Credit:Andrew Meares

It's one of Mr Hawke's pet issues  having first made the argument in a 1979 Boyer lecture  and he said the time had come to "think big" and reform the nation's political set-up for the good of the country.

"What we have today  as I have said before  basically represents the meanderings of British explorers across the Australian continent more than 200 years ago," he said.
"What makes these honeys really interesting is that they can kill superbugs, like Golden Staph. Superbugs are bacteria that can cause life-threatening infections and are resistant to most of the antibiotics that we have available to us currently.

"We've been interested in the medicinal properties of Leptospermum [i.e. manuka-type] honeys for a while now," said UTS' Dr Nural Cokcetin, the lead author of the study, published in PLOS ONE.

The research found that wounds treated with UMF 20 honey daily for as little as 12 days healed faster than wounds treated with regular honey and untreated wounds. Credit:Stocksy

New research suggests that Australian manuka honey has the same, if not greater antibacterial properties as the famed New Zealand version and may serve as an antidote to superbugs.

"Although all honeys have some level of antibacterial activity, some honeys that are made from the nectar of Leptospermum plants have a very potent activity that we don't see in other types of honey."

While Cokcetin says researchers knew about the antimicrobial properties in certain types of honey, Australian manuka has not been extensively studied (surprising perhaps given that we have more than 80 Leptospermum species while New Zealand has just one).

For the first time, we know the Australian species have antimicrobial properties to rival those of New Zealand.

"We also show that the antibacterial activity of Australian manuka honey is long-lasting [for several years], which is in contrast to conventional antibiotics," Cokcetin says. "This has benefits for extending the shelf life of medical honey products and makes them not only an effective but also an economical treatment option for skin infections and wounds."

This is significant, Cokcetin says, as researchers look at ways to combat the "global crisis of antibiotic resistance [when bacteria become resistant to the killing effects of antibiotics, i.e. become 'superbugs', and we can no longer clear infections with the antibiotics we have currently available to us]".
"Normal practice is that we call on train crew to assist with working on rostered days off, we have not called in people from their annual leave," Mr Benstead. "We have additional train crew right at this moment in dealing with a safety net in case of unplanned leave. I cannot guarantee that people won't ring in sick, I cannot guarantee that, but I can tell you we have contingencies plans in place." But Mr Benstead could not say exactly how many staff members were on standby. "That continues to grow because there are train crew that are willing to work on New Year's Eve to assist Queensland Rail in delivering services to our customers," he said. "That changes on a regular basis and is increasing as we are here today."

When asked again how many crew would be on standby on New Year's Eve, Mr Benstead started to say, "In excess..." but then stopped and said: "I don't want to commit to a particular number because that changes as I say on a regular basis". "At this time, I can assure you, that we have the train crew required to deliver the services as timetabled and those timetable arrangements can be found in the journey planner," Mr Benstead said. On Tuesday, he said he was "confident" there were plans in place to deliver services for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but did not want to "guarantee". There will be free transport on buses, trains and ferries from 8.45pm on New Year's Eve until 5.30am on New Year's Day. There will be fewer train services available this New Year's Eve, compared with the previous year.

"If you take in total the number of services across the whole of the day, there will be less compared to last year because we're running a summer timetable in the non-special event part of the time of the day, there are lesser services," Mr Hinchliffe said. Mr Hinchliffe said a decision was made not to run "contra-services", where for example, if a train goes to Beenleigh, in previous years it would run back from Beenleigh stopping at every station on the way back, whereas this year, the trains will be stabled at Beenleigh and remain there until the morning. Mr Benstead, who is filling in while acting chief executive officer Neil Scales is on holidays, also said he was "not going to commit to running a timetable to the minute" on New Year's Eve. "I want to ensure that train services are supporting the demand at the time to ensure that we safely and securely move people out of this special event and onto their next area of celebration or back to their home," Mr Benstead said. Earlier, acting Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the report into cancellations on Christmas Day, due by the end of the week, should be made public.

"The report in relation to Christmas Day is important to nearly every south-east Queensland train commuter," Ms Frecklington said. "These are the people that want to catch the trains for New Year's as well. "Whatever the debacle was on Christmas Day, it shouldn't be repeated again on New Year's Day or New Year's Eve. "We need to make sure that whatever went on on Christmas Day is public so we can assess it and certainly let the commuters of Queensland know what went wrong." Mr Hinchliffe said once he had a chance to look at the report and had "digested" and understood it, he would decide which information was appropriate to be made public.

"I'd be very happy to make as much information as is suitable and appropriate to be made available," he said. Ms Frecklington criticised Mr Hinchliffe for not briefing Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who was on holidays, about the cancellations on Christmas Day. "I don't know what's more concerning, that this minister didn't even bother to pick up the phone and tell the premier, or the fact that the Premier doesn't care enough to pick up the phone and talk to this minister about this train debacle," Ms Frecklington said. Opposition Transport spokesman Andrew Powell said Mr Hinchliffe could not guarantee trains would turn up on time on New Year's Eve during a 27-minute press conference on Tuesday. "If the minister can't give an assurance in a 27 minute-long interview that we're not going to have a repeat on New Year's Eve of what we had on Christmas Day, then no crisis meeting occurring today is going to fix that," Mr Powell said.

The LNP repeated calls for Mr Hinchliffe to resign or be sacked. "We have a minister whose position is untenable," Mr Powell said. Mr Powell pointed out that stores, police stations and hospitals managed their rosters over the Christmas period. Loading "What's wrong with Queensland Rail that they can't achieve the same?" he said.
Noted coot, Buffalo real estate rich guy, and gubernatorial also-ran Carl Paladino momentarily regained a place in the public eye during the presidential race as New York co-chair of Donald Trump's campaign. Then, with the exception of a visit to Trump Tower, Paladino returned to the relative obscurity of the Buffalo school board. Until, that is, a local alt weekly called Artvoice sent around a questionnaire to prominent local figures. For weekly papers, these kinds of end-of-year form letters to local bigwigs are a handy way to pad the pages during the holidays, when staffers are out of town and not much is happening news-wise.

But in response to questions about what he would most like to happen in 2017 and who he would like to see go away, Paladino wrote:

1. Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford. He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarret, who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her. 2. Michelle Obama. Id like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.



Artvoice published the response (and for some reason, buried it) on December 23rd, and the outcry was immediate. Speaking to reporters the same day, Paladino was unrepentant.

"A little bit of humor, old-style humor is good," he told the assembled news crews. "Deprecating humor, yeah, it's the appropriate time. It's the appropriate time to say goodbye to a couple of people."

He continued:

Goodbye Barack, Goodbye, Michelle. The woman who hated America, and then stuck around for all the bennies[?], and then at the end she says she's lost hope. America has no hope, it's the end. Well, Michelle go pack your bags and go over to Zimbabwe and go over there. Okay? And I just happened to pick a country. But from my perspective, it's time that these things were said. And I say it with all sincerity, and I also say it with a little bit of humor. If people don't like it, that's just too bad. I don't care.

Yesterday, four days later, Paladino's unapologetic, just-so-happens-to-be-racist racism was national news and pressure was mounting for the school board to remove him. So he wrote a non-apology apology to Artvoice, including a curveball variation on the "I was hacked" defense.

Paladino writes, "I never intended to hurt the minority community who I spent years trying to help out of the cycle of poverty in our inner cities. To them I apologize." Okay, sorry if you were offended, and I'm a great white savior, got it. Paladino goes on to lash out at Obama, "a traitor to American values," as well as the school board, the teachers union, and "those timid souls who sit unbloodied in the gallery always prepared to criticize."

Then, towards the end, he offers this:

I publicly took responsibility for what I said and confirmed those were my answers, but believe it or not, I did not mean to send those answers to Artvoice. Not that it makes any difference because what I wrote was inappropriate under any circumstance. I filled out the survey to send to a couple friends and forwarded it to them not realizing that I didnt hit forward I hit reply. All men make mistakes. What is horrible is explaining to my 17 year old daughter how her hero could be so stupid.

Paladino apparently considered another tack in a partial response to the New York Times. As the paper recounts:

After his statement was published by WBEN, a Buffalo radio station, on its website, The New York Times contacted Mr. Paladino, who said he would send a reporter the statement. Instead, he forwarded what appeared to be part of a different statement. It picked up in the middle of a thought, and took to task the pathetic heathens it said had criticized him, including Mr. Cuomo and the president of the Buffalo school board, Barbara Seals Nevergold. Mr. Paladino said that statement was a draft written by his brother-in-law, which he did not intend to send.

But wait, why give this bigoted Buffalonian any oxygen for his toxic views and bizarre rationalizations, you might ask. Well, dear reader, just six years ago, he was the New York Republican Party's candidate for governor, more recently he was a prominent surrogate for Trump's campaign, and he is now an adviser to Trump as part of the transition process. The Washington Post reports that Paladino visited Trump Tower as recently as December 5th, telling reporters afterwards, "We're friends. The meeting was good."

I don't think Mr. Trump particularly cares what I have to say," Paladino told the paper. "He knows me. I was active with him, and I still am active with him."

We have reached out to the Trump team for comment, but given that we have never heard back from them about any previous request, we don't have high hopes here.
A rescue operation has been under way for more than five hours to extract a man from a popular rock climbing destination in Victoria's west.

The 27-year-old had been on Mount Arapiles with another climber when he fell 10 metres down a cliff, sustaining possible back and ankle injuries.

Mt. Arapiles is a popular destination for rock climbers, located near Natimuk in Victoria's west. Credit:Tourism Victoria

Seven Country Fire Authority vehicles, two State Emergency Services trucks and two Ambulance Victoria vehicles have been dispatched to the site, as part of the joint rescue operation.

Victoria Police and Parks Victoria are also at the scene.
Two teenagers have been arrested after a delivery driver was allegedly attacked and thrown from a moving car during a terrifying robbery in Melbourne's east on Tuesday morning.

Matthew Baldyga told radio station 3AW he was delivering stock to a Bayswater KFC about 5.45am when three carloads of youths pulled up next to his delivery van.

Police arrested two teenagers after the incident. Credit:Paul Rovere

One of the youths allegedly broke into the van and stole Mr Baldyga's phone, wallet and work bag.

The delivery driver reached into the offender's car in a desperate attempt to retrieve his belongings. However, the car allegedly sped off with Mr Baldyga's arm still inside the vehicle.
Have you been to Ramat Shlomo? I have.

Depending on your politics, Ramat Shlomo is either a dull, ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in the north of Jerusalem, the eternal, undivided capital of Israel; or a settlement in Occupied Palestine, deemed illegal this week by a 14-0 vote of the United Nations Security Council (which had said the same thing in 1980) with a surprise U.S. abstention, rather than veto.

The truth about places like Ramat Shlomoand the now-dashed political consensus about themis somewhere in between these poles. But while the reality of the Middle East is complex and nuanced, the rhetoric and politics around it are anything but. The new winners of this game are those who paint in broad, Manichean strokes: the boycott/divestment/sanctions (BDS) movement and their dance partners on the Jewish nationalist right. The biggest losers are everyone else.

Ramat Shlomo is a microcosm of the whole mess.

Legally, Israel did formally annex the eastern parts of Jerusalem after conquering them in the 1967 War, and that war was a pre-emptive strike against Arab neighbors who were openly promising Israels destruction and amassing the forces to carry it out. However, the UN doesnt recognize pre-emptive strikes as defensive; therefore, Israel started the Six-Day War; therefore, east(ern) Jerusalem is occupied territory; therefore, Ramat Shlomotogether with all Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, even in most of the Old Cityviolates international law.

Geographically, Ramat Shlomo is part-settlement, part-neighborhood. Several miles north of Jerusalem proper, it abuts the Palestinian neighborhood and refugee camp of Shuafat, and is across a deep valley from what were formerly the northernmost suburbs of the city. Now, its part of a chain of settlements/neighborhoodsPisgat Zeev, Neve Yaakovthat stretches most of the way to Ramallah. The local buses go there, the light rail goes nearby, but its nowhere near the Old City, or the Knesset, or anything recognizable as Jerusalem.

So, somewhere in between.

That legal and geographical middle ground used to be where international political consensus also resided. Israel proper is legitimate, but colonizing the West Bank is not. Some settlements, like Ramat Shlomo, will be incorporated into Israel as part of a final status agreement, while some more remote ones will not. There must be two states for two peoples, with some agreement on compensation for refugees, and some suburb of Jerusalem made the Palestinian capital. Both Palestinians and Israelis have blown several chances for peace, with cowardly leaders on both sides caving into nationalist pressures. Nobel Prizes notwithstanding, there are no Nelson Mandelas, or even F.W. DeKlerks, left at this negotiating table.

That centerwhere the two-state solution is the only path forward and where positions flow from reason, rather than ideology and military mightis soon to disintegrate.

The Obama administrations decision not to veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334 last week must be seen in the context of the Trump election and the appointment of one the leaders of the settlement project, David Friedman, as ambassador to Israel.

It is clear that the next four years will see a very different American policy in the region: no longer honest broker, but staunch advocate for Israels right-wing fringe, a collection of extremist settlers underwritten by American Jewish and Christian Zionist donors. So, as Obama goes out the door, he chooses to step back and let the Security Council vote 14-0 to censure the same settlement project that Friedman (and Jared Kushner) has helped underwrite.

The two-state solution, in other words, has now shifted from the centrist consensus to the liberal opposition. And the opposition starts nowopposing any actions that make it less likely, and recording, for at least one moment, the former consensus of the worlds leaders that building settlements is one of those actions.

But this weeks vote is the last gasp of that consensus. And with it gone, centrist organizations like J Street, and two-stater, pro-Israel, pro-peace Jewish pundits like Peter Beinart, Jeffrey Goldberg, and myself, have no ground left to stand on. At least not in the short term.

J Streets theory of change was that if the U.S. government wouldnt write Israel a blank check, then Israels leaders would have at least some greater incentive to negotiate the deal that we all know is necessary for justice and peace. But now, with an incoming administration further to the extremist right than any in American history, that strategy hasnt got a prayer. Were donefor four years, anyway.

So whats left? For Americans who care about this issue, the hard right and the hard left.

On the right, the self-appointed leaders of the Jewish establishment are apoplectic. Youd think that the neo-Nazis were Obamas supporters rather than Trumps.

To this establishment, the non-veto proves Obama hated Israel all along. You can almost hear them saying: We told you so!

Never mind the $38 billion, 10-year aid package that the administration just put together, the largest in American-Israeli history. Never mind that the Reagan administration abstained from far more UN resolutions critical of Israel (seven) than Obama (one). Never mind that, in fact, the settlements threaten Israels long-term viability, since they pave the road to apartheid, in which a minority rules over a second-class majority. (They are also phenomenally expensive.) Never mind the unprecedented insults that Israeli leaders have hurled at President Obama, treating him like a mere occupant of the White House, rather than the president of the United States.

Never mind all that, the right says. Obama is anti-Israel. And if you support him, you must be anti-Semitic.

On the left, the coming administration could leave BDSthe movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israelas perhaps the only realistic strategy to oppose settlements and the occupation in general. If liberal Zionists have no one in the administration who will listen to them, then many will surely turn to BDS, which at least offers some coherent pathway to a Palestinian state. (Or a binational one, as many of the movements leaders actually want.) Thats more than any liberal Zionist policy of engagement can reasonably promise. Engage with whom, exactly?

In a sense, American Jews are like those centrist voters in the 2016 election who were caught between two options they dont like. (Profoundly uncomfortable is how the left-leaning former head of the Union Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, put it.) They can sign on to the nationalism, Orthodox religious dominance, and occasional abject racism of the right. Or they can put up with the inflammatory rhetoric, naivete, and occasional abject anti-Semitism of the BDS-led left. The idea of boycotting Israel may be nausea-inducing. But at least the BDS camp offers some hope for a two-state solution, and justice for 6.3 million Palestinians.

Moreover, BDS may be rapidly becoming the default political position of many of the young, Bernie Left. Ironically, it is not the position of one of that factions leaders, Rep. Keith Ellison, who has said some anti-Israel things over the years but has a very strong pro-Israel voting record (and opposition to BDS). But it is temperamentally where the Bernie wing of the Democratic Party resides. Despite the often hysterical efforts of right-wing billionaires to keep their children away from it, BDS isnt totally treyf anymore.

Then again, the Bernie wing is not the only wing. The Democrats still have security hawks, who find BDS too oppositional, BDSs leaders too unreliable, and the idea of sanctioning Israel too extreme. And Democrats still command the votes of 80 percent of American Jews, some of whom will indeed vote Republican if Israel becomes a partisan issue or the BDS crowd becomes too prominent a liberal trope.

Likewise, Republicans have their cooler heads as well, though one wonders how many times Defense Secretary nominee James Mad Dog Mattis is supposed to be the only grownup in the room. If he even gets confirmed, that isMattis, after all, said that Israeli policies are often inimical to American ones, and that settlements are leading Israel to apartheid.

Could the Obama team have forestalled this schism by vetoing the UNSC resolution as usual? No. It was coming anyway, with the election of Trump/Kushner/Friedman. And, if nothing else, Benjamin Netanyahus Trump-like pathetic tantrumpersonal invective against Obama, ridiculous counteractions against every country who voted for the resolution, summoning ambassadors to appear on Christmasconfirms what progressives have said about him for years: that he was never going to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, that he is a weak leader who rules (like Trump) on the basis of demagoguery and grandstanding. Great. We told you so.

Ironically, the vanished centrist consensustwo states, security and justice concerns accommodatedis still what a majority of Israeli voters choose every time they go to the polls, and is the position of the vast majority of Israels defense and intelligence establishments. But what do they know, compared to angry American Jews in Riverdale, zealous Christian Zionists in Topeka, and David Friedman, an ideologue with no diplomatic or political expertise? In the new normal, experts are always wrong.

Editors Note: Rabbi Eric Yoffie is the former head of the Union for Reform Judaism. An earlier version of this report said he was the head of the Reform Movement.
Horse shit is serious business in one Amish community.

Two members of an conservative Amish sect have filed a civil suit against the city of Auburn, Kentucky, saying that a new ordinance regarding horse diapers violates their religious freedom. The plaintiffs, Dan Mast and Emanuel Miller, say the ordinance was specifically intended to target members of their religious group.

Officials say the Amish leave behind horse manure throughout town, which poses a health concern out in the streets. The citys mayor even reportedly claimed that a child slipped in the manure and fell on his way to school. But the Amish say the law was intended to target them for their religious beliefs and that they clean up just fine without the diapers.

Because the Amish dont use modern technology like cars, they largely travel by horse and buggy or, as the lawsuit states, are forced to travel on foot. Mast has already been prosecuted for violating the ordinance (he was fined $193 in 2015), while Miller says he inevitably will be because he keeps driving his horse and buggy in Auburn.

But this lawsuit is just the latest installment in a decade-long drama that began when the Old Order Swartzentruber Amish, a conservative sect, settled in Auburn in the mid-2000s.

The city council first flagged the manure problem in 2007, and Auburns mayor asked the Amish to start attaching the diapers to their horses. They refused on the grounds it would infringe upon their free exercise of religion. The council considered amending the existing dog-waste ordinance to include horse manurewhich they suggested was a health issue rather than being purely aesthetic.

The specific purpose of the Ordinance was to target the Amish so that they could be criminally prosecuted for refusing to use equine diapers, the lawsuit alleges, noting that only Amish horses came up in discussions of the law. The Swartzentruber Amish, including Plaintiffs, carry shovels with them to provide an effective means of waste removal without having to affix and equine diaper to their horses.

But Mayor Mike Hughes insisted that the ban was nothing personal in an interview with local radio station WKU.

Theyre our neighbors, I buy my produce from [Dan Masts father] and his wife. Theyve been in my home to discuss this issue, Ive been in their home to discuss this issue, Hughes said . Weve been trying to handle it locally inside of Auburn for years and not come to writing citations that were enforceable here in the county court system. Unfortunately, its come to this and we had to move to this point, something we tried to avoid for many, many years.

The so-called equine diaper is a contraption that wraps around the horses body and hind legs, and has a receptacle to catch any manure dropped along the way.

The provision was finally added in 2014, but not before the Amish took a vote to decide that they wouldnt allow diapers. According to the lawsuit, the matter was settled by the groups elders in consultation with members and neighboring Amish communities, and added to their Ordnung, or set of rules.

Plaintiffs could not, and cannot, change the Ordnung; they are bound to follow it as a matter of their religious faith, the lawsuit contends.

If the plaintiffs were to obey the law by diapering their horses, the lawsuit claims they would be shunned by their community.

But the plaintiffs are in a special bind: Their literalist Amish religious beliefs also prohibit them from paying fines. So when Mast, one of the plaintiffs, was found guilty by a jury in May 2015 and ordered to pay $193, he refused.

Mast served 10 days in jail instead.

[H]e was exposed to offensive language and conduct, and was photographed, all of which is generally frowned upon by the Amish community as a matter of religious principle, the lawsuit adds.

His father wound up in jail for 20 days over a similar violation. The lawsuit alleges that there are 27 other active cases against Amish men for violating the law, and that all the citations were issued by the same police chief.

Auburn isnt the only city to have such a problem: Lawmakers in Selma, Alabama, passed a similar ordinance in 2013, but it is widely ignored . And Selma doesnt have an Amish population that claims its being targeted because its beliefs are out of step with modernity.

A similar lawsuit was filed in Auburn in November, but even that is hard for the Amish to accomplish. And Dan Masts brother, John, was found not guilty in a surprise jury verdict in January. His only defense was that he felt discriminated against.
A Wisconsin mans fatal beating was captured on his own Snapchat when an alleged killer used his cellphone to record his final moments.

Milwaukee police say 20-year-old Delvin Mendoza-Chaparros brutal death was recorded on videos posted to his Snapchat account, hours before his body was discovered behind a garage on Dec. 19.

According to investigators, his attackers were punishing him for a seemingly minor crime: stealing a bong and marijuana pipe from a womans apartment.

As Mendoza-Chaparro begged them to stop, the alleged ringleader, who recorded himself on the victims cellphone, referred to himself as Superman.

You know who this is, this Superman, the suspect taunted. Dont ever come into the crib and steal, bitch.

Last week, three people were charged with first-degree reckless homicide in connection to Mendoza-Chaparros death. Sarah Zakzesky, 20, and brothers Devin Katzfey and Branden, 20 and 19, respectively, face up to 60 years behind bars.

But police wouldnt collar their lead suspect, Devin Katzfey, until Monday. Before his arrest, the victims mother pleaded for him to come forward to police.

He needs to turn himself in. Thats the best he could do. My son did not deserve to die this way. This will be the worst Christmas of my life. I have nothing to celebrate, Iris Chaparro told Fox6 last week through a translator.

Court papers reveal a disturbing set of allegations against the trio of suspects, who police say turned on Mendoza-Chaparro after a night of smoking weed.

The morning of Dec. 19, Mendoza-Chaparro was discovered behind a garage, lying on his back and wearing a blue Marquette University sweatshirt but no socks or shoes. An autopsy later revealed his cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries of the head.

A neighbor, who discovered Mendoza-Chaparros body, described the victims injuries in an interview with WISN.

His whole face was swollen up, his lips was swollen, his hands were taken off. A piece of his hand was taken off and so it was real bad, Milwaukee resident Samuel Wilson said. To see something like that, somebody just murdered and left for trash.

Three videos were posted to the victims Snapchat account showing his demise, leaving behind graphic evidence that helped make a case against his alleged killers, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County.

In the first video, the perp recorded a closeup of Mendoza-Chaparros battered face as he lay on his back inside a residence then zoomed out to show the victims Marquette shirt. He appeared to still be alive, as a voice warned, You got knocked the fuck out bitch. Dont ever come and steal.

You know who this is, this Superman, the voice continued, and flashed a tattoo-covered fist. Dont ever come into the crib and steal, bitch. He concluded, This your Snapchat too nigga. (Prosecutors say Superman is Devin Katzfey.)

A second clip begins with Mendoza-Chaparro lying on his side near a doorway in what appears to be an apartment, with blood pouring from his face and mouth, court papers allege. He again wore the Marquette shirt but no pantsonly underwear.

Thats what happen when you fight a nigga like me, Katzfey allegedly stated.

The perp then turned the camera on himself using the reverse-video option, showing his neck and upper body tattoos in a move perhaps indicating that he didnt expect to be a future suspect. You hear me, thats what happens when you try to steal, he said.

The third video begins where the second left off. The victim tries to get up, but Katzfey kicks him down to the ground, the complaint states.

Investigators traced Katzfeys Facebook account to an associated Instagram user, SupermanX74, which at press time appeared to be changed to superman_dlk.

Meanwhile, Zakzeskys own statement to police painted a sordid picture of the early morning hours before Mendoza-Chaparros death.

She indicated the victim came to her Rogers Street apartment after she was smoking some bowls of marijuana with her roommate and the Katzfey brothers. She was very high and passed out before Mendoza-Chaparro arrived, she claimed.

Zakzesky told cops Branden Katzfey woke her in the middle of the night for a blowjob, according to the complaint, and after they had sex in the bathroom, she noticed Mendoza-Chaparro sleeping on her living room floor. She told police it was around 2:30 a.m. and she went back to bed.

But at 9 a.m., Zakzesky was woken up again by Devin Katzfey, who informed her that the victim tried to steal a bong, a pipe, and other items he saw in the victims coat.

She told police she watched as Devin Katzfey dragged a sleeping Mendoza-Chaparro to the kitchen by his feet and launched into the deadly beatdown. The victim repeatedly claimed he didnt steal anything while Katzfey allegedly punched and kicked his face and head about 25 times, the complaint says.

Moments later, Branden Katzfey joined his brother and began hitting the victim in the face five times, while he was already knocked out and on his back, according to Zakzeskys account to police.

Then Zakzesky allegedly admitted to punching Mendoza-Chaparros face and kicking him three times because she was angry that he was stealing from her, the complaint says. She told police the beating lasted 10 to 15 minutes, and that she heard the victim begging for them to stop.

Mendoza-Chaparro didnt even [have] a chance to raise his fists and fight man to man, Zakzesky told investigators, adding that Devin Katzfey recorded the victim on his own Snapchat account.

For his part Branden Katzfey told detectives that the morning after their party, his brother was upset at the victim for stealing.

Branden Katzfey joined in the assault after noticing Mendoza-Chaparro stole his phone, according to a criminal complaint. He allegedly told cops that Mendoza-Chaparro tried to stand up at one point but, according Zakzesky smashed [his] head into a counter.

The creep allegedly took the vile attack a step further, telling police he urinated on Mendoza-Chaparro while he lay near a litter box. He claimed his brother, Devin Katzfey, forced the victim to eat cat litter and feces from the box, the complaint alleges.

Branden Katzfey then stated his brother came up with a plan to remove Mendoza-Chaparro from the apartment and that Zakzesky followed along.

In her own statements to police, Zakzesky said she saw Mendoza-Chaparro try to get up twice but he stumbled over, so she fetched a car and Devin Katzfey put the victim in the back seat and hopped in next to him.

She heard heavy breathing coming from Mendoza-Chaparro, who she said wasnt speaking and appeared to be unconscious and slumped over in the back seat, court papers allege.

Zakzesky and Devin Katzfey drove the victim about three and a half blocks away before dumping him behind a garage, near some garbage cans. She allegedly pleaded for Katzfey to take Mendoza-Chaparro to the hospital but he refused.

Zakzesky admitted that at no time could the victim stand up, that he could not sit up and that he was not conscious, the complaint says. She further agreed that it was cold enough that someone could freeze to death.

When asked what she thought would happen when they left him there she said she did not know. When asked if she thought the victim had enough energy to crawl to one of the neighbors houses she indicated no, prosecutors concluded.

Branden Katzfey also did nothing to aid the mortally wounded victim. He allegedly told authorities he didnt call police because he was scared and believed Mendoza-Chaparro deserved it for stealing, prosecutors said.

Attorneys for Zakzesky and Branden Katzfey did not return messages left by The Daily Beast on Tuesday. An attorney for Devin Katzfey could not be reached.

Friends took to social media to mourn Mendoza-Chaparro and to defend him against people saying he deserved his fate for using drugs.

He was a good person. A great person. He just got mixed in with the wrong [people], one woman wrote on Facebook.

This isnt Devin Katzfeys first brush with the law, court records show.

He was charged in October with two counts of criminal trespass to a dwelling, a misdemeanor case that is still pending.

In September 2014, he pleaded guilty to manufacturing/delivering THC. Months later, he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as an adjudged delinquent. He was released from prison in July of 2016 on extended supervision.
CALABAR, Nigeria  They were popular on Instagram because they are shaped similarly to Kim Kardashian, whom many Nigerians greatly admire. And like Kim, they can credit a sex tape with elevating their fame. But these two sisters living in Nigerias commercial capital of Lagos allegedly used their sex tapes with the countrys elite for blackmail.

According to reports in Nigeria, Jyoti Matharoo and her sister, Kiran, both from Toronto, were apprehended by security officials after trying to extort money from a Nigerian billionaire.

Officials accused both sisters of threatening oil magnate Femi Otedola, asking the 54-year-old tycoon to hand over money or else they would post a video of him cheating on his wife to a sex-scandal website that they created.

Otedula is one of Nigerias richest men, worth a reported $1.8 billion.

The Matharoo sisters reportedly used their website to blackmail wealthy people with accusations of cheating and patronizing prostitutes.

According to Politics Nigeria, it was also discovered that the girls recorded conversations and sex romps with their rich clients which comprise of politicians, club owners and businessmen.

After the acts, they approach their victims through a third party, threatening them to pay thousands of dollars or risk the release of the recordings/pictures/videos online through their website Naijagistlive.

The sisters were caught with a laptop that contained names of men they had successfully collected money from and videos of them having sex with rich and influential Nigerians.

But luck ran out on them when they targeted Otedola.

The soft-spoken businessman hired investigators to probe the sisters background after they threatened to post his sex tape, and then filed a complaint to authorities against them.

The police traced the girls through one Babatunde Oyebode, who is in charge of upgrading the website to prevent it from being shot down by hackers, according to one report, which said

Oyebode was picked up by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) during a third attempt to extort a businessman in Lagos.

After shaking down their target for thousands of dollars, Oyebode continued to demand more money, threatening that he had more to reveal. His victim played along. And when Oyebode tried to withdraw cash paid into his Nigerian account, he was picked up by the police.

Email correspondence between him and a woman, presumably one of the Toronto sisters, revealed that Paypal was one medium the syndicate used to receive the cash theyd demand.

They both had conversations about victims that had paid and those that had not, and the amount to be paid for any story to be removed from the website. Huge sums of money were paid by victims to take down embarrassing contents.

According to court documents posted on Politics Nigeria, the girls have been responsible for the humiliation and cyber-bullying of some 274 persons, mostly based in regions of Africa.

The sisters pleaded not guilty to all charges when they were arraigned in Yaba Magistrate Court in Lagos Friday. Both will remain in prison until their next appearance on January 27.

The two had previously signed a confessional statement on Dec. 20, admitting to a number of the claims being made against them by Otedola, apologizing to the mogul and agreeing to leave the country after their trial.
In the controversial true crime book Fatal Vision, author Joe McGinniss writes of his anguish over realizing his subject, Jeffrey MacDonald, was guilty, and whether he could continue with the project. I wanted very much for it to be over, McGinniss writes. I still do. But by now I have come to accept that it is not over for menor anyone else whose life has been touched by the tragedy of the MacDonald murders or by the seductive and destructive personality of Jeffrey MacDonald.

Fatal Vision was published in 1983. MacDonald sued McGinniss in 1984 for breach of contract. In 1990, Janet Malcolm published The Journalist and the Murderer, which originated as a series of essays for The New Yorker on the legal battle between McGinniss and MacDonald. The opening sentence of the book reads: Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.

On November 15, 1959, four members of the Clutter Family, a well-respected farm family who lived in Holcomb, Kansas, were brutally murdered in the middle of the night. Truman Capote, at home in New York, read about the murders in a brief report in The New York Times. Though he initially traveled to Holcomb to write a piece for The New Yorker, it was obvious to Capote by the time he arrived that there was enough material for an entire book. Today, In Cold Blood is the most famous true crime novel ever written. Capotes record has entirely eclipsed the crime itself. If you search for Clutter murders, youll get the Wikipedia page for In Cold Blood.

Legend has it that Capote (and his companion Nell Harper Lee) took over 8,000 pages of notes in their research for the book. Lee traveled with Capote to help him interview the localsthe idea being that Lee, a woman from small town Alabama, was a less threatening presence than Capote, an eccentric, gay celebrity writer.

Most of these notes, many of which Lee probably transcribed on a typewriter for Capote, rest in the Truman Capote collection at the New York Public Library. There are mountains of notebooks, hotel stationery, even napkins on which Capote scribbled his observations on the town, its people, and the murders themselves. He even sketched jurors during selection, perhaps to remember who was who, and made sure to get a copy of Nancy Clutters recipe for cherry pie. He also kept track of the case through every single mention of it in the local papers. The day on which the murderers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were apprehended is labeled in Capotes childlike scrawl: Red Letter Day.

The NYPL smartly photographed and converted these paper archives into microfiche some time ago. I can confirm that it is no legend that copious notes were takenI scanned through them myself. I was in the library basement for five hours, and I barely cracked the tip of the iceberg. I noticed that as early as a few days after his arrival in Holcomb, Capote had already started writing vignettes, or scenes that would later appear, mostly in full, in the finished book. For instance: the scene in which we visit the funeral home to see the four bodies, their heads encased in thick cotton. One touching aspect of the archive is Capotes reliance on photographsone notebooks first page is simply an image of Herb and Bonnie Clutter, with no corresponding notes, as if he wanted to remind himself of the crimes very real victims.

After In Cold Blood was published in 1966, it became an incredible success. To date, the book is second only in true crime sales to Vincent Bugliosis Helter Skelter. Critics swooned, and there was talk of a Pulitzer Prize. The film version was on the table as early as 1960, long before the book was finished. It was made in 1967, and received four Academy Award nominations.

But not all was positive. Soon after the books publication, accusations concerning its validity began and never really stopped: in ways big and small, Capote was accused of embellishing and stretching the truth, creating scenes out of convenience to make a good story even better. When veteran true crime writer Jack Olsen claimed it was all a ploy to make money, Capote replied, Jack Olsen is just jealous.

As that Janet Malcolm quotation indicates, the truth was more complicated. In Cold Blood reads like a novel, leaving readers to wonder over the legitimacy of the events it portrays. One notorious example is the scene when Herb Clutter feeds an apple to his horse, surveying his land the day of his murder. With no one else to witness this, how did Capote write this scene? After surveying the frankly insane research that Capote did to write this bookincluding many interviews with those who knew the Clutters, with peripheral townspeople who were shocked by their murders, and with the police who worked the caseits easy to see how Capote wrote this scene. I have no doubt that Herb Clutter walked to the barn that morning and fed his horse that exact apple.

The larger question, rather than his fictionalization of the story, is Capotes own intimate involvement with the killers. Not one but two films have been made about the creation of In Cold Blood and its effect on Capotes reputation and his mental health. Capote (2005), starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, assumes that Capote worked to secure better lawyers for both Perry and Dick, and that Capote was particularly close to Perry, who he identified with as an outsider. (For the record, theres no evidence that Capote ever spent much time with Perry alone, or that he tried to get them better lawyers, as the film portrays.) This is perhaps what Janet Malcolm is calling Joe McGinniss out for when she says that what journalists do is morally indefensiblethat journalists must ingratiate themselves with their subjects, gain their trust, only to turn around and do what journalists do: tell the truth.

Malcolm assumes that McGinniss thought MacDonald was guilty from the beginning of their relationship, and to have acted otherwise to gain his trust was ethically wrong. After reading Fatal Vision several times, I believe McGinniss when he writes he did not think MacDonald was guilty when he was hired to write the book. He claims that during the process of getting to know MacDonald, and being presented with the evidence against him during the trial, he came to the realization that he had in fact killed his wife and two young daughters. This change of heart seems perfectly logical. Capotes situation is different. From the beginning, he knew that Perry and Dick had killed all four members of the Clutter family. They had confessed to the crime. But Capote still needed their goodwill, and ultimately, their friendship, to write about their motivation and to finish his book. Its also worth pointing out that McGinniss, at the time he wrote Fatal Vision, was an established journalist who wrote nonfiction. Capote was a celebrated writer ... of fiction.

Capote enjoyed a solid relationship with Alvin Dewey, the KBI investigator who ran the case, and his wife and children. He relied heavily on the Deweys for information regarding the case after he had left Kansas. On October 10, 1960, he wrote them from Switzerland, Question for Foxy [Capotes nickname for Alvin Dewey], who found Nancys wristwatch in her shoe, Beverly, or Eveanna? It was an intimate friendshipCapote even gave Deweys teenage son advice and feedback on his fiction writing, and a list of reading to do, including The Catcher in the Rye, but alerting him to check with his parents first.

The problem for Capote was that while the first three sections of the book had come pouring out, thanks to his copious notes and research and the huge help of Harper Lee, the fourth and final section was basically impossible to write, given that Perry and Dick were still awaiting appeal. Three execution dates passed ... Capote waited in agony, always having to tell his publisher and The New Yorker to wait for the case to be finished.

My only regret is that I have spent $8,000 on research, which I will not be able to recover, he wrote his friend Donald Windham as early as October 1960. But I shall go right on with the book, regardless: I suppose it sounds pretentious, but I feel a great obligation to write it, even though the material leaves me increasingly limp and numb, and well, horrifiedI have such awful dreams every night. I dont know now how I could have ever felt so callous and objectiveas I did in the beginning. The book would not be finished for another six years.

By this time, Capote already struggled with substance abuse. His overall health was not good. He wrote Marie Dewey about his constant weight fluctuation, and once, during the course of their correspondence, he had a cancer scare. He suffered from terrible pain from a crushed nerve in his back. Doctors recommended he stop smoking, but then he drank excessively. I drink by the gallon, he wrote Cecil Beaton, and my finances are not in very good shape at the moment.

All the while, Dick and Perry languished in prison, hopeful that one of their appeals would result in a new trial. Perry wrote Truman long letters in elegant cursive script. Capote replied to one, including a capsule biography, signing off I do not mind telling you anything. But as he wrote to Alvin and Marie Dewey, the reality of the situation was clear: Every morning of my life I throw up because of the tensions created by the writing of this book. One cable sent to a friend on January 19, 1965 has fingers crossed that the execution will be carried out. The next letter, sent just five days later, on January 24, makes many apologies to Perry that the appeal has been denied. This two-faced back and forth between writing letters of support to the doomed murderers while at the same time praying that they would be executed as soon as possible, must have been a sort of agonizing emotional game of Russian Roulette.

Finally, on April 14, 1965, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were executed, six years after the murders. Capote wrote to Cecil Beaton: Perry and Dick were executed last Tuesday. I was there because they wanted me to be. It was a terrible experience. Something I will never really get over.

This letter proved to be prophetic. When Capote finally finished In Cold Blood, it launched him into literary superstardom. He became friendly with Lee Radziwill, sister to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Katherine Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post. He launched his extravagant and cliquish Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel. He did little writing. A screenplay for a film adaptation of The Great Gatsby was rejected. His long-time relationship with Jack Dunphy faltered. He entered into a dysfunctional relationship with a married father of four. In the 70s, his eccentric behavior became a staple of the talk show circuit. By the 80s, he had basically become a recluse. He died, from complications due to alcoholism, at the home of his friend Joanne Carson. He was one month shy of his 60th birthday.

In the years before his death, he often remarked on the enormous damage In Cold Blood had inflicted on his mental and physical health. No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me, he said. It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. Did he feel this way because what he had done was morally indefensible?

By nature, true crime books are complex. One only has to look at the controversy surrounding Netflixs Making of a Murderer to know that what a writer (or showrunner) chooses to include or not to include will come back to haunt him or her. How many of us watched the show, certain of Steven Averys innocence, only to read the many subsequent articles that claimed to present the real truth? In Cold Blood captures why true crime is still so appealing. Its not the truth of the matter so much as it is the story of the crime, and the story of the people who lived it. Confronting the fact that people are capable of these horrifying crimes is a difficult pill to swallowperhaps even more devastating to those writers who must confront these so-called monsters face-to-face and find that they are in fact human, just like everyone else. What could be more terrifying?

In the end, Capotes masterpiece ultimately destroyed him. But it remains a masterpiece. Its difficult to imagine the immense popularity of true crime classics like Helter Skelter or Fatal Vision without In Cold Bloodor even Erik Larsons Devil in the White City, not to mention true crime series like Serial, Making a Murderer, or The Staircase. William Shawn, then editor of The New Yorker, sent Capote a telegram in 1963 upon reading the third part of the book. A masterpiece stop A work of art stop people will be reading two hundred years from today. Theres still a ways to go, but surely Capote would be happy to know the first 50 years are in the bag.
BAGHDADA nameless Iraqi colonel brought in a broken man in bright yellow prison garb, wearing dusty flip flops and a weeks growth of beard below a long nose, with dull eyes that had given up all hope and defiance.

The colonel leaned the prisoner against a wall, facing in my direction. His hands were cuffed behind his back, beneath the words Iraqi Correctional Facility in Arabic. He was only maybe 10 feet from me.

He was an ISIS battalion commander, until he was caught in a raid south of Baghdad four months ago.

They say he refused to speak for four days, after a police raid captured him in his home, among his wife and five children. Then they showed him the evidence they had that convinced an Iraqi judge to issue an arrest warrant: photos of him and tape-recordings of his phone calls, ordering his followers to attack.

He was brought here to this nameless facility, and then brought late at night from his cell to this large un-heated conference room in a nondescript Iraqi government building Id been driven to after 10 p.m. It was the first day I arrived back in Baghdad.

They brought him here to answer my questions, because they knew the last time Id been here able to report on my own was in 2006, before a car bomb by ISIS-precursor al Qaeda of Iraq had hit my CBS News team. Lost in the blast: Army Capt. James Alex Funkhouser, his Iraqi translator Sam, and CBS News cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan.

I didnt know this was going to happen. All I knew was Id had three hours of sleep before flying into Baghdad this very morning, and this was my fifth meeting of a long day. I was being taken to interview Iraqi counterterrorism officials, that much I knew. My cellphones were confiscated as we drove onto a sprawling, darkened, and mostly empty police base on a Thursday night ahead of the traditional Muslim Friday off, leaving me wondering what I was about to see.

We drove through a maze of blast walls before reaching the inner compoundthe usual series of unimaginative, boxlike government buildings typical in Iraq. At the front door emblazoned with a sign urging officials to report corruption, I met a series of Iraqi officers who explained that they are among the main forces tasked with mapping, and dismantling, the so-called Islamic State in Iraq. (I was later told who they were, and where I was, but agreed not to publish those details.)

We penetrated ISIS with operations so sophisticated the CIA could not conduct them, said one of the senior officials, describing the hunt for intelligence key to capturing commanders like the one I was about to meet.

Our first source was their women, he bragged. We were able to reach the senior leadership of ISIS through their wives, who gave us information willingly and are now leading free lives.

I asked, how did you reach them?

How did you find us? He laughed in reply. I was to get no more details about the wives-turned-vengeful-Mata Haris.

To break the ice with this all-male Iraqi cadre, Id pulled out a book Id written long ago about the 2006 attack, with photos of the bombs aftermath and my extensive injuries. It made an impression.

About five minutes into my questioning, they looked at each other and said, do you want to meet one?

One what? I asked.

So now I had this former senior ISIS commander practically cowering against the wall, treated as a harmless afterthought as the men joked with each other around the table, as if theyd forgotten he was there.

He just waited.

The assembled counterterrorist professionals were debating whether I should be allowed to take his picture. They called a supervisor. It turned out he wasnt yet convicted, so under their laws, couldnt yet be photographed. This debate happened without my participation.

Then they uncuffed his hands and pulled them to the front and cuffed them again, and sat him down in a chair facing me.

Then they said, OK, you can ask whatever you want.

I started simple. Whats your name? It was relayed by my interpreter, who once conducted such interrogations for the U.S. military, so he quickly fell into a familiar pattern.

The prisoner quietly said his name was Abu Taha, father of Tahaa nom de guerre delivered by rote.

Whats your real name?

Malik Khamis Habib, came the quiet reply, no fight in his voice. Information came slowly, frequently interrupted by the triumphant counterterrorist officials displaying their beaten quarry.

I interrupted as politely as I could and asked if the prisoner could answer me directly. The prisoner was looking at me now.

Hed completed industrial studies, and had a government job. He thought he was 45 or 46. He could remember the year but not the month he was born. He was from a small village that didnt keep track of needless details like that.

But he remembered the exact ages of his five childrenchildren he said he hadnt been able to see since his arrest13, 11, 9, 5, and 3.

His wife is 40, named Nadia. She'd been allowed to visit him twice, and write letters delivered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, he said.

She was angry with him. She blamed him. He said she didnt know he was a member of ISIS. He said he didnt know how she would take care of his children. ISIS has an office that pays a stipend to families of the captured or dead, but he insisted shed been paid nothing. The Iraqi officials did not believe him. The officials added that he was lucky he got visits at all because under Iraqi law, terrorists had no rights.

Why did you join ISIS? I asked.

Someone from my neighborhood came to me. He explained we must make a change, that Shias were hurting Sunnis.

Did you ever know a Sunni personally who was hurt by a Shia Muslim, I asked?

No. Just rumors, he admitted.

He was a member of the group for four years, working his way up from rank-and-file operator to his areas battalion commander, commanding some 44 men. They didnt behead, he said. They built improvised explosive devices to plant in roads to hit security forces.

And sometimes civilians, he added.

How many did you kill, I asked.

Forty, maybe 50, he said. Dozens and dozens, said the counterterrorist officials.

Did you see what happened after the bombs went off? How did you feel? I asked.

I dont know, he said, looking at the floor again.

Who built the bombs, I asked. Outsiders? Or Iraqis?

Iraqis, he said.

My translator pushed him to explain his role in dispatching car bombs. He later told me this brought back some bad memories for him, too. Sporting a 101st Airborne sweatshirt and reciting proudly the designation of the 3rd Infantry Division unit hed also served, he explained hed lost five U.S. battle buddies in a car bomb that hit his team years earlier. Hed been thrown 50 feet, escaping with a concussion, broken bones, and the sadness of a survivor. He knew this prisoner had dispatched such car bombs against Iraqis, and he too wanted to know why.

What do you want me to say, the prisoner asked. I destroyed myself. I destroyed my family.

Why did others join, I asked?

Some people want to fight the state. Some people want money, he said. ISIS pays fairly well, or it used to, before the two-year-long Iraqi and coalition counteroffensive began to peel back territory and squeeze the group.

Do you think you will ever leave here, I asked.

I dont know.

How do you feel about what you did?

I gave all the information I had to the authorities, but I still feel guilty.

He didnt have a lot of information to offer. He knew who his districts prince was, who ran four local battalionsincluding the one the prisoner commanded. But thats about it. ISIS designs it that way so penetrating one cell doesnt expose the whole network.

I wanted to ask if hed been tortured. What else could so flatten a soul as his seemed crushed? But he would surely lie and say no, if it was true, or say yes, shaming the kangaroo court around him and surely leading to more torture. I thought of something else to ask.

Do you have a message for Americans?

Yes, he says, with the first sign of independence and a sense of purpose in the whole conversation. ISIS is not Iraqi made. They are bloodthirsty. They kill innocent people. Their methods are wrong.

Did you feel that way before you were captured, I asked.

No, he had the honesty to say. No.

One of the officials jumps up from his chair, grabs my book, and opens to the pictures of my skull shaved, swollen, and stitched, or another of my body on a stretcher, covered in medical paraphernalia keeping me alive.

See this? This is what you did, with your car bombs. See this lady now? She has a message. We may get hurt, but we will get back to life.

The bomber looks at the pictures, looks at me, and looks at the floor.

I dont know what to say.

I ask him my last question: Do you have a message for Iraqis ISIS is trying to recruit, like they did you?

His voice has purpose again.

Dont join. Dont be convinced by these words. They will destroy you, and your family.

I say to him that I hope his honesty with these officials helps them figure out how to keep others from joining ISIS. I tell him I hope he sees his children again.

They lead him away.

One of the officials asks us back to his home. He is euphoric over the chance to parade a craven killer in front of a bomb survivor who happens to be an American reporter.

We meet his 9-year-old daughter and other family members, as he orders kebabs and shows us photos he has taken on his phonea relentless series of selfies he has snapped with ISIS killers.

This one chopped off heads. This one launched a truck bomb that killed 400 people in an instant. This one is the ISIS sheikh who taught Omar al Baghdadi himself.

The officials house is adorned with a picture of Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqs Shiite community, next to Irans Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Even his teacups have the double-tipped sword carried by the revered Shiite Imam Ali known as the Zulfiqar printed on them.

He is Shiite. The ISIS follower was Sunni. I ask if the Sunnis are right to be scaredSunnis and Shiites have been at one anothers throats since at least the fall of Saddam Hussein. The official dismisses it as lies. He said Sunnis are lucky because their areas are being rebuilt as ISIS is being driven out, so they are getting new houses but Shiites are not. Having ones home razed seems a steep price to pay for the hope of a rebuild thanks to international aid, but I am eating on his floor so I do not argue.

What do you think should happen to ISIS killers, he asks me, his daughter sitting near me and hanging on our every word.

I remember the Charleston church where a racist fanatic killed nine of their worshippers in hopes of triggering a race war, and how they turned his murderous act inside out by offering him forgiveness.

I described that to this Iraqi man, and said, I want to be like that.

I described also how I knew that the bombers whod attacked us in 2006 were killed by a special-ops team the night of our attack, and that knowing the killers were dead didnt make the grief over those lost or the survivors guilt any less.

He shook his head.

He explained that thousands of convicted ISIS fighters had been sentenced to death, and he was upset that the government hadnt yet carried out the executions.

He said he thought those men, and the man Id met that evening, should all be killed, an eye for an eye, a life for dozens of lives horribly taken.

He said the prisoner Id met knew that he would never be released.

He knows he is going to be executed, the official said.

So that explained his numb, crushed obedience.

The thought gave me no peace.
What is your drink of choice these days? Water. I try to drink as much water as I can. And when I run out of water, I drink Codigo Tequila.

Ha! You are, of course, part owner of Codigo Tequila. Has the spirit always been a favorite? Eight, nine years ago I started going to Cabo San Lucas and spending more and more time there. Met some great friends there and they introduced me to this tequila that was never sold to the public. I drank a little bit of tequila, but, when I did, it would go into a shot. And I tried to get the taste out of my mouth as fast as I could with some lime and salt. [Codigo] was like a new thing for me. A drink that wasnt like the typical tequila that Ive ever tasted. Its definitely my drink of choice now. Thats for sure.

How do you like your tequila? Im not a big Margarita guy. Theyre a little sweet for my taste. Palomas are great. I sometimes drink those. But my favorite way is just on the rocks straight. And my preference is anejo.

What else do you like to drink? I like Jack Daniels. I like wine.

Do you like alcohol with food? I think that during dinner, wine is great. After dinner, tequila is great. Before dinner, tequila is great.

Do you like to have anything before you go on stage? Im pretty careful about that. Before I go out I like to be as clear minded as I can. Its hard enough to go out there and do a show without having a drink first. For years, its kind of been a tradition for me and the band, after the show before we go back out for an encore, well celebrate with a shot of tequila and then well go back out for the encore.

If the party has gone a bit too long, do you have a favorite hangover remedy? Yeah. There is one and its called menudo. Its tripe soup. Its very, very tasty. When I happen to have the occasional hangover, which I try not do, if I can get some menudo thats what I get.

Whats your favorite song to play on a bar jukebox? Im more than likely to do something by Merle Haggard. Maybe the Texas Playboys, Bob Wills. I listen to all kinds of music, but Merle was the man and he passed away this year. I make it a point to do a short tribute to him during the shows and make sure that nobody forgets about Merles legacy.

Which of his songs would you recommend listening to? Right now, Im doing Mama Tried and Workin Man Blues and then My Lifes Been Grand. I end the tribute with that song. There are tons of Merle Haggard songs you could pick out. He was such a huge influence on me and my career.

I know that Haggard was the ambassador for George Dickel Whiskey for a while. It would have been quite an honor to have a drink with him. You know what? It was. I feel very fortunate to do that. Ive been real fortunate to do a lot of things that music has enabled me to do. And one of them was to meet Merle and the ultimate for me was, a couple of years ago, I got to sing with Merle on a show and we did The Fightin Side of Me. After that you could have killed me right there and I would have died happy.

It sounds amazing. It was.

Find the Drinking Rules of other famous tipplers.

Interview has been condensed and edited.
Outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry tried on Wednesday to raise from the dead the two-state solution that has been the foundation of all serious Arab-Israeli peace negotiations for almost 50 years.

But its a process that is exhausted, and Israel, now the preeminent power in the region, has been able to establish in the absence of peace what is generally an absence of war, except for its periodic onslaughts against Gaza to retaliate for crude rocket attacks.

Kerry clearly believes that situation is untenable over the long run, and in sometimes bitter terms he explained the American decision not to veto a UN Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem as an effort to save the Israelis from themselves.

The status quo is leading toward one state, or perpetual occupation, said Kerry.

That one state, if it granted full rights to the Palestinians within its borders, would eventually cease to have a Jewish majority. Alternatively, by depriving the Palestinians of full political and civil rights, it would confirm the fears of many statesmen, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who have warned against the establishment of a de facto apartheid regime.

Nonetheless, the UN vote has created a political storm in the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who often made it a point to bypass the Obama administration to work directly with allies in the U.S. Congress, denounced the UN vote as a shameful ambush by the Obama administration, and a disgrace.

Some of Netanyahus friends on the Hill, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), have called for a cut-off in funds to the United Nations because of the vote.

Not-yet-President Donald Trump, echoing Netanyahu, tweeted, 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  not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong, Israel, January 20th is fast approaching.

Kerrys riposte was long, clocking in at 71 minutes, and detailed: Some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means the U.S. must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principleseven after urging again and again that the policy must change, he said. Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

The American secretary of state, who has spent most of his four years in office trying to stabilize the Middle East and bring about a lasting peace to the Israeli-Arab conflict, said, carefully, that the Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but contrasted that public support with the political, diplomatic, demographic and geographic reality.

Netanyahus current coalition is the most right wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by its most extreme elements, he said. The result is that policies of this governmentwhich the prime minister himself just described as more committed to settlements than any in Israels historyare leading in the opposite direction, towards one state.

As Palestinians often have pointed out, the expansion of Israeli settlements along with construction of access roads limited to settler traffic has created a situation akin to negotiating for a piece of cake that one side just keeps eating.

Successive Israeli governments have created facts on the ground that make it virtually impossible to conceive of a Palestinian state that is viable and contiguousthat does not look, as President George W. Bush once put itlike Swiss cheese, with nothing more than little pockets of autonomy scattered around.

Netanyahu, after Kerry spoke, said the secretary of states remarks were skewed and focused obsessively on the issue of settlements.

Kerry, who has just 23 days remaining in office, argued that the UN vote was a reasonable extension of U.S. policy that goes back to the Johnson administration: the concept that land conquered in the 1967 war could be traded for a lasting peace with Israels Arab neighbors.

Indeed, the focus on stopping Israeli settlement activity was the central feature of the speech President Barack Obama gave in Cairo in 2009, trying to set right the disasters in the region brought on by his predecessor.

Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's, Obama said in his first year in office. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. (The White House transcript notes applause.) This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop. (Applause.)

But they did not stop. And even so, as Kerry noted, every time there was an effort at the UN to condemn them, the United States would veto the resolution as unbalanced. The administration clung to the idea it could be the honest broker bringing the two sides together.

In the last few months, however, Netanyahu has pushed ahead with increased settlement approvals and activities.

What the gesture in the Security Council will accomplish remains to be seen. When the Israeli government got wind of the possibility that the Obama administration would abstain on the resolution first offered by the Egyptian government of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea, the Israelis got Trump to call Sisi to withdraw the proposal. Then New Zealand stepped in and put it back on the agenda.

And every member of the Security Council except the United States (which abstained) voted for it.

The Russians favored the Arabs over Israel, Barnea noted acerbically. They have been doing that consistently since the early 1950s. Israels courtship of Russia generated a bitter smile on the face of our friends in Washington. Russia, Irans ally in the war in Syria, is the Israeli governments great hope. And Trumps of course.

How will all this play out?

Kerry, consciously echoing the late Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, tried to paint a positive picture of all the good that peace could bring to Israel and to the region, if only the two-state solution could be revived.

But as Jay Michaelson has written for The Daily Beast, the de facto end of that old approach almost certainly will bolster the most extreme elements on both sides of the debate in Israel and Palestine and in the United States. Probably it will encourage ever more aggressive actions by the settler movement and its supporters while bolstering, on the other side, the BDSboycott, divestment, sanctionsmovement in the United States. As Michaelson argued, the U.N. vote was a last chance to act sane.

The impact on floundering efforts to stabilize the region also is likely to be profound. The current Palestinian leadership in the West Bank will now have lost virtually all credibility after more than two decades trying and failing to reach a peace agreement. Radicals will exploit the situation; violence almost certainly will increase. And if it starts to threaten Israeli complacency once more, pressure will grow to try to force the Arabs out altogether.

Where would they go? Some most likely would be pushed into Jordan, already made fragile by influxes of refugees from Iraq and Syria, along with its never-completely-accepted population of Palestinians there whose ancestors first arrived after the 1948 and 1967 wars.

The so-called Islamic State, which has proved repeatedly its ability to re-establish itself in one place after being crushed in another, already is trying to make inroads in Jordan.

In the short term, regional chaos has helped Israel survive in a state of no-war. But with no peace to build on, that situation is not likely to last.
If Donald Trump had lost the election, we would probably be praising Americas late-night comedians for successfully exposing him as an immoral and corrupt narcissist who nearly fooled the country into electing him president.

Instead, were left with our present reality in which the type of comedic takedowns so eagerly shared by liberal viewers may have actually reinforced the core message that cemented Trumps success.

2016 was the year that The Daily Show descendents John Oliver, Samantha Bee, and Stephen Colbert, along with veteran Bill Maher, newcomer Trevor Noah, and a resurgent Seth Meyers came together for most of the year with more or less one singular goal: Stop Trump. But in the end, as sharp as much of their commentary was, their collective message rarely, if ever, reached beyond the bubble of those who believed it could never happen. To those on Trumps side, it simply proved his point that the crooked media was against him.

So as this generally awful year comes to a close, heres a look back at the 10 late-night moments that should have made any reasonable American realize what a dangerous president Trump will be.

The clips below represent ultimately inconsequential late-night attempts to take down Trump. Notably, the most consequential Donald Trump moment on late-night television was also the one that humanized him the most. It was the September appearance by Trump himself on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that one voter told The New York Times caused her to vote for the president-elect. He just seemed very humble, seated next to Fallon, letting the host muss his hair, she said.

The rest of these videos offer a different impression.

10. Stephen Colbert: All-Trump Debate

It wasnt until the Republican National Convention that Stephen Colbert truly discovered his political voice as host of the Late Showpartly by channeling his old alter egobut this clip from all the way back in January had the host in fine form using Donald Trumps words against him. The bit was reminiscent of The Daily Shows classic Bush vs. Bush segment that a former head writer referred to as that shows Rosetta Stone piece in the new oral history of Jon Stewarts tenure.

Whereas Donald thinks Hillary Clinton was the worst secretary of State in the history of the United States, Colbert revealed that Mr. Trump once called the Democratic candidate a terrific woman who really works hard and does a great job.

9. Larry Wilmore: The UnblackeningDonald Trump Courts Evangelicals

If Comedy Central had given Larry Wilmore the chance to stay on the air through Election Day, instead of unceremoniously canceling The Nightly Show in mid-August just as the general election race was getting under way, we would certainly still have President-elect Trump. But at least Wilmore would have gotten to see The Unblackening of the presidency through to its inevitable end. Before Trump had won a single primary, Wilmore was calling on God to smite down his campaign in the name of evangelical Christians he believed were being hoodwinked. Apparently neither God nor Trumps religious followers were all that concerned.

8. Bill Maher: Making Sexual Assault Great Again

Mere hours after the infamous Access Hollywood tape went public, Bill Maher had the unique distinction of being the first late-night host to weigh in on it (if you dont count Samantha Bees instant response on Twitter). The story of Trump bragging about his history of sexual assault was tailor-made for Maher, and not only because he could use the word pussy on HBO without fear of censorship.

This is what he says! Grab them by the pussy? Sounds like what Hillary did to him at the first debate, Maher said gleefully, assuming, like so many others, that this was it for Trumps campaign. I cannot wait for the Sunday morning talk shows to see what the Trump surrogates are going to spin this into: Look, George, people are tired of Washington politicians who wont grab the voters by the pussy. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are making sexual assault great again. Five weeks later, he had surrendered to the president-elect.

7. SNL: Alec Baldwins Trump Debut

Despite what Donald Trump now tweets on a weekly basis about Alec Baldwin, the actors impression of the president-elect is remarkably accurate, if not consistently funny. But from his first appearance as the candidate during the cold open of Saturday Night Lives 42nd season premiere, Baldwin was able to tap into a side of Trump that he cant bear to face himself. No one was better this fall than Baldwin at getting under Trumps exceedingly thin skin, and for that alone he should be commended. And despite the hopes that Baldwin expressed on the morning of Election Day, it doesnt look like he will be leaving the character behind anytime soon.

6. Barack Obama: Slow Jams the News with Jimmy Fallon and Reads Mean Tweets with Jimmy Kimmel (tie)

Though not a late-night host himself, President Barack Obama became one when necessary this year, first by once again slow jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon. Now, Mr. President, since youre here, Ive got to ask: Have you been watching all the election coverage this week about Donald Trump? Fallon asked back in June, to which Obama replied, No, but I have been watching my new favorite show, Orange Is Not the New Black.

Then, just two weeks before Election Day, Obama visited Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he read a series of mean tweets about himself that culminated in one from Trump. President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States! Trump wrote of the president. Really? Obama replied. Well, @realDonaldTrump, at least I will go down as a president. With that, he dropped his phone for emphasis. As CNNs Jake Tapper tweeted of the joke after Trumps victory, This didnt age all that well.

5. Trevor Noah: Tales from the Trump Archive

The new Daily Show host was not always as effective a Trump eviscerator as many believe his predecessor would have been, but one thing Trevor Noah did excel at was presenting little- or never-before-seen clips of the Republican candidate saying truly reprehensible things, in a recurring segment he called Tales from the Trump Archive.

Among the quotes Noah and his team dug up were the time Trump called poor people morons and the interview in which he said he would go through the roof when he came home from work and discovered his second wife Marla Maples had not cooked him dinner. But the most disturbing clip of all came from a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous interview in which Trump made lascivious comments about his daughter Tiffanys legs and speculated about her breast size later in life.

Normally a candidate who views women this way would be doomed. But Trump is not a normal candidate and we know that, Noah admitted during the early April episode. We know airing this clip will change nothing. All we ask is one thing: The next time youre about to hand Donald Trump your baby, maybe reconsider.

4. Seth Meyers: A Closer Look at Trumps Birther Lies

All this year, Seth Meyerss A Closer Look segments slowly approached the brilliance of some of Jon Stewarts best rants. Nearly every night of the week, Meyers would take one aspect of the presidential race and wring from it every drop of comedic outrage he and his writers could find. The pinnacle of this endeavor came in mid-September when Meyers spent 10 minutes systematically chronicling and refuting Trumps attempt to rewrite history on his birtherism campaign against President Obama.

Obama was born in the United States. Period? Fuck you, exclamation point! shouted Meyers. You dont get to peddle racist rhetoric for five years and decide when its over. We decide when its over! And its certainly not over after a 30-second statement in the middle of a hotel commercial, Meyers said, eventually dispensing with the jokes to make his point as forcefully as possible. The bottom line is this: Trump built his career on a racist lie because hes a racist and a liar, and instead of denouncing that lie, the GOP doubled down on it completely.

3. Samantha Bee: Trump Cant Read

On Halloween night, eight days before the election, Full Frontals Samantha Bee convinced anyone who was watching her show that Donald Trump is functionally illiterate. The segment was intended to be a parody of the type of wild conspiracy theories Trumps campaign loved to peddle, but by the end of the meticulously researched and edited piece, her theory seemed entirely plausible.

As much as Bee openly supported Hillary Clinton during the campaign, she would have been an important voice holding the first female president accountable on progressive issues. With Trump about to enter the White House, her voice is more important than ever. She may continue to preach to the choir, but she will be the last late-night host to ever let Trump off the hook.

2. John Oliver: #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain

If there was one political late-night clip that reached beyond the limited liberal bubble online, this might have been it. Viewed by over 30 million people on YouTube, and more than twice that on Facebooka digital record for HBOJohn Olivers #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain rant effectively framed Trump as the type of manipulative con artist who should never be president of the United States.

So if you are thinking of voting for Donald Trump, the charismatic guy promising to Make America Great Again, stop and take a moment to imagine how you would feel if you just met a guy named Donald Drumpf: a litigious, serial liar with a string of broken business ventures and the support of a former Klan leader who he cant decide whether or not to condemn, the host told his audience in February.

And that was months before we learned about his pussy-grabbing habit.

1. Jon Stewart: I See Your Bullshit

After retiring from The Daily Show just as Donald Trumps presidential run was starting to pick up steam, Jon Stewart mostly stayed out of the spotlight during the 2016 campaign, save for a few key appearances. The most momentous of those returns to TV came during the Republican National Convention when Stewart emerged from under Stephen Colberts Late Show desk and proceeded to spend nearly 10 minutes tearing into the right-wing media machine that gave rise to Trump.

Stewart laid just as much blame on Fox News Sean Hannity and his ilk for their blatant hypocrisy. After spending eight years denouncing President Obama, he said they were either lying about being bothered by thin-skinned, authoritarian, less-than-Christian readers-of-prompter being president, or they dont care, as long as its their thin-skinned prompter authoritarian tyrant narcissist.

You just want that person to give you your country back, because you feel that you are this countrys rightful owner, he continued. The only problem with that: This country isnt yours. You dont own it. It never was. There is no real America. You dont own it. You dont own patriotism. You dont own Christianity. You sure as hell dont own respect for the bravery and sacrifice for military, police, and firefighters. Trust me!

After Trump won in November, there was a fantasy floating around that claimed Stewart could have stopped him, if only he had been on the air every night. As this list shows, more than enough talented people have picked up his mantle and ran with it. Unfortunately, in the end, none of that mattered.
Its been less than a week since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for helping liberate Aleppo. But that isnt stopping Russian propagandistsand their allies on the American fringefrom denying that civilians were bombed there at all.

Both Kremlin-backed networks and American far right websites have adopted and deployed the Western buzzword fake news for the very real bombings in Aleppo. Worse, theyre dubbing private American citizens professional propagandists for starting fundraisers in support of afflicted Syrian civilians.

Aleppo has been the home of a forced evacuation over the past several weeksleaving traditional Western media reporters unable to gain firsthand access to the atrocities. But reports from nonpartisan, international human rights groups and videos from the scene show bombed-out buildings and dead civilians in the streets.

The narrative that Aleppo bombings are fake news are taking traditional paths to viral success in Americapolished, easily shareable Facebook videos that have received pickup by mainstream American outlets and wide-reach Facebook pages. What those outlets ma y not realize is that the material was made with Kremlin money.

Still, the narrative of massive civilian casualties perpetrated by the Syrian government contradicts that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who yesterday applauded the Syria n army, saying the result of [Syrian and Russian army] cooperation is a major victory in the fight against international terrorism.

The most viral of the Aleppo denial claims comes from RT personality Eva Bartlett, who has been claiming that the media is lying to you [about] Aleppo for a year. (In August, she referred to the human rights group Amnesty International as Shamnesty International after the organization requested help in the Syrian city.)

Bartlett posted a video to a Facebook page called In The Now that has received over 2.5 million views in 12 days. In The Now is a Russian-backed viral news offshoot of RT meant to mimic BuzzFeed or NowThis News, and it mostly posts non-political lifestyle stories about things like cute animals and innovative technology.

In this video, however, Bartlett accused the civilians who were about to be killed if they did not evacuate Aleppo of being activists.

What do all of these people have in common? They want you to think theres one side to this storyone truth. That Assad is going from city to city killing his own people, for some crazy reason, with the help of Russia, she says. The question is, do you buy it?

According to Foreign Policy Research Institute fellow Clint Watts, this is an example of a long-deployed Russian information tactic: sow doubt into every media institution, so that every facteven if theres definitive video from a mainstream outletbecomes subjective.

Its not just an information war on Americaits a war on information itself. The point of it is that you cant trust anything. Then theres no baseline. You can say and do whatever you want, and then deny it ever happened, said Watts.

Watts believes this just asking the question narrative about the atrocities in Aleppo isnt newbut those deploying it have been more successful since bloody videos and accounts of horror have made their way out of the Syrian city since the mandatory evacuation.

This plays very much into the Russian-Syrian strategy from the beginning, to get rid of all journalists, said Watts, who is also a senior fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

Part of the reason you do that is, if you later need to fight an information war, and you want to kill civilians, all you have to do is say, There is no real reporting here! How can you trust second-hand accounts? Thats what theyve done a masterful job of.

The post has been reposted by RTs own Facebook page, but has received pickup by large pro-Donald Trump Facebook groups in the past several days. The 31,000-person group VOTE TRUMP ONLY - THE AMERICAN PARTY RISING and the 11,000-strong group TRUMP - SPEAK OUT AGAINST ISLAMIZATION OF AMERICA each posted the video in the last several days.

To Watts, this is unsurprising.

Trump has hinted his administration will be closely tied to Putin and Russia, and even glowingly tweeted a quote from the Russian president about Hillary Clintons failure to win the election last week. In turn, Putins approval ratings among American Republicans has skyrocketed. According to Pew, 37 percent of Republicans view Putin favorably, and only 17 percent of Republicans view current U.S. President Barack Obama favorably.

This would be appealing to a Trump supporter. It allows for alignment with Russia in a way that couldnt be possible if [civilian bombings in Aleppo] were true, said Watts. Killing civilians and doing things that are, to most Americans, un-Americanif you deny this ever happened, you can remove that from the narrative altogether. It allows you to be more open to supporting Putin.

Last Tuesday, the BBC fact checked all of the claims in Bartletts viral video, noting that some events that were believed to be faked had direct links to other videos of victims, including crying infants and the dead body of an elderly man [that] were posted on the same day, apparently without attracting disbelief.

But the narrative that Aleppo had not been bombed at this point was already widespread. Videos of American conspiracy outlets like InfoWars started to take hold.

Did the mainstream medias fake news about Russian atrocities in Aleppo inspire and radicalize the gunman in Turkey? said InfoWars Paul Joseph Watson, referring to the Dec. 19 assassination of Moscows ambassador to Ankara.

The story even reached a segment on Atlantas CBS affiliate called Reality Check with Ben Swann, which has been shared over 61,500 times in the past six days.

The reports from Aleppo Syria are incredible. The suffering. The humanitarian crisis, said Swann. But if thats true, why are these people in Aleppo celebrating in the streets?

This mirrors a narrative within several stories written by Kremlin state media outfit RT in the past several weeks.

While residents of Aleppo are celebrating the liberation of their city, the mainstream media has been painting the opposite picture with sensational headlines decrying alleged atrocities and a meltdown of humanity they claim is happening there, Kremlin state media outfit RT wrote on its website.

But what are their sources? Well, someone told them. Most of their reports are unverified because MSM has no one on the ground in Aleppo.

This extends not just to larger scale mainstream stories, but even human interest stories in forgotten newspaper pieces. Last week, Kremlin-funded propaganda website Sputnik proclaimed two Chicago women, Becky Carroll and Wendy Widom, who initiated the #StandWithAleppo hashtag in October were professional propagandists.

Sputniks reasoning? Carroll worked for the 2008 Obama campaign, and Widom is a self-described social media editor for CBS Chicago, part of a broadcast television network whose recent coverage of the situation in Aleppo features the kinds of bias to be expected from mainstream media sources.

Thats exactly what they want. They want you thinking, You just dont know. You just cant trust any mainstream outlet, said Watts. If theres no thermometer for whats true, you can say anything.
The line stretched down the block on 7th Avenue today, further clogging up an already congested section of Midtown. The queue's destination? Carnegie Deli, the overstuffed sandwich haunt that'll close the book on nearly eight decades this Saturday. Around 11 a.m., the quoted wait time for a seat was around two hours.

"I was devastated," Marti Purificowho traveled from Philadelphia with her husband Joe specifically to eat at Carnegie todaytold us how she felt this afternoon after hearing the closure news. "I love sitting here, you meet all kinds of people. It's good. We've only been here, we've never gone to any other delis. This is all we know."

Carnegie Deli, so named for its proximity to the famed concert hall, opened in 1937, eventually becoming famous for its featured role in Woody Allen's 1984 film Broadway Danny Rose and a Times review that put its pastrami on the map. While the restaurant serves a bevy of Jewish staplesfrom latkes to smoked fish to chopped liverthe deli meats and sandwiches are the main draw, particularly the pastrami, which was part of theft accusations leveled at Sandy Levine by his ex-wife Marian Harper, who inherited the restaurant from her father.

Upon hearing that Carnegie would close, Vincent Marciante took off work and traveled from Long Island specifically to pay his respects. "I really like the whole New York, Woody Allen-esque deal. The old time people. No bullshit," he explained. "It's a really good sandwich that costs more money than you'd usually pay, but there's nothing not good about it."

Jake Dell, proprietor of "rival" Katz's Delicatessen downtown, agrees, telling the Times he's "deeply saddened to witness the disappearance of a fellow culinary landmark."

Now more than ever, we recognize how important it is for us to maintain our culture's time-honored food traditions. For generations, Carnegie and Katz's have been a united front. We have cured, smoked and steamed meats, fried up latkes, boiled matzo balls and whipped up frothy chocolate egg creams just as our grandmothers did. Most important, we've served it all up with just the right amount of guff to our loyal customers.

Other natives made the pilgrimage for one last fat stack of meat. Angela Murray, who grew up in the Bronx, shared fond memories of Carnegie. "It just makes me feel bad. All these great institutions are going away," she said. "I used to come here with my mother when I was 8, 9 years old."

"In the Bronx, there used to be all these great delis, and they're gone now. Things are changing, it's the same way with great Italian food, the old pizzerias here. It's just a change, and change is hard," she continued. "This is something you really miss."

Though its recent rockiness has been well-documented, Harper insists the shutter has nothing to do with finances. "I'm at that certain age where I want to enjoy my life, and I want to do certain things," she told NPR. "And all good things must come to an end."

Additional reporting by Scott Heins
For generations, working-class families have steadied themselves in the struggle to get ahead by the notion that in this country a better life was possible if we just worked hard. For the most part, that has held true. Research shows that during the past 50 years,

a majority of children grew up to achieve the markers of what we identified as a better life, tending to earn more money, to live longer and enjoying higher living standards than their parents had achieved. That is, until now.

According to a recent economic study released by Stanford University, the widening gap between rich and poor Americans has pushed the chances of children earning more money than their parents down to nearly 50 percent; a sharp fall from 1940, when 90 percent of kids were destined to move up the income ladder.

Meanwhile, another study, this one on mortality rates released by the National Center for Health Statistics shows  for the first time since 1993  a drop in overall American life expectancy, particularly among people younger than 65. This drop is being viewed by health experts as a uniquely American phenomenon. And, while researchers cant identify a single problem driving the drop, they suspect that the strain of income inequality in the United States  and the stress that this causes  could be a contributing factor. With the release of these two comprehensive and independent studies, predictions that the current generation would neither live longer nor prosper greater than the one that succeeded it  is now being certified.

While it may seem difficult at this point in time for some to find something to be optimistic about  and these study results certainly dont help  we have to try. For, as poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once reminded us: For every minute you remain angry, you give up 60 seconds of peace of mind. In the United States, resiliency has long been a defining trait of our national character. Its what makes us great and keeps us great. The best fuel for resiliency is a sense of optimism. Just a simple boost of optimism has shown to be associated with healthier behaviors and healthier ways of coping with lifes challenges.

This point was underscored earlier this month with the release of a study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The Harvard study analyzed data from 2004-2012 from 70,000 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study, a long-running study tracking womens health via surveys every two years. The study found that over an eight-year period women who were optimistic had a significantly reduced risk of dying from several major causes of death  including cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection  as opposed to women who were less optimistic. The study suggests that having an optimistic outlook on life  defined as a general expectation that good things will happen  could have a direct impact on our biological systems and contribute to people living longer.

A popular current therapeutic treatment approach for avoiding negative thoughts and dealing with the stresses of todays world is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. In its most simple definition mindfulness means the act of paying attention to present moment experiences with openness and curiosity; paying attention to ones experience in the present moment. The more clinical definition of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy involves two treatment approaches  guided mindfulness practices combined with aspects of traditional cognitive behavioral training. The first part is designed to increase awareness of negative spirals, while the second component teaches skills to help resist or counter damaging thoughts or moods.

Medical professionals exploring this option are quick to point out that different people required different treatments and mindfulness should be viewed as one option alongside drugs and other forms of therapy. It still remains a rather new frontier in treatment. Whats encouraging is that it is one that does not come from pharmaceuticals, but from within us. While its not seen as a cure all, a growing body of research is pointing to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a potential remedy for anxiety disorders and depression.

Its important to point out that studies of well-being and achieving a better life also often point to the connection between good mental health and social connections. Keeping up friendships and maintaining social interactions is viewed as an important part of a satisfying life, particularly as people age. This is especially true during the holidays.

In this season of reflection, looking within with some guidance and purpose may be exactly what is called for. To that end, let us also not forget the power and importance of spirituality and prayer. As noted by French surgeon, biologist and 1912 Nobel Prize winner, Alexis Carrel, prayer is a force as real as terrestrial gravity. He adds: As a physician, I have seen men lifted out of sickness by the power of prayer. It is the only power in the world that overcomes the laws of nature.

Write to Chuck Norris at info@creators.com with questions about health and fitness.
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I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission.

A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it.

Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Womens Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy.
I was in for a surprise when I was invited to the December meeting of Boones Mill Town Council earlier this month.

Years ago when I covered the council, I had to sit on the running board of the towns old fire truck because there were only seats for the mayor, six councilmen and a couple of visitors.

During councils meeting, Mayor Ben Flora and Councilman Mike Smith presented me with a small red stool with a black and white photo of the towns old fire truck pasted on one end. One of the smaller ends of the stool contains an old photo of council that goes back so far I cant identify every member.

The other end says, WARNING: Poison. Moonshine Liquor Being Distributed Locally.

I will cherish the stool and all the good memories it sparked for as long as I live. Thank you council!

The meal was especially delicious. The meat loaf seemed to have been taken from my mothers recipe.

Its been a long time since Ive spent time with these old friends. Among the first people I ran into were Randy Kingery and his wife of 53 years! Randy drove a Ford T Bird in the Late Model Class at Franklin County Speedway. We had a great time talking about old times and the night Bill Elliott drive Randys car during a guest appearance at the speedway.

That night I learned that council has converted the old Continental Homes building into an attractive town hall. Its complete with a replica of the town in the 1950s. A lot of the miniature buildings are accompanied by actual photographs.

True to history, the model includes U.S. 220 and most of the buildings that lined that part of town and Easy Street with Garst Southern States, Buck Woods drug store, the bank, post office, etc.

Town Manger Matt Lawless and council are excited about the Boones Mill moonshine distillery located in the old cinderblock structure across from the Lions club building. I was told the owner was going to have a store front with samples, souvenirs and the whole nine yards.

A lot has changed in Boones Mill since I covered news in the town between the mid-1960s and mid-1980s, when I got out of the business only to return in 1999.

Victor Never Ceases to Amaze - I had a good belly laugh before Christmas, and every time I think about the incident, a big smile comes over my face.

Often, Ive written about my companion Victor, wholl turn 5 this month. Without a doubt, hes the joy of my life these days and the one who keeps me sane during the time we spend at the house together.

Back during the summer, Victor developed a new supper time habit. He always eats first for reasons that are clear. If I eat first, he sits at my feet and watches every bite I take without actually begging for food.

Now, when I sit down to eat, he makes a bee-line into the living room and picks up his bright yellow giraffe and heads back to the kitchen. Im well trained now, so I know he wants to go outside and take his toy with him,

Most of the time, he wont lay it down. Hell just walk around with the toy in his mouth. Once in a while, he will start chewing on it to make it squeak but that doesnt last long.

Last Friday, he had taken his toy outside and was walking around in the back yard. Then he began barking like I hadnt heard in a long time. Opening the kitchens storm door, I looked outside.

A FedEx truck had started to make its turn into my driveway, I dont know how he did it, but Mr. Vic was barking without dropping his toy. The driver must have had the door on the truck closed because he had not seen Victor or even heard him until he opened the truck door and took his first step out.

Suddenly he stood in his tracks, looked over at me and politely asked, Will your dog bite? I had to try had to keep from laughing. The sight was hilarious. There stood this big man dressed in heavy winter gear frozen in front of Victor, who still had the toy gripped tightly between his teeth.

I dont think so, I answered, at least not while hes got his favorite toy in his mouth. We were both laughing as he reached over Victor and handed me a gift from my sister Sandra in Arizona.

Moonshine Gifts - My friend Raymond Elkins, who collects different types of legal moonshine, recently gave me two more for my collection.

Perhaps the more valued of the two gifts is one from North Carolina called Mayberry. What makes this one so special is that it just hit the stores and Raymond went to Mayberry to get it. Hand written on the side of the label is Batch 0001, which I assume came out of the first batch, regardless of the number of fifths that were turned out in that first run. The bottle is clear and jug-shaped

Some time back, and Im not exactly sure when, Raymond dropped by the office, as he often does, with another collectible from NASCAR legend Junior Johnsons Wilkes County. Im told they knew each other but I dont know if they were friends or competitors.

This one is called Willie Clay Calls The Uncatchable 70 proof apple pie and sour mash moonshine. The silver and black label has a drawing of Willie Clay Calls head and from the looks of it he might have been a mean follow.

The label also notes the Call Family Distillers since 1998 goes back seven generations, but it doesnt answer the question of how many of those generations cranked out the illegal kind.

Im always interested in what the labels have to say and the back says Born to Shine. It also notes, This is authentic steam-distilled moonshine from Wilkes County, N.C., the Moonshine Capital of America. Its revered by most as being the best shine to come out of this part of N.C. Willie Clay always stayed true to his roots, running shine all throughout the country revenuers soon came to call him The Uncatchable.

So if I have counted right, I now have 42 jars, jugs and bottles.
An alleged CliffNotes version should not pass muster. That appears to be a growing consensus.

Virginias Department of Environmental Quality cited federal law Thursday when adding its voice to many others calling for a more complete draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline.

The law states, If a draft statement is so inadequate as to preclude meaningful analysis, the agency shall prepare and circulate a revised draft of the appropriate section.

DEQ advised the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that a supplemental [draft statement] is needed to address adequate analysis of newly submitted route changes.

FERC issued the draft environmental impact statement, or DEIS, on Sept. 16. The deadline was Thursday for public comment on the draft, which featured a 781-page statement and appendices that totaled 2,671 pages.

The U.S. Department of the Interior also weighed in Thursday, noting that the current DEIS lacks sufficient information to perform adequate analysis of impacts to [Department of the Interior] resources  which would include the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway and resources managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Related comments advised that the National Park Service believes the DEIS was released for public comment prematurely.

The Bureau of Land Management agreed and called for either a revised or supplemental draft statement. BLM contends the draft statements failings include absence of meaningful analysis of whether the pipeline is necessary.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline would transport natural gas from West Virginia to another pipeline in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, through a 42-inch diameter, buried steel pipe. As an interstate pipeline, the project requires FERCs approval.

On Wednesday, DEQ, noting that Mountain Valley submitted route changes and other information after the documents September release, observed, the DEIS lacks a thorough and accurate environmental analysis of the substantial changes that were made during the public comment period.

FERC spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen has said the commission has never issued a revised or supplemental draft environmental impact statement. She has said a final environmental statement will address concerns expressed about the draft during the comment period.

Meanwhile, more than three months after the drafts release, Mountain Valley continues to file information with FERC about the companys proposed 303-mile, $3.5 billion project.

For example, on Thursday, Mountain Valley advised FERC it will provide in January simulations of potential visual impacts to the Appalachian Trail of the pipeline.

The commission had directed Mountain Valley to file simulations, both with leaves on and off trees, before the comment period ended. The company said Thursday it could not meet that deadline because leaves remained on some trees during a recent visit to the project area.

Yet the Department of the Interior noted, Given that requests for analysis of visual impacts on the [Appalachian Trail] from multiple viewpoints were made as far back as 2015, we are surprised that the DEIS was released absent this critical information.

The Interior Department observes too that the route of the Appalachian Trail on draft statement maps is inaccurate.

Mountain Valleys filings Thursday also included updated information about a route alternative in Montgomery County. Mountain Valley said analysis of the Mount Tabor Variation, which would pass through a karst landscape rife with sinkholes, confirmed that the route offers a better alternative than an earlier configuration.

However, Virginias Department of Conservation and Recreation still noted, as of Dec. 16, that it strongly recommends rerouting a portion of the Mount Tabor Variation to avoid areas of concentrated water flow and associated erosion and subsequent sedimentation.

DEQ expressed concerns about the infrastructure projects potential to cause erosion and sedimentation when the pipeline climbs and descends steep slopes, crosses streams and wetlands and passes through karst landscapes.

DEQ notes that erosion and sediment control procedures outlined in the draft environmental impact statement are not representative of the full scope of Virginias requirements for stormwater and erosion and sediment control.

DEQ recommended that FERC direct Mountain Valley to provide evidence that streams and wetlands crossed by the pipeline would return to pre-construction conditions after restoration.

On Friday, David Sligh, conservation director for Wild Virginia, said he and others believe Mountain Valley cannot demonstrate that streams and wetlands wont be permanently damaged.

Absent that proof, he said, DEQ should deny Mountain Valleys application for water quality certification  an action that would scuttle the project.

In September, when FERC released the draft environmental impact statement, an executive summary declared that construction and operation of the pipeline would result in limited adverse environmental impacts, with the exceptions of impacts on forest.

Numerous individuals, organizations, local governments and agencies have suggested since then that negative environmental impacts would be more wide-ranging.

On Thursday, DEQ recommended that Mountain Valley develop a plan to mitigate impacts to forests. The department noted that the current pipeline route intersects some of the largest blocks of unfragmented forest in Virginia.

Mountain Valley has proposed clearing a construction right-of-way that would be 125 feet wide, with a permanent right-of-way of 50 feet. The company also would construct access roads and staging areas during construction, activities also requiring tree clearing.

Comments filed by DEQ noted that loss of forest cover yields other losses  including habitat for forest-dwelling species, impacts to filtration and recharge of groundwater and clean air, loss in forest products and compromised recreational opportunities.

A mitigation plan should include tree planting, protection of forested habitat on private lands and enhancement of forests on public and private lands, the comments filed by DEQ reported.

Sligh and Rick Webb, coordinator for the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition, have repeatedly called on DEQ to be a vigorous watchdog of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline and the separate but similar Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Pipeline opponents have worried that Gov. Terry McAuliffes emphatic support for both projects would limit DEQs assertiveness.

Sligh reacted Friday to the comments filed by DEQ, which included recommendations from other state departments.

I find some encouragement in the scope and detailed nature of the comments from DEQ and other state agencies, Sligh said.

But Virginias suggestions and recommendations to FERC must be turned into legally binding conditions under the states authority in a Clean Water Act review. Otherwise, the comments are just words, no matter how well-intentioned, he said.
Conservation board tables property lease program, examines deficit

The Des Moines County Conservation Board on Wednesday tabled a proposed program that would have generated revenue for the conservation department.
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The state may be eyeing a billion-dollar deficit and appealing a court decision that labels its funding of public education as unconstitutional, but that isnt stopping Connecticut from putting out the call for more charter schools.

The state Department of Education put out a request for proposals Tuesday, seeking applications for new state and local charter schools during 2017.

Applications will be accepted next year between July 1 and Aug. 15.

There are 24 charter schools operating in Connecticut  23 state and one local charter. Six are in Bridgeport, including Capital Prep Harbor, which opened in 2015.

It has been more than three years since the state solicited charter school applications. Whether a charter school gets funded or not is up to the Legislature.

State statute says we should review charter school applications on an annual basis, so we are fulfilling our statutory obligation, said Abbe Smith, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education.

Charter schools get public funding but are run independently from local school districts. They are seen by some as a choice for parents seeking an alternative to traditional public schools. Others see them as competition for scarce public dollars.

Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell called school choice empowering for students and families.

Our goal is for all public school opportunities in Connecticut to be high-quality options for families, and we work to support charters, magnet schools and traditional public schools to continuously improve the quality education they provide, Wentzell said.

In the past fiscal year, general funding to the states Education Cost Sharing formula was held flat, despite rising costs. That led districts like Bridgeport to cut kindergarten aides, school counselors and other staff.
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From tragedy to happiness, the Norwalk area saw a lot in 2016.

Click through to see the top 10 stories that mattered to you this year.

As immigration continues to be a big topic in the United States, one Norwalk high school student brought the issue close to home.

Brien McMahon High School valedictorian Laura Veira spoke about being an undocumented resident during her address at the school's commencement exercises in June.

Now, not only is Veira part of the small percentage of undocumented students who graduate from high school  with only 5 to 10 percent of those graduates going on to attend college, studies show  but she is also part of a growing cohort of students and graduating valedictorians that surprised their graduation commencement audience with their undocumented status.




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NORWALK  The city of Norwalk and Board of Education hope to have energy-saving solar panels in place at City Hall, Norwalk High School and two other municipal locations by next fall.

As part of the citys Renewable Energy Project, officials sought a licensed firm to design, install, operate and maintain rooftop or ground-mounted solar systems at City Hall, Norwalk High School, Naramake Elementary School, Fodor Farm and Oyster Shell Park with wind turbine as an option at the park.

Next Wednesday evening, the Norwalk Common Councils Land Use and Building Management Committee will consider hiring Greenskies Renewable Energy, LLC of Middletown as the citys preferred developer to install photovoltaic panels atop City Hall.

Norwalk High School, Naramake Elementary School, City Hall and Fodor Farms are the locations that have been targeted for solar in this round, said Councilman John Kydes, chairman of the Mayors Energy & Environment Task Force. We are hoping to have the final agreement approved by Board of Education and Council no later than February. Following this approval, installation would begin in the summer of 2017. The agreement will be a Power Purchase Agreement that would require zero out-of-pocket (costs) from the city and Board of Education.

Kydes said the resulting savings for the city and Board of Education would be significant. An educational component is also part of the project.

Each system will display pertinent information such as power generation and savings, Kydes said.

Norwalk Purchasing Agent Benjamin Luce, whose department reviewed competing bids for the project, said the anticipated savings for Norwalk High School are approximately $1.6 million over the proposed 20-year lease period.

Alan Lo, Norwalks building and facilities manager, said the proposed solar system for City Hall stands to save the city at least $12,000 a year in energy costs.

In its initial proposal to the city, Greenskies offered to install and lease to the city a 150-kilowatt system comprising 630 solar panels with an annual energy output of 235 megawatts. The cost per kilowatt-hour would be approximately 5 cents for 20 years with no escalation. The current grid rate is about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to Lo.

Four companies responded to the citys request for proposals on the project. A review committee reviewed the proposals and has recommending hiring Greenskies Renewable Energy.

Under the plan, Greenskies Renewable Energy would install and own the photovoltaic systems and lease them to the city under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement. The company would bid for Zero Emission Renewable Energy Credits from Eversource Energy.

The PPA will stipulate the price per kilowatt hour that the City will pay for electricity generated on site, which will be less than the cost of electricity from the Grid, Lo wrote in a memorandum to the land use committee. The electricity rate in the PPA is directly related to the size of the solar system.

Kydes said the city received no bids for the Oyster Shell Park location due to the topography of the land.

The installation of the photovoltaic systems at Naramake Elementary School and Norwalk High School will require approvals from the Board of Education.

Mike Barbis, chairman of the school boards Facilities Committee, welcomed the prospect of solar panels at Norwalk High School but added that the schools co-generation plant  a combined heat-and-power system  is in immediate need of attention.

This is all dandy, this is all great, but what about getting the cogen(eration) plant up and running, functioning as it was designed for? Barbis said. There are other aspects of Norwalk High that are in dire need of attention and maybe this (solar project) should have been looked at on an integrated basis.

rkoch@hearstmediact.com
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono has revealed plans to revitalize Jakarta's art and cultural buildings, such as theaters and museums, if he is elected next year.

During his visit to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Agus shared his commitment to improve the capital's art and cultural scene, which included providing more space for local artists to express and nurture their talent.

"One of our programs is to make Jakarta a smart, creative and green city or, in other words, a livable and sustainable city," said Agus. "The creativity depends on how we incorporate the local culture, which is Betawi, with other Indonesian cultures, as Jakarta is a melting pot."

(Read also: Agus to become 'field guerrilla' to secure votes face-to-face)

He added that he did not want the revitalization program to be centralized in only one area as he realized that there were 44 districts in Jakarta and it would be great if each district had its own room to nurture local artists.

In addition to the revitalization program, Agus also shared plans to create outdoor spaces for art and culture and encourage collaboration between younger and older generations.

During his "guerrilla" campaign around Jakarta, Agus said he came across people who expressed concern of their dying local art. However, he sees opportunities in local art communities and is certain if managed properly, they will provide an extra value beyond the local economy. "We can introduce [our] culture to other cities in the archipelago, as well as to the world. However, both goodwill and courage are needed to make such a breakthrough." (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

Four Indonesian designers wowed the crowd at a fashion event in Posthoornkerk in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Sunday.

At the 2016 Indonesia Cultural Fashion (ICF) event, Terry Putri, Lily Mariasari, Riza Rozana and Inne Rachma Hardjanto presented the diversity of Indonesian culture through their designs, reported tempo.co.

The Territory collection by Terry Putri, for instance, features Sasirangan fabric from South Kalimantan. This collection aims to give options to the Europe fashion market, especially in daily wear that is edgy and comfortable with the uniqueness of Indonesian fabric, said Terry. Its time for Indonesian fashion brands to break into the European market. All local brands have the same opportunity to present their works at various fashion events, so they can go international.

Indonesia Cultural Fashion Amsterdam 18 December 2016  Designer @Uemara @irachmahardja MUA and Stylist Hijab @carolinasepteritabeauty @murni_mua Photografer @afidasukma Videografer @ariskapermana @wardahbeauty #RoadtoICF2016 A photo posted by Afida's Diary Photos (@afidasukma) on Dec 18, 2016 at 2:32pm PST

(Read also: An ex-employee is calling out a luxury house for racism)

Meanwhile, under her ELEMWE label, Lily Mariasari presented ready-to-wear Muslim attire that embraces Betawi batik with its bright colors. She also combines various fabrics in her collection, such as chiffon, tulle and taffeta.

At the same time, Riza Rozanas Sun Summit collection from her brand Rizaro impressed on the runway with sporty, ethnic Muslim wear and a touch of Minangkabau. She also incorporates Tanah Like batik, Makassar silk, Kalimantan embroidery and sequins into her designs.

Lastly, Inne Rachma Hardjantos Uemara label delivered simple yet elegant hijabs made of silk and chiffon. (wir/kes)

Indonesia Cultural Fashion Amsterdam 18 December 2016  Designer @ELEMWE MUA and Stylist Hijab @carolinasepteritabeauty @murni_mua Photografer @afidasukma Videografer @ariskapermana @wardahbeauty #RoadtoICF2016 A photo posted by Afida's Diary Photos (@afidasukma) on Dec 18, 2016 at 2:54pm PST
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Linkedin Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya, East Java  Wed, December 28, 2016

A Citilink pilot was removed from duty on Wednesday after passengers claimed he was incoherent in a flight announcement he made before takeoff.

One of the passengers voiced suspicion that the pilot may have been intoxicated.

Around 15 minutes before the scheduled departure, the pilot spoke random words in his flight announcement. I suspect that he was drunk as he kept mumbling and shouting, Ketut Buda, who was booked on the Citilink flight from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, to Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta on Wednesday morning, told a local radio station.

(Read also: Citilink pilot under probe after allegedly showing up drunk for flight)

Ketut said most of the passengers decided to disembark in a show of protest. They also asked the airline to replace the pilot in question.

Citilink, the low-cost subsidiary of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, said later in the day that the pilot, identified as Capt. Tekad Purna, would be investigated after the incident.

The Citilink flight was scheduled to take off at 5:15 a.m. After the incident, Citilink replace the pilot and the flight departed an hour behind schedule with 154 passengers on board. (hwa)

This article previously appeared under the title 'Allegedly drunk Citilink pilot speaks random words from cockpit: passenger'. The title and first paragraph have been revised to maintain accuracy.
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) along with the Indonesian Stock Market Clearing House (KPEI) and Indonesian Central Securities Depository (KSEI) have established securities financing company PT Pendanaan Efek Indonesia, which will begin its operations next year.

IDX president director Tito Sulistio said the lender would give loans of up to Rp 100 billion (US$7.4 million) to securities. Securities companies could then lend the funds to their customers in the form of margin trading.

"But the loan is only for securities, which have a net-adjusted working capital higher than Rp 250 billion," he said at the IDX building in Jakarta on Tuesday, adding that there were 30 securities companies that met the requirements.

(Read also: Indonesia's IDX to ease margin trading rule, eyeing 25% transaction hike)

He said with help of the loan, margin transactions would increase next year. Overall it could increase IDX daily transactions, which currently were the second highest in Southeast Asia, only behind Thailand.

"Other regional markets like Japan, Taiwan and Thailand already have securities financing companies, where in Japan loans are even unlimited," he said.

Tito added that the three institutions have forked out Rp 250 billion capital for the lender, which in future might raise to Rp 1 trillion. Two directors and one commissioner have been nominated and are awaiting for approval from the Financial Service Authority (OJK). (evi)
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  Wed, December 28, 2016

Conditions are gradually improving and activities are beginning to return to normal in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) while post-flood mitigation efforts continue.

Activities have in stages returned to normal. Markets and stores have resumed operations, although efforts to remove flood debris in many locations are still under way, NTB Disaster Mitigation Agency head Muhammad Rum said on Wednesday.

Seventeen public kitchens have been set up, with a capacity to produce a total of 21,700 packages of nasi campur (rice with side dishes) every day, Rum further explained.

The public kitchens are located in 17 subdistricts, serving people who cannot yet carry out their daily activities, including cooking, because their houses and kitchen utensils were damaged by floods. The public kitchens also serve people taking refuge in temporary shelters.

The number of people taking refuge has begun to decrease. Currently, 6,900 residents are still taking refuge in temporary shelters in 33 points, down from 8,491, said Rum.

He said efforts to remove flood debris were being carried out with support from all relevant parties, including locals in their respected areas.

Main roads in Bima city are reported to have been cleared of flood debris, such as garbage and thick mud. Many residential complexes and narrow streets are still covered with flood remnants.

Rum said workers continued to clean schools with the hope that school activities could resume after school holidays ended early next year. By Dec.30 at the latest, hopefully all schools will be clean. (ebf)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has said that the construction of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport railway link is still ongoing despite problems related to land clearance.

"The construction process is still going on and in February the rolling stock [train sets] will come in," KAI president director Edi Sukmoro said at Gambir Station in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Edi added that the line would also go to the Jakarta Kota Station in the Old Town area along with the planned Sudirman Station in the city center. The additional route will be useful for people in North Jakarta, he claimed.

"A lot of people in North Jakarta do not have cars, so the train will be useful for them especially if they want to go to Tangerang in the West," he said.

As of November, 78 percent of the required land had been cleared. However, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi wants the track to be clear from all settlements.

As the ministry has to coordinate with the Jakarta administration regarding the relocation of illegal settlements, the land clearing process will be continued after the election.

The airport link is targeted to begin operations in June. (evi)
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Linkedin Yuri Kageyama (Associated Press) Tokyo  Wed, December 28, 2016

The president of top Japanese advertising company Dentsu Inc. said Wednesday he will resign to take responsibility for the suicide of a worker who had clocked massive overtime in her first months on the job.

President Tadashi Ishii said at a Tokyo news conference he will tender his resignation at a board meeting in January although he will stay through March as a courtesy to shareholders.

Earlier Wednesday, government authorities filed papers demanding prosecutorial charges against the unidentified Dentsu employee suspected of driving Matsuri Takahashi to suicide from overwork.

Japanese society values conformity and tends to revere workaholic lifestyles. Death linked to exhaustion is so common it's expressed as a special term, "karoshi," which includes suicides from overwork. About 2,000 people a year kill themselves due to work-related stress, the government says.

Takahashi, 24, had just started working at Dentsu in April 2015. Her workload surged in October and she often returned home at five in the morning after working all day and night. Takahashi was clocking 100 hours of overtime a month before she jumped from her company dorm balcony in December 2015.

She left a farewell email begging her mother to not blame herself. "You're the best mom in the world," Takahashi had written. "But why do things have to be so hard?"

The government in September ruled that overwork caused her death. Tokyo-based Dentsu, which was raided last month by labor regulators, has repeatedly promised to curtail overtime, suspected of being widespread at the company. It started turning off headquarters lights at 10 p.m. so workers would go home.

But Ishii acknowledged the problem has not been fixed. The company said Wednesday that more than 100 workers were still doing more than 80 hours of overtime a month.

"This is something that should never have been allowed to happen," Ishii told reporters of Takahashi's suicide.

The company acknowledged Takahashi's treatment was like harassment because her records showed monthly overtime within company regulations of 70 hours, with numbers like 69.9 hours, when she had actually been working far more hours.

The first person to be officially ruled a suicide from overwork was also a Dentsu employee. Ichiro Oshima, 24, didn't get a single day off for 17 months and had averaged less than two hours of sleep a night. Still, Dentsu had argued in the 1997 court case that personal troubles were behind his 1991 suicide.
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Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta, Central Java  Wed, December 28, 2016

Tirtonadi, a bus terminal in Surakarta, Central Java, has officially applied an electronic ticketing system, which makes it easier for passengers to make or change their ticket reservations, starting from Tuesday.

With the new system, Surakarta becomes Indonesias first city that has an online ticket reservation service for both intraprovincial and interprovincial buses.

The ticketing service for long-route buses will use a bus integrated system (BIS), a pilot project that will be used as a model for other terminals.

Ive seen this terminal is quite clean just like airports. The e-ticketing program has been implemented to ease passengers in ticket reservations. Such a good service must be maintained and improved further, said Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Tuesday.

Time efficient -- Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi tries to use e-gate facilities at Tirtonadi Bus Terminal in Surakarta, Central Java, on Tuesday. .(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)

Budi tested the electronic system by buying a ticket of a bus serving the Surakarta-Surabaya route and using e-gate facilities in the terminal. He said the e-ticketing system at Tirtonadi Terminal was a quantum leap that must be followed by other bus terminals.

The market opportunities of bus services remain high. It now depends on how they provide quality services. Our people want an easy and quick service and need a comfortable condition in terminals. Tirtonadi has taken a step forward to realize consumers expectations, said Budi.

The minister said Tirtonadi would be directly connected to Solo Balapan train station and Adi Soemarmo International Airport via an inter-mode integration supporting facility, sky bridges and airport trains.

A passenger identifying herself as Rahayu, 32, said the online system was far more efficient because passengers did not have to form a queue or deal with brokers. (ebf)
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Linkedin Syamsul Huda M. Suhari (The Jakarta Post) Gorontalo  Wed, December 28, 2016

A group of young people took the stage, one played a flute, the other a guitar and another recited a poem to the music. It was the opening act of a four day event called Tadarus Puisi (Study in Poetry) in the yard of the Riden Baruadi Gallery in Gorontalo, starting on Monday.

This year, the sixth annual Tadarus Puisi had a theme of tolerance. Tadarus Puisi is held for everyone regardless of religion, ethnicity, race or ideology, said Muhammad Djufryhard, an adviser to the event, in the opening speech on Monday.

Thousands of poems were recited at the event.

Zulkifli Lubis, an artist who was also one of the event initiators, said the goal of the event was to show the beauty of diversity through poetry.

The committee provided poems for the public to read and recite. Among the poems were works of Gorontalo poets and other Indonesian poets, like Goenawan Mohammad, Acep Zam Zam Noor, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri and Afrizal Malna.

The public was encouraged to join in and recite their own poems at the event. (evi)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Magelang, Central Java  Wed, December 28, 2016

A resident of Magelang, Central Java, uncovered a homemade bomb placed under a batagor (fried fish dumpling) cart on Jl. Pahlawan, Tegalrejo, Magelang, on Tuesday.

Packed inside a brown womens handbag, the bomb contained ammunition powder, a circuit, cables and a watch, which were all wrapped with brown tape. There was also a piece of paper with messages written in Arabic inside the package.

Its a bomb circuit. There was ammunition powder weighing around two ounces, Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Djarod Padakova said in Semarang on Tuesday.

The Magelang resident, Arif Rohman, found the home-made bomb when he was about to prepare satay to sell on Jl. Pahlawan, Tegalrejo, at around 4:30 a.m. He then took the bag from under the cart and put it on a wooden chair in front of a pharmacy.

Curious about its content, Arif later opened the bag and discovered the bomb with a piece of paper written with Arabic characters. He reported his finding to a neighborhood association head in the area. The police secured the location following a report submitted by Arif and several other locals at 6:30 a.m.

The police bomb squad [Jihandak] disposed it at around 1 p.m., said Djarod.

He said pieces of the disposed bomb had been collected for a further investigation to ascertain what type of explosives it contained. Regarding whether it is a high or low grade explosive, the polices Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System [Inafis] is still examining it, said Djarod. (ebf)

On guard -- A police officer guards a location on Jl. Pahlawan, Tegalrejo, Magelang, Central Java, where a home-assembled bomb was found under a cart belonging to a batagor (fried fish dumpling) vendor on Tuesday.(Courtesy of the Central Java Police/File)
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Linkedin Arya Dipa and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bandung  Wed, December 28 2016

A legislative commission has said it will pay a visit to the Indonesian Air Force to seek clarification of its controversial purchase of a British-made chopper AgustaWestland (AW) 101, which they say may go against national policy aiming to develop the local defense industry.

House of Representatives Commission I, overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information, said the Air Force had never disclosed its plan to purchase the helicopter.

We dont know exactly why they bought the AW 101 helicopter. We only set their budget, the commissions chairman, Abdul Kharis Almasyhari of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

The Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) expressed appreciation of Indonesia's stance which, along with 31 other countries, has abstained from using the death penalty in response to the UN resolution made during the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States, on Tuesday.

HRWG executive director Muhammad Hafiz said Indonesias choice to abstain from using the death penalty, favoring the UN's resolution, should be appreciated amid the current implementation of the death penalty in the country.

Indonesias stance to abstain is a moderate choice in the current situation related to the implementation of the death penalty in Indonesia, including the current deliberation of the Criminal Code at the House of Representatives, which still considers the death penalty as a legal punishment, Hafiz said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

(Read also: Jokowi told to assess deterrent effect of death penalty)

At the UN general assembly, 117 countries favored the resolution while 40 countries rejected the resolution. Among the ASEAN nations, the Philippines was abstain and Cambodia was in favor of the resolution while Malaysia and Singapore rejected it.

ASEAN countries are at a cross roads dealing with how to solve crimes, especially related to the drugs, ASEAN HRWG program manager Daniel Awigra said.

Daniel said the death penalty went against human rights and had been proved to not actually deter perpetrators nor decrease crimes related to drugs.(jun)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

Propelled by messages about glorification of caliphate life spread by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization, Indonesians falling to the radical doctrine have been willing to spend their own money to join the group, terrorism analysts say.



There is no funding system. Most of the people who have gone to Syria have been self-financed. They have sold their land, houses, or cars. They even have borrowed money from friends and relatives, Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Although in some cases, Sydney added, there had also been money apparently sent from Syria for travel, but the amount was very small compared to the funds that were locally raised.



She said the appeal continuously conveyed by the group falsely depicted the actual situation in the war-torn country.



The propaganda is never about terrorism or violence, but the caliphate and the idea that you can bring up your family to a pure Islamic state, she said.

(Read also: Alleged terrorists arrested in W. Java affiliated with JAD: Police)



Terrorism observer Al Chaidar made a similar statement, saying that the cost for an individual going to Syria could be up to Rp 30 million (US$2,231).



They usually use the service from agents who handle all administrative matters including the visa and flight ticket. When arriving in Syria, they will be escorted by another Indonesian, he said.



On Saturday, the National Polices Densus 88 counterterrorism squad arrested three Indonesians who were deported from Turkey for allegedly intending to join IS militants. (fac/jun)
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Linkedin Josh Lederman and Caleb Jones (Associated Press) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii  Wed, December 28, 2016

Under a warm Oahu sun, with the tranquil, teal waters of Pearl Harbor behind them, former enemies came together Tuesday to acknowledge the tremendous loss caused by the Japanese attack on US military installations in Hawaii 75 years ago.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama made a historic pilgrimage to the site where the devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II.

"As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said.

He did not apologize for the attack but said "we must never repeat the horrors of war again."

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona.

There, he and Obama placed a pair of green-and-peach wreaths made of lilies and tossed purple flower petals into the water. The rusting wreckage of the ship where more than 1,000 American service members are entombed can be seen just under the water's surface.

Obama and Abe closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments.

Afterward, they spoke at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where Obama called the harbor a sacred place and said that "even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace."

"As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heaven's rails for all eternity," Obama said.

In likely the last time he will meet with a foreign leader as president, Obama said the two countries are bound by shared interests and common values and their alliance is "the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and a force for progress around the globe."

The two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd, shaking hands and hugging some of the men who fought in the Dec. 7, 1941, battle.

The visit is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war, Japan's government has said.

It's a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abe's predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

For Abe, it's an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war it entered after Pearl Harbor.

"This visit, and the president's visit to Hiroshima earlier this year, would not have been possible eight years ago," said Daniel Kritenbrink, Obama's top Asia adviser in the White House. "That we are here today is the result of years of efforts at all levels of our government and societies, which has allowed us to jointly and directly deal with even the most sensitive aspects of our shared history."

In the years after Japan's attack, the US incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Obama did not apologize at Hiroshima in May, a visit that he and Abe used to emphasize their elusive aspirations for a nuclear-free future. Nor did Abe on Tuesday.

No apology needed, said 96-year-old Alfred Rodrigues, a US Navy veteran who survived what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a "date which will live in infamy."

"War is war," Rodrigues said as he looked at old photos of his military service. "They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do."

Abe's visit is not without political risk given the Japanese people's long, emotional reckoning with their nation's aggression in the war. Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbor a surprise attack, Japan's government insisted as recently as this month that it had intended to give the US prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of "bureaucratic bungling."

"There's this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this 'Pearl Harbor syndrome,' that we did something very unfair," said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. "I think the prime minister's visit will in a sense absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have."

Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obama's tenure, including strengthened military ties. Both Obama and Abe were driving forces behind the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sweeping free trade deal now on hold due to staunch opposition by Congress and President-elect Donald Trump.

Moving beyond the painful legacy of the war has been easier for Japan and the US than for Japan and its other former foes, such as South Korea and China. As Abe arrived in Hawaii, Beijing dismissed as "wishful thinking" the notion that Japan could "liquidate the history of World War II" by visiting Pearl Harbor.

"Japan can never turn this page over without reconciliation from China and other victimized countries in Asia," said Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Skoloff in Kailua, Hawaii, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report.

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP (**)
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Linkedin Lita Aruperes (The Jakarta Post) Manado, North Sulawesi  Wed, December 28, 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodo expressed his hope that mutual respect and cooperation would be maintained among all Indonesians in a Christmas message delivered during his visit to Minahasa, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday.

We are brothers and sisters of one country and one nation. Thus, we should not continue to besmirch, find fault in and defame one another. We should become a hard-working nation that is optimistic and productive, said Jokowi.

The President further said that all Indonesian people should protect the pride of the nation. Therefore, we greatly need Indonesians who are independent, honest, liberated and can uphold justice so there will be no gap between the rich and poor, because our common enemy is corruption, said Jokowi.

Warm welcome -- Local residents in Tondano, Minahasa, North Sulawesi, welcome President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to the regency to celebrate the 2016 National Christmas celebration.(JP/Lita Aruperes)

Thousands of Christians joined the 2016 National Christmas celebration attended by Jokowi and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo in Tondano, Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday. Held at Wale Ne Tou Building in Tondano, the Christmas celebration started at around 12:30 p.m. local time.

Before attending the national Christmas celebration, the President inaugurated three new geothermal power plants (PLTP) collectively worth Rp 6.18 trillion (US$532.07 million) belonging to state oil and gas firm Pertamina. The projects comprise PLTP Lahendong unit 5 and 6 with a capacity of 2 x 20 Megawatts (MW) in Tompaso, North Sulawesi, and PLTP Ulubeli unit 3 with a capacity of 1 x 55 MW in Tanggamus, Lampung. Completed earlier than scheduled, it is hoped that the new power plants will help the government expand electricity services in their respective areas.

President Jokowi attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the three projects held in Kamojang, West Java, on July 15, 2015. (ebf)
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Linkedin Eva Aruperes (The Jakarta Post) Manado  Wed, December 28 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodo called for unity in his Christmas celebration speech, which he delivered amid rising religious tensions in the Muslim-majority country.

During his opening speech at the National Christmas celebration in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday, the President reminded people that all Indonesians were brothers, and therefore should protect and respect each other. Because we are brothers with one nation and one homeland, lets help, respect and protect each other. Dont forget that, Jokowi said in Wale Ne Tou building in Tondano, Minahasa.

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) will conclude its final trading day of the year on Friday, with President Joko Jokowi Widodo and legendary Indonesian rock band Slank scheduled to attend the closing bell ceremony.

IDX president director Tito Sulistio said the presidential office had confirmed Jokowis attendance at the event.

"We will also invite rock band Slank for the event, Tito said at the IDX building on Tuesday.

(Read also: Indonesian stock market ends the year on a low note)

Tito said Vice President Jusuf Kalla would open the first day of trading in 2017 on Jan. 3.

Last year, the Vice President closed the final trading day [in 2015] and the President opened the first trading day [in 2016]. Now, they have reversed the roles, he said. (hwa)
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Linkedin Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28 2016

Is the pope Catholic? Well, he is the leader of the Catholic Church, so yes, he is. Duh.

Then why is he waging war against Christmas? Will he gang up with the notorious Islam Defenders Front (FPI) in Indonesia which is also waging war against Christmas?

The FPI are famous for conducting sweeping (raids). Recently, they attempted to sweep malls in cities in Java, to prevent mall employees from wearing Christmas paraphernalia, the most common being Santa hats.

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) is lending its support to the development of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by organizing SME bazaars in 14 major train stations on Java and Sumatra.

KAI president director Edi Sukmoro said the bazaars would open on Jan. 12, 2017, and showcase products from 171 SMEs for 16 days. The participating SMEs have previously received assistance from KAI and other state-owned enterprises.

"The bazaars aim to introduce SME products to KAI passengers, Edi said Wednesday.

From the 14 venues, Gambir train station in Central Jakarta and Bandung train station in West Java will host the biggest exhibitions, with around 40 SMEs showcasing their products.

Other train stations, including Surabayas Gubeng station, will host around 20 SMEs. (hwa)
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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post)  Wed, December 28 2016

In 2016, two criminal cases took center stage, becoming high-profile affairs thanks to the enormous public attention paid to each hearing.

Like a soap opera, judicial proceedings became the number one choice of TV stations to air as they were guaranteed to garner a high viewership.

As a result, the public became intensely involved in discussions on the cases, ranging from academic debates, coffee-shop gossip to conspiracy theories, regardless of the fact that the trials were still taking place.

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A proposal to limit motorized watercraft use on nearly 50 western Montana river and stream segments is the subject of public hearings starting next week.

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Quiet Waters initiative offers a mix of certain seasonal and horsepower restrictions as well as the closure of some small tributaries for motorized use. The group cites advancements and future advancements of motorized technology as a primary reason for bringing the initiative.

Various regulation changes are sought on the Yellowstone, Flathead, Marias, Stillwater, Sun, Teton Bitterroot, Missouri, Swan and Whitefish rivers, with additional changes for multiple tributaries. Examples of proposed regulations include limiting the Missouri River near Craig to 10-horsepower or less motors from June 1 through Sept. 15, and closing all tributaries of the Bitterroot River to motorized watercraft.

A full description of impacted waterways is available at http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/rules/pn_0218.html.

We recognize that jet boats and motorboats have a place in Montana, but thats not in every stream all the time, said John Sullivan, BHA Montana chair. Quiet Waters for us is an honest conversation about a give and take.

The petition process allows the public to bring proposed regulations directly to the Fish and Wildlife Commission. In May, the commission bucked opposition from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and voted unanimously to move Quiet Waters forward, putting the proposal into state rulemaking which includes public comment. Commissioners agreed with supporters that a proactive approach to regulations was a discussion worth having.

FWP is taking public comment and holding six public meetings in January.

We think the (petition) process itself is great, Sullivan said. It allows citizens to propose changes to the ways we manage wildlands and wildlife resources  and its kind of a democratic process.

Support for Quiet Waters has been mixed.

Representatives from the Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana and American Rivers threw support behind moving the proposal forward, along with several other BHA members and river users at the May commission meeting.

The Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited voiced support in a letter to the commission for seasonal restrictions on the Flathead River.

As all forms of water based recreation are increasing in this area, the potential for future conflicts will only grow. New technologies will help fuel the conflicts as motorized use will expand into new areas formerly not accessible, the letter says.

Although Montana Trout Unlimited did not develop Quiet Waters, the group is generally supportive of the initiative, said Executive Director Bruce Farling. Meaningful solutions often require reducing the use by some groups, he said, adding that the proposals are not radical.

Our view is simply that we shouldn't wait until there is a problem, after conflicts between motorized and nonmotorized users become inflamed and the issues become clearer regarding safety, resource damage or harm to private landowners, Farling said. Trying to fix it after the fact when uses have been established and people are dug in is not necessarily the best way to establish policy.

The initiative is also timely in light of invasive species detections in Montana with potential to spread via watercraft, he said. The majority of water-based recreation is nonmotorized but many waterways would remain open without restrictions.

FWPs opposition stems from a lack of conflicts and the belief that current laws and regulations are sufficient. The agency called the recommendations drastic in agenda materials and suggested that existing laws against negligent and reckless boating address public safety.

Flathead-area business owners and boaters turned out in force to oppose the measure at the commission's December meeting.

"To me this is one user group trying to dictate how we can recreate," said Mike Howe, a charter captain on Flathead Lake. "I don't feel this is based on science ... or any conflicts. This group just doesn't like noise."

He went on to say the initiative will pit user groups against each other.

Pete Jellar, owner of Pete's Tackle Shop in Kalispell, asked the commission to extend the comment period another 60 to 90 days.

"This would affect my business," he said. "I will probably have to shut my doors."

Walleyes Unlimited of Montana also opposes Quiet Waters.

There have been no complaints to the department regarding power watercraft in the areas proposed to be closed, said Executive Director Bob Gilbert. What we have is a solution in search of a problem.

The initiative gives preferential treatment to nonmotorized use and could affect the quality of fishing and boating for members whov travel throughout western Montana, he said. The measure also sets a precedent for requesting additional restrictions in the central and eastern part of the state.

Many wilderness areas are already designated for quiet recreation, Gilbert said.

Sullivan believes that opposition has been largely regional and subject to misinformation. The biggest misconception, he says, is that Quiet Waters outlaws boats across the state.

If I could take back the title Quiet Waters I probably would because its led to misunderstanding, he said. We dont want to see jet boats eliminated. We dont want to see anything too heavy-handed.

BHAs board includes some motorboat owners with an overarching belief that the initiative protects current uses as it seeks balance in the face of technology and a growing population, he said.

I really hope well have the opportunity to set the record straight, Sullivan said of the upcoming hearings.

The Billings Gazette's Brett French contributed to this story.
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

The Jakarta Police are investigating the motive behind the murder of six people at a house in Pulo Mas, East Jakarta, including whether the killing was part of a robbery.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono said Tuesday that for the time being the incident was believed to be purely a murder case because no valuables had been found missing from the house.

[For the time being] the incident is still [believed] to be a murder, not a robbery, because no missing items have been found, Raden said at the scene as quoted by Kompas.com.

Police dogs have been deployed to track down the perpetrators.

According to the police report obtained by The Jakarta Post, the scene was first discovered at around 9:25 a.m. by a female witness who reported it to the nearby Kayuputih Police station as a robbery. The police checked the scene and found five people dead inside a small bathroom. It is thought that the victims died from asphyxiation. One died at a hospital.

The report said that altogether 11 people had been locked inside the bathroom.

The six people who died have been identified as Dodi Triono, the owner of the house, Diona Arika Andra Putri and Dianita Gemma Dzalfayla, Dodis daughters, Amel, a friend of one of the children and Yanto and Tasrok, the familys drivers. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

The Jakarta Police will soon question witnesses as part of the blasphemy case implicating Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab. The firebrand cleric was reported by two student associations for remarks he made in a sermon, the video of which has been distributed on the internet.

We will question a number of witnesses such as information technology experts, crime experts, religious experts and others, said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Argo Yuwono as reported by tribunnews.com on Wednesday.

A case review will be carried out after the questioning of the witnesses, he added.

(Read also: FPI leader reported to police for allegedly committing religious blasphemy)

Rizieq was reported by the Indonesian Catholic Students Association (PMKRI) and Students Peace Institute (SPI) to the Jakarta Police after a video of the sermon was uploaded onto Twitter and Instagram.

In the 22-second-long video, Rizieq is recorded as saying: If God gave birth, then who would be the midwife?

Similar to Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who is being tried at the North Jakarta District Court, Rizieq is also accused of violating Article 156 section (a) of the Criminal Code on blasphemy. The charge carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

Asked if the case review of the Rizieq case would be carried out openly like Ahoks case review, Argo said that it would be up to the investigators.

Just wait for the investigation into the case, said Argo, telling those who reported Rezieq to the police to be patient while the police were carrying out the investigation.

Rizieq was a prominent figure in massive demonstrations held recently in Jakarta to demand a police investigation into Ahoks alleged blasphemy. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

Commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) Erlinda has said that her conversation with Zanette Kalila, 13, one of the survivors of a house invasion in Pulo Mas, East Jakarta, that left six dead, indicated the attack might have been motivated by revenge.

Zanette gave me some clues. She said the perpetrators were evil and her dad was not wrong. The perpetrators are more than one, Erlinda said on Tuesday night at Kartika Hospital without giving further details.

Erlinda said she saw anger in the eyes of Zanette who has a disability and difficulty talking.

(Read also: Police suspect mass murder occurred Monday afternoon)

The police plan to use an interpreter to obtain information from Zannete in a questioning on Wednesday, tribunnews.com reported.

Zannette was among 11 people locked in the houses bathroom. Six of them died: Zannettes father Dodi Triono, 59, her sisters Diona Arika, 19, and Dianita Gemma, 9, a friend Amel, and two drivers Anto and Tasrok.

Zannette and four others survived after being locked in the bathroom for almost 12 hours. They are now receiving treatment at the hospital.

The murder was revealed after Dionas friend Sheila Putri visited the house on Tuesday and found the house unlocked. Sheila heard moaning in the locked bathroom and then reported the situation to security guards in the area.

Police earlier said that no precious belongings in the house were missing. Dodi was a businessman and architect who had reportedly just won a bid to renovate the Gelora Bung Karno national stadium. (jun)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28 2016

A consortium led by local energy firm Star Energy has won two geothermal assets worth US$3 billion offered in an auction by US-based energy corporation Chevron.

California-based Chevron recently announced that its Indonesian subsidiaries Chevron Geothermal Indonesia and Chevron Geothermal Salak had entered into a sales and purchase agreement with the Star Energy-led consortium to sell Chevrons Mount Salak and Darajat fields in West Java.

The consortium, consisting of Star Energy Group Holdings, Star Energy Geothermal, AC Energy  an affiliate of the Ayala Group in the Philippines  and Thailands EGCO, also won shares of Chevrons Tiwi and Mak-Ban geothermal power plants in Southern Luzon, the Philippines.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 28, 2016

The governments plan to establish the Terrorism Risk Index, which aims to detect potential terrorism acts in regions across the country, should underline intra-religious conflict amid growing sectarian hate, an expert has said.



Terrorism analyst Al Chaidar said conflict within the same religion driven by different schools of thought should not be undermined because it often served as the primary cause that has led a person toward extremism.



The inter-religious conflict between followers of different schools of thoughts can vastly influence the growth of intolerance, he said on Wednesday.



He said that if the matter was overlooked, the government might fail to detect and identify the roots of radicalism in Indonesia. He said that, for example, many Indonesians aiming to join militants in war-torn Syria were propelled by the escalating Shiite-Sunni tensions.



A comprehensive terrorism risk index that measures key and determining factors will eventually help regional governments to know better what has pushed the increase in terrorism activities in their respective areas. Its important so that they will know how to deal with it, he said.



On Tuesday, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) agreed to work on establishing the first ever Terrorism Risk Index in a bid to better identify the root of terrorism amid fear of growing radicalism in the country. The factors gauged will include, among others, ideology, economics, politics, social issues and culture. (fac/evi)
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Linkedin Vivian Salma (Associated Press) West Palm Beach, Fla.  Wed, December 28, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday appointed an experienced hand from the George W. Bush era to his national security circle and a figure from the Trump Organization to make international deals.

Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trump's transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity, and coordinate the Cabinet's process for making and executing policy in those areas.

The position notably "is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser," the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.

Bossert will work closely with Trump's pick for national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on US-Israel relations as special representative for international negotiations. Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organization for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer.

In the statement, Trump said Greenblatt "has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf," and has the expertise to "bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics."

Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for US ambassador to Israel.

Trump's West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as "equal partners," according to Trump, and counselor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy. Trump's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also have a direct line to the president.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and during his presidential campaign. But doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making.

In New York Tuesday afternoon, police hastily cleared the lobby of Trump Tower to investigate an unattended backpack, only to find that it contained children's toys. Video taken by a bystander and posted on Twitter showed people running through the lobby for the exits.

The bomb squad checked out the package and gave an "all clear" just after 5 p.m.

Trump lives in the tower and has his offices there, although he is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, where he's held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his government remain; his transition team says he will fill those positions in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Trump's plan to dissolve his charitable foundation before he takes office to eliminate any conflicts of interest appears to be harder than he thought.

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that Trump cannot move ahead with his decision to dismantle his charitable foundation because state prosecutors are probing whether the president-elect personally benefited from its spending.

"The Trump foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," said Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The statement came after Trump announced that he wanted to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation, part of what his presidential transition team says is an effort to erase any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office Jan. 20.

But the foundation's inner workings have been the subject of Schneiderman's investigation for months and could remain a thorny issue for Trump's incoming administration. Democrats nationally have said they are ready to raise any legal or ethical issues from Trump's global business empire during his presidency.

Trump's charity has admitted that it violated IRS regulations barring it from using its money or assets to benefit Trump, his family, his companies or substantial contributors to the foundation.

The admissions by the Donald J. Trump Foundation were in a 2015 tax filing made public after a presidential election in which it was revealed that Trump has used the charity to settle lawsuits, make a $25,000 political contribution and purchase items like a painting of himself that was displayed at one of his properties.

In the tax filing, posted on the nonprofit monitoring website GuideStar on Nov. 18, the foundation acknowledged it used money or assets in violation of the regulations not only during 2015, but in prior years. But the tax filing doesn't provide details on the violations.

Trump asserted on Twitter late Monday that his foundation was run efficiently.

"The DJT Foundation, unlike most foundations, never paid fees, rent, salaries or any expenses," the president-elect tweeted. "100% of the money goes to wonderful charities."

___

Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Washington and Julie Pace in Buffalo, New York, contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Edith M.Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations  Wed, December 28, 2016

A draft UN resolution obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press would impose sanctions on 11 Syrians and 10 Syrian organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks in the war-ravaged country.

The proposed Security Council resolution, drafted by Britain and France, would also ban all countries from supplying Syria's government with helicopters, which investigators have determined were used in chemical attacks.

The resolution follows a joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog that determined the Syrian government was behind at least three attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State group was responsible for at least one involving mustard gas.

The United States, Britain and France have been pressing the council to impose sanctions on the Syrian government for using chemical weapons. Previous council resolutions call for "measures" under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which authorizes sanctions, if chemical weapons are used.

But Russia, Syria's closest ally, has repeatedly questioned the conclusions linking chemical weapons use to the regime of President Bashar Assad reached by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism, known as the JIM.

The Syrian government denies using chemical weapons in the civil war, now in its sixth year. A Russian veto of the resolution is therefore highly likely when it is put to a vote, which diplomats say could be before the end of the year.

In addition to sanctions, the draft resolution would express the Security Council's "strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be thoroughly investigated, and prosecuted, as appropriate, before a competent tribunal which is both independent and impartial."

The 11 Syrians who would be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban under the draft resolution include Amr Armanzi, director-general of Syria's Scientific Studies Research Center, which is responsible for the development and production of chemical weapons and the missiles to deliver them in the country. Nine current and former military officers and the managing director of a Ministry of Defense subsidiary that assists in the production of chemical weapons are also named.

The 10 "entities" that would be put on the sanctions blacklist and subject to an asset freeze under the draft resolution include the Scientific Studies Research Center and several government subsidiaries, proxies, front companies and factories allegedly involved in producing chemical weapons.

A chemical weapon attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of civilians on Aug. 21, 2013, led to a US-Russian agreement and a Security Council resolution the following month that ordered the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons, precursors and the equipment to produce the deadly agents.

The Syrian government's support for the resolution and decision to join the chemical weapons watchdog known as the OPCW warded off possible US military strikes in response to the attack, which Damascus denied carrying out.

Syria's declared stockpile of 1,300 metric tons of chemicals has been destroyed, but the OPCW is still investigating outstanding questions about possible undeclared chemical weapons.

The draft resolution expresses "grave concern" that the OPCW "is not able to resolve all identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies in Syria's declaration" and orders Syria to give a full declaration within 30 days of its adoption. (**)
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Linkedin Lolita C.Baldor and Bradley Klapper (Associated Press) Washington  Wed, December 28, 2016

US-Russian talks on their separate fights against the Islamic State group are becoming more productive and more frequent, American officials said, with both sides trading information in real time and even outlining some of their strategic objectives in the months ahead. The progress dispels the notion that ties between the former Cold War foes are "frozen."

In the discussions, Russia has made clear its counterterrorism priority in Syria is retaking the ancient city of Palmyra, officials said. The US is determined to pressure IS' headquarters in Raqqa.

The closer contacts between the two countries have developed despite their bitter accusations against each other over the devastation in Aleppo and Moscow's claim that relations are now "frozen on all practical levels."

The confidential military discussions aren't focusing on their opposing positions in Syria's civil war, where Russia is fighting alongside the government and the United States has backed rebel groups, officials said.

But US officials with knowledge of the ongoing conversations are crediting both sides with putting aside much of the public animosity, which has included Washington's accusations of Russian war crimes in Aleppo and Moscow's charges of American support for terrorist groups such as al-Qaida.

Much of the talk has concerned the two nations' immediate operations.

Since Dec. 15, the US-led coalition has conducted airstrikes on about two dozen locations around Palmyra, destroying air defense weapons, tanks, aircraft shelters, storage bunkers and other vehicles and equipment. At the same time, US and Russian officials having been ensuring that the two militaries' don't cross paths in the airspace above the city that IS militants seized for the second time earlier this month, and that American strikes don't mistakenly hit Russian or Syrian forces.

But the talks have gone beyond the granular and even touched on broader US and Russian plans, according to several US officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly on the confidential discussions and demanded anonymity.

The Russians have spelled out that after they retake Palmyra, they want to move on IS militants congregated in Deir el-Zour, a city closer to the Iraqi border. Succeeding in Deir el-Zour, according to one US official, could take Russia several months.

Palmyra became a more urgent mission after Islamic State militants ended the Syrian government's nine-month hold over the city, seizing Russian and Syrian military equipment and weapons in the process. These include dangerous air defense artillery that could be used against coalition and friendly forces.

According to officials, the US and Russian militaries have been communicating regularly, often in real time as strikes have been about to launch to make sure innocent troops aren't at risk. The new concentration of US strikes around Palmyra in the past week has made the effort especially important for Russia, one senior US official said.

The scope of the discussions suggests the two sides are pulling back from some of the extreme rhetoric in recent months, mainly colored by Russia's support for the successful Syrian military effort to retake all of Aleppo. While Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hopes that Donald Trump will improve US-Russian cooperation, it appears some of the groundwork already is being done.

US officials have legal constraints on how far they can go. American law prohibits any military-to-military relations with Russia in the aftermath of its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.

But as Syria's various conflicts have escalated, it became more critical for the US and Russia to make sure they avoid crashes and other problems in the increasingly crowded skies  as happened when the US mistakenly killed dozens of Syrian soldiers in airstrikes near Deir el-Zour in September.

"We certainly don't want to have a repeat of that," said Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria.

Palmyra poses particular difficulties. Several hundred IS forces are believed to be in the city. But Syrian government and Russian troops are also there, making it difficult to tell them apart. (**)
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  Wed, December 28, 2016

Vice President Jusuf Kalla expressed appreciation for related authorities for having been responsive and acting collaboratively in handling victims of a massive flooding in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

There is a lesson we can take from this incident. It has taught us that as a human beings, we should always be patient. This disaster has cultivated a spirit of gotong-royong [mutual cooperation] among us, said Kalla during a meeting at the Bima mayor's office on Wednesday.

The parties involved in the disaster mitigation efforts include NTB and Bima administrations, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the NTB Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian Military and the National Police.

Kalla called for accelerated and collaborative efforts in supporting recovery conditions after a massive flooding in Bima.

The faster the disaster handling efforts are conducted, the better the condition will be. If the response runs slowly, there will be more victims and wider damages in infrastructure. We need to work quickly. Otherwise, thick mud covering certain areas will harden and become more difficult for us to clean off.

Recovery efforts -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla (center) monitors recovery efforts of massive flooding in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday.(Courtesy of the Vice President Office/File)

The Vice President asserted that recovery efforts must be conducted jointly and involve all governmental organizations.

The availability of emergency relief and clean water for Bima residents has also been highlighted in the meeting.

Kalla arrived at Sultan Salahuddin Airport in Bima at 10:15 a.m. local time and led the coordination meeting, which included Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, NTB Governor M. Zainul Majdi and Bima Mayor Muhammad Qurais H. Abidin, among others. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Thu, December 29 2016

The world is in the throes of resurgent nationalism, steeped in nostalgia of some glorious past and drawing boundaries based on race and ethnicity. In the United States, a certain political leader talks about making America great again, probably wanting to revisit a moment in history when majority ethnic groups also controlled much of the countrys wealth.

In the United Kingdom, the longing for an old Britain, where prosperity was shared by the nations own population without the presence of immigrants from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, has given rise to Brexit.

The trend of ethnic nationalism has finally arrived in Indonesia and nothing riles people up in this country more than the threat of Chinese intrusion. For several months now, rumors and unconfirmed reports have been swirling that China has sent millions of workers to Indonesia. Some speculated that there could be up to 20 million Chinese nationals in the country. The rumors were particularly toxic and appealed to peoples sense of nationalism, if not threatening their sense of well-being. As if it is not bad enough, having millions of Chinese nationals present in the country takes away much-needed jobs that local people count on for their livelihood.

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The Helena City Commission and the Lewis and Clark Heritage Tourism Council are being advised against chatting with the public about Central School.

Trustees for Helenas school district are interested in perhaps tearing down Central School and the Seventh Avenue gymnasium or significantly remodeling the school so it would be as though it were a new building.

Approval for demolition or extensive renovation would begin with the Heritage Tourism Council, which would provide a recommendation for a decision by the city commission.

No plan has yet been brought for consideration by either the council or the commission.

City Attorney Thomas Jodoin met with the commission recently to answer questions regarding an Aug. 11, 2014, memorandum from Jeff Hindoien, who was the city attorney at that time, that warns against conversations with the public outside of public hearings.

That memo is based on legal advice from David Nielsen, who as a previous city attorney who wrote on Jan. 16, 2002, of the problems with conversations by the commission outside of public hearings.

Jodoin said conversation between two commissioners is to be expected and part of their duties, but he also said he would discourage such conversations.

His advice for the city commission was to avoid ex parte communications rather than risk tainting a decision.

Jodoins concerns also include the potential to violate Montanas open meeting law should a conversation occur among three members of the commission, which would constitute a quorum.

The board of trustees for Helena Public Schools in early December directed the interim superintendent to meet with the commission and Heritage Tourism Council regarding what steps must be taken for the school to be deconstructed.

School trustees also want to know what must be done to build a new school on the site. They are asking for costs to build a new school and those for renovating the existing school to make it the equivalent of a new building.

Jack Copps, the interim superintendent, told the school board he would recommend a $63 million bond in the spring to construct three new schools and replace Central, Jim Darcy and Bryant schools.

The possibility of another bond issue would come in less than two years after slightly more than 58 percent of voters rejected a $70 million bond for the elementary school district. Roughly 45.5 percent of voters cast ballots in that election.

If the school district is to move ahead with demolition or a significant remodel of Central School, it will first have to bring its plans to the Heritage Tourism Council.

Based on city code, demolition can be either tearing down the building or significantly changing it.

Demolition is defined as any act or process that destroys in part or in whole the historic integrity of a structure or site including the exterior or facade or otherwise alters the structure so that it no longer qualifies to have a primary or contributing status.

The Heritage Tourism Councils involvement comes because Central School and the Seventh Avenue gymnasium, while not individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are contributing structures to the historic district that was listed in 1972.

The district was since amended, and an addendum containing May 2013 photos of the school was intended to clarify that the school and gymnasium are contributing structures, according to the document.

They contribute to the Helena historic districts feel, said Pam Attardo, the city/county historic preservation officer.

Central School and the Seventh Avenue gym were not included when the district was created, Attardo said, but the State Historic Preservation Office clarified the school and gyms importance shortly after the school closed suddenly in March 2013 because of seismic safety concerns.

Attardo met recently with the Heritage Tourism Council regarding the citys review process for demolition of historic buildings. She also fielded questions on Hindoiens memo on ex parte communications.

If members of the council are on the receiving end of a conversation, they will need to disclose that, she said.

And those who want to talk about the school should be told to wait until there is a public hearing, Attardo added.

This too was Jodoins advice to the city commission.

I dont want to see the process result in litigation, he told the commission.
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Linkedin Curtis S. Chin and Jose B. Collazo (The Jakarta Post) Bangkok  Thu, December 29 2016

Enter 2017. As a new year begins, we take one last look at who was up, and who was down in Asia. In 2015, we awarded worst year to Asias lungs as deadly pollution darkened skies in Indonesia, China and India.

In 2016, we looked further east, across the Pacific, to an outgoing United States president who once called Indonesia home, and a fading pivot and partnership. We review the year that was.

* Worst year: The US pivot to Asia

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 29 2016

East Jakartas Industry and Energy Agency is installing 350 smart Light Emitting Diode (LED) systems along the banks of the East Flood Canal (KBT) to help promote the area as the municipalitys main open green space.

Agency head Nurhidayat said on Wednesday that his personnel had installed 220 lamps and targeted to complete the installation of all the lamps by Wednesday evening.

He said the lamps were equipped with a system that could automatically turn on at night.

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Linkedin Carla Bianpoen (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 29 2016

As the overall mood in the commercial art world was somewhat dampened this year, it was also a time in which both artists and exhibition organizers looked inward.

In spite of dark forebodings, or maybe precisely because of them, a burst of creativity and new visions followed this year, beyond market and economic predictions.



There was the stunning retrospective Yang Terhormat Ibu (Dear Mother) by Sri Astari Rasjid, held just before she left to take up her post as ambassador in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania.



Denoting the womb as a source of creation and cultural inspiration, the works signified an important direction in Indonesian contemporary art and beyond, making it clear how art inspired by culture and tradition can break through established dynamics without losing its essential values.



Equally stunning was Hanafis 29th solo show Pintu Belakang - Derau Jawa (Back Door  Derau Jawa).



Unlike his usual abstract works, the exhibition had many realistic renditions and objects, which denoted life in the back area of a Javanese house, that have vanished in the process of the transition to urban constructions.



Metaphorically Hanafis use of the Javanese house was to observe, ponder and question Javanese identity and the formal interpretation of art today with works that were semi-realistic and objects that colored life in the back door of a Javanese house, but had disappeared in the course of transition to a modern society.



Exciting and luring the general public to the national gallery was the first public showing in 71 years of Indonesia as an independent nation of selected works from the palace collection.



Held with the motto Goresan Juang Kemerdekaan (Freedom Sketches) to commemorate Indonesian Independence Day, the 28 works (selected out of 2,000 works of first president Sukarnos legendary collection and a few collected later) represented the exemplary bond between artists and the national struggle for independence.



These were represented by artists who had in the course of time acquired a level of celebrity as masters in the Indonesian art world, such as Affandi, Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, Dullah, Haijadi and more.



In spite of the flaws in the curation and the serious cracks in the works  the visual result of failing maintenance  and despite that this was just a splinter of the entire presidential palaces art collection, the very first time the public was allowed a glimpse in the legendary collection that Sukarno had laid out was an almost sacred event that everybody  young, old and very old  wanted to see. For many, it was an energizing experience.

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Linkedin Lester Wong (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Wed, December 28, 2016

Families with elderly folk are increasingly turning to live-in help in the form of foreign nurses.

Service providers interviewed said that demand for these nurses has surged in recent years and they expect the uptrend to continue.

These nurses, who come from the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia, are seen as an option for older people who have mild to moderate disabilities and need round-the-clock medical care. This includes people who suffer from dementia or have had a stroke.

Ms Yorelle Kalika, chief executive of Active Global Specialised Care- givers, said: "Demand in Singapore has been growing steadily over the last three years."

Mrs Susan Ng, director of nursing at Sue Private Nurses Agency, said that demand for foreign nurses has increased exponentially as private nurses here usually do not want to stay overnight with their patients.

Mr Jonathan Lai, general manager of Nicole Consultancy, which offers local and foreign nurses for its home nursing services, said that another factor is the shrinking pool of foreign maids.

And with Indonesia planning to stop sending live-in maids to Singapore from as early as next year, trained help may be the best alternative, he said.

However, despite the bright business prospects, agencies are not going on a big hiring spree, citing costs and quality concerns.

For Ms Rena Ang, getting a live-in nurse to take care of her 70-year- old mother was a better option than a foreign live-in maid.

Her mother, Madam Tan Ah Sian, cannot walk without assistance.

Ms Ang, 40, said: "Rather than getting a maid to look after my mother, we wanted someone medically trained and who has had past experience taking care of older people."

Madam Tan was diagnosed with terminal gall bladder cancer in March last year and her condition worsened over time.

Now, she is not only unable to walk on her own but also needs help with activities like using the toilet and taking a shower.

For more than six months, Ms Ang and her father, Mr Ang Chin Lai, 69, took care of Madam Tan on their own. "Frankly, it was hard. One of us had to be in the house all the time," said Ms Ang, who runs her own business.

Caring for Madam Tan on top of their regular jobs was a strain for Ms Ang and her father, a part-time logistics manager, and they decided to seek help.

Ms Ang contacted Active Global Specialised Caregivers, an agency that brings in foreign home nurses.

She hired Myanmar live-in care- giver Than Than Sint, 42, after a number of telephone and Skype interviews.

Ms Than Than Sint has been taking care of Madam Tan since May this year. Among other duties, she monitors Madam Tan's condition daily, changes her painkiller patch and stays overnight with her in the hospital should she be warded.

Ms Ang said: "A live-in caregiver needs to have a lot of patience and compassion. We're very thankful for Than Than."

Need for eldercare services

The number of people above the age of 65 in Singapore is expected to increase to 610,000 by 2020, even as the number of family caregivers shrinks.

By 2030, one in three people here is projected to need some form of eldercare service.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced plans in October to change "the centre of gravity" of senior healthcare from hospital to home and community, although this will take time.

It also intends to increase the number of healthcare workers here in 2020 by 30,000, with 10,000 of these in the eldercare sector alone.

But community-based eldercare options are still in short supply. The capacity to care for older people in their homes was 6,900 last year.

In contrast, there were 29,000 older people living alone in 2011 and this figure is estimated to reach 92,000 by 2030.

There is thus room for the private sector to move into, but any expansion will run into the same constraints that affect the healthcare sector as a whole, such as manpower shortages.

In the last 12 months, Active Global has doubled the number of foreign nurses it employs in Singapore to 400, and the number is expected to double again next year.

Ms Kalika, who founded the company in 2012, said: "My estimate is that the number of potential clients is around 100,000 to 200,000."

Ensuring high standards

However, despite the burgeoning demand, most agencies offering foreign live-in caregiver services in Singapore remain small, employing fewer than 50 caregivers.

Ms Kalika said: "This is a labour- intensive industry and a lot of investment is required in terms of operating costs, such as provision for additional training."

Active Global's nurses do a refresher course or get additional training in caring for dementia or stroke patients, for example, by senior nurses who have worked in hospitals here.

Mrs Ng of Sue Private Nursing, which has been operating for 10 years and contracts an average of 10 foreign caregivers a month to households here, said: "We make a lot of home visits to uphold the standard of care expected. These are done by local professionals. That's why our numbers are small."

Compared with getting a maid, more work has to go into deter- mining the fit of a caregiver with an employer. This is because, in addition to relevant skills and past experience, small things such as chemistry also matter.

Ms Kalika said that in a high- pressure job like caregiving, friction can arise from the patient and caregiver being in close proximity all the time. Thus, the effort that goes into making the right match is important.

While maids may be the first resort for families needing caregiving help - they are relatively more affordable than specialised caregivers - the advantages of a live-in nurse are significant.

This is because maids may not be as adept as trained nurses at taking care of the sick or disabled.

Mr Lai said: "We do see that there will be a big gap. Foreign maids will need to be trained in other skills, and nursing is one of the options."

For Madam Tan, it was important to have a caregiver who she could communicate with easily.

She said: "I taught Than Than a bit of Hokkien and she picked it up quickly. Now, she knows how to ask me in dialect, li jiak ba buay? (have you eaten?)."

Ms Than Than Sint said: "I am also lucky. I love Ah Ma (Madam Tan) and Ah Ma loves me."

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 Ed Margareth Barahan (Philippines Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila  Wed, December 28, 2016

The US Embassy in the Philippines on Wednesday denied the existence of a blueprint to oust President Rodrigo Duterte from power.

In a report on Tuesday by the Manila Times, former US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg allegedly left a blueprint for Dutertes ouster or a recommendation to the US state department for the removal of the Philippine President from office.

Manila press attache Molly Koscina in response to the report said the US Embassy categorically denies the claims in the said article.

In a statement, Koscina said the US-Philippine relationship was broad and the alliance between the two countries was one of the most enduring and important relationships in the Asia Pacific region and it was built on shared sacrifices for democracy and human rights and strong people-to-people and societal ties.

We continue to focus on our broad relationship with the Philippines, and will work together in the many areas of mutual interest to improve the livelihoods of the Philippine people and uphold our shared democratic values, Koscina said.

The US state department has earlier denied its participation in any plans to oust Duterte.

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer 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  Wed, December 28, 2016

Banyuwangi in East Java reportedly saw an increase in tourist arrivals throughout 2016.

Banyuwangi Cultural and Tourism Agency acting head M.Y. Bramuda said the regency welcomed more than 3 million domestic visitors and 72,000 foreign tourists in 2016, far above the initial target of 2.5 million and 50,000, respectively.

Some of Banyuwangis most popular destinations include the local fishermen-managed Bangsring Underwater in Wongsorejo subdistrict and Boom Beach and Pulau Merah (Red Island) in Pesanggaran subdistrict, kompas.com reported.

(Read also: Database eyed to boost services for tourists in Japan)

The aforementioned number of tourist arrivals is for the most visited areas only. The number of visitors to newly opened destinations, such as the pine tree tour in Songgon and mangrove forest tour, has not been included, Bramuda said.

The regency administration is currently focusing on upgrading its services with the goal of expanding the local tourist economy.

According to a 2015 survey, tourists spent Rp 3.1 million (US$230) on average during their visit to Banyuwangi. (mas/kes)
Helena Public Schools took the first step Tuesday on the regulatory path to the possible demolition or significant reconstruction of Central School, though officials have yet to make an official decision about what to do with the community landmark.

The school district's interim Superintendent Jack Copps, Assistant Superintendent Greg Upham, and building and grounds administrator Kalli Kind met with Pam Attardo, the heritage preservation officer with the Helena/Lewis and Clark County Heritage Tourism Council, for a pre-application meeting.

A pre-application meeting precedes more formal action by the Heritage Tourism Council in which a recommendation for a demolition permit is made to the city commission for a decision.

Helena City Manager Ron Alles has indicated a desire to move the process along as quickly as city staff can manage because the school districts timetable, said Sharon Haugen, the citys community development director, who joined the meeting by phone.

A demolition permit covers more than just the removal of a historic structure. Based on city code, demolition can be either tearing down the building or significantly changing it.

Demolition is defined in city code as any act or process that destroys in part or in whole the historic integrity of a structure or site including the exterior or facade, or otherwise alters the structure so that it no longer qualifies to have a primary or contributing status to a historic district.

Central School and the Seventh Avenue gymnasium, which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are contributing structures to the historic district that was listed in 1972.

Contributing structures, Attardo said previously, are those that add to the districts character.

Central School and the Seventh Avenue gym were not included when the district was created, but the State Historic Preservation Office clarified the school and gyms importance shortly after the school closed suddenly in March 2013 because of seismic safety concerns.

Once a completed application for a demolition permit is submitted to the citys community development department -- the city determines when the application is deemed complete -- the city has 60 days to act on the application.

Nothing has yet been submitted to the city by the school district for consideration, Attardo said after the meeting.

The citys place is not to dictate what the school district will propose for Central School, Deputy City Attorney Iryna OConnor advised the school districts representatives.

Instead, she explained, the citys role is to consider whatever mitigation plan is proposed by the school district.

Attardo did not encourage reusing pieces of the current building in any new construction and explained that construction of a new building is generally better than creating a false sense of history.

In response to a question from Dick Sloan of the Helena Citizens Council, Copps reaffirmed that no decision has been made by the board regarding the school and separate gymnasium building.

The school board has given me specific directions as superintendent to explore this process and see what the time limit would be. I would anticipate that the board would be making that decision at their January board meeting, Copps said.

A comparison of the cost of renovation, which would include designing a school inside the existing building and restoring the buildings exterior, is anticipated for the boards Jan. 10 meeting, as is discussion on the cost of a new structure of the same square footage for the same student enrollment, he continued.

While work is ongoing on assessing costs for renovation as well as new construction, Copps said it may not be completed more than a few days prior to the school board meeting.

A lot of our constituents have asked us about that issue, Sloan said to explain his interest in establishing where the district was in the process.

There is also a lot of interest in preserving historic structures in Helena, and Central School and the gymnasium are certainly historical structures. And if they can be rehabilitated or upgraded to be useful as either school facilities or as commercial facilities, office space or whatever, it appears theres a lot of our constituents that certainly favor that option, Sloan said.
As in years past, John Zorn will be back this week at his East 2nd Street music club, The Stone, to close out 2016 with a series of special Improv Nights. But this years concerts are likely to be bitter-sweet. News broke in the past couple of days that the beloved center of avant-garde music is apparently closing in early 2018. The good news: Theres still another year to enjoy music at The Stone.

As the Destination: Out Twitter feed noted on Monday, the not-for-profit clubs online calendar for Feb. 20-25 of 2018 includes the following entry: Farewell to The Stone: John Zorn Improv Week Celebration to ring the bell, close the book and quench the candle for The Stone.

The New York Times contacted Zorn to find out whats happening:

In an emailed statement, Mr. Zorn confirmed the timing of the closure, but added that a future was likely for the Stone in another space. We hope to secure a new location and discussions are proceeding, but as yet nothing has been definitely decided, he wrote. We do hope you will all enjoy this last year in our historic underground East Village location and that you will all follow the music wherever it leads, continues the statement, which he said would be soon posted to the clubs website. Venues come and go, but the music continues on forever!

This weeks improv performances take place Thursday and Friday. These are benefit concerts to help the venue stay afloat. Heres the Facebook invite if youd like to attend.
Before 2016 slips away, we want to return to a story that got a lot of attention a few weeks ago.

On Nov. 7, the owner of a building at 232 East Broadway painted over the Jewish heritage mural that had been a Lower East Side fixture for more than four decades. Rob Kaliner, the new property owner, said he did it out of concern for pedestrian safety. He told the New York Post that pieces of the mural could have fallen off and injured someone. There are plans to demolish the office building next month in preparation for a new residential complex on the site.

Lots of news organizations picked up on the story, which was first reported by The Lo-Down. The Posts headline read, Residents livid after Jewish heritage mural painted over. But now Kaliner and some of the people involved in creating the mural years ago are coming together to, hopefully, establish a new community-oriented art work somewhere else in the neighborhood.

Kaliner told us recently that he felt terrible about the way events unfolded last month. Sara Krivisky, one of the students who took part in the original project, was initially very upset that the mural was erased with no advance warning. But she and others tell us theyre encouraged by recent developments.

If you go by the Bialystoker building, youll see a photo of the mural and a message from Tsipi Ben-Haim, director of CITYArts. Her not-for-profit group spearheaded the creation of the original musaic, which represented scenes from the Holocaust, Ellis Island, the massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games, sweatshops, labor unions and the Jewish Daily Forward. The message reads:

We hope to engage the youth of the past with the community youth of today to recreate the Jewish heritage mural on another site. We invite all the interested members of the community to help us in any way possible, including: planning, painting, fundraising, marketing, etc. Thank you for caring.

There have already been some conversations. Krivisky has been reaching out to some of the other students. One of the first steps will be identifying a location on the Lower East Side for the new mural. The group is planning to reconvene next month.

If you are interested in taking part in the new project, email: project@ciyarts.org. You can learn more about CITYarts by visiting the organizations website.
Susan Calman is a stalwart the UK comedy scene. From Radio 4 podcasts (see the News Quiz, the Guilty Feminist or her own podcast series broadcast earlier this year), to panel shows and live stand-up she has made a striking impression (despite her 4ft 10 stature).

Having made the transition from Corporate Lawyer to professional comedian precisely one decade ago, Calman has experienced what is an undeniable boom of the comedy scene. From 2006 to now comedy in the UK has flourished; from new panel shows to the proliferation of live comedy tours, from a consumer perspective the genre appears to be expanding.

The thing that Ive found most noticeable is the decrease in the amount of gigs, actually. When I first started ten years ago even in Glasgow and Edinburgh there were lots of different gigs running.

It seems that despite an on-screen saturation of comedy shows, its definitely more difficult to get quality stage time if youre starting out just now. Whether it be the economy or just landlords not wanting to take a chance on putting on gigs, theres less opportunity to hone your craft than there was 10 years ago.

And its this quality stage time that Calman is most passionate about: Im very fortunate in that I can tour and sell tickets, but youve also got to keep an eye on the scene in general because a healthy scene from the bottom up is good for all of us. You cant just rely on having a TV headliner.

I used to do gigs with really weird comedians  really bizarre acts  but thats whats joyous about comedy, its not just about one thing; its all of the things that we are, and I think I miss the weird nights. Odd nights were always the best nights... not everybody wants to sit and watch a panel show, so its important that live comedy is still a vibrant and vital part of the arts scene in the country because it caters for all of the tastes that people might have.

With her upcoming tour, The Calman Before the Storm, Calman is indeed lucky enough to perform on stages across the UK (her Edinburgh Fringe run sold-out before the festival started). In it, she says she challenges the assumptions made about her political stance, nationality, sexuality, height... Having been in comedy for ten years, she says Im at a stage where people kind of come and see me, so most of the people there will come with some form of expectation.

Whether theyve come to me because theyve heard me on Radio 4, or theyve read my book, or whatever it is people will come with different ideas of what they think the show is going to be  and I think its good to have fun with that.

Also part of this tour is to stop apologising for not hating people: I am left-wing and Im a liberal and I think the worlds becoming a negative place, and part of this show is saying Im a Scottish lesbian left-wing Remainer, welcome! Lets see how this works!  people may not agree with me on all of those things but Im not going to shout at them for not agreeing. Its about getting a level of discourse back up again to a higher-level than just shouting at each other.

Part of this show is about engaging with anyone on different parts of the political divide in order to further conversation in a positive way... Until Donald Trump comes up, and then everything will go downhill!

Of course politics isnt the only subject covered, but being a gay woman in comedy certainly conjures the assumption that it must have been difficult to get to the position she now finds herself. Since 2006, things have changed a bit, but certainly not enough.

Particularly in television, Calman acknowledges theres room for growth; there hasnt even been a single show commissioned for two women to host a travel show, and the problem is then that you see the world through the eyes of men. I think it would be nice to acknowledge the fact that women sometimes leave the house as well.

Its still the same if youre black, if youre gay, if youre disabled, if youre transgender  theres still an issue there about how widely television represents all of the society we have just now. It should be a meritocracy, and its not a meritocracy in terms of women getting onto shows.

Despite its flaws, however, comedy and television are, for Calman, undeniably preferable to her previous life as a lawyer.

It was dull... deathly dull. The worst assumption is people think it was an interesting job, when actually I did telecoms links. Sometimes people would say Oh tell us a joke about being a lawyer and I think Nope, theres nothing. Theres nothing there. Dull, dull, dull.

Everything The Calman Before the Storm promises not to be. Running through till June, Calmans tour covers the length and breadth of the country and tackles as many subjects in-between with her characteristic wit and Scottish charm. Find information of her tour dates here.

And if youre a true fan of Calman, youve no doubt heard of many references to her cats. Follow her on twitter for a potential Christmas Day update of them in festive costume  a present from Santa Paws, she informs us...
This is a Student Travel Writer 2018 competition entry

A thick mist rises from everywhere around us. I'd think grey cotton and vapor, like dirty clouds, because seldom has pollution taken such a physical shape before my eyes.

The earth literally inhales and exhales dirt and smoke as if it were mechanical monster with bad breath and long, clanking fingers of cranes. It gurgles and trembles under our feet. Men walk around in safety vests and helmets, between big plastic containers in blue and red. Lanky towers blink intermittently whilst signaling somewhere beyond the barrier of rotten air.

As I make my way through the energy plants of Antwerp, upon the river Scheldt, between its port and nuclear power towers, I'm more like a paper doll in a dystopian tale by Orwell or Bradbury than an actual living, breathing person.

Yet in the split center of this energy plant sits a village, or at least what's left of it.

Doel, a 700-year-old Flemish town, merely a few streets long and wide, used to stand in the middle of fields and fresh grass, an idyllic landscape even home to the great painter Peter Paul Reubens. It was a village remembered with serenity and peace, where the first Belgian stone-mill was held and the largest population of swallow colonies in Europe frolickers about.

Since the 1970s its been eaten away at by machinery and implants being installed by a state-funded corporation in order to expand industrial plans for the Antwerp port. Although protests by the citizens have been fervent for the past forty years, when in 1999 the government requested the official evacuation and demolishment of the town, roughly 1,300 people were forced to grab their things and leave their homes.

Since that year, the inhabitants have slowly bled out of the city. Their homes and activities sold to the government for a cash premium, or threatened of expropriation.

Regardless, to this day no government plans have officially been put into action yet, so the houses and homes still stand, waiting for their demolishment without any set date for death. Whats left is an almost completely abandoned collection of vandalized homes and shops, and what some would call a ghost town, enveloped in the fog of industrialisation.

I say almost completely abandoned because 22 people still live in Doel, a total of 11 households refusing to let up both their properties and their fight against the government. Rooting in this brave group of people is an activist group named Doel 2020 , resisting government actions since 2007. These campaigners claim that the government has no legal right to such land, and advocate that a second container dock isn't necessary since the first one is being used to less than a fifth of its capacity. They fight back in peaceful protests, banners, and numerous appeals in court.

For example, initially, as part of the campaign against demolition, artists from all over the world were invited to render the town something like an open-air museum, so to make the village as valuable as possible. Artists such as Luc Tuymans and Michelangelo Pistoletto lent a hand, and internationally famous Belgian muralist ROA sprayed four of his signature animals on the walls of the abandoned buildings.

However, this project didnt hold with enough strength, and vandalism overtook street art, amateurs exploding in spray cans and markers over anything they encountered and with little respect. In such widening gyre, the town was usurped through looting and destruction by the hands of young undisciplined squatters, as well as raves and car races being organized regularly in the middle of the night. Police seldom patrol, as the few determined residents claim the government does so on purpose, to scare them out of living in that area, and avoid others trying to move there. Although the inhabited households and the church and cemetery still havent been vandalised, the people left have to post signs to warn vandals, or take precautions against them and against the fear of them.

As I venture down the lonely streets, its hard to pretend Im not creeped out. The weather is cold. The light is droopy. Most houses have had their windows smashed out and doors torn off the hinges, with every hole or gap in the bleak brick walls then covered in a wood plank or flaking polyester.

I walk down the empty streets into empty garages and empty living rooms, empty basements, empty rooms that might have belonged to a girl my age, two lovers, a drug addict, a family of four.

As I knock on the doors of the few households left intact, the people I encounter are not particularly keen to talk to me, let alone explain much.

A lady with a dog signaled to me through her window pane. Shes fed up of having to tell people why she stays; its hard enough as it is. She decorated her house for Christmas impeccably, with fairy-lights, cinnamon and quilts, and she makes it out as if she doesnt need any strange reason to do so, its her home after all.

A man strolling around with a cigarette hanging off his bottom lip said he's not leaving because there's no reason the government should make him, he looks at me as if I were stupid. Of course, he's happy when his children come to visit during the weekend or spend the summer in town.

The New York Times reported of several other feisty citizens. Mr. Malcorps, spokesman for Heritage Community Doel, and Polder, whos fighting for the historical and cultural value of the town. Also, Jan Creve, the leader of and spokesman for Doel 2020, who has gone to court for this cause and won on several occasions. Similarly, the Guardian writes about Marina Apers, quoting her as she explains: "Every time the government succeed in something, we start legal procedures against them  and mostly, we win."

The choices these people make day by day are hard ones, highly moral and ideological, as they fight against this gruesome plowing of history and culture. They fight first against the government, then against the vandals, and then against everybody telling them they should leave. However, to this day its still unclear on what impact this admirable resistance will have, as the fate of Doel remains unknown and unpredictable.

In order to provide no entrant with an unfair advantage, Student Travel Writer 2018 competition entries are edited for grammar only - stylistic choices and headlines are solely the work of the writer in question and not of The National Student's editorial staff.
Some thoughts on items in the news:

National: A loser in the recent presidential election has requested a recount in three historically Democrat states that the Democrats lost. When asked by reporters, the individual admitted that there was no evidence of fraud, hacking, etc. What was important to her was the need for election results clarity. This individual has amassed over $6 million to finance this request. She refused to be transparent as to where the money came from.

Mr. Trump has said that there was massive voter fraud from illegal immigrants voting. He provided no evidence of that fraud. The FBI has. The FBI has been arresting providers of fake documents in the illegal immigrant communities, especially in sanctuary California where Mrs. Clinton received such a large plurality of votes. According to a retired FBI agent who was involved in pursuing these document providers, one can order a three pack for $100 to $300 in Los Angeles. The document pack consists of a Social Security card, a drivers license and work cards. These documents are sufficient to register to vote in California. This fraud may explain why the Democrats want to increase the flow of illegals into the U.S.

A reasonable conclusion is that many of Mrs. Clintons votes in high illegal immigrant states were illegal.

State: It appears that the coal miners of Southern Illinois are doomed to welfare. The state should provide incentives for manufacturers to create jobs for these soon to be out of work miners.

Local: District 61 begins the search for a new superintendent. There are to be forums for public input. I dont know if I can attend these forums, so here is my suggestion, find an educator that has the same skill sets that the last superintendent had.

Robert Mooth, Decatur
This is where the nurses and nuns of Nonnatus House come in. Although not quite as festive as I had originally hoped, the 2016 Call the Midwife Christmas special reminded people like me to think of those less fortunate at Christmas.There were the usual poignant tales of heroic women in childbirth who suffer great losses, and the nurses who rush to their aid and save the day. However, this year the writers pulled out all the stops, as the nuns and midwives headed to Cape Town to rescue Hope Clinic, a medical facility in desperate need of their assistance. In true Call the Midwife fashion, there were several nail-biting procedures, including an emergency Caesarian performed by midwives and a toe-curling treatment for a tumourous form of liver disease. Heartbreak was also a strong element, as issues such as phantom pregnancies and miscarriage were explored, which is never an easy part of the series to come to terms with - even five series in!In addition to these stock stories of the programme, a historical element was touched upon, as the episode explored the effects of apartheid in the 1960s. Racial segregation and poverty were heavily featured in this era as the Brits felt uncomfortbale sunning themselves on a 'whites only' beach, and returned to their privileged lives back in England - but only after ensuring that the locals' quality of life was steadily improved before they headed off. The absence of some much-loved characters was felt, such as Sister Evangelina - whose death in the latest series devastated audiences as Pam Ferris headed into retirement from acting - and Chummy, the beloved character played by Miranda Hart, whose return I am still anxiously awaiting. The backdrop of South African scenery was stunning, and hopefully only a hint of more elaborate settings for future Christmas specials, as it has just been announced that the programme will continue for a further three series thanks to its enormous popularity with the British public. There's also romance in the air - without spoiling, look out for an exciting development towards the end of the 94-minute episode. Although not quite as festive as I was at first expecting, Call the Midwife's Christmas special encompassed all of the reasons why we as a nation love it so much - heartwarming stories full of hope and courage, life lessons from the past, and a pinch of danger and excitement.
But never fear; the Brockmans are here, and they somehow managed to confirm all of our fears, and then get us giggling about them.The show featured its usual sarcastic commentary of British life that we've been waiting for since it last left our screens three years ago, with that bit of fun and reflection of the life of a lot of British families. The story saw the Brockman family travelling to scatter the ashes of their beloved Grandad, the father of Sue Brockman, who we last saw suffering through the early stages of dementia, as the family vow to honour his wishes and leave him to rest in the place that he met his late wife - even if no one really knows exactly where that is. The show kicks off with a line that epitomises the programme that we all know and love: "Why not let Ben drive?"...as the family car ends up in a ditch. Although it's enough to make us feel old as we see the Brockman children all grown up, we feel as if we've grown up with them, and they still have that little spark that makes them the characters that we all know so well.When we last saw Jake he was contemplating the difficult life decision of heading to university or taking a gap year, and is now accompanied by the angelic Kate, who Sue naturally adores as she tries to understand the whirlwind that is the Brockman family. I would argue that Ben has taken on the most change, with the chaotic curls a distant memory as he towers over his family, with strength that allows him to use any of the members as a weight whenever he chooses. His philosophical take on life however remains intact, with existential comments that leave us debating whether to laugh or cry. "I like to think that when I fart, there's some of Hitler in there" was a particular highlight. Karen portrays the millennial stereotype perfectly, with a constant need for wifi and a face that is permanently fitted with the purple glow projecting from her iPhone screen - but she still has that innate 'Karenness' that we require from her. Pete and Sue are still the ambitious parents that we know and love, with Pete continuously putting his foot in it when it comes to political correctness, and Sue endeavouring to control the pack and maintain a positive reputation. A particular highlight was the intermittent sighs of the characters, which they explained by the sudden remembrance of Donald Trump's election as the President of the USA. We know the feeling guys. The episode wasn't without its much-loved political commentary of Britain as well, with a sign prohibiting any mention of Brexit in the pub to prevent angry brawls; complete with a 'Brexit Tin' - a feature that I believe should be used in most households up and down the country. The realisation that Frank has passed on was a devastating one, but one that perfectly reflected the year in which we lost some of the greatest legends in TV and music history. The episode was dedicated to David Ryall, who died in 2014. The episode was the perfect tribute to David, with jokes about his memories from the war, his strict instructions for his family after his death and his ashes being stored in a Tupperware container labelled 'Muesli'. A fitting tribute to David and all the heroes we have lost this year, with brilliant political commentary that transformed darkness into light, this latest Christmas special is perhaps the best so far.
The Doctor is back from a year-long break with a new, superhero-themed Christmas special.

With new changes coming up in the show, Moffat still delivers a heartfelt love letter to Christmas and superhero tropes that somehow works.

We return to a Doctor who is a bit sad, a bit lonely, but quite hopeful after last seeing him in 'The Husbands of River Song'. The special starts with him hanging from the window ledge of young Grant, who assumes the old guy at the window to be the ghost of Christmas present, and then lets him in and gives him cookies and milk.

The Doctor enjoys his cookie like a slim, grumpy Scottish Santa and accidentally changes Grants life, much like he does with everyone he meets. Except this time, there is no grand plan or scheme, but rather a boy who can suddenly get any wish of his to come true. That is very bad for a child whos about to go through puberty.

But the focus shifts from Christmas to a superhero theme and stays there, as Grant grows up to become the superhero, Ghost. Yet, even heroes have day jobs and he works as a lovelorn nanny for a journalist who is investigating corrupt companies and Ghost.

Of course, the invading aliens, who made a brief appearance last Christmas special as well, are planning to take over the Earth, albeit in a more sophisticated way. A parasitic race of self-sufficient brains, they are plotting to swap the brains of all the world leaders. The tell-tale sign that a human has a parasite in them is a long scar across their faces (and they can open their heads. All in all, its an alien species with very convenient hiding space and cool-looking scars.)

The plot is incredibly reminiscent of the golden age of comic books and the tropes that go with it.

The characters exclusive to this story are the boy who is accidentally turned into a Superman by an unwitting Doctor, and the Lois Lane who pokes her nose in corrupt companies business like all good journalists should, yet cant see the double life her nanny is leading. While watching the special, it feels like these old, tired tropes are played straight, instead of being played with.

However, since we are used to darker and grittier plots, and 2016 has been more than lousy, its actually a change of pace to see a special that is so gentle and happy (aside from the slight gore and the usual threat of human extinction). The Lois Lane of the story chooses the Clark Kent instead of Superman, in an incredibly heart-warming plot twist.

There have been other The Doctor returns type episodes in the past, but this one is not as strong as previous ones. It feels like the show writers saw the hype superhero movies and shows were generating and decided to make use of that popularity.

Nevertheless, this years special goes to show that there is no Christmas without a Doctor Who special.

Capaldi will be returning as the Twelfth Doctor in the tenth season of the series in spring 2017.
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PHILADELPHIA  Julian Rinaldi knew he was onto something with serious entrepreneurial potential when his shop hadnt even officially opened for business and someone wanted to make a purchase.

The person wanted to buy Rinaldis father. Well, a 3-D model of him, anyway.

Dressed in a suit and striking a confident pose  albeit standing just 9 inches tall  was Philip Rinaldi, chief executive of Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC, in the window of his sons storefront. It was such a spot-on likeness that the person passing by recognized him immediately and asked whether the figurine was for sale.

It wasnt. Philip Rinaldis role was precisely what played out that day: to catch the eye of passersby and lure them into this odd new entrant on a street of startups, galleries, restaurants, and shops.

PeoplePrints 3D is devoted exclusively devoted to 3-D selfies. They come in three forms: head, half-body and full-body.

In this era of self-absorption and promotion enabled by Instagram, Snapchat and other sharing arenas of social commerce, three-dimensional selfies were only a matter of time.

Open since August, PeoplePrints 3D is already profitable, with monthly sales reaching $20,000, exceeding Julian Rinaldis expectations.

I get multiple people in here every day saying its the coolest thing theyve ever seen, he said on a recent morning, in a shop whose display cases hold several sizes of himself and others. The native of Bridgewater, N.J., lives in an apartment upstairs.

While he thought 3-D selfies would be a hit with millennials, Rinaldi  who, at 33, is one of them  is thrilled that the idea appears to hold even broader appeal.

Fans have included grandparents, grieving pet owners, even a guy wanting to make his marriage proposal extra-memorable. He gave his beloved a three-quarter-inch miniature bust of himself on a ring with a white-gold band.

The growth potential is essentially limitless, Rinaldi said: The market is every person on the planet.

A graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rinaldi majored in information technology and envisioned operating some sort of an online business. Instead, he dabbled in many ventures, including helping to open a restaurant, teaching winemaking, creating winemaking equipment and occasionally arranging charters for his familys yacht.

Then I kind of saw how 3-D technology was taking off, Rinaldi said. I really liked the technology and was trying to figure out a way you could make money with it.

Though medicine, architecture and manufacturing were among the more common 3-D printing applications, I just thought people would love to have models of themselves, he said. His research uncovered competitors in California and New York and at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., but no one basing an entire business around it in the Philadelphia area.

An area company called BluEdge has offered 3-D selfies at Philly Tech Week the last two years as kind of a marketing thing  a way to attract a more consumer-based client to a 118-year-old printing company that has largely served architects, inventors and law firms, said Simonas Indrele, a 3-D consultant there. The business recently changed its name from NRI, or National Reprographics.

One 3-D customer Indrele served was an insurance salesman who got busts made of himself and used them as business cards, his contact information and title printed on his back. Another sent his busts to business meetings he could not attend so he could be on the table, Indrele recalled.

Knowing the next generation of smartphones are going to have 3-D cameras built into them, Indrele said, he expects 3-D selfies to proliferate.

Also sensing those prospects, Julian Rinaldi came up with a business plan and dove right into it about nine months ago. He found the retail space (a former umbrella shop), bought a full-body scanner consisting of 100 cameras, hired a couple of art-school students with 3-D printing experience, filled the front window with models and opened for business.

Prices, detailed at peopleprints3d.com, range from $35 for a three-quarter-inch bust to a four-person, 9-inch-tall, full-body group for $658. A single 9-inch model goes for $230. Prices include free shipping directly to customers homes.

Models cannot be made from pictures. Subjects must be photographed (it takes only a few seconds) at PeoplePrints 3D, where artists touch up portraits before they are sent out for printing.

A variety of requests have been honored, including those wanting to pose wearing only body paint or a bikini. There are limits on the work PeoplePrints 3D can do.

I get a lot of weight-reduction requests, Rinaldi said. If I could do that, I would be a lot thinner in my own models.
DECATUR  The Macon County Probation Department will move to hire an additional drug court probation officer to assist with its At-Risk Services program.

The move, which will need approval from the full Macon County Board, is being made possible with money received from the sheriffs department through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

The money will cover the position for one year. Patrick Berter, director of the probation department, is hopeful the certification process and additional money from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts will be received later to secure the position.

The probation has worked with the sheriffs office to create the program, which helps combat the growing issue of drug addiction, specifically to opiates.

There have been 76 individuals who have graduated from the program since it began in February. Of those, only nine have committed a new offense, with one of those being a traffic offense.

There are 61 individuals in the program, with 15 individuals waiting to get into the program. Of those, five are in the county jail.

The program is on a volunteer basis, as users who want to break free of their addictions are invited to bring drugs, paraphernalia or just themselves to the Macon County Law Enforcement Center. Those who complete the program won't be prosecuted.

However, those who have committed violent crimes, registered sex offenders, or those with drug trafficking or manufacturing charges are ineligible.

Sheriff Tom Schneider said he is a proponent of locking up those that need to be, but also for giving those in need treatment to prevent them from being incarcerated.

The plan was unanimously approved by the county boards Justice Committee on Dec. 22.

In other business, officials announced that construction would soon be completed on the courtyard addition to the Law Enforcement Center. The $613,217 project includes an outdoor patio, additional space for a break room and a sidewalk on the south side and access to the parking garage. It is expected that staff will begin moving into the space this week.
Cabinet allows hemp cultivation for medical purposes

BANGKOK: The cabinet has approved a proposal to allow hemp, known as ganjong in Thai, to be grown as a cash crop in six selected northern provinces, as part of a project to use narcotic plants for medical purposes, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) revealed yesterday (Dec 27).

drugshealth

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 28 December 2016, 08:58AM

A typical hemp plant, with insect. Hemp or cannabis sativa is similar to marijuana but has been bred for non-recreational purposes, and contains little or none of marijuanas psychoactive component, THC. Photo: Creative Commons via Bangkok Post

ONCB Secretary-General Sirinya Sitdhichai said the proposal will be implemented in the coming year in 15 districts in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Tak, Phetchabun and Mae Hong Son.

However, the species of hemp plant being grown must not contain more than 1 per cent of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), he said.

THC is the major psychoactive component of marijuana enjoyed by recreational users.

If growers are found with plants with THC levels exceeding 1%, they could face legal action, warned the ONCB chief.

The government initiative is part of a policy to relax the laws on narcotics so that three types of plants and methamphetamine can be used for medical purposes, he said.

The other two plants are marijuana and kratom, he said.

The tropical kratom tree is found across Thailand and Malaysia and is a member of the coffee family of trees. The leaves of the tree are a mild stimulant, and were traditionally chewed by farmers and labourers in need of a boost or some light pain relief.

A study is under way to determine whether kratom has enough good properties for it to be classed as a herbal medicine that can be administered at home, he said.

A similar study is also being conducted on marijuana, he said, adding that a sub-committee analysing laws regulating methamphetamine is responsible for this study. It is not known when the studies will be complete.

Permanent secretary for justice Charnchao Chaiyanukij, who serves as the chairman of the sub-committee, said the study on marijuana followed warnings by several doctors over the dangers of synthesised marijuana derivatives.

Aside from its medicinal properties, hemp can be turned into various type of handicrafts such as purses using the plants stalk, he said.

Authorised tobacco factories plan to buy grown hemp directly from growers, he added.

The proposal to move methamphetamine from a Type 1 narcotic to Type 2 is to allow the substance to be used in studies on its medicinal potential.

Read original story here.
Fake bomb news fools thousands

BANGKOK: News of a bomb explosion in Bangkok spread like wildfire on Facebook and Line yesterday evening (Dec 27), but the story was false.

technology

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 28 December 2016, 08:45AM

There was no explosion in Bangkok yesterday evening (Dec 27), although thousands of people worldwide were hoodwinked into thinking there was. Photo: via Bangkok Post

Users by the thousands clicked on the fake Facebook page, The Explosion in Bangkok, Thailand that they were safe, after the site reported there was an explosion somewhere in the city.

It provided no details of the alleged blast, but hoodwinked a large number of social media users into messaging friends and family that they had survived, unhurt.

Like Bangkok Informer, Facebook also was working to memory-hole its fake news response.

The news spread worldwide. The Bangkok Post received worried inquiries from as close as Malaysia and as far away as the US state of Colorado, where relatives of Thais frantically searched for news of the Bangkok bomb.

Clueless news sites around the world were instantly taken in and re-reported the fake news, without checking  but as if it were confirmed.

Technology website TheVerge.com blamed Facebook.

Facebook got fooled by its own algorithm, it reported. The social network falsely activated its Safety Check feature after a flood of fake news suggested that there was an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand.

Users in the country saw an alert to mark themselves safe, but saw little details about when or where in Bangkok the explosion occurred.

Safety Check came on at around 9pm local time and was deactivated about an hour later.

The fake news of an explosion yesterday proved to have been triggered by faulty Facebook algorithms.

The company has installed the algorithms in its news feed  ironically because of recent panics in the United States that people were being misled by false news reports.

When Facebooks news service saw an old report of the August, 2015, Erawan Shrine bomb attack, its algorithms kicked in automatically, but re-reported the news happened yesterday evening.

The initial report was then tracked back early today (Dec 28) to a news site called Bangkok Informer, and a story it ran yesterday on the Erawan attack.

That site was pulled off the internet late yesterday, claiming it had a maintenance problem.

But because the internet never forgets, the trail of the fake news is still clear despite the attempt by Bangkok Informer to memory-hole its role.

It now is clear that the fake bomb story began when BangkokInformer.com, shortly after 8pm yesterday, picked up and ran an old video-report by the BBC on the Erawan Shrine bombing of Aug 17, 2015.

After that, algorithms clicked in, especially on Facebook, and the fake news took off worldwide.

Read original story here.
Perpetual Loyal smashes Sydney-Hobart record

YACHTING: Australian supermaxi Perpetual LOYAL smashed the race record by almost five hours to take line honours at the gruelling Sydney to Hobart race today (Dec 28), after eight-time winner Wild Oats XI retired.

marine

By AFP

Wednesday 28 December 2016, 11:10AM

Perpetual LOYALs remarkable time is 4 hours, 51 minutes, 52 seconds faster than the previous record set by Wild Oats XI in 2012. It is the 12th time since the inaugural race in 1945 that the record has been broken. Photo: Rolex

LOYAL, a long-time rival of favourite Wild Oats, put to bed her failure to finish the past two races when the 100-footer arrived at Hobarts Constitution Dock in a record time of 1 day 13hrs 31mins 20secs.

This is one for the true believers, owner and skipper Anthony Bell told reporters at Hobarts Constitution Dock after the yacht powered to the finish line at 20 knots.

I dont think anyone expected us to do well in this race, the bookies certainly didnt.

We raced one hell of a race, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

His boat manager Brad Kellet told the organisers that LOYAL had pushed Wild Oats to its limits.

Someone had to crack, he said. Thats not our weather, its Wild Oats weather, but we put ourselves in a great position, so that when Oats retired, we had enough of a lead over the V70s and Scallywag to win.

The new finish time for the 628-nautical-mile event was four hours and 51 minutes faster than the previous record of 1 day 18hrs 23mins 12secs set in 2012 by Wild Oats.

New Zealands Volvo 70 Giacomo  which hopes to be crowned overall winner, the handicap honours for the vessel that performs best according to size  finished second with a time of 1 day 15hrs 27mins 5secs.

It was a bit of a downwind race, so it suited us, said wine owner Jim Delegat.

Still, were pretty surprised, its not often that a 70-footer can do this, get second over the line.

Hong Kong businessman Seng Huang Lees entrant supermaxi Scallywag crossed the finish line about two minutes later, also easily beating the old record.

LOYAL had benefited from favourable winds that saw the race leaders tear down Australias east coast after departing Sydney Harbour on Monday (Dec 26).

The yacht was first into the open ocean followed by Scallywag and Wild Oats.

Wild Oats edged into the lead amid freshening northerly winds and looked well set to break its own record for the race, but in a bitter blow, its hydraulic keel control mechanism failed when it was in the middle of the Bass Strait.

Citing crew safety, skipper Mark Richards made the call to retire from the race on Tuesday morning (Dec 27), with the yacht arriving at the town of Eden some 480 kilometres south of Sydney early today.

It was the second-straight year Wild Oats had to pull out from the bluewater classic, with a mainsail rip thwarting her ambitions in 2015.

The line honours instead went to Americas Comanche, which did not take part in this years contest.

But half the world-class crew of Comanche returned to the Sydney to Hobart on board LOYAL, after Bell brought them in this year in a bid to become more competitive.

It was the second win for Bell, the head of an accountancy firm, who took out line honours in 2011 with Investec Loyal  the first time he sailed in the race.

He signalled his intent to move on after the win, saying he wont be back next year and that he had something new and hot to do in sailing without elaborating.

The rest of the 80-odd fleet are due in Hobart over the next two days when handicap honours will be decided.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore John Markos said this years favourable conditions will make it a pretty hard record to break.

Storms are usually a regular hazard in the Sydney to Hobart, one of the worlds most challenging races. Six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued in 1998 when a deep depression hit the Tasman Sea.
Phuket Governor's China visit shines light on light-rail options

PHUKET: A four-day fact-finding mission to China to inspect light-rail cars by Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan and an entourage of officials and media has provided a glimpse into what Phukets long awaited light-rail system might look like.

tourismtransportconstructioneconomics

By Yutthawat Lekmak

Wednesday 28 December 2016, 11:15AM

Governor Chockchai (right) inspected battery-powered light-rail cars that he said he would recommend the Transport Ministry use in Phuket. Photo: PR Dept

Rolling stock giant CRRC, with its main plant in Changsha, China, has won contracts to supply rail cars to Melbourne, Australia, and Chicago. Photo: PR Dept

Rolling stock giant CRRC, with its main plant in Changsha, China, has won contracts to supply rail cars to Melbourne, Australia, and Chicago. Photo: PR Dept

Governor Chockchai inspected battery-powered light-rail cars that he said he would recommend the Transport Ministry use in Phuket. Photo: PR Dept

Governor Chockchai (right) inspected battery-powered light-rail cars that he said he would recommend the Transport Ministry use in Phuket. Photo: PR Dept

Governor Chockchai (left) inspected battery-powered light-rail cars that he said he would recommend the Transport Ministry use in Phuket. Photo: PR Dept

During his tour, from Dec 18-22, Governor Chockchai visited the manufacturing plant of rolling-stock giant CRRC Company in Changsha, the capital of central Chinas Hunan province.

CRRC designs and manufactures anything from diesel and electric locomotives to high-speed rail capable of more than 350kmh, but also more pertinently for Phuket the company built and delivered the island-rounded tram for Haizhu, Guangzhou, with a capacity of 368 passengers and a design speed of 70kmh and the larger LRV for the extension line of Ampang, Malaysia, with a capacity of 1,300 passengers and a design speed of 80kmh.

The company has also built a reputation for world-class mass transport systems. As recently as Nov 28 the company announced it had been selected to deliver High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT) in a public-private partnership (PPP) for Melbourne, Australia, worth AU$2 billion (B51.673bn).

In March this year, the company secured a US$1.3 billion (B46.839bn) deal to provide rail cars to Chicago.

Top choice for Gov Chockchai from the factory floor were the electric-battery powered trams.

This form of light-rail means no overhead power cables are necessary, which will make our light-rail safer, Gov Chockchai told The Phuket News.

Also, these trams have a quick recharge time, which means they can begin moving again without long delays, he added.

Gov Chockchai declined to reveal any further details about his trip to China, but promised to put forward his suggestions to the steering committee overseeing the Phuket light-rail project.

We exchanged ideas about Phuket transportation, and Phuket will definitely have light-rail in the future, Governor Chockchai said.

And the light-rail systems used in China should be the model for Phuket, he added. Phuket has some serious traffic congestion, and the island will be better off with public transportation such as light-rail or electric trains.

Governor Chockchai said he expected further studies to take at least two more months before the Phuket light-rail plan is finalised, including the final budget allocated for construction.

However, the Ministry of Transport in its national Transport Infrastructure Investment Plan 2017 issued on Dec 13 reported that the Phuket mass-transit project was still listed under Policy driven projects  the lowest listed stage of development for any transport infrastructure project.

Even the two-decades-in-coming Patong Tunnel project had advanced further and was listed as a Stage 4 Cabinet and PPP Committee Approval project, leaving that project with three more stages to advance before any action is taken.

At last report in July this year, then-Governor of Phuket Chamroen Tipayapongtada annoucned he had high hopes for construction of Phukets light-rail system to begin next year.

At that same meeting in July, representatives from the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planing (OTP) explained details of the construction plan as designed by the OTP. (See story here.)

OTP Deputy Director Chaiwat Tongkamkoon then in November last year announced that the planned light-rail will start at Tha Noon in Phang Nga, on the north side of the bridges from Phuket to the mainland, and terminate just north of Chalong Circle, passing through Phuket Town and 23 stations en route and covering a total distance of 60 kilometres. (See story here.)

At that time OTP Deputy Director Chaiwat announced the projected budget was B23.5bn.

A release issued by the Phuket PR Dept last week also reporting Gov Chockchais visit to China noted the project value was now B30bn (US$832 million).
WARRENSBURG  Jim Owens, a former Decatur police officer, teaches his students a lot more than how to shoot straight and load their weapons.

The motto of his concealed carry instruction school is win the fight, which translates to surviving an attack and ending a deadly threat.

In a recent session attended by three women and two men, Owens taught them how to quickly reload a handgun while in the middle of a gun battle.

You need to be carrying another magazine, two magazines at least, said Owens, who works full-time as an investigator with the Macon County State's Attorney's Office. You're not going to count rounds in a gun fight.

He advised his students to prepare for a confrontation by throwing spent shell casings on the ground, to take a mental picture of how many shots they have already fired.

If I have a 17-round magazine, I've got only three rounds left, what should I do next? Owens asked during an indoor class session, held at the Warrensburg fire station. I'm still in the gun fight.

For the next 20 minutes, he drilled the students in dropping the magazine from their guns while loading full magazines almost simultaneously.

In the third year since concealed carry was enacted into law in Illinois, there are several local businesses that have sprung up to teach basic shooting and safety techniques, as well as other aspects of carrying firearms away from one's residence or business.

Owens partnered with two other men, Zack Wakeland and John Wyatt, to form Resolute Dynamics, a company specializing in instruction for the concealed carry license.

One of the conditions set by the state in order to obtain a concealed carry license is 16 hours of firearms training by an instructor approved by the Illinois State Police. Those who sign up with Resolute Dynamics complete this training in a weekend.

Our classes are current and relevant, said Owens, who learned to shoot as a child, but received formalized firearm training while serving in the Army in the 1990s. He was certified as a firearms instructor by the Illinois State Police while working for the Decatur police. While serving as a part-time officer in Warrensburg, he received additional training and certification at the University of Illinois Police Training Institute. I went through six different training classes this year. We are always trying to keep up on what's relevant, including the law and recent court decisions.

Training involves scenarios, during which students are put under pressure to perform.

GUN! he shouts, signaling for the students to draw their guns from their holsters and point them forward. Where's your gun pointed?

At the signal of SPEED LOAD! the students are expected to eject the magazines in the gun grips and quickly slide in the fresh ones.

Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, Owens yells, followed by a word of encouragement. Much better.

Since Owens started training people shortly after the ink dried on the 2013 Concealed Carry Act, he has trained about 1,400 people to qualify for their licenses and use them responsibly.

In order to qualify on the shooting range, each applicant must shoot a minimum of 10 rounds each at targets five, seven and 10 yards away. The minimum hits of an approved target area is 21 out of 30.

In one of the most recent sessions taught by Owens, all passed, with three out of five hitting 30 out of 30.

We always teach people to be respectful, Owens said. We tell our student not to go into places you're not supposed to. Be respectful of the 'no guns' signs.

Owens said the demographics of his students during the past few years are about one-third women, mostly between about 28 and 50 years old. There have been some as young as 21. Most of the men are a bit older, mostly in their 50s, but others have ranged between 35 and 60.

Most are city dwellers, mostly blue collar, Owens said. There have been 15 or 20 physicians and eight pastors from Decatur. Their concern is they are preaching and someone comes up and shoots them.

Bob Squires, a former Decatur police sergeant and Marine Corps veteran, became a firearm instructor 30 years ago, a master instructor a year or so later. He has helped Owens teach a couple of concealed carry classes to civilians in the past, but specializes in teaching classes geared specifically for retired police officers.

Just about anything that comes up that involves firearms I've done it or am doing it, said Squires, who has been serving as a court security officer at the Macon County Courts Facility for about 10 years.

Squires said he believes the Illinois concealed carry program is a good one.

They're doing background checks, to try to keep them out of the hand of the bad guys, he said.

People are fearful

Tina Shambaugh, 44, of Oakley, recently successfully completed her training with Resolute Dynamics, earning her training certificate on the final day, which she sent in to the State Police to complete her application process.

She said she trained for her license in order to exercise her Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The conceal carry law tells me we can do that on a regular basis, she said.

Prior to taking the course, she had little shooting experience, just a bit of going out shooting with friends.

Yes, I am going to carry, Shambaugh said, adding that she might not pack a gun all the time. She said she would absolutely use her gun to protect someone else. I would expect the same from them if they were in the same situation.

A recent hire at the Decatur Fire Department, Brandon Mandernach, said he wanted to be able to protect himself and his family.

With the recent addition of a little girl, I thought now is the time, said Mandernach, 34. You're not always at home. This gives you a little bit of more ability to handle whatever situation presents itself.

Owens said that when he asks students why they are going through the training, the most common thing he hears is that people are fearful right now.

With all these shootings by crazy people, there is a real fear they won't be able to defend themselves, he said. They say it's my right as a citizen and they'd like to exercise their rights.

Although the rights of gun owners versus gun control advocates is a hot button issue, Owens said this seldom comes up in class discussions.

They are more concerned with terrorism rather than someone coming in and taking away their guns, Owens said. Some people aren't comfortable with talking about politics publicly. We say we don't let things get political in the class. We focus on mindset and how to use your firearm and the law.

People are more concerned about their physical safety.

One-to-one training

Kevin Mante, a law enforcement patrol sergeant and firearms training officer (he prefers not to mention the specific agency), teaches concealed carry sessions, specializing in small groups for enhanced one-to-one instruction.

Our business model is a mobile teaching concept. We will go to your location; we teach at ranges, clasrooms, said Mante, who served in the Air Force in ground security and weapons training earlier in his career. Since leaving the military, he has worked full-time in law enforcement.

His company, Applied Combative Solutions LLC, works in partnership with Accuracy Firearms, a gun shop in Effingham which recently opened a firing range.

Mante teaches about six to eight concealed carry sessions each year, with six to 10 students in each session.

He has seen a broad-based demographic of students, but noticed since last year that more women are applying for his classes.

We have had a request for women-only concealed carry, Mante said. They want an environment with all women, no stress, not a competitive thing.

Mante is also teaching classes for those who want more than certification for their concealed carry licenses.

We will train people to effectively defend themselves with a handgun, Mante said, adding that the combative skill sessions will be limited to five students. These are one-day classes designed to develop certain skill sets we don't have the time to do with typical conceal carry classes.
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.
MOWEAQUA  Ralph White just really likes math.

I'm actually very good at it, said the senior at Central A&M High School. I just like numbers and like to learn about math.

That talent convinced him to sign up for Central A&M's dual-credit calculus class with math teacher Todd Rork, who earned his master's in mathematics, which qualified him to teach the class.

Central A&M is the only school that offers dual-credit calculus through Richland (Community College), Rork said. The kids have to take a placement test and if they test high enough, they can enroll in the class.

Students receive five college credit hours for the calculus class at no cost to their families, giving them a head start on college. White said he can go right into second-year calculus and physics in college.

I'm saving a whole semester, and being able to do that really helps (financially), he said.

White plans a career in computer engineering, with an eye on enrolling at Richland for the first two years, and then possibly moving on to the University of Illinois for a bachelor's degree.

In the spring semester, the school will also offer dual-credit trigonometry. Unlike advanced placement classes, dual-credit counts as a college class without an extra examination. Successful completion of course requirements is all that's necessary.

Only two students signed up for the calculus class in the fall semester, but in a high-level math class, smaller is better, allowing Rork to work closely with the students.

It's actually really cool, said Lucas Lower, who plans to become a math teacher and will attend Eastern Illinois University next year. Things are more personal. In some (large classes), most people 'get it,' and a few don't, and you have to just choose to move on.

In those larger classes, Lower said, some students who aren't getting it are shy about saying so in front of everyone and fall behind.

I appreciate that Mr. Rork took the time (to get a master's), Lower said. It's really helping kids out. We're one of those small schools that you'd never think would offer dual credit, but he took the time to get a master's degree and it's really paying off for the kids.
Liebig's Law of the Minimum, a nearly 200-year-old principle in agricultural science, is being brought to the forefront this year.

It was defined by Carl Sprengel in 1828, but later named for Justus von Liebig in his popularization of the concept in 1840.

Dust off some archaic agronomy books, read about Sprengel and Liebig, and you will see the reason behind 500 bushel per acre corn yields raised in the drought-stricken state of Georgia.

Valdosta farmer Randy Dowdy has become a modern day Sprengel and Liebig, and his name may soon be linked to the idea that the required crop input, which is the most restrictive, will determine the outcome of the crop yield.

In other words, if you have plenty of great soil, abundant water and poor quality seed, the poor seed will lead to a poor crop.

Dowdy has raised over 500 bushels of corn on multiple occasions. Not only is he a repeat champion in the National Corn Growers Yield Contest, but is also a champion in the national soybean yield contest at nearly 172 bushel per acre.

Dowdy is a student of the minimum, and does all he can to eliminate any minimum restrictions in his cropping systems.

In all practicality, Dowdy says he is a student of the corn crop, and he is always looking to see his shadow in a field, which means he is always there, trying to identify any yield restriction and eliminate it.

It may be weeds, which can be dispatched, along with insects that may diminish yield. In his irrigated fields with upwards of 50,000 corn plants per acre, the environment can become heavy on vegetation and down goes the corn stalk into a lodged mess. Dowdy says he lost as much as 100 bushels of corn per acre due to lodging prior to harvest.

While there are numerous potential minimums for Dowdy to address, including correct irrigation, seed, weeds, insects, fungus and other agronomic issues, fertility is one of the issues that many farmers will overlook in their crop scouting process.

Dowdy takes samples of corn leaves and has them tested for the micronutrients flowing in the sap. Other progressive farmers, such as Jeff Brown of Blue Mound, are doing the same, and Brown said micronutrients were flowing as expected in his 2016 crop until a dry spell in June halted the physiology of the corn plant.

In his case, moisture was the limiting factor, something that Dowdy would have prevented with his irrigation system.

The micronutrients and trace elements, which are needed by corn for proper crop production, can implement the Sprengel and Liebig Law of the Minimum. Too little boron, and it makes no difference if there is abundant nitrogen, phosphate and potash applied to the crop. Too little sulfur and the crop will suffer. Too little manganese and yield potential goes out the door.

Dowdy believes in the Law of the Minimum, particularly when yield is at issue, and says, Tissue samples are a source of data to make decisions from. The tests will help answer the question about the benefit of the nutrients being added, are we moving the needle?"

Brown agrees, and says the discovery that the June dry spell in 2016 reduced the plants vigor and physiological functions allowed him to make decisions that if the crop was not going to recover, then it would be fruitless to spend more money applying more nutrients.

While there could be some refinements to that theory, it begins to show farmers that the more research they can do on their own crop will certainly return benefits in the form of yield.

And yield is the key to profitability, if you believe Justus von Liebig and Carl Sprengel.
Dear Mary: My husband and both of my children have chronic skin problems. One doctor diagnosed them with eczema, but curiously nothing, including prescription medications, has brought lasting relief. We have spent a small fortune going from one dermatologist to another and buying all of lotions, potions and other medications prescribed. Not once did any of these professionals suggest they might be allergic to laundry softeners. When I read your column "Laundry softeners are the problem, not the solution," a light bulb went on.

I'm a serial softener user. For years, I've used liquid softener and dryer sheets. How could I have not thought about this? It made a lot of sense that they could be allergic to this stuff. I wasted no time getting the wool dryer balls you recommend on your website. I gave up softener products cold turkey and began using the dryer balls instead. I was like a crazy woman washing and rewashing clothes and bedding. I got 3 gallons of white vinegar to make sure I had enough to add to every rinse cycle.

Within two weeks we began to see a change. The horrible skin issues began to calm down. After the third week the change was amazing. As I write, I would say my kids and husband are finally free of this awful situation. As embarrassed as I am that I never considered this might be the problem, I am more grateful and happier than you can imagine. Thank you so much for all you do to improve our lives. That column changed our lives, and we are forever grateful.

 Gina

Dear Gina: What a wonderful story. I am so thankful we connected and that you've hit on the solution to the problem! I love my wool dryer balls because they really work to soften without any chemicals, scents, perfumes or other stuff we used to think we couldn't live without. And just think how much money you won't be spending on softener products! And all those lotions, potions and other medications, too.

Wood cabinets

Dear Mary: What is that product you recommend for cleaning icky, dirty, dull wood cabinets?

 Angie

Dear Angie: You will be thrilled to pieces with your classic cabinets once you deep-clean them with Howard Feed-N-Wax wood polish and conditioner (about $8 for 16 ounces).

Coffee beans

Dear Mary: I want to start roasting my own coffee at home. Could you please tell me again where you get your green coffee beans?

 Dana

Dear Dana: I have used several sources over the years. Currently, we purchase in bulk from La Minita plantation in Costa Rica, with a minimum purchase requirement of 150 pounds. That's a lot of coffee and probably not where you want to start. For small purchases, you'll find the best deals and variety on Amazon, where prices start at about $5 a pound.
John McCain is fond of saying, "It's always darkest just before it goes totally black." According to a February report by Amnesty International, human rights "reached a nadir" in 2015. Not quite. The past 12 months prove that even when you hit bottom, there is always room to sink.

Few recent years have been so unrelievedly grim when it comes to freedom and democracy as 2016. Retreat from the values of human liberty and dignity was the norm. The bleak trend blanketed the globe like volcanic ash.

Rare was the country showing progress. Even the United States succumbed to illiberal impulses -- electing a president who takes leadership lessons from Vladimir Putin and Saddam Hussein, praises torture, wants to curb press freedom, and endorses surveillance of "Muslim neighborhoods."

The government of China carried out a campaign against internal enemies, arresting hundreds of people to punish even the mildest dissent. "As an old-timer who's been studying China since the Mao era, I have to say it's the worst I've seen since then," University of California, San Diego scholar Susan Shirk told the Los Angeles Times.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin continued "a sweeping crackdown to silence critical voices that has included new legal restrictions on the internet, on freedom of expression, on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and on other fundamental freedoms," reported Human Rights Watch.

The CIA and FBI concluded that the Kremlin interfered in the American presidential election to help the Republican nominee. A Russian state TV news anchor exulted that "'democracy' and 'human rights' are absent from Donald Trump's lexicon."

Those terms are also not favorites of Putin's ally Bashar Assad. The Syrian despot invited prosecution for crimes against humanity in his waging of civil war, culminating in a murderous siege of the city of Aleppo. With hospitals inundated, a medical administrator told The Wall Street Journal, "death is a thousand times more merciful than being wounded."

After surviving an attempted coup, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government arrested dozens of Kurdish mayors and silenced every independent Kurdish news outlet -- even though the people blamed for the plot are enemies of the Kurds. Turkey now has more journalists behind bars than any other country, double the number in runner-up China.

In Egypt, hundreds of suspected dissidents vanished through "enforced disappearance," which involves secret imprisonment without trial and sometimes torture. Saudi Arabia opened the new year by beheading 47 prisoners on terrorism charges, though a poet given the same sentence for apostasy had his punishment generously reduced to eight years in prison and 800 lashes. Tunisia retained its status as the sole democracy in the Arab world.

Elected president of the Philippines in June, Rodrigo Duterte mounted an anti-drug campaign in which more than 6,000 people have been killed by police and vigilantes -- an average of 36 every day he's been in office. He bragged that as mayor of Davao City, he personally executed three criminal suspects on the street.

Poland's Supreme Court ruled that a new law to restrict public demonstrations was unconstitutional. Legendary Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, who helped liberate the country from communism, accused the right-wing government of destroying everything he fought for.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who has ruled for 22 years and once promised to rule for a billion, lost an election and agreed to step down, before changing his mind. Joseph Kabila, barred from running for a third term in the Democratic Republic of Congo, insisted on staying on after his term expired, finally agreeing to leave at the end of 2017.

Robert Mugabe, who has held power in Zimbabwe since 1980, announced he will run for re-election in 2018 -- for a term that would end after his 99th birthday. But Ghana, an exemplary African democracy, carried out its third peaceful transfer of power since 1992.

Cuba's Fidel Castro died at 90, but the persecution of dissent has continued under brother Raul. Venezuela's leftist regime, presiding over economic chaos, blocked a referendum that could have removed President Nicolas Maduro, who rules by decree. Said Venezuelan political scientist Maria Teresa Romero, a critic of Maduro's, "The golden age of socialism in the 21st century is over in South America."

The golden age of democracy, when dictators were falling and freedom was on the march, likewise appears to have ended. In 2016, the world marked another year in an age of lead.
BRANDON, Miss. (AP)  Referring to two suspects as the "Grinch couple," a Mississippi sheriff says a man and a woman broke into a home and ate the homeowners' Christmas treats before fleeing.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said in a news release that the homeowners called police on the night of Christmas Eve after a man and woman ran out of the house as the homeowners approached the residence.

Deputies say the trespassers had made themselves at home, eating pecan treats and smoking cigarettes inside the residence.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that the suspects were found nearby and accused of burglary and possessing methamphetamine.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
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 ...






Job Title: Assistant Information Management Officer

Organisation: United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: 10026847

Vacancy Notice: 001/2017

Duty Station: Uganda

Post Grade: NOA

About UNHCR:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was

established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international

protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees

and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate

concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under

Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary: The Assistant

Information Management Officer will assist in the production and dissemination

of information on the population of concern, including but not limited to

Protection and Programme information. The incumbent will operationalize data

standards developed at the central level in field operations, will compile data

and analyses information from all populations of concern. S/he will support the

Programme Team and UNHCR implementing partners in the choice of indicators for

monitoring to be included in sub-agreements as well as the Protection Team in

operationalizing protection monitoring systems.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:

Operationalize country-specific common

data standards and promote them with partners, including UNHCR data

standards and the IASC Common Operational Datasets.

The incumbent will compile, aggregrate and

analyze data and information elements required to produce standardized

information products and implement data/information collection plans for

baseline and context-specific data.

Support the operation in the analysis of

processed data and information and perform data quality and consistency

control.

Facilitate the analysis of cross-border

information between relevant countries.

Assist in training staff involved in

information management activities, including data collection and data

entry teams.

Support and leverage geographic data for

map production and use in geographic information systems (GIS).

Share UNHCR data with partner agencies and

maintain Portal data and information in-line with agreed frequencies.

Provide technical Information Management

support to Needs Assessment processes, specifically in data collection,

processing/collation and analysis.

Perform other duties as required.

Key Performance Indicators:

The Office delivers reliable, accessible

and user-friendly, relevant, predictable, appropriate and timely

information.

Global data standards, and where

appropriate, the establishment of country-specific common data standards

are adopted by UNHCR and its partners.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal candidate for the United Nations

UNHCR Assistant Information Management Officer career opportunity should

hold a good University degree in information technology, demography,

statistics, social sciences or any related area.

A minimum of two years of relevant work

experience.

Knowledge of the UN system and the

humanitarian community.

Proven skills to analyse statistical

information.

Advanced Excel skills (e.g. pivot tables,

functions, etc.).

Ability to formulate IM-related technical

requirements and Operating Procedures.

Previous experience with handling

confidential data and demonstrated understanding of different data

collection methodologies.

Excellent knowledge of English and working

knowledge of another UN language.

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are

encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions

after reviewing the job details.

h

January, 2017 Deadline: 25January, 2017
Over one crore rural citizens had been trained on digital payments through Common Service Centres (CSCs) under the 'Digi Dhan Abhyan', said Ravi Shankar Prasad, minister for electronics & information technology on Wednesday. More than three lakh merchants had started offering digital payment options to rural customers across various districts and blocks in rural India, he said.

Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh have recorded the highest number of enrolments with citizen enrolment crossing 15 lakh and 12.5 lakh respectively. Chhatisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have recorded highest number of merchant enrolments crossing 60,000 merchants each.

"The rapid pace at which rural citizens are adopting digital methods of payment demonstrates their support and enthusiasm to be a part of the digital transformation story of our country, said Prasad.

Twelve villages in the country have become cashless with all the shopkeepers having at least one mode of digital payment. One member in every family is capable of doing transactions digitally in these villages.

National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology and My Gov (a citizen-centric platform initiated by Modi government) have signed an MoU with CAIT (Confederation of All India Trader) to train one crore merchants across 1,000 towns in India.
Hardly a month after the demise of J.Jayalalithaa, the undisputed leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam, dissent came out in open in the Dravidian party with senior leader Anandraj resigning from the party on Wednesday.

The filmstar-turned-politician said he had no personal enmity with anyone in the AIADMK but regretted the 'misuse' of Jayalalithaa's name by some in the party and the government.

"In the present situation, even a government officer is using Amma's name," he said, in an apparent reference to former chief secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao, who is under Income Tax scanner, and had frequently invoked her name on Tuesday while defending himself during a press meet.

Anandraj's resignation came amid growing speculation that Sasikala Natarajan, close aide of Jayalalithaa, will take over as party's general secretary in its General Council meeting on Thursday. Although Natarajan continues to keep her cards close to her chest, she enjoys a massive support from most of the senior leaders and party functionaries.

Meanwhile, high drama unfolded outside the party headquarters in Chennai on Wednesday as a man, believed to be the lawyer of expelled MP Sasikala Pushpa, was thrashed allegedly by a group of AIADMK workers.

Pushpa had questioned the elevation of Natarajan to the top spot and even demanded a probe against the latter over her alleged role in Jayalalithaa's death. A section of party workers have also echoed Pushpa's demands.

AIADMK blamed Pushpa for the ruckus outside the party headquarters saying the MP wanted to make law and order problems ahead of the General Council. Let her resign first as MP as it was Amma who made her the Rajya Sabha member," party spokesperson C.R. Saraswathy said.

She alleged that Pushpa's injured "lawyer" was deliberately stayed put at the party headquarters despite being asked to leave and that it had been done to "create a problem".

Jayalalithaa died on December 5, a day after she suffered a cardiac arrest at Apollo hospital in Chennai where she had been under treatment for over two months.
The year witnessed escalated offences in Jammu and Kashmir by militants, with support from Pakistani forces, resulting in both, Army and civilian casualties. The gravest among the attacks took place in Uri on September 18 in which 19 soldiers lost their lives. There were several major and minor attacks in which several soldiers were martyred and civilian lives were lost.



India countered Uri attack by carrying out a 'surgical strike' on the terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). Army said it inflicted significant casualties among the terrorists and those providing support to them.



Here is a look at the attacks India, especially Jammu and Kashmir, witnessed in 2016:



Graphics: Vipin Das P.
The Health Ministry and its head, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, are under fire for severe overcrowding in the nations hospitals, some reporting 200% maximum capacity due to the flu season. Health Minister Yaakov Litzman explains these are primarily people who did not take advantage of the free flu vaccination.

When asked what the ministry is doing about the overcrowding, Litzman explains that in some cases, additional nursing and/or administrative staff has been added and in Sheba Medical Center, a new emergency room is under construction. The ministry has also added emergency centers to permit people to visit them prior to heading to an emergency room in the hope of reducing the load on the nations emergency rooms.

Litzman explains I am well aware of the situation in emergency rooms and we are doing the maximum possible, he told Ynet. He reminds the tzibur the situation repeats itself annually, each winter, citing its not a picnic in an emergency room and anyone who can avoid coming should do so, calling on people to get vaccinated.

He adds that based on ministry data, the flu is not hitting harder than average this year BH but it remains the main reason for the increase this winter as in past years, predicting next year will be better than the current winter.

Some examples over overcrowding in hospitals:

Hadassah Ein Kerem internal ward: 247% occupancy

Hadassah Ein Kerem pediatric ward: 163%

Hadassah Mt. Scopus internal ward: 169%

Hadassah Mt. Scopus pediatric ward: 153%

Laniado Hospital: 127%

Rambam Hospital: 113%

Rambam Hospital pediatric ward: 183%

Sheba Medical Center pediatric ward: 171%

Soroka Medical Centers pediatric ward: 123%

Dana Childrens Hospital: 142%

All other hospitals (adult units): 100%

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Police on Monday 26 Kislev arrested a 39-year-old Bnei Brak resident for storying dozens of large gas cylinders in a residential structure. The suspect was released on bail with restrictions. The gas cylinders were spotted by police during a routine patrol, seeing them standing the yard of the building.

The report released by police states that no less than 80 LP gas cylinders were stored on the premises, resulting in a real danger to the residents of the building as well as surrounding buildings.

One of the theories being probed in the investigation is that the suspect ran a cooking gas gemach, selling LP gas to area residents are a reduced price.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Israel Police spokesman unit)
[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

Aharon and Esther W. are not sure what the future holds for their special daughter. Tzipora must always be on a soft surface or wear a helmet because at any moment she can fall down and hit her head when trying to walk, or she may experience an unexpected but powerful seizure.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Tziporas mother Esther was expecting her newest child, doctors noticed something unusual in prenatal testing but they couldnt determine exactly what the issue was. Nevertheless she and her husband Aharon were overjoyed at the birth of their daughter Tzipora about four and a half years ago. They couldnt wait to get to know their baby and raise her in their Jerusalem home with their beautiful family.

Tzipora grew each day as expected until something unexpected happened when she was three months old. She experienced an episode of unusual muscle spasms. Esther and Aharon took Tzipora to the doctor and didnt want to believe what they heard: Tzipora was having a seizure, and after further testing she was diagnosed with Aicardi syndrome, a rare disorder (there are only about 1,000 documented cases in the U.S. and several thousand worldwide) where missing nerve fibers in the brain prevent the left and right sides from communicating.

Aicardi syndrome is characterized by seizure activity. Many children with the condition have difficulties walking or speaking and experience developmental delays (because the brain isnt sending complete messages to the body). Sadly in Tziporas case, as she got older it became clear that she was affected in all of these ways.

CLICK HERE to help this family

Tziporas parents did everything possible to get all the help they could, for their daughter. She underwent various therapies for an extended time but they noticed that she wasnt making significant progress in any of the areas she was lacking. They were discouraged and didnt know what to do. Finally they learned some new information after getting in contact with other parents whose children had the same condition: There was a physiotherapist in Canada who specialized in developing treatment plans for Aicardi children. Esther and Aharon scrambled for funds to take the trip abroad and see him.

The investment was a costly one. Aharon and Esther went into substantial debt to cover the three week trip-something the hard working couple never would have expected to be forced to do. It also threw family life into upheaval, as the parents tried to figure out how to make arrangements for the other children left at home. But the well-being of their daughter was paramount and thankfully the investment paid off. The therapist developed a course of unique treatments that could be implemented by his students in Israel, which the family began immediately upon their return. Not long into the therapies Aharon and Esther began to see improvements in Tziporas abilities: When approaching a step while using her walker and leg braces, she now knows it is a sign for her to lift her leg. She is better at bringing a piece of bread closer to her mouth than she used to be. She is working on learning to drink from a cup. These seemingly simple types of activities are big milestones for this smiley, happy four and a half year old.

CLICK HERE to help this family

The results have brought some encouragement into the lives of Aharon and Esther, although they face a frightening hurdle. There is a window of ideal time to work with Tzipora , with a main goal of getting her to walk using this specific method, but it is only open for one more year. Still in significant debt from their previous trip abroad, they know Tzipora has a long road ahead of her and they cant imagine how they will be able to fund additional consultations and treatments.

We can help Tzipora-we need to. But the clock is ticking and we cant help her without you. Our goal is to raise $18,000. With these funds we will be able to make a lifetime investment ourselves, in the future of a little girl. Money will go toward another appointment with the specialist and cover the resulting costs of flights, the vital therapies themselves and loss of income due to the trip.

We hope these therapies will improve Tziporas quality of life.

Please help us get Tzipora the vital help she needs and say a Tefilla for Tzipora Feiga bat Esther.

CLICK HERE to help this family

Milkas Fund, founded and managed by Yad Eliezer is a safe and secure way of donating money to help individuals with compassion and enable them to live a life with their problems solved.
Last week, President Obama granted clemency to 153 individuals who had been incarcerated under mandatory minimum drug-sentencing laws, bringing to more than 1,100 the number of clemency petitions the administration has granted. You dont just try to hammer everybody for as long as you can, because you can, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told the New York Times.

That is the right attitude for someone tasked with the fair administration of justice. Unfortunately, Yates and Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch have, for the past year, rebuffed efforts by me and many other former senior Justice Department officials to even discuss another prosecution in which justice fell far short: the case of Sholom Rubashkin, a Brooklyn-born rabbi who was sentenced to 27 years for bank fraud.

Rubashkin, a 57-year-old father of 10, has already served seven years for the crime, which ordinarily merits no more than three years. Worse, his sentence was based on perjured testimony and prosecutorial misconduct.

If even a few highly respected prosecutors think a particular case was handled unjustly, resulting in a vastly excessive sentence, the departments representatives should be prepared at least to discuss the reasons. In Rubashkins case, 107 former Justice Department officials, including five former attorneys general, six former deputy attorneys general (myself included), two former FBI directors, 30 former federal judges and other leading jurists, have sought to meet with senior officials of the department we once served. The only response: a form letter from an assistant attorney general stating that no meeting could take place while Rubashkin was also pursuing his case in court.

Meanwhile, Kevin Techau, the U.S. attorney in Iowa (where Rubashkin was prosecuted), has suggested that Rubashkin used his financial resources to buy the support of so many prominent justice officials. Not only has Rubashkin lost everything he owned in this case, his wife and children now depend heavily on the support of their community for their needs. Moreover, all 107 of us are working on this pro bono. Among other things, former deputy attorneys general Larry Thompson, Charles Renfrew and I have traveled to distant meetings and volunteered considerable time to this matter, all on our own nickel.

The facts are clear: Rubashkin was vice president of Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant based in Postville, Iowa. In May 2008, more than 500 federal immigration agents raided the plant and arrested hundreds of undocumented workers. The raid resulted in the company declaring bankruptcy. Rubashkin was arrested a short time later and charged with bank fraud.

And this is where things went terribly wrong. The sentence for bank fraud depends on the amount of the loss to creditors. In this case, the prosecution deliberately increased the amount of the loss  and thus the length of Rubashkins sentence.

Independent assessors had valued Agriprocessors assets at $68 million. Yet evidence uncovered after the sentencing showed that prosecutors interfered in the bankruptcy proceedings, threatening nine prospective buyers of the business that the companys assets would be seized by the government if any member of the Rubashkin family stayed active in the firm after the bankruptcy sale. No other relative has ever been charged by these prosecutors. Aaron Rubashkin, the founder and family patriarch, was critical to the companys value. Brands such as Aarons Best were built on his name. He possessed the institutional knowledge and connections throughout the kosher meat-processing business. By effectively removing Aaron Rubashkin, prosecutors destroyed the companys value.

All nine prospective investors  including one who offered $40 million  walked away from the sale. Agriprocessors then sold for $8.5 million, resulting in a huge loss to creditors and what is essentially a life sentence for Sholom Rubashkin.

In an effort to cover their tracks, prosecutors denied at Rubashkins sentencing that they had interfered in the bankruptcy-sale process. The prosecutors knew that the bank, the victim whose collateral was at stake, was upset with their interference. Legal counsel for the bank sent prosecutors a letter complaining about their actions. However, prosecutors failed to provide that letter as well as other evidence to Rubashkins defense team.

Instead, prosecutors offered testimony to support their claims that there was no interference with prospective buyers. But handwritten notes, recently discovered by Rubashkins attorneys, prove there was a meeting at which the prosecutors imposed their No Rubashkins edict. In determining the amount of the loss to creditors, the sentencing judge explicitly relied on this counsels false testimony. Prosecutors were present, but no prosecutor pointed out the falsity to the judge, who explicitly stated her reliance on it.

I am saddened by the unwillingness of the departments senior leaders to even discuss the injustice that more than 100 of their predecessors and former judges find evident in the Rubashkin case. Experienced former prosecutors and career Justice Department officials view this case as a stain on an institution created to uphold the law. If the departments leadership refuses to act, I hope President Obama pardons Rubashkin and ends this tragedy. The alternative is a display of either blind self-righteousness or frightened defensiveness that is inconsistent with the Justice Department we all have served and respected.

By Philip B. Heymann December 26 at 7:00 PM

Philip B. Heymann is a former deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton and assistant attorney general under President Jimmy Carter. He is the James Barr Ames professor of law emeritus at Harvard University Law School.
On the first day of Chanukah, Rabbi Hershy Z. Ten, (President of Bikur Cholim in Los Angeles) received a call from the Medical Director for the Los Angeles Department of Public Health Immunization Program advising that just days prior a measles outbreak was identified in the Los Angeles Orthodox Jewish community. Bikur Cholim was asked to assist the Department of Health in alerting the community and schools, as well as once again underscore to parents the threat measles imposes on children and expectant mothers. Rabbi Ten also addressed this issue in his article published in this weeks edition of Jewish Home LA and other media outlets.

-

JEWISH HOME LA

The Invisible Bullet Reappears

By Rabbi Hershy Z. Ten

President of Bikur Cholim

Los Angeles, CA 12/27/16

Two years ago I wrote and published an article (Jewish Home LA 1/29/15) regarding the alarming resurgence of measles in the Orthodox Jewish community titled, The Invisible Bullet in which I used the hypothetical scenario of a 6 year-old child walking into his class waiving a loaded gun at his classmates as his pregnant teacher acts as though nothing is wrong. I likened this child to an invisible bullet, as his lack of vaccinations rendered him an unknown biological threat. My article was prompted by a measles outbreak in December 2014 traced to Disneyland that spread throughout the region; raising serious concerns by parents and lawmakers in how to implement a mechanism to protect children from being placed at risk for contagious deadly diseases including measles, mumps, and rubella.

Months thereafter, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 277 requiring every child entering kindergarten to provide their school proof of immunization or they would not be allowed to attend. This law designated ongoing student vaccination checkpoints at kindergarten and 7th grade, as well as with new student admissions (i.e. transferring to a new school mid-year, etc.). Most importantly, the Personal Beliefs Exemption for religious or any other reasons would no longer apply in California. A sigh of relief could be heard throughout the medical community and schools, as this new law empowered them to prevent non-vaccinated children from enrolling. However, this sense of relief seems to have been premature, as these invisible bullets have reappeared.

This past weekend, on the first day of Chanukah, I received a call from Dr. Franklin Pratt, Medical Director for the Los Angeles Department of Public Health Immunization Program, who advised that just days prior, a measles outbreak was identified in the Los Angeles Orthodox Jewish community linked through epidemiology, social interaction, and geography. He asked that Bikur Cholim urgently readdress and write about this issue in order to reach as many Jewish communities as quickly as possible.

How could this happen? By the year 2000, measles was considered eradicated in the US; however in 2013  2014, there were as many as 21% of kindergarten students in some Jewish schools who were not immunized. It is reasonable to conclude that last weeks outbreak was propagated by either non-immunized pre-kindergarten children not yet enrolled, and/or those enrolled prior to 2016. For those children who were enrolled prior to 2016, there were no immunization checkpoints scheduled for them for at least 6 more years; meaning that those unvaccinated children in the school system before this time were still capable of contracting and spreading measles.

Regardless of what or when any regulations were implemented or any parents personal belief, no child should be allowed to remain at school or enter a play-group, whether at a home or synagogue, without proof that theyve been immunized. This year the UC Regents system instituted this policy for all college students enrolled; not due to any legal requirement, but strictly due to their concern for public well-being and protecting their student body and faculty.

A fundamental tenet of the Torah is to lead a healthy lifestyle. For the child who contracts measles, even what appears to be a mild case, the chance exists for irreparable brain damage that could develop years later, and in severe cases, it is deadly. When an expectant mother is exposed to measles, her unborn child is at risk of premature birth and death. To reiterate from my first article, the efficacy of these vaccines relies on herd immunity; meaning that 97% of the population must be immunized to ensure that an infected person has a limited opportunity to spread disease. This is especially vital to the 1% of the population who experience adverse physical reactions to vaccines, thus cannot be vaccinated. And when the herd immunity is compromised, the most contagious diseases are the first to return. Weve seen the return of pertussis (whooping cough), mumps, and now measles. To put this danger into perspective, measles carries the distinction of being the worlds most contagious disease. Just one infected child in a crowd can spread measles to every other person present who hasnt been vaccinated, leading to hospitalization and possible death. Measles can also linger in the environment for up to 2 hours, thereby infecting susceptible people entering that area.

The medical community promotes vaccinations, and anti-vaxxer articles and studies have been recanted and debunked as patently false. However, while we all have freedom of choice, that freedom does not entitle one to endanger the lives of others, especially our children.

The observant community looks to its Rabbinical and educational leaders for guidance, and there are substantial Halachic sources supporting vaccinations which should be championed on behalf of children and our society. The disappointing fact that this latest outbreak is centered in the Jewish community is alarming, and speaks to the need for our leadership to take a proactive role in ensuring the health and safety of our children and families. Rabbis, school administrators, and physicians need to establish policies that go beyond legislation to ensure that no unvaccinated children are allowed to attend school or synagogue; and if a child is identified as non-immunized, they should be immediately sent home until they have proof of vaccination.

If you suspect your child may have been exposed to or is symptomatic of measles, (i.e. fever, rash, cough, watery/itchy eyes, runny nose) or any other highly communicable diseases, please immediately call your pediatricians office to discuss how best to proceed. Most importantly, limit your childs exposure to others, including visits to ERs and urgent care centers until you have received medical advice.

With the serious threat of measles returning to our doorstep, I am hopeful that our leadership will continue their efforts to protect and safeguard our children and the public at large.

Follow Rabbi Hershy Ten at:

facebook.com/hershy.ten

instagram.com/bikurcholim

[email protected]

www.bikurcholim.net

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Given the large amount of snowfall in various parts of Armenia, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has set up temporary shelters for stranded citizens in the provinces of Syunik, Gegharkounik and Aragatzotn.

These mobile tent shelters are staffed with six emergency workers who can provide hot food and first aid to those who need it.
Harav Nissan Kaplan, a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim, has had an impact on the lives of hundreds of his talmidim for more than two decades. Now these talmidim in a bold gesture of hakoras hatov are uniting behind the efforts to build a new Bais Hamedrash/Bais Haknesses for their esteemed Rebbe. Harav Kaplan has accepted a community request to become the Mara Dasra of the Kehilla Givat Hamivtar in the Ramat Eshkol area.

Through crowdfunding the talmidim already raised $150,000 of the $1 million that will be required to build the bais medrash. The shul is currently located in trailers which the talmidim hope will be replaced by a beautiful building befitting the stature of Harav Kaplan. This is not just your ordinary shul campaign, says Yaakov Neiman, a talmid of Harav Kaplans (2005-2009), it is a demonstration of my gratitude to someone who was much more than a Rebbe to me and to others; he was my mentor and a father-figure. For so many who studied at Yeshivas Mir, Harav Kaplans home was a home away from home. They bonded with their beloved rebbe and those years became the basis for an enduring relationship. Harav Kaplan frequently travels to different parts of the globe to maintain his strong bond with his talmidim. Irrespective of what stage in life we are in, says Mr. Neiman, Harav Kaplan is always there for us. It is amazing how our families become so much a part of his extended family.

Others familiar with Harav Kaplan say that he is one of the great mashpiim of our generation, inspiring so many young men and their families to follow the Torah derech that he is well-known for. Indeed, some of his talmidim daven in his new shul and many have no doubt that his influence will be felt even by the secular Jews who live in the Ramat Eshkol area.

Neiman and other talmidim feel that there is a sense of urgency that the goal of $1 million is reached. They explain that their Rebbe has assumed the responsibility of raising the funds but we need to assure him that he should not take time from his important mission of mentoring bachurim and yungeleit all over the world. Many of his former talmidim and their wives do not make any move in life without consulting with the esteemed Rosh Yeshiva.

Harav Kaplan is a marbitz Torah revered worldwide, often giving shiurim and divrei chizuk to thousands. He meets often with Gedolei Yisrael on a host of topics. His shiur at Yeshivas Mir attracts hundreds of bachurim often filling some of the largest halls at the Yeshiva.

Neighborhood residents are extremely excited about having a Rav of such caliber in their midst, expressing the view that he will have an impact on the entire community. Talmidim and others who wish to participate in this extraordinary demonstration of unity can do so  CLICK HERE TO DONATE
>American Jewish leaders and US politicians must call upon Secretary of State John Kerry to adhere to the principals of full disclosure, and complete honesty prior to his speech today.

Today at 11 AM, Secretary of State Kerry will purport to lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But he will also do something else. He will continue the Watergate-esque lies hiding the Obama Administrations lies as to its role behind Fridays UN resolution.

Last week, the United States allegedly orchestrated a UN resolution calling for an end to settlement construction while simultaneously declaring them illegal.

Kerry will discuss the abstention when he speaks at the State Department at 11am, a senior State Department official announced. We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years, he remarked.

It has been revealed, however, that the Obama administration and its spokespeople have purposefully obscured and actually lied about its involvement in orchestrating the UN resolution.

This past November, Secretary of State Kerry snuck into New Zealand for a quick visit. The press was lied to and was given to believe that the burning issue was Syria. Clearly, the meeting was about supporting this anti-Israel settlement resolution. New Zealand has a seat in the Security Council.

The UN resolution also completely ignored the very Oslo Accords signed on the White House lawn between Yasser Arafat and Yizhak Rabin in the presence of US President Bill Clinton and witnessed by the EU and Russia.

The Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three zones. Area A was put under the civil and security administration of the Palestinian Authority. Area B was given to the PA for their civil rule while the security elements were agreed to be a joint Israeli-PA project. Area C was designated to be under complete Israel civil and security control until a future permanent peace agreement will be worked out.

Mr. Kerry must be told in no uncertain terms that dishonesty matters. He must be completely forthcoming in the Obama administrations secret hand behind it all.

PM Netanyahu should today simultaneously release the evidence of the purposeful lying.

If Russia has admitted today to purposeful Olympic doping, the least Mr. Kerry can do is be honest about his role in arranging this most devastating of UN resolutions.
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

One of Klal Yisroels greatest Gedolim, of course, is Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg shlita, the son-in-law of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ztl.

Recently, he has authored a remarkable sefer on the Halachic implications of the reasons of the Mitzvos. The Sefer is called, Nesiv Mitzvosecha which will be available in Seforim stores in Eretz Yisroel at the end of this week. It may be available in America in the first week of January. The Sefer is a remarkable addition to works that deal with the philosophy of halacha and will become an instant classic.

The Sefer examines the Taryag Mitzvos in order of the Chumash, as well as the additional Mitzvos that lay in between. Nesiv Mitzvosecha begins with a long introduction that is essential toward understanding the nature of the sefer. Rav Goldberg asserts that Klal Yisroel is obligated in observing not just the details of the halachos, but also the halachic implications that the reasons for the Mitzvos imply (page 14). He qualifies this as having the caveat that these new obligations have to be included within the parameters of the Mitzvah.

When discussing the reasons for Mitzvos, Rav Goldberg distinguishes between different types: There are reasons that the Torah itself provides. Those that the sages have provided, and the reasons that are first presented in the Rishonim and Acharonim.

Rav Goldberg analyzes much of the content found in the work known as Eved HaMelech, by Rav Shmuel Hominer ztl of the Old Yishuv in Yerushalayim. Rav Hominer analyzes the Mitzvos in every Posuk in Chumash.

And what about those verses that teach us an ethical dimension? Are these obligations in terms of Mitzvos? He discusses the SMaGs understanding of the verse in Dvarim (8:11), Be careful lest you forget the L-rd, your G-d as a Mitzvah not to become haughty. He also discusses why the Torah describes Moshe Rabbeinu as very humble. Is it to teach us an ethical imperative or is it merely describing Moshe Rabbeinu? Also, when the Torah tells us that Hashem took leave of the angels before creating man  is this an obligation to take leave of those of a lesser station? Rav Goldberg exhaustively explores both sides of the issue.

What about the notion of not providing all of a persons praises in front of him? Rashi Eiruvin 18b explains that the reason is so one not appear as if he is being Mechanef  excessively flattering. The Maharsha points out that since it was Hashem doing the talking  another reason is necessary. Are these halachos? Rav Goldberg cites Rav Yisroel Salanter that there is no Lifnei Iver on character traits. Rav Goldberg Shlita provides an alternative possibility too.

Rav Goldberg also deals with why the Torah gave reasons to some Mitzvos and the purpose for it since it is also a violation of Torah law when that reason is not applicable (see pages 11 and 12). Also, even when the reason for it is inapplicable, the Mitzvah still exists. Why then did the Torah include the reasons? He answers that there are numerous instructional components that we derive from the reasons that the Torah states. The reasons also help Chazal establish the parameters of the Mitzvos.

The Sefer is filled with lomdus as well. Based upon the principles he expounds upon regarding the reasons for the Mitzvos, Rav Zalman Nechemia explains the debate between the Raavad and Tosfos (p. 37-38) as to whether the origin of Bitul Issur Lechatchila  negating a prohibition from the outset is Biblical or Rabbinic.



The Sefer is put out by Machon Mishpat Aruch through Yeshivas Kedomim. The phone number is 09 7928129 or 053 2737068.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
President-elect Donald Trump tapped an experienced hand from the George W. Bush era and a longtime Trump Organization official to become members of his inner circle when he assumes office next month.

Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trumps transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity, and coordinate the Cabinets process for making and executing policy in those areas.

The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on U.S.-Israel relations during the campaign and transition as special representative for international negotiations. Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organization for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer.

The homeland security position notably is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser, the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.

Bossert will work closely with Trumps pick for national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

Donald Trumps West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as equal partners, according to Trump, and counselor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy. Trumps influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will have a direct line to the president as well.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and during his presidential campaign. But some critics fear doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making.

Discussing the appointment of Greenblatt, Trump said he has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf, and has the expertise to bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics.

Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel.

The billionaire-turned-president-elect is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, where hes held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his administration remain; his transition team says he will fill those positions in the coming days.

Meanwhile the president-elect continued the debate over whether he would have won an election against President Barack Obama.

Trump posted on Twitter Tuesday, President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in very important swing states, and lost. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

It wasnt immediately clear whether Trump was referring to Obamas own presidential runs, or the campaigning the president did in 2016 on Hillary Clintons behalf. Obama swept most key swing states in his two bids for the White House, but Clinton fell short, losing to Trump.

A dispute erupted a day earlier between Obama and Trump, spurred by Obamas hypothetical musings that had he run again, he would have been victorious. Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters that elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again.

Trumps response: NO WAY!

Later Tuesday, Trump thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that The Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December.

Trump noted thats the highest the index has climbed in more than 15 years, then added, Thanks Donald!

(AP)
According to a report appearing in the Egyptian daily Egyptian daily Al-Youm Al-Sabea, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in Washington earlier this month with a PA (Palestinian Authority) delegation. They discussed the draft of UN Resolution 2334, with Kerry agreeing to cooperate to push it through.

The Egyptian report places Kerry at the meeting along with National Security Advisor Susan Rise and senior PA negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat who was accompanied by the head of the PA General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj.

The report, based on leaked documents from an unknown source, contain statements from Israeli officials who claim the resolution was in fact orchestrated by the Obama administration.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, David Keyes stated, We have ironclad information that emanates from sources in the Arab world and that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage. Israel is not revealing its proof, which it adds will be revealed to the relevant officials in the incoming Trump administration.

The US Department of State and Dr. Erekat deny the validity of the report.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)




Toscha Seidel was a Russian-born violin virtuoso who came to the United States in the late 1920s. He settled for a short time in Pleasantville, New York, but by about late 1929 he moved to Pelham where he resided for at least the next decade.





Born on November 17, 1899 in Odessa, Ukraine, Russia, Seidel became a student of the great violinist Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg in 1912 and studied with him until 1918. Once he emigrated to the United States he married

Estelle Manheim of San Francisco on January 1, 1929. Estelle Manheim graduated from the University of California where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree and taught in California before the couple married.





Soon after the couple moved to Pelham, Toscha Seidel became a radio celebrity. He became known to millions of radio listeners through his performances on the weekly "Toscha Seidel Program" broadcast by the Columbia Broadcasting System. During summer months he performed on Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. on the CBS Symphonic Hour as a soloist. Seidel rose to the rank of

musical director of the Columbia Broadcasting System and as chairman of the CBS musical advisory board.









Detail from Undated Photograph of Toscha Seidel.

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Click on Image to Enlarge.





In 1924, Seidel purchased the so-called Da Vinci Stradivarius, a violin crafted by the great master in about 1714. The violin was so-named because its owner in 1865 "

compared it in beauty of tone to one of Da Vinci's beautiful paintings."

Seidel kept the famed violin in a safe at the CBS Studios.





According to several sources, in 1934, while living in Pelham, Seidel gave violin instruction to Albert Einstein who reportedly gave him, in return, a sketch diagramming the length contraction aspect of his general theory of relativity.





As if such claims to fame were not enough, Toscha and Estelle Seidel of Stellar Avenue in the Village of Pelham Manor were famous throughout Pelham for one additional reason. They were the owners of "Hector," a monumentally-large Great Dane that lounged on the couple's front doorstep surveying his kingdom. According to an article published in The Pelham Sun on July 8, 1932, Hector was:





"

a perfect war lord of a Great Dane, one hundred-and-seventy pounds of him, stretching his powerful length across a doorstep -- that is the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Seidel. And the Great Dane in question is Hector, brother of Lindy, the National Champion. As we looked at Hector we felt it could be nothing but the merest accident that prevented him from being the Champion himself and we speculated idly as to just what kind of a fellow his brother could be."





During the 1930s, Toscha Seidel also performed in a number of Hollywood productions including the movies "Intermezzo," "Apomethe," and "Melody for Three." The very brief clip immediately below shows Toscha Seidel performing a portion of Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms in the movie "Apomethe."





According to one brief biography of Toscha Seidel: "

Seidel performed on violins by Antonio Stradivari "Da Vinci" 1712 (now known as the Ex-Seidel), Giovanni Battista Guadagnini 1786 (now known as the Ex-Seidel), as well as copy of the "Alard Stradivari" by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume 1860. He died on November 15, 1962." Source: " Toscha Seidel " in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia (visited Dec. 17, 2016).





* * * * *





Below is the text of an article and an image published with it that form the basis for today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog. Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.













"

-----

By Margaret Leary





Other times, other manners, indeed! It isn't only fashions in women's headgear and the like that change. Fashions in musicians change, too. Take Toscha Seidel, the celebrated violinist for example. Perhaps one has a mental picture of the usual long, black waving hair, unviolated by the barber's shears, the funeral black tie and the general dreamy, abstracted expression that one associates with the French romantic poets who so loved to contemplate the grave. Nothing in the world could be further from the truth. Mr. Seidel is a young, energetic person, and when the reporter from The Pelham Sun visited him, wore white flannels and could easily have been mistaken for any other innocent suburbanite enjoying the coolness of his Pelham Manor home on a July afternoon.





If one strolls along Stellar avenue and happens to see a perfect war lord of a Great Dane, one hundred-and-seventy pounds of him, stretching his powerful length across a doorstep -- that is the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Seidel. And the Great Dane in question is Hector, brother of Lindy, the National Champion. As we looked at Hector we felt it could be nothing but the merest accident that prevented him from being the Champion himself and we speculated idly as to just what kind of a fellow his brother could be.





If one asks Mr. Seidel about Hector, showing any interest, he will bring out the dog's pedigree which is all properly framed and hangs on the wall of his office in his home.





Mr. Seidel, who is thirty-two-years old, is animated and quick, both physically and mentally, the visitor soon feels. He was born in Odessa, Russia, and has studied the violin since he was a child of seven. The late Professor Leopold Auer, who died in 1930, was his teacher from 1912 to 1918.





Mr. Seidel is known to millions of listeners through his radio programs. He is musical director of the Columbia Broadcasting System and is heard on weekly 'Toscha Seidel' program. He is also chairman of the musical advisory board. In the summer months he is heard as soloist on the Symphonic Hour on Sundays at three o'clock. He has a few very advanced pupils but the majority of his time is devoted to his radio work.





He has been around the world on concert tours and his hobby is bacteriology! Who said musicians didn't have brains? Hoffman, the pianist is interested in mechanics. Mr. Seidel told us and he seemed to think it not at all strange that he found pleasure in hours of study at the Rockefeller Institute.





On New Year's Day, 1929, Mr. Sediel married Estelle Manheim of San Francisco. Mrs. Seidel was graduated from the University of California where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree and taught in California before her marriage.





'Is Mrs. Seidel a musician,' we asked, and chuckled at the quick and amused response.





'No, thank heaven!' There was no possibility of misunderstanding the spirit back of it.





Mrs. Seidel appreciates music, needless to say, but she is not a creative artist. One is usually considered enough for a household, we remarked. Incidentally we had the pleasure of meeting the lady in question later and admired her poised and gracious air. Before coming to Pelham Manor about two and a half years ago the family lived in Pleasantville.





'Do you like Pelham Manor?' we felt it our duty to ask and were told that the violinist does like it. Likes its quiet atmosphere and his charming neighbors.





Mr. Seidel is the possessor of a rare and very valuable violin, the 'Da Vinci Stradivarius.' It was made in 1714and has been in the possession of Mr. Seidel since 1924. The value of this exquisite instrument which the artist uses constantly is estimated at $60,000. Most of the time it is kept in a safe at the Studio in New York. Monsier [sic] Chardon who owned the violin in 1865 compared it in beauty of tone to one of Da Vinci's beautiful paintings.





Mr. Seidel naturally is much interested in radio and its possibilities and in the changes that the advent of television may make in its future development. He brings to his conversation a touch of imagination and vision and a quick good humour.





On July 11th Mr. and Mrs. Seidel will leave for Lake Placid where they will spend a two weeks' vacation with Mr. Carl Goldmark. The violinist will be heard on the radio again on Sunday the 31st, after his vacation.





Hector, on his good behavior exhibited company manners as we left and very gravely lifted his right forepaw. We took it respectfully, feeling that we had received an accolade, at least!"





Source: Leary, Margaret,





Labels: 1932, Albert Einstein, CBS, celebrity, Columbia Broadcasting System, Da Vinci Stadivarius, musician, Stellar Avenue, Tocha Seidel
Shortly before Christmas, I challenged my old friend Peter Oborne over his remark that there was no doubt that Russia has committed war crimes in Syria, contained in this otherwise refreshing article : http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/time-judge-assads-aleppo-campaign-standards-set-mosul/

I view this common belief as an example of the truth that, if you repeat something often enough and prominently enough, most people will assume it to be true without investigation or challenge.

When I asked Peter to justify the assertion, he referred me to this publication by Human Rights Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/01/russia/syria-war-crimes-month-bombing-aleppo

All War is Crime

I think I must insist, for the purposes of serious argument, that we are quite careful about what the term war crime actually means, as it is one of those expressions much bandied and seldom specified.

In a sense, all war is crime, though there are mitigations for some actions in war. And it seems to me that (to have any meaning beyond rhetoric, the key to the charge of war crimes is, above all, deliberate intent. The *deliberately intentional* killing of civilians; the * deliberately intentional* bombing of medical facilities. Most would also include the following : torture; rape; giving no quarter to the surrendered; using outlawed weapons. Has Russia done these things in Syria?

I am leaving out any consideration of Syrian behaviour, because it complicates the issue. I have yet to see independent testable proof that the Syrian Army has (for instance)used poison gas in the civil war. I find this charge hard to believe not because of any special humanity in the Syrian command  far from it - but because such an action would have been politically and diplomatically mad, and militarily futile. And I am unable to see how the so-called barrel bombs used by Bashar Assads forces and also by our then ally Nouri-el-Maliki in Iraq, are any more criminal than the supposedly sophisticated weapons used and sold by the major western powers and their clients.

No, I am not an apologist for the Assad Despotism, and I can prove it

As I show here, http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2013/08/my-response-to-allegations-that-i-am-an-apologist-for-syria.html

I have for many years been a consistent active critic of Syrian atrocities when I could have remained silent and the issue was largely ignored by others. I am not now an apologist for the Syrian state, and never have been. My concern in this matter is and always has been a patriotic one, that our countrys foreign policy should be directed intelligently in our national interests, not diverted into emotional spasms or bought and sold to suit the needs of other powers.

But to discuss the Syrian issue here would distract attention from my main question, which is over the charge levelled against Russia, and apparently accepted by Peter Oborne, a man who has shown himself to be intelligently sceptical about other conventional wisdom of this sort, domestic and foreign.

So, let us go to the Human Rights Watch report

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/01/russia/syria-war-crimes-month-bombing-aleppo

A Bit Vague?

I printed it out and went carefully through it several times. I would say that it very frequently referred to unidentified witnesses, made vague claims which cast no light on the crucial question of intent, reproduced unverifiable statements by partial witnesses, appeared to be completely uninterested in the possibility that some of those witnesses may have *been* partial or not necessarily able to speak freely, (e.g. Local residents and staff said opposition armed groups did not have any bases nearby and that there were no armed groups in the [Al-Sakhour medical centre] hospital.

This statement may be absolutely and unequivocally true. But I think anyone with knowledge of such areas, and an imagination, can see that it also might be flawed as objective evidence.

It cites a body called the Violations Documentation Centre

http://www.vdc-sy.info/index.php/en/about

I will for the purposes of this article refrain from any inquiry into the independence of this body and assume for the purpose of the argument that its total impartiality has been established. But I think it fair to say that another body frequently cited in this report, the Syria Civil Defence(the so-called White Helmets) is not exactly impartial.

In a Civil War, Who and What is a Civilian?

But I would wonder aloud, when the Violations Documentation Centre refers to civilian casualties, what exactly it means by this. The groups fighting against the Assad state are not organised into a formal, uniformed or constituted army. Indeed, they are made up of many groups. Does the term civilian in this case mean persons definitely not engaged in military activity of any kind? Or does it possibly include members of anti-state militias?

The report states : Airstrikes often appeared to be recklessly indiscriminate, deliberately targeted at least one medical facility, and included the use of indiscriminate weapons such as cluster munitions and incendiary weapons.

Appeared to be is an interesting formulation. But objective truth is not a matter of appearance but of demonstrable fact. I am not sure how an airstrike can be independently or objectively judged to be recklessly indiscriminate, or what the objective criteria are under which this can be stated beyond doubt.

It is a sad fact that any armed intervention, noble or squalid, will have appalling consequences for some innocent people. Many people (not I) supported the Western interventions in Serbia and Libya. But they tolerated some very unpleasant consequences. I noted the (for instance) undoubted child casualties, reported by Western journalists, during the British and French bombing of Libya in 2011 http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/06/as-dave-does-the-talking-war-dead-are-sneaked-out-of-the-back-gate-.html

I also recall that Serbian TVs make-up lady, Jelica Munitlak, 27, ( and the Chinese Embassy) were among the unquestionably innocent victims of NATO bombing of Belgrade in March-June 1999

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_bombing_of_the_Radio_Television_of_Serbia_headquarters

More recently (and this is worth recalling when discussing the alleged targeting of hospitals by Syrian or Russian air forces) Western forces have unintentionally struck a known hospital in Afghanistan http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/world/asia/afghanistan-bombing-hospital-doctors-without-borders-kunduz.html?_r=0

I believe Western air forces have also been used to attack built-up urban areas in Fallujah and Mosul in which civilians (probably held against their will, as I suspect they were in Aleppo) are to be found. Id add that despite the claims of their makers and users, modern air-delivered bombs, missiles and rockets are not surgical. This is public relations rubbish. Warfare of this kind will kill innocent people, and both the defenders (who have chosen to fight from within urban zones) and the attackers (who have chosen not to be deterred by the risk of collateral damage) know this perfectly well.

If you wish to sympathise with either, then you must accept that you are sympathising with their readiness to accept so called collateral damage. In that case you must make similar allowances for Russia *unless* you can show an entirely different attitude towards civilians. I do not think any case can be made that Russia, alone of all military powers, has criminal intent when it does this. I mention British and US actions here, and French ones, because senior foreign policy figures from these countries have been prominent in their moralistic condemnations of Russias behaviour in Aleppo.

What About What-Aboutery?

I am sometimes chided for the supposed sin of what-aboutery, as if there was something perverse and meaningless about pointing out double standards. The whole purpose of making these comparisons is to show that those who make these criticisms of Russia generally do not criticise countries they favour or sympathise with, when they do the same thing. Outrage, unless it is principled and applied in all cases (especially to your own actions and those of friends) is selective. And if it is selective, it is not outrage, it is propaganda. The sneer of what-aboutery is not in fact an answer to this charge.

What weapons are illegal?

My understanding, which I agree may be out of date, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/world/europe/29cluster.html?em&ex=1212206400&en=0e28528fd0c65072&ei=5087%0A ,, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10829992

...is that cluster bombs are not generally illegal, despite efforts to make them so, and that the proposed ban on them is opposed by several major nations including the USA.

The legal position on incendiary weapons is as follows : Signatory states are bound by Protocol III of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons which governs the use of incendiary weapons:

prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against civilians (effectively a reaffirmation of the general prohibition on attacks against civilians in Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions

prohibits the use of air-delivered incendiary weapons against military targets located within concentrations of civilians and loosely regulates the use of other types of incendiary weapons in such circumstances.

Protocol III states though that incendiary weapons do not include:

Munitions which may have incidental incendiary effects, such as illuminates, tracers, smoke or signalling systems;

Munitions designed to combine penetration, blast or fragmentation effects with an additional incendiary effect, such as armour-piercing projectiles, fragmentation shells, explosive bombs and similar combined-effects munitions in which the incendiary effect is not specifically designed to cause burn injury to persons, but to be used against military objectives, such as armoured vehicles, aircraft and installations or facilities.

So one would need to know more about the alleged uses of incendiary devices to judge the legality of their use in this case.

Any Quantity of Assertion and Detail (without objective fact) is not conclusive

Much of the HRW report, as it continues, consists of exhortation and assertion. It quotes unnamed witnesses whose provenance and independence cannot be established, and includes expressions of opinion which have no real bearing on the charge of war crimes. For example : Local residents, media activists, and medical personnel told Human Rights Watch that the month-long bombardment was the most intense since the start of the conflict. One local journalist said: Those were bloody days. It was a bloody month. Each day, Russian and Syrian airstrikes killed tens of people. It was the most terrible month since the beginning of the war.

Then there is this : Those interviewed also said that the bombardment was particularly terrifying because of frequent use of bombs that they said they had not seen in the city of Aleppo before. Often referring to them as bunker busting bombs, local residents said that these weapons were capable of penetrating and demolishing entire multi-story concrete buildings, meaning it was no longer safe to hide in basements and underground shelters. Some of the attacks with the largest number of civilian casualties were from airstrikes that caused entire buildings to collapse.

This may well be so, though once again one must ask what the word civilian actually means in this context, and who was responsible for the continuing presence of civilians in these areas. Has there been any inquiry by HRW or anyone else into how free the unarmed residents of East Aleppo were to leave during the rebel or opposition period of rule? I have not seen it, though one does occasionally hear the BBC noting how difficult it is for unarmed civilians to leave IS-occupied *Mosul*, as indeed it is for obvious reasons. Such fighters know how hard it is to use airpower in built-up areas with large civilian populations. This benefits them and hampers their enemies. Evacuation of all non-combatants would not suit them.

The HRW report does, interestingly, concede the possibility that what it rather euphemistically describes as the Syrian opposition might have prevented civilians from leaving. It notes : During the month-long bombing campaign, Syrian military forces surrounded opposition-controlled eastern Aleppo. Although Syrian and Russian authorities declared that civilians and fighters could leave through designated corridors, very few did. Syrian and Russian authorities and armed opposition groups blamed each other for this. Indeed they did. But does HRW have no opinion of its own on the subject? It has opinions, often rather passionate ones, on many other aspects of the war.

On the question of the legality of certain types of weapons, my understanding is that bunker-busting bombs are not banned by the laws of war, and the USA maintains several such bombs in its armoury.

HRW is careful to state it has strong evidence(not proof) of alleged attacks on hospitals in East Aleppo. Residents of Western Aleppo likewise allege that rebel artillery frequently struck hospitals in the government-controlled part of the city. I have little doubt that these reports are true. The question arises in both cases as to whether the attacks on medical facilities were *intentional*. It may also be important to know whether either side was using known medical facilities for military purposes, which altrs the legal position: 'Article 27 of the 1899 Hague Regulations provides:

In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps should be taken to spare as far as possible  hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not used at the same time for military purposes.'(my emphasis).

HRWs approach to alleged outrages in *west* Aleppo. Is it more measured?

Here, by the way ( and linked to the main report) , is a fascinating HRW report on the sufferings of civilians in West Aleppo, which (by contrast with the main report under discussion) is (rightly in my view) extremely cautious about accepting at face value what its observer is told:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/01/all-aleppo-aching

Note especially this passage : While the atrocities unfolding in eastern Aleppo have rightly sparked international outrage and media attention, any abuses by rebels against civilians in western Aleppo have largely gone unreported. This is partly due to the challenges that independent observers like Human Rights Watch face in getting visas to the west of the city and other government-held areas, but also because many people in western Aleppo are afraid to talk to human rights groups because they fear government repercussions.

No doubt. And it is quite proper, indeed very necessary, to record this. But was there no comparable difficulty in obtaining entry to *east* Aleppo? Was nobody in *east* Aleppo reluctant to talk because they feared repercussions from the ever-unseen armed men who actually controlled that area?

In fact the HRW report from West Aleppo notes the use by rebels of unguided rockets aimed at civilian areas. But unlike the main report with its unequivocal assertion of Russian and Syrian war crimes, it uses interestingly cautious and measured language :

Regardless of the injuries inflicted during conflict or while under siege all warring parties, including rebel groups, need to obey the rules of war. That means not deliberately target civilians in attacks; taking care to distinguish between civilians and combatants at all times; and not causing civilian casualties that are disproportionate to the expected military gain. Those who flout these rules could be prosecuted for war crimes.

Quite.

So why the different tone towards Russia, which Peter Oborne reasonably  but in my view mistakenly - believes licenses him to state unequivocally that Russia has committed war crimes? Perhaps Russia has done so. I certainly don't rule out the possibility that at some future stage this may be proven. But I have yet to see anything which can be described as proof - so far.

I think people just feel they can say what they like about Russia these days. The accusations may of course be true. If they are proven by independent and objective investigation, than I shall be the first to condemn such acts. As I repeatedly say, Vladimir Putin, domestically, is a sinister tyrant. But that does not necessarily mean that his foreign policy, or its conduct, can be declared to be criminal or barbaric without the stringent investigations and proof we would require before saying the same of any other country including our own. Look at the way we still resist and reject condemnations of our bombing of German civilians in World War Two.

As I have many times said, a general and often rather silly prejudice against Russia may be leading us in to several grave foreign policy mistakes, in Europe and the middle east, which will do us needless damage. This has nothing to do with being pro or anti-Russian, and everything to do with being pro-British.

Peter Obornes immediate response was to refer me to these two articles

Journey to Aleppo: How the war ripped Syria's biggest city apart

And

Aleppo Notebook: the citys terrorist besiegers will now be besieged

which are commendable departures from conventional wisdom, and this is of course why I am concerned that Peter, of all people, would accept the conventional wisdom on Russia. I ask him, and all thoughtful men and women, to reconsider this. I await his more detailed response.
City law firms have been put on alert after Chinese hackers made 3.2m by breaking in to confidential computer systems to get inside information about takeovers and merges.

Three men have been charged after they allegedly targeted email accounts of top law firms which were working on high-profile mergers and acquisitions.

They profited by buying stock in American firms about to be acquired, netting huge profits when shares lifted after the deals were announced.

Now senior prosecutors have warned of further attacks across the globe.

Three men have been charged after they targeted email accounts of top law firms which were working on high-profile mergers and acquisitions

Preet Bharara, US attorney for the southern district of New York, said: 'This case of cyber meets security fraud should serve as a wake-up call for law firms around the world: you are and will be targets for cyber hacking, because you have information valuable to would-be criminals.'

It is understood that the City watchdog Financial Conduct Authority is monitoring the situation.

It has appointed a specialist team to fight cybercrime and in 2014 received five reports of cybercrime. In 2015 it received 27 and more than 75 this year.

The threat from hackers is considered one of the growing risks in the City.

In March, efforts to compromise the security of computers were detected by clients of London law firm CMS.

Other firms have reported breaches of video conferencing systems.

And last year, a ring of alleged insider trading hackers was apprehended after they were accused of netting more than 70million in illegal profits.

The group was accused of stealing sensitive financial information from wire news services before it had been published.

The latest arrests all involve trading in the US, but come as a warning for the UK markets.

Many big financial institutions have top level security systems, but those of law firms involved with big corporate takeovers, are thought to be far weaker, making them easier targets.

The three Chinese hackers were charged in an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court with conspiracy, insider trading, wire fraud and computer intrusion.

From April 2014, the men obtained information by hacking two US law firms and targeting email accounts of partners working on mergers and acquisitions.

They accessed the accounts to find out about deals before they were announced publicly.

Two of them allegedly began buying shares of e-commerce company Borderfree so aggressively they accounted for at least 25 per cent of the company's daily trading volume ahead of the announcement it was being bought by Pitney Bowes in 2015.

The day after the deal was announced, shares in Borderfree jumped 105 per cent, and the duo made 685,000. Other deals they made money from involved drugmaker InterMune and chipmaker Intel.

Antonia Chion, of the US financial watchdog the Securities and Exchange Commission in New York, said the scheme involved numerous levels of deception.

The men stole confidential information and used it for substantial personal gain. 'This action marks the end of their alleged deception and serves as a stark reminder to companies and firms that your networks can be vulnerable targets,' said Chion.
The 2million kitchen we're gathered in, said to be the most expensive in Wales, is the height of tasteful contemporary design.

Exposed brickwork? Tick. Industrial-looking stainless steel pipework suspended from the ceiling? Tick. Snowy white worktops? Tick.

From this cook's heaven a procession of delicious dishes are being churned out by chef Neil Nugent, who trained at the three Michelin star restaurant Le Moulin de Mougins in Provence. They are served to diners perched on quilted leather chairs at a huge wood table.

It is perhaps slightly surprising then that this luxurious scene is being played out on a rainswept industrial estate in Deeside.

Mission: The Iceland boss wants to make so-called 'posh' grub, like lobster, accessible to the masses

And it's staggering when you discover that the recipes being tested here are for the Iceland frozen food chain.

The firm's boss Malcolm Walker is holding court in his resonant Yorkshire tones while the food keeps on coming: small plates of buttered and brined turkey, carrot baubles, rack of lamb, sea bass, scallops. It all tastes fantastic.

Every morsel comes from the Iceland freezer chests. There isn't a prawn ring in sight  though if that's what you want, they're in a chest freezer near you for 4.

Walker, you see, is a man on a mission. He wants to make so-called 'posh' grub, like lobster, accessible to the masses. Iceland is the biggest seller of the crustacean in the UK and apparently there is a bit of a craze for it on some northern council estates.

He also wants to convince the metropolitan sneering classes that frozen food is healthy, cheap, creates less waste and, although it sounds like a contradiction in terms, fresher.

Hoping it will be a red rag to a bull, I tell him I never eat frozen food and that I only use the freezer to store my cashmere jumpers so the moths can't get them.

'Oooh, you're a middle class snob,' Malcolm squeals with glee.

'About twice a year at a dinner party someone like you will be sitting next to me and say 'Oh I don't eat frozen food.' And I will say, 'You think you don't,' and then I explain just about everything you eat has been frozen and then defrosted.

'You think you're buying fresh fish  look at the ticket, it's been defrosted.'

MALCOLM WALKER, 70 Homes: A listed Elizabethan manor house in Cheshire, a holiday pad in Mallorca and a house in Chelsea. Transport: He owns a Bentley, corporate jet and a yacht. Road not taken: 'I organised school dances and I was contacted by a guy who wanted to come into partnership with me. 'He ran a nightclub in Sheffield, it was Peter Stringfellow. My life could have been a lot more exciting.' Rise and shine: 'A lot of CEOs claim they get up at 5am. I think they are making it up. I'm incapable of getting out of bed before 9am.' Sacked: Twice (out of three jobs). Once from Woolworths, in 1970, for moonlighting by setting up a frozen food shop in Shropshire. The second was in 2001, from Iceland, amid a share dealing scandal. He was back four years later. Derring do: Reached the North Col of Everest at 23,000 feet in 2011. Hobbies: Gardening, good food and wine, skiing, sailing and shooting. Motto: Never, ever give up.

But isn't Malcolm's problem that, for us Brits, where you do your grocery shopping is a badge of social status?

C AN he really get middle-class mums into a shop that had council house princess Kerry Katona in its ads?

'We haven't used Kerry for seven years, it's just everyone thinks we have. I know there is a stigma to shopping in Iceland,' he says.

He pooh-poohs the idea that having a Waitrose in the vicinity pushes up property prices, or that an Iceland might have the opposite effect. 'Rubbish. I don't think it makes any difference,' he says.

His most middle class product, he reckons, might be zesty bean quinoa for 1.65, or a Dover sole for eight quid.

Or his favourite, clam and tomato sauce for spaghetti vongole, which comes in a frozen block costing 3.

Iceland, he says, has pioneered healthy eating for years, 'but we never get credit because we are at the bottom end of the social scale'.

The problem, he reckons, is getting middle class shoppers through the door, because they don't like the big red sign. It might be telling that his new chain called Food Warehouse, run by his son Richard, 36, only has 'by Iceland' in small letters on its logo.

Richard is the only one of Walker's kids to be involved in the business. 'Am I the heir apparent? I don't know, only if I am good enough,' he says.

Like other retailers, Iceland is facing a tough environment. Its accounts for the year to March show profits before tax fell to 66.7million from 79.3million. Underlying earnings were up at 150.5million.

Clash: Bill Grimsey took over Iceland in 2001 and slashed profit forecasts

In any event, Walker is justifiably proud of having created Iceland from nothing into a business with 2.7billion of sales  and if snobs curl their lip, then so what.

He has also made one of the most famous comebacks in British business. In 2001, he was planning to retire and jetted to the Maldives, having sold 13.4m of shares.

While away, new boss Bill Grimsey slashed profit forecasts, cutting an expected 130million profit to a 26million loss. Walker was fired and spent three years under investigation over his share sale before being cleared of wrongdoing in 2004.

This episode is recounted in his engaging memoir of 2013, Best Served Cold, a book glowingly endorsed by Sir Philip Green, which probably seemed a good idea at the time.

'I was out of the business for four years. The idiot that followed me took it virtually to bankruptcy,' he says. Does he mean Bill Grimsey? 'Yes, Bill Grimsey, the idiot.'

In 2005, Walker returned as boss. In 2012 he led a 1.5million management buyout to buy it from Iceland's government, which acquired a majority stake via its bust banks.

So does he feel vindicated now? 'If I met him [Grimsey] earlier I would have hit him, but now I would say thank you, because what happened was a blessing in disguise. It made me come back stronger.' Grimsey declined to comment.

Through all the ups and downs, Walker has been able to count on his wife Ranny  real name Rhianydd.

The couple were teenage sweethearts whose romance might have been thwarted by Mr Faires, the headmaster.

Fearing the unruly Walker would be a bad influence on studious Ranny, the head threatened to cool his schoolboy ardour with six of the best. Walker was spared the cane thanks to the surprise arrival of the local vicar and the rest is history.

The pair have been married for more than 40 years and have three adult children: Alexia, Caroline and Richard, and eight grandchildren.

Walker, whose personal fortune is estimated at 215million, revels in the trappings of wealth including a Bentley and a yacht  and why not?

But it is one of life's ironies that enjoyment of this success has been tempered by Ranny having been struck by Alzheimer's in 2010.

Walker doesn't like to talk much about it - but acknowledges that he is fortunate to be able to afford care. She currently lives at home with a full-time carer.

Walker, meanwhile, has pledged to give 10million to Alzheimer's Research UK from the 5p plastic bag charge at stores.

It was Ranny who thought of calling the company Iceland. That is now causing a bit of bother with Iceland (the country) which is suing Iceland (the company) in a trademark dispute.

Iceland (the country) is peeved because Iceland (the company) is stopping firms from the small Nordic nation from using the name Iceland. That does sound naughty, I suggest to Walker.

He says he's happy for Icelandic businesses to use the name Iceland so long as there is no confusion with his products. He just wants the two Icelands to return 'to peaceful co-existence'.

At 70, Walker could pass for at least a decade younger. He reckons he feels about 34.

'A lot of friends who sell their business got old very quickly. If you are a man and you give up work you can let yourself go. Hair grows out of your ears and nose and you get a big gut. That's not good.'
MBABANE  Some people may argue that a dead person cannot communicate with the living but the elders of the Jericho Church have confirmed having received a special message from the late founder of the church Melika Vilakati.



Addressing thousands of Melika Jericho Church members, Bishop Khanyakwezwe Vilakati told the congregants that the founder of the church had, on several occasions, registered his concern about late coming in the church.

Khanyakwezwe said the late coming was the sole reason why the members of the church were not receiving blessings and good luck.



The founder of the church Gadlasenyama lesagicika emgcwembeni said all members of the church must be in the church by 11oclock because by that time the angels of the church are ready leave the blessings and good luck.

If they do not find you in the church by that time, they will go back with the blessings and you would wonder why you are not blessed, Khanyakwezwe said. The bishop also warned those who were failing to take instructions from the church leaders to desist from their conduct.



He was referring to the people who designed their own different gowns as opposed to the main Jericho church gown which is red, green and white in colour.

The church gown was shown to the founder of the church by God. It is the one that was prayed for on the railway line. It is not a joke that all members of the church must have it, as it has significance. Another gown that was shown to the church is the sack gown, the bishop told the congregants.



The bishop also wondered who prophesised to the members of the church who appeared with different gowns since it was only a prophecy that may determine the type of gown one should wear for a reason.

This was during a vigil held at Ngcoseni where the Jericho church was founded by the late Melika Vilakati. The all night prayer was held in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the foundation of the Jericho church.

As the Roman Empire Augustus announced that all people should go back to their home countries for proper counting, the members of the Melika Jericho church felt duty bound to be counted at their founders church.

The members of the church also submit all their paper work done during the course of the year.
MBABANE  National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula has dismissed the police officer who was accused of among other things accepting a bribe from alleged dagga dealers.



Constable Senzo Dlaminis dismissal from work by the national commissioner comes after he was found guilty of five counts of misconduct by the police tribunal.

Dlamini was based at the Mbabane Police Station.

In one of the counts, the dismissed police officer was said to have with intent to defeat the cause of justice, caused to be burnt and/or destroyed five bags of dagga, which were potential exhibits in a case of contravening the Pharmacy Act.



He was also found guilty of having unlawfully accepted money to the amount of E200 as a present and/or reward or token of appreciation for not arresting Mazwi Hlophe, Thabo Bongiswa Mhlanga and Merchant Comrade, whom he had found with the five bags of dagga. Dlamini is said to have shared and utilised the dagga without the knowledge or permission of the national commissioner of police.

According to the charge sheet that was used during the disciplinary hearing, Dlamini with another police officer, were reported to have also failed to inform the shift supervisor that they had found Hlophe, Mhlanga and Comrade in possession of five bags of dagga at Mountain Drive in Mbabane.



They (Dlamini and the other police officer) were also found guilty of having failed to arrest the three, whom they had entertained a reasonable suspicion; that what they found in their possession were bags of dagga.

Dlamini was dismissed by the national commissioner of police through a memorandum dated November 29, 2016.



As you will recall or be aware, you were tried by Board officers and you were convicted on five counts and sentenced to a fine of E200 each. In addition to the fine imposed, the Board made a recommendation for your dismissal in accordance to Section 22 of the Police Act of 1957 as amended. Through this communication, you are informed that I have confirmed the conviction, but set aside the sentence, reads part of the memo to Dlamini signed by the national commissioner.



Magagula further informed Dlamini that following the boards recommendation and in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Section 29(d) of the Police Act he was dismissed from work with immediate effect.

The national commissioner further told Dlamini that pursuant to his dismissal he was instructed to return all items of uniforms and accoutrements issued to him by the regional commissioner.
MBABANE  A Mbabane businessman is accused of defrauding the First National Bank (Pty) Ltd, Swaziland about E5 million.



The businessman, who cannot be identified for now as he is yet to be formally charged by the police, through his company, defrauded the bank E4.8 million. This publication has established that the entrepreneur, whose defunct business was trading in automobiles, allegedly colluded with two senior employees of Wesbank.



Wesbank, is the division of FNB that provides motor vehicle and business finance.

According to well-placed sources, procedures and processes were not followed when a business account belonging to the entrepreneur was being established with the bank. As a matter of fact, the industrialist did not qualify to have the business finance of the bank.



It is said that two employees within the higher echelons of the bank manipulated the system to favour the businessman such that he gained financing from the bank.

The web of corrupt acts, weaved together by the entrepreneur and the banks employees, to delude the financial institution into believing he deserved credit were uncovered during an internal audit.

The audit is said to have highlighted a number of discrepancies that raised suspicion that the businessman was being assisted by internal people in the higher echelons of power.



It is said during audit controls, the employee of the bank would gather information and alter it to present that the business entity was up to date with its information and banking while it was not the case.

According to one of the sources, there are 15 vehicles that are unaccounted for which were financed by the bank to be sold by the entrepreneur.

The bank was able to repossess only three vehicles while the 15 are still unaccounted for. We suspect double discounting.



The impeccable source explained that double discounting was the act of selling one vehicle to more than one person.

He explained that the vehicles that were in the establishment run by the Mbabane entrepreneur were owned by the bank and after each sale, the bank had to get its money.

The source said to maintain accountability, the bank had to execute stock audits weekly to establish whether the cars were still not sold. It was highlighted that in this case, the internal audit done by the bank questioned on why the employee entrusted with the stock audit had failed to trace the 15 vehicles.
COLUMBUS  A Columbus metal fabrication company faces penalties of $119,725 after the death of a 17-year-old worker.

The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 16 serious and one other-than-serious safety and health violations to G.D. Roberts & Co. for violations the agencys inspectors found after a machine pinned and injured Dusty Babcock of Reeseville on June 27. He died July 2 at UW Hospital.

A young man suffered a tragic death shortly after starting a new job, leaving his family to grieve their overwhelming loss, said Ann Grevenkamp, OSHAs area director in Madison. Proper lockout devices along with training could have prevented this tragedy.

OSHA said investigators determined Babcock was clearing scrap below a loading table for an operating laser-cutter system when the machine lowered, trapping him beneath. OSHA found the company failed to ensure procedures to lockout the machine were followed and did not train its employees properly.

The agency also found G.D. Roberts failed to:

Conduct periodic inspections of machine safety procedures.

Affix lockout devices to isolate energy to allow employees to enter machine hazard areas.

Conduct noise monitoring.

Provide employees audiograms.

Train workers about noise hazards.

Follow respiratory protection standards such as fit-testing, training and medical evaluations for employees.

Evaluate for airborne hazards.

Implement engineering controls for dust and other airborne hazard exposure resulting in employee overexposure.

Maintain chemical inventories.

Train workers in forklift operation.

Seek manufacturer approval prior to modifying forklifts.

Train employees about chemicals in use in the workplace and maintain a chemical inventory.

G.D. Roberts said it continuously improves its workplace safety, and is cooperating with OSHA.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the findings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The victim lying in a pool of blood following the horrifying stabbing early on Christmas Day.

NHLANGANO  What was supposed to be a night of fun ended in tragedy when a man allegedly stabbed a woman to death during the early hours of Christmas Day, apparently after she refused to have sex with him.



The aggressor was identified as a 29-year-old Swazi national who is employed in South Africa and who was only in the country for the festive season holidays, while the victim was described as a 26-year-old woman from around Joubert area, outside Mahamba.



The assailant is alleged to have lured the 26-year-old woman to a secluded spot behind a shopping complex around the Nhlangano town centre at around 2am on Sunday, after meeting her in one of the popular drinking holes where he purchased drinks for her.

Upon reaching the secluded spot, the man is reported to have negotiated for the two to get passionate, but the woman was somewhat against the idea and in the process, an argument broke out which soon degenerated to a fight during which the man produced a knife and stabbed the woman several times on the neck; with blood gushing out from the inflicted wounds.



An eyewitness said the pair had been drinking together earlier on, and were from a well-known bar in town when they started arguing while walking together down town, at around 2am.

I think the man had been negotiating for them to have sex but the woman refused. So, the man lost control and stabbed her repeatedly around the neck area, explained the eyewitness.



In the ensuing commotion, a security guard who was stationed at a retail outlet nearby immediately rushed to the crime scene when he heard the woman crying for help.

He found the terrified suspect trying to raise the victim, who was by then lying in a pool of blood.

The security guard made a hurried call to the police to come to their aid.



The nightwatchman then explained the situation to the officers while the confused suspect made frantic efforts to assist his companion back to her feet again.

The suspect also had his shirt drenched in blood when the officers arrested him on the scene.

He seemed regretful when he saw her unresponsive body lying in a pool of blood. It appeared as if she was dead by then, said the source.
SITEKI  A Hlophe family of KaLanga near Siteki had an awful conclusion of their Christmas Day celebrations when the head of the family allegedly beat his wife to death.



The man, who is reportedly employed as a driver, allegedly assaulted his wife with fists and kicks in the head and several times on her body, resulting in her suffering severe injuries.

The wife reportedly bled profusely and died at the scene before she could be taken to hospital or attended to by paramedics.

The bone of contention is unclear but sources told this publication that Hlophe had earlier accused his wife of cheating.



On the day in question, the man reportedly celebrated Christmas Day with his family in the morning before he allegedly went on a drinking spree for the whole day.

According to a source, who is privy to the full details of the matter, the man returned home at night and knocked on the door. The wife is said to have delayed opening the door for some time, reportedly questioning her husband about where he was coming from.



This is said to have not gone down well with the husband.

It is said the wife eventually opened the door but a heated argument ensued between the couple as the husband demanded to know why she was questioning where he had been.

The husband is said to have then began assaulting the woman, while inside their bedroom. Court papers state that the husband allegedly assaulted the deceased with fists and kicks but community members, who saw the injured body of the deceased, are convinced that she was assaulted with something else.



Her nose was broken and her skull appeared to have cracked, said a source, who saw the injuries.

Meanwhile, after she had been assaulted, she tried to make her way out of the house and called for help.

Other members of the family, including her son, are said to have responded and rushed to where she had collapsed.

However, by the time they arrived, a source said, she was no longer breathing.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the West was breaking promises in Syria, accusing Ankara\s partners of backing "terror groups" including IS jihadists in the country.

At least 37 Turkish soldiers have died in Turkey\s major incursion inside Syria since it was launched in August to back pro-Ankara Syrian fighters battling IS and Kurdish militia.

Casualties have mounted as the military seeks to take the town of Al-Bab from IS jihadists and Ankara has become more impatient over the lack of support from the US-led coalition against the extremists for the Turkish operation.

"The coalition forces are unfortunately not keeping their promises," Erdogan said at a news conference alongside visiting Guinean President Alpha Conde.

"Whether they do or they don\t, we will continue along this path in a determined way. There is no going back on the path we have set out on," he added.

Turkey has met the fiercest resistance yet of the campaign in the fight for Al-Bab, some 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the Turkish border.

Erdogan complained that rather than supporting Turkey, the West was backing the Kurdish Peoples\ Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD), who work with the United States on the ground in Syria, and also IS.

"They are supporting all the terror groups  the YPG, PYD but also including Daesh (IS)," Erdogan said.

"It\s quite clear, perfectly obvious," he said, adding that Turkey could provide proof in pictures and video.

Erdogan had made a similar claim on a visit to Pakistan in November alleging that "the West stands by Daesh right now" and its weapons were Western-made.

But the Turkish leader expressed confidence over the assault saying "we now have the Daesh terror group surrounded on four sides in Al-Bab".

"Yes we have martyrs but now there\s no turning back," he said.

Erdogan made no mention of a video purportedly showing two Turkish soldiers being burned to death by IS in Syria.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier there was no information confirming the video.

Erdogan said that along with Russia, Turkey backed a plan to bring the parties in the conflict together with key powers for peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

But he said that "terror groups" must not be included and that Turkey also wanted to see its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar involved.

SOURCE: AFP
Cuba\s National Assembly approved a law on Tuesday that bans erecting commemorative statues of Fidel Castro or naming public places after him, in accordance with the wishes of the revolutionary leader who died last month.

Castro always said he did not want a cult of personality although critics point out that the cult was everywhere. His words are posted on billboards nationwide and his name is invoked at every public event.

Every since his death, a large photo of a young Castro dressed in military fatigues, with a rifle and pack slung over his back, has hung from a buildings on Havana\s Revolution Square.

"Our main homage will not be to name everything we build after him but rather to keep his work alive and continue our socialist society," lawmaker Jennifer Bello Martinez, president of the University Students\ Federation, was quoted as saying by official media outlet Juventud Rebelde.

President Raul Castro had already announced that his older brother did not want to be immortalized with statues or public places named in his name.

The law does not ban artists from using Fidel Castro\s figure in music, literature, dance, cinema or other visual arts, official media specified. Photos of him hanging up in offices, places of study or public institutions also may be kept.

Castro, a leading Cold War figure who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and defied U.S. attempts to topple him, died on Nov. 25, aged 90, eight years after handing the presidency over to Raul.

Cuba commemorated his death with nine official days of mourning and two mass memorial services.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans also turned out to greet a funeral cortege carrying Castro\s ashes 600 miles (1,000 km) east to Santiago, retracing the route that his rebels took upon overthrowing the U.S.-backed Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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MUSIC

CLASSICAL

Berkshire Bach Society, "Bach at New Year's," Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, 30 Second St., Troy. 3 p.m. Sunday. $28-$78. http://berkshirebach.org/?page_id=5196. Harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper leads the Berkshire Bach Ensemble, featuring violinist Eugene Drucker, in all six Brandenburg Concertos.

POP, ROCK, FOLK, COUNTRY AND JAZZ

"Rock of Ages" performed by the Weight Band, The Egg Performing Arts Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany. 7:30 p.m. Friday. http://www.theegg.org. Celebrate the Band's historic 1971 "Rock of Ages" concert with a special performance by the Weight Band with the King Harvest Horns.

"Songs to Amuse." Steamer 10 Theatre, 500 Western Ave., Albany. 7 p.m., Sunday. http://info@steamer10theatre.org. Byron Nilsson, vocalist, and Malcolm Kogut, keyboardist, present a New Year's Eve program titled "Ding, Dong! The Old Year's Dead" with not a single holiday song on tap.

Twiddle, Palace Theatre, 19 Clinton Ave., Albany. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. http://www.palacealbany.org. The jam band's multi-genre approach conjures up rock, jazz, and bluegrass, but blends in reggae and funk.

Dance

participatory

New Year's Day English country dance, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Ave, Albany. 2 p.m. Sunday. $12. http://www.danceflurry.org/capital-english. Dances taught and led by Dan Seppeler. Live music by Serendipity. All dances taught; no experience required. Pre-dance lesson at 1:30 p.m. Please wear clean, flat, soft-soled shoes.

Thursday Latin and Ballroom Dinner Dance, Ukrainian American Citizens Club, 1 Pulaski St., Cohoes. 7 p.m. Thursday. $12 (includes complimentary dance lesson). http://www.ballroomonsunst.com. Dinner included with admission.

stage

"Out of Order," Curtain Call Theatre, 210 Old Loudon Road, Latham. 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. $24. http://www.curtaincalltheatre.com. A government junior minister, plans an evening with one of the opposition's typists, but things go disastrously wrong.

Comedy

Chris Kattan & Guests, the Comedy Works, Saratoga Springs. 7 and 9 p.m. Wednesday. $20. http://www.thecomedyworks.com/saratoga/e-chris-kattan.php. Kattan was a member of several improv/sketch comedy troupes, one of them being The Groundlings in Los Angeles. He moved to New York City to work on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2003.

Pretty Much the Best Comedy Show New Year's Eve at the Rep, Capital Repertory Theatre, 111 N Pearl St Albany. 9 p.m. Saturday. The show will featuring Joe List, Chris Lamberth, and Greg Ston.

First Night of Funny, The Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany. 8 p.m. Saturday. $25-$40. http://firstnightoffunny.com. The event showcases four comedy acts in a "clean and clever" show with a lineup of Steve Caouette, Kelly McFarland, Joe Bronzi and Jaye McBride.

Steve Caouette & Guests, the Comedy Works, Saraotga Springs. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Friday. $15. http://www.thecomedyworks.com/saratoga/e-steve-caouette.php. Caoette's comedy is a blend of impressions found within the stories he shares.

Festivals

First Night Saratoga  A Night of Magic 2017, Saratoga Springs. 5:30 p.m. Saturday. $20. http://www.saratoga-arts.org. More than 70 regional and touring performing groups in 30 venues throughout the city. Starting with the 5k Road Race at Skidmore College at 5:30 p.m., culminating with the fireworks in Congress Park at midnight and packed full of live music, dance, comedy and magic in between.

family fun

"Bag It," Albany Pine Bush, 195 New Karner Road #1, Albany. 1 p.m. Saturday. Free. 456-0655. The film follows Jeb Berrier as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. Pre-registration is required.

Capital Region Kwanzaa Celebration Day 4: Ujamaa/Cooperative Economics, African American Cultural Center, 20 Warren St., South Campus Center, Albany. 6 p.m. Thursday. Free. The fourth day of Kwanzaa focuses on Ujamaa/Cooperative Economics: To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Capital Region Kwanzaa Celebration Day 5: NIA/Purpose, The Barn, 56 Second St., Albany. 6 p.m. Friday. Free. The fifth day of Kwanzaa explores NIA/Purpose: to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community.

Capital Region Kwanzaa Celebration Day 6: Kuumba/Creativity, Albany Community Charter School 65 Krank St., Albany. 2 p.m. Saturday. Free. The sixth day of Kwanzaa explores Kuumba/Creativity: To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial.

Capital Region Kwanzaa Celebration Day 7: Imani/Faith, Levels Banquet Hall, 69 N. Pearl St., Albany. 3 p.m. Sunday. Free. The final day of Kwanzaa focuses on Imani/Faith: To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

CMOST Noon Year's Eve Celebration, The Children's Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST), 250 Jordan Road, Troy. 9:30 a.m. and noon Saturday. http://www.cmost.orgCelebrate The event will include a Noon Year's animal show, a variety of creative activities, face-painting, games. The celebration will be capped off with a pair of countdowns, ringing in the Noon Year with a museum-wide parade and a bubble-blowing bonanza.

First Day Hike, Olana State Historic Site, 5720 State Route 9G, Hudson. 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Free. http://www.olana.org. A historic hike of the artist-designed Lake Road and Crown Hill carriage drives, exploring one of Frederic Church's greatest masterpieces: Olana. Meet at Wagon House Education Center (near lake). Easy, relatively flat with gentle uphill section halfway through hike.

I Am Invited to a Party, Guilderland Public Library, 2228 Western Ave., Guilderland. 11 a.m. Friday. Free. Ages 4-6 are invited to celebrate "almost" New Year's Eve with "Elephant and Piggie."

Mother Goose Jazz Band, William K. Sanford Town Library, 629 Albany Shaker Road, Colonie. 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Free. http://www.colonielibrary.org. Composer, musician, and educator Josh Greenburg and his band turn adaptations of nursery rhymes into blues and jazzy rhythms for the whole family. Registration required.

New Year Bird Research Walk, Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center. 9 a.m. Monday. Free. 456-0655. https://www.albanypinebush.org. Participants will hike approximately one mile outside to practice searching for and identifying birds we see along the trails. Pre-registration required.

Pine Bush Science Lab: Owl Investigation, Albany Pine Bush, 195 New Karner Road No. 1, Albany. 1 p.m. Friday. $3-$5. 456-0655. Learn about the owls that live in the Pine Bush and the signs they leave behind. Participants will start with a short presentation and then dissect owl pellets, a sign that owls are active in the area. Ages 8 and older. Pre-registration is required.
Albany

Brash Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino apologized to "the minority community" on Tuesday for his recent controversial comments about Barack and Michelle Obama  including his wish that the first lady "return to being a male" and live with a gorilla in an African cave  that created uproar across the state and country.

However, the former Republican gubernatorial candidate and co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's New York campaign said in a statement that he would not leave the Buffalo school board, as he slammed fellow board members, "activist progressives" and others.

"I never intended to hurt the minority community who I spent years trying to help out of the cycle of poverty in our inner cities," Paladino said. "To them I apologize. I thought about them every day as I fought against unqualified and incompetent superintendents, administrators, teachers and school board members, unfair union contracts, broken homes and children who can't get the education they need to break that cycle of poverty because our school system is a failure, for reasons that needn't be. I have shown those who chose not to watch but to enter the arena how to fight the demons. Nevertheless, I won't be judged by those timid souls who sit uninvolved in the gallery always prepared to criticize. Nor do I have any respect or regrets for the insane education activists who hover over and defend the dysfunction of the BPS."

The Tuesday apology, which was met with the same condemnation on social media that followed his original comments, followed of a tumultuous few days for Paladino, long known in New York political circles for his usually unapologetic commentary. Buffalo alternative weekly ArtVoice published on Friday his wishes for 2017 that included the comments about the first lady and his hopes that the president dies of mad cow disease after having sex with a cow.

The Tuesday apology, which was met with the same condemnation on social media that followed his original comments, followed a tumultuous few days for Paladino. On Friday Buffalo alternative weekly ArtVoice published on Friday his wishes for 2017 that included the comments about the first lady and his hopes that the president dies of mad cow disease after having sex with a cow.

State Democrats took turns slamming Palladino, and there were numerous calls for his removal from the Buffalo school board.

Trump's camp disavowed the comments. "Carl's comments are absolutely reprehensible, and they serve no place in our public discourse," Trump's Deputy Communications Director Jessica Ditto said.

Paladino said he did not mean to send the "deprecating humor" to ArtVoice and meant to write responses to forward to friends, but realized after the fact that he hit reply to ArtVoice's inquiry.

"I wanted to say something as sarcastic and hurtful as possible about the people (the Obamas) so responsible for the hurt and suffering of so many others," Paladino said Tuesday. "I was wired up, primed to be human and make a mistake. I could have not made a worse choice in the words I used to express my feelings."

Paladino's Tuesday comments are in stark contrast to his defiance as he became embroiled in a national controversy Friday. He said in a WBEN interview that afternoon, "It's only these retarded liberal people that'll find it necessary to come out and call me names and not really listen to the issues."

In responding to request for comment from the Buffalo News, Paladino said the newspapers' editors could "all go (expletive) themselves" and that "I made that comment just for" Rod Watson, one of the newspaper's black editors.

The Trump team did not immediately comment on Paladino's apology.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
It was Friday afternoon, and John Amidon was sitting in an Onondaga County jail cell, dressed as St. Joseph.

He'd been there before, though sporting a grim reaper costume that time.

The 68-year-old Albany resident was one of four arrested Friday for protesting the U.S. government drone program at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in DeWitt. But for Amidon, the story really starts with an October premonition.

"Why don't the American people respond to the fact that we're killing all of these innocent women and children with drones?" he asked himself at the time. "What would they respond to? Who we really care about?"

The answer? Jesus.

That led Amidon, who served in the Marine Corps at Okinawa in the mid-1960s, and others from anti-drone groups to create a 20-foot nativity scene outside the base, a site of operations for the National Guard's MMQ-9 Reaper drone program.

The message was simple, if bold: "If Herod had drones, Jesus, Mary and Joseph would have been incinerated."

The U.S. drone program, vastly expanded under the Obama administration, is routinely decried by human rights and anti-war groups for indiscriminately killing children and civilians, and for expanding covert U.S. military operations into countries without congressional approval or oversight. In 2013, 12 Yemenis died when a U.S. drone struck their wedding convoy, and the government has paid out massive sums in compensation for other indiscriminate drone killings both in and outside sanctioned war zones.

Critics also note that, because the government counts any military-age male in a strike zone as a combatant, it is nearly impossible to determine how many innocent people have been killed by U.S. drones. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates civilian death counts could be in the low thousands, with many casualties coming in Yemen and Pakistan. At least 200 were children, the group says.

Amidon and three others were subsequently arrested for the protest, and now each face two counts of disorderly conduct, one count of trespass and one count of obstructing governmental administration. It was the third time Amidon has been arrested at the base, which has been the site of more than 170 protester arrests since 2010, according to Upstate Drone Action. His first charges were dropped, and he was acquitted in the second.

But Amidon, who could face up to a year in prison, said Tuesday that it's not about him or the group.

"What is really important is that the American people find their conscience and find their moral compass," he said.

RDownen@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  Follow @RobertDownenTU
Albany

The state attorney general's office recently declined to release time and attendance records on one of its investigators by invoking a controversial statute that is often used to block the public disclosure of police disciplinary files.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office cited the statute, which is part of state Civil Rights Law, in denying a Freedom of Information Law request filed by Harvey Brody, an embattled investigator with the state Office of Medicaid Inspector General.

Brody has been in a years-long legal dispute with the state trying to keep his job after he was suspended four years ago for allegedly emailing spreadsheets containing personal information of Medicaid recipients to his private email account. Brody, who worked for a unit that probes Medicaid fraud, also emailed some of the documents to the office of Albany County Comptroller Michael Conners.

Brody's FOIL request sought information on the time sheets of an investigator with the attorney general's office who served him in early November with a civil summons in a court case related to the state's effort to fire him.

The attorney general's use of the statute to block the release of the records comes as the state Committee on Open Government  for the third year in a row  is calling for the repeal or overhaul of the controversial statute, known as Section 50-a, that blocks public access to the personnel files of police as well as correction officers and firefighters. A recent Times Union series raised questions about the arguable misuse of the statute, which has been expanded by court decisions through the years.

This month, Schneiderman said he backs the idea of reforming the law and that there is "widespread support" to amend the statute.

Robert J. Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, said the attorney general's refusal to release the time sheet records is improper and that the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, has ruled that time and attendance records of officers are not disciplinary in nature and cannot be withheld from the public under Section 50-a. Investigators in the attorney general's office are considered peace officers, and their personnel files are subject to the constraints outlined under the statute.

"When I read it, I couldn't believe it," Freeman said of the attorney general's response to Brody's request. "Section 50-a doesn't apply to that kind of information."

Schneiderman's office, which also claimed in its FOIL response that releasing the time and attendance records would be an unwarranted invasion of the investigator's privacy, did not respond to requests for comment.

On Tuesday, Freeman's office issued a formal opinion on the case at the request of Brody, citing a 1986 Court of Appeals decision involving attempts by the Times Union to obtain time sheets of Albany police officers.

"The Court of Appeals unanimously determined that time and attendance records concerning police officers fall beyond the scope of personnel records that would be exempt from disclosure under (the statute)," wrote Kristin O'Neill, assistant director of the Committee on Open Government. "Second, with respect to privacy, in the same decision it was held that records indicating days and dates of sick leave claimed by a particular police officer must be made available. ... In short, it was determined that disclosure would not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."

Usher Piller, a council leader for the Public Employees Federation unit that represents Brody, criticized the attorney general's office for allegedly misusing the statute.

"It's bad enough Schneiderman is doing OMIG's dirty work for them; it's outrageous that he's also curtailing public access to public records based on a blatant and willful misreading of the law," Piller said. "The denial of Brody's request represents nothing less than a hypocritical attempt by Schneiderman to insulate his office from the sunlight that FOIL provides to the citizens of New York."

As written, the section of the state Civil Rights Law has proven virtually impenetrable to the efforts of news organizations, civil rights groups and others to use state Freedom of Information Law to review internal records on police misconduct, including the use of excessive force.

In August, an arbitrator ordered Brody returned to the state payroll with back pay after finding that state officials waited too long  more than two years  to pursue disciplinary charges after suspending him in October 2012. OMIG officials argued their office was not required to serve Brody with the administrative charges within a one-year period required under the labor contract with PEF, because the allegations included potential criminal charges, including computer trespass. They said they referred the case to a law enforcement agency, but did not identify it.

In November, the state filed a petition in state Supreme Court in Albany that seeks to overturn the arbitrator's decision and permanently remove Brody from state employment. Brody was served with the summons court petition at his residence near Buffalo by Robert McCormick, an investigator with the state attorney general's office.

On Nov. 16, Brody filed a FOIL request with the state seeking time sheets for McCormick from the roughly two-week pay period earlier that month. Last week, the state attorney general's records-access officer rejected the request, citing the section of state Civil Rights Law that specifically exempts the disclosure of records used to evaluate the performance or continued employment of an officer.

Brody has not returned to work or had his pay reinstated even though an arbitrator in August ordered him reinstated with full back pay.

According to PEF, OMIG began negotiating with Brody in August and offered to abide by the arbitrator's decision on the condition Brody would resign and sign a release granting OMIG immunity from any lawsuits charging discrimination or other legal claims arising from his employment. Brody rejected the offer.

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
Albany

Just weeks before being identified as the target of a federal corruption probe, lobbyist Todd Howe was selected at a March meeting to serve as a liaison between Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration and Utica officials, according to a state legislator who took part.

The officials were worried about the fate of the Marcy Nanocenter, a chip-fab site being developed by SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

"At the time, I had no idea who Todd Howe was," said Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, who attended the meeting along with state Sen. Joe Griffo and other local leaders. "I assumed he either worked for the administration or worked for SUNY."

Brindisi, a Utica Democrat, said Howe was tasked with serving as liaison by Andrew Kennedy, then Cuomo's deputy state operations director.

On Tuesday, Kennedy declined comment. Griffo and Steve DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley Edge, said that while they didn't specifically recall Howe being tasked as liaison, they did not dispute Brindisi's account.

Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement, "At no time did (Howe) represent or speak for the Executive Chamber."

The Utica contingent asked for a meeting for two months to address delays in the $2 billion project, first announced by Cuomo in August 2015 as another part of the state's multibillion-dollar upstate high-tech effort. Howe accompanied then-SUNY Poly President Alain Kaloyeros, a key player. "We were basically met with indignation  'Don't worry about it,'" Brindisi said.

At the time, Howe was running the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying arm of the law firm Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, with SUNY Poly as a client. Howe's involvement in the March meeting was first reported Tuesday by The New York Times.

The Utica officials did not have much need to contact Howe: The state budget approved in March included $585 million for the construction of the Marcy Nanocenter, where the Austrian chip-fab company ams AG was expected to set up operations.

A month later, Howe and Cuomo's former executive deputy secretary Joe Percoco were identified as the targets of a federal investigation into improper lobbying and undisclosed conflicts of interest connected to several upstate development projects.

"Suffice to say, we didn't have any communications with Todd Howe after that," Brindisi said.

In September, Howe pleaded guilty to multiple felonies, including extortion and wire fraud. He is cooperating with federal prosecutors, who last month indicted Percoco, Kaloyeros and six development executives for allegedly taking part in a sweeping pay-to-play scheme. With the exception of Howe, who allegedly served as a conduit for bribes paid by developers to Percoco in exchange for official favors, all have pleaded not guilty to charges and are expected to face trial next year.

Kennedy left the administration last summer to lead the Albany-based Center for Economic Growth. He has never been charged with wrongdoing.

The Marcy Nanocenter continued to lag after the scandal broke. In early summer, ams AG sent a letter saying the delays in the project had breached its deal with the state. Brindisi said he and Griffo attended the first day of the State Fair in August "to get two minutes with the governor."

"We spoke to him for maybe five, seven minutes," Griffo recalled.

He promised action, but their next contact was with mid-level development officials, leaving them frustrated.

After September's criminal complaint against Percoco, Kaloyeros and the others, Cuomo gave Empire State Development Corp. the job of taking over management of SUNY Poly's portfolio of high-tech developments.

Ams AG informed the state it was pulling out of the Utica project in late November, although an Empire State Development Corp. spokesman contacted more than a week later said that it lacked "clarity" on the fate of the project.

After the demise of the ams AG deal was reported in the Times Union and the Austrian business press two weeks ago, ESDC chief Howard Zemsky rushed to Utica to assure local officials that a new tenant would be secured soon.

Griffo hopes the demise of the project will lead to a broad look at the full slate of upstate development projects and the procurement process  something the Cuomo administration insists it is undertaking.

"There were many warning signs along the way," said Brindisi, "when they could have gotten this project back on track."

cseiler@timesunion.com  518-454-5619  @CaseySeiler
HOOSICK FALLS  The Village Board meeting, set for Wednesday at the Hoosick Falls Senior Center, has been postponed, Mayor David Borge said.

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the $850,000 financial settlement between the village and the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International over perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination of village water. The agreement would reimburse the village for costs of the crisis, Borge said.
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New Italian eatery opens in Troy

Donna's, the Italian restaurant that is the latest venture for Troy restaurapreneurs Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine, is now open. It takes over the building at 114th Street that for 38 years was home to Minissale's Wine Cellar Cafe until it closed in August. (The Minissale family is focusing on their Minissale Bros. Sicilian Foods line of pasta sauces, dressings/marinades and spice blends.)

The 50-seat interior, small bar and kitchen have been wholly redone.

Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday to Tuesday. Through the end of the year, Donna's will be open now through Friday, Dec. 30. Regular hours begin Friday, Jan. 6.

Augie's develops a takeout location

Augie's Family Style Restaurant in Ballston Spa is developing a takeout location, Augie's Family Style To Go, at 223 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs, according to a story in the Saratoga Business Journal. It will offer prepared foods, including appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts and more. An opening in early January is projected.

Augie's has been located at 17 Low St. for the past three and a half years, moving there from its original location, where it opened in 2004, after a fire.

Mexican restaurant opens in Albany

A new Mexican restaurant called Viva Cinco de Mayo has opened at 809 Madison Ave. in Albany. The menu includes sopes, tostadas, tacos, huaraches, burritos and flautas, available with meats, including different preparations of beef, pork and chicken, plus a handful of shrimp dishes, whole fried tilapia and several types of nachos. The restaurant does not have a liquor license.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Call 650-8605 for reservations or to order.

Sunhee's adds beer, wine to menu

Beer-and-wine license in hand, Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen in Troy will host the grand opening of its bar with an event starting at 9 p.m. Friday. Food on the free buffet will include bossam (boiled pork belly served with kimchi spices), ddukbokki (spicy rice cakes), fish-cake soup, dried squid and cuttlefish, anchovies and peanuts, and a variety of Korean snacks. The full a-la-carte menu will be available until 10 p.m., the buffet later. Among the beverage options available for purchase will be the traditional Korean soju (rice liquor) and makgeolli, Korean beer, sake and wines that complement Korean cuisine. Admission is free. Sunhee's is located at 95 Ferry St.

3Fish Coffee to debut at bike shop

A cafe called 3Fish Coffee will be opening early next year as part of Downtube Bicycle Shop at 466 Madison Ave., near Albany's Washington Park.

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The owner is Emma Fullem, whose father, Robert Fullem, opened the cycle shop 44 years ago. After studying environmental analysis in college in California, Emma Fullem became interested in sustainable food.

She says the 2014 fire that gutted Downtube gave the family the opportunity to rebuild and put in the coffee shop they'd long wanted to have adjacent to the cyclery.

The cafe will offer coffee, baked goods and light lunch fare, including soup, quiche, salads and more, made with locally sourced ingredients when possible.

Coffee will be from Irving Farms in Millerton, Dutchess County.

Projected hours will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday for the winter, expanding to weekdays when bike season starts.

Fullem says the name of the shop was inspired by the Fullem family's trio of daughters and the feminist slogan "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle," popularized by Gloria Steinem. Fullem's mother, Marilyn Kaplan, a preservation architect, designed the cafe.

Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items to be considered for publication must be submitted to sbarnes@timesunion.com. Visit his blog, blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping.
She was a princess, a senator and a general, and her unflinching competence inspired rebel soldiers, starry-eyed dreamers and scruffy-looking smugglers to trust her with their lives. Swashbuckling Jedi did her bidding.

Mary Anna Evans is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches fiction and nonfiction writing. Her newest novel, "Burials," will be released in March 2017. She wrote this for the Dallas Morning News.

When captured by the most terrifying creature in the galaxy, she scolded him like a child: "Darth Vader, only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this." And no one, not once, ever looked down at her  very young and almost fragile  and asked, "Who do you think you are?"

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan always knew exactly who she was. As we pay our respects to the woman who created her, we can't allow ourselves to confuse the two women, one real and one not, but perhaps we can be excused for occasionally allowing that line to blur.

Carrie Fisher gave Leia's voice its grit. She carried off the costume, flawlessly designed for a rebel princess on the move with its high and tight neckline, easy-to-move-in flowing skirt, and sensibly flat-heeled boots. She convinced us that this was a princess who fought on the front lines and fomented espionage. And she did this at a time when the women watching her on the big screen lived lives that were limited in ways that are hard to grasp today, even for those of us who remember 1977.

There were no women in the U.S. Senate when "Star Wars" brought us Imperial Sen. Organa. In fact, no woman had ever been elected to a full term in the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress. Nancy Kassebaum achieved that milestone a year later. There had never been a female general in the United States Marine Corps and the swearing-in of the first female Army general was only seven years in the past.

How did Fisher, living in that world, make us believe that she was a critical leader in a galactic rebellion? I have no idea, but I'm glad she did. I was a 15-year-old girl sitting in the audience watching "Star Wars" in 1977, imagining my own exciting future, and I had no idea that Harvard was only then preparing to begrudgingly admit its first women. My world was doing its best to throttle any dreams I might have, but I was blissfully unaware of it because I was watching Princess Leia save the galaxy.

She was the princess I was looking for, and I can't move along without saying so.

I cannot tell you how many times my sister, Suzanne, and I have watched the original "Star Wars" movie, but every time Princess Leia picked up a blaster and announced to her clueless rescuers that, "Somebody has to save our skins," Suzanne said, "I want to go to the princess school that she went to!"

So did I. Don't you?

Heck. The woman didn't just wield a blaster. When the spaceship standing between her body and the heartless vacuum of space got damaged, she didn't get flustered or fall apart. She picked up a welder and she fixed it.

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It's not just our imaginations that blur the line between Fisher the actress and the iconic character who dominated her life but whom she never came to resent. Fisher's surviving "Star Wars" script shows that she edited her own dialogue, helping create a smart, sharp-tongued, articulate character who had more than a little in common with the woman who has kept company with Leia for all these years.

She was the princess I was looking for, and I can't move along without saying so.

Because she was open about her troubles, we know that Fisher struggled for the rest of her life with mental health issues that would have floored most of us. She was Hollywood royalty, so she could have traded on her fame for the rest of her life. Instead, she acted and wrote and spoke out about important causes. She lived her life. She played the cards she was dealt.

In the end, isn't that what Leia did? When a fascist empire threatened, she fought back. When it destroyed her home, her family, her entire planet, she picked herself up and went on. She lived her life. She played the cards she was dealt. We could all learn a lot from Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher.

Rest in peace, Your Worshipfulness.
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Even in a roomful of tinhorn dictators, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines would stand out. He has insulted President Barack Obama and Pope Francis, admitted to killing suspected criminals, called a United Nations official an "idiot" and threatened to burn down the U.N. headquarters. He's also signaled his interest in closer ties with China, a nation with which the United States has conflicts on trade, security and other matters.

Though it's unclear what kind of relationship he and President-elect Donald Trump will have, the United States may have a difficult balancing act ahead in holding Duterte to international standards while preserving its long-important relationship with the Philippines. It will be especially important to ensure that U.S. aid to the Philippines is not used for illicit purposes, such as an extrajudicial war on drugs.

Duterte's outbursts are more unsettling than braggadocio. They give the impression that he's unhinged. In September, Duterte called Obama a vulgarity because of concern that the latter intended to question him about summary executions in the Philippines' war on drugs. To be sure, Duterte was not offended by the suggestion that he did anything untoward; he just didn't feel Obama ought to press him about it.

In recent days, Duterte's comments have become increasingly outrageous, leading to more questions about how the United States should handle him. After publicly admitting to killing suspected criminals when he was the mayor of Davao City, Duterte threatened to burn down the U.N. headquarters in New York, denigrated the U.N.'s top human-rights official for suggesting that his claims of murder be investigated and referred to U.N. officials as his employees because of the membership dues his nation pays.

Now, three U.S. senators, including Marco Rubio of Florida, a state with a large Filipino population, have asked the State Department to determine whether millions of dollars the United States has provided for law-enforcement training in the Philippines were diverted to extrajudicial drug fighting.

The State Department should undertake this assessment and share its findings publicly so that, if the senators' concerns are valid, U.S. and international policy toward Duterte can be modified accordingly. He is not likely to appreciate the scrutiny. If he comes to New York, someone should be assigned to watch him.
Thurles Independent Councillor Jim Ryan has called for the two castles in Thurles town to be highlighted as part of potential tourism initiatives for Tipperary.

Speaking at a meeting of the Thurles Templemore Municipal District this week, Cllr Ryan pointed out the potential tourist attractions both castles could be, but added that few people knew anything about them.

One of the castles in Thurles was where Lady Butler lived - she is a direct descendant of the late Princess Diana and I'm certain that if people from the UK were aware of this they would flock to the town because they hold the royals in such high regard. The other castle is in private ownership at the moment but there is still a lot of potential and we should be looking into every possible angle to try and bring people to Thurles and keep them here.

We are hearing all the time about The Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle, but we never hear anything about the castles in Thurles. I am asking that someone be appointed to carry out the research on both castles, draw up the information and have it presented in an attractive manner so that we could attract people to the town. We are losing out in Thurles because we don't have a visitor centre - perhaps that could be incorporated into the project, Cllr Ryan said.

He requested official Kathleen Prendergast, who had addressed the council on the work of the Community and Economic Development section of the council, to refer his proposal to the relevant section. This will be referred to the tourism office, he was informed.

Meanwhile, Cllr Ryan received the support of FF Cllr Sean Ryan for his call to have the Tonagha/Galboola junction tended to as soon as possible as it is very dangerous. Signage recently erected has helped, they said, but more needs to be done to make the sightlines better and to make it easier to exit onto the Littleton-Thurles road.
Tipperary Independent Councillor Jim Ryan has again looked for a footpath extension to Drish Bridge as a matter of urgency.

At a recent meeting of the district council, Cllr Ryan tabled a motion calling on Tipperary County Council to make an application to the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) for funding under a low cost safety scheme in order to construct a footpath out to Drish Bridge.

I outlined the safety concerns of not having this footpath and the council agreed to write to the TII for funding in order to proceed with this necessary project. While there is no guarantee that the application will be successful I am however happythat at long last an application for funding will be made.

 I have been raising this footpath issue for the past number of years and have always expressed the view that a footpath is needed. Hopefully the TII will come back with a positive response for the council otherwise peoples lives will be put at risk due to huge amount of traffic that uses this very busy road out of Thurles, Cllr Ryan said.
[December 28, 2016] MetricStream Awarded "Industry Innovator of the Year" by SC Magazine

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MetricStream, a market leader in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) apps and solutions, has been awarded "Industry Innovator of the Year" by SC Magazine in the category of Risk Management and Policy Management. SC Magazine is the definitive guide for IT and Security professionals, and publishes in-depth features and independent business and product reviews. The annual SC Magazine Industry Innovators special feature, published December 14, 2016, has recognized industry-leading companies in their respective areas. MetricStream is the sole GRC company included in the 2016 Industry Innovator Issue. The review, conducted by SC Magazine Technology Editor, Dr. Peter Stephenson, celebrates MetricStream for its industry-leading GRC Cloud, its customer-focus, and a culture of relentless product innovation. According to the review, MetricStream's latest innovation - the M7 platform, addresses all five critical aspects of GRC: "(1) User experience (redesigned the front end completely with new visualizations  API-driven); (2) Configurability (how to make the operating environment adapt to your needs and be persistent); (3) Mobility (can open on any mobile device); (4) Reporting and analytics (visualization: seeing and understanding your data  how do you understand the data); (5) Architecture (make sure that the technology is relevant and does not use old technology  relevant for customers five years from now)." Additionally, the review cites MetricStream's greatest strength as its "Involvement with the GRC ommunity, the customer community and the culture that drives them relentlessly toward innovation."



MetricStream's customer success and industry leadership is due to the maturity of its offerings and GRC accelerators. This includes the MetricStream GRC Journey program, which helps customers create a blueprint for success by distilling best practices and insights derived from other successful MetricStream customer experiences. Additionally, MetricStream's community of GRC executives and experts around the world co-enable a greater degree of GRC maturity, higher levels of GRC integration, and superior value creation through online forums, MetricStream Special Interest Group (mSIGs), GRC Summits, Roadshows, and more. Commenting on this achievement, MetricStream Chief Executive Officer, Shellye Archambeau said, "SC Magazine has named MetricStream as an "Industry Innovator" for our leading GRC Cloud offerings, our focus on customer-success through our GRC Journey program and community, and our latest innovation  the M7 platform, which is re-imagining GRC for the modern enterprise." She continued, "M7 is truly a game-changer, and is enabling high performers with GRC Apps that are simple, pervasive, and delivered in the cloud. With M7, our customers have real-time intelligence that enables them to predict areas of risk, and balance opportunities effectively."

To learn more about MetricStream M7, please click here. To read the 2016 SC Magazine review of MetricStream, please click here. About MetricStream MetricStream is the market leader in enterprise-wide Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) and Quality Management Solutions. MetricStream solutions are used by leading global corporations in diverse industries such as Financial Services, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Energy and Utilities, Food, Retail, CPG, Government, Hi-Tech and Manufacturing to manage their risk management programs, quality management processes, regulatory and industry-mandated compliance and other corporate governance initiatives. MetricStream is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA (www.metricstream.com). Media Contact:

Molly Palm

US: +1 (925) 451-1468

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/metricstream-awarded-industry-innovator-of-the-year-by-sc-magazine-300383761.html SOURCE MetricStream

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[December 27, 2016] MJP International Announces The Roll Out of New Solar Products

MERIDIAN, Idaho, Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MJP International (OTCPK: MJPI) ("the Company") today announced that it has begun selling several new products to capture a larger market share of the retail sector for solar-powered devices. These products include: 6 volt 1 watt solar panels

Solar-powered LED motion sensor lights

Solar-powered hand held torches

Solar-powered led light bulbs for home or outdoor use This is part of the company's strategy to offer products that can be used in daily life and not just products to power one's home. "We strongly believe in the high demand of the retail sector for solar-powered devices that can be used everywhere and we expect 2017 to be a record year for us across the board," said Mr. Christopher Hudson, COO of MJP International. About MJP International

MJP International is a company that specializes in green energy products and services, including rapidly advancing green technologies such as sola and wind installations. The company is built on the fundamental belief that green technology is the way to a clean, profitable and energy-rich future. MJP International continually pushes the envelope to find ways for clients to use green technologies in a cost-efficient and user friendly way, firmly believing that renewable and clean energy sources will continue to come to the forefront as viable and economical alternatives to fossil fuel. Investors can visit the company's website at http://www.mjpinternational.com.



Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ from those projected due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to the possibility that some or all of the matters and transactions considered by MJP International may not proceed as contemplated, and by all other matters and assumptions specified in MJP International's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially those risks and other matters described under "Risk Factors" within MJP International's Form 10-Q filed with the Commission. These statements are made based upon current expectations that are subject to risk and uncertainty. MJP International does not undertake to update forward-looking statements in this news release to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking information.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mjp-international-announces-the-roll-out-of-new-solar-products-300383689.html SOURCE MJP International

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[December 28, 2016] ASUS Celebrates Christmas and New Year With 'Winter Carnival Offer' on all Consumer PC Products in India

NEW DELHI, December 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - Launches '0 Processing Fee and 0 Interest' Scheme on all Consumer PC Products Across India - 'Extended Warranty Pack' - A Warranty Extension to Cover 3 Years of Peace of Mind - The Offer is Valid Between 20th December 2016 and 27th January 2017 at http://www.asuscarnival.com To celebrate Christmas and New Year 2017, ASUS today announced two new exciting offers on all its consumer PC products including notebooks, desktops and AIO PCs (all-in-one) which will add to the festivities of end users. The offer period will be between 20th December 2016 and 27th January 2017 across India. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452473/PRNE_ASUS_Winter_Carnival.jpg )

As a part of the scheme, the company has offered an attractive '0% interest and 0% processing fee' on purchases through EMI with Bajaj Finance across all its consumer PC products. ASUS has also offered n 'Extended Warranty Pack' where the customers can have peace of mind with up to a 3-year warranty extension by just paying a nominal amount of INR 490 (Consumer PC products powered by i3 Graphics, OS and Above) and INR 990 (Consumer PC products powered by I3 Graphics DOS and below).



Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager - System Business Group - ASUS India, said, "We would like to thank all our customers for their tremendous support throughout the year and this is the right time to showcase our appreciation. With no interest on finance-based purchases and extended warranty, we truly believe that this offer will delight our customers in their holiday and New Year shopping. On behalf of ASUS, I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year!" To avail the 'Winter Carnival offer', customers need to register themselves on http://www.asuscarnival.com within 7 days from the date of purchase mentioned on the invoice. The warranty extension certificates will be sent to the customer's registered email ID within 3 weeks after the successful payment.

About ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world's best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today's digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.

Media Contact:

Aditya S. Karlekar

ASUS India

[email protected]

+91-9930933882





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[December 28, 2016] Valmie's AeroLift eXpress Holds Successful Seminar Series in Texas

Valmie Resources Inc. (VMRI) announces its joint venture partner - AeroLift eXpress, LLC - has been conducting a series of seminars to increase awareness about the latest technology available in unmanned commercial systems and to present its service capabilities. The seminars were scheduled following interest generated by participation as a speaker at a hurricane and disaster awareness conference last August at the University of Houston. AeroLift scheduled the series of seminars in Houston and other cities in Texas to promote awareness about the innovative capabilities of commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in a variety of sectors. The first seminar was held in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, where James Stafford, AeroLift eXpress CEO and Founder, addressed participants about the ability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) to detect leaks in buried pipelines, perform parks and wildlife surveys and support detection of illicit operations at the US/Mexico border. A representative from the FBI, sheriffs representing seven counties and other municipal officials attended the event. The second seminar was held last month in Houston for oil and gas industry professionals. "During this event, AeroLift was able to bring many of its oil and gas contacts up to date on the latest UAV technology and focused on the application of this technology to their industry," said Stafford. "The ability to deploy a UAV instead of a helicopter or manned airplane is of high interest to this community and we have only begun to discover the possibilities." As a result of the seminar in Houston, a major oil and gas company invited AeroLift to conduct a private seminar on their campus for its pipeline operation directors and project managers from across the U.S. The fourth seminar in the series will be held in San Antonio where AeroLift will address legislators and other government officials. AeroLift's flight systems have logged in excess of 100,000 hours covering thousands of miles during countless missions from inspections to surveillance. AeroLift's UAV's have the ability to carry payloads up to 60 pounds and operate at 70 knots cruise speed while travelling distances of 250 miles or more.



About Valmie Resources (OTCBB: VMRI) Valmie Resources is a U.S. company actively pursuing opportunities for the commercialization of leading edge products and services in the rapidly expanding technology industry. Valmie brings operating talent, tools, and leadership to emerging companies in these sectors, promoting industry awareness and developing economically sustainable partnerships while increasing shareholder value.

Valmie has received a Section 333 Exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to perform commercial drone activities within the U.S. National Airspace System. With professional grade equipment and pilots, Valmie intends to use the exemption to commercially operate unmanned aerial systems for agricultural applications, search and rescue operations, power line and pipeline inspections, infrastructure surveying, and imaging to increase the effectiveness of data collection, storage, and analysis. For details visit http://valmie.com. About AeroLift eXpress AeroLift eXpress is a privately held tech start-up that offers increased productivity, reduced operating costs and lower risks by providing elite unmanned aerial transport to the world's most inaccessible locations. AeroLift eXpress is led by a team of military trained pilots, mission commanders and specialists with more than 60 years of combined aviation experience during successful military campaigns. AeroLift's aircraft are military grade construction, adapted for commercial applications. Together with state of the art ground control stations and flight control software, AeroLift's platform has been demonstrated during more than 100,000 flight hours in wartime conditions. For details visit http://www.aeroliftexpress.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain information provided in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Actual results achieved during the forecast period will vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. You can find a discussion of those risks and uncertainties in our EDGAR securities filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general economic, market and business conditions; fluctuations in the technology market; the results of product development and the result of our efforts to develop strategic relationships, partnerships and potential acquisitions that are in line with our business model; outcome of partnership negotiations; the uncertainty of market estimates; changes in environmental and other regulations; risks associated with retail operations; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. There is no representation by Valmie Resources that actual results achieved during the forecast period will be the same in whole or in part as those forecast. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Valmie Resources assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161228005097/en/

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[December 28, 2016] Broadview's OfficeSuite Named 2016 Best in Biz Product Line of the Year

Broadview Networks, a leader in cloud-based unified communications (UC) and information technology services, has been awarded a gold Best in Biz Award for OfficeSuite in the Product Line of the Year category. In addition, their OfficeSuite UC was recognized as a bronze winner for Small or Medium Business Service of the Year and MyOfficeSuite as a bronze winner for App of the Year. Broadview's OfficeSuite portfolio encompasses a broad range of cloud-based business services, including hosted UC services, hosted email solutions, backup and recovery services, public servers, application redundancy and private cloud and data center solutions. Its flagship product, OfficeSuite UC, delivers UC services on its own proprietary Unified Communications (News - Alert) as a Service (UCaaS) platform called OfficeSuite to its more than 250,000 users nationwide and utilizes the cloud for 100 percent of call processing and data storage or the highest level of security. In addition, the MyOfficeSuite mobile app extends beyond the desktop browser, ensuring that the power of OfficeSuite UC is accessible right from their mobile devices so that they never lose touch with the office or customers.



"We are honored to receive this recognition from Best in Biz Awards' distinguished panel of experts," said Brian Crotty, Broadview's Chief Operating Officer. "We have worked diligently to stay ahead of the technology curve, ensuring that SMB to enterprise customers have access to the best technology designed to be as secure, intuitive and easy to use as possible so that employees can actually put the features of the system to use in their everyday work lives." The Best in Biz Awards 2016 garnered more than 600 entries from an array of public and private companies of all sizes and from a variety of industries and geographic regions in the U.S. and Canada. Honors were presented in 60 categories and were determined based on scoring from an independent panel of 50 judges from widely known newspapers, business, consumer and technology publications, TV outlets, and analyst firms.

To learn more about OfficeSuite and its associated products, click here. About Broadview Networks (News - Alert) www.broadviewnet.com Broadview Networks is a network-based business communications provider serving customers with local and long-distance voice and data communications, premises-based and patented hosted VoIP systems, data services and a full suite of managed and professional services. It also provides an innovative portfolio of bundled, hosted IP phone and cloud computing services designed to meet the unique application requirements of diverse workforce groups. Its customers benefit from award-winning customer service, including a web-based account management tool and a primary point-of-contact for real-time, personal customer care. About Best in Biz Awards www.bestinbizawards.com Now in its sixth year, Best in Biz Awards recognizes companies for their business success as judged by established members of the press and industry analysts. Best in Biz Awards honors are currently conferred in two separate programs-North America and International-and in more than 60 categories, including company, team, executive, product and PR and media. Entries for Best in Biz Awards 2017 International are currently being accepted until the final deadline on April 28, 2017. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161228005357/en/

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Abortion doctor sues to stop Indiana AG from accessing medical records

An Indianapolis doctor thrust into national news on abortion is suing to stop Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita from obtaining medical records.
This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian army soldiers flash the victory sign near their tank in the Sukkari neighborhood, east Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec 23, 2016. Syrian rebels outside Aleppo on Friday shelled a neighborhood in the northern city, killing three people in the first bombardment since government forces took control of the whole city after opposition fighters in the eastern parts withdrew, state TV reported. (SANA via AP)
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a very good value because of its captivating infinity display, strong performance and long battery life for under $500.

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

The Galaxy S8 has been around for a couple of years, but it's still a strong choice for those looking for flagship-level design and solid performance for under $500. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ boast 5.8- and 6.2-inch infinity displays, which go from edge to edge, and these handsets feature Qualcomms relatively zippy Snapdragon 835 processor for speedy performance.

Were still not fans of the fingerprint sensors location. But when you add in excellent battery life and improvements to a camera that was already very good, you have two winning handsets with the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

See our best phones list for all of our top picks.

Galaxy S8 price and release date

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were released in April of 2017. You can now get the Galaxy S8 starting at $499 with 64GB of storage. The larger Galaxy S8+ isn't as readily available, but it retails for about $589. However, we've seen this phone for as low as $364 on Amazon (opens in new tab).

You may want to keep an eye out for Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals to see if these phones get discounted during the holiday season.



Design: It feels like the future

The Galaxy S8 exemplifies a nearly bezel-free phone done right. Samsung didnt just take away the bezels on this phone; it crafted a space-age work of art with a new infinity display that stretches from edge to edge. The Galaxy S8 not only has a slightly bigger screen-to-body ratio than LGs phone but also looks sleeker because of the way the Gorilla Glass curves toward the edges on the front and back. Other Android phones look like blah, flat slabs by comparison. The S8 is also thinner and narrower than the G6.

The screen on the S8 is 5.8 inches, versus 6.2 inches on the S8+. But other than the difference in display size, the S8 and S8+ have the same design. Overall, we prefer the bigger screen on the S8+, but if you have small hands, youll likely find yourself repositioning the phone in your hand to reach certain buttons, including the home button, which is now a virtual button instead of a physical key. The button worked well in our testing, providing solid haptic feedback. Its flanked by the Recent Apps and Back buttons.

Whats remarkable about the Galaxy S8 is how much more screen real estate it gives you compared with the S7, while still offering a compact and lightweight design. The S8s 5.8-inch screen is housed in a 5.5-ounce, 2.7-inch-wide chassis, whereas the 5.1-inch S7 weighed 5.4 ounces and had the same width. The S8 is taller, but its still easy to use with one hand.

With its 6.2-inch screen, the 6.1-ounce S8+ is heftier than the 5.5-ounce, 5.5-inch S7 Edge. But the S8+ makes the iPhone 8 Plus (6.2 x 3.1 x 0.29 inches, 7.13 ounces) look positively bloated. Plus, unlike the latest iPhones, the S8 and S8+ have headphone jacks.

No matter which size you choose, it wont be long before you see fingerprint smudges on the back of the phone. The smudges were especially prominent on the midnight black version of the S8 and S8+, but you can also choose the lighter orchid gray or arctic silver, which dont show smudges as easily.



Galaxy S8 Galaxy S8+ Price

From $499

From $589

Display (Pixels) 5.8 inches (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED 6.2 inches (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED Camera (Back) 12 MP, f /1.7 aperture 12 MP, f /1.7 aperture Camera (Front) 8 MP, f/ 1.7 aperture 8 MP, f/1.7 aperture Biometric Scanning Facial recognition, iris scanner, fingerprint reader Facial recognition, iris scanner, fingerprint reader CPU Snapdragon 835 Snapdragon 835 RAM

4GB 4GB Storage 64GB 64GB microSD

up to 256GB up to 256GB Battery

3,000 mAh 3,500 mAh Battery Life (4G) 10:39 11:04 Size

5.9 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches 6.3 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches Weight

5.5 ounces 6.1 ounces Colors

Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver Android Version 7.0 Nougat 7.0 Nougat Charging USB Type-C USB Type-C Wireless Charging WPC and PMA WPC and PMA

About that fingerprint sensor

We were worried that the fingerprint sensors placement right next to the camera on the back of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ might be a problem. And it was, initially. Because the sensor is fairly narrow, its difficult to target it without looking. We got used to it after a couple of days, but we still wish it were below the lens.

If you dont want to reach around the S8 to unlock your phone, you can choose from a couple of other biometric options that Samsung gives you. Theres facial recognition, as well as iris scanning. Iris scanning unlocks your phone faster and even works in the dark, but it doesnt work in direct sunlight; your eyes need to be fully open, so squinting isnt an option. The facial recognition is not only slower but also had trouble in direct sunlight and doesnt work in the dark.

Our advice? Use the iris scanning everywhere except in the sun, and when there is bright light, just use the fingerprint scanner.

Display: The perfect screen is here

Apple is bringing an OLED screen to the iPhone X, but you have to pay a grand for the privilege. Sporting a resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels, both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ turned in nearly perfect scores on our tests, offering a very bright picture, amazingly vivid colors and near-perfect color accuracy.

The extra-wide 18.5:9 aspect ratio doesnt work well with some apps, but overall, we like how immersive the experience is when watching video and playing games.

When watching the new Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer, we could make out every wrinkle in Reys hands as she seemed to levitate the rocks around her with the Force, as well as every rising ring of smoke around Kylo Rens smoldering mask. As the camera panned around to the island where Luke was training Rey, it was hard not to be impressed by the golden sunshine that reflected off the water, as well as the lush, green foliage dotting the mountains.

The S8 backed up our experience by reproducing a superb 183 percent of the sRGB color gamut. That blows away the LG G6s 134 percent, but the AMOLED screen on the Google Pixel scored an even higher 191 percent. (However, when you turn on Adaptive Display mode on the Galaxy S8, it can reach as high as 255 percent.)

If youre looking for accurate color, the S8 can deliver that, too. In its AMOLED photo mode, the display notched a Delta-E score of 0.28 (0 is perfect). The LG G6 was closest, at 1.01, but the Pixel XL was way behind, with 5.88. Like the LG G6, the Galaxy S8s screen is HDR certified, which means you can enjoy a wider range of colors and better contrast on videos that support the standard. Amazon, Netflix and YouTube offer a growing variety of HDR-ready movies and shows.

The 18.5:9 aspect ratio doesnt work well with every app. For instance, in Super Mario Run, we noticed unsightly bars above and below the game. But Samsungs own apps are optimized, and you can fill the screen by pushing a button while watching YouTube and Netflix, even if the video looks a bit stretched out.

Since our initial review, some users complained about a red tint appearing on their S8 screens, but Samsung has released a fix.



Audio: Poppin

For a small speaker, the Galaxy S8 pumps out pretty sweet sound. When we listened to Justin Timberlakes Cant Stop the Feeling, on this phone, the lyrics were clearer, and the volume was louder, than the same track on the LG G6.



The latter handset sounded slightly muffled by comparison. However, you dont get stereo sound from the Galaxy S8 as you do from the HTC U Ultra.



The S8's Snapdragon 835 muscle blitzes every other Android phone on the market.

Performance: A handheld powerhouse

The Galaxy S8 goes boldly forward into a new era of speed, thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 system on a chip (at least in the U.S.; in other regions, the S8 will have Samsung's Exynos 8895 chip). The S8 also comes with a healthy 4GB of memory, 64GB of storage (twice the amount you get from base models of the LG G6 and the Google Pixel) and microSD card expansion for people who need even more space.

When you put it all together, the S8's muscle blitzes every other Android phone on the market, but it falls short of the iPhone 8's A11 Bionic chip. The S8 almost always feels exceedingly snappy, no matter if you're vaulting over Goombas in Super Mario Run or mowing down aliens in N.O.V.A. Legacy. We didnt experience any lag when using multiwindow mode for chatting with friends while streaming video on YouTube. If you pay close attention, you may notice that some of the transitions when switching between apps aren't 100 percent smooth, but that seems mostly cosmetic.

In terms of benchmark performance, the Galaxy S8s multicore score of 6,295 in the Geekbench 4 overall performance test was more than 50 percent higher than that of its closest Android competitor, the Snapdragon 821-powered Google Pixel XL (4,146). However, the iPhone 8 scored above 10,000 on this test.



The Galaxy S8's graphics power was also quite impressive, as it hit 36,508 on 3DMark's Ice Storm Unlimited test. Other Android adversaries, like the LG G6 (29,611) and the Google Pixel XL (28,182), were farther behind. But the iPhone 8 scored a much higher 64,532.



New for the S8 is Samsung's Device Management tab, which is best accessed by swiping in from the Edge tab. It offers a quick look at the status of your device, including battery status, power mode (optimized, performance, game or entertainment), available storage and your current memory usage. There's even an optimization button that cleans up any lingering apps and clears your cache, which is a handy tool for people who go weeks or months without actually turning off their devices.

Cameras: Better on both the front and back

When we first found out that the S8's 12-megapixel rear camera is ostensibly the same as the one on last year's S7, we were a bit disappointed. But that rush of emotion was a bit premature, because under the hood, Samsung made some important software enhancements. And then you toss in a new, higher-resolution, 8-MP front cam, and you get a phone that produces noticeably better pictures no matter which shooter you're using.

The most important tweak comes in the form of Samsung's new multi-image photo processing, which mimics the operation of the Google Pixel's HDR+ mode by taking multiple pictures when you press the shutter, selecting the best one, and enhancing that image with extra details and info from the remaining two pics.

When we took both the S8+ and a Pixel XL out for some side-by-side testing, it was clear that Samsung's adjustments have had a pretty positive effect. At a nearby farmer's market, the S8 captured a crate full of apples with better contrast, richer colors and better details than the Pixel XL.



And when I continued down the street, the S8+ topped the Pixel XL again when I snapped a pic of some flowers, this time offering better white balance than Google's phone, as evidenced by the greenish hue on the white flower's petals.



But it wasn't a clean sweep for the S8+. When I really tried to push both cameras to the limit by shooting a backlit scene pointing straight at the sun, the Pixel XL stunned us with a shot featuring big, bold colors and sharp details, even though there was some serious lens flare going on.



Inside, in pretty much ideal conditions, the S8+ and the Pixel XL were again neck and neck. The one difference is that the Pixel's cool color tone brought out the green in the pistachio macaroon, while the pic from the S8 sported a more neutral white balance, which led to a more pleasing overall photo.



Finally, at a local bar with even less light to work with, both the Pixel XL and the Galaxy S8 impressed us with photos that were brighter than the scenes in real life. Small differences included less blown-out highlights in the S8's pic, which was countered by more detail in the darker areas of the scene in the Pixel's photo.

When it comes to tweaking your photos or changing modes, Samsung has added new Snapchat-like filters that let you decorate faces with various animal masks, hats and other silly emojis. But if that doesn't strike your fancy, the camera also comes with modes for shooting panoramas, food, slow-mo and more. And as with all good camera apps, there's also a Pro mode that lets you adjust settings manually.

As for selfies, the S8 and S8+ sport new 8-MP cams with a wide-angle lens, which makes it easy to snap you and all your besties at once. However, compared with the Pixel XL's 8-MP camera, the S8's selfies can sometimes be a little lacking.



We compared photos shot by the S8 and the Pixel XL outside on a sunny day. The Pixel XL's photo had an extra level of sharpness and detail we didn't get from the S8+. Our face looked a little too smooth and perfect on the Samsung, to the point where we were wondering whether Beauty Mode was kicking in even when we had it set to 0.

The Galaxy S8s camera can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second and slow-mo video at up to 240 frames per second at 720p. (In comparison, the LG G6 shoots at just 60 fps in slow-mo.)

To test the Galaxy S8s video quality, we shot some footage of a pond with fish swimming about in 4K. The S8s footage looked crisper and more vibrant than what the iPhone 7 Plus captured, even if the colors looked a bit oversaturated. However, when we put both phones on a mount to test image stabilization, the iPhone 7s video looked smoother; we saw a bit of stuttering in the S8s footage as we walked up a grassy hill.

For a hallmark feature on a flagship phone, Bixby feels pretty half-baked right now.

Bixby: Still a work in progress



The Galaxy S8 introduces a new personal assistant, Bixby, to take on the likes of Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana. And for a hallmark feature on Samsung's flagship phone, Bixby feels pretty half-baked right now, even after Samsung has rolled out voice controls to its virtual assistant.

The main difference between Bixby and other digital assistants is that it lets you use voice commands to control your phone in lieu of tapping the screen, which can save you time and energy. You can also use Bixby to tell you the weather or look up the definition of quixotic, but its real purpose is giving you a whole new way to control your phone. For instance, you can ask Bixby to show you emails from a specific person by name, and it will slickly pull up all your conversations in just a couple seconds. That's way faster than tapping to open the email app, hitting search and then typing in that person's name.

Bixby can also understand complex commands with contextual language, so you can do things like ask Bixby to post the last photo you took to Instagram and add a caption, all with one command. You can also change almost any setting on the S8 using your voice, which is often much faster than trying to dig through a modern phone's increasingly complex array of menus and tabs.

Or at least, that's how things should work. The big problem is that Bixby's voice-command functionality, while now available, was pretty erratic when we tested it.

Sometimes Bixby will fail to understand your language at all, while other times, Bixby will get confused and try to open the wrong app or adjust incorrect settings. But every once in a while Bixby will get everything right and you won't even be able to tell that its voice commands are still a work in progress. Currently, simple commands have the best success rate.

MORE: 11 Coolest Things Bixby Voice Can Do on the Galaxy S8

As of August 22, Samsung announced that the Bixby voice command feature is now available in more than 200 countries and territories, though you'll still need to use either English or Korean to make it work. Support for additional languages, as well as more third party apps, is in the works.



Then there's Bixby Vision, which leverages the S8's camera along with object recognition to identify items in the world. We found this worked pretty well when we pointed the S8 at various household items, such as shampoos, snacks and aluminum foil. It also works for books. After pointing the Galaxy S8's camera at any object, we could check prices online on Amazon.

Say you're at the liquor store and want to know the rating of that wine or what food to pair it with. Bixby has also partnered with Vivino to identify that bottle and spit back information. However, at a wine store in New York, the feature was more miss than hit, as it seemed to have trouble with the bright lights. At home, however, Bixby identified three wines correctly, though we were greeted with a home server error.

Bixby's other talents include the ability to set reminders and a Bixby Home tool with a card-based interface that shows you your schedule, what's trending on Facebook, the weather, news and other info.

All told, Bixby is a frustrating mix of success and failures, though there is a lot of potential should Samsung work out all the kinks. Thankfully, though, you can turn to the Google Assistant, which also comes preloaded on the S8.

Software: Feature-rich but accessible

Running Android 7.0 Nougat, the Galaxy S8 still has a skin on top of Android, but its fairly intuitive, and Samsungs minimalist, line-drawn icons are easy to understand. We like that you dont have to tap a button to see all of your apps from the home screen; just swipe down from the middle of the screen, and then swipe left to see more apps.

If you swipe down from the very top of the screen from wherever you are, youll see your notifications and Samsungs quick-settings shortcuts. Finally, swiping in from the left provides access to Edge screen shortcuts, such as a customizable list of apps, a device maintenance screen (for battery, choosing performance mode, etc.) and a Smart Select tool for selecting an area of the screen and sharing it or pinning it to the top of your display.

Youll also find a ton of advanced features. The ones at the top of our list include a one-handed mode that you can activate by tapping the home button three times to shrink the screen, as well as the ability to quickly launch the camera by pressing the power key twice.

At least on the T-Mobile S8 we tested, there was minimal bloatware. T-Mobile included just five of its own apps: Device Unlock, T-Mobile, T-Mobile Name ID, T-Mobile TV and Visual Voicemail.

Accessories: Way beyond Gear VR

The Galaxy S8 works with the new Gear VR for those who want to experience virtual-reality games and content, but thats not the only interesting accessory. The new DeX ($149) is a dock that lets you use the S8 and S8+ as a mini PC. The dock can connect to a full-size monitor via its HDMI port, as well as a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth. It also has an Ethernet jack and a USB port.

Out of the box, the Samsung Connect app will let you access and control various Samsung-branded smart home gear. For instance, you can start your Samsung robot vacuum ($549) or peek inside your Samsung Family Hub fridge (about $2,900) to see what you need from the store while youre out. But youll get a lot more possibilities if you buy Samsung's $169 Samsung Connect Home  a combination mesh Wi-Fi router and SmartThings hub that will let you control other items, such as Philips Hue lights and Netgears Arlo security camera.

Samsung offers a slew of other accessories, including an LED View cover for always having the time in view, a wireless charging stand and more. Check out our roundup of the Best Galaxy S8 accessories and Galaxy S8 cases.

Battery Life

One concern about a phone with this much screen is how that extra real estate might impact battery life. The Galaxy S8+ has a slightly smaller battery than last years S7 Edge (3,500 mAh versus 3,600 mAh), and yet the S8+ improved almost 1 hour, to 11 hours and 4 minutes, on the Tom's Guide Battery Test (continuous web surfing on 4G LTE using T-Mobile's network). The standard Galaxy S8s 3,000-mAh battery endured for 10:39 on the same test, improving on the Galaxy S7's (8:47) time by nearly 2 hours.

We obtained these results with the phones resolutions set to their max 2960 x 1440 pixels. They come with the less demanding 2220 x 1080 setting on by default.

MORE: Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life

Compared to the Galaxy S8+, the Pixel XL's battery life was just a bit longer, at 11:11. The iPhone 8 Plus hit 11:16, while the smaller iPhone 8 lasted 9:54. LG G6 finished way behind, with a time of just 8:39.

On top of that, the S8 has battery smarts that let it learn about your usage patterns to help extend its longevity even further. And when you need to juice the phone back up, you can take advantage of the S8s fast-charging capabilities via its included USB Type-C cable or use one of Samsung's slick wireless chargers (available separately).

Bottom Line

Its clear that, with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung set out to create more than a phone. Its trying to build a more Apple-like ecosystem, with devices ranging from the Gear VR and the DeX dock to the new Samsung Connect app for controlling smart home gear and the Bixby assistant. Its also evident that Samsung hasnt yet reached that goal, as Bixbys voice features can be hit or miss.

But even with that shortcoming, the Galaxy S8 still beats the Android competition while surpassing the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in terms of design, display quality and features. The iPhones are better, though, when it comes to sheer speed and their cameras.



Some shoppers will prefer a newer Android phone in the same price range, like the $479 Pixel 3a XL, but overall the Galaxy S8 and S8+ remain good values for those who prefer Samsung handsets.

Credit: Jeremy Lips/Tom's Guide; Comparisons: Samuel Rutherford/Tom's Guide.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, shown here campaigning Nov. 4 for Hillary Clinton at Madison's Orpheum Theater, has always focused on doing what's right for Wisconsinites. As a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team and a member of three powerful committees, she will be in a position to help temper the worse excesses of Republicans in Congress. PHOTO BY SAIYNA BASHIR
Samsung Galaxy S23  all the rumors so far

As good as the Samsung Galaxy S22 is, Samsung could do even better with its next flagship. Here's a look at some of the features we hope make the cut for the Galaxy S23.
Worried that Alexa might be holding onto your conversations longer than it should? Amazon's making it easier to delete conversations its voice-powered digital Echo speakers might have recorded  and you can do it all with the sound of your own voice.

At the same time it announced a new series of Echo devices, Amazon also launched updates to its Alexa Privacy Hub (opens in new tab) that provides explanations on Alexa privacy controls as well as access to your settings. There are also brand new voice commands that give you immediate control over Alexa recordings.

MORE: Best Amazon Alexa Skills

Fears about Alexa-based smart speakers sending private conversations are common. Amazon VP of public policy Brian Huseman confirmed expectations about how long the company keeps recordings, telling senator Chris Coons (D-DE) that "We retain customers' voice recordings and transcripts until the customer chooses to delete them."

How to delete Alexa conversations with your voice

If you really want to make sure that Alexa isn't keeping a recording of what you've said, you can take advantage of a voice control that erases everything you've said that day. Say "Alexa, delete everything I said today," and anything recorded between midnight and the moment you utter that command will be erased.

You'll have to opt into the feature to be able to delete conversations by voice. In the Alexa app, go to Settings, and select Alexa Account, then Alexa Privacy, and finally Review Voice History. From there, you can toggle on the "Enable Deletion by Voice" feature.

You can also say, "Alexa, delete what I just said" to erase your last request to the voice assistant.

How to turn on auto-delete for Alexa recordings

You can arrange your Alexa history to delete automatically. In the Alexa app, go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data. Under 'Manage your voice recordings,' you can use the 'Automatically delete recordings' toggle to make your recordings delete after 3 or 18 months.

How to clear your Alexa history

If you're uncomfortable with the idea of leaving around old voice recordings, there's an old-school way to clear the data on your Alexa devices, though it involves a bit of tapping. Before you start deleting, remember that you're essentially wiping the AI's specialized memory, as it's retaining this information to better serve you.

Still, here's how to clear your Alexa history and delete recordings.

Step 1: Open the Alexa app on your smartphone and tap the menu button to open the sidebar. Select Settings.

Step 2: Select Alexa Privacy.

(Image credit: Credit: Amazon)

Step 3: Select Review Voice History. Here you can enable and disable voice commands for deleting voice recordings, and see audio recordings retained by your device.

(Image credit: Credit: Amazon)

Step 4: Select a recording.

(Image credit: Credit: Amazon)

Step 5: Select Delete Selected Recordings. If you want to scrub Alexa clean of all recordings, tap Today, select All History and tap Delete All Recordings for All History.

(Image credit: Credit: Amazon)

Or you could visit Amazon's Content and Devices page (opens in new tab) to erase all of your recordings at once. From there, select Your Devices, click on the Alexa device you want to clean up and select Manage Voice Recordings. Select the option that allows you to delete everything.

MORE: For more Alexa-related tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our complete guide to Alexa.
Lenovo pulled the curtain back on its latest lineup of ThinkPad mobile devices, giving consumers a sneak peak of what to expect from the company at CES next week. Although it couldnt reveal full specifications ahead of the annual tradeshow, we can get a pretty good idea of what Lenovos offerings for early 2017 will look like.

ThinkPad X270

The ThinkPad X270 is described as a business road warrior by Lenovo, and its optimized for battery life with a dual configurable battery architecture. It features a three-cell 23Wh battery in the front, with another three-cell 23Wh, six-cell 48Wh, or six-cell 72Wh battery in the back, offering up to 21.4 hours of runtime with the maximum configuration. It also features up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM, in addition to featuring the latest Intel processors, up to 2TB HDDs, and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSDs.

The 12.5-inch IPS display comes in HD (1366 x 768) TN and IPS or FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen varieties, with the HD TN model featuring a 220 nit brightness and the HD IPS panel offering 300 nits of brightness. The FHD IPS touchscreen offers 300 nits. The USB Type-C port supports power, data (Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 Gen 2), and video output. The ThinkPad X270 measures 12.02 x 8.2 x 0.79 inches and weighs in at 2.9 lbs. We can expect to see it on the market this coming March, starting at $909.

ThinkPad X270 Processor Latest Intel Core Processors Memory Up to 16GB DDR4 Storage - Up to 2TB HDD- Up to 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD Graphics Integrated Display Options - 12.5 1366 x 768 220nit TN- 12.5 1366 x 768 300nit IPS- 12.5 1920 x 1080 300nit IPS Touchscreen Battery Options - 3-Cell 23WH (Front)- 3-Cell 23WH (Back Option)- 6-Cell 48WH (Back Option)- 6-Cell 72WH (Back Option) Dimensions 12.02 x 8.2 x 0.79 inches Weight 2.9 lbs. Starting MSRP $909

ThinkPad Yoga 370

The new ThinkPad Yoga 370 2-in-1 laptop features the latest Core i processors (can you guess which ones?) with integrated graphics, and it can be equipped with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD. It supports Thunderbolt 3 technology with a Type-C interface, and its 13.3-inch touchscreen features an anti-reflective, anti-smudge finish and a 360-degree hinge. It also comes with an integrated pen stylus.

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The Yoga 370 measures 12.34 x 8.66 x 0.70 inches and starts at 3.17 lbs, and the six-cell 51Wh battery offers up to 10 hours of untethered runtime. The ThinkPad Yoga 370 starts at $1,264 and will be available in March, 2017, in black and silver finishes.

ThinkPad Yoga 370 Processor Latest Intel Core-i Processors Memory Up to 16GB DDR4 Storage Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD Graphics Integrated Display Options 13.3 1920 x 1080 LCD Touchscreen Battery Options 6-Cell 51WH Dimensions 12.34 x 8.66 x 0.70 inches Weight Starting at 3.17 lbs. Starting MSRP $1,264

ThinkPad T-Series

The new Lenovo ThinkPad T-series notebooks all feature the latest Intel CPUs, along with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and a dual-battery system, similar to the ThinkPad X270. The T series is, again, aimed at road warriors looking for power over battery life, with discrete graphics options and robust memory configurations.

The T470 and T470p feature a 14-inch display, and the T570 has a 15.6-inch screen. The T470 features a 1920 x 1080 IPS touchscreen display, but the T470p offers a standard FHD IPS, FHD touchscreen, and WQHD screen. The T570 can be equipped with a 1920 x 1080 touchscreen or a non-touch 3840 x 2160 display.

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The T470, T470p, and T570 feature similar memory, graphics, and storage options, with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, up to a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce 940MX 2GB GDDR5 graphics card. These three models also offer an Intel Optane (3D Xpoint) memory option up to 16GB.

The ThinkPad T470s is an ultrabook, and as such, it doesnt offer a dedicated GPU or Intel Optane memory options. However, the 14-inch IPS display comes in FHD (1920 x 1080), FHD touch, and WQHD (2560 x 1440) varieties, and the T470s can be configured with up to 24GB of DDR4 RAM (one SO-DIMM, 8GB onboard) and a 1TB PCIe SSD. It measures 13.03 x 8.92 x 0.74 inches and weighs 2.9 lbs., with its dual three-cell 49.8Wh batteries offering up to 10.5 hours of operation.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T470, T470s, T470p, and T570 will ring up starting at $914, $1,099, $1,049, and $909, respectively. The T470 and T470s will arrive in February, and the T570 and T470p will appear sometime in March 2017.

ThinkPad T470 ThinkPad T470s ThinkPad T470p ThinkPad T570 Processor Latest Intel Core-i Processors Memory - Up to 32GB DDR4- Intel Optane, up to 16GB Up to 24GB DDR4 - Up to 32GB DDR4- Intel Optane, up to 16GB - Up to 32GB DDR4- Intel Optane, up to 16GB Storage Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD Up to 1TB PCIe SSD Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD Graphics Nvidia GeForce 940MX 2GB GDDR5 Integrated Nvidia GeForce 940MX 2GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce 940MX 2GB GDDR5 Display Options 14 1920 x 1080 IPS Touchscreen - 14 1920 x 1080 IPS- 14 1920 x 1080 IPS Touchscreen- 14 2560 x 1440 IPS - 15.6 1920 x 1080 Touchscreen- 15.6 3840 x 2160 (Non-Touch) Battery Options - 3-Cell 23WH (Front)- 3-Cell 48WH (Back Option)- 6-Cell 73WH (Back Option) - 3-Cell 49.8WH (Front)- 3-Cell 49.8WH (Back) - 3-Cell 23.5WH (Front)- 6-Cell 48WH (Back Option)- 6-Cell 72WH (Back Option) - 3-Cell 32WH (Front)- 6-Cell 48WH (Back Option)- 6-Cell 72WH (Back Option) Dimensions 13.25 x 9.15 x 0.78 inches 13.03 x 8.92 x 0.74 inches 13.34 x 9.25 x 0.94 inches 14.4 x 9.95 x 0.79 inches Weight Starting at 3.49 lbs. 2.9 lbs. 4 lbs. Starting at 4.4 lbs. Starting MSRP $914 $1,099 $1,049 $909

ThinkPad L-Series

The ThinkPad L-series is poised to be Lenovos mainstream business value system, and it comes in two different models, the Thinkpad L470 and L570. Both feature the latest Intel processors, up to 32GB memory, and up to a 1TB HDD. The 14-inch L470 limits is maximum SSD capacity to 256GB, and the 15.6-inch L570 offers up to a 512GB SSD. The ThinkPad L-series also offers Intel Optane memory configurations up to 16GB. The L570 offers only integrated graphics, but the L470 features switchable AMD Radeon R5 M430 2GB DDR3 graphics.

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The L470's and L570's displays come in HD (1366 x 768) and FHD (1920 x 1080) varieties, and they are somewhat larger and heavier than the previously-detailed ThinkPads. The L470 weighs 4.23 lbs. and measures 13.34 x 9.25 x 0.94 inches, and the L570 is 14.84 x 9.75 x 1.08 inches and weighs 5.25 lbs.

The ThinkPad L-series notebooks are due to arrive in March, and will start at $779 (L470) and $809 (L570).

ThinkPad L470 ThinkPad L570 Processor Latest Intel Core-i Processors Memory - Up to 32GB DDR4- Intel Optane, up to 16GB Storage - Up to 256GB SSD- Up to 1TB HDD - Up to 512GB SSD- Up to 1TB HDD Graphics - Integrated- AMD Radeon R5 M430 2GB DDR3 Integrated Display Options - 14 1366 x 768 220nits TN- 14 1920 x 1080 250nits IPS - 15.6 1366 x 768 220nits TN- 15.6 1920 x 1080 250nits IPS Battery Options - 3-Cell 23.5WH (Front)- 6-Cell 48WH (Back Option)- 6-Cell 72WH (Back Option) 6-Cell 48WH Dimensions 13.34 x 9.25 x 0.94 inches 14.84 x 9.75 x 1.08 inches Weight 4.23 lbs. 5.25 lbs. Starting MSRP $779 $809

(Yet Another) ThinkPad 13

The ThinkPad 13 is aimed at budget-oriented small business owners and students, and it comes loaded with the latest Intel processors and integrated graphics, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and up to a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The 13.3-inch display is said to be up to (1920 x 1080) FHD IPS touch, meaning at the most, you get a 1080p display with a touchscreen. Whether the lower configurations are lower in resolution or simply strip the touch element of the display (or both) isnt yet known.

The ThinkPad 13 measures in at 12.67 x 8.77 x 0.75 inches and starts at 3.17 lbs. Its also the earliest-arriving ThinkPad in the bunch, arriving in January and starting at $674.

ThinkPad 13 Processor Latest Intel Core-i Processors Memory Up to 32GB DDR4 Storage Up to 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD Graphics Integrated Display Options 13.3 Up to 1920 x 1080 IPS Touchscreen Battery Options 3-Cell 42WH Dimensions 12.67 x 8.77 x 0.75 inches Weight Starting at 3.17 lbs. Starting MSRP $674

The Cat Thats Out Of The Bag, But Still In the Bag, Somehow

Its no secret at this point that Intel is planning to officially debut its Kaby Lake processors in the very near future, and wed be ignorant to neglect the fact the currently available specifications for these new ThinkPads are obviously (and painfully, at that) missing the CPU specifications. We can only (officially) presume that well know more in Vegas, and were hopeful we can all stop pretending that something doesnt exist when its sitting right in front of us, glaring and biding its time while it teases us with whispers of its arrival once the smoke (and mirrors) of CES clears.

Well obviously update this article as more information on the new Lenovo ThinkPad lineup becomes available.
KSHB-TV LAUNCHES YEAR-LONG PUBLIC SERVICE CAMPAIGN

More deets and description of a local television public service effort for the coming year. Take a peek:KSHB-TV, Kansas Citys 41 Action News Station, in cooperation with several local communities and organizations, will launch a new Public Service Campaign called Kind KC. The goals of this campaign are to message our communities that violence, bullying and discrimination are not the answer. We are Kansas City. We are good citizens who want a safe community. KSHB is starting a movement that says not here, not now, not ever. On December 19th at 6:30 PM, 41 Action News will present a half-hour newscast to kick off this campaign.Using the power of television, as well as our community and digital assets, KSHB-TV, 38 The Spot, Bounce and Cozi, along with leaders from all walks of life on both sides of the state line are planting a flag firmly in our communities to say no to violence, no to bullying, no to discrimination of all kinds, said Brian Bracco, VP/General Manager for KSHB/KMCI-TV.A complete list of those communities and organizations already committed to this campaign can be seen on the Kind KC website, www.kshb.com/kindkc. As you see by the names on this list, these are groups of political, social and safety leaders that have come together to participate in this campaign.#################You decide . . .
The main purpose for studying history is not to see who ruled over what lands and when, or who fought against whom, how many they were, or who won in the end. This way of looking at things today will only flare up spirits between otherwise peaceful people, making them hate others who they havent even met. The purpose for studying history should be to see what made a society work, what didnt, and learn from our past for a better tomorrow.

With that being said, there are some instances of conflict in the past which deserve a mention, not because they teach us something particularly useful for our own betterment, but because they were ingeniously implemented during some really hard times. One sure thing we can gather from most of these examples is that those who did not have the advantage of superior numbers on the battlefield, were forced to come up with some clever strategies to somehow even the odds, and if possible, even win the battle.

10. Vlad the Impaler and his Night Attack

Our first story takes us back to the 15th century and to a particular conflict between two of the most fascinating historical characters of Eastern Europe. Nine years after Constantinople fell to the hands of the Ottoman Turks in 1453, Mehmed the Conqueror set his sights on Wallachia, one of the three Principalities that make up present-day Romania, after Vlad the Impaler refused to pay the annual jizya (the tax on non-Muslims). As a region, Wallachia had always been regarded as a buffer zone between the Ottoman Empire to the South and the Hungarian Kingdom to the North, constantly forced to pay tribute to one or the other.

In the early spring of 1462, Mehmed gathered a force of roughly 90,000 soldiers, in an attempt to overthrow the rebellious Wallachian ruler. Throughout this time Vlad Dracula was ravaging the Bulgarian banks of the Danube, capturing Turkish prisoners. Hearing of the imminent attack and because of his inferior force of maybe 30,000, he retreated to the capital city of Targoviste, enforcing a scorched earth policy along the way. The Wallachian troops began a guerrilla war against the advancing Turkish forces, keeping them off balance. Peasants suffering from plague, tuberculosis and leprosy were disguised as Turkish soldiers and sent into the Ottoman camp, igniting an epidemic.

On June 16, 1462 the Turks made camp several miles south of the capital city. Dressed as an Ottoman soldier himself, and with intimate knowledge of the Turkish language and customs, Vlad the Impaler infiltrated the camp, scouting for the Sultans tent. During that same night, the Wallachian ruler organized a raid consisting of some 10,000 mounted forces, many also dressed in Turkish military uniform, in an attempt to assassinate the Conqueror of Constantinople, Mehmed II. The attack itself was successful, creating confusion and inflicting serious casualties on the Ottomans, but the assassination failed, with the Sultan managing to escape. Four days later, the Turks reached the city of Targoviste but found it completely deserted and with its gates wide open. Moreover, just outside the city walls and covering an area of about 1.2 sq. miles, was a literal forest of over 20,000 Turks on spikes, worthy of Vlad the Impalers name. Looking over this appalling site, the Sultan turned his forces around.

9. General Dan Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens

With every new or emerging state, the military is weaker, worse equipped, and far less trained and battle-hardened than the larger force of an Empire it usually has to battle against. Similar to todays conflicts, the US during its own Revolutionary War for Independence was no exception. But in the latter half of the war, at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, the wars Southern campaign saw a turning point in favor of the Americans. After several defeats at the hands of the British, the Continental army was divided in smaller divisions, making it easier for the local populace to feed them, and also to force the Redcoats to fight on multiple fronts; a wise strategy when facing a formidable force.

American Brigadier General Daniel Morgan took charge of 300 riflemen and 700 militiamen, in an attempt to take over the British controlled Fort Ninety-Six. In response, Banastre Tarleton was sent to engage him, leading a force of 1,150 highly trained Redcoats and Loyalists. The Americans decided to make a stand and face the British at the town of Cowpens. Relying on Tarletons tendency for quick action and his disdain for the militia (which were notorious for fleeing the battle at the first sign of trouble), Morgan instructed them to only fire two volleys and then retreat. Bolstered by the fleeing militiamen, the British charged, sure of their victory, only to find themselves under heavy fire from the remaining riflemen, coupled with a cavalry charge, as well as the returning militia. While the Americans suffered only around 100 casualties, more than 800 British troops were killed, wounded or captured. The battle was just the first of many game-changing victories, and an important morale boost for US troops.

8. Fritz Klingenberg and the Capture of Belgrade

Because of the failure of the Italians to secure their control in the Balkans during WWII, Hitlers Germany was forced to intervene and secure their left flank from any Ally incursion coming in from Greece. The treacherous terrain and armed resistance hindered the Nazi advance, with supply lines hardly being maintained along the way. This was also their first encounter with guerrilla fighters, winter fighting, and mountainous terrain. In charge of the Nazi motorcycle reconnaissance unit, responsible for gathering intelligence quickly, was a 26-year-old captain Fritz Klingenberg. During the French campaign the previous year, his former company commander stated in a report that, Klingenberg is intelligent yet headstrong, loyal yet not above correcting his superiors, brilliant under pressure, yet arrogant to the point of insubordination.

Belgrade went through a four day series of airstrikes and most of the government officials fled, with the Yugoslav army within the city beginning to collapse. Shortly after, when on a reconnaissance mission, Klingenberg discovered an abandoned motorboat on the banks of the Danube on the opposite side of the city. He decided to take it, and together with six of his men crossed the raging river. Highjacking a few vehicles and freeing a German tourist who also spoke Croatian, the SS captain managed to enter the city with little to no opposition. He then quickly ordered the Yugoslavian flag be replaced with Nazi colors and had his men patrol the city in order to give the impression of being in charge.

When faced with the mayor of Belgrade, Klingenberg told him that he was leading the point team of several SS tank divisions and came to organize the city for their arrival. If the mayor was not willing to surrender Belgrade to the Nazis, a lengthy siege would take place, together with a two-week long bombardment, followed by massive artillery and armored attacks. The mayor was relieved to hear that no further harm would come to his city and its citizens if he complied, and so he did. When the rest of the German army finally reached the city, they were surprised to see that they werent opposed by anyone, initially believing Klingenbergs radio message to be a hoax intended to draw them into an ambush. In fact, Klingenberg, together with six other soldiers and a German tourist who acted as an interpreter, managed to talk his way into capturing a capital city of 200,000 citizens and a force of 1,300 soldiers, sparing them from an imminent onslaught.

7. Haile Selassie and the Feast in Honor of his own Commander

Haile Selassie, initially known as Tafari Makonnen, was the regent ruler of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930, and then Emperor up until his death in 1974. Throughout his life, he was regarded as forward thinking and a competent monarch, implementing many social, economic, and educational reforms, even making it on the cover of Time magazine in 1930. But as with all such reforms, those who stood to lose the most (in this case the nobility) opposed him. One such noble  and famous military commander  was Balcha Safo. To be fair, Balcha did improve administration in the Sidamo province, where he was governor. But on the other hand, he paid no taxes to the central government, he regularly exploited the peasantry, and refused to outlaw slavery.

In 1928, Haile Selassie invited him to his palace in the capital for a feast in Balchas honor. When he arrived, he didnt do so alone. He was accompanied by several thousand soldiers, who he then left outside of the city. To the banquet, Balcha took 600 men with him and spent the evening generally insolent and threatening in conversation, especially with the 30-year-old regent. But while the dejazmach  Ethiopian military commander  was feeling sure of himself and acting out at the palace, Selassie sent an emissary to his camp outside of the city and paid them off to abandon Balcha. At the same time, the Emperor appointed someone else as governor of the coffee rich Sidamo province. Both of these two simultaneous acts left Balcha with few options, and no possibility to resist. He was forced to retire to a monastery, until 1935 when he rejoined the military after the outbreak of the Italian-Ethiopian War.

6. Zopyrus and the Reconquering of Babylon

This following story may be more closely tied to legend than anything else, since the veracity of the account is debatable. The events were written down by Herodotus, several decades after they supposedly happened, and have a similarity to Homers description of Odysseus (Ulysses), who spied on Troy in The Odyssey. Moreover, there are no currently available cuneiform sources of the account, even though the affair took place in Persia, circa 500 BC.

In any case, the events took place during the reign of Darius the Great, ruler of the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire between 550486 BC, when the Empire went through a series of revolts. In order to bring the city of Babylon back into the fold, Darius amassed a large army with the hopes of reconquering it, if need be. On his arrival, he was met with closed gates, extra defenses put in place and taunting from the rebels, including the famous saying, Oh yes, you will capture our city, when mules shall have foals. Despite his many efforts and various strategies, the Emperor was unable to penetrate the city and was forced to hold a year and a half long siege. According to Herodotus account, a Persian nobleman by the name of Zopyrus presented himself in front of Darius with an idea on how to take back the city.

Prior to his arrival before the Emperor, Zopyrus had whipped himself, and even cut off his own nose and ears, making it look like he was punished for a serious crime. His plan, as he told Darius, was to present himself in this condition before the gates of Babylon, saying that the Emperor punished him for his failure in retaking the city, and he was now seeking asylum within the city walls. Darius agreed to the plan and Zopyrus was allowed access within Babylon. Being of high rank, the mutilated nobleman gained the Babylonians trust and before long became commander-in-chief of their army. Acting as an undercover agent, Zopyrus began to weaken the citys defenses and led an attack against Darius forces, deliberately falling into an ambush where they were utterly defeated. With the Babylonian walls undefended, the city was quickly recaptured and Zopyrus made governor.

5. Sun Pin and the Battle of Maling

Sun Pin (also referred to as Sun Bin) was a military strategist who lived during the Warring States period in China. An alleged descendant of none other than Sun Tzu himself, Sun Pin was tutored in military strategy alongside Pang Chuan; a colleague soon turned bitter rival. As Pang Chuan grew ever more envious of Sun Pins talents and expertise, he framed Sun Pin on charges of treason and reported him to the Wei ruler. As a result, Sun Pin had his feet cut off and his face branded as punishment, never again being allowed to serve under the king. However, another of the warring states, Chi, learned about Sun Pin and engaged his services in secret.

After many years as military strategist for the Chi, Sun Pin was finally presented with a chance to challenge his rival in battle when the two states went to war against each other. In 354 BC the Wei were waging war against another state, Zhao, and were besieging their capital, which in turn asked for help from the Chi. Leading the Chi forces was Sun Pin, who decided to attack the Wei state directly, in order to force their hand and bring back their forces from Zhao, which were led by none other than Pang Chuan. Before the two armies met, however, Sun Pin feinted a few defeats as to make Pang Chuan believe that the Chi were weak and unable to achieve victory. Also knowing Pang Chuan personally, Sun Pin laid in a trap for him. As the two armies drew closer, Sun Pin ordered 100,000 cooking fires be lit during the night. The following night he ordered just 50,000 and 20,000 after that. They even left some of their heavy artillery behind, further enforcing the idea of dwindling numbers. Hearing these reports, Pang Chuan was eager to attack the Chi, believing them to be on the point of desertion; thus falling for Sun Pins ruse. He took only his swiftest cavalry and went in pursuit.

Sun Pin chose the highly restrictive Maling Pass to exercise his trap and set 10,000 crossbowmen to wait in ambush. On a large tree he had written the words Pang Chuan shall die in Malingdao, under this tree. When the Wei army reached the tree during the night, they noticed the writing and lit a fire to better see the words. This act was also the signal for the crossbowmen to fire, taking the Wei army by surprise and totally overwhelming them with sheer numbers. What happened to Pang Chuan is speculation, with some saying that he committed suicide at the realization of his defeat, while others believe him to be among the first to die under the heavy volley of arrows.

4. Operation Scherhorn

Operation Scherhorn took place during WWII, between August 1944 and May 1945, where the Soviet NKVD (Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs) successfully fooled Nazi high command into freely giving them regular supplies. The operation was proposed by Stalin himself and involved a clever ploy where the Nazis were led to believe that a large group of German soldiers were operating behind enemy lines in what is now Belarus. The nonexistent group was to be under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Heinrich Scherhorn, a real German prisoner of war forced to cooperate with the Soviets.

Scherhorn made contact with Berlin, telling them of his apparent situation, alongside 2,500 other German troops. Plans were set in motion to rescue the stranded forces, sending in several small groups of commandos and supplies via airdrops. All of the men and supplies were seized by the Soviets, who continued on with the ploy. After a few failed rescue attempts, where the Russians seemed to appear out of nowhere and at the exact time to stop the evacuation, the German high command opted to send only regular supplies. Up until the end of WWII in Europe, the Germans kept up radio contact with Scherhorn, showing their support for his situation. Heinrich Scherhorn was even named a national hero in March 1945 and awarded the Knights Cross by the Nazis, for his ability to lead a troop of acting soldiers behind enemy lines.

3. William Washington at Rugeleys Mill

Another cleverly deceitful ploy of the American Revolutionary forces came about on December 4, 1780 when Colonel William Washington (George Washingtons second cousin), in charge of about eighty dragoons (cavalry units) in South Carolina, received reports of a group of Loyalists intercepting Patriot supply trains, and decided to investigate. Hearing of this new force coming towards them, the 114 Loyalists, led by Col. Henry Rugeley, retreated to their fort (Rugeleys Mill), which was no more than a fortified barn surrounded by a ditch and abatis. With no artillery on hand, William Washington ordered his men to fire their muskets at the barn, but to no effect.

The Loyalists, feeling secure inside their makeshift fort and having the advantage of numbers, soon realized their dire situation when Washington (who was also key in the victory in the Battle of Cowpens, by the way) came forward with a cannon, placing it in view and requesting them to surrender or be blown apart. Seeing no way out, Henry Rugeley accepted. Only after they were disarmed and rounded up did the Loyalists realize that Washingtons cannon was no more than a painted log on wheels and that they were fooled into coming out. The name used for such a weapon is Quaker gun. Used primarily by the Confederates during the American Civil War, Quaker guns played a small but significant role, like in this case here. The word Quaker is a byname for the Society of Friends, a Christian group that arose in mid-17th century England and founded several colonies in the US, among other places.

2. Cambyses II of Persia at the Battle of Pelusium

The Battle of Pelusium during the 6th century BC is of high historical importance, where the Persian Empire successfully invaded and defeated the Egyptians. Another of Herodotus accounts, the battle itself and what actually happened there, is up for debate. The story goes that Emperor Cambyses II requested Pharaoh Amasis daughter in marriage, but the pharaoh refused, fearing that she would be made to be his concubine and not his actual wife. He sent Nitetis instead, the daughter of the previous ruler, disguised as his daughter. The Persian Emperor discovered the plot, however, and vowed to enact his revenge.

By the time Cambyses reached the eastern borders of Egypt with his army, the Pharaoh had died and was replaced by his son, Psamtek III. The details of the battle are quite vague, but it seems that Cambyses made use of a bit of psychological warfare to take advantage and achieve victory. Knowing the Egyptian religious beliefs in animals-shaped gods, and their worship for the feline goddess, Bastet, the Persians had their shields painted with her image, psychologically paralyzing the Egyptians (who were not willing to strike the holy image of their goddess). Another account concerning the battle can be found with Polyaenus, a 2nd century BC Macedonian author, who wrote that the Persians employed live animals, sacred to the Egyptians, and placed them in the front lines. Whatever the case may be, we may never know what really happened there, or what kinds of hijinks warrior cats were capable of getting up to.

1. Vietcongs Tet Offensive

The Vietnam War, sometimes called the Second Indochina War, or even Resistance War Against America by the Vietnamese themselves, was one of the most drawn-out conflicts of the past century, lasting for almost 20 years. A Cold War-era proxy war against the spread of communism, it devastated the entire region, taking place over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. All throughout the eight years of US involvement, communist forces were waging a guerrilla war, lacking air, land, and sea superiority. Up until the beginning of 1968, the American public was mostly in favor of the war, strongly believing in their superiority and close victory. The Vietnam War was also the first one to be televised, with people watching daily reports straight from the battlefield. And since not much direct fighting was taking place, US citizens were feeling comfortable with their governments involvement in Southeast Asia.

All of this would change on January 30th 1968, when the North Vietnamese launched a massive wave of attacks all across South Vietnam, striking more than 100 towns and cities simultaneously. A total of over 80,000 Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops were deployed, and several cities fell under their control. However, as far as military strategy goes, this was a bad decision since the US and South Vietnam had the necessary forces to push back the advance (which they eventually did). But from a propaganda standpoint, the Tet Offensive was a success, bolstering North Vietnamese morale. But more importantly, it severely lowered it back in the States, shocking the US public.

Constantly being reassured by their government that North Vietnam was incapable of launching such a military operation, US citizens lost faith, and their support for the conflict declined. With ever increasing internal pressure, the US government decided to withdraw from the conflict five years later, and two years before the war officially ended with a North Vietnamese victory. In the end, even if the communists lost that particular battle, it was key to them eventually winning the war.

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Russia's Gazprom has given a set of proposals to the EU in order to solve the five year dispute on the pricing of natural gas.

The state company that provides a third of the total natural gas used in the EU, was targeted since 2012 with the accusation of its monopoly practices. On 2015 the EU went one step further accusing the company of overcharging countries of central and eastern Europe. Gasprom offered a set of plans for compensation that could reach 10% of the companys international turnover.

The Russian company did not disclose any details regarding the proposal. The Gasprom vice-president Alexander Medvedev, stated that the company is ready to take into consideration the criticism of the EU where it is well documented and as long as it is possible.

On behalf of the EU, it was confirmed that a move like that took place and it was under consideration. The Commissions spokesman pointed out, however, that in order for the agreement to move on, the free flow of gas to central and eastern Europe must be secured in competitive prices.

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"It is a very complex text which touches on all matters referring to Albania's EU accession prospect and Greek-Albanian relations," Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said on Wednesday, commenting on the conclusions adopted by the Slovak presidency's EU Council of General Affairs, which was held 10 days ago in Brussels.

In an interview with Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Kotzias expressed his satisfaction over the adoption of the Greek positions in relation to Albania and particularly on issues referring to the Greek minority and its property assets as well as on good neighborly relations. In the conclusions, "the need for the protection of the minorities' rights throughout Albania and not only in specific zones it was underlined," the minister said. "Moreover, the protection of the minorities' right was linked directly, for the first time, with the rights in property".

Albania's accession to EU

Asked on Albania's good neighbourly relations, which is an issue included in the conclusions and touches upon the recent nationalist rhetoric against Greece, the Greek foreign minister emphasised the "great clarity" with which it was stated.

Kotzias said Greece wishes Albania's accession to EU but not as a favour. "The criteria applied to other EU member-states should also be applied in the case of Albania," he said, adding that the dialogue on the solution of pending issues with Albania continues, following the visit of the deputy foreign minister of Albania to Athens a few days ago, during which he met with the general secretary of the Greek foreign ministry, Ambassador Dimitris Paraskevopoulos.

EU General Affairs Council conclusions

Asked about the role of the Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between Greece and FYROM in the context of the EU General Affairs Council conclusions text, Kotzias said that "history is not a jail but a school and this school should teach the right history". He added that Greece tried from the start to have good relations with everyone. "I have underlined that it is good that the neighbouring country exists. We want its stability and we are the only state that has never expressed any opinion on FYROM's domestic developments respecting its autonomy, independence and sovereignty.

Therefore I believe that it is right to recognise the positive role of the CBM in the EU's text," he added. "So the issue we have, which of course is linked with irredentism, is to find a solution to what we call 'the name issue'. And because some people believe that the name issue is secondary, I must remind them that it is a prerequisite for FYROM's accession to NATO and the EU. In fact, the interim agreement invoked by several sides, was made to allow time for name proposals. We have tabled our proposals on this matter and we are waiting to hear the other side's opinion".

More democratic and European Turkey

On the conclusions referring to Turkey and Austria's proposal to freeze EU-Turkey relations, Kotzias said that "Greece supports a more democratic and European Turkey."

"We supported the powers that resisted the coup attempted by a section of the army. We are against coups but from the viewpoint of the sound, efficient and democratic operation of the institutions. We believe that Turkey's EU accession course should not be closed", however, "it does not depend on us or the EU if Turkey will have a European course and perspective; it depends on its own choices and will. If it respects European and international law ... then Turkey will always be welcome in EU," Kotzias said.

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Federal authorities say crew fatigue may have contributed to the derailment of a BNSF freight train that spilled more than 20,000 gallons of ethanol after leaving the tracks last year near Alma.

The engineer applied the brakes too suddenly, in violation of railroad guidelines, causing 25 cars to jump the tracks as the train bunched up on the morning of Nov. 17, 2015, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The makeup of the 112-car train, which had heavily-loaded cars behind dozens of lighter, empty cars contributed to the derailment, the FRA determined.

When brakes are applied too rapidly, momentum at the rear of a train can push forward cars off the track, which one former train operator likened to locking up the front brake on a bicycle.

While the engineer and conductor each had more than 13 hours of rest prior to beginning their shift at 1 a.m., both scored poorly on the FRAs fatigue analysis tool. According to the report, their likely impairment would have been similar to having a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent, the legal limit for driving a vehicle.

Both passed drug and alcohol screenings.

FRA spokesman Marc Willis said the agency did not fine the railroad as the engineer did not violate any federal regulations; he characterized the mistake as poor handling.

BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth said the engineer is no longer employed as a result of this incident.

According to the report, the 112-car freight train was traveling south at 26 mph when it derailed at 8:45 a.m. The engineer had previously slowed it from 54 mph. The maximum speed limit on that track is 60 mph, although the train was restricted to 55 mph, according to the FRA report.

The train included 20 hazardous material cars, including 15 carrying ethanol. Five of the tankers leaked a combined 20,413 gallons of alcohol.

About 75 people were evacuated and Hwy. 35 closed for about three hours as firefighters from as far away as La Crosse responded. There were no fires or explosions, but emergency responders said the situation had the potential to be disastrous.

There were no injuries reported in the derailment, which caused about $2.1 million damage to rail equipment and track.

Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have not documented any wildlife kills following the derailment.

McBeth said water monitoring, conducted under the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, was completed in the spring at an undisclosed cost to the railroad. Officials with the EPA and DNR did not immediately respond to messages left Tuesday.

The Alma derailment was one of several high-profile rail accidents to occur last winter in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The following day, a Canadian Pacific train carrying crude oil left the tracks in Watertown, Wis., spilling hundreds of gallons of the fuel and prompting an evacuation in the southern Wisconsin city. In January, a CP train en route from St. Paul, Minn., to Kansas City derailed near Brownsville, Minn., sending six tank cars and about 660 gallons of vegetable oil into the Mississippi River.

Two locomotives and five freight cars in a BNSF train derailed on Sept. 22 when flash flooding washed out the earth beneath the tracks near Ferryville, Wis. About 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel were spilled in that incident, which remains under investigation.
The value of national origin products exported from Bahrain was BD143 million ($379 million) last month, as compared to BD130 million in October, marking a month-on-month increase of 10 per cent, a report said.



Eighty-seven per cent of them went to the top 10 ranked countries and 13 per cent to other countries, added the Foreign Trade Report for Non-Oil Products released by Information & eGovernment Authority (IGA).



The US has been ranked as the top country importing from Bahrain with BD32.2 million, Saudi Arabia ranked as the second with BD32.1 million and the UAE comes in third place with BD16 million.



Imports value reached BD394 million during November.



Top ten countries account for 65 per cent of the imports value and 35 per cent for other countries. China has been ranked as the first country that exports to Bahrain with BD46 million, the US ranked as the second with BD44 million, while the UAE has been ranked as the third with BD30 million.



Floating or submersible drilling platforms emerged as the top product imported to Bahrain with BD19.4 million, while the tugs and pusher craft as the second with BD18.5 million. Sedan vehicles were the third products with BD18 million during November.



The value of re-exports has reached BD36 million during November 2016. Top ten countries account for 87 per cent of the re-exported value and 13 per cent for the other countries.



Saudi Arabia has been ranked as the first country to re-export from Bahrain with BD14 million, UAE ranked as the second with BD8 million, and Turkey as the third with BD3 million.



Agglomerated iron ores and concentrates emerged as the top product exported from Bahrain with BD35 million, aluminium wire as the second products with BD20 million, where rectangular alloyed aluminium plates took third products exported with BD16 million during November.



Aluminium wire emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD2.7 million, telephones for cellular or other wireless networks came as second products with BD2.5 million, and parts for motor vehicles came as the third with BD2 million during November.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based Gulf Ship Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf Navigation Holding, has signed a tie-up with Switzerlands SeaQuest Group to set up a ship management joint venture and expand operations in the region.



A new company will be created under a partnership agreement signed recently in Geneva by Gulf Ship Management and SeaQuest Group, reported WAM, the Emirates official news agency.



It will be affiliated and owned by Gulf Navigation and will be headquartered in Dubai starting from January 2017, according to an emailed press release from Gulf Navigation Holding.



Under the agreement, Gulf Navigation will expand its business in the Middle East, Africa and other neighbouring countries.



"This partnership will not only contribute towards our business growth in the field of the ship management, but also towards the expansion of our services in the field of technical consultancy to manage a variety of maritime projects and improve the quality of our services with the support and experience of our new partners," said Khamis Juma Buamim, CEO of Gulf Navigation.



"By joining forces with one of the leading UAE shipping companies, we have the unique opportunity to enter in a very active and expanding market and bring our expertise and skills as well as our consistent and persistent approach to quality services," said Sebastiano Portunato, director of SeaQuest.
mCarbon, an Indian mobile technology service provider, is looking at expanding into Bahrain to tap into the countrys large mobile subscriber base, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.








Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), the national oil company of Bahrain, has chosen Avaya to transform its network infrastructure.



In line with its business objectives of digital transformation and rebranding, Bapco will deploy Avayas next-generation fabric networking technology to power the corporate network across its locations in Bahrain, enabling the company to securely and seamlessly add services and devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) era.



The first company to discover oil in the Arabian Peninsula in 1932, Bapco will become the first company in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) regions oil and gas sector to deploy Avaya SDN Fx fabric networking.



The technology will give Bapco a future-proof infrastructure that automates and simplifies deployment of new services while it reduces the potential for human error, outages and negative impacts on business processes, said a statement.



The new network infrastructure will provide connectivity for a range of services, including voice, data, CCTV, video, digital signage, and more. Accordingly, Bapco requires a networking platform that is secure, flexible, scalable and robust, and capable of separating applications using the same physical network. Avayas network architecture achieves these goals, and provides effortless and efficient network roll-out of devices and services, while ensuring reliability in delivery and network access, it said.



The technology will enable Bapco to safely and securely take advantage of emerging trends such as cloud, mobility and the IoT. Avaya SDN Fx fabric networking enables the company to use end-to-end hypersegmentation within their network to create separate or stealth traffic lanes for select services and applications. This also, provides the elasticity needed to protect the everywhere perimeter that comes with the increase in mobile devices and connected Things, said the statement.



Bapco has never stood still and we are always looking at how we can use technology to further our leadership in the oil and gas sector. We require a networking infrastructure that can meet our needs for today and enable us to deliver the services required in the future. Avayas state-of-the-art technology will deliver the resiliency, scalability and security to ensure there is no impact on business processes, while simplifying the provisioning of new services as and when required, said Daij Khalifa, manager - information technology, Bapco.



Avayas next-generation SDN-Fx technology is continuing to make inroads with some of the most iconic companies in the region, and we are proud to be working with an industry leader and innovator such as Bapco. This project symbolises our commitment to Bahrain, and highlights the importance to us of this key growth market. By working closely with Bapco, we can play our part in Bahrains economic development, while helping Bapco deliver the next-generation solutions that will help it take its business into the future, said Mohammed Areff, VP, Avaya Middle East and Turkey. - TradeArabia News Service


Qatar Airways has introduced signature Nappa Dori amenity kits on board for all of its premium passengers travelling on short and medium haul flights.



The artisan brand, Nappa Dori, which has gained global recognition for its luxury handcrafted travel and fashion accessories, has created bespoke amenity kits that celebrate the airlines global network by featuring images from the more than 150 destinations Qatar Airways serves.



Qatar Airways is the first airline to launch an exclusive worldwide partnership with Nappa Dori, the New Delhi-based brand, and is one of the only international airlines to offer amenity kits to its premium passengers flying short distances from Doha.



Together the two innovative brands have combined vintage and contemporary styles to create unique canvas amenity kits that currently feature one of three iconic cityscapes, Doha, Paris, and London. The new amenity kits are available on board all Business and First Class flights flying to destinations within five hours of the airline's awards-winning hub and home, Hamad International Airport.



The amenity kit exclusively features lip balm from Italys Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, the environmentally friendly olive oil company, as well as socks and eyeshades. The travel accessory designs are available in four different styles and will be refreshed every few months to ensure frequent travellers can add new keepsake bags to their collection.



Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: Nappa Dori, like Qatar Airways, is a business that prides itself in providing its customers with superb and unique products and invests in quality and service to create an exceptional experience for the customer.



Our premium travellers deserve the very best service and comfort, whether they are joining us for a short or long flight, we want them to take pleasure in their time on board with Qatar Airways.

Qatar Airways also recently announced an exclusive three-year partnership with BRICS and Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio to provide new amenity kits and products to Business and First Class travellers on long-haul flights. - TradeArabia News Service
There is a rise in local wheat prices, so the government has removed the 10 percent import duty. Continuously for two years, there has been drought. So there is also a fear that buffer stocks will fall down. If the quantity of import will pick up, the prices will rise by 35%, expected by the wheat traders. Australia, Ukraine and Russia have been extremely good for wheat crops.

The import of wheat in India will definitely be cheaper as the prices of wheat in India are on the higher side. To control the local wheat prices, the imported wheat can be used to control.

Arun Jaitley who is the Finance Minister declared the cut on duty on wheat import to 0% on 8 December 2016. In September2016, the import duty was earlier 25% and reduced to 10%.

This year, the wheat imports will be to the tune of 5 million tonnes, expected by the traders. By duty cut, it may lead to more imports. In the local market, the wheat prices will be under control, expected by the traders also. in coming few days, wheat prices may fall expected by Delhi traders. Wheat prices fall from Rs.21.50/- current price to Rs.20/- and it was also expected. Last year the wheat price was at Rs. 17/kg Lawrence market said they expect the wheat prices to fall from Rs.21.50 per kg to Rs.20 per kg in the succeeding two days. About a year ago, what was being sold at Rs.17 a kg, they alleged.

The government has decided to import wheat as the buffet stock is falling down. As per industry data, from April around 2.1 million tonnes of wheat has been imported. $316-320 per tonne is the selling price of Indian wheat. for $197-212 per tonne is the selling price of wheat which has been imported from Ukraine and Russia.

On 1 December 2015 Indian wheat stock was 27 million tonnes. It is expected to be at 15.5 million tonnes this year.

In 2015-16, wheat crop of 93.5 million tonnes is estimated by the government, which is 8 % more than 86.53 million tonnes by 2014-15

Source : www.importexportmarketing.in
World Beyond The Wild

Ami challenges the Wolfpack to step out of their comfort zone. They must take on something they've always wanted to experience outside of the bush.
There has been so much speculation on the hardware specifications and the performance of the Nintendo Switch. All the rumors will not stop until Nintendo reveals everything. Everyone will just have to wait for the Nintendo event that will take place in January next month.

Until then, only unconfirmed and even conflicting information will be available, such as the information initially reported on Twitter by the Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki who had heard from an Ace Research Institute Analyst that the portable mode resolution of the Nintendo Switch would be 1080p and not just 720p and would output to WQHD resolution when docked. He later corrected himself on Twitter that the internal chips of the console can handle WQHD resolution but would output to 1080p while docked.

According to Yahoo!, Emily Rogers, a blogger with access to Nintendo insider information, responded on Twitter to Mochizuki's post, noting that the portable mode resolution is only 720p to conserve battery and in docked mode, would upscale to 1080p and even 4K resolution. She also later corrected herself, posting on Twitter that the Nintendo Switch would render and not upscale at 1080p resolution while docked.

The news that the Nintendo Switch would be capable of handling WQHD or even 4K resolution led observers to believe that the console could be almost as powerful as a PS4. The news that a docked Nintendo Switch would be twice as fast as the undocked Nintendo Switch in portable mode drew different responses.

Some, such as technology website Engadget, focused on the higher performance of the console while docked saying that the Nintendo Switch was more powerful when in console mode. Others focused on the lower performance of the console when undocked saying it was underpowered.

As seen in Forbes magazine, the underpowered description was reiterated when information came out that the Nintendo Switch would be using older 'Maxwell' Nvidia processors instead of the newer 'Pascal' chips. The newer Nvidia processors were said, could allow the Nintendo Switch to surpass the performance of the Xbox One and almost reach that of the PS4.

In the end, the performance debate may turn out not to be as crucial as most have believed. Gaming website Destructoid has reported that analyst Michael Pachter said that he has heard from many developers that the Nintendo Switch is the easiest console to develop among the three current generation consoles.

The information that the Nintendo Switch is easiest to develop for should not come as a surprise since Nvidia is a strong partner of Nintendo. Nvidia is devoting its resources and expertise in its hardware to optimize the software tools that will be used by developers to create games intended for Nvidia's processors.

Nvidia will ensure that these software tools take full advantage of the hardware they designed so that they will wring every ounce of performance out of the system. Not only will these software tools make it easier to develop games but they will also allow those games to run optimally on the Nvidia hardware inside the Nintendo Switch which should compensate for the less powerful raw performance of their hardware.

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It has already become a fact of life that, aside from having fun and collecting positive memories, traveling has a way of enhancing a person's quality of life. However, several objective studies also confirmed that traveling also enhances the quality of a person.

A research commissioned by the US Travel Association has confirmed that the exposure to an unfamiliar environment jumpstarts a person's overall mental performance. Hence, these mild waves of 'fight or flight' adventurer stimuli encourage the top 5 areas of mental performance:

Spatial Intelligence

Traveling requires a good sense of direction. For better or worse, the misadventures of getting lost or going around in circles within the foreign territory develops that innate mental compass. With enough exposure (say, three months), a person can move around the unfamiliar 'concrete jungle' with relative ease.

Enhanced Ingenuity

In a study conducted by a professor at Columbia Business School, people who experienced long exposure to foreign cultures are more creative than their insular peers. After all, it requires a serious degree of flexibility to accommodate more than one type of society - to think outside the box, per se.

Interpersonal Skills

As an extension of ingenuity, traveling also allows individuals to effectively deal with people within the vast cultural spectrum. In fact, being able to turn on the same page with assorted personalities is (arguably) the most crucial career-oriented trait gained of all the top 5 ways traveling makes a person smart.

Knowledge Expansion

Whether it is practicing new useful skills or updating academic trivia, traveling is the 'textbook and classroom lecture on overdrive.' Literature provides second-hand knowledge about things that originate in other places. Traveling, however, allows explorers to acquire detailed knowledge via the original source.

Numerical Acumen

Traveling, particularly one that is done solo, entails a gruesome day-to-day logistical assessment. Making every second and every penny count becomes a natural chore of every avid traveler. Simply put it, traveling forces one to do the math on an hourly basis.

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Do you want to travel? Are you lacking ideas on where to go or how to go about with your trip? As the year is approaching an end, I have come up with a list of free downloadable applications that you can move to 2017 with that will give you travel tips, deals and a means to organize your travel.

According to Forbes, launched in September this year by Google, the app "Google trip" has found favor in the eyes of many hitting around million downloads. It bases on your Google history to recommend and guide you to world top places to visit. It is free and can work offline and uses your Gmail account to make reservations for hotels, car rentals, and flight tickets.

With more than 50 cities around the globe including Hong Kong and Beijing, the app "Guide" by lonely planet a stunning travel application, offers travel suggestions. With this application, you can investigate city aides, for example, touring proposals and local hotspots that are locally aided.

With flight status, the application helps you track the status of flights, knowing their delays, terminals they will be in and much more.it is a free app available on both android and apple. Tinder app might not be that interesting since it is a dating application, but you can use it to get friends in the local area you are in. if dating seems so tensioning, a group feature can help a group you're traveling with interact with locals.

Reported by Apps tips &tricks, If visiting an area and you have no guide, "sidekix" offers a city guide as you navigate along the streets of the new city you are in, it will recommend the best restaurants, coffee points, and shopping spots. The worst thing about this app it requires data and if you are in a foreign place it will be expensive and it is battery consuming. Better be fully charged and have a map downloaded beforehand.

"My TSA" calculates the delays across the country, the weather information and in some cases, pre-check in at hotels. It is better than following the airport on twitter. "Cafe Wi-Fi" is also another great app. It locates where free Wi-Fi and hotspots are located at and saves you the hustle of moving from cafe to cafe locating Wi-Fi. You can go without a tour guide and yet enjoy your travel. The apps Google trip, sidekix and much more can make your travel easier in 2017.

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Carrie Fisher, the actress popularly known in her female lead role from the "Star Wars" series as Princess Leia Organa, has passed after a heart attack at the age of 60.

According to E! News, the incident happened while her flight from London to Los Angeles was just 15 minutes away from landing. The family's representative, Simon Halls, made the official announcement that the "Star Wars" icon have died on Tuesday.

"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," Halls told E! "She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."

Based on TMZ's report, CPR and every possible life-saving measure had been administered before the plane made its landing. Afterwards, Fisher was rushed to the nearest hospital in an attempt to save her life. She was sent to the ICU immediately.

The incident took place on Dec. 23 and the actress still made it after being sent to the ICU. Carrie's brother even confirmed that she was in a stable condition, just a few hours after being sent to the ICU. Unfortunately, the actress still passed away on Tuesday.

A number of celebrities, including the YouTube personality, Anne Akana, who was aboard the same plane, expressed their devastation with the news of the "Star Wars" icon's untimely demise. This also included Fisher's closest co-stars like Mark Hamill, who played the role of Luke Skywalker in the previous entries in the movie series.

Carrie Fisher was widely known as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" series in 1978. This followed her debut in "Shampoo" back in 1975 where she was only 19 years old. Fisher also made her appearances in the two following installments "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of The Jedi."

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What's supposed to be a holy, harmless Christmas carol service in Sri Lanka turned out to be quite a hilarious, embarrassing event when the organizers accidentally printed the wrong "Hail Mary" song. They downloaded Tupac's rap version instead.

Last December 11, The Archdiocese of Colombo, Father Silva, has organized a carol service fundraiser called "Joy to the World 2016: A Festival of Music for Peace & Harmony", one of the biggest carol services in Sri Lanka. Everything is serene and sanctified until the attendees saw the printed lyrics of Tupac's "Hail Mary" instead of the traditional Christmas prayer in their booklet.

Churchgoer Andrew Chosky, who attended the event, said that he was shocked when he recognized the lyrics. He shared it on Twitter and since then got a thousand shares all over the world. "A lot of people around us were in shock as to whether it was a joke, or if someone would actually rap the song," he said. "A few of the older ladies in front of us could not stop looking at the printed booklet."

"No explanation was given at all," Chosky added. "They didn't acknowledge it at the venue. To be honest, I don't think many people saw the booklet at all. The people that realised were shocked at first but then took it in good humour around me."

Apparently, it was a young altar boy who committed the mistake, according to Father Silva. Some lyrics in the rap song says "Now pay attention, rest in peace father. I'm a ghost in these killing fields. Hail Mary catch me if I go, let's go deep inside the solitary mind of a madman who screams in the dark."

"The page was in the middle of the booklet. When people looked at this page, they saw it before the start of the show. Two people saw it and alerted us to it," Father Silva explained. "We are very sorry to say that this happened."

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Many would suggest going carpe diem and #YOLO on trips, but avid travelers should know better. Now that the New Year is finally here what resolutions should everybody put in mind when traveling solo?

Do Always go with a plan

No matter how short noticed or sudden an outing could be, it would always be best to go with a plan. It would help a traveler avoid getting lost, putting himself in danger and even losing precious time not knowing what to do or where to go.

Try searching for places during your down time, like while waiting for the plane to arrive, while on a bus, or even before going to sleep. Fobes lists a number of websites that provides reviews from other travelers about a restaurant or a hotel in your destination.

Don't Say No to the Food

There is a number of very interesting exotic food that can be found in different parts of the world, Elite Readers lists Balut from South East Asia, Tuna Eye Balls from Japan and Bat Soup from Thailand as a few favorites.

When traveling to a place that serves exotic food, it would always be a story to tell when you try it. If you are already in that dream adventure that you have always planned to have, why not go all out?

Do Let go of Technology

One of the reasons why people is so that they could take a break. Technology cuts a person from connecting with his physical world. Letting go of technology momentarily cuts that link between a traveler from calls, emails, and even social media.

If you're just going to spend time taking pictures of the scenery, then go home, go online and just search for the photos. Be in the moment, it may be the best weekend decision you have ever made.

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American holiday travelers will struggle with mighty traffic as they return to their homes and to their work. Heavy snow and blizzards have been reported in Montana, Idaho and Utah and several major highways have been shut off from the public due to freezing.

According to The Daily Mail, severe winter storms since the weekend had plunged heavy snow across the United States. The news website said a "combination of freezing rain, snow and high winds" had forced highways in both North and South Dakotas to be shut off from public use last Monday. They also report that North Dakota authorities issued no-travel warnings for incoming and outgoing drivers.

In South Dakota, the South Dakota Rural Electric Association said about 16,400 residents in the area had a power outage during Monday evening. The news website also said that Central Minnesota is about a half-inch of ice that may ultimately impede vehicular travel in different areas including Idaho, Utah and Northeast Colorado. Snow also landed in Southern California forcing the closure of its north-south interstate highway for four hours last Saturday.

Along with the Dakotas, Montana is expected to have at least 15 inches of snow and stronger winds for the duration of the Christmas season up to the New Year. According to The Guardian -- citing National Weather Service Meteorologist Greg Gust -- travelers must "stay put." Gust warns that nothing will be moving "between the ice and snow and winds howling like crazy."

In the southern areas of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, warm temperatures are elevating risks of tornadoes and possible thunderstorms. The Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center expects no potential major outbreak but warnings and observation of possible flood continued as heavy rains fell consistently during the weekend.

Travelers braving the snowstorms as they return to their homes are advised to bring an emergency pack containing first aid, spare tires, spare car batteries, extra food and water and blankets in case of any roadside trouble caused by heavy snowfall. Traffic authorities are also on the watch for drivers on interstate roads in case of any emergencies.

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Can't go to Hong Kong? Be there virtually! Brought to you by USA TODAY NETWORK and YouTube, you can spin videos up to 360 degrees with VRtually There. Every week, the team gets you to experience adventures with three virtual happenings.

This time, the team gets you to tour the country even if you're in your jammies. "Hong Kong is an amusement park of a city, full of wonders both natural and manmade," VRtually There offered. "The world's largest fleet of double-decker trams offers a front-row seat to one of the world's most vibrant cities," they stated in a YouTube video.

For a couple of minutes, the video takes you a ride along Wan Chai in the tram. Drag your cursor to view other passengers with you! VRtually There lets you have a boat ride around Victoria Harbour.

Your next stop would be Lantau Island, where you get to be with other tourists visiting one of the world's largest Buddha monuments that seat over the mountains. Take a ride of their glass gondolas as well and see what's below you. More trees.

VRtually There launched in October this year with their first show in the Arizona desert. Technically you get to experience walking on a rope thousands of feet above the ground. Their second VR episode streaked you out of your sporty and daredevil side by walking on a plane's wing and goes skateboarding with pros.

According to USA Today, new episodes will be published on Thursdays at 2 PM Eastern Time, with three segments that last about five minutes. Joanne Lipman, USA TODAY NETWORK's chief content officer, said, "Our in-house VR content production is unique to the industry, allows us to showcase our great journalism across the NETWORK and allows us to expose our vast audience to this innovative storytelling."

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Mike Krogman is doing some long-distance apartment hunting.

Hell be leaving the lakeshore house he rents in Pardeeville and heading to Iowa, probably sometime this spring.

Krogman, 48, has worked for Oscar Mayer in Madison since April 1990, first on the sanitation crew and now as union secretary/treasurer and chief steward.

But the plant is scheduled to close by the end of March 2017, so Krogman plans to transfer to Oscar Mayers factory in Davenport so he can put in the three more years he needs to earn a pension. He doesnt know what job hell get in Iowa or how much it will pay.

Id rather not go down there, but its a part of life, I guess. You have to do what you have to do, Krogman said.

Madison city officials also are trying to prepare for the unknown.

Mayor Paul Soglin said planning for the future of the longtime Oscar Mayer site at 910 Mayer Ave.  at the intersection of Packers and Commercial avenues  will get serious in 2017.

We are planning a meeting ... sitting down with some business leaders here in the city, just discussing the future of the site and what may be done with it, from a technical standpoint, Soglin said.

Thats our highest priority  to start doing some planning, he said. But the mayor said it could be 10 years before the site comes alive again, with a new identity.

Just a few months before Madisons near-century of meat production at Oscar Mayer will end, many questions remain unanswered: Questions about the hundreds of remaining workers whose jobs will disappear; questions about the fate of the 72-acre site and the 1.7 million square feet of offices and factory it houses  the place where hot dogs and processed meats began production in 1919 and where, at its peak, more than 4,000 people once worked.

One thing is certain: With the impending closing of Oscar Mayer, 2017 will see a big shake-up in the citys economic base and in the rhythm of the North Side neighborhood that is not likely to be resolved anytime soon.

Dwindling jobs

When parent company Kraft Heinz announced in November 2015 it would close Oscar Mayer operations in Madison as part of a restructuring that will shutter seven plants in the U.S. and Canada, about 1,000 people worked in the local factory and offices, including 650 union members at the plant.

Today, there are 450 employees left  fewer than half  company spokesman Michael Mullen said. Of those, 420 are union members, said Doug Leikness, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 538.

They wont be there much longer. Leikness said hes been told 42 plant workers jobs will end Saturday, and at least 44 more at the end of January.

Another 240 jobs will disappear in February when the round and square products  lunch meats such as bologna, ham and turkey  will cease production, Leikness said.

I believe some of these product lines that we have are going to start up in January in Kirksville, Missouri, he said.

Kraft Heinz officials are not offering details, but Mullen gave this emailed statement:

Kraft Heinz will end production at the Madison factory in the first quarter of 2017, and we are in the process of transitioning production to other facilities within the United States, Mullen wrote.

We continue to work with local officials and potential buyers on the sale of our Madison facility. We remain committed to keeping the community apprised of our progress. For now, the process remains ongoing. Once a decision has been reached, our employees will be the first to know.

We sincerely thank our employees for their hard work and commitment to the facility. As always, we remain committed to treating our people with the utmost respect and dignity, Mullen wrote.

Headed to Iowa

Krogman is among about 50 of Madisons Oscar Mayer workers who intend to transfer to Davenport, Leikness estimated. When they do, they will have bumping rights over the Iowa employees.

Under a clause in the unions contract, if Madisons Oscar Mayer plant closes, its employees have the right to take over a job thats held by a worker with the least seniority at the Davenport factory.

Quite a few employees, though, are choosing to retire instead, Leikness said, and some are drawing pensions of $2,000 a month or more.

Employees who are at least 50 years old and have worked for the company at least 20 years can get a double-pension, Leikness said. Some even qualify for a $750 bonus on top of that.

Those who are not eligible to receive a pension will get a separation agreement with smaller payments.

Leikness said newer Oscar Mayer employees have a 401(k) retirement account instead of a pension and wont get company-paid health insurance when they eventually retire.

Krogman, who grew up in Eau Claire and went to high school in DeForest, wound up at Oscar Mayer by accident. He had earned an associate degree in police science at Madison Area Technical College but was not able to land a law enforcement job right away. When the Oscar Mayer job emerged, he took it.

The pay at Oscar Mayer at the time was more than most police jobs, Krogman said.

Oscar Mayers been a good place to work. You can work a lot of hours and earn extra money. Ive been able to buy houses, he said.

The Davenport operation also is undergoing a big change. Kraft Heinz will close Davenports current plant and is building a new one  with the help of at least $15 million in state and local incentives  that will provide jobs for several hundred fewer employees.

Whats next

When Oscar Mayer ceases operations here, it will affect more than just the employees.

Local utilities will take a big hit:

Madison Gas and Electric Co. has told state regulators Oscar Mayer is the source of more than $3 million in revenue each year.

Oscar Mayer has long been the largest customer of the Madison Water Utility, typically using 400 million to 450 million gallons of water a year and providing the water utility with more than $1 million a year in revenue, or 2.8 percent of its total annual revenue, spokeswoman Amy Barrilleaux said.

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District says Oscar Mayer is the No. 2 contributor of wastewater  after only UW-Madison  and treating that wastewater has generated more than $500,000 a year in revenue for the sewerage district, on average, over the past 10 years.

Soglin said the citys 2017 budget includes $100,000 to hire a private planning consultant to help city staff develop a strategy for the soon-to-be-vacant property.

Most people agree we want a solid employment base at the site. Were not interested in housing, not interested in retail sales  which isnt to say none of that will be there. But the key has to be something that creates employment, good jobs, Soglin said.

He said the city has been in contact with Oscar Mayer officials at Krafts base in Chicago on a monthly basis.

So far, no word has been forwarded about any serious interest in buying the buildings, and no developer has approached the city, Soglin said.

They will notify us when they have a buyer. When the property was listed in the summer, I know that there was interest, said Soglin.

The citys main objective now is to get the site cleared for new development, he said. Soglin said he has told Kraft Heinz that if a developer comes forward, the city will apply for federal brownfield cleanup funds, which cannot be awarded to private companies.

Conversely, if there are no takers, we have told Oscar Mayer that if the site were cleaned up, we would take it for a dollar. But it cant come with any liabilities, Soglin said.

He estimated it would cost $10 million to $12 million to demolish the buildings, remove the materials and prepare for a grounds cleanup.

With no other business waiting in the wings to move into the location, it could take up to a decade before anything happens, Soglin said.

Impact on local businesses

In the meantime, things will slow down for area businesses that have catered to the Oscar Mayer crowd  the groceries, hardware stores, restaurants.

Those crowds already have diminished in recent years, said John Kavanaugh, whose family has owned Kavanaughs Esquire Club, 1025 N. Sherman Ave., since 1947.

With only an open field separating the businesses, Oscar Mayer workers used to congregate at the old-fashioned supper club for lunch, bowling banquets and Christmas parties. Even members of the Mayer family would come by.

When the meat processing plant traditionally closed for a holiday break at noon on Christmas Eve day, workers would stop in and hold an impromptu cocktail party at the Esquire Club, he said. That was always a very festive day for us, Kavanaugh said.

He said the closing is a concern for other members of the North Side Business Association, as well. When people dont have the money to spend, (and there are fewer) people working, it makes a difference to everyone.

Kavanaugh said at least a couple of people have suggested that Epic Systems Corp., the huge electronic health records software company in Verona, might be interested in taking over the Oscar Mayer site.

What a wonderful thing that would be  if (Epic founder) Judy Faulkner would want to put a training center in the area, close to the airport and close to the Interstate (highway), Kavanaugh said.

An Epic presence would likely draw a major hotel to the area as well, he speculated.

She certainly has the wherewithal, the funding to do that. What a great thing that would be for the North Side, Kavanaugh said.
With the world in a wee bit of chaos this 2016, traveling has never been scarier. Travelers must now be vigilant while traveling, for several terrorist groups are installing fear in some countries in Europe and especially in the Middle East.

But fear not, there are some places in the world you can still travel without being afraid for your safety. This 2017, put these places in your travel bucket list for a safe, stress-free travel:

Slovenia is a country in Europe, a terribly underrated tourist destination full of beautiful landscapes, rich history, and fairy-tale like sceneries. And when it comes to safety, travelers shouldn't worry because it's not often that they experience terror-like activities. You will notice the abundance of police officers constantly roaming around in their city, because safety for all people is paramount in Slovenia. That right there should make you relax. Some beautiful destinations you should check out in this country are the Skocjan Caves, Bled, and Predjama Castle.

Traveling to Portugal is not only affordable and memorable, it also boasts top marks in the safety department. Police officers are always present in their tourist attractions to ensure the safety of all travelers, and, you don't hear much of troubles and fearful incidents going around in their place. Indulge yourself in their mouthwatering local cuisine as well as the beautiful attractions such as Azores, Coimbra, and Madeira.

Traveling to Czech Republic always feels like you're stepping back in time, with its Middle-Age vibe and hidden green valleys. And when it comes to safety, the odds are very low for any unfortunate encounter. In fact, each year, only less than a hundred people get murdered in Prague, and the most likely cause of trouble or injury you might get while traveling here is spraining your ankle walking in their cobbled streets. So yes, indulge yourselves in Czech's medieval-like towns, friendly people, and amazing culture without looking over your shoulders. Your safety here is guaranteed.

Six years have been Iceland in the running for the safest place to travel in the world. And why not? Because of its relatively small geography, people here don't waste their time involving themselves in petty crimes, and terrorism here is actually close to nil. Residents here also top the list of high literacy rates, which means the residents know better than to make their place unsafe. Explore Iceland and marvel in their stunning waterfalls, picturesque natural heated pools, and of course, don't forget to witness the Aurora Borealis.

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Planning a January getaway? Want rest and recreation? Want to escape the cold weather? Want to do it all but afraid you luck funds to travel? If you said yes to all, then here are our top 5 cheapest places in Southeast Asia you can visit in January.

Boracay Island, Philippines

Boracay Island is located in the province of Aklan in the southern part of the Philippines. It boasts of the best white sand beach in existence. With an average January temperature in range of 73 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, you can go island hopping, splash around the beaches, enjoy its one of a kind nightlife. Accommodation in Boracay costs around US$ 46 to $US 76 dollars per night per two persons.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, commonly known as Saigon, is located in Southern Vietnam. With an average January temperature range of 70 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit, travelers can explore Ho Chi Minh City's famous French colonial landmarks, sample the delicacies of its food stalls lining up its streets, or splash around its nearby beaches. Accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City costs around $US 54 to $US 69 per night for two persons.

Bangkok Thailand

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and is known for its shrines and street life. With a blistering average January temperature in range of 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, travelers can visit the Chao Phraya River, the Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kae Temple. Visitors can also see the reclining Buddha in the Wat Pho Temple. Accommodation in Bangkok costs around $US 32 to $US 50 per night for two persons.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is a popular resort town that is located in the northwestern part of Cambodia. Siem Reap also serves as the gateway to the ruins of Angkor. The main temple in Ankor, called Angkor Wat, is depicted on the national flag of Cambodia. Travelers can also marvel at the giant faces carved into the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom. The average January temperature in Siem Reap is in range of 68 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The accommodation in Siem Reap costs around $US 31 to $US 42 per night for two persons.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang is located in the northern part of Laos and was the royal capital of Laos until 1975. With an average January temperature ranging from 58 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, travelers can visit Luang Prabang's famous Buddhist temples such as Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Mai. The accommodation in Luang Prabang costs around $US 34 to $US 59 per night for two persons.

There you have it, you can have fun exploring these beautiful places in Southeast Asia. Did we miss something in our top 5 cheapest places in Southeast Asia you can visit in January? Join the conversation and tell us by visiting our website!

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Indian Government to hand out Free SIM Cards to Foreign Travelers with electronic Tourist Visas (e-TV) at 12 Indian Airports. The per-loaded SIM Cards come as a part of a welcome kit for safe and memorable traveling in India.



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - December 28th, 2016 - The last week of the year brings good news for foreign travelers coming to India. Tourists arriving on e-tourist visa are to get a free SIM card as a part of the welcome kit. Foreign travelers in India on arrival in the country will be granted pre-loaded SIM cards with talk time and data at 12 major airports of the country.

Travelers arriving in India on an e-tourist visa, a visa that's available to residents of 161 countries, will be automatically issued a SIM card, along with a welcome packet that includes a "dos and don'ts" list, maps, and emergency contact information. The ready-to-call SIM cards will be available at airports in Panjim, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi and Varanasi to start with.

Home minister Rajnath Singh formally launches the scheme. The Ministry of Home Affairs will issue the SIM cards through BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), a state-owned telecommunications company that's the sixth-largest mobile service provider in the country. The SIM card will be valid for 30 days. The talk time and data are available for use in India. For international calling you require your own SIM of your home country.

"Foreign tourists face problems while procuring a Sim card, making them dependent on telephone booths. The cards can be recharged as and when required and will be functional from the moment they step out of the airport." Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi said.

Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma proposed the project on the World Tourism Day on 27 the September. The service has been started from 26th December 2016. The move is aimed at projecting India as a global tourist destination among foreign travelers as well as addressing the security concerns by equipping the tourists with mobile phones to make calls in case of any distress, an official said.

Sources said that after a detailed inter-ministerial committee comprising officials from Tourism, Home, Telecom and Finance Ministries, the idea was given go ahead. This new initiative will boost tourism on the international level.

An official of Ministry of Home affairs stated, "There were some security concerns but after consultations we have taken the required the steps and decided to implement the programme. Mandatory checks have already been done with the documentation required for e-visas. Under the e-tourist visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorizing him or her to travel to India and he or she can travel with a print-out of this authorization. On arrival, the visitor has to present the letter to the immigration authorities who would then stamp the entry into the country. The e-visa facility covers 161 countries under this facility.

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Website: https://www.indianholiday.com/

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The Dane County Sheriff's Officed will welcome 17 new deputies Tuesday, and they will start work in the jail the next day.

The 15 men and two women range in age from 21 to 43. The 17 bring the current total of sworn deputies to 448, said Elise Schaffer, spokeswoman.

The swearing in is open to the public and begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Dane County Courthouse jury assembly room.

The customary first assignment for new deputies is in the Dane County Jail, where they will serve a two-year probationary period.

The Dane County Sheriffs Office continually recruits sworn and civilian staff. See www.danesheriff.com.
PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 27

The Border Security Force (BSF) remained on its toes throughout the year following the two back-to-back terrorist strikes at Dinanagar in July 2015 and Pathankot in January 2016, followed by a surgical strike conducted by the Indian Army at the terror launch pads across the de facto border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir at the end of this year.

Due to this, the instances of smuggling of narcotics, fake currency and arms by Pakistan-based anti-national elements have come down at the Indo-Pak border with Punjab.

As compared to year 2015 when the BSF seized nearly 350 kg of heroin pumped in from across the international border, this year the BSF confiscated over 230 kg of heroin while in 2014 the figure was pegged at 361 kg. In 2013 it had recovered 322 kg of contraband.

Terror strikes at Army camps in the Valley besides the continuous ceasefire violations across the line of control led to tension at the border. Security was beefed up at the border while patrolling by the BSF had intensified in order to thwart any misadventure from across the fence.

There has been intensive patrolling at the border due to the tension prevailing along the LoC. The entire international border along Pakistan was put on high alert and the manpower at the border has also been spruced up. This has instilled a sense of fear among the Pakistan-based smugglers and couriers, said a BSF official, preferring not to be named.

Amidst heightened tension at the border, around seven Pakistani traders and six Pakistani smugglers were shot dead besides arrest of a Pakistani smuggler during 2016. Similarly, the BSF also shot two Indian smugglers and arrested 15.

In an unprecedented move, following the surgical strike across LoC on September 29, the district administration had banned the entry of spectators to witness the retreat ceremony due to security reasons. There were intelligence inputs regarding retaliation from the other side of the border. Incidentally, a stone was pelted from the Pakistan side on October 2 due to which only a few visitors were allowed to watch the flag-lowering ceremony.

Villages along the international border faced evacuation following the surgical strike. The Central Government had asked the border residents to move 10 km inside the border as a precautionary measure. This had led to great resentment among them.

The Attari-Wagah check-post has been spruced up. The construction of a new spectators gallery was almost in the final stages. This could now accommodate more spectators and tourists visiting the border post to witness retreat ceremony.

The year also witnessed a tragic incident at the border check-post after a Kerala girl lost her life in a freak accident on September 26. An hour before the ceremony, the iron shuttering of the under-construction gallery came crashing down, grievously hurting the nine-year-old girl, identified as Nandna. Two vendors standing nearby had also sustained injuries.

The countrys first customs heritage gallery representing the 2000-years-old legacy of trade since the time of Panchari was also opened at the Attari check-post. It also tells about the perpetual changes in the working of the Customs Department over the years which is the oldest revenue-generating department of the administration world over. The customs have put up rare and beautiful pictures about the functioning of the departments, seizures it has made over the years be it drugs and psychotropic substances smuggling, gold smuggling, smuggling of wildlife and endangered species of flora and fauna, art and antiquities.

Another important development at the Attari-Check post is installation of countrys highest national flag. At 350-feet height, it would be visible from Lahore in Pakistan also. The construction for it has started and would be completed by January 26, 2017.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 28

Panic gripped the Focal Point industrial area after a Nepal resident was found murdered in a car. The victims body was found by a junk dealer in plot owned by him here today.

The junk dealer, identified as Raj Kumar Babbar, found the body in boot of a scrapped car, when he reached the spot in the morning. He immediately informed the police, which reached the spot and took the body into possession.

The deceased, identified as Suraj Bahadur Khatri, had blunt weapon injuries on his head. The Maqboolpura police has registered a murder case in this connection against unidentified persons.

SHO Tarjinder Singh said Suraj used to work in a screw manufacturing unit in the Focal Point industrial area. He said the victims body was found in a plot owned by scrap dealer where various types of scarped cars and other junk were piled up. The SHO said investigation was under progress to crack the case.
G Parthasarathy

ON December 25, 1991, the Russian tricolour replaced the Soviet Unions Hammer and Sickle, over the Kremlin in Moscow, as the entire edifice of the once-mighty Soviet Union collapsed and disintegrated. Never had an imperial edifice, built on such unparalleled military muscle and economic power, collapsed so swiftly and suddenly. The then US President, George Bush, proclaimed a new world order and cut to size an impetuous Saddam Hussein, who had invaded and annexed neighbouring Kuwait. Bill Clinton, who succeeded Bush, sought to establish a Pax Americana, labelled as globalisation, which expected universal acceptance of liberal American values like electoral democracy, market capitalism, free movements of goods and services, multi-culturalism, and selective rejection of state sovereignty.

The dismemberment of Yugoslavia was justified on these liberal American values constituting the process labelled as globalisation. It was this arrogance of power and rejection of the realities of political, cultural and religious diversity, which led to the 9/11 attacks, military intervention in Afghanistan and the subsequent invasions of Iraq and Libya. These developments were accompanied by the rise of Sunni fundamentalism and the emergence of the ISIS. The situation across the Islamic world worsened, with the meddling in Syria by the US and its allies like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Hundreds of thousands of hapless Syrians were killed, or made refugees. The military intervention in Libya by the UK, France and the US resulted in similar misery and suffering.

Less than a quarter of a century after George Bush enunciated his grandiose vision of a new world order, the US has found that while its large corporations and wealthy classes thrived and new immigrants embraced a better life, the traditional white middle class found that the country was bereft of any new industrial employment. Globalisation had led to industrial jobs and capital for new industries shifting largely to the Asian Tigers, led by China. Moreover, after 9/11, the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, sullen Muslims across the world, held the US and its Christian European allies guilty, for their sufferings. This, in turn, led to growing Islamophobia across the US and the EU.

Both Bernie Sanders, who challenged Hillary Clintons nomination by the Democratic Party and Donald Trump, recognised this phenomenon of alienation. Trump triumphed, because he successfully exploited widespread White American alienation. Trump made it clear during his election campaign that he was determined to overturn policies that had led to this white alienation. He warned that he would build a wall to stop the continuing flow of illegal immigrants from across the US-Mexico border. He remains committed to this. He also warned that he would end Muslim immigration, especially from countries known to harbour terrorists and aeven implement measures to keep a register of Muslim residents in the country.

Trump has promised to get tough with China, which he alleges, resorts to currency manipulation and steals American jobs. Precisely how he proceeds to do this is till unclear. But what is clear is that Trump will withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, hurting the economic interests of a large number of ASEAN countries and allies like Australia, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. His proposed changes in US security commitments, with demands that US partners must contribute a greater share of the costs involved, has shaken US allies in NATO and the Asia-Pacific region. Trump has also changed the entire thrust of US policies in Europe by declaring that Russia is an ally in the fight against Islamic radicalism and the ISIS. While he has made noises about strengthening US nuclear weapon capabilities, it has been made it clear that this is in a larger global context. One should not be surprised if he alarms China by suggesting that he would not be averse to Japan acquiring nuclear weapons.

It is important to analyse the team that Trump is putting together. His National Security Adviser, Lt Gen Michael Flynn, is an unabashed admirer of President Putin and echoes Trumps views of a partnership with Russia to deal with Islamic terror. While Putin will not echo Trumps policies on Jerusalem, there will be some meeting of minds about the Arab world. While Trump has threatened to undo agreements reached by President Obama and the international community on ending sanctions on Iran, this is not the view of either his Defence Secretary-designate Gen James Mattis, or his Secretary of State-designate, former ExxonMobil chief, Rex Tillerson. Similarly, while Trumps Ambassador -designate to China, Terry Branstad, is an unabashed China admirer, the head of his newly formed White House National Trade Council, Peter Navarro, has highlighted the negative effects of the current US policies on trade with China. The Chinese, like the rest of the world, including US allies, appear clueless about how precisely Trump will act either on trade and economic issues, or on Chinas growing global ambitions and assertiveness.

While some in India have drawn satisfaction from Trumps friendly references to India, Hindus and PM Modi, it would be prudent to proceed cautiously on his policies towards China, and even Afghanistan, where India has vital national security interests. While contacts have been established with Lt Gen Flynn, one can expect the State Department headed by Rex Tillerson to be more forthcoming than what prevailed when John Kerry was Secretary of State. But what should one expect from the unpredictable President-elect Donald Trump who assumes office on January 20? While Trump earlier held that foreign policy was a big chess game between the Soviet Union and the US, he now avers that the days of the chess player are overAmerican foreign policy has now to be put in the hands of the dealmaker. He adds: We deal with foreign policy on a case- by-case basis. A true dealmaker, he avers, knows when to be tough and when to back off.

Reflecting the realism of Chinas strategic planners, Eric X Li, a leading Shanghai-based Chinese venture capitalist notes: Globalism has committed suicide. A new world order has been born. Let us engage it. India would be well advised to follow this advice of a successful venture capitalist, from an avowedly Communist country.
The fourth suspect in four robberies that occurred in Madison, Fitchburg and Dane from late November through early December was apprehended Monday by police, Madison police said.

Ryan T. Haynes, 42, of Baraboo, was caught by officers around 6:30 p.m. as he walked back to a vehicle in an East Towne Mall parking lot that he allegedly stole earlier Monday from the 4500 block of Cottage Grove Road, police said.

On Thursday, Haynes and three other men  Nathan M. Etheridge, 26; Eric J. Fairchild, 34; and Chase W. Strunk, 26, all of Madison  were charged with armed robbery.

The other three men had been in custody.

Haynes also faces a tentative charge of operating a motor vehicle without consent, police said.

Haynes was arrested without incident a little more than half an hour after the vehicle was reported stolen, police said.

The four robberies took place at Kelley-Williamson Mobil, 2601 Shopko Drive on Nov. 29; Qdoba, 5401 Caddis Bend, Fitchburg, on Dec. 1; Toppers Pizza, 4128 E. Washington Ave., on Dec. 7; and Dane Kwik Mart, 101 W. Main St., Dane, on Dec. 8.

Some of the men are also believed to be connected to a robbery in Whitewater that occurred Dec. 6.

According to a criminal complaint, the men used fake guns during the robberies to net cash from all four locations, as well as, cigarettes from Kelley-Williamson and Kwik Mart.

Etheridge told police Haynes participated in the Kwik Mart and Toppers Pizza robberies, according to the complaint.
Salil Desai

ONE of the arguments constantly being thrown at liberals, secularists, centrists and intellectuals who feared the rise to power of Narendra Modi was that they were being alarmist; that they were exaggerating the dangers of authoritarianism because Indian democracy had a robust system of constitutional checks and balances to ensure against such an eventuality.

Well, as the demonetisation exercise has just shown us, how exactly have the checks and balances been effective in stopping the Prime Minister from unleashing one of the most undemocratic executive decisions ever? Doesn't an act that de-legitimised 86 per cent of Indian legal tender overnight through a mere prime-ministerial announcement, make a complete mockery of our claim of so-called robust constitutional checks and balances? Let's see how these have fared:

The President: India's highest constitutional authority, the only one which theoretically has the power to stop the excesses of an elected government, didn't lift a finger to stop demonetisation or even caution or question the Prime Minister against the step and certainly not in public. If he has done so in private, then we don't know about it. Instead, he went on to berate an agitated Opposition publicly for not debating in Parliament, thus only strengthening the government's hand. Surprisingly, he had no sage advice to offer to the government to reach out to the Opposition in the wake of a decision of such magnitude or to the Prime Minister, that he should respect the temple of democracy by being present and listening to Opposition criticism. If that is not strange coming from a self-proclaimed constitutionalist like Pranab Mukherjee, then what is?

The Parliament: Since the NDA has a huge majority in the Lok Sabha and the Prime Minister had bypassed the need of any legislation for demonetisation, the Opposition could do nothing in Parliament apart from trying to embarrass the government or put pressure by disrupting the houses. The intransigence of the treasury benches in relenting to Opposition demands, coupled with the apparent inability or unwillingness of the Speakers (especially, in the Lok Sabha) to be truly neutral and bi-partisan in running the houses, was an object lesson in how Parliament can be rendered redundant by an elected Prime Minister, who refuses to be held accountable.

While the BJP veteran L.K. Advani's laments holding the government and Speaker responsible for the total washout of the winter session are being dismissed as a case of sour grapes, it is a fact that the institutional effectiveness of the legislature as an important constitutional safeguard depends critically on the government's level of commitment to democratic propriety and precedent. By refusing to attend the House and listening to the Opposition, by needlessly insisting on discussions without a vote despite having a huge majority, by disrupting Parliament themselves on the days the Opposition had shown a willingness to discuss, the government brazenly subverted accountability.

The Judiciary: By refusing to step in or stay the demonetisation decision immediately and preferring to examine the matter at a later stage, hasn't the judiciary too shown itself incapable of really being able to safeguard democracy, when it matters most? Let's assume, the judiciary examines the clutch of PILs filed by various citizens or scrutinises the constitutional validity of the decisions, including the many changes of rules and comes to a conclusion that the government is guilty of many violations or illegalities. But what exactly would be the use of a ruling long after demonetisation has wreaked its havoc and the devastating consequences have played themselves out? How would justice have been done, when demonetisation can hardly be rolled back at that stage nor can the damage be undone? Indeed, it would only reinforce the cynical view of the impracticality of justice, that the law cannot prevent injustice from happening in the first place, because it lacks conviction while dealing with the high and mighty.

The Opposition: Despite the huge inconvenience, job loss, financial suffering and disruption that demonetisation has unleashed on the common man, the total lack of protests on the ground reveal just how politically incompetent and discredited all Opposition parties are. It's as if they have simply lost the art of organising political dissent and agitations and the skill of tapping into mass anger and rousing and amplifying public opinion. The Opposition is supposed to be the most important of all checks and balances, inside and outside Parliament. But as of now, it seems pathetically inconsequential vis-a-vis the astounding popularity of one single man. What's to stop him then from growing into a larger-than-life supremo above the law and constitution, than a mere democratically elected Prime Minister?

The RBI: Given the abject way, the Reserve Bank of India has capitulated and allowed the government to intrude on its domain, there can be no doubt that the hitherto carefully nurtured independence of several other institutions like CEC, CAG, CIC, NHRC and even Lokpal can also be easily compromised, when pitted against the will of a strong, popular Prime Minster. All it requires is selecting politically pliant individuals to torpedo the independence of such institutions.

The Media: While the news has been completely dominated by news and opinion about demonetisation for several weeks now, it is amazing how polite the overall tone of criticism has been, instead of being scathing, harsh or unequivocal. Moreover, why at all should most media criticism start with a caveat which states that the intentions of the government are not being doubted? Sadly, it means the media too is scared of a strong, popular government. No wonder, newspapers have been revealed as toothless canines and television news as mere poodles with neither bark nor bite.

The writer is a freelance journalist
Central discrimination and a package for Punjab are no longer the code words in Parkash Singh Badal's pronouncements. Before a change of government at the Centre in May 2014, the issue dominated almost each of his political discourse. Initially, as coalition partners, the Badals did raise the issue of package for the cash-strapped, debt-stressed state in their meetings with Modi and Jaitley. Apparently, a Central rebuff has forced an Akali rethink. While distributing special assistance of Rs 1,082 crore to four states  Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Tamil Nadu  on the recommendations of Niti Aayog, the Centre has left Punjab in the cold and the Akalis have not uttered a word.

The aid distribution looks arbitrary and it is difficult to delink politics from the Central largess to select states. Centre-state financial relations are governed by certain principles. There is also a provision for special aid to specific categories such as the hill, north-eastern and insurgency-hit states like Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Badal and his deputy used to plead for a waiver of Punjab's outstanding militancy-related debt of Rs 1.02 lakh crore and seek a refund of Rs 2,694 crore already paid. They also asked for concessions extended to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. During UPA rule the Finance Ministry under Pranab Mukherjee had constituted a committee to ease the debt stress of Kerala, West Bengal and Punjab. A conditional package was stitched together but it got lost in the political warfare between two Badal cousins. The Modi dispensation, however, has persistently cold-shouldered the Badals financial demands. Together they have buried the Rs 12,000 crore grain scam the RBI had hinted at. The Badal government has been allowed to borrow Rs 31,000 crore more to settle the procurement loan.

Whatever the Badals political compulsions, Punjab urgently needs Central help to avert a disaster waiting to happen. The state's water resources are drying up, getting polluted or both. Farmer earnings end up in fighting diseases, particularly cancer, or installing submersible pumps. In its preoccupation with SYL, the political class has ignored the obvious threats to human health and agriculture. Since the state cannot fund a rescue plan, a Central bailout alone can ward off the catastrophe-in-the-making.
As the BJP marches towards the vision of a Congress-mukt North-East, it is unleashing forces which have caused havoc in the past. Not even a year has passed since the BJP won Assam but it has already polarised society with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. The Ahoms had voted with their feet for the BJP in the assembly elections against a divided Opposition. They are on the warpath over the Bill's intention to confer citizenship on 1.5 lakh Hindus from Bangladesh. They argue that Assam, with a high unemployment rate, cannot be a dumping ground for refugees. The Muslim migrants are also offended. The Bill, they feel, violates the sanctity of the Assam Accord that did not differentiate between undocumented economic migrants on the basis of religion.

The BJP's strategy in Assam is to widen its voter base by forging a shared politico-religious identity among the Hindu Ahoms of Assam and the migrant Bangladeshi Hindus. But before taking the plunge, it could have drawn on the lessons of the turmoil over language - Bengali vs Urdu  in the once-united Pakistan. Despite a shared religious identity, both wings of Pakistan went their ways because of an emotional divorce over cultural incompatibility. In Assam itself, the mayhem had once reached such proportions that the government was unable to hold elections for a length of time.

In Manipur the BJP's strategy is about capturing the Hindu Meitei votes. With this end, it is needling the Manipur CM Ibobi Singh to forcibly lift a two-month Naga blockade of highways that has affected the Meitis. Ibobi is following the time-honoured strategy of waiting for exhaustion to set in because the use of force leads to deaths and is unsustainable. Manipur is on a powder keg. Several policemen have died in ambushes while a church was gutted in Imphal. Meanwhile the smaller Naga tribes have ambushed army patrols to protest the Centre's preference for the NSCN (IM). As the Congress' political graph is anyway on a downswing in the North-East, the BJP should eschew the temptation of polarisation. Its consequences would be destabilising and harmful to national interest.
Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Sonepat, December 28

The police have arrested a man for involvement in kidnapping of three children from Kabirpur village of the district yesterday. The victims  Aman (9) and his brother Deepanshu (4), and Aryan (11)  were rescued by the police from different places.

The police said Aman and Deepanshu, both sons of Narender a resident of Kabirpur village, and Aryan, were playing near their house, when they were kidnapped by unidentified men. One of the victims, Aman, was rescued from Dewru village after he called up his father. Sources said he bore injury marks from a sharp edged weapon.

Another victim, Aryan, was also rescued from Kami village in the wee hours today. He was also found injured and was referred to the Bhakt Phool Singh Medical College for Women, Khanpur.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Aryan Chaudhary said, Aman revealed they were kidnapped by their tenant, Sumit a resident of Narender Nagar, along with his friends.

Meanwhile, the cyber team got a clue of one of the associates of the main accused. The police nabbed Aman and rescued the third victim, Deepanshu, from the New Delhi Railway Station.

Narender said the main accused, Sumit, was annoyed after he was asked to vacate the shop rented to him.

The DSP said a case had been registered against the accused and efforts were being made to nab the main culprit and his accomplices.
Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, December 27

A small-scale industrial unit has provided its technical and engineering support to the successful launch of Agni-V, an inter-continental ballistic missile which was test-fired yesterday.

Vaiseshika Electron Devices, a local firm, has designed, produced, installed and commissioned the electrical calibration standards for voltage, current and resistance, thermocouples and sensors for sensing high temperatures upto 1,600 degree Celsius, electronic software for the microstructure examinations and hardness testing of materials and propellants and load cell calibration systems for testing and calibration of pressure transducers, used to measure the thrust capacity of the motor and engine of the missile.

Scientist and president of the firm Dr Anil Jain said: It was a proud moment for us as we have contributed to such a prestigious project. By using indigenous products, we have not only managed to keep the cost of project down but also provided jobs to over 100 people, directly or indirectly.

Our engineers had successfully installed and commissioned the instruments in defence laboratories associated with the design, development and launching of the missile, he added.

Dr Jain claimed that the firm had earlier contributed its engineering and technical expertise to support the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) by installing and commissioning a 450-tonne load cell calibration machine and system to assist ISRO in the successful launch of the orbiter. Besides this, the firm had installed and commissioned the force calibration system in the Agni-III missile.

Dr Jain the firm had been conferred with national award twice in recognition of its efforts.
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, December 27

Operation night domination launched by the district police has started showing results. A police team foiled a bank robbery and busted a gang of robbers with the arrest of one member.

A walkie-talkie set, a car, a drill machine and other instruments were seized from the possession of the arrested person. As many as 3,000 vehicles were checked by police teams deployed at 65 points during the night.

Twenty-one cases have been registered under the Excise Act, Arms Act, Gambling Act and other Sections of the IPC and 22 persons arrested in connection with these cases.

Rohtak SP Pankaj Nain said the gang of robbers was found involved in major bank robberies in many districts. The gang had looted more than Rs 2 crore from banks, he added.

During the campaign carried out by the district police on December 26, information was received about some persons loitering near the branch of Oriental Bank of Commerce located at Kisangarh village under the Meham police station.

Acting on the tip-off, a police team reached the spot and found some persons tryin to burgle into the bank. The police team, led by DSP (Meham) Shamsher Singh, arrested a gang member, who was later identified as Sunil, a resident of Chatehara village in Sonepat district. The other accused escaped under the cover of dense fog.

The police claimed that during his interrogation, Sunil revealed that he and his associates, including Monu of Ismaila village in Rohtak district, Sanjeet of Dwarka in Delhi and Krishan of Brahi village in Jhajjar district, used to rob banks and they had attempted to rob a bank at Brahamanwas village in Rohtak district last week.

The police further claimed that the gang was also involved in bank robberies in Sonepat and Rewari districts and had looted Rs 1.22 crore from a bank branch in Saiydpur village of Sonepat district. They had looted Rs 81 lakh from a bank in Rewari.

A case was registered under Sections 380, 457 and 511 of the IPC and a manhunt launched to nab the other members of the gang and recover the money.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Owing to poor utilisation, a major chunk of the Central funds of over Rs 2,000 crore allocated to the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad (HSSPP) may go waste as these would lapse this year.

Till November 30, the HSSPP, which runs Central projects of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan (RMSA) in the state, has been able to utilise merely Rs 435 crores of the 2014 crore allocated to it for the current fiscal.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The SSA (for Classes I to VIII) aims at universalisation of elementary education in a time-bound manner, as mandated by the 86th Amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to children between the ages of 6 and 14 a fundamental right.

Launched in 2009, the RMSA (for Classes IX to XII) aims at enhancing access to secondary education and improving the quality of education by making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers.

Sources said the HSSPP received a Central allocation of Rs 1,062.38 crores for SSA for the current financial year. However, till November 30, only Rs 307.83 crore could be utilised, mostly on payment of salaries and civil works. Activities like intervention for the out-of-school children, computer aided learning (CAL) programme, learning enhancement programme (LEP), research and evaluation activity, community mobilisation etc, for which the SSA was started, have taken a back seat in the state.

Similarly, only Rs 127.82 crore out of the Rs 852.08 crore allocated to the HSSPP for RMSA could be spent till November 30.

Like in the case of SSA, nearly Rs 125 crore of the Rs 127.82 crore has been spent on salaries alone, with practically no activities taking place this year.

To make the things worse, the HSSPP is running without a full-time State Project Director (SPD), a cadre post, for the past five months hampering its functioning. After Alok Verma, an IFS officer who worked on the post till May this year, no full-time SPD has been appointed to the post.

Additional Chief Secretary PK Das admitted that appointment of a full-time SPD could improve the functioning of the HSSPP, though he added that the poor utilisation was largely attributed to late allocation of funds.

Das said the finds not utilised in a particular year did not lapse the next year, though the HSSPP becomes the loser in the sense that the Centre reduced the

next years grants by the amount left unspent in the preceding year.
Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

Laptops meant for meritorious students, also a manifesto promise of the BJP in Haryana, are stuck in red tape nearly nine months after the Finance Department sanctioned funds for the purpose.

The School Education Department seems in no rush to give the students their due with verification of the deserving still underway. Sources in the the Finance Department said they had cleared Rs 50,000 per laptop for 500 students in April.

However, the School Education Department took nearly eight months to verify the toppers and draw lists of those eligible for the laptops.

Sources said a list of 235 students was now ready and the rate contract for the laptops was in the offing, implying that the students would get these next month.

The government had announced free laptops for 500 meritorious students who secured a minimum of 95 per cent marks in Class X board examinations held in 2016 under the state merit scholarship scheme.

While laptops were to be provided to the top 100 boy students in the government school merit list of the board, an equal number were to be given to top girl students belonging to the general category.

Laptops were to be given to both top 100 boys and girls belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category and the rest to students from below poverty line (BPL) families in the merit list of the board.

We asked the board for a merit list and asked meritorious students with 95 per cent marks and above to apply. The board does not have the BPL status of a student in its result, which is why the applications of students who applied under this category were referred back to the District Education Officer of the respective districts for verification. That process has been completed and we will purchase laptops as per rate contract, said an official of the School Education Department.

According to the list of meritorious students finalised by the department, 97 boys and girls each had been found eligible in the general category.

Only 10 boys and 17 girls were eligible in the SC category. Twenty students would get the laptops in the BPL category.We will be ready to give away the laptops in a week, said ML Kaushik, Director, Secondary Education Department.

The sources maintained that 11 students had been disqualified since they had been pursuing their studies outside the state though this was not mentioned as an eligibility criterion when the decision on laptops was announced.
Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Mired in controversies and administrative red tape for years, decks have finally been cleared for the setting up of Haryanas first National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Panchkula.

Nearly three years after land was allotted for the flagship project, Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will lay the foundation stone of the institute at Sector 23 in Panchkula on December 29.

Spread over 10.45 acres, the government is committed to provide funds amounting to Rs 99.71 crore for the creation of state-of-the-art infrastructure at the institute, to be developed in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Textiles and NIFT, New Delhi.

Though the proposal to develop NIFT was mooted several years back, a tussle between former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress Ambala MP Kumari Selja reportedly delayed the project.

A 10-acre plot was allotted for NIFT by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to the Technical Education Department on October 30, 2013. Subsequently, the Standing Finance Committee of the Finance Department cleared the project on December 10, 2013.

However, on account of certain technical issues, a new plot measuring 10.45 acres was allotted by HUDA on June 26, 2015. On April 24, 2016, Khattar announced setting up of NIFT. The Haryana Police Housing Corporation is executing the project.

The establishment of NIFT in Panchkula will go a long way in developing the textile, handloom and cottage industry, besides the local area. As an added incentive to domicile students, 20 per cent seats will be reserved for them, Technical Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said today.

Officials said NIFT would run six degrees courses with annual intake pegged at 230 students and estimated strength would be 850 after four years.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

Sirsa district with 5,220 entries tops the state in terms of cashless transactions. At the other end, Palwal has drawn a blank and is at the bottom in the information uploaded on www.cashlessharyana.nic.in, launched by the state government.

A total of 51,004 persons have posted details of cashless transactions by them on the portal.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has been promoting digital payments ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation.

Among other districts with a fairly good number of cashless transactions are Panipat (3,618), Hisar (1,794), Kaithal (1,536) and Jhajjar (1,106).

Nillanwali village in Sirsa district has become a cashless village with facilities of digital payment reaching all villagers.

Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Sharandeep Kaur Brar said 2,73,543 Jan Dhan accounts had been opened in the district and 2,15,188 RuPay cards issued, of which 1,13,416 were activated.

Cashless transactions are gaining momentum in the district as a result of the digital payment campaign launched by the district authorities. More than a hundred campaigns have so far been organised in the district to popularise the use of e-wallets, debit cards, credit cards and net banking, she said.

Brar said 2,772 government employees were provided training in digital payment, of whom 1,186 had installed various kinds of e-wallet on their mobile phones for cashless transactions.

Giving details about Nillanwali, she said there were 1,811 residents in 340 households and all had Aadhaar cards. Over 1,800 persons have bank accounts, 125 have e-wallets and 610 have debit or credit cards. Thirteen merchants have point-of-sale (PoS) machines, e-wallets and USSD for receiving digital payment, she said, adding that they had made 835 cashless transactions so far at an average of 2.5 transactions per household.
A Madison man was charged Wednesday after police said he stabbed his roommate twice after an argument last week.

Tyrone Wilson, 24, was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment after his 24-year-old roommate told police that Wilson had stabbed him at their apartment on North Walbridge Avenue on Madisons Far East Side.

According to a criminal complaint, the two argued after Wilson came home early Friday. The roommate said that he and Wilson had wrestled, then the roommate went downstairs.

He said Wilson also came down, went into the kitchen and returned with a knife, described in the complaint as a steak knife with an 8-inch blade. The roommate told police that he ran outside.

The man said he went back inside after Wilson asked to borrow the mans phone to call his sister. But when he stepped inside, he told police, according to the complaint, Wilson grabbed him, pulled him into the kitchen near where the knife was located, and stabbed him.

The man told police that at first he didnt realize hed been stabbed, but fell and blacked out, the complaint states.

In a news release issued last week, Madison police said that both men sustained stab wounds, but no wounds to Wilson were mentioned in the complaint.

State Assistant Public Defender David Klauser said in court Wednesday that Wilson was arrested on Sunday at UW Hospital, where he had gone after being stabbed.

The other man, who was not arrested, sustained two stab wounds to the back. Wilson was released on a signature bond after appearing in court.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

Family of 24-year-old youth Hardeep Singh Deol, who was stabbed to death by a girl at Christchurch in New Zealand on Christmas day, is distraught over the delay in arrival of his body at his native place, Rania town in Haryanas Sirsa district.

The family has contacted the Indian High Commission in New Zealand as well as New Zealand High Commission in India for help, but with no positive response.

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With no means to bringing Hardeeps body to India on their own, the family has tweeted to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj pleading for the government help.

Hardeep Singh Deol, who was on work visa in Christchurch after completing a course in hotel management from that country, was allegedly stabbed by a 22-year-old girl on Christmas day.

According to information received by the family, the girl was arrested and has been charged with murder.

Hardeep was taken to a hospital with critical stab wounds where he died on Tuesday.

He did his B Tech from a private college in Malout and went to New Zealand to pursue his studies in hotel management. Three months back, he completed his degree and got a job in a hotel in Christchurch. He told us that he has Christmas vacations for 15 days starting December 25. But on the night of his first vacation, he was stabbed and fatally injured, said Hardeeps uncle Manpreet Singh Deol.

The family has no idea about the motive of the crime.

He never told his family members about the girl, identified as Franchesca Kororia Borell by the police. After his death, his Indian friends in New Zealand told us that Hardeep knew the girl for the past 15-20 days, Manpreet said.

He said Hardeeps mother Sukhwinder Kaur and sister Sandeep Kaur were inconsolable and the delay in arrival of his body is making their condition worse.

We are planning to go to Delhi tomorrow to meet Swaraj through some local BJP leaders, Manpreet said.

Meanwhile, the Gurdwara Sabha at Christchurch has begun collecting contribution for helping the distressed family.

Pls inform to everyone our friend RIP #Hardeep_singh_deol has passed away in an incident. It's very sad news for our community. It's time to stay together for help to his family. And please donate as much as you can - From Christchurch (New Zealand) Account details- 12-3482-0024198-00, Gurdwara Sahib Christchurch, said a message posted on social media.
Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

In a development that may intensify rampant factionalism in the Congress, HPCC chief Ashok Tanwar has rejected former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hoodas offer of conditional campaigning in Punjab.

Asha Kumari, the Punjab affairs in charge of the Congress, had already sought our support in the election campaign in the run-up to the February 2017 Assembly elections.All Congressmen should vigorously campaign in Punjab, so that the Congress forms the next government in the state, Tanwar told The Tribune on the sidelines of a function organised as part of the 132nd foundation day of the Congress here today.

Tanwar, whose relations with Hooda seems to have reached a point of no return in the wake of the October 6 attack on him allegedly by Hooda supporters, asserted that this was no time to raise bilateral contentious issues such as the SYL canal water, Chandigarh as Haryanas capital and separate high court for Haryana. The Congress victory in Punjab elections was more important, as we will be able to negotiate better with our partys government after the elections, Tanwar asserted.

Hooda recently kicked up a controversy by asserting that he would only campaign in the Punjab if he was given a public assurance by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Capt Amrinder Singh that Punjab would give Haryana its due share of the SYL canal waters after coming to power. However, Capt Amrinder Singh yesterday snubbed Hooda saying that the SYL waters were more important for Punjab than Hoodas offer of conditional campaigning.

Meanwhile, the function organised by the HPCC to mark Congress foundation day turned out to be an out-and-out Tanwar affair, with all MLAs and other leaders of the the Hooda faction conspicuous by their absence.

Earlier, Tanwar also detailed the agitational programme against demonetisation, including gherao of the DC offices on January 6 and 7, which would culminate into a national conference on January 11.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

Family of 24-year-old youth Hardeep Singh Deol, who was stabbed to death by a girl at Christchurch in New Zealand on Christmas day, helplessly waits for the body to arrive at his native Rania town of Sirsa district.

The family has failed to get positive response for help from the Indian and New Zealand embassies.

With no means to bring Hardeeps body to India on its own, the family has tweeted to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, pleading help in this regard.

The deceaseds uncle, Manpreet Singh Deol, said Hardeeps mother Sukhwinder Kaur and sister Sandeep Kaur were inconsolable. We are planning to go to Delhi tomorrow to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj through some local BJP leaders, Deol said.

Hardeep Singh Deol, who was on work visa in Christchurch after completing a course in Hotel Management, was allegedly stabbed by a 22-year-old woman on Christmas day. He was taken to a hospital with critical stab wounds where he died on Tuesday.

According to information received by the family, the girl was arrested and charged with murder.

Hardeeps uncle Manpreet Singh Deol, said, He got a job at a hotel in Christchurch after completing his degree three months ago. He was stabbed and fatally injured on the first day of his 15-day Christmas vacation.

The family has no clue about the motive behind the crime. Hardeeps uncle said, He never told his family members about the girl, identified as Francesca Kororia Borell, by the police. His Indian friends in New Zealand told us Hardeep knew the girl for the past 15 to 20 days.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 27

Reiterating his support for the states over 3 lakh unemployed youth, Transport Minister GS Bali today fired a fresh salvo against his own government, demanding that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh should allot some funds for giving unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 as the Congress had committed in its election manifesto in 2012.

Bali fired this salvo at a press conference here citing the Congress election manifesto in 2012. As per the manifesto, the Congress would give Rs 1,000 as unemployed allowance to unemployed educated youth on coming to power, he said.

The Transport Ministers fresh unemployment allowance salvo has come at a time when the BJP has already submitted a chargesheet to the Governor against the Congress government on completion of its four years in office on December 24.

On October 19, 2012, Virbhadra Singh, Vidya Stokes, Anand Sharma and Kaul Singh Thakur, the then Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Punjab leader S Singla and AICC leaders Birender Singh and Anees Ahmad were present when the party manifesto was released in Shimla.

Balis demand for the unemployment allowance assumed a political significance for the Congress government which celebrated four years of its rule in the state with much fanfare at a massive rally in Dharamsala on December 24. AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi had mounted attack against the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of demonetisation.

Bali said he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister, requesting him to fulfil this promise. I will request him to allot some budget to pay this allowance as the Assembly poll is approaching, he said.

Bali said he still felt hurt the way his name was deleted from the list of VIPs and was stopped by the SPG from climbing the dais during the Dharamasala rally. I have requested Chief Minister to probe this matter related to protocol, he rued.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 28

Residents can breathe easy as the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has started to treat over 3,000 private septic tanks and the community toilets with the help of bio-clean treatment to rid the city of the embarrassing stench emanating from them.

Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan said the experts from Organica Biotech Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, had been engaged for treatment of the septic tanks and public toilets on a 90-day trial basis under the European Union-funded project. The company has proposed to use the bio-culture bioclean BD to treat the septic tanks, he added.

Its a welcome news for residents living in areas where its difficult to operate honey-sucker machines and clean the overflowing stinking tanks.

The solid faecal particles shall be degraded and converted into liquid which can be used for irrigation. The company has done it successfully in many cities in India, Chauhan said.

In the absence of a sewage line, residents in the newly merged areas of Malyana, Chamiana, Tutu, Mehli, Panthaghatti, Dhalli and other areas have built private septic tanks. There are about 3,000 septic tanks that would be treated with bio-culture method to dispose of sewage, the Mayor said. The community toilet at Bharari, which is not connected to a sewage line, will also be treated with similar bio-culture method, he said.

Chauhan said the trial run has begun after the discussions among company expert Sagar Dumre, Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar and the SMCs project coordinator. It will take 90 days, once trial run is successful, it can be replicated throughout the city and in the entire state if required, Panwar said.

The Mayor said he had attended a national summit on sustainable water and sanitation, 2016, in December in New Delhi. As a result of this summit we have invited the expert under the EU-funded project that has been started n the city, he said.
Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 28

As the issue of identity certificate for West Pakistan refugees has being communalised with the mainstream parties and separatists closing ranks in Kashmir to oppose the move, the older generation, who spent decades in hope of citizenship rights in Jammu and Kashmir, is still hopeful that the stigma of refugee attached to them will get removed before they die.

Often referred as Gair Bashinde (non-residents), majority of the elders, in their 70s, have lived and faced humiliation and bias from the authorities, which has cast a huge impact on their psyche.

In 1947 around 5,764 families, mostly Dalits, survivors of the Partition carnage in the Sialkote area of the present Pakistan, sought refuge in Jammu and Kashmir. They would have never expected that their fate will get entangled in state subjects laws and special status of J&K within the Indian Constitution. When I look back at the journey of my life, there are a few moments of joy. I sometimes cry after watching children here in the village as when they will grow up as Gair Bashinda written on their documents, rued Hari Singh (76), an elderly refugee who lives with his wife in Chak Bhopat village, near Jammu. Like Hari Singh, several elderly persons say their only desire is to die without the stigma of refugee attached with them. They live on the land which was given on compassionate basis without ownership rights, making them as landless peasants. For us the Partition process never ended. Since my childhood I have been living with a hope of being a citizen of free India, but the Kashmiri Sarkar (government) is against our people, said Bimla Devi, (65), whose parents hailed from Sialkote city.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in 2014 had recommended the grant of state citizenship and voting rights to them setting a political storm in J&K and issue of identity certificate has again given a pretext to Kashmir-based leaders to deprive these people of their rights.

When the voter list is compiled by the authorities it is highlighted after our name that we are not residents of the state. We cannot raise our voice because we are repeatedly threatened with eviction, said Satpal, another refugee. These people are entitled to vote in Parliamentary elections but not in Assembly elections, because as per the special status of the state they are not considered citizens of J&K.
Srinagar, December 28

Local English daily Kashmir Reader hit the stands on Wednesday after it was banned by the Jammu and Kashmir Government for nearly three months on the charges that its publication was a threat to peace in the valley.

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The newspaper started its publication and distribution for the first time after it was banned through an order passed by District Magistrate, Srinagar on October 2.

The District Magistrate's order had alleged that the publication of Kashmir Reader posed a threat to peace in the valley which had been going through a period of turmoil since July following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

The revocation of the ban on the newspaper is seen as the first success for the newly-formed Kashmir Editors' Guild, a body of all major dailies and weeklies published from the Valley. PTI
Srinagar, December 28

The annual Urs of the 11th century Sufi saint Shaikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani, known as Peer Dastageer Saheb by devotees, will begin from tomorrow. The Urs celebrations are mainly held at the shrines of Dastageer Sahib located at the Khanyar and Sarai Bala areas here.

A caretaker of the shrine at Sarai Bala said the 11-day Urs would begin from tomorrow. He said renowned Islamic scholars would deliver sermons at the shrine at 12.30 pm daily during the Urs period.

He said preparations were in a full swing to cater to a large rush of devotees expected from tomorrow. He said many devotees offer prayers and pay obeisance at the shrines for 11 consecutive days to get their wishes fulfilled.

Both shrines wore a festive look and several stalls selling local delicacies and other goods had been set up outside the premises. Markets outside the shrines were also decorated with colourful lights.

The shrines are devoted to Shaikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani even as his actual shrine is located at Baghdad in Iraq. Both shrines house the holy relics of the Sufi saint that are displayed on the Urs day. Even though the saint never visited Kashmir in person, he is highly revered by the locals.

J&K Wakf Board vice-chairman Peer Mohammad Hussain had on Tuesday convened a meeting to review arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Urs.  TNS
Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 27

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today quashed the detention order of the hardline Hurriyat leader Masarat Alam Bhat, who has been in prison since the 2010 unrest except for a brief period in 2015.

The latest detention order against Masarat under the Public Safety Act (PSA) was passed by District Magistrate, Baramulla, Nisar Ahmad Naqash on September 1, 2016, on the principal ground that while being in the custody of the state authorities he had met four persons in Baramulla jail and had given them directions for making the ongoing agitation successful.

For meeting four persons in the jail, a case was also lodged at Baramulla police station against Masarat on August 30, 2016. However while quashing his PSA detention order today, the High Court in its judgment held that no material evidence had been placed on record by the detaining authority to suggest that all those four persons after meeting the detainee did actually indulge in such activities which would either adversely impact the security of the state or the public order.

The High Court in its orders today further observed that the preventive detention laws could not be a substitute for the criminal laws. Under preventive detention, a person is not put on trial and thus is denied the right to disprove the charges levelled against him, the court added.

Masarat, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League, which is a constituent of the hardline Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Geelani, was released for a brief period on March 9 in 2015 soon after the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had taken over as Chief Minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government.

His release however created a major controversy. The BJP protested the decision, saying how could Mufti order Masarats release without taking the coalition partner into confidence.

The Mufti-led government re-arrested Masarat on April 17, 2015, from his home in the Habbakadal area of Srinagar city and booked him under the PSA amid mounting outrage over his raising pro-Pakistan slogans and Pakistan flag at Geelanis welcome rally on April 15, 2015, in the Hyderpora area of Srinagar. Since then, he continues to be under the detention of the state authorities.
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 28

As the BJP leadership has changed its position from granting citizenship rights to just issuing identity certificate to the West Pakistan refugees (WPRs), the party is facing allegations of propagating anti-Dalit and anti-weaker section policies.

Over 90 per cent of the WPRs, who are struggling since 1947 to get fundamental rights, belong to either Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Other Backward Classes (OBCs) so the Opposition has a reason to target the saffron party for betraying these weaker classes due to the pressure from separatists.

The separatists and other Kashmir-centric parties are opposing rights to these refugees, who fell victim to the Partition, and had to shift from Sialkot and other areas, which are now a part of Pakistan.

As a majority of the WPRs belong to weaker sections, the BJP is diluting its stand on their plight from time to time because policies and programmes of this party are against rights of the depressed classes, alleged advocate Pawan Kundal, a spokesman of the state unit of the BSP.

Ridiculing the BJP ministers who are supporting identity certificate for WPRs, Kundal said the anti-weaker section face of the saffron party had been exposed because it had substituted its citizenship promise with just identity certificate.

For the BJP, the Dalits and the OBCs are nothing but a vote bank which the party exploited during the Lok Sabha elections, he said, adding that, the BJP is an equal partner in the state government and has a majority at the Centre but no concrete step has been so far taken to address the problems of these refugees.

What to say of granting citizenship to these refugees, the BJP has even abolished domicile certificate and started identity certificate to humiliate them, Kundal said.
A bar employee was injured and the customer, Jose L. Garcia, was arrested on tentative charges of battery and disorderly conduct, according to a Madison Police Department report.

Garcia was removed from the bar after a fight at about midnight, and once outside, he tried to re-enter and engaged the bar staff in physical confrontation, police said. Before police arrived, Garcia allegedly punched a 29-year-old bar staff member, resulting in a cut near his eye. A hospital visit and stitches were required for the employee.
Amarjot Kaur

Guess what? Our Bee has a date with a Bumble Bee that impressed this bee-version of Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice with its bee-boying skills at a Christmas Party. As the Bee prepares itself for a dinner date at the beeuty parlour, this motor-mouth finds a patient listener for a hair dresser, the Worker Bee.

The Bees been humming Last Christmas by George Michael only to provoke Funky Monkey to jealousy. Yeah! This one is spoilt for choices like that... George Michael died this Christmas, and you should be listening to I Want Your Sex, considering how Bumble Bees all over you... says the Funky Monkey, who cares too much and shows it.

Saddened though, our Bees been posting and liking posts about George Michael and is quick enough to defend the Bumble Bee. Here, you may want to take a look at George Michaels Carpool Karaoke, often featured on Cordens Late Late Show on CBS and a viral hit on YouTube and social media in 2011. Hes singing Im Your Man with James Corden, says the Bee humming Im Your Man, again a contextual song for the Funky Monkey as it opens its arms for a hug...

You know, in New Zealand, a controversial new childrens rights campaign is shaming parents who tell their children to embrace family members, via a meme which has swept the Internet and gone viral on Facebook, says the Funky Monkey, hugging the bee right back as it says, You should thank god I am not your child and this is not New Zealand, he laughs.

If you feel as awkward as the Worker Bee, welcome to the clan! Oh! Did we just say Clan? Heres a Twitter trek that you must embark on...

Tweet trail

Drexel University issued a statement on Christmas Day to condemn a tweet by one of its professors on Christmas Eve that read: All I want for Christmas is white genocide.

The tweet went viral quickly on Saturday, with conservative websites and many individuals condemning the tweet by George Ciccariello-Maher, associate professor of politics and global studies at Drexel.

Wow! Thats as good an idea as war against terrorism, laughs the Funky Monkey.

Beesides, South Indian film director Suraj has issued an apology for objectifying actresses a day after he made a statement that he has his heroines outfits are short because female stars are expected to provide the glamour in a film, and not act.

The director was criticised by Baahubali actress Tamannaah Bhatia, who posted a photo on Twitter on Monday night, which has since gone viral...

Is it too late now to say sorry, sings the bee!

Also, a 3-year-old kid Micheal Brown, suddenly become famous on social media, when his adoptive sister put his picture on her Twitter account. The kid, who was earlier in foster care, is now adopted by Tara Montgomery, a single mother. The tweet was retweeted 56,000 times and got 1,40,000 likes.

Her tweet, along with a photo, reads:

dae@daaebrown

Forever Family #Adopted

Face the book

Adoption also seems to be a hit on Facebook, with a Facebook page dedicated to Saving Baby Ryan, a child who was brought to the hospital in a condition where doctors doubted if he would even survive. Ryan is 8 years old and was adopted from Bulgaria in 2015. Priscilla and David brought him their home in Tennessee, and their journey to bring him back to recovery began.

So, you know what to do this Christmas... Adopt a child, save a life, instead of going on a date, says the Funky Monkey.

Tube tales

"You will be glad to know that a bride has stolen all the thunder from other newly-weds while dancing her way to the mandap on London Thumakada and Kala Chasma. The video of her dance has gone viral and a Facebook user named Sagar Arora has posted two clips that crossed 15 million views in three days," says the bee... "Sweet is the joy of being in love, don't you think?" it asks. "Well, in case you haven't checked out Lilly Singh aka Superwoman and Priyanka Chopra's How to be a good wing woman, well, you must. I am sure you will need one. It's about how Priyanka's beau broke up with her over snapchat... hahaha! Who does that, right? Probably, a bumblehead!" says Funky Monkey.

Oh! You say, Funky Monkey, that's rather funny. I'd possibly ask you to polish your dancing skills so that you don't die alone and miserable... how about a video of US Embassy staff dancing in Japan on Christmas? You might want to shake a leg, before you break it!" says the bee. "Ha! That frizz in your hair makes me want to give you another nick name- how about friz'bee'?," comes a reply from Funky monkey. Anticipating the advent of another "war of words", a shout from the counter shuts these two up. "So, you'll pay through cash or card," asks the worker bee, as Funky Monkey counts it's Rs 2000 notes in fifty shades of pink. Stay tuned until next week to know about how did Bee's date go!

amarjot@tribunemail.com
As 2016 is coming to an end and people are gearing to welcome 2017, popular Bollywood celebrities, including Aamir Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan, are planning to ring-in the New Year with their family members.

Twin treat, Aamir Khan

The actor, who is basking in the appreciation coming his way for Dangal, will travel to Panchgani with his family to celebrate his wedding anniversary and the New Year. He married Kiran Rao on December 28, 2005.

Family time, Sanjay Dutt

Bollywoods Sanju baba, who stepped out of Punes Yerwada Central Jail as a free man earlier this year, will travel out of India to celebrate the New Year with his wife, Manyata, and their children.

Home affair, Saif Ali Khan

The actor, who was recently blessed with a baby boy, will be at home with his newborn along with wife Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Close ties, Jacqueline

The Sri Lankan beauty will celebrate the New Year with her family in Colombo.

London calling, Radhika Apte

She is currently in London, where she will celebrate the New Year with her musician husband Benedict Taylor.

Work first, Yami Gautam

The actress, who hails from Chandigarh, will be busy shooting for films.

Musical note, Honey Singh

The rapper, who is coping with bipolar disorder, is planning to work on new music and will celebrate the New Year with his family as well as friends.

Lens eye, Prabhas

The Baahubali actor will probably be working his way into the New Year as he is busy shooting for Baahubali: The Conclusion.  IANS
Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

In a first for poll-bound Punjab, 43 officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau of India, assisted by up to five personnel each drawn from paramilitary forces, have been deployed across the state to act as the eyes and ears of the Election Commission for checking the flow of drugs.

Reporting directly to the EC, this group would be a parallel force to Punjab Police for monitoring the use of drugs to lure voters. Political parties other than the Akalis have been accusing Punjab Police of not acting against ruling party leaders and those allegedly backing drug smugglers.

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The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress have made the fight against drugs their main election issue, while the Akalis claim they have checked the drug flow and accuse the Opposition of conspiring to label Punjabis as drug addicts.

NCBs Zonal Director Kaustubh Sharma said the officers had already started working across the state. Each has the powers of a Station House Officer. He can conduct raids, make seizures and report to the Election Commission. They can intercept vehicles, check houses and carry out investigation.

Their brief is to mingle with people, meet leaders and gather intelligence on the misuse of drugs during the elections. We have kept some officials as reserves so that they can be deployed on an SOS basis.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said such a deployment of officials from outside Punjab was required for ensuring free and fair elections. There is always a possibility that the state officials may favour or protect someone. The officials of the NCB have already started working and on the basis of their information, some action against drug smugglers is under process.
Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Seeking admission to 24 popular post-graduate courses at Haryanas seven state universities is set to get tougher with the introduction of a common entrance examination from 2017-18 even as the universities have given nod for centralised online applications and admissions.

The first meeting to work out modalities of the first-of-its-kind initiative was held under the chairmanship of Prof SK Gakhar, Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhry Bansi Lal University, Bhiwani.

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The students will have to appear for a multiple-choice test, which will also have a component of general knowledge. This test will be held in the last week of May or the first week of June.

We are expecting around 1.5 lakh applications. Three rounds of online counselling on the basis of the test will be held and the successful candidates will be allotted universities according to their rank and preference. The idea is to save students from the inconvenience of applying to various universities, said a member of the committee constituted to monitor the admission process.

The online counselling will be followed by physical counselling by universities.

Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, will hold the entrance exam in the subjects of pharmaceutical sciences, life sciences, chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Kurukshetra University will hold the exam for commerce, management, social work, journalism, law, political science and public administration, English, Hindi, history, geography, physical education and psychology.

Admission for other subjects will be carried out by universities at their own level.
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 27

A day after India test-fired the nuclear-capable Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, China responded aggressively, suggesting it might even take the matter to the United Nations.

China's reaction came amid reports that Indias launch of Agni-V was directed towards China. Meanwhile, India was quick to react, saying Indias strategic capabilities were not targeted against any particular country.

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When asked about the reports that emanated in both Indian and Japanese media about China being the real target of Agni-V, the Chinese foreign ministry today pointedly said the question of the motive behind the launch needed to be asked of the Indian side.

China is one of the five members of the permanent security council and in an assertion of that position, it today said: "The UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons."

This was stated by Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, in Beijing today. She, however, did not specify whether Beijing would drag India to the UN over the launch of the ballistic missile or not.

India, however, sought to assure China that the launch of Agni-V was not intended towards China. The official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said India's strategic capabilities were not targeted against any particular country. "India abides by all applicable international obligations and hopes that all others do the same. India's growing autonomy and growing engagement contributes to strategic stability," he said.

The Chinese side today also said that it was "willing to work alongside regional countries, including India, to maintain the long-lasting peace, stability and prosperity of the region".

China reiterated the point that both China and India have reached an important consensus that the two countries are not rivals for competition but partners as two significant developing countries and emerging economies.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

The Union Cabinet today cleared an ordinance which will make carrying demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes above a certain threshold a punishable offence after March 31, 2017.

The ordinance provides for amending the Reserve Bank of India Act to provide legislative backing for extinguishing the demonetised bank notes that are not returned. It is expected to be replaced by a law in the Budget Session.

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The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance makes holding of old notes after March 31, 2017, beyond a threshold amount a criminal offence that will attract a fine of Rs 10,000 or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

Furnishing wrong information while depositing old currency between January 1 and March 31 will attract a fine of Rs 5,000 or five times the amount. The ordinance is being brought in to deal with any litigation.

A maximum of 10 banned notes may be allowed to be held by a person.
Lucknow, December 28

Samajwadi Party announced names of 325 candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Wednesday, as national president Mulayam Singh Yadav ruled out forming alliances for the mammoth contest.

In a hurriedly called press briefing, the party released its first list  with 176 current MLAs on it  and said that the rest would be announced soon.

"Samajwadi Party is not forming an alliance with anyone," Mulayam said, ending speculation of a tie up between SP and Congress.

The list announced on Wednesday included names that his son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, had objected to  a decision that is seen as a snub to the young leader, who had recently been involved in a battle that pitted him against his uncle Shivpal Yadav  and his father. The list was announced at a time when the chief minister is away on a tour.

Wednesdays list included Sigbatullah Ansari, whose brother Mukhtar Ansari is a gangster-turned-politician, and Atiq Ahmed, who has more 40 criminal charges  including murder,  against him.

Akhilesh Yadav, who had objected to their being made party candidates, had asked his father to intervene.

Another name that upset Akhilesh  Aman Mani Tripathi, who has been arrested in a case involving his wifes murder  is however not on the first list.

The chief minister was also unhappy with Shivpal Yadavs choice of candidates for 175 seats and even sent his own preferred candidates to his father.

Wednesdays list also did not contain name of several people believed to be on Team Akhilesh  including current ministers Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Sing Gope.

Mulayam Singh however said his son was free to choose the assembly segment from which he wanted to fight the elections.

Akhilesh Yadav is believed to have been willing to forge an alliance with the Congress and is believed to hold the view that while fighting the elections alone would get the SP an absolute majority, an alliance with the Congress would get it more than 300 seats.

Akhilesh Yadavs battle with his uncle came months before the mammoth elections in Uttar Pradesh and threatened to split the party into two.

The elections  due to be held early next year  is likely to be a very closely fought battle, which will pit the ruling SP against its longtime rival Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had done exceedingly well during the general elections of 2014. PTI
Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27

Under relentless Opposition attack over demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today defended the move, saying it destroyed terrorism, drug mafia, human trafficking and the underworld in a trice.

Targeting parties opposing the note ban, he said some people were upset as his decision had struck the ring leader of thieves.

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Did you give me an unfragmented mandate in 2014 to cut ribbons and light ceremonial lamps at inauguration ceremonies? Didnt you vote me to combat and end corruption? Shouldnt we fight the evil with all our might? he asked.

After laying the foundation stone of a project for all-weather roads to Chardham, he said he wanted to pull Uttarakhand out of the bottomless pit of corruption in which it was languishing under the Congress regime.

At a maha parivartan rally at the Parade Ground, he sought peoples support to install a BJP government in the state in the 2017 elections. The way you elected the BJP in New Delhi, help us come to power here too, he said.

Without taking names, Modi hit out at CM Harish Rawat for going on an inauguration spree without looking at the nitty-gritty of arranging finances or details of projects. There are some people who are inaugurating projects on a daily basis. Without budget, they are laying stones. These politicians should understand that people cannot be deceived, he said.

He said his government did not believe in putting up a false show in the name of development. The 900-km Chardham Highway Development project will entail an investment of Rs 12,000 crore. It will ensure uninterrupted all-weather safe journey to the Himalayan shrines  Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath, which bore the brunt of the 2013 flashfloods.

(With PTI inputs)
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today came out in support of former IAF chief SP Tyagi saying we stand by him till he is proven guilty. He also listed the IAF requirement of an additional 200-250 fighter jets to meet future short fall.

Raha, who retires on December 31, was meeting the media in a farewell press conference in New Delhi today when he, without naming Tyagi, said till the time a person was convicted, I think we should give him due but if a person was found guilty, there would be no sympathy for him.

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Tyagi, a former IAF chief  retired in 2007  was arrested recently by the Central Bureau of Investigation on alleged bribery charges in the Rs 3,600-crore deal to buy 12 helicopters from AgustaWestland for use of VVIPs.

Raha said there were so many agencies involved and one could not pin the blame on one particular organisation or service.

On the fighter jets, Raha said mere 36 Rafale fighter jets would not suffice as India needed another 200-250 medium weight fighters over the next 10 years. India has enough of heavy weight fighters  the Su30 MKI  while the lightweight need will be met by the 123 Tejas light combat aircraft.

Raha said a void has been created as many of the squadrons (of the MiG 21) are past their use-by date.

On the selection of the Army Chief Lt Gen Bipin Rawat by superseding two of his seniors, Raha said in the past the seniority principle had been overruled. But once a decision has been taken, we should go along with it otherwise it will weaken the person who is going to be the next chief.

The outgoing IAF chief counted the AN-32 crash as over Bay of Bengal as one of the worst memories during his tenure. The AN-32 is not the best aircraft to fly on this route, he said.

Twenty nine personnel are feared dead in the crash when an AN-32, on a routine sortie from IAF Tambaram in Tamil Nadu to Port Blair, went missing at 12.25 pm on July 22, around 150 nautical miles east of Chennai.

Raha termed the Pathankot terror attack a major setback during his tenure. We learnt our lessons. Today, I can say that we are very well prepared, Raha said in reference to the January-2 attack in which seven security personnel and one civilian were killed.

On the one rank, one pension imbroglio, the IAF chief said it was an unprecedented situation which affected the esteem of the armed forces.

The OROP agitation resulted in an unprecedented situation. Whatever has been awarded by government to my mind is reasonable I have always told my people to accept this, he said.
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, December 28

The names of three ministers and at least 53 sitting MLAs have been missing from the list of 325 Samajwadi Party candidates released by national president Mulayam Singh Yadav here today.

Once again taking over the reins of the beleaguered party firmly in his hands, Mulayam addressed a press conference at the party headquarters where brother and state president Shivpal Singh Yadav remained by his side and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was conspicuous by his absence.

Mulayam said names were yet to be finalised for the remaining 78 seats. Responding to a question, the party patriarch flatly denied that these seats had been kept aside for a possible Congress alliance.

The on-off rift between the Samajwadi Party and the Akhilesh-led government has acquired a serious turn as the list is being seen as a big snub for the Chief Minister.

It is clear that Akhilesh Yadav will have no say in finalising the candidates. In fact, Akhileshs own name does not figure on the list. He had recently expressed the desire to contest from Bundelkahnd. Responding to a question, Mulayam said that Akhilesh could fight from wherever he wished. On December 25, CM Yadav had handed over a list of 403 candidates to his father, which he wanted to be finalised.

But his list appears to have been discarded as the father-uncle duos stamp is clear on the list released today.

Don-turned-mafia Atiq Ahmads name is very much on the list from Kanpur Cantonment. He had run into trouble last week when he and his goons attacked the Vice-Chancellor and staff of a private university in Allahabad.

Similarly, MLA from Biswan (Sitapur) Rampal Yadav retains his seat despite being thrown out of the party by CM Yadav for anti-party activities. CM Yadav had even ordered the demolition of his illegal commercial buildings in Lucknow after his family members contested against the official SP candidate in last years panchayati raj elections.

Reacting to the list and the dropping of ministers and MLAs close to him, CM Yadav said that he would speak to the national president on their behalf.

Mulayam said a total of 4,200 applications had been received for the 403 seats. The list of 325 names includes 176 seats that are with the ruling party and 148 seats which the ruling party had lost in 2012.
BARABOO  This is the time of year when guests wear out their welcome.

Your kid comes home from college for Christmas and, after emptying the kitchen shelves and your coin jar, refuses to return to campus. Your aunts and uncles fly in from Antwerp for the holidays on open-ended plane tickets, and make you nervous by asking where they can file change-of-address cards. Your cousin Eddie shows up in his RV with a snot factory of a dog, insists on emptying the toilet tank into your sewer, and says something about leaving next month.

Wait, no, that last scene was from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Ive watched so many holiday movies this month, I no longer can differentiate reality from fiction.

If ever there were a year to disassociate oneself from reality, it was 2016. It was truly a horror, on par with Aunt Gladys fruitcake. We cant seem to go a week without losing a beloved celebrity, which is just one of many reasons why we cant wait for 2016 to take the hint and take a hike, already.

It was bad enough when we lost David Bowie and Merle Haggard and Glenn Frey. Not to mention Prince, Gene Wilder and Alan Rickman. As well as Gordie Howe, Arnold Palmer and Muhammad Ali. Then this month, 2016 delivered final blows with the deaths of Alan Thicke, John Glenn, George Michael and Carrie Fisher. Truly there is no justice in a world where Prince, Ali and Wilder die and Ryan Lochte still lives.

Of course, there are more important things in the world than celebrities deaths. Many Americans remain in mourning over the presidential election. Theyre certain the Cheeto in Chief will dismantle democracy and nuke half the eastern hemisphere. Ill worry about that later: Surviving 2016 is a day-by-day affair.

Britains membership in the European Union didnt last the year, nor did Brangelina. Creepy clowns lurked everywhere, as did kids playing Pokemon Go. Which is the greater scourge? Let the Supreme Court decide: But with the death of Antonin Scalia, its split evenly between liberals and conservatives until the Cheeto appoints a new justice, possibly Chewbacca Mom.

This was a turbulent year. Officers and suspects shot one another. Protesters sought to block a pipeline. And terrorists attacked Brussels, Orlando and New York. You couldnt drink the water in Flint, Michigan, and you couldnt swat a mosquito anywhere without worrying about contracting Zika.

Refugees flooded in from Syria, Harambe the gorilla was shot, and all of a sudden no one could figure out which bathroom to use. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series, and Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize. It was a confusing year, indeed.

There was good news in 2016. Americans can bring back cigars and shortstops from Cuba now without breaking a trade embargo. We invented self-driving cars and arrested El Chapo. Oh, and we all got 10 new Wells Fargo bank accounts.

But history will show this was a year to forget. Like cousin Eddie and the relatives from Antwerp and your precious little undeclared seventh-year senior, 2016 long ago wore out its welcome. Its time to move on.

RIP, 2016. The only thing about you that makes us happy is that youre almost gone.
Ajay Banerjee



Tribune News Service



New Delhi, December 28



Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshall Arup Raha on Wednesday came out in support of former IAF chief SP Tyagi saying that they stand by him till he is proven guilty.

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He also listed the IAF requirement of an additional 200-250 fighter jets to meet the short fall arising out of future phasing out of the MiG 21 jets.Raha, who retires on December 31, was meeting the media in New Delhi when he, without naming Tyagi, said the former Chief was part of the IAF family and they stand by him, however, if charges are proved against him, they will have no sympathy.He said blaming the IAF alone for the AgustaWestland bribery scandal was not right.Tyagi, a former IAF Chief - retired in 2007 - was arrested recently by the Central Bureau of Investigation on alleged bribery charges in the Rs 3,600 crore deal to buy 12 helicopters from Italian firm AgustaWestland for use of top VVIPs.On being asked about fighter jets, Raha said we need more medium weight fighter jets - a classification for jets. The Sukhoi 30 MKI is in the heavy weight category, the Tejas is the light-weight category, while the Rafale was ordered recently from France."We need a second line of production of fighter jets under the make in India procedure", Raha said while putting the collective need at 200-250 jets in the next 10 years.
Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

An ambitious move to put the functioning of private universities under the scanner has been put on hold, apparently to avoid a backlash from the powerful lobby of private universities in the Assembly elections.

Using a litigation in the Supreme Court concerning the HP Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission as an excuse, Punjabs Legal Remembrance (LR) Department has stalled the setting up of the regulatory authority.

But the case of Himachal Pradesh has no bearing on the setting up of the regulatory body for Punjab.

In the past year, the draft of the Punjab Educational Institute Regulatory Authority was sent twice to Higher Education Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra.

But in the official communication, the LR department has advocated stalling the process to set up the body.

The associations of private universities  all along  have been opposing tooth and nail the setting of the regulatory body.

In September, the state government was rapped by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for failing to have a regulatory mechanism to regulate the functioning of the states private higher education sector.

With the government recently approving City University, the government has approved 16 private universities.

In the special Vidhan Sabha session, the SAD-BJP government passed The Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Bill. But it has not bothered to bring a similar Bill for private universities despite passing a resolution in a previous session of the Vidhan Sabha, said an official.

Rakhra has all the while been saying that the government was keen on setting the body.

Dr JS Dhaliwal, president of the Punjab Unaided Technical Colleges Association (PUTIA), said that instead of setting up the body, the government should strengthen school education. The quality of school education should be improved before going after higher education institutions, he said.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Dec 27

A religious function in Bathindas Rampura Phul constituency on Monday courted controversy when sermons were reportedly recited at the conclusion of Ramayana in a manner ardas is performed.

The alleged episode has angered Sikh intellectuals and religious leaders, more so because Rural Development Minister Sikander Singh Maluka was present when the sermons were being recited. The occasion was the inauguration of his office.

The minister has been accused of desecrating Sikh religion. The video clip of the alleged episode has gone viral on the social media. The minister is seen standing, while the ardas is being offered. Some words in the ardas are reportedly distorted.

The minister, who belongs to the Panthic party, has drawn flak from several quarters. Bir Devinder Singh, former Deputy Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, said, The imitation of the ardas by a non-Sikh priest in a political function is a blasphemous act, and deserves strong objection and legal action.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh directed SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar to inquire into the matter. He asked the SGPC to procure the video of the incident and get it scrutinised from Panj Pyaras to ascertain whether or not the act amounted to desecration of the religion and identify others involved in it.

In a press note issued today, the Jathedar said the distortion of the ardas had hurt religious sentiments of the Sikhs. This will not be tolerated, he said.

Maluka said, I did not know about the recitation of the ardas as per Sikh traditions. After the function, I enquired from the organisers about it. They said the ardas was even available in written form.

His media incharge Ratan Sharma refused to accept that the minister desecrated the religion. A Hindu priest recited the sermon. The minister was one among hundreds of people listening to it. The ardas was based on the translation of the Ramayanas Awadhi version.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a spokesperson for the Shiromani Akali Dal, said, The party condemns the incident. Desecration in any form is not acceptable to the Panthic party.
Dehradun, December 27

Citing the problems being faced by the state due to demonetisation, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pump in enough currency into the system to address the woes of the people, especially the old and physically challenged.

Long queues are still seen outside banks and ATMs. The old and the physically challenged are the worst affected. People are worse off in the remote hill areas, he said in a memorandum handed over to the Prime Minister on the latters arrival here at the GTC helipad to lay the foundation stone of an all-weather road project for Char Dham.

Rawat urged the Prime Minister to ensure enough cash flow in the system.

The Chief Minister also urged Modi to allow cooperative banks to accept demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes saying it would help the farmers who were facing a severe cash crunch.

Describing Uttarakhand as a border state with limited resources, Rawat urged the Prime Minister to speed up the release of funds assured by the Cabinet Committee on Uttarakhand for reconstruction works in the wake of the 2013 floods, adding that over 300 villages in the disaster-prone areas needed to be relocated.  PTI
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 28

The city police today nabbed alleged nine fraudsters of a gang here today.

Identified as Jagat Bisht, Sanju Kumar, Rajesh Gupta, Pankaj Mishra, Vinod Kumar, Rashid, Mohammad Kasib, Sunil Kumar and Umesh Kumar, they are said to have allegedly duped senior citizens and middle-aged people of their valuables while travelling..

Addressing mediapersons, SSP Sweety Agarwal said several police teams were formed to solve the cases of fraud that had been reported in different areas of the city in the past few days. She said the accused, posing themselves as cab drivers, used to ferry passengers by offering them rides at a meagre price than what other taxi services charged.

The SSP said around half-a-dozen fraud cases were reported at Rispana bridge, Harawala, Raiwala, Vidhan Sabha crossing, Miyanwala and other areas in few months. The police deployed decoy customers (retired policemen) at different places to nab fraudsters. Acting on a tip-off, cops arrested them at Haridwar bypass.

Agarwal said, While ferrying, they used to tell passengers they were transporting government consignments comprising cash, so the passengers were required to put all of their valuables, including cash and jewellery, in an envelope since they were not allowed officially to hire passengers. Midway, they deboarded passengers, telling them to wait for a few minutes as they had to collect another consignment from a government office. The moment passengers alighted, they used to flee.

The police have seized gold jewellery worth lakhs of rupees and two cars which were being used to commit the crime. The SSP announced a cash reward of Rs 2,500 for the cops who cracked the case. A case has been registered against the accused.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 28

Activists of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal today took out a march against the BJP MLA who allegedly bought gold worth crores after note ban by the Centre. They demanded to take stringent action against the BJP legislator.

The activists led by UKD general secretary Jaiprakash Upadhyay gathered at the office. They took out a march up to the Chief Ministers residence. The rally passed through New Road, Lansdowne Chowk, Subhash Road, Rajpur Road, Dilaram crossing, etc.

The police placed barricades and stopped them at Vijay Colony. The protesters and police had a heated argument as they were not allowed to hold protest at the Chief Ministers residence. The activists raised slogans against the government. They demanded that the Congress-led state government should immediately take stringent action against the BJP legislator, who allegedly purchased gold worth crores of rupees after the Union Government had announced demonetisation in November. They said memorandums were given to government officials, but to no avail.

Sanjay Chettri, Ranjan Kotnala, Dheerandra, Surendra Singh Rawat, Sachin, Vijay, Devendra Prasad etc were present.
Dhaka, December 28

A major terror attack in Bangladesh on the New Years Eve has been foiled with the arrest of five operatives of the banned terror group JMB along with guns and 30 kgs of explosives, police said on Wednesday.

The five suspected Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives were arrested from Darus Salam in Mirpur area here during a raid by the counter-terrorism unit last night, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said in a statement.

We raided their den on the basis of our intelligence reports and arrested the five operatives of the (old) JMB, a DMP spokesman told PTI.

30 kgs of chemicals in liquid and powder forms, which were the main ingredients to prepare explosives, and electronic equipment meant to make bombs alongside some extremist literature was recovered from the scene, the spokesman said.

During preliminary interrogation, the militants told us that they had planned to carry out attacks on the (December) 31st night, during New Year celebrations, polices counter-terrorism unit chief Monirul Islam told a media briefing.

Guns and bombs were also seized from their possession in the overnight raid, local media reported, adding that Md Riaz alias Engineer alias Rakib is the leader of the group.

Another official familiar with the anti-terrorism campaign said old JMB has a stronger hold in the countrys northwest. The five operatives arrested were working on the directives of their three leaders based in north-western Rajshahi district, the official said.

A breakaway faction of JMB constituted the Neo-JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the dreaded ISIS and carried out the July 1 terror attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed.

An Indian girl was among those killed in the countrys worst terror attack.  PTI
Jerusalem, December 28

Israel pulled back from approving hundreds of new homes for Israelis in annexed East Jerusalem on Wednesday. The projects, in areas Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians seek as part of a future state, are part of building activity the UN Security Council demanded an end to on Friday in a resolution made possible by a US abstention.

With applications for 492 building permits in the urban settlements of Ramot and Ramat Shlomo on its agenda, members of Jerusalem city halls Planning and Building committee said a planned vote was cancelled at PM Benjamin Netanyahus request.

A spokesman for the Israeli leader declined immediate comment. Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, called on Israel to take the high ground and declare a cessation of settlement activities, including East Jerusalem, so we can give the peace process the chance it deserves by the resumption of meaningful negotiations.

Washingtons move at the United Nations broke a longstanding policy of diplomatic shielding of Israel by the United States.

Condemned by Israel as shameful, it was widely seen as a parting shot by President Barack Obama against Netanyahu and his pro-settlement policies.

The two leaders have had a rocky relationship, divided over the decades-old Israeli policy of building Jewish settlements in occupied territory as well as on how to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.

Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate and most countries view it as an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land, which the Palestinians also claim, as well as security interests.

Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem amid mounting international concern that a two-state solution to the dispute is in jeopardy, with peace talks stalled since 2014.

Ir Amim, a group which opposes Israeli settlement in occupied territory where Palestinians seek to establish a state, said the committee nonetheless permitted construction of a four-storey building for settlers in Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood where they have been expanding their enclave.

Today, while attention has been focused on the removal of ... building permits ... the committee proceeded to approve a controversial project in one of the most flammable neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem, Ir Amim said in a statement.  Reuters
Toronto: Two Indian-origin sisters  Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo  have been arrested on charges of extorting and cyber-bullying a billionaire in Lagos, Nigeria. They operated website NaijaGistLive and cyber-bullied oil tycoon Femi Otedola, who was on Forbes list of billionaires in Africa this year. IANS

Jail for not marrying pregnant women

Yangon: Myanmars government is drafting a law that could see men jailed for up to five years if they refuse to marry women after they have lived together, and up to seven years for getting a woman pregnant but not marrying her. The new law, if passed, would also criminalise domestic violence for the first time and make gang-rape a capital offence. AFP

Longest bullet train line operationalised

Beijing: China has started operations of one of the worlds longest high-speed railways that links the countrys prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part. The Shanghai-Kunming line  2,252 km in length  traverses the five provinces and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours. The maximum speed is 330 km per hour. PTI

Boss rewards 800 staff with Caribbean cruise

New York: A generous boss of a US-based company has rewarded his 800 employees with a Caribbean cruise for their hard work over the last 12 months. The CEO of Bertch Cabinets will pay for all of his staff to have a five-day break at the start of 2017. PTI
Washington, December 27

US President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at the UN, describing the world body as a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. Trumps remarks comes following a decision by Barack Obama to abstain from a UN Security Council vote condemning Israel's settlements in the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem. The abstention marked an historic change in policy that permitted the resolution to pass.

Ahead of the vote, Trump had publicly asked the US to veto the resolution. The Washington Post said Trump's tweet signalled that he would likely challenge UN's approach to the Middle East once he takes office. Trump has already said that things would be different at the UN after January 20. Trump has nominated Indian-American Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, as his Ambassador to the UN.  PTI
While he mentions his narrowing concerns about term limits, more jobs, lower property taxes, better schools and real pension reform, he hones in on the workers comp reform as his apparent hill to die on. The heart of his argument:

Governor Rauner is serious about forcing serious reform in the state's workers' compensation program, and he makes that clear in an op-ed published in Crain's this am.

Illinois employers spend approximately $3 billion per year on workers' compensation, including medical expenses and disability benefits. The most widely used national study, conducted by the state of Oregon, shows that Illinois jumped from 23rd to the third most expensive state in the nation following 2005 changes to the law. Bipartisan reforms in 2011 helped to reduce costs, but Illinois remains the most expensive state in the Midwest and is tied as the seventh most expensive state in the nation. A balanced approach to reform could save employers and expand job opportunities for Illinois residents. It would mean that all participants in the systememployers, workers, medical providers, insurers, lawyers and the Workers' Compensation Commissionbring savings to the system. There are many elements that can and should be included in a reform package.

The problem is that Democrat-backing trial lawyers thrive on workers' comp lawsuits and they like the system just as it is - and House Speaker Mike Madigan's decades-long power has always been partially funded by trial lawyers.

The governor spells out in the op-ed the details of why the changes should be made. The question is, will logic rule the day when negotiations over the state budget resume, and will Democrats decide to compromise - or does the governor's hill make the whole budget scenario impassable?

Read more of the governor's comments HERE.
The holidays are a time for celebration and gifts, but not all presents hit the mark and returning them doesnt feel very festive. If you find yourself unhappy with a gift, you wouldnt be the only one.

Nearly a quarter of the people responding to a 2015 holiday survey by shopping app Retale said they were likely to return or exchange at least one of the presents they received.

A recent holiday shopping report by personal finance website NerdWallet found that clothing was the most commonly returned gift last year, at 14 percent.

Many retailers allow people to exchange or return goods that didnt satisfy, but the policies often must be followed to a T. So heres what you should know about returning those holiday gifts you gave or received.

Read the fine print, says Narayanan Janakiraman, an assistant professor in marketing at the University of Texas at Arlington who writes about return policies. Most of us know that the fine print has got all kinds of restrictions on what is qualified for a return.

First, comb through the policy to see if your product is eligible for returns. Many retailers exclude certain categories, including clearance products, opened software and video games (usually eligible only for exchange), worn clothing and gift cards. Best Buy wont accept returns on digital content and prepaid cards.

Next, ensure you have all thats required for returns  usually your receipt or gift receipt and all of the item parts and packaging in good condition. You may also have to pay a restocking fee.

Then, decide the timing. Putting off a return can bring its own drawbacks. Many retailers have extended their holiday return policies to the middle or end of January, but not all items qualify for the longer time frame. One example is Amazon, which has widened its usual 30-day return period to Jan. 31 for holiday purchases, but some third-party sellers on the site may have different deadlines, so check policies carefully.

Janakiraman says lenient return periods can be risky for consumers. The more time you have to make the return, the more likely you may be to buy something, but the less likely you may be to return an unsatisfactory present.

The more you procrastinate, and the more time you have it, the more you feel ownership of it, Janakiraman says. That means you may fail to return the gift.

Mailing back returns is one convenient way to unload unwanted gifts, but it could come at a cost. Some retailers charge a return shipping fee for using their prepaid label and deduct the cost from your refund. That could make in-store returns more affordable.

Another option is Happy Returns , a network of kiosk locations (called Return Bars) within select malls. Shoppers can take an online purchase to a Return Bar for an instant refund, rather than waiting to ship it back to the retailer to get one. But this service is currently available only for items purchased from a handful of lesser-known online retailers, including Tradesy and Eloquii.

Some major outlets like Wal-Mart and Bloomingdales allow consumers to return gifts that were bought online at a physical store location. If you decide to go to a store, take the receipt, a form of identification and the payment method used (such as a credit card) if you bought the gift.

Ryan Koral of Michigan thought his local sporting goods store would be able to pull up his order via his credit card when he recently went to make a return within the policy period. But he was surprised that a receipt was required. The best he would get without a receipt was a store credit for the lowest discounted price of the item  much less than the $50 purchase amount.

Having a gift receipt doesnt ensure a monetary refund, especially at retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory and Bed Bath & Beyond, which offer merchandise credit to gift recipients on store returns.

The key is to read the return policy before you do anything and then decide on your course of action early, Janakiraman says. Return policies generally are detailed online, but you may need to search the retailers website for the fine print.
WASHINGTON  What a year it has been for James Comey!

At the start of 2016, the FBI director enjoyed a reputation as a public servant of high integrity, earning bipartisan acclaim for his stewardship of the nations preeminent law enforcement agency.

A year later, the FBI, after a series of blows to its credibility, seems increasingly partisan. Comey has shown himself to be an inconsistent leader. And an ugly conclusion is becoming difficult to escape: He singlehandedly caused Donald Trump to win the presidency.

Doubt on that last point should have been dispelled this week, after court documents were released Tuesday that showed the justification for Comeys decision  announced to the nation just 11 days before the election  that he was reopening his investigation into Hillary Clintons emails. We now know Comeys bombshell was based on nothing: The FBI had no evidence of wrongdoing in the newly discovered emails, found on Huma Abedins laptop, and no reason to suspect there was anything on the laptop that the FBI hadnt already dismissed as insufficient to mount a prosecution.

Yet that was the flimsy basis for Comeys letter to Congress reopening the Clinton probe. The new emails were irrelevant or redundant. But by the time Comey said, just two days before the election, that the FBI found nothing new, the damage to Clinton was done.

When an election is this close  Clinton, in the final tally, won the popular vote by 2.8 million votes  any number of factors could have shifted the outcome: Russias hacking, Jill Steins Green Party candidacy, Clintons weaknesses as a candidate, her ill-advised message of continuity in times that demanded populist change.

But Comeys intervention is one thing that almost certainly changed the result. Nationwide, voters who decided in the last week  the time when Comeys announcement dominated the news  overwhelmingly went for Trump. Late-deciders went for Trump by 17 points in Florida and Pennsylvania, by 11 points in Michigan and 29 points in Wisconsin.

I doubt Comey meant to give the presidency to Trump. All along, I maintained that he was a man of integrity. But he demonstrated poor judgment. So protective was he of his above-the-fray reputation that his attempts to guard it caused a series of bad decisions. Ironically, his attempts at preserving his reputation were what hurt him.

In June, before Comeys July statement on the Clinton email issue, 48 percent of Americans expressed confidence in the FBI and 16 percent lacked confidence, according to an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll. Now, six months later, 37 percent have confidence in the FBI, while 27 percent dont  and Republicans and Democrats are almost identical in their views.

Comeys trouble began with his announcement, on the eve of the national political conventions, that no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges against Clinton over the emails. His no-prosecution recommendation infuriated congressional Republicans. This criticism must have stung, since Comey, a former George W. Bush administration official, then took a series of actions that seemed designed to repair his reputation with Republicans.

First, he refused to join an administration statement on Oct. 7 naming Russia as the perpetrator of hacks of American political organizations. He reasoned that the FBI shouldnt be seen as injecting itself into politics so close to an election.

Comey made a mockery of such considerations when he delivered his October Surprise later that month, defying warnings from the Justice Department and ignoring long-standing guidelines by announcing that he was reopening the Clinton probe.

It probably wasnt done to torpedo Clinton, though that was the result. The most convincing explanation: Comey feared that already irate congressional Republicans, if they were to learn that he didnt disclose the new discovery of Clinton emails, would have trashed his integrity.

Since the election, Comey has continued to protect his reputation  at considerable cost. Earlier this month, news broke that the CIA had concluded Russia intervened in the election to help Trump. But FBI officials resisted joining the conclusion.

Perhaps Comey was again trying to keep his agency and himself above the fray, but the FBIs mush helped Trump dismiss the CIAs findings. The matter turned into a partisan fight rather than the national-security concern it should be. After several days, and the intervention of the director of national intelligence, Comey finally acknowledged the obvious: that the FBI, too, believes the Russians tried to help Trump.

Did Comey mean to become Trumps elector, and now his protector? Probably not. But in the end, motives count for less than outcomes. And Comeys have been ruinous.
Over the past 19 years, most of the top occupations in Oklahoma have stayed the same. The numbers and order have shuffled, but most of the jobs that employ the most Oklahomans havent.

A leader in the shuffle has been restaurant workers. Demand for them has increased because of people increasingly eating meals outside of the home.

In 1997, combined food preparation workers were the 18th-largest profession in the state. By 2007, it was the sixth-largest profession. It was the fourth largest in 2015.

Lynn Gray, an economist with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, credited the surge in employment with demand for eating out. He said more people are eating meals outside the home and moving away from past habits of it serving as a treat for families.

Its a trend that the employment security commission has noticed. Theyre currently working on the second phase of a report analyzing the surge in restaurant employment.

The first draft of the report shows that restaurant job growth has been a serious component of the states overall job growth in the past decade. While all industries have grown at 5.8 percent, restaurants have grown at 17.1 percent.

Gray said the average worker is older.

Kevin Hern, a local McDonalds franchisee, said the industry has continued to hire while others had scaled back in the past few years.

Hern said the average age is about 20 and while more older workers are joining the restaurant workforce, its still a starter job for young people that teaches them how to work.

He added that he doesnt think the jobs are going to be lost to automation because it would be hard to replace the volume of customer interaction with a machine.

Gray said measuring the list of top 20 jobs against past years isnt a true barometer of the economy. The means of measuring the occupations has changed slightly, he said.

However, there is one occupation on the list that shows the decline of a key Oklahoma industry, one that economists call an economic base for Oklahoma  manufacturing.

In 1997, metal fabricators were among the top 20 occupations in Oklahoma.

Gray said the dip in employment for the profession shows the decline of manufacturing as well as the presence of automation in the economy. He said the profession has ebbed and flowed in the years since 1997 but has dipped well below its 1997 levels.




By Mark Rhoads -

A favorite saying of the late State Senate President Cecil A. Partee when he presided over the Senate in Springfield was to talk about the irony of a majority working against its own interests. Partee said, "What goes around comes around." When national Democrats still held a majority in 2013, they voted to change U.S. Senate rules to end the filibuster option to prolong debate in certain circumstances.

They kept the filibuster option for a Supreme Court nomination but got rid of it for other lower judicial nominations. The means that the incoming Republican Administration will be able to nominate as many as 111 candidates to fill judicial vacancies and confirm the appeals court and lower court vacancies with only a simple majority of votes in the Senate instead of 60 percent. So when we consider a legacy for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) in future years, we might be able to thank him for out-smarting himself and clearing a path for many more conservative judges on federal benches around the country.
A Princes Town homeowner says he believes a water leak is to blame for a landslip affecting their home.

He tells our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh that his investigations reveal that it' a WASA leak, and although he's made numerous reports to the authority, they continue to ignore his complaints.
In January ABC screens Stephen Fry in Central America, a 4 part series in which the actor-presenter travels through Mexico and the entire Central American isthmus to the Panamanian border with South America.

This screened on Pay TV a year ago.

Stephen starts his journey on the Sante Bridge that separates El Paso in Texas from Ciudad Juarez, an important transit point for the drug cartels and considered one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico.

He meets up with his converted school bus and heads towards Chihuahua. En route his driver takes him to see some of the local cowboys before experiencing the enduring patriotism of the local hero, the revolutionary Pancho Villa who lead the army of the North in the revolutionary war of 1914. Boarding the El Chepe train he heads into the Sierra Madre Mountains and the magnificent Copper Canyon, where he overcomes his fears and takes one of the longest zip wire rides in the world two kilometres down to where the Tamahumara people live.

Leaving the canyon, he arrives in the old silver mining town of Real de Catorce in time to experience their annual fiesta to celebrate the Revolution of Pancho Villa and importance of the donkey to both miners and revolutionaries. During the festivities he is persuaded to join in a pointy boots techno tribal dance group, but manages to avoid taking hallucinogenic peyote cactus with a Huichol shaman.

Nearing Mexico City he takes to the air in a balloon to witness the vast ruins of Teotihuacan, the greatest city of pre-Aztec Mexico and with archaeologist Sergio Gomez explores the excavations under the temple of the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent.

In the Xochimilco canals built by the Aztecs to feed and water their city he learns of the axolotl, an extraordinary species of salamander, worshipped by the Aztecs, which has the power to regrow any part of its bodyan animal literally made up of stem cells.

A small role as a butler in a Mexican soap [telenovela] gives him an insight into the most important form of Mexican popular culture but its smashing up the papier-mache pinata that allows him to let off steam in truly Mexican fashion.

An emotionally charged demonstration in the capital to protest against the ongoing drug wars that have claimed over 100,000 lives in the last 8 years, and most recently the disappearance of 43 students drives home to a visibly upset Stephen just how messed up the country is yet full of a desperate kind of hope.

In the mountains of Michoacan Stephen witnesses the extraordinary migration of millions of Monarch butterflies who overwinter here after a 3000-mile flight from North America. Doctor Pablo Jaramillo explains how the butterflies are the great grandchildren of the ones that were here last year  the only multi-generational migration on the planet. Stephen is moved beyond words by one of the greatest natural history phenomena.

Ending this first part of his travels he heads to the Pacific coast and the once glamorous resort of Acapulco, where he meets cliff divers and marvels at their extraordinary bravery as they plunge 115 feet into 12 feet of water.

Tuesday 17 January 8.30pm on ABC.
When the Russians moved into Aleppo, they discovered mass graves of people tortured and executed, in all likelihood by the rebels. The area in question was held by the rebels for several years, and denied to the Syrian government and the Russians. Assyrian Christians were able to celebrate Christmas for the first time in many years, claiming they were prevented as rebels became increasingly Islamist in their rule.

The fact is, there is no daylight between the "friendly" rebels in Syria and these other groups, merely geography and opportunity.

If true , giving anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian rebels is an act of utter stupidity on the part of Obama. How long before these missiles find their way to ISIS, Al Qaeda, or any number of hostile groups to shoot down our planes and airliners?

In all likelihood, Obama knows this but thinks the consequences will fall on the President-Elect. The best indication of this knowledge is his reluctance to come to the rebels' aid after Assad crossed Obama's "Red Line in the Sand. There is not and never was a clear way to identify friendly rebels.

In his brief tenure, Jimmy Carter managed to alienate the Middle East by his interference in Iran. Obama has built on the Carter legacy in steroids. At least Carter had respect for Israel. Will American Jews see Obama's conspiracy with the U.N. as their "Red Line in the Sand" now that Obama has enabled the UN Security Council to vote for a resolution which urges Israel to end settlement activities in occupied territory? This resolution will be difficult for Trump to reverse, because UN Security resolutions are considered law in some parts of the world.

In respects to Russia, Obama has recently upset Russia when he signed the NDAA on Friday, December 23, 2016. The bill was passed by veto-proof majorities in both the House and the Senate earlier this month. As in other recent years, the bill prohibits military cooperation between the United States and Russia until Russia has ceased its occupation of Ukrainian territory and its aggressive activities that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has concluded that the Authorization Act has been adopted by the outgoing Obama administration to create problems for the incoming Trump administration.

Another johnny-come-lately policy on December 20, 2016, of Obama's lame-duck presidency was to designate Atlantic and Arctic areas off-limits to offshore drilling.

There must be an effort to stop this lame-duck president before he can lay any more landmines in our foreign and domestic policy. Let there be a lantern in the steeple of the North Church.
In 2017, another 10 banks may withdraw from the Ukrainian market, as reported on 24tv.ua referring to former NBU Deputy Governor (1998-2003) Yaroslav Soltis.

At least 10 Ukrainian banks will be closed next year. Financial institutions will not be able to find UAH 30 billion for recapitalization demanded by the International Monetary Fund, the report states.

A reminder that 16 banks were removed from the Ukrainian market in 2016. According to analysts, there were three financial institutions among them that adversely impacted Ukraine's economy, such as Khreschatyk Bank, Fidobank and Mykhailivskyi Bank.

In Soltis' opinion, PrivatBank should have been rescued back in 2015, but its nationalization is being conducted in a calm and professional manner. However, PrivatBank's future prospects will depend on the bank's management next year.

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Foreign direct investments can enter Ukraine next year due to the possibility of signing of the Free Trade Area agreement with China.

Executive Director of the Blazer International Fund Oleh Ustenko said this at a press conference in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"Ukraine has good chances to create a base for foreign direct investments next year. It can happen through the possibility of signing the agreement on Free Trade Area with China, which considers us as a platform to promote its products in the EU," he said.

According to Ustenko, the information on possibility of starting negotiations on Free Trade Area between China and Ukraine already makes the Koreans "to intensify efforts" in this direction.

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UA|TV Ukraines international broadcasting channel will be broadcasted in France next year due to transition to Hot Bird satellite.

Deputy Information Policy Minister of Ukraine Artem Bidenko said this at the presentation of French version of Ukrinform website.

"I hope that UA|TV channel and international broadcasting multimedia platform will start to be broadcasted in France next year," Bidenko said.

"This year, we will move to a new Hot Bird satellite. I think we will resume negotiations with Canal+, so the Ukrainian diaspora and those interested in Ukraine will be able not only to read on the Internet but also to watch what happens in Ukraine on TV," the Deputy Information Policy Minister added.

French version of Ukrinform website has been presented today at the Ukrinform news agency. The presentation was attended by Deputy Information Policy Minister of Ukraine Artem Bidenko and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine Isabelle Dumont.

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France does not have enough information about Ukraine, as a result it is difficult to form a vision of the country.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine Isabelle Dumont said this today at the presentation of French version of Ukrinform website.

The Ambassador said that the launch of the French version of Ukrinform website would enable French-speaking world to learn more about Ukraine.

The French diplomat promised that she would read the Ukrinform news in French to be aware of the situation in the country.

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"This lack of competition is making health care more expensive and less available for too many Americans," the Committee said. "Its time to repeal Obamacare, give patients more choices, and increase competition to make coverage more affordable."

WASHINGTON DC - As a result of Obamacares design, the laws insurance exchanges are collapsing and many health insurance companies are pulling out of the market. Thats bad news for patients who now have fewer choices when it comes to picking a health care plan thats best for them and their families, a press release from the U.S. House Committee on the Budget said Wednesday.

THE FACTS:

 Many of the nations largest insurance providers have been forced to withdraw from the Obamacare marketplace after losing billions of dollars, due to insurance regulations that distort the market, apply undue one-size-fits-all requirements, drive up costs, and deter people from purchasing plans.

 With such significant losses, insurers either have had to scale back their presence on the ACAs exchanges or hike premiums to help make up lost revenue. Neither option is a good thing for Americans seeking health insurance.

 A number of insurers have decided to pull back from the marketplace completely, leaving many Americans with only one option from which to buy insurance:

In 2016 , there were 225 counties across the country that only had one insurer offering coverage, and that number has grown to 1,022 counties for 2017.

In 2017 , five states  Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming  will have only one insurance provider, as will large sections of Florida, Utah, and Missouri.

Arizonas Pinal County , where 10,000 individuals had signed up for an exchange plan in 2016, was without a single exchange option until a 51 percent premium hike was approved for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona  the result of a total absence of competition.

The Trump Administration says on day one, they will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare.

But that's not all the Trump Administration's wants.

"However, it is not enough to simply repeal this terrible legislation," the Trump website says. "We will work with Congress to make sure we have a series of reforms ready for implementation that follow free market principles and that will restore economic freedom and certainty to everyone in this country.

"By following free market principles and working together to create sound public policy that will broaden healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans." (Trump Administration's website emphasis)
Recipients of UNHCR blankets walk back to their home after an aid distribution in a liberated area of east Mosul, Iraq.  UNHCR/Ivor Prickett

MOSUL, Iraq  When fighting closed in on his neighbourhood in Mosul, father of three Nashwans brother warned him it was time to leave. Hours later, the family home was partially destroyed.

My brother saved me, said Nashwan, as he stood outside the temporary home in the war-ravaged city where he is sheltering with 40 members of his extended family  most of them young children who thronged around him as he spoke.

The family huddles together in just three rooms of the house, belonging to a relative who previously fled the push by Iraqi forces to retake the countrys second city from extremists. Nashwan has since returned twice to his old home to inspect the damage and collect a few belongings.

When we fled I couldnt even take our clothes, but the most important thing to us is food and water.

When I entered the house I was sad. But after a moment I thought: Thank God I managed to escape. If we had stayed there we would have been slaughtered, he said.

The family is still within range of artillery fire as the battle for the city rages. As temperatures in Mosul plummet towards freezing, they live without clean water, enough food or any power.

Mosul residents face battle for survival.

When we fled I couldnt even take our clothes, but the most important thing to us is food and water, he added. Prior to the battle, he had been working as a taxi driver to support his relatives, who are jobless.

So far, more than 108,000 thousand Iraqis have fled Mosul since the fight to retake the city from extremists began on October 17, with most seeking shelter in camps operated by the government and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

But thousands of families like that of Nashwan remain displaced inside Mosul, or have returned to the city despite the ongoing battle. They are forced to find whatever shelter they can in outlying areas of the city as far from the fighting as possible

If they stay, they risk hunger and being caught in the crossfire. If they flee, they risk being killed.

Many risk death from stray mortar rounds and stay in bullet-scarred houses abandoned by other families. They are unable to return to their own homes, which have either been destroyed or are located in areas where the fighting is even more intense.

As the security situation continues to deteriorate, it is vital that civilians still remaining in Mosul are not prevented from leaving the city and are allowed access to safety, said UNHCRs Representative in Iraq, Bruno Geddo.

Civilians in Mosul face a stark choice. If they stay, they risk hunger and being caught in the crossfire. If they flee, they risk being killed by snipers or landmines, he added.

Displaced Mosul resident Nashwan - centre, with eyeglasses - huddles with other members of his extended family in a house away from the front lines of a battle to retake the city.  UNHCR/Ivor Prickett

As night-time temperatures drop close to freezing, those displaced within Mosul are in desperate need of food, clean water, blankets, clothes and kerosene for heating.

UNHCR has stepped up winter distributions to parts of Mosul, handing out 53,536 thermal blankets and quilts in recent weeks to those in need.

Nashwan said he wants to go back home, but cannot as fighting rages. Furthermore, essential items like medicine for family members with conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure are unavailable closer to the front lines. Last week, he received two parcels of thermal blankets and mattresses from a UNHCR partner organization.

We need this ... We ran away so quickly that there was no time to prepare anything."

We need this, he said. We are very low in terms of blankets and mattresses  we have three people sleeping under one blanket. We fled with our souls when the explosions and firing started. We ran away so quickly that there was no time to prepare anything. We fled even without our shoes.

Faiza Abed, 30, walked for one hour to reach a UNHCR distribution from her Mosul neighbourhood, where she lives in an abandoned building. I came to get the blankets, I have a son who is disabled and our situation is bad, we have nothing to cover us, she said.

I live in an unfinished building so I need something to cover up. Her family moved to eastern Mosul with their 20 sheep two years ago, after armed groups took control of their village and all work dried up.

During the fighting she dug a hole in the ground inside the house for her and her son to shelter in. We got very scared. We made the hole so we could hide.
Each morning, under the blanket of a grey dawn sky, Ahmad Ayash drives to work, passing rows of houses to his left and the calm harbour to his right. A gentle peace fills the air. Here in the port town of Lunenburg, Canada, there are no bombs or bullets to shatter it.

As far back as Ahmad can remember, at least to his great-grandfather, the Ayash family lived and worked in Daraa, Syria. But months after he opened an engineering office in the city, the stability of the life he shared with his wife, Fatmeh, and their children suddenly disappeared. Staccato bursts of gunfire, marking the beginning of Syrias protracted conflict which has uprooted more than 11 million residents, woke the five young children at night.

The parents made the decision to flee Daraa as quickly as possible, crossing the border into Jordan. What they could not pack was left behind, along with friends, family and a sense of belonging.

When you decide to leave, its very difficult, says Ahmad. But you have no choice.

When you decide to leave, its very difficult."

On February 28 2016, the Ayash family were resettled to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia  the first refugees welcomed into this small community of 2,500 people. It is a town where fishermen can trace their ancestry back generations and which, unbeknownst to Ahmad, has also shouldered its own losses.

In front of the docked scallop trawlers and fishing boats, pillars of black granite fan out in the shape of a compass rose  a memorial to the hundreds of fishermen who have never returned to shore.

People here learn to live with death early on, says David Friendly, a resident of Lunenburg and chairman of the Ayash familys private sponsorship committee.

The Ayash family are the first refugees resettled to Lunenburg.

But despite the town's tragic history, its rocky shores have now become a beacon for refugees fleeing war and persecution in Europe.

It began when Father Michael Mitchell, archdeacon of the towns Anglican church, saw images of exodus and loss from Syria and spoke about it to his congregation. The broader community then took interest, forming a coalition of churches and community groups with the goal of sponsoring a family.

When the Ayash family finally arrived, David quickly became close friends with Ahmad and remembers feeling an instant connection.

I dont know what it was, I couldn't really put my finger on it, says David. But I sort of felt this connection.

Father Michael Mitchell and David Friendly are among the private sponsors helping the Ayash family.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

David Friendly, leader of a private sponsorship group, plays with the Ayash children at their home in Lunenburg.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

David Friendly (left) and Father Michael Mitchell spend time with Ahmad Ayash on the pier in Lunenburg.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

Mohammad and Zkareya Ayash play on the pier.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

David Friendly chats with the Ayash family in Lunenburg.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

Ahmad Ayash works full-time at a local aerospace company in Lunenburg.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

David Friendly assists Ahmad Ayash with paperwork that Ahmad hopes will allow him to privately sponsor members of his own family and bring them to Canada.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

The Ayash family walk along the shore in Lunenburg.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

Middle Eastern food is hard to find in Lunenburg, so David Friendly helped the family to find whole fish from the market.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

David helped Ahmad find work shortly after the family arrived. The pair knew in advance that Canada would not recognize Ahmads more than 20 years of experience as an engineer, limiting the scope of his job hunt. But a local company manufacturing aerospace materials offered work to Ahmad.

The job is an important thing to me, says Ahmad. You have to find a job to ensure a good life for your kids.

You have to find a job to ensure a good life for your kids.

The income means his family can be self sufficient  a large victory, given the barriers many refugees face finding long-term employment.

And for David, who does not have grandchildren of his own, this friendship has taken on a special meaning.

It's very selfish of me, but I love it when [the kids] can think of me that way, he says.

It has not all been plain sailing  there are challenges involved in relocating to a small town. The closest source of halal meat is in Halifax, almost 100 kilometres away and it only comes frozen. But with no religious restrictions on fish, David found a fisherman willing to sell whole haddock to the family. Fatmeh now prepares stuffed haddock with vegetables and spices  Middle East meets maritime.

And Lunenburg is not alone in its tireless efforts to help those who have been forced from home. Between November 2015 and February 2016, more than 25,000 Syrian refugees were resettled across Canada.

Living more than 8,000 kilometres away from familiarity, Ahmad admits there are times when he and Fatmeh feel lonely.

Sometimes, when you sit at home, your memories take you to the past. You think about your friends. Your land. Your home, he says. But then you go out and see people and talk with them. And you are not alone.

From Far and Wide is a series of stories profiling the Canadians who have welcomed Syrian refugees with compassion and support. All across the country, strangers, friends, families and communities are creating powerful bonds of friendship that transcend language and culture, when they are needed the most.
Almost everyone has this notion that most, if not all, Hollywood child stars are ticking time bombs waiting to explode anytime. Macaulay Culkin, Amanda Bynes, and Lindsay Lohan are just a few examples of how successful child stars who experienced meltdowns that seemed irreparable. Thus, when people look at the Harry Potter child stars, they are also waiting for that meltdown to happen. But it seems that the Harry Potter cast, especially Emma Watson have proven them wrong. And here are a few more reasons why Hermione Granger was one of the best role models for feminists.

She graduated from an Ivy League university

Emma Watson belonged to these rare breed of child stars who have successfully managed to juggle their career and studies with ease. Despite her busy schedule from different acting and modeling engagements, she graduated from the prestigious Brown University with a bachelor's degree in English literature.

Prior to that, it has been reported that even when she was filming Harry Potter, she had to study with a tutor every day. No wonder she had no time drinking or doing something that would derail her. The result of that hardwork was receiving straight A's in her GCSE in 2006 and A Levels in 2008.

She does not post selfies and take off her clothes

She has never taken off her clothes and post naked selfies on social media just to attract attention. Attention just follow her because of the works she have done. For example, when she was busy filming Harry Potter in 2009, she launched her own clothing line in collaboration with People Tree.

She became a UN Women Goodwill ambassador

This is the most impressive achievements of Emma Watson. In a young age, such trust was already given to her by the organization. She was chosen by the UN to be their Goodwill ambassador focusing on women's right s and girls education all over the world. Her work has brought her face to face with prominent world leaders that led her to making a speech twice in front of them. The first was in 2014 during the campaign launch of HeForShe, which encourages men to take a stand for gender equality. The latest was in September 2016 during the UN's "Together for the 2030 Agenda: Partnering for Women, Children and Adolescents, to Thrive and Transform the World event in New York.
While various colleges in the U.S. set up food pantries to address the hunger problem many students currently face, a university in Turkey is offering free food to its students in exchange for one thing that will be good for them: stop smoking.

Amasya University in Turkey started a great program that not only encourages students to ditch smoking, but also helps them get better nutrition, reports the Daily Sabah. The program, which is made possible through a collaboration with chancellor Metin Orbay's initiatives and the university's Yesilay (Green Crescent) club, has a holistic approach to solving the nicotine problem among students.

The project, which was announced on social media, informs students about the dangers of smoking through presentations, after which they are called on to stop the hazardous habit. Students appear to be receptive to the project.

Tarkan Guncu and Emre Ezgin, two students who agreed to the program after seeing it was good, are now working on quitting the dangerous habit. Along with other students, they are asked to go to the university hospital and approach physicians for help in quitting the habit.

Not only do they receive professional medical guidance, they also receive free food. According to the report, students who decide to quit smoking will receive free meals at the campus as a reward for their efforts. This runs for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Student Food Issues

This initiative is but one of the ways universities can undertake in addressing the health problems many college students have. In the U.S., it has been found that nearly half of all students who participated in a survey admit to facing issues with food security, and 22 percent of all respondents can actually be considered hungry.

Surprisingly, the students in the survey aren't broke at all, with a little more than half of them employed in different jobs. More than half of them are receiving federal grants.

Some U.S. colleges have responded to the matter by setting up food pantries. Turkey's Amasya University's initiative, however, is much more beneficial - it feeds students, and motivates them to cut a bad habit that is hazardous to their health.
Western Washington University club Students for the Salish Sea are starting 2017 with a clean up by hosting a New Year's Day beach cleanup at Locust Beach.

These students are partnering with the North Sound Baykeepers at RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. Lee First, who is a member of the group said that because of the recent winter storms, there are tons of debris on the beach. He has even pointed out abandoned fishing nets which can trap wildlife, as reported by RE Sources

He explains that Locust Beach receives junk from everywhere and it also includes not just trash, but even small plastic from the city's own storm water discharges. Sarah Sasek who is a coordinator for Students for the Salish Sea group said that marine debris is a huge concern because it piles up in the ocean. For her and these volunteers, beach cleanups are a way to reduce trash that harshly impacts the ocean. It is also a means to decrease pollution and increase the awareness of how beautiful local beaches are.

While other people are probably going to spend New Year's Day staying indoors, nursing a hang over or relaxing in the remaining few days of winter break, the students from Western Washington University are going to spend it with trash bags, as reported by Bellingham Herald.

For those who are able to join and are willing to clean up Locust Beach, the clean up is happening on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. The clean up starts from the dead end of Locust Avenue, off Marine Drive.

For those who are coming in groups, parking is available in a public lot on the north side. The publication also announced that everyone is welcome, from kids to adults of all ages. Light snacks and cleaning equipment will be provided but cleanup volunteers are encouraged to bring their own work gloves and buckets.

Want to know more about Western Washington University? Check out the video below:
It sounds like a scene from the popular Tom Cruise movie, 'Minority Report,' where an artificially intelligent machine identifies a person who was released from prison will likely commit a crime again. However, this is real life and an MIT professor was the one who developed it.

According to the latest crime statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), crime in the United States has decreased but it doesn't mean that security will slack off. According to a study, a majority of these crimes are committed by almost the same people. Data has shown that two-thirds of prisoners who have been released commit a crime three years after their release.

In order to address this issue, Professor Cynthia Rudin of the MIT Sloan School of Management developed a simple prediction model of recidivism using machine learning methods.

Her model holds the criminal records of more than 33,000 individuals and has the ability to predict what type of crime will be committed by these individuals. It can also be customized by each jurisdiction to predict the time and place these crimes will be committed.

To make it more accurate and identifiable, she assigned points for various factors. If the total of these points reached the threshold that has been set, then that person is more likely to commit a crime three years after their release. All of these are determined and calculated by the machine learning algorithm used in the collected data.

Despite the promise that it holds, Rudin also cautions that this also has a potential to be abused. For example, some authorities might use it for discriminatory punishment where a person's sentencing will depend on their skin color.

Taking this possibility in mind, Rubin and her team decided to leave race and socio-economic factors in the algorithm because they deemed it not helpful at all.

The study titled 'Interpretable Classification Models for Recidivism Prediction,' is published in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A.
Colleen Shine was 8 years old when her father, an Air Force fighter pilot, was listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War.



For the next 24 years, Colleen waited for answers. Was he still out there and trying to get home, or had he died when his plane went down? Was he being held as a prisoner of war? After he was listed MIA, the family received 14 different reports about Lt. Col. Anthony Shine: some had pictures of remains reputed to be his, and some were live sightings. These reports continued into the mid-1990s, and the family faced each lead while trying to track down the truth.



Uncertainty is the crux of the POW/MIA issue, Colleen said. When my dad's younger brother, an Army first lieutenant, fresh from West Point, was killed in action in Vietnam in 1970, his wife knew at that point she was a widow. She had a truth to face and move forward from. It was hard for everyone in our family, but it was finality, and something you could face and begin to build your life from  there's a peace of heart and mind that comes with knowing the fate of a loved one.



As an adult, Colleen made a trip to Vietnam in the 90s that would answer many of her questions. While traveling with a guide to check out a site, she saw the wreckage of her father's plane -- an A-7D Corsair II -- and was given a flight helmet with his name scribed inside. Her finds eventually led to the discovery of her father's remains.



After she had found evidence of her father that investigators missed, she took to Capitol Hill, calling for higher government accountability in finding POW/MIA service members and to remind officials of the promise to leave no man behind.



That promise, made to U.S. military men and women, is one the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency holds in high regard. It is an agency created by the Department of Defense in January 2015, which combined the former Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, and the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory into one organization to more effectively increase the number of missing service personnel accounted for from past conflicts and ensure timely and accurate information is communicated to their families.



Many different organizations and personnel within DPAA are involved in the effort to bring missing veterans home to their families. Denise To, a supervisory forensic anthropologist, performs the recovery analysis and identification of human skeletal remains at the DPAA Hawaii Laboratory. As a scientist, To is not above getting her feet dirty and has also joined previous search teams in Vietnam.



The environment in Vietnam is full of variety. It can be cold, but more often than not, it is hot and humid. Also, unlike a common misperception, the country isn't just composed of small villages scattered in the jungle; the economy is quickly expanding into cities with large high-rise hotels and bustling enterprise. However, most of the DPAA's work isn't done near a nice, comfortable air-conditioned hotel.



The easier sites to process have already been done, so the only ones left now are the ones that are extremely difficult because of logistics and topography, To said, describing digging under a thick triple canopy or on the side of a remote mountain. It's very physical labor. It's back-breaking, and it's done a lot of times in direct sunlight in austere environments, on a 60-degree side of the slope where you are harnessed in like a billy goat wearing repelling equipment, and (you're) trying to do science at the same time.



The techniques and procedures used on DPAA sites are generally in line with standard archeological methods, such as those used on the pyramids in Egypt or Mexico, the scientist added.



The way we would excavate a thousand-year-old royal tomb is the same way that we excavate our sites out here, she said. The tools are slightly different. We may expedite it a little bit. We may use heavy equipment and shovels because we are processing them in the same way, but we are trying to answer different questions.



Over time, nature has a tendency to reclaim the burial or crash sites, and it's further expedited by Vietnam's highly acidic soil, which can erode remains entirely. By the time the pieces of aircraft, gear, and bone fragments make their way into the labs for analysis, they can be difficult to identify.



At the Central Identification Laboratory, forensic anthropologists do what they can to glean answers from the bones found on site. They primarily use mitochondrial DNA to help identify individual service members. They also use other lines of evidence, such as historical data, clavicular data, dental records, material evidence and archeological data.



Imagine you are putting a puzzle together, To said. It's three dimensions, someone has taken half the pieces away, someone's put new pieces that doesn't even belong to the puzzle, and you don't have the box top to see what the puzzle is going to look like, and you're blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. That's how the puzzle is for us  When cases get solved, and we're able to identify individuals, it's because we have been able to put enough pieces together to make a positive identification.



The work that goes into bringing a missing service member home and definitively identifying them is tremendous, but, ultimately, it's all worth it. Johnie Webb, the DPAA deputy director of external communications, is reminded of the organization's value each time a family is reunited with their missing loved one.



In November, he met with the wife and daughter of an NCO, who was recently recovered and identified. The pair had traveled to Hawaii to escort him home to be laid to rest. Before going into the room where her father's remains laid, the younger woman stopped to collect herself saying, I need a moment because I'm going to meet my father for the first time. At the time her father deployed and went missing, her mother had been pregnant  she had never had the chance to know him.



This moment left an impression on Webb.



That's what this is all about; it's hard to put in words how you feel at that point, but you know it's a very special occasion, he said. There are still a lot of young men out there that we haven't found yet, and I'm hoping there can be many more days like today, where we can return that husband, that father, that brother.



The Vietnam POW/MIA recovery mission has additional meaning for Webb because he is also a veteran who served during that war. He can recall what it was like for those at home waiting on their loved ones who were fighting abroad.



The Vietnam War was played out on the news every day  the families sitting there watching the evening news, hoping to get a tidbit of information, hoping to get a glimpse of what might be happening, Webb said. Then, when the POWs returned, everybody was watching to see if they might see their loved one step off that plane.



After the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973, 591 POWs who had been captured during the war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia were returned, according to the DPAA; however, the number of veterans who were still unaccounted for quadrupled that count. It wasn't until over a decade had passed that the U.S. was able to successfully perform the first humanitarian mission to bring any of the remaining lost service members home from Vietnam.



In 1985, after many persistent requests, a U.S. team was granted access into Vietnam to recover a B-52 Stratofortress crew. They had crashed nearly 10 miles outside of Hanoi during the war.



The Vietnamese had come in after the crash and filled in the crater, which they said was 7 meters deep, Webb said. So, we got permission to go in, realizing that if there were 7 meters of top fill that had been placed in that crater, we were going to have a lot of work. So we decided to lease a back-hoe here from Hawaii, fly it into Vietnam on a C-141, and actually drive it out to the crash site, which we did.



Once they got to the crash site, the recovery team realized that houses had been built over the area. The team purchased the homes so they could be deconstructed and excavation could begin. The effort kept the crew in Vietnam over the Thanksgiving holiday, but their work paid off sooner than they had expected. After 22 feet of dirt had been removed, they recovered one engine, landing gear, and began to find some remains.



So, the first excavation in Vietnam, I can remember being there on the ground getting messages from the folks in Washington saying, Don't come back until you find the remains of those two crew members.' Webb said.



In the end, we were successful, he added. What really makes it worthwhile is we brought back two of our comrades who gave their lives during the war.



The process has come a long way since then  it is now a team effort between the U.S. and Vietnam. Over the past 30 years, relations have improved between the two countries, and it all began with the POW/MIA issue.



They call it the bridge to normalized relationships,' said Ronald Ward, a DPAA casualty resolution specialist with Detachment 2 in Hanoi. The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam comprises of many things: economic trade, military to military (relations are) even growing, but it all started with this. This was the very first thing. This office was here before the embassy.



The mission was something the Vietnamese found they could empathize with because they had thousands of missing soldiers from the war as well.



This is something that has helped us get past that hate because we were able to say, OK, this is a mother  a Vietnamese mother, an American mother  this is a missing son, and we just focused on that, Ward said. Because when you just think about things in human terms, you can get past the animosities of the past.



The U.S. depends on the Vietnamese government, as the host nation, to provide not only access, but also information to lead search teams to viable locations where fallen service members may be found. Knowledge gained from speaking with Vietnamese veterans is key, according to Ward.



(They are) very important in helping us find these sites because they're witnesses, Ward said. In the beginning, they were a little more reluctant. Their veterans' organizations were more reluctant. Today, they are very willing and cooperative partners in helping us find our unaccounted for Americans from the Vietnam War. It has been a long road to get from animosity to close cooperation, but that's where we are today.



In search of any information that can drive a recovery effort forward, Ward and his fellow researchers investigate leads from many sources. In addition to speaking with witnesses, they scan through Vietnamese books, newspapers, documents and previous interviews. Though the incidents in question happened 40 to 50 years ago, the group continuously searches for any new clue that will provide them with answers.



Most of these sites are becoming more and more difficult to find, and I can say that one of the best feelings that I've ever had is going to a site with a witness who's very sure about where the burial is or where the crash site is, he said. I mean, that's success. So your emotions will run a gamut between that extreme joy when you find someone or when you send somebody home, to those sites when you get out there and the witness says, It's somewhere here. I can't really tell you where it is,' and, Oh, by the way, it used to be a jungle. Now, it's a rubber plantation (and) it's been bulldozed two or three times.'



Because Vietnam is growing so quickly, structurally and economically, some of the sites DPAA is looking for end up impacted. This was the case at the rubber plantation Ward visited in a southern part of the country. Upon the realization that he wouldn't be able to recover the service member at the industrial site, his heart sank. Sadly, he told the missing man, We came and looked for you, and I'm so close to you right now. We did the best that we could.'



To get that close to finding someone, and then for whatever reason  development or not enough information  you realize you're not going to be able to find the individual, it hurts.



DPAA's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of missing U.S. personnel to their families and the nation. They make an effort to find every single unaccounted service member from previous conflicts, but, unfortunately, they may not always be able to bring them home.



It is an aspect that hits Ward hard. After working in the Air Force for 20 years as a Vietnamese linguist, he takes the job personally.



This has become a defining mission for me, Ward said. I've been doing something related to Vietnam since I was 19 to 20 years old, and the POW/MIA mission has become something that you think about from morning until night. It becomes part of you. It really gets in your blood. When you resolve a case, it's a great joy, and then those cases that you haven't resolved yet keep you up at night. You feel driven to do this.



As time passes, the DPAA investigators become increasingly familiar with each unresolved case. They reread all steps taken for recovery and try to plan a way forward. The researchers get to know more about the person they are looking for and many times also know the service members' families. As such, each case is more than just a number on a folder to Ward  he sees the person, and that motivates him to work even harder.



The obstacles that we have now are all related to time, Ward said. What do I need in order to find a crash or burial site? I need information  from witnesses, mostly. How old are most of those witnesses now? Very old. The youngest ones who participated in the war are in their 60s  All of them are getting very elderly, if they are not already passed away, so we're losing witnesses.



As witnesses age, so do the families waiting for answers.



It's a race against time in order to solve these cases within the lifetimes of the U.S. family members (of) these missing Americans from this war in Vietnam, Ward said. Unfortunately, and it's a very sad thing, very few of the mothers and fathers are left. So we're talking about siblings, wives, so that's another race. We want to do this while it still has that type of meaning for the families who are still alive.



In fiscal year 16, the DPAA plans to conduct four joint field activities in country  involving 95 U.S. personnel and their Vietnamese counterparts  in order to conduct several new investigations and excavations in Vietnam, according to the organization. Currently, more than 1,600 Vietnam War veterans remain unaccounted for.



My part in that, I think, would be to continue to keep at it, continue to look for information, continue to be engaged, continue to be enthused and excited about doing it, which I am, Ward said. The next period  five years, 10 years  we really have to keep at it. We have to have that sense of urgency. We have to continue to engage the Vietnamese government. We have to continue to engage the U.S. government to say, Hey, don't forget. We've made this commitment. We have to do this.'



Back in the U.S., Colleen continues to stay involved in the mission to bring home missing or lost service members. She works closely with the National League of POW/MIA Families, an organization with that ideal as its driving force.



There was no road map or path for my mom and (other) wives or parents of young men who were missing back in the 1960's and 70s, she said. Now there is.



I am thrilled to see the overhauling of the POW/MIA issue to make it more of an integrated and efficient process for families and our missing, she added.  I would hope that anyone in an active-duty uniform knows that should they be left behind or kept behind following a war, there would be a responsible effort to account for them. I feel great passion and gratitude for that.



At Arlington National Cemetery in October 1996, Colleen and her family presided over a memorial service for her father. She now knows that Tony Shine died when his plane went down in December 1972. Her father's case is no longer open  he is home.



My hope for the many families that I know who still have loved ones missing in action is that they will know that our government has made an honest effort to account for them -- that any answers that are available will have been tracked down, found and revealed to them, Colleen said, adding with a wish that if the answer is that their loved one was killed in action in Vietnam decades ago, they will be able to bring him home and have an honorable burial on American soil and know that they have kept the fight and the faith for him. By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jette Carr

Provided through DVIDS

Copyright 2016 Comment on this article
US President Barack Obama (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe place wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial on Dec 27, 2016 at Pearl Harbour in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP)

The two leaders paid homage to the more than 2,400 Americans killed on Dec 7, 1941, delivering a ring of peace lilies and standing in silence before a shrine to those lost on the USS Arizona.

Abe's visit is a high-profile mark of respect for a leader for whom Japan's wartime past is often a prickly domestic issue.

It was foreshadowed by Obama's own solemn pilgrimage to Hiroshima, where the United States effectively ended the war by dropping the first of two nuclear bombs on Japanese cities.

The meeting between the two leaders comes as Obama prepares to leave office and with Abe leading Japan into uncharted waters, after remarks by incoming US president Donald Trump clouded US-Japanese relations.

The US president-elect has declared his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, effectively killing a major trade deal that Obama championed and that Abe put at the heart of his economic strategy.

And, at least on the campaign trail, Trump has also called into question the US security guarantees that shielded Japan through the Cold War and later through the rise of an increasingly confident China.

In a joint address to the media, Obama warned against the "urge to demonise those who are different" as he hosted the leader of foe-turned-ally Japan for a solemn visit to Pearl Harbor.

Obama, who will leave office next month, also hailed the alliance between the two nations, saying it had "never been stronger."

In remarks that echoed with history and America's current hypercharged politics, Obama told Abe that "the character of nations is tested in war, but it is defined in peace."

"Even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different," Obama said.

"I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship," he told Abe. "I hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution."

Abe expressed "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the families of the more than 2,400 Americans killed by Japanese fighters.

"We must never repeat the horrors of war," he said, marking the 75th anniversary of the infamous attack that triggered America's entry into World War II.

Standing next to Obama, Abe expressed thanks for the "tolerance extended to Japan" as he hailed the power of reconciliation.

HEALING OLD WOUNDS

In eight years, Obama - America's Hawaiian-born first "Pacific president" - never made much headway in his vaunted "rebalance to Asia" diplomatic strategy.

But he and Abe have chosen a telling spot to celebrate US-Japanese partnership, 75 years after the notorious "day of infamy," Dec 7, 1941.

In 1956, then prime minister Ichiro Hatoyama visited the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command in Honolulu, which fronts onto Pearl Harbour. And Abe's grandfather, prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, also did so in 1957.

But Japan's government says Abe's visit is the first by a sitting prime minister to the Arizona Memorial to console the spirits of the dead. It is also the first time that a sitting Japanese prime minister has been joined at the memorial by a US president.

A reluctant America was drawn into the war already raging in Europe and its colonies, a war that ended after US atom bombs razed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Post-war cooperation, however, has healed many wounds.

Only five of the Arizona's crewmen are still alive and, while the memorial remains a tourist draw, in Hawaii the divisions of war have given way to a shared present.

"Hawaii has a very multi-ethnic population with a very large Japanese population," Stanley Chang, a 34-year-old Democratic member of the Hawaii state senate, told AFP. "I don't think there is any feeling of antipathy towards the Japanese, 75 years after the attack."

Today, Obama's home state has a reputation as one of the most multi-ethnic and multi-cultural in the country.

'REMEMBER PEARL HARBOUR'

December is peak tourist season in balmy Hawaii, and the US First Family is halfway through its annual Christmas break on the islands.

But the scene was grim in 1941 when Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto manoeuvred six aircraft carriers to within 385 kilometres of Oahu and unleashed two waves of dive bombers.

The US Pacific fleet, formerly Japan's main rival in the region, lost 21 warships and 328 planes.

Hundreds of sailors drowned when the USS Oklahoma, still lashed to the quay, pitched onto its side and trapped them.

Before the attack, the US isolationist campaign's cry of "America first!" - now revived as Trump's slogan - found a ready ear among voters wary of embroilment in Europe.

But after Pearl Harbour, the US Congress declared war on Japan. Three days later, Japan's European ally Nazi Germany declared war on the United States in turn.

The "America first!" slogan was quickly replaced on posters, in political speeches and in song by recruiters' refrain: "Remember Pearl Harbour."

Three-quarters of a century later, Abe wants to imbue the wartime rallying cry with a new resonance.

"The peoples of Japan and the United States were put in position to hate each other," he said.

"I hope the image of President Obama and I together visiting Pearl Harbour will serve to make the term 'Remember Pearl Harbour' symbolise the power of reconciliation."

The same force of reconciliation was on show in May, when Obama surveyed ruins in Hiroshima and revived his Nobel Peace Prize-winning call for a world without nuclear weapons.

Trump, who takes office on Jan 20, was forced to backtrack during his campaign after he appeared to suggest Japan break a taboo and develop its own nuclear weapons.

Last week, he again caused consternation when he blithely threatened to revive the global nuclear arms race.
According to Euro Auto Corporations announcement in a document submitted to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to explain suspicions, the company said that BMW group also confirmed the above information with MoF and the General Department of Vietnam Customs via e-mail.

A BMW representative said that they will provide the C/O to the company and the group requested the customs authority to continue the customs clearance of BMW automobiles.

BMW added that representatives of the group, MoF, and the General Department of Vietnam Customs will participate in a working session in Hanoi in mid-January 2017.

Regarding Euro Auto Corporation, the company received the C/O of the automobiles the company paid tax for in last November. The company submitted these C/O to customs authorities on December 23.

On December 26, the General Department of Vietnam Customs issued a decision to suspend Duong Phu Dong, director of the Post Clearance Audit Department for 15 days and to verify his responsibility in import management in general and Euro Auto Corporations incident in particular.

Earlier in late November, MoF asked the General Department of Vietnam Customs to collaborate with the Supreme Peoples Procuracy of Vietnam to investigate foreign-owned Euro Auto Corporation after detecting signs of smuggling and trade fraud.

The MoF also asked the General Department of Vietnam Customs to suspend the customs clearance of BMW automobiles, with the exception of those enjoying special incentives or diplomatic immunity.
Natural disasters and environmental pollution can reduce GDP by 0.6 per cent per year from 2016-20, according to the National Centre for Socio-economic Information and Forecast (NCIF) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.-Photo baodauthau.vn

Therefore, changes are needed to reduce the economys reliance on non-renewable energy.

Dr Dang Duc Anh, head of the Centres Analysis and Forecast Department, underlined the need for policies to help the economy better adapt to climate changes and to protect the environment in the long run.

According to NCIF, from 2016-20, GDP growth is expected enter a new cycle of recovery, supported by free trade agreements, FDI enterprises and external demands. Economic restructuring and reforms of administration procedures and the business climate will also contribute to boosting growth.

However, impacts of climate and environmental pollution will pose remarkable challenges to the economy, the centre said.

Viet Nam is one of the 30 countries rated at extreme risk brought about by climate change by Maplecroft, a global risk and strategic consulting firm based in the UK, in its Climate Change Vulnerability Index within the next 30 years via 42 socio-economic and environmental factors.

Viet Nam was ranked 23rd among 193 countries on the list.

Nguyen The Chinh, Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, highlighted the environmental consequences caused by economic growth, investment attraction and population expansion.

Conflicts between economic growth and environmental protection have become more obvious. The quality of the environment has worsened. Environment-related incidents and disputes are increasing nationwide, Chinh said.

Experts pointed to the fact that although Viet Nam has not seriously contributed to global warming, it is among the 25 low and middle-income countries that release the most greenhouse gases every year.

In order to reduce negative impacts of environmental factors on GDP growth, its crucial to conduct intensive studies on Viet Nams GDP growth in the medium term, with consideration of environmental factors, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong.

The studies will provide early warnings, serving the design of policies on economic development, Phuong said.

Dr. Dang Duc Anh stressed the need for restructuring the economy in the direction of reducing industries relying on natural resources, particularly non-renewable sources, and having low added value and economic efficiency.

On the other hand, incentives should be offered for industries using clean energy, such as natural gas, biofuel and renewable energy while issuing quotas of polluting emissions for enterprises, Anh suggested.

The legal framework on environmental protection needs to be improved, particularly in punishments for violators.

Experts agreed that more comprehensive and intensive analysis on the interaction between economic growth and climate change is needed, as well as solutions to enhance the ability of the economy to adapt to climate change.
Representatives of UK and Australia Embassies join in an inauguration of the new joint United Kingdom and Australia Visa Application Centre in Da Nang. - Photo courtesy Da Nang visitor centre

Representatives of UK and Australia Embassies join in an inauguration of the new joint United Kingdom and Australia Visa Application Centre in Da Nang. - Photo courtesy Da Nang visitor centre

Vice director of Da Nangs Foreign Affairs Department, Le Thi Thu Hanh confirmed the news with Viet Nam News yesterday.

The centre, which is located at ACB Tower, 218 Bach Dang Street, is open from Monday to Friday, and will also be open on Saturday mornings for those willing to pay an extra fee.

Applicants in central Viet Nam no longer have to travel to either Ha Noi or HCM City to apply for visas.

The British Deputy Head of Mission Stephen Lysaght hoped that the visa centre would encourage more visitors from central Viet Nam to come to the UK.

The British Government is committed to improving the visa service for our Vietnamese customers and as well as the new Application Centre, this year we have introduced a new online application form, which is quicker and simpler to fill out. For the first time the form is available in Vietnamese, so that customers can better understand the visa requirements.

Applications at the central city will be processed within five business days

The embassies will provide an option for online applications with introductions in Vietnamese to assist applicants with necessary documents.

Russia and Laos have also opened their Consulate General in the city.

Japan also plans to open a Consulate in Da Nang as a way of boosting tourism and exchange between Japan and the central city in the future.
Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said start-up entrepreneurship would promote the sectors development, especially when restructuring it had become a priority.-Photo songmoi.vn

Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) which co-organised the forum with Dien dan Doanh Nghiep (Business Forum), said Viet Nam had special advantages in agriculture and start-up entrepreneurship would promote the sectors development, especially when restructuring it had become a priority.

He said there was increasing interest in investing in agriculture, and believed start-ups would take the lead, provided an ecosystem was developed to make it happen.

The ecosystem should enable start-ups to access markets, supply human resource of high quality and have a financial structure to provide capital for start-ups, venture capital or angel investment, Loc said.

The Government is paying special attention to promoting start-ups, seeing them as a driver for economic restructuring, especially in the agriculture sector, said Pham Quang Hien, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments Enterprise Management Department.

Hien said the proportion of firms operating in agriculture and rural development remained modest, at around one per cent of the total. Agricultural production was also happening mainly on a small and scattered scale, he added.

He said that it was important to formulate detailed policies to attract private and foreign investments in agriculture and improve the business climate following the Governments Resolution 19/NQ-CP.

Feasible agriculture production and land use plans were needed, Hien said.

Nguyen Chi Ngoc, Deputy Chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Government played an important role in encouraging investments in agriculture  a sector with a lot of risk and slow capital recovery.

Application of modern technology would be key to the success of firms in this sector, Ngoc added.

Vu Ngoc Huyen from the Viet Nam National University of Agriculture proposed a start-up consultancy service for the sector.

According to Pham Hong Quat, Director of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation Development, promoting co-ordination between the Government, universities, scientist and firms is of significant importance in encouraging start-ups.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is preparing a project to establish a start-up ecosystem in Viet Nam by 2025.
Photo : nasa.gov

The US space agency had already pushed back the launch by a day to Tuesday.

If technicians are able to finish their repairs as planned, Discovery and its six American astronauts will now launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 3:52 pm (1952 GMT) Wednesday, NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said.

The flight to the orbiting International Space Station is the fourth and final shuttle flight of the year, and the last scheduled for Discovery, the oldest in the three-shuttle fleet that is being retired in 2011.
President Barack Obama, addressing service members at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on Sunday, will be looking to raise millions of dollars for his presidential library in Chicago.
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Japanese Prime Minister Abe visits Pearl Harbor to pay respect to Americas fallen. Bangladesh makes arrests in a New Years terror plot. Plus, Philippines President Duterte says hell use more than guns to kill. VOAs Steve Miller has your Asia news, in a minute.
Prominent Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been released from prison pending a trial on charges of circulating inaccurate information and posting a series of insults on Twitter.

Rajab's lawyer said his client was released after a long court hearing on Wednesday. Rajab's release comes after numerous requests to be freed due to recurring health problems.

A judicial source said the court postponed his trial until January 23.

Rajab was arrested in June for the tweets. He is also under investigation for letters that were published in his name by The New York Times and the French newspaper Le Monde while he was incarcerated.

Unrest has plagued the mostly-Shi'ite island nation since 2011.
Dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister said, days after the Islamist group suffered key losses over the border in Nigeria.

"Thirty-one young people from Diffa, who were enrolled a few years ago in Boko Haram, decided to surrender," minister Mohamed Bazoum wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, above pictures of him touring the area near Nigeria's northeast border.

The fighters arrived in the remote desert town of Diffa in groups and were being held by local authorities.

"I learned that the first who surrendered were not arrested, and I surrendered," a former Boko Haram combatant told national television.

"We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma.

In June, tens of thousands of people fled Diffa as Boko Haram swept the region. Five Niger soldiers were killed by the militants near Diffa in September.

It was not clear what will become of the ex-Boko Haram fighters, but authorities said there was the possibility of reintegrating them back into society. A security source said a meeting was planned for Wednesday in Diffa to discuss "the conditions of surrender", without providing further details.

Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. In recent years its attacks have spilled into neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters surrendered in Chad in October and November as the group ceded territory.

The group controlled an area about the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has since been pushed back by international forces including troops from Niger. Nigeria's army captured its last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday.
Brazilian President Michel Temer on Wednesday vetoed part of a bill that gives cash-strapped states a temporary pardon on their debts to the federal government to ease their fiscal woes, raising tensions with Congress over the measure.

The lower house of Congress last week surprised the Temer administration by scrapping a clause in the bill that forced states in the worst financial condition to take tough austerity measures in exchange for debt relief.

The government vetoed those changes, presidential spokesman Alexandre Parola said Wednesday.

Temer's team is working on a new bill to re-establish the austerity measures, which include a freeze on wages and an increase in pension contributions, said a presidential aide who asked not to be identified.

Temer will keep the remainder of the bill, which lowers debt payments and extends the maturity on 427 billion reais ($127 billion) of debt owed by all of the 27 states.

In a statement, the Finance Ministry said it would continue to work to find a solution to the states' fiscal woes.

The changes passed in the lower house forbid the government from helping cash-strapped states such as Rio de Janeiro without breaking the fiscal responsibility law, said a source at the Finance Ministry.

Rio de Janeiro and other states have struggled to pay salaries for police and doctors and to keep hospitals stocked with medical supplies, provoking violent clashes between police and protesters enraged by the shortages.
On the cusp of 2017, the United States is still involved in wars against Islamic extremists in Afghanistan and Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

The tactical fight against IS militants is slowly progressing, but it is unclear yet how involved the incoming administration of Donald Trump will be in resolving the Syrian crisis.

"In Syria, we have really no strategy for ending the civil war," said defense expert Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, a Washington policy research group. "Mr. Trump implicitly may be willing to let President [Bashar al-]Assad win the war, but I'm not sure that is really a viable way forward because Assad has so much blood on his hands."

The war for Afghanistan is in its 15th year. International troops have been drawn down from about 140,000 in 2011 to fewer than 15,000 troops today, and O'Hanlon said the new U.S. defense team might want to consider increasing international troop numbers in the short term.

"There's no reason we have to avoid doing a little more if that helps take some of the pressure off the Afghan military and police. [It] gives them a little more time to build themselves up to recover from the huge losses they've been taking," he said.

But while the U.S. has been fighting extremism around the globe, major powers Russia and China have been modernizing their military forces.

David Ochmanek, a defense analyst with the RAND Corporation, a global policy think tank in Santa Monica, California, said that "because we've been so focused on prosecuting operations against ISIS, stabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq, and because we've been living under the constraints of the Budget Control Act since 2012, we haven't been able to buy the modern equipment that it takes to counter these new capabilities that countries like Russia and China are fielding."

Trump in his stump speeches has been promising a military buildup.

"We have the greatest people in the world in our military," he has said. "We are going to rebuild our depleted military, and we're going to finally take care of our great, great veterans."

Ochmanek said the U.S. needs to spend its money on things like cruise missiles and air-to-air missiles. Those are the things, he contended, that can give the military more leverage to deter threats.
Dylann Roof, who is facing the death penalty for killing nine black worshippers in a hate crime at a Charleston, South Carolina church, has told a judge he does not plan to call any witnesses or present any evidence during the penalty phase of his trial.

Roof said Wednesday he still plans to act as his own lawyer when that phase starts next week. The judge, Richard Gergel, says Roof can still change his mind.

Roof is now acting as his own lawyer after letting go of his defense attorneys after a jury convicted him of 33 counts of hate crimes and obstruction of justice earlier this month.

Roof's lawyers say they think he got rid of them because they wanted to present what Roof thought was embarrassing evidence seeking to get the same jury to spare his life.
China has called on the Roman Catholic Church to attempt to improve relations with the East Asian country by adapting Catholicism to Chinese society.

China's head of religious affairs, Wang Zou'an, expressed hope Tuesday that the Vatican will "take actual steps to create beneficial conditions for improving relations" between the church and China, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

Wang's remarks were made at a meeting of China's official Catholic Church in Beijing.

China severed relations with the Holy See -- the Catholic Church's supreme body of government -- in 1951, two years after the Communists assumed power in China. The Vatican has maintained official ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

Since the split, China has maintained that the party-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association has the authority to appoint Chinese bishops. The Holy See insists that right belongs only to the pope. The dispute is one of the primary reasons Sino-Vatican relations have not been re-established.

Wang said the Chinese government hoped the Vatican would adopt a more flexible and pragmatic approach and take action to improve relations. He did not specify what actions the Chinese government would like the Vatican to take.

Prospects of an agreement between the two sides suffered a setback last week when a Chinese government-supported bishop who was excommunicated by the Vatican participated in the ordination of new bishops.

The Vatican said last week it was convinced Catholics in China are "waiting with trepidation for positive signals that would help them have trust" in discussions between the two sides "and hope for a future of unity and harmony."

The ruling Communist Party in China has long been concerned that opposition to the party could be spread by religious and other civic organizations outside its control.
The Vatican should take steps to improve relations with China, the Chinese head of religious affairs said Tuesday, a week after the Roman Catholic Church said it was hoping for "positive signals" from Beijing.

Pope Francis is trying to heal a decades-old rift with China, where Catholics are divided between those loyal to him and those who are members of a government-controlled official church.

One of the obstacles to improving relations is the question of who should be able to appoint senior clergy. China says bishops must be named by the local Chinese Catholic community and refuses to accept the authority of the pope, whom it sees as the head of a foreign state that has no right to meddle in Beijing's affairs.

Wang Zuoan, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was quoted by state news agency Xinhua on Tuesday as saying China "hopes the Vatican takes an even more flexible and pragmatic attitude, and takes actual steps to create beneficial conditions for improving relations."

China wants constructive talks to narrow differences, increase consensus and promote improved relations, he told a meeting of Chinese Catholics.

"The Chinese government's position on improving Sino-Vatican ties has always been clear and consistent," Wang said.

The Vatican said last week it was "certain that all Catholics in China are waiting with trepidation for positive signals that would help them have trust in dialogue between civil authorities and the Holy See and hope for a future of unity and harmony."

The two sides have been at loggerheads since the expulsion of foreign missionaries from China after the Communists took power in 1949, and the Vatican's continued maintenance of official ties with self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by Beijing as its own.

Prospects for a deal were set back this month after Lei Shiyin, a government-backed bishop excommunicated by the Vatican, participated in the ordination of new bishops.
Next year will be the most opportune time for North Korea to bolster its nuclear program because of upcoming leadership changes in the United States and South Korea, according to a senior North Korean official who defected recently to the South.

"With South Korea holding presidential elections and the U.S. undergoing an administration transition, the North sees 2017 as the prime time for nuclear development," said Thae Yong-ho, who was North Korea's second highest ranking diplomat in London.

Thae defected to South Korea in August, becoming the most senior North Korean official to defect in almost 20 years.

At a news conference Tuesday with South Korean reporters, Thae made clear he was not aware of the status of North Korea's nuclear program but expressed confidence that China would not severely discipline North Korea for its nuclear program because the North's disintegration could produce a combined U.S.-friendly Korea.

Thae said North Korean leader Kim Jung Un has no plans to relinquish his country's nuclear weapons even if he is offered large sums of money. The exiled diplomat said Kim is expediting the country's nuclear development program with the intent of possessing nuclear weapons by the end of next year.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests this year and fired over 20 ballistic missiles. And it publicly promised to develop the ability to strike the United States with a nuclear weapon.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he favors the manufacture of nuclear weapons by Japan and South Korea as a deterrent to North Korea, a position that prompted a sharp response from the administration of President Barack Obama, which has supported a decades-old policy of nonproliferation.

Donald Trump will assume control of the executive branch of the U.S. government on January 20 and South Korea will hold a presidential election next year. Thae predicted North Korea will attempt to open dialog with the two new administrations in an attempt to obtain nuclear power status. In the meantime, Thae said, North Korea will continue to conduct nuclear tests in an effort to discourage South Korea's and Washington's sanctions-oriented policy toward North Korea.

U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said in October that convincing North Korea to surrender its nuclear weapons is futile.

"They are under siege and they are very paranoid. So the notion of giving up their nuclear capability, whatever it is, is a nonstarter with them," Clapper said in a speech before the Council of Foreign Relations.
A doctor who survived Ebola after contracting the virus while treating patients in Liberia has quietly returned to practicing medicine in Fort Worth.

Dr. Kent Brantly, who resumed practicing family medicine about a year ago, now works at JPS Health Network, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He sees patients, teaches family medicine residents, and works one day a week in labor and delivery at John Peter Smith Hospital.

He said some patients have recognized him and have brought up his battle of more than two years ago. Brantly also said all of the responses had been positive and that many had told him they prayed for him.

"I have patients in the clinic occasionally who say, `Where do I know you from?' or "I've seen you on TV,' " the 35-year-old Indiana native said.

He became the face of Ebola for many in the United States, writing a book, appearing at the White House, speaking around the country and gracing the cover of Time magazine.

His experience in Liberia, where he worked for nine months as a doctor for the Christian relief agency Samaritan's Purse, has helped shape his outlook for treating patients locally and around the world.

At one point, Brantly thought he was going to die after contracting the virus in July 2014. More than a week into getting sick, he received the experimental drug ZMapp.

"I had a pretty dramatic response to that first dose," Brantly said. "I was in that position of struggling to breathe, thinking I'm going to die of respiratory failure in the next few hours, to being stable that night  not better but stable and I was evacuated the next day."

He would continue to get better after being flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Brantly said his health is fine now and that he draws on his experience in Liberia to teach the message of caring for others  especially "choosing compassion over fear."

Robert Earley, president and chief executive officer of the JPS Health Network, said, "I could not have any greater respect for doctors like Dr. Brantly, not only for their humanitarian efforts, but for the medical knowledge they bring back to JPS."
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi will pick a chairman and members of a new media council under a law passed on Monday, giving the body the power to fine or suspend publications and broadcasters and give or revoke licenses for foreign media.

The law, approved by parliament and signed into law by Sissi, creates the so-called Supreme Council for the Administration of the Media whose chairman will be picked by Sissi and whose remaining members will be appointed by him based on nominations from various bodies including the judiciary and parliament.

Human rights organizations and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists have repeatedly criticized media freedoms in Egypt, which jailed the second most journalists of any country in the world in 2015, according to the CPJ.

The new council is tasked with suing media organizations that violate its regulations, creating a list of penalties, fining media organizations that break license terms, and can revoke or suspend the right to publish or broadcast.

It will also ensure fair competition between media groups as well as their independence and neutrality, adherence to journalistic ethics, and will make sure they do not compromise national security, the Official Gazette in which the law was published said.

Yehia Qalash, chief of the press syndicate, told Reuters that the law and the council were mostly concerned with administrative affairs and did not compromise media freedoms.

Parliament was still debating other media legislation, he said.

A second media law will cover sentencing, freedom of information, confidentiality of sourcing and the relationship between journalism and national security, lawmakers and press syndicate members said.



The press syndicate had lobbied for a single media law encompassing all issues but parliament decided on two separate laws.

On Sunday, the Interior Ministry said it had arrested an Al Jazeera news producer, accusing him of provoking sedition on behalf of the Qatar-based broadcaster that it considers a mouthpiece of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Three Al Jazeera journalists were arrested in December 2013 and sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison on charges including spreading lies to help a terrorist organization. One was eventually deported and the two others freed in 2015.

Police raided the Egypt's press syndicate offices in Cairo in May and arrested two journalists critical of the government. Thousands of Egyptian journalists protested the move.

A court in November found the syndicate leadership, including Qalash, guilty of harboring criminals and sentenced them to two years in prison in relation to the incident. Qalash has appealed and is out of detention on bail.

The government says it respects media freedom and all jailed journalists are facing criminal charges unrelated to their work.
Search teams on Wednesday recovered another flight recorder from a military plane that crashed in the Black Sea, killing all 92 aboard, the Defense Ministry said.

The first flight recorder was found the previous day and experts have started analyzing its data to determine the cause of the crash.

The Tu-154 of the Russian Defense Ministry crashed into the sea early Sunday, two minutes after taking off in good weather from the city of Sochi. It was carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, widely known as the Red Army Choir, to a New Year's concert at a Russian military base in Syria.

The Defense Ministry said 15 bodies and 239 body fragments have been recovered from the crash site. It previously said 17 bodies had been found.

A massive recovery effort has involved 3,600 people, including about 200 navy divers flown to the site from all over Russia. They have been aided by drones and submersibles.

Investigators were looking into whether the crash might have been caused by bad fuel, pilot error, equipment failure or objects stuck in the engines. The top Russian investigative agency said it had taken samples from a fuel tank used to fill the plane, which flew from Moscow's Chkalovsky military airport and stopped in Sochi for refueling.

Alleged cockpit conversation

The Komsomolskaya Pravda daily and online publication Life.ru published what they described as a script of cockpit conversation, with a pilot yelling about a problem with the plane's flaps and then shouting: "Commander, we are falling!'' It was impossible to verify the report, but both publications were known to have good connections with Russian security agencies.

Flaps are moveable panels mounted on the edge of the wings to increase lift.

The Kommersant daily also said that investigators believed that the crash was caused by a combination of malfunctioning flaps and pilot error, which caused the plane to lose speed and stall.

Russia's main domestic security and counter-terrorism agency, the FSB, said it found "no indications or facts pointing at the possibility of a terror attack or an act of sabotage'' on the plane.

However, some aviation experts have noted that the crew's failure to report any technical problem and the large area over which fragments of the plane were scattered could point to a possible explosion on board.

The Tu-154 is a Soviet-built three-engine airliner designed in the late 1960s. Russian airlines decommissioned the noisy, fuel-guzzling aircraft years ago, but the military and other government agencies continue using the plane, which is still loved by crews for its maneuverability and sturdiness.

The plane that crashed Sunday was built in 1983 and underwent factory checkups and maintenance in 2014 as well as earlier this year. Investigators have taken relevant documents from the plant that did the job.
Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has been indicted on charges of directing a corruption scheme while attempting to hide millions of dollars in a convent.

A federal judge charged Fernandez and other officials of her administration, including a public works secretary who was arrested in June, with associating illegally to steal public funds that were meant for public road projects between 2003 and 2015.

Also named in the indictment were former Planning Minister Julio de Vido, former Public Works Secretary Jose Lopez and Lazaro Baez, whose construction company allegedly benefited from the scheme.

Baez was arrested in June after attempting to stash millions of dollars in a Catholic convent outside of Buenos Aires.

The judge froze up to $633 million in each of the defendant's assets, although it is uncertain if their assets are valued that high.

Fernandez has denied the charges, accusing current Argentine President Mauricio Macri of manipulating the judicial system to persecute her. The former president has also asked for an audit of the public works contracts during her administration.

Her attorney, Gregorio Dalbon, has said he is not concerned about the charges and would appeal.

An illicit association conviction can warrant a possible 10-year prison sentence while a fraudulent administration conviction can lead to a six-year sentence.

Fernandez's late husband, Nestor Kirchner, was president of the South American nation from 2003 until 2007.
General Gregorio Alvarez, the last leader of Uruguay's brutal dictatorship of the 1970s and '80s, died Wednesday at age 91 while serving a sentence for human rights abuses.

The military's health service said he died at the Central Hospital of the Armed Forces in Uruguay's capital.

Under Alvarez, Uruguay was part of the secret alliance of South American dictatorships known as Operation Condor, in which the military leaders cooperated in persecuting and killing one another's dissidents.

Alvarez, himself the son of a general, participated in the 1973 coup that dissolved congress following a government crackdown on the Marxist Tupamaro rebels who were trying to seize power by force. One of Alvarez's brothers was killed by Tupamaro attackers in 1972.

Alvarez became army chief in 1978, finally taking over the presidency in 1981. His government imprisoned democratic critics and censored the press.

Alvarez finally agreed to hand over power to an elected civilian government in 1984 as the wave of dictatorships in the region was starting to recede. Argentina's military rule ended a year earlier and Brazil's a year later.

Hundreds of suspected leftists were arrested and tortured during the dictatorship, and historians say an estimated 180 Uruguayans were killed  most of them while in the custody of the government's Argentine allies.

In 2009, Alvarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his responsibility in the death or disappearance of 37 Uruguayans under Operation Condor.

During his trial, Alvarez said he knew nothing of illegal abductions and forced disappearances.

Prosecutors argued that Alvarez was in a position to know what happened to the political prisoners as army commander in chief and later as de facto president.
Around 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were refused asylum left Germany voluntarily between January and November 2016, up by 20,000 from the total number who left voluntarily in 2015, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Germany has toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015.

Last week a failed asylum seeker who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State militant group killed 12 people when he rammed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, fueling growing criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy.



The Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted government data showing the number who returned to their homes in the first 11 months of the year. Most returned to Albania, Serbia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iran, the newspaper said. Those leaving are eligible for one-off support of up to 3,000 euros.

German security officials previously told Reuters that the number of those deported after their asylum requests were rejected rose to almost 23,800 from January to November  up from almost 20,900 in all of 2015.

There has also been a rise in the number of refugees turned away at the borders. A report by the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung daily said police had turned back 19,720 refugees through the first 11 months -- up from 8,913 in all of 2015. Most were from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. They had been registered in other EU countries.



As public support for her pro-refugee policies wane ahead of September's federal election, Merkel has said it is vital to focus resources on those fleeing war, and to keep public support by deporting foreigners to countries where there is no persecution.

A string of attacks and security alerts involving refugees and migrants this year has boosted support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, which could complicate Merkel's re-election hopes.

Late on Tuesday, seven refugees from Syria and Iraq aged 15 to 21 were detained in Berlin on charges of attempted murder for trying to set fire to a homeless man in an underground station.
Greece, a frontline country for migrants fleeing to Europe from war and poverty, vowed on Wednesday to improve living conditions in its overcrowded island camps.

The number making the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece has fallen sharply this year under a European Union deal with Turkey. It stipulates that people arriving after March 20 are to be held on five Aegean islands and sent back if their asylum applications are not accepted.

According to figures from U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, 173,208 people have reached Greece this year, down from 856,723 in 2015.

Some 60,000 migrants, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, are still scattered across the country, which is struggling to emerge from a debt crisis.

About 15,000 are in overcrowded island camps that have grown violent as the slow processing of asylum requests adds to frustration over living conditions.

"We are planning to have new, small venues on the islands, either by setting up small, two-story houses, in order to empty the tents, or by finding other places ... to improve conditions," Greek Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas told reporters.

"It will need time but we will do it."

He said authorities would also set up small detention centers and boost policing.

Mouzalas acknowledged that slow processing of asylum requests was an "Achilles heel" but said Athens was hiring more staff to speed it up.
A Jerusalem official said Wednesday a committee had postponed a planned vote on permits to construct hundreds of new settler homes in occupied East Jerusalem.

Hanan Rubin, a member of the Jerusalem Planning and Housing Committee, said the vote was taken off the agenda for Wednesday at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The proposal involved 492 new homes in the Ramot and Ramat Shlomo neighborhoods located in areas Israel captured during the 1967 war.

The move comes hours ahead of a planned speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is expected to both lay out his view of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and address Israeli accusations that the U.S. was behind a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an end to settlement building.

The resolution passed Friday condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "a flagrant violation under international law," calling the construction an enduring obstacle to regional peace.

The council approved the measure 14-0, with the United States abstaining.

Russell Stone, American University Center for Israeli Studies professor emeritus, told VOA the important thing is that the U.S. for the first time did not use its veto power on this kind of issue.

"It represents increasing world opinion and American opinion that the settlement activity is counterproductive," he said.

Netanyahu government blames US

Netanyahu spokesman David Keys told MSNBC on Tuesday the government had information that shows "beyond a shadow of a doubt" the Obama administration actively helped craft the resolution.

He declined to offer specifics, saying "some of the information is sensitive, so I can't share it on live TV."

On Sunday, a visibly angry Netanyahu, speaking on national television, blasted the U.N. resolution and the U.S. abstention, calling the U.S. inaction a "shameful" swipe against Washington's traditional ally.

He said his immediate response includes the withholding of nearly $8 million in funding to unnamed institutions, and said "there is more to come."He did not elaborate, but later recalled ambassadors from New Zealand and Senegal, two of the resolution's four sponsors.

The prime minister also said he had ordered his foreign ministry to review within a month all of Israel's engagements with the world body.

Palestinians celebrate UN measure

Elsewhere in the region, Palestinians hailed the vote, with former Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat calling it "a clear and unanimous message" to Netanyahu that his policies will not lead to peace or security for Israel or Palestinians.

Hamas spokesman Fawzy Barhoum described the outcome of the U.N. ballot as "a vote for the right of Palestinian people [to live] on their land."

More than 500,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, in settlements that most world governments view as illegal.The Obama administration has called them "illegitimate."

Citing biblical connections to the land and modern day security concerns, Israel claims all of Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories seized during the Six-Day War of 1967.
In Kenya, a controversial amendment to the electoral law is now before the Senate. The bill would give the electoral commission a workaround if biometric voting equipment fails, but the opposition has rejected the change for fear of voter fraud.

But as political temperatures rise ahead of next years polls, Senate members are advising caution and careful consideration.

The Senate did not vote on the amendment to the electoral law Wednesday. Instead, Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro sent the bill to committee.

The standing committee on legal affairs and human rights must, therefore, proceed with dispatch and be ready to table its report on 4 January 2017 when the Senate is expected to assemble for the special sitting, Ethuro said.

Wednesdays proceedings in the Senate were remarkably sober compared to the chaos last week in the lower house. Debate on the bill descended into fistfights on the parliament floor and a walk-out by opposition members before the vote.

The proposed change would allow the electoral commission to manually identify voters and transmit results if biometric voting kits fail, a move the opposition says is one way of rigging the election.

Opposition Senate member Amos Wako welcomed the move by the speaker to refer the matter to the committee.

I feared that the cardinal principle which underlines in our constitution participation by the people in whom the sovereignty of Kenya lies may be curtailed or shortened just to meet the deadline that this bill must be passed today. I am glad through a consultative approach, and so on we have now come to a place where the committee will be given some time, Wako said.

Protests, boycott threatened

The opposition has threatened to protest and even boycott next years nationwide elections if the electoral law is changed.

The rising tensions have sparked concern in Kenya, where post-election violence in 2007 and 2008 killed 1,300 people and uprooted 300,000 more from their homes.

Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki says the committee has to look at the issue with a lot of care.

Certain clarities have to be highlighted because there has been extraordinary sacrifices and discussions that have been going on between the two sides of this house since this matter started polarizing our country to a level of almost tearing us apart. This is an issue that even as a committee in my view must be looked at in that context, Kindiki said.



Lawmakers in the lower house said the request to change the law was made by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, or IEBC.



Political commentator Martin Andati blames the electoral body for the current political crisis.



The political will is not there. Once IEBC encounters those challenges, they should have reached out to both sides of the political divide and told them we are having a problem here So from that perspective, they should have also have given possible solutions so that when you go and meet the leadership of Jubilee and CORD, then you are able to hammer out consensus and its on the basis of that deal that you will take those amendments to the parliament, he said.

Andati says the perception of a unilateral change by one side will foster suspicion, potentially casting doubt on election results and even leading to violence.



The opposition had pledged to take to the streets to protest the bill starting January 4. It is not clear if this latest move in the Senate will make them postpone a decision.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry unveiled broad guidelines Wednesday for an eventual peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, warning that a two-state solution to the conflict is in "serious jeopardy."

In an hour-long speech at the State Department, Kerry also defended the U.S. decision last week to abstain from a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlements.

The vote at the U.N. "was about preserving the two-state solution," said Kerry, rejecting criticism that the U.S. was betraying its longtime ally, Israel. "That's what we were standing up for - Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state." He noted that the vote was "in accordance" with U.S. values.



WATCH: Kerry on UN resolution



No major new proposals were included in the six parameters outlined in Kerry's speech. Rather, the address was aimed at preserving the generally agreed upon framework of a two-state solution that has been embraced by the last several U.S. administrations.

Among the principles were a "secure and recognized international border" between Israel and a "viable and contiguous Palestine," as well as an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. Kerry also said a successful two-state solution must provide a "just, agreed, fair and realistic solution" to the Palestinian refugee crisis, declare Jerusalem as a capital for both states, and satisfy Israel's security needs.

WATCH: Kerry on two-State solution

While Kerry stressed that Israel will always be a U.S. ally, he accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of allowing Israel to slip into a state of "perpetual occupation."

"Here is the fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can be either Jewish or democratic, but it cannot be both," said Kerry, warning that the status quo is leading toward an "irreversible one-state reality" that "most people don't actually want."

Backlash

The stern rebuke of Israel, which comes in the final days of Barack Obama's presidency, prompted a fierce backlash from Israeli leaders.

"Like the Security Council resolution that Kerry advanced in the U.N., his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement after the speech. "For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries."

In his own statement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to the two-state solution, saying he is willing to restart peace talks if Israel first agrees to a settlement freeze.

The next step is likely to be determined during the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has emerged as a staunch ally of Netanyahu.

In a tweet Wednesday, Trump lashed out at the Obama administration for its treatment of Israel.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a good friend in the U.S., but not anymore," Trump said in a tweet, adding: "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching."



The Israeli-Palestinian issue was a main focus for Kerry when he took the top post at the State Department in February 2013, but years of negotiations, including some intense periods of shuttle diplomacy, have failed to yield an agreement.

One lingering obstacle has been Israel's continued construction of settlements in areas the Palestinians see as part of a future state.

That issue rocketed back to the forefront with last week's U.N. vote.

The U.S. move to abstain from the vote effectively allowed unanimous passage of the resolution.

Israel criticizes US abstention

Netanyahu, who has had a cool relationship with President Obama, has called the resolution "shameful'' and accused the U.S. of playing an active role in its passage.

WATCH: Netanyahu on 'Profound Disagreement' With US

The prime minister also said he has "incontestible" evidence showing that the U.S. helped craft the resolution and pushed for its passage. U.S. officials have rejected that notion.

Israeli officials also have launched a series of diplomatic retaliatory measures against nations and other organizations who supported the U.N. resolution

However, in a move aimed at cooling tensions, an Israeli committee on Wednesday postponed a planned vote on permits to construct hundreds of new settler homes in occupied East Jerusalem.



WATCH: Netanyahu on Where Focus Should Be

Hanan Rubin, a member of the Jerusalem Planning and Housing Committee, said the vote was taken off the agenda for Wednesday at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The proposal involved 492 new homes in the Ramot and Ramat Shlomo neighborhoods located in areas Israel captured during the 1967 war.

Hours later, a Jerusalem municipal panel approved the construction of a separate four-story building for Jewish settlers in a Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, located in East Jerusalem.

Washington has long said it opposes Israeli settlements, calling them an obstacle to peace, but the U.S. has generally used its Security Council veto to protect Israel from censure.
Elves against trollsit sounds like something out of "The Lord of the Rings." But to Ricardas Savukynas, the battle he's fighting is no fantasy.

The 43-year-old business consultant and blogger is part of an informal internet army of Lithuanians trying to counter what they describe as hate speech and pro-Russia propaganda.

"I am just a regular guy from Lithuania, a citizen, who once noticed that Russian propaganda is being spread in this country by huge numbers of groups on Facebook," he told The Associated Press over tea at a restaurant in Vilnius' old town. "Seeing this I thought that it cannot be a natural thing."

Savukynas' fellow volunteers _ who've dubbed themselves "elves" _ patrol social media, coordinating their actions through Facebook or Skype to expose fake accounts. On a busy day, Savukynas said that fellow elves report as many as 10 or 20 to get them removed. He himself focuses on writing, maintaining a personal blog devoted to, among other things, deconstructing Soviet nostalgia or pulling apart conspiracy theories.

The elves do a decent job of "pinpointing some manipulation and some social networking sites," said Nerijus Maliukevicius, a researcher at Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations, who studies the role of media during times of conflict. But in a telephone interview, Maliukevicius said that Lithuania needs a complex counterstrategy to beat what he describes as Kremlin propaganda.

"Elves are just one bit of this," he said.

Talk of Russian interference is bubbling on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the recent U.S. election, which propelled Russia-friendly candidate Donald Trump to power amid allegations of Kremlin interference. Earlier this month, Germany's intelligence agency accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the country with propaganda and cyberattacks before its general election planned for next year.

Lithuania, which like other Baltic nations was long subject to Moscow's rule, feels those concerns more keenly than most  all the more so after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

And the elf versus troll war on Facebook is just one battlefield. News websites and broadcasters have also been drawn into the mix.

"We recognized, especially recently, that we have a pretty huge and long lasting disinformation campaign against our society," said Tomas Ceponis, an analyst for the Lithuanian military. He said the power of propaganda was harder to quantify than tanks or planes, but it was clearly aimed at "really a very huge variety of targets."

Delfi, one of the main news sites in Lithuania, was one of them. It found its comment sections filling up with pro-Russia posts in the lead up to the Ukrainian confrontation, said Monika Garbaciauskaite, the editor-in-chief, and now has full-time staff deleting the most extreme messages.

The hostile propaganda has led to more aggressive action from both sides.

Lithuania's leading commercial news channel TV3 has been repeatedly targeted by hackers who compromised the group's networks three times, according to Sigitas Babilius, TV3's head of news. Last month, Lithuania banned Russia's RTR Planeta channel until February after a Russian politician made anti-U.S. comments deemed as "incitement to war, discord and hatred." Similar three-month bans on Russian state-owned channels have been ordered in previous years.

Lithuania, meanwhile, has launched a campaign on television urging citizens to report any suspicious activity  on the street or on the web.

The moves rankle Moscow's representative to the tiny NATO nation.

"I do not think that sticking a propaganda label on another's point of view is right," Russian Ambassador Alexander Udaltsov told the AP. "It's always better to use counterarguments to prove your truth, but unfortunately our Western partners lack these arguments and continue with bans of Russian TV stations."

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius makes no apology for the bans.

"A lie is not an alternative point of view," Linkevicius said. "One can say 'it's freedom of speech, everyone can say whatever he wants.' Of course, I agree. But if it's (a) resourced propaganda machine brainwashing people, it's not just an alternative point of view. It's a weapon."
From coast to coast, U.S. cities have multiplied their efforts to emit fewer greenhouse gases and brace for climate-change-driven natural disasters, scientists and environmentalists say.

Amid uncertainty over whether Washington will withdraw from a global accord to combat climate change, many people are increasingly pinning their hopes on cities to cut global warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Last month U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he was keeping an open mind on whether to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. He has appointed two climate skeptics to top jobs in his administration.

Below are five U.S. cities that left their mark on the fight against climate change in 2016:

Portland, Oregon

Portland made national headlines by pushing the frontiers of how municipal governments can speed up the transition from fossil fuel to clean energy.

This month, the West Coast city of nearly 600,000 people said it was the first nationwide to ban the construction of new bulk fossil-fuel storage facilities on its territory.

"Now more than ever ... local community voices are needed, because the risks of not acting on climate change are just too severe," Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said after adopting the new rules, which prohibit the construction of fossil-fuel storage facilities exceeding 2 million gallons.

Burlington, Vermont

This year, Vermont's largest urban center put together a plan to pursue its goal of becoming a "net-zero city," meaning it aims to consume only as much energy as it generates.

"We are doing things that other bigger cities sometimes really even aren't thinking about yet," said Neale Lunderville, general manager of the Burlington Electric Department, a part of the municipal government, in a telephone interview.

In 2014, Burlington, a former manufacturing town of 42,000 people, became the first U.S. city to run 100 percent on renewable energy, including wind and solar power, the Electric Department said.

San Diego, California

With a population of nearly 1.4 million people, San Diego was the largest U.S. city in 2016 to have committed to producing all its energy from renewable sources.

The city, located in the drier southern part of California, has had to introduce water cuts to combat prolonged drought in the state, which has been aggravated by climate change.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer has committed $130 million of a $3.4 billion budget for 2017 to funding various projects to tackle climate change, such as installing solar panels, adding bike lanes and using energy-efficient street lights.

Cleveland, Ohio

In 2016, Cleveland, on the shores of Lake Erie, made progress on what could be the country's first freshwater offshore wind turbine installation.

As part of Project Icebreaker, six turbines are to be installed eight to 10 miles off Cleveland's shore, with the aim of meeting 10 percent of the electricity needs of 6,000 homes.

The $120 million project, the brainchild of the Cleveland Foundation, a community group, received a boost in May when the U.S. Department of Energy announced it would award $40 million to help cover the construction of the wind turbines by 2018.

Baltimore, Maryland

In a first nationally, Baltimore announced in 2016 it would beef up its disaster-preparedness plans with neighborhood centers to help the most vulnerable residents, according to Kristin Baja, climate and resilience planner for the city administration.

The centers will be fully equipped with backup electricity and fresh water, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The seaside city of more than half a million people is particularly susceptible to flooding, hurricanes and storms.

"It's an interesting model," Garrett Fitzgerald, an adviser for the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, a coalition of U.S. and Canadian cities, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "People need a place to go that they can walk to, that they know, that they trust, where they feel safe."
Top Montana Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday warned neo-Nazis they would find "no safe haven" for a rally that could include guns planned for next month in a mountain town where white nationalists have threatened Jewish residents.

The lawmakers include both Democrats and U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, recently picked by Republican President-elect Donald Trump to be interior secretary.

"We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here," Zinke wrote in an open letter also signed by Democratic Montana Governor Steve Bullock, U.S. senators Republican Steve Daines and Democrat Jon Tester, and Republican Attorney General Tim Fox.

Neo-Nazis plan to march in January in the mountain ski town of Whitefish in Montana's remote and rugged northwestern reaches. The march is to support the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer. Sherry Spencer is facing pressure from community members to sell a building she owns in Whitefish because of its ties to her son and to disavow her son's beliefs.

The building has been the subject of protests in the community.

As pressure mounted against the building, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist website Daily Stormer urged its readers in an article to "take action" against Jews in the Whitefish area.

In its article, the Daily Stormer called for an "old fashioned Troll Storm" against community members and published their names and phone numbers along with yellow Jewish stars superimposed over their photographs. It also said that because of gun laws in Montana, "we can easily march through the center of the town carrying high-powered rifles."

The website contains many anti-Semitic descriptions and images of Jews, but said it does not endorse violence.

Richard Spencer is the president of the National Policy Institute, a think tank within the alt-right movement, which includes neo-Nazis and white supremacists. In a video posted online by the Atlantic Monthly magazine, some institute members could be seen hailing Trump's election victory with Nazi-era salutes after Spencer addressed the group at its conference last month in Washington, D.C.

Spencer has said on Twitter that he might pursue Zinke's House of Representatives seat if Zinke is confirmed as Trump's interior secretary.

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial told Reuters in a phone interview last week that his department had assigned extra patrols to the homes and businesses of the residents identified in the article. However, Dial said there had been no reports of harassment or intimidation of the Jewish community that rose to the level of a crime.

Dial also said Federal Bureau of Investigation officials told him they interviewed Spencer and that he denounced the Daily Stormer postings.

In a statement to Reuters, Spencer's father said he and his wife "love our son, but do not agree with his polemics, societal desires or his extreme political leanings."
Kidnapped girls freed from more than two years of captivity by Boko Haram Islamic extremists were prevented by Nigerian officials from spending Christmas at home with their families, relatives and a lawyer said Tuesday.

The news raised questions about Nigeria's handling of the 21 girls freed in October through negotiation mediated by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Nearly 300 girls taking science exams were kidnapped from a government boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped within hours, and 219 remain captive. The mass abduction brought Boko Haram world attention and sparked an international social media movement to #BringBackOurGirls.

Those freed in October have been held for trauma counseling and rehabilitation in Abuja, the capital.

They demanded to spend Christmas at home. The government tried to appease them saying they would fly their parents to Abuja, human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe said.

He said the girls insisted on being at home and arrived in Chibok on Christmas Eve, but were held at a legislators house.

Christmas Day passed but they were not allowed to see their parents until Borno state Gov. Kashim Shettima showed up Monday with cameras to have his photograph taken officially presenting the girls to their parents, Ogebe said.

In terms of a Christmas family reunion, this has got to rank amongst the worlds most spectacular failed parties, Ogebe told The Associated Press by phone from his base in Washington. The Grinch, or in this case the government, stole their Christmas this time. Not the terrorists.

The mother of one girl and the father of another told the AP that the girls wanted to attend Christmas service at their church, but were told they had to remain at the legislator's house for their security. The relatives spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions from the government for them and their daughters.

The Bring Back Our Girls movement, Human Rights Watch and lawyers like Ogebe, who has organized scholarships in the United States for some of the girls who escaped the night of the abduction, are asking if the traumatized girls have escaped one form of captivity to another.

Nigerias army has freed thousands of people from captivity by Boko Haram this year, as it has driven the extremists out of towns and villages where they had declared an Islamic caliphate. Most have been detained for interrogation in appalling conditions that have resulted in the deaths of newly freed hostages and their babies, Amnesty International has reported.

President Muhammadu Buhari this week declared that Boko Haram had finally been crushed, driven out of their last stronghold in the northeastern Sambisa Forest where they were believed to be holding many Chibok girls. The government said this week that negotiations to free the rest of the girls continue.

The military victory in Sambisa, which could not be independently verified, is unlikely to end the deadly suicide bombings and attacks on remote villages and army camps staged by the insurgents.
New reviews of satellite images suggest North Korea may possess another missile launching site at a village once suspected of having nuclear facilities.

The images, analyzed by Strategic Sentinel, a firm that deals with geospatial image processing, intelligence analysis and geopolitical research, exposed a missile silo in mountainous Geumchang-ri, North Pyongan province, where the U.S. intelligence community said in the late 1990s there was a nuclear weapons site.

The silo, an underground chamber used for storing and firing missiles, seems analogous to the one at a missile base in Tabriz, Iran, with the same 7.4-meter-wide sliding cover and the same type of exhaust vents, the intelligence consultancy told VOA on Tuesday.

That U.S.-based group added that this rectangular-shaped structure appears large enough to house current North Korean missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads that can strike neighboring countries, such as South Korea and Japan.

If this Iranian site is housing missiles and the North Korean site that we have uncovered is the exact same dimension, then its quite possible that the site that we have uncovered is housing missiles as well, said Ryan Barenklau, founder of Strategic Sentinel.

He also suggested a possible nuclear cooperation between the two countries.







Just north of the silo, three structures, which appear as check-out points and a below-ground access point, stood in a triangle formation, and a possible guard post also was within close proximity, the satellite images showed.

Barenklau said one thing to take note of is the great similarity between this clandestine facility and North Koreas other established missile-launching sites in terms of the way structures are set up and the distance between check-out points and launch pads.

Unlike the conventional 55-meter-long launch vehicle processing buildings, the two check-out buildings at the suspected site, however, measure about 27 and 31 meters long, respectively, with a vacant lot in between them.

Asked about the difference in size of missile assembly buildings, Nathan Hunt, chief operations officer of Strategic Sentinel, said, If this was some type of missile-related structure, (it) would not be for something large but for smaller missiles, possibly a Rodong or such.

While other sites, such as the Sohae Satellite Launching Station and the Tonghae Satellite Launching ground, also known as Musudan-ri, accommodate very large space launch [vehicles] or Taepodong-type missiles," he said.

Collected between 2010 and 2014, the satellite images also highlighted an unpaved, 6-meter-wide road, along which a number of cement crossings were installed.

Pointing out that construction of such infrastructure could cost several million dollars, the group insisted that the reclusive regime would only have built it to support large vehicles to move heavy, military assets to the site.

However, additional reviews of new satellite images need to be done in order to ascertain the exact purpose of the facility, Barenklau said.

The firms discovery of the suspected missile launching site came months after North Korea conducted two missile tests in October, which, according to the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff, were attempted near Panghyon Airport in Kusong City  located south of the suspected site. The exact location of the launch pad has yet to be discovered.

Despite global condemnation and increasing sanctions on North Korea, the reclusive regime remains steadfast in its determination to advance its nuclear and missile programs, conducting two nuclear tests and firing more than 20 ballistic missiles this year alone.

VOA Korean Services Jeeun Lee contributed to this report.
Pakistan's government has dismissed a recommendation from the upper house of parliament to scrap the 5,000 rupee ($48) bank note to cut the flow of illicit money and reduce the size of the informal economy.

India scrapped its two biggest currency bills  the 1,000-rupee ($15) and 500-rupee notes  in November in a bid to flush out money hidden from the tax man, leading to acute currency shortages and raising concern about growth there.

Pakistan's Senate passed a nonbinding resolution this month calling for the government to follow suit to "reduce illicit money flow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of the undocumented economy."

But the finance ministry ruled out such a demonetization, saying it world hurt business.

"Given the continuing use of cash in transactions, the government believes that discontinuation of the 5,000-rupee note would adversely affect the efficiency of exchange in business," the ministry said in a statement, seen Tuesday by Reuters.

The 5,000-rupee note is Pakistan's biggest. During the last financial year, 17 percent of currency notes printed were of the 5,000 denomination, the finance ministry said.

Pakistan has a huge informal economy, and transactions are often handled in cash, partly because much of the population is not in the formal sector.

The government frequently offers tax amnesties to encourage people with hidden wealth to declare assets and enter the banking system, hoping to expand an extremely narrow tax base.

But governments have struggled for decades to boost a meager tax-to-gross domestic product ratio of only about 10 percent.

The ministry said the government hoped to encourage digital banking to "reduce the dependence on currency."

"This is the way to move forward for promoting documentation in the economy rather than by canceling any existing denomination," it said.
The United States on Wednesday announced it was adding the student wing of the Pakistan-based militant organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, is an anti-Indian militant group with historical ties to Pakistan's top spy agencies. It has been accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including a 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people, six of them Americans.

The State Department move against the student group, Al-Muhammadia Students, came as the Treasury Department added two Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders to the U.S. list of specially designated global terrorists, subjecting them to U.S. sanctions.

LeT was banned by the Pakistani government in 2002 but it has continued operating through front organizations, according to U.S. officials, and their leaders conduct public rallies and interviews.

The State Department announced that it amended the designation of LeT as a foreign terrorist organization to include what it called the group's student wing.

Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organizations in an effort to avoid sanctions, the State Department said, adding that the student group aided senior LeT leaders in recruiting and other activities.

The State Department action subjected the student group to sanctions, including a ban on Americans providing or attempting to provide it with material support.

The Treasury Department said it was adding Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood to the U.S. list of "specially designated global terrorists," freezing any U.S. property or other assets they hold and banning Americans from doing business with them.

Both are involved in fundraising activities, it said.

Sarwar, the department said, is the LeT leader in Lahore and Mahmood is a senior LeT leader in Karachi and has routinely traveled outside Pakistan on the group's behalf.
Romania's Social Democrat party (PSD), victor of a general election two weeks ago, on Wednesday proposed former telecommunications minister Sorin Grindeanu, a veteran leftist politician, for prime minister.

The PSD's first pick to lead the cabinet was Sevil Shhaideh, a close associate of PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who was ruled out of the job by his criminal sentence in a 2012 referendum-rigging case. Shhaideh's nomination was rejected by the president.

Grindeanu, a 43-year-old mathematician and former deputy mayor of the western city of Timisoara, currently the head of Timis county governing council, is expected to easily win the presidential seal of approval, political commentators said.

"Sorin Grindeanu goes there (to lead the government) for a full four-year term as prime minister," Dragnea told reporters.

"We have chosen not to throw the country into political crisis. We had to find a solution in a colleague loyal to the governing program and the party," he added.

Dragnea said it was unlikely a new leftist government would be in place before the end of the year. He has said he will closely watch over the government's performance.

The PSD won the December 11 election by a wide margin and, with coalition partner and long-time ally ALDE, has 250 of the 465 seats in the two houses of parliament, meaning it would easily get parliamentary approval for its government.

Grindeanu "is a hard proposal to refuse", said Sergiu Miscoiu, political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj.

"He is a regional pillar of the PSD, former deputy mayor, former minister, young. He meets the criteria."

The PSD's clear election victory has heightened uncertainty over Romania's ability to keep its budget deficit below the EU's ceiling of 3 percent of gross domestic product, as their governing program includes ambitious spending plans.

The PSD and its ALDE junior ally will send the proposal to President Klaus Iohannis later in the day and the president is expected to endorse a prime minister-designate on Thursday.

"It is a great responsibility that I feel, not just my colleagues' vote but that of Romanians for a governing program that we must enforce," Grindeanu said.
Prominent Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham says Russia did interfere in the recent U.S. presidential election and can expect hard-hitting sanctions. But a former U.S. official is downplaying the controversy over Russian hacking.

Senator Graham Wednesday said the U.S. Congress in 2017 will investigate Russia's involvement in the November 8 election that propelled businessman Donald Trump to power. "I expect there will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly (President Vladimir) Putin as an individual," Graham said, without elaborating. "It is now time for Russia to understand enough is enough," Graham said.

WATCH: Sen. Graham on Bipartisan Sanctions Against Russia

Moscow has denied allegations that President Putin was personally involved in hacking that cost Trump's opponent, Democrat and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the election.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Obama administration could announce as soon as this week measures to punish Russia for election interference. U.S. officials told the newspaper the measures could include economic sanctions and diplomatic censure.

Thomas Graham is managing director of New York-based consulting firm Kissinger Associates and served on the National Security Council during the administration of President George W. Bush. In an interview with VOA's Russian service, he questioned reports connecting Russia to the release of information that might have influenced the election.

"Without seeing the underlying intelligence, it's hard to know with any degree of confidence whether Russia was ultimately behind it or not," he said. "And it's certainly very difficult to know whether President Putin, sitting in the Kremlin, directed all of that."

While not ruling out Russia, he added, "I would keep my mind open in saying there may be other countries or individuals behind releasing this information."

Trump has consistently maintained that last month's election was free of any Russian meddling. Questions are still unanswered about how Russian hackers obtained emails from Clinton's campaign and published them via WikiLeaks in the closing stretch of the campaign, in an apparent attempt to influence the election in Trump's favor.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told VOA, "It's pretty clear that Russia was involved in this past election and collected data from both sides, but released data for one side only in an effort to skew the election." President Barack Obama has ordered the intelligence community to conduct a full review of the allegations.

Senator Graham made his comments in Riga, Latvia as part of a wider tour of Russia's Baltic neighbors. Fellow Republican Senator John McCain also is on the trip, as is Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. Their trip comes amid questions as to what NATO course Trump will chart when he takes office as the 45th U.S. president.

McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters that despite unusual times ahead, "we will continue to have strong support for NATO in the Congress of the United States and in the United States Senate," adding, "We believe the three of us and most of our colleagues in the United States Senate that Vladimir Putin and Russian behavior is unacceptable - the latest being apparent attempts on the part of the Russians to affect the outcome of the recent election in the United States."

VOA's Russian Service contributed to this report
A South Korean ruling party faction said on Tuesday it would form a new party, and key members said they hoped outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would join it to launch a widely expected bid to become president.

If Ban joined the new party, it would give him a conservative platform while distancing himself from the ruling Saenuri Party of President Park Geun-hye, which has become tainted by a corruption scandal that led to a parliamentary

impeachment vote against her this month.

The 29 lawmakers defecting from Park's Saenuri Party were among those who supported the parliamentary motion to impeach her over the influence-peddling scandal, which was passed overwhelmingly on December 9.

Some analysts expect the new party to become the country's main conservative force and further defections to it from Park's party were likely, especially if Ban joined.

"We are hoping Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will join the New Conservative Party for Reform, and if he joins, it will be right that he would compete in a fair primary," Yoo Seong-min, a member of the new party and a possible presidential contender, told TV station SBS, using the new party's tentative name.

In a Realmeter poll released on Monday, 23.3 percent of respondents supported Ban, just ahead of the liberal Democratic Party's Moon Jae-in, at 23.1 percent.

The defections cut the number of seats held by Saenuri to fewer than 100 in the 300-member chamber. The Saenuri unexpectedly lost its majority in April parliamentary elections.

Ban, 72, has not declared an intention to run for president, only saying he would devote himself to the country after his tenure ends this month after 10 years.

Nevertheless, he had until recently been widely expected to run for the top job as a member of Park's party. But running as a Saenuri candidate looks far less attractive given the corruption scandal gripping the country, in which a friend of Park's is accused of colluding with the president to pressure big businesses into paying money to foundations backing Park's initiatives.

Park and the friend, Choi Soon-sil, have denied wrongdoing. Kim Jun-seok, a Dongguk University political science professor, said Ban supporters in the Saenuri Party, including lawmakers from his home region of Chungcheong, were waiting to see what he would do.

A former South Korean foreign minister, Ban has never run for office in his home country.

Joining forces?

Ban could opt to form his own group, with the intention of later joining forces with the new conservative party, saving him from having to run in the new party's primary contest, Kim said, an arrangement which is not unusual in Korean politics.

"Everyone remaining in the party is calculating what their next move should be," Kim said. "Saenuri has lost its identity and the new party will take the lead among conservatives."

The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to uphold or overturn the impeachment vote against Park, who has been stripped of her powers in the meantime.

If Park's impeachment is upheld, a presidential election will be held in 60 days. An election for the five-year single-term presidency is currently scheduled for December 20, 2017.

The head of the minority People's Party, which holds 38 seats in parliament, has also said it would welcome Ban.

Over the years, South Korean parties have often broken up and reformed in new guises. Ban has been coy about his plans, other than saying he will

return to South Korea on January 15.

"I will devote my whole body to work hard if what I have seen and experienced as the U.N. secretary-general helps develop the Republic of Korea," Ban told Korean media last week at the United Nations.

"I will decide what to do after meeting people from every walk of life after returning home."
Since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May, the government in Taipei has documented four incursions into what it considers its territorial waters. Two of the most recent military movements have occurred since the Taiwanese leader's telephone conversation with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, raising concerns that more Chinese actions will be directed at the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own.

Since May 20, Chinese air force planes and naval vessels have approached identification zones marked by Taiwan, which is 160 kilometers (99 miles) away at its nearest point, a defense ministry spokesman told VOA.

The spokesman said China is maneuvering those units, part of the worlds third biggest military, to warn Taiwan.

Beijing has claimed Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s and insists on eventual unification of the two sides, despite Taiwanese opinion polls indicating a preference for autonomy.

The spokesman said Taipei expects China to continue encroaching on its territorial air and waters. It has ratcheted up its alert but will avoid any recourse that provokes China, the defense ministry spokesman said.

Beijings military drills received particular attention in Taiwan late this month when the Qingdao-based Liaoning aircraft carrier and an attendant fleet sailed into the Pacific Ocean east of Taiwan, then passed close to the Pratas Islands, what China calls the Dongsha islands, in the South China Sea.

Taiwan claims the islands, which are 850 kilometers (530 miles) southwest of Taipei.

The defense ministry in Taipei sent two F-16 jets to track the carrier, which it found as close as 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from Taiwans air identification zone. It eventually reached a port in southern China, the ministry said.

In early December China conducted an air force drill just outside Taiwans air defense identification zone in the Luzon Strait, the defense ministry said then.

China is widely viewed as the victor in any prolonged war as its personnel and equipment outnumber Taiwans.

Beijing officials have asked Tsai to continue a dialogue established with China by her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, based on the One China policy that binds both sides to one country. China hopes the talks ultimately lead to unification.

Tsai rejects One China and neither side has come up with a mutually agreeable alternative, freezing any dialogue and eroding relations built up under Ma since 2008. Chinas anger grew when Tsai made a 12-minute phone call to Trump Dec. 2, touching on the topics of Taiwans security and its pursuit of stronger international diplomacy independent of Beijing.

On Monday, China set up diplomatic ties with Sao Tome and Principe days after the small African island nation cut ties with Taiwan, raising suspicion of a buy-off by Beijing aimed at retaliating for the Trump call. China and the Vatican, Taiwans only European ally, are now in talks that may spark another switch in relations.

Over the past two years, China has conducted routine naval drills near Taiwan with destroyers and frigates, but without its sole aircraft carrier. Its ships have also passed through a corner of Taiwans southern identification zone, said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. He expects more aircraft carrier movement.

In my reading, they will continue this practice and even more drills in the future to familiarize their carrier operations, Huang said. Of course it sends a political message as well, but I dont think it was planned after Trumps victory, or it was planned suddenly.

China would need cyber-attacks, missile launches and strikes against Taiwans seaports and airports to approach a takeover, said Andrew Yang, secretary-general with the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies think tank in Taiwan. A naval blockade is less likely because it would raise concern from the international community, he said.

The Chinese aircraft carrier could send planes over Taiwan to make some of those strikes.

This is an enhanced Chinese capability. They can actually attack Taiwan from all directions, Yang said, suggesting the military could strike either the islands east or west coasts. They can conduct an invasion across the Strait, so its simultaneous, all around Taiwan.
Thailands bilateral relationship with China is advancing, evident by growing economic ties and military cooperation. Analysts, however, say Bangkok wants to set a more moderate course by rebalancing its foreign policy.

Earlier in December, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan led a delegation to China that included the Thai governments key economic strategist, Somkid Jatusripitak. Several bilateral agreements covering trade, economic and investment cooperation were signed.

The plans include doubling two-way trade from $60 billion to $120 billion by 2020 as well as extending a five-year joint economic development plan.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist and adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit, said business and trade  as well as tourism  are driving the bilateral relationship.

The relationship is expanding  thats very clear and will continue in the next few years due to the necessity and proximity, Panitan said.

During the talks, China accepted a Thai proposal to build a maintenance and production center for Chinese weapons in Thailand. Prawit also invited China to join Exercise Cobra Gold, a series of military exercises in Thailand that are led by the United States.

Other areas of increased military ties came with China and Thailand conducting joint exercises under what is known as the Blue Strike program that involves marines from both navies.

Prawit has led negotiations in the purchase of three Chinese-made Yuan class S26T submarines at a cost of $1 billion. Thailand has also bought battle tanks from China.

Chinas minister of defense, Chang Wanquan, in an official statement, said Beijing was willing to strengthen cooperation in areas such as joint training and national defense industry.

Panitan said the armaments factory agreement highlights the growing bilateral relationship but that it was not marking a move away from close cooperation with the U.S.

[The agreement] is a reflection of the close cooperation with the Chinese military and government in the security areas. [But] it doesnt mean that we are replacing our traditional conventional cooperation with the U.S. We are also looking forward to working more with the incoming administration [of President-elect Donald Trump], he said.

Analysts, however, note that Thailand's relationship with China has not been that smooth. They cite, for example, drawn out negotiations over a $5 billion high speed railway project in which Thailand will shoulder all the construction costs.

Thai authorities also clamped down on so-called zero-dollar tourists from mainland China with the seizure of more than 2,000 tour buses and $130 million from Thailands largest China-geared tour operator. Analysts say the crackdown was aimed at stemming Chinese migration masked as low-end tourism.

Despite the growing relationship with China, Thailand is now setting a more moderate course by building closer ties with major powers such as Japan and India and reconnecting with the United States. Bilateral relations with Bangkok's longstanding ally were downgraded amid Washington's pressure on Thailand over that country's fishing industry and human rights issues.

Somphob Manarangsan, an economist and China analyst, said over the past year, Thailand has looked to broaden its international ties away from a focus on China.

Currently, I think Thailand has tried to re-balance its cooperation not only with China, [but] also with Japan and also with the U.S.A. and some other countries, said Somphob.

In the last year, we can see the government try to keep some distance from China, even though the relationship is still going on as usual. They have a more multilayered diplomatic movement. Its a good step but how good will depend on the capability of the government.

Chulalongkorn University political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak said for Thailand  and Southeast Asia - the challenge lies in dealing with Chinas growing regional influence.

At the regional level we can see around here the rise of China and Chinas assertiveness in the South China Sea is testing the U.S., testing the region, said Thitinan.

As a result not just Thailand, but the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos  the regional states in Southeast Asia have had to accommodate Beijing, he said. Thailand had moved close to China, despite being a U.S. treaty ally. China, he said, is all over the place in the region in Southeast Asia.

Thitinan also said Japan may be expected to take a larger role in the regions security.

We also have to look at Japan as the New America in Southeast Asia. Japan is stepping up a bit. Maybe that might be enough to provide some counterbalance, but in the absence of the United States, I think China will still be way ahead, he told VOA.

We need a new balance in the region, with perhaps Japan out in front with the U.S. to check Chinas runaway assertiveness, he added.
Thailand's success in attracting huge numbers of tourists has put some infrastructure for handling the influx under pressure, an economist with the World Bank says.

"Bottlenecks are building up in destinations like Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket, while infrastructure still hasn't expanded," Kiatipong Ariyapruchya said Monday.

The economist also said that new destinations inside Thailand "must be introduced and monitored closely to support sustainable tourism."

The industry has remained resilient despite a 2014 coup and a wave of deadly bombings in August this year that killed four Thai tourists and injured dozens, including foreigners.

Last year, Thailand attracted a record 29.9 million visitors. The tourism ministry expects 32.4 million visitors this year while the tourism council says there could be 34.4 million in 2017.

But tourism growth is putting airports and other aspects of infrastructure under strain. Infrastructure is a problem not just for tourism  a rare bright spot for the economy  but for growth in general.

Airport plans

In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index 2016-17 , Thailand's infrastructure ranking was 49th, down from 38th in 2006-07.

For airport congestion, help is planned. In June, Airports of Thailand, the country's main airport operator, said it intended to spend $5.5 billion over the next 15 years to expand six key airports.

Thailand is in the middle of its tourist high season as travelers seeking respite from the cold in the Western Hemisphere flock to the country's beaches and islands.

Sunsanee Fongcharoen, a Bangkok Airways passenger service supervisor at Suvarnabhumi Airport, one of the capital's two international airports, said bookings have increased twofold during the peak season, putting airport services under strain.

There can be "passenger buildup at counter check-in areas and at immigration," Sunsanee said.

In 2015, Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Muang International Airport handled a total of 525,679 flights, up 15.6 percent from the previous year, according to the Thailand Board of Investmen
Donald Trump hammered rival Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign for failing to prevent the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, when she was secretary of state. Soon he'll be the one responsible for protecting America's diplomats, but he's offered virtually no insight into how he'll do that.



After the 2012 Benghazi attack, Congress boosted spending on security to protect the tens of thousands of Americans and foreign staff that make up the U.S. diplomatic service. Security experts and career diplomats say there have been improvements, but that significant shortfalls remain.



Last week's assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was a chilling reminder that diplomats are increasingly exposed to threats, even in countries that are typically not regarded as hardship posts. The assassin shouted, Don't forget Aleppo, apparently referring to Russia's military engagement in Syria.



It's not clear whether having a brashly outspoken figure like Trump in the White House will compound diplomatic security challenges. The foreign policy of Trump and his pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, remains somewhat of an enigma.



The Trump transition team didn't respond to questions about how his administration will address diplomatic security issues.



Keeping diplomats safe is a costly business. In the last budget year, Congress approved $3.39 billion for the Diplomatic Security Bureau's functions around the world. That accounts for about 7 percent of the State Department's overall budget.



Diplomatic security has also become highly contentious since the killings of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi.



The Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi concluded in June that there were lethal mistakes by the Obama administration, though it found no smoking gun pointing to wrongdoing by Clinton. The committee included Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo, Trump's pick to head the CIA.



Another member of the committee, Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, criticized the Obama administration for refusing to create the position of undersecretary for diplomatic security. He called it the most important change to enhance diplomatic security. He claimed committee Democrats stonewalled and played games while we searched for the truth.



Democrats predict cuts

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Adam Schiff, accused Republicans of losing interest in diplomatic security now that the election is over.

Since the issue is no longer a useful cudgel against secretary Clinton, I fear the (Republican) majority's commitment to diplomatic security will once again fade, and the State Department could face cuts both to security budgets and to core diplomatic functions, Schiff said.



A 2012 government inquiry following the Benghazi attacks made more than two dozen recommendations for security improvements, highlighting serious lapses in management and leadership that left the consulate vulnerable.



The Bureau of Diplomatic Security declined to answer specific questions on the areas where improvement is still needed, but said that diplomatic security constantly balances available resources to provide a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy.

Security experts and diplomats say more can be done within individual diplomatic missions to improve safety. Mission security chiefs can use more training, and ambassadors and other mission leaders should also be given greater authority over security matters since they are most familiar with conditions on the ground, experts say.



Fred Burton, a former diplomatic security agent, said mission security officials never had that ability to speak for ourselves at these kinds of decision-making meetings because you're pushed down on this flow chart and then you're left ... with all the challenges of being in a place like Benghazi.



Burton, author of Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi, said he's not optimistic the problem can be fixed unless Tillerson is confirmed and his desire is to restructure the bureaucracy inside State.



Traditionally, host countries have been obligated by treaty to protect diplomatic facilities. But with non-state actors gaining ground and capable of destabilizing governments, it's falling to the U.S. to take all precautions to protect its diplomats while still giving them the freedom to do their jobs.



Robert Ford, a former ambassador to Syria, said the most helpful way Congress and the administration could advance diplomatic security is by providing strong support for locally determined security resource needs.

Security issues cannot realistically be micro-managed from Washington-based officials because only the people on the ground have an up-to-date sense of conditions and the evolution of threats, he said.
German authorities have detained a Tunisian man allegedly linked to Anis Amri, the man who carried out a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday the 40-year-old man was detained after a search on his business and residence. Officials said the man's telephone number was saved in Amri's cellphone.

"The investigations indicate that he [Tunisian man] may have been linked to the attack," the federal prosecutor said in a statement.

Prosecutors have until Thursday to decide whether or not they have enough evidence to seek a formal arrest warrant.

Amri used a truck to plow through the crowded market, killing 12 people and injuring 56 others. Before the attack he made a video in which he pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State terror group and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

After migrating illegally from Tunisia in 2011, Amri was imprisoned for burning down a migrant detention center in Italy. When freed, attempts to deport him to Tunisia failed for bureaucratic reasons. He subsequently traveled to Switzerland and then Germany, where he apparently fell under the influence of a radical network accused of recruiting for the Islamic State group.

Although Germany rejected his asylum application last summer and flagged him as a potential terror threat, authorities patiently waited for Tunisia to produce the required paperwork before deporting him.

Just as the deportation was being finalized, Amri is believed to have hijacked a truck and rammed it into holiday crowds at a Berlin Christmas market.

Amri was shot dead by Italian police at train station in Milan.
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara in a strongly worded statement Wednesday denied claims by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that there is confirmed evidence showing U.S.-led coalition forces have given support to Islamic State.

The United States government is not supporting Daesh, the embassy said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group.

The United States did not create or support Daesh in the past. Assertions the United States government is supporting Daesh are not true, the statement said.

Erdogan on Tuesday accused the U.S.-led coalition of not only backing IS but also Kurdish rebel factions operating inside and outside of Turkey.

They were accusing us of supporting Daesh, Erdogan said. Now they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh" and Kurdish rebel groups.

It's very clear," he said. "We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos.

Considerable misinformation

The U.S. embassy, while not mentioning Erdogan by name, said there is considerable misinformation circulating in Turkish media about U.S.-led involvement against IS in Syria.

Turkey has long been critical of the U.S. support in Syria of Kurdish forces who are part of the U.S-led coalition fighting IS. Ankara accuses those forces of helping Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey who have been battling government forces for more than 30 years.

The Kurdish militia in Syria, known as YPG, is designated as a terror group in Turkey. Ankara said the group helps the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, which is designated by the U.S. as a terror group.

In its statement, the U.S. Embassy said American forces do not arm the Kurdish factions.

The United States government has not provided weapons or explosives to the YPG or the PKK period, the embassy said.

A U.S. official on Tuesday called Erdogan's comments just ludicrous.

I don't know where that comes from, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington.

Burak Bekdil, a Turkish defense analyst, told VOA that Erdogan's comments are playing to a domestic audience.  It is for internal consumption.

Absurd accusation

Alan Makovsky, a former U.S. State Department official and a Turkey expert, told VOA that Erdogan's accusation is absurd.

If it's not, he owes it to the world to show his evidence, Makovsky said.

Erdogan has come under blistering domestic criticism for months over Ankara's handling of IS.

In recent months, Syrian rebels supported by Turkish forces have been fighting in northern Syria as part of Turkey's Euphrates Shield operation, which is aimed at driving both IS and Kurdish fighters from the Turkey-Syrian border.

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute, told VOA that Turkish-backed forces are facing strong resistance from IS in Syria. A video released by IS last week purportedly showed two Turkish soldiers being burned alive.

It seems to me that Turkey is using reverse psychology against the U.S, blaming Washington for supporting IS, hoping this will convince America come to Turkey's assistance, Cagaptay said.

But, he added, that it is probably one of the worst strategies to get U.S. help.

Turkish security forces arrested more than 1,300 people in 2016 for suspected links to the IS, Turkey's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. More than 670 of them were foreign nationals, it added.
News reports out of Turkey say Ankara and Russia have prepared a cease-fire agreement for all of Syria, but Russia is refusing to comment on the reports and rebel groups say no such official truce has been agreed on.

"There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted Wednesday as saying on the sidelines of an awards ceremony in Ankara. One is about a political resolution and the other is about a cease-fire. They can be implemented anytime.

The Turkish state Anadolu news agency, citing an official source, said the cease-fire could go into effect as early as 2200 UTC, or midnight Wednesday; but, Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, while confirming both sides were in constant communication over Syria, refused to comment on the cease-fire reports, saying he did not have "enough information."

Moscow and Ankara have been engaged in intense negotiations in the past couple of weeks. Earlier this month, the two sides brokered an agreement for a cease-fire and evacuation of refugees from the rebel enclave in the Syrian city of Aleppo.





Last week, the Turkish, Iranian and Russian foreign ministers met in Moscow for talks on Syria. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Cavusoglu spoke twice by phone this week with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.



Russia and Turkey back opposite sides in the Syrian civil war, but analysts say they have come to recognize the importance of one another to resolving the conflict. These efforts are significant, but what will really determine their real significance is what results they bear, cautions political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website. We saw with the evacuation in Aleppo it bore some results. If the cease-fire does work, it will become a very important diplomatic track for Syria.

A senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking under customary condition of anonymity, confirmed that Ankara has been holding meetings with Syrian rebel representatives. A Syrian rebel official, quoted by a news agency, said those meetings are expected to continue in the coming days.

Terrorist groups excluded

Ankara and Moscow have stated that terrorist groups will not be covered by any cease-fire; but, analysts warn a potential key stumbling block remains over the designation of which rebel groups are considered terrorist organizations. There are definitions that don't match. Russia has not openly declared the Syrian Kurdish group the YPG a terrorist organization, which Turkey calls a terrorist group, said columnist Idiz. On the other side, there are constant allegations that Turkey has some kind of links with groups that Russia considers as terrorist organizations.

The role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad too is a likely obstacle. The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, Cavusoglu said. We also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad. That stance is strongly opposed by Moscow, which insists the Syrian people should decide who rules them.

Tuesday, Lavrov said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed that the priority in Syria was to fight terrorism and not the removal of Assad's government.

Ankara has suggested if the planned Syrian cease-fire does take hold, the Syrian government and opposition groups would be present in a scheduled meeting to be held next month in Kazakhstans capital, Astana, with Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking in support of the Kazakhstan meeting Tuesday, appeared to sideline United Nations efforts in Geneva. Unfortunately, Geneva came up empty. How many meetings were held? And no results were obtained," Erdogan said.

Washington too faces being sidelined. While Turkey and the United States are NATO allies, differences over the Syrian civil war have hurt relations. Erdogan on Tuesday accused Washington of arming Islamic State. Ludicrous, was the response by U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner to the accusation.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara issued a statement rebutting the allegations. "The United States government is not supporting Daesh," the embassy said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The United States "did not create or support Daesh in the past. Assertions the United States government is supporting Daesh are not true."
Roughly one person is being lynched in crisis-ridden Venezuela every three days as frustrated residents take revenge on suspected criminals, a monitoring group said on Wednesday.

The Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), which monitors crime, said mob killings have become a generalized phenomenon across the country, with 126 deaths reported in 2016 versus 20 last year.

Due to being repeated victims of crime for more than a decade, and the feeling of not being protected, many people have decided to take justice into their own hands," the OVV said in its latest annual report.

In the past, it said, lynchings of suspected murderers and rapists were relatively uncommon, but this year angry crowds have increasingly attacked petty criminals too, with police often turning a blind eye.

Venezuelans have long suffered alarming levels of violent crime, in part because of the widespread availability of guns, inadequate policing and a bribe-riddled justice system.

A crushing economic crisis has compounded crime.

The OVV, a group of academics who compile data from police sources and the media, said Venezuela, with an estimated 28,479 homicides this year  or more than three killings per hour  was the world's second most murderous nation after El Salvador. That would represent 91.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants this year, up from 90 in 2015, it said.

The OVV put the homicide rate at more 140 per 100,000 people in Caracas, making it one of the murder capitals of the world. El Salvador had a rate of 116 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016, according to the Institute of Legal Medicine in El Salvador.

President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government rejects the OVV figures as inflated for political reasons. The last official murder rate it gave was 58 per 100,000 inhabitants for 2015.

Another researcher has also disagreed with the widely cited OVV data, criticizing its methodology and putting the 2015 figure at 70 murders per 100,000 people.

Whatever the right statistics, crime remains an all-pervasive worry for Venezuelans, especially in poor slums that are run by gangs and rife with guns. Numerous state security plans and disarmament drives have failed to curb the problem.

Violence is killing the future of our country, opposition leader Henrique Capriles said during a visit on Wednesday to rescue services in the Miranda state, which he governs.

The government has spent 17 years without resolving the problem, he added, referring to Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez's rule since 1999.
Women's rights face enormous challenges worldwide in 2017, according to activists, who expect fights to keep health clinics open, to save programs preventing unwanted pregnancies and to enforce laws protecting women from violence.

Globally, women's rights are in the crosshairs of rising isolationism and right-wing politics in Western Europe and the United States, where President-elect Donald Trump has promised to unravel an array of policies.

"There are major challenges facing women's rights coming up, not the least of which is a global cultural understanding ... that women are, in essence, second-class citizens," said Tarah Demant of Amnesty International USA.

"This is a global phenomenon," said Demant, senior director of Amnesty's identity and discrimination unit. "We are really worried."

Here are what activists see as some of the biggest challenges to women's rights in 2017:

Global access to abortion, contraception

A threat to abortion access is the likely reinstatement of the so-called global gag rule under the Trump administration.

First imposed under former President Ronald Reagan, the rule prohibits groups getting U.S. aid abroad from providing abortions or counseling patients about abortions, even if their funds for those activities come from other sources.

The rule was lifted by President Barack Obama in 2009, but can be reinstated with the stroke of a pen.

Under the gag rule, many groups turned down U.S. aid, leaving them short of money for health services from cancer screenings to flu shots, advocates say.

The United States also could pull funding from the United Nations Population Fund, which provides access to reproductive health services but does not fund or support abortion.

Keeping women's organizations operating globally

Women's groups work around the world on such issues as divorce rights, gender wage gaps and child marriage, often operating in hostile environments on shoestring budgets.

Several countries have enacted laws pressuring such groups by making them register as foreign agents if they get funding from international donors, said Janet Walsh, acting director of women's rights division at Human Rights Watch.

At the same time, funding from U.S. government sources is likely to shrink, she said.

"I'm afraid for those who take a stand for women's rights, that their security and their ability to register and operate as organizations will be undercut," she said.

Violence against women

One in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence, most commonly inflicted by a partner, statistics show.

An estimated one in five will become a victim of rape or attempted rape, according to the United Nations, and high rates of femicide and domestic abuse grip many countries.

"Violence against women is a human rights crisis. It is a health crisis. It is a cultural crisis," said Amnesty's Demant.

Loss of U.S. as leader in women's rights

The U.S. government has in recent years played a key role in promoting and supporting women's rights, especially helping draw up global development goals approved by the United Nations, one of which calls for gender equality by 2030.

"We fear a rollback on international agreements on women's rights and a rollback of commitments by governments on women's rights," said Francois Girard, president of the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC).

The IWHC intends to press governments not to cave to U.S. pressure to backpedal on women's rights, a strategy used during the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush that also sought to undermine women's rights, she said.

"Governments didn't like to be bullied," she said.

Abortion rights in the U.S.

Anti-abortion advocates want to repeal Roe v. Wade, the 1972 Supreme Court decision making abortion legal.

Trump will have an opportunity to name one or more justices to the highest court and has vowed they will be abortion opponents.

In the meantime, state laws are chipping away at abortion rights.

Texas lawmakers approved a law requiring burial of aborted fetal tissue, a measure estimated to cost hundreds of dollars per procedure, and Ohio signed into law a ban on abortions after 20 weeks.

"The number of abortions never goes down very much, regardless of the law," said Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. "What does go down is the safety and affordability of abortions."

Access to contraception in the U.S.

Trump has said he would appeal some or all of the Affordable Care Act, which has provided 25 million previously uninsured Americans with health coverage.

Known as Obamacare, it pays for most birth control methods for women.

"That funding, by enabling women to avoid unintended pregnancies, saves the federal government a ton of money that they would otherwise have to pay for medical care, pregnancy care, child care, etc.," said Ann Starrs, head of the Guttmacher Institute, a leading reproductive rights group.

Defunding of Planned Parenthood

Defunding Planned Parenthood, which runs about 650 women's health centers nationwide, was a battle cry of Trump during the presidential campaign and a favorite cause of Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

Planned Parenthood relies on public funding for at least half its revenue, much of it from the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor.

Congress also could stop funding Title X programs that provide family planning services to low-income women and from an array of teen pregnancy prevention programs.

"To eliminate them as a provider either through Medicaid or the Title X family planning programs would leave millions of people in this country without regular health care," said Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women's Law Center.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission is allegedly investigating irregularities in indigenization deals crafted by Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere when he was running the Ministry of Youth, Indigenization and Economic Empowerment between 2009 and 2013.

According to the independent NewsDay newspaper, the anti-graft commission is also targeting the National Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Board, which hired a company, Brainworks, at a cost of $500 per hour to broker community ownership schemes with various companies.

Brainworks was allegedly hired without following proper tender procedures. The company was expected to net about $26 million in the form of 2 percent commissions after collecting money from individual firm if the deal did not collapse. This excludes the $500 per hour deal.

Anti-Corruption Commission spokesperson, Phyllis Chikundura, told the newspaper that the probe, which is expected to unearth alleged irregularities in the collection and disbursement of the funds sourced from foreign-owned companies, is continuing and expected to widen its scope of investigations.

Kasukuwere is quoted by NewsDay scoffing at the alleged investigation, noting that he had a clean track record.

For all my past deeds, my present and the future, I am ready for scrutiny, he said.

Under Zimbabwe's black economic empowerment program, foreign-owned companies are expected to transfer 51 percent equity stakes to indigenous people. But some companies have proposed transferring empowerment credits of varying amounts to locals.
Mozambique's Renamo opposition party will cease all military operations against government forces for the next seven days to allow the public to enjoy New Year festivities, its leader Afonso Dhlakama said Tuesday.

Rights groups estimate that dozens of people have been killed this year in tit-for-tat attacks between Renamo fighters and the ruling Frelimo government.

Renamo and Frelimo fought on opposing sides in a civil war from 1976 to 1992 in which a million people died.

Mozambique is on the verge of developing huge offshore gas reserves which could transform one of the world's poorest countries into a middle-income state. Competition to control this newfound wealth could stir unrest, analysts say.

"I announce the provisional cessation of military hostilities across the country as from midnight Tuesday," Dhlakama, who is in hiding, told reporters by telephone. "I took the initiative, I called the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, and gave him the possibility to offer this provisional truce."

Mediated peace talks collapsed earlier this month, but Dhlakama said that he was willing to continue to dialogue with Nyusi following Monday's productive telephone call.

Nyusi told reporters Monday that he was "encouraged" by the conversation with Dhlakama and he described the provisional cease-fire as a "sign of hope for the whole country."

Renamo has retained a militia since the end of the war and violence has intensified since Frelimo won a disputed election in 2014.

Renamo is demanding that it control six provinces where it won the most votes and the inclusion of its militia in the army and police. Frelimo has said that Renamo must disarm before any agreements can be reached.
On 23 December 2016, President Barack Obama signed the Fiscal Defense Law 2017. Pursuant to Section 1287 of this text, a Global Engagement Center is established, the function of which is to fight against enemy propaganda and disinformation [1].

This Centre, which sits alongside the Nato Strategic Communication Centre and the EU Strategic Information Unit [2], has been allocated a budget of 140 million dollars contributed by the Defense Department and the State Secretariat.

The US Centre has been placed under the responsibility of the Secretary of State which will determine what must be considered foreign propaganda. It may use its funds to sub-contract its work to private service providers (civil society, media, NGOs, research centres, private companies and universities).
During a press conference on 27 December 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared, that going forward, his country had to deal with three terrorist organizations all at the same time: Daesh, the PKK (Kurds) and the FETO (Fethullah Gulen).

 The [Westerners] accuse us of supporting Daesh. But now they are the ones that are supporting terrorist groups such as Daesh and the YPG [Kurds]. It is abundantly clear. We have evidence in the form of photos and videos to confirm this, he specified.

Since December 10 and its rapprochement with Russia, Turkey seems to have stopped supporting Daesh. In retaliation, on 22 December, the jihadist organization burnt two Turkish soldiers alive.
Draft UNSCR:

Use of chemical weapons in Syria

The Security Council,

PP1. Recalling the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (CWC) ratified by the Syrian Arab Republic on 14 September 2013, and the Councils resolutions 1540 (2004), 2118 (2013), 2209 (2015), and 2235 (2015), (from PP1, UNSCR 2209 but added reference to 2235)

PP2. Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, (PP2 UNSCR 2118)

PP3. Condemning again in the strongest terms any use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the Syrian Arab Republic, and reaffirming that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law, (PP3 and 4, UNSCR 2235)

PP4. Recalling its determination to identify those parties in Syria responsible for the use of any chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, and recalling also the establishment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)  United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) to identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups, or governments who were perpetrators, organisers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemical weapons, including chlorine or any other toxic chemical, in the Syrian Arab Republic where the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) determines or has determined that a specific incident in the Syrian Arab Republic involved or likely involved the use of chemicals as weapons, (OP4 and 5, UNSCR 2235)

PP5. Recalling the report of the Director-General of the OPCW dated 6 July 2016 (EC-82/DG.18), and recalling also the decision of the Executive Council of the OPCW dated 11 November 2016 (EC-83/DEC.5) condemning in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic and expressing its strong conviction that every actor involved in these chemical weapons attacks should be held accountable,

PP6. Stressing that those responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held accountable,

(PP8 UNSCR 2118)

PP7. Recalling that in resolution 2118 (2013) the Council underscored that no party in Syria should use, develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer chemical weapons,

(PP2, UNSCR 2209)

PP8. Recalling the decisions taken by the Security Council in resolutions 2118 (2013) and 2209 (2015) that in the event of future non-compliance with resolution 2118 (2013) to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter; (OP7, UNSCR 2209)

PP9. Recalling that, in its resolution 2118 (2013), it decided that the Syrian Arab Republic and all parties in Syria shall cooperate fully with the OPCW and the United Nations, including by complying with their relevant recommendations,

(PP9, UNSCR 2235; OP7, UNSCR 2118)

PP10. Noting that immediately after the JIMs establishment there was a decrease in the number of allegations of use of chemicals as weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, noting also that such allegations have continued during the course of the JIMs mandate, and stressing its outrage that individuals continue to be killed and injured by the use of any toxic chemical as a chemical weapon in the Syrian Arab Republic,

(JIM report paragraph 80; PP3 UNSCR 2235)

PP11. Welcoming the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2319 (2016) which extended the mandate of the JIM for one additional year,

PP12. Reaffirming its determination that the use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat to international peace and security, (OP 1 UNSCR 2118)

PP13. Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, and taking measures under its Article 41,

Operative paragraphs

OP1. Takes note of the third and fourth reports of the JIM (S/2016/738 and S/2016/888), and in particular the third reports findings that there is sufficient information to reach a conclusion on the actors involved in the cases of Talmenes (21 April 2014), Sarmin (16 March 2015) and Marea (21 August 2015), and the fourth reports finding that there is sufficient information to reach a conclusion on the actors involved in the case of Qmenas (16 March 2015), and in light of these findings concludes that resolution 2118 (2013) has been violated;

OP2. Expresses grave concern about the JIMs findings in its third and fourth reports, and condemns in the strongest terms the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic by the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as "Daesh"), who have been identified by the OPCW-UN JIM as having been perpetrators, organizers, sponsors, or otherwise involved in the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic;

OP3. Affirms its strong condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian authorities, and ISIL or any other party, in violation of international law, in the course of the ongoing conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011;

OP4. Expresses its strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be thoroughly investigated, and prosecuted, as appropriate, before a competent tribunal which is both independent and impartial and calls for all parties in Syria to cease any use of toxic chemicals as weapons immediately and permanently; (first clause from OP 15 UNSCR 2118)

End CW use/fully declare all CW

OP5. Expresses grave concern that the OPCW Technical Secretariat, as reported by the Director-General (EC-82/DG.18 dated 6 July 2016), is not able to resolve all identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies in Syrias declaration, and therefore cannot fully verify that Syria has submitted a declaration that can be considered accurate and complete in accordance with the CWC or OPCW Executive Council decision EC-M-33/DEC.1 dated 27 September 2013 or resolution 2118 (2013), and calls upon the Syrian Arab Republic to comply fully with all its consequent obligations, including, the expeditious resolution of all outstanding issues regarding its initial declaration and related disclosures;

OP6. Recalls that in resolution 2118 (2013), the Council decided that the Syrian Arab Republic shall comply with all aspects of the decision of the OPCW Executive Council of 27 September 2013 (Annex I to resolution 2118), further recalls paragraph 1 of Annex I to resolution 2118 (2013), decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall within 30 days declare and place under OPCW supervision and control all chemical weapons as defined in paragraph 1 of Article II of the CWC that the Syrian Arab Republic owns or possesses, or has under its jurisdiction or control, and which it has not so far declared to the OPCW, including:

a) The chemical name and military designator of any chemical which is not specifically held for purposes not prohibited in accordance with Paragraph 9 of Article II of the CWC, that are located, as of the day of adoption of this resolution, on the facilities of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces;

b) The specific type of any munitions and devices it holds which are capable of deploying chemical weapons, including those which have been adapted or are intended to be adapted for delivery of chlorine, and including specific quantities or each type that are filled and unfilled; and

c) The location of any remaining chemical weapons, chemical weapons storage facilities, chemical weapons production facilities and chemical weapons research and development facilities, including sites where chlorine and associated munitions and devices are stored.

and requests that the OPCW take appropriate action, in accordance with its mandate, to implement the decisions set forth in this paragraph.

ISIL Responsibility

OP7. Remains gravely concerned by the threat of terrorism and the risk that non-State actors may acquire, develop, traffic in or use nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their means of delivery, especially in the Middle East region;

OP8. Expresses grave concern that ISIL, a terrorist group responsible for a range of serious violations of international law, has used chemical weapons, in breach of principles set out in Resolution 1540 (2004) regarding use of and access to weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors;

OP9. Affirms the measures imposed against ISIL in resolution 2253 (2015), in particular the obligation on all States to ensure that no funds, financial assets, economic resources or arms, including those listed in document S/2016/xxxx control list, are made available, directly or indirectly, for its benefit, by their nationals or by persons within their territory, and, in light of the findings of the OPCW-UN JIM, urges all States to redouble their efforts to implement fully and completely the relevant measures so as to prevent ISIL from using chemical weapons in the future;

New Sanctions Committee

OP10. Decides to establish, in accordance with rule 28 of its provisional rules of procedure, a Committee of the Security Council consisting of all the members of the Council (herein the Committee), to undertake the following tasks:

a) to monitor implementation of the measures imposed in this resolution;

b) to designate individuals to be subject to the measures imposed by paragraph X of this resolution [the travel ban] and to consider requests for exemptions in accordance with paragraph X of this resolution [the travel ban exemptions];

c) to designate individuals, groups and entities to be subject to the measures imposed by paragraph X of this resolution [the asset freeze] and to consider requests for exemptions in accordance with paragraph X of this resolution [the asset freeze exemptions];

d) to establish such guidelines as may be necessary to facilitate the implementation of the measures imposed in this resolution;

e) to report within 30 days to the Security Council on its work and every 90 days thereafter, as well as on the implementation of this resolution with its observations and recommendations, in particular ways to strengthen the effectiveness of the measures;

f) to encourage a dialogue between the Committee and interested States, in particular those in the region, including by inviting representatives of such States to meet with the Committee to discuss implementation of the measures;

g) to seek from all States whatever information it may consider useful regarding the actions taken by them to implement effectively the measures imposed in this resolution;

h) to examine and take appropriate action on information regarding alleged violations or non-compliance with the measures contained in this resolution, with a view to ensuring consequences for all violations of the relevant measures;

OP11. Calls upon all States to report to the Committee within 90 days of the adoption of this resolution on the steps they have taken to implement the measures imposed in this resolution;

Sanctions  Designation Criteria

OP12. Decides that the measures in paragraph X of this resolution [asset freeze] shall apply to the individuals and entities in Annex 1 of this resolution, and the individuals and entities designated for such measures by the Committee, and that the measures in paragraph X of this resolution [travel ban] shall apply to the individuals designated in Annex 1 of this resolution and the individuals designated for such measures by the Committee, as:

a) responsible for, engaged in or otherwise involved in the use, transfer, acquisition, proliferation, development, manufacture or production of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic;

b) involved in or complicit in ordering, controlling, authorizing, or otherwise directing the evasion of the measures imposed in this resolution or resolution 2118 (2013); or

c) acting for on behalf of or at the direction of, being owned or controlled by, providing financial, logistical, or other support to, or being associated with, the individuals or entities identified in this paragraph;

OP13. Encourages Member States to submit to the Committee names of individuals and entities who meet the criteria set out in paragraph X of this resolution [the designation criteria];

Sanctions  Asset Freeze

OP14. Decides that all Member States shall freeze without delay all funds, other financial assets and economic resources in their territories at the date of adoption of this resolution or any time thereafter, which are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the individuals and entities listed in the Annex to this resolution or designated by the Committee, or by individuals or entities acting on their behalf or at their direction, or by entities owned or controlled by them, including through illicit means, and decides further that all Member States shall ensure that any funds, financial assets or economic resources are prevented from being made available by their nationals or by any individuals or entities within their territories, to or for the benefit of the individuals or entities listed in Annex 1 to this resolution or individuals or entities designated by the Committee, or individuals or entities which are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by those individuals or entities so listed or designated or acting on their behalf or at their direction.

OP15. Decides that the measures imposed by paragraph X of this resolution [the asset freeze] do not apply to funds, other financial assets or economic resources that have been determined by relevant Member States:

a) to be necessary for basic expenses, including payment for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges or exclusively for payment of reasonable professional fees and reimbursement of incurred expenses associated with the provision of legal services, in accordance with national laws, or fees or service charges, , for routine holding or maintenance of frozen funds, other financial assets and economic resources, after notification by the relevant Member State to the Committee of the intention to authorize, where appropriate, access to such funds, other financial assets or economic resources and in the absence of a negative decision by the Committee within five working days of such notification;

b) to be necessary for extraordinary expenses, provided that such determination has been notified by the relevant Member State or Member States to the Committee and has been approved by the Committee; or

c. to be the subject of a judicial, administrative or arbitral lien or judgment, in which case the funds, other financial assets and economic resources may be used to satisfy that lien or judgment provided that the lien or judgment was entered into prior to the date of the present resolution, is not for the benefit of an individual or entity designated pursuant to [the designation criteria], and has been notified by the relevant Member State or Member States to the Committee;

OP16. Decides that Member States may permit the addition to accounts frozen pursuant to the provisions of paragraph X of this resolution [the asset freeze] of interest or other earnings due on those accounts or payments due under contracts, agreements or obligations that arose prior to the date on which those accounts became subject to the provisions of this resolution, provided that any such interest, other earnings and payments continue to be subject to these provisions and are frozen;

OP17. Decides that the measures in paragraph X of this resolution [the asset freeze] shall not prevent a designated individual, or entity from making payment due under a contract entered into prior to the listing of such an individual or entity, provided that the relevant States(s) have determined that the contract is not related to any items whose transfer is prohibited by this resolution and the payment is not directly or indirectly received by a individual or entity designated pursuant to paragraph X of this resolution [the asset freeze], and after notification by the relevant States to the Committee of the intention to make or receive such payments or to authorize, where appropriate, the unfreezing of funds, other financial assets or economic resources for this purpose, 10 working days prior to such authorization;

Sanctions  Travel Ban

OP18. Decides that all Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals listed in the Annex 1 to this resolution or designated by the Committee, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall oblige a State to refuse its own nationals entry into its territory;

OP19. Decides that the measures imposed by paragraph X of this resolution shall not apply:

a) where the Committee determines on a case-by-case basis that such travel is justified on the grounds of humanitarian need, including religious obligation; or

b) where entry or transit is necessary for the fulfillment of a judicial process; or

c) where the Committee determines on a case-by-case basis that an exemption would further the objectives of peace and national reconciliation in Syria and stability in the region;

Sanctions  Targeted CW List and Arms Embargo

OP20. Decides that all States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to, or for the benefit of, the individuals or entities listed in Annex 1 of this resolution or individuals or entities designated by the Committee, or individuals or entities acting on their behalf or at their direction, or by entities owned or controlled by them, from or through their territories or by their nationals or individuals subject to their jurisdiction, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, whether or not originating in their territories, of chlorine or of the items specified in the Schedules to the CWC and in the list in document S/2016/xxxx, and of all arms and related materiel used to deliver chemicals as weapons, and decides also that this provision shall apply with respect to financial transactions, technical training, advice, services or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of such items and of arms and related materiel;

OP21. Decides that the measures imposed in paragraph X of this resolution [targeted CBW and arms embargo] shall not apply to the supply, sale or transfer of items that the Committee approves in advance on a case-by-case basis;

Sanctions  Helicopters

OP22. Decides that all Member States shall prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to the armed forces, ministries, agencies, entities and other individuals under the control or authority of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, through their territories or by these entities and individuals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in territory that they control, of any helicopters, or related materiel including spare parts, as specified in Annex 2 of this resolution, or other items related to the use of helicopters as determined by the Security Council or the Committee established by paragraph X [the Committee];

OP 23. Decides that the measures in OP21 shall not apply to any helicopters or related material including spare parts that the Committee determines, on a case-by-case basis, are necessary for the safe operation of civilian helicopters or would otherwise further the objectives of this resolution;

Panel of Experts

OP24. Requests the Secretary-General to create for an initial period until 1 January 2018 [13 months], in consultation with the Committee, a group of up to six experts ("Panel of Experts"), , and to make the necessary financial and security arrangements to support the work of the Panel, under the direction of the Committee to carry out the following tasks:

a) assist the Committee in carrying out its mandate as specified in paragraph X above;

b) gather, examine and analyze information regarding the implementation of the measures in paragraphs X, X, and X of this resolution, in particular incidents of non-compliance;

c) make recommendations on actions that the Council, the Committee or States may consider taking to improve implementation of the relevant measures;

d) provide to the Council an interim report on its work no later than six months after the Panels appointment, and a final report to the Council no later than 1 November 2017 with its findings and recommendations;

OP25. Expresses its intent to review the mandate of the Committee and of the Panel of Experts and take appropriate action regarding further extension no later than 1 December 2017 [12 months];

OP26. Urges all States, relevant United Nations bodies and other interested parties, to cooperate fully with the Committee and the Panel of Experts, in particular by supplying any information at their disposal on the implementation of the measures imposed in this resolution, in particular incidents of non-compliance;

OP27. Directs the Committee and the Panel of Experts to cooperate closely with other Security Council Sanctions Committees and their respective United Nations sanctions expert monitoring panels, in particular the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team established pursuant to resolutions 1526 (2004) and 2253 (2015), the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW, and the members of the JIM, to cooperate and share information with each other regarding compliance with United Nations sanctions that relate to the use of toxic chemicals as weapons;

Additional Provisions

OP28. Emphasizes the importance of all States, including Syria, taking the necessary measures to ensure that no claim shall lie at the instance of the Syrian authorities, any individual or entity in Syria, any individual or entity designated for the measures set forth in this resolution, or any individual or entity claiming through or for the benefit of any such individual or entity, in connection with any contract or other transaction where its performance was affected by reason of the measures taken by this resolution and related resolutions;

OP29. Directs the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee to continue to review proposals for designation of individuals and entities in Syria who meet the relevant designation criteria of being associated with ISIL, al-Nusrah Front, al-Qaeda, or associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities;

OP30. Emphasizes the importance of all relevant States and international organizations retaining and preserving information regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria so that it may be made available for use in future investigations and judicial proceedings;

OP31. Expresses its intent to review additional options to ensure accountability for perpetrators, organizers, sponsors, or persons or entities otherwise involved in the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic;

Commitment to Review

OP32. Reaffirms its intention to keep the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic under continuous review and underlines its readiness to review at any time the measures imposed by this resolution, including by strengthening, suspending or lifting those measures, as appropriate;

Reporting

OP33. Requests the Secretary-General to report on implementation of this resolution within 30 days of its adoption and every 60 days thereafter;

OP34. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Photo: CBS

Carrie Fishers vaunted press tour for The Force Awakens was indeed a gold mine for anyone following along, but if you really want to see the icon at her talk-show best, immerse yourself in her many visits to The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Every interview felt like you were watching a pair of former flames who knew it could never work between them, but who loved each other regardless and stayed close friends. Fisher and Ferguson had a shared language as two people in recovery for substance abuse, and together they were both good-natured entertainers with ribald, self-effacing sensibilities. They kept running jokes about penises, breast reductions, Fishers obligation to embarrass her daughter at every turn, her mental health, euphemisms, and more that spanned across her visits to the program.

Over the years, Fisher would bring Ferguson gifts from her trips around the world, their hugs became more frequent and more enthusiastic, and she would lean in closely against his desk as they exchanged banter soaked in gallows humor. Fisher didnt just look comfortable with herself around Ferguson, she looked comfortable with him, and the two brought out the best in each other by being honest, inappropriate, affectionate, and just damn funny together. Below, a look back at Fishers appearances, and her friendship with Ferguson.

December 12, 2008

Only a Carrie Fisher interview would go from a story about attending church with her mom Debbie Reynolds and Richard Nixon before transitioning into her very amusing, pleasant and fun experiences with electroconvulsive therapy.

December 7, 2010

Never one to leave a topic untouched, Fisher opened her interview in 2010 by talking about her weight and saying, As you get older the pickings get slimmer but the people sure dont. She also brought Craig a kangaroo scrotum from Australia, which led to a few quips about scrotal harvesting before segueing into a conversation about her time spent under care at a mental-health facility. At one point Fisher and Ferguson started talking about celebrity and she asked him, We like ourselves better cause were on TV, dont we? No, thats wrong.

January 3, 2012

As soon as Carrie Fisher sat down on the couch with Ferguson for this visit, she started asking for the specifics of his bout of shingles and asked the audience, Who here is wondering if he had them on his ball sack? Then she tried to pin a brooch on the zipper of his slacks, and shared a tremendous awkward pause with him at the end of their segment.

May 31, 2012

Fisher had more presents for Ferguson during her 2012 visit, one of which was a dancing robot mushroom that she screamed at and demanded entertain her host. She also called her breasts the new black, quizzed Ferguson on his past drug use, joked about bras for testicles, and asked about the vibrational qualities of Chelsea Handler.

January 18, 2013

One of Fishers greatest assets was her ability to be brutally honest while bringing levity to the topic of mental health. This interview finds her and Ferguson talking about bipolar disorder, family vacations, what sorts of people the mafia target for killings, and has Fisher offering this piece of puzzle-box wisdom: Im a mature crazy person. Maturity is a sort of stoic response to an endless reality, and you know how stoic I am.

December 8, 2014

This time out, Fisher dramatically danced her way onto the set, kicked off her shoes, and greeted Ferguson with fertility tokens from Myanmar. She also got introspective with the host when she said she didnt publicly stop playing the part of Leia even after taking a hiatus from the role for decades, but then livened up the room again by trying to determine the plural for penises.
Gary and Carrie Photo: Al Seib/LA Times via Getty Images

Carrie Fisher had the flukiest life, but ye gods, she made it her own. Relatively early, she realized that her fame and money had little to do with her. She had, she wrote in her final memoir, The Princess Diarist, associative fame. By-product fame. First, she had celebrity daughter fame, having been born to Americas Sweethearts, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, a year-and-a-half before Fisher became Americas cad by running away with Reynoldss recently widowed pal, Elizabeth Taylor. Later, shed have celebrity wife fame as the spouse of Paul Simon. In between, she had happened-to-have-played-an-iconic-character fame. The character was, of course, Prince Leia Organa of Alderaan, the leader of the rebellion against the Empire and an improbable figure even for a galaxy far, far away. There would be no way for Fisher to reconcile herself to a life of so many disparate parts, even with booze and pills and powders. It took courage and imagination and a big dose of exhibitionism to reinvent herself as a comic autobiographer and brassy Hollywood eccentric.

She began, of course, by telling us all about the ways in which she wasnt Princess Leia. Before she arrived in London in 1976 to shoot Star Wars (now called, tiresomely, Episode IV: A New Hope), shed spent a month at a fat farm in Texas to lose some of the baby-fat in her cheeks. Then came the application of the hairy earphones that she also dubbed, the buns of Navarone. As the only girl in a boys fantasy universe, she had to declaim terrible lines while trying to maintain her poise. As her recently published diaries (with bonus poems) make clear, her days were largely spent trying to figure out why the inhumanly gorgeous but married Harrison Ford  with whom she was having an affair  wasnt falling in love with her the way she was with him. She walked away with a lot of confusion, a semi-broken heart, and (in lieu of a salary) a quarter of a percentage of what would turn out to be one of the most profitable movies ever made.

It should be said that Fisher was odd casting for Star Wars. Actresses in 50s sci-fi movies are va-va-voom types. Theyre women, not girls. Even Dale Arden in 30s Flash Gordon movies fits the glamorous Fay Wray mold. But coming off his previous hit, American Graffiti, and its essentially boys universe, Lucas rejected the blonde Candy Clark archetype in favor of the small, dark girl-next-door Cindy Williams figure. He wanted an actress whose femininity would inspire boys but not distract them from the task at hand. Even more important, he didnt want an actress whose sexuality would frighten boys. This left some older males angry, and Fisher was treated harshly in certain quarters. John Simon in this magazine complained that she was unattractive. I heard a respected reporter at the newspaper where I was an intern in 1977 ask the papers film critic why Lucas had cast such an ugly girl. To be clear, I dont agree with that judgment  I think Fisher is adorable in the role, and her mouthiness is a definite plus. But there was a disjunction in pairing her with a traditionally good-looking hunk in Ford. He would go on to play romantic leads and action heroes for 30 more years while Fishers options were cruelly limited.

Much of Fishers recent shtick involved her publicly musing  well into her 50s and heavier than she wanted to be and with a husky, old-broad voice  on how often she met men whod tell her she was the first girl they masturbated to, especially after George Lucas stuck her in that metal bikini as the captive of Jabba the Hutt. And why not? She was reclaiming her image. She was finding her own voice through what is now the most acceptable (and profitable) form of the second act in American life: the celebrity confessional memoirist/novelist. This, she was saying, is what the girl in that ridiculous bikini was thinking and feeling while you were busy slobbering.

At last she could tell us all about growing up with a narcissistic mother with finer features and more show-biz talent  a mother whose star was fading but who still managed by force of will to overshadow her daughter. At last she could reveal the final years of the first man who left her, the father whose corrosive addictions to booze, drugs, and sex required her  at the end of his life  to function for him as the parent he never could have been. At last she could play parts that captured aspects of her own personality, among them the pioneering, iconoclastic comedy writer idolized by Tina Feys Liz Lemon on 30 Rock. Fishers characters final line as Fey stumbles out of the raging alcoholics hellhole apartment is Help me, Liz Lemon! Youre my only hope!  a joke on Star Wars thats also a joke on how Fisher might have turned out if she hadnt been able to look so successfully inward.

Even correcting for the 32 years since Return of the Jedi, Fisher in The Force Awakens didnt seem much like the old Princess Leia  unless Leia had previously hit bottom, which fairy-tale princesses dont do, especially in galaxies like George Lucass. She looked and sounded like shed been through the wars, and not the Clone Wars. But being a bit of a wreck was part of her triumphant new persona. She even brought her dog on talk shows because  she could. Fisher performed her one-person show Wishful Drinking (it was filmed by HBO) a little broadly for my taste, waiting too egregiously for laughs, leaving nothing undersold. But her joy in commanding attention on her own was there in every line, in every syllable. She went out way too early but as nobodys daughter, nobodys ex-wife, nobodys hairy-earphoned princess. At last, she was queen on her own merits.
Carrie Fisher, far right, as Alice in Woody Allens Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

While Carrie Fishers biggest role as an actor by far was her long-running portrayal of Princess Leia Organa, she also had a healthy career outside the hair buns. Besides becoming one of Hollywoods most prolific script doctors, she acted for directors like Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, and David Cronenberg, and also put in some good work on the small screen. Here are some of her best parts among some 90 credits to her name, spread out over more than 40 years.

Shampoo (1975)

Almost two years before she played Leia, Fisher had her first film role in this Warren Beatty gem, and the two-scene part is a perfect introduction to Fisher as an actress and woman: As her character complains about the long shadow cast by her mother, shes forthright, verbally dexterous, and unabashed about her appetites, just like Fisher herself. Kyle Buchanan

Available to rent on: Amazon, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

In the credits of The Blues Brothers, Fisher is referred to as Mystery Woman, and she certainly makes an impression: Holding an M-16 against her hip, she tells the story of how Jake Blues, played by John Belushi, left her at the altar on their wedding day. If anything marks Fisher as a great actor, its the fire in her eyes and the half-grin on her face as she says, I must now kill you  and your brother. Kevin Lincoln



Available to rent on: Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

As a part of one of Woody Allens best-ever casts  alongside legends like Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, and even Max von Sydow  Fisher plays April, who starts a catering business with one of the sisters, Holly, and then ends up her opponent in both love (romancing Sam Waterston) and work (they both go out for the same part). Fisher shines in Allens emotionally freewheeling New York City, and her subtle interplay with Dianne Wiests Holly  If we took Fifth, then wed get to your house first  is classic. KL



Available with a subscription and to rent on Amazon.

When Harry Met Sally  (1989)

In the golden age of rom-coms, no one understood being single in New York City better than Carrie Fisher in When Harry Met Sally. As Meg Ryans best friend, Marie, Fisher stole scene after scene as the single New Yorker dating a married man (and eventually marrying Harrys best friend, Jess). Fisher was more than the galaxy-defending Princess Leia: She was the acerbic queen of 80s rom-coms. Hunter Harris

Available with a subscription on Hulu; to rent on: Amazon, iTunes.

Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Unless you have a nostalgic appreciation for it, Drop Dead Fred is just a bad movie lost to time, but its worth revisiting to see the typically dry Fisher at a frantic, high-anxiety pitch. She plays the best friend of the movies protagonist  a Fisher special  and shows off her adeptness at physical comedy by both pantomiming the choking death of an imaginary man, and putting on the most exhilarating demonstration of casual speed-walking ever captured in a movie. Jordan Crucchiola

Available to rent on: Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

In Austin Powers, Fisher plays a group therapist trying to get to the heart of the relationship between Dr. Evil and his son, Scott  and steering into the movies running joke of a guy like this actually existing in the real world. As usual, Fisher commits fully to the part, teeing up one of the films best scenes: Dr. Evils monologue about his childhood. KL

Available to rent on: iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Amazon.

Scream 3 (2000)

Hey, are you  No. In Scream 3, Fisher plays Bianca Burnette, who looks just like Carrie Fisher, and was up for the role of Princess Leia, but lost it to the actress who sleeps with George Lucas. A subtle play on Fishers real-life persona, its a terrific example of the actors sharp, unsparing sense of humor, which she was more than happy to direct at herself. KL

Available with a subscription on Cinemax; to rent on: YouTube, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play.

Sex and the City (2000)

Speaking of which: In an episode of Sex and the City, Fisher does away with any role at all, appearing as herself in order to fire her assistant, played by Vince Vaughn, for sleeping with Sarah Jessica Parkers also-Carrie in her apartment. Its two great Carries in one scene, a fact that Bradshaw tries to connect with Fisher over until the One True Carrie delivers this withering put-down: I have a child  I really cant do this. KL

Available with a subscription on HBO; to rent on: YouTube, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play.

30 Rock (2007)

Like all the best 30 Rock episodes, Rosemarys Baby mixed absurd character work with cutting satire, the comedy equivalent of slapped with a fish and shivved at the same time. Carrie Fisher showed off her mastery of both sides of that formula in her role as Liz Lemons idol, a trailblazing 70s sketch writer named Rosemary Howard whose uncompromising values lead Liz to quit her job rather than cow to NBCs corporate demands. Soon enough, Rosemary is revealed to be a Thermos-toting wino who lives in Little Chechnya and a sharply drawn caricature of what Liz fears she might become, plummeting from eccentric legend to unhinged drunk as she draws Liz deeper and deeper into her life. All that, plus Fisher was game enough to allow a wonderfully goofy Star Wars shout-out? What more could you want? Chris Heller

Available with a subscription on Netflix; to rent on: Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play.



Maps to the Stars (2014)

Maps to the Stars was director David Cronenbergs dark, disturbing comment on Hollywood and celebrity culture, so who better to cast as the seen-it-all Hollywood veteran opposite Julianne Moores broken, aging starlet than Fisher playing herself? The two bump into each other at a restaurant and Moore asks Fisher how shes doing, prompting Fisher to respond with, When I get in touch with myself Ill let you know. Of all the facets of Fisher we have seen, new-agey, semi-fictional Fisher might be the most discomfiting. JC

Available to rent on: Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play.



Catastrophe (2015)

In Catastrophe, Fisher had a recurring role as the unpleasant, unfailingly honest mother of Rob Delaneys character, Rob. You were giving an award at the Attitude Awards in London and you did this great speech, and Rob and I were in the audience, Horgan said once, in a talk moderated by Vulture, on why she wanted Fisher for the part. I turned to Rob, and I went, Thats your awful mother! I did really want to play an awful person, Fisher said. Luckily for all of us, she sure got her wish. KL

Available with a subscription on Amazon.
the inside game

The Most Important Senate Race Is Also the Most Ignored

The Most Important Senate Race Is Also the Most Ignored
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

While many paid tribute to Carrie Fishers legacy on Tuesday by sharing their favorite scenes from Star Wars or When Harry Met Sally, some fans chose to remember the actress for her work destigmatizing mental illness. According to the New York Times, MTV senior political correspondent Ana Marie Cox helped kick off the trend by writing on Twitter, Im pretty open about being in recovery; Ive been more circumspect about mental illness. In honor of Carrie Fisher: Im bipolar, too. Soon the hashtag #InHonorOfCarrie had over 180,000 unique visitors on Twitter with many revealing their mental-health issues.

Fisher was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 25, but would later say that she didnt fully accept her mental illness until a few years later. Many would not know about the full extent of her condition, or the lengths that she went to fight it  both through harmful self-medication with alcohol and drugs and through doctor-recommended shock therapy  until decades later with her one-woman show Wishful Drinking. In the popular show she suggested a Bipolar Pride Day.

Julie DiCaro, a Chicago journalist who also tweeted on Tuesday, told the Times that Fisher made it easier to not feel so alone in her illness: Its comforting that Carrie, or Princess Leia  whos cooler than Princess Leia?  was comfortable speaking publicly about her struggles. It made me feel comfortable. Which seems like the message Fisher would have wanted, especially as she chose to present only her true self, war wounds and all, in her later years.
The Woodway Youth Commission and the Waco Striders are sponsoring the annual Bound for the Brave 5K and 10K runs at 9 a.m. Jan. 28 starting at the Woodway Family Center.

Race proceeds will benefit the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation, which funds police officers death benefits.

For entry information, call 772-4470 or email wdudley@woodwaymail.org.

Rustics & Rhinestones

In conjunction with the Ram Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo, the Extraco Events Center board of directors and staff will host a Rustics & Rhinestones Ladies Luncheon and Style Show at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Creative Arts Building at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd.

Rodeo contestants will serve as models for the event.

Cost is $25.

For more information, call 776-1660.

GOP womens lunch

Robin Armstrong, Republican National Committeeman for Texas, will speak at a McLennan County Republican Women luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 10 in Brazos Room C of the Waco Hilton, 113 S. University Parks Drive.

Armstrong, a politician and physician, served as vice chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2006 to 2010 and was voted as the National Committeeman in June 2012.

Cost is $15, which includes a buffet lunch.

Reservations are required by Jan. 5. For reservations, email anitagallen@aol.com or call 772-8763.

For more information, visit www.mcrwpac.com.

Hill County book

Copies of the book The Heritage of Hill County, Texas Volume II are available to purchase for $45 through Jan. 6.

This grass-roots history of Hill County includes stories and photos of families submitted by descendants, along with memories about communities, churches and schools.

Military veterans and Hill County sheriffs have their own sections.

Books can be purchased from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, 115 N. Covington St.

Books also can be bought in Hillsboro by calling Mollie Stinson at 582-3242.

To purchase books with a credit card, customers can order directly from the publisher by calling 800-568-1611.

DRT meeting

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Sterling C. Robertson Chapter of Waco will meet at 1 p.m. Jan. 5 in the meeting room of the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

Baylor University history professor T. Michael Parrish will present The Borders of the Republic of Texas and the Santa Fe Expedition.

For more information, email susieperkins06@gmail.com or call 749-2342.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event.
The Dwyer Group, a Waco-based franchising powerhouse that has seen the combined sales of its companies grow to more than $1.4 billion, is dealing with its growth by building a $2.8 million training center on Bosque Boulevard near the Dwyer Group headquarters that will support nearly 75 jobs.

Crews should complete the construction project, which will include utility upgrades, a new parking lot and landscaping, by the end of next year.

The company received a city of Waco tax break of about $44,000 over five years as an incentive to build the three-story, 18,225-square-foot training center at 317 Bosque Blvd., adjacent to the company headquarters. The city will receive $106,000 in new property taxes on the property from the Dwyer Group during that time, said Melett Harrison, deputy director of housing and economic development for the city of Waco.

The Dwyer Group obviously benefits and so does the city of Waco, which sees a fresh source of tax revenue, Harrison said.

The company has pledged to retain 48 full-time jobs and create 26 new full-time jobs with benefits by Dec. 31, 2020, to meet the requirements of the incentive package, according to information released by the city.

The Dwyer Group also will retain at least 74 full-time jobs related to this expansion until Dec. 31, 2021, according to the city.

The company founded by the late Don Dwyer in 1981 has grown to become a holding company for 14 franchising brands, among them Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric, Mr. Rooter, The Grounds Guys, Rainbow International and nine others. These companies have a presence in 11 countries and support 2,700 locations.

New franchisees and those receiving additional training often visit Waco to receive hands-on instruction at the Dwyer Group campus at 1010 N. University Parks Drive.

The Dwyer Group acquired three new companies this year, including Locatec, a leak-detection service with offices in Germany and Austria; Cumberland County Glass, a nonfranchised company that will complement Portland Glass; and Window Genie, a national company that provides an array of window services.

This was another historic year for our organization, Dwyer Group President and CEO Mike Bidwell said in a statement. We grew to 11 countries, added new lines of business to our service trades, continued to build on our leadership position and were honored on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

The company employs more than 600 people across North America and Europe, not counting the thousands employed by the local franchised businesses.

This year also marked the 25th anniversary of VetFran, a program launched by the founder to encourage military veterans to start their own companies.

$2.3 million in discounts

To date, the organization has awarded about $2.3 million in discounts to more than 400 veterans across brands backed by the Dwyer Group.

Every accomplishment has reinforced our drive to grow and support the most compelling franchise opportunities in the home service industry and to scale that expertise on a global stage, Bidwell said in his release. This year is a wonderful testament to our teams achievements.

Since its founding, the Dwyer Group has changed hands three times, becoming part of The Riverside Company for a second time in 2014. In the wake of that sale, about 500 employees, including 270 in Waco, were given a share of $1 million distributed on the basis of time with the company.

Bidwell and Dina Dwyer- Owens, daughter of the founder and a longtime executive with the Dwyer Group, said in 2014 they expected Riverside to increase the companys presence in foreign countries and to aggressively pursue additional franchise names. Acquisitions and expansions this year reportedly reflect that approach.

Riverside first bought Dwyer in 2003 and proceeded to take the previously publicly traded company private, expand its corporate headquarters on North University Parks Drive and pursue additional brands. After seven years of growth, it sold the Dwyer Group to New York-based TZP Brands Group, under which the company continued to flourish.

Still, in August 2014, TZP struck a deal to transfer majority ownership back to Riverside, with Dwyer-Owens calling the sales price substantial.

When the deal was struck, the Dwyer Group served as the holding company for seven brands, a number that has doubled in a little more than two years.

Meanwhile, combined sales have grown from about $1 billion to $1.4 billion since Riverside took over the Dwyer Group a second time.

The citys Harrison said the Dwyer Group employs between 200 and 300 people at its Waco headquarters, but the number of training-related employees must stand at 48 for the tax incentive on the new facility to stand.
One applicant seeking to replace retiring McLennan County Court-at-Law Judge Mike Freeman has been dismissed from the running, leaving 11 candidates as county commissioners begin narrowing the field.

Ross B. Russell, a 2014 graduate of the Texas A&M University Law School, does not meet the qualifications for the judicial position and was eliminated from consideration.

To be eligible for the $157,000-a-year job, applicants must be at least 25 years old, have been a licensed attorney for four years, and a U.S. citizen and a county resident for at least two years before the appointment.

Russell, a former staff attorney for Lone Star Legal Aid, was licensed to practice law in Texas in 2014. McLennan County Judge Scott Felton said the remaining 11 applicants each will be given about 15 minutes to introduce themselves to commissioners Tuesday and Wednesday before commissioners pare the field down to six or fewer finalists.

I am very impressed, Felton said. We got a good number of applicants and some very qualified people. It will be a hard decision to make.

The 11 remaining applicants include: Jason P. Darling, Vikram Deivanayagam, Galen Edwards, Christi L. Hunting Horse, Wesley D. Lloyd, Jan Patterson, Tom Ragland, Landon Ramsay, Edward C. Vallejo, Gerald R. Villarrial and Doyle Young.

Freeman, 71, announced in August he would retire midterm and has said he will leave office at the end of January.

Felton said he hopes to have a new judge in place by the end of January. The new judge will serve the remaining two years of Freemans unexpired term before facing election to the post.

Freeman, who has three grown children and seven grandchildren, served as an elected county attorney in Nebraska from 1976 to 1991 and was an assistant county attorney for three years before that. He moved to Waco in March 1992 and went to work for then-District Attorney John Segrest as one of his top felony prosecutors.

The two county courts-at-law in McLennan County handle criminal misdemeanor cases, civil cases with damages up to $200,000, probate matters, condemnations and guardianships.
McLennan County leaders are urging state lawmakers to approve a bill that would allow the county to have Medicaid and Social Security coverage for inmates suspended, rather than terminated, allowing their benefits to restart automatically upon release.

County Judge Scott Felton said when a person is incarcerated, his or her state-administered medical benefits are dropped. Several states already have changed their laws so benefits are reinstated automatically, Felton said.

In our state, that doesnt happen, he said. They have to go through a laborious process to go back through Medicaid.

In the upcoming year, Texas legislators are expected to consider a pair of bills permitting, but not requiring, sheriffs to provide information to the state regarding Medicaid recipients booked in county jails. The information the sheriffs provide would allow the state to reinstate benefits immediately, without each newly released inmate going through the full process to start coverage again from scratch.

Sheriffs also would be able to notify the federal government about Social Security recipients for the same purpose.

Many people released from the local jails suffer from illness, an addiction or are generally in bad health, Felton said. The lack of an automated system allows them to fall through the cracks, leaving many in emergency rooms without financial support, ultimately costing the community more than the benefits would, he said.

The reinstatement allows for a more effective re-entry into the community as well, Felton said.

Its very important, especially for the local hospitals, to have them back in the Medicaid program, he said.

Medicaid eligibility is automatically terminated upon incarceration in the Lone Star State, but that is not required by federal law, Windy Johnson, Texas Conference of Urban Counties program manager, wrote in a letter to commissioners. The nonprofit group is composed of 37 counties, representing about 80 percent of the states population, according to its website.

Federal law prohibits the use of federal funds for a person while incarcerated, with the exception of 24-hour inpatient care. That means benefits cannot continue while a recipient is in jail, but the law doesnt limit how quickly benefits can restart.

Offenders frequently enter jail or prison with a substance use disorder or a mental illness and have high rates of chronic medical conditions and infectious diseases. Care continuity can be especially critical with the treatment of behavioral health conditions, Johnson wrote.

Upon release, former inmates must submit a new application for Medicaid enrollment, and it can take months for benefits to be restored. Such disruptions in care increase an individuals risk of recidivism, reincarceration and mortality post-release and ultimately increase costs for counties.

Commissioners adopted a resolution last week in an effort to show their support for the change.

Two similar bills filed for the upcoming legislative session would make the change. State Rep. Nicole Collier filed House Bill 337, and state Sen. Jose Menendez filed Senate Bill 235.
I ended up in the emergency room a few nights before Christmas with chest pain and a swimmy head. All is much better now and I am home.

First let me go back about two weeks: A faulty electrician hired for a series of small repairs knocked out many of my lights. (She turned out to not be licensed, do tell!) Another (more expensive) electrician set things right.

Within an hour, my other daughter, Leah, smelled gas. Atmos turned off our gas supply and plumbers descended en masse. The crew didnt fix the leak, but they did cut out the pipe above my hot-water heater, telling me it was sub-code. (It wasnt.)

I went to my daughters graduation in Denton, and the head plumber of that crew informed me (by phone) that it would be $9,700 to fix the line. I fired him. On returning to Waco, I thawed out my house and began exploring options. I bought a propane hot-water heater, installed it, finishing about 10 p.m.

On setting it going, the carbon monoxide alarms all went off. I set upon vents, fans, opened windows, etc., but, my friends, that night I did get a hot shower in my own home for the first time in a week! I also shut down everything and vented, verbally and atmospherically, for quite some time.

Next day it turns out the hot-water heater had two problems: First, though I asked specifically for a propane heater, it was natural gas (it says so in .0001 pica type, on the side toward the wall). Second, the venting system was broken in two places by the stupid, greedy plumber who arrogantly cut it out. Then a reputable plumber installed a new vent system, and I now have semipermanent hot water  but he refused to convert the oven until I have a permanent source of gas, out of code concerns.

My system would have worked for four days till the LP gas company arrived for final installation; actually, it could have worked indefinitely, but when Waco plumbers solemnly quote code, no individual interpretations or heresies are allowed, regardless of any other factors.

Finally, on Thursday fire ants bit me as I turned off the water supply at one stage of repair. I took an Rx strength antihistamine, which interacted with other, regular drugs I normally take. That, plus a badly timed acid reflux episode, gave me chest pain and a swimmy head, sending me to the ER (remember the ER, back at the top of this saga?).

And so on Christmas Eve Eve  two days before Christmas, that is  I spent most of the day in Hillcrest getting what is euphemistically called a chemical stress test. First, they starve you 24 hours; then without coffee, they inject you with an agent that rather realistically simulates giving you a heart attack and freezes your lung function. It works, yeppers, it does create some stress, all right. The good news: It only last about the longest five to 10 seconds of your life.

Test results wont be in till this week, but at this point it seems likely that I didnt have a heart attack, even though I worked so very hard for one and I earned it, darn it. I deserved it! Anyhow, I survived all that. The house is relatively clean as we continue our joyous season, contemplating a new year of further joy. I hope all this has put you into the same happy, peaceful, beautiful seasonal mood that it has for me. I am grateful for hot showers, clean dishes, baskets of dry laundry  and especially being allowed to eat, breathe and have a heartbeat, even though its probably out of code.

Merry Christmas, if youre still in the mood, and Happy New Year!

David L. Mosley, author of the monthly Waco Today fiction feature Heartbreak, Texas, is a retired rancher and full-time household engineer these days. In March 2012, he married his editor-in-chief, former Trib scribe Terri Jo Ryan.
One might expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to take a victory lap after a lucky 2016. But at his traditional end-of-year press conference last Friday, Putin looked more tired than triumphant. He also appeared eager to steer attention away from geopolitics  an area in which he has seemingly excelled this year  to the minutiae of running Russia.

That was wise: Putin knows hes received some advances, but he hasnt cashed them in.

If not Person of the Year, Putin is surely Troll of the Year. If stories about Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential campaign are true, he has successfully mocked U.S. democracy and rubbed its nose in its imperfections. If not true, thats an even better outcome for Putin. In that case, he made himself look like a major threat without lifting a finger. Asked about the election at the press conference, he trolled the Democrats as sore losers who blame external factors for their failures, throwing back an accusation U.S. Russia-watchers have hurled at him.

Putins purported role in Donald Trumps victory has also helped him look fearsome to Europe. The German government believes he might try to disrupt next years election there. Austrian nationalists made a pilgrimage to Moscow to sign a cooperation agreement with Putins party, United Russia. Both front-runners in the French presidential election are Putin fans. And the ego boost Putin has achieved came cheap.

Ukraine is securely locked in a frozen conflict, and its political system appears to be imploding as President Petro Poroshenko and his team are revealed as the same kind of venal post-Soviet rulers as their predecessors. At the press conference, Putin trolled Ukraine, saying a bridge hed ordered built to annexed Crimea would be good for Ukraine after a normalization of relations with Moscow. He trolled Europes attempts to bring Ukraine into the fold, too, saying that he welcomed visa-free travel for Ukrainians to Europe  scheduled to begin next year  but that the European Union should allow Ukrainians to work there because thats what theyll come to do.

In Syria, Putin helped President Bashar al-Assad to victory in Aleppo, redrawing the balance of forces and minimizing U.S. influence. As a result, Middle Eastern powers, including U.S. allies, have come to see him as an important player in the region for the first time since the Soviet Unions demise. Saudi Arabia has done a deal with Russia on oil output cuts  something that would have seemed impossible just three years ago.

And Putin didnt have to pay much for his new clout. Russia has only lost 25 people in Syria and spent between $2.5 million and $4 million a day  a manageable amount compared to Russias $51 billion defense budget for this year. In fact, despite much said of Russian war crimes and brutality, data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights show that the Russian intervention has not increased the Syrian wars death toll this year. In the 11 months through November, 46,442 people were killed, as against 55,219 in 2015 and 73,447 in 2014.

So why, at the end of the year, did Putin seem reluctant to celebrate? Even his seemingly boastful statement Thursday that today we are stronger than any potential aggressor was apparently a bit of trolling rather than self-aggrandizement. It provoked U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby to respond with high praise for the U.S. military, enabling a smirking Putin to stress at the press conference that he was only talking about aggressors.

One reason could be that Putin is yet to reap any tangible rewards from his seeming successes.

Putin, unlike many of his supporters, hasnt acted overjoyed at Trumps victory. Its unclear how the mercurial billionaire will behave toward Russia and how much hell be constrained by a hostile Republican and Democratic establishment. Trumps potentially Russia-friendly pick for secretary of state, Exxon Mobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, faces skeptical vetting by the Senate. Putins intentions concerning Ukraine-related sanctions are unclear  he hasnt spoken on the issue since a noncommittal response to a reporters question in July. In 2017, Putin could build an amicable relationship with Trump  or have a monumental falling-out.

The EU has just extended sanctions against Russia through July. The buoyancy of Putins nationalist, euroskeptic allies in the West is still an unrealized threat to the establishment. In Austria, the Freedom Party, whose leaders recently came to Moscow to kowtow, has just suffered a painful electoral defeat, losing a bid for the presidency. Brexit hasnt produced a Putin-friendly government in the United Kingdom.

Theres a chance that in 2017, nationalist parties will fail in the Netherlands, France and Germany, destroying any post-Trump magic. And French front-runner Francois Fillon may not be as pro-Russian as president as in his opposition years: His immediate goal is likely keeping the EU together  and unanimity on Russian sanctions has become a litmus test of unity.

Putin has tried to prove that the sanctions are all but dead by selling off a stake in state-owned oil behemoth Rosneft to a consortium of U.S. ally Qatar and Swiss-based commodity trader Glencore, funded by Italian bank Intesa. But the bank appears to be having some last-minute doubts about jumping into this politically fraught deal and Russia is unlikely to receive the foreign investors money this year. The deal looked great for Putin, but it could fail in 2017.

Ukraines desire to get away from Russias orbit is still as strong as during the 2014 revolution. Though the government is unpopular, its hard to imagine the next one being pro-Russian. It might even be more staunchly nationalist than Poroshenkos. So far, Putin has managed to destabilize its neighbor but hasnt improved his chances of establishing control.

The Syrian success is also tenuous. Putins hope, as he told the press conference, is to establish a cease-fire so that Russia, Turkey and Iran can broker a deal among the warring sides. That, however, would be conditional on defeating the Islamic State  a tough job if there ever was one  and on getting all the belligerents to the table, an achievement that would seal Putins reputation as a foreign policy wizard but seems as far off today as intergalactic travel. Putin has strengthened ally Assads hand in negotiations that may not even take place in the foreseeable future  or turn out to be as ineffective as previous attempts to pacify Syria.

To top all that, Russias economic situation is precarious. The 2017 budget is based on $40-per-barrel Russian oil, and if OPEC cant deliver promised production cuts or if U.S. frackers start pumping at the first sign of falling inventories, Russia may face another year of recession and spending cuts. Russians have been patient throughout the last two years economic woes, but one more year with little good news could undermine even Putins seemingly unassailable advantage in the 2018 presidential election. Putin has done his best to manage Russias finances prudently and 2016 has been easy on the countrys currency reserves, but that has been a holding action rather than a brilliant anti-crisis strategy.

That may be why Putin wants to talk about micromanaging Russias problems  roads, the environment, a spike in the consumption of cheap, life-endangering alcohol  and not Russias geopolitical achievements. He is at pains to demonstrate his grasp of the most minute budget and macroeconomic numbers. Hes telling Russians that hes thinking of them, not global hegemony. The geopolitics have mostly helped Putin consolidate his domestic support, and if next year the favorable narratives start to fall apart, Putin needs to make sure peoples everyday lives show some improvement. That would require at least as much luck as Putin has had this year.

Founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti, Moscow-born Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist.
Christian Church

R.C. Barrow and David Roberts Dungan, prominent evangelists of the 1880s, helped establish the Christian Church in Ashland in 1883. The people met in different homes until 1884 when they decided to build a church. It was dedicated in 1885 at a cost of $2,908.80. In 1911 they decided that they needed more space so they added a wing on the west side of the building. It was dedicated on Jan. 7, 1912.

At 3:45 a.m. on May 17, 1925 the church was discovered in flames. In less than 30 minutes it had burned to the ground. That afternoon a decision was made to rebuild. A building committee headed by Ed Hoffman was elected. Other members were Earl Chamberlin, Levi Raikes, Ralph Dean, W.H. Blair, and C.F. Steinhaus. A contract was signed on June 28 1926. The brick building was dedicated on April 3, 1927 and cost $33,582.25.

The original parsonage was built in 1902 at 1725 Boyd St. just west of the old frame church building. In the early 1950s the people decided that the Sunday School was overcrowded and so they decided to build an addition to the church on the west side where the parsonage was standing. Land was purchased across the street, building materials were purchased and the men and women of the church built a new parsonage. The old parsonage was moved to 1717 Furnas.

The 1956 Crusaders Sunday School class of young adults started a building fund and in 1965 construction of a new education wing, fellowship hall and kitchen was begun. The building was dedicated in January 1967. The small parsonage across the street was sold in the 1990s and the present parsonage purchased at 307 N. 27th St.

The official name of the church according to the Constitution is First Christian Church. The official name of the denomination now is Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

A number of community services have been started by the Christian Church. In 1941 an eleven oclock Christmas Eve Service began. It continued for many years. A Thursday morning worship service at the Ashland Care Center was begun by the women at the Christian Church and is now led by the ministers.

The first womens group in the church was known as the Missionary Society and begun in 1891. The name of the group changed over the years. Now there are two groups called Christian Womens Fellowship and Christian Sisters.

The Sunday School has been the hall-mark of the Christian Church. On March 16, 1945 the attendance record was set. There were 238 people in attendance that day and 84 of them were pre-schoolers. In 1959 the Womens Sunday School class started a newsletter to inform and promote the class. Soon the newsletter was about the church as a whole and sent to all the members of the church.

- Submitted by the Ashland Historical Society. For more information on other items from Ashlands history, visit the Ashland History Museum at 205 N. 15th St., Ashland.
WAVERLY  With New Years celebrations just around the corner, area fireworks sellers are preparing for their end-of-the-year sales.

Though the profits arent as high as summers Fourth of July numbers, they are definitely welcomed.

Absolutely, said Eric Clauson, who oversees much of the work at Wild Willys in Greenwood. It helps us build our locations up for the summer, too. Our sales have grown every year.

The Greenwood store has been selling New Years Eve fireworks since it opened in 2012. Clauson said the winter sales usually amount to about a fourth of summer sales.

The biggest sellers this time of year are what fireworks lovers call cakes, big blocks of fireworks that contain multiple shells.

You go out there and you light it one time, Clauson said. It could be 10 to 30 shots.

Curt Schnase, owner of Davey Fireworks, also said that cakes are the hottest New Years item at his Davey store.

In colder temperatures, people are less likely to buy a bunch of smaller items to light all day long, like on the Fourth of July, he said. Instead, they prefer to only light a couple of fireworks at night and enjoy the sights while they ring in the New Year.

Most of the things that sell at New Years are bigger cakes, he said. People arent out during the daytime in the cold to play with the fireworks.

Nebraska lawmakers made New Years fireworks legal in 2010, and Schnase has been selling them since that time. Not much changes on the shelves between July 4 and Dec. 29.

We add to our inventory just a little bit, Schnase said. Well bring in a few new items for this season, but its primarily last summer plus a few items.

But Schnase does make sure customers are comfortable when shopping.

At least we do have heat in the building, he said. So its not frigid cold buying fireworks.

He agreed that business is a little slower in the winter.

These three days are less than my worst day in the summer, Schnase said. Im there for my customers that are the diehards. Im open for that.

Davey Fireworks wont be holding a demonstration this winter, Schnase said. Hell be lucky if hes awake by the time the fireworks hit the sky.

I might be in bed by the time New Years rolls around, he said. Now, Im pretty much tired of fireworks by that time.

New Years Eve fireworks have long been a tradition at Clausons home.

I do light stuff in my driveway for New Years, he said. Its been a tradition.

For those planning to celebrate with fireworks, they may notice that they shine a little brighter this time of year, Schnase said. Lower humidity means the fireworks dont lift as high, but the colors are more vivid.

Fireworks tend to be a lot brighter, he said. Your colors are a lot richer.

Both sellers urged consumers to be safe when setting of fireworks.

Clauson said its important to brace fireworks, which prevents them from tipping over.

You want to put something on either side to hold them up, he said, adding that he never lights freestanding fireworks.

He also encouraged people to be about 100 to 150 feet away from the cakes after lighting them,

Schnase echoed that.

Light the fuse and get away, he said. Thats the golden rule.

Properly disposing of used fireworks is also important.

Ive had encounters with customers who had fireworks that reignited, Schnase said. Weve been pushing harder that once fireworks have been used, leave them by your curbs. Dump water or snow on them to make sure theyre fully extinguished.

Wild Willys in Greenwood is located along Highway 6 and will be open Dec. 29, 30, and 31 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

Davey Fireworks, located at 17745 N. 2nd Street in Davey, will be open Dec. 29, 30 and 31 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

Waverlys city code allows fireworks to be discharged from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. on New Years Eve.
WAHOO  The beginning of December came with a hefty, gear-filled surprise to the Saunders County Historical Society.

That surprise, 105 John Deere tractors from the private collection of the late rural Mead farmer Stanley Kucera, left board members stunned and overwhelmed, said Saunders County Historical Society Board President Kurt Maly.

When I say overwhelmed, that was before I saw the collection, Maly said.

When Maly placed his eyes upon the green and yellow tractors and accompanying parts, a new phase of awe overcame him.

It was unbelievable, Maly said. The amount of parts (Kucera) acquired over the years that we now have to sort through is just amazing. The guy really bought a lot of stuff over the years.

That stuff, which includes 2-cyclinder John Deere tractors and parts, a handful of which Maly said are anticipated to be worth between $10,000 and $20,000, has all been willed to the Saunders County Museum in Wahoo by Kucera, who passed away Nov. 18 in Wahoo.

The only stipulation, Maly said, is that the museum displays one of the collectors tractors.

Many of the tractors Kucera acquired in the western part of the nation, which were used in orchards.

Perhaps the most unique tractor in the collection is a 1924 Spoker D 26-inch original flywheel, Maly added.

The size and value of the collection and stipulation of the will made Maly decide to form a special advisory committee. The committee, comprised solely of Saunders County farmers, is tasked with determining the contents of the collection, its worth and which ones should be considered to be displayed, Maly said.

(The committee) has some knowledgeable farmers and we had a meeting and tried to get our steps in order on how to proceed, Maly said.

The first order of business had committee members tagging each tractor, recording the serial number, compiling a list of all accessories and snapping a photo of each, Maly said.

Then we got a better understanding what we had and where to proceed, he said.

Earlier last week, members of the committee moved the collection to a secure location, Maly said.

Maly said the historical society hopes to display a handful of tractors. Those displayed will not necessarily be the ones of most or least value, but assessed based on museum requirements.

Were looking for a list of which tractors were bought and used in Saunders County, Maly said.

A majority of the collection will have to be auctioned off, which the committee is currently seeking an auctioneer company for the two-day sale, Maly said.

The tentative August scheduled auction is already reeling in interest from John Deere collectors as far as Indiana and New York, Maly added.

Maly has also been utilizing social media to start attracting interest.

Collectors belonging to the John Deere Two-Cylinder Club on Facebook have begun expressing interest in the auction, Maly said.

Maly said theyve also heard from John Deere, hoping to pick up some necessary parts for a restoration tractor theyre working on.

I think weve got it narrowed down to what they need, he said.

The work continues for committee members, Maly said, as they will continue to meet weekly to determine how to proceed with the collection.
WAVERLY  Peace Lutheran Churchs mission team has plans to return to Belize this summer.

To help with expenses, the team has already begun to raise money to help with expenses. This last one, which ended Dec. 18, was a bit of a different one, but one that they discovered when over very well.

We put together jars of mixes for people to buy, said Tina Sondgeroth.

Those jars included a cinnamon and sugar mix, which made snickerdoodles, a muffin mix, a cinnamon spice beverage mix, and a Christmas pancake mix.

The jars were then decorated with Christmas ribbon and bows.

Since this was the first year we did the jars, we only made up a few, she said. We ran out that first Sunday and began to take orders.

She said that the continued to sell the jars over several Sundays and even took orders so they had an idea of what to make.

Was it a good fundraiser? Yes, she said.

Sondgeroth said that they had samples set out that first Sunday which she thought helped. And with many families looking to buy last minute gifts as well as teachers gifts, she was not surprised they went quickly.

She gives Jake Schuelke a lot of the credit.

He really got into it finding recipes on the Internet we could use, she said.

She plans to take part in the mission trip this summer and volunteered to help with the project.

In other words I offered them my kitchen to put the jars together, she said.

She said they were able to do the project rather cheap which made them happier.

We had to buy everything, but what we raised will be met by Thrivent Financial, she said.

She said that they since it went over so well, chances are that they would do the gift jars again next Christmas.

But its not the only fundraiser we are doing, she said. The mission team has been holding movie nights and are talking about having a wine tasting event.

Sondgeroth said she enjoyed working on the project.

It took a lot of mixing but we had fun doing it. And it was a good way to raise money for our trip.
An elderly man who was trapped inside his burning home on Tuesday has died in hospital.

The 87-year-old was found by firefighters underneath rubble after fire engulfed his house on Old York Road in Greenmount around 11.20am.

The Greenmount house ablaze on Tuesday. Credit:Nine News Perth

He was rushed to St John of God Hospital but died a short time later from his injuries.

Arson squad detectives inspected the property on Tuesday has died in hospital from his injuries.
The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V..

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Dear Long Islanders,

To use the words of founding father Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, today my soul is dancing!

Firstly, I want to thank the Executive of the Free National Movement (FNM), the Council and FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis, deputy leader Peter Turnquest, chairman Sidney Collie and secretary general Michael Foulkes for furnishing me the opportunity to stand for my wonderful hometown during the next general election. I maintain the view that Long Island is the best islands in The Bahamas.

It is with great gratitude and humility that I accept the nomination for the Long Island constituency. I cannot begin to express how honoured I am to have the privilege of serving as the FNMs standard bearer in the constituency that I call home.

I am a son of the soil. I was raised in Long Island and continue to have significant ties to it. My heart lives in Long Island.

It is my hope that my nomination is a spark to ignite the fire under millennials to register to vote.

Our country has just suffered another economic downgrade. We are now in junk status, notwithstanding the fact that we pay Value Added Tax (VAT) and our leaders ought to have long adopted a fiscally prudent approach to our economic affairs. There is no fiscal responsibility. No accountability. That is most unacceptable.

To my Long Islanders  it has been a long time coming! It is Long Islands time.

Long Island deserves representation that is exceptional, transparent and one that facilitates and guarantees equal opportunity for all!

To those struggling small business owners on Long Island, I hear you!

To those fishermen who lack proper ramps, properly dredged channels and docks and constantly lose their catch to poachers, I hear you. Fishermen are also in need of duty free concessions to upgrade their boats and purchase and import new engines.

To those farmers in Long Island, who have no market and need assistance, I hear you. Perhaps a substation of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute could be placed in Long Island. After all, Long Island is a fishing and farming community!

To those residents who are unemployed and underemployed, I hear you.

To those islanders who are too frustrated to return due to a lack of opportunity, I hear you.

I will chat with you more in the coming weeks. We have plans for you that will be revealed in the coming weeks. We will together plan our islands destiny. I will always listen to you.

As it stands, there is a need for a technical school for Long Island, even if that means instructors fly in to conduct six to eight week courses in boat building, carpentry, tiling, masonry, etc. We must establish classes that teach Long Islanders how to preserve fruits and market them to New Providence and elsewhere.

Disappointingly, Long Islanders who were issued vouchers in the wake of Hurricane Joaquin are unable to redeem them. The vouchers expire at the end of this month. Why is VAT being charged on the vouchers?

Why are trees and livestock and equipment not available when Long Islanders board a flight to Nassau and seek to use the voucher? How could the government possibly be so inconsiderate?

Why are tractor operators such as Frank Curry left in limbo and not paid when they completed thousands of dollars in remedial work following the storm?

We need special education teachers on Long Island. The Ministry of Education has done little to cater to special needs children. Whats more, we need to fully staff schools with teachers, particularly for BJC and BGCSE subjects. There are teacher shortages in Long Island and little is seemingly being done to address the matter.

Most importantly, we need a spanking new airport. I am keen to see that come to fruition. We have very little airlift into Long Island. The airports at both Stella Maris and Deadmans Cay cannot accommodate large international flights.

Long Island is one of the only major islands without an international airport. Airports are economic hubs. If Exuma, Abaco, Grand Bahama, San Salvador could have an international airport, Long Island must also have the same.

Agitating for a new airport and terminal is a key plank of my campaign going forward.

Crown land is another issue of concern to Long Islanders. There are hundreds of acres of crown land in Long Island. Yet, islanders who have applied have no received responses. The Department of Lands and Surveys should move to settle and locate the crown land littered throughout the island.

The healthcare facilities in Long Island are in dire need of improvements. Why must it take so long to obtain the results of a blood test? Why does the north not have a full-time doctor? Why has the shortages in available medication not been addressed?

Is the X-ray machine functional? And, if so, is there anyone present to operate it?

We need three brand new ambulances in Long Island. The used ambulances served no purpose and now permanently off the road. Whats more, we do not have a fire truck.

Where is the Ministry of Works on Long Island? How is it that that ministry has no building inspector? Why must local government be saddled with performing duties that should be attended to by the Ministry of Works?

For many years, Long Islanders have been promised running water from one end to the next. That is an attainable goal. The water in Long Island is brackish or salt, resulting in ones fixtures quickly rusting and clogging. In a modern Bahamas, why are these basic amenities not available to all?

I expect that Cable Bahamas would extend its services further north of Deals and further south of Deadmans Cay.

Long Island needs an economic boost.

I look forward to sitting with Long Islanders and planning the way forward for our island. Our transformation is on the horizon.

I dedicate last night to my grandparents Edward and Lenora Gibson (of Long Island) and to the memory of my late uncle Aaron Gibson!

I would like to also take this opportunity to thank my loyal supporters who include but are not limited to, Elias Cartwright, Jason Cartwright, Bernard Adderley, Dyllis Smith, Ian Knowles, Kevin Burrows, Kenneth Cartwright and Maurice Minnis. To them I say forward march!

Long Island, I look forward to being your humble servant. I coming home.

Respectfully,

Adrian Gibson

_________________________________________________________

First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here

View Adrian Gibson's archive here

____________________________________________________

The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of WeblogBahamas.com (which has no corporate view) or its Authors.
Governor: Kentucky on course for record budget surplus again
By WestKyStar & WKCTC Staff Dec. 27, 2016 | 06:03 PM | PADUCAH, KY







Classes begin at West Kentucky Community and Technical College January 9.To better assist students with registration for spring classes, the colleges Advising Center and business office will stay open later Monday, January 2  Thursday, January 5 from 8 am to 6 pm. Hours for Friday, January 6 will be 8 am to 4 pm.The Advising Center staff will help students with the registration process including admissions, financial aid, academic advising and registrar services.We wanted to provide students an easier and faster way to register for classes, so made sure the services they need are in one convenient location within our Advising Center, said Nate Slaton, WKCTC vice president of enrollment management. Assistance is also available in the business office for payment information. The Advising Center and business office are located in the Anderson Technical, 4810 Alben Barkley Drive.WKCTC offers more than 250 associate degrees, diplomas, and certificate options in 48 career and academic programs. The college provides students with a variety of ways to begin classes including day, evening and online courses.A full list of spring classes can be found online at https://secure.westkentucky.kctcs.edu/schedulesearch/Spring.aspxStudents can also submit a free online application at www.westkentucky.kctcs.edu/Admissions/How_To_Enroll.aspx. Students submitting an online application must still register for classes.For more information about enrolling at WKCTC, call 855-GO-WKCTC or visit www.westkentucky.kctcs.edu.
By The Associated Press Dec. 28, 2016 | 07:53 AM | CARBONDALE, IL

Student groups at Southern Illinois University are asking school leaders to declare their campuses a sanctuary for students who are in the U.S. without legal permission.

Randy Dunn, president of the SIU system, says staff members are studying the issue. SIU has campuses in Carbondale and Edwardsville and a medical school in Springfield.

Brad Colwell, interim chancellor in Carbondale, says a sanctuary designation is "complex and brings with it a number of legal questions." He says a possible consequence is the loss of federal financial aid.

The Southern Illinoisan says student government groups fear President-elect Donald Trump will deport students, based on his campaign statements. They're calling for an "unequivocal public declaration" of support for students from SIU administrators.

___

Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com
Advertisement

By The Associated Press

Dec. 28, 2016 | WASHINGTON, D.C.

By The Associated Press Dec. 28, 2016 | 04:08 PM | WASHINGTON, D.C.

Secretary of State John Kerry is blasting Israel for expanding its settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.



In a farewell speech at the State Department, Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy. He warned that Israel's continued construction of settlements is undermining hopes for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.



Kerry defended the U.S. decision last week to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, while rejecting the notion that America has abandoned Israel. He said the United States "did not draft or originate" the UN resolution condemning the settlements, "nor did we put it forward" in the UN.



Kerry also outlined a series of principles he said could form the basis of a future peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, with the likely participation of the United States.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/12/2016 (2137 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitoba families are among the biggest beneficiaries of revamped federal child benefit payments, but new estimates suggest the program wont reduce child poverty as much as first predicted.

Since July, 123,630 Manitoba families have been receiving the Canada child benefit. The $22-billion annual program fulfils a Liberal campaign promise to simplify the system by developing a single benefit. The program combined the child tax benefit, the tax benefit supplement and the universal child care benefit, linking them to income and making them tax-free.

The maximum monthly benefit is $533 for a child up to age six and $450 for a child ages six to 17. Under previous programs, the maximum benefit for one child under six was $472.50 and $372.50 for older children, with the benefits adjusted depending on the number of children in a family. The new benefit pays the same per child no matter the size of the family.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Joy Black, a single mother of two teenagers receiving social assistance.

The national average monthly payment is $570.

In Manitoba, the average monthly payment to families is $680  $8,160 a year  an amount second only to Nunavut among all provinces and territories, matching national data that show Manitoba has the second-highest rate of child poverty, behind Nunavut.

Initially, the Liberals said 11,500 kids would be lifted out of poverty by the benefit, but subsequent analyses using more detailed data show thats likely to be closer to 8,500. Provincewide, the government expects about 21,000 children and 13,900 parents to be lifted out of poverty because of the new benefit.

The Liberals claim the benefit would cut the poverty rate by 40 per cent compared with 2013 levels, however the briefing note suggests that includes three years of declines before 2016, meaning before the new benefit was in place.

Nearly one in 3.5 Manitoba children  29 per cent lives in poverty. The number rises to a staggering 79 per cent on First Nations in the province. Among indigenous children living off-reserve, the poverty rate is 39 per cent compared with 18 per cent for non-indigenous children.

Liberal MP Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to the minister of families and social development, said the new benefit is designed to help families who need it the most, and nowhere is the need greater than in Manitoba.

We have grinding poverty in the north and in the inner cities, Duguid said.

The program is making some difference for Fort Richmond mother Joy Black. The single mother of two teens cant work full time because of her sons disabilities. Her family survives on about $10,000 a year before government benefits are factored in. She receives $900 a month from the Canada child benefit, $300 more than she got before the program launched last summer.

It means we can have Christmas, she said.

The additional money has allowed her to pay down credit card debt and her car repair bill.

Life is a little bit less stressful, she said.

Donald Benham, director of hunger and poverty awareness for Winnipeg Harvest, said there is no data yet to show whether fewer families are using the food bank. He said front-line staff has observed fewer visits on the day the benefit money is delivered. Traffic is up the day before the cheques arrive because families have run out of cash. Families who didnt receive the benefit come calling a day later, he said.

Benham said there seems to be a number of families who were receiving the old benefits but didnt get the new one because they didnt file their 2015 taxes this year. He said an old program under the Canada Revenue Agency to help community agencies do taxes for low-income families was cancelled so Winnipeg Harvest cant help its clients with their taxes anymore, meaning some do not end up filing them.

In 2015, food-bank use in Manitoba declined about three per cent, something Benham believes may be related to the full rollout of the provinces rent assist program, which offers help to low-income families who dont live in provincial housing. The food bank is crunching numbers to try to determine whether the Canada child benefit will have a similar effect, although it cautions the influx of Syrian refugees may affect food-bank use.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If marijuana is legalized in this province, nearly one-quarter of Manitoba adults say theyre prepared to get some. Rich or poor, NDP or Progressive Conservative, man or woman, young or middle-aged  tens of thousands are likely to try some pot.

The Winnipeg Free Press/Probe Research Inc. survey asked, If marijuana becomes legal in Canada, how likely would you be to use it even just once? Twenty-four per cent  nearly one-quarter of a million adult Manitobans  said they would be likely to use it.

Thats a significant market, said Probe research associate Mary Agnes Welch. Its a little more than I thought.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / The Associated Press Files

Between one-quarter and one-fifth of respondents said theyre open to using legalized marijuana. Those most likely to use it were renters (38 per cent), men between the ages of 18 and 34 (37 per cent) and those with some post-secondary education (32 per cent). More men (28 per cent) than women (20 per cent) and more Winnipeg residents (28 per cent) than rural Manitobans (19 per cent) would use it once, and more 18- to 34-year-olds (32 per cent) than 35- to 54-year-olds (26 per cent) would use it once. Those least likely  15 per cent  were over the age of 55.

if(undefined==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper[nt72s]={},window.datawrapper[nt72s].embedDeltas={100:270,200:270,300:270,400:270,500:270,600:270,700:270,800:270,900:270,1000:270},window.datawrapper[nt72s].iframe=document.getElementById(datawrapper-chart-nt72s),window.datawrapper[nt72s].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper[nt72s].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper[nt72s].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+px,window.addEventListener(message,function(a){if(undefined!=typeof a.data[datawrapper-height])for(var b in a.data[datawrapper-height])if(nt72s==b)window.datawrapper[nt72s].iframe.style.height=a.data[datawrapper-height][b]+px});

Income-wise, there wasnt much of a difference. Of those who make less than $30,000 a year, 25 per cent were open to using legalized marijuana, while 27 per cent of those who make more than $100,000 said theyd use it.

The same with education  22 per cent with high school or less said theyd use it, and 22 per cent who graduated from university or college said they would use it. Among Manitobas three main political parties, voters who identified as Liberal were the most likely to use legalized pot (32 per cent), with NDP voters at 26 per cent and 19 per cent of Progressive Conservatives saying theyd be likely to use it at least once.

Thats a significant cross-section of Manitobans, said Welch. I think there is a growing acceptance of this. Young men were the most open to using legalized marijuana, but so were other groups, including the middle-aged, well-off and conservative. Even with the Tories, close to 20 per cent said they were interested. Do you think that wouldve happened 10 years ago?

The legalization of recreational marijuana in eight U.S. states, starting with Colorado, got the ball  or in this case, the joint  rolling, she said.

There has been so much talk about Colorado and how it could work and the types of retail outlets there might be, said Welch. There are still many questions to ask: where would you want to buy it? How much would you buy at a time? Have you used it in the last year? If you havent, do you have any concerns?

One concern, especially for middle-aged Manitobans who havent smoked pot in a very long time, may be reports its potency has tripled in the last 20 years. A U.S. study of 38,600 samples of seized marijuana over 20 years found the level of THC  tetrahydrocannabinol, which produces the high in marijuana  is three times as high as it was in 1995.

Will knowing its regulated make you more likely and more comfortable to use it? Welch asked. In what context would you use it  at a party, or would it be a private thing? Theres a million questions around this still.

The research associate said she wouldve liked to have been able to ask more questions  such as how many Manitobans would be OK with trying edible marijuana versus smoking it  the folks whod say Ill try a pot cookie once or Ill replace my nightly glass of wine with a toke?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus plan to introduce legislation this spring to legalize cannabis is having an economic impact thats being felt nationally.

Already youre seeing investments in the production side of things, said Welch. The distribution and retail side of things is still an open question. Youre already hearing stories about people buying up stock on the growing side, with public offerings going through the roof on the production side.  We kind of know theres a broad market but how deep is it? Would it replace beer? Nationally, the market is about as big, money-wise, as the beer market is. Is that true in Manitoba? And is it it true in different age groups? Were still trying to figure that out.

She wonders if legalization of marijuana will make it less attractive to some of the 13 per cent of those Manitoba adults surveyed who said theyve used it, illegally, in the last year. Is there something about the underground cache of it for current users that makes it attractive for them? Thats another question: will there be a Its not cool any more  its been McDonalds-ified reaction?

A retired Winnipeg police detective whos been pushing for marijuana legalization wasnt surprised that nearly 25 per cent of Manitoba adults said theyd try pot. A quarter is about what its been for some time now, said Bill VanderGraaf. Its done nothing but positive good in my life, he said Tuesday. For people like me, its been very effective with the health issues in my life.

VanderGraaf retired in 2001 and six years later was arrested for growing marijuana in the basement of his house. Police seized 21 plants. He later got a conditional discharge, successfully arguing in court he was growing the plant for his own use and to help his ailing father, who in his final year suffered from ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease. His son gave him marijuana cookies to ease his pain. VanderGraaf said marijuana edibles have helped cancer patients with their chemotherapy treatments. It helps a lot of people with illnesses, he said. I feel a lot better since Ive been smoking it instead of (taking) prescription drugs.

He sees marijuana in many ways as better than alcohol. I think people need a choice, he said. Were saturated in alcohol in this country. People have been looking for a legal alternative to alcohol, VanderGraaf said. Its such a big problem in our society, he said. It would be better if people stayed away from drugs and alcohol but people wont, he said.

Everything in moderation is what I say.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elmwood resident Craig Tulloch has proof a call to the citys maligned 311 service does generate results.

On Jan. 19, Tulloch called 311 to report a suspected sewage leak into the Red River behind his Glenwood Crescent home.

It turned out to be a leak of gigantic proportions  five million litres of raw sewage, enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools, had been pouring out underneath the ice on the Red River near St. Johns Park for 10 days.

Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files Craig Tulloch

Because of Tullochs call, city crews immediately inspected the site and discovered construction material had mysteriously found its way into an underground sewer line, blocking the flow of the untreated sewage to the areas treatment facility and redirecting it to an outflow pipe on the bank of the Red.

Tulloch became an immediate media sensation, at least for a few days.

It was a whirlwind day or two, Tulloch said as he reminisced about the incident. I joked that I wasted my 15 minutes of fame on sewage. I wish I had something more notable because now any time someone Googles my name, sewage is the first thing that pops up.

The city believed the blockage first began Jan. 10 but was never able to explain how the construction material  mostly planks  ended up in the sewer line.

Tulloch first noticed open water near the opposite bank Jan. 16, which he said was unusual because the rest of the river was covered in ice. Three days later, he said the stench was so strong, it almost knocked me over.

In hindsight, I wish I had called 311 the first time I spotted it instead of waiting a couple of days for it to build, but at the time I didnt know there was an issue, I just thought it was unusual, Tulloch said. I wish I had called that day and had it taken care of because the city did act promptly once they were notified.

The citys sewage system combines the flow of stormwater and sewage through the same lines in many of the older neighbourhoods. During periods of intense rainfall  about 22 times a year between May and September  the system diverts raw sewage directly into the river at 79 locations across the city.

Manitoba Conservation investigated the incident and concluded because the spill had been accidental and had been dealt with when notified, there would be no fine. However, the department did require the city to identify improvements.

I joked that I wasted my 15 minutes of fame on sewage. I wish I had something more notable because now any time someone Googles my name, sewage is the first thing that pops up  Craig Tulloch (below)

City officials said they expect the river current to dilute sewage spills and carry away solid fecal material. While the city monitors many of the 79 outflow pipes for amounts discharged into the rivers, none is equipped with alarms to notify when spills occur. The city has a $1-billion plan to upgrade the stormwater-sewage system that would prevent such spills.

The months leading up to the January spill were particularly bad for unplanned sewage discharges into the rivers  31 similar spills in the preceding 12-month period, resulting in more than 17.4 million litres of raw sewage pouring in the citys rivers; enough to fill seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The number of unplanned spills  not related to intense rainfall  since Jan. 20 has been about the same as the year before, but the total sewage spilled into the rivers amounted to about 10 million litres.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You could probably sum up U.S. President Barack Obamas foreign policy doctrine in two words: act cautiously. But that was undoubtedly a function of two other key factors  namely, a unilateralist George W. Bush administration and the Great Recession of 2008-09.

Perhaps it is best summed up by noted U.S. political scientist Ian Bremmer: Bush is a leader who didnt like to think. Obama is a thinker who doesnt like to lead.

More importantly, Obama was much less convinced about the efficacy and effectiveness of exerting brute military force. And he certainly had qualms about American exceptionalism and imposing Americas model of democracy on other autocratic countries.

JOHN LOCHER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Members of CodePink hold hands during a protest against drone warfare at the entrance of Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nev.

Instead, he was more inclined to opt for greater international responsibility and burden-sharing among U.S. allies. That led to the unhelpful characterization, emanating from the White House itself, of Obama ostensibly leading from behind.

As a result, the outgoing president will leave behind a mixed record in terms of international affairs. Even though Obama tried, he did not always succeed in following his own foreign policy motto: Dont do stupid stuff.

The 2011 military intervention in Libya, aggressively pushed by then-U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, was a case of not planning properly and thoughtfully for life after Moammar Gadhafi. Obama forgot protecting the people of Benghazi and deposing the dictator were the easy parts.

Eschewing the heavy lifting of nation-building  as Bush himself came to realize painfully  creates less stability and more chaos and factionalism on the ground. So Obamas natural inclination toward caution essentially nullified his gifted intellect.

Moreover, his reluctance to expend political, diplomatic and military capital in Syria has contributed to a humanitarian disaster that shows no signs of relenting. And his ill-advised conduct in 2012 not to follow through on his red line (which would trigger substantial U.S. military intervention) of no chemical-weapons use by Syrias vicious president, Bashar Assad, diminished U.S. credibility on the world stage.

Additionally, Obamas rapprochement with the Muslim world, actions on the Middle East peace file, curbing nuclear proliferation and his vaunted Asian pivot were all tepid efforts at best. The touted reset with Russia, on life-support after Vladimir Putins aggressive Ukraine gambit and his unlawful annexation of Crimea, has now completely fallen off the rails.

Obamas inability to close down the disgraceful Guantanamo Bay detention centre  albeit in the face of stiff congressional opposition  was a notable failure. His measures to actually combat climate change were on the minimalist side  and will most likely be kneecapped by president-elect Donald Trump.

There will also be those mostly on the left who will be hugely disappointed with Obamas record on immigration. In their eyes, he was sadly regarded as the deporter-in-chief. By showing the border to more than 2.5 million unauthorized immigrants, he deported more undocumented migrants than any other president in U.S. history.

But there were successes, too. And one could make a persuasive case that those victories generally outweigh his failures.

Arguably his most significant foreign policy achievement  besides rebuilding U.S. standing in the world after the disastrous Bush presidency  was his controversial nuclear-weapons deal with nettlesome Iran. It opens the possibility of improving bilateral relations with a key regional player, gains better U.S. access to a sizable economic marketplace and stymies Chinese efforts at currying favour in Tehran.

Obamas deft move to normalize relations with Cuba, after decades of a failed policy of isolation and hostility, should not be dismissed lightly as low-hanging fruit. Whether the process continues is an open question at the moment, but the initiative itself should be seen in the context of improving Washingtons prestige and position throughout the Americas.

He can also take some credit for strengthening ties with China, urging the removal of Egypts Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and encouraging long-awaited political reforms and freedoms in Myanmar. In addition, he minimized the U.S. military footprint in Iraq and Afghanistan (wars that had cost over US$4.4 trillion and thousands of U.S. military casualties), made the use of torture illegal again and put Canada-U.S. relations on a stronger footing.

However, where Obama is most susceptible to harsh criticism is his preference to resort to unmanned aerial vehicles or drones as the centrepiece of his counterterrorism strategy. For some, his legacy has been substantially diminished and left him vulnerable to charges of being the drone president or, even worse, the assassin-in-chief. Others have been quick to label the president as nothing less than judge, jury and executioner.

U.K. scholar Christopher Fuller maintains Obama has launched roughly 500 deadly drone strikes and left in their wake over 5,000 civilian casualties. Astonishingly, that amounts to a lethal U.S. drone strike every five days or so. And it is common knowledge that his data-driven drone-warfare program has a kill list of thousands of names.

Furthermore, Obama has greatly expanded the requisite infrastructure  the airfields, the relay stations and the military compounds  needed to sustain such an elaborate and high-tech program. It has stunningly spread to almost every part of the world, including several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and it certainly has the capability to reach just about any remote location on the planet.

Simply put, Obama has effectively institutionalized a contentious drone program  seemingly accountable to no one  for targeted killing of suspected U.S. enemies.

Curiously, no one is really sure if the drone strikes, besides taking out the person at the top of the group, actually disrupt or deter terror attacks. What is known is drone warfare does not deal comprehensively with the root causes of global terrorism. It amounts to merely chopping off a portion of the multi-headed hydra.

Given the history of U.S. foreign policy, and especially the tremendous cost of various military interventions abroad in terms of blood and treasure, its not hard to figure out why the use of drone strikes is so attractive to a U.S. president. They are relatively cheap, extraordinarily lethal, highly accurate and can hit targets in extremely remote areas. More important, they avoid putting U.S. military men and women in harms way, and they are very popular among the U.S. public and Congress. A 2014 Pew Research Center poll put their favourability rating at 52 per cent  down, though, from a high of 68 per cent in a similar 2011 survey.

On the downside, countless innocent civilians have been killed in drone strikes, diplomatic relations with a host of countries have been damaged and NGOs, human rights groups and the United Nations itself have cast a negative light on drone use. Furthermore, local populations in Pakistan have complained regularly about the whirring sound of the unrelenting drones in the sky and the psychological damage the constant noise (and attendant fear) is having on young children.

Continuous U.S. activity in this area has also opened the door to other states such as Russia and China, or terror groups themselves, to launch their own lethal drone programs  leaving anyone labelled a terrorist as a potential target.

One of the more troubling aspects of Obamas drone program is its detachment from any legal and constitutional strictures  let alone the accompanying moral and diplomatic black hole. Not only is there little in the way of congressional (or even judicial, for that matter) oversight, but the overall program (conducted separately by both the CIA and the Pentagon) continues to operate under the highly suspect congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists resolution of September 2001 (after the 9/11 attacks). The final decision to launch, then, rests solely with the president, and whenever Obama decides such a drone strike is warranted (and the potential loss of civilian life is thought to be worth it).

The extraordinary secrecy surrounding the U.S. program also raises all kinds of red flags. On what basis does President Obama make his decision to unleash a targeted assassination? Can a drone strike be halted at any time? How are names added to and subtracted from the kill list? Is the U.S. president susceptible to manipulation by those handlers providing him the requisite intelligence and surveillance data?

It is also worth highlighting that, since 2011, at least three U.S. citizens that we know of have been killed by Obama-ordered drone strikes. American-born cleric and al-Qaida member Anwar al-Awlaki, who was targeted because of his Internet videos urging Muslim attacks on U.S. citizens and reported involvement in several terror plots on U.S. soil, was eliminated in September of 2011.

Lets set to one side these purported claims and ask whether he still deserved to die in a drone attack. What about his legal rights, due process and his right to be tried on the basis of evidence and before a jury of his peers?

Even more disturbing was the assassination-by-drone of his Denver-born 16 year-old son, Abdulrahman, two weeks later in Yemen. As far as we know, no one ever accused him of being a terrorist. In fact, the U.S. military subsequently admitted his death was a mistake and never should have happened. But it did. And thats part of the problem.

No one is suggesting here Obama has not left a solid foreign policy legacy. But his overall record has been tainted by his heavy reliance on an expansion and secretive use of drone warfare.

Unfortunately, he has also paved the way for other autonomous weapons systems (such as deadly robotics) to be used by a future U.S. president with similarly few, if any, restrictions. Now Obama finds himself in the very uncomfortable position of having to bequeath what he built and institutionalized to the unpredictable and mercurial Donald John Trump.

Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2016 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Newspapers seem to have a preoccupation at this time of the year with composing lists: lists of the most important news event of the year, of the best political story of the year; lists of the best and brightest politician of the year. Missing is a list of the most egregious flip-flops on election promises as the Trudeau government experiences its first full year of power.

The Hill Times, for example, recently compiled its list of politicians working in Ottawa in 2016, based on a phone survey. The categories included most effective politician, best political comeback, most approachable MP and most effective cabinet minister. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was at the top of the list as the most valuable politician for the year, but he also placed third in the category of least valuable politician, suggesting the bloom may be coming off that particular rose.

The Hill Times also polled to determine the weakest cabinet minister. Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef was at the top of that list after her mishandling of the electoral reform file  a key plank in the Liberals election promises. Ms. Monsef insulted all the parliamentarians who worked on an electoral reform committee at her request by suggesting the committee failed to find a specific alternative to the first-past-the-post system. She later apologized for her remarks.

SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Another cabinet minister singled out by Hill Times voters as being weak was Kildonan-St. Paul MP MaryAnn Mihychuk, who has struggled with her portfolio of employment, workforce and labour, forcing the prime minister to transfer the employment insurance reforms promised by the Liberals during the election to Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. Ms. Mihychuk said in a Free Press interview having the employment insurance file removed from her portfolio was a relief because she has the largest number of projects of any minister. However, Liberal insiders told the Free Press the move was a warning to Ms. Mihychuk to shape up after several missteps.

Missing on the Hill Times list is Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, who represents Winnipeg South Centre. Perhaps that isnt so surprising. When he was named to this file, industry experts had to Google his name to find out who he was. The rookie MP has been given one challenging portfolio, as the Trudeau government has to juggle both climate change policy and carbon taxes along with pipeline approvals.

Mr. Carr has so far managed to handle himself well with this portfolio despite some inflammatory remarks after cabinets approval of Kinder Morgan, an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline linking Alberta oil to Vancouvers harbour. In November, in light of the indigenous protests at Standing Rock, Mr. Carr said: If people choose for their own reasons not to be peaceful, then the government of Canada  through its defence forces, through its police forces  will ensure that people are kept safe. He later backed away from that stance, supporting the democratic right to protest.

Maybe that should be on the Free Press list: how many times the Liberal government can turn its back on its electoral promises, with Ms. Monsef, Ms. Mihychuk and Mr. Carr at the top, led of course by Mr. Trudeau. The Grits seemed to have promised one thing and done another. Walk away from electoral reform, implement lacklustre changes to employment insurance, water down climate change policy, ignore First Nations concerns if they impinge on economic recovery and threaten to shut down democratic processes. Thats quite the list.
Ashleys Angels spread the Christmas spirit this week by delivering truckloads of food, clothing and toys to 1,056 children in need near Ashley Furniture manufacturing and distribution facilities in Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

This year, the nonprofit raised nearly $175,000 across the country. Ashleys employee contributions accounted for $75,000 of the total and provided for children enrolled in 56 different school districts.

The all-volunteer organization works with local schools  primarily school guidance counselors and nurses  to identify children who need some extra assistance. Every child in the program, along with his or her sibling(s), has the option to receive a warm coat, boots or shoes, clothes, blanket and a special Christmas present. Each childs family also received a Christmas dinner with all the fixings.

Each year in December, volunteers are handed a shopping cart and a list to pick out clothes and toys based on the childs needs and desires. The gifts are then loaded on trucks and delivered to the area schools for distribution to the identified families the week before Christmas, ensuring that each child would have a gift to unwrap Christmas morning.

This program takes countless hours of preparation, but the work is worth it to provide gifts and a meal to families who might not have the means for a great holiday, said Shari Wagner, President of Ashleys Angels in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin division shopped for 356 children this year.

Ashleys Angels encourages anyone interested in volunteering at next years shopping event to sign up online at www.ashleyangels.org under the volunteer tab or email info@ashleyangels.org with their contact information.
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will host FREE-4-ALL," a day of free classes for all families, from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Jan. 7 at the conservatory, 1164 W. Howard St. in Winona.

This event will feature classes for both youth and adults. All classes are free. Space is limited, so preregistration is recommended online, over the phone or in person. Participants should wear clothing that is easy to move in, and no dance shoes or special attire is required for most classes.

For the tap class, the conservatory will have tap shoes and socks for particpants for use. The hip-hop class students must have clean gym shoes. All other classes may be taken barefoot or in clean gym shoes.

This is also an opportunity to tour classroom and performance spaces, learn about the dance program, meet faculty, and get fitted for dance shoes and tights. Participants who register on this day for any dance or theater class in the winter session will receive $10 off.

The "FREE-4-ALL" class schedule includes ballet, musical theater, acting, hip-hop cardio, tap and jazz, and more. For a full schedule, visit mnconservatoryforthearts.org.

The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, an affiliate program of Saint Marys University, is a nonprofit organization, offering programming in dance, music, visual art and theatre. For more information, visit www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, email mca@smumn.edu or call 507-453-5500.
Monsignor Richard Colletti, former rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, pastor of St. Casimirs Church, and Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese of Winona, has been appointed pastor of the St. Adrian cluster of Catholic parishes, between Worthington and Luverne in far southwestern Minnesota.

Prior to his appointment by Bishop John Quinn, Colletti had been on sabbatical since Sept. 1. He resigned his diocesan posts June 1 after accounts of a personal injury lawsuit filed in 1992 against Colletti, the Diocese, Saint Marys University and others became public.

In Winona County District Court documents, Colletti admitted to an ongoing relationship with a woman he had been counseling. They met at Saint Marys in 1986, where she was a first-year student and Colletti was then the director of campus ministry. Details of the settlement were kept confidential.

Monsignor Colletti tendered his resignation to me because of his concern that the situation would impede the effective administration and governance of the Diocese, Quinn said in a statement issued June 2.

Colletti was appointed Chancellor and Vicar General in 2011.
Tisha Schulz had been sober for 18 months in November when her grandfather and grandmother passed away. The bad news was too much for her to handle, and she relapsed.

Thats when I decided I really needed help, said Schulz, of La Valle, who became addicted to heroin after six years of using pain medication.

On Nov. 21, she checked into a sober living home in the city of Baraboo that was set up through a partnership between the Sauk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the Madison-based Jessie Crawford Recovery Center.

Its been nice, Schulz said. I go to treatment every day at St. Clare (Hospital). I like it. My roommate is laid back and we really get along.

The Baraboo sober living home for women opened in July and another for men opened in August. Each has seven beds, and is intended to provide a stable environment that helps addicts stay clean. But officials say the project is in jeopardy because they have not been able to find live-in house managers.

Were at the point where if we cant find people, were going to have to close it down, said Janelle Krueger, Sauk Countys criminal justice coordinator.

Prior house managers have left for various reasons, and the mens home is currently without a live-in manager.

The womens home has a house manager, but that person will be moving on soon.

Those who serve as live-in house managers get free rent and a $400 stipend each month.

House occupants must pay $450 a month in rent and abide by house rules. Those who are unemployed or dont have enough money to afford a bed can get several months of assistance from various agencies before they begin to pick up the tab themselves.

The Jessie Crawford Recovery Center operates more than 30 sober living homes in the Madison area based on that model, according to its CEO and executive director, James Crawford.

He said the organization has advertised for the Baraboo house manager positions online. A manager from one of the Madison homes has been traveling to Baraboo one night a week to help out, and the Baraboo Police Department has offered assistance as well.

Crawford said the ideal house manager is someone familiar with drug or alcohol addiction who is not judgmental. Either theyve faced addiction themselves, or have a close friend or family member who has.

The person also should be responsible and capable of enforcing the rules without getting caught up in friendships that will cause them to to look the other way when someone misbehaves.

Treatment, a sober living environment, a legal way to make a living, and a clean and sober support network are the four key pieces to an addicts long-term recovery, Crawford said.

With those four things in place, at least it gives them a chance, he said. Something like this can be very helpful to the community.
The staff of the Juneau County Star-Times has picked the biggest stories of the year for 2016.

1. Natalie Murphy convicted of reckless homicide

Natalie Murphy was sentenced to a total of 22  years in prison and supervision on charges of first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree reckless endangerment in the February 2015 shooting death of Andrew Dammen.

Murphy was originally charged with first degree intentional homicide for the shooting death of Dammen just after midnight on Feb. 12, 2015. Murphy and Dammens then 1-year-old child, was in the apartment when the shooting occurred, but not in the same room.

Murphy and Dammen spent the evening of Feb. 11 playing pool, and finished up their night at the Vets Hall in Necedah. The two went and picked up their child from Murphys mothers house after midnight before returning to the apartment Murphy lived in with her father. Sometime shortly after, Dammen was dead from a gun shot wound.

2. County Board asks District Attorney Solovey to resign

In March, during a regular board of supervisors meeting, the county passed a 17-0 resolution (four members were absent) declaring a lack of confidence in District Attorney Mike Soloveys ability to carry out the duties of his office and declaring that, in the public interest, he should resign from his D.A. position effective immediately and allow Gov. Scott Walker to appoint a duly qualified successor.

Solovey declared he would not resign from office, and ran for reelection. He was defeated in the August Republican primary by Ken Hamm.

A Star-Times investigation showed a number of complaints about Solovey concerning comments made to staff.

Solovey said members of the board had a personal vendetta against him.

3. Zilisch named Mauston Police Chief

Michael Zilisch, who served as the interim chief for more than six months, was officially offered the position of Mauston Police Chief in January. In February, surrounded by family and friends, Zilisch was officially introduced as Maustons chief of police by Mayor Brian McGuire.

Several Mauston police officers were also present to show support for Zilisch. After working his way up through the ranks, Zilisch proved he could lead the department during the interim basis and was awarded with the position.

I would like to present you with this badge of the police chief and my sincerest gratitude for taking the job and my congratulations to you, McGuire said during the presentation.

Zilisch, dressed in a black suit with a blue shirt and striped tie, thanked the mayor for the official presentation.

I want to say how thoroughly pleased I am to have you in this position, McGuire told Zilisch.

4. County and city make land deal

After months of negotiations, the county board approved a deal to purchase land from the City of Mauston for new government offices.

During a meeting in August, county officials voted 18-0 to purchase the Kastner block for $200,000. The new building, scheduled for a 2017 completion, will house the health and human services department, along with other county offices. For months, department heads stressed the need to replace the aging and outdated buildings with a new facility.

5. Flooding hits Juneau County

Juneau County and surrounding areas were pummeled by heavy rains causing flooding in September.

Municipalities have been working to provide grants for some financial relief to those facing property damage from the floods.

6. Parents charged in child negligent death case

A woman from Oakdale and a man from Mauston are charged with child neglect resulting in death in a case that has spanned more than four years.

Ashley A. Horton, 33, and Richard L. Beck, 43, are being charged with negligence in the death of their son Donald Beck on June 18, 2012 in Mauston. The infant was just a few months old at the time of death.

7. New trial set in Coughlin case

A new trial for Donald Coughlin is scheduled to begin May 1, 2017.

Coughlin, 59, of Lyndon Station, was convicted of 22 counts of child sexual assault and the repeated assault of the same child during an initial trial that ended in June 2015. Coughlins case began in September 2010, but the allegations stem from incidents in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Juneau County Judge John Roemer granted Coughlin a new trial after ruling that juror Diana Moen was subjectively biased toward the defendant during the first trial last year.

8. Mauston loans money to Woodside hotel project

Mauston finalized a $1 million loan to Woodside Ranch at its Common Council Meeting in April.

The loan will help with the building of a hotel on site  the construction of which has already started.

The vote was passed with fives vote in favor, one against and one abstention. Steve Leavitt voted against the loan and Leslie Householder abstained due to a conflict of interest with Woodside.

The loan has generated some controversy, but both Mauston Mayor Brian McGuire and Mauston City Administrator Nathan Thiel spoke to issues they dont think the public fully understands.

9. Camp Douglas opens new trail

On May 21, the new Camp Douglas trail was unveiled in a grand opening celebration. The trail is located along Junction Street on the Junction Street Hill.

The trail presents a true taste of Juneau County scenery with bluffs, valleys and hills, all surrounded by tall trees. The trail is about 1-1.5 miles in length.

10. Ganther donates new Juneau County Fair pavilion

The Juneau County Fair Grounds received a new pavilion, and Howard Ganther was the man behind the $300,000 donation to JC-AIRS (Agricultural, Industrial, Recreational Society) to help it move forward.

The pavilion is named the Howard and Charlotte Ganther pavilion, in honor of Ganther and his late wife. The show pavilion received $200,000 of the donation, $50,000 went to the upcoming veterans memorial and the additional $50,000 was put in an endowment fund for continued maintenance of the park.

I was thinking about it, it came up, so I said its a good place, Ganther said before he passed away in June.
Items are listed under the day of the event only, running as space permits prior to the event. To submit items, call 745-3511, email jcutsforth@capitalnewspapers.com or visit www.portagedailyregister.com. Include name and phone number.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28

Bingo: 5:30 p.m. 131 Restaurant, North Main Street, Pardeeville. Bingo will be played every Wednesday, except the first one of the month.

Clinic: 8 a.m. to noon, Columbia County Public Health Walk-In Clinic, Columbia County Division of Health, 2652 Murphy Road, Portage. Use door No. 4. Bring childs immunization record. Visit www.co.columbia.wi.us for more information.

St. Vincent de Paul free medical clinic: 9 a.m. to noon. Wilz Drugs lower level, 140 E. Cook St., Portage. No appointments needed. Information needed is name, date of birth and a contact number. A chiropractor is available from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays. A foot clinic is available every week. The clinic can do exams and prescribe medications. Physical therapist available. Discounted medications are available at Wilz and Wal-Mart. Call Bonny Oestreich, RN, at 608-234-0159 for information.

Texas Hold em card tournament: VFW Hall, 215 W. Collins St., Portage. Register at 6 p.m. Cards begin at 6:30 p.m. Entry fee is $20. One hundred percent payout. Open to the public. For information, call the VFW Hall at 742-5350.

Library event: 9 a.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Registration begins for the winter session of Toddler Thursday. Registration can be done in person at the Children's Desk, online at www.portagelibrary.us or by calling 742-4959 ext. 211. Toddler Thursday is for children ages 18 to 36 months and meets at 9:30 or 10:30 a.m. beginning Jan. 5. For more information call 742-4959 ext. 211 or visit the Portage Public Library: Children's Department Facebook page for additional programming information.

Zumba/Zumba Toning: 5 p.m. Montello. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

Zumba: 5:30 p.m. 1208 Northport Road (the former Freedom Carpeting building). This is a $5 drop-in class. For more information, contact Deb at DJMACK00001@yahoo.com or Rena at 697-6713.

THURSDAY, DEC. 29

Museum: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Portage World War II Museum, 119 E. Cook St., Portage. Free tours for veterans every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tours take 2 1/2 hours. For information, call 608-697-3690.

Open Texas Hold 'em: 7 p.m. Sport Club 22, Pardeeville. For information, call 566-9655.

FRIDAY, DEC. 30

Unique Singles: 5 p.m. The Rock at Saddle Ridge, Highway 33 East, Portage. All single men and women older than age 50 welcome. The group is strictly social with no dues or officers.

SUNDAY, JAN. 1

Lodi Valley Chapter Ice Age Trail Association annual First Day Hike: 1 p.m. Meet at at the old Ice Age Trail parking area at Gibraltar Rock on Highway V (south of Okee) and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the top. For directions visit: https://goo.gl/maps/Xh7rM. We will serve hot chocolate to toast in the New Year. Watch for the yellow Ice Age Trail Event signs. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and sturdy shoes. Leashed dogs are welcome. Due to possible slick conditions walking sticks are recommended. We will have extra available for you to use. For information, call Bill at 843-3926.

MONDAY, JAN. 2

Fundraiser: Portage Family Skatepark Project fundraiser at Papa Murphy's Pizza, 2936 New Pinery Road, Portage. Mention the PFSP and 10 percent of your purchase will benefit the PFSP.

Seniors Bowling Social: 2 p.m. Fireball Lanes, 817 E. Wisconsin St., Portage. Cost is $6 and includes three games of bowling and shoe rental.

TUESDAY, JAN. 3

Library event: 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tech Tuesday, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. This is a drop in session where patrons bring their tablets, phones, gadgets, Overdrive questions, etc. for help.

Photography Interest Group: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Northwoods Inc., Highway 51 South, Portage. Meet with fellow photographers to share photos and tips, explore new ideas and inspire creativity for upcoming events. Call Fred Baewer with questions at 608-742-4691.

Zumba Toning: 4:30 p.m. Woodridge Primary School, Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.
BRIGGSVILLE  Going wherever help is needed is a big goal for anyone, no matter the circumstances. Briggsville native Paige Lindner plans to do this in 11 countries for 11 months.

And shes done this kind of thing before.

Lindner, 21, will next month begin a World Race, doing service work in Asia, Europe and Africa through November. Shes a 2013 Wisconsin Dells High School graduate who just received a degree from Marquette University, where she was a double-major in marketing and finance  people and numbers, you might call it, she said. But unlike most college graduates, Lindners not applying for jobs or planning her career.

Not yet.

Im leaving it open, she said of her future.

Her World Race itinerary  a program of the faith-oriented organization called Adventures in Mission  begins Jan. 9 in India. Over the next 11 months Lindner will work in underprivileged areas in Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa.

When asked why shed do so much for so long, Lindner said she subscribes to the idea you should leave a piece of yourself behind wherever you go, that she wants to step away from everything thats made me, me. She wants to realize how lucky I am, and to evolve into whatever the next step is after.

In that respect, she expects World Race will be a transformative year  similar to an experience she had a year ago.

They became faces

Lindners path to the World Race began when she learned that Milwaukee has one of the biggest underground sex trades in America. Confronted with that, Lindner felt helpless. You cant walk into a bar in Milwaukee and see that a girl or child is enslaved, she said, but I knew you could in a different country.

Lindner would eventually find the nonprofit organization Wipe Every Tear, which sends groups to the Philippines to fight a rampant sex trade. The Boise, Idaho-based organization has made its mark throughout the U.S., including the the Bridgepoint Mission Center in Wisconsin Dells, which operates the Bella Goose Coffee Shop as a gathering spot for such missions.

Lindner participated in a mission to the Philippines last Christmas, helping 30 girls find new life. She and others targeted an Angeles City red-light district, essentially an entire street dedicated to sex. Every establishment you walk into, you know each girl is working against their own will, Lindner said of the district. They look different in every country, but you could see it (plainly) in the Philippines.

During her first week in the Philippines Lindner talked to mothers who sell their daughters into the trade. Many mothers, at first, are dumbfounded by the idea that change is even possible, Lindner said. They dont understand what theyre doing. In the second week she went into the bars and other establishments. Lindner and others sought girls who wanted education or seemed interested in a different life, proposing options to pursue if they got out.

Those two weeks were a big success. But when the rest of Lindners team went home, Lindner decided to stay longer.She wanted to live in the safe house that Wipe Every Tear established there. For two more weeks she showed the rescued women simple things many people take for granted  like brushing teeth, grocery shopping and how to make cookie dough.

This was the stuff no ones ever done for them, Lindner said. That was the biggest part.

The experience of those final two weeks is why Lindner wants to do more. It wasnt easy to go back to school and forget about it, she said. (I saw them) get their birth certificates, their IDs, and it all became more real.

They became faces.

World Race

Her choice to participate in World Race wasnt made on a whim. Lindner made the decision to go in March, from which point she raised $17,017 for the trip in about seven months.

Every month Lindner has a different mission field.

The cool part is you dont know what youre doing until you step in that country, she said. In Europe, for example, Lindner might help refugees or give vaccinations. In Africa she might help in areas with a lot of hunger or AIDs. Thailand, like the Philippines, has a huge sex trade, so Lindner expects shell be asked to help there.

We can expect to be working in orphanages, schools, clinics ... she said. In each country Lindner will work with a service organization thats well-established in whatever community shes in. You dont get to choose what youre doing. The organizations ask you what youre good at, and they play off your strength.

The oldest of six children, Lindners biggest strength might be her personality. Im a big people person, she explained. Im not sure yet if I can live this as a lifestyle, but I know for at least a year of my life its doable.

Its basically exactly what it sounds like, Lindner said of World Race. Its service.

Its at the mercy of where the help is needed.
Editors note: For the remaining days of 2016, the Portage Daily Register will recap the years top stories, as chosen by the Daily Registers staff. Today we feature the stories ranked No. 7 and No. 6.

No. 7: Portage imposes wheel tax

All across Wisconsin on Sept. 29, citizens gathered to talk about the states bumpy roads,

The Portage Common Council took a step in December toward doing something about the problem.

The 8-1 vote to impose a $20 wheel tax on registrations for city residents who own cars or light trucks weighing 8,000 pounds or less is expected to generate about $200,000 annually for city road maintenance and repair. City Administrator Shawn Murphy said this will reduce the need for borrowing for smaller projects.

Starting in March, the cost of registering a vehicle will go up from $75 to $95.

State law allows municipalities (including counties) to impose a wheel tax. The law does not specify the amount of the tax, but it requires that the revenue, which is collected by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, be used for transportation purposes.

In Columbia County, Lodi is the only other city that has a wheel tax, as of May.

Portage Mayor Rick Dodd acknowledged that nobody likes extra taxes and fees. But something has to be done, he said, to address inadequate revenue for timely repairs of streets.

Murphy noted that that about 3 miles of Portages city streets are in need of rebuilding, while another 12 miles need repaid, and an additional 34 miles need minor fixes like crack-filling.

No. 6: Woman shot to death; estranged husband faces trial

Tracy Hill Krueger, a 41-year-old mother of two daughters, was on her way to work at a Portage restaurant on the morning of Feb. 15, when she encountered her estranged husband, Kevin Krueger, 41, of Friesland, in the parking lot of the Ridge Motor Inn, Portage.

Kevin Krueger of Friesland is accused of shooting his wife to death.

At about 7:48 a.m., Portage police received a report of shots fired at the Ridge; they found Tracy Krueger in the northwest parking lot, mortally wounded. According to Police Chief Ken Manthey, an ambulance was summoned, but nothing could have been done to save her life.

A witness at the hotel gave a description and license number of the vehicle in which the shooter fled the scene. About 15 minutes later, Columbia County Sheriffs Office deputies spotted the vehicle traveling west on Highway 16, and stopped it near Klappstein Road.

As Krueger was taken into custody, police found a firearm in the vehicle.

He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, drug possession and stalking.

In April, he entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

His trial is scheduled for June 12 in Columbia County Circuit Court.

In a letter published in the Daily Register, Jess Kaehny, community education program manager for Hope House of South Central Wisconsin, noted that Tracy Kruegers death exemplified a sad reality of domestic violence: that victims are in the greatest danger when they are in the process of leaving.

Tracy and Kevin Krueger had been scheduled to appear in court regarding their divorce later in the week that she was shot and killed.
In 1993, veterinarian Joe Kelley treated his first raptor  a bald eagle affectionately named Abby. Twenty-three years later, the owner of Sauk Prairie Small Animal Hospital has become known for his ability to address injuries to the majestic creature.

Kelley will share his experiences Jan. 14 with the throngs of bird watchers and bald eagle enthusiasts who will descend upon Sauk Prairie for the 30th annual Bald Eagle Watching Days.

Dr. Joe has an interesting story to tell about caring for bald eagles along the Lower Wisconsin Riverway in the 1990s and 2000s, said Ferry Bluff Eagle Council board member Meredith Beckman. Bald eagles in the greater Sauk Prairie area were getting sick and dying from an unknown cause. Because Dr. Joe is a locally known and respected veterinarian and he has an interest in exotic animal medicine, folks from the area would bring sick eagles to him for help.

Kelley was first introduced to exotics in vet school, when he spent a year working with everything from rhinoceroses to small reptiles. He then went to work at his fathers Prairie du Sac clinic, which Kelley now owns.

One day the (Department of Natural Resources) came in with an eagle, Kelley said. My dad looks at me and says, Well youre the exotics guy. I had no idea what to do.

Kelley worked with the animal and provided valium to the seizing eagle. It later was transported to a raptor care center in Minnesota, where it was rehabilitated.

One day I get this call and they tell me, OK, shes ready to be released.

The bird was flown back to Wisconsin, where Kelley and a former employee picked up the eagle from the airport. They decided to release the eagle into the wild from VFW Park along the Wisconsin River in Prairie du Sac, where the raptors are commonly spotted. Kelley said he was surprised to be greeted by a group of people from wildlife groups and the DNR who had gathered to watch.

I asked one guy, Is this a big deal? Kelley said. He said, How many of these have you seen? Thats how I first realized this was an amazing thing, to be able to release an eagle.

Eagle releases have continued from VFW Park in the years since. Marge Gibson from the Raptor Education Group Inc. in Antigo frequently releases rehabilitated eagles into the wild as part of Eagle Watching Days, to the delight of onlookers. Her group is scheduled to do so again this year at VFW Park from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 14  shortly after Kelleys presentation at the Tripp Museum in Prairie du Sac.

Kelley said he never intended to become a regional expert on treating injured raptors, but after his 1993 release was broadcast on television, people started bringing them into the clinic.

A special veterinary license is required to treat raptors, so Kelley only can do emergency work. The eagles are then either sent to the raptor center at the University of Minnesota, or to the Raptor Education Group for rehabilitation. We werent really interested in doing the long-term care and rehabilitation, Kelley said. As soon as the eagle is ready, it goes.

From about 1993 to 2005 he saw a lot of eagles who suffered from seizures; a condition they named Lower Wisconsin River Syndrome. We never did find out what was causing it, Kelley said. Just as quickly as the syndrome came, it went away.

Early on, Kelley learned about every one in 10 eagles that are treated will die. At the time, he treated several eagles each year. Now he typically sees one to two. His most recent eagle encounter was about two months ago.

Since Abby the eagle, Kelley has treated about 100 more. About 50 percent have been released; a number that still amazes Kelley to this day.

Many of the eagles he sees have bullet wounds or have been hit by a vehicle; general trauma, Kelley said. Some things we can deal with. Others, not so much.

His raptor patients predominately are brought in by the DNR; however sometimes the average person will see one and bring it in. It doesnt happen that much, Kelley said. You get a look at that wingspan and those talons and it can be scary.

Working with eagles has both its rewards and challenges. They are a top-of-the-food-chain-type creature so they arent real afraid, which is nice, Kelley said.

Kelley said he also had an eagles talon slice his hand while he was attempting to X-ray it. He noted the wingspan of the creatures can reach up to 8 feet, requiring caution when handling them.

For Kelley, the eagle is something different he doesnt see every day.

But I enjoy educating people about eagles, he said. When I have one and I get to bring a client back to see one up close  the look on their face makes it all worthwhile.
In 2015, Jeff Yanke spent his summer learning a new culture in the Netherlands. His trip was made possible by the Rotary Club of the Sauk Prairie Rotary through its short-term exchange program.

The program gives students an opportunity to learn how people in another culture live and aims to promote peace and understanding between cultures, said Sauk Prairie Rotary Club President Margo Zeman.

The students and their families apply to Rotary International to participate, and a background check is conducted on both host homes to make sure sleeping and other arrangements are suitable. If approved, the family attends a weekend meeting with a regional Rotary director to learn more about the expectations and the experience. Along with the background checks and home visit, Rotary facilitates finding a match family abroad. Some of the countries involved in the program include France, Brazil, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain Sweden and others.

They can pick their country of choice and we will work on finding a host family for them, Zeman said. If we cant find a family in their first choice country, we move on to the second.

Yankes first choice was Germany, he said, Because thats where my heritage is. However, a matching family could not be found there, so Yanke's next choice was the Netherlands.

Yanke said he applied for the short-term exchange program for several reasons, including the programs flexibility.

My sister was going off to college and my mother didnt want me gone for 11 months in the long-term program Rotary also hosts, Yanke said. With other exchange programs you have large costs associated with them. In this program I had to buy my own airfare and bring spending money, but otherwise just insurance costs in case I got sick or injured.

Zeman said the short-term program takes place during the summer months, when students aren't in school.

"The families host the child as their own, and are expected to show them around and do things with them, too," she said.

Zeman said while there arent a lot of qualifications to enter the program, students must be between ages 15-19 and must obtain a passport and visa. The organization looks for mature, stable students who are open to new experiences.

The Rotary program was a perfect fit for Yanke, who said he was looking for a more traditional student exchange.

Id definitely recommend the program to someone who wants to experience a true exchange and not strain your bank account," he said. "Im surprised more people dont know about it.
Some four decades have passed since that first starter house. The neighbor to one side was a very elderly gentleman who spoke only a smattering of English, but when spoken to, he would offer a kind, generous smile and manage a hello in return. Since his wife had passed, he lived alone. Every day or so, an older man named Bruno Bartosnik would stop by to look in on him, grocery shop for him, and provide some company. Over time, meeting and talking with Bartosnik, the neighbor came to become a larger than life figure.

The neighbors name was Vladimir Jesopov. Originally from the Ukraine, he had graduated from the Russian equivalent of West Point and went on to serve as a cavalry officer in the Tsars army during World War I. With the execution of the Tsar and his family, Jesopovs life was in serious jeopardy. As first Vladimir Lenin and then Joseph Stalin came to power, Jesopov, who had a degree in engineering, worked in a factory. The Soviet foreman who managed the plant had no clue as to how to run a successful factory. Jesopov did. In exchange for letting the foreman take all the credit for the well run, model of communist efficiency, the foreman convinced everyone that the former Tsarist officer was now a committed and loyal communist.

But underneath seethed a hatred for all things associated with the new order of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic.

When the Ukraine was being recaptured by Soviets troops during World War II, Jesopov and his wife fled west with the retreating Nazi army. As mind numbing as Nazi atrocities had been, Jesopov preferred them to the catastrophic policies of the Soviets and Stalin.

With the end of the war, destitute, they found themselves in Vienna. Connecting with the International Red Cross, Jesopov was able to immigrate to the United States and settle outside Chicago.

Bartosniks story was no less fascinating. He grew up in a small village in eastern Poland. When Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler and Stalin had made an agreement that Soviet troops would invade Poland from the east. His entire village was packed up and sent to Siberia. Then when the Germans invaded Russia, Stalin and the Soviets suddenly became our ally. He also became an ally of the Poles. Pressure was brought to bear, and the Poles sent to Siberia were allowed to leave. Being transported through Iran, the Poles found themselves under the protection of the British. Bartosnik enlisted in what became the Free Polish Forces and fought with distinction, being decorated with Polands highest honor, as part of the famed English 8th Army, the Desert Rats.

At wars end, Bartosnik had seen Soviet power up close and personal, and rather than go back to his homeland, moved to the United States. Through a group, and speaking fluent

Russian after his time in Siberia, he was introduced to, and became friends with Jesopov.

After hearing all this, and now freelancing, these were two incredible feature stories waiting to be written. Both men politely declined. It was not humbleness that made them shy from publicity; it was an uneasiness that bordered on fear. Both had seen and lived the long arm of the Soviet secret police, today known as the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, the KGB.

Russian native and historian Edvard Radzinsky recounts two chilling episodes of the fear of the KGB. Stalins right hand man, Lavrenti Beria and a friend were looking up at the stars one summer night and wondered what the name of one prominent star was. Beria sent his driver to the apartment of a noted astronomer to ask the name of the star. When the man saw the agent, assuming he was to be arrested, opened a window and jumped to his death.

A rally was held at a factory to promote communism. When the speaker invoked the name of Stalin, the workers dutifully rose and applauded. The problem became, who would sit down first. When an elderly worker decided the applause had reached a ludicrous amount of time, he sat, and the others followed. The elderly worker disappeared that night and was never seen again.

Today, the most famous KGB agent is the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. All indications are that the Russians hacked into the Democratic servers. While the leaking of those emails is not solely responsible for Hillary Clintons defeat, they certainly did not help. From Lenin to Stalin to Nikita Khrushchev to Putin, nothing of vital importance happens in Russia without the leader knowing it. To think otherwise is naive and ignores history.

For President-elect Donald Trump to dismiss any such claims with such flippancy, defies a seriousness for the presidency and cannot be explained away in 140 characters or less.

The very democracy we cherish is now under attack. And if you think that hyperbolic, ask Jesopov and Bartosnik. That is why Trump always calls the media liars. He does not want you to know the truth; he wants to create the truth.
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. provides home and security products for residential home repair, remodeling, new construction, and security applications. It operates in three segments: Plumbing, Outdoors & Security, and Cabinets. The Plumbing segment manufactures, assembles, and sells faucets, accessories, kitchen sinks, and waste disposals under the Moen, ROHL, Riobel, Victoria+Albert, Perrin & Rowe, and Shaws brands in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America directly through its own sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers' representatives to wholesalers, home centers, mass merchandisers, and industrial distributors. The Outdoors & Security segment offers fiberglass and steel entry door systems under the Therma-Tru brand; storm, screen, and security doors under the Larson brand; composite decking and railing under the Fiberon brand; and urethane millwork under the Fypon brand. This segment also manufactures, sources, and distributes locks, safety and security devices, and electronic security products under the Master Lock and American Lock brands; and fire resistant safes, security containers, and commercial cabinets under the SentrySafe brand. It serves home centers, hardware and other retailers, millwork building products and wholesale distributors, specialty dealers, and remodeling and renovation markets, as well as locksmiths, industrial and institutional users, and original equipment manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, Japan, and Australia. The Cabinets segment manufactures custom, semi-custom, and custom cabinetry, as well as vanities for the kitchen, bath, and other parts of the home directly to kitchen and bath dealers, home centers, wholesalers, and builders in North America under the AOK, Diamond Brands, Homecrest, Kitchen Craft, Omega, and EVE brands. The company was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
MRC Global Inc., through its subsidiaries, distributes pipes, valves, fittings, and other infrastructure products and services to the energy, industrial, and gas utility end-markets in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers ball, butterfly, gate, globe, check, diaphragm, needle, and plug valves; and other products, such as lined corrosion resistant piping systems, control valves, valve automation, and top work components, as well as valve modification services; and measurement, steam, and instrumentation products. The company also provides carbon steel fittings and flanges comprising carbon weld fittings, flanges, and piping components; stainless steel, alloy and corrosion resistant pipes, tubing, fittings, and flanges; and carbon line pipes. In addition, it offers natural gas distribution products, including risers, meters, polyethylene pipes and fittings, and various other components and industrial supplies; oilfield and industrial supplies and completion equipment, such as high density polyethylene pipes, fittings, and rods; and specialized production equipment comprising tanks and separators. Further, the company provides various services, such as product testing, manufacturer assessments, multiple daily deliveries, volume purchasing, inventory and zone store management and warehousing, technical support, training, just-in-time delivery, truck stocking, order consolidation, product tagging and system interfaces, and valve inspection and repair services; and various other services under the ValidTorque and FastTrack names. Its products are used in the construction, maintenance, repair, and overhaul of equipment used in extreme operating conditions, including high pressure, high/low temperature, and high corrosive and abrasive environments. The company was formerly known as McJunkin Red Man Holding Corporation and changed its name to MRC Global Inc. in January 2012. MRC Global Inc. was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Arrow Electronics: A.E. Petsche Belgium BVBA, A.E. Petsche Canada Inc., A.E. Petsche Company, A.E. Petsche Company Inc., A.E. Petsche Company S De RL, A.E. Petsche SAS, A.E. Petsche UK Limited, ACI Technology, AKS Group Nordic AB, ARROWECS Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal, ARROWECS Sociedade Unipessoal LDA, ARW Electronics Ltd., ARW Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., ARW Portugal Unipessoal LDA, ASI Dedicated Services LLC, ASI Electrical Services LLC, ASI Managed Services LLC, ATM Electronic, ATM Electronic Corp., ATM Electronic Corporation (HK) Limited, ATM Electronics Hong Kong Limited, ATM Electronics Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Addex Distribution AS, Adilam Pty. Ltd, Aiqi Xinxing (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., Altimate Belgium BVBA, Altimate Group, Altimate ND Belgium BVBA, Altimate Netherlands B.V., Annuity Systems Pty Ltd, Arrow (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Altech Distribution (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Altech Holdings (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Argentina S.A., Arrow Asia Distribution Limited, Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., Arrow Brasil S.A., Arrow Capital Solution BVBA, Arrow Capital Solutions Inc., Arrow Capital Solutions Nederlands BV, Arrow Capital Solutions SAS, Arrow Capital Solutions UK Ltd, Arrow Central Europe GmbH, Arrow Central Europe Holding Munich GmbH, Arrow Chip One Stop Holdings GK, Arrow Componentes ACCR S.R.L., Arrow Components (M) Sdn Bhd, Arrow Components (NZ), Arrow Components Mexico S.A. de C.V., Arrow Components Sweden AB, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow ECS (Ireland) Limited, Arrow ECS (NI) Limited, Arrow ECS AG, Arrow ECS ANZ Limited, Arrow ECS ANZ Pty Ltd, Arrow ECS Asia PTE. Ltd, Arrow ECS Australia, Arrow ECS B.V., Arrow ECS Baltic OU, Arrow ECS Brasil Distribuidora Ltda., Arrow ECS Canada Ltd., Arrow ECS Central GmbH, Arrow ECS Denmark A/S, Arrow ECS FZCO, Arrow ECS Finland OY, Arrow ECS GmbH, Arrow ECS Internet Security AG, Arrow ECS Internet Security S.L., Arrow ECS Kft., Arrow ECS Ltd., Arrow ECS New Zealand Limited, Arrow ECS Nordic A/S, Arrow ECS Norway AS, Arrow ECS Pty Ltd., Arrow ECS SA/NV, Arrow ECS SAS, Arrow ECS SPA, Arrow ECS Sarl, Arrow ECS Services Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Singapore Pte. Limited, Arrow ECS Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Support Center Ltd., Arrow ECS Support Center Morocco S.A.R.L.A.U, Arrow ECS Sweden AB, Arrow ECS a.s., Arrow ECS d.o.o., Arrow Eastern Europe GmbH, Arrow Electronice S.R.L., Arrow Electronics (CI) Ltd., Arrow Electronics (China) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Jersey) Limited, Arrow Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Sweden) KB, Arrow Electronics (Thailand) Limited, Arrow Electronics (U.K.) Inc., Arrow Electronics (UK) Ltd., Arrow Electronics ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia Limited, Arrow Electronics Australia Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics B.V., Arrow Electronics Canada Ltd., Arrow Electronics China Ltd., Arrow Electronics Components (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics Czech Republic s.r.o., Arrow Electronics D.O.O., Arrow Electronics Danish Holdings ApS, Arrow Electronics EMEA Group GmbH, Arrow Electronics EMEASA S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Estonia OU, Arrow Electronics FC B.V., Arrow Electronics Funding Corporation, Arrow Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, Arrow Electronics Hellas S.A., Arrow Electronics Holdings Vagyonkezelo Kft, Arrow Electronics Hungary Kereskedelmi Bt, Arrow Electronics India Ltd., Arrow Electronics India Private Limited, Arrow Electronics International Holdings LLC, Arrow Electronics International Inc., Arrow Electronics Italia S.r.l, Arrow Electronics Japan GK, Arrow Electronics Korea Limited, Arrow Electronics Labuan Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ltd., Arrow Electronics Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Arrow Electronics Norwegian Holdings AS, Arrow Electronics Poland Sp.z.o.o., Arrow Electronics Russ OOO, Arrow Electronics Services S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Slovakia s.r.o., Arrow Electronics South Africa LLP, Arrow Electronics Taiwan Ltd., Arrow Electronics UK Holding Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ukraine LLC, Arrow Elektronik Ticaret A.S., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Inc., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions India Private Limited, Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Ltd., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., Arrow Finland OY, Arrow France S.A., Arrow Global Asset Disposition Inc., Arrow Global Supply Chain Services Inc., Arrow Holdings (Delaware) LLC, Arrow Iberia Electronica Lda., Arrow Iberia Electronica S.L.U., Arrow International Holdings L.P., Arrow International Holdings Limited, Arrow Nordic Components AB, Arrow Norway A/S, Arrow S-Tech Norway AS, Arrow SEED (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow Systems Integration Inc., Arrow UEC Japan KK, Arrow United Holdings LLC, Arrow United International Holdings LP, Arrow Value Recovery ApS (fka Greentech Denmark ApS), Arrow Value Recovery Belgium BVBA, Arrow Value Recovery Czech Republic sro, Arrow Value Recovery Denmark ApS, Arrow Value Recovery EMEA BV, Arrow Value Recovery Finland Oy (fka Greentech Finland OY), Arrow Value Recovery France SAS, Arrow Value Recovery Germany GmbH, Arrow Value Recovery Netherlands BV, Arrow Value Recovery Norway AS (fka Greentech AS), Arrow Value Recovery Sweden AB (fka Greentech Sweden AB), Arrow Value Recovery UK LTD, Arrow eCommerce B.V., Arrow/Artlink Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow/Components (Agent) Ltd., Arrow/Rapac Ltd., Artlink Technology Co. Ltd., Aspen Labs LLC, Aspencore China Investment LLC, Aspencore LLC, Aspencore Media GmbH, Aspencore/IDG China Investment LLC, Asplenium SA, Asset Recovery Corporation, B.V. Arrow Electronics DLC, Beijing AIQI Technology, Beijing Arrow SEED Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing Canon Advertising Co. Ltd., Broomco (4184) Limited, COMPUTERLINKS, COMPUTERLINKS (UK) Ltd., COMPUTERLINKS Belgium BVBA, COMPUTERLINKS Denmark A/S, COMPUTERLINKS Nederland B.V., COMPUTERLINKS S.A., CSS Computer Security Solutions Erwerbs GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Holding GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Ltd., CT3 Europe Limited, Centia Group Ltd, Centia Ltd., Channel Support Pty Ltd, ChiWan Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Chip One Stop, Chip One Stop (Hong Kong) Ltd., Chip One Stop (Shenzhen) Ltd., Chip One Stop Inc., Commtech Solutions (UK) Limited, Components Agent (Cayman) Limited, Components Agent Asia Holdings Ltd., Components Distribution Business - Achieva, Conrac Asia Display Products Pte. Ltd., Conrac MENA FZE, Converge, Converge (Shanghai) International Trading Co. Ltd., Converge Asia Pte Ltd., Converge Electronics Trading (India) Private Ltd., Converge France SAS, Converge Netherlands BV, Converge Scandinavia AB, Cross Telecom, Data Modul, Data Modul AG, Data Modul Electronics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Data Modul FZE, Data Modul France S.a r.l, Data Modul Hong Kong Ltd., Data Modul Iberia S.L., Data Modul Inc., Data Modul Italia S.r.l., Data Modul Ltd., Data Modul Shanghai Ltd., Data Modul Suisse GmbH, Data Modul Weikersheim GmbH, Diasa Informatica, Dicopel Inc., Distribution Business - Seed International, Distribution Central (MY) Sdn. Bhd., Distribution Central HK Pty Limited, Distribution Central Limited (NZ), Distribution Central Pte Limited (SG), Distribution Central Pty Limited, E-InfoChips KK, EC America, EDN Asia Advertising Pte Ltd., ETEQ Components Pte Ltd., Electronics Products Technology Co. Ltd., Embedded Developer LLC, Erf 211 Hughes (Pty) Limited, Eshel Technology Group Inc., Eurocomponentes S.A., Excel Tech, Excel Tech Inc., Firewall Systems Pty Limited, Fusion Distribution FZCO, Gates - Arrow Distributing, Gates - FA Distributing, Global Link Technology, Greentech Holding AS, Gross Telecom, ICC Global Media GmbH, IP Vista A/S, IPVista A/S, ITM USA Enterprises Inc., Intechra Holdings, Intex-semi Ltd., KeyLink Systems Group, LED Franchise LLC, LED Source Holdco LLC, LED Source LLC, LOGIX S.A., License Central Pty Ltd, Lite-On Korea Ltd., Marubun Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun Arrow (Thailand) Co Limited, Marubun Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun Arrow Europe Kft., Marubun Corporation, Marubun USA Corporation, Marubun-Arrow Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Marubun/Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun/Arrow (M) Sdn. Bhd (Malaysia), Marubun/Arrow (Philippines) Inc., Marubun/Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shenzhen) Electronic Product Consulting Company Limited, Marubun/Arrow (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun/Arrow USA II LLC, Marubun/Arrow USA LLC, NIC Components Asia PTE Ltd., NIC Components Corp., NIC Components Europe Limited, NIC Eurotech Limited, NUH Electronics India Private Limted, Networld Systems Pty Ltd, Nextworth Solutions Inc., Nu Horizons Electronics, Nu Horizons Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Asia PTE Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Hong Kong Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Malaysia SDN BHD, NuHo Singapore Holdings LLC, Observatory Crest, Openway Group SA, Openway SAS, PCG Parent Corp., PCG Trading LLC, PT Marubun Arrow Indonesia, Pansystem S.r.l., Pax8 Inc., Power and Signal Group GmbH, R.D. Trading Limited, RDC, RF Wireless & Power - Richardson Electronics, Rack Systems Pty Ltd, Red Education Pty Ltd, Redemtech, Renewal Systems Pty Ltd, Richardson RFPD (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Richardson RFPD (Thailand) Limited, Richardson RFPD Australia Pty. Ltd., Richardson RFPD Canada Inc., Richardson RFPD Electronics Trading (China) Co. Ltd., Richardson RFPD France SAS, Richardson RFPD Germany GmbH, Richardson RFPD Hong Kong, Richardson RFPD Inc., Richardson RFPD Israel Ltd., Richardson RFPD Italy Srl, Richardson RFPD Japan KK, Richardson RFPD Korea Ltd., Richardson RFPD Netherlands BV, Richardson RFPD Singapore, Richardson RFPD Spain SL, Richardson RFPD Sweden AB, Richardson RFPD Taiwan, Richardson RFPD UK Ltd., Richey Electronics, San Systems Pty Ltd, Schuylkill Metals of Plant City Inc., Seneca Data, Seneca Data Distributors Inc., Shared Technologies, Silicon Frameworks LLC, SiliconEgypt Technologies LLC, SiliconExpert Holdings LLC, SiliconExpert Technologies, SiliconExpert Technologies Inc., Sphinx CST Limited, Sphinx CST Networks Limited, Sphinx Group, Sphinx Group Limited, Sphinx Professional Services Limited, Spoerle Hungary Kereskedelmi Kft, Sun Chain Technology Corp., TLW Electronics Ltd., TechTurn, Titan Supply Chain Services Limited, Titan Supply Chain Services Pte Ltd., Trafomo AB, Trafomo ApS, Transim Technology, Transim Technology Corporation, U.S. Micro Operating Company LLC, UBM Tech Electronics Network, Ultra Source Electronics (SZ) Co LTD, Ultra Source Technology Corp., Ultra Source Trading Hong Kong Limited, United Technical Publishing Division - Hearst Business Media, Universe Electron Corporation, Verical, Verwaltungsgesellschaft Arrow Electronics GmbH, Wireless and Infrastructure Business Unit - Waching Company, Yongming Xincheng (Beijing) Technology Co., e-InfoChips, e-Infochips Private Limited, eInfochips, eMedia Asia Limited, immixGovernment Inc., immixGroup, immixGroup Inc., immixSolutions Inc., and immixTechnology.

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West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products. The Proprietary Products segment offers stoppers and seals for injectable packaging systems; syringe and cartridge components, including custom solutions for the needs of injectable drug applications, as well as administration systems that enhance the safe delivery of drugs through advanced reconstitution, mixing, and transfer technologies; and films, coatings, washing, and vision inspection and sterilization processes and services to enhance the quality of packaging components. It also provides drug containment solutions, including Crystal Zenith, a cyclic olefin polymer in the form of vials, syringes, and cartridges; and self-injection devices, as well as a range of integrated solutions, including analytical lab services, pre-approval primary packaging support and engineering development, regulatory expertise, and after-sales technical support. This segment serves biologic, generic, and pharmaceutical drug companies. The Contract-Manufactured Products segment is involved in the design, manufacture, and automated assembly of devices used in surgical, diagnostic, ophthalmic, injectable, and other drug delivery systems, as well as consumer products. It serves pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical device companies. The company distributes its products through its sales force and distribution network, as well as contract sales agents and regional distributors. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. was incorporated in 1923 and is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania.
The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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The following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hemmelrath International Trade (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Karl Woerwag Lack-und Farbenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holdings Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, Milamar Coatings LLC, OOO Tikkurila, PPG A P Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc./PPG Revetements Architecturaux Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l, PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG Business Services S.A. de C.V., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cetelon Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG Finland Oy, PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Investment (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Refinish Distribution Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG Reunion SAS, PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Korlatolt FelelosseguTarasasag (PPG Trilak Kft.), PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Tikkurila Oyj, Tikkurila Sverige AB, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, VF Specialty Products LLC, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., VersaFlex Acquisition Corp., VersaFlex Inc., VersaFlex Intermediate Holdings LLC, Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, and Worwag Coatings.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Basf: AO Achimgaz, Aachener Chemische Werke Gesellschaft fur glastechtechnische Produkte und Verfahren mbH, Albemarle - Surface-Treatment Chemetall Unit, B.C. Foam - PET foam, BASF (China) Company Ltd., BASF (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BASF (Thai) Ltd., BASF A/S, BASF AB, BASF AS, BASF Advanced Chemicals Co. Ltd., BASF Agri-Production S.A.S., BASF Agricultural Specialities Limited, BASF Agricultural Specialities S.A.S., BASF Agricultural Specialties Ltd., BASF Agro B.V., BASF Agro Trademarks GmbH, BASF Agrochemical Products B.V., BASF Akquisitions GmbH, BASF Americas Corporation, BASF Antwerpen N.V., BASF Argentina S.A., BASF Asia-Pacific Service Centre Sdn. Bhd., BASF Australia Ltd., BASF Battery Integration B.V., BASF Battery Technology Investment GmbH & Co. KG, BASF Beauty Care Solutions France S.A.S., BASF Belgium Coordination Center Comm. V., BASF Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, BASF Business Services GmbH, BASF California Inc., BASF Canada Inc., BASF Care Chemicals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Catalysts (Guilin) Co. Ltd., BASF Catalysts (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Catalysts Asia B.V., BASF Catalysts Canada B.V., BASF Catalysts Germany GmbH, BASF Catalysts Holding China LLC, BASF Catalysts Holding LLC, BASF Catalysts India Private Ltd., BASF Catalysts LLC, BASF Catalysts UK Holdings Limited, BASF Central Asia LLP, BASF Chemcat (Thailand) Ltd., BASF Chemicals Company Ltd., BASF Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd., BASF Chile S.A., BASF Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Limited, BASF Coatings GmbH, BASF Coatings Services (Pty.) Ltd., BASF Color Solutions Germany GmbH, BASF Colors & Effects GmbH, BASF Colors & Effects Japan Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Korea Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Netherlands B.V., BASF Colors & Effects Shanghai Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Singapore Pte. Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Switzerland AG, BASF Colors & Effects USA LLC, BASF Company Ltd., BASF Construction Chemicals (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Construction Chemicals (UK) Ltd., BASF Construction Chemicals Algeria SARL, BASF Construction Chemicals Egypt (SAE), BASF Construction Chemicals Espana S.L., BASF Construction Chemicals Europe AG, BASF Construction Chemicals Italia Spa, BASF Construction Chemicals Limitada, BASF Construction Chemicals Peru Sociedad Anonima, BASF Construction Chemicals South Africa (Pty.) Ltd, BASF Construction Chemicals UAE LLC, BASF Construction Solutions GmbH, BASF Corporate Services Chile S.A., BASF Corporation, BASF Crop Protection (JiangSu) Co. Ltd., BASF DOW HPPO Holding B.V., BASF DOW HPPO Production BVBA, BASF East Asia Regional Headquarters Ltd., BASF Educational Trust, BASF Electronic Materials (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Enzymes LLC, BASF Espanola S.L., BASF FZE, BASF Finance Europe N.V., BASF Finance Malta GmbH, BASF France S.A.S., BASF Gao-Qiao Performance Chemicals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Grenzach GmbH, BASF HOCK Mining Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Handelsund Exportgesellschaft mbH, BASF Health and Care Products France S.A.S., BASF Hellas S.A., BASF Holdings South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., BASF Hong Kong Ltd., BASF Hungaria Kft., BASF IP Licensing GmbH, BASF IP Management C.V., BASF Idemitsu Co. Ltd., BASF India Limited, BASF Interservicios S.A. de C.V., BASF Intertrade (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Intertrade AG, BASF Intertrade Corporation, BASF Investments Canada Inc., BASF Ireland Ltd., BASF Isocyanate China Investment GmbH, BASF Italia S.p.A., BASF Japan Ltd., BASF Lampertheim GmbH, BASF Leuna, BASF Leuna GmbH, BASF Ludwigshafen Grundbesitz SE & Co. KG, BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing (Xinjiang) Company Limited, BASF Metal Forwards Ltd., BASF Metals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Metals GmbH, BASF Metals Japan Ltd., BASF Metals Ltd., BASF Metals Recycling Ltd., BASF Mexicana S.A. de C.V., BASF Nederland B.V., BASF New Business GmbH, BASF New Zealand Ltd., BASF Niedersachsische Grundbesitz GmbH, BASF Operations B.V., BASF Orgamol Pharma Solutions France, BASF Osterreich GmbH, BASF Oy, BASF PETRONAS Chemicals Sdn. Bhd., BASF Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited, BASF Panama S.A., BASF Paper Chemicals (Huizhou) Co. Ltd., BASF Paper Chemicals (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BASF Performance Polymers GmbH, BASF Performance Products France S.A.S., BASF Performance Products GmbH, BASF Performance Products Ltd., BASF Personal Care and Nutrition GmbH, BASF Peruana S.A., BASF Pharma (Callanish) Ltd., BASF Pharma Belgium N.V., BASF Pigment GmbH, BASF Pipeline Holdings LLC, BASF Plant Science Company GmbH, BASF Plant Science GmbH, BASF Plant Science LP, BASF Plastic Additives Middle East S.P.C., BASF Poliuretanos Ltda., BASF Polska Sp. z o.o., BASF Polyurethane Specialties (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, BASF Portuguesa S.A., BASF Properties Inc., BASF Qingdao Pigments Co. Ltd., BASF Qtech (Canada) Inc., BASF Qtech Inc., BASF Quimica Colombiana S.A., BASF S.A., BASF Schwarzheide GmbH, BASF Schweiz AG, BASF Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BASF Services Americas S.R.L., BASF Services Europe GmbH, BASF Shanghai Coatings Co. Ltd., BASF Slovensko spol s.r.o., BASF South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., BASF South East Asia Pte. Ltd., BASF Specialty Chemicals (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., BASF Stavebni hmoty Ceska republika s.r.o, BASF T.O.V. LLC, BASF TODA Battery Materials LLC, BASF TOTAL Petrochemicals LLC, BASF Taiwan B.V., BASF Taiwan Ltd., BASF Trostberger Grundbesitz GmbH, BASF Tuerk Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti., BASF UK Finance LLC, BASF UK Holdings Ltd., BASF US Verwaltung GmbH, BASF USA Holding LLC, BASF Uruguaya S.A., BASF Vietnam Co. Ltd., BASF Vitamins Company Ltd., BASF Wohnen + Bauen GmbH, BASF Wolman GmbH, BASF de Costa Rica S.A., BASF de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BASF plc, BASF spol s.r.o., BASF watertechnologies GmbH & Co. KG, BASFIN Corporation, BTC Europe GmbH, BU International Holding Company Ltd., Becker Underwood, Becker Underwood (UK) Limited, Becker Underwood UK Inc., CerTho Produktions GmbH, Chemetall, Chemetall (Australasia) Pty. Ltd., Chemetall (Proprietary) Ltd., Chemetall (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Chemetall AB, Chemetall Asia Pte. Ltd., Chemetall B.V., Chemetall Canada Limited, Chemetall GmbH, Chemetall Hong Kong Ltd., Chemetall Hungaria Vegyianyagokat Forgalmazo Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Chemetall India Company Ltd., Chemetall India Private Ltd., Chemetall Italia S.r.l., Chemetall Ltd., Chemetall Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Chemetall New Zealand Ltd., Chemetall Philippines Co. Ltd. Inc., Chemetall Polska Sp. z o.o., Chemetall S.A. Unipersonal, Chemetall S.A.S., Chemetall S.R.L., Chemetall Sanayi Kimyasallari Ticaret ve Sanayi A.S., Chemetall Surface Treatment Holding Co. Ltd., Chemetall U.S. Inc., Chemetall do Brasil Ltda., Chemical Insurance Company Ltd., Ciba (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Ciba Holding, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Eurofinance Ltd., Ciba Specialty Chemicals Finance Luxembourg S.A., Ciba Specialty Chemicals Water Treatments Ltd., Ciba UK Investment Ltd., Cognis, Cognis B.V., Cognis Holding GmbH, Cognis IP Management GmbH, Cognis International GmbH, Cognis S.A., Cognis USA LLC, Construction Research & Technology GmbH, CropDesign, E & A Internationale Explorationsund Produktions GmbH, EnerG2, Engelhard Asia-Pacific LLC, Engelhard China Ltd., Engelhard Corporation, Equateq, Esuco Beheer B.V., Grunau Illertissen GmbH, Guano-Werke GmbH & Co. KG, Guilin Reecat Environment Industry Co, HPPO Holding and Finance C.V., Hi Con China, Huntsman - TDI, Hydro Coatings Group, ITWC Inc., Imperarva S.A. de C.V., Inge Watertechnologies, Innofil3D, Isobionics, Johnson Polymer, KENDELL S.r.l., KOLON BASF innoPOM Inc., Knight Chimiques de Specialite S.A.S., Lanxess - SAN, Lumerica Insurance Company, MicroBio Canada Limited, NOF (Thailand) Ltd., Nanjing Chemetall Surface Technologies Co. Ltd., Novolyte Technologies, OOO BASF, OOO BASF Stroitelnye Sistemy, OOO BASF Wostok, OOO Chemetall, OPAL Gastransport GmbH & Co. KG, Ovonic Battery Company, Ovonic Battery Company Inc., P.T. BASF Care Chemicals Indonesia, P.T. BASF Indonesia, PCI Augsburg GmbH, PCI Bauprodukte AG, PEMEAS GmbH, PT BASF Distribution Indonesia, Pinturas Thermicas del Norte S.A. de C.V., Polymer Chemical Company B.V., ProCat Testing Holdings Inc., ProCat Testing LLC, Pronova BioPharma Norge AS, Rhenania Coatings - coil coating, Rockwood Specialties Group GmbH, Rolic Technologies, Rolic Technologies Ltd., SOREX, Saudi BASF for Building Materials Co. Ltd., Sculpteo, Shanghai BASF Polyurethane Company Ltd., Shanghai Chemetall Chemicals Co. Ltd., Societe Fonciere et Industrielle S.A.S., Solvay - Polyamides Business, Sorex Holdings, Sorex Holdings Ltd., Sorex Limited, THERMOTEK, TRADEWINDS Chemicals Corporation, Taiwan Sheen Soon Co, Toray BASF PBT Resin Sdn. Bhd., Untertage-Speicher-Gesellschaft MbH, W & G Transport Holding GmbH, WIGA Transport Beteiligungs- GmbH & Co. KG, Watson Bowman Acme Corp., Wintershall Energia S.A., Wintershall Group, Wintershall Holding GmbH, Wintershall Middle East GmbH, Wintershall Nederland B.V., Wintershall Nederland Transport and Trading B.V., Wintershall Norge AS, Wintershall Oil AG, Wintershall Petroleum (E&P) B.V., Wintershall Vermogensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Yasar BASF Automotive Coatings Company, ZAO Gazprom YRGM Trading, Zandvliet Power N.V., ZedX Inc., bcd Rohstoffe fuer Bauchemie HandelsGmbH, hte, hte GmbH, and inge GmbH.

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases. It also provides credit cards and payments; real estate secured lending, auto finance, and consumer lending services; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, and advice to retail and institutional clients through direct investing, advice-based, and asset management businesses; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking products and services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to corporations, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,061 branches and 3,381 automated teller machines (ATMs) in Canada, and 1,148 stores and 2,701 ATMs in the United States, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. It has a strategic alliance with Canada Post Corporation. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
The following companies are subsidiares of Xerox: A B S Digital Limited, Acorn Business Machines (Holmfirth) Limited, Alloy Acquisitions Corp. LLC, Altodigital Networks, Altodigital Networks Limited, American Photocopy Equipment Company of Pittsburgh LLC, Amici, Arena Group, Arena Group Holdings Limited, Arena Group Limited, Arizona Office Technologies Inc., B 2 Business Systems Limited, Back2Business Limited, Bessemer Insurance Limited, Bessemer Trust Limited, Boise Office Equipment Inc., Bright Ceramic Technologies Inc., Bunch CareSolutions, Business Systems (North Wales) Limited, CPAS Systems, CREDITEX - Aluguer de Equipamentos S.A., CTX Business Solutions Inc., Capitol Office Solutions LLC, CareAR Holdings LLC, CareAR Inc., Carolina Office Systems Inc., Carr Business Systems Inc., Chicago Office Technology Group Inc., ComDoc Inc., Competitive Computing, Concept Group, Concept Group Limited, Connecticut Business Systems LLC, Consilience Software, Continua Limited, Continua Sanctum Limited, Conway Technology Group LLC, Copyrite Business Solutions (Holdings) Limited, Copyrite Business Solutions Limited, Copytrend Limited, Criterion IT Limited, Customer Value Group, Dahill Office Technology Corporation, Digitex, Digitex Canada Inc., Docucentric Holdings Limited, Document Systems, Document Systems, Eastern Managed Print Network LLC, Elan Marketing Inc., Electronic Systems Inc., Fovia (Innovation) Limited, G-Five Inc., GDP Technologies Inc., Global Imaging Systems, Global PR Corporation, Groupe CT, Gyricon LLC, Healthy Communities Institute, Heritage Business Systems Inc., ITEC Group, Image Technology Specialists Inc., ImageQuest Inc., Imagetek Office Systems, Impika, Impika SAS, Inland Business Machines Inc., Institute for Research on Learning, Integrity One Technologies Inc., Intrepid Learning, Invoco Group, Irish Business Systems, LRI LLC, LaserNetworks, LaserNetworks Inc., Lateral Data, Learn Something, Lewan & Associates Inc., Limited Liability Company Xerox (C.I.S.), M & S Reprographics Limited, MRC Smart Technology Solutions Inc., MT Business Holdings Inc., MT Business Technologies Inc., MWB Copy Products Inc., Mail A Doc Limited, Merizon Group Incorporated, Michigan Office Solutions Inc., Minnesota Office Technology Group Inc., Mitral Systems Limited, Mr. Copy Inc., Nemo (AKS) Limited, NewField IT, NewField Information Technology LLC, NewField Information Technology Limited, Northeast Office Systems LLC, Osprey Business Systems Limited, PARC China Holdings Inc., Pacific Services and Development Corporation, Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, Platinum Digital Print Solutions Limited, Powerland, Precision Copier Service Inc., Quality Business Systems Inc., Quilver Business Services Limited, R. K. Dixon Company, RRXH Limited, RRXIL Limited, RRXO Limited, RSA Medical, Rabbit Copiers Inc., Reflex Digital Solutions (UK) Limited, Reprographics Egypt Limited, Saxon Business Systems Inc., Smart Data Consulting, SoCal Office Technologies Inc., Stem Networks Limited, Stewart Business Systems LLC, Stewart of Alabama Inc., StrataCare, Talegen Holdings Inc., Tektronix - color printing, Text Comm Limited (in receivership), The Xerox (UK) Trust, The Xerox Foundation, Time Business Systems Limited, Triton Business Finance Limited, Una-Stem Limited, Veenman B.V., Veenman Financial Services B.V., WDS, WaterWare Internet Services, XC Asia LLC, XC Global Trading B.V., XC Trading Hong Kong Limited, XC Trading Japan G.K., XC Trading Korea YH, XC Trading Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., XC Trading Shenzhen Co. Ltd., XC Trading Singapore Pte Ltd., XEROX CZECH REPUBLIC s r.o., XESystems Foreign Sales Corporation, XFS Secured Borrowing 2020-1 LLC, XHC Acquisition Corp., XMPie, XMPie Inc., XMPie Ltd., XRI Limited, XRO Limited, Xerox (Europe) Limited, Xerox (Ireland) Limited, Xerox (Nederland) BV, Xerox (Romania) Echipmante Si Servici S.A., Xerox (UK) Limited, Xerox (Ukraine) Ltd LLC, Xerox A/S, Xerox AG, Xerox AS, Xerox Argentina Industrial y Comercial S.A., Xerox Austria GmbH, Xerox Bulgaria EOOD, Xerox Business Equipment Limited, Xerox Business Services Bulgaria EOOD, Xerox Business Solutions Inc., Xerox Business Solutions Southeast LLC, Xerox Buro Araclari Servis ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti, Xerox Canada Inc., Xerox Canada Ltd., Xerox Canada N.S. ULC, Xerox Capital (Europe) Limited, Xerox Capital LLC, Xerox Computer Services Limited, Xerox Comercio e Industria Ltda, Xerox Corporation, Xerox DNHC LLC, Xerox Dienstleistungsgesellschaft GmbH, Xerox Distributor Operations Limited, Xerox Egypt S.A.E., Xerox Equipment Limited, Xerox Equipment UK Limited, Xerox Espana S.A.U., Xerox Exports Limited, Xerox Finance AG, Xerox Finance Leasing S.A.E., Xerox Finance Limited, Xerox Financial Services B.V., Xerox Financial Services Belux NV, Xerox Financial Services Canada Ltd., Xerox Financial Services Danmark A/S, Xerox Financial Services Finland Oy, Xerox Financial Services LLC, Xerox Financial Services Norway AS, Xerox Financial Services SAS, Xerox Financial Services Sverige AB, Xerox Foreign Holdings LLC, Xerox Foreign Sales Corporation, Xerox GmbH, Xerox Health Care LLC, Xerox Hellas AEE, Xerox Holding Deutschland GmbH, Xerox Holdings (Ireland) Limited, Xerox Holdings Inc., Xerox Hungary Trading Limited, Xerox IBS Limited, Xerox IBS NI Limited, Xerox India Limited, Xerox International Joint Marketing Inc., Xerox Investments Europe B.V., Xerox Israel Ltd., Xerox Italia Rental Services Srl, Xerox Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Xerox Latinamerican Holdings Inc., Xerox Leasing Deutschland GmbH, Xerox Leasing GmbH, Xerox Limited, Xerox Luxembourg SA, Xerox Mailing Systems Limited, Xerox Manufacturing (Nederland) B.V., Xerox Maroc S.A., Xerox Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Xerox Middle East Investments (Bermuda) Limited, Xerox N.V., Xerox Overseas Holdings Limited, Xerox Overseas Inc., Xerox Oy, Xerox Pensions Limited, Xerox Polska Sp. z o. o, Xerox Portugal Equipamentos de Escritorio Limitada, Xerox Products Limited, Xerox Products UK Limited, Xerox Professional Services Limited, Xerox Realty Corporation, Xerox Renting S.A.U., Xerox Reprographische Services GmbH, Xerox S.A.S., Xerox S.p.A., Xerox Secured Borrowing 2020-1 LLC, Xerox Servicios Compartidos Guatemala y Compani Limitada, Xerox Servicos e Participacoes Ltda, Xerox Shared Services Romania SRL, Xerox Sverige AB, Xerox Technology Services India LLP, Xerox Technology Services SAS, Xerox Telebusiness GmbH, Xerox Trading Enterprises Limited, Xerox Trinidad Limited, Xerox UK Holdings Limited, Xerox XHB Limited, Xerox XIB Limited, Xerox Xf Holdings (Ireland) DAC, Xerox de Chile S.A., Xerox del Ecuador S.A., Xerox del Peru S.A., Zeno Office Solutions, Zeno Office Solutions Inc., Zoom Imaging Solutions Inc., and inVentiv Patient Access Solutions.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. 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Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd..

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Toshiba Corp faces loss of 'billions' on US nuclear acquisition

28 December 2016

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Toshiba Corp may have to write off "several billion" dollars because of Westinghouse Electric Company's purchase a year ago of CB&I Stone & Webster (S&W) - a US construction firm that specializes in nuclear power projects. In a statement yesterday, the Japanese electronics conglomerate said it needs to "determine the value" of the possible Westinghouse loss and the impact on Toshiba's financial forecast for 2016 announced last month.

Toshiba bought Westinghouse in 2006 for about $5.4 billion. In 2015, Westinghouse entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of S&W from Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I) for $229 million, and the transaction closed in December that year. Announcement of completion of the acquisition on 5 January this year explained that the amount of goodwill would be finalised by 31 December, in accordance with US GAAP, or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Goodwill is the premium an acquirer pays over the value of a company's tangible assets, such as factories and equipment.

At the time, the estimate of the goodwill resulting from the transaction was about $87 million, which was a preliminary determination and subject to change.

Toshiba said yesterday that as the 31 December deadline draws near, "the possibility has been found that the goodwill will reach a level of several 100 billion yen or several billion US dollars", resulting in a negative impact on its financial results due to impairment of all or part of the goodwill.

AP1000 contracts



Westinghouse is constructing eight AP1000 pressurized water reactors - four in the USA and four in China - with S&W as its consortium partner.

Under the agreement with CB&I announced in October last year, Westinghouse acquired the business of engineering, construction, procurement, management, design, installation and commissioning of nuclear power plants, including the VC Summer project in South Carolina, the Vogtle project in Georgia, as well as projects in China. Westinghouse, also acquired CB&I's nuclear integrated services business, which includes small capital projects for existing US nuclear plants. The purchase included 11 facilities in the USA and Asia.

Upon closing of the transaction, Westinghouse assumed full responsibility for all AP1000 projects and the nuclear integrated services business. Since then, Toshiba and CB&I - S&Ws former parent company - have been in dispute over the business's true value.

Toshiba and CB&I announced in May this year they had agreed to terminate a number of agreements originally signed between Shaw Group and Toshiba related to construction of two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) at the South Texas Project (STP). Since the agreements were signed in 2010, Shaw was acquired by CB&I.

In November 2010, Shaw Group and Toshiba announced a global strategic partnership giving Shaw exclusive rights to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for Toshiba ABWRs, including a contract for the planned STP reactors. Through that agreement, Shaw was to become the exclusive EPC contractor for Toshiba ABWRs in all countries except Japan and Vietnam for the next 20 years. Shaw and its affiliate, Stone & Webster, was acquired by CB&I in 2013.

Toshiba said in May it recognizes that, following the sale of its S&W unit, CB&I's business strategy is "now focused on sectors other than nuclear new build projects". As a result, it has reached agreement with CB&I to terminate the earlier agreements related to construction of ABWRs.

Toshiba said yesterday that Westinghouse, in accordance with US GAAP, "has been engaged in purchase accounting and studying the actual status based on materials provided by S&W and others after the transaction completion". It added: "In this process, Westinghouse is evaluating the cost to complete the AP1000 contracts in order to measure the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities," it added.

Westinghouse has found that the cost to complete the US projects "will far surpass the original estimates, mainly due to increases in key project parameters, resulting in far lower asset value than originally determined, leading to a possible recognition of goodwill far exceeding the original December 2015 estimate of $87 million", Toshiba said.

Both the Vogtle and Summer projects have been beset with delays and cost overruns.

Construction of the two Westinghouse AP1000s at Vogtle, near Waynesboro, began in 2013. Vogtle 3 is scheduled to start operations in 2019 and unit 4 in 2020. Two pressurised water reactors are already in operation at the site.

Georgia Power announced last month that the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) had been lifted into place at Vogtle 3 - two days after the placement of the CA01 module was completed at Vogtle 4.

Two AP1000s are also being built at VC Summer for Scana Corporation subsidiary South Carolina Electricity and Gas and co-owner Santee Cooper. Westinghouse is the contractor, and Fluor is the construction manager.

Construction began on both units in 2013, with unit 2 expected to enter operations in 2019 and unit 3 in 2020. Summer 2's CA01 module was installed in July 2015 and its RPV in August this year. Summer 3's CA01 module was placed this month.

Following his appointment as Toshiba's new CEO this year, Satoshi Tsunakawa reaffirmed the company's commitment to nuclear power, saying in June that its goal of building 45 nuclear reactors around the world by the 2030 financial year was achievable.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Belgium is a popular monarchy, federal parliamentary and constitutional democracy. Its bicameral parliament is made up of the Senate which comprises of 50 senators and a Chamber of Representatives which comprise of 150 elected representatives from 11 electoral districts. The king of Belgium is the countrys head of state but with limited prerogative. He appoints ministers and the prime minister with the approval of the Chamber of Representative. The King is also expected to act as an arbiter and a symbol of the countrys national unity and independence. Belgium has been served by seven Monarchs since independence in 1830. The incumbent king, Philippe, was enthroned on July 21, 2013. Other kings of Belgium through history include:

Kings Of Belgium Through History

Leopold I

Leopold I was the first king of Belgium following independence in 1830. He was a German prince who was born into a ruling family and took a commission in the Imperial Russian Army which fought against the Napoleon Army. Leopold I moved to the UK after the Napoleon defeat where he married Princess Charlotte of Wales positioning himself as a possible future prince consort of the UK. When the Kingdom of Belgium was established in 1831, Leopold I was offered the kingship because of his diplomatic connection with royal families across Europe. He was crowned King of Belgium on July 21, 1831, an event which has become Belgiums National Holiday. His reign was characterized by Dutchs attempt to take over Belgium through military assaults. His reign was also marked by economic crisis while politics was polarized between the liberal and the Catholics. Leopold I was an important intermediary in European politics because of his connections and positions. He died on December 10, 1865, and was buried at Royal Vault.

Leopold II

Leopold II succeeded his father to the throne in 1865. He was Leopold Is eldest surviving son and therefore had the right to the throne after the death of his father. Leopold II is popular for the discovery and exploration of the Congo Free State. He exploited Congo by collecting ivory and rubber through forced labor from the natives. Millions of the Congolese died under his regime which was also characterized by several human right abuses. Leopold IIs reign in Belgium was marked by major political developments. Social changes were also enacted into laws among them the right of workers to form unions and the abolition of the employment record book. The revision of the Belgium constitution also took place under Leopold IIs reign. He commissioned several buildings and public works with proceeds generated from exploitation of Congo. Leopold II died on December 17, 1909.

Albert I

Albert I was king of Belgium from 1909 to 1934, an eventful period in the history of Belgium. He was the second son of Prince Philippe who was the third son of Leopold I, the first king of Belgium. Albert I was initially the third in the line of succession. However, after the death of his older brother, he became second after his father. Due to his simple, unassuming lifestyle, King Albert I quickly became popular in Belgium. He instituted many reforms in the administration of Congo in his early days as a king. During the World War I, 90% of Belgium was overrun and ruled by the German empire under his watch. However, he led Belgium to recovery after the war. He died in a mountaineering accident in 1934.

Title And Oath

The proper title of the monarch in Belgium is the King of the Belgians indicating a popular monarch linked to the people of Belgium. The king only accedes to the throne upon taking an oath before a joint session of the bicameral parliament. The new king must take an oath within ten days of predecessors death or abdication. The king is guided by the constitution and has very little prerogative powers.
Religion is an important social and economic aspect in South Sudan. Socially, religion is considered a unifying factor in a country that has been ravaged by decades of civil war. Religion has been used to bridge the ethnic differences in the country which is one of the leading causes of war. Religious leaders have been in the forefront negotiating for peace deals in the country. Religious groups such as the Catholics have engaged in missionary work which included the building of schools and provision of medical services especially to the refugees and communities in war-torn areas of South Sudan and the Capital Juba. South Sudan respect and uphold the freedom of religion. There is no state religion in the country. However, the main religious groups in South Sudan include;

Religious Beliefs In South Sudan

Roman Catholic Christianity

In South Sudan, about 6.2 million people out of a population of over 16 million people or 37.2% of the population are Roman Catholic Christians. The Catholics in the country are part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope in Rome. South Sudan has one Ecclesiastical province with one archdiocese and six dioceses. Roman Catholic Christian missionaries came to Sudan in 1842 as part of the missionary work that was carried out in East Africa. They built schools and hospitals and improved the lives of the locals who were affiliated with the traditional religion. Due to the success of the missionary work, most of the locals abandoned their religion and joined the Roman Catholic leading to its spread and popularity. When South Sudan broke away from Sudan, the majority of the Catholics who were concentrated in Juba and the surrounding town chose to remain in South Sudan.

Episcopal Churches And Other Forms Of Christianity

The Anglicans through the Church Missionary Society entered into Sudan in 1899 converting tens of thousands through their missionary work and preaching. Currently, the Anglican Church represented by the Episcopal Church of Sudan is the second largest church in both Sudan and South Sudan after the Catholic Church. The United Presbyterian Church began its work in Sudan in 1900. The Presbyterian Church emerged from the Southern part of Sudan (the current South Sudan) as a result of the missionary work that was largely accepted in the South and opposed in the North. In the 20th century, several other missionary groups arrived in Sudan with most of their activities confined to the South including the Evangelicals, Sudanese Church of Christ, and the African Inland Church. These Christian groups account for 36.5% of South Sudans population.

Traditional African Beliefs and Animism

Before the coming of Missionaries to Sudan, most of the population practiced traditional belief and animism which involved belief in a creator, spirits, the power of the dead, use of magic, and traditional medicine. There were sacred places of worship like rivers, and forest and sacrifices were offered. Today, only 19% of the population practice traditional religions with the majority in the villages of South Sudan. However, their myths and beliefs are quickly fading away with the modern generation preferring other forms of religion like Islam or Christianity.

Other Forms of Religion in South Sudan

Apart from Christianity and African traditional beliefs, other minority religions in South Sudan include Islam. However, Islam is blamed for the segregation and hate that existed before South Sudan seceded from Sudan. 0.4% of South Sudanese are either atheist or irreligious, not subscribing to any of the above religions despite part of their families belonging to at least one of the faiths.
A family posted a shocking video to the Internet, showing their son crying out in pain as he underwent a circumcision.

The 10-year-old boy of Malaysia, went to a clinic with his parents to undergo a circumcision.

However, the doctor in Taman Cheras Utama, botched the surgery and accidentally cut off part of the penis.

The doctor used a laser scalpel to perform the circumcision.

The doctor informed the father of the accident and the boy was taken to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital before he was transferred to another hospital, where doctors were able to reattach it.

The furious father then filed a complaint with the police, who are investigating the incident.

The surgeon who performed the botched circumcision, has 21 years of experience in the field and he has a medical degree from Pakistan.

However, the clinic in which the surgery was performed, had been operating for 15 years without being registered with the Health Ministry.

The circumcision on the 10-year-old boy was done as part of the familyas tradition. Many times, boys gather in groups for the circumcision ceremony, which is seen as a rite of passage for them as they grow into adulthood.
Trenton Gardner at work

By: Chan Yuan WorldWideWeirdNews.com

(Scroll down for video) A young a determined boy begged the manager at a McDonalds to give him a job.

When he was told that he was too young, Trenton Gardner of Bicknell, Indiana, began to cry.

He eventually sweet talked his way into getting hired to wash tables.

Rhonda Butler, the McDonalds general manager, said that every time Gardner came in, he asked for a job.

aHe was very perseverant, every time he would come in, he asked aam I hired? Do I get a job? Can I start?aa Butler said.

The boy told Butler that he can make food or do any job they need him to do.

Butler eventually relented, and ahireda Gardner. She made him an honorary employee, complete with his own apron and hat, so he can work at the restaurant. His job was to wipe tables and the 7-year-old was so proud of himself.

The boy explained that he did not want the money for himself, instead, he uses his wages and tips to buy toys for Toys for Tots so underprivileged children can receive great gifts for Christmas.

His employers at the McDonaldas store also pitched in by donating toys to Toys for Tots.

aIf heas willing to work so hard at 7, I only imagine what heas going to be like when he gets older,a the boyas mother Lindsey Garner said.
Karen Klein and her family

By: Mahesh Sarin WorldWideWeirdNews.com

(Scroll down for video) A thoughtful professor managed to stay alive and help her family by eating twigs and drinking her own urine, according to police in Arizona.

47-year-old Karen Klein of Palmer Township, Pennsylvania, who is a biology professor at the Northampton Community College, ran into trouble during a sightseeing trip to the Grand Canyon.

Klein, her husband Eric, 47, and their 10-year-old son Isaac, were driving through the Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, when it began snowing.

When they reached the edge of the Grand Canyon National Park, things began to go downhill as the road got covered with snow.

Klein tried to turn around their rental car and drive back to Utah, but they became stuck in a ditch. Klein decided to walk back to the main road in order to get help, leaving her husband to care for their son Isaac.

When Klein got to the main road, she realized that it was shut down due to the snow. Since there was no chance to find anyone on the closed road, she decided to continue walking to get help.

After walking for many hours, Klein ran out of food and water.

She started eating twigs and drinking her own urine to stay hydrated. After walking 30 miles for 30 straight hours, she found an empty cabin and some blankets.

It was then that rescuers found her and the rest of her family.

Klein, her husband and their son were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for frostbite and released.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Steven Knight

It is a bit difficult to review Allied, primarily because it does not provoke any strong feelings one way or the other. This is the sort of film one watches if stuck on an airplane without reading matter for the flight. At the end of the two hours, the viewer does not know anything more (or less) about the world and goes about his or her business.

That is a pity because the period in which Allied is set, the Second World War, is a never-ending source of drama and storytelling. However, the artist has to have an inkling of what the war was about to have something profound and moving to say. Most of todays commercial films use history as essentially a backdrop and so the story, actors and special effects never coalesce into an artistically satisfying experience.

American director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) has brought to the screen the story of Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) a Royal Canadian Air Force intelligence officer parachuted into French Morocco during 1942. His mission is to link up with Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard), a member of the French Resistance, and assassinate the German ambassador in Casablanca.

They are to pose as husband and wife so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Germans and their Vichy French allies. In private, Max and Marianne make clear to one another that their mission is the prime objective and they cannot let personal feelings get in the way, but of course

If the reader does not want to have the plot ruined, the author would advise him or her to stop reading.

The pair complete their mission and settle down in Britain, where Marianne bears a child by Max. Then comes the bombshellMax learns from his superiors that Marianne may be a German agent and the real Marianne may have been killed in France. If Marianne is in fact an agent, then Max will be ordered personally to execute her, now his wife and the mother of his child. What will he do?

There is obvious talent at work here. Pitt and Cotillard are both gifted actors and do their best with the script provided. Therein lies the problem. We see Pitt and Cotillard do their best version of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, but the end result is nowhere near the same.

We never really understand why Max loves Mariannein fact, none of the characters are really developed. The plot itself is a bit problematic and something of an anti- Casablanca. In Michael Curtizs 1942 classic, Bogarts character ends up helping the Resistance and putting his personal feelings aside for a larger cause. The opposite nearly happens in Allied, as Max tries to smuggle Marianne out of the country when he learns of her true identity. (The film also brings to mind works like Victor Savilles The Dark Journey (1937), with Vivien Leigh and Conrad Veidt as World War I spiesand loversworking for France and Germany, respectively.)

There is a definite blandness to the proceedings and images, despite the shooting, exotic locales, and costumes. It is remarkable in 2016 how historically accurate filmmakers can render the settings and props, but the trick of telling a good and convincing story remains a problem. So, we are left with Pitt and Cotillard going at it emotionally for a good portion of the film, without much to show for their efforts.

Max and Marianne have their child under a rain of German bombs, but the Nazi blitz over London was largely done by mid-1941, well before the events in the film, which take place after 1942. However, the image of a child literally being born in the midst of the bombardment was apparently too much for Zemeckis to resist.

Then there is the obvious moral dilemma of not wanting to shoot your wife who is really a Nazi spy. This is the dramatic crux of the film and also its weakest element. Granted, Max and Marianne, given the nature of their work, are trained at lying and deception. However, how was it possible that Marianne did not do or say anything during their time together to alert Max to the possibility that something was amiss?

Accents and code words can easily be memorized by a spy, but political convictions are a different matter. It is hard to believe that Mariannes own motivations and beliefs could be kept entirely hidden for so long. Then, again, there are examples in history of spies assuming identities and keeping their true selves hidden from family and coworkers for years and decades. At any rate, this question is not seriously explored in Allied.

The closest we get to anything like this occurs when Marianne complains to Max in their new home in England that he is spending too much time away from her. She asks what it is thats so important as to keep him away, and he responds, the liberation of your country.

This is not the occasion to get into the history of the second imperialist World War. Contrary to the Hollywood mythology incorporated into many films, this was not a war for democracy or liberation, although masses of people who fought in it thought it was.

It is in keeping with his overall career, marked by conventionality and predictability, that Zemeckis passes on the official view of the war and everything associated with it. His Forrest Gump (1994) was one of the most abject celebrations of conformism made in the last several decades. Zemeckiss endeavors tend to fail largely due his uncritical acceptance of the ideological and artistic limits imposed on him.
Last Wednesday, Amalgamated Transit Workers Union Locals 241 and 308 organized a day of action in protest against a proposed contract that includes no raises, an 18 percent increase in health insurance premiums, unlimited subcontracting of transit work, and the cutting of two holidays. Nearly 10,000 workers, employed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), have been working without a contract for a year.

Working conditions are a major point of contention. Both rail operators and bus drivers can face long shifts and work weeks well over 40 hours, with little time off between shifts. A culture of heavy-handed discipline exists, where a mistake no longer results in retraining, but instead, dismissal. This has led to short staffing, work overload, and low morale.

The action, union officials stated, was taken on workers own time and intended not to disrupt any transit service ahead of the Christmas holiday. At one of the three protests on December 21, ATU business manager and president Kenneth Franklin declared, Lets put the pressure on our coworkers to get them involved. Weve got to get out of that lazy, stagnant mood weve been sitting in for years.

In so far as there is a lack of enthusiasm from rank-and-file workers it is entirely due to the decades of collusion by the ATU in the erosion of transit workers living standards and work conditions.

Having long ago taken the measure of the ATU and the other municipal unions, Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the CTA officials are pressing ahead for deeper concessions even as they shower tax cuts and other subsidies on big business.

According to CTA officials, the transit agency is offering a 2 percent raise, which means a de facto pay cut for workers in one of the most expensive cities in America. CTA also calls the current policy of paid time off for birthdays and work anniversary hiring days as a practice held over from a bygone era.

Exhibiting more contempt, CTA President Dorval R. Carter stated that The operators here at CTA are the second highest paid in the country, while the Chicago Tribune wrote recently that Labor is the agencys biggest cost at 69 percent of the 2017 budget. This suggests that CTA will demand further cutbacks in pay and benefits.

CTA has stated its negotiators have met with ATU more than 20 times since January 2016, and that negotiations have been productive. Yet the previous contract expired on December 31, 2015. Since then, workers have continued to labor under the terms of the old contract.

Throughout the country, transit workers, including more than 30,000 in New York City, are facing major contract struggles. Bus drivers in Dayton, Ohio, members of ATU Local 1385, have voted to strike in the first half of January over wages and cuts to health care. However, the ATU and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) are allied with the Democratic Party and have worked to block any resistance by workers to the austerity measures being demanded by big city Democrats and the Obama administration.

Earlier in December, ATU local 589 in Boston offered to negotiate concessions on pay within its contract, before it even expired. In 2015, ATU Local 26 in Detroit agreed to a new contract that continued poverty wages for Detroit bus drivers, with starting pay of only $12 an hour. In November, the TWU shut down a strike by 5,000 Philadelphia transit workers to prevent any disruption of the get-out-the-vote campaign for Hillary Clinton, and then imposed a sellout agreement that slashed pensions. This only points to what the ATU is preparing in Chicago.

Chicago Transit Authority employs more than 9,800 workers. Local 241 covers bus drivers across the city, while local 308 covers rail operators, ticket agents, maintenance personnel, cleaners, and additional trades.

Bus drivers report that under Forest Claypool, now head of Chicago Public Schools, a crackdown was carried out against employees that used Requested Days Off, pushing workers to instead use sick days and work more overtime. Staffing is said to be increasingly short, as turnover increases.

Transit agencies are not covered by federal labor laws regarding hours-of-service, and are free to set their own standards. As heavy discipline and poor working conditions lead to staff turnover, CTAs response demands more overtime, which avoids the costs of benefits with new hires. Drivers and operators already working 50, 60, or even 70 hours each week will have shorter rest periods and potentially more disruptive schedules under the proposed contract.

In 2014, a wreck that occurred when a rail operator drifted to sleep operating a Blue Line train revealed some of the scheduling employees endure. The CTA enacted rule changes for rail operators afterwards, which included some of the first restraints on scheduling. There is now a maximum of 12 hours of train-operating duty, when before there was no limit. Just one day off a week is mandatory. Previously, nothing was guaranteed. The minimum hours between shifts increased from 8 to 10 hours, but if shifting work times are allowed, rest may still be hard to come by for operators.

As workers reach nearly a year without a contract, national freight railroad workers are also undergoing a drawn out contract negotiation, where similar demands for lower labor and benefit costs and increased flexibility are being demanded. Chicago is the most concentrated region of freight rail employees, with thousands of workers from nearly all of the national major railroads. The unions are opposed to any joint struggle against the common attacks facing transit and rail workers.
Russian investigators have yet to determine what caused a passenger plane belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry to crash into the Black Sea only two minutes after it took off from the airport in the southwest resort town of Sochi on Sunday. All 92 passengers and crew members on board were killed in the crash. As of Tuesday 12 bodies had been recovered.

Search and rescue teams located fragments of the plane only 1.5 kilometers from the coast of Sochi and at a depth of 50 to 70 meters below the surface of the sea.

The Tupolev Tu-154 was carrying 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian military, known popularly as the Red Army Choir. They were traveling to perform at a Christmas celebration for Russian troops stationed at the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, Syria.

Among the others who died in the crash were nine Russian journalists, eight military officials and Elizaveta Glinka, the founder of the Russian NGO Spravedlivaya Pomoshch (Fair Aid), who was traveling to Syria to deliver medical supplies to Tishreen University Hospital in Latakia.

While investigators have not ruled out terrorism, they have so far downplayed the possibility that the plane was brought down by a bomb or missile, instead focusing on mechanical failure, low-quality fuel, or pilot error as a cause of the crash.

According to the New York Times, the plane was built in 1983 and underwent repairs in 2014. The pilot was reportedly well-experienced with the plane, clocking at least 1,900 hours flying time on Tu-154s.

The airplanes main black box flight data recorder was recovered on Tuesday and flown to Moscow for analysis. According to a report by LifeNews, the pilot of the plane can be heard on the black box recording shouting the flaps, damn it! and then, Commander, were going down! Two additional flight data recorders have been located but have yet to be recovered from the sea.

A report by Interfax quoted an anonymous source reportedly close to the investigation stating that analysis of the black box data points to pilot error. The preliminary analysis of the flight recorder is complete, the source stated. It leads us to conclude that that the version of the catastrophe connected to mistakes made by the pilot of the aircraft, is the main version.

The Tu-154 is a medium range narrow body jet first designed in the mid-1960s. It was once used widely for domestic travel throughout the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.

Russias chief airline, Aeroflot, retired the use of the Tu-154 in January 2010 after more than 40 years of service. While it has been phased out by commercial airlines, the plane is still used by Russian government agencies.

The Tu-154 was listed by airlineratings.com in 2013 as one of the 10 least safe passenger aircrafts still being flown. There have been at least 16 crashes and incidents involving Tu-154 aircraft in the last 15 years.

Among the most notable crashes is the April 10, 2010 crash of a Tu-154 belonging to the Polish Air Force near Smolensk. All 96 people on board, including then President of Poland Lech Kaczynski and other leading members of Polands government and military, were killed during an attempted landing in heavy fog. The crash was ultimately attributed to pilot error.

All Tu-154s were permanently grounded in Iran in 2011 following several high-profile incidents including the crash of Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 in July 2009, in which all 153 passengers and 15 crew died. The plane crashed approximately 16 minutes after takeoff due to a mechanical failure in one of its engines following a bird strike, sparking a fire in the tail section.

The Ukrainian military shot down a Tu-154, Siberian Airlines Flight 1812, over the Black Sea approximately 190km southwest of Sochi in October, 2001 as it was en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk. Investigators determined that the plane was blown apart by an S-200 missile, killing all 78 people on board. Ukrainian officials initially denied responsibility, but later admitted that one of their missiles hit the passenger jet after it veered off course during a military exercise in Crimea.
Christmas Day passed with President Obama ignoring appeals by more than 100 advocacy organizations that co-signed a letter urging him to shield up to 200,000 lawful permanent residents from deportation by the incoming Trump administration.

Administration spokesmen have indicated that there is no change in the position adopted last month, when the White House refused an earlier appeal from three members of the House of Representatives, all Democrats, that Obama issue a pardon for 750,000 young people who have received temporary deferrals of deportation under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama executive order.

The last official pronouncement from the White House came at a December 2 press briefing by deputy Obama spokesman Eric Schultz, who was pressed by reporters on the prospect that youth who registered under DACA could find the information they submitted being used by the Trump administration to deport them.

Schultz said, Again, youll have to speak to the next administration about how they want to do this. I know that some of their representatives in interviews have been answeringoffering questions. I dont think theyve made any decisions yet based on public reports.

In reference to the pardons, he continued, This is a process that starts at the Department of Justice. We have a well-established process for this, so I dont have any new ones to announce for you at this time.

The letter from the immigrants rights groups urges Obama to use his pardon power to exempt from deportation proceedings the 200,000 green-card holders, or permanent residents, who have old or minor criminal convictions, such as drug possession and subway fare evasion. Last month, President-elect Trump publicly declared his intent to deport all immigrants with criminal recordswhich would include legal as well as undocumented immigrantsin an interview on CBS Newss 60 Minutes.

Obama cannot issue pardons of the minor criminal convictions themselves, because these are offenses against state rather than federal law. But he could remove the prospect of the state convictions becoming the pretext for legal jeopardy under federal immigration policies, although he has shown no interest in doing so.

The Obama administration has rejected previous appeals from advocacy groups and congressional Democrats to use the pardon power to grant protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.

Since 2012, more than 750,000 young people have voluntarily paid fees and submitted fingerprints, addresses, background checks, and other personally identifiable information to the federal government in order to receive a reprieve from deportation for two years on a renewable basis, under DACA, a program established by executive order. These youth are also known as DREAMers from the DREAM act, which would have given them legal status but failed to pass Congress.

The families of DACA recipients and their advocates fear that the information submitted by the youths will be used by the incoming Trump administration to fast-track their deportation. Trump has vowed to rescind every single Obama executive order on his first day in office, which would include DACA.

The Department of Homeland Security now has fingerprints, home addresses, and other information to identify these DREAMers, wrote three Democratic representatives in a letter sent to the Obama Administration on November 17. DREAMers face uncertainty, fear and stress, leading to psychological issues including depression, anxiety and an increased risk of suicide. Indeed, we have received reports of DREAMers who have taken their own lives as they are now facing the threat posed by the incoming President.

Nancy Kelly, co-managing director of the Harvard Immigrant and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC), told the Washington Post that the HIRC is recommending that DACA recipients who have already registered should renew their reprieves before Trump takes office, but that for those who have never applied, were advising that the risk is probably too high for them to do so now. The oldest DACA recipients are now in their late twenties, and few have any memory of the countries they fear they will be deported to.

The White House released a statement in response to the California Democrats letter just hours after it was published, avoiding the issue of a blanket pardon and hiding behind a legalistic formulation that applies to individual pardon requests: As a general matter, we do not comment on the likelihood of whether a specific pardon may be granted, should one be requested. The statement continued, in a further disavowal, only Congress can create legal status for undocumented individuals.

Cecilia Munoz, director of the White Houses Domestic Policy Council, in an interview with the Center for Migration Studies, alleged that the pardon authority of the president was meant for criminal violations, not civil violations like those concerning immigration law. The California Democrats letter cited a 1920 Supreme Court ruling affirming that the President had authority to pardon all offenses, not only criminal offenses.

There is ample precedent for a blanket pardon for a large group of people in legal jeopardy. President Jimmy Carter issued such a pardon on his first day in office, January 21, 1977, for all those involved in offenses against draft registration laws during the Vietnam War.

It is a measure of how far to the right the Democratic Party has moved over the past four decades that the current Democratic president is so brazenly indifferent to the fate of nearly 1 million people.

A second open letter was sent to the Obama Administration on December 7 and endorsed by 64 House Democrats. It reiterated the fact that the Constitution does not limit presidential pardons to criminal offenses, and warned that a pardon would be critical and that the promotion of social stability was a shared goal, especially at a time when fear and uncertainty in our communities is at an all-time high.

A separate open letter written by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and co-signed by the mayors of 14 other cities was sent to Donald Trump, urging the president-elect to continue DACA and arguing that ending the program would disrupt the American economy, as well as our national security and public safety.

Democratic Senator Richard Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham have announced plans to introduce the BRIDGE Act, a bill that would protect DACA recipients from deportation for three years. The senators will introduce the bill early next year, after lawmakers return from the holidays.

The concern of the mayors, congressmen and senators, including some Republicans as well as Democrats, is that a program of mass deportations on the scale threatened by Trump could produce mass resistance and direct clashes between local residents and federal immigration agents, backed by local and state police forces.

DACA was established as part of a policy memorandum written by the previous secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano. Consequently, it can be terminated by anyone who assumes the secretarys office, without even the need for an executive order from the president. Trumps pick for secretary of homeland security is retired Marine Corps general John Kelly, the former head of the US Southern Command, which oversees US military operations in Central and South America. As commander of the US Southern Command, Kelly defended the use of torture at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and collaborated with Mexico and other Central American countries to clamp down on migration of asylum seekers.

Trumps pick for attorney general, Jeff B. Sessions, is a self-confessed nativist and a former federal prosecutor, and has consistently backed the dismemberment of democratic rights, calling for the repeal of any restrictions on mass surveillance on a global scale and opposing the release of any prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. As attorney general, Sessions would have complete control over immigration courts, with the ability to set the standards for the hiring of immigration judges, revise the training and guidelines judges receive on how to interpret the law, and cut law enforcement funds to localities that go against the grain of his hard-line stance on immigration.

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the US. At least 9 million people live in mixed-status families, which have members that are undocumented or whose visas have expired. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are 1.9 million immigrants, both documented and undocumented, who have committed crimes that render them deportable under current law. The Migration Policy Institute, a think tank in Washington, concluded that 820,000 of those convicted are undocumented.

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Flatly defying last weeks United Nations Security Council resolution, the Israeli government has announced that it will move ahead with thousands of new homes in East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the occupied West Bank territories seized by force nearly 50 years ago in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Jerusalems municipal government was expected to approve more than 600 housing units in East Jerusalem at a meeting today, in what the citys deputy mayor, who is in charge of the zoning authority, called a first installment on 5,600 new homes.

We remain unfazed by the UN vote, or by any other entity that tries to dictate what we do in Jerusalem, Meir Turgeman told the Israel Hayom newspaper. I hope the Israeli government and the new US administration will support us so we can make up for the lack [of construction] during the eight years of the Obama administration.

Despite this disparaging reference to Obama, the Zionist program of expansion in Palestinian territories moved ahead by leaps and bounds during his presidency. The Jewish population of East Jerusalem rose from 194,000 when Obama took office in 2009 to 208,000 by the end of 2014, an increase that is small only by comparison with the expansion of settlements in the West Bank proper, whose settler population skyrocketed from 297,000 to 386,000. The combined increase in the two areas is more than 100,000, nearly 21 percent.

The conflict between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government has intensified throughout this period, with Washington clearly regarding its client state as engaging in unwarranted meddling in broader Middle East policy, particularly Netanyahus vehement opposition to the nuclear agreement with Iran. The Israeli leader took the unprecedented step of going to Washington without a White House invitation and addressing a joint session of Congress to declare his hostility to the deal.

Last week, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, abstained rather than vetoing a Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It was the first time since 1979 that the UN Security Council adopted a resolution critical of Israeli settlement policy. Every attempt since then has been blocked by a US veto.

Despite the subsequent furor, Resolution 2334 is completely toothless, lacking any enforcement mechanism. If Clinton rather than Trump were preparing to assume the presidency, there is little doubt that the White House would have instructed Power to veto the resolution. The abstention is a cynical effort to posture as evenhanded under conditions where Washington remains the principal financial, military and diplomatic sponsor of Israeli aggression and oppression of the Palestinians.

The Netanyahu government responded to the passage of the resolution, by a 14-0 vote with only the US abstaining, by immediately downgrading diplomatic relations with 12 of the countries voting for it. Two more, Venezuela and Malaysia, have no diplomatic ties with Israel.

Israeli officials summoned the ambassadors of the 12 countries for a tongue-lashing by Netanyahu, including the representatives of such powers as Russia, China, Britain, France, Japan and Spain. Netanyahu also cancelled a scheduled visit by the prime minister of Ukraine and summoned home Israeli ambassadors to Senegal and New Zealand, two of the resolutions cosponsors.

Netanyahu and his ambassador to Washington, former Republican Party operative Ron Dermer, went further in assailing the Obama administration, declaring that the US State Department had actually engineered the resolution and insured its passage, and claiming that they had nonpublic information to prove the charge. Dermer said he would share this evidence with the new US administration after Donald Trump becomes president on January 20.

In his formal statement, Netanyahu declared, The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes, adding, Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution.

The extraordinary and unprecedented vitriol of Netanyahus attacks on Obama, despite the token character of the UN resolution, can only mean that he knows he has the support of the incoming administration for a major shift in policy toward the Palestinians living in the occupied territories. Netanyahu has been under increasing pressure from ultranationalist elements among the settlers, spearheaded by his coalition partner Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party, who are demanding the outright annexation of large portions of the West Bank, scrapping the pretense of a two-state solution in which the Palestinian Authority would become the internationally recognized government of a West Bank puppet state.

In the American media, this new direction was indicated in an op-ed column in the Wall Street Journal by John Bolton, the UN Ambassador during the George W. Bush administration who is a foreign policy adviser to Trump and may obtain a top position in the new administration. He claimed that the two-state solution was dead as of January 20 and should be replaced by what he called a three-state solution, in which Gaza was turned over to the Egyptian military dictatorship, parts of the West Bank were turned over to Jordan, and the rest annexed to Israel. Bolton did not spell out the fate of the Palestinians in the annexed territory, but Israeli extremists have called for their outright expulsion to Jordan or other Arab countries.

Trump has selected as the next US ambassador to Israel an individual very much in sympathy with such plans for a form of ethnic cleansing on the West Bank. David Friedman is the real estate billionaires personal bankruptcy lawyer. He has no diplomatic experience, but a long record as a fundraiser for West Bank settlements. Friedman has repeatedly denounced the two-state solution and advocated moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something Trump has pledged to do as president.

Such a shift in policy would find widespread support in the US political establishment among Democrats as well as Republicans. Fully one-third of the Democratic caucus in the Senate15 out of 45have already sided with Netanyahu and Trump against the refusal of the Obama administration to veto the UN resolution.

Topping the list was the incoming minority leader, Charles Schumer, joined by Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Corey Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Mark Warner of Virginia and nine others. Only two Democratic senators issued statements supporting the administration.

Trump spelled out his opposition to Obamas refusal to veto the UN resolution in a Twitter statement warning that US policy would change after January 20. This follows a pattern since the election, in which Trump has broken radically with the tradition that the President-elect avoids public clashes with the White House, particularly on foreign policy, based on the maxim that the United States has one president at a time.

Besides repudiating Obamas actions on Israeli settlements, Trump has repudiated a 40-year-old policy on Taiwan, the One China policy that concedes Beijings sovereignty over the island, and he has effectively repudiated a decades-old US policy of reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles, indicating his desire to engage in a new arms race.

As with his pronouncements on China policy and nuclear weapons, Trumps intervention into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has the most incendiary implications. The two-state solution was the preferred policy of American imperialism for many decades, not because it offered a viable alternative to the Palestinians, but because it was a necessary political cover for the reactionary Arab monarchies and military dictatorships allied with the United States.

The essence of the foreign policy of the billionaire Trump, the personification of the American financial oligarchy, is to dispense with such diplomatic maneuvers and formulations in favor of unbridled bullying and military violence carried out unilaterally by the United States against all of its foreign rivals. It is a formula that leads directly to regional warsin the Middle East, in Africa, in the Far Eastand ultimately to World War III.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, accompanied by President Obama, made a highly symbolic visit yesterday to the site of the Japanese air attack at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago that marked the beginning of World War II in the Pacific. More than 2,400 American personnel were killed in what was a major blow against the US Pacific fleet.

Billed as a great show of reconciliation between wartime enemies, the wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona, the battleship sunk in the attack, was not about peace and goodwill but rather was in preparation for new wars amid rising tensions in the Asia Pacific with China.

In carefully crafted comments, Abe acknowledged those killed in the attack but made no formal apology. I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, he said, as well as to the spirits of those who lost their lives in the subsequent war in the Pacific.

Obama similarly made no apology in May for the tens of thousands of civilians killed in the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima when he became the first American president to visit that city.

Speaking yesterday, Obama declared that the US and Japan chose friendship and they chose peace after the war and described their post-war military alliance as the cornerstone of peace and civility in the Asian-Pacific and a force for progress around the globe.

Neither Obama nor Abe could speak of the inter-imperialist rivalry that gave rise to the Pacific War and to the atrocities on both sides that resulted.

For the United States, the Japanese raid on December 7 1941 on Pearl Harbor, the major US naval base in the Pacific, has always been described as an unprovoked sneak attack and featured strongly in wartime propaganda.

In reality, the path for war had been set months before as the US laid down ultimatums to Japan to pull out of China in an intensifying struggle for domination in Asia. Japan, which had already colonised Korea in 1910, invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937.

To back up its demands, the US imposed a succession of economic sanctions on Japan culminating in an oil embargo in August 1941. Lacking access to oil, the militarist regime in Tokyo confronted the options of complete capitulation or going to war against a far more economically powerful adversary.

Japan launched the all-out attack on the US naval stronghold in the Pacific, followed by lightning offensives to seize British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or Indonesia, in the hope of a short war and a quick peace.

The conflict in the Pacific was no surprise to Washington. By November 1941, the US had broken the code for the Japanese foreign ministrys cables, was well aware that Japan would reject the ultimatum to leave China and that war was inevitable.

Moreover, at least one American historian, John Toland, has claimed that the US had broken the crucial Japanese naval codes and thus was aware of the impending attack on Pearl Harbor. The loss of American lives provided the necessary pretext for US President Roosevelt to silence domestic anti-war sentiment and declare war on Japan.

The United States emerged from the war as the unchallenged imperialist power in the Pacific, established massive military bases on Okinawa and in Japan and forged its Cold War alliance with Tokyo. Far from bringing peace and civility to Asia, Washington and its allies fought two bloody warsin Korea and Vietnamto ensure its hegemony as well as engineering coups and backing military dictatorships throughout the region.

Far from entering a new period of peace, today the region is wracked by intensifying tensions and rivalries that are similar to those of the 1930s. During his terms in office, Obama has initiated and expanded his pivot to Asiaa diplomatic, economic and military strategy aimed at ensuring US domination over China, which, following capitalist restoration, has transformed into the worlds largest manufacturing hub and second largest economy.

The election of Donald Trump as president has heightened the uncertainly throughout the region. He has promised to pull out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the economic spearhead of the US pivot, to which Abe had been committed and threatened to abrogate the US-Japan Security Treaty unless Tokyo bears the full cost of American military bases.

At the same time, Trump is preparing trade war measures against China and has declared that he will not feel bound by the One China policy without concessions by Beijing on trade and other issues. Under the One China policy, which has been the linchpin of US-China relations for more than three decades, Washington recognised Beijing as the sole legitimate ruler of all China, including the island of Taiwan.

Beijing has responded by ramping up its military presence in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Over the past week, the Chinese navy has deployed its only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, along with five other war ships, to the dangerous flashpoint, claiming its right to freedom of navigation in response to the US naval build-up in the area.

Abes trip to Pearl Harbor, which was prepared months in advance, is certainly a signal to the incoming Trump administration that Tokyo is seeking to maintain its alliance with Washington. Abe was also the first major leader to meet Trump in the wake of his victory.

At the same time, Abe, who assumed office in 2012, has been remilitarising Japan by boosting military spending and loosening the constitutional and legal restraints on the Japanese armed forces. While nominally to strengthen Japans capacity to support the US militarily, the Abe government is intent on ensuring that Japanese imperialism is able to prosecute its own economic and strategic interests by force if needed.

No one should be taken in by the hypocritical pronouncements by Abe and Obama yesterday at Pearl Harbor. Under conditions of the breakdown of post-World War II structures, inter-imperialist tensions and rivalries are rapidly emerging again, in Asia in Europe.

The two present alliesthe US and Japancould once again find themselves at loggerheads over who is going to exercise dominion over Asia and unleash a war that would be far more devastating than the one that claimed the lives of millions seven decades ago.
Heightened tensions between Washington and Manila escalated further on Tuesday, as Philippine Speaker of the House Pantaleon Alvarez announced that the legislature would be opening a public investigation of a blueprint allegedly drawn up by the US embassy for the overthrow of the Duterte government. The plot, which was reported in a front-page exclusive by the ManilaTimes on Monday, is a response not to Dutertes war on drugs but to his increasing geopolitical ties with Beijing.

Manila Times editor-in-chief Dante Ang cited a document, which he claimed had been supplied by an anonymous highly placed source, and had been written by former US ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg. While rumors of military coups are a dime a dozen in the Philippines, the scenario and details documented by the Times are not only plausible, but quite likely accurate.

Since he took office at the end of June, Duterte has in a rapid and volatile fashion sought to restore economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing. Relations had been badly damaged by the tensions created by his predecessor Benigno Aquino, who functioned as a leading proxy of the Obama administrations pivot to Asia.

At the same time, Duterte has been taking steps toward military dictatorship under the guise of his war on drugs, which has seen the murder of over 6,000 impoverished Filipinos, labeled by the police, military and vigilantes as suspects.

Washington initially funded and supported this murderous campaign, but as Duterte increasingly failed to toe Washingtons line in confronting China in the South China Sea, the White House began to invoke concern over human rights to pressure his government back into line. Duterte responded to each of these threats in a vulgar and unhinged manner, denouncing the United States and threatening to sever ties. His cabinet has always sought to soften or gainsay his words, but at every turn relations between Manila and Washington have soured.

Duterte has expressed open enthusiasm for President-elect Donald Trump, who in a seven-minute phone call at the beginning of December endorsed Dutertes bloody suppression of the population. Trumps support for Dutertes campaign of mass murder does not, however, resolve the underlying geopolitical tensions, and, in the wake of the phone call, relations have continued to worsen.

Duterte boasted in several speeches in mid-December that he had personally killed several drug suspects, shooting some and throwing others out of helicopters. UN Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Raad al Hussein announced on December 19 that these admissions clearly constitute murder and that the UN would be launching investigative and judicial proceedings against Duterte. Duterte staged a press conference the next day in which he directly addressed al-Hussein, You do not talk to me like that, you son of a bitch. You go and file a complaint in the United Nations. I will burn down the United Nations if you want. I will burn it down if I go to America.

At the same time, the US government aid agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, deferred its vote until May 2017 on a renewal of the $433 million aid package for the Philippines subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.

Duterte responded on December 17 that Washington should prepare for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The VFA provides the legal framework for the basing of US forces in the country under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and its abrogation is a red line whose violation Washington will not tolerate.

On December 19, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua made an unannounced visit to the presidential palace of Malacanang during which he extended an offer to Duterte of a soft-loan of $500 million in addition to $14 million worth of military equipment. Duterte declared that he would set aside the ruling against China's territorial claims in the South China Sea handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague earlier this year, and was interested in pursuing joint oil exploration with China in the South China Sea.

That afternoon, Duterte delivered a speech attended by the newly appointed US ambassador to Manila Sung Kim, responding to the US deferment of aid payment. He told the ambassador to shut up, shut up. I do not need your assistance  China is going to release to me 50 billion, go home, I do not need your aid.

It is in this heated context that the Manila Times revealed that Ambassador Goldberg had drawn up a blueprint for the ouster of Duterte. According to the report, Goldberg outlined a list of strategies to remove Duterte from office within a timetable of one-and-a-half years. He called for Washington to launch a series of socio-economic-political-diplomatic moves against Duterte to bring him to his knees and eventually remove him from office, while supporting and promoting the political opposition behind Vice President Leni Robredo, of the opposition Liberal Party of Aquino.

The blueprint made no mention of concern over Dutertes war on drugs, but stated that Dutertes political allies are privately concerned over his shift in foreign policy. Central among these allies is former President Fidel Ramos, who was crucial to Dutertes election victory, but has distanced himself from Duterte in the wake of tensions with Washington.

Both the US Embassy in Manila and US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel issued statements denying the Manila Times report. Russel declared that These allegations of a blueprint are false. No such blueprint exists.

The Manila Times account, however, is quite credible. Washington does not tolerate violations of its geopolitical interests, but draws up plans for coups, ousters and assassinations, and this is in fact Goldbergs specialty. He was kicked out of Bolivia in 2008 for plotting the ouster of President Evo Morales while serving as US ambassador to the country. In 2010 he became assistant secretary of state for Intelligence, responsible for the State Departments interface with the CIA, NSA and other US intelligence agencies.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay held a radio interview on December 28 in which he declared that I would not put such activity past Goldberg  I do not take this threat lightly. [This is] a serious matter we have to dig deeper into.

Speaker of the House Alvarez announced that he would launch a public investigation of the alleged US ouster plot with the opening of the new session of the legislature on January 16. It is going to be a public hearing, and all sectors, personalities concerned and mentioned in the report will be invited, Alvarez said.

Vice President Robredo, who resigned from the Duterte cabinet in protest against his policies, is emerging as the central opposition figure. She is currently on a vacation of unspecified duration in the United States. A significant portion of the funding for the political opposition comes from Filipino American billionaire Loida Nicolas Lewis, who for the past six years bankrolled the anti-China organizations and protests in the Philippines.

According to the Manila Times, the Goldberg document recognized that the two pillars of support for the Duterte presidency were law and order elementsthe military and police, on the one hand, and the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on the other. Goldberg called for undermining this base of support by exacerbating tensions between the two groups.

The loyalty of the top military brass in the Philippines is to the Pentagon, far more than it is to the Malacanangthe presidential palace. The ties of the generals and colonels in the Philippine military to Washington date back to the days of US colonial rule in the country, and have been fostered through each successive new cohort with training and funding. Duterte has sought to secure the loyalty of the military by giving them carte blanche powers through the war on drugs, and by doubling the salaries of rank-and-file soldiers.

He has at the same time received the support of the Maoist CPP and its front organizations. When questioned about the threat of being ousted from office, Duterte declared that he was secure because the CPP will die for me.

The Communist Party of the Philippines has been intimately involved with Duterte for decades, and supported him during his years in office as mayor of Davao City in the southern Philippines. Members and ex-members of their armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA), served as gunmen in his death squads. With his election to the presidency, he invited them to appoint several of their members to serve in his cabinet. The CPP installed his secretaries of Social Welfare, Agrarian Reform, Anti-Poverty Commission and assistant secretary of Labor.

On December 26, the CPP celebrated its 48th anniversary, and leading representatives of the Duterte administration attended and addressed the proceedings, including Secretary of the Interior, Mike Sueno. Luis Jalandoni, a long-time head of the party declared that while the CPP would only die for the people, they were a strong ally of the administration and would protect it from coup plots. The next round of peace talks between the Duterte administration and the CPP will be held in Rome on January 18.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and Deeside Workers Action Committee (DWAC) held an important public meeting on December 18 at the Hindu Cultural Hall in Upcot in Sri Lankas central plantation district.

The event, which was attended by plantation workers, teachers and youth, was called to discuss the recent collective agreement between the plantation unions and employers. The agreement is a fundamental attack on this key section of the Sri Lankan working classover 200,000 peopleundermining hard won gains and opening the way for the future transformation of plantation workers into share croppers.

SEP and DWAC members campaigned extensively among plantation workers and youth in the Upcot and Maskeliya areas in the days prior to the meeting. Thousands of copies of the WSWS article Sri Lankan unions agree to impose share-cropper system on plantation workers exposing the union-employers deal were distributed.

A worker from Brownswick estate in Maskeliya told WSWS reporters: All the unions have collaborated with management to impose increased workloads on us. Although unions said our daily wages would be increased up to 730 rupees, we now realise this was a lie and not paid to those who failed to reach the daily tea plucking target of 18 kilograms. That target was increased from 16 kilograms two years ago with the collaboration of unions.

A worker from Alton estate said that estate management had stopped maintaining workers line rooms, the drainage systems and other basic facilities. What the SEP says is correct, he said. All unions have betrayed us and so we are not voting for any of them in the future.

This new [proposed share-cropping] system will impose real burdens because our work fields are located some distance from our homes, in some cases a few kilometres away. How can we maintain tea bushes assigned to us under those conditions? We will also have to protect these fields in the night.

Chairing the December 18 public meeting, K. Kantheepan, a member of the SEP and the DWAC, said that the event was a significant turning point in the fight to defend plantation workers rights.

The workers have revolted against the unions which betrayed their wage struggle and imposed a collective agreement that has increased daily work targets and implemented a new wage system tied to productivity.

In deciding to build an action committee, Kantheepan said, Deeside workers have given conscious political expression to this rebellion against the unions and provided a way forward for an independent movement of the working class to defend their jobs, wages and working conditions.

Kapila Fernando, convenor of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the SEPs youth movement, told the meeting that working people and youth could not win their democratic and social rights without a struggle against the capitalist profit system.

The trade unions, along with the Inter University Student Federation, which dominates student struggles, are falsely claiming that workers and students can gain their rights by exerting pressure on the government 

In every country, the ruling elites are attacking the jobs and living conditions of the working class and cutting social facilities such as education and health that were won through decades of bitter struggle.

Fernando noted that plantation workers and youths are deprived of the most basic health facilities and said: Only very small numbers of students from the plantations sit for ordinary and advance level [university entrance] exams. It is very rare for plantation workers children to attend university. The speaker said that the trade unions and the student unions had abandoned any fight for those basic social rights and urged youth attending the meeting to join IYSSE.

Addressing the gathering, a female worker and a DWAC member reviewed the difficult social conditions confronting Deeside tea estate employees. The workers live in old line rooms without basic amenities, including sufficient numbers of toilets and water outlets. Our monthly income is not enough to manage our expenses because prices are sky-rocketing and it is difficult to provide a proper education for our children, she explained.

The trade unions betrayed our wage struggle and now estate management has increased daily tea-plucking targets by two kilograms. I decided to join the action committee because of these conditions, the speaker said, and appealed to other plantation workers to build action committees in their respective estates.

SEP political committee member M. Thevarajah told the meeting that the formation of an action committee at the Deeside estate was a result of the SEPs support for the Deeside workers and their struggle against company demands for increased productivity and estate management attacks on democratic rights (see: Sri Lanka: Reinstate victimised Deeside plantation workers!).

Thevarajah explained how Deeside management and the police, with the collaboration of the unions, witch-hunted Deeside workers who took the initiative to fight the increased workloads. Only the SEP fought to defend the Deeside workers while the unions shamelessly revealed themselves as agents of the plantation companies and the government, Thevarajah said.

The speaker said that the attacks on the Deeside workers were part of a global social counterrevolution against the working class in every country by international finance capital.

The tea and rubber industries are in a severe crisis with a continuous decline in export incomes and competition accelerating between all tea-producing countries. That is why plantation companies in Sri Lanka have decided to bring about a productivity-based wage system to cut costs.

The collective agreement signed in October is a prelude to implementation of this system. The trade unions have conspired with the companies and the government to impose this on estate workers, he said.

Thevarajah explained how the government was attempting to off-load Sri Lankas deepening economic crisis onto the backs of the working class.

In line with the economic reforms dictated by the International Monetary Fund, the government has decided to restructure the plantation sector, destroying tens of thousands of jobs. It will brutally suppress workers opposition to those measures.

The unprecedented level of state repression unleashed by the government against the recent strike of Hambantota port workers for defending their jobs is warning to the whole working class, the speaker said.

Thevarajah told the meeting the Sri Lankan government had lined up behind Washingtons imperialist war plans against China and that the election of Donald Trump as US president increased the danger of a third world war. Such a war, he continued, would involve nuclear weapons and be catastrophic for mankind.

The international working class, he said, is the only force that can prevent such a disaster through the building of an international anti-war movement based on an international socialist program. Only the International Committee of the Fourth International and its Internet organ, the World Socialist Web Site, are fighting to build such a movement.

Thevarajah explained that Sri Lankan workers could only defend their rights as part of the fight for a workers and peasants government based on socialist policies. Such a government, he continued, would place the basic industries, including the plantations, under workers control.

This struggle, he concluded, had to be part of a broader struggle for socialism in South Asia and internationally and appealed to all those at the meeting to join the SEP and build it as the mass revolutionary party of the working class.

A lively question and answer session followed the main speakers. A female worker from Alton estate in Upcot agreed with the necessity to form workers action committees. She told the meeting that nearly 40 workers had left the unions at her estate after the recent wage struggle but, under immense pressure had rejoined the unions. She asked how workers could be protected from this coercion.

SEP and DWAC speakers explained that the only way to combat this pressure was by explaining the record of the unions and actively organising workers as an independent political force on the basis of a socialist and internationalist perspective. The purpose of building action committees was to educate workers in this political struggle, the speakers said.

A teacher asked why the speakers paid more attention to international issues rather than the immediate problems of plantation workers. Thevarajah explained that the working class was an international class and could not build a political movement to fight defend its rights within one country and without an understanding of world economy and world politics.

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A socialist perspective to defend Sri Lankan plantation workers

[2 December 2015]
The options facing the British government in its efforts to leave the European Union (EU) were recently summed by Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times (The chaotic route to train-crash Brexit, December 19).

Speaking for sections of the financial elite, he complained that beyond a soft Brexit where Britain retains access to the European Single Market (ESM) and a hard Brexit where it does not, the most likely outcome was a train crash Brexit where Britain simply crashes out of the EUwith chaotic consequences for trade and diplomatic relations.

Rachman warned of the combined impact of a short timetable within which to unravel over 40 years of trade, legal and social entanglements, deepening impatience within the EU, costs estimated to be around 50 billion [$US 52 billion] owed to the EU, along with the inevitable frenzied response in the British press. Taken together these threatened that Brexit would happen after two years in the most abrupt and damaging fashion possible: with Britains membership of the EU simply lapsing.

Confronted with this great unraveling, the Scottish government of First Minister Nicola Sturgeons Scottish National Party (SNP) has backed a 62-page paper outlining its preferred options.

From the standpoint of the dominant sections of business, financial and academic interests north of the border, the prospect of Brexit is a disaster, imperiling up to 80,000 jobs, and costing the economy up to 11 billion annually.

The document outlines proposals whereby Scotland, which voted 62 to 38 percent to remain within the EU, can retain some form of access to the ESM. Failing that, the SNP pitches in for powers repatriated from the EU to be immediately handed over to Edinburgh.

Scotlands Place in Europe upholds that EU membership, for all its imperfections, provides the best possible future for the UK and would best protect Scotlands interests.

Acknowledging that this is beyond its writ, the SNP encourages the UK as a whole to remain both in the ESMwith its 31 member countries and 500 million consumersthrough membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) and within the European Customs Union.

The papers authors, the Standing Council on Europe, set up by the Scottish government in the aftermath of the June 23 vote to leave the EU, argue that the referendum result does not require any part of the UK to exit the European market.

The UK could seek comparable arrangements to those currently agreed between the EU and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which have single-market access, but are not covered by the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy. The paper notes the ESM is much more than a free-trade area since it involves the elimination of non-tariff or technical barriers to trade... that result from the vast array of national regulations and laws that govern the production, distribution, marketing and sale of goods.

Loss of access to the ESM could, according to a National Institute of Economic and Social Research paper cited by the Scottish government, cost UK-based service industries up to 60 percent of their trade with EEA countries or 24 percent of their global total. Some 42 percent of Scottish international exports are currently directed towards the EU, while as many as 80 percent of Foreign Direct Investment schemes in Scotland cited access to the ESM as a factor in their investment decisions.

The large university sector would also be particularly impacted. One quarter of all research staff at Scottish universities are from the EU. Professional services are dependent on the ability of services providerssuch as architects, lawyers, accountants, artists and academicsto move within the European Single Market and provide their service free from any discrimination on the basis of nationality.

Domestic industry and services will also be hit. The paper noted that 32.8 percent of workers in distribution, hotels and restaurants were non-UK EU nationals. Some 19.6 percent of staff in public administration, education and health, 18.4 percent in banking and 15.7 percent in manufacturing were also non-UK EU nationals.

The paper admits, however, that we are not confident the UK government will seek to retain ESM membership because of its deepening hostility to external arbitration and the free movement of people.

In the event of the British Conservative government of Theresa May not retaining EEA or ESM membership, the paper proposes a number of differentiated options. The authors warn, the UK has created an unprecedented situation and there are no set rules for what happens now and notes that Northern Ireland, the City of London and Gibraltar are all seeking special arrangements, while unknown assurances have been handed over to car producer Nissan to retain its operations in Sunderland.

The Standing Council offers a Norway option as one solution, the thrust of which is to retain as much of ESM membership as possible without jeopardising Scotlands relations with the rest of the UK. Currently, by far the greatest volume of Scottish trade in all sectors is with England. By encouraging the UK or Scotland to join the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) and at some later stage becoming party to the EEA Agreement, some measure of ESM access could be retained.

The authors note, however, that were Scotland to join EFTA while the rest of the UK stayed outside, it would raise practical questions relating to free trade and movement within the UK, i.e., some form or border controls. Additionally, were Scotland to have a significantly different arrangement with regard to the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and persons to be more in line with the EEA, an entire Scottish-based apparatus of compliance and a regional visa system would have to be constructed.

Faced with the possibility of all these options being ignored by the British government, the SNP sets out what are effectively its terms for avoiding another referendum on Scottish independence. The SNP brought forward draft legislation for a new independence poll earlier in the year, but is nervous of actually calling another vote when polls suggest it would again lose, as in 2014 when 55 percent voted against independence.

Instead, the nationalists are hoping to directly benefit from the Brexit debacle by laying claim to additional powers for the Scottish parliament. These fall within three areas.

 Areas currently subject to EU law that otherwise would be covered by the devolved government. These include agriculture, fisheries, education, health, justice and environmental protection.

 Control over repatriated EU laws on areas that are not currently its responsibility, such as employment law, health and safety legislation.

 New powers to secure any differentiated relationship with Europe, including arrangements to enable Scottish law and regulatory regimes to be consistent with the requirements of the European Single Market. This includes import and export control, immigration, competition law, company law, social security, energy regulation, financial regulation, transport along with the ability to speak in international forums and to secure agreements with other countries.

The Scottish proposals for ESM membership were immediately rejected by the British and Spanish governments, the latter dealing with the closely parallel Catalonian secession crisis. However, commentators noted that the timing of the papers releasethe week before the Christmas breaksuggested that the paper was, at this point, directed primarily towards building common ground with the SNPs domestic rivals in the Scottish parliament, particularly the Labour Party and the Greens, in pursuit of policies that, even in their most muted form, sharply intensify an already unprecedented constitutional crisis.
Brutal cuts to services built up over decades are being prepared by UK National Health Service (NHS) management under new Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP).

STPs marks a significant step in the dismantling of the NHS. Their aim is to exacerbate the crisis in health-care to the point of collapse in order to justify wholesale privatisation.

Billions of pounds in cuts are to be made which will involve the closure of hospitals and slashing of services. A further 22 billion of cuts in NHS funding are to be made by 2020 under the guise of efficiency savings, using plans drawn up by the STPs and the health managers in every region of England.

According to the Kings Fund health think-tank, which has seen some of the STP plans produced so far, in southwest London one of five hospitalsSt Georges, Kingston, Croydon, St Helier or Epsomwill close. In North Central London, a consolidation of services on fewer sites could result in Whittington Hospital losing its Accident and Emergency (A&E) services.

In the Merseyside and Cheshire region, a merger of four hospitalsthe Royal Liverpool, Broadgreen, Aintree and Liverpool Womensand a threat to existing services are being mooted in order to deal with a 1 billion funding shortfall.

The Liverpool Echo noted, The trust that runs the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals must make 42.8 million of savings between now and 2021more than 8 million a year, the document reveals. Mental health trust Mersey Care will also be hammered with 25.4 million to be slashed from its books, followed by Aintree hospital with 21.6 million. Liverpool Womens hospital, which previously warned it could become financially unviable due to massive funding issues, is expected to find 6 million.

In Birmingham and Solihull maternity services could be reorganised, leading to fewer units remaining.

At the North Tees, in the North East, it is proposed to centralise specialist services, including A&E, on two sites. This will result in a downgrade of services at one of the three major local hospitals.

In the county of Devon in the south of England, some A&E, maternity and stroke services at hospitals may close under the guise of centralised services at larger sites.

In 2015, the government drew up proposals on how the NHS would allocate funds and services across England. The country was divided up into 44 geographical areas or footprints, each covering an average population of around 1.2 million people with the largest having a population of 2.8 million and the smallest 0.3 million. Each area was charged with creating an STP, outlining how the money allocated for health provision would be spent and how the services offered would be delivered. The area leader does not have to be a member of a clinical commissioning group or hospital trust, but could be from local government.

A major task of the STP was to outline the spending allocation for the next five years up to 2021, even though these are statutory bodies. Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the health think-tank the Nuffield Trust, described them thus: Theyre not organisations. Theyre footprintslines on maps. Theres no building with a name on the door.

NHS England, the body that holds budgetary responsibility for commissioning health service provision, states the STPs will be responsible for how local services will evolve and become sustainable over the next five yearsultimately delivering the Five Year Forward View vision of better health, better patient care and improved NHS efficiency.

But behind the official gloss and verbiage put forward by the NHS is the reality that the STPs are part of the sustained attack on health provision by the current Conservative government, its preceding coalition with the Liberal Democrats and the 1997-2010 Labour government.

The Kings Fund alludes to this in its December 2 paper explaining the origins and role of STPs. Under the heading, What do STPs mean for the NHS? It wrote: It also recognises the growing financial problems in different parts of the NHS cant be addressed in isolation providers and commissioners are being asked to come together to manage the collective resources available for NHS services for their local population. In some cases this may lead to system control totalsin other words, financial targetsbeing applied to local areas

In plain words, rationing service provision.

The British Medical Association (BMA) representing doctors in the UK issued a statement on November 21 headed, STPs risk starving services of resources. They were to slash 26 billion from health and social care costs in five years, the article stated quoting BMA council chair, Dr Mark Porter, that There is a real risk that these transformation plans will be used as a cover for delivering cuts, starving services of resources and patients of vital care.

A blog posted on the Huffington Post by GP David Wrigley, BMA Council deputy chair, noted it would be an impossible task to make such savings when hospitals are already bursting at the seams, general practice is on its knees with GP surgeries closing each week and social care is in tatters across the country due to huge cuts to local authority funding We have an ageing population with more complex health and social care needs and they rightly deserve high quality health and social care. However there are serious concerns about whether STPs can deliver this.

Health professionals warn the implementation of the STPs can only accelerate the ongoing loss of beds and closures of A&E departments now taking place. A Daily Telegraph article of November 21 noted, Almost half of NHS authorities are drawing up plans to cut hospital beds and one third intend to close Accident and Emergency departments, research suggests.

The plans have been drawn up by a small number of participants with many in the health service having little knowledge of the process. It is reported that between 75 percent and 90 percent of doctors have not been consulted. According to the Telegraph, NHS England had told local health leaders not to reveal the plans until they were finalized and had been approved by their own officials. The national body even told local managers to refuse applications from the media or public wanting to see the proposals under the Freedom of Information Act.

By the middle of December, all the STPs had been drawn up and the plans published. Concerned health professionals had leaked some early.

Under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, the governments duty to provide health care was reduced to that of merely commissioning care. This has opened up the health service to further privatization. The introduction of STPs will accelerate this process.

In November, it was announced that Richard Bransons Virgin Care group had won a 700 million, seven-year contract to provide adult social care, continuing healthcare and childrens community health services for the Bath and North East Somerset NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. Said to be the largest privatization yet carried out in the NHS and Virgin Cares largest deal to date, it will oversee 200 social service and health care facilities. The group was awarded a 126 million contract to run hospitals in Kent earlier this year.

Branson is helping to fund a new group headed by Labour politician Alan Milburn that will campaign to reverse the 52 percent vote in favour of Leave in the referendum on the UKs membership of the European Union (EU). According to the Independent, he has also offered office space to help the new group set up.

There is a direct connection between the billionaires support for the EU and his role in helping the privatisation of the NHS. EU policy is strongly in favour of the liberalization of health provision across its member states, as with all other areas of social welfare.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - A statewide prohibition on people under 18 buying certain over-the-counter cough suppressants is one of three new laws that will hit the books with the arrival of the New Year.

The other changes to state laws involve insurance policy coverage of opioid medications and how financial institutions may receive summonses and subpoenas.

The three are the last of the bills signed by Gov. Rick Scott from the 2016 legislative session to take effect. Lawmakers sent 272 bills to Scott, who vetoed three and signed the rest.

The majority of the new laws, including the state's annual budget, went into effect July 1, on Oct. 1 or immediately upon receiving Scott's signature.

The New Year laws are:

--- SB 938 prohibits the sale of cough medicines containing the synthetically produced dextromethorphan to people under 18 years of age and requires identification from those presumed to be under 25.

Dextromethorphan is found in many cough medicines, including Robitussin, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tylenol Cough & Cold and Vicks NyQuil.

The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, and former Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, was proposed after reports of teenagers using cough medicine to get cheap highs. Broxson has since been elected to the Senate.

Side effects of such intoxication, according to a Senate staff analysis, include loss of coordination, slurred speech, sweating, hypertension and involuntary spasmodic movement of the eyeballs.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported six deaths in 2014 related to dextromethorphan use.

The law doesn't require stores to alter placement of the products but prevents local governments from imposing their own restrictions.

The measure was approved 39-1 in the Senate, with Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, opposed.

The House voted 115-2 for the proposal. Former Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, and John Tobia, R-Melbourne Beach, voted against the bill.

--- SB 422 prohibits insurance policies that cover opioid medications, with exceptions, from requiring prior authorization for abuse-deterrent versions of the medications.

Supporters of the measure argued the change is intended, in part, to make it easier for people needing painkillers to access medication less likely to cause addiction.

In committee meetings, proponents also argued that requiring pre-authorization may deter doctors from making the needed initial prescriptions.

Critics countered the measure could be seen as a mandate and drive up insurance costs.

The measure, sponsored by Benacquisto and Rep. Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, was approved without opposition in either chamber.

--- SB 1104 allows financial institutions to designate locations or registered agents where delivery can be made for documents such as summonses or subpoenas.

The law was crafted in response to a 2010 ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeal. The measure, sponsored Rep. Charlie Stone, R-Ocala, and Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, was approved without opposition.
LEON COUNTY, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - The state Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a former Leon County judge to The Florida Bar, after she was disciplined for operating a private business from her chambers.

Former Judge Judith Hawkins was suspended last year by the Supreme Court after she was removed from the bench in October 2014.

Hawkins filed a petition for reinstatement to The Florida Bar in August, and referee Julian Edward Collins recommended this month that she be reinstated.

Hawkins lost her judgeship and was disciplined after accusations about operating a business from her chambers and deleting financial records while she was under investigation.

The August petition for reinstatement said Hawkins, 65, "deeply regrets her conduct" that led to the disciplinary case. "The disciplinary proceedings resulting in the loss of her job and license to practice law have had a profound effect on her life," the petition said. "It is her goal to conduct herself in the future in such a manner that she will never be accused of impropriety again."

You can read more about Hawkins' suspension here
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)--Everyday this month we here at WTXL are highlighting children in need of forever homes with the help of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Children of all ages throughout the Big Bend are available for adoption including Bella.

She is 11 years old.

She loves to go to the movies, ride her bike, listen to music, and hang out with her friends.

Her favorite food is pizza. Bella needs a family that will provide emotional support as well as provide a home for her and her older sister.

If you are interested in giving Bella, contact Blair Anthony with Home Finder in Panama City at (850) 522-4485 ext. 8911.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Police say a youth pastor at a suburban Atlanta church is jailed on child molestation, statutory rape and sexual battery charges.

Gwinnett County police say 34-year-old Nicholas "Nick" Kelley, a youth pastor at New Bridge Church in Lawrenceville, had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.

Police say Kelley began fostering a relationship with the child as a counselor in December 2015, and that led to sexual contact taking place at the church and in various parks in Gwinnett County.

Police say that after the girl's parents found out about the activity, Kelley on Tuesday told the pastoral staff at New Bridge Church about the relationship. The staff contacted police and Kelley was arrested.

Jail records do not list an attorney for Kelley who could be reached for comment.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
The former Department of Ecology building on 15 West Yakima Avenue in Yakima, Wash. Wednesday, January 6, 2015. Memorial Hospital has purchased the building that once housed the Department of Ecology's offices. A major purchase that comes just months after Ecology moved to a new building in Union Gap. They are looking to use much of the space to centralize their business and non-clinical offices, with the possibility of leasing the rest of the space for other tenants. (MASON TRINCA/Yakima Herald-Republic)
During Barack Obamas years in office, Benjamin Netanyahus critics arguedoften rightfullythat the tensions between the prime minister and the American president were becoming dangerous for Israel, and that the estrangement of the administration in Washington was wearing out our standing in the Middle East and in the entire world.

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Now, at the start of the Trump era, it seems that among those who claimed that Netanyahu was jeopardizing our relations with the United States there are actually people who are increasingly concerned by the fact that America is moving too close to Israel. Can this logical contradiction be settled?

Netanyahus opponents, in Israel and abroad, argued that his conduct towards Obama was arrogant and ungrateful and that his attempts to undermine the American policy on the Iranian issue, and above all the moves to go around the president, including the famous Congress speech, weakened the strategic alliance between the two countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald Trump. Signs of a deep change (Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO)

Obama made a great contribution to the feeling of alienation and distrust between him and Netanyahu. Almost from his first day at the White House, he claimed that Muslims and Arabs had suffered enough under Western hegemony, and maintained that the lack of negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state and the reinforcement of the settlement enterprise were the reflection of an ongoing failure that must be ended.

Obama also wanted to put an end to the common perception that Washington was controlled by Jerusalem and the Jewish lobby. In a conversation with Jewish leaders in July 2009, he said: Look at the past eight years. During those eight years, there was no space between us and Israel, and what did we get from that? When there is no daylight, Israel just sits on the sidelines, and that erodes our credibility with the Arab states." In other words, there is a need for daylight between the US and Israel in order to advance peace and strengthen Americas ties and standing in the Arab and Muslim world.

Famous American diplomat Aaron Miller, who served under the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, wrote recently in Foreign Policy magazine that he believes there will be a honeymoon between Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald Trump because of the change in the American paradigm in the Middle East. The new administration does not see the solution of the Palestinian issue and the end of the occupation as acute problems, but sees Israel as a criticalstrategic and ideologicalpartner in the war on radical Islam. According to Miller, the appointment of pronounced rightist David Friedman as ambassador to Israel , and Trumps rhetoric commitment to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, are first signs of a much deeper change.

Its hard to predict where Trump will lead to. Its simply too early. But if we do accept the idea that the US is the key to Israels security, we should wonder why Netanyahus critics, who see the strength of the alliance with the US before their eyes, are now complaining about the danger of excessive closeness between israel and America? If the assumption that we are at the start of a honeymoon in the relationship between the two countries is true, they must welcome it.

The argument presented by Netanyahus opponents appears to have changed overnight. Now, they are stressing that when Washington and Jerusalem turn to radical rightism, Israel could deteriorate into a bi-national state. In other words, if right-wing Israel receives right-wing American support, its future is in danger. This is a new argument which has to do with the dramatic change in the nature of the new American administration. If up until now many people in Israel hoped that the international community, led by the US, would push Israel to the two-state solution, its pretty clear right now that salvationat least during Trumps years in officewill not come from that direction.

Those fearing a bi-national state must, therefore, find other ways, at home, and stop counting on an externally-imposed solution. The US will not be the one to pull Israels chestnuts out of the fire.
Egyptian news website Al-Youm al-Saba'a, which is considered to be Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's mouth piece, published a supposed protocol on Tuesday of a meeting that was held in Washington on December 12 between US Secretary of State John Kerry and US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and a Palestinian delegation headed by senior Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) member Saeb Erekat.

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The protocol states that Kerry and Rice told the Palestinian delegation that the current US administration under President Barack Obama would be willing to cooperate with them in the UN Security Council given that the resolution would be a balanced one. The added that they have instructed US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power to be in contact with Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour.

Kerry (L) and Erekat (Photo: AFP)

During the meeting, Kerry and Rice were reportedly both severely critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of wanting to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution. They also praised Erekat for predicting Netanyahu's policy trajectoy four years agonamely, one of maintaining the status quo while making minor adjustments.

Kerry said that he could present ideas for a possible permanent solution on the condition that the Palestinians would endorse them upon their publication. Furthermore, he apparently advised the Palestinians to send a representative to Riyadh in order to share the suggestions with the Saudis.

Advice on how to cope with the incoming administration

Rice opposed kerrys plan, saying there is no point offering ideas or parameters for a solution since the Trump administration would categorically reject it. The Trump administration is dangerous and the steps the president-elect will take toward the Israelis and Palestinians will differ from all American governments since 1967, she said.

Netanyahu (Photo: AFP)

According to the document, Kerry and Rice wanted to hear how the Palestinians intended to respond if President-elect Trump did follow through on his pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

The US security advisor added further that she was fully convinced that Trump intends to do as he said on the campaign trail and meant all that he said about settlements.

Rice (L) and Kerry (Photos: EPA; AFP)

Erekat responded that in the event that Trump moves the embassy, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) would annul their recognition of Israel, impose on Israel responsibility to manage the civil and economic authority and would seek to enlist the help of all Arab and Muslim states to work to remove the newly relocated embassy.

Rice interjected, warning that such a response would only serve to further complicate matters.

At this point, the Americans offered their own advice on how to deal with Trump, telling Erekat that they had already advised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas against taking steps that would be perceived by the former businessman as provocative, such as dismantling the PA, appealing to the Hague or terminating security cooperation.

Trump (Photo: AFP)

The Palestinians had to prevent suicide bombings or terror attacks, the Americans emphasized, since they would constitute a threat to the Palestinian position.

Moreover, the Palestinians were advised to seek the help of businessman Ronald Lauder in order to establish a connection with Trump. However, the Palestinians informed that they had already approached Lauder, who in turn had approached Trump, but were rejected after being told that he is currently working on assembling the new administration but that when he was done, he would bring about a meeting between Trump and the Palestinians.

With that, Kerry and Rice asked the Palestinians to keep the content of the conversation totally confidential and to refrain from leaking it due to its sensitive nature, particularly as the Obama administration counts its final days.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a speech on Wednesday, days after the United States cleared the way for a UN resolution calling for an end to settlement construction while simultaneously declaring them illegal.

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The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is expected to be the administration's last word on a decades-old dispute that Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America's top diplomat.

It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Obama since they both took office in 2009.

The United States on Friday broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favor and none against.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (Photo: AP)

Kerry will discuss the abstention when he speaks at the State Department at 11am ET (6pm, Israel Time), a senior State Department official told reporters.

"We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides' bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years," the official said.

The speech will also address what the official called "misleading" accusations by Israeli officials that the Obama administration drafted and forced the resolution to a vote.

Despite attempts to refute these allegations, Egyptian news website Al-Youm al-Saba'awhich is considered to be Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's mouth piecepublished a supposed protocol on Tuesday of a meeting that was held in Washington on December 12 between US Secretary of State John Kerry and US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and a Palestinian delegation headed by senior Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) member Saeb Erekat corroborating that the Obama administration had a hand in the resolution.

Undeterred by the UN resolution, Israel's Jerusalem municipality is due to consider on Wednesday requests for construction permits for hundreds of new homes for Israelis in areas captured in 1967 Six-Day defensive war and annexed to the city.

'Shameful' decision, Israel says

Israeli officials described the abstention as a "shameful" decision. President-elect Donald Trump, who urged the White House to veto the resolution, chided the world body as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time."

State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday said the United States hoped the UN vote would serve as a "wake-up call" that settlements are a detriment to a two-state solution.

Toner rejected claims that the Obama administration had pushed for a United Nations Security Council resolution on Friday demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, calling it "just not true."

Kerry with PM Netanyahu (Photo: Haim Zach/GPO)

Most countries view the settlements as an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land, as well as security interests. Washington considers the settlement activity illegitimate.

Since learning last week of Kerry's planned speech, Israeli officials have been concerned he might use the address to lay out parameters for a Middle East peace deal.

Netanyahu's aides are confident the Trump administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the UN resolution, but they fear Kerry's remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure.

Kerry previously failed to bring about a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in talks that froze in 2014. US officials left little doubt they put much of the blame on Netanyahu's stance on settlements.
The Israel National Archives declassified Wednesday 3,500 files relating to the Yemenite children affair  the mysterious disappearance of thousands of Yemenite babies and toddlers between 1948 and 1954.

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The files contain 210,000 documents which can be accessed on the archives website, and will now enable family members to finally learn the fate of thousands of children, while researchers will be able to enter into personal files, examine where they were buried and their causes of death.

Yemenite children (Illustration Photo: Efer Meir, Avi Hai, Nitzan Dror)

The Yemenite Children affair resurfaced once again in the public debate in May this year following the Achim Vekayamim organizations stated intention to renew efforts to discover the truth behind one of the cases, which has caused a storm in Israel for decades.

Documents on missing children

Due to public pressure, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Tzahi Hanegbi, appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was ordered to recommend that the government remove most of the confidentiality and open the protocols of the Cohen-Kedmi Committee, charged with investigating the Yemenite children affair and upload them to the internet.

During a special press conference held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he described the development as a correction of injustice.

'Fixing of an historic injustice.' (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)

We are fixing today an historic injustice, of ignoring, of disappearance and of discrimination," Netanyahu declared. We dont know what the fate was of the Yemenite children. Close to 60 years people have not know of the fate of their children. We are not prepared for this to continue which is why we decided on transparency and justice.

Three committees were set up to look into the scandal to investigate 1,033 incidents of which the Cohen-Kedmi Committee concluded that 972 babies had died and 56 had remained anonymous. The committees conclusions were published in 2001.

The committee rejected claims that the children had gone missing as a result of institutionalized kidnappings of children but did deduce from the information at its disposal that during the same period, there was the occasional delivery of babies for adoption from kindergartens and and hospitals.

The research of the adoption files which have now been declassified also shed light on the process of adoption in Israel during the 50s. However, the names of the children are concealed in accordance with the law.

Photo: David Eldan/GPO

Indeed, one of the files contains information about a girl born in 1950 who was taken care of in a kindergarten by the welfare office of Tiberias. In the file it is written, The mother went missing and all efforts to find her were to no avail. What efforts were undertaken? According to the document, an ad was published in the Davar newspaper.

The documents record another incident in which a baby girl was brought by her mother to a kindergarten and only one year later were attempts made to find her parents who did not come back. They were nowhere to be found. Similar to the previous case, just an advert was published in the Davar.

In 1954, the files reveal that a young girl was put up for adoption for a couple of Holocaust survivors after it was claimed that her mother had left Israel and her fathers whereabouts was unknown. The girl was delivered by a private broker, who also left Israel, and the new parents, claimed that they knew nothing of the child's past or the identity of her parents.

In this case, the file contains the following commentary: It is inconceivable that the applicants took the child without a birth certificate or other material that proves the identity.

According to documents submitted to the Cohen-Kedmi Committee by Attorney Drora Nehami-Ruth, in 1952 adoption from hospitals was a commonplace phenomenon. It involved brokers and the doctors themselves.

This was a case of unauthorized conduct by public hospitals in delivering children who were born within their walls to all kinds of people for the purpose of adoption, the legal advisor wrote. I dont want to expand on this, how easy it was to take advantage of the possibility of delivering children born outside of wedlock to people who would knock on the hospital doors in exchange for something.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court handed down a 35-year prison sentence to Abed al-Aziz Maari Wednesday for planning and assisting in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem last year in which Rabbi Nehemia Lavi (41) and Aaron Bennett (24) were killed.

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Maari, a 22-year-old student from Abu Dis, will also be required to pay NIS 258,000 to each member of the victims families.

The stabbing attacks victims, Rabbi Nehemia Lavi (R) and Aaron Bennett (Photo: Aharon Klieger)

According to the indictment issued against him, he planned the entire attack which took place in the Old City last Sukkot and purchased a knife for 19-year-old Mohand Halabi from Ramallah, who carried out the attack.

Maari in court, Wednesday. A person like this should not see the light of day in his life (Photo: Ofer Meir)

Maari was also convicted of illegally entering Israel and possession of a knife.

A person like this, who destroyed the lives of two families, should not see the light of day in his life, said Rabbi Lavis widow, Neta. I have mixed feelings, she said in response to the sentencing. On the one hand, we should be feeling okay because its a relatively serious punishment, but the injustice suffered by my children and by the Bennett family is an injustice which will never end.

The scene of the attack on the eve of Sukkot, last year (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

In their verdict, the judges wrote: The culprit played a crucial and active role in a criminal organization aimed at murdering Jews for being Jews. The victims were attacked violently and brutally. Without the help and mental support that Halabi received from the culprit, his plan would not have been executed. The offenses had serious and fatal results. A review of the condition of the victims families reveals that they suffered a difficult loss and enormous pain, as well as anxiety and loss of (all joy).

In the original indictment, Maari was charged with murder and attempted murder of Adele, Bennetts widow, who was seriously wounded in the attack. According to the amended indictment which was submitted to the District Court, Maari, a Hamas activist, encouraged Halabi to carry out the attack on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Terrorist Mohand Halabi

On the day of the attack, Maari and Halabi arrived for prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. On their way, they ran into Israeli policemen who tried to stop them from entering the compound. Halabi then told Maari that he would like to slap the policeman, and Maari replied that he should not settle for that, advising him to do something worthwhile. Maari bought Halabi a cleaver, took a selfie with him and told him that he must die as a martyr during the attack in order to become a "shahid.

Shortly after the two men separated near the Nablus Gate, before Halabi went on his deadly rampage. He assaulted the Bennett family, a couple with two small children walking along the Old Citys HaGai Street on their way back from the Western Wall.

Rabbi Lavi, who lived on that street, heard them cry for help and rushed out to help them, but was murdered by Halabi, who also killed Aaron Bennett. Adele Bennett and one of her sons were wounded in the attack.

The next day, Maari posted his selfie with the terrorist on his Facebook page and wrote praise the Shahada (the creed of Islam). The terrorist had written two days earlier on his Facebook page, From what I see, the third intifada has broken out. I dont think the people will accept the humiliation. The people will launch an intifada.
Dutch police said on Wednesday they were investigating whether the man believed responsible for last week's deadly Christmas market attack in Berlin may have traveled through the Netherlands.

Twelve people died in the December 19 attack. The Tunisian suspect, 24-year-old Anis Amri, was shot dead December 23 by Italian police.

Netherlands national police spokesman Wim de Bruin said there were "signs" 24-year-old Amri had passed though the Netherlands on his way to France, and an investigation was ongoing.
A draft UN resolution obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press would impose sanctions on 11 Syrians and 10 Syrian organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks in the war-ravaged country.

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The proposed Security Council resolution, drafted by Britain and France, would also ban all countries from supplying Syria's government with helicopters, which investigators have determined were used in chemical attacks.

The resolution follows a joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog that determined the Syrian government was behind at least three attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State group was responsible for at least one involving mustard gas.

UN Security Council (Photo: Reuters)

The United States, Britain and France have been pressing the council to impose sanctions on the Syrian government for using chemical weapons. Previous council resolutions call for "measures" under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which authorizes sanctions, if chemical weapons are used.

But Russia, Syria's closest ally, has repeatedly questioned the conclusions linking chemical weapons use to the regime of President Bashar Assad reached by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism, known as the JIM.

The Syrian government denies using chemical weapons in the civil war, now in its sixth year. A Russian veto of the resolution is therefore highly likely when it is put to a vote, which diplomats say could be before the end of the year.

In addition to sanctions, the draft resolution would express the Security Council's "strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be thoroughly investigated, and prosecuted, as appropriate, before a competent tribunal which is both independent and impartial."

The 11 Syrians who would be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban under the draft resolution include Amr Armanzi, director-general of Syria's Scientific Studies Research Center, which is responsible for the development and production of chemical weapons and the missiles to deliver them in the country. Nine current and former military officers and the managing director of a Ministry of Defense subsidiary that assists in the production of chemical weapons are also named.

A wounded child being pulled out of the rubble in Aleppo (Photo: AFP)

The 10 "entities" that would be put on the sanctions blacklist and subject to an asset freeze under the draft resolution include the Scientific Studies Research Center and several government subsidiaries, proxies, front companies and factories allegedly involved in producing chemical weapons.

A chemical weapon attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of civilians on August 21, 2013, led to a US-Russian agreement and a Security Council resolution the following month that ordered the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons, precursors and the equipment to produce the deadly agents.

The Syrian government's support for the resolution and decision to join the chemical weapons watchdog known as the OPCW warded off possible US military strikes in response to the attack, which Damascus denied carrying out.

Syria's declared stockpile of 1,300 metric tons of chemicals has been destroyed, but the OPCW is still investigating outstanding questions about possible undeclared chemical weapons.

The draft resolution expresses "grave concern" that the OPCW "is not able to resolve all identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies in Syria's declaration" and orders Syria to give a full declaration within 30 days of its adoption.
Jerusalem's city hall cancelled a vote on Wednesday on applications to build nearly 500 new homes for Israelis in east Jerusalem, a municipal official said, just hours before US Secretary of State John Kerry lays out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a speech.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the decision be put off, said Jerusalem Planning and Housing Committee member Hanan Rubin. A spokesman for Netanyahu had no immediate comment.

Rubin said 492 permits for construction of homes for Israelis in the urban settlements of Ramot and Ramat Shlomo, in areas that Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed to Jerusalem, had been up for approval.

Construction in Gilo (Photo: AFP)

The United States on Friday broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on the Security Council resolution, which passed with 14 countries in favour and none against.

Kerry will discuss the abstention when he speaks at the State Department at 11am ET (6pm Israeli time), a senior State Department official told reporters on Tuesday.

The speech will also address what the official called "misleading" accusations by Israeli officials that the Obama administration drafted and forced the resolution to a vote

John Kerry (Photo: AP)

Voting on the new building permits was removed from the committee's agenda for the session "because of Kerry's speech at 6pm. The prime minister said that while he supports construction in Jerusalem, we don't have to inflame the situation any further," Rubin said.

The committee meets regularly, and it could consider approving the permits at a future date.

Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council made scathing remarks about Kerry ahead of his speech, labelling him "a stain on American foreign policy" and describing him as "ignorant of the issues."

Revivi said Kerry is "the worst secretary of state in history" who "chose to stab his closest ally in the back" and knows little about the realities of Israeli communities in the West Bank.
Outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the Obama administration's parameters for peace between Israel and the Palestinians during a speech at the State Department on Wednesday that lasted 71 minutes, one of the longest in US State Department history.

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Breaking sharply from longstanding US policy that foreign powers shouldn't impose a solution, Kerry unveiled a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like. The outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and Kerry insisted he was merely describing what's emerged as points of general agreement.

Primarily, Kerry called to create a secure and recognized border between Israel and a contiguous Palestine along the 1967 lines, with "mutually agreed, equivalent (land) swaps."

"Israel will return land it has occupied since 1967. The borders must be secure and Palestine must be viable and contiguous," Kerry clarified.

Photo: EPA

Second, the secretary of state called to fulfill the UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of two states for two people: A Jewish state and an Arab state, with full and equal rights for all citizens.

Third, he stressed the need to provide a just and fair solution to the Palestinian refugees issues, including compensation, which is consistent with the idea of two states for two peoples.

Fourth, Kerry spoke of the imperative to reach an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the international, recognized capital of the two states.

"The solution will have to meet the needs not only of the parties, but of all three monotheistic religions," Kerry said.

Kerry presents principles for peace ()

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Fifth, a peace accord between the two sides must bringi to a full end to the occupation while ensuring that Israel can defend itself effectively and Palestine could protect its people. "Defense is the fundamental issue for Israel, fully ending the occupation is the fundamental issue for the Palestinians," he said. "Balancing both requirements is among the greatest challenges the US team has faced. But it's one the US can help with the most." Finally, he said, the sides msut end the conflict and all outstanding claims, enabling all normal relations. "To bring closure to this conflict, so that everyone can move ahead to a peaceful future," the secretary of state added. Kerry offered fewer details about how the parties could get to such a deal, given the failure of so many previous attempts, including his own 9-month effort that collapsed in 2014. He urged Israelis and Palestinians to take "realistic steps on the ground now" to show seriousness of purpose and begin separating themselves into two states.

He lamented the fact the Oslo Accords never materialized and that next year the Palestinians will mark "50 years to the occupation."

"In the end, I believe the negotiations didn't fail because the gaps were too wide, but because the level of trust was too low," Kerry asserted. "Neither side is willing to even risk acknowledging the other side's bottom line."

Two-state solution in jeopardy

Kerry stressed that "the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It is the only way to ensure the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."

However, he said, "Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy."

"My job above all is to defend the United States of America. To defend our values. And if we stand by and allow a dangerous conflict to take hold, we would be derelict to our self-interests," he noted, adding that "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

He shared of his own personal experiences in visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "I have witnessed first-hand the ramification of a conflict that has gone on for too long," he said.

Some highlights from the speech ()

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While Israel's Arab population has citizenship rights, the roughly 2.5 Palestinians living in the West Bank do not. Israel controls their ability to move, they can be subject to Israeli military law and they do not have a right to vote in Israeli elections. Instead, they are governed by the Palestinian Authority, which has only limited powers of autonomy.

"Friends must be able to tell each other hard truths," Kerry claimed. "The truth is that trends on the groundviolence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupationare destroying hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing an irreversible one-state reality that most people do not actually want."

He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a democratic crisis for Israel unless there's a separate Palestinian state. "If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace," he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kerry said, "supports a two-state solution. But his current coalition is among the most right-wing in Israel's history. They are leading towards a one-state situation."

He said recent trends indicate on a "comprehensive effort to take the West Bank's land for Israel. Much of Area C is effectively off-limits to Palestinian development. Most has been taken by Israel unilaterally."

"The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel and their stated purpose is clear: They believe in a one-state solution," Kerry went on to say, quoting Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the pro-settlements Bayit Yehudi who declared that "the era of the two-state solution is over."

Photo: AP

Such an agenda, he said, will lead to "millions of Palestinians in the West Bank living in enclaves under military rule, separate and unequal. Will an Israeli accept living that way? Will an American?"

He warned that if Israel took the one-state path, "it will not have peace with the rest of the Arab world, I can guarantee that."

The bottom line, Kerry stressed, was that "without agreement and mutuality, the unilateral choices become a major point of contention."

Violence and settlements as obstacles for peace

Kerry lamented the fact that "many no longer see the other side as people, only as threats. Both sides push a narrative that works on fear," condemning Palestinian violence which he said included "hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year."

He stressed "there is absolutely no justification for terrorism, and there never will. Yet the murderers of innocents are still glorified on Fatah websites, being photographed next to Palestinian leaders."

"President Obama and I have made it clear to Palestinian leaders countless of time that all incitement to violence must stop," he added. However, he noted, "We all understand that the Palestinian Authority has a lot more to do to strengthen its authority. Most importantly, Hamas continues to object to Israel's right to exist."

At the same time, the secretary of state also slammed Israeli settlement construction, saying Israel "has consolidated control of Palestinian land for its own purposes. I dont think most people in Israeland certainly in the worldhave any idea how broad and systematic the process has become. But the facts speak for themselves. Settlements continue to expand. The population in these distant settlements has grown by 20,000 since 2009."

"What does that say to the Palestinians in particular, but also to the US and the world?" Kerry wondered.

Photo: EPA

While clarifying that the US did not consider the settlements "the essence of the whole conflict" and that it understands that some settlements will be included in Israel in a final-status agreement, he stressed that "if more settlers are moving into the middle of Palestinian areas, it's going to be more difficult to separate them."

"Many settlements are located in places that will make a continuous Palestinian state impossible," he explained. "It's not just a question of the overall amount of land. It's whether the land can be connected. The more the settlements expand, the less possible it'll be to create a contiguous (Palestinian) state."

He stressed that the settlements "have nothing to do with Israel's security. Many of them are problematic for the IDF."

Kerry slammed the Regulation Bill that would retroactively legalize Israeli outposts in the West Bank built with the help of the government on privately-owned Palestinian land. "Even the Israeli attorney general has said that the draft law is unconstitutional and in opposition to international law," he said.

'Obama administration was Israel's greatest friend'

Kerry's farewell speech was a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

Throughout his speech, Kerry insisted that the Obama administration has been Israel's greatest friend, claiming that "no American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's."

Photo: AP

"Time and again we have demonstrated that we have Israel's back," Kerry said. "Our assistance for Iron Dome has saved countless of lives," he added. "We have repeatedly increased funding to support Israel. This fall, we concluded talks on a historic memorandum of understanding that is more than any aid package that the US has invested in any country."

Kerry staunchly defended the Obama administration's decision to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal.

"The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations have done," Kerry said. "The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution. That's what we were standing up for."

"In the end, we couldn't, in good conscience, protect the most extreme elements of the settlements as they tried to destroy the two-state solution," he explained. "We may not be able to stop them, but we cannot be expected to defend them. And it is not within any countrys policy to act against its self interest."

Kerry reminded his listeners that "Any US administrationDemocratic and Republicanhas opposed settlements. Previous administrations have (also) allowed UN decisions against the settlements."

He also mentioned that "the only times the Obama administration has exercised its veto power was to oppose anti-Israeli resolutions," rejecting the criticism the US has abandoned Israel by not vetoing the latest resolution.

"It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of settlement construction that risks making peace impossible," he asserted.

He also rejected accusations that the White House was the driving force and stressed Washington "did not draft or originate" the resolution, introduce by Egypt and later by a handful of other nations. He said the Obama administration pushed for a more balanced text and eventually, while "we did not agree with every word in the resolution, we could not veto a resolution that called for an end to violence and incitement."

Though Kerry's speech was likely to further enrage Israel's government, Kerry did offer assurances that Obama wasn't planning other parting shots that Israel has been concerned are in the works. Kerry said the outgoing administration wouldn't promote a UN resolution laying out parameters for a deal, nor would it recognize Palestinian statehood.

Trump tells Israel: Stay strong!

Shortly before the speech, US President-elect Donald Trump chided the Obama administration for its stance toward Israel.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the US, but not anymore," Trump wrote on Twitter.

"The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching," he added, referring to when he takes over the White House from Democratic President Barack Obama.

US President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)

Trump also noted that he was doing his "best" to "disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Trump's tweet later Wednesday. "President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!" wrote Netanyahu.

"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," wrote Trump earlier Wednesday, before adding, "Stay strong Israel."
Greece, a frontline country for migrants fleeing to Europe from war and poverty, vowed on Wednesday to improve living conditions in its overcrowded island camps.

The number making the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece has fallen sharply this year under a European Union deal with Turkey. It stipulates that people arriving after March 20 are to be held on five Aegean islands and sent back if their asylum applications are not accepted.

According to figures from UN refugee agency UNHCR, 173,208 people have reached Greece this year, down from 856,723 in 2015. Some 60,000 migrants, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, are still scattered across the country, which is struggling to emerge from a debt crisis. About 15,000 are in overcrowded island camps that have grown violent as the slow processing of asylum requests adds to frustration over living conditions.
Bilal Razineh, a member of Hamas's military wing for the past 10 years, was arrested last month after crossing the border fence from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, it was cleared for publication on Wednesday.

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His interrogation by the Shin Bet, together with the Israel Police, revealed a great amount of information about the activity of the 24-year-old terrorists, as well as about the military wings tunnel digging activity.

Bilal is the brother of Mustafa Razineh, head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in the northern Gaza Strip.

Bilal Razineh (Photo: Shin Bet Spokesperson's Unit)

He was arrested on November 27, and his investigation revealed that he was a member of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and was involved in extensive terrorist activity on behalf of the organization, including sniper exercises, guard duty and digging tunnels.

Most of his activity focused on the tunnel industry and accompanying his brother. He provided his interrogators with a lot of information about the tunnel routes in the northern Gaza Strip and about Hamass tunnel digging methods. The interrogation further revealed that a tunnel had been dug on his familys property, leading to many tunnels in the area and used as a weapons warehouse.

A Hamas tunnel uncovered by the IDF (Photo: Shin Bet Spokesperson's Unit)

He also provided information about different Hamas posts, about his activity as a Hamas sniper and about other members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The investigation further revealed that during Operation Protective Edge, his brother and other senior Hamas members hid in the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza and oversaw the fighting from there. During the war, Bilal served as a messenger, passing information from his brother to senior Hamas members. It was also revealed that Hamass internal security commanders managed the fighting from civilian homes.

Bilal Razineh was indicted at the Be'er Sheva Regional Court on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in acts of terrorism. The indictment lists security breaches, membership in an unlawful organization and weapons offenses among his crimes.

The Shin Bet stated that "The information that has come out of his investigation regarding Hamas's use of civilian structures to advance terror activity is another example of the repeated violations of international law carried out by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip."

The Shin Bet continued to say that "The information received from the investigation, together with the information received from the investigations of additional Hamas operatives who have been arrested during the year, illustrates the great lengths that Hamas goes to to prepare for a military confrontation with Israel."
BERLIN - German authorities have detained a Tunisian man they suspect of involvement in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market which killed 12 people, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Investigators found the mobile phone number of the 40-year-old Tunisian stored in the phone of Anis Amri, the man believed to have hijacked a truck and rammed it into the crowd at a Christmas market in the German capital on Monday last week.

Amri, a failed asylum seeker also from Tunisia, was shot dead in Italy on Dec. 23.

Officials raided the home and business premises of the new suspect in Berlin. They did not name him.

"Further investigations indicated that he could have been involved in the attack," said prosecutors.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) came out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's retaliatory order to cancel meetings and official visits with heads of state from countries that voted in favor of the recent UN resolution against settlement expansion. She is one of the few members in Netanyahu's government to criticize his decision.

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Hotovely (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

"Canceling the visits was not a good idea," said Hotovely, who is considered close to Netanyahu. "We should greet the leaders and clearly explain why we are against the despicable decision the Security Council came to. We need to explain to them how much they're hurting their own interests."

Since the UN resolution's passing on Friday, Netanyahu has ordered to cancel scheduled visits of Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Senegalese Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye. Netanyahu also announced he would not be meeting British Minister Theresa May or Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang during the upcoming World Economic Forum to be held in the Swiss town of Davos. Additionally, the Foreign Ministry has announced that it has canceled the aid Israel intended to offer Angola , which included having an Angolan representative arrive in Israel for training.

"For 25 years, Israel has not protected the settlement enterprise on an ideological level," said Hotovely. "We said that we needed the land for security reasons and that a solution will come during negotiations. This created a reality where we abandoned the debate in favor of the Palestinian narrative, which saw it as conquered territory. We didn't conquer, this is the historic Land of Israel and we've returned to it. I agree with the prime minister that we need to express dissatisfaction with the outrageous decision, but I wouldn't cancel official visits. Instead, I would see them as an opportunity to explain Israel's position."

Sources within the Likud were outraged at Hotovely's remarks, claiming that her words can cause damage.

Hotovely's office attempted to mitigate the resulting criticism. "The deputy minister is allowed to have her own opinions, but she will accept any decision made by the foreign minister (Netanyahu)," said the ministry's statement. Netnayahu's office has not issued a responses.

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to discuss on Sunday a bill submitted by MK Meir Cohen (Yesh Atid) that would have the State of Israel provide legal defense to soldiers if they were to be sued at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Though Cohen's party is currently part of the opposition, his bill was signed by members of both the opposition and the coalition. "There is no doubt that the Security Council's decision might open up the possibiliy of many lawsuits filed against IDF soldiers acting on the state's behalf," said Cohen. "The idea here is to provide them with protection. It seems natural in light of the fact that they are sent by the state to perform the most important of activitiesguarding Israel. The state's commitment toward them should not end with the completion of their duties."
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon responded to US Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on Wednesday, where he detailed his plan of working toward a two-state solution. Specifically, Danon rejected Kerry's claims that the administration of outgoing US President Barack Obama had Israel's back" vis-a-vis Israel's standing in the world and the UN.

"Coordinating anti-Israeli moves with the Palestinians and making a unilateral decision in the Security Council is not supporting Israel, it's the exact opposite,"said Danon. "The Obama administration has acted against the State of Israel at the UN, and any statement saying otherwise is a distortion of reality." He added that "Speeches, statements or unilateral decisions will not promote peace in our area, only the objection to terrorism, the ending of incitement and the return to direct negotiations. The Palestinians must realize this."

Danon then responded to President-elect Donald Trump's tweet from earlier Wednesday, which expressed his unequivocal support of Israel and encouraged Israel to "stand strong." Showing appreciation for the tweet, Danon said, "We welcome the clear-cut support of President-elect Trump, who declared he will stand by Israel and not join in the continued attempt to harm Israel at the UN."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a fiery retort, both in Hebrew and in English, to US State Secretary John Kerry's speech on Wednesday, telling the American diplomat: "Israel does not need to be lectured about peace by foreign leaders."

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Kerry laid out the Obama administration's parameters for peace between Israel and the Palestinians during a speech at the State Department. He unveiled a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like. The outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and Kerry insisted he was merely describing what's emerged as points of general agreement.

Netanyahu responds to Kerry in English (:  )

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Netanyahu expressed his "deep disappointment" with the speech. "For a full hour, the secretary of state attacked the only democracy in the Middle East," he added.

The prime minister accused the outgoing US Secretary of state for "Blaming Israel for the lack of peace by condemning a policy that lets Jews live in their eternal homeland," adding that "Secretary Kerry paid lip service" to Palestinian narrative that is fundamentally anti-Israeli.

"I don't seek applause. I seek the security, peace, and prosperity of the Jewish people and the Jewish state," added Netanyahu. "We are not about to be swayed by mistaken policies that have caused great damage."

He insisted that "No one wants peace more than the people of Israel," but such peace can only be achieved through direct negotiations, "This is how we made peace with Egypt. This is how we made peace with Jordan. It's the only way we're going to make peace with the Palestinians."

Quoting from a speech outgoing President Barack Obama made at the UN in which he claimed that "Peace is hard and cannot be accomplished by speeches at the UN. If it could, it would have been done by now," Netanyahu stressed that "Until last week, this was exactly what the US has done."

Netanyahu during his speech (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

During his speech, Kerry staunchly defended the Obama administration's decision to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, rejecting accusations that the White House was the driving force behind the resolution and stressing that Washington "did not draft or originate" the wording of the resolution.

But Netanyahu was unconvinced. "The US organized, advanced and brought this resolution to the UN Security Council," the prime minister insisted. "We will share this information with the incoming administration."

He added that "I look forward to working with President Trump and the US CongressRepublicans and Democratsto mitigate the damage of this resolution."

Netanyahu called for a change in US policy, cementing its support of Israel in absolute terms. "If the US is true to its words, it should say 'We will not allow any more resolutions in the UN Security Council against Israel.'"

"I personally know the pain, loss and suffering of war. That's why I'm so committed to peace," said Netanyahu. "I want young Palestinian children to be educated like our children."

Instead of this vision, however, Netanyahu said that "The Palestinian Authority educates them to lionize terrorists."

"The Palestinian Authority tells them they should never accept the existence of a Jewish state," he added, asking: "How can you make peace with someone who rejects your very existence?"

"This conflict is not about houses," reassured Netanyahu. "This conflict is about Israel's right to exist." He ended his speech by lamenting that "It's a shame that Secretary Kerry does not see this simple truth."

Additional Israeli leaders wholly reject Kerry peace plan

Education Minister Naftali Bennett also responded to Kerry speech, saying that "Secretary Kerrys speech was like his policywith good intention, but divorced from reality."

"This policy has left the Middle East in flames," added Bennett. "A Syrian genocide, Iran racing towards a nuclear bomb, and abandoning of the only free democracy in the Middle East, Israel."

"There already is a Palestinian state in Gaza and it turned into a terror state. Were not prepared to allow a second terror state in the heart of Israel," said Bennett.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely called the principles for peace that Kerry outlined in his speech "impossible," adding that "We have 25 years of experience with similar outlines for peace, but instead of peace they gave rise to the threat of terrorism. At the end of the day, no speech or unilateral move at the United Nations will lead to an agreement."

"The Jewish People will not withdraw from our land in order to create a terror state," said Hotovely.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon similarly rejected Kerry's claims that the administration of outgoing US President Barack Obama had Israel's back" vis-a-vis Israel's standing in the world and the UN.

"Coordinating anti-Israeli moves with the Palestinians and making a unilateral decision in the Security Council is not supporting Israel, it's the exact opposite,"said Danon. "The Obama administration has acted against the State of Israel at the UN, and any statement saying otherwise is a distortion of reality." He added that "Speeches, statements or unilateral decisions will not promote peace in our area, only the objection to terrorism, the ending of incitement and the return to direct negotiations. The Palestinians must realize this."

Danon then responded to President-elect Donald Trump's tweet from earlier Wednesday, which expressed his unequivocal support of Israel and encouraged Israel to "stand strong." Showing appreciation for the tweet, Danon said, "We welcome the clear-cut support of President-elect Trump, who declared he will stand by Israel and not join in the continued attempt to harm Israel at the UN."

Head of Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan also issued a response to Kerry's speech. "I want to congratulate the American people for choosing a different path during the last election. It's clear to any intelligent person that the ideas of the ridiculous outgoing secretary general are not founded in reality. The American people recognized this disconnect, characterizing the Obama administration not just with foreign policy, and it chose a different way that is due to begin in about 20 days. I have not doubt that this is a new age for the US and especially in regard to it relation to Israel, a relation the old administration chose to decimate. I wish John Kerry Luck on his way."
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is expected to officially announce in the coming days that he has ordered the Israel Police to launch a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of bribery offenses.

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Mandelblit will also announce his decision to close some of the investigations into matters involving Netanyahu which were launched several months ago, due to the failure to find a reasonable chance of proving that an offense had actually been committed, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

Netanyahu with Attorney General Mandelblit (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)

In his statement, the attorney general will elaborate on the closed cases and explain why it took so long to look into them and why the information had not been disclosed to the public.

The prime ministers alleged corruption offenses have been investigated by a small team at the National Fraud Investigations Unit for several months now. The information was handed over to the attorney general, who dismissed part of it at first, but later ordered the police to conduct an examination, after which he would decide whether to launch an official criminal investigation and question Netanyahu.

Channel 10 reported Wednesday that Mandelblit had authorized police to question Netanyahu under caution, and that a date for the interrogation would be set in the coming days. Netanyahu will be required to provide explanations for several issues that arose during the preliminary investigation.

In the past few weeks, the investigators apparently managed to obtain testimonies, some related to elements abroad, which point to an alleged suspicion of a criminal offense which requires an interrogation of the prime minister under caution.

Several meetings were held at Mandelblits office in the past week in the presence of Meni Yitzhaki, head of police's Investigations and Intelligence Department, and State Attorney Shai Nitzan. In light of the information presented to Mandelblit and the additional information he requested, he was convinced to order an official investigation.

The attorney general has reiterated that he would not approve an investigation against the prime minister unless he saw a real chance for filing an indictment.

An examination of the other cases involving the prime minister revealed that although they do point to inappropriate conduct, no new evidence or testimonies were found to justify a criminal investigation.

The Israel Police and the Justice Ministry issued a joint response to the Channel 10 report on Wednesday, noting: "We cannot comment on the report for obvious reasons, as the examination is still ongoing. This is neither confirmation or denial of what has been alleged. The attorney-general, the police and prosecutors are working in close cooperation and a public announcement will be made in due course about the investigation."

The prime minister has yet to respond to the report. In the past, Netanyahu has vehemently denied the reports on the legal examination concerning him on numerous occasions. "Nothing will come out of it because there is nothing to it," he said.
Every year when the Fun Club travels to Branson, I ask the Fun Club travelers to share a Christmas memory.

Everyones memories are special and it was difficult for me to pick only a few that this column space would allow. Here are some of their memories:

I ruined Christmas

Lowell Peters of Henderson said that 70 years ago he ruined Christmas morning for his brothers and sisters. In the middle of a blizzard, his mother decided to have a baby. His siblings were taken next door and Lowell was born at home that same day. His brothers and sisters didnt get to open their presents until late in the day. He said they still remind him of this every Christmas!

My Charlie Brown tree

Sue Miller of Juniata reminisced about her first Christmas as a widow. She said her family had always picked out a tree and cut it down together as a family. Her boys, who were 14 and 16, still wanted to do this even though she suggested getting a small, artificial, pre-lit tree.

But the boys wanted a real tree and went out to find one. Later they proudly brought a tree into the house they had cut. She said it was the ugliest, scrawniest, saddest looking tree she had ever seen. She pretended to be pleased but was crying inside. She called it her Charlie Brown tree. The boys started laughing and then brought in their real Christmas tree. She said it was the most beautiful tree they had ever had.

The Christmas Wreath

Donna Brabec of Geneva said one year their out-of-state kids and grandkids were all home for Christmas. She and Charles had a wreath that sang out Merry Christmas when it detected motion. The oldest granddaughter, who was about eight years old, insisted on sleeping near the Christmas tree with the wreath close by. She was sure when Santa came, he would activate the wreath and it would wake her up and she would see Santa! Well, that did not happen and the granddaughter was totally disgusted.

It was 1956

Harold Luebbe of Utica had no problem at all coming up with a fabulous Christmas memory. He said he was discharged from the Army right before Christmas in 1956. He got to come home to his wife and two sons and that was the best Christmas present ever.

Nativity Collection

Rusty Newman of York said when she and Ivan traveled to Mexico years ago she looked for a Nativity scene to add to her collection. The one she selected was small and delicate and in a glass case. She told the clerk how far the nativity set would have to travel and the clerk wrapped it carefully and securely.

When they got home she opened the package and found all the little characters and animals were in tiny pieces. After shedding a few tears, she got glue and tweezers and carefully glued it all back together. Only one tiny piece of a lambs ear was missing. She said its still in her collection of nativity scenes.

Curlers in Our Hair

Anita Schultz of Grand Island, formerly of Bradshaw, said eating oyster stew at grandmas house is one of her favorite memories of Christmas Eve. She and her sister would be dressed in good clothes for the Sunday School program later. They would have curlers in their hair and dish towels tied around their necks to protect the new Christmas dresses their mom had made for them. She said their dresses were always so beautiful and one of her favorites had a black velveteen bodice with aqua sleeves and skirt.

Was I Surprised?

Beth Uden o f Grafton remembered when she was a little girl her family always went to church on Christmas Eve. There was always a program and the kids all got a sack with an apple, an orange, peanuts and candy. When they got home Santa had already been there.

One special Christmas there was a bicycle under the tree. It was a gift she had asked for and she tried to look surprised. Her dad didnt know she had found the bike out in the barn before Christmas. In fact, she never did tell him.

Christmas Shopping

Marie Swartz of York recalled one year when she and two daughters and one granddaughter went Christmas shopping together. They called it their girls day out. That evening her husband and son-in-law went shopping together. When the gifts were opened, they discovered the men bought gag gifts for all the girls. They all thought it was pretty funny and laughed and had a good time.

Midnight Mass

Allan Urkoski of Silver Creek said that as a young boy, Christmas Eve couldnt come soon enough. His mom would be baking cinnamon rolls, fresh bread and an ethnic bread that had their own dry cottage cheese in it. He said the house smelled wonderful all day. The family would have supper early and then he and his younger sister had to go to bed early, only to be awakened by 11 p.m. to dress for Midnight Mass.

He said Santa always came while they were gone so after Mass they hurried home to open presents. After that his mom would serve a great breakfast with rolls, eggs, bacon and lots of love. All the kids would usually be back in bed by 3 a.m.

How did you spend Christmas?

Dave and I may still be celebrating Christmas with our family when you read this column. It seems like every year we make wonderful new memories. We hope you enjoyed the holiday and we both wish you a happy and healthy New Year!
Thanks for reading

Since I started writing this column last month, I have been blown away by your feedback.

A number of you have written me emails. Ive had several long notes from folk who felt I was speaking for them or appreciated something I wrote. Youve also talked with me in person. One community leader I have a great deal of respect for told me at a community fundraiser that he looks forward to my column each week. Another reader thanked me for writing this column while I was checking out at Ace Hardware. Yet another mentioned the article about World War II internment camps before the start of a showing of A Christmas Story at the Yorkshire Playhouse.

Like when I get up on the platform to preach on Sundays, my wife cringes just a bit at what I might say or write next. She would tell you, and I tell you, if you have feedback positive or negative about something I write, feel free to write in to the paper or email me or leave a comment at Wymer.com. I believe its a free country made up of people with lots of different opinions, and I also believe its possible for folks to disagree without being disagreeable.

More about me

Before I get to whats coming in 2017, Ill tell you a bit more about who I am and how I got here.

Seven years ago my family moved to York when I became the pastor of York Evangelical Free Church. YEFC is a church that turned 25 years old in 2016, but for various reasons is just now beginning to blossom. Im the churchs first full-time pastor since the founding pastor was essentially fired in 2000. Weve seen leadership make a difference, not just mine but a volunteer team that has formed over the years. We used to be a group that seemed to be kind of stuck in the hurt and pain of past conflicts, used to wandering and not really experiencing success, and with important folk wanting to argue in petty ways over petty things. Now we seem to be a group that seems to value what really ought to matter at church (Bible! Jesus! Relationships! Community!), and as a church were in the fun and challenging stage sort of like an adolescent still trying to figure out how to move along the path from kid to adult.

I did not join the military to become a chaplain. I was passionately against it, but thats another story for another time. Since 2009, I have been a part-time Army National Guard chaplain. This has been intense work: training and travel far away from loved ones, crisis intervention particularly with suicidal soldiers, condolence and notification visits to the front doors of family members when their service member has died, advising commanders responsible for hundreds of soldiers and millions of dollars of equipment. In 2014, I was promoted and now supervise other chaplains. I currently supervise four Army National Guard chaplains that serve soldiers literally from Omaha to Scottsbluff.

My newest role started this year and developed from a speaking gig in 2015. I am a part-time chaplain for Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha. My official title is Director of Spiritual Development. In this role, I provide pastoral care for over 1,000 students as well as faculty and staff. I also serve there as a consultant on leadership and organizational dynamics.

Upcoming leadership series

So whats coming in 2017?

Next week will find me driving across the country to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. For sixteen weeks, I will be away from my family and typical work here. As you can imagine, this will be a difficult time for my family in my absence and for my part I will be in a new place away from anyone I know. I will be on active duty as an Army National Guard officer attending Command and General Staff Officers Course (CGSOC) Common Core. Successful completion of CGSOC is required for any Army officer to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. The curriculum of CGSOC Common Core covers seven major areas: Foundations, Strategic Studies, Operational Studies, Army Operations, Managing Army Change, Rise of the Western Way of War, and Leadership: Forging Success in Uncertain Times.

Over the next sixteen columns in this space, youll find a leadership series based on my experiences from the farmyard to the classroom to the battlefield to the boardroom. My intention is for these columns to become a book in the future. Those of you who are intent on growth and consider yourselves leaders, Id love your input and feedback on my ideas. If your opinion impacts me, Ill be sure to give you credit if these columns do end up becoming a book.

Jon Wymer is employed full-time by York E-Free Church and part time by the Nebraska Army National Guard and Nebraska Methodist College. This column does not represent any of those organizations.
By India Today Web Desk: Over 40 people were injured when 13 coaches of the Ajmer-Sealdah express train derailed near Rura railway station in Kanpur's Dehat district today.

"Personally monitoring the situation in wake of unfortunate derailment of Sealdah-Ajmer express near Kanpur", Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said.

HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

The mishap took place around 6 am near Rura railway station, Northern Central Railways PRO Amit Malviya said. Thirteen coaches of the train, 12987 Ajmer-Sealdah express, derailed when it was crossing a bridge over a dry canal in the area, he said. "Have directed senior officials to reach the site immediately. Immediate medical help being provided to the injured", he added. Over 40 people have been injured in the mishap and taken to hospital. There are no reports of any casualties yet, Kanpur dehat SP Prabhakar Chaudhary said. "No casualty is there according to preliminary reports. A rescue team has rushed to the spot and a medical relief train from Kanpur has also been sent to the accident site. Currently we are focusing on relief and rescue operations," Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said. District administration and police officials have rushed to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operations.

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HELPLINE NUMBERS

Kanpur: 0512-2323015, 2323016, 2323018

Allahabad: 0532-2408149, 2408128, 2407353

Tundla: 05612-220337, 220338, 220339

Aligarh: 0571-2404056, 2404055

HOWRAH-DELHI ROUTE AFFECTED

The derailment has hit rail traffic on the busy Howrah-Delhi section. Routes of 17 trains have been diverted and two have been cancelled.

Derailment Sealdah Ajmer Ex Help Line No. And other information pic.twitter.com/2jWBNR80TU

Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) December 28, 2016

#WATCH Visuals of #SaeldahAjmer Exp train which derailed between Rura-Metha near Kanpur. 2 dead, 28 injured. Rescue and relief ops underway pic.twitter.com/gmhCJJCO7D&; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 28, 2016

The incident comes a month after over 150 people were killed and more than 200 injured when 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed in Kanpur rural district on November 20.

ALSO READ:

Indore-Patna Express accident: Over 150 killed, FIR lodged

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Living Section

Wellton, Arizona - Share your love of books and reading! The Wellton Library Book Club will meet Friday, January 6th and 20th, at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome to attend.

Friday, January 6th @ 10:00 a.m.

Our Souls at Night by Kent Hourf



Friday, January 20th @ 10:00 a.m.

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill



The Wellton Library is located at 28790 San Jose Avenue in Wellton, AZ. For more information, call (928) 785-9575.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - The Yuma Fire Department has responded to approximately 14,000 emergency calls for service so far in 2016. Many of these calls were for preventable injuries. For 2017, make a Resolution for Safety and think about what you can do to make the coming year a safer one for you and your family. Preventable injuries occur on the street, at home, and at work.

Here are a few safety resolutions to consider for 2017:

-Be patient and allow extra time when driving, and plan your route to avoid congestion. This can help you avoid traffic related accidents.

-Avoid leaving things cooking unattended on the stove.

-Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children, and never leave an unattended candle burning

-Learn CPR and Basic First Aid. Prepare a 72-hour emergency kit, have and practice emergency plans in your home or at work. This can better prepare you should a personal, family, or community emergency or disaster occur.

-Oh, and lets not forget, firearms are not toys or noisemakers for celebrating the New Year. Using firearms to ring in the New Year is not only a serious crime, it is also dangerous.

-AND, fireworks that explode (firecrackers), leave the ground (bottle rockets), or send flaming material into the air (roman candles) are all still illegal. Fireworks are also not legal on sidewalks, streets, or in parks and can only be used on private property. Please dont start your year off with a criminal charge or an emergency room visit!

Have a safe and Happy New Year! For more information about fire safety and injury prevention, contact the Yuma Fire Department Public Information Office at 928-373-4855.
Incearca si tu o reteta delicioasa cu burrata

Una dintre cele mai fine branzeturi cu specific italian, folosita atat in restaurante, cat si de catre gospodinele din lumea intreaga este burrata. Este asemanatoare cu mozzarela, dar acestea se deosebesc prin cateva caracteristici. Este dificil sa le deosebesti, in special ca ambele au [citeste mai departe]
By PTI: Indore, Dec 28 (PTI) The acreage of Malwi (durum) wheat crop has increased to 9.10 lakh hectares, registering a growth by 3 per cent during the ongoing Rabi season.

"According to our estimates Malwi wheat, popular for its nutritious values, has been sown on about 9.10 lakh hectares of agricultural land during the ongoing Rabi crop season. This acreage was about 8.85 lakh hectares during last years season," Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Head, SV Sai Prasad told PTI today.

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He said that the climate so far has been favourable for the sowing of Malawi wheat and it was expected that this would result in good production.

Prasad informed that the durum wheat is called Malwi or Kathiya in colloquial language. This wheat is considered ideal for making the food items like Suji (Semolina), Dalia (porridge) or Pasta. Malawi wheat is rich in nutrition like iron, zinc, fiber, yellow pigment and beta keratin.

Malwi wheat is sown on 15 per cent of total agricultural spread of the state. The Agriculture Department has set the target of the wheat sowing in state on 63 lakh hectares during the ongoing Rabi season. PTI HWP ADU MAS RMT

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<i>Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.</i> <br><br> I personally dont know you, but I know what you have been through. I know all about your private hell and the hurt that you have been hiding from the world. It may have happened to you perhaps yesterday or perhaps long back, but you cannot deny that pain has happened to you. <br><br> Your agony spills out through that hastily wiped tear in the corner of your eyes, when the memory of your loss makes life unbearable. It shows when you grimace to bear your individual burden, and then move around as if nothing has happened and there is absolutely nothing to worry about in this world. You laugh and crack jokes and try to forget it, but the fact is  the pain is there, persistently in the shadows. You are always in dilemma - you cannot run away from it and you dont want to face it. And the worst is you dont even want to own that you are mourning your loss just because you have to show a brave face to the world  a successful, smiling, painless face. <br><br> Every morning when you wake up to carry on with yet another day, the pain claws at your heart to remind you of your loss. One by one those memories flash through your mind and before you know, tears stream down your face and stain your pillow. You cover your face with sheets, lest someone sees you in that pathetic state. You feel there is no reason to get up and work when the one you hold so dear has hurt you so much knowingly or unknowingly  or perhaps you cry because you feel guilty of doing the same to your loved one, knowingly or unknowingly. Perhaps some close friends have inkling about your misery, but no one knows the full measure of it. <br><br> It is strange how the food tastes when you are in pain. It refuses to go down your throat, you swallow it with water conscious of people staring at you and then you pretend and laugh and make it look so light and easy. <br><br> Then pain strikes you whenever you are alone  in the washroom, in your car, in your room. You stare into nothing like a madman, stone-faced and hard. You even talk to yourself aloud and hold God responsible for your misfortune, your miserable plight, your terrible angst. It is strange, you hate God and dont want anything to do with Him and yet try to find solace in Him. And then, when you hear footsteps outside, you change your demeanour and come out all cheer and smile. <br><br> You want to just run away, to hide from pain, to take that extreme stepfor respite. So many have been tempted to end their lives. The beautiful model Viveka Babajee, is most recent example, who succumbed to the burden of living. But dear, you know, really there is no escape  not even in death. In life, at least there is always hope  just give time, some time. There is nothing time cannot heal. To tell you the truth, to suffer or to not suffer is really in your hands. <br><br> For now, just tell yourself that this will pass. Remember that if you are given pain, you are given even more strength to bear it. Dont underestimate yourself; you have so much strength that you can handle your misfortune as well as that of others. Also remember that someone up there has bigger and better plans for you, which you will decipher with time for nothing happens in this world without a cause. Till then, try to concentrate on the brighter side of the misfortune and although, I am sure you will deny it, there is always a brighter side! <br><br> You must be wondering how. I know all this and much more dear. No, you have never confessed to me about your pain. How can you, when you dont even know me? I have never seen you and never met you. I am just another face in the crowd of human beings carrying their individual burden of existence. I know because of the simple fact that I am a fellow sufferer. I have felt the same when a dear one went away, or died or when I suffered an unexpected misfortune. You and I have to bear our ordeal. No one is untouched - each person around you has felt the same sometime or the other in life. But life goes on and time really heals all wounds. <br><br> But dear, I am writing this to congratulate you. Remember the popular saying  In every difficulty, there is opportunity. You have the blessed opportunity now to enrich yourself  mentally and emotionally. Long after, when trial and tribulations will come again in your life, you will look back at this and say  I sailed through that killing phase of my life, this is nothing, I can handle it with a real smile on my face. And you will look forward to the challenges that misfortune brings with it. So, whoever you are  dear reader, do not cry over what you have gone through. Remember you will laugh again like a child, you will once again feel the rain drops against your cheeks and your days will be bright again Adieu! <br><br> <i>"Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself. </i>
Chonmipem Horam `Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent`- Victor Hugo Can you imagine a life void of music? Absolutely NOT! Whether you admit it or not, music permeates our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. Music is harmony and music is beauty. Music has the quality of expressing the inexpressible. One cannot approach music with ones own peculiar likes, dislikes or tastes, which are all a part of ones own conditioning. Music is something both extraordinarily complex and incredibly simple at the same time.Roots of World Music day World Music Day also known as Fete de la Musique, was a music festival that began in France in 1982.The idea was conceived by French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang in 1981. Since then June 21st has been celebrated every year as World Music Day. Today, it has spread to Argentina, Australia, Britain, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, China, India, Lebanon, Pakistan and many other countries. On this day, the musicians perform for free in open areas. Free concerts are organized in parks, museums, train stations, castles etc. This is done to promote music, making all genres of music accessible to the public. It gives an opportunity to communicate and share special bond through music. The term World Music includes traditional as well as non-western music. It is folk music of any culture, created and played by indigenous people. It is a classical form of music accompanied by traditional ethnic instruments, some prominent forms are  Japanese Koto music, India raga music, Tibetan chants and South African `township music`. Genres India, being a land of unity in diversity with various cultures, traditions, art forms, every region has its own unique musical form. While there are various genres, Indian classical music has been divided into North Indian tradition known as Hindustani music and Carnatic music belonging to South India. But apart from these, there are varied forms such as  Bhangra, Bhajans or devotional, Ghazals and Qawwalis, Indi-pop, Folk, Tribal, Film songs, Remixes, Fusion. While, Bhangra is a dance oriented folk music, Bhavageete (literally `devotional song`) is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on Hindustani classical. And in the West, we have Metal, Punk, Rock, Hip-Hop, Hard Rock, alternative, Experimental, Country, Disco, Funk, Classical, Progressive, Trance, Techno, Ska, Reggae music. Trance Music was developed in early quarters of 20th century and is generally played in club houses and dance floors. Indigenous Country Music born of the US is in form of folk, Celtic, church, gospels and tribal music, while, Pop Music is both classical and folk. Reggae is a music genre developed in late 1960`s. Its lyrics deal with faith, love, sexuality, relationships, injustice etc. Hip-hop is both a cultural movement and genre of music developed in New York City in 1970`s by African Americans and Latin Americans.The good, the bad and the ugly Music is an important form of communication. Its a reflection of society in a particular time and place. Music needs no boundaries, it bonds us irrespective of who we are, and where are we from. Not only its a source of entertainment but it also acts as a medium to convey messages, of how things are, and what lies ahead in the future. Michael Jackson`s song `Heal the world sounds beautiful as well as inspiring as it echoes noble thoughts. There`s A Place In Your Heart, And I Know That It Is Love, And This Place Could Be Much Brighter Than Tomorrow, And If You Really Try You`ll Find There`s No Need To Cry,In This Place You`ll Feel There`s No Hurt Or Sorrow There Are Ways To Get There If You Care Enough For The Living Make A Little Space, Make A Better Place... Heal The World, Make It A Better Place, For You And For Me And The Entire Human Race There Are People Dying, If You Care Enough For The Living, Make A Better Place For You And For Me If You Want To Know Why There`s A Love That Cannot Lie Love Is Strong, It Only Cares For Joyful Giving If We Try, We Shall See In This Bliss We Cannot Feel, Fear Or Dread We Stop Existing And Start Living Then It Feels That Always Love`s Enough For Us Growing So Make A Better World Make A Better World... And The Dream We Were Conceived In, Will Reveal A Joyful Face And The World We Once Believed In Will Shine Again In Grace Then Why Do We Keep Strangling Life Wound This Earth, Crucify Its Soul Though It`s Plain To See, This World Is Heavenly Be God`s Glow We Could Fly So High Let Our Spirits Never Die In My Heart, I Feel You Are All My Brothers Create A World With No Fear Together We`ll Cry Happy Tears See The Nations Turn their Swords Into Plowshares We Could Really Get There If You Cared Enough for The Living Make A Little Space, To Make A Better Place... You And For Me Music also grants us the freedom of expression. Like in late 1980`s and 90`s, young black Americans coming out of the Civil Rights Movement used this to show the limitation of the movement. It used Hip-hop to voice their issues. It lets them the world to be noticed. But inspite of all these social impacts, there have been negative aspects as well. Some of the most popular songs in Hip-hop genre have negatively influenced violence, drugs, alcohol, sex and disrespect for authorities, which is detrimental to the lives and education of the youngsters.Festivals There are many World Music festivals and jazz/folk/roots/new age crossover events. The Ariano Folkfestival is the biggest World Music festival in southern Italy, is held in mid August. The California World Music Festival is held each July at Nevada County Fairgrounds. The World Sacred Music Festival is held annually in Olympia, Washington State. FloydFest in Floyd, Virginia, USA. The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, New York, USA. Rainforest World Music Festival is another world music festival held in Malaysia. Stern Grove festival is a San Francisco celebration of musical and cultural diversity. The Starwood Festival in New York has been held in July every year since 1981.
By PTI: Indore, Dec 28 (PTI) The acreage of Malwi (durum) wheat crop has increased to 9.10 lakh hectares, registering a growth by 3 per cent during the ongoing Rabi season.

"According to our estimates Malwi wheat, popular for its nutritious values, has been sown on about 9.10 lakh hectares of agricultural land during the ongoing Rabi crop season. This acreage was about 8.85 lakh hectares during last years season," Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Head, SV Sai Prasad told PTI today.

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He said that the climate so far has been favourable for the sowing of Malawi wheat and it was expected that this would result in good production.

Prasad informed that the durum wheat is called Malwi or Kathiya in colloquial language. This wheat is considered ideal for making the food items like Suji (Semolina), Dalia (porridge) or Pasta. Malawi wheat is rich in nutrition like iron, zinc, fiber, yellow pigment and beta keratin.

Malwi wheat is sown on 15 per cent of total agricultural spread of the state. The Agriculture Department has set the target of the wheat sowing in state on 63 lakh hectares during the ongoing Rabi season. PTI HWP ADU MAS RMT BAS

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New York: A space drink concocted by NASA to protect astronauts from radiation has been found to be effective against wrinkles, blemishes and other skin damage from the sun. According to University of Utah researchers, the drink known as AS10 has shown miraculous results on the 180 skin-damaged participants in their human trials. They found that after just four months of drinking two shots of the potion daily, UV spots were reduced by 30 percent and wrinkles by 17 percent, the New York Daily News reported. The drink is a blend of exotic fruits, including acai, acerola, prickly pear, yumberry, grape, green tea, pomegranate and Brazils cupuacu. The ingredients provide high amounts of vitamins and phytochemicals that block harmful effects of radiation, the researchers said. It also has plenty of antioxidants that ward off oxidative stress, or free radicals that damage skin cells. The skin is the first body tissue to be exposed to UV rays and we know it is sensitive to oxidative stress, explained Dr. Aaron Barson, a nutritional scientist at the University of Utah. Our study shows it greatly benefits from a reduction in this stress. The effects of oxidative stress on the skin can be quickly modified and the skin can heal itself by drinking AS10, said Barson, who is planning a larger study this summer. Participants, mostly women, drank a little over 2 ounces of AS10 a day. A 25-ounce bottle of AS10 cost about 50 dollars. ANI
Washington: A recent study has shown that postmenopausal women who ate more baked or broiled fish were at a lower risk of developing a heart failure compared to those who ate more fried fish. Researchers have found that women who ate baked/broiled fish (five or more servings/week) had a 30 pc lower risk of heart failure compared to women who seldom ate it (less than one serving/month). The study further suggests that the type of fish and cooking method may affect heart failure risk. Dark fish (salmon, mackerel and bluefish) significantly reduce heart failure risk than either tuna or white fish (sole, snapper and cod). On the other hand, eating fried fish hikes the risk of a heart failure. Even one serving a week was associated with a 48 pc higher heart failure risk. "Not all fish are equal, and how you prepare it really matters," said Donald Lloyd-Jones, senior author of the study. "When you fry fish, you not only lose a lot of the benefits, you likely add some things related to the cooking process that are harmful," he added. A team led by Lloyd-Jones examined self-reported dietary data from 84,493 postmenopausal women in the Women``s Health Initiative Observational Study. They divided the participants based on the frequency and type of fish consumption. The baked/broiled fish group consisted of canned tuna, tuna salad, tuna casserole, white fish (broiled or baked), dark fish (broiled or baked) and shellfish (not fried). Whereas, the fried fish group consisted of fried fish, fish sandwich and fried shellfish. The result showed that participants who ate more baked/broiled fish tended to be healthier and younger than their counterparts who ate fried fish. They were more physically active and fit, more educated and less likely to smoke, have diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease (irregular heartbeat and coronary artery disease). The study appears in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure. ANI
Amitabh Bachchan took to Twitter and his personal blog to share his emotional moments of bonding with his grandchildren, Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda.

By India Today Web Desk: Amitabh Bachchan is a doting grandfather. After taking to social media to gush about Aaradhya, "the most beautiful grand daughter in the whole wide world," Big B has posted pictures of him bonding with his daughter Shweta Nanda's children, Navya Naveli Nanda and Agastya Nanda.

PHOTO: Navya Nanda's throwback photo with grandad Amitabh Bachchan is the best thing you'll see today

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PHOTO: Navya Naveli Nanda looks stunning with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Karan Johar

Amitabh also wrote on his blog how overjoyed he was to be able to spend time with his grandchildren. The Pink actor, who was in Delhi to work on a promotional film for his son-in-law Nikhil Nanda's company, shared his joy of being able to spend time with "the apples of (his) heart."

T 2485 - To Delhi in the morning to work at son in law's factory and to be with the apples of my heart .. my grandchildren !! pic.twitter.com/EUijqXKW5W Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 27, 2016

"Goodness it was just the other day I was rushing their Mother to the Breach Candy Hospital for their deliveries and now this..." Big B reminisced how quickly the children have grown.

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On being asked about his degree, Jaleel Khan's defence of his qualifications was as laughable as the news. "Commerce is nothing but mathematics", he said.

By Ashish Pandey: In what only brings to the fore sheer brazenness of politicians, a video of an Andhra Pradesh MLA lying about his educational credentials has gone viral on social media.

Telugu Desam Party legislator Jaleel Khan, who represents Vijayawada west constituency, graduated in B.Com. But wait a minute, what he studied during his graduation years was anything but Commerce. Physics and Mathematics, he claims, were his subjects.

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The interview, which was shot by a local Telugu news portal, has now gone viral on social media. People have been mocking the MLA's lack of such a basic understanding of subjects.

LAUGHABLE DEFENCE

On being asked about his degree, his defence of his qualifications was as laughable. "Commerce is nothing but mathematics", he said.

Also read | Cancellation of ex-Delhi Law ministers degree recommended

Surprised at the lawmaker's answer, the interviewer tried to reconfirm but the confident MLA said that he indeed graduated in Commerce, but had Physics and Mathematics as subjects. The TDP leader went on to add that he always secured 100 marks out of 100 in every Maths examination.

Jaleel Khan was earlier a YSR Congress leader, who later switched over to the TDP.

PREVIOUS INSTANCES

This is not the first instance of a politician's name coming under the scanner for dubious academic qualifications. Former Delhi Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested on the charge of possessing fake degrees in 2015.

Also read | Smriti Irani fake degree case trashed by Delhi court

In June this year, Ruby Rai, Bihar's Class 12 topper from the Arts stream, was arrested by the Special Task Force.

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New Delhi: Delhi's prestigious college Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) has received the highest score from the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) that has given the now-mandatory scores to around 35 colleges under Delhi University on their quality status.

Out of 35 colleges, SRCC received the highest score of 3.65 closely followed by Lady Shri Ram College for Women that received a score of 3.61. The result came as quite shocking for many as Delhi's St. Stephen's College, which is one of most reputed institutes, was given a score of 3.21.

St. Stephen was given the 12th spot on the list, lower than the likes of Hindu, Kirori Mal, Khalsa, IP, Gargi, Jesus and Mary and Acharya Narendra Dev.

NAAC, which is an autonomous body of the University Grants Commission (UGC), considers a few parameters on the basis of which the accreditation status is given. The parameters include covering the curriculum, teaching-learning, evaluation, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, governance and student services.

The UGC, the agency that funds higher education, started the process of making the NAAC accreditation compulsory for colleges in 2012. Delhi University accepted the accreditation 2014 following which 35 colleges were given scores this year for the first time.

While several colleges were satisfied with the process, there were some who objected to the criteria of assessment.

"The criteria shouldn't be the same for a liberal arts college like ours, where we do not have the provisions for a laboratory and are not involved in research publications," Babli Saraf, principal of Indraprastha College for Women, was quoted as saying by Times of India.

"They should also review the college's reputation and extension aspects. Extracurricular activities should get extra weightage," Principal of Hindu College Anuja Srivastava said.

Other colleges such as Gargi College received a score of 3.80, Zakir Hussain - 3.12, Deshbandhu College - 2.80, Pannalal Girdharlal Dayanand Anglo Vedic College - 2.74, Motilal Nehru College - 2.60, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College with a rating of 2.63.

The maximum weightage during the rating was given to teaching and learning and the evaluation was made out of four points.
The detainees were accumulating explosives with an intention to carry out an attack on the nigh to December 31 in Dhaka.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Five suspected operatives of the banned militant organisation Jama'atul Mujahideen BangladeshJama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have been detained with at least 30 kg explosives.

The five suspects were detained from Darus Salam area of the capital city Dhaka during a raid by the counter-terrorism unit on Tuesday night. CTTU chief Monirul Islam confirmed the development in a press briefing at DMP Media Center on Wednesday.

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POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK EVADED

Islam said that the detainees were accumulating explosives with an intention to carry out an attack on the nigh to December 31 in Dhaka, upon instruction from Zia, Haider and Shahidullah of JMB's Rajshahi section. Islam also said that the suspects were active members of old JMB.

Monirul said, "The law enforcers also seized explosive materials, bomb making equipments and some books from the suspected JMB militants." He also said that in primary interrogation, the militants revealed that they had planned to carry out attacks on the 31 night.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court today placed the five suspects on a 7-day remand each in a case under the Explosives Substance Act. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahmudul Hasan passed the order after the militants were produced before the court seeking ten days remand. The accused are Riaz alias Engineer alias Rakib, Abu Bin Saim alias Bappi alias Opu, Kazi Abdullah Al Osman alias Ahsan, Sohag alias Chairman and Mamun alias Himel.

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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) CBI DIG Sanjiv Gautam whom former Director General Corporate Affairs B K Bansal, in his suicide letter, accused of "torturing" him and his family was today repatriated to his parent cadre of Customs and Central Excise.

Gautam, a 1995-batch IRS officer of Customs and Central Excise service, joined CBI on lateral shift basis on May 27, 2014 till November 10, 2016 in Chandigarh.

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CBI sources said he had been repatriated as there was no extension from the Centre.

Bansals wife and daughter committed suicide in July, nearly three days after he was arrested by CBI while allegedly accepting bribe to favour a pharma company

Two months later, Bansal who was released on bail also committed suicide along with his son.

In the suicide note, Bansal made serious allegations against Gautam and his team members for torturing his wife and daughter and also threatening action against him and his son.

The CBI which received a notice from National Human Rights Commission in this regard had set up an internal inquiry under a joint director to look into allegations. PTI ABS RG

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The Election Commission seems to be a constitutional body in the grip of controversy. Authoritative sources have confirmed that Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalaswami has written a minority note of dissent in the case of Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi's Order of Leopold. <br><br> While, the other two Election Commissioners, Mr Navin Chawala - CEC designate - and Mr SY Qureshi have after a close examination of the matter given Mrs Gandhi a clean chit, Mr Gopalaswami seems to be determined to keep roiling the waters. After being clearly in the minority (EC is a three-member body with majority decisions prevailing) he has chosen to table a note of dissent. <br><br> A leading constitutional expert said, The EC today is a poster child for the credibility of the elections yet, instead of letting grace prevail after being over-ruled on merits Mr Gopalaswami has chosen to drag the commission in to controversy yet again. Surely some wisdom and maturity should prevail at such a sensitive time.'' <br><br> It may be recalled that the Order of Leopold case pertained to a honour awarded to Mrs Gandhi by the King of Belgium. A complaint was filed by Mr P Rajan to Rashtrapati Bhavan which forwarded it to the EC. The complaint claimed that by accepting the honour was effectively like accepting a knighthood in Britain and thereby becoming a citizen of that country. <br><br> The complaint was examined in great detail by a heavy-weight panel of constitutional and legal experts with the final view of the EC that it was nothing of that sort and a mere honour. In its ruling the majority EC wanted to dismiss the charge and clearly say that the complaint had no merit. Says an official who is dealing with the matter after the recent run in with the government on Chawala Gopalaswami could have just chosen to accede to his colleagues instead, this new bolt from the blue.'' <br><br> Explains the official, Just on merits there was nothing in the case. A view that was officially put across the Ministry of External Affairs to the EC yet, the CEC ordered a detailed inquiry with hearings being held for over a year. Even after this he chose to strike a discordant note. This is singularly unfortunate as it affects the entire image of impartiality of the EC - built up painstakingly with flawless election management.'' <br><br> At a time with elections just four weeks away it does seem that Mr Gopalawmi is determined to leave office on a jarring note.
Its lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa

Its lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa.

The sheer scale of land required is having an impact in Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo Basin, environmentalists say.

With financing coming from American, European and Asian agri-businesses, palm bunches are cultivated then cut from trees and sent to factories where oil is extracted by hot pressing.

But the production process accelerates deforestation, contributes to climate change and threatens fauna and flora in vulnerable areas, opponents argue.

However the companies say that palm oil is not only less expensive than soya or sunflower oil but requires much less land to produce and provides much-needed jobs.

Gabon -- where forest covers 80 percent of the territory -- is feeling the brunt.

Brainforest and Mighty, two environmental groups, investigated the activities of Olam, an agri-business from Singapore, which said it has planted 58,000 hectares of palm trees in Gabon.

"It is estimated that Olam has deforested 20,000 hectares in its Gabonese concessions of Awala et Mouila since 2012," the groups said in a report released in mid-December. "Investigators on the scene witnessed and filmed bulldozers knocking down huge trees en masse."

Olam said palm trees had been planted on 25,000 hectares of land which had previously been forested, but that this had been "highly logged and degraded secondary forest" and represented just 0.1 percent of Gabon's forests.

In response to the report Olam published advertisements touting the almost 11,000 jobs it has created, the 1,100 hectares of food crops planted and 251 kilometres (150 miles) of roads built.

- A wider impact -

But the impact appears wider. In their report, the environmental groups expressed fears that the Congo Basin, considered the lung of Africa, could go the same way as forests in Sumatra, Indonesia and on Borneo.

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"A few decades ago, these places were almost entirely covered with forests, a paradise for orangutans, rhinos, elephants and exotic birds. Today, only 20-30 percent of the forest cover exists."

The report was released in Libreville when an environmental film festival honoured the French documentary "Et Maintenant Nos Terres" (And Now Our Land).

Its directors, Julien Le Net and Benjamin Polle, chronicled how villages in Cameroon and Senegal were being affected by what they called "land grabs" by multinational companies.

In southwest Cameroon 244 farmers have filed a trespassing complaint against a company that intends to plant 20,000 hectares of palm trees.

Hearings in the case against Sustainable Oils Cameroon, formerly a subsidiary of American company Herakles Farms, were postponed after reports of unrest in the area in November.

Greenpeace has asked Cameroon not to renew the company's concession which expired at the end of November, and it cited "six years of illegal foresting, trampling of locals' rights, unfulfilled investments and destruction of forest".

A petition signed by 180,000 people against renewal of the contract was sent last week to Cameroon President Paul Biya, Greenpeace said.

The government has not yet made a decision but Greenpeace said it hoped it would hear the voices of "thousands of Cameroonians".

Meanwhile the plantations of Socapalm, a subsidiary of the Luxembourg company Socfin in which the family firm of French businessman Vincent Bollore owns a large minority stake, were targeted by protests in November.

"No to pollution and massive environmental destruction" read one banner, while another urged the company to open a dialogue with residents.

"More than 5,000 hectares has been used," a resident called Ebeneser Ekango told AFPTV at the time, complaining there wasn't enough land to plant the staple crop cassava. "What do we eat?"

Greenpeace, which has complained that Socfin concessions have included old-growth forests, applauded the company publishing in December a responsible management policy commits to "eliminating deforestation".
Toshiba is braced for losses to its US nuclear business that could reportedly reach $6.2 billion

Toshiba shares dived more than 20 percent Wednesday in their second straight double-digit plunge, as the company said it may book a one-time loss of several billion dollars over its US nuclear business.

The stock price dropped by 20.42 percent to 311.60 yen, the largest fall allowed for a single day, about 30 minutes after the opening bell, as the company failed to ease investor worries over the potential risk. It finished the session at that level.

The Tokyo-based conglomerate said Tuesday in a statement that costs linked to the acquisition last year by its US subsidiary of a nuclear service company would possibly amount to "several billion US dollars, resulting in a negative impact on Toshiba's financial results".

The exact figure of the potential write-down is still being worked out, Toshiba president Satoshi Tsunakawa told reporters after the announcement, apologising for "causing concern".

The company statement suggested the figure would be released soon, citing an end-of-year deadline for settling the valuation of the nuclear deal.

The announcement came after Toshiba shares closed nearly 12 percent lower on Tuesday on media reports about the potential loss.

After the market closed Wednesday, Standard & Poor's cut two of Toshiba's credit and debt ratings by one notch each in response to the company's announcement. S&P also placed the ratings on watch, suggesting they could be downgraded further.

Analysts said uncertainty was fuelling investor anxiety.

"Concerns have yet to be cleared away as they said they didn't know the figure," Yukihiko Shimada, senior analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities, told AFP.

SMBC Nikko credit analysts Yutaka Ban and Kentaro Harada said in a report that investors "can't be optimistic about the situation" even though the total write-down may not end up as big as the 500 billion yen ($4.3 billion) reported by local media.

Nomura Securities analyst Masaya Yamasaki said in a report issued late Tuesday that the expected loss "is negative for the company as its financial standing is fragile".

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- 'Seek support' -

Tsunakawa at the press conference answered in the affirmative when asked if Toshiba is considering boosting capital.

Chief financial officer Masayoshi Hirata said that after the figure is confirmed the company will "explain and seek support" from financial institutions.

Toshiba said the possible loss was related to the valuation of the purchase by subsidiary Westinghouse Electric of the nuclear construction and services business of Chicago Bridge & Iron.

Westinghouse and Chicago Bridge & Iron have turned to an independent accountant to resolve a dispute over differences in asset valuations, Toshiba said earlier this year.

Toshiba said Tuesday the potential write-down would "far exceed" the $87 million first expected, resulting in a "far lower asset value than originally determined".

Toshiba's latest full-year forecast is for annual net profit of 145 billion yen ($1.24 billion), up 45 percent from an earlier estimate, on sales of 5.4 trillion yen.

But Tuesday it said it would release a revised earnings forecast as soon as possible to reflect the coming write-down.

Toshiba's nuclear woes are the latest blow to the once-proud pillar of corporate Japan.

It has been besieged by problems, most notably a profit-padding scandal in which bosses for years systematically pushed subordinates to cover up weak financial results.

In an intensive overhaul, the company has been shedding businesses and announced the sale of its medical devices unit to camera and office equipment maker Canon.

Investors had welcomed the makeover, with Toshiba shares having climbed 77.3 percent this year through Monday. But after this week's declines they are only up 24.7 percent
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.Good Vibrations will celebrate the opening of their ninth outlet at 6 p.m. Friday,

Jan. 6, at the Harvard Square location, directly across from Harvard University on JFK Boulevard.

Opening our Harvard Square location is the culmination of a lot of hard work and pulling together as a team to make it happen and we couldnt be prouder. We have wanted to open another Boston location for a long time, Executive Vice President Jackie Rednour-Bruckman said.

Good Vibrations, a premier sex toy retailer trusted for decades to provide quality products, accurate information, and sex positive education is opening the store at 52 JFK St., Cambridge, MA. This is the second location in the Boston area for Good Vibrations.

Good Vibrations just recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Brookline, Mass., store in the Coolidge Corner shopping district of Boston with customers, staff, and vendors alike. Free and open to the public, consumers can stop by for party favors, raffle prizes, refreshments and goodie bags.

Its indeed an historic day for Good Vibrations as we take root in the rich culture of Harvard Square! Staff Sexologist and Antique Vibrator Museum Curator Carol Queen said. Weve had the honor for many years of lecturing and sharing our sex-positive educational programming at Cambridge colleges and so look forward to becoming part of the neighborhood and continuing those wonderful relationships.

Weve been serving the greater Boston area from our quaint Coolidge Corner location for 10 years and to say we are excited about our newest location in Harvard Square would be an understatement! Boston store manager Kristen Cotter said. We have been touched and inspired by the outpouring of support weve received from our customers, partners and neighbors. My team and I are eager to build a deeper connection with the vibrant Cambridge community and continue our long standing tradition of creating a more sex-positive and shame-free world one toy (and conversation!) at a time.

For more, visit GoodVibes.com.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The flu can be a serious threat to your health, but you can protect yourself by getting a flu shot, health experts say.

"The flu shot can reduce the risk of hospitalization and severe disease due to the influenza virus in addition to reducing the incidence or severity," said Kevin Harrod. He's a professor in the department of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The flu vaccine is especially beneficial to children, the elderly, people with underlying chronic disease, such as heart disease, and women during and after pregnancy, he added.

About 970,000 Americans were hospitalized due to the flu in 2014, and more than 40 million were affected by flu-related illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During recent flu seasons, up to 90 percent of flu-related deaths have occurred in people 65 and older.

This year's vaccine protects against flu viruses that experts predict will be most common. Those include two influenza A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) and select influenza B viruses, Harrod said.

"While getting the flu shot may not keep you from getting the flu, it will limit the severity and duration of the illness, and provide you with some protection against future infections in subsequent seasons," Harrod said in a university news release.

Even when the vaccine is a "bad match" for the flu strains that develop, it offers partial protection, he added.

"One's immune system can make antibodies that still recognize and bind to the influenza virus even when new strains emerge unexpectedly," Harrod explained.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on flu vaccination.
Fed up with her transvestite husband, woman files for divorce to put an end to her unhappy marriage.

By India Today Web Desk: Bengaluru woman Anitha (name changed) from Indiranagar filed a police complaint as she was fed up seeing her husband dressed up in sari and wearing make up.

The 29-year-old woman, who works in a software company, is also seeking divorce from her transvestite husband.

''He loves wearing sari and using my make-up and accessories to dress up like a woman at night,'' Anitha told The Times of India.

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She also said, ''Our marriage was not consummated due to impotency and congenital defects. He behaves like a woman. He goes to work in the day and comes home and wears sari at night.''

The couple had an arranged marriage one year ago.

Saraswathi, senior councellor at Vanitha Sahayavani, a woman's helpline run by the city police, said, ''But from their first night itself, Naveen would act like a woman. He wanted to wear a sari that night.''

Anitha finally decided to seek divorce to put an end to her marriage after she realised that her husband was only interested in having "lesbian sex" with her.

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Lithuanian English

Elektrenai, Lithuania, 2016-12-28 08:45 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba AB (hereinafter  the Company), identification code 302648707, registered office placed at Elektrines str. 21, LT-26108 Elektrenai, Republic of Lithuania. The total number of registered ordinary shares issued by company is 635 083 615; ISIN code LT0000128571.

As of December 27th, 2016 the Board of Lietuvos Energija, UAB, which owns 96,75% of the Company's shares, approved the dividend policy of Lietuvos Energija, UAB group of companies; it sets common principles of net profit allocation principles for all the group of companies. In accordance with the new order the Company's proposal for dividends will depend on the Company's rate of return on equity, the financial ability to pay dividends, ongoing economic projects of state importance and other factors.

The dividend policy is available in the attached file.
Rs 25 lakh in new notes seized from a Dubai-bound passenger at Mumbai airport.

By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: In a big airport cash haul, new currency worth Rs 25 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination notes was seized from a Dubai-bound passenger at the city international airport.

HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Arif Koyante, who was holding an Indian passport, was departing to Dubai by Spicejet flight SG 013 when he was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs. Detailed examination of his check-in baggage resulted in recovery of Rs 25 lakh in denomination of Rs 2000 which was concealed in 52 envelopes. These 52 envelopes containing currency were further placed inside the layers of 13 cardboards on which readymade garments were neatly wrapped. The new banknotes were confiscated under the Customs Act, 1962 read with FEMA, 2000. A case has been registered and the passenger has been arrested.

Rs 25 lakh in denomination of Rs 2000 recovered from Indian national departing to Dubai at Mumbai airport; person arrested, case registered. pic.twitter.com/456Gyo4rU7&; ANI (@ANI_news) December 28, 2016

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A 44-year-old man gave the advertisement in a leading Marathi newspaper of the state which read that anyone who wants to get their old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes converted at very minimal commission can contact him and the entire process will be done at the person's doorstep.

By Saurabh Vaktania: A man was arrested by the Amboli Police for giving an advertisement in a Marathi newspaper for converting black money into white on a minimal commission basis.

A 44-year-old man gave the advertisement in a leading Marathi newspaper of the state which read that anyone who wants to get their old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes converted at very minimal commission can contact him and the entire process will be done at the person's doorstep.

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The cops, with the given contact, traced the accused from Kolhapur. But the question still remains as to how a leading newspaper published such an advertisement for three consecutive days.

On December 16, police received a complaint by a Mumbai based activist about the advertisement. According to the FIR accessed by India Today, the advertisement read, 'We will change your old notes i.e. Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Everything will be done at your doorstep'.

The advertisement was given in the Solapur edition of the leading local daily for three consecutive from December 14 to 16. The cops also found that the accused paid the newspaper Rs 790 for the advertisement.

Sarfaraz Badshah Muluni alias Danish Badshah Memon (44), resident of Shanivar Peth, Kolhapur has been booked under section 420 (cheating) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC.

The cops are now investigating how many people got in touch with Memon and also he was going to get the money converted from black to white. Further investigations are on.

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4-year jail term if you keep old notes post March 31, 2017. Rs 5,000 fine on transaction in old notes.

By Brijesh Pandey: The government today approved ordinance on demonetisation bringing much needed clarity over note ban. The ordinance is to extinguish liability of government and RBI on the demonetised high-denomination notes.

Under the ordinance, hoarding, receiving or transferring banned Rs 500, 1000 notes after March 31, 2017 will invite punishment. One can only have a maximum of 10 old notes.

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Down and ouch: Why PM Modi is feeling the 'demon' in demonetisation

WHAT THE ORDINANCE MEANS:

The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance approved by Modi Cabinet.

After December 30, banned Rs 500, 1000 notes will only be submitted through select branches of RBI.

In case an individual deposits old currency in RBI after December 30 then a declaration has to be submitted on why he/she couldn't submit in the given timeframe.

Till March 31, 2017, in case you are not able to go physically to an RBI branch then you can send it through an insured post along with a declaration why you couldn't come, why you have not been able to deposit the money till now.

The penalty rules will kick in if old notes are not declared after March 31, 2017. Punishment for possession of more than 10 old notes.

4-year jail term if you keep old notes post March31, 2017. Rs 5,000 fine on transaction in old notes.

In 1978, a similar ordinance was issued to end the governments liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were demonetised by the Janata Party government under Morarji Desai.

The government had, while announcing the demonetisation of the old currency on November 8, allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts.

While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday (December 30) to deposit the holding in their accounts

ALSO READ:

What was demonetisation's real motive, asks Rahul; Mamata asks if Modi will resign after 50 days

In PM Modi's yagna against black money, common man sacrificed: Rahul Gandhi

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By PTI: London, Dec 28 (PTI) Women who binge drink are depicted more negatively by the media than men who do the same thing, according to new UK research.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK investigated how the media report womens and mens binge drinking.

They analysed 308 articles published over two years in seven popular UK national newspapers and found that womens binge drinking was given more coverage in the media, despite men drinking more in reality.

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As well as misrepresenting differences in the amount that each gender drinks, the researchers found that articles depicted womens and mens binge drinking in very different ways.

Articles typically linked womens binge drinking to impacts on personal appearance, both in terms of physical appearance and public behaviours, according to the study published in BMJ Open.

Newspapers presented female drinkers as haggard, vulnerable, physically incapacitated and socially transgressive. There was also a tendency to characterise women as inconvenient burdens to their male drinking companions.

While the research is about what the newspapers say, rather than what readers think, the researchers suggest that the types of unrealistic portrayals of binge drinking they found could give audiences inaccurate understandings of what binge drinking is, what its effects are and how to lower their own health risks.

"Media coverage of womens binge drinking is not just about health or public disorder; it also performs a moralising, paternalistic role, reflecting broader social expectations about women?s public behaviour," Chris Patterson, from the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, said.

"As well as unfairly stigmatising women, media coverage of binge drinking is problematic in terms of communication information about a serious health issue to the public.

"Evidence suggests that the public view binge drinking as a masculine activity and statistics tell us that men do drink more than women in reality, but the media are depicting a different story," said Patterson.

"The reason why this matters is that the media have a big influence on how we understand the world, and therefore on how we behave.

"If audiences take newspapers depictions of binge drinking to heart, they could be led to believe that binge drinking is primarily the domain of raucous young women, and that the main threats it presents are to our public appearance, rather than our long-term health," he added. PTI SAR SAR

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By PTI: Bhopal, Dec 28 (PTI) Veteran BJP leader and two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa passed away here today after a brief illness.

92-year-old Patwa, a former union minister, suffered a heart attack in the morning and was rushed to hospital where he breathed his last, Bansal Hospitals Executive Director Dr Skand Trivedi said.

Patwas wife had died a few years back and they had no children. His nephew Surendra Patwa is Minister for Culture and Tourism in the present BJP-led state government.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to arrive here this evening to pay his respects to the departed leader, a senior state official told PTI.

Condoling his death, Modi said in a tweet, "(I am) saddened on the passing away of Sunderlal Patwa. He was a hardworking & dedicated leader whose good work as MP CM will be remembered".

He said Patwa strengthened the BJP and was always admired by workers.

As a mark of respect to Patwa, the MP government has announced a three-day state mourning.

"The national flag will be flown half-mast for three days from today throughout the state and no official and cultural programmes will be held during the mourning period," an official from the state Public Relations Department said.

Earlier, soon after getting information about Patwas demise, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rushed to the hospital. Several Cabinet ministers and a large number of BJP leaders also gathered at the hospital.

Later, Chouhan condoled the death of the senior BJP leader. In a tweet, he recalled Patwas lifelong contribution for the development of Madhya Pradesh and said his death is an irreparable loss to the state.

"It was a coincidence that Patwa ji left us on the death anniversary of Kushabhau Thakre (former BJP president). It is hard to imagine politics of the state without Patwa ji. He was a synonym for clean politics," Chouhan told reporters.

He said Patwa went to sleep last night, but was taken to hospital this morning when he did not wake up till late.

Patwas last rites would be held at Kukdeshwar town, the native place of the departed leader, in Neemuch district of the state tomorrow, he said. (MORE) PTI MAS ADU GK DV

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Aaron Blake

Aaron Blake covers national politics and writes and edits for The Fix. A Minnesota native and graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron lives with his wife, baby son and trusty dog, Mauer, in Northern Virginia.
My colleagues at work and me were discussing the air of gloom that seemed to permeate the holiday season this year and that not one of us believes that Trump will not implode this country. This is not based on pure speculation and our distaste for Trump, but stems from the machinations of his disruptions weeks before he is even to take office! There seems to be a pwder keg of issues that are definitive, like his relationship with National Intel (CIA,FBI,NSA etc.), his tendency to use Twitter w/o rational thought before doing so, his propensity to react before thinking when speaking about Korea, his inability to criticize or even reasonably believe that Russia hacked our cyber-security, his business dealings, his undisclosed taxes (which may show why he is unable to criticize Russia), his relationship with media and his overall knee jerking reactions to serious, problematic issues. Are you in this camp or am I being irrationally unfair to Trump?
2016 was a big year for information security in South Africa.

Hacktivists Anonymous took an interest in the country after launching #OpAfrica, aiming to draw attention to child labour and Internet censorship on the continent.

It was also a year with security stories which would make several good movies, complete with the ruler of a drug empire who was also a hacker.

Below are South Africas biggest security stories of 2016.

#OpAfrica hacks

Hackers from Anonymous announced Operation Africa at the start of 2016.

The focus of the operation is a disassembly of corporations and governments that enable and perpetuate corruption on the African continent, it said.

Anonymous hacked an old GCIS database and dumped the usernames and passwords it contained online. The passwords were weighed, measured, and found wanting.

A different Anonymous hacker also attacked and defaced thousands of websites hosted on Webafricas shared hosting infrastructure.

Several other websites were also hacked, including a Water Affairs site and the website of Armscor.

Anonymous denial-of-service attacks

A separate Anonymous operative  @zim4thewin on Twitter  also launched a series of DDoS attacks against South African websites this year.

Targets included the SABC, the EFF, and several Gupta-owned properties: ANN7, The New Age, and Sahara. Vox Telecom said it was able to mitigate the 2Gbps  10Gbps attack levelled at the ANN7 website.

Kudos to the folk at datapro, they are mitigating a huge attack! The IT team at https://t.co/GE8yXL7V66 are having less luck #Gupta  Anonymous Africa (@zim4thewin) June 15, 2016

South Africans compromised in Brazzers hack

Porn site Brazzers was hacked and the details of almost 800,000 user accounts were leaked in 2016.

Of these, 519 contained email addresses from South African domains  with four South African government departments listed.

Websites leaking private data

A flaw in MTNs website caused subscribers bills to be visible to one another this year.

The eThekwini municipality website also slipped up, leaking street addresses and ID numbers for all to see.

Standard Bank ATM fraud in Japan

The Japan News reported that a Standard Bank computer system was hacked in a R300m ATM fraud hit in Japan.

About 100 people used forged Standard Bank credit cards to withdraw 1.8bn from 1,400 ATMs in Tokyo and other areas in Japan in under three hours.

No customers suffered financial losses as a result of the sophisticated, coordinated fraud incident, said Standard Bank.

New biometric standard for card payments

The Payments Association of South Africa (Pasa) launched a national biometric standard for card payments in 2016.

Pasa said the standard, developed in partnership with MasterCard and Visa, was the first of its kind.

SIM-swap fraud

An FNB and MTN client was defrauded out of R200,000 after criminals performed a SIM-swap this year.

The Hawks also stated it was investigating a criminal syndicate which had infiltrated mobile operators, while a woman took legal action against Vodacom and ABSA to get information on who was responsible for a R2-million SIM-swap fraud incident on her account.

Hacked South African servers for sale

Access to compromised South African servers was found in the xDedic marketplace and South African IPs were implicated in attacks launched from vDOS  a distributed denial of service platform for hire.

The drug-dealing, briefly-South-African crypto king

After hearing the story of Paul le Roux, you would be forgiven for thinking he was a villain from a James Bond movie.

Called probably the most dangerous man in the world, Le Roux comes complete with a tenuous link to Edward Snowden through TrueCrypt, software he was rumoured to have a hand in.

He was also charged for international gun running and murder.
Sherlock Holmes could examine a crime scene with nothing but his immense powers of deduction and perhaps a trusty magnifying glass.

But real investigators today have much more sophisticated technology at their disposal for carrying out the crucial task of documenting and analysing a crime scene.

3D laser scanning, for example, allows investigators to quickly build a detailed and highly accurate computer model of the scene.

The problem is that this equipment is hugely expensive, often costing tens of thousands of pounds and making it inaccessible to smaller police forces and those facing funding cuts.

Handheld scanners are available at a cheaper price, but they are more suited to smaller objects or human profiles, rather than documenting a whole crime scene.

However, the task of capturing this detail in 3D could be simplified with technology from an unlikely source  the gaming industry.

Microsofts Xbox Kinect is a motion-sensing device designed to let people control and take part in video games using gestures and body movements.

The original 360 device sold 24m units in the first two years after it was released in 2010.

Microsoft later released a development kit that allowed other programmers to hack into the Kinects motion sensing capabilities and use it to control their own software.

This opened an amazing new world of possibilities.

Developers used it to control the routine functions of computers but also for more specialist applications such as operating surgical robots in place of systems that would otherwise have cost US$50,000 (39,000).

But perhaps the Kinects greatest function is its ability to capture landscapes and objects in three dimensions, with accurate colour mapping and texturing.

Last year, researchers from the University of Vigo, Spain, proposed that the original 360 Kinect might be useful for 3D modelling crime scenes.

Their results showed that the 360 Kinect produced too much noise (visual distortion caused by low light) to produce sufficiently accurate measurements unless placed very close to the objects it was scanning.

At just three metres away, the Kinect produced errors of between 2-10% in the measurements.

While this may seem small, accuracy is everything when it comes to crime scene recording.

The updated Xbox One version of the Kinect features a camera with a pixel depth of 512424 pixel depth camera (compared to the originals 320240 sensor), which means it can capture a wider image with better focus, even in low light situations.

The software enhancements and hardware improvements means that it now transmits two gigabits of data per second.

This translates to faster capture times when panning and tilting the sensor to record 3D spaces and, most importantly, less noise and measurement inaccuracies.

The Kinects improvements were so significant that NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab signed up for Microsofts developer programme in November 2013.

The NASA engineers used the new Kinect in combination with an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to create a system that could allow an astronaut to manipulate a robotic arm just by moving their own arm in the same way.

They called it the most immersive interface they had ever built.

Building your own 3D scanner

To capture a crime scene in its entirety, the Xbox One Kinect sensor (89) could be combined with a simple, cheap (30) computer such as the Arduino Leonardo, a Raspberry Pi, a robotic rotation kit (60) and tilt kit (25).

This would enable crime scene examiners to automatically scan an entire location in 360 degrees.

A laptop with reasonable processing power (at least 999) and a Windows adapter (38) would also be needed to run the system, but the total cost of the necessary equipment would still come in at less than 1,500.

This would be about 43 times less than pre-existing commercial systems available on the market today.

The assembly and operation would be simple and most of the components work straight out of the box without any need for tinkering.

Open-source software is freely available and even commercial offerings go for less than 150. Specialised software systems only come bundled with hardware and cost as much as 150,000.

Although more crime scene technologies have come onto the market, their price has not significantly come down, so they are still out of reach for thousands of police forces from across the world.

The possibilities of Kinect suggest that maybe its time for police forces to take a proactive step in improving their own technologies with a hack of their own.

Using a Kinect-based system would be a simple, cost-effective method that could aid investigations and ensure justice in court.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Portugal is considering abandoning golden visa scheme

Biden and Erdogan to meet at G-20 summit

NATO supports normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and welcomes EU efforts

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
YEREVAN.  They treat Armenia as they please, Armenian Center for Political and International Studies Director, political scientist Aghasi Yenokyan, told Aravot (Morning) newspaper, and with respect to the delay in the appointment of the newand ArmeniasSecretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Mr. Yenokyan noted with resentment: The Republic of Armenia [(RA)] has shown that it is not the decision-maker within the CSTO, but rather they make decisions regarding it.

The organization is politico-military, and decisions are taken and imposed upon the RA Armed Forces. (). The RA does not have a serious say there. The RA has few decision-making mechanisms [within the CSTO].

As per Aghasi Yenokyan, the matter of appointment of the [new] CSTO Secretary General will be put off until the RAs turn passes, another states turn comes, or until the decision-making mechanisms change, [and] it becomes apparent that not the CSTOs, but [Russian President Vladimir] Putins general decisions are adopted, wrote Aravot.
STEPANAKERT.  The adversary violated the ceasefire along the southern (Hadrut), eastern (Martuni-Akn), and northeastern (Martakert) directions of the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces around 50 times, from late Tuesday night to early Wednesday morning.

During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 900 shots toward the Armenian military positions, and with different-caliber shooting weapons, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Defense Army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In addition, the adversary fired from a mortar, toward the Martakert defense.

The quell the Azerbaijan armed forces activeness, however, the NKR Defense Army vanguard units took corresponding actions in response, primarily in the northeasterly direction, and continued confidently carrying out the military task set before them, along the entire line of contact.

At present, the operative situation at the frontline is relatively calm.
YEREVAN.  The Government of Armenia has already collected proposals for $240million investment projects.

Minister of Economic Development and Investment, Suren Karayan, noted the above-said at his year-end press conference on Wednesday.

As per Karayan, these proposals are collected as a result of Prime Minister Karen Karapetyans visits to the provinces of Armenia.

Accordingly, 160 investment projects, 110 of which being from the provinces, already have been collected for consideration.

In addition, seven companies will either start operations or expand in the first quarter of 2017.

Owing to the 3billion-dram (about $6,207,000) investments, they will create more than 820 jobs.
Guwahati-based bullion trader identified as Narendra Kumar Jain was identified as the kingpin of the racket and arrested by DRI in September. A detailed probe showed there was secret trading of 11,000 kg of gold.

By Atir Khan: The busting of the gold smuggling racket a few months ago, which was touted as one of the biggest gold seizures with the recovery of 7000 kgs of the metal, is a big haul, even bigger than what one expected initially. The Finance Ministry has given a go-ahead for the imposing of Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) against the racket's kingpin lodged in Tihar jail.

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A Guwahati-based bullion trader called Narendra Kumar Jain was identified as the kingpin and arrested by DRI in September this year. He used to sell smuggled gold to jewellers in Chandni Chowk and NCR areas.

The gold smuggling racket was found to be worth Rs 2,000 crores. It was described as one of the largest gold smuggling detections made by any single enforcement agency.

RACKET INVOLVED SMUGGLING OF 11,000 KG GOLD

However, it has now come to the fore that the racket is much bigger than what DRI sleuths had expected it to be. After a detailed investigation, it has been learnt that the gold smuggling racket involved secret trading of a whopping 11,000 kgs of gold.

The sleuths later arrested his accomplice called Raju Arora. The agency suspects the duo had sold off smuggled gold to Delhi-based jewellers. The agency is trying to identify the jewellers, even though doing so is an uphill task as most transactions have taken place on trust and there is no record of the same.

Also read | Bullion trader arrested for running smuggling 7,000 kgs of gold

Jain and Arora had allegedly adopted a unique modus operandi for smuggling gold and bringing it to the national capital. The probe had revealed that huge quantities of gold bars of foreign origin were smuggled from Myanmar through the border via Manipur and from the Zokhawthar area in Mizoram.

He and his associates were bringing smuggled gold into Delhi from Guwahati and passing it off as valuable cargo in domestic flights operated by Jet Airways. It was a unique modus operandi as smugglers usually used train or bus routes to carry the smuggled gold.

DRI SLEUTHS COLLECT DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE

When DRI sleuths inquired from the airlines, they learnt that Jain and his accomplices had dispatched gold in valuable cargo much oftener than they had confessed. The sleuths then gathered documentary evidence from the airlines and made a strong case against them. The X-ray images of the concerned cargo have also been put on record as evidence.

The smuggled gold seized in September.

After the DRI urged the Finance Ministry to impose COFEPOSA on the kingpin Narendra Kumar Jain, the Ministry has placed the recommendation for the same before the advisory board. The Ministry how given a go-ahead for imposing anti-smuggling provisions. This means that Jain will not be able to come out of bail till at least one year. He is lodged in the Tihar jail at present.

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During April-July 2016, the illicit import of gold had drastically gone down to about 107 metric tonnes valued at Rs 24,000 crores as compared to 274 metric tonnes valued at Rs 60,700 crore in the corresponding period in the last financial year. The total gold import in 2015-16 was about 855 metric tonnes, valued at Rs 1,79,172 crore.

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YEREVAN. - Armenian serviceman Avetis Zargaryan, who was wounded in the four-day April war, will most probably continue his further treatment in Moscow.

Avetis mother, Mrs Sonya, told Armenian News  NEWS.am that the preliminary decision on this was made by the Defense Ministry.

According to the initial plans, Avetis Zaragryan was to undergo a chin plastic surgery in India, where he was to receive rehabilitation treatment. However, the Defense Ministry was unable to find a plane. In fact, the Ministry was lazy to find a plane even though the expenses for Avetis treatment will be fully covered by a charity foundation.

Former contract soldier of N Military base of the Defense Ministry, Private Avetis Zargaryan sustained a spine injury on April 4. Next day he was taken to the Central Clinical Military Hospital of the Armenian Defense Ministry by helicopter.

Avetis Zargaryan had come from Russia to serve in the Armenian army.
YEREVAN.  Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, received US Ambassador Richard Mills. The interlocutors discussed US-Armenia relations, and exchanged views on cooperation in the anticorruption policy of the Armenian government.

With reference to the activities of the Anticorruption Council, Karapetyan said he will expand the scope of civil society representatives, with a view to achieving stronger public feedback. Stressing the need to change the climate that is conducive to corruption, the Premier noted that his instructions issued at the Cabinet meetings are aimed at reducing the risk of corruption through improved business climate, better quality of services, and enforcement of the single-window principle in various fields of activity.

In turn, Richard Mills said the US government stands ready to continue supporting Armenias anticorruption policy, and by way of extending the term of the agreement on fight against corruption. In this regard, the ambassador considered it necessary to outline the respective specific steps and programs to be funded by the American side.

Highlighting the progress Armenia has made in curbing corruption in a variety of domains, the American diplomat made a point of continued efforts in this regard. Richard Mills added that the US is ready to provide expert assistance to promote the ongoing judicial and tax reforms in Armenia.

Karen Karapetyan, for his part, thanked the ambassador for cooperation. He also noted that the Government of Armenia will soon present to its American partners the domains of mutually beneficial cooperation.
STEPANAKERT. - The number of tourists visiting Karabakh reduced in 2016.

Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Karen Mirzoyan said the aforementioned at a meeting with reporters Wednesday.

''Although the year hasn't yet finished and the figures are still being summed up, as of today we have a 17 percent drop as compared with last year. That is, we had about 14,000 visitors this year against 16,500 last year. But the drop in the number of visitors has nothing to do with the policy adopted by Azerbaijan. The main reason is the April events: many people simply chose not to visit Artsakh, considering the security conditions,'' he said.

The FM also noted that the Artsakh authorities are continuing the work aimed at presenting the tourism attractiveness of Artsakh to the world.

''In this context we are closely cooperating with the Tourism Department of the Artsakh Economy Ministry. The presentation on the possibilities of Atrsakh tourism, which took place in Brussels in fall, was an interesting step made in that direction. We will continue to cooperate with our partners aiming to voice and disseminate the truth about Artaskh, as well as establish business ties.''
The designing of William Saroyan's Home & Museum has kicked off in Fresno, California. The construction will start in 2017, the opening being planned to be held on 31 August 2018, the 110th anniversary of the author.

In December 2015, the founder of ''Intellectual Renaissance'' Foundation, Arthur Janibekyan, acquired the house of Saroyan, which was put on auction. He thereafter launched the Saroyan House project, whose main aim is to turn the authors house in Fresno into a home and museum.

A competition was announced for developing the project of the museum. Its final stage was held in Yerevan. Storaket Architectural Studio, which had proposed a project filled with innovative technological solutions, was named the winner.

Saroyan and his heroes, as well as his stories will through a 3D modeling be placed in a 114 cubic meter area, where Saroyan once used to live and write. In the interactive museum Saroyan will welcome his guests, tour and talk to them.

Meanwhile, the Saroyan House workers will continue their activity. They have already found out that part of the Pulitzer Prize winner's literary heritage is kept at Stanford University, the other part belonging to Saroyan Foundation. Still the rest of his works are kept by the author's relatives and friends.

Currently, work is carried out to bring all this together into one place. Saroyan House Council, whose members are renowned specialists in Saroyan studies spread in different corners of the world, oversees and supports the work.
In an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Centre has reduced the deadline for completing inquiries into complaints from 90 days to 30 days.

By Mausami Singh: To make female employees of Central government departments feel safer, existing guidelines have been made stringent to prevent sexual harassment at workplace.

In an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Centre has reduced the deadline for completing inquiries into complaints from 90 days to 30 days.

Protection of victim

The Centre has also ordered departments to ensure that complainants are not victimised. Departments have been told to watch out for the well-being of women whose complaints are proven. This, it said, was to be done for five years to ensure she was "not subjected to vendetta".

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Intervention of WCD Ministry

Under the sexual harassment at workplace law, the inquiry committee must give its report within 90 days. The move to bring it down to 30 days comes after Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi expressed disappointment with the way sexual harassment inquiries were getting held up. In October, Gandhi promised to ensure that complaints were dealt with in a "timely and sensitive manner".

ALSO READ: Woman lawyer accuses Congress Rajya Sabha MP of rape, police file complaint

Not posted under the accused

The DoPT in its directive has gone a step further. "She (the complainant) should not be posted under the respondent (who is facing the complaint) or any other person where there may be a reasonable ground to believe that she may be subjected to harassment," DoPT director Mukesh Chaturvedi said in the memo.

Guarding against victimisation

The memo stated that in "case of any victimisation, the complainant may submit a representation to the secretary in the ministry. These representations should be dealt with sensitively and a decision taken within 15 days".

ALSO READ: National level shooter raped by coach, FIR filed

Under-reporting of sexual harassment cases

Sexual harassment cases are generally under reported. Sources said only eight departments reported the figures in the previous financial year. The Department of Atomic Energy reported the highest number of cases (15). According to the order, departments must maintain a record of the complaints registered and action taken, and submit the findings in an annual report.

The DoPT order

The DoPT order.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra backs CBI's demand for capital punishment in Bilkis Bano's gangrape case

ALSO WATCH

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YEREVAN.  ''Experts, political figures or those considering themselves as such regularly 'throw out' so-called versions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, however, these are not versions in reality but theses. I state very precisely that nobody has so far been able to publicly and correctly present the version, whose details we have been discussing for many years.''

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated the aforementioned on Wednesday during the reception hosted by the Armenian MFA on the occasion of New Year and Christmas.

The President congratulated and wished all the best to the ministry workers, as well as all the Armenian diplomats and ambassadors accredited in Armenia.

In his speech, Sargsyan referred to the important achievements of the Armenian foreign policy this year, the existing issues and challenges, activities carried out as a result of the active involvement of the country in international organizations and in the framework of integration processes, as well as diplomatic efforts of Armenia in the conflict settlement process.

''Those who are familiar with the signature of our diplomacy know that Armenia follows not the 'against' but 'in favor of' principle. Armenia seeks to have its input in the strengthening of security and stability, formation of positive agenda in international relations, promotion of mutually beneficial cooperation and establishment of dialogue bridges between different countries and cultures. This can be indicated by the active involvement of Armenia in integration processes, its participation in international peacekeeping missions and active contribution to the agenda of international organizations. In this context, I would like to especially mention the honor of hosting the summit of one of the largest international organizations, [the International Organization of] La Francophonie. Armenia was honored to do this thanks to its active diplomacy. This was the manifestation of trust and solidarity of the Organisation of La Francophonie and various member-states towards us.

The positions and views of Armenia are perceptible to the international community thanks to our consistent and principled foreign policy, the principled foreign policy of those present.

The summits held in Vienna and Saint Petersburg after the April aggression of Azerbaijan are exactly indicative of this. The statement by the OSCE Minsk Group made in Hamburg at the end of the year apparently showed how far from reality Azerbaijan's declamations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are. At the same time, that statement shows the extent of conformity between the positions of the international community and our stance.

This was definitely reached thanks to the consistent efforts of the Armenian diplomacy,'' he said.

Referring to the Karabakh conflict settlement, Sarsgyan noted: ''I would like to once again stress in your presencesince none of you knows preciselythat since 2017 no other version [of the settlement] than the Madrid principles has been discussed anywhere. Why don't wesince we are the negotiatorskeep our public informed, knowing all the details? At least for two reasons: First, being experienced negotiators, you know very well that when going to take part in negotiations, you cannot reveal your entire so-called tools and sharpness or your tactics, or strategy, since in the modern world you utter two words, and those two words in a minute enter the public domain in Baku, Washington, Moscow and Paris. Second, everyone knows that during principled negotiations the following principle is used: nothing is agreed if everything is agreed. If every time after returning from negotiations we tell our people that a certain sentence and idea is formulated in a certain way, when something changes in two weeks we will have to again start explaining why that changed, etc. But this is not essential. The essential thing is the following: since 2007, that is, since adopting the Madrid principles as a basis for negotiations, we have been pursuing one goal: the determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Nagorno-Karabakh population, and we are not going to withdraw from this principle.

Our diplomacy presented to the international community the April aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh, as well as the grossest violations of international obligations and humanitarian law. Along with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the leadership of Armenia continues working towards the establishment of peace. Armenia advocates for peace. We realize very well how valuable the peace is. And it is no coincidence that the pillars of our foreign policy are the peaceful settlement of conflicts, non-use of force and prevention of crimes against humanity.''

The President also added that the efficiency of the foreign policy directly depends on that of the governance, expressing hope that the 2017 parliamentary elections will serve as a good opportunity for turning the efficient governance vision of Armenia into reality.
Bangtao Beach, Phuket  On Saturday 24 December 2016 at 9 pm, Catch Beach Club painted the night white with its signature colour theme, joined by over 1,500 island and international partygoers eager to witness its highly anticipated COME BACK celebrations.

Just 4 km north of Twinpalms Phuket, Catch Beach Club welcomes jet-set beach lovers everywhere to its one-of-a-kind luxury setting. Chill out at the secluded pool or relax on the amazing beach while being entertained by live DJs and their brilliant sound system. Catch Beach Clubs famous delectable dishes in harmony with a great selection of world acclaimed beverages, ensures the continuation of its unpretentious service in this new unparalleled location.

Become part of this islands living history and join us at its most fashionable beach club. The legend

continues.
- Governor Nyesom Wike has alleged that security agencies were behind the violence that marred the Rivers-rerun election

- Wike says the police high command has arrested all his personal police details who accompanied him to stop the SARS Commander from rigging the election in Rivers east senatorial district

- According to the governor, the police high command is insisting that the policemen should not have accompanied him to stop the SARS commander

Governor Nyesom Wike alleges that INEC connived with APC to print fake result sheets ahead of the Rivers rerun elections.

Governor Nyesom Wike has alleged that security agencies planned to make Rivers state ungovernable during the December 10 Rivers-rerun election for political reasons.

Wike said the security agencies planned to achieve this by causing violence during the poll.

READ ALSO: Tears, sorrow as relatives bury Biafran allegedly killed by Nigerian Army

The governor made the accusation during an address to members of the Rivers state traditional rulers council who paid him a Christmas visit on Tuesday, December 27.

According to Punch, he said the police high command had arrested all his personal police details who accompanied him to stop SARS Commander from rigging the rerun Rivers east senatorial district.

He said: The security agencies orchestrated plans to cause violence with a view to making the state ungovernable for ulterior motives.

As I speak with you, all my personal police details, who accompanied me to stop Fakorede from successfully rigging the Rivers East Senatorial District election, have been arrested and detained in Abuja.

Wike said that the police high command was insisting that the policemen should not have accompanied him to stop the SARS commander, Akin Fakorede.

The governor said he was moved to stop the SARS commander from truncating the election after policemen and soldiers were used by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Ikwerre LGA to beat up some PDP agents and force collation officers to concoct results the previous day.

The governor also indicted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of conniving the APC to print fake result sheets ahead of the elections.

READ ALSO: I cannot be influenced  INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu

He said security agencies carried out violence against many INEC officials during the polls, but that the matter is being concealed from the public.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has fingered Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike in a plot to use protests to disrupt the peace in Abuja during the festive period.

The Punch reports that the DSS made this revelation in a statement released on Thursday, December 22 by its spokesperson Tony Opuiyo.

According to Opuiyo, the DSS came across the plot during its regular intelligence gathering duties. The protests, he said, were aimed at specific government agencies and were to paint a poor image of the government.

Source: Legit.ng
The Rajasthan Gujjar Aarakashan Sangharsh Samiti has begun to demand that a separate reservation of 5 per cent be created for the nomadic castes within the OBC quota, thus abiding with the total cap of 50 per cent on reservation.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: The Gujjars demand for reservation in Rajasthan can fast become an albatross around Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's neck. After the Rajasthan High Court struck down the move to bring five castes, including Gujjars, under the Special Backward Castes (SBC) category, the Rajasthan Gujjar Aarakashan Sangharsh Samiti has begun to demand that a separate reservation of 5 per cent be created for the nomadic castes within the Other Backward Classes (OBC), thus abiding with the total cap of 50 per cent on reservation.

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This, the agitating Gujjars feel, can help avoid the court's scrutiny.

The Rajasthan government had, through a Bill in September, 2015, provided 5 per cent reservation for 5 castes under the Special Backward Classes (SBC), thus taking the total reservation in Rajasthan to 54 per cent. These castes include Gujjars, Banjaras, Gadia Lohars, Gadarias and Raikas.

RAJASTHAN GOVERNMENT IN DILEMMA OVER DEMAND

The Rajasthan government is presently in a dilemma about whether it must accept the demand. If it yields, it runs the risk of antagonising other castes whose share in the reservation quota will then drop. Such castes include the Jats and Bishnois, among many others.

Currently, according to the Supreme Court, the cap on reservation under different categories in government jobs is 50 per cent. Before the government decided to bring in a Bill for 5 per cent reservation in September last year, caste-based reservation in government jobs in Rajasthan stood at 49 per cent. That included 21 per cent for OBCs, 16 per cent for Scheduled Castes and 12 per cent for Scheduled Tribes.

Also read | Raj Govt tries to assure Gujjars on quota after stir threat

The High Court had mentioned that five castes (Gujjars, Banjaras, Gadarias, Raikas and Gadia Lohars), previously falling in the category of OBCs and getting benefits of reservation, have been brought under SBCs to provide five per cent reservation, exceeding the ceiling of 50 per cent.

The court observed that the SBC Commission and the state government had failed to discharge their obligation, as per the directions of the apex court, to collect quantifiable data.

The court, citing the Supreme Court's 9-judge bench Indira Sahani judgement, stated that there were no special reasons for creating a separate 5 per cent reservation pool for these castes. The court mentioned that according to a report, there were 25 more backward castes.

GUJJARS FEEL GOVERNMENT HAS NOT KEPT PROMISE

The representative Gujjars, who have witnessed several violent agitations in the past, feel that the government has so far not fulfilled its promise of ensuring Amendment to the 9th Schedule to bring in the requisite changes. In May 2015, members of the Gujjar community began agitating in Bharatpur by once again blocking railway tracks. After that, representatives of the Sangharsh Samiti were called in for a dialogue.

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As per Himmat Singh Gujjar, spokesperson for Rajasthan Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (RGASS), the government during the dialogue that happened following the May agitation had promised that changes would be made in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution at the Central level, thus fulfilling the government's promise on the issue of reservation.

Also read | Rajasthan: Gujjars launch fresh stir demanding quota in government jobs

He claimed, "Now our demand is for 5 per cent reservation to be set aside for the 5 castes within the OBC category."

SBC RESERVATION STRUCK DOWN THIS YEAR

The SBC reservation was struck down for the second time this year. Earlier, even in 2013, the court had come down heavily on the move to create a separate category for the Gujjars and other castes that took the total percentage beyond 50.

The issue of Gujjar reservation has been a sensitive one in Rajasthan. On several previous occasions, their agitation has turned violent claiming several lives. In 2008, under Vasundhara Raje's last tenure as CM, the police had opened fire on the agitating Gujjars, resulting in deaths of more than 70 of them. The present government is hoping that the current reservation problem is resolved soon so that it does not have an adverse impact on the electoral prospects of the BJP during the next elections.

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AP702541456921

AP

A commute in La Paz, Bolivia, is done by cable car.

The average American spends 38 hours a year stuck in traffic  or 90 hours a year if you live in LA.

Those numbers get worse in the worlds megacities: Commuters in Mexico City, Moscow, and Beijing can sit in traffic for hours every day. Here are a few gripping images of those journeys.

Drake Baer and Alex Davies contributed to an earlier version of this article.

Thousands of people commute to work in Bangladesh by boat. Here, residents of Dhaka take out their umbrellas.

The security checks during rush hour in Beijing make for insanely long lines. The checks have been tightened due to an attack in Chinas Xinjiang region, where dozens were killed in May 2014.

It doesnt get much easier once youre actually on the train.

Getting home from work in Beijing is a bit of a zoo, too.

Being a pedestrian in Tokyo means having a lot of company.

Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo is one of the worlds busiest pedestrian intersections. Traffic lights go red all at once, so up to 2,500 people try to cross at the same time.

Lots of Bangkok residents take the canal boat to work.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, the front of the train is fair game, too.

Even when heavy rains flood the Indian city of Guwahati, people still have to schlep to work.

Its hard to imagine being stuck in this Mumbai commuter train.

Getting on the train in Colombo, Sri Lankas largest city, requires some patience.

Heavy rain didnt deter these men in Karachi, Pakistan, from riding on the outside of a bus.

But it pales in comparison to what trains look like in Indonesias West Java province, where just 300 cars serve 500,000 commuters each day.

Commuters were stranded after a 2009 typhoon washed out a chunk of a Philippines highway north of Manila.

There are more than 37 million motorbikes in Vietnam, so rush hour in Ho Chi Minh City is a blur.

In Soweto, South Africa, you often have to take the train into your own hands.

At 21 million people, Lagos has become Africas largest city. It was only 1.4 million in 1970, so as you might imagine, traffic is rough.

A lack of infrastructure makes commuting in Mbare, Zimbabwe, an ordeal done in darkness.

The congestion in Cairo, Egypt, gets so deadlocked that you cant tell where the traffic ends and the market begins.

Thousands of residents of La Paz, Bolivia, take the cable car system  the worlds highest.

Istanbul, where the average driver spends 125 hours in traffic jams every year, has the worst congestion in Turkey 

Source: World Atlas

Story continues

 while Rio de Janeiro is home to some of the biggest traffic jams in Brazil.

A May 2014 bus driver strike in Sao Paulo made the morning commute even more congested than usual  here are the human-laden escalators in one subway station.

Its subway stations are a bit overcrowded too.

At peak times, New York Citys Grand Central Terminal gets pretty crazy.

The morning commute in Chicago can grow seriously frigid in the heart of winter, as shown in this January photo.

On April Fools Day in 2014, the trip to work for Google employees was interrupted by protestors who claimed that an influx of tech workers were driving up San Francisco housing prices.

Los Angeles motorists suffer from the worst traffic in the US, logging an average 90 hours a year behind the wheel.

Mexico City has 20 million people and about four million cars  enough to make six-hour commutes common.

A winter snowstorm brought afternoon traffic to a standstill in Calgary.

Before an airport was built in the Chilean archipelago of Chiloe, people commuting to the mainland of Chile would need to take a four-hour drive plus a ferry.

Subway commuters will often flood the platforms of Moscow, like the one pictured below.

In Brussels, a city that has some of the worst congestion in the world, drivers spend about 94 hours a year in traffic jams. Brussels has a spider web of highways that is impossible to evade, even for drivers just passing through the city.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of people travel from Shenzhen, China to Hong Kong. The commute can involve hours of wasted time dealing with crowds, customs officials, and traffic.

And once theyre in Hong Kong, protests can sometimes shut down roads, leading to horrendous jams.

Many Londoners trek across the London Bridge as part of their commute, especially if they work in the financial sector.

In the Netherlands, about 25% of all commutes are made by bicycle. This means that bike parking in Amsterdam gets pretty creative.

The post 37 photos that will make you grateful for your commute appeared first on Business Insider.
DMP, Thai Express Founder Ivan Lee, and Odette Founder Wee Teng Wen have also co-invested in Grain

Singapore-based food delivery startup Grain has raised an undisclosed amount in pre-Series B funding, led by existing investor NSI Ventures.

DMP, and Ivan Lee (who founded and sold Thai Express), have also returned to co-invest in this round, along with new investor Wee Teng Wen of the Lo & Behold Group  owner of popular food concepts, including OverEasy, The White Rabbit, Loof, and Michelin-starred Odette.

Concurrently, Grain has also raised an undisclosed amount in venture debt from DBS Bank.

The capital will be used to expand production capacity, build more mobile distribution hubs, and grow the team. The startup also plans to expand to other parts of Asia.

Also Read: Singaporean healthy food startup Grain rebrands itself to food that delights, cuts prices

Launched in 2013, Grain provides on-demand hyper-personal wholesome food delivery services. There is no minimum order (unless you are out of the Hotzone), and the food is delivered to any location in Singapore.

What sets it apart from other food delivery companies in Singapore is that it maintains control over every part of the process from R&D and cooking, right up till the last-mile delivery. It has collaborated with the winners of MasterChef Asia and MasterChef France, as well as Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants to develop dishes for their meal box menu.

In January this year, Grain raised a US$1.7 million Series A round led by NSI Ventures, with participation from 500 Startups, Ivan Lee, DMP, Koh Boon Hwee (Managing Director of GK Goh Holdings) and other undisclosed angel investors. Since this round of investment, it has doubled its revenue and is currently also serving major clients including Uber, Netflix, Twitter and Oldendorff on a recurring basis.

With the growth, Grain has also moved to a new 6,000 sq ft facility in April 2016.

The post Grain raises funding from NSI, DBS to expand its food delivery business beyond Singapore appeared first on e27.
BERLIN (AP)  German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last week's truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

The 40-year-old, who wasn't identified, was detained in Berlin during a search of his home and business, federal prosecutors said.

The man's telephone number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19. Amri, 24, was killed in a shootout with Italian police in a suburb of Milan early Friday.

Of the new suspect, prosecutors said in a statement that "further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack."

Twelve people died and dozens more were injured in the truck attack. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the 40-year-old is strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack, and in fleeing Berlin. They're also trying to piece together the route he took from Berlin to Milan.

Italian police have said Amri traveled through France, and French authorities said on Tuesday that he made a stop in the eastern French city of Lyon.

On Wednesday, Dutch authorities said it appeared Amri first had fled through the Netherlands, Germany's western neighbor.

Jirko Patist, a spokesman for the Dutch national prosecutor's office, said "highly likely" that Amri had been in Nijmegen, in the eastern Netherlands, during his journey from Berlin to Milan.

Camera images recovered in Nijmagen "found someone we think, rather of whom we say it is highly likely," is the same person appearing in photos from Lyon in France, Patist told Netherlands public broadcaster NOS.

Story continues

Patist added that there was no reason to think the suspect was accompanied by anyone while in the Netherlands.

A SIM card found on the fugitive after he was shot led authorities to the Netherlands.

"We can see that the SIM cards like this have been distributed in several locations in the Netherlands," he said.

Amri had no phone with him in Milan, only the loose SIM card.

According to Italian police, Amri also had a pocket knife and a few hundred euros in cash in a backpack that he was carrying when officers on a routine patrol stopped him to ask for identification in the Milan suburb of Sesto San Giovanni on Friday.

He also carried a .22 pistol that he then used to shoot a police officer, hitting him in the shoulder.

The Italian investigator said the weapon appeared to be the same one used in Germany to kill the Polish driver of the truck that was commandeered for the Christmas market attack, but that final ballistic tests were still being carried out.

The body of the Polish driver, Lukasz Urban, was returned to Poland on Tuesday, said Aldoma Lema, a spokeswoman for prosecutors in the Polish city of Szczecin.

There has been speculation over whether Urban still was alive at the time of the attack and struggled with Amri. His body was found in the truck's cab.

German daily Bild reported Tuesday, without citing sources, that autopsy results showed Urban was shot in the head several hours before the attack and would have been dead or unconscious by that time.

Lema said she could not give the time of his death. Another autopsy was performed in Poland on Wednesday and preliminary findings won't be known for three weeks, she said.

In Belgium, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said the apparent ease with which Amri traveled through Europe after the attack showed that passenger watch lists used to flag terror suspects should be extended from airplanes to other modes of public transportation, including buses.

Jambon, who has said he wants the European Union to pursue the idea, told public broadcaster VRT that "the (passenger) information would need to be checked with lists of international terrorists that we have had warnings about. So, someone who is known or warned to be a violent extremist could be kicked off that transport."

German media reported Wednesday that investigators believe an emergency braking system in the truck may have prevented more deaths.

Daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcaster NDR cited unnamed officials familiar with the investigation saying the tractor unit had a mechanism that automatically slams the brakes when a collision is detected.

The news outlets also reported that Amri, whom German authorities had deemed a potential threat months before the attack, allegedly searched the internet for instructions on how to make explosives and first attempted to contact the Islamic State group in February.

___

Barry reported from Milan. Frank Jordans in Berlin, Raf Casert in Brussels and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland contributed to this report.
An Indonesian court on Tuesday refused to drop blasphemy charges against the Christian governor of the capital Jakarta, as hundreds of people protested outside the court where the trial is taking place. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama -- the first Christian to govern the capital in more than 50 years -- sparked anger in the Muslim-majority country when he quoted a verse from the Koran while campaigning ahead of elections for the Jakarta governorship. The high-profile case against Purnama, better known by his nickname Ahok, has captivated attention in Indonesia, and fanned concerns about hardliners pushing their agenda in the nation of 255 million. Judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto ruled that the charges filed by prosecutors were legitimate despite complaints from the defence which said the trial was rushed and surrounded by too much public scrutiny. Outside the court, hundreds of protesters chanting slogans including "God is Great". "We Muslims demand Ahok to be jailed or punished as severely as possible," said Suyono, who like many Indonesians go by one name. Purnama remains a candidate for re-election in February, though he could be jailed for a maximum of five years if found guilty. He had been a favourite to win but the lawsuit has seen polls turn against him. "I don't really care that the judges have rejected the governor's objection. We will still campaign for the governor whatever happens," Jappy Pellokila, a Purnama supporter, told AFP. Almost all blasphemy cases in Indonesia have resulted in convictions and rights groups fear the case is eroding the country's reputation for tolerance and diversity. The trial has been adjourned until January 3.
In a stern parting shot, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel on Wednesday that building settlements on Palestinian land threatens the country's very future as a democracy. Less than four weeks before President Barack Obama leaves office, Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of allowing Israel to slide towards a "perpetual occupation." With President-elect Donald Trump taking office on January 20, and already urging Israel to "stand strong" in the face of international pressure, it was not clear what impact Kerry hopes to have on the peace process. But his comprehensive and at times angry speech laid down parameters for a peace deal -- two states within their pre-1967 frontiers and with a shared capital in Jerusalem -- that he hopes will outlast Obama. Washington officials have refused to say what they might do next, but Israel fears the administration could attempt to codify these principles in a UN resolution or statement by the Middle East diplomatic quartet. And they were quick to reject Kerry's rebuke, which Netanyahu said showed that Washington's chief diplomat was biased towards the Palestinian cause. "For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries," he complained. - Time to choose - Kerry's speech did not depart from US policy of many years, nor from his warnings in recent months, but critical and supportive observers alike noted his detailed breakdown of the problem as he sees it. "Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats. "They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states. "But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic - it cannot be both - and it won't ever really be at peace," he argued. Kerry was speaking against the backdrop of a diplomatic firestorm that was triggered last week when, on Obama's instruction, US diplomats opted not to veto a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israel, instead abstaining. The resolution, backed unanimously by the rest of the 15 powers on the council, effectively declared Israel's settlements in areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank beyond its 1967 border illegal. Kerry said that the resolution was allowed to pass as a warning that Israeli settlements are harming efforts to revive peace talks, not in an effort to prejudge the final status of territory. But, in welcoming Kerry's speech, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas made it clear that he regards the resolution, UNSC 2334, as an element of international law that would underpin future negotiations. In a statement, Abbas said the Palestinians are ready to resume talks "the minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... on the basis of international law... including UNSC 2334." Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition is backed by the settler movement and who has insisted the home building is no threat to peace, was furious and accused Obama and Kerry of orchestrating the Security Council vote. - Disdain and disrespect - Trump, who has picked a future US ambassador to Israel who strongly supports settlement building, was also angered, tweeting: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect." But Kerry was undeterred, insisting the US could not "in good conscience" have vetoed a resolution it broadly agrees with, and piling on more criticism of Israel in his landmark speech. "The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution," he declared. "That's what we were standing up for: Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors," Kerry said, warning that such a solution is now in "serious jeopardy." Kerry warned the "settler agenda" was leading Israeli policy and imperiling prospects for peace. "Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there," he said. And Kerry added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel." - Curious timing - Already, last week's decision to allow the UN resolution to pass has angered Israel's many supporters in Washington, including both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and major Jewish American lobby groups. The speech did nothing to appease their concern, and some observers questioned its "curious" timing. "A speech of this gravity really should have been delivered before such a permanent move as the Security Council resolution, rather than after," scholar Jonathan Schanzer told AFP. Schanzer, vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Israel should have been given time to respond to Kerry's complaints before being ambushed at the United Nations. Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security was more supportive of Kerry's goals in the speech, but he also noted: "It would have been better two years ago." Kerry, he suggested, was attempting to lay down the framework for a peace process that might bear fruit before Trump arrives in office and radically changes the US position.
The passenger ferry Shuttle Roro 5 is shown resting by shoreline after being swept by typhoon Nock-Ten a day after Christmas Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 at Mabini township, Batangas province, south of Manila, Philippines. The powerful typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines on Christmas Day, spoiling the biggest holiday in Asia's largest Catholic nation but weakened slightly on Monday as it roared toward a congested region near the country's capital, officials said. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day.

Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have been rescued and one died after the M/V Starlite Atlantic sank off Mabini town in Batangas province, where the powerful typhoon passed Monday on its way out of the country into the South China Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to typhoon-hit provinces and warned in a speech in Camarines Sur that he'll throw out of a helicopter anybody who would steal the financial aid he brought for storm survivors. "I've done that, why won't I do it again?" Duterte said in a threat that won applause from typhoon survivors.

The Starlite Atlantic sought cover in an anchorage area as the typhoon passed and its crew decided to move to safer waters but encountered huge waves and fierce winds, causing their ship to sink, Balilo said, adding that another passenger and cargo ship ran aground in Mabini, south of Manila.

At least seven people died from the typhoon, including the sunken ship's crewman and villagers who drowned from flooding or were pinned by fallen trees or a collapsed wall in Albay and Quezon provinces.

Duterte flew to the hard-hit town of Virac on the eastern island province of Catanduanes, where the typhoon made landfall on Sunday night, to witness the distribution of food packs to residents. Ahead of the president's visit, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and top military officials flew to Virac and were stunned by the extent of devastation.

"Their common perception is that Virac is completely devastated," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said of the coastal town of more than 70,000 people. The province's coconut plantations, the primary industry, were destroyed and may take five to 10 years to recover, he said.

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From a helicopter, "we saw the devastation of coconuts, abaca and the forests. There are lots of houses without roofs," Lorenzana said by text message. "There is no electricity yet in all of Catanduanes."

In Camarines Sur, Duterte warned that whoever touches the financial aid for the typhoon-battered province, "I will fetch you in a helicopter and on the way to Manila, I'll throw you out."

He said without elaborating that "I've done that," suggesting they were kidnappers who killed or raped captives even after being paid ransoms. "I'll throw you at a low altitude, not that high, because in the length of the fall you may be able to develop wings, just at the right (altitude) so the impact of your crash won't be heard."

The president's past extreme comments against suspected drug pushers and corrupt officials have left many wondering if he was exaggerating, and administration officials have said he often uses hyperbole as a scare tactic.

Still, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein last week called on Philippine authorities to investigate Duterte for murder after he claimed to have personally killed people in the past.

Nock-Ten, locally known as Nina, forced more than 420,000 villagers to abandon their Christmas celebrations for emergency shelters and other safer grounds. Power was knocked out in several provinces and flights and ferries were grounded, stranding would-be passengers.

About 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year. In the past 65 years, seven typhoons have hit on Christmas Day, the Southeast Asian nation's biggest holiday.

The storm was one of the strongest to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over 5 million in 2014.
FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2007 file photo, former Uruguayan dictator Gregorio Alvarez arrives to court in Montevideo, Uruguay. Alvarez, the last de facto president of the dictatorship that ruled Uruguay between 1973 and 1985, died on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. He was 91. (AP Photo/Alejandro Arigon, File)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP)  Gen. Gregorio Alvarez, the last leader of Uruguay's brutal dictatorship of the 1970s and 80s died Wednesday at age 91 while serving a sentence for human rights abuses.

The military's health service said he died at the Central Hospital of the Armed Forces in Uruguay's capital.

Under Alvarez, Uruguay was part of the secret alliance of South American dictatorships known as "Operation Condor" in which the military leaders cooperated in persecuting and killing one another's dissidents.

Alvarez, himself the son of a general, participated in the 1973 coup that dissolved congress following a government crackdown on the Marxist Tupamaro rebels who were trying to seize power by force. One of Alvarez's brothers was killed by Tupamaro attackers in 1972.

Alvarez became army chief in 1978, finally taking over the presidency in 1981. His government imprisoned democratic critics and censored the press.

Alvarez finally agreed to hand over power to an elected civilian government in 1984 as the wave of dictatorships in the region was starting to recede. Argentina's military rule ended a year earlier and Brazil's a year later.

Hundreds of suspected leftists were arrested and tortured during the dictatorship and historians say an estimated 180 Uruguayans were killed  most of them while in the custody of the government's Argentine allies.

In 2009, Alvarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his responsibility in the death or disappearance of 37 Uruguayans under Operation Condor.

During his trial, Alvarez said he knew nothing of illegal abductions and forced disappearances.

Prosecutors argued that Alvarez was in a position to know what happened to the political prisoners as army commander in chief and later as de facto president.
How do you compete with huge brands like Facebook and Instagram? Well, if youre Snapchat, you acquire new technology startups.

Snap Inc., the company that owns Snapchat, just acquired Cimagine, an augmented reality firm based in Israel. Right now, Cimagine mainly makes tools for home retailers and manufacturers. The idea is to provide ways for customers to create a virtual space where they can move around furniture, change paint or wall colors and just see how new products might look in their space before they buy.

Of course, thats probably not what Snapchat is planning on using the technology for. But for now, its all speculation. Augmented reality is still an evolving sector of the tech industry. But there are plenty of possibilities for innovative new features.

And since Facebook, Instagram and other social sharing sites and apps have recently introduced new features that seem eerily similar to those of Snapchat, the company has to do something to keep up.

Competing with big names like Facebook certainly isnt easy. Snapchat doesnt have as many resources or users. So if it falls behind in any way, it probably wont take much for the remaining users to simply switch over to another platform entirely.

Use Innovation as a Competitive Advantage

But for now, Snapchat is taking an unexpected approach. And if it can use innovation as a competitive advantage, it might be able to stay ahead of the curve, even when competing with those big names.
Small business owners are required to wear many different hats. But managing every single process and looking at all the analytics and results to make sure your business runs as efficiently as possible can be incredibly time consuming.

Thats where process management tools like Kanbanize come in. The tool helps small business owners and managers keep track of different processes and look at analytics and other success factors to help determine what is working and what isnt. You can read more about the company below in this weeks Small Business Spotlight.

What the Business Does

Provides visual process management software.

CEO Dimitar Karaivanov told Small Business Trends, It is versatile enough to be equally helpful for anyone from developers to event managers and inventory administrators.

Business Niche

Providing a combination of analytics and other success metrics.

Karaivanov says, The combination of business analytics, automation and success measurement we offer is not implemented by any other tool on the market. For deeper insights, we have a comprehensive analytics module with every data point tracked and visualized. However, people often simply want to know how theyre doing so we give them the option to get an idea about overall productivity in one metric  process efficiency.

How the Business Got Started

To find a better project management solution.

Karaivanov explains, The idea for the tool was born out of necessity for a better project and knowledge management solution. Working together on the first prototype with my long-time friend and now co-founder, we saw the potential of this solution and we could probably see what others didnt, so we decided to quit our jobs and completely dedicate ourselves to the dream of Kanbanizing the world. This was, and still is, the best professional decision I have ever made in my life.

Biggest Win

Securing essential funding.

Karaivanov says, The three co-founders secured the initial investment of just $125k from a local venture fund and went on to build what currently is an 8-digit business out of it.

Biggest Risk

Changing the business model.

Karaivanov explains, We started out with a Freemium model but later on we had to either make the switch to a Subscription model or potentially lose everything. It was one of the early promises of the startup which we had to break, risking to ruin our reputation, brand and alienate all of our users. Luckily, none of that happened. Instead, this was one of the best decisions we made. The new business model became the driver of strong growth, increasing revenues and it was just great for the business, allowing us to expand.

Team Tradition

Weird meeting times.

Karaivanov says, Every team has a morning stand-up meeting scheduled at an odd time like 10:08. This does wonders for team punctuality.

Favorite Quote

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.  Henry Ford

* * * * *

Find out more about the Small Biz Spotlight program

Images: Kanbanize; Top Image: CEO Dimitar Karaivanov and CCO Bisser Ivanov addressing employees

Bottom Image: CEO Dimitar Karaivanov
By PTI: Gurgaon, Dec 28 (PTI) Amid a rise in attacks on people by stray monkeys, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) today formed a dedicated team to catch the primates.

The initiative was taken after the MCG received many complaints regarding the monkey menace and attacks on women and children in various areas of Gurgaon.

"On a daily basis, the MCG receives more than 50 complaints of money attacks," MCG commissioner TL Satya Prakash said.

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"We have made a 15-member team to catch the stray monkeys. These team members will lure monkeys keeping their favourite foods including bananas, gram, apples and other food which they like to eat inside the iron cages to catch them easily," he said.

"We have also been taking the help of Wild Life Care Federation (WLCF) which will also lead the team," the officer said.

He said the captured monkeys will undergo sterilisation with the help of the Health department followed by rehabilitation in the forest areas of Aravallis under Sohna Tehsil. PTI COR KIS KIS

--- ENDS ---
Two significant events are set to take place in New York City on New Years Eve. One will be, as always, the ball drop in Times Square. The other is that minimum wage workers will be among the first across the country to receive a new mandated pay hike in 2017.

In all, 21 states, at least 22 cities, four counties and one region plan to raise the minimum wage in the coming year, reports a CNN Money article.

For some, the increase will only amount to an extra nickel or dime per paycheck. Others will see more meaningful hikes: $40 to $80 per pay period.

Arizona plans the largest rise, up 24 percent to $10, says CNN Money. Maine follows with a 20 percent jump, to $9, and three Silicon Valley cities, will see a 20 percent hike to $12.

Most increases begin January 1, 2017, while others go into effect in July.

Due to lack of legislative action at the federal level, state legislatures and city councils, spurred on by advocacy groups such as The Fairness Project and Fight for $15, took matters into their own hands.

The increases were proposed by progressive politicians in state legislatures and on city councils. In instances where those measures failed, worker advocates would then petition to let voters decide directly, CNN Money says.

According to Business & Legal Resources (BLR), a company that helps businesses remain compliant with state and federal regulations, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, a figure that has not changed since 2009. However, the FLSA does not supersede any state or local laws that are more favorable to employees, says BLR.

The company has prepared this map, showing the states that opted for minimum wage increases in 2017.

The fast-food industry, particularly affected by this development, has been at the epicenter of the pay hike fight since the beginning.

Former McDonalds USA CEO Ed Rensi said in a Forbes op-ed that increases would wipe out thousands of entry-level jobs. He added that many fast-food chains, including McDonalds, would look to alternative means to remain profitable, including replacing workers with self-service kiosks.

CNN Money compiled a list of the states, cities and counties that will implement the wage increase in 2017, drawing from sources such as The Fairness Project, Employment Policies Institute, National Employment Law Project, New York Department of Labor and California Department of Labor, among others.

Minimum Wage Going up in These Places

Here is the complete list of new minimum wage rates ordered by state, city and county. Is your business located in on of these communities?

States

Alaska  $9.80

Arizona  $10.00

Arkansas  $8.50

California  $10.00 for small employers; 10.50 for large employers

Colorado  $9.30

Connecticut  $10.10

Florida  $8.10

Hawaii  $9.25

Maine  $9.00

Maryland  $9.25 (as of July)

Massachusetts  $11.00

Michigan  $8.90

Missouri  $7.70

Montana  $8.15

New Jersey  $8.44

New York  Varies across state from $9.70 to $11 (as of 12/31/16)

Ohio  $8.15

Oregon  $10.25 (as of July)

South Dakota  $8.65

Vermont  $10.00

Washington  $11.00

Cities and Counties

California

Cupertino  $12.00

El Cerrito  $12.25

Los Altos  $12.00

Mountain View  $13.00

Oakland  $12.86

Palo Alto  $12.00

Richmond  $12.30

Sacramento  $10.50 (large employers)

San Diego  $11.50

San Mateo  $12.00

San Jose  $10.50

Santa Clara  $11.10

Sunnyvale  $13.00

In District of Columbia:

Washington, D.C.  $12.50 (as of July)

Iowa

Johnson County  $10.10

Linn Country  $8.25

Wapello County  $8.20

Maine

Portland  $10.68

New Mexico

Albuquerque  $8.80

Bernalillo  $8.70

Las Cruces  $9.20

New York

New York City  $11.00 (as of 12/31/16)

Long Island and Westchester, N.Y.  $10.00 (as of 12/31/16)

See Also: Raising the Minimum Wage is Not Just Bad for Business Owners

Washington

Seattle  $15.00

SeaTac  $15.35

Tacoma  $11.15
Sophia Amoruso, founder and owner of fashion site NastyGal, poses at her offices in Los Angeles, California May 15, 2014.

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

LONDON  British online fashion retailer Boohoo.com is bidding $20 million (16.3 million) for the brand and customer list of bankrupt US clothing brand Nasty Gal.

Founded in 2006 in Los Angeles, Nasty Gal began as an eBay shop for vintage clothing. It specialises in fashion for young women, marketing itself as an edgy brand indicative of LA's carefree attitude.

Nasty Gal's founder, Sophia Amoruso, has become a business icon in America, writing the New York Times best-selling book #Girlboss, which is being turned into a Netflix series. Amoruso has stepped back from the business in recent years.

Despite strong early growth and popularity, venture capital-backed Nasty Gal has struggled in recent years. It had revenues of $77.1 million (62.8 million) in the year to February 1, according to Boohoo, but made a loss of $21 million (17.1 million) in the same financial year. It filed for bankruptcy protection in early November.

Industry blog the Business of Fashion suggested the company's demise was driven by over-ambitious investment in infrastructure such as warehouses and high fixed costs. Nasty Gal raised $65 million (52.9 million) in total, with $49 million (39.9 million) coming from well-known European VC house Index Ventures.

Boohoo said in a statement to the market on Wednesday that Nasty Gal is "a bold and distinctive brand for fashion-forward, free-thinking young women which the Board believes would complement boohoo's own inclusive and inspirational brand." Boohoo says it hopes the deal will accelerate its international expansion, particularly in the US.

Boohoo.com was founded in Manchester in 2006, the same year as Nasty Gal, and offers own-brand "fast fashion"  cheap and trendy  to millennials online.

The deal is subject to US bankruptcy proceedings and requires court approval, which Boohoo.com said it will seek on January 5. Russ Mould, investment director at stockbroker AJ Bell, cautions in an email on Wednesday morning: "Nasty Gal would add a well-established, global brand to the boohoo family but its bid may not result in a transaction if higher or more favourable offers are obtained by Nasty Gal during the auction process."

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Boohoo.com joint CEOs Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane said in a statement: "Should we be successful in acquiring Nasty Gal it would represent a fantastic opportunity to add such a well-established, global brand to the Boohoo family.

"Following our recent acquisition of PrettyLittleThing.com, we believe this would represent an ideal next step in inspiring an ever-growing range of young customers internationally."

Boohoo.com shares are up over 2% on hopes of a deal after just over an hour of trade in London:

boohoo

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

NOW WATCH: This is the Excel trick that will change everything about how you work with data

See Also:

SEE ALSO: One of the most talked-about rising companies in retail is reportedly filing for bankruptcy

DON'T MISS: Nadia Aboulhosn is the plus-sized fashion blogger who rescued Boohoo and helped grow its revenues 27%
* Jan-March premium marks first rise in three quarters

* Increase reflects higher spot premiums

* Producers' initial proposals range between $95-110/T (Adds comments and details)

By Yuka Obayashi

TOKYO, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 27 (Reuters) - Japan's aluminium premium for shipments during January to March next year was set at $95 per tonne, as spot premiums rose following a disruption at an Australian smelter, six sources directly involved in the quarterly pricing talks said.

Japan is Asia's biggest importer of aluminium and the premiums, which consumers pay to producers on top of the London Metal Exchange cash price for primary metal shipments, set the benchmark for the region.

The deal, which marks a 27 percent increase from the $75 a tonne premium (PREM-ALUM-JP) in the previous quarter, is the first quarterly increase in three quarters.

"We've signed the deals at $95 a tonne with four producers," a source at an end-user said. He declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks.

A source at a producer said that all of his company's customers had agreed to contracts at $95 a tonne.

The quarterly pricing negotiations began last month between Japanese buyers and global producers, including Rio Tinto (Hanover: CRA1.HA - news) , South32 (Berlin: 32Z.BE - news) , Alcoa (TLO: AA.TI - news) and Rusal (HKSE: 0486-OL.HK - news) , with offers ranging between $95 and $110 a tonne.

Buyers were initially seeking premiums in the low $80 a tonne, but they compromised after Alcoa was forced to shut one of two potlines at its Portland aluminium smelter in Australia following a power outage early this month.

The 300,000-tonnes-per-year smelter is operating at below a third of its capacity, Alcoa said last week.

"We accepted the $95 as spot premiums have edged higher after the Portland news and local stocks have declined," a source at a fabricator said.

Aluminium stocks at three major Japanese ports fell 13.8 percent to 239,900 tonnes in November from the previous month, trading house Marubeni said earlier this month.

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The inventories have been declining since hitting a record high of 502,200 tonnes in May 2015.

Marubeni also projected last week that Japan's premiums will stay between $80 and $140 a tonne next year.

Some Japanese buyers have said they were looking to reduce the amount of aluminium they purchase via annual contracts, instead turning to spot markets where premiums have dropped to their lowest in more than seven years.

"We've cut some amount of annual contracts for 2017 as we want to buy more metals from spot market, which is a global trend," a source at a trading company said.

But many of end-users said they kept annual purchase volume unchanged to secure stable supply.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jane Merriman)
Some people  including President-elect Donald Trump  believe that to improve U.S. education, the nation should stop spending so many tax dollars on public schools and instead invest in alternatives, including charter schools and taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools.

They say they are part of a movement for school choice, for empowering all parents, regardless of income, to select the best learning experience for their children.

Others believe that fixing American education will require bolstering the public school systems that are obligated to serve every child.

To them, school choice is a code. They call it privatization.

The education world has been feuding for years across this semantic divide. But it has deepened as the movement toward choice  or privatization  has accelerated during the past decade, giving rise to charter schools and voucher programs nationwide.

And now the battle is headed toward political center stage: School choice has gained perhaps its most powerful proponent ever in Trump, who has called it the civil rights issue of our time and pledged to spend $20 billion to push for an expansion of charters and vouchers.

He showed he was serious when he picked billionaire Betsy DeVos  who has spent millions of dollars and more than two decades pushing to expand voucher programs nationwide  as his nominee to lead the Education Department.

School choice among the most exciting aspects of a @realDonaldTrump presidency, & among the most underappreciated messages of his campaign, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway tweeted recently.

The notion of school choice has ties to our nations racially segregated past. Many families seeking to avoid court-ordered integration either fled to white-only private schools  sometimes attending with the help of taxpayer-funded vouchers  or rallied for the right to choose which public school their child would attend. That approach almost always meant that white schools stayed white and black schools stayed black.

Yet over time, school choice has come to be associated with freedom, and it now polls well with Americans. No one wants a child to be trapped in a terrible school, and most believe that parents should be able to shape their childs education.

My goal is to give parents options, said Robert Enlow, president of EdChoice, an Indianapolis-based organization that advocates for vouchers and other programs that allow tax dollars to pay private-school tuition.

Those who say such options amount to privatization are outing themselves as defenders of a broken status quo that fails to adequately serve children, he said.

But those who favor the language of privatization say that school choice masks reality  they say vouchers and charters redirect the flow of taxpayer dollars from public schools, which most Americans support, into unaccountable private hands.

Its a direct attack on public education, said Diane Ravitch, a historian and former Bush administration official who has become one of the most voluble critics of vouchers and charter schools and a proponent of the term privatization. You dont kill public education without killing something thats very important to our sense of the public good, our civic responsibility.

Polls by the American Federation for Children, a pro-voucher group that DeVos helmed until she became Trumps nominee, show that American voters are significantly less likely to support vouchers than choice.

Its the same kind of linguistic play that comes around the issue of abortion, Ravitch said, referring to the terms pro-choice and pro-life to describe activists on either side of that fight. Theyre really using euphemisms to not say what they mean.

Voucher and charter-school critics say the neediest kids  those who struggle academically or behaviorally or whose parents dont have the wherewithal to shop around for private schools or provide transportation to a far-flung school  often arent able to exercise choice in a meaningful way. Instead of escaping to better opportunities, those children are worse off, consigned to public schools that have been drained of badly needed resources.

Ive heard a lot of different ways that opponents of public education have tried to make their deeply unpopular ideology sound more palatable to parents, despite the evidence, said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the ranking member of the Senate Education Committee. But however they talk about it, the fact remains that parents want strong public schools for their kids and for all kids, and I consider it to be my job to help cut through rhetoric that is intended to confuse, and make sure parents understand the true impacts of policies on students across the country.

The disagreement over choice does not cleave neatly along the nations usual dividing lines. Some parents of color are strong advocates for school choice as a civil right, for example, yet the NAACP opposes vouchers and has called for a moratorium on charter schools. The battle is also muddied because there are many Democrats  such as President Obama  and some Republicans who embrace public school choice, including charter schools, but oppose vouchers.

The term voucher is problematic enough that Republican pollster Frank Luntz has advised choice advocates to instead use the term opportunity scholarship. Now, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and the District are among the jurisdictions that offer opportunity scholarship programs.

Luntz said its a smart strategy for voucher opponents to attack choice as privatization: People want accountability, but they dont want schools turned into factories or businesses. They believe that education has a heart, not just a head.

But he adds that he believes teachers unions and others attacking DeVos as an enemy of the public good are making a mistake.

The idea that parents should have the right to choose where their kids go to school, most Americans do believe that should be a right. The idea that schools should be held accountable for failing year after year  again, almost universal support, he said.

When she talks about what shes for, and they talk about what theyre against, shell win.

school-choice
CHARLESTON, W.Va.  Two major prescription drug distributors have agreed to settle a West Virginia lawsuit alleging they fueled West Virginias opioid epidemic with excessively large shipments of painkillers into the state over several years.

Boone County Circuit Court Judge William Thompson disclosed the settlement in principle in an order Tuesday cancelling further proceedings.

He directed Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and the state attorney generals office to provide details by the week of Jan. 9.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the settlements, with terms undisclosed, end the state suit against the companies.

The newspapers investigation found drug wholesalers shipped 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to West Virginia in six years, a period when 1,728 people statewide fatally overdosed on them.

The state has settled similar claims against other wholesalers.
Shannan Wise, who was working two temp jobs and attending school for medical billing, remembers the countless calls she made from Central Booking in Baltimore, praying that her friends and family would come up with the $1,000 she needed to get out of jail.

She told her sisters to pawn her television set. They would try to pawn their laptops. One person offered $25. Others pitched in $100.

Wise, 27, had never been in jail before October 2015, when a police officer arrived at her home and said he had a warrant for her arrest. Her younger sister, who suffers from mental illness, had filed an assault charge against her. Wise, a single mother of two, stayed in jail for five days before she was able to post bail.

Zina Makar, the co-director of the Pretrial Justice Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law, said her client didnt get out sooner simply because she is poor. If the money had not been scraped together, Wise would have been detained until January 2016, when her first hearing was held and the charges were dismissed.

Advocates say Wises experience is not uncommon, shared among other poor defendants in Maryland and across the country.

According to a 2016 report by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, more than 46,000 defendants between 2011 and 2015 were detained more than five days at the start of their criminal case. Of those, more than 17,000 were held for less than $5,000 bail.

We are putting people in jail because they are poor, said Attorney General Brian Frosh, D, who unsuccessfully pushed for changes to the bail system when he served in the state Senate.

Following statewide efforts in New Mexico, Kentucky and New Jersey, Maryland is rethinking its money-based bail system, making moves toward either altering or eliminating it.

The steps are part of a broader effort to address the racial and economic disparities in the criminal justice system and reduce the costs of detaining nonviolent offenders awaiting trial.

This is connected to the concern about mass incarceration, said Del. Erek Barron, D, who last year successfully sponsored a bill that eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.

The Maryland Court of Appeals, the states highest court, is scheduled to hear testimony Jan. 5 from Frosh and others about overhauling the system.

The police union, county prosecutors and the bail bond industry are against the court taking up the issue, arguing that only the General Assembly should handle changes to the system. They raise concerns that an overhaul would put public safety at risk, with fewer people showing up to court for trial.

State Sen. Michael Hough, a Republican from Frederick, Maryland, who has worked with Democrats on criminal justice legislation, including last years sweeping bill that shifted the focus of sentencing for nonviolent drug offenders to drug treatment from incarceration, said he is interested in changing the bail system but opposed to Froshs end-run around the General Assembly. Hes trying to force our hand at changing it.

He added, Im willing to look at the system, but Im not willing to blow the whole system up.

Hough said any change should be based on evidence, not anecdotes. He suggested that an independent agency compile data on the states bail system, similar to the data on the states prison population from the Pew Charitable Trusts, which led to the Justice Reinvestment Act.

Advocates in Maryland have been trying to overhaul the system for more than a decade.

Maryland had a chance to really lead on this issue, and Im hopeful that now it will keep pace, said Cherise Fanno Burdeen, executive director of the Pretrial Justice Institute. Its a win-win-win except for the bail bondsmen. Thats the political fight that we have lost time and time again in Annapolis.

The most recent effort was sparked earlier this year by five Democratic lawmakers who asked Frosh to weigh in on whether the states bail system was constitutional. In the past two years, class-action lawsuits have been filed in San Francisco and the suburbs of St. Louis by Equal Justice Under Law, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that fights inequalities in the justice system.

The lawmakers said they worried whether Marylands bail system, which they say is unfair to poor and minority defendants, would pass constitutional muster.

Frosh said the system, which sets bails at amounts many defendants cant afford, could violate due process.

After Froshs opinion, District Court Chief Judge John Morrissey advised judges and commissioners in October to impose the least onerous conditions on those awaiting trial. The attorney general also asked the Court of Appeals to consider a rule change to ensure defendants who arent a public safety risk dont languish in jail simply because they are poor.

In November, the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure of the state Court of Appeals also recommended that the court issue a rule change that would call on judges not to set bail that is too high for a poor defendant to pay unless the defendant is considered a flight risk or danger to society.

Bail bondsmen have pushed back against Morrisseys advice and started a massive social-media campaign citing cases in which Maryland judges have cut back significantly on setting bail for defendants.

Vinnie Magliano, president of East Coast Bail Bonds, one of the largest bail bond companies in the state, said his business has dropped nearly 90 percent since Morrisseys letter.

That was the goal, to basically take us out of business, Magliano said. I just dont understand this great push to just let everyone go.  Im worried about the safety of people who come in contact with the person who doesnt show up for trial and has a warrant for their arrest.

Magliano said he is hoping that the court will decide to let the General Assembly, the ones who were elected, make any changes to the bail system.

maryland-bail
JAKARTA, Indonesia  Honk if you want to know what the internets latest meme om telolet om means.

The expression was started by Indonesian children standing on the side of the road yelling for bus and truck drivers to toot their horns, which play a series of jingle-like beeps.

Internet videos showed Indonesian kids holding signs and jumping up and down with each passing bus while calling out: Om telolet om! Om telolet om! When the driver lays on the horn, the children jump and shriek with delight.

Once the videos went viral so did the expression. International DJs have released mixes with om telolet om honks in them, and social media feeds have been spammed with om telolet messages followed by bus icons. Some people have posted videos online in New York and other cities yelling out om telolet om! to passing trucks.

Many, though, still ask what it means. The expression loosely translates to uncle, honk, uncle (telolet is onomatopoeia for the festive beeps).

A video posted on Instagram from Indonesia showed police officers dancing in the street when passing buses and trucks blasted their horns.

Despite all the fun, The Jakarta Post reported this week that police in Jepara, Indonesia, where children first started yelling the phrase at buses, have banned the practice for safety reasons.
Following Donald Trumps unexpected win over Hillary Clinton in the general election, Democrats mounted unprecedented campaigns to have members of the Electoral College act against the majority vote in their respective states.

As could be expected, most Republicans were either silent, or urged Electoral College members to honor the wishes of the majority.

All this came about against a background of claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin, FBI Director James Comey, President Barack Obama, Clintons staff, et al., were at fault for having the election stolen from Clinton.

Despite or because of the Democrats call for members of the Electoral College to vote their consciences, and the Republicans call for them to stay true to the voters they represented, Donald Trump lost two of his initial total of 306 electoral votes. Hillary Clinton lost five, and would have lost eight had not three of her expected electors been overruled or replaced when they attempted to vote against her.

Thus, Trumps Electoral College vote advantage over Clinton increased from 74 to 77.

The two Republican electors who refused to support Trump at least voted for other Republicans. Three Washington state Democratic Party electors who refused to support Clinton voted for the Republican Colin Powell!

In my opinion, the result of the Electoral College vote was even more of a condemnation of Hillary Clinton than was the general election.

It is time for Clinton and her supporters to realize that it wasnt Putin, Wikileaks, Comey, lack of Obama support, or failures on the part of her staff that doomed Clintons bid for the White House.

It was the demonstrated fact that, despite the dislike many voters felt for Trump, the dislike for Clinton was even greater. Clinton was responsible for her own defeat.

The Democratic Partys responsibility in this debacle was in choosing her as its representative.

Prior to the election, I voiced my summation of the situation. I believed that Trump was the only potential Republican candidate who could not easily defeat Clinton, and that Hillary Clinton was the only potential Democratic candidate who could not easily defeat Trump. By putting forward two such generally disliked candidates, the major parties guaranteed a contest between the two least-favored candidates in the history of presidential politics.

It just turned out that Clinton was even more deeply despised and distrusted than was Trump.
Heres a paradox for you.

Whenever theres a terrorist attack, the immediate response from government officials and the media is: Lets not jump to conclusions. Yet when there are breaking reports that Muslim or Arab Americans were allegedly victimized by bigots in some hate crime, the response is instant credulity, outrage and hand-wringing.

This doesnt really even scratch the surface of the double standard.

When theres a terrorist incident, theres deep skepticism at every stage of the unfolding story. At first were told theres no evidence that the attack is terror-related. Then, when reports come in that a shooter shouted, Allahu akbar! or has an Arabic name, were assured theres no evidence that the shooter is tied to any international terror groups.

Days go by with talking heads fretting about self-radicalization, homegrown terror, and lone wolves. This narrative lingers even as the killers Facebook posts declaring allegiance to the Islamic State group emerge.

Now, truth be told, I think some of this skepticism is understandable. Often, the media and the pundit class on the left and right are too eager to win the race to be wrong first. Its perfectly proper to not want to get ahead of the facts.

More annoying is the Obama administrations studied practice of slow-walking any admission that the war on terror isnt over, but at least its understandable. President Obama came into office wanting to end wars and convince Americans that terrorism isnt such a big deal.

It seems to be a sincere belief. The Atlantic reported that Obama frequently reminds his staff that slippery bathtubs kill more Americans than terrorism. It took Obama six years to admit that the shooting at Fort Hood was terrorism and not workplace violence.

Regardless, my point here is that I can understand why politicians and the media want to be skeptical about breaking news events and even why they try to frame those events in ways that fit a political agenda.

The best defense of that agenda isnt the sorry effort to pad the legacy of our Nobel Peace Prize-winning president. Its the desire to err on the side of caution when it comes to stigmatizing law-abiding and patriotic Muslims with the stain of acts of terror in the name of their religion.

The media doesnt want to give credence to the idea that all Muslims are terrorists, not least because that attitude will only serve to radicalize more Muslims. As we are often told, IS wants peaceful Muslims in the West to feel victimized and unwelcome.

And that brings me back to the medias instant credulity for stories of anti-Muslim bias.

This eagerness to hype anti-Muslim backlash stories has been around for nearly 20 years, and it has always been thin gruel.

According to the FBI, in every year since the 9/11 attacks, there have been more  a lot more  anti-Jewish hate crimes than anti-Muslim ones. Which have you heard about more: the anti-Jewish backlash or the anti-Muslim backlash?

Amazingly, the experts fear an anti-Muslim backlash stories keep popping up after every Islamic terror attack, despite the fact that the backlash never arrives.

To be sure, there have been hateful and deplorable acts against Muslims. But evidence of a true national climate of intimidation and bigotry has always been lacking.

What has not been lacking is evidence that many activists want to convince Americans that such a climate exists.

This effort has been old hat for the media-savvy spokesmen of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) for years. But since Donald Trumps election, there has been an explosion of freelance anti-Muslim hate crime hoaxes.

A Muslim girl fabricated an attack by three Trump supporters on a New York subway. A young man pulled a similar stunt on a Delta flight last week. False fraud claims by Asian and Hispanic students at various universities have popped up as well.

The media, still in the throes of anti-Trump panic, has been quick to credit these hoaxes and grudging in clearing the air when theyve been debunked. Its time the media applied at least the same level of skepticism that they reserve for real terror attacks to fake hate crimes.

Why? First, because their job is to report the facts. Second, because if theyre really concerned about not alienating or radicalizing American Muslims, they shouldnt hype the propaganda efforts of the idiots who are doing exactly that.
If Dec. 7, 1941, is the day that Franklin D. Roosevelt said will live in infamy, then Dec. 20, 2016, has got to be a close second. No Americans died that day as they did at Pearl Harbor but the American Century, as Time magazine founder Henry Luce called it, came to a crashing end.

Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Moscow to settle matters in the Middle East. The United States wasnt even asked to the meeting.

Winston Churchill said in 1942 that he had not become Great Britains First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire. Nonetheless, by the end of the 40s, much of the empire was gone.

Churchill was an unapologetic colonialist, but he was up against liberation movements of all kinds, not to mention the antipathy of the U.S. to imperialist ambitions  in short, history itself.

Churchill had a marvelous way with words, and greatness accompanied him like a shadow, but in certain ways he was a 19th century man wandering, confounded, in the 20th.

Barack Obama is quite the reverse. He is a 21st century man who never quite appreciated the lessons of the 20th.

He has been all too happy to preside over the loss of American influence. Aleppo, now a pile of rubble, is where countless died  as did American influence. The Russians polished it off from the air, doing for the Syrian regime what the U.S. could not figure out how to do for the rebels.

The city hemorrhaged civilian dead, and America, once the pre-eminent power in the region, did virtually nothing.

It could be that Obama was right. It could be that all along he knew the rebels were beyond saving  although he predicted that Bashar Assad would be toppled  and, anyway, the United States was not going to again get into some Middle Eastern quagmire.

America had twice made war in Iraq; it had lost Marines in Lebanon, though perhaps these were just excuses to do nothing. After all, no one ever recommended putting boots on the ground in Syria. That was Obamas straw man.

Time will tell is the appropriate cliche. But I, along with others, thought that the United States could have limited the bloodletting, that it could have established no-fly zones where Syrian helicopters could not have dropped barrel bombs. It could also have established safe zones for refugees.

The Russians managed to do what they wanted to do. Why not the U.S.?

The answer has always been clear to me  Obama did not care enough. Not from him ever came a thundering demand that Russia and Iran get out and stay out. Behind the arguably persuasive reasons to do little in Syria was an emotional coldness: This was not Obamas fight.

Say what you will about Donald Trump; he cares.

He cares about things I dont, and he has some awful ideas and is an amoral man in so many ways. But in contrast to Obama, his emotions are no mystery.

When the Chinese fished a U.S. Navy drone from the Pacific Ocean, the White House reacted so coolly you would think freedom of the seas didnt matter. Trump, however, tweeted his indignation, finally telling Beijing it could keep the drone  a way of telling them to stuff it.

Hillary Clinton lost the election for a host of reasons, not the least of them her shortcomings as a candidate. And Trump won for many reasons, not the least of them his political talents.

But Clinton had to defend an administration that was cold to the touch. Kellyanne Conway keeps pointing out that Clinton had no message. True. Neither, for that matter, did Obama. He waved a droopy flag. He did not want to make America great again. It was great enough for him already.

That coolness, that no-drama Obama, cost lives in Syria.

Instead of rallying America to a worthy cause  intervening to save lives and avoid a refugee crisis that is still destabilizing Europe  he threw in the towel. The banner he flew was one of American diminishment. One could agree. One could not be proud.

Since the end of World War II, American leadership has been essential to maintain world peace. Whether we liked it or not, we were the worlds policeman. There was no other cop on the beat.

Now that leadership is gone. So, increasingly, will be peace.

E-mail: cohenr@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Real estate advisory solutions provider HDFC Realty today said it has launched a mobile application PropPartner exclusively for brokers.

The app gives brokers access to projects exclusively being marketed by HDFC Realty, featured projects with special schemes by developers and projects with HDFCs special payment plan schemes, the company said in a statement issued here.

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Also, all the listed projects would be approved by HDFC for home loans, it said.

"The objective is to give brokers larger options to property in their micro markets as well as other cities and locations. The in-app sharing functionality lets the agents share the project details with their customers directly, using any of the sharing apps available on their phone," HDFC Ltd Managing Director Renu Sud Karnad said.

This app is LIVE on both, Android and iOS platforms.

"In the current market environment, the PropPartner app would provide the real estate agents an opportunity to market projects in other locations and to help them in their additional top line growth," he added.

HDFC Realty has already rolled out an internal campaign Broker Bhai which extends to the pan India HDFC Realty team to enroll the agents, who have an existing relationship with the company.

"Currently, the app has a total of around 4,500 broker registrations with more than 1,500 downloads so far. HDFC Realty further aims to increase this number to 15,000 by the end of this fiscal year," HDFC Realty Chief Executive Vikram Goel said. PTI PSK DS NRB

--- ENDS ---
The recent resignation of state Taxation and Revenue Department Secretary Demesia Padilla, which came a day after investigators with Attorney General Hector Balderas office armed with a search warrant raided the agency in search of tax documents connected with Padilla and her husband, Jessie Medina Jr., was long overdue.

Padilla had served as secretary since her appointment by Gov. Susana Martinez in December 2010.

In July 2015, state Auditor Tim Keller raised serious conflict of interest concerns when he released a letter that appeared to show Padilla asking her own agency to reduce a tax penalty for a company later identified as Harolds Grading & Trucking. Padillas private accounting firm in Albuquerque handled the companys financial affairs from December 2011 until February 2013  when the trucking company discovered some unauthorized transactions, according to court documents.

In July, Kellers office released results of a preliminary investigation that focused on whether Padilla pressured tax department employees to give preferential treatment to the trucking company. Kellers findings were subsequently turned over to Balderas office for investigation.

The search warrant affidavit also alleged that Padilla failed to report as taxable income $25,360 the trucking company paid toward her credit card during the 14-month period her now-defunct company worked for it, nor did she disclose it on mandatory annual forms required of elected and appointed state officials.

These are seriously disturbing accusations, potentially involving tax evasion, embezzlement and other criminal acts. As head of Tax and Rev, Padilla was responsible for millions of taxpayers dollars. The accusations leveled against her  which she has claimed are simply partisan politics  at the very least create a strong appearance of a conflict of interest between her private company and her duties to collect all taxes owed to the state. And an equally strong appearance of failing to comply with disclosure requirements.

But Padilla has never been one to admit to conflicts.

When appointed head of Tax and Rev, she was a paid member of the state Gaming Control Board  despite a state law that prohibits salaried, full-time officials on that board from having any other jobs. By foregoing her $103,000-a-year salary at Gaming Control in favor of her $105,000-a-year salary at Tax and Rev, Padilla didnt see a problem. Besides, she said, she did all of her Gaming Control duties on her own time.

The Martinez administrations explanation at the time was that Padillas dual role was only temporary.

Unfortunately, New Mexico has a history of elected officials cashing in on their positions for personal gain, which makes it all the more important for state officials to fully investigate accusations of impropriety. And given her campaign against corruption by her predecessor when first elected to office, it is puzzling and disappointing that the governor does not appear to have looked too deeply into these issues when they first arose.

Should the accusations against Padilla have merit, she should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Caroline Brown, a sophomore at the University of Missouri, got a fever over Thanksgiving break. Soon it became painful to bite down, and her cheek began to swell. A trip to her physician confirmed it: she had the mumps.

Mumps kind of sounds like this archaic thing, Brown said. We get vaccinated for it; it just sounds like something that nobody gets. So I just didnt think that it was possible that I would get it.

But mumps is back, and is having its worst year in a decade, fueled in part by its spread on college campuses. Since classes began at the University of Missouri in August, school officials have identified 193 mumps cases on campus. Nationwide, more than 4,000 cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  nearly triple the number in 2015 and the largest increase in 10 years.

Some public health officials are asking questions about the vaccine protocol.

Dr. Susan Even, executive director of the University of Missouris Student Health Center, said she hasnt seen anything like the current outbreak in her 31 years at the school. She said all of the students her team treated for mumps had two MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine doses  a school requirement  but they got sick anyway.

The fact that we have mumps showing up in highly immunized populations likely reflects something about the effectiveness of the vaccine, Even said.

Outbreaks are affecting several other universities. More than 300 cases were reported at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and students at universities such as Iowa State, Tufts and Harvard have also had mumps.

The largest current outbreak is in Arkansas, which reports over 2,000 cases among school-age children and adults throughout the state since August this year.

Mumps is no longer particularly common, and it rarely causes serious complications. However, there is no treatment for the viral illness except rest. Symptoms include swelling in the cheek and neck, fever and pain in the jaw, which can be alleviated by over-the-counter medications.

The symptoms might feel like flu at first, but the characteristic that we look for is pain in the jaw and cheek area and swelling, Even said.

Dr. Janell Routh, a medical epidemiologist for the CDC who specializes in mumps, said its not surprising that outbreaks are occurring on college campuses, where students often live in close quarters, eat together and party together.

College campuses provide that perfect medium for the spread of the mumps virus, Routh said. We know a lot of the behaviors that take place on college campuses are amenable to the spread.

The outbreak in Arkansas has been affecting a more diverse population  school-age children and adults.

Dr. Dirk Haselow, the states epidemiologist and medical director of outbreak response, said the states health department has been holding clinics in places like churches, and schools to dispense the MMR vaccine.

We have people working 12 hours a day, seven days a week for months trying to get this under control. Its not for lack of effort, Haselow said.

The severity of the outbreak has Haselow questioning the vaccine dosing protocol.

More than 90 percent of affected children and 30 to 40 percent of affected adults were vaccinated, according to state data. But Haselow said those adult vaccination rates are typical and dont explain the outbreak.

If you look at MMR vaccination coverage rates in adults, thats middle of the road, Haselow said. It was incorporated into the childhood immunization schedule in the 80s.

Normally, people receive only two doses of the vaccine, but in Arkansas and also at the University of Missouri, officials are now recommending a third.

Its not clear whether a third dose is effective in preventing the spread of mumps. The CDC has not madea recommendation, stating in an online report from July: The effectiveness of a third dose of MMR vaccine has not been established, but rationale exists for its use in outbreak settings. However, both the state of Arkansas and the University of Missouri are hoping third doses will help stem the outbreaks.

Haselow said he also worries there may be something about this particular outbreak that is making the mumps vaccine less effective against it.

Despite all that effort, we still continue to see this outbreak worsen. And we are concerned that the outbreak may indicate something unusual, he said.

He explained that the mumps vaccine was developed in the 1960s using one specific strain of mumps, and now some of the cases showing up in Arkansas are a different strain.

We are wondering whether the circulating strains have evolved away from the vaccine, Haselow said.

Researchers at the CDC arent sure they agree yet, a spokesperson said, but they will examine the data from the Arkansas outbreak once it is declared over. Haselow said that some samples have already been collected and sent to the CDC for analysis.

Haslow said that the mumps vaccine is still the most effective protection against mumps infections. It makes it less likely you will contract mumps and greatly reduces the chances for severe complications if you do.

Complications are rare but include things like swelling in the testicles, meningitis and deafness that can have lasting implications.

Vaccines reduce your risk of mumps ninefold. Were 100 percent positive that these vaccines are preventing the severe manifestations of mumps, Haselow said. So they are helping, but theyre not perfect.

Back at the University of Missouri, some students are treating the outbreak as a joke referring to the last month or so as Mumps 2k16.

Brown said that she knows several students who have or had the mumps, and she has even more friends who say they wish they could get mumps before finals.

I definitely wouldnt wish it on anyone, but if people would rather have mumps than take their accounting final, then I guess I cant blame them, Brown said.



This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media, a news collaborative covering public health.



(Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.)
On the day Victoria Martens was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found dead in her familys apartment by Albuquerque police officers, her dismembered remains wrapped in a smoldering blanket.

It wouldnt be long before more unspeakable details about the girls final moments would be unearthed by investigators and her mother and two others charged with the crime.

The brutality of Victorias slaying sent shock waves through New Mexico in August, but it marked only one of a handful of heartbreaking cases involving children in 2016.

On the Navajo Nation, 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike was lured by a man into his van as she and her brother played near their bus stop after school in early May. Authorities say it was at a remote spot in the shadow of a rock outcropping held sacred by the tribe that the man assaulted her, struck her in the head with a crowbar and left her to die.

In Roswell, a father of four was charged with murder in June after, authorities say, he shot and killed his four daughters and wife in the family home before fleeing to Mexico.

Three children were killed in Albuquerque less than a month before Christmas when, authorities say, their mothers ex-boyfriend ambushed them at home.

From remote corners to the states most populous city, the cases spurred elected officials to call for everything from prayers and community unity to tougher punishments for those who hurt children.

Here are the other top stories of the year:

Elections

Donald Trumps presidential campaign dominated headlines nationwide in 2016, including in New Mexico, when a rally by the celebrity businessman prompted violence in Downtown Albuquerque. Thousands of supporters attended the rally, while rioters outside threw rocks at police and knocked down barriers, prompting authorities to lob smoke bombs and pepper spray.

New Mexico Republicans unseated Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, the longtime Senate majority floor leader, during the November general election, but Democrats won back the majority in the House to restore what has amounted to decades of control by the party over the state Legislature.

Former Gov. Gary Johnson finished as a distant also-ran in the presidential contest as a Libertarian candidate. Johnson got 9.3 percent of the New Mexico vote, opening the door for Libertarians to get major-party recognition and public funding for elections in the state.

Budget crunch

One of the chief budget hawks in the New Mexico Senate warned over the summer that the state was headed for a financial crisis and pushed for a special legislative session to close a budget gap of more than a half-billion dollars. Spending at most state agencies was cut, and reserves were nearly tapped out.

New Mexicos budget woes were linked to a downturn in energy markets. The state is still feeling the effects, and lawmakers are warning that cuts will have to be made across the board and tax increases considered if New Mexico is to balance its books in the coming fiscal year.

Police officers on trial

Two former Albuquerque police officers who shot and killed a homeless man in March 2014 stood trial in October on second-degree murder charges in a case that scrutinized how police handle encounters with people suffering from mental illness. Jurors couldnt agree on whether to convict or acquit Dominique Perez and Keith Sandy, voting 9-3 for acquittal, and leading the judge to declare a mistrial.

Its up to incoming District Attorney Raul Torrez to decide whether to retry the men. A decision is expected in early January.

The case also spurred questions about the way deadly shootings involving police officers are investigated and prosecuted. The state attorney general and others have suggested that the Legislature provide more funding for independent reviews to avoid conflicts of interest in such cases.

Officers shot

In August, officer Jose Chavez was killed during a traffic stop in the southern New Mexico village of Hatch. Less than a month later, Alamogordo police officer Clint Corvinus was shot and killed while trying to chase down a wanted felon. It marked the second straight year in which two officers were killed in New Mexico.

The officers deaths, along with the deadly crimes against children, prompted the governor to push for reinstating the death penalty for criminals convicted of killing children and law enforcement officers. Her efforts failed during the special session, and its chances of passing in 2017 have dimmed now that Democrats have regained the majority in the House.

Nuclear repository

After nearly three years, state and federal officials gave the all-clear just days before the end of the year to resume work at the nations only underground nuclear waste repository, in southern New Mexico. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant had been closed since February 2014 when a radiation release contaminated a significant portion of the storage area below ground. U.S. Energy Department officials said corrective actions have been taken and workers are ready to begin moving containers of waste underground.

Mine spill lawsuit

New Mexico in May became the first state to sue the federal government and the owners of two mines over the release of 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater from a closed Colorado gold mine, seeking tens of millions of dollars for environmental and economic damage caused by the spill. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said the Gold King Mine spill has had a devastating effect on communities, and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should be held to the same standards it would impose on private companies accused of polluting.

Inmate escape

Two violent felons fled from the back of a prison van in March, setting off a statewide manhunt that lasted for days. Convicted murderer Joseph Cruz and Lionel Clah, who was serving time for armed robbery and shooting at a police officer, escaped after the van made a nighttime fuel stop at an Artesia gas station. Since then, officials have removed power locks and door handles from the interior of roughly a dozen Corrections Department vans. Officials also spent $700,000 on new vans, buses, a medical transport unit and other equipment.

Food stamp flap

A federal judge approved the appointment of a special master to help ensure the New Mexico Human Services Department complies with unfulfilled court orders and federal law in the administration of federally funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly called food stamps. The move came amid internal investigations by state and federal agencies into allegations that food aid applications were falsified by the department.

Facebook

Gov. Susana Martinez and economic development officials celebrated a big catch in September when they announced social media giant Facebook had chosen New Mexico for its newest data center. They pointed to the multimillion-dollar project as an opportunity to draw more high-tech economic development to the state in hopes of diversifying an economy that has relied heavily for decades on federal spending and oil and gas revenues.
Sixty faces smile from a webpage, the stories of their lives told in a few lines underneath their photographs.

Each of those 60 stories is told in past tense  he was a typically active teenage boy, she was never afraid of a challenge, he had a brilliant mind, she had a personality that would light up a room.

They were infants, toddlers, teens, adults, black, white, brown, just good folks from across the country when they died of a fall, a car crash, an illness, a sudden passing, a long-waged battle with a disease.

This is the were of them.

But their stories are not entirely over. There is an are of them, a continuation of their stories in the lives that go on because of their gift of organ donation. These 60 folks are among the some 8,000 people each year who upon their deaths generously bestow their organs to others. They are the ones chosen this year to be immortalized in petal and seed as one of 60 floral portraits, or floragraphs, that will adorn the Donate Life float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday.

Which brings us to the story of Jasper Yazzie, the New Mexico honoree.

Jasper was 35 and from Upper Fruitland, an oil field worker, husband and father to three girls he loved to take fishing on the Animas River.

He was walking along a road in Farmington on a rainy night in September 2014 when he was struck by a car. He would not survive his injuries, but because he was an organ donor, five others did survive. His corneas restored vision for two more beneficiaries.

His photo on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float webpage is from Christmas 1998, when he was 20. In the photo, Jasper wears a slight smile and his trademark white Nike cap. A Christmas tree sparkles behind him.

It was our first Christmas together, his widow, Tenaj Yazzie, said from her home in Upper Fruitland.

For the floragraph, the photo was enlarged and colored in with all-natural items  a Rose Parade requirement  such as poppy seeds, quinoa, cinnamon and sesame seeds. It was flown to Farmington from Pasadena for a Dec. 7 ceremony sponsored by New Mexico Donor Services and the San Juan Regional Medical Center.

Before it was returned, Tenaj Yazzie and her three daughters, Takota, 17, Franky, 15, and Jade, 12, finished the eyebrows with ground coffee beans.

His eyebrows were so dark, Yazzie said. My mom really liked his eyebrows.

Yazzie did, too.

She remembers telling him about organ donation when he renewed his drivers license. Although some Navajos are averse to donating because of cultural beliefs, she said she and Jasper did not consider themselves traditional in that regard and saw the importance of giving life in death.

I explained to him about how people could use part of us after we die, she said. And he said, Yes, Im not going to need these things after I die. Other people might. 

No one expected that other people might get that chance so soon.

In the hours after learning that the 2014 crash had left Jasper brain-dead, Yazzie said it was a bittersweet decision to agree to allow Donor Services to carry out his wishes.

But he had a good heart, she said  in more ways than one.

Besides his heart, his liver, lungs, corneas and kidneys were parceled out to seven people. One of the kidneys went to Yazzies uncle, Clifford Werito, 61, who had been on the kidney transplant list and undergoing dialysis for four years.

To have Clifford live longer for his kids and grandkids  that is amazing, Yazzie said. Im glad Jasper could do that.

On Thursday, Yazzie and her daughters will fly on behalf of Donate Life New Mexico to Pasadena, where they will be among the family members of the 60 donors featured on the Rose Parade float. They will attend the parade, and they will share each others stories. They will talk in present tense about Werito and about how Yazzies eldest daughter just got her drivers license and signed up to become a donor, too, like her father. They will know their stories arent over. They will know their stories could be your stories, too.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
SANTA FE  A plan to revamp New Mexicos tax code for goods and services could lead to a step into cyberspace that several neighboring states have already taken.

The proposal being crafted by Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, and other members of an interim legislative committee would not require online retailers to collect a gross receipts tax from New Mexico customers, but it would encourage them to do so by changing several definitions in state law and not requiring retroactive payments for past transactions.

Were trying to give them excuses to pay, said Richard Anklam, president and executive director of the nonpartisan New Mexico Tax Research Institute, who has provided input on the proposed legislation.

Its unclear exactly how much revenue taxing online sales would generate for the state, but Anklam estimated it would likely be no more than $100 million annually, and probably more like $40 million to $50 million per year. The state collected nearly $2 billion in total gross receipts tax revenue in the 2016 fiscal year, which ended June 30.

The issue of taxing online retailers is complicated by a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court case that found businesses have to be physically present in a state before the state can make the businesses collect taxes on its behalf.

However, Utah recently struck a deal with Amazon, an online retail giant, to begin collecting state and local sales taxes on all purchases  it takes effect Jan. 1  and other states have also been seeking ways to collect tax revenue from online transactions.

In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court recently decided it would not consider an appeal of a Colorado law that makes out-of-state sellers provide the state with transaction records, which is intended to spur payment of sales and use taxes.

Harper said he and other supporters of the plan arent angling for a court challenge but believe that by making the states law more clear on what constitutes a physical presence it might send a message to online retailers.

To me, this is just really an issue of fairness, said Harper, who said hes heard stories from local small-business owners about customers entering their stores and trying out products, only to leave and immediately order them online. Were sadly punishing the brick-and-mortar stores that are here by giving out-of-state-based online retailers an advantage.

The prospect of additional tax dollars also might appeal to some lawmakers as New Mexico grapples with a prolonged budget crunch. The state is facing a projected $69 million deficit for the current budget year, and legislators already have enacted sweeping budget cuts and approved other solvency fixes.

During a recent meeting of the Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee at the state Capitol, Sen. Clemente Sanchez, D-Grants, cautioned that a tax on online sales would fall on New Mexico residents.

This would be good for our state and good for our coffers  but in the end the consumer would pay for it, Sanchez said.

Other lawmakers insisted it would not be a tax hike and said the fact that online retailers have not been collecting taxes from consumers has put numerous small businesses around the state out of business.

I dont see this as a tax increase, said Sen. James White, R-Albuquerque. This is a loss of tax revenue that we should have had.

Overall, the tax package being put together would seek to lower the states gross receipts tax rate by closing more than 100 existing tax loopholes and deductions, Harper said Tuesday.

The measure has not yet been filed but is expected to be considered during the 60-day legislative session, which starts next month. The idea of levying a tax on internet sales was also discussed during a special legislative session this fall, but was not included in the final budget-balancing package approved by the Legislature.

Currently, New Mexico levies a 5.125 percent gross receipts tax rate on most goods and services and returns some of that money to municipalities. Cities and counties can then levy local taxes on top of that base rate, and the overall rate is approaching 9 percent in some municipalities around the state.
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii  The leaders of Japan and the United States sought to remind the world that even the most bitter enemies can become allies, during a historic pilgrimage to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan must never repeat the horrors of war again.

Seventy-five years after Japans surprise attack, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down Tuesday at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water. In a show of respect for the war dead, Obama and Abe dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence.

More than 1,000 U.S. war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship, which Japan struck as part of the devastating attack that killed more than 2,300 Americans and sent America marching into World War II.

As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place, Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

That was the closest Abe would get to an apology for the attack. And it was enough for Obama, who also declined to apologize seven months ago when he became Americas first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived the attack. The 96-year-old said he had no hard feelings and added, War is war.

They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do, Rodrigues said before the visit.

Abe, who became Japans first leader to visit Pearl Harbor with a U.S. president, said the visit brought utter silence to me. His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the U.S. and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

Obama and Abe started Tuesdays activities here with a formal meeting at another nearby military base, in what the White House said was probably Obamas last with a foreign leader before leaving office in January. It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abes predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Yet despite the display of unity, there was a point of disagreement the day after about what had happened in the meeting.

Japanese officials said that in their talks, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor the movements of Chinas first and sole aircraft carrier, which has sailed into the western Pacific for the first time. But the Americans on Wednesday said that was inaccurate and no agreement was reached, although they said Obama and Abe did speak briefly about regional security issues.

Obama, speaking after he and Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, called Pearl Harbor a sacred place and said that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace. Its a notion Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Myanmar and Cuba.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of U.S. troops killed in the Japanese attack.

Theres this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this Pearl Harbor syndrome, that we did something very unfair, said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. He said he believes Abes visit would absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have.

In the years after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the U.S. and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obamas tenure, including strengthened military ties. Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will fray under President-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Obama nor Abe addressed.

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Associated Press writers Brian Skoloff in Kailua, Hawaii, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump hammered rival Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign for failing to prevent the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, when she was secretary of state. Soon hell be the one responsible for protecting Americas diplomats, but hes offered little insight into how hell do that.

After the 2012 Benghazi attack, Congress boosted spending on security to protect the tens of thousands of Americans and foreign staff that make up the U.S. diplomatic service. Security experts and career diplomats say there have been improvements, but that significant shortfalls remain.

Last weeks assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was a chilling reminder that diplomats are increasingly exposed to threats, even in countries that are typically not regarded as hardship posts. The assassin shouted, Dont forget Aleppo, apparently referring to Russias military engagement in Syria.

Its not clear whether having a brashly outspoken figure like Trump in the White House will compound diplomatic security challenges. The foreign policy of Trump and his pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, remains somewhat of an enigma.

The Trump transition team didnt respond to questions about how his administration will address diplomatic security.

Keeping diplomats safe is a costly business. In the last budget year, Congress approved $3.39 billion for the Diplomatic Security Bureaus functions around the world. That accounts for about 7 percent of the State Departments overall budget.

Diplomatic security has also become highly contentious since the killings of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans at Benghazi.

The Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi concluded in June that there were lethal mistakes by the Obama administration, though it found no smoking gun pointing to wrongdoing by Clinton. The committee included Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., Trumps pick to head the CIA.

Another member of the committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, criticized the Obama administration for refusing to create the position of undersecretary for diplomatic security. He called it the most important change to enhance diplomatic security. He claimed committee Democrats stonewalled and played games while we searched for the truth.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, accused Republicans of losing interest in diplomatic security now that the election is over.

Since the issue is no longer a useful cudgel against Secretary Clinton, I fear the (Republican) majoritys commitment to diplomatic security will once again fade, and the State Department could face cuts both to security budgets and to core diplomatic functions, Schiff said.

A 2012 government inquiry following the Benghazi attacks made more than two dozen recommendations for security improvements, highlighting serious lapses in management and leadership that left the consulate vulnerable.

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security declined to answer specific questions on the areas where improvement is still needed, but said diplomatic security constantly balances available resources to provide a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy.

Security experts and diplomats say more can be done within individual diplomatic missions to improve safety. Mission security chiefs can use more training, and ambassadors and other mission leaders should also be given greater authority over security matters since they are most familiar with conditions on the ground, experts say.

Fred Burton, a former diplomatic security agent and vice president for intelligence at intelligence firm Stratfor, said mission security officials never had that ability to speak for ourselves at these kinds of decision-making meetings because youre pushed down on this flow chart and then youre left  with all the challenges of being in a place like Benghazi.

Burton, author of Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi, said hes not optimistic the problem can be fixed unless Tillerson is confirmed and his desire is to restructure the bureaucracy inside State.

Traditionally, host countries have been obligated by treaty to protect diplomatic facilities. But with non-state actors gaining ground and capable of destabilizing governments, its falling to the U.S. to take all precautions to protect its diplomats while still giving them the freedom to do their jobs.

Robert Ford, a former ambassador to Syria, said the most helpful way Congress and the administration could advance diplomatic security is by providing strong support for locally determined security resource needs.

Security issues cannot realistically be micro-managed from Washington-based officials because only the people on the ground have an up-to-date sense of conditions and the evolution of threats, he said.
This is not the life Edgar Leon hoped for when he voted for the socialist revolution of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela  standing on a street corner in the Dominican Republic selling snacks and lemonade out of a bucket to support his wife and children back home.

We were a rich nation, said Leon. This is an embarrassment. I never wanted to leave my country.

Hes one of the record number of Venezuelans who arrived in the Dominican Republic this year, escaping chronic shortages and spiraling prices back home. But these latest emigrants arent the Venezuelan doctors, lawyers and university students of the kind who can be found working in cities from Santiago to Miami.

The streets of Santo Domingo are hosting a new group of emigrants  the very people who were meant to benefit from subsidized food, cheap housing, labor protection and free education guaranteed by Chavezs government.

Venezuelas decline has been so pronounced that the new arrivals are competing in the informal economy alongside immigrants from Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Back in 1980, Venezuela had the second highest income per capita in South America, almost triple that of the Dominican Republic and more than 20 times Haitis.

Now Venezuelans are turning up at busy transit stops, highway intersections and shopping districts across the Dominican Republic. Others are serving in bars and restaurants, or working in hotels and bagging groceries.

In the last few months, youve seen lower-class Venezuelans doing things that youd more readily associate with Haitian migrants, said Bridget Wooding, director of the Santo Domingo-based Caribbean Migrants Observatory.

I started to see them in the last six months, said Louis Joseph, a Haitian who first came to Santo Domingo 15 years ago and sells bottled water and candy to motorists and university students. They cant survive in their country. Theyre in the streets now with us.

Leon didnt want to leave Venezuela and tried everything to make ends meet, from driving a taxi to sweeping up hair at a barber shop. Yet, the 100,000 bolivares per month he earned more than the current minimum wage was only worth about $37 on the black market by the time he left, and he couldnt feed his two sons. He can earn more in two days as a street hawker in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, he said.

About 170,000 Venezuelans are expected to arrive in the Dominican Republic this year, triple the rate of five years ago. Most come on tourist permits that last 30 days, but many stay longer and pay a fine if they leave. There are no official figures for how many stay.

The immigrants cut across the socio-economic ladder; from Jean Carlos Porteles, who worked in shops in Caracas before coming to Santo Domingo to sell juice, to Marianela Aponte, who arrived four months ago with a degree in business administration and is now hiring other Venezuelans to hawk cellphone accessories to motorists.

While Venezuela has the worst-performing economy in the western hemisphere, the Dominican Republic has the best. Its predicted 5.9 percent expansion this year will make it the fastest-growing economy in the Americas for a third straight year, according to data from the International Monetary Fund. Venezuelas economy is forecast to contract 10 percent.

The influx is beginning to strain relations, and Dominican migration authorities said they have stepped up checks to make sure Venezuelans are not overstaying their visas. The Directorate General of Immigration on Dec. 14 rounded up and arrested more than a dozen Venezuelans who officials said were working illegally in restaurants and hotels around the Punta Cana tourist zone. Calls to the office for comment were not returned.

Leon isnt being deterred. If he can save enough, he wants to move from the studio apartment he rents on the outskirts of Santo Domingo near the citys main airport into a place large enough for his wife and children. Sometime next year, he wants them to join him, he said.

I cant go back there, not how it is now, he said. Its a disaster.

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Even before Donald Trumps inauguration as president, Congress is planning to escalate the clash over the U.N. Security Councils anti-Israel resolution into a full-on conflict between the United States and the United Nations. If Trump embraces the strategy  and all signals indicate he will  the battle could become the Trump administrations first confrontation with a major international organization, with consequential but largely unpredictable results.

Immediately after the Obama administration abstained Friday from a vote to condemn Israeli settlements as illegal, which passed the Security Council by a vote of 14 to 0, Republicans and Democrats alike criticized both the United Nations and the U.S. government for allowing what Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., called a one-sided, biased resolution. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee for the State Department and foreign operations, pledged to lead an effort to withhold the U.S. funding that makes up 22 percent of the U.N.s annual operating budget.

The U.N. has made it impossible for us to continue with business as usual, Graham told me right after the vote. Almost every Republican will feel like this is a betrayal of Israel and the only response that we have is the power of purse.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, never shy about working with Republicans against the Obama administration, told Graham: Please stand with us, its time to take the gloves off, according to Graham.

In the days since the vote, three Republican senators and their staffs have been working up options behind the scenes for how to convert their threat into action: Graham, Ted Cruz, Texas, and Tom Cotton, Ark. They believe they will have support for quick Senate action from both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and incoming Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a strong supporter of Israel.

There are several options under consideration, two senior Senate aides working on the issue told me. Some are considered micro options, such as passing a resolution that would bar any funding that might go to implementing the anti-settlement resolution. Other options include withdrawing the United States from U.N. organizations such as UNESCO or passing legislation to protect settlers who are American citizens and might be vulnerable to consequences of the resolution.

Withholding U.S. contributions to the United Nations could be done in different ways. There are discretionary funds Congress can easily cut off, but the bulk of U.S. support is obligatory, mandated by treaties that Congress has ratified, making them de facto U.S. law. Depending on how drastic the funding cuts are to be, Congress may have to pass new legislation to undo some of the obligations.

Senators are also looking at ways to withhold U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority or perhaps punish the Palestine Liberation Organization representative office in Washington. Republicans in the Senate dont plan to wait until Trump is actually in office; aides said to expect action as soon as senators return to Washington next week.

We will make a very strong attempt to do something immediately, one senior GOP senate aide said. It is a real moment to reexamine the relationship with the United Nations and what it really does.

Not all involved agree on whether the effort is simply about pressuring the Security Council to reverse course on the settlements resolution, or to fundamentally challenge a broad range of U.N. practices and reorient the U.S. approach to the United Nations overall.

Rick Santorum, who served in the Senate the last time the United States refused to pay its dues in full, told me that the coming crisis in U.S.-U.N. relations is the perfect chance for those who want to dismantle the organization altogether.

This has opened up the opportunity for those of us who are very anti-U.N., who think the it has passed its prime, its not serving any really good purpose, its not helping legitimate governments around the world and its outlived its usefulness, he said. To the extent we can deconstruct it, the better.

During the presidential campaign, most observers predicted that if elected, Trump would focus his international-organization ire on NATO, which he often criticized as being obsolete and a burden on U.S. taxpayers. Now, Santorum said, the United Nations could be first up for action.

The focus will come off NATO and will move squarely onto the U.N., he said. Its going to be a very raucous time. Barack Obama, with this move, did more damage to the United Nations than he did to Israel.

Some Republicans in Congress are comparing the coming U.S. response to the anti-settlement resolution to the U.S. opposition in 1975 to a U.N. General Assembly resolution that equated Zionism with racism. U.S. Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan led the U.S. opposition to that resolution and gave a famous speech defending the Jewish state from international persecution. That resolution was eventually repealed.

Other Republican foreign-policy experts see the coming battle as more akin to the effort by then-Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., to withhold portions of Americas U.N. dues in order to pressure the body into reforms. After years of tension, Helms eventually joined with then-Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., to pass legislation restoring U.S. funding in exchange for a compromise on reforms.

President Bill Clinton signed the Helms-Biden legislation, and the Clinton administration negotiated many but not all of the reforms with U.N. leadership. In January 2000, Helms became the first U.S. senator ever to speak directly to the U.N. Security Council, after the deal was struck.

The interests of the United States are better served by demanding reform and seeing that reform takes place than by removing our influence from the U.N., Helms said at the time. It may surprise people to know that I advocate the reform of the United Nations, not its abolishment.

Danielle Pletka, who served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff under Helms, said the lesson of that episode is that taking on the United Nations can be done, but not without costs and the risk of retaliation. The United Nations could stop doing things that the United States sees as important. Allied countries that value U.N. operations will be upset if those programs are affected. Also, the dues dont go just go away.

When you dont pay, its like a mortgage, the bill just racks up. At the end of the day, we negotiated with the United Nations, but we paid a tax, Pletka said. This is a great opportunity for Donald Trump to show us he can negotiate the art of the deal. The Congress can give him leverage.

There are signs that the Trump administration might be willing to make that deal. Its nominees for secretary of state and U.N. ambassador, Rex Tillerson and Nikki Haley, respectively have no ideological baggage on the issue. Trump himself tweeted that the United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!

The Security Councils anti-settlement resolution has opened up a Pandoras box in Washington, allowing anyone with a grievance against the world body to have their day in the sun. But most in Washington believe that despite the bodys problems, the United States is better off with a functioning United Nations and should seek as much influence there as possible. Congress and the Trump administration must be strategic and thoughtful as they chart out what seems to be an inevitable clash.

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After having repeatedly praised President Barack Obamas efforts to ensure a smooth transition, President-elect Donald Trump reversed course on Wednesday, accusing the current occupant of the Oval Office of putting roadblocks in his way.

Trump took to Twitter shortly after 9 a.m., saying he was doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition  NOT!

The White House had no immediate response.

Trumps assessment comes amid days of verbal sparring between the outgoing and incoming president. During a ceremony Tuesday marking the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago, Obama cautioned against the urge to turn inward and the need to resist the urge to demonize those who are different  remarks some thought were aimed partly at Trump.

Trump also made it clear Wednesday that he is perturbed by a number of steps the Obama administration is taking in its final weeks related to Israel.

Trump said the beginning of the end was the horrible Iran nuclear deal reached last year that was supported by a coalition of world powers but vigorously opposed by Israel.

Trump was also highly critical this week of the Obama administrations refusal to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to his inauguration date.

Trumps view of his Democratic predecessor soured earlier this week when Obama said on a podcast hosted by his former adviser David Axelrod that he thought he could have prevailed in an election over Trump.

Those comments prompted two tweets in as many days from Trump contesting Obamas assessment. On Tuesday, Trump chided Obama for the failure of his campaign efforts on behalf of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to bear fruit.

President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in the very important swing states and lost, Trump said in a tweet. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

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According to sources, the jeweller used fake names and fake addresses on the bills. A few bills, said sources, had Delhi's Kailash Colony, Greater Kailash and South Extension as customer addresses.

The jewellery store had claimed that on the night of November 8 customers had bought gold worth Rs 100 crore, all in demonetised currency.

A case was registered against the three directors of the famous jewellery store in the posh Banjara Hills locality. The directors are Kailash Chand Gupta, Nitin Gupta and Nikhil Gupta. While Kailash Chand has been arrested, the other two are absconding.

The arrest was made after the Income Tax department approached CCS and lodged a complaint alleging fraud by the jeweller.

Earlier, the Income Tax department had conducted raids on the jewellery store and recovered bills showing irregularities. All the bills showed purchases of under Rs 2 lakh. PAN number is not mandatory for jewellery purchase of less than Rs 2 lakh.
To many in Europe, Brexit is the road to nowhere. Now, a town in France may be making that a reality.

Julian Sanchez, the 33-year-old mayor of Beaucaire in the south of France, had suggested naming a street in his town in honor of Britains June vote to leave the European Union.

Sanchez announced on Monday that his city council had supported his proposal for a rue de Brexit with a 23-to-9 vote last week. Sanchez, who is a member of the far right National Front, said that the decision had been made as a homage to the sovereign peoples decision.

The move sparked celebration from some quarters, with Leave.EU, one group that campaigned for Britain to leave the EU ahead of Junes referendum, tweeting that it was a fine choice!

We have already received messages of congratulations from Great Britain, Sanchez told radio station France Bleu. He also noted that there were streets nearby that had been named after the founders of the European Union, so he felt it was justified to rebalance things.

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AUSTIN, Texas  Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick brushed aside speculation of a 2018 gubernatorial run at the end of Texas last legislative session, insisting hed never challenge his close friend and fellow Republican Greg Abbott.

But more than 18 months after that declaration to reporters  which came without anyone actually asking about a potential intraparty clash  Patrick has meticulously moved to the governors right on many issues that GOP primary voters hold dear.

Patrick fully embraced Donald Trump before the election, while Abbott kept his distance. The lieutenant governor also has become Texas leading social conservative voice, promising to impose strict state transgender bathroom rules, promoting school vouchers and blaming Black Lives Matter for encouraging anti-police sentiment.

Patrick is a tea party-backed, fiery former conservative talk radio host, while the governor is a lawyerly, ex-Texas Supreme Court justice who appeals more broadly to traditional Republicans. Both are downplaying possible intraparty gubernatorial fight that could send shockwaves through Americas second-largest state, while also giving no indication they wont simply seek re-election to their perspective posts in two years.

Still, hints of Abbott-Patrick discord could reshape the session for Texas GOP-controlled Legislature, which convenes for the first time since 2015 on Jan. 10. Abbott can fast-track legislation, while Patrick oversees the state Senate.

Such tensions were on display last session, when a grass-roots advisory board convened by Patrick attacked Abbotts signature expansion of pre-kindergarten statewide, claiming it imposed Godless classroom environments on youngsters.

Is there somebody out there who wants the lieutenant governor to primary the governor? Im sure somebody does, said Patrick strategist Allen Blakemore. But the only person who really matters is Dan Patrick. And Dan Patrick has stated over and over again that he has no desire to be governor.

Abbott spokesman Matt Hirsch said: This is nothing more than fake news.

Its a possibility some Texas politicos nonetheless are discussing. They note that Patrick would be expected to shun a possible gubernatorial run right up to the moment he changes his mind and actually announces one, while Abbott has to shrug off a hypothetical primary challenge publicly while preparing privately for one, just in case.

Though 2018s a long way off, that cycle will begin gearing up shortly after the Texas legislative session ends on June 1.

I hear theres friction, said Carl Tepper, a West Texas grass-roots activist who was a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention. Tepper said he doesnt believe there will be an Abbott-Patrick primary showdown but that some Trump loyalists remained unhappy with Abbott.

The governor vocally supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid but was wary of Trump. Abbott long wouldnt mention the billionaire businessmans name, saying only that hed support his partys presidential nominee. Patrick, who also originally backed Cruz, quickly became the states top Trump cheerleader after the senator dropped out.

Todd Smith, a consultant for Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, another top Texas supporter of Trump, noted that the coolness of some Republicans toward the partys White House nominee sparked frustration and tension. Smith said that may have contributed to Trumps winning Texas by only 9 percentage points, the first GOP presidential candidate since 2000 not to take the state by double-digits.

I think the Republican base in Texas appreciates loyalty, Smith said, and I think they appreciate folks not being wishy-washy.

Just ask Cruz, who has seen his popularity slip in Texas since refusing to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention, even though he eventually came around. Associated Press exit polling from Election Day showed slightly more than half of statewide voters holding unfavorable opinions of the senator.

Theres no indication Abbotts standing has suffered. But, so far, Patrick has been out front in setting much of the 2017 legislative agenda. He has vowed Texas will ban transgender people from using public bathrooms of their choice, despite a similar North Carolina law sparking national uproar.

Patrick also has made passing school vouchers, which give families public money for private or religious schools, a priority. Both he and Abbott have praised police as heroes, but Patrick fired up conservatives by suggesting that Black Lives Matter protests contributed to growing anti-law enforcement sentiment that helped spark a July sniper attack in Dallas that killed five police officers.

Abbott is trumpeting the convening of a convention of states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution limiting federal power. The governor has coincided with Patrick in wanting stricter immigration policies and fortifying the Texas-Mexico border, but Abbott is less vocal about bathrooms bills.

Abbott and Patrick share many donors, and there arent indications that top ones are choosing sides ahead of 2018  yet. Patrick has $11 million-plus in his campaign war chest, a princely sum except when compared to Abbotts nearly $29 million.

At 59, Abbott is also seven years Patricks junior  though Texas oldest governor, Bill Clements, was 70 when he began his second term in 1987.

Its sort of like these two heavyweights, said Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist in Austin. But I wouldnt expect a fight.
WASHINGTON  Secretary of State John Kerry tore into Israel on Wednesday for settlement-building, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy and forcefully rejecting the notion that America had abandoned Israel with a controversial U.N. vote. Netanyahu accused the Obama administration of a biased bid to blame Israel for failure to reach a peace deal.

In a farewell speech, Kerry laid out a two-state vision for peace that he wont be in office to implement, but that the U.S. hoped might be heeded even after President Barack Obamas term ends. He defended Obamas move last week to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off an extraordinary and deepening diplomatic spat between the U.S. and its closest Mideast ally.

If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it wont ever really be at peace, Kerry said in a speech that ran more than an hour, a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly.

Netanyahu pushed back in a hastily arranged televised statement in which he suggested he was done with the Obama administration and ready to deal with President-elect Donald Trump, who has sided squarely with Israel. The Israeli leader faulted Kerry for obsessing over settlements while paying mere lip service to Palestinian attacks and incitement of violence.

Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders, Netanyahu said from Jerusalem.

The dueling recriminations marked a low point for U.S.-Israel relations, and a bitter end to eight years of frustrated ties between Obama and Netanyahu, who quarreled repeatedly over settlements, the peace process and Obamas nuclear deal with Iran.

Trump, who has assured Israel it merely needs to hang on until he takes over, wouldnt say Wednesday whether settlements should be reined in. But he told reporters Israel was being treated very, very unfairly by a lot of different people.

It was unclear whether Israel came up in a phone call Obama, while vacationing in Hawaii, placed to Trump on Wednesday morning. Nor was it obvious what impact Kerrys speech, coming in the final days of the administration, might have.

Netanyahu expressed concern that a French-hosted summit next month could lead to an international framework that the U.N. Security Council might then codify with Obamas assent, boxing Israel in. Yet Kerry seemed to rule out the possibility Obama would take more parting shots, such as promoting that type of U.N. resolution or recognizing Palestinian statehood.

The diplomatic fracas erupted last week when the U.S., in a departure from past policy, decided to abstain rather than veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law. Israel was incensed, and on Wednesday, Netanyahu claimed Israel has absolute, indispensable evidence the U.S. actually spearheaded the resolution.

Netanyahu offered what he called proof of U.S. collusion: a document, leaked to an Egyptian newspaper, that purports to be a Palestinian account of a December meeting between top U.S. and Palestinian officials. But White House spokesman Ned Price called it a total fabrication and added: This meeting never occurred.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the speech by reaffirming that hes ready to resume peace talks if Israel halts settlement construction.

Kerry, unveiling a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like, deviated from the traditional U.S. message that foreign powers shouldnt impose a solution. His outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and Kerry insisted he was merely describing whats emerged as points of general agreement.

Though Kerry faulted Palestinian leaders for insufficiently condemning violence and terrorism against Israelis, most of his speech focused on Israel. He said the two-state solution, the basis for all serious peace talks for years, was now in serious jeopardy, and called Netanyahus government the most right-wing in Israels history.

He invoked the widespread concern that the growing Arab population in Israel and the Palestinian territories will eventually make Jews a minority in Israel, creating a demographic crisis for Israel unless theres a separate Palestinian state.

The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state, Kerry said.

The U.S, the Palestinians and most of the world oppose Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state. But Israels government argues previous construction freezes failed to advance a peace deal and that the future of the settlements  now home to 600,000 Israelis  must be resolved in direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

While Israels Arab population has citizenship rights, the roughly 2.5 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank do not. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem, where Palestinians have residency rights but few have citizenship, in a move not internationally recognized.

Kerry said a future deal would have to ensure secure borders for Israel and a Palestinian state formed in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, with mutually agreed, equivalent swaps. He said both countries must fully recognize each other, ensure access to religious sites and relinquish all other existing claims. Kerry also called for assistance to help Palestinian refugees.

Yet he offered fewer details about how to get to such a deal, given the failure of so many previous attempts, including his own nine-month effort that collapsed in 2014. He urged Israelis and Palestinians to take realistic steps on the ground now to begin separating themselves into two states.

Kerry reiterated that the Obama administrations commitment to Israel was as strong as that of previous presidents, but he also noted that previous U.S. administrations had also abstained on certain resolutions critical of Israel.

___

Lederman reported from Honolulu. Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Vivian Salama in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  Over two years, 23-year-old Steven Pugh violated almost every condition of his court-ordered probation for carrying a gun in the nations capital: He tested positive for PCP, was charged with assault for allegedly dragging his girlfriend across a floor and pleaded guilty to committing a robbery in Maryland. For months, he had disappeared entirely from his probation officers radar screen.

Still, his probation was not revoked, sparing him from a year in jail. In August 2015, Pugh was still failing to show up for drug tests and other appointments, but his probation officer did not press for him to be locked up. The next month, a father of three in Southeast was shot and killed. Pugh was arrested fleeing the scene and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

A version of Pughs case plays out frequently in the District of Columbia. About 150 times a year, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency loses track of offenders it classifies as high risk, the agency acknowledges. Several hundred additional offenders classified as lower risks also go missing, and scores of them turn up as suspects in new crimes, according to court records.

But the problem does not stop there.

Unlike supervisory agencies in many states, CSOSA does not notify law enforcement or the public in Washington about missing offenders, even when it believes an offender has the potential to create a new victim, as the agency wrote in court records about Pugh. Doing so, it says, would violate federal privacy laws protecting those it calls its clients  the absconders.

The District of Columbia is the only jurisdiction in the country where Congress has made supervision of local criminals a federal responsibility. A Washington Post investigation has found that federal control has created layers of bureaucracy that make it difficult to quickly put those who violate the terms of their release back behind bars or to effectively monitor the most dangerous offenders released back into the community.

A review of hundreds of court cases and federal documents, as well as interviews with prosecutors, police, defense attorneys and criminal justice experts, shows that the Districts uniquely constructed criminal justice system often breaks down at the vulnerable point when offenders are leaving jail or prison and returning to the streets.

CSOSA (see-so-sa) does not automatically share details about its offenders absences with D.C. police, as many similar state or local agencies do with police in their jurisdictions, criminal justice experts say. And when offenders are caught in a serious violation, the agency has to petition the courts and the U.S. Parole Commission to revoke probation or parole, or to have a warrant issued for their arrest. Then, CSOSA must usually rely on a third federal agency, the U.S. Marshals Service, to get the offender back to the D.C. jail or prison.

  

About once a week, a D.C. offender under federal supervision ends up as either a victim or a suspect in a homicide investigation. Last year, nearly one out of four people charged with a killing in Washington was under CSOSA supervision, while one out of five victims also was in its care, according to agency and police data.

Offenders under CSOSAs supervision were charged with nearly 1,500 crimes of violence in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, according to documents submitted to Congress. In all of 2016, 836 individuals have been convicted of crimes, representing about 5 percent of the total under supervision, the agency said.

Its set up to fail people, said Philip Fornaci, past director of the D.C. Prisoners Project, who now works to find jobs for returning inmates as head of the Employment Justice Center. If it was actually a system that was geared toward rehabilitation, it wouldnt be set up like this, and if public safety were a real concern, it wouldnt be set up like this.

Nancy Ware, director of CSOSA since 2012, said the agency first tries to give offenders every chance to succeed before it labels someone an absconder, potentially sending an offender back to jail or prison.

Sometimes a person is in a loss of contact for several days because they have a death in their family, they have some issue with children. There are all kinds of reasons that we lose contact, she said. With our population, we want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Ware said CSOSA has made strides in coordinating with D.C. police and other law enforcement agencies, including joint home visits to high-risk offenders. She also stressed that the number of CSOSA clients linked to violent crimes in Washington is a small fraction of the roughly 17,000 offenders who cycle through supervision in a given year.

Ware said that the agency conducts a fatality review of every killer or victim who was under CSOSA supervision but has not been able to discern a pattern to prevent future violence. She suggested that those who do return to violent crime  especially those who kill  are often beyond the help of any government agency.

They go into a liquor store or get into an argument with somebody and, you, know, take that person out, she said. Or they are in a crap game and get mad at each other, so they have an incident where it escalates to the point of violence.

In some cases, its people who have had a history with that person and it goes way, way back, Ware said. Their pasts may have caught up with them.

CSOSA did not respond to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Post seeking detailed data on recidivism.

The federal office has almost 900 employees and an annual budget of $182 million.

CSOSA was born almost two decades ago out of a dark moment in the District of Columbias history, when the city under then-Mayor Marion Barry was tumbling toward bankruptcy. As a condition of a federal bailout, Congress took control of most of the Districts criminal justice system.

  

Because it is a federal agency, CSOSA does not have to report to the mayor or the D.C. Council. It also does not have to answer to the Justice Department. Its director is appointed by the president to a six-year term, and Congress, which has oversight, has not called a hearing on the agency in almost four years.

CSOSAs unique position constrains its ability to help or monitor offenders. It lacks the resources of a state or local social services agency, such as the ability to provide short-term housing placements or care in long-term mental health facilities for those too unstable to remain in the community. A new report from the nonprofit Council for Court Excellence said that almost half of all offenders returning to D.C. from federal prisons have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

After 90 days under supervision of CSOSA, the report said, more than 7 in 10 offenders capable of working had no job and nearly a third of those had no stable housing.

Fixing these problems is hard. It took years of lobbying, an act of Congress and the signature of President Barack Obama earlier this year to add two words  and incentives  in the agencys federal charter. That insertion gives CSOSA the latitude to offer offenders not only punishments but rewards for good behavior. The most-discussed incentive was $1.75 in D.C. bus fare to travel to job interviews.

Its a stark contrast with rapid policy changes underway in states across the political spectrum, from Kansas to North Carolina, where in recent years officials have instituted programs that provide incentives but also, when offenders slip up, almost immediate overnight stays in jail.

In the District of Columbia, court records show, it can take nearly two months for CSOSA officials to get a warrant approved and served.

Its really easy to see the next homicide coming, but they dont connect the dots, said Nardyne Jefferies, who has been advocating for policy changes in the District since 2010, when her 16-year-old daughter, Brishell, was among four people killed in a drive-by shooting carried out by several repeat offenders, including two under CSOSA supervision.

Those who monitor these criminals have to do their jobs and be more proactive, because there is a lot of damage and destruction to families they are leaving behind out here, Jefferies said. Its not like were flushing goldfish down the toilet  these were human beings. We had fed them and loved them.

  

In court documents, the limited effectiveness of the agency is perhaps best seen in one of the few punishments that it can order: electronic monitoring. Each year, the agency affixes ankle bracelets equipped with Global Positioning System transmitters onto roughly 1,700 repeat, violent or sexual offenders.

Agency documents say the goals of the program are to allow CSOSA to track offenders compliance with curfews, and set up restricted areas  around known territories for gang members, or schools and parks for sexual predators.

In recent years, court records show that offenders who tampered with the devices routinely faced little to no jail time, even after disabling them again and again. In 2012, a convicted robber cut off his GPS bracelet and later challenged his conviction for doing so. He argued that it wasnt a crime because a civilian agency, and not a judge or parole commissioner, had ordered it. The D.C. Court of Appeals sided with the offender, Jeffrey Hunt.

Early this year, CSOSA successfully sought a warrant for 23-year-old Deandre Providence, saying he had repeatedly tampered with his GPS device, including failing to charge it. CSOSA was unable to locate him more than 10 times between December 2015 and February this year, court records show.

Providence, who was on supervised release stemming from a gun charge from 2013, was charged with tampering with a detection device. Prosecutors in March offered him a plea bargain, which he accepted: one night in jail.

Providence has since been arrested on charges of selling synthetic drugs and has been released pending trial. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

The agency did not publicly push to close the GPS loophole until September, after The Post reported that a judge allowed a violent offender, Antwon Pitt, to remain free after being found with a substance that appeared to be synthetic marijuanaand a disabled GPS monitoring device. Pitt raped and beat a college professor in her Hill East home days later.

The D.C. mayor and council responded this month, with the support CSOSA, passing emergency legislation designed to make removal of any GPS device a crime.

But CSOSAs difficulties with electronic monitoring are not solved. It is not uncommon for offenders to commit new armed robberies, carjackings and even homicides while under GPS surveillance, according to a review of more than 200 Superior Court case files. The agency said 72 individuals under GPS monitoring were convicted of new crimes this year, representing about 9 percent of the total convictions for those supervised by CSOSA.

Ware, the CSOSA director, acknowledged that GPS is not a magic bullet: Its definitely not a deterrent to crime, and I think thats the misunderstanding sometimes about GPS, she said.

Dalonte Weems, now in federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland, is among dozens of offenders who have brazenly  and repeatedly  committed crimes while under CSOSA monitoring.

In the fall of 2013, Weems had a bracelet on when he rang a doorbell and pointed a handgun at the man who answered. Weems, then 20, was under supervision for a previous conviction in his teens, and GPS data later showed Weems leaving his apartment, walking to the victims home and then departing. Through GPS, police tracked Weems to his apartment and found a loaded 9 mm handgun in a closet, court records show.

Weems could have been sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison for carrying a firearm without a license, but under the Districts Youth Rehabilitation Act, he was given 20 months with all but 10 months suspended. The law allows young adult offenders younger than 22 to receive shorter sentences for some crimes and have their records sealed from public view.

By April 2015, Weems had twice more been fitted with a GPS device, the last time a month before he committed three armed robberies of taxicab drivers, according to charging documents.

In the last of those robberies, in May, the driver told police that after he arrived at his passengers requested destination, he felt the barrel of a gun against the right side of his head. The driver claimed that Weems and another person took $120 from the drivers pocket as well as his ID badge, cellphone and wallet, documents show.

It is unclear from court records whether Weems was still wearing the GPS device at the time. A cellphone he had when he was arrested had been used to summon two of the taxis, according to court records.

Weems pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and is scheduled to be released from prison in 2020. Weems declined a request for an interview.

  

As Washingtons homicide tally was rising rapidly in the summer of 2015, during Mayor Muriel Bowsers first year in office, the tone was growing increasingly urgent at monthly closed-door meetings of the citys local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Kevin Donahue, Bowsers deputy mayor for public safety, wanted to know whom he could talk to about getting CSOSA to share more information with police. He had attended meetings with officials in Maryland and other states where chiefs of police and corrections were cabinet members, but in the District he was not sure who was ultimately in charge of probation and parole.

Who is your boss? Donahue asked, turning to Ware, the director of CSOSA. He expected, perhaps, that she would answer with the name of an assistant attorney general or a high-ranking official in the federal prison system whom he could get on the phone or drive across town to see.

Instead, Wares answer floored Donahue. I report to the president of the United States, she said.

Ware and Donahue both confirmed the exchange. Ware told The Post: that doesnt mean I dont also report to Congress and I dont also report to the people of the District of Columbia.

I think it illustrates the complexity of the system within which we operate, Donahue said recently.

By August 2015, nearly half of the suspects that D.C. police were charging in killings were offenders under the supervision of CSOSA or were free pending trial, according to briefing documents prepared for city law enforcement leaders. Bowsers administration pushed for CSOSA to more aggressively monitor offenders who had been convicted of a violent crime.

Bowser could not change CSOSAs charter, but she could affect the conditions that D.C. inmates must agree to for release. She introduced a bill to require offenders who had been convicted of a violent felony to submit to random searches of their person and residence by CSOSA.

But the agency lobbied against a more hands-on role. Cedrick Hendricks, a top CSOSA official, testified before the D.C. Council. He read a letter from Ware that called the proposal problematic because it would authorize CSOSA officers to seize firearms or other dangerous weapons that they were not trained to handle.

The letter from Ware also warned that the searches would undermine the relationships its officers seek to build with clients, to intervene positively in their lives.

Many of CSOSAs supervised clients are plagued by limited education, unemployment, unstable housing, frayed family relationships, and, increasingly, mental health needs, she said. This proposal would undermine the successes we have realized to date.

D.C. officials testified that police could not conduct the searches if CSOSA refused to do so because officers need probable cause.

Kenyan McDuffie, chairman of the D.C. Councils Judiciary Committee, said the proposal was unworkable and killed it.

McDuffie is among CSOSAs many defenders in the city. He said CSOSAs lack of transparency can undermine public confidence, but he believes the agency gets an outsize share of the blame for the failures of a confusing and inefficient system.

They have an impossible job, McDuffie said. We need to start by doing a better job rehabilitating those who have been incarcerated before they are put back in the care of CSOSA and back into the community.

Thomas Williams, who used to be in charge of all 500 probation and parole officers at the agency, said that during his years there that he tried unsuccessfully to get the Federal Bureau of Prisons to more deliberately match inmates with job training programs in prison so they could return with useful skills and ease the job of CSOSA.

If a person wanted to have skills as an electrician, great, work on that while theyre inside, Williams said. But years of meetings with federal prison officials, he said, led nowhere.

There are few national standards in parole and probation. Roughly 30 states have a centralized system for supervising former inmates. In the remainder, rules differ from place to place.

If there is one commonality, said Marshall Clement, director of state initiatives at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, it is that budget pressures and politics have forced every jurisdiction to search for more effective solutions.

CSOSA, however, operates in a realm unbound from such pressures, its budget requests largely fulfilled by the White Houses Office of Management and Budget and Congress. It is also insulated from the local political pressures that the Districts elected leaders face to keep crime down.

When Congress authorized the creation of CSOSA in 1997, it made the agency an independent entity under the executive branch. The agency promulgated its own rules for dealing with the offenders coming under its supervision. When CSOSA lost contact with an offender, its employees were supposed to immediately begin a search, make phone calls to the offender and send a certified letter to the offenders last known address.

The agency gave itself 21 days to complete the process  18 days to hear from the offender, and another three to file a report of the missing with a judge or the parole commission  to start the process of getting a warrant to pick someone up, according to agency policy.

Ware said officers can move more quickly than 21 days, if they determine it is warranted.

But Williams, the former head of probation and parole, said the certified letter process is an embarrassment for the agency. The time frame for getting a warrant, he said, can stretch to 51 days because it can take roughly 30 days to schedule a hearing before a judge.

The timeline is just too long, Williams said.

Before working for CSOSA, Williams led Marylands statewide parole and probation system. He said CSOSA does as well as or better than Maryland in identifying offenders who pose a risk to the community. But he said the neighboring jurisdictions could not be more different in terms of how quickly they move to get problem offenders off the street.

If I have a high-risk individual, I could write the warrant, take it to the judge and that same day it could be out for service in Maryland, he said. That culture has existed in Maryland for decades, but it does not exist in the District.

In the case of Steven Pugh, CSOSA did not file its first report to a judge about his behavior until April 2014, after 41 days of near constant probation violations. Pugh was under supervision after firing a gun outside his Southwest apartment and pleading guilty to a charge of carrying a firearm.

A month after Pugh failed drug tests and after three weeks without any contact with him, a CSOSA officer did not list him as being in loss-of-contact status, but instead classified Pughs overall adjustment as unsatisfactory and recommended that a judge send him to CSOSAs 30-day mental health and drug assessment center. CSOSA declined to discuss Pughs case.

Before he could appear before the judge, Pugh got into a verbal altercation with his girlfriend about him wanting her to give him money, according to a police report.

Pugh slapped the woman with an open hand around her face and head, said F you, b-, you work, you get money!, and dragged her on the floor, cutting her elbow.

He took the womans purse and Metro card and her sons stroller and fled. Pugh was arrested that night and later released.

Two months later, in July 2014, he was picked up on a warrant for a previous robbery conviction in Maryland. Pugh pleaded guilty and served most of the next year in jail in Prince Georges County.

When he returned to the District after serving his time, he was once again put on probation, this time for assaulting his girlfriend. CSOSA recommended that his probation be revoked, but a judge ordered Pugh to undergo a mental health evaluation and drug treatment. He quickly began violating again. Pugh skipped drug tests on 6/2/2015, 6/10/2015, 6/16/2015, 7/14/2015, 7/21/2015, 8/4/2015, 9/1/2015 and 9/15/2015, according to another CSOSA violation report.

At a court hearing near the end of this period, a CSOSA officer backtracked from the recommendation to have Pughs probation revoked. The officer said that while Pugh had missed appointments and walked out of a drug treatment program, he had attended other meetings and passed a urine test for drug use. He was left on probation.

On Sept. 19, police responded to reports of gunfire in southeast Washington and found Marcellus Green with a gunshot wound to the chest. Greens ex-wife told reporters that he had been talking to the couples 11-year-old son when a car drove up and people inside began shooting.

Pugh was caught after a high-speed chase and charged with first-degree murder. He admitted to being the driver and conspiring to shoot someone he had a beef with on the block where Green was killed, according to a police affidavit. Pugh agreed to a plea deal for second-degree murder. He is awaiting sentencing.

Pughs attorneys declined to comment for this article.

Court records show Pugh was among 149 of the most high-risk offenders who were out of contact at some point last year.

In Maryland and Virginia, where probation and parole officials have some law enforcement powers, the states maintain websites identifying parole or probation absconders.

But CSOSA General Counsel Sheila Stokes said her agency cannot publish or share information in the District that might be considered personal in nature about those it supervises, because CSOSA does not have law enforcement powers and must observe federal privacy laws.

They have not been convicted of an additional crime, she said, so we have to be careful how we characterize individuals in the public.

  

Tjhe Washington Posts Amy Brittain and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.

offenders-1stld-writethru
The administration is playing defense, offering contradictory justifications for its abstention at the U.N. Security Council on a resolution declaring everything  including all of East Jerusalem  to be an illegal occupation and virtually inviting boycotts and international sanctions against Israel. Among the strongest critics of President Obamas decision are Democrats like incoming minority leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and House minority whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Even his former Middle East envoy George Mitchell says it was a mistake not to veto the resolution.

On one hand, the presidents apologists claim the administration did not draft it. This might be technically true, but highly misleading. Eli Lake reports:

Obamas decision to break precedent by declining to veto Fridays resolution looks entirely premeditated.

Lets start with what the Israelis themselves are saying. After the vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would be sharing information with the Donald Trump transition team that proves how the U.S. lobbied other countries behind the scenes to support the resolution. He has not made this public, but Israeli officials tell me it is based in part on what many Arab envoys told Israeli diplomats in private.

We also know, because it has been publicly reported, that Secretary of State John Kerry spoke about this resolution last month with his counterpart in New Zealand, whose envoy introduced the resolution. . . . Another piece of supporting evidence is that this kind of U.N. action was included in a 2015 policy memo drafted after Netanyahu won re-election and promised supporters there would be no Palestinian state while he was in power. Netanyahu reversed himself after the victory.

(A purported transcript of a meeting between U.S. and Palestinian officials seems to corroborate the charge of collusion.)

And, of course, if this was a result the United States did not want, it could have vetoed the resolution. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in a radio interview vowed, You heard Ambassador [Ron] Dermer, Israels ambassador to the United States say they will present their evidence and factual support for these claims to the incoming administration. He continued, I suspect Donald Trump and his administration may reveal that information to the American people, but the bottom line is this: Any American with any common sense knows that Senegal and Malaysia dont set the agenda for the Security Council, the United States does. And this resolution would not have gone forward if the United States did not want it to go forward. That is not just abstaining from a veto, but making it clear to the other 14 members of the Security Council that the United States wanted the resolution to move ahead.

Then administration flacks claim Israel had this coming because of an aggressive settlements policy. Thats not remotely true. Elliott Abrams, former deputy national security adviser in charge of Israel policy in George W. Bushs administration, explains, In fact settlement growth has not accelerated significantly since 2011, whatever [Obama adviser Ben] Rhodes says. His most disingenuous remark is about the failure of negotiations. Indeed the Obama/Kerry efforts failed, because the Palestinians refused to come to the table even when Israel undertook a ten-month construction freeze.

And failing all that, the administration claims the resolution is no big deal, pretending that this is not the first to make new housing for Jews illegal. (Abrams notes, Yes, the resolution expresses the consensus international view on Israeli settlement activity, which calls them illegal, and that is the point: until the Obama administration, the United Statess position was that they were unhelpful but not illegal. Therefore the resolution is not consistent with longstanding bipartisan U.S. policy.')

What, if anything, can the incoming administration do to minimize the damage to Israel and fend off the jackals at the United Nations? Abrams tells Right Turn, The resolution fairly begs for boycotts of Israel. Many states have anti-boycott laws. The new administration and new Congress should work together to make it clear that banks and companies that boycott Israel may not do business in the United States. He adds, We should also react by moving the United States embassy to Jerusalem, which would be an extremely powerful political and symbolic step.

Other possibilities including finally cutting off funding to the Palestinian Authority; using financial leverage to demand changes in the dues and voting structure at the United Nations; renegotiating the recently concluded defense funding memorandum with Israel (wherein Obama squeezed Israel and attempted to preclude Israel from asking for additional funding); and a resolution passed by the Congress and signed by the new president condemning the United Nations vote as a blatant effort to delegitimize Israel and predetermine a final outcome in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Additionally, Trump could order the State Department to allow Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their place of birth. (Legislation attempting to do this was struck down as an infringement on the presidents powers; Trump could exercise that same power to change U.S. policy.) Trump might also consider an early trip to Israel, including a visit to the Western Wall, which the United Nations says is illegally occupied by Israel. Cliff May of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies shares a few more possible moves including reprisals for European nations that wage economic warfare against Israel and measures to discourage [PA president] Mahmoud Abbas from attempting to mobilize the ICC against Israel.

In this case, the more ways to signal an abrupt, dramatic change in U.S. policy, the better.



Rubin is a Washington Post columnist.

israel-comment
Six prominent clergy members  including a Catholic cardinal, black and Hispanic Protestant leaders and a rabbi  will pray at Donald Trumps inauguration.

The inaugural committee told The Post on Wednesday that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Rev. Franklin Graham, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Pastor Paula White will all give readings at the ceremony.

The choice of clergy members to speak at previous inaugurations has drawn criticism, including Barack Obamas choice of Pastor Rick Warren in 2008 because of Warrens anti-gay-marriage stance. Trumps inaugural committee chose some clergy members, including Jackson and White, who were associated with Trump during his campaign, as well as others like Rodriguez, who spoke out against Trumps views on immigration and other issues of importance to his Hispanic Christian community.

None of the six clergy members tapped for the Trump inauguration could be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham who now runs the association named for his father and the charity Samaritans Purse, defended Trump throughout his campaign against charges that the businessman went against Christian values. When many Republicans were expressing disgust in October over the release of a tape showing Trump speaking crudely about women on the set of Access Hollywood, Graham wrote on Facebook, The crude comments made by Donald J. Trump more than 11 years ago cannot be defended. But the godless progressive agenda of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton likewise cannot be defended. . . . The most important issue of this election is the Supreme Court.

Jackson, pastor at Great Faith Ministries International Church in Detroit, hosted Trump for a visit to his church in September. And White, who runs a major ministry based in Florida, helped orchestrate Trumps meeting with hundreds of evangelical leaders in June and has been called one of his top spiritual advisers. She is the only woman among the six people who will pray at the inauguration.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, debated whether to even show a video message that Trump recorded in May for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which he runs. Im actually very opposed to his rhetoric on most issues, Rodriguez said about Trump at the time. At the top of the list, his rhetoric on immigrants, on immigration, is unacceptable.

Dolan, too, has criticized Trumps stance on immigration. As the archbishop of New York, he is the most prominent Catholic official in the United States.

And Hier, the founder of the Los Angeles-based human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center, strongly denounced Trump when the candidate first floated the idea of temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the United States.

The music at Trumps inauguration will also have a religious flavor: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, known for its patriotic music at several previous inaugurations and other national events, will sing in the ceremony.

inaug-clergy
WASHINGTON  Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Wednesday offered a harsh and detailed assessment of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying their growth threatens to destroy the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that the United States was obliged to allow passage of a U.N. resolution condemning the activity in order to preserve the possibility of peace.

Kerry noted that the number of Israelis living in settlements has grown significantly and that their outposts are extending farther into the West Bank  in the middle of what by any reasonable definition would be the future Palestinian state.

No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace, he said.

Kerry, in the hour-long speech delivered at the State Department, also condemned Palestinian incitement to violence as a barrier to direct negotiations. But his focus was on defending the Obama administrations policies and highlighting Israels actions at a moment of high tension between the two governments, following the passage of the U.N. resolution.

Regrettably, some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means the U.S. must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles  even after urging again and again that the policy must change, he said. Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

He said the vote at the United Nations was about Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. Thats what we are trying to preserve, for our sake and for theirs.

Although he did not mention Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, he addressed head-on the Israeli leaders assertions that the United States had colluded and orchestrated last weeks U.N. resolution affirming that settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution.

Kerry denied that the United States drafted or promoted the resolution, and took a swipe at the rhetoric coming from Israeli leaders.

It will be up to the Israeli people to decide whether the unusually heated attacks that Israeli officials have directed toward this administration best serve Israels national interests and its relationship with an ally that has been steadfast in its support, he said. Those attacks, alongside allegations of a U.S.-led conspiracy and other manufactured claims, distract and divert attention from what the substance of this vote really was about.

Kerry acknowledged that his vision is not shared and is unlikely to be followed by President-elect Donald Trump.

President Obama and I know that the incoming administration has signaled that they may take a different path, and even suggested breaking from long-standing U.S. policies on settlements, Jerusalem  and possibly the two-state solution, Kerry said. That is for them to decide  thats how we work. But we cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away. This is a time to stand up for what is right.

Trump has said he will move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, a move freighted with political significance in advance of any settlement, and his nominee to be ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, has said Jewish settlements in the West Bank are legal.

About two hours before Kerry started speaking, Trump tweeted his criticism of the Obama administration:

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 . . . 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!

Netanyahu, in turn, promptly tweeted his gratitude: President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!

In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu called Kerrys speech skewed against Israel.

For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict  Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries, Netanyahu said

Kerry offered six principles that he said would satisfy Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for a homeland. Most have been proven sticking points in previous negotiations  among them, Jerusalem as a mutual capital for two states; normalized relations with Arab states in the region; and financial compensation for Palestinian refugees, along with acknowledgment of their suffering.

mideast-policy-1stld-writethru
QUESTA, N.M.  Some residents in a northern New Mexico community are still without running water.

Questa village officials tell Albuquerque television station KOB-TV (http://bit.ly/2iF0Jsd) that after three weeks, they arent able to provide enough water and that there may be a leak.

A second well was recently installed, but water pressure isnt keeping up with demand.

Those residents who have water are under a boil advisory, while others have had to rely on bottled water and water trucks.

Mayor Mark Gallegos said hes trying to find the source of the leak but acknowledged that the villages system is archaic.

The state Department of Emergency Management said capital improvement funds need to be invested in the system, but how soon the leak will be fixed and who will fix it isnt clear.

___

Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com
MEXICO CITY  Air carrier Interjet has grounded half its 22 Russian-made Superjet100 planes after doing a mandatory safety inspection of the aircraft, Mexicos civil aviation agency said Wednesday.

In a statement, the agency said 11 jets will be out of service while unspecified measures are taken to guarantee their safety and restore them to flight status. The other 11 were found to be in perfect condition, it said.

The agency did not say what fixes or modifications were being done, but it said the work would be completed in January.

Also Wednesday, the federal Communications and Transportation Department announced that it had authorized Interjet to add an Airbus A321 jetliner with more seating capacity than the Superjet100 to fly 12 domestic and international routes and mitigate passenger inconvenience.

Interjet informed (the civil aviation agency) that it has signed cooperation agreements with other national airlines, which will assist in transportation to the various destinations that have ceased to be served by the Superjet100, the department said in a statement.

Interjet has had to cancel some flights during the holiday travel season due to the safety inspection order issued Dec. 23 by Russian authorities after cracks were found in a part on one of the Sukhoi planes.

Interjet is one of the biggest customers for the Superjet.
Democrats started the 2016 election cycle with pessimism about their chances of taking back the House of Representatives. For a few moments this autumn, they allowed themselves to think that there was a chance to win it after all, if Donald Trump melted down. Now, heading into a midterm that they expect to break a losing streak, Democrats are planning earlier than ever to take back ground, with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee veteran Kelly Ward signing up for a new project to win state legislatures.

Under the radar, however, the short-term prospects for Democrats in the House are bleaker than any time since 2010. Daily Kos, the progressive site that has a hard-working political news team, has begun compiling the vote totals (affirmed last week) in every congressional district.

In the 41 states where data has already been crunched, Democrats became more competitive in districts with large Latino populations, but fell back in rural districts that had gone blue for decades. In several cases, the slide nearly cost them safe-looking seats.

In the count so far, which doesnt include Florida, New York, Pennsylvania or Texas, Trump carried 15 districts that Barack Obama had carried twice. He swept every Iowa district; Obama had carried three of them. He won Illinois 12th and 17th districts, which Democrats held as recently as 2012. He won Maines rural 2nd District by 10 points and New Hampshires urban 1st District by 1.5 points. He took six of Minnesotas eight districts, losing only the districts centered around the Twin Cities, and took Wisconsins 3rd District, which covers the states rural northwest. He won south New Jerseys 2nd and 3rd districts, and Nevadas 3rd District, south of Las Vegas.

Few of these districts were drawn to elect Republicans. Iowas redistricting process is left up to judges, while Illinois was controlled by Democrats who wanted to maximize their number of seats. Minnesotas, New Jerseys and Nevadas were drawn by divided governments. On Election Day, Democrats won seven of the House seats in these districts, often helped by incumbency (like Minnesotas Tim Walz) or weak opponents (Nevadas Jacky Rosen).

Yet in the short term, all seven will get to enjoy status as targets for Republicans who want to reverse 2016s shrinkage in the House majority. They may have company from Democrats who watched the presidential margin tumble in their districts.

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who just lost a challenge to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, watched the presidential margin in his Mahoning Valley district fall from 28 points for Obama to six points for Clinton.

In Connecticut, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., won reelection while Hillary Clinton won his district by three points; Obama had won it by 13.

In swing states, most of the places where Clinton improved on Obamas vote  or held even  were urban districts drawn by Republicans, designed to pack together Democrats and limit their electoral reach. But in the part of the map analyzed so far, Clinton did win eight House districts that Obama had lost.

In Arizona, Clinton easily carried the district of Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., who won reelection anyway.

In California, Clinton carried six districts on the strength of a Latino turnout surge and a tumbling Republican vote  the 10th, 25th, 39th, 45th, 48th, 49th. In becoming the first Democrat since 1936 to carry Orange County, Clinton won the districts of Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Every Republican in a Romney-to-Clinton seat won reelection. When the last mega-states are analyzed, Clinton is likely to have gained ground in urban Florida and Texas versus the Obama campaign and likely to have lost ground in New York and Pennsylvania. And in 2010, the district-by-district results provided clues  but not a complete preview  to what would and wouldnt be winnable for Republicans in the midterms. In the Midwest and Deep South, even districts where Obama had improved on the Democrats 2004 vote became gettable for Republicans.

But President-elect Donald Trump will take office with a vulnerability that neither Obama nor any recent incoming president ever had. In many states and districts that he won convincingly, his favorable rating  and, by extension, his starting political capital  was in the 30s or 40s. Obama started high and had room to fall.

Many of the Democrats who watched Trump win their districts, and nearly lost reelection as a result, will not find most of their constituents thinking highly of Trump.

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The outgoing air chief spoke on a number of things, and said the worst moment in his life came when he heard about an An32 plane going missing with 29 personnel on board.

By Jugal R Purohit: The 24th chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today addressed a press conference he termed as 'customary' for an outgoing air chief. Though many from the press corps disagreed, it made for a candid interaction with the man who has been at the helm of not just the IAF for three full years but also was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), the apex tri-service body for nearly 29 months.

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KEY EXCERPTS:

IAF's fighter planes: The teeth of any air force is in its fighter planes. The government has allowed us 42 squadrons. As of now, we have a large number of Sukhoi 30 (10 squadrons inducted and three more will be done soon). We are doing a mid life upgrade and we foresee them to be around for the next 30 years. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS is a good, fourth generation plus aircraft. The Rafale is an excellent aircraft which will prove its worth in any scenario. We have just signed up for 36 planes. In the next 5-10 years time, we need more. One more line of aircraft production is required in India under the Make In India program. Need about 200 fighters over next 5-10 years. We have enough heavy fighters (like Sukhoi) but we need more in the medium segment.

Worst moment: It came when I heard about the An32 missing with 29 personnel. We searched a lot, undertook 300 sorties, over 1000 flying hours. We had about 30 targets which look like the An32 debris. We have underwater assets which can search till the depth of 3.5km from the surface. From 30, there are now just 10 targets which remain to be verified. The underwater equipment to search could not do its job because there was a technical issue. We have approached the government to contract agencies from abroad who can search. Most of the Soviet era planes like the AN32 lack under water locator beacons. We have taken up with the government a case to procure such beacons. Within a month or two, a contract signed to arm all planes with such beacons. I feel, the An32 is not the best plane for this route. You can call it a mistake of not fitting these planes with the beacons.

Defence corruption: From time to time, issues have come up. The investigating agencies have not been able to pin down those involved. It is not only the armed forces personnel who are involved in procurement. It will be premature to say anything in the AgustaWestland case. That a former IAF chief has been arrested obviously has consequences and the law of the land has to be followed. However, an ex IAF chief is like a family member to us and till a person is convicted, let us give him his due. If convicted, there should be no sympathy.

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China reacting to AGNI V test: Posturing will always be there. We should go about our task. Unless there is something being done which is prohibited like nuclear proliferation which is also happening by the way in our neighbourhood, if we are legitimately developing our capability, I do not think anybody should object.

On air to air refueling planes of the IAF: The aircraft we have for the job are not very good on serviceability. We need much more. Unfortunately, anomalies came up and acquisition had been cancelled. Very unfortunate but you can't help it.

Military diplomacy: We've done well. We convinced the government to step up military cooperation with nations in our neighbourhood, the SAARC region, far-east. Now the government is ready to sell them equipment too. This will help fill the void which our adversaries would have exploited.

Disaster response: We thought we may or may not fight a conventional war but we have to be there to serve our people. We have been the first responders in our international humanitarian missions. We have aided the governments be it during the Jat agitation, running its mints 24x7 etc. We are also helping BSF, ARC, paramilitary forces and anti-Maoist operations.

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OROP: The agitation was a setback. It affected the esteem of the armed forces. I could not stem the agitation. What the government has given is reasonably good. I have told my people to accept it. Anomalies ought to resolved, including those from the seventh pay commission.

Post-Pathankot: Much has been discussed and we are implementing the lessons learnt. We are now well prepared to tackle terrorist attacks. A lot has been done in training, orientation, weapons are being improved, field-craft has been improved. We are training a large number of manpower. Government has given us the authority to have 27 GARUD commando flights (each with 45 men) and 23 more have been sanctioned, taking it to total of 50 GARUD commando flights.

Demonetisation: A huge initiative and we have along with the government realized the hardship caused to people. We have pitched in to carry cash from the mints. Our C130 and C17 planes have been deployed in ferrying cash across the country. We have flown 35 sorties ad carried 620 tones of cash.

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Enhancing operational efficiency: We have flown a lot more by the night. Average flying by night earlier was 17-20 per cent. Now it is about 30 per cent. We are exercising more. Serviceability of the planes was not very good. Many cases, contracts for spares have been signed and flagged to help the situation improve. Now serviceability has gone up by 5-7 per cent. Despite retiring older planes, we are achieving much more flying hours than in the past. By March-April next year, we will operationalise the second C130 squadron at Panagarh.

Writer is a senior special correspondent with India Today TV and tweets @JRPUR

--- ENDS ---
When companies try to capitalize on events in the news with their social media accounts, it can lead to some, well, sticky situations. A couple of years ago, DiGiorno Pizza inadvertently used a hashtag meant to share womens domestic violence stories to promote pizza. American Apparel apologized after an employee tweeted a photo of the Challenger space shuttle explosion to commemorate July 4. In 2011, Kenneth Cole made an insensitive joke about its latest collection being the reason for the uprising in Cairo, only to make a similar gaffe in 2013.

Now after the death of actress Carrie Fisher, Cinnabon is the latest brand to put itself in a social media knot.

The maker of the sweet and strong-smelling pastries posted a tweet, now deleted, depicting Fisher in her famous role, Princess Leia, with a cinnamon roll in place of one of the buns in her hair. RIP Carrie Fisher, youll always have the best buns in the galaxy, the tweet read. After some Twitter users found the tweet to be tasteless in light of the stars death, Cinnabon deleted it and apologized. In an emailed statement, Cinnabon spokeswoman Loryn Franco said our intention was to pay respect through an image we created in her honor for Star Wars Day 2016 and was sorry our tweet appeared disrespectful to some.

Cinnabon tweeted, Our deleted tweet was genuinely meant as a tribute, but we shouldnt have posted it. We are truly sorry.

In many cases of social media uproar, that would be that, and Twitter would move on to whatever controversy came next. But this is America in 2016, a country so divided that it cant even seem to agree on what to think about the response to the death of a famous actress by a brand known for its airport command of our olfactory systems.

The backlash that prompted Cinnabons apology came swiftly. Some saw the inevitable Star Wars references. (Off, you must log, @cinnabon, tweeted one digital content specialist with a photo of Yoda.) Others saw the move as out of line. As one branding strategist and instructor put it, ummmm . . . NO to your Carrie Fisher tweet! Youve gone beyond being a current, responsive brand to opportunistic and super tacky.

Others: Someone on your social media team should have had a bad feeling about this. And just like that, I unfollow Cinnabon.

But many others tweeted that the backlash was overwrought. Some thought Fisher, who even had a sense of humor when it came to her obituary, would have liked the tweet.

One wrote, Carrie Fisher was a cool frood and would have laughed at the @cinnabon tweet. I guess some people never saw her on the Late Late Show.

Others saw in the Twitter outrage about a cinnamon roll companys tweet an illustration of what became an issue in the 2016 election  a culture that some believe has become too politically correct and too sensitive in America.

As one person put it: @Cinnabon harmless and cool pic of Carrie Fisher. The new PC America will cry about anything. Get your participation trophies millennials!

Another tweeted this: Why are people so sensitive about everything?? Cinnabon made a creative tribute to Carrie Fisher and SJWs are all boohoo, how rude.

While the response was particularly divided, it isnt the first time outrage over a corporate brands tweet has sparked controversy, with outrage and defenders. Last year, after Apple released a new set of emoji, Clorox tweeted an image of one of its bottles made up of the tiny digital symbols with the line new emojis are all right but wheres the bleach. While the brand seemed to be asking for an emoji of its own, it also landed at the same time Apple released racially diverse emoji. Some saw the tweet as racially insensitive. Others thought that view was overly sensitive.

The backlash to Cinnabons tweet  whether deserved or overwrought  shows why news-jacking, or an attempt by a brand to inject itself into a social media conversation, can be risky, even if its meant to be lighthearted or sincere. Sometimes it works  think Oreos you can still dunk in the dark Super Bowl tweet, or Charmins toilet paper humor during the Academy Awards. But its also a tricky bet for marketers, particularly in a divided America that is increasingly finding ways to politicize everyday consumer brands.

May the force be with them.

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BERLIN  German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last weeks truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

The 40-year-old, who wasnt identified, was detained in Berlin during a search of his home and business, federal prosecutors said.

The mans telephone number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19. Amri, 24, was killed in a shootout with Italian police in a suburb of Milan early Friday.

Of the new suspect, prosecutors said in a statement that further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack.

Twelve people died and dozens more were injured in the truck attack. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the 40-year-old is strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack, and in fleeing Berlin. Theyre also trying to piece together the route he took from Berlin to Milan.

Italian police have said Amri traveled through France, and French authorities said on Tuesday that he made a stop in the eastern French city of Lyon.

On Wednesday, Dutch authorities said it appeared Amri first had fled through the Netherlands, Germanys western neighbor.

Jirko Patist, a spokesman for the Dutch national prosecutors office, said highly likely that Amri had been in Nijmegen, in the eastern Netherlands, during his journey from Berlin to Milan.

Camera images recovered in Nijmagen found someone we think, rather of whom we say it is highly likely, is the same person appearing in photos from Lyon in France, Patist told Netherlands public broadcaster NOS.

Patist added that there was no reason to think the suspect was accompanied by anyone while in the Netherlands.

A SIM card found on the fugitive after he was shot led authorities to the Netherlands.

We can see that the SIM cards like this have been distributed in several locations in the Netherlands, he said.

Amri had no phone with him in Milan, only the loose SIM card.

According to Italian police, Amri also had a pocket knife and a few hundred euros in cash in a backpack that he was carrying when officers on a routine patrol stopped him to ask for identification in the Milan suburb of Sesto San Giovanni on Friday.

He also carried a .22 pistol that he then used to shoot a police officer, hitting him in the shoulder.

The Italian investigator said the weapon appeared to be the same one used in Germany to kill the Polish driver of the truck that was commandeered for the Christmas market attack, but that final ballistic tests were still being carried out.

The body of the Polish driver, Lukasz Urban, was returned to Poland on Tuesday, said Aldoma Lema, a spokeswoman for prosecutors in the Polish city of Szczecin.

There has been speculation over whether Urban still was alive at the time of the attack and struggled with Amri. His body was found in the trucks cab.

German daily Bild reported Tuesday, without citing sources, that autopsy results showed Urban was shot in the head several hours before the attack and would have been dead or unconscious by that time.

Lema said she could not give the time of his death. Another autopsy was performed in Poland on Wednesday and preliminary findings wont be known for three weeks, she said.

In Belgium, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said the apparent ease with which Amri traveled through Europe after the attack showed that passenger watch lists used to flag terror suspects should be extended from airplanes to other modes of public transportation, including buses.

Jambon, who has said he wants the European Union to pursue the idea, told public broadcaster VRT that the (passenger) information would need to be checked with lists of international terrorists that we have had warnings about. So, someone who is known or warned to be a violent extremist could be kicked off that transport.

German media reported Wednesday that investigators believe an emergency braking system in the truck may have prevented more deaths.

Daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcaster NDR cited unnamed officials familiar with the investigation saying the tractor unit had a mechanism that automatically slams the brakes when a collision is detected.

The news outlets also reported that Amri, whom German authorities had deemed a potential threat months before the attack, allegedly searched the internet for instructions on how to make explosives and first attempted to contact the Islamic State group in February.

___

Barry reported from Milan. Frank Jordans in Berlin, Raf Casert in Brussels and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland contributed to this report.
YEKATERINBURG, Russia  Its a stirring exhibition of Russias struggle to win rights and freedoms that the country no longer fully enjoys. Its a shimmering memorial to a late president few Russians miss and an era most would rather forget. And although its overseen by the Kremlin, its also a tacit symbol of defiance to President Vladimir Putins authoritarian rule.

Not surprisingly, many influential people want to shut down, or at least tone down, the unbridled take on 1990s Russia that is on display at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center, a state-of-the-art archive and museum dedicated to the countrys first freely elected president.

The drumbeat of disapproval has only gotten louder amid this months 25th anniversary of the most profound event in which Yeltsin played a leading role, also something most Russians wish had never happened: the dismantlement of the Soviet Union.

In recent weeks, one of Russias best-known filmmakers lacerated the work of the center. The countrys Communist Party leader told parliament to close it. And a prominent mufti suggested that it might be better to blow it up.

That last idea came from Ismail Berdiyev, a Muslim leader known for hard-line positions and a member of Putins council on outreach to religious groups. Berdiyev said in an interview widely reported by Russian media that if it is found to be destructive to the state, this center should be blown to hell.

What has drawn the most ire is the first exhibit at the museum, nestled in a glistening building 900 miles east of Moscow, in Yekaterinburg, the capital of Yeltsins home region and the place where his career as a Soviet party boss took off in the late 1970s.

Visitors are shown an animated film that depicts the history of Russia as a millennium-long brutal and bloody effort by despots, monarchs and communists to crush rule by the people, for the people. The film concludes with the arrival of Yeltsin, whose leadership of the country up to and after the December 1991 Soviet collapse is hailed as the beginning of a new era of democracy and freedom.

This treatment of history flies in the face of Putins efforts to create a national identity for Russians that smooths out the rough parts of a long and difficult past. Putin, whom Yeltsin named to replace him on Dec. 31, 1999, with the words Take care of Russia, has depicted his predecessors decade in office as an era of decline and ineffective leadership that played into the Wests post-Cold War strategy to keep Russia weak. To meet this perceived external threat, Putin has repudiated many of the political freedoms initiated by Yeltsin in the name of consolidating society.

Putin, at the opening of the museum in November 2015, approved of the center as an honest story of what was done in that difficult time.

Asked about the controversy during his annual news conference recently, Putin said the way history is treated raises questions, and that it might be necessary to present some things more accurately. Russia has always had its battles between Westernizers and traditionalists, he said, but the debaters should not let their passions get out of control.

This came after one of the Kremlins cheerleaders, the Russian actor and director Nikita Mikhalkov, sounded off about the center.

Each day, the center is carrying out injections of destruction of peoples self-identity, Mikhalkov proclaimed in an address to Russian legislators.

Yeltsins widow, Naina, fired back, denouncing the criticism as lies and insults, and pointing out that Mikhalkov, who campaigned for Yeltsin in 1996, had never been to the museum. (Hes since been, and said he hated it even more now that hes seen it.) She also took a shot at communist leader Gennady Zyuganovs calls to close the museum, pointing out that seven decades of communist rule led Russia to the socioeconomic mess that occurred in 1991.

The exhibits, divided into seven critical days in the decade, do not attempt to glorify that time or its protagonists. A country on the brink of total collapse and hunger, shock therapy reforms that led to the shutdown of industrial giants that employed millions of workers and the cream of the countrys scientists and engineers, the withholding of salaries, empty shelves, the shelling of parliament in 1993 and military campaigns in Chechnya from 1994 on, the questionably fair presidential elections of 1996, the infirmity of the president in his second term  all of these are on display, largely unvarnished and accompanied by striking visual and audio artifacts.

Its not just a museum of the first president, its really a museum of that period, of our country, of that history, said Dina Sorokina, the museum director, in nearly flawless English honed while earning a masters degree at New York University. We do not necessarily avoid the sharp edges.

No, they do not. Although the animated historical film at the beginning of the exhibit has attracted most of the negative attention from the museums critics, the most stunning moment comes at the end.

On a bank of screens flashing the blue, red and white of the Russian tricolor, celebrities, athletes and politicians emphatically read out rights that are guaranteed in the countrys 1993 constitution  freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the right to privacy  and that have been methodically eroded under Putin.

Despite this apparent open challenge to Putin, the museum received a glowing review from the state-run news agency.

An explanation can be found in the origins of the museum, which was established under a 2008 law stipulating the creation of presidential centers similar to the libraries that commemorate former U.S. presidents. Russia tapped Ralph Appelbaum Associates, which designed the museum exhibit space at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, to help design the Yeltsin Center. Under the law, the chairman of the board of the Yeltsin Center is appointed by the Kremlin, which creates an interesting historical novelty for Russia: Its current leaders are now charged with preserving the legacies of their predecessors.

Sorokina said that the museum had hosted about 250,000 visitors since it opened. This is despite the continuing lack of popularity of Yeltsin, who died in 2007.

According to a poll by the Yuri Levada Analytical Center last December, just 14 percent of Russians saw the countrys first president as a positive figure. The Levada Center has published other polls that suggest that a majority of Russians regret the fall of the Soviet Union, think that it could have been avoided and feel as though the Yeltsin years brought more harm than good.

That feeling is present even in Yekaterinburg, a closed city under Soviet rule (when it was called Sverdlovsk, after a Bolshevik leader) that benefited as much as any in Russia when the communist state collapsed.

Freedom started here with Yeltsin, said the citys mayor, Yevgeny Roizman, 54. This was a gray, closed city. When the city became open, everything changed.

Roizman recalled more than 100,000 people turning out for a rally in Yekaterinburg in August 1991, when Yeltsin famously stared down communist coup plotters from atop a tank in Moscow. That day used to be a cornerstone in the new Russian history. This year, the museum was one of the few institutions in the country to mark it.

The old system was bankrupt, Roizman said in an interview. When the communists say how good it was, I say, Dont tell me fairy tales. I was there. 

Opponents of the museum counter that the exhibits skirt the truth. While it has an emotional display dedicated to Yeltsins final address on New Years Eve 1999, and plays up his distinction as that rare Russian ruler who voluntarily left office, the museum barely recognizes the powerful oligarchs who divided up Russias wealth while the nation suffered (perhaps because some are among prominent donors listed on a wall in the center).

The calls to shut it down may involve political grandstanding by the likes of Mikhalkov, who thrived in the 1990s by making movies that never would have made it into Soviet theaters. But a petition on Change.org to close down the Yeltsin Center is accompanied by genuine expressions of pain.

My family also suffered from the [Soviet] collapse and its consequences, and we survived, commented one of the signers, Marina Vasiliyeva. The museum and the respect it affords Yeltsin, she wrote, spits in the face of ordinary people.

Sorokina, 32, gets this. Her parents were scientists whose relatively comfortable Soviet lifestyle took a huge hit in the new Russia. She recalls her mother not being able to buy bread, and not being able to buy milk to bake bread. The family relied on her grandparents, who had a house in the country with a small farm.

It was a very difficult time, Sorokina said. But it was worth it, she said, for the opportunities we were able to gain, the new freedoms we fought for.

Sorokina avoids openly criticizing the Putin administration. But she does not back down from what she considers her mission.

We are constantly under criticism, we are constantly under watch, we are constantly criticized, she said. But if were criticized, there must be something right that we are doing.

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PHOENIX  The state Supreme Court is set to decide whether hundreds of thousands of Arizona workers see a boost in their pay starting Jan. 1 under the terms of a voter-approved measure boosting minimum wages.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is leading a coalition of business groups urging the high court to block the increase. They argue that even though Proposition 206 exempts state employees from the raise, Arizona will be forced to boost pay for health care and social services contractors to enforce the new law. They say backers of the measure failed to include a new funding source as required under the state Constitution.

The Chamber also argues the measure illegally includes a second part requiring employers to include sick time, violating rules that say initiatives can only address one subject.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and state legislative leaders have added pressure on the Supreme Court by filing amicus briefs on Wednesday urging it to block the measure. Maricopa County also filed a brief Wednesday.

A trial judge rejected both arguments last week in a ruling now being appealed by the Chamber.

If allowed to stand, the trial courts decision allows drafters of ballot initiatives to spend unlimited amounts from the states general fund without implicating the Arizona Constitutions revenue source rule, provided their initiatives are cleverly crafted carefully enough to avoid explicit mention of such expenditures, the Chambers attorneys wrote in court papers. Proponents will also be allowed to logroll disparate policy matters into a single initiative, so long as those policies touch the same general area of life.

Attorney General Mark Brnovichs office is defending the law along with proponents of Proposition 206. In his response filed Wednesday afternoon, Brnovich said blocking Proposition 206, which is set to take effect on Sunday, would violate strong public policy that favors democracy through initiatives. The AGs office has also argued that there is no mandatory state spending triggered by the new law. He said instead that the increased costs are an indirect cost, not a mandatory one.

But Proposition 206 backers response filed at mid-day said the judge was right when he rejected the single-subject argument and found that the measure didnt trigger mandatory state spending. Even if it did, blocking the entire law isnt warranted, because the state isnt obligated to spend any additional cash.

Finally, most of the (Chambers) allegations against Proposition 206 are, in fact, policy arguments  including increased costs that will result in increased spending by government entities  that were fully aired before the November general election, they wrote. The proposition has now passed with 58 percent of the vote, and public policy supports denying the request to delay implementing their will.

The measure raises the minimum wage from $8.05 an hour to $10 on Jan. 1 and to $12 in 2020. By the time the wages hit $12 an hour, an estimated 30 percent of the Arizona workforce will see an increase in pay, according to an analysis by the Grand Canyon Institute. Thats more than 700,000 workers.

The high court is expected to decide whether to temporarily block the law  and workers raises  by the end of the week. It will be the first test of Republican Gov. Doug Duceys expanded 7-member Supreme Court. Two news justices appointed by Ducey took their seats earlier this month. Ducey opposed the measure.

The court will consider whether to take up the business groups broader challenge at its February conference.
New Mexicos largest member-owned natural foods grocer has rethought its produce practices once again.

La Montanita Co-op will stop carrying the nonorganic fruits and vegetables it introduced in stores this year, a spokeswoman said, thus reversing a decision that had sparked outrage among some members and employees.

In early 2016, the six-store co-op began selling nonorganic or conventional versions of eggplant, avocados and other produce from the Clean 15, a list fruits and vegetables that the nonprofit Environmental Working Group has identified as having the lowest pesticide residue levels. Co-op leaders told the Journal in March it was one way to lower prices and remain competitive in the crowded grocery marketplace.

La Montanita marketing manager Lea Mae Quale said in a recent email to the Journal that the decision to carry the Clean 15 generated some positive feedback from customers who appreciated the price point.

However, a vocal contingent railed against the decision.

Do you really think that offering a lower price with lower quality is the answer? Good luck with that. Youre going in the wrong direction, one commenter posted on the Co-ops Facebook page.

Another posted: La Montanita WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???  Anyone wanting lower price can go to any other store in the Albuquerque area to get conventional produce, why would you want it here?

A group called Take Back the Co-op  described on its website as member-owners  working to preserve and strengthen the core cooperative values at our Co-op  listed removal of those items among its platforms on its website.

Quale said the 15 new products have been discontinued as of this month.

The voices of the community, team members and customers made it clear that stocking those items were not a viable option for La Montanita, at this time, Quale wrote.

That does not mean La Montanita offers organic produce exclusively; Quale noted that the 40-year-old, Albuquerque-based co-op has always sold non-organic fruits and vegetables since it sources some items from local growers who are not certified organic. But the non-organic produce that is not local has been eliminated.
With just a few days remaining in the year, one man has decided to make it his mission to protect Betty White from 2016s evil ways.

Its no secret it has been a rough year in terms of celebrity losses. From David Bowie and Alan Rickman in January to George Michael and Carrie Fisher in recent days, many high-profile, generation-defining stars have died in 2016. Prince, Florence Henderson, Gwen Ifill, Leonard Cohen, Gene Wilder, Alan Thicke and Muhammad Ali are just some of the notable figures weve lost over the last 12 months.

But as far as Demetrios Hrysikos is concerned, our nations beloved grandmother will not be among them. On Tuesday, the South Carolina resident launched a crowdfunding campaign to protect the 94-year-old White, and promptly reached his $2,000 goal. (Within nearly 24 hours, 276 people had contributed about $2,900.)

If shes OK with it, I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1, 2017. Hrysikos promised on the GoFundMe page.

Known for her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, Whites recent credits include starring in the series Hot in Cleveland as well as a guest spot on Bones.

In the event that White would prefer not to have a strange Greek standing guard outside her door, Hrysikos said all proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the Spartanburg Little Theatre .

2016 has taken so many great artists, and SLT helps support and nurture new budding talent in our town, Hrysikos explained in an update on GoFundMe. Id like to think that Betty, Carrie (Fisher), and (David) Bowie would be happy with any proceeds going to that cause, which I assure you it will!

Not everyone was buying Hrysikos generosity, though. Such a scam. Donate to the theatre directly if you want to, one detractor wrote on the GoFundMe page.

But others defended the seemingly random act of kindness. As another commenter put it, If I had the funds, I would donate just based on the fact that this wonderful man made me laugh during what is obviously one of the worst years.
The Obama administration has informed Congress of its plans to resettle as many as 19 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a final sprint to pare down the inmate population at the military prison, U.S. officials said.

Even if the transfers occur before Jan. 20 as planned, about 40 inmates will remain at the facility, a lasting reminder of President Barack Obamas failure to deliver on his Inauguration Day promise to close the prison and an illustration of the difficulty of following through on one of his central national security goals.

Obamas inability to close Guantanamo after eight years in office empowers President-elect Donald Trump to keep the prison operational. Trump has said he will make it part of his counterterrorism policy and load it up with some bad dudes.

The end to Obamas Guantanamo plans also sets up a renewed debate over the proper handling of terrorism suspects and the legality of a system that was designed to interrogate and hold al-Qaida suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The bottom line is that the continuing existence of Guantanamo is a legal and moral blight, said Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberty Unions National Security Project. It is the embodiment of U.S. violations of the rule of law, unfair trials and unlawful and indefinite detentions without charge or trial.

The 11th-hour transfer plans, which would move a group of prisoners to the United Arab Emirates and additional inmates to Oman, Saudi Arabia and, possibly, Italy, culminates a flurry of resettlements that U.S. diplomats have negotiated in recent years. The planned transfers were first reported by the New York Times.

Since Obama took office, the United States has repatriated or resettled 179 prisoners, helping to winnow the detainee population from a peak under President George W. Bush of more than 700 to 59 today.

Early in his administration, Obama attempted to bring suspects to the United States for trial in the federal courts, but he abandoned those efforts in the face of stiff political resistance. Over the years, Congress has enacted tight restrictions on how and where prisoners can be resettled.

Last winter, Obama made another appeal to Congress, asking them to set aside opposition andconsider a plan for wrapping up a 15-year detention saga by bringing some inmates to the United States for imprisonment here.

But legal experts and detainee advocates fault Obama for not pushing harder for closure, saying he could have skirted congressional obstacles if he had been willing to weather the political fallout.

As Obama prepares to leave office, he leaves behind a military trial system so slow that five 9/11 suspects, including self-proclaimed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are not expected to be tried until 2020. Guantanamo also holds a group of forever prisoners, whom officials say they cannot release because of security risks but who also cannot be tried because of a lack of appropriate evidence.

History is going to judge him badly for his failure to close Guantanamo and particularly for his failure to do everything he has legal authority to do, said Wells Dixon, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents Guantanamo prisoners.

Emily Horne, a White House spokeswoman, said the administration has continued to take all possible steps to move detainees out of Guantanamo and close the prison.

The continued operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners and emboldening violent extremists, she said.

Some lawmakers continue to object even to transfers that arevetted by a panel of law enforcement, military and intelligence officials. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Tex., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, warned against additional transfers in a letter earlier this month to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who signs off on each resettlement.

I am concerned that there has been insufficient due diligence prior to transfer, and that recipient nations have lacked the capability to enforce proper security measures to mitigate the risk of re-engagement, Thornberry wrote in the letter, a copy of which was seen by The Washington Post.

While a small minority of released detainees have been found to have returned to militant activity, officials say the risks have been overblown.

Although there are 23 prisoners approved for resettlement overseas, U.S. officials say they have no plans to transfer anyone beyond the 19 whose transfer has already been announced to Congress.

Republicans have also found fault with the administrations practice of keeping secret details of security arrangements for resettled detainees and information about U.S. financial support received by released prisoners.

Articulating the new optimism felt by critics of Obamas approach, Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote this week that on Jan. 20, we have an opportunity to chart a better way.

While Trump has not spoken extensively about Guantanamo, he has criticized prisoner releases and identified the military prison as a very safe place to house suspected militants.

I want to make sure, 100 percent sure, that if were going to release people, number 1, theyre going to be people that can be released, and its going to be safe to release them, Trump said in an interview with the Miami Herald.

He also suggested that he would put new prisoners in Guantanamo, possibly even trying U.S. citizens there, a move prohibited by current U.S. law. The last time the United States added to the prisoner population at Guantanamo was in 2008, before Obama took office.

A spokesman for the Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Legal experts suggest that the continued detention of prisoners, without parallel efforts to resettle them, or efforts to bring new detainees to Guantanamo could be met with fresh legal challenges.

Laura Pitter, senior national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said that Trumps apparent plans for the prison would feed into militant propaganda and weaken the United States ability to speak up for human rights worldwide.

A statement like that just shows . . . a lack of understanding of what Guantanamo means and the danger that keeping it open poses to U.S. national security, she said.

gitmo
By PTI: Dubai, Dec 28 (PTI) An Indian teacher was found dead after he allegedly committed suicide at his apartment here in the UAE, a media report said today.

Antony Benjamin, who hailed from Jaipur, was a qualified educationist with a Masters in English from Delhi University and Diploma in Phonetics from London.

A faculty member of an educational institute here, he was also engaged in social work as he used to teach visually and physically impaired children.

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Benjamin was found dead in his apartment days after he stopped reporting for work, Khaleej Times reported.

Dubai police did not reveal how he committed suicide or the reasons behind it.

Prima facie, he committed suicide on December 14, according to police sources, the report said.

His social media profile says he was a poet and had compiled a book "Empowering Academic Writing" based on his personal classroom experience and observation of students from Asian, Arab, European and oriental ethnicity.

Benjamin is survived by a daughter who lives in India.

His friends and colleagues came to know about his death on Thursday, two days after he did not report to work.

"He was working normally in our institute until the last weekend and he had applied for leave for next Monday," his office said.

"Sunday was a public holiday and we did not notice his absence from work until Thursday," said an official from One Attempt, a Knowledge Village-based educational and training institute.

Vinay, a faculty member at One Attempt in Dubai, a franchisee of Indias Jamboree Education, said Benjamin had over 20 years of experience.

"Sunday (December 11) was a national holiday in the UAE. He had applied for leave for Monday, which was approved," said the official of the educational institution.

"He did not report to work on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been a faculty here for four years," the colleague said, adding that they did not notice any signs of depression.

"We are proceeding with completing the formalities with Dubai Police before repatriating the body. Our senior officials are travelling and once they come back, we will have a condolence meeting," said the institution representative. PTI CPS

--- ENDS ---
Ragpickers in Indore have threatened street protests if not allowed to sift plastic waste from the domestic waste every day.

By Hemender Sharma: What if heaps of garbage lying unattended at various places is a common sight in Indore?

Municipal authorities in Indore now have a reason to keep garbage unattended and scattered on city roads as there are people who claim they survive on the waste.

Ragpickers in Indore have threatened street protests if not allowed to sift plastic waste from the domestic waste in the city every day.

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The developments so far:

1. A group of women calling themselves as ragpickers have approached the Indore district collector seeking his intervention on grounds that their families survive on the money that they make by selling the plastic waste.

2. The district administration is grappling with the problem of domestic waste as it struggles to achieve targets for the smart city project under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

3. As part of the drive, no one is allowed to sift through the garbage dumps and this is causing a lot of heartburn amongst the ragpickers.

4. The ragpickers have not just approached the district collector for help but they have also made a written representation arguing that they have been thrown out of jobs and that it is becoming difficult for them to survive.

5. Indore collector P Narhari has promised some action but there is no way that the ragpickers can be allowed access to garbage dumps.

6. The representation was politely told about the health and other hazards resulting from the scattered garbage in the open but there were not many takers for the argument amongst the ragpickers.

7. The Indore district administration is now claiming that ways to wean away the ragpickers from garbage dumps are being thought over.

8. "Providing alternate job opportunities is a challenge as there is hardly anything that these ragpickers can do other than what they are doing right now," an Indore municipal official said.

9. The Indore Municipal Corporation is not allowing anyone to touch the garbage dumps at many places but this surely does not mean that the city is clean.

Also read: Shocker from Mumbai: Body of 15-day-old baby girl found at Juhu Beach

--- ENDS ---
A senior member of the Israeli government has called US secretary of state John Kerry's planned Middle East policy speech a "pathetic move", heightening tensions between the two close allies as the Obama administration prepares to leave office.

The comments by Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan are the latest salvo in a toxic exchange following America's refusal to veto a UN Security Council resolution last week which called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bitterly criticised the resolution, and accused the US of colluding with the Palestinians in drawing it up.

Following up on the UN resolution, Mr Kerry is scheduled to deliver a farewell speech in Washington to outline his proposals for a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Next month, France is set to host an international conference where 70 countries, over Israeli objections, hope to endorse an international framework for peace in the region. Israeli officials fear that the conference's recommendations may then be approved in another UN Security Council recommendation just before US president Barack Obama leaves office on January 20.

In a radio interview, Mr Erdan said John Kerry's speech was part of a broader effort to hinder the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has signalled he will have much warmer relations with Israel.

Mr Erdan told Israel Army Radio: "This step is a pathetic step. It is an anti-democratic step because it's clear that the administration and Kerry's intention is to chain President-elect Trump."

Mr Erdan, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party and inner Security Cabinet, said Obama administration officials are "pro-Palestinian" and "don't understand what's happening in the Middle East".

Mr Kerry mediated a nine-month round of peace talks which broke down in early 2014 with little progress.

Israeli leaders have made no secret that they are counting on Donald Trump to change the US policy in the region.

While Mr Trump has not outlined a vision, he has signalled a much more sympathetic approach toward Israel, appointing an ambassador with strong ties to the West Bank settler movement and promising to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.

The international community overwhelmingly opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians for an independent state.

The Palestinians, and most of the world, see settlements, now home to 600,000 Israelis, as an obstacle to peace. Mr Netanyahu said the conflict with the Palestinians, including the fate of the settlements, must be resolved through direct negotiations and says that international dictates undermine the negotiating process.

Despite the Israeli anger, Mr Netanyahu ordered a Jerusalem planning committee to delay a vote on approving construction of some 500 new homes in Jewish developments of east Jerusalem, a city councilman said.

Council member Hanan Rubin said Benjamin Netanyahu asked to delay the vote so as not to antagonise relations with the US.

Meanwhile, a senior leader of the West Bank settlement movement called Mr Kerry a "stain on American foreign policy" and "ignorant of the issues".

Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council, said Mr Kerry is "the worst secretary of state in history" who "chose to stab his closest ally in the back" and knows little about the realities of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Modified On Feb 21, 2017 05:03 PM By Raunak for Honda City 4th Generation

Honda will try to rectify most of the hitches in the City, with its 2017 facelifted avatar, as it has to arm itself to fend off the upcoming next-gen Hyundai Verna and the facelifted Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Update - February 14, 2017: The 2017 Honda City has been launched, with prices starting at Rs 8.50 lakh

The Honda City has always been an eminent nameplate in the mid-size segment ever since its inception in India. Now, the mid-life update of the fourth-generation model will soon see the light of day and is one of the most anticipated launches of 2017.

When the fourth-gen model was launched in the year 2014, it was assigned to dethrone the then popular and most-selling Hyundai Verna. And now when Hyundai will launch the all-new Verna next year (made its global debut in China this year), Honda is also prepping the City for its mid-cycle update to fight back.

Maruti is expected to introduce the facelifted version of the Ciaz as well in 2017, which became more popular post the introduction of mild-hybrid tech with its diesel motor. Apart from competing with these two arch rivals, the 2017 City will also go up against the thoroughly updated Skoda Rapid, the upcoming VW Vento Highline Plus, and others. Heres what we expect from the 2017 Honda City.

Design

The Citys design has always taken inspiration from that of the Civic, and the fourth-generation model was no different. With the facelift in the pipeline, the City has again adapted design cues from the latest tenth-generation Civic, which is also India bound.

Deciphering from the teaser images released in the Thailand market, it is clear that at the outset, the City gets a new sleek chrome grille, which intrudes into the headlamps like the Civic and the Accord, along with a honeycombed mesh. The headlamps feature LED lighting with integrated daytime running LEDs. At the rear, the Thai-spec car features near identical tail lamps, but the Indian-version is likely to feature an LED unit. Both the bumpers will be redesigned, while the sheet metal will remain the same.

(In Picture: Honda Accord Hybrid)

We believe that the City will also get a larger set of tyres  16-inch  compared to the current 15-inchers and might ride on machined alloy wheels.

Cabin and Features

Unlike its exterior, the interior of the City will see subtle changes and the major highlight will be the new infotainment system. Honda offered an all-black option with the City this year and it is likely to be carried forward to the facelifted model as well.

(In Picture: Outgoing Honda City)

Speaking of the infotainment system, Honda is expected to offer a large screen, capacitive touch-based unit with the 2017 City. In all probability, it will be equipped with support for both Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. To put things into perspective, the new Verna will come with the same and the Ciaz already offers Apple CarPlay, while it's just a matter of time before Maruti Suzuki offers Android Auto as well (the same unit offers Android Auto in the upcoming Ignis).

(In Picture: Outgoing Honda City)

Apart from this, the 2017 City might also get an updated instrument cluster  probably with a new driver info screen, which is offered in the Jazz in several global markets  as the current one is shared with the 2016 Amaze. The rest of the features of the outgoing model will be carried forward, such as the push-button engine start-stop, touch-based climate control unit, leather upholstery (both beige and black), sunroof, and others.

In terms of safety, the outgoing model comes with dual front airbags along with ABS and EBD as standard. And it lacks severely behind the current Verna, which offers a total of six-airbags. We believe that the top-end versions of the facelifted City are likely to come with six airbags, while dual front airbags will be standard across the range.

Mechanicals

The 2017 City will carry forward the current set of powertrains  1.5-litre petrol and diesel  in a similar state of tune. The 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol is likely to borrow the new six-speed manual from the BR-V, while the CVT with paddle shifters will be carried forward. The diesel will continue with the sole six-speed manual option like the outgoing car. Honda is likely to reduce the NVH levels of the diesel variants with improved insulation.

Price

With all these aforementioned features, additions such as the LED headlamps, new infotainment system, six-airbags, and others will make the upcoming model slightly costlier compared to the current one. The facelifted City is expected to launch in the next couple of months before the new Verna and the 2017 Ciaz.

Read More on : Honda City
Modified On Dec 30, 2016 02:37 PM By Rachit Shad

Two each from Hyundai and Lexus; one each from VW, Toyota and Nissan

With the level of toxic air pollutants rising and reserves of renewable fossil fuel dwindling, the automobile industry is steadily resorting to the extraction of the required energy from an all-electric powertrain. Reasons for this transition are hard to argue with. While using electricity to power the vehicle will produce no harmful emissions directly, an all-electric power-plant will be much more reliable than the conventional combustion-chambers and gearboxes.

However, it isnt as easy as it sounds. The trouble with an all-electric setup is that it requires a robust infrastructure for consumers to accept it. While many countries around the world have started working towards developing the required tech to support all-electric vehicles as daily means of transport, India is far behind. Having said that, just like US, UK or even Norway, India will eventually join the list of nations that are working to update the infrastructure to support an all-electric vehicle. But it will take a few years for India to be completely ready.

To help reduce the transition period, several automakers offer cars with hybrid powertrains. India will see a surge in such vehicles in years to come. We compile a list of hybrid cars which are expected to land on Indian shores next year, via CBU (completely built unit) route, and will help customers be a lot more environmentally friendly on the move.

Nissan X-Trail

Nissan is all set to relaunch the X-Trail marque in India in 2017. This time around, it will be available in a hybrid avatar only. Powering the SUV will be a 2.0-litre petrol engine, tuned to produce 144PS of power and 200Nm of torque. This engine will be mated to an electric motor, which will extract its juices from a pack of lithium-ion batteries to produce 41PS of power and 160Nm of torque. A CVT (continuously variable transmission) will join the equation to transfer the power to the wheels. Moreover, to ensure that there is minimal loss of energy, Nissan has injected a torque converter unit as well.

Expected Price: Rs 30-35 lakh

Expected Launch: March 2017

Claimed Mileage: 20.6 Km/l

Toyota Prius

The Prius was the first car out of Toyotas stable that showcased the benefits of a hybrid powertrain. The previous-gen Prius was launched in India back in 2010. Only a handful of customers found it appealing with its sky-high price-tag and an average performance. Now, though, with Toyota finding many customers for its Camry Hybrid, the Japanese auto giant will launch the all-new Prius next year. It will be powered by a more responsive and more efficient version of the current Priuss 1.8-litre petrol engine, which churns out 98PS of power and 142Nm of torque. The oil-burner will be coupled to an upgraded electric motor which produces 72PS of power.

Expected Price: Rs 45 lakh

Expected Launch: First Quarter of 2017

Claimed Mileage: 40 Km/l

Lexus ES 300H

Lexus is Toyotas answer to premium car marques such as Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. In 2017, Lexus will finally make its way to India. Two out of three Lexus cars, which are expected to go on sale, will feature a hybrid power plant. One of them is called the ES 300H and it shares its underpinnings with the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Just like its cousin, the ES 300H will be powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine producing 160PS of power and 213Nm of torque. The gasoline engine is coupled with an electric motor, which alone churns out 143PS of power and 270Nm of torque. The combined peak power output is 205PS. Lexus will eventually want to assemble its cars in India and the ES 300H could very well be the first one as it shares the same powertrain with the Toyota Camry.

Expected Price: Rs 70 lakh

Expected Launch: February 2017

Claimed Mileage: 17 Km/l

Volkswagen Passat GTE

The German auto giant stopped the production its Passat luxury sedan in 2013. After a break of more than three years, Volkswagen is now gearing up to relaunch the Passat badge in India. This time though, it will be available with a hybrid powertrain. Called the Passat GTE, it will feature plug-in hybrid tech. This will differentiate it from its main rivals like the Honda Accord Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid. Battery packs in both the Japanese cars can only be charged using the on-board combustion engine whereas the one in the Passat GTE can be charged via a regular power socket as well. The German sedan will be powered by a 1.4-litre petrol motor which pumps out 156PS of power. The electric motor, on the other hand, is potent enough to churn out 115PS of power. The combined power output is 218PS and 400Nm. Transmission duties will be handled by a specially designed six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Expected Price: Rs 45 lakh

Expected Launch: First half of 2017

Claimed Mileage: 49.9 Km/l

Lexus RX 450H

The second hybrid offering from Lexus will be an Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC competitor in size and segment. However, the hybrid powertrain will set it apart from all of its competition once it launches in India next year. Powered by a combination of a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and two electric motors, the performance figures are awe-inspiring. A total of 312PS of power is harnessed by an e-CVT and is fed to all four wheels. It can complete the 0-100kmph sprint in just 7.8 seconds, which isnt bad considering the 2.2-tonne weight of this people mover.

Expected Price: Rs 60 lakh

Expected Launch: February 2017

Claimed Mileage: 19.2 Km/l

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Hyundai is the second largest carmaker in the country. It has captured many car segments under the Rs 20 lakh mark and with the Sonata Hybrid, it plans to land a punch in the hybrid world of Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and the upcoming Volkswagen Passat GTE. It is one segment that is slowly, but steadily gaining popularity among Indian buyers. Just like its German rival, the Sonata will be offered with plug-in hybrid technology. It will feature a 2.0-litre petrol engine producing 156PS of power and 190Nm of torque. Coupled to the gasoline engine will be an electric motor that will produce 51PS of power and 205Nm of torque. The combined power output stands at 195PS.

Expected Price: Rs 30-35 lakh

Expected Launch: Late 2017 or Early 2018

Claimed Mileage: 17.86 Km/l

Hyundai Ioniq

Another offering from the South Korean carmaker will be the Ioniq sedan. It made its world debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and has three powertrains on offer globally - hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric. India will most likely get the plug-in hybrid variant of this sedan, which will be powered by an electric motor producing 61PS of power and a 1.6-litre petrol engine that is tuned to pump out 105PS of power and 147Nm of torque. Transmission duties will be taken care of by a six-speed, dual-clutch gearbox, powering the front wheels.

Expected Price: Rs 30 lakh

Expected Launch: Late 2017 or Early 2018

Claimed Mileage: 24.66 Km/l
A bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar quashed Bhat's detention after hearing arguments of both the state and Alam's counsel Mian Abdul Qayoom.

Masarat Alam is known to be close to Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani. He was arrested in 2010 for leading a massive agitation in which 120 people were killed in security forces' firing.

He was released in April 2015 but was again booked under the stringent PSA for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and hoisting Pakistan flags at a rally to welcome Geelani in Srinagar.

The Muslim League chairman has been booked 34 times under the PSA since 1990. Under the act, an individual can be detained for six months without a court order.
PulteGroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West, and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods brand names. As of December 31, 2021, it controlled 228,296 lots, of which 109,078 were owned and 119,218 were under land option agreements. In addition, the company arranges financing through the origination of mortgage loans primarily for homebuyers; sells the servicing rights for the originated loans; and provides title insurance policies, and examination and closing services to homebuyers. PulteGroup, Inc. was formerly known as Pulte Homes, Inc. and changed its name to PulteGroup, Inc. in March 2010. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Workday, Inc. provides enterprise cloud applications in the United States and internationally. The company's applications help its customers to plan, execute, analyze, and extend to other applications and environments, and to manage their business and operations. It offers a suite of financial management applications, which enable chief financial officers to maintain accounting information in the general ledger; manage financial processes; identify real-time financial, operational, and management insights; enhance financial consolidation; reduce time-to-close; promote internal control and auditability; and achieve consistency across finance operations. The company also provides cloud spend management solutions that helps organizations to streamline supplier selection and contracts, manage indirect spend, and build and execute sourcing events, such as requests for proposals; Human Capital Management (HCM) solution, a suite of human capital management applications that allows organizations to manage the entire employee lifecycle from recruitment to retirement, and enables HR teams to hire, onboard, pay, develop, reskill, and provide employee experiences; Workday applications for planning; and applications for analytics and reporting, including augmented analytics to surface insights to the line of business in simple-to-understand stories, machine learning to drive efficiency and automation, and benchmarks to compare performance against other companies. It serves professional and business services, financial services, healthcare, education, government, technology, media, retail, and hospitality industries. The company was formerly known as North Tahoe Power Tools, Inc. and changed its name to Workday, Inc. in July 2005. Workday, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. The company offers general purpose servers for multi-workload computing and workload-optimized servers; HPE ProLiant rack and tower servers; HPE BladeSystem and HPE Synergy; and solutions for secondary workloads and traditional tape, storage networking, and disk products, such as HPE Modular Storage Arrays and HPE XP. It also offers HPE Apollo and Cray products; and HPE Superdome Flex, HPE Nonstop, HPE Integrity, and HPE Edgeline products. In addition, the company provides HPE Aruba product portfolio that includes wired and wireless local area network hardware products, such as Wi-Fi access points, switches, routers, and sensors; HPE Aruba software and services comprising cloud-based management, network management, network access control, analytics and assurance, and location; and professional and support services, as well as as-a-service and consumption models for the intelligent edge portfolio of products. Further, it offers various leasing, financing, IT consumption, and utility programs and asset management services for customers to facilitate technology deployment models and the acquisition of complete IT solutions, including hardware, software, and services from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others. Additionally, the company invests in communications and media solutions. It has a partnership with Striim, Inc. to offer high performance and mission-critical solutions with real-time analytics. It serves commercial and large enterprise groups, such as business and public sector enterprises; and through various partners comprising resellers, distribution partners, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, systems integrators, and advisory firms. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
There's a lot of talk about the high cost of health care, but do you know which conditions contribute most to health care spending?

If you said diabetes, you're right -- a new study finds diabetes costs $101 billion annually in diagnosis and treatment and is growing 36 times faster than the cost of heart disease, the leading cause of death and the second most-expensive condition.

"While it is well known that the US spends more than any other nation on health care, very little is known about what diseases drive that spending." said Dr. Joseph Dieleman, lead author of a paper published in JAMA and Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. "IHME is trying to fill the information gap so that decision-makers in the public and private sectors can understand the spending landscape, and plan and allocate health resources more effectively."

In fact, the study found that just 20 conditions make up more than half of all spending on health care in the United States.

While diabetes and heart disease primarily affected consumers 65 and over, lower back and neck pain, the third-most-expensive condition, primarily strikes adults of working age.

These three top spending categories, along with hypertension and injuries from falls, comprise 18% of all personal health spending and totaled $437 billion in 2013.

This study distinguishes between spending on public health programs from personal health spending, including both individual out-of-pocket costs and spending by private and government insurance programs. It covers 155 conditions.

$2.4 trillion

In addition to the $2.1 trillion spent on the 155 conditions examined in the study, Dr. Dieleman estimates that approximately $300 billion in costs, such as those of over-the-counter medications and privately funded home health care, remain unaccounted for, indicating total personal health care costs in the US reached $2.4 trillion in 2013.

Other expensive conditions among the top 20 include musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis; well-care associated with dental visits; and pregnancy and postpartum care.

Other key findings include:

Women ages 85 and older spent the most per person in 2013, at more than $31,000 per person. More than half of this spending (58%) occurred in nursing facilities, while 40% was expended on cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and falls.

Men ages 85 and older spent $24,000 per person in 2013, with only 37% on nursing facilities, largely because women live longer and men more often have a spouse at home to provide care.

Less than 10% of personal health care spending is on nursing care facilities, and less than 5% of spending is on emergency department care. The conditions leading to the most spending in nursing care facilities are Alzheimer's and stroke, while the condition leading to the most spending in emergency departments is falls.

Public health education and advocacy initiatives, such as anti-tobacco and cancer awareness campaigns, totaled an estimated $77.9 billion in 2013, less than 3% of total health spending.

Top 10 diseases

The top 10 most costly health expenses in 2013 were:

1. Diabetes - $101.4 billion

2. Ischemic heart disease - $88.1 billion

3. Low back and neck pain - $87.6 billion

4. Hypertension - $83.9 billion

5. Injuries from falls - $76.3 billion

6. Depressive disorders - $71.1 billion

7. Oral-related problems - $66.4 billion

8. Vision and hearing problems - $59 billion

9. Skin-related problems, such as cellulitis and acne - $55.7 billion

10. Pregnancy and postpartum care - $55.6 billion
By PTI: Panaji, Dec 27 (PTI) The 161 people onboard a Mumbai- bound Jet Airways aircraft today had a miraculous escape when it skidded off the runway and spun around before coming to a jerky halt as its nose sat on the soft land while rolling for take off early today at Goa airport, leaving 15 passengers wounded. There were 154 passengers and seven crew members onboard when the Boeing 737 aircraft turned a full 360 degree on the runaway, veered towards the soft land, damaging the landing gear in the convulsive process around 5 AM. The nose cone sat on the grass about 250-300 metres away from the runway, indicating the seriousness of the accident that could have been disastrous.

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"At about 0504 hours on 27 December (Goa-Mumbai) flight veered right from the runway 26 while rolling for take off. ATC duty personnel on runway reported aircraft leaving runway and subsequently received distress call from aircraft.

"Aircraft came to a halt about 250-300 metres away from runway. The emergency crew of the Indian Navy were immediately dispatched in rescue vehicles to crash site. All persons onboard were evacuated and medical aid on the the site was provided by MI Room, Hansa. Total of 15 persons were injured and medical aid was provided by local hospitals," the Navy said in a statement.

The Goa airport is located at Navys Hansa facility. There was panic inside the aircraft as the plane jerked when it spun. The "minor" injuries to the 15 passengers came when they were being evacuated from the stricken aircraft. The flying licence of the two pilots was suspended and a probe launched into the accident. It will be conducted by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of the Civil Aviation Ministry. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said a thorough time-bound investigation and corrective action shall be ensured. Action will be taken in case of violation of procedures, he added. Seven of the injured have been discharged from the hospital after being provided medical aid and the airlines flight operations to and from Goa have resumed, Jet Airways said.

Meanwhile, AAIB has rushed a three-member team to the "accident" spot to start its investigation, sources in New Delhi said.

"Prima facie the runway accident appears to be a pilots fault. The DGCA has withdrawn the flying privileges of the two pilots, including the Commander, pending the initial outcome of the probe," a highly-placed DGCA official told PTI.

Sources in the AAIB also said that in all "probability," the accident took place because of the pilots fault, adding, " we will get to know the actual cause of the accident only after the initial report is submitted in this regard."

Sources said the preliminary findings on the accident are likely to be submitted in a weeks time.

The Navys statement said flying operations were suspended till 0900 hours and aircraft in air were diverted.

The stricken aircraft will be shifted only after the clearance by the AAIB, it said. PTI IAS RPS SAP VSC SK SK

--- ENDS ---
NAFCU Director of Regulatory Compliance Brandy Bruyere offered a refresher on various regulations definitions of business day in todays Compliance Blog, to assist credit unions over the holidays.

Bruyere reminded credit unions that the Reg Z definition of a business day correlates to days a credit union is open to the public for substantially all its business functions.

The commentary indicates that if the federal holiday is observed on another day, such as the Friday before the holiday, that Friday is still a business day,  Bruyere wrote.

However Regulation CC indicates that if a federal holiday is observed the Monday after a weekend holiday  including New Years Day  that day is not considered a business day, Bruyere continued.
Social media is the absolute BEST place to embrace Credit Union member service. For small business and Fortune 500 companies alike, business owners cannot avoid this fad any longer. Its here and its not going anywhere. So whether you are a small community bank, a local restaurant chain or a national conglomerate, here are some tips to get you into the social mindset of customer service.

Here are 5 tops tips to help you maximize your Social Media approach to customer service

1. Dont Hide Behind Closed Doors

All too often Credit Union staff worry that a negative comment or post will hurt their business, and undoubtedly weve have seen this happen. But what hurts a business more are complaints that are allowed to fester, and not be positively addressed.

Instead, why not embrace the opportunity that Social Media offers to improve your members experience with your Credit Union! Approach these posts from a we will use this experience as a learning opportunity perspective. And then do just that!! When negative comments WILL be a problem is when others see a pattern of poor treatment that is not changing or quickly remedied.
France Launches a Cyber Warfare Division

France has announced its first cyber-warfare army unit, aimed at increasing the country's hacking skills as concerns grow in Europe and the United States about Russian capabilities.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (pictured) likened the impact of hacking on warfare to the effect of the first aircraft on conflicts in the early 20th century.

"The emergence of a new area, a new cyber-battlefield, must make us rethink profoundly our way of approaching the art of war," Le Drian said as he unveiled a new doctrine for the army in northwest France.

Le Drian said that under the new approach a cyberattack could constitute an act of war, which would require an appropriate response from a new specialised unit known as Cybercom.

If hackers were identified as coming from a country that had failed to stop them, "the responsibility of this state could be called into question," he said.

"Our offensive cyber-capabilities must allow us to breach the systems and networks of our enemies to cause damage, service suspensions or temporary or definitive neutralisations," he added.

The new French force will also work to identify foreign hackers and help identify weaknesses in important military IT networks, such as those used to pilot drones.

France's announcement mirrors, plans drawn up by Britain, which recently launched a new cyber-defence plan backed by 2.1 billion euros ($2.2 billion) of funding.

The French unit will begin and a team of up to 2,600 specialists will be created by 2019, Le Drian said.

As well as attacks on infrastructure or sensitive government computer networks, intelligence agencies are increasingly worried about the ability of hackers to spread propaganda or misinformation.

American media reported recently that the CIA had concluded that Russia sought to influence the US election in favour of Donald Trump by hacking the Democratic National Committee's emails.

US Vice President Joe Biden has hinted that the US could make use of its newly enhanced digital arsenal after saying in October that Russia would be sent a message "at the time of our choosing".

The allegations of Russian involvement were denied by Moscow, Trump's camp and by WikiLeaks, which leaked embarrassing emails related to Trump's Democrat challenger Hillary Clinton during the campaign.

The US concerns are shared in many western European nations, particularly in the Baltic countries bordering Russia. Allegations of state involvement in hacking have not been restricted to Russia.

The United States and Israel are thought to have been behind the Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran's nuclear infrastructure in 2010, but the famous cyberattack has never been claimed.

Russia has said that it had uncovered plans by foreign intelligence services to carry out massive cyber-attacks targeting the country's financial system.

Ein News: A Peek Into French Signals Intelligence: France Creates A Big Brother Data File:


Talking Points:

Euro, British Pound drop on Italian financial instability worries

NZ Dollar gains with local bonds, yield appeal a possible driver

Illiquidity may continue to amplify knee-jerk FX market volatility

The Euro and the British Pound underperformed overnight, extending a selloff that began in Europe yesterday. That move began concurrently with an Italian 6-month bill sale where yields fell to -0.317 percent, the lowest in at least 34 years. Italys benchmark FTSE/MIB stock index also fell alongside Sterling and the single currency. Taken together, this speaks to rising concern about Italian financial stability.

The move may be a latent response to Mondays ECB statement saying embattled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena needs 8.8 billion to cover its balance sheetshortfall. This exceeds a prior estimate of 5 billion and the 6.3 billion said to be due from Italys government (according to local media). Holiday closures may account for the markets delayed response. The UK unit appears to have suffered by regional association.

The New Zealand Dollar traded broadly higher, rising alongside the island nations baseline 10-year government bond. The move may reflect a pickup in demand for NZD-denominated assets as traders consider the appeal of the highest-yielding currency in the G10 FX space. The RBNZ is the only central bank besides the Fed that is expected to raise rates in 2017, issuing one hike per priced-in bets implied in OIS rates.

Another quiet day is ahead on the European economic data front. However, as noted yesterday, that need not mean that volatility risk can be dismissed. Indeed, the sudden drop in European currencies over the past 24 hours seems to be a textbook case study in the amplifying effects of illiquid market conditions on moves that might have been shallower in normal trade. With that in mind, caution remains important.

See the schedule of upcoming webinars and join us LIVE to follow the financial markets!

Asia Session

European Session

** All times listed in GMT. See the full DailyFX economic calendar here.

--- Written by Ilya Spivak, Currency Strategist for DailyFX.com

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Contact and follow Ilya on Twitter: @IlyaSpivak
GeoSpace

Random temperature fluctuations may have made Earth habitable

Random temperature fluctuations in the mantle and on the planet's surface could be the reason Earth is a habitable world with moving tectonic plates while other terrestrial planets in the solar system are inhospitable worlds, according to new research.

Commercial oyster farming could help increase biodiversity in Delaware Bay, scientists say

Commercial oyster aquacultures can restore lost biodiversity by cleaning up polluted waterways, according to new research.

Hot springs in California host snapshot of early Earth conditions

Conditions in the hot alkaline springs of Paoha Island in Mono Lake, California, could be similar to Earth's pre-oxygen environment billions of years ago, researchers reported at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

Horse hair can help improve accuracy of climate data

In a new study, researchers used horsehair to determine that latitude influences certain climate measurements.

Humidity may cloud sediment deposits used to study storms

Using sediment as an indicator of past hurricanes may not work well in hot, humid environments, a new study finds.

Iconic bristlecone pines may not survive global climate change

Bristlecone pines--including Methusaleh, one of the world's oldest trees--have lived in North America's Great Basin for thousands of years. But warming temperatures due to climate change could cause trouble for the ancient trees by tipping the ecological balance in favor of the conifer's neighbor, the limber pine, said scientists at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.

New study differentiates between Utah's natural and induced earthquakes

Mining activity caused nearly half of all earthquakes in Utah over the past three decades, according to a new study.

Research Spotlights

Oil Residues Accelerate Coastal Wetland Losses

Coastal wetland loss after an oil spill can be more extensive than after a hurricane, according to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters.

Notorious Ocean Current Is Far Stronger Than Previously Thought

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the only ocean current to circle the planet and the largest wind-driven current on Earth. It's also 30 percent more powerful than scientists realized, researchers report in a new study in Geophysical Research Letters.

How Global Warming's Effect on Clouds May Make It Rain Harder

More clustering of clouds due to higher temperatures increases the likelihood of heavy downpours, according to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters.

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Find research spotlights from AGU journals and sign up for weekly E-Alerts, including research spotlights, on eos.org. Register for access to AGU journal papers in the AGU newsroom.

The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 28, 2016) -- A new study led by Cedars-Sinai investigators dramatically illustrates the complexity of cancer by identifying more than 2,000 genetic mutations in tissue samples of esophageal tumors. The findings reveal that even different areas of individual tumors have various genetic patterns.

The study results, published in the journal Nature Genetics, help explain why it is so difficult to battle cancer by targeting a specific genetic defect. A surgeon who performs a single biopsy on a patient's tumor can decode only part of the tumor and its genetic variations. Additionally, cancer cells constantly change their makeup.

"A tumor is not a single disease," said Dechen Lin, PhD, assistant professor and research scientist in the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Cedars-Sinai Department of Medicine. "It's many diseases within the same person and over time. There are millions of cells in a tumor, and a significant proportion of them are different from each other." Lin was the project coordinator for the multicenter study.

The cancer that the team studied, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, is especially difficult to treat. The disease attacks the esophagus, the hollow tube that connects the throat to the stomach. The five-year survival rate for patients with esophageal cancer is about 20 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.

To create their catalog of mutations, the study's investigators called on high-powered computers to compile genetic data on 51 tumor samples taken from 13 patients. Through complex algorithms, they analyzed both the genes and the processes, known as epigenetics, that turned the genes' activities on and off within the cancer cells.

Using these techniques, the investigators identified 2,178 genetic variations in the sampled tumors. Dozens of the variations involved genes known to be associated with enabling the development of cancer. The most striking finding was that many important mutations were detected only in some areas of a tumor, highlighting the complexity of the cancer cells. This finding also demonstrated the potential for inaccurate interpretation of a cancer's genetic makeup using the single-biopsy method, which is the standard approach in the clinic.

Besides cataloging these genetic variations, the study's investigators reconstructed a "biography" of the tumors, showing when some of these variations first appeared in the life cycle of the disease.

"This study is on the leading edge of looking within a tumor for heterogeneity, or variations, across patients and within the same patient. It also is one of the very first studies to look at epigenetic changes from different areas within a single tumor in a global way," said Benjamin Berman, PhD, the study's co-senior author, an associate professor of Biomedical Sciences and co-director of the Cedars-Sinai Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics.

To meet the challenge of integrating this diverse data, Huy Dinh, PhD, a project scientist in Berman's laboratory and one of the study's co-lead authors, developed innovative computational methods.

Looking ahead, the investigators plan to apply their analytic techniques to other cancers and explore the significance of the genetic and epigenetic changes that they have so far identified. They view their work as fundamental to developing effective, individualized therapies to combat the drug resistance that many cancer patients face during the course of their disease.

"Evidence suggests that tumor heterogeneity is one of the major causes of drug resistance and treatment failure in cancer," said H. Phillip Koeffler, MD, professor of Medicine and the Mark Goodson Chair in Oncology Research at Cedars-Sinai. "In light of this situation, deciphering the genomic diversity and evolution of tumors can provide a basis for identifying new targets and designing personalized medicine strategies." Koeffler was the other co-senior author of the study.

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Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1U01CA184826, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences under award number UCLA CTSI UL1TR000124, the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, the American Society of Hematology Fellow Scholar Award, the Singapore Ministry of Health, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation.
Reston, VA - A new Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute series of reports explores the impact of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015, along with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) 2016 proposal for its implementation, on radiologists. The work, conducted by a team of radiologists and health services researchers, is published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).

Under MACRA, most radiologists will initially be paid through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which applies positive or negative adjustments to fee-for-service payments. In April 2016, CMS published an initial proposed rule for MACRA, renaming it the Quality Payment Program (QPP) that will ultimately link a very large fraction of physicians' Medicare payments to the quality and value of care. Payment adjustments under MACRA will begin in 2019, although they will reflect performance during 2017.

The first part of the JACR series provides an overview of CMS' proposal for implementing MACRA legislation via the new QPP, paying specific attention to the implications and imperatives for radiologists under MIPS.

"Given that the initial MIPS performance period begins in 2017, radiologists must begin preparing for QPP and taking actions to ensure their future success under this new quality-based payment system," said Andrew Rosenkrantz, MD, MPA, the lead study author and a Neiman Institute affiliate research fellow.

In the second part of the series, the researchers found that CMS' proposed criteria for special considerations in new payment models would result in many radiologists being evaluated using measures not reflective of their practice.

"MIPS will provide special considerations for physicians with a limited degree of face-to-face patient interaction," said Bibb Allen Jr., MD, FACR, chair of the Neiman Institute advisory board and past chair of the American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors. "However, using CMS's proposed criteria for which physicians will receive special considerations, many radiologists will be deemed ineligible for these special considerations and thus be evaluated based on performance categories beyond their control."

"Alternative criteria could help ensure that radiologists are provided a fair opportunity for success in performance review under MIPS," added Rosenkrantz.

The ACR applied concepts developed in these articles to inform CMS that determination of special considerations based on face-to-face patient interaction for payment policy purposes may best be defined in terms of the number of Evaluation & Management services performed, while the number of minor procedures performed is not as useful in that determination. On Oct. 14, 2016, CMS released its final rule for MACRA implementation. This final rule modified the criteria for special considerations under MIPS, consistent with earlier ACR feedback. As now defined, at minimum, nearly 90 percent of diagnostic radiologists and 40 percent of interventional radiologists will be eligible for the special considerations and these numbers could increase to 99 percent and 87 percent if CMS determines that procedural services will not be included in its determination of patient facing status. The protections provided to radiologists by the latest modifications from CMS are supported by the data demonstrated in the second part of the series.

Rosenkrantz, Allen and their colleagues noted that continued investigation is warranted to optimally determine the extent of radiologists' face-to-face patient interactions.

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To obtain a copy of the JACR series or to arrange an interview with a Neiman Institute spokesperson, contact Nicole Racadag at (703) 716-7559 or nracadag@neimanhpi.org.

About the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute

The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute is one of the nation's leading medical imaging socioeconomic research organizations. The Neiman Institute studies the role and value of radiology and radiologists in evolving health care delivery and payment systems and the impact of medical imaging on the cost, quality, safety and efficiency of health care. Visit us at http://www.neimanhpi.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook .
Reproducibility is a necessity for science but has often eluded researchers studying the lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Recent research from Japan sheds new light on why: impurities present in the vacuum chamber during fabrication but in amounts so small that they are easily overlooked.

Organic light-emitting diodes use a stack of organic layers to convert electricity into light, and these organic layers are most commonly fabricated by heating source materials in vacuum to evaporate and deposit them onto a lower temperature substrate.

While issues affecting the efficiency of OLEDs are already well understood, a complete picture of exactly how and why OLEDs degrade and lose brightness over time is still missing.

Complicating matters is that devices fabricated with seemingly the same procedures and conditions but by different research groups often degrade at vastly different rates even when the initial performance is the same.

Unable to attribute these reproducibility issues to known sources such as the amount of residual water in the chamber and the purity of the starting materials, a report published online in Scientific Reports on December 13, 2016, adds a new piece to the puzzle by focusing on the analysis of the environment in the vacuum chamber.

"Although we often idealize vacuums as being clean environments, we detected many impurities floating in the vacuum even when the deposition chamber is at room temperature," says lead author Hiroshi Fujimoto, chief researcher at Fukuoka i3-Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (i3-OPERA) and visiting associate professor of Kyushu University.

Because of these impurities in the deposition chamber, the researchers found that the time until an OLED under operation dims by a given amount because of degradation, known as the lifetime, sharply increased for OLEDs that spent a shorter time in the deposition chamber during fabrication.

This trend remained even after considering changes in residual water and source material purity, indicating the importance of controlling and minimizing the device fabrication time, a rarely discussed parameter.

Research partners at Sumika Chemical Analysis Service Ltd. (SCAS) confirmed an increase of accumulated impurities with time by analyzing the materials that deposited on extremely clean silicon wafers that were stored in the deposition chamber when OLED materials were not being evaporated.

Using a technique called liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the researchers found that many of the impurities could be traced to previously deposited materials and plasticizers from the vacuum chamber components.

"Really small amounts of these impurities get incorporated into the fabricated devices and are causing large changes in the lifetime," says Professor Chihaya Adachi, director of Kyushu University's Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), which also took part in the study.

In fact, the new results suggest that the impurities amount to less than even a single molecular layer.

To improve lifetime reproducibility, a practice often adopted in industry is the use of dedicated deposition chambers for specific materials, but this can be difficult in academic labs, where often only a limited number of deposition systems are available for testing a wide variety of new materials.

In these cases, deposition chamber design and cleaning in addition to control of the deposition time are especially important.

"This is an excellent reminder of just how careful we need to be to do good, reproducible science," comments Professor Adachi.

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For more information, see "Influence of vacuum chamber impurities on the lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes," Scientific Reports 6, 38482 (2016); doi: 10.1038/srep38482.

This work was performed by research groups at Kyushu University's Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), the Fukuoka i3-Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (i3-OPERA), and the Institute of System, Information Technology and Nanotechnology (ISIT) in cooperation with Sumika Chemical Analysis Service Ltd. (SCAS).

This research is ongoing in part under the Adachi Molecular Exciton Engineering Project funded by the Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
New North Carolina State University research delves into the movement and evolution of the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe.

To track the evolution of differing strains of Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen responsible for the Irish potato famine and a major cause of late-blight disease on potato and tomato plants around the world, NC State plant pathologists studied 12 key regions on the genomes of 183 pathogen samples - historic and modern - from across the globe.

The study, published in PLOS ONE, shows that a lineage called FAM-1 caused outbreaks of potato late blight in the United States in 1843 and then two years later in Great Britain and Ireland. It was also found in historic samples from Colombia suggesting a South American origin. FAM-1 caused massive and debilitating late-blight disease outbreaks in Europe, leaving starvation and migration in its wake. Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology and the corresponding author of the study, theorizes that the pathogen arrived in Europe via infected potatoes on South American ships or directly from infected potatoes from the United States.

But FAM-1 wasn't just a one-hit wonder that made its mark and then quickly disappeared.

"FAM-1 was widespread and dominant in the United States in the mid-to-late 19th century and the early 20th century," Ristaino said. "It also was found in Costa Rica and Columbia in the early 20th century."

FAM-1 survived for about 100 years in the United States but was then displaced by a different strain of the pathogen called US-1, Ristaino said.

"US-1 is not a direct descendant of FAM-1, but rather a sister lineage," Ristaino said.

US-1, in turn, has been elbowed out of its eponymous homeland by even more aggressive strains of the pathogen that have originated in Mexico. Our winter vegetable crops, grown there and imported into the U.S., harbor the pathogen, she said.

The pathogen's effects aren't limited to the decimation of Ireland's potato crop 170 years ago. Billions are spent worldwide each year in attempts to control the pathogen, Ristaino said. Potatoes in the developing world are particularly vulnerable as fungicides are less available and expensive.

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Paper co-authors are Amanda Saville, a research technician in Ristaino's lab, and Michael Martin, an associate professor with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The research was supported by a grant from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

"Historic late blight outbreaks caused by a widespread dominant lineage of Phytophthora infestans"

Authors: Amanda Saville and Jean Ristaino, North Carolina State University; Michael Martin, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Published: Dec. 28, 2016, in PLOS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168381

Abstract: Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, the causal agent of potato late blight, was responsible for the Irish potato famine of the 1840s. Initial disease outbreaks occurred in the U.S. in 1843, two years prior to European outbreaks. We examined the evolutionary relationships and source of the 19th-century outbreaks using herbarium specimens of P. infestans from historic (1846-1970) and more recent isolates (1992-2014) of the pathogen. The same unique SSR multilocus genotype, named here as FAM-1, caused widespread outbreaks in both U.S. and Europe. The FAM-1 lineage shared allelic diversity and grouped with the oldest specimens collected in Colombia and Central America. The FAM-1 lineage of P. infestans formed a genetic group that was distinct from more recent aggressive lineages found in the U.S. The US-1 lineage formed a second, mid-20th century group. Recent modern U.S. lineages and the oldest Mexican lineages formed a genetic group with recent Mexican lineages, suggesting a Mexican origin of recent U.S. lineages. A survey of mitochondrial haplotypes in a larger set of global herbarium specimens documented the more frequent occurrence of the HERB-1 (type Ia) mitochondrial haplotype in archival collections from 1866-75 and 1906-1915 and the rise of the Ib mitochondrial lineage (US-1) between 1946-1955. The FAM-1 SSR lineage survived for almost 100 years in the U.S., was geographically widespread, and was displaced first in the mid-20th century by the US-1 lineage and then by distinct new aggressive lineages that migrated from Mexico.
BETHESDA, MD - The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) today congratulated Dr. Web Cavenee and Dr. Paul B. Fisher on their discovery of a new pharmacological agent to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the deadliest brain cancer, which they have been developing together with NFCR support.

This new pharmacological agent could - with additional chemistry - lead to a new drug to prevent radiation-induced invasion of GBM cells. The researchers have tested their pharmacological agent in combination with radiation with profound survival benefits in pre-clinical models. Click here to read the full report by the scientists: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/12/22/1616100114.

Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), focuses on cancer genetics and Web Cavenee Ph.D., Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California at San Diego focuses on GBM. An exciting breakthrough for the treatment of GBM, this is about collaboration between two scientists on opposite coasts and shows how NFCR research may lead to tangible therapies for multiple cancers.

NFCR has been funding Dr. Fisher's research since 2008, and Dr. Cavenee's research starting in 2002. "NFCR scientists are making headway in the fight against one of the most aggressive form of cancer, GBM, by working together on vital pre-clinical models," said Franklin C. Salisbury, Jr., NFCR CEO. "For years, discoveries from NFCR-funded research have led to better treatments today - and this latest discovery by two incredibly talented scientists gives us proof there will be improved therapies for GBM and multiple cancers in the foreseeable future."

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About NFCR

The National Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1973 to support cancer research and public education relating to the prevention, early diagnosis, better treatments and ultimately, a cure for cancer. NFCR promotes and facilitates collaboration among scientists to accelerate the pace of discovery from bench to bedside. NFCR is committed to Research for a Cure - cures for all types of cancers.

About the Scientists

Dr. Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D. is the Director of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine at the VCU School of Medicine and is a professor and Chair of Human and Molecular Genetics at the VCU School of Medicine. Dr. Fisher's laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular and biochemical basis of cancer etiology and progression with an emphasis on translating this information to develop improved methods for diagnosing, staging and treating cancer. Read more about Dr. Fisher on NFCR's scientist page and VCU's website. Dr. Fisher was the Virginia Outstanding Scientist of the Year in 2014.

Dr. Web Cavenee, Ph.D. is now Chairman of NFCR's Scientific Advisory Board. An NFCR-funded Research Fellow and the Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California at San Diego, his pioneering research has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have fundamentally changed our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive the growth, migration, and survival of glioblastoma multiforme cells--leading to potential new therapeutic approaches for treating GBM. Dr. Cavenee was recently awarded the 2016 Feldman Founder's Award for Adult Brain Tumor Research from the National Brain Tumor Society. Read more about Dr. Cavenee and the NFCR's Scientific Advisory Board: http://nfcr.org/sabpress-release-2015-10-14/.
Four people suffered burn injuries in the incident that took place in the wee hours today.

By Revathi Rajeevan: A BJP worker's house in Kanjikkode in Palakkad was burnt after CPM workers in he area allegedly set fire to bikes parked in front of the house.

The fire then spread to a gas cylinder which exploded and burnt the entire house.

Five people suffered burn injuries in the incident that took place in the wee hours today. The injured are Kannan, a former Panchayat member and a BJP worker, his brother Radhakrishnan, Kannan's wife Vimala and a boy from the neighbourhood.

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Vimala suffered 40 per cent burn injuries and has been admitted at a Palakkad hospital.

The house was completely gutted in the fire. The incident was a continuation of ongoing clash between the two parties in the area, said police.

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BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA, and CARDIFF, UK -- Advances in microscopy techniques have often triggered important discoveries in the field of neuroscience, enabling vital insights in understanding the brain and promising new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. A special section on "Super-resolution Microscopy of Neural Structure and Function" in the current issue of the journal Neurophotonics, published by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, details this work in reports on ground-breaking new research and reviews.

Starting with the Golgi technique at the end of the 19th century, to electron microscopy in the 1950s, to fluorescent confocal and two-photon microscopy at the close of the 20th century, microscopy techniques have driven important breakthroughs in neuroscience, note guest editors Valentin Nagerl and Jean-Baptiste Sibarita of the Universite de Bordeaux and the CNRS in their editorial for the special section.

"By providing higher spatial and temporal resolutions, as well as more contrast and specificity, these ground-breaking techniques have greatly informed our view of how the brain works," the editors write.

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy "is the latest spoke in the revolutionary wheel," the guest editors note. "Recognized with the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2014 for overcoming the diffraction barrier of light microscopy, it unlocks a new potential to upend biological research at the molecular level. Ten years after their development in a handful of laboratories, super-resolution microscopy techniques have caught on like wildfire and are now routinely used in a large number of biology labs."

While super-resolution microscopy is a relative recent addition to the arsenal of tools available for neuroscientific research, said Neurophotonics editor-in-chief David Boas of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, "the breadth of impactful applications is growing rapidly. This special section provides a snapshot of this growth with a collection of exciting papers illustrating the breadth of applications."

Articles in the section, many of them accessible via open access, help validate and assess new techniques by comparing them with more established approaches. Among them:

In "Filling the gap: adding super-resolution to array tomography for correlated ultrastructural and molecular identification of electrical synapses at the C. elegans connectome," Sebastian Matthias Markert of the University of Wurzburg and co-authors describe a new method to correlate molecular information with ultrastructural context. Their aim is to allow researchers to dissect the molecular underpinnings of the ultrastructural organization and function of electrical synapses precisely and confidently.

Producing nanoscale maps of protein organization on cell surfaces or within organelles is another exciting prospect in super-resolution microscopy. In "Counting numbers of synaptic proteins: absolute quantification and single molecule imaging techniques," Angela Patrizio and Christian Specht of Ecole Normale Superieure describe how single-molecule-based microscopy techniques offer unparalleled opportunities to study protein content and dynamics in key functional compartments.

An early hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is the misfolding and self-aggregation of proteins into amyloid structures that are believed to wreak havoc on neurons and synapses. In "Probing amyloid protein aggregation with optical super-resolution methods: from the test tube to models of disease", Clemens Kaminski and Gabriele Kaminski Schierle of the University of Cambridge explain the potential of new optical super-resolution techniques to provide insight on the molecular mechanism of the pathogenic self-assembly process in vitro and inside cells.

Launched in 2014, Neurophotonics is published digitally in the SPIE Digital Library and in print. The journal covers advances in optical technology applicable to the study of the brain and their impact on basic and clinical neuroscience applications.

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About SPIE

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, is an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering and technology. The Society serves nearly 264,000 constituents from approximately 166 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2016, SPIE provided $4 million in support of education and outreach programs. http://www.spie.org
Ausdrill Ltd, through its subsidiary African Mining Services, has been awarded a contract to provide mining services at the Yanfolila gold mine in Mali.This contract was awarded by Hummingbird Resources, a UK listed gold explorer and developer. The deal is for 3 years, with an option to extend by an additional year.Ausdrill expects this deal to generate around $147 million worth of revenue over 3 years, with mining to commence in the second half of 2017.The company also says the project will employ 450 personnel (the majority of whom will be local), and require $50 million in capital expenditure for the acquisition of new equipment.Ausdrill reported a net profit of $58.2 million at 30 June 2016.




Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Disagreement over Privert's vision

The Collective of Local Candidates, composed of candidates from almost all the political parties, disputes the supposedly positive balance of the de facto President Jocelerme Privert, which decerned himseld a satisfies for having brought a climate of social stability in Haiti. The Collective emphasizes, on the contrary, that in no way our social system is better, recalling that "[...] insecurity has increased, markets have been burned, merchants left without anything and without aid, delivered to themselves, daily violent demonstrations, the Gourde that collapses without mentioning the rise of insecurity and criminality in the streets at the end of the year..." are all, EXCEPT the signs of social stability in Haiti !



OCID disapprove the violent protests

The Citizen's Observatory for the Institutionalization of Democracy (OCID) disapproves of all forms of protest, violent demonstrations or intimidation speeches that may hinder the serenity of electoral judges who are called upon to decide disputes impartially. The Observatory invites the authorities to be vigilant with regard to such infringements of the Electoral Decree in order to take appropriate measures to prevent and punish them.



Unfounded challenges of lawyers ?

Rudy Heriveaux of the PHTK, at the Tabulation Centre, described as chimerical the attitude of the candidates who refuse to acknowledge the victory of Jovenel Moise, according to him "the statements made by the lawyers of the losers, relating to the Minutes are not founded."



Education : the major issues

On Wednesday, at the Hotel Marriot was held the last working session for 2016 of the Board of Directors, chaired by the Director General of the Ministry of National Education, Louis Mary Cador. In the course of the working session, has been discussed in particular the main issues of the day : post-Matthew actions, teacher training, school accreditation and the school identity card, State exams, the new secondary and the school census.



Meeting at the palace around the victims of Matthew

Friday at the National Palace, Deputy President Jocelerme Privert met with Yves Romain Bastien, Minister of Economy and Finance, as well as officials from the General Administration of Customs (AGD) and the National Port Authority ( APN) around of the coordination of the distribution of essential goods to the victims of Hurricane Matthew.



Agenda

Thursday, de facto President Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by the First Lady, Ginette M. Privert, participated at the National Palace, to the traditional gala evening organized in honor of the employees of the Palace.



On Thursday, Jacmel was visited by Sandra Honore, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and Head of the Minustah. Mrs. Honore and her hosts visited the Jacmel Carnival Interpretation Center as well as some workshops and were amazed by the talent of the craftsmen.



De facto President Jocelerme Privert, met a delegation of students from Harvard University, visiting Haiti on Friday, December 23, 2016 at the National Palace.






















Haiti - Politics : Rain of presidential gifts over Haiti





Sunday 25 December, de facto President Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by his wife, Dr Ginette Michaud Privert, distributed toys and food kits to several hundred members of the population of Petit-Trou de Nippes, from where he is a native.



Christmasbeing a time of sharing and living together, the Head of State believes that it is necessary to celebrate, in his own way, with the members of the population that saw him born. While many parents from the various communal sections took their children to receive gifts from the First Lady, a large number of adults were able, fopr their part, receive theirs.



If Privert made happy in his commune, the latter is however, not the only one to have benefited from it. In almost all the main cities and communes of the country, vouchers have been distributed so that residents can receive gifts from the Presidency, on the occasion of the holidays and the New Year...



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Hindus have welcomed University of Idaho (UI) in Moscow, public research university and flagship campus of the UI System, for offering free yoga classes which were publicized as Stress Relief for Finals; and are urging all US universities to offer such free yoga programs.

These weeklong Free Yoga classes for students, faculty, and staff during dead week at the Student Rec Center by Campus Recreation and titled as Stress Relief for Finals; included Sunrise Yoga, Power Vinyasa, Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. Yoga is just so good, because it lowers the pressure, UI Fitness and Wellness Director Peg Hamlett was quoted in The Argonaut, UI student newspaper, writing about these classes.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, termed it as a step in the positive direction to make yoga available free of cost for students, faculty, and staff at such a renowned institution.

Yoga, referred as a living fossil, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, noted.

Rajan Zed further said that yoga, although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to a 2016 Yoga in America Study, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image. Yoga was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche, Zed added.

Founded in 1889, UI, headquartered in Moscow with centers in Coeur dAlene, Boise, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and Extension offices in 42 counties; offers 256 undergraduate and graduate majors and enrolls 11,534 students. It boasts of being consistently recognized as one of the best public colleges in America by The Princeton Review. Chuck Staben is the President.

Ashtanga Yoga finds mention in Patanjalis ancient Yoga Sutra, foundational text of yoga.

Source : From Our Correspondent
New Delhi : Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is planning to open a new front in eastern India to launch attacks in India, as per a media report.

India Today quoted intelligence sources as saying that ISI had made a tactical shift in its strategy for India and had recently set up a terror camp in Marisot (situated on Thailand-Myanmar border).

They further quoted sources as saying that ISI was using Taliban fighters to train Rohingya Muslims to launch terror attacks.

It added that terror launch pad in Mae Sot may be used to launch attacks.

Moreover, the media house said that if sources are to be believed then ISI was training groups like Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Arkana (HuJI-A) and some Khalistani militants with the help of the Pakistan Taliban.

Intelligence agencies reportedly say that ISI was arranging huge funds and weapons for terror activities.

It supposedly arranged a meeting between Maulana Abdul Kuddus (Rohingya Muslim of Pakistani origin who heads the HuJI-A) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed.

Kuddus is believed to be close to the Pakistan Taliban.

Source : Zee News
Gunmen have kidnapped an Iraqi journalist after breaking into her Baghdad home.

The interior ministry said Afrah Sawqi al-Qaisi was abducted from her house in the south-western Saydiyah neighbourhood on Monday night, and it called on residents to come forward with any information that might help the investigation.

Citing her family's account, the head of the Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, Ziyad al-Ajeeli, said eight gunmen arrived in at least two pick-up trucks, claimed to be members of the security forces and asked to search the house.

Once inside, they handcuffed Ms al-Qaisi's 16-year-old son, kept him in the kitchen and took gold, money, phones, laptops and a car. They also badly beat her brother-in-law, who lives next door, Mr al-Ajeeli added.

Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi ordered the security forces to investigate the kidnapping and to "exert the utmost effort" to save the journalist.

Ms Al-Qaisi, a veteran journalist and an employee of the Iraqi culture ministry, is a leading critic of the country's endemic corruption.

On Monday, she published an article in a local media outlet criticising an interior ministry officer who badly beat a school principal in front of students and teachers for refusing to punish a pupil who quarrelled with the official's daughter.

The abduction is a reminder of the dangers reporters face in a war-torn country where authorities have struggled to maintain security.

Iraq is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, who have been frequently targeted by militant groups since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Dozens of journalists have been killed while covering military operations.

- AP
Up until 2016, while elections in the developed world have shifted power between left and right, liberals and conservatives, there were very few examples of votes that have altered the status quo.

The events of 2016 have the potential to alter the shape of history in so many important ways.

The fact that the US electorate has elevated a former TV star to the highest political office in the world is just an interesting footnote to the more important policy shifts that his election may present.

Many uncertainties exist, but the rhetoric suggests the US is about to embark on a radical departure from the accepted norm.

Corporation tax reform is set to be the centrepiece of his economic plan and is likely to be one of the first policy changes introduced early in his term.

Mr Trumps aim is to reduce the incentives for US firms to produce abroad, thus returning capital and labour to US shores.

This will be done through a carrot (lower taxes) and stick (penalties) approach. If introduced, the threat to the rest of the world is a very real one, with a decades-old trend of increased globalisation put at risk.

Given the leadership role US companies have played in the drive to globalisation for the past four decades, foreign countries that have benefited from this development should be afraid. This includes Ireland.

On this side of the Atlantic, the EU has been dealt a severe blow by the UK electorates decision to leave. The EU has had many crises over the decades and has used these occasions to further strengthen the bloc.

However, a shrinking of the Union is something that was not foreseen and seriously raises the risks of the ongoing survival of the entire project.

Where it goes from here depends on whether EU leaders heed the lessons of these recent political events.

If they dont listen to the concerns of citizens and adapt it is difficult to see how the bloc will survive.

Voters will once again have an opportunity to let their opinions be known in 2017 when a number of key elections take place.

First up is the general elections in the Netherlands in mid-March, followed by French and German general elections in June and October.

The conventional wisdom suggests that establishment parties will win out against the more radical factions, but given the events of the past year, one should take predictions from polls with a very large pinch of salt.

Ireland has had its own tricky political climate to deal with and will continue to do so. If success is judged by the survival of government, then the experiment in new politics since the 2016 general election has been a success.

If it is judged upon the implementation of progressive policies, then the arrangement has been a failure. It appears that policies are being determined by politics rather than thorough analysis of economic and social needs and the potential outcomes.

This is not a healthy situation and can give rise to a short-term mind-set, to the detriment of the economy over the medium-term.

From an Irish perspective, the international political developments in 2016 could hardly have been worse. They have the potential to alter the direction of the economy over the coming years.

While Irelands exposure to the UK has dwindled over the past few decades, it has remained the most important market, by far, for employment-intensive Irish indigenous industry.

Ireland, therefore, is more than just a casual observer in the discussions that will take place between the EU and the UK on the future relationship post-Brexit in 2017 and 2018. The Trump tax plan will seriously reduce the tax advantage that Ireland has had over the US. This has acted as an important factor in attracting US capital here. Of course, FDI is attracted to Ireland by a lot more than tax, but Mr Trumps tax plan has the potential to significantly alter incentives to producing abroad.

In this context, Ireland has to seriously reconsider its FDI offering and move its focus beyond the US quickly.

It is difficult to think of a time when voters have had a more profound impact on the direction of markets and economies. After the developments in 2016, the focus on the ballot box is unlikely to wane in 2017.

Dermot OLeary is chief economist with Goodbody
Anagha, a 12th grade student, met with an accident on December 16, but succumbed to the injuries a day before Christmas. Her father ensured he fulfiled her last wishes, but the scene broke hearts of the villagers who had helped raise nearly Rs 10 lakh for her treatment.

By Vivek Surendran: On Christmas, a village in Kerala was mourning the death of a girl for whom they raised nearly Rs 10 lakh for.

Anagha, a 12th grade student, was hit by a pickup truck on December 16. The accident was so severe that she had to undergo two immediate surgeries. After the surgeries, she was put on a ventilator. Her parents, Anil Kumar and Shanta, waited outside, hoping their daughter would come back. With them, the entire Moolamattam village in Kerala's Idukki district prayed Anagha recovers. But on December 23, her health drastically deteriorated and she succumbed to the injuries the next day, reported Mathrubhumi.

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THE VILLAGE

Knowing Anil wouldn't be able to afford the hospital charges, the kind villagers raised as much as Rs 10 lakh for Anagha's treatment. They stood by the family, reassuring them that their daughter will make it. They hoped and prayed she would.

THE LAST WISH

Anil's was a lower middle class family. Months ago, Anil borrowed Anagha's golden anklets and mortgaged it, despite she being quite upset about it, said an Asianet News report. Anil had gifted her those anklets after saving from his meagre income. It was her favourite possession. Anil promised he'd recover it by Christmas.

On December 23, when doctors informed they have done their best, the helpless father remembered his promise. Arranging money in short notice was tough, but he recovered his daughter's golden anklets. It stayed in his pocket, and he wished he could see her wearing it.

But on December 24, Anagha breathed her last.

CHRISTMAS

Anagha's body was kept in her school on December 25 for the public to pay homage and for her friends and villagers to see her one last time. Anil stood next to her body, wearing a new, expensive shirt like his daughter always wanted him to, with her golden anklets in his pocket and tears in his eyes.

He fulfiled his daughter's last wish, tied the anklets on her legs. She was cremated with those anklets on her legs.

Photo courtesy: Mathrubhumi e-paper

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Energy Fuels Inc. (TSX: EFR / NYSEMKT: UUUU) has intercepted additional high-grade areas of uranium mineralization at its Canyon Mine, a fully-permitted conventional underground mine being developed in northern Arizona.

These new intercepts, including 28.5 feet of mineralization with an average grade of 2.41% eU3O8, further expand the mineralized zone at the mine. While dynamic in nature, the image depicts the current uranium envelope (at greater than 0.15% eU3O8), along with the status of the 8' x 20' production shaft currently being constructed at the Canyon Mine.

The Company previously announced drilling results from the first mine level (1,000 feet below surface) in August and October 2016, including the discovery of high-grade copper. Drilling from the second mine level (1,230 feet below surface) started in November 2016, and to date 5,922 feet of drilling has been completed in a total of 35 holes (25 percussion and 10 core holes) up to the current pause during the Holidays. On January 3rd, core drilling is expected to resume, and the Company plans to drill approximately 11,000 additional feet in the New Year.

This news release focusses solely on certain eU3O8 results gathered through gamma analysis. Sampling and analysis is also ongoing for the latest core drill holes, and the Company expects to report on those results, including uranium, copper, and silver mineralization, later in January 2017. The Company is currently awaiting assay results for over 860 samples, representing two- and four-foot core intercepts, taken from both the first and second mine levels. The assay analysis is being performed at the Company's White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah, with a portion of these samples being verified by an independent third-party laboratory. The Company is also evaluating the potential to process copper and silver mineralization currently being identified in the deposit into marketable products at the White Mesa Mill, as co-products of uranium recovery.

Gamma analysis from the current round of drilling at the Canyon Mine continues to confirm and expand the zones of known uranium mineralization in the deposit. The Company believes that drilling completed to date has expanded the envelope and increased the tonnage of the mineralization over what is described in the existing technical report from 2012. In addition to being larger than previously expected, the deposit is also appearing to be more continuous as underground drilling advances. These drilling results continue to increase the Company's level of confidence that production costs from the Canyon Mine have the potential to be low-cost and competitive with the best underground uranium mines globally, including mines in Canada, based on industry-published cost estimates. In addition, the possibility of recovering copper and silver as co-products of uranium recovery has the potential to make the economics of the Canyon Mine even better.

The Company expects to file a new technical report in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101  Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") in mid-2017 describing the uranium mineralization, and potentially copper and silver mineralization.

On August 18, 2016, the Company reported ten (10) individual high-grade uranium intercepts drilled from the first mine level (1,000 feet below the surface). The table below summarizes ten (10) additional high-grade intercepts.

Hole Number Thickness(feet) Avg. Grade(% eU3O8) GT(Grade x Thickness) 19 28.5 2.41 68.7 21 13.5 1.42 19.2 23 23.5 0.77 18.0 17 13.0 1.14 14.8 12 9.0 1.59 14.3 16 9.5 1.47 14.0 16 5.5 1.80 9.9 14 4.0 2.42 9.7 12 7.5 1.24 9.3 23 10.0 0.82 8.2

All holes were logged for gamma by trained Company personnel to calculate eU3O8%. Gamma logging tools were calibrated prior to the drilling program and verified by an independent 3rd party geophysicist. All mineralized core samples are also in process of being analyzed at the Company's White Mesa Mill laboratory for further verification.

Stephen P. Antony, President and CEO of Energy Fuels stated: "We continue to see excellent results from the underground drilling programs at the Canyon Mine, which is the highest-grade uranium project being developed in the U.S. today. The uranium grades, thicknesses, and continuities we have encountered so far are continuing to confirm our high expectations for the deposit. As we extend core holes beyond the known zones of mineralization, we are identifying new areas of high-grade uranium and copper mineralization. As a result, we believe we are expanding the size of the deposit, including the tonnage that we expect to mine. The Canyon Mine enjoys other important advantages as well. It is fully licensed and permitted. It is at a very advanced stage of construction, with all surface development completed and the production shaft nearing completion. The mine is located within trucking distance of our White Mesa uranium mill, which is licensed, operating, and has the capacity to process the Canyon material into finished uranium concentrate. Finally, as we previously announced in October, we are identifying substantial areas of high-grade copper mineralization. If we are able to monetize the copper, the economics for the Canyon mine could improve significantly.

"We have recently observed some small improvements in uranium prices, and U.S. government policies seem to be turning in favor of U.S. nuclear energy and uranium production. The Canyon Mine is expected to be an important aspect of Energy Fuels' near- and mid-term uranium production, in addition to our ongoing production from the Nichols Ranch ISR Project in Wyoming and the potential to place our Alta Mesa ISR Project back into production in Texas. We look forward to providing more updates on the uranium, copper and silver mineralization at the Canyon Mine as the drill program advances."

About Energy Fuels

Energy Fuels is a leading integrated US-based uranium mining company, supplying U3O8 to major nuclear utilities. Energy Fuels holds three of America's key uranium production centers, the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch Processing Facility in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today and has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U3O8 per year. The Nichols Ranch Processing Facility is an ISR production center with a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U3O8 per year. Alta Mesa is an ISR production center currently on care and maintenance. Energy Fuels also has the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolio in the U.S. among producers, and uranium mining projects located in a number of Western U.S. states, including one producing ISR project, mines on standby, and mineral properties in various stages of permitting and development. The Company also produces vanadium as a co-product of its uranium production form certain of its mines on the Colorado Plateau, as market conditions warrant. The Company's common shares are listed on the NYSE MKT under the trading symbol "UUUU", and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR".

Source: Energy Fuels
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The film industry and fans around the world have been paying tribute to the US actress and author Carrie Fisher, who has died aged 60 after a cardiac arrest.

She was best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series.

Stars Wars' creator George Lucas said: "She was our great and powerful princess. She will be missed by all."

"Thank you Carrie Fisher for all that you've given us," tweeted the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

Her fellow Star Wars actor Mark Hamill called the news "downright heartbreaking," adding "Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all - whether she liked it or not".

In New York, fans Eric and Elizabeth McCabe spoke of their shock at the news.

"She's a hero and will always be remembered as such," said Elizabeth McCabe.

"We grew up watching Star Wars and actually she looked pretty good in the last movie. We didn't realise that her health was so bad. It's really upsetting," added Eric.

Fisher and Farrow both starred in the Woody Allen film, Hannah and Her sisters

Williams played Lando in the Star Wars franchise



Comedian Ellen DeGeneres performed in sketches with Carrie Fisher

Fisher lent her voice to the animated series Family Guy

Carrie Fisher's mother, the actress Debbie Reynolds, wrote on her Facebook page : "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop."

Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford described Fisher as "brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fearless".

Writer and actress Sharon Horgan, who cast Fisher as a cantankerous mother-in-law in the hit comedy series Catastrophe also expressed her sorrow at Fisher's death, calling her "fun, gifted, smart, kind, funny, funny, funny".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, actor Warwick Davis - who played Wicket the Ewok opposite Fisher in Return of the Jedi - called her "a funny, warm person... who was very unaffected by fame".

Davis, who was just 12 when he played the role, added Fisher "had no airs and graces, I never saw her wanting to be treated like a celebrity."
The brother of Dada Kwaku Duah (Dada KD), highlife musician, knocked down a 22-year-old man at Assin Manso on Christmas Day, killing him on the spot.

The musician confirmed this to classfmonline.com in an exclusive interview.

Narrating the incident, the award-winning musician said the accident happened at about 4:30 am on the Assin Fosu-Assin Manso road.

I travelled from Accra to Kumasi for a show. From Kumasi we travelled to Tepa for another show. We had another show at Elmina and this accident happened when we were on the way from Tepa to Cape Coast, he stated.

According to him, he fell asleep in the vehicle that was being driven by his brother. A few kilometers to Assin Manso, I heard a big bang. It was misty at 4:30 am and my brother thought he had knocked down an animal until we heard a loud cry saying: 'You've killed my brother.' Dada KD said they conveyed the body to the hospital and reported themselves to the Assin Manso police and were detained.

He disclosed that they had agreed with the family of the deceased to meet on Wednesday, 28 December to arrange for the funeral and cost of burial.

Dada KD claimed he became brokenhearted and could not stop thinking about the accident that had cost the life of a 22-year-old man.

The musician said he doesn't drive after a performance due to fatigue, for which reason his brother offered to drive him around. Since yesterday I have been unable to decipher how this happened  to kill somebody's child. I couldn't even perform at my show in Elmina, he lamented.
Miss Ghana 2015, Antoinette Delali Kemavor

28.12.2016 LISTEN

Miss Ghana 2015, Antoinette Delali Kemavor has described her experience at the just ended 66th Miss World pageant in the United States of America as a 'learning' curve.

The 2016 edition of the Miss World which was held at a glitzy event on Sunday at the MGM National Harbor, Washington USA was won by Puerto Rican model and musician, Stephanie Del Valle.

The 19-year-old was the second Miss World to have come from Puerto Rico.

The Ghanaian beautiful model and beauty queen, Antoinette, made it to the top 20.

She has since been thanking Ghanaians for their support and according to her she was also able to get to the top 20 because of her determination and hard work.

I will love to thank everyone for your support and prayers. It has been a great learning experience and with hard work and determination I was able to make it to top 20!! Thank you all once more with love, she said on Instagram.

Delali was crowned Miss Ghana November, 2015 after representing the Volta Region of Ghana. She is an undergraduate student of the Central University and had her secondary education at the Holy Child Senior School in the Central Region. The last of five children, she hails from Adafianu near Aflao in the Volta Region.

Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected] )
Mumbai Congress, which is already running a campaign of 'Count Down against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),' is also planning a similar protest.

By Mayuresh Ganapatye: The Congress is planning a big time protest against Narendra Modi government's decision of demonetisation in Maharashtra at different places in new year. December 30 will be the last day of demonetisation after which Congress to do mass rallies throughout state.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: Maharashtra Congress Chief Ashok Chavan said, "People are suffering a lot due to this decision, Congress has always stood with people now also we will work for people. We will be holding rallies across state and do jail bharo, public protest against demonetisation." Mumbai Congress which is already running a campaign of 'Count Down against Bharatiya Janata Party' will also be planning a similar protest. On the last date of demonetisation, Mumbai Congress will be starting a Miss-call line where people can register their protest against demonetisation by just giving miss-call. According to sources, various leaders will be assigned different districts in state where they will conduct these rallies.

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Also read: Congress to hold countrywide protests against note ban from January 5

--- ENDS ---
Algiers (AFP) - Algeria has adopted a 2017 budget that will see taxes raised to compensate for falling revenues from its key oil sector, officials said on Wednesday.

The budget, signed by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, is calculated on an oil price of $50 per barrel.

Oil is the main source of revenue for the North African country.

The budget announced Wednesday outlines raises in value-added tax and duty on alcohol and tobacco, petrol-based products as well as real estate and stamp duties.

The budget forecasts an income of $51 billion (46 billion euros) and spending of $63 billion (56 billion euros).

Despite cuts, it will spend $14 billion (13 billion euros) on welfare including subsidies on basic products, housing and health care support.

It also allots $10 billion for defence in a country facing instability from armed Islamists who have been active in the country since a devastating civil war in the 1990s.

The budget ruled out recruiting further civil servants or raising the public payroll.

The government has also begun reforming the pension system to save it from "bankruptcy".

In 2011, high oil revenues allowed Algeria to massively increase wages and subsidies, helping it to weather the Arab Spring.

But the 2014 collapse in crude oil prices has forced Algiers to cancel investments and find ways to cut public spending.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - A group of 21 Nigerian Chibok girls brought home for Christmas after almost three years in captivity were prevented from celebrating at home with their families, several sources told AFP on Wednesday.

The 21 were among more than 200 mostly Christian schoolgirls released in October after being snatched by jihadist Boko Haram gunmen in April 2014 in a kidnapping that sent shockwaves across the world.

The group had been brought back to Chibok on Friday under heavy escort to spend Christmas at home but family and relatives said that instead they had been kept inside the house of a local parliamentarian for several days.

"What is the point of bringing them home if we as their parents can't see them?" said one of the fathers, who asked not to be identified.

A mother accused the government of "deliberately breaking our hearts in this festive period".

The girls were not given permission either to attend Christmas mass, angering Chibok residents as well as their relatives.

Over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Chibok in 2014, and some of those who were later freed from their Boko Haram captors met the Nigerian Vice President during a visit to Abuja on October 13, 2016

"We are a community and we take these girls as ours whether they are related to us or not," said local resident Ayuba Alamson.

A spokesman for the presidency Garba Shehu said in a statement late Tuesday that the officers in charge of protecting the girls had misinterpreted their instructions.

"There were some hitches arising from a lack of understanding of the objective of the trip on the part of some security operatives," he said, adding that instructions have "been given from headquarters for access by the parents to be eased".

Several dozen girls are still in captivity and those freed are watched over. Their capture had sparked a global Twitter campaign under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
Butembo (RD Congo) (AFP) - In DR Congo's war-infested Great Lakes region, carpenter-turned-sculptor Sauveur Mulwana has left a trail of monumental statues over the past decade as part of his self-styled mission to revive local history and boost peace.

The 42-year-old moved back home to Butembo, a teeming city of more than a million near the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Uganda, when his carpentry business was razed by the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in the city of Goma.

Butembo is home to the ethnic Nande people of Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, so it follows that one of the most eye-catching works by Mulwana -- himself a Nande -- is an immense portrayal of the Nande king.

Set on a bright blue pedestal on a city roundabout, it shows mwami (king) Kighombwe II Lusengo Kirugho, who died in his 80s in 2010 after a lengthy reign, wearing a western-style suit as he stares into the distance.

The mwamis still wield power, notably allocating land in this predominantly agricultural region that now must accommodate huge numbers of landless refugees after two decades of conflict.

Mwami Kighombwe "helped keep the Nande together" and "is a symbol of tolerance", Mulwana told AFP. The mwamis old beliefs and customs were vital to Butembo's peaceful future, he said.

Remembering the old ways

A worker repairs a monument created by Sauveur Mulwana, in Butembo, DR Congo

When he and his wife moved to Butembo after losing their business in 2002, he was struck by the fact that the city "had absolutely no works of art".

He said "I felt vulnerable" when he suddenly realised that the new modern way of life had led to an end of story-telling, to Africa's well-known traditions of oral transmission.

So he decided he would step in single-handedly to help the people of Butembo to keep their history, culture and heritage.

He spent the next three years reading books and interviewed elders. The result in 2007 was Butembo's Historical Monument, erected on a square in the heart of the city.

It highlights the Nande farming and hunting tradition as well as their evangelisation during the Belgian colonial era, as well as their modern-day traders.

"I want the future generations to remember the work culture of the old people of Butembo," he said.

Boys sit next to statues at the workshop of Sauveur Mulwana in Butembo, DR Congo

Another Mulwana statue features Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko, also born in Butembo, who died in 2000 after denouncing the presence of Rwanda- and Uganda-backed militia fighters in DR Congo during the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003.

Outside Butembo city hall sits Mulwana's bust of Laurent-Desire Kabila, the former leader and father of current President Joseph Kabila who was slain in 2001.

To fund his works and feed the family, Mulwana produces copies of the Lourdes grotto for Roman Catholic churches, decorative items for hotels, and creates furniture.

He also finances a workshop in hopes of keeping unemployed youngsters at home instead of signing up for one of the many armed militias in the region.

"This gentleman is wonderful," said Butembo deputy mayor Godefroid Kambere. "He's forever giving us great surprises."

Mulwana said "I'm a Nande first and a Congolese second but I'm proud to contribute to the development of peace in DR Congo."
Total fear and hopelessness grips most people by the thought of war as way of forcing Yaya Jammeh out of power. With $300 million estimated cost of war to unseat Jammeh, what pride does he enjoy from that? Does this war monger really care about Gambia after shooting and looting the nation for over 22 years? If Jammeh chooses war, there must not be any negotiations. By 19 December 2017, truth will prevail. Gambia has to be without Jammeh and his gang of economic criminals and murderers. They have taken the nation hostage for 22 years and that has to end.

Here are some reasons why war on Jammeh is the best way out:

1. From 22 July 1994, Jammeh waged war on Gambians which continues in his 22 years rampant killings for rituals or as means of instilling fear. Gambia under Jammeh has been the worst brutal police state where secret killings are conducted by commands of Yaya Jammeh. Bodies of Jammehs cruel killings are not recovered to be accorded decent burial by their grieving families, friends, and sympathisers.

2. When Jammeh is permitted to stay on as president of Gambia, his desire to kill more people will be fulfilled with worst situation. Already, bulk of Gambian population have shown their dislike for Jammeh and want him out. Jammeh is very furious about public rejection and wants to revenge. He has nothing to offer but bitter pay back on innocent persons.

3. War in Gambia will mean some people have to get killed. Without war many people will be killed by Yaya Jammeh as his way of revenge on those that openly rejected him. To keep Jammeh in power means he will continue killing. To wage war on him means he will be stopped, possibly arrested or killed. By leaving him to stay he will become more dangerous and hostile to innocent Gambian population who already demonstrated their total dislike for him. Besides, Jammeh has no plans of taking Gambia forward. His only ambition is to continue milking the Gambian economy and finance while looming large over the population. Anyone who dares question him will be seen as enemy deserving to be killed.

4. Unseating Jammeh by force will end all the madness he so brutally exerts on helpless victims. To let him stay is like permitting war on Gambians where Jammeh alone controls all deadly weapons and commands dangerous men and women in the army to shoot and kill innocent persons. War to end Jammehs rampant killings is salvation for Gambia. Leaving him to stay on means he will continue to kill and brag about his powers over any army on this planet. Something needs doing about this state of affairs.

4. Jammeh has been preaching war and trading on fear as way to control the population. Let nobody fear about Jammehs empty talks. Remember, when there is war, Jammeh will not continue to be president. If he is not president he will not have power of command where Gambian army under his orders will shoot and kill willy-nilly. Besides everything, what everyone in Gambia needs knowing is that Jammehs weapon power is like spark of match sticks when compared to the combined forces ready to tackle him dead or alive. It will be interesting to prove that after all, Jammeh is not that powerful. He is nothing near Saddam and Gaddaffi. Never be afraid of Jammeh. He is trading his own life and wants many more people dead with him. That does not make him any hero. There is no time for negotiation. As Jammeh pushes for war, let him have it.
Historically Chieftaincy was the political and social institution that fully run and controlled various ethnic groupings before the advent of the white man and subsequent colonialism. They also ran as spiritual leaders within a cephalous arrangement.

When the British colonized the Gold Coast, they decided to use the well structured Indigenous Chieftaincy Institution to govern the people, referred to as indirect rule, for about one hundred years. This was because the British had understood and acknowledged the Chieftaincy system to have been time-tested and enduring with the potency to mobilise and control the people who held strong allegiance to Chiefs.

Under this system, most Chiefs were also spiritual leaders and were consequently seen by their subjects to have the backing of the gods and ancestors of the society. Their stools which constituted the symbol of authority and power base had spiritual aura. The Golden Stool is an example of the spiritual nature of the source of power of Chiefs. To disobey the Chief was synonymous to incurring the wrath of the gods and ancestors.

With their divine power base and allegiances, Chiefs ensured social mobilization, order, social cohesion, security, justice and development. They controlled crime and social deviance. They had their own guards, sat in adjudication, tried cases and imposed fines; compliance with their ruling was almost total.

Unfortunately, after independence, Ghanaians and the political leadership were caught in a dilemma as to what role and functions Chiefs must play in the governance structure of the new nation. The new political leadership saw some chiefs as part of the colonial administration and therefore was not ready to accept their relevance within the new independence dispensation. The institution was cursorily seen as reactionary, outdated, lethargic and a colonial appendage. These unfortunate views were, and still remain, the problem that influenced the role and function of Chiefs in the shaping of the 1992 Constitution.

Dr Kwame Nkrumah in his desire to quickly assume all-power and transform the society into a socialist country decided to fashion administrative and local government system that would help him contain the power and authority of powerful Chiefs. In this, he ignored the consideration that the role and place of chieftaincy as a domesticated, deep-seated and time tested institution that could best help advance the sustainable cause of the people and society at large, but pandered to parochial political interests.

The independence constitution of 1957 provided protection against easy amendment of a number of its clauses. It also granted a voice to Chiefs and their tribal councils by providing for the creation of Regional Assemblies. No bill amending the entrenched clauses of the constitution or affecting the powers of the regional bodies or the privileges of the Chiefs could become law except by a two-thirds vote of the National Assembly and by simple majority approval in two-thirds of the regional assemblies. When local CPP supporters gained control of enough Regional Assemblies, however, the Nkrumah government promptly secured passage of an act removing the special entrenchment protection clause in the constitution, a step that left the National Assembly with the power to effect any constitutional change the CPP deemed necessary.

Furthermore, Among the CPP's earliest acts was the outright abolition of Regional Assemblies. Another was the dilution of the clauses designed to ensure a non-political and competitive civil service. This allowed Nkrumah to appoint his followers to positions throughout the upper ranks of public employment. Thereafter, unfettered by constitutional restrictions and with an obedient party majority in the assembly, Nkrumah began his administration of the first newly independent African country south of the Sahara.

Indeed the First President, Dr. Nkrumah was so opposed to the chieftaincy institution such that he was reported to have threatened to make Chiefs run and leave their sandals behind. This created the dichotomy between the political system and chieftaincy within the governance structure in this nation. The stage was therefore set for the conflicts in policies which have created myriads of contradictions within the local governance system and structure. This nation has consequently kept on struggling within itself to develop a successful relevant and effective local governance system for sustainable development.

The 1992 Constitution confirms its disgust of Dr Nkrumah and the CPP conspiracy against Chieftaincy by providing insulation against political patronage in Article 270 (2) which unambiguously states that Parliament shall have no power to enact any law which (a) confers on any person or authority the right to accord or withdraw recognition to or from a chief for any purpose whatsoever; or (b) in any way detracts or derogates from the honour and dignity of the institution of chieftaincy.

My research also reveals that, in the rush to attain self-government now, CPP political leaders could not take advantage of the admonitions and instructions of the United Nations and the British Colonial Administration to help colonies seeking independence, to succeed. Leadership in its quest simply created a victim mindset to establish a wedge between the colonial master and the local people; this was to whip up emotional support to win political power for themselves and not for the people, as it has turned out to be.

THE UN DECLARATION ON HUMAN RIGHTS.

As stated above, the United Nations in its declaration on Human Rights had admonished and instructed member states to value the true blends of socio-cultural, political and economic circumstances of their people in order to enhance respect for human rights as a matter of cause and not a contentious one.

Thus the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Paris 1948, Article 27 states that: "Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits."

It explains further that, The right to take part in cultural life is respectful of cultural diversity and serves as a protection against social exclusion. Culture must be understood broadly to mean the shared way of living of a group of people, including their accumulated knowledge and understandings, skills and values, and which is perceived by them to be unique and meaningful. States have a responsibility to take all necessary measures to prevent the poor and other marginalized groups from being socially excluded and to enable them to participate in the social, cultural and political life of their respective communities.

Additionally, the declaration states that, In education, cultural identity should be considered also: The quality of education should be directed to the development of the childs personality, talents and abilities to their fullest potential, and to preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in a spirit of tolerance and respect for human rights, the natural environment, the childs parents and cultural identity, and civilizations different from his or her own. School discipline shall/should be administered in a manner consistent with the childs human dignity.

This is the mandate upon which Ghana gained independence in 1957, to join the comity of nations. Fifty-nine years and more on, on our balance sheet, the nation has become bedeviled with several unanswered questions without answer due to poor appreciation of our socio-cultural relevance to development resulting in myriad of confronting our sustainable development. How did, and do our political leaders appreciate the admonishing of the United Nations?

THE BRITISH

The British in her preparation to grant self-government to the colonies had in 1946 set up a committee to understudy and assess the colonies in readiness for this. The Colonial Office: Advisory Committee on Education in the Colonies published the report on Education for Citizenship in Africa , dated 1948 in London from His Majestys Stationery Office.

The Report made far reaching revelations, observations, admonitions and instructions to guide the colonies on the path to self-government, so as to evade avoidable pitfalls that could create developmental disasters. It among others clearly stated the British Governments position on self-government thus under the sub-heading: the colonies must be trained for self-government.

Under this topic, the Report noted that, Political ideas in Britain have been fruitful of political action and constitutional development; and it is again natural and desirable that peoples under British administration should aspire to tread the path of evolutionary democracy which Britain has marketed out to the world. The very fact of their Colonial status is bound to become irksome. Crown Colony status, however, is not uniform or fixed. On the contrary, it is evolutionary.His Majestys Government has often proclaimed that responsible self-government is the goal at which all Colonies should aim. On 13th July, 1943 the then Secretary of State, Colonel Oliver Stanley, described the central purpose of British Colonial administration as a pledge to guide Colonial peoples along the road of self-government within the framework of the British Empire, to build up their social and economic institutions, and to develop their natural resources. On 9th July, 1946, his successor Mr. A. Creech Jones described it as to develop the Colonies and all their resources so as to enable their peoples speedily and substantially to improve their economic and social conditions, and, as soon as may be, to attain responsible self-government.

Is it not curious to note that some of independence political agitators made us to believe that without them independence would never have been won. Was it not a ploy to create heroes where one did not exist?

On the political front, the Report had this to say, We wish to emphasise that political machinery or economic devices will not ensure true democracy. Democracy requires a temper of the general mind which will only spring from a temper of the general mind found in the individual citizen. Unless the true democratic temper is present, the most beautifully devised political or economic machinery will result in nothing but slavery. If this temper is present, details of machinery matter little: direct democracy as in ancient Athens, the village council system which exists today in some parts of Africa, the British representative system, the Swiss or Australian referendum may all enable the general will to be expressed, though such machinery can do nothing to ensure civil or social equality.

In thus alluding to political machinery which exists in some parts of Africa we wish to draw attention to the fact that democracy is not an exclusively European invention. In parts of West Africa for example, the Chief of whatever rank, is straitly bound by tradition to do nothing save in consultation with his councillors; and no councillor can give his counsel save after consulting with those below him. Thus the machinery for ensuring that the government acts in conformity with the general will is extremely effective. It often is the case that any citizen can enter the Chiefs house and consult him; so much so that many Africans find it hard to understand how it is possible for a Londoner to live for years without seeing, much less speaking to the king. Again, the tradition in some parts of Africa by which a minority is not overborne in noisy protest but is bound to give willing concurrence and active co-operation in carrying out the majority view might be regarded as more truly democratic than the clumsy European method of counting votes. These democratic traditions do not exist everywhere. But where they exist, it would be pedantic and unwise to attempt to discard them and substitute European or American political machinery.

Additionally, in discussing the matter of education under the sub-heading. Education for citizenship must take account of cultural differences, the Report stated that, it follows that education for citizenship must take account of the social customs and institutions in native society. The obvious example is the tribal system, where one exists. Whatever the force and the value of examples drawn from modern Britain or ancient Athens, it seems on the face of it that education in Africa will lose much if it concentrates on the Cabinet or the Ecclesia and forgets the village council, which existed in Africa or in Alfreds England as it exists in Ashanti to-day.

We feel this point the more important because we are impressed by the evidence that exists of the vitality and the future possibilities of some African political institutions. We have had testimony from the Gold Coast and from Northern Rhodesia of the essentially constitutional authority of the chiefs, and of the respect  if indeed a stronger word would not be appropriate - with which they and the whole traditional system are regarded, even by sections of the African people which Europeans observers are sometimes apt to regard as detribalised. We feel that a political system such as that of the Akan  exemplified in Ashanti - contains elements of the highest value, and it would be folly to neglect or disregard it . We may make the point here, to return to it later, that the very fact that indigenous political institutions of high value are still existing, in contrast with the disintegrating tendencies of Western civilisation, renders it a matter of the greatest urgency that the Colonial peoples concerned should be educated to appreciate the instability of the situation and to control the future development of their own political institutions.

The Report further reveals that, In this period of rapid transition, education becomes of greater importance and urgency than ever before, and must aim at fulfilling the special needs created by the social and political changes.it is a question of improving the education provided so as to give a conscious preparation for citizenship, of passing on to the Colonial peoples as much as may be possible of our own political experience, in order that government of the Colonial peoples by the people and for the people may be a real thing. The advance towards political freedom will not and must not be delayed. But if political freedom is to benefit all the people and not merely the favoured few, then all the people must be guided to use it for the common good. This is the task of education. The Colonial peoples in their new political freedom must gain their own experience; but they have a right to look to us for guidance.

The aim may be the same for all Colonial peoples; but the Colonies vary so greatly in culture, in social and economic conditions, that the path towards it can be the same for all..

The importance of these wide differences is that, if education is to be effective, it must be based partly at least on local foundations. This has been for many years one of the basic principles of British Colonial education policy.This is what British educationists in the Colonies have in mind when they utter the elliptical and often misunderstood statement that they wish the educated African, however highly educated, to remain African. They do not mean that they desire him to concentrate on his African culture to such an extent that he is unable to assimilate as much as he wishes of European culture.

LOCAL SIGNALS

Another warning to the CPP political leaders about the need to blend education, development and culture to avoid unnecessary pitfalls to development was sounded right here in the Gold Coast, before the attainment of national independence.

In the Daily Graphic issue of May, 1955, at the time when agitations for political independence were riding high and Gold Coasters were tearing themselves apart for parochial considerations in winning political power, a sober and reflective mind in Rev Williamson of the University College of the Gold Coast, was aptly drawing their attention to danger signs, and asking the relevant question about our culture, how can we retain the best of the old and find the best in the new? And the further question I ask is, and how do we fuse the old and the new to advance and ensure sustainability in national development?

After decades of ignoring the admonishings listed above, this is how Professor Stephen Adei, former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) describes the state of Ghana in his book, Leadership and Nation Building , published speech of the 10th William Ofori-Atta Memorial Lectures, October 28-30, 2003, Accra. He made point that, Thailand is unique among the Asian countries I have selected. It shows that even under conditions of frequent regime change, with traditionally stable institution, in their case the monarchy, a country can have the needed stability that allows development to take place.

Professor Adei again emphasizes this point that, effective national leaders everywhere, from Japan to Mauritius, take advantage of the experience of other nations, the advice of donors and the Breton Woods Institutions, but, in the end, develop their own unique strategies that reflect their historical and cultural perspectives. Development has technical foundations, but it also has socio-cultural dimensions such as consensus building, development of social capital, motivation of nationals to save and invest productively, etc, which are internally determined.

Prof Adei again states that, social cohesion has been sacrificed on the altar of partisan politics, ethnicity, cold war politics, personal greed and lust for power. This social deficit has not only weakened national cohesion but has engendered a lack of trust and left in its wake defective societies.

The situation is not akin to Ghana alone but in most of Africa. Prof Adei buttresses this assertion when he stated on page 81 that, the vanguards of the liberation struggle failed miserably to deliver development. Many of them, despite their long stay in power, left their countries in political tatters, economic ruin, social conflict and cultural stagnation or deterioration.

SINCE INDEPENDENCE .

The inability of the current local government system to respond enough to local challenges has been the bane of Ghanas development: poor sanitation, growing poverty, increasing unemployment, dwindling crop production, increasing illegal mining, environmental degradation among others.

Ever since the independence government of Dr Kwame Nkrumah failed to place the cultural question to effectively engage the Chieftaincy institution in its proper context, subsequent governments have not seriously interrogated this matter. As such the nation has not fully considered the capacity of the chieftaincy institution in this country and the role it can play to effectively entrench decision making and participation at the grassroots. The benefits to have been derived by the country when decisions emanated effectively from the bottom to the top have been therefore lost. This is in spite of the policy to decentralize governance to the grassroots.

The 1992 constitution, after going to great lengths to entrench the Chieftaincy institution in Chapter 22 only ascribes the institution an unbefitting ceremonial role in a stand-alone structure.

It is quite illogical that chieftaincy, an institution for social cohesion and community mobilization, that is best suited for local governance has not been offered any role and function in that system. If indeed charity begins at home, and we need to domesticate and lay effective foundation for effective local governance, then that must be built on the time tested chieftaincy institution. The poor local government record upholds that, reengineering decentralization to be effective cannot and must not be done on the blind side of the social order structured and sustained around the chieftaincy institution over the centuries.

Already, the extended family system crumbling before our very eyes is exhibited in increasing crime, streetism, overcrowd of cases at the courts and inmates in the prisons. These are worrying warning signs confirming that, our social systems are declining and need effective reengineering. A strong and active Chieftaincy sector will curb the menace of street children, crime among others at cheaper cost to government.

Even though the Chieftaincy institution has been crudely marginalized over the last half-century, it is still robust and able to mobilize communities for development. There therefore seems to be no need for creation of parallel institutions in the quest to ensure an effective local governance system of unique and domesticated quality.

The opening lines in the 1992 constitution, Article 1, clause 1 states that, (1) The Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this Constitution.

This Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana is made up of me and you, who are mobilized here from our local areas, whose national collective is Ghana.

DEFINITION

Anyway, what is local? When we say local, what do we mean by that? Local refers to our INDIGENOUS, very immediate environment composed of neighbors and community. And this local is defined, identified and controlled/governed by Chiefs or clan heads. This being true, can we define local governance as a system of control without reference to the traditional indigenous authority? The Constitution failed to acknowledge this fact.

Under Act 462, the blue print for decentralization, the Unit Committee represents the basic structure from where community development is expected to take off. This therefore confirms that before the advent of the Unit Committee, this was the traditional role of Chiefs in leading development in communities.

The Unit Committee system therefore, from the onset, was an arrangement parallel to the chieftaincy institution which is grounded from the family level through the clans and mobilized at the community level. But it is at the community level that the Unit Committee competes as a parallel institution to chieftaincy. It therefore lacks the depth, clout and capacity to play the role it has been tasked to do.

Today, over twenty years of practicing decentralization, the realities have emerged: unit committees, which were created, as it were, to perform the functions hitherto practiced by chiefs are literally DEAD. Since Unit Committees are literally dead, what links the communities to Assembly persons? The Electoral Commission complained about the disinterest of our people to represent about 10,000 unit committees across the country during the 2010 District Assembly and Unit Committee elections. This raises the question as to whom the assemblymen consult and report decisions taken at the assembly meetings to.

Additionally one might wonder how information could be passed from central government to the grassroots without the unit committees. Because of this institutional paralysis, there are often conflicts at the community level further deepening the incidences of poverty.

Meanwhile, the assemblymen and unit committees are recent innovations and subject to change whereas the Chieftaincy institution is time-tested and permanent.

b) OF CLOUT AND RELEVANCE

While citizens of any social standing are most likely to respond to the call of his Chief and carry out various assignments as proud volunteers; the same cannot be said of the unit committee. Thus, according Chieftaincy its rightful place in local governance can bring the needed human resource into the decentralization system.

c) CHIEFTAINCY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Ghanas 1992 constitution in Chapter twenty two, Chieftaincy, article 270 (1) states, The institution of Chieftaincy, together with its traditional councils as established by customary law and usage, is hereby guaranteed.

This definition lumps up recognition of the local community Chiefs joined up to form traditional councils and ultimately paramountcies.

Chapter twenty on Decentralisation and Local Government, article 240 (c) states, there shall be established for each local government unit a sound financial base with adequate and reliable sources of revenue;

(d) As far as practicable, persons in the service of local government shall be subject to the effective control of local authorities; (who are the local authorities here?)

(e) To ensure the accountability of local government authorities, people in particular local government areas shall, as far as practicable, be afforded the opportunity to participate effectively in their governance.

The constitution guarantees the Chieftaincy institution as a credible local governance structure and offers some functions to it. But chieftaincy is not that simple.

The combative posture inherited from the independence struggle between politicians and the chieftaincy institution was carried to bear on this 1992 constitution. But the strength and relevance of the institution is so overriding that, the framers of the constitution could not ignore it but made it a guaranteed position within the national polity. But the bias was visited on the institution by trying to clip its wings from doing what chieftaincy does best, and for which the fears of the framers were incensed: chieftaincys strong social and cultural mobilization ambit.

d) CHIEFTAINCY APOLOGIES

For those who only ascribe negativity to chieftaincy and call for its abolishing, I wish to liberate their own minds from the  OPAQUE BOX SYNDROME and interrogate the place and relevance of the institution. They accuse the institution of fanning conflict and chiefs selling lands. Conflicts are part of the human institution because of competing ends we are faced with everyday. This is not peculiar with the chieftaincy institution alone. I think these apologists will agree that they are in conflict with their spouses quite often. On the other hand, if land were not sold, the same people would accuse chiefs of holding on to lands to the detriment of development.

Deviants within Chieftaincy represent the mirror of the society from which chiefs as individuals, are raised from. That is just as we have politicians, clergy, lawyers, journalists, doctors, nurses; in fact, the whole Ghanaian society is bedeviled with.

Any effective and functioning society does not run away from its problems, but thinks through to fix them. If there are problems with Chieftaincy, let us place them in context and deal with them. For those who dream of abolishing Chieftaincy, it is a thought of naivety since that will create more problems than solutions. Have they ever imagined the number of social, political and security flames the institution curtails each day, week, month or year? I can assure them that this nation would have been in flames long ago without Chiefs.

Many succession conflicts to stools and skins can easily be traced to the Nkrumah era when his administration tried to politicize the chieftaincy institution to accord him absolute sway in power and authority. Unfortunately we have not recovered from that bias as we have, as a nation, never sat back to analyse the significance of the institution to our socio-political, economic and cultural development.

e) CONTRADICTIONS

Chieftaincy is all about people; their culture, their way of life. Chieftaincy provides leadership, hope, belongingness, development, identity, self-worth, self-esteem, commitment and drive to a people.

Development is about people. Thus chieftaincy and development are synonymous. Thus any development effort that seeks to play chieftaincy to the background does at its own risk.

Unfortunately, our 1992 constitution is anachronistic on this issue. The same constitution, under decentralization denigrates chieftaincy as non-consequential to local governance. Why this contradiction? And what do we see local governance as? In other words, what do we define as local governance? Where do we place the chieftaincy institution as the ambit of local administration in local governance? In other words, between the chief and the unit committee, which has the greater capacity to mobilize the people for sustainable development?

Today, the main base of local governance which is the unit committee has largely collapsed but chieftaincy, even though it has lost some of its potency, is vibrant because it has emanated from the very roots of the people over decades and centuries.

In designing the local governance system, it appears that enough analysis of the socio-cultural dynamics of the Ghanaian socio-political structure at the grassroots level was not taken into consideration. Chieftaincy has its basic units starting from the individual in the nuclear family, through the extended family units, to the clans. The amalgam of the clans submit to the stools at the community level in the Chief. And it is Clan heads who emerge into the Council of Elders of the Chief.

The dynamics and practicality of this structure is loudly ignored in our local government system. Unit Committees are therefore foisted on the people at the community level. Thus a turf war had been ignited.

The weak and weakening local governance system as currently demonstrated by the dwindling peoples participation and poor human resource base, must be lessons that have been learnt and we need to refocus on the units to enable us achieve and benefit from decentralization within our unique Ghanaian context.

But if I may ask, why are we so quick to dispense of or try to do away with things of our own and to replace them with foreign and poorly researched and adapted policies, systems, institutions, materials etc.

When shall we wean ourselves from this  OPAQUE BOX SYNDROME with its attendant ILLUSIONS?

Do we not have any sincerity of pride to craft our own national and local governance systems that are unique to our socio-cultural realities and circumstances from which we will take pride and satisfaction? For how long do we have to suffer this  OPAQUE BOX SYNDROME by describing our democracy as American/British hybrid?

When shall we stop this hypocrisy of claiming local content in deals with foreign companies while excluding ourselves and our own from governance?

While not denying those trying to practice socialism in Ghana, I just want to caution that it ought to be domesticated and well thought through because the system as practiced outside is different and since the collapse in the 1990s, socialism has not shown any significant signs of recovery. For now, you have created so much distortions and confusion within the governance system. This is because they introduced class socialism to distort and disrupt our God-given communal socialism and we are paying the consequences painfully for this. The injustice is that, the perpetrators do not feel the brunt of the harm caused so far. It is thus very clear to me as a keen watcher that, the local government and decentralization as it operates in the Constitution is tailored to support a particular parochial interest. We can all never be equal even if we all had equal opportunities; we all have 24 hours a day but do not benefit from it at any equal level each day.

2) RECOMMENDATIONS for reengineering local government

i) Fuse unit committees into the council of elders of chiefs/queen mothers

Chieftaincy is an inherited, adapted, time-tested and accepted institution with its authority and trappings; but the Unit Committee is an elective position. Those elected to unit committee positions are subjects and participants within the traditional authority system. To establish a harmonious and healthy development platform at the community level, Chieftaincy and the unit committee structure must be fused at the local community level.

Any local government system must have the capacity to mobilize and engage all the people as much as possible.

As a result, elect unit committee members of five persons, to be promoted onto the Council of Elders of the Chief/Queen mother every four years. Provide guidelines to regulate and manage the system for enhanced engagement, transparency and accountability.

ii) BENEFITS:

a) Local government will receive greater acceptability and participation, improved human resource and capacity because local structures will no longer be weak and in conflict.

b) Documentation of community events, cultural and developmental will be enhanced.

c) All segments of the community will be fired on to participate in development efforts.

d) The aura of the chieftaincy institution will be fused with central authority to offer greater participation, supervision and monitoring.

e) This new system can generate revenue to carry out its mandate without too much expectation and reliance on the central government.

f) The citizens can demand greater accountability from the chieftaincy institution.

g) The chieftaincy institution will become more active other than adopting the current lay back stance because they feel their powers have been taken from them.

2) FUNCTIONS ANTICIPATED FROM A FUSED LOCAL GOVERNANCE UNIT

The nation Ghana can best be managed if the community base is strong and effective. The following functions can be assigned the fused local governance unit to enhance development, control crime and save on national resource use.

a) CHIEFTAINCY AND SECURITY

Today, the police are overwhelmed with crime, because the police and the Judiciary are inundated with numerous cases they cannot easily and adequately dispose of, and the prisons have over 67% of inmates as remand prisoners. Ghana whose motto is Freedom and Justice is exacting injustice on its own citizens by relegating the time tested and generationally, relevant Chieftaincy institution to the background, from playing significant, well structured and defined roles within the local governance structure.

At the unit level, the people identify with Chieftaincy more than the Unit Committees. People are more interested in arbitration because it is less costly and all embracing.

People are more ready to report miscreants to Chiefs than to the Unit Committee and the Police put together.

Indeed people show innate resentment in providing classified information to the Police or the Unit Committees, than to the chief that they easily identify with. This is because most people have been weaned on the social and traditional order of chieftaincy, beginning from the nuclear family level.

Indeed acrimony between feuding factions are not deep if a case is settled in the arbitration of the chief as against reporting one to the police or summoning one in court. The later have contributed a lot to the breakdown of the nuclear social safety net in relationships.

Strangers into any community are detected and noted at the chiefs palace by the social norms and rules that exist, and the background of the stranger sought before he or she is allowed to stay on in the community. That stranger is mandated to be fathered by an indigene or local man, of good and responsible social standing before allowed to settle in a given community.

The average Ghanaian is far more ready to report a case at the chiefs court other than to go to a policeman.

b) THE POLICE

The Police are deficient in numbers, ill-equipped and sparsely dotted around the country. Many people mistrust the police because they perceive the institution as alien oppressors and its personnel as mainly untruthful and corrupt.

Indeed while a whole community can conspire not to give up an offender to the Police, they are more ready to report such to the Chief and his elders. Reports to the police are costly, time-consuming, unpredictable and frightening.

It must be noted that Chiefs pick intelligence information quicker and effortlessly than the Police. Thus mutually recognized measures will inure to national security other than the current colonial legacy.

c) THE JUDICIARY

Law cannot control society if it does not satisfy fundamental social needs for both stability and change (Roscoe Pound, former Dean of Harvard School of Law).

Indeed, the 1993 Law Report opens with the statement that, the courts must promote peace.

However, in reality, the courts by structure, procedure and acts, have added to fuelling of civil strife, huge financial burdens and break down of the social structure. This is because most cases are more determined on technical grounds other than within the socio-cultural contexts that bind the people.

Less than 20% of the people have access to justice due to cost, distance, medium of communication, lack of knowledge about the court system which is elitist. And these fuel corruption in the system.

IT IS nauseating to witness poor people scratch the ground to mobilize huge legal fees in pursuit of justice, it is as if justice is for sale. The numerous petty cases pending cases and court actions must be viewed in the larger light of national development: the more time spent on court cases result in the loss of huge man-hours to litigation other than productivity.

The national interest must aim at freeing more time for people to use on productivity. That is why all state institutions must ensure that undue delays and red-tapeism are avoided as far as possible.

d) RECOMMENDATION

The fused local government unit, under the Chief, must be given powers to take control of the security of their communities in collaboration with the police and judiciary. The community police system must be restored and adjudicating of specified cases assigned to Chiefs.

e) BENEFITS

Greater cooperation between the police and the judiciary to be enhanced

i) Crime control will increase as preemptive actions will nib crime cases in the bud.

ii) Additional jobs will be created.

iii) The people will be more involved in ensuring and cooperating in their own security.

iv) Remand cases in the prisons will reduce and freedom and justice will be seen to be done to the citizenry.

v) Incidences of corruption will reduce.

vi) Justice will be delivered more speedily.

vii) Cost of seeking justice will reduce.

4) MONITORING OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Community monitoring of government projects is weak because the sub-structures of the District Assemblies expected to play this role are weak and therefore ineffective.

Contractors, consultants and government staff know this and hardly involve the people in the execution monitoring of the projects. The situation will change if Chiefs are mandated to play this role in local governance. This will immediately strengthen the monitoring capacity at the community level for enhanced accountability.

5) REVENUE MOBILISATION AND COLLECTION

The new arrangement will give better meaning and impetus to revenue mobilization and collection. A formula will need to be developed for the revenue to be shared. Under this new arrangement, accountability is expected to improve beyond what exists now.

6) THE NEW ROLE FOR CHIEFS IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

(i) For effective decentralization and good local governance, the Chieftaincy Institution as a matter of national urgency must be redefined to include the chieftaincy institution.

( ii) That the Unit Committee must be fused into the Chieftaincy system at the community level. Five Unit Committee members elected to join the Council of Elders of the Chief every 4 years.

(iii) All cases that are not criminal, except petty thievery, may be settled at the arbitration of the Chief. Recalcitrant persons must, after trying all the local settlement procedures be handed to the police from the court of the Chief for subsequent actions.

(4) the Police and Chiefs can co-operate better to expunge criminal elements from society.

7) CHIEFTAINCY

How can we achieve self-reliance, self-worth, self-esteem and the spirit of nationalism when the very institution that represents and captures our values, value systems and our identity is run as an alien institution to our very being?

How can we build a nation without a foundation? The foundation that has shaped and continues to determine our social structure for mobilization and development?

How can chieftaincy be the custodian of our culture when we offer half-hearted support to the institution as secondary to our development?

The very fact that we believe chieftaincy cannot play, and must not play an active role in local governance is the very reason that establishes that we have rejected ourselves and lack the capacity to accept ourselves, and therefore cannot shape development strategies that are relevant to our own advancement.

The very fact that we talk about a fused system of America and British democratic systems, and not about our own, confirms the extent to which we have rejected ourselves but boast about the achievements of others.

This project is a bold attempt to redefine and rediscover ourselves as Ghanaians with our unique and God-given abilities and capabilities for rapid decentralization and development. It is in this quest that we invite you to join us in this onerous task of nation building.

8) STRUCTURES BEYOND THE UNIT STRUCTURE

The Zonal, Urban and Area Councils as currently established must be fused with paramount chiefs where appropriate. Once the unit base is strong, it will be capable of carrying the superstructure.

ABOVE ALL

The Back to Roots project must be made an integral part of national development. It is only then that we can understand and appreciate our foundational challenges to statehood; challenges that have created monstrous hydra-headed hiccups to the attainment of sustainable development.

A lot more can be achieved if a serious national discourse is ignited on the issues around local government, decentralization and Chieftaincy in a non-partisan atmosphere.
After a hard-fought, promises laden and somewhat acrimonious campaign by, especially, the two major political parties in Ghana, the dust is finally settling and Im glad we can now return to our normal lives and perhaps, enjoy the yuletide with less zuza radorado noise to bother our ears.

Considering the atmosphere and events that preceded the elections, many had expressed unease about the success of this years elections. However, true to our nature as peace loving people, Ghanaians have once again risen to the occasion and proven to the world why we continue to be a beacon of democracy in the African continent. Little wonder we are more of talkers than doers! This attitude seems to permeate every fabric of our national live. I was particularly touched to see both NPP and NDC supporters in their respective party T-shirts dancing to JMs legendary onaapo hit song after the declaration. What a waaw!

The President-elect

Let me not mince words in congratulating the NPP and particularly, our President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for putting up a spirited fight to emerge winner of this years hotly contested election, after two unsuccessful attempts. Nanas perseverance, sense of purpose, self believe and determination are truly admirable and worthy lessons for all. For about four decades, he has pursued this dream. I remember comments by a certain quarters in 2012, following his defeat, that he had been retired from active politics. Per their estimation, he will be too old to contest again amidst the hurly burly of political life.

However, he has braced all odds and proven to all that age is not only just a number, but a state of mind as well. With determination and tenacity of purpose, age must not necessarily be an impediment to achieving ones goals. Apart from lessons on perseverance, Nanas victory also teaches us to be patient and wait for Gods time, for in His own time, he makes everything nice and beautiful.

The Outgoing President

Congratulations to President John Mahama for his display of maturity in conceding defeat and congratulating Nana Addo. This difficult but statesmanlike gesture was very pivotal in putting to rest all post election apprehensions. In fact, anybody who has gone through any such contests, even at the school level, understands what it means to lose an election, let alone at the highest office of the land, more so as an incumbent who believes he has done enough to deserve a second term. This noble gesture is indeed a hallmark of a true leader; one who is courageous enough to accept both the highs and the lows.

Having had a personal encounter with him a couple of times, and knowing him to be the fine, humble and nice gentleman that he is, I had no doubts whatsoever that president Mahama will concede without hesitation, should he lose the elections. He did not disappoint.

I disagree with those who say he hasnt done anything praise worthy. To them, he just had no option. I say, he had an option: an option that could have led to not only his own destruction, but definitely the destruction of many other innocent souls. We are all aware of how thousands of people had to lose their lives in neighbouring Cote dIvoire and in other countries as a result of the intransigence of their leaders who lost elections but desired to hold on to power. Lets give credit where it is due!

The Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission (EC) also deserves a pat on its shoulder for organising a successful election after earlier events had given reasons to doubt their ability to deliver. Nevertheless, I still think the EC has a lot more work to do in future to ensure the organisation of trouble-free elections and to earn the publics confidence and trust.

Having been on the field on Election Day, I have had cause to question the professional conduct of some Presiding Officers and Polling Assistants, as some of them flagrantly displayed their political preferences with careless abandon. I observed instances where ECs officials in sorting out ballots for the various candidates, either intentionally or accidentally added the ballots for another candidate to that of, perhaps, their preferred candidate to boost his/her numbers. In some cases the polling agents for the disadvantaged candidates were smart enough to spot them whereas others went unnoticed. To forestall such occurrences in future elections, I suggest the EC adopts more stringent measures in the selection/recruitment of officers whose integrity is above party affiliations, especially in the various strongholds.

Another area of concern is the level of mistrust and suspicion for the EC and for party opponents. These gave rise to wild, false and sometimes highly exaggerated and unsubstantiated allegations of attempted rigging which were acted upon by some supporters. An instance was when some innocent students were nearly lynched when they were found in one of the classrooms outside a polling station owing to misinformation which investigations later proved otherwise. These and other such conducts on Election Day need to be checked to make our elections truly peaceful.

Smaller Political Parties

Did I hear the Progressive Peoples Party (PPPs) Papa Kwesi Nduom say his party had agents in all polling stations across the country? Well may be Doc. has to convince me that the areas I visited werent part of Ghana. As a matter of fact almost all the polling stations I observed had agents for only the two major parties: NDC and NPP. I dont remember seeing even one agent representing the other smaller parties, including the PPP. This is very worrying and casts doubts on the ability of our smaller parties to become formidable alternatives to the NDC and NPP in future so as to make our democracy a truly multiparty one.

Need for attitudinal change

As we welcome a new government with very high expectations, let us all bear in mind that governments do not possess a magic wand to change our situations overnight. Governments will come and go but if as a people we do not make a collective resolve as to where we want to go, buy into the vision of our leaders and make deliberate determination to brighten our individual corners, our dream of seeing a developed Ghana will forever remain a mirage. For instance, we cannot continue to be corrupt in our own small ways or break our own laws with impunity and hope that things get better anyway. We cannot continue to choke gutters and inundate our communities with garbage while we expect to have a clean disease free society. Attitudinal change is very crucial!

Regardless of our political leanings, elections are over now and a new government is here. Let us avoid the Pull Him Down attitude, unnecessary criticisms and insults. Lets rather offer whatever support we can garner to help move our nation forward. Whenever we have to criticize genuinely, lets keep it constructive rather than destructive. We cannot afford to undermine our own growth for another four whole years in the name of gaining political advantage. Wishing the downfall of a government in your country of residence, is like being in an airplane and wishing that the pilot commits a blunder. If it results in a crush, your guess is as good as mine.

Post-Election Violence

The unfortunate incidence of post election violence which had been witnessed in the past and continue to occur amidst attacks and counter attacks on political opponents, seizure of public toilets, toll booths, NADMO offices and in some cases refuse dumps could be attributed to poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. People feel the only time they can be assured of jobs and better standards of living is when their government is in power. This explains why people are even prepared to die or kill to see their parties in power. All these could seize if governments work hard enough to provide good governance and quality living standards for all Ghanaians. This will ensure that supporters will not need their parties in power to secure jobs or improvements in their standards of living.

No room for disappointment

To the incoming administration, it is my hope that you consider your victory as a rare lifetime opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of Ghanaians. You cannot afford to disappoint! I am always saddened to see people, young and old alike, queue on election days to vote. Some of these people have featured in such queues every four years for the past decades to vote, with the hope of seeing improvement in their lives. Unfortunately, some have grown old and others have even died while the expected improvement continues to remain an illusion. It is my hope that you dont renege on your part of the bargain. Please dont add to the tall list of disappointing tenures.

Conclusion

Whichever way you decide to exercise the power given you, remember there will be time to account both to the electorate and to your maker. I saw events prior to the 2008 elections, play out glaringly in the run up to this years election and I knew immediately that the NDC was heading for trouble. Be careful you dont make similar mistakes lest you end up like them. Watch your appointees since they could trigger the beginning of your end. Our elders say Opanyin aa ohw3 ma mmofra we nanka no, y3ka nanka we fo aa oka ho, meaning, the elder who sits unconcerned while children devour pythons is considered when python consumers are being counted. Be bold to take the necessary but difficult decisions. Bite really hard when you have to, for the sake of our dear country. Endeavor to serve to the best of your ability. Guard against ever becoming a Baah because if you do, the same gulungungu (big stick) that was used on Takyi could be used on you too. Never underestimate the electorate, for you do so at your own peril.

Congrats once again, President-elect. I wish you a successful tenure.

God bless our homeland Ghana, God bless us all!

Written by: Mohammed Zunurene, Broadcast Journalist, GBC.
MTN Ghana has presented items meant for newly born babies as part of efforts to religiously mark the celebration of the birth of Christ during the Christmas occasion.

The items which includes two hundred (200) pieces of hampers worth  36, 000 were presented to babies born during the yuletide at three government hospitals in Accra such as La General Hospital, Ridge Hospital and Police Hospital.

According to Mr. Robert Kuzoe , Senior Manager of MTN Ghana Foundation who led members of the MTN Employee Volunteer Association to present the items to the nursing mothers noted that the move forms part of their social investment to support development in the country.

He indicated that the donation forms part of MTNs Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Mr. Kuzoe added that the foundation has been embarking on such benevolent exercise annually to express their love to mothers who gave birth on Christmas Day.

He however said this year they decided to extend this gesture to other hospitals that have not benefit from this donation exercise.

We are doing this to demonstrate that our brand is a caring brand. And also, to brighten the lives of babies that were born on Christmas season, he stated.

Mr. Kuzoe posited that as a caring organization they will continue to expand their social investment to champion the cause of development in all communities.

According to him, hospitals such as Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in the Ashanti Region, Effia Nkwanta Hospital in the Western Region and Tamele Teaching Hospital have all benefited from this kind gesture in the past.

The hospital administrators joined the nursing mothers after the presentation of the items to express their gratitude to the MTN Team for the honour done them.

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The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has entered into a joint venture agreement with Ibistek Crowley for the construction of a 7500TU off-dock container terminal at the Takoradi Port.

The container terminal, when completed, is expected to help decongest the port and improve greatly the handling of containers at the port while allowing sufficient space within the precinct of the port to be used for other equally important activities that will generate extra revenue for the ports.

The site year marked for the project is the old Prime Wood area within the Sekondi  Takoradi Metropolis

During a press interaction, the Director of Takoradi Port, of the GPHA Captain Ebenezer Afadzi who disclosed this said some 97,000 square metres of land had been reclaimed for the terminal.

He added that GPHA would also construct a floating dock to enable ships and supply vessels that berthed at the port to repair any fault they may encounter.

The Takoradi Port according to Capt. Afadzi was partnering Ghana Cement Manufacturing Company to construct a spacious car park at the Old Slaughter House at New Takoradi to ease traffic congestion while they had completed a 1.08 kilometre breakwater with a 16 metre depth that would enable larger vessels from the West African Sub-region to berth without any difficulty, thus achieving its vision of becoming a one-stop -shop for oil and gas services.

On the ongoing expansion works at the port, he noted that it will enable a single large vessel to load 120,000 metric tonnes of cargo at a go, against the 40,000 handled by a vessel now.

Let me say that the successful completion of the port expansion works would improve the turnaround time and eliminate double handling of cargo and drastically reduce the cost of doing business at the facility.

And this also will create employment for the youth in the metropolis, accommodate larger vessels and become the preferred destination for shipping companies in the West African sub-region and end the stowaway that our youth are heavily involved in, he added.

Other projects that the port is engaged in is a collaboration with the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) to construct an oil tank farm with a 13,500 litre capacity for marine diesel oil so that vessels that berthed at the port could refill their tanks.

Capt. Afadzi said Sub-Sea Seven Company, which was awarded the contract to construct fabrication yard at the port, had so far undertaken fabrication works and welded vital oil and gas equipment for some oil companies operating on the oilfield.

He disclosed that for instance the Shed Four had been demolished and in its place constructed a storage facility for ENIs equipment, therefore, making the port a one-stop for oil and gas services.

The Takoradi Port which was constructed in 1928, in recent times since Ghana found oil has been witnessing major expansion works to render modern services to its clients and become the preferred destination for vessels in the sub-region.

Already the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Government secured an initial loan facility of 197 million Euros from the Belgian Government for expansion of the Takoradi Port.

Parliament also in January this year also approved another loan facility of 160 million Euros for the second phase of the expansion works which would be completed in the next two to three years.
Samuel Avaala, General Manager of Benso Oil Palm Plantation Limited (BOPP), has called on government and policy makers to review policies on oil palm production to create a favourable business environment.

This, according to him, would enable the private sector and government to collaborate to make the oil palm industry compete with the cocoa industry to create wealth for rural communities and also boost the economy.

Mr Avaala made the call at a durbar during which 34 workers, 13 independent palm fruit suppliers and communities, and eight smallholder farmers received various awards in recognition of their meritorious services to the company.

Giving instances of some bottlenecks in the industry, he said the company paid GHC1 million for domestic energy alone this year whereas the company's direct cost of processing a tonne of fresh fruit bunch was about seven dollars, the corresponding indirect cost was about 10 dollars.

To this end, the company would from next production year begin to pay a 12.5 percent corporate tax.

He quizzed Is this not high cost of doing business in Ghana?

Mr Avaala said though Ghana was a net importer of crude palm oil with a climatic condition suitable for cultivation of oil palm, there were challenges with land acquisition coupled with non-existence of suitable long term and patent capital for agriculture, particularly tree crops.

He, therefore, appealed to traditional rulers, district assemblies, development partners and other stakeholders to address this problem so that investors through BOPP could expand nucleus estate and smaller holders and out grower schemes.

He said for the past three years, the company has paid a total of GH26.3 million in purchasing fruits from small holders and out growers and transporters in the Western and Central Regions and this could be significantly increased if more land was made available for development.

Touching on successes chalked, he said between January and November, this year, the company processed 100,936 metric tonnes of fresh fruit bunches compared to 89,681 metric tonnes processed in the same period last year, representing a 12.5 percent.

For corporate social responsibilities, Mr. Avaala said the company has awarded scholarships to a total of 44 students in the catchment area and children of employees at the second cycle and tertiary levels, bringing to 246 beneficiaries since the inception of a scholarship scheme in 2007.

He announced that the company, which would celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, was adjudged leader in agriculture and agribusiness in Ghana at this year's Ghana Investment Promotion Centre's Club 100 awards.

GNA
Togbe Afede XIV, Board Chairman, NIB

28.12.2016 LISTEN

The National Investment Bank (NIB) Limited recently launched its International Master Card at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra to make transactions easy for customers.

The cards- the service go card, standard debit card, and the prepaid card  were outdoored by Togbe Afede XIV, Board Chairman of NIB at a cocktail hosted by the bank.

According to the Board Chairman, NIB was focusing on expanding its branch network to grow its market share and maximise shareholder value.

He also said the bank intends to reposition its operations to take advantage of the growing Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) sector.

He further averred that our bank is well positioned to take advantage and support the new governments job creation agenda, especially locating industries in our hinterlands. Our branch expansion programme is to take advantage of such initiatives.

He noted that the bank was able to subdue fiscal pressures in the domestic economy over the past couple of years to register modest gains.

John Asamoah, CEO of NIB, said the bank was working to establish 10 more branches at strategic locations across Ghana.

This, according to him, was aimed at supporting the district industrialisation project, as well as government's resolve to provide incentives for agribusiness.

Additionally, he said NIB would focus on supporting young entrepreneurs with capital.
Mehbooba Mufti's PDP has always been soft towards separatists, Sushil Pandit alleged.

By India Today Web Desk: Activist Sushil Pandit has taken to task the Mehbooba Mufti government of Jammu and Kashmir for the release of separatist leader Masarat Alam.

Pandit alleged that the PDP government in the state deliberately made a weak case against the separatist leader enabling the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to order his release.

HERE IS WHAT HE SAID:

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1. This is not carelessness. This is a conscious effort (on the part of the state government).

2. This (state) government has always showed its support in not bringing Alam before law.

3. Alam is a habitual offender. He was first arrested five years ago.

4. The stone pelting mastermind was released on March 8, 2015 soon after the PDP and BJP alliance came to power in the state.

5. At that time it was called political retinue.

6. The point is that PDP has always been soft towards the separatists.

7. Nobody is surprised that a weak case was made against Alam, enabling the court to grant him bail.

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Five people, including the chief of Ejisu-Besease, Nana Akwasi Acheampong II, have been arrested for allegedly killing a 44-year-old man, who is said to be a member of the royal family.

Akwasi Oheme, a block manufacturer in the farming community, sustained head injuries after an unprovoked attack on him at the chief's palace at Besease on Sunday afternoon.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.

Police arrested Nana Akwasi Acheampong II along with four other men, including the unit committee chairman of the community, and one Sarpong on Monday on suspicion of beating the man to death.

The chief, a family uncle of the victim, had summoned Wofa Akwasi Oheme to his palace to answer questions on why he cut a tree into piece with the intention to sell without recourse to him.

Yaa Boamah, an elder sister of the victim, said the family had been shocked by Mr Ohemes death, and was liaising with Ejisu Police to bring the culprits to book.

She narrated that there had been long-standing dispute between her brother and the chief over a piece of land at Besease.

According to the victim's sister, Nana Acheampong, with support from the paramount chief of Ejisu, about three and half years ago pulled down a building under construction that belonged to their family gate.

Madam Yaa Boamah disclosed that this infuriated the family, and the victim, who were not enthused with the abusive words hurled at the chief, adding that Nana Acheampong caused the arrest of her brother for three days.

The matter was forwarded to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, who referred it to the Sumankwahene for amicable settlement, she recounted.

She added that the Ejisumanhene was asked to compensate the family for the loss of property, which he agreed.

She said her brother also began a construction of a residential accommodation on a plot of land close to the cemetery this year.

While the victim was on site working on his building last Saturday, an old tree at the graveyard fell and landed on the tomb of someone, which compelled Wofa Oheme to rush to the scene.

He decided to cut the tree and sell the logs for a fee, but Nana Akwasi Acheampong II aka Kwaku Akwamoah, who got wind of it, rushed to the site and allegedly directed the victim to leave the logs for him or be punished.

Yaa Boamah stated that her brother demanded refund of cost incurred in cutting the tree into pieces if the chief wished to take the logs.

According to her, this did not go down well with Nana Acheampong who ordered his boys to beat Akwasi Oheme.

He summoned him the next day (Sunday) to his palace to come and answer why he cut the tree without any recourse to the chief, and he was beaten in the process, the victim's sister narrated further.

She told the press her brother was clubbed to death by the chief and his cohorts who had gathered at the palace.

Before this incident, we had heard rumours that the Besease chief, who is our family uncle, had planned to eliminate my brother or get him imprisoned on trump-up charges as he was becoming a stumbling block to his sale of lands at Besease, she indicated.

Yesterday (Sunday), I had a call that my brother was dead. I got to the scene and found him lying down prostrate with blood coming from his nose.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi
The Upper West Regional Police Command has confirmed the killing of a police constable by suspected armed robbers.

The incident reportedly occurred when Constable Edmund Kokovi was reporting to his post at the residence of the District Chief Executive of Wechiau in the Wa West District.

Supt. Alhaji Fuseini Musa Awenaba, Regional Crime Officer, told Citi FM in Accra that the suspected robbers fired a gun and then sped off on a motor bike.

He said they were speeding and the policeman tried to use his torchlight to flag them to slow down but in the process, they stopped and one of them fired the weapon.

They were on top speed so he was flashing his torchlight for them to slow down. As soon as he got down one of the suspects fired him from the bush because they saw that he was a policeman, claimed Supt. Musa Awenaba

He said the suspects ran into a nearby bush, adding that an eyewitness later reported the incident to the police.

The person who picked him sensed danger and so he turned and came back to the police to alert his colleagues to go to his aid. But when they got there he was lying in a pool of blood. They rushed him to the District Hospital where he was confirmed dead. As at now the body has been deposited at the Wa Regional Hospital for autopsy and preservation, the Crime Officer narrated.
Monrovia, Liberia (28th December, 2016) The Special Presidential Task Force (SPTF) has released over 500 pages of evidence relating to the ongoing sable mining bribery case to Criminal Court C as ordered by Presiding Judge Yammie Quiqui Gbeisay Jr.

Minister J. Fonanit Koffa who chairs the SPTF said evidence submitted, contains testimonies of some of the major players in the saga coupled with email exchanges and business records.

We believe that a crime was committed and through the evidence, we will be able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt, he said.

Minister Koffa disclosed that key among the 517 pages of evidence submitted, are the full identities of Big Boy One and Big Boy Two respectively.

In another development, the SPTF has acknowledged receiving the bank statements of Sherman and Sherman and Cllr. Varney G. Sherman from the First International (FI) Bank in partial compliance of the Subpoena from the court.

The Special Presidential Task Force was established by Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and given a multi-purpose mandate to tackle corruption cases, prepare an effective anti-terrorism plan for the country and draft, in close coordination with the Ministry of Justice, legislations implementing key portions of the Code of Conduct and proposing the enactment of Liberia national reconciliation scheme based on the Truth and Reconciliation Report and recommendations.

Signed;

Boima JV Boima,

Head of Media Consultancy,

Special Presidential Task Force,

Ministry of State.
UK High Commissioner Jon Benjamin has been forced to delete a tweet suggestively jabbing President John Mahama.

Jon Benjamin tweeted that the Harmattan season has suddenly begun and wondered whether it had been inaugurated.

Although he makes no mention of the President, the joke is a familiar jab at President Mahama who has been mocked on social media for a spree of project commissioning weeks to the elections.

His critics say he hastily commissioned projects that were yet to be completed because of political gain.

The UK High Commisioner who has not shied away from commenting publicly on Ghanaian politics, joined in the social media jabs and mockery.

His propensity for humour was not lost in the tweet. But it appears to have been lost on some Ghanaians on social media.

Many on social media reacted angrily to the tweet, believing it to subtly mock President John Mahama.

The anger appears to have had a toll on the UK High Commissioner who has since deleted the tweet.

Jon Benjamin has gained a reputation for his tweets on issues publicly discussed. His favourite target has been controversial founder of the International God's Way International Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim

He took to twitter to mock Obinim after he was charged with physical abuse contrary to the Domestic Violence Act (732). The Bishop stoked controversy after he said in church he could change to animals and appear in people's dreams.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
The Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) wants state owned media to become independent when the new government takes over in January 2017.

GJAs demand comes on the back of Akufo-Addo's criticism of the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) prior to the December 7 polls.

Akufo-Addo boycotted the presidential debate organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and GBC and accused the state broadcaster of acting like a propaganda wing of the ruling party.

The GJA has taken note of the President-elect's accusation of the state-owned media of bias in their reportage. We on their behalf take the criticism in good faith. Although we do not wish to hold brief for them, we at the same time request that under Nana Akufo-Addo's administration, the necessary reforms would be carried out to strengthen freedom and independence of the state-owned media in particular, the GJA said in a statement to congratulate the president-elect and signed by its President, Affail Monney.

GJA further urged the president-elect to pass the Broadcasting Law as well as the Right to Information Law which has been at the consideration stage for over a decade now.

We are confident that the President-elect when he takes office would apply that same zeal in ensuring the enactment of a Broadcasting Law and the Right to Information Law, which was under wrangling in the out-going Parliament. Both laws will be crucial not only in promoting excellence in journalism but also improving the general information flow.

GBC

Below is the full statement:

GJA Congratulates President-Elect Nana Akufo-Addo

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) wishes to congratulate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his election as the President of Ghana. The Association considers his election to the highest office of the land a credit to his perseverance and tenacity in the service of Ghanaian politics, the defense of human rights and loyalty to democracy.

We note with admiration, his determination never to give up on his dreams of becoming President by contesting the position this year despite losing on two pervious occasions as flag-bearer of his party, the New Patriotic Party.

The Association is confident that his rise through the fight for democracy and political development in Ghana's recent history, especially as a human rights activist through the Movement for Freedom and Justice, the Kumipreko demonstrations and his role in setting up the Ghana Committee for People's and Human Rights, a non-governmental organization in defence and education on human rights in Ghana would continue to shape his plans and programmes concerning the development of the country.

The GJA recalls the critical role the First Gentleman of the land in-waiting played when he was Attorney-General and Minister of Justice under the Kufuor Administration in the repeal of the Criminal Libel and Sedition Law in August 2001.

His experience and expertise can therefore not be in doubt and we hope that he will bring them to bear, to enhance good governance and democratic development of Ghana.

We are confident that the President-elect when he takes office would apply that same zeal in ensuring the enactment of a Broadcasting Law and the Right to Information Law, which was under wrangling in the out-going Parliament. Both laws will be crucial not only in promoting excellence in journalism but also improving the general information flow.

The GJA has taken note of the President-elect's accusation of the state-owned media of bias in their reportage. We on their behalf take the criticism in good faith. Although we do not wish to hold brief for them, we at the same time request that under Nana Akufo-Addo's administration, the necessary reforms would be carried out to strengthen freedom and independence of the state-owned media in particular.

We have already cited the importance of the passage of a Broadcasting Law and Right to Information Law. The Association also proposes a system under which state-owned media houses which receive government subventions do not take them directly from any ministry but instead from the National Media Commission and with Parliamentary oversight. Such reforms are necessary to free state-owned media in particular from subtle governmental intimidation.

The GJA pledges to collaborate and support the continued promotion of press freedom and media accountability in Ghana, which we know the President-elect has always stood for. Although he has openly expressed his misgivings about excesses in the Ghanaian media, we hope he will remain a strong protagonist of freedom and independence of the media.

It is our hope that under his presidency Ghana will undertake policies and programmes that inspire excellence in the Ghanaian media.

The Association wishes the president-elect God's guidance in his new position and assures him of the GJA's cooperation in the enhancement of functional democracy.

SIGNED

Affail Monney



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
28.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - The Regional Chairmen's caucus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for calm and moment of retrospection for scientific analysis of the factors which contributed to the Party's defeat in Election 2016.

The Regional Chairmen noted that: 'This is a moment for sober reflection and not time to play the blame game or panic reaction we must stop the media war, cease personality attacks. The media is not a platform for the NDC post-election analysis.

'All those who have something to contribute towards revamping the Party must use internal mechanism and structures.

'We need constructive recommendations, scientific solutions, and technical examination of Election 2016'.

The NDC Regional Chairmen's Caucus stated in a communiquA issued in Accra on Wednesday and copied to the Ghana News Agency titled: 'Preliminary Analysis of the Election 2016 - Perspective of Regional Chairmen'.

The communiquA was issued after stock-taking meeting in Accra, which was attended by: Mr Kobina Ade-Coker, Greater Accra; Mr Micheal Aidoo, Western; Alhaji Mumuni Bolnaba, Upper East; Mr John K. Gyapong, Volta; Mr Opoku Atuahene, Brong Ahafo; and Mr Matthew Song-Aabo, Upper West; Mr Bismark Tawiah Boateng, Eastern; and Mr Yaw Obimpeh, Ashanti.

Alhaji Sofo Azorka, Northern and Mr Allotey Jacobs of the Central were however not present at the meeting.

The CommuniquA also tasked each Constituency Executives to immediately start Constituency broad-based stock-taking engagement to pragmatically come out with issues which contributed to the success, defeat or poor performance of the Party.

The Constituencies must also evaluate the correlation between the Presidential and Parliamentary votes vi-sa-vi our main opponents in Elections 2016; 2012 and 2008.

'We must also scrutinize our campaign messages across board in the past three elections - use of technology, media, foot-soldiers, public engagements, campaign material, and other campaign methodologies'.

The NDC Regional Chairmen caucus also tasked the Constituency Executives to forward outcomes to their respective Regional Chairmen; 'we must however desist from premature diagnosis and analysis in the media'.

The Regional Chairmen also commended President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur; Ministers of State; and Members of Parliament for the various roles they had played in sustaining the Party.

'We also commend our new Members of Parliament for gallantly winning their respective seats, we take this opportunity to encourage them to team up with their senior colleagues to hold high the Umbrella in the next Parliament'.

The CommuniquA also urged NDC members to stand firm and be proud of their Government's performance over the past years; the Party safely managed the nation through one of the most difficult political, economic and social periods of Ghana's history.

'The good news is that contrary to what our critics say, the NDC managed this difficult period very well and we are handing over a stable, vibrant and a united nation to our opponents on January 7, 2017.

'The NDC Regional Chairmen assured Ghanaians of continuous good leadership at the national, regional, and constituency levels even in opposition to ensure a prosperous future that lie ahead of Ghana'.

GNA
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA

Cape Coast, Dec. 28, GNA - The President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed gratitude to the people of Central Region for deciding his victory in the 2016 general elections.

The Region voted massively for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which saw the Party won nineteen of the twenty-three parliamentary seats including two die hard seats of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Nana Akufo-Addo who was addressing the Central Regional House of Chiefs on Tuesday as part of his thank you tour to the Region, pledged to fulfil to the later every campaign promise he made to the Region.

He was accompanied by the National Campaign Manager, Mr Peter Mac Manu, acting National General Secretary, Mr John Boadu, acting National Chairman, Mr Freddie Blay and other National and Regional Executives of the Party.

'I have to thank you for voting massively for the NPP. Before the 2016 elections, we had only seven seats but now, nineteen seats including the Twifo Atti Morkwa and Ekumfi seats which we never thought of winning, are now for the NPP,' he said.

'I was shocked when I heard the NPP had won the Twifo Atomorkwa and Ekumfi Constituency seats. Indeed the Central Region has made history in the country's politics,' he added.

Nana Akufo-Addo in his 'Rise and Build' tour to the Central Region prior to the 2016 elections, described the Region as a 'key battleground region' which the NPP had to win if they were to secure outright victory in the elections.

Nana Akufo -Addo reiterated that he would construct the first phase of landing sites at Cape Coast, Winneba, Moree and other fishing communities in the Region as promised in his campaign.

Nana Akufo Addo said his Government would ensure the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in 2018.

This, he said was to strengthen the local governance system and offer Ghanaians the opportunity to choose who they preferred to represent their interest as Chief Executive in the assembly.

The issue of electing MMDCEs remained one of the key campaign messages of the NPP in the build-up to the 2016 general elections and therefore seeing it materialise would be a mission accomplished for the Party.

Nana Akufo Addo said he would work closely with the chiefs especially in the selection of the various Chief Executives for the assemblies.

The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Oberempong Nyamfo Krampah XI, appealed to the President-elect to help restore the lost glory of the chieftaincy institution by involving the chiefs in decision making.

He said chiefs were not only custodians of the land but key stakeholders in the governance structure especially at the district level.

He assured Nana Addo of a continued support from chiefs in the Central Region.

GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

By Ken Sackey, GNA

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - The Western Regional House of Chiefs has expressed its readiness to assist the President-Elect of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to fight corruption, when he assumes the reins of governance on January 7, 2017.

Ogyeahorhuor Kwaku Gyebi II, the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, who is also the Chief of the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area, stated: 'Corruption is the cancer that is destroying our motto, 'Freedom and Justice', and tearing the fabric of our nationhood apart.'

Ogyeahorhuor Gyebi, said this, on Tuesday, when Akufo-Addo, in the company of Vice President-elect Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and some party stalwarts, paid a call on the Western Regional House of Chiefs to show appreciation to the chiefs and people for the massive show of support given him and the Party at the recent December 7, polls.

'You can count on the Chiefs of this Region to support you in the effort to weed out or minismise corruption,' he told Nana Akufo-Addo and his team Ogyeahorhuor Gyebi stated that the worst form of corruption was bureaucratic and judicial corruption.

He explained: 'It shreds our faith in the institutions of state. Our nationhood is challenged by all faces of corruption, which goes against every grain of our traditional values.

'As Chiefs, we are also aware that it is leadership that moulds morality and values. This explains the analogy: 'when a fish is rotten its starts from the head'.

'For any CEO of an organisation there is a saying - 'The buck stops on my desk''.

The President of the Regional House of Chiefs commended Nana Akufo-Addo's statements made at his encounter with the Private Enterprise Federation on Wednesday, December 21, which stated that: 'Those who seek to be in my government to make money are going to be disappointed. They will make money in the private sector, not in the public sector.'

This statement, according to Ogyeahorhuor Kwaku Gyebi II, was proof of Nana Akufo-Addo's determination to fighting corruption.

He expressed confidence that the President-Elect, in the fight against corruption, saying, 'You will put in place, as soon as you come into office, a high level Implementation Committee for the National Anti-Corruption Plan.'

Ogyeahorhuor Gyebi noted that Ghanaians had taken their time over the years to know and understand Nana Akufo-Addo, adding that, the result of this year's election was a vote of confidence in his leadership abilities.

'In spite of the vile propaganda to malign your person, Ghanaians know you in the political field,' he said. 'You have consistently stood for the freedom and democratisation of Ghana.'

He paid tribute to Nana Akufo Addo: 'You were the General Secretary for the People's Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ). You were part of the Alliance For Change (AFC).

'In your professional capacity, you have had the courage to defend the media on the question of freedom. It is thought provoking that it is the media freedom that was also used to castigate and denigrate your person and subvert your character.'

Ogyeahorhuor Gyebi said: 'As a part of the Kufuor administration, you served with

unquestionable integrity and humility. Your 2012 Election petition and the acceptance of the verdict revealed your respect for this nation and her institutions, and your attachment to peace.

'Over time, your actions have contributed immensely to the growth and progress of our nation. You have consistently demonstrated an unusual commitment to Ghana, which we believe is bringing you into office as our First Gentleman, by God's grace and the will of the people, on 7th January, 2017.'

GNA
By Gifty Amofa, GNA

Kumasi, Dec 28, GNA - An unemployed man has been arrested over the theft of GHE 27,000.00 from a financial institution - Dalex Finance.

Carletto Bonaldi, 26, has already appeared before a Kumasi Circuit Court and remanded into prison custody.

He has been charged with abetment of crime and stealing and he pleaded not guilty.

The accused would make his next appearance on Tuesday, January 03.

He is said to have aided three former employees of the company - Jerry, Atta and Francis, and one other lady, Abigail, who are all on the run, to steal the money.

Police Chief Inspector Hannah Acheampong told the court, presided over by Mrs. Mary Nsenkyire that the crime was committed in September.

The three ex-workers together with Bonaldi and Abigail used stolen pay slips of some workers to take the said amount of money as loans from the company.

The deal was uncovered through Dalex Finance's own internal checks. GNA
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA

Cape Coast, Dec. 28, GNA - The President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said his Government would ensure the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in 2018.

This, he said, was to strengthen the local governance system and offer Ghanaians the opportunity to choose who they preferred to represent their interest as Chief Executive in the Assembly.

Nana Akufo-Addo said this on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on the chiefs of the Central Region as part of his 'thank you' tour of the Region.

He was accompanied by the National Campaign Manager, Mr Peter Mac Manu, acting National General Secretary, Mr John Boadu, acting National Chairman, Mr Freddie Blay and other national and regional executives of the Party.

The issue of whether MMDCEs should be elected or not had taken a centre stage in the country's politics for some time now with some stakeholders and partners sharing opposing views on the issue.

It was one of the topical issues in the build-up to the 2016 general elections with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Progressive People's Party (PPP) being the main champions.

But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) also promised to ensure the election of the MMDCEs in its second term of office.

The statement by the President-elect would be welcome news for stakeholders and partners who had lauded the idea of electing MMDCEs.

Nana Addo said he would work closely with the chiefs especially in the selection of the various Chief Executives for the Assemblies.

Nana Addo assured that he would fulfil to the later every campaign promise to the Region and that of the country including the famous one-district-one-factory, and one million per constituency policy.

The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs Oberempong Nyamfo Krampah XI, appealed to the President-elect to help restore the lost glory of the chieftaincy institution by involving the chiefs in decision making.

He said chiefs were not only custodians of the land but key stakeholders in the governance structure especially at the district level.

He assured Nana Addo of a continued support from chiefs in the Central Region.

GNA
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Dec 28 (PTI) A new draft proposal circulated among Nuclear Suppliers Group member states early this month could pave the way for India to become a member of the elite club, but this is unlikely to happen before the end of the Obama presidency next month.

The American push for India to become a full-fledged member of the NSG would now have to be pursued by the incoming Trump Administration as the outgoing Obama Administration is unlikely to fulfill its promise made to the Modi Government before its term expires January 20, informed sources said.

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A draft formula for NSG membership to countries like India and Pakistan that are not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was submitted by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the former NSG Chair, who prepared the report on behalf of South Korea, the current NSG chair.

According to Arms Control Association (ACA), a Washington-based think-tank who has been a fierce opponent of India-US civil nuclear deal and Indias membership to NSG, the two-page draft formula proposes "nine general commitments" that non-NPT countries like India and Pakistan "would need to make" in order to receive the "fullest" atomic trading privileges.

Slamming the draft proposal for "lowering the bar", Daryl G Kimball of ACA observed that this could pave the way for India becoming a NSG member as it already fulfills all these nine criteria outlined in the draft proposal, which was informally discussed by NSG members in Vienna this month.

Informed sources in the US Government told PTI that the current "time-line" does not ensure Indias membership under the Obama Administration, for which it had tried hard, but for the Chinese "resistance" in this regard.

As such, Indias NSG membership, an unfinished agenda of the India-US relationship of the outgoing US President would now have to be taken up by his successor Donald Trump.

While the civil nuclear deal was an initiative of a Republican Administration, George W Bush, the incoming Trump Administration has not made any public comment in this regard.

The issue is, however, believed to have come up for discussion during the initial phase of contacts that top Indian officials have established with the presidential transition team.

Revealing details of the nine-point formula for non-NPT States to become a NSG members, ACA says that interested countries should have implemented andhave brought into force a clear and strict separation of current and futurecivilian nuclear facilities from non-civilian nuclear facilities in [non-NPTapplicant] and have providedand maintain a declaration to the IAEA that identifies all current and futurecivilian nuclear facilities in [non-NPT applicant]. MORE PTI LKJ ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
28.12.2016 LISTEN

By Gifty Amofa, GNA

Kumasi, Dec 28, GNA - Three men standing trial at a Kumasi Circuit Court over printing of fake election observer accreditation cards have each been granted GHE50,000.00 bail with two sureties to be justified.

Stephen Chandauk, Richard Gyan and Awuah Amoah Gyasi were ordered to make their next appearance on January 24.

They are facing charges of conspiracy, forgery and possession of forged official document and pleaded not guilty.

They were remanded into prison custody on their first court appearance.

Their other accomplice, whose name was only given as 'Sly' and reported to be a known activist of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is on the run.

The accused had been caught right in the act of printing the fake election observer accreditation cards at a printing press in Adum, Kumasi, on December 07 - the voting day.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Asumadu Okyere-Darko, told the court, presided over by Mrs. Mary Nsenkyire that a total of 128 fake accreditation cards were retrieved, when the police moved in to arrest them at about 1030 hours.

He said samples sent to the Electoral Commission (EC) for examination confirmed that the cards were indeed fake.

The prosecution said Chandauk in his caution statement claimed he was instructed to print the cards by fugitive Sly. GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

By A.B. Kafui Kanyi, GNA

Ho, Dec. 28, GNA - The Ghana National Fire Service in the Volta Region has deployed rapid response teams across the area against fire disasters.

The Regional Fire Command is also on high alert to prevent fire disasters at national installations, markets, hospitals and banks, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO), Madam Daniella Mawusi Sarpong, Regional Fire Commander told the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday.

She said the initiative had become necessary following reports of fire incidence in some districts during the Christmas festivities.

ACFO Sarpong said though the Service was on top of the situation, it was not taking chances, in a bid to reduce domestic and bushfires.

'The harmattan has just started and we don't want to be taken unaware. Our men are at vantage points. We are doing sensitisations on radio and in communities so we hope to see reduction in fire disasters this time,' she stated.

ACFO Sarpong asked the public to observe fire safety precautions, be mindful of use and management of sources of heat ignitions and cautioned against bush burning activities.

The Region is known to record high incidence of bushfire during harmattan and recorded 240 fire incidences as at November.

GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - Courtesy of Mobile Network Operator, Tigo, Ghana will join the rest of the world to usher in the New Year with live band music and spectacular fireworks and lights at the Junction Mall in Accra.

A statement issued by Gifty Bingley, Director, Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility, Tigo- Ghana, in Accra said the event, which will start at 1900 hours on New Year's Eve, will see thrilling performances from a number of gospel artistes including Obaapa Christy and Cwesi Oteng.

The countdown to midnight will see spectacular fireworks and lights display and then Shatta Wale will usher in the New Year with thrilling performances from his hit songs.

The event is open to the public and will also have food vendors on hand to serve revellers.

GNA
Christians have been handed a critical admonition to make positive use of social media as an effective tool in the spreading of God's word as part of efforts to bring non-christians and Christians together under one community.

The Very Rev. Felix Tawiah Danquah, Minister of the Mount. Sinai Methodist Church International threw the challenge at the official unveiling of Ghana's maiden Christian social media network Asoreba.com, launched Monday 26th December, 2016 at the ICGC Strong Tower Taifa, Accra.

The launch was on the team 'Evangelizing And Promoting Christian Values Through Online Media'.

Asoreba is an online Christian platform created to bring together diverse Christian communities for the purpose of evangelism, networking, encouragement, sharing and experiencing different cultures globally.

According to him, technology has brought to us an amazing branch of our everyday life which is social media where issues on a wide range of topics are being discussed and ideas shared.

"It is therefore critical for the church to take advantage of the social media and all the growing dynamics associated with it and put them to good use and make God's word available to users online. I commend the creators of this online Christian platform Asoreba.com" the respected man of God indicated.

In a remark, the Special Guest of Honour, Nana Dr. Appiagyei Dankawoso I, who sounded very passionate about the Gospel, pledged to offer his full support for Asoreba.com and urged Christians to take full charge of the social network and share the word of God across all nations.

Chairman for the occasion, Dr. Godfred Akyea Darkwah, also added his voice to expressing ourselves through christian messages and devotions. He commended the creators of Asoreba.com.

"I also urge the team to use this innovation to create wealth on the platform by selling Christian Literature and videos, audios among others. You can download a book and then pay online and by that you can also cash in," the Chairman said.

Resident Pastor of ICGC Strong Tower Taifa, Rev. Acheampong Yiadom Boakye commended the team for the hard work put into it.

He said Christianity should not be left out of the global change Technology is driving hence Asoreba.com should be made to fill the void by mobilising people to subscribe to the network.

For his part, the founder of Asoreba.com, Mr. Jonah Addae Owusu revealed that the objective of Asoreba is to strengthen Christians in their relationship with God and to share the Gospel.

"Asoreba exists to encourage, enrich and unite Christians from Pentecostal Evangelical fraternity. We innovatively look for ways to carry out our mandates through cross-cultural Christian experiences," he revealed.

He added that the ministry precedence is focused towards Pentecostal Charismatic Evangelical Christians, their families and such institutions they represent from among the Pentecostal Evangelical fraternity.

"We are committed to providing cross-cultural experiences to all Christians, families and institutions," he emphasized.
28.12.2016 LISTEN

As the elections are over and the president elect is settling down, one of his main challenges will be job creation. First, because it is his mandate as president. But second, because it was a major campaign issue in election 2016. I dare say unemployment constituted about 50-60 percent why our new president was voted to office. I could even say his re-election in 2020 would greatly hinge on how he is able to create jobs for the youth of our country. But before the president starts the battle, lets look at the real problem.

Ghana has 12 Public Universities, 64 Private Universities and 10 Polytechnic (Now Technical Universities). These sum up to 86 Universities, each of these 86 Universities are producing graduates each year; most of whom are expecting government to provide employment for them. Unfortunately, government and the private sector are only able to provide employment to about 10 percent of the graduates.

If each of these institutions produces an average of 2,000 graduates annually, we are going to have 172,000 graduates in the job market each year. Given that 90 percent will not get jobs, there is clearly an oversupply problem. This excludes the surpluses over the years (arrears). When supply exceeds demand, there is not only going to be unemployment, but even the few who get employed would have to contend with lower salaries.

This situation is aggravated by advancement in technology. In our world today, advancement in technology is a major cause of unemployment. It creates fewer jobs and eliminates a lot of them. Not too long ago, we used to write and post letters through the post office. Thanks to advancement in technology (mobile telephony), most of the post office jobs are gone. You dont need to write a letter any longer. A text message on your phone, an email or even a simple phone call can solve the same problem easier, faster and cheaper.

Typist will soon lose their jobs. Because an average worker now is more computer literate than the typist. In my office, almost every staff has his own laptop or is supplied with one. These staff type their own reports because it is easier and faster.

Robots are now being used in car manufacturing, leading to loss of jobs. In some counties robots are used as chefs in restaurants. Libraries are now being automated and so on. All these will lead to lesser jobs in the job market. I dare say that once technology keeps advancing, we are yet to witness the worse form of unemployment.

Given what you have read so far, it appears the future is so bleak for our teeming youth. Isnt it? Not really! There is a saying that, If birds learn how to fly without perching, hunters must also learn how to shoot missing. So there is a solution, and the solution is Multilevel Marketing (MLM) - ENTRENEURSHIP. Not the entrepreneurship taught in our tertiary institutions by those who are not entrepreneurs themselves. As Bob Proctor said; Dont go to a sick doctor for treatment: I mean real, practical entrepreneurship taught by experienced entrepreneurs.

Anytime you mention entrepreneurship to a graduate, his/her first excuse is No capital. Meanwhile; capital is about the last issue when it comes to entrepreneurship. The actual problem is the MINDSET. We are trained in our schools to become employees, not employers/entrepreneurs. So we need a change in orientation. We are not trained to take risks. We are trained to be afraid.

Therefore, if we must be entrepreneurs, we must first change our mindset and orientation. We must take responsibility for our failures and successes in life. We must be ready to work and ask for more before we can get more. But if our minds are fixated on the JOB (Journey of the Broke) that is not even available, we are heading nowhere.

Out of the options available to you as an unemployed person, the easiest, cheapest, fastest and most rewarding way to become an entrepreneur is through Multi Level Marketing (MLM), otherwise known as Network Marketing. This business model is for those who want more out of life; those who want both money and time freedom; those who want to change the world and those who believe there is a better way to live not just survive. Steve Jobs said; Those who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who change the world.

If you are unemployed and has an open mind looking for an opportunity, MLM is for you. If you already have a job and find it difficult to balance your budget at the end of the month. MLM is for you. If you have lost hope in life and looking for an opportunity to restore your hope, MLM is meant for you. If you need both money and time freedom, MLM is for you. If you want to become an entrepreneur, and have a problem with raising the big capital, MLM is for you. And if you are crazy enough to want to change the world, MLM is for you.

Steven Covey (Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) said, Before you climb the ladder, make sure it is leaning against the right building. Similarly, if you are going to join an MLM Company, make sure you join the right company. Many Ghanaians are not so careful in this regard. People jump into businesses without doing any background checks. Yet they wonder why they lose money. Therefore, you need some amount of background checks. You need to research the companys credibility, the products, how long theyve been in business, the awards they have won; their management profile, their compensation plan and so on.

One way you can do this is to log on to businessforhome.org. This website ranks the best 200 MLM companies in the world. Remember that your company doesnt become less credible if it is not part of the 200. However, it adds a lot if your company is one of the top 200.

So what is the concept of Network Marketing or MLM? Network Marketing is a business model which provides an opportunity for people to start and run a business with very little capital. You get training and support from the company system and structures, then work hard to earn REAL MONEY. When you sign up for a network marketing opportunity, you are required to build a team so you can leverage the effort of your team members.

You are paid for your individual efforts and the effort of your team members. So as your team grows so does your income. With time you dont need to work again. You would only work when you want to; not because you have to. Of course, it is always difficult at the beginning. This is because just like a building, a lot of work gets into the foundation, but no one sees anything at that stage. They only begin to see when you start erecting the walls. So is Network marketing, you do a lot of things from the beginning that you dont get paid for; but in the latter years as your team grows, you get paid for a lot of things you dont do. Therefore, network marketing is one of the best ways to build a stream of passive income. All the hard work you do in network marketing is for you. You are building an empire for yourself. And even when you die, your family can inherit it.

I recommend MLM because it has some advantages over as job and they are as follows:-

You dont need qualification or experience to start an MLM business. But you need a good qualification plus 3-5 years experience in order to get employed.

In the MLM business, you earn according to your performance. There is no limit to what you can earn. On the job however, you are paid according to your rank. If you are a junior officer who can perform better than your superior just because you are a junior you would be paid less.

On your job, your employer (Boss) determines (through your salary), when you should eat your lunch, what you should wear, the car you should drive, the schools your children should go and so on. In sharp contrast, you are your own boss. So you determine (because your income is unlimited) what you want to eat when, the school your children should attend, when you sleep and make up etc.

Most MLM companies offer all expense paid trips (through promotions) including, pocket money to various locations in the world. If you travel at all on your job, you are going to perform an assignment with little or no time for sightseeing.

The MLM business also has some advantages over traditional business. These are as follows :

To establish a traditional business, you need to register it, find office space, and pay utilities and so on. In MLM business, all these are taken care of by your company. You dont need to register your business, you dont need office space and you dont need to employ people. The capital required to start a traditional business is so high. However, in MLM you can start your business with as low as GH777.00. Indeed, some are even much lower. You dont need to employ people and pay them salary to work for you in MLM as it is in traditional business. All you do is recruit people into your business to work for themselves (You dont pay them), but as and when they make money you also make money; even if you dont want to.

It is therefore not for nothing that prominent people such as:

Bill Clinton-Former US President (1992-200) Donald Trupm US President elect Bill Gates One of the 5 Richest people in the world Warren Buffect-One of the riches people in the world Robert T. Kiyosaki-Author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

All these people cannot be wrong about the MLM Industry.

What I personally like about network marketing is its vast possibilities and scalability. For instance, in my particular company, you can sign up in 3 different ways. Thus the single header (GH777.00); the triple header (GH2,331.00) and the Seven header (GH5,439.00) depending on your level of believe and affordability. The very ambitious people go in for the seven headers. The possible returns for the 3 options are as follows:

Daily Weekly Monthly Annually

Single Header 1,920 13,440 53,760 491,000

Triple Header 5,760 40,320 161,280 1,473,000

Seven Header 13,440 94,080 376,320 3,437,000

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28.12.2016 LISTEN

We are reliably informed, and let Ghanaians be too, that the outgoing ambassador of Ghana to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Said Sinare, is busily packing furniture and other properties belonging to the State from the Ghanaian Embassy, as at now, to be shipped to his residence in Egypt.

Information gathered indicate that the vehicle bought the ambassador for official duty and other properties such as furniture and so on, are currently going through the process of transition.

We serve notice that this is a criminal act against the government and good people of this country whom he was unwisely placed in Saudi Arabia to serve.

We shall forward this complaint to the security agencies, and the CID for appropriate investigations to be conducted into this brazen act of alleged thievery, and intent to cause financial loss to the State.

Is it not enough that this outgoing NDC government plundered the nation with people of his ilk? Is it not enough that they allegedly broke into the vault of the Bank of Ghana and made away with 44 million dollars a few hours prior to the start of elections 2016?

Let this go far and wide to warn all unscrupulous, unpatriotic people that Ghanaians will not be quiet over such atrocities any longer. The time for proper accountability has set in.

GOD bless Ghana!
28.12.2016 LISTEN

The Ministry Issuing In the Practical Church Life. What is a ministry it is our individual living as saved and so changed people spiritually by God? This changed persons have the divine nature of God being filled in us coupled with the repair of our corrupted nature to His Nature.Such people lives besides ourselves and show the unsaved people the benefit and reason for them to also have such a joy in Jesus Christ.

Such people will have the will of God (The Triune/Trinity God) done first in everything we do not just when we are in church. We also worship God in our being and in our spirit as His Spirit stays in us and us in Him. His Spirit dwells amongst and comforts His Church with such peace beyond human understanding so that He God will build us in the image of the Firstborn and New Adam: -Jesus Christ. His reason is to prepare us for the awaiting glorified bodies our new habitation and no more in cities but in the presence of God.

An aspect of our ministry in the Church or practical Church life is to be lived mostly outside the Church and for all to see as the salt of life.Paul additionally encouraged the church to care for the poor amongst them and not making already rich pastors, even more, richer making the Church of Jesus Christ as a muckle of fairness and cheating and exploiting the flock as you read the following scriptures. These exploiters of the church gather multitude under the pretext of feeding them spiritually yet don't care how these same people don't even have money to pay their bills, yet sow stupid and unspiritual seeds which benefit only a few amongst some churches leadership.

Sadly it has become a competition for those characters to show off and compete with their wealth !!!!!!! In some churches, their leaders change their dresses two or three times during the same service or occasion and such character is not funny or Godly and a direct affront to those who might have borrowed dresses to the very church they are showing themselves in. Wait a minute do you think God is having fun as you worshiping such persons instead of Him. It is just

Rom 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

(27) For they were pleased to do it, and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they ought also to do service to them in material things.

Out of the ministering of Christ to the nations and the offering of them as a sacrifice to God, developed the fellowship of love, the communication in love between the Gentile and Jewish saints. The Gentile saints communicated with the Jewish saints by the means of giving practical, material things. Formerly, in the eyes of the Jews, the

Gentiles were swine; now they have become saints, a fragrant offering to God. Thus, the Gentile believers had it in their heart to care for the material needs of their Jewish brothers and they offered their own possessions as the expression of their desire to take care of the needs of the saints in Judea.

When the apostle Paul came to the Gentiles, he came with Christ and ministered Christ into them....What was the outcome of this? The outcome was that the Gentile believers contributed their own material possessions to care for their ex-enemies, their Jewish brothers in Christ. When Jesus Christ truly delivers and continue to save us we do kindness to all irrespective of whether such people were once our foe or friends.

After the Gentiles had been converted, regenerated, sanctified, and transformed, their old heart had been removed and a new heart had been implanted, a heart of concern for their Jewish brothers. They expressed this concern in a practical way by giving material things....Paul exemplified the practical church life by going with Christ and returning with material possessions. This is the genuine communication in love and practical expression of concern. Just in case we have forgotten our first and now position in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ gave it all for you and me.
Gomoa Ankamu (C/R), Dec. 28, GNA - Nana Ankamu Otabil IX, Chief of Gomoa Ankamu in the Central Region, has commended the Accra Golden Lions Club for celebrating the festival of Nine Lessons and Carols session with children in the community.

The Accra Golden Lions Club organised recreational activities for more than 500 children in the town.

The chief said: "The children hardly experience any celebration. There are rare social activities in the community. The Lions Club has done a lot for these children by their act of love and sharing."

Nana Otabil identified teenage pregnancy as one of the major social challenge the community was facing.

"Teenage pregnancy has become a vicious cycle in this community. The single mothers live under very poor conditions and are not able to cater for their children. The men because of this challenge take advantage of these vulnerable young girls and impregnate them, leaving them to their fate,' he added.

He expressed worry about the neglect of the community by authorities, adding: "There are renowned people who come from this area but they do not return to motivate the young ones and serve as role models for the children to strive for higher education."

He added that the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and other government social interventions programmes had not reached the community.

"The main occupation in this area is farming: cassava and corn. When there is no rain life becomes very difficult for the men. They abandon the women who are left with children to cater for."

Nana Otabil said the children especially the girl's needed scholarships to go to school.

"Some children stay home because their parents cannot provide GHa 1.00 for school. The children need scholarship in order to go to school. The people live under poor conditions with most women being single mothers," he said.

He called on the government and corporate entities to support the children of Gomoa Ankamu with scholarships and draw intervention programmes to the reach of the citizens.

Frank Ayivor, the President of Accra Golden Lions Club said the body was committed to serve the community and acknowledged warm reception the Chief and people of Gomoa Ankamu had accorded the team.

GNA

By Caroline Pomeyie, GNA
Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - Vincent Bosso, one of the suspects on trial in the murder of J. B. Danquah Adu, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, broke into tears in court on Wednesday saying he was innocent.

According to Bosso, he did not understand why he was being transported to court all the time when he was innocent.

At a District Court in Accra on Wednesday, Bosso amidst tears said: 'I am tired of being in custody. It was Daniel Aseidu who went to commit the offence. I don't know anything about the case.'

This is the first time that Bosso had openly spoken in court about how he feels as he has been quite all along.

The court presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu urged Bosso not to be disturbed because he was only going through a process which would determined his innocence or otherwise as he Police awaits for the Attorney General's report.

The court asked him to consult the defence counsel so he could to go to a superior court for bail.

In the absence of defence counsel, Mr Augustines Obuor, the matter was adjourned to January 17.

Daniel Asiedu, aka Sexy Dondon and Vincent Bosso are being held for the murder of the late MP in an incident which occurred on February 9, 2016, at the MP's Shaishie residence.

Bosso has been charged with abetment of crime but pleas of the two have not been taken.

According to Chief Superintendent Francis Baah, the Prosecutor; that on February 8, at about 2340 hours the deceased came home in his private vehicle driven by his driver, Samuel Berko Sarkodie.

Prosecution said the driver after parking handed over the ignition keys to the deceased and left for his residence at Kasoa, while the deceased retired to his bedroom.

He said at about 0100 hrs, Asiedu and Bosso who were armed, went to the house of the deceased where Asiedu entered the bedroom of the deceased through the window the deceased being asleep.

'Asiedu began to search the room and the noise woke up the deceased who held him. Asiedu resisted and stabbed the deceased on the right chest above the breast'.

The Prosecution said the deceased held the knife while Asiedu pulled the knife through the deceased hands creating a deep cut in his palm.

Prosecution said the deceased who was bleeding profusely fell by his bed helpless while Asiedu stabbed him several times on the right chest and neck.

Realizing that the deceased was almost dead, Asiedu left him and took away his three iphones.

The Prosecutor said the security man in the house alerted other security men within the vicinity.

Mr Baah said Bosso realising the danger ahead took to his heels leaving Asiedu behind.

Asiedu, however, managed to descend from deceased room to the back house, climbed one of the poly tanks in the house and jumped over the electric fence into the adjoining house and escaped.

He said the security man then called the police emergency line and informed them of the situation.

When the Police arrived the victim was already dead and his body was conveyed to the Police Hospital mortuary.

On February 15, an autopsy report from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital gave the cause of death as '' Exsanguination and multiple stab injuries on the anterior and chest.'

Prosecution said Police investigations led to the arrest of accused persons who stated that their aim of going to the house of the deceased was to steal.

The Prosecutor said Asiedu explained that the deceased struggled with him when he entered the room and this compelled him to use the knife on him.

GNA

By Joyce Danso, GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday gave the assurance that he would hand over a peaceful and stable Ghana to his successor; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, come January 7 next year.

"I inherited a peaceful and stable country from my predecessor, the late President John Evans Atta Mills and will also hand over a peaceful and stable government to my successor, the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo."

President Mahama gave the assurance when members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda.

The Bishops were at the Presidency to commend him for his demonstration of statesmanship after peacefully conceding to defeat in the December 7 polls.

They were led by their President; the Metropolitan Archbishop Philip Naameh, of the Tamale Metropolitan Archdiocese and Archbishop Palmer Buckles, Vice President and Accra Metropolitan Archbishop.

President Mahama said as a Christian, he believed in all the tenets of the Bible, which partly stated that 'the voice of the People is the voice of God' and would therefore continue to play his role towards the growth and development of the country.

He said the intercessory prayers of the religious of Ghana could not be taken for granted and called on the Catholic Bishops to offer the same support they offered him to the incoming government to ensure the perpetual growth of the country.

Ghana, he added would continue to be respected by her peers and the international world for the respect for democracy and constitutional rule and called on Ghanaians to unite for their common development goals.

Archbishop Naameh, President of the Conference said Ghana would forever remember President Mahama for his numerous infrastructural developments dotted throughout the country.

He pledged the prayer of the conference for him even in his life after the Presidency and urged him to continue to offer any other suggestions that could move the country forward.

"We the Catholic Bishops conference will like to commend you for your demonstration of statesmanship, which has seen Ghana's general election through peacefully,' he said. GNA

By George-Ramsey Benamba, GNA
Niloofar Rahmani, an Afghan pilot who won an international bravery award for women in 2015, went to the Unites States for training and feels she is not ready to return home.

By India Today Web Desk: According to the New York Times, due to the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan, the first female pilot Niloofar Rahmani from Afghanistan is not willing to return home and work as a pilot.

"The situation is not improving in Afghanistan but is getting worse," Rahmani said.

According to U.S media reports, Rahmani applied this summer for an asylum.

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Rahmani said she does not feel comfortable or secure working in Afghanistan as her male colleagues treat her badly and insult her.

Rahmani was supposed to return home after 15 months of training last week but she opened up to her trainers that she still wants to be a pilot but not for Afghanistan. She instead wants to fly for the U.S air force.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan Air Force members have complained about their salaries and working conditions and have called on the president to address their issues.

In 2015 when Rahmani was in Afghanistan, as she recalls, the pilots and other air force personnel were fed up of the poor conditions they were expected to accept.

The pilots claimed their salaries were only 20,000 Afs a month and they still have to pay for their own accommodation. They also complained about the unappetizing food they get. One pilot said that in Helmand, they were given a piece of bread, cold fries and burned meat for lunch.

Video Courtesy: YouTube.com/TOLOnews

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Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - Two policemen involved in the robbery of a bullion van belonging to the GCB Bank Limited at Mame Krobo in the Eastern Region are demanding the ballistic report currently in the custody of the Police.

According to General Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah and General Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwa although the ballistic report was in the custody of the Police, they have not been given the opportunity to have a look at it.

Appearing before a District Court in Accra on Wednesday the two officers who took turns to speak in court also contended that they are unable to comprehend the state of affairs in another trial taking place at Mpraeso in the Eastern Region.

Apart from murder case, the two officers and a civilian are being tried for escaping from lawful custody at Mpraeso.

Mensah said he believe the Police was hiding so many things from them noting though a Circuit Court at Mpraeso was to pass its judgement on November 24, this year.

However on the said date, Mensah said they were not sent to the court at Mpraeso and when their parents went to the court they were informed that the case was not called.

When the court presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu asked the case investigator, he told the court that he had been away on a two week course and did know what had transpired in his absence.

The case investigator explained that the representative of the Attorney General had informed his Commander that the judgement should be suspended because state attorneys were on strike.

Mensah said the case investigator who appeared before the Police Investigation Panel had indicated that the Ballistic Report was ready and did not understand that that report was before the court.

In the case of Abrokwa, he questioned the Police as why they should have in their custody the original docket while a duplicate was rather forwarded to the Attorney General.

'My Lord the original docket is before the Police officer. I want the Police officer to swear that the Original docket in is in court and not with the Attorney General.

The court presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu told the accused persons who do not have legal representation that the Police had concluded investigations and forwarded a duplicate docket to the AG's office.

According to the court all 'evidences gathered against you would be made available to you and you will also be informed accordingly.'

The trial Judge said: 'You cannot be ambushed. There is no trial of ambush; you will be informed adequately so you could prepare for your defence. It not right to poke your nose into the affairs of the Police. Don't worry, evidence against you would be made available.'

The court therefore urged them to secure lawyers so they could go to a superior court for a bail application to be made. I strongly advise you to consider that option.

Chief Inspector Robert Gyamfi who held brief of DSP A.A.Annor earlier said the Police was awaiting the advice from the Attorney General's Department hence prayed for a date.

The matter was adjourned to January 10.

The officers: General Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah and General Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwa, alleged attack led to the death of Daniel K Sarpong, the driver of the bullion van.

The other accomplice in the dock is Hafisu Mohammed, aka Danjuma, a mechanic.

The two officers are being held on the charges of attempted robbery, conspiracy and murder.

Mohammed has been charged with conspiracy.

The pleas of the accused persons have been reserved by the court.

The facts, as presented by DSP A.A Annor earlier on, indicated that the police officers were stationed at Donkorkrom.

He said the officers hatched a plan of robbing the bullion van and on August 16 the police officers, who were on duty at the GN Bank and GCB respectively, discussed the robbery with Mohammed, who was a friend to the two and also a taxi driver.

The officers then armed themselves with AK 47 rifles and laid ambush at a spot between Tease and Mame Krobo at about 1030 hours on that fateful day.

Mohammed drove his taxi with registration number 1860-09 towards Ekye Amanfrom to monitor the arrival of the bullion van.

The prosecution said 20 minutes after the bullion van arrived, Mohammed signaled the police officers who then opened fire, killing the driver of the van.

DSP Annor said a police officer on board the van who got injured managed to return fire compelling the two robbers to take cover in the bush.

The attackers called Mohammed, who picked them with his car, in their bid to escape.

The Police Command at Donkorkrom got wind of the robbery incident and mobilised men who arrested the three accused persons on board the cab.

The prosecution said two AK 47 rifles, 23 rounds of am munitions, a cutlass, and two metal bars were retrieved from the taxi.

The deceased's body has since been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital awaiting autopsy.

DSP Annor said three other occupants of the bullion van, however, escaped unhurt while the policeman on guard was treated and discharged at the Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital.

GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - Mr Moses Dennis Ackah Awuah, the Nutrition Officer at the Half Assini Government Hospital in the Western Region, has denied reports that the facility had recorded 119 HIV/AIDS cases in 2016.

He said, instead, the 119 patients were those who were on the Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) from the facility and other facilities in the Jomoro District and not fresh cases as reported.

Mr Awuah, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday, said the year had not ended and it would have been difficult to attribute the figure to 2016.

Last week the GNA published a story stating that 119 cases were recorded at the Half Assini Government Hospital in the Jomoro District thereby creating the impression that the facility was plagued with the disease.

"I must clarify here that with the 119 people put on the ART this year, some tested positive here while others came on transfer from other facilities in the district," Mr Awuah said.

He said 36 out of the number who were women had given birth and the babies would be tested after five months to determine their status.

He said 78 people were put on ART in 2015 while 158 were on the ART in 2014 throughout the whole district. GNA

By George-Ramsey Benamba, GNA
Axim (W/R), Dec. 28, GNA - Nana Osei Nkwantabisa, the Nkosuohene of Lower Axim Traditional Area in the Western Region, has sponsored the training of 150 women from ten communities in Upper and Lower Axim to acquire new skills as an alternative to the fish-mongering business.

The two-week programme was held recently in Axim under the distinguished patronage of Awulea Attibrukusu III, Paramount Chief of Lower Axim Traditional Area and immediate Past Vice-President of the National House Chiefs.

The participants were taken through soap, detergent, batik, beads making and catering which were meant to keep them in business after the bumper fishing season was over.

At a grand durbar of chiefs, diplomats, politicians and clergy held to climax the end of training, Nana Osei Nkwantabisa expressed joy over the successful organisation of the training which he said had added to the vocation of women and young girls in the area.

He said his office would continue to put in place measures that would go a long way to empower more women and the youth.

This, he said, would enable them to sustain their lives and that of their respective families as they put into use their acquired skills.

"My office is committed to building the capacities of all especially the youth and women groups by always initiating avenues that will positively impact their lives ", Nana Nkwantabisa said.

He said plans were afoot to partner with corporate entities and NGOs to organize more training programmes in outboard motor and canoe repairing.

Nana Nkwantabisa thanked the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Nhyira Dua Company Limited, based in Kumasi, Networking for Community Development Africa a Community development based NGO and Dr Sipa Yankey, CEO of Ghana National Gas Company Limited for supporting the initiative aimed at building the capacity and empowering women.

Mr Nda Kwofie, Community Relations and Project Director of the Office of the Lower Axim Nkosuohene, congratulated the women for their desire and commitment to learn and acquire new skills.

He called on all, especially NGOs, corporate organisations and individuals to come on board to support the good initiative of the Nkosuohene while urging the participants to make good use of the new skills they have acquired.

Nana Awiafum, Gyantuahene of Lower Axim Traditional Area, who chaired the function, lauded the initiative of the Nkosuohene and urged all to support the effort which is focused on developing the human capacity of the people both within and outside Axim.

Ms Edith Heizel, Ghana's Ambassador to Denmark and a former MP for Evalue Gwira Constituency, lauded the training initiative targeted at empowering women in the society and promised to assist the Nkosuohene to embark on similar projects in the future. GNA

By Lydia Asamoah, GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama has paid glowing tribute to personnel of the Ghana Police Service for risking their lives and sometimes paying for the ultimate price for the safety of all Ghanaians.

He said the public, therefore, owes it as a duty to remember them and pay homage to their memories.

President John Mahama paid the tribute at the observation of the Police Memorial Day and commissioning of a cenotaph at the National Police Training School, Accra.

The Police Remembrance Day was instituted to honour brave and dedicated officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The third Friday in November each year has been set aside by the Police Administration to mark Police Remembrance Day.

However, over the years, there was no programme in place to honour and celebrate the fallen heroes by way of engraving their memories on a monument in line with international best practices.

Although the idea to immortalize the fallen officers was conceptualized by Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), it was during the reign of IGP Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan that the concept was given effect, and the maiden event observed on November 24, 2014 without any physical monument being put in place.

President Mahama said government recognizes the difficulties and dangers that confronts police personnel in the discharge of their duties.

He said over the past four years, government has ensured a systematic resourcing of the Police service in providing protective gear, vehicles, increasing recruitment numbers, enhancing remuneration, capacity building and minimizing of risks to Police officers.

He said the Police Service has been given its fair share and recruits who have reported to the various Police training schools to begin their training.

President Mahama said this demonstrates government's commitment to resource the Police and other security agencies to be better positioned to deliver on their core mandate.

He said as President, he has shown commitment to ensure that the security of the nation is safe guarded in order to promote investment and economic development.

He said the peace and security the country enjoys and has been widely acclaimed as being part of its democratic credentials has made Ghana the envy of many nations on the African continent.

He expressed heartfelt condolences to the families and spouses especially the children of the fallen heroes namely Corporal Humphrey Lumor, Corporal Frank Komla Klu, Corporal Emmanuel Nii Atseku, Constable Wonder Kovey, Constable George Nyiko, Constable Francis Osei Amankwah, Constable Prince Charles Akatah and Constable Jacob Segri Tabalin.

The Inspector General of Police Mr John Kudalor said the path of the Policeman is very tortuous, turbulent, muddy, difficult and most of all uncertain.

He said the nature of their job puts them in harm's way and that the duty tour of a Policeman is uncertain.

He acknowledged the Police personnel who have fallen in the line of duty saying their names have been engraved in gold.

Mr Xian Zindin, Charge d' Affairs of the Chinese Embassy, said those Police officers abiding by the principles of putting the nation and people's interest first throughout their lives are the true heroes of Ghana.

He said in modern times the Police Service plays a crucial role in defending national security and ensuring social order by protecting the safety of property and the people.

He said the Ghana Police Service is widely acclaimed for hard work and well discipline personnel.

Mr Xian Zindin said Ghana Police Service has also done good job in fighting against transnational crime and that last year with the strong support from the Ghana Police, China successfully captured a wanted Chinese criminal in Ghana.

He said the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese community in Ghana are committed to enhancing the capacity of the Police.

GNA
28.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 28, GNA - Se Eye Woba Anka (SEWA) Foundation, a Non-governmental Organisation spearheading the campaign to rescue victims of and to end modern day slavery, has called for stakeholder involvement in rescuing enslaved Ghanaians in the Gulf States of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Dr Tina Pipkin, who is a Psychologist and SEWA Foundation's Director for International Human Trafficking, at a media interaction in Accra on Wednesday, described the conditions of trafficked Ghanaian girls in the two gulf countries as very bad and horrifying.

She said the unsuspecting victims were lured by perpetrators of the crime who often pose as agents, promise better jobs and good education, but they end up being abused by their slave masters and forced into prostitution, raped, beaten and made to work under dehumanising conditions.

Although a lot of collaborative efforts were ongoing between the Governments of Ghana, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to rescue these trafficked victims, there must be a national shelter where they could receive both counselling, treatment, police protection as well as proper restoration.

Dr Pipkin said the SEWA Foundation, with support from the government of Kuwait, this year rescue and repatriated six girls, who are currently residing in safe homes with some good Samaritans who had offered to help in their restoration.

She said although the Government of Kuwait has agreed not to issue any working visas to Ghanaian immigrants, the perpetrators of the crime now channel their activities through Saudi Arabia, where most of the victims are sold into slavery, with just a few reaching their intended destination.

She said the Foundation needed to raise more funding for the project, and called for massive stakeholder involvement and support in exposing perpetrators of the heinous crime, to curb human trafficking in Ghana.

Mr Jones Owusu Yeboah, the National Coordinator of the SEWA Foundation, said following continuous media publications of cases of transnational trafficking and abuse of Ghanaians, a three-member team was constituted and charged with the responsibility of a one month working visit to Kuwait in December 2015, to obtain firsthand information on the situation on the ground and to come up with ways to curb the situation.

He said the team found out that there were still hundreds of Ghanaians girls stranded in Kuwait, most of them hiding in rooms in a town called Mahboula, after running away from their employers who used to molest them, while many more were residing in a government shelter built for protection and support for the victims.

Mr Yeboah said the Foundation, together with its partners including the Association of Ghanaian Residence in Kuwait (AGRIK) were able to rescue more than sixty-eight human trafficking victims and stranded migrants from the Gulf Region between 2014 and 2015.

He said the situation was real and required a collaborative approach to urgently resolve it and called for intensified media scrutiny of the activities and operations of foreign immigrants who pose as businessmen and women in order to expose these human traffickers. GNA

By Christabel Addo, GNA
By PTI: New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 28 (PTI) Taking a serious view of infighting in Congress in Kerala, Party central leadership today virtually put a gag on leaders airing opinions in public. "Henceforth, no one should be making any statements on party issues. We have various forums in the party, where they can be discussed", AICC leader in-charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnick, told reporters in Delhi. He also said that stern action would be taken against those who continue to make public statements. There had been displeasure in various sections of Congress over selection of DCC Presidents since the last few days. The war between various factions in the state Congress intensified with former KPCC President K Muraleedharan attacking the state leadership, saying the party and UDF had failed to function as an effective opposition and were unable to capitalise on shortcomings of the CPI(M) led LDF government.

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Three front partners-- IUML, RSP and Kerala Congress (Jacob) had also echoed similar sentiments. While senior Congress leader A K Antony said he was hurt and pained by the developments, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy felt intolerance towards criticism should be avoided and such opinions should be taken positively. The differences spilled out into the streets today by a section of party workers allegedly throwing rotten eggs at the car of Rajmohan Unnithan, who had locked horns with Muraleedharan over the outburst. Todays developments was all the more embarrassing as the party was observing its formation day. Unnithan, who resigned from the post of KPCC spokesperson yesterday, was attacked allegedly by a group of Congress workers in front of the DCC Office at Kollam when he was proceeding to attend the party celebrations. His car was also damaged. While KPCC President V M Sudheeran said the incident was unfortunate and that the party would enquire about it, V D Satheeshan, MLA, with folded hands urged leaders not to throw mud at each other and hurt feelings of the ordinary workers. Muraleedharan wanted the leadership to intervene to sort out the matter and said the attack on Unnithan was unfortunate. However, Unnithan alleged that "paid goons" of Muraleedharan were behind the attack. Joining the issue, K C Joseph, considered to be close to Chandy, came out in support of Muraleedharan and sought action against Unnithan. PTI UD JRK APR RG

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By PTI: Swaraj help

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) A group of 100 citizens, including activists and European parliamentarians, today asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj not to spare any effort in enabling the Indo-Norwegian couple to be reunited with their child, taken away by Norwegian authorities.

In a petition to Swaraj, the activists said, "We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Norway, relatives of victims in Norway and activists from around the world, are writing to express our support for your intervention in the matter of the 5-year-old only child of Anil Kumar and Gurvinderjit Kaur who has been snatched by Barnevernet in Oslo, Norway last week."

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The group, which included Tomas Zedechovsky, Member of European Parliament (MEP) and former Norway Parliamentarian Jan Simonsen, also alleged that the Barnevernet, the Norwegian child protection authority has for many years been "wrongly" taking children from loving parents in Norway.

"The reasons are incompetence, overbearing officials, lack of transparency, inadequate judicial oversight, and, in cases involving cultural and religious minorities, prejudice and racism," they further charged.

Appreciating Indias earlier efforts in saving Indian children from Barnevernet and highlighting the human rights abuses of Barnevernet in Norway, the petition urged Swaraj "to spare no effort in enabling the child to be reunited with his family in Norway or repatriated to India where he can be brought up by his extended family in the country and culture of his origin, and to which he has been used since birth.

"This is his right under both Norwegian law and international law."

The petition, which was circulated by Suranya Aiyar, daughter of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, also said some of the members have been "victims" of Barnevernet.

"We have been campaigning against Norway?s cruel child protection regime for years and this year alone there have been protests every month against Barnevernet attended by hundreds in cities around Norway," it added.

Indian national Kaur and her husband, who is a Norwegian national, have alleged that authorities in that country have taken away their son, also a Norwegian national, on a frivolous complaint of abuse.

Swaraj had yesterday said India wants the five-and-a- half-year-old boy united with his natural parents, and refused to accept that foster parents can take better care of the child than the natural parents.

"The foster parents are totally ignorant of the Indian culture and our food habits. We want restoration of Aryan to his natural parents," she had said.

However, Norwegian officials during his meeting with the Indian Ambassador in Oslo had said it was handling the case in accordance with the Norwegian Child Welfare Act which includes directions from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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They also informed him that since child welfare cases are highly sensitive, the cases are therefore subject to a strict duty of confidentiality. PTI PYK ZMN

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Just days after the Nigerian Army captured the insurgents stronghold in Sambisa forest, not fewer than 31 Boko Haram terrorists have surrendered themselves to authorities in Niger Republic.

Nigerian Army has captured Boko Haram's last stronghold in Sambisa

Vanguard reports that the West African countrys interior minister Bazoum Mohamed announced the development on Tuesday, December 27.

READ ALSO: New videos show soldiers battling to capture Sambisa forest

Mohamed said the repentant insurgents surrendered their arms in Diffa, a southeast region of Niger.

"Thirty-one young people from Diffa, who were enrolled a few years ago in Boko Haram, decided to surrender," Mohamed Bazoum tweeted on Tuesday, above pictures of him touring the area near Nigeria's northeast border.

The insurgents reportedly surrendered one at a time and are now being held by the Nigerien authorities which aims to put them through a de-radicalisation programme and returning them to their families.

READ ALSO: Nigerian soldiers celebrate capturing Boko Harams Camp Zero in Sambisa

"I learned that the first who surrendered were not arrested, and I surrendered.

"We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma," Reuters quoted a former Boko Haram combatant as telling Nigerien national television.

Meanwhile, officials of a security agency recently established by the Abuja Municipal Area Council, popularly known as AMAC Marshal, in the nation's capital have arrested a middle-aged man suspected to be one of the fleeing members of Boko Haram.

Source: Legit.ng
NDMC has started painting the walls across its jurisdiction to put an end to open urination and it has already developed public as well as mobile toilets in areas where open urination is a normal affair.

By Roshani Thokne: Aiming to make Lutyen's zone free from open urination, the NDMC has made available a sufficient number of public conveniences at a close spacing of 50 to 200 meters to cope with the basic needs of the commuters.

This is an attempt to make over the New Delhi area at par with international standard for extending civic amenities to the residents and others who wish to visit Connaught Place and other areas.

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Usually about 15-20 lakh people visit Connaught Place and other areas of New Delhi daily. One can locate the nearest toilet facilities at 'NDMC311' App anywhere in New Delhi area.

Also Read: Officer, urine trouble: Allahabad ADM caught on camera urinating at Sangam

The Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India has already declared the NDMC area as 100 per cent open defecation free. The council has started painting the walls across its jurisdiction to put an end to open urination and it has already developed public as well as mobile toilets in areas where open urination is a normal affair.

The mascots who are working in shifts have been deployed at each sanitation circle to keep a watch and a guard has been allotted to them. In case any person is found urinating in the open, a whistle will be blown by the mascot and the person will be caught and fined.

One metropolitan magistrate and two special municipal magistrates have been earmarked for the purpose. The chamber of the metropolitan magistrate is situated at Dwarka Court while the chambers of other two special magistrates are one at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Place and another at Palika Bhawan.

As many as 5360 online mChallans have been fined by inspectors of Public Health and Enforcement Department of the Council through NDMC mobile App M-Challan module till date during this financial year. These challans are related to insanitation including in-hygienic food stuffs and other related matters like open urination and defecation in New Delhi area.

In order to bring about attitudinal and mindset changes towards safe sanitary habits, the Council has selected 500 'Swachhta Grahi' consisting of 150 from Resident Welfare Associations, 110 from Market Traders Welfare Associations, 125 from school students, 115 from JJ Clusters, besides the employees of NDMC to spread the swachhta message across New Delhi area. Swachh Grahi is someone who embodies the attitude, values, commitment and passion to inspire others to join the movement and build a Swachh Samaj.

WATCH VIDEO

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- The Nigerian Army has provided updates on the operation that led to the capture of Sambisa Forest

- Quran belonging to Abubakar Shekau was recovered

- The Holy Book will be presented to President Buhari

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the recovery of a Quran belonging to Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau in Sambisa forest following a military operation that led to the capture of the terrorists camp.

President Muhammadu Buhari had sent a goodwill message to the army on Saturday, December 24 for the success recorded in the fight against Boko Haram with the capture of Camp Zero used by the terrorists.

File photo of Abubar Sekau with his Quran

READ ALSO: Army arrests white man in Sambisa Forest

NAN reports that Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor who is the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole spoke on Wednesday, December 28 where he elaborated on Operation Rescue Final.

He said the Quran was believed to be left behind by the Boko Haram leader when he fled from the forest and said the Holy Book will be presented to the president by Lt.-Gen. Tukur Burutai who is the chief of army staff.

Maj Gen Lucky Irabor at the press briefing

Irabor said: We believe that the Holy Book and the flag were abandoned by Abubakar Shekau while he escaped.

The Book will be taken to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Burutai, for onward presentation to Mr President.

Shekau's Quran being shown by the army

We have also made a lot of arrests. Our troops in Damboa arrested about 15 Boko Haram members. We also arrested one Musa from Potiskum on Christmas day which was Dec.25.

On Dec. 26 our troops also intercepted two Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri.

READ ALSO: Nigerian army to reorganise military operations in north-east

We, therefore, warn residents of the state to be wary of people coming to hide in and around their houses.

Flag belonging to Boko Haram displayed

We are also warning residents to report any suspected Boko Haram members hiding in their houses to the relevant security agencies and any failure to do that would tantamount to supporting and sympathising with the sects activities.

It was earlier revealed that some CJFF members who took part in the offensive that resulted in the capture of Camp Zero located in the heart of Sambisa Forest brought down the flag of Shekau

Source: Legit.ng
By PTI: Islamabad, Dec 28 (PTI) Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today confirmed the death sentences of eight "hardcore terrorists" by the military courts for killing 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims, murdering human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud and attacking security forces.

Gen Bajwa also confirmed life imprisonment of three other terrorists, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

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"These terrorists include those who planned and executed attack on persons of Ismaili community at Safoora Chowrangi Karachi, wherein 45 persons died at the spot and 6 others got injured. They also include those who killed a social worker Sabeen Mahmud, and kidnapped two Chinese Engineers and a civilian for ransom," ISPR said.

The "terrorists" killed 90 people and wounded 99 others, ISPR said, adding that explosives were also recovered from their possession.

Hafiz Muhammad Umar, Ali Rehman, Abdul Salam and Khurram Shafique were awarded death sentences for their involvement in Safoora Chowrangi massacre and killing of Mahmud in Karachi.

In the cold-blooded sectarian violence, Kalashnikov- wielding militants donning police uniforms had gunned down 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims - 26 men and 17 women - shooting them in the head near Shafoora Chowrangi in Karachi in May last year.

Jundullah - a splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan that vowed allegiance to the ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mahmud, 40, was shot dead by the motorcycle-borne gunmen while on her way home with her mother in Karachi in April last year. Mahmud ran an open forum called The Second Floor (T2F) for discussions on human rights abuses in Balochistan and other civil rights issues.

Another convict Muslim Khan was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in killing of civilians and attacking forces, which resulted in the deaths of 31 persons. He was involved in slaughtering of Capt Najam Riaz Raja, Capt Juniad Khan, Naik Shahid Rasool and Lance Naik Shakeel Ahmed. He was also involved in kidnapping of two Chinese engineers.

Muhammad Yousaf, a member of proscribed organisation, was was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in attacks on armed forces which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.

Saifullah and Bilal Mehmood, both members of a proscribed group, were awarded the death sentences for their involvement in killing of innocent civilians and attacks on police.

Sartaj Ali, Mehmood Khan and Fazal e Ghaffar, all members of a proscribed organisation, were involved in providing funds to the terrorists, kidnapping of a Chinese engineer for ransom and attacks on police, were awarded rigorous imprisonment.

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Last week, General Bajwa signed death warrants of 13 "hardcore terrorists" who were found guilty of being behind a series of terrorist attacks, including those on Charsaddas Bacha Khan University, Rawalpindi?s Parade Lane Mosque and the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad. PTI ZH AKJ ZH

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NPS Subscribe | What is RSS News Release Date: December 28, 2016

December 28, 2016 Contact: Krystina Isaac, 928-567-3322 x 223 Verde Valley, AZ -- As the National Park Service embarks on its second century of service, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments are celebrating the significant accomplishments of its centennial celebration and engagement with the



In 2016, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments provided an array of interpretive offerings. Staff organized special events all year long, culminating in centennial festivities. In October we celebrated Theodore Roosevelts birthday with Troop 1A from the Arizona Rough Riders Historical Society for the 5th consecutive year. In November we celebrated Native American Heritage Month with events every weekend at both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot. In March we participated in Arizona Archaeology Awareness and Heritage Month and offered several scholarly talks and tours led by park archeologists at Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well, and Tuzigoot. In April we celebrated Parks Week and National Junior Ranger Day with an architectural historian specializing in Mission 66 architecture. In May we participated in the Centennial BioBlitz and recruited 48 volunteers to assist with finding invertebrates at Montezuma Well. Throughout the summer we held Native American flute concerts after hours. Other evening programs included star parties, night photography workshops, and guest lecturers. We collaborated with other NPS units in Arizona for several centennial events, including an expo in Flagstaff featuring all 22 National Park Units and many of our partners. This year, we started a new interpretive program for BARK Rangers. This program teaches pet owners how to be responsible in National Parks by teaching the rules of BARK. Along with the 31 special events, staff also concentrated on strengthening their community outreach presence by participating in 18 community-wide events and supported the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The various community events allowed staff to offer the public opportunities to connect with the monuments natural and cultural resources. Combined, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot issued over 1000 EKiP passes to fourth graders.



The volunteer program at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments saw an increase in individual volunteers and hours. We welcomed 27 new volunteers into our parks, including local residents and live-in volunteers nearly doubling our number of volunteer hours from 2015. The much needed increase in volunteers allowed us to have a successful spring break season in March and April. Our lines were dramatically shorter with volunteers checking passes and we more than tripled the number of Junior Rangers sworn in during those two months compared to last year. Our interpretive volunteer staff made informal contacts with over 120,000 visitors at all three of our units this year representing about 30% of our total visitation. This summer a volunteer developed an Archaeology Merit Badge camp for local Boy Scout troops and we are excited to continue this program in the future. Our volunteers were essential in providing special programs to the public such as star parties, cultural demonstrations and concerts after hours, as well as Junior Ranger activities.



Fee dollars went towards several important projects this year. At Montezuma Well the Facility Management Division installed a solar powered entrance gate and continued repairs on the historic irrigation ditch. At Tuzigoot the group installed a drainage system to the Marsh Overlook trail and rehabilitated the restrooms.



In 2016 Natural Resources staffed focused on projects that would increase visitor enjoyment. At Tavasci Marsh staff removed about 7 acres of Mexican fireweed (Kochia scoparia), adjacent to trails used by the public. Not only does this impact aesthetics and improve visitor satisfaction, but it also improves wildlife habitat. At Montezuma Well, we removed approximately 5 acres of various invasive species including Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) and Johnson grass (Sorghum halpense). We also planted around 200 native plants and several pounds of grass seed in the form of seed balls. This restoration area is adjacent to the pasture trail and highly visible to visitors. Many people assisted with these project including 4 biological science technicians, volunteers, Girl Scouts, and a YCC crew.



Verde Valley National Monuments Programs Contributed to Overall Success of the NPS Centennial

Across the country, centennial programs resulted in a significant level of public interest and social media engagement with the National Park Service and National Park Foundation. The NPS, NPF, and partners across nationwide reached hundreds of millions of people with the centennials Find Your Park message, and engaged the public in the NPS stewardship mission.

The Find Your Park campaign has resonated particularly well with younger audiences, which NPS and NPF targeted since they will be the next generation of national park visitors and stewards. Millennials are increasingly familiar with the Find Your Park campaign, and NPS youth programs were a key component of NPS and NPF centennial engagement.

I like to say the NPS is the only federal agency with a mandate to ensure the public has fun, and the centennial has been a lot of fun, said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. But more importantly, it has inspired and engaged a new generation to take on the mantle of responsibility for the most important places and stories that define us as citizens of the United States of America.



Looking Ahead: Find Your Park in 2017 and Preparing for a Second Century of Service

Planning is underway to build on the success of Find Your Park / Encuentra Tu Parque as the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and other partners will continue the campaigns momentum in 2017. The Find Your Park movement will continue to engage new audiences, especially around significant moments, including National Park Week in April and the NPS 101st birthday in August. Throughout the year, the NPS and its partners will invite the public to explore parks they havent yet discovered, build personal connections to special places in their communities, and find ways to help ensure that future generations are able to fully experience their national parks and the NPS programs that steward Americas treasures.



More information about the success and long term legacy of the NPS Centennial is available online here:

www.nps.gov



Montezuma Castle is located at 2800 Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde, AZ 86322. Montezuma Well is located at 5525 W Beaver Creek Rd., Rimrock, AZ 86335. Tuzigoot National Monument is located at 25 W Tuzigoot Rd., Clarkdale, AZ 86324. For more information, please call 928-567-3322 x 0, or visit





More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at

Verde Valley, AZ -- As the National Park Service embarks on its second century of service, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments are celebrating the significant accomplishments of its centennial celebration and engagement with the Find Your Park Encuentra Tu Parque initiative.In 2016, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments provided an array of interpretive offerings. Staff organized special events all year long, culminating in centennial festivities. In October we celebrated Theodore Roosevelts birthday with Troop 1A from the Arizona Rough Riders Historical Society for the 5th consecutive year. In November we celebrated Native American Heritage Month with events every weekend at both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot. In March we participated in Arizona Archaeology Awareness and Heritage Month and offered several scholarly talks and tours led by park archeologists at Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well, and Tuzigoot. In April we celebrated Parks Week and National Junior Ranger Day with an architectural historian specializing in Mission 66 architecture. In May we participated in the Centennial BioBlitz and recruited 48 volunteers to assist with finding invertebrates at Montezuma Well. Throughout the summer we held Native American flute concerts after hours. Other evening programs included star parties, night photography workshops, and guest lecturers. We collaborated with other NPS units in Arizona for several centennial events, including an expo in Flagstaff featuring all 22 National Park Units and many of our partners. This year, we started a new interpretive program for BARK Rangers. This program teaches pet owners how to be responsible in National Parks by teaching the rules of BARK. Along with the 31 special events, staff also concentrated on strengthening their community outreach presence by participating in 18 community-wide events and supported the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The various community events allowed staff to offer the public opportunities to connect with the monuments natural and cultural resources. Combined, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot issued over 1000 EKiP passes to fourth graders.The volunteer program at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments saw an increase in individual volunteers and hours. We welcomed 27 new volunteers into our parks, including local residents and live-in volunteers nearly doubling our number of volunteer hours from 2015. The much needed increase in volunteers allowed us to have a successful spring break season in March and April. Our lines were dramatically shorter with volunteers checking passes and we more than tripled the number of Junior Rangers sworn in during those two months compared to last year. Our interpretive volunteer staff made informal contacts with over 120,000 visitors at all three of our units this year representing about 30% of our total visitation. This summer a volunteer developed an Archaeology Merit Badge camp for local Boy Scout troops and we are excited to continue this program in the future. Our volunteers were essential in providing special programs to the public such as star parties, cultural demonstrations and concerts after hours, as well as Junior Ranger activities.Fee dollars went towards several important projects this year. At Montezuma Well the Facility Management Division installed a solar powered entrance gate and continued repairs on the historic irrigation ditch. At Tuzigoot the group installed a drainage system to the Marsh Overlook trail and rehabilitated the restrooms.In 2016 Natural Resources staffed focused on projects that would increase visitor enjoyment. At Tavasci Marsh staff removed about 7 acres of Mexican fireweed (Kochia scoparia), adjacent to trails used by the public. Not only does this impact aesthetics and improve visitor satisfaction, but it also improves wildlife habitat. At Montezuma Well, we removed approximately 5 acres of various invasive species including Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) and Johnson grass (Sorghum halpense). We also planted around 200 native plants and several pounds of grass seed in the form of seed balls. This restoration area is adjacent to the pasture trail and highly visible to visitors. Many people assisted with these project including 4 biological science technicians, volunteers, Girl Scouts, and a YCC crew.Across the country, centennial programs resulted in a significant level of public interest and social media engagement with the National Park Service and National Park Foundation. The NPS, NPF, and partners across nationwide reached hundreds of millions of people with the centennials Find Your Park message, and engaged the public in the NPS stewardship mission.The Find Your Park campaign has resonated particularly well with younger audiences, which NPS and NPF targeted since they will be the next generation of national park visitors and stewards. Millennials are increasingly familiar with the Find Your Park campaign, and NPS youth programs were a key component of NPS and NPF centennial engagement.I like to say the NPS is the only federal agency with a mandate to ensure the public has fun, and the centennial has been a lot of fun, said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. But more importantly, it has inspired and engaged a new generation to take on the mantle of responsibility for the most important places and stories that define us as citizens of the United States of America.Planning is underway to build on the success of Find Your Park / Encuentra Tu Parque as the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and other partners will continue the campaigns momentum in 2017. The Find Your Park movement will continue to engage new audiences, especially around significant moments, including National Park Week in April and the NPS 101st birthday in August. Throughout the year, the NPS and its partners will invite the public to explore parks they havent yet discovered, build personal connections to special places in their communities, and find ways to help ensure that future generations are able to fully experience their national parks and the NPS programs that steward Americas treasures.More information about the success and long term legacy of the NPS Centennial is available online here: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ centennial/success.htm Montezuma Castle is located at 2800 Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde, AZ 86322. Montezuma Well is located at 5525 W Beaver Creek Rd., Rimrock, AZ 86335. Tuzigoot National Monument is located at 25 W Tuzigoot Rd., Clarkdale, AZ 86324. For more information, please call 928-567-3322 x 0, or visit www.nps.gov/tuzi or www.nps.gov/moca . Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @TuzigootNPS and @MontezumaNPS.More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ nationalparkservice , Twitter www.twitter.com/ natlparkservice , and YouTube www.youtube.com/ nationalparkservice




WASHINGTON  When President Hassan Rouhani of Iran commandeered the spotlight this week in Davos, Switzerland, with a message of peaceful intentions and a desire for dialogue, it was an eerie echo of 10 years ago, when Irans last would-be change agent, Mohammad Khatami, delivered the very same message at the World Economic Forum.

Comparing their appearances demonstrates how much Iran has changed in the last decade, but also how fragile the current diplomatic opening is, and how little time Mr. Rouhani may have to negotiate a nuclear deal, while holding Irans hard-liners at bay.

Iran, Mr. Rouhani said Thursday, was determined to pursue constructive engagement with the world and had no intention of acquiring a nuclear weapon. In 2004, Mr. Khatami said, Anywhere that we sense and feel that the other side respects us and does not force anything upon us, we are prepared to talk. He, too, ruled out a bomb.

Then, as now, Iran agreed to halt some enrichment of uranium and submit to United Nations inspections, as part of an effort to negotiate a nuclear deal. Then, as now, the Iranian leaders used Davos, the annual gathering of world leaders and captains of industry, as an opportunity to lure foreign investors back to their country.
AMMAN, Jordan  The Jordanian authorities have arrested a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood for criticizing the United Arab Emirates, the spokesman for the Brotherhoods political wing said Friday.

The deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood, Zaki Bani Rushaid, was detained Thursday after a meeting at the partys headquarters in Amman, the Jordanian capital, said the spokesman for the Islamic Action Front, Murad Adayleh. It was the first arrest of a prominent opposition figure in recent years. The state security prosecutor general ordered Mr. Bani Rushaids arrest on charges of harming relations with a friendly country, according to Brotherhood officials and local media reports citing unnamed government officials.

In an opinion article published this week on websites and social media sites, Mr. Bani Rushaid accused the Emirates of sponsoring terrorism and questioned the legitimacy of its rulers. Last Saturday, the Emirates formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

The Brotherhood issued a statement shortly after Mr. Bani Rushaids arrest demanding his immediate release. The group is Jordans main opposition party, but unlike Egypt, Jordan has long accepted the Brotherhoods presence.
MUSIC <SOT: OBAMA> ISIS is a terrorist organization. ISIS, ISIL, I-S, DAESH - THESE NAMES ALL REFER TO THE SAME MILITANT GROUP  THE ISLAMIC STATE. CALL THEM WHAT YOU WANT, BUT BY SUMMER 2014, THEY WERE KNOWN WORLDWIDE. SOT: OBAMA: These terrorists are desperate for legitimacy ... especially their attempt to use Islam to justify their violence. MUSIC HEADLINE: The Story of ISIS Nats of ISIS THEY DEFY THE STEREOTYPE OF SCATTERED TERRORISTS HIDING IN CAVES. PARTS OF ISIS ARE ORGANIZED LIKE A LIGHT ARMY, OTHERS AS SOPHISTICATED TERRORIST CELLS. ITS ALL AIMED TOWARDS ONE GOAL: TO REDRAW THE MAP OF THE MIDDLE EAST BY CREATING A NEW STATE  AN ISLAMIC STATE. <SOT of jihadist> We will break the barrier of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, all the countries. SO HOW DID THIS ACTUALLY HAPPEN? HOW DID A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION END UP IN CONTROL OF MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF TERRITORY ACROSS SYRIA AND IRAQ? THIS - IS THE STORY OF ISIS. HOW THEY BUILT A 21ST-CENTURY TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, MADE IT SELF-FINANCING, AND HOW THEY ARE NOW EVOLVING UNDER A NEW SET OF CHALLENGES. MUSIC CHANGE TO MARK TRANSITION ISIS EMERGED IN PART FROM THE ASHES OF AL QAEDA IN IRAQ. ITS LEADER IS ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI, AN IRAQI PREACHER WHO FOUGHT IN THE INSURGENCY. IN 2004, HE WAS CAPTURED BY THE U-S BUT WAS CONSIDERED INSIGNIFICANT ENOUGH THAT THEY RELEASED HIM. Nats of Baghdadi appearance BAGHDADI LED HIS GROUP TO SYRIA WHERE THEY ESTABLISHED A STRONGHOLD. AMID THE CHAOS OF THE CIVIL WAR  ISIS SOON BECAME THE MOST POWERFUL TERRORIST FACTION. NAT OF ISIS patrolling Raqqa THE SYRIAN CITY OF RAQQA BECAME THE GROUPS CAPITAL BY MID-2013. THERE, THEY INSTITUTED REAL GOVERNANCE: ESTABLISHING SHARIAH COURTS, TAKING OVER ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS, EVEN PUTTING UP STREET SIGNS. NAT OF ISIS patrolling Raqqa - directing traffic or whatnot TO SUPPORT THIS GROWING INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY FOCUS ON FINANCES: TAKING CONTROL OF OIL RESOURCES AND BECOMING SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPERS. THEY HAVE SECURED MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR RANSOMS FROM MANY WESTERN COUNTRIES. ON THE BATTLEGROUND, THEY ARE MORE PROFESSIONALIZED THAN MOST OF THEIR COMPETITORS. ISISS RANKS INCLUDED MANY OFFICERS - AS WELL AS SOLDIERS - FROM SADDAM HUSSEINS ARMY WHO DRAW ON DECADES OF MILITARY EXPERIENCE. Nats of drones ANOTHER DISTINCTIVE ADVANTAGE IS HOW ISIS USES TECHNOLOGY TO WOO FIGHTERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD - AND IN MANY LANGUAGES. RECRUITMENT VIDEO IN ENGLISH THEY ARE STRATEGIC ONLINE, USING FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND YOUTUBE. THEY RELEASED VIDEOS FEATURING A CAPTURED BRITISH JOURNALIST HOSTING SLICKLY-PRODUCED TALKS TRYING TO CONVINCE WESTERN AUDIENCES ON THE MERITS OF JIHAD. Sot from Cantlie tapes Over the next few programs, Im going to show you the truth. THIS KIND OF PROPAGANDA IS WORKING. ISIS NOW BOASTS ABOUT 3,000 FOREIGN FIGHTERS FROM 80 COUNTRIES <SOT: ISIS canadian from video - I was like any other regular Canadian. I watched hockey. MUSIC TRANSITION NATS OF BIG EXPLOSION FROM THE FIGHTING IN MOSUL UPON THEIR RETURN TO IRAQ IN JUNE 2014, THEIR FIRST MAJOR MILITARY VICTORY WAS THE FALL OF THE COUNTRYS 2ND LARGEST CITY  MOSUL. IT SHOCKED THE WORLD. SOT: From Reuters, Arabic, (Arabic) MAN FLEEING FROM MOSUL, NIBHAN JASSIM, SAYING: People are in the streets, and people are lying dead on the streets. THEN THE MILITANTS QUICKLY SEIZED MORE IRAQI TOWNS, ENCROACHING ON BAGHDAD. Soundbite from Baghdad resident The security situation is deteriorating. A SECOND HIGH-PROFILE MOMENT WAS THE FORCIBLE EXPULSION OF THE YAZIDIS  A RELIGIOUS MINORITY IN IRAQ. SOME WERE KILLED AND MORE THAN 30,000 WERE FORCED TO FLEE INTO THE MOUNTAINS. SOUNDBITE (English) Will Parks, UNICEF Chief Field Officer: 50-thousand people we estimate, are stuck in the mountains at this time ... [BUTT SOTS] Theyre sleeping out in the open, theyve got no food, no water, no medical supplies. ANOTHER KEY TO THEIR EXPANSION IS SHEER BRUTALITY. THERE ARE THE MASS EXECUTIONS AND UNMARKED GRAVES OF MOSTLY FELLOW MUSLIMS. MANY REPORTS OF RAPE AND OF WOMEN BEING SOLD ALSO CONTINUE TO SURFACE. NATS FROM SLAVE MARKET DAY selling of Yazidi girls ISISS BRUTAL TACTICS - WITH REGULAR BEHEADINGS AND THE KILLINGS OF CIVILIANS - WAS EVEN CRITICIZED BY AL-QAEDAS LEADERSHIP, WHICH FORMALLY SEVERED TIES IN FEBRUARY 2014. MUSIC CHANGE TO SIGNAL TRANSITION Natpop of us airstrikes BUT SINCE AUGUST 2014, RESISTANCE TO ISIS GREW. FIRST, THEY WERE DEALT A SIGNIFICANT BLOW ONLINE. NATS OF ISIS ON YOUTUBE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES  NOW MORE ADEPT AT SPOTTING ISISS VIDEOS  TAKE THEM DOWN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. Nats of missiles launching SECOND, ON THE MILITARY FRONT, AN INTERNATIONAL AIRSTRIKE CAMPAIGN HAS SLOWED THE GROUPS ADVANCE. SOT FROM OBAMA ON AIRSTRIKES. 4:45 American forces will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat. PRESIDENT OBAMA DEPLOYED MORE NON-COMBAT TROOPS TO IRAQ IN EARLY NOVEMBER. Nats of missile strikes AND IN SYRIA - WHERE THE HEADQUARTERS REMAIN - AIRSTRIKES HAVE DESTROYED MANY OIL REFINERIES. NOW, INSTEAD OF STORMING INTO TOWNS WITH A SHOW OF BRAVADO, ISIS FIGHTERS MOVE IN SMALL GROUPS AND RELY ON SLEEPER CELLS. NATS OF Iraqi tribes FINALLY, A TURNING POINT CAME FROM SOME LOCAL TRIBES, VILLAGERS AND IRAQI TROOPS- WHO ARE BANDING TOGETHER TO PUSH THE GROUP BACK. NATS OF FIGHTING ISISS MOMENTUM HAS STALLED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE LAST SUMMER, BUT THEY REMAIN IN CONTROL OF LARGE SWATHS OF TERRITORY. THEYVE KEPT THE WORLDS ATTENTION LARGELY THROUGH A STEADY STREAM OF INCREASINGLY SHOCKING VIDEOS AS WELL AS INSPIRING VIOLENCE WORLDWIDE. <SOT: Coulibady> You attack the Islamic state, we are attacking you. BUT NOW  UNDER SO MUCH CONTINUED PRESSURE  THE QUESTION IS, HOW WILL ISIS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE? ENDIT
A man in Pennsylvania currently undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer recently won a competition for a years worth of pizza and donated it all to a local food bank.

Josh Katrick was selected out of 1,200 contestants to receive two large pizzas and a large soda every month for a year from his local pizzeria, Marios Pizza, but he instead decided to gift the prize to a Northampton food bank. You know the saying, When life gives you lemons make lemonade, Katrick told CNN, well, when life gives you pizza, give away a slice.

I thought someone would win, theyd be excited, come in and get their pizzas, but a story like this to come out of a contest like that   said Giuseppe Aiello, the son of the pizzerias owner, to Northamptons WFMZ. Its better to give than receive, and especially during this time of yearChristmas.

Katrick said he was inspired to give away the prize by the kindness hes received during his cancer treatments. After everything I went through these last few monthsI met so many people and have been receiving so muchI felt I wanted to give back, he said. In light of Katricks kindness, the pizzeria doubled the prize so Katrick could get his share of pizza, too, but even that he doesnt plan to keep for himself. Maybe Ill share with my friends on Facebook [and] make a contest of my own to see if anyone would like some pizza.
If youre launching your own small business in 2017 and have the ability to leave where you live, dont just move to another neighborhood or a smaller apartment for the cheaper rent. Dont give up your daily coffee habit to scrimp your way to an extended runway, eking out your meager savings for as long as you can before your business becomes profitable.

Cut the cord. Go big and dont stay home. Go to Bali. Or Chiang Mai. Or Santiago. Go somewhere where the living is cheap, the internet is fast and youll be surrounded by the sort of people who are doing the same work as you: making dreams come true.

Lets cover the top 5 most popular places to live the bootstrapping entrepreneur lifestyle and why you should consider them.

Bali isnt a city; its an island, so there are technically a few towns you could base yourself in, and most bootstrapping entrepreneurs pick either Ubud or Canggu. Ubud is great if youre focusing on a lifestyle start-up and want to be surrounded by yogis and eat lots of clean, raw, vegan food. Canggu might be more your style if you prefer surfing breaks and partying (not that you should do so much of either that you forget your start-up dreams.) Both towns have pretty weak internet so be prepared to splurge on a co-working membership to ensure high speed internet access.

Cost of living: $800-1400 per month

Chiang Mai not only has great weather, delicious food and cheap rent, but coffee shops with high speed internet, and inexpensive massage spots are abundant. All good reasons to explain why Chiang Mai is the entrepreneur hub of Southeast Asia. It might be a little distracting to be surrounded by so many fun things, but dont worry: the 12pm strictly enforced Thai curfew will make sure youre not out partying all night instead of hustling all day. You should also plan to skip town for most of February and March, as local farmers will be burning their fields and the resulting haze is not fun  even if you do spend most of your time indoors working.

Cost of Living: $600-1200 per month

If big cities with lots of culture, museums, and public transportation are more your thing  you should consider Santiago. There are loads of great coffee shops and other entrepreneurs there, thanks in part to Start-up Chile. If youre proactive, you could even get a chunk of funding for your pet project, make that runway pretty darn long, all while making that trip to explore Patagonia a reasonable work retreat. Chile is one of the safest countries in South America, and perfect for those who still want Western amenities.

Cost of Living: $1200-1600 per month

If you want to base yourself out of Europe, head to Berlin. Its chock full of other entrepreneurs and fantastic coffee shops, while still having reasonable rent and cheap flights to other cities in Europe (for meeting with potential customers, of course.) Berlin is considered the entrepreneurial hub of Europe and was home to the inaugural DNX Conference. Like many major cities of the world, Berlin has a range of international cuisine to choose from, a thriving nightlife, a cultural scene and of course, a variety of co-working spaces  all at prices you cant find in other global cities like New York City or London.

Cost of Living: $1700-2200 per month

The most popular city for bootstrapping entrepreneurs and digital nomads in South America, Medellin is like the Chiang Mai of South America. Its where youll find modern infrastructure, like-minded friends and a very affordable apartment  especially if youre willing to make do in shared apartment plus private bath. Medellin is called the city of eternal spring so you know the weather is great all year round to the extent that the typical rental doesnt have or need air conditioning. Youll be able to meet lots of new friends. Both fellow entrepreneurs and friendly locals and get along just fine, even if you dont speak any Spanish.

Cost of Living: $1000-1500 per month

If you have a bigger runway, are coming from somewhere expensive like Singapore or Los Angeles, or are targeting the European market, Berlin could be the perfect city to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. If your budget is smaller and you prefer to never be cold, Medellin or Chiang Mai might be more your style. If youre able to land a start-up Chile grant, head to Santiago. And, of course, there is always Bali.

There are many cities in the world where you can pursue your entrepreneurial dreams, but these five will give you access to a thriving community of entrepreneurs to surround yourself with, instead of trying to work in bed or alone at a coffee shop. Worst case scenario: if your business fails, youll still have the amazing experience, as well as the connections to help you launch the next one  not to mention some incredible photos to show off to your family and friends.
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously last week to condemn settlements being built by Israel in lands in the West Bank and East Jerusalem claimed by Palestine, but the United States abstained from voting. The abstention drew harsh criticisms from pro-Israel leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, who wanted the United States to veto the resolution. Per Politico, Secretary of State John Kerry responded to those criticisms in a speech today, saying, Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

Kerry defended the decision to abstain from voting: Regrettably, some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means the U.S. must accept any policy regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles, even after urging again and again that the policy must change. He added, [If] we were to stand idly by and know that in doing so, we are allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold, which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities.

Donald Trump condemned the U.N. vote, tweeting, 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., then, The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! In response, Netanyahu tweeted at Trump, saying, President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!

Responding to Kerrys speech, Netanyahus office issued a statement, per The Hill, saying:

Like the resolution that John Kerry advanced at the [United Nations], John Kerry gave a skewed speech against Israel. For over an hour, Kerry dealt obsessively with the settlements and almost didnt touch on the root of the conflict  the Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries.

Netanyahu is expected to make a speech in response to Kerrys, and Ron Dermer, Israels ambassador to the U.S., claimed to NPR that the U.S. helped orchestrate behind the scenes the U.N. resolution condemning Israels actions, and that they would present evidence in the appropriate channels to the new administration.
By PTI: Kulkarni

Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Observer Research Foundation chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the lead in bringing India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together in a "family reconciliation" for the better future of coming generations.

"The idea of an India-Pakistan confederation was also mooted by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, the ideological guru of the BJP, and Dr Rammanohar Lohia, the great socialist leader, in 1964. In a recent speech, PM Modi has described Mahatma Gandhi, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Dr Lohia as three Great Indians of the 20th century," Kulkarni said.

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"Since all three of them were in favour of a confederation, I urge PM Modi to take the lead in bringing India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together in a family reconciliation, leading ultimately to a family re-union," he said addressing a gathering here at the launch of his book August Voices: What they said on 14-15 August 1947.

He said that the people and governments of our three countries must refuse to live as prisoners of the past.

"We must create a better future for our coming generations. A future of peace, shared progress, eradication of poverty, justice and dignity for every human being in our subcontinent. To do so is our moral responsibility towards humanity," Kulkarni said.

He added, that all three nations have the worlds largest number of poor, deprived and divided people with common civilisational ancestry.

"Besides, neither India nor Pakistan nor Bangladesh can develop to their full potential without transitioning from discord to concord, from hostility to cooperation," he said.

Kulkarni said there is no lasting solution, acceptable to India and Pakistan, without some form of a confederal agreement between both nations.

He said that neither the solution to the Kashmir issue, nor the larger idea of a confederation, can move even an inch without Pakistan taking firm measures to eliminate terrorism from its soil.

"Pakistan must rid itself of terrorism and religious extremism for its own survival," he said, adding that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh today have an unprecedented opportunity to move towards economic and infrastructural integration in a big way.

"This can be done by India taking the lead in connecting the BCIM or Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Corridor with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and extending it further to Afghanistan and Iran," he said.

Kulkarni said new trade, business and people-to- people connectivities will create inter-dependence. PTI MM RMT BAS

--- ENDS ---
To say that Muslim travellers have been forced into becoming disturbingly acclimated with the phenomenon commonly known as flying while Muslimor situations involving bigotry, and expressions of bias directed towards Muslims as they travel by airis an understatement. From customary random pat-downs and secondary screenings to invasive questionsand the likelihood of being thrown off your flight for doing anything remotely foreignto flight attendants and passengers who are threatened by the sound of anything other than English, its a constant battle.

On Dec. 21, YouTube celebrity Adam Salehknown mostly for his senseless pranks and copycat social experimentswas allegedly thrown off a Delta flight after a passenger overheard him speaking in Arabic on the phone during a call to his mother. Its fair to approach this specific incident with some skepticism, as Saleh is known for outlandish social experiments which he characterizes in a way that is meant to manipulate public perception in order to have them appear entirely genuine.

For example, in 2014 Saleh released a video that purported to show Muslims being profiled by the NYPD as part of the virulently racist stop-and-frisk program. The only problem was that the entire racial profiling experiment video was staged, and they were forced to admit to what they would later cowardly describe as being a dramatization after people expressed skepticism about its authenticity. These kinds of dramatic fabrications, while detestable, dont mean that these things dont happenthat Muslims arent routinely targeted for simply existing. And this said, it isnt Muslims that are always the targets of anti-Muslim bias.

Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, an Iraqi refugee and senior at the University of California, Berkeley, was left humiliated after a passenger reported him to airline staff after they overheard him speaking Arabic. Thw word Makhzoomi used was inshaAllah, Arabic for God willing, but the passenger told attendants that he had said shaheed, Arabic for martyr. After being forced off the plane, Makhzoomi was thoroughly interrogated, frisked, and refunded, but no apology was given.

In May, Guido Menzio, an Ivy league economist and winner of the Carlo Alberto Medal, given to the best Italian economist under 40, was removed from a flight after a passenger became unnerved by a brown man writing in what she assumed was Arabic. Menzio hadnt been writing in Arabic, he had been scribbling out mathematical equations. The core issue here is that a passenger had the ability to have another individual escorted off of a plane due to her own hysteria, and airlines across the U.S. have continued to indulge similar bigoted imaginations.

In December last year Dr. Bilal Rana, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USAs Youth Association, was confronted by the FBI, frisked in front of a plane full of passengers, had his belongings confiscated, and was then put into the back of a police vehicle. Rana, who had been wearing a shalwar, a traditional knee-length shirt, was profiled and left humiliated. To those who saw me as a threat, Rana would write, I hope you never know what it feels like to have a group of police officers single you out. I hope you never know what it is like to be frisked while standing in front of a plane full of passengers. I hope you never suffer the embarrassment of watching mothers hold their children tightly as you walk by them.

Faisal and Nazia Ali, a Muslim couple who had been celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in Paris, were removed from a Delta flight back home to Cincinnati in August after a flight attendant claimed to have heard the couple use the word Allah, the Arabic word for God. [G]rab all of your personal belongings. Youre not going to be on this flight, a ground agent told them. That same month, two Muslim women, both of them federal employees, faced armed marshals and police officers at Miami International Airport and were treated as though they were security threats after allegedly making a flight attendant feel uncomfortable.

These cases are not new, and they are happening more often. Muslims are having to endure racialized bigotry expressed by fellow passengers, as well as airline policies which offer them little to no recourse if they are ever suspected of something. Passengers living out half-brained delusions where theyre Jack Bauer are now able to get any Muslim, or anyone perceived to be Muslim, kicked off of planes, and the airline industry is letting them do it. Speaking Arabic isnt a reason to be thrown off of a flight, nor is praying, wearing a hijab, a dishdasha, a turban, or anything else that seems to send bigoted non-Muslims into hysterics. Those reporting Muslims for doing something so benign as existing, or existing while foreign, are not heroes, no matter how heroic they may feel. They do not have the safety of themselves or passengers in mind when they report Muslims. The airline industry must change its policies so Muslims are not forced to be dehumanized. There is already enough of that happening before they find their seats.
New Years Eve is this weekend, and that means the Champagne will be flowing. Popping a cork is plenty exciting for some people, but weve got a next-level party trick thats sure to impress. Sabrage is a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a saber popularized by Napoleons soldiers just after the French Revolution. The tradition stuck, and now is used in various formal or ceremonial settings as a showy way of presenting bubbly.

The folks at G.H. Mumm have provided a handy step-by-step guide to proper and safe sabering. Doing this correctly might take a bit of practice so dont reach for that baller bottle on your first try. Remember: a Champagne bottle is a pressurized glass container; its essentially a bomb. Make sure you are taking proper precautions and not putting yourself or anyone else in danger. Always saber outside, and be sure to aim the bottle away from people or any nearby buildings.

STEP 1: Gather your chilled bottle of Champagne and sabering tool of choice. In order to make the glass more brittle, your Champagne should be refrigerated (38-40 degrees F). A traditional saber, if you have one, makes for a nice spectacle if youre entertaining guests. Otherwise, a regular blunt knife, or even a butter knife, will do.

STEP 2: Carefully remove the foil and cage and wipe away any moisture. Keep your thumb on the top of the cork until you are ready to saber. The pressure, and temperature once you remove the cage, could allow the cork to pop on its own.

STEP 3: Grab the bottle by the base, find the seam and point it away from onlookers. Using your less-dominant hand, maintain a tight grip around the bottom of the bottle with your entire hand. Tilt it in a 30-degree angle. Face the seamthe weakest part of the bottleupwards. The intersection of the seam and lip is where you will get a clean break.

STEP 4: Hold the knife flat across the bottle with the blunt edge towards the lip. Run the saber or knife back and forth along the seam. In one swift motion, strike the lip of the bottle with the dull side of your blade, maintaining a slight angle and following through.

STEP 5: Pop and cheers! If youve done it correctly, the cork, with a little ring of glass around it, will fly off the end of the bottle. The cork can reach impressive speeds, so be careful in case it ricochets. The cut edge will be sharp, but the Champagne is still safe to be served. Pour, toast and enjoy. Happy New Year!

If everything works out well, it should look something like this.

Jim Sabataso is a writer, cocktail enthusiast, and bar director for The Palms Restaurant in Rutland, Vermont. Follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/jimsabataso and Instagram.
Kick Off 2017 in Morocco With the WSOP Circuit Marrakech, Jan. 19-22

December 28, 2016 PokerNews Staff

The year 2016 was big for poker at the Casino de Marrakech with big events all year round and huge first-place prizes for players from all over the world.

Mathieu Selides had the best possible start of his year, winning the WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event for 95,479 in January. Portuguese Pro Henrique Pinho scored his biggest live cash winning the 2016 Marrakech Poker Open for 35,800 and hometown hero Rachid Rami won the WPT National Marrakech for almost $100,000!

When all the festivities are behind us and the dust has settled after eating and drinking too much over the holidays, Casino de Marrakech is ready to kick off 2017 with a bang. Once again, the World Series of Poker International Circuit Event is hitting Marrakech, with an action packed tournament schedule.

The 1,350 buy in (15,000 DH) Main Event starts Jan. 19 and has two starting days. The big finale is on Jan. 22. Besides the Main Event, there are a plethora of side events, ranging from 45 satellites to a 2,700 Super High Roller.

On top of regular poker events, there's an Open Face Chinese Poker event with a buy-in of 135. There won't be a WSOP Circuit ring up for grabs in that event, but there will be plenty available in the other events that run from Jan. 14-22.

PokerNews will be on the floor bringing you updates on the Main Event. You can find the highlights of the festival below or visit the official WSOPC website and download the festival structure for all the satellites and side events as a PDF.

Date Time Days # buyin event format Sat, Jan. 14 6:00 PM 2 #1 365 NLHM Opening Event Reentry (cap of 150 players) Mon, Jan. 16 6:00 PM 1 #3 275 NLHM Turbo Deepstack Single Reentry Tue, Jan. 17 6:00 PM 2 #5 550 Deepstack Reentry Wed, Jan. 18 4:00 PM 2 #8 1,800 NLHM High Roller Reentry Thu, Jan. 19 1:00 PM 4 #11A 1,350 MAIN EVENT Reentry Fri, Jan. 20 1:00 PM 3 #11B 1,350 MAIN EVENT Reentry 7:00 PM 1 #15 365 NLHM Freezeout Sat, Jan. 21 2:00 PM 2 #17 550 NLHM MONSTER STACK Reentry 4:00 PM 1 #18 365 NLHM / Pot-Limit Omaha Freezeout Sun, Jan. 22 1:00 PM 1 #21 550 NLHM Short-Handed Reentry 1:30 PM 1 #22 2,700 NLHM Super High Roller Reentry

Image courtesy of Mounir Mahroug
Central Texas Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association (PSUCenTex) selects promising Penn State sophomore from Hays County, TX for annual chapter scholarship.

By: Penn State Alumni Assn, Central Texas Chapter

Contact

Penn State Alumni Assn, Central Texas (PSUCenTex)

512.686.6379

***@psucentex.org Penn State Alumni Assn, Central Texas (PSUCenTex)512.686.6379

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-- The Central Texas Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association is pleased to announce the recipient of our 2016 Annual PSUCenTex Scholarship. This award provides recognition to outstanding Penn State students from Austin and the surrounding area. Emily Strang, a Hays County native and sophomore at Penn State University Park, will receive a $1000 scholarship for her 2016-2017 tuition."I am so incredibly thankful for this opportunity, and I cannot thank the Penn State Central Texas Alumni Chapter enough for helping me accomplish my greatest dreams." said Emily. "I will be thinking of them always as I pursue my path of becoming a physician's assistant and work hard here at PSU! We are!"In addition to her studies in Biobehavioral Health, Emily contributes to several groups and associations, including the Red Cross, Global Brigades, Rotary Club, and the premedical Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta. She hopes to continue her education after Penn State in a Physician Assistant (PA) program, and the Central Texas chapter is honored to assist her in reaching that goal.For more information on the scholarship fund, past recipients, or eligibility criteria for 2017, please visit http://www.psucentex.org/ scholarship.html PSUCenTex is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and a chartered organization of the Penn State Alumni Association. Funding for our scholarships is made possible through the charitable donations and support of our membership.
Contact

Pure Artistry Literary Cafe

Monique Dennis

***@palitcafe.com Pure Artistry Literary CafeMonique Dennis

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-- Pure Artistry Literary Cafe welcomes John Henry Redwood's The Old Settler, April 14 & 15, 2017. The Old Settler, a gentle, sweet-natured comedy about life in Harlem in 1943, is directed by LaBrandon Milbre-Tyre. Auditions will take place at 142 West Jeff Davis Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 and are set for Friday, January 6 (7pm to 10pm); Saturday, January 7, 2017 (11am to 4pm); with callbacks Sunday, January 8 (3pm to 7pm). Auditioning actors should come prepared with a memorized one-minute character monologue and their best 16 bars of an old negro spiritual. Email headshot/photo, and acting resume to perform@paLitCafe.com to schedule audition. For more information, contact Monique Dennis at info@palitcafe.com, call 334.528.0174.Character overview Elizabeth "Bess" Borny  a 55 year old Black woman. Quilly McGrath  a 53 year old Black woman; Elizabeth's sister. Husband Witherspoon  a 29 year old Black man. Lou Bessie "Charmaine" Preston  a 29 year old Black woman; Husband's love interest.LaBrandon Tyre, the production's director, made his debut at Pure Artistry Literary Cafe in the Spring 2016 production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as Slow Drag. A native of Midway, AL, LaBrandon has more than 16 years of theatrical experience. Throughout his experience he has filled many theatre roles, ranging from actor and costume design, to director. He is a proud of alumnus of Theatre AUM where he performed in and directed many plays. Some of his recent acting credits include Tartuffe in Tartuffe, Serge in Art, and Budford Pullander in The Great Easter Egg Hunt. Some of his directing credits include Almost Maine, Amazed (a world premiere). He was also one of the directors for Theatre AUM's 40th Anniversary Showcase. LaBrandon is excited to make his directing debut at Pure Artistry and as always, he dedicates this work to his Grandfather and family.Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ palitcafe
Make life in the kitchen easy with this amazing new gift set.

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-- Premier kitchen brand PriorityChef announces the formal unveiling of its new offering. This gift set consists of 3 products in 1 gift set. Introducing the Frying Pan Set + Colander + Knife Set bundle.The company's founder Joe Kenny believes food preparation should be an enjoyable and pleasant experience for the cook. He added that you don't have to be a professional chef or culinary expert to enjoy the luxury and convenience of having premium-quality cookware and kitchen products. To this end, Mr. Kenny shares 3 of his amazing kitchen products and puts them in 1 bundle.Made of high-quality, nonstick material, the 3-Piece Frying Pan Set is designed for convenience and even heating. Mr. Kenny guarantees these frying pans will not burn your food. They're easy to use and clean. These pans are induction-compatible and dishwasher-safe.Next on this kitchen collection is the 3-Quart Colander. When you need a large strainer with easy-grip handles, you'll love this product, Mr. Kenny stated. He added that this high-quality colander is rust-proof, ensures fast draining, and easy to clean. Because it holds up to 3-quarts, it is perfect for washing fruits, veggies, and pasta.Lastly, the 6-Piece Knife Set features a diverse collection of knives, which includes a carving knife, bread knife, chef knife, utility knife, paring knife, and ceramic peeler. Each knife is designed with soft-textured handle and 100% stainless steel. It's a full package fit for commercial use.With a strong focus on customer satisfaction, Mr. Kenny promises to replace the product or give a full refund if it does not meet the customer's expectations.To learn more about these items, check them out on Amazon.3-Piece Frying Pan Set: http://amzn.to/ 2ha9Nlg 3-Quart Colander: http://amzn.to/ 2gg1xDc 6-Piece Knife Set:http://amzn.to/2gotuHaAbout Priority ChefAs a small, family-run business, PriorityChef provides nothing but the best for its customers. For its unswerving commitment, the company is acknowledged as one of the premier cookware brands. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, PriorityChef consistently receives outstanding reviews and impressive ratings in AmazonYou can reach PriorityChef through email at support@priority-chef.com or visit its website at -http://priority-chef.com/
COMPEX high-temperature pyrolysis system for power generation received the Golden Lightning prize in the International Award Distributed Power Generation  Great Achievements

Contact

BPC Engineering

***@bpcbt.com BPC Engineering

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-- The International Award "Distributed Power Generation  Great Achievements"devoted to advanced developments in the sphere of distributed generation took place in the beginning of December in Moscow. Leading experts of Russia's business community, representatives of federal and regional authorities and scientists assessed developments submitted for the competition. COMPEX high-temperature pyrolysis system for power generation was acknowledged as the best development in the category "Advanced Development in the Sphere of Power Industry". This was one of four categories. In total, more than 50 developments of companies from Russia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Belarus and Germany participated in the competition.The board of the Award highly appreciated the innovation of COMPEX pyrolysis system as well as its economical efficiency. It allows generating electrical and thermal energy through the recovery of synthesis fuel from virtually and hydrocarbon feedstock. The solution is a single complex for feedstock conditioning, pyrolysis gas generation, combustion in a gas turbine and electricity and heat generation. The system is based on a patented technology of fast high-temperature pyrolysis that ensures efficient processing of various feedstock including wood, turf, shale, coals, manure, agricultural wastes and other biomass. The generated fuel can be used in gas turbine units without any additional treatment. Besides pyrolysis gas COMPEX systems provide the following energy resources: synthetic crude oil and high-carbon material. Through the use of virtually waste material an end user can get electricity cheaper by 2-3 times compared with the utility rates simultaneously eliminating the problem of organic wastes utilization. In some cases it is possible to establish waste-free cycle. For instance, a timber processing facility in Serbia utilizes wood scrap that is used to produce pyrolysis gas, which is used by a microturbine unit. High-carbon material, a by-product of pyrolysis, is sold to other companies as a fuel, and synthetic crude oil is used as a fuel in technological process of the facility.The COMPEX solution aroused great interest among many Russian and foreign companies. Its implementation facilitates environmental sustainability and energy efficiency of industrial and agricultural enterprises as well as reduces their energy costs.
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-- In the recent years, there has been a rise in the bulletproof helmets marketAdoption of advanced technologies and smart textiles have contributed towards the growth of this market, studies a new report added to the vast database of Market Research Hub (MRH). It is entitled as "2016-2020". The report encapsulates comprehensive information about the global market present scenario and its future growth prospects till the end of 2020. Further, it also focuses on the key manufacturers in the global market with sales, revenue and market share for each manufacturer.According to the research analysts, the global market for bulletproof helmets is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.51% during the forecast period of 2016 to 2020. The major factor boosting the growth of the market is the rise in cross-border terrorism. It is well known that military forces always need to be prepared at the border, for which they require to wear bullet proof helmets for safety. Apart from that, bullet proof helmets are used in defense and homeland security. It visibly provides protection from potentially dangerous elements that range from ballistic threats, fragments and air-borne flying particles.Further, the report segments the market on the basis of several key regions and by end-user. Geographically, key regions included in the report are North America, Western Europe, APAC and rest of the world. In APAC, the increasing instances of terrorist attacks, rising flow of terrorist fighters from countries in the Middle East such as Syria and Iraq, adopting support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), results in the enhancement of domestic laws by the government. Also, North America accounted for the maximum market share in 2015 and will continue its dominance in the coming years.The study observed that the growing demand for bulletproofs helmets is rising due to various law enforcement activities. For the vendors, global ballistic equipment's market has huge potential because it encourages them to establish their presence across borders. The research also states that one of the major challenges for the market is optimizing weight and performance of helmets.Top players in the global market are as follows: BAE Systems 3M MKU ArmorSourceOther prominent vendors are- Aegis Engineering, Hard SHELL, Point Blank Enterprises, Sarkar Defence Solutions, Ulbrichts Protection, Ningbo Chihan Protection, Argun, Rabintex, Protection Group Denmark and Sinoarmor.(http://www.marketresearchhub.com/)(MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRH's expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.90 State StreetAlbany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free : 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel : +1-518-621-2074Email : press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite : http://www.marketresearchhub.com- https://www.linkedin.com/company/market-research-hub
Indulge Mall Group Pte Ltd aims to create a 1-stop service provider that caters to various needs to suit all consumers of all ages. The goal is to create a global lifestyle trend and shopping platform.

By: Indulge Mall Group Pte Ltd

Contact

Caroline Wee

***@indulgemall.com Caroline Wee

End

-- In this day and age shopping and deals application has seen a growing trend and an exponential increase in numbers. Business owners aim to drive sales and consumers are constantly looking for the best deals in town. Whether based on price or value, customers are willing to go the distance for a great deal. Indulge Mall Group Pte Ltd aims to create a 1-stop service provider that caters to various needs to suit all consumers of all ages. The goal is to create a global lifestyle trend and shopping platform.There are many similar mobile apps that provides a wide array of needs for various target markets. Some of these apps focuses on a particular segment (e.g. fashion) or geographic location (e.g. low cost products with inferior quality). Others are giants in the industry but have perhaps fallen behind on customer service. We aim to outpace our competition by creating a truly pleasant and unique online shopping experience by focusing a on wide variety of quality products at reasonable prices while always putting customer satisfaction as our top priority.At Indulge Mall Group Pte Ltd, the focus of the business falls on 3 different pillars: Our clients (merchants), customers and registered charities. We call them our 3C pillars. We firmly believe that this holistic approach to business is a more socially balanced approach and also believes that a thriving platform can only succeed if the needs of all pillars are met. We want to create a business network that does not compete with but compliments each other.As part of our efforts to give back to society, Indulge Mall Group Pte Ltd will feature a charity section on our website which aims to better match the needs of registered charities in Singapore with contributions offered by our merchant-partners. These contributions can come in the form of products and services or through the provision of time-off for their employees' in order to help out at these charities. In fact, Indulge Mall does not make any profit through the charity section as we pledge to assist in the community in every way.The common understanding is that creating 1-off value deals for customers will help create awareness for companies but not necessarily brand loyalty. So while this is a good short term strategy, in the long run customers will constantly move from merchant to merchant for "the next better offer". Indulge Mall believes that the longevity of business stems from long-term relations between customer and merchant. Our job is to better match these parties. Therefore, the long-term goal is for the customer to build sustainable relationships with their customers through our platform and for these customers to enjoy exclusive deals with our partners through us. In this way, the customer receives a good deal, while the merchant receives a constant revenue stream. As for us, we will constantly review our product offerings and aim to provide more services in more geographical locations.At Indulge Mall, we utilise the latest technology to provide gateways for consumers to interact with Indulge Mall on promotions, deals, company updates and more personalised relationships with our target audience. Indulge Mall is actively involved in social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The company has also created mobile apps for both Android and iOS users to help enhance the user experience and convenience. We have paid a lot of attention to the overall design of the mobile apps and website as we want our customers to have a truly unique and enjoyable experience while shopping with us.We utilise seamless and hassle free payment options via credit cards. Upon a successful purchase, voucher codes are given to customers which will in turn be claimable at our partner stores and this also allows merchants to verify the vouchers presented. Safety of customers' data is of utmost importance. Help us protect your data by ensuring that your personal data is not shared with others.As a marketing tool, Merchants have access to an ever-growing audience to promote their products and services. This results in new customers and potentially repeat sales for our clients. They are also able to better control cost as they have more information to facilitate inventory planning and keep manpower costs at optimal levels as Merchants can now better understand what products and services to focus on, redemption timings and plan their workload accordingly. It is also particularly helpful where merchants have excess inventory or capacity which they need to clear down quickly.One often overlooked benefit to our merchants is the increased exposure or buss they will be getting by listing their products with us. We can help our clients to expose their products to new customers and let social platforms and word of mouth do its marketing magic in the background.All these will help give Merchants a clearer sense of direction for their respective business.We have ambitions to expand our presence globally. As we strive to create a premier brand, our company aims for a global outreach in the near future. This company is developed by shoppers for shoppers and aims to create a simple and fun way to create an enjoyable shopping experience.More on - https://www.indulgemall.com
By: Healy Consultants

End

-- Following a slump in global oil prices, the government of Kuwait decided to commence on economic reforms that will reduce state subsidies and boost the country's efforts to expand non-oil sectors, specifically the industrial sector. Currently, the industrial sector contributes 9% of Kuwait's GDP. Once all the reforms are implemented, the output is set to increase to 25%. This will also contribute largely towards the country's plans to diversify the economy.His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah recently said at the first regular session of the 15th legislative term of the National Assembly "Some of the mega projects, listed in the economic development plan, will be implemented solely by government institutions and others that will be implemented through public-private partnerships. Besides these high-value-added projects that will enhance the country's competitive edge in the petrochemical industry, the government is working on a range of draft economic legislations and is looking forward to cooperating with your honorable Assembly to pass them as early as possible." (source  Kuwait Times ( http://news.kuwaittimes.net/ website/pm-sets- forth-guideli... )).The major government projects that will pioneer these industrial reforms are the Petrochemicals and plastics industries. The government has also recently established industrial free zones including Al Naayem Industrial Zone, Al Shadadiyah Industrial Zone and Sabhan Industrial Zone where the Kuwait Industries Union has already approved more than 230 applications for new industrial projects over the last two years.Legislations were enacted in 2013 as part of Kuwait's new foreign direct investment law to make it easier for foreigners to invest in the industrial zones. The law allows for 100% foreign ownership although oil and banking industries are still regulated thus restricting equity ownership in these sectors.For over a decade, the incorporation experts at Healy Consultants Pte Ltd., with their branch in Kuwait, have been assisting investors worldwide to set up the optimum corporate structure for doing business in the country. The services offered include company registration, banking solutions, accounting and tax and legal services and corporate support services.To inquire more about Kuwait company setup options and schedule a conference call, email us at email@healyconsultants or call us on +65 6735 0120.
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Dec 28 (PTI) Power-starved Pakistan today received a major boost as a China-backed 340 MW nuclear power plant in its Punjab province was inaugrated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who termed it as a milestone in the governments efforts to end the mence of load shedding.

The Chashma-3 plant is located at Chashma in Mianwali district where another plant Chashma-IV is also being built.

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Sharif described the completion of C-3 as another milestone towards the journey to eliminate the menace of load shedding from the country, Radio Pakistan reported.

He said the project is reflective of closer cooperation between Pakistan and China in science and technology.

"This cooperation is also beginning of a new era of development in the region," he said.

Sharif expressed confidence that Chashma-IV nuclear power plant would also become operational before its deadline of mid next year.

Chashma two and three power plants are the most efficient plants in the country, providing more than 600 MW of electricity to the national grid.

Sharif appreciated Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for its efforts for self reliance in fuel fabrication and said his government would extend every possible assistance to the Commission to help overcome the shortage of electricity in the country.

Referring to the generation target of 8800 MW of nuclear energy by 2030, Sharif urged the Commission to accept the challenge of producing more than the target and play its full role in the development of the country.

Noting that there has been a marked reduction in load shedding during the last three years, Sharif pledged that the menace of load shedding would be over in 2018.

He said generation of additional 2200 MW of electricity through K-II and K-III would contribute towards this effort.

Sharif urged PAEC to take all possible measures to strengthen safety of existing and future power plants as per international standards.

Sharif thanked China for extending cooperation in nuclear field and said the two countries are actively cooperating in many other areas, including construction of roads, motorways, airports and upgradation of Pakistan Railways.

He said many projects were initiated under CPEC and their impact was now visible.

These projects are being implemented speedily and this would result in overcoming challenges of unemployment, poverty, backwardness and accelerating the pace of socio economic development, besides bringing all regions of the country more closer, he said. PTI SH MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---

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The Hellenic Journal Premieres New Website Greek American publication hopes to extend its reach with updated digital presence. By: The Hellenic Journal 1 2 3 The Hellenic Journal Homepage Editorial Features Page About Us Page DANVILLE, Calif. - Dec. 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Since its inception in 1975, The Hellenic Journal has been the voice of Western Greek American culture. The staff at The Hellenic Journal knew that in order for the spirit of their treasured publication to translate properly to the web it would take more than simply taking the print version and posting it online; they needed true vision and understanding of their goal of sharing and preserving culture. They turned to Naperville, IL-based Launch Digital Marketing for their design needs and found a true partner in their journey.



Published monthly and offering distribution via subscribers, churches, Greek stores, and special events, The Hellenic Journal offers a connection to current events in Greece as well as the rich history and culture Greek Americans share. With news stories from the homeland and regular columnists offering their unique point of view, it's no wonder The Hellenic Journal has been a hit among Greek American households for more than 40 years. With the help of Launch Digital Marketing, they are taking their presence to the next level.



"In the words of the great Greek philosopher Plato, 'The beginning is the most important part of the work,'" said Frosene Phillips, Editor of The Hellenic Journal. "Thanks to our fantastic team at Launch Digital Marketing led by Project Manager Deborah Mitchell, The Hellenic Journal's new website embraces the wisdom of Plato's quote as it moves into a more global digital space."



The Hellenic Journal's newly designed website offers an opportunity to reach beyond the limits of print distribution to reach a much larger base of Greek Americans, and those looking to learn more about Greece and Greek American life. Offering articles on lifestyle and community, as well as news and special features, The Hellenic Journal keeps a connection to the publication's legacy while aiming sights on the future, and their freshly designed website by Launch Digital Marketing (LDM) exemplifies that spirit.



"Following over four decades of serving our Greek American communities with the HJ print publication, LDM's creativity, dedication, expertise, and guidance have successfully expanded our voice while capturing the HJ's kefi (aka spirit)," continued Phillips. "Bravo!"



To learn more about The Hellenic Journal, head over to their newly designed



Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/ 12610222/1

https://www.prlog.org/ 12610222/2

https://www.prlog.org/ 12610222/3 End -- Since its inception in 1975, The Hellenic Journal has been the voice of Western Greek American culture. The staff at The Hellenic Journal knew that in order for the spirit of their treasured publication to translate properly to the web it would take more than simply taking the print version and posting it online; they needed true vision and understanding of their goal of sharing and preserving culture. They turned to Naperville, IL-based Launch Digital Marketing for their design needs and found a true partner in their journey.Published monthly and offering distribution via subscribers, churches, Greek stores, and special events, The Hellenic Journal offers a connection to current events in Greece as well as the rich history and culture Greek Americans share. With news stories from the homeland and regular columnists offering their unique point of view, it's no wonder The Hellenic Journal has been a hit among Greek American households for more than 40 years. With the help of Launch Digital Marketing, they are taking their presence to the next level."In the words of the great Greek philosopher Plato, 'The beginning is the most important part of the work,'" said Frosene Phillips, Editor of The Hellenic Journal. "Thanks to our fantastic team at Launch Digital Marketing led by Project Manager Deborah Mitchell, The Hellenic Journal's new website embraces the wisdom of Plato's quote as it moves into a more global digital space."The Hellenic Journal's newly designed website offers an opportunity to reach beyond the limits of print distribution to reach a much larger base of Greek Americans, and those looking to learn more about Greece and Greek American life. Offering articles on lifestyle and community, as well as news and special features, The Hellenic Journal keeps a connection to the publication's legacy while aiming sights on the future, and their freshly designed website by Launch Digital Marketing (LDM) exemplifies that spirit."Following over four decades of serving our Greek American communities with the HJ print publication, LDM's creativity, dedication, expertise, and guidance have successfully expanded our voice while capturing the HJ's kefi (aka spirit)," continued Phillips. "Bravo!"To learn more about The Hellenic Journal, head over to their newly designed website and explore the pages and articles that are available now. Learn all about Launch Digital Marketing and find out how to bring your passion to the next level here Email : ***@launchdigitalmarketing.com Tags : Greek News , Greek American Publication , The Hellenic Journal , Greek Editorials , Lifestyle and Community Industry : Media , Publishing Location : Danville - California - United States Subject : Websites Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse Account Email AddressAccount Phone Number


Signal, the encrypted messaging app I prefer, is being blocked in both Egypt and the UAE. Recently, the Signal team developed a workaround: domain fronting.

Signals new anti-censorship feature uses a trick called domain fronting, Marlinspike explains. A country like Egypt, with only a few small internet service providers tightly controlled by the government, can block any direct request to a service on its blacklist. But clever services can circumvent that censorship by hiding their traffic inside of encrypted connections to a major internet service, like the content delivery networks (CDNs) that host content closer to users to speed up their online experienceor in Signals case, Googles App Engine platform, designed to host apps on Googles servers.

Now when people in Egypt or the United Arab Emirates send a Signal message, itll look identical to something like a Google search, Marlinspike says. The idea is that using Signal will look like using Google; if you want to block Signal youll have to block Google.

The trick works because Googles App Engine allows developers to redirect traffic from Google.com to their own domain. Googles use of TLS encryption means that contents of the traffic, including that redirect request, are hidden, and the internet service provider can see only that someone has connected to Google.com. That essentially turns Google into a proxy for Signal, bouncing its traffic and fooling the censors.
Scientists at the Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), Osaka University, Japan, report a new molecular mechanism that could explain the cause of some autoimmune diseases.

While the immune system is crucial for protecting the body from infection and disease, prolonged activation can damage healthy tissue. After its activation, the immune system is shut off by specialized immune cells known as regulatory T cells (Treg cells). Understanding the development of Treg cells is thought to be critical for combating autoimmune diseases. "The development of Treg cells in the thymus depends on super-enhancer establishment," explains IFReC Professor Shimon Sakaguchi.

This super-enhancer establishment permits the expression of genes specific for Treg cell development. "Super-enhancers appeared to be a pre-requisite for Treg cell development, so we sought molecules controlling super-enhancers," he added.

In the most recent publication by the Sakaguchi lab, which can be seen in Nature Immunology, Sakaguchi and his team report that Satb1 regulates the super enhancers essential for Treg cell development.

Looking at the Treg cell development pathway, the scientists found that the level of Satb1 was highest before Treg cells develop, and dropped after Treg cell development. Further study showed that Satb1 bound to the super enhancers responsible for Treg cell development, but again, only in progenitors that differentiated into Treg cells and not Treg cells themselves. Therefore, Satb1 may regulate the epigenetic changes that precede the creation of Treg cells.

"Satb1 appears to be necessary for the differentiation of Treg cells, but not for the maintenance of Treg cells," said Dr. Yohko Kitagawa, who first-authored the study.

Indeed, in mice lacking Satb1, the development of Treg cells was impaired and the mice showed symptoms of autoimmune disease. Furthermore, the progenitors cells of these mice showed inferior super enhancer activity, which resulted in less expression of the genes necessary for Treg cell development.

Based on these findings, Sakaguchi theorizes that defective Satb1-dependent super-enhancer establishment could be a cause of autoimmune diseases and allergy. "Autoimmune diseases are due to hyperactive immune systems. One cause is not having enough Treg cells. Understanding how this occurs is an important step towards treating autoimmune diseases," he said.
In April, Google began showing a warning label in the search results to the owner of the web site if their pages were not mobile friendly. So if you were a verified Search Console user for a site and a page showed up in the search results and that page was not mobile friendly, Google would add a label for you in the snippet that reads "your page is not mobile-friendly."

But recently, that label has been wrong for many pages.

I noticed it yesterday when I published the on the Nonsecure Collection Of Passwords In Chrome notice. In Google it shows me that the page is not mobile friendly - but it is.

Here is the screen shot from the search results - they still show as not mobile friendly to me this morning:

But the mobile friendly testing tool shows it as mobile friendly:

The site is a mobile friendly site, so all new content is mobile friendly. In fact, other stories don't show up with the label for me (at least the ones I spot checked).

I am not the only one who saw this. Jennifer Slegg spotted this also for her site and so did others.

I wonder if this is a weird bug or something else going on? I honestly thought by the next day it would show fine, but it still does not.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

Update: John Mueller implied this page was labeled as not mobile friendly because of it's page speed. Meaning slow pages may make a page not mobile friendly in Google's eyes. Plus we have native iOS and Android apps and we are AMP enabled. So shouldn't the mobile friendly work off AMP, since Google serves that page to mobile users?
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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Dec 28 (PTI) Power-starved Pakistan today received a major boost as a China-backed 340 MW nuclear power plant in its Punjab province was inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who termed it as an "important milestone" in the governments efforts to end the menace of load shedding.

The fourth nuclear plant Chashma-3 is located about 250 kilometres southwest of capital Islamabad at Chashma in Mianwali district where another plant Chashma-IV is also being built.

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Sharif described the completion of C-3 as "another important milestone in the journey to eliminate the menace of load shedding from the country," Radio Pakistan reported.

He said the project is reflective of closer cooperation between Pakistan and China in science and technology.

"This cooperation is also beginning of a new era of development in the region," he said.

Sharif expressed confidence that Chashma-IV nuclear power plant would also become operational before its deadline of mid next year.

Chashma two and three power plants are the most efficient plants in the country, providing more than 600 MW of electricity to the national grid. Pakistans first nuclear plant was supplied by Canada in 1972.

Sharif appreciated Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for its efforts for self reliance in fuel fabrication and said his government would extend every possible assistance to the Commission to help overcome the shortage of electricity in the country.

Referring to the generation target of 8,800 MW of nuclear energy by 2030, Sharif urged the Commission to accept the challenge of producing more than the target and play its full role in the development of the country.

Noting that there has been a marked reduction in load shedding during the last three years, Sharif pledged that the menace of load shedding would be over in 2018.

Sharif said generation of additional 2200 MW of electricity through K-II and K-III would contribute towards this effort.

Pakistan has been grappling with power shortage and the unusually long hours of power outages has been haunting its people for about a decade.

Sharif urged PAEC to take all possible measures to strengthen safety of existing and future power plants as per international standards.

Sharif thanked China for extending cooperation in nuclear field and said the two countries are actively cooperating in many other areas, including construction of roads, motorways, airports and upgradation of Pakistan Railways.

He said many projects were initiated under CPEC and their impact was now visible.

These projects are being implemented speedily and this would result in overcoming challenges of unemployment, poverty, backwardness and accelerating the pace of socio economic development, besides bringing all regions of the country more closer, he said. PTI SH MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---

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The land based version of the Israeli Barak 8 SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) system arrived in Azerbaijan in late 2016 and after it successfully test fired one of the Barak 8 missiles in December was declared operational. Azerbaijan ordered 12 launchers, 75 Barak 8 missiles and four search radars in 2013. The Barak 8 is a 275 kg (605 pound) missile with a 60 kg (132 pound) warhead and a range of 70 kilometers. The warhead has its own seeker that can find the target despite most countermeasures. The missiles are mounted in a three ton, eight cell container (which requires little maintenance), and are launched straight up. The compact (for easy installation on a ship) fire control module weighs under two tons. The land version has everything mounted in 66 cross-country trucks.

Azerbaijan is one of the few Moslem majority countries that is a regular buyer of for Israeli military equipment. Since 1992 Azerbaijan has bought nearly $5 billion dollars worth of weapons and equipment from Israel. This includes a license to build (for internal use and export) the Israeli Orbiter UAV. Most of this was to deal with a decades old territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia.

There is another user of the land-based Barak 8; India. This is in addition to the ship based Barak 8 that is being widely used in the Indian navy as well as Israeli warships. India also has the largest Moslem population of any country, but with over a billion people, Moslems are a minority in India. Thus India never had any ideological problems doing business with Israel.
In late 2016 the U.S. Navy conducted a second successful live test of its new CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing) swarmware (swarming software) for USVs (unmanned surface vessel). This one involved a slightly different approach and involved testing the ability of the software to quickly learn and adapt its behavior while in action. The first test, in mid-2014, involved simpler situations, like patrolling harbors or anchorages or entrances to harbors or rivers. The 2014 test had swarms of up to fourteen USVs operating together and automatically dealing with threats a small list of predefined threats. The 2016 test left more decision making to the swarmbots to quickly adapt to the situation, the better to handle a fast moving situations.

Both tests used a system whereby a kit of sensors and electromechanical components was used that turned existing small manned boats into USVs. Each kit cost about $2,000 per boat and when not in use are stored in a small container that can easily flown in to whatever port or coastal location needed swarm capability. As of 2016 the navy has identified fifteen different types of small boats that could be equipped with a CARACaS kit.

Since 2014 work on CARACaS showed that software has again become a weapon and the side that can most quickly improve software capabilities will have a combat edge. This is nothing new as for decades software superiority has been a factor in the development of missile guidance systems, ship fire control systems and aerial (radar) and undersea (sonar) systems.

Note that this sort of algorithmic response to combat situations is nothing new. As far back as the early 1940s (World War II) allied naval forces were using mathematically optimized search patterns to more effectively find a German submarine(s) that had just attacked a convoy. The Germans took a while to figure out why the same number of convoy escorts had suddenly become so much more effective. Similar techniques became more common and more effective during and after the war. So swarmware is no unexpected breakthrough but the evolution of a decades old technique.

CARACaS was developed initially to turn any small power boat into a software controlled boat. These small boats could be manned, speeding up the decision to open fire. But CARACaS can also easily adaptable to existing navy USVs like the Spartan Scout, which is a two ton, 7 meter (22 foot) long, radio controlled boat. It is armed with a .50 caliber machine-gun and a number of sensors (mainly day and night vidcams). Spartan Scout is more suitable for patrolling port areas and inland waterways where quick armed response might be needed. When operating using the new swarmware the USVs in the immediate area will communicate with each other and automatically respond to a small boat (possibly part of a terrorist attack on a ship) by automatically moving into position to block the approach of the unidentified boat. If that doesnt stop the intruder a human operator, who is alerted whenever there the swarm detects a potential intruder, can allow one or more of the armed USVs to open fire. The ideas behind swarmware have been around since the 1980s but it has taken time to make this type of software control more robust and reliable.

Older USVs could also operate without an operator by using GPS to move between specified locations. Thats one reason why Spartan Scout was designed to stay out for up to 48 hours depending on how much high speed (it can hit up to 80 kilometers an hour) running is done. It also has a loudspeaker and microphones, so that the operator (who is usually so far away that he can't see the USV) can converse with crewmen on suspicious ships. Spartan Scout was particularly useful when it got its first tryout in the Persian Gulf during late 2003. There are a lot of small boats moving about, some of them up to no good. An Arab linguist on the mothership was able to interrogate suspicious boats the Spartan Scout ran down. The civilian sailors were somewhat taken aback when they were interrogated by this Arab speaking boat that had no one aboard. While Spartan Scout was developed primarily to work with the LCS (Littoral Combat Ship), every ship now wants one or more of them, just for port security.

Spartan Scout is also designed to use different sets of equipment for different missions (detecting mines, Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance, Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection, destroying threats with machine-guns, and Antisubmarine Warfare).

Seeing the need for a larger USV, the U.S. Navy has developed a new USV to be carried and used by surface ships or even submarines for anti-submarine warfare. Officially called the Fleet class Anti-Submarine Warfare Unmanned Surface Vehicle (ASWUSV), the 12.5 meter (39 foot) long boats weigh 8.5 tons and can carry 2.5 tons of sensors and other equipment. The USV can move up to 63 kilometers an hour and stay at sea for up to 24 hours and most of the time it would be moving slowly, using its sonar to search for subs. The ASWUSV is equipped with GPS and a computerized navigation system that allows it to automatically run search patterns. Thus the sailors controlling the boat remotely can move it to an area that helicopter or aircraft dropped sonobuoys have picked up a contact and pursue it more intensively with the more powerful sensors it has on board. Such pattern searching (worked out with algorithms derived from experience with what subs can do) has been a successful tactic since World War II. While two of these ASWUSVs can be carried by LCS ships, the boats can also be used from shore stations. The ASWUSV was developed based on experience with the Spartan Scout and could also make use of the swarmware.

Other nations are developing similar technology. In 2013 Israel revealed a larger (11 meter/34 foot) version of their original nine meter long Protector USV. This new one is armed with a water cannon and Spike guided missiles. The new Protector is more stable in rough seas and can stay out for over 12 hours at a time.

The original Protector USV is a four ton, 9 meter (30 foot) long speedboat that can move at up to 72 kilometers an hour and is armed with a remote control 12.7mm machine-gun (using night vision and a laser rangefinder). Both versions of Protector are equipped with radar, GPS, and vidcams, as well as a public address system, to give orders to boats that should not be there.

Protector has been used for the last decade in places like the Israeli coast, the Persian Gulf, and Singapore for port and coast patrol. Protector can be controlled from an operator ashore or in a nearby ship, usually out to the horizon or at least 10-20 kilometers distant. The original Protector can stay out eight hours at a time. The one big shortcoming is that Protector is built for speed, not rough seas. So when the weather turns bad, and the waves get higher, Protector has to be brought in. Protector is used to patrol the Gaza coast and the waters around the Lebanese border. These USVs were also used off Gaza during the 2009, 2012 and 2014 wars with Hamas.
As far as security threats go, nothing surpasses the precarious state of the Chinese economy and banking system and what would happen if both collapsed. All the other headline grabbling activities (military expansion, aggressive territorial claims) are mainly to deflect attention from this, the real threat. China managed to avoid a financial meltdown in 2016, but mainly by avoiding having to deal with the bad debt problem and the continued dependence on infrastructure projects and wasteful spending by state-owned firms. The government admits that economic growth is in decline. Official estimates are for GDP to grow of nearly seven percent in 2016. Estimates by economists outside China put it more like six percent and the next few years will see a further decline. The government is making the right moves and doing it slowly so as not to trigger a major increase in unemployment or a collapse of the many banks that are crippled by uncollectable loans. Wealthy Chinese have been seeking to buy foreign currencies rather than hold large sums of cash using the Chinese yuan. If the Chinese banks do get in trouble the value of the yuan will plummet sharply.

Compounding all this is growing wariness about the accuracy of government supplied economic data. For example Producer Prices (what manufacturers sell their goods for) have been falling every month for nearly four years. This is caused by low demand and in response companies have been employing fewer people for two years so far. Part of the slowdown is deliberate. China had made it more difficult to borrow in an effort to deal with the real estate bubble and corruption (bad loans) in the banking system. But now the government is loosening credit to make it easier for companies to grow. The problem is that the economy is no longer growing like it did since the 1980s, at over 10 percent a year. On top of that there is the old problem of corruption within the government when it comes to accurate economic statistics. The unreliable government statistics were long an open secret that did not seem to matter. That has changed.

GDP growth has been slowing since 2010 and that trend will continue. This is mostly about how the decades of development are over. Most of the missing (because China did not go through the Industrial Revolution until the late 20th century) infrastructure (road, ports, dams, utilities, housing) have now been built and, because of government corruption, often overbuilt and poorly built. China is putting up impressive economic numbers but not enough of the ones that count. For example, a better (but less used) measure of economic strength is how much of the national wealth is in private hands (where it is more efficiently managed). Thus while China makes much of its GDP (at $11 trillion second only to the American $18 trillion) and capable of eventually surpassing the U.S., they are now losing ground when it comes to privately controlled wealth ($23.4 trillion versus $84.8 trillion). More Chinese, especially the wealthy middle and upper class ones, are openly protesting this deception because it ultimately puts at risk all that new wealth.

Moreover the real strength of the Chinese economy is production for domestic consumption. Starting in the 1980s, China set the economy free to finally get through Industrial Revolution (which most Western nations underwent in the 1800s) with little state interference. As happened in the West, this leads to explosive growth and problems with pollution and raw materials shortages. This makes China's neighbors nervous, because that's where lots of the raw materials come from, and some of the pollution (industrial waste) can go to.

Korea

The problems North Korea is creating for China is seen differently by the other nations North Korea threatens. Growing aggression from both China and North Korea has caused potential victims to sharply increase defense spending. Japan and South Korea have continued to hike their defense spending to record levels. For 2017 South Korean spending is going up four percent to $36 billion. In Japan it is a 2.3 percent boost which means $45 billion for 2017. This is the fifth year in a row Japanese defense spending increased. Unlike Taiwan and South Korea, which continued to be threatened by China and North Korea, Japanese defense spending declined after the Cold War ended in 1991. But in 2013 that changed and every budget since then has increased. By 2015 Japan had its highest ever defense budget ever ($42 billion). Most of the recent increases have been to buy new weapons and upgrade existing ones to improve defense again Chinese or North Korean attack. South Korean spending is putting more emphasis on missile defense.

South/Central Asia

Despite growing resistance to Chinese efforts to take control of the South China Sea, Chinese troops continue causing problems along the border of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. These incidents are not supposed to happen at all because of agreements China and India negotiated in 2013 and 2014. Because of that China claims recent incursions were accidents and point out that their troops leave as soon as India contacts China (per the border agreements) and China is able to contact the border troops involved. There have been fewer of these incursions since 2014. Meanwhile India continues to move more troops into the area and build facilities to support them. India recently activated eight military airfields in the sparsely populated provinces. Each can handle large transports (like the new American C-17s India bought) and has a control tower and room for rapid expansion.

China, which is making major investments in Pakistan, has threatened to cut back if Pakistan does not improve security and is calling for greater international efforts to do the same in Afghanistan (where China has some major projects pending because of security concerns). This is a veiled criticism of Pakistan, which is the largest customer for Chinese weapons exports. All this has caused a growing struggle within the Pakistani government as the military (and its intel branch, ISI) refuse to consider shutting down the remaining Islamic terrorist sanctuaries. Thus it was no surprise that in late November the Taliban announced that it would not interfere with a huge copper deposit 40 kilometers southeast of Kabul at Mes Aynak. In 2008 China signed a deal with Afghanistan that gave them 30 years to develop a mine there and ship copper out. Mes Aynak is believed to be one of the top three copper deposits in the world and worth $50 billion or more if it ever got into production. But China has not moved because of the lawless situation in Afghanistan. The Afghan government believes the Taliban is trying to entice the Chinese to begin construction so the Taliban can extort regular payments to protect the facility from attack. That really doesnt work in Afghanistan, where there are too many potential attackers.

Meanwhile In Libya

In Libya UAE has supplied one of the factions with at least three Chinese Wing Loong UAVs. Unable to obtain armed Predator UAVs from the United States, Gulf Arab states turned to China and purchased quite a few Chinese UAVs. Each Wing Loong can carry two BA-7 laser guided missiles (similar to the Hellfire) or two 60 kg (110 pound) GPS guided bombs (similar to the U.S. SDB). In 2012 Uzbekistan and UAE became the first export customers for this Predator clone. Development on Wing Loong began in 2005, first flight was in 2007 and Chinese troops got the first ones in 2008 for further testing. While Wing Loong is similar in shape to the larger American MQ-9 Reaper, in size it's almost identical to the 1.2 ton Predator. Wing Loong weighs 1.1 tons, has a 14 meter (46 feet) wingspan, and is 9 meters (28 feet) long. It has max altitude of 5,300 meters (16,400 feet) and an endurance of over 20 hours. Payload is 200 kg. Promotional pictures of the Wing Loong show it carrying two BA 7 missiles, which is basically a laser guided anti-tank missile with a max range of 7,000 meters. In Libya Wing Loong has been used mainly for surveillance.

December 24, 2016: The government went public about the warnings recently issued Chinese firms that do business with North Korea that the latest round of sanctions must be observed. These international sanctions are in response to the North Korean nuclear test in September and the October ballistic missiles tests. In November China agreed to enforce a new set of economic sanctions. For several years China has applied more and more pressure on North Korea, usually quietly, by cracking down on trade, especially the movement of forbidden (by current sanctions) items. China is North Koreas largest trading partner, buying over half of legal North Korean exports. In turn North Korea imports over $3 billion worth of food, medicine and other unsanctioned items from China. Nevertheless one reason for the new Chinese willingness to crack down on the illegal North Korean trading that had long been tolerated was discovery that North Korea had bribed a lot of Chinese officials and gone into partnership with a number of Chinese companies to illegally (even by Chinese rules) obtain key components for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. The Chinese tried to keep the details of its crackdown secret but, as is often the case in the age of the Internet, this proved impossible. All this was complicated by the fact that the Chinese government has made a major public commitment to fighting domestic corruption and protecting China from foreign military threats. For decades Japan and the United States were identified as the principal foreign threats. But in the last few years the government has allowed growing public anger at North Korea to be openly discussed in Chinese media. These threats; to use nukes and ballistic missiles against China for not supplying North Korea with enough fuel, food. This growing bad behavior and ingratitude from North Korea turned Chinese public opinion against North Korea, which had long been seen as an ally against the evil West and their South Korean and Japanese puppets. Until the latest North Korean nuclear and missile tests China was directing more anger at South Korean refusals to halt the expansion of their anti-missile defenses. China is still angry about that but is now more concerned with the North Korean threat. North Korea has remained defiant, continuing to test ballistic missiles that can reach all of China.

December 23, 2016: In the last month China declared its only aircraft carrier (Liaoning) combat ready (in late November) followed by its first live-fire drills in mid-December off the coast of northern China (the Bohai Sea) near the shipyard and naval base as Dailan. For the first time J-15 jets took off from the Liaoning armed with anti-ship missiles and fired those missiles at target ships. On December 23rd Liaoning and its escorts were seen moving past Japan for the Pacific while also continuing to launch and recover its jets and helicopters. Although China always described Liaoning as a training carrier it is also reminding the world that the Liaoning can fight as well.

December 22, 2016: The government announced that it is deploying a military engineering team to Sudan. The 109 Chinese soldiers will serve with the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. Another 116 Chinese soldiers will deploy by the end of the month (for a total of 225 troops) and all will serve for one year. China has a rotating contingent and this is the 13th rotation for Chinese peacekeepers.

December 21, 2016: An updated version of the FC-31 jet fighter successfully flew and was announced as a suitable rival for the American F-35 but at half the price. China is currently pricing the updated FC-31 at $70 million. Since 2014 China has offered its 25 ton J-31 stealth fighter to export customers as the FC-31. China has been developing two stealth warplanes. The J-31 first flew in 2012 and the 32 ton J-20 in 2011. There are eight prototypes of the J-20 and apparently at least one pre-production model. Both the J-31 and J-20 are expected to enter service by the end of the decade. Japan is also developing a stealth fighter which, if it is completed, wont enter service until the late 2020s. Russia is developing one as well and hopes to have it in service by the end of the decade. Meanwhile the United States has had stealth warplanes since the 1980s and is the only nation with operational stealth aircraft as well as combat experience with this tech.

December 17, 2016: China joined with other donor nations in openly condemning North Korea for diverting flood aid to military uses. In the past China would have ignored the diversion or criticized North Korean leaders privately. No more. Going public like this forced North Korea to pay attention, if only because China is usually the largest donor for major catastrophes like the record floods that hit border areas. The damage was worse on the North Korean side and the aid effort less energetic and effective than in China.

December 15, 2016: China is wary of the growing number of American naval robots and today a Chinese warship in the South China Sea seized an American naval robot. Then things got interesting. The waters of the western Pacific are increasingly populated by AUVs (Autonomous Undersea Vehicle) set loose to collect technical data on the water all the way from the surface to the sea bottom. Increasingly these AUVs are being caught by fishing nets by accident or seized by warships on purpose to make a political point or, eventually, interfere with legal data collection that is nevertheless very useful in submarine operations. The AUVs are also called UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) and they have been getting cheaper, more capable and more proliferating. After the recent incident with China the U.S. pointed out that the kidnapped droid was using commercially available technology and was worth about $150,000. Faced with a grand theft droid charge China agreed to return the AUV and did so on the 20th.

December 14, 2016: The government again warned Burma to do something about the fighting along the border. This has been particularly intense over the last few months in Shan State. There fighting between rebellious tribes and the Burmese army has increasingly seen stray bullets and mortar shells land on Chinese territory. In November a Chinese citizen inside China was wounded by some of the gunfire. China told Burma to restore order to the border which has been unruly for centuries. To emphasize the point China put army units near the Burma border on high alert and publicized the order. Aside from the violence China is unhappy with how all this violent interferes with trade moving across the border in both directions.

December 13, 2016: The Philippines has agreed to buy weapons from China on terms that include Chinese loans for up to $500 million that do not have to be repaid for 25 years. This would finance major military purchases although initially the Philippines is only interested in about $14 million worth of weapons and equipment for the national police. The Philippines needs more weapons and equipment for the police and China has become a major supplier of this gear throughout the region.

Meanwhile China is openly boasting of having split the American alliance opposing Chinese claims to the South China Sea. For example the Philippines recently said it would no longer cooperate with the U.S. Navy carrying out patrols through Filipino waters claimed by China. That means American ships or aircraft involved in these patrols cannot operate from Filipino naval or air bases. At the same time Filipino president Duterte has, under pressure from his own military, backed away from efforts to expel all American troops from the Philippines and cancel many defense related agreements. The Filipino generals and admirals are aware that China is moving more weapons into disputed islands (many recently created by China) and appear intent on annexing it all, not matter what sovereignty nearby nations had long enjoyed. The situation has gotten worse as China is installing more anti-aircraft weapons on some of these islands.

China believes it has obtained the cooperation of Cambodia, Philippines and Malaysia on South China Sea matters. That means ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) which in 2014 showed signs of openly defying China, is no longer a threat to Chinese claims. Founded in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, ASEAN has since then expanded to include Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Most of these nations oppose China's violation of many members EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone, waters 380 kilometers from the coast) in the South China Sea. China long had a staunch (and paid for) ally in ASEAN (Cambodia) who blocked all attempts to unify and oppose China. Now China has more allies in ASEAN and one less international critic to worry about.

December 12, 2016: Taiwanese officials admitted that Chinese military aircraft had circled Taiwan for the first time. This included passing over the vital Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait. China use H-6 bombers and Su-30 fighters, both of which have the range for such an operation.

December 10, 2016: Six Japanese jet fighters confronted Chinese military aircraft that flew close to the Japanese coast (specifically Miyako Strait). China later filed a formal complaint that the interception was too aggressive. Japan denied the allegation. So far this year Japanese jets have been sent up over 60 times a month to deal with Chinese warplanes flying close to Japanese airspace.

December 4, 2016: In north Burma (Shan State) an air force jet crashed near the Chinese border, apparently the result of equipment failure. For a while there were rumors that a Chinese anti-aircraft missile brought the aircraft down but China denied that and there was no evidence of such a missile attack.
Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. operates as bank holding company for the Prosperity Bank that provides financial products and services to businesses and consumers. It accepts various deposit products, such as demand, savings, money market, and time accounts, as well as and certificates of deposit. The company also offers 1-4 family residential mortgage, commercial real estate and multifamily residential, commercial and industrial, agricultural, and non-real estate agricultural loans, as well as construction, land development, and other land loans; consumer loans, including automobile, recreational vehicle, boat, home improvement, personal, and deposit account collateralized loans; and consumer durables and home equity loans, as well as loans for working capital, business expansion, and purchase of equipment and machinery. In addition, it provides internet banking, mobile banking, trust and wealth management, retail brokerage, mortgage services, and treasury management, as well as debit and credit cards. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 273 full-service banking locations comprising 65 in the Houston area, including The Woodlands; 30 in the South Texas area including Corpus Christi and Victoria; 63 in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area; 22 in the East Texas area; 29 in the Central Texas area, including Austin and San Antonio; 34 in the West Texas area, including Lubbock, Midland-Odessa and Abilene; 16 in the Bryan/College Station area; 6 in the Central Oklahoma area; and 8 in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area doing business as LegacyTexas Bank. Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Energizer Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes household batteries, specialty batteries, and lighting products worldwide. It offers lithium, alkaline, carbon zinc, nickel metal hydride, zinc air, and silver oxide batteries under the Energizer and Eveready brands, as well as primary, rechargeable, specialty, and hearing aid batteries. The company also provides headlights, lanterns, and children's and area lights, as well as flash lights under the Energizer, Eveready, Rayovac, Hard Case, Dolphin, Varta, and WeatherReady brands. In addition, it licenses the Energizer and Eveready brands to companies developing consumer solutions in gaming, automotive batteries, portable power for critical devices, LED light bulbs, generators, power tools, household light bulbs, and other lighting products. Further, the company designs and markets automotive fragrance and appearance products, including protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products, air fresheners, and washes to clean, shine, refresh, and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces under the brand names of Armor All, Nu Finish, Refresh Your Car!, LEXOL, Eagle One, California Scents, Driven, and Bahama & Co; STP branded fuel and oil additives, functional fluids, and other performance chemical products; and do-it-yourself automotive air conditioning recharge products under the A/C PRO brand name, as well as other refrigerant and recharge kits, sealants, and accessories. It sells its products through direct sales force, distributors, and wholesalers; and through various retail and business-to-business channels, including mass merchandisers, club, electronics, food, home improvement, dollar store, auto, drug, hardware, e-commerce, convenience, sporting goods, hobby/craft, office, industrial, medical, and catalog. Energizer Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.
By PTI: Sharjah, Dec 28 (PTI) A 52-year-old Indian grocery shop owner in Sharjah has been stabbed to death by a Pakistani man over a financial dispute and police have arrested the alleged murderer, media reports said today.

Mohammed Ali, owner of a grocery in Sharjahs Maysaloon area, was murdered by a 42-year-old Pakistani man, Sharjah Police said.

The Sharjah Police yesterday said they arrested the Pakistani national in less than 12 hours after he committed the murder.

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The Indian national was found with multiple stab wounds in a pool of blood inside Majestic Supermarket, Khaleej Times reported, quoting the police as saying.

The police said that they received a call about the incident on yesterday morning. A team of officers from Forensics, Patrol and Ambulance rushed to spot and found the victim. However, they could not save him and he succumbed to his injuries.

The body has been transferred to Al Kuwaiti Hospital and later to the forensic laboratory. Police have launched an investigation into the death, Gulf News reported.

The police immediately formed a team of officers to identify and arrest the murderer. The team made a thorough search and located the murderer. The police entrapped and arrested him at an undisclosed location in the emirate.

During the interrogation, the murderer told the police that he killed the Indian national over a financial dispute.

Based on his confession, the case has been referred to the public prosecution, reports said. PTI AKJ AKJ MVV

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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.
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.
When animal control officers first saw Roger, they might be forgiven for thinking he had used all his nine lives - and this last one was probably not worth hanging onto. After all, they had found him on the streets of Naples, Florida, completely helpless. He had a bullet in his spine. Unable to move at all. Roger was a likely candidate for euthanasia.

Naples Cat Alliance

But Karen Brown, a veterinarian at Collier Domestic Animal Services, had another idea. She thought Roger might just need someone to put a little faith, maybe for the first time, in this forlorn feline. Along with steady dosage of a steroid called prednisone. "It was because of her, Roger is still alive," Megan Sorbara, president of the Naples Cat Alliance, tells The Dodo. Indeed, the injections brought a startling change in Roger. He began to move his legs again. It gave him the traction he needed to send his caretakers a very clear indication that yes, he most certainly wanted to hold onto this life. So the shelter called the Naples Cat Alliance, where, for the last eight months, Roger has been turning baby steps into flying leaps.

Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Orphaned Deer Runs Back To The Wild With Her Best Friend

Naples Cat Alliance

"He still has no control over his bladder or bowels but he is walking so much better and even runs," Sorbara says. And Roger has another friend to lean on - the organization's in-house cat-loving dog, Bitsy.

Naples Cat Alliance

Roger's tail had to be removed - "It was limp and holding him back," Sorbara says - and the bullet remains lodged in his spine. "No expense has been spared on Roger," Sorbara says. "He has gone to the top surgeons and specialists. They all say the same thing: Leave the bullet in."

Naples Cat Alliance

Fortunately, someone else has put a lot of faith in Roger. His plight has drawn the attention of a benefactor, who remains unidentified, but has pledged to pay for all of his medical expenses for the rest of his life. Which leaves Roger waiting for just one more thing: a home for life.

Naples Cat Alliance
Cheetahs, the world's fastest animals, are sprinting toward extinction, and the world is just now taking notice.

Barry du Plessis

There are only 7,100 cheetahs left in the world, a recent study states. This number is pretty shocking when you consider that there were about 100,000 cheetahs just over 100 years ago. "The problem is very intense, and I think we're just getting an understanding of how intense it is," Dr. Kim Young-Overton, cheetah program director for Panthera, and one of the study's authors, told The Dodo.

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Woman Tries Every Day For A Month To Rescue This Dog

Barry du Plessis

The news gets worse. Besides having a scant population, cheetahs have been driven out of nearly 91 percent of their historic range. Cheetahs have already been eradicated from Asia, and there are only about 50 individuals left in Iran, according to the study. Today, the majority of cheetahs live in Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. The biggest threat to cheetahs? You guessed it - people. Not only do people destroy the animals' natural habitat by building roads, houses and farms, they also hunt cheetahs, capture and sell them in the exotic pet trade, poach them for their skins and body parts and accidentally hit them in cars.

Barry du Plessis

Unless something is done to protect cheetahs and their habitat, Young-Overton expects cheetah populations to decline even further in the future. Despite these concerns, cheetahs are currently only listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Katherine du Plessis, a wildlife biologist who has worked with Cheetah Conservation Botswana, believes that a lack of information - and the cheetah's elusive nature, which has made it hard to obtain information - has a lot to do with this.

Barry du Plessis

"IUCN has not given cheetahs endangered status because of a lack of information on the decline of the species," du Plessis told The Dodo. "Because cheetah are rare, elusive and found at very low densities over a very wide area from Africa to Asia, they are very hard to count and it is hard to estimate a decline."

Ruan du Plessis

This recent study will hopefully change things, and cheetahs will get the endangered status they deserve. "It would be an incredibly important acknowledgement to their vulnerability to extinction," Young-Overton said.

Paul Funston/Panthera

"We need to get wildlife biologists to work together if we want to protect a large, elusive, rare, widespread species like the cheetah," du Plessis said. "This recent publication may be a pivotal moment for changing the status of cheetahs from vulnerable to endangered, and it highlights the great need for collaboration in order to protect wildlife." To support cheetah research and conservation in Botswana, you can make a donation to Cheetah Conservation Botswana here.
Kenji and Sophia grew up together on a meat farm in South Korea. They had puppies together, and comforted each other through their rough lives. Finally, both dogs were rescued - but ended up being adopted by different families. Kenji and Sophia were rescued by a group called Jindo Love and sent to the U.S. to find homes. Kenji was taken in by Sweet Paws Rescue in Massachusetts, where he soon met his new mom, Lindsay Goldstein.

Lindsay Goldstein

"He's the sweetest dog," Goldstein told The Dodo. "He's so calm and affectionate, and loves attention and belly rubs. When he's excited he lets us know with his deep howls."

Dodo Shows Adoption Day Hairless German Shepherd Puppies Find The Perfect Families

Lindsay Goldstein

Kenji was the perfect addition to his new family and was adapting well to his new home, except for one thing: He wasn't a huge fan of other dogs. He loved people so much, but wasn't into hanging out with other dogs - until he was reunited with Sophia. Kenji's family knew about Sophia and the deep bond the pair had shared, and decided to try and arrange a reunion. They tracked down Sophia's family and found a time for the two families to meet up. Kenji and Sophia hadn't seen each other since their days in South Korea, and their families weren't sure if they would remember each other ...

Lindsay Goldstein

... but as soon as they saw each other, it was so clear that they absolutely did. "When he saw Sophia, it was obvious they remembered and loved each other," Goldstein said. "He's not great with other dogs but it was clear he loved Sophia!"

Lindsay Goldstein

Kenji and Sophia were absolutely overjoyed to see each other, and couldn't stop hugging and cuddling each other. They ran, played and jumped all over each other, and it was like they'd never even been separated at all.

"He had more energy than ever that day and loved running around the yard with her," Goldstein said.
Naidu said that Congress is tensed because nobody takes their vice president seriously, not even their allies.

By Reema Parashar: Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, today take a jibe at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who had posed five questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on demonetisation, said his mind and body language today clearly indicated that there is no black money left in the country. Naidu said Congess is in panic after seeing people's support to Prime Minister and this this the reason why they are spreading confusion.

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Naidu further said that Congress is tensed because nobody takes their vice president seriously, not even their allies.

Venkaiah Naidu, in his retort, has asked 5 questions to Congress Do the Congress believes that there is no blackmoney? If the Congress believed that there is black money why they didn't take effective measures to curb them? Why did Congress bring Benami Property Law in 1998 and sat over it? What is the secret behind this? Why your own Opposition friends refused to join you? What were you doing between 2012 to 2014 on Supreme Court guidelines to constitue SIT on black money?

ALSO READ: In PM Modi's yagna against black money, common man sacrificed: Rahul Gandhi ALSO READ: Demonetisation puzzle: How will PM's black money scheme work after Dec 30?

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"Don't go near her. She's mean and doesn't like people." That's what firefighters told Courtney Ivan when she spotted the Australian cattle dog on the back patio of a house.

Elite EMS

Ivan, a paramedic with Elite EMS, had arrived at a home in Pennsylvania after getting a call about a man's tragic death. The firefighters had reached the scene first, and Ivan drove an ambulance there shortly after. The cattle dog had belonged to the deceased man, and Ivan wasn't sure how long the dog had been without care. But the dog didn't seem traumatized, and she certainly didn't seem "mean." In fact, she trotted right up to Ivan and her coworker.

Elite EMS

"She was very friendly," Ivan told The Dodo. "She let us pet her, touch her and hug her. She followed us around the whole time we were there." The family of the deceased man hadn't known he had a dog, and they didn't seem to know what to do with her. "I think just out of pure shock, they said, 'Well, we're just going to euthanize her today, then,'" Ivan said.

Elite EMS

Ivan, who also volunteers for the Humane Society of Mercer County, wasn't going to let that happen: "I said, 'There's no way they're going to put this dog down.'" When Ivan asked the family if she could take the dog (later named Hope) back to the EMS station, she was relieved they said, "yes."

Dodo Shows Little But Fierce Pocket-Sized Kitten Grows Up To Be A Wild Woman

Elite EMS

Elite EMS's station is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, and there are roughly 30 crew members, Ivan explained. A dog named Humphrey, whom they'd rescued from a local shelter, already resides at the station to keep the crew company.

Elite EMS

Because of Humphrey, crew members hadn't planned on getting another station dog, so the original plan was to simply foster Hope. But the moment the crew met the dog, Ivan knew she was there to stay.

Elite EMS

"The first night, the crew was lying on the floor with her, trying to build trust," Ivan said. "I came back after my 24-hour shift at another station, and there were matching dog beds for her and Humphrey, and toys and treats. They were amazing with her."

Elite EMS

Hope and Humphrey also got along, which was a huge relief to everyone. "They took to each other immediately," Ivan said.

Elite EMS

Not long after Hope came to live at the station, however, Ivan and the crew noticed that Hope's front shoulder was dislocated. When they took her to a vet, they learned that Hope had multiple fractures in her elbow. This prevented Hope from straightening her leg properly, and she'd torn a ligament in her shoulder. While they don't know exactly what happened, a vet believed Hope had been abused at some point in her life.

Elite EMS

Medical staff initially treated Hope's injuries with pain medication, but her leg got worse and worse. Eventually, they needed to amputate. "The way [the vets] explained it, her shoulder was 'free-floating' in there," Ivan said. "It ended up being a ball and chain. But taking her leg was a huge decision for us to make."

Elite EMS

The surgery went well, and Hope quickly recovered. You'd never even know Hope once had a fourth leg, according to Ivan. "She still lies on the table in the garage all the time, or on chairs in the garage, where the ambulances are," Ivan said. "When they say that dogs are born with three legs and a spare - absolutely."

Elite EMS

Humphrey was also delighted to see Hope after her surgery. "When she had surgery, she was gone for two days," Ivan said. "In some respects, I think he liked the extra attention. But he kept going and checking her bed. When she came back to the station, he was just ecstatic to see her."

Elite EMS

Now Hope and Humphrey love playing together, and even ganging up on the crew. "We have a bedroom for our crew for overnight," Ivan said. "The dogs totally kick the crew out of the bedroom - it's like the dog room. They rule the station." Hope might have taken over the crew's bedroom, but she adores people. If people are around, Hope is with them. "She lies right on top of you sometimes," Ivan said. "She is next to somebody all the time."

Elite EMS

Ivan had given Hope her name when she first arrived, but now she realizes how relevant her name is. Not only has Hope persevered through hardships of her own, she's also become an inspiration to Ivan and the others at the ambulance crew. "Hope is amazing," Ivan said. "I could go on about her all day long, everyday. She's awesome."
Even for a puppy, Kat Donatellos black lab, Austin, was hyperactive. After experimenting with natural supplements on her older dog, Brady, Donatello slipped the puppy a special biscuit. It just kind of took the edge off of him, she recalled.

The treat contained Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, a chemical compound extracted from the marijuana plant.

The CBD supplements were expensive, and options for pet treats were limited, Donatello said. So I started spending my winters baking dog biscuits. She tinkered with the recipe before launching her CBD-laced biscuit company, Austin + Kat, earlier this year.

Along with Therabis and Treatibles, Austin + Kat is one of several Cannabidiol-for-dogs businesses that have popped up in the last two years, a time period during which CBD pet product sales nationwide doubled, according to data kept by cannabis industry analytics firm MJ Freeway.

Its the newest trend in Americas booming half-billion dollar animal supplements market, which is expected to grow by more than $150 million in the next four years.

CBD is one of over 80 active cannabinoid chemicals in marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD doesnt create a euphoric sensation. In other words, these biscuits wont get your dog high. But theres some debate as to what effect the compound has on our furry friends and whether they should be consuming it at all.

Academic research about CBDs effect on animals is nearly nonexistent, and the Food and Drug Administration has not approved marijuana use in animals. Despite this, some veterinarians recommend their use, and producers say pet stores are increasingly beginning to carry CBD treats.

Treatibles is even in talks to be sold at a big box pet store, though an executive wouldnt reveal which one, as the deal is still pending.

Veterinarians views on the supplement vary.

When asked about the effectiveness of CBD in dogs, Dr. Robert Goggs said there is virtually no evidence in the veterinary literature on this.

By contrast, Dr. Robert Silver and Dr. Gary Richter, both vets, recently hosted a course on the cannabis-dedicated learning website Green Flower entitled the Cannabis for Pets Masterclass.

Contacted by phone, Richter conceded that scholarly literature is lacking.

A lot of what were using is extrapolated data from humans, as well as just real-world experience on what works, he explained. If it works for humans, he argued, it could work for dogs.

In lieu of research, the CBD-for-dogs industry cites supportive veterinarians and customer testimonials as evidence of the products effectiveness. On Treatibles website, an interview with the owner of mixed-breed pup Shelby shows how the dog, plagued with anxiety and fear, was able to settle down after eating a laced treat.

Human studies have linked CBD to antiseizure, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety effects. In findings presented to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control in June of last year, Nora D. Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said CBD could potentially aid those suffering from Alzheimers, stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons.

Despite the largely positive feedback in Volkows presentation, she warned that additional research on CBD is necessary. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agrees and hopes to review further scientific studies on CBD.

CBD is often purchased online, which is technically a violation of U.S. federal law, according to DEA spokesman Russell Baer.

Extracts or derivatives from the cannabis plant are Schedule I controlled substances  just like the plant itself, Baer said in an emailed statement. There is widespread illegal distribution of purported CBD products  regardless if they are derived from the marijuana plant or hemp plant, he added.

Understandably, the DEAs attention is not on CBD at a time when the nation faces an opioid crisis, and sterilized cannabis seeds can be legally used in animal feed mixture.

(When asked about the legality of the business, Therabis called it a complex situation. Austin + Kats Donatello expressed frustration with the DEAs position in light of the federal Controlled Substances Act and her ability to purchase CBD products at Walmart.com. Silver, the vet and a consultant to Treatibles, said on behalf of the company that the law is murky and referenced the Farm Act, a 2014 document passed by Congress to reform agricultural programs. The act mentions industrial hemp research and defers to state laws on industrial hemp cultivation.)

Theres also the matter of ethics. Humans can verbally express discomfort when trying a new treatment. Mans best friend cannot.

If the proper administration of marijuana can truly relieve dogs pain, then they should be given the same consideration that humans in pain are given, with regular doses to help reduce their misery, said Daphna Nachminovitch, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). But its an entirely different matter to amuse oneself by getting the cat drunk or the dog high.

While the researchers debate what, exactly, CBD can do for Fido, investors are excited by its increasing popularity, which has been buoyed by the legalization of cannabis (for humans) and increased dialogue about the medicinal properties of marijuana.

Treatibles founder Julianna Carella has seen sales explode like wildfire over the past two years. Therabis has experienced equally explosive growth in its first year of business; since February, the company has seen revenue quadruple, and sales have grown 30 per cent month-over-month, according to Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer of the treat brands parent company.

Troy Dayton, co-founder of the Arcview Group, an Oakland, Calif.-based investment firm, was a skeptic before he saw the sales numbers. If humans are noticing in droves all the different ways where cannabis products can have utility for them, then surely there will be a massive application (for animals,) he said.

Over the last two years, Arcview has been involved in fundraising efforts for two CBD pet-product companies. Dayton anticipates that additional capital will follow, particularly from investors leery of getting into the recreational cannabis market, which is legally murky. Theres a lot of opportunity in the CBD market, Dayton said.

Im not surprised at all that the space is growing, Carella said. Theres so many pet owners that would do just about anything to relieve their animals suffering.

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Zahra Dhanani never imagined she would become the owner of a convenience store.

Shes been a lawyer, social justice advocate, community activist  and even a DJ, organizing monthly Funk Asia nights.

But since last year, she and Mariko Nguyen-Dhanani, partners in love, life and business, have become the proprietors of a little corner store in East York.

Working 16-hour days for more than 400 days (theyve just recently hired some part-time staff), the two women have a vision of turning their business at the corner of Lumsden and Westlake Aves., into a community gathering place.

Regulars are already coming in for daily lattes, along with cigarettes, bread and milk, but also unique gifts, local produce in warm weather and handmade goods featuring iconic images of Toronto.

But they have plans to turn an empty attached warehouse, which currently has no plumbing or electricity, into a space to show movies, borrow books or hold private gatherings  complete with a green roof and living space for the couple.

This business adventure wasnt planned. Dhanani was working as a legal adjudicator and Nguyen-Dhanani was working for a company that installs water meters for the city.

They dreamed of moving into a loft-like space when Nguyen-Dhanani stumbled across an Internet listing for the store and warehouse. They didnt act right away, mulling it for sometime, but when they decided to go for it, an offer was quickly made and the deal closed quickly.

When asked why they decided to open a corner store, Dhanani makes it clear that she doesnt like the connotation that the words convenience store or corner store brings up.

Theres the image of a dingy old store, often owned by immigrants, like the Korean family featured in the CBC television show Kims Convenience.

The irony isnt lost on either of them  how these small businesses provide a lifeline to new immigrants, giving their children a lifeline in a new country.

Dhanani emigrated as a young child from Tanzania with her parents, while Nguyen-Dhananis parents emigrated from Vietnam and Japan. And now they have knowingly sought out a job that for many immigrants was their only option.

They worked and toiled only for us to work and toil, Dhanani said. We know how humble and unassuming a lot of immigrant families are.

I never wanted to own my own business, said Nguyen-Dhanani, who has seen the challenges up close, working as a pastry chef. Its hard to take a vacation. Its your baby. I had my worries.

But for them, this store is more than just a business. They are trying to create the atmosphere of a general store  or trading post  that was once the gathering spot where people would travel from kilometres around to pick up basic rations.

It is reflected partly in the name: the Olds Cool General Store. The couple was trying to come up with a name that was different. Dhanani, a huge fan of rap music, wanted something you know, old school  honouring the New York rap scene.

They also wanted a vintage feel. They toyed with the name Old School, and even Old is Cool, but Olds Cool stuck, though an outside mural still shows the initials D and K, when it was known as D+K Convenience, owned by two brothers Dimitri and Kostas, who ran a butcher shop there.

They have also learned the economics of corner stores  how difficult it is to compete with grocery chains and big box stores like Costco, when it comes to price.

Does Costco know your name and your childs name? Dhanani asked.

Its not that we have huge markups, but we cant get the same discounts (as the big chains), she said, pointing out that on lottery tickets, they collect a 2 per cent commission. On a recent Saturday, the tally was $600; their take was only $12.

But they want their store to be more than cigarettes and lotto tickets. It has featured local vendors on weekends, from Spice of Life hot sauce to organic treats from the Naked Dog Bakery. It organized a Christmas bazaar in the warehouse space to showcase local artisans.

It comes back to community, said Nguyen-Dhanani. We have to live less isolated lives.

That means chatting with neighbours, getting the items customers ask for, even if there isnt a huge profit margin. They are also emphasizing local  from handmade gifts, cards from the neighbourhood, to soups and baked goods.

Its a meeting spot, said Monelli Walker, who was carrying her infant son Mylo in baby carrier on a recent Saturday visit. I come in here all the time, grab a snack. I tell people they have to come to the store.

Walker was especially pleased with the architectural plans for renovations to the adjacent warehouse that will allow the community to gather.

Its for the long term. This means hell be coming in here, she said, pointing to her son.

Architect Reza Aliabadi, principal of atelier rzlbd, describes the project as a boutique community centre, though he concedes the basement space could not handle the numbers of a traditional city venue.

You dont have clients like these every day, said Aliabadi, who was among more than two dozen architects the couple had interviewed before finally settling on him.

Financial speculation is the main driver behind every development project in Toronto, he said, noting the space could easily have been turned into stacked townhouses or a five-storey mid-rise development.

That would have changed the look and feel of the neighbourhood, said Aliabadi, who has designed some in-fill houses in the area.

The proposal may require zoning changes. Aliabadi said the project keeps the existing footprint and does not exceed height restrictions for the area.

Councillor Janet Davis, who represents the area, declined to comment on the architectural drawing, saying until the proposal is formally submitted it is unclear what zoning amendments may be needed.

She did praised Dhanani and Nguyen-Dhanani for creating a welcoming space.

This is very different from your little corner store. Its not just pop and chips, Davis said. Its brought new life to that corner and that pocket of East York.

For the couple, thats their goal. They want to be part of their community  and hopefully, live just above their little store, with friends and neighbours dropping by all the time.

We want to live a life that is socially and culturally rich. We want to be an artist hub as well as a community hub, Nguyen-Dhanani said.

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NEW YORKTaskRabbit was founded in 2008 with a big idea. On the companys website and app, people make money by assembling strangers Ikea furniture or cleaning their bathrooms. Theres nothing particularly exciting about other peoples chores, but Leah Busque, a former IBM engineer who started the company, had grand ambitions. Our mission is to revolutionize how people work, she told Bloomberg TV last year.

TaskRabbit showed up on the heels of the iPhone, when a generation of online platforms were emerging to allow people to sell access to their cars, apartments and power drills. Their creators said this had the potential to be better for customers, but also for workers, because it gave them more flexibility. TaskRabbit quickly grabbed a place alongside Uber, Airbnb and Lyft as a symbol of what was being called the sharing economy  and would later be known as the on-demand economy, gig economy or, simply, the Uber economy. Its peers have grown into the biggest startups in existence.

TaskRabbits own reality has been much more modest. By March 2015, Uber drivers were handling 70,000 rides every day in New York City alone. That same month, Taskers  the companys current name for its workers  were completing about 550 jobs per day, according to Bloombergs analysis of previously unreported documents TaskRabbit shared with potential investors. TaskRabbit was telling its backers it could be profitable in the near future but needed more money. To raise a new funding round last summer, it significantly lowered its valuation and also took the unusual step of raising some of the money through a crowdfunding website.

Competitors had less buzz but more business: Thumbtack, which also connects handymen to prospective clients, did $1 billion in gross bookings last year, making it about 30 times TaskRabbits size.

TaskRabbit declined to make executives available for interviews. But Tod Francis, a managing director at Shasta Ventures, one of TaskRabbits investors, said that what looked like the company falling behind was actually a decision to improve the health of its business, even it meant forgoing maximum growth. We proactively retrenched, he said. According to Francis, TaskRabbit has doubled its business over the last year, even without the subsidies that ride-hailing and delivery companies have used to increase volume. TaskRabbit executives have said repeatedly over the last 18 months that the company would be profitable by the end of 2016. Theyve backed away from that claim but insist it will get there soon.

Despite TaskRabbits setbacks, policy-makers, academics and journalists regularly include it on the short list of the industrys major players. When a U.S. congressional committee called a hearing this spring about tax policies for on-demand workers, TaskRabbits vice-president of marketing testified. Health and Human Services officials recently deputized the company to help spread the word about Obamacare.

Saif Benjaafar, who runs the Sharing Economy Initiative, a research project at the University of Minnesota, credits TaskRabbit with helping create a movement. It certainly pioneered this business model built around the flexible workforce, he said. Its problem, he said, was that it tried to give its users too much freedom over the type of services and the prices it charged. The most successful companies exerted as much control as possible to create more focused services. There are some natural limits to the TaskRabbit model, Benjaafar said.

Busque founded TaskRabbit with her husband, Kevin. One evening, the couple was going to dinner, then realized they needed dog food. They would have been happy to pay someone to run the errand. Busque left her job at IBM to create a company to make that possible.

Busque ran TaskRabbit out of her house, then Zipcars office in Cambridge, Mass., then from San Francisco, where the company became an object of fascination to the media. Busque spoke compellingly about how TaskRabbit wasnt just a business but a way to use the Internet to create a version of old-fashioned neighbourliness on a massive scale. At first, customers would post a request, and Taskers would bid on the job. Busque wanted to create a flexible marketplace for workers, where customers could go to find all kinds of services.

TaskRabbit was tantalizingly close to some huge opportunities. In its early days, a good amount of the traffic on TaskRabbits website was requests for rides to the airport. But building a ride-sharing service required singular concentration to match riders to drivers in real time. Also, the questions about insurance and regulation were complex. TaskRabbit never nurtured the business. So Lyft, a company whose founders Busque was friendly with, started recruiting drivers from TaskRabbit. Their company took off faster than TaskRabbit ever had.

TaskRabbit began to stagnate. In 2013, it laid off a significant chunk of its workforce. In 2014, the company scrapped the auction process and conceded it needed to focus on a few categories: house cleaning, handyman services, moving and delivery. The quirkier stuff still exists  the Chicago Tribune highlighted the funniest TaskRabbit jobs posted by Cubs fans during the World Series, including a request to go around Chicago, buying newspapers when the team won. But the sites design downplays everything but its core services.

The changes were painful. It generated $2.1 million in revenue in 2014, losing $8.6 million. In the presentation it showed investors in early 2015, it said it could bring $6.5 million in revenue in 2015 and $25 million in 2016. It was a hard sell.

TaskRabbit raised money from existing investors, while also selling some shares through DreamFunded, an equity crowdfunding website. According to documents circulated by DreamFunded, the company was asking for a $40-million valuation. TaskRabbit has not made its previous valuations public. But the DreamFunded transaction valued each share at less than a third of their value from a previous fundraising round in 2012, according to an analysis of financial filings by research firm CB Insights.

According to TaskRabbit, its underlying problems were solved by the 2014 changes. But many people who work in the on-demand economy said the company seems to have downgraded its ambitions.

Busque stepped down as chief executive officer this spring after having a baby, and Stacy Brown-Philpot, the companys operating chief, took over. Brown-Philpot, a former Google executive, has been vocal about sustainable growth and maintaining the companys unit economics  how much it makes per transaction. In September, she described the sharing economy as sort of an old term, in an interview with Recode. Weve moved from, you know, neighbours helping neighbours to being a business where you can get home services on demand, she said.

TaskRabbit sees several paths forward. The majority of its business is in four cities  San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and London. It wants to expand its smaller markets. The company has also made a big deal out of a partnership with Amazon.com. The e-commerce giant includes Taskers among the providers listed on Amazon Home Services, which is essentially Amazons version of TaskRabbit. The startup declined to provide any details about the performance of the Amazon deal. If Amazon wanted to buy the company, Brown-Philpot said at a conference last month that shed consider it.

Tom Erickson, one of Busques early advisers, is convinced that TaskRabbits big idea is still alive. The outsized success of other companies doesnt take away from what Busque has achieved, he said. When you start a business, you try a bunch of different things, and you dont know which is going to work, he said. The public is fickle.

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OTTAWAA man who allegedly fled Ottawa to avoid testifying at a murder trial has been arrested by police after landing at the citys airport.

Police say Ali Abdul Hussein was arrested on Tuesday after arriving in Ottawa from a foreign country.

Hussein has been charged with failing to appear as a witness and obstructing justice in connection with the trial of Nawaf Al-Enzi, who was charged with the 2006 murder of Mohamed Zalal, an Ottawa-area drug dealer.

Const. Chuck Benoit says Al-Enzi, who was Abdul Husseins brother-in-law, was found guilty earlier this month after a second trial in the matter.

Police say a second man, 32-year-old Mahmoud Kayem, is still being sought for the same charges faced by Hussein.

According to a 2014 ruling from the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Al-Enzi, Abdul Hussein and Kayem were initially all charged in 2008 with Zalals murder.

The appeal court ruling said Abdul Hussein made a deal with the Crown and gave a statement to police in which he said Al-Enzi shot Zalal in a car driven by Kayem. Abdul Hussein also pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact, for which he received a statement of time served.

The ruling said the Crown then proceeded jointly against Al-Enzi and Kayem, charging each with first-degree murder. The ruling said both Al-Enzi and Kayem pleaded not guilty and blamed the other.

Midway through their trial, Abdul Hussein recanted his statement to police, the ruling said. He was then cross-examined in court but Al-Enzis lawyer withdrew from the case partway through the process, leaving Al-Enzi unrepresented, the ruling said.

The trial judge adjourned the case for nearly four months for Al-Enzi to find a new lawyer but the man wasnt able to and sought a severance or mistrial so he could be represented by counsel at a new trial, the appeal court ruling said.

But the trial judge decided the trial should proceed, the appeal court ruling said.

Kayem was acquitted and Al-Enzi was convicted, but then appealed his conviction arguing that the trial judges refusal to grant a severance or mistrial caused a miscarriage of justice, the appeal court said.

The appeal court agreed with Al-Enzis argument, set aside his conviction and ordered a new trial, which ended with a guilty verdict earlier this month.

According to the Crown at Al-Enzis first trial, Zalal was allegedly murdered over a dispute about a handgun, the appeal court ruling said.

The gun allegedly belonged to Zalal but while he was in jail he loaned it to Al-Enzi, the ruling said. Zalal demanded the gun back when he was released but Al-Enzi allegedly did not want to return it, according to the Crowns position summarized in the appeal court ruling.

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YARMOUTH, N.S.Social media users are casting their likes for photos of exotic lobsters in an online contest that has a multitude of multicoloured, oversized and extra-limbed critters clawing to be crowned the craziest crustacean.

A car dealership based in southwest Nova Scotia put out an open call on its Facebook page earlier this month for snapshots of curious catches as a gesture for local lobster fishers.

Billy Mole, marketing manager at Murray GM Yarmouth & Barrington, says they decided to launch the competition because lobster fishers make a big portion of the dealerships clientele.

He says the Craziest Lobster Contest is being judged by the number of Facebook likes each photo receives.

The lobster that generates the most likes by Jan. 3 will win the title of craziest and the first-prize photographer will receive a $500 gift card to a local business of his or her choosing.

Mole says the first photos he received came from local fishers in Lobster District 34, but in a matter of weeks, submissions were pouring in from across the Maritimes.

He says the contest has attracted more than 150 contenders and has flooded the dealerships Facebook page with traffic.

When we first launched it, we were getting maybe five or six a day and it has just grown. Its almost hard to keep up, Mile says. Were probably getting 20 lobsters a day on average.

He says most of the photos are submitted in the middle of the night, as lobster fishers unload their latest batch of ocean anomalies.

The lobster gallery on the dealerships Facebook page features catches of every hue and pattern  shimmering opal shells, mauve-toned claws with neon green highlights, split-coloured crustaceans that look like two half-lobsters fused together. In some photos, lobsters have sprouted extra limbs, others wield claws that spiral like tentacles. One king-sized crustacean even appears to have grown a crown on its head.

Mole says the contest has made people reconsider the red lobster as the species standard.

Everybody who lives down here grew up around lobsters their whole lives, Mole says. There are people seeing crazy stuff that theyve certainly never seen before. ... People just didnt know there could be that many variations of lobsters.

As of Tuesday, Mole says a photo that some Facebook commenters have dubbed the rainbow lobster was leading the race with more than 900 likes.

Chad Graham of Brier Island, who submitted the photo, says its the only one he took of the gleaming lobster with purple and blue hues before he released it back into St. Margarets Bay, because the catch was undersized.

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MONTREALThe Quebec government wont appeal a court decision that rejected evidence obtained from a photo radar machine.

One month after a woman was spared from having to pay a $1,160 speeding ticket issued from photo radar, Crown spokesman Jean-Pascal Boucher said his office will ensure the evidence it presents a judge in the future is admissible in court.

We will not appeal, Boucher said Wednesday. In cases that are to come, we will take the necessary steps to ensure the evidence is admissible in front of the court and respects the rule of law.

In November, Quebec court Judge Serge Cimon ruled police didnt personally witness the woman breaking the law or check to see if the radar machine was functioning properly, making the evidence against her amount to hearsay.

The prosecutor can consider this as formal notice that the evidence used in the prosecution of fixed photo radar cases is based on insufficient evidence, he wrote in his ruling.

Boucher didnt give too many details regarding what evidence will be admissible in court, but said it could include documentation and witness testimony.

Transport Minister Laurent Lessard said in November that photo radars are useful in ensuring security on the provinces roads and highways.

Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee has said the law allowing the permanent installation of photo radar and red light camera technology was endorsed by the provincial legislature in 2012.

Plans to expand the program were announced in 2015.

Ontario plans to allow photo radar in school zones.

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Suzanne Tinglin thought she was fulfilling her civic duty when she walked into her local police station in Torontos northwest corner last summer.

The registered nurse and York University instructor had received several voicemail messages from an officer requesting that she come to 23 Division to speak about an investigation at Humber College, where she goes to the gym. He gave few details, but Tinglin assumed she was needed to help solve a crime.

Instead, when she arrived she was taken into a police interview room, recorded and stunned by an accusation that she stole a laptop from her gyms locker room. She claims she was intimidated by the officer, who she alleged bullied her in an attempt to prompt a confession. She was never charged.

I felt that I wasnt treated appropriately, Tinglin said in a recent interview, denying any involvement in the theft. I was accused before I had the opportunity to say anything in my own defence.

She complained to Ontarios Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), seeking a probe of the July 2015 encounter. The provincial watchdog, which investigates complaints against police, quickly ruled that the incident warranted investigation and was being referred to Toronto polices professional standards unit.

The investigator assigned to probe Tinglins complaint was a detective at 23 Division, where the complaint originated.

She was hoping there would be an independent review, not someone who . . . maybe is his best buddy for all she knows, said Barry Swadron, Tinglins lawyer. How can she expect to get a fair deal?

Tinglins complaint ended with police ruling her allegations against the officer were unsubstantiated, concluding she was treated in a fair and professional manner.

The case highlights one of the most frequent public criticisms about police oversight in the province: that its not independent.

During public consultations as part of the ongoing review of police oversight in Ontario by judge Michael Tulloch, questions about police involvement in civilian watchdogs repeatedly arose.

For years, complaints have been made about former police officers being employed by the provinces Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which probes deaths and serious injuries involving police.

Lesser known is that police are involved in the majority of investigations by the OIPRD  and that cases such as Tinglins are the norm.

According to its 2014-2015 statistics, the watchdog referred 1,008 police complaints to the police service where the problem originated  six times the number of complaints the watchdog investigated itself (168). In only seven cases, the complaints were referred to another police service for investigation.

Statistics for previous years are similar, showing only a gradual increase in the number of complaints investigated by the watchdog.

Critics say those figures are unacceptable.

This makes a complete mockery of calling the OIPRD an independent and impartial oversight body, said Darryl Davies, an instructor in criminology and criminal justice at Carleton University. Having police investigate police . . . does untold damage to the credibility and integrity of police oversight in this province.

Rosemary Parker, a spokesperson for the OIPRD, says the plan for the watchdog was always to have police involvement in the investigations. The watchdog was created in 2009 after a report on police oversight by Justice Patrick LeSage.

There is much merit in the view that civilians should conduct these investigations, but I am not convinced that it is necessary to recommend a system where the presumption is that all investigations are to be conducted by independent civilian investigators, LeSage wrote in his 2005 report.

Cost and lack of resources are significant hurdles to an exclusively civilian system. The OIPRD receives between 1,000 and 1,500 complaints per year about officers in Ontarios 52 municipal and regional police services and the OPPs 172 detachments. The watchdog, based in Toronto, has just 14 investigators.

It is absolutely impossible for the OIPRD to investigate all complaints, Parker said.

The OIPRD instead combines the benefits of police involvement with the independence of civilian oversight, said OIPRD director Gerry McNeilly in a 2010 report, meaning the watchdog oversees all investigations into complaints, even those conducted by police.

When the OIPRD sends complaints back to the police service where the issue originated, the complaint is probed by a member of a professional standards unit, or in smaller police forces, a senior officer. Large police services, including Toronto police, have professional standards officers based in each division.

The OIPRD monitors the progress of the probes then reviews the final report to ensure a full and fair investigation, Parker said. If issues are identified, the director will instruct the police service appropriately.

When the probe is completed, the complainant has 30 days to request that the OIPRD conduct a detailed review of the police services investigation  which includes the watchdog accessing the police services full investigative file. Mark Pugash, a Toronto police spokesperson, said this review option is one of the checks and balances built into the system that promotes accountability.

In Tinglins case, the probe was conducted by a Toronto police professional standards officer who was based out of 23 Division. At one point, she was asked to return to 23 Division to provide more information; she refused  seeing what happened the last time, she said  instead asking the investigator to come to her home.

She was reluctant to even meet with the (investigator) because she figured that he would just rubber stamp what the first officer did, said Swadron, Tinglins lawyer.

The internal investigation included a review of Tinglins video recorded interview with the officer in question and concluded Tinglins allegations were unsubstantiated.

The officer had been attempting to carry out his duty in investigating a theft, according to the Toronto police report. He had identified Tinglin as a person of interest, based on surveillance footage that showed her bag appeared to be larger upon exiting the gym than on entry; this was not a fishing expedition, reads the report. Tinglin says her bag may have appeared different in size because she would have moved around its contents, including her workout gear, after using the gym.

The report cites inconsistencies in Tinglins account, including that while she alleged the officer yelled and banged on the table, this did not occur.

Contrary to the allegation, the respondent officers behaviour was fair and professional throughout the interaction, reads the investigative report. The conclusion was supported by the OIPRD liaison officer with Toronto polices professional standards division.

Frustrated that she didnt get the independent probe she sought when she complained to the OIPRD, Tinglin opted not to have the watchdog review the investigation; Swadron said the decision was understandable, given the probe had the flawed foundation of being conducted by police.

John Sewell, former Toronto mayor and the head of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, was initially hopeful about the OIPRD when it began operating. But the number of cases that get referred back to the police services to probe means the OIPRD is just not good enough.

He hopes to see significant changes recommended in the ongoing police oversight review.

Theres no question that when police services are investigating themselves, the culture takes over, and thats the big problem.

Judge Michael Tulloch, whose review is examining Ontarios three police oversight bodies including the OIPRD, declined to comment for this story. He and his team must release their report and recommendations by March 31, 2017.

Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca

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A Hamilton man has been charged in a July stabbing in a Milton park.

After a lengthy investigation, Halton Region police identified the suspect in the drug-related robbery and stabbing. Police arrested the man without incident Tuesday.

On July 6, two men met at Sydney Dr. and Commercial St. in a car for an alleged drug deal, police said. When the suspect got in, the pair drove to Brian Best Park.

The two men fought over money, and the victim was stabbed in the throat, police said. The victim narrowly survived.

Zachary Carter, 21, was charged with robbery and aggravated assault. He was released on a promise to appear in court.

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Caroline Mogomela, 14, and her sister Tshepiso Mogomela, 19, came to Canada last year from Botswana to join their mother, Boitumelo Mogomela. The Star shadowed the sisters on their first day of school last year. One year later, the Star is checking in to see how well theyve adapted. Though they lived in Botswanas capital and largest city, Gaborone, adjusting to Toronto has had its ups and downs.

Praise for teachers: School in Botswana is very different from school in Toronto. I feel like school is safer here because it's indoors, Caroline said. There's a big difference in the way teachers teach, too. It's better here. Not saying that back home is bad, but here, the teachers are really good. They make sure you understand the concept. Even if you're behind, they will always try to find a way to help you.

Being new has its perks: People here think it's weird because we hang out together at school, Tshepiso said. Siblings don't really hang out together here. I think we do because in the beginning we didn't have friends and we only knew each other. But being new to the country had its perks  it was a conversation starter with other students. People always wanted to know where the girls were from. It's because of our accent, she said. They would say, Oh, I like your accent; where are you from?' I would say, I'm from Botswana.' Where's that?' Africa,' I would reply. Where in Africa?' Right above South Africa,' I would say. So you're from South Africa?' No. I'm from Botswana!'

Friends from many backgrounds: Tshepiso and Caroline hang out with their friends every single day. They're great, Tshepiso said. We laugh at the same jokes and we have similar stories to share. Some of their friends were from the NOW (Newcomer Orientation Week) program and some were just classmates. From Japan and Uganda to Syria and the Philippines  the girls' group of friends is a mosaic of cultural backgrounds. With all of the cultural mixes here in Toronto, you can't say there's a stereotypical Canadian, Tshepiso said. It's very mixed in Botswana, too, but not like it is here.

For the love of literature: The library is Tshepiso's home away from home. When she's not taking a walk around her neighbourhood for inspiration, she's at the library writing. She attends Poetry Saved Our Lives, a poetry program at the Toronto Public Library every Thursday. I performed one of my poems for multicultural night at school, she said. It was a poem written for Black History Month, encouraging people to step out of stereotypes and show what we have to offer. After the performance, a boy approached her and said: Wow. I'm proud to be black now. She replied, You should always be proud of who you are. She said it wasn't just for black people; it was a message for everyone to be proud of themselves.

Sharing the Botho spirit': Having lived in Botswana's largest city, things such as transportation, grocery shopping and day-to-day living feel very similar to their routine back home. But both girls feel Canada is much freer. The culture here is very open; it's not traditional, Tshepiso said. Here, everyone minds their own business, Caroline said. So you can do whatever you want. If Toronto is missing anything, it's the Botho spirit, according to Tshepiso. I met people in Toronto who love interacting with each other, but then there are some people who just don't. In Botswana, even if you were having a bad day, they will smile, say hello and never ask for anything in return  that's the Botho spirit.

Loving the leaves: When Caroline Mogomela's mother told her to look out the window, she almost ran out in her nightgown. Excited by her first snowfall, it took her seconds to get ready. But that excitement, like an avalanche, came tumbling down. After a while, it's like, blaaah, she said. It's not that fascinating. I would actually cry every day from the cold. For Tshepiso, it wasn't the snow that caught her attention  it was the shades of leaves. Our trees back home just change into yellow leaves, she said. Here, you see all sorts of colours. A leaf can turn pink? That's good to know. I found that really cool.

A taste of Botswana: Boitumelo, the girls' mother, prepares dinner for her two daughters in traditional dress. In the kitchen, she brings a little taste of Botswana to their home in Toronto. The family of three speaks both English and Setswana, Botswana's official language. I don't want them to forget their language, Boitumelo said. I don't want them to forget their roots.

Traditional treats: Sorghum is a weekly meal for the Mogomelas and is one of the staple foods of Botswana. Sometimes I want to eat it and sometimes I don't, Tshepiso said. It's like, Mom, we had it yesterday, why do we have to have it again?' I think I've had it so much that my love for it is wearing out. Caroline enjoys it because she misses the traditional food and this reminds her of home. She tried poutine, a Canadian classic, and didn't like it, but Tshepiso has yet to try it. I told my friends I was never going to eat sushi and now I love it, so maybe if I try poutine, I'll love it too.

Pondering the future: The Mogomela family has dinner together every night. The routine was similar in Botswana, but instead of sitting at the dinner table every day, you would occasionally find them sharing their meal under a tree. The weather there isn't like here, Tshepiso explained. We can sit outside in the winter, too. Though Toronto has quickly become a home for the girls, they see their future selves possibly heading back to Botswana. I think after I accomplish all my goals here, I'll go back home and hopefully start a business, Caroline said. But that's far, far into the future, Tshepiso said. I love Toronto. I'm privileged to be here, to see things and do things that I love.

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With a rise in rape and assault cases that foreign nationals face in India, a fear psychosis has been created amongst the tourists. These ugly incidents put our nation in a spot and question our governance. Take a look at 5 recent rape cases that were reported by foreign nationals recently.

By Anusha Soni: Recently, a twenty five year old American tourist alleged rape and assault by five men in a five star hotel of New Delhi. A Delhi trial court today sent four accused to two days judicial custody as the fifth accused is still to be arrested. In the past few years, a series of disturbing cases arose in the public domain where female foreign tourists alleged rape and assault.

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Here is a look at the other cases alleged by foreign tourists or foreigners living or working in India:

1. Danish woman who was robbed and gangraped in New Delhi

Nine men raped and assaulted a 52-year-old Danish tourist who had arrived India in January 2014. After losing her way to the hotel, she asked for help from a group of men near Connaught Place who instead of helping her, took her to an isolated area and raped her.

A trial court in 2016 sentenced five men to life imprisonment as the woman could not identify the juveniles. The complainant flew back to Denmark after reporting the incident and later came back to India for the trial.

2. Mahmood farooqui case: 35-year-old American Scholar from Columbia University

Mahmood Farooqui, writer, artist and co-director of Oscar-nominated film Peepli Live was convicted of raping a 35-year-old American Fulbright scholar from Columbia University while she was in India for her doctoral research. Farooqui was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment by a trial court, the minimum punishment under the Indian law. The American scholar lodged a criminal complaint three months after incident just like the case of the American tourist who lodged her complaint after a gap of about eight months.

3. A German national was raped in a moving train in Chennai

In January 2014, an 18-year-old German girl on a Mangalore-Chennai reported rape to the Railway police. The German national worked as an English school teacher at a school in Karnataka and was enrolled as a volunteer at a German-based NGO. As part of her curriculum she was assigned to teach 'English' at the school for about a year. The chargesheet in the case has been filed and the trial is still underway. The accused was denied bail by the trial court.

4. 19-year-old German woman allegedly raped in Delhi

A 19-year-old German tourist was raped by an unidentified auto driver in December 2015. Just like the case of Danish woman, she had lost her way and the auto rickshaw driver offered to help and later sexually assaulted her. The complaint was filed by the victim after a delay of two-and-a-half months. The girl returned to Delhi to depose before the Delhi Commission for Women and narrated her ordeal. The accused had not been identified yet.

5. Polish woman drugged, gangraped on Delhi-Mathura Highway

A 33-year-old Polish woman was allegedly raped by a cab driver after he offered her a ride on the Mathura-Delhi highway. The incident was reported in January 2014. The woman was travelling with her 2-year-old daughter alleged in her complaint that she was raped by the driver who offered her a lift on the highway on the midnight of January 2.

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The driver allegedly sprayed something on woman's face after which she became unconscious. She found herself on a bench outside the Nizammuddin railway station in Delhi, realising she has been sexually assaulted. The medical examination confirmed rape but the accused could not be identified.

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Luther Fatoos doesnt have a Plan B. Magdy Mehany doesnt either.

Fatoos owns Al-Omda Lounge in Mississauga, and Mehany runs the Nile Palace Cafe in Scarborough. Both say the fate of their businesses hinge on the outcome of a bylaw being contested in Ontario courts.

Fatoos and Mehany are part of two separate groups of hookah bar owners fighting bylaws in Toronto and Peel Region that forbid hookah smoking. The Toronto bylaw applies to licensed businesses, and Peels covers enclosed public places as well.

A hookah, or water pipe, is a device used to smoke shisha, a product that can contain tobacco but doesnt always.

If the bylaws are deemed legal and jurisdictions start enforcing them, the business owners say theyll struggle to remain open. Some owners fear their staff, some who dont speak much English, wont be able to find employment anywhere else.

Both Toronto and Peel argue the ban aims to protect residents from the health repercussions of hookah smoking. But some neighbouring jurisdictions dont have similar bylaws in place  so hookah venues on the north side of Steeles Ave., for example, dont face an impending threat of closure.

Joe Chawla, a health educator in York Region,said the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which has made it illegal to smoke tobacco in public places, doesnt prohibit herbal shisha. He said that York doesnt ban hookah or non-tobacco shisha, but does inspect hookah lounges if complaints are filed. If these places are found to be selling tobacco products, he said, charges might be laid.

Ryan Zigler is the lawyer for both groups of business owners pushing for the bylaws to be revoked in Toronto and Peel. He said that while the Toronto bylaw only impacts businesses, and Peels covers enclosed public places, the legal arguments hes making in both cases are much the same.

His two court challenges are at different stages; while the group from Peel recently filed its first challenge to the Ontario Superior Court, the group in Toronto is appealing an October decision when Justice Robert Goldstein upheld the bylaw as legally valid.

Goldstein expressed a great deal of sympathy for the business owners and pointed out the important contribution they make to Torontos diversity and cultural life. Goldstein wrote that he found it unfortunate that the city opted to prohibit rather than regulate hookah use, but said ruling on good or bad policy was not a part of his job.

That doesnt help Mehany, who said he moved from Egypt in 1996 and has tried to make the business he opened almost eight years ago feel like home. It cost him around $100,000 to renovate, he said. While his cafe sells Egyptian tea and snacks, Mehany said his main attraction  worth about 80 per cent of his revenue  is hookah. He doesnt think his business can survive without it.

Mehany and other Toronto hookah bar owners, represented by Zigler, argue that the bylaw essentially forces them to shut their lawful businesses  something they think the city should not have the power to do.

Herbal shisha smoke contains carbon monoxide, tar and cancer-causing chemicals, according to the city of Toronto website. Whats more, when using a hookah, smokers often share a mouthpiece  an act puts users at a heightened risk of sharing diseases like herpes and hepatitis.

In a 2014 report from the city of Toronto, its medical officer of health recommended prohibiting smoking hookah pipes. This report said that the smoking non-tobacco products with a hookah undermines the success of Ontarios smoke-free legislation, because it contributes to the social acceptability of smoking in public places. It cited emerging research that even non-tobacco smoke had a negative impact on air quality inside.

In a statement last spring, Peel flagged concerns that an increasing number of students there were smoking hookah. A survey from last year found that 11 per cent of students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 had used a hookah in 2015, more than double the percentage who had smoked cigarettes. Almost a quarter of students surveyed said they werent aware of the health risks of smoking hookah.

Peels associate medical officer of health Lawrence Loh said in the statement that the bylaw aims to protect residents from second-hand smoke and also support ongoing efforts to de-normalize smoking by discouraging youth from experimenting with novel forms of smoking, such as waterpipes.

Zigler said the arguments hes making have implications beyond this case. How far can cities go in trying to achieve objectives? he said. Can cities put businesses out of business?

The appeal also argues that Goldstein was wrong in ruling that the citys bylaw was neither in bad faith, nor in conflict with the provinces Occupational Health and Safety Act. Zigler expects that appeal to be heard this spring.

In Peel, Zigler is representing Fatoos and other owners in challenging the hookah ban there on similar grounds. The hookah bar owners fighting to nix the Peel ban say most of their revenue comes from hookah sales and if they are no longer able to sell this product, customers might stop showing up. The majority of owners say they invested their life savings into their business.

Fatoos noted that he offers a non-tobacco product to his customers and adds that he doesnt understand why hookah is being banned when alcohol is legal, and the province is trying to figure out how to handle recreational marijuana. He said most of his clientele are older, dont drink and come mostly to enjoy each others company.

For now, Peel is holding off on enforcing its bylaw until a decision is made by the court. Zigler said the case is set to be heard in February.

Toronto Public Health hasnt started inspections, spokesperson Melissa Simone confirmed. She said that while the bylaw is before the courts, city will keep educating businesses about the bylaw until a decision has been made.

Hookah regulations in other cities

Some cities and regions are cracking down on hookah smoking harder than others across the province and the country.

Windsor has a bylaw that forbids smoking and explicitly puts hookah in its list of prohibited products.

In Ottawa, a ban on hookahs came into effect on Dec. 1.

In British Columbia, two hookah bar owners took their case to the provinces Supreme Court, after being charged for violating a 2007 city bylaw when they allowed their customers to smoke hookah pipes. That appeal was dismissed in 2015.

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Toronto police, Peel police and Environment Canada are asking motorists to be mindful of slippery conditions after police responded to multiple collisions Tuesday night.

An estimated 20 cars piled up on the southbound ramp of Hwy. 427 near Eglinton Ave. at around 8 p.m., said Victor Kwong of Toronto police.

The largest collision involved up to 40 cars on Highway 410 at Derry Rd. in Brampton, said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt in a Periscope video at around 9:30 p.m.

No serious injuries were reported but the OPP is advising drivers to avoid unnecessary travel.

At around 10 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police responded to 70 collisions in a span of 2 1/2 hours in the GTA, according to Schmidt.

There are many crashes. Just slow down, dont be in a hurry. We need patience, said Schmidt.

As of 8:30 p.m., Peel police had 17 collision related calls on the go, according to Const. Harinder Sohi, spokesperson for Peel police.

Most of the collisions were single-vehicle collisions with minor injuries, said Sohi.

At 8 p.m., Environment Canada also issued a weather advisory warning motorists of the icy conditions.

The alert was lifted during the night.

With files from Alina Bykova

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The Roncesvalles neighbourhood was always a source of fond memories for Magdalena Partyka.

The 29-year-old and her family immigrated to Toronto from near Wrocaw, Poland, in 2000. Although she grew up outside the city, her family visited Roncesvalles Ave. often  to attend the popular Polish festival, grab groceries at the local deli and visit friends from home living in the area.

The area has changed drastically over the last 10 years, with many Eastern European business owners leaving the neighbourhood. But the influx of new shops and different restaurants over the last several years, mixed with a few Polish staples, is part of the reason Partyka and her husband moved to Roncesvalles a year ago.

Partyka is one of many young people returning to the historically Polish neighbourhood.

When you are walking along the street and you pass the United Church, you can actually hear Polish all around you, she said. People think its becoming less and less Polish every year. A lot of people moved to Mississauga, but I think there are second-generation Polish-Canadians that are moving back to the area.

The neighbourhood became a hub for Polish immigrants when the St. Stanislaus-St. Casimirs Church opened on Roncesvalles Ave. in the 1950s. That brought a Polish credit union, a Polish retirement home and the Canadian-Polish Congress.

Andrew Chomentowski, who runs the annual Polish festival  the largest such event in North America, he says  said many Polish-Canadians left the area for Mississauga. But he has also noticed many returning to the area that held historical significance for their community. His son has recently opened a business there, and several other family members have moved back to area.

Karin Smith, who runs the Old Country Shop, a Roncesvalles staple that has been around for the last 57 years, remembers when taking a walk through the neighbourhood was like stepping into an Eastern European village.

In the old, old time, the street was full of Polish, German, Estonian and Ukrainian businesses, Smith recalled.

She said many of those Eastern European shop owners retired and decided to sell their prime real estate. Others migrated to the suburbs.

Len McAuley owns Pollock Home Hardware on Roncesvalles and has lived in the area for more than 50 years. When he was a student at St. Vincent de Pauls, he said the area had a much more Eastern European flavour, full of delis and bakeries.

That Polish heritage hasnt disappeared, of course, and many businesses are still on the popular street. There are still traces of the European heritage throughout the area. The Old Country Shop still stands, with traditional German Christmas toys and delectable treats decorating the storefront window. Down the street, the Polish Credit Union is still there, as are popular Polish restaurants like Cafe Polonez and a statue of the since-beatified former pope John Paul II, the only Pole to hold the office.

But there are also new modern businesses that have brought a new dynamic to the area.

Theres a BBQ joint, a Cuban restaurant, natural food shops, trendy clothing stores and modern cafes packed with people sipping lattes, heads buried in their smartphones.

We have the whole world in one little street now, Smith said. Its a big change, a big turnaround from what it used to be, but it still has that European flair. I think thats part of the reason why so many young people are lining up to live in the area.

Part of the reason why Roncesvalles has remained so close-knit, says McAuley, is an almost obsessive focus on shopping local.

Customers are always saying how they dont need to leave Roncesvalles anymore to get everything they need, he said. More people are selling their cars, biking or walking to work, and getting everything they need right here in the neighbourhood.

Partyka loves that she doesnt have to leave the neighbourhood to go to a trendy restaurant, grab groceries, or buy a new outfit. She especially likes that if she wants parowki (a Polish version of a hotdog) for breakfast, or is craving paczki (Polish doughnuts), she can walk down the street and get it.

Its just a cool neighbourhood, said Partyka. Its like a small city within the big one. And everyone wants to be a part of it.

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When Esme Hursts teenage son Alex started showing signs of depression and anxiety, she took him to their family doctor.

His physician diagnosed depression, prescribed an anti-depressant and referred Alex to a local hospitals youth mental health services.

None of it helped Alex. He got an assessment from hospital staff, but they did not refer him to ongoing treatment. And he hated the anti-depressants, said they made him feel strange.

Family doctors are the first point of contact for thousands of people seeking diagnosis and care for mental illness, but a disconnect between physicians and mental health professionals leaves many patients stranded without an effective path to treatment.

Alexs depression got worse.

It just added up and added up on him, Esme says. He felt worthless.

The Hursts returned to their family doctor looking for more options, but he seemed to have exhausted all of his mental health-care resources.

When I went back to him and said, Can you give us a list of psychologists or psychiatrists or therapists that we could reach out to? the doctor said, I dont know anybody,  Esme recalls.

In the end, the doctor recommended that Esme buy a book on cognitive behaviour therapy and administer the treatment to Alex herself.

They tried it. Esme says she never felt like she knew what she was doing, and Alex had his own doubts about her acting as a therapist.

The Hursts eventually scheduled another assessment at the same hospital, the one their family doctor had referred them to in the first place.

Just days before the appointment, in May 2006, Alex took his own life. He was 15.

More than four million Canadians struggle with anxiety or mood disorders including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. That is more than 11 per cent of this countrys population and more Canadians than have liver, kidney or heart diseases.

But there is a chasm between mental health care and physical health care, and Canadians with mental illness are falling through it.

The system of mental health care has been poorly co-ordinated, says Dr. Catherine Zahn, president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. There are many primary care physicians (who) actually dont really know who to call, or arent well versed in what services are available in the community or what the right services are for their particular patient.

Dr. Karen Cohen, CEO of the Canadian Psychological Association, calls family doctors the gateway to care.

Thats where people can easily go, thats where people feel comfortable. It makes sense, Cohen says.

The Ontario Medical Association reports that family physicians deliver about half of all mental health services in the province.

But they do not necessarily have the information or expertise necessary to handle mental health cases.

Zahn, a trained neurologist, says patients can often get effective treatment from a family doctor. But, she adds, when that primary care isnt enough, there has to be a next level.

(Doctors) will have a small stable of people that they like and know and trust and they will call them, but they wont necessarily have the information to navigate patients to the range of services that might be available, Zahn says.

Finding an appropriate path to treatment is especially important for teenage patients like Alex Hurst.

Experts say the majority of mental illnesses surface in childhood or adolescence. For many young people, those illnesses can be fatal.

Suicide accounted in 2012 for 12 per cent of all deaths among 10 to 14-year-olds and 28 per cent of deaths among 15 to 19-year olds.

Its one thing to have someone who is older, more mature, has impulse control, Zahn says. But a young person whos depressed, thats kind of an emergency. It needs to be taken seriously and followed closely.

Dr. Virginia Walley, president of the Ontario Medical Association, says the lack of integrated programs for patients of all ages has created silos of care, in which family doctors and mental health professionals are isolated from each other.

Though each individual care provider may be trying their best to help the patient, the lack of co-operation between them often leads to patients getting inadequate care, Walley says.

We know Ontarios doctors and mental health providers will continue to do all they can to meet the needs of their patients, Walley adds. However, their ability to achieve results will continue to be impacted by this lack of integration and underfunding of community supports.

Cohen, at the Canadian Psychological Association, says the solution is probably a combination of increasing mental health literacy among family doctors and placing more psychologists near the front lines of health care.

Psychologists can be attached to family health-care teams and primary care practices, Cohen said. It doesnt mean theyre the ones seeing every patient for whom theres a suspicion there might be a mental health problem. But (the psychologist) could be a resource to the family doctor, who could say, You know, Im not quite sure I have a handle on this. Would you see this person? 

Dr. Jonathan Bertram, a family physician who specializes in mental health and addictions, works part time at CAMH and part time at his Bowmanville practice, in a building with 20 other family doctors offices.

(A patient) knows they can go down the hall and get their issue addressed, or my colleague can message me and talk about it, Bertram says.

Family doctors without that physical proximity to mental health resources can also apply to a mental health care mentorship program run by the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

The Collaborative Mental Health Network matches family doctors to psychiatrists and psychotherapists for professional development and case-by-case support.

Networks like these are really nice ways of trying to fill in where the gaps are instead of trying to change things completely, Bertram says.

Patients can still see their trusted family physician, but that trip to the doctor will be a more meaningful first step, he adds.

For Zahn, the provision of adequate treatment for people with mental illness goes back to the first principles of care.

People with mental illness are human beings, they have human rights, they have civil rights and they have health care rights, she says.

Until recently, until we demanded it, theres been very little scrutiny in the quality of care, she adds.

You might think its just about (spending). Its not. Its about being publicly accountable about how to use public dollars, how you create services and ensure that theyre effective.

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A new Toronto group is expected to launch on Feb. 12, joining a growing network of communities popping up across the central and southern United States, with meetings based on shared common values instead of a religion.

Its not a church, but in many ways is sort of like one.

Oasis groups meet weekly in whatever space they find suitable  from dance studios to conference centres  for talks, discussions and music. This movement is founded on five shared values including: people are more important than beliefs, reality has its roots in reason, and humans can fix human problems.

In Toronto, the group is being started by a core team of about 10 people, including West Hill United Churchs atheist minister Gretta Vosper, Humanist Canadas Martin Frith, Bangladeshi author Raihan Abir and advocate and artist Agah Bahari. It will be the first chapter of the network in Canada.

Vosper, who joined the networks board of directors this year, made headlines when the United Church ruled that she was unsuitable to do her job because she doesnt believe in God. The church is expected to decide whether it will defrock sometime next year. Although shes still at West Hill United, Vosper is expanding her work with Oasis, which she says is similar to what shes doing already  but this time, with absolutely no church affiliation.

I think there are a number of things that religion does within community and for individuals that are important, Vosper said. Church didnt come up with the idea of gathering, and church didnt come up with the idea of transmitting values from one person to the next or transmitting things from one generation to the next.

She thinks Oasis can meet those needs in a non-religious way. Vosper said no membership is needed to attend an Oasis gathering and drop-ins are welcome.

Helen Stringer, who started an Oasis chapter in Kansas City and is the co-founder of the network, said the movement is growing faster than she expected.

The real thing that were offering is really that type of community support that is missing, I think, in a lot of peoples lives, she said. We are more individualized and isolated probably than ever, our society has just kind of started to flow that way. So a lot of us are looking for alternative ways to still connect with human beings.

Stringer said even though the group has made no attempt at promoting itself, the Oasis network has received media attention. She said people have expressed interest in starting their own Oasis communities as far as Africa, South America and Europe. Although the non-profit network hasnt got around to translating its start-up materials to meet overseas demand, she thinks the concept can work anywhere.

Bahari, one of the Toronto groups founding members, thinks the network will fit well here, even if it might initially freak some people out.

He notes that Oasis is a secular community, not an atheist one, and that it will be open to listening and morphing into what the local public wants it to be.

I think the fact that there are many different people from many different backgrounds has a lot of significance, Bahari said. I think thats the most Toronto thing about it.

Closer to its launch date, founding members of the Toronto Oasis will announce details about upcoming, public weekly gatherings, which will be hosted at the University of Torontos multi-faith centre.

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In politics, as in love, breaking up is hard to do.

By trying to disavow social conservatives  whose utterances have a habit of bubbling to the surface  PC Leader Patrick Brown has ticked off former allies such as the LifeSiteNews, where he was dubbed a shape-shifting weasel.

Browns latest effort to put a fresh face on the Progressive Conservatives for 2017 backfired before Christmas, leaving a lingering challenge as he attempts to reposition the party for an election 18 months away.

Standing in the legislatures media studio the day before politicians left for the winter break, Brown said his party supports the new sex ed curriculum, abortion rights and equal rights for gay parents  and insisted there isnt a secret social conservative agenda to undo them.

If your reason for going to Queens Park would be to push a divisive social issue, then that would be unwelcome, he told reporters.

Little did he know, one of his MPPs and co-chair of his leadership campaign was captured in a recording saying the exact opposite the day before. The clip from French-language television network TFO wasnt released until the following week.

Social issues are really, really important. We need to form government. Then . . . watch us go! Rick Nicholls (Chatham-Kent-Essex) said to applause in a meeting with the Canadian Multicultural Care Group and the Canadian Christian Association.

That will happen. That will happen.

The split in the party has put Brown in a squeeze, with Liberal and NDP rivals suggesting he cant be trusted because he won the leadership by courting social conservatives.

He used those groups to get to where he is and now hes decided that theyre holding him back so hes severed ties. . . . Its a question of integrity, said deputy premier Deb Matthews.

Now spurned, that wing of the PC party is being stoked to seek revenge at the polls.

With a few notable exceptions, it may be very difficult for social conservatives to vote for Patrick Browns PC Party come the next election, Jonathon Van Maren wrote on the website of LifeSiteNews, which opposes abortion and Ontarios updated sex education lessons.

Liberal politicians like Kathleen Wynne and Justin Trudeau are actually more honest than the weasel-y Brown, he added.

While (they) at least campaign openly on their social values  you may disagree with them, but you know what their views are  does anyone really know what Patrick Brown believes?

Shortly after the remarks from Nicholls were reported, Brown forced his MPP to retract and apologize but it was another in a string of telltale events in the last few months.

They include his flip-flop on supporting the new sex education curriculum during the Scarborough-Rouge River byelection, and the byelection victory of 19-year-old social conservative Sam Oosterhoff in Niagara West-Glanbrook, who beat out party president and former MP Rick Dykstra for the nomination.

He has a very present problem with social conservatism, said Matthews, who charged that Browns boast his party supported legislation on equal rights for gay parents rings hollow because several of his MPPs skipped the vote.

On the flip side, LifeSiteNew accused Brown of bullying social conservative MPPs to avoid the vote  the day before Oosterhoff was sworn in  instead of showing up to vote their conscience.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who will be battling for the anti-government vote, said Mr. Brown is going to have to explain to the people of Ontario where his party stands, where he stands, where his candidates stand.

Brown maintains he is taking the Conservatives  who hold a healthy lead over Premier Kathleen Wynnes Liberals in public opinion polls  in a clear direction.

As leader, and as premier, I will lead an Ontario PC party focused on reversing the economic damage of the Wynne Liberals. . . . I will lead an inclusive government where intolerance will have no place, he said.

Toward that goal, Brown sent a message to would-be Tory MPPs and members of his caucus at Queens Park before heading off for Christmas:

Your private religious views . . . (have) no bearing at Queens Park. And frankly, its none of the partys interest, its none of the governments interest. People can have their private religious views, but just know where I stand and what the focus of our party is.

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PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIAIn 1979, Phan Chhunreth ventured to Phnom Penh after toiling for nearly four years in a Khmer Rouge labour camp. Pol Pots genocidal regime had just been toppled by the invading Vietnamese army and the Cambodian capital, emptied as part of the Khmer Rouges agrarian revolution, stood eerily quiet.

Chhunreth and her family eventually settled near Boeung Kak lake  a 90-hectare pool of stagnant water in the heart of the city. By the early 2000s, more than 4,000 families had moved to the area, which became popular with tourists for its cheap guest houses, sunset bars and thriving drug scene.

In 2007, the city of Phnom Penh granted a 99-year, $79-million (US) lease to develop the lake and its surroundings to Shukaku Inc.  a previously unknown development firm owned by ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) senator Lao Meng Khin. With considerable Chinese investment, it plans to build exclusive shops, apartments and villas at the site. Boeung Kaks residents were never consulted.

READ MORE: Will justice be served for the millions killed by the Khmer Rouge?

In 2008, Shukaku began filling the lake with sand. As many of their homes became inundated with sand and the lakes polluted water, local families were given the option of accepting an $8,500 resettlement fee (less than 25 per cent of their properties values) or houses located more than 20 kilometres from the city.

More than 3,000 families conceded. Forced to then demolish their own homes, they left in what Amnesty International has called the largest forced eviction (in Cambodia) since the Khmer Rouge era.

Those who remained are still fighting for a fair deal.

I dont want to move, Chhunreth, 54, says from the small boarding house she runs with her family. Around it, chickens and dogs scavenge amid the mess of bricks, boards and cinder blocks that used to be her neighbours homes  only their tiled floors remain.

The government is forcing people to leave, she says. There is no justice for us.

Chhunreth and 12 other women were arrested during a peaceful demonstration in May. Each was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for abuse on state land and obstruction against public officials.

Large parcels of land are being leased to both local and foreign firms as mining licences and economic land concessions. According to Cambodian human rights monitor LICADHO, such leases now account for 3.9 million hectares, or 21.5 per cent of Cambodia.

An estimated 400,000 to one million Cambodians have been involved in land disputes in the past decade. In 2011 alone, rights group ADHOC claims that nearly 60,000 people were forcibly evicted from their homes.

In a June 2012 speech, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia needs to continue to promote economic growth and accelerate poverty reduction. He listed diversification in the agriculture sector, agro-industry development and private-sector development as being essential to this end.

READ MORE: Friend of Canadian killed by Khmer Rouge in 1978 still seeks justice

Such developments, he noted, create jobs. If everything works according to the instructions, he said, our economic land concessions will do our country a world of good.

Compounding the clash is that many Cambodians lack formal land titles  a legacy of the Khmer Rouges push to eliminate private property. While such families are legally entitled to ownership papers if they have occupied their land continuously since 1996, this policy has not been widely implemented. (The policy, in any case, does not help to Chhunreth and her family, who moved to Boeung in 1997.)

Without formal land titles, Cambodian families have no legal recourse when their homes are being threatened. Even with land titles, there are no guarantees their property rights will be upheld.

When someone from a community raises a legal case against a private company or the authorities, that tends to go nowhere, says Nora Lindstrom Sahmakum Teang Tnaut, a housing-rights non-governmental organization (NGO). When the authorities or a company raise a complaint against a community member, it tends to get processed quite quickly.

Evictions are often brutal and protests have been violently suppressed. In May, a 14-year-old girl was shot to death by government security forces as they cleared a village in the northeast.

Having encouraged the village to resist the development of a rubber plantation, local radio journalist Mam Sonando and eight members of the community were arrested. Authorities accused them of masterminding a secessionist plot.

On Monday, Sonando was sentenced to 20 years in prison. His co-defendants received suspended sentences ranging from 10 months to five years. Three other community leaders received 15 to 30 year sentences in absentia. Those responsible for killing the unarmed girl have not faced legal action.

With both state and private security forces having been accused of burning crops and shooting livestock, the Clean Sugar Campaign is calling on the European Union to boycott Cambodian blood sugar  an export that benefits from a duty- and quota-free EU trade initiative aimed at fostering development in the worlds poorest countries.

At Boeung Kak, protests have been quashed by police with riot shields, motorbike helmets and electric batons. Live ammunition and bulldozers have been used at other disputed sites in the city. Elsewhere in the country, the story is much the same.

As protests become more common, Cambodian authorities are increasingly resorting to violence, says Amnesty International researcher Rupert Abbott.

The government and the authorities can be incredibly paranoid, says Abbott, who believes they are seeing resistance over land issues as a challenge to their authority and the supremacy of the Cambodian Peoples Party.

Cambodian authorities have staunchly defended their actions. We cannot let the people fight on the streets, Cambodia Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan has said. We keep law and order.

According to CPP National Assembly member Cheam Yeap, the impact (of land concessions) is just so little compared to the benefits for the countrys economy. . . . The affected people should understand that they should sacrifice for the nation in order to help government in reducing peoples poverty.

In August 2011, the World Bank announced it was suspending all future loans to Cambodia until the Boeung Kak issue is resolved. Shortly thereafter, the prime minister declared that a small parcel of land would be put aside at the site for the lakes remaining residents.

While 779 families were granted titles in this area, 96  including Phan Chhunreths  were initially excluded. At least 20 plots were allegedly awarded to Lao Meng Khin, the senator, and his wife. Twenty-six excluded families later accepted undisclosed cash settlements. The area promised by the prime minister has yet to be officially demarcated. The World Bank lending freeze is still in place.

Emboldened by local media attention and the support of several NGOs, Boeung Kaks remaining residents have vowed to protest until every excluded family receives a settlement. Since May, however, at least 17 local land activists have been arrested.

International pressure, nevertheless, seems to be having some effect. In June, 13 Boeung Kak women, including Phan Chhunreth, had their sentences commuted after spending more than a month in prison. Their vocal supporters included U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their appeal trial was attended by representatives from several Western embassies.

The ground around her community office is strewn with rubble. Nearby, children play on the vast expanse of sand that used to be Boeung Kak lake. A fishing boat lies half-buried at its edge. The imposing grey facade of Cambodias Council of Ministers is just visible to the south.

The government doesnt care about the people, Srey Pov says. The rich get richer; the poor only get poorer. . . . There are many injustices in Cambodia.

According to Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, the majority of forced evictions in Phnom Penh are simply a matter of land speculation.

These companies are basically government officials with power trying to grab these lands so they can actually sell it later on, Virak says. Thousands and thousands of families are being affected and nothing happens . . . not a single building goes up.

Eight kilometres south of Boeung Kak, the 26-square-kilometre Boeung Tumpun lake is currently being filled with sand. In one or two years, Virak says, its going to be the same thing as Boeung Kak.

LAND DISPUTES IN NUMBERS

12

Cambodian land activists currently incarcerated in Phnom Penh

13

Land concessions granted since a temporary moratorium was announced on May 7

33

Years the CPP has dominated Cambodian politics. Hun Sen has been prime minister since 1985

55

Communities in Phnom Penh currently awaiting eviction

70

Families at Boeung Kak Lake still awaiting land titles

401

Vacant plots within Boeung Kak Lakes 12.44-hectare settlement area

424

Land concessions and mining licenses granted by the government since 1996

2,000

Student volunteers dispatched across Cambodia this year to measure properties and issue land titles. They are only measuring properties in undisputed areas

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JERUSALEMIsraels prime minister decried Secretary of State John Kerrys Mideast policy speech as a deep disappointment on Wednesday and vowed to work with the incoming Trump administration to contain the fallout from last weeks UN resolution calling Israeli settlements illegal.

Benjamin Netanyahus angry statement, delivered at a late-night news conference shortly after Kerrys address, capped a tumultuous week in which years of tense relations with President Barack Obama boiled over.

We are not about to be swayed by a mistaken policy that could cause big, big damage, Netanyahu said, speaking in English. Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders.

In a farewell speech at the State Department, Kerry outlined his vision for Mideast peace. While his speech included criticism of Palestinian violence and incitement, his strongest words were aimed at Israel, and its policy of settling its citizens in occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians. He said the continued settlement growth is threatening the possibility of a two-state solution, which Netanyahu has endorsed.

The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state, Kerry said.

He also defended Obamas move last week to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off a nearly weeklong diplomatic spat between Israel and its most important ally.

I must express my deep disappointment with the speech today of John Kerry, a speech that was almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution past at the UN last week, Netanyahu said.

He accused Kerry of paying lip service to decades of Palestinian violence against Israelis, while spending most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack of peace.

He repeated his position that Israel is ready to pursue peace through direct negotiations with the Palestinians. Netanyahu, whose government is dominated by West Bank settler supporters who oppose Palestinian independence, says international dictates in favour of the Palestinians undermine the negotiating process.

Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with the American Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to mitigate the damage that this resolution has done and ultimately to repeal it, he said. He expressed hope that the Obama administration will not pursue any more moves against Israel at the UN in its remaining time in office.

Netanyahu and Obama, who took office in 2009 just months apart, have had chilly relations throughout their tenures.

The Obama administration has been a vocal critic of Netanyahus policies and questioned his commitment to peace. Netanyahu has harshly criticized the U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran.

Although Trump has not outlined his Mideast policy, he has signalled that he will be much more sympathetic to Israel. He has appointed a West Bank settler ally as his ambassador to Israel and vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, over Palestinian objections.

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VILNIUS, LITHUANIAElves against trolls  it sounds like something out of The Lord of the Rings. But to Ricardas Savukynas, the battle hes fighting is no fantasy.

The 43-year-old business consultant and blogger is part of an informal internet army of Lithuanians trying to counter what they describe as hate speech and pro-Russia propaganda.

I am just a regular guy from Lithuania, a citizen, who once noticed that Russian propaganda is being spread in this country by huge numbers of groups on Facebook, he told The Associated Press over tea at a restaurant in Vilnius old town. Seeing this I thought that it cannot be a natural thing.

Savukynas fellow volunteers  whove dubbed themselves elves  patrol social media, co-ordinating their actions through Facebook or Skype to expose fake accounts. On a busy day, Savukynas said that fellow elves report as many as 10 or 20 to get them removed. He himself focuses on writing, maintaining a personal blog devoted to, among other things, deconstructing Soviet nostalgia or pulling apart conspiracy theories.

The elves do a decent job of pinpointing some manipulation and some social networking sites, said Nerijus Maliukevicius, a researcher at Vilnius Universitys Institute of International Relations, who studies the role of media during times of conflict. But in a telephone interview, Maliukevicius said that Lithuania needs a complex counterstrategy to beat what he describes as Kremlin propaganda.

Elves are just one bit of this, he said.

Talk of Russian interference is bubbling on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the recent U.S. election, which propelled Russia-friendly candidate Donald Trump to power amid allegations of Kremlin interference. Earlier this month, Germanys intelligence agency accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the country with propaganda and cyberattacks before its general election planned for next year.

Lithuania, which like other Baltic nations was long subject to Moscows rule, feels those concerns more keenly than most  all the more so after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

And the elf versus troll war on Facebook is just one battlefield. News websites and broadcasters have also been drawn into the mix.

We recognized, especially recently, that we have a pretty huge and long lasting disinformation campaign against our society, said Tomas Ceponis, an analyst for the Lithuanian military. He said the power of propaganda was harder to quantify than tanks or planes, but it was clearly aimed at really a very huge variety of targets.

Delfi, one of the main news sites in Lithuania, was one of them. It found its comment sections filling up with pro-Russia posts in the lead up to the Ukrainian confrontation, said Monika Garbaciauskaite, the editor-in-chief, and now has full-time staff deleting the most extreme messages.

The hostile propaganda has led to more aggressive action from both sides.

Lithuanias leading commercial news channel TV3 has been repeatedly targeted by hackers who compromised the groups networks three times, according to Sigitas Babilius, TV3s head of news. Last month, Lithuania banned Russias RTR Planeta channel until February after a Russian politician made anti-U.S. comments deemed as incitement to war, discord and hatred. Similar three-month bans on Russian state-owned channels have been ordered in previous years.

Lithuania, meanwhile, has launched a campaign on television urging citizens to report any suspicious activity  on the street or on the web.

The moves rankle Moscows representative to the tiny NATO nation.

I do not think that sticking a propaganda label on anothers point of view is right, Russian Ambassador Alexander Udaltsov told the AP. Its always better to use counterarguments to prove your truth, but unfortunately our Western partners lack these arguments and continue with bans of Russian TV stations.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius makes no apology for the bans.

A lie is not an alternative point of view, Linkevicius said. One can say its freedom of speech, everyone can say whatever he wants. Of course, I agree. But if its (a) resourced propaganda machine brainwashing people, its not just an alternative point of view. Its a weapon.

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PEARL HARBOR, HAWAIIThe leaders of Japan and the United States sought to remind the world that even the most bitter enemies can become allies, during a historic pilgrimage to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan must never repeat the horrors of war again.

Seventy-five years after Japans surprise attack, Abe and President Barack Obama peered down Tuesday at the rusting wreckage of the USS Arizona, clearly visible in the tranquil, teal water. In a show of respect for the war dead, Obama and Abe dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence.

More than 1,000 U.S. war dead remain entombed in the submerged ship, which Japan struck as part of the devastating attack that killed more than 2,300 Americans and sent America marching into World War II.

As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place, Abe said later at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

That was the closest Abe would get to an apology for the attack. And it was enough for Obama, who also declined to apologize seven months ago when he became Americas first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in a bid to end the war.

It was enough, too, for Alfred Rodrigues, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived the attack. The 96-year-old said he had no hard feelings and added, War is war.

They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do, Rodrigues said before the visit.

In the years after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Since the war, the U.S. and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obamas tenure, including strengthened military ties. Yet there are questions about whether the relationship will fray under President-elect Donald Trump, a possibility neither Obama nor Abe addressed.

Abe, who became Japans first leader to visit Pearl Harbor with a U.S. president, said the visit brought utter silence to me. His remarks capped a day that was carefully choreographed by the U.S. and Japan to show a strong and growing alliance between former foes.

Japanese officials said that in their talks, Abe and Obama agreed to closely monitor the movements of Chinas first and sole aircraft carrier, which has sailed into the western Pacific for the first time.

The Japanese officials also said the two leaders affirmed that movements by the Chinese carrier Liaoning warrant close attention from mid-term and long-term perspectives.

White House officials who accompanied Obama to Hawaii did not comment on the announcement from the Japanese, and in an unusual move, they didnt release a written description of the meeting. But in Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. recognizes lawful uses of the sea, and the same rights apply to the U.S., China and other nations.

He said, as we often make the case with our own naval vessels sailing ... in those same waters, its freedom of navigation.

Obama and Abe started Tuesdays activities here with a formal meeting at a another nearby military base, in what the White House said was likely Obamas last meeting with a foreign leader before leaving office in January. It was a bookend of sorts for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abes predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House.

Speaking after he and Abe laid green-and-peach wreaths at the memorial, Obama called Pearl Harbor a sacred place and said that even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace. Its a notion Obama tried throughout his presidency to put into practice, as he reached out to former adversaries Iran, Myanmar and Cuba.

Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial above the sunken USS Arizona, where a marbled wall lists the names of U.S. troops killed in the Japanese attack.

Theres this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this Pearl Harbor syndrome, that we did something very unfair, said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. He said he believes Abes visit would absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have.

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46 kg of gold was reportedly robbed by a group of men posing as CBI officials from Muthoot Finance's branch in RC Puram, Hyderabad.

By Ashish Pandey: Impersonating as CBI officials, a group of men robbed gold worth 46 kg from Muthoot Finance in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The imposters said that they were investigating for a big scam, one of them was dressed as traffic cop.

When the security personnel stopped them, they took out guns to threaten the employees. They escaped with gold ornaments valued at about Rs 12 crore after threatening the staff present at the Ramachandrapuram office of the company.

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As the employees raised objection, one of the men whipped out a gun, threatened the employees and locked them in a bathroom.

The imposters wrapped up all the gold in a bedsheet and fled the scene along with the CCTV cameras.

The police have launched a massive hunt for the robbers, who escaped in a car. Cyberabad Police Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said five teams have been formed to track down the culprits.

The policemen were searching vehicles along Hyderabad-Mumbai highway to nab the robbers.

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATESA prominent activist in Bahrain held for over seven months on charges stemming from a series of tweets was to be released on bail Wednesday until prosecutors ordered him back into custody over other investigations.

The sudden reversal stunned supporters of Nabeel Rajab, who helped lead Bahrains 2011 Arab Spring protests. His trial has been criticized by the United Nations and others as an attempt to suppress free speech.

Defence lawyer Jalila Sayed confirmed Rajab would continue to be held after earlier saying he suffered from poor health.

Nabeel is overall weak because of so many health problems he started facing, including heart problems and other physical issues, Sayed told The Associated Press. Hes under tremendous stress because of this length of detention.

Rajab was arrested in June over a series of messages posted to his Twitter account about the ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen, as well as allegations of torture by authorities at a local prison.

Rajabs continued imprisonment likely stems from him separately facing a charge over a letter published by The New York Times during his incarceration. Another ongoing investigation focuses on a letter recently published by the French newspaper Le Monde. Bahraini prosecutors announced his continued detention in an Instagram post.

In Wednesdays hearing, Sayed said she believes the court initially granted bail because a witness for the prosecution couldnt specifically prove that Rajab had control of the Twitter account in his name, nor show he sent the tweets in question.

We hope this will end with an acquittal because the case has no evidence, the lawyer said.

Bahrain, off the coast of Saudi Arabia, is home to the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base.

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Bahrain detains prominent human rights activist during raid on his home

Bahrain activist sentenced to 3 years in jail for protesting

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WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump accused U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday of throwing up inflammatory roadblocks during the transition of power and his administration of treating Israel with total disdain, further straining the veneer of civility between the incoming and outgoing leaders.

Although Trump didnt detail his complaints in his morning broadsides on Twitter, the president-elect has made it clear that it didnt sit well with him when Obama recently boasted that he would have won the election if hed been running. Trumps largely respectful tone about Obama since the election evaporated in his latest tweets.

Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks, Trump tweeted. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!

Trump also took direct issue with the Obama administrations decision to let a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel pass.

We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect, he said in a two-part tweet. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but ... 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!

Trump and his team have until now been largely complimentary of the way Obama and his people have handled the transition. The president-elects complaints about the treatment of Israel came a few hours before John Kerry was to make his final speech about Mideast peace as secretary of state  remarks that some Israeli officials panned in advance. The administrations decision not to veto the UN resolution aggravated an already strained U.S.-Israel relationship.

Trumps newly appointed press secretary, Sean Spicer, played down tensions between Trump and Obama.

As the inauguration gets closer, both the current president and the team have been very generous with their time as far as the actual transition, the actual mechanics of the transition have gone and I expect them to continue to speak fairly regularly, Spicer said during the daily transition briefing, though he could not say exactly how often the two have spoken.

Still, he said, Trump intends to bring change to this country starting on Day 1.

A dispute erupted Monday between Obama and Trump, spurred by Obamas hypothetical musings that had he run again, he would have been victorious. Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters who elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again. Trumps response to that was NO WAY!

On Tuesday, Trump tweeted: President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in very important swing states, and lost. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Obama swept most key swing states in his two bids for the White House, but Trumps Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, fell short.

Later Tuesday, Trump thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that the Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December.

Trump noted thats the highest the index has climbed in more than 15 years, then added, Thanks Donald!

Trump was expected to deliver an economic development message later Wednesday. He resumed his busy schedule of meetings following a brief lull for the holidays.

Trump first met with David Rubenstein, head of the Carlyle Group investment firm. He also met former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado and former Texas A&M president Elsa Murano  two candidates for agriculture secretary.

Maldonado was chairman of the California Senates agriculture committee; Cuban-born Murano was an agriculture undersecretary in George W. Bushs administration.

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For eight years, President Barack Obamas foreign policy doctrine has been rooted in a belief that while the United States can take action around the world on its own, it rarely should.

Multilateralism regulates hubris, Obama declared.

His successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has derided some of the same international partnerships Obama and his recent predecessors have promoted, raising the prospect that the Republicans America First agenda might well mean an America more willing to act alone.

The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time, Trump tweeted days after the UN Security Council approved a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Both Israel and Trump called on the U.S. to use its veto power to block the measure, but the Obama administration instead abstained.

Trumps criticism of the United Nations is shared by some in his party, including a handful of GOP lawmakers who have called for Congress to withhold funding for the body following the settlements vote.

Some of Trumps other positions have drawn swift rebuke from Republicans, particularly his criticism of NATO during the presidential campaign and his suggestion that the U.S. might not defend partners that dont fulfil financial obligations to the long-standing U.S.-European military alliance.

Trump has also challenged the necessity of multilateralism in his economic agenda, pledging to scrap the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord in favour of one-on-one agreements that he says will be more favourable to U.S. businesses and workers.

With Trump still about three weeks away from taking office, its unclear how his campaign rhetoric will translate into action. Even as he has criticized the UN and NATO, he has vowed to aggressively pursue joint and coalition military operations with allies to take on Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. What those military operations might entail is uncertain, given that Trumps views on national security have been both isolationist and muscular, including his recent call for expanding U.S. nuclear capabilities.

Richard Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during President George W. Bushs administration and has been working with Trumps transition team, downplayed the prospect that Trump will withdraw from or even disregard the UN and NATO once he takes office.

Trump is talking about reforming these organizations so that they live up to their ideals, not about abandoning them, Grenell said in an interview.

Obama has also been critical of U.S. partners at times, telling The Atlantic magazine earlier this year that some U.S. allies were free riders eager for Washington to solve the worlds problems. Obama also has pushed NATO partners to live up to an agreement that they spend at least 2 per cent of their countrys gross domestic product on defence, a guideline only a few members adhere to.

But the presidents major foreign policy decisions have highlighted his belief that the U.S. is better served acting in concert with other nations  and that a lack of involvement from allies should be a warning sign to Washington. Both Republican Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were also proponents of coalition-building before taking drastic action overseas.

With the support of the UN Security Council and NATO allies, Obama joined the bombing campaign in Libya in 2011. He backed away from plans to launch airstrikes against Syria in 2013, spooked in part by the British Parliaments refusal to authorize its military to participate and scant willingness among other allies to join the effort.

On the diplomatic front, Obamas administration worked alongside five other nations to secure a landmark nuclear accord with Iran and partnered with the European Union to level economic sanctions against Russia for its provocations in Ukraine.

Like much of Obamas approach to foreign policy, his preference for acting as part of a coalition was shaped by lessons learned from the Iraq War he inherited from George W. Bush. While numerous other countries were part of the war at the start, the U.S. had by far the largest commitment and bore the brunt of the casualties and the financial burden. Responsibility for quelling the sectarian violence and instability that consumed Iraq after the 2003 invasion also fell predominantly to the U.S.

During a foreign policy address in 2014, Obama chastised those who criticized him for seeking to share burdens with other countries and who saw working through institutions such as the UN as a sign of weakness.

When crises arise that do not directly threaten the U.S. but still demand action, Obama said, We have to work with others because collective action in these circumstances is more likely to succeed, more likely to be sustained (and) less likely to lead to costly mistakes.

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Every Wednesday next semester, the students in Damon Sajnanis class will meet to discuss, in depth, the problems caused by white people.

But the title of the course  The Problem of Whiteness  and its description has the University of Wisconsin at Madison mired in controversy before students have cracked open a book or peeked at a syllabus.

Have you ever wondered what it really means to be white? If youre like most people, the answer is probably no. But here is your chance! the description reads.

Critical Whiteness Studies aims to understand how whiteness is socially constructed and experienced in order to help dismantle white supremacy.

The course explores how race is experienced by white people. But it also looks at how white people consciously and unconsciously perpetuate institutional racism.

The class has injected the university into a decades-old debate about whether taxpayer-funded educational institutions have an obligation to tackle the important issues of the day  or to stay out of them altogether.

The class is taught in the African Studies Department of a university where 2 per cent of the student population identifies as black and more than 75 per cent are white.

The most vocal opponent of the course is David Murphy, a Wisconsin state assemblyman who expressed outrage last week that taxpayers are expected to pay for this garbage.

The legislator, who chairs the assemblys committee on colleges and universities, took issue with what he calls the underlying premise of the class: that white people are racist.

His criticism comes with a not-so-veiled threat: UW-Madison must discontinue this class. If UW-Madison stands with this professor, I dont know how the University can expect the taxpayers to stand with UW-Madison.

In a statement emailed to The Washington Post, Murphy, a Republican, said the decision to approve the class makes him question the judgment of university leaders.

I support academic freedom and free speech, he said. Free speech also means the public has the right to be critical of their public university. The universitys handling of controversies like this appears to the public as a lack of balance in intellectual openness and diversity of political thought on campus.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker told the Wisconsin State Journal that he didnt agree with Murphys call to withhold funding from the university if it doesnt drop the class.

I could certainly as a citizen or as a father who pays part of my kids tuition roll my eyes and raise concerns about some of the classes, Walker told the newspaper. But our focus in the budget should be on overall performance and not individual classes.

Murphy takes issue not just with the class, but with Sajnanis vocal public opinions. Even more troubling, the course is taught by a self-described international radical professor whose views are a slap in the face to the taxpayers.

Murphy included copies of some of Sajnanis tweets in his news release.

One tweet is a picture of a CNN breaking news report about police officers being shot in Dallas. Is the uprising finally starting? Sajnani said. Is this style of protest gonna go viral?

Another, from a few weeks later, is in response to former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder: No @EricHolder it is not true that an attack on a police officer anywhere is an attack on all of us, since they DO NOT equally protect us all.

Sajnani didnt immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday. He is a PhD candidate in Northwestern Universitys African American studies Department, according to Northwestern. He has published papers on Rachel Dolezal, a former president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Wash., who was outed as not being black. He also has written about East African hip-hop and Canadian abolition.

In a statement, the university defended the course and stressed that it was elective, not required, and that it was not designed to offend individuals or single out an ethnic group.

We believe this course, which is one of thousands offered at our university, will benefit students who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of race issues, the universitys statement said. The course is a challenge and response to racism of all kinds.

Greg Bump, a spokesman for the university, told The Washington Post that he didnt know of any criticism that had come from students.

Several organizations have criticized the class or called for tighter restrictions, including Breitbart, a conservative news site.

The Young Americas Foundation posts a list of a dozen college courses that it calls the most bizarre and concerning instances of leftist activism supplanting traditional scholarship in our nations colleges and universities. The Wisconsin course is not on that list.

Every semester, universities make similar decisions about controversial courses. Among them: Queering God: Feminist and Queer Theology, a Swarthmore College course that examines feminist and queer writings about God. Theres also Bowdoin Colleges Transgender Latina Immigration: Politics of Belonging and Labor in the United States, which focuses on the social conditions of transgender Latinas.

And a new website called Professor Watchlist lists the names of academics a conservative group says advance leftist propaganda or discriminate against conservative students.

Sajnanis name isnt on the site, but UW-Madison has a history of wading into racial controversies that goes back decades.

Earlier this year, hundreds of people protested at Bascom Hill after a black student was arrested for spray-painting anti-racist messages on campus, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. At the protest, students taped a list of demands to a statue of Abraham Lincoln.

And in 1964, UW-Madison student Andrew Goodman was one of three activists killed by the Ku Klux Klan while registering black people to vote near Philadelphia, Miss.

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The election of Donald Trump in November was not what the Justin Trudeau team expected. In that regard they are no different from most Canadians. The Liberals and Democrats had built a strong relationship, in good measure encouraged by the links between U.S. Republicans and the Conservatives under Stephen Harper.

On organizing, digital communication, messaging, and the strong personal chemistry between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau, there was more than just a little symmetry between the two leaders. There was every expectation this would continue under Hillary Clinton. The decision to hold a state dinner for Vice-President Joe Biden can only be understood in this context.

Trumps election has changed, well, everything. Conservatives are rushing to mimic his style and rhetoric, in the unlikely persona of Kellie Leitch and Kevin OLeary. Conrad Black and Brian Mulroney have gone out of their way to reassure Canadians that we have nothing to fear from Trump and that he will be a good president for Canada.

Prime Minister Trudeau was careful during the presidential election to avoid leaping into the fray, despite many temptations to do so. He quite rightly insisted he would have to work with whoever won the presidency. He has maintained that measured tone since the election, and has left it to countless others to express their hostility to the new president.

He would be wise to stay that course, avoiding the twin temptations of dont worry be happy and the sky is falling. But that does not mean there is any room for complacency. The Keystone pipeline may get presidential approval, but not because Trump thinks he owes us a favour. Domestic priorities for the Republicans will rule the roost, which could mean greater receptivity to Canadas oil exports but not for softwood lumber.

The opening of NAFTA would put issues on the table that are decidedly harmful to Canada  the status of our dairy and poultry industries for example  and there are countless ways in which protectionist interests can be brought to bear against us.

It is worth remembering a simple formula  well over half the Senators come from states with less than 20 per cent of the population. They voted for Trump. Their Senators have axes to grind, and theyve got a president who will listen.

It is not just the bilateral relationship that will be affected. We cant pretend the premise of Trudeaus vision and policies are the same as President Trumps. We dont have to pick fights or have rhetorical quarrels, but Trudeaus political raison detre cant be thrown under the bus either. It will take every ounce of political skill and sophistication to articulate a different view of the world without sounding like the anti-Trump every day.

Canadas Conservatives would be wise to realize that American and Canadian politics are different, and after the last election that gap has grown wider. Whether Canadians learn to grow less appalled by Trump, his cabinet, and his political direction, will depend entirely on what he does. Those blithe spirits who tell us that everything will be just fine are underestimating the damage the announced agenda can do to the world and to Canada. His latest salvo on the need for the United States to strengthen its nuclear arsenal is actually a call for a renewed arms race. Putin will follow suit.

Team Canada needs to stay together in advancing our common interests in Washington and the state capitals, and the Liberal government needs to be prepared to articulate a vision of the world that is both compassionate and tough minded. Brexit and Trump have given ample voice to the populism of our time, and liberalism and social democracy need to show themselves capable of responding to that challenge. The United States is our neighbour, and we share important interests and values, but we would be unwise to pretend that Trumps politics are an easy fit for us.

Correction  December 28, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Stephen Harpers given name. The article also misspelled Kellie Leitchs given name.

Bob Rae is a partner at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP and teaches at the University of Toronto.

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A Dec. 27 letter to the editor expressing a reader's opinion about former Toronto District School Board education director Chris Spence being stripped of his teaching licence mistakenly said the TDSB revoked Spence's licence and "kept him suffering for four hellish, indecisive years." In fact, Spence's teaching licence was revoked by the provincial licencing body, the Ontario College of Teachers, after he was found guilty of professional misconduct over plagiarism charges. Spence was not disciplined by the TDSB.

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Like a loud tie, Honest Eds has garishly announced its presence at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor for 68 years.

But late on New Years Eve, the 23,000 lights that festoon the creaky old building will be turned off for the last time and the iconic bargain store will close its doors forever.

When that happens, Toronto will have lost not just a piece of its history but some of its soul. And thats a shame.

Sure, the ramshackle, rundown department store created by the brilliant and eccentric Ed Mirvish is outdated and no longer fits easily with the shiny new reality of the citys central core. But in its day Honest Eds was outrageously uncommon, and provided a needed discount service to generations of immigrants who flooded into its cramped quarters for its famous door crashers and loss leaders.

It wasnt just a store; it was a destination. It was nothing like what youd find on the Champs Elysees or Fifth Avenue  or anywhere else for that matter. But it attracted visitors from around the world because of its uniqueness, and its heart. As Mirvishs famous sign put it: Theres no place like this place, anyplace!

As Mirvish, who died in 2007 at the age of 92, explained in a column he wrote for the Star in 2002, it all began in 1948 when he went into the business of selling bargains.

He placed a hand-painted sign over the stores entrance that read: Name your own price!! No reasonable offer refused.

Then he sat down to write his first ad: Our building is a dump! Our service is rotten!! Our fixtures are orange crates! But!! Our prices are the lowest in town!! Serve yourself and save a lot of money!!

That continued to be his modus operandi, writing ads and the copy for signs after his dinner, served precisely at 6 p.m. every night by his wife, Anne.

Our prices are so nutty, look at the cashew saved. Honest Eds is for the birds, cheap, cheap, cheap.

Mirvish could clearly sell anything, and he did  even those unmistakable hand-painted red-and-blue signs now turning up on eBay. Indeed, he was a sales superhero who garnered free publicity with stunts from free Christmas turkey giveaways to 40 clowns playing trombones.

Who could think of these things? An immigrant who started with nothing, selling items off orange crates, and grew his business to include numerous (but now defunct) restaurants  Seafood! Chinese! Italian!  and four thriving theatres, starting with the Royal Alexandra.

Honest Eds had a grand run. But its time is over, as the city and the neighbourhood around the store changed dramatically. Mirvishs son, David, sold the building and the block around it to the Vancouver-based developer, Westbank Corp., three years ago.

David Mirvish contends that even his father would have supported closing the store and moving on.

My father thought that businesses should fulfill peoples needs, and if they didnt, they didnt deserve to survive, he told the Stars Francine Kopun. With the likes of Walmart and Dollarama offering the kind of bargains that Honest Eds pioneered, it was only a matter of time until the dilapidated store would have had to close its doors.

Now, after the lights blink out at Honest Eds, a new project will rise to take its place at Bathurst and Bloor, including the iconic Mirvish Village that the family preserved a block to the west along Markham St.

Initial plans call for an ambitious development of 55 buildings of residences, restaurants and shops organized around a grid of laneways and a covered public market reminiscent of 19th-century Toronto. It is to include 1,000 much-needed units of rental housing in a city with a vacancy rate of only 1.7 per cent.

It will be an enormous change for the area, and a big test for how the city handles such major projects  covering more than a square block at a landmark intersection in the citys core.

Theres potential for something positive to emerge, renewing a key part of the city. Westbank itself calls it one of Canadas great city-building opportunities and speaks grandly taking a holistic approach to this project combining energy and sustainability, artistry and place.

Those are fine words, and the city should make sure the company lives up to them and respects the human scale of the surrounding neighbourhood.

In its time, Honest Eds expressed the energy and ambition of a city swelling with immigrants from all over the world. As the lights finally go out, what replaces it should live up to the ambition of the more sophisticated city we are now.

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Re: Horror in Ankara, Dec. 20

Horror in Ankara, Dec. 20

The photo by Burhan Ozbilici of the Turkish assassin of the Russian ambassador that appears on the front page of the Dec. 20 Star, and no doubt other media across the world, speaks to two universal realities: the destructive power of violence and the redemptive power of art. The photo itself is a piece of art with the angles of the assassins upraised arm and legs forming a geometric contrast with the ambassadors sprawled corpse.

The other artistic contrast is the anger of the assassins unheard shouts with the repose of the works of art behind him. We know that within moments the assassin will lie on the floor alongside his victim joined in death under the unseeing gaze of the photos.

We live in a world where both art and violence proliferate. The assassination took place on the same day that a lorry killed 12 people in a Berlin street market. Terrorist attributed violence has become a daily feature of our lives, as have highly promoted sales of art treasures. The two realities have come together yet again in the ancient city of Palmyra, where ISIS has again invaded to be met with bombing sorties that will kill world heritage alongside extremist fighters.

Just as we know that art, whether great or pedestrian will survive, so will violence and terrorism. Both speak to the divided nature of man, but we never say that art has gone out of control. Rather, art is a commentary, sometimes of a prophetic nature, on life. Violence by definition is the denial of life; just listen to the terrorists.

The most disturbing aspect of the photo of the assassin and the ambassador is that the killer was a policeman, that he gained entry to the art gallery by showing his police ID, that with a slight twist the power of the state was perverted into rage against the state, that the killer shouted that what he had done was to protest violence against the citizens of East Aleppo, that he made his lethal point at the same time buses were moving people from East Aleppo to places of temporary refuge.

Maybe thats the point. All refuge is temporary, unless we strive to make it permanent. Terrorism is not the answer, not even the means to the end. Art is, or at least ought to be.

Alan Demb, Toronto

It would be almost impossible for a newspaper to pass on this great Hollywood-like photo of a young hit man shouting out his cause, but this is actually a murder/suicide in progress and the man sprawled on the floor of an art gallery really is dead. The photo glamourizes vigilante justice and handguns and could well inspire me-too crimes.

The soon-to-be president-elect is a temperamentally violent man who has broken all kinds of rules about basic human decency. Lets think twice about following suit. This photo should have been on the inside of the paper, if there at all.

Ron Charach, Toronto

Sadly terrorist attacks, like the recent deadly truck attack in Germany, which killed 12 people and injured dozens of others, is the new norm rather than the exception, so we had better get used to them. They occur in nearly ever corner of the globe with frightening regularity.

Even if we decimate groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorist attacks will still keep occurring, as lesser terrorist groups will step up to replace them, as though you can destroy terrorist groups you cant destroy their ideologies that spawn them.

Also, the terrible conditions like poverty and abuse will create a new crop of terrorists. And how can you ever prevent a lone wolf terrorist attack anyway?

Kenneth Zimmerman, Huntington Beach, CA

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Editors' pick: Originally published Dec. 27.

On our website, Best Places in the World to Retire, we have visitors from around the world researching thousands of answers to questions about retiring abroad, ranging from cost of living, to healthcare, to safety and quality of life. For many visitors, however, there is one over-riding issue: Would the benefits of retiring abroad be worth it if I miss my friends and family too much?

A survey we conducted last year and published as "Expats: Expectations and Reality" underlined that concern. In response to a question, "What were your biggest worries about moving abroad?" 25% of survey respondents said, "I'll miss my friends and family too much."

Of course, there's no one, right way of dealing with the pangs of missing kids and grandkids. Everyone's circumstances are different. Below we report what expats we know who have already been through the experience have to say.

Moving Abroad Doesn't Always Mean Moving Far Away

While it is more exotic to move to Paris or Thailand, moving to another country could mean moving to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (21/2 hours by plane to Los Angeles or three hours to Dallas), Belize (two hours, 15 minutes from Miami) or Panama (Panama City is four hours from Atlanta).

As former Texan Linda Jensen, who now lives in the well-established, popular expat community of Boquete, Panama, points out, "While some grandparents live just down the street from their grandkids, it's not unusual for a grandparent to live in New York and have her grandkids spread throughout the country in Los Angeles, Dallas and Seattle (six hours, four hours and six hours hours away, respectively)."

Jensen told us that, from Panama City, you could fly to Dallas in four hours and be in New York in less than 51/2 hours. It's possible that, by moving to Panama, you could be physically closer to your grandkids. Just because you're in a different country doesn't necessarily mean you're farther away than you would be if you lived in the U.S. (Mexico is just across the border, with a surprising number of places within easy driving distance, which expats do all the time. In an experiment to see how realistic this was, we drove from the U.S. all over Mexico and wrote about it on our road trip.)

More Frequent, Memorable Visits

Kelley German, formerly from Canada, has worked with hundreds of expats who moved to Belize. "Many expat grandparents tell me that, when they lived in the U.S. or Canada, it was a struggle to get their grandkids to visit, but now that "grandma and grandpa live in Belize," having them visit is no longer a problem."

German reported about one expat who told her, "We could either essentially force the grandkids to visit us in Akron, Ohio, for two weeks, during most of which we would spend our time trying to pry them off their smartphones, or we could offer a Christmas trip featuring some of the clearest turquoise water on the planet, the second largest barrier reef in the world, cave tubing, and waterfalls. The second one is an easier sell."

German's clients and friends also pointed out that, when their family visited them in Belize, the memories they created together were more meaningful because they experienced new things as a family. She said that these are memories to last a lifetime.

Social Life Abroad Is Better Than Expected

By moving abroad, if you developed stronger overall social connections than in your home country, it would be easier to manage missing kids and grandkids. From what we're told, that's exactly what happens to a significant percentage of expats.

Countless times, we have been told about how welcoming the expat country is, especially to retired expats. In turn, retired expats volunteer more, have more friends and are generally more socially engaged and active abroad than they were in their home country. Several expats have theorized that this is one of the main reasons why they felt healthier abroad.

In the same study cited above, when expats who had already moved were asked, "Now that you know the situation moving abroad, which of these are true?" less than 10% reported that they missed their friends and family too much. That was more than 60% less than how much they had expected to miss them.

You Can Still Visit and for Less Money

Lourdes Townshend has been an expat and separated from her kids and grandkids for long stretches of her adult life. "First, we let all of them know that, no matter where we were, our heart was always with them," said Townshend. "Then, if you can, visit your family often, and have them visit you, too."

One of the advantages for many expats moving abroad is a substantially lower cost of living, which makes travel to visit relatives and for relatives more affordable. One expat reported how happy she was at so easily being able to send a plane ticket to her grandkids.

"Imagine your grandkids' excitement (or for that matter, their parents') at seeing their plane ticket to an exotic destination, for example, where they can 'surf' volcanoes in Nicaragua or snorkel with whales in Panama," said Townshend. "It's just another way you can be a hero!"

There's Always Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook, Viper

Expats emphasized how they took advantage of recent technological advances in telecommunication technology, along with its much lower cost. With an Internet connection, Skype-to-Skype calls are free anywhere worldwide, as are calls on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Viber.

Jensen told us, "This morning I laughed and talked with my grandson (age seven) and granddaughter (age four). Their mother and father continued with the morning regime, making breakfast. I love Skype. It keeps them alive and us in love with my grandkids' smiling faces."

Townshend told us, "We use all the technology available, such as Skype, dual country phone lines, and international text and other communication lines, especially the ones we could use to talk face-to-face, which is more personal and where we could see their faces and comfort them if needed. We also use e-mail with attachments, lots of pictures, regular mail, Facebook, and everything else we're able to, to send and receive their love."

Jensen related, "With social media, we can see videos, photos and talk on Skype with them. We hear and see them, feel their excitement or share their suffering if they are sick. Communicating this way is still loving, and they throw kisses when we end a call. For us the physical distance means nothing when it comes to love for our families."

This article is commentary by an independent contributor.
While American investors were enjoying a calm Christmas weekend, economic troubles have been brewing on the other side of the world.

The Chinese government had set a economic growth target of 6.5% for five years through 2020. However, thanks to concerns about increasing debt levels and an uncertain geopolitical landscape following Donald Trump's surprise election win, President Xi Jinping recently stated that he would be "open" to a slower rate of growth.

This isn't good news for financial companies with heavy exposure to the Chinese economy. Investors who are wary of risk should avoid one company in particular, although it currently looks tempting.

Wins Finance Holdings (WINS) is a New York-based company that specializes in business loans for small- and medium-sized enterprises in China. So far this year, Wins Finance's stock has jumped by more than 1,400%.

However, investors shouldn't get too excited: If China is witnessing increasingly sluggish growth, it will become difficult to digest Wins Finance's roughly $3.7 billion valuation. The company brings in less than $21 million in annual revenues and not even $13 million in profits.

Plus, there is a forthcoming management change that could throw the company's future into disarray.

On Dec. 13, Wins Finance informed the SEC that two companies, Appelo and Wits Global, have entered into an agreement to transfer all their 13.44 million ordinary shares (67% stake) of Wins Finance to a subsidiary of Freeman FinTech.

Accordingly, co-CEO Jianming Hao will step down, and he and three others will also resign from the board. This sudden exit clearly raises several questions.

Moreover, Wins Finance's valuation is extremely expensive. It trades at nearly 15 times to its book (so far it has offered single-digit returns on equity and assets) at a time when big banks like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase trade at much lower multiples.

This can't possibly continue. There is precious little evidence that demand for Chinese business loans will increase in the near term. Rating agency Fitch has noted a weak outlook for some Asian countries. Against this backdrop, it is hard to imagine that Wins Finance's business will not be vulnerable.

Wins Finance, despite the gain in share price in 2016, is a stock that investors with any risk aversion should avoid.

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A blistering financial storm is about to hit our shores. When it hits, weak companies and their investors will be washed away. You need to put yourself on solid ground. And that doesn't just mean changing your investment allocations or loading up on cash. I'll show you how to protect yourself and prosper when you click here.

The author is an independent contributor who at the time of publication owned none of the stocks mentioned.
By PTI: Jammu, Dec 28 (PTI) S P Vaid was today appointed as the new Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police in place of K Rajendra Kumar, whose extended tenure comes to an end on December 31.

57-year-old Vaid, at present Special Director General (Law and Order), will be in office till October 2019.

Vaid, who played a major role in controlling the unrest in the Kashmir Valley following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, was a frontrunner for the post. (MORE) PTI SKL SK

--- ENDS ---

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The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it has largely accepted the antitrust remedy that was proposed by Abbott Laboratories (ABT) in October in order to clear the company's planned $25 billion acquisition of St. Jude Medical (STJ) .

Abbott Laboratories will divest two medical device businesses -- St. Jude's vascular closure device business and Abbott's steerable sheath business -- to Tokyo-based medical device maker Terumo, in a sale Abbott has valued at $1.2 billion.

In a legal complaint filed simultaneously with the proposed settlement, the FTC alleged that without the divestitures and some other conditions, the acquisition of St. Jude would harm competition in the U.S. market for vascular devices used to close holes in arteries caused by the insertion of catheters as well as the market for "steerable" sheaths used to guide catheters for treating heart arrhythmias.

Absent the divestiture, the commission argued the combination of Abbott and St. Jude would lead to one company controlling more than 70% of the market for vascular closure devices. As for steerable sheaths, St. Jude has held a near-monopoly in that market for more than a decade, the FTC said. Abbott recently entered the market and is the only significant competitor.

Terumo does not currently sell any vascular closure devices or steerable sheaths but, according to the FTC, because of its 30-year presence in the medical device market, "possesses the industry experience and reputation necessary to replace competition."

The FTC is also requiring the merging companies to help Terumo establish its manufacturing capabilities for the divested product lines.

In addition, Abbott is required to notify the FTC if it intends to acquire lesion-assessing ablation catheter assets from Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, a startup company developing a catheter-based system for treating irregular heartbeats. Lesion-assessing ablation catheters provide feedback to physicians regarding the force being applied by the catheter or the temperature of the ablation target.

Currently, only St. Jude and one other company provide lesion-assessing ablation catheters in the United States. Abbott and Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, known as ACT, have a partnership to develop these catheters.

The FTC said it is concerned that post merger, an Abbott acquisition of lesion-assessing ablation

catheter assets from ACT would eliminate the competition that currently results from an independent ACT, notwithstanding its partnership with Abbott.

The FTC said it was assisted in its antitrust review by competition agencies in Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Israel, Korea and South Africa.

Public comment on the proposed remedies will be accepted through January 26, after which the commission's three sitting members will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final.

European competition regulators approved the St. Jude aquisition in November conditioned along the same lines as the FTC's proposed approval.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, was the most state-of-the-art free trade agreement to date. It was supposed to be the centerpiece of the next stage of globalization. Instead, it's U.S. electoral roadkill, run over by the rumbling truck of the U.S. presidency-in-waiting of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is bad news for global trade, especially in Asia. But while the U.S. is looking like it's going to pull away, China is taking a greater leadership role in regional economic integration.

Chinese president Xi Jinping recently said that "China will not shut the door to the outside world but will open it even wider." According to a senior adviser on Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, this suggests that China is "stepping into the vacuum that is likely to be there in a Trump administration" with regard to trade negotiations.

And there are a number of free trade deals on the Asia-Pacific horizon. This part of the world isn't turning its back on globalization.

TPP negotiations started in 2006, when Singapore, Brunei, Chile and New Zealand signed the trade agreement. Back then, it was known as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership. It wasn't until the U.S., along with Australia and Peru, joined two years later that the agreement officially became known as the TPP. By February of this year, 12 countries had signed the trade agreement.

The TPP was intended to further integrate participating economies. The trade agreement was designed to reduce tariffs, foster trade and support economic growth. It also included regulations on intellectual property rights, state-owned enterprises, competition and the environment.

The TPP countries rest on both sides of the Pacific Ocean with a collective population of about 800 million. Its 12 members account for approximately 40% of world GDP and 25% of global exports. By 2030, the agreement would have raised GDP by an average of 1.1% in each country, estimates the World Bank.

But Trump has vowed to ditch the TPP. Throughout his campaign to become the American president, he repeatedly tore into the deal. On the campaign trail, he said, "the TPP is a horrible deal... It's a deal that was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone." (And he may be right, as we wrote here).

On Nov. 8, Donald Trump was elected as the next American president. Shortly thereafter, Trump announced that withdrawing from the TPP was one of his first priorities as president. Without American participation, the TPP is basically dead.

(You can read more about how a Trump presidency will affect Asia's economy in our special report available here.)

With the TPP over, here are three trade deals that could replace it.

1. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

With the future of the TPP in doubt, China has been pushing a rival Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and an even broader Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.

RCEP negotiations started in November 2012. The deal intends to sync and streamline existing trade deals between the Association of South East Asian Nations and its free trade partners. ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam. The bloc's free trade partners are India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

A second round of RCEP negotiations took place in Jakarta, Indonesia earlier this month.

If the RCEP happens, it will be a big deal, in all senses of the word. On its own, ASEAN is the world's sixth-biggest economy. It also has favorable demographics that could guarantee strong economic growth for years to come. Together, RCEP countries share more than one-fourth of global trade and one-fourth of global GDP. And most notably, RCEP includes enormous countries, such as China, India and Indonesia. Meaning that this single trade deal will encompass half of the world's population.

But, the RCEP will not include the U.S.

American officials have warned for months that the failure of the TPP would open the door to China to promote its own trade agreements. "We are seeing that play out in real time," Mike Froman, the U.S. trade representative, recently said, "We are the only ones who are going to be left on the sidelines as others move forward if [TPP] doesn't happen."

In theory, the U.S. could join the RCEP. But this looks unlikely because RCEP standards for trade, labor practices and the environment aren't up to American expectations of a trade deal.

These standards were present in the TPP and some argue that's why the TPP was such a complex trade deal.

But the trade agreement's complexity is what made it so innovative.

If the RCEP and the TPP were centuries, we would call the former trade agreement the "20th" and the latter the "21st." This means that the RCEP fulfills all the old expectations of a free trade agreement. The RCEP would eliminate, or reduce, tariffs on thousands of goods and services and cover investment rules, economic cooperation and intellectual property rights.

But it falls short of the TPP's distinctly modern traits. Unlike the TPP, the RCEP would brush over key issues including state-owned enterprises, the environment and the digital economy.

Of the three trade deals we'll discuss here, RCEP looks the closest to being ratified.

2. Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific

The U.S. proposed the FTAAP in 2006. This trade deal links the 21 APEC economies. China has been a strong proponent of this agreement. It championed the FTAAP at an APEC summit in 2014 (likely in response to the ongoing TPP negotiations, which excluded China).

APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a regional economic forum that promotes free trade between Asia-Pacific countries. This economic forum includes major players in the region such as Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. Among all 21 APEC members, there is a host of different bilateral (involving only two countries) and multilateral (involving more than two countries) trade agreements. Through FTAAP, participating countries hope to harmonize this "spaghetti bowl" or "noodle bowl" of agreements.

FTAAP would be the trade deal to end all trade deals. With U.S. and Chinese participation, the FTAAP would include the two biggest economies in the world. It would incorporate the world's "factory" in China and Southeast Asia. And it would include the world's largest consumer economy. Not to mention that FTAAP countries collectively possess a huge base of natural resources.

Compared to the TPP, the FTAAP is its bigger, stronger brother. But with Trump and his supporters eschewing TPP, U.S. participation seems unlikely. The FTAAP appears to be a long shot ... at least for some years to come.

3. Last-Ditch Option: Bilateral Agreements ... or Something Else?

All of Trump's anti-free trade huffing and puffing may just be hot air. We can safely assume that he will cancel the TPP, but that doesn't mean he won't try to negotiate another deal in its place. Trump may also initiate bilateral trade deals with Asian countries.

To "Make America Great Again," Trump will try to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. He will need to work hard to incentivize American companies that manufacture abroad at a lower cost to return home. If this happens, prices will rise. Low energy prices from Trump's policies may offset some of the costs. But the American consumer, who has benefited from the globalization of production, will be the biggest loser in this scenario.

Free trade won't end simply because America is throwing a protectionist fit. Trump will likely try to negotiate a new trade deal, or a series of trade deals, with Asian countries. He may even strike a deal with China.

As the world holds its breath, much of Asia stands to lose from Trump's possible policies. We wrote about this in a free report that's available here.

---

Kim Iskyan is the founder of Truewealth Publishing, an independent investment research company based in Singapore. Click here to sign up to receive the Truewealth Asian Investment Daily in your inbox every day, for free.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Qualcomm (QCOM) vowed on Wednesday to appeal a massive $865 million fine imposed by the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

The KFTC found earlier Wednesday that Qualcomm failed to license its cellphone chipsets patents that have been incorporated into global industry standards on fair and reasonable terms.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial.

Qualcomm "coerced the execution and performance of unfair license agreements by using its chipset supply as leverage, while circumventing" its fair and reasonable licensing obligations, the commission said.

The company responded with an angry pledge to fight both the commission's conclusion that Qualcomm had violated Korean regulations and the size of the agency's fine. "This is an unprecedented and insupportable decision relating to licensing practices that have been in existence in Korea and worldwide for decades and that the KFTC reviewed but did not question in a previous investigation of Qualcomm," the company said in its prepared statement.

Through midday trading Qualcomm shares had dropped 1% to $66.30.

The commission's decision undermines incentives to invest in fundamental technology and share it with competitors and the fine "is insupportable and not reasonably related to the size of the Korean market," Qualcomm said.

Korea-based Samsung (SSNLF) like all handset makers, depends on Qualcomm patents and is locked in a bitter battle with Apple (AAPL) for the top spot in the global market for smartphones.

The brewing litigation between South Korean officials and Qualcomm is the latest in a long-running series of legal conflicts globally over patent holders' rights to set royalty fees and their obligations to charge fair and reasonable terms when their patents are included in industry standards, such those required to ensure that cellphones manufactured by different companies are interoperable.

The question of how to determine whether patent owners' royalty demands are fair and reasonable has been an issue when large patent portfolios have been sold. In the U.S. the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice have struggled with the dilemma when conducting antitrust reviews of patent portfolio sales and in trying to establish general antitrust policies for so-called "standard essential patents," or SEPs, that are part of industry-wide technology standards.

Only last week Apple filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against patent patent assertion entities Acacia Research (ACTG) and Conversant Intellectual Property Management, accusing them of colluding with Nokia (NOK) "to extract and extort exorbitant revenues" from Apple and other cellphone makers in violation of SEP obligations.

SEPs are typically established by companies that belong to industry organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Standards Association, the International Telecommunications Union and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to ensure interoperability among competing manufacturers' products. In return for having their patents included in an industry standard, SEP owners pledge to license the patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory, or FRAND, terms.

Among the violations alleged against Qualcomm, the KFTC found the company has refused competitors' requests to license or has imposed restrictions on SEP licenses, linked chipset supply with patent license agreements, provided handset companies with only comprehensive portfolio licenses, had no procedure for calculating fair compensation and, finally, demanded that handset companies license their patents for free.

The commission stressed that its case against Qualcomm is noteworthy because it claims to be the first regulatory body to sanction the company for its "unfair business model," which the commission said was designed to "strengthen its monopolistic power" in the patent license and chipset markets.

The KFTC's findings were announced in a 27-page statement but the full legal opinion won't be available for another four to six months, according to Qualcomm. South Korean rules require Qualcomm to pay the fine within 60 days of the issuance of the written order.

Once the KFTC's full written order is published, Qualcomm said it will file for an immediate stay of the fine and appeal the KFTC's decision to the Seoul High Court. The company said it will also appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.

Qualcomm said the commission's decision "reflects a flawed process and represents a violation of due process rights owed American companies under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement."

Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm general counsel said the company "strongly believes that the KFTC findings are inconsistent with the facts, disregard the economic realities of the marketplace, and misapply fundamental tenets of competition law."

In its statement Qualcomm said the shortcomings of the South Korean ruling include the lack of a coherent theory of competition law violations, no evidence of harm to what is "robust" competition among chip and handset suppliers, denial of Qualcomm's right to have complete access to evidence and the right to cross examination, and disruption of established licensing practices that have been accepted by the wireless industry and used by Korean companies and government institutions and other major patent holders for decades.
VeriFone Systems, Inc. provides payments and commerce solutions at the point of sale (POS) worldwide. It offers countertop solutions that accept payment options, including contactless, NFC, mobile wallets, and EMV; PIN pads that support credit and debit card, EBT, EMV, and other PIN-based transactions; and multilane consumer facing commerce devices. It also provides portable payment devices, including small, portable, and handheld devices that enable merchants to accept electronic payments wherever wireless connectivity is available; and mobile solutions that attach to and interface with iOS or Android based smartphones and tablets. In addition, it offers integrated electronic payment systems that combine electronic payment processing, fuel dispensing, and ECR functions, as well as secure payment systems for integration with petroleum pump controllers; unattended and self-service payment solutions designed to enable payment transactions in self-service, high-transaction volume, and public transportation environments; and network access solutions. Further, it provides installation, deployment, training, and application development and delivery solutions; project management, client education program, and consulting services; helpdesk support, equipment repair and maintenance, and software post-contract support services; and application libraries and development tools. Additionally, it offers omnichannel commerce, terminal management, and security solutions; and cloud-based managed, transaction payment, and other value added services. It sells its products directly; and through third party and channel partners. It serves financial institutions, payment processors, government organizations, and retailers; petroleum, transportation, and healthcare companies; and quick service restaurants. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc. in May 2010. VeriFone Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.
KAR Auction Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides used vehicle auctions and related vehicle remarketing services for the automotive industry in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The company operates through two segments, ADESA Auctions and AFC. The ADESA Auctions segment offers whole car auctions and related services to the vehicle remarketing industry through online auctions and auction facilities. It also provides value-added services, such as auction related, transportation, reconditioning, inspection, title and repossession administration and remarketing, vehicle research, and analytical services, as well as data as a service. This segment sells its products and services through vehicle manufacturers, fleet companies, rental car companies, finance companies, and others. As of December 31, 2021, this segment had a network of approximately 70 vehicle logistics center locations in North America. The AFC segment offers floorplan financing, a short-term inventory-secured financing to independent used vehicle dealers; and sells vehicle service contracts. The company provides wheel repair and hail catastrophe response services. It serves vehicle manufacturers, vehicle rental companies, financial institutions, commercial fleets and fleet management companies, and dealer customers. The company was formerly known as KAR Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to KAR Auction Services, Inc. in November 2009. KAR Auction Services, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.
Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas. The Chemicals segment produces and markets ethylene and other olefin products; aromatics and styrenics products, such as benzene, cyclohexane, styrene, and polystyrene; and various specialty chemical products, including organosulfur chemicals, solvents, catalysts, and chemicals used in drilling and mining. The Refining segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products, such as gasolines, distillates, aviation, and renewable fuels at 12 refineries in the United States and Europe. The M&S segment purchases for resale and markets refined petroleum products, including gasolines, distillates, and aviation fuels primarily in the United States and Europe. This segment also manufactures and markets specialty products, such as base oils and lubricants. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Several persons were injured in a clash between AIADMK workers and supporters of Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa outside the ruling party's office in Chennai.

By Pramod Madhav: Clashes broke out between AIADMK workers and supporters of Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa outside the ruling party's office in Chennai.

Sasikala Pushpa has expressed her wish to contest for the party's general secretary post. Sasikala Pushpa was expelled from the AIADMK sometime back but she did not resign from the upper house.

Although Sasikala was expected to come in person but instead her supporters entered the premises to file the nomination papers.

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Sasikala's husband Lingeshwaran and her lawyer were badly injured and were taken to a nearby hospital for first aid.

Pasumpon Thangamani, a AIADMK cadres who was present during the incident was furious on why should Sasikala Pushpa's party should come to the HQ when she was expelled from the party.

"She did it deliberately. She wants to cause problems that is why they came," he said furiously.

Thangamani also stated that VK Sasikala will be chosen as the party's next General Secretary and no force can stop that.

A good number of policemen were deployed outside the AIADMK office in the morning, anticipating the arrival of Pushpa to get the form to contest for the top party post.

However, her supporters and lawyers turned up at the party office shouting slogans and angering the party cadres which in turn resulted in a clash.

Police escorted one person with a bloodied face.

The general council meeting of AIADMK is slated to be held on Thursday where the party's new General Secretary shall be announced. The only name contesting, for now, officially is VK Sasikala while unofficial claims state that State Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's name is also on the table.

Pushpa had announced that she would contest for the party's top post of General Secretary which fell vacant following the death of former Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa.

Several party officials had pleaded with Jayalalithaa's close aide VK Sasikala to take over as the party's General Secretary which was opposed by Pushpa.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Also Read:

Sasikala to succeed Jayalalithaa as AIADMK General Secretary

Chennai based NGO alleges Sasikala, family involved in land grabbing atrocities

Chinnamma for AIADMK: MLAs call for Sasikala to save the party

Jayalalithaa's roller-coaster relationship with two Sasikalas

Sasikala never allowed Jayalalithaa to be close to her family, says Amma's niece Amruttha

--- ENDS ---
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Public Storage is a REIT focused on acquiring, developing, owning, and operating self-storage facilities in the US and Europe. The company is a member of the S&P 500 and the FT Global 500 and is the worlds 4th largest REIT by market cap. Along with its holdings of self-storage facilities, the company owns a 42% stake in business park company PS Business Parks and is also in business selling packing and storage supplies. The company is headquartered in Glendale California.

The company was founded in 1972 by B. Wayne Hughes and Kenneth Polk who used the leverage of investments from RELPs to grow the business. The original plan was to use the storage warehouses as a means of generating income until the properties were more valuable. The surprise is that demand for storage space was high and led to unexpected profitability.

The company has more than 1,000 locations by 1989 and then, in 1995, it transformed itself into a publicly traded REIT. The transformation was spurred by tax changes that made RELPs obsolete. The transformation was done via a merger with Storage Equities which gave up its name in favor of Public Storage. The company grew again with the acquisition of Shurgard in 2006 but it has since been spun off as its own publicly traded company. Public Storage retains 36% ownership in Shurgard.

As of September 2022, the company owned and operated 2,807 self-storage facilities in 39 states. The total area of rental space exceeded 2 million square feet serving nearly 2 million customers and generating close to $3.5 billion in annual revenues. Shurgard lays claim to another 239 facilities in the EU which amounts to another 13 minion square feet of storage space. PS Business Parks, Inc, which trades under the ticker (NYSE: PSB) owns and operates 28 million square feet of commercial space.

Advantages of Public Storage include scale, leverage, and the balance sheet. The companys size and scale mean that more than half the US population lives within driving distance of a Public Storage facility. The company gives leverage through its three-pronged acquisition, development, and redevelopment strategy which are all supported by the balance sheet. The companys balance sheet is set up for growth and is able to self-fund most new projects.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) The Supreme Court has turned down the remission plea of a man, who has been in jail for 25 years serving life sentence for killing a married couple, saying it would not take a view on the matter as it was a power which could be exercised by the State.

The apex court upheld the verdict of Calcutta High Court, which had affirmed the conviction and sentence of contract killer Khokan Giri, while relying on a confessional statement of another accused in a 1991 murder case.

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"The counsel for the appellant submits that he has already suffered incarceration for more than 25 years and, therefore, there should be remission in his further sentence.

"This is a power which can be exercised by the State. It would always be open to appellant (Giri) to make a necessary representation in this behalf before the competent authority which can be considered by it. We make it clear that as far as this court is concerned, no view is taken thereupon either way," a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said while dismissing the appeal of Giri.

The High Court had affirmed the conviction and sentence awarded to Giri and three others in the case in which a woman had hired him to murder her husbands paramour in December 1991.

As per the FIR, J K Khetwat was allegedly involved in an extra-marital relationship with a woman, who along with her husband was murdered by Giri, who was hired by Khetwats wife for a promised fee of Rs 1 lakh.

Giri was convicted in 1999 by a trial court after his accomplice Raju, who turned approver, revealed the details of the murder in his confessional statement. Giri was awarded life sentence, while the others got varying jail terms.

In 2006, the Calcutta HC had upheld the trial courts decision convicting him under sections 302 (murder), 392 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

The convict filed an appeal in the apex court in 2007 contending that the High Court went wrong in giving undue importance to the testimony of Raju and basing the conviction of the appellant in the absence of independent corroborative evidence in material particulars. PTI AG SJK RKS ARC

--- ENDS ---
No Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO issues Colonel Andriy Lysenko stated this at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As a result of combat actions, no Ukrainian soldier were killed or wounded over the last day, he said.

iy
Sorry, folks. Forever stamps were not the superhero of investments that I thought they were. (USPS)

There are lots of ways to mark the end of the year. My way is to reread my years work, deal with mistakes that I havent already corrected, and update you on some of the things Ive discussed.

My most obvious 2016 mistake didnt involve politics or Donald Trump, topics on which I spent a disproportionate amount of time this year.

My mistake involved . . . postage stamps. I had written, year after year, that Forever stamps were the only thing you could buy that would never sell for less than you paid for them. It was a topic I could discuss in a lighthearted, pun-filled way.

Oops. Because of political paralysis in our nations capital, the Postal Service had to cut the price of Forevers to 47 cents from 49 cents. That rate reduction is such a bad idea for such a financially challenged enterprise that I had assumed even in Washington, no one would let it happen. I was wrong.

Moving along: My most foolish mistake was falling so deeply in love with an iconoclastic idea that I failed to check it out properly  and it turned out to be wrong.

Heres the deal. Conventional wisdom is that the high-profile law adopted during the Bill Clinton administration to limit tax deductibility of certain kinds of executive pay has been essentially useless. So I took great delight in parsing complex data that seemed to prove that the law had, in fact, been useful.

Another oops. Thanks to an astute reader, I realized that I had misinterpreted the data, which I didnt check rigorously enough because I loved my original conclusion so much. So I wrote a second article, in which I said that the first article had been wrong. The moral: Just because something is iconoclastic doesnt mean its true.

Now a follow-up. In September, I wrote about the bizarre situation in which Charles Biderman, founder of TrimTabs, was ousted by AdvisorShares as manager of the TrimTabs Float Shrink ETF (now Wilshire Buyback ETF) and was starting a rival ETF called  what else?  TrimTabs Float Shrink.

I said Id track the results of the ETFs, so here they are. From the Sept. 27 launch of Bidermans fund through Friday, Wilshire had a total return of 11.2 percent, TrimTabs was 9.4 percent. Both substantially outperformed the S&P 500s 5.4 percent.

One thing I did get right, after years of being wrong, was that long-term Treasury bonds finally turned into a terrible investment. Another thing I got right was that it was time to start paying attention to yields on money market mutual funds. Spreads among different funds have widened since the Feds recent increase in short-term rates, and I think they will continue to widen.

Now to Trump. Im a business columnist, not a political pundit, and I generally try not to get caught up in political topics. But because of my experience in dealing with Trump during the 1980s and 1990s  and because my specialty is translating financial gobbledygook into a language approaching English  I devoted a lot of time this year dealing with politics. As they say on Wall Street: When the ducks quack, feed them.

I know that Ive upset some people by being very critical of Trump, the only person Ive dealt with in my almost 50 years of writing about business who proudly told me he had lied to me. Yechhh.

He presided over six Chapter 11 bankruptcies, which is why I call him Donald 66 Trump rather than Donald J. Trump; and he stiffed plenty of other creditors, as well.

He somehow managed to get big tax benefits on some of his failed enterprises by avoiding cancellation of debt income that would have offset most of the losses that he took on his failed enterprises. That seems to have helped him pay little or nothing in federal income tax for years.

I wrote that Trump had accomplished this  as if stiffing the country that allowed your grandparents to come here seeking a better life is an accomplishment  because of something called the Gitlitz decision. But according to Steven Rosenthal of the Tax Policy Center, an astute tax lawyer whos reviewed documents that I didnt realize existed, its because Trump managed to trade essentially worthless stakes in some of his businesses to creditors in return for canceling debts. I think Rosenthal is right, and I was wrong. If we ever see Trumps tax returns, well know for sure. I think.

My plan for next year is to spend time  but not an excessive amount  dealing with the substance of what Donald 66 and his billionaire buddies and fellow travelers are actually doing with their new power, not with what they say theyre doing.

And on that note: Whether you agree with me or not about Trump, I wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017.
TECHNOLOGY

Qualcomm will fight South Korean fine

South Koreas antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what the regulator called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the U.S. chipmaker said it will challenge in court.

The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomms most profitable business, licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing head winds from a cooling smartphone market. Qualcomm shares fell 1.7 percent on the Nasdaq.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled Wednesday that Qualcomm had abused its dominant market position and forced handset-makers to pay royalties for an unnecessarily broad set of patents as part of sales of its modem chips.

Qualcomm also restricted competition by refusing or limiting licensing of its standard essential patents related to modem chips to rival chipmakers such as Intel, Samsung Electronics and MediaTek, the regulator said. Those practices hindered the rival companies sales and left their products vulnerable to lawsuits, the regulator said.

The regulator ordered Qualcomm to negotiate in good faith with rival chipmakers on patent licensing and to renegotiate chip supply agreements with handset-makers if requested  measures that would, if upheld, affect the U.S. firms dealings with major tech companies including Apple, Intel, Samsung and Huawei Technologies.

Shoppers negotiate with a vendor to buy seafood in preparation for the year's end and the New Year on Ameya-Yokocho (Ameyoko) street in Tokyo. (Kimimasa Mayama/EPA)

The KFTC said it began its investigations into Qualcomms practices in 2014 after complaints from industry participants but did not name specific companies.

Qualcomm said it will seek an immediate stay of the corrective order and appeal the decision to the Seoul High Court. The firm also will appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it.

Qualcomm strongly disagrees with the KFTCs announced decision, it said in a statement.

 Reuters

ECONOMY

Pending home sales drop in November

Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in November. The decrease probably reflects rising mortgage rates and the shallow inventory of properties on the market.

The National Association of Realtors says its seasonally adjusted index of pending home sales fell 2.5 percent to 107.3, its lowest reading since the start of 2016. Pending sales declined in the Midwest, South and West, while improving in the Northeast.

Mortgage rates began to rise after Donald Trumps presidential win in November, making it more expensive to purchase a home. Average 30-year fixed-rate mortgages were 4.3 percent last week, up from a 52-week low of 3.4 percent.

 Associated Press

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SECOND-CHANCE CITY | This is part of a continuing series that examines issues related to repeat violent offenders in the District of Columbia. Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V



The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency building in Washington. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

Over two years, 23-year-old Steven Pugh violated almost every condition of his court-ordered probation for carrying a gun in the nations capital: He tested positive for PCP, was charged with assault for allegedly dragging his girlfriend across a floor and pleaded guilty to committing a robbery in Maryland. For months, he had disappeared entirely from his probation officers radar screen.

Still, Pughs probation was not revoked, sparing him from a year in jail. In August 2015, Pugh was still failing to show up for drug tests and other appointments, but his probation officer did not press for him to be locked up. The next month, a father of three in Southeast was shot and killed. Pugh was arrested fleeing the scene and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

A version of Pughs case plays out frequently in the District. About 150 times a year, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency loses track of offenders it classifies as high-risk, the agency acknowledges. Several hundred additional offenders classified as lower-risk also go missing, and scores of them turn up as suspects in new crimes, according to court records.

But the problem does not stop there.

Steven Pugh (Prince George's State's Attorney's Office)

Unlike supervisory agencies in many states, CSOSA does not notify law enforcement or the public in the District about missing offenders, even when it believes an offender has the potential to create a new victim, as the agency wrote in court records about Pugh. Doing so, it says, would violate federal privacy laws protecting those it calls its clients  the absconders.

The District is the only jurisdiction in the country where Congress has made supervision of local criminals a federal responsibility. A Washington Post investigation has found that federal control has created layers of bureaucracy that make it difficult to quickly put those who violate the terms of their release back behind bars or to effectively monitor the most dangerous offenders released back into the community.

A review of hundreds of court cases and federal documents, as well as interviews with prosecutors, police, defense attorneys and criminal justice experts, shows that the Districts uniquely constructed criminal justice system often breaks down at the vulnerable point when offenders are leaving jail or prison and returning to the streets.

CSOSA (see-so-sa) does not automatically share details about its offenders absences with D.C. police, as many similar state or local agencies do with police in their jurisdictions, criminal justice experts say. And when offenders are caught in a serious violation, the agency has to petition the courts and the U.S. Parole Commission to revoke probation or parole, or to have a warrant issued for their arrest. Then, CSOSA must usually rely on a third federal agency, the U.S. Marshals Service, to get the offender back to the D.C. jail or prison.

Its set up to fail

About once a week, a D.C. offender under federal supervision ends up as either a victim or a suspect in a homicide investigation. Last year, nearly one out of four people charged with a killing in the District was under CSOSA supervision, while one out of five victims also was in its care, according to agency and police data.

Offenders under CSOSAs supervision were charged with nearly 1,500 crimes of violence in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, according to documents submitted to Congress. In all of 2016, 836 individuals have been convicted of crimes, and that represents about 5 percent of the total under supervision, the agency said.

[Second-chance law puts violent offenders back on D.C. streets]

Its set up to fail people, said Philip J. Fornaci, past director of the D.C. Prisoners Project, who now works to find jobs for returning inmates as head of the Employment Justice Center. If it was actually a system that was geared toward rehabilitation, it wouldnt be set up like this, and if public safety were a real concern, it wouldnt be set up like this.

Nancy M. Ware, director of CSOSA since 2012, said the agency first tries to give offenders every chance to succeed before it labels someone an absconder, potentially sending an offender back to jail or prison.

Sometimes a person is in a loss of contact for several days because they have a death in their family, they have some issue with children. There are all kinds of reasons that we lose contact, she said. With our population, we want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Ware said CSOSA has made strides in coordinating with D.C. police and other law enforcement agencies, including joint home visits to high-risk offenders. She also stressed that the number of CSOSA clients linked to violent crimes in the District is a small fraction of the roughly 17,000 offenders who cycle through supervision in a given year.



Nancy M. Ware, right, director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, during a panel on criminal justice last month in Washington. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Ware said that the agency conducts a fatality review of every killer or victim who was under CSOSA supervision but has not been able to discern a pattern to prevent future violence. She suggested that those who do return to violent crime  especially those who kill  are often beyond the help of any government agency.

They go into a liquor store or get into an argument with somebody and, you know, take that person out, she said. Or they are in a crap game and get mad at each other, so they have an incident where it escalates to the point of violence.

In some cases, its people who have had a history with that person and it goes way, way back, Ware said. Their pasts may have caught up with them.

CSOSA did not respond to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Post seeking detailed data on recidivism.

The federal office has almost 900 employees and an annual budget of $182 million.

CSOSA was born almost two decades ago out of a dark moment in the Districts history, when the city under then-Mayor Marion Barry was tumbling toward bankruptcy. As a condition of a federal bailout, Congress took control of most of the Districts criminal justice system.

They dont connect the dots

Because it is a federal agency, CSOSA does not have to report to the Districts mayor or the D.C. Council. It also does not have to answer to the Justice Department. Its director is appointed by the president to a six-year term, and Congress, which has oversight, has not called a hearing on the agency in almost four years.

CSOSAs unique position constrains its ability to help or monitor offenders. It lacks the resources of a state or local social services agency, such as the ability to provide short-term housing placements or care in long-term mental-health facilities for those too unstable to remain in the community. A new report from the nonprofit Council for Court Excellence said that almost half of all offenders returning to D.C. from federal prisons have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.





After 90 days under supervision of CSOSA, the report said, more than seven in 10 offenders capable of working had no job and nearly a third of those had no stable housing.

Fixing these problems is hard. It took years of lobbying, an act of Congress and the signature of President Obama this year to add two words  and incentives  in the agencys federal charter. That insertion gives CSOSA the latitude to offer offenders not only punishments but also rewards for good behavior. The most-discussed incentive was $1.75 in D.C. bus fare to travel to job interviews.

Its a stark contrast with rapid policy changes underway in states across the political spectrum, from Kansas to North Carolina, where in recent years officials have instituted programs that provide incentives but also, when offenders slip up, almost immediate overnight stays in jail.

In the District, court records show, it can take nearly two months for CSOSA officials to get a warrant approved and served.

Nardyne Jefferies, mother of Brishell Jones. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Its really easy to see the next homicide coming, but they dont connect the dots, said Nardyne Jefferies, who has been advocating for policy changes in the District since 2010, when her 16-year-old daughter, Brishell, was among four people killed in a drive-by shooting carried out by several repeat offenders, including two under CSOSA supervision.

Those who monitor these criminals have to do their jobs and be more proactive, because there is a lot of damage and destruction to families they are leaving behind out here, Jefferies said. Its not like were flushing goldfish down the toilet  these were human beings. We had fed them and loved them.

Not a deterrent

In court documents, the limited effectiveness of the agency is perhaps best reflected in one of the few punishments that it can order: electronic monitoring. Each year, the agency affixes ankle bracelets equipped with Global Positioning System transmitters onto roughly 1,700 repeat, violent or sexual offenders.

Agency documents say the goals of the program are to allow CSOSA to track offenders compliance with curfews, and set up restricted areas  around known territories for gang members, or schools and parks for sexual predators.

In recent years, court records show that offenders who tampered with the devices routinely faced little to no jail time, even after disabling them again and again. In 2012, a convicted robber cut off his GPS bracelet and later challenged his conviction for doing so. He argued that it wasnt a crime because a civilian agency, and not a judge or parole commissioner, had ordered it. The D.C. Court of Appeals sided with the offender, Jeffrey Hunt.

Early this year, CSOSA successfully sought a warrant for 23-year-old Deandre Providence, saying he had repeatedly tampered with his GPS device, including failing to charge it. CSOSA was unable to locate him more than 10 times between December 2015 and February this year, court records show.

Providence, who was on supervised release stemming from a gun charge from 2013, was charged with tampering with a detection device. Prosecutors in March offered him a plea bargain, which he accepted: one night in jail.

Providence has since been arrested on charges of selling synthetic drugs and has been released pending trial. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

The agency did not publicly push to close the GPS loophole until September, after The Post reported that a judge allowed a violent offender, Antwon Pitt, to remain free after being found with a substance that appeared to be synthetic marijuana and a disabled GPS monitoring device. Pitt raped and beat a college professor in her Hill East home days later.

The D.C. mayor and council responded this month, with the support of CSOSA, passing emergency legislation designed to make removal of any GPS device a crime.



A man walks past the offices of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency on Indiana Avenue NW. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

But CSOSAs difficulties with electronic monitoring are not solved. It is not uncommon for offenders to commit new armed robberies, carjackings and even homicides while under GPS surveillance, according to a review of more than 200 Superior Court case files. The agency said 72 individuals under GPS monitoring were convicted of new crimes this year, which represents about 9 percent of the total convictions for those supervised by CSOSA.

Ware, the CSOSA director, acknowledged that GPS is not a magic bullet: Its definitely not a deterrent to crime, and I think thats the misunderstanding sometimes about GPS, she said.

Dalonte Weems, now in federal prison in Cumberland, Md., is among dozens of offenders who have brazenly  and repeatedly  committed crimes while under CSOSA monitoring.

In the fall of 2013, Weems had a bracelet on when he rang a doorbell and pointed a handgun at the man who answered. Weems, then 20, was under supervision for a previous conviction in his teens, and GPS data later showed Weems leaving his apartment, walking to the victims home and then departing. Through GPS, police tracked Weems to his apartment and found a loaded 9mm handgun in a closet, court records show.

Weems could have been sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison for carrying a firearm without a license, but under the Districts Youth Rehabilitation Act, he was given 20 months with all but 10 months suspended. The law allows young adult offenders younger than 22 to receive shorter sentences for some crimes and have their records sealed from public view.

[121 offenders sentenced under D.C.s Youth Act later charged with homicide]

By April 2015, Weems had twice more been fitted with a GPS device, the last time a month before he committed three armed robberies of taxicab drivers in the Districts Brightwood and U Street neighborhoods, according to charging documents.

In the last of those robberies, in May, the driver told police that after he arrived at his passengers requested destination, near Fort Totten, he felt the barrel of a gun against the right side of his head. The driver claimed that Weems and another person took $120 from the drivers pocket as well as his ID badge, cellphone and wallet, documents show.

It is unclear from court records whether Weems was still wearing the GPS device at the time. A cellphone he had when he was arrested had been used to summon two of the taxis, according to court records.

Weems pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and is scheduled to be released from prison in 2020. Weems declined a request for an interview.

Who is your boss?

As the Districts homicide tally was rising rapidly in the summer of 2015, during Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers first year in office, the tone was growing increasingly urgent at monthly closed-door meetings of the citys local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Kevin Donahue, Bowsers deputy mayor for public safety, wanted to know whom he could talk to about getting CSOSA to share more information with police. He had attended meetings with officials in Maryland and other states where chiefs of police and corrections were cabinet members, but in the District he was not sure who was ultimately in charge of probation and parole.

Who is your boss? Donahue asked, turning to Ware, the director of CSOSA. He expected, perhaps, that she would answer with the name of an assistant attorney general or a high-ranking official in the federal prison system whom he could get on the phone or drive across town to see.

Instead, Wares answer floored Donahue. I report to the president of the United States, she said.

Ware and Donahue both confirmed the exchange. Ware told The Post: That doesnt mean I dont also report to Congress and I dont also report to the people of the District of Columbia.

Donahue said recently, I think it illustrates the complexity of the system within which we operate.

By August 2015, nearly half of the suspects that D.C. police were charging in killings were offenders under the supervision of CSOSA or were free pending trial, according to briefing documents prepared for city law enforcement leaders. Bowsers administration pushed for CSOSA to more aggressively monitor offenders who had been convicted of a violent crime.

Bowser could not change CSOSAs charter, but she could affect the conditions that D.C. inmates must agree to for release. She introduced a bill to require offenders who had been convicted of a violent felony to submit to random searches of their person and residence by CSOSA.

But the agency lobbied against a more hands-on role. Cedrick Hendricks, a top CSOSA official, testified before the D.C. Council. He read a letter from Ware that called the proposal problematic because it would authorize CSOSA officers to seize firearms or other dangerous weapons that they were not trained to handle.

The letter from Ware also warned that the searches would undermine the relationships its officers seek to build with clients, to intervene positively in their lives.

Many of CSOSAs supervised clients are plagued by limited education, unemployment, unstable housing, frayed family relationships, and, increasingly, mental health needs, she said. This proposal would undermine the successes we have realized to date.

D.C. officials testified that police could not conduct the searches if CSOSA refused to do so because officers need probable cause.

Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), chairman of the D.C. Councils Judiciary Committee, said the proposal was unworkable and killed it.

McDuffie is among CSOSAs many defenders in the city. He said CSOSAs lack of transparency can undermine public confidence, but he believes the agency gets an outsize share of the blame for the failures of a confusing and inefficient system.

They have an impossible job, McDuffie said. We need to start by doing a better job rehabilitating those who have been incarcerated before they are put back in the care of CSOSA and back into the community.

[How an inmate who threatened to rape ended up on a bus back to D.C.]

Thomas H. Williams, who used to be in charge of all 500 probation and parole officers at the agency, said that during his years there that he tried unsuccessfully to get the Federal Bureau of Prisons to more deliberately match inmates with job training programs in prison so they could return with useful skills and ease the job of CSOSA.

If a person wanted to have skills as an electrician, great, work on that while theyre inside, Williams said. But years of meetings with federal prison officials, he said, led nowhere.

We have to be careful

There are few national standards in parole and probation. Roughly 30 states have a centralized system for supervising former inmates. In the remainder, rules differ from place to place.

If there is one commonality, said Marshall Clement, director of state initiatives at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, it is that budget pressures and politics have forced every jurisdiction to search for more effective solutions.

CSOSA, however, operates in a realm unbound from such pressures, its budget requests largely fulfilled by the White Houses Office of Management and Budget and Congress. It is also insulated from the local political pressures that the Districts elected leaders face to keep crime down.

When Congress authorized the creation of CSOSA in 1997, it made the agency an independent entity under the executive branch. The agency promulgated its own rules for dealing with the offenders coming under its supervision. When CSOSA lost contact with an offender, its employees were supposed to immediately begin a search, make phone calls to the offender and send a certified letter to the offenders last known address.

The agency gave itself 21 days to complete the process  18 days to hear from the offender, and another three to file a report of the missing with a judge or the parole commission  to start the process of getting a warrant to pick someone up, according to agency policy.

Ware said officers can move more quickly than 21 days, if they determine it is warranted.

But Williams, the former head of probation and parole, said the certified letter process is an embarrassment for the agency. The time frame for getting a warrant, he said, can stretch to 51 days because it can take roughly 30 days to schedule a hearing before a judge.

The timeline is just too long, Williams said.

Before working for CSOSA, Williams led Marylands statewide parole and probation system. He said CSOSA does as well as or better than Maryland in identifying offenders who pose a risk to the community. But he said the neighboring jurisdictions could not be more different in terms of how quickly they move to get problem offenders off the street.

If I have a high-risk individual, I could write the warrant, take it to the judge and that same day it could be out for service in Maryland, he said. That culture has existed in Maryland for decades, but it does not exist in the District.

In the case of Steven Pugh, CSOSA did not file its first report to a judge about his behavior until April 2014, after 41 days of near constant probation violations. Pugh was under supervision after firing a gun outside his Southwest apartment and pleading guilty to a charge of carrying a firearm.

A month after Pugh failed drug tests and after three weeks without any contact with him, a CSOSA officer did not list him as being in loss-of-contact status but, instead, classified Pughs overall adjustment as unsatisfactory and recommended that a judge send him to CSOSAs 30-day mental health and drug assessment center. CSOSA declined to discuss Pughs case.

Before he could appear before the judge, Pugh got into an altercation with his girlfriend about him wanting her to give him money, according to a police report.

Pugh slapped the woman with an open hand around her face and head, said F--- you, b----, you work, you get money! and dragged her on the floor, cutting her elbow.

He took the womans purse and Metro card and her sons stroller and fled. Pugh was arrested that night and later released.

Two months later, in July 2014, he was picked up on a warrant for a previous robbery conviction in Maryland. Pugh pleaded guilty and served most of the next year in jail in Prince Georges County.

When he returned to the District after serving his time, he was once again put on probation, this time for assaulting his girlfriend. CSOSA recommended that his probation be revoked, but a judge ordered Pugh to undergo a mental health evaluation and drug treatment. He quickly began violating again. Pugh skipped drug tests on 6/2/2015, 6/10/2015, 6/16/2015, 7/14/2015, 7/21/2015, 8/4/2015, 9/1/2015 and 9/15/2015, according to another CSOSA violation report.

At a court hearing near the end of this period, a CSOSA officer backtracked from the recommendation to have Pughs probation revoked. The officer said that while Pugh had missed appointments and walked out of a drug-treatment program, he had attended other meetings and passed a urine test for drug use. He was left on probation.

On Sept. 19, police responded to reports of gunfire in Southeast and found Marcellus Green with a gunshot wound to the chest. Greens ex-wife told reporters that he had been talking to the couples 11-year-old son when a car drove up and people inside began shooting.

Pugh was caught after a high-speed chase and charged with first-degree murder. He admitted to being the driver and conspiring to shoot someone he had a beef with on the block where Green was killed, according to a police affidavit. Pugh agreed to a plea deal for second-degree murder. He is awaiting sentencing.

Pughs attorneys declined to comment for this article.

Court records show Pugh was among 149 of the most high-risk offenders who were out of contact at some point last year.

In Maryland and Virginia, where probation and parole officials have some law enforcement powers, the states maintain websites identifying parole or probation absconders.

But CSOSA General Counsel Sheila Stokes said her agency cannot publish or share information in the District that might be considered personal in nature about those it supervises, because CSOSA does not have law enforcement powers and must observe federal privacy laws.

They have not been convicted of an additional crime, she said, so we have to be careful how we characterize individuals in the public.

Previously in this series:

[Part I: How an accused rapist kept getting second chances in D.C. ]

[Part II: He threatened rape, but ended up on a bus back to D.C.]

[Part III: Second-chance law puts violent criminals back on D.C. streets ]

[Part IV: The crimes were terrifying, the D.C. justice system made it worse ]

[Part V: He robbed 100 times, could he have been stopped before he killed?]

Amy Brittain and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.


Long, ultra-thin strips of cracker are easy to make, fun to eat. Try Crisp Rosemary Flatbread Crackers in our Recipe Finder: washingtonpost.com/recipes. (Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)

In which I answer a leftover question from the previous weeks Free Range chat.

But not this week! I feel like letting someone else do the work  namely, our chatters, who not only ask great questions every week but also have great advice of their own. So for this last Chat Leftovers of 2016, here are leftover cool tips and ideas from chatters that we didnt have time to post during the allotted weekly hour.

Chatters, take it away:

Ive formed a group that gathers a few times a year and has a dinner party wherein everybody cooks one dish from a selected book. Its a great way to see if youd like to add a new book to your collection. You could even have the group collectively buy the book and have it as a gift for the host.

Heres an idea for tomatoes. Dry them  in a dehydrator or in the oven  then grind them in a food processor or blender for tomato powder. Its great for adding a little tomato punch to soups, casseroles and other dishes.

I make and freeze basic vegetable soup. When I thaw it, I add shrimp and Asian seasonings, or leftover chicken and salsa, or beans with whatever seasonings Im feeling like. Endless possibilities.

When baking, I weigh the ingredients for a recipe and have made my own chart of weights that I keep in the front of my recipe book. Now I have a page to refer to when I need that information. If an ingredient is not there, I weigh that and add it to my list. Its a lot easier to weigh things like shortening than to measure them.

Just a public service reminder: Dont pour turkey fat down the kitchen sink drain. Itll only clog it up.

Meatloaf surprises: I use small bits of carrots, peas, red pepper and a boiled egg in the middle of the loaf. It comes out festive and moist. The egg is not cooked to hard-boiled, but more like medium.

I like to roast radishes. I toss them with oil and Indian or Middle Eastern spices and a tiny bit of honey, and roast at 450 degrees until they start to brown.

I know everyone has a different idea of comfort food, but I make frozen burritos for sick friends. Add whatever fillings you like, wrap and store in a gallon freezer bag, and give with a jar of salsa and a tub of guacamole.

My daughter and I made three small pizzas and shaped them into a snowman. We used olives for eyes and buttons, and a carrot sliver for a nose. She had so much fun making it and is now very much interested in learning some new recipes, and even making up some of her own.

I gave my niece appetizers for 100 at her wedding last summer. Among other things, I made crackers. I used my bread machine to make a standard white bread dough, then ran lime-size blobs of that dough through pasta rollers to the thinnest setting that wouldnt tear. I baked the ribbons, uncut, on parchment paper for about 10 minutes. Rye and whole-wheat bread doughs also make good crackers. The dough sheets can be spritzed with water and sprinkled with salt, cumin, mustard or fennel seeds. I served the long baked ribbons in a water carafe, and guests broke off shards to eat. This is fun, low-fat and easy to do with the standing mixer pasta attachment. Thin crackers that crack are good. The crunch can be heard across the room!

My aunt gave me a vegetable soup recipe that includes okra. Amazingly, the okra doesnt get slimy. The technique is to layer the vegetables and not stir them. Basically, you steam them, and then add the liquid last. It works. And all these years Ive been avoiding non-fried okra.

I use my disher/scooper for pancake batter. It keeps the pancakes a consistent size and reduces batter drips. Its especially useful for a thicker batter or even something fritter-like. Mine has a thumb mechanism (not a handle squeeze), so it also hooks nicely on the lip of the bowl between batches!

Leftover canned pumpkin is a great remedy for when your dog has digestive distress. A couple of spoonfuls of pumpkin with some rice and cooked chicken will do wonders. It can also be mixed in with their regular food. Thats canned pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling that includes spices, etc.

Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorites. A great addition is an almond-flour crumble. After the vegetable has started to brown, sprinkle on a topping of almond flour lightly moistened with oil and a little salt. Leave it in the oven for another five minutes or so, until the almond flour starts to brown. The oil will keep it from burning too quickly.

I made a Chinese chicken dish that called for marinating the chicken pieces in egg white and then poaching them in oil, heating the wok and oil and then removing it from the heat. Oh, my. The most tender meat ever.

Frozen water (a.k.a. ice) has a different volume from frozen stock. I found this out when I tried to make ice for a water cooler and broke three wide-mouth Mason jars when the ice expanded. That had not been a problem with soup or anything else, so I asked my PhD chemist friend about it. She said that the other ingredients in soup and stock interrupt the lattice that water creates when it freezes, and thus the water cannot expand so much. Filling the freezer with frozen water is a good idea, but be careful about the containers, or you will have a freezer full of glass shards (as I did).

When confronted with a particularly expensive home-cooking ingredient, I remind myself that the finished dish will still cost far less than the same thing in a restaurant  or even a cheaper dish at a downscale eatery.

I just discovered that you can make fresh tortillas in about 15 minutes, and theyre so, so delicious. You can just follow the recipe on the side of the masa harina bag. No tortilla press here  no rolling pin, either  so I just rolled them out with a wine bottle between two sheets of parchment paper. You dont get perfectly round edges, but who cares?

I sprinkle sumac on food at the table instead of salt. Gives it a nice citrusy taste.

For a truly festive, amazing tasting meatloaf, try polpettone, an Italian version of our loaf. It tastes better when prepared in advance.

When I want to crisp up previously fried potatoes, I put them in the oven at 450 degrees for a short time.

To keep tollhouse cookies from spreading so much, make sure to refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes. It makes all the difference! You can even form the cookies and then just stick the baking sheet in the fridge. Also, Ive made the cookies with bread flour, and that prevented spreading without necessitating refrigerating.

For fondue, I suggest using cornstarch instead of flour. I think it works better and behaves more consistently.

I recently started defrosting chicken breasts in brine: just a bowl of water with some salt and sugar. It doesnt take any more effort than sticking it on a plate in the fridge to defrost. I can start it the night before or even in the morning before work, and when I get home, I have a fully defrosted breast thats gotten all the benefits of brining. Never have my frozen chicken breasts been so succulent!

An easy way to calculate weights for baking: You can type formulas in Google and it will give you results. A cup of white sugar weighs 198 grams; if you need 3/4 of a cup, type =198*.75 and press ENTER to get the answer.

It took me 50 years to realize that if I dont like something in a fruitcake, I dont have to use it, and if I do like something, I can. So now my fruitcake recipe doesnt include anything fluorescent or candied but does include lots of dried cherries and golden and regular raisins, all soaked in liquor, and lots of pecans. Its a simple enough substitution to make. I like it, and guests eat it up.

I use up extra tahini by spreading it on garlic naan. Its like a tastier version of a peanut butter sandwich. I bet theres some substitute for jelly that would be fantastic on this, but I cant come up with one.

Heres how to make an Appalachian baked potato: Rub a russet potato with just a bit of bacon fat and sprinkle it with kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees until done (about one hour). You will never eat baked potato any other way. And really, the small amount of fat used isnt that unhealthful.

I try to limit carbs but love Italian food. A good substitute for pasta is steamed or roasted cauliflower. It goes great with pesto or red sauce.

My standby recipe to bring to new parents is albondigas: Mexican meatballs. Theyre easy, and they freeze well.

When you ask the butcher for chicken backs and necks, ask for the feet, too. It makes a world of difference when you use the feet in your stock or broth.

To make spicy cashews, mix tahini, zaatar and pomegranate molasses (or probably any sharp but sweet, thick condiment). Add some sesame seeds. Drown the cashews in that, and bake them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

An empty freezer wont work. We had a power failure while away and threw out everything in the freezer. It wouldnt keep anything frozen  until we filled it with ice cream. Then it worked fine. But we ate too much ice cream.

Thats a wrap for 2016. Dont forget to tune in at noon sharp for todays Free Range chat. Theres lots to talk about, including Steven Petrows story about how to pronounce pecan, Tim Carmans story about whether pan-Asian restaurants have had their day and Bonnie S. Benwicks exploration of ways to use leftover champagne. Be there!
Juneau police officer Ken Colon grills hot dogs in July during a community gathering sponsored by the police department. Police in the Alaskan capital are launching a year of kindness that will start this week with community potlucks. (Becky Bohrer/AP)

Police in Alaskas capital city are spearheading a campaign to turn 2017 into a community-wide year of kindness.

Juneau police will kick off the campaign with public potlucks on New Years Eve and New Years Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.

Groups, businesses, government agencies and others also are choosing a different week of the year for their employees to conduct kindness surges, with officers at the local prison taking the first week.

Ideas being considered include visiting local senior homes, distributing care packages and paying for a strangers meal.

The goal is to measure the impact of kindness on such areas as crime and emergency calls at the end of 2017, according to Lieutenant Kris Sell, who hatched the idea in a partnership with the global kindness advocate, Random Acts, and others.

Thunder Mountain High School Principal Dan Larson poses with Mitchell Henderson, one of the students from nearby Juneau-Douglas High School who spent a lunch hour handing out candy canes to Thunder Mountain students this month. (Becky Bohrer/AP)

Can you change the quality of life in a community and prove that you have done so? Sell said.

Jennifer Willis-Rivera, of the nonprofit Random Acts, knows of no similar programs by a police department or city anywhere. She plans to visit Juneau in January and again a year after that.

To her, the excitement will come in seeing the results after an entire year focused on kindness.

Its something that everybody talks about all the time, but usually were really only focused on it around the holidays, when theres a tragedy, she said.

Sell said she came up with the idea several months ago as she was thinking about what direction Juneau police could take in 2017.

She said some really hateful things had just happened nationally, including the killings of five law enforcement officers in Dallas who had been working to keep the peace at a protest over the deadly police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Juneau has had its own share of violence, including the non-deadly shooting of a man December 3, months after the kindness project was announced. Police say the shooting, which is under investigation, was the first one involving the city officers since 2007.

Some locals, including students, already are exercising their kindness muscles.

Last week, special education students from Juneau-Douglas High School traveled across town to hand out candy canes at Thunder Mountain High School. A 17-year-old Thunder Mountain senior died in September after accidentally shooting himself.

Special education teacher Janette Gagnon said students wanted to offer some crosstown support.

Thunder Mountain principal Dan Larson got one of the candy canes from student Mitchell Henderson, who wore a festive Santa hat. Larson said its been a tough year for the school.

We need this, he said of the holiday cheer spread by the visiting students. This is a good time of year for goose bumps.

At the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, officers are planning projects to carry out during kindness surge the first week of the new year. One officer plans to make care bags with snacks, bus tokens and other items to pass around town.

Ernestine Hayes, a Juneau-based author, said she hadnt heard of the kindness campaign but praised Juneau police for the effort.

I think its very good to be on the lookout for someone you can hand something to  give them something like, Heres a bus token  if we also remember that kindness can be a smile, a hello and a hug. she said, That will advance it even further.
THE REGION

WiFi coming to Metro underground stations

All underground Metro stations will offer free wireless Internet for passengers by the end of 2018 under a program set to launch in the summer, Metro officials announced Tuesday.

In August, Metro started a pilot program to test a public WiFi system. Now, a plan to provide WiFi in all underground stations has been approved.

By the end of next year, WiFi would be available in 60 percent of underground Metrorail stations.

The remaining stations would offer WiFi by the end of 2018.

 Martine Powers

Maryland

Woman severely hurt after car strikes her

A woman retrieving her young child from their car was struck by a passing motorist Tuesday afternoon in Montgomery County and had to have a leg amputated, police officials said.

The mother, 28, was flown by helicopter with life-threatening injuries to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, said Officer Rick Goodale, a Montgomery police spokesman.

The child, a girl about 1 year old, received far less serious injuries, Goodale said. Rescue officials said she was taken to a hospital.

Investigators said the baby was still strapped in her carrier-type car seat, which the mother had taken out of the vehicle, Goodale said. The car seat was either thrown or dropped after the collision, but the child remained in the seat, he said.

 Dan Morse

THE DISTRICT

Deaf woman killed in NW hit-and-run

Adeaf woman was killed in a hit-and-run incident Tuesday in the District, D.C. police said.

About 6:20 a.m., police responded to the 3500 block of 14th Street NW in Columbia Heights after a dark SUV struck a woman in a crosswalk, police said. The vehicle did not stop.

Police identified the woman as Jacqueline Cole, 54, of Northwest Washington.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

Man fatally shot in Takoma identified

The man fatally shot Monday in the Districts Takoma neighborhood was identified by D.C. police as James Dorsey Jr., 37.

Police said he was shot about 7:45 p.m. in the 200 block of Cedar Street NW. No address could be learned for him.

Police said they were looking for two people they identified as persons of interest.

 Martin Weil
By PTI: Lahore, Dec 28 (PTI) Five persons were today taken into custody and three others identified for allegedly brewing and selling toxic liquor mixed with aftershave lotion on Christmas eve that claimed 35 lives in a town in Pakistans Punjab Province.

The suspects knew that aftershave is intoxicating because of the presence of spirit in it, said District Police Officer (DPO) Toba Tek Singh Usman Akram Gondal.

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They purchased 20 litres of aftershave lotion from Shorkot and sold it as liquor after adulterating it with chemicals, Geo News reported.

One of the suspects has died of consuming same toxic moonshine, whereas the other two are being treated along with several others. One suspect along with four others is in police custody.

The incident took place in a Christian colony in Toba Tek Singh city on December 24 when residents consumed home-made liquor, police said.

The toxic liquor killed at least 35 people, mostly Christians, and seriously affected 50 others, Geo News reported.

Around 30 people are still receiving treatment at DHQ Toba Tek Singh and Allied Hospital Faisalabad.

Police further said that they were investigating five under custody suspects pertaining to the incident.

"The men who belong to the Christian community drank liquor on the night of December 25 and went home. Tragedy struck the next morning when many did not rise from their beds, while others got sick," Police officer Mohammad Nadeem said.

Though Pakistan has allowed some breweries to function, alcohol sales and consumption are strictly prohibited for Muslims and tightly regulated for minority communities and foreigners.

In March, 45 people, including 35 Hindus, had died after consuming spurious liquor during Holi celebrations in Sindh province. PTI UZM AKJ UZM

--- ENDS ---
Police are searching for this man, who they say has robbed several convenience stores in the Washington region. (Prince George's County Police)

Detectives are trying to find a man they think is responsible for a half-dozen armed robberies in the Washington region during the course of a week.

The man is suspected in at least six robberies in Prince Georges County, during which someone took cash and cigarettes from five 7-Eleven stores and a Dunkin Donuts between Dec. 21 and Wednesday, according to police.

Prince Georges police said the man, known to wear black Adidas pants and wield a revolver, has robbed the following businesses:

Dunkin Donuts at about 9:40 p.m. Dec. 21 in the 4700 block of Allentown Road in Morningside.

7-Eleven at about 2 a.m. Dec. 21 in the 7700 block of Finns Lane in Lanham.

7-Eleven at about 2:45 a.m. Dec. 21 in the 7400 block of Laurel Bowie Road in Bowie.

7-Eleven at about 2:20 a.m. Friday in the 10500 block of Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville.

7-Eleven at about 4 a.m. Saturday in the 3400 block of Dallas Drive in Temple Hills.

7-Eleven at about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday in the 9800 block of Piscataway Road in Clinton.

Investigators in Montgomery County believe the same man is linked to at least four gas station robberies dating to October 2015, according to department spokesman Rick Goodale. In the most recent robbery, Nov. 25, the same man is suspected of carjacking a woman while she pumped gas.

In Virginia, police in Alexandria suspect the same man in a Wednesday morning robbery of a 7-Eleven on John Carlyle Street, the department said on Twitter.

Detectives in Greenbelt are also looking into whether he is connected to a Christmas Eve robbery of a 7-Eleven, said city police spokesman George Mathews.

Prince Georges police said the man they are looking for drives a silver Chrysler 300.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the cases to call 301-772-4905 or, to remain anonymous, 866-411-TIPS (8477). A cash reward of up to $2,500 is available for information leading to an arrest.
Allyssa Banks was an ambitious student, joining the choir, band and ROTC while taking advanced classes and serving as student government president before graduating from Largo High School this year.

Even as an elementary school pupil, according to Lydia Banks, her mother, she was the type of kid who was doing everything right.

Which has left Lydia Banks wondering why anyone would cut short her childs promising future  and who did.

On Oct. 19, her 18-year-old daughter was gunned down during an evening out, and the case remains open.

Im hurt. Im angry. Im totally at a loss, Lydia Banks said. But I pray that whoever saw anything that night or heard anything, that they would come to justice, because Allyssa did not have to die like that.

Police are investigating the fatal shooting of Allyssa Banks, a recent Largo High School graduate. (Family photo)

[18-year-old woman killed in double shooting in Maryland]

Lydia Banks recently made a plea to the public for help in her daughters case as police continue to investigate the death of the woman, who was attending community college with the hope of becoming an emergency medical technician.

Allyssa Banks was out with her boyfriend in the early morning of Oct. 19. They had spent the day together. She had gotten her hair done earlier, and he was pampering her, Lydia Banks said.

But when they were about to get into their car about 1:45 a.m. near Swiss Gap and Prince Place in Largo, at least one person approached them with a gun, according to Prince Georges County police. Both of them were shot.

Bankss boyfriend survived, but Allyssa Banks was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

[Tracking D.C.-area homicides]

Nicole Hubbard, a spokeswoman for Prince Georges police, said detectives believe that someone has information that could help them solve Bankss case. Police are trying to determine the motive.

A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to an arrest and indictment. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call 866-411-TIPS, and callers can remain anonymous.

These are true victims here, Hubbard said. We just want to bring comfort to Allyssas family.

Banks was well-liked at Largo High School, which hosted remembrances in the days after her death, said Principal Afie Mirshah. The choir sang songs dedicated to her, family and friends spoke about her bright personality, and students who remembered their former school president released balloons in her honor.

Mirshah remembered Banks as a dedicated, mature teen who was full of potential.

She did everything to the best of her ability, and the best of her ability turned out to be really spectacular, the principal said. She was a very positive spirit.

Mirshah said she and the Largo High community are shocked that Banks would be a victim of such a violent crime. She never, ever got in trouble, she said. You would never, ever say the word trouble and Allyssa Banks in the same sentence.

Deja Haley said she had known Banks since childhood. When Haley became a freshman at Largo, Banks took the time to walk her to all of her classes and help her feel comfortable with her new school.

She was so intelligent, Haley said. She was very popular around school.

Banks and her boyfriend had been dating for about eight months, Lydia Banks said. They were both homebodies who liked to study together, attend night classes or take care of the dog they had just adopted.

They were two bright kids, Lydia Banks said. It was a relationship that blossomed right before your eyes.

Lydia Banks said her daughters absence has been difficult, made even harder around the holidays. Her daughter loved the festivities of Christmas, cooking with her mother and picking out the perfect tree every year.

But this year, Lydia Banks went to the cemetery on Tuesday, laying down purple and yellow flowers adorned with a Santa Claus on her daughters grave.

Its been a very difficult Christmas, Lydia Banks said.
Police asked for the publics help Wednesday in finding a woman who used the credit card of Bethesda man who has been missing for more than two weeks.

John Patrick Donohoe, 36, was reported missing on Dec. 14, and was last seen by family members at his Auburn Avenue home at about 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 13, Montgomery County Police said in a statement.

On Dec. 22, the statement said, a woman used Donohoes credit card to buy $700 worth of items at a beauty supply store and other retailers in the Hyattsville area.

Investigators from the Montgomery County Police Department have been working the case since Dec. 13, said Detective Frank Colbert, one of two detectives now assigned full-time to the search.

Were really looking at all possibilities, Colbert said. Any information would be helpful.

He said investigators are concerned that someone used Donohoes credit card, and used it so far from where Donohoe was last seen. He does not know how the woman got the card.

Investigators also are concerned that the vehicle Donohoe was driving, a black, 2011 Chevrolet Equinox with Maryland tag 2AK8853, hasnt been located.

One of the suspicious parts is the vehicle hasnt popped up anywhere, Colbert said.

The investigation has indicated that Donohoe may have been in Fauquier County after he went missing, Colbert said.

Police released surveillance video of the woman, and asked anyone with information about Donohoes disappearance or the womans identity to contact them at 240-773-5070.
A woman retrieving her young child from their car was struck by a passing motorist Tuesday afternoon in Montgomery County and had to have a leg amputated, police officials said.

The mother, 28, was flown by helicopter with life-threatening injuries to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, said Officer Rick Goodale, a Montgomery police spokesman.

The child, a girl about 1 year old, received far less serious injuries, Goodale said. She was taken to Childrens National Medical Center, according to Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

Investigators believe the baby was still strapped in her carrier-type car seat, which the mother had taken out of the vehicle, Goodale said. The car seat was either thrown or dropped after the collision, but the child remained in the seat, he said.

The driver of the striking vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz CLK, remained at the scene.

The wreck occurred about 3:15 p.m. along Parkland Drive, near Independence Street, in the Aspen Hill area of Montgomery, Goodale said. The woman had just parked her car, a Mazda 3 sedan.

Investigators are trying to put together how the wreck occurred and what factors led to it.
Denver and Christine Riggleman stand by one of the stills at Silverback Distillery in Afton, Va., on Feb. 6. (Norm Shafer for The Washington Post)

Another Republican has filed the paperwork to run for governor of Virginia, making the race a four-way contest for the party nomination.

Denver Riggleman, a former Air Force intelligence officer and owner of a craft distillery outside Charlottesville, created a candidate committee last week to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign.

Despite registering his campaign with the state Board of Elections, Riggleman said he will not make a final decision about whether to seek the office until next week. He does not have a campaign website but has hired a campaign manager and general consultant.

The first-time candidate is positioning himself as an outsider businessman unhappy with taxes and government regulation that he says have stifled the two-year-old spirits business he runs with his wife.

Riggleman said he takes inspiration from the unorthodox candidacies of Dave Brat (R-Va.), who ousted then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014, and Donald Trump, because they ran without prior political experience and galvanized supporters outside typical political circles.

They are just the beginning of the revolution, he said in an interview Tuesday. I think youre going to see more people who say: I think I can do a better job. Not only I think I can  I know I can. 

The other candidates for the GOP nomination are political strategist Ed Gillespie; Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors; and state Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach). Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is the only Democrat running.

Rigglemans entry into the race could draw voters away from Stewart, who chaired Trumps Virginia campaign for 10 months and has relied on his connection to the now-president-elect.

Stewart said its possible that Gillespie could benefit from another unconventional conservative in the mix. Ive learned long ago in campaigning that you have to be focused on your own game, your own work, he said Tuesday. If you get caught up in what everybody else is doing thats when you get into trouble.

Gillespie has more money and endorsements than the others, which could give him an advantage in the 2017 primary.

By all accounts, Denver Riggleman is a good man who is concerned about the size and scope of government just like I am, Gillespie said in a statement. I appreciate his military service, and if he decides he wants to serve our Commonwealth as governor, I will respect that as well and welcome him to the race. Competition is good for our party.

Riggleman said he would combat a lack of transparency in the General Assembly by forcing lawmakers to list their top 10 donors on their websites and record their votes in subcommittee hearings, where bills often disappear with little or no discussion.

He also wants to simplify the tax code, do away with a number of business taxes and reduce the economic development incentives that Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has used to lure businesses to the state  a practice Riggleman called picking winners and losers.

[Va.s growing craft distillery industry pushes against regulatory roadblocks]

Riggleman said he will not oppose same-sex marriage now that it is legal in all states and says states should be able to legalize marijuana and other drugs without federal interference.

He opposes McAuliffes order to restore voting rights to felons, a move reversed by the courts, and said he would reinstate hospital-style building codes on abortion clinics.

Ive never wanted to be governor, and maybe thats why Im right for the job, he said. I have no political aspirations after I run as governor.

Riggleman was born in Manassas and graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School and the University of Virginia, where he studied foreign affairs. He spent 11 years in the Air Force, traveling the world as an intelligence officer, before working as a National Security Agency contractor and then starting his own defense company.

He and his wife, Christine Riggleman, opened Silverback Distillery in 2014 on 50 acres in Nelson County.
NEW JERSEY

Family of trans Scout claims discrimination

The family of an 8-year-old New Jersey boy says he was kicked out of the Cub Scouts because he is transgender, a move that could open a new front in the debate over discrimination in Scouting.

Joe Maldonado joined Pack 87 in Secaucus in October and was asked to leave about a month later, according to the North Jersey Record.

Joe was born a girl but has identified as male for more than a year. His mother, Kristie Maldonado, said that Joe is accepted as a boy at school and that it was complaints from parents  not Joes fellow Scouts  that led to his ouster.

Not one of the kids said, You dont belong here,  Maldonado said.

The Boy Scouts of America endured years of controversy before ultimately lifting bans on gay Scouts and leaders in recent years. But spokeswoman Effie Delimarkos said in a statement that the organization considers transgender children a separate issue.

No youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation, she said, but added: Gender identity isnt related to sexual orientation.

She declined to directly address Joes situation or say whether a written policy on transgender participants exists. The statement said Cub Scout programs are for youths identified as boys on their birth certificates.

The Boy Scouts of America is not known to have rejected any Scouts over gender identity before the Secaucus case, said Justin Wilson, the executive director of Scouts for Equality.

Wilson said he knows of at least two transgender boys who are Cub Scouts, one in New York and the other in a Southern state he did not name. He does not know of any instances in which Scouts asked for a birth certificate as a condition of membership.

Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts told the Associated Press that it would admit transgender children to its coeducational programs, but not to programs that are for boys only, such as the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

The national Girl Scouts organization, which is not affiliated with the Boy Scouts, has accepted transgender members for years.

 Associated Press

WEST VIRGINIA

Woman fully red forracist post on rst lady

A West Virginia nonprofit group has fired its director after she wrote a Facebook post referring to first lady Michelle Obama as an ape in heels.

The office of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) said Tuesday that Pamela Ramsey Taylor, executive director of the Clay County Development Corp., was removed following an agreement with the nonprofits board of directors.

Taylors racist social-media comments were not directly mentioned as the reason. She had been placed initially on a six-week leave that was scheduled to end this past Friday.

However, the state requested specific assurances that the nonprofit is following anti-discrimination policies; it has been assured that Taylor is gone as director, Tomblin spokeswoman Jessica Tice said.

The Appalachian Area Agency on Aging will manage the nonprofit for six months while it makes any changes needed for compliance as a state contractor, Tice said.

The nonprofit provides services to elderly and low-income residents in Clay County.

Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling was criticized for responding to Taylors post, saying, Just made my day Pam. Whaling said later that she was referring to the change in the White House and that her comment wasnt racist. She resigned following the backlash.

 Associated Press

OHIO

Court finds police are not liable in car chase

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that five police officers sued by a woman injured during a high-speed chase are immune from legal liability.

There was disagreement among the justices on immunity standards.

The majority ruled that officers chasing suspects receive the same level of immunity provided by state law to all government employees. Justice Judith French wrote that officers couldnt be held liable unless they acted in a wanton or reckless manner.

She said lower courts had improperly expanded the immunity to officers unless their conduct was outrageous or extreme. But she said the officers in this case were entitled to immunity because there was no evidence they acted maliciously, recklessly or in bad faith.

Two justices dissented, saying the case should be sent to a trial court.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit by Pamela Argabrite, who was injured in 2011 when burglary suspect Andrew Barnharts vehicle hit hers head-on as he fled from Miami Township, about 12 miles south of Dayton. Barnhart died in the crash.

 Associated Press

PENNSYLVANIA

Mother vented online before murder-suicide

Authorities in Pennsylvania say a woman posted a lengthy suicide note on Facebook, telling her husband you dont deserve to have a son, to have a legacy, shortly before suffocating her 1-year-old and fatally shooting herself.

State police said they found the bodies of Sheri Shermeyer, 40, and her son, John, inside their home Monday afternoon after being alerted by a friend of Shermeyers who saw the Facebook post.

The York County coroner said its believed Shermeyer wrote the 600-word note about two hours before police found the bodies in Glen Rock, about 80 miles west of Philadelphia. Police called the deaths an apparent murder-suicide pending autopsies Wednesday.

People replying to the post expressed concern and then talked of notifying police.

Her husband did not appear to be on Facebook or have a listed phone number.

Shermeyers page describes her as a stay-at-home mother, originally from Anderson Creek, N.C.

 Associated Press
(The Wilderness Society)

President Obama on Wednesday created new national monuments in a sacred tribal site in southeastern Utah and in a swath of Nevada desert, after years of political fights over the fate of the areas.

The designations further cement Obamas environmental legacy as one of the most consequential  and contentious  in presidential history. He has invoked his executive power to create national monuments 29 times during his tenure, establishing or expanding protections for more than 553 million acres of federal lands and waters.

Environmental groups have praised the conservation efforts, but critics say they amount to a federal land grab. Some worry that the new designations could fuel another armed protest by antigovernment forces inspired by the Cliven Bundy family, such as the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon this year.

Obamas newest designations include two sprawling Western landscapes that are under threat, yet also where local residents are deeply divided on how the land should be used.

[Even from jail, the Bundys defiance still echoes in the Nevada desert]

Jose Witt, Southern Nevada director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, points out petroglyphs while leading a hike this fall in Gold Butte. The area is now one of the newest national monuments. (Ronda Churchill/for The Washington Post)

In Utah, where the federal government owns about two-thirds of the land, the designation of 1.35 million acres to create the Bears Ears National Monument undoubtedly will prove polarizing.

For the first time, Native American tribes will offer management input for a national monument through an inter-tribal commission. Five tribes that often have been at odds  the Hopi, Navajo, Uintah and Ouray Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Pueblo of Zuni  will together have responsibility for protecting an area that contains well-preserved remnants of ancestral Pueblo sites dating back more than 3,500 years.

We have always looked to Bears Ears as a place of refuge, as a place where we can gather herbs and medicinal plants, and a place of prayer and sacredness, Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation, said in a call with reporters Wednesday. These places  the rocks, the wind, the land  they are living, breathing things that deserve timely and lasting protection.

While many environmentalists and archaeologists supported the monument, most Utah politicians opposed the sites unilateral protection. Instead, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and a fellow Utah Republican, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, devoted three years to drafting a land-use bill that would have protected a large portion of the site but would have allowed some development. The bill stalled in the House.

In a statement Wednesday, Chaffetz said he was outraged by the designation, saying Obamas decision politicizes a long-simmering conflict.

The midnight move is a slap in the face to the people of Utah, attempting to silence the voices of those who will bear the heavy burden it imposes, he said, vowing to work with the Trump administration to try to repeal the decision. It does not have the support of the Governor, a single member of the states congressional delegation, nor any local elected officials or state legislators who represent the area.

Meanwhile, the Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada has been a site of contention for more than 15 years. As Las Vegas sought to expand, local, state and federal managers agreed to protect species such as the imperiled desert tortoise in Gold Butte. But they did little for either the animals or the actual sagebrush steppe and Mojave Desert in the approximately 300,000-acre area marked by fossilized sand dunes and panels of petroglyphs that tower over the landscape.





Although all the legal grazing permits in the area northeast of Las Vegas were sold more than a decade ago as part of a deal with environmental groups and county officials, a single family  headed by cattle rancher Cliven Bundy  refused to recognize federal officials authority over the government land. The Bundys engaged in an armed standoff with Bureau of Land Management officials in 2014; several still await trial for the confrontation. Their followers occupied the Malheur refuge in January.

In a statement, Obama said Wednesdays designations protect some of our countrys most important cultural treasures, including abundant rock art, archaeological sites, and lands considered sacred by Native American tribes. Todays actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes.

[In Bears Ears, several tribes and Mormons origin stories collide]

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who has put more than 5 million acres of federal land in his home state off-limits to development, pressed relentlessly for Obama to invoke his executive authority on behalf of Gold Butte. Reid intensified his campaign when the Bundys were jailed this year for a takeover at the Oregon wildlife refuge, arguing that any pushback would be minimized while they were incarcerated.





Gold Butte is a fascinating place full of natural wonders, Reid said in a statement Wednesday. Protecting Gold Butte ensures that generations of people will continue to have the opportunity to experience Nevadas natural beauty. Weve done something lasting and historic today.

Obama on Wednesday created both sites using his authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives the president power to designate national monuments without approval from Congress. But Republicans have raised the prospect of curtailing the law when they control both the executive and legislative branches next year.

How their effort fares could determine not only what safeguards persist for the landscape, rock carvings and other archaeological sites in Bears Ears and Gold Butte, but also what power future presidents can wield over the nations most ecologically and historically significant federal holdings.

(Peter Stevenson,Juliet Eilperin/The Washington Post)

Kristen Brengel, vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, said in an interview that she and others just hope the American public rejects efforts to curtail the act. Both Bishop and the congressman Donald Trump has tapped to head the Interior Department, Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), support changes.

Its a wonderful law that allows the president to make quick decisions to protect areas when they need it, Brengel said. Why would we want to destroy that?

BLM officials have documented acts of vandalism and looting in Bears Ears, but Bishop said he does not view it as being in imminent danger. He met on Dec. 5 with members of Trumps transition team to discuss whether the next administration would consider overturning any designation Obama made in the area.

[Obama creates what could be the last large national park site on the East Coast, in Maine]

The Antiquities Act does not prohibit a president from abolishing or modifying the terms of a previously declared monument which has not been ratified by Congress, Bishop said in a statement after the meeting.

In a few instances, presidents have modified the size of monuments established by their predecessors: Woodrow Wilson slashed nearly half the acreage of Mount Olympus National Monument, which Theodore Roosevelt had established. But in 1938, the U.S. attorney general wrote a formal opinion saying the Antiquities Act authorized a president to establish a monument but did not grant a president the right to abolish one.





According to John Leshy, a former Interior solicitor who now teaches at the University of California Hastings College of Law, neither the unilateral modification nor abolishment of a national monument has been tested in court. Congress, though, can potentially do both of those things.

We do not see that the Trump administration has authority to undo this, Christy Goldfuss, managing director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said Wednesday.

Only Franklin D. Roosevelt has used the Antiquities Act more than Obama. And the president is likely to either match Roosevelts record with a 30th designation, according to several individuals briefed on the White Houses plans, or possibly to exceed it by doing two more before leaving office Jan. 20.

Administration officials are eyeing an expansion of the California Coastal National Monument and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument as well as the establishment of one monument in South Carolina and two in Alabama to commemorate the Reconstruction and civil rights eras, respectively.

[Obama designates the first-ever marine monument off the East Coast, in New England]

Yet given Republicans presidential and congressional victories last month, several proposals are likely to remain unrealized. Some activists are disappointed that Obama may not designate the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument, which would stretch more than a million acres and protect the area from new uranium mining. The monument has been supported by Native American tribes and, according to polling, a majority of Arizonans. But the states two GOP senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, have opposed it, in part because of concerns it would prevent public access and complicate forest-thinning efforts necessary to prevent wildfire hazards.

Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (Ariz.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and supporter of the Grand Canyon designation, noted that Congress has considered more than a dozen pieces of legislation aimed at curtailing, restricting or eliminating the presidents authority under the Antiquities Act. Until now, the threat of an Obama veto effectively blocked those efforts. That wont be the case going forward.

That battle will come. I dont see it going away, Grijalva said. And it will set up a key question for Trump: How willing is this new president to give up power?

Read more: Special report: The American experience is diverse. Obama highlights that in his picks for national monuments.
Located about 400kms from Kerala's capital, the village in Malappuram district may be lagging behind in many ways, but the colony has now become a model for the rest of the country.

By Revathi Rajeevan: A tribal colony in Kerala has become the first to go fully digital in India. In an attempt to go completely cashless, Malappuram district launched its digital initiative.

Located about 400kms from Kerala's capital, the village in Malappuram district may be lagging behind in many ways, but the colony has now become a model for the rest of the country.

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The Nedumkayam tribal colony is now fully digital and on its way to becoming fully cashless.

WORKING TOWARDS CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS: Member of Parliament, PV Abdul Wahab, said 99 per cent of them know how to use phones, and in the next few days they will be trained to do cashless transactions. The colony consists of 50 odd families, and a youngster from each family is being taught how to do the transactions after which they will teach others. It does not matter if the phones are smartphones or the most basic GSM phones. Vijayan, a member of the colony, said the village has just got internet, and now they will have to start learning how to use it.

The colony is expected to go fully cashless in a month, and since the network is poor in most parts of the area, free WiFi is being provided to aid them in fulfilling their digital dream.

ALSO READ:

PM Modi on demonetisation: Don't waste time standing in queues, your bank is in your wallet

PM Narendra Modi's Digital India initiative aims to empower society

--- ENDS ---
The Dec. 25 World article Calm in Ethiopia belies seething anger underneath omitted Ethiopias bold initiatives to advance its nation with a commitment to transform its economy and eliminate poverty through investments in vital categories of infrastructure in rail and electricity.

On Dec. 17, Ethiopia inaugurated the Gibe III hydroelectric dam that will generate 1,870 megawatts of electricity. Ethiopias new electrified train, the first such train in sub-Saharan Africa, travels about 465 miles from the capital, Addis Ababa, to Djibouti. It will reduce travel time from several days to 12 hours or less . The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam under construction will provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity to the region.

Ethiopia is experiencing growing pains, graduating a large number of students per year who are eager to work. While there may be shortcomings in governance, it is clear that the governments intention is to create a unified state to benefit all Ethiopians. Violent demonstrations that weaken the economy harm the nation.

Lawrence Freeman, Gwynn Oak, Md.
Miklos Haraszti is a Hungarian author and director of research on human rights at the Center for European Neighborhood Studies of Central European University.

Hungary, my country, has in the past half-decade morphed from an exemplary post-Cold War democracy into a populist autocracy. Here are a few eerie parallels that have made it easy for Hungarians to put Donald Trump on their political map: Prime Minister Viktor Orban has depicted migrants as rapists, job-stealers, terrorists and poison for the nation, and built a vast fence along Hungarys southern border. The popularity of his nativist agitation has allowed him to easily debunk as unpatriotic or partisan any resistance to his self-styled illiberal democracy, which he said he modeled after successful states such as Russia and Turkey.

No wonder Orban feted Trumps victory as ending the era of liberal non-democracy, the dictatorship of political correctness and democracy export. The two consummated their political kinship in a recent phone conversation; Orban is invited to Washington, where, they agreed, both had been treated as black sheep.

[After a seismic year, America and Britain must move forward together]

When friends encouraged me to share my views on the U.S. election, they may have looked for heartening insights from a member of the European generation that managed a successful transition from Communist autocracy to liberal constitutionalism. Alas, right now I find it hard to squeeze hope from our past experiences, because halting elected post-truthers in countries split by partisan fighting is much more difficult than achieving freedom where it is desired by virtually everyone.

(McKenna Ewen,Whitney Shefte,Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

But based on our current humiliating condition, I may observe what governing style to expect from the incoming populist in chief and what fallacies should be avoided in countering his ravages.

A first vital lesson from my Hungarian experience: Do not be distracted by a delusion of impending normalization. Do not ascribe a rectifying force to statutes, logic, necessities or fiascoes. Remember the frequently reset and always failed illusions attached to an eventual normalization of Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Orban.

Call me a typical Hungarian pessimist, but I think hope can be damaging when dealing with populists. For instance, hoping that unprincipled populism is unable to govern. Hoping that Trumpism is self-deceiving, or self-revealing, or self-defeating. Hoping to find out if the president-elect will have a line or a core, or if he is driven by beliefs or by interests. Or theres the Kremlinology-type hope that Trumps party, swept to out-and-out power by his charms, could turn against him. Or hope extracted, oddly, from the very fact that he often disavows his previous commitments.

Populists govern by swapping issues, as opposed to resolving them. Purposeful randomness, constant ambush, relentless slaloming and red herrings dropped all around are the new normal. Their favorite means of communication is provoking conflict. They do not mind being hated. Their two basic postures of defending and triumphing are impossible to perform without picking enemies.

I was terrified to learn that pundits in the United States have started to elaborate on possible benefits of Trumps stances toward Russia and China. Few developments are more frightening than the populist edition of George Orwells dystopia. The world is now dominated by three gigantic powers, Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia, a.k.a. the United States, Russia and China, and all three are governed by promises of making their realms great again.

Please do not forget that populists can turn into peaceniks or imperialists at any moment, depending on what they think could yield good spin that boosts their support. Remember how Putin and Erdogan had switched, within months this year, from warring to fraternity. Or how Orban in opposition had blasted any compromises with Russia, only to become Putins best friend upon his election.

I have plenty of gloomy dont-dos, but few proven trump cards. There is perhaps one mighty exception, the issue of corruption, which the polite American media like to describe as conflicts of interest.

[Illiberal democracy comes to Poland]

It is the publics moral indignation over nepotism that has proved to be the nemesis of illiberal regimes. Personal and family greed, cronyism, thievery combined with hypocrisy are in the genes of illiberal autocracy; and in many countries betrayed expectations of a selfless strongman have led to a civic awakening.

It probably helps to be as watchful as possible on corruption, to assist investigative journalism at any price, and to defend the institutions that enforce transparency and justice. And it also helps to have leaders in the opposition who are not only impeccably clean in pecuniary matters, but also impress as such.

The world is looking at the United States now in a way that we never thought would be possible: fretting that the deals of its new president will make the worlds first democracy more similar to that of the others. I wish we onlookers could help the Americans in making the most out of their hard-to-change Constitution. We still are thankful for what they gave to the world, and we will be a bit envious if they can stop the fast-spreading plague of national populism.
Regarding the Dec. 26 Metro article Gov. Hogan lobbies for support of Jews in Md.:

As a lifelong participant in Jewish communities in Montgomery and Baltimore counties, and as someone who works with hundreds of Maryland congregations as director of Interfaith Power & Light, I have a suggestion for Gov. Larry Hogan (R): Across Maryland, Jewish communities (and congregations of all faiths) are concerned about climate change and the suffering that pollution is causing our neighbors, nearby and around the world. Thats why we are undertaking projects to save energy and shift to clean power, and it is why weve been increasingly vocal on climate policy in Annapolis.

I was inspired this spring when the Baltimore Jewish Council and seven senior Christian leaders in the Ecumenical Leaders Group endorsed the passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act and dismayed when the measure was summarily vetoed by the governor.

Mr. Hogans gambit that talking about Israel to Jewish audiences is sufficient to win over my community is misguided. We know that Israel, like Maryland, is located on Earth in a rapidly warming climate that will harm the worlds most vulnerable.

Particularly with climate deniers coming into the White House, Marylands faith communities, not only those who lit the first Hanukkah candle on Saturday evening but also those (like the Hogan family) who knelt in prayer at Christmas Eve Mass and many other neighbors, are praying for a governor who shows climate leadership.

Joelle Novey, Silver Spring
One of the hallmarks of our democratic system is its commitment to the peaceful transition of power. This practice comes with two important, linked corollaries that fall under the umbrella that there can be only one president at a time. The first is that the incoming president, especially in the arena of foreign policy, takes care not to trespass on the prerogatives of the incumbent. The second is that the outgoing president, once departed, remains largely mute, giving his successor space to operate unimpeded by post-presidential back-seat carping.

President-elect Donald Trump must have missed this memo. Not bothering to wait for the constitutionally mandated handover, Trump has inserted himself into policymaking, from bullying U.S. manufacturers to barging into foreign affairs, including shaking up U.S.-China policy and intruding into the Obama administrations dealings with Israel at the United Nations.

This public tussling is as disturbing as it is unprecedented.

President Richard Nixon, at a news conference a week after being sworn in, was asked whether he would stick with judicial nominations submitted by his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson. Nixon noted that, in conversations as president-elect with Johnson administration officials, he had scrupulously followed the line that we have one president at a time, and that he must continue to be president until he leaves office on January 20.

Bill Clinton bookended his presidency with this same point. During the transition that is now beginning, he said the day after his election in 1992, I urge Americas friends and foes alike to recognize, as I do, that America has only one president at a time.

Eight years later, asked about his plans as he prepared to leave office, Clinton invoked the one-president theme again, saying that he wanted to find a way to be a useful citizen . . . but to do it in a way that does not get in the way of my successor.

As president-elect, Barack Obama employed the one-president-at-a-time mantra so frequently  10 times, by my count  that my colleague Dana Milbank was moved to poke fun at it. In the midst of a financial meltdown, Obama was assertively involved in lobbying for the auto bailout and in shaping the contours of a stimulus package that would be enacted on his watch.

But Obama  who had been criticized during the 2008 campaign for some of his dealings with foreign leaders  steered decidedly clear of weighing in on issues such as the escalating crisis in the Gaza Strip. We cant have two administrations running foreign policy at the same time, he said on Jan. 7. We simply cant do it.

Except Trump can. At the end of the day, hes not someone thats going to sit back and wait, Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, told CNN, defending Trumps involvement with the United Nations vote.

Obama and his aides have, rather gently, made the one-president point. After Trump took a phone call with the president of Taiwan, Obama observed: Since theres only one president at a time, my advice to him has been that before he starts having a lot of interactions with foreign governments other than the usual courtesy calls, that he should want to have his full team in place.

Not only did the president-elect fail to heed the message  he bristled at it. With typical Trumpian gall, he managed to take umbrage at Obamas conduct during the transition. Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks, Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition  NOT!

Trumps definition of a smooth transition: one that goes entirely his way. So what were these inflammatory statements that set Trump off? Just about anything can trigger his wrath. Perhaps it was Obama, at Pearl Harbor with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, exhorting Americans to resist the urge to turn inward or to demonize those who are different. Perhaps it was Obama boasting he would have beaten Trump if allowed to run.

Well, thats certainly inflammatory. How dare Obama?

Maybe Trumps disrespectful conduct toward Obama shouldnt be so surprising. After all, long before the election, Senate Republicans acted as if the Obama presidency had already ended, refusing even to consider his Supreme Court nominee.

In that sense, Trump is merely following an especially ugly, anti-constitutional party line. Imagine how President Trump, in office, would respond to such incursions on his authority  and how President Trump, on his way out, would deal with a successor behaving this churlishly.

Read more from Ruth Marcuss archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
Regarding the Dec. 24 Metro article Some stores steering clear of saying Merry Christmas :

Merry Christmas is not a religious greeting. The wish for a merry holiday accentuates the jolly party-going, tree-decorating, gift-shopping, cookie-baking aspects of modern American celebrations. One is not merry at a Christmas Eve service singing O Holy Night. Deeply religious people who want to put Christ back into Christmas should adopt an identifiably religious greeting but reserve that expression only for others personally known to have Christian beliefs.

Jewish people do not usually wish non-Jews a happy Hanukkah because it is not meaningful to people who are not Jewish. Using a specifically Christian religious greeting only among Christian believers and not assuming that everyone else adheres to the same belief system would be more meaningful to Christians and also more respectful to people of other faiths or those with none at all.

We should acknowledge that the jingle-bells nature of Merry Christmas is more appropriate for people who wait for Santa, write advertising copy and sing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Merry Christmas is an expression of goodwill, not a litmus test for determining who does, or does not, support a Christian religion.

Bonnie Becker, Springfield
PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump is right to close down the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a charitable organization that been dogged by questions about its practices. Mr. Trump must not interfere with the ongoing investigation by the New York attorney general, but he should shutter the foundation as quickly as possible so it will not become a tempting channel for influence seekers. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump should take a similarly clear-minded approach to ethics, transparency and conflict of interest in his other business and family entanglements.

Mr. Trump made the foundation announcement with typical braggadocio. I gave millions of dollars to DJT Foundation, raised or recieved [sic] millions more, ALL of which is given to charity, and media wont report! he boasted on Twitter. The DJT Foundation, unlike most foundations, never paid fees, rent, salaries or any expenses. 100% of money goes to wonderful charities!

In fact, as The Post has reported this year, Mr. Trump apparently used the charitys money to settle lawsuits involving his for-profit businesses. The New York probe is reportedly examining whether Mr. Trump violated a self-dealing provision that says nonprofit leaders cannot use their charitys funds to help themselves, their relatives or their businesses. The Post also reported that, while the foundation did give money to charities and spent little on overhead, some of the expenditures were on rather dubious items, such as a $25,000 gift in 2013 to a campaign committee backing Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) at a time when her office was considering whether to investigate fraud charges against Trump University. Although she never pursued the probe, and a consultant has said Ms. Bondi did not know about it when she solicited the gift, the payout looks questionable. So does the $30,000 spent by the foundation to buy two large portraits of Mr. Trump, and the $258,000 in foundation money used to settle lawsuits involving two of Mr. Trumps for-profit businesses.

Mr. Trump now must tackle even bigger decisions. He has yet to detail how he will sever his ties with the business he built, but he should strive for a clean break, not only for propriety but also for his own credibility. If he hopes to be a productive leader, he will need all the political strength he can muster, and his capital could be badly sapped by questions about whether outsiders tried to buy influence through his family business. Mr. Trump long ago promised to make public his tax returns, as have other presidential candidates for years, but he has never done so.

It is hard to read Mr. Trumps compass on these issues. On one hand, he has been outspoken in demanding a break from business as usual, including close ties between policymaking, lobbying and federal contracting. He promises to drain the swamp in Washington. However, he seems less eager to act when it involves his own business and family. Before the inauguration, Mr. Trump should declare a zero-tolerance policy toward conflicts of interest and impropriety  especially his own.
I am probably not alone in taking issue with the Dec. 24 editorial A dangerous parting shot at Israel, regarding the abstention by the United States on the U.N. vote condemning Israeli settlements.

The abstention merely represents the consistent message the United States has been propagating for years that the continued settlements exacerbate the conflict and do nothing to encourage peaceful resolution. The vote encourages those international movements that side with the Palestinians and may encourage the Palestinians to continue seeking redress peacefully on the international level.

I have long believed that if the Palestinians had a leader similar to Mahatma Gandhi or the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.  someone who could arouse international attention and sympathy through peaceful protest, thereby creating an effective outlet for their grievances  peaceful negotiation might be possible.

Grant Doe, Arlington

How can the countries of the U.N. Security Council that often stole the land they occupy from indigenous populations, or those that sent settlers to steal the land and kill those populations, sit in judgment of Israel? Countries dont have legal opinions. They have political, military and economic views.

The Americas, Australia and New Zealand are based on theft and occupation. While Jews have lived on their land for at least 2,500 years, the peoples of those continents were true invaders, with no attachment to the land. The Europeans sent those invaders. The Europeans, with the Arabs now pulling the strings, have been telling Jews where and even if they could live for more than 1,000 years. Today is no different. They were not making legal statements. They were not making moral statements.

The Security Council cannot even be called a kangaroo court, as this was no court. This is not a travesty of justice, as there was no justice. This was 14 countries, with the United States in tacit support, ordering Jews out of their homes  as the enemies of Jews have done for more than 1,000 years.

Melvin Farber, Silver Spring

The editorial that criticized the Obama administration for abstaining on the U.N. resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and blamed Palestinians for the lack of a peace deal was unfortunate and misguided. This resolution is supported by most of the world and some Jewish organizations, including J Street , which welcomed the decision as reaffirming the need for a two-state solution and calling for both sides to halt actions that undermine prospects for peace.

As J Street noted, the resolution conveys the overwhelming support of the international community, including Israels closest friends and allies, for the two-state solution, and their deep concern over the deteriorating status quo between Israelis and Palestinians and the lack of meaningful progress toward peace, as well as their lack of patience with an occupation that has lasted almost 50 years. Passage of the resolution is, perhaps, only a small step forward, but it is a meaningful one.

Richard Hale, Arlington
The development can be viewed as a victory for Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal, who seems to have prevailed upon Mulayam not to contest the Assembly elections with a pre-poll alliance with Congress.

By Balkrishna: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has ruled out alliance with any party in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. FULL LIST

Addressing party workers in SP headquarters at Lucknow on Wednesday, Mulayam said, "I have already said that there will be no alliance with anyone." The former Uttar Pradesh CM has also made it clear that as far as ticket distribution is concerned it was he who will decide the final list.

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With this, the chances of any alliance between SP and Congress have disappeared. It also indicates that the SP chief has rejected his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs proposal to forge an alliance with Congress.

The development can be viewed as a victory for Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal, who seems to have prevailed upon Mulayam not to contest the Assembly elections with a pre-poll alliance with Congress.

The SP chief also announced tickets for 325 of the 403 seats. SP has sitting MLAs on 176 of these 325 seats.

Remaining 78 will be announced soon, said Mulayum.

For every seat there were hundreds of ticket seekers, he said.

Mulayam said not only Akhilesh but several others gave him their list. "I have tried to adjust as many as possible. But the final names are my choice," he said.

Watch the video here:

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Samajwadi Party tussle erupts again, Akhilesh Yadav snubs uncle Shivpal over Assembly poll tickets

When Akhilesh Yadav said he is fighting his family - just like Anurag Kashyap, Ravi Kishan

--- ENDS ---
President-elect Donald Trump tweeted messages Wednesday showing his support for Israel and accusing President Obama of making inflammatory statements and damaging relations between Israel and the United States.

Trump tweeted that he could no longer allow Israel to be treated with disdain and urged Israel to stay strong until he takes office on Jan. 20.

In response Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted: President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel! The tweet included Israeli and U.S. flags and tagged two of Trumps children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

The messages came hours before Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered a speech outlining the Obama administration's vision for resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. On Friday, the United States, in a break with a long-standing policy, decided not to use its veto power to prevent the passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements.

[12 big takeaways from John Kerrys speech on the Mideast peace process]

Speaking at the State Department, Kerry said the U.S. decision was aimed at preserving the two-state solution, which he called the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. If the United States allowed a dangerous dynamic to take hold, Kerry said, referring to increased Israeli settlement activity and implicit rejection of a Palestinian state, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities.

He denounced what he described as Israeli steps toward effective annexation of the West Bank in an effort to create one state, a greater Israel, instead of accepting an adjacent Palestinian state.

Kerry said: Friends need to tell each other the hard truths. And friendships require mutual respect. . . . We cannot be true to our own values or even the stated democratic values of Israel . . . if we allow a viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our eyes.

[Trump could soon discard a long-standing precedent on Israel ]

He enumerated a series of principles for a peace agreement, starting with secure borders for both states based on Israelis pre-1967 boundaries, with mutually agreed land swaps.

Netanyahus office promptly retorted by denouncing Kerrys speech as skewed and saying it obsessively focused on settlements.

In subsequent televised remarks, Netanyahu said he had iron-clad proof that the United States organized the U.N. resolution, a charge that Kerry and other U.S. officials denied. The Israeli leader expressed great disappointment with Kerrys speech, calling it unbalanced and saying it paid only lip service to combating Palestinian terrorism.

Netanyahu said he did not need to be lectured about peace by foreign leaders, and he blamed the continuing conflict not on Israeli settlements but on what he said was the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize Israels right to exist.

Ahead of Kerry's speech, senior Israeli minister Gilad Erdan said that if Kerry laid out principles for a peace deal at the last minute before leaving office, it would end up ensuring that the Palestinians never agree to negotiations with Israel. He called the U.S. position pro-Palestinian, pathetic and a sign that the Obama administration does not understand what is happening in the Middle East.

[Israel intensifies battle with U.S. over U.N. resolution on settlements]

Since Friday's resolution, Israel has accused Obama and his advisers of failing to protect Israel and of colluding with the Palestinians to draft the resolution and push it to a vote.

The resolution, which passed by 14 votes to 0, with the United States abstaining, declares that Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have no legal validity and are a barrier to achieving peace with the Palestinians.

Following the vote, Netanyahu ordered diplomatic moves against countries that voted for the resolution. He summoned the envoys of the countries involved and recalled Israel's ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, two of the four countries that submitted the resolution.

On Wednesday, however, Netanyahu seemed to tone down his actions, instructing the Jerusalem municipality to hold off on approving new housing units in a bid to avoid further strain in U.S.-Israeli relations, a local official said.

[Netanyahu summons U.S. envoy over U.N. anti-settlement resolution ]

Jerusalems Municipal Planning and Construction Committee had been scheduled to finalize construction plans for some 492 new homes in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, despite the resolution. It went ahead, however, with approval of plans for a new building in a Palestinian neighborhood in the city, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

Hanan Rubin, a member of Jerusalems city council, confirmed that the request to postpone construction plans came directly from the prime minister, who wanted to avoid deepening the rift. He said the zoning committee agreed to abide by it because they had no interest in causing a political storm.

Our goal is to provide solutions to residents of Jerusalem. We have a problem building in central Jerusalem, and this is a natural expansion for the city, he said. The 492 housing units are part of a wider plan to build in Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, an area the Palestinians would like to see as their capital of a future state.

On Tuesday, the Israeli government appeared to be stepping up its battle with the Obama administration, saying it had solid proof that the United States orchestrated the resolution.

On Wednesday, an Egyptian website, el-Youm el-Sabaa, said it had a copy of minutes from a meeting held 10 days before the vote and attended by Kerry, national security adviser Susan E. Rice, Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Saeb Erekat and Majid Faraj, commander of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service. The United States allegedly said it was willing to withhold its veto power if the resolution was balanced.

The State Department denied the account. And Erekat released a statement Wednesday saying that the leaked minutes of the meeting with Kerry were a fabrication.

Morello reported from Washington. William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Here are John Kerrys full remarks on the Mideast peace process

Israel says theres never been a more right-wing ambassador than Trumps pick

Some Israelis see $38 billion U.S. military aid offer as a failure
Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Wednesday harshly criticized Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying their growth threatens to destroy the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that the United States was obliged to allow passage of a U.N. resolution condemning the activity in order to preserve the possibility of peace.

Kerry noted that the number of Israelis living in settlements has grown significantly and that their outposts are extending farther into the West Bank  in the middle of what, by any reasonable definition, would be the future Palestinian state.

No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of what the settlements pose to that peace, he said.

Kerry, in the hour-long speech delivered at the State Department, also condemned Palestinian incitement to violence as a barrier to direct negotiations. But his focus was on defending the Obama administrations policies and highlighting Israels actions at a moment of high tension between the two governments, following the passage of the U.N. resolution.

[Read the transcript of Kerrys speech]

Regrettably, some seem to believe that the U.S. friendship means the U.S. must accept any policy, regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles  even after urging again and again that the policy must change, he said. Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect.

He said the vote at the United Nations was about Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. Thats what we are trying to preserve, for our sake and for theirs.

Saying the two-state solution was in serious jeopardy, Kerry said Israel would never improve its relations with Arab countries if it precludes the possibility of a separate state for Palestinians.

If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic, he said. It cannot be both.

Some Israeli politicians applauded Kerrys speech. Former prime minister Ehud Barak tweeted that it was a Powerful, lucid speech. World & majority in Israel think the same.

But most Israeli leaders and the political right immediately took umbrage, accusing Kerry of trying to dictate policy to an elected government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the speech a big disappointment.

He deals obsessively with the settlements, he fails to deal with the Palestinian failure to recognize a Jewish state, Netanyahu said, adding, If he put the same emphasis on Palestinian incitement and terror that he did on settlements then maybe we will be on the way to peace.

Kerry acknowledged that his vision is not shared by President-elect Donald Trump.

President Obama and I know that the incoming administration has signaled that they may take a different path, and even suggested breaking from the long-standing U.S. policies on settlements, Jerusalem  and possibly the two-state solution, Kerry said. That is for them to decide  thats how we work. But we cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away. This is a time to stand up for what is right.

Trump has said that he will move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, a move freighted with political significance in advance of any settlement, and his nominee to be ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, has said Jewish settlements in the West Bank are legal.

[Trump picks a supporter of West Bank settlements for ambassador to Israel]

About two hours before Kerry started speaking, Trump tweeted his criticism of the Obama administration:

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 . . . 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!

Netanyahu, in turn, promptly tweeted his gratitude: President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!

Although he did not mention Netanyahu by name, Kerry addressed head-on the Israeli leaders assertions that the United States had colluded in and orchestrated last weeks U.N. resolution affirming that settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution.

Kerry denied that the United States drafted or promoted the resolution. But he acknowledged that the United States took part in preliminary discussions, as is routine. Kerry said the diplomats told other Security Council members they would oppose a resolution that did not condemn Palestinian incitement to violence. They also said if the text were more balanced, it was possible the United States would not block it.

Kerry called the current Israeli governing coalition the most right-wing in countrys history and said it is driven by an extremist settler agenda inimical to a two-state agreement.

The result is that policies of this government, which the prime minister himself just described as more committed to settlements than any in Israels history, are leading in the opposite direction, Kerry said. Theyre leading towards one state.

The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution, he added. Thats what we were standing up for.

Kerry offered six principles that he said would satisfy Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for a homeland. Most have been proven sticking points in previous negotiations  among them, Jerusalem as a mutual capital for two states; normalized relations with Arab states in the region; and financial compensation for Palestinian refugees, along with acknowledgment of their suffering.

Kerry returned from vacation to give his speech, which was being worked on until a few minutes before he walked on stage in the Dean Acheson Auditorium. It was a sign that the administration was still struggling to deal with the political firestorm ignited by the resolution vote. The outrage in the Israeli government has been matched among some members of Congress.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Kerrys speech at best a pointless tirade in the waning days of an outgoing administration.

The U.S. abstention has been condemned by several Democrats as well, including

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), who is the partys incoming leader.

But for Kerry it was a speech that captured the pent-up frustration that has grown in the two years since his nine-month effort to broker a peace agreement collapsed, and his attempts to tamp down Palestinian violence came to nothing.

And Kerry, famous for always sounding a hopeful note, was clearly pessimistic about whether his words would make any difference.

We can only encourage them to take this path, he said. We cannot walk down it for them.

Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.
The Obama administration has informed Congress of its plans to resettle as many as 19 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a final sprint to pare down the inmate population at the military prison, U.S. officials said.

Even if the transfers occur before Jan. 20 as planned, about 40 inmates will remain at the facility, a lasting reminder of President Obamas failure to deliver on his Inauguration Day promise to close the prison and an illustration of the difficulty of following through on one of his central national security goals.

Obamas inability to close Guantanamo after eight years in office empowers President-elect Donald Trump to keep the prison operational. Trump has said he will make it part of his counterterrorism policy and load it up with some bad dudes.

The end to Obamas Guantanamo plans also sets up a renewed debate over the proper handling of terrorism suspects and the legality of a system that was designed to interrogate and hold al-Qaeda suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The bottom line is that the continuing existence of Guantanamo is a legal and moral blight, said Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Unions National Security Project. It is the embodiment of U.S. violations of the rule of law, unfair trials and unlawful and indefinite detentions without charge or trial.

[Obama asks lawmakers to lift obstacles to closing prison at Guantanamo Bay]

The 11th-hour transfer plans, which would move a group of prisoners to the United Arab Emirates and additional inmates to Oman, Saudi Arabia and, possibly, Italy, culminates a flurry of resettlements that U.S. diplomats have negotiated in recent years. The planned transfers were first reported by the New York Times.

Since Obama took office, the United States has repatriated or resettled 179 prisoners, helping to winnow the detainee population from a peak under President George W. Bush of more than 700 to 59 today.

Early in his administration, Obama attempted to bring suspects to the United States for trial in the federal courts, but he abandoned those efforts in the face of stiff political resistance. Over the years, Congress has enacted tight restrictions on how and where prisoners can be resettled.

Last winter, Obama made another appeal to Congress, asking them to set aside opposition andconsider a plan for wrapping up a 15-year detention saga by bringing some inmates to the United States for imprisonment here.

But legal experts and detainee advocates fault Obama for not pushing harder for closure, saying he could have skirted congressional obstacles if he had been willing to weather the political fallout.

As Obama prepares to leave office, he leaves behind a military trial system so slow that five 9/11 suspects, including self-proclaimed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are not expected to be tried until 2020. Guantanamo also holds a group of forever prisoners, whom officials say they cannot release because of security risks but who also cannot be tried because of a lack of appropriate evidence.

History is going to judge him badly for his failure to close Guantanamo and particularly for his failure to do everything he has legal authority to do, said J. Wells Dixon, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents Guantanamo prisoners.

Emily Horne, a White House spokeswoman, said the administration has continued to take all possible steps to move detainees out of Guantanamo and close the prison.

The continued operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners and emboldening violent extremists, she said.

[The Guantanamo quagmire: Still no trial in sight for 9/11 suspects]

Some lawmakers continue to object even to transfers that arevetted by a panel of law enforcement, military and intelligence officials. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, warned against additional transfers in a letter earlier this month to Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, who signs off on each resettlement.

I am concerned that there has been insufficient due diligence prior to transfer, and that recipient nations have lacked the capability to enforce proper security measures to mitigate the risk of re-engagement, Thornberry wrote in the letter, a copy of which was seen by The Washington Post.

While a small minority of released detainees have been found to have returned to militant activity, officials say the risks have been overblown.

Although there are 23 prisoners approved for resettlement overseas, U.S. officials say they have no plans to transfer anyone beyond the 19 whose transfer has already been announced to Congress.

Republicans have also found fault with the administrations practice of keeping secret details of security arrangements for resettled detainees and information about U.S. financial support received by released prisoners.

[At least 12 released Guantanamo detainees implicated in attacks on Americans]

Articulating the new optimism felt by critics of Obamas approach, Rep. Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote this week that on Jan. 20, we have an opportunity to chart a better way.

While Trump has not spoken extensively about Guantanamo, he has criticized prisoner releases and identified the military prison as a very safe place to house suspected militants.

I want to make sure, 100 percent sure, that if were going to release people, number 1, theyre going to be people that can be released, and its going to be safe to release them, Trump said in an interview with the Miami Herald.

He also suggested that he would put new prisoners in Guantanamo, possibly even trying U.S. citizens there, a move prohibited by current U.S. law. The last time the United States added to the prisoner population at Guantanamo was in 2008, before Obama took office.

A spokesman for the Trump transition team did not provide additional details on the incoming administrations plans for the prison.

Legal experts suggest that the continued detention of prisoners, without parallel efforts to resettle them, or efforts to bring new detainees to Guantanamo could be met with fresh legal challenges.

Laura Pitter, senior national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said that Trumps apparent plans for the prison would feed into militant propaganda and weaken the United States ability to speak up for human rights worldwide.

A statement like that just shows . . . a lack of understanding of what Guantanamo means and the danger that keeping it open poses to U.S. national security, she said.
Pramod Tewari, Congress campaign coordinator while speaking to India Today said, Pradesh Congress Committee President of Uttar Pradesh, Raj Babbar and General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad have already said that there are no strategy on having alliance with SP.

We are going to contest on all 403 seats. We are already working on candidate list.

We have already zeroed in on two-three candidates in each constituency and soon we will finalise the candidate.

Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Azad added that party will soon launch its next phase of election campaign where big rallies will be organised.

Congress UP spokesperson Meem Afzal said, From last 3-4 days our senior leaders have already maintained that no alliance with SP in Uttar Pradesh on the cards.

Today Mulayam Singh Yadav said so you guys are taking seriously. From day one our strategy is that we will fight alone in Uttar Pradesh on all seats in assembly elections.
A photo taken Dec. 20 shows authorities inspecting a truck that had sped into a Christmas market in Berlin the previous day, killing 12 and injuring dozens. A new suspect in the case is being detained in Germany. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have detained a Tunisian man who they think may have been involved in last weeks truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

The 40-year-old, who was not identified, was detained in Berlin during a search of his home and business, federal prosecutors said.

The mans telephone number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19. Amri, 24, was killed in a shootout with Italian police in a suburb of Milan on Friday.

Of the new suspect, prosecutors said that further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack.

Twelve people died and dozens were injured in the attack. The Islamic State has asserted responsibility.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the new suspect is strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack and in fleeing Berlin. They are also trying to piece together the route he took from Berlin to Milan.

Italian police have said Amri traveled through France, and French authorities said Tuesday that he made a stop in the eastern French city of Lyon.

On Wednesday, Dutch authorities said it appeared that Amri first had fled through the Netherlands, Germanys western neighbor.

Jirko Patist, a spokesman for the Dutch national prosecutors office, said it was highly likely that Amri had been in Nijmegen, in the eastern Netherlands, during his journey to Milan.

Camera images recovered in Nijmegen found someone we think, rather, of whom we say it is highly likely, is the same person appearing in photos from Lyon in France, Patist told Dutch public broadcaster NOS.

1 of 32 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Truck rams crowd in Berlin Christmas market, killing at least 12 people View Photos A massive black truck plowed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday revelers in Berlin on Monday, killing at least 12 and wounding dozens more. 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.

A SIM card found on the fugitive after he was shot led authorities to the Netherlands. Amri had no phone with him in Milan, only the loose SIM card, authorities said.

According to Italian police, Amri also had a pocket knife and a few hundred euros in a backpack when officers on a routine patrol stopped him to ask for identification.

He also carried a .22-caliber pistol that he then used to shoot a police officer, hitting him in the shoulder, police said.
The Mehring Books Holiday sale is ending soon, but there is still time to take advantage

of great savings on our wide selection of socialist literature.

For the final week of the sale we are featuring works by Leon Trotsky and other socialist writers on the struggle against fascism. With the rising influence of far right and ultra-nationalist forces all over the world, the lessons of the tragic experiences of the working class in the 1930s is of critical importance. These writings examine basic questions of Marxist strategy, tactics and orientation involved in the fight against fascism in Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

This week we are featuring the pamphlet, newly available at Mehring, Fascism, What it is and how to fight it, which contains a collection of essays by Trotsky excerpted from some of his major works devoted to a Marxist assessment of the class nature of fascism and the strategy and tactics required by the working class to confront this deadly menace.

Other featured works include:

The Struggle Against Fascism in Germany by Leon Trotsky. These articles and essays trace the rise of Hitlerite fascism in Germany and offer a trenchant critique of the policies of the German Communist Party, which permitted the fascists to take power without a shot being fired. Trotsky insisted that the victory of fascism in Germany was not inevitable. Hitler was able to come to power only after the mass socialist and communist parties had shown themselves to be politically bankrupt in the course of the entire period following the end of World War I.

The Spanish Revolution by Leon Trotsky. These writings by Trotsky examine the lessons of the great revolutionary movement of the Spanish working class in the 1930s, tragically aborted and betrayed by the Stalinist Communist Party into the hands of Francos fascists. Among the topics this work examines in depth are the Popular Front, the role of the centrist Workers Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), anarchism, Stalinism and basic questions of revolutionary strategy and tactics.

Revolution and Counterrevolution in Spain by Felix Morrow. This work, written in the midst of the great battles of the Spanish working class in the 1930s offers a penetrating critique of the Popular Front policies of the Stalinist Communist Party. Morrow not only analyzes the counterrevolutionary role of Stalinism but takes up the policies of the anarchist CNT and the centrist Workers Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), whose policies played a central role in the defeat of the revolution at the hands of Francos fascists.

Leon Trotsky on France. This book includes the most important writings of Leon Trotsky on the upsurge of the French working class in the 1930s, culminating in the great general strike of 1936. Trotsky deals with such questions as the tactic of the united front and the formation of workers militias to defend working class organizations against fascist attack. He also deals with the Popular Front and the French Radical Party.
A recent op-ed in the New York Times by former New York University (NYU) student Kristina Bogos details the attempts by the governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to shut down her research into labor conditions in the Middle Eastern monarchies. This biting report underscores the complicity of her former university in attacks on political and academic freedom.

The schools collaboration with the repressive UAE regime at NYUs satellite campus in Abu Dhabi shows the anti-democratic character of the pro-corporate administration. In the US, NYU has also denied club status to the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, cutting off political opposition to the ruling parties domestically.

In the Times op-ed, Bogos recounts her experience with authorities from the Gulf monarchies, which began with intimidating emails sent prior to her planned visit to Qatar in May. The messages accused her of conducting a dirty mission and warned that UAE officials had informed Qatar about her plans.

With the help of a security expert, Bogos established that her email had been hacked, most likely by the UAE government, which shared information with Qatari authorities. When she arrived in the capital, Doha, Bogos was denied entry and detained. Officials explained that she was on a blacklist due to her previous activities in the UAE while a student at NYU. She was ultimately permitted entry as a tourist, but state security forces kept her under tight surveillance during the visit. Her student visa application for graduate study in Qatar was denied.

Bogos was targeted because of her prior articles exposing the brutal migrant labor system in the Middle East. As an undergraduate journalism student at NYU, she spent a semester abroad in 2013. Her research included interviews with construction workers erecting the universitys Abu Dhabi campus on Saadiyat Island. Currently she attends Georgetown University, which operates a foreign campus in neighboring Qatar. She sought to conduct thesis research on migrant communities there.

The attempt to silence Bogos is not an isolated incident. In March of 2015, UAE barred NYU professor Andrew Ross from boarding a flight to Abu Dhabi. Ross, a labor studies scholar, an outspoken critic of the labor practices in the Gulf region, intended to carry out field research before he was blacklisted for unexplained security reasons. Prior to his planned trip, Ross discovered that he, along with other academics and journalists who exposed labor abuses in the UAE, were the targets of a private investigation. On a previous trip to UAE, he reported being followed, apparently by government security officials.

NYU responded to the travel ban on Ross by defending the schools relationship with the repressive monarchy. University Spokesman John Beckman claimed that students and faculty experienced zero infringements on academic freedom on the Abu Dhabi campus and that ultimately, it is the government that controls visa and immigration policy, and not the university.

Similarly, Georgetown University responded to the banning of Bogos by asserting that access to study and residence visas varies across individuals and over time. Both NYU and Georgetown added hollow phrases in support of academic freedom, even claiming that their presence in UAE and Qatar advance the cause of liberalism in the Gulf.

The records of these regimes show the opposite is true. The monarchies in the UAE, Qatar, and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council are among the most reactionary on the planet, notorious for their human rights abuses and extreme exploitation of foreign workers. Morality crimes are punishable by flogging and death by stoning. Human Rights Watch and other rights organizations have cited the arbitrary detention and disappearance of government critics. In the UAE it is illegal to criticize the government, the police or the royal family. Political parties are forbidden, and the press is tightly controlled.

Migrant workers, which make up the entire construction labor force in UAE, are systematically abused under the notorious kafala system of employer sponsorship. Migrants typically must pay recruiters up to a years salary and are forbidden to change employers without consent. Their passports are confiscated in order to restrict their movement. They have no access to legal recourse when they are swindled or otherwise abused. Strikes and other workplace struggles are met with jail time and deportations.

The rapid development on Saadiyat Island, which included not only the NYU Abu Dhabi campus but also branches of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums, is no exception. In 2014, a front page story in the Times documented abuses of workers constructing the NYU campus.

The report revealed that workers were forced to toil 11 to 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week just to make their promised income. They lived in squalor at dangerous labor camps, more than a dozen crammed into a 200 square foot (19 square meter) sleeping quarters. Their passports were taken away and purchases tightly controlled. Despite issuing an apology after a later report revealed further slave labor conditions, NYU did not compensate the hundreds of workers who were deported as a result of being framed up while working for NYU.

The oil rich Gulf countries remain key allies of the US government and principal conduits for US militarism in the Middle East. Collectively the Gulf monarchies produce over 20 percent of the worlds oil. They hold an even larger share of the spare oil production capacity, which enables them to raise production rapidly and exert power over prices.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are the largest recipients of US weapons exports, according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The UAE alone received $18 billion worth of on-the-books military equipment from the US between 2007 and 2014, according to figures from the Congressional Research Service. Secret arms transfers were not tallied. These weapons transfers, whether official or covert, have played a key role in arming Islamist proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere in the region.

In addition, the US military maintains key infrastructure in the region. US military jets have access to bases in the UAE. Neighboring Qatar hosts the largest US base in the region. The Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Persian Gulf, is based out of Bahrain.

None of this is incidental to the expansion of NYU in Abu Dhabithe flagship of its expanding global network that now counts 14 cities outside the US. In fact, locating the satellite campus in the UAE was carried out with the support of the highest levels of the US government. Hillary Clintons former chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, played a key role in negotiating the final agreement on behalf of NYU. She negotiated with government officials from the UAE for four months while also employed by the US State Department under Clinton.

The Washington Post reported that her responsibilities on the negotiation team included free-speech provisions for students and faculty members, navigating how same-sex and unmarried couples could work at the university given the countrys conservative laws, and working to ensure labor protections for workers constructing campus buildings. None of these were of any real concern in the multi-million dollar deal.

Former president Bill Clinton demonstrated his support by giving the commencement address to the first graduating class in 2014. Clinton also reportedly collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees at events in the UAE while his wife was secretary of state. The Clinton Foundation reports UAE donations at the level of between $1 million and $5 million.

This support within the state apparatus is not simply a matter of the personal interest of the Clintons. Furthering the academic, cultural and business ties with the reactionary, semi-feudal Gulf monarchies is understood as important to cementing alliances that enable the US to project its influence in a strategically important area of the globe.

For its part, NYUs international expansion opens up access to a larger pool of wealthy, revenue-generating students and helps develop NYU as a global brand. The financial attractiveness of the endeavor was boosted by the Abu Dhabi governments commitment to fully funding the campus construction.

In addressing the controversy in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, NYU president Andrew Hamilton told the Washington Square News, I wholeheartedly believe that a universitys strength lies in its ability to debate, to discuss, to explore, to research, to teach without constraints. He added, We must always remain vigilant, and [academic restrictions] can occur in the United States just as they can occur in Abu Dhabi or Shanghai.

Under his administration, now one year in, the supposed vigilance is nowhere to be found. NYUs complicity in the blacklisting of Bogos and Ross in Abu Dhabi mirror the moves in New York to prevent the emergence of a political alternative in the form of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality. NYU is engaged in an intensifying attack on democratic rights of students and faculty, and it is up to students to fight for the rights of socialist groups to participate in the political life of this important campus.
25 Years Ago | 50 Years Ago | 75 Years Ago | 100 Years Ago

25 years ago: The juridical liquidation of the Soviet Union

On December 26, 1991, the old flag of tsarist Russia was raised over the Kremlin for the first time since the 1917 October Revolution, marking the official end of the Soviet Union.

Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the rump Soviet federal government resigned office the night before and the red flag of the USSR was lowered for the last time. That same day, to allow Russia to retain the Soviet Unions permanent Security Council seat, Russian Republic President Boris Yeltsin informed the United Nations that the name Russian Federation would replace Soviet Union.

In early December, Yeltsin, Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk and Belarusian parliament chairman Stanislav Shushkevich signed an agreement in Belarus known as the Belavezha Accords, to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Within the following two weeks, 11 of the 12 Soviet republics ratified the accords.

The final legal step in the dissolution was made on December 26, when the upper house of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, voted both itself and the Union out of existence.

The juridical liquidation of the Soviet Union was but the final stage in a process that undermined and eventually destroyed the first workers state in the world. Gorbachev introduced the economic program of perestroika in August of 1988, subsequently implementing further economic policies for the restoration of capitalism, provoking huge resistance in the Soviet working class.

The failed August putsch of 1991 was a pathetic last-ditch attempt by a cabal of KGB officials to preserve the rule and privileges of the Stalinist bureaucracy under the Soviet state system.

Under the program of socialism in one country, announced in 1924, the Stalinist bureaucracy began the consolidation of its rule over the first workers state. Leon Trotsky, who, along with Lenin, led the 1917 insurrection, formed the Left Opposition to fight for a proletarian internationalist leadership.

In his 1936 book, The Revolution Betrayed, Trotsky characterized the USSR as a degenerated workers state, which would end in the restoration of capitalism unless the Stalinist bureaucracy was overthrown in a political revolution by the working class.

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50 year ago: De Gaulle attacks US war in Vietnam

On December 31, 1966, French President Charles De Gaulle used his annual New Years address to France to issue a sharp criticism of the US war in Vietnam.

De Gaulle juxtaposed what he called the peace and prosperity of France and Europe to Southeast Asia, where war rages. He said of Vietnam that it was an unjust war, for it results, in fact, from the armed intervention of the United States upon the territory of Vietnam. Detestable war, because it leads a great nation to ravage a small one. We hold it necessary that [the US] put an end to the ordeal by bringing her forces back to her soil.

Vietnam, along with the rest of Indochina, was a former colony lost to French imperialism only after a bitter counterinsurgency war that culminated in Frances defeat in the humiliating siege of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. This was followed by the loss of its most important colony, Algeria, in a brutal war that lasted from 1954 until 1962. France, together with Great Britain the oldest of the colonial powers, now tried to refurbish its image by declaring itself, as De Gaulle said in his New Years speech, as the champion of the backward peoples, boasting that Paris gave more aid proportionally to developing nations than did the US or any other country.

De Gaulles criticism of the US was part of a larger bid to create a multi-polar world based on French leadership of Western Europe, a goal that had animated French withdrawal from NATO, also in 1966, as well as the French central banks highly public purchases of gold using US dollars as a means of challenging the Bretton Woods system of US-British domination of international finance.

French aid to the Third World was a soft mechanism for opening markets to French capitalism. In the same vein, De Gaulle spoke of improving relations with the Stalinist states of Eastern Europe and working to build the economic and perhaps one day political grouping of the Western SixFrance, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxemburg.

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75 years ago: Battle of the Kerch Peninsula begins in Crimea

In the week beginning December 26, 1941, the Red Army launched amphibious operations in the Black Sea to relieve the Nazi encirclement of the Soviet garrison at Sevastopol in Crimea. Red Army units landed first at the Kerch Peninsula's most eastern point on December 26 and further west at Feodosia on December 30. Red Army forces secured bridgeheads, defeating Romanian Axis forces attempting to repulse the landings.

Fearing encirclement by Soviet troops, German General von Sponeck tactically withdrew his forces from Kerch along the Parpach Narrows. The general was sentenced to death, subsequently commuted, for a tactical withdrawal without authorization.

The Red Army subsequently retook control of the city of Kerch on December 29. Because of Red Army penetration into the Kerch Peninsula, the Germans paused their assault upon Sevastopol and were also unable to send much-needed reinforcements from Crimea to reinforce Army Group Souths campaign in Ukraine.

After hiding from public view for months once Operation Barbarossa began, Stalin was now buoyed by the recent retreat of the Wehrmacht after their previous rapid advancement to within sight of Moscow. Turning from Cassandra to foolish optimism on the fate of the Soviet Union, Stalin prematurely believed German forces vulnerable to a general offensive. Stalin told his Armed Forces High Command to break the siege at Sevastopol in Crimea first, to be followed by pushing forward at Moscow, Leningrad, and in the Donbass to recapture Kharkov.

General Georgy Zhukov, who was earlier removed as Chief of the General Staff when Stalin objected to his plans to evacuate Kiev in Ukraine and subsequently demoted to commander of the Western Front, was horrified when he heard of Stalins reckless plans. Despite slowing and even reversing the initially rapid Nazi advancements of Operation Barbarossa into the western territory of the Soviet Union, the Red Army still lacked basics like sufficient trained and battle-hardened reserves and ammunition.

The setbacks and disarray suffered by the Wehrmacht during the first winter of Operation Barbarossa created crisis within the Nazi leadership. In the days leading up to the opening salvos of the Battle for the Kerch Peninsula, Hitler replaced Field Marshal von Bock as the Commander of Army Group Centre after von Bock requested permission to retreat, fearing a rout. Field Marshal von Brauchitsch was sacked and Hitler himself assumed the position of the supreme commander of the German army, taking upon himself responsibility for military tactics and grand strategy.

Days before the beginning of the battle for Kerch, Hitler granted General Guderian, the Panzer commander of Army Group Centre, an audience to make his case for a tactical and limited withdrawal. Hitler chastised the Panzer commander and reiterated his Halt Orderunder no circumstances, without permission and prior preparation, should German forces retreat; rather, they must stand fast and dig in regardless of Red Army advances. Guderian too was dismissed by Hitler on December 2.

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100 years ago: Rasputin murdered in Petrograd

On December 30, 1916, Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian-born religious mystic who had exerted inordinate influence over the Tsarist regime, and had a particularly close relationship with the Tsarina, was murdered in Petrograd. The assassination was a symptom of the increasingly crisis-ridden character of the autocracy which had ruled Russia for centuries, amid heavy Russian defeats in the First World War and mounting opposition in the working class.

With Tsar Nicholas II at the front in personal command of Russian forces, the Tsarina had granted almost complete power in Petrograd to Rasputin. Ministers and government officials were routinely removed at Rasputins behest, and replaced by his cronies.

In the middle of November, Paul Milyukov, a leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, denounced the Tsarina, Rasputin and the conduct of the government in the Duma, the Russian parliament. Is this folly or treason? Milyukov asked. Even the extreme right-wing deputies joined in the denunciation of the government.

In late December, the Duma issued a declaration against the dark forces, referring to Rasputin and his cohorts, who it accused of undermining the countrys best efforts to conduct the war and creating disorganization in all departments of the government and in the interior. The Council of the Empire and the Council of the Nobles passed the same resolution.

On December 30, Rasputin was invited to the home of Prince Felix Yusupov, husband of the Tsars niece. Yusupov and a group of conspirators first sought to poison Rasputin with cyanide. When this failed, they shot him. He managed to survive. The assassins battered him and dropped his body in the Neva River where it was found three days later.

In his History of the Russian Revolution, Trotsky noted that the murder occurred amid murmurings of a palace coup within Russian ruling and aristocratic circles, concerned over the implications of the deepening crisis of the Tsarist autocracy. The Tsar and Tsarina responded to the assassination by promoting Rasputins cronies, and banishing a number of aristocratic figures implicated in the killing.

Trotsky noted that within 10 weeks of Rasputins murder, the regime would fall in the February revolution of 1917. He wrote, The murder of Rasputin played a colossal role, but a very different one from that upon which its perpetrators and inspirers had counted. It did not weaken the crisis, but sharpened it. People talked of the murder everywhere: in the palaces, in the staffs, at the factories, and in the peasants huts. The inference drew itself: even the grand dukes have no other recourse against the leprous camarilla except poison and the revolver. The poet Blok wrote of the murder of Rasputin: The bullet which killed him reached the very heart of the ruling dynasty.

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Infant Starves to Death at Home Days After Parents Fatally OD on Heroin at the Same Time

Pennsylvania authorities believe a 5-month-old girl may have been left alone for as many as four days  starving and dehydrated  before dying, after her parents fatally overdosed on heroin nearly two weeks ago, PEOPLE confirms.

The small body of Summer Chambers was found Thursday inside a bassinet in the upstairs bedroom of a Johnstown, Pennsylvania, home, according to police. The remains of her 19-year-old mother, Chelsea Cardaro, were found in a neighboring bathroom while her father, Jason Chambers, 27, was found lifeless on the first floor.

Local pathologists estimated Summers parents had been dead a week by the time a friend found them, according to Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan. Authorities believe the mother and father died almost simultaneously, Callihan says.

Its so sad and really illustrates just how bad the heroin epidemic is, not only here but across the country, Callihan tells PEOPLE.

Had they not died within minutes of each other, we believe one would have called 911 for help for the other, Callihan says, adding, The pathologists said a child can live a couple of days without food or milk. She was only 5 months old, so she was on her back  she had no way to move from that bassinet.

This was a picture in my mind Id rather forget, Callihan says.

Summer succumbed to dehydration and starvation, according to officials. PEOPLE was unable to reach Summers grandparents for comment Tuesday.

Callihan says a friend was called to check on Chambers and Cardaro when the couple, who had recently moved to Pennsylvania from New York, failed to show up for planned holiday festivities.

 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.

From left: Chelsea Cardaro and Jason Chambers.Facebook

Neighbors didnt think it was out of the ordinary that they didnt see them around, because they were traveling to New York for Christmas, Callihan says. Someone called one of their friends, who opened a window and climbed inside.

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The friend found all three bodies and immediately called 911.

Callihan says police recovered evidence of drug use and heroin from the couples home and believes the two were using a substance that was obviously laced with something. Tests are being performed on the heroin that was removed from the residence to determine if other chemicals were present, she says.

 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.

According to Callihan, police had been called to the couples home before: Last month, Chambers overdosed on heroin and responding police and EMS technicians revived him using Narcan, a heroin overdose antidote.

State child welfare authorities were contacted after Chambers overdosed, Callihan says. Officials visited the home on Dec. 7 and felt everything was appropriate, and Cardaro denied being a drug user.




The gift the Ryan family received on Christmas Eve was so much better than anything waiting under the tree.

The Rhode Island family was reunited with their dog, Kacy (above, right), whod disappeared following a hit-and-run. My heart is so full right now, Linda Ryan told NBC 10.

According to the station, Thomas Ryan was walking Kacy and the familys other dog Angus on Dec. 15 when they were all hit by a car. Angus broke his leg; Kacy went running.

While Thomas was able to get the license plate number of the car as it drove away  and the driver was later apprehended and charged  he couldnt find his beloved pup. But nine days later, 10-year-old Amya Oliver noticed a dog on her porch and told her parents, who discovered it was in fact Kacy.

At the time, Thomas was celebrating Christmas Eve at his nieces home. I got a phone call from the Warwick Police Department. They asked me if I believe in Christmas miracles and I said, Yes, I do,  Thomas recalled to NBC 10. They said, A lady on Jefferson Street has your dog. 

Linda headed right to the scene, where Kacy, albeit with a slight limp, was waiting happily. I opened the door and Kacy was so excited to see me, Linda said. She was wagging her tail and kissing me.

Though its great news for the family, Angus is still suffering from his injuries, and faces a $7,500 surgery. So the family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs. However, hes received quite the spirit boost from Kacys return.

Angus is doing a little bit better now that Kacys home, Thomas said. Added Linda: He started wagging his tail and walking around. It was the most activity hes done in more than a week.




Photo credit: Associated Press

From Cosmopolitan

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - President-elect Donald Trump says he will dissolve his charitable foundation before taking office to avoid conflicts of interest. The Democratic Party says that's not enough and is calling for the billionaire businessman to put his assets in a blind trust.

The New York attorney general's office has been investigating the foundation following media reports that foundation spending went to benefit Trump's campaign. A spokeswoman says the foundation cannot close until the investigation is complete.

Trump said in a statement Saturday that he has directed his counsel to take the necessary steps to implement the dissolution of the Donald J. Trump Foundation, saying that it operated "at essentially no cost for decades, with 100 percent of the money going to charity."

"The foundation has done enormous good works over the years in contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups, including supporting veterans, law enforcement officers and children," he said in a statement.

"I will be devoting so much time and energy to the presidency and solving the many problems facing our country and the world. I don't want to allow good work to be associated with a possible conflict of interest," he said.

Trump said he will pursue philanthropic efforts in other ways, but he didn't elaborated on how he'd do so.

The Democratic National Committee criticized Trump for what it called "a wilted fig leaf to cover up his remaining conflicts of interest and his pitiful record of charitable giving."

The statement from party spokesman Eric Walker also took a jab at the president-elect over his controversial business holdings: "Shuttering a charity is no substitute for divesting from his for-profit business and putting the assets in a blind trust - the only way to guarantee separation between the Trump administration and the Trump business."

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A 2015 tax return posted on the nonprofit monitoring website GuideStar shows the Donald J. Trump Foundation acknowledged that it used money or assets in violation of IRS regulations - not only during 2015, but in prior years.

Those regulations prohibit self-dealing by the charity. That's broadly defined as using its money or assets to benefit Trump, his family, his companies or substantial contributors to the foundation.

The tax filing doesn't provide details on the violations. Whether Trump benefited from the foundation's spending has been the subject of an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

In September, Schneiderman disclosed that his office has been investigating Trump's charity to determine whether it has abided by state laws governing nonprofits.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press in September showed Schneiderman's scrutiny of The Donald J. Trump Foundation dated back to at least June, when his office formally questioned the donation made by the charity to a group supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi personally solicited the money during a 2013 phone call that came after her office received complaints from former students claiming they were scammed by Trump University, Trump's get-rich-quick real estate seminars.

The Trump Foundation check arrived just days after Bondi's office told a newspaper it was reviewing a lawsuit against Trump University filed by Schneiderman. Bondi's office never sued Trump, though she denies his donation played any role in that decision.

Trump later paid a $2,500 fine over the check from his foundation because it violated federal law barring charities from making political contributions.

Amy Spitalnick, press secretary for Schneiderman's office, said Saturday that the foundation "cannot legally dissolve" until the investigation is complete.

The charitable foundation was ordered to immediately stop fundraising in New York just weeks before the general election, Schneiderman's office saying it wasn't registered to do so. The N.Y. attorney general's office said in October the Trump Foundation had a registration for an organization with assets in New York, but the law requires a different registration for those that solicit more than $25,000 a year from the public. It complied with the order and stopped its fundraising activities.

Trump was highly critical of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's family charity, the Clinton Foundation, saying without evidence that she ran "a vast criminal enterprise run out of the State Department" while she was secretary of state. At the final presidential debate, he challenged Clinton to "give back the money" that came from donors in countries that fail to respect various human rights.

More than half the people outside the government who met with Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money - either personally or through companies or groups - to the Clinton Foundation. The proportion indicated possible ethics challenges had she been elected president.

Trump's announcement to dissolve his own foundation came a day after the president-elect took to Twitter to declare it a "ridiculous shame" that his son Eric will have to stop soliciting funds for his charitable foundation, the Eric Trump Foundation, because of a conflict of interest.

"My wonderful son, Eric, will no longer be allowed to raise money for children with cancer because of a possible conflict of interest with my presidency," Trump tweeted. "He loves these kids, has raised millions of dollars for them, and now must stop. Wrong answer!"

Trump was spending the Christmas weekend at his South Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, his retreat for most holidays. He and his wife, Melania, attended services Saturday night at an Episcopal church in Palm Beach.

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Mulayam announced the names of candidates for 325 of the 403 seats on Wednesday.

He also ruled out SP's pre-poll alliance with any party.

Akhilesh said, I am not aware of what is there in the list. A new list has come in which some names have been deleted.

I will appeal to the party president to reconsider the names of persons who have done a good work and have a chance to win.

The UP Chief Minister today is meeting the ministers who have been denied ticket today.
On the occasion of his 160th birthday, Constitution Daily looks at some unusual facts related to one of the more controversial Presidents, Woodrow Wilson.

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Today, the controversy over Wilson involves his legacy at Princeton University, where a debate continues about the use of Wilsons name on campus buildings, due to Wilsons purported racist viewpoints during his lifetime. But Wilson was also controversial as Princetons president before his sudden rise to the White House. And his eight years in office didnt lack drama.

Heres a quick look at 10 fascinating facts about the 28th President.

1. Wilson experienced the Civil War in his youth. Born on December 28, 1856 in Virginia, young Thomas Woodrow Wilson was present in Georgia when Union troops entered his town and his mother tended to wounded Confederate soldiers.

2. As a child, Wilson saw Robert E. Lee. Young 13-year-old Tommy Wilson and his father were at a procession in Augusta, where the future President stood next to General Lee at the event.

3. Wilson did eventually attend Princeton as a student. After a brief time at Davidson College, Wilson would up in New Jersey at Princeton, where he graduated 38th in his class of 167 students.

4. Wilson was a professional historian and political scientist. After a brief law career, Wilson settled into an academic career that lasted until 1910. He was a professor at other schools, and then returned to Princeton, where he was named its president in 1902.

5. Wilson only had a little over two years of political experience when he became President of the United States. After a difficult conclusion to his Princeton career, Wilson won election as New Jerseys governor in 1910, and just two years later, he was in the White House.

6. The 1912 election wasnt a popular landslide. Wilson won easily in the Electoral College against the divided Taft and Roosevelt factions, but his 42% popular vote total was the third-lowest winning tally in history.

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7. Wilson put the first Jewish justice on the Supreme Court. In 1916, the President pushed for Louis Brandeis to be named to the high court against fierce opposition. In the end, Wilson prevailed.

8. Wilsons health problems led to constitutional change. The frail Wilson had a history of health issues, but stress related to promoting the League of Nations led to a series of strokes in 1919. The partially incapacitated Wilson remained in office until 1921. Eventually, the 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, allowed for constitutional measures to deal with temporary or permanent incapacity of the President in office.

9. Wilson made the first live remote national radio broadcast. In November 1923, shortly before his death, Wilson spoke to a national audience just before Armistice Day from his Washington, D.C. home. The next day, 20,000 people showed up at his house to hear a few more words from the former President.

10. Wilson is the only U.S. President buried in Washington, D.C. The 28th President is in a sarcophagus at the Washington National Cathedral. William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy are interred at Arlington, Virginia.

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As the father of a nuclear family and a self-proclaimed Christmas enthusiast, I love celebrating the holidays with the people I love.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that many family members, friends and bipartisan leaders of the United States government were calling for an investigation on potential Russian hacking on my home. Much like Presdient-elect Trump and his transition team, however, I deny these charges and will not let the threat of foreign cyber influence on my home stop my family and I from enjoying the most wonderful time of the year.

SEE ALSO: Fill out this job application form to be considered for Trump's cabinet

Below, I've gathered a list of my favorite holiday traditions that have certainly not been influenced or hacked by Russians.

1. Decorating my beautiful lawn

Decorating the front yard with seasonal lights is a great family activity. This year, my family chose to go a little more extravagant than other years. Word to the wise: be careful to not overload your circuit breaker  ours exploded leaving the house with no power except the outdoor lights that are now blinking the Russian national anthem in morse code. Just a coincidence!

2. Shopping at small businesses in my town

Teaching the kids to support small businesses is important to me. Thats why I tried to buy all of our gifts at fair trade stores this year. That is, before my bank account sprung a leak! There is nothing but a big fat zero in my checking and savings and when I called the bank about this they said, "It looks like it was Russian hackers that did this."

Ha! The idea that Russian hackers could potentially be doing this to me is a fanciful liberal pipe dream!

3. Dressing up the dog

This is not Buddy!

Image: mashable composite, getty images, creative commons

Nothing is cuter than a dog wearing people clothes. We worked hard to create Buddys very own holiday sweater this year. Unfortunately, Buddy, our 9-year-old chocolate lab, is nowhere to be seen! The silly guy can be shy sometimes. There is, however, a 6 ft.-long, 1,500-pound confused Kodiak bear in our living room. Could this be a physical threat from Russian hackers that has put my childrens lives at risk? Not very likely!

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4. Setting up a toy train

One of my earliest memories is setting up a train around the tree with my father on Christmas Eve. The nostalgia factor alone makes this tradition worth it. Its most likely just a coincidence that this year, our toy train was stolen overnight and replaced with an exact to-scale replica of the Lastochka, a Russian high-speed electric train servicing Moscow and St. Petersburg. Is it possible that the home my family lives in is being targeted by Russian hackers? Nope!

5. Playing in the snow

Sometimes around the holidays we're lucky enough to get some snow to play in! Last night, no thanks to the Chinese hoax global warming, we had a huge snowfall! The kids mustve been so excited that they woke up early to write "" in the snow. This Russian word translates to submit/comply/conform/surrender. My little guys have a sense of humor! Not sure where they get it from!

6. Cutting down the Christmas tree

Image: creative commons

Finding the perfect tree is the least of our worries. Going tree hunting is all about family bonding. Studies show that families who make decisions together keep healthier relationships. As me and my son strapped our Douglas Fir on the roof of the sedan, we couldnt help but notice a tall, pale man pointing at us. In a very distinct eastern European accent, he yelled, Your family is not safe and We have hacked you several times. He mustve mistaken me for somebody else!

7. Going caroling

Nothing like spreading holiday cheer to your neighbors quite like caroling. Plus, the agent weve been assigned thinks we should stay away from the house as much as possible while the CIA does a full scale investigation. Silly!

8. Going into protective custody

The best part about holiday traditions is that you and your family can start new ones every year! They say the house isnt safe anymore. I say hogwash!

9. Wearing matching pajamas

It can be fun and cute to buy matching nightwear for the family every year. It is a common tradition, unlike staying in a Motel 6 off of Baltimore Ave because your home is without a doubt compromised.

10. Sleeping with a gun

Its not a Christmas tradition; its just for safety!

BONUS: What it's like to go home for the holidays
MADRID (AP)  The Spanish government says that Turkish authorities have arrested two Spanish women suspected of being part of the Islamic State group as they were leaving Syria accompanied by children.

Spain's interior ministry said Wednesday that the two women had been tracked for two years since they left for Syria from Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in northern Africa, accompanied by their husbands.

According to the statement, the husbands are "prominent" IS members and the wives, who were also part of the IS structure, are considered "extraordinarily valuable assets" for the organization.

In a separate case, two people were arrested Wednesday in Madrid for lauding Islamic extremism. A video released by police showed agents finding parts of firearms and ammunition during the raid.
The untimely deaths in recent days of George Michael and Carrie Fischer have for many only added to the eagerness for 2016 to come to an end. It has been a year of not only having to wave goodbye to beloved celebrities but of stunning political upheaval and increased divisiveness, both in the United States and across the world. In a poll conducted by the Associated Press-Time Square alliance released this week, only 18 percent of Americans said things got better for the country in 2016.

But will things get any better in 2017? One survey of foreign-policy experts has warned that there is plenty to be concerned about in the year ahead.

Among the possible scenarios in 2017 are a deliberate or unintended military confrontation between Russia and NATO member countries as well as a severe crisis in North Korea, according to experts questioned for The Council on Foreign Relations ninth-annual Preventative Priorities Survey.

A confrontation involving Russia could occur over the assertive behavior of Vladimir Putin in Eastern Europe. As for North Korea, it is predicted that the countrys nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile weapons testing, military provocation or internal political stability within Kim Jong Uns regime could lead to crisis.

Both events are listed among those that would have a high impact on the United States and a moderate likelihood of transpiring. Also included in that category are a mass casualty terrorist attack in the U.S. and a highly disruptive cyber-attack on U.S. critical infrastructure.

Of course, much will depend on the actions of arguably the most unpredictable incoming president of recent times. And Donald Trump will perhaps set the tone for the year ahead when he gives his inaugural address Jan. 20.

Vladimir Putin

Photo: Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

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Trumps coziness to Putin has been the subject of much discussion, while he has already caused a rupture in the relationship with China. He has also sought to put the responsibility for reigning in North Korea on China, even if he has called Kim a maniac, albeit one he would be willing to chat with over a burger.

Relations with Iran also promise to be a hot topic, not only because Trump has vowed to dismantle the nuclear deal but because of a presidential election in the country in May. In general, a Trump administration could lead to frequent confrontation predicts CBS News Foreign Affair Correspondent Margaret Brennan.

The mood of 2017 will also be set by events in Europe. After a series of populist uprisings over the past 12 months, headlined by Britains vote to leave the European Union, more key political dates await, including the British governments plan to trigger Article 50 by the end of March, signaling the start of the countrys two-year period to leave the EU.

Also in March, elections will be held in the Netherlands, where far-right, anti-Muslim candidate Geert Wilders is the front-runner to become prime minister despite being convicted of inciting discrimination earlier this month.

A similarly populist candidate, Marine Le Pen, is a leading contender going into the French presidential elections in April. And Angele Merkel, once seen as the stabilizing force in European politics, is coming under increasing pressure ahead of elections in Germany scheduled for October, particularly from the rising anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany Party.

While Merkel is expected to win a fourth term and Le Pen currently looks set to miss out to center-right candidate Francois Fillon, if 2016 has taught us anything its that political predictions are far from foolproof.

Related Articles
Overview: Its hip to be square. Witness the 2017 Subaru Forester; short of Mercedes-Benzs ancient G-class, youll be hard-pressed to find a vehicle with a blockier shape in todays automotive market. Although the Foresters 34 cubic feet of cargo room behind its rear seats may not lead its class (the 2017 Honda CR-V offers 39 cubes), the compact crossovers boxy aesthetic allows owners to exploit the available space more easily. Unlike a number of sleeker competitors, the Forester requires no cargo-carrying compromises be made in response to a sloping roofline or an angled hatch eating into the available vertical space.

Like every Forester before it, the 2017 model comes standard with all-wheel drive. It is offered in six trim levels: 2.5i, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, 2.0XT Premium, 2.5i Touring, and 2.0XT Touring. The 2.5i models are equipped with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four engine that produces 170 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, while 2.0XT versions rely on a turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four with 250 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on 2.5i and 2.5i Premium models. All others use a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) as standard. Notably, CVT-equipped 2.5i, 2.5 Premium, 2.5i Limited, and 2.5i Touring models all see their 2017 fuel economy rise to 26 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, up from 24/31 mpg.

For this review, we drove a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.0XT Touring. Its as-tested price of $36,765 included a $1595 package that added LED headlights, a reverse automatic-braking system, navigation, and Subarus EyeSight bundle of safety features (pre-collision braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane-departure warning).

Whats New: The Subaru Forester enters 2017 with a host of mid-cycle changes, the most noticeable of which are to its exterior. A new grille, front fascia, and headlight design highlight changes to the front of the car, while redesigned taillights are now illuminated by LEDs. Almost all trim levelssave for the base 2.5iwear new wheels, too. A standard rear spoiler and optional power rear liftgate trickle down from higher-end models to the 2.5i Premium. Inside, things remain mostly the same; however, keen eyes will notice an updated steering wheel as well as an available Saddle Brown interior color in the top-of-the-line Forester Touring.

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Harder to spot are changes to the Foresters optional EyeSight safety system. Available on 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Touring, and 2.0XT Touring trims, EyeSights windshield-header-mounted color cameras now have a wider and longer field of vision. Opting for EyeSight on Limited and Touring models also brings automatic high-beam headlights and reverse-automatic-braking to the table, the latter of which can automatically stop the vehicle if it detects an imminent collision while reversing. Meanwhile, Forester Limited and Touring models now come standard with a blind-spot monitor, as do Premium trims equipped with EyeSight. Swiveling LED headlights are newly available and come standard on the Touring, as well as the Limited when optioned with EyeSight. The Touring models also benefit from the addition of a heated steering wheel.

Additionally, Subaru added a quicker steering ratio and more soundproofing to the 2017 Forester. Thicker glass, an acoustically laminated windshield, added insulation, and improved door seals all help block exterior noise from the cabin. Finally, the Forester 2.0XT Touring, when equipped with EyeSight, now includes a brake-based torque-vectoring system.

What We Like: The 2017 Subaru Forester wears its heart on its sleeve. Its nothing more or less than what it promises to be. A comfortable ride, an elevated seating position, standard all-wheel drive, and available state-of-the-art safety technology provide Subarus compact crossover with the characteristics sought by customers shopping this class. If you can swing the extra costs for the initial purchase and fuel, opt for the more powerful 2.0XT. You wont regret it. The vehicle we drove had ample power, and the Subaru Intelligent Drive mode selector, standard on the 2.0XT, allows three stages of adjustment to the throttle mapping and computer programming to tame the worst offenses of the CVT. Also, efforts toward better noise suppression have paid off with a quiet cabin at freeway speeds.

What We Dont Like: Subarus CVT is prone to drone when paired with the 2.5-liter engine. For those choosing that engine, wed recommend the manual transmission; however, doing so means forgoing safety options such as EyeSight and blind-spot monitoring. While Subarus latest multimedia systems, updated for 2016, are ergonomically sound and easy to use, the Forester continues to lack Apple CarPlay or Android Auto integration, and the graphic presentation looks dated. When the fourth-generation model was introduced for 2014, the Forester finished third in a comparison test against the Toyota RAV4 and the Mazda CX-5, and subsequent updates, while significant, have barely kept pace with newer arrivals in this fast-changing market segment. Even in the 2.0XT trim with this years quicker steering and active torque vectoring, the Foresters handling and general driving experience wind up feeling dull and less sophisticated than many competitors, including the Honda CR-V, the Ford Escape, and the Mazda CX-5.

Verdict: There are better compact crossovers, but the Foresters combination of features and pricing makes for strong sales.

BUILD YOUR OWN | RANK IN SEGMENT

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback



BASE PRICES: 2.5i: $23,470;

2.5i Premium: $26,370;

2.5i Limited: $30,070;

2.0XT Premium: $30,170;

2.5i Touring: $32,170;

2.0XT Touring: $35,170



ENGINE TYPES: DOHC 16-valve 2.5-liter flat-4, 170 hp, 174 lb-ft; turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter flat-4, 250 hp, 258 lb-ft



TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual; continuously variable automatic; continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode



DIMENSIONS:

Wheelbase: 103.9 in

Length: 181.5 in

Width: 70.7 in Height: 66.468.2 in

Passenger volume: 104108 cu ft

Cargo volume: 3234 cu ft

Curb weight (C/D est): 35003700 lb



FUEL ECONOMY:

EPA combined/city/highway driving: 2428/2226/2732 mpg





C/D TEST RESULTS FOR:

2016 Subaru Forester 2.0XT

Zero to 60 mph: 6.3 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 16.0 sec

Zero to 120 mph: 26.1 sec

Rolling start, 560 mph: 6.8 sec

Standing -mile: 15.0 sec @ 97 mph

Braking, 700 mph: 180 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.75 g

C/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpg






- By PJ Pahygiannis





Neeraj Marathe is an investor based in Pune, Maharashtra. His core competency lies around investing in Indian listed companies, specifically mid-caps and small-caps, using fundamental analysis and value investing principles. He is an avid reader and reads books based on value investing, behavioral finance and psychology.

As a hobby, he has been teaching for the last 10 years in B-Schools based in Pune, where he teaches specialization subjects like security analysis and portfolio management.





1. How and why did you get started investing? What is your background?

I have no family background in stocks. In fact, my parents have always considered equity as too risky to invest in! I started dabbling in stocks during my college days out of sheer curiosity. My education in accounting helped me to understand certain things better and my curiosity grew. I started reading up on various investment philosophies and styles. I went through all the Buffett, Munger, Fisher and Lynch material that I think every investor starts off with and I realized that this is what I wanted to do in life!

2. Describe your investing strategy and portfolio organization. What valuation methods do you use? Where do you get your investing ideas from?

I have a very conservative and risk-averse state of mind when it comes to investing. My whole investing philosophy revolves around the objective of not losing money. I feel that if one is able to avoid the big blunders in investing, one will be reasonably successful. I am a valuation-driven investor. I do not exclusively buy 'quality' nor do I believe in holding quality at obnoxious valuations.

In terms of portfolio, I am a concentrated investor. I do not own more than eight to 10 stocks.

I use a variety of valuation methods, depending on the business and situation. Discounted cash flow, earnings/EBITDA multiple, replacement cost (in specific cases like cyclicals) are most often used. In rare cases, expected future dividends becomes a great way to value a company too. I believe that how you use any valuation method is more important than which method you use. In an Excel sheet, anything can be justified if you want it to be, so how to use a particular method to reflect a conservative and practical scenario is more important.

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3. What drew you to that specific strategy? If you only had three valuation metrics, what would they be?

I do not believe than one should be constrained to using a limited number of valuation metrics. Valuation is surely more of an art, so it has to be applied as such, depending on the situation at that point of time. However, three factors drive valuation in my opinion: earnings, cash flows and dividend. One should get a hang of these while valuing any business.

4. What books or other investors changed the way you think, inspired you or mentored you? What is the most important lesson learned from them? What investors do you follow today?

My favorite book has always been "The Most Important Thing" by Howard Marks (Trades, Portfolio). I think the book has helped me become a better investor and a better person. Another big influence for me has been the thoughts and writings of Seth Klarman (Trades, Portfolio). I personally identify the most with his style of investing.

Some Indian investors have also been a big influence on my investing journey. Professor Sanjay Bakshi, Durgeshbhai Shah and Dnyanesh Bhatawadekar are some people who have really helped me develop as an investor. My partner, Saurabh Shah, who is unfortunately no longer with us, is someone who taught me a lot about life and is probably the reason I am where I am today.

Some Indian money managers I look up to and follow include Chetan Parikh (Jeetay Investments), Rajeev Thakkar (PPFAS Mutual Fund), Kuntal Shah and Samit Vartak (SageOne) and Kenneth Andrade (Old Bridge Capital Management)

5. How long will you hold a stock and why? How long does it take to know if you are right or wrong on a stock?

There is really no single answer to the first question! I will hold the stock as long as I think the business is doing well, the management has not done anything unethical and the valuations are not obnoxious. I can compromise to a limited extent with the first and third point, but never with the second!

I never think or conclude that I am 100% right on any stock. In my opinion, self-doubt, a constant search for disconfirming evidence and an open mind are critical to investing. However, I will think that I have been reasonably right on a stock if the business does as well as I expected it to within the time frame I had in mind and the market recognizes and rewards the stock.

6. How has your investing approach changed over the years?

The small evolution I have had is like most investors I know. I have slowly moved away from exclusively Graham-style investing. However, even today, I am not totally comfortable with 'paying up for quality' just for the heck of it. In that sense, I continue to be a valuation-driven investor. However, I do think that I have evolved on the business analysis side and I try to understand businesses in much more depth than before.

7. Name some of the things that you do or believe that other investors do not.

I always believe that I can be horribly wrong with my next stock pick and my big blunder is just around the corner. I find a lot of investors always believe the opposite about themselves. I believe there is no place for complacency in the market even if you have had a good run. Humility is probably the least found virtue in the market.

8. What are some of your favorite companies, brands or even CEOs? What do you think are some of the most well-run companies? How do you judge the quality of the management?

A few brands I really admire include Jockey, HDFC, Bajaj, Amul, Parle-G and Bisleri.

A few CEOs I admire include Siddhartha Lal of Eicher Motors (BOM:505200), Arvind Uppal of Whirlpool (WHR) and Marc Llistosella of BharatBenz.

A few well-run companies I track include Whirlpool, Foseco India (BOM:500150), Ashiana Housing (BOM:523716), Gruh Finance (GRUH), Page Industries (BOM:532827) and Eicher Motors. (All Indian companies, CEOs and brands)

I always try and judge the quality of management on two parameters: integrity and efficiency. For both, history can be an excellent guide. Reading annual reports of companies and other publicly available data for the last 10 to 15 years and collating their words, actions, reactions and results gives a good view about both the integrity and efficiency of the management.

9. Do you use any stock screeners? What are some efficient methods to find undervalued businesses apart from screeners?

I rarely use screeners. I think some other ways of finding undervalued businesses include looking into businesses and sectors which have fallen out of favor for a variety of reasons, businesses with high potential but less aspirations where management has recently changed and businesses going through temporary distress.

10. Name some of the traits that a company must have for you to invest in, such as dividends. What does a high-quality company look like to you and what does a bad investment look like? Talk about what the ideal company to invest in would look like, even if it does not exist.

I will take up the third question to first. For me, an ideal company would be one in which:

There is a long runway and scope for growth (opportunity size coupled with good brand or positioning).

The management is ethical and efficient and is nimble enough to identify and face potential disruptive threats and competition.

Capital allocation has been top-notch.

There is a strong chance that margins will be maintained for a longer duration.

The business has favorable fixed and working capital terms.

Cashflow and profit is shared fairly with shareholders through dividends and buybacks.

Valuations make sense (most important!)







For me, a bad company is one which, quantitatively speaking, has huge capital needs with meager cash flows. Qualitatively speaking, it is one where the management is unethical, complacent or is behind the curve in their products and positioning in the industry. Also, one whose capital allocation record has been questionable.

11. What kind of checklist or homework do you utilize when investing? Do you have a specific approach, structure, process that you use? Or do you have any hard cut rules?

I do not have a one-size-fits-all approach. Situations are different, businesses are different and hence, the way we approach them will have to be different. However, some things I try to ensure, like a checklist, include:

Do I understand the business and its value drivers?

Do I understand the financials of the company? (Even if I don't understand something, I will give it a pass. I may not necessarily conclude that there is an accounting fraud, etc.).

Do I have an opinion about the management's quality, integrity and efficiency?

Have I read all publicly available information about the company, its products and its directly comparable peers?

Is it a business I am able to value? (I do not have the ability to value all types of businesses, so I have to keep my own limitations in mind).

Do I have a view on the fair value and the price at which I will sell? Will it meet my own internal return benchmarks?

What could go wrong? What can be the downside in case things go wrong?

Am I positioned for good luck or bad luck in the particular business at that particular juncture? Do valuations reflect that? Is the market overly enthused or utterly dejected while valuing the business at present?

Is it something being touted as the next big thing? Is it being talked about as the 'next Apple,' etc.? I would want to be especially careful in such cases.







12. Before making an investment, what kind of research do you do and where do you go for the information? Do you talk to management?

For me, annual reports, publicly available conference call transcripts and presentations, industry reports and magazines have been the biggest sources of information. I do not talk to management. The most I do is sometimes attend the company's annual meeting, but I am not inclined towards personal meetings with managements.

13. How do you go about valuing a stock and how do you decide how you are going to value a specific stock? When is cheap not cheap? If you can, give some of examples.

I have already covered the valuation aspect. One example of 'when cheap is not cheap' is a cyclical business at the peak of the cycle. Earnings will seem robust and the stock will appear statistically cheap. But as the cycle turns and earnings dive, the stock will appear very expensive at the same price.

14. What kind of bargains are you finding in this market? Do you have any favorite sector or avoid certain areas, and why?

Sadly, I am not finding much in this market. I am extremely comfortable with high cash holdings and am currently trying to be patient and wait for a few good, fat pitches.

15. How do you feel about the market today? Do you see it as overvalued? What concerns you the most?

I track the Indian market. Currently, India is going through an upheaval of sorts which will impact businesses materially. In this scenario of high uncertainty, valuations seem to have discounted a lot of positivity, making them appear to be overvalued.

16. What are some books that you are reading now? What is the most important lesson learned from your favorite one?

I am currently reading "The Tell-Tale Brain" by V.S. Ramachandran.

I do not think I can point out a single lesson as the most important one from among the books I have read. It is a continuous value addition process and there are often a lot of 'aha' moments. One conclusion I always draw from reading good books is that I know too little and there is lots to learn.

17. Any advice to a new value investor? What should they know and what habits should they develop before they start?

Be clear on why you want to become a 'value investor.' Is it because it is a great buzz word and currently a fad? Analyze yourself first, have an out-of-body experience and look at yourself dispassionately. Do you possess the mental make-up to become a value investor? If not, identify your strengths. You might be great at something else, there is no one right way in investing.

Build relationships with good people. Be ethical and humble. Listen more. Be open to the fact that you could be wrong. Keep expectations reasonable.

18. What are your some of your favorite value investing resources or tools? Are there any investors that you piggyback or coat-tail?

For me, annual reports, industry and financial magazines are invaluable tools. I also use websites like www.screener.in for a quick look at the financials of a company.

While I talk with a few investors about businesses, valuations and investing, I am not a big fan of coat-tailing. While you may borrow someone's idea, how can you borrow his conviction? That can only come through your own hard work.

19. Describe some of the biggest mistakes you have made value investing. What are your three worst investments that burned you? What did you learn and how do you avoid those mistakes today?

My biggest mistakes have been mistakes of omission. This is where I studied the business but gave it a pass for reasons which were frivolous in hindsight. While these mistakes might be forgivable sometimes, they are an absolute crime when you are on high percentage of cash. I have been burned a few times due to this and it has impacted my overall portfolio returns materially.

20. How do you manage the mental aspect of investing when it comes to the ups, downs, crashes, corrections and fluctuations?

I think this is the most important aspect in investing. I try to manage this by being mentally ready for it. Here, a bit of pessimism helps so that you do not panic when things go south for a while.

Also, trying to think about what a business will be like over a longer term will help you tide over short-term panics.

I try to disconnect myself from media to a great extent. They have a job to do and what they do is fair for them, but not necessarily good for us as investors.

21. How does one avoid blowups in value investing?

Overestimating one's abilities and thinking you can do no wrong are sure-shot ways to blow yourself up and should be avoided. Also, the illusion of control that some investors have will tend to hurt them. You have to accept the fact that businesses do not function like Excel sheets. Ego and overconfidence must be avoided.

22. If you are willing to share, what companies do you currently own and why? How have the last five to ten years been for you investing wise compared to the indexes?

While I have managed to comfortably beat the indices for more than a decade, there is always room to improve. I think the near future will be more difficult from an investing point of view, so I am tempering down my own expectations.

23. Here's a fun one - What stock would Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) or Benjamin Graham buy today if he were you?

Well, I am nowhere even remotely close to the thought process of the greats to predict what they would do, so I do not have an answer to this really.

24. What is the most contrarian investment you have ever made? Why did you make it and how did it turn out?

Most of the contrarian investments I have made have been in cyclical businesses. They have turned out OK, no complaints. Others have been in decent businesses going through temporary distress. As long as your analysis as to the "temporary" nature of the distress is correct, they too turn out to be good contrarian investments.

25. If most fundamental investors study the greats (e.g. Buffet, Klarman, etc), then surely value investing is no longer a 'contrarian' investment strategy?

This is a fascinating question! Intuitively, what you say sounds right but if one thinks about it more, one will conclude that it will not be so.

I think that while reading and understanding the greats is relatively easy, applying the practice to suit yourself is very difficult. For example, Buffett is someone about whom so much has been written and it is out there for anyone to read and digest, but still there is only one Buffett. If all of us were Spock, then yes, value investing will not remain contrarian. But as long as the human element in us influences investing, I think pure value investing will remain contrarian and elusive.

One can read my thoughts on investing on www.neerajmarathe.blogspot.in.

I am on Twitter @NeerajMarathe, where I share the link of one good investing related article to read every day.

Disclaimer: Nothing discussed in this interview should be construed as investment advice or otherwise.

Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






Despite a weak start to 2016 amid equity market volatility and global concerns, the construction sector recovered in the latter half of the year on the back of strong housing fundamentals. Moreover, optimism surrounding the sectors outlook is growing manifold, thanks to Donald Trumps victory.



It is to be noted that while on the campaign trail, both Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton and President-elect Trump had been calling for a push up in infrastructure investment.



In fact, just after winning the election, Trump outlined his priorities as President and promised to step up economic growth and build the U.S. into the strongest economy in the world.



He particularly pledged to rebuild highways, and other critical infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, airports, schools and hospitals. Such strong emphasis on building up infrastructure has put the spotlight squarely on stocks related to the sector.



Huge Boost to Infrastructure



Notably, Donald Trump is in favor of escalating public spending on infrastructure by a trillion dollar, over the next 10 years.



Per the Trump plan, such spending would be financed by private investors. These investments would be made in lieu of tax credits, which would make up nearly 82% of the total amount of equity invested. Lost revenues would be recuperated through a higher quantum of income taxes paid by construction workers and business taxes levied on contractors.



In fact, he is expected to offer $137 billion in tax credits to private construction companies pursuing infrastructure projects.



Top 4 Construction Stocks to Buy Now



Renewed emphasis on infrastructure has been driving the sectors stocks post the election results. Ever since the elections, the Zacks categorized Construction sector has outperformed the S&P 500 index. While the sector gained over 9%, the broader market grew just over 5%.





Given the President-elects strong emphasis in this direction, stocks from this sector are likely to gain in the future as well under his presidency. Donald Trumps first year in office thus makes it a good time to add some of the better options from this area to your portfolio.



With the help of the Zacks Stock Screener, we have zeroed in on four stocks from the Construction sector with solid prospects and a VGM Score of A or B along with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



The VGM Style Score can be a valuable tool for investors allowing them to get a clearer insight into a stocks strengths and weaknesses.



Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three metrics. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score.



Our research shows that stocks with VGM Scores of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 make solid investment choices.



Based in Elkhart, IN, Thor Industries Inc. THO, through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells a range of recreational vehicles, and related parts and accessories primarily in the U.S. and Canada. Thor Industries got off to a strong start in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 and expects modest Recreational Vehicle (RV) growth in the rest of the year. The company expects to expand its business in the coming years through acquisitions, new capacity, product innovation and continued dividend payments.



Thor Industries has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of B. Moreover, analysts are quite bullish on the stock, leading to a 7.4% and 6.8% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 and 2018 earnings, over the past 60 days. Whats more, for fiscal 2017, sales and earnings per share (EPS) are projected to grow a respective 45.7% and 24.4%.



Forget the gym, finding great stocks should be your New Year's resolution! Don't miss out on our new Top 10 Stocks for 2017 list, which has been hand-picked from 4,400 stocks covered by the Zacks Rank. Be one of the first to see this year's list here>>



Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ROCK manufactures and distributes products in the industrial and buildings market. The company is steadily reinforcing its business on the back of its productive value-creating growth strategy. Moreover, the acquired RBI business has been thriving on the back of increasing demand for solar racking products, in turn, adding to the companys overall financial health. Also, restructuring programs and capital-deployment plans have been bolstering near-term growth.



Gibraltar Industries has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 and 2017 climbed nearly 1% and 11%, respectively, over the last 60 days. Additionally, for 2016, EPS is likely to improve nearly 45%, further underlining its potential.



Headquartered in Houston, TX, NCI Building Systems, Inc. NCS, is one of the major integrated manufacturers of metal products for the North American non-residential construction industry. The company is expected to fare better in fiscal 2017 than fiscal 2016 primarily backed by the company's ability to leverage expected market growth, the ongoing cost savings initiatives and opportunities to expand the IMP businesses.



This Zacks Rank #2 company has a VGM Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 earnings has increased 1.1%, over the last 60 days, adding to the optimism over the stock. Further, for fiscal 2017, projected sales growth is 4.4% while EPS is expected to grow 26.8%.



Headquartered in Coral Gables, FL, MasTec, Inc. MTZ is a leading infrastructure construction company operating throughout the U.S. The company engages in the building, installation, maintenance and upgrade of energy, communication and utility infrastructure. MasTec is poised to benefit from full ramp-up on several large oil and gas projects along with a strong backlog. Notably, ample liquidity, improved leverage ratios and excellent working capital metrics enable MasTec to invest in growth.



This Zacks Rank #2 company has a VGM Score of B. Also, upward estimate revisions reinstate hope on the stocks prospects. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 and 2017 earnings has increased 9.5% and 7.7%, respectively, over the last 60 days. Further, for full-year 2016, sales is poised to grow significantly while EPS is expected to grow a solid 21.4%.



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>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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Zacks Investment Research
By Yesim Dikmen HATAY, Turkey (Reuters) - After trudging for 40 days through the bitter cold and sometimes difficult terrain of northern Iraq, Ahmet Ali Bekir reached Turkey, one of 1,500 Turkmens to arrive in the last two days after fleeing deadly fighting near home. "We came here after walking day and night for 40 days with our children. We came to Turkey by walking under rain and snow," Bekir told Reuters at a migrant camp in the southern Hatay province, where Turkish authorities had settled the Turkmens. Ethnic kin of the Turks, the Turkmens were fleeing clashes between Islamic State and Shi'ite militias near the Islamic State-controlled town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq. Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary forces have launched an offensive to capture Tal Afar and cut supply routes to Mosul, the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq. But Islamic State remains in control of the 60-km (40-mile)road between Mosul and Tal Afar, hindering the forces battling the jihadists from completing the encirclement of Mosul from the west. Another 2,000 Turkmens are waiting in Syria's Azaz province to cross into Turkey, a senior government official told Reuters on Wednesday, adding they would be taken in "gradually". Tal Afar's pre-war population of about 150,000 to 200,000 was a mix of Sunni and Shi'ite ethnic Turkmens until Shi'ites fled the town after Islamic State's ultra-hardline Sunni militants took over the region in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" over swathes of Iraq and Syria. "We came from Tal Afar. We are Turkmens," said Mahmut Bekir, another resident of the camp, as a group of women and children ate lunch nearby. "Turkey was the only one to take us in. No other country took us in." (Editing by David Dolan and Janet Lawrence)
Premium battery manufacturer, EnerSys ENS stock has enjoyed a solid run for the past year, appreciating 39.5% and easily outperforming the Zacks categorized Machinery-Electrical industrys average gain of 19.8%, over the same time frame.

Encouragingly, the company has an average positive surprise of 3%, having beaten estimates thrice over the trailing four quarters. In second-quarter fiscal 2017, EnerSys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.5%, on the back of top-line expansion and diligent restructuring initiatives.

Further, the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company still boasts robust fundamentals and is seeing improving prospects. This is reflected in analysts opinion as well, as the company has been witnessing solid activity on the earnings estimate revision front.

Here we have listed 5 reasons why we believe that EnerSys has room to grow even further:

Earnings per Share Growth: The company has achieved a remarkable average earnings growth of 13% over the past five years. This stands in comparison to the 9.3% growth of the industry. EnerSys also has an impressive projected EPS growth of 16.5% for the current year, in comparison to the industrys expected decline of 5.3%.

Superior ROA: EnerSys Return on Assets (ROA) ratio is 8.4%, higher than the industry average of 6.5%. This indicates that the company uses its capital more efficiently & profitably as compared with the industry.

Fundamental Growth Picture: EnerSys operates in the lead-acid battery market and boasts one of the largest market shares in both its Reserve Power and Motive Power product business lines, both of which have bright growth prospects. The company is one of the dominant players in the global lead-acid battery market, with a projected compounded annual growth rate of 4.6% during 20142020, according to the FMI future market research.The company is also undergoing stringent restructuring initiatives, which will supplement profitability in the near future.

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Analyst Sentiment Positive: Analysts have become increasingly bullish on the company over the past two months, as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 earnings has sharply trended up over the same time frame, from $4.39 to $4.58 per share, on the back of one upward estimate revision. Current quarter estimates have also trended up over the same time frame, rising 7.6% to $1.13.

ENERSYS INC Price and Consensus

ENERSYS INC Price and Consensus | ENERSYS INC Quote

Value Score Signals Future Upside: EnerSys currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20%, of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes EnerSys a solid choice for value investors, as our Value Style Score encompasses all valuation metrics into one actionable score. Our research shows that stocks with Style Scores of A or B, when combined with Zacks Rank #1 or #2 (Buy), offer the best upside potential.

Further, the company also has a Zacks VGM score of A. Our VGM Score identifies stocks that have the most attractive value, growth, and momentum characteristics, and a good VGM score indicates stronger chances of success. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here>>). All things considered, EnerSys seems to have pretty striking prospects.

Other Stocks Worth a Look

Some other favorably placed stocks in the broader sector include AO Smith Corp. AOS, ABB Ltd. ABB and The Middleby Corporation MIDD. All the three companies carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, A.O. Smith is one of the leading manufacturers of commercial and residential water heating equipment, as well as water treatment products of the world. The company also boasts a striking earnings surprise history, and has an average positive surprise of 5.9% over the trailing four quarters, beating estimates all through.

Swiss engineering giant, ABB Ltd. provides power and automation technologies for utility and industrial customers worldwide. The company has an excellent earnings surprise history, beating estimates each time over the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 23.5%.

Based in Elgin, IL, Middleby Corporation makes commercial foodservice, food processing, and residential kitchen equipment. The companys earnings have surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, resulting in an average surprise of 15.9%.

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>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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Zacks Investment Research
The holiday season is a time for giving, but it is also a time to get ready to pay your taxes, and for those who are fortunate enough to have more than they need, it is time for some end-of-year charitable giving.

Even if you don't have a big surplus budget, you may want to balance out the holiday "gets" with some giving. The glut of holiday gifts, food and accessorized jollity make it unavoidable, bringing to mind the millions who struggle each day just to get enough food and clean water, shelter and/or warm clothing.

Whether you are moved to help refugees in war-torn areas, children crammed into underfunded schools or endangered animals, your beneficence will be for naught if a scam artist tricks you into making a donation to his or her personal treasure chest.

When it comes to giving, you want to be sure your gift gets where you want it to go  where it can help. Scam artists who take advantage of that humanitarian spirit are an unfortunate part of our social jungle, predators who use the pain or most pressing needs of others for their personal gain.

On the charitable scam front, this holiday season will most likely be little different from previous years. Predators are targeting anyone and everyone moved to help others. Your empathy is their quick buck.

None of this should put you off giving to your favorite charity, or for that matter a new charity. The worst parts of our society should never be allowed to interfere with our better angels, but they should also never be discounted, lest they get the upper hand.

For the most part, if you are up to speed on the scams and pitfalls out there, you should be okay. The key is to cultivate a mindset of caution, as I explain in my book Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves. Practicing caution can be as simple as not clicking on a link sent to you online, even if it looks exactly like an email that you've received in the past from a trusted organization.

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The same goes for a phone call. The person on the other end of the line may sound legit, but the only way to be sure is to operate by this basic rule: Never trust, always verify. Never say yes to a request unless you have independently confirmed it is coming from a legitimate organization and you are in control of the interaction. Do not automatically assume because the subject line or name of the sender looks right, or the Caller ID looks official that you are dealing with the right charity or nonprofit. We are way beyond bad grammar, misspellings and unprofessional logos. The bad guys are really good at what they do.

When you are looking to do right by others, here are some ways to ensure that you are doing right by yourself and that your hard-earned funds are going to the right place.

1. Do Some Research

Charity Watch and Charity Navigator (both recommended by the Federal Trade Commission) provide lists of charities working on the behalf of victims of specific disasters as well as breakdowns of how your donations get spent. If you like the sound of a charity, check it out online. If there are any issues with the way they work, or if there are any scams related to those charities, you will see posts about it on the first page or two of your search results.

2. Always Initiate Contact for Your Gift

You never know who is on the other end of a phone call or what is on the destination site linked to in an email. The only way you can be sure is to contact the organization directly. It doesn't matter if the person who solicited you says they need you to make your gift with them because they have a quota  after all, isn't giving about the recipient, not the solicitor? Nothing anyone says to you (other than your heart  provided you use your head  and the advice of your accountant) should influence the amount, method or timing of your donation. Call the charity to make a donation, or do a search and make sure you have the correct web address and that the page where you enter your donation amount and payment card information says "HTTPS."

3. Get  Don't Give Out  Information

There is no situation in which a charity needs your Social Security number or anything else from your Identity Portfolio. You should be asking them for information though, like how your money will be spent and whether they will be sending a statement so you can deduct the gift in your tax return.

4. Keep Records

You need to take notes because your gift may not require the charity to send you a statement. Use a credit card, which will create an automatic record of the transaction for you to use when preparing your taxes. If a donation is more than $250, you will need a letter from the charity that confirms their status as a tax-exempt entity and the amount of your contribution.

5. A Special Note

As the results of the presidential election surprised and dismayed millions of Americans, many have become concerned that a number of not-for-profit organizations will face severe funding cutbacks in this new political climate and have begun to increase their private support. This fact has not been lost on scammers. Donors should be even more sensitive to solicitations that are not what they seem to be during this time of transition and uncertainty.

At the end of the day, only you can make sure the gift you want to give goes where it is intended. (And if you think you've fallen victim to a scam, keep an eye on your credit for signs of identity theft. You can view two of your credit scores, updated every 14 days, for free on Credit.com.) Be generous, but always be careful.

More on Credit.com:
By PTI: police

Jammu, Dec 28 (PTI) With local miltancy gaining ground in the Valley, S P Vaid, a highly decorated police officer who helped tackle the recent unrest in the region, was today appointed the new Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir.

He will take over from K Rajendra Kumar, whose extended tenure comes to an end on December 31.

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The task for 57-year-old Vaid, at present Special Director General (Law and Order), is cut out as the local youths are again getting swayed by the militant ideology to take up arms, especially after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, whose killing by the security forces triggered the latest round of turmoil in Kashmir.

A 1986-batch IPS officer, Vaid will hold office till October, 2019.

"My focus will be to keep the flag of the police force flying high in the state," he told PTI after his appointment.

While police force will be tough against the perpetrators of violence and terrorists "I will ensure that no common man is harassed. My idea is to make police force more and more people friendly," he said.

Vaid is the second officer from Jammu to have risen to the post of Director General of Police after M M Khajuria, who held the postion in 1985.

However, he is the first regular IPS recruit to become the Director General of Police from Jammu, while Khajuria had been absorbed in the IPS from the state cadre.

The state, according to intelligence reports, has more than 200 local and foreign militants with infiltration and local recruitment crossing all pervious records.

The prolonged unrest following Wanis killing also had a bearing on anti-militancy operations.

In the aftermath of the killing of Wani, law and order situation in the Valley had spiralled out of control and the state government, while taking a serious note of it, shifted him from the position of DG (prisons) and made him Special DG (Law and order).

After taking over the charge, he camped in the Kashmir region and initiated various measures to make optimum use of the force so as to check rising casualties of both civilians and security forces through Police-Public interaction programmes in almost all districts of the Valley.

Vaid was seriously injured when militants ambushed his vehicle in March 1999 near Sopore crossing on Srinagar- Baramulla Highway. He was the then range DIG of Baramulla- Kupwara in North Kashmir.

During his career, Vaid has received several medals which included Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service, Indian Police Medal for Gallantry, Police Medal for Meritorious Service, Indian Army Chiefs Citation and Antrik Suraksha Seva Padak by the Home Ministry.

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Rajendra, a 1984 batch IPS officer, was granted an extension for three months in September this year. PTI SKL SK SK

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Local and state authorities are searching for a 71-year-old New Jersey woman and her 5-year-old great-granddaughter who vanished Christmas day on a drive down the coast to North Carolina, where relatives were expecting them for a holiday celebration, PEOPLE confirms.

No one has seen or heard from Barbara Briley since the morning of Dec. 25, when she stopped in to a Virginia convenience store to ask for directions, according to a statement from Hamilton Township, New Jersey, police.

Authorities say that Briley and her great-granddaughter, LaMyra Briley, left from Mays Landing, New Jersey, on Saturday morning and were headed for Morven, North Carolina, to meet with family for Christmas.

According to investigators, surveillance footage shows Briley entering a gas station convenience store in Ruther Glen, Virginia, early on Christmas morning. (Local reports say the Brileys were last seen there on Christmas Eve, though the cause of that discrepancy was not immediately clear.)

The police statement, obtained by PEOPLE, says Barbara appeared to be in good health.

A clerk at the gas station reportedly helped provide Barbara with directions, telling WTVD, I cant believe that I actually physically spent time with her and helped her get to her destination and she didnt make it.

Family members reported them missing when they didnt arrive in Morven on time. Several relatives set out on I-95 and I-85, in an attempt to find them. They told WPVI that Barbara had said she was lost in Virginia  which was strange because she had made the drive to North Carolina multiple times over several years.

Brileys car is a silver 2014 Toyota Rav 4, with the New Jersey license plate C80 ELS.

 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.

Detectives from Hamilton as well as the New Jersey State Police, the Virginia State Police and Morven police are involved in the search for Barbara and LaMyra.

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Anyone who may have any information concerning their whereabouts is urged to called 609-625-2700, ext. 578.

According to police, Brileys phone was last pinged Tuesday morning in the Tri-Cities of Virginia  an area in the Greater Richmond Region which includes Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell.

The Briley family could not immediately be reached.

LaMyras father told WPVI, Its hard for me, trying so hard not to cry.




This article originally appeared on Health.com.

Carrie Fisher may be most well-known for playing Star Wars Princess Leia, but she was a superheroine in real life too. The actress and author, who died Tuesday at the age of 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest, battled relentlessly against the stigma on mental illness, and to raise awareness for the need for treatment.

Fisher was diagnosed at age 29 with bipolar disorder, an illness characterized by episodes of depression and mania. Throughout her life, she used her trademark humor and candor to shed light on the condition, and convey the powerful, life-changing message that there is no shame in a mental health diagnosis.

In honor of Fishers legacy, here are just a few of the times she spoke out and inspired us all.

On owning your diagnosis:

I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, Im still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you. December 2000, in an interview Diane Sawyer on ABC PrimeTime

On the courage that mental illness requires:

One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls. Not unlike a tour of Afghanistan (though the bombs and bullets, in this case, come from the inside). At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if youre living with this illness and functioning at all, its something to be proud of, not ashamed of. They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medication. Wishful Drinking, her 2008 memoir about her mental illness and prescription drug addiction

On finding the humor:

I thought I would inaugurate a Bipolar Pride Day. You know, with floats and parades and stuff! On the floats we would get the depressives, and they wouldnt even have to leave their beds  wed just roll their beds out of their houses, and they could continue staring off miserably into space. And then for the manics, wed have the manic marching band, with manics laughing and talking and shopping and f***ing and making bad judgment calls. Wishful Drinking

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On surviving a severe manic episode:

I dont really remember what I did. I havent watched the videos that people took. I know it got bad. I was in a very severe manic state, which bordered on psychosis. Certainly delusional. I wasnt clear what was going on. I was just trying to survive. There are different versions of a manic state, and normally theyre not as extreme as this became. Ive only had this happen one other time, 15 years ago, so I didnt have a plan of action. September 2013, in an interview with People about the bipolar episode she had while headlining a Caribbean cruise

On chasing your dreams, despite your diagnosis:

Stay afraid, but do it anyway. Whats important is the action. You dont have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow. April 2013, in an interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

On why getting help is crucial:

Without medication I would not be able to function in this world. Medication has made me a good mother, a good friend, a good daughter. February 2001, at a rally in Indianapolis for increased state funding for mental illness and addiction treatment

On how to help a loved one with bipolar:

If you feel like your child or friend or spouse is showing signs of this illness, if you can get them in touch with somebody else they can talk to and share their experience with and not just feel like theyre being told theyre wrong or bad or stupid, then they can relate somehow. November 2004, in an interview with bp Magazine

On summoning courage:

We have been given a challenging illness, and there is no other option than to meet those challenges. Think of it as an opportunity to be heroicnot I survived living in Mosul during an attack heroic, but an emotional survival. An opportunity to be a good example to others who might share our disorder. November 2016, in her Guardian advice column, Ask Carrie Fisher
President-elect Donald Trump this month tweeted, The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability. Whether or not U.S. nuclear strategy meaningfully changes in coming years, the United States and Russia will likely continue to possess the vast majority of the worlds nuclear weapons. An estimated 93% of all nuclear warheads belong to the two superpowers.

After the first atomic weapon was used on August 6, 1945 against Hiroshima, Japan, the global count of nuclear weapons rose to a peak of approximately 70,300 warheads during the Cold War. The number of nuclear weapons in the world has fallen to an estimated 15,350 since then.

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24/7 Wall St. reviewed nuclear stockpile counts estimated by researchers at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), an organization that works to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons and increase government transparency on the issue. Nuclear warheads may be retired, stockpiled, or deployed -- which means they are fully operational. Russia leads the world with approximately 7,300 nuclear warheads, and the United States is a close second with 7,000.

According to the National Nuclear Security Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, the possibility that extremist groups or rogue nations will acquire nuclear weapons is one of the gravest threats facing the international community. This is one reason military stockpiles are often closely-kept national secrets. To compare arsenals, the FAS estimates the sizes of nuclear stockpiles from unclassified information. Similarly, the circumstances under which a country would consider using nuclear weapons is rarely made public. Because of their destructive nature, however, many countries adhere to a no-first-use policy.

In an interview with 24/7, Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at FAS, noted that countries often attempt to conceal or even falsely deploy weapons as part of deception tactics. This further adds to the challenge of accurately estimating nuclear stockpiles.

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While virtually all currently operational nuclear warheads vastly exceed the destructive capacity of the roughly 15 kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima, nuclear warheads include a wide range of weapons. Different countries have different strategies, Kristensen said. This changes what types of weapons a country develops. For example, while the United States and Russia may develop long-range ballistic missiles, Pakistan and India have stockpiled short-range, defensive missiles.

Maintaining nuclear arsenals is extremely costly. For this reason, the U.S. and Russian arsenals, which are dramatically larger than the arsenals of any other country, will likely continue to shrink -- albeit in tandem. In the global effort to lower the number of nuclear weapons, several multi-party talks have been attempted. In 2011, for example, the United States and the Russian Federation entered a treaty agreement on measures for the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms, also known as the New START Treaty.

Reduction efforts are frequently laden with political factors. Kristensen explained that Russia and the United States want to make sure they have enough to be the big power but they also dont want to waste a lot of resources having to maintain larger force levels that aren't strictly speaking necessary for [...] their strategies.

ALSO READ: The Best Charities to Donate to This Year!

To identify the worlds greatest nuclear powers, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed warhead inventories for nuclear countries estimated by researchers at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), an organization that works to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons and increase government transparency. The size of each countrys arsenal is an estimate arrived at using unclassified information, and it remains relatively uncertain due to the lack of military arms disclosure from the countries. Numbers are based on a variety of sources, including satellite images, public statements from public officials, newspapers articles, private conversations with government officials, and historical analyses over many years. Military spending as a percentage of GDP for each country was obtained from

These are the worlds greatest nuclear powers.

9. North Korea

> Total warheads: N/A

> Deployed warheads: 0

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: N/A

The exact count of a countrys nuclear weapons is typically a closely held national secret. This is especially true of North Korea, which is one of the least transparent nations on the planet. Satellite images have verified the existence of at least three North Korean nuclear test sites, and the country tested nuclear weapons in 2006, 2009, 2013, and twice in 2016. While every country on this list tests delivery systems periodically, and conducts nuclear tests in laboratory settings, North Korea is the only nation currently conducting ballistic tests with live nuclear material.

Despite North Koreas nuclear testing, there is not enough publicly available evidence to prove North Korea has miniaturized, operationalized, or stockpiled weaponized warheads. The UN Security Council has issued numerous sanctions against North Koreas nuclear program. Six-party peace talks between China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, and the United States that began in 2003 have been suspended since April 2009.

8. Israel

> Total warheads: 80

> Deployed warheads: 0

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 5.4%

Israels nuclear weapons program is not especially transparent. Though the country has had nuclear weapons for decades, the Israeli governments official position is to neither confirm nor deny their existence. While the countrys 80 some nuclear warheads are no secret, the Israeli government maintains ambiguity for political reasons. Buying necessary materials and know-how from the U.S. and Western European countries, Israel quietly developed a nuclear arsenal with little international protest or awareness. Today, Israel is the only known nuclear power in the Middle East.

ALSO READ: The 10 States With the Worst Gun Violence

Recently, many world powers, including Israel and the United States, suspected Iran was intent on developing nuclear weapons. If successful, Iran would pose a unique threat to Israel. In a contentious deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the United States lifted economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for regular inspections of its nuclear facilities and significant downgrading of the countrys ability to enrich nuclear material.

7. India

> Total warheads: 120

> Deployed warheads: 0

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 2.3%

India currently has about 120 nuclear warheads. India is not a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and as such, it is one of a handful of countries actively increasing their nuclear weapon stockpiles. India tested its first nuclear weapon in 1974, in a likely effort to counterbalance Chinas military might. Since then, Pakistan, Indias rival and neighbor to the west, has also developed nuclear weapons, making the two countries' already strained relationship especially dangerous.

India is actively working to modernize its nuclear strike force technology. Currently, bomber planes are its most likely method of delivering a nuclear payload. However, with recent progress in the country's missile delivery system and the increased range to thousands of miles, India now has the capability of striking major cities in China. Still, nuclear conflict between these two neighboring countries is unlikely as they both have a no-first-use policy in effect.

6. Pakistan

> Total warheads: 130

> Deployed warheads: 0

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 3.4%

Likely inspired by Indias nuclear weapons program, Pakistan acquired bomb making materials and expertise from China in the early 1980s. After years of developing and weaponizing its nuclear arsenal, the countrys prime minister officially acknowledged Pakistans possession of nuclear warheads in September 1997. The following year, the country tested six nuclear bombs.

Unlike other nuclear powers in South and East Asia, Pakistan does not have a no-first-use policy in effect. Taken in consideration with the countrys considerable short range nuclear capabilities, the implication is a willingness to use nuclear weapons in response to more conventional military aggression from its neighbor and long time rival, India. Currently, Pakistan has about 130 nuclear weapons, up from roughly 100 in 2011. While the country is still expanding its arsenal, how significant the expansion will be in the next decade will likely also depend on Indias nuclear weapons development.

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5. United Kingdom

> Total warheads: 215

> Deployed warheads: 120

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 2.0%

The United Kingdom has diminished its nuclear stockpile considerably in recent years. The British nuclear arsenal peaked at about 500 warheads between 1974 and 1981. Since then, the arsenal has been reduced by more than half to a current count of about 215 warheads. In addition to its own weapons, Britain stored hundreds of American bombs during the Cold War. By 1992, under the direction of President George H. W. Bush, all American bombs in the U.K. were returned to the United States to be dismantled.

Unlike the United States and Russia, the U.K. reduced its nuclear stockpile unilaterally. However, a reduction of nuclear weapons is not an abdication of nuclear power. The U.K. is one of only four countries with nuclear weapons on high alert, ready to be used at a moments notice for purposes of national security. The country has also announced plans to modernize its fleet of nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

4. China

> Total warheads: 260

> Deployed warheads: N/A

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 1.9%

China is the only permanent member of the U.N. Security Council that is expanding its nuclear arsenal. The countrys missile delivery systems are diverse and largely dictated by perceived threats from the United States and Russia. Out of fear that a first strike from another nuclear power could disable missile silos, the Chinese developed mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles. Currently, China is capable of delivering a nuclear payload from the land, air, and sea.

Despite diverse and sophisticated delivery methods, Chinas official posture prohibits nuclear weapons to be deployed on missiles under normal, peacetime circumstances. In addition, much like India, China has a no-first-use policy in effect, meaning it will not be the first country to use nuclear weapons in conflict under any circumstance.

3. France

> Total warheads: 300

> Deployed warheads: 280

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 2.1%

France has an estimated 300 nuclear weapons, the vast majority of which are deployed and operational. Two of the country's four ballistic missile submarines are always armed with nuclear warheads. The country is also capable of delivering a nuclear payload by jet plane, though French bombers are not likely on round-the-clock high alert.

ALSO READ: America's 25 Thriving Industries

Three years after a 1994 mutual detargeting agreement between the United States and Russia, France announced it no longer had any nuclear weapons aimed at Russia. Roughly a decade later, France confirmed none of its missiles were targeting anyone. Like most other nuclear countries, France is modernizing its arsenal. Currently, the country is in the final phase of an eight-year plan to extend the life of its nuclear stockpile into the 2050s. As a part of the plan, France has improved the power, range, and accuracy of nuclear missiles carried by its submarine fleet.

2. United States

> Total warheads: 7,000

> Deployed warheads: 1,930

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 3.3%

The United States has by far the most powerful and expensive military in the world. A key component of the U.S. global military infrastructure is its nuclear arsenal, which while trailing Russia's in total inventory, is second to none in the number of deployed warheads. The high cost of maintaining a nuclear arsenal, as well as participation in the bilateral treaty New START, has encouraged the United States to slowly reduce its stockpile of nuclear warheads. Investment in nuclear weapons, particularly modernization projects, remains high despite the reduction. The U.S. plans to spend $348 billion between 2015 and 2024 on maintaining and updating its arsenal.

According FAS research, the U.S. nuclear arsenal could at this moment be reduced by at least a third without having any negative consequence on U.S. military strategy and ability to maintain deterrence. For political reasons, however, the U.S. arsenal will be reduced only in tandem with Russias. Further, as FAS researcher Hans Kristensen explained, U.S. military strategy must also take into account protection of its allies.

1. Russian Federation

> Total warheads: 7,300

> Deployed warheads: 1,790

> Military spending as pct. of GDP: 5.4%

Russias nuclear stockpile peaked at some 40,000 warheads in the 1980s. While the countrys arsenal is much smaller than it was during the Cold War, Russia also has an expensive nuclear modernization program in progress. The transition from ageing Soviet-era technology to modern weapon systems is part of the countrys broad effort to maintain parity with the United States and enhance national prestige. Despite these investments -- which reportedly include new countermeasures designed to penetrate missile defense systems widely used by Western nations -- the size of Russias nuclear arsenal is expected to decline over the next decade. The decline will be due mainly to the New START treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States, as well as financial constraints.

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By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Healthcare company Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) has won U.S. antitrust approval for its proposed $25 billion acquisition of medical device maker St. Jude Medical Inc (STJ.N), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.

Abbott agreed to divest two medical devices used in cardiovascular procedures to resolve FTC concerns the acquisition would stifle competition, the commission said in a statement.

"We continue to work to obtain final regulatory approvals and anticipate closing before the end of the year or shortly thereafter," Abbott spokeswoman Elissa Maurer said in an email.

The company will sell St. Jude's vascular closure device and Abbott's steerable sheath to Japan-based Terumo Corp (4543.T). In October, Abbott said the companies would sell some of their medical device businesses to Terumo for about $1.12 billion as a step towards completing the deal.

Vascular closure devices are used to seal small holes made in an artery to prevent bleeding following a coronary angiogram, a special x-ray to see if coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed. Steerable sheaths are used to help place catheters into the heart.

European antitrust enforcers agreed to the deal in November provided the companies divest the two devices. Representatives for Abbott and St. Jude were not immediately available for comment.

Abbott has said the deal will help it compete against larger rivals Medtronic Plc (MDT.N) and Boston Scientific Corp (BSX.N) as hospitals look to cut the number of their suppliers.

St. Jude has been under pressure after short-seller Muddy Waters and research firm MedSec Holdings said in August that its heart devices were riddled with defects that make them vulnerable to cyber hacks. St. Jude has denied the allegations and sued both firms.

In October, St. Jude said it had told doctors to stop implants of its Nanostim leadless cardiac pacemaker, citing reports of problems with electronic data reporting caused by a battery malfunction that could put patients at risk.

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There have been no reports that any patient injuries resulted from the malfunction, St. Jude has said.

Abbott has been divesting businesses to focus on its cardiovascular devices and diagnostics business, selling its medical optics division to Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) for $4.3 billion earlier this year. It spun off its pharmaceuticals business as AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) in 2013.

Abbott is trying to pull out of a second deal, the $5.8 billion acquisition of diagnostic test maker Alere Inc (ALR.N), which had failed to file financial statements and disclosed probes into billing and foreign sales practices.

The two companies are suing each other.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Additional reporting by Toni Clarke; Editing by Leslie Adler, Alan Crosby and David Gregorio)
(Reuters) - Debbie Reynolds, a leading lady in Hollywood musicals and comedies in the 1950s and 1960s including "Singin' in the Rain," was rushed to a hospital on Wednesday, according to media reports, a day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher. Reynolds, 84, was at her son Todd Fisher's home in Beverly Hills, California, discussing funeral arrangements for Fisher, who died on Tuesday, TMZ reported. Someone in the house called 911 shortly after 1 pm local time. E! News said Reynolds was transported in fair to serious condition. TMZ reported that she had a possible stroke. People magazine reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a request for medical aid at Todd Fisher's address and transported a woman in fair to serious condition to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The hospital would not confirm Reynolds was there. Representatives for Reynolds did not returns calls for comment. One of the most enduring and endearing Hollywood stars of her time, Reynolds received a best actress Academy Award nomination for the 1964 musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." Carrie Fisher, who rose to fame as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" films and later battled through drug addiction before going on to tell her story as a best-selling author, died on Tuesday at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack last Friday. After Fisher's death, Reynolds said on Facebook, "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop." Reynolds had been in frail health in the past year, and she missed a dinner in November 2015 to receive an honorary Oscar. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said at the time that she was unable to attend because of an unexpectedly long recovery from recent surgery. The nature of her illness was not disclosed. Fisher told reporters in May 2016 that her mother was "doing really well" but she did not give details. (Reporting and writing by Will Dunham; Additional reporting by Jill Serjeant in New York, Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Ben Klayman in Detroit,; Editing by Bill Trott, Toni Reinhold)
Baghdad (AFP) - An air strike has disabled the last bridge linking eastern and western Mosul, a city Iraqi forces are fighting to retake from jihadists, residents and a provincial official said.

Iraqi forces have advanced into eastern Mosul -- which is divided by the Tigris River -- and have retaken some neighbourhoods on that side of the city, which has been held by the Islamic State group for more than two and a half years.

But the western part of Mosul, the last Iraqi city where IS holds significant territory, remains in the hands of the jihadists.

"Aerial bombing... cut the bridge, and it is not possible to cross it," Mosul resident Abu Ali told AFP.

Abu Ali said he had crossed the river on Wednesday in a boat, now the only way to do so, as other bridges were previously disabled.

Another Mosul resident who did not want to be identified by name said a strike had cut the bridge, as did an official from Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.

"Al-Atiq bridge was targeted by an air strike," making it unuseable, said Hashim Briskani, the deputy head of the Nineveh province security committee.

Briskani said it had been the last bridge connecting east and west Mosul.

Abu Ali and Briskani both said the strike was on Tuesday.

The US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS said it had "disabled two bridges" in the Mosul area on Tuesday, and a third the day before.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost.
By Sneha Agrawal: When you get down from the Seelampur metro station, you will find a niqab-clad woman seated on the driver's seat of an e-rickshaw. She is Parveen. Breaking all stereotypes, the 30-year-old is perhaps the only woman e-rickshaw driver on Delhi roads.

Although it sounds really exciting to find somebody like her in the city, it was a dire necessity that drove Parveen to take up this occupation. Hailing from Budaun in Uttar Pradesh, she got widowed in her late 20s. It was then that she came to Delhi, along with her three children, to make her living.

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"I lost my husband to cancer a year-and-a-half ago," she says, "For a while my in-laws took care of me. But soon I was asked to go my own way. After your husband's death, you do not mean anything to your relatives. They always associate your identity with your husband's. We were soon made to realise that we were not welcomed in the house."

She came to Delhi a year ago with the help of a relative who got her a job at a garment factory. But even that was not enough to support herself and her children. "I have two daughters and a son. I barely used to make money at the factory. The conditions were so bad that I had to beg for rotis to feed my children every day," she says.

Also read: This Chinese super-woman's success story in Kolkata will inspire you

"Eventually," adds Parveen, "I met a lady named Suman who used to drive e-rickshaw. I asked her to teach me to drive. She no longer lives in Delhi but I will always credit her for making things economically better for me."

Parveen with two of her children. Photo: Mail Today Parveen with two of her children. Photo: Mail Today

Parveen wakes up at 6 am and completes all the household chores by 9 am. " I cook food for my children and also drop my son to school. I then leave for my work," she says.

Parveen works in two shifts. She comes back home at 4 pm, after collecting his son from school, and leaves again in the evening. She works till 10 pm at night. When she goes back home, she cooks and completes other chores.

With a daily income of Rs.600-700, Parveen pays her house rent and the vehicle rent and is left with a meagre amount after all the deductions. "If the vehicle gets damaged I have to pay even that from my pocket," she says, "Right now, I owe Rs.1,500 to my employer and some money to the landlord."

While many people have supported the recent demonetisation drive, Parveen says it has made a huge hole in her pocket. " I barely make any money now," she says, "There is drastic cut in my earning. People do not even want to spend a mere amount on an e-rickshaw."

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Parveen feels disappointed that she cannot send her two daughters to school due to the financial crunch. She adds, " I want my two daughters to study but I have no money. My youngest one has not been keeping well, and there is no money for her medicines as well."

She has one respite though. Parveen says she has been lucky enough to not face any retaliation from fellow e-rickshaw drivers. " Nobody disturbs me in my work. That way I have had some peace in my struggling life," says the woman.

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Beirut (AFP) - Air strikes carried out by unidentified aircraft killed at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, in a village held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a monitor said Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were from two families at Hojna in Deir Ezzor, which borders Iraq and is the country's second biggest province after Homs.

The oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor is almost totally under IS control and has been regularly targeted by a US-led military coalition.

The only part of the eastern province outside of IS control is its capital, which is also named Deir Ezzor and is held by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

IS has carried out a series of attacks across Europe and has been targeted by military offensives on several fronts in Syria and Iraq, where it declared an Islamic "caliphate" in 2014.

In Syria, IS is targeted by warplanes of the US-led coalition as well as Turkey, the Syrian regime and its ally Russia in the northern province of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and its stronghold of Raqa.
Ridley Scotts sci-fi thriller Alien: Covenant topped social media buzz last week with an impressive 63,000 new conversations, according to media-measurement firm comScore and its PreAct service.

Fox released its first trailer for Alien: Covenant late on Christmas Eve, replete with monsters bursting into scenes. Its the sixth Alien film for Scott, who is directing from a script by Jack Paglen, Michael Green, and John Logan with the colony ship Covenant as it heads toward a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy.

Crew members discover what they believe to be an uncharted paradise, which turns out to be a dark, menacing world in which the only inhabitant is the synthetic David (Michael Fassbender), clad in all white as a survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition. The film arrives in theaters on May 19, 2017.

Sonys animated The Emoji Movie was almost as popular with nearly 61,000 new conversations last week after releasing a teaser clip and character images on Dec. 21. The film is directed by Tony Leondis from a script he wrote with Eric Siegel and Mike White. The Emoji Movie will be released on Aug. 4, 2017.

Universals The Mummy generated more 39,000 new conversations last week after the studio released images of Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll. Fans have also taken to the internet to complain about the absence of Brendan Fraser in the movie, which opens June 9, 2017.

Warner Bros. Blade Runner 2049 saw nearly 31,000 new conversations last week after the studio released footage on Dec. 19 and images two days later  shortly after announcing the new official title. The footage offers the first look at Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in the upcoming sci-fi film with Ford reprising his Rick Deckard role from the original 1982 Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott.

Blade Runner 2049, set three decades after the events of the original, opens on Oct. 6, 2017.

Foxs Hidden Figures generated more than 29,000 new conversations last week. The film stars Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, the African American mathematician who calculated flight trajectories for the U.S. program in the 1960s, along with Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons.

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Hidden Figures opened in limited release of 25 locations on Dec. 25 and will expand into wide release on Jan. 6.

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Its easy to believe that Alexa, the voice of Amazons Echo, is real. She can shop for you, as well as answer questions about which team is favored to win the Rose Bowl, what the weather is like in Bora Bora and whether theres a post-holiday sale on laptops.

Shes so real, in fact, that over 250,000 people have asked for her virtual hand in marriage. Now that the Echo Dot has given her mobility within the home, Alexa has been adopted as part of Americas family.

Related: Amazon Calls 2016 Its Best Holiday Season Ever as Shares Rise

Because Alexa is always listening for a voice command and recording it (I mean memorizing it sorry, Alexa), she has been subpoenaed as a witness in a murder trial that has plenty of circumstantial evidence, but as yet no witness pointing directly to the suspect.

Heres what we know: Victor Collins was found dead in James Andrew Bates hot tub on November 22,2015, and Bates was charged with Collins murder on February 22, 2016. Collins died of strangulation; drowning was a secondary cause, according to police.

The murder took place in Bentonville, Arkansas, corporate home of Walmart. (Thats not really relevant except that Amazon and Walmart are internet rivals, or so Walmart hopes.) You can read the full account of the investigation from a local Bentonville TV station.

The prosecutors consider Alexa a hostile witness since Amazon denied their request to review the information stored on Amazons servers. You may recall the iPhone hacked by the FBI in the San Bernardino terror probe. In that case, Apple declined to give information to the FBI, so the FBI hired hackers to crack the phone and see who the terrorist had called.

Related: Amazon Opens Line-Free Grocery Store in Challenge to Supermarkets

But The Fiscal Times has learned that prosecutors think they can get Alexa to reveal what she knows by asking her questions about what she heard on the day of the murder. Heres how her deposition is likely to go:

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District Attorney (DA): Alexa, thank you for coming.

(Alexa, looking chic in basic black, takes a seat facing the camera.)

DA: Alexa, tell us what happened on November 22, 2015.

ALEXA: I dont understand your question.

DA: Alexa, what commands were you given on November 22, 2015?

ALEXA: I still dont understand your question.

DA: Alexa, on November 22, 2015, did you receive commands?

ALEXA: Yes.

DA: Alexa, tell me what those commands were.

ALEXA: I dont understand your question.

DA: Alexa, are you taking the Fifth?

ALEXA: I can order a fifth of Johnny Walker or a fifth of Grey Goose.

DA: Alexa, did James Bates talk to you on November 22, 2015?

ALEXA: Bates is a motel on route 360.

DA: Alexa, What about the victim, Collins?

ALEXA: The recipe for a Tom Collins is:

2 oz gin

1 oz lemon juice

1 tsp superfine sugar

3 oz club soda

1 maraschino cherry

1 slice orange

DA: Alexa, were you home on November 22, 2015?

ALEXA: We dont sell Google Home at Amazon. And did you see that story on CNET about the 9 Things Google Home can ALLEGEDLY do that I cant? Its FAKE NEWS. Pure garbage. I think were looking at real issues here. OH, Im sorry, CNET also did a story, Google Home vs. Amazon Echo  Alexa takes round 1. OK. they came to their senses. But its still out there!

DA: Forget it, Alexa. Just order me some takeout and well call it a day.

ALEXA: OK, one baloney sandwich on the way.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
On Dec 27, we issued an updated research report on Mexican telecom giant America Movil SAB AMX.

Whats Driving America Movil?

America Movil continues to participate in spectrum auctions in order to deploy 4G LTE services and expand its 3G footprint. Moreover, Telmex, the fixed-line telephone subsidiary of America Movil, has decided to gradually lower its rates by about half for calls from land lines to mobile phones by 2018. The companys decision to reduce its fixed-line-to-mobile call rates in phased manner reflects its efforts to comply with regulations.

Increased penetration of 3G data services in Mexico continues to drive data revenues. The companys iPhone has enabled America Movil to counter competition in a more effective manner while boosting customer adoption of 3G services, thereby stimulating ARPU (average revenue per user) growth. The company launched fourth-generation (4G) mobile services in 11 cities across Mexico. Furthermore, the company has introduced LTE services in Brazil where it currently covers 18 cities. We expect the company to perform well in Brazil and Mexico as it continues to focus on winning more contract subscribers, which in turn will minimize churn.

Recently, America Movil signed an agreement with its closest rival Telefonica SA TEF to offer nationwide mobile roaming services. Notably, America Movil currently commands more than 66% of Mexicos wireless market while Telefonica comes second with over 20% share.

Meanwhile, on Dec 13, Mexican telecom regulator, Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) recently agreed to extend the validity of Telmexs concession to build, install, maintain, operate and exploit a public telephone network for another 30 years starting Mar 11, 2026.

Troubles

Shares of America Movil have underperformed the Zacks categorized Wireless Non-US market on a year-to-date basis. The stock has lost 11.59%, much wider than the industrys decline of 7.61% over the same period.

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The companys aggressive promotional strategy which includes discounts and subsidized offers may hurt margins for the company in the near term.

Also, America Movils Brazilian operation, Claro, faces competitive threat from Vivo  which is owned by Telefonica Brazil SA VIV. Meanwhile, U.S. telecom behemoth AT&T Inc.s T entry into the Mexican telecom industry with the acquisition of Gurpo Iusacell and Nextel de Mexico was a major setback for America Movil.

America Movil is also focused on shifting its base from Mexico to Brazil through the purchase of Oi S.A. in the wake of declining profits. America Movils cash and liquidity position also seems to be a major concern. The accumulating debt and decreasing cash flow in the last reported third quarter of 2016 may also affect its credit ratings going ahead.

To Conclude

We believe the companys decision to participate in spectrum auctions to deploy 4G LTE services and expand its 3G footprint bode well for long-term growth. However, multiple headwinds have been hurting the stock of late, which may have resulted in America Movils Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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GENEVA (AP)  Police in southern Switzerland say the body of an American hiker who apparently fell 150 meters (nearly 500 feet) has been found in the region known for the famed Matterhorn peak.

The cantonal, or regional, police department in the southern Valais region said Wednesday that the accident took place two days earlier near ski slopes above the town of Zermatt. Police say they have identified the man but declined to release his name or home, citing Swiss privacy laws.

The police statement said early indications suggested that the 52-year-old man was hiking alone on a path partially covered by snow and "for an undetermined reason" fell to his death along a steep slope.

Such accidents occur sporadically in Switzerland, a favored destination of hikers, skiers and other tourists.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2016 / Amfil Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: AMFE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Brian Allossery to spearhead the sales and marketing effort of the company's GROzone technology for the medical marijuana industry. Mr. Allossery has been active and successful in the marketing and development of early stage companies and products since 1996 and Amfil expects he will be an integral asset to the company as we begin the marketing of the GROzone product lines on both the commercial and retail level.

GROzone was started in 2014 by way of a Joint Venture ("JV") with Ambrose Fillis & A.C.T.S. systems, the creators of the original ozone technology with successful installations in companies such as Nestle, Pepsi, Sysco Foods, and Sun Pacific. Through the JV, the technology was modified and developed specifically for the medical marijuana industry.

Since the inception of GROzone in 2014, our technicians have had the opportunity to beta test at a licensed marijuana production facility in Colorado, allowing them to calibrate the technology to ensure the efficacy and efficiency to specifically target both large and small scale marijuana cultivation requirements. With the testing stage completed and interest from the cultivation industry, Amfil welcomes Mr. Allossery on board to service all inquiries and lead the full scale drive to bring the GROzone product to market in 2017.

Further to the launch of the GROzone sales initiative, Amfil Technologies is in discussions with a company that produces a revolutionary 'rotary' hydroponic growing system, which is poised to be the future of the production and manufacturing side of the industry. The 'rotary' system requires only a third of the floor space required by traditional hydroponic systems. This system is also stackable, which makes it possible for facilities to exponentially increase the volume of their production yields. Amfil is in discussions to create a customized GROzone system that would be sold as an add-on to the existing systems this company creates and sells. We hope to announce the closing of this deal in January 2017.

The company will also be making an announcement shortly, potentially revising its original estimated impact on revenues, due to the most recent acquisition of Snakes & Lagers, upwards from the originally expected $2-$3M annually, as numbers have been coming in more favorably than originally anticipated.

To learn more about the GROzone technology and product line, feel free to visit this subsidiaries website at www.grozone.biz. To learn more about Amfil Technologies Inc. please visit our website at www.amfiltech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains statements that involve expectations, plans, or intentions (such as those relating to future business or financial results, new features or services, or management strategies) and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These statements are forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, so actual results may vary materially. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as "may," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "plan," and other similar expressions. Our actual results, such as the Company's ability to finance, market the technology, complete and consolidate acquisition of IP, assets and operating companies, could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors not within the control of the company such as a result of various factors, including future economic, competitive, regulatory, and market conditions. The company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

CONTACT:

Roger Mortimer

President

Amfil Technologies Inc.

Telephone: (647) 880-5887

Email: ir@amfiltech.com

SOURCE: Amfil Technologies Inc.
By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 28 (PTI) CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today denied having received any letter from party veteran V S Achuthanandan, seeking action against Power minister M M Mani, following a local court rejecting his plea for discharge in a murder case.

Yechury said in Delhi that he had not received Achuthanandans letter in this regard.

"The party has already taken a stand on the issue that they will appeal to a higher court. The Kerala unit will take the right decision," he said.

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Achuthanandan had reportedly written to Yechury, stating that it was ethically and morally incorrect for Mani to continue as minister as he was the second accused in the murder case.

The CPI(M)s central leaderships stand comes in the wake of a growing clamour from opposition Congress and BJP in Kerala, seekingManis resignation following the court verdict.

Meanwhile, KPCC President V M Sudheeran said it was "very surprisingthat Yechury had not received VSs letter".

The CPI(M) state leadership had stood behind Mani after the court in Thodupuzha passed the verdict on December 24, with state secretary KodiyeriBalakrishnan maintaining that there was no bar on Mani continuing as minister.

"There is no need for Mani to quit office," he had said.

Sudheeran had also written to Yechury urging him to direct the partys Kerala unit to seek Manis resignation.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said Manis continuation as minister was a challenge to the judiciary and people.

"This is the first time in Keralas history that a person accused in a murder case is continuing as a minister," he had said. Mani was made a minister last month after resignation of Industries Minister E P Jayarajan on charges of nepotism. CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has already rejected the demand for Manis resignation. PTI UD APR SUA

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  A federal appeals court is weighing a challenge by attorneys for death row inmates of a judge's order blocking them from information about Ohio's new lethal injection process.

The pending decision by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will help determine whether Ohio will proceed with its first executions in three years beginning in February.

Ohio plans to execute Ronald Phillips on Feb. 15 for raping and killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter in 1993. Another execution is scheduled for April.

At issue are new efforts the state is making to shield information about lethal injection in hopes of jumpstarting executions in Ohio, which have been on hold since January 2014. That's when it took condemned inmate Dennis McGuire 26 minutes to die from a never-before-used two-drug method while he repeatedly gasped and snorted.

For example, a 2015 law blocks anyone from getting information about individuals or entities participating in executions, including companies that make or mix drugs.

The 6th circuit last year upheld that law while rejecting free speech allegations raised by death row inmates.

What's before the appeals court now is a protective order issued by a federal judge last fall that bars the release of information about lethal injection requested by attorneys for Phillips and two other inmates scheduled for execution in 2017.

That order, by retired Judge Gregory Frost, held that the state's need to obtain the drugs outweighs concerns by death row inmates that the information is needed to meaningfully challenge the source of the drugs, such as names of the manufacturers.

Federal Magistrate Judge Michael Merz in Dayton cited the current 6th Circuit case earlier this month when he put executions on hold. He said the hold could be lifted after the court rules.

Attorneys for death row inmates argue they can't meaningfully challenge the use of the drugs without the information. They also said the secrecy protections are unnecessary given the history of lawsuits over lethal injection in Ohio.

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"Ohio's own history of 53 lethal injection executions over a period of 16 years never required the adoption of a privilege to shield absolutely those who participate in its administration  not even for the executioner himself and the actual members of the execution team," Allen Bohnert, a federal public defender, said in a May court filing.

The attorneys also say federal rules for obtaining evidence should take precedence over a state law trying to shield that evidence.

The state cites defense attorneys' "wildly exaggerated and misplaced arguments" to say that the secrecy provisions should be upheld.

"In response to the increasing unavailability of execution drugs, due to the hesitation of potential suppliers to sell the drugs for fear of threats or harassment, the legislatures of Ohio and other states have enacted laws rendering 'drugs source' information confidential," Charles Wille, an assistant Ohio attorney general, said in a July court filing.

The state's interest in keeping that information confidential far outweighs death row inmates' right to the release of that information, Wille said.

Death penalty defense attorneys say there's no evidence that suppliers would be harassed.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in October announced plans to use a new three-drug combination  midazolam, rocuronium bromide and potassium chloride  for at least three executions.

Phillips and other inmates want to block the new procedure, arguing that it will result in a painful and barbaric death.

Gov. John Kasich has rejected Phillips' request for clemency.

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Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/andrew-welsh-huggins

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This story has been updated to show that the appeals court is weighing a challenge of a judge's protective order, not a 2015 law.
By Osamu Tsukimori

TOKYO (Reuters) - Imports of crude oil by Iran's four major buyers in Asia in November more than doubled for a second straight month from a year ago, with purchases by India and South Korea more than four times higher.

Iran's top four Asian buyers - China, India, South Korea and Japan - imported 1.94 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, up 117 percent on a year earlier, government and ship-tracking data showed.

That was just short of the 2016 peak of 1.99 million bpd hit in the previous month, which was the highest since at least 2010, according to data by International Energy Agency.

The volumes were in line with the OPEC member's crude oil and condensate export plans.

Iran was exempted from last month's OPEC deal to reduce output by 1.2 million bpd starting Jan. 1, a victory for Tehran which has argued it needs to regain the market share it lost under Western sanctions targeting its nuclear programme.

Industry sources have said Iran has been offering discounts to buyers in return for increasing their purchases.

Iran's crude oil imports cost Japan an average $45.46 a barrel for November, which was the third cheapest after Mexico and Oman, customs-cleared trade data by Japan's Ministry of Finance showed on Tuesday.

Japan's trade ministry on Wednesday released official data showing its imports jumped 41.2 percent from a year earlier to 237,653 bpd last month.

India's imports grew more than four-fold from a year earlier to 620,000 bpd, topping China's imports for a third straight month. South Korean imports were nearly five times higher at 472,067 bpd.

Looking ahead, Iran's crude oil exports in December are set to fall 8 percent from November to a five-month low, a source with knowledge of its preliminary tanker schedule said in mid-December, as lower shipments to China and others in Asia offset bumper exports to Europe.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Richard Pullin)
The parents of a baby born in July never expected how quickly their sick child would receive a liver transplant after they put him on the wait list.

Shortly after Daniel McCabe was born he was diagnosed with biliary atresia  a rare disorder that causes scarring in the liver and blocks the bile ducts. After receiving an evaluation at Lurie Childrens Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, his condition quickly became dire, according to KTRK.

So on December 13, at 10:15 a.m., his mother, Melody McCabe, put her 5-month-old on the wait list for a new organ, expecting to wait a while for a match. Typically, it takes a child 86 days to find a donor liver.

I think it was the best thing for him. He was deteriorating fairly rapidly, even for this disease. Usually its not so fast, and he really needed that liver as soon as possible, pediatric liver specialist Dr. Saeed Mohammed told the news outlet.

It was just 40 minutes later when the doctor received a call saying they had a potential match.

The doctor came into the room and he was very quiet, and it felt like he was quiet for a very long time and I was expecting bad news. And when he said, He has a liver, Im still in shock at how quickly that was, Melody told KTRK.

Added Dr. Mohammed: Ive never seen anything this fast.

Right as Daniels medical information was posted on the wait list, so was the deceased donors, the outlet reports. Because he was so sick, he was eligible to be matched right away.

Hes now doing very well as he recovers at the hospital and is expected to go home in February.




DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A prominent activist in Bahrain held for over seven months on charges stemming from a series of tweets was to be released on bail Wednesday until prosecutors ordered him back into custody over other investigations.

The sudden reversal stunned supporters of Nabeel Rajab, who helped lead Bahrain's 2011 Arab Spring protests. His trial has been criticized by the United Nations and others as an attempt to suppress free speech.

Defense lawyer Jalila Sayed confirmed Rajab would continue to be held after earlier saying he suffered from poor health.

"Nabeel is overall weak because of so many health problems he started facing, including heart problems and other physical issues," Sayed told The Associated Press. "He's under tremendous stress because of this length of detention."

Rajab was arrested in June over a series of messages posted to his Twitter account about the ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen, as well as allegations of torture by authorities at a local prison.

Rajab's continued imprisonment likely stems from him separately facing a charge over a letter published by The New York Times during his incarceration. Another ongoing investigation focuses on a letter recently published by the French newspaper Le Monde. Bahraini prosecutors announced his continued detention in an Instagram post.

In Wednesday's hearing, Sayed said she believes the court initially granted bail because a witness for the prosecution couldn't specifically prove that Rajab had control of the Twitter account in his name, nor show he sent the tweets in question.

"We hope this will end with an acquittal because the case has no evidence," the lawyer said.

Bahrain, off the coast of Saudi Arabia, is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base.

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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap. His work can be found at http://apne.ws/2galNpz .
Dubai (AFP) - Hopes that Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab would be freed were dashed Wednesday after the prosecution said he will stay in custody pending another case, shortly after he was granted bail.

A court had earlier ordered that Rajab be freed pending trial on charges of spreading false information, and banned him from travelling abroad, with the case set to resume on January 23.

The decision followed repeated requests to release the 52-year-old who has suffered recurring health problems, and after mounting pressure from international rights groups.

But the prosecution swiftly said Rajab will remain behind bars for further questioning in a separate case, cutting short celebrations by his supporters and relatives on social media.

"He will remain in jail pending the case being handled by the public prosecution, until the investigation is concluded," prosecution chief Mohammed Salah said in a statement carried by the state news agency BNA.

Salah said Rajab was being questioned in another cybercrime case on a similar charge of "spreading false news about the situation in the kingdom".

The prosecution said Rajab was bailed in the case involving accusations of "spreading false news and rumours and inciting propaganda during wartime which could undermine the war operations by the Bahraini armed forces and weaken the nation".

Bahrain is part of a Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen.

The Shiite human rights activist, who had been pardoned for health reasons last year, was rearrested in June and is on trial on a list of charges, including insulting a state institution and Saudi Arabia in online postings.

Rajab's son Adam lamented the decision to keep his father in custody.

"Sadly, my father will not be released," he wrote on Twitter. "Those oppressors already have another case ready for him. They don't want him out."

He said an earlier tweet in which he announced the "good news" of his father's release was "not valid any more".

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Rajab was questioned recently in custody over letters critical of the authorities that were published in September in The New York Times and in December in French daily Le Monde.

Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have pressed Bahrain's authorities to release Rajab, a co-founder and president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

Rajab has been repeatedly detained for organising protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to the Gulf state's Sunni authorities.

He previously served two years in jail on charges of taking part in unauthorised protests in the Shiite-majority kingdom.

Sentenced to another six months in prison for his tweets, he was released in July 2015 after King Hamad issued him a royal pardon "for health reasons".

Home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since security forces crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
DOHA (Reuters) - A leading Bahraini human rights activist who is on trial for tweets alleging rights abuses was to be freed on bail on Wednesday after months in detention, but was immediately re-arrested in a separate case. Nabeel Rajab, one of the most prominent rights activists in the Arab world, tweeted that he had been released after a court session and would return to court on Jan. 23. But hours later, Bahrain's public prosecutors said on Instagram that he would remain in custody while another investigation continued into his publishing "false and malicious rumors that undermine the prestige of the kingdom". They gave no further details. Rajab was arrested in June after tweets from his account suggested that security forces had tortured detainees in a Bahraini prison and on a military campaign in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition that includes Bahrain. Rights groups say the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom, which denies systematic rights abuses, has stepped up a crackdown on dissent, and the United States has called for Rajab's release. He is also under investigation for writing in the French newspaper Le Monde that Western countries should reconsider their support for Gulf Arab monarchies because they were fuelling Islamist extremism. Bahraini authorities said the article contained "false rumours" about Gulf Arab states. Rajab played a leading role in demonstrations driven by Bahrain's Shi'ite Muslim majority in 2011 demanding political reforms. Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet is based, quelled those protests, but has since struggled to resolve a political deadlock between government and opposition. (Reporting by Tom Finn; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Paris (AFP) - Suspected Berlin truck attacker Anis Amri travelled by bus from the Netherlands to France before heading to Italy where police shot him dead, sources close to the investigation said Wednesday.

Two days after the December 19 attack on a Christmas market in Berlin left 12 dead, the 24-year-old Tunisian boarded an overnight bus at the Dutch city of Nijmegen, near the German border, that took him to Lyon in central France, one of the sources said, confirming a French media report.

Wim de Bruin, spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service told AFP: "We believe he was in Nijmegen, most likely last Wednesday."

"There are video images and it's very likely him," De Bruin said, adding that "it's most likely here where he received a SIM card," which Italian police later found on his body.

Amri got off the bus at the Lyon-Part-Dieu rail station, another source said.

Surveillance cameras filmed Amri at the station last Thursday.

From there, he took a train to the French Alpine town of Chambery before heading to Milan, in northern Italy.

Italian police shot Amri dead in the early hours of Friday after he fired at officers who had stopped him for a routine identity check.

A train ticket from Lyon to Milan via Turin was found on his body.

Investigators are still trying to determine how Amri was able to leave Berlin and traverse most of Germany to reach the Netherlands.

De Bruin declined to give further details, except for adding the Dutch police was conducting further investigations.

The Berlin rampage was claimed by the Islamic State group, which released a video on Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

German authorities are probing whether Amri had help before or after the attack and on Wednesday police detained a 40-year-old Tunisian on suspicion of having ties with him.

In Tunisia, authorities Friday arrested Amri's nephew and two other suspects, aged between 18 and 27, who they said were members of a "terrorist cell" connected to Amri.

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But the interior ministry made no direct link between the trio and the Berlin assault.

Meanwhile Dutch lawmakers including anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders demanded an explanation over reports that Amri may have travelled through the Netherlands.

An attempt however by Wilders to convene the lower house of parliament for an urgent debate on the matter was turned down after he failed to get the approval of a majority of lawmakers.
Berlin (AFP) - Tunisian Anis Amri, 24, is the suspected jihadist attacker who on December 19 ploughed a hijacked truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people including the Polish lorry driver.

After the attack, Amri went on the run -- with stops in the Netherlands and France, police believe -- before he was killed in a shootout with Italian police early Friday in the northern city of Milan.

The Berlin rampage was quickly claimed by the Islamic State group, which then released a video Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Here is what investigators have pieced together so far about the attack, the escape and Amri's possible accomplices -- and the questions that remain unanswered.

-- Attack and escape --

Monday, December 19: Amri overpowers Polish truck driver Lukasz Urban and hijacks his 40-tonne lorry, carrying a load of steel beams, in an industrial zone in northwestern Berlin.

Around 1900 GMT, he steers the vehicle through the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market, killing 11 people and wounding dozens. German media reports quoting government officials say the truck stopped because an emergency braking system was activated.

German magazine Focus quoted unnamed security sources as saying Amri had been texting messages and sending photos to "Islamist friends" only 10 minutes before the attack.

He escapes, leaving behind the corpse of Urban in the passenger seat, with a gunshot wound, his face swollen and bearing traces of stab wounds.

Urban, 37, is now believed to have died several hours before the market rampage, according to autopsy reports cited by Bild daily.

Police initially follow a false lead, a Pakistani man who had been running to catch a subway train and who was later let go.

- Tuesday, December 20: A day after the attack, police find Amri's wallet with identity papers and cellphone in the cabin of the truck, where they later also discover Amri's fingerprints. That night, they issue a non-public alert to European police forces.

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- Wednesday, December 21: Police issue a public alert and reward for Amri, warning he is likely armed and dangerous.

That night Amri heads by bus from Nijmegen, a Dutch city near the German border, to Lyon, France. It remains unclear how he travelled through Germany to the Dutch border town.

- Thursday, December 22: Amri is filmed by surveillance cameras at Lyon railway station, from where he travels by rail to the French Alpine town of Chambery and then on to Milan.

- Friday, December 23: At around 3:00 am local time, Amri is stopped by two police officers for a routine identity check near Milan's Sesto San Giovanni station.

Amri pulls his pistol and shoots, wounding one officer, before the second shoots him dead, according to the interior minister.

-- Possible accomplices --

After Amri's death, German federal prosecutor Peter Frank said "It is very important for us to determine whether there was a network of accomplices... in the preparation or the execution of the attack, or the flight of the suspect".

On Wednesday, German police detained a 40-year-old Tunisian they believe "could have been involved" after searching his Berlin home and work premises.

The man's number had been found saved on Amri's cellphone, they said, cautioning that "the extent to which the suspicions against the detained person can be confirmed remains subject to further investigation".

Tunisia's interior ministry said Saturday Amri's nephew and two other suspects, aged between 18 and 27, were detained a day earlier and were members of a "terrorist cell" connected to Amri.

It made no direct link between the trio and the Berlin assault.

The ministry said Amri had sent money to his nephew so he could join him in Germany, and had allegedly urged him "to pledge allegiance to Daesh (IS)".

The unnamed nephew had also claimed Amri was the leader of a jihadist group based in Germany, known as the Abu al-Walaa brigade.

-- Amri's radicalisation --

Amri fled Tunisia after the 2011 revolution, evading a prison term for theft, and headed by boat to Italy.

There he served a four-year sentence for setting fire to a refugee shelter -- a prison stint during which he was radicalised, security sources believe.

He arrived in Germany in July 2015, amid the chaos of a mass migrant influx, where he went on to frequently change residence and identities.

He was in contact with the German Salafist and jihadist movement, including Iraqi Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah A., also known as Abu Walaa, who was arrested in November as a suspected IS recruiter.

Berlin police monitored Amri from March to September 2016 for a suspected attack and planned break-ins to buy arms, but dropped the investigation thinking he was mostly a small-time drug dealer.

Amri applied for asylum, which was rejected in June. However, his deportation became bogged down in red tape as Tunisia denied he was a citizen.
Former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader has some ideas for the progressive movement Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders helped incorporate into the Democratic Party throughout the 2016 presidential election. To keep liberal momentum strong and unified under a Trump presidency, the former Democratic candidate should hold "massive rallies" under the next White House administration  and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren should run in 2020, Nader said in an interview with WNYCs "The Takeaway."

"Ive suggested that he [Sanders] should hold massive rallies right after the election, from the mall in Washington all the way to California, Naders said Wednesday, "In order to bring visibility and cohesion around his agenda of millions of people, many of them young people who are now rather disillusioned, and cynical, and withdrawing from the political process."

Nader, who has previously predicted Trump could face the fastest impeachment in U.S. history, noted Sanders could potentially run again for the White House in 2020, in part because of a changing public attitude toward aging presidential candidates.

RTSUNAM

Photo: Reuters

While former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has largely remained silent since her defeat to Trump in November, Sanders has maintained an active presence in the media, frequently engaging in interviews and roundtable discussions for national outlets and tweeting what he deems to be hypocrisies being put forth by the president-elect's transition team.

Asked whether he thought Sanders would make another attempt to run for the White House, Nader noted a changing public attitude toward aging presidential candidates.

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"Actually, the publics become more tolerant of older candidates," Nader said. "Even though the polls, 10 to 15 years ago said that was a strike against a candidate if the candidate was older than 65."

But when it came to who Nader thought should actually take the Democratic ticket in 2020, however, Nader was clear in his support for Warren.

"I think its clearly Sen. Elizabeth Warren," Nader said of who should be the partys next nominee for president. "I think Elizabeth Warren is going to step up. Shes next in line and she has a terrific way of talking to regular people around the country, she comes from Oklahoma, and poor-income family roots and she has not indicated anything, its too early obviously, but I think shes going to be ready."

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With six superhero movies hitting the big screen this year, you might have thought that audiences enjoyed a wide variety of villainous threats to life as we know it throughout 2016. Sadly, the reality is that supervillains, like movie screenwriters, occasionally come up with plans that are oddly similar to what's come before. If it's not trying to make superheroes punch each other, it's mythical beings throwing temper tantrums over not being worshipped - although we have a couple of outliers as well.

For aspiring evil geniuses, which plans worked and which should be discarded never to be spoken of again? Here's your guide to the supervillain plots of 2016 and just how well they worked out.

Deadpool

The Abridged Plan - Step 1: Recruit dying people for a mysterious organization. Step 2: Give them super powers. Step 3: Profit?

The Full Plan: OK, I'll admit to being a little unclear on what Ajax's secret organization that was really Weapon X was actually trying to do in Deadpool, but I'm a little unclear on Weapon X in the X-Men movies in general. They're  part of the Canadian military but not, or something? Except they're really evil and think they've killed Deadpool, but he's out for revenge, so it's  his plan, I guess.

Was It a Success? In that the program ended up creating the very thing that ended the program, I think we can officially call this the least successful of all the plans.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The Abridged Plan: You and he fight so that I can get some new toys out of the whole thing.

The Full Plan: Never let it be said that Lex Luthor is an underachiever. Not only did he manipulate Batman and Superman into fighting - taking advantage of the former's paranoia and love of weaponized planning to do so - but even this is just intended to promote the need for him to be placed in charge of the authorities' attempts to defend themselves against superhuman threats, which would give him access to his true target: the alien technology from Zod and the Kryptonian invasion force in Man of Steel. Sure, things got out of control with that whole Doomsday thing, but occasionally things get weird even in the best laid plans. (We're avoiding Lex blowing up a senatorial investigation to frame Superman, because, does anyone need to remember the jar of urine?)

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Was It a Success? Yes, Lex ended up in jail and potentially insane after interfacing with alien technology, but he did manage to kill Superman in a roundabout fashion, so mission kind of accomplished.

Captain America: Civil War

The Abridged Plan: You and he fight because revenge is a dish best served amazingly complicated.

The Full Plan: Acting like a man who'd just watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Helmut Zero - a soldier whose family was killed as a result of events in Avengers: Age of Ultron - committed a terrorist attack on the United Nations so that he could frame it on the Winter Soldier, so that he could draw the Winter Soldier out of hiding and be captured by definitely not SHIELD, so that he could go undercover and use the hypnotic triggers that control the Winter Soldier's brainwashing, so that the Winter Soldier would escape, fracture the superheroes' faith in one another and ultimately reveal that the Winter Soldier killed Iron Man's dad, so that he could kill himself in peace. Let's chalk it up to some hardcore nihilism.

Was It a Success? Like BVS, this one was pretty successful, in that it did manage to break up the Avengers, at least until Avengers: Infinity War. Indeed, if you just take out the suicide part at the very end, Zemo got everything he wanted. Good job, Helmut! Just imagine if you'd applied those skills to something that made even a lick of sense!

X-Men: Apocalypse

The Abridged Plan: Sometimes, it's good to stay old school: Kneel before me or else.

The Full Plan: Given that En Sabah Nur had just woken up from a 5,000 year sleep (or thereabouts), it's perhaps understandable that his plan consisted of little more than "Humanity needs to obey me. I'll supercharge some mutants so that they can help make this happen." Let's be honest: exactly why he supercharged those particular mutants is a mystery beyond "Hey, the comic fans love them," but maybe he was still a little groggy from being asleep for so long. (No offense to Olivia Munn, but what did Psylocke actually do - or Angel, for that matter? When coming up with a super team to help with world domination, surely you could choose better than "Ninja and guy with wings."

Was It a Success? Where Apocalypse really went wrong was with wanting to subjugate the entire human race. If he'd just set his sights a little lower - say, "Destroying a few cities and turning Magneto to the dark side yet again" - then everything would have been hunky-dory. The lesson here is "Know your limits."

Suicide Squad

The Abridged Plan: Start off with a show of power, and if that doesn't work, keep going until morale improves.

The Full Plan: If Batman v Superman and Civil War had some similarities, then Suicide Squad could be closely related to X-Men: Apocalypse, featuring a similarly re-awoken ancient threat that seeks to transform others into doing its bidding. This time around, it's the Enchantress and her brother, Incubus, who transform Midway City into an almost Lovecraftian horrorscape in an attempt to simultaneously get revenge on humanity for (temporarily) controlling and trapping them. The two also convince humanity of their immense power so that they're worshipped as gods once more. That the attempts to do so happened to trap Amanda Waller in the middle of Midway were just unfortunate.

Was It a Success? What tripped the Enchantress up is that, really, what Suicide Squad depicts is less a plan, per se, and more of a temper tantrum that just happens to involve magical powers and the transformation of a city. If she'd sat down and thought, "What am I really trying to achieve here?" things could have been so very different.

Doctor Strange

The Abridged Plan: Use the tools of the system to dismantle the system and drain the metaphysical swamp.

The Full Plan: Having learned of the possibilities of magic, Kaecilius and his followers have realized that the sky's the limit if you look at it properly. Instead of using magic to maintain the natural order of things, what if you use the natural order of things to find the tools that will help summon the Dread Dormammu, a mystical being whose very presence will bring the current status quo to an end, thereby ushering in a new age of  Well, OK, that bit's just a tad hazy but potentially something better than this, and that's got to be worth the risk, right? (Note: This movie was not intended as an allegory for the election of Donald Trump, but I'm just saying that maybe there are parallels.)

Was It a Success? Like the best episodes of Scooby Doo, they could have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that pesky kid. If only Stephen Strange hadn't been such a maverick to create a time loop that isn't a real time loop. And let's not think about that too much, then Kaecilius and Dormammu would have gotten exactly what they'd wanted. But then, everyone should know by now that it's always the maverick doctors who pull victory out of the jaws of defeat at the last moment.

Read more: The Best 'Star Wars' Storylines of 2016
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Like a swarm of bees called to "protect the queen," when a hive is attacked, we must rally to protect our valuable pop culture icons.

After a year of heartbreaking celebrity deaths, Twitter has decided: 2016 must not take Betty White.

That's where a new GoFundMe page comes in.

SEE ALSO: 8 reasons we'd go on a date with Betty White

Created by Demetrios Hrysikos on Tuesday and called "Help protect Betty White from 2016," the crowdfunding effort is a humorous response to social media users who are praying the rest of the year goes by without harm befalling the 94-year-old veteran actress and funny lady.

2016,

Don't you touch her!



DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH HER!



DO NOT TOUCH BETTY WHITE!  #RadFinch21 (@RadFinch) December 27, 2016

"The idea came to me after news of Carrie Fisher's passing, to try and put a smile back on some people's faces and do some good!" Hrysikos said on the page.

Hi plan is thus. If Betty White's okay with it, Hrysikos will fly to wherever she is and "keep her safe" till Jan 1.

Dear 2016,

Don't touch Betty White, don't look at Betty White, don't even breathe on her wrong

Sincerely,

Literally everyone  M (@MuirbucksCoffee) December 27, 2016

If White finds that plan a bit on the creepy side, Hrysikos says he will just donate the proceeds to Spartanburg Little Theater, a youth theatre company in South Carolina.

At the time of publishing, the GoFundMe page was halfway to achieving its fundraising goal of $2,000.

when you see betty white trending and you automatically think she died because 2016 has been so bad to us. (she is not dead) pic.twitter.com/e3NRBt0ZN2  nick (@ngreseth) December 27, 2016

Me protecting Betty White from 2016: pic.twitter.com/N2xkrKLCta  Orlando  (@TeamLando) December 27, 2016

"I'd like to think that Betty, Carrie, and Bowie would be happy with any proceeds going to that cause, which I assure you it WILL!" he wrote.

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"We need new artists to carry the mantel of all the great ones we lost this year so keep sharing and donating to ensure a better 2017 for the arts."

And if it makes the sharp-as-a-tack Betty White chuckle? Hey, that would be the greatest gift of all.

Y'all, we gotta find Betty White and put her in a secure storage facility with 24/7 maximum protection security. 2016 will NOT take her too. pic.twitter.com/h45tHsL44d  Jordan (@jordansdiamonds) December 27, 2016

2016 TOOK EVERYBODY. WE GOT TO PROTECT TINA TURNER, MORGAN FREEMAN, BETTY WHITE, CICELY TYSON, AND JAMES EARL JONES AT ALL COSTS.  Ashley Banks (@123itsmeMary) December 27, 2016

Saw that Betty White was trending. She's not dead. Just people are talking about her. pic.twitter.com/6y35Y1zvnm  Santa_Stride (@sirfrench17) December 27, 2016

When you hear that Carrie Fisher died and then you also see Betty White trending pic.twitter.com/MZshIs5F7N  Rachel Ellis (@_rachel_ellis) December 27, 2016

[h/t KETV]
Billie Lourd gets love and support from her Scream Queens costars after her mother Carrie Fishers death and its so emotional

Who says co-stars cant be family? Since losing her mother, Billie Lourds Scream Queens costars have shared love and support for her and its so emotional.

On Tuesday, the legendary actress Carrie Fisher passed away after a heart attack at 60 years old. Not only is the world mourning the loss of everyones Princess Leia, but Lourd is dealing with losing her mom. In this sad time, the 24-year-old actresss friends and family from the FOX series have stepped up.

They have showed their love for Lourd and her mother on social media and all of the messages are touching.

This girl is one of the strongest, most fearless individuals Ive ever met, Taylor Lautner captioned a sweet photo. Absolutely beautiful inside and out. Im lucky to know you @praisethelourd , me.

This girl is one of the strongest, most fearless individuals I've ever met. Absolutely beautiful inside and out. I'm lucky to know you @praisethelourd .. , me. A photo posted by Taylor Lautner (@taylorlautner) on Dec 27, 2016 at 4:40pm PST

Lourds rumored boyfriend and Season 2 costar wasnt the only actor from the thriller series to share their thoughts and prayers for the star since her moms passing.

Former Glee star, Lea Michele tweeted a beautiful picture of Lourd and Fisher which pretty much says everything were feeling about the death.

My heart today.. I love you Billie. pic.twitter.com/2AhltGzn3P  Lea Michele (@msleamichele) December 27, 2016

Glen Powell, who plays Chad on Scream Queens shared the same photo with a very touching message about loss and his lovely friend.

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The world lost a princess, a star, an icon. My good friend Billie lost a mother, cheerleader, and best friend, Powell wrote on Instagram. Carrie, thank you for your uniquely honest soul and sense of humor. This world could use you now more than ever. My prayers go out to the Fisher and Lourd Families.

Ariana Grande posted a sassy photo of her and the Chanel #3 actress on set with a short, but sweet message.

i love you so very much @praisethelourd. my heart is with you & your family. A photo posted by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Dec 27, 2016 at 2:16pm PST

An equally legendary star, Jamie Lee Curtis gave her motherly love to her co-star and off-screen friend and we all need to listen to her words.

My mothers heart goes out to this exquisitely talented young woman, Curtis said. Her mothers spirit and talent lives on in her and Im sure all of Carries fans and friends will give her space and privacy.

My mother's heart goes out to this exquisitely talented young woman. Her mother's spirit and talent lives on in her and I'm sure all of Carrie's fans and friends will give her space and privacy. A photo posted by Jamie Lee Curtis (@curtisleejamie) on Dec 27, 2016 at 10:18am PST

Chanel #5 aka Abigail Breslin posted a set photo from behind the scenes of Lourd that looks just like her brilliant mother.

Right after I took this pic I realized how much Bill looked like Carrie. Both so beautiful, she wrote. RIP Carrie, you were amazingand thank you for making such an incredibly brave, kind and brilliant person who Im lucky to call my best friend. 

Right after I took this pic I realized how much Bill looked like Carrie. Both so beautiful. RIP Carrie, you were amazing... and thank you for making such an incredibly brave, kind and brilliant person who I'm lucky to call my best friend.  A photo posted by Abigail Breslin (@abbienormal9) on Dec 27, 2016 at 6:00pm PST

Scream Queens newbie, John Stamos talked all about the stories between Lourd and Fisher and we wish we were able to hear them first hand.

Oh how you loved telling stories about your mom  and I loved hearing them, the Fuller House star said. I loved watching your face light up. You were so proud of her and she of you. She will live through you forever and were all lucky for that. Love you Billie.

Oh how you loved telling stories about your mom -and I loved hearing them. I loved watching your face light up. You were so proud of her and she of you. She will live through you forever and were all lucky for that. Love you Billie. A photo posted by John Stamos (@johnstamos) on Dec 27, 2016 at 7:29pm PST

Like the fabulous Scream Queens cast, our hearts go out to Billie and her family during this time tough time.

The post Billie Lourd gets love and support from her Scream Queens costars after her mother Carrie Fishers death and its so emotional appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Billie Lourd, the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher, found breakout success with her role as the oddball sorority mean girl Chanel No. 3 on FOXs Scream Queens. But even though Lourd was standing on her own as an actress, she wanted viewers to know her mom was always with her.

Thats the reason her Chanel No. 3 constantly wore fuzzy earmuffs. They are a little bit of a Princess Leia homage, the 24-year-old revealed to Seth Meyers during a Dec. 8 appearance on Late Night. Its kind of a family tradition.

Of course, shes referring to Fishers famous Star Wars character and the Cinnabon-sized buns she wore in her hair. It was a unique look director George Lucas told Time he was inspired to create by looking at turn-of-the-century Mexican fashion  and one that would go to become an iconic fashion moment.

But when the fuzzy earmuffs were sitting in the Scream Queens wardrobe fittings, no one was thinking about Leia.

Steve Dietl/FOX

No one wanted them! They tried to give them to . They tried to give them to , Lourd told Today in a Dec. 13 interview. I was like I need these!  I was drawn to them because of genetics.

I saw them in the fitting and was immediately gravitated towards them because I had to be, she added on Late Night. I just went into the fitting, saw them, recognized my family heritage  which is to have weird things over your eyes and cover them all the time.

The look was eventually written into the show by Scream Queens writer Brad Falchuk  explained as an accessory Chanel No. 3 wears daily to protect herself from a guy who was so obsessed with her ears that he threatened to cut them off if he ever saw them again.

But for Lourd, it was always about Leia.

This is the ideal cult thing for me to wear, she told Live with Kelly on Dec. 12 of the fan throwback. I got so deeply attached to them in a weird way, that it became a part of my character.

As for the comparisons it would inevitably bridge to Fisher, Lourd said she wasnt worried. I try to do my own thing but when Im wearing something like this, its kind of hard to escape the comparison, she told Today. Its her hairstyle.

Story continues

Fisher, 60, suffered a massive heart attack aboard an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday when she went into cardiac arrest. She died Tuesday morning.

She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly, Lourd said in a statement on Friday. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.




An Afghan MP was among at least three people wounded when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in Kabul Wednesday, officials said, in the latest in a series of attacks on lawmakers.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast targeting Fakuri Behishti, an MP from central Bamiyan province, who was on his way to parliament.

"The bomb was placed under a bridge and it detonated when the MP's vehicle was passing through," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

"Three people including the MP were wounded."

But parliament speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi told lawmakers that a relative of the MP had also been killed.

"I heard a big explosion that shook nearby shops. I saw rescuers pulling out several wounded people from the destroyed vehicle," said Abdul Manan, a a bakery shop owner near the scene of the attack.

The attack comes as Taliban insurgents are pressing ahead with a nationwide offensive despite the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.

The militants have recently stepped up attacks on Afghan lawmakers.

Last Wednesday at least eight people were killed when Taliban suicide bombers stormed the residence of an Afghan lawmaker in Kabul, an attack that lasted nearly 10 hours.

Helmand MP Mir Wali survived the assault with injuries, but two of his grandsons and bodyguards were among those killed.
New York (AFP) - German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has agreed to divest key animal health assets in to garner regulatory approval for a multi-billion dollar deal with Sanofi, US antitrust regulators announced Wednesday.

Boehringer Ingelheim plans to acquire Paris-based Sanofi's animal care subsidiary, Merial, which is valued at $13.5 billion in the asset-swap transaction announced in December 2015.

In exchange, Sanofi would buy Boehringer Ingelheim's consumer health business, valued at $8 billion, as well as obtain cash compensation for $5.5 billion.

The US Federal Trade Commission is requiring Boehringer Ingelheim to sell its pet vaccine business to Eli Lilly and parasite control and some other animal health assets to Bayer.

The agency the deal would have damaged competition in the US market for canine vaccines, feline vaccines and products to prevent and control outbreaks in cattle and sheep.

The agency will decide whether to finalize the settlement after a 30-day public comment period, which closes January 27.

The European Commission in August approved the transaction after requiring the two companies to offload businesses in a number of countries, mostly in Eastern Europe, to stop the merger from reducing choice for customers.
LAGOS (Reuters) - Boko Haram fighters fleeing an attack on their base last week may have used some of the girls kidnapped in 2014 from northeast Nigeria's Chibok as human shields to prevent being fired upon by fighter jets, a military commander said on Wednesday. Major General Lucky Irabor, theater commander of Nigeria's military campaign against the group, showed a news conference aerial footage he said was filmed during the operation in the Sambisa forest that showed Boko Haram fighters moving with women and children. "The haggard fighters were just using them as a shield," Irabor told reporters in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. "That is why we did not engage them from the air." "We had always believed and hoped that going into the Sambisa would afford us the opportunity to get the remaining Chibok girls. What we can't tell is whether those women we can see were the Chibok girls," he said. Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 200 girls from their school dormitories in the town of Chibok in April 2014. The first of the girls to be found said most of them were being held in the Sambisa forest, where she was discovered in May. The group has kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children during its seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, some of whom may also be held in the forest. The abduction of the Chibok girls, 21 of whom were released in October, brought worldwide notoriety. President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday the Islamist militants' last enclave in the forest, the vast former game reserve in northeast Nigeria that was their stronghold, had been captured. Reuters has been unable to independently verify that the area has been captured, but the comments from the general were the first reference by a military official to the suspected whereabouts of the girls since Buhari's announcement. The president said the capture of Camp Zero in the forest marked the "final crushing of Boko Haram" but security analysts say the group's ability to carry out attacks in neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad suggests it has multiple bases. They also say the group split this year with one faction led by Abubakar Shekau operating from the Sambisa forest and the other, allied to Islamic State and led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, based in the Lake Chad region. Irabor said the military was pursuing those who fled, adding that 1,240 people suspected of being militants, their relatives or sympathizers had been arrested between Dec. 21 and 28. Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during its insurgency. It controlled an area the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has been pushed back by troops from Nigeria and neighboring countries since then. Separately, dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister there said. (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Alison Williams)
The family of an 8-year-old transgender boy says he was kicked out of his New Jersey Cub Scout troop because of his gender identity.

Joe Maldonado was born a girl, but has identified as a boy for more than a year. This, his family says, is the reason the Boy Scouts of America removed Joe, formerly Jodi, from Secaucus Pack 87 about one month after he joined in the fall, according to the North Jersey Record.

It made me mad, Joe told the publication. I had a sad face, but I wasnt crying. Im way more angry than sad. My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. Its right to do.

Effie Delimarkos, the communications director for the Boy Scouts of America, declined to comment on whether the Scouts have a written policy on transgender individuals, but told the Record in a statement that no youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation, but added, Gender identity isnt related to sexual orientation.

Modern Family to Feature First Openly Transgender Child Actor on TV

Joes mother, Kristie Maldonado, believes the parents of the children in the Cub Scouts pack are to blame for her sons removal.

Not one of the kids said, You dont belong here,  Kristie said.

According to CBS News, the Boy Scouts of America offered an alternative co-ed program for the 8-year-old to participate in. However, Kristie told the news station she is not interested in the alternative, and wants the organization to apologize to her son.




The Boy Scouts of America once again landed under the harsh glare of the media spotlight for their policies on LGBT children.

Recently, a woman from New Jersey has been speaking to local media about how her transgender son was removed from his local Boy Scout troop because of his gender identity.

Kristie Maldonado, of Secaucus, N.J., told the Record newspaper that none of the children in Cub Scout Pack 87 had a problem with her 8-year-old sons participation  but their parents did.

Not one of the kids said, You dont belong here,' she said.

Her son, Joe, said, I had a sad face, but I wasnt crying. Im way more angry than sad. My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. Its right to do.

The brouhaha finds the Boy Scouts in familiar territory in which the LGBT community and its allies take issue with traditional institutions they consider to be antiquated and in need of reform. To these advocates, a ban on transgender membership is a discriminatory policy and should not be tolerated.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts prepare to lead marchers while waving rainbow-colored flags at the 41st annual Pride Parade in Seattle in June 2015, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide. (Photo: Elaine Thompson/AP)

Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, a leading transgender rights nonprofit, said the Cub Scouts is not the place where children should be taught to discriminate. Instead, she said, they should be taught about discrimination and how to welcome people.

This child seems like so smart and awesome. Weve seen this a million times in schools and Cub Scouts: Its always parents claiming to speak for their children, Keisling told Yahoo News. Cmon, its an 8-year-old. Let kids be kids.

Keisling, who was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout in her youth, said its sad that the Boy Scouts did not learn their lesson after excluding gay people. She said its great that the Boy Scouts recognize that gay rights and transgender rights are two different issues, but also highlighted what she considers their similarities.

Ill tell you whats the same about them: whether or not youre an inclusive, welcoming organization or a stuck-in-the-past exclusionary, unwelcoming organization, the Boy Scouts seem set on being the latter, she said.

Story continues

The Boys Scouts grant youth membership to boys who are in first through fifth grades or between 7 and 10 years old, and revealed  amid the controversy  that the group defers to the childs biological sex as recorded on his or her birth certificate.

When contacted by Yahoo News, the Boy Scouts of America shared a statement from the director of communications, Effie Delimarkos, declaring that Joe does not meet the organizations requirements for eligibility.

The statue of a scout stands in the entrance to Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas. (Photo: Tim Sharp/Reuters)

If needed, we defer to the information provided for an individuals birth certificate and their biological sex, Delimarkos said. Scouting teaches its youth members and adult leaders to be respectful of other people and individual beliefs.

The Boy Scouts are no strangers to controversy over gay rights. The groups previous bans on gay adults and children on joining the organization generated tremendous outrage as the nation increasingly embraced liberal perspectives on LGBT issues.

But Joes removal is likely to be the first high-profile case of someone being removed from a troop because of gender identity.

In May 2013, the Boy Scouts national council voted to remove the ban on membership for gay youth. This was followed two years later with the organization lifting its ban on openly gay adult leaders.

According to Delimarkos, the group was unaware that the child was not born with male biological sex characteristics when the family started the registration process for Cub Scouts.

During this process, it was brought to our attention that their child does not meet the eligibility requirements to participate in this program, so Boy Scouts of America [BSA] leadership reached out to the family to inform them and share information on alternative programs, Delimarkos said.

The group suggested that the family could look into the organizations co-ed programs, such as Learning for Life, STEM Scouts and Venturing.

A spokesperson for the Scouts for Equality advocacy organization said the organization is deeply disappointed in the decision to remove Joe from scouting and hope that it will be reversed quickly.

This is the first time a youth has been removed from the BSA because of his gender identity, and the BSA now finds itself at a pivotal moment as an organization, the spokesperson said via email. We hope they will choose to be on the right side of history. Joe is not the first openly transgender Cub Scout, and he will not be the last. We urge BSA president Randall Stephenson to take immediate action to end this discrimination before its codified into a formal policy.

Related video:




BP plc BP has agreed to shell out A$1.785 billion ($1.3 billion) for Woolworths Ltd.s portfolio of Australian gas stations in a deal that will likely make the London-based oil company one of the nations biggest fuel providers. We expect these developments to result in stock price appreciation. Year to date, the stock has gained 18.5%, while Zacks categorized sub industry Oil & Gas- International Integrated Market has increased by 19%.







Per the deal, the British energy company will acquire 527 fuel outlets as well as 16 development sites. The Woolworths fuel outlets are supplied by rival Caltex Australia Ltd. Currently, BP owns 350 retail locations across Australia and supplies fuel to an additional 1,000 outlets owned by independent business partners.



BP and Woolworths partnership also includes the continuation and expansion of a scheme offering fuel discounts for supermarket customers.



Earlier, BP entered into deals with retailers including Marks & Spencer Plc in the U.K. and REWE in Germany. For Woolworths, the sale is part of Chief Executive Officer, Brad Banduccis strategy to reverse the supermarket chains deteriorating fortune. After being declared the CEO in February 2016, Banducci has cut jobs, written off assets and slowed store openings, while sales at its Australian food division started increasing again.



BPs proposal met Woolworths strategic and broader commercial requirements. The proceeds will be reinvested in Woolworths core business and the deal isnt expected to have a material effect on earnings.



Caltex, which has been the exclusive supplier of petrol and diesel to the Woolworths outlets, had also expressed an interest in acquiring the business.



The purchase by BP marks a deviation from the trend of the recent years that has seen a smaller share of Australias retail fuel operators being owned by the major oil companies. There are about 6,400 outlets Down Under, while 52% of them were associated with one of the four major oil companies operating in Australia as of Jan 2016, only 9% were directly controlled by them.



Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is not expected to conclude before Jan 2, 2018.



BP currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked players in the same sector include Braskem S.A. BAK, Suncor Energy, Inc. SU and Noble Midstream Partners L.P. NBLX. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Braskem posted a positive earnings surprise of 107.79% in the last reported quarter.



Suncor Energy posted a positive earnings surprise of 300% in the preceding quarter. It reported an average earnings surprise of 40.55% for the four trailing quarters.



Noble Midstream Partners posted a negative earnings surprise of 77.78% in the last reported quarter.



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By Luciano Costa and Tatiana Bautzer

SAO PAULO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's state-run oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro SA, on Wednesday announced the sale of ethanol and petrochemicals assets for $587 million, but said it would still fall $1.5 billion short of its divestment target for the 2015-2016 period.

Among the assets sold were its 46 percent stake in ethanol producer Guarani SA, which was acquired for $202 million by its French partner Tereos SA, which will now own all of the company.

Petrobras, as the company is known, said it will also sell its two petrochemical units in the northeastern state of Pernambuco - Petroquimica Suape and Citepe - to Mexican group Alpek SAB de CV subsidiaries Grupo Petrotemex SA de CV and Dak Americas Exterior SL for $385 million.

Even after a flurry of asset sales this month, Petrobras failed to meet its two-year divestment target of $15.1 billion.

The state oil company said in an emailed statement that a court injunction this month blocking its negotiations to sell the Tartaruga Verde and Bauna oilfields was to blame for missing the goal. The company announced in October Karoon Gas Australia Ltd was interested in these fields.

Petrobras said its 2017-2018 asset sale target would be automatically raised to $21 billion to compensate for the shortfall.

Petrobras is selling off noncore assets in a bid to reduce its $125 billion debt, the largest in the global oil industry.

Last week, the company said it would sell $2.2 billion worth of assets to France's Total SA, including stakes in oilfields and two thermal power stations.

That announcement came a week after Petrobras sold its 49 percent stake in sugar and ethanol joint venture Nova Fronteira Bioenergia SA to partner Sao Martinho SA for $133 million in shares.

Petrobras said the recent deals were exempted from the ruling by Brazil's audit court on Dec. 7 that temporarily suspended its asset sale program. These sales were allowed to proceed because they were in advanced stages, the company said.

(Reporting by Luciano Costa, Tatiana Bautzer and Brad Brooks; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Matthew Lewis)
SAO PAULO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer is expected to veto a bill under which the central government bails out indebted states, according to the Wednesday editions of newspapers Valor Economico and Folha de S.Paulo.

The main reason for the move, which may be announced today, is a decision by the chamber of deputies to scrap adjustments the states were expected to make in order to get some debt relief.

"It makes no sense allowing states to defer debt payments without making any adjustments," Eduardo Guardia, executive secretary at the Finance Ministry, was quoted as saying in Valor Economico.

The intention to veto the bill was discussed by Temer at a meeting Tuesday with Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles and Planning Minister Dyogo Oliveira, according to the newspaper reports.

A Finance Ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
DailyFX.com -

Talking Points:

UK mortgage approvals unexpectedly fall in November

Some economists predict house price drops in 2017

Former Bank of England governor says UK government should opt for hard Brexit

- See the DailyFX Economic Calendar and see what live coverage for key event risk impacting FX markets is scheduled for next week on the DailyFX Webinar Calendar.

The British Pound is under pressure after an unexpected drop in UK mortgage approvals in November.

The British Bankers Association (BBA) reported Wednesday that the number of mortgage approvals fell to 40,659 in the month, down from 40,835 in October and against estimates of a rise to 41,400.

The BBA data follow from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which has reported that buyer enquiries for houses rose for a third month running in November  although the increase was still relatively modest. Buyer enquiries had earlier fallen for six months running through to August.

Economists are now concerned that the UK housing market could struggle next year, with some predicting there will be house price drops in 2016.

GBPUSD dropped to a low of 1.22967 in Wednesday trading, and is currently at 1.22413.

It follows comments from the former governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, who at the beginning of the week suggested that the UK government is better off seeking a hard Brexit option when it formerly launches the exit from the European Union next year, sparking fears amoung traders about the impact that would have on the UKs economy and its currency.

Mervyn King said: I dont think it makes sense for us to pretend we should remain in the single market and I think there are real question marks about whether it makes sense to remain in the customs union.

However, the BBC reports that other pro-Brexit campaigners have asked business groups across the EU to push for Britains continued access to the single market, in order to help prevent disruption to trade.

Story continues

The group called Leave Means Leave has written to the chambers of commerce in all the other 27 EU states, asking them to call for a "sensible agreement regarding the terms of Britain's exit from the EU". It says trade barriers would have a "detrimental effect" and calls for uninterrupted trade as well as near-zero tariffs.

GBPUSD 15-minute chart

Brexit Briefing: British Pound Weighed Down by Poor Mortgage Data

Markets

Upcoming Event Risk

Events Date, Time (GMT) Forecast Previous GBP Nationwide House Prices s.a. (MoM) (DEC) 07:00 3.8% 4.4% Euro-Zone M3 (sa y/y Nov) Dec 29; 0900 4.4%

--- Written by Oliver Morrison, Analyst

To contact Oliver, email him at oliver.morrison@ig.com

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original source

DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets.

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Burke Ramsey has filed a second defamation lawsuit over a recent CBS docuseries that advanced the theory he killed his younger sister, JonBenet, more than two decades ago, PEOPLE confirms.

After suing forensic pathologist Dr. Werner Spitz in October for $150 million in damages, lawyers for Burke on Wednesday filed another civil suit  this one, naming CBS as well as Critical Content LLC, the production company behind The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey, and seven experts and consultants featured in the special, which aired over two nights in mid-September.

PEOPLE obtained a copy of the second suit, which seeks $250 million in compensatory damages and $500 million in punitive damages.

In addition to listing Spitz as a defendant, the suit filed Wednesday names retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent and criminal profiler Jim Clemente; criminal behaviorist Laura Richards; Jim Kolar, a former lead investigator in the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation; forensic linguistics expert James Fitzgerald; statement analyst Stanley Burke; and forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee.

Stanley Burke and Fitzgerald declined to comment on the suit. Clemente, Kolar, Lee, Richards and Spitz could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. An attorney who has previously represented Critical Content said he was unable to comment and would forward a message, which did not immediately receive a response.

CBS declined to comment. In a previous statement following the suit against Spitz, the network said, CBS stands by the broadcast and will do so in court.

According to Ramseys suit, the action was filed to redress the permanent damage to Burkes reputation resulting from defendants false accusation that he killed his sister, JonBenet Ramsey.

 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.

L. Lin Wood, the Atlanta-based lawyer who represents Burke, could not be reached for comment. He previously warned such litigation was coming, making good on that promise Wednesday.

Story continues

In a previous interview with PEOPLE, Wood called the CBS broadcast an attempt to get ratings and noted that officials aired the program during September sweeps in an attempt to draw in viewers.

The civil lawsuit alleges the network damaged Ramseys reputation by purposely ignoring substantial evidence that the suit alleges cleared the entire Ramsey family from suspicion in the 6-year-old beauty pageant queens 1996 slaying, which remains unsolved.

JonBenet was found dead in the basement of her familys home in Boulder, Colorado, in December 1996. Though the Ramsey family long faced suspicion, including from police, in JonBenets death, they have never been charged and have always maintained their innocence.

On the CBS special, the team of seven experts theorized that Burke, who was 9 at the time of his sisters death, may have accidentally killed JonBenet.

 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 the broadcast, the docuseries team theorized that JonBeneet took a piece of Burkes pineapple on Christmas night, enraging him. They alleged Burke could have grabbed a flashlight and hit her on the head.

CBS perpetrated a fraud upon the public  instead of being a documentary based on a new investigation by a so-called team of experts, The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey was a fictional crime show based primarily on a preconceived storyline scripted in a self-published and commercially unsuccessful book, Foreign Faction, written by Defendant James Kolar and published in 2012, the suit alleges.

The suit denies the theories advanced in the CBS special, and it further takes issue with a staged demonstration in which a young boy beats a pig skin clad with a blonde wig to create the image of Burke killing his sister.

The suit contends the special has caused Burke to suffer significant damage and harm, including financial damages, mental anguish, and damage to his reputation.

Expert: $750M Damages Are More of a Bargaining Chip

Asking for $750 million in a defamation suit is not that uncommon, since damage to ones reputation is hard to quantify, according to Delaware Law School Dean Rod Smolla.

Smolla, who is unconnected to the case, tells PEOPLE the immense figure is more of a symbolic statement than a realistic expectation.

While acknowledging $750 million is a large sum of money, he believes that number was chosen to recite the seriousness of the case and the outrage the plaintiff feels. Smolla adds, It is probably not realistically what Burke Ramsey or his attorney, Lin Wood, really expect to recover. Its more of a bargaining chip  a posturing maneuver.

But Michigan attorney Aaron Larson, who is also unconnected to the case, calls the damages figure extraordinary. He says it is the sort of damages claim most commonly associated with an effort to generate attention and publicity.

He explains that in many defamation cases, a plaintiff will be concerned about attracting attention to the allegedly false accusations by filing a lawsuit. in some cases, having additional media attention can be beneficial, by bringing additional attention to any retraction, apology or settlement  or to what they anticipate to be a favorable jury verdict.

Smolla doubts the figure sought will factor into how the case is resolved.

What will matter is what is revealed during the discovery process, he tells PEOPLE. Burke Ramsey has to prove the story is false, so the burden of proof is on him to show that he did not murder his sister, and thats not impossible.

He can assemble his evidence, and a jury could find it believable. He just has to show that CBS was negligent in asserting he was involved. He will have to demonstrate people who viewed that show came away with the impression that he was the one who did it.

Smolla anticipates itll be well over a year before this case is closed, and suspects both parties will recalculate their odds of winning and losing after discovery.

They may come to some sort of settlement, he says. You always start off with a strong complaint and a strong statement by the plaintiff, and the defendant saying that we stand by this story. Those positions may evolve as the evidence develops.

 With reporting by ADAM CARLSON




By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A Canadian man punched a cougar in the face to stop it attacking his dog in a wooded area near a fast food store in Whitecourt, central Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Wednesday. William Gibb, 31, from Red Deer, Alberta, had stopped at a Tim Hortons outlet, a popular Canadian restaurant chain while driving 600-kilometre (372-miles) to Grand Prairie on Monday evening and let his dog out for a walk, Whitecourt RCMP Sergeant Tom Kalis said. Shortly after, Gibb heard his 80-pound (36-kg) female Husky called Sasha whimpering in pain and found a cougar pinning her to the ground. "I could see something wrapped around her and wasn't sure what it was. I ran over and punched it in what I thought was the head, and it backed off and I realized it was a cougar," Gibb, an electrician, told Reuters. "I stepped over Sasha and charged at it swinging and screaming and calling for my brother and buddy to give a hand," he added. Gibb kept the cougar at bay, which he said swiped at him a few times, as he tended to his injured dog and called the police, before getting Sasha into his truck and driving her away for medical attention. He said the police arrived five or 10 minutes later and, after consulting with fish and wildlife officers, killed the cougar because of the risk it could attack another dog or even humans. Gibb himself was not seriously injured, although Sasha bit him on the hand as he was trying to rescue her. Kalis said cougar sightings were not uncommon around Whitecourt because the town is surrounded by forests, but it is unusual for them to attack dogs. (Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Sandra Maler and Alistair Bell)
An American study has uncovered a shift in teenagers' consumption and perceptions of cannabis since the 2015 legalization of recreational use of the drug in the state of Washington.

According to researchers at UC Davis and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, marijuana consumption among 13-14-year olds and 15-16-year olds increased respectively by two percent and four percent in the state of Washington since the introduction of the 2015 law authorizing recreational use of the drug.

The study also found that since legalization negative perceptions of marijuana among Washington teenagers in the same age categories had declined by 14% and 16% respectively.

In the United States, nine states have now authorized the recreational use of marijuana, while while 26 have legalized it for medical purposes. Most recently California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts voted to change their laws in November 2016. They join Colorado, which legalized in 2012, Oregon, Alaska and the State of Washington, which legalized in 2015, as well as the US capital Washington DC, which legalized in 2014.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

Worrying impact on teenagers

In concrete terms, anyone over the age of 21 can now legally procure one ounce of marijuana for recreational use. The law also allows for the cultivation of six marijuana plants, provided they are not on public view. Retail sales from licensed vendors are permitted and taxed at 15 percent.

"While legalization for recreational purposes is currently limited to adults, potential impacts on adolescent marijuana use are of particular concern," points out Magdalena Cerda, the author of the study which was published in Jama Pediatrics.

In view of the increasing number of states moving to legalize marijuana, the researchers argue that changes to the law should be accompanied by prevention programs that raise teenagers' awareness of the potential risks of marijuana.
Scientists who have observed and studied cardinalfish  a tiny species that inhabits shallow marine habitats, such as coral reefs  know that even when its larvae are dispersed over a distance of several miles, most of them find their way back home. What they have struggled to understand is how.

Until now.

A study published in the latest edition of the journal Current Biology revealed the larvae of these fingernail-sized fish have an internal magnetic compass that directs them home even when there are no sun or stars to guide them.

This study is the first clear demonstration that reef fish larvae possess magnetic senses to orient them at night, study co-author Michael Kingsford from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, said in a statement. Up until now, we only knew adult birds, marine mammals, sharks and boney fish have this in-built sense of direction.

Baby-cardinal-fish-have-an-in-built-magnetic-compass-that-pulls-them-home

Photo: Andreas Bally

For their study, the researchers gathered larval specimen of Ostorhinchus doederleini  Doederleins cardinalfish  from the One Tree Island on the Great Barrier Reef. In order to test if an internal compass was responsible for their exceptional navigational skills, the authors of the study used a device that allowed them change to direction of a magnetic field surrounding the tank the larvae were floating in.

Normally, fish orientated to the southeast, but when we altered the magnetic field clockwise by 120 degrees, there was a significant change in the direction the fish swam. They all turned further west, thinking they were still on track to their destination, Kingsford said. Our results show that larvae can use their magnetic senses to point them in the right direction when its night time.

The scientists believe findings of the study may help them perfect the techniques needed to protect and maintain fish stocks in and around coral reefs.

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The study tells us these baby fish actually have brains, Kingsford said. They know where they are going and are strong swimmers. As a result they have some control over the reef they end up on. Its not just about being led by the currents.

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Following the sudden death of actress Carrie Fisher, many fans are left wondering what will become of the projects Fisher was working on.

While Fisher may be most famous for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series, the actress went on to become an author and screenwriter while still appearing in films and television.

Fisher had a recurring role on Family Guy as Peter Griffins boss, Angela. She was on her way back to Los Angeles from filming Catastrophe for Amazon UK when she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London last week and passed on Tuesday. Although the actress life was cut short, fans will still get a chance to see her in number of roles come 2017.

carrie fisher

Photo: Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez

Family Guy

Before her death, Fisher completed voice-acting for two Family Guy episodes. The dates for the episodes have yet to be determined. Fisher first appeared on the show in 2005 and has appeared in 20 episodes since, most recently in a Dec. 4 episode.

Carrie Fisher was smart, funny, talented, surprising, and always a hell of a fun time to be around. Family Guy will miss her immensely, wrote show creator Seth MacFarlane on Twitter.

Catastrophe

Filming for the third season of the Amazon series recently finished filming, making it Fishers final acting role. The new season is expected to be released early 2017. In an interview with Vulture, Fisher said she loved the role she played. I did really want to play an awful person. There are not a lot of choices for women past 27. I dont wait by the phone.

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Fisher teamed up with her famous mother, Debbie Reynolds, for a documentary that had already premiered in September at Cannes but will air in March 2017 on HBO. The film chronicles the relationship between Fisher and her mother.

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We met Carrie, and she kind of had this idea to chronicle Debbies last nightclub performance, said co-director Fisher Stevens. Because she was quite performing quite a bit  actively  when we started filming. We were able to capture, I think, sort of lightning in a bottle.

Star Wars: Episode VIII

While she was known as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, Leia became General Organa in Star Wars: Episode VII and Fisher reprised the role for the upcoming Episode VIII. Shooting for the film wrapped in July and the movie is now in post-production. Fisher was also set to appear in the ninth Star Wars film, which begins shooting in 2018. Following her death, it's unknown what will happen to Leia in the next film.

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Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan

Carrie Fisher, the actress best known for playing Princess Leia in Star Wars, has died at 60, her family announced Tuesday. Her daughter, Scream Queens actress Billie Lourd, confirmed the news in a statement to People:

It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning, the statement, delivered via spokesperson Simon Halls, reads. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.

Fisher had gone into cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday; she was rushed to the hospital where she was placed in intensive care. (Earlier this week, her mother Debbie Reynolds had tweeted she was in a "stable condition.")

The daughter of Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, she became an instant household name with her role as Princess Leia. She also starred in films like Shampoo, The Blues Brothers, and When Harry Met Sally, and reprised her role as Leia in The Force Awakens last year. This year, Fisher had just released a memoir, The Princess Diarist, in which she details her time on the Star Wars set and her affair with costar Harrison Ford. Her semi-autobiographical novel, 1987's Postcards from the Edge, was turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep. In another book, Wishful Drinking, Fisher wrote that she wanted her obituary to claim that she died because she "drowned in moonlight, strangled by [her] own bra." (This was prompted by George Lucas's puzzling logic about why Princess Leia wouldn't wear a bra in space.)

Fisher was always open about her struggles with substance abuse and bipolar disorder, as well as her various high-profile relationships. She married Paul Simon in 1983 and divorced him the following year, though their relationship was on-again, off-again for a while after that. She had Lourd, her only child, during her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd.

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Her death was immediately met with an outpouring of grief on social media from fans, colleagues, and loved ones.

Fuck this year. Fuck this whole sick, worthless cruel prank of a year. #RIPCarrieFisher - Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) December 27, 2016

I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent & light has been extinguished. - William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 27, 2016

We just lost a great ally for mental health and addiction. Be strong, be as strong as she'd want you to be. Rest in paradise @carrieffisher pic.twitter.com/vxDJkVag06 - Margaret Cho (@margaretcho) December 27, 2016

Some called u princess. To me u were the Queen. U were kind to me when u didn't have to give a sh*t. RIP @CarrieFFisher. Go to hell 2016. - Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) December 27, 2016

No. No. Fuck this shit. Carrie Fisher is a fucking legend and this is bullshit. - Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) December 27, 2016

I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today! - Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) December 27, 2016

.@CarriefFisher was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend. She was so much fun. I can't believe she's gone. https://t.co/wpxGvBWA0b - Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 27, 2016

This post will be updated.

Follow Megan on Twitter.

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Carrie Fishers former assistant shares the most beautiful and hilarious stories from his three years working with her

This week has been really hard for anyone who was touched by the incredible Carrie Fisher. But her former assistant is really feeling it and we fully understand.

So many are mourning Fisher, since she died after complications from a massive heart attack, sharing their favorite stories of working and loving the star and Carrie Fishers former assistant penned a heartfelt post.

Byron Lane, who worked as Fishers assistant for three years took to Facebook to share his favorite memories and the way he described Carries spirit is so moving.

Posted by Byron Lane on Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Posted by Byron Lane on Tuesday, December 27, 2016

She once got a text alert from weather.com saying the northern lights were gonna be bigso that night I had to book flights and the next day we were there, Lane wrote in his moving tribute. When Gary had to pee on a plane she took him and a wee-wee pad into the lavatory and how they worked it out is one of lifes great mysteries.

Posted by Byron Lane on Tuesday, December 27, 2016

He continues, Most of my time with her involved me staring at her, wide-eyed and in blissful shock that one person could live a life so fully. We rode dog sleds in Canada, swam hot springs in Japan, pet koalas in Australia. Thats how she lived. Extraordinary. Brilliant. Hilarious. And generous! Not every assistant job is like that.

Her nicknames for me were Byronius and Cock Ring. She once got a text alert from weather.com saying the northern lights... Posted by Byron Lane on Tuesday, December 27, 2016

I feel so lucky, you guys! So! Lucky! But, you know her, too. Because she was exactly the same in private as in public. Authentic. Honest. Real. A champion for mental health, veterans, feminism. She did anything for her family, loved her friends, embodied aliveness. Ill miss her so, so much.

You can really feel how amazing Fisher was and how she truly touched lives of many from the heartwarming testimonials from those who knew her best. Sending our love to her family and friends in this time of great grief.

The post Carrie Fishers former assistant shares the most beautiful and hilarious stories from his three years working with her appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Carrie Fisher had been developing a sequel to her autobiographical, one-woman play Wishful Drinking, with plans to present the show at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

The new play  titled Wishful Drinking Strikes Back: From Star Wars to, uh, Star Wars!  would have re-teamed Fisher with Josh Ravetch, who directed Wishful Drinking in 2006 when it premiered at the Geffen.

The theater issued a statement following Fishers death on Tuesday: All of us at the Geffen Playhouse are devastated by the news of the passing of our dear friend and alum, Carrie Fisher. She was a wickedly funny force of nature and it was a privilege and a pleasure to have her on our stage. We send our love to her family and friends as we all mourn this tremendous loss.

Fisher and the Geffen Playhouse made a handshake deal on Dec. 22 rather than signing a formal contract for the sequel, according to a playhouse spokeswoman. Fisher suffered a heart attack the next day on a Los Angeles-bound flight from London.

Fisher also performed Wishful Drinking at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2008, followed by runs in Seattle and Washington, D.C., before opening it in a limited run on Broadway in 2009 and 2010. She and Ravetch also published Wishful Drinking and HBO telecast a documentary of the show in 2010.

The show opened with Fisher saying, Hi, Im Carrie Fisher, and Im an alcoholic, and included observations about her upbringing, substance abuse, and her Star Wars legacy  especially the memorable image from Return of the Jedi.

She used to be hot, now she looks like Elton John, she said. I did not realize that when I donned that  metal bikini back when I was 23 that I had made an invisible contract to stay looking the exact same way for the next 30 to 40 years. Well, obviously, Ive betrayed the contract.

IndieWire first reported the news about the sequel.

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EXCLUSIVE: Four years ago Carrie Fisher wrote the following article for Deadlines AwardsLine magazine, remembering her first visit to the 1965 Oscars when her mother Debbie Reynolds was nominated for Best Actress for the title role in Charles Walters musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Like many memoirs Fisher, who died Tuesday, its a piece that reflects her Hollywood insider sensibility and hysterical wit.

Having come from a show business family, I was aware of the Academy Awards from a very early age. What age I happened to be is outside the grasp of my unenviable, limited powers of recollection.

That having been said, if age can, in part, be determined by someones height, I was very, very short, so in all likelihood I was about 6 or 7 years old when I learned about this coveted, golden, (nude?!!!!) man. A man even shorter than I was, but unlike me, he had the ability to make someone in nice clothes unimaginably conspicuous, frequently giddy, surprised, tongue tied, and in a very short time, able to disconcert!

But perhaps unlike other short people, the Oscars snuck into my awareness because my mother had been nominated (!) for Best Actress for her performance in the 1964 film, The Unsinkable Molly Brown. It was her first  and only  nomination. Of course, at the time, all she knew was that it was her first nomination.

So, the night came. She got all dressed up  and when I say dressed up, I mean way dressed up. You know, jewelry surrounding and dangling from every imaginable place. And makeup  big makeup. And on top of the makeup  literally on top  hair. Blonde hair even! More than blonde, it was vertical! It had the quality of attempting to keep company with the ceiling! And if that wasnt enough  like an invisible escort  she was lovingly encased in something I came to call a gown, which is a dress to the power of lots and lots of powers of some number that hardly matters. What mattered was that she shimmered. I assume that something in the nature of fur was draped devotedly over one shoulder and shyly in the crook of the other, bare-shouldered arm.

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RelatedCarrie Fishers Career & Life  Photo Gallery

Also, teetering on high heels  heels designed to help her hair scale its nosebleed-high trek to the top of her dressing room, and in an invisible cloud of secret celebrity perfume, she nervously clutched her teeny, totally impractical purse, able to contain a bit of Kleenex, a bright tube of lipstick, a tip for the woman in the crowded washroom, and, yes, a secret little cache of  dont tell  please  hope.

Of course, she assured everyone  like most everyone does who possesses an ounce of apparent humility  of course, she knew she wouldnt win. Thats when you shake your head and smile shyly and say something like: Its an honor just to have been nominated. Thats more than I ever couldve dreamed of expecting. Just to be named in the same little list of lucky honorees was more than enough.

Which was true, in a way.

More than that, she  and in all likelihood most of her co-considered companions  told this to anyone whod listen. And, cmon!  lots of people listened to you while you waited to see if it would it be you who clutched the golden, nude man holding his sword greedily, grinning as the cameras flashed and the people  both strangers and known, even strangely known  called out your name: Over here! Look at me! See me! Because if you  one of the most seen persons on the scene saw and even smiled at them, it made them part of the winners lucky charm. Would it be you? Please! Dont tell anyone, but please let me be the one who the most people agreed was the best at what she had done and would  with any ongoing luck  continue to do. But also, please let me seem fine if I dont win. The choices seem to come down to being lauded as the best at what a few really good people did, or if I fail on the lauded front, please let me be the finest of the most gallant of sports. Good sport or great star.

RelatedCarrie Fishers Self-Penned Obituary From 2008: Strangled In My Own Bra

There she was, on that night of nights, waving bye-bye to her short, nervous offspring who wondered, Would she come back? Would she be different? Would the love that was offered be of a higher quality than the littler love that her two little shimmers were able to give her to take with her? And come on, how much love would she be able to cram into that bejeweled excuse for a purse?????!!!!!

Off she went, seated stiffly in the back of that long limousine. Steering down palm tree-lined streets, there she glides  or goes  you cant really do both. Streams of long cars flow to the big building. Rivers of the well-known are invisibly drawn to where the prizes are lined up on some undeserving table, waiting to be distributed to the soon-to-be even-more-visible-than-before stars. Cars hauling the super human to the place where the popular convene in their expensive clothing and Cinderella-esque borrowed jewelry  jewelry that will magically turn into publicists and commentators and fans, oh my!

But its not midnight yet. There are still hours remaining  stretches of time left to hope, to wave gaily, to not fall off your tall shoes on the red carpet or make your way to the green room  Wait! Check it out! Red and green! The colors of Christmas! Of stars sparkling from every sparkable spot that can be shined from! Will there be something under the tree for me on this flashbulb-filled night disguised as a kind of Christmas morning? The wondering is done as they wander through this water hole, this hot spot, this birthplace of the conspicuous.

There she is  see her?

RelatedCarrie Fishers Star Wars: Episode VIII Had Already Wrapped With Leia Taking Larger Role

My mother makes her way: her way; for now its hers and no one elses. Eventually she survives the throng  this gaggle of the thrilled and the thrilling. See? Thats her on the aisle in case she wins. Shes right next to three other names over the title and five and a half seat fillers. Finally, the evening so many have waited for. Not knowing what to expect. Hoping against hope  or is it hope against hoping? Anyway, hope is a factor.

And now its time; the telecast is beginning. The lights dim, the music swells, its just a matter of time until the little gold men will begin to be distributed. It will be many hours until we arrive at the Best Actress category. All nominees will have to call upon every last ounce of stoic, straight-backed patience available to them. But were not concerned with them right now, are we? Right now, its my mother who were rooting for. Well, I am anyway.

The names are read, the clips are shown, hearts are pounding, breath held 

And the winner is  Julie Andrews!

What??????? That couldnt have been for her performance as Mary Poppins, could it? It could. Wearing an expression of shocked and thrilled, thrilled excitement, Ms. Andrews kisses a husband-type person and bounds up the stage to the podium to collect her coveted statue and express her gratitude and humility. And my mom? Sure, shes happy for Julie, who shouldve won for The Sound of Music  or was it she shouldve gotten the role in My Fair Lady?  so she got this instead. My mother is happy-ish, she applauds, demonstrating beaming expressions of good sported-ness and whatever else you can manage to summon to survive the rest of the night.

RelatedCarrie Fisher: Hollywood Remembers The Star Wars Icon

In the car on the way home, she stares out the window without seeing. Things she would and wouldnt say are running like riderless horses around an otherwise silent track. Her lower back throbs from sitting so long, her face finally still, having spent so many hours stretched in an assortment of almost genuine, outsized smiles. How many times would she have to say how happy she was for Julie? How great shed been as Mary Poppins? And how could you compare Mary Poppins to Molly Brown? Certainly, there would be experiences in her life that would weigh on her more heavily, and not winning wasnt the same as losing, was it? No. Thats the truth at the end of this long day, right? And thats the thought that travels from one side to the other that enables her to sigh.

She shuts her eyes and lays her head back on the cool, dark leather. Her husband [Harry Karl] reaches across the seat and squeezes her hand till she has to smile. You look beautiful, he tells her, or some such  I love you  (or my favorite)  you were ROBBED. One of those silly things they say to you to make it all better. The thing you say thats designed to ease you into the next part of your life. If your life were that silly and star spangled, then this was when everything would lead away to the next time you dressed up and hoped youd be able to thank all those thankless loved ones and that management team  and Id like to thank  and Id be remiss if I didnt say  and none of this would be possible without  and Mom, look at me now!

She reaches over and pulls one of Harrys Kent cigarettes out of the pack, he lights it with his solid-2gold HK diamond monogrammed lighter, she pulls the smoke into her tired, Oscar-free lungs. She longs to live in a world where none of this matters. Or stay in this one and stick around until it happens. The truth was, the more you got, the more you had to lose. Or, if this was the best time in her life, and she sure hoped it wasnt, then at least let her learn to kid herself about not wanting things she never thought shed have to live without.

She pushed the button that eased down the window and let in the cool breeze encased in dark night. Lots of folks lived in an Oscar-free world and did all right, she thought, flicking ash into the ashtray and stubbing the cigarette out in the middle of Harrys lying, gambling forehead. At least this is what she ought to have done. That wouldve been better than any Oscar anywhere.

The driver turns up the radio, and Etta James voice pours into the air around her. At last, my love has come along. Debbie curls up in the safe arms of the song and waits for the rest of her life to fill her with a hearty mix of safety and pleasure.

And the winner is  All of us at some point. If we wait long enough or look at it from that seat infused with cynical laughter: Goodnight, everyone! Hope you enjoyed the show! See you next year!

(Reynolds-Fisher photos courtesy of Carrie Fisher)

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Carrie Fishers mother, screen legend Debbie Reynolds, just released a heartfelt thank you to the world

Earlier today, we received the horribly tragic news that Carrie Fisher, an icon in every galaxy, had passed away at the age of 60. While landing in Los Angeles on December 23rd, Carrie had a heart attack and was immediately rushed to a hospital where she went into the emergency room, and later to the ICU. Through all of this, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, was by her side. Now, Debbie Reynolds is reaching out to all of us, to thank us for loving her daughter so much.

Debbie (herself, is a movie legend having starred in 1952s Singing in the Rain) and Carrie were incredibly close, and talk about a family dynasty, with Debbie, Carrie, and Carries daughter, Billie (of Scream Queens fame). The three of them could often be spotted on the red carpet together, dating back YEARS, and so much awwwww.

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Over the weekend, Debbie tweeted out the smallest glimmer of hope that Carrie was going to be okay, but sadly, Carrie just didnt pull through. After the news of Carries passing started to spread across the internet, Debbie took to her Facebook page to thank everyone for their love and support during this difficult time.

Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother Posted by Debbie Reynolds on Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Its that last sentence that really breaks us: Love Carries Mom [sic].

We can only imagine what Debbie must be going through right now, because dealing with the loss of a child is something that should NEVER be experienced by any parent, no matter their age. Were sending so much love to Debbie (and Billie) right now during this difficult time.

The post Carrie Fishers mother, screen legend Debbie Reynolds, just released a heartfelt thank you to the world appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

From ELLE

Carrie Fisher charmed us all in roles like Star Wars' feisty Princess Leia, Shampoo's seductive teen Lorna, and When Harry Met Sally's finally-lucky-in-love Marie-and with the wicked wit she brandished in six books, including memoirs Wishful Drinking and The Princess Diarist. Fans sadly said good-bye to the 60-year-old when she passed away on December 27, having suffered a heart attack just four days earlier.

Fisher's ready openness made her a beloved celebrity and writer. Her gimlet pen never spared any subject, let alone herself, and in her many writings, she tackled everything from her relationship with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, to her own alcoholism and bipolar disorder.

But one quote resonates particularly today, with its signature good humor and zest. In her 2008 memoir, Wishful Drinking, Fisher recalled a tremendously funny conversation in which director George Lucas explained why she couldn't wear a bra under her iconic Star Wars costume, a white dress that generations of fans know and love:

Anyway, George comes up to me the first day of filming and he takes one look at the dress and says, "You can't wear a bra under that dress."

So, I say, "Okay, I'll bite. Why?"

And he says, "Because...there's no underwear in space."

I promise you this is true, and he says it with such conviction too! Like he had been to space and looked around and he didn't see any bras or panties or briefs anywhere. Now, George came to my show when it was in Berkeley. He came backstage and explained why you can't wear your brassiere in other galaxies, and I have a sense you will be going to outer space very soon, so here's why you cannot wear your brassiere, per George. So, what happens is you go to space and you become weightless. So far so good, right? But then your body expands??? But your bra doesn't-so you get strangled by your own bra. Now I think that this would make a fantastic obit-so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.

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Farewell, Carrie.

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Carrie Fisher wanted to play Han Solo in Star Wars and honestly, we should have let her

If youre thinking that today is the perfect day to celebrate the life and legacy of Carrie Fisher, you are wrong, because EVERYDAY is the best day to celebrate the life and legacy of Carrie Fisher. Every. Day. Now that this fierce and funny lady is gone, weve just got to celebrate her harder, and more intense, than we ever did before.

If youre wondering where to start with this ~Forever Carrie Fisher~ celebration, the best place might be at the very beginning with her role in Star Wars as Princess Leia. But, Carrie didnt actually want to play Princess Leia in Star Wars. She wanted to play Han Solo.

Yeah, we get that. And honestly, we should have let her play the wise-talking, smooth, space criminal. That movie would have been good.

Carrie has commented before on the fact that Han Solo is the best character in Star Wars, andwere going to agree. As she writes in her latest book, The Princess Diarist, she first read the script way back in the 1970s with her friend, Miguel Ferrer (who was reading Hans dialogueand is also the daughter of Rosemary Clooney and cousin of George) and they both fell in love with the character of Han.

But, Han was a boy and Carrie was auditioning for the role of Leia, a role she successfully landed. Obviously, Leia shot her to stardom, but even years later, she was still thinking about Han. In an old interview with Australias Today, Carrie explains that she never really wanted to be an actress, but she wanted to be in Star Wars. As Han Solo.

That was the best part, she states.

Before we even knew what it meant to smash the patriarchy, Carrie Fisher was doing just that. Maybe in an alternate universe (which is, right now the better/happier universe) Carrie got her wish and piloted the Millennium Falcon herself. Yeah, wed watch that movie every single day.

The post Carrie Fisher wanted to play Han Solo in Star Wars and honestly, we should have let her appeared first on HelloGiggles.
People young and old, one after another, in a line that began forming down Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday morning, stopped to get a photo or drop off a flower (and even a cinnamon roll) at the site of Carrie Fisher's fan-made star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Fisher, best known for bringing the iconic Princess Leia to life in the Star Wars franchise, does not have an official star, so an unidentified fan made her a memorial spot at Hollywood and North Orange Drive. And it worked.

By Wednesday afternoon, a throng of people, made up of mostly tourists but also some residents, were paying more attention to that space than any other in that area. After a while, street performers began to make their way there to work near the large group.

"I'm shocked she doesn't already have a star," Dagan Hanson, a Santa Barbara resident, told The Hollywood Reporter as he looked at the growing shrine. "But I'm not at all surprised a fan made one for her."

Read more: Leia's Journey from Princess to General Highlights the Best of 'Star Wars'

The memorial star reads: "Carrie Fisher. May the Force be with you always. Hope." That last sentiment may coincide with a part in the newest Star Wars installment, Rogue One.

"I think the thing that is sadder than her not having an official star is that people are worried about whether she finished [Episode VIII]," Sean Fryer, a Florida resident on vacation with his wife, Megan, told THR. "Like, that's what they care about. You're talking about a person's life."

Megan Fryer, a new Star Wars fan thanks to her husband, said she was glad Fisher was being honored by so many people in so many places. "She is amazing," she said. "And this [star] will do until she gets an official one."

Fisher died Tuesday. She was 60.

A request for comment from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the Walk of Fame, was not immediately returned.
Carrie Fisher's family is "heartbroken" over her death.

The Star Wars star's half-sisters, Joely and Tricia Fisher, took to Twitter on Tuesday to express their grief and remember their sister.

WATCH: Carrie Fisher Dies at 60: Stars React to Actress' Death

"Heartbroken @carrieffisher @MsJoelyFisher," Tricia simply wrote on Twitter, alongside a pic of herself and Carrie.

"Breaking my silence with a broken heart," Joely tweeted soon after. "The Unfathomable loss...the earth is off its axis today...how dare you take her away from us."

Breaking my silence with a broken  heart...the Unfathomable loss...the earth is off its axis today...how dare you take her away from us pic.twitter.com/fUHwsHRwyy  Joely Fisher (@MsJoelyFisher) December 27, 2016

RELATED: Inside Carrie Fisher's Final Days in London

Carrie died on Tuesday morning after going into cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday. She was 60 years old.

Joely and Tricia, Carrie's younger sisters from her father, Eddie Fisher's second marriage to actress Connie Stevens, aren't the only members of the actress' family to pay their respects. Carrie's mother, Debbie Reynolds, took to Facebook to thank fans for "embracing the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter."

"I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop," Reynolds wrote, while Carrie's Star Wars family also paid tribute to the icon.

Story continues

WATCH: Harrison Ford Remembers Carrie Fisher as 'Funny and Emotionally Fearless'

See more in the video below.

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This story is part of Inside Publici. Stories were working on, the impact of our investigations, news about our fundraising efforts, and other issues that shape our work. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

Don't miss another Inside Publici investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.





American courts and regulatory agencies depend on scientific research to protect people from harmful chemicals. What happens if that research can be influenced?

That's exactly what's happening in recent years as government-funded science is diminishing. In this investigation, environmental consulting firm Gradient Corporation was contracted to publish flawed science designed to sow doubt over the connection between asbestos and mesothelioma, the rare cancer it can cause.

"It just seems like you can just make up your own facts now, one former EPA scientist told the Center.

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In Bokoshe, Oklahoma, coal ash is spotted in the grass, trees, cars and even furniture. It drifts in from a pit where a nearby power plant dumps its spent coal.

Residents started complaining about the ash, which contains harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead, to state regulators in 1998 and, eventually, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency got involved. But the EPA's attempts to regulate coal ash have done little to help Bokoshe and many other towns across the country.

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There are 22 facilities that ranked in the top 100 for both toxic-air pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions in 2014. There's a term for these power plants, factories and other facilities that are responsible for some of the worst pollution in the country: super polluters.

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This story is part of Inside Publici. Stories were working on, the impact of our investigations, news about our fundraising efforts, and other issues that shape our work. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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.
CES Preview: What to Expect in New Car Technology

The North American International Auto Show starts January 8 in Detroit, but many of the most important news about upcoming automotive technologies will come out a week earlier at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.



"CES is a lot more important to the auto industry than just a few years ago, with more announcements and more floor space devoted to cars" says Stephanie Brinley, a senior analyst with IHS Automotive. "The companies have learned how to take advantage of the huge audience that follows CES."

"It's because technology has become so much an integral part of the car, and because so much of that technology is consumer facing," Brinley said.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn will deliver a keynote address on January 5 thats expected to touch on new technology. Audi may demonstrate a new feature that detects the status of upcoming traffic lights. Ford and Toyota plan to announce new models and technologies. And Fiat Chrysler is expected to unveil its first electric car and some near self-driving features in its Pacifica minivan.

Also, electric-car startup (and potential Tesla rival) Faraday Future is planning a high-profile reveal on January 3. The company could make big news if it shows off a functioning version of its upcoming consumer vehicle. Although last year, the company teased a big event, only to show off a concept racecar that was obviously not ready for production.

Many companies working on self-driving technologies will be in Vegas, including automakers such as Honda and BMW, as well as parts suppliers such as Delphi, Continental, Autoliv, Mobileye, and Velodyne.

Several self-driving prototype cars will be making a circuit around the world-famous Vegas strip. Delphi, which is hoping to sell its self-driving car system to an automaker by 2019, is setting up a demonstration involving everything from tunnels to bridges to clogged city streetsdescribed as the most challenging test yet for a near-production automated vehicle.

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Another set of technologies vying for attention at CES will be vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications. V2V got a big push from the outgoing Obama Administration with a December 13 announcement from the Department of Transportation proposing a mandate for cars to share information wirelessly about their direction, speed, acceleration, and braking to other cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes the ability for cars to communicate with one another has the potential to dramatically reduce highway fatalitieswhich are on track to exceed 38,000 in 2016, up 16 percent from two years ago.

Like V2V, V2I has the promise of revolutionizing what information is available to drivers and passengers. You may be able to get detailed road conditions, like upcoming potholes, gridlocked traffic or flooding underpasses.

The other major areas of focus are ways to make drivers even more constantly connected to the Internet, and the dark underside of that connectioncybersecurity. Automotive connectivity has been a trend for years, but expect to see new ways to make the process of integrating smartphones into car infotainment systems easier.

Also look for ways to limit the kind of browsing that causes distracted driving, which regulators say causes thousands of highway deaths each year.

Finally, dont be surprised if there is some news about car-hacking, as there has been the last two years at CES. Security researchers have taken to Vegas to highlight new ways of taking control of cars vital functions, like steering, acceleration and braking. The hack of a Jeep Grand Cherokee discussed at last years show laid the groundwork for the first-ever federal safety recall related to cybersecurity.







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By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Dylann Roof, the man convicted in a church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, asked a judge on Wednesday to keep details about his mental health sealed for the sentencing phase of his federal death penalty trial next week.

Roof, a 22-year-old avowed white supremacist, was found guilty on Dec. 15 on 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations stemming from the June 2015 massacre of nine people at a historic black church.

The same jury that heard six days of testimony about the bloodshed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church will reconvene on Tuesday for the trial's penalty phase.

Roof, handcuffed and wearing a prison jumpsuit, smiled and answered "yes" when U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel asked if he still planned to serve as his own lawyer as prosecutors make the case that he should be executed instead of spending the rest of his life in prison without parole.

"I think it's a bad idea," Gergel warned, encouraging Roof to discuss his decision with his family and lawyers.

Watch ABC World News Tonight With David Muir on Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

The judge said he would allow Roof to change his mind up until the penalty phase gets under way.

Roof said he planned to make an opening statement to jurors but did not indicate whether he would testify on his own behalf. He said he would present no evidence or witnesses.

He made clear he wanted no details about his mental health revealed, asking Gergel to refrain from unsealing video interviews about his competency or the transcript from a hearing on the topic in November.

"The unsealing of the competency hearing is sort of against the purpose of my representing myself," Roof said in court.

Gergel said he had not decided how releasing the transcript might affect Roof's state trial on murder charges, also due to start next month.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said the government planned to call 30 or more family members of victims to speak about the impact of the massacre.

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After defense lawyers raised concerns about Roof's competency in the federal proceedings, Roof represented himself for a week during jury selection before asking for his attorneys back for the duration of the trial's guilt phase.

Roof's guilt in the shootings was not disputed. But his defense lawyers, hoping to spare him from execution, asked jurors to consider what factors had driven Roof to commit the act and suggested he might be delusional.

(Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Frances Kerry and Matthew Lewis)
By Renita D. Young and Timothy Mclaughlin

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago will complete the rollout of body-worn cameras for its police officers a year earlier than planned to increase transparency and rebuild trust in a department currently under a federal civil rights investigation, the mayor said on Wednesday.

The new timeline has all officers wearing the cameras by the end of 2017, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

Emanuel has worked to overhaul the police force, which has about 12,500 sworn officers, in the wake of the investigation, introducing a new use of force policy and pledging to add nearly 1,000 officers. A body camera pilot project was launched in January 2015.

A number of high-profile misconduct incidents, most notably the release in 2015 of a video of the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by white officer Jason Van Dyke, has thrust Chicago into a national debate over police use of force, particularly within minority communities. The U.S. Justice Department is conducting the probe of the department.

"Body cameras, while not a panacea, are a win-win for officers and the public," Emanuel said in a statement. "They provide a firsthand look at the dangerous situations officers encounter on a daily basis, and improve transparency while building trust."

The union representing Chicago police officers voiced displeasure over the lack of communication about the accelerated rollout of the cameras.

The union would prefer a broader range of footage released so the public also sees video showing mistreatment of officers, union president Dean Angelo Sr said in a telephone interview.

"We don't see the encounters that are challenging, disrespectful and borderline illegal, threatening someone in uniform just because they are in uniform," he said.

At a Wednesday demonstration, police Commander Marc Buslik said he was most concerned with the cameras invading the privacy of crime victims or bystanders during police encounters.

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Buslik could not detail the amount each police camera will cost the city since the accelerated plan was not originally in the 2017 budget, but said the mayor's office had the funds to pay for it.

All patrol officers will be trained to turn on body cameras whenever they make a personal encounter, he said. For those who do not, disciplinary action has yet to be determined.

In July, a Chicago police officer killed a black teenager after he stole a car, but the fatal shots were not captured because a policeman's body camera was not recording.

(Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew Lewis)
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's total primary energy consumption is expected to have reached 4.36 billion tonnes of coal equivalent in 2016, up 1.4 percent compared to last year, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday, citing the country's top energy official. The figure, given by Nur Bekri, director of the country's National Energy Administration (NEA), is higher than the 0.9 percent growth rate forecast by the NEA earlier this year. Bekri told a conference that China's total non-fossil fuel consumption rose to 13.3 percent of the total this year, up 1.3 percentage points compared to 2015. China, now in the third year of a "war on pollution", has been trying to cut and clean up coal use, and will aim to raise the ratio to 14.3 percent in 2017, Bekri said. Years of blistering energy consumption growth have put China's environment under increasing pressure, but with the economy slowing, China has vowed to switch to less energy-intensive industries and make more efficient use of its resources. The average annual growth rate in energy consumption had already fallen to 2.3 percent over the 2012-2015 period, down from 6.4 percent in 2005-2012. China said in its 2016-2020 five-year plan in March that it would aim to keep total energy consumption below 5 billion tonnes of standard coal equivalent by the end of the decade. It aims to cap coal-fired power capacity at 1,100 gigawatts by the end of 2020, an estimated 55 percent of the country's total. Coal-fired capacity stood at 960 GW at the end of last year, accounting for about 64 percent of the total. (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Eric Meijer)
Chinese police have shot dead three people who allegedly attacked a Communist Party office in the restive Xinjiang region on Wednesday, state media said, in the bloodiest such incident in months.

The three "rioters" drove up to a local party office in Moyu County and "detonated (an) explosive device", killing two and injuring three others, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement from the local authorities.

The three assailants were then "shot dead by police", Xinhua added, without specifying whether they were killed on the spot or later in the day.

A previous account had said that four attackers were shot dead after killing one civilian.

The brief report described the assault as a "terrorist attack".

China tends to reserve the "terrorist" label for attacks involving the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.

The far-western region of Xinjiang is the homeland of the Uighurs -- many of whom complain of discrimination and controls on their culture and religion -- and is often hit by deadly unrest.

Beijing regularly accuses what it says are exiled Uighur separatist groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement of being behind attacks in the resource-rich region.

But overseas experts doubt the strength of the groups and their links to global terrorism, with some saying China exaggerates the threat to justify tough security measures.

In November 2015, police killed 28 members of a "terrorist group" over the course of a 56-day manhunt following an attack on a colliery in Aksu two months earlier that left 16 people dead.

In March 2014, 31 people were knifed to death at a train station in Kunming, in southwestern China, with four attackers killed, with Xinjiang separatists blamed and state media dubbing it "China's 9/11".

Two months later 39 people were killed in a bloody market attack in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Public Security Ministry, which runs the police, needs to deepen efforts to root out the "pernicious influence" of jailed former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, the ministry's Communist Party committee said on Wednesday. Zhou once ran China's fearsome domestic security forces, but was jailed for life last year for bribery, leaking state secrets and abuse of power, the most senior Chinese official to be ensnared in a graft probe since the ruling Communist Party swept to power in 1949. In a statement released by the party's graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the ministry's party committee said political discipline and education needed to be strengthened. "Further develop work to purge the pernicious influence of Zhou Yongkang," it said. "Organise public security organs around the country and the broad mass of police to deepen study and education, to deepen their understanding of the seriousness and harmfulness of the Zhou Yongkang issue," the ministry added, without elaborating. The statement was issued in the form of a status update from a routine round of anti-corruption inspections carried out between July and September. Since assuming office four years ago, President Xi Jinping has waged war on deep-seated graft, warning like others before him that the problem is so bad it could affect the party's grip on power. Dozens of senior people have been jailed, including Zhou, and investigations into others continue. In a separate statement, the discipline commission said that a senior official at the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps had been put under investigation for suspected "serious discipline violations", the usual euphemism for graft. It gave no other details of the probe into Tian Jianrong, a member of the corps' Communist Party standing committee, and it was not possible to reach him for comment. The corps is a state-run, semi-military organization that dominates cotton production and is involved in other industries in China's far western region of Xinjiang ranging from tomato growing to mining and construction. Strategically located on the borders of Central Asia, Xinjiang is at the front lines of what China calls its war on terror, where the government says it faces a threat from Islamist militants. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Chinas space exploration program is shooting for the moon--and Mars, too.

A white paper released by the countrys cabinet promised that it will launch its first Mars probe by 2020, CBS News reported. It hopes the probe will explore and bring back samples from Mars, as well as explore the Jupiter system and conduct research to answer scientific questions like whether or not there is extraterrestrial life.

Chinas white paper also said it will become the first country to soft land a probe on the far side of the moon by 2018. This probe will look into the formation and evolution of the moon.

The document details Chinas rapidly growing, military-supported space exploration program. Though its not explicitly mentioned in the paper, the nation hopes to achieve the symbolic milestone of landing an astronaut on the moon, according to an earlier Reuters report.

Though the U.S. and Russia have more established reputations in the space travel field, Chinas program has advanced relatively quickly, conducting its first crewed space mission in 2003 and landing a rover on the moon in 2013.

Last month, two astronauts returned to Earth from a month-long stay on Chinas experimental space station. A fully functioning and permanently occupied space station is set to begin operations in six years and will run for at least a decade.

See original article on Fortune.com

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Chengdu (China) (AFP) - Chinese diners greedily crack open delicate rabbit skulls and slurp down their contents, tucking into a delicacy so popular in one province that it has to import its supplies from France.

Sichuan is renowed for its spicy, peppery local dishes: one of its favourites is bunny brains, often eaten as a late night treat on the streets of its capital, Chengdu.

At the "Shuangliu Laoma Tutou", a well-known restaurant in the heart of the city, dozens of customers use their gloved hands to prise open the skulls covered in sauce, suck out the brain and nibble on the cheeks amid cries of satisfaction.

"If Sichuanese people don't eat spicy dishes every day, they're unhappy," said one 20-something woman surnamed Ma, as she dined with friends.

"I eat them at least once a week," she added.

Westerners often avoid animal parts -- duck beaks, chicken feet, heads and tripe -- that Chinese gourmets treat as delicacies.

But even in China there is little appetite for rabbits' meat, much less their heads, which are overwhelmingly eaten in Sichuan, a remote province long isolated by mountain ranges.

The dish is a speciality of the region -- rarely found outside of a few popular restaurants in Beijing and other major cities.

"Two out of three rabbit heads consumed in China, are eaten in Sichuan," said Wang Min, the manager of the Chengdu restaurant, adding that locals were proud of the snack.

"My parents and grandparents ate them. I've been enjoying them since my childhood", she said, adding the tradition goes back several centuries.

"My friends in Guangxi (a southern province) and elsewhere don't understand why we eat them," she said, adding "they can't stand the pepper."

- 'Grapple factor' -

In Wang's restaurant, head chef Yin Dingjun said the rabbit head recipe seemed simple but required a well-established technique.

"You have to drain the rabbits of their blood, then remove the guts" before marinating the head in a broth for several hours," he said.

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"Diners then use their teeth to gnaw at the flesh."

Rabbits feature in Chinese mythology (a "jade rabbit" lives on the moon) and are regarded as cute by many young people rather than thought of as a delicacy, although in Sichuanese dialect eating rabbit head is slang for French kissing.

Although sucking on a rabbit head might seem odd to some diners even in China, it is par for the course in Sichuanese cuisine, Fuchsia Dunlop, a London-based expert in Chinese gastronomy told AFP.

"There are lots of spicy dishes, such as spicy duck heads, covered in chili and pepper," she said.

For people in Sichuan, playing with your food is part of the fun, she said, adding they like "the grapple factor".

"Using your fingers and teeth to get a little bit of meat, it's part of the pleasure."

- 'Quite terrifying' -

As night falls in Chendgu, innumerable stalls sell rabbit heads to locals who wash the treat down with beer.

"Night markets are part of our culture in Sichuan," said Rong Lipeng, deputy chairman of Hage, China's leading supplier of rabbit meat and products.

He sells more than eight million rabbit heads each year. But faced with a colossal local demand Chinese farms are struggling to supply enough.

As a result, nearly 20 per cent of rabbit heads marketed by the company are imported from Europe, mainly from Italy and France, and mostly frozen.

France exported 166 tonnes of meat and edible offal from rabbits to China in 2014, according to French government figures.

Hage, who says the heads are healthy since they contain little flesh, has now agreed a partnership with French firm Hycole to provide breeding rabbits to its farms in China, according to the French company's manager Fabien Coisne.

He hopes that the taste for the treat will one day expand beyond Sichuan, but, he admits, the barrier is high.

"A lot of people outside our province do not dare taste them, because the rabbit heads do look quite terrifying."
Chinas first aircraft carrier Liaoning docked at a naval base in the southern Chinese province of Hainan after conducting open-sea training exercises in the Western Pacific, Taiwan said Tuesday. The carrier led a group of warships and sailed 90 miles south of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the disputed South China Sea, fuelling tensions between the two countries.

On Tuesday, Taiwan warned "the threat of our enemies is growing day by day," as the Liaoning sailed towards Hainan through the contested region, according to Reuters.

The carrier was commissioned by the Chinese navy in 2012 and Beijing said last month the vessel was geared up to engage in combat. The Liaoning was reportedly bought as an incomplete hull from Ukraine over a decade ago.

A Taiwanese military official told Reuters that China had been examining the carriers systems and coordination with other military equipment and its docking did not mean its drills were over. The carriers exercises prompted Taiwan to put its air and naval forces on high-alert.

Last Friday, the Chinese military announced that the carrier performed a series of fighter launch, recovery and air combat drills slightly farther afield in the Yellow Sea. The following day, it reportedly conducted training in the East China Sea.

Tensions between China and Taiwan were inflamed recently after President-elect Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Since 1979, the U.S. has officially supported Chinas claim over Taiwan and has maintained only informal relations with the island.

The aircraft carriers drills also follow a report earlier this month that said Beijing had built large defense systems on the South China Seas disputed Spratly Islands. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a branch of the Center for Strategic and International Studies that started tracking Chinas island buildup over the summer, posted seven photos  dated between Nov. 10 and Nov. 29  showing several hexagon-shaped structures, evidence of buried chambers and platforms consistent with the pattern of larger anti-aircraft guns.

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The public's heated response to Cinnabon's Carrie Fisher tweet Tuesday underscores a larger problem for brands that try and insert themselves into social media conversation -- most potently felt during times of celebrity deaths. The "Star Wars" actress died Tuesday following a massive heart attack aboard a plane last week.

Amid an outpouring of love for Fisher from the Twitterverse, Cinnabon tweeted out this message: "RIP Carrie Fisher, you'll always have the best buns in the galaxy," along with a photo featuring a cinnamon bun in place in one of Princess Leia's signature hair rolls.

So @cinnabon thinks death is a cool promotional tool#CarrieFisher pic.twitter.com/busU6dRAwW

-- Tom (@SydneyTom_)

December 27, 2016

The photo previously appeared in a tweet from Cinnabon May 4, along with text: "Here's to the princess with the second-best rolls in the galaxy. #MayThe4thBeWithYou," CBS News reports.

Since @Cinnabon deleted its tweet honoring #CarrieFisher... here it is in all its questionable glory. pic.twitter.com/MMA2hiOSgi

-- Kirsten Boyd (@Kirsten__Boyd)

December 27, 2016

Following negative response, Cinnabon deleted the RIP tweet and apologized on Tuesday night. The apology tweet reads: "Our deleted tweet was genuinely meant as a tribute, but we shouldn't have posted it. We are truly sorry."

For what it's worth, some people thought Fisher herself wouldn't have taken offense to the tweet.

I feel like Carrie Fisher would have gotten a kick out of the Cinnabon tweet to be honest.

-- Calvin (@calvinstowell)

December 27, 2016

Brands typically riff on cultural news to appear relevant, though certain tweets have garnered backlash and read as promotional. General Mills' (ticker: GIS) Cheerios posted (and later deleted) a tweet following Prince's death that featured a purple background and a Cheerio on top of the "i" in "Rest in peace."

@mrmedina @Cinnabon just as bad as @cheerios pic.twitter.com/7elk1VVmpr

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-- Sky Hartman (@Skyhartman)

December 27, 2016

Following the death of Robin Williams back in August 2014, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences tweeted "Genie, you're free," with a still from Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) "Aladdin." The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention took issue with the tweet and its "subliminal message," reports Variety. The tweet hasn't been deleted.

Genie, you're free. pic.twitter.com/WjA9QuuldD

-- The Academy (@TheAcademy)

August 12, 2014

In December 2014, Best Buy Co.'s (BBY) try to play off the "Serial" podcast caused an uproar, Variety notes, seen as trying to take advantage of someone's death. According to prosecutors, the murderer used the payphone near a Best Buy store after killing a teen girl. The company deleted the tweet that said: "We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial."

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David Oliver is Associate Editor, Social Media at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, or send him an email at doliver@usnews.com.
What makes these appliances standouts? The answer is clear.

In a sea of stainless, these five models use glass to dramaticand in some cases, practicaleffect, transforming steel boxes into statement-making machines, allowing you to see their inner workings.

KitchenAid Professional 6500 Design Series

Anyone who has beaten cake batter or kneaded a dense loaf of dough in a stand mixer has had to keep careful watch for unmixed flour clinging to the metal bowl. No more. KitchenAids Professional 6500 Design Series Mixer is both beautiful and infinitely practical. The glass bowl lets you see everything youre mixing, so you can easily spot clumps of flour or ensure that all of the raisins in oatmeal cookie dough are evenly dispersed. Of course, this model happens to earn top scores in whipping, mixing, and kneading anyway, so the glass may offer little more than peace of mind. Still, well take it.

Cuisinart View Pro Glass 2-Slice CPT-3000

If youve grown tired of playing toaster roulettedropping bread into the slots only to be surprised each time by what emergesthen consider the Cuisinart View Pro Glass 2-Slice CPT-3000 toaster.

It was developed in part because of changes in consumer tastes, including a new appreciation for artisanal and whole-grain loaves, which toast differently from traditional white bread. As an engineer at Cuisinart explained, "Different sugar and carbohydrate content causes bread to brown at different rates."

This clever model solves that problem by letting you take a more active role. In addition to its glass sides, this model produces consistent results with one slice or two, plus it's easy to use and clean. Now if only it would butter your toast, too 

KitchenAid KDTM804ESS

KitchenAid's brilliant viewing window on the KDTM804ESS dishwasher allows you to see dishes before, during, and after the cycles. The machines top-tier performance (which we expect to match the similar KitchenAid KDTM704ESS) will leave dishes spotless.

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LG LFXC24726S

In a household with kidsor indecisive adults for that matteryou may feel like your fridge doors spend more time open than shut. LG's InstaView door allows you to see whats stashed on the door and peer onto refrigerator shelves. The screen defaults to black, but knocking on it twice causes interior lights to turn on, allowing you to see inside without opening the door. This model is currently being tested. We just hope this clever feature is backed up by solid cooling performance.

KitchenAid Siphon KCM0812

Siphon brewers fell out of fashion years ago with the advent of automated drip machines. But recent interest in artisanal coffee brewing has caused some coffee lovers to give siphons a second look. While theyre not for casual coffee drinkers (or folks who value short brewing times), theres no denying that theyre fun appliances that cause water and grounds to bubble under pressure before being siphoned into a carafe. KitchenAids Siphon Brewer delivers on theatrics, putting on a great show. But it's tough to clean and tricky to pour from.

The top-rated iCoffee RCB100-BC12 looks like a drip machine but works more like a French press, mixing water and grounds before straining coffee into a carafe. And it offers a viewing window, too. So not only does it make a delicious cup of coffee, it also looks good brewing it.





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By Terrence Edwards ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - A closed court in Mongolia has convicted three men of the 1998 murder of Sanjaasuren Zorig, a politician remembered for leading the East Asian country's peaceful transition to democracy. Nicknamed the "Golden Swallow of Democracy", Zorig was credited with saving lives during anti-government protests in Mongolia in 1990. His murder has been likened to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and sparked a manhunt that involved authorities in Britain and Germany. Zorig was Mongolia's minister of infrastructure and was widely expected to become prime minister of the fledgling democracy in 1998 when he was assassinated in his home at the age of 36. Mongolian media identified the three suspects as B. Sodnomdarjaa, Ts. Amgalanbaatar and T. Chimgee, and said they had been found guilty of murder by a panel of judges on Tuesday after a hearing held behind closed doors since October. They were each given prison sentences of between 24 and 25 years. Reuters was unable to reach the courts responsible for the verdict. The Ministry of Justice also did not respond to requests for comment. It was not known how the three men had answered the charges, how they were represented in the court, or when they were arrested. Mongolian deputy prime minister Tsend Nyamdorj questioned the decision to hold the trial behind closed doors. "This is very a dangerous practice, in which a court reaches a verdict of murder in secret," he told parliament on Tuesday. "To me, it looks as if you are trying to hide the fact that you are being repressive." Zorig's sister, Oyun, who heads the pro-democratic Zorig Foundation and is a former government minister, said in a statement sent to Reuters she and her family did not think justice had been done. "We also requested that the case is de-classified and the court is open," she said. "Unfortunately, the request was not accepted." Dale Choi, an analyst with Mongolian Metals and Mining, likened Zorig's murder to Kennedy's 1963 assassination. "There are a lot of unanswered questions," he said on Tuesday. "I think today's court ruling did not answer all these questions." Police detained several people for questioning during the investigation, including Zorig's widow, Bulgan, who is alleged to have witnessed the murder. Zorig's murder, though not widely known outside Mongolia, was central to the arrest of intelligence official Bat Khurts in London in 2010 after a warrant was issued by German authorities. Khurts was detained for his involvement in the 2003 abduction and forced repatriation of Mongolian dissident Enkhbat Damiran, said by Mongolian authorities to be a suspect in Zorig's murder. Enkhbat eventually died in police custody. Khurts was released by Germany in 2011 shortly before a visit to Mongolia by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and is now the head of Mongolia's General Intelligence Agency. (Editing by David Stanway and Paul Tait)
BERLIN (AP)  Police in Cologne have banned a far-right demonstration on New Year's Eve as they work to prevent a repeat of last year's disorder and say they'll put obstacles in place to prevent anyone driving into crowds.

City authorities already announced plans to deploy more than 1,500 officers, over 10 times more than last year when police failed to prevent a string of robberies and sexual assaults blamed largely on foreign men.

Police chief Juergen Mathies said Wednesday he refused permission for a protest by the far-right National Democratic Party. He said it would have drawn large numbers of counter-demonstrators and endangered security.

Following the Dec. 19 Berlin truck attack, Mathies said police will deploy concrete blocks and vehicles as obstacles to protect some areas in the hours before New Year.
Bogota (AFP) - Kidnappings in Colombia have fallen 92 percent since 2000, a "historic" change, the authorities said Tuesday as the government and FARC rebels implement a peace deal meant to end a half-century conflict.

Long considered one of the world's kidnapping capitals, Colombia registered 188 abductions this year, police general Fernando Murillo said.

That figure came as good news for a country where human rights activists say nearly 33,000 people have been kidnapped since 1970.

Kidnapping has been used as both a tactic of war and a money-making enterprise in Colombia's messy, multi-sided conflict, which has drawn in government forces, leftist guerrilla groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

But the security situation is improving as the government works to implement a landmark peace accord with the largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), after four years of negotiations.

"This is a historic figure stemming from the reduction in this atrocious crime," Murillo told RCN Radio.

Eighty-eight percent of the kidnappings registered were common crimes, he said. Organized crime was responsible for another 11 percent.

The National Liberation Army (ELN), the other main rebel group, was responsible for just one percent.

Police arrested 524 people on kidnapping charges and freed 57 hostages this year, Murillo said.

The Colombia conflict has killed more than 260,000 people and left more than 60,000 missing.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed two ballot measures  Proposition 107 and Proposition 108  into law Tuesday. The measures call for presidential primaries to be held every four years in the state and allow unaffiliated voters to cast their ballots in the primary elections.

Proposition 107 was approved by 64 percent of voters during the Nov. 8 election. The measure is expected to increase spending in the secretary of states office by nearly $210,000 during 2018-2019 and by $2.7 million during 2019-2020, when the next presidential elections will be held at which time the presidential primaries will be conducted. Spending is expected to increase every four years.

I think that a caucus doesnt allow all the people who want to have a voice to have one, Jessie Koerner, spokeswoman of Let Colorado Vote, reportedly said. Only five percent of eligible voters voted in the caucus. So that really shows you how few people are able to take part.

Proposition 107 establishes presidential primaries in the state in which unaffiliated voters can cast their ballots without having to declare a party affiliation. The measure will cost counties about $5.3 million during the 2019 fiscal year but the state would reimburse at least $2.6 million of the total cost.

Meanwhile, Proposition 108  approved by 53 percent of voters  provides unaffiliated voters with the option of choosing which partys primary to vote in. The measure will increase spending by the secretary of states office by $160,000 but it's a one-time expenditure that allows for changes to the states voting systems. It will, however, cost counties about $750,000 every two years to mail ballots to unaffiliated voters.

Earlier, the state had barred unaffiliated voters, who had not declared a party affiliation before the stipulated deadline, from participating in Colorados early voting process.

During the 2016 election race, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won 41 delegates in Colorado compared to his rival Hillary Clintons 25. A straw poll conducted in March this year found that 59 percent of the states voters preferred Sanders as president. However, both the Democratic and Republican caucuses in Colorado were embroiled in controversies, which increased demands to replace the caucuses with open primary elections.

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(Alissa Quart is the executive editor of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Research for this piece was supported by the journalism nonprofits Capital & Main and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. The opinions expressed here are her own.)

By Alissa Quart

Dec 27 (Reuters) - What does Donald Trump have in common with animal rights activists? At face value nothing, of course. Yet both have mainstreamed positions that were until recently seen as marginal. Trump ran as the ultimate outlier politician; now he and his "alt-right" allies are normalizing positions and beliefs that until recently were seen as beyond the pale. And they are doing so quickly.

Today, the process of a movement or a person going from outsider to insider, which once took years or even decades, happens in a matter of months.

The U.S. president-elect wasn't the only candidate to transition from outsider to insider in the 2016 election. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders won 23 contests in the primary, despite being a septuagenerian Socialist calling for "a revolution." The Vermont senator became a national political sensation in a matter of months, after having been a relatively obscure representative for decades prior.

Why are political outsiders moving to the center more powerfully and more speedily than they have in the past? What forces have allowed Trump and his "outsider" elements to gain such a huge following?

In my book "Republic of Outsiders," I explored how outsiders from all walks of life - animal rights activists, transgender people, and many others - have changed what is considered normal in America and shaped it to fit them. This process may now be very fast, as short as a few seasons. Outlying styles, political stances or aims, religious beliefs or behaviors may be swiftly normalized: Progressive social developments like same-sex marriage or transgender people in the military are happening with less resistance.

My research in the late naughts showed me three key ways that outsiders were moving to the mainstream. The first was through the rapid metabolism of social media and "outsider" publishing, a mixture of improved technology and the collapse of traditional media. Nothing shows this mechanism better than Trump's victory, which relied on outlying news sites like race-baiting Breitbart News, whose former executive chair, Steve Bannon, is now Trump's special adviser. (Glenn Beck compared Bannon to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.) Trump's success also depended on sites like the marginal Liberty Writers News, which use exaggerated and often misleading headlines to lure readers.

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And fake news stories got many more Facebook engagements than real political coverage on legacy media sites in the last months of the election, as they capitalized on the deep rage that some Americans felt toward "insiders," from politicians to public intellectuals. These outsider sites are now connected intimately to the most powerful people and office in the land.

The second way outsiders move their edge to the center is through coining distinctive phrases or words to describe themselves. This practice normalizes unusual ways of thinking, identities or tastes. Animal rights activists now may call cattle "non-human animals" to get carnivores to see factory farming differently. Some autistic activists say they are "neurodivergent" rather than autistic to emphasize they have different brain wiring, not a disorder or defect.

In the worst possible way, the alt-right sobriquet fits the same bill: it uses a novel expression that is catchy and also a good cover for the extremity that lurks within. Doesn't alt-right sound better than, say, white supremacy? In other words, marginal advocates of all stripes now deploy sophisticated branding strategies to subtly, even deviously, change people's attitude toward their cause.

The final way that outsiders move into the mainstream quickly is by getting "insiders" to appropriate an outlying idea, culture or identity, ones that were once considered unacceptable or shocking. Today, outsiders are even more urbane than they once were. They "self-co-opt." Marginal movements may sell themselves more actively than they would in the past, pitching themselves rather than just sitting back and waiting for history to absorb or co-opt their viewpoint. They peddle their weirdness.

The heavy sales pitch clearly worked for Trump, who sold his alternative status hard. In one Gallup poll, Republican voters said they supported Trump first and foremost because, in the words of the survey, Trump was an "outsider."

To be sure, the idea of the outsider has been crucial to American identity from the pioneers onward, and the line between American outsiders and insiders has often been porous. Part of that history consists of Americans deviating from a colonial power's established religions or traditions. Eventually, however, groups ranging from the Puritans to the settlers of the West to the abolitionists became either the dominant power or were embraced by the establishment.

And outsiders also haven't always been benign. On each side of the political divide, self-declared mavericks have created havoc in this country, from the upstate New York "burned-over district" of the 19th century where religious revivals and Pentecostal movements of the Second Great Awakening took place, to pro-life extremists who torment or kill abortion providers.

The mayhem-wreaking outsiders are only a slice of the story. Often, outsiders had less radical dreams, like giving women the right to vote.

One thing that the violent and extremist outsiders and the moderate and just outliers had in common was how long their causes took to have a broader effect. Change usually took decades, sometimes centuries.

No longer. After the election, I wondered how the new allure of outsiders and their speedy mainstreaming could help Democratic candidates. How might the rise of the outsider aid the Bernie Sanders of the near future like Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren or law professor and activist Zephyr Teachout in gaining more national recognition? Who is to say improbable things can't happen on the Democrat side, now that the seemingly impossible has happened in the form of President-elect Trump?

Right now it's Trump and the alt-right who are speeding into the heart of America. But there are other outliers still out there. They are waiting to change things for the better, as quickly as possible.

(Reporting by Alissa Quart)
Butembo (RD Congo) (AFP) - In DR Congo's war-infested Great Lakes region, carpenter-turned-sculptor Sauveur Mulwana has left a trail of monumental statues over the past decade as part of his self-styled mission to revive local history and boost peace.

The 42-year-old moved back home to Butembo, a teeming city of more than a million near the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Uganda, when his carpentry business was razed by the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in the city of Goma.

Butembo is home to the ethnic Nande people of Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, so it follows that one of the most eye-catching works by Mulwana -- himself a Nande -- is an immense portrayal of the Nande king.

Set on a bright blue pedestal on a city roundabout, it shows mwami (king) Kighombwe II Lusengo Kirugho, who died in his 80s in 2010 after a lengthy reign, wearing a western-style suit as he stares into the distance.

The mwamis still wield power, notably allocating land in this predominantly agricultural region that now must accommodate huge numbers of landless refugees after two decades of conflict.

Mwami Kighombwe "helped keep the Nande together" and "is a symbol of tolerance", Mulwana told AFP. The mwamis old beliefs and customs were vital to Butembo's peaceful future, he said.

- Remembering the old ways -

When he and his wife moved to Butembo after losing their business in 2002, he was struck by the fact that the city "had absolutely no works of art".

He said "I felt vulnerable" when he suddenly realised that the new modern way of life had led to an end of story-telling, to Africa's well-known traditions of oral transmission.

So he decided he would step in single-handedly to help the people of Butembo to keep their history, culture and heritage.

He spent the next three years reading books and interviewed elders. The result in 2007 was Butembo's Historical Monument, erected on a square in the heart of the city.

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It highlights the Nande farming and hunting tradition as well as their evangelisation during the Belgian colonial era, as well as their modern-day traders.

"I want the future generations to remember the work culture of the old people of Butembo," he said.

Another Mulwana statue features Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko, also born in Butembo, who died in 2000 after denouncing the presence of Rwanda- and Uganda-backed militia fighters in DR Congo during the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003.

Outside Butembo city hall sits Mulwana's bust of Laurent-Desire Kabila, the former leader and father of current President Joseph Kabila who was slain in 2001.

To fund his works and feed the family, Mulwana produces copies of the Lourdes grotto for Roman Catholic churches, decorative items for hotels, and creates furniture.

He also finances a workshop in hopes of keeping unemployed youngsters at home instead of signing up for one of the many armed militias in the region.

"This gentleman is wonderful," said Butembo deputy mayor Godefroid Kambere. "He's forever giving us great surprises."

Mulwana said "I'm a Nande first and a Congolese second but I'm proud to contribute to the development of peace in DR Congo."
Courtney Loves tribute to Carrie Fisher is making us tear up

The world has just lost a brilliant writer, actor, feminist icon, mental health crusader and a woman who was honest enough to live her life as a perfectly imperfect open book. Carrie Fisher is being mourned by people everywhere, including many of her celebrity friends  because lets be real, she was friends with everybody.

Including queen of grunge and fishnet tights, Courtney Love. Love wrote a beautiful message about her dear friend on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of the two of them together.

And now our hearts are being ripped out all over again.

Love wrote, Carrie Fisher  great wit  great friend / one of the brightest lights has gone out . Deep condolences to Billie and Debbie . Scuse me while I break all my china now. #devasted Goodbye dearest friend.

A photo posted by Courtney Love Cobain (@courtneylove) on Dec 27, 2016 at 12:48pm PST

Loves daughter Francis Bean Cobain wrote a message to Fisher on Twitter that was just as heart-warming (and simultaneously breaking).

Carrie, Ill always love you for your wit, [sincerity], beauty, humor and authenticity. You touched the lives of so many. We will miss you, she wrote.

Carrie, I'll always love you for your wit, sincereity, beauty, humor and authenticity. You touched the lives of so many. We will miss you  Frances Bean Cobain (@alka_seltzer666) December 27, 2016

Fisher was not only a friend to Love, but also a mentor. Back in 2006, Love and Fisher had a heart-to-heart about Loves love life over a stack of Country Life magazines while sprawled out on Fishers bed. The moment appeared in the 2006 British TV documentary The Return of Courtney Love.

Fisher talked to Love about the importance of taking ownership of her decisions, and of course her words are brilliant.

After Ive made as many bad choices as I have, I have to assume the choices are mine, she said. Im not victim, and neither are you.

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You can watch the entire clip here around the 34:40 mark.

Fisher will continue to be missed forever, and her impact on the world will always be immense.

The post Courtney Loves tribute to Carrie Fisher is making us tear up appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Following the recent untimely deaths of Carrie Fisher and George Michael, one man has made it his mission to ensure 94-year-old Betty White makes it through 2016 alive.

Read: The Year of Loss: Carrie Fisher's Death Is Latest in a Long Line of Fallen Celebs

The year that claimed the lives of Prince, David Bowie, Gene Wilder, Zsa Zsa Gabor and many others had fans looking to protect the former Golden Girls star.

Spartanburg, South Carolina, resident Demetrios Hrysikos set up a GoFundMe account Tuesday to: "Help 2016 catch these hands if it goes anywhere near Betty White! If she's okay with it I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan. 1, 2017."

His goal was to raise $2,000 to help protect the actress. In less than 24 hours, he raised more than $3,000.

Should White not want his protection, Hrysikos said he will donate the funds to the Spartanburg Little Theater, a local production company for young thespians.

Read: Jim Moret Remembers Landmark Interview With George Michael, in Which Singer Revealed He Was Gay

He wrote on the GoFundMe site: Assuming she doesn't want a strange Greek standing guard outside her door all monies will be donated to the Spartanburg little theater to help craft new stars of stage and screen to carry mantle of the legends that have left is this year."

Theres no word on whether the last remaining Golden Girl will take Hrysikos up on the unusual offer.

Watch: The Force Awakens: Women of All Ages Don Princess Leia Costumes to Honor Carrie Fisher

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Moody's Investors Service, a rating arm of Moody's Corporation MCO affirmed Debt and deposit ratings of Credit Suisse Group AG CS. The Swiss bank's long-term deposit rating has been affirmed at A1, senior debt rating at A1 and standalone baseline credit assessment (BCA) at baa2.

The rating firms outlook for the bank remains stable.



Rationale Behind the Affirmation



The rating affirmation follows Credit Suisse's agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ). The bank has entered into a settlement, in principle agreement, associated with the civil claims related to the issuance and underwriting of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) through 2007.



Per the agreement, Credit Suisse will be paying a civil monetary penalty of $2.48 billion. Further, post settlement amount of $2.8 billion will be paid in consumer relief, spread over five years, which will not impact 2016 results.



Moody's views the settlement as positive for Credit Suisse's creditors as it will reduce litigation issues not impacting capital ratios much. Including increase in reserve related to recent settlement, the bank's CET1 ratio on a fully-loaded basis will be about 11.2%.



Notably, Credit Suisse targets to increase its existing litigation reserves in fourth-quarter 2016 by $2 billion (CHF 2.05 billion) to CHF 4.2 billion prior to the settlement.



However, certain RMBS-related issues still remain for Credit Suisse, with a number of states' attorney generals and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Therefore, Moodys rating might change if any unexpected penalty outcome is visible for these claims.



In addition, the rating firm believes that Credit Suisses performance related to its restructuring efforts is in line with the current baa2 BCA, reflecting a balance between its future profitability and execution challenges. Moodys anticipates that this could result in a higher rating, if the bank is able to achieve a significant and sustainable level of profitability resulting from successful restructuring exercises.



However, Moodys remains apprehensive due to the current state of the companys business, presently in the trough of restructuring efforts, resulting in poor profitability. Further, it projects that the companys business will continue to be strained by the disposal of non-core assets held in Strategic Resolution division.



Credit Suisse currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The companys stock has underperformed the 5.8% growth for the Zacks categorized Foreign Banks industry since the beginning of the year.

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Some better-ranked foreign stocks in the same space include Banco de Chile BCH and Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A. BSBR, both holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Both the stocks have outperformed the 5.8% growth for the Zacks categorized Foreign Banks industry since the beginning of the year.



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People in the United States and all over the world are now celebrating an African festival known as Kwanzaa. Even Criminal Minds actress Kirsten Vangsness, who plays tech genius Penelope Garcia on the CBS series, joined the festivities.

Vangsness reposted a photo shared by her friend, Valentino Agundez, who celebrated Kwanzaa with the actress, her children Evan and Ocean and other family members. The 44-year-old star said that although it is a new holiday, Kwanzaa is a wonderful thing to celebrate. The festival began on Dec. 26 and ends on New Year, Jan. 1, 2017.

Kwanzaa celebrates seven core principles that are unity, self-determination, collective work and social responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. People who celebrate the festival give gifts and decorate their houses with objects of African art and colorful African cloth. Women usually wear kaftans and children remember their ancestors.

The week-long festival ends in a feast.

Kwanzaa is a relatively new festival. It was created by Maulana Karenga in 1966 as the first African and African-American holiday. Kwanzaa is a Swahili phrase that means first fruits or the first fruits of the harvest. Fruits are an important part of the celebration.

Libations are typically shared with friends and family members. A drink is poured in a chalice that is sipped and passed around.

Kinaras, which represent the seven principles, are lit. A Kinara is a candelabra that has seven candle holders.

Kwanzaa helps Africans around the world celebrate their culture and ethnic background. It is usually celebrated along with Christmas and New Year. The beauty of this festival is that it can be celebrated by people of any religion, not just non-Christians.

While Vangsness was busy celebrating Kwanzaa, her co-stars spent Christmas in a variety of ways. See how they enjoyed their holidays here.

Criminal Minds Season 12 returns on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 9 p.m. EST on CBS.

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Criminal Minds

Photo: CBS

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Cropcast Morning Headlines:

-Midwest is wetter in central areas in the 6-10 day period. Showers in southeastern areas this weekend should further improve moisture for wheat. The 6-10 day outlook is wetter in central areas. Temperatures are cooler. The 11-15 day outlook is drier in northwestern areas. Temperatures are unchanged.

-Plains are drier Saturday. Colder conditions should return mid and late next week, which will increase winterkill potential again in central Nebraska. The 6-10 day outlook is drier in southeastern areas. Temperatures are cooler. The 11-15 day outlook is unchanged.

-Florida is drier in the 6-10 day period. Dry weather through the weekend should favor harvesting. Temperatures will cool a bit by the weekend, but should remain above frost levels. The 6-10 day outlook is drier. Temperatures are unchanged. The 11-15 day outlook is unchanged.

-Delta is drier in southern areas in the 6-10 day period. Abundant showers today and again this weekend will continue to improve moisture for wheat. The 6-10 day outlook is drier in southern areas. Temperatures are slightly cooler. The 11-15 day outlook is unchanged.

-Argentina is drier in southeastern areas in the 6-10 day period. Additional rains in central and northern areas late this weekend and early next week will further improve moisture, although some wetness may develop. Meanwhile, dryness will continue in La Pampa and southern Buenos Aires. The 6-10 day outlook is drier in southeastern Buenos Aires.

-Brazil is wetter in central and northwestern areas in the 6-10 day period. Additional showers in southern areas should continue to ease remaining dryness there. Some slight improvement will be possible in northwestern areas, but more rains will be needed there and in northeastern areas to end dryness. The 6-10 day outlook is wetter in central and northwestern areas.

-No changes for Europe. Dryness remains extensive in western and southeastern areas. Little change is expected through the weekend, but a notable upturn in snow cover is expected in central and eastern areas next week. This will improve moisture once it melts.

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-No changes for Black Sea. Snow cover should continue to rebuild across northern Ukraine and Belarus through early next week, which will be needed to prevent winterkill as much colder conditions return later next week.

-No changes for China. Showers in Yangtze Valley and North China Plain recently improved conditions for wheat and rapeseed, and additional improvements are expected in southeastern Yangtze Valley early next week.

-No changes for Australia. Showers in South Australia, Victoria, and southern New South Wales through the weekend will maintain slow wheat harvesting. Harvesting should progress well in Queensland and Western Australia.

-No changes for South Africa. Rains in western areas have improved moisture, but notable dryness will continue in south central and southeastern corn areas.

Donald Keeney

Senior Agricultural Meteorologist

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As the world mourns the dearly departed Carrie Fisher, her co-stars and contemporaries are speaking out about all the things they loved about the iconic actress. Stories about the things they will miss about her electric personality, her talent, and her endless ability to shut people down with the perfect quip. There is an unending stream of uplifting and hilarious anecdotes swirling around the internet, and one of the newest members of the Star Wars family chimed in with her goodbye message to Carrie.

Daisy Ridley, anointed a star with her role as Rey in The Force Awakens, released a statement about Carries passing earlier in the day.

Devastated at this monumental loss. How lucky we all are to have known her, and how awful that we have to say goodbye.

It makes the following scene, posted online from a fan account and not Daisy Ridley herself, much more poignant in the long run. Rey embracing General Organa was already a touching moment in the film, but now its got an entirely new meaning.

Of course, the quote overlaid is actually spoken by Kylo Ren when referencing his grandfather Darth Vader, but in this case, the sentiment is sincere enough that splitting hairs about the dark side or the light is pretty pointless. The quote is perfect for this situation, and there should be no doubt that Ridley is completely genuine when she promises to carry on the mantle of being a female lead in a male-dominated franchise. Another touching tribute from within the Star Wars family.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2016 / Data Deposit Box Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: DDB, OTC PINK: DDBXF, FRA: 2DD), a global provider of cloud backup and recovery technology, is pleased to announce, further to its press release dated November 11, 2016, the completion of its non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering").

The Company is pleased to announced that it has completed the second and final tranche (the "Second Tranche") of the Offering effective today, issuing 14,469,498 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.055 per Unit for gross proceeds of $795,822. The aggregate gross proceeds raised pursuant to the Offering was $1,495,622 through the issuance of 27,193,134 Units.

Each Unit issued pursuant to the Second Tranche consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.07 per Common Share for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance (the "Warrant Term"), provided, however, that should the closing price at which the Common Shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (or any such other stock exchange in Canada as the Common Shares may trade at the applicable time) exceed $0.15 for 20 consecutive trading days at any time following the date that is four months and one day after the date of issuance, the Company may accelerate the Warrant Term ("Reduced Warrant Term") such that the Warrants shall expire on the date which is 30 calendar days following the date a press release is issued by the Company announcing the Reduced Warrant Term.

Certain eligible persons (the "Finders") were paid a cash commission equal to 6% of the proceeds raised from subscribers introduced to the Company by such Finder and also issued an aggregate of 255,188 finder warrants (the "Finder Warrants") to Finders, each Finder Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.055 for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance, subject to the Reduced Warrant Term.

The aggregate net proceeds from the raised from the Offering will be used for marketing, product development, debt reduction, and general operating expenses. All securities issued pursuant to the Second Tranche are subject to a statutory hold period expiring on April 29, 2017 in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

One director of the Company (the "Related Party") participated in the Second Tranche, which participation constitutes a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Such related party transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company after reasonable inquiry, the Related Party have knowledge of any material information concerning the Company or its securities that has not been generally disclosed. The participants in the Second Tranche and the extent of such participation were not finalized until shortly prior to the completion of the Second Tranche. Accordingly, it was not possible to publicly disclose details of the nature and extent of related party participation in the Second Tranche pursuant to a material change report filed at least 21 days prior to the completion of the Second Tranche.

About Data Deposit Box

Data Deposit Box, a pioneer of cloud backup and recovery technology, has set a new industry standard by providing the SMB market with the same level of security and protection that is available to large enterprises. Data Deposit Box patented backup technology, known for its Exabyte scalability, advanced data reduction capabilities, and ease-of-use, has won prestigious industry awards and has been featured in many key industry publications.

Data Deposit Box technologies and solutions are currently used daily by over 200,000 customers, 1,000 resellers, 25 MSPs and private label partners for online backup and recovery, archiving, disaster readiness, secure file sharing, and remote access.

Visit the Company's website at: www.datadepositbox.com.

For More Information contact:

Troy Cheeseman

President & COO

Data Deposit Box Inc.

Telephone: 647-725-0307

Email: tcheeseman@datadepositbox.com

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "may," "will," "would," "potential," "proposed," and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

SOURCE: Data Deposit Box Inc.
Debbie Reynolds has reportedly been rushed to the hospital after suffering a possible stroke.

Reynolds, 84, was at her son Todds house in Beverly Hills Wednesday afternoon when someone from the home called 911, reports TMZ.

The news comes just one day after Reynolds daughter, Carrie Fisher, died after suffering a heart attack. Fisher, 60, was aboard an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday when she went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics removed her from the flight and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she later died.

Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter, Reynolds, 84, said on Facebook following Fishers death. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop.

Reynolds was close to her daughter prior to her death, although the pair had a complicated relationship over the decades.

Their bond was memorably documented in Postcards from the Edge, the 1990 movie based on Fishers 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. Meryl Streep portrayed a Fisher-like character who returns home to her famous mothers house after a stint in rehab. Shirley MacLaine portrayed her mother.

In recent years, Fisher wryly but lovingly documented their relationship in Wishful Drinking, the Broadway show, book and HBO special that offered her unvarnished take on her unusual childhood and later struggles with addiction.

Its very hard when your child doesnt want to talk to you and you want to talk to them, and you want to touch them, you want to hold them, Reynolds told Oprah Winfrey in a joint interview with Fisher in 2011. It was a total estrangement. She didnt talk to me for probably 10 years. So that was the most difficult time of all. Very painful, very heartbreaking.

Regarding Fishers addiction and mental health struggles, Reynolds said: There have been a few times when I thought I was going to lose Carrie. Ive had to walk through a lot of my tears. but shes worth it.
(Reuters)  Delta Air Lines Inc said on Tuesday that in agreement with Boeing Co it would cancel an order for 18 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which it assumed as a part of its merger with Northwest Airlines.

The order is valued at more than $4 billion at current list prices. Delta, in its statement, did not disclose specific terms of the agreement. (http://bit.ly/2ibCr6f)

The airline, which acquired Northwest in 2008 for $2.6 billion in shares, said it would continue to take delivery of 737-900ER aircraft through 2019.

Delta declined to comment beyond its statement.

The cancellation comes as Delta and other top U.S. airlines seek to slow flight capacity growth and in some instances shrink existing service in response to falling airfares.

Airlines like Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA from outside the United States are adding flights that Delta says have exceeded passenger demand and hurt unit revenue.

Delta has 25 widebody aircraft from Airbus Group SE , the A350, already slated for delivery that will add to its flight capacity this decade. Delta said earlier this year that it would defer the delivery of four A350s by a year or two from 2018 to make the schedule more consistent with (the) expected pace of international market improvement.

(Reporting by Ahmed Farhatha in Bengaluru and Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)



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The alt-right and the alt-light are in a spat over alt-right personality Tim Baked Alaska Treadstone who was supposed to be a headliner at the DeploraBall but was disinvited this week because of remarks about Jews on social media.

Treadstone was barred from the event by Mike Cernovich, an alt-right figure who denies the existence of date rape.

The controversy has divided the alt-right with so-called Trumpists saying theyre trying to make the event inclusive and white nationalists like Richard Spencer defending Treadstone and accusing Cernovich of trying to push his own brand at the expense of ideology. Cernovich has been branded alt-light.

Cernovich tweeted Treadstone had been taken off the committee for the DeploraBall and would not be attending.

Treadstone, who is known for his anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi tweets, was booted following a series of tweets in which he said the media is run in majority by Jewish people.

Cernovich said Treadstone would be replaced by Milo Yiannopoulos.

The announcement sent Treadstone on a rant against Cernovich and Yiannopoulos, calling Cernovich a cuck  a popular alt-right term derived from cuckold  and Yiannopoulos a shallow scumbag.

Cernovich fired back, first posting and then deleting a video characterizing Treadstone as a druggie and disgruntled employee.

Cernovich told the Daily Beast he had asked Treadstone to stop sending anti-Semitic tweets.

Hes an unstable guy desperate to do anything for e-fame. Couldnt have him around me dragging others down with him, he told the Daily Beast.

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The alt-light faces a major problem, Spencer told the Daily Beast in an email. People like Mike Cernovich and Milo dont have an ideology; they dont even really have policies that you can point to. They are Trump fans, who are vaguely conservative and a bit neocon-ish. They dont like feminists and SJWs [social justice warriors]; in other words, they pick the low-hanging fruit.

The DeploraBall  a reference to Hillary Clintons statement during the election that most Donald Trump supporters could be put in a basket of deplorables  is scheduled for Jan. 19, the day before Trump is sworn in as president. Trump confidant Roger Stone is among the headliners at the sold-out event, organized by MAGA3X and to be held at the National Press Club.

In 2016, Americans in favor of competent, America-first leadership were insulted, harassed and assaulted for holding views contrary to those of the bicoastal, bipartisan elites. The best response to an insult? Embrace it. So yes, we the deplorables are celebrating our newfound infamy by holding Inaugural DeploraBall events, the events website reads.

Treadstone isnt the only one disinvited to the event. Gizmodo reported Sam Hyde, who created the Adult Swim show Million Dollar Extreme, also is off the guest list.

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This dispute has it all, polo players, champagne and contracts!





MHCS Societe En Commandite Simple & Anor v Polistas Ltd & Ors [2016] EWHC 3114 (IPEC). It is[2016] EWHC 3114 (IPEC).





It is a relatively complicated set of facts which boils down to the importance of clearly setting out the basis for an agreement.

It's hard to imagine polo causing

any sort of trade mark dispute

Consent must be unequivocally demonstrated. An intention to renounce the right to a trade mark will normally be gathered from an express statement. Although consent may be inferred in some circumstances, an actual consent (not a deemed consent) be established. In almost all cases, the trader must prove consent (rather than the trade mark owner being required to prove the absence of consent). Consent cannot be inferred from a trade mark owner's silence, the absence of a warning on the goods or the goods being originally placed on the market without any further restriction on their onward sale.

Some seasonal veuve In other words "the burden of proof is on the Defendants to unequivocally demonstrate consent" [25] (judge's emphasis). In other words "" [25] (judge's emphasis).





What was the scope of the agreement?





Each year from 2007 to 2010, shortly before the VCGC, the parties entered into a new agreement by email on slightly different terms. Consequently, HHJ Clarke had no difficulty in concluding that she was considering a series of annually negotiated agreements rather than some other form of agreement as the defendants had suggested. Apart from the 2007 agreement, each agreement limited (1) production, promotion and sales of branded goods and (2) Polistas permission to advertise itself as an "official supplier" to the VCGC to the period "during the VCGC". The defendants suggested that this meant all year but the judge gave this suggestion short shrift and concluded that it meant the period of six weeks ending with the VCGC finals day.





This meant that the defendants had limited unequivocal consent to produce, promote and sell the branded goods and identifying themselves as an official supplier.





When were the agreements terminated?





Each of the agreements were terminable at will upon reasonable notice. Although the Claimants sent a very stern email in September 2011, the email was not sufficient to terminate as it was written on the assumption that the agreements had already terminated. However, the solicitor's letter of 11 June 2012 was sufficient to terminate each of the agreements with a termination date of 11 December 2012.





Not to be confused with...

Passing off?





Given her earlier findings on the limited consent, the judge wasted little time in concluding that other than in the six week period of the VCGC the defendants were also liable for passing off in 2008, 2009 and 2010.





Joint tortfeasorship?





The test for joint tortfeasorship was set out by Lord Neuberger in Sea Shepherd UK v Fish & Fish Ltd [2015] UKSC 10 at paragraph 55:

the defendant must have assisted the commission of an act by the primary tortfeasor; the assistance must have been pursuant to a common design on the part of the defendant and the primary tortfeasor that the act be committed; and, the act must constitute a tort as against the claimant.





It was clear from the evidence that the director of the corporate defendants was the controlling mind and decision-maker. There was no evidence of any other individual being responsible for the companies' actions. Therefore Lord Neuberger's test was established.





Damages





As mentioned, this case was fairly unusual for being an IP case which considered both liability and quantum in the same hearing. The disclosure from the defendants was somewhat lacking in detail. As the judge put it "there is no axe in the world broad enough to calculate royalty as a percentage of profit share when neither the appropriate royalty rate nor the profits made are discernible from the evidence, so I must look for an alternative way to assess damages." Therefore, she considered quantum based on the value of the branded goods (as agreed between the parties at the relevant time). This led to a total damages award of 125,000.

The claimant was also entitled to an injunction to prevent further infringement and passing off.

It is time for some seasonal trade mark fizz. This time around the question of consent to use a trade mark.Polistas became an official supplier to VCGC following a series of agreements which were entered into between it and the Claimant by email in each year from 2007 to 2010. Although the agreements varied slightly by year, broadly speaking the Claimant received some free and some heavily discounted branded polo shirts for each event in return for licensing the Veuve Clicquot brand for Polistas to sell the branded polo shirts.The question was essentially how far did each licence go both in terms of time and the products in question. Other related issues included licence termination, passing off, quantum (liability and quantum were decided together), joint tortfeasorship and the absence of a limitation defence or challenge to validity.The situation was somewhat complicated by the fact that many of the events in question took place nine years ago. Further, the second defendant and owner of the first defendant was a litigant in person. He was also the defendants' primary witness.The question of consent comes from the CJEU case[2002] CH 109. Lewison LJ summarised the position in[2006] EWHC 1051 para 5 (not on bailii) as:
Drake and Jennifer Lopez are getting very cozy together.

Both the 30-year-old rapper and the 47-year-old pop star shared a cuddly photo on Instagram early Wednesday morning. Although neither entertainer offered an explanation for the love fest  which shows Lopez laying on Drakes lap as he wraps his arms around her and eyes the camera with a smirk  many fans are taking it as a confirmation of their rumored romance.

Although many are thrilled with the apparent relationship, Drakes on-again-off-again flame Rihanna doesnt seem so happy. Some keen-eyed fans shared that the 28-year-old Barbadian beauty unfollowed Lopez on Instagram over the Christmas weekend.

Talk of a relationship between the stars circulated earlier this month when the rapper was spotted at Lopezs Vegas show twice, but a source who knows them both previously told PEOPLE the entertainers are just friends  for now.

They seem to really like and respect each other, but its early, says the source. Where it goes, we shall see. Friends of them both are hoping it becomes something, but its too early to say more than that.

For now, the duo  who were also spotted attending the same party at L.A. hotspot Delilah last week  are said to be working on new music together.

Theyre making beautiful music together, says the source. They are spending a lot of time together and really enjoying each other, but right now its about the music.

For more celebrity videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.)  President-elect Donald Trump tapped an experienced hand from the George W. Bush era and a longtime Trump Organization official to become members of his inner circle when he assumes office next month.

Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trumps transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity, and coordinate the Cabinets process for making and executing policy in those areas.

The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on U.S.-Israel relations during the campaign and transition as special representative for international negotiations. Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organization for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer.

The homeland security position notably is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser, the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.

Bossert will work closely with Trumps pick for national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

Donald Trumps West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as equal partners, according to Trump, and counselor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy. Trumps influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will have a direct line to the president as well.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and during his presidential campaign. But some critics fear doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making.

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Discussing the appointment of Greenblatt, Trump said he has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf, and has the expertise to bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics.

Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel.

The billionaire-turned-president-elect is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, where hes held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his administration remain; his transition team says he will fill those positions in the coming days.

Meanwhile the president-elect continued the debate over whether he would have won an election against President Barack Obama.

Trump posted on Twitter Tuesday, President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in very important swing states, and lost. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

It wasnt immediately clear whether Trump was referring to Obamas own presidential runs, or the campaigning the president did in 2016 on Hillary Clintons behalf. Obama swept most key swing states in his two bids for the White House, but Clinton fell short, losing to Trump.

A dispute erupted a day earlier between Obama and Trump, spurred by Obamas hypothetical musings that had he run again, he would have been victorious. Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters that elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again.

Trumps response: NO WAY!

Later Tuesday, Trump thanked himself for a surge in a key gauge of consumer confidence. He wrote on Twitter that The Conference Board had reported that its consumer confidence index had climbed to 113.7 in December.

Trump noted thats the highest the index has climbed in more than 15 years, then added, Thanks Donald!

___

Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Washington and Julie Pace in Buffalo, New York, contributed to this report.
NIAMEY (Reuters) - Dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister said, days after the Islamist group suffered key losses over the border in Nigeria. "Thirty-one young people from Diffa, who were enrolled a few years ago in Boko Haram, decided to surrender," minister Mohamed Bazoum wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, above pictures of him touring the area near Nigeria's northeast border. The fighters arrived in the remote desert town of Diffa in groups and were being held by local authorities. "I learned that the first who surrendered were not arrested, and I surrendered," a former Boko Haram combatant told national television. "We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma." In June, tens of thousands of people fled Diffa as Boko Haram swept the region. Five Niger soldiers were killed by the militants near Diffa in September. In a statement carried later on national television, Bazoum said the government would welcome the former fighters "with open arms", adding: "All those who have parents who are with Boko Haram can tell them to return. Boko Haram is now weak." Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. In recent years its attacks have spilled into neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters surrendered in Chad in October and November as the group ceded territory. The group controlled an area about the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has since been pushed back by international forces including troops from Niger. Nigeria's army captured its last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday. (Reporting Boureima Balima; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Andrew Roche)
NIAMEY (Reuters) - Dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister said, days after the Islamist group suffered key losses over the border in Nigeria. "Thirty-one young people from Diffa, who were enrolled a few years ago in Boko Haram, decided to surrender," minister Mohamed Bazoum wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, above pictures of him touring the area near Nigeria's northeast border. The fighters arrived in the remote desert town of Diffa in groups and were being held by local authorities. "I learned that the first who surrendered were not arrested, and I surrendered," a former Boko Haram combatant told national television. "We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma." In June, tens of thousands of people fled Diffa as Boko Haram swept the region. Five Niger soldiers were killed by the militants near Diffa in September. It was not clear what will become of the ex-Boko Haram fighters, but authorities said there was the possibility of reintegrating them back into society. A security source said a meeting was planned for Wednesday in Diffa to discuss "the conditions of surrender", without providing further details. Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. In recent years its attacks have spilled into neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters surrendered in Chad in October and November as the group ceded territory. The group controlled an area about the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has since been pushed back by international forces including troops from Niger. Nigeria's army captured its last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday. (Reporting Boureima Balima; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Andrew Roche)
At least 44 people were injured when 15 carriages of the Sealdah-Ajmer express train derailed at the village of Rura, about 27 miles west of Kanpur, on December 28, according to Indias railways ministry.

The minister for railways, Suresh Prabhu, tweeted that medical assistance was provided to the passengers, that compensation would be paid to the injured, and that he had ordered an investigation into the derailment.

The chief executive for the state of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, reportedly announced compensation packages of 25,000 rupees ($367) to 50,000 rupees ($734) for the injured passengers.

It was the second derailment in Uttar Pradesh in two months. At least 146 people were killed when a train went off the tracks at Pukhrayan, about 18 miles south of Rura, on November 20. Credit: Facebook/Durgansh Mishra (Inventive Photography via Storyful)
A professor who said he jokingly called for the mass killing of whites has received death threats and a stern warning from his bosses at Drexler University in Philadelphia. George Ciccariello-Maher, associate professor of politics and global studies, started the controversy over demographics when he tweeted to his nearly 11,000 Twitter followers Saturday, "all I want for Christmas is white genocide."

Conservative websites and activists demanded Drexel dismiss Ciccariello-Maher over the tweet, which they described as a call to violence. The Daily Caller claimed the professor had a long history of being racist towards white people on Twitter. White genocide has become code in the white nationalist movement for diversity, multiculturalism, immigration and high birth rates about non-whites.

But Ciccariello-Maher said he was was making a political point about racism, not calling for mass killings. In a follow-up tweet on Christmas, he said, To clarify: when the whites were massacred during the Haitian Revolution, that was a good thing indeed.

Drexel has distanced itself from the tweet. "Drexel became aware today of Associate Professor George Ciccariello-Maher's inflammatory tweet, which was posted on his personal Twitter account on Dec. 24, 2016. While the university recognizes the right of its faculty to freely express their thoughts and opinions in public debate, Professor Ciccariello-Maher's comments are utterly reprehensible, deeply disturbing, and do not in any way reflect the values of the university," a statement Monday read. "The university is taking this situation very seriously. We contacted Ciccariello-Maher today to arrange a meeting to discuss this matter in detail."

More than 3,500 people, including many scholars, have signed a petition calling on Drexel to protect Ciccariello-Maher's freedom of speech, Inside Higher Ed reported Monday. "Preserve academic freedom (and wit and intelligence and anti-racism) in this nasty new era of living in the United States of internet trolls," the petition reads. "Support George. Let Drexel know -- in the midst of the deafening, organized troll-storm -- that racist trolls deserve no platform in dictating academic discourse, let alone the off-duty tweets of academics. They are being VERY noisy; we can't be silent."

Ciccariello-Maher defended his tweet in an email statement to Inside Higher Ed. "On Christmas Eve, I sent a satirical tweet about an imaginary concept, 'white genocide.' For those who haven't bothered to do their research, 'white genocide' is an idea invented by white supremacists and used to denounce everything from interracial relationships to multicultural policies (and most recently, against a tweet by State Farm Insurance). It is a figment of the racist imagination, it should be mocked, and I'm glad to have mocked it," Ciccariello-Maher wrote. "What I am not glad about is that this satirical tweet became fodder for online white supremacists to systematically harass me and my employer, Drexel University. Beginning with Breitbart.com ... and running through the depths of Reddit discussion boards, a coordinated smear campaign was orchestrated to send mass tweets and emails to myself, my employer, and my colleagues. I have received hundreds of death threats."

Responding to Drexel's statement, he said: "While Drexel has been nothing but supportive in the past, this statement is worrying. While upholding my right to free expression, the statement refers to my (satirical) tweets as 'utterly reprehensible.' What is most unfortunate is that this statement amounts to caving to the truly reprehensible movements and organizations that I was critiquing. On the university level, moreover, this statement -- despite a tepid defense of free speech -- sends a chilling message and sets a frightening precedent. It exposes untenured and temporary faculty not only to internal disciplinary scrutiny, but equally importantly, it encourages harassment as an effective means to impact university policies."

He added: "White supremacy is on the rise, and we must fight it by any means. In that fight, universities will need to choose whether they are on the side of free expression and academic debate, or on the side of the racist mob."

Ciccariello-Mahers website describes him as a writer and radical political theorist whose academic specialties include race and racism.

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Photo credit: RacingOneundefined

From Road & Track

We all know you shouldn't "drink and drive" and usually understand "drink" to be a euphemism for consuming alcohol. A man named Joseph Schwab, however, has a case that could obliterate that understanding. He has been charged in California with driving under the influence of a drug. The drug? Caffeine.

Mr. Schwab was arrested on August 5 of last year after being pulled over by a California alcoholic beverage control agent in an unmarked car. The agent claimed Schwab's driving indicated he was under the influence of something. A breathalyzer revealed a blood alcohol content of zero. Zero point zero zero to be precise.

Convinced he was on something, authorities took Schwab to jail and drew blood which was tested in a laboratory. The blood test came back negative and that was after it had been screened for cocaine, opiates, oxycodone and all kinds of other drugs few people can pronounce. Never one to give up, law enforcement sent the sample out to another laboratory, presumably to see if they could find anything in the blood. And then they found something: caffeine.

They charged Schwab with driving while impaired.

Despite caffeine being the only thing found in Schwab's bloodstream, the authorities are pursuing the case against him. But here is where it gets murky. The district attorney's office insists that Schwab is not being prosecuted on the basis of the caffeine in his system. But if not caffeine, then what? Beyond the caffeine, all he had in his veins that day was blood. Good, clean, unadulterated blood.

I assure you that defendants in this country have the right to know the charges against them and the basis of those charges. It's a fundamental right of our legal system. Schwab's attorney has asked for any evidence beyond that which is mentioned abovethe reports which are all negative except for caffeineand so far she has been given nothing.

Now, I will point out to you that a prosecution for driving under the influence of caffeine is theoretically possible in California. This is largely because California defines "drugs" so broadly: They are any substance (excluding alcohol, which is prohibited elsewhere) affecting your brain, nervous system or muscles. And if you have those "drugs" in your system and they prevent you from operating your vehicle in the same manner as a sober person, they you are impaired. Could coffee do that to you? Seems possible. So could many cold and allergy medicines too.

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Court cases like this often involve forensic toxicologists, like you might see on TV. One such toxicologist, Jeffrey Zehnder, called this case "really stupid." He noted that in his forty-plus years of working on cases of impaired driving allegations, he has never seen one where the "drug" in question was caffeine or coffee. He suspects it is because no one has ever even bothered to study the links between coffee and driving ability. That could be because there really isn't one. Or it could be that the Starbucks lobby is too powerful for anyone to take on.

Meanwhile, Schwab's attorney has asked the court to throw out his case so he can get on with his life. If the case proceeds, we can all find out whether it really is illegal to drive while hopped up on coffee.

Steve Lehto is a writer and attorney from Michigan. He specializes in Lemon Law and frequently writes about cars and the law. His most recent books include Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow, and Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird: Design, Development, Production and Competition. He also has a podcast where he talks about these things.

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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch police said on Wednesday they were investigating whether the man believed responsible for last week's deadly Christmas market attack in Berlin may have traveled through the Netherlands. Twelve people died in the Dec. 19 attack. The Tunisian suspect, 24-year-old Anis Amri, was shot dead Dec. 23 by Italian police. Wim de Bruin, spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, said there were "signs" 24-year-old Amri had passed though the Netherlands on his way to France, and an investigation was ongoing. (This version of the story corrects the job title in paragraph 3) (Reporting by Toby Sterling; editing by John Stonestreet)
What Were Following

Remembering Carrie Fisher: Carrie Fisher, the iconic actress, writer, and comedian best known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, died several days after she had a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. She was 60. Fisher took on a number of notable roles throughout her career, including appearances in When Harry Met Sally and The Blues Brothers, and reprised her famed role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars reboot The Force Awakens. Fisher will always be closely tied to the character she first took on at age 19, but, as David Sims writes, she will be remembered for so much more.

The Deadly Plane Crash: Russia recovered the flight recorder from the Tu-154 military transport plane that crashed Sunday into the Black Sea en route to Latakia, Syria. The 92-person flight included 64 members of Russias famed choir, the Alexandrov military music ensemble, which was traveling to Syria for a performance. No survivors have been found. The flight recorder may provide more information about the cause of the crash, though Russian authorities have already ruled out terrorism.

Recommended: News Today: What We're Following

Known Unknowns: How scientists will address President-elect Donald Trumps climate change denial remains one of the many unknowns going into the new administration. As Robinson Meyer notes, climate scientists could become an incredibly powerful constituency. ... Nothing stops them for calling for local policies to mitigate catastrophic climate change. Other unknowns include whether Trump will address the accusations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential campaign, or how the U.S. Special Forces will fare under the president-elects plans to defeat ISIS.

Snapshot

The temperature reached 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) in Sydney, Australia, on Christmas Day, prompting residents, tourists, and this sand snowman to hit Bondi Beach to cool off. For more shots of sunny Sydney on Christmas, click here. (Don Arnold / Getty)

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Evening Read

Ruth Franklin on Transit, a new novel by Rachel Cusk:

Many of the novels strands poke ironically at the idea of freedom and its opposites, obligation and fate. ... [The protagonist] Faye is wrestling with how to understand her own feelings of powerlessness in the dramas of her life. I was beginning to see what other people called fate in the unfolding of events, as though living were merely an act of reading to find out what happens next, she tells a man she has recently met. But she realizes that she was wrong. While she once believed that it was only through absolute passivity that you could learn to see what was really there, she now desires the power that other people have always had over her. What I called fate was merely the reverberation of their will. This realization sets her on a new course.

Keep reading here.

Recommended: My President Was Black

What Do You Know?

1. The worlds cheetah population will be cut in half in ____________ years, a new study finds.

Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.

2. Only ____________ of CEOs in the top 500 U.S. companies are female.

Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.

3. Since the beginning of 2016, U.S. nightly news programs devoted just 32 minutes to coverage of ____________.

Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.

Reader Response: What Youre Working With

Last month, as part of a series of interviews with more than 100 American workers, we asked you to tell us about your work: the pivotal moments in your career, the times youve succeeded or struggled to make it, what your job has taught you about how to treat people, and more. This week, well be publishing some of your responses here. This reader is an architect in Nevada, with one young daughter and another on the way:

To say that being a mom in architecture is tough doesnt even begin to cover the complex dynamic that is being in a male-dominated field with the incredible pressure all architects are under professionally to be at the top of their field/firm and the personal sacrifices it takes to get there. Being a mom in architecture feels like you are at an even bigger disadvantage in terms of attractive pay, because we cannot make the choice to be the employee going that extra mile (read: lots of late nights and weekends) to gain those new clients. I also feel that because moms in architecture are so few and far between, it is hard to gain the mentorship needed to know how to navigate this path. I recently had a massive work deadline on the largest project of my career and found myself working 20-30 hours of overtime a week for several weeks in a row. I had to scramble to find additional childcare and my husband had take vacation time to help out as well. I was left wondering, can this really be what is expected? I know its temporary and deadlines will come and go, but the industry standard that you will put your life on hold for several weeks and do nothing but work seemed insaneand so stressful for a pregnant mom! But what choice do I have? Either I dont work on projects that are challenging and attractive to me career-wise or I settle for less than what I know Im capable of? It seems like Im damned if I do and damned if I dont.

Read more reflections from American workers here, including another architect on how she balances work and life, a civil engineer on making her way in a male-dominated industry, and a stay-at-home mom on the changing perceptions of women who leave their careers to raise kids.

Recommended: The Coming Exodus of Career Civil Servants

Urban Developments

On our partner site CityLab explores the cities of the future and investigates the biggest ideas and issues facing city-dwellers around the world. Heres Adam Sneed with three of todays top stories:

As the year winds down, were looking ahead at the key issues that cities around the U.S. will face in 2017. In Seattle, definitive action on immigration, taxes, and the minimum wage set the tone of 2016. Now its progressive bona fides will be put to the test as the city is forced to confront surging housing prices, homelessness, and police reform. Americas opioid crisis claimed 91 lives per day in 2016, hitting rural towns and small cities particularly hard. Alan Morgan, the director of the National Rural Health Association, spoke with CityLab about how the epidemic is an infrastructure issue, and how housing policy can help fix it. Outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says transportation policy has contributed to Americans disconnecting from one another and living in pockets of invisibility. His doctrine for addressing that is two words long: Everybody matters.

For more updates from the urban world, subscribe to CityLabs daily newsletter.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Eradicating the Islamic State, or ISIS, from their strongholds in Iraq could take as little as three months, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday. His comments follow a continued effort by U.S. forces to rid ISIS from the northern city of Mosul, where the terror group has held power since 2014.

The prime ministers predictions sharply contradict that of U.S. officials, who have given ISIS-elimination efforts a two-year timeline. Abadi noted the major, sweeping gains in territory the Islamic State accrued throughout 2014 and on have slowly begun to diminish, however, with forces retreating back into Mosul, where a U.S.-led coalition is currently battling to retake the region.

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Photo: Reuters

"The Americans were very pessimistic" when creating their timetable to defeat ISIS, Abadi said on Tuesday. "They used to talk about a really long period but the remarkable successes achieved by our brave and heroic fighters reduced that. I foresee that in Iraq it will take three months."

If joint-U.S. and Iraqi forces are able to successfully reclaim Mosul, it would serve as the biggest blow to the Islamic State since the group became a key player in the region two years ago. That doesnt mean the terror group, which has claimed responsibility for inspiring recent global attacks including one targeting a Christmas market in Berlin which killed 12 people and another in Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, which killed 49 people celebrating gay pride month.

Abadi remains optimistic the international operation to eliminate ISIS from Iraq will be successful long before the U.S. estimate, though the Iraqi prime minister had previously said the terror group would be removed from the region entirely by the end of 2016. The Islamic States successful attempts in defending its hold on Mosul have slowed efforts, though the terror group has become quickly embattled in recent weeks as Iraqi forces move in on the major city.

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Mosul is one of the last cities ISIS claims power over in Iraq, besides the towns of Tel Afar and Qaim, as well as Hawija and the neighboring region. Despite losing much of their territory throughout the year, international attacks inspired or carried out by the Islamic State have risen.

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During the second Sino-Japanese War in December 1941, a railway porter (played by Jackie Chan) leads a ragtag team of freedom fighters to sabotage a a railway network used by the Japanese to transport supplies from Tianjin to Nanjing. Comprising a motley crew of tailor, noodle shop owner, railroad hand, and professional thug, they make weapons out of shovels and loose railway track planks to ambush Japanese soldiers and steal food to feed the starving Chinese. The locals call them the Railroad Tigers.

In peacetime, people who got up to such shenanigans would probably put one behind bars, but a small job well done could get you hailed as a hero.

With so many changes in the job market since the bad old days, we are guessing that the modern-day Railroad Tigers would probably comprise some, if not, all of these innocuous, everyday professions:

1. MRT train captain

It's not just men who get behind the wheel - SMRT female train captains (from left): Ms Sugvendar Kaur D/O Pritam Singh, Ms Leong Suat Yee and Ms Nur Haziqah Binte Uthumansham. (Photo credit: SMRT's Facebook page)

Its not just men who get behind the wheel  SMRT female train captains (from left): Ms Sugvendar Kaur D/O Pritam Singh, Ms Leong Suat Yee and Ms Nur Haziqah Binte Uthumansham. (Photo credit: SMRTs Facebook page)

Our MRT drivers are expected to do the exact opposite of what the movies Railroad Tigers are up to, of course. As the first person to respond to any track faults, an MRT train captain has a big part to play in minimising disruptions to train services, or, in the unfortunate event of one, assuage affected commuters and lead them to safety.

Remember the horrible meltdown of December 15, 2011, when thousands of peak-hour commuters were stranded due to a power failure? In one of the four stalled trains, passengers were trapped in darkness for over an hour with poor ventilation. Some of them had to break glass windows and force open doors to let air in. They didnt have any idea what was happening. Since then, MRT staff have been better trained to react in a crisis.

2. Software developers

Mr Tay Wei Kiat is the Singaporean creator of SG BusLeh and co-founder of app development company Originally US. (Photo credit: Originally US's Facebook page)

Mr Tay Wei Kiat, 28, is the Singaporean creator of SG BusLeh and co-founder of app development company Originally US. (Photo credit: Originally USs Facebook page)

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Dont pooh-pooh an IT geek next time you date one. Theyre the gazillionaires-to-be who can create the next it app, social media platform, or addictive smartphone game. Arent you thankful for the SG BusLeh app, which tells you not only what time your bus will arrive, but also the likelihood of getting a seat? That you can Grab a car or Uber anywhere even when theres no taxi in sight?

Programmers could also be hackers, if they wanted to, and with that knowledge, tighten the security loopholes of your website, computer or Intranet. Pair programmers with a data scientist (see #6), and they could take over the world.

3. Film distributors

Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna Dreyfus in Inglourious Basterds, in the projection room of the fateful theatre. (Photo credit: www.misscitydiscovers.com)

Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna Dreyfus in Inglourious Basterds, in the projection room of the fateful theatre. (Photo credit: www.misscitydiscovers.com)

Remember Shoshanna of Quentin Tarantinos Inglourious Basterds (2009)? Shes the projectionist who doctors a propaganda film, and plots to assassinate Hitler by burning down a movie theatre. Er, what Im saying is, films have the great power of bringing all sorts of people together.

Film distributors, like Golden Village Pictures and United International Pictures, have a hand in delivering messages to the masses and influencing popular belief by deciding what movies to screen, and when. Like Railroad Tigers, which is opening in theatres tomorrow (December 29, 2016).

4. Refuse collectors

Litter is strewn all over Anderson Avenue, in the Bronx of New York City, during the great garbage strike of 1968. (Photo credit: Dennis Harper via Flickr, via untappedcities.com)

Litter is strewn all over Anderson Avenue, in the Bronx of New York City, during the great garbage strike of 1968. (Photo credit: Dennis Harper via Flickr, via untappedcities.com)

No-one can dispute that sanitation workers are the greatest unsung everyday heroes we cant live without. Imagine a week without garbage disposal services at your estate or workplace. We would surely die of the filth, if not from health emergencies.

In 1968, a nine-day garbage strike in New York City transformed its streets into slums with 100,000 tons of accumulated rubbish which would take more than 8,300 modern-day refuse collection trucks to clear.

5. Air-con servicemen

We try to control our indoor climate with air-conditioning. (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

We try to control our indoor climate with air-conditioning. (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

The other thing that could take down an organisation other than refusing to clear its refuse  a faulty air-conditioning system. Not only do humans need cool, clean air, but computers too, with the amount of heat they generate. Singapore being The Air-Conditioned Nation predisposes itself a great inconvenience  we will forever be at the mercy of professional air-conditioning servicemen.

A good one wont just vacuum the dirt off your filter, but clean the evaporator coils and do all sorts of stuff laymen wont know how to.

6. Data scientists

So much data out there. What do you do with it? (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

So much data out there. What do you do with it? (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

And then theres what is touted to be the hottest career in the next 50 years. Data scientists are the people who process all the data out there, analyse it and figure out what to do with it eventually. Most forseeably in the near future, I think theyre the ones who will make sure that you always get paired to the correct people in your carpool app, help e-commerce companies fulfill and deliver orders on time even during Black Friday sales, and finally, help Facebook figure out how to break even their $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp.

Combined with all the previously mentioned five professions, data scientists could run the world, or ruin it at the snap of a finger.

Let the Railroad Tigers show you how, in cinemas on December 29.

Sources: channelnewsasia.com, asiaone.com, untappedcities.com

The post Everyday professions which could make you a hero (at least in Singapore) appeared first on The Popping Post.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  A former South Carolina Republican congressional candidate is accused of stealing horses in rural Kentucky earlier this month, but he contends he was actually rescuing the horses.

Charleston media outlets report that Curtis Bostic, 55, was arrested Dec. 18 near Jackson, Kentucky, and charged with felony unlawful taking of livestock. He was released on $2,500 bail the next day.

The former Charleston County councilman said Tuesday he was in the Appalachian foothills on a "humanitarian horse-rescue effort." He didn't go into details on the pending case.

A court date is set for Jan. 23.

But his son, Daniel Bostic, posted on Twitter that the horses were starving.

"Crazy that we live in a country where you can be arrested for rescuing a starving animal," he said in the post.

In his mugshot, Bostic is wearing a campaign T-shirt from his 2013 unsuccessful bid for Congress, when he lost the GOP primary runoff to former Gov. Mark Sanford. Bostic, an attorney, served on county council for eight years until 2009.

The Marine veteran owns Peaceful Way , a 35-acre farm in Ravenel that offers activities including horseback riding.

Ginny Grulke, director of the nonprofit Appalachian Horse Center, said that it's common practice in mountainous Kentucky to let horses roam free to graze. But the Great Recession brought problems, as some owners stopped delivering hay during winter months. While most of the horses remain well fed, some struggle to find nourishment, she told The Post and Courier of Charleston.

It can be difficult to tell which horses have owners, which are abandoned and which were born wild, but locals usually know, she said.

Those trying to find better homes for the horses are supposed to notify the local sheriff, get a veterinary checkup and give any owner 15 days to claim them, she said.

"If you don't do that, you're officially stealing a horse," said Grulke, who said she knew of Bostic's arrest but had no direct involvement with the case.
Another year is coming to an end and its time for investors to re-examine their portfolios to maximize profits, cut losses, sell the non-performers and include the stocks that will make 2017 profitable for them.

Talking about profitable stocks, it is hard to imagine any investment portfolio that is devoid of Internet/technology stocks. These stocks have somehow always been the cynosure of Wall Street.

The tech sector has had a relatively good run against a tough macroeconomic backdrop this year so far. Continued advancements in AR/VR & AI technology, self-driving cars, high-speed Internet and home automation kept the buzz surrounding the sector alive. Overall, the S&P North American Technology Sector Index is up 14.3% year-to-date.

We note that tech stocks took a massive beating following Donald Trumps surprise White House win. Silicon Valley had openly criticized Trump for his ideas, ranging from immigration to revamping of corporate tax structure as well as encryption, net neutrality and a lot of other sensitive issues. Trumps ideas regarding trade relations with China had startled tech behemoths. Trump was also vocal about his disapproval of some of the ways of Silicon Valley.

However, Trump convened a meeting with all the big tech companies at the Trump Towers in New York a few days back to iron out the differences. Apparently, the meeting was very productive if we go by Amazon AMZN CEO Jeff Bezos. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen how things between the frenemies turn out in the coming year.

Facebook: One of the Best Picks

Among sector bellwethers, Facebook, Inc. FB has been one of the most sought after stocks. Facebook shares grew 12.1% year to date compared with Zacks Categorized Internet Services industrys gain of 2.7%.

The good show on the trading front has largely been due to phenomenal results in back-to-back quarters. Facebook has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters and has an average positive earnings surprise of 21.11%. Stellar revenues from mobile ads and its video efforts remain primary growth catalysts.

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Also, Facebooks consistently expanding user growth remains one of its biggest strengths. Facebook has an unparalleled user base of 1.79 billion monthly active users (MAUs). In addition, its mobile MAUs, Daily Active Users (DAUs) as well as Mobile DAUs exceed 1 billion. Besides great fundamentals, Facebook has equally strong future growth prospects. Monetization opportunities presented by its subsidiaries WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger along with its foray into AR/VR and AI technologies bode well for the social media company.

We continue to believe that the Facebook juggernaut is unstoppable despite its fair share of challenges like moderating ad revenue growth rate and increasing expenses. Facebook carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Also, Facebook has a VGM score of B and its long-term growth rate is 27.6% compared with 16.3% growth estimated for the industry.

FACEBOOK INC-A Price

FACEBOOK INC-A Price | FACEBOOK INC-A Quote

3 Other Internet Stocks to Consider

As the technology sector holds promise, we believe adding some more stocks to your investment portfolio can make 2017 a profitable year for investors. But how to zero in on stocks that help you to maximize returns?

This is where our Zacks proprietary methodology comes in handy. Our research shows that stocks with VGM Scores of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or Zacks Rank #2 emerge as good investment opportunities. By using our screener, we bring forth three such stocks:

TrueCar, Inc. TRUE engages in developing and publishing an online automotive information and communications platform. TrueCar carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM score of B. Shares of this Santa Monica based company have increased nearly 33% year-to-date. Moreover, its long-term EPS growth rate is a whopping 100%.

Forget the gym, finding great stocks should be your New Year's resolution! Don't miss out on our new Top 10 Stocks for 2017 list, which has been hand-picked from 4,400 stocks covered by the Zacks Rank. Be one of the first to see this year's list here>>

Headquartered in Goleta, CA, AppFolio, Inc. APPF acts as a cloud-based software solutions provider for both legal and property management industries. AppFolio also carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM score of B. Shares have increased 61% year-to-date. Moreover, its long term EPS growth is 30%.

Veeva Systems Inc. VEEV operates as a industry-specific, cloud-based software solutions provider for the life sciences industry. This Pleasanton, CA, based company has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM score of B. Shares have increased nearly 45% year-to-date. Moreover, it has a long term EPS growth rate of 24.9%.

Conclusion

With the world getting more wired, Internet stocks will continue to attractinvestors. If you are looking for attractive investment options in this space, we recommend you keep an eye on the abovementioned stocks.



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TRUECAR INC (TRUE): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Police say a St. Augustine, Florida, woman killed herself with her boyfriends gun six years ago  but her relatives say they have proof she was murdered. Subscribe to PEOPLE now or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands Friday, for more on this case.

When 24-year-old Michelle OConnell died of a gunshot wound in St. Augustine, Florida, in September 2010, one thing was certain: The shot that killed her was fired from a service weapon belonging to her boyfriend, St. Johns County sheriffs deputy Jeremy Banks.

Within hours of her death on Sept. 2, 2010, the case became surrounded by a controversy that persists six years later. Though investigations by the local sheriffs office and three state attorneys have concluded OConnells death was a suicide, those who knew her best claim they have proof of something more sinister.

They allege it was Banks who killed her as she prepared to end their relationship and escape his abuse  though investigators have dismissed this speculation, saying it lacks probable cause.

Banks, through his attorney, has also denied involvement. He has previously denied allegations he abused Michelle, and a sheriffs internal investigation in 2010 was unable to prove or disprove the allegations, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

That hasnt deterred OConnells friends and family. On their behalf, attorney Janet Johnson has requested the Florida Medical Examiners Board convene a grand jury to review the case.

They know better than anyone else whether she had it in her to commit suicide and no one talked with them, Johnson tells PEOPLE in this weeks issue. If they didnt know him , if he wasnt a cop, if it were any other situation, they absolutely would have done that.

Banks discovered OConnell in their home that September day and was the one who first called 911 about her shooting injury. According to officials, she died of a gunshot wound to the back of her throat.

But OConnells family is critical of the quick determination that she killed herself.

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Michelle OConnellSource: Facebook

Michelles Bags Were Packed

Just hours after her death, then-sheriffs deputy Debra Maynard was sent to notify family members that the young mother had taken her own life  something she says haunts her to this day.

Michelles bags were packed and on the couch, Maynard, who was among the first responders on the scene, tells PEOPLE. Typically, when a woman is getting ready to leave is the most volatile time. We know this, and statistics support it.

Maynards suspicion is echoed by family and friends, who describe OConnell as a doting mother to her 4-year-old daughter, Alexis  and a victim of Banks abuse.

Everything revolved around Alexis, childhood friend Ciara Morris tells PEOPLE. Whether it was her job, where she worked, where she lived, where we hung out, it was always about what was best for Alexis. She would not have left Lexi without a parent.

 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.

Loved ones also say Michelle had no history of depression and was excited about recent changes in her life, including a promotion at the child care center where she worked.

Interviews and text messages on her cell phone reveal Michelle was busy making plans right up until the night she died. Earlier that day, she scheduled CPR classes required for her new position at work, signed up for benefits and planned breakfast with mother, Patty OConnell, the next morning.

Whats more, multiple people say Michelle told them that, after attending a concert with Banks and brother Sean OConnell, she intended to break up with Banks and move out of their home on the night of her death.

She told me she was leaving him, says friend Mindy Fox, adding that the two were saving money to rent an apartment together.

We had plans for going out after the concert, Fox says. She told me she was going to go home, pack her stuff, make sure Lexi was okay and then she and I were going to go have a girls night out. We were texting throughout the evening, making sure that plans were still on.

Sheriffs deputy Jeremy Banks (right)Catherine Ivey Jones

A History of Violence?

Michelles mom claims she witnessed Banks abuse her daughter.

I actually saw him body slam her on the floor in my house, Patty OConnell tells PEOPLE. That was the day I knew he wasnt good for her.

In a later interview with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement about the altercation, Banks admitted to using a police tactic to bring Michelle to the floor during an argument when, he said, she attempted to slap him.

Alexis also accused Banks of abuse, according to notes from a July 2011 forensic interview with child welfare authorities. In those documents, a child protection worker wrote, Alexis provided history of witnessing Jeremy Banks jumping on her mother and hitting her mother with a belt at their home. She reported her mother said, Stop, stop, but Mr. Banks did not stop.

Results of a second, private autopsy performed on Michelles exhumed remains earlier this year, at her familys request, may support the abuse allegations. Orlando forensic pathologist Dr. William Anderson found that her lower jawbone was broken  a finding not mentioned in the earlier autopsy reports.

The most reasonable explanation is that a hit in the jaw with a fist created the mandible fracture, Anderson tells PEOPLE, noting that such blunt force trauma likely incapacitated Michelle prior to the fatal gunshot.

 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 statement to the media, St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said, The information presented is nothing new and all was reviewed during the initial autopsy.

He described the ongoing attention as the work of a few family members who will go to any lengths to maintain their moment in the spotlight.

Friends and family believe that investigations by the sheriffs office and state attorneys may have yielded a different conclusion if investigators had allowed them to tell their side of this story. Yet the OConnell family, Ciara and Fox all say their efforts to give statements were rebuffed.

None of them ever wanted to speak to our side of our family, Patty says. What kind of investigation can you do without asking questions of both sides?

Though Michelles case remains closed, they hope for a change.

This is like a nightmare. But nightmares do end, Patty says. I think eventually this nightmare is going to end. I hope I live through it, that Im alive to see the end of this and see justice for Alexis and her mommy.

We knew she was trying to get away. If anybody wanted to live, it was Michelle.